Monster Girl Encounter Ch. 15: Jinko

The weather is growing hotter by the hour. Our clothes are starting to get heavy from the dampness and our boots unrecognizable through the layers of mud. We are in one of the easternmost locations of the land of the Order, right at the feet of the mountain chain that separates it from the Mist Continent.

Monsters were bleeding over and blending in with others around this area.

My name is Julian Laroute and this is entry one of my research journal. I am a proud citizen of Acadia in the coastal region of Lazonté and at the sturdy age of 25. Despite the setbacks and trials in our perilous journey up to this point neither my equipment nor my body have suffered any damages as of yet. Still the same blonde, spiked hair with curled tips. The odd mud spatter or stick here or there, but still manageable. Green eyes, not affected by any infectious diseases, and my equipment still unharmed. That equipment being a light, thin gambeson with leather pauldrons and studded, black leather gauntlets for at least a modicum of defense in case anything really went wrong.

Along with that, I brought this trusty journal, observation tools and... regrettably...

"Ow! By the gods! Watch where you're going Luther!" I yelled in panic and frustration as a tall, heavily muscled man bumped against me and knocked my journal right out of my hands and into the mud.

He looked at me over his shoulder with an annoyed grunt. "Don't keep standing in the middle of a path. Something like this is bound to happen when you're so blind to your surroundings. Just thought I'd give you a little wake-up call so you'd stop staring at that blasted book."

"It's not a book, it's a journal. It's the whole point of this trip!" I grumble as I brush the dirt off its cover. Thankfully the pages were unharmed. "I didn't hire you to disrespect me and my equipment like that!"

"And we didn't let ourselves get hired by you just to watch you scribble in your diary. We want to fucking get this job done and over with already. What, you gonna go back to Acadia to hire someone else?"

"Hrmph, wish you weren't right about that. At least try to make sure that my equipment isn't harmed. Think you can do that for me?" I respond, suppressing my spite as best as I could.

He mockingly saluted me "As you command... boss..." grunted and tread onward through the brush.

I pocketed my journal and decided to continue it later. Maybe once we had established a surveillance camp. And just as I was going about getting on with it, I hear yet another annoyed grunt behind me, though this one seemed a bit more warranted.

"Hey Julian, could we keep moving? I swear I'm sinking into this shit more and more as we speak."

"I was just about to, Franz. You doing fine with the camping equipment?" I asked, looking at the bulking pile of bundled-up stuff on his back. Franz was already slightly hunch-backed and incredibly strong but this amount of weight couldn't have been healthy for his body. He was the second of the 2 mercenary brothers I hired for protection and transport though it seemed that Franz did a lot more of the latter than Luther did.

"Ah, this? This is nothing. I've hauled stacks of swords and armor over mountain ranges before. I'll be fine. Just... keep moving okay? It's easier if I can keep a constant momentum." He answered as his knees wobbled from trying to keep balance.

"Don't start acting like your brother now. There's no shame in sharing the burden. Give me the tent at least." Without even waiting for him to fuss over a response, I take off the top layer of the bundle, an iron-barred, sturdy field tent with an olive-green tint. It took up a significant chunk of the load and even though it was only one part of the baggage, I sure as hell felt the weight on my shoulders. "Good lord! You've been carrying this since Acadia? No wonder your posture is this messed up."

"Well... you know it gets a lot easier over time. You eat some rations, you use up some supplies and it gets lighter bit by bit."

"That still can't be light enough to carry it all this way. Why didn't you let Luther carry some of it?" I continued asking him as we walked.

"Luther says we both have assigned roles. Muscles of two kinds. He has the muscles to wield weapons and armor; mine are for carrying cargo and putting up equipment. We're just each doing what we're best at, as he puts it."

I scrunched my eyebrows a little but decided not to pry further. "Oh well, not like it's my business. If you need me to lighten the load a little though, just let me know, alright. I may need to hire mercenaries to defend myself but that doesn't mean I can't provide some muscle every once in a while myself."

"Huh..." He noted as if he was surprised.

"What?"

"Just thought you're pretty proactive for someone from Acadia. Normally you guys from the North Coast are much more lazy. You know if I had the kind of money you kids from up there have, I sure as hell would not bother carrying shit through these mucked-up jungles."

"You've gotta work to get that kind of wealth first, Franz. Money like that doesn't come out of nowhere. Sure, they're novelists and biographers and so on but even they at some point had to sit down, crack their knuckles and write."

"So why not just sit at home, write a schmaltzy love story that everyone's just gonna eat up and retire?" He shrugged.

"Because I despise such laziness. The people of Acadia aren't ambitious. They're too content with the stuff they're familiar with. Nobody's got that urge to explore something new. Back home nobody even knows of monsters outside of the ones that have been accepted by the order. Elves, Dwarves, Centaurs urgh... so drab, so uninspired. But with this... this book here..." I say as I slap its cover. "I'm gonna show them how colorful this world is. Full of exotic creatures which are just begging to be explored. And since I doubt anyone from Acadia could handle anything like those, I hired you and your brother."

He looked over at me with a doubtful sideways glance. "So... you're saying you got this kind of ambition all on your own? From sitting at the beach, enjoying the sun to trudging through muck and observing wild mamono?"

I scratched the side of my head. "Yeah... mostly. Among some... other factors."

"You want to impress the ladies, don't you?"

My red flushed a little and I started to stutter. "I... no... I... I guess I considered the possibility of that. It's not the main thing that's on my mind but I can't say I wasn't thinking about it at all."

"Nah, no need to make excuses. I can't blame you." He bellowed in laughter. "The girls you've got up there in Acadia? Top notch! Whatever these girls are doing, it sure gained them some nice racks."

I blew a bit of air at that comment. "Come on, women are more than just a pair of breasts, Franz."

"Right you are. They've got some nice pieces of ass up there as well." He laughed and nudged me.

I rolled my eyes but smiled to humor him.

"Ey, don't give me that better-than-though look. Well, you tell me then, what do you look for in a woman?"

"I don't know actually. I guess I'll know when I meet her?"

"Ah come on. We're both guys here. Nothing to be bashful about."

I looked through the treetops as I thought about his question. "I guess if I had to say... I need a woman who isn't anything like anyone at home."

"How do you mean?"

"Adventurous! You know?An inquisitive mind! Someone who isn't just happy with where they're at in life. Someone with equal amounts brain and brawn who's never done learning more. I'm so sick of these short-sighted, vapid, lazy girls who just flaunt their wealth around, buy their way out of every problem and haven't seen anything outside of their own home. I need someone who can conquer the unknown and who can get things done by venturing into it. Exploring new worlds and new creatures and sharing it with everyone else. If I'd ever find a woman like that I think I'd marry her on the spot."

"Damn, and you can't just find someone like that back home?"

"Have you seen the women in Acadia? If they're not famous authors, children of wealthy families or some rich guy's entourage, they're self-centered, lazy narcissists who couldn't care less about anything outside of their bubble. Hell, I'd be lucky to find one that can walk her way to the market on her own." I sighed as I noticed his confused glances. "Hah, I guess I just want too much. Am I really that far off? Am I being unreasonable?"

"Well, I guess people say there's a cover for every pot. But man! Yours has some very specific measurements. You might want to lower your standards and accept that people will never fit your standards no matter how much you think they measure up to them at first. Ask my 5 ex wives. Hahaha!" He bellowed once again and slapped my back way too hard as if I was supposed to laugh along with him.

I decided to study my notes for the rest of the journey instead of partaking in any more conversation. Don't know what I was expecting, talking about love with a bunch of mercenaries. At least they were entertaining enough and they did what they were told.

We walked until a certain point, where Luther called out to us. "This should be it! Found a nice dry spot. We set up camp here and survey the surrounding area. We'll be sure to find at least something of... whatever you're looking for."

"Perfect!" I groan as I drop the tent from my back and help Franz take his part of the luggage off as well. He didn't let it show, but it must've been one hell of a strain on his back. As we begin to unpack, Luther makes another announcement.

"You guys put up the field camp. I'll scout the area. See if I can't spot something interesting for your little diary."

"Journal, and drop the attitude. You're not in charge here! You help us set up as well. The more we are, the quicker we're done and can get to work."

He looked over his shoulder as he scoffed like I asked him to do something that's beneath him. "Well, you're fucked without me, so I guess you don't get to have a say in the matter... boss." He said with the biggest implied quotation marks you could imagine. "Me scout, you unpack. Got it? Good:" He said condescendingly and turned away.

"Fucking mercenaries, I swear." I mutter under my breath.

"Hey!" I hear as a complaint from behind me.

"You know what I'm talking about, Franz." I responded while hammering a post for the main tent into the ground.

He shrugged and fell silent for a while, apparently pondering about asking me something. "So... you must be pretty certain your story is going to be a big hit if you're willing to put up with all of this. What are you planning to do with all of that money?"

I didn't even hesitate to proudly answer. "Finance the next expedition of course."

"You want to do this again?"

"Obviously. I can't base my studies off of simply one excursion. This is merely enough material for the first volume. I might one day have an entire almanac filled with content. Hell, maybe even an encyclopedia. Could you imagine that? A monster girl encyclopedia... wouldn't that be something?"

Franz suppressed and almost pitying chuckle and scoffed. "You're spending too much time with your head in the clouds. Keep your mind on setting up base for now."

I shrugged and went back to helping him put up more posts until we could assemble the skeleton and the cover for the tent. I dug my hands deep into a pile of moist mud and along with some leaves covered the tent with a good amount of it. From outside you wouldn't see anything but a pattern of greens and browns that blended in with the forest foliage.

With a desk and a small alchemy set put up, we were all ready to get to business. I turned to look over my shoulder, seeing Franz blow into a pile of faintly smoking sticks. He obviously tried to get a fire going so we could cook our rations later but the moisture in the air and the damp wood made that ordeal pretty difficult.

I went into the tent and sat down at the alchemy table. Over a small oil lamp, I heated up a vial of luminescent orange fluid. "Hey, Franz!" I called out to him.

He looked up after a scowl of frustration that the fire wasn't going yet, which quickly turned into one of confusion as I tossed him the vial.

"Use that!"

"What is this stuff?"

With a smirk I responded. "Liquid fire. It's an essence that's said to have originated in another realm but it's pretty easy to replicate. Pour it over the sticks. See for yourself."

He doubtfully looked back and forth between me and the warm, orange vial in his hand as he opened the cork. One drop and what starts as a spark, suddenly engulfs the small pile in flames. The sticks char immediately and a crackling fire was burning in the center of our camp.

Franz's eyes widen and he quickly sets up a pot to hang over the fire. "Holy hell! You're way more resourceful than I thought, Julian! For a coast kid at least. No offense." He chortled, excitedly fanning the already bristling fire like a child with a new toy.

"Yeah yeah, amazing what basic chemistry can get you." I let out with a sigh because I knew how unworthy of praise this actually was. From the fire, I looked upwards, following the waft of smoke that was floating up to the treetops.

The trees themselves, as I only noticed now, were surprisingly tall though their tops left most of the sunlight through unhindered. Vines and branches connected them instead in a network of something that could've resembled the rigging of a ship.

I smiled to myself as I took a deep breath. The air was humid but insanely fresh. Entirely different from the seaside. But the more I engrossed myself in my surroundings, the more I noticed something I never noticed before.

A lot of hustle and bustle was going on somewhere up in the trees. Even though I couldn't see a thing, I could clearly pick up something lively going on up there. Just out of sight.

"Hey, you're off in cloud palace aga..."

"Shhhh..." I quietly hushed Franz before he could say anything. He followed my gaze and watched as leaves were being shaken off and the vine bridges made to swing ever so slightly by something moving through the treetops.

Neither of us could spot anything. No sounds. No creature that we could see. The only sounds we did hear, were the creaking of wood and faint rustling sounds.

Franz got up and pulled a curved dagger from his waistband. He readied it for possible incoming attacks and his eyes darted all over. He couldn't locate the origin of the sounds. We had no idea if it was just one or multiple creatures hiding up there since the noises seemed to come from different directions.

I had no weapon to defend myself. As silently as I could, I tip toed towards the campfire. There was a long branch lying on top of it. If they were anything like animals, maybe the fire could scare them.

I breathed as gently as possible and made no sudden moves. I knelt down and grabbed it. My fingers tightened around it as I was ready to swing it any second.

The rustling got louder. Something was ready to descend from the...

"GUYS! I FOUND SOMETHING!"

Me and Franz almost shat our pants as a loud yell shook our bones. The rustling got loud one more time until it seized into complete quiet. Whatever it was, it had left.

My heart was about to beat out of my chest when I turned and saw a familiar face coming over a slope.

"By the fucking GODS! Don't do this to me ever again, Luther!" I dropped the burning branch in my hand, making it spit out embers as it dropped back onto the fire. I fell on my ass in exasperation and held my forehead.

He raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing!" I said passive aggressively as I still caught my breath. Franz was not far behind me in that matter. He held his chest like he'd almost had a heart attack. "What in God's name do you think you're doing just calling out to us like that? You do know that we DON'T want to wildlife to know where we are, right?"

"Oh, shut it. We've got something more important to talk about. I found one of those monster girls you were looking for. She's a good bit away from camp, but I don't think she's moving anytime soon. If we hurry up, you might catch still catch her in her... grooming session."

Me and Franz were both dumbfounded as to what he meant. "Did... did you just say grooming session? And why do you sound so uncertain about calling it that?"

"Trust me. You're gonna want to see this for yourselves. Don't forget your precious journal. There's gonna be lots of noteworthy material." He spoke confidently and turned back the way he came, signaling us to follow.

Me and Franz exchanged confused glances before we packed up our surveillance equipment and headed after him.

Before we went over the slope, I took one last look over my shoulder. Sure enough, whatever was watching us earlier was either gone for good or really good at being quiet. Either way, for now I was confident enough that the camp was safe and turned back around.

The foot march wasn't as far as I thought. Barely over 2 hills and past a bit of brush actually. When we arrived at a massive tree with massive ferns and weeds around its trunk, Luther wordlessly signaled us to lay low.

We turned a corner, and quietly moved around the base of the tree. "Just behind this thicket. Let's hope it's still here. You won't believe your eyes if it is." Luther said, going prone with me and Franz crawling to the left and right of him.

My heart was pounding. The sense of discovery already starting to set in. I enthusiastically got my notebook and pencil out, ready to sketch and note what I was going to see.

And then I looked up from it...

My mouth slackened. Whatever words I could've uttered got stuck in my throat and my hand wouldn't move.

The sight before me, made my breath grow shallow and my heartbeat slow. A massive pool of water filled a basin within a clearing of the jungle. Small waterfalls originated from somewhere else and a larger, almost shower-like one, splashed into the pool itself. But what amazed me the most, wasn't actually the scenery, or the crystal clear water... but the creature that was taking a bath inside of it.

An orange haired girl with a slim, but muscular physique and unusual, bestial features had her head hanging under the rushing waterfall, letting it rinse her hair that reached all the way to the middle of her back. She definitely wasn't human, that much was certain. From her thighs to her feet and from her upper arms downwards, she was covered in brown-ish orange and black striped fur, ending in massive tiger-like paws. The same tiger theme continued with a similarly patterned tail and small, fluffy ears poking out at the top of her head.

Her eyes were blissfully closed while she took a shower, with all of her body completely exposed. Thoughts that monsters just might always be unclothed, quickly dispersed when I saw a set of emerald green plate armor at the edge of the basin. But even for armor, it seemed like it wouldn't cover much if she wore it. And with the substantial size of her breasts, I could imagine how tight of a squeeze it would be.

I was left speechless, my eyes focused on her... just about everything. Her exotic, long hair, the slight tan of her glistening skin with water droplets pouring over her body and those unusual, animalistic features. Never in my life had I seen anything like her.

"So? What do you think? Think that's what you've been looking for?" Luther whispered, noticeably prideful.

My mouth was dry and I struggled to answer. When even my hands loosened up and I dropped my pencil, I quickly snapped out of it and shook my head to focus on taking notes.

"You alright there, boss? You seem a bit distracted." He chuckled low-key.

I picked up my pencil and began writing down every detail I could gather from a first glance. "Fuck! Yeah, just a... cramp in my hand. Don't distract me any more, I need to concentrate." I brushed him off.