OAG - Material Girls

THE ODDJOB ADVENTURERS GUILD - CONTRACT POSTING

Demand for stunning outfits means we must have a steady intake of new and exotic fabrics to meet our customers' needs. Any individual who can supply us with these materials will be handsomely compensated.

CONTRACT STATUS: REJECTED

NOTE: I shouldn't have to remind anyone here, but the Silk Guild's strict control over the supply chain means that any trade not sanctioned by them is explicitly prohibited. I will not condone any guild member going against these sanctions just to earn a quick purse of gold.

- Guildmistress C. M. Prismalért

* * *

The morning air was crisp and dry, and a glistening sheen of frost clinged to the clearing and everything around the small clearing - The grass and leaves of the forest, the rocks rising up the valley walls, the crates of harvesting equipment placed outside the dark entrance to the caves, all cast in dull pale glow. Everything seemed frozen in place, an uncomfortable quiet ruining what could have been a serene view.

"Nyah," Meeko sighes, standing idly at the edge of the clearing. Her breath sends out a cloud of steamy breath into the air. "Maybe this isn't a good idea after all."

If Meeko was being completely honest with herself, she did feel bad for being out here. But her first few weeks in the guild had been embarrassing to say the least, and once word got out about what happened in the orc village all the other guild members had considered her a bit of a jinx and steered clear of her, limiting her contract prospects. So yes, while the contract asking for crafting materials had been officially rejected there was still an opportunity for a little off-the-books side hustle.

That being said, Meeko Talukino knew just two things about textiles: The long grass fibres from the Adaman Isles, if properly worked by an artificer, made some of the best ropes a person could use; and two, stardust silk - which is the product of the star-fragment spider, which lives in only one cave on the continent - is smooth, elegant, and could probably stop a knife. And only one of those materials would help remedy her bare cupboards situation right now.

A chill creeps over her and she pulls the knee-length cloak draped over her shoulders tight around herself, and stamps her feet to warm herself up. Along with her usual mage dress, Meeko is decked out in thick, woollen arm sleeves and a pair of jet black leggings that cover her bare thighs up past her knee-high boots. Once she had warmed up a little she looked up again, trying to push the uncertainty of her presence out here aside.

Okay, stop being a baby about it! Meeko shakes her head, tussling her indigo blue hair. She had to remind herself that the plan was foolproof: The harvesters from the Silk Merchant's Guild would not begin their work for another two days, but all of their equipment was here now and ready to go. All she had to do was grab what she needed, get inside the cave and procure enough of the glistening webbing for a few dresses, and she would be out of here before anyone knew about it.

So... why have I been standing here for ten minutes not doing anything? Meeko thinks about this for a moment, shaking her head one more time. Forcing herself to step forward into the camp, Meeko marches herself over to the crates the Silk Guild had already deposited. She mutters to herself in a sing-song manner, trying to use the made up melody to distract herself from what she is doing.

"Okay, okay, just keep moving, don't dawdle now, get out of here before you get caught, Nyah-la-la... Aha!" She stops before one of the smaller crates, her grey ears perking up as she looks upon the coded markings painted on its side, and smiles. "Harvester uniforms and cutting equipment! This'll be a breeze now!"

She hops back and forth, her eyes eventually spotting the nearby crowbar the crews had left behind. She lets out a yelp as the sheer cold touch of the iron on her skin, and lugs it back to the crate before thrusting its end forward, trying to catch the slight gap underneath the crate lid.

"Ngh, come on you stupid..." She grumbles, wriggling the iron bar back and forth frantically to help it find purchase between the wood. "So stupid! Why does it have to be so tight?"

"Not the first time you've asked that, hm?" Asked the deep feminine voice behind her.

The nekojin jumps sideways away from the voice, the crowbar hitting the ground with a dull metallic thud as she flies several feet away. As she lands back on her feet she spins round, looking back at the source of the voice to find, quite surprisingly, another nekojin woman staring back at her, arms folded and with a bemusing smirk on her face.

"Wow, that was... an energetic reaction, girly." the nekojin says, raising her eyebrow at Meeko. "Like a girl with energy."

Meeko feels herself turning red, the offhand comment surprising her as she takes stock of the newcomer. She is shorter than Meeko by a couple of inches, but her shoulders are broad, her arms flexing as they fold to reveal some muscle underneath her darker skin and dark, tabby swirl markings. Her hair is a mess of red hair, some of it tied back behind her head in a vain attempt to control it, and beneath all of that sits a roundish face, a pair of large, brown ears and a set of deep blue eyes. She is dressed for combat in mostly leather of red and black hues, and slung across her back is what appears to be a strange looking longsword.

"Nyah, well... You gave me reason to be energetic." Meeko sputters, her awkward counter-flirt not getting her much traction. "I mean, you... Well, what are you doing here?"

"Supposed to be here. Unlike you, girly." the nekojin replies immediately, her voice clipped. "I'm security around here. Trying to keep thieves from stealing from the Silk Guild."

This gives Meeko pause, looking her up and down and taking in her shoddy, beaten appearance. "You're from the Silk Guild? Should you be... I don't know, wearing an armour bikini or something?"

"Didn't say I was from that guild, girly." She offers a small smile, Meeko noting how pretty the soft smile is on the burly woman, and how she noticed the comment about the bikini. "Was sent by the Guildmistress. By our guild."

"By our... Our guild?!" Meeko feels herself tense up at the revelation, her nerves now fully on edge. "But why-- Nyah, wait, forget that. How do you know I am from the OAG?"

The nekojin gives a soft, short chuckle, shaking her head. "Well first... Never said I was from the OAG. You suck at bluffing." She pauses, probably just long enough to watch and enjoy the pained expression creep over Meeko's face. "And second... Yeah, pretty much everyone knows who you are, cutie. You're the girl who went for the orc contract."

Gods, am I ever going to live that one down? Meeko groans, shaking her head as she stays where she is. She glances up at warrior nekojin, her face now back to being stoic as her blue eyes stare unblinkingly ahead to her.

"Keetra, by the way." She chimes in before Meeko can speak, finally introducing herself. She reaches her right arm behind her and draws the weapon over her shoulder, slamming the end into the ground with another dull thud. Meeko recognizes it as a bar mace - a long and thick piece of iron, designed to be wielded like a sword but more for bludgeoning. Keetra's hands clasp one atop the other on the grip, portraying a sense of stoic resolve.

"Um, well, Keetra." Meeko finally says, the intimidation tactic working on the smaller nekojin. "I... I know I shouldn't be out here. It was stupid of me to try this. Just... Just don't tell the Guildmistress, okay?" Meeko pleads with the woman, her ears fully drooping down.

"Hm." Keetra shrugs, her index finger tapping twice on the grip. "Well, suppose I can keep quiet. You seem to be having shitty luck lately, girly... Feel sorry for you."

"Haa, really? Nyah, you... You have no idea how much this means to me." Meeko feels the tension leaving her, a thick billow of steam rising out before her as she sighs. "I mean, I don't think I could do with another--"

"What's in the crate, hm?" Keetra interrupts, nodding her head at the nearby box Meeko intended to open.

"Nyuh? Oh, um..." Meeko is thrown off by the question, gesturing to it herself. "It... It's the gear and tools the harvesters use. Y'know, protective gear, cutting blades for the silk--"

"Hm, okay." Keetra interjects again, then turns her head up to signal behind Meeko. "You better get that cute butt moving, before I change my mind."

Meeko is a little taken aback, her mouth still hanging open as she takes a few seconds longer to respond. "Uhh, well... Wait. How come you didn't know what was in these crates? Aren't you... "

A long silence hangs between them after she trails off, frozen in the air like the rest of the opening. The two nekojin look at each other in silence, Keetra still as intimidating, but Meeko is slowly straightening up, her tail stiffening as they stare each other down like two cats deciding if the other is going to pounce.

"You... weren't really sent by the Guildmistress, were you?" Meeko's voice is low and soft, her yellow eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Wanna challenge me on that one, girly?" Keetra offers another cute smirk as she responds quickly. "Besides, I caught you, remember?"

"Nyah, because you got here first!" The mage nekojin protests, her hands shooting outwards expressively. "You think you can just take the silk and earn some cash on the side!"

"Well... Yeah." Keetra shrugs nonchalantly. "Seems that's what you were gonna do."

"Well... Maybe!" Meeko finds herself getting frustrated with every word they share. "But...But you clearly don't know what you're doing, so really, you need me!"

Keetra nods to the crates, that smile still holding on her lips. "Found the harvesting gear. Know how to use a blade. How hard could it be? You were going to do it yourself."

Meeko' flustered face starts to grow redder as she listens to Keetra, her ears slowly pulling back on her head in anger at the brash woman. "Yeah, well you... You just-- Nyargh!" Meeko lets out an aggravated grunt, hopping side to side while Keetra remains stationary. After a moment of venting she stops, taking a controlling breath.

"Okay, let's... Talk about this, nyuh?" Meeko speaks softer now, lowering her tone to a more reasonable level. "I mean... There's no real reason we can't... do this together? Both get paid?"

Keetra takes a second to think. The longest consideration Meeko has seen her take to this point. "Yeah. No." the warrior offers another smile as she swings the iron bar up, resting it on her shoulder. "No offence. You're cute, but your luck is shit."

Okay, Meeko thinks to herself, her ears folding backwards behind her head. She takes another controlled breath, feeling the magic energies swelling up within her. Wanna see how shitty my luck is?

"Freigio!" Meeko's enchantment brings her power to life, and she thrusts her opened hand out. The magic shifts and crystallises in mid-flight, the swirling blast of ice streaking towards Keetra before she can react. It doesn't take long before the warrior's feet and legs are encased in a few inches of the magical ice, rooting her to the spot.

She doesn't have the time to enjoy Keetra's startled expression, or to even think of a more reasonable plan. She simply breaks into a run, having to duck around the red-headed nekojin as she awkwardly reaches out and grabs at the cloak. Meeko shrugs it off her shoulders, Keetra left holding nothing but the billowing garment as she makes for the cave entrance.

Nyah, this is crazy! Meeko's thoughts are racing as she picks up speed, shedding the cloak's weight giving her an extra boost. I don't have any equipment, no way of properly harvesting what I need. And what am I supposed to do about that cute brick of meat on my way out?

Two things then happen that make Meeko's train of thought moot: first, she hears the sharp sound of something metal crashing into ice - Obviously Keetra making use of her bar mace; and second, the high pitched whistle that starts to ring through the air, causing Meeko wonder what could be causing it.

Then the bola whip thrown by a Keetra snaps around Meeko's ankles with a sharp cracking sound. Meeko's momentum is her downfall, Meeko's feet leaving the ground as she sails forward and lands hard, fast and face first into the ground.

The nekojin lets out a long and pained ground, muffled by the ground. The fall hurt bad enough to stun her into just lying there, unable to do anything as she hears the clumping footsteps heading towards her.

"That was a dirty trick, girly." Keetra sounds annoyed now, that much is obvious to Meeko as she stomps closer to where she lies. "Was happy to let you just walk away. Now I gotta teach you a lesson."

"Leffun?" Meeko talks through a mouthful of grass, turning her head and spitting out a few errant blades. "What do you mean lesso-- Aarg, watch it!"

"Stop complaining, this'll be quick." Keetra raises her voice now, stunning Meeko into silence as the warrior already has her arms pulled back - One hand tightly clasping Meeko's hands and wrists together and pushing them down roughly against her butt. Meeko strains her head around to see her attacker reaching for the red leather belt around her waist, yanking out another coil of rope from somewhere behind her. She is unable to watch the rope fixed around one wrist and then another, but certainly feels it as Keetra cinches the rope tightly between the two arms.

All Meeko can do is scowl back at the smirking Keetra, feeling her take the loose ends of the wrist bindings, loop them around the bola ropes encircling her ankles and bring them around again. The nekojin mage lets out a gasp as Keetra yanks the rope and forces Meeko into a hogtie, her fingers now able to touch the heel of her boots as she is forced into a backwards arch.

"That'll keep you in one spot for now." Keetra continues on, her voice now dropping back to its previous, relaxed tone. Meeko tries to ignore her as she rocks back and forth for release, only stopping as she hears the loud, piercing rip ring out behind her, and she strains her head back around.

"You... You cow! That's my favourite cloak!" Meeko shouts angrily as Keetra tears the thick strip from along the bottom edge of her cloak, incredulous as the standing nekojin tosses the blanket aside casually.

It is only when she sees Keetra tying off a large knot in the middle of the strip does she start to realise what is happening, and her captor does not give her the time to react properly.By the time Meeko opens her mouth to speak the warrior is kneeling right beside her, working the strip again so the knot is now doubled in size, barely squeezing past Meeko's lips and teeth. She loops the ends behind her head, then round again so they wrap around and back, pushing the knot further back into Meeko's mouth before finally tying it off.

"Chhm uhn, fhr ffhhghs phhugh!!" Meeko swears back profusely, letting out a long string of muffled insults at Keetra. In such a short span she has been tackled, captured, and her clothes ruined by the burly nekojin. "Dhhff ehffnd ffhhnnuh!"

"Oh I don't know. Looks pretty funny to me." Keetra smirks, then turns and head's back the way she came. Meeko tries to follow her movements, but cannot strain her head round that far. After a moment she hears the cracking of wooden boards, the sound of heavy items being moved around, before her clomping footfalls start to approach the struggling captive.

"Up you come, girly." Keetra grabs at the back of Meeko's dress, the mage yelping as her captor lifts her off the ground, and only able to continue yelping and flailing as she is carried over to the cave entrance like embarrassed luggage. Once within the shadowy entryway, Keetra sets her down again, more gently than her first fall to earth.

"Don't want to catch a cold out there. You'll be warmer here." Keetra offers a soft smile, the harvesting outfit rolled around several metal tools and tucked under her arm. "I'm guessing this won't take me too long? Maybe an hour?"

"Uhn hhrur? Ffuhhrruffdu?" Meeko's eyes get wider, already feeling a little strain on her limbs and back from the hogtie.

"You'll be fine. And hey, I'm sure that you'll be able to get out eventually. Just not soon enough." Keetra gives Meeko a mock salute, going to turn away as she tilts her head and offers a smile. Meeko is curious about the look until she realises the rough transport to the cave has made her dress ride up, Keetra gazing at the mage's exposed ass as it wiggles from side to side.

"Hm. Not a bad view at all. Knew it was cute." Keetra offers a small wink at the captive Meeko before finally turning away, marching into the darkness of the cave.

Not... A bad view? Meeko's face heats up from the attention, conflicted about her feelings towards her burly captor. It takes the time for her footsteps to finally fade into the cave before Meeko remembers her situation and resumes her struggles, bucking back and forth to try and slip her bonds.

"Mmmmmghh... Ffuggh!" Meeko swears again, quickly realising that her movements are only succeeding in making her dress ride up more, her underwear now fully exposed as she wiggles her ass back and forth.

Feeling the chill of the morning air on her exposed skin - and deciding she has given Keetra far too much enjoyment already - she forces herself to stop and take stock of her situation. For all of her complaints, Meeko admits that the hogtie is unusually comfortable on her body, the ropes not pinching too hard on her arms as if Keetra had guessed the limit of her tolerances. In fact, the only real discomfort she felt was the itching sensation of the gag forced into her mouth, the woollen ball already soaked with her spit.

"Mph. Dhhmn yuh, Khhdruh." Meeko mumbles, her eyes narrowing at the thought of her captor. Already Meeko was imagining her revenge, planning how she could get the jump on the warrior nekojin. And she would not be so subtle with her tie, her thoughts quickly turning to imagining Keetra in much more uncomfortable bondage, and in much less clothing. Hmm, I wonder if under all that sexy muscle is someone ticklish...

Meeko has to snap herself out of her quickly escalating fantasy, twisting her head around and barely catching a glimpse of the rope connecting her hands and feet. Fortunately for her, the rope on her wrists looked older and more frayed than the bola rope, and she extended out her fingers to allow her decidedly cat-like claws to start scratching at the rope. The faint scratching starts to fill the air as she flexes the finger back and forth, happy she had not decided to trim her claws before heading out today.

Almost like she knew I would do this... Crafty minx! Meeko shakes her head with a soft grunt, focusing on her scratching attempts and knowing it will take some time to make progress. With some luck, she hoped she would be free in less time than it took Keetra to return.

* * *

Two hours later...

"Mff! Mm-- Fwah!" Meeko's tired fingers pull out at the remnants of her cloak, her tongue finally pushing the spit-sodden ball out of her mouth. She tosses the gag aside, hating it for making her mouth so dry, and slowly sits herself up.

The comfort of her bondage had disappeared after the first hour of her capture, picking through the ropes taking longer than she had expected, but at least she was able to saw through the hogtie rope and let the pressure on her limbs ease up. After that, it was much easier for Meeko to twist her arms up and work double time on the wrist bindings, but by the time she had finally cut enough of the coils to loosen their grip the morning had long turned to the afternoon.