Resolute Love

"Sir?" Metacari asked. "I think it would be wise to check the jail for anyone else who may be useful."

I was dumbstruck and so were the guards. "Hmm? Yes, quite."

Metacari led three guards and me into the jail. We were all in shock and only she seemed to have a plan. In the light, the building looked different. I bid the guards to stay outside of the jail since the real Baronet was still laying out in a cell. In the other cells, Metacari opened and released a quiet elf that bolted once the door opened, a trio of short dwarfs or something, and then we came to a cat. It was a big cat not unlike the size of a tiger. Unlike a tiger, it was all black with white rings along its back like a jaguar.

The creature regarded us with cunning intelligence in its white grey eyes and its tail flicked as it looked from her to settle its gaze onto me.

Metacari fiddled with the lock, and I reached up to stop her the instant the lock sprang open.

She looked askance at my pleading face. "What are you doing?" I blurted. To me it made good sense for this creature to stay in there while I'm out here.

She shrugged like cats that big don't eat people. "It should be free."

"Says who? Cats eat anything they can kill. I have seen a house cat try to attack a horse foal as it sat in a field. If that thing..." I stopped as the creature stood and stretched. It kept an eye on me as it yawned and walked out past us. I clung to Metacari and hid myself behind her cloak like a child as it came out. I could hear it sniff her before continuing on its way.

"Fucking hell that was close." I breathed as t past us and ambled out into the light.

Metacari looked at me with laughter in her eyes as she turned and walked further down. Inside the next cell were three Amazons still in shoulder yokes, the looks they me gave were purely poisonous. They were all naked and didn't seem to care. Various bruises told a story of abuse from the guards or even the 'Baronet' himself. I noticed belatedly that their cell was across from the corpses current resting place.

Metacari stopped to address the group. Despite being bound as they were, they seemed to exude violence and lounged menacingly like a group of dangerous cutthroats in a dark alleyway.

"Sisters, you are to be released. You are then free to continue your hunt, or come to the Red Temple in Mavvus and heal." She said simply. Her words had a slight effect and their postures shifted to look toward Metacari. Once again, I was glad to be ignored.

"We cannot." said the one closest.

"You will." Metacari replied. "When were you taken?"

"Two...three days ago. We came along and ambushed a group but pursuers came up from behind and caught us between them."

I have another sister with me." Metacari said quietly. "We are sure your band is still in the forest here. If you would like to say farewell before we go you can."

The Amazons stared silently giving each other looks before they all agreed tiredly.

Metacari worked quickly and unbound their cell and each woman's yoke. The trio aggressively moved past me. All three had silver hair and were very curvy. They all towered over me it seemed with clenched jaws, flexed fists, and slight sneers towards me.

I followed behind Metacari and exited the jail keeping my distance. We ate a solemn breakfast after I gave my grateful wife her doses. The servants were very happy to serve us whatever we wanted. After a satisfying meal, Metacari seemed to take charge and led us out to get ready. After a mental debate, I left Flarni behind with a kindly old female servant.

Metacari led us out onto the road and off to our journey. At her request, we left the road and were brought over to a copse of trees. She seemed to zero in on something and without warning, we were suddenly in the center of a Amazon hunting band's camp.

The spot they used was a clever gully that was relatively circular, I wasn't sure if it was a sinkhole or simply a micro ravine. They cooked meat that I later learned was horseflesh. On the ground was the 'Baronet' grinning foolishly with his pants down. Around him were five women. They were all similarly white haired Amazons and sat bottomless around the circle mindless of their exposure.

They ignored me, hugged their sisters, and sat around the clearing with Metacari.

"Why have you come?" The leader asked finally. She wore lots odd decorative metal pieces, a plate of metal covered her forehead and eyes, her knees were also plated, and an odd device with spikes came down the back of her calves. The device on her legs had a heel spurs and a spike that dropped like a cleat into the ground.

"For her." Metacari said indicating the 'Baronet'. Before our eyes, the witch dropped her guise and changed into a huge drow. Clothes ripped off her as she stood and became over six feet tall, heavily muscled, with gigantic breasts that were larger than my head. Her muscular body was easily thicker and taller than the sisters before us.

The Huntresses reacted as thought the Dark Mother herself had come for them. They squealed and scrambled over to clump together behind the leader. After the scrambling was done the leader tried to stay calm and ask questions.

"What is the meaning of this?" She asked raising her spear defensively. Behind her, the other Amazons hid themselves and tittered.

Metacari looked from Mara to the Huntress. "We are on a quest for treasure. We needed Sister Mara, and now we found her. We must leave now and continue."

"Wait." She seemed to be tallying whether anyone was slighted or insulted by this. "He is ours." She said finally.

"Sister Mara was only wearing a face." Metacari said, then added. "But she will fight you if you wish."

As she spoke, Mara dropped a thin curved sword from her right hand.

"...I will challenge him unarmed for breeding." The leader said staring at the sword.

Mara made the weapon disappear and stood at ease in a loose fighting stance. The leader stood and came forward after dropping her weapon. Her arms were up and Mara let her make the first punch. Quicker than I could follow she caught the arm and yanked the woman over to her. The difference in sizes was staggering. Mara towered over her and was able to grab her shoulder with her other hand as she brought around the woman's arm to her own shoulder. She squatted down putting more pressure on the hold. In a second or two, she went limp as Mara choked her in her own arm.

"That was victory. You serve the Dark Mother well. Continue your hunt in honor. No one will know of this. All of you, your honor is clean." Metacari said turning to leave.

"Wait, allow us to aide you in repayment." One of them said.

"No." Mara said from behind them. She lifted a leg on the sleeping Amazon leader. "These I will take these in repayment."

"Very good. They have been trouble some." The Amazon said with a relieved smile.

Mara took off the devices and we backed out of the forest and went on our way. We found the house after midday searching up and down roads and watching homesteads from afar as we moved south and west.

This particular house had no women we could see and was in a state of disrepair. The fields were fallow and the men who came outside were hunched, watchful, and wary. As we crept along closer, Mara found a guard and silenced him before he even saw her emerge from his shadow.

She seemed to move very naturally as a giant woman I wondered if that was her natural form. I clenched my jaw and steeled myself as we crept out to the house. Metacari stayed back as I followed Mara through the tall grasses to the rear of the building. As we got settled with our backs to the wall, Metacari came out of the woods and ran onto the road making as much noise as possible.

Predictable noises of alarm inside the house countered her and the men scrambled out. As they came out onto the road, a furious racket like broken dishes started. I snuck a glace around the corner of the house and saw that the men were under a rain of black javelins. There were so many in the air that I could plainly see their arc as Metacari vaulted a series of them at the confused men from behind a bush nearly a hundred yards down the road. The sound of the bolts shattering as they impaled men or spiked the ground was unique. I could not take my eyes off of the spectacle until two men ran back to the house leaving their comrades.

Mara intercepted the pair and entered the house in their stead. She called me in and Metacari came running forward to enter after me. We searched the house and found nothing. We searched the walls, the cellar, the shed in back, and still found nothing.

As we walked the property, I noticed a cave covered by vegetation but still obviously disturbed. Inside we found the treasure. More then twenty cartloads of chests filled with gold, jewels, and random crests from noble families. These bandits had been nearly a hundred strong for three years ambushing up and down the high streets of the region. From what I could tell, this was how the Baronet had planned to finance his revolt.

I returned to the Keep a happy man. Arrangements were made and I discreetly got the treasure brought to the keep. I was sad to see Metacari and Mara go, they had done well, and I figured they could be great bodyguards.

The Baronet's former wife was kept around though it became obvious as time wore on that he wasn't returning. I found her to be a sweet woman. Flarni enjoyed her company and I sometimes found them both kissing by the window doped up together, and murmuring to each other in their own worlds.

Mara and Metacari really did know people it seemed. Four weeks later, I was formally given peerage and advanced to become the new Baronet of the lands. That came as we were finding out the Baronet's wife was pregnant.

Flarni changed after that and took charge for them both. Despite the hell of her pregnancies and the many failed deliveries and miscarriages we cried through, those two women worked hard to get off their crutch and become healthy and not waste this chance our Goddess gave us all. We hung tight through this one, and both were sober and clean when the baby was born. I don't know how, I can only guess the night she had it the witch must have fucked everything in the keep she could. Nevertheless, I will swear on anything the baby had Flarni's eyes.

I had come through hell and I was healthy, happy, whole, and before all that, I had my wife back.

#####

This was my first story with this genre, I had a hard time picking a place for it. I am glad to have shared it with you. I can only hope you enjoyed it.