TRC - Searching for the Sky Ch. 19

"Deena told us that the woman he was with is a snake-type monster girl."

Perra gasped, her hand covering her mouth in shock.

Bren winced as if struck. "We're really sorry to tell you th—"

"Bloody Hell!" exclaimed Kahrin only to be quickly shushed by the other two before she could wake Talin.

"What is your problem?!" hissed Bren, glaring at the woman.

"She already knew!" Kahrin whispered back fiercely.

"What?" asked Bren, confused.

"And here I thought I was convincing," deadpanned Perra.

Bren stared at her in astonishment. "You knew?!" he asked, nearly forgetting to whisper.

Perra nodded. "Her name is Sera and the dwarves call her a gorgon. Kal believes that she's likely the only one of her kind. She also spent her entire life underground until now."

Kahrin let her head loll back and her arms hang limply to the side. "We've were worried sick all the way here that ye'd be all tore up about him fuckin' a monster girl, and ye already knew," she said to the ceiling. Bren was still staring at the farmgirl.

"More than knew about it," she looked over her shoulder, "Kuto, you can come out here."

Kahrin and Bren both straightened up in surprise, they'd had no idea Perra and Talin weren't alone. They looked toward the bedroom door as it creaked open just far enough for someone to speak through the gap.

"No."

The door clicked shut.

It was Perra's turn to look surprised. "Why not?" she asked, partially turning in her seat.

Creak. "He's big and scary and I'm not coming out." Click.

"He's part giant, he has monster girl blood in him"

Creak. "He's male. Nice try." Click.

"Kuto... Kahrin was the first woman I ever played around with. If it weren't for her, you and I might have never happened."

Creak... Click.

They all stared expectantly at the door.

Creak... Click.

"Kutoo," Perra pleaded.

"Fine," said Kuto, letting the door swing open before stepping out and using the small claw-like fingers on her wings to close it quietly behind her. Turning around, she lifted a wing in greeting while staring warily at Bren, "Hi."

---

Kahrin and Bren's heads were reeling from all the information Perra dumped on them by the time they made their way back to the Inn. Bren was slowly letting it all sink in while Kahrin was fuming, but not about Perra's and Kal's relationships with monster girls.

Bren just smiled as Kahrin ranted about how Elta was still being a bitch to them despite being in on the mage and his woman's big secret. Bren chuckled to himself as he thought about all the people Perra listed off that knew about Kal's plans and embraced the idea of living alongside those with monster ancestry. It was nice to feel accepted.

---

Kal had continued stopping the occasional merchant caravan while Sera stayed hidden in the woods. He found a book on Lantaris and had been reading up on the city. Even better, the book was written a short while ago and the merchant confirmed that most of the royals and upper echelons of the church it spoke of were still in their respective positions. The information was helpful as they were now getting uncomfortably close to the church's home city. The traffic on the road was picking up and they had seriously considering just traveling through the forest with the number of armed patrols they were seeing.

They topped a small rise in the road and saw the break in the trees with the plains extending off into the horizon, this meant it was time for them to turn back and find a safe place to set up camp. But first, Kal turned into forest and started making his way toward a tall, wooded hill he had been keeping an eye on. A short time later, Sera was holding onto him tightly as used the strength rune to bound from branch to branch all the way up to the top of one of the trees cresting the hill. Despite the mildly terrifying ride up into the tree, the gorgon peeked out from her blindfold to see the huge sprawling city that lay at the entrance to the plains beyond.

The wall that encircled Lantaris was shimmering white, as was the taller, inner wall that separated where the nobility lived from the commoners. A third, smaller barrier surrounded a large castle with alabaster spires on either side. Kal explained to her that the spire to the left of the palace was the main Church of the Goddess while the Academy where paladins and clerics were trained was on the right. The main church also housed all the administrative offices and, unfortunately for Kal, was also where the church's cartographers were located. He managed to point out the five large cathedrals that dotted the outer city before everything became too much for the gorgon and she lowered her blindfold back into place.

When he picked her up, she assumed that it was to return to the forest floor, but she only felt him shift slightly.

"Are we going down?" she asked him a few seconds later as she noticed tree branches coming into her range of perception only to travel slowly upward and disappear

"Yes."

"How are we going so slow?"

Kal chuckled, "Magic."

She glared up at him through the blindfold, "I should bite you for that."

Kal just laughed harder as his feet finally touched the ground.

As they made their way back to the road, he told her that the king and queen were just a puppet government and that all of the real decisions went through the church. Though on paper the king had control of the army, the generals of said army were all Paladins of the Goddess and Knights of the Order of the Lion's Shield, both of which answered almost exclusively to the church.

"Couldn't they have just called it 'Knights of the Lion's Shield?'" asked Sera as they leaned against a tree back in the forest and watched a large and well-guarded train of carriages go by out on the road.

Kal shrugged. "I met some before I started learning magic and that was the name they went by. Unless I'm talking to one I think I'm going to use your version from now on. That name is really a mouthful."

These large caravans had become more and more frequent as they got closer to Lantaris. Most of what they saw being transported was lumber and rocks. Kal explained to her that the rocks were most likely ores of various metals but nothing as precious as the mithril vein she used to live in.

Sera held out a hand, opening and closing it a few times. "I miss that place," she sighed.

"If I saw any other choice I would have taken it. In all honesty, I should have just found you another section of the cave system to make a new home."

"No," she scooted her butt over and laid down with her head in his lap, the snakes making up her hair squirming around against Kal's leg for a moment until they were comfortable, "I'm glad I'm out here with you. You and Ria make the tent feel more like home than that place ever did. Despite all of my years there, it was a lonely existence." She held a hand up and made a fist a few more times, "I do miss being strong though."

Kal's eyes widened as he looked down. "What!?" he hissed in a stage whisper. They were out of earshot from the road as far as normal conversation, but yelling might draw attention.

"I noticed it back at the crossroads inn," she blushed at the memory. "I didn't feel as strong as normal and it continued fading up until a couple of weeks ago. From what we saw in the towns I would guess that I'm a little bit stronger than a normal human woman."

"Don't you think you should have mentioned this earlier?"

Sera sighed, "A part of me was still worried you were going to abandon me back then."

Kal winced, he still hadn't fully forgiven himself for dragging her to the surface then running off on her. "Well, I'm glad you don't feel like that any longer. Do you think this will affect your ability to hunt?"

"I won't be hunting, Kal."

"I don't think we can afford your appetite if you eat like you did the last time I left."

"Back then I was trying to impress you and wanted to be warm so you would like me. I've grown up a little since then. Before you leave I'm going to gorge myself then go to sleep after you leave. There have been times in the past I've gone many months without food because a giant centipede or something came through and wiped out all my normal prey," the gorgon shivered from an old memory. "I'll be fine for just a couple of weeks. When you get back I'll be cranky and hungry but it's better than getting too cold when out hunting and not making it back to the tent. Though I expect you to cook me a nice big steak before you go." She licked her lips, "Dammit... that made me hungry."

Kal looked down the line of carts out on the road filled with lumber in various stages of production, from full logs to planks and shingles. "Looks like it's going to be a while yet. I still can't see the end."

"That's fine," said Sera, rolling over and reaching for his belt. Kal didn't even question it anymore as she fished out his hardening prick and sucked it between her lips. With his nervousness about the fangs in her mouth, he had unintentionally developed an oral fixation within the gorgon. His refusal to put his cock in her mouth, despite her blatant offers and even a few requests, had shaped the act into a challenge for the woman. As he continued to shy away from the idea, it turned into a mild obsession. When he finally relented, the feeling of having him sliding between her lips was pure joy as she knelt before him and played with herself. The exquisite taste of his cum splashing across her tongue as her body shook with one of the most intense orgasms she had experienced burned her new favorite activity into her mind.

Kal hadn't expected the aftermath of all this, though it was hard to complain. A couple of days later found Kal poring over yet another of the books he'd gotten from Sera with his pants around his ankles and the gorgon kneeling on the plush carpet between his legs. Another book that Sera was using to learn common, she had learned to read and write a few words in dwarvish but that was all, lay upon his stomach as she studied it while about half of his dick was in her mouth. A slight tug on her shoulder and she would set her book aside and fervently make love to him with her mouth until he emptied himself on her tongue. Once she swallowed her treat, the book came back as if nothing had happened. She didn't even let him go as he softened, just moving closer and sucking lightly to keep him between her lips.

She paid for those first few nights with a sore jaw and tongue the next day but after that, it became a common practice. It was odd at times how nonchalant the act was for her. Plopping a book on his belly and reading while sucking him was given no more thought than if he came into the library and sat down to read his own books. They had even had entire conversations where she had to take her lips off his cock every time she spoke.

When he indicated he wanted to get off was another matter entirely. It was as though her entire world revolved around his prick until he finally unloaded in her mouth. Just calling it a blowjob didn't seem like it was doing justice to the attention and passion she put into it. Once she was done it was back to whatever hum-drum task she had been doing before.

After a few days of this, Kal asked her what the draw was to doing this all the time. She admitted part of it was that they ate cooked meat which she then cut up into bites like he did. He offered to leave her meals raw, but she would hear none of such talk. She truly enjoyed the flavors imparted on the food when cooked and was even coming around to eating some of the vegetables Kal made for himself. Feeling her neck stretch when she took him into her throat over and over seemed to satisfy some kind of primal desire that their current diet didn't. But mostly she did it because she enjoyed it and she knew that it made him feel good, even if she wasn't always trying to get a load out of him.

Kal watched the distant procession of lumber-filled carts for another minute or so before leaning back against the tree and enjoying the feel of Sera's mouth.

The next day, they retraced their steps then turned and delved deep into the surrounding woods. Earlier in the season, the sky would have been barely visible through the dense canopy in full autumn colors. Now, most of that canopy lay on the ground and it was difficult to move quietly because of all the dry, fallen leaves. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, there was little chance of running into a monster girl out in the woods this close to Lantaris. Every few years the city did a systematic purge of any monster girls unlucky enough to make a home too close. Kal's book said these sweeps were conducted in the early spring to catch any hibernators who were just emerging from their winter sleep.

Even when reduced to the size of a two-man tent, which amazed the gorgon since she had forgotten it could do that, the shelter stuck out like a sore thumb against the fallen foliage until Kal spoke the command word to hide it.

Sera slowly climbed out of bed and exited the bedroom. The fire in the middle of the magical tent's main area grew from a couple of weak flames into a good-sized campfire as she walked over to the marble flooring surrounding the fire pit.

They'd been on the road for weeks now and Kal would be leaving for the city of Lantaris later today. For her, this meant the prospect of being alone for an extended period of time was looming on the horizon. There was no way that she could hope to pull off what she had in the small towns closer to dwarven lands. The last few they passed through, the people were already getting too nosey, forcing them to take a longer route through the surrounding forest to avoid peering eyes.

She stood staring at the fire, absently rubbing a foot across the surface of the marble as she watched the flames dance. She came to like the feel of the carpet on her feet but right now she needed the comfort of standing on cold, hard stone. Kal had realized weeks ago that if she was standing or pacing on the marble then something was bothering her. The man was annoyingly perceptive at times. She smiled for a moment, wondering if Kal would miss his good morning blowjob, then nearly laughed because he was more likely to complain that he didn't wake up next to her.

The thought sobered her quickly. Their relationship had changed and grown over the last month of traveling together. When Ria realized she had emotions from her run-in with the will-o'-wisp, she had said that Sera loved Kal. The gorgon now realized that wasn't true. She had been infatuated with him, idolized him, obsessed over him, but at that time, she didn't love him. Now she did, though she hadn't said it out loud yet, and she saw how childish those feelings had been. She didn't deny those emotions had been insanely strong, they had even made her attack Kal's harpy friend, but how she felt now was deeper and richer.

He was going to leave, and she missed him already. It wasn't the same fear of abandonment that haunted her through the beginning of their journey. She realized that she wasn't scared of being alone anymore, she just didn't want him to go. Putting herself in the mindset where Ria was going to stay while Kal left barely changed how she felt. It wasn't being by herself that had her feeling so sad right now, it was being away from Kal. Despite trying to be brave about the situation, the thought of him leaving made her heart race and caused an almost physical ache in her chest.

Yes, better to sleep away his absence. They'd decided that when he left she would have him recast his acclimation spell on her. That would give her all day to catch whatever game she could swallow before coming back to the tent and entering a state of torpor until his return. She smiled, maybe he would wake her with a kiss like in some of the fairy tales she had come across as she learned how to read the human language.

As she continued to pace along the stone floor encircling the firepit, she heard a slight shuffling from the bedroom. Since she was currently walking away from him, she put a little extra sway in her hips as she made another circuit.

"Sera? Are you okay?" he asked from the doorway to the bedroom. There was a surprising amount of concern in his voice.

The gorgon smiled sadly. "I suppose... I'm just not excited about you leaving," she said as she made another sauntering lap. She loved the feel of his eyes on her and was happy that she hadn't thrown on one of his tunics that morning like she usually did before they got ready for the day. On top of enjoying his scent on the shirts, it also made things easier if they were in the mood for a bit of fun.

"I'm no more excited about leaving you here," he said, quickly stepping over and placing his hands on her shoulders, stopping the woman before she could circle the fire again. "I mean your skin looks really pale, especially your scales. Are you not feeling well? Are you sick?"

She looked up at him. "No, I'm not—" she hadn't looked at him as she was showing off and now saw that his face was all blurry. Her face became a mask of irritation as realization dawned on her.

In a voice that made Kal wonder if she had actually been born in the heart of the dwarven kingdom, she looked down at her body and yelled, "Bloody fuggin' hell!"

"What? What's wrong?!"

As if on cue, the patch of scales on her shoulder which had dried out and turned milky decided to crack open revealing the shimmering new emerald scales beneath.

"I'm fuggin' molting!"