Viria Ch. 02

Flora and fauna

Fresh air welcomed her as she closed the door behind her. Darren had still been sleeping when she had left her room, as was the innkeeper, snoring loudly in the common room. She had helped herself to some bread and eggs and decided she would go see the mayor next. Dusk of Dawn looked a whole lot different during daytime than it did at night; the houses looked quaint and old-fashioned, the streets were mostly dirt roads and the ceremonial pole in the middle of the plain looked like it hadn't been tended to in ages.

The plain itself, however, was made of a beautiful type of rock. Not unlike her peculiar hair, it seemed to shift colors when walking across it. Of course, only the most influential people had their houses and shops on the edge of this marvelous plain.

The sun, she noticed, was only just peeking up from the horizon and lit the world up after the trouble and pleasure she had gone through that night, washing most of her worries away. This low sun also cast long shadows and, upon closer inspection, she saw that the shadow the pole cast was reminiscent of a sundial albeit this one was huge. The whole plain seemed to have numbers carved into it, showing the hour of the day to anyone who walked by.

Even though she could see the mayor's house nearby, she seemed a bit hesitant to walk across the plain to it. Located directly across from the Inn it had the large number '12' inscribed into it. The highlight of the day just had to be cast upon the most important figure in the village. She scoffed at that notion.

She sighed as she felt reluctant to meet up with a self-important person. No use in wasting any more time though. The sooner she would find out what the Snugloth was bothering and create her potions, the sooner she could get on the road again.

She picked up a quick stride and glanced upwards as she passed the pole. She could see a giant shadow and fur softly dancing in the wind; the Snugloth clearly enjoyed his home up there as he seemed vastly asleep at this moment.

"What secret are you hiding, little fella? What is bothering you so much to shed your hair and make everybody fall asleep?" She softly murmured to herself. She shrugged and then hurried to the mayor's house, pointed out to her by one of the customers who was also awake at this hour of day, about 6 o'clock in the morning according to the sundial under her feet.

She reached the heavily inscribed, beautifully adorned, oaken door to the biggest house in the town, at least as far as she had seen. The knocker resembled the pillar behind her, except that this one still maintained the features the pillar behind her had lost through age and erosion.

She knocked three times and waited patiently. A shiver ran up her spine knowing the sole reason for putting nearly the entire town to sleep was lazily sleeping right behind her, from a height she could not reach. If he would shed now she would have no way out and she knew she was out of 'all-nighter', the last one having been used to play around with a handsome Gargoyle in one of the towers of Bellhammel. She tried to regret it but thinking back only put a smile on her face and a blush on her cheeks.

It took another minute before she was snapped out of her daydream and the door finally opened. An aging man stood in the door opening, wearing sleeping attire, topped off with a sleeping hat. He rubbed his eyes as he eyed his early visitor.

"Good morning, mayor." Viria started off. "I've come to rid you of your mascot's little problem." He eyed her and then fixated on her dazzling river of hair. Naturally she had taken good care of looking her very best this morning, as she did every day. Her hair had been brushed until it shone and using natural products she had applied some cosmetics that topped off her natural beauty.

She was dissatisfied when the man only cleared his throat. "A girl has come to take care of the Snugloth?" Asked a raspy voice. A pang of anger shot through Viria as he emphasized 'girl' a little too much. As a professional she decided to pretend not to hear it. She did, however, lower her own tone. "Your town seems to have a sleeping problem and I think I can help with that."

His eyes trailed off to the pillar behind her and his eyes widened as he realized what kind of risk he took by keeping his door open. "Yeah," he said hurriedly, "just come in and we'll talk." He took a step back and allowed her to enter his home.

The inside was exactly as she expected. A plethora of paintings, vases, carpets, hanging lamps and furniture were carefully placed. Not an inch of this home was wasted in an artistic sense. The only thing standing out at the moment were the bright colors of Viria's hair and the bear-patterned shirt and pants the mayor was wearing.

"Can we start discussing the details right now or do you want to slip into something," she paused and looked at his hat, "less comfortable." He muttered an apology and went upstairs, the moment he left the living room a smile crept upon her face. She certainly loved putting self-absorbed people in their place.

She seated herself in one of the huge futons, sat back and took a good look at the room. Her gaze instantly fell upon an interesting painting above the fireplace. It was a huge piece of work, mostly dark except for a depiction of the man she just met but clad in armor. She giggled as it showed the man standing on a rock looking out over a turbulent sea, in his one hand he held a sword and in his other was the severed head of a lion. A severed snake was hanging around his neck which led her to believe it was a chimera he had supposedly slain.

Maybe the mayor is a retired adventurer himself and this is from back when he was still a young and strong lad. One with a strange taste in bed-wear, she had to add.

The creaking of the stairs sounded a second time as the man came back once more, this time dressed in fancy clothes which dispelled any doubts of him ever having been an adventurer. He looked so comfortable in these clothes, he could have never worn anything else.

"Let's get to business then." He started. "My name is Borren of house Torra. I am the mayor of this town. You said something about taking care of Zondax?" He inquired. "Zondax? Is that what you call your Snugloth?" He sat down in a rocking chair near his fireplace and folded his hands. "That's his name. If you have any problems with it, I have sent for some renowned bounty hunters to find out what is happening here. If push comes to shove, I'll let them kill Zondax" His voice was cold and distant. He truly did not seem to care that much for the town's mascot.

Stay professional, Viria. Don't let him get to you."Okay, fair enough, I guess. My name is Viria, a healer from the Selliawoods. I chase rumors and fix problems around the land. The snugloth is a beautiful creature and there must be a logical explanation for his behavior. I won't let you kill him just because you think he's a bother!" A frown appeared on his face.

"So, fierce! Color me surprised and you make it rainbow-colored. Tell you what, sugar. If you manage to calm Zondax down I'll give you a bag of gold. If you fail, I'll have to put him down."

Viria stood up, her expression now changed into one of anger. "Just make sure it contains at least fifty gold coins. Got any leads, mister mayor?" The man shrugged. "There is a monster in the woods east from here. I suspect he has something to do with it." Her eyes grew cold as she looked at him. "And you haven't sent anyone out yourself to investigate it?" He smiled weakly as he lightly shook his head. She then walked back to the door. "Apparently I can't expect the pampered mayor to take care of things for once in his life. Expect me back in a day or two."

He put up his hand and opened his mouth but Viria had already pulled open the front door and stormed off. She heard his voice spitting vitriol behind her but couldn't make out the words. She didn't care, she hated being looked down upon and this man did nothing but that.

She knew, however, that it was probably a bad idea to antagonize this Borren but she had a short temper when dealing with someone with such a condescending stance.

The cool wind welcomed her back outside as she slammed the door behind her. She wasn't sure if it was the slamming of the door or the fresh morning air but she felt already a whole lot better. It's probably because I don't have to look at Boring's face anymore, she mused to herself.

She found herself on the plain once more and thought about her next move. According to the mayor there lived a monster in the woods just outside of town. She remembered seeing it when she walked into town the day before.

She opened her trusty satchel and rummaged through what potions she had left. One vial of 'Surfquake', two 'Hot-in-the-pots' and lastly, a 'Deadtrax'. She had been better stocked but just these potions did not make her helpless. Besides, she would find plenty of ingredients in the woods. If it came to a fight she would be far from helpless with her knowledge of nature and alchemy.

Without wasting any time she left the plain and found herself on the dirt roads once again. As expected of a town plagued by narcolepsy, she encountered only a handful of people on the streets. Most shops were closed, probably by neighbors after discovering the shop owners were vast asleep. Now and then she could see someone sleeping in uncomfortable positions behind windows, all of those opened at least a little bit. They stood no chance to Zondax' sleep-inducing hairs.

On one hand she thought it was a shame such a quaint little town was reduced to this, but on the other hand it was entirely predictable. Why couldn't they choose a mascot that is far less harmful? She would like to see a town where one of those giant Squorrels was jumping from roof to roof. The worst such a creature could do was make its way into the granary and eat his own bodyweight in grain.

Yet here they were, stuck in the lazy claws of a cranky Snugloth. She did not complain, though. If the people did not make these mistakes she would be out of a job. If the mayor would really pay her fifty gold coins she would be set for another month or three. She could also afford paying for a horse and wagon instead of just walking. Especially if her next destination was miles and miles away from this place.

While thinking these things over she reached the edge of town and sure enough, a road led into the forest. Her eyebrows went up into a frown. Normally she had to venture into deep, dark woods where there were a hundred ways she could be killed. The last time she had to explore such a forest she was nearly taken by a giant vineling. If the beast hadn't thrown her back to her satchel she would still be stuck there, used for breeding purposes. Not a bad ending to her life but she liked diversity among her partners.

She started to walk around the forest, plucked a couple of flowers and herbs here and there which would aid her in helping the villagers come back around. She would need a whole lot of 'Sledgewhammers' to bring them all back from their coma-like sleep. The back of her mind was dominated with the possibility of this monster the mayor was talking about, so she made sure to be aware of her surroundings at all times.

Even though she was alert and expected something big to lumber towards her, she had not seen that the flower she was trying to pick was not the 'doozie-of-a-daisy' she thought it was. Right as her hand closed around the stem, the purple flower spurted out a gas which she mistakenly inhaled.

She stood up, wobbled and felt her consciousness start to fade. Right before her eyes closed they had widened as she spotted the true identity of the flower. "Stupid chlorofloral." was the last thing she muttered before her mind blanked out and she hit the ground.

Somewhere, a flute was playing. Viria slowly came to again. The first thing which came into view were two legs. Non-human legs. What is going on? She thought to herself. Slowly, her memories returned. She touched a 'chlorofloral', something no healer should ever do. Whether it is still attached to the ground or already plucked, it is always capable of shooting out its gas which knocks you out faster than you can say its name. Well, that's not entirely true. She managed a small sentence.

Back to the matter at hand, the flute was still playing and the, well, hooves were rhythmically tapping the ground. She sat up and found that she had been covered by a warm blanket. A bird started to sing behind her. She turned her head and saw it was one of those cuckoo clock. Forgetting to actually count its cuckoos, the clock luckily said it was eight o'clock now.

She had not noticed that the beautiful flute play had stopped by now. "A fancy clock is it not?" A deep, rumbling voice filled the small room. Viria looked to its source, this time higher than just its legs and looked into the smiling face of a satyr. He held a pan flute in his hand and the other rested upon his furry thigh.

He had a rugged beard and mustache on his face, neatly trimmed. He had dimples in his cheeks as he smiled at her and lines of age were prevalent in his face. His shoulders were broad and his chest and abs, naturally uncovered, looked muscled. The only piece of clothing he wore was an intricately weaved cloth hiding his private parts.

"What am I doing here?" Viria felt a bit hazy in her head. The Satyr sat back in his enormous chair. Enormous, just as he was. She reckoned he was at least 7,5 foot tall! "Well, my dear. I found you passed out in the woods with one of those nasty flowers lying next to you. I put one and one together and figured I could not leave you out there on the forest floor."

Now sitting down on her makeshift bed made of pillows and blankets, she returned his smile. "In that case I owe you one, stranger. May I ask you for your name?" The satyr's eyes lit up as she asked, his smile broadening. He stood up and bowed before her. "My name is Ne-uk, traverser of dense forests and tamer of unsightly beasts! What is it that I may call you, young lady?"

"I am called Viria, a healer hailing from the Serrawoods."

"Aaah, a healer! I have met some during my time in the forests. Lovely people you are. And peculiar too!" He winked at her after sitting down again. "Now, Viria. You need to heal some more to get rid of the flower's poison. I have made some soup in the kettle over the fire."

He pointed towards the fireplace which was carved out from a dead tree's stump. A huge kettle was boiling over a hot fire and suddenly she was aware of the sweet aroma permeating the satyr's house.

"Don't mind if I take a bowl." She said with a smile and got to her feet, noticing she just wore her red corset and evenly red panties. She took a step to the fireplace and lost her balance, a strong arm keeping her from falling down as the satyr swiftly reached for her arm.

"Now, now. Don't be hasty. We've got all the time in the world in my little den of life! You wouldn't, by any chance, love to hear some music while you eat? The last adventurer to surprise me with his company ended up storming off and taking some of my tools with him." She said she loved the tune he was playing earlier and would like to hear more. "Then it's settled. I was just in the moment of conjuring up a new, catchy song! I would be honored for you to hear it first!"

She found a bowl next to the roaring fireplace and, using the oversized ladle inside of it, she scooped up the warm soup and filled her bowl to the brim. A collection of spoons was lying next to the bowl, huge ones for Ne-uk and small ones for visitors apparently. She could not think of any other way he could use them for.

She giggled as she thought to herself it was really something for him and for her. He must be used to getting visitors because he was surely a courteous person. She saw a bench forged from a tree trunk and sat down as she eyed him over her soup. Ne-uk put the flute back to his lips and started playing again.

She happily sipped her soup and swayed hypnotically along with the happy tune he created. At times, her eyes would close and she would just enjoy the magic to flow through her, putting her at an odd sense of peace.

The empty bowl laid beside her as she looked at the huge satyr playing just for her. She felt a sense of pride that he played this new song just for her. His eyes were tingling happily as he beckoned for her.

She got on all fours and crawled towards him, allowing him a good look into her cleavage, until she reached his hooves. She sat down in between them and leaned against his left foot while looking up into his eyes. Her mind felt foggy and amorous, loved by this creature in this moment. Slowly she extended her slender fingers and started caressing the fur on his thighs.

Even though the hairs looked tough from a distance, it was actually surprisingly soft and she enjoyed the feeling of it in her hand. She was content plucking and caressing Ne-uk's leg as he filled the room with music unlike any she had ever heard.

He changed to another song midway through a beautiful transition and Viria's mind started to fog up even more. She felt as though the little room was heating up more and more, even though the fire had already dimmed and was only giving off a soft glow now. Shadows danced as the flame flickered, unlike in Viria; her flame started to rouse and roar.

Almost in a trance her free hand traveled up her body, giving a squeeze into her breast and on to the clasps on her corset. She fingered the metal a few seconds before she felt she just had to get rid of it. The first hook was undone and her breasts pushed against the now loose fabric.

She felt Ne-uk's gaze on her milky white globes and her face flushed red as she felt her loins stir. Her hand found the second clasp, unhooked it and nearly freed her boobs from their fiery-red restraint, leaving the last clasp purposely on. She put her hand into her corset and rubbed her soft skin before pinching her nipple between her index and middle fingers.

A soft moan escaped her lips, nearly inaudible over the melody of the flute singing right above her. She tweaked her nipple until she felt it harden under her touch. Her other hand now clutched his fur, keeping her from falling down while pleasuring her sizable boob. Finally, she thought it was time to let some more cool air touch her body and she quickly undid her third clasp.

Her boobs sprung free, her corset now only held together by the last two clasps. She repositioned herself and in her lust, her hand started to travel up his leg, under the cloth. She encountered his dick and purred as she felt it twitch. It was already semi-erect and it showed in the bulge on his crotch. An enormous bulge, she found out to her amusement.

She traveled his hardening cock down and it measured at least 10.5 inches. She traveled back up, her fingers only teasingly grasping his hardness. She eventually reached the base and felt under it, finding his balls the size of those of homegrown tangerines, filled with juice she now knew she wanted.

Cupping and fondling, she played tenderly with his balls, the music above her started to make sharp spikes out of tune. Putting her rainbow-colored hair behind her ear, she allowed herself to look up at her soon-to-be lover.

Their eyes met and she blew him a kiss as she moved from his balls to stroking his shaft. Ne-uk put his flute away, never breaking eye contact, and sat back in his chair. Viria saw this as an opportunity to start showing him what she can do and pulled the knot of his loincloth free. She threw the rag behind her and he saw it landing on his precious clock. Not that he cared at this moment, a beautiful girl was busy administering pure pleasure upon the most favorite part of his body.