CHAPTER THREE
The following day, after resting in the safety of a tree, Kiran and Gatril ate some breakfast of dried meat and fruits and took a bath in the nearby watering hole. At that time Kiran also had to fire a few shots at a pride of lions to scare them off.
Next on their list was finding a selkie, an aquatic beast who fancied itself deep, silent rivers. There was no such place for miles, and the pair ended up going back on the main road. It was hear that Gatril had to cover herself from head to toe with a cloak, as they rode pass a few steam-powered and animal drawn carriages.
The nearest river was through the town of Wopol, a slightly larger settlement than Kiran’s village, also under the rule of Tatanui. Here the buildings were constructed of a type of green clay similar to cement, their tops fitted with sloping roves. They were painted mostly in beige, dark brown or yellow, and advertised various businesses. The town was also well aware of the happenstances with the beasts who lived nearby, and built ornaments and charms that supposedly gain their favor or warded off their unwanted attacks.
Kiran found a motel on a less crowded street, surrounded by tall trees that offered sufficient shade. He looked along the road to see if anyone was looking in his direction, and when he realized no one was, he looked over his shoulder and said, “It’s clear to go, Gatril.”
“I’ll see you later,” said Gatril, hopping off the quacycle. She hurried into the bushes and disappeared out of sight.
Kiran rode onto the compound of the inn and parked his vehicle away from some of the carriages, tying it to the fence. He entered into the mahogany colored interior and found the reception desk. There were small tables and chairs with refreshments around them, but unlike the other visitors, Kiran moved with urgency.
Kiran booked a room using money he’d saved up during his many errands in the village, and walked to the back where he was led by a waitress in a black frock to his room.
It wasn’t anything extravagant, it was a small town of course, but it did have a bathroom behind another door and a stacked bookshelf. After securing his goods inside the dresser, Kiran got his ID and firearm license together. He placed a bundle of flowers outside of the window so Gatril could find his room, and left the inn with his gun and staff.
At this leg of his journey, Kiran’s goal was to familiarize himself with the town’s streets and finding the location of the river. He spotted a few of the Tatanui police on patrol, men wearing red uniforms with white hems and seams, covered by sharp plates of metal in the form of a vest, gauntlets and shin pads. The emblem of their country was proudly embezzled on their chests, and in their hands they brandished stocky rifles with large cartridges. Kiran guessed they were the kind that usually held twelve rounds.
Kiran took care to avoid the officers on the street, and instead made his way to the local fish market, attracted by its strong smell. The vicinity was a set of stalls and square spaces covered by tarpaulins so the sun wouldn’t spoil their goods. Fishes of all colors, shapes, textures and sizes from those as small as Kiran’s index finger to ones as large as himself were on display. Some vendors added diversity to their goods with vegetables and other animal meat.
Kiran heard various conversations as he walked by. Some vendors called out to him for a sale, but Kiran either declined or didn’t respond. But soon Kiran’s ears picked up something in his realm of interest. A conversation where the word “selkie” was mentioned more than once.
It came from a fish merchant and a police officer.
The merchant was an aged woman with a few grey streaks in her plaited hair, however her face still bore a suppleness, the last remnants of youth as the wrinkles under her eyes tried to steal them. Her breasts also stood up despite her not wearing a bra either.
While she weighed some fish for a customer, she said, “I just told you, sir, I haven’t seen any of those selkies around here for months.”
The guard said, “I don’t believe that. Numerous persons reported seeing selkies in the river scaring them away from the fishes.”
After attending to the customer, the woman gestured to her stall. “Do you see how much fish I caught? I wouldn’t have gotten so much if the selkies were really scaring people. People confuse all kinds of animals and other monsters with selkies. This town is too big and noisy to house monsters. Like I said, I haven’t seen any.”
The guard frowned. “Very well then mam. Thank you for your time.” The guard walked away, but as he did, Kiran, who had been standing close by and pretending to read a map, took a few glances at the woman and found another peculiarity.
She just so happened to have a huge bulge in her belly. Was she pregnant?
Kiran knew human females couldn’t breed beyond the age of fifty, and she also happened to have a wider variety of fish, and bigger ones at that.
Suspicions tickled Kiran’s nose, and he decided he would do some investigation of his own.
Kiran waited until evening came, when everyone was starting to pack up after a good day’s sale. Kiran returned to the market and found the woman packing up her things on a cart and pedaled it out of the market. “Okay,” he whispered, hiding in a dark alley as the woman rode by, “time to go.”
Kiran moved by foot, opting for stealth rather than speed and ease of transportation. Not to mention he was quick on his feet too. As the sun set, and the gaslight lamps came on, Kiran skulked from alley to alley behind his target.
He followed her to a secluded part of the city through a path of fern bushes and noisy crickets. Kiran took out his staff, now cautious of what was lurking around these parts. The woman led him to a cottage built atop a concrete base. It was situated in a damp area with large, smooth stones placed around the house with a walkway leading onto the path. Further from the house was a small stream, further fueling Kiran’s assumptions.
“Now let’s see what happens,” Kiran said, and crouched behind a tree.
The woman parked the cart inside a small shed and proceeded inside the house. Lights came on through the windows, and a lamp outside illuminated the yard. The woman came back out, dressed in a light blue skirt and her hair tied into a bun. She sat on the front porch in a rocking chair, drinking something while she caressed her stomach.
Kiran picked up a fishy smell in the air he hadn’t a few moments ago, but casted it off as just the leftovers coming from the woman’s house. She hummed to herself, adding to the noisy insects, frogs and gurgling stream.
Then Kiran heard splashes.
They came from out of view, east of the river were the growth concealed the rest of its body. The splashes got louder, and the silhouette of the form that made them appeared, thick-bodied with humanoid proportions.
Kiran tightened his grip on his staff.
He saw the woman stop the rocking chair and stand up. More of the shadowy figures appeared, varying in height with a few short ones. He heard the woman say, “Good evening everyone. How are you?”
The visitors lumbered out of the water and towards the house, into the light that revealed them. They had slick, shiny skin a shade between blue and grey. Their hands and feet were webbed, with a dorsal fin that stemmed from the back of their heads and down their spines. They had large pale eyes and a green neck and belly. Their mouths were wide, their lips thick, and their muscular nostrils large and contracting. The sides of their jaws were lined with gills, and Kiran knew exactly what they were.
“Selkies,” he whispered.
Kiran contain his excitement, accessing the situation. He glanced at their crotch, but saw only pink, fleshy stubs atop their testicles. There was no female in sight much to Kiran’s dismay.
The woman approached them eagerly. Three of the selkies the size of children ran towards the woman and hugged her, while the three larger males watched in silence.
I knew it, Kiran thought. She must’ve been with the selkies. And those ones, they must be her children.
Kiran had heard stories about humans and monsters mating to reproduce under certain circumstances, particular the beasts who possessed human intelligence. Here was something along those lines. But his mission came first, he needed selkie queex for his spell. He didn’t dare face them on his own, and decided he would go back for Gatril.
But as the boy turned around, he was met with two of the selkies staring him down. Kiran froze. “Yikes!”
“Trespasser…” growled one of them.
Kiran tried to run but a selkie held onto him. Kiran spun around with his staff and activated his force-counter spell. The concussive blast knocked the selkie away, but the other one managed to deliver a backhand to Kiran that immediately stunned him and dropped him on the ground.
The selkie dove after Kiran. Kiran lifted his staff one more, but the selkie slapped it away. Kiran shrieked and leapt towards it. The selkie grabbed him and threw him into a tree. The burst of pain cause Kiran’s muscles to seize up, and the selkie lifted him by his neck and carried him towards the house.
Kiran struggled, but his strength couldn’t match that of the fishman. This made him realize just how helpless humans were without their magic or weapons.
“What’s this?” the woman said as the selkie dragged the human to the front of the house, tossing him on his hand and knees.
“A spy, madam…” the selkie said.
Kiran looked up and saw that he was surrounded by the selkies. The smaller ones came curiously close to the human, then retreated when Kiran gave them terrified stares. The other selkie Kiran had knocked down eventually recovered and joined them, holding Kiran’s staff.
Kiran saw the many faces of all shapes, differentiating each selkie, but the commanding stare of the woman was what caught his attention. “Who are you, boy?” she said.
“M-Me?” said Kiran.
“Yes, you!” the woman said. “What are you doing on my property?”
Kiran decided honesty was the best way to get on their soft side, and said, “My name is Kiran Kehomba. I’m a sorcerer in training. I came here searching for the queex of a selkie.”
“Queeeeeex?” a selkie said.
“What is queex?” said one of the children.
“A woman’s crotch juice, son,” said another. He glared at Kiran. “You want to find a selkie woman to rape, human?”
“No! No!” said Kiran. “I’m just trying to find one that’s willing to give me! I-I’m not a sexplorer! Honest! I have a bosdrake friend!”
The woman laughed, while the selkies made guttural chuckles. She said, “Oh really? Then where is this bosdrake friend of your?”
“Here!” Gatril leaped out of the bushes. “Let the human go!”
Kiran said, “Gatril! How did you find me?”
“I followed your scent,” she said. “When you didn’t make it back this evening, I figured something might have happened to you. I told you you’re too stupid to go about on your own.”
“This boy trespassed on my property,” said the woman. “He’ll have to pay for it.”
Gatril accessed her second stomach and spat a ball of acid. The selkies hurried away from the steaming blob that melted into the ground. “And I say we talk about it,” said Gatril. “Do you really want to start a fight with the children here?”
The selkies turned to the woman after being unable to come to their own conclusion. The human female noticed Gatril’s tense posture and her clenched fists. After looking at the innocent faces of the young ones, the woman said, “Very well. We’ll talk inside my house.”
The woman brought them into the living room, instructing them to sit. She was accompanied by two of the males, who stood at her sides as guards. Kiran sat close to Gatril.
“My name is Eyeka,” said the woman. “You said you were a sorcerer, boy?”
“Yeah,” Kiran replied. “My friend hear is Gatril. She decided to help get the ingredients for my spells.”
“A bosdrake…” said Eyeka. “To think you would venture this far with a human companion.”
“And to think you would be breeding for beasts,” said Gatril, glancing at Eyeka’s stomach. “I would like to hear the story behind it.”
“It’s a simple one,” said Eyeka. “You see, the selkie men on my property have a bit of a problem. Their females have been kidnapped by various bandits and sold to sexplorers around the kingdoms. So they came to me with a proposal; I would bare their children, and they would provide me with enough fish to increase the profit of my business.”
“Wait,” said Kiran. “Were they really scaring away the people who come to the river?”
“Can you blame them?” said Eyeka. “Their women have been taken as slaves, and they’re under constant attack from monster hunters and the Riverwench. Their population is shrinking.” Eyeka rubbed her stomach. “But I think this time, I’ll give birth to a female.”
“Wait a minute,” said Kiran. “Did you just say a Riverwench?”
“Yes,” said one of the selkies. “She lives in a nest nearby, terrorizing everything in the river.”
“I’ve never heard a creature like that before,” said Gatril. She turned to young man, who was deep in his thoughts. “What is it, Kiran?”
He said, “It’s closely related to a selkies. She’s a female selkie that underwent a special mutation due to eating certain foods. They’re big and aggressive. But I’m surprised the selkies didn’t try to mate with her.”
“We did try,” said one of selkies. “She ate the males that approached her.”
“Ouch,” said Gatril.
Then Kiran said, “Why I am interested is that I can get the same ingredients for my spell from her.”
“You can?” said Gatril.
“Yeah,” Kiran said. “It’s dangerous. I didn’t want to fight monsters of that category without my spells, that’s why I was saving the J’bafofi for last. But,” Kiran looked at the concerned faces of the others, “I think I might need to now.”
“You would dare to challenge the Riverwench?” one of the males said.
“Well, she’s not as dangerous as a J’bafofi,” said Kiran. “If I have Gatril with me, we just might be able to do it.”
“It would be a huge favor to us,” said Eyeka. “The selkies could begin to expand territory if that beast is gone.”
Kiran smiled. “Think of it as a way of me repaying you for trespassing.” He turned to Gatril. “What do you say, you trust me to get this done?”
Gatril sighed. “You haven’t displayed exemplary leadership so far. But I’m still stupid enough to follow you.”
Minutes later, Kiran and Gatril were led up the side of the stream by three of the selkies. The water-body became a river, getting deeper the further they went. The moonlight above was adequate over the water, but being a human, Kiran lent his trust to his lantern. The river wound through the jungle, and they came upon a settlement of straw huts on the river banking where they met around twenty other selkies. Men and children.
“It looks like their population really is shrinking,” said Gatril.
Their escort waved away the curious onlookers, assuring they meant no harm, and brought the human and bosdrake to a section of the river where a sort of wooden fence had been built across the water. The top was sharpened to points that leaned in the other direction as a deterrent from anything rushing towards the settlement.
Gatril had seen similar things built by tribes around their homes when they wished to keep predators at bay, and the selkies probably did it to bar off crocodiles and raging hippos.
A selkie who they’d come to know as Tokko pointed over the fence and said, “Over that barrier is where the Riverwench lives. The beast is dangerous. She’s taken on three of our finest fighters at a time and bested them. Be careful.”
Kiran readied his gun. “Thanks for the help. Come on Gatril.”
Kiran made his way around the barrier that had spread even further inland, trekking back to the riverbanks with Gatril leading the way with the lantern now in her hand. They had spotted the reflective eyes of crocodiles in the river, but they smelt Gatril’s presence and kept at away.
“I wonder how her lair would look?” Kiran’s voice was both curious and concerned.
“Probably something like that,” said Gatril, pointing to massive construct that ran from the edge of the river and into jungle. The two of them could only describe it as a colossal, horizontal termite mound of vines and sticks woven together.
Kiran clutched his weapon tighter. Too many times he had been panicking when encountering these beasts. He needed to muster his resolve once and for all. He turned to Gatril and said, “Do you smell anything?”
“I smell her,” Gatril said, “and something…rotten.” Gatril crept closer to the nest when her eye caught something. She washed the light of the lantern over it, revealing gnawed bones of various animals littering the place.
Kiran studied the remains and found among remains the parts of crocodiles, deer, gazelles, hippos, lions, selkies, and humans. “…This place…it’s…” He shuddered.
A deep hiss suddenly crackled in the air. Kiran and Gatril scampered away from the nest. “She knows we’re here!” said Gatril.
“Quick!” said Kiran. “Set the nest on fire!”
Gatril tossed the lantern upon the nest with so much force the glass shattered, splashing the flammable liquid everywhere. The crackling and snapping of the oxidation of the nest and its subsequent combustion spread along with the flames.
Kiran had an idea, and said to Gatril, “Do you know how to use a gun?”
“Just point and pull the trigger, right?” she said.
He tossed the gun to her and said, “The cartridge has four shots. They’re sticky rounds, so aim at her feet.”
And just as Kiran got his staff ready, the nest burst outward. Thrashing arms flung debris from the face of the beast. It stood at eight feet tall, squat built with green-brown skin. Its large head was vaguely humanoid but the green eyes were wide-set, along with a massive mouth. It had long, wiry webbed arms and a large dorsal fin. Its hair was long and stringy, soaked in some kind of fluid. But what caught Kiran’s eyes besides the toothy maw were the smooth, dangling breasts and her scaly vagina, slick and wet.
The Riverwench opened her mouth and said, “You dare to burn down my home, insects?”
“Says the one eating people left and right!” Gatril replied.
The Riverwench snarled. “I’ll devour you and turn you into dung!”
Kiran set the orbs on his staff alight. “Gatril, shoot when you have an opening!” Kiran charged ahead. He tapped his staff and raised a column of earth.
The Riverwench smashed it with her arm and dove after Kiran. The human leaped out of the way and rolled onto his feet, immediately unleashing consecutive concussive blasts. But they only staggered the beast and enraged her.
Gatril fired at her feet. The sticky ball exploded around the Riverwench’s ankles and affixed it to the ground.
The beast shrieked and lifted her foot along with the dirt, freeing herself. “Wretches and your witchery!”
“The ground is too loose!” said Kiran. “Head further into the forest!”
But the Riverwench was too fast, rushing towards Gatril now that she realized their plan. The bosdrake barely leapt out of the way of the beast’s arm. The Riverwench swung her claws, but Gatril was able evade all of them, then spat a stream of acid in retaliation. The Riverwench lifted her arm, screaming when the liquid sizzled her flesh. She struck with her foot and sent Gatril flying across the ground.
“Gatril!” Kiran ran towards the monstrous fish, tapping the ground and raising a set of mounds before him. He leaped onto them and launched himself at the Riverwench. But he was wide open, and the Riverwench swung her arm back for a deathly.
Just as Kiran had predicted.
Kiran shot out a blast that propelled him higher and over the creature’s head as she swung at nothing. He landed and twisted his ankle, letting out a loud yelp. The pain was intense but he blocked it from his mind and continued with his plan. Kiran tapped the ground and raise it beneath the creature’s feet. He fired another concussive blast that toppled the Riverwench.
Kiran suddenly felt a grip around his waist. It was Gatril, on her feet. She ran with Kiran into the woods. And the Riverwench got up and went after them.
“Can you walk?” Gatril said.
“Not fast enough!” said Kiran.
Gatril put the gun into her mouth and quickly climbed a tree. She laid Kiran near a large enough limb and gave the gun to him. “Now you stay here! I’ll get her attention!” and Gatril looked down at the Riverwench.
She spotted the two up in the tree and said, “Do you think I cannot climb a tree, fools?”
Gatril grinned at her, and said, “Don’t worry! I’m coming for you!”
Gatril leapt out of the tree and the Riverwench opened her mouth. But Gatril spat acid in it. The Riverwench choked and coughed out the fluid before it could do any damage. Gatril ran around and threw her feet, cutting away at the Riverwench’s flesh to reach the tendons, using the trees as leverage and shield as her taller adversary tried to grab her.
Fortunately for the Riverwench, her stamina outlasted Gatril’s, allowing her to finally catch the bosdrake with a big swing of her arm, launching Gatril into a tree.
Gatril’s whole body succumbed to the blow and she fell. She saw the Riverwench coming in for the finishing blow, but couldn’t find the strength to move, crippled by the searing pain from a broken rib. Gatril prepared her last line of defense and brought up acid in her throat, but she hesitated when there was a muffled explosion and the other female suddenly found herself stuck.
Alarmed, the Riverwench looked down and saw black, rubbery matter around her foot. Kiran fired a second shot that glued her other foot to the ground. The human carefully climbed down the tree as the Riverwench tried to twist her feet free, but the wounds dealt by Gatril stole the strength from her muscles.
Seizing the chance, Gatril spat acid on the Riverwench’s right shoulder. She screamed and leered at the bosdrake. “I’ll kill you!”
Kiran went over to Gatril and shouldered some of her weight on him, gently lifting her. “Are you alright?” he said.
“I’ll be fine once we get to screw her,” said Gatril. Then she turned to the giant. “Hey, you!”
The Riverwench ignored them and continued to try and free her foot. Her arm strength wasn’t up to par thanks to Gatril strategically targeting her shoulder. Finally giving up, the Riverwench knelt and her hands and knees, breathing heavily.
“Curses…” she sneered. “To be beaten by the likes of prey like you. Go ahead, finish me.”
“No,” said Kiran. “That’s not what I’m here for.” Kiran wasn’t a man with a lust for blood, but he had to remember the monster wasn’t innocent. “I’m a sorcerer. I need your queex in order to complete a spell.”
“Sorcerer,” said the Riverwench. “Of course. You used magic. What…is my queex?”
“The juice from your womb,” said Kiran. “If you allow me to mate with you, I’ll set you free. So long as you move somewhere else where you won’t hurt selkies or humans.”
The Riverwench made something between a scowl and a frown. “You, mate with me? Absurd! It would be a disgrace to let my prey mount me. I rather die than be humiliated!”
“Really?” said Gatril. “Are you sure your life is worth less than swallowing a human cock?”
The Riverwench looked at the bosdrake, then the human. Both of who wore spiteful grins. She weighed her option, and the large female hung her head and growled. “Very well. If you promise to set me free, I’ll allow you to mate with me.”
“Definitely,” said Kiran. He gave his weapon to Gatril and took a jar out of his backpack. “Since you’re already on your hands and knees, just hold still.”
Kiran made his way around the back of the Riverwench, while Gatril kept a watchful eye on her. Kiran took off his pants and faced her behind, met with her vagina presenting itself to him. Knelt over like this, the Riverwench’s bottom reached just below Kiran’s chest, and he stooped to plan his face in her crotch.
She had a slight fishy smell mixed with garlic and honey, which translated over to the taste when Kiran stuck his tongue inside her. The Riverwench shuddered as Kiran’s tongue slithered inside her, flailing against her clitoris like a slippery fish. She tried to bite back her moans to deny the human the satisfaction of pleasuring her, even going so far as to cover her mouth. She gripped the dirt in her hands as her body contorted, making guttural sounds as the human licked, sucked and drank from her. But Kiran was too much, and is no time the Riverwench dropped her hand and uttered a deep, long groan.
Her body practically quaked as her queex poured into the jar and all over Kiran’s face.
“Whoa!” said Gatril. “She couldn’t handle it.”
The Riverwench hung her head between her arms, closing her eyes in embarrassment. “Damned human…”
Gatril walked around to where Kiran was, and said, “The air smells strong from the queex. Let me try some.”
The Riverwench abruptly lifted her head. “What?”
Without warning Gatril licked the female’s labia and shot her tongue inside with electrifying grace. She grabbed the Riverwench’s bottom and held her steady as she contorted out of control, still sensitive from Kiran’s first round.
“In that case,” said Kiran as he corked the jar and put it away in his backpack, “I’ll deal with you face-to-face.”
Kiran went to the Riverwench’s head and held her cheeks. She spotted the reddish tip of his veiny manhood and shuddered. “W-What are you doing?”
“Just letting off some steam,” said Kiran. “You don’t want to?”
Gatril nibbled on her clitoris and the Riverwench abruptly reeled like a horse, falling back on her hands. “P-Please!” she said. “I won’t eat humans or selkies anymore! This is embarrassing! Just let—”
Kiran silenced her by ramming his phallus into her mouth. The Riverwench choked and grabbed his waist to prevent him from thrusting, but her last orgasm left her a tad weary, powerless to stop Kiran from pounding her face. His balls slapped against her chin, and he closed his eyes and threw back his head as his mind melted away.
“Wow, you have a good mouth,” Kiran said, but his sex mate could only reply with garbled sounds and saliva running from her mouth.
The Riverwench’s body shuddered once again as another orgasm consumed her. She clenched Kiran’s waist tighter to the point where he felt he was going to break.
“Ouch!” he said. “Hey, careful!”
Gatril took her face out of the Riverwench’s behind, licking the excess fluids from her lips. “Hey, Kiran. I’m hot over here.”
Kiran stopped, the Riverwench sighed inwardly. “Okay. Come over here and I’ll help you out.”
Kiran pulled out of the Riverwench’s mouth. He let go of her and she laid her head on her arms. “I-I’m so tired.”
“Don’t worry,” said Kiran. “I’ve already got what I wanted.”
Gatril grabbed Kiran’s penis. “Yeah,” she said, “now you’re gonna give me what I want.”
Kiran and Gatril quickly finished up in the missionary position. His thrusts and her contractions produced and intense heat in their groins that had them climaxing almost instantaneously.
They recovered and gathered their belongings, after which they cut the rubbery material from around the Riverwench’s feet. She stood unsteadily, almost losing her balance. She made no hostile action but her face wore an expression of pure hate.
“Okay,” said Kiran, “you will have to leave the jungle now. Or you can stay and leave the selkies and humans alone.”
She grunted. “Fine,” she said. “I will stay, and keep away from them.”
“Good,” said Gatril. “Or we’ll come back here and give you some more good loving.”
“Thank you miss Riverwench,” said Kiran. “Your queex will really help me. Well, we’ll be leaving now.”
“Wait,” she said. “before you go…at least know my name. I’m not a whore for a human to mount and leave.”
Kiran said, “Okay… What is your name?”
“Kundis,” she said. “That is the name I choose to go by.”
Kiran nodded. “Kundis. That’s a nice name.”
Kundis didn’t smile at the compliment, but simply said. “I need to rebuild my nest. Good night, Kiran.” And she turned and went into the trees.
Kiran held Gatril’s hand. “Come on. Let’s go back.”
After Kiran returned to the cottage and reported the news to Eyeka and the selkies, he was given their gratitude, which was enough for him, even though Gatril urged him to ask her for her queex.
The pair snuck back to the inn under the cover of night. Kiran had himself a bath in the shower, as Gatril had already cleaned herself in the river. When Kiran returned to his room he relaxed in the bed next to Gatril, both naked. There was no arousal amongst them, but they enjoyed the warmth of each other.
It was in the middle of the night when Kiran was awakened to Gatril munching on some meat in the corner o