Natasha the Halve

Red eyes like blood stared into mine. Thin vertical pupils split them like a snake’s. Dark scales covered her face from the eyes up, the lower section was a pale purple, almost as if she was suffering from hypothermia. Her lips, however, were scarlet, full and plump. A pair of fangs peeked through, making for a stunning picture.

Dangerous and beautiful. I thought she would look more reptilian in nature, but she looked like a woman.

A very beautiful woman. A stunningly very beautiful woman. A stunningly beautiful yet dangerous looking woman.

Stop it!

Silvery white hair like smoke fell down her shoulders to her waist, spilling the rest down her back. Two long, black horns emerged from her forehead. They looked to be around twenty centimeters long, bending backwards.

She wore similar clothes to the priestess, with plenty of differences, however. Hers had a more intricate golden motif and were sleeveless. A black leather belt directly beneath her chest acknowledged a sizable volume and a lean midriff. The body fitting clothes also displayed wide-ish hips. The front of the skirt opened halfway down her thighs, showing her legs.

A lithe tail dark as night hanging behind them, bending up and avoiding the floor. The limbs were slender and toned, covered in scales except for her inner thighs, where her skin showed the same shade of light purple as her face.

Scales continued from the knees down, thicker the lower they went. Her toes ended in claws, sandals protecting her soles. Her arms were similar. From the elbows, scales turned thicker towards her fingers, ending in claws. Her limbs didn't look that different from a person save for the scales.

I walked towards her and she met me halfway. We studied each other in silence. Her elongated eyes stopped on my cleavage for a few seconds, then averted her gaze, blinking a few times. I noticed her eyelids were covered in thin scales. Her eyebrows were scaly and the pattern clearly noticeable.

Our eyes met again and I let a wide smile form. Excluding her horns, she was a few centimeters shorter than me.

She was beautiful in a primal way. Her features were sharp, her eyes like a predator’s.

She opened and closed her mouth several times, a deep purple blush coloring her cheeks, I saw a glimpse of a blue tongue.

“Natasha, nice to meet you.” I offered a hand, she took it and I felt soft skin against my palm. I was lost in her eyes. She had no whites, the entire orbs a vivid scarlet.

“Alyssa. N-nice to meet you.” the Luzo said in a deep, feminine voice.

[Alyssa, Krystaali Luzo Lvl 246 Cardinal]

She stuttered! I giggled and her blush reached her neck and scaled ears. Hers were longer than mine, but not as long as Lapia’s.

This creature is cute as all hells.

“You’re beautiful.” I whispered, staring into her eyes.

She smiled and looked away, the blush now on her entire face. “Thanks.” she said in a meek voice. “You too, are beautiful.” she took a quick peek at me. Her voice numbed the base of my skull, the sound gentle and rich.

Her attitude was a contrast to her appearance. Is this the big titty goth girlfriend I was promised in the afterlife?

“Would you walk with me?” I asked. Her hand trembling slightly.

She nodded and turned to look at the priestess. “Clara, I’ll be having a stroll with Natasha.” she lowered her head slightly. “Thank you for introducing us.” her voice was thick with nervousness and excitement.

The woman in question smiled from ear to ear. “Not at all, Lady Alyssa.” she bowed and turned to leave. As she left the library, she looked back at us and gigged.

Alyssa looked back at me, her deep red eyes going over my face, a smile forming.

“Shall we?” I gestured to the open doors, relaxing my hand around hers.

She nodded. “I know a nice spot.” she began slowly walking, releasing her grasp.

We left the library, the doors closing on their own at a gesture from her. She turned right and walked towards an opening to the side. It led to a long corridor, an open space at the end. I kept my hands on my back, my spine straight. My breasts shook slightly with each step.

“Excuse me.” she said, taking out the paper with my information, pointing at the sketch I did. “Did you draw this?”

“Yeah, did you like it?” I walked at her side, leaving a comfortable distance between us.

“It’s gorgeous, and your handwriting is beautiful.” she looked at the drawing with a smile. “It doesn’t do you justice, though.” she added, shyly looking away.

“Thank you.” I felt my heart skip a beat. “Would you like me to draw you?” I offered. I had confidence in my skills, I earned a living thanks to them.

She turned to me, eyes wide. “You would?” her voice had increased in pitch a little. She covered her mouth. “You would?” she asked again, calmer this time.

“Yeah, I’d love to.” I smiled at her. “It would be a crime not to immortalize your beauty.” I said with my most charming (?) smile. That was a good one. I patted myself mentally.

“Oh, you flatter me too much.” she blushed and looked away, but a smile was there. “Thank you.” she said in a whisper.

“Not at all. You really are beautiful.” I complimented her. Her eyes met mine, and gave me a shy smile, her fangs showing.

She returned her focus on the paper in her hands. “Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?” she asked, peeking at me a few times.

“Go ahead.” I fixed my posture and noticed her taking a glance at my chest, then quickly looking at the paper.

“Here you wrote you woke up five days ago.” she looked me in the eye. “Was the place near Riverfield?”

“I woke up more than ten thousand kilometers to the south.” I explained. “I covered the distance running.”

Her eyes widened for a second, then leaned close. “So… you have… uhm… great stamina?” she blushed, struggling to maintain eye contact, blinking quickly.

Holy shit this woman went there instantly. I chuckled, fighting the urge to laugh out loud.

“Yes. I do have great stamina.” I admitted, my cheeks burning a little.

“And you already have a partner. Lady Lapia.” she read the paper again.

“That’s correct. Have you heard of her?” though I added a little of her information, a clarification is never bad.

“Yes.” she nodded. “We’ve met a few times due to clergy business.” she smiled and looked at me. “She’s quite the charmer, isn’t she?” she giggled and I felt my already short age gaining vitality.

“She is.” I smiled. “How long have you been in Riverfield? The priestess mentioned something like that.”

“I've been staying in Riverfield for three years.” she paused. “Before that, I spent some years in Juufk in the Koluum Kingdom, helping various teams that delved into dungeons in the nearby swamps.” she shrugged. “The income was good, but level gains were slow. Nobody really caught my attention so I left.”

“Makes sense.” I nodded. “Have I caught your attention, then?” I grinned.

She blushed, looking down. “Very much so.” she said in a quiet voice. “When Clara brought me your form, I admit I was skeptical.” she said, looking back at me. “Once I saw you, however, I was…” she gulped, the blush going up to her ears. “Smitten.” she whispered, looking away.

Wow. Can I have this one? I felt my heart squeeze, her expressions were too cute. I covered a stupid smile with my hand.

“You’re so cute.” I couldn’t help but admit it, giggling.

We reached the end of the corridor and walked into a large garden surrounded by walls. Trees dotted the view, a pond in the center of the spacious grounds.

“O-over here.” she stuttered, a wide grin on her face, the blush not leaving her.

She guided me to a particularly tall tree with a bench next to it. She sat and excitedly patted the spot right next to her. I noticed her tail was curled up, resting opposite of where she gestured. I did as offered.

“Beautiful spot.” I said looking around. A few birds sang, the late morning bathing us in the suns glorious light.

“I like to come here and read.” she took deep breaths, calming the blush on her face. Her elongated eyes found mine. Her hands still held the sheet.

“What do you read?” I rested my hands on my lap, maintaining a straight posture.

“I like epics and romantic tragedy.” she tucked some hair behind her ear, her slender fingers seemed delicate despite being covered in scales, giving me a sidelong glance. She smirked when she noticed me staring at her. I felt my face heat up.

She knows what she’s doing, alright.

“Any particular piece you’d recommend?” I leaned forward slightly, looking to the front.

I noticed her take a quick glance at my breasts, a soft sigh escaping her lips.

“Kindgom Fall, by Yinka Plavas. It’s pretty exciting.” she slightly moved closer to me.

“Oh? What’s it about?” I asked, turning my body in her direction.

“I’m not one to spoil a good read, so you’d have to find out.” she laughed, the bountiful breasts I had been trying to ignore shook. My eyes instantly fell on them. The sheer volume threatened to consume me. I looked away the moment I saw her head turning.

I felt a heat rising from my chest to my face, spreading through my torso. This woman was physically attracive and really cute. Knowing the forwardness of romance was honestly liberating.

“Do you have a copy I could borrow? In exchange, I have a few books of my own that I woke up with.” I said, grabbing my collar and airing my chest. Though the excitement and arousal were welcome, I didn’t know if she was that open minded.

“Oh?” her eyes sparked with interest. “That sounds like a plan.”

A white book appeared on her hand, offering me the item.

I took out a Saint Valentine event book titled ‘Yours, Truly’. It was a quest item that was supposed to fix the relationship between two NPC’s in the game. Romance was never my thing in literature, I preferred cyberpunk or sci-fi.

She took the book and I hers. The shape of a castle stood below the title. The book looked more like an ancient encyclopedia, and was as thick as one. Silver decorations everywhere on the thing, the author’s name on the tome’s spine. After going through some pages and discovering it was in English, or Common as it was called in this world, I stored it.

Alyssa looked at the cover of the admittedly thinner book I gave her, and nodded to herself.

“A romance novel?” she asked, a scaly eyebrow rising.

“I though it fitting.” I looked into her eyes.

Her face blushed, eyes widening slightly. “It is.” A wide smile formed on her face. The book and the sheet of paper disappeared from her grasp.

“I'm glad you think so.” I sighed, leaning back and looking up to the sky. I was never a gesture type of woman, so this book and Lapia’s ring were blind shots. A warm, fuzzy feeling made me giddy.

I felt her hand on my shoulder and turned to her. Her face was really close, her eyes darting from mine to my lips. Her long, blue, forked tongue licked hers. It reminded me more of a split tongue than a reptile one.

Her hand followed my arm locked fingers with mine. As she leaned on me, I felt her generous chest on my side.

Crimson lips connected with my golden. Her eyes closed and body leaning on me. The two tips of her tongue invaded my mouth at the first opportunity, the long muscle wrapping around mine. Her fangs dug into my lips and a moan left her accompanied by a long sigh.

She gave me a deep kiss right away. I was surprised but followed her actions, hugging her back and pressing our chests together. She tasted like strawberries.

Her tail wrapped around my waist and pushed me hard against her, both her arms around my neck. The scales were harder than I thought, scratching against my skin and sending pleasant shivers through my body. I was momentarily reminded that my skin had, in fact, reflected a blade with the intent to kill, so the hard reptilian surface would never hurt me or cause any discomfort.

She broke the kiss and giggled, then sighed and gave me a peck on the lips.

In my infinite stupidity, born of more than redacted years of life, I said the first thing that came to mind.

“Isn’t this a little too fast?” I looked her in the eye.

Her eyes widened and she laughed.

"Hahahahaha!"

Her chest trembled and her body shook against mine in joy, as if I had told the best joke since the Big Bang. Her jaw opened to the point I would almost see her tonsils, if she had any. My focus was on her blue forked tongue, though. Her entire mouth was blue on the inside.

She nuzzled her head on my neck, letting whatever she found so funny to overcome her. I let out a defeated chuckle. What is it with women of this world laughing so hard at my worries. The air in my lungs flew out my mouth.

“Aiyahh.” she let out a deep sigh as she calmed down. “Natasha, you’re the best.” she kissed me on the cheek, sweet giggles making for an adorable sight.

“It’s not?” my stupid face must’ve been funny, because she laughed again.

“For someone who’s such a tomboy, you can be pretty cute.” she moved over to me and placed her ample behind on my lap, her tail not changing places. “Though I understand, you’re new to the world.”

I’m a what? I was shocked. I always thought of myself as quite feminine, and considered myself a passive partner for many years, with both men and women. Is the definition different here? Or was I so clueless my entire life?

“I thought you didn’t like me.” she said, smiling at me and caressing my face. “When meeting someone like we did, to become partners, it’s customary to share a kiss. Yet you offered me a handshake.” she giggled. Her voice was surprisingly even, no shred of nervousness. The rich sound tickled my ears and relaxed the base of my brain.

“I… I didn’t know.” I looked away, way too embarrassed and confused.

“I noticed.” she giggled. “I quickly figured the rest, yet I was still uncertain.” she hugged me tight. “Then you gave me a romance novel and said it was fitting.” she broke into another series of giggles, the sound divine. “Lapia must’ve kept the details to herself, the sexy devil.” a sigh entered my ears, tickling my spine.

What happened to calling her ‘Lady’?!

“Sexy devil?” shock evident in my voice, she giggled again.

“I told you I met her before.” she kissed me on the cheek again. “I’ve been interested in her, but we never had the chance to ‘personally’ get to know each other. She’s a mischievous little Elf.” her giggles kept coming.

Goodness gracious, her giggles give me life. I relaxed in her embrace. The slight anxiety melting away.

“That’s great.” I inhaled deeply, taking in the rich scent of lemons emanating from her hair. “If I made you anxious, I’m sorry.” I raised my head and softly kissed her lips, keeping eye contact.

“Oh, you.” she smiled, her face blushing. “You don’t have to apologize, really.” she leaned her forehead on mine, her scales warm.

At first I thought her body would be cold, being a reptile species, but she was surprisingly warm and comfortably soft. I guess all, or most, species are mammals. My fingers felt strong muscles on her back, the scales following their shape, becoming firmer near the lower back. Probably because of the tail. The appendage around my waist seemed rock solid, yet incredibly flexible.

“Are you staying with Lapia?” she asked, her warm breath grazing my face, the sweet smell of strawberries tickling my nose.

“About that.” I chuckled, not knowing how to answer. “We arrived to the city yesterday evening, stayed at an inn for the night, and in the morning we took a ride. She got off at her workplace and I came here.” I explained. “I don’t know if I can stay there, though. I was thinking of crashing at a hotel for the time being.” I shrugged, I had the money for it.

Her eyes opened wide. “Did you bond with her at least?” her worried face was also cute.

“She said we did, I feel a sort of connection.” I nodded, pointing to the south-east.

“Oh, that’s good.” she sighed in relief. “Will you have me, then?” she asked, her red eyes locked with mine.

Shes beautiful, cute, hot and her personality fits all my tastes.

“Yes.” I nodded, kissing her again.

She giggled, her breasts pushing mine and winning the battle. “You really like kissing, huh?”

“I do.” I laughed and felt my cheeks burn.

“Did Lapia explain what bonding is, by any chance?” she asked, lowering a hand and trying to circle my bicep with her long slender fingers. When she failed, a soft whimper left her. I did my best to ignore that particular moment of thirst.

“No, she didn’t. I figured she thought I’d read on it at the library.” she tried again, but the result was the same.

“Hum. I see.” she abandoned the futile task and proceeded to trace my muscles with her fingers. “Did you find anything?”

“I found a guide, but it wasn’t very helpful.” the insulting contents going through my mind, a laugh left me. “I get the gist of it, though.”

“That’s good.” she said, her voice was a little absent, focused on her hands. “It’s very useful, and essential when you have a healer like me with you.”

“Oh ho?” that got me. “How so? Does healing work through the bond?”

“No, not healing. Some of my Cardinal skills can only function with people I’m bonded with.” she explained. “Though the term makes it sound like you must be close with people, a verbal agreement can form a temporary bond.” she took my hands in hers and began inspecting them. “When you’re actually close, the bond is deeper. It also deepens or weakens with time.” she looked me in the eye for a second. “That doesn’t mean spells become stronger. Only the feeling of direction and general well-being of your partner.”

“Ohh.” This E’er thing is pretty amazing. “What’s the nature of your skills?” I asked.

She blinked a few times, and then a deep blush covered her face. “Right. We haven’t talked about that.” she sounded a bit embarrassed. “Sorry, you’re just too... charming and alluring, I got distracted.” she let go of my hands and covered her smile.

I moved them aside and gave her a peck on the lips. “Thank you. I’m fascinated too.” we both giggled, she fixed a lock of hair behind her ear.

“I’m a Cardinal and Arch Bishop. I can heal in various ways; single, group, area, over time. Protect body, mind and spirit. Boost status, inflict various effects on enemies and in general save someone’s butt.” she giggled, taking my hands again. “How about you?”

“Hoplite, Lancer and Dragoon. I use a spear, though I have only fought once and against bandits at that. I can fight large monsters with relative ease if my skills are accurate. I’m strong, fast, and tough. One class benefits from riding a mount. I have auras to help fight monsters.” I did my best to summarize my classes the way Alyssa did.

“Mhm. So you’ll take the front in combat.” she nodded, thinking about something. “What do you ride?” she asked.

“I haven’t gotten a mount yet.” I shook my head. “I’m planning on buying one soon, though.”

“We could go together, if you want.” she offered, tilting her head. “I’ve studied plenty of beasts in case a partner uses a companion or mount. I’d say I know a thing or two.” she smiled, her fangs showing in their entirety. Her gums were blue as well.

That'd be a pretty nice first date. My heart warmed up.

“That’d be really helpful.” I nodded. “I remember that Punten fellow mentioned a breeder he knew that deals with Beasts of E’er.” I recalled. “Though I don’t know if he ever said a name.”

“Natasha.” she smiled, holding back laughter. “The word is E’eral.” she caressed my cheek.

“Ah. Good to know.” my face heated up with embarassment. “I’m really ignorant on some things.”

“It’s fine. You have all the time in the world.” she kissed me on the cheek.

“Right.” I noticed I hadn’t asked something. “Speaking of time, I apologize if this is an insensitive topic. How long do Luzo live?” I searched her face for any unfavorable reaction.

“Three, four thousand years.” she said, putting a finger on her chin. “I’ll live longer, though.” she noticed my confused eyes. “I’m a healer. Deterioration from passage of time is something I’ll be able to heal if I get powerful enough. It needs to show up first for me to detect and challenge, though.”

“That sounds overly powerful.” I chuckled.

“Look who’s talking.” she pinched my cheek, my skin too resilient to even register pain. “Miss level one thousand.” her teasing tone almost sending my soul to the afterlife with her deep voice.

“One thousand three hundred and fifty.” I corrected with mock offense.

She giggled, pulling me into a hug.

Loud bells interrupted the moment. The sound came from above, so I looked up to see the source of the deafening noise.

At the top of the cathedral, two massive white bells swung. The clang was exceedingly loud, making me wince in discomfort. The bells rung a total of twelve times, returning to silence immediately after the last, the things disappearing.

“That was something.” I yawned, trying to rid myself of a light pressure in my ears. “Is it noon already?” I had lost track of time since parting with Lapia.

“It is.” she stood from my lap, releasing her tail’s grip on my waist. “Shall we go?” she fixed her robe/dress and I noticed a ring at the base of the appendage through the cloth.

A storage item, perhaps? I rose and straightened my skirt. Smart to place it there.

“Let’s.” walking next to her, I offered a hand.

She smiled and blushed, taking it and locking fingers. Her warm hand was soft on the inside and hard on her fingers.

“By the way, do you know somewhere I can buy a book or a notebook? I want to start a journal.” I said as we walked back inside the building.

“You can buy one here.” she changed directions and guided me deeper into the cathedral. “So, what kind of beast do you prefer?”

“Ideally durable, strong enough to pull a cart or carriage by itself. Also to carry me on its back, my skills are pretty demanding. My standards are not that high, to be honest.” I shrugged.

“That does narrows it down quite a bit.” she nodded.

“It does?” my tilted head made her giggle.

“Yes, it can’t be that big if it needs to pull a vehicle, right?”

We turned left at the end of a corridor and came into a mess hall of sorts, an uncountable amount of tables and chairs in it. We walked across and into another corridor.

“True. I saw a big feline this morning. It was the beast pulling the ride we took. Huge, red fur with white stripes. Would that be useful?” I couldn’t recall the name of the thing for the life of me.

“An Untu.” she supplied. “If you want to spend fortunes buying high quality meat, sure.”

“Oh, are they picky?” the corridor led us into a hallway lined with doors, we kept going.

“Not really.” she laughed softly. “Breeders spoil them too much.”

“Well, how about we see what they have in store and work with that.” I figured we couldn’t know until we saw the animals ourselves.

“Sure.” she nodded.

We continued walking for a few minutes, talking about small things like food and the turkey I saw the day I woke up. She blessed me with giggles and laughter as I told her about the exchange.

We reached our objective when we entered a storage hall of sorts, filled with crates, chests, and large wooden containers. I purchased three thick blank books from a woman similar to the priestess that received me. One was the size of a regular notebook, though in book form, with about one thousand pages. The pages were blank; no lines, dots or squares to guide what I’d write, which I was okay with. I had mastered the mythical skill of cursive.

The other two were intended as sketchbooks, and looked the part. Both had around four hundred pages each, fifty centimeters tall and twenty wide. I also got ten writing utensils; quills, pencils and erasers. I paid twenty silver for everything, apparently the materials were top notch.

We left the cathedral after that, walking out to the street. I noticed a lot of people looking at us on the way, especially people from the Church. They were smiling and whispering among themselves as if a glorious event was upon them.

“What’s with the gossip?” I asked Alyssa in a quiet voice. “Do I have something on my face?”

She giggled. “They must be happy for me. We clergy are a united bunch.” she smiled and shyly waved back at a group of priests, who in turn gave her a set of twelve thumbs up.

“That’s pretty cute.” I laughed with her. Supportive circles are a nice thing to have.

We left the grounds and walked over to a parking lot of sorts connected to the road.

“Looking for a ride, Lady Alyssa?” a gruff voice called.

Next to a carriage stood a woman built like a brick shithouse. She wore a leather top and pants, and nothing else. Two black horses waited in the front.

“Norma, long time no see.” Alyssa said back. “We’re going to the Burhim & Pam breeding farm.”

The driver looked me over and smiled. “And who’s the lady?” her short dark hair and brown skin made me think of an Amazon.

What a chad. Look at that charismatic smile. I nodded to her.

“Natasha, nice to meet you.”

“Nice indeed.” she opened the door to the vehicle. “Fifty copper discount for the nice view.” she winked at me and laughed. I gave her the money and she got on top of the carriage surprisingly quickly.

I laughed and followed Alyssa as she climbed on the vehicle. The insides were identical to the one from before.

I sat down and she took a spot in front of me. I took a sketchbook and a pencil.

“Get comfortable, I’ll take my time.” I looked at her.

“Okay.” she blushed slightly.

I had noticed before while sketching me and Lapia that my hands were more precise, taking less time to shape what I had in mind.

The strokes were decisive, accurate and quick. I chalked it up to my high dexterity. Ten minutes later I had finished the initial sketch, going with shading and depth next. I had no colored pencils, so I ended with a cold drawing. The details made up for it, having drawn every single visible scale on her body and lines of her horns.

Around twenty minutes later, I had finished. Even though I took my time to avoid as many mistakes as I could, I was impressed at the final product and how quickly I completed the piece.

I presented her the picture and she was speechless for a few moments.

“Holy crap.” she covered her mouth. “This is beautiful.”

“You are.” I smiled. “You can have it. I’ll keep future drawings, though.” I carefully detached the page from the book, handing it over.

She stared at it and stroke her cheek. “Thank you. I’ve never seen myself like this except in mirrors.” the paper disappeared and she moved over to me, sitting on my lap.

“I’m glad you liked it.” I hugged her and rested my head on her chest. They made for godly pillows.

“You must’ve laughed at my pathetic drawing.” she said, laughing awkwardly.

“I found it cute.” I took the form out and pointed at the arms she doodled. “You have a basic sense of body dimension, so it’s not pathetic.” I looked up at her and smiled. “You need to work on your tail, though.” I giggled at the squiggly line.

“You meanie.” she pouted. “I can’t see it very well.”

“Oh, didn’t think of that.” I thought of her butt-cheeks blocking the view and grinned.

“Breeding Grounds!” Norma called, tapping on the roof of the carriage. “You better not have made a mess inside there.” she laughed loudly. I laughed too.

“Good ol’ Norma.” Alyssa sighed and opened the door.

She fixed her dress and left the vehicle, I followed doing the same.

A wide expanse of green greeted us. We had crossed the inner wall at some point, the road was paved at least. Land spread for kilometers, animals here and there. Some were small like cats, those I spotted near. Some were as big as elephants. Both too far to appraise or see any details.

A farm looking property connected to the road via a short path. Trees surrounding it. It looked like a country side farm that could be found anywhere, but at least ten times larger. It was two stories tall and wide as could be.

“I’m getting excited.” I admitted, my thoughts gravitated to dragons and wyverns. Unless those are Luzo ancestors.

Alyssa giggled and took my hand. We walked to the farm, a short man coming to greet us.

“Welcome to Burhim & Pam.” he opened his arms wide. “My name is Jök, what can I do for you, Ladies?” he was wearing leather and was leaning on a walking stick. He had Asian features, inclined towards the southern islands.

[Jök, Tilen Human Lvl 53 Merchant]

I appraised him and was surprised to see a new race.

“I’m Natasha, my partner here is Alyssa.” I introduced ourselves, the Luzo smiled and waved. The man nodded. “I’m looking for a battle mount. Strong enough to pull a carriage. Not too big, though.”

“Let’s go inside, then.” he gestured to the closest building and walked towards it, I noticed a limp. “Lady Natasha, we here at Burhim & Pam proud ourselves for providing the best. We deal in cattle and beasts of burden. We also have a wide variety of E’eral beasts you might be interested in. If any catches your fancy, don’t hesitate to let me know.”

We came into the building and the raw smell of animals and their waste assaulted my senses. The building was deceptively large. It reminded me of a barn, but white in its entirety, much like any edifice I had seen so far in Riverfield. The floor was covered with straw and leaves. Animals were kept behind a fence, spacious room to go around.

The closest animals walked over to the fence. Regular horses, Bhin, which were red horses with ox horns, and others I wasn’t too interested in to appraise. I saw a horse that had four eyes and a horn on its nose. I stared at the animal for a few seconds trying to figure out how that came to be.

[Bey’tu Lvl 9]

“Looks like they like you already.” Alyssa said next to me, caressing a Bhin’s head. The animals were all looking at me.

“Well, isn’t that a surprise.” Jök laughed cheerfully. “You seem to have quite the affinity, Lady Natasha.”

“So it would seem.” I kept the details to myself, he didn’t exactly need to know that. “Do you have higher level beasts? Above one hundred?” I turned to the man.

He thought for a second and turned around. “This way.”

The animals followed us and stopped once we reached a wall that separated their shed with the next one.

The same scene welcomed us, animals walking over to us as if appealing to me. The same animals with a few additions, horses with added body parts. Their levels too low. The man ignored them and kept going, entering the next shed. After the fourth, he stopped and turned to us.

“Animals here are higher level. Their strength confirmed at being able to pull twenty tonnes of dead weight.” he presented the space. It looked exactly the same as the previous ones except for the animals. "We have Untu: large and agile felines. Bhin..."

The man went on about the animals, introducing them by name and features.

I saw a couple Untu a distance away, recognizable by their shape and color. I remembered Alyssa’s comment about being expensive to keep. I could sustain that, probably for a few hundred years. A cat though? I had my doubts. True, a cat would be helpful in combat, but their eccentric nature would be troublesome.

There were cats of various shapes, sizes and colors. Some looked fairly simple, others with horns or tusks. What looked like dogs were present as well, unnecesary extra things like horns, spikes, or tusks on their bodies.

I looked at other animals, but wasn’t very impressed. I miss my penguin.

“Oh, a Ratnak.” Alyssa’s voice reached me and I turned to where she was looking. “Those are rare.”

A savior? Hope bloomed in my heart.

There, what would be best described as a drake lied resting on the ground staring at me. It stood up when we made eye contact and closed the distance at a slow pace. Its body was covered in red scales. Deep blue eyes locked with mine.

As it approached, I noticed it was at least four meters from its head to the end of its short tail. Its nostrils opening up every time it took a breath. Those were big enough to fit my entire arm inside. From head to floor, Its was three meters tall at the very least. Strong legs supporting its frame. The neck a meter long, covered in large scales. Its face had no lips, the pointy teeth opening slightly as it exhaled. It reeked of iron and copper.

It was a drake through and through.

The thing’s eyes never left me or blinked until it stood right in front of me, lifting its head.

[Ratnak Lvl 150]

“These are pretty good.” Alyssa commented. “They eat metal.” she said offhandedly.

“They what?” I turned to her.

“Ah, you looked away.” the man said, now behind me and a few meters back.

I noticed movement from my periphery and turned back to the beast, only to see its forehead the instant before it headbutted me.

The impact made me close my eyes, expecting to be knocked back and out. It felt like a weak punch, however. My neck moved back a few centimeters. I heard a loud roar followed by a thud and opened my eyes.

It was sprawled on the ground, clutching its head with its four digit claws. If they could be called that. No opposable thumbs... Not a paw either.

It was growling in pain, its eyes closed.

“Ha! You fool.” I snickered. “You can’t kill me, I’m a badass bitch.” I laughed, the momentary panic gone in an instant.

For good measure, I wiped my forehead in case it wounded me, but not even a bump was left, the area felt a bit numb, though.

I heard Alyssa sigh. “They are quite smart, but simple minded. In the wild they form herds, following the strongest one of the bunch. They find mines and feast on them until nothing remains, sometimes even entering dungeons to find ore veins.” she smiled at me. “Now that you proved to be stronger, it’ll follow you even if it means breaking the walls.” she laughed as I gaped at her.

“Oh.” I turned to the man. “Would it have been better if I played dead?”

“If you want her, you did perfectly.” his smile was not amused.

I got the message. I better not claim ignorance or they’ll be troublesome. His eyes told me something similar.

“Uh. How much for the Ratnak?” I asked with defeat. At least it looked cool. Not as cool as a green penguin, though.

“One gold coin.” the man answered.

CHEAP! I screamed in my mind. This cataclysm looking motherfucker is ONE gold piece?

“What about information on how to take care of… her?” I asked the man.

“Yes, her.” he nodded. “There’s an office next to this shed. We’ll sign paperwork and give you a booklet about Ratnaks. It would seem your partner is very knowledgeable, however.” his smile was still a bit tense.

“That’s right. I know them.” Alyssa confirmed. I looked at her and she smiled.

I approached her and asked in a quiet voice. “Are you okay with this? Are these animals somehow related to your ancestors or something?” her smile went so up, her eyes squinted.

“Not at all. I come from the Storm Dragons.” she fought back laughter. “These are as distant as a pig.” she giggled. “You’re so cute.” and kissed me on the cheek.

Storm Dragons? That sounded badass.

“Well.” I fixed my hair. Though the impact was negligible, my hair took a hit. “I’ll buy it.”