Asher's Futa Chronicles

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Asher returns home to a small reprieve, but is it really? But, like always, life marches on. Now there's something else that draws Asher and Remmi apart.

Enjoy!

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Chapter 24

ASHER

I was practically gliding through the forest as I made my way back to The Roadhouse from Danu's temple. Memories of the sexy time with those two ladies still had my whoremones flaring.

I briefly wondered where Tara and Alana were by now. The trip up to the temple could be a long one on foot. I tried imagining Tara carrying Alana, but then remembered Rhi usually carried Tara. I guess they'd be taking the scenic route then. If they didn't stop off for any "breaks," they should be up there by tomorrow.

Then I started thinking about the two of them going at it in the bushes on one of these breaks, and it made my head spin. But I didn't know how that would work out. Things seemed pretty easy between Alana and me. But when it came to Tara, Alana was being a bit more reserved and formal...you know... "normal."

They were going to eat Alana alive if she kept up that timid act. But I doubted it would last long. Alana had steel in her spine after all.

I sighed and sobered myself as The Roadhouse came into view. Putting my game face on, I entered the grounds prepared to go another round with Prince Putzner.

The welcome sight of an empty courtyard greeted me. I double-checked the stables, but they were equally empty of the knight's mounts.

"They're gone," Remmi said when I tracked her down. "They headed out a couple of hours ago."

"Truly? They left?" I asked.

"Yup, I asked the airship captain to watch for me, and he sent up an observation balloon," Remmi said. "Last they saw, the prince and his knights were heading back to the capital."

"I guess the clock's started then," I said. They could be right back here in six weeks with an army behind them if our luck ran the way it usually did.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Remmi said. "Besides, I've been working on some contingencies, just in case."

"Oh?" I asked.

"Not right now," Remmi said, leading me towards the back wings of the inn. "Angela wanted to talk to us as soon as you got back."

"Anything happen while I was away?" I asked as I followed my girlfriend.

"It seems a pair of Shilak attacked and killed one of the knights," Remmi said.

"Truly?" I said in shock. "That's just terrible!" I said in mock concern.

"Stop it, you're horrible!" Remmi said. "And I don't just mean at lying."

"That's not what Tara said," I shot back and goosed Remmi's tush, causing her to squeal.

Remmi turned and swatted at me, something that would be playful between two normal people. But coming from one of us, it would have put a normal person in the hospital.

I was still amazed by the changes in Remmi and my body since becoming Guardians. It was like my whole body had been supercharged. I was confident enough now that the next time Sinjin wanted to "wrestle," I'd be the one coming out on top.

There were several open doors near the end of the hall. We found Angela and her assistant inspecting rooms.

"Asher, you're back!" Angela said, nodding to her assistant and handing them a sheet of paper. "Please finish this up. I'll catch up with you in a few."

"Of course, ma'am," Raife said, bowing slightly before turning to the paper.

"I need a drink," Angela said after she hugged me and led us from the room.

I glanced at Remmi, who shot a questioning look right back.

At the bar, Angela ordered a round of cider for us and sat at a secluded table well away from anyone else.

"What's with all the cloak and dagger?" I asked.

Angela coughed and began to speak, but was interrupted by the arrival of our drinks. She patiently waited until the server departed and took a sip of her drink.

"You staying away from the alcohol then?" Remmi asked, nodding to the nonalcoholic cider we were all drinking.

"Seemed prudent considering the situation," Angela said, gently patting her stomach. "But, that's not what I wanted to talk to the two of you about."

Remmi and I sat up a little straighter. Last time Angela wanted to talk to just the two of us, she revealed some pretty big things about her past.

"When was the last time either of you saw Rachel?" Angela asked, looking both of us in the eye.

I stopped, having to think. How long had it been? *How long ago was Chapter 32?* I thought to myself. Then I realized what I'd thought. *Where'd that come from?* I asked myself. Thankfully, there was no reply.

"Oh, God, I dunno," Remmi started, obviously racking her brain. "I think it was back when she was healing up from Laghold?"

Rachel had been playing detective, investigating Angela's disappearance and had gotten hurt falling off a roof in Laghold. At least, that's the story she'd told us.

"That sounds about right," I said, nodding.

"That was over eight months ago!" Angela said desperately.

"Eight months?" I said. "That can't be right."

"She'd been spending more and more time away from here, but she never told anyone where or why," Angela started. "Not even me!" Now Angela was working herself up.

Angela and Rachel had a long, intimate history dating back to before Sinjin. If it hadn't been for some extenuating circumstances, the trio of Angela, Rachel, and Sinjin would have just been Angela and Rachel. To say they were close was an understatement.

"I've been asking everyone who comes through that door if they've seen her, but so far nothing," Angela continued. "I went as far as to put in a request with the guild for information. I figured with how much adventurers get around, someone had to have seen her."

I grunted as Remmi kicked me under the table. I'm sure she thought I would say a careless and tacky thing about adventurers getting around, but I was taking this seriously. Besides, I would have totally waited until Remmi and I were alone to make a snide comment.

"And has anyone seen her?" Remmi asked, refocusing on Angela.

"There's a couple who just got her a few days ago," Angela said. "They came in from the East, where they've been living. Supposedly, they saw a Fierce vixen that matched Rachel's description a while back. But I have no idea if it was her or just a fluke because there are so many of them out there."

A Fierce was the term used to describe any humanoid animal type. Rachel was a humanoid fox, so her race was considered to be a "Fierce." The fact that all animal-kin were lumped under one name showed the current standing they held in modern society.

"Did you try to talk with them yet?" I asked.

"Yes," Angela said with a heavy sigh. "And they're willing to show me where they last saw her...but...it's two weeks' travel from here..." Angela trailed off.

"And you can't leave here for that long," Remmi finished for her.

Angela nodded.

"No problem," I said brightly. "Then we'll go for you. We're adventurers, that's what we do!" The idea of heading out to look for Rachel excited me for some reason.

"Actually, it's not our job," Remmi said, reigning me in.

"It's not?" I asked.

"We're not adventurers, Asher, we're Guardians," Remmi stated.

"Oh...yeah...we're...Guardians," I frowned.

"Plus," Remmi continued. "We've kind of got a developing situation going on here."

"Yeah..." I said, my frown deepening.

"So, that's why you'll go without me, Ash," Remmi concluded as if it was obvious.

"Say what?" I stammered.

"One of us needs to stay here with Cr'eon and prepare for the worst," Remmi said. "I've already got irons in the fire that need tending, so I can't leave. That leaves you free to go."

I chewed on my cheek in thought. I'd be leaving The Roadhouse for at least a month, and that was a best-case scenario. If we found Rachel immediately, I'd still be getting back here only days before a possible army showed up on our doorstep.

There wasn't a lot I could do here anyway. I wasn't Rambo. I didn't know how to build spike traps and defensive crap like you saw in the movies.

"What if we had Terri and Thomas come back?" I asked, the thought just coming to me.

"I considered that," Remmi said. "I got a hold of the Gestalt yesterday to let them know what was going on. They're supposedly both out on important training exercises they can't get away from yet. And before you ask, none of the other Guardian candidates have emerged from the temple yet."

"Others?" I asked. I only knew of the steam slinger with the big mustache being interested in going up there. But it's not like I hung out around the guild all the time. I'm sure others had passed right on through and made their way up to the temple without advertising it.

"That's what I'm told," Remmi said. "Remember, it took us two months to get out of there, and we didn't realize how much time had passed until we were out."

We were all quiet in thought for a few moments.

"So, will you go?" Angela asked me.

I'd already decided to go when Angela first mentioned this. I was just trying to think it through like a "grown-up" for a change, instead of making a snap decision.

"Of course," I said, looking up into her pleading eyes. "Stop looking so worried!" I said. "There's no way I'm gonna leave that bimbo out there by herself."

"Thanks, Asher," Angela said, reaching over and squeezing my hand. "I'm finally starting to understand how dangerous this place is."

I was sure she was thinking about when she'd been attacked by the Shilak and later kidnapped by thugs from Laghold. Then there was Thomas's lantern injury. And of course, Remmi and I were beaten up by another pair of Shilak and then almost killed by the Gremlins. It was all more than enough to open your eyes to the violence of this Bio Hab.

"That poor knight who was killed by the Shilak right outside our doors!" Angela said, shaking her head sadly. "Just horrible."

Or maybe it was the fact that a complete stranger got hurt on our property that opened her eyes?

"Wasn't it just?" I muttered.

"Well then," Angela said, shaking herself from her dark thoughts. "I'll set up a meeting, and y'all can get things going. I'll send someone to find you once I've made the arrangements. OK?" Angela asked as she stood from the table, her tankard forgotten.

"Uh, sure," I managed as Angela hurried off towards the guild. A gentle patting of my hand drew my attention to Remmi. I looked down to find her hand atop mine and followed her arm up to her, where she was smiling at me.

"She's just worried, roll with it," Remmi said.

"You sure you'll be OK here by yourself?" I asked, suddenly worried for her with all the crap that seemed to be piling up here.

"Are you kidding?" Remmi chuckled. "I'm going to be safe inside our walls, surrounded by our friends. You're the one who's going to be out in the wilderness with a couple of strangers." Remmi shook her head. "I should be worried about you knocking someone up on your little road trip to furryville."

"Don't start that again," I groaned. Anytime the subject of a Fierce had popped up, Remmi teased me relentlessly. Apparently, since I'd slept with Rachel here while she was a Fierce, Remmi thought I now had a furry fetish. The truth was that I had an everybody fetish. I wasn't about to exclude anybody...well, that's not true. Bulova, the giant spider from the temple, was WAY off the table for me. Icky!

"Come on," Remmi said, pulling me to my feet. "You smell like you've been in a gangbang all morning."

"Hey!" I said, offended. "I took a bath!"

***Ω***

ASHER

"Can you go over it again for us?" Remmi asked, glancing at me on the other side of the table from her.

I watched as the married couple looked at one another.

Alistair seemed to be human, a big guy, but still just a normal guy. Supposedly, he was a druid...whatever that meant.

Then there was Brooke. She was a Fierce feline-type. Her fur was dark with orange blotches, reminding me of one of the neighborhood strays back home. She looked mostly human, but with a completely feline face and ears. She also had a tail, and her arms and shoulders were shaped differently from mine. I thought it was for running on all fours, but I wasn't sure as she walked upright around here.

One thing she did not do was to "meow" after each of her sentences. I'd seen too many anime where that was a thing. I guess the creators thought it would be cute, but as I watched her talk, it would have been incredibly distracting if she'd paused to say "meow" all the time.

"We live deep in the wilderness to the East of here. It'll take around two weeks to get there," Brooke said.

"It's kinda weird how civilization kind of dies out the further East you go," Remmi said.

"Laghold is the last bastion of civilization out here for the most part," Brooke said. "You can go West, back towards the capital. North will run you along the front of the mountains until you reach the pass that will take you towards the Northeastern coast. South runs you into the deep forests. But East brings you to the bottom leg of the mountains that end in 300-foot cliffs above the ocean."

"That part of the mountains is still considered wild," Alistair said. "Since the Eastern coast is inaccessible from the sea, 'civilization' has left it alone, and the monsters have remained dominant."

"There are actual monsters running around out there?" Remmi asked.

"Oh yes," Alistair said. "You have to be very careful in those mountains, just as you must in the Fellbacks to the North of us. Monsters have been left to establish their own territories."

"Are they that intelligent?" I asked. From what I'd read, there'd been so many different types of monsters roaming this country over the years that you had no idea what you'd run into out there.

"Some are," Brooke said. "The more evolved races have found uses for the other monsters. They haven't so much domesticated as enslaved them."

Remmi looked at me with concern.

"But," Alistair started, "we're not going that far. Our homestead is in the foothills, the beginning of the foothills at that. Where we saw this Fierce isn't much further up towards the mountains."

"If it's so dangerous, what was she doing up there?" Remmi asked me.

"No clue," I replied. "But you know Rachel, she's always doing her own thing, regardless of what anyone has to say about it." I turned back to the couple. "How long ago did you see her?"

Brooke and Alistair looked at one another.

"It's been several months," Brooke said.

"I'd say six or seven," Alistair said. "Remember, we were looking for harple berries at the time. They only ripen during a very short window and grow deeper into the foothills."

"Oh yeah," Brooke said. "We were on one of the crests, and you saw her a few hills over heading East."

"So, you didn't talk to her?" Remmi asked.

"No, she was too far away," Brooke said.

"If she was so far away, what makes you think it was Rachel?" I asked.

Brooke smiled.

"Alistair enjoys sharing his senses with nature," Brooke began. "He was using a pair of bird's eyes to look for berries when he saw her."

"I did get a good look at her," Alistair said. "Everything Angela told me matched up with her, including her clothes."

"It's gotta be her," Remmi said with conviction.

"Why?" I asked.

"Cause we don't have any other leads!" Remmi said. "When will you be ready to leave?"

"Anytime you are," Brooke said. "We're used to being on the go."

***Ω***

ASHER

Remmi handed me another shirt as I was finishing packing my kit.

"I'm still a bit surprised you're OK with me going by myself," I said as I glanced at her.

Remmi looked up from where she was setting my armor by the door.

"I wouldn't say I'm OK with it," Remmi began. "It's more like I don't have much choice."

"Hey," I said, putting my pack down and turning her to face me. "It's going to be OK, really."

"I'll believe that when you're back," Remmi said, giving me a weak smile.

It didn't take long to finish packing my kit; I wasn't taking much. We'd be on foot due to the rough terrain out East. That, plus monsters were drawn to mounts and beasts of burden. They weren't too happy with the monsters either.

"I guess that's about it," I said as I dropped the last of my gear near the door.

"Good, then come to bed," Remmi said.

I was leaving before dawn and knew I needed to sleep. As I climbed into bed, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to or not.

Remmi turned off the glowstone in the bathroom and climbed into bed beside me. She curled herself around me and nuzzled in behind my ear.

"You be careful out there, you hear me?" Remmi whispered.

"Yes, ma'am," I said dutifully, a grin touching my lips.

"And don't bring home any luggage," Remmi said.

"Luggage?" I asked, looking back at her.

"Don't bring home anything that won't wash off," Remmi said, giving me a pained grin.

I turned to face her.

"No luggage," I affirmed, brushing her lips with mine. "Besides, I'll probably be so tired from all the walking that I won't be in the mood."

"You?" Remmi snorted a laugh. "Not in the mood?"

"You know what I mean," I frowned at her needling me.

Remmi's gentle fingers lightly traced my face as she brushed a strand of hair from my eyes.

"Seriously, though," Remmi started. "I won't be there to back you up this time. Be careful out there, please?"

"Quit worrying," I said nervously. "You're spookin' the women folk."

Remmi's fingers slipped from my face to my neck. As she slipped lower, they found their way into my sleep shirt. She traced the swell of my breast, sending shivers coursing through my body.

We stared into one another's eyes as she continued to tease my breasts. Once minute goose flesh rippled across my chest, the next lances of fire as she pinched and rolled my stiffening nipples between her fingers.

My hand slid down her arm to her shoulder, then her back. My nails scraped down her back until I was cupping her bum and pulling her closer to me.

As my cock pressed painfully against her belly, our lips met, and a fire erupted between us.

Frantically, we pulled one another's clothes off, all the while trying to keep our lips touching. It would have been comical if we hadn't been yearning for one another so.

I was looking up at Remmi as her hand pressed down on my chest, pinning me to the bed. She stared into my eyes as she wordlessly mounted me.

Her lower lips parted, wrapping themselves around my girth as she slowly pushed back, drawing me deep inside her.

Remmi sighed while I groaned the deeper I sank into her. She was in total control now, and she didn't yield. As we fully joined, she didn't hesitate to pull herself up and nearly off my cock only to sink right back down again. All the while, she watched me, barely blinking, taking in every inch of me.

This slow, relentless assault continued. Remmi didn't relent in her slow but determined ride.

I reached up, running the tips of my fingers across her face, neck and chest. Then her stomach, hips, and thighs. Almost like my fingers were trying to memorize the feel of her. Not that I could ever forget her.

Remmi stayed in the same form as I'd first met her. There was no crazy tentacles or body absorption. Just two people loving one another.

Something splashed on my cheek, and I looked up to find Remmi leaning over me, her face close to mine. It was then that I saw her cheeks were wet and realized mine were too.

Our lips met again. The hot, salty tears mingling with our lips, making the act bittersweet. But that wouldn't stop us, and we didn't let it.

My hands cupped her ass, just as she began to roll her hips. Neither of us said a word as our once slow lovemaking took on an urgent pace.

I could hear her panting, straining from her performance atop me. All the while, her pussy throbbed around me, daring me to finish before her.

For my part, I tried to restrain myself, to keep to the unspoken softness this night had brought to our bed. But the heat building in my cock was already threatening to overpower me. I desperately wanted to take control and pound myself into my girl. It was only the blissful look on Remmi's face that kept me in check. I just wanted to watch her in that moment, forever.