Chapter 50 - Dumb and Dumber

Chapter 50: 50 - Dumb and Dumber

(Yaya’s POV)

They were ruining everything. My plans, my peace, my exit. All of it.

The primals were not enough to get rid of them, but what other ’leave me alone’ message could be clearer than this?

Well, one of them actually left on his own, for a change, taking the high road out of this mess. Bravo, Nugget. Finally, someone with a shred of common sense.

Now, I needed to deal with the remaining two. Noodle and Dickhead, the duo of doom.

It’s been a while since I last released my pheromones. It took quite a toll on my body to separate the poison from my blood and not mix it with my scent. Then, to make it more potent, I had to raise my body temperature. And to control it...

It was exhausting to say the least, but it had served its purpose. After expending all that energy, I felt like a wrung-out sponge, lying limp inside the tent they had set up.

My shoulder was patched up, my body was clean, and my belly was full of whatever they had fed me. A pig’s life, no doubt.

The shelter was spacious, set a few meters away from the river and it was leveled up on a small platform made of wood. The branches they used for poles were sturdy, and the leaves they used for cover were thick. It was a decent shelter from the rain that pelted down from above.

The weights around my ankles and wrist were still on, so I had to be extra careful not to destroy the platform with any harsh movements. More than restraining my movements, they served as reminder of who I was and my purpose.

Noodle was sitting in his human form by my side, sewing my torn shirt on a pile of hides he’d been hoarding. He had also gathered some herbs for me to bathe in (to get rid of my pheromones, apparently).

Dickhead was outside, trying to become a gasum whisperer. He was keeping them caged inside a wooden coop.

The little jumpers were not happy about it and kept trying to escape.

Skitters, skitters, skitters. Jump, jump, jump. Bang, bang, bang.

"They don’t like captivity," Noodle commented on the noise, pulling the thread through the fabric. "I had tried to bring them to my nest. They die within a week."

It’s been three days since we settled in this area, and the rain hadn’t let up since. The forest was drenched and the mood gloomy.

I dragged myself up to a sitting position, holding the blanket around my shoulders. "My loot?"

Noodle reached out behind him and brought a leather pouch, filled with cores. "Your share, mate."

I took it, feeling its weight in my palm. I pulled out one of the cores, and rolled it between my fingers. It was a pale green. A primal’s core. Twenty in total. I had yet to find their true value, but they looked rare enough to be worth something.

"Where’s the nearest village? I want to trade some of these," I said, putting the core back in the pouch. With an owl beastman preferably. They were known to have vast knowledge in mixing cores for different uses.

Books and other similar items were not a thing here, so the only way to learn was through word of mouth. But that method was unreliable, as many of the beastmen kept their secrets to themselves. That’s how they stayed ahead of the competition.

"I can’t go with you to another village, mate," Noodle said, shaking his head. "You know that. You have to stay here, with me." He returned to his sewing. "Whatever warmblooded can gather, I can too. Or just ask..."

There wasn’t Nugget to ask anymore. Noodle realized it after a moment, and his mouth clicked shut. He resumed his work, this time with more force than necessary.

"If you spot a wandering owl beastman, catch him for me," I said.

I wasn’t keen on leaving my two pains behind (Noodle and Dickhead), as they would just track me down again. So, a more permanent solution was needed. I could either become a bigger pain in the ass or play along with their game until I found a better solution. My bets were on the second option, for now.

In the meantime, I could set up a trap to catch some wandering owls and trade some information with them.

"Okay, mate." He agreed easily, his hands never stopping. "I will get an owl beastman for you. Do you want him roasted or raw?"

"I want his knowledge. Not his flesh."

"His flesh won’t be wasted. I will eat it." He held the shirt up to the light, checking the stitches. "Mate, look. It’s finished."

It was...decent. The front had a nice zigzag pattern of brown thread. The rips were mended.

I gave him an approving nod. "Not bad."

His face lit up at the praise, "Put it on, mate. Let me see how it fits."

I removed my shirt, pulling it over my head. They’ve both seen me naked, so was there a point in being shy about it now? I’d say no. One had taken care of me when I used to be a cripple, and the other was my mate. There wasn’t much room to act like a brat about it, especially when there were better ways to make them pay.

I handed the old shirt to Noodle and put on the new one. The cooling gas did a good job of killing our libidos, and his gaze on my naked body was innocent enough to pass as a medical examination.

"Good?" I asked, lifting my arms to check the range of motion.

"Good." His eyes roamed over my body, his tongue flicking out. "Very good."

With the rain still pouring outside, we were stuck here for the time being. Noodle was completely naked, except for his long hair that pooled around his lap, acting as a natural cover.

"How are twins?" I scooped a handful of his hair and moved it to the side. Noodle was busy with his needle, not paying much attention to what I was doing. He seemed to hate being in heat, and I had yet to experience the extent of it, so I brushed my fingertips over his groin to get a reaction.

"..." He lowered his head, his hands pausing in their work, "Don’t wake them up, mate... I don’t want to think about breeding."

I covered him back with his hair. He resumed his sewing as if nothing happened. Too cute, for a monster like him. "Are they okay, though?" I asked, this time with more seriousness. "The gas is not harmful, right?"

He shrugged, not giving a damn about side effects. I continued to observe him as I borrowed some of his sewing tools and started to work on my own project.

I took my thread and needle and began to weave a simple leather belt. It would be useful to carry my loot pouch, and other small items. I had no shoes at the moment. A pair of sandals would be good to have as well.

Summer was approaching, and with it, the breeding season for Noodle. The snake beastmen had started joining forces to kidnap females, which showed that they could share if forced to. They were adapting to the warm-blooded way, in a sense.

What type of adaptation was Noodle going through? Anti breeding and anti-female...

"For how long have you been inhaling the gas?" I asked, tying a knot at the end of the belt.