Chapter 77

At the last day before departure, Nicole had still many things to take care of. First of all, she and Soi headed into Hive's big market zone. There, they bought enough food to not starve in the travel. Of course, they could have hunted on the go, but girls agreed it would only take their time. Yet provision wasn't their only goal there.

"Nicole, I am not sure we have enough money for that. It would be cheaper to rent a Velkrath instead of buying one." Soi said, walking beside the girl.

Nicole shook her head. "And what about the future? In the long-term, we will end up spending more on constant rent instead of a one-time purchase." She smiled. "And I have an idea where to get something for a better price."

She stopped in front of the slave merchant's tent. Stepping inside, Nicole looked around, searching for the shop owner. Finding him talking to some customer, she approached and waited for the tall man to finish.

I was here many times already, but this place still gives me creeps. All those cages…

It didn't take long and the Torakai man turned towards the girls with a smile. "Nicole, Soi. Welcome. You haven't got me any new outfits for sale in a while." His tone was rather teasing than accusatory, yet there was still a point in his words.

"Y-yeah, I know. I have been out of Hive lately. And will be leaving for a while again, tomorrow."

"Oh, I see. What's the matter, then?"

"Do you maybe have more than just people? I need something to carry my carriage."

"Hm, yes, yes," The man nodded along. "All other creatures are stored on the other side. Please follow me." He led them through the rows of cages and Nicole tried not to look around, ignoring all kinds of sounds coming out of them. Soon, cages got bigger, taller.

"Do you have any other specifics in mind?"

"No, I don't think so."

The man stopped at one of the cages and sharply turned to the girls with a smirk. "Then let me show you a rare specimen – Krughan!"

Inside, there was a rather strange animal. A big, yellow-blond furred boar was lying on its stomach. Its tusks were big and thick, with what seemed to be small spikes protruding here and there along the length. The animal seemed to be asleep.

With wide eyes, Soi stepped back, terrified. "W-WHAT?! W-what this thing is doing here?"

Nicole turned to her friend, worried. "What's wrong?"

"Those things, I heard they are popular among Zanokai, especially the higher-ups."

"Yes, you are right." The man smiled. "Just a couple of days ago, a group of mercenaries sold me this one. They said they saw a group of armed Zanokai near their destroyed village not that far away. After a fight, they took the Krughan as one of the prizes and sold it to me."

As he explained, Soi calmed down from the shock, standing beside Nicole again.

Loud shouting of the catgirl woke the boar-like animal up. Curious, it stepped closer to the three people outside of its cage. The full view stunned Nicole. The animal had not two but three pairs of legs, its back ones being doubled. Not only that, but its nose was long like of an elephant, but at the last third of its length, it split in three.

"As you can see, it's pretty calm. In those few days, never caused trouble." Merchant even slid his hand through the bars and lightly petted Krughan's head. Standing, it was slightly higher than an average horse Nicole saw on Earth.

Well, judging by its size, I guess there should be no issue with carrying weights.

"And how much do you want for it?" Nicole crossed her arms on her chest.

"Hm… It's a rare thing, you know? I could sell it for twenty Claws, but as a token of our friendship and business partnership, I can lower it to eighteen."

"Tsk, no, I call bullshit." Nicole frowned. "There is no way anyone would buy it for such a price. Don't try to fool me."

"If you don't want it, I can show you other ones." The man shrugged.

"Come on, man. We had such a nice business relationship before. You want me to start selling clothes to someone else? I am sure you are not the only big player in the Hive."

His eyes squinted. "Playing dirty, hm?" Their gazes clashed in a fight of will. "Finding someone and establishing a deal as good as mine will take a way more time and effort than a couple of coins."

Looking at them, Soi sighed. "Can't we just pay in something else? Like, Nicole will make you a bunch of clothes or something."

The merchant frowned at first, but then smiled. "Hm… What about this – I recently got a new batch of slaves and have one that claims to have unnaturally big virility. Said something about being able to last way longer than other men. I want you two pretty ladies having your way with him."

EH?! I mean… It's just a threesome, right?

"Fine. But I need the Krughan by tomorrow."

"It's yours as soon as you do your part of the deal." He shrugged.

Well, this will be my most expensive sex. But eighteen Claws are eighteen Claws. Blessed be the horniness of this island and its people.

"Deal."

Soi smiled with pride. "Hehe, I am a genius."

"Yeah, yeah. We will be back soon." Nicole waved her hand dismissively as a goodbye, turning towards the exit.

Leaving the tent and market district behind, girls returned to their room at the inn.

"Already back, Annie? I thought you will spend all your time in the royal library."

"I thought so too, but decided to tell you what I have found ASAP. It took a while to find the right archive and information about the old Narakai kings wasn't too deep. But most importantly, it did mention that around hundred twenty years ago there was a guy that replaced his eye with another one. Though he was mentioned to still cover it, so I am not sure if it worked at all…"

So, there is a chance!

Iloe, who was brewing something in a pot, clasped her hands with a wide smile. "Great! Nicole, you will be able to see properly again!"

"It doesn't matter if it's not guaranteed. We have to try," Nicole smiled with confidence. She grabbed the wooden case where she left the maid outfit she promised as a payment. "I will go get the thing."

This time the guard at the front door didn't even ask questions as Nicole stepped into Lord Obsidian's mansion. Just as she did, Nicole saw the same pretty Zunthari girl that welcomed them the first time she came.

"Hey, hi. Could you call your Lord? I have something for him."

The girl bowed before hurrying away. Soon enough, she was back together with the Lord. Seeing Nicole, the man grinned.

"You got that dress you spoke about?"

"Yes. Here, please." Nicole handed him the case.

In turn, Obsidian gave it to the girl. "Go dress up. I want to see what it looks like."

"Um, maybe I should go with her. Just to make sure she gets it on properly."

Nicole followed the bunny girl to one of the rooms. There, the girl's simple dress was quickly discarded. While Nicole guided her how to dress the maid outfit properly, she asked in a half-whisper. "How do you like it here? I mean… Um, you know how enthusiastic this guy was about the outfit. He may do some things to you when he sees you like this."

Zunthari girl blinked a few times in confusion. "Hm? I love Lord Obsidian, and I already spend most nights in his bed. W-why do you ask?"

Oh. Right. Here I was, afraid that this girl would hate me for making him fuck her even more or something.

"N-nothing. Nevermind. Get this on your head, we are almost done."

Not long after, two of them left the room. They found Obsidian in the waiting room. When they entered, he stood up, speechless.

The Zunthari girl, already cute before, was now absolutely irresistible. The main dress was black, with a generous cleavage cut and ended on a rather short skirt. White apron was keeping it more grounded, reminding that it was a maid's uniform. White gloves and headpiece were only adding cuteness. Then the girl lifted her skirt all the way up, giving a full view on her thighs clad in white stockings and garter belt, and revealing thin, half-transparent white panties. At the end, she bowed deep enough to sway her chest and only deepen the cleavage view.

"What do you think?" Nicole grinned.

Lord Obsidian stepped closer, touching the soft materials and occasionally groping the maid. "T-this- This is absolutely insane. It looks both modest and sexy, especially with what is hidden underneath the skirt!"

Hah, I can see his boner through his pants. "We got the deal settled, then?"

"YES!"

"Then take me to the basement before you drag the girl into your bedroom."

"Right, follow me."

Couple of minutes later, Nicole was on her way home with the amber hidden in her bag. Alright, now I have to just secure that boar thing and we are ready to go tomorrow morning.

From the inn, she picked Soi up and together they went back to the slave merchant's tent. Soi was humming some song as they walked.

"Something happened? You seem really happy."

"Well, I can't wait for the adventure to start. Don't forget that I am a hunter, and getting my hands on a strong and unique prey is always a treat for us. Plus-" she winked "I am in a good mood for the threesome. When we leave, there may be not many opportunities for those things, so it will be great to let loose now."

"In a good mood? As if you are ever not in a mood." Nicole chuckled.

As they stepped inside the tent and found the owner of the place, three of them headed into the deeper, private section, and stepped into the luxurious room. Nicole recognized it as the same place she made her initial deal with the merchant about selling clothes.

"I will go bring the guy. You two get comfortable." He said before leaving.

Soi didn't need more, expertly getting out of her clothes and jumping on the big, plush soft bed. "I hope it won't be boring."

Alright, no backing off now. Nicole peeled her own clothes off. Then, she noticed a bottle of Eyekiss on the table, together with a pair of cups. "This guy either is stupid rich and doesn't learn, or doesn't mind." She shrugged and reached out, opening the alcohol and drinking straight from the glass bottle. Fuck, I already forgot it was so sweet!

"Oo, pass me some, too." Soi licked her lips. A couple of minutes later, the bottle was empty and the two lay sprawled on the bed.

"Man, this guy takes his time for sure~" Nicole sighed, her hand brushing on her pink, stiff nipple, hardened from slight coldness of the room and lingering anticipation.

"Ha~ Maybe he forgot? Heheh~" Soi giggled. "Maybe there is one more bottle somewhere? It's not our fault he takes so long~!"

Yep, there surely should be something.

Before Nicole could get up to check, the door opened.