Chapter 129 - The Urgent Quest is Submitted (Patreon)

“MYASTER, LET ME IN! HELP!! HELP!” Peri pounds on the door to the bedroom, awakening me right away from my restful slumber. I groan loud in response, and so does Sam.

The tired Princess stirs and reaches her hand towards the nearest pillow no one is using, and throws it at the door. “SHOO, KITTY! BAD! NO HORNY!”

“NO, PLEASE! YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND, NYAA! CHERRY IS DOWNSTAIRS A-AND!”

“I WON’T FALL FOR YOUR TRICKS, PERI!!” Sam tiredly declares.

Meri whines to my left from the yelling and the banging. As I open my eyes in the darkness, I see Zutiria pulling out of her cuddle with the young, curvy Shield Maiden. She sits up and begins to shake Meri awake.

‘Sir. Up.’ I see Zutiria’s text appear on my eyelids the second I try shutting them to drift back asleep.

Against my will, I pat Sam on the butt and give her the cue to scoot off me. She does so, but only after grumbling. Wiggling my way out of the pleasurable pile of naked female flesh, Zutiria hands me a pair of my boxers, and I slide into them.

I open the door and see Peri crying while wearing a white pair of pawprint pajamas. If she was horny, she was doing a hell of a good job at hiding it. “What’s wrong, Peri...?”

“MYASTER, SNOW’S DOWNSTAIRS! TH-THE TRIBE... THE TRIBE’S BEEN...!!” She struggles to form a coherent sentence, tears streaming down her cheeks like waterfalls and making her blue bangs a wet, clingy mess.

Shit, it’s finally happened.

“EVERYONE UP. GET DRESSED.” Yelling, I take command of the situation. “Zutiria, clothes.”

‘On it.’

“Mas... ter...? I’m so tired...” Meri yawns, her boobs bouncing down against her torso as she sleepily rises from her dormancy.

“Gods, my ass hurts...” Sam stretches out and sits up. “Why is everyone fuckin’ yelling...”

‘Less talking, more suiting up.’ Zutiria reappears from the closet wearing her typical adventurer’s garb. In her arms, she carries Meri and Sam the clothes they wear under their armor along with some underwear.

As for myself, I put back on the clothes I stripped out of only hours before. A quick glance at the clock on the wall reveals it’s only just before half-past two in the morning. Makes sense. The best time to do something criminal is under cover of night...

Zutiria takes Peri by the hand and leads the crying kitten downstairs. The three of us follow soon after we’re fully dressed. Someone took the initiative to light all of the lanterns, fighting back against the darkness of night and lighting up the Guild with a gloomy luminescence fitting for such a somber occasion.

Sitting at the nearest dining table to the stairs is Snow, and on each of her sides is a troubled Catgirl doing their best to comfort their old friend. Snow’s got on a black tracksuit, while Cherry is wearing a black version of the same pajamas as Peri. Zutiria also sits with them on the opposite side.

Snow, who I’d usually describe as the picture-perfect portrait of refined, elegant beauty, is now a hot mess. Her eyes are red from continual crying. Her face is contorted by misery, and her posture is slumped over in total defeat.

“Snowball...” I say, almost whispering at the pathetic vestige of the girl I met just this afternoon.

She lifts her head up and stares back at me. “Myaster... It... it happened. I was out night jogging, it’s a hobby of mine and... I saw it while it all went down, I can’t... agh...!” Snow can’t make it through the sentence without breaking out into even further tears.

“Bastard...!” Cherry hisses while clasping Snow’s paw. She’s crying too, but it’s much angrier. “We need to do something, Myaster...! Something, just- ANYTHING...!”

Meanwhile, Peri just shakes as she cuddles up to Snow’s side, looking for reassurance but unable to find any from the older woman. “W-What do we do... what do we do...?!” She whines.

“...Sam, Meri. Go and get your armor on. And please, grab a handkerchief for our guest.” Both girls run to the storage room at my command, wasting not a single second.

I sit down at the table next to Zutiria, who grabs my hand and holds it in her own. She doesn’t say a word but gives me a look of understanding, silently urging me to do what I can. “Snow. Look at me and take a deep breath.”

She does as she’s told, her striking yellow gaze meeting mine in the dimly lit light of the Guild. “I’m... I’m good.”

“Are you sure?”

Snow nods with reluctance but doesn’t look away.

“Tell me what exactly went down, and be as thorough as you can with it. The more I know, the more I can help.”

The disheveled Catgirl sniffles her runny nose, but thankfully Sam and Meri have returned now wearing their full armor.

“Here you go.” Meri frowns, handing a small white handkerchief to Snow.

“Thank you, Mistress...” Snow takes it with a trembling paw, then begins wiping off her blemished face to make herself look somewhat presentable.

Snow slumps over the table while looking me in the eyes, beginning to recollect the events that just transpired. “That wicked sex fiend attacked the Pet Shop while I was out... h-he used Beastvine smoke bombs in every tent. There’s no way we could have prepared for that. It’s such an illegal substance, banned because of how potent it is against out kind... he... he-” She begins breathing hard to steady herself until continuing, saying, “Everyone was knocked out instantly. The pimp’s thugs appeared and loaded all of the females up in wagons...”

Nodding my head, I follow along on every word she says. It’s just about as bad as I thought it’d be. Worse, even. I’m pretty sure I know where he managed to get all that Beastvine, though... I’ll have to look up what the plant looks like, see if it matches the one I saw the Crystal Sage hand Pimpington the other day. “I need details, Snow. You’re sure it was Sir Pimpington? And did you see where they took the Beastgirls?”

“I’m sure, I saw him and his women giving orders to the thugs... and... no, I-I didn’t follow them to see where they were going. If the smoke wasn’t still strong, I could go back and sniff out their location, but it’ll linger for a few hours at least...”

“What about the dudes in your tribe?” Sam asks. “Can they fight after they wake up?”

“No... they’re going to be completely unconscious out for a long while, nyaa. Besides, even if they could fight, there’s no way of knowing whether the Pimp used all of his Beastvine or not. I couldn’t send my men after him. It’d be too dangerous.”

“Shit... I didn’t think about that.” The Princess sighs, banging her gauntleted fist on the table.

‘I believe before he left on his phallic chariot the other day, the unscrupulous villain mentioned a place called the Pimpfort. That sounds about as good as any place to begin our search.’ Zutiria suggests.

“Snow, I hate to ask this, but before we proceed with whatever we plan on doing here, are you submitting this as a formal quest?”

Cherry gives me a nasty look reminiscent of when she hated me, clearly mad that I would even insinuate wanting a reward for saving the abducted Beastgirls. She then bites her lips and looks away in shame, perhaps starting to consider my point of view.

“Yes... of course. I’m well aware that an Adventurer’s Guild isn’t a charity, nyaa.” Snow says.

“I’m asking because as a Guild Master, this is a challenging situation for me to assign a proper ranking to, let alone determine what sort of reward is necessary. I have no way of knowing the dangers that would await my adventurers if I send them off to raid an enemy stronghold we have no intel about. Business-wise-”

“Business-wise...?!” Cherry hisses, her tears coming out in full force. “What the fuck do you mean, bus-”

“CHERRY,” Peri screams, to the utter shock of everyone in the room. All heads turn to face the blue-haired Catgirl. “What if the Mistresses go a-and get really hurt, nyaa...? You expect the Myaster to just... just ignore all the danger and send his mates out just because he’s friends with Snow...?”

A lump forms in Cherry’s throat. Her mouth opens wide, and she tries to speak, but nothing comes out.

“Cherry, you know that Master doesn’t mean it like that...” Meri frowns, looking at the Catgirl as small tears form in her eyes.

“Let him finish, Cherry.” Snow says while staring straight at me. “You’re being incredibly naive, and you need to be quiet.”

The silence from Cherry becomes deafening until, much to Snow’s surprise, Cherry meekly resigns and says, “I’m... I’m sorry, nyaa.”

The older Catgirl glances at the pajama-clad kitty stunned that Cherry knows how to apologize. Her gaze lingers briefly before smiling a soft, gentle smile and returning her eyes back to mine. “Go on, Myaster.”

“All I was going to say is that business-wise it’s doable, but not cheap. There’s a system in place where I can accept and register the quest without agreeing on a reward beforehand. Instead, we’ll retroactively assign one after the quest is completed when I have an accurate and informed list of the dangers the girls went through. The only problem to this is that-”

“I’m well aware it’s not going to be cheap.” Snow says with conviction. “I’m one of the leaders of the traveling Besthal Pet Shop. Since the other leaders have all been either knocked out or kidnapped, the command now falls entirely to me, nyaa. I don’t need the authorization to promise as much of our resources as it takes to save our girls. Even the leaders back home at the Breeding Grounds wouldn’t object to me doing whatever I had to do in this situation to get things done.”

Sam leans over the table, a question having formed in her mind. “Hang on a sec. What about those magic bell thingies you all wear? Isn’t that supposed to summon backup if something goes wrong?”

“Yes, that’s correct, nyaa. However, the rescue team you’re referring to comprises the males who are currently knocked out. I could request more from the nearest city we have an outpost in, Dawnstead, but that would take days... and there’s no way of knowing how much time we even have. We need to strike now, nyaa.”

Sam once more resigns while grumbling, giving me my time to talk once more. “I’ll begin filing the forms for this quest once the girls are prepared and on their way to hunt down the Pimpfort. Do you three have any objections to accepting this quest?”

“The fuck do you think, Boss?” Sam stands up and leans over, staring me firmly in the eyes. “I’m not gonna let this happen to all those innocent girls who just wanted to find a place to belong...”

Meri rises, clenching her fists to ward off her trembling. “A Shield Maiden stands firm and a-always protects those in need, no matter what! I won’t let any harm come to those Beastgirls, n-not as long as I still have my shield!” Sam smirks at this brave declaration, patting Meri hard on the back to show how proud she is.

‘It can’t be helped.’ The Mage rises, closing her eyes as she adjusts her glasses. ‘If we don’t save them, nobody else will. The time to end this sexual buffoon’s reign of tyranny is now. Better to capture one of our enemy’s strongest pieces now while we have the chance, isn’t that right, Sir?’

“Indeed.” This will cripple the Duke of Dewhurst a fair amount if we’re successful. “Snowball, we’ll accept the quest.”

“Thank you... thank you so much... I knew I made the right choice...” Snow smiles at me as she begins to sob, an act she soon finds herself joined in by Cherry and Peri at her sides.

“I’m sorry, Myaster...” Cherry bites her lip. “I didn’t mean to get so mad, nyaa...”

“It’s ok, Cherry...” Peri reaches over to comfort her friend. “They’re going to make everything better... right, Myaster?”

“Yes. I’ll lead my adventurers to victory, and we’ll save everyone because Guilds exist to help others in their time of need. Mark my words.”

“You’ll... lead them, nyaa?” Snow tilts her head, confused.

“Ah, right. It’s hard to explain. You’ll see what I mean in a bit. I’ll be staying here with you, don’t worry.”

“...Alright, I see. Say. Where does that Grekkan bodyguard of yours happen to be right about now, nyaa? I’d certainly pay extra to acquire her help as well.”

Sam frowns and crosses her arms, “She’s retired. Nikita only shows up if something bad happens here in the Guild, so I doubt she’d wanna help out.”

“That’s unfortunate.” Snow tries to mask her disappointment but fails, and I can’t blame her. What I wouldn’t give to convince Nikita to go along on this quest...

“I’m going to get a couple of things ready for you girls, and then we’ll figure out a way to locate the Pimpfort... We don’t have a Ranger or anyone with tracking skills, but wagons aren’t too hard to find, are they? Hmm... if only-”

A small orb of light appears in the center of the table, floating several feet over it and covering the lantern-lit room in perfect brightness. The kitties, including Snow, all hiss and jump backward out of their seats on the table in reaction to its sudden appearance.

-Look outside. It’s time for shit to get weird.- Luxy’s heavenly voice emanates throughout the entrance hall, stunning the three girls who have no idea what any of this means.

The questioned are quelled for the moment when I calm them, saying I’ll explain later. For now, I just exit the beautifully crafted Dwarven doors and look down the short road connecting my Guild to the town.

Hmm.

For starters, the city inexplicably got wider. I’m also fairly certain there was never a glamorous fortress made entirely of gold, either. The castle stands tall, surrounded by an outer stone wall covered in a thick, neverending carpet of numerous red roses. Every so often, the wall segments itself via long, penis-shaped golden towers, which continue on until looping entirely around the building.

The portcullis resembles a nude woman’s rear. The entire building’s entrance just so happens to be a vast gate shaped around the statue’s labial lips. The torso continues along the ground before connecting to the main keep, a long, phallic-looking building surrounded by battlements all shaped as one would expect.

Numerous gargoyles lay perched throughout the structure, although naturally, they happen to be naked women instead of frightening monsters.

From my position at the doorway, I continue staring at the glitzy nightmare and tell Snow quite simply, “Well... I believe I know where we can find the Pimpfort.”