Iskah took another swig from her tankard after being finally finished with spreading her fliers for help. She had been handing them out for more than a week and today, the papers have ran out. Yet, none have responded so far which greatly concerned the Lizardman.

Well, 'Lizardman'. In truth, Iskah was a Doppelganger mimicking a Lizardman. She answered the unrequited love of a man named Aun, who loved a Lizardman yet the Lizardman did not love him back and found another instead. Alas, before Iskah could meet Aun, he had already fled his home in grief and pledged himself to the Lot Knights of the Kingdom Of Ortus. An order of knights who swore duty to their kingdom above all else, which meant no romantic or sexual relationships for the knights lest the blessing that comes with being a Lot Knight be revoked.

That said, Lot Knighthood is not eternal. Lot Knights can leave the order anytime they want which Iskah hoped Aun would do once he saw her, in the form of the Lizardman he fell in love with. She traveled all the way to the human kingdom of Ortus to challenge The Incubus Knight in battle, as all Lizardmen would do to their potential husbands. Contrary to her expectations, Aun, now named The Incubus Knight, had declined her challenge. It seemed Aun took his duty to this foreign kingdom very seriously to distract himself from the grief.

Iskah badgered the Lot Knights' home castle everyday for Aun until they finally got tired and had her thrown out the Ortusian capital. She was free to return, but Iskah knew she will only be thrown out again and with Ortus' war against The Order intensifying, she realized she will need help goading Aun out of the Lot Knights before it was too late.

With money loaned from a traveling Gyoubu Danuki, Iskah commissioned a stack of fliers asking for help with her love life. She had only been spreading them in the relatively-unknown Falkran and the surrounding towns and she realized she probably would have better reception in cities, especially with ones with Eros' temples or an office under The Demon Lord's army.

Then again, traveling to and from such places would take too much time that she didn't have. The Lizardman can only wait in this town and hope someone will answer her call, just as she answered Aun's.

There it was, the inn/tavern/den of sin mentioned in the flier. It was an amusing thing, this scrap of paper she'd been given. Not by the original hander-outer, no, but by someone who had been gifted one but who then had decided that the listed situation wasn't somehting they had any interest in. But, at least that individual had had the good grace not to use the flier as a handkerchief or toilet paper or as kindling - instead choosing to pass it off to someone else. And that someone else, unlike the original owner, smirked and raised an eyebrow as they'd read the contents of the little bit of paper with scribbles.

"... Need help... Blahblah.... True love... Blahblah... Reward for your assistance...? Oooh~"

Such had been the summary of what the new owner of the little note had said, done and reacted after reading it. And now they stood at the door of the Singing Satyr. The pary offering a reward had noted themselves as 'Iskah' and that they were a Lizardman. Well then, it was time to hear the details of what this all entailed - and more importantly, just what this reward would be!

"Blow, gale."


KER-SLAM!

A sudden brutal gust of wind suddenly burst through the entrance of the watering hole, causing the wooden door to forcefully swing on its hinges and slam into the wall with a loud bang. No doubt this startled at least a few of the patrons, maybe even the staff. Entering through the now open door, was... The Heroine! ... Or well, that's at least how she narrated the whole thing inside her own head. In truth, it was a human-looking monster girl wearing a big hat, holding an ornate staff and wearing... Uh... Yeah... What... What exactly did you call that...? A dress...? No... No, not a dress... Seriously though! That thing could barely contain her stonkin' huge honkers as they heaved and jiggled all boucny-like with each breath! And her navel was showing! And her back! -... And... sides! ... Yeah... Yeah, let's just call it "dark form-fitting-fabric" for now.... With a pelvic curtain. A really thin one...

Other then that she wore similarly dark thighhighs, a pair of snazzy heels and a pair of dark elbow gloves. She wore some kind of ornate... cloth? Collar? Thing, around her neck too. Her hair was really long and silky, glossy and raven black in color, while her eyes were a bright and sparkling blue... Almost eerily sparkly... Like, they were almoist aglow. Other then that, her skin was your typical pale-ish caucasian tone, free from blemishes, zits, pimples, scars or otherwise - as one would expect a true beauty to be!

But enough about her stunning physique and appearance. The now-obviously over-detailed Dark Mage scanned the interior of the drinking hall. Her eyes going from one end of the room to the other, until they found something. Someone. The Lizardman. Her mouth turned into a wry smile, and she stepped inside. One of the employees soon came up and asked her to please open their door in a less forceful in the future, to which the sorceress just gave a playful giggle at, before moving onwards.

Reaching the table where the reptilian humanoid was seated, the mage slid into a seat on the opposite side. Leaniung her staff against the side of the table, placing both elbows ontop of the table-surface and then resting her chin in her cupped hands, she stared at this 'Iskah' for a bit in total silence, but smiling all the time while doing so.

Finally however, she eventually spoke.

"So, you need someone to help pull your hubbie outta some celibate knighthood, hm~? I could lend a hand, after all, I'm very good at handling a staff." Yep. No implications here what-so-ever! "... But why don't you tell me more about this alleged reward first, alright?" She was still smiling by the way. "Oh, and I'm Vanessa by the way, nice to meet you, Iskah."

Iskah was in the middle of another swig when the doors to the inn flew open, almost making her spit out her drink. All eyes were on this newcomer, a seemingly-human woman in a scandalous outfit that exposed a lot of skin topped off with a witch hat. A Dark Mage, to those who knew. And Iskah knew, thanks to the memories of the Lizardman she mimicked. Despite the rude and flashy entrance, Iskah admitted she was beautiful. Well, all monsters were but this Dark Mage definitely took care of her appearance.

To Iskah's surprise, however, the Dark Mage approached her table and took a seat on the opposite side. Her heart started racing, there was no other reason for this Dark Mage to meet with her save for this reason: She was here to help out with Aun.

"So, you need someone to help pull your hubbie outta some celibate knighthood, hm~? I could lend a hand, after all, I'm very good at handling a staff... But why don't you tell me more about this alleged reward first, alright? Oh, and I'm Vanessa by the way, nice to meet you, Iskah."

"Err..." Iskah had honestly hoped for a more... charitable individual to help her. Not someone who was already discussing payment. She also spoke about knowing how to handle a man's 'staff', which was something Iskah didn't need or want help with. Another woman who can potentially steal Aun from her? She was already dealing with that Salamander Katelyn!

But, the Lizardman supposed beggars cannot be choosers. This was someone who was willing to help and Iskah was not going to turn her down. "Well, not only will there be monetary compensation..." Iskah figured she and Aun could fill up some Mana Cages to sell for money. "...I will also assist you with my utmost if you fancy a man in our venture."

"Err, if you're interested in that kind of thing. If not, then I guess I can help you with an experiment or something?"

As the Lizardman replied to her question about potential and prospective pay, Vanessa couldn't help but be smewhat amused at the other female's reaction. Had she not been expecting her flier to draw in those seeking pay for work? Why state that there'd be a reward then? Had she been hoping for some white knight, or holy maiden, or saint, to show up and extend a hand while on one knee, offer up their services and life in order to do a good deed? It was a quaint and charmingly naive belief, if true. Unfortunately, chances of getting someone like that was very, very low.

Still, as this Iskah spoke, Vanessa's eyebrows and smile both lowered and faded a bit at the mention of moneyary compensation. It kept doing so when the prospect of helping her find a man of her own was brought up - as if she'd need help with that. However, when the lizardman offered to partake in an experiment 'or something', the dark mage's smile grew very, very wide again, and her eyes lit up like the star-filled sky during the late hours of dusk.

"Well, with an offer like that, how could I refuse?" She said, in a very seductive and suggestive tone of voice which was completely unbefitting the situation and/or bargain which had just been agreed upon. "You'll be helping me with an experiment, and in return, I'll help you recover this man of yours." As she said this, the attractive black-haired wwoman stood form her seat, rounded the table and positioned herself next to iskah. Extending a gloved hand toi shake the other's, Vanessa added. "I'm at your disposal, milady, please give your command."

She put on a deeper voice than she normally had, and said it in a suave way, like one would expect some dude with the tile of 'Knight of Roses' or some similar flamboyant foppish title who were into philandering and womanizing to act and speak. But at least she wasn't getting down on one knee, grabbing Iskah's hand and trying to give it a smooch.

Whetever the lizardwoman returned the handshake or not though, Vanessa would then return to her side of the table and grab her staff, clearly signalling that she'd prefer to get going rather than remain seated in this den of inquity. She also didn't seem too concerned about causing a further scene and moore fuss, ignoring the eyes of other patrons who might be giving her the side-eye. Or the lew-eye. Or the brown-eye... Wait, no. Scratch that last one.

"You'll be helping me with an experiment, and in return, I'll help you recover this man of yours. I'm at your disposal, milady, please give your command."

Iskah returned Vanessa's handshake. She had a bad feeling as to what kind of experiment this Dark Mage had in mind, but that was a problem for the future. "Thank you very much, Miss Vanessa. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Now then, shall we sta-- Hey, wait!" Iskah was surprised when Vanessa immediately grabbed her staff and was already heading out of the inn. The Lizardman hastily paid for her drink before taking her sword to follow Vanessa.

It was still midday when the two exited the Singing Satyr Inn. "Well, before I give you any commands, I think you should first know about our objective." Iskah began to explain. "Aun used to be a carpenter here in Falkran and he fell in love with a Lizardman. Another Lizardman. They... Let's just say it didn't work out. That other Lizardman was destined for another. Instead of moving on since there are plenty of other Lizardmen like me, he decided to enlist with the Lot Knights of Ortus: A celibate order of knights duty-bound to protect the citizens of Ortus. Have I mentioned that Aun is not a citizen of Ortus?"

"Lot Knights can renounce their oaths and live normally again, but Aun is... I guess still in love with Jessica. He had already refused my challenges and... I kinda got kicked out of their castle for badgering him too much." Iskah finished. "I'm not entirely sure how to get him out, but I think making him fight me in a spar will be a huge first step. You know, before it's all too late..."

Vanessa stretched both arms up, while still holding her staff, and arched her back... Well, backwards, in a stretch that was accompanied by a suitably elongated "Hmmmmmmmmnnnngh!"-noise. There was still plenty of daylight and the weather was fair and lovely. A good day to set out on a journey indeed. Soon after, the lizardman emerged from the inn - which may or may not need to repair the hinges on their front door for no particular reason whatsoever and which was no fault of any one individual for any reason.

As they began a slow walk towards... Wherever... The dark mage listened to this Iskah-girl and her plight, and the contents of which she had felt the need to recruit help. The busty witch-woman couldn't help but laugh internally at this love-struck girl, not out of malice or contempt mind, but out of the cheer adorableness of her pure maiden's heart. It was refreshing to see someone so... Pure in their intent and feelings. As the reptilian woman finished her little explanation though, Vanessa raised an eyebrow.

"... Too late? What, is this man going to get more celibate if you don't act now?" She asked, smirking. It wasn't like Vanessa had much knowledge about the Lot Knight, Ortus or their imminent conflict with The ORder. After all, she stayed on the road and kept to herself most of the time, so she rarely cared for news about politics or national affairs. "Still, if all you want is to get this boy of your dreams out and slap each other silly, I can probably do something about that. Even if he says 'no'." The dark mage's smirk grew a bit wider at this last bit.

Magic truly was wonderful. It could do so much and solve so many problems. Oh, how the world would be truly so much more and so much better off if people and monsters could just come to see this blatant truth. She walked for a bit, staring upwards at the sky above with sparkly, star-struck eyes... Before returning to reality and looking over at Iskah.

"So, are we going to head on over and pluck your man right now? Is it far to these Lot Knights? I could always speed us up a little in that case." Asking and suggesting, with that damn smirk of hers. And that heaving, bouncing bosom too! So lewd.

"So, are we going to head on over and pluck your man right now? Is it far to these Lot Knights? I could always speed us up a little in that case."

"Uhh, Falkran isn't far from the Ortusian border but Wayland Keep, the headquarters of the Lot Knights, is in the capital. And that's pretty far from here. Maybe a week or nine days of travel." Iskah replied as she and Vanessa walked. "If you have teleportation spells or something like that, then we can certainly use them. Just... don't teleport inside the capital, much less Wayland Keep, since that's gonna get us in trouble."

"What did you have in mind in getting Aun out of the Lot Knights, Vanessa?" Iskah asked out of genuine curiosity. "He's not getting more celibate, I-I think, but with the war between Ortus and The Order getting hot again... I-I'm very worried he might do something he-he really shouldn't to." The Lizardman was sullen as she continued. "And... I'm fairly sure I'm not the only one chasing after Aun. But-but I don't think we need to worry about that right now."

"Hmm, so its that far away huh..." The dark mage mused. When the question of teleportation was brough up though, she laughed heartily. "There's not a lot of spellcasters who can just teleport all willy-nilly, you know? Well, unless they're doing short-range teleportation, but that'd hardly be useful since I wouldn't be able to bring you along anyway. Not to mention since I don't know where this Wailing Keep or capital is, I couldn't send us there even if I wanted." Apparently, Vanessa either didn't know long-ranged teleportation, or she needed to do some kind of set-up or prep-work in order to do it, as well as have knowledge of where she was actually going.

So, that was a bust.

When the Iskah brought up the topic of a war brewing, and The Order being involved, Vanessa's cheery mood took a slight dip though. She didn't get a dark shadow across her eyes or look like she wanted to strangle anyone or anything, but her smile did vanish and she didn't say anything in response for a little bit.

"I see... So, those guys are involved with this situation too." A muttering, not to Iskah but to herself most likely. But then she perked right back up again. "How to get him out? Don't you worry, there's no end to our options in that department. As long as he shows up, we can get him." The dark mage boasted, a big old smug grin on her face now. "But competition, huh? Scary~ This Aun-fella must be hecka special if he's got multiple lovely girls vying for his attention." She was having a lot of fun it would seem.

"Still... Walking for a week doesn't really sound appealing, and if you've got others pining for your buck then we should probably hurr..." Her jesting tone subsisded for a slightly more serious tone. Just a bit though. So, Vanessa stopped, looked around the village/town/settlement for a bit, then approached a stret that had ample space - with little to no other foot-traffic besides herself and Iskah. She held out her free hand while grasping her ornate, gaudy staff in the other, clsoing her eyes and began to chant something... A foreign language perhaps? Whatever it was, it wasn't really discernable, but the wind picking up and swirling around the mage, making her already scandalous outfit have its loose bits flutter and flail dangerously close to showing off bits and bobs that would raise the ESRB rating of the story. Then, finally, her eyes shot open, she called out... Something...! And then there was a brief flash of light infront of the dark mage.

...

..

...

And now there was a horse there.

Yup. A horse. A white one. With a silvery mane and tail. It looked around, nonchalantly, let out a horse-sputtering noise while shaking its head wildly for a moment, then returned to lazily scan the enviroment. Vanessa smiled triumphantly as she turned to Iskah, beckoning her over.

"See, teleportation isn't the only way we can speed ourselves along. This lil' guy can speed us along just fine. You know how to ride, Iskah?" She stated and asked, while standing next to the phantom steed and gently giving it a few strokes along its flank.

"See, teleportation isn't the only way we can speed ourselves along. This lil' guy can speed us along just fine. You know how to ride, Iskah?"

"I-I know. I just... haven't actually done it for real." Iskah said as she approached the summoned horse, impressed at the Dark Mage's spell.

The Lizardman studied the steed for a moment before realizing something. "Umm, we'll need to outfit him with a saddle and reins and all that." Iskah said to Vanessa. "I can find a set real quick. Just stay here for a moment." And with that, Iskah started to walk off in search for riding equipment.

If the the summoned white horse did not need equipment to be ridden, or perhaps the beast simply dislike wearing anything, or maybe even the equipment could be conjured like the steed, Vanessa should probably stop Iskah right then and there so they could begin their journey already. Otherwise, the Lizardman would not take long before returning with the needed materials and begin mounting them on the horse.

Regardless, this could be an opportunity for Vanessa to ask for details regarding their mission.

The summoned mount didn't seem to care in the slightest when Iskah returned and began applying the tools and fixtures of comfortable riding to it. Instead, once she was done with setting it all up, it let out a soft neigh, turned its head and nuzzled Iskah in the back with its snout.

"Awww, look at that, he likes you already." Vanessa said with a cheerful ring to her tone.

Walking around their mutual steed, the dark mage inspected the affixed saddle, reins and the creature's overall condition, before returning to stand infront of the lizardman.

"First time, you said? Oh my~ That Aun-fellow might get jealous if we let that juicy little detail slip." Vanessa teased, giggling naughtily as she spoke. "But enough games, let's get on with this, shall we?"

Regardless of whether Iskah took the saddle and reins, or if she let Vanessa do it, the two would soon be off. Though, in the case of Iskah being the rider, she'd feel certain... Assets of Vaenssa get pressed up against herbackside as they rode... And, y'know, the dark mage would also be holding the lizardman around the waist. Firmly. Of course, this is just a hypothetical scenario!

... Anyway...

"So, tell me, you're after a man who got snubbed by another woman, took up a life as a celibate warrior and who has, on multiple occasions, either turned you down or refused to even meet with you." She started. "What exactly do you think adding another, unaffiliated and neutral party to this next meeting of yours will do? Are you hoping that the pleas of a pair to see the man will convince his brethren to bring him to you? Or are you hoping to use me as a distraction so you can slip into their unsullied sanctuary and find your dream-muffin, hmm?" The dark mage inquired, in a somewhat sardonic and coaxing way, but still not sounding outright rude or dismissive.

Iskah had asked earlier what Vanessa had in mind for bringing her and Aun together, but the truth was... Well, the dark mage had nothing. She had agreed to help because there was a promise of a potential reward, which she had acquired the agreement to. But that was it. In her mind, the one who needed to come up with a plan to succeed in this venture of love and romance was Iskah herself, after all, it wasn't Vanessa who was pursuing this man.

Naturally, if the little lizardman needed it, she'd be glad to offer suggestions or ideas, but ultimately this was still all very much on the slender shoulders of this young, scaly maiden.

The riding was pleasant though. The horse didn't buck or jolt. In fact, it was more like sitting atop the waves of a placid, calm lake, with slow, gentle waves rolling underneath you. Nothing like the usually bumpy and ... Stimulating for the ladies... kind of motion that you usually felt when riding a horse. Perhaps it was because this one was magic?

"So, tell me, you're after a man who got snubbed by another woman, took up a life as a celibate warrior and who has, on multiple occasions, either turned you down or refused to even meet with you. What exactly do you think adding another, unaffiliated and neutral party to this next meeting of yours will do? Are you hoping that the pleas of a pair to see the man will convince his brethren to bring him to you? Or are you hoping to use me as a distraction so you can slip into their unsullied sanctuary and find your dream-muffin, hmm?"

Iskah took the reins to the summoned horse, and Vanessa rode on behind her. The steed was surprisingly obedient and sped out of Falkran quite smoothly. This was contrary to the memories of equines that Iskah inherited. Vanessa's magic was clearly at work here. Speaking of the Dark Mage, riding behind Iskah allowed the Lizardman to... gauge Vanessa's endowment quite accurately, much to Iskah's chagrin.

The two monsters rode on, with the midday sun and blue sky hanging above them and the fields of green before them. The landscape did not change much for the first few hours, but Vanessa could feel the shift in the air. As a monster, a Dark Mage no less, she was sensitive to the Demon Energy of her surroundings. And the farther they were from Falkran, that energy became thinner and thinner until it was barely there. It was one of the signs that one was leaving the Demon Realms and entering the lands of humans.

Iskah took a moment before answering Vanessa's question. "The... latter plan, I guess?" She answered sheepishly. "I'll be honest, I haven't thought about it too much. I've already tried sneaking and ambushing and flat out just sitting but as you can see, none of them worked. Which was why I thought things might be different if I had a partner or even a team. More creative plans, and all that." Iskah continued. "I'm also not a spellcaster, so I'm glad someone like you took up my offer. Now we can use some magic to help us. Although, I'm pretty sure the Lot Knights have all sorts of wards for people like you."

The trip took a few more hours and the sky turned to a burning red as the sun began setting. The path that Iskah and Vanessa rode on soon took them to quite an urban and developed town. From what Vanessa could feel, this place was devoid of Demon Energy. Which meant... "We're in Ortusian lands now. This is the town of Sinjid. One more town past this and we're in the Lunar Capital." Iskah informed the Dark Mage. "Despite no longer being part of The Order, the Ortusian people still regard monsters with suspicion. While they at least don't attack on sight, it's best not to cause any ruckus."

Iskah slowed the horse down to a trot as they entered Sinjid. Indeed, all the people that could be seen were humans, most of whom stared at the two monsters atop a horse entering the town. The shops and the taverns were open for their evening patrons and for travelers looking for a place to stay the night. "We can keep going if you like, Vanessa. But we can also stay here for the night and rest up. Our friend might need a break, afte all." Iskah patted the summoned horse on its mane.

"Oh-ho~? Well aren't you the honest one." Vanessa gingerly stated after hearing Iskah's rather... Direct plan for the Dark Mage. It earned the lizardman a slight tickling from the other monster who was sitting behind her. When the topic of the Knights they were going to meet having access to magic and wards that could deal with beings like Vanessa though... The Dark Mage's eyes lit up and were filled with sparkles and stars. "You don' say? That sounds interestesting... Very interesting. I can't wait to meet them, mhmhmhm~" She responded, giggling nefariously in an unpleasantly excited way. She was also giving Iskah a slightly tighter reverse hug now, which caused her to squeeze even closer to the other girl.

The ride itself was uneventful and, as one would usually find travel in undeveloped lands, mundane and rather boring. There was nothing much to see other than the landscape, and such scenery could be found almost anywhere. If there'd be anything interesting along the way, such as giant magic crystals growing out of the ground or large, house-sized mushrooms of different varieties, then maybe Vanessa would've paid more attention to their surroundings. Alas, there was not but grass and tree and rock... And the feeling of subsiding demonic energies which were getting thinner and thinner as they left Falkran behind. The Dark Mage remained silent though, other then her occasional teasing of Iskah by either poking, tickling or blowing in the lizardman's ear... Just to breakl up the monotony of travel, of course.



"Hm, so you say this is where your Prince Charming is hanging out... Well, not here-here, but inside these borders? " Vanessa commented, looking around as they trotted into town and got many-a looks from the locals. Most of which weren't too pleasant. "Don't worry about me, I'm good to keep moving for another few hours, and the same goes for our friend." She patted the horse on its back. "After all, as long as I still have magic energy, he won't get be tiring anytime soon." She replied.

The truth was, the Dark Mage was more interested in reaching these Lot Knights than anything else. Not to meet with Iskah's dream-boat or help her complete her quest or whatever, but more so because she was interested in those supposed anti-monster magics, spells and wards that the lizard-girl had mentioned. Plus, while the people here might not be opently hostile to their kind, the thought of sleeping in a location where everyone would be keeping an eye on them or spying, or worse, wasn't exactly giving the Dark Mage a lot of confidence that they'd be able to actually rest.

She'd rather camp out or find some abandoned shack or something on the road, with no prying, suspiscious locals who weren't going to try and passive-aggressively watch their every move. JEez, these humans could be such a handful sometimes. Oh well, at least they weren't a part of The Order anymore, so that was a step in the right direction. Perhaps in a hundred years or so, she could come back and see if things had changed for the better even more in this place.

Iskah was getting quite uncomfortable from her passenger teasing her during the ride. She would have protested, but Vanessa was her only aid in her problem so she couldn't just mouth off. The Dark Mage's antics had her flustered, but the Lizardman only had eyes for the celibate Aun.

"Don't worry about me, I'm good to keep moving for another few hours, and the same goes for our friend. After all, as long as I still have magic energy, he won't get be tiring anytime soon."

"Alright. We'll be moving on then." Iskah replied, sounding disappointed. She had no problem living in the wilds, but she preferred the comforts of civilization. She also did not fear the humans of Ortus, despite the distrust. Her worst antics only lead to her being escorted out of the capital, after all.

On the other hand, it was also good that they try to reach the capital as soon as possible. The horse picked up speed again after leaving Sinjid and once again, the duo was in the wilderness with only the vast expanse of green before them. Now bathed in an orange light as the sun dipped below the horizon. Iskah and Vanessa continued to ride for some time after the sun had gone and night had settled, but they knew they had to stop for the night to get some rest.

It was quite the coincidence, however, that the duo ran into an unusual sight along the road. "Ho, ho, fellow travelers and fellow monsters!" Iskah and Vanessa were hailed by a girl on the side of the road. Said girl wore Zipanguese clothes, had a pair of brown-furred raccoon ears on the top of her brown hair and a brown-furred raccoon tail. With her was a fancy merchant cart full of bits and baubles as well as a tent sitting cozily in front of a small bonfire.

"A Gyoubu Danuki?" Iskah stopped the horse. "A long way from home, aren't you?"

"Brave and daring Gyoubu Danukis seldomly stay in their home isles, don'tcha know? And Mana Cages are all the rage right now in Ortus, don'tcha know?" The raccoon monster replied. "What about you? Can this humble merchant ask about others' business?"

"I'm going to the capital to seduce a Lot Knight." Iskah honestly answered.

"Wowzers. And I thought I was brave and daring." The Danuki replied, surprised. "Anyway, I'm Rie. Pleasure to meet ya! Now then, nights are cold and lonely. Typically, monsters like us have husbands to warm us up. But since none of us have one, why don't we keep each other company for now?"

After they'd passed through Sinjid, Vanessa's playful antics towards Iskah seemed to bcome less and less frequent, until they eventually stopped. Perhaps the dark mage had grown bored of it, or perhaps she'd picked up on Iskah's distress and discomfort? Regardless, the lizardman was at least free from pokes to the ribs, blowing in the ear and tickling of the sides - which was probably a welcome change of pace.

With the setting sun on the horizon and the town of racists humans behind them, the hour grew late and daylight grew dim. Of course, being that they were both monsters, a lack of sunlight was hardly an issue for either of the girls. In fact, both of teem more than likely saw just as well, if not better, at night anyway. Still, it wasn't good to stay up too late - the skin tended to be the one who had to pay for such poor habits, so perhaps it was time to find a nice place to plunk down for the night?

But, that's when they saw it. Ort well, Iskah saw it at least - Vanessa's view was kinda obstructed by the lizardwoman's head. A small campsite by the side of the road. As they approached ontop their trusty steed, a voice rang out and greeted them.

Coming to a stop, the dark mage looked at the unfamiliar girl before them. Some kind of... Weasel-girl...? Was it a ratatoskr? No, her tail and ears were all... Wrong... Truth be told, Vanessa had never been to Zipangu, notr was she overly familiar with any of the various monster-species form there. She had read some about foreign monsters back at the academy in her human days, but those were more related to the big names, like Youki or Ryuu or Ushi-Oni... This... Raccoon-person did not seem to click or trigger any sort of recollection though. Oh well, she seemed friendly enough. Feeling the effects of having been on horseback for several hours without any real break, Vanessa gingerly slid off the mount's back and onto solid ground with a quiet thud.

Stretching and arching her back... Backwards! She let out a content 'Nnnnnnnnnhh!'-noise, then looked around the area. A fire, a tent, a cart and a small girl with a bushy and big tail. Yeah, sure, this could work. She listened to the exchange between Iskah and this stranger, and was pleased when the latter offered them a place to rest. Honestly, if she hadn't offered, vanessa might've just brazenly requested to share the raccoon-girl's camp anyway.

The comment about husbands and keeping warm made the dark mage snicker.

"Aren't you the forward one. I'm Vanessa, a stray wandering mage, helping this love-struck maiden get her prince so she won't have to be lonely or cold at night anymore." She introduced, and esplained her purpose, to the tanuki. "As for your offer, I think we should accept. Its not good for beautiful ladies to stau up too late, after all." She added, looking over at Iskah and smiling.

Of course, in reality, Iskah didn't have much of a choice, unless the lizardman intended to walk. Since, at that point, Vanessa snapped her fingers and, with a soft ghostly neigh, the steed that they'd been riding on began to... Fade? It was like he was losing opacity at a dangerously quuick rate, becoming more and more see-through until he at last vanished, just like water vapors. At that point, the saddle and reins which Iskah ad put onto their mount sort of just... Felll onto the ground... With a soft leathery thud and metallic jingling-clinking noise. Oh, and iskah also fell off, if she was still sitting on the horse... 'Cuz Vanessa was considerate like that.

With her horsey gone and her magic now slowly beginning to regenerate again, the dark mage turned to their hospitable host.

"I don't think I've ever run into one of your kind. You were called a ... Goober Danyucky? What's someone like you doing so very far away from the far east? Oh, mind if I sit here? Thanks." Vanessa sked a few simple questions, and then plomped her plump butt down next to the pleasant fire, taking off her hat and beginning to fix her long, glossy black hair. She rested her staff ontop of her lap as she did.

Fortunately for Iskah, she had already dismounted the summoned horse around the same time as Vanessa did although she was a bit surprised when the extra equipment she acquired for the steed did not vanish along with it. In hindsight, however, she should have seen that coming.

Iskah went about collecting the fallen reins and saddle as Vanessa sat down next to the fire and talked with their tanuki monster host.

"I don't think I've ever run into one of your kind. You were called a ... Goober Danyucky? What's someone like you doing so very far away from the far east? Oh, mind if I sit here? Thanks."

"That's Gyo-ooh-boo Da-nu-kee, you half-naked, cow-tits caster!" Rie corrected, annoyed at the name butchery. "And yeah, yeah, sit wherever you like. Just don't expect any discounts from me."

"And like what I said to your Lizardman friend, I'm here to sell exotic, Zipanguese wares to the proud citizens of Ortus. A people who have barely made any contact with the monstrous side of Zipangu, but are now opening up somewhat. It's an untapped market, and I intend to get there first and make bank before anyone does." Rie said, making wild gestures with her hands all the while. "And let me tell ya, I took a big risk entering Ortusian territory without security. Fortunately, the worst I got from the humans here, so far, are weird faces."

Iskah soon got done putting away the equipment, and the Lizardman joined the bonfire. "So! You wanna nab yourself a Lot Knight, huh? Aiming high, I see, but you ain't the first monster who makes attempts at them."

"Yes, I know." Iskah responded, curtly.

"Do you also know that those monsters' hearts get broken because those Lot Knights are quite reckless with their lives?" Rie asked, the tone of the conversation suddenly grim.

"...I know that too."

"I should've guessed so, considering you got help." Rie gestured at Vanessa.

At being corrected for mispronouncing the name of her new acquaintance's species, and then being negatively commented upon her physical appearance, one would perhaps have expected the Dark Mage to sling an insult or two back in retribution. However, Vanessa displayed an uncharacteristic degree of maturity when faced with the obstinate raccoon-girl, smiling all the while as she next to the fire and listened.

"Aww, you noticed them. Thanks~ I guess they are a bit on the big side, huh?" Was all she said in response, looking down at her own chest, giving them a quick squeeze and jiggle to confirm - just to be safe and for no other reason at all. "But exotic goods you say? You wouldn't happen to have spellbooks or magic scrolls from this far-off Zipangu, would you?" Vanessa inquired, curious about one thing and one thing only as usual.

Other then this though, she remained mostly quiet and listened with... Moderate... interest as the other two monster-girls discussed the situation and plight in which Iskah found herself. Apparently these Lot Knight-gents were popular enough to attract a recurring flock of monsters who wanted to snag one of them. But when the topic got slightly more grim and dark, Vanessa raised an eyebrow. This seemed as a strange factor to her, but then again, not all monsters were equally forceful in how they obtained a husband. So, she simply assumed that, like Iskah, most of these would-be-brides didn't have the ability to overcome their intended significant other in physical proweess - for whatever reason - or weren't willing to take more morally questionable avenues in order to secure their mate.

"Oh, so they're that type of men." The dark sorceress commented simply. [color=ightblue]"I guess that means we made the right call in pushing on, rather than staying back in that village. Wouldn't want to waste time if your hubby's the kinda guy who'd throw his life away at any moment, for the silliest of reason."[/color] Vanessa continued. "Humans... Hah... Always so wasteful and careless with their lives... Even though they only live for such a short time. I never could understand that." She finished off, eyes gazing off into the distant nightscape, seemingly not focusing on anything. It was mroe liek she was staring off into space while absorbed in her own thoughts for a bit.

"I guess that means we made the right call in pushing on, rather than staying back in that village. Wouldn't want to waste time if your hubby's the kinda guy who'd throw his life away at any moment, for the silliest of reason. Humans... Hah... Always so wasteful and careless with their lives... Even though they only live for such a short time. I never could understand that."

Iskah was about to speak in response, but sighed in resignation and simply decided to hang her head in contemplation. "Yeah, humans make a lot of things more complicated than they need to be. But hey, that's why we're here to show 'em how it's really done, eh?" Rie was the one who replied instead.

"Now, you asked earlier if I had any Zipanguese spellbooks or scrolls, right? Well, I'm glad you asked because..." Rie stood up and quickly went over to her fancy cart and started rummaging through her merchandise, her two short feet dangling over at the side. "Ah-ha! Here we are!" The Danuki returned to the bonfire, arms full of rolled-up scrolls and stacks of small papers tied with a string. "Because that's exactly what I'm planning to sell! I heard Ortus is magic-starved so I decided to get as many of these as I can."

Iskah frowned and had to comment. "You... do realize that Ortus intentionally starved themselves of magic, right? Ever since they broke off from The Order and the Chief God, they also broke off from the other gods. Magic, as a whole, is seen as an extension of The Order and the gods so the field is casted off too." The Lizardman said. "Only the Lot Knights seem to practice any sort of magic in the whole kingdom right now, and I don't think they're looking to buy spellbooks anytime soon."

"...Ahhh, I'm sure I'll make a killing anyway." Rie dismissed Iskah's remarks and faced Vanessa. "Anyway, wanna take a look at these? Got a specific spell or set of spells in mind? Oh, and no discounts!"

"What a silly notion... Magic being tied to The Order." Vanessa scoffed, though was she still smiling. It was more like a dismissive reflexive reaction it would seem. "Our fuzzy-tailed friend has the right of it though, sometimes humans need to be educated I suppose." She added.

When the tanuki-girl offered and asked about what Vanessa was looking for, the Dark Mage laughed heartily.

"A certain spell? Now, why would I know what spells and magic you use in Zipangu if I've never been there, silly girl? I'm just interested in the type of sorcery you use in the far away east. Just call it morbid curiosity." She stated, rather cheerfully.

While Rei was busying herself with the scrolls and other magic items, Vanessa proceeded to... Reach... Into... Her... .. Uhm... Cleavage...

...

... Yeah...

... And withdrew... A ... Bag? A small pouch, actually. A rather mundane-looking thing, brown in color, with a strange, silvery string tied around it to keep the container shut. Gingerly undoing the string, which oepened the bag, Vanessa put one hand inside and dug aroud a bit, before pulling her hand back out. And in said hand, she was now holding a strange, irregularly shaped... Gem? Jewel? Crystal-thingy? It was azure in color and slightly sparkly, giving off a soft, dim light. The thing was also roughly the size of your standard ping-pong ball, well, maybe a little larger than that, but around that size regardless.

"I don't have any money on me, mind you. But how about this mana crystal? Would you be interested in trading goods, Miss Merchant?" The dark amge asked. It appeared Vanessa wasn't really too bothered about which scroll or spell she was trading for, but rather, just seemed to want to get her hands on some Zipanguese magic in general.

She then turned her head over to Iskah, who seemed to be hard at work thinking and brooding. It was all very cute, but hardly a healthy way to spend the evening.

"Don't worry. I told you I'd help you get your man, and I've every intention of doing just that. I really don't like breaking agreements after all." Vanessa said, attempting to be... Comforting? Reassuring? It was a bit hard to say, but her smile was at least genuine and warm, not like the usually playful or mischievous expression she carried on her face.

"I don't have any money on me, mind you. But how about this mana crystal? Would you be interested in trading goods, Miss Merchant?"

Neither Iskah nor Rie were particularly amused at Vanessa's choice of storage. The latter, however, changed moods when the Dark Mage presented her with an azure jewel known as a mana crystal.

Rie's eyes sparkled as she beheld the gem. Her hands moved to grasp it, but stopped short of her own volition. Money-hungry as she may be, she will not take anything that was not given to her. "Oooh! You got yourself a deal, Miss Vanessa!" Rie said, never taking her eyes off the mana crystal. "To answer your earlier question, Zipanguese magic ain't all that different from magic here in the continent. However, we do have something called 'ofuda'; slips of paper with a marking or markings on them. These markings imbue the paper with magical properties. From simple magics like turning the paper into a fireball when thrown to sealing magic when the paper is affixed to something."

The Gyoubu Danuki then handed a stack of ten of these 'ofuda' to Vanessa. "I can give you these for your mana crystal. These ofuda are pretty basic and just need to be thrown. But there's some good spells in here like those fireballs I mentioned and some make flashes of light amongst others."

"Don't worry. I told you I'd help you get your man, and I've every intention of doing just that. I really don't like breaking agreements after all."

Iskah smiled at Vanessa's attempt at reassurance. "...Thanks. I'm sure with the two of us, we can get Aun out of there." But then the smile turned mischievous. "Just don't attempt to steal Aun from me in the meanwhile, okay?"

Rie laughed at the exchange and also spoke up. "I'd help too, but I've got a business to run. However, if you need something for your mission, just come find me in the capital and I'll see if I can sell it to you for a fair price." The tanuki monster declared with a grin.

"You know what? Since we're all going to the capital anyway, why don't we all head there together?" Rie offered. It would certainly make the trip livelier, but would also take more time considering Rie's cart full of wares.

"I certainly wouldn't mind." Iskah surprisingly said. "With Rie's cart, it probably will only take two or three days for us to reach the capital from here." The Lizardman and the Gyoubu Danuki then looked to Vanessa for her opinion on the matter.

Thus, through the power of commerce and trade, Vanessat the Dark Mage exchanged her single, small magic crystal for a total of ten slips of paper... With weird... Moonrune-scrawls... On them. Yes! Truly, this was the bartering of the century!

Regardless, the dark mage seemed pleased with the arrangment. Holding the bundle of paper slips in her hands, she shuffled through them as she stared down at their surface. Her hand movement and overall technique at handling the Zipangu-scrolls were very remeniscent of someone who was skilled at shuffling a deck of cards... Was Vanessa secretly good at, or addicted to, gambling!? Perhaps an intervention was needed? But that was neither here nor there.

Instead, the black-haired monster looked at her newly acquired goods. Her eyes sparkled and her mouth was spread into a big, silly but nontheless charming smile. The kind of expression a child would wear, filled with wonder and excitement, whenever they got a new, fascinating and interesting toy that they just couldn't contain themselves to play with. But, of course, Vanessa was an adult and thus knew how to excersise both restraint and control. ... Maybe... She at least had the decency not to start flinging the ofuda around at random or without warning. Instea,d once she was done looking over each and every one of the paper talismans, she opened the starnge brown pouch from before, and then gently slid all of her new goods into it, after which she tugged at the string and sealed the bag once more.

... Then promptly returned it to its rightful place inbetween her massive mammaries.

Looking up, she only caught the tail-end of what Iskah and Rei had been talking about. Her big goofy smile retrated a bit, being replaced by a more casual and polite face. She was still smiling, but more so out of habit than anything else. After the question was posed and her opinion was asked, the dark mage merely shrugged.

"I don't mind, so do whatever you want, Iskah. Slowing down our pace with a day or two shouldn't keep you from meeting up with your honey-bunny."

Of course, Vanessa's true feelings on the matter were likely different. But, Iskah was the one in charge here, so she was the one to make decisions and calls in situations like this. If the Lizardman wanted to drag around an extra head who wouldn't be helping in any way when it came down to confronting and pulling her future husband from the clutches of the Lot Knights, then that was her choice to make. The raven-haired beauty just found it strange that Iskah had been in such a hurry back when they first met, but was now content to slow their roll... Was it because they'd made extra time by not stopping back in Shinbid or whatever that place had been called?

"I'm gonna get some rest now though, staying up too late's bad for your skin." The dark mage commented. "Just wake me up whenever you're ready to get going. Or if something happens."

With that, Vanessa rose, stepped back a bit from the bonfire, sat down in a cross-legged state and placed her staff over her lap. She then extended one hand, pointing her fingers back towards herself and... With a bit of magic, made her fingertips start to glow a dim, azure light. And then...

"Invoke: Sleep."

... Her arm slumped down along her side, her head became limp and tilted slightly to the side, her eyes closed and, the other two monsters could hear a consistent, rhytmic breathing. It would appear the spellcaster had forcefully put herself to sleep using a rather powerful sleep-spell...