“I’m not touching that!” Anna said.

“But you have the cleaning ring!” Lyreen whined. Anna took it out of her pouch and held it out to her friend.

“You can use it,” she said.

“But I’ll run out of mana!” Lyreen replied.

“Then wash it in the stream!” Anna said.

“Please?” Lyreen asked.

“Nope,” Anna replied.

“Help me out here,” Lyreen asked, looking at Thokri. He pointed at his clothing which were hanging on a tree branch to dry.

“When did you do that?” Lyreen asked.

“While you were pestering her, child,” Barika replied, carrying her own clothes back from the stream to hang.

“But she has a cleaning ring!” Lyreen said.

“And you have clothes that are covered in shit, so wash them yourself like everyone else!” Anna replied.

Lyreen glared at her for a moment then stormed off towards the stream carrying her dirty clothes. Anna went over to the wagon. She needed to grease the axles anyway and wanted to do something while her friends cleaned up.

Greasing the axles was an easy task for her, at least out here in the middle of nowhere it was. All she had to do was lift up the wagon with a tentacle and take the wheel off, a simple task for her. She didn’t even need to use the tool to loosen and tighten the wheel nut.

Once the wheel was off, all she had to do was wipe the grease off, inspect everything, and if it looked good, put new grease on and put the wheel back on. The whole job only took her about twenty minutes to do, but it had to be done every other day.

When they were in the kingdom, they used a jack to lift the wagon and the nut tool to take the wheel nut off. It took about twice as long that way.

She pulled the first wheel off and cleaned the old grease off. Everything looked good, so she slathered the grease back on and put the wheel back on the wagon. By the time she finished with the wagon, her friends were finished with their clothing. She cleaned the greasy rags off out of sight.

I don’t want to fight with Lyreen anymore, but I still can’t believe she wanted me to clean up her shit!

When she finished with the rags, she tossed them back in the wagon and went to sit with her friends. Lyreen was the only one that looked grumpy. The rest of them didn’t seem to mind washing their own clothing.

“How’s it looking?” Voekeer asked.

“Good, but I’m going to need more grease soon,” Anna replied.

“If we don’t find a village, we’ll have to start looking for bears, lass,” Thokri said.

“I’ll keep an eye or two out for both,” Anna replied.

“Who’d have a village out here anyway?” Elaine asked.

“Wood elves, satyrs, bugbears, hobgoblins, all kinds of folks, lass,” Thokri replied.

“What’s a bugbear?” Anna asked.

“Looks like someone the lass here would fuck, only with orange fur all over,” Thokri replied, pointing his thumb at Elaine.

“HEY! Wait, no, I guess you’re right,” Elaine said. She looked thoughtful for a moment.

“You’re going to have sex with one, aren’t you?” Anna asked.

“Yes,” Elaine replied.

“Be careful, child. They are quite a bit larger than human men,” Barika said.

“So was the horseman,” Anna said.

Everyone looked at Elaine in shock. She just smiled.

“I was curious,” she said.

“It fit?!” Lyreen asked.

“Sort of,” Elaine replied.

“I’m surprised I didn’t see you the next day, child!” Barika said.

“I didn’t want to bother you,” Elaine replied.

“Wait! Did you watch?” Voekeer asked.

“No, but I saw his pecker before they went in the back room,” Anna replied.

“Is that why you wouldn’t go back with her after the first time?” Voekeer asked.

“No, that wasn’t it,” Anna replied.

“What was it, child?” Barika asked.

“There was this donkey…” Anna said. Barika held up her hand.

“I don’t want to hear any more, child,” she replied.

“What kind of place did you take her?!” Voekeer asked.

“A few of the men at the necromancer’s guild recommended it,” Elaine replied.

“Well, that explains it,” Voekeer said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Elaine asked.

“It means I wouldn’t have gone to a brothel that a bunch of people who think corpses make for good furnishings suggested,” Voekeer replied.

“Point taken,” Elaine said.

“Anyway, how much grease do we have left?” Voekeer asked.

“A week, maybe two’s, worth,” Anna replied.

“You can use any fat from any animal if need be, child,” Barika said.

“I’ll start hunting when we get away from here. I didn’t see many big animals around when I was looking for the flower,” Anna replied.

“Probably all of the monsters,” Elaine said.

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Rose walked back to camp. She started to hang her clothes up.

“Would you put something on!” Lyreen said as she walked back up.

Rose flipped her a rude gesture and continued to hang her clothes. Lyreen huffed then went to hang her own clothing.

Voekeer went over to help Lyreen hang her clothing which turned into him doing it. Rose walked over and sat down next to Barika. She tapped the priestess on the shoulder and then made a motion like shears next to her hair.

“Go get them, child. I’ll trim you up,” Barika said. Rose went to the wagon, and Barika watched her rear as she went.

I wonder if those two will ever do anything. I mean, I think Rose likes men, but she’s never tried anything with one since I’ve known her.

Anna pondered that for a moment. The only other person in the party that didn’t have sex as often as they could manage, other than her of course, was Thokri, and he didn’t because he wouldn’t cheat on his wives.

Rose returned and handed Barika the shears. She sat down in front of Barika who started to clip away. Anna watched as Barika returned Rose’s hair to the close cut one she’d kept since they’d cut it the first time.

Rose got up and wiped herself off, then took the shears to put them away. She came back and plopped down with the rest of the party. They chatted while they waited for everyone’s clothes to dry.

It was a hot day, even under the forest canopy, and bugs buzzed around just outside the camp. Elaine had filled jars with some horrible black substance that reminded Anna of tar. Whatever it was, it did a good job at keeping the biting little beasts away.

I really don’t want to know what it’s made from.

It took hours for everything to dry in the humid forest air, but it did eventually.

They packed up and left with clean clothes and a hundred pounds or so of smoked meat that the others seemed hesitant to take.

I’ll just eat it all myself!

She couldn’t see wasting food just because the others were nervous about it.

They made good progress. In the next few days, she didn’t find any large game and was starting to think she’d have to start looking for fat badgers or other small animal to get her grease soon.

They made camp for the night and sat around the small fire they had going, talking like they usually did. She heard talking off in the distance. It was in a language she’d never heard before, and it sounded like whoever was doing it was heading their way.

“Someone’s coming,” she said.

Her friends picked up their weapons and waited. The biggest goblin she’d ever seen walked out of the forest. He just stopped and looked at them for a moment before more of the huge goblins walked out behind him.

What the fuck!

No one moved for a moment. The huge goblins were apparently just as surprised as the party. Thokri said something in the language she’d heard these goblins speak. They snapped out of their shock and started to talk to Thokri.

“Easy now. Just some hobgoblins out hunting. They thought we were bugbears out from a neighboring village and came over to say hi,” Thokri said.

So that’s what a hobgoblin looks like! I’m glad I was so surprised and didn’t toss them.

Thokri walked over and talked with the hobgoblins for a while. They didn’t seem too friendly, but they weren’t hostile either. They left after a few minutes of back and forth with the dwarf. Thokri shook his head as he walked back over.

“What was that about?” Elaine asked.

“Lads wanted to make sure we knew not to hunt on their lands,” Thokri replied.

“I’d like to see them stop me,” Anna said.

“We know no one can stop you, now hush child,” Barika replied. She looked at her feet.

I thought it was funny.

“Did they say anything else?” Voekeer asked.

“Aye, that they did, lad. I asked where we could get some grease from, and they told me that the bugbears would have some. They also told me where their village is, and it’s only about a day or so from here,” Thokri replied.

“Is it off the road, or do we need to hike?” Voekeer asked.

“According to those lads, the bugbears have a path to their village. They like to trade with folks that pass this way,” Thokri replied.

“Well, it’s worth a look,” Barika said.

“I agree. Looks like you’ll be getting to meet those bugbears after all,” Voekeer said. Elaine just grinned at him.

They reached the path to the bugbears village the next day.

Guess they meant a day or so walking.

Anna turned the wagon onto the rough dirt trail, and they started down it. It hadn’t rained in a few days, so it wasn’t too muddy. They only had to push the wagon out of the muck a few times.

The village came into sight a few hours later. It wasn’t what she expected.

No wall? I didn’t think I’d see a village in the wilds without a wall.

When they rode into the village, they were swarmed by children so much so that she had to stop the wagon. A few adults came over and chased the children away moments later. A huge man walked over. He looked like a furry orc, and when he smiled, he reveled tusks like an orc.

Maybe they’re like a furry orc race like elves and wood elves are, kind of the same but not.

“You trade?” he asked in a thick accent.

“We trade,” Thokri replied.

“What you need?” the bugbear asked.

“Grease for the wagon,” Thokri replied.

“We have grease. What you have?” the bugbear asked.

“Coin,” Thokri replied. The bugbear spat.

“We no need shiny metal. What else you have?” he asked. Thokri looked around for a moment.

Oh, I know. The wood elves like my teeth. Maybe the bugbears will too!

Anna pulled out a giant spider fang.

“Teeth,” she said.

“Ah lass, they don’t want… that,” he said. He stopped talking when he saw the greed in the bugbear’s eyes.

“How many have?” the bugbear asked excitedly.

“Some. How much grease do you have?” Anna asked.

“Some,” the bugbear replied.

“Hand me my tooth bag,” Anna said.

She heard the others rummaging around in the back of the wagon for a moment before Barika handed her the bag. She took out one of the wyvern teeth. They looked impressive being as long as her hand and curved with a sharp point.

“We take!” he said, pointing at the bag.

“No, only one!” Anna replied.

“We bring much grease, you give more?” he asked.

“Maybe, let me see the grease first,” Anna replied.

The bugbear turned and shouted something at some of the other bugbears that were crowded around. They rushed over and came back carrying huge skins. Anna handed the bag of teeth back to Barika and hopped off the wagon. The bugbears looked down at her, obviously surprised by how small she really was.

She walked over to the skins, and one of the bugbears opened the top. Inside was a thick black substance. It smelled strange, unlike anything she’d ever smelled before. She stuck her fingers in it and rubbed in on her thumb.

Well, it’s grease, but what in the world did they make it from?

She went to lick it, but one of the bugbears grabbed her hand gently.

“No, not eat. Make sick. From ground!” he said.

“I’ve never heard of grease from the ground before,” Anna said.

“Yes, very good for wagon, but make sick if eat, so no eat,” one of the bugbears replied.

“How much for all of it, lad?” Thokri asked.

“Twenty teeth,” the bugbear replied.

There is no way I’m giving that many of my teeth way!

“Deal,” Thokri replied.

“But Thokri, those are mine!” Anna whined.

“That grease is worth two gold for half a pound back at the mountain, lass. We can go and hunt for more teeth, but we won’t get a deal like this again!” Thokri replied. Anna looked down at the skins.

There must be two hundred pounds here… Dammit, he’s right!

She sighed and nodded. Thokri let the bugbear rummage around in her bag. He took all the nice ones out, though only twenty like Thokri had agreed to.

“You stay with us for food!” the bugbear said. The bugbears all started to clammer around him.

“I guess we’re staying for dinner,” Anna said.

“Aye,” Thokri replied.

The bugbears loaded the grease into the back of the wagon and then led them to a place to keep it for the night. Once that was finished, they were brought to a huge rectangular house made from long branches and bark. There were two doors, one on either end of the building.

When they went inside, there was a fire pit that didn’t have a fire in it currently. There was a platform for with furs hanging off it covering part of the what would be the second floor. There was also another opening on the roof that was currently propped open.

Must be to let heat and smoke out.

“Come sit,” the bugbear said.

They took a seat near where the fire pit would be, and the bugbear sat next to them. More bugbears started to pile in, and soon they were surrounded by huge furry people. A skin was brought to the bugbear next to them, and he took a drink. He handed to Thokri who drank some of it.

“Tastes like mead,” he said. He handed it to her, and she took a drink from the huge wine skin.

“Good mead,” Anna added.

She passed it to Elaine who took a drink. It went to each member of the party after that before being passed to the bugbears.

More of the skins showed up when the first was emptied. Soon after, a drum started to play, and a few of the bugbears started to dance. The others clapped along with the music. Soon food was brought out. It was meat that had been mostly roasted over a fire.

Her friends all looked at it sadly. After the undercooked magical beast, none of them wanted to eat rare food, but they also knew they couldn’t say no. She, on the other hand, ate with the gusto only a person that knew for a fact that they wouldn’t suffer any consequences could do.

The bugbears were generous, and after a while, everyone was stuffed full of meat and mead. A basket filled with mushrooms was brought into the wooden house. Some of the bugbears ate a single one as it was passed around. When it got to the party, Thokri grinned.

“Time to go for a ride, lass,” he said and took two.