She discovered what a grablin was. Imagine a goblin, short, green, big ears to either side. All one had to do was give them a sex drive far outstripping their small stature. They would often go after larger beings, just by virtue of the availability. She grabbed one by the throat, shaking it around as others closed in with weapons.

A dozen of the grablins were there, in the middle of taking the girl into the woods. The girl in question was unconscious, but not visibly hurt. She was still fully dressed, and tied up.

Daisy slammed her fist against the ground in front of one of the grablins trying to fight her, knocking them away and giving her some space. "They look small, but they are so strong." She tossed the one she was holding away, quite knocked out. "Still, quantity over quality." She slammed her hammer into a grablin that tried to charge from her side.

Theo and Cedric had their own grabs of grablins. Theo's wand lashed out and caught a grablin under the chin, knocking them back. Cedric lashed out a foot, kicking one back just long enough to blast them with a burst of energy.

Daisy swung a fist into the face of the next grablin to get too close, sending them flying away. The other grablins took the moment to scatter into the forest, not willing to continue the fight. She let out a cheer of victory before she felt something grab her from behind. "Theo! Now is not the time."

"It isn't me." He gestured towards her as he spoke, as if to ward off her accusation.

Daisy twisted around until she got a glimpse of what had a hold of her. A grablin had managed to climb up and grab her from behind. She was just lucky they hadn't grabbed any part in particular. That it was a male of its species seemed quite clear, not that she had seen any females. It was quite excited to be so close to her, even as she peeled it free. "I'm not your type. Go home." She tossed it after its companions. It tried to run, only for her to step on its tail. The creature struggled and whined as she pinned it down.

The girl in the middle of it all groaned, sitting upright with a shake of her head, looking around herself. "Where am I?" She laid eyes on her rescuers and the grablin. "Oh!"

Daisy waved towards Theo. "Keep him here. I'll talk to her." She turned towards the woman, a soft smile on her face. "Hi." She bowed gently. "Are you alright? A lot of people back in town are worried about you, and you almost became a grablin distraction." Her eyes flicked down for a moment before she could stop herself.

The woman was human, and looked to be 18 to young twenties in age. She had long blond hair and bright green eyes, and was wearing an outfit that was rather simple, a blouse and a pair of shorts. She stood up, brushing her clothes clean of dust. "I'm terribly sorry to worry anyone. Who might you be?"

Daisy smiled and held out a hand. "Daisy. The one holding the grablin is Theo, the one that looks scared is Cedric. They're my boys."

"I did not scare her, did I?" Cedric looked to the human, clearly unsure.

She smiled at him gently. "You look harmless, sir. A very brave rescuer of silly girls that get themselves in trouble." She took Daisy's hand and shook it. "My name is Maria, thank you for coming for me. How did you ever find me?" She gestured to herself as she spoke. "I'm not even sure where I am, or where we are."

Daisy suppressed the urge to mention the spell. "Theo is an expert tracker." She turned to him. "Got that grablin under control?"

Theo leaned on his staff, the grablin squirming to try and get free of whatever it was that was holding it down. "This is no problem." He poked at the struggling creature with a foot. "I think he wants to talk to you more than me. Figures. Boy grablins are pretty easy to read."

Daisy huffed at that. "As if you're that different." She went up, ruffled Theo on the head, then took hold of the grablin herself. "Feel like talking? Or do I have to squeeze you?"

Maria's eyes widened as she watched Daisy pick the creature up by its throat. "Is it safe?"

"Totally," added Theo, "he is no threat to her at all."

Daisy flashed a dangerous smile at the grablin. "I hold you, and your life, in my hand. Be a good boy."

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The creature only whined, its expression fearful.

Daisy rolled her eyes, sighing as she sat him down. "You're not going to give me trouble, are you? I won't hurt you if you don't force me." She folded her arms under her chest. "Start with where your nest is."

The grablin looked away from her, fidgeting with his hands.

She took a deep breath, her ears flattening out. "Look, I just want some information. Talk and you get to go free, unharmed. Wouldn't that be nice?"

He pointed to her hand.

Daisy lifted her hand and wiggled her fingers. "What? This thing?" The grablin pointed at her hand again. "What do you want?" Her eyes widened as she got the idea, smirking. "You want me to use this?"

The grablin bobbed his head and angled his hips, clear about where he wanted that hand. He pointed at her mouth, then between her legs.

"Points for asking, most of your friends didn't." Daisy took a slow breath. "That doesn't make me want to let you anywhere near me. Besides, I hear your seed is about as mutagenic as my milk."

The grablin nodded, though his expression was downcast. He looked around, as if trying to find some other way out of his predicament, then pointed to one side.

Cedric stepped closer, leaning towards Theo. "Why is she talking to it instead of just finishing it?" he asked in a low whisper. "It's confusing."

Theo shrugged and then smiled. "She's being nice. Besides, she's thinking about something, I would say." He watched Daisy before turning back to Cedric. "She'll probably tell us once she decides."

Daisy wrapped her fingers around that erogenous zone, squeezing gently and getting a sharp cry from the grablin. "Feels good, doesn't it? Talk. Talk or I stop."

The grablin gestured wildly in one direction. "I can take you to nest! No harm!"

Daisy stopped moving her hand for a moment. "No. You don't get to be the one to 'take me'. Tell us." She lifted him with one hand, the other working him slowly. "Which way? Speak."

The grablin quivered in obvious pleasure. "Nest not far! If go straight, will run into traps." He pointed in another direction. "Go around. Nest that way."

Daisy let the grablin fall, then patted his head gently. "Such a good boy. Mind your manners and you'll be left standing."

The grablin backed away slowly, eyes narrowed. He turned towards where he had said the nest was, then scurried away as fast as his legs could carry him.

Theo stepped closer to her, smiling softly. "Well, we know which way to go, but they'll probably be waiting for us."

Daisy leaned close to him, pecking him on the nose. "We can handle them. Thanks." She gestured at the human girl, then back towards town. "We need to take her home."

Maria was looking between them. "You aren't going to kill them?"

Daisy put her hands to her hips. "The mission is to rescue you. Wiping out grablins is, at best, a personal bonus. If it were any other kind of creature, I wouldn't even think about it." She glanced towards the way the grablin pointed. "Maybe if you get home and report that you were attacked by them, others will come and take care of them, hm?"

Theo gently swatted the girl towards town. "Besides, now we can say where the nest is. They'll probably get to it."

Cedric took a step backwards. "Let's go. I don't want to be here when they come looking for us. There's only three of us and a lot of them."

"All they have is numbers." Daisy grumbled as she started them all headed back to town. "I'm just glad we got you before they started. They must have wanted you home, to share. Ugh, that would have been a Bad End."

Maria stepped up behind Daisy, patting her on the shoulder gently. "Thank you. For, um, saving me." Her cheeks warmed and she looked away. "It could have been much worse."

Daisy grinned at the human woman, a glint in her eye. "Don't worry, you're safe now."

Maria looked uncertain. "Pardon for asking, but you don't look like most mice folk I run into. You're much, um..." Her eyes glanced down before she caught herself.

Daisy smirked at that. "Yes, I am." She lifted her chest, letting it jiggle beneath the modest clothing she wore. "Brood mouse. I'm not a monster." She waved at the floating sign above her chest. "Why I wear this, so nobody gets a surprise."

Maria's cheeks flushed a brighter red as she looked away. "Thanks for the warning." She looked over the others. "So what are you three doing?"

Theo gestured ahead back towards town. "Rescuing you, mostly. Cedric and I have to get back to studying when we get back, um, Maria."

She blinked at them several times. "You're university students? Adventurers, right, but I didn't know they let students out to go adventuring. That doesn't make sense." Maria tapped her lip in thought.

Daisy wriggled her whiskers askew. "I'm not a student, and I dragged them along. You needed help, and we came. Better than letting you become a grablin plaything."

Cedric waved his staff ahead of himself. "We should go to the guild and report it. They'll probably put a reward out for it, clearing out that nest before it causes anyone else trouble." He scratched his cheek with the end of the staff. "Maybe we'll do it?"