Aralen was feeling incredibly thankful to Lady Selene as he walked into his sixth day of training. Not only had she provided him with a nicer place to stay than a mediocre inn, but she was also giving him some kind of concoction to keep him upright from the rigorous training he was being put through. The divines only know how quickly he would have been exhausted without it. It helped too that the pair of monster girl hunters weren’t actually putting him through intense training every day. Instead, they alternated the more physical days with study days, spending hours teaching him about various forms of combat, the basics of magic, the geography of Eteri, and more.

The difference between the elven schooling that Aralen was used to and the type of teaching that Jyce and Rylei used was astounding. For thirty years of the elf’s life, school sessions had been short, and only a few times a week, taking advantage of an elf’s extended lifespan to stretch the learning period out. Now, though, he felt like he understood what it must be like for a human or any of the non-immortal races. Three days and five hours each of lessons on so many topics, with only a day's break between each, Aralen couldn’t fathom how humans managed it and more for so many years.

It didn’t help that Jyce was a harsh teacher, drilling concepts into his head until he could recall them without a pause. I thought drow were known to be lazy, Aralen remembered thinking as Jyce berated Aralen for forgetting what people he would find in the mountains of the Republic of Chlaber, or for improperly detailing the correct way to circumvent a Shadowveil Barrier spell. Rylei didn’t teach often, preferring the physical side of things, but when she did it was much more lenient, though Aralen suspected it was because she barely knew the answers to the questions being asked herself.

Even with the intense training, Aralen still felt unprepared when the pair met him at the training grounds and suggested bringing him on his first monster girl hunt.

“Already? I’ve barely started learning anything at all, and you want to send me in immediately?”

Rylei just laughed, but Jyce had a serious expression on as he approached and put one of his hands on Aralen’s shoulder. “Look, kid, it doesn’t really matter if you’re ready or not. You’re never going to believe you can do it until you go out and see if you can. And now’s the best time to really see where you’re at, especially with us there backing you up. If anything goes wrong, we’ll be right there to pick you back up, and we can help you learn from the experience.”

Gratitude towards the two professionals flooded Aralen, and he smiled and nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. I just hope you won’t judge me too harshly if I end up failing miserably. So, what do you have planned for this big first mission?”

“As you know, the two of us have been scouring the forest for Nylia whenever we weren’t training you, and we haven’t found any sight of her. This is both a curse and a blessing. On one hand, we lost our best lead on the succubus in months, but on the other, we finally feel completely safe bringing you into the forest to hunt down Penora, that dryad you ran into.”

The mention of the name ‘Penora’ was enough to make Aralen’s eyes widen in surprise, before he started to argue back against the green-eyed cyclops.

“I’m not sure I’m ready for that level of monster girl. I already lost to her before, badly, and I definitely haven’t got strong enough for that to change,” he replied, trying to keep his emotions from seeping through to his words.

“It’s a good thing we’ll be with you then, right? Plus, Lady Selene has a few ideas to make it a little easier on her. She wanted us to bring you to her immediately so we could run them by you.”

The Auralin mage was sitting at her usual desk, reading some kind of letter through her round glasses. When the elf walked in with the two hunters, the letter disappeared with a flick of her wrist as she turned her attention towards him. Even though Sam and Selene herself were always talking about how busy with clients the healer was, Aralen had never seen anyone but the four people present in the room, and he couldn’t help but wonder how powerful she truly was if she could split her attention that seamlessly.

“Ah, Mr Wilaen. I’m sure Miss Lisai and Mr Stoneborn have told you a little, but I wanted to give my own suggestion on the matter.” She paused for a moment as Aralen took a seat and prepared himself for another one of Selene’s long spiels before resuming.

“I understand you are apprehensive about fighting your prior attacker, but I think I have a way that can help you avoid combat. In my research, I’ve come across a very small number of what I call ‘tamed’ monster girls. That is, monster girls that don’t attack men and live peacefully in cities. They’re rare, but they’re always paired with a happy husband who convinced her to live in the city with him, instead of him in the wild with her. Since Penora already partially believes you to be her husband, I think you should be able to convince her to peacefully return to the city with you.” She smiled after finishing her explanation, as if the suggestion was the most normal thing in the world.

“Wh-what? Bring a monster girl here, with me? You have got to be out of your mind. Why would I want that?” Aralen could barely keep himself from jumping from his seat in surprise and disbelief. Not only would it expose him to more corruptive Aura, but it could put the rest of the city at risk; he couldn’t quite believe the healer’s stories of ‘peaceful’ monster girls, especially after having grown up hearing stories of the dangers of the demon spawn.

“I believe it would give me a great opportunity to study many things relating to monster girls, such as their interaction with a more civilized society, their effect on you, especially with your condition, and their Demonic Aura.”

“And you think that it’s safe to bring this Demonic Aura into a city with other people? I don’t want to have to babysit a monster girl, either. I’ve got plans to leave the city sometimes and I don’t know if I’d trust any monster girl to not just start attacking people,” Aralen retaliated, though Selene didn’t seem to be affected by his outburst.

“I understand your concerns, but I’m confident there won’t be any issues. These civilized monster girls have significantly decreased natural charm and corruptive powers, from what my research suggests. And of course, I will be placing my own wards on her if you successfully retrieve her. Rest assured, I’m going to take every precaution.”

The reassurances did sway Aralen a bit, though he wasn’t entirely convinced. Selene must have noticed something in his expression, perhaps the downturned corner of his lips or the slight furrow in his brow.

“Additionally, I believe this is the best course of action to find Nylia and by extension, find Lithael. We’ve been trying to push for the Trading Company to make a concerted effort to search for the captain, but the presence of a monster girl in the equation, alongside their admittedly low valuation of the captain, for some reason, has made progress difficult. So we’ve taken it into our own hands, and using Penora for information is our best option.”

That was news to Aralen. While he had been very worried about the captain’s safety for the last week he had been in Alvode, he had assumed her high ranking in the guard hierarchy would put her up the priority list, and the Company would be doing something to find and rescue her. Hearing that wasn’t the case immediately made him feel a lot more anxious about her situation, and he suddenly felt a lot more agreeable to the Auralin’s plan.

“I’m going to trust that you know what you’re doing with this,” Aralen conceded, and Selene responded with a smile, clasping her hands together. “But I have no idea how to ‘tame’ a monster girl.”

“I unfortunately don’t have a lot of info on that process. It seems to me, however, that you need to convince her to give up on her more primal instincts, and fully convince her that you are willing to commit to her. If she doesn’t trust that you’ll be there for her, she’s more likely to either try to take you by force or search for a replacement. I would ask that you just try your best, keep that in mind, and remember that Mr Stoneborn and Miss Lisai will be there to back you up.”

That didn’t help boost the elf’s confidence much, but he supposed the Auralin was right about the backup provided by the two hunters. The worst-case scenario was not nearly as bad as it would be without them, so he didn’t feel like there was much of a reason to oppose the plan.

They spent a bit longer planning the expedition, agreeing to leave the following day, and discussing where they would find Penora. Aralen was a bit worried about the dryad ambushing them en route, especially with her ability to sense him, but Rylei assured him it wouldn’t be a problem. Eventually, they dispersed and Aralen found himself nervously waiting for the next day.

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Nighttime came quickly, and after a restless night of sleep, Aralen was nervously waiting on the outskirts of Alvode for the monster girl hunter duo. Soon enough, the mountainous form of Rylei, her single eye peering at him through her horned helmet, and Jyce, suited up in his light armor and his hair covering his eyes, both made their way into the elf’s view. The duo was waving energetically at the elf, and he felt compelled to return the greeting despite the nervous excitement filling his body.

“Hey kid, you ready for today?” Rylei shouted as she approached the elf, riding what must have been the world’s strongest horse to be able to keep Rylei, her immense suit of armor, and her pack of gear all up without collapsing. Aralen shouted out an affirmative, probably eliciting a smile from her, though he couldn’t tell from the tiny gap in her helmet. Even so, their enthusiasm was contagious, and he could feel the nerves slipping away. It only took a few moments for the trio to finish their final preparations, and soon they were riding off into the forest.

Something about riding with the pair of monster girl hunters made the trip infinitely more bearable than the last couple of times he had made it. Their mere presence eased all the worries he had during the previous time, and their conversation made it pass by quickly as well. Stories of their previous quests, with advice and information sprinkled in about their methods, were interesting enough that the multiple-hour-long ride to their destination flew by instantly.

They stopped on the side of the path and dismounted their horses. Aralen was first confused about where they would keep their mounts safely, as the rest of the journey was through thick forests not suited for the quadrupeds, but his questions were answered when Jyce pulled out a small orb and crushed it in his hands. Immediately, a portal opened, revealing a stable within, which he guided the horses into, as well as retrieving a similar orb from within and stashing it in his bag. Upon seeing Aralen’s awestruck face, he only responded with, “Lady Selene is a generous patron, you know.”

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Similar to the ride into the forest, the trek to Penora’s hut went by quickly. They stopped momentarily a short while into their hike while Jyce climbed a nearby tree, searching for the massive tree structure that made up the dryad’s home. He spotted it in the distance, and for the remainder of their walk he would periodically return to the canopy to check their progress.

At one point during the trek, a pair of massive spiders appeared from the bushes, aggravated by their presence. They were massive, as wide as the elf was tall with fierce fangs and eyes that were way too similar to Jyce’s for the elf’s taste, but the two adventurers with him didn’t seem fazed at all by the arachnids. Before Aralen could even pull his spear from his back, Rylei’s war pick was in her hands, hurtling towards one spider, while Jyce had leaped onto the other, his two blades cutting quickly and cleanly through its exoskeleton. The fight only lasted a moment, and Aralen was left standing over their two corpses, only now realizing how powerful his two companions truly were.

The brief encounter with the spiders was the only trouble they had, though, and eventually, the tree structure’s massive canopy was visible through the trees, and only a bit after that, the clearing where Penora’s hut came into view as well. The sight of it brought back certain memories to the elf’s mind, and he could feel a light blush forming on his face. He shook his head, trying to clear his head and focus on the task at hand.

A prospect made more difficult by the appearance of Penora, watering can in hand as she rounded the corner of her hut. Instead of the red and pink dress he remembered her in, she was wearing a blue and green petal dress that shimmered iridescently in the light, and her brown eyes were already locked on Aralen’s, a gentle smile on her face, which faltered a bit when she saw the armored figures of Rylei and Jyce standing beside him.

“Darling, welcome home! I knew you would return to me eventually. I could feel you in the forest, coming back to me. But I didn’t know you’d be bringing your… friends,” she said, a slight tremble to her voice at the end as she observed the two adventurers.

“Don’t worry, they’re not going to harm you. We just need some help,” Aralen said, sensing her apprehension, but it apparently wasn’t enough, as her vines started to unravel themselves from her body.

“So they’ll just let you come and live with me, forever, then?” she retaliated, eyeing the cyclops and drow warily, who had begun to prepare for a potential fight themselves.

“No, I’m afraid we will not be letting Aralen here live with you,” Rylei said, arm poised to grab her war pick if needed, but that only served to further agitate Penora.

“I see. I’m sorry, Darling, but it seems these people are trying to get in the way of our love. Don’t worry, though, I’ll deal with them and then we can be together.”

With that, she leaped forward, and Aralen again marveled at her speed and agility. It was amazing that such a dainty woman was also such an incredible fighter, though it was simultaneously terrifying to see her flying at him, vines outstretched and ready to snatch him away.

Before she managed to get close, Rylei stepped in the way, her form posing a formidable wall for the dryad. Every step the dryad took, Rylei matched, and her pure mass proved too much for the vines to impede.

Aralen’s eyes widened as the flower atop Penora’s head opened slowly, a sickly sweet smell filling the area, but before he could even yell out a warning to his two allies, Jyce was already ready.

“Breathlessness!” he shouted, and a wave of light blue emitted from his hand, and suddenly Aralen couldn’t smell anything, and he couldn’t bring himself to take a breath, no matter how hard he tried. And while the elf began to panic, the sensation of not being able to breathe didn’t seem to affect Rylei, who continued her defense.

Penora, however, was growing increasingly frustrated at the impotence of her attacks, with her aromatic attack and vines both failing to halt Rylei whatsoever. A deep grimace marred her normally beautiful face as she realized that Rylei wasn’t even attacking, simply blocking instead, and she finally backed off a bit, vines retreating to form a rapidly spinning spiral around her as her flower closed slowly.

Aralen spotted his chance, and as soon as he regained his breath he stepped forward to intervene.

“See, Penora? We’re not here to cause you any harm. Just listen to me, please.”

The scowl on her face lifted as Aralen spoke, though she didn’t return to her usual carefree smile, and the vines slowed their rotation around her as she crossed her arms.

“We need your help, Penora. Somebody I know has been captured by that succubus, Nylia, and we need help finding her. And we think you can help us do that.”

It didn’t seem like Penora was entirely listening, somehow, as she just started to pout.

“Am I not enough for you, Darling? You would rather leave me for Nylia?”

Rylei let out a laugh at that, which only got louder when she saw Aralen glaring daggers at her. “Ha! Kid, you can’t just say stuff like that, you’re going to make her jealous.”

“Rylei, please. You’re not helping. Look, Penora, I’m willing to… stay with you, from now onwards, to prove that I’m not looking for her for any… weird reason. In fact, I was going to offer for you to come with me back to the city, as long as you behave and give us the information we need.”

This time, she was paying attention, and the pout slowly evaporated, leaving behind only confusion.

“Why would we live in the city, Darling? Surely the forest would be so much better. I could garden and tend to my flowers, and then we could go on romantic walks through the woods, then we could come back and have loving, hot, passionate-”

“Okay, stop. As wonderful as that sounds, I can’t do that. I have a life, and a job, and aspirations outside of this forest, and if I stay with you here, I’m giving all of that up. I can’t do that, so I’m offering you the next best thing. Come with me to the city and live with me in the future, and maybe someday we can become the loving couple you want us to be.”

His offer seemed to sink in slowly, but the whirlwind of vines around her started to slow down and the smile returned to her face.

“Okay, as long as you promise never to leave me again, Darling, I’ll come with you, and answer whatever questions you have.”

Aralen let out a sigh of relief, before the rest of the air in his lungs was forcefully evicted by a clap on the back by Rylei.

“Well done, kid. Let’s hope Selene wasn’t talking out of her ass, and the dryad doesn’t have any more freakouts. Though, I’m sure the Lady would be happy either way. She’s always glad to have a new monster girl to study.”

Even with the agreement made, Jyce stayed wary of the girl with his two blades at the ready, and Rylei made sure to stay right by the elf’s side as he approached the monster girl. She even had to stop herself from tackling Penora when she leaped forward to hug the elf. The sensation of her soft breasts pressing into his chest through her dress and her sweet but more subdued fragrance on his nose started to fog Aralen’s mind, but a quick Charm Ward from Jyce cleared his head immediately.

“Hey, we can’t be losing you already,” he joked as Aralen quietly thanked him, his face red from embarrassment as much as arousal. I hope Selene knows what she is talking about. I don’t want to have to worry about getting charmed anytime Penora touches me. The plant girl unwrapped herself from around Aralen to his relief, and Rylei started to walk towards the hut, for some reason.

“I’d prefer if we could speak to the monster girl right now, and there’s a perfectly comfortable house right here. No reason not to use it,” she said when she spotted Aralen’s confused expression.

The inside of the house was the same as he remembered it, with flowers lining every surface and lightstones hanging from the vine chandelier, and the same sugary sweet fragrance filled the room. He almost considered asking Jyce for another breathlessness spell, but figured he didn’t want to offend the dryad now hanging off his shoulder.

Looking down at her now without some chart affecting his mind, he still couldn’t ignore her incredible beauty. He found his gaze lingering on her chocolate-brown eyes, her soft lips, the slight rise of her chest from his view down her dress, and he thought about the extent of the Demonic Aura’s influence on him. Just a month ago, in the same situation, he likely wouldn’t have been thinking about any of that, but now he was getting distracted by a woman’s appearance.

A loud cough from Rylei pulled him from his stupor, and he looked up to see she had taken her helmet off, and was grinning at him from across the table they had all sat at.

“Enjoying yourself there, kid?” She only laughed as he started to blush, but luckily Jyce was there to bring them back on topic.

“Penora, as Aralen mentioned earlier, we’re looking for a succubus named Nylia, who we believe was in contact with you recently. Can you tell us where we could find her?”

Penora let out a thoughtful hmm as she brought a finger to her chin, before shaking her head.

“I haven’t seen Nylia in a while, at least since I first met my sweet Darling here. For a while before, we used to live together at a huge castle somewhere to the north, by the ocean. It was quite lovely… But I got bored, and we came here,” she said in her melodic voice, and Rylei’s brows furrowed in thought.

“Do you think she could be talking about Kurolen’s Keep?” she asked Jyce, who similarly seemed deep in thought. “Penora, what was this castle like?”

“Um… it was mostly underground, with only a big, domed room on the surface, and there were a bunch of funny little men that looked like mud everywhere! I thought they were so silly, but Nylia was kind of mean to them…”

“Yeah, that has to be Kurolen’s Keep. The mud people might be brutes? Or maybe a summon of some kind, not sure. I don’t take Nylia as the type to hole up in a castle, though, so there’s a decent chance she will have left by now, but it’s the best option we have,” Jyce mused, and Rylei nodded in agreement.

“No reason not to head there. If she’s there, then great, and if not we can continue the hunt from there, plus it’s the best chance we have of finding the elf captain as well. We can probably get there by tomorrow.”

“I want to help.” Aralen’s voice seemed to surprise the two adventurers, and he could tell they didn’t like the idea from the glance they threw at each other.

“We appreciate the thought, really, but you’re not ready to face someone like Nylia. That’s best left to us,” Rylei started, but Aralen already had an idea ready.

“I’m not asking to fight Nylia. I just want to go to the keep with you, just in case something goes wrong. If this succubus is as strong as you say, then you’ll need someone to notify Selene or someone else that she’s there, and with my condition, I can resist her corruption enough to escape. Plus, if I go, I’m sure Penora would be willing to come with me, and having someone who knows the building and area would be valuable. Besides, it’s like you said, right? If I never try, I can never see how good I can be.” He didn’t mention that he wanted to be there if they managed to find Lithael. It sounded silly in his head, but he felt like he owed her after that first fight in the forest, and he especially felt like he owed her after she was taken by a monster girl right under his nose.

Penora seemed to be okay with the suggestion, and Aralen could tell that his arguments had swayed the duo.

“Fine, but nothing crazy. You’ll listen to our instructions, and if we tell you to run, you run, got it?”

Aralen nodded eagerly, excited to join them on such an important journey, and Penora nodded alongside him, mirroring his actions. Rylei stood up, putting her helmet back on while the others rose as well.

“It’s settled, then. We’ll head back to Alvode, have Selene check in on Penora quickly, then prepare for Kurolen’s Keep.”

As the group left the hut and made their way back through the forest to the trail, the apprehension inside Aralen as he mentally prepared for the next day was dwarfed by the sense of satisfaction and pride he had for his first journey and the sense that this was only the first step of many for the budding monster girl hunter.