Going Feet First Ch. 04

"In what way can you tell if she is carrying or not?" the Nobleman prodded, a curious look about him.

"According to Val, sixteen days after the seed is planted, the Tree Elf's aura will be drawn to her belly. So that could be anytime within the next fifteen days."

"And if no child grows in her belly?"

"Then I will break her in less than three days, and she will be yours."

Fretheim's frown faded as he nodded and turned back to Celia. In a slow, purposeful manner he moved a hand to Celia's shoulder and pulled down the blanket. Both her hands were clasped against her shoulders, quivering with her arms covering her breastplate, yet Fretheim gently lifted one of her hands and kissed the back of her fingers.

"Until then, my dear," he whispered.

He then stood up and turned to the Tree Elf, giving her a small bow and heading to the door, Pretayus accompanying. That warm, graceful smile returned to him as he glanced over his shoulder and back at her, a small sigh escaping his lungs the slaver stepped out and shut the door behind them.

"Pretayus, my new friend, I have never seen a creature quite like her," Fretheim stated as he and the Slavemaster started down the hallway.

"Many good men have died to bring her here. I would hope she meets your expectations."

"She does, and I will compensate you for your sacrifice. But tell me, this Demon, is he gone for good?"

"I told you, I am not sure."

Fretheim stopped as he and Pretayus came to a stairwell at the end of the hall. "I will have to look into this. This Celia, she is too precious to let go. And you are as well."

Pretayus cocked an eyebrow, "What does that mean, 'I am as well?'"

Fretheim motioned for him to follow as he began to descend the stairwell. "I have my sights set upon a girl who, if captured, will be arriving sometime within the next few weeks and she will need your attention. No other would suffice as this one I'm sure will push even your talent to its limit."

"I reserve my doubts about that. What kind of capture?" Pretayus inquired as they came to the ground level of the mansion, stepping out of the stairwell into a short hallway.

"The Drow kind," Fretheim answered as he took a few steps to the set of double doors on the right of the mansion's front door. "Now if you excuse me, I will take some privacy for now. Val is waiting for you in the dining hall, enjoy your lunch."

He motioned Pretayus toward a door on the other side of the hallway, and the Slavemaster nodded. "Thank you, Lord Fretheim."

Pretayus turned and opened the door to the hall, his eyes suddenly widening as he saw the bountiful feast laid out across a large dining table. Several of the Lord's guards were already there, happily feasting away while they chatted or ogled at the Elf sitting at the far end of the table. Spotting his Lycan Gark and the knight Tin at the table, both of them freely conversing with the others, Pretayus grinned and turned back to Fretheim.

"Truly, sir, thank you."

"You are welcome. Now go, eat, enjoy my hospitality. I have things to tend to."

With another nod, the Slavemaster joined the men in the dining room, receiving a very vocal and warm welcome as he entered. Fretheim chuckled, shaking his head with a grin as he opened up the double doors to his private room and began undoing the top buttons of his shirt.

"Milord," was the mutual greeting from over a dozen female voices.

"I apologize for making you ladies wait, but your new sister has arrived, and I would like to talk to you all about her..."

.....................

Giving a breath of relief out from inside her hood, Petra pocketed a so-called "day-pass" she had purchased from the guards at Redding's massive front gate. Being clear of any eyes that would pose a threat to her, she drew back the hood of her cloak and took in her first full look at a human city. First thing she noticed were how the walls of the main gate behind her rose high above the sides of the Trench, extending into even higher walls and fortifications on the surface. A defensive feature Petra thought was obviously meant to repel an invasion coming on off the plains.

Through a massive grating at the wall's base was the River High, the water body that flowed in from the Atzla Forest down into the Trench. Upon passing through Redding's wall, it was guided into a series of canals that sent the water to every part of the city. While Petra awed at this, her attention came to the number of alcoves and buildings carved out in the face of the trench walls, from the base all the way up to the surface. With no visible walkways going to or from these structures, she could only assume the city expanded out into the underground.

These humans have much ingenuity, and a lot of time on their hands.

Lining the main artery street leading in from the Trench into the city was a vast array of shops, stands, wagons, and guards posts. As expected from a population center such as Redding, this cobblestone path was completely crowded with people. First thing to come to Petra's mind in the presence of such a dense cluster of persons were the dangers it posed. One could stick a knife in your gut or pull the money from your pockets without any other noticing, and then make a clean escape during the ensuing confusion. It made the assassin wary as she cautiously approached the fluid crowd.

At least the stench that had plagued the small town Petra had been in the night before was non-existent here, which the Neko found to be a pleasant surprise. There was no waste in the street, no droppings for her bare feet to land in, only an excessive amount of noise that made her want to plug her ears. Then again, the Ra'zorlichs had towns that were similar in a way, being a bit crowded and filled with people desperate to go through their day as quickly and easily as possible. Yet they were not even close to this scale, and her home village couldn't even be compared to it.

While thinking of the differences between her current surroundings and those of her home territory, Petra began to wonder what kind of terrible experience Celia would have had, being a creature of nature that was forced into such a new and terrifying place. The former Ra'zorlich at least had an idea as to what she should expect; the Tree Elf did not, and she had to face it all without Galen at her side.

I have to find her. The man who wanted her was a Lord Fretheim, a man with a lot of wealth and power. If I wanted to seek information... I should start in a place where there are loose tongues... or where there are humans that can be bribed... or perhaps where alcohol can be bought and consumed.

Having an idea of what she should look for, the assassin drew up her hood and joined ranks with the flowing crowd. For nearly ten zetras she scanned the shops and buildings around her, brushing shoulders with people on either side of her at regular intervals. Twice she felt a hand feel around her waist only to be stopped by her cloak, and the one time a man tried to reach past her mantle, she made sure his fingers felt the wrath of her claws. In the ensuing chaos of a man screaming about a rogue Neko, Petra quietly slipped away with the crowd, though she could not help but laugh when she saw men in armor club the cut-purse over the head and drag him away.

After nearly a half zetran of shuffling along, bumping into people as they tried to reach their destinations, the hoard of city-goers opened up and poured out into a massive square. Of course, every direction led to some merchant pedaling his goods or a beggar asking for coin, but at least the assassin wasn't shoulder-to-shoulder with people constantly trying to clean out her pockets. She could actually stretch out her arms and stop and take a look around without being bumped into or pushed aside.

She walked to the middle of the square, looking about her surrounding area with both curiosity and comfort as most of the foot traffic drifted toward the merchants. Only a few people had come to the center of the square to relax and they had all gathered around the magnificent fountain built there. The fountain had three tiers, and sported a life-sized statue of some armored human mounted atop a horse. His appearance was similar to the other statue in the small town the Neko passed through the previous night, but the inscription differed as at its base. It read, "King Carlyle, champion of the Zennin fields and founder of Redding."

"Hmmm," Petra mumbled, taking a second glance at the statue's face before carrying on.

As she began to cross the square, still taking in the view of the big city, a person in the crowd gathered around a fish stand caught her attention. After initially spotting her, Petra found herself blinking her eyes and looking again. In that instant her interest shifted away from her previous task- from everything, really- and fixed upon this new woman.

At first she appeared to be a normal human woman, with black hair descending halfway down her back and twirling frills in front that hung over the front of her sleeveless, white shirt. Her face was one Petra could only describe as gorgeous, with a dazzling radiance enhanced by her bright, blue eyes.

But what the Neko found most confounding thing about this woman, were the distinct feline ears atop her head, and the lengthy black tail with the blonde tip emerging from the back of her brown pants.

From what Petra could see, the woman had no fur over her olive skin, no claws on her graceful fingers, nor any other physical trait that marked her as a Neko. Only the ears and the tail. Yet these small features intrigued Petra like nothing else; she wanted to know who this person was and what her lineage was. Her curiosity could not be contained.

She watched with intensity as the woman purchased several fish from the stall and placed them in the bag she carried, giving the merchant a pair of silver coins before politely waving good-bye. When this Half-human Hybrid began to walk away, Petra tightened her cloak up around her body and began to trail in behind her.

In a passive-aggressive manner, the Hybrid nudged people out of her way as she moved through the tide of shoppers gathered around the edges of the city square, oblivious to the cloaked Neko coasting through the gap she had made in the crowd. Upon clearing the square, she ventured onto an empty side-street in between a pair of shops and Petra quickly followed suit.

Maintaining a proper distance, the assassin followed the Hybrid onto yet another primary street that, while noticeably less packed than the main road or square, still was flooded with a considerable amount of people, enough to make the Neko wonder just how many there were living in the city. She added this to her growing list of curiosities while struggling to keep the woman in her sights in this chaotic environment.

Just as the Neko stepped onto the street, the Hybrid glanced over her shoulder, staring right in her direction. Using the crowd for cover, the assassin moved off to the side and began walking alongside the shops and merchant stands while feigning interest in some of the goods. After a few moments, the Hybrid's gaze returned to her front, and Petra resumed tailing her.

The assassin quickly found keeping up with her mark while remaining unnoticed proved to be a challenge far different than stalking a person through the forests of her homeland. There she had trees and shadows to hide her body and many creatures available to disguise any sounds she made. In the city while she found remaining silent was not an issue, there was still a lack of cover to hide behind and the many eyes surrounding her that could easily notice if she made any suspicious movements.

If even one person ousted her, it could create a complicated situation if she wished to still follow the Hybrid. Or if Pretayus was nearby, the situation could really change.

Still keeping a close distance between her and the Hybrid, the Neko followed her interest to a small square where two primary streets merged into one. Here she found herself brushing shoulders with dozens of people trying to get past her and press on toward wherever they were heading.

Soon the flowing wall of bodies began to intermittently block the Hybrid from Petra's line-of-sight, forcing her to move closer to the woman than she wanted to. When the crowd finally thinned out and she once again had breathing room, the Neko was abruptly shoved aside by a stranger. She stumbled forward only a step before deftly steadying her feet and whipping around, claws ready to erupt from her fingers.

Whoever had bumped her was forcing his way through the crowd, pushing everybody out of his way as he hurried through. With that man already out of reach, and her mark so close, Petra let him go for the sake of not starting a scene. She began to grumble under her breath as she turned back toward the direction of her mark, only to find herself stand directly behind the woman's rear as she bent over to browse a selection of spices at a table.

Being so close to the Hybrid's ass, Petra sucked in her lower lip, her fists clenching on the insides of her cloak. Had she found herself in such a situation with Teirie, her junior would find herself forced down over the table with her pelvic wrap stripped and a tongue diving into the sweet spot between her legs. It was a mutual courtesy Petra would also expect from her junior, should she have found herself in such a position; it was all part of the game the two Shadow Stalkers had played when none were around.

Only now the assassin had to restrain herself, a challenge that did not play well with the urges coursing through her sex. After enjoying that game for so long, the act of surprise sex had almost become second nature to her. Quitting now was bringing an uncomfortable shift to her hips and only made the Nekonian scent coming off of the Hybrid's body even more enticing to her senses. What also did not help was the sweet, fruity smell mixed with her body's natural fragrance, and how she was so vulnerable here to the former Shadow Stalker's desires.

Biting down on her lip and pressing her claws into her palms, Petra forced herself to step off to the Hybrid's right and look over the items spread across the table. With much strain she managed to plant her attention on jars for sale that were filled with different fruits and powders, all with a wide range of smells too diverse for the Neko to narrow down.

After a few moments deliberation, the Hybrid finally purchased one jar filled with a light red and orange powder and another filled with crushed strawberries before moving away from the stall. Petra waited only a few moments to ensure her mark was an acceptable distance away before moving on herself.

The assassin had only turned and not gone two steps before she saw the Hybrid stopped in the middle of the crowd. Both the half-human's head and her feline ears perked up, her tail twitching before she spun around and quickly scanned the area behind her. A deep frown arched down over her eyes as she went over the many faces behind her.

Keeping her hood over her head, Petra casually carried on across the street, slipping her way through the crowd while hoping to avoid the attention of her mark. But then she sensed an overbearing weight coming down upon her shoulders, the hairs on her back standing on end. The Hybrid was watching her, Petra knew it. Her body always felt such sensations when she was singled out.

In a bit more of an urgent manner, she slipped through the hoard of shoppers to the other side of the street. There she found herself in front of a stand packed with quilts, robes, coats and cloaks of all kinds and colors for sale by an old, frail, human woman with long, tied-back hair whiter than winter's snow.

Right as she began to look over the selection of mantels, the tense feeling gently lifted from Petra's shoulders, prompting her to turn back toward the street. She caught the sight of the Hybrid woman shrugging and shaking her head while muttering under her breath.

Just when Petra thought the woman's attention had gone elsewhere, she glanced over her shoulder one last time, checking over the area behind her with a puzzled look on her face. The assassin kept her cool, keeping her head down but not so far down as to arouse suspicion. After a moment, her mark gave her head another shake and faced forward again.

With that the assassin let out a deep sigh, praising her fortune for not being caught. But before continuing after the Hybrid, she spoke quickly with the old quilt lady, trading her black cloak for a light grey one that was much closer to her size and barely touched the ground around her feet. Fortunately during that time the Hybrid didn't get too far away, as her bag was now over half-filled with goods and was proving difficult for her to keep from swinging around and hitting passersby. This allowed Petra to quickly close the distance between them once again.

The Hybrid continued her trip without any more stops, leaving the market district of Redding and coming into a more residential area where the streets calmed down from rushing crowds to calm, half-empty streets. After walking a few blocks, the woman came to a more trafficked area, only now she didn't move with the crowd. She headed straight toward a large building with a sign above the door marked with the word "Inn." When the Hybrid disappeared inside, the assassin was only a dozen steps behind and headed in after her.

From the moment the Neko opened the door to the establishment, it became immediately clear to her from the smell that this was a place where alcohol was served. The stench of spilled ale filled the air, as well as the lingering odor of vomit that had long since been cleaned up. There was the smell of food there as well, and decent food at that. Looking about the room, Petra could see from where the appetizing scent had come.

Despite the sun being at its highest point, several tables were occupied by several men either nursing or chugging their mugs as they conversed with one another in obnoxiously loud voices. On the opposite side of the room, the half-human woman Petra had been following now went behind a bar where she was greeted by another human woman cleaning out used glasses. The pair had a short exchange before the Hybrid smiled politely at the barmaid and disappeared into the kitchen.

While Petra had been focused on her mark, a young man approached her from among the tables while wiping his hands with a clean, white rag. He brushed his scruffy dark hair out from in front of his face to reveal his deep brown eyes, itching the soft stubble sprouting from the bottom of his chin.

As the Neko's hood was still drawn over her head, she did not see his approach and nearly jumped when he asked, "Can I get you anything?"

Petra's head snapped toward him, claws ready under her cloak. The young man, upon seeing her feline face, bounced back a step while both his eye brows raised and his jaw slacked off. A mess of words began to pile up on his tongue as his brain struggled to find a polite thing to say after his rude reaction to her appearance.

Thoughts of slashing the boy across the face for showing such shock ran through Petra's mind. It was expected for one to be surprised at seeing a Neko in these lands, but the way the boy jumped at the sight of her stirred a cold rage in the assassin's belly. The only thing that spared the city dweller from Petra's wrath was that the Hybrid woman had come back out from the kitchen and recaptured the Neko's attention instantly.

Not only was the assassin's gaze caught on this woman, but half the men in the room as well. Several of them peered down into small pouches on their hips, saddened looks coming about them shortly after. Seeing the men do this, the Hybrid kissed her hand and laid it flat below her mouth, blowing soft air across her fingers. This action, while puzzling Petra, had many of the men grinning before they returned to whatever they were doing originally. Bearing a broad smile herself, the Hybrid continued on to a staircase that led to a line of rooms above the bar.