It was coming up to dusk and they were still too far away from the zone boundary to get out of the Slime Swamps before night. None of them really knew what was in store for them other than Tira's “light forest” comment. For all they knew, it could be an army of devastated goblins looking to replenish their ranks with the four breeders flying into their midst.
As she thought about it, the corner of Erlea's lips turned into a smile. She hated herself for liking the idea, but being repeatedly fucked by goblins almost seemed pleasurable compared to the relenting rape from the King Slime or shucks. Her own both warmed at the thought of a hard cock driving into her pussy to spew hot liquid deep inside her.
“Your wings are buzzing,” whispered Miere. Her lover walked next to her, knee deep in the muck and ooze. Her eyes scanned back and forth looking for any hint of a hidden slime waiting to ambush them.
They had already gotten through two other ambushes, though the violent response, flurry of RKAs, and other attacks kept them secure and still moving.
Erlea glanced at Billie and Tira. Both of them were walking ahead of them but not speaking. Billie's body almost vibrated with her anger, the way she stiffly yanked her legs free of the muck or the roughness she slashed at the branches that hung down too far. Every splatter caused her to jump and tense.
It wasn't entirely Miere's fault that they were raped. The crafter and healer didn't have combat skills to start with, how could she solo King Slime after it managed to nail Billie, Erlea, and Tira?
There was anger though. It may be because Billie lost or that she had been impregnated four times, but she was taking it out on Miere. The beetle girl's words were true, not that Erlea wanted to admit it. They were doing something dangerous and risky by going after the shucks, if Miere couldn't keep up, it would only be a matter of time before the Honningbie would end up dead or ruined.
Erlea sighed. She felt her wings press tight against her back as the dark thoughts swarmed over her.
“I'm sorry.”
Erlea glanced at her lover and then reached down to hold Miere's hand. “I know.”
“I-I couldn't do anything.”
It was the same thing Erlea was just thinking. She squeezed Miere's hand. “Just let it go. You can't change the past and I think our plans of keeping you close will be better. Billie will….” Her voice trailed off as she realized she wasn't sure if Billie would come around. Shaking her head, she shrugged before saying “She will do what she needs to do. If she leaves, we'll figure it out somehow. If she stays, then we'll have another good fighter against the shucks.”
Miere's wings slumped. “I should leave.”
From ahead, Billie snapped out. “Yes, right now.”
Erlea glared at the beetle girl, her wings buzzed with annoyance.
Miere tried to pull her hand free of Erlea.
Erlea wouldn't let her. She tightened her grip and pulled Miere closer until their hips were touching and their damp wings caressed either other. “You aren't leaving me, not here. There is no way you would survive if a slime caught you.”
“You mean if anyone caught me?”
Erlea didn't want to say it.
Tira paused, pulling away from Billie to come up even with Erlea and Miere. “I don't think we're going to make it to the zone before nightfall.”
“See any good places to camp?”
All three of them looked around at the dripping trees and thick mud that covered the ground. It was splattered across all of their bodies, clinging to bare breasts and skin.
Erlea smirked. “No.”
“Do we do shifts? And how? None of us can see in the dark and I doubt I could keep a fire going in all this slime. My illusions might help, but I have to concentrate.”
“I don't know yet.”
“Well, you're the leader. Hopefully you'll get some good ideas and soon.” The moth girl gestured to the setting sun.
Erlea cringed. She didn't feel like a leader at the moment. She glanced around for a high spot. There was none. On both sides of the trail they followed was just more of the same thing: thick muddy swamp punctuated by sickly looking trees or mounds of dirt. Everything dripped with slime. Even their trail was frequently underwater; her bare feet were wrinkled from the constant moisture.
Miere's wings fluttered. “If I could get to the ground, I might be able to shape something. But not this slime stuff, I need—”
At the sudden idea, Erlea smiled broadly. “I got an idea.”
Even Billie stopped. The beetle girl turned around curiously.
“We'll make a shelter over…” Erlea turned until she found what she was looking for. Pointing at a large hassock, she smiled brightly. “… there.”
The higher spot still had slime glistening over the surface of a hill. The thick grasses were bent over with the weight of it dripping into thick rivers that ran down all sides of the hassock. Around it, there were disturbing ripples of the smaller slimes, not enough to rape but big enough to crawl on everything.
“Oh yeah,” Billie scoffed. “That looks good. Do we sleep with our face in the mud to suffocate or on our backs where your wings will get pinned in place?”
Erlea raised her hand, concentrating on her powers to shift them. She remembered how it felt to do the area effect, though she wanted something only a few yards across instead of miles. Once she had that fixed in her mind, she focused on creating heat along with her destruction.
The hassock exploded into white-hot flames.
The other breeders jumped with surprise.
Erlea continued to smile as she held the flames for a long count of three before releasing the RKA. Exhaustion sapped at her strength as she regarded the now-smoking hassock. It had been burned clear to the now dry dirt. Slowly, she turned to Miere. “Can you build a small hive on that? Something coated to keep the slimes out?”
Her lover smiled. She shook her wings free, splattering slime everywhere, and then took off to soar over the slime.
Erlea's gaze focused on the tight rear of her lover, enjoying how her entire legs flexed when she landed on the smoking ground. It gave her a warmth that fluttered across her chest; it wasn't the heated pulse of thinking about being impregnated but Erlea still loved Miere with all her heart.
Miere didn't look back as she started to shape the ground. Paper and wax flowed from her hands as she started to form a large circle around her. It went almost to the very edge, the wax filling in all the gaps to create a waterproof—hopefully also a slime-proof—shell.
Erlea smiled to Tira and Billie but her eyes were focused on the beetle girl. “That should help us, right?”
Billie's face twisted in a scowl. She crossed her arms and looked away.
Flinching, Erlea sighed. She didn't mean to poke. Shaking her wings free, she started to hover but then glanced at Billie. Even though the beetle girl had her back to her, Erlea was reminded that she couldn't fly. Landing on the ground, she took a deep breath, reconfigured her attack, and started to blast.
RKAs exploded from her palm, the searing heat and golden flames slamming into the mud with a muted booms. Dried dirt and grass flew in all directions as she walked her attacks across the marsh and to the hassock. Her bare feet only touched hot, dry ground as she continued to blow a path clear to the hassock.
Miere was standing with her mouth open in shock as Erlea stepped off the baked ground. Her cheeks were flushed as she closed them into a smile. “That's hot.” Then she blushed before holding up her finger. “Hold on, the mud is going to roll back if I don't get this.”
She flew past Erlea, her wingtips caressing Erlea's shoulder. She landed on the baked ground a few feet away and began to use her magic. The ground buckled as Miere set down a series of paper columns that blossomed into mushroom-like heads. Everything glistened dully with a thick layer of wax that would protect it from the elements for a few days.
It took only a few minutes before Tira was able to walk across them.
Billie wasn't with her.
“She's hunting food.”
“Alone?”
Tira pulled a face. “She insisted. I didn't want her to go alone, but she's struggling with everything.”
“Miere didn't—”
Tira held up her hand. “Miere is a healer and a crafter. The only thing she could have done in that fight was get bred like the rest of us. I understand what she did, that's what I tell the other moths when I take them out.”
“R-Really?” asked Miere.
“Well, yes. You don't put healers or mages on the front ranks. They get slaughtered in a matter of seconds. That's why you have big fighters in front lines. You support fighters, the fighters keep you from getting raped.”
Erlea frowned. That almost sounded reasonable.
“Almost every fight like that. You are fine until your front ranks get nailed and then,” she smiled, “you're fucked. Hard, fast, and popping out baby monsters for hours. Billie knows that, she is just upset that she lost a fight.”
Tira shook her head. “Against a fucking slime of all things. Those are suppose to be the baby opponents.”
“Like goblins?”
“Yeah, just like goblins. Though you didn't lose your virginity to a goblin, remember?”
Erlea's pussy grew warmer at the thought. “Come on, you watch over Miere while I go fly after Billie. We really shouldn't be left alone here.”