Nova pov,

  Sapphire’s tail slowly thumped on the floor repeatedly. Her ears twitched in worry. Nova petted her worried girlfriend's head and soft ears. Sapphire was hugging slime Nova. They were using Nova’s slime self as a bed in Beornia’s office. The padin was sleeping soundly on the other side of slime Nova.

  “Can’t sleep?” Nova asked.“I’m just really worried,” Sapphire said. Nova’s slime self reached out, and embraced Sapphy, rubbing her back.

  “She should be worried,” a parrotlike voice came out the floor.Nova and Sapphire looked around the floor for where the voice came from. They couldn’t find anything.A part of the floor suddenly transformed into a colorful raven.“I forgot I was still disguised. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Athelfd, crown princess of Nifolmarch, daughter of prince Hrothgar, and granddaughter of the hero king Dracawine, he is the suzerain of this bishopric,” The bird said. “So, royalty in this country are birds?” Nova asked. The bird pecked at the floor making a tapping noise.“Honey no, both his highness Dracawine, and her highness Athelfd are human beast tamers. Dracawine tamed a dragon before forging a kingdom out of the nifolwildes some fifty years ago. He divided the nd between himself, his five companions, the temple, and his then ten and fifteen year old sons.” Sapphire expined while rubbing Nova’s horns.“At least someone here doesn’t have seed for brains,” Athelfd said through the bird. “More importantly though, You need to leave the city tonight!” “The bishop has something pnned for us!” Sapphire decred.“Why should I listen to a talking bird?” Nova asked.“It’s like the worst kept royal secret that her majesty the crown princess has a flock of bird familiars spying everywhere,” Sapphire said.“I could just let things py out. After tomorrow you would rot in the bishop’s dungeon. Charging holy artifacts. I could offer Sapphire a deal in exchange for getting you out, All that would be a headache. I would rather not negotiate with the bishop,” Athelfd said.“So what should we do?” Nova asked. “The padin you are so fond of, should know of at least one secret passage out of the acropolis…”

  _ _ _

  Beornia quietly led Nova and Sapphire through the halls of the temple. They soon made it to a celr. Full of barrels, crates, and bags of grain. Beornia moved some barrels out of the way, and lifted up a trap door. “This is one of the many escape routes,” Beornia said quietly as they walked through the winding tunnel. They soon left the tunnel, and followed a narrow goat path down the hill. The thick fog did not allow them to see far. Beornia quietly chanted something. Suddenly Sapphire’s eyes started to glow. “You have the best senses out of all of us. Get us to the port without being seen!” Beornia said giving the wolf girl some pets. Nova gave Sapphire's soft lips a kiss. While petting her with her slime self. Nova was hiding under a big cloak so that no one could tell she was actually a demon. This is much more comfortable than hiding my demonic appendages with illusion magic. Nova thought.

  “Let’s get moving,” Beornia said, looking annoyed. Nova grabbed Beornia’s cheeks and pulled her down into a chaste kiss. “You are cute when you are jealous,” Nova said quietly after pulling away.“I’m not…” Beornia started to say. She was stopped by Nova’s knowing look, “let’s just go,” Beornia said looking flustered. Nova stifled a giggle with her hand. Sapphire’s tail wagged happily, as she led her girlfriend and metamour toward the harbor. Boernia let her shield hang as she grabbed Nova’s hand. Sapphire was very adept at navigating the city. “Sapphy have you been here before?” Nova asked.“This is my first time. I just have to follow my nose. Strong smells come from the docks,” Sapphire expined.

  After some time of following Sapphy around. The wolf-kin suddenly turned around, and herded them into an alleyway. Nova gave Sapphy a questioning look. But she soon heard a lot of footsteps getting closer. The three of them squished into a doorway to avoid detection. “Captain, no monsters in this alley,” “This one is clear too,” The soldiers voices rang out as they passed by.The patrol soon marched past the alley. Their footsteps grew quieter in the distance. Sapphy led her companions out of the alleyway, and they continued their journey toward the water district.

  Soon the smell of dead fish overwhelmed Nova’s senses. I see what she means when she says “strong smells.” In a few moments she started hearing the sound of rippling water. A stout man carrying a torch appeared out of the fog. His tunic was half blue and half yellow and he wore a green hoodlike hat with a long tail. His brown leather belt had a saex1A simple dark age knife in a green linen sheath, and a brown leather coin purse hanging from it. “Yer here,” The man drawled while stroking his well trimmed red beard. “Name’s Eadgar, welcome to my knarr2 A wide norse boat used to transport goods and livestock,” Eadgar said, as he led them onto his boat.“Do you run this boat all by yourself?” Nova asked.“Mostly, dockhands will help me load and unload cargo. I normally have a partner, but he broke a leg in a drunken tussle st night. The knarr got fully loaded today and I couldn’t find someone to repce my partner. That is until you three showed up,” Eadgar said.Eadgar stopped talking for a bit as he guided his boat out of the harbor and down the river. “I’m gd to have a padin with me. A lot of the Goddess' shrines failed a day up river from the capital. The day we were due to arrive in Nothscir, the river kobolds started attacking us. We killed the kobolds and put as much breeze in the sails, as we could without prematurely exhausting our mana pools,” Eadgar said while he stroked his beard.

  “What are you transporting?” Sapphire asked. “Mostly monster parts. Rare herbs that only grow in the nifolwilde, and the bounty of the wilderness,” Eadgar said. “That makes sense since the heartnd of the kingdom around the capital is well developed. You probably sail upriver with food supplies, clothes, livestock, weapons, and armor,” Sapphire said. “Yer a smart youngin. I also transport a few people both ways. A lot of new adventurers, priests or pilgrims want to go to Nothscir. Farmers and merchants from Nothscir want to go to the big city to buy supplies or livestock that are harder to acquire. I charge them of course if they want to use my boat to transport their wares,” The boatman leaned closer to Sapphire and lowered his voice. “You never look through someone’s wares and go bbbing about what they are transporting. I sometimes forget to add some choice items to my manifest,” The man said with a well meaning chuckle. “It would slip my mind too if I were transporting some exotic goods that had high tariffs,” Sapphire responded with a cute giggle. “I like you. What’s yer name ss?” Eadgar asked, as he chuckled more.“My name is Sapphire. The cold one bundled in the cloak is my girlfriend Nova, And the brooding padin staring off in the distance is Beornia,” Sapphire introduced her companions. Nova gave a shy wave when she was introduced. Beornia however just ignored them.

  “I see you do lean that way. Can’t say I bme you, women are mighty fine. If you are ever in need of a job Sapphire you can join me on my knarr as an equal partner,” Eadgar offered amused. “I lean all the ways. I will keep your offer in mind,” Sapphire said with a flirtatious smile. “Aren’t you a priestess of the Goddess?” Eadgar asked. “Well, The goddess of Fertility not the Maiden Goddess,” Sapphire crified. “Damn you are just the whole package. Among women beast-kin are the finest,” Eadgar flirted back. “Now you are just fttering me,” Sapphire giggled, as she felt Eadgar’s beard with one of her hands.“I meant it. Beast-kin are so fluffy they have cute ears and cute tails. This trip would be a lot easier with a ritual,” Eadgar felt the soft fur on the back of Sapphire’s hand that was caressing his beard. Feeling left out, Nova grabbed Sapphire’s other hand and started kissing her soft fur. Nova also nuzzled the soft fur with her face. Sapphy giggled at Nova’s attention. Her soft tail intertwined itself with Nova’s tail. The succubus gasped and sighed feeling like she was in heaven. Beornia harrumphed and averted her eyes toward the water.

  Some spshes broke Nova out of her bliss.“Kobolds!” Beornia yelled out in warning.Eadgar picked up his shield and spear. Nova channeled holy magic to both Eadgar’s and Beornia’s eyes since humans don’t see well in the dark. “Having a Maiden Priestess on deck sure is useful,” Eadgar decred as he stabbed a kobold.A humanoid frog type monster grasped onto the edge of the boat, and unched itself into the air. It nded on the deck of the barge. Its tongue shot out of its mouth wrapping around Nova’s Leg. Slime Nova reached a tendril down, and burned the tongue with its caustic goop. The river kobold recoiled, its tongue let go of Nova, returning to its mouth. “Nova there is a spear and shield toward the sail,” Eadgar informed. “The Goddess is strong on that one. I have never seen a kobold loosen its tongue so quickly,” Eadgar commented, as he speared the kobold that attacked Nova. Nova ran toward the sail. She soon spotted the shield and spear. Nova grasped her new equipment. She enchanted all their spears with her holy magic.

  Beornia stabbed kobold after kobold in a killing frenzy. Another kobold jumped at Nova. She bashed it with the boss of her round shield. Then stabbed it with her spear. Five kobolds ran from the front of the boat to the back. Beornia and Nova stood side by side. As they approached. Two of them fell to lightning. The st three shed their tongues out. They wrapped around the spears attempting to disarm their opponents, But the holy magic burned them to ashes. Undeterred The three monsters charged forward. They were easily stabbed and sliced by Nova, and Beornia’s spears.

  The smell of the kobolds overwhelmed Nova’s senses, as they dumped them back into the river.“These are the grossest monsters I have fought,” Nova remarked. “I have fought worse,” Beornia commented proudly. Nova sighed I never want to see this “worse” that she has fought. “We should sleep in shifts. Those frogs could attack again. It’s never a good idea to sail with no one to man the helm,” Eadgar said.He taught his three passengers how to man the boat. Use the tiller, lower and raise the sail. Beornia and Eadgar took the first watch. Nova snuggled up to Sapphire's warm body, falling asleep to the rocking of the boat.