Join the force here, they told me…
No threat of mamono here, they told me…
…and NOW look at what’s going on.
That was my thought process as the chief dropped the file on my desk. The one I had already investigated and deemed a mamono attack. “Doesn’t matter what you found.” The chief told me, irritation clear in his voice, though his breath made it clear he’d already been drinking this early in the day. “Just bring the boy back. Form up a task force from SWAT if you have to, but you bring that boy home.”
Taking a deep breath before nodding, I responded the only way I was allowed to in this situation. “I’ll get it done, chief.”
“Damn right you will.” He acknowledged with a nod, attempting to sound encouraging “If he was grabbed by one of those tramps, then you drag him back here, all right?”
Now back at the site of the incident, a pistol at my side loaded with demon realm silver rounds: ones that had been gathering dust since I first started on the force, as I’d never really had need for them in the entirety of my time working for them.
“Damn it all… now I’m out hunting a mamono… great day for me.” I muttered to myself. I was currently alone, as taking a SWAT team as he suggested would have only made our presence more obvious, and created the potential for more victims of mamono ‘proactive dating’.
Stepping back over to the start of the trail from the car, it wasn’t exactly difficult to track, as there was a single large tread running from the car out into the woods. It was obviously some manner of serpent mamono, like a lamia. Hopefully it wasn’t a wurm, as my pistol rounds would do little more than annoy one of those. But judging from the lack of shattered trees, and the fact his car door hadn’t been flung away like a broken toy, it was unlikely it had been a wurm.
Following the obvious trail for roughly a mile into the woods, I knew it was going to be a loooong day, as even if I were successful in reclaiming the mayor’s son, we would have to trudge through these woods the whole way back to my car, and since it had been more than a day since he was gone, he may not WANT to leave once I found him, as it only took mamono a short time to ‘work their magic’ as it were on the man they desired.
As I continued, the trail became wider, as it connected with other paths through the woods, seeming to form a crude road through the trees.
Not good. If there was this many connected routes, then I might be dealing with a previously-unknown lamia village, that would mean I might just be delivering another eligible guy into their midst: me.
Real glad I didn’t bring the team: things might have gotten ugly.
Continuing along this road until the sight of buildings made itself known, I carefully made my way to the window of the first house, checking into the building, but not seeing him anywhere, just a small lamia child that I promptly moved to stay out of sight of: I had zero jurisdiction right now if this was an actual settlement, so now all I could do was find him, as things had gotten more complicated.
Moving to the next house, the almost made it seem like the entire building was creaking rhythmically, a voice calling out to her partner, a second voice then groaning something back. Between the shaking, the moaning and the awkwardness of the whole situation, I didn’t even notice something wrap around my legs until I tried to move.
“You know, it’s pretty creepy to be listening to a couple go at it like that…” a female voice then berated me, as I turned to see a lamia with dark red hair and bright green scales. “…especially when you could just find someone yourself…”
“Well, not really my thing.” I responded, annoyed by the implication she was making. “I’m looking for someone in particular at the moment.”
“Sure you are.” She commented. “Especially since my daughter told me she heard someone creeping around the house, and to make it weirder, it was a man of all things.” Looking at me with suspicion, like she was going to turn ME in to whatever passed for the law around here.
“Yeah, well, like I said, I’m trying to find someone in particular.” I responded, tempted to reach for my weapon, but escalating things like that wouldn’t help ANYONE, especially since she wasn’t going to attack me herself: if she had a daughter, it was most likely she was already married.
“Really? Is that it?” She then got a smirk on her face as if she’d figured it out, leaned in and asked in a sultry tone “Looking for your type? What is it? Asses? Tits? What’re you looking for?” As she said this, she pressed onto me a moment, letting her ample chest touch my arm just a moment before pulling back.
“Th-that’s not what I meant!” I protested. “I’m looking for a guy actually! He was kidnapped not long ago!”
Her mischievous expression quickly switched to one of disappointment. “Oh, so you work for the city, then? Police?” she asked, shaking her head “Figured someone would come looking eventually. But if you’re here to kidnap someone yourself to make up the difference, then I’m afraid I’m already taken.”
Taken aback by this conclusion, I responded “No, I’m just here to get the guy back to his loved ones.”
“Oh?” she then got her smirk back as she started again “So you’re here to take a guy away from his loved ones to bring him back to his boring old life back there?” now getting closer again, she told me “See, I saw my friend bringing the guy you’re looking for back, and this is actually their place. He protested at first: most do, but he had the shortest turnaround time I ever heard, was moaning for her before they first finished. So… now that you know where he is, what are you gonna do? Break in, shoot her and try to fight your way out dragging a guy behind you who’s fighting you all the way back out there?” She asked, clearly knowing I had no way to actually carry that out.
“No.” I responded. “This is an actual settlement, which means it’s outside my jurisdiction. I just wanted to know where he was, so now it’ll be up to the mayor and whoever’s in charge around here to settle it. But I’ll have to wait until they’re done, I have to confirm it’s him before I can go.”
“Well… see, about that: they don’t really get “done”. The initial courtship can run for days on end.” She then told me, now blushing “I remember mine and hubby’s… so good…” her tail loosening around my legs as she clearly wanted to bolt home and re-live the experience. “But unless you want to break in while they’re in the middle, you won’t be seeing him anytime soon.”
As I mulled over this series of facts, I tried to figure out a good way to get in and figure it out without making things too weird, or escalating the problem. However, I didn’t even notice the lack of a tail around my legs until they were grabbed again. “Ooooo, you were right, Kat, he IS a decent find~” a voice, different from the one that had been talking to me before, suddenly spoke up.
Looking up from my thoughts now, I found a second lamia, with dark purple hair and scales that seemed as if made of silver, grinning at me, the first lamia I had spoken to starting to go back toward her house. “You can find out it’s him after they’re done!” she called to me “Until then, you’ll probably be busy a while yourself!” before vanishing into her house, loud crashing sounds able to be heard from inside.
“Well, she’s got hers, they’ve got theirs and I’ve got mine~” the second lamia now declared as more of her tail began to coil around me “All is right in the world~” now reaching to my side, she grabbed my weapon while I was bound, and proceeded to empty it, unused rounds now dropping to the ground harmlessly, before throwing it aside into a bush. “You won’t be needing that, darling~” pressing herself against me, I attempted to struggle out of her grip.
“Oh, that feels nice, keep doing that~” she giggled, now starting to drag me along, leading me to another house in the village “But don’t wear yourself out too quickly, you’ll need your energy~”
As the first lamia had told me, the next few days passed in a blur, my new lamia wife, who briefly identified herself as Holly so that I could call it out in the middle, performed what was apparently lamia ‘courting’. The fact that I could barely move for days even after we were done apparently testament to ‘how much she loved me’ according to her.
By the time I had managed to report back, after I had been myself reported as ‘missing’, I’d had to bring Holly along with me to tell them about the lamia village, so that the mayor could negotiate directly with the matriarch of the village. From what I found out, the only way he was able to come back to town was to take his wife with him, which apparently caused quite the stir in town.
Then again, all that was second-hand, since I didn’t actually live in town anymore, having to commute from the lamia village every day, then having to make up to Holly for the lost time once I got back every night.
I’ve got to say, though… definitely worth it.