“Rick?”

The word made him turn his head in slight surprise, finding none other than Kat and Alice looking at him in bewilderment.

He figured it made sense. He was drenched, scraped, and shirtless. Someone had given him a towel, but not provided the time to get himself dry nor the shirt that he would’ve needed once done.

Instead, he’d been ushered into the building and practically dragged down the stairs into a luxuriously ornate basement that had blood stains on the walls and ceiling, hairline cracks all over, and a corpse at the bottom of the stairs. A three meter tall decapitated corpse with black fur on its back. Its features strikingly similar to the other bear that Rick had encountered. The young teacher figured they were related.

From there he’d been led to a level further below, a room that had ten very dangerous looking maidens standing watch, armed with spears and swords, one of them heavily armored.

And inside the room were all the human women that had survived the trip thus far and had not been present during the Major’s little presentation.

“So you’re saying you got to fucking see the battle just because you got a dick in your pants!?”

Rick looked at Kat and former student with wide eyes, feeling slightly startled this was her reaction after he’d explained what happened outside. “I almost died.”

The blond woman didn’t falter. “I mean, sure, that sucks. Good thing you didn’t by the way.” She patted his shoulder. “But you do see my point, right? We’re being coddled in here like we’re somehow more fragile against fire breathing maidens than the guys. We’d both roast just about the same way I figure, so what’s with the sexism?”

“I think… I need to sit down a minute,” Rick muttered, blinking slowly and finding himself almost shoved into a wooden chair by Alice. The psychology teacher looked like had several things she wanted to say, but was holding back from commenting just yet.

His eyes moved around the room. There were a dozen women present, all familiar faces. All of them looked his way with various degrees of apprehension, some with hints of horror. Amongst those present, there was only one face scowling at him, wrinkled and angry, and Rick felt a sense of dread hanging over his head at the sight of a woman he’d secretly hoped had been eaten by the ferals.

“What are you doing here?” Ms. Dodson’s voice was like needles against his temple.

And he definitely was not in the mood to play friendly. “I’m here because I had to run for my life from a monster that could punch through walls.” He shot her an equally intense glare. Her lips pursed, but she didn’t press further.

“How bad are things out there?” May spoke up, with some apprehension.

“Hundreds of ferals, probably more.” He rubbed his eyes. “But the worst of it passed, or so I was told.” Pausing, he turned his focus to Alice. Quietly, without a sound, he mouthed a single word.

‘Monica?’

The psychology teacher shook her head, keeping her voice low. “We don’t know.”

“Baron Von banana-face hasn’t shown his creepy mug around,” Kat commented, pointing with her thumb over her shoulder at the only door in the room. “We only saw the man-girl Baroness pop in a couple times, looked more like she was counting heads than anything else.”

Rick nodded solemnly, pulling up the piece of cloth he’d been given and using it to ruffle his hair. He needed to get his thoughts straight- he was in the manor, safe, but now what? Monica should be in here, somewhere.

Two problems to solve, then. Where was the cat, and how to get to her?

The problem of how to get out would need its own consideration once the status of Monica’s situation was confirmed. A part of him hoped it could be resolved peacefully, proof of bonding, that was it, the law was on his side. The law should be on his side. Would that shove the Baron out of the way? Would it be possible to use it to at least get his guards to stand aside?

He only needed to get the proof out, soon.

“The Baron is likely with Monica.” Alice’s words startled him, he turned to look at the thoughtful expression on her face. “He’s… obsessed, if he hasn’t shown up it’s because he must be occupied with something, and you said he wasn’t participating in the protection of the village. I can’t think of anything else he’d be doing if he’s pressed for time.”

“Oh! I’ve got an idea.” Kat’s whisper jolted Rick, and he raised his head to look at her smug smirk.

“I don’t like that look.” His eyes moved towards the rest of the people gathered. The way Ms. Dodson was glaring their way was something that did not bode too well with him. Based on Alice’s recount of what happened back at the bus after he left, he was of a mind of throwing her out so she got a chance to talk with the ferals.

“You just have to play along.” She replied. “I’m sure this should get you to at least meet one of the two snob-assed pricks in the house.”

“Play along to what?”

The sound of a slap just about made him jump, and it took him a moment to realize Kat had faked it by making it an awkward clap. Immediately following this, the young woman shrieked and jumped back, pointing an accusing finger at him.

Already he wasn’t liking where this was going.

The door had burst open before anyone could so much as speak, a tall woman wielding a spear had entered and halted instantly. Her eyes darted from one side of the room to the next. Rick could feel how she paused on each woman there, locking onto their throats for a fraction of a second before she finally stopped at Kat.

“Take him away!” Kat spoke with a shrill nasal voice that sounded an awful lot like a bad Ms. Dodson impersonation.

A heartbeat of silence, and the armed maiden looked at Rick, meeting his gaze, and then turned back to Kat.

Not that Kat faltered. “He… he touched me!” She said, now pointing more insistently, covering her mouth. Rick was mostly certain there was a hint at a smirk hidden behind those fingers.

The lance wielding woman turned from shocked to angry so fast Rick almost saw sparks flying out of her eyes. A sense of dread spread through him as the maiden approached. “Sir.” Her voice was a growl, a hand reached down to grasp at his arm. “You will have to come with me.”

The urge to speak out and call Kat a liar was strong; his jaw clenched and his gaze burned holes through the young student that was hiding a smile behind that hand of hers. No doubt she was proud of herself for the stunt she’d just pulled, smug even as Alice shot venom her way just as intensely as Rick was.

He would remember this.

“Ok,” he declared without a struggle, not properly able to stand up before the armed maiden with a blue collar yanked him from his seat. Her grip on his arm was painfully tight.

“Going to take this one to the Lord,” his captor stated to the other guards, specifically addressing the armored maiden, only sharing a nod before Rick was dragged further down the carpeted and well-lit corridor and away from the stairs they’d used to descend to this floor. It didn’t feel like a dungeon, it was too lavishly furnished. The subterranean area was more like a luxury hotel, with red carpets, bright glowing lights, portraits at either side of the corridor… definitely not a place that gave the impression it would hold prisoners.

He had to think fast- wherever he was being taken would not be a good place, maybe a cell? How close would he be to where they were keeping Monica trapped? How could he even confirm without being able to see her?

Through his mind flashed a singular response, the river, drowning. And hearing her voice call his name despite being submerged.

Just one way to find out.

With a sharp intake breath, Rick let out a scream. “MONICA!”

His voice echoed through the walls, the woman dragging him halted, flinching and looking at him with a glare. “What are you doing?”

THUMP

There was the sound of something hitting something else, something solid. There was a sound of alarm further ahead. The young man could almost make out the source, somewhere further ahead?

After a split second, a singular muffled cry called out, barely audible as it came from the corridor to his right. “RICK!” The voice came not just through his ears but his mind, and with it he became instantly certain Monica wasn’t just there but nearby. Less than a dozen meters below.

His guard yanked him closer, snarling as she squeezed his arm hard enough he felt his bones groan in complaint. “What. Did. You. Do?”

“I came for my cat,” he replied, wincing but not backing down.

No sooner had he spoken the words than a large figure came rushing from the corridor. “The Lord has been wounded! Get a healer!”

The cry snapped the brunette’s attention away from Rick and towards the approaching armored woman. “What?”

The new arrival wore a copper collar and a dead-serious expression. “Go get a healer, NOW!”

“Ma’am, I-”

“Your Lord is wounded, go get the healer. GO!” Her eyes flicked towards Rick.

“Yes ma’am!”

With the brunette rushing off, Rick had an opportunity to look at the new arrival. The most striking feature was her green skin- a deep emerald, like algae. The second most striking feature was her size, two meters and change, her body muscular enough it barely fit in the gray uniform, with barely a touch of femininity in her curves but the whole of her held a fearsome edge under the metallic breastplate she wore.

She glared at him. With one large green hand, she gripped his arm. Her fingers wrapped around his bicep and kept him unable to bend his elbow.

“You Rick?”

What else was he supposed to do? “Yes.”

She didn’t comment, only nod, turning around and dragging him along the path she came from with little regard for Rick’s inability to keep up. His steps dragged some of the time while he fumbled with his feet, urgently trying to keep up with the hulking woman.

She moved with intent and purpose.

“Always wondered who the human that bonded that feral was,” she growled under her voice, tightening her grip on his arm and making him wince. “The greenies won’t shut up about you either.”

He opened his mouth, silenced instantly when she let out a snarl.

The steps led down stairs, made out of stone. The electric white lighting of the furnished areas did not follow down the dark corridor, replaced by a flickering orange, casting the stairs in shadow, but it seemed this behemoth of a woman knew exactly what she was doing.

“This is going to be fun.”

A chill ran down his spine.

The stairs led to a singular corridor, dimly lit; the doors were heavy dark metal.

There was only one open, the only one with light pouring from inside.

“What’s this?” Rick frowned.

“You wanted to meet your cat so much? Now’s your chance.”

She stepped inside.