It was a scene out of nightmare. The pleasant meadow was littered with the corpses of the dead and dying. The cries of the mortally wounded echoed through the air. Bodies were intermittently heaped high in various piles or left were they fell.

A thunderous blast echoed through the area. Another life was lost. After the moment of destruction, a sinister and cruel noise split the air in riotous mockery of the fallen. It was laughter, the taunting nigh-maniacal laughter of a creature who lived for the death of his enemies.

“Sweet, got another one.” said Scott. He looked down at the dying rabbit and smiled. The team he had put together was performing at an excellent level as far as he was concerned.

Horned rabbits had been slain in large numbers. He had not seen this level of slaughter during a hunt before, and he was more than a little excited at the prospects.

Now that he had a proper team, hunting had become simpler. The rabbits were no real threat, even with their hated special ability Bunny Battle Cry. They used it infrequently, and after the team had increased their levels a few times the effects became minimal at best.

“Good job, master.” said Mina. The minotaur girl stretched languidly. Her body made little popping noises as she loosened her muscles. She sighed softly afterward. That sweet release had felt good.

“Yeah, I think we managed to kill at least two hundred horned rabbits today.” said Scarlet. The dragon girl dropped down from the sky. She had been performing overwatch while Scott and the other girls fought against the constant waves of murder minded bunny rabbits. Scarlet had the unique capability to see the surrounding area due to her flight ability. She was strongest of the group overall as well, so she could stand to lose a little experience while everyone else battled to their heart’s content.

Deanna zipped through the field of corpses. The bunny girl was the designated looter, a speedster who specialized in looting corpses. She had decent combat skills, but she had proved to be even more useful for this purpose. Of course, the sheer number of opponents and the speed of their demise had made it easy to become overworked. She looked forward to their coming break.

“I think it was closer to two hundred fifty.” said Rowan. The centaur cantered over to her master then smiled pleasantly. Somehow she managed to look both pretty and calm despite the field of bloody corpses. Her confident and curious demeanor had not shifted even once during the battle. It would have been quite eerie, if she was not so beautiful.

Scott checked the status of his party then produced a smile of his own. “Good job team. We should call it a day. We have to get ready for tomorrow, anyway.”

Scarlet’s eyes practically gleamed with excitement. “Yes, finally a real mission!”

Scott laughed at her. Real missions meant real money. “Well, it is not much. We’re just going to travel to a nearby cave system to collect herbs.”

“Yay, herbs.” said Mina in a sarcastic tone. However, her expression did not seem to match her statement. She seemed excited. The former milk cow had developed a taste for battle. Her overwhelming physical prowess was quite the sight to behold as well.

Deanna finished collecting the loot from the corpses after another few minutes. “We have a lot of fur and meat, but the money drops were a little skimpy.”

“It’s fine. We’re done with rabbits anyway. After we take a few quick missions, we’ll start on our journey to the Roxy Woodlands.” said Scott. He reached out and placed a hand on the rabbit girl’s shoulder and she smiled at him.

Deanna said, “Yeah, we still need one more person for our team, right?”

That was true. They did still need to find a dedicated magic user. Scott and the girls had all grown past level seven now. The monsters they would face would be tougher than mere rabbits. A dedicated magic using team member would be important for buffs and ranged damage.

“Let’s head back. Gather round ladies.” Scott stretched his arms out and the girls gathered around.

He raised his hand to the sky and invoked his special ability Wings of Light. A column of energy rose up around them and they shot into the air. They disappeared from sight immediately afterward. A few seconds later they shot down from the sky like a beam of light. They reappeared just outside the gates of Ervice.

“Alright girls, if there is anything you need to do, go ahead and take care of it. We have a few hours before it gets dark and we head out again.” said Scott.

“Right, I’m off then.” said Deanna. She had already told him her plans for the rest of the afternoon. She needed to finish packing up her belongings so that she would be ready to follow him properly. Out of all of the girls, Deanna was the only one who had personal belongings in the city beyond clothes and equipment.

“I hope you get a good price for your stuff.” said Scott.

The rabbit demi-human smiled at him and then nodded. “I don’t have much, but hopefully it will help.”

Scott had not wanted her to sell off her things, but she had wanted to be free of her past. She would find it more difficult to travel around while worrying about her possessions.

Deanna ran off toward her former living quarters. Scott turned to the rest of the group to see what they would decide.

Rowan shook her head. “I have no further preparations to make.”

“Same here.” said Scarlet. The dragon girl gifted Scott with a pretty smile that showed a hint of fangs. The girl possessed a sort of beauty in that moment that was both striking and fearsome.

“I’m a little hungry.” said Mina. Her stomach, as if it wished to emphasize her statement, rumbled loudly and made an angry noise. She blushed a little then patted her tummy. It seemed that it too wished to discuss the topic of dinner.

Scott grinned at her. “Well, if you girls don’t have anything specific to do, let’s go sell our loot and have a late lunch.

Scarlet laughed a little then shook her head. “That sounds wonderful, but aren’t you forgetting something?”

“Hmm, what?” asked Scott. He was fairly certain that he had taken care of everything else that was important.

The dragon girl pointed in the direction that Deanna had gone. “Your hip-hopping hussy ran off with the loot.”

He groaned loudly then gently smacked his hand against his forehead. “Good point. I’ll remind her about it.”

Scott used his prerogative as Deanna’s master to contact the girl. “Hey, Deanna we still need to sell our loot.”

It took a moment for her to respond. Scott listened carefully as she replied. “Oh! Do you want me to sell it for you, or come back?”

“You have things to do, so I can sell it. How far have you gone? We can meet you, or I can call you back to me?” asked the man.

“I’m on Main Street. I have not gone far, yet.” she replied.

“Alright, we’ll come to you.” he said. He did have to wonder at what she had said, however. It would take him a few minutes to get to her position.

“OK!” replied the girl with a great deal of perkiness.

Scott looked at Scarlet and then to the other girls. “Right, we need to go to Main Street and meet up with Deanna. Well, I do. If you girls would rather pick a place to eat, and head that way you can. I’ll be along shortly.”

Mina’s stomach rumbled again. She winced then shared a cute facial expression. “I... Uhm...”

Scarlet clasped the minotaur girl’s hand. “I’ll take the great devourer here to get something to eat.”

Scott nodded at Scarlet then smiled. The girl smiled back. Her master said, “Thank you for that. Oh, and don’t forget what I promised later.”

“I have not forgotten.” she said. The dragon eyed her master carefully then bit her lower lip. It promised to be a fun experience.

“Right...” said Scott. He turned from Scarlet to Rowan. “How about you, Rowan?”

The centaur swished her tail from side to side. “I will go with you, I think.”

“Fair enough. Let’s get going.” said Scott. He reached his hand out and Rowan stepped forward to take his hand in hers.

The demi-human trainer and his centaur strolled off toward Main Street while a dragon and a minotaur looked on. Mina’s belly grumbled one more time and the blond girl pouted. She looked down at her stomach and said, “Traitor.”

Scarlet laughed at her then led the hungry girl off to find a place to eat. Scott’s cooking was nice, but she would not turn down a chance to eat out. The blond and the redhead walked down the street hand-in-hand and chatted freely about their life to date.

While Mina and Scarlet discussed their current lifestyle, another sort of discussion began between Scott and Rowan. The centaur had a certain topic on her mind that she could no longer resist discussing.

“Master, how come you have not touched me?” asked Rowan just as they turned onto Main Street.

Scott blinked then turned his head to look at her. “What do you mean?”

The bridge of the centaur’s nose took on a pink tinge. “You have not touched me in an intimate manner as you have done with the other members of our party.”

“I’m sorry, Rowan. I didn’t know if you were interested in that sort of thing.” said Scott. Rowan was a nice girl as far as he knew. Their relationship was a little odd as she was the only girl who he had actually purchased like livestock. Even Mina and Deanna had some say in their purchasing agreements.

He had thought that she was simply being reserved and cautious. Had he hurt her somehow?

“I see....” she said. The centaur girl looked down toward the ground but continued to stay by his side. The clop-clop of her hooves on the sidewalk perfectly matched her master’s stride.

“Rowan, what’s wrong?” asked Scott. It was obvious that something was bothering the girl.

She shook her head gently. “It is nothing of concern...”

“If you have something you want to talk about, let me know. I’m happy to listen, OK?” he said.

Rowan smiled slightly then swished her tail once more. They walked for another few minutes, before they managed to catch up with the rabbit. Deanna had run off at high-speed and had managed to go quite some distance before she had stopped.

Deanna waved happily at them and then jogged over to her master. “H! I already have everything ready. Do you just want to do an inventory transfer?”

“Sure, that would work.” said Scott. They could not do that before due to the distance, but now that they were closer they could perform a simple trade.

Several thousand units of meat and over two hundred rabbit pelts entered his inventory. It was a considerably good haul. Had he been alone, it would have covered his living expenses for several weeks. Of course, that was if he had lived frugally. Scott had gotten into the habit of buying useful things. Such things had a tendency to be pricy.

Deanna leaned forward a puckered her lips. Scott took the hint and gave her a soft kiss.

The rabbit giggled at him then swayed her hips around a little. “Too bad I can’t help you unload...”

Scott laughed at the naughty rabbit then waved her off. “Go take care of your stuff. We can cuddle later.”

“Yes! Later cuddles it is!” she laughed again then turned and ran off. She was an excitable sort of creature, but it was hard not to like her enthusiasm.

Suddenly, she stopped then turned and ran back. When she reached them once more she kissed her master on the lips then said, “Remember, you promised...”

“I promised, I promised.” he laughed and waved her off.

Deanna kissed him again, giggled, and then ran off at high speed. The white haired rabbit had to take care of less important business.

Scott turned to Rowan and the centaur smiled at him in a cool and calm manner. “Shall we sell our loot?”

“Of course.” she said. Her tone was even, but she shared a slight smile.

In the last few days, Scott and his girls had grown a bit closer. Everyone was on good terms with each other, and there was no lack of affection. However, Rowan had noticed a disparity. Scott interacted differently with her in comparison to how he interacted with the other girls.

They walked along Main Street quietly for a few minutes. After turning off toward the general store they passed a dress shop and Rowan glimpsed the mannequins in the window. Her eyes sparkled brightly for a moment and a warm smile crossed her lips.

The moment passed, however. She let out a sad little whinny. It was a strange sound to hear when it emanated from a human-like throat.

“What’s wrong Rowan?” asked Scott.

The centaur shook her head. “It is nothing important.”

“Hey, it’s alright. You can tell me anything.” said Scott. He moved closer to the beautiful centaur and gently took her hand.

Her face colored slightly, but the momentary embarrassment passed. “I do not wish to burden you with my concerns...”

“You’re no burden Rowan. You’re part of my family for as long as you want to be. You do remember that, right?” asked Scott. He had made certain that all four girls knew that they were important to him and were considered family for as long as they wanted to be together. He liked them and wanted them to be happy, otherwise it would be pointless to keep everyone together.

“Yes, of course. That is what you said, but...” She looked down and to the side. Her hair passed across her face and she sighed once more.

“But?” asked Scott.

Rowan shook her head a little. “It’s nothing, really.”

“Rowan...” said Scott. There was a hint of annoyance in his voice. He liked the girl but she was frequently like this. She refused to simply speak her mind if something was bothering her. They had only been together for a few days and he had dealt with this issue three or four times already. Her calm nature hid a stubborn streak that made him wonder if she was actually part mule instead of half horse.

“Master, I... I am sorry that I am not like the others.” she said. She made a soft nickering noise then swished her tail.

Scott blinked then tilted his head back so that he could look at her with greater ease. “What do you mean?”

Rowan snorted then stamped her hoof. “Humans are not usually attracted to centaurs due to our extremities.”

“Well, that’s their problem. I think you’re beautiful.” said Scott. He had already considered the ramifications of getting super freaky with the girl, but he had figured that she was not interested. Their relationship was just a temporary arrangement after all. She could choose to leave even though he had purchased her.

She looked down toward the ground once more and her face began to take on a light pink shade. “If that is the case, why have you not touched me? Deanna frequently brags about how sore her vagina is, and Mina seems like she could not live without your touch.”

Scott realized what the problem was now. Rowan was lonely, and more than a bit horny. She did not think that he wanted to spend time with her because she looked like she was part horse. The fact that the other girls were so voracious in their sexual appetites did not help the situation. Carnal activities occurred so frequently of late that he started to wonder if his hips were going to form a union and go on strike.

“Rowan, I haven’t been intimate with you because I did not know that you were interested.” said Scott. It was even mostly true. He had certain understandable misgivings, but he did find her beautiful.

“Is that so?” she did not sound convinced. However, she did swish her tail from side to side. His response had sounded quite promising.

Scott ran his hand along her horse-like lower back. “I’ll be honest. I wouldn’t know where to start. There is also a little problem...”

She glanced at him slightly. “A problem?”

“Well, I’m not exactly equipped like a centaur....” said Scott. He was more than confident in his manhood, but a male centaur had masculine equipment that no human male could match. At least, he could not match it without looking like he was the result of a terrifying scientific experiment.

Rowan snorted and then slowly began to laugh in a sweet and endearing way. Finally, she said, “I don’t mind that... If that’s your reason...”

“You know what? If you’re that uncertain about it, come with me. I’ll take care of that concern before dinner.” said Scott. Yes, he was a romantic at heart...

She laughed again then swished her tail. “There is no need to make that attempt...”

Scott gripped her hand tight then tugged her toward a nearby alleyway. “Nope, it’s happening.”

She trotted alongside him with a furious blush upon her face. What exactly did her master intend for her? Rowan did not fight him in any way. Whether she was surprised or hopeful, it was hard to say.