บท 73: 73- Sea-Slime Sucker (3.1k words)
Vick's POV
"Here! I found the sea-slime sucker!" A pod of savage dolphin beastmen laughed as they circled me, "This filth is so rare to find these days. It's almost extinct. Did you know? If you make them release their sperm before mating with a female, they die soon after?"
I ignored their words and swam ahead.
"Really?" The crowd roared with laughter as they followed after me, "Let's test that out after we kill the sea monster!"
"You should see when one of those suckers successfully mates with a female. One moment there's hundreds of them, and the next moment, they all get killed," another laughed, "We should just breed a bunch more of them for this reason, just to kill them off."
"Aww, why not?" One said, "Their hatchlings are quite adorable when they're dead, don't you think?"
"I'm thinking of making one of my females breed more of these sea-slime suckers and then make a show out of it; how does that sound?"
"Sounds fun," the largest of dolphins sneered as he closed up on me. "Did you also eat your mother's and father's corpses?"
I nodded, and that set off another round of laughter and jokes.
"No way! Really?!" A small but fat dolphin said, "How does your kind even get a female then?"
"That's the funny part, no females want them." Another replied in my stead, "I saw one of these suckers wait around for a female corpse to be dumped and then mate with her rotting body. Another even begged my father to share one of his females in exchange to be fucked by him. There is nothing more humiliating than to be fucked by another male, but he was willing to do that just to pass on his genes. Isn't it hilarious?"
"Hahahah, no way! That's disgusting!"
While they were distracted by their gossip, I swam faster towards our location. Soon, I saw a silhouette of a serpent in the distance. Its head was larger than a whale's. It had no eyes. Instead, it could sense vibrations in the water and attack with its teeth. Its skin was covered in hard scales that could deflect most weapons, but it was weakest around the gills and its mouth.
The dolphins immediately attacked without hesitation. They fired harpoons and spears at the Sea Beast's head, striking it repeatedly in the face. The monster roared and shook its body violently, causing the dolphins to be swept off from their positions.
I smirked as I watched them fall victim to the Sea Beast's strength. Seeing their demise pleased me greatly. While they struggled against the beast, I took the chance to stuff the Sea Beast gills with seaweed, drowning it slowly.
Once the Sea Beast stopped moving, I sliced through its scales and ripped open its flesh, looking for a certain item.
After I obtained what I wanted, I sped through the water and slipped inside a thin cave opening. It was too small for any of those bastards, like the dolphins, to follow.
Smartest species my ass. They were just a bunch of sex-crazed fucks, always looking to party, screw a hole or get high by torturing and abusing whoever they could.
I would have never tried to befriend this group if I could defeat the sea beast on my own. I have been looking for it and trying to weaken it for too long, and I was running out of time. My life was on a countdown, rapidly reaching zero.
My tentacle opened a clam and withdrew a shiny green crystal inside. This thing I just obtained from the sea monster should prolong my life.
There was only one thing I learned from my ancestors and that was... "Do everything you can to mate before the age of three and get eaten by your kids. That's it."
My ancestors worked and sacrificed their lives, their morals, and even their pride to pass on their genes, for a better future for our species. There was no space for weaklings. Every generation of octopus beastmen would become smarter, stronger, and faster than the previous.
We would have been at the top of the food chain if it weren't for our extremely short lifespan. Being a number one target among most beastmen didn't help either. We would always be hunted and slaughtered the moment we were spotted.
I was barely two and a half years old, and my body was already failing me. Compared to other cubs, I reached the age for reproduction at one year old.
I didn't even care that I would die after mating, but not even being able to take a peaceful nap because I was going to die soon, was torture. I was just a baby, and I was dying.
I already prepared a female to mate with just in case the crystal didn't work.
· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·
Years passed by like days, and I was already thirty years old. The crystal worked. People began to recognize me as the strongest and the smartest creature in the ocean.
Nobody dared to mess with me anymore. Those who did, would die, no questions asked.
My ancestors could finally rest in peace. They've finally received what they've always wanted, recognition and a respected status among beastmen.
I closed the wooden chest filled with green crystals and sat on top of it, watching the colorful reefs of the ocean. I felt my heart sink. The instincts to mate were still present. After all, my ancestors spent centuries to ensure that this urge would be embedded into our souls.
"What am I doing?" I mumbled as I looked down at my tentacles. I wanted more from life, a life beyond just being an octopus. But I was just a cephalopod, and all I could do was to be an octopus.
I squeezed out of the thin crevice of the cave and surfaced above the waves. My tentacles morphed and turned into legs.
A group of young females stared at me from afar, smiling and waving.
"You look lonely." One of them said as if they knew I would be here and came just to meet me.
"Come hang with us." Another one said.
I smiled back, and they all squealed. They wanted a piece of my fortune. Who wouldn't want to have the richest beastman in the world as their companion? I made a living from killing sea beasts and collecting their green crystals. The ones that lived at the bottom of the ocean. They were strong, but my tactics and strategies were beyond what these beasts could comprehend.
"Maybe later." I replied.
If I get used to female pheromones, would it be easier to control my need for mating? I started with little things like making them show me their naked bodies, and slowly moved on to touch and massage their skin. I didn't mate, but I could still enjoy them as friends and companions.
Once I began to sell the crystals to a certain man, a chance to explore worlds beyond my own appeared.
Slowly and surely, I took full control of my urges.
No matter how cute or sexy the women around me were, I could resist their charms and temptations. Their personality, their character, and their goals and aspirations, none of that could sway me.
But what happens when you meet someone who has a personality that can rival your own? Someone, who was immune to other's charm and temptation, just like you?
"Hey, baby."
I snapped my eyes open, and my hand immediately went for her neck as I snarled, "You're so fucking dead! I'll kill you and then wear your soul stones around my neck so that you won't escape me! You hear that?! I'll keep you and torture you forever and ever! You'll never rest in peace. Even death won't free you from my hands. You'll never be able to move on or find peace, EVER! Fuck!"
"Calm down," she said, showing no sign of struggle as I pushed her against the ground.
We grew up in a violent environment, and there were no such things as 'hug it out' and 'talk it out' around us. It was 'strike first and ask questions later'. She knew I didn't really want to hurt her. This could even be considered a normal way for us to say good morning, hello, and even goodbye.
"Calm down?" I laughed hysterically, "Now your father will turn me into his slut like your sisters because his rebellious daughter decided to oppose him again!"
"Just calm the fuck down."
If my hair weren't white, it would've turned white from all her bullshit. "Why are you back? Was I finally dying that you decided to come and 'save' me?"
Her lips were curved into a smirk. "You were calling my name in your sleep. What was I supposed to do?"
I glared at her and frowned. My hand went from her neck to her face, cupping it. Her eyes were now the same color as her father's. Her lips and cheeks were also tinted with red.
She looked just like Precious, but more healthy... and colorful. If I were to compare her beauty, before, she looked like a beautiful zombie; now, she looks like a beautiful devil who could seduce men to death. "Precious?"
"That's me," she said.
I blinked my eyes and stared at her, "I swear, if you order me to bark like a dog─"
"Bark," she commanded.
"..." Alright, I was not turned into her vampire servant. Good. I looked around and noticed we were alone inside the tent. I let go of her and straddled her stomach, looking for any out-of-sign things outside and inside of my body. She could have done whatever she wanted while I was unconscious. "What did you do to my body?"
She grabbed a cup by the side and handed it to me, "Drink up. It will help you recover your strength and heal faster."
I grabbed the cup from her and took a sip. It was blood, probably hers. It tasted similar to an emerald. My body temperature rose, and a wave of warmth spread throughout my body. It was as if I had returned time to my form in its top condition.
My eyes narrowed. Now I understand why her father would keep filling her with crap. It wasn't to make her more docile (everyone already knew it was an impossible feat). It was to tarnish her blood's quality.
If others were to learn about the properties of their kin's blood, the entire world would go berserk for this elixir of life, which was in the form of a father and daughter duo.
I knew she and her father could locate their kin thanks to the blood that flowed within their veins. Her father also knew when she needed a new dose due to its condition, so it didn't matter if she tried to build resistance behind his back. He would find out.
I pulled her close and buried her face in my chest. She didn't complain and remained still, waiting for me to speak, "I'm not going to thank you. What you did hurt me more than it healed me. I really wish I could kill you for all the pain you caused me and yourself. Just seeing you makes me angry."
You can break her, but you can never tame her. Her father could chain her and beat her up, and she would still find a way to point a middle finger at his face no matter how terrified she was of him.
"And I'm not sorry either," she said.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," I held her tighter. "You were supposed to sit quietly and watch me die. I was so prepared to make you cry on my dead bed, you know. A moving and heart-breaking speech, tears, the whole package, and instead, you give me another nightmare I'll be having for the rest of my life."
Seeing the love of your life covered in wounds and blood, with the knowledge that her father will take her away from you and put her under someone else's watch, was a scene no man should experience. I wanted to prevent it and even revealed how I planned to survive, hoping she would give up and stay put.
"I know you wouldn't allow yourself to die without a backup plan. That's not the Vick I know," she said, "Whatever it is, I'm not allowing your body to fall under someone else's hands. If you don't want your body, then it's mine. I wasn't kidding when I said I'll fuck your corpse if a chance arrives."
I stroked her head, "I would've fucked your corpse too. No, I would've turned it into a skeleton and kept it in my room. It will make a nice decoration."
"That would be lovely," she replied, her voice provocatively soft and warm.
We often had these morbid talks. There were just too many deaths around us. Our worlds used to be nothing but death and carnage. Many in our circle had to laugh and make jokes about it to keep their sanity.
Then, I noticed that she was only moving her upper body. "What happened to your body?" I immediately got off her and looked at her legs. Nothing was wrong with them, but I expected a kick or some form of self-defense from her side.
"My father visited us while you were still recovering," she said, causing me to tense up, "I tried to tarnish my blood with Curtis' and Mitchell's poison before it could happen, but Father was faster. He decided to take away my ability to walk again."
My eyes contracted, my breathing hitched. "He what?"
She turned around and pulled up her shirt. A sleek exoskeleton traced her spine. Thick black needles attached to it pierced her back, slowly injecting a liquid into her body. There was also a small, red stone between the two ends. "I took a few pictures of it with my laptop, but it will take a while before I find a way to take it off without summoning my father."
"Precious," I said, trying to hold back my emotions that were threatening to erupt. My hands shook as they reached out to touch the exoskeleton, "That's why I told you you should have just stayed put and left everything to me. I know how to deal with your father, unlike you."
"This was bound to happen eventually. Better when we all expect it than not, right?" She gave me a blank stare, "I would rather receive his punishment than rely on him, take his abuse, than accept his favors. I'm never going to make him think that I owe him something. I'll make sure my males will follow this path as well, and that means that no matter what favors or threats that old fossil throws at them, they won't succumb to them."
I sighed and ran my fingers through her hair, "What about Curtis? Is he okay?"
"He is sulking outside."
I picked her up and walked out of the tent. Curtis was sitting next to the entrance. He was covered in bruises, and there was a deep wound in his chest, which was still healing.
I kneeled down next to him, placed her on my lap, and patted his shoulder. Honestly, I was glad I didn't have to go through this alone and had the boys with me. I would have gone insane otherwise, "Did you manage to injure him at least?"
Curtis was silent, glancing at Precious with a worried expression. He didn't answer, but his defeated reaction was enough for me. My eyes traced his arms and realized they were broken.
"I made him drink my blood, so he should be fine in a few hours." Precious said. What state did her father leave Curtis in that he was still in such a bad condition even after drinking her blood?
Curtis's shoulders began to tremble, his voice was shaky as he spoke, "I-It's my fault. He put that thing on her because of me."
Precious pulled Curtis's ear, making him face her, "He would've done that regardless of whether you were involved or not. He just loves to put the blame on others and portray himself as a good and righteous guy. That's why my legs are still intact and haven't been chopped off yet."
"Sweetheart..." Curtis mumbled. His voice was filled with concern and sorrow as he tried to move his arms to hold her. He was clearly affected by her condition.
I made her sit in between us and sandwiched her with our bodies. Curtis rested his head on top of hers.
If I could stick to my deal with her father, they wouldn't have to endure all this. It would be only me facing her father's twisted games.
Nothing was free in her father's world. He wanted me to remove my spousal imprint in exchange for curing my body if I chose to mark her the traditional way. I refused and asked him to stop doping Precious' body with drugs, and I would remove the spousal imprint when she was fully healed. I wanted her to slowly regain her health and be clean, if only for a while. He agreed.
I don't know how, but he discovered I planned to bypass the deal by getting a new body, thus a new spousal imprint with Precious. My condition also worsened out of nowhere, and I was suspicious that her father had sent someone to spy on us and found a way to poison my body.
Someone capable enough to hide from me and Precious' radar.
I looked up at the skies. The only individual that came to my mind was a beastman who could control other birds, but did someone like that even exist?
After a bit of thinking, Precious would often use her slingshot to chase away some birds and bugs, and we would always think she did it to relieve stress or vent her anger. But did she really?
We stayed in silence for the rest of the day in the same position, lost in our own thoughts.
I regained my health and vitality, yet I felt like I lost so much.
I felt defeated and miserable, and so were they.
╔═══ Author's note ════╗
Well, at least YY interrupted her father's plans, so it's not a complete defeat. 🙈
There are so many possible candidates to be YY's next male, but girl is too busy to have time to bond with any of them, lol. 🤡
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