The guild had just posted a new quest — a routine monster-clearing job. I barely had time to scan the parchment before steel clattered around me.
"Max, Beast Tamer," one of the royal guards barked, armor gleaming in the torchlight. "By royal decree, you are under arrest for the murder of Sir Hadrick, knight of the realm."
Before I could protest, they dragged me through the cobblestone streets. Citizens whispered as we passed, their eyes wide with fear. I struggled, trying to explain, but they didn't care. To them, Hadrick wasn't just an adventurer. He was a knight. And killing a knight, even in a duel outside city walls, was treason.
They shackled me, pushed me through the gates of the royal castle, and threw me to my knees before the throne.
The king sat tall, his jeweled crown glinting in the candlelight. His eyes were cold, his voice sharper than a blade.
"You murdered one of my knights. You killed a servant of the crown. For that, you shall rot in the dungeon until I see fit to hang you."
My heart sank. I opened my mouth to beg — but before I could…
The doors shattered.
Yelena was the first through, her claws sparking with lightning, her eyes wild. She tore through the guards like paper, shredding steel and flesh alike.
Katie followed, vines erupting across the marble floor, wrapping knights in thorny coils and snapping their bones with sickening cracks.
Drum swooped from the rafters, her talons slicing through helmets, her feathers scattering like blades of wind.
And then came Herta, seeping under the doorway like a puddle. She reformed in the center of the throne room, her voluptuous body glistening, her smile as innocent as ever.
In less than a minute, the royal knights were dead. Blood painted the floor, limbs scattered like broken dolls.
The king's face paled as my four familiars closed in around him.
"Stop!" I shouted, my voice hoarse. "Don't do this! Please, don't—"
But they didn't listen.
Katie was the first to act, her vines wrapping around the king's arms and legs. She smiled sweetly as she bent his fingers back one by one.
Snap.
Crack.
Pop.
The king howled, his crown clattering to the ground.
"Master will not be harmed," Katie said softly, pressing her chest against my arm as she crushed another finger. "If hurting him is law, then we'll break your laws."
Yelena's claws hovered inches from his throat, her tail lashing. "Touch him again and I'll gut you where you sit."
Drum laughed, swooping low, her wings slicing across his cheek just enough to draw blood. "So fragile. So weak. A king? Pathetic."
And then Herta stepped forward.
Her bubbly voice cut through the screams. "Master safe. Always safe. I make sure."
She smiled sweetly, leaning close to the king's trembling face. Her body rippled, and a tendril of slime slid from her chest, slipping between his lips. He gagged, choking, but she pressed her hand over his mouth, giggling softly.
"Shhh. Only small piece. Only inside."
His eyes widened in horror as the slime seeped into him, merging with his veins, sinking into his very bloodstream.
Herta pulled back, pressing her breasts together with a playful grin. "Now part of me. If Herta die, king explode. Boom."
The king wheezed, clutching his chest, his skin glowing faintly blue beneath his veins.
"You can't… can't…" he stammered.
"You can't stop it," Herta giggled, hugging me from behind, her slick body molding against my back. "King mine now. Like Master. Forever."
The throne room was silent except for the king's ragged breathing.
He had no choice. No knights left. No power. Not against four A-Rank monsters, all bound to one man.
"Release him," Katie whispered, her vines snapping another toe. "Say it. Or I'll finish you here."
The king swallowed hard, his eyes darting between me and the girls. "Y-You… you're free to go. No charges. No punishment."
The vines loosened. The claws withdrew. The feathers settled. Herta gave him a kiss on the cheek before pulling back, giggling as her slime pulsed faintly in his chest.
"Good king. Smart king. Live long… maybe."
The girls crowded me instantly, hugging, kissing, clinging.
"You're safe, Master," Yelena panted, her tail wagging as she licked blood from her claws.
"No one can cage you," Katie cooed, pressing her lips to my cheek.
"I'll always break you free," Drum whispered, wrapping her wings around us both.
"Master mine. Only mine. Always safe," Herta giggled, pressing her breasts against my back.
I wanted to be relieved. But as I looked around at the bloody throne room, the broken king, and my girls clinging to me with mad devotion, one thought chilled me to the bone.