Chapter 1
After their exciting adventure at the Sannyan temple, Clover and her friends took a well-deserved break to feast on wild boar and roasted rabbits before falling into a long, deep slumber. Upon recovering their strength the next day, they continued on their way, with no particular plan or destination in mind.
Their travels had taken them thousands of miles, from the northern reaches of Abbynthia to the sub-tropical rainforest of Sotharius. Although their itinerant wanderings had led them into the occasional tight spot, they were confident that their unique combination of skills and experience would protect them from whatever surprises lay around the next corner.
"So where to now?" Clover said, placing her hand over her brow as she peered at the rising sun coming up from the East.
"Not further south, that's for sure," Jessop said, pulling his sticky shirt away from his clammy skin. "I'm already sweating in this humidity this early in the morning."
"Why don't we head into the mountains to get a better view of the surrounding terrain?" Tara said, pointing toward a tall ridge a few miles in the distance. "At the very least, we might be able to find some sheep and elk to mix up our diet."
"Some roasted lamb chops sounds delicious," Jessop nodded.
"Sounds good to me," Clover said, packing up her belongings and hoisting them over her back. "Shall I take the point position?"
"That makes the most sense," Tara said. "You're the least threatening, in case we run into some belligerent natives. We don't want a repeat of our nasty experience at the witches' coven."
Clover turned to face Tara and placed her hands on her hips, furrowing her brow in displeasure.
"Are you saying I don't pull enough of my weight around here?" she said.
"No," Tara chuckled. "It's just because you're the prettiest. You're the least likely to be speared at first sight."
"Hmph!" Clover huffed, not sure if Tara's comeback was an insult or a compliment.
"I'll take up the rear to protect our six," Jessop said, strapping his long cutlass onto the side of his hip.
"Who are you kidding?" Tara said. "You just want to be in the ideal position to stare at our jiggling butts while we traipse through the bush ahead of you."
"I'll admit that doesn't hurt," Jessop smiled, slapping his friend's ass playfully. "But you're in the best position, being in the middle with your expert archery skills if we detect any danger on our flanks."
"Alright," Tara said. "Let's not waste all day arguing over the arrangement of our marching formation. We should try to get to the top of those mountains before the sun drains all of our energy."
The trio headed into the brush, with Clover keeping a sharp eye out for any sign of movement while Tara kept one hand on the bow slung over her shoulder and Jessop tried his best to keep his eyes from wandering back to his friend's bouncing asses. Even though they'd just enjoyed in an orgy of sensual delights at the erotic temple, his libido was quickly returning, and he could feel his swelling tool rubbing against the insides of his tight pants every time he stepped over a fallen tree branch.
By midday, they'd already captured and skinned two bighorn sheep and a mountain goat, cooking and drying up the leftover meat as jerky for extra provisions. When they crested the top of the mountain, they peered out at the verdant valley stretching out for miles in every direction. The scene looked like something out of a fairy tale book, with lush jungle teeming with flitting birds and the screech of monkeys echoing above the tall canopy.
"I don't imagine there'll be much of a market for these pelts down there," Jessop frowned, cinching his heavy bundle of animal furs higher up on his back.
"I dunno," Tara said, scanning the luxuriant landscape for any sign of human habitation. "It can still get pretty cool at night. At the very least, they should make for warm bedcovers."
"It looks like there's some kind of settlement in that direction," Clover said, pointing her finger toward a clearing next to a large river where a thin tendril of smoke rose lazily over the treetops.
"Yes," Tara said, squinting at a circular formation in the middle of the camp. "It seems that they've taken the time to build up some fortifications. They might have some food or other resources we can trade for our pelts."
"Let's hope their walls aren't as tall as those at the land of giants," Clover said, wrinkling her forehead. "We got into a bit of a pinch trying to get out of that one."
"Maybe it's another kind of temple like the one we saw with the Sannyans," Jessop said, raising his brows hopefully. "Where they sacrifice their maidens for the approval of their gods."
"Do you ever think of anything besides sex?" Tara huffed, shaking her head at Jessop's one-track mind.
"You have to admit, it's been a while," he smiled. "I can't stop reliving some those insane hookups we had with those statues that came to life."
"I'm pretty sure that was a one-off," Clover chuckled, noticing the snake bulging down the side of Jessop's trousers. "Once their deity exploded, everybody disappeared into the ether."
"Who's to say some of them didn't make it out here?" Jessop said.
"It's worth an investigation," Tara nodded. "Just be sure to keep your wits about you and your dick in your pants until we discover if this new group is friendly or not."
"Not to worry," Jessop grinned, patting his long sword dangling from the side of his hip. "My weapon is well holstered."
********
The group descended down the other side of the mountain and made their way toward the rising smoke in the distance, then they paused near the edge of the clearing, noticing some people moving about the courtyard.
"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Jessop said to his friends, widening his eyes as he took in the scene.
"It's pretty hard to miss," Clover nodded while her pupils dilated in excitement.
"Settle down," Tara said, keeping one hand near her quiver of arrows. "Just because everyone's running around naked doesn't mean they're not still a threat."
"So much for trading our animal pelts," Jessop said. "It looks like these people don't have the need for any kind of clothing whatsoever."
"They don't look like much of a threat to me," Clover said. “At least the advantage of meeting people without any clothes means they don't have anywhere to hide their weapons."
"I agree," Jessop said. "Perhaps it's best to lay down our arms and approach them slowly to show we mean no harm."
"Maybe," Tara said, scanning the rest of the courtyard and noticing people of all ages strolling around naked as a jaybird. "But we should be careful. Stay close to the edge of the thicket in case we need to make a hasty escape back into the safety of the woods."
"Maybe we should take off our clothes, too?" Jessop smiled.
"That might not have the effect you intended," Clover chuckled, glancing at the detumescent genitals of the people prancing around the village. "With your dick standing at half staff, you're just as likely to scare them away as invite them into our embrace."
"There'll be plenty of opportunity for fraternizing later," Tara said. "Right now, our best chance is to show them we mean no harm."
"Why don't I go first?" Clover smiled. "Since I'm apparently the least threatening one..."
"Alright," Tara nodded. "You go ahead and introduce yourself while Jessop and I will wait under cover until you indicate the coast is clear."
"Okay," Clover said, unstrapping her bullwhip from beside her waist and laying it in the brush before rising up slowly from behind a bush.
She walked out tentatively onto the edge of the courtyard with her hands slightly elevated to indicate she came in peace, and some of the villagers froze when they saw her animal-skin leotard clinging to her nubile frame. One of the younger girls ran into an adjacent hut and emerged a few moments later with an older woman who was wearing a feathered headdress.
"Hello," Clover said as she slowly approached the elderly woman. "My name is Clover."
"What are you doing invading our peaceful settlement?" the woman said, peering at Clover with pinched eyebrows.
"I'm not invading," Clover said. "My friends and I were simply passing through when we came upon your village.”
"How many of you are there?" the woman said, squinting behind Clover towards the edge of the thicket where she'd first emerged.
"There's only three of us. One man and two women."
"What is your purpose here?" the elderly woman said, placing her arm over the front of the younger girl's torso and moving her behind her body.
"We were hoping we could rest here for the night. And perhaps trade some of our trappings for things of equal value."
"What sort of trappings?"
"Mostly dried animal meat and pelts."
"We can always use more meat to feed our hungry mouths," the woman nodded. "As for the pelts–"
"Yes," Clover nodded, staring at the naked figures of the tribespeople assembling in a crowd behind the bare woman and child. "It would appear you don't have quite as much need for those..."
"On the contrary," the woman smiled. "We can put those to a special use. Tell your friends to reveal themselves."
Clover turned around and motioned to Tara and Jessop crouching at the edge of the thicket, nodding her head to indicate it was safe to come out.
As they stood up and began walking in the direction of the congregation, the old woman ran her eyes up and down their buff figures, nodding approvingly at their bulges in all the right places.
"Exactly how old are your friends?" she asked Clover.
"I'm not entirely sure," Clover said. "But I think they're roughly the same age as me."
"And how old are you?"
"Eighteen."
"In that case," the old woman smiled with a widening grin. "You're more that welcome to join us for as long as you want."
