Fight First... Questions Later

The thunder of running hooves was approaching swiftly.

I could see her upper body was covered by both a cloth shirt that barely contained her massive chest. A tattered skirt hung from its hem, a mere cardinal's breath away from revealing its contents.

Something was wrong.

She was in distress.

Yet even so, I remained wary.

The thundering clop of her hooves slowed and quieted as she came before me. The coat of her horse half was a deep brown, and despite the dust that clung to it, one could see that it had been well maintained. The hair on her head was a clean and pure platinum blonde, though it was ruffled and had been flung by the wind in a thousand directions.

However it was her shallow blue eyes that caused me to be wary. They were clouded, I could not see the emotions behind them.

Her breaths were heavy, and drool slipped from the side of her foaming mouth.

I had seen berserkers take from the bounty of the forest and achieve similar results.

This encounter would most certainly end in violence.

"Centaur, are you alright?"

"I want your cock in my pussy now."

"..."

"I-"

"GIVE IT TO ME!"

Without even a moment's warning the centaur rushed towards me.

Its reckless abandon showed she was in no state to be a threat.

Calmly, I reached for the flat bar of metal on my back and brought it out. In less than two seconds, it folded out into a shield that sat upon my vanguard.

In five, her fingers were inches away from me.

*CLANG!!!*

I swung with the back of my arm and leaned into it, smashing the shield into her skull and sending her flying off course behind me.

She fell to the dirt behind me as I turned to face her, her body skidding through the dirt.

She had fallen on her side and struggled to stand, her hands clawing at the dirt fervently for purchase.

Finally, she managed to stand as I carefully watched her.

"Do you yield?"

"I… w.. ..k"

"Speak up."

"I. WANT. COCK."

"So be it. Your very existence tarnishes the name of the centaur race in my world. I shall cleanse their honour and your existence in their stead."

I did a quick shoving motion towards the ground with my shield arm, and the shield quickly folded back into a flat bar which I placed on my back.

I then put my arms out in what seemed to be a welcoming embrace of what was to come.

The moment she saw this the centaur galloped towards me without a single cohesive thought.

The second she reached me I interlocked my fingers with hers and caught her hands, stopping the rush as I was driven back a metre. Even without powers I was more than enough to face an unarmed animal like the one before.

Grinding to a halt, I then leapt up, and with a mighty crack, my left knee met her chin.

I didn't stop there though, pushing off the dirt to fling myself into a full blown flip.

The tip of my right foot then clipped her temple as her head reeled back, causing her upper body to go limp.

As I landed I watched her horse half stumble a bit before reaching a comfortable standing position, and promptly falling to the dirt.

Looking at her fallen on the road, I noted that her clouded eyes seemed to clear as she stared at me dazedly.

It was then that her mind gave in to the numbing nature of slumber.

I was tempted to leave her here, but when she awoke I was sure she would be confused and dazed.

Even if I was willing to defend myself, I wasn't about to leave a possibly innocent woman in the middle of an empty road.

If she awoke as a normal person, I would listen to her tale.

If her breath fell silent here, I would bury her.

But if she awoke with malice…

…

It was about midday when her eyes began to flutter. I had pulled her into the soft feather grass before sitting beside her.

I had learnt a little about the celestial motions during this time, and though the sun was high in the sky, my eyes could perceive the stars beyond its blinding brilliance. This obviously is not a normal feat but I was made this way by my master's teachings.

It was this incredible perception that picked up on the subtle movements that foretold her awakening.

Now, the muted blinking despite her eyes being closed and the twitches in her muscles told me she was more than awake.

"I know you're conscious. If you want a fight, I shall condemn your villainy to its grave… personally."

Instantly, she opened her eyes as her cheeks flushed red.

"Ah-I uhm, I-"

"The wound on your forehead is healed. Your chin remains bruised though. Put a cold wet cloth on it if you can later. It should calm the swelling."

The centaur stared at me for a moment as her face turned even redder.

It was a good three minutes before any other attempts to speak were made.

"T… ..o"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

Though she was still embarrassed, it seems she had managed to calm her heart for the most part. Now was the time to get some answers.

"Your welcome, whether your thanks would be for awakening you from that state you were in, or for healing your injuries."

The centaur refused to look at my helm, turning away as though my words scorned her.

"I'm also… sorry… about causing you so much trouble."

"I'll accept your apology if you explain your circumstances. I'm not one to accept an apology blindly."

The centaurs cheeks seemed to flush further in shame as her hooves scraped the dirt.

Eventually, she managed to calm herself and begin to speak.

"I was in heat because, well, uhm, m.. h… r..e. …"

"Take a moment, I'll wait."

Once again, I waited. She seemed to go through the four stages of grief as her gaze bore holes in the grass.

Finally, she slapped her cheeks and took a deep breath.

She didn't dare to look me in the eyes though.

"My name is Utbrot, I'm a centaur who travels with my husband to help sell wares."

"So you're a merchant?"

"Yes, and we came here to sell alchemic potions to the local guild branch."

"Guild?"

"It's the adventurers guild, you don't know what they are?

"I may be an otherworlder, but I know what an adventurers guild is."

Utbrot was about to say something, but then her face scrunched up and she looked at me. Her blue eyes were now clear and I could see her pupils. They were filled with curiosity and confusion, though these emotions were quickly replaced with shame as her gaze darted away again.

"A-an otherworlder! Wow, that's rare. I've never met one before. W-where were you s-summoned from?"

"You aren't surprised?

"Not really, your armour is kind of strange… Aa a merchant I've seen a lot of armour types but this is completely unique. I-I also got a c-close look at your shield."

The last part was barely audible as embarrassment overtook her.

Now, I recognized that she was embarrassed by what happened, and at the moment I can sympathize slightly.

But this conversation was becoming tedious.

Mumbling, her life story, all I wanted to know was why she attacked me.

"Is that so? Well that's convenient. It means I can ask questions unreservedly. The first of these is simple:

Why did you attack me?"

Utbrot sighed as the topic she had danced around returned to front and centre.

"You said that you have centaurs in your world right? Well on this one, my kind are afflicted by the curse of the mamono lord."

I leaned in as I finally began to hear about my opponent.

"A curse?"

"Not exactly a curse, but a manifestation of her will. All beastmen and monsters are tied to the demon lord. We take the form he wills us to have. If the lord of the time wishes for peace, we will become placid. If he wishes for war, we will become soldiers.

We are extensions of our lord's desire."

I brought my hand to my chin as I heard this, estimating the level of power a being must have to apply this level of control across so many different races.

"Even dragons? You do have dragons right?"

The centaur looked at me confusedly before nodding.

"Well yes, and they were afflicted as well."

"So the corruption has spread that far…"

In my world, dragons were the pinnacle of power. If I were to face one, I would fall without question.

Whether or not my foe would survive the ordeal was another question.

"It has, and it has only gotten worse. The centaur people were once an honorable tribes of nomadic warriors. Yet when the mamono lord came into power and her will was made law, our bodies and minds were affected.

There has not been a male centaur born since then, with all the males at the time being transitioned to female. Whether they wished to or not. Tales of mass suicide were not uncommon in the beginning…"

Behind my helm I grimaced. Such a thing was unheard of on my world. No matter how powerful you were, no individual wielded such sheer power alone and unhindered.

"But that was not the end of it. Our minds were twisted and distorted by the pleasure of the mamono lord's power. The traditions and honours of tribes long past have been lost to time. And though I have seen my people cling to their pride, I know that beneath their fury is boundless lust."

Her voice, once timid and ashamed, now spoke with a hint of hate. Her eyes were cold, devoid of the fear they once held.

"My husband recently hurt himself on our travels fleeing a failed negotiation. The wound was too tough for the local healer to fully repair. So we are currently on a journey to the city of Dropal to get him treatment. To get him here however, I allowed him to ride upon my back.

Yet even such an innocent act had me shambles moments later. I was four steps deep in heat and nothing seemed to help. But I refused to share my burden with my wounded husband. My lust for a man just grew and grew and grew until I couldn't take it anymore.

So I fled the city the moment my husband left to meet with the guild. Then I ran into you, and lost the last vestiges of my sanity then and there."

Her eyes began to water as she stared at the dirt.

"If you weren't a hero, I'm sure that I would've ended up doing something vile to you! I don't even want to think of what my husband's response would've been…"

Now I understood her plight. The tale seemed to mesh with everything I knew so far, and explained her sexual aggression.

"Indeed, you are lucky that you ran into the likes of me and not some hapless traveller. But do not despair. If what you said was true, your resolve is truly admirable. So do not be ashamed. Be proud your mind held on, and more importantly you should discuss this situation with your husband. I'm sure he may have a solution to your problems."

Utbrot looked at me with teary eyes, finally meeting my gaze without embarrassment.

"Are you sure?"

"I am sure. Now then, wipe your eyes and stand with pride. Let us return to the city."

I then stood and offered my hand which she took and stood shakily.

"I also accept your apology, and offer my own."

Wiping her eyes, she looked at me and with slight confusion.

"Huh?"

We both returned to the road as she held my hand for support.

"I insulted your honour, and even threatened to kill you. Such acts are a poor showing from a knight like myself."

She smiled and wiped her eyes, and though they were puffy and red they held nothing but gratitude.

"No, it's fine. I have far more to be ashamed of. You simply acted as anyone would've. Besides, to me you seem quite gallant"

She then brushed her hair back as she scratched dirt with hooves before letting go of my hand.

"As thanks for your help, I'm more than willing to answer any questions you have as we head towards the city. You are headed towards the city, right?"

I nodded thankfully, relieved that I had met someone knowledgeable.

"That would be quite helpful."

We both began our journey towards the city, our steps slow as she recovered.

"So I must ask, have any other heroes defeated one of these "mamono lords?""

Utbrots smile would immediately turn grim as she heard this, and she would turn away from me as a tinge of melancholy crept into her voice.

"No, none have. The monster lord has reigned as this world's greatest power for over a millenia."

I could feel my brows furrow as the journey ahead increased in difficulty by the moment.

"All who challenged her joined her harem of fallen heroes, their minds lost to the pleasure her power offers."