70 Chapter 9 (11): The request

The first thing we did after getting our pendants was to look for a request to go east or southeast as a one-way trip. The vast majority of one-way trips are escort requests, but there are others, such as obtaining materials needed by another town, or helping out with a monster subjugation near a different town. That's what we got after a few minutes of deliberation, so we set out to exterminate a large high orc settlement ruled by a noble orc and its children due east. Flying on Ver, we noticed a large group of bandits attacking a caravan of merchants about half a day's walk from the city we'd just left.

"Hey, Ryuu? Should we help them? It looks like they're getting beaten pretty badly" (Tuare)

"Why are you asking me? Of course we should help anyone we see in trouble" (Ryuu)

"Got it!" (Ver)

Ver turned around and dove down to land just behind the bandits, causing a small earthquake as she did. She stayed in her wyvern form as we took out the bandits, Mae charged into one group, Elise covering for her with arrows. Haru did the same with a second group as Char bombarded them with weak-ish spells, and Ver just glared at the third group of bandits while growling menacingly. I, meanwhile, guarded Tuare as she healed the merchant's guards. Once the bandits were defeated and the surviving ones tied up well, we left before they could try to pay us. We just told them to say that the promising newbies the guild just registered were the ones to deal with the bandits. After that, we didn't have much else to do besides chat and nap on our way to the orc settlement, or rather, the town near it. Well, I say that, but Haru and I did spend some of the time passionately kissing and then playing with each other's breasts, with a topless Tuare attacking mine from behind soon after. The windchill eventually got to us, so we put our clothes back on over our VERY hard nipples, but not before Ver expressed her annoyance that she couldn't join in.

We landed a few minutes from the town, Ver shifted into her human form, and I kept my wings and horns visible, alongside revealing my mismatched eyes. I was planning to be like that while in Elvengarde, so it made sense to do so here in the Theocracy. The guard at the gate didn't stop us for long, all it took was Haru revealing her gold pendant to get us a free pass and a bowing guard. Were A ranks... yeah, they've always been this revered. I noticed a brief look of puzzlement when the guard saw the pendant, but chalked it up to him not having heard of an A rank in an all-girls party or something like that. We headed straight for the mayor's residence, and soon after met with him to get the needed information.

"So, you're the ones who came to handle the high orcs. I was hoping for more people and ones more experienced than a bunch of young girls like yourselves, no offense. You're, what, Iron? Silver at most, perhaps with one of you having reached gold. Am I wrong?" (Mayor)

"You're wrong. Pick any three of us, and we'll show you our pendants. Or, you can trust us when we say that we're enough to handle it easily, provided we get the pertinent information about it from you" (Ryuu)

He caved at that, and spoke.

"Fine, it's your own damned fault if you die or get captured and used as the orcs' seedbeds. The settlement is southeast from here, and is estimated to contain about seventy high orcs, as well as having at least eight noble orcs confirmed. They have captured over two dozen women from this town and the adventurers that have tried to deal with the problem already. They periodically try to steal our livestock, and every time we lose some of it and some of our men get injured badly enough that they're out of commision for a few weeks or even months. They're probably going to attack again today or tomorrow, so I'd like you to help stop them then" (Mayor)

Ver, among others, got more than a bit exasperated by the sudden change in what was requested of us, so she asked a question that came out of nowhere, from the perspective of the mayor, at least.

"Which do you think would win? The entire settlement, or one evolved greater wyvern?" (Ver)

"The wyvern, of course. Why do you ask?" (Mayor)

"We reregistered today, in the port town two days away by carriage. We got here by riding an evolved greater wyvern. If we let her loose in the settlement..." (Haru)

"By the Saints! That's a bold plan. So, you managed to get the guild to let you take this request because you have this evolved wyvern, eh?" (Mayor)

"No. We got this request because we met the conditions, a party containing at least five gold ranks or at least ten silver ranks. The wyvern lord is just part of our strength as a party, a means of transport, and precious to me as a person, if you are willing to consider her such. Since I can win against her in a one-on-one fight, and have wide area magic of high power, I can achieve the same effects as having her rampage in the settlement. The orcs will die today or tomorrow, I can guarantee that much" (Ryuu)

With that, we left, despite his protests, and entered the valleys the orcs hid in. With a bird's-eye view... err, wyvern's-eye view, we could see three different settlements, and one that looked like a small city, all four of which were teeming with orcs.

"Since they're only orcs and high orcs, shall we split into four groups to deal with the four groups?" (Mae)

"Good idea. Haru, pair with Char and Elise. Mae and Tuare will form the second group, while Ver will take out the third settlement. I'll handle the city, and when any of you finish off the settlement you're working on, come to help me with the city. Sound good?" (Ryuu)

"Yeah..." (Elise)

"Can I eat them? I'm hungry" (Ver)

"No problems here, save for the bust discrepancy" (Mae)

"Fuck off, unless you want me to smother you with these useless oversized lumps of fat" (Tuare)

That'd be a nice way to go, I think.

"In that case, let's start the orcstermination! And yes, you can eat them. Remember to chew them properly, and spit out the armor if they have them" (Ryuu)