CH13:A Friend?

East gate closed behind me as I made my way towards my next destination with only the moon to guide me. I spent the last of my money on something I desperately needed. Centaurifu and wild mustangs roamed the woods, eating low-hanging fruits and anything else they could find. If I could subdue one, my trip through the forest would get a little easier. A strong mare would be ideal, but a brutish mustang would be just as good. I needed one because they were immune to some of the most dangerous plants in the next area.

After escaping the ogre, I learned that sometimes all I could do was run. Speed was the most important virtue a tamer could have, and I needed to use it. My harem needed to be well-rounded before I reached Corinth or Carthage.

It's why I went through the East gate instead of the North facing Corinth. To the east, beyond the run-down factories, was the City of Carthage.

Everyone else was heading to Corinth, the closest city to Jackson; they wouldn't want to deal with the deadly poisonous plant monsters separating the Jackson Forest and the abandoned factories. Carthage had a sect dedicated to the metal attribute and mecha waifus. The nearby factories with their mechanized monsters were a great place to train metal skills. I still planned to go to Corinth but needed a mecha-type waifu. Once I got one, it would be tempting to go to Carthage.

I looked up from my musing to see smoke. Who would camp close to the eastern gate? An ambush would have been more fruitful from the North. But, if this was some tamers camping, I wasn't sure what to do or say. Most of my interactions with my peers hadn't been pleasant.

Then again, what if they were like-minded? Safety in numbers wasn't something I could pass up easily. I thought about bringing out Alice and Helen but dismissed it. Alice would say we should see them; they might be friendly, and Helen would tell me to avoid them. But, of course, I was in charge, so it was my decision.

After approaching the camp slowly, I announced myself. "Don't be alarmed; I'm Zoran, a tamer," I said.

A guy, my age with spiky blonde hair rushed out of a tent with his dick out. He tripped over his sentry wire and face-planted. I winced when I heard his nose crunch.

The strong hands of a white canifu helped him to his feet. The face-planted guy was an ace, or his family had a lot of money. The guy struggled to his feet and stood up before holding his nose to clot the blood.

"If you're here to rob me, do it more quietly. I thought you were a monster attack." The potential ace said.

"Why would you rather be robbed than attacked by monsters?" I asked.

"Supplies aren't that expensive, but hiring some rank 2s to rescue Sandy before she's raped would be costly even for me. My name is Matt, by the way, and I'm going to be the richest tamer in the world." Matt said.

"Sure, and I'm going to be the Waifu Emperor and subdue the legendaries," I said without missing a beat. "Why are you heading east? Corinth is North of Jackson?" I said.

"I could ask you the same question." The guy said, then frowned. "Sandy attack mode," Matt said, and the white-furred wolf waifu bared her fangs.

I raised my hands in surrender. "Hold on, what with that all of a sudden? You don't want to do something you'll regret." My chances of taking down his canifu were good. It hadn't killed many monsters, so its qi reserves were small. Sandy wouldn't last a second against me.

Matt narrowed his eyes. "Why are you going East?"

"That's simple. I want metal and wood attribute waifus to round out my harem," I said.

"So, it isn't because the Carthage credits are at an all-time low compared to Jackson," Matt said.

I raised an eyebrow. "You're going to buy the dip, so you'll triple your credits or more when the currency swings back. But I don't see why I can't buy a few thousand too." I said.

Matt calmed down. "Drop the attack mode, Sandy; he's not a threat to my plans." He grabbed a stick and poked the fire. "Sure, exchange for a few thousand and multiply your money if you want. I'm sure it will help you out if you can get from Carthage to Corinth in time for the sect entrance exam. I don't have to worry about that; my place is already reserved." Matt said.

That pissed me off a little, but I let it go. I couldn't hate a guy for using the resources he had at his disposal to get ahead. He nodded to the log beside him, and I took a seat at his invitation.

"Do you know about the field of poisonous plant monsters and the ghost town separating the forest from the abandoned factories?" I said.

"Sandy can handle any night type she comes across, and we'll freeze all the plants in our way," Matt said.

I shook my head. "That's not going to work unless your waifu slaughter a few goblin villages on the way. She doesn't have the qi to fight off so many plant monsters." I said.

"Well, I think we can handle it. There hasn't been an enemy we can't handle." Matt said.

"You could go in there with guns blazing and freeze a few thorn drakes before a Coniferous Hydra give you its full attention. Or you could help me subdue a few mustangs at the forest's edge." I said.

Matt shook his head. "You're insane, my dick is big, but it doesn't have the girth a horse waifu needs. We would be better off trying to please a minotaurifu. At least we have girth on the bulls." He got up, whipped out his dick, and pissed on the fire until it went out.

"Mustangs can be tamed using a different method." I reached into my pack and pulled out a three-foot-long black dildo.

"You're out of your mind. That could never work; if it did, it would be forming a bond by proxy. The dildo would be the tamer more than us." Matt said.

I shrugged and took out a saddle, spurs, and a horsewhip. "Then we can find one and break them the old fashion way."

"Bondage could work studies show more animalistic waifus prefer bondage style to normal taming. Have you ever done anything like bondage before?" Matt asked.

I pulled a book out of my bag and tossed it to him. "The salesman recommended it when he saw what I was buying. Apparently, waifu or monster doesn't matter with these techniques. Though we can't form a bond with monsters for obvious reasons." I said.

"Talk about the Tsufu and the Scorpifu with this one. It could work, and we would make better time with it. Towards the edge of the forest, there are a lot of equine monster species and waifus in their herds. Did you buy a bow from the Professor?"

"Do I look like an idiot to you?" I asked.

"Yes, and I wish you had; we could use some long range. It's one of the only ways to take down equine-type monsters if they spot you first. Worse, some of the centaurs in the herd will be archers. If a rank 2 centaur spots us first, the herd will flee, and they will hunt us down." Matt said.

"I hope you're good at sneaking or a quick study. I'm not getting one for you; pull your own weight." I said.

Matt snorted. "At least you have a backbone. The fire is out, and morning is approaching. We need to track two centaur maidens down and break them before without the herd noticing. Then all we can do is ride like hell to our destination."

"Yea, it's my plan; follow me. I have a map." I said.

"Mine is probably better than whatever cheap piece of shit a hand-me-down supply shot used to cheat you out of your money," Matt said.

I took out my map and pointed to a small section of forest. "It's mating season, so most of their maidens are under guard from younger monsters. They should be Northeast near the oat fairy territory. The yearlings are probably eating the monsters alive right now." I said.

"Nope, your map is outdated. The oat fairy tribe was replaced with Alfalfa grimlins and the GRN Grimlifus to the Southeast. All you'll find to the Northeast is horse shit, ruined fairy villages, or maybe a goblin camp." Matt said.

I wanted to throttle the smiling bastard from the saddle shop who sold me the outdated map. The smug look on his face as he slid my card at the checkout was too much. When I returned to Jackson, I would remember to pay him back for his assistance.

My glare softened as I looked towards the Southeast, where adventure waited along with new waifus. There was a small chance I could get one with Mu Power. It was a long shot, and I would have to stick my dick in centaur pussy to get it. But if I wanted Sephiroth and Qliphoth power, then I needed Mu Power. It was rare, and even if I found a waifu who had it, the chances of getting it from a single round were slim to none.

Really running into Matt was lucky for both of us. We would get what we wanted if we didn't stab each other in the back. I wasn't planning on betraying him, but a counterattack wasn't out of the question.

Our eyes met, and I could tell he was waiting for me to attack. Instead, I started walking Southeast. "Fine, oh wise buyer of up-to-date maps, we'll go Southeast, but if it turns into a shit show, don't hold me back," I said.

"Don't worry, I'll be right behind you all the way," Matt said.