Chapter 261: Trust Me Tigress

Bia didn’t even attempt to hide her deep, unwavering distrust of the Fox Shaman. She crossed her arms over her scantily clad chest, her eyes narrowing suspiciously as she looked down the pitch-black tunnel.

“I want five thousand venom crystals in advance. Upfront. Right now. I am not stepping a single paw into the dark until I am paid half,” Bia demanded, planting her feet firmly on the limestone floor.

Vex merely chuckled, a smooth, velvety sound completely devoid of offense. He was more than happy to oblige her demands.

“Of course,” Vex purred. “A professional always gets a retainer.”

He gracefully walked over to a massive, heavy stone chest tucked into the corner of the cavern. He flipped the heavy lid open, reached inside, and pulled out a bulging, incredibly heavy wool sack that clinked with the sound of pure wealth. He tossed it through the air.

Bia caught it with a grunt, nearly buckling under the sheer weight of the stones. She eagerly untied the thick leather knot at the top and peeked inside.

Her feline eyes sparkled brighter than the bioluminescent moss on the ceiling. The sack was filled to the absolute brim with glowing, perfectly cut venom crystals. It was more than she had ever seen in her entire life.

“I have to count them,” Bia announced seriously.

Vex’s wicked smirk never left his devastatingly handsome face. “Take all the time you need.”

Bia immediately sat cross-legged right there on the cold, hard cavern floor. She dumped a pile of glowing crystals into her lap and began meticulously counting them one by one, her tail swishing back and forth in absolute, greedy delight.

While the tigress was completely absorbed in her counting, Vex busied himself with his own preparations. He completely ignored her, walking over to a large, disorganized stash of empty wool sacks. He rummaged through the pile until he found a really, really big one.

Humming a soft, upbeat tune, Vex began packing. He neatly folded several fresh leather loincloths, grabbed a few thick, luxurious animal furs, and tossed in various survival tools and dried herbs.

Once his massive travel bag was packed, he moved over to his stone workstation. He grabbed a small clay pot and a heavy stone pestle. From a hanging bundle of dried flora, he selected several specific, pungent green leaves and a handful of strange, oily forest nuts. He tossed them into the clay pot and began grinding them down with smooth, rhythmic motions, crushing the ingredients until they formed a thick, highly potent, dark green paste.

Hours passed. The dim light narrowly filtering into the cavern began to fade. It was almost dusk when Bia finally finished counting the very last crystal.

“Five thousand,” Bia sighed happily, tying the sack tightly. She looked up and noticed the massive, bulging wool sack resting by Vex’s feet. “Are you going somewhere?”

Vex only shrugged his broad shoulders, his orange eyes glinting with mischief. “Only on a little vacation.”

He set his stone pestle down and wiped his hands. “Are you satisfied with the payment?”

“Yes,” Bia grinned, her confidence fully restored. “Take me to him.”

Vex picked up a clump of glowing blue-green moss from the wall to use as a lantern and led her down the dark, ominous path further into the depths of the tunnels. The air grew incredibly thick and humid. He guided her into a massive, hollowed-out subterranean cave.

Heavy stalactites hung dangerously from the ceiling, dripping steadily. The entire ground of the cave was covered in a few inches of natural, steaming warm water that soaked into Bia’s bare feet.

Resting in the center of the cavern, sitting perfectly still on a flat stone table, was a massive beastman.

He was absolutely terrifying to look at. He was a black tiger beastman, possessing a towering, heavily muscled build. Long, unkempt black hair fell wildly around his broad shoulders. Dark, pitch-black tiger stripes decorated his dark, bronzed skin, but the majestic markings were violently interrupted by a horrific tapestry of jagged, ugly scars that covered almost every single inch of his body.

But it wasn’t the scars that made Bia freeze.

The massive beastman slowly looked up. His eyes were a glowing, piercing, blood-red.

“He’s a feral!” Bia screamed in absolute terror, scrambling backward through the warm water.

“Hush, hush,” Vex smugly calmed her down, casually waving his free hand. He stepped further into the cave, gesturing to the terrifying predator. “Allow me to introduce you to my friend.”

Vex completely delighted in her terror. “He is a medical marvel. He is the very first fully conscious feral in this entire world. He was raised deep within the Wastelands.”

Bia’s jaw dropped. The Wastelands were a legendary, barren hellscape. It was well known as the brutal, unforgiving graveyard where exiled beastmen and feral beasts went to die.

“A conscious feral?!” Bia breathed out, hardly able to believe her own eyes.

“Exactly,” Vex explained, his orange eyes alight with scientific fanaticism. “I assume he was forced to evolve into this feral state purely for survival. The extreme environment of the Wastelands demanded absolute savagery, so his biology adapted. He retained his consciousness while fully embracing the unstoppable strength of the feral madness.”

Bia stared at the Fox Shaman. “Why in the world are you telling me all this?”

Vex shrugged casually, a wicked smirk playing on his lips. “It is incredibly boring keeping all my brilliant discoveries to myself sometimes. Even a genius needs an audience.”

Bia slowly turned her gaze back to the giant, heavily scarred black tiger. Despite his terrifying appearance, he was just sitting there on the stone slab, staring blankly at the cavern wall.

“Has he lost his mind?” Bia asked, narrowing her eyes. “Why is he just sitting and staring like that?”

“He is perfectly sane,” Vex insisted. He looked at the massive predator. “Greet Bia.”

The giant, terrifying feral beastman blinked his red eyes. “Hello,” he rumbled obediently, his voice a deep, gravelly rasp.

Bia shivered. Despite the polite greeting, she didn’t miss the subtle, incredibly alarming detail. When the massive black tiger looked at Vex, his glowing red eyes were filled with absolute, unfiltered terror.

“Do you control him?” Bia asked, her survival instincts screaming at her.

Vex stepped forward and casually swung an arm over the black tiger’s massive, scarred shoulders. “No, of course not. We are best friends!”

Bia noticed the distinct, violent way the black tiger completely flinched at the Fox’s touch.

“He is only shy,” Vex told Bia, his smile entirely too wide to be genuine. “Do not worry, he is a lot gentler than he looks.”

Bia let out a long breath. Ten thousand crystals in total. That was the prize. Driven entirely by capitalism, Bia reached up and untied the scanty strips of animal hide covering her body, letting them fall into the warm, shallow water.

She stood completely naked in the cavern. She looked at Vex, crossing her arms. “Are you going to stay and watch?”

“Definitely not,” Vex scoffed, his nose wrinkling slightly. “I have much better things to do.”

Vex reached into the folds of his loincloth and pulled out the small clay bowl he had prepared earlier. He deliberately dipped his sharp claws deep into the thick, dark green paste of ground nuts and leaves.

Without a single second of warning, Vex ruthlessly sunk his coated claws directly into the black tiger’s broad shoulder.

The feral beastman gasped, his red eyes going wide as the potent, concentrated aphrodisiac rushed instantly into his bloodstream.

Vex leaned down, his lips brushing the beastman’s fluffy black ear. “Don’t stop mating until she’s bred,” Vex whispered, a dark, absolute command.

Almost immediately, the feral’s breathing hitched. His massive chest heaved, and the thick, heavy evidence of his rapidly rising erection pushed violently against his leather loincloth, hardening to the size of a formidable weapon.

With his work finished, Vex turned on his heel and walked gracefully out of the dark, dripping cavern.

“Have fun,” Vex called back over his shoulder.

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