"This is your house?" the gray mare - whose name I'd learned was Octavia - asked, looking to me.

I only nodded, still holding the weird cat lady over my shoulder as I walked the path leading up to my front door.

"It looks kinda like something from a fantasy movie," said Vinly, the mare I'd now saved twice.

I grunted. "Hurry up and get in," I said, reaching and opening the door for them. "Last thing I want is more monsters on my doorstep."

Blinking, they stopped staring at my home and blushed lightly before walking inside. Gratifying as it was to have my hard work praised, I was on a time limit here. After walking inside and closing the door, I hurried through the house to my room. "Make yourselves at home, but don't touch anything!" I told them as I reached the secret door. Opening said door by pushing the hidden button, I walked as fast as I could down the stairwell, and made a beeline for my bedroom after reaching the bottom.

I didn't bother looking over my room when I reached and entered it, resolving to just place the tigress down on my bed as gently but swiftly as I could. Doing so, I looked her over and frowned. I'd have to take off her armor to see the rest of the damage, so hopefully she actually wore something beneath it all.

Working it off as carefully as I could, I could only blush when I saw she only wore chest wrappings and a black thong under it all. My eyes briefly traced along her curves. Were those-? I shook my head. Not now, Durin. I looked to her wounds. The one on her cheek was minor, but still looked infected. Her side was torn open a fair bit, too, and also infected. Letting my brows furrow, I called "Inventory," and pulled out two potions from the stacks I'd stocked up on for the hunt tonight. 'No hunting tonight, I guess.' I reasoned, before popping the cork on the Golden Oriole.

"Hope you have good resistance to toxins, Tora," I prayed, then opened her maw and poured the potion down her throat before tossing the bottle aside. She coughed and spluttered, but I clamped her mouth shut and massaged her throat to make sure she swallowed. I would've used another potion if I had any that worked on poison besides the Oriole, but I didn't have that luxury. So, I had to hope this potion didn't increase her chances of dying. Judging by how she was coughing, though, it definitely burned her throat.

I looked to the wounds, and saw the infections dying out, being replaced with marginally healthier colors, if still red from blood. Sighing in relief in my heart, I uncorked the other potion, a Potion of Healing, and poured it down her throat next. Like last time, she spluttered and coughed, but thankfully not as much as before, and her wounds slowly but surely closed up.

I sat back on the floor, sighing in relief. "Thank God..." I breathed. Last thing I wanted was to see someone else dead. Yeah, this world's been an ass, along with most of it's inhabitants, but that didn't mean I wanted any of them -save the monsters - to die.

Slowly shaking my head, I put her armor back on her, then walked out of the room, closing the door behind me. I had explaining to do now, sadly.

The silence was tense as I poured some tea for Octavia, then myself. Vinyl had elected for just a glass of water, but we were all silent all the same. After seating myself in my chair, I blew a bit on my tea to cool it down, then took a sip.

"So...your place is pretty neat," Vinyl started.

I put my teacup down and gave her a thankful nod. "Thanks." A brief silence followed. "I guess you two have questions?"

Octavia nodded, having not touched her tea yet. "Yes, we do."

"Why you saved me is one of them," Vinyl interjected. At my look, she waved her hooves. "Don't get me wrong, I appreciate it loads, but it's still something I wanna know, ya know?"

I frowned, then sighed, looking into my reflection in the tea of my teacup. "I'm a bleeding heart, I guess you could say. I don't like leaving others to die when I can help."

"Then why are you hiding out here?" Octavia asked, eyes narrowed.

I went silent at that.

"If you were a 'bleeding heart', why did you run? Why not stop and explain yourself?" Octavia pressed.

"..." I looked away and out the window, to the moon that was peeking out over the trees. "...I don't know. I just...did." I looked back to her. "Maybe I didn't want to deal with more bullshit. Maybe I was scared I would live on parole despite doing nothing wrong. I don't know. But I do know one thing." I leaned forward. "I would've been met with distrust and skepticism either way." Vinyl and Octavia frowned, looking at their drinks. I leaned back. "That silence only proves my point."

Vinyl eventually spoke up. "L-Let's change the topic a bit." She looked to me. "Mind if I ask what you are?"

I stopped cold at that, tensing up. I wasn't exactly a single race anymore. Sure, I looked humanoid, but I also had two different sub races in my blood, on top of being a Witcher, a mutant. I'm not sure there was a single term for what I was now. Heroes were, if Fable's lore was anything to go by, quite obviously a sub race of human. Same went for Terrarians. And Witchers, while not being an actual race, were mutants. Then, it struck me, like someone slapping me with a hand made of ice. That's all I was now. A mutant. A freak. I wasn't even truly human anymore. I grit my teeth, and painfully answered her question.

"A mutant," I said, glaring at my tea, as if it was the woman who'd brought me here.

Dead silence followed, though that was expected, I guess.

"...We're sorry to have brought-" Octavia started, but I glared at her.

"Don't. I don't need or want pity," I stood up from my chair. "I'm going out. You two can sleep on the couch in the lounge."

I left without anymore words.

The first thing she noticed when she woke up was that she was sore or otherwise in pain all over, and she could barely feel any of her limbs. The second was that her throat hurt and burned, too.

The third was that fucking everything around her smelt like a...a...musky onion or whatever.

The fourth, was the scent of something - or someone that she recognized.

“...Vi...ny…l?” Tora said as loud as she could - a weak whisper, really, but still a damn sight louder than the silence of the room she was in.

“Tora? Oh thank Celestia, you’re okay!” Vinyl’s voice cried, a hoof being placed on the tigress’ paw. “How are you feeling?”

“...D...ead,” Tora quietly deadpanned as she stared at the disc jockey blankly.

Vinyl giggled softly. “Yeah, I can get that. Still, at least you aren’t really dead.”

“Y...yeah,” Tora sighed, gradually feeling control of her lungs and vocal cords returning to her as time went on. “Where...Octavia?”

“She’s upstairs, talking to Durin,” Vinyl explained.

Tora stared blankly at Vinyl, confusion clear in her eyes, “...Who?”

Vinyl blinked. “Uhh, the guy you were sent to find?”

Then, memories of the previous night came rushing back to her, her eyes widening, “W-wait...he’s called Durin? Huh...didn’t think that’d be his name. So, where are we...currently?”

“In his house. It’s…” She looked around, as did Tora. The bedroom had various bits and bobs about, clothes strewn about the floor along with a bookshelf and other furnishings. Tin-plated walls with intricate carvings surrounded them on all sides, and a lantern sat on a nearby nightstand.

“...Fuckin’ rancid-lookin’ in here,” Tora finished with a disgusted look at the discarded clothing on the floor...then she stiffened as all of the environmental clues snapped together. “...Please tell me I’m not in his bed, where all of his rank stench has likely seeped into my fur.”

Vinyl chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck with a hoof. “W-Wellll… He uh, doesn’t have another bed, so…”

“...Burn me,” Tora said bluntly, eyes dead serious. “Burn me alive in this bed so that I do not have to live with this fuckin’ stench clinging to my fur.”

“I’d rather not risk burning the house of the dude who saved us,” Vinyl said with an amused smirk and giggle.

“...You are such a wanker,” Tora glared balefully at the DJ, wishing so badly that she could melt heads with a look.

“Don’t have a dick, though, so not sure I can be,” Vinyl replied, smirk growing.

“You sure fuck your mate like ya do,” Tora stated dryly, an amused smirk curling on her muzzle.

Vinyl shrugged. “Tavi likes being pegged.”

“I know, I could smell it when I walked in the house,” Tora added with a chuckle.

Vinyl shrugged again. “We were in the middle of a session when you came in. What do you expect? ‘Sides, you know how it is. Few enough good stallions in this world, even less who do that shit.”

“I don’t know how it is, actually,” Tora said with an annoyed huff. “Never been in a relationship - especially not a sexual one, so…”

Vinyl blinked, looking at Tora in a new light. “Holy shit. You’re a virgin? No bucking way!”

“Never had th’ time or interest in blokes or sheilas, not when I had my work ta take care of so that I could, y’know, eat on a healthy basis?” Tora shot back, tail visibly lashing about beneath the sheets. “I’m not constantly horny like you miniature Saddle Arabians are!”

“You Abyssinians do have heats though, right?” Vinyl countered, smirking again as she pulled her shades down to look Tora more directly in the eyes.

“Only fer a month, an’ even then, I was actually too focused on making my livin’ and making sure I could have brekkie in th’ morning to fuckin’ care bout my gooch burnin’!” Tora hissed, starting to feel a little agitated with Vinyl’s line of questioning.

Vinyl flipped her shades back up, raising her hooves placatingly. “Alright, alright, I get it now, sensitive topic. Sorry.”

“My sex life ain’t none o’ your bizzo, mate. So let’s leave it at that, savvy?” Tora ‘asked’ the mare as she slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position - with a lot of effort, mind you - and then paused when she felt - or, rather, didn’t feel - a familiar weight on her back.

“...Where’s Gabe?” Tora asked quietly, expression blank.

Vinyl pointed to the object peeking out from under the bed. “Under there.”

Tora relaxed like all the air in a balloon rushing out.

“Thank fuck...if that Durin bloke had taken m’ fuckin’ Gabe...he’d be cactus,” Tora said darkly, claws unsheathing and sheathing repeatedly.

“He told me if you wanted more rounds for it he could make or give you some, too,” Vinyl added.

Tora stared at Vinyl with an expression that could not be mistaken for anything other than predatory, a wild grin on her face and her amber eyes little more than slits.

“...Oooh, I could just kiss the bastard!” Tora mewed in utter excitement, her body trembling and tail wagging furiously.

Vinyl giggled. “If you wanna ask him about the specifics, he’s upstairs, down the hall. Second room on the right.”

Tora hopped out of the bed with surprising energy and speed for someone who’d been cut open and poisoned just the night before, and walked rather quickly to the room Vinyl specified, all but kicking it open.

She found Durin in a simple white T-shirt and blue jeans sitting at a table with Octavia, the former eating a leg of tantalizing meat, and the latter sipping from a cup of tea.

Durin put his meat down, giving the tigress a mild glare. “Don’t damage my house. I don’t want to have to rebuild any part of it.” He warned.

“Sorry, mate, just…Vin told me ya would make some more…‘rounds’ for Gabe if’n I asked nicely,” Tora said excitedly, a grin on her face.

Durin sighed deeply. “Well, I didn’t say you’d get them scott free.” He leaned back in his chair. “I want a favor for it.”

“Anything. I’m down to four rounds for Gabe, now,” Tora said emphatically.

Octavia giggled daintily, gently putting her cup back on it’s saucer. “I’m surprised you don’t have more questions than ‘more rounds’.”

“Questions are of lesser priority than makin’ sure Gabe is nice an’ stocked on ‘thunder’ charges,” Tora nodded sagely, completely serious about anything to do with her beloved weapon.

Durin and Octavia exchanged glances, then both chuckled to themselves.

“Wot’s so bloody funny to you two drongos?” Tora asked testily, planting her hands on her rather nice hips.

Durin chuckled a little more, then shook his head. “Nothing, nothing. You’re just kinda cute when you talk about that harquebus/crossbow of yours.”

“Arbalest, actually, an’-” Tora paused, blinking as she processed what he said. “...‘harquebus’? Is that what Gabe was before I added the arbalest to ‘im?”

Durin nodded. “The look is all the same, as is the inner workings and mechanisms.”

Tora fell silent, then her eyes narrowed, “...You touched Gabe?”

Durin shrugged. “Had to to know what kind of ammo it took.” He noticed her look. “Oh knock it off, I didn’t mess with anything. It’s just fine.”

“...You’d be carked right now if ya had,” Tora grumbled as she walked up to him and sat down at the table. “So, that fuckin’ favor ya wanted me ta do?”

“First thing’s first,” He said, a map appearing his hands out of nowhere.

‘How the fuck d’ya keep on doing that?!’ Tora yelled internally.

He laid it out on the table, letting Tora get a better look at it.

“...That’s a mine. Yours, I reckon?” Tora asked, looking up at Durin without lifting her head. “Cuz...it’s fuckin’ huge, mate. This is...wot, 700 or 800 clicks wide?”

He nodded. “It is.”

“Why do you need such a large mine?” Octavia asked, interjecting.

“Survival, I’m guessin’. Armor, weapons an’ shite. Makes sense, since all the ore ‘round here has gone missin’. You’ve been right busy, ya bastard,” Tora observed with both brows raised, clearly impressed.

“There are a lot of monsters around here, I grant you, but still, isn’t it a bit excessive?” Octavia queried.

“Little is considered excessive for survival,” was Durin’s sharp response.

“Yup, knew it,” Tora nodded, then regarded Durin with an appraising eye. “Except all of that ore for...700 or so clicks? You’re prepping fer somethin’, Durin. Somethin’ big, aren’tcha?”

Durin growled. “My business is mine. Keep out of it, or no ammo.”

“Wasn’t gonna butt into no one’s bizzo, mate. Just a question; ‘sides, I understand where yer comin’ from where survival is involved,” Tora said reassuringly - and rather quickly, at that.

Durin nodded. “Good.” He pointed to a spot on the map. “My expeditions showed that there’s a rare biome down here. Glowing mushrooms and shit. Couldn’t go further, though. Ran out of ammo and potions, as well as general supplies. Was too risky to press further.” He tapped it. “But there was a few veins of rare ore there that I saw on my way out.”

“Want me to help y’ mine it, do ya?” Tora asked with a tilt of her head.

He nodded again. “I do. But,” he leaned back, picking the map up and then seemingly making it disappear. “You need better gear first if you’re gonna survive down there.”

“...A’ight. You gonna make some with all o’ that ore ya mined, or do I need to go out an’ buy it m’self?”

“Depends,” Durin opened his palm, and a bar of silvery-green metal appeared in it. “Does tungsten armor suit your fancy?”

“So long as it ain’t gonna chafe m’ fucking ass or tits, I’m aces,” Tora shrugged noncommitally. “Just don’t make it all revealin’ and shit, a’ight?”

Durin rolled his eyes. “I’m not one for making girls into sex objects, so don’t worry your pretty little head.” The bar disappeared from his hand, and he looked to Tora. “So, I imagine you have questions, right?”

“Eh, y’ said your bizzo is your own, so I’m not gonna step on any toes, y’know? They can ask the questions all they want,” Tora said, propping her paws up on the table.

“We already did,” Octavia said. “It’s been a whole day and night.”

“...I,” Tora failed to come up with any more words, too stunned by the fact that she’d lost an entire day and night of her life.

Durin smirked, crossing his arms. “I’m guessing you have questions now.”

“...The fuck was that dog, anyways? Ain’t no damn monster I’ve ever seen,” Tora finally asked, eyes boring into Durin’s.

“Grave hag. Feeds on corpses, but some grow bolder and go for live people. Hard for any but a Witcher to beat,” Durin replied. “I bet she was from the graveyard nearby. They like to make homes similar to a hu- pony’s near ‘em.”

“...We passed by a graveyard on the train here,” Tora said quietly. “But that...that was clicks back.”

Durin shrugged. “Zombies pop out in the night, and they probably lead her to you as a matter of convenience.”

“...Fair enough,” Tora acquiesced, then blinked in realization. “...You said I could ask questions, right? Any?”

Durin shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Within reason. I owe you all at least some explanation, since I already involved you by bringing you here and caring for your furry tush.”

“Oi, no one talks about my fuckin’ ass but me, since I’m the only one here who’s actually seen it,” Tora growled warningly at Durin.

He rolled his eyes. “Defensive about your assets, aren’t you? Don’t see why. They’re rather fine if you ask me.”

“...Shut up before I claw your face,” Tora’s hackles rose and her tail bristled.

“Just giving advice,” he shrugged. “So, questions?”

“...The fuck ya preparing for with all o’ that ore and shit? Don’t come the raw prawn on me. That much metal has to be used to fight or prepare for somethin’ big,” Tora asked, arms crossed and eyes narrowed into slits.

Durin went silent for a time, and the room seemed to drop a few degrees in temperature. “...Something I wish I didn’t have to fight. Something only I can fight, though.”

“...So some bigger beastie than the giant peeper, one with far more power we can imagine?” Tora asked dryly.

“...It controls the moon, so, yeah, I’d say so,” Durin confessed, frowning as if uneasy.

“...Well, count me in on your suicide mission,” Tora shrugged, bringing her paws back down to the floor and sitting up straight in her chair. “If’n it took control of the bloody moon from some kind o’ pony goddess who made it orbit the planet, then I’d say it’ll be better if we kill it ‘fore it makes everyone else cark it.”

Durin and Octavia blinked, looking at Tora in a new light.

“You...want to fight that thing?” Octavia asked slowly, eyes wide.

“This planet’s my home, like it or not, and this thing sounds as mean as cat’s piss, so it’s either I or someone helps fight it, or...we all cark it,” Tora explained matter-of-factly.

“Still, this is a bit…” Octavia gained an uneasy look on her face. “I mean, we just met, but, the thought of anypony taking on a suicide job like that is still…”

“Oi, now that I know that that thing is comin’, I won’t be able to sleep worth a shit if I don’t do somethin’ bout it,” Tora huffed, ears pressed flat against her fuzzy head.

Durin interupted. “I can’t say I’m too fond of making a non-Witcher fight this with me, but…” He offered a hand. “...welcome aboard.

“Well, mind telling me what the fuck’s a Witcher, then, if you’re so unsure ‘bout me not bein’ one?” Tora asked impatiently.

“...” Durin retracted his hand, looking away. “...mutants. Mutants who are made specifically to fight monsters, and nothing else. We’re a dying breed. I’m probably the only one left.”

“...Wish we didn’t share that in common, then,” Tora sighed as she reached her own hand out. “Still, y’ ain’t no fuckin’ mutant. Now that ‘grave hag’ dog? That is a bloody mutant. Hell, I’m a fuckin’ mutant, since I’m a tiger Abyssinian born into a bunch o’ lions.”

“If you only knew,” Durin muttered, taking her paw and shaking it firmly. “Right, let’s head into my armory, then.”

“Aces,” Tora said as she hopped up out of her chair and put that feline flexibility to good use with a quick stretch that bent her back behind her at a good 45 degree angle, a series of pops coming from her back.

“I suppose me and Vinyl will just wait for your return, then?” Octavia asked.

“For now,” Durin said with a nod. “Too risky to go out there alone, much less with Tora under-geared here. And I don’t know the way to your home.”

“Very well,” Octavia said with a sigh.

With that, Durin lead Tora to his armory.

There was much to do and prepare for.

Well, here it is, folks. Now, in case you didn't read the blog about this, this story will be having weekly updates from now on. That means the next chapter won't come until next Monday. Sorry, but that's how it has to be.

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this! Thanks for reading!

-Timeless Lord Slayer