Cubi Problem Solving (Part 1)
#11 of Mystic Family (First Try)
The Blackriver family are off on a bit of an adventure in realms far from home, but things just don't seem to be going their way. This is an introduction piece for an NSFW story but this section contains only mild violence and suggestive phrases (technically, they are naked too, but that isn't even described here). For continuity, this is a couple years after the Astral Cubs story.
As of posting this, I am still working on the following sections. Expect their typical fair of family fun and magic along with some new, and possibly more disturbing, subject matter.
"Kay, we need that exit, NOW!" the powerful young incubus yelled over his father's singing, his giant sword and shield barely holding the swarm of goblins at bay in the narrow corridor. As he swung wide to block a few goblins trying to sneak under his shield his tiny father sang and danced with intensity across his broad shoulders, using his head and back spikes as convenient handles to navigate and occasionally even using one of his wing struts like a stripper pole. "I can't stay this big much longer."
The golden-haired feline hybrid flipped frantically through her books and scrolls. This was always so much easier with her tablet, where she could use keyword searches, but like many, this particular realm didn't allow electronics to function.
"Uhh, I can't find the way home like this, but I might have a safe spot for now."
"Just get us out of here! I'm already shrinking and moms losing essence fast."
Kaynell Marie levitated the text in her view and started to cast the spell even as she heard her father's voice faltering. His Song of Ambiance was the only thing keeping the massive ogres from charging down the tunnel and squishing the small family against the dead end wall along with their goblin assailants. If he became too weak to continue the Dance of Attraction then the goblins might stop focusing on getting to him and would actually hurt Ben or slip passed and slaughter her and her mother. In their present state of induced and targeted lust the gobs weren't thinking clearly or using their weapons.
Kaynell looked to her mother laying on the floating disk of energy next to her. She mentally reshaped a portion of the disk to catch the fluids flowing from the large gray puma wolf hybrid who'd raised her back on Aerth.
Grandma's words kept resonating through her mind reminding her that under their present political situation Kay was not only trying to save the life of her mother, but also one of her subjects and soldiers. It was the first mission she'd ever assigned to her parents and it was all falling apart, but she had to hold it together.
The flow of magic shifted in the deep and caught under her grasp. Keynell pushed forward, forcing open a passage through space and time as the end of the tunnel reshaped with the same ease as the energy disk.
Guiding the disk through the portal she called back to her brother. "Ben, let's go. Right behind you. Just, uh, four steps at your size."
Once Kay finished guiding her brother and father through the invisibly wrapped space she closed off the passage in front of them, a pair of goblins still clinging to the mighty incubus and his shield, still trying to get to the dancing meerkat above. Ben pinned the goblins against the new wall behind them while Lawrence jumped down from his shoulders, breathed deeply, and checked on Erin's condition.
Kay lowered the disk so her father could jump up and join his wife. "I've been trying to collect her essence, in case we can find a spell to return it to her before it loses all potency. DAMNIT!" Kaynell's calm and collected veneer suddenly shattered now that the intensity of the battle washed away and she slammed her fists into the featureless wall of their small pocket dimension before collapsing to her knees and crying.
Ben knocked the goblins unconscious before shrinking down to his normal size. As he comforted her, his large demonic wings wrapping around her, he instinctively avoided pressing any of his bodies spikes against her flesh. "Shu-shu-shu-shush, it's gonna be ok, sis." Ben stroked his long fingers through the gold strands against her cheek and down her back. "We'll figure this out. We're smart, we can do this."
Kaynell snuggled tight into her brother's muscular chest, almost like she was trying to disappear into his slightly larger body. "No, Ben, it's all my fault. I- I don't know what I'm doing. Not this mission, not as clan head, nothing. I never should have brought us to those catacombs. The maps don't even make any sense, and the tablet turned to books, and, and I'm lost. I'm lost, Ben. I'm the Navigator, and I'm lost." Ben made no attempt to stop her as she pounded her clenched fist on his chest. "This was a fool's errand, and I'm the Fool."
Ben contemplated a response, but all he managed to say was, "Co-clan head. This is my fault too. Grandma..." But he was interrupted by their dad hopping up onto Ben's knee.
"Cubs, I know this isn't the best time, but I really need your help with mom. I've patched her wounds, so she's not leaking anymore, but she lost a lot of astral essence even before you started collecting it. If she fades away here then her real body will be stuck in a coma till we can recover her from the deep realms, and as they say, 'that's hellish.' She needs to drain some essence from those goblins, but right now she's not even strong enough to open her eyes, let alone seduce them."
Kay wiped her tears away and nodded. She took a deep breath. Steeling herself to keep pushing forward. Her parents, subjects, and soldiers, all needed her to be strong right now, even if they were all the same two people. She exhaled and spoke calmly, "Ok, daddy, what can we do to help?"
Lawrence grinned, "Well, we're Cubi. How do we solve, like, 70% of our problems?"