Monster Hunter Conquest Collection #1

Monster
Hunter Conquest

Collection
#1

Copyright 2012
Mandoline Creme

This is a work of
fiction. Names, places, characters, or events are either the product
of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any
resemblance to persons, alive or dead, is completely coincidental.

****

This compilation contains the first three books in the
Monster Hunter Conquest series, and while they are not required to be
read in sequential order, they have been arranged in a way most
fitting.

The first story is Yielding to Dragons, as our hero
Siena tries her best to take down a fierce, mystical beast.

Next is Yielding to the Rat Clan, where she journeys
underground to once more try and prove herself, and quickly becomes
the hunter caught in a trap.

Finally, Yielding to the Giant Slug is, exactly, as it
sounds! Tired of the tactical abilities of her foes, the blonde
Hunter heads into the murky swamps to take on what should be a simple
beast. Of course, life is never so easy.

Please enjoy these tales, they were written with love,
as well as a heavy does of perversion.

--Mandoline Creme

Book
1

The
sun was just rising, a ball of yellow in an otherwise sky of washed
out gray. The mists kept everything mulled, like peering through a
dirty glass in a seedy tavern. A warm wind whispered past, tickling
the loose strands of blonde hair from behind the girl's ear.
Absently, she tucked them away, uncaring that they would no doubt
drift free once more.

At
that moment, she had far more pressing concerns.

Hunched
in the tall grass of the wide plains of Sunhaven, a normally apt name
with the lack of protection and scorching weather, she was focusing
on the wafting smoke in the distance. It curled up in a graceful
dance, black on the swatch of a sky that never wanted to be blue. The
end of the forest of grass lay ahead, where a wall of coiling, almost
angry trees waved her on ominously.

It
was where she had heard the rumors had begun as of late, that the
cause for the haze of ash and smoke shielding the plains from the
rays of the sun lay there. If the scent of burning wood was any
indication, she wanted to imagine they were right. That there,
somewhere hidden in the blackness of the wild forest of Hyvar, was
her prey.

A
marsh dragon.

Sitting
up, the girl dug around in her side bag until she brushed a hard,
metallic object. Yanking the scope free, she aimed it into the sky to
try and judge the distance, green eyes squinting hard. 'Yes,' she
thought to herself with a flutter of excitement. 'You're on the right
track, for sure. Siena, you crafty dog, you've got this in the bag.'

Preening,
she tucked the tool away and rose to a half crouch, casting a
paranoid glance around the area. If she was correct, and she fully
believe she was, the beast she was stalking was only a few miles off.
Her nervousness was not just for the arising encounter, however.
There were many dangerous creatures in this land, and as a Monster
Hunter, she wanted to be on her toes.

While
the true goal was the hide of this rare dragon, if she was able to
bag any other trophies, she wouldn't hesitate.

Slipping
forward on the soft leather of her calf length boots, Siena moved
silently through the field of scratchy plants, using them for cover
even as she wondered what they might hide. Young, cocky, and full of
the bravery often found only in fools, the blonde considered herself
a true master of her craft.

Lean
as a whip, her small form shined with sweat in the heat, glistening
off her tan flesh and hinting at the strength beneath. It was
impossible to not be in shape when one planned to tackle dangerous
beasts, it made what some would call a folly of a mission suicidal.

Siena
thought it was anything but.

One
hand grazed the hilt of the sword by her side, a blade as thin as
her, and sharp enough to slice the wind and leave no sound. While
many hunters wore heavy armor, she favored the route of less burden.
Padded leather and cloth wrapped her figure, tight around her thighs
and the curve of her firm ass. Her rounded chest, young and pert,
heaved in her tense breathing beneath the leather.

Wiping
her forehead with a gauntlet of wrapped tan hide, she flicked her
long hair back in its braid. The reaching shadows of the twisted
woods were within a few feet, branches beckoning her on. It was a
monster of its own, waiting there for her to enter its maw of mossy
foliage.

Swallowing
once, the girl cracked her knuckles and buried her rising anxiety
with a quick squeeze of her weapon's hilt. Despite her gall, her
bravado, she was aware she was about to try and tangle with a
creature far more risky than she wanted to consider. Yet, her newness
to the guild of Monster Hunters made her wish to prove herself. A
marsh dragon would put to silence the taunts of the older members,
who felt she was far beyond her own perceived skill when she foiled
catching a simple carbuncle a few weeks back.

In
her defense, it had surprised her with its speed, and how was she to
know they could jump so far?

Blushing
at the memory, she recalled how her fellow Hunters had laughed when
it dove down her shirt, between her plump breasts, and had begun to
suckle on her teat while she ran about squealing. Shaking her head
once, she grit her teeth and steeled herself with determination.

'This
time will be different,' she convinced herself.

Carefully,
she wove through the barrier of thorns and damp branches, leaving
behind the golden fields of Sunhaven.

Hyvar
was dank and deep as a forgotten crevice in the earth, each step she
took seeming to squish under her heels. The plants were drastically
large, ferns big as her whole body hiding what light there was in a
coating of verdant green. In the air, insects and other creatures
chirped a song that echoed and seemed to have no end in sight. It was
an ancient place, and served to make her already high nerves soar
ever upwards.

The
skin on her neck prickled, and she rubbed at it idly to rub away more
sweat; this time from her adrenaline. The air was oppressive, making
her already tight clothes seem even more constraining. Soon, she was
fighting the desire to remove her top, knowing only that it would
leave her too exposed to her prey if she gave in.

Tugging
at where it met her throat, she sighed and paused, peering around to
get her bearings. She was sure the smoke she had spotted was near,
but the greenery made it difficult to gauge. The sky above was hidden
by leaves, and the area around her a secret behind curling twigs.

Knocking
aside a large leaf, Siena saw a gigantic fallen trunk was in her
path. The entire body of it was wrapped in soft, carpet like moss.
Gently, she touched her hand to it, feeling the same wetness
everything here seemed to hold. Without much hesitation, the girl
gripped it and hoisted herself up, pulling her way over the massive
thing until she was kneeling on top. It soaked through the cloth of
her pants, but she ignored it. Her emerald eyes were fixed elsewhere
from her new vantage.

There,
in a gap of trees, she saw the wavering blackness of smoke, and the
acrid scent assaulted her sensitive nose.

A
rush of anticipation crawled up her spine, and the Hunter inched
herself over the side of the dead tree as quietly as a mouse. Still,
every small noise she made as she edged forward through the bushes
made her grimace. Every muscle was tense, ready to burst at her
controlled coil of slowness.

She
would not rush this, not like last time.

Her
fingers lifted when she came to the last wall of ferns, pushing them
aside just enough to see through to the other side. Her heart was
fluttering, wild as a caged bird, and her mouth was dry despite the
wet air. Everything seemed so bright, so intense, her senses on the
edge of a razor.

There,
in the large clearing, was a small camp fire.

Her
mood shifted, falling down in defeat and disappointment. Had she been
wrong, so very misinformed on this journey? Was it a goose hunt, and
no dragon waited in this fetid place?

Frowning
so hard her face hurt, the blonde stepped into the open area with all
pretense of caution forgotten behind her heavy air of irritation.
Turning her head, she observed nothing but the large circle of stones
and embers, seeing no one tending it. A tinge of confusion seeped in,
but Siena only moved ever closer.

Crouching
down, she squinted into the crimson and orange flames, the heat waves
drying the sweat on her face. “Um, hello?” The fire had
no response, and the young woman sighed dramatically. “Great,
so now I'm talking to myself. Fantastic.”

Shifting
onto her heels, she sat back on her haunches and dug into her bag,
thinking she'd take the moment to at least use the mysterious fire to
warm up a snack and get something to eat.

The
sudden crackle of a breaking branch snapped her back to attention,
and she fell back roughly in her attempt to spin around. Behind her,
wide eyed and just as confused as her, was a young man she didn't
recognize. Scrambling, she jumped to her feet, stepping back
cautiously out of habit.

“
I'm
sorry,” the stranger spoke, his voice holding an odd, deep
timbre for such a young face. “I didn't mean to surprise you.”

Siena
didn't respond at first, her fingers clutching the hilt of her sword
as she eyed the man up and down, trying to assess his intent. He was
taller than her, which was no surprise, as she was rather short. The
angular turn of his jaw gave him a sharp visage, which his high
forehead and tightly wound back hair didn't help. The strands were
hanging over one shoulder in a ponytail, the length extending down to
his hip, the color a rich ebony. Dressed in loose robes of opal, she
could see no obvious weapons, and his long fingered hands were
extended palm up as if to further that assumption.

“
...Who
are you, is this your fire?” She finally asked, hard eyes
narrowed, though she let her grip fall from her blade.

He
stepped closer, moving with an odd grace she had seen in no one
before. “Ah, you can call me Vylanthe. That is, indeed, my
fire. Who are you, though?” His head tilted, hair shifting
gently.