Update!

Disclaimer: I don't own the hentai or the game

Mark sat down in the sea of bodies, in a blanket made from the clothes of the dead that he looted. He was getting a bit dizzy as he looked into his empty waterskin, seeing it empty. He was too tired and hungry to even try to find water as he needed to hold the fort until reinforcements would come. He felt like he was going to black out, but through his blurred vision, he spots a giant wolf right in front of him. He panicked as he tried to draw his sword and shield, but instead, the wolf slowly went in front of him and set down a bucket of water in front of him. Mark was then confused as he then asked.

"For me?" Mark asked before thinking to himself, "Idiot, you're talking to a wolf."

Strangely, the wolf gave Mark a nod, prompting him to then indulge himself by immediately gulping water by the mouthfuls. Mark drank water with huge gulps until he felt satisfied and set aside the bucket. The wolf then turned around and walked away as Mark then weakly waved.

"Thank you, strange… wolf… thing." Mark said before returning back to his seating position.

Mark then looked to his sides, still seeing the dead bodies of his comrades. He tried his best to ignore them but his insides were already screaming in anguish at the losses the army sustained. They didn't deserve this after all, so why did they have to die? Mark then remembered who they were fighting as the images of rapists and perverts began to plague his mind. Even more worse was the fact that Mark was starting to see himself in those visions, remembering the nights he deflowered those young women. He didn't resent the Duke for his punishment, the only person he felt like blaming was himself.

And he would if he wasn't starving. He had a few rations of smoked meat but the past few days weren't so kind to him with his energy. He decided to rummage his bag for anything but comes empty in his search for anything to stave off the hunger. He hears a meow as he looked to see a cat this time, bringing to him a branch full of berries. Mark then looked around in confusion before pointing to himself.

"For me?"

The cat meowed in response as it set the berries at his feet. Mark slowly took the berries and began to eat them one by one. Bilberries, a whole branch of them, sweet and filling. It should keep Mark well-fed for now. Mark pops in a few berries and cherishes the taste of the berry juices filling his mouth. It was a relief for him to finally have some food after godless days of training, marching, and fighting. The cat then proceeded to turn and run off as Mark waved once again at it. Mark sighed as he sat down, still waiting for reinforcements. Mark then looked at the dead bodies, as he still couldn't believe that he lived through that hell of a battle. Mark then proceeded to walk near one of the still lit bonfires and warm himself up. But sadly, the bonfire itself was beginning to die. In the open field, it was going to be difficult to find some fuel to keep the fire going, and Mark scrambled to keep the fire alive.

But alas, the fire dies and Mark is left shivering in the cold dusk. Mark then wraps himself in the blanket, shaking and chattering his teeth at the freezing breeze. He saw his breath fog and began to tremble as the temperatures got lower. But miraculously, a large fox comes by and wraps itself around Mark, warming him up as Mark decided to let it happen, seeing no good reason to scare the fox away. Mark stares at the sky, still stumped at his situation before deciding to go to sleep.

"Pervert! Deviant!" Voices screamed in Mark's head.

"No…" Mark muttered.

"What a useless nephew, acting like a spoiled brat who gets everything he wants!" Duke Thomas said with disgust. "Why did I even name you my heir in the first place?"

"Nothing but a disgusting deviant!" Alexandra said with a frown on her face.

"What good is your strength when your integrity is weak?" Denise mocked. "Lustful bastard…"

"You live only for your own pleasure, stop burdening others with your presence." Junko said with distaste clear in her voice.

"I loved you Mark. I wanted to be with you. I was to marry you and live happily with you. But you betrayed me, gave your love to someone else and treated me nothing but as a tool for your pleasure." Micha said with tears in her eyes. "You were supposed to be my husband but you don't seem to value that as well."

"Micha…" Mark muttered with sadness and regret. "I didn't mean…"

"Now, I'll find someone who will actually take my love seriously." Micha said with her voice full of resentment. "Someone who will actually love me and care for me. Someone who's worthbeing my husband."

Micha then approached a random male who took her in his arms and kissed her. Micha held him tight as she kissed him passionately, with a distraught Mark watching. Micha gave Mark one glare of bitterness before she undressed herself and pulled the random man somewhere private, leaving Mark alone as he was left to cry in his lonesome.

Mark woke up with a shock as he felt tears running down his face. He was crying in his sleep and he didn't even know it. It was already close to evening and the fox that slept with him was gone. He hoisted himself up and decided to set out and find a place to freshen up. He looks in the distance to see the same wolf from before. And it wanted to show him something.

Meanwhile, in the castle, Micha ate her breakfast with Alexandra, it was a quiet meal with Duke Thomas out to rescue Mark and his platoon. Alexandra then put down her utensils and asked Micha.

"Micha, have you decided whether you–"

"I can't." Micha said while refusing to look at Alexandra.

"Why?" Lady Alexandra asked. "Mark is no longer of title, do you wish to stay a virgin and unmarried, and wait for his restoration of honor? You told me yourself that you would not want to return to him."

"I know." Micha said with her eyes welling up. "But… every night I imagine myself getting married to another man, I get… visions."

"Visions? Of what?"

"I see visions of Mark, but injured and bloody, staring at me with a distraught face. Even when I hurt him it still hurts me even more." Micha began to sob. "I can't do it… Knowing that he's out there, bleeding and breaking himself for his kingdom. I can't put it on my conscience to have him come home just to see that he's been forgotten!"

"There, there now…" Alexandra said while taking Micha into her arms. "I understand the feeling. Even when he hurt you, you cannot find it in yourself to stop loving him, that is true love there."

"Why does true love hurt then!?" Micha wailed and weeped while burying herself in Alexandra's chest. "Why milady!? Why did he betray my trust!? Why did the Duke have to make him go!?"

"Even I cannot answer that…" Alexandra said soothingly while caressing Micha. "Just let it all out for now…"

Micha cried in Alexandra's arms. Her mentor in all things regarding nobility. Not only did she miss Mark deeply, she still loved him as much as she did before. She was so scared that one day, she would receive the news that Mark had died in battle and she would keep dreading that day. She didn't care if he hurt her or betrayed her trust, she wanted him back regardless and she was truly frightened by the prospect of having her love die in battle.

"Just remember, what you feel now is what I feel whenever the Duke goes off into battle…" Alexandra whispered into Micha's ears. "The only thing we can do as good wives is to pray for their safe return."

Micha would remember to be even more sincere and pious in her daily prayers. She desperately wanted Mark back alive and she would ask for intervention from the Almighty just to make it happen.

Meanwhile, Mark wandered the forest, following the calls of the large wolf that seemed so intent on making him follow it. Mark trekked through the moss and foliage to follow this beast wherever it wanted to go, despite him already disobeying orders by abandoning his post. He kept following it until he heard the sound of rushing water. He scrambled forward as he then found himself at a nearby riverbank as he rushed forward, excited to finally have a wash after the hell he went through. He took off his clothes and plunged into the cold morning water, finally feeling refreshed from a long battle. He then proceeded to wet his clothes and scrub them against the bank rocks, cleaning them from any blood or grime that he may have accumulated in the march or the battle. He then laid his clothes out to dry in the morning sunlight. He bathed for a bit while he waited for his clothes to dry, the sun finally warming up the water. Mark looked at his body, which was already partially scarred from the abuse of being a soldier. He noticed that he was way more fit as well, seeing that his muscles were more defined than when he left the castle. Mark always did want to be a great fighter and soldier but not like this. Had he known it would be like this, then he wouldn't have been so demanding about it. His uncle was right to be wary of letting him into this type of lifestyle, Mark didn't think that he could take it.

While Mark bathed, hungry eyes watched through the tree line, stalking him in his vulnerable state. Mark did not pay heed until the rustling of the bushes froze him. He slowly crept towards his sword while still keeping eyes on the bush. He got out of the water and put on his clothes before putting on his armor. He donned his kettle helmet and crept towards the bush, his sword and shield ready. He tip-toed until the bush was within arm's reach, before bursting through it, finding only the cat and fox from before. Mark sighed as he then decided to pet the little critters since they were so kind enough to help him. He then took a deep breath and sighed, seeing that there was no danger.

He spoke too soon.

He felt something pounce on him as he tried to claw it off him, feeling it scratch and bite him. He was able to grab hold of it and throw it off him, seeing what the creature was. It was one of the red gremlin creatures, ones who enjoyed raping well-endowed and mature women and Mark could see that its member was pulsing, seeing that the creature had been starved off women for some time. The creature then jumped at him with inhuman speed, opening its maw and attempting to bite him. Mark tried to swipe at it, but he misses and the monster instead is able to grab hold of his fingers and bite a few off. Mark screamed in pain, but had to save it as he then decided to bash the creature with his shield. The creature was then knocked back. Mark then moved forward to kill it, only to be intervened by the wolf from before, who pounced on the gremlin and began tearing it apart. Mark watched the wolf tear the creature apart before the wolf stopped and approached Mark, sniffing him. The wolf seemed to smell the blood as it nudged Mark's hand, seeing that it was bleeding. Mark then sat down and clutched his hand in pain, seeing that his fingers were bitten off. His other hand trembled as it reached for the spare cloth Mark had. Mark then took out herbs from his pouch and chewed them up before spitting them on his wound.

"Agh, focka!" Mark cursed in German feeling the sting of the herbs as he tried to wrap the cloth around his missing fingers.

Mark then grabbed his gauntlets, which he felt foolish not to wear, seeing as he just lost his fingers to a little gremlin monster. He sits down and tries to think of what to do next. But he sees the wolf call out to him, with the cat and the fox next to it. It seemed that they were working together to help him for some reason. Mark didn't question it and instead followed them, seeing that trusting them hasn't failed him before. Mark then ran after the beasts before he needed to rest, still feeling dizzy from what happened. The three animals stopped and sat in front of him, watching him intently. Mark took out another berry and chomped down on it, still a bit wary with the animals watching him.

"Why are you helping me?" Mark asked, only to be treated by the confused stares from the animals. He then turned and grimaced, telling himself, "Right, they're animals, I forgot. But that does beg the question…"

Mark looked at each of the animals, each one staring at him intently.

"What are these animals going to gain from helping me?"

Before Mark could continue his train of thought, a beast jumped out of the bush, an ugly man-dog creature tried to attack Mark but Mark quickly drew his sword and stabbed the beast as it neared him. But Mark could clearly hear more as he readied himself to fight. The cat and the fox ran away but the wolf stayed behind as they stayed behind to fight the incoming gremlin horde.

The gremlins came in hundreds wielding axes, knives and stones. Mark steeled himself up to fight the horde as he raised his shield and stood strong. He swung his sword slashing groups of gremlins from him. The wolf began to bite down on many, shaking its head as it threw away many gremlins. Both were keeping strong as they stood their ground against the horde. Mark kept his defensive position and kept his awareness high to make sure that he wouldn't be surprised like last time. The horde was slowly thinning as the fight began to mellow. Mark slashed down the last of the gremlins before collapsing on his knees, tired from the fighting. Thanks to being fully armored, he came out relatively fine from the battle though he was extremely fatigued from fighting so many opponents. The wolf came up to him and sniffed him before whining a bit, with Mark petting it with a smile.

"I'm fine, don't worry." Mark comforted, gasping for air as he felt himself weaken.

But an axe flew out of the dark and hit the wolf on its neck, making it yelp loudly as Mark saw a gremlin with throwing axes. Out of desperation, Mark threw one of the axes and miraculously landed a hit, downing the gremlin. Mark then rushed to the wolf's aid as he tried to find his herbs and treat it. But he noticed the wolf began to change, it's form taking a different shape. The body began to morph. This big, gray wolf transformed into the shape of a human, a female with silver hair, though she still retained her ears. Mark realized that she was one of the Beastmen, a race who came to Amelborough not too long ago as refugees. Horror dawned on Mark's face as he realized that this person was dying. But he didn't understand, why would they want to help him, it didn't make sense. He quickly got to work and began treating her wound, her weak coughs and short breaths keeping Mark on edge. Mark could see her eyes open as she weakly raised her arms,

"Stay down, you need to rest. Let me treat you." Mark said while holding down her arms.

The wolf girl whispered. "Forget about me…" But Mark did not listen as he kept bandaging her up. There was a brief silence as Mark treated the wolf girl's wounds. That was before Mark decided to ask the question that he asked before.

"…Why? Why are you helping me?" Mark asked with a worried and horrified expression. "Why would you go this far?"

The wolf girl gave him a wide smile while she coughed, before she spoke softly.

"Your uncle… he made a humble request…" The wolf girl said in between coughs and gurgles, "And I intended to follow it until my grave."

"But why would you risk your life for me? Why are these orders so important to you that you would follow them even with its risks?" Mark questioned, horrified that people were just dying left and right for his uncle's cause and by extension, him. Visions of the previous battle took over as Mark began to fearfully mutter to himself."Why? Why do these good people have to die? Why do they have to suffer? Why does uncle Thomas let this happen!?"

The wolf girl's ears perked up as she then put her hand on Mark's shoulder and squeezed it, with tears running down her face, either from her intense pain or from deep emotions being expressed.

"Sir Mark… I don't think you understand…"

"Then please… Let me understand…" Mark said with tears streaming down his face. "Why must good people die for the sake of me? Or even for my uncle?"

"When I was but a pup… My people lived in exile… We couldn't trust any man who offered us help… because history would prove time… and time… again… that they would just abuse us and manipulate us for their own gain… Sometimes… They'd break their promises… Sometimes, they would enslave us… We lived with the presumption that humanity would betray us without a thought because of our differences…"

Mark saw the girl's eyes light up with happiness and joy.

"But when we approached your uncle… the Duke of Amelborough… he gave us a home at our request…Took in our people, and treated us like he would his equals… My people were amazed at such kindness, but he would always insist that it was the right thing to do…"

Mark remembered seeing the Beastpeople cheer after Duke Thomas granted them permanent residence and equal rights. He saw the legitimate joy on their faces, that they wouldn't live as nomads, that they would finally have a peaceful life.

"Sir Mark… You fail to understand that good men like your uncle… They come in short supply for those like us, who need him a thousand times more than he needs us… I thought I had lost faith in men after what I've been through, but your uncle has proven me so wrong… If it were up to me, I would have died a thousand times for the Duke… Because in the end, it's people like him who are worth dying for…"

The wolf girl then caressed Mark's cheek as she gave him a comforting smile.

"When I first saw you after that battle, I saw a piece of that man inside you… You also have the potential to be as a good man as your uncle… I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I just let another good man die so early…"

"But why me?" Mark asked. "I'm no tactician, I'm no soldier. I'm just a foolish and selfish boy. Any other of these soldiers who died would have been more qualified than me."

"Don't say that. Even if your uncle says that, he doesn't mean it. These men may be good, but they need someone like you to lead them."

"To their deaths?"

"To a better future… Be ready to give your life to help these people, the same way they would give their lives for you."

Mark then saw the fox and the cat come out of the foliage as they slowly became human themselves. The cat turning into an orange haired girl with cat features, while the fox turned into a red haired girl with fox features. They all wore a face of worry and horror as they went on their knees, tears welling up in their eyes.

"Kanis?" The cat girl said softly while bending down to look at her.

"Hey there Thal, I dropped my guard for a bit and looked what happened, heh." Kanis chuckled a bit before look at the fox girl. "Corsac, how are you doing?"

"Shhhh… Just save your strength." Corsac hushed, while putting down Kanis.

"So here are your caretakers, Pan Thalassa, and Vulpes Corsac…" Kanis said weakly. "They were the ones who helped and took care of you for the past few days."

"We have to bring her somewhere safer." Thalassa said while motioning to carry Kanis. "The village and domain of the Hospitaller Order is not too far from here."

"Okay, I'll help carry." Corsac said while going to carry the legs.

"Let me help, it's the least I can do." Mark said while approaching to assist, before hearing an assortment of cackles and growls coming from the forest. He stopped to listen, wondering what those sounds were, but he saw Thalassa and Corsac tremble.

"It's the Black Dog gremlins…" Corsac uttered fearfully. "They're coming for us!"

"I can hear their perverted cackles…" Thalassa said with much terror in her voice. "They're determined to rape us…"

"No! We can't let them! We have to go now!"

"We can't leave Sister Kanis behind, and if we bring her, they're gonna catch up!" Thalassa retorted, before looking into the deep forest and back at Kanis. "Sister, what do we do?"

Mark grimaced, he knew that Kanis would want to sacrifice herself for him. If she would die a thousand times for Duke Thomas, then there would be no stopping her from just giving herself up to the Black Dogs for his sake. But he wouldn't let that happen. He's seen too many good people die for him and his uncle. He then spoke up.

"You go to the Hospitaller Order for help. I'll hold them off." Mark added curtly.

This prompted stares of disbelief from the three as they could not believe what they were hearing.

"Are you crazy!? If you do that, then our mission's gonna fail!" Thalassa protested while looking at Kanis. "Sister, what do we do!?"

"Just go and call for their aid. The sooner you get to them, the better." Mark said while standing up.

"But–" Corsac protested before being cut off by Mark.

"This isn't up for debate. Go. NOW!" Mark ordered with his harshest voice, startling the three.

Thalassa and Corsac looked at each other in hesitation, before picking up Kanis, much to her protest and dismay. It looked as if she was struggling to break herself free as she looked at Mark with a pleading look.

"Please… Sir Mark… Don't throw your life away so recklessly…" Kanis begged as tears ran down her face.

It was Mark's turn to give a comforting smile, drawing his weapons and getting into stance.

"It's like what you said, I should be ready to give my life to help the people, the same way they would give their lives to help me." Mark smiled.

Thalassa and Corsac then proceeded to carry Kanis away as Mark muttered a short prayer to himself, seeing that this may as well be his final destination. Mark's conscience felt clear as he knew that he was giving his life for something worthy. He was at peace, even with the impending horde of gremlins coming close. His only regret would be not seeing those he loved for one last time, knowing that he could very well die at this very moment.

Mark heard the horde draw closer as he then raised his shield and prepared to make his stand. The hordes came pouring out of the dark, though not in attacking form as they decided rather to completely surround Mark, with a slightly larger gremlin revealing himself.

"Don't you want to live lad? Just tell us where those delicious-looking Beastladies are and we won't hurt you."

Mark held strong. He shook his head defiantly. The Beastladies, all three of them, helped him survive after the battle. They were the ones who foraged food for him when he was too weak. They were the ones who gave him water when he ran out. They gave him warmth when he was shivering. They took care of him when he couldn't even do it himself. They may be servants, and he, their master, but Mark learned that he needed to be a leader worth serving, and there is no better leader than one who serves his subordinates. After all, the Lord Jesus said it himself, 'He who wishes to be great among you shall be the servant'.

"In nomine Patris et FIlii et Spiritus Sancti, Amen."

Mark raised his sword and pointed it at the enemy, making a gesture for them to come at him. The gremlins all screeched as they then charged at Mark, intent on killing him. Mark slashed wildly, killing many who were coming at him. He then bashed a few more away as he stomped down on a stray gremlin, not allowing it to escape. He used his shield to knock away a few more pouncing creatures. His armor provided great protection, the tempered steel ignoring the scratches and slashes from the enemy knives and axes, his kettle helmet providing ample protection from projectiles, and his shield helping him keep a good distance between him and the monsters.

Mark fought with absolute savagery, making sure to keep himself on his toes as he fought. But it was getting difficult, for every gremlin he killed, two more would take its place. He was slowly getting overwhelmed. Gremlins climbed onto him and buried him under a mass of angry and desperate monsters. But Mark felt invigorated as if he were filled with great spirit. He immediately broke free of their pile and killed as many as he could in a calm, disciplined manner. This was amazing, he could actually do this. With the intervention of the Almighty, he might actually make it out alive.

That was what he thought before he saw a thrown knife go straight towards his left eye. Mark collapsed from the sheer shock of feeling the blade go through his eye. But Mark could not afford to wallow in his pain at the moment, so while gritting his teeth, he pulled the dagger off his eye. Blood splattered everywhere as his eye socket began to bleed profusely, but he only screamed in pain for a short while before rushing back into battle. But with his eye bleeding, he felt himself weaken as he struggled to defend himself from the onslaught. His focus was now broken as he struggled to even respond to the endless assault of the monsters. He felt his strength fade, his vision blocked by the endless monsters piling on him and attacking him. With one great push he tried to reach his hand out of the pile and escape.

But the hand trembled and weakened, before losing its strength before sinking back into the sea of monsters with Mark completely out of sight.

Meanwhile, at the edge of the village, a group of Hospitallers were fighting off an onslaught. Sir Francoise, in the thick of it, wielded a longsword, paired with other knights wielding swords and shields, and other types of weapons. The main army, the Hospitaller men-at-arms were fighting off the monsters with pike formations. But they were tied down as the Black Dogs attempted to flank them. Sir Francoise grit his teeth as he saw no end to the sea of monsters and rapists attacking their line. He shouted.

"CROSSBOWS!" He commanded while pointing towards the mass of Black Dogs.

The crossbows came out from the walls and started shooting at the Black Dogs, though killing a great deal, did not stop their advance. Sir Francoise then shouted to the forest, to the men hiding behind the flanks, he raised a hand and made a commanding gesture, prompting some Hospitaller men holding arm cannons, aiming towards the Black Dogs.

"Arquebusiers! Fire!"

The men with their arm cannons fired into the blob of enemies, effectively routing some due to the loud noise and shock value. But the enemy still kept coming. Sir Francoise grimaced, realizing that he and his men would be stuck fighting for a long time.

That was until a screech was heard in the sky. Sir Francoise and his men looked up to see a griffin pass overhead, and behind him on the ground, hundreds of Polish cavalry were following close behind as Francoise looked in awe.

"It's the Polish cavalry! The Hussars!" One of the men cheered.

"I don't think that's the important part." Sir Francoise retorted as he looked in awe at the flying griffin, which swooped together with the Polish cavalry on the mass of monsters, effectively breaking their ranks and tearing through them with ease. He and his men looked on its back to see none other than Duke Thomas riding it. They knew that Duke Thomas was amazing, but the fact that he was riding one of the most sacred creatures in Church lore was astounding. This awe gave the men the morale boost they needed as they began to push back the enemy.

"The Lord is with us today!" One of the Hospitallers cheered. "We've fought off the scourge!

"That charge came right on time… If it weren't for that flanking charge, we would have been here much longer."

"Sir Francoise!" Duke Thomas called out. "What happened here?"

"The Black Dogs pulled a fast one and ambushed us! My men and I were trying to reach the army platoon in crisis but were cut off by this group."

"Where's Mark?"

"If you're looking for your nephew, he was the one on patrol together with the ambushed platoon." Sir Francoise said while pointing in a certain direction. "I saw the distress flare go off at that direction."

"But… that means Mark could be…" Duke Thomas said with much horror, feeling sick at the prospect.

"No he's not!"

Duke Thomas saw a cat girl and a fox girl, carrying a wolf girl, who looked to be heavily injured, bleeding rather badly even with her bandages on.

"Lord Thomas, Mark stayed behind to fend off the gremlin horde!" The cat girl said while pointing to the forest. "He fought them off so we could escape!"

"Why didn't you stay with him?" Duke Thomas asked angrily, more than displeased at their supposed abandonment.

"Because he ordered us too. He said that he was willing to sacrifice himself for us and insisted that we leave. He forced us to go ahead."

Duke Thomas stopped and thought about that for a moment. That was gutsy for Mark. In all his years, Mark had never been so valiant or courageous. This whole new experience must be changing him more quickly than Duke Thomas thought. But his line of thought is interrupted by concern as he then mounted his griffin.

"So we can still save him if we make it fast enough!" Duke Thomas said before looking at Sir Francoise and the Hospitallers. "Once you've recuperated, follow my griffin to the general direction of Mark!"

"Yes sire!"

Duke Thomas flew as fast as he could on his griffin. He then spotted activity by the nearest spring, seeing the flowing water run red with what seemed to be blood. Duke Thomas descended and found himself in a bloodbath. Hundreds of gremlins lied dead on the ground, bleeding profusely and badly gutted by whatever killed them. Duke Thomas walked through the carnage, wondering what sort of savage could have done so much damage. But Duke Thomas froze as he saw a single person in the sea of corpses, on his knees, questionably dead or alive. The body seemed to be heavily bleeding from its face as blood could be seen dripping from his head.

Thomas slowly approached the body, before the body suddenly moved, with the head looking up. Thomas instantly recognized the face to be that of Mark's except for one glaring difference.

He was missing an eye. There was a fresh wound that ran over it, with raw blood pouring out of it in spurts. Mark seemed delirious as he did not even recognize Thomas, but Thomas had realized too late the damage he had done to Mark. What would his sister say if she saw Mark in this sorry state? Thomas trembled as he held the weak Mark in his arms, simply at a loss for words, but Mark weakly spoke up.

"Uncle…"

"Yes! I'm here Mark, what do you need!? Water!? Food?" Thomas asked in a panicked manner.

"The girls… are they safe?"

Duke Thomas was surprised by what Mark was asking, but he then nodded.

"Yes, yes they are."

Thomas then saw Mark give him a weak smirk, tears once again falling down his face.

"You never told me about any of this… About the pain… The suffering… The death…"

"That's because I never planned for you to join this…" Thomas said while taking his waterskin and pouring some into Mark's mouth. "You are forgiven of everything now. You can return to the castle…"

"I'm afraid that I cannot do that…" Mark chuckled. "I've seen more than enough… I have to go back…"

"No, you must not become like me!" Thomas protested. "You must become better! Don't be in my shadow anymore!"

"I'm no longer in your shadow, uncle… This is a choice I made myself… I don't intend to join this war out of vengeance or anger against the Black Dogs… I intend to join because protecting and fighting for those who can't is the right thing to do. I have discovered my calling as a good servant…"

Thomas then felt his heart pang as he realized Mark had grown up so fast, within a few days in fact. This war had already made Mark realize what they were fighting for. Mark had already become so valiant so shortly after his fall from grace. Thomas almost envied him for what happened but for now, he was just happy that Mark finally came to that conclusion.

"Your mother would be proud…"

"She would be…" Mark laughed weakly before taking out a letter. "I cannot go back to the castle, not yet. I cannot face Micha as I am at the moment. So please, just give her this letter so she may understand why I decided to stay behind."

"Let's forget that for now, the Hospitallers are nearby, let's get you to the village." Thomas said while carrying Mark to his griffin.

"Is that… a griffin, that you're riding…?" Mark asked with awe, despite his weak voice. "How… is that possible?"

"A lot happened while you were gone, but for now, I'll be happy to know that you've come back alive, well, and matured."

"It's better than just throwing me out again." Mark said dryly, prompting a chuckle from the Duke.

"I see your sense of humor has improved."

A few hours later, and dawn arrives, with Micha still staring out her window, waiting for the Duke to return. She then perked up as she saw a carriage approach the castle as she rushed towards the gate entrance. She waited eagerly as the carriage entered the castle gates. She was thinking on what to do with Mark. She would probably just give him the slapping of his life and then forgive him before everything would go back to normal. But as she saw the carriage door open, she saw no one come out except for a cat girl, and a fox girl, both holding onto an unconscious wolf girl as they rushed into the castle. No one else came as Micha heard the sound of flapping wings as she heard Thomas fly down behind her. She then looked at Thomas with pleading eyes.

"Where's Mark?"

Duke Thomas stayed silent.

"No…" Micha trembled as she misunderstood Thomas' solemnity.

"No, he's not dead." Thomas sighed. "He is alive and well."

"Then where is he?"

"…He decided to stay behind." Duke Thomas said while bowing his head.

Micha didn't understand. Why would Mark choose to just stay behind and fight this ungodly war? He would be safer at home, with his loved ones. Why would even want to stay out there? He could die, and after what she heard, he nearly died. So why did he insist on coming back?

"He wanted me to give you this letter, so that you may understand why he made this choice." Duke Thomas added while handing out a letter.

Micha immediately took the letter and opened it to read its contents.

My dear Micha,

Military life is not all that it's cut out to be. All this talk of glory, honor, and valiance are just empty stories to hide its true horrors. I can say this with confidence now.

I've… seen things that no other man should see. Been through things no other man should experience. I have found my true calling and that is to make sure that no other person goes through what I went through, so I'm staying behind.

Just know that I love you so much, and that I'm sorry for doing what I did a few nights back. I know it is cowardly of me to tell you this through a letter but I haven't worked up the courage of facing you yet after what I had done to you. I have reflected on our time together and I realized how fortunate and blessed I was. You were smart, beautiful, and kind, while I had nothing to show for it. You loved me with all your heart and gave me the best moral support I've had for years.

But… I don't deserve it. Not with what I had done. I spent all these years wallowing in my own self-pity about being in my uncle's shadow. Even when I paid less attention to you, you still loved me. So please, find someone who will love you better than I did. I love you, but it can't go back to how it used to be, not anymore.

With great love,

Mark

Micha froze, her hands trembling as she dropped the letter. Tears welled up in her eyes while she turned to the Duke, who wore a face of shame and regret, not that Mark had grown but because he allowed him to leave her behind. She then charged at him and started punching him, her punches having no effect on Duke Thomas.

"Why!? Why did you do this!?" Micha sobbed while still hitting the Duke. "If you didn't send him out, then this wouldn't have happened!"

"I'm so sorry… But this isn't wholly my fault. Mark has grown more mature and more wise after what he had experienced. He has simply set himself towards what he truly believes in. Though you may not see it now, Mark has become the better man than he was. He has made his decision and I will respect him for that."

"But how about me then?" Micha screamed, her blows becoming weaker and weaker as her will was fading. "If Mark has grown as a person, do I just get left behind!?"

"You take the opportunity to grow as a person as well." Duke Thomas said while gently putting his hands on Micha's shoulders. "If you truly love Mark, then you will have to wait for him. No matter how long. Be it days, weeks, months, or god forbid, even years. And during that time, you have to improve yourself. Your attitude, personality, and even your looks, so that when he comes back, he'll know for sure that you truly love him. If you want to prove that you loved Mark that much, then you must put to the test, even if it means waiting for him forever."

Micha hung her head and thought on these words, with Duke Thomas going inside, accompanied by his guards.

"I suggest you visit the marketplace, you might find what you're looking for there."

Micha was confused by these words but suddenly realized what he meant. She immediately ran out the gate and towards the marketplace. She looked around frantically for any familiar-looking person before she saw person wearing a kettle helm over his jet black hair. He seemed to be going inside the blacksmith as Micha ran after him, to only find no one inside, save for the lady by the counter. Micha approached her and asked.

"Did a man wearing armor come by here?"

"Sure did, came and asked for a full suit of plate. He showed me this paper with the Duke's signature and said that he will be the one paying."

Behind Micha, Mark came around the corner, wearing a full set of plate armor. He then saw Micha at the counter and froze, before slowly tiptoeing his way towards the exit. He made sure not to make any noise as he was close to the exit. But on his way out, his sword dropped from his belt as he quickly caught it before it hit the ground. He sighed in relief but suddenly, his helmet's visor dropped, making a large clanking noise as Micha immediately turned to see the armored man raise his visor, revealing Mark's face.

"Mark!"

"Gyaagh! How'd you get here!? He told you didn't he!?" Mark sputtered out before running away. "I'm leaving!"

"Mark wait!" Micha shouted while running after him.

The chase began as Micha chased after the plated man. Micha needed to catch up to him. She needed to understand why he was leaving. She couldn't afford to lose sight of him. She needed to know. She needed him. She deserved at least some explanation before he just left here like that! But Micha suddenly tripped as she simply cried out to Mark, who was getting farther.

"Mark!" Micha cried out loud.

And surprisingly, Mark turned around and took off his helmet, revealing an eyepatch over his left eye. Micha gasped to see that Mark already had gotten badly injured in the war so early. Mark then smirked as he ran his hand over the eyepatch.

"Don't I look quite menacing? I had to wear it after the priests couldn't heal back my eye."

"Mark… Why do you want to go back? After the pain you've experienced…"

"It's all in the letter isn't it?" Mark said while turning around. "I just have to do this."

"But why leave me when I need you?" Micha asked with tears streaming down her face.

Shockingly, Mark scoffed at that as he then said without turning to her.

"You don't need me. Not after what I did."

Mark then walked away as Micha was left alone to cry. It felt as if he had torn her heart out and stomped it to bits. Micha loved Mark, but this seemed like the end already. But suddenly, she remembered Duke Thomas' words. If she truly loved Mark, this shouldn't stop her. She would wait for him. She would become a better person for him, and prove to him that she loved him. She stood up with new resolve.

"Mark, I'm scared to lose you in this war. But since you made this decision, I'll be brave. Be strong. Be true. My love… And I'll be waiting for you… Forever…"

Meanwhile, Mark went towards the gate exit of the city, to only find a giant man wearing silver-colored armor and wearing St. George's Cross. He had in his hands, a giant poleaxe that towered over Mark. Mark smirked as he approached the giant man.

"Martin, I didn't expect to see you here."

"Your uncle has ordered me to watch over you and make sure you are safe."

"Man, the old man really wants me back alive huh? Well I'll be sure not to let him down." Mark said while tapping the man's armor. "Come on then, the training grounds aren't far from the city."

As Mark went towards the exit, he heard Martin comment.

"You've changed so quickly."

"War can do that to you." Mark said dryly. "Wear the right attitude for the right occasion."

At the training center, peasants and conscripts were gathered as they began to talk to each other. The news of the attacks had reached their ears, especially of this mystery person who fought off hundreds of gremlins by himself. He was the talk of every town after his amazing feat had spread like wildfire among the towns of Amelborough.

"What kind of soldier do you think he is?"

"He must be pretty strong then!"

"He's going to train us, I can't believe this!"

But they all froze at the sound of the horn. They looked to the stage to see Mark and Martin standing on top, looking down at the sea of conscripts before them. Mark then lifted his visor and spoke out to the crowd.

"So you know why you're all gathered here today!" Mark shouted. "In service to your lord, Duke Thomas of Amelborough, you are to be trained and conscripted as levies in preparation for total war against the Black Dog scum. I will be your commander and trainer for today!"

This prompted mutters in the crowd as they were shocked that someone as young as Mark would be handling training. Mark then raised his arm, commanding them into silence. Mark could see the surprise on their faces, seeing him order them with such authority.

"Now I know that you've heard the rumors, and yes, they are true. I did in fact, fight off a horde of gremlins to save a group of women from being raped. This eyepatch is proof of my experience." Mark said while lifting his eyepatch, scaring and disgusting the spectators, who were horrified at what happened to his eye.

More mutters came from the crowd before Mark raised his arm and closed his fist, causing the crowd to become silent.

"Now you are all wondering how I could do something like that? I look as if I have neither the experience nor the strength to pull that off. Well, let me tell you. I don't know either."

This prompted more mutters from the crowd, still unsure about accepting someone so young to be their leader.

"My short experience as a soldier has taught me how many of you and your families both suffer from this godless war. How many mothers lose their sons, how many wives lose their husbands, and how many children lose their fathers. All in the name of Duke Thomas, and by extension, me."

This surprised the crowd, as they did not expect Mark to speak so openly about how they died in the war. They grew interested at the point that Mark was going to make.

"As both heir to the throne of Amelborough and commander to you, my good men, I cannot promise to undo the suffering that your servitude to us has caused. But the best I can offer is that I fight alongside you, suffer alongside you, as your equal rather than your better. If there is one thing that I learned from this, it's this. If you are ready to give your lives for our cause, then I will certainly give my life for you."

This prompted cheers as the crowd of men appreciated him talking to them as their equal rather than as their leader. Mark raised his fist, with the men following suit as he had finally riled them up for training, and it wouldn't be easy for both of them. Mark was determined to train his hardest and fight the Black Dogs, so that no man would have to suffer again.

"Ah, I see Duke Thomas' little whelp has grown!"

Mark then saw an old man on horseback, wearing the Templar insignia, grinning at him. Mark's jaw dropped as he couldn't believe who it was, as it had been such a long time since he last saw him. He was riding accompanied by the Templar sergeants, and a few knights, together with a few elves in tow.

"Grandmaster Thibault?" Mark questioned out loud.

Antoine breathed in and out. This was it. The gladiatorial combat part that they were talking about. Part of him was thankful was that he was the Alpha, meaning he wouldn't get raped when defeated, but he couldn't help but feel sorry for the Betas like Drake. In a way, they were more pressured to do better since they would still have to live and suffer from the godless raping. Antoine had previously read up on this arena's traditions and found out why it was a custom. Apparently, long time ago, the previous champion of this arena had led an uprising against the oppressive and dictatorial royalty and proceeded to rape them until they were under his heel, effectively overthrowing them. The champion was from a barbarian tribe, and had many women as his concubines. After, this wasn't called the Baby Making Collosseum for nothing. Fiona had noted that Antoine looked exactly like that champion, who was named Rigucio, and even joked that Antoine could probably do the same thing, but that made Antoine even more uncomfortable.

But he is interrupted by Drake, wearing a battle blouse, a dress made of steel. He put his hand on Antoine's shoulder.

"Nervous?"

"For you." Antoine said while glancing over at the competition. "You were not kidding when you said we would be facing against real horndogs."

"Yeah, but I can take care of myself. I can wield my trusty morningstar just fine!" Drake said proudly while brandishing his spiked mace.

Talking with Drake felt strangely nostalgic for whatever reason.

"You know, you remind me of an old friend of mine." Antoine noted.

"Really now?" Drake asked with much interest while putting his hand on his hip. "What was he like?"

"He was of feminine build but not as feminine as you. But you both held this certain confidence in yourselves regardless of your physical appearance."

"Well shit, he sounds like a great guy, where is he now?"

Antoine was strangely silent after that before hearing the crowd cheering, indicating that it was almost their turn. Drake got into stance, completely ready. Antoine got into stance as he then put a hand on the shoulder of Drake.

"Let's get to battle brother!"

"Brother?" Drake questioned.

"S-Sorry, I used to do that with my comrades before we charged into battle. It's a force of habit."

"Well, I like it! Come on brother, we'll win this for the Von Banos house!" Drake cheered, prompting a smirk from Antoine.

The horn is sounded and the gates fell, prompting Antoine and Drake to move out. Antoine wasted no time as he mercilessly slashed his opponents. With grace and efficiency he continuously blocked and dodged attacks while dishing out counters. Antoine was unfazed by the death around him, as he needed to do this. For the Order and for the Duchy. He was going to win this, without any doubt.

Antoine was a force in the battlefield. All who charged at him were put down with ease. All who attempted to fight him were quickly killed. Antoine was becoming more and more zealous in finding enemies as he needed to finish this. But he merely stood over a sea of corpses as he could only spot one enemy. A hooded lady wielding clawed gauntlets, her eyes unseen. Her body was very voluptuous as she then licked the blood off her claws. Antoine was unsettled but not stirred, he rushed forward to meet his opponent.

Drake on the other hand was just as frightening. He broke through the opponents with his blunt weapon, the audible sounds of cracking armor and bones filling the air. He was frightening. His morning star was a blunt weapon like no other and he was taking care of these weaklings. For a man of feminine form, he certainly had a lot of strength. But as he finished up there was one man standing in his way, a half-naked warrior wielding a trident and net.

Antoine was having trouble with his opponent. She was fast and what's more, she was keen on killing him. Antoine noticed the B sign on her clothes, marking her as a Beta, which unsettled Antoine even more. She fought almost savagely. Antoine was being put on the defense as he did not want to risk being torn by the lady's claws. His armor was holding strong but he knew that a single stab from those claws through the gaps of his armor would mean game over. He looked over to see that Drake was having problems with his opponent as well. He could only hope that Drake would last.

Drake was panting. This man was fast. And his movement seemed to be impeded. He kept trying to hit the man but each time he did, the man would simply dodge and counter him. He felt himself getting slower until he realized that the man was keeping him busy for whatever reason. That was until he felt his body completely immobilize, as he realized that the man was tying him down. Drake was helpless as he saw the man grin. Drake took a closer look at his tunic, paling as he saw the A sign on the man's tunic.

Antoine heard Drake scream as he saw him, tied down, being forced to engulf his opponent's dick. Antoine paled as he realized that Drake was being raped. He tried to rush to his aid, but his opponent wouldn't let him escape. Antoine grit his teeth and hesitantly decided to finish his fight against his opponent first.

"Save him."

Drake tried to resist but the man was too forceful as he kept shoving his member into his throat.

"Yer one of them pretty-lookin' lads huh? Ya guys are in short supply." The man bellowed as he pulled on Drake's hair and kept shoving his penis into Drake's mouth.

Antoine couldn't bare to watch it, he needed to save Drake. He needed to save him before he was going to get badly hurt in both mind and body. He couldn't fail again. Not like last time. But this enemy. This damned enemy kept him occupied. Antoine couldn't do it with this damned woman attacking him, he just needed to defeat her, and save Drake.

Drake's screams were muffled as the man ejaculated into his mouth, prompting the boy to spit out the cum forcefully rammed down his throat. The man then tore open the boy's battle blouse and began rubbing his member on his ass. Drake's eyes widened with fear as he shook his head frantically while the man grinned and began going in even further. And Drake's screams of pain bellowed through the arena.

Antoine looked at Drake, being raped in the ass by a sick man. Antoine saw the pained look on Drake's face as his hair was grabbed by this sadistic and perverted man, who was humping him furiously. Antoine felt anger rise in him as he was fighting his own opponent. With absolutely no mercy, he deflects an attack before kicking the attacker down onto the ground. Antoine then approached the woman.

"Save him!'

Meanwhile, up in the nobles viewing area, Fiona couldn't bear to watch as Drake was being raped. She didn't expect someone to be able beat Drake, let alone tie him down and rape him. Antoine needed to move fast in order to save him. But she felt a noble tap her shoulder as she heard her say.

"Hey, your champion's gonna rape the other Beta now!"

Fiona looked at Antoine who approached the girl menacingly. Antoine walked towards the lady and then stopped her from crawling away by planting his foot firmly on her body. The girl then smirked under her mask as she revealed in her lower torso, a chastity belt.

"You're gonna have to try a little harder to get this pussy."

"I'm not going for that anyway." Antoine said while raising his sword.

"Wait wha–" The girl said before she felt the sword go through her body, shocking the crowd.

The crowd was in complete disarray as they saw Antoine do something no person has done before and that was to decline sex to kill. They saw the merciless look in his eyes as he showed no remorse from killing the lady in cold blood. Antoine then turned to see Drake being raped even harder, but his state was even more sorry. Drake's hair was now messy from all the pulling, his mouth still drooled cum from the man's forceful blowjob, and his face, carried no life, as he looked broken from being raped too hard by his opponent. But these things, brought back painful memories for Antoine.

"SAVE HIM."

Antoine hid in the closet as his best friend had rushed him there. Antoine froze as he saw a priest come in on his friend. He saw the priest tear the clothes of his companion, before doing things that Antoine didn't even want to witness. He saw his friend slowly lose the life in his eyes as he was being raped by the priest. And Antoine couldn't do anything. Even when he wanted to save him, he couldn't. Even when it was so close. It felt so easy, he just had to save him.

Save him.

Save him!

SAVE HIM.

SAVE HIM!

SAVE. HIM.

The resurfacing memories awakened a monster in Antoine as he screamed with all his might and ran towards the man. The man couldn't react as Antoine then grabbed him and threw him against the wall. From there, Antoine then pinned the man down and began beating him to a pulp. Antoine didn't care. The man needed to die. All his pent up hatred for the man who killed his best friend. Antoine remembered seeing a Templar come in and try and save them to only be too late. He witnessed the Templar beating the priest to death, much like how he was doing now. Antoine just kept beating the man endlessly with rhythm.

The nobles were stuck to watch the complete beatdown of the last fighter. They were shocked to enough to see Antoine just killing and giving up his chance to rape, but they were even more shocked to see him sacrifice his sword and shield just to beat this man. They couldn't understand. But Fiona, she looked at Antoine's eyes, seeing nothing but grief and anguish, as if what was happening was making him feel even more pain. Valka noticed the thoughtful look on Fiona's face and asked.

"Fiona, do you know what is going on with your champion?"

"I believe that whatever is happening is causing some past memories to resurface in Antoine, it seems that this raping might be causing Antoine to remember some traumatic stuff."

Antoine kept beating the man's face until it was nothing but jelly. The crowd was silent as they witnessed one of the most brutal deaths of their participants. Antoine then slowly approached Drake's body, which was limp from the abuse he received from his rapist. Antoine took off his helmet and collapsed on his knees, tears streaming down his face. He took Drake into his arms and whispered.

"I couldn't save you…" Antoine sobbed as he held Drake in his arms and cried.

The crowd saw for the first time, Antoine at his weakest. He openly showed how much this situation had hurt him and wasn't afraid to do so. They saw the pained look on his face as he wept for the great suffering his comrade had to go to. Fiona felt like crying as well. Drake was her champion and good friend, but she couldn't afford to get too attached to him as this was part of his job. But Antoine, he showed it openly. And for that, she felt ashamed that she didn't do the same for Drake.

And done! Tell me what you think!