People have already started packing up by the time you leave Weiss' office. Workers have begun loading crates onto pack beasts and mercenaries have started dismantling the fortifications they had set up. It is all a controlled chaos inside the warehouse which you take care to stay out of.
It takes around an hour for an expedition to be ready to move once again. You inform Weiss that everything is ready and soon after she leaves her office to take charge once again.
Under her orders, the expedition leaves the warehouse, moving swiftly as possible. You make sure everyone is alert and ready for an attack until the whole expedition is outside the walls of Stoat.
You only relax after Stoat becomes a dot on the horizon.
"What is the plan now princess?"
"We head west. It should take somewhere around six to seven weeks to reach World's End."
"It is going to be a long journey."
"We are prepared."
You nod, even though you know that it is impossible to prepare for what fate may throw at you.
The first five days of the journey goes by without any incidents. Through most of the day, you follow Weiss around as she oversees the expedition. What little free time you either spend with Ezra and Nines or Valentine.
Nines and Ezra as usual bicker with each other and you regularly find yourself included in their antics. Ezra especially seems cross that she was left behind for the super-secret mission, believing that you chose Nines over her. You tell her that it is not her lack of skill but her hangover which made her get left out.
You are not sure if she believes you.
With Valentine, you play the role of a lab assistant. You find out in your first visit that she keeps severed body parts in several freezers crates. You help her dissect a few and in return, she makes your time worthwhile by making each experience informative and seductive, a combination that you come to enjoy.
It is on the sixth day that things go wrong.
Pathfinders fail to report in for their hourly check at 13:00. In response, Weiss orders the whole expedition to a halt.
You decide to patiently wait alongside Weiss, not willing to leave her alone after the Stoat despite leaving the city far behind.
It is after half an hour that one of the pathfinders return, running back to the camp. He reports that his squad got attacked by a pack of sand sharks and got scattered as a result.
You curse your luck. Sand sharks are vicious bastards and ambush predators, capable of swimming through the sand as if it is water. Yet, those pathfinders might still be alive if they have managed to find a high or solid ground.
Weiss gather the mercenary captains for a meeting. Unsurprisingly, none of them are eager to mount a rescue, some of them even suggesting to just leave the pathfinders to their fate.
Then Weiss asks you for your opinion.
You tell Weiss that there is a chance pathfinders may still be alive and without em, the expedition will be rendered blind. You also offer to lead the rescue party and while Weiss obviously doesn't like sending you away from her side, the reluctance of the other captains leaves her no other choice.
With her permission, you begin recruiting for the rescue mission. You can take four others with you. Morena is all too willing to come while Ezra and Nines will need convincing, especially Nines if you decide to take them. Otherwise, you will have to make do with what merc captains give you.
"Against fucking sand sharks? No way man!"
"Weren't you complaining of not being taken to missions?"
"Yeah, missions which you take Nines to."
You turn your head to Nines.
"Not in a thousand-years no-Hive."
Unlike the sharpshooters though, Morena is all eager to come with you. She comes to you and requests to be included in the rescue party which you...
...accept. You are not going to say no to a skilled warrior like Morena. Especially when there are sand sharks involved. That leaves three empty spots which you have to request from the captains themselves to fill. You end up with two guys who you don't know the names of and a familiar face.
Your two new recruits, a man and a woman, both Greenlanders, arm themselves with a harpoon launcher and a glaive respectively. You dub them harpoon guy and glaive gal. The masked merc is wielding an old-world bow and Morena has her plank. All in all a very balanced spread of weapons for hunting some sand sharks.
You receive directions from the lone pathfinder before taking off. You set a...
You set a brisk pace. Every second you waste is a second for sharks to cause casualties among the pathfinders. Rescue group manages to keep up with you, covering ground swiftly.
And it is perhaps this haste is the reason why you don't notice the disturbances in the sand until a sand shark explodes out of the ground right below your feet.
It is so sudden that you don't get a chance to even defend yourself. One movement you are running, next the scaly mass of a sand shark, hits you, powerful jaws clamping around your side. Serrated teeth tear into the metal with a loud screech as you find yourself stumbling due to the force of impact but manage to keep on your feet.
Harpoon guy is much less lucky, as a truly massive sand shark bursts out of the sand below his feet and gets him between its powerful jaws. His screams are interrupted as another smaller shark bursts out of the ground and gets ahold of his right in its jaws before starting to pull.
The sickening crunch of flesh followed by a wet tearing sound accompanies a fresh set of screams from the poor guy.
The last shark goes for Morena but hits something buried under sand before it can jump out, turning a devastating surprise attack into a pained slither.
You find yourself fighting to regain your footing while fending off the sand shark attacking you. In a surprising display of cunning, the beast doesn't let up, weaving through your wild and imprecise swings with serpentine movements. It manages to bite down on your sword arm, locking it down but your armor holds, stopping razor-sharp teeth from finding purchase in your flesh.
You resolve to thank Weiss after this.
A punch to beast's snout frees your arm but before you can strike the shark retreats out of your strike range.
Your companions are having better luck than you with the exception of the Harpoon Guy who is currently bleeding out on the ground where he was thrown after getting mauled by the Alpha.
Morena is chopping into the shark that tried to attack her, slicing out chunks of flesh with her plank.
There is the tail end of a bolt sticking out of the ribcage of the shark accompanying the Alpha, courtesy of the Masked Merc who is reloading her crossbow for a second shot while the Glaive Girl covers her by keeping the Alpha at bay.
Still, the situation is quite dire. The Alpha shark is too much for Glaive Girl to handle even with assistance from Masked Merc. Putting that aside, you have to end this fight fast if you wish to have any chance to save the Harpoon Guy. Then there is also the missing pathfinders you have to rescue.
The clock is ticking.
Why. Can't. You. Hit. The damn beast!
It is like trying to hit a fish swimming in water except worse. The shark you are facing dodges your swings, patiently waiting for you to overextend.
It is then you are distracted by a pain-filled cry coming from Glaive Girl.
The momentary shift of your attention creates a gap in your defense and the beast capitalizes on it, moving in an instant. It bites your left leg this time, armor once again saving you from any serious injury. Before the animal can try to pull you off balance you swing your sword, only for it to retreat swiftly, leading to another miss.
This one is a patient hunter you realize, and smart too.
And you are running out of time, fast.
This is getting nowhere. You can't waste any more time with this beast while Alpha tears through your team. You need to disengage and fast. Yet the beast sticks close to you, just outside the reach of your nodachi as if it is reading your mind. The level of intelligence it is showing is honestly beginning to disturb you.
Having said that, you have a couple of tricks of your own. You feint, faking an attempt to disengage and as expected the shark attacks, taking the bait. You swiftly sidestep its lunge and retaliate before it can react, carving a deep gash on its side.
It screeches in pain and quickly retreats outside your sword range once more, dodging your second swing but that is alright. You got what you wanted, a chance to disengage. You swiftly turn around and break into a run. By the time it realizes what just happened, you are already halfway towards your target.
The Alpha Sand Shark. The biggest shark of this pack.
It is approaching the Glaive Girl who is lying on the ground, unresponsive to the world. You can see her blood staining the sands, drawing the Alpha in with the promise of a feast.
You don't intend to give it the chance.
Entranced by the smell of fresh blood, the beast notices your approach too late, its instincts too slow to save him. You lay into its flesh with your blade, carving two deep, long lines. It screeches in anger and pain with a voice much louder and deeper than the other sharks. Then it retaliates, trying to catch you between its jaws.
You jump to the side, dodging its bite and swinging your sword in one fluid motion. Your sword connects, tearing through the fin at the left side of the beast's head.
The resulting screech of pain is much louder.
It is at that point the other shark, the one that has given you so much trouble, attacks in an attempt to overwhelm you. Fortunately, you have wisened up to its tricks, dodging its lunge by rolling aside before finding your feet once again, placing both Alpha and the other shark in your field of vision.
You remain still, your sword raised in front of you as the two beasts before you slowly circle around you, moving in opposite directions in an attempt to flank you. It is a simple but effective tactic against outnumbered prey, performed flawlessly with bestial instinct and experience.
But you are not prey. You can not be brought down by such beasts. Especially not through such numbers or tactics.
You patiently wait for the distance between your two targets to widen enough then explode into motion. Before they can react, you reach the Alpha. Your fist swing opens up a vertical cut in its neck, severing muscles and arteries. You swiftly transition into a thrust, putting your blade through its eye, into its brain before it can do nothing but screech in surprise. Then it collapses onto the sand, dead.
You don't waste any time with admiring your kill. Instead you fluidly pivot around your left feet and come face to face with your second target. Your nodachi greets its attempt at a surprise attack, catching it mid lunge and carving a deep bloody line along its flank. The beast snaps at you in retaliation, its jaws clamping onto your shoulder but once again your armor holds firm, protecting you from any damage.
You easily wrench the beast off your shoulder and shove it aside...
...and see Morena mid-swing, her sword which was meant for the beast you were wrestling with now coming down on you. To her credit, she tries to shift her strike at the last moment, diverting her plank from your shoulder to your leg.
Planks are one of the heaviest weapons one can buy, built for blunt force as much as cutting and Morena is an especially strong Shek specimen. The only reason that your leg doesn't snap under the blow is your own peak human resilience, gained through rigorous exercise.
You grunt in pain as your leg feels like it is set on fire for a moment before going numb. You transfer your weight to your other leg and look around for the last shark only to spot it running away.
You let it. Your leg just took a nasty blow and your team also has two fatally injured members that require medical assistance as soon as possible.
Then there is Morena, who has dropped her weapon and fallen onto her knees, her eyes lowered to the ground in obvious shame.
You don't have time for this. There two people in critical condition and your group is currently far from safety. And even though the shark pack may have been driven away, more beasts might come, attracted by the smell of fresh blood. The wounded honor of a Shek warrior is pretty low on the priority list compared to such serious issues.
As such you move towards the Harpoon Guy, slightly limping as you make your way towards him. The moment you get close enough to see his wound clearly that you realize he is dead having long since bled out. His torso missing chunks of flesh with a missing arm, his dull eyes staring lifelessly at the sky.
But Glaive Gal still clings to life. Her body is still in one piece though puncture wounds dot her torso in a curved line, blood leaking out from multiple holes.
She losing too much blood. There is a good chance she might not make it through a trip back to camp in her current condition.
As such you kneel next to her body and swiftly strip her torso of armor, revealing the maimed flesh beneath. You check for broken bones, finding multiple broken ribs. Chances of internal bleeding are high but she can be saved with surgery. You just need to keep her from death long enough to take her back.
So you take out your first aid kit and call upon your basic medical training. Mask comes to your help and together you immobilize Glaive Gal's broken bones and bandage her wounds, stabilizing her enough for transportation. Then you fashion a stretcher for her from whatever you can salvage from the Harpoon Guy and Mask before lifting her gently onto it.
You raise your head once you are done and see that Morena is still where you have left her, silently waiting for judgment.
"Get up."
You hiss out. Morena complies without creating any difficulties. With your leg busted, you leave the duty carrying the stretcher to Morena and Gas Mask. Both of them follow your orders without a complaint.
Run back to the camp becomes difficult then hellish as adrenaline drains from your body and you start to feel the pain of your injured leg. Each step feels like someone is smashing your leg with a hammer and you find it is getting harder to move your injured leg.
The pain grows terrible, each step becoming torture. Yet, you push through it, matching pace with Gas Mask and Morena.
Three of you reach the camp soon after, lookouts noticing your approach. It is then your injured leg finally gives you and you find yourself tumbling onto the sand. You try to force yourself onto your feet but your leg doesn't respond, so you use your sheated nodachi as a cane to climb back onto your feet. You find Morena looking at you with guilt and worry.
"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING! MOVE!"
You snarl, sending her running into the camp. Instead of following Morena, Gas Mask moves to your right side, pulling your arm over his/her shoulders and supporting you through the rest of the way.
When you reach the camp, you are greeted by a group of armed guards watching a team of medics carry away Glaive Gal to the medical tent. Valentine is with them as well though instead of following the medics herself, she remains behind after barking out a few orders, turning her attention to you.
Before you can say anything, you find yourself carried to the medical tent as well by Gas Mask and another merc on orders of Valentine. They place you on a stretcher bed before Valentine chases them away and starts stripping you from the waist down.
You grab her wrist.
"I am fine."
Valentine scoffs.
"Then you don't know what that word means. Now let me work."
You shake your head.
"I can wait, she can't."
You say, motioning with your head towards the curtains behind which Glaive Gall is currently being prepared for surgery.
"She will have to make do with the rest of the medical staff. You are priority."
"I can wait until she is-"
You are interrupted by Valentine swiftly jabbing a needle into your neck, managing to guide its thin point through deftly through the opening in your armor.
You try to fight it but whatever is inside the needle works fast and your body promptly goes numb and you lose consciousness soon after.
When you wake up, you find your leg in a cast, held in the air by a sling. Next to your bed is the princess herself, seated on a chair. She remains silent as you get your bearings and realize that Valentine indeed knocked you out. You prepare yourself for a lecture but it doesn't come.
Then you realize that she is asleep. This would have been pretty funny if not for your current situation. Alas, as it is and with no way to escape, you have no choice but to wait.
"I see that you are awake."
You turn your head and see Valentine emerging through the curtain, wearing a bloodstained surgical apron.
"How is the injured merc?"
"The mook is fine. No complications arose during surgery. You did a pretty good job at stabilizing her. A- work. We only had to set her bones and sew her back. She will recover."
You let out a breath in relief. It takes a few minutes before you ask another question during which Valentine gets rid of her apron gloves.
"How long was I out?"
"Six hours."
Well, that is long.
"Did you really have to sedate me?"
"Yes. You were acting extremely stupid."
"I would have been fine!"
"Which one of us is the medical expert here?"
You fall silent instead of answering.
"Let this be a lesson for you. Never argue with me inside my own workplace. My word is law here and I have zero tolerance for disobedience."
"Message received."
"Good."
Properly chastised you turn your attention to your leg.
"How bad is it?"
"Honestly? Worse than it should have been. You suffer from a bone fracture and crushed muscle tissue in your right leg which would have been easy to handle if you hadn't in a display of incomprehensible stupidity put more pressure on it afterward."
"How long will it take to heal."
"Normally? A month at the very least. But our employer needs you back on your feet sooner so she has given me permission to use Caduceus healing enhancers."
"Aren't those extremely rare and precious."
"Yes. Only my organization, Last Hope knows how to produce them. Fortunately for you when our employer purchased my services, she also purchased six doses of Caduceus as well. With a single dose, we should be able to cut your healing time down to a week."
"Something tells me this is going to be cut from my paycheck."
It is then a third voice joins the conversation.
"I am considering it."
You turn your head back to where Princess is seated to find her awake, her blue eyes staring at you.
"You sound happy."
"My pathfinders are still missing. Mercenary captains in my payroll are refusing my orders to go look for said scouts and my trusted bodyguard is incapacitated."
Weiss scoffs.
"Never been happier."
"I can still fight if they try anything."
"You will not! You will sit here and wait for Valentine to clear you."
"But what if-"
"I can handle the captains until you get back on your feet. Until then, you will not leave this bed."
You let out a sigh.
"What about the pathfinders?"
"I will see if the promise of extra pay will motivate the captains enough to put together another search party. If that fails, I am going to start throwing my weight around."
"Considering you probably barely weigh anything I wouldn't rely on that being very effective."
Weiss looks pretty unamused with your attempt at humor.
"Did I mention that you have very beautiful eyes?"
"Just rest. I will need you back on your feet soon enough."
"And about that pay cut thing..."
"Don't worry. Most of it will come out of Morena's paycheck since she is responsible for putting you in this situation."
"Does she even get paid enough to cover it?"
"Barely. But considering her accidental blow could have very well severed your leg, she is getting off pretty lightly."
"Yeah, not going to lie, the armor you bought me really saved my ass back there."
"Then it was money well spent. Now rest. I need to go deal with this mess."
With her piece said Princess turns to Valentine.
"I leave Wolf in your capable hands. Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."
"Don't worry, I know how to discipline my patients."
Weiss nods in response before making her way out of the medical tent, leaving you alone with Valentine.
You spend the next week confined to bed. Being in such a vulnerable position frustrates you but more than that, with nothing else to do, you find yourself bored in very short order. Thankfully Nines and Ezra visit, breaking the monotony. They also bring with them news about what is happening outside.
"So basically the boss lady asked for the captains to put together another search party for the pathfinders and captains refused, seeing what happened to you guys. She tried to convince them with money but none of the captains wanted to risk their men. That is when the boss lady got angry."
"What did she do?"
"Basically she said that us mercs were getting paid to follow her orders and if they were not going to do what they are getting paid for then they will not get paid as well. You might figure out how well that one went."
"I can imagine. Considering that camp currently isn't on fire I am guessing they didn't mutiny."
"Nope, but let me tell you that captains were not happy with the boss lady."
"So, did you two get drafted into the search parties?"
"Actually, me and Nines were requested by the boss lady to go do some recon stuff in the absence of pathfinders. The weird thing is she didn't send us far, we barely even got the lay of the land around the camp before she called us back."
Probably because she wanted someone on her side if things came to worse but not make it obvious that she trusted Nines and Ezra.
"Did the searching parties manage to find the pathfinders?"
"Yep, though we lost two more to the sand sharks. There are talks of making a stop at watchpoint Fujin to recruit some drifters to fill out the ranks."
Getting some extra manpower for the journey ahead might be prudent.
"So anyway, are you gonna tell us what really happened to Morena?"
"Hmm?"
"Ever since she returned to camp she is being weirdly obedient. She also stopped talking... at all."
And you just know that it will be you who will have to deal with her.
"Well, I am not going to tell you guys either because it was not one of Morena's proudest moments. If you want to learn about it you will have to convince Morena and get her to tell you."
"Aww. Come on! You are no fun!"
Ezra tries to convince you for a few more minutes while Nines just watches nearby. Both end up being chased out of the tent by Valentine who comes in to check on the progress of your leg. Honestly, the limb itself has been itching like hell ever since she injected the healing enhancer into the limb but the swelling has gone down over the days.
Valentine has been regularly checking up on you throughout the week and even spending some of her free time with you. You find her company much more enjoyable when you avoid annoying her and being an obedient patient. She doesn't make much small talk, preferring medical journals and flirting.
So when she offers to give you some lessons on anatomy and advanced medical first aid, you...
...accept. The way you see it, you will either get laid or get educated both of which is preferable to sitting on your ass all day doing nothing.
It ends being the latter as Valentine starts teaching you more about medicine and biology in her spare time. She also proves herself to be a massive tease, an expert one at that. To her credit, her actions are really subtle, ranging from occasional sexual innuendo mixed in lessons to 'accidental' brushes against her body.
It is often that you end the lessons with a hard-on while also having expanded your knowledge about medicine.
As such it not long before you respond to Valentine's flirting, becoming bolder in your appreciation of her beauty. It ends up becoming a game between you two where you trade sexual innuendos and subtle implications backed by 'innocent' physical contact. Valentine usually wins but you give as good as you get.
She still manages to frustrate you enough to the point that you end up waking with morning wood. And since there is nothing covering you below the waist except for a thin sheet that Valentine easily notices it. Thankfully she handles your care personally so you don't have to suffer the humiliation of it being a camp gossip.
It still proves to be very painful and stiff, especially since you can't just discreetly take care off it.
It also doesn't stop from performing her usual morning inspection of your leg.
"How is your leg. Is there any discomfort or pain?"
She makes a show of ignoring your erection poking the sheets.
"Leg is fine. The problem is what's between my legs."
"Yes, that must be very painful for you."
"It is and you are definitely not helping."
"Now, we can't have that, can we. How can we solve this problem though?"
"You are the doctor, you tell me."
You watch as Valentine grabs a bone saw and you can't really hide your instinctive grimace at the sight of it.
"Nevermind, I will just tough it out."
"As a doctor, I can't leave my patient in such obvious pain. Though a gentler approach may indeed yield better results."
With that she drops the bone saw much to your relief and pulls the covers off you, revealing your erect manhood. You watch with expectation mixed in with excitement and some amount of trepidation as Valentine takes off her gloves before placing her bare hands on your inner thighs before slowly moving them up until her fingers brush the base of your erect cock.
You bite down a sigh as her fingers wrap around and start massaging it with slow but firm motions. Her pace is slow but rhythmic, like the waves on a beach. The pressure keeps building, your manhood straining against her sweetly painful grip. In response, her grasp around your erection tightens, constricting it as she drags you ever closer to the edge. Many times you feel like you have reached your peak but then Valentine squeezes your manhood just a little bit tighter, delaying your release, over and over until the point just before pain overtakes pleasure. Then she allows you to erupt, swiftly moving one of her hands above the tip of your cock just before you explode, catching all the cum in her palm.
"Hmm. It seems like forced stimulation wasn't enough."
She says, inspecting her soiled hand before wiping it with a tissue. You are about to ask her what she is talking about when you realize that you are still hard and ready for round two.
"Perhaps you need some visual aid as well."
With that Valentine climbs onto your bed and you find your head sandwiched between her thick thighs. They have a nice, soft layer of fat with strong muscles underneath, locking your head between them. Her warm and smooth flesh press on your cheeks as your eyes directly stare at her crotch, only covered by her undergarment.
You take a moment to enjoy your current situation, then get to work in pulling Valentine's panties down as she starts working on your manhood once again. It takes some effort and a good deal of frustration on your part but you manage to drag her panties all the way to her ankles, baring her crotch to you.
"How is the view?"
"Perfect."
Huh, her carpet matches the drapes.
You place your hands on Valentine's rear cheeks and squeeze. Her soft flesh fills your palms and you take a moment to enjoy the feeling. It is then you feel her breath on your manhood. Your eyes stray downwards but your view is blocked by the underside of her breasts, covered by the medical scrub she is wearing. You have only your sense of touch to rely on as you feel her lips wrap around the head of your cock. Your body shudders in response when you feel Valentine's tongue touch the tip. She slowly swallows more of you and you feel the head of your manhood hit the back of her throat then move even forward as she captures your whole length inside her warm and wet mouth.
It is then you start to fight back. You pull yourself up, using your grip on Valentine's rear and push your face into her crotch, your mouth meeting her lower lips. Taste of her fills your mouth as your tongue slips into her womanhood. Valentine lets out an appreciative moan as her thighs squeeze your head in response to the intrusion but her attention doesn't waver from your own manhood. You push your tongue deeper and deeper, exploring the shape of her insides while she starts to use her tongue more aggressively in return. It turns into a contest between you as you each try to outdo the other one's efforts and tear a response.
Valentine ends up winning despite your advantage but it is very close. You come first, letting out a deep sigh and filling her mouth with your sperm which she swallows. She comes a moment after, drenching your tongue with her own juices while rewarding you with a second moan. You wipe your mouth on her thigh before letting go of her rear as she rises up.
"That looks better but I think a more direct form of treatment is in order."
Valentine moves again, straddling your waist before turning her whole body around. You feel your manhood rub against her wet entrance as she slowly moves her hips. You feel yourself harden in response and get ready for round three.
She takes her time, teasing relentlessly until you moan in frustration. It is only then she maneuvers her hips to take you in, using one hand to line you up with her slit. Then she slowly lowers herself on your cock and you let out a moan as you feel her wrap around you.
Valentine is tight but deep, deep enough to take all of you. She remains still for a moment to get used to you before starting to move her hips in a circle, letting out an appreciative moan herself.
Not content to just sit back and watch, you move your hands to her shapely breasts and free them from the confines of her medical scrub top. You discover that Valentine isn't wearing any form undergarment underneath and take in the sight of naked breasts.
They are the best you have ever seen. They feel like warm pillows and you can't stop yourself from playing with them. Valentine lets out a muffled moan as you squeeze and caress her breasts and gasps when you pinch her nipples.
"Alright. You had your fun."
She starts moving her hips again, this time up and down. She starts slow with long motions, rising up high enough that your manhood is just about to escape her before moving back down. You feel the familiar pressure building inside and force yourself to lie still as Valentine increases her pace.
Your hands move onto her hips as Valentine begins to move faster and faster. Your grunts mix in with her gasps as she rides you. Her breasts jiggle with each motion of her body and you see the beads of sweat forming on her smooth skin. She makes such a sexy sight that you almost forget your injured leg and try to rise up in an attempt to get her under you.
"Behave."
She slams you back into the bed. You let out a groan and lie back, ceding her the control. Her hand remains on your chest as she gets a bit more rough, slamming down her hips with more force. Her inner walls contract around your manhood, pumping the strength out of your body with each hop.
You manage to hold yourself through sheer force of will long enough to tie with Valentine, coming inside her just as she orgasms. She quivers around your cock as you fill her with your seed.
Afterward, Valentine takes a moment to catch her breath, with you still inside her. A satisfied moan leaves her lips as wipes sweat from her brow with a single hand. Both of you take a minute and bask in the afterglow before Valentine starts moving again, raising her hips up until your cock plops out of her followed by a stream of your seed. She grabs a tissue and wipes her sex before climbing down from the bed and pulling up her panties.
"So, was it good for you as it was for me?"
You ask, feeling courageous.
"Your performance was satisfactory."
"So, does that mean an encore?"
"We will see."
Ehh, you will take it.
Clean up proves problematic with your leg still in the cast. Valentine proves to be no help besides handing you some wet tissues. You go through a lot of those before getting to a state you deem acceptable.
Thankfully it is only a day after that your cast comes out. After putting your leg through some physical tests, Valentine declares you fit for duty, allowing you to collect your gear and leave. After a week in bed, being back on your two feet feels good. Good enough that you take the long way to Princess' tent just to enjoy the sensation of walking.
You find Weiss' tent empty. Your hand instinctively goes to the handle of your sword but you decide to give it the benefit of doubt before starting a slaughter. That proves to be the right choice as you find Weiss talking with the captains near where the pack beasts are chained.
"How much longer do we have to stay here?"
"As long as it takes for my bodyguard to return to duty."
"And how long that will take?"
You march out and take your place at Weiss' side, placing your hand on her shoulder.
"Is there a problem boss?"
You ask, facing the three captains in front of Weiss.
"No, Wolf. They were just inquiring about when we are going to start moving again. Since you have recovered, we can get back on the road today. Unless anyone here has other questions or concerns?"
Captains remain silent.
"Then tell your men to start packing. I want everyone ready by midday."
Captains nod and disperse into camp. Once they are gone, Weiss turns to you.
"You are up earlier than I expected, Wolf."
"Valentine cleared me. Ask her if you don't believe me."
"I believe you."
"So, what is the situation?"
"Mercenaries being difficult. It took twisting some arms to get them to look for pathfinders and there are some bruised egos resulting from that. As such they have taken to making things difficult for me as some form of petty revenge."
"Do you want me to knock some heads together?"
"No. No need for that at the moment. As it is they are just venting their displeasure through childish means. I can allow that as long as they do their jobs."
"Well. You are the boss."
"Quite so. Now come. We have work to do."
You spend your day by Weiss' side. First, she oversees the packing efforts. After a week of inactivity, workers prove rather slow to rouse into action, leading to delays. There is also the matter of Glaive Gal who is still confined to bed. Fortunately, her condition is stable enough that she can be put into a cart though setting one up for only adds to the workload. After everything is said and done, it takes an extra hour to get everything order.
"Watchpoint Fujin, our next stop is at two weeks distance. We will stop there to refill our supplies and replace our recent losses with drifters."
Weiss informs you once she is done with the packing efforts.
"After watchpoint Fujin, we only have three days of travel before we are officially out of the Great Desert, leaving us with only four days of travel if we head to Okran's Valley."
"Which means dealing with the Holy Nation."
"Yes. Hopefully, my plan will work."
"That still leaves us with two weeks in the raider territory and one week in contested territory."
"Raider territory worries me more."
"Our current numbers should be enough to deter most of them."
"True but we wasted too much time here. It is possible that some of the raider packs might have discovered our presence."
"We could try to go off-road, lead false tracks."
"Perhaps, but that would add another week to our travel time. I also find myself reluctant given the track record of our pathfinders."
"To be fair, there is a reason people fear sand sharks. They are cunning little bastards and expert ambushers."
You catch Weiss giving you a smug grin from under her hood.
"Is that your bruised ego talking Wolf?"
"No."
It is not.
"So you are saying adding another extra week to our travel might be worth it?"
"No, better not take that risk."
"My thoughts exactly. I also wish to rescue my friend as soon as possible."
You nod in reply and let the conversation end.
With your return back to duty comes your usual routine, mainly standing by Weiss's side while looking as intimidating as possible. You think you do a good job of it if reactions of others to you is anything to go by. Though perhaps you can look into customizing your armor with paints and accessorize a little bit.
Speaking of your armor, you spend your first night repairing the damage sharks and Morena have inflicted upon it. It really has started to collect battle scars of its own, perhaps a bit faster than you have expected but it has served you well so far.
There is also the topic of Morena. You haven't seen her ever since your release from Valentine's care.
You decide on checking up on Morena and you get the opportunity to do so at the end of the second day when you find her eating her ration bars away from anybody else at the edge of the camp. Upon noticing your approach she drops her food and gets on her knees while facing you.
"What will be my punishment?"
She asks, her eyes lowered to the ground.
"Punishment? I wasn't informed that it was my responsibility."
"You are the Battlemaster."
She replies as if it explains everything.
"I was unaware that I had such a title."
"It is not a title. It is a rank."
You expect her to elaborate but she doesn't.
"Again, I don't remember accepting such a rank."
"You don't accept being a Battlemaster. You become one."
You hold back a sigh of frustration. Talking with Morena is like conversing with a rock.
"And when did I become one?"
"Back at Sho-Battai, in the bar. You didn't forsake your honor when faced with death and through strength and cunning led us to victory against heavy odds."
That answers like one question but leaves like thousand more.
"And that is all it takes?"
"No."
Son of a...
"And because I am the Battlemaster, I have to be the one to mete out your punishment?"
"You are the Battlemaster I shamed with my actions."
Just perfect. At this point, you are reasonably sure that this 'Battlemaster' stuff is a Shek thing. Problem is, you are not a Shek so you have no idea how it really works or how to resolve this situation.
"What about Jezka? Isn't she your captain? Shouldn't she decide your punishment?"
"Jezka is a capable warrior, but she is not a Battlemaster. I fight for her and she pays me. She doesn't command me."
You are pretty sure Jezka does being Morena's captain and all but again this is probably another case of Shek defining words differently than everyone else does.
That still leaves the question of what to do with Morena though.
It is apparent that Morena sees you as a Battlemaster and recognizes you as the relevant authority in this matter. Trying to argue it would only be a waste of time. It might best that you accept it and move on.
"Alright. Tell me then. What would be the usual punishment a Battlemaster would give you in this situation."
Morena hesitates, and you see her clench her fists. It is such an open display of emotions for her that it catches you off guard. You can see her whole body tense, and as if she is fighting herself. She remains that way for several minutes and just as you start to think that she will not answer, she speaks.
"He or she would order my horns cut."
You know that having their horns cut is one of the biggest punishment for Sheks. Problem is, to your knowledge it is usually given to exiles or cowards and despite her faults, Morena is not a coward. So why she would suggest such a heavy punishment you don't understand.
"You are no coward."
"I am unfit to be a warrior."
"Explain."
"Through my actions, I proved that I can not be trusted with a weapon and do not deserve the honor of being a warrior. As such any other Battlemaster would cut my horns condemn me to spend the rest of my life as a retainer."
"A retainer?"
"Those who do the tasks that are below a true warrior."
Ahh. She means everything else except fighting, you know enough of Shek culture to understand that.
Well, you are definitely not cutting her horns off. You aren't that cruel. But it is apparent that Morena will not be satisfied with simple slap on the wrist. She would see a light punishment as an insult. You need something big and impactful but also useful and constructive.
Why must dealing with Sheks be such a headache?
"Alright, I have decided."
Morena remains silent, waiting for you to pass judgment.
"As your punishment, you will swear an oath, that you will serve me and obey my commands until such a time comes that I deem you fit as a warrior and release you from it."
"I swear!"
She exclaims loudly as soon as you finish speaking. Before you can say anything she puts her closed fist on her chest, over her heart.
"I swear! I will follow your every command with utmost loyalty! I will dedicate my life to you until the day my honor is redeemed and I am released from this bond by your own hands!
You honestly weren't expecting her to be this enthusiastic but now that she has sworn her oath, there is only one thing you can do.
"I accept your oath, Morena. Now rise."
She does, with newfound resolve burning in her eyes. Time will tell if your decision was a good or a bad one. But for now, you managed to find good a compromise for both yourself and Morena.
(Morena gained as a follower.)
Next day you get an angry visit from Jezka herself in the morning when the expedition is just about to start on the day's journey. As usual, you are standing by Weiss's side as she is overseeing the last of the preparations when Jezka marches up to you with a furious scowl on her face.
"Trouble."
You inform Weiss and turn to face the angry Merc stomping towards you. Weiss steps forward to defuse the situation but Jezka simply ignores her in favor of you.
"Explain to me why one of my best warriors just told me that they would be leaving my command because they were made to swear an oath to you, you motherfucker!"
You really should have seen this coming but again, hindsight is fifty-fifty.
"Wolf, what is she talking about? Please explain."
Weiss asks.
"Well, Morena's honor demanded that she find a way to atone for her mistakes during the rescue mission, namely nearly crippling me on accident. I offered a solution that didn't involve her cutting her own horns off."
You explain, hoping for a quick and quiet resolution to this mess. Alas, it is not meant to be as you suddenly find Jezka inside your personal space.
"You poached her from me! That is what you did you asshole."
The mercenary captain stares you in the eye, her nose a finger's width away from your helmet's faceplate. A bull of a woman with a heavily muscled body that stands taller than most men, she is probably used to cowing others into submission by throwing her own mass around.
Unfortunately for her, you aren't fazed by such base intimidation tactics.
"I did no such thing. She made the choice herself."
Jezka doesn't like your answer or the fact that you possess a spine. But before she can draw a weapon or throw a punch, Weiss intercedes.
"Jezka. Stand down."
The mercenary captain switches target from you to Weiss. It is also Weiss signaling you down that stops you from taking down the belligerent woman.
"Stand down? Your fucking bodyguard cost me my best fighter!"
"I realize that and I am sure we can find a suitable way to compensate you-"
"I don't want compensation. I want my fighter back!"
Weiss sighs before turning to you.
"Wolf, is there any way?"
You shake your head.
"It was her choice and I can't just reverse it."
"Bullshit!"
You find yourself back inside Jezka's crosshairs again. And again, she fails to get any visible reaction from you which only infuriates her more. Weiss then once again intercedes.
"Jezka, listen to me. If Wolf says there isn't a way than I am willing to believe him. I acknowledge that you suffered a loss here and I am more than willing to compensate you."
"And I said that I don't want your stinking-"
"Double pay. That is what I am offering. I will double your contract fee."
That calms down Jezka, all of her anger suddenly replaced by contemplation.
"Triple it."
"Done."
Jezka turns her gaze to you.
"You can have the traitorous bitch. Hope her rocky cunt satisfies you."
You see the expectation on Jezka's face and concern on Weiss'.
What Jezka fails to understand here is that you are not some two-bit opportunistic mercenary with the ego size of a leviathan. You were a samurai, an elite one. And one doesn't get to become a Jounin or an elite by having a thin skin. Jezka's insults are meaningless to you because unlike her you know a little something called professionalism.
And it serves you well here as you keep silent, much to Weiss' relief and Jezka's frustration. Seeing you refuse to respond to her goading, the mercenary captain spits at your feet and stomps away, leaving you alone with Weiss.
"So how much I have cost you this time?"
"Surprisingly, less than you might think."
"Oh?"
"I pay Jezka's squad a third of what I pay you."
"That cheap huh?"
"Jezka is not a good negotiator."
"Then everything turned alright."
"You are still not off the hook."
"I know."
"Seriously Wolf, I don't have infinite wealth."
"I will try to be more careful, alright?"
"Please do so."
Thankfully the rest of the day goes by without any incidents. And the day after that. It is on the fourth day of travel your rearguard scouts reports back with bad news.
"We are being followed."
You hear Weiss mutter curse under her breath and honestly, you can relate.
"Do you know who?"
She asks after regaining her composure.
"We are not exactly sure. Could be raiders or bandits."
"What about their numbers?"
"No clue, we only saw their trackers."
You hear another whispered swear come from Weiss.
"Return to your positions and wait for further orders."
Mercs salute and leave. You turn to Weiss one they are out of sight.
"So what is the plan?"
"I don't have one yet. What do you think?"
"We need more information before we can make a decision. Send the scouts out and have them take a look."
"What if they get caught?"
"Then send a group of escorts with them."
Weiss takes a moment to think over your words.
"You are right. We need to know more. I will send the scouts out along with Noff's squad."
Weiss wastes no time in giving out orders and organizing the scouts. Discounting the pathfinders there are three of them available for duty. They are sent out along with one of the mercenary squads.
It towards the end of the day, an hour after the expedition set up camp that the scouts Weiss sent out come back along with their mercenary escorts. Taking a quick headcount you are surprised to see that there aren't any casualties, only light wounds.
"Report."
Weiss demands from the group.
"We are being followed by mercenaries. Professional ones. They are too organized and well-armed."
"What about their numbers?"
"Two times our own if we don't count the workers. A third of that is armed with crossbows."
You wouldn't. While any man can kill another man when handed a sufficiently sharp stick in theory, in practice sending untrained chaff against heavily armored and experienced killers only result in a massive waste of human life.
"Dismissed."
Scouts salute and disperse follow by the mercenaries. With their departure, Weiss turns to you.
"I need your opinion. Do you think it is possible for us to win if it comes to a fight?"
"If we had some fortifications or a good defensive position from which we can negate their number and firepower superiority, then we could win. Otherwise, it would be a tough fight, one that we may better avoid."
"Well, we have some barriers and barbed wire. Though I am not sure about giving up on our mobility like that.
"Trust me, unless we pull a surprise attack, mobility will not aid us one bit as our enemies will be just as mobile if not more."
"I see. I will send out our pathfinders in the morning, see what they can find. But first, I need to inform the captains of the situation."
It takes around ten minutes to gather together all three of the mercenary captains on Weiss' payroll inside her own tent. Markov and Jezka both curse upon hearing about the scouts' report. Noff, of course, already knew about it since it was his squad that escorted the scouts.
After the grim news comes the planning session.
"We should attack! Deny the fuckers the chance of making the first move."
Jezka states but Markov just shakes his head.
"Against those odds, it would be suicide. No, if we are going to give fight, we have to be clever about this."
"Then what do you suggest?"
"An ambush. bait them into a trap using the workers then collapse upon them with everything we have."
"That could work." Noff speaks, voicing his support for Markov's plan.
"Absolutely not. We are not using noncombatants as bait." Weiss shoots them both down.
"Then what do you suggest?" Markov asks. Weiss remains silent for a moment, stealing a glance your way before speaking up.
"We will find a good defensive ground and set up fortifications."
"Pardon me my lady but that is a bad idea. Not only we would be giving up the initiative but we also don't have any guarantee that our enemies will commit to an attack against a fortified position. It is likely we might find ourselves in a deadlock or worse a siege situation." Noff protests.
"What would you suggest then, aside from using workers as bait?" Weiss asks.
"Well, if you are that averse to using those useless layabouts as bait, we can use a single squad instead as our bait." Markov answers.
"A single squad wouldn't survive long enough for trap to be sprung." Noff states.
"Normally I would agree with you but we have a truly exceptional warrior among our number whose aid might keep the bait squad alive long enough." Markov replies, turning his eyes to you.
"Absolutely not!" Weiss exclaims, "Wolf is my bodyguard and his place is by my side."
"Then our best option is to keep moving forward because I can guarantee you that settling down for defensive battle will be tantamount to suicide." Markov warns.
Weiss turns to the other two captains, "What do you think?" She asks.
"I agree with Markov. If we were facing psychos or bandits, setting up fortifications might have been a viable option but against professional mercenaries whose tactical strategy isn't limited to just mindlessly attacking, I would rather avoid a battle altogether. " Noff replies.
"Yeah, what he said." Jezka adds.
You remain silent. While Markov isn't wrong in his assessment of you, you have no desire to leave Weiss' side, especially in such a dangerous environment as a live battle. Not to mention, there is a considerable chance that this might be a scheme by the captains to get you away from Weiss and leave her defenseless.
"I see." Weiss speaks, "Then we will keep moving forward, for now, see if we can keep the distance between us and our pursuers. We currently have ten days of travel between us and the safety of Watchpoint Fujin. We can cut down that time to seven with a forced march."
Jezka snorts in disbelief at that.
"Forced march would leave us extremely vulnerable." Markov protests. Noff chooses to remain silent.
"I am aware. I don't have any intention of declaring forced march yet." Weiss admits, "Regardless we might have to resort to that depending on how things go. Consider yourselves dismissed for now."
Jezka is the first captain to leave the tent, followed by Markov and Noff who nod to Weiss first in acknowledgment before doing so. After they leave, you find yourself the target of Weiss' attention.
"What do you think Wolf? Are they wrong? Should I follow your suggestion and just have the expedition hunker down?" She asks you.
"Not sure. While I have a rough idea of what to expect from our pursuers, they might have surprises of their own. It is why I suggested a defensive approach before because I can't say for sure how strong they are exactly unless combat were to happen, which renders the point moot." You admit, "But Markov had a point. Trying for a defensive battle can backfire too and lead to us getting stuck and/or surrounded."
"So there is no single option without any risk." Weiss sighs.
"Afraid not." You agree.
"We will see what tomorrow brings then. I am going to turn in for the night." Weiss informs you and you nod in response. "Have a good night Wolf."
"Goodnight Princess." You reply and leave her tent.
Outside, most of the camp has settled down. You see a few mercs patrolling around but most of the workers and the remaining mercs have gone to sleep. It is late at night and as such you decide to turn in as well. Except when you reach your own tent, you find Morena waiting for you before the entrance.
You let out a sigh. "Why are you here instead of inside your own tent?" You ask her.
"I don't have a tent of my own." She answers.
"Let me guess. Jezka?"
"I shared a tent with another from her squad."
"Figures."
"You can share my tent until you get your own."
Morena nods at your permission, following you inside your own tent. You point to a corner in which she can set her bedroll then make your way to your own. After swiftly removing your armor you crawl inside and go to sleep.