You return to wakefulness in your own tent. It takes a minute to banish the memories of the past from your mind after which you climb out of your bedroll. Ten minutes later, you leave your tent, clad in your bloodstained armor.
Sun is slowly rising over the horizon, heralding the arrival of a new day. Workers move about the camp, starting the preparations for today's journey. Most of the mercenaries are absent, probably still nursing their hangovers. Hopefully, they will get themselves together before the expedition starts moving.
You are still amazed by the stupidity of the mercs Weiss has hired. It would have been hilarious if it didn't mean that you would have to pick up their slack but alas. Putting the incompetence of your untrustworthy allies aside, you need to report to Weiss and see what the situation is.
You find her by the pack animals directing the workers with the same high standard of efficiency you came to expect from her. Morena stands by her side, like an imposing statue glaring at anyone that comes close to your employer. It is the shek warrior whom notices you first, alerting Weiss to your approach.
"Good morning ladies," you greet them both with a smile.
"Good morning Wolf," Weiss greets you back while Morena simply nods.
You smoothly take your position by Weiss' side as she returns her attention back to workers. It doesn't take long before she delegates the task to somebody else and leads you back to her tent.
"So, what is our current situation?" you ask once you are all inside and seated with the exception of Morena who stands guard at the entrance.
"The good news is we only have a single week's worth of travel between us and the Fujin barring any delays," Weiss states.
"And?" you prompt.
"That is it."
You sigh. "And the bad news?"
"We are down half of our initial combat manpower. Our journey so far has been far more bloody than even my worst estimations. We will need to reinforce our numbers at Fujin."
Which means drifters since Fujin was an outpost instead of a full-fledged city.
"What about the prisoner? Did you get any useful information out of him?" you question, hoping for some minor victory.
"Some. The group you defeated was composed of three different mercenary squads. All with reputations for professionalism and reliability," you barely hold in a snort at that, remembering the ease with which you walked into their camp. "They picked our trail at Stoat and tracked us down," she stops for a second, hesitating.
"And they were hired to capture me... Alive," she adds.
You suspected so and are not surprised to have your suspicion proven. Weiss is the only thing in this whole expedition worth that kind of effort.
"Do you know who hired them?" you ask.
Weiss shakes her head, "Unknown. Whoever hired them did so through proxies."
"Any guesses who they might be?"
"There many individuals who would benefit from my disappearance. Nearly all of them operate inside the borders of the Empire which means I should be safe from any further attempts once we are past the borders of the Holy Nation."
"Yeah, then we will only have to deal with rampant zealotry."
Once Weiss finishes briefing you, you two leave her tent with Morena following after. You spend the rest of the day by her side, watching over her as she oversees the expedition as it resumes the journey.
Everyone is on edge due to recent losses and hostile encounters but thankfully expedition doesn't face any more hostile encounters throughout the week. Some close calls with the native wildlife happen but for once pathfinders prove their worth and steer the expedition clear of trouble, earning their paychecks.
You notice during this time that among the members of the expedition, you have grown somewhat of a reputation. It is a fearsome one as people give you a wide berth wherever you go and whenever your gaze falls on someone they stiffen in response. You find that the only people who you can talk freely among mercenaries are Ezra and Nines.
"Well, you did kinda murder bunch of dudes all on your own. Stuff like that tends to create certain impressions on people. Especially considering all of those dudes you murdered were armed to teeth killers themselves." Ezra tells you when you bring up your newfound reputation among mercenaries during one of your talks with her and Nines.
"Geez, you make it sound like I ambush people in dark alleys and stab their kidneys," you respond.
"Honestly, No-Hive would have been less fearsome that way," Nines chimes in.
"Agreed. That way all people would have to do to keep themselves safe from you would have been to simply avoid dark alleys," Ezra adds.
"Well, at least I have you two," you sigh.
"Of course buddy! You can count on me!" Ezra chirps with a smile, drawing a snort from Nines.
"What Second-Best means is she has no choice either way because her superior ordered her to spy on Guard-Wolf," Nines speaks.
"YOU LITTLE SHIT!" Ezra tries to pounce on Nines but you intervene and grab her. She swiftly wilts once she realizes that she is in your arms reach.
"Dude, I swear I wasn't going to spy on you. We are friends, right? Pleasedon'tkillmeIamtooyoungandprettytodie..." Ezra devolves into panicked babbling, drawing another sigh from you.
"Relax. I am not going to kill you," you say. Honestly, you don't understand why Ezra gets so worked over it. It is not like you are completely blind to the fact she and Nines are mercenaries and you know how to keep your mouth shut about sensitive things.
"Plus, I am pretty confident that Nines was ordered to do something similar," you add to which Nines simply shrugs.
"It is true Host-Leader ordered Nines to keep an eye on Guard-Wolf but Nines knows who would win in a fight between Guard-Wolf and the Host. As such Nines have no intention to obey any order that would anger Guard-Wolf." Nines explains.
Ezra calms down after that though she keeps shooting glares at Nines whenever you take your eyes off her.
Aside from sharing rations with Nines and Ezra, you also meet with Valentine twice for your lessons/dates. She teaches you more about human anatomy and how to stabilize wounds in increasingly perverted ways which is how you find yourself tied to a chair, completely naked while Valentine prods you with a metal rod.
"Clean cut," you feel the tip of the rod trace a diagonal line over your torso starting under your right breast and ending at your left side just over your hip, "3.5 cm deep."
"You clipped the edge of my right lung and sliced open my liver and stomach before severing my intestine in at least one point," you reply.
Tip of the rod moves to your chest, just below your left shoulder blade.
"Puncture wound with an angle of 41 to 97 degrees downward. Half meter deep, 2 mm wide."
"You just pierced my lung, narrowly missed my heart and went straight through my spleen before exiting right under my rib."
Valentine nods at your answer. "You grasped the locations of human organs very quickly. I am impressed."
She then discards her rod and frees your hands before promptly seating herself on your knees, her front facing you. Her shirt is swiftly discarded, leaving her naked from the waist up. What proceeds then is a lecture about how to stabilize wounds on different parts of the torso while your hands trace them, wandering on Valentine's body as you follow her instructions.
It is very informative and incredibly arousing.
You recognize that at its core this is an example of positive reinforcement. Valentine rewards your successes with intimacy and pleasure through creative and perverted methods.
You also suspect she takes pleasure in exerting her control over you through such methods.
The rest of your free time is split between training with Morena and spending time with Weiss when she is not busy overseeing the workers.
Some might find it weird that you choose to spend your free time with someone you already spend most of your day with but honestly, you have come to enjoy her company and you suspect the feeling is mutual seeing how there is an extra plate set out for you when you join Weiss during breakfast each morning.
That and the fact the cold formality between the employer and the employee no longer exists between you. Instead, there exists this implicit feeling of trust and comfort which is expressed through numerous little details.
Like how Weiss no longer hides her face under a hood when she is alone with you in her tent. Or the way she no longer becomes tense when you stand close to her. Her mannerisms have become less guarded and more open and you can swear you sometimes see the corner of her mouth curl upwards at your jokes.
And you talk. Mostly about the work-related stuff, like the expedition and the journey ahead but sometimes your conversations stray to more casual topics. It is during one such talk that you learn a bit more about her friends.
"We met in the academy, four of us. There was Ruby, Yang, Blake and I. Ruby was the youngest of us, so selfless and honest. Yang, her older sister, was cheerful, energetic, confident. Blake was distant and aloof but Ruby and Yang got through to her," Weiss recounts with a faint smile on her lips.
"Then there was me. The spoiled, brat of an heiress," she adds with a self-deprecating tone that feels weird coming from her.
"That doesn't sound like you," you say and you mean it. Weiss, she isn't like any of the nobles you have met. She is polite, courteous, kind. There is no trace of that empty vanity or arrogant cruelty that all the other nobles show. Compared to them, she is like someone from a whole different world.
"You can thank those three for that. They made me a better person with their friendship," she wistfully replies.
"It sounds like you are all very close," you prod.
"We are. Sisters in all but blood," she answers, making you more curious about her friends.
"Tell me more about them."
Weiss talks and you listen. You learn that Ruby has a cookie addiction, Yang gets explosively angry when someone harms her hair and Blake loves seafood and hates dogs.
"So which one will we be looking for in the plains?" you finally ask.
"Blake. She is... she is the most self-sufficient one among all of us..."
"Can you describe her?"
"She is a bit taller than me. She has black hair, amber eyes, and pale skin."
"Anything more distinctive?"
Weiss opens her mouth to say something but hesitates. You patiently wait for her to continue.
"She has two cat-like ears atop her head in addition to normal human ears."
What. Is this Blake some sort of mutant? Your confusion must have shown on your face because Weiss pouts and you quickly raise your hands in surrender.
"I am not doubting you. It just took me by surprise," you explain.
Sensing no dishonesty from you, Weiss lets it go.
"Alright, animal ears. It should make it pretty easy to find her."
You just need to navigate through a gigantic expanse of land filled to the brim with cannibals. But then you see the crushing worry plaguing your employer and it is clear that is the last thing Weiss needs to hear right now.
So instead put on a confident smile.
"Don't worry your head, Princess. We will find your catgirl."
It is on the tenth day after the battle that you arrive at watchpoint Fujin.
Watchpoints are border outposts placed at the furthest edges of the Empire. They were once used as an early warning system against enemy invasions and border garrisons but over time most of them fall to disuse due to rising corruption and decentralization of the Empire. Few ones that were placed on important trade routes like Fujin, were bought by the Trader's Guild and renovated with facilities to house caravans and traders.
After a brief check by the guards at the gates, you are allowed inside. Fujin is one of the few forts were the military presence still remains strong since it sits on a direct route between the Holy Nation and the Empire. Even though officially there is a ceasefire between the two, skirmishes still continue in Bast and raids are conducted by both sides to constantly prod at each other's defenses.
Once inside, Weiss swiftly arranges a place for the expedition to settle after a brief conversation with a guild official and soon you are waved to a warehouse where workers proceed to stable the animals and store the supplies. A guard rotation is set up by the squad leaders before they set out in search of fresh recruits, leaving behind a skeleton crew for defense.
You on the other hand shadow Weiss everywhere. You are not willing to take any chances after what happened at Stoat and remain by her side as she meets with guild officials, oversees workers and negotiates a deal with quartermaster to restock expedition's supplies.
Afterward, she returns to the safety of the warehouse, allowing you some free time.
You decide to put your ear to the ground and listen for rumors and the best place to do that is the bar.
Except you forget one detail. Fujin is not a densely populated city and a major trade hub where people from all around the Empire and beyond mingle.
It is an outpost placed at the edge of the shared border with the Empire's main enemy right next to an active war zone.
What this means is instead of talkative travelers looking to swap stories and eager gossip mongers, you get overly suspicious, tight-knit groups.
Now, in hindsight, you should have just given up on this endeavor when you realized that. But for some reason, you thought it would be a good idea to push your luck. Some drinks were bought to loosen lips along with a bit of acting to worm your way into one of the more receptive groups. Once people were buttered up enough and guards were lowered, you proceeded to make some innocent inquiries.
Then ten minutes later you found yourself facing a trio of samurai.
"Well, what do we have here? It looks like we got a spy on our hands."
You hear the sound of chairs scraping on the floor and when you turn your head back to the table you find all of your drinking buddies have evacuated, leaving you alone against the samurai.
Fuck.
If this was anywhere else than the Empire, you might have been in trouble but you have long since learned the easiest way to deal with your fellow samurai.
"I think what you have here is a big misunderstanding, my friend and I can prove it if you would just let me," you speak calmly to the samurai at the front.
"Is that so? This better be good." the lead samurai replies, probably expecting a plea of innocence.
But you have long learned that money holds more weight than words. As such, you calmly pull out your purse, put 3.000 cats worth of coin on the table and see the familiar shine of greed in the man's eyes.
"This is indeed a good argument though I might need a bit more to be convinced," he speaks after q uick count, fishing for more money.
Unfortunately for him, you are quite familiar with how to deal with such attempts.
"Now, now. We don't want others to think that this is a bribe instead of a friendly donation to police force, do we?" you simply respond.
"Of course not," he answers, realizing that he can't now back down and refuse the bribe even though you have no intention of increasing the amount.
"Then there is no reason for me to occupy any more of your time, gentlemen. Have a good night," you say and calmly watch as the lead samurai takes the cats from the table and leaves with his comrades.
Then you finish the rest of your own drink before leaving the bar yourself.
The sky is pitch black by the time you return to the warehouse Weiss rented.
Mercs standing guard at the entrance nod as you pass by them. Inside, you only find a few more mercs still awake, the ones that drew nightshift. The rest of the expedition seems to have turned in for the night and you plan to do the same.
After you take a shower of course because you reek.
The stench of sweat and dried blood hangs heavy on you, consequences of a long journey. You can feel the desert sand that has stuck to your skin, making you itchy all over.
You are used to such things, having spent much of your career in the desert patrol but that doesn't mean you aren't bothered by it.
As such, you head to the showers after grabbing a fresh set of clothes from your room.
Showers in the question are a bunch of wooden cabins with water pipes hanging over them. The is a valve in each cabin to open and close the pipe hanging overhead.
It is one of the more luxurious setups you ever had to use. Most of the time shower means a stone platform and a hose.
You waste little taking off your clothes and throwing them aside before moving into a cabin. Turning the valve open, you find yourself under a stream of cold water, one of the perks of showering during the night. It feels refreshing and reinvigorating compared to the lukewarm temperature water reaches during the day.
You take a moment and enjoy the cold water over your skin as it washes away the layer of grime and dried blood from your body.
Then you are alerted by the opening of the cabin door and swiftly turn around only to find Valentine standing before you...
"Mind if I join you?"
...fully naked.
You haven't gotten a chance to rest since your arrival at Fujin. Weary from the travel and the day's activities, you were planning to finally get some sleep after a refreshing shower.
Yet, as you take in the sight of Valentine's naked body, you forget all of that. Full breasts, a slim waist followed by wide hips, creamy thighs and strong calves. While you have seen most of that before, this is the first time you see Valentine fully naked and there is really only one answer you can really give in response.
"No... Not at all."
She smiles and saunters inside, closing the door after her. You find your back against the rough wooden wall as Valentine presses herself against you with your hands immediately placing themselves on her soft bottom. You can feel yourself start to harden in response to the feel of her body against yours, her warmth providing a sharp contrast to the cold water pouring from above. Your reaction doesn't escape Valentine's notice.
"My, aren't you eager?"
Her sultry voice sends a shiver through your body with its caress, Its touch soft as she sneaks a hand down between your legs. Her fingers suddenly wrap around your hardening length with a tight-grip, tearing a grunt of pleasure from you.
Your grip on her rear tightens in response, your fingers squeezing the soft flesh beneath them, managing to draw an appreciative moan from her. She reaches up with her free hand and grabs the back of your head, her fingers threading through your wet hair, before pulling you down for a kiss. The height difference between the two of you requires her to rise on her toes, assisted by your own grip beneath her.
Your lips lock together and the faint taste of bitter chocolate fills your mouth as her tongue forces its way in. A brief battle of dominance ensues between you two as your tongues push against each other in a stalemate but you both know that she will have to break first.
Which is why she cheats.
You jerk back as you feel her nails bite into the sensitive flesh of your manhood, letting out a hiss only to find your lower lip has been taken hostage between her teeth.
And just like that, you are under her mercy with no way to fight back. You can only grit your teeth and endure as Valentine slowly works you off. All you can see is her face and her brilliant blue hair while her fingers bully you into release with firm strokes, nails occasionally teasing your flesh.
Then it comes, after what feels like an eternity, a bright spot of pleasure followed by relief as you empty yourself with a groan. Valentine's fingers milk you for every drop, only letting you go after it becomes clear you have no more to give.
When she finally lets go of your member, you sigh in relief and allow yourself to relax, only to be interrupted by sharp pain and the metallic taste of blood as her teeth sink into your lip.
Your frustration and desire finally reach their boiling point and you shove her against the door with enough force to rattle the whole cabin. Valentine grunts at the impact while you wipe the blood off your lips with the back of your free hand before turning your attention back to her. She licks your blood off her teeth with an expression of smug satisfaction that ends up setting you off.
With a growl, you swiftly grab her wrists and pin them above her head. With one hand occupied, your free hand takes hold of her leg and you pull it over your shoulder as you line yourself up with her exposed slit framed by a tuft of blue hair. Trapped in the tight confines of the shower cabin and with little freedom of movement and no room to maneuver, there is nothing Valentine can do to stop you and you take a moment to savor the power you have over her.
Yet she looks just as eager, maybe more.
"Come on Wolf. Show me what you can do."
You oblige and push yourself into her, thrusting as deep as you can go with a grunt, the action driving a spike of pleasure int your brain. You stop only when your whole length is inside her and take a steadying breath, enjoying the feeling of her wrapped around you, her warm insides gripping you tightly. It tingles when you slowly pull back, drawing a moan of pleasure from Valentine that only adds to the growing fire inside you. You place your free hand under her to better support her weight before plunging forward once again, with more force.
"Give me more."
You growl at her demand but pick up the pace nonetheless. Each of your thrusts sends a fresh jolt of pleasure up your spine and you feel a familiar need build inside of you as you hammer Valentine. The force behind each blow reverberates around the cabin, walls shaking in time with your rhythm. Your heart beats faster and faster as you gain speed, your grunts mixing with Valentine's own moans. A haze descends on you, clouding your vision as you lose yourself in the pleasure.
Which is why you are completely caught off guard when the door you pinned Valentine against gives up under the abuse and is torn off its hinges. With your support gone, you find yourself off balance and can only twist your body around to save Valentine before falling on top of the broken door.
You end up taking the brunt of the impact on your back and serve as a cushion for your partner. Stunned momentarily, you lose your grip on Valentine which she takes full advantage of by straddling you. You are still aching from the fall when she impales herself on your erection sending fresh waves of pleasure into your brain.
"I guess it's my turn again."
Before you can stop her, Valentine starts moving her hips and you let out a groan as pleasure mixes in with pain. You fight off both and make an attempt to regain control by grabbing Valentine by her hips and rising up. She wraps her arms around your neck to steady herself as you lift the combined weight of you two from the ground. All the while, Valentine keeps her hips moving, her legs wrapping around your waist and locking you inside her.
You manage to carry Valentine to a nearby bench and lay her on top of it. Aching, bleeding and burning with desire, you start fucking your partner with fresh vigor. It doesn't take long before both of you lose yourselves in the rhythm. You barely hear Valentine's screamed encouragements past the blood pumping in your ears as you move faster and faster. Her nails rake your back but the pain is drowned out by the pleasure along with everything else leaving only you, her and this ever-building pressure inside you.
You keep going, gritting your teeth and denying yourself your release until you feel Valentine's wet folds start quivering around your length. Then, realizing she is at the edge, you bring her over with one final thrust before emptying yourself into her. Her insides clench your manhood hard and you find yourself being milked a second time that night.
Adrenaline slowly leaves your body, taking most of your strength with it and then the exhaustion hits you like a truck. You prevent yourself from collapsing onto Valentine by gripping the edges of the bench to keep yourself steady. Your feel your heart hammer inside your chest as you try to get your breathing under control.
Under you, Valentine is much the same, her chest rising and falling rhythmically with her own breaths. Both of you are drenched, covered in a lukewarm mix of water and sweat with a dull-sheen cast by the fluorescent lamp hanging overhead.
It takes some minutes until you recover enough strength and pull yourself out of Valentine, leaving behind a trail of white leaking from between her legs. You rise back onto your feet and take a deep breath to steady yourself before starting to make your way to showers.
On your third step, something collides with your back and you find yourself on the ground once again.
"Where do you think you are going?" Valentine hisses into your ear. "We aren't finished yet."
You woke up in the morning, aching all over. Your body feels sore from the last night's encounter with Valentine. A quick check reveals the scratches her fingernails left on you have all scabbed over and a couple of bruises beginning to form.
It still fails to dampen the satisfaction you are feeling.
After a swift routine to limber up, you get dressed, don your armor and leave your room in search fo Weiss. You find her inside the office she claimed having breakfast. You swiftly seat yourself across from her and grab the plate set out for you.
"Good morning, Princess." you greet her.
"Good morning Wolf," she replies.
Having learned Weiss' breakfast habits, you hold off on further conversation until she finishes her breakfast. When she finally puts down her mug, you start talking.
"So, what is the plan for today?"
"Mostly waiting. Jezka and Markov still haven't finished replenishing their losses. Then there is the supplies I have ordered from the quartermaster which should come in today."
"We leave tomorrow then?"
"Yes. After which we should reach World's End in three weeks."
"Assuming we don't get stopped by the Okranite patrols."
"I guess it is time that I inform you of my plan to dealing with Holy Nation patrols. Tell me, have you read The Holy Flame?"
"Once, out of a curiosity. Why do you ask?"
"So you are familiar with Okranite customs."
"More so than most."
Weiss nods at your answer, "That is good. We can spend the rest of today going over it together and prepare you for the task ahead."
"Which is?"
"To act as an Okranite trader."
"What?"
"The first thing we should do is pick a proper name and backstory for you. How does Hakim sound?"
"I don't think that is an Okranite name," you respond.
"Are you sure?" Weiss asks.
"Yeah. That sounds more like a nomad than anything else."
"Well, what do you suggest then?"
"Caras," you offer.
"Alright Caras, now we need to come up with a believable backstory for you. Then you and I will spend the rest of the day studying the Holy Flame and preparing you for the road ahead."
"Joy."
And that is how you spend the rest of that day. It is as mind-numbingly boring as you expected. The Holy Flame from what you remember was a piece of propaganda masquerading as a holy book and it was painful going over it in detail. By the end of it, you are just about ready to shout the name of Okran at the top of your lungs while setting fire to every single thing around you that is not human.
Thankfully a training session with Morena helps you work it out and restore your sanity before you can launch a one-man crusade. You also hang out a bit with Ezra and Nines who are watching over the new recruits to their squads.
Then tomorrow comes and the Expedition leaves Fujin. There are a lot of new faces around, Jezka and other captains having recruited drifters into their squads to replenish their losses, bringing expedition up to full strength once more.
Over the days, the sand dunes of the Great Desert slowly give way to rocky cliffs and gravel-covered terrain of Bast. Bits of vegetation start to appear, thornbushes and tumbleweeds becoming a common sight.
Once the expedition is clearly out of the Empire's borders, Weiss gives everyone to put on their disguises which includes you. Stashing your samurai armor inside a crate, you don the simple clothes of an Okranite, mainly a pair of hessian style cloth pants and leather shirt along with a turban. You are also provided with a small burlap sack in which you carry few small trinkets along with a copy of the Holy Flame provided to you by Weiss.
Throughout the rest of the expedition, every non-human exchanges their clothes for tattered rags. Ezra and Nines grumble but they comply as no one wishes to rumble with zealous fanatics. With disguises in place, you take your role as the pretend leader of the expedition.
It is on the sixth day, the expedition encounters the first Okranite military patrol and your disguise is put to test.
Patrol is composed of seventeen warriors led by a Paladin who approaches the expedition. The fact that he doesn't draw his sword fills you with confidence.
"Hail! Who goes there?" the paladin calls out.
You walk out to meet him, plastering a friendly smile on your face.
"My name is Caras, brother. I am a humble trader returning home after a long journey," you respond.
He visibly relaxes after your introduction and a smile mirroring yours appears on his face.
"Well met brother Caras. I hope your endeavors were fruitful."
"That they were, brother. Our father, Okran has blessed me with wealth and fortune. I was also able to spread his word among those who had the misfortune of being cursed with inhumanity. Those who have seen the light now tirelessly work for me to earn Okran's favor and their rebirth."
The paladin's expression sours upon the sight of nonhuman members of the expedition as if he is gazing at something that is particularly foul. "That I can see, brother. Though the sight of such animals marching among honest men ill suits me, our father preaches compassion so I will stay my hand. Having said that, I will still need to check your cargo for such is our orders. Will you comply?"
"But of course brother. I have nothing to hide."
What follows is a very thorough inspection of the expedition's cargo by the patrol. Thankfully Weiss had the forethought of hiding everything that could betray your disguise in secret compartments.
Except your armor which is found by one of the warriors.
"A set of armor I bought from one of the heathen blacksmiths on the request of a client from World's End which will be my last stop before I return home," you swiftly explain.
The paladin simply nods, believing your lie.
Another issue arises due to the presence of women among the expedition.
"Most are converts who came with us in search of an honest life away from foul Narko's temptations."
Once again your explanation is accepted.
Thankfully, you don't have to lie again a third time and the inspection ends without any more of an incident. Afterward, you offer some refreshments for the patrol from the expeditions stocks. The paladin in charge thanks you for your generosity but refuses, much to the disappointment of some of the other warriors.
You clasp hands with the man bid each other farewell before the expedition begins moving once more, now inside the borders the Holy Nation territory.
Arc 1-2 COMPLETE
Endeavors complete
-Lessons with Valentine(2 Int, 5 Heal)
Other gains:
1 WS, 3 Gamble, 2 Consume Alcohol
Implacable = Ignore wound loss from one bleed for per level of Implacable.