-xXx-

Roderick followed Skyseeker into their cabin, closing the door behind him. It was dark inside. A solitary candle sitting on the desk cast a dim, flickering light across the walls, Skyseeker's black fur letting her meld into the shadows, giving her an air of mystery.

"So! We have arrived," Skyseeker began, stating the obvious. Her tail flicked in a way he came to know as a sign of nervousness, her red eyes gleaming as she met his gaze.

"Indeed," he replied, unsure how else to respond.

"So, uh… how does breeding work?"

"How does…? Of course, you wouldn't know," he sighed, shaking his head. She must be untouched, given what he knew of her history.

"I-I know!" she stammered. "I know everything about breeding, official expert in Skavenblight! But," she added, looking away bashfully. "hypothetically, if Skaven didn't know how to breed – which I do – then how would rat proceed? Relay the plan."

"Making love isn't about planning or following instructions, it's about just following your instincts. That being said, I think the first step is to get out of this armour."

Roderick made his way to the collapsible bed, turning to sit on the edge as he fiddled with his gauntlets, fumbling a few times in his haste to be rid of the armour. He felt Skyseeker's gaze all over him, the Skaven looking him over unreservedly as he gradually disrobed, Roderick setting the armour pieces on the floor.

When he was only wearing his tunic and trousers, he made to remove them, then hesitated. Skyseeker was lingering by the door, one long leg crossed in front of the other, her tail going crazy behind her. Her earlier enthusiasm seemed to have diminished.

"Come," he said, beckoning with a hand. "you don't have to gawk from all the way over there."

"I-I gawk whenever I want!" she snapped, but she skittered across the cabin all the same. She sat down beside him, her soft thigh pressing up against his left leg, batting her lashes at him as she lifted her muzzle. He cupped her chin in his palm, moving in to peck her once on the nose, then on the lips, her tongue sneaking out in a silent invitation. She moaned into his mouth, every little sound she made making his spine shiver, the Skaven pawing at his chest as they maintained another passionate kiss.

The taste of her saliva was sweet on his tongue, and when Skyseeker pulled away to catch her breath, thick strands of their mingled spit still connected them, the web falling to the sheets between them.

"W-What's next?" she muttered, switching her focus between his eyes. "N-Not that I don't mind this kissing, but isn't there… more-more?"

"You really are new at this, aren't you?" he laughed, but it wasn't a mocking laugh. The fact he was laying with an unspoiled maiden, Skaven or otherwise, was igniting his most base male urges. While he was tempted to just go straight for the main event, her experiences in the breeding pits gave him pause, and he thought it best he should tread lightly, take things slow so as not to startle or overwhelm her.

"As I said, just follow your instincts," he continued. "We can do whatever you want. We kiss some more, you could touch me, or we could just cuddle. There are no rules."

"I want to touch you," she replied, not voicing it like a question, but not voicing it like an order either. He made to unbutton his tunic, but she stopped him, the Skaven placing her hands on his.

"Let Skaven do it," she insisted, Roderick nodding as he let his arms rest by his sides. She pulled back the collar of the shirt, Roderick helping to slip his shoulders out from beneath it, Skyseeker fumbling with the buttons. She quickly worked out how to use them, popping them off one by one and exposing his chest, Skyseeker tilting her head like a curious dog as she admired him.

He shivered as she planted her wet nose against his pectoral, rubbing her muzzle against his skin, seemingly delighting in the texture of his skin. Her many whiskers tickled him with each twist of her head, Roderick chuckling as they brushed his nipples.

"What so funny?" Skyseeker asked, some of her usual gruffness returning, the rat undoing the rest of his buttons as she awaited his answer.

"Your whiskers," he said. "they're tickling me."

He squirmed when she nuzzled her cheek against his chest again, Roderick batting at her playfully when she didn't relent, his laughter filling the cabin.

"Skaven still has secret weapons hidden from Rick-rod! Yes-Yes~!" Skyseeker snickered, apparently finding this newfound admission very amusing.

She freed the last button, Roderick discarding the tunic over his shoulder, Skyseeker wasting no time in running her hands all over his naked torso. He faltered as she traced the indents of his abs with her fingers, her hands clad in that luxuriant furry coat of hers, like she was wearing a pair of gloves made from the finest silks.

"Rick-rod is so smooth and soft," she cooed. "like fur, but not fur…"

"Mind the claws," he muttered, shivering when she drew a line from his belly to his chest with a nail. She didn't apply enough pressure to cut him, but enough that his nerves were set alight with tingles wherever she grazed him.

"Rick-rod is so sensitive," Skyseeker mused, testing the firmness of his chest, her furry palms warm to the touch. "Not thought that was case for someone so… big. Another weakness to add to the collection! Hehe!"

"You really enjoy finding people's vulnerabilities, don't you?"

"Skaven always looking for exploitations," she explained, making a point of brushing her palms over his nipples, knowing full well they were his most sensitive points. "To survive under-empire, one must figure out enemy weak points, while not revealing their own in the process. Difference between death and life!"

"Making love's a whole other thing."

"Not from where I sit-sit," she replied. "Knowing more man-thing weaknesses than could have ever hoped for, should take notes later, yes-yes…"

Her explorations roamed lower, Skyseeker testing the firmness of his abs, leaving no inch of him untouched as she mapped him out. There was no need for modesty or reservations like back in the inn, and Roderick likewise took shameless handfuls of her in turn. He placed a hand on her muscular core, her soft coat hiding away bundles of flexible muscle that flexed at his touch, Skyseeker gasping as he copped a handful of her butt, her cheek tensing through the loincloth she wore. He travelled up her spine, his progress halted by one of her many belts strapped over her waist.

He went to undo the belt, but Skyseeker snapped her fingers together, bringing his attention back to her face.

"Want to see more of you, Rick-rod," she breathed in a pleading voice, pointing down at his trousers, and the conspicuous bulge tenting his crotch.

"Alright," he replied, motioning her to move away. He lay down on the cot, swinging his legs up onto the mattress, unclipping his belt. He pushed his thumbs below the waistband, then tugged it down, his shaft catching on his briefs before it bounced free.

Her attentions had brought rushing blood to his member, a pang of self-consciousness blooming in his chest as Skyseeker stared at his cock for what felt like a whole minute. Finally her eyes rose to meet his, and she tilted her head in that way she always did when she was confused.

"What's that thing?" she asked innocently. She cut him off before he got a word out. "Wait! As in, what do you call thing?"

"It's a… cock," he replied. "Or a penis, whichever."

"It's a big one!" she exclaimed, climbing over his leg and kneeling between his thighs. "Are all man-thing cock-penis' this substantial?"

"S-Some are more endowed than others," he replied, her candour making him blush. She was treating his member like it was a puzzle box waiting to be solved, Skyseeker turning her head this way and that, her warm breath blowing across his sensitive flesh.

Roderick lurched as she hooked her fingers over his shaft, her impossibly soft fur sliding against him. "It's squishy!" she giggled, testing his firmness by squeezing her hand. "Like a tail! Squish squish squeesh…"

She started swirling him around he was a ladle, his member flopping against his belly and thighs.

"C-Cut that out!" he stammered, barely holding back his own laughter as he seized her arm. "It's sensitive, lass."

"But I want to make you feel good!" she squeaked, still not taking her eyes off his organ. "Tell me what to do with the cock-penis."

"What do you think you should do?" he asked back.

She chewed on a nail in thought, considering for a moment.

"I want to… kiss it. Is that wrong?"

"Not at all," he replied, his heart hammering as she moved closer, directing her muzzle towards his tip. She pressed her lips against him, a smacking sound filling the room as she planted a lingering peck on his glans, his shaft twitching in response. Nodding to herself as though answering some unspoken thought, she next introduced her tongue, sliding her hot, slippery organ all the way up his underside from base to tip, the Skaven smacking her lips as she sampled his taste.

"Man-thing musk is… is salty," she mused, Roderick sighing as she kissed his groin once more. "It's so hot!" she added between licks. "Hotter than warpforge! How do your pants not burn right off?"

She planted her hands on his thighs, her delicate fur tickling him, Roderick shivering as shocks of pleasure travelled up his spine. She continued her attentions for a few minutes more, running her hands across his legs all the while, her movements giving him an idea.

"You can use your hands, too," he muttered, Skyseeker pausing her licking to reply.

"Paws," she corrected.

"Right. Use your paws to stroke it."

"Like this?" she asked, raising her arm and then patting his length like she was patting a dog.

"No, no," he chuckled. "I said stroke, not pet."

"Oh, excuse Skaven while I find a man-thing dictionary real quick!" she shot back with a frown, but his laughter was infectious, and she soon grinned, giggling down at him. Exploring your partner's anatomy should be fun as well as pleasurable, and he was glad to see she was pushing through her earlier insecurity.

He took her paw in his hand, her tail flicking against his legs as he did, wrapping her fingers around his erection. He guided her fingers up and down, and when he let go, she continued the motion, working into a slow rhythm.

Roderick leaned back on his elbows, releasing a sigh as her delicate coat encompassed him. He was hyperaware of each individual strand of her furry coat, the way it skimmed against his sensitive flesh a sensation he could only describe as sublime.

"Your hands are so soft," he mumbled, her gentle strokes making him breathless. "Even the finest Imperial silks cannot compare…"

"You like my fur?" she cooed, adding little squeezes to her slow pumping. He felt her pillowy lips return to his member, Skyseeker combining her attentions just like he'd said. She planted sucking kisses at various points down his length, but then she grinned to herself, moving her hand down to the base of his shaft as she wetted her lips in anticipation.

With a cackle, she slid his glans into her mouth, hot slimy flesh folding over his tip, her lips sealing around the rib of his glans. He felt the smooth length of her tongue coil around him, its tapered tip slipping out of her lips to coat more of his length in a sheen of her saliva, Roderick curling his toes as the lining of her cheeks folded around him.

He lay back, letting his muscles relax as she applied more pressure with her hand, his vision glossing over. Roderick jolted when he felt something pointy press into the spine of his rod, collecting himself as she shot Skyseeker a frown.

"Mind the teeth," he warned. "I'd rather keep this part of me intact, thank you very much."

"Relaxation, Rick-rod," she replied around his cock, the vibrations of her voice sending tingles through his core. "will be as careful as Skaven."

"That's what worries me…"

She opened her muzzle wide, giving him a clear view down her throat, Roderick watching as she let his length rest upon the flat of her tongue. She had only four teeth that he could see, an incisor trailing up from her lower jaw, and another poking out just behind the cleft of her upper lip. They were longer than his fingers when she splayed them out like that, a touch of alarm punching through his growing arousal.

He put such worries to the back of his mind. He had faith in Skyseeker, she was being gentle thus far, and he trusted her not to hurt him.

She slowly closed her muzzle, her incisors vicing against his length from both sides, applying a soft pressure. Her eyes locked with his as she slowly drew him out of her mouth, letting her teeth glide against his member, the unusual sensation catching Roderick off-guard.

"You're creative for someone new to this," he mumbled, his heart fluttering as she pulled away, her lips still connected to his tip by a thick strand of her drool. She smirked behind his length, then pulled him back into her mouth, digging the points of her incisors in a little harder this time. The sensations sent electric shocks coursing through him, Roderick throwing his head back and staring at the ceiling.

"Look at you," she chittered, lifting her head away, still maintaining her slow, deliberate strokes with her hand. "Said I was cute before, but big man-thing trembling all over from just little licks. Ha!"

He made to voice a response, but she silenced him with another sordid kiss, the Skaven quickly figuring out his glans were his most sensitive area. She doted on him like that, alternating between using her teeth and her tongue, always keeping her movements slow, sensual. She was taking his warning to heart, keeping her speed cautious, Roderick overcome with desire at how considerate she was.

"You can speed up a little," he said. "yeah, like that, that's good…"

She tightened her grip, pumping him in quick, short bursts, her fur adding a wonderful texture to the friction. She was right, his extremities felt like they were quaking, it was a good thing he was lying down.

"What's this thing?" Skyseeker asked, bringing her free hand below his shaft, and cupping his testicles.

Roderick released a sound he wouldn't have dared let any soul hear, one that made the devious little rat smirk up at him.

"Steady on, there," he warned. "My balls are sensitive."

"Balls!" she echoed, giggling. "Good word for things. Is Rick-rod sensitive all over or something? First cock-penis, now these…"

"It's doubly so for them. I mean it, lass. I know you like weak points, but you'll knock me out of commission if you make one wrong move."

"Oh ho!" she exclaimed, taking his words as more of an exciting prospect than a warning. She weighed his sack in her hand, lifting and lowering it as she tested their weight. He never seemed to get used to her fur, his crotch feeling like it was being buried in warm velvet, and he didn't want to get used to this novel sensation.

She didn't leave his cock alone even as she prodded his lower manhood, Skyseeker pursing his tip between her incisors, nibbling on his glans gently. Her eyes flicked to his as she drank in his reaction, the Skaven giggling as he supressed a moan.

"What else?" she asked suddenly, Roderick blinking his eyes back into focus.

"P-Pardon?"

"Said you like Skaven fur. What else does man-thing like about me?" she elaborated. "Riddle was nice, but details are nicer."

"Well," he began, his voice wavering as she returned to nibbling on his glans. It came off as intentional, like she wanted him to tremble while he flattered her. "As I said, your fur is immaculate, and words wouldn't do justice to its colour, or texture. I also like how… different you are. The way your pink ears and nose stand out against your fur, it makes you look… cute."

"I told you not to call me that!" she chided, applying more pressure around his base with her palm. It definitely had the effect of knocking him off-kilter, yet Roderick felt electrified with pleasure. "Proceed," she added after collecting herself.

"I like that, below all that fur, you're a loyal, pragmatic woman, whose so… uninhibited, but not in a bad way. Where I come from, the women are meek, prissy, and it can be hard to tell if they really mean what they're saying. But you, lass, you just say whatever you're thinking, you're not afraid to speak your mind, even if what you say can sometimes be nonsensical. You're unlike any maiden I've ever known, and ever since we had that bath… I can't seem to get you out of my thoughts."

Skyseeker's smile widened with every word spoken, and she reached up to fiddle with her ear like a woman might ruffle their hair.

"Skaven is pretty great, yes-yes…" she cooed. "N-Not that I didn't know all that already. Should reward man-thing for nice words…"

Skyseeker upped her tempo, pulling his glans into her mouth, then sliding her soft lips down his shaft, taking him all the way to the base. As she kissed his belly, Roderick felt his cock rub against the gooey roof of her mouth, his length flexing at its textured surface. She raked him with her tongue, mapping out the curves and turns of his veins, returning to his glans and lapping the rib in the way she knew he liked.

She'd clench her incisors against his base every now and then, not following any sort of rhythm, making sure Roderick never knew when to expect the sharp texture of her teeth. She was a quick learner if she was doing that on purpose.

Roderick's length pulsed alongside his heartbeat, mirroring her change in speed. He watched as her pink tongue slid out of her lips to lap at his balls, Skyseeker cradling them in her palm so she could reach them. Every nerve in his body was alight with tingles, each one a shock of electricity with each wind and coil of her tongue.

Wet, lurid sounds filled the cabin as she began bobbing her head in his lap, the copious amounts of her saliva allowing the Skaven to glide back and forth on his shaft. Each time she kissed his base, his hips thrust of their own accord, his body unable to differentiate her narrow muzzle from a lover's loins.

She steadied herself by grabbing his hip, as though afraid his sudden arching might throw her off, her red eyes shining as she glanced up at him. She was becoming ruthless in her pace, Roderick closing his eyes as wet flesh and warm fur cradled his sensitive parts.

"S-Skyseeker," he groaned. "slow down a little…"

"Man-fing urt?" she asked around his rod.

"No, but-"

She wasn't listening, continuing her desperate plunging with a renewed enthusiasm, Roderick's words catching in his throat. He let loose an unbecoming moan as he felt the saliva bubbling around him begin to swirl, the noise of Skyseeker gulping reaching his ears. She was swallowing around him, voicing little moans as she took him all the way to her throat, her tail flicking around behind her. Just how was she not gagging right now? Perhaps her lung capacity far exceeded his own.

A sudden urge rose up through his core, his approaching orgasm setting his nerves into overdrive, Roderick taking fistfuls of the sheets in a bid to stave it off. Skyseeker's punishing motions put a damper on the effort, one last stroke of her tongue sending him over the edge. His cock jumped as the first rope of his emission splashed into her mouth, all the muscles in his waist contracting as his back arched, forcing him as deep into Skyseeker's mouth as possible.

Her eyes widened as his emission filled her palate, the Skaven pulling back, chewing on his dick with just the glans inside her lips. The sensation brought forth a second wad of his seed, the powerful contraction making the rat recoil in alarm. It landed against her snout, the pearly fluid dangling over her lip, where it hung for a moment before falling to the bed.

Unfiltered pleasure made Roderick a panting mess, another spurt of his come surging forth, this one falling down his shaft. His head filled with static, Roderick released a sigh as the pulses of ecstasy gave way to lingering euphoria.

He collapsed onto the bed, where he stared at the ceiling for what felt like hours, his senses gradually returning. He looked down, seeing that Skyseeker was in quite the state. His seed was all over her snout, her drool spilling out of the corner of her mouth, her expression only describable as one who isn't quite sure of where they are.

She blinked all of a sudden, the two staring one another down for a moment before she raised a questioning hand.

"What is this swill?" she asked, Roderick noting a drop of his come was dangling from her claw.

"It's… semen."

"Semen? Ha! Sounds like sea-man. Do I eat it?"

"Sky', you may not want to-"

She coiled her long tongue around her digit, dragging the lurid mess into her mouth. She smacked her lips, scrunched her face, then tilted her head in thought.

"Mm. Spicy, and salty! I shall call it… spalty!"

Roderick watched as she bent down, beginning to lick his cock clean of their shared fluids, knives of pleasure stabbing through his lingering afterglow. She didn't leave an inch uncleaned, and when his member was wiped free of his emission, she propped herself up on an arm, licking her lips.

She noticed he was staring, cocking her head at him. "What?" she asked in an innocent voice.

"Uh, you missed a spot, right here," he said, pointing at his face.

"Man-thing's face not messy!"

"No I mean- ah, hold on."

He sat up, Skyseeker tracking him as he grabbed the corner of the sheets, and used it to wipe down her muzzle, cleaning it of the cloudy fluid draped over her muzzle.

"I should have warned you that would happen, apologise" he said, dropping the sheet. "Praise Sigmar but I needed that…"

"No apologising necessary," she said, waving a hand. "was good surprise. Did I… did I do well?"

She drummed her fingers nervously at that, Roderick smiling as he took her by the chin. He guided her closer, the two sharing another wanting kiss, pouring their shared desire into every lick and stroke. By all the Gods' the combination of her soft lips and fuzzy fur was driving him crazy.

Her tongue was longer than his, able to glance the back of his throat with ease, Skyseeker sensing that he was about to choke, pulling back at the last moment. He guided her onto her back, ravishing each other without pause, Roderick taking her by the hips.

When they broke apart, saliva dripping from their mouths, Skyseeker batted her eyes at him, closing one for just a little bit longer as she blinked through a daze.

"T-Take that as a yes-yes…" she muttered. "What now?"

"Now it's my turn," he replied, mapping out her hourglass figure with his hands. Her fur bulged from out behind her belts and straps, fastened far tighter than what should be comfortable.

He struggled with one of the belts, finding that lifting the clip left barely any room to manoeuvre, his frustrated grumbles making Skyseeker snicker.

"Not know how belts work, man-thing?"

"I don't know how you breath inside these things," he muttered, finally succeeding in freeing the belt, tossing it aside with a clatter. "And so many as well! Who on Sigmar's name needs, what, ten belts?"

"Eleven, actually," Skyseeker corrected with a raised claw. "And how do you not need pockets and pouches? Man-things so underarmed…"

"Or you're just over armed…"

Seeing that he needed it, Skyseeker helped him, reaching for another belt looped over her belly. He had seen how many weapons she'd handed over to the captain back in Portomaggoire, but the amount of storage she possessed never ceased to surprise him. They looked made of leather, probably looted or stolen from his people if he had to guess, as he didn't imagine Skaven leatherworkers were a thing.

Once they were done, all that Skyseeker was wearing was her sling, her bust contained within the dark cloth. Her breasts wobbled slightly along with her rapid breathing, Skyseeker bundling them up in her arms nervously as he ogled at them.

"Just relax, Sky'," he said, smirking at her as he eased her hands away. He allowed her to take her time, wanting her to be the one to remove her improvised bra. She nodded after a few seconds, then hooked a thumb beneath the sling, peeling the garment slowly away, putting a display on for him whether she intended to or not.

Black fur gave way to two distinct globes, Roderick watching as the sling caught on two protrusions. As the garment dragged higher, two perky breasts clapped down onto her chest, coated in a shiny layer of fur just like the rest of her. Skyseeker's build was like a swimmer, svelte and lithe, and while her breasts were similarly modest, they were a perfect teardrop shape, bouncing just a little bit with her movements.

They were a little bigger than he had expected, their weight must have been straining against the sling, making them appear flat, but he could see they were full and firm, the fur making them all the more appealing. She made to bundle them up again, but she hesitated partway through the movement, noting his expression.

"S-Skaven not as big as man-thing breeders," she said in a self-conscious voice.

"Indeed not," he admitted, Skyseeker faltering at that. "But, you're not as lithe or as shapely as they are, lass, and I wouldn't have that any other way."

Her expression lifted, Skyseeker beaming at his words, Roderick reaching out a hand to her chest, diving it into one of her breasts. Her flesh was so tender, the fat spilling between his fingers with an impossible softness. She sucked in a harsh gasp, her thighs snapping together below him, her voice tapering into a sigh as he applied some pressure, his knuckles sinking wonderfully into her supple bosom.

"EEK!" she exclaimed, reaching up and smacking him on the forehead. "Stupid man-thing! Th-That hurts!"

"I-I'm sorry," he replied, rubbing his temple, his flesh swelling where she'd hit him. He should have known they'd be sensitive beyond doubt, nobody had touched her there, she might not have even touched them herself if she was reacting so strongly.

"Better be sorry," she grumbled. "have half mind to cut breeding short right now-now."

"If that's your wish," he replied, calling her bluff. He made to climb off the bed, and Skyseeker went all of two seconds before she stopped him, using her tail to seize his wrist and drag him back. That thing was a lot stronger than he would have guessed.

"I was joking!" she chittered. "Imbecile…"

"I'll be gentle this time," he assured, Skyseeker eyeing him suspiciously as he returned to her chest. He silenced her concerns by drawing in for another kiss, her hesitance melting away as she closed the distance between them of her own accord. It seemed she was growing to like his way of expressing affection.

They broke away with a wet smack, Roderick returning his attention to her breasts. This time when he reached out, he was careful not to be too rough, and handle her with all the delicacy he could muster.

He drew slow circles with his thumb, her boob firm and supple beneath his movements, eliciting a gasp from the Skaven. It was a perfect handful, her soft flesh filling his palm as he cupped it, shaped it, lifted it in new ways that excited her. She squirmed and writhed, but kept her complaints sealed behind bared teeth.

An idea came to mind, and he slowly let go of her boobs, the way they bounced as they settled mesmerising him. Planting his hands to either side of her, he bent down, and pressed his face into her cleavage, her breasts acting like soft pillows on either side of his face. Her fur was cool against his cheeks, and once again his nose filled with her scent, as strong as a drug now that he was buried up to his nose in her fragrance. Had her smell always been this rich and sexy?

"R-Rick-rod," she moaned. "What are you doing?"

He answered her by sliding his cheek against her bosom, positioning one of her nipples below his lips. Her protrusion was swollen, a soft pink in colour, covered slightly by her coat. He brushed the nearby fur aside with his finger, slowly drawing it into his mouth.

Now he could be a lot more placating with his attentions, stroking his tongue over her areola in one smooth circle, pinching it between his lips. Skyseeker released a comely whine, but did not whack him in the head this time, pushing her bust out in invitation.

Her arms looped around his shoulders, Roderick glancing up to see her eyes were shut tight, her head thrown back at an awkward angle. Seeing how receptive she could be was driving him crazy, the urge to just take her already was becoming harder to resist with each second.

He crawled his lips lower, his tongue following the muscular channels in her belly, Roderick sliding a hand down her hip. Everything about her was inhumanely soft, yet she was not a weak individual, flexing muscle pressing up against wherever he touched. It was as though she were a marble statue come to life, her body as lean as a dancer or swimmer, her muscles sculpted by a lifetime of hardship. How she had managed to hide such beauty from her horny kinsman, he had no idea.

As his mouth brushed the beginnings of her mound, she spoke up. "W-Where man-thing going now?" she moaned, rolling her hips as he his arms around her long legs, slipping his hands across the sheets to cup her butt. "Oh, I know! I suck man-thing's cock, now you suck mine? Rick-rod makes best deal-barters…"

Through touch alone, he could sense how pert her ass was, her cheeks flexing with steely muscles as he gave them a little pinch. Yet her loincloth prevented him from feeling all, Roderick wasting no time in sliding the cloth down.

"Wait-Wait," Skyseeker muttered, reaching for the waistband. She was moving too slow for Roderick, so he just tugged her underwear down on his own, but he barely moved it an inch before meeting resistance. "I said wait!" she complained, turning onto one leg and moving a hand to her rump.

From here Roderick could see a hole had been sewn into the loincloth, allowing her tail to poke through the garment, Skseeker feeding the appendage through. He hadn't seen that feature before, as her back was obscured behind her cloak.

Once her tail was free, he slid her underwear down her slender legs, his gaze inexorably drawn to her womanhood. A wonderful slice of pink stood out against her dark fur, her entrance located a little lower than where he expected it to be. She was swollen, her puffy lips wet with her liquid excitement, its shape a little more alien than a human woman's, but Roderick was drawn in all the same.

Her smell had been strong when he'd mouthed her chest, but now it was overpowering, each flex of her rosy vulvar seeming to add more to the overwhelming sensation. The closest thing he could associate it to was chocolate, of all things, Roderick unable to help himself but brush one of her inner thighs with his cheek as he breathed it in.

"Something about your smell, lass," he began, Skyseeker shivering as he breathed hot air on her loins. "It's ambrosial, fragrant. Thought you'd want to know."

It was a rather blunt way of telling her, but he knew Skyseeker would appreciate a little ego-stroking.

"Y-You smell breeder-musk?" she asked, watching him through heavy eyelids as he kissed around her mound, teasing her by avoiding her most erogenous zone. "Thought only rats could smell that. Man-thing really like it?"

"Do you have to ask at this point?"

She opened her mouth, but he never gave her the chance to speak, leaning in to plant a sucking kiss on her nethers. She was so fever-hot he could almost feel his face scald over, Skyseeker uttering a sound that was a mix between a mewl and a squeak. He felt a drop of her anticipation wet his lips, Roderick opening his mouth to drag his tongue down one side of her lips, then up the other. Her flesh was as soft as her fur, but the added dampness gave it a wonderful texture, his tastebuds sparking with her unfamiliar flavour as he mouthed at her more ardently.

Skyseeker created a wonderful arch with her back, her mewl tapering into a wail that he would have mistook as a sign of pain in other circumstances. She sank back to the sheets when he pulled away, her thighs shaking around his face as he looked up the length of her body.

"Try and keep it down," he muttered, feeling his chin dribbling with her nectar. "We're not alone on this ship, remember?"

"C-Can't help it!" she gasped, blinking her eyes at him. She shuddered as she watched him lick the mess on his face clean, a sight she clearly enjoyed. "Man-thing reaching into every nook and cranny on Skaven!"

"Am I going too fast? Does it hurt?"

"By the Horned Rat, no! Rick-rod so… affectionate. Skaven mate would never be so tender with breeder, n-not that I'm fragile or anything!"

He chuckled at that, returning to her nethers with newfound vigour, lapping and kissing her delicate folds. The fur surrounding her entrance brushed his mouth as he drew deeper into her passage, her burning walls welcoming his questing tongue. Her wrinkles and texture were wholly different to any human woman he'd eaten out before, but his mind, clouded with her musk, found her alienness all the more enticing. What would it feel like to plunge his member inside this furry entrance, feel these odd textures seal over his organ?

A touch of doubt folded over him as he retreated a little to catch his breath. The inside of her entrance was different, as was the outside, and more specifically, its size. She was far smaller than a woman's entrance, as was befitting her naturally small stature. Mating in earnest didn't look possible given their differences.

He steeled himself. No matter, his goal was Skyseeker's pleasure, and even if his dick couldn't fit, his tongue was more than making up for it.

She shrieked as he wrestled with her long legs, resting the underside of her knees over his shoulders, pressing his hands into her malleable thighs as he lifted her. Skyseeker was almost upside down at this position, her head and upper back in contact with the bed, the rest of her held up by Roderick, her weight meagre enough that he could support her.

At this orientation, he could reach her loins much deeper than before, Roderick redoubling his efforts to core her out. Skyseeker groaned as he lapped at her innermost reaches, biting down on her hand in an attempt to be quiet.

After delivering a particularly powerful stroke, his chin bumped against a small nub, Roderick quirking a brow. He drew back, Skyseeker shuddering as the few inches of his organ wound their way out of her depths, the she-rat taking fistfuls of the sheets. She mumbled something he didn't catch, probably her asking him why he was stopping.

He used his fingers to split her open, Roderick noting his chin had brushed a hood of skin, located on the bottom corner of her lips, a short way inside her. Confirming his suspicions, he sealed his lips around the nodule, using his tongue to paint shapes on it. Skyseeker's reaction was violent, crying out as though she'd just been shot, her legs sealing around his head hard enough to hurt.

Her clitoris was on the opposite side of where he expected one to be, and not quite on the outside, but it made little difference, Roderick caressing it with as much care as he could manage. The Skaven wouldn't stop moving, everything from her chiselled stomach to her muzzle writhing and rolling as his organ drilled harsh pleasure into her core. He wondered if she had ever touched her sweet spot, her reaction seemed to convey she hadn't.

"You alright down there?" he asked, drawing back so he could speak. Am I-"

He felt something warm and scaly loop over his neck, Roderick glancing down to see her tail had sealed over his throat. She tugged on it like it was a spool of rope, pulling him back into her nethers, her message obvious enough. He suckled her clitoris between his teeth, Skyseeker applying enough pressure on his neck that he couldn't pull away, his windpipe threatening to seal. Almost being choked should have alarmed him, yet he felt a pang of excitement overcome his senses. He'd never been handled like this before…

She was constantly moving, every shape he drew on her bead making her twist at angles that might cause concern if he didn't know how limber she could be. She locked her thighs around his head, surrounding him in that wonderful fur, and trapping her scent so it became all the more potent. Already he could feel his loins swelling with a newfound stamina despite having just climaxed himself. This musk of hers was affecting him in both mind and body.

"More speed!" she whined, growling as he took her bud into his mouth, thrashing it with quick licks. "Quick-Quick!"

Although his jaw was aching, he did as she asked, clutching her hips tightly as he sped up his efforts, his fingers sinking into the doughy flesh of her haunches. As her excitement mounted, so too did the pressure on his neck, Roderick raising a sweaty hand to pull it away. It took far more strength than he realised to loosen her grip, so he yanked it instead to get her attention while his mouth was otherwise occupied.

Her already narrow walls seized around him, a moan escaping from Skyseeker's lips. Curious, he pulled her tail again, and this time her groan was much louder, her passage vicing against his tongue with enough strength to cut off circulation. The appendage was closely positioned to her womanhood, perhaps some nerve endings entwined there?

He didn't bother asking if he was hurting her. The noises she made, the way she flexed against his mouth, her pungent musk, they were all clear tells of her mounting excitement.

Her muscles seized around him, her tail slapping against his head like a fish out of water, one last glance on her clitoris sending her over her limit. A torrent of her nectar cascaded forth, Roderick doing his utmost to continue his doting licks to ease out her climax, his efforts rewarded by a cute mewl from the Skaven. He took fistfuls of her ample butt to keep her genitals locked to his mouth, the sound of his own kisses filling his ears as her emission dribbled down his chin.

Even in her position she was able to thrust against his face, her body appearing glossy as the candlelight danced over her curvy figure, Roderick admiring her as she rode out the throes of her climax. Her upward thrusting began to slow, her breathing returning to slow, heavy pants, her gaze fogging over as one last shudder coursed through her.

She gazed up at him, her eyes full of adoration, and then she doubled over, her head lolling over the edge of the cot.

She murmured appreciatively as he lowered her to the bed, taking a moment to run his hand up her rump and back, his touch making her shiver. He crawled up her prone body, taking her in his arms as he lay beside her, Skyseeker batting her eyes as she pressed her muzzle into his chest.

"You smell like me," she muttered, the statement making her giggle. "Does… Does breeding always feel like that? So good-good?"

"You're adorable, Sky," Roderick replied, tugging her closer. She opened her mouth in a silent invitation, and he leaned in, his lips meeting hers as his skin slid against her fur, the two melting into one another. He felt her tail slither over his legs as they stayed like that for a while, Skyseeker breaking off with a smack.

"At least you didn't call me that other word," she muttered, but he could see her annoyance was just a front. "I like how man-things kiss," she added. "nothing like this back in Skavenblight."

"How do Skaven kiss?" he wondered.

"Licking, nuzzling, brush whiskers on whiskers."

"Like this?" he asked, lowering to her neck. He ran his tongue up and down her fur, switching between licking and brushing his nose against her fragrant coat. She squirmed on the bed, pawing at him in a mock attempt to keep him away, her laughter filling the cabin.

"Th-That tickles!" she shrieked, Roderick grinning when he finally relented.

"Ah, who's learning who's weaknesses now, hmm?"

"Stupid man-thing," she mumbled, her breasts squashing against him as she moved closer. "Hold me and shut face."

It was a request too heartfelt to deny, Roderick tugging her closer, the two content to stare at the ceiling for a while, enjoying one another's presence. Roderick couldn't put it into words, but this just felt right. It had been months since he'd had the chance to start a relationship with someone, but this went beyond any simple bond. Skyseeker had fought beside him, earned his respect and had even provided some helpful insight on his past. Chaospawn, rodent, these were things he would have called her once, but that couldn't be farther from the truth now.

Soon she tapped at his shoulder, drawing him out of his thoughts, Skyseeker peering up at him expectantly.

"I want to breed-breed, Rick-rod…"

She placed a hand on his chest, easing him into his back. She swung one long leg over his hips, planting her knees on either side of his waist as she sat on his stomach, her tail whipping out to touch his shaft.

"I think I'm a little too big for you, lass," he muttered. Skyseeker placed a hand on his lips, silencing him.

"Shh! We are mating and that is final," she snapped, Roderick's face warming at her sudden assertiveness.

"Sky'," he began, lifting her hand away. "you're barely half my height, it's not going to work."

"Skaven has slain many man-things, outwitted a gryphon, beat Rick-rod in a duel, became temporary clawcaptain, and skittered into man-thing city without ever being detected – exceptthatonetime. If I can do all that, then I can breed with a man-thing cock."

He could see that her mind was set, and there was no point in arguing with her. Her liquid excitement plastered his belly as she slid down his body, his member sandwiching between her pert cheeks.

"It's going to hurt at first," he warned. "Every woman's first time popping the cherry does, but it'll only last a little while. Assuming I don't displace your organs or something…"

"Popping my what?" she asked. "Never mind, stop talking already and let me focus! Mating will require absolute precision…"

Her tail wound around his length, pressing it flat against his leg as she shimmied over his lap, placing her feet on either side of his waist. His length dragged across her puffy lips, the two gasping in unison as their tender flesh connected, his cock flopping out from between her thighs where it rested against her mound.

She was taking her sweet time, mumbling calculations under her breath as she crouched over his waist, her thighs quivering as she adjusted her footing. Reaching down, she parted her entrance with her fingers, her pink groin like a magnet for his eyes. Roderick's earlier reservations about their size difference wasn't just self-flattery, he really was too big for her, and that was only more pronounced with their genitals lined up.

She slowly lowered herself down on him, her rosy flesh meeting his swelling glans in a tender kiss. Her insides splayed open, the tiny opening clenching down on his glans with the strength of a fist, a fresh surge of her juices leaking out to wet his shaft. Skyseeker was shivering all over, taking in a shaky breath as her passage stretched over the head of his cock.

"Easy now," Roderick stammered, his warning more for himself than for her. A suction that bordered on pain gripped his glans, almost as though her insides were trying to drag him deeper of their own accord.

Skyseeker's eyes bogged out of their sockets as she took an inch of him inside her, Roderick squirming as she wrapped his base in in her tail, using the appendage to angle him in. He was splitting her open, their bodies fighting for every centimetre of Skyseeker's downward journey, Roderick holding back grunts as her spasming passage welcomed him.

"S-Sigmar preserve me," he groaned, throwing his head back. "I fear you may cut off my blood flow at this rate."

"Sh-Shut up," she snarled, pausing with her hands on her knees, letting herself accustom to his size. "Every word you speak-speak makes my… thing move."

He knew what she meant. Every subtle movement on his part made her shiver, and likewise, every shift of her passage made him groan in turn. It was as though with every millimetre gained brought their nerve systems closer, unfiltered pleasure bouncing between them.

"And stop moving!" she added, her passage clenching around him. "Can't take it deep-deep if man-thing moves."

"That's like asking me to stop breathing," he replied, his cock swelling against her sopping walls, more of her honeyed fluids leaking down to wet his thighs.

"Ahhhh!" she wailed in a blend of arousal and pain. "Stupid man-thing! Be still, now-now!"

She slid a little further down, reaching the halfway point, her tunnel so tight its silky walls conformed to his member like a second skin, pouring over every contour like molten steel into a forge. He could feel her swelling clitoris pressed up against his underside, the way it was constantly being moved around by his intruding organ must be driving Skyseeker mad with pleasure, the Skaven clutching his belly as though afraid she may lose her balance.

Her little body was shaking all over, her red eyes shut tight as she struggled to cope with the overwhelming sensations. He closed his hands over her pink paws, her lids slowly opening, revealing a gaze full of carnal lust. She must have seen the same thing in his eyes, as a fresh burst of confidence steeled her nerves, Skyseeker opening her legs and crouching, taking two inches of him in one quick motion.

His member was already bottoming her out, and they still had a quarter of the way to go, loud squelching noises filling the cabin as Skyseeker fought to take him all the way.

Voicing an unsteady mewl, she crouched down fully, her walls rippling apart as she pulled the rest of him inside. His tip kissed the deepest reaches of her vent, squashing up against a cushiony membrane of flesh. Her lips wrapped over his base, more of her excitement oozing out to drench his loins. He shared a shudder with Skyseeker as they relished in their newfound unison, the sensation of her rippling walls bearing down on him from all sides nothing short of spectacular.

"Th-There," Skyseeker muttered, leaning back and planting her hands on his knees, giving him an enticing view of their coupling. "Told Rick-rod I'd conquer the cock."

"Never speak those words outside this room," Roderick grumbled. "How are you feeling?"

"It hurts," she replied. "but, is good kind of hurt, like pulling out overgrown whisker. Hm. Or putting one in might be better way of saying…"

"It should pass soon, not to worry."

She stayed crouched over him for a few moments longer, growing more used to him the longer they stayed mated. He could sense her heartbeat through her quivering walls, the Skaven panting for breath as though she'd just run a lap of the ship.

Demonstrating a tentativeness he'd never seen from her before, Skyseeker slowly began to move her hips, stirring his organ around her intimate reaches. While she was inexperienced, there was something amazing about her unrefined movements, Skyseeker taking his advice to heart as she let instinct guide her, his cock swelling as her soft walls caressed him. Just as he'd said in his poem, she was like a pure gemstone, uncut and untouched. Or perhaps a piece of warpstone would be a more apt analogy.

Keeping his shaft locked inside her, she began to make circles with her hips, grinding his cock against her slimy walls, every squeeze on her end eliciting a gasp from Roderick. Just like stuffing a lead ball down the wrong calibre gun, mating with Skyseeker shouldn't be possible, but somehow they were making it work, her alien passage accommodating to his organ, but never quite drowning out that sense of pain Roderick could feel, the wires of his nervous system crossing at this intense experience.

Even her most minute movements were translating into raw, harsh shocks of pleasure, but Skyseeker wanted more – he could see the desire in her eyes, those black irises piercing him. She switched up her directions, rocking from side to side, driving his member into her walls in new ways Roderick had never felt with previous partners.

Her pace was lazy, but each grind of her hips ended with a rippling shock that made Roderick see points of light. There was no rhyme or reason to her movements, and the mystery of which angle she'd go next only enticed him further, each clench of her walls bringing forth a new surge of bliss.

He revelled in the pleasure for a few loving minutes, then reached out, placing a hand on her muscular core. There was a fresh moisture to her fur, sweat droplets that looked like rain clinging to her coat to give her a glossy sheen, Roderick mapping out her belly in all its glory. He was rewarded with another cute mewl from Skyseeker, his fingers trailing higher as he followed the contours of her diminutive, but no less toned body.

"Does man-thing always get so… touchy at breed-time?" she asked, her bottom lip falling as he cupped one of her pert breasts, the malleable fat filling his palm perfectly.

"Only for the finest lasses," he replied, grunting when his attentions were rewarded by a powerful clench of her passage. "I feel as though I could run my hands all over you a hundred times and never be satiated."

"You can touch Skaven all you want-want," she cooed, pushing her bust out in invitation. "Spent whole life avoiding contact, will need Rick-rod's help making up for lost time-time."

"Happy to be of service," he replied, holding her stare as he caught a nipple between his fingers, giving it a strong pinch. She was the first to break, her eyes lidding as he lifted his other hand and kneaded her free breast, her assets as soft as dough. Roderick was being rougher, but if Skyseeker was feeling any discomfort, then she didn't voice it, her comely sighs and gasps ensuring him she was anything but pleased.

"Want to try new thing," Skyseeker said. "Hold paws please."

His heart fluttering, he took her outstretched hands, following her gaze as she peered down at their genitals. Taking in a breath, she rose her hips from his, his glans scraping against her walls as she lifted away. Her pink flesh clung to his pale skin with surprising strength on its way out, his cock glistening with her juices as the candle light flickered over it. When she reached his thickest point, she chewed her lower lips, barely biting back a cry as her entrance once again split open to what must be painful proportions.

The ring of muscle that was her entrance seized over his pulsing length, as though it was fighting against Skyseeker's efforts, Roderick doubling over as she continued to rise. The tightness was almost unbearable, but the waves of pleasure chasing the pain shouldered any troubled thoughts aside.

When she reached the lip of his glans, she paused, then lowered herself down again, this time taking things much faster than before. The pressure on his member rolled down from tip to base, the sound of her generous cheeks clapping against his thighs filling the cabin as she hilted him in an instant.

She raised her mouth to the ceiling, her muzzle parted, but no sound came out, the Skaven shivering as currents of mingled pain and ecstasy flooded her body.

"Sky'? he asked, letting her hands go and tapping her on the thigh.

"Mmm?" she moaned, glancing down at him. Her eyes were facing two different directions, bulging in a way he feared they might fall right off at the slightest disturbance. Roderick faired no better, the pressure she exerted over his rod stealing his breath away. She wasn't feeling any looser even after all these minutes, and that both worried and excited him.

Once she'd regained her faculties, she lifted off him again, the two grunting in unison as the harsh contours of his human organ brushed the furrowed flesh of her Skaven entrance. Only at her highest point was Roderick allowed a reprieve, one she was quick to take away as she slammed back down on him again.

As she continued to rut him into the sheets, Roderick's eyes lingered elsewhere. Her long legs were angled such that her knees pointed towards the ceiling, the flesh on her meaty thighs rippling each time she hilted him. She's used those things to scale trees, climb city walls, and dash across vast distances. They'd only grown stronger during her arrival from the north, and now she was using them solely for his pleasure.

He reached out to run his fingers down her inner thighs, the Skaven's bestial pace slowing as he touched her. They were easily the largest part of her, aside from the torso, packing an unusual amount of strength behind her soft fur and supple fat, Roderick delving his hands further in search of that firmer tissue.

Her wide hips rose and fell, rose and fell, her movements aided along only by the glistening sheen of fluids oiling his length. He reached round to test the firmness of her buttcheeks, Skyseeker sucking in a staggered breath as he gave her ass a squeeze.

The next time she rose off his shaft, her movements were slow, placating. On the next, her upper half seemed to turn to jelly, the Skaven flopping onto his chest with all the grace of a drunkard. Her face landed off to the side, Roderick encouraging her to lay over him.

"You alright, lass?"

"Man-thing cock tires Skaven…" she murmured, pressing her nose into the nape of his neck. She drew lazy circles on his skin with her tongue, grinding against his shaft with a similar fatigue. "Plus, Skaven has bred like six times now…"

"You've what? Oh, you mean you came? Wait, six?"

"Technically seven, if one counts that time you clean-groomed me back in city."

"D-Do you not have a refractory period?"

"Factories in Skavenblight owned mostly by warlords and Grey Seers. Why you ask?"

"No no, refractory. It means you need time between… breeding, to put it in your words. You only need a break now?"

She shrugged, lowering her muzzle back to his neck, switching between licks and sucking kisses. That explained all the slimy nectar she was coating him in. Six times, he couldn't believe it.

"Give one second, Rick-rod," she muttered between nuzzles. "Will be back on paw-feet in no time."

"I have a better idea," he said, Skyseeker pausing to look at him. "let me show you another way humans breed."

She loosed a surprised squeak as he bundled her up in his arms, turning to lay her down on the cot, her vent squeezing around him as he stayed lodged inside her. Now she was on her back, their positions reversed, Skyseeker pointing her muzzle up at him as he slid a hand along her thigh.

"Don't squish Skaven," she whispered, wringing her hands together. "You are heavy thing."

"I'd never bring you to harm, lass."

"Except when you shot me back in forest."

"… Except that time," he admitted. He brought his mouth to hers, having to bend down at an awkward angle in order to reach her, Skyseeker gasping as her soft lips drew him in. He kissed her anxiety away, and when he drew back for breath, she cupped his hair, keeping their mouths locked for a few seconds longer.

"Stupid man-thing," she muttered, her eyes fluttering. Now able to dictate their pace, Roderick began to move his hips, finding that his urges to simply rut into her were quelled by her physicality. Her narrow tunnel squeezed and fought constantly as his length slid out of her. When her lips rolled past his glans, he thrust back down again, Roderick wincing as the pressure on his loins reached barely tolerable levels.

Skyseeker's feminine sighs and mewls let him know she could handle this new rhythm, Roderick holding onto her hips as he continued to ravish her. Her upper torso twisted one way as her waist ground against him, her dark fur roiling like a liquid as she touched herself with her paws, pinching a nipple between her fingers just as he had.

On the next slow thrust, Roderick's breath caught in his chest. He could reach so much deeper in this position, and as such, the limits of her passage were well within reach, his glans compressing against the thin membrane roofing her tunnel. Lost in the haze of euphoria, he'd applied a little too much pressure on it, and his glans had broken through the initial resistance, plunging into her most intimate depths.

Skyseeker made a sound she hadn't voiced up to now, her tail slapping the sheets violently between his thighs, her eyes bogging out once more.

"Gods," Roderick snarled, the membrane choking his tip. "Are you well, lass? I didn't-"

She sealed her thighs around his waist, using those muscular legs to pull him further into her, Roderick almost toppling over by her sudden show of assertiveness. That barrier of tightness stretched around him, Skyseeker shuddering as there was a popping sensation, and then more of his length plunged through into a little chamber beyond her vagina.

"Fuck," he groaned, letting slip a rare curse as the stimulation overwhelmed him. "What is th-that?"

"P-Place where rats pups come from," she replied, gasping as he flexed inside her.

She must mean her womb, its wet, slippery lining almost the perfect size for his throbbing glans, so tight that he feared any movement on his part might send him crashing into orgasm.

"Keep breeding man-thing," she snapped. "Need to-to feel your- WAIT!" she yelled suddenly, seizing his chin and guiding their faces closer until all he saw was her dark irises. "Question! Can man-things and Skaven make… pups?"

She must be worried she would end up like her mother or the other female Skaven, bloated with countless litters.

"No, we can't," he said, taking her hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Hmm. Not believe you."

She pulled him deeper into her innermost space with her long legs, his rod squashing up against its roof in a cruel stroke that sent them both reeling.

"W-What?"

"Not believe you!" she repeated, planting a hand on his chest. "Give Skaven your pups, man-thing. Fill me with them, just to be sure."

His heart fluttering, he resumed his ruthless rutting, plunging between her legs at a faster rate, gauging her face to make sure she could handle what he was giving her. The entrance of her womb suckled on his length like a hungry mouth as he peeled away, sending tingles of pleasure rippling up his body, that popping sensation returning as he unplugged that little chamber, only to return to its pocket of warmth at the next thrust.

Every slap of their hips sent tremors cascading up Skyseeker's small frame, her breasts rippling like the surface of a disturbed pond. She was soft in all the right places despite her lean build, the texture of her silky coat further adding to the sensation.

In the relative silence of the cabin, the sound of his organ slapping wetly into her yielding vent was very loud in his ears. He could sense how full he was making her, Roderick able to see the skin on her belly bulge as he plugged her womb with his organ. Were she a human, she would never have been able to tolerate the intensity, but Skyseeker had always been a flexible individual.

"You're so deep," she purred, her hand still on his chest. "Go faster. Yes-Yes, like that. Eh, where's my warpstone?"

She draped her arm over the cot, fumbling with her discarded belt. When it came back, she was clutching a shard of the rock, Skyseeker devouring it in two bites flat. When she exhaled, her breath condensation was slightly green in colour, her depths swirling as the euphoria hit her.

"Skaven has become decadent," she murmured. "Breeding and warpstone at same time-time? Man-thing making me feel like broodmother…"

"Does that bother you?" he panted, snapping out of his bliss to flash her a serious look. The last thing he wanted was to make her feel like she was back in the breeding pits.

"Very little," she replied, reaching up to crawl her tongue over his neck. "If Skaven were to make litter, Rick-rod would be number one breeding choice, you're so nice and caring and nice and… other things. I know you'd take care of me."

His thoughts swimming with desire, he cradled her muzzle in his hand, her blissful gaze meeting his as he continued to rut her into the bed. She found that she could rise her hips to meet his thrust and deepen their coupling, Roderick faltering as he split the entrance to her womb open with renewed desperation, his measured movements quickly becoming bestial ruts. There was something liberating about giving himself over to the building ecstasy, to be finally able to show his desire to Skyseeker after days of holding back.

"I'm close, Skyseeker," Roderick grunted, holding onto her hips for dear life.

"You going to spurt that spalty stuff inside me?" she cooed, her candor making him twitch against her slimy walls. "Do it, man-thing, breed Skaven, now-now!"

Her tone was somewhere between an order and a beg, but she didn't have to plead, Roderick's putting all his strength into his thrusts as he gave over to his base instincts. He snorted like a bull as her narrow depths suddenly seized up, Roderick feeling her juices seeping around his girth as she climaxed for the umpteenth time tonight. The fact he could make a woman come so much was exhilarating, sparking the carnal parts of his mind with fresh flames of passion. No wonder her kind called her breeder, every part of her was just so fuckable.

"Claim me," she purred, her eyes wandering over his red face. "Claim Skaven, make me your breeder!"

She gripped him tighter between his thighs, as though afraid he might separate from her, but that was the last thing on Roderick's mind. The pleasure built up to an unbearable crescendo, one last slam into her passage sending him faltering over.

Just like the moment before a cannon shot, there was a moment where time seemed to stand still, and then he doubled over, planting his hands to either side of her trembling frame as his rod seized up. Skyseeker opened her mouth in a silent wail as he plunged a rope of his emission into her Skaven reaches, grinding his hips forward to force it as deep inside her as he could. He growled like a beast as he felt her narrow walls tighten in response, Skyseeker draping her arms over his shoulders as their shared bliss made her its plaything.

Her rolling walls encouraged a second rope of his ejaculate to surge forth, his hips pumping of their own accord as he plugged the hot mess directly into her womb. He could feel that little chamber filling to capacity, his seed bubbling out of it and down his shaft once there was nowhere else to go. Just as he'd advised Skyseeker, he let pure instinct dictate his movements, the pair thrusting against each other in an attempt to keep the pleasure rising ever higher, their mating reaching such untethered limits of carnality that even Slaanesh would have blushed at their sordid dance.

Their clumsy limbs locked together, her pink nose brushing his as they sought out a desperate kiss, Roderick feeling her pliant tongue fill his mouth. They were so mismatched, but he couldn't be more glad that they had made this work, the fact they had forced their way through countless biological differences was a feet worthy of champions.

Her soft walls roiled around him in an almost milking motion, encouraging another load of his emission to cascade forth. Their combined fluids were leaking out of her now, wetting their thighs, the dripping sounds it made making Roderick blush.

The bliss seemed to stretch on into the minutes, when in reality only a few fleeting moments had passed, Roderick's sense of time washing away as he relaxed into Skyseeker's arms, sagging on top of her, the Skaven adjusting so that he wasn't crushing her.

Like climbing out of a dream, Roderick opened his eyes, the lingering afterglow, along with her musk, making him giddy and not a little weak at the knees. He looked to see Skyseeker was peering back at him, her lust-filled gaze sending another shock of emotion coursing through him.

"Not bad for a man-thing," Skyseeker giggled, leaning back to bask in the afterglow. She was being flippant, but her tone betrayed her satisfaction. He wondered how she felt, revelling in this new world of sensations, having her virginity claimed, the satisfied look on her face giving him all the answers he needed.

Roderick winced as he tried to slide out of her, but met resistance soon after. The circle of muscle walling her womb tightened over the rib of his glans, as did her entrance, the lips sealing over the base of his cock. It felt like someone had slipped a pair of cockrings on him.

"Gods," he grunted. "how much control do you have down there?"

"Mine," she chimed, her leg coiling over one of his legs, her thighs tightening their grip on his waist as they sealed around him. Now he was really stuck, shivers of pleasure rolling up his spine as he tried to buck out of her, but finding himself unable to move.

"Come on, lass, let go."

"Mine," she said again. "My cock now, Rick-rod, time for me to use it."

"Woah, hang on," he said, groaning when she started to shake her hips. "So soon? I need a break first."

"Well I don't! Come on, Rick-rod, hurry-hurry!"

"Give me a few minutes first, alright? Not everyone here can come over and again."

"Urgh, fine. Still my cock though," she added, giggling when Roderick gave up his efforts. It looked like he was staying lodged inside her for the time being, not that he was complaining. He could feel their shared fluids sloshing around him, his glans plugging what felt like an obscene amount of it inside her womb.

"Pet my ears," she mumbled, lifting one of his arms to her face, Roderick obliging with a quiet chuckle, stroking the membrane in random directions. "Did I do breeding right?" she added. "Did I make you feel good? Please say yes-yes…"

"You were wonderful," he replied, nuzzling against her in the equivalent of a Skaven kiss. "however, I can see one or two things you could improve on…"

"Then Skaven will just have to practice!" she chimed, taking his joke as a serious comment. "Will be on Rick-rod's level in no time!"

"You may need to be bred several times for that to happen," he said, lifting his gaze to her own. Her irises dilated, the implication enrapturing her.

"Then claim me," she urged, her muzzle breaking into a mischievous grin. "Claim me a hundred times, a thousand! When we reach desert, I want to be so claimed I can't even walk-scurry!"

"Let's make it so," he chuckled, leaning forward to bring her lips in range of his, gently starting to piston his hips once more.

-xXx-

Roderick awoke with a satisfied yawn, stretching his aching arms over his head. Last night's events had left him sore all over, and he wasn't just talking about their battle with the Skaven ship or the ogre. He and Skyseeker had made love so many times that he couldn't quite add them all up, Roderick blushing as he could still feel the exotic taste of her on his tongue.

There was a soft weight on his chest, Roderick looking down to see Skyseeker sprawled across his torso, posed like a deer that had just been run over by a tank. She had quite literally passed out from their proclivities, he remembered, most likely the only reason their rutting marathon had ended in the first place given how energetic she'd been.

He tried not to disturb her, but leaving the bed with her on top of him was an impossible task, and soon the rat woman opened her eyes, one of them zeroing in on his face before she closed them again. "Morning, Rick-rod," she chimed, snuggling up against his bare chest.

"Morning," he echoed, scratching her behind the ears in the way he knew she liked. After a few moments he swung his legs off the bed, planting his feet on the cold wooden planks as he ran a hand through his hair. There was enough light spilling through the window to see by, Roderick glancing down to see their discarded clothes messing the floor. "How are you feeling?" he added, noting that she was trying to rub every part of her body at once.

"My limbs are numb, my fur is sticky, and breeding place feels like it's been ripped apart and put back together. Couldn't be better!"

They shared a chuckle as she got up on her knees, shimmying up behind him and placing her hands on his shoulders. She began to massage his arms, occasionally leaning in to give his neck a doting lick, Roderick blinking over at her in confusion.

"What are you up to back there?" he asked.

"Grooming!" she explained. "Common practice after nap time."

He made to say that's what baths are for, but having her soft hands all over him was a pleasant sensation, Roderick leaning back to let her clean away the sweat and grime he'd accumulated through the night.

"Can't believe I've bred with a man-thing," she giggled, running her fingers through his hair. "Gnawdwell told me to watch out for surface-dwellers, not to let them give me their pups. Hehe! Would have an aneurism if he ever found out. Wait-Wait," she added, pausing her stroking. "The Great Lord is watching! I-It's not what it looks like, oh studious Lord!" she said, turning her head and directing her words to the ceiling. "Skaven is just breeding the man-thing for intelligence!"

Roderick followed her gaze, but there was nobody was there. "We're quite alone in here, lass."

"Idiot! Great Lord has warpsight!"

She certainly seemed convinced this Lord was in the cabin with them, but Roderick had never heard of a thing called warpsight before, asking her about it.

"Is ability!" she explained. "Lets Skaven see over massive distances, detect magical energies! Can't you see them?"

"No?" he asked, sparing the room a glance.

"Ah, of course, you a man-thing. Not to worry, Skaven has eaten enough warpstone that I have the sight too! N-Not that its any better than yours, oh great Lord, whom is paean to brilliance!"

"Are you… embarrassed, that your Lord knows about is?" he asked, failing to stop a touch of uncertainty creep into his voice.

She glanced up at him, her expression shifting. Gripping his arm for support, she raised herself above him, pressing her cheek into his, her whiskers tickling his face.

"Never," she whispered, her tail waving back and forth behind her. "I am Rick-rod's luscious mate, Great Lord, not your-yours! Bet you didn't see that coming with all your precious books and foresight, did you? HA!"

He didn't know what she was going on about, but he let her have her little moment of rebellion, then stooped to collect his clothes. As he got dressed, he heard a distinct sound coming from out the window, Roderick making his way over while buttoning up his tunic. He peered out over the sill, his eyes widening.

"By the comet! Skyseeker, come take a look!"

"What is it?" she asked. She was stepping into her loincloth that served as her underwear, her breasts still hanging free as she scurried over. "I swear, if it's the Skabrus I will jump off this boat."

He gave her room to see, the fur on her muzzle ruffling in the breeze as she looked out across the ocean. Sloping out of the lapping waters was a beach, feeding into a sloping landscape of white sand that lined the horizon from right to left. Flocks of gulls coasted the shores in search of prey, their wings framed against the azure sky as they banked and swooped.

"Never been more glad to see land in my whole life!" Skyseeker exclaimed. "Ship rocking so much is making Skaven sick."

"I know how you feel," Roderick replied. "Still though, don't be too quick to be excited. Few men of the Empire have ever journeyed to these lands, and I imagine far fewer Skaven have either."

"What you know about… uh, what's it called again?"

"Arabia," he said. "and I know little. It's a realm of sand and heat, full of savages and beasts. Humans have made settlements out there, but they know nothing of Sigmar's light. We must steel ourselves, lass, this will be the most treacherous leg of our journey yet."

"Will need my daggers back-back," she replied. "And other weapons, maybe some more warpstone too! Might pick through ogre's body again, see if I missed any, yes-yes…"

"Let's go see Wilfred first," Roderick said. "I want to check up on him, plus he might be able to convince the captain to give you your stuff back." She made for the door, but he placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her. "After you get dressed," he said, taking a pointed glance at her hanging bosom.

-xXx-

"There seems to be less wounded in here than last time," Roderick muttered, striding across the room with Skyseeker by his side. They were back in the infirmary, moving between the rows of stretchers, men wrapped in bandages lying in various states of lucidness. Those who were conscious didn't even bat an eye at Skyseeker, they were too used to her presence by now to cause concern.

"Man-things are very resilient," Skyseeker added, dodging around a nurse walking the other way. "Warp energy melts all thing-things, nothing to be scoffed at!"

"I think it's only because of Wilfred that casualties are at a minimum," Roderick said. "Ah, there he is now."

The wizard wasn't hard to identify with his green robe and grey hair, the pair coming up to greet him. He was busy murmuring an incantation under his breath, bent over a wounded sailor with a horrible gash running down his arm.

"Fredwil!" Skyseeker began. "Need knives and stuff! Desert not far off now!"

"Hush," Roderick said. "He's casting a spell, don't distract him."

They waited for a few moments, listening to the incomprehensible words Wilfred was muttering. With a wave of his staff, the wizard finished the chant, placing a hand close to the sailor's wound. Roderick watched as the bloody wound began to stitch together before his eyes, the flesh mending as though an invisible needle was suturing the wound. In an instant the damaged was reversed, leaving no trace save for a pink scar. No matter how many times Roderick witnessed Wilfred's rituals, the results never ceased to amaze him.

"Apologies," Wilfred muttered, cradling his temple as he turned to face them. "I'm afraid I didn't quite catch what you said. Something about a knife?"

"Arabia is finally within sight," Roderick explained. "Skyseeker here wants to rearm posthaste. Are you okay, Will?" he added. "You look weary."

"Directing the whims of the flesh is a… taxing affair," Wilfred replied, leaning on his staff. "I am not the young man I once was."

"When was that, a millennium ago?" Skyseeker mumbled, Roderick nudging her with his elbow to silence her.

You should get some rest, old friend," Roderick insisted.

"I'll rest when the wounded are safe," Wilfred replied, waving a hand. "They came on this expedition under my authority, and I'm responsible for them."

The wizard took a step towards the next stretcher, but faltered, and it was only thanks to Skyseeker's quick reactions that she caught him before he fell, the old man muttering a thank you to the Skaven.

"They have their own nurses and medics," Roderick urged. "Let them tend to the injured for a time."

"I should hardly expect the uninitiated to heal organs and ligaments, Roderick," Wilfred replied, wiping his brow with the back of his hand.

"Man-wizard needs his nap time," Skyseeker added. "Might fumble next spell without sleep-rest, might turn organs into stone by accident! Stone brains! Imagine that!"

Wilfred made to argue, but his resistance soon melted away. "… Perhaps you are right, Miss Seeker, that did happen once or twice during my years as an initiate…"

"Wait, what?" Roderik asked. "You turned someone's brain into stone?"

Roderick flashed back to all the times Wilfred had healed his wounds, a concerned look on his face.

"So we've arrived upon the shores of Arabia, have we?" Wilfred continued, ignoring Roderick's question. "Fine news. Soon the artifact will be in the hands of Sigmar's heirs. I can almost feel its power resonating through my thoughts…"

"So can I!" Skyseeker chimed. "Sounds like… chittering voices on wind-gale. Horned Rat's speaking, perhance."

"I can't hear anything," Roderick added.

"Perhaps you will in time, once your proximity to the artifact closes in," Wilfred said. "We should fetch the captain to discuss strategy, and what supplies he has to spare."

They waved over a sailor to request an audience with Von Kessel, the man hurrying off out of the infirmary. Wilfred was quick to question Skyseeker over how she could detect the artifact while they waited.

"Skaven can do anything! Warp power never beyond rat's reach."

"Have you any formal training before?" Wilfred asked, to which she shook her head. "Hmm. Perhaps your ability to ingest warpstone warrants your magical aptitude. How fascinating! Perhaps you should have snacked on some during your lessons, Roderick," he chuckled, Skyseeker laughing along with him at his little joke.

"Make fun of me all you want, but I'm the only one here without voices in his head," Roderick shot back.

After a few minutes, the captain arrived, making his way over to them. His ornate uniform was a little tattered in places, and hit peacock hat was missing, Roderick surmising it may have been damaged during the battle with the Skaven. "Master Wizard. Erdmann, Skaven," Von Kessel began, addressing the trio. His tone wasn't mocking, it seemed he was a little more forthcoming after seeing them all work to stop the Skaven from boarding his ship. "I assume this is about our next course of action, now that we're a few hours from the coast of the Cracked Lands?"

"Indeed," Wilfred replied. "While I brought provisions of my own, I must humbly ask to requisition some of your supplies for our journey into the desert."

"So soon?" Von Kessel asked. "Master wizard, you've stayed up all night tending to these men. Perhaps a short rest is in order, for all of us."

"I've walked more leagues than all of you combined," Wilfred grumbled. "a little short of sleep is nothing to concern yourselves over."

"I suggest we make camp on the shore first," Von Kessel added. "Send scouts out to map the land, see if any of the savages are out there waiting for us."

"We've lost to much time going around those pirate fleets," Wilfred said. "Any more delays, and we risk our enemies getting to the artifact first."

"And losing you because you keep pushing yourself is a too great a risk," Roderick interjected, his tone more forceful this time. "Will, you must rest."

"But time is-"

"-of the essence, I know old friend. That is why Skyseeker and I shall go on ahead."

Wilfred glanced up at him wildly, quick to shake his head no. "Not a chance! You will lose your way quickly in those endless dunes, and it's only through my wards and spells that we can ensure our success. We discussed this back in Altdorf."

"Skyseeker can lead the way to the artifact," Roderick continued. "right lass?"

"Probably," she muttered, and upon seeing his skeptical expression, added: "Definitely! Relic stands no chance of hiding from my inscrutable warpsight."

"You do have some magical ability," Wilfred admitted. "but what kind of Sigmar's servant would sit around resting while you walk into uncharted lands? I wish to aid you in your quest. Both your quests," he added, glancing at Skyseeker."

"Master Wizard," Von Kessel began. "you can lend us your aid, even from here. My sailors still suffer from the wounds inflicted upon them, they need your healing if they are to survive. I know it's not our place to order the Conclave, but my nurses can use your assistance."

The wizard glanced at all three of them, then sighed, shaking his head dejectedly. "You're quite right, captain, it is my duty to ease suffering, not to neglect it. I will stay."

Wilfred seemed to deflate as he leaned against the nearby wall, his frustration clear as day, but Roderick had said all he could on the matter, and they both knew it was the right decision.

"Skyseeker will need her weapons back," Roderick said, addressing the captain. "and if you have a spare sword for me, I'd appreciate it. This Skaven one is poorly smithed."

"We can visit the storeroom and get you refitted with some proper Imperial steel," Von Kessel replied. "Get you out of that Tillean scrap you're wearing. Your weapons are down there too, Skaven."

"My rearmament has come at last," she snickered. "Arabian's shall tremble with fear-musk, soon-soon!"

-xXx-

Roderick flexed his fingers, watching the segmented plates of his shining gauntlets slide along with his movements. The Reiklander swordsmen who'd greeted him back on the Portomaggoire docks had brought spare suits of armour with them, and before long, he'd swapped out his Tilean plate with a fresh suit.

The cuirass was a deep shade of silver that bordered on grey, with gold trimmings along the pauldrons that shined in the low candlelight of the ship's storeroom. Emblazoned onto the chest was the Riekland coat of arms, the chestpiece tapering into a skirt that hung over his thighs, split into two pieces so one could run at full kilter without tripping over their gear. A cape bearing the reds of whites of the homeland hung proudly from his shoulder, and plumes of horsehair of the same colour sprouted from the top of his new helmet.

While it was more ornate than his mercenary getup, it felt good to be clad in homeland steel, just wearing the plate filling him with a fresh surge of piety. He gave it a test by walking from one side of the room to the other, the padding inside his sabatons providing a pleasant softness to his heels.

"How does it feel?" Wilfred asked, the wizard stood off to the side as he watched Roderick pace.

"A touch heavy," Roderick replied. "but nothing I cannot handle."

"Do not be afraid to discard it should the need arise," the wizard said. "Weight will be your most pressing issue in the days to come. You must weigh yourselves with enough food and water to survive your venture into the desert, but not so much as to burden yourselves. Scavenging off the land will be next to impossible without spells or good fortune."

"Burdened with food sounds like good problem to me," Skyseeker chimed, the Skaven sitting on one of the benches, its surface messy with spare swords.

"Don't be so sure of that, Miss Seeker. Look here…"

He led them over to the far corner, gesturing with his staff to a shelf mounted on the wall. Lining the wood was four waterskins, probably made from goat skin, each one as long as his arm. Beside them were leather bags, the smell of jerked meat wafting into his nose as Roderick approached.

"I prepared these supplies while you were dressing," Wilfred explained, watching as Skyseeker lifted one of the waterskins. "I can't be certain how far away the artifact is, so you must take as much as you can carry, and ration what you can."

"Curses!" Skyseeker snarled, her arms bulging as she struggled to shoulder the waterskin, her legs buckling under the effort. "Thing weighs more than a rat! We really need-need all this?"

"I have travelled a scorched land before, a long time ago," Wilfred replied. "You will churn through these reserves quickly under the oppressive heat. I can conjure water from the vapours in the air, but if you insist on going along without me, weighing you down is the only recourse left to you."

"I'll carry the food-snacks," Skyseeker said, reaching for the satchels.

"What, so you can eat them all without me?" Roderick asked, giving her a sideways look.

"Scandalous! I'd do no such thing!" she snapped, her guilty expression telling him otherwise. "You're big and hunky," she added, poking him on his chestplate. "if anyone can carry all these things, it's Rick-rod."

"When you put it that way…" Roderick mused, relieving her of the waterskins while she giggled up at him. He glanced over to see Wilfred scrutinising them, clearly suspecting something more had developed between them, but not commenting on it.

"One last thing," the wizard said, holding up a crooked finger. He moved over to one of the benches, and when he came back, there was a leather bag under his arm, along with a scabbard as long as Roderick was tall. "Your armaments. I believe you'll find this more suiting to your needs than a paltry vermin sword – no offense intended, Miss Seeker."

He thrust the scabbard into Roderick's arms, the leather creaking as he grasped the wrapped hilt. Inside was a greatsword, an impressive weapon usually reserved for elite infantry. He pulled down the scabbard a little to inspect the blade, a sliver of polished steel reflecting his features. A little deeper up the blade were a pair of small hooks jutting from the steel – demiguards designed to protect the hand when halfswording. Coupled with his hundreds of spare charges for his guns, he felt more than equipped to deal with what lay ahead.

"And this is for you, Miss Seeker," Wilfred added, placing the bag in Skyseeker's paws. "Every blade from your… expansive arsenal is in there."

"Better be," she grumbled, untying the string holding the bag shut. Her signature weeping blades was the first thing she retrieved, sliding them inside her waistbelt in two swift movements.

"Well then, that is all I have for you." Wilfred continued. "we'll be making landfall within a matter of hours. Miss Seeker, I wonder if I might pull you aside for a while? If you're going to guide Roderick through to the artifact in my stead, a little bit of mediation will go a long way."

Roderick wanted to say it would be easier to summon the Lord of Change than to get Skyseeker to meditate, but stayed his thoughts.

"Not bringing Rick-rod with us?" she asked, turning to him for reassurance. It was an odd change from her usual almighty Skaven confidence – perhaps now that they were mated, her breeder instincts perceived him as her protector. He didn't think she could be more endearing, but she was somehow managing.

"I think I'd just be a distraction," Roderick said. "and you'll need as few of those as possible if we don't want to get hopelessly lost out there."

"No pressure at all!" she scoffed sarcastically. "Fine. Lead on, wizard."

"It should be sufficiently quiet up in the officer cabins," Wilfred said, the Skaven following him out of the storeroom.

-xXx-

The wolfship's great anchor dropped to the water with a splash, the linking chains grinding loudly against the pulleys as the sailors manning the mechanism waited for it to hit the seabed, one of the men locking the chain tight with a pull of a lever.

The sails were reefed, letting the unfiltered, midday light bake the occupants of the deck, Roderick shielding his helmeted face as he peered out over the portside railing. Foam curdles clawed their way south, the murky depths transitioning into bleached sand, the tide visible against the beach as squiggling lines of discoloured slate and seashells.

Beyond the shore, the land began to slope upwards, craggy rocks breaching the earth in places. The sand didn't end, however, the colourless flecks stretching on into the limits of his vision, where the heat haze made everything look odd and fuzzy. This was so far removed from any sort of environment Roderick was used to, it looked positively dead in comparison to Imperial lands.

"This is as close to the shore as we can get without beaching ourselves," Von Kessel explained, leaning on the bulwark to Roderick's right. "Hope you don't mind getting your feet wet."

"It'll be a nice reprieve before walking that scorched earth," Roderick replied with a pointed nod to the desert. "You have my thanks, captain," he added. "For transporting us all this way. I only wish it hadn't come at the cost of so many good men."

"A price of war I'm sure you're all too aware of, Erdmann." He glanced over his shoulder, the captain's plumed hat whipping in the breeze. "if you need me to spare a man or two to accompany you, I can arrange an escort."

"No," Roderick replied, shaking his head. "your men fare well on the tides of water, not so much on tides of sand, I'd imagine."

"You'd walk willingly into the Cracked Lands with nothing but a sword and a rat for company?" Von Kessel chuckled. "Insane. Then again, I suppose walking a path of desperation is the one thing left to an exile."

The captain turned to face him, looking Roderick up and down.

"I don't know all the circumstances of your fall from grace," he began. "perhaps some details are embellished, and others have been conveniently forgotten, but that matters little now. You're a braver man than I to go out there, and for that, I wish you success in your quest. The Empire needs more Generals with guts, not less."

He extended his hand, Roderick blinking before taking it with his own. It was a stark change from the surly captain accusing him of treason back in Portomaggoire.

"Rick-rod and Kessel-man making friend-friends now?" a feminine voice chirped, Roderick turning to see Skyseeker and Wilfred approaching from further up the deck. "Thought you hated each other? Nonsensical!"

"You ready to go then, lass?" Roderick asked, ending his handshake with the captain to address her.

"All meditated up!" she confirmed. "Is amazing what Skaven can think of when there's no interruptionings around. Warpsight is so clear-clear."

"I don't know how you managed to do that, old friend," Roderick asked.

"She found my warpstone samples I was hoping to archive once we returned to the Empire," Wilfred muttered. "Ate the tubes as well. It was a truly fascinating sight."

"Should have hid them better!" she chided, cackling when the old man shot her a frown.

"So you're all set on your journey, Roderick?" Wilfred continued, walking over and starting to fuss over his armour and pack, checking the straps to make sure they were fastened tight. "You have all you need? Remember, hydration will be your number one concern."

It was amusing and a little charming to see Wilfred worrying over him like a mother hen. While the wizard was inherently compassionate due to his druidic background, he mostly reserved his tolerance for plants or elves, and it made Roderick forget sometimes that he was a son of Sigmar like the rest of them. He remembered Skyseeker asking him if Wilfred was his father, and while he'd declined such a claim, perhaps an uncle, or surrogate grandfather might be closer to the truth than not.

"Do not fret, Wilfred," Roderick chuckled, easing the wizard away. "You handpicked our supplies yourself, we have all that we need."

"Of course, of course," the wizard muttered, giving him a pat on the shoulder with a feeble hand. "Good luck to you both, and may Sigmar guide you."

There was nothing more to be said, Von Kessel leading them over to a part of the bulwark obscured by a climbing net. The knotted ropes draped down the hull towards the water, Skyseeker wasting no time in stepping down onto the first set of loops.

Roderick placed one armoured foot on the railing, preparing to follow her down, when Wilfred placed a hand on his arm to stop him.

"Remember what I said, Roderick," Wilfred whispered. "Beware the artifact, but do not let it fall into the wrong hands. Make the right choice."

Roderick pursed his lips, then nodded to the old man, Wilfred letting him climb down unimpeded. He could feel the wizard's and every other sailor's gaze on him as he lowered down the net, soon reaching Skyseeker who had paused halfway down.

"What was that all about?" she asked. "What did man-wizard whisper?"

"Nothing important," Roderick replied, praying she couldn't read his expression too easily. His worries were for not, for she beamed up at him as they resumed their descent.

"Yeah, man-thing words never are. E-Except yours, Rick-rod," she added, wiping her muzzle with a paw.

He chuckled at her sheepishness. She had always made it clear humans were inferior to her intellect, but now that he'd shown her a world of affection, she was as flustered as any young damsel, her attempts at flirting clumsy, but no less appreciated.

Once he was close enough to the ground, Roderick stepped off the net, his sabatons splashing into thigh-deep water. Breakers curdled with foam pulled him towards the shore, the wolfship's shadow looming away for a dozen odd meters.

He offered a hand to help Skyseeker down, the two making for the beach. She had to practically leap over the water to keep up with his paces, the Skaven holding up her cloak by the hem so it didn't get too wet, Roderick glancing down to catch an eyeful of her exposed butt.

They reached dry land before long, Roderick feeling so small measure of comfort at the fact. After days of living on a ship, walking upon firm ground was a treasured reprieve, even if this land was one of mystery and danger.

The view to the right was the same as on the left – the curving beach stretching out and away until the haze of distance obscured it, the shore losing its slight curve the further away it went. The way ahead rose into a few scattered pairs of jagged cliffs overlooking the shore, the rock clusters as bleached as bones.

There were no pathways or roads, Roderick's feet sinking into the sand as they navigated the slope, the sound of the breakers easing into the backdrop. When they emerged onto one of the overlooking cliffs, Roderick turned around to survey the wolfship, now far below and small enough to be covered by his arm. It had been reversed into the shore, likely as a means the crew could make a hasty getaway should anything come attacking – from the shore or the sea. He hoped it wouldn't come to that, he did not want to be stranded in this place.

"Ocean is so… big-big," Skyseeker mused as she joined him, her lenses clicking as she admired the view. "Never left Skaveblight's under-tunnels before Great Lord chose me-me for mission, and now… Can't even see Skavenblight anymore, even with goggles…"

"You alright, lass?" he asked.

"Yes. Wait, no. Maybe sorta," she finally said, glancing up at him. "Is hard to believe I made it to not-man-thing lands at last. Feels like I've scurried over threshold of the world! Found a whole new place to conquer and claim!"

"Technically we're still on the same continent, but I know what you mean," he said, the cool sea-breeze blowing his hair back. "We're further from our people than ever, even Sigmar's voice is weak in this place. From now on it's just us and the natives."

"Just how I like it," Skyseeker said, smirking at him. "Now the only man-thing I have to deal-deal with is you. And you're a pawful let me tell you."

"So where to?" he prompted, gesturing to their flank. Beyond the cliffs was leagues of sand in all directions, the landscape broken up in places by steep ravines and cresting sand dunes, with strange bright green flora sprouting up randomly throughout the desert, the closest of which too far for Roderick to get a better look at. "Wilfred said only a magic user can find the artifact, so which way are we headed?"

"Showtime," she chittered, closing her eyes as she cracked her knuckles. "Need to focus, man-thing, so please shut mouth for a second."

He stepped back as she raised a hand, her features scrunching up in concentration. After a few lingering moments, she tilted her head, as though she'd heard a noise, yet the only sound in Roderick's ears at that moment was the wind. What did this psychic connection with the relic feel like, he wondered, if that was how best to describe it? A pull in the air, along with whispering voices as Wilfred alluded too? Perhaps he should ask at some point.

Her eyes blazed open, then she jabbed a finger down the cliff face. "That way!" she chimed, then she stopped, considered, then moved her hand slightly to the left. "I mean, that way! Warpsight says relic is there!"

"Then lead on," he replied. "This time, I will follow you."

"That makes me pawleader!" she announced, placing her hands on her hips proudly. "First champion of Lord, then clawcaptain – temporarily – and now pawleader. Is there nothing Skyseeker can't do!?" she shouted, her voice echoing into the distance.

"I like your confidence," Roderick mused. "but let's press on, I'm sure Wilfred's wondering why we're just standing here."

"Bye Fredwil!" Skyseeker yelled towards the ship, waving her hand, then waving it harder after a short delay, leading Roderick to wonder if the wizard might have returned the gesture.

They turned their back on the shore, moving down the slope and into the awaiting desert. Once they were shielded from the sea breeze, the true might of the heat bore down on Roderick, his brow already wet with moisture beneath his helmet. Wilfred had warned him the heat would be like no other, but this was borderline excruciating, Roderick praying their journey through these lands would be swift.

At the bottom of their descent, the dune began to even out, but never quite flattening as they pressed on further inland. The sand was slippery beneath his feet, his pace slowing as he sank inches into the ground with each stride, leaving deep footprints in his wake. He couldn't imagine pulling a wagon or other vehicle through this place, how did the locals navigate this place? On foot alone?

Skyseeker was a little better off than him, clad only in her belts and cloak, her wide feet allowing her to spread her insubstantial weight over a larger area. The added supplies she carried made her a little clumsier than usual, but she voiced no complaints aside from the occasional mutter of disapproval. It didn't need to be said she preferred to travel light.

It didn't take long before they navigated their way closer to one of those plants he'd spotted before, the pair stopping beside one such specimen to examine it. While it looked like a plant, it wasn't like anything Roderick had seen before. It was as tall as two men, with squat limbs like those of a tree, its green body covered over in a layer of spikes. A purple sunflower sprouted from its top, the blend of bright colours perplexing to say the least.

"It's hard to imagine anything growing in this place," Roderick mused, noting that clusters of similar plants could be seen in every direction. "Bet Wilfred would have loved to study them."

"Can we eat it?" Skyseeker asked, tilting her head.

"I wouldn't risk it. We have rations, no need to live off the land just yet."

They left the strange, tubular plant behind, and proceeded deeper into the desert, wisps of sand creating sheets of dust around them. They journeyed in silence, but eventually Skyseeker was the one to break it.

"Urgh, forgot how much walking everywhere suck-stinks! Where's relic already?"

"You tell me, you're the one who can sense it."

"Carry me, Rick-rod," she said, stopping and peering up at him expectantly.

"Carry you?" he echoed. "I'm already hauling most of our supplies, now you want me to carry you as well?"

"Please?"

"I'm not your pack mule! If you think I'm going to lug you around like royalty you-"

"Will let you breed all over my face-face if you do~!"

"Well you don't weigh that much. Up you get."

He got to a knee, gesturing at his pack, Skyseeker skirting around until she stood behind him. She looped her hands around his neck, placing one foot just over his rump, the other on his shoulder as she began scampering up his body.

She giggled as he stood back up, the laughter trailing into a yelp as she almost fell off, Roderick quickly taking her by her legs as she hung them over his shoulders. Now sitting on his neck, she lay her hands on his helmet, clutching the plume for balance as he set off, her silky thighs filling the sides of his vision.

"Good view up there?" he asked, Skyseeker giggling as he jostled her into a better position.

"Certainly! Fine view of sand, sand and… wait! Nevermind, it's just more sand."

"Pray that is the only thing we see out here," he muttered, working up a sweat as he crested the next dune.