Chapter 017:

It was almost dusk when they made it back to Atros. Verona was still on Anton's back. She had said nothing since the mountain but seemed unwilling to move.

A thunderous cheer and applause erupted from the western wall as they approached. It seemed that almost every villager had come out to greet them, some stood on the stone wall while the rest remained behind and cheered over.

The gate creaked open and villagers poured out.

Anton could see the look of true happiness and relief on their faces. As they approached the cheering got louder and louder.

Out of the sprawling crowds Jeff and Sam pushed their way through, quickly followed by Bertram and Sybil.

“We honestly thought you were dead.” Jeff said as he approached Anton through the returning armed villagers. They stopped, placing the chests on the ground, and looked to Jeff.

“What's in the chests?” he asked. Anton waved for them to open them. Jeff and the others eyes nearly popped out of their skulls at the sight of the gold and weapons.

They were practically salivating, especially as more villagers came forward to see the gold. One villager tried to grab some but was quickly slapped away.

“How much do you think Bertram?” Anton asked, Bertram's attention drawn away from the piles of gold.

“Well....er....” he picked one of the coins up and felt it in his hands before looking at it more closely. “These are from the Royal Treasury. See the crown on the faces.”

Bertram shifted through the crowd to Anton and showed him the coin. In the mountain, he had not paid them much attention. Both sides had the image of a crown with eight points.

“Does that mean this is all from the treasury? So much for that vault.” Anton said as he chucked the coin back into the chest.

“It doesn't look good.” Bertram replied, “I left before the capital fell, so it's possible somebody tried to flee with these.”

He slowly bent over and rubbed the chest with his hands.

“I never thought I would see something like these chests again. Light-Crested chests, how many marks do they have on the base?”

“Five.” said one of the villagers carrying the chests.

“Those are rare. A five crest. Costs about four hundred silver for each one. You can already see why they are so valuable. Were there any more?”

Anton shrugged. “Maybe somewhere else in the mountain, but we really didn't have much time after setting off the fire.”

“We could see that from here.” Sam said as she pushed through the crowd to stand next to Jeff. “That's why we were so relieved to see that you were alive.”

She nodded towards the mountain. Anton had been keeping an eye behind him on the ground mainly to watch for pursuers. He looked back at the mountain, the darkening red of the light providing providing a backdrop to his work.

Smoke continued to bellow out of the mountain, all along its sides. He was surprised that there were some entrances almost at the top of the mountain. It was too far away to see any Yellow Goblins, but any that remained within the mountain would surely be dead by now. Now it was just a case of how many survived.

“Did Verona get caught up in that?” Sybil asked, a hint of anger in her voice.

“No,” Verona spoke from Anton's back, “I just, overdid things and I really feel exhausted.”

A bit of relief overcame her face.

“We could do this outside here, but there's a few things we need to go over. Also find out what's exactly in these crates and get them somewhere safe.”

Jeff shouted to the crowd to part and let them through. Anton followed them. Being so close to home made him feel his tiredness and exhaustion so much more.

---[]---

Everyone that hadn't arrived at the western gate to greet them now gathered in the central plaza. At Anton's behest, Jeff and some of the other villagers got the large table for Anton to stand on. The villagers brought the chests onto the porch of the Main Hall, then took their position amongst the crowd.

Verona, still somewhat weak from her exertion, could barely stand without help. Sam came to her aid and helped her sit on a chair from inside that Sybil brought out.

Anton stood upon the table and motioned for the crowd to quieten. The tiredness was starting to become quite noticeable. He used some prayer magic to try and keep himself alert. It seemed to work, but used a considerable amount of his magic.

The crowd quietened, waiting on his words.

“Thank-you everyone. I'll get to the point...We found most of the women that had been taken by the Yellow Goblins.”

A hushed whisper overcame the crowd, quickly becoming murmurs of confusion. While no-one had died only one extra person had come back, Dana, and she had only been gone a few days.

Anton took a deep breath.

“They were being raped and tortured, used to breed their armies. We put an end to their suffering. None had the strength to return.”

The crowd was stunned into silence. Some looked to the soldiers that had just returned, they hung their heads low. The villagers were even more stunned.

“That is the fate that awaits every woman in this village should they win tomorrow, ever man will die knowing what awaits them.”

He paused for a moment, letting it sink in. The villagers were becoming angry, though not at him, he hoped.

Anger is better than hopelessness in this situation.

He pointed towards the smoking mountain.

“That...that smoke and fire, shows that we are not only willing to strike but have enough strength left to really hurt them where they live. Right now they'll be regrouping and organizing, getting ready for revenge and conquest. It should not take them too long to figure it out. Tonight, or tomorrow, no matter the outcome, will be the last battle we have with them. So everyone, be ready. Dig deep within yourselves and find whatever you need to win. But, no matter what they throw at us, we will win!”

He threw his fist into the air, the villagers copying as they cheered. They kept cheering as they began banging their weapons on their shields. It echoed throughout the village in a thunderous roar.

That went well. I hope it lasts through to when they attack.

“Jeff?” Anton asked.

“Yeah.”

“Get as many people as you need and plant torches around the outside of the village, about one to two hundred feet out. Enough so everything is illuminated. If they rally early, we can take away their ability to fight well in the dark.”

“Got it!” Jeff pointed to several armed villagers in the crowd. “You lot, come with me. Go to the storehouse and gather as many torches as you can carry. Avery?”

Anton had missed Avery slink through the crowd and onto the porch.

“You're in-charge on the soldiers for now. Do the patrols and make sure they're alert and got everything they need.”

“Keep doing what I've been doing. On it.”

Avery's reply was dripping with sarcasm, but neither seemed to take it as anything more than their usual way of interacting. He left through the crowds towards the north.

Zac and Jonathan had moved through the crowd as well. Anton did not have much for them to do. Everything they could do would either take too long or had already been done.

“I take it we've got nothing better to do?” Zac asked. Anton nodded in agreement.

“Actually, we'll need help to count and figure out what some of these are.” Anton opening one of the chests and bringing out a green metal sword. Jonathan's eyes widened at the sight.

“Those are made from Bosciycium. Pretty tough but heavy. Expensive too, I would not mind working with the ore one day.”

“That's great. We'll give these to the best soldiers then.”

“Sorry to interrupt you boys,” Sam said quite loudly, “I would very much like to talk to Verona about a few things. Considering that it might be our last night, we might as well take a bath.”

“We have a bath here?” Anton asked. He had not seen one in the village, and every day he felt like he needed one more and more urgently.

“Actually, that was us.” Jonathan pointing to himself and Zac.

“We decided to use some of the leftover material and build a bathhouse. We were going to show it to you as a surprise after you came back, but...”

“A place to properly clean ourselves? Here?” Anton asked.

“Well,” Jonathan scratched the back of his head, “To be honest, it's just an enclosure near the well. Walls high enough that you can't see in.”

Zac continued. “Everything's in buckets and there's no hot water. But it's not bad for cleaning yourself up.”

Anton looked at Verona. She was still covered in quite a bit of blood. The bath may also help her get some strength back, at the least help her relax a little.

“Sounds like a good idea. You okay with that Verona?”

She nodded, getting to her feet with help from Sam.

“I'll get a few extra friends of mine to join in. They would love a chance to clean themselves properly. Get a few extra women to make sure nobody peeks in.”

“Okay, but bring her back safely.”

Sam looked at him then to the still smoking mountain. “After that, I don't think many people would want to piss you off, least of all me. I'll make sure she's well looked after.”

She took Verona by the hand and led her through the dissipating crowd.

“She'll be fine.” Sybil said. “I trust Sam and her friends.”

“Okay. Next...”

Anton scanned the crowd for Dana. She was very close to the front, along with her brother, who still supporting her. A number of people were around her. Some where in tears, others looked as if they wanted to hug her but held back.

Her eyes met his, he waved her over. She and her brother hurried over while the others remained where they were.

“There are a few things I've been thinking about, regarding your future.”

Both of them tensed but Anton shook his head.

“Not something like that. More about what might happen down there.”

Dana seemed to get his meaning.

“There's a chance that you may be carrying their...children-”

“If that happens, I'll deal with it when then.” Dana said defiantly.

Sybil coughed awkwardly.

“My mother taught me a few things. After this is over, we could get a few herbs that could cause a miscarriage. It tastes truly foul and it'll take quite a bit to keep it down but it works.”

Anton looked at her with worried eyes. Sybil smiled sweetly.

“Nobles often had trysts and affairs, and children born from them would devastate the noble families. I had been involved in cleaning up quite a few of those, back when I was younger.”

Anton nodded, not really wanting to continue the line of inquiry.

“Will you be alright with your brother?”

They both nodded.

“I will. If it's alright with you, I want to talk with my friends and get some proper sleep.”

With that, they waved goodbye as they headed back into the crowd. Anton was not sure if she would actually make it, but with everyone around her in a safe environment she had the best chance of recovering.

Anton turned her attention back to the chests of gold and weapons.

“Now, lets get these inside and figure out how much else we got.”

---[]---

The villagers hoard was the spare room that should have been Verona's. It already had a few small crates full of the multi-colored gems. Bertram, Sybil, Zac and Jonathan followed him in with the crates. The new crates were brought to the council chambers where they could be sorted, with the gold put into the hoard with the others with the rest of the valuables.

They opened the chess and dumped their contents over the floor. The gold was quickly sorted out and into the chests, filling three.

Bertram had been counting and recording them as best he could. After storing them in the spare room, they turned their attention to the leftovers.

“By the way Bertram, how rich are we now?” Anton asked.

Bertram was practically shaking with excitement as he looked over his papers again and again.

“If I'm right, we have over six thousand gold coins. Not to mention the gems, some of those are probably going to be worth a fortune.”

“More and more wealth piles up, yet we have no chance to spend it.”

The others seemed to get his meaning.

“We have something to focus on in the future at least.” Anton added.

He leant down and picked up a green sword. Most of the weapons and armor where made from this material. Only a few others were made from a different type of metal, three short swords made from a light blue material. There was nothing like Verona's spear amongst them. He had kept hold of it when Verona had gone off for a bath.

“So, Jonathan. You said these green ones were made from something...Bosciycium. Anything good?”

He nodded furiously.

“They're much stronger than steel. Weaker than titanium but easier to work with. They should cut through just about anything the Yellow Goblins throw at us. It should even be able to break through iron with a good enough swing.”

Anton picked up one of the short swords made from the blue material. The handle was made made from steel and covered in some incredibly old leather.

“Ah, Chelium. And...” Jonathan brought out a piece of wood from his pocket and ran it along the edge of the blades. It cut through with very little effort. “It looks like its been worked as hard as it can.”

Jonathan used Anton's Chelium sword and scored a mark on the Bosciycium metal. Tiny flakes of green metal curled up but there was nothing from the blue short sword. He passed it back to Anton.

“It's probably a little softer than Adamantian. There are harder metals, but I think they would bankrupt us to make anything like this.”

Anton looked towards Bertram.

“Some nobles had very little else to do other than show off their obscene wealth. Getting weapons like this was an easy way to show it off.”

“Okay. Well, when Jeff gets back, someone make sure that he gets these weapons to the best soldiers and send their to the next best.”

“Any idea what Verona's new spear is made from? I think it's some sort of wood, but I can't really tell what. Especially the crystal at the top.”

Jonathan and Zac looked at the spear, eventually shaking their heads.

“No idea lad.” Zac said as he handed the spear back. “Wood is just wood to me, though it seems very strong for wood.”

“Same with the crystal.” Jonathan added.

“If anything, it looks like something elves would make.” Sybil chipped in.

Anton looked at her, telling her to continue.

“About eight days ride from the capital to the south, so about ten to eleven from here, there's another forest. In there lives a huge kingdom of elves. Sometimes we would trade, so it's possible someone got this from there.”

The others looked towards Anton. He pursed his lips, thinking about it.

“While it would be good to trade with people that could make something like this, there's the Capital city to deal with. There could be tens of thousands, maybe even pushing on hundreds of thousands. It's not an idea yet.”

“The closest city is Maxill, to the west.” Bertram added, “The kingdom to the west should have survived. At the best of times it would take seven or so days of hard trekking. It's not that far, maybe two to three days walk if it was flat, it's just a quite difficult path. The closest city to the east is about ten days away, on flat and open ground.”

“So Maxill it is.” Anton said, “I remember you saying that it was infested with monsters.”

Bertram shifted uncomfortably.

“It is, but not that many the last time. You were pretty close and weren't attacked. I said that so you wouldn't try to leave us at the beginning. With a few good soldiers, and not making much noise, you should be able to get through it easily. I'm sorry I lied to you.”

“It's fine.” Anton said. “I probably would have done something like that anyway.”

Bertram relaxed and smiled.

They all started sorting the weapons and stacking the upright along the walls.

Anton saw something different underneath one of the weapons. He pushed it to the side, revealing a small book. It was covered in leather and bound shut by a piece of string.

As he picked it up Bertram made his way to him.

“Looks like a journal. Quite an old one.”

He took it off Anton and looked at the spine. He smiled as he looked at the engravings into the leather.

“I haven't seen this in decades. Sybil, have a look.”

She shuffled to his side, her face softened as she saw the mark. To Anton it looked like a circle with a cross on-top.

“Oh, it's from the Tigel family.” She looked towards Anton. “They were a middling noble family. Not bad, nor great people. Let's have a look.”

The string had almost completely rotted through age and humidity. The pages of the journal had suffered the safe fate. Most were barely legible and intact.

Bertram and Sybil frowned as they tried their best to find an intact page. Anton, Zac and Johnathan crowded around.

The pages at the center had completely degraded, though some at the back of the book had survived.

“Okay. We've got something.”

Sybil coughed before reading out the Journal's pages.

“We just traveled through another dismal provincial town. Penketh, I think it's name was. The stench of those unclean and unwashed peasants burns at my nose. We never had these problems back at the mansion. Never.”

“These nobles seem like jerks.” Anton commented.

“Most of them didn't even know where meat actually came from, beyond the kitchen.” Bertram added.

Sybil continued.

“If only we could return. Everything our family worked so hard for now lies in ruins, burning along with everything else in the capital. Those wretched Goblins and Orcs, and the pathetic soldiers that failed to protect our property. Everyone should burn in the depths of hell for what they have done. They came from the south, from the forest that was supposedly protected by those egotistical Wood Elves. Every fortress and garrison just gave up in the face of a pathetic invasion, turning on the nobles that gave them the food and wealth they needed to survive. Why? Now I, Juluis Tepil, have to flee with the rest of these rabble. Thankfully we managed to take everything of value. Our families soldiers are strong and loyal. It should be enough to establish ourselves somewhere safe. Most of the villages and towns that we pass have not even heard that the capital is in ruins. Just goes to show how pathetic and worthless the common man really is.”

“There is a lot of anger there to the people there.” Jonathan said.

“But it sounds like a mass exodus. Only from the capital at the moment.” Anton answered. “How far was Penketh from here anyway?”

“About a day and a half.” Bertram replied. “I remember the chaos afterwards. Many people went around Atros heading to the east, some even settled here after this village became the last haven for them.”

“It just continues like that for a while.” Sybil said as she flicked through the pages. “Four of them just going on and on about how it's the people's fault. Not his own, the nobles or aristocracy.”

Bertram scoffed. “Oh please, I worked with the treasury. There was virtually no money for the army, everything was corrupt to an incredible level.”

“Ah, here we go. This is written incredibly badly, I can barely read it. It looks like it was written in a hurry. There's dried blood on the pages.”

Sybil coughed again.

“Everything is gone. After we passed through yet another shitty village, Atros-”

“Aww.” Anton and Zac said aloud.

“We were attacked. Thousands upon thousands of Yellow Goblins descended upon us. Our guards, even with their elite training and armor, were slaughtered as they were taken by surprise. Everything of value was taken by the yellow cretins; food, weapons, women, but the gold. They took the gold. Everyone around me is dead, I hang onto my life by a thread. They let me live, for reasons I can't understand. I can still hear the goblins scratching their way around. I've lost everything. And now they come for me again. There-”

“Is that it?” Anton asked.

“There's a quite large blood stain after that. I think he was killed.”

“It gives us a little idea.” Anton said, though something else was gnawing at his mind. “Although...”

“Although?” Bertram asked.

“If this is about forty years old, and I don't mean to be offensive here, but considering how quickly they could breed with the captive women, with presumably hundred upon hundreds of women, why haven't you already been wiped out?”

Bertram opened his mouth to retort but stopped. Now that he thought about it, he seemingly did not have an answer.

“And for that matter, why were they after the Rock-Rats at the quarry? With a mountain that large they shouldn't have population problems. Where they really a threat to them? The goblins can just eat grass, at least they appear to. I don't know if it's anything, but it's just a thought.”

The others took a moment to think. Jonathan was the first to speak.

“It might be something. Now that I think about it, it does seem a little odd.”

“Well,” Bertram started, “If they're trying to take the village and the quarry, both to the south of the mountain. That leaves the north for something threatening them. We haven't been able to get anyone up there to check in a very long time. But this is just wild guesses.”

“Is there anything in the journal that hints what that might be?” Anton asked.

Sybil shook her head , flicking through the pages over and over.

“Only rants. Hang on, there's a line, just before the last entry. At the end it mentions Orcs attacking their convoy from the north east. It could be them.”

“I take it that Orcs are large muscular creatures, strong but not smart?” Anton asked.

“Yes,” Bertram replied. “Most are around Zac's height and build, but not as smart. Some can be friendly but most would rather just take what they want. I never had much dealings with them. If we make it through this fight, I'll have another look through the books for information.”

That effectively ended the conversation. They all started organizing the weapons and shields for the soldiers but Anton's mind was far away.

There's always a new problem and a new threat. And I haven't even asked about the demons the gods talked about. If we have this much trouble against these small creatures, how will we even hope to stand up against something like a demon? If kingdoms and armies magic could not beat them, we will need something extra, something from my world. Our ways of fighting wars; guns, bombs, tanks and industry.

I just have no idea how any of them really work.

“Bertram?”

He looked to Anton.

“Can I have some sheets of paper and something to draw with. I have some things to get out of my head.”

---[]---

Verona walked with a slight gait to her step. The strength was slowly returning to her but she was still incredibly tired. Sam was helping her walk, which was attracting quite a few odd looks. She led them both to the new bathhouse.

It looked just like what Zac and Jonathan had described. Using large planks of wood, arranged vertically to form a wall, they had made an enclosure near the well. There were virtually no gaps between the wood but there were several women guards standing outside.

In front of them were two other women, holding some extra clothes in their arms. These were the friends Sam had mentioned. One was quite tall and had black hair while the other was shorter with dark blonde hair. Verona had seen them around before but could not remember their names.

The female guards around the bathhouse nodded to Sam and saluted to Verona. She swore she could see some fear in their eyes. Evidently they had heard what she was capable of, not that she had any thoughts of turning them against people that had done her any wrong.

They opened the door;revealing a dozen large buckets, several stools, a small pile of cloths, and a small table. The floor was made from large planks of flat wood, enough to keep the dirt from getting on them. A few torches had been placed in the center illuminating the whole bath as the sun continued to dim.

“So...” Verona turned to Sam and her friends.

They had closed the door and were already undressing themselves. She felt her face heating up, realizing they would all be naked together. Only a few people had seen her naked, let alone her marks. She had no idea how these people would react.

“What's wrong Verona?” one of Sam’s friends asked, the one with the short black hair and a caring face.

“Um, I...” Verona stammered, barely able to put her worries into words.

“Are you nervous about getting naked?” the other woman asked. She had long dark blonde hair and a mischievous face.

“It's alright.” she said as she came up to Verona.

As she reached for Verona's shirt, Verona pulled back on reflex, the woman recoiling her hand as well.

“I'm sorry.” the blond woman said. The mischievous look in her face disappeared, now looking quite sorry.

“I told you not to do that.” Sam said as she slapped the blond woman on the but. “Sorry about that Verona. I think I got carried away by inviting them here without getting them really ready.”

“I was just a little shocked that we would be bathing together.”

Sam and the other women looked at each-other, their eyes full of confusion.

“Well, don't worry. It'll just be us and no-one's going to be looking in.” Sam said as she continued undressing.

With a sigh, Verona started undressing as well. It was only then that she realized she was still wearing the armor. To take it off properly it required another person, that person usually being Anton. She probably could have managed by herself but she was still tired.

“Um, Sam?”

“Yes?” Sam answered sweetly.

“Can you help me with the armor. I usually have Anton help me.”

“No problem.”

Verona turned around. She was a little shocked to see the three completely naked. Sam's friends offered to help but was told to hang back. Sam had probably been told by Jeff and the soldiers what she was capable of.

The armor came off like a great weight had been lifted from her. Now she just wore her shirt and pants. Sam offered to help, but Verona told her that she could do it herself.

With them off, she felt how much she needed to clean herself. Dried blood fell off in chunks from her shirt as she lifted it over her head. She sighed and placed them on the table along with the other clothes.

“Do we just use the cloths and water?” she asked, turning to Sam when her question went unanswered.

The three's jaws were hanging off their faces as she turned. She realized the marks were mainly on her back, running down to her legs and her arms. For a moment she thought it was that, before the black haired one pointed at her chest.

“Are those real?” she asked with exasperation.

She looked down at her breasts then at the others. Theirs were much smaller than hers, Sam’s was the biggest amongst them and they were about half her size.

“Holy shit.” Sam said as she slowly walked closer. “What did you do?”

“Huh?”

“To get them that size?” the blond asked, “Did Anton use his magic? Can he do the same for me?”

“Um. No.” Verona said defiantly, there was a new feeling growing in the back of her mind and it was not from embarrassment from being naked. She covered them with her arms. “They've been this way for a while.”

“And what about those marks?” the blonde asked.

She was pointing to the blood red marks that covered her back and coiled around her limbs.

“They're....they're difficult to explain.” Verona answered as best she could. She herself had no idea what purpose the marks beyond the tear-drop in her back actually did.

“Okay, stop gawking you two.” Sam said as brought them back to reality.

Sam grabbed some clothes, throwing two to her friends and whispering something in their ears. They nodded and brought a stool infront of one of the buckets, quickly starting to clean themselves while chatting merrily about nothing in particular. She returned to Verona carrying a stool and cloth for both of them.

She set the stools infront of the bucket and motioned for Verona to sit next to her. The moment she sat down, she felt a tremendous relief. With the weight no longer on her legs she wanted to fall asleep there and then.

Sam dipped her cloth in the water and started to clean herself, Verona following. There was an awkward silence between the two.

“Actually Verona, I wanted to ask you something. And when we are relatively alone.”

Verona felt her heart quicken in response.

“Those marks...” she looked around for the other two listening, “Did he do that to you?”

“What?” Verona exclaimed in surprise.

Sam leaned in closer.

“Did he...carve that into you?” she asked in a whisper.

Visions of Anton trying to carve the marks into her flashed through her mind. They were sicking, but she found most of her revulsion directed at Sam for suggesting such a thing.

“No!” She stood up angrily and threw her cloth as Sam's face. Anger surged through her mind. “He would never do something like that to me. I got these marks and powers through something I don't properly understand, and now I can stand next to him as an equal. And I will not let you say something so terrible like that about him again!”

Her fury started to subside. She realized she was standing, hand digging into Sam's shoulder and her fist raised to strike her. Her body surged with magic, she had lit the fire without realizing. Her body pulsed red in tune with her rapid fury driven heart.

She let go of her shoulder and sat back down, turning off the fire. Sam's friends were stunned into silence as they held each-other out of panic.

“I...I'm sorry. I should go.” Verona said as she tried to stand.

Her hand was gently grabbed by Sam, bringing her to a stop. She looked down to see a smile on Sam's face.

“It's okay Verona. I would have done the same if you had said that Jeff beat me up every night.”

Verona slowly sat back down on the stool.

“I just wanted to make sure. So, I take that as the answer to my next question.” Sam said as she dampened Verona's cloth and handed it to her.

“What was that?” Verona asked, taking her time to clean the dried blood off her face.

“Why you went with them to do such a dangerous thing. You could have died there.”

Verona stopped, looking down at the bucket of water.

“It never really felt that dangerous. There was a time near the end that I thought it might be all over, but I didn't panic. I just did what I could.”

Sam smiled and hugged Verona. It felt a little strange having someone else naked touching her, especially one that she had just tried to hurt.

“So, what actually happened in there?” the black haired friend asked. Verona could hear both of them dragging their stools as they placed them the other side of Verona and sat down.

“Everyone that went there haven't said much. They've got this tired and distant look in there eyes.” the blond continued, “Every time someone asks them, they just say there wasn't any good to be seen there.”

“Do you really want to know?” Verona asked, looking between them. They all looked at her with a determined enthusiasm on their faces.

Verona took a deep breath and recounted what happened in the mountain.

Afterwards, the three sat completely still. It had started when she had described what actually happened with the captive women, becoming truly frozen when she told them it was Anton that put them out of the misery.

“Shit.” Sam said, grabbing Verona's hand. “I'm really sorry that I even thought of something like that.”

“No wonder they all looked a little odd.”

“Yeah, I would be like that as well.”

Sam's friends looked strangely at each-other.

“Well, that explains why he looked a little distant.” Sam said as she dampened her cloth again.

“Who?” Verona asked.

Sam raised both eyebrows. “Who do you think? Anton. He looked quite odd after that. Surely you saw it. You're together with him all the time, right?”

He did seem very quiet on way back.

“What do you mean together?”

The three stopped again.

“Well, you know. You are a couple, aren't you?” The blonde started moving her hips back and forth along wit her arms.

Verona knew what that meant. She felt her face and body start to heat up from embarrassment.

“No. We're not like that.” Verona hung her head low to try and hide her face but she knew it would not work. Every night during the storm she had awoken curled up inside Anton's embrace, so she knew what he felt like.

“So, he's single then.” The black haired woman said, bringing her hand onto her chin. “I'm not seeing anyone at the moment...could you introduce us?”

The niggling feeling came back, much stronger than before.

Verona looked at her, feeling quite angry. She was moments away from lighting the fire subconsciously, but she realized that may have been what she was trying to point out.

The woman recoiled, throwing up her hands and laughing awkwardly.

“Okay, Okay. I was just joking.”

Verona sighed and started to wash herself again.

Sam dragged her stool behind Verona and started to wash her back.

“I know exactly what's going through that head of yours.” Verona turned her head backwards. “I was like that, we all have at one time or another. All these thoughts and feelings swirling through your head. You know what I'm talking about.”

Verona did not argue and waited for Sam to continue.

“If Anton's right this could be our last night. You don't want something to happen without knowing if he feels the same way about you.”

She turned around to look at Sam, her face looked incredibly sly.

“It's not hard to see how you look at him, even if he doesn't see it yet.”

“And...and how would I do that?”

Verona tried to steady her voice, but she could not.

Sam looked at the others, all looking at Verona with wide smiles.

“First, we get you cleaned up properly. Then, we're going to talk about that.”

Verona felt some trepidation but she knew there was no harm in at least listening. She continued to clean herself, Sam helping, and wondered what they would be discussing.

---[]---

Anton was currently in his room, trying his best to start drawing out the weapons of his world. While he did not know the specifics of a rifle he did know roughly what was needed; a barrel, some way of loading and unloading the bullet, and some way of setting off the bullet. He also had the rough design of the bullet as well.

I'll definitely need Jonathan and everyone else to help me get this in some semblance of actually working. But how could I explain this? They would have never seen anything like this. I may just have to tell them that I recovered all my memories after the battle. I wonder how they will take it?

It had gone dark for some time. He was glad that nobody had come to get him. Hopefully the Yellow Goblins were still getting their act together.

The tiredness that he had before had mostly disappeared. After eating a light meal and doing some light stretches, it was like he had gotten a second wind and his mental strength returned.

However, he did not want to overdo it in-case they did attack soon.

As he put down the wrapped piece of charcoal he was using to write with, there was a knock on the door.

“Yes?” he asked.

“It's me. Can I come in?”

It was Verona. Though why she asked before entering was a little confusing.

“Yeah.” Anton said back, “I'm just...drawing a few things.”

The door opened and Verona slowly walked in, carrying her armor underneath both of her arms. She walked over and placed them over her side of the room before leaning over Anton's shoulder.

“What are you drawing?” she asked.

“Just a few ideas for after tomorrow. After we've beaten the Yellow Goblins, there are quite a few things we'll need to talk about.”

He turned to face her, realizing her face was mere centimeters from his.

Seeing her this close almost took his breath away. Ever since he had arrived, she had always had some level of dirt on her. Now she was completely clean, and beautiful.

Her short silver hair glowed against the warm light of the candles, crystal blue eyes piercing his own and her soft lips incredibly close to his own. He knew how soft and delicate they could be. Some times he had awoken in the middle of the night and found Verona nestled in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder, cutely moaning something as she dreamt. He had chosen not to say anything, but it did make sleep a little difficult.

He coughed, turning his attention back to his drawings. She lent in closer, resting her arm and weight on his shoulder.

“Those look really strange. What are they?”

“They're...another time.” Anton said as he lent back into his chair. “How was your bath? Was is relaxing?”

“Not really. Feels nice to be clean though.”

He turned to look at her, noticing a redness to her face.

“Actually,” Verona said as she stood up, “I wanted to ask you about something.”

“Okay.”

“Can you please sit on the bed?”

Anton did as he was asked. He sat on the bed and Verona, after taking several deep breaths, walked up to him. Her hands were shaking and she could not look him in the eye. He had never seen her like this.

She clasped her hands infront of her chest and took another deep breath.

“I want to ask you something, but I don't want you to laugh or make fun of me.”

“I would never make fun of you.” Anton replied as sincerely as he could.

“Okay. What do think of me as a woman?”

Anton felt his heart skip a beat.

Is this a confession? I know I said that I'll go where this takes me, but I didn't expect something like this so soon.

Verona kept her eyes glued to the floor, too nervous to look him in the eye.

“I think that you're a strong, beautiful and wild woman that I trust my life with.”

She jumped slightly but kept her face down.

“In that case,” she was stammering and almost panicking but Anton wanted her to say the words so it would be of her own will, “will...will you be a couple with me?”

Her face and her ears had turned bright red, as she stood motionless and waited for his reply.

“If your okay with being with me, I would love to.”

The moment he said that Verona's eyes shot up at him. She squealed in happiness as she threw herself at him. Her hands landed on his shoulders, her weight and velocity sending him sprawling onto his back.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and remained still. He was quickly aware of how soft she was as her breasts and body pushed into his and her legs rested on his. He brought his arms around her waist and held them there.

“Oh god, that was the hardest thing I've ever done. In never thought I would be so embarrassed and nervous.” Verona raised herself by bringing her elbows up and resting them on her chest and cupping her head in her hands. “They said this part would be easier-”

“They?” Anton asked.

Her face grimaced slightly before turning to a smile.

“They...Sam and her friends. They sort of got it out of me and told me that I should get my feelings out. Especially if we don't make it through tomorrow.”

Anton took one of his hands and rested it on her head, she removed her hands and rested her head on his chest.

“We will win tomorrow, Ver.”

She ran her fingers on his chest before looking him in the eye.

“You're not sure, are you?”

Anton remained quiet while continuing to look into her eyes.

“I could feel it through your heart. Right here.” she tapped on his chest.

“I honestly don't know.” Anton replied, “But I won't just give in.”

She squirmed in his embrace before her face changed to a frown. As she moved her leg, she felt something between his legs.

“Um...Anton?” she asked, bringing her hand to his groin and looking at him with a sly expression.

“Sorry. It kind of has a mind of it's own.”

Verona brought her hand back and sat upright, straddling his lower abdomen. She brought him up as well.

“I...sort of know about this. Sam and the others told me about it, but I really don't know too much about how to take care of your...problem.”

She looked a little nervous but mainly excited.

Please don't put it that way.

Anton was starting to feel how pent up he was. It had been quite a few months living alone and single back on Earth, so he was more than willing.

To be fair, I haven't exactly been able to 'take care' of it since I've been here.

Before he could reply she brought her hands down and took off her shirt.

Her body was quite lean, except for two parts, everywhere else had virtually no fat. Underneath her skin he could see the seductive lines of her growing muscles.

She gently grabbed his hands and brought them onto her stomach. Her muscles quivered under his touch, but she seemed hesitant to move them up further. As he slowly moved them upwards he kept an eye on her face in case she wanted to stop. Her mouth was slightly agape as she breathed a little quicker and harder, the redness quickly growing. Eventually, he made his way to her breasts.

He was amazed by their size and shape. They were at least an E cup in size and not a single blemish or mark upon them. There was not even a hint of sag as they hung off her like tear-drops from her chest. Her nipples and areolae were equally huge, the light pink nubs begging to be pinched.

He brought his hands up and started to rub and massage them, as gently and passionately as he could. With the lightest force his fingers sunk in, enveloping them in her soft flesh. He had never known them to be so soft.

A seductive moan escaped her lips as she threw her head back. She brought her own hands onto his, gripping over his and forced them deeper. He started to move his hands, twisting and stimulating her nipples so they became hard as rock.

As he started to tease them lightly with his fingers her whole body started to heat up, her breath becoming more ragged.

“That feels so good. You can do more, Anton.”

That brought Anton to a stop, Verona noticing as well and looking confused at him. He too was becoming more hot with every action he took.

“What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?”

Anton shook his head. He used what was left of his mental control to hold off, the control that was stopping him from pushing her down and tearing off her clothes.

“Absolutely not. But, if you want to go all the way with this...?”

She nodded vigorously, tightening her grip on his hands.

“I want you to tell me if I do something you don't like. Okay?”

She answered him with a kiss. Her tongue darted through her lips and into his mouth, stunning Anton for a second before he pulled her in closer.

His mental restraints were broken.

They wrestled for a moment before Anton started to stroke her into submission, but she never gave in. She became limp and fell into his chest, keeping their mouths connected.

Bringing a hand free, he twisted them and brought them so they lay next to each-other on the bed.

He had no idea how much energy and stamina she still had in her, their tussle continuing well into the night.

-------------

Hello,

Hope you liked this chapter.

Chapter before the big fight, so there's that. Didn't really want to write the end scene in detail, you can just use your imagination, plus I don't think i would be able to write it well.

The remaining 3 chapters have been written and edited, so I'll be uploading them one a day.

Thanks for reading.