Micky, Prin, Mira and two other female rankers were walking towards were the cooking fire was. The oiled up men tried to follow but were stopped by the old servantish fellow. It appeared that most of them were new and untrained. Micky thought that said a lot about how she treated them.

They grabbed some of the boiling stew by the cook fire. Endless stew was nothing new to Micky. It was getting used to the other things that was harsh on Micky, but he got used to them in the class.

They quickly grabbed their bowl of stew and then walked back to his tent. Not his personal tent, but the big meeting tent. Micky didn’t need them messing up his ‘system’ he had going with his papers… he did not look forward to seeing how much it had grown.

“So, what’s with you and her?” Asked Mira. She and the other girls seemed interested in this.

“Oh, she is my knight.” Said Micky simply.

“Oh, you’re the son of nobility?” Asked Mira innocently.

“I am nobility myself actually.” Micky said. And he was instantly glomped on all sides. Mira was a beautiful woman with a glorious figure. She clearly spent money on getting her scars removed and muscles toned. The other two had several scars on various places and could no longer be considered ‘cute’. However, that did not mean they weren’t beautiful.

The first 100 ranker had a small half moon scar on her chin and in her eyebrow. She was full chested and had a moderate amount of muscle tone. If Micky had to describe her, she would be a tomboyish kind of cute/cold beauty.

The second 100 ranker had more scares and one that went from the top of her face to the bottom. She was also younger and had more muscle tone then the other two. However her muscles still couldn’t compare to prin, or her rack. If Micky had to compare her, she was a stoic beauty of the battlefield. The kind of woman you had no problem calling big sis, and never lusting after to her face… only in a back shed somewhere or secretly hiding…

“You must tell me everything!” Said Mira. Prin seemed annoyed for some reason.

“Not really much to tell. I’m the courtier of the 5th son of the count of the draconic forest.” Said Micky. Mira seemed to take that explanation as it was. It wouldn’t be surprising if he had been raised since young for that position. Prin didn’t say anything, nor did she act secretly smug about knowing Micky’s true origins. And Micky just didn’t want to explain his tail of how he got here. Mostly because he didn’t even know. Though, it wasn’t as rare as he thought it was, with less or more success.

Micky brought them together and laid out a table. Then the freshly caught and cooked food was placed on the table as well as some fresh greens and to top it off some baked sweets. The girls of course, went directly for the sweets he had prepared. This wasn’t surprising though as Micky sequestered some for himself too.

“Oh my gods! I haven’t been able to get anything in this shithole. How did you get so many honeyed rolls in this part of the ass end of hell?” Asked Mira, to the aggreement of the other two rankers.

“Mostly, it comes with being the one actually doing the requisition forms. Can you believe there is actually a box to tick for these things? I usually keep a few of the niceties around for situations like this as it is rare for me to have company.” Micky made sure to send a complaining note at the end of that statement. Prin shrugged in rye acceptance.

“Oh demons take me now. I will give you my whole harem for more of these. I will even do the freaking paperwork!” Proclaimed Mira. It seemed Micky had found the appropriate bribes for the women at the table. Even Prin seemed to be thinking of ways to come to his tent more often… the meeting tent, not his personal one.

“Well it seems I know what to prevision for you for bribes. Now then let’s get down to business. Will you die for me?” Micky asked. The other two girls on Mira’s side took a hard note to their faces.

“No” Mira stated.

Micky laughed. “Good, so we are on the same page. I didn’t expect you to anyway. Will you follow my commands though.” Said Micky.

“Yes I will. You seem like the reasonable sort. You didn’t just take us all into a meeting and say follow me to death and glory! You would be amazed by how many of the old commanders expect us rankers to die horribly for them. The looks on their faces as they see betrayal, priceless.” Said Mira.

Micky finished up the dinner with Mira and the other two girls regaling him of some of their tales of adventure. It was the tomboy actually that had the most wonderful tale though. She had ended up being hunted for almost 3 months in the wilderness and had all sorts of adventures while doing so.

Micky was then escorted back to Mira’s tent by her and the other two girls, with a grumpy Prin in tow. He did leave her at her tent, and this time the oiled men did not harass the man with literal life and death over them.

Micky then went to his next stop. This one was the other 5,000 ranker. He was also, in a tent with oiled men outside. However they were wearing togas and seemed too buzzed to care. Micky would save his reprimands for later. Besides, it was Prin’s job to be pissed for him anyway. Micky just needed to make sure he was calm and came off appropriately when he talked to the ranker.

The man guarding outside didn’t even bother to go inside and just yelled for the ranker. He was then yelled inside… as the ‘screeching, giant blue panther’. At least if he was being greeted as a hallucination it sounded cool…

The man inside was named Jack, first, last and only… or so he says. He was brought out of his pile of lounging men and into the tent Micky was having the meetings in. Micky brought out the last of his honeyed goods and some glorious wine he had been saving for this man. Micky had been doing his research it seemed.

“Oh my god you wouldn’t believe how big the fucka’ was. It was this massive thing right’? And then bam! Hit the ground like a skyrock just explosions of dirt everywhere.” Said Jack, as he regaled Micky of yet another story. Even more outlandish than the last, which was at least ten times more outlandish than anything the girls had told. Not that Micky believed a word jack said.

“Well let’s get down to business, are you willing to die for me?” Micky said to the older man. He looked to be about 2-3 times Micky’s age and had a sinewy but handsome build, in that scruffian sort of way.

“Yes sir, I will.” He said straight into Micky’s eyes.

“Good lie! Cheers.” Micky said and downed a glass of wine. It had been into the night a bit so it wasn’t so terrible to down the dry wine.

Jack looked a little embarrassed about lying to his commander’s face… and being seen through. “Sorry, about that. It’s a habit you know? Commanders always ask us rank n’ file to go die for em’ and you just tell em’ whateva’ they wants to hear straight to the face if yous’ wants to live.” Jack said.

“I understand you mate, no worries. I have been on the front line myself a few times. Not in war mind you. Safer things like with beasts and monsters.” Micky said, earning him a few chuckles.

“As a pure buffer class I know what’s like to have your life in the hands of others you probably can’t trust to pour you a drink. I will at least try to be the commander that you all deserve. Nobody deserves to die because of shit orders.” Said Micky.

Jack looked at Micky with that. He was still not going to be honest with the boss’ but he was at least going to give this kid a shot. Jack left the tent and Prin and Micky were left alone to discuss. Micky then went to his personal tent to find Jack eavesdropping. He took Prin to his personal tent to actually discuss things.

“Welp, Mira is already plotting against me and Jack is the most trustworthy of the two even though I can’t trust him to take a pose, let alone keep the line.” Said Micky.

Prin was taken aback. This was kind of what she figured, but she figured she would need to spell it out for Micky. “How did you know?” she blurted.

“I’m not that oblivious you know? Besides, Mira had two other rankers in her tents that she wasn’t sleeping with… kinda. It means she is making a coalition of rankers under my nose. Jack has lived longer, and pointedly isn’t. What does that tell you? That you aren’t supposed to do that. She may even try to approach you as well. That’s fine, take her up on the offer. But if you think she will try something make sure to tell me so that I can keep them away from you. I will probably have to arrange tasks for her that will keep her away while Jack gets the more ‘glorious’ task for the camp.” Stated Micky. Prin had not real comment to that assessment.

“I’ll be honest with you. I don’t really care. As long as they achieve the objectives with minimal loss and timely it doesn’t matter to me. But if either one is going to undermine me I will need to have them taken care of, even if that leaves me down my highest rankers. I don’t think I will need to take care of Jack, he is just a coward. Mira might need to be taken down a peg though. I don’t think she realizes what she is doing. Oh speaking of, what happened to those two?” Said Micky.

“They were flogged of course. They then crawled back between Mira’s legs but she refused to take those two little shits back in. Something about no ugos. Fucking slut!” Said Prin.

Micky gave her a stare. He thought she was arguing over two shades of green there but wasn’t going to call her out on it.

“You know you could always just sleep with her. She will be a lot more willing if she thinks that you are just her little pet.” Said Prin.

Micky did not dignify that with a response.