Melitos had a tough decision in front of him.

On his left-hand side was the younger woman. Mia was all of twenty years old, and she looked the part as well with smooth, supple skin and young, innocent eyes. What wasn't innocent was her body, with giant, magnificent tits and large nipples that he just wanted to squeeze and pinch all over.

On the other hand, the woman on his right wasn't bad either. Ann was a bit older, just over thirty but still in a damn good shape especially when compared with her younger competition. Ann's body had never seen childbirth, and her figure was just as svelte as it was a decade ago. Not to mention, her ass had enough plump to it that it constantly invited Melito's hands every time she was nearby.

It was the same decision he faced most nights with the whores. Usually age won out but not every time—sometimes he preferred the pleasures of experience and wanton desire over young and supple. Tonight though, it was truly a toss-up.

Thankfully, both women were true professionals, having been whoring for long enough that they never took it personal. Especially Ann, since she was usually on the losing end. That's not to say that she didn't know the right words to sway a decision in her favor.

"You can cum in me tonight," said Ann invitingly as her fingers trailed delicately up her smooth leg. "It should be quite safe tonight if you wanted to unload your seed in me."

Melitos pursed his lips and considered her offer. It wasn't often he could cum inside the whores, not wanting to knock them up. But it was an added treat when it was on the menu and tonight appeared to be swaying in Ann's favor.

Not to be undone, Mia cleared her throat to get his attention. "You can have my ass tonight, if you want. And you can always cum in that, no problem. What do you say to that, Melitos?"

Melitos waffled again and now considered the younger woman and her offer. Her ass was tight, much tighter than either of their loose snatches, and now that he could cum inside both women, the offer of her ass seemed to be the better choice.

It wasn't often in his life that he had the choice between two different whores fighting over him, but then again it was only recently that he had the extra coin to pay them for the satisfaction. Most of his life was spent in the nontraditional manner, and there wasn't a trade or job that Melitos hadn't tried. Being a fisherman sucked the most, and he was clearly not cut out for the traditional Sorellan job of most of the coastal villages.

Farming was for the useless, and he'd sooner swallow his own musket than to spend another day planting in the fields like the rest of the peasants. Bricklaying, trading, and mining were equally just as bad, so as a last resort, he figured he'd give soldiering a shot, signing up to be in one of King Daimanos' regiments. After all, he never minded killing.

That is, as long as it was him doing the killing and someone else doing the dying. It seemed that in the end, Daimanos was as good at soldiering as he was at being a king, and when his armies began to disintegrate, Melitos found himself once again without a job. And that's how he turned to thievery.

"Melitos, we've gotten another one," said a voice from just outside his tent.

Melitos turned away from both the girls, scowling at the temporary disruption of his impending pleasure and opened the flap to his tent. Outside stood Baxos, one of the men who'd been under his employ for the longest. He had picked Baxos up on his third robbery in the countryside, the man having been the bodyguard assigned to protect Melitos' intended target. Of course, it was only for the pay and not for any feelings of protection to his employer. Once Melitos had robbed them blind of all their possessions, Baxos chased after the man and asked if he could join forces with him. Together, it was the start of their merry band of thieves.

A band that had grown now to eight men, a good number for the tough land of the interior of Sorella. With the current political climate being what it was, and the number of old soldiers still crisscrossing the island in search of food, coin, or women, eight was a good number to have and still be a nimble but deadly force to take advantage of those who came through without protection.

And it seems, so many tried to cross his lands unarmed or unprepared. To that, Melitos had to only shrug, figuring that it was the law of nature that the weak had to submit to the strong. If he was stronger than them, it was only natural that he took their money and food, and sometimes their pretty women. Besides, it's not like he killed them. Unless they struggled too much, of course.

"What did you get tonight, Baxos?" asked Melitos to his second-in-command.

"A small wagon, two men and one woman," answered the man while peering into his tent to look at the two whores. "They resisted, unfortunately for them."

"What did you get from them?"

Baxos grinned. "Besides their lives? Their entire food rations and about fifty silver coins."

Melitos nodded respectfully. "That's not a bad haul."

"I'll add it to the coffers," said Baxos.

"Add it, and then prepare to go out again. I've heard news from the nearby villages."

"What news is that?" asked Baxos.

"There's another group coming. A small group comprised of an old man and a young woman."

If possible, the smile on Baxos face grew larger. "I like the sound of that. Where are they?"

"Just to the southeast of us, if my source from the nearby village can be trusted."

Baxos nodded. "I'll send my men out immediately. We should be able to catch them near dawn."

"Take some of Vito's group with you. I've heard news that the king is nearby," said Melitos.

Baxos gave him a confused look. "I thought Daimanos was dead?"

"Not that king, you idiot," huffed Melitos. "The real king. Heron."

"Heron? What is he doing on this side of the island?"

"Nothing to our benefit, I can assure you. I want you to keep an eye out for his party. I hear he's traveling with six people. Four men and two women."

"What are we to do if we encounter them?" asked Baxos.

"Why, you are to do what you do best," said Melitos with a cunning grin.

Baxos took a step back. "You want us to attack the king as well?" he whispered.

"Yes! Must I repeat myself?" snapped Melitos. "It's not me that's ordering this. Word just reached me from Barak. He's the one giving the order."

Baxos relaxed noticeably at hearing the name of their paymaster. "I didn't realize that. We'll keep an eye out for that party as well and attack them when in sight."

"Good," said Melitos while rubbing his hands together. "Cheer up, Baxos. Who knows what kind of treasures a king might have on him. We may be able to quit this all together with that kind of fortune."

"If they don't kill us first," muttered Baxos under his breath.

The other man's words brought an enraged look to Melitos' face. He held back from chastising the deputy in favor of some restraint. "Just get going! I won't miss out on any bounties or orders from Barak because you spent too much time questioning orders!"

Baxos nodded quickly, and with one more glance at the whores, he turned heel toward the rest of his group.

Once he was gone, Melitos let the flap to his tent fall and retraced the steps back to Ann and Mia who were still waiting patiently for his reappearance. Both women looked eager for him to make his decision, with each thrusting their chest out in an effort to catch his attention over her rival. Melitos had no more patience for indecision, and with a snap of his fingers, he called out the name of tonight's winner.

"Mia, get over here and get on all fours," he said quickly. He watched as her face slipped into a satisfied smirk before bounding over to the space in front of him and quickly assuming the position with her ass in the air. Mia grabbed her tunic and raised it over her hips, and Melitos watched as her pussy came into view, as well as her tightly-puckered asshole.

"Ann, stay here and watch. I'd like to have an audience," said Melitos with another snap of his fingers.

The older woman approached the both of them and plopped herself down right next them, close enough to touch. Melitos gripped Mia's ass with both cheeks, and a quick swab of her asshole told him he'd need some lube to get into the tight hole tonight.

"Ann, you can be of some use tonight," he said while waving his cock in front of her face. "Do me the honors."

Her eyes flickered down to his cock held between his dirty fingers. She gripped it with one hand, and wasting no time, she started to suck on the tip of his unit.

"That's it, woman," said Melitos. "Use all your skill. Really get me wet and slippery."

She took to his command easily enough, and within a few moments, she was sliding all the way down his shaft with an audible slurping sound. Beads of saliva were slipping from the corners of her mouth as she sought to coat him thoroughly. At one point, her nose buried into his pubic hair as she sought to take as much of him down her throat as she could handle.

Once he was satisfied with the wetness, and as he watched the swaying of Mia's ass due to impatience, he pulled it from Ann's mouth with an audible pop. "That'll do, Ann. What a lovely job," he complimented the whore.

Without any more words, he pushed the fat, purple knob against the younger girl's asshole and began to push. Mia let out a small whimper but if it was due to pain or pleasure, Melitos never found out. The spongy resistance of her asshole pushed back at him, and he found himself having to push harder until he finally slipped past the outer ring of her ass.

"Argh," groaned Mia as the tip slipped into her hot asshole.

Melitos moaned in approval at the sheer heat on his cock and began to feed more of himself inside the young whore. He kept Mia's hips in place to prevent her from squirming away as more of his shaft pierced her tight, narrow channel.

He loved fucking the girl's ass. She was much tighter there than her pussy, and he also enjoyed that he didn't have to hear her fake moans of approval whenever they fucked. Melitos had been with enough whores to know they only moaned for his benefit, and the quiet groans of pain from the girl were a marked difference than the usual, loud moaning.

Eventually, Mia's hips slipped down closer to the floor and Melitos found himself on top of the girl as he drove his cock into her ass as deep as he could. With Ann watching with silent arousal as the man's cock split the tiny girl's asshole, he found his orgasm building.

"Nearly there," he puffed as his pace turned more vigorous.

"Cum in my ass!" yelled Mia with a mixture of anticipation and pain.

A few more strokes and Melitos was there. He pressed deep inside the girl's tight cavity and unloaded, his cum painting her bowels with a heavy load. He gave out a low, guttural moan of approval as every drop sunk deep into her asshole.

For once, Mia fell silent as he unloaded his seed into her, held in place between the dirt floor beneath them and his erect cock. "Thank you, sir," she said quietly as his now softening cock slipped out of her tight passage.

Melitos stood up and used a towel to wipe off his cock. Once he discarded the towel, he walked over to his small chest of treasures and unlocked it with a key that was kept around his neck. Pulling three shiny silver coins from the pile, he locked it once again and turned to face the whores.

"For your services," he said quickly, flipping one coin to Ann and two to Mia. Both girls caught the coins easily and smiles returned to their faces rather quickly.

"Now get out," he ordered.

Neither girl lingered, and seeing that their job was done, they quickly dressed and left his tent. Once they were gone, Melitos drifted to his makeshift cot and slipped down onto it, eager to sleep for the rest of the night and look for new targets in the morning. The news about the king being nearby was particularly useful. He imagined having Baxos bring the king to him and having the monarch grovel at his own feet for his life. He'd gladly give it to the man, at the expense of his jewels and his crown. Hell, even his scepter since all kings had scepters, right?

Melitos drifted off to sleep with a content smile on his face as he pictured gaining the crown for his own head and the riches to be plundered from the unsuspecting king.

*****

"Please, we must stop for a moment. Just a moment," said the old man with a pant as he nearly collapsed to his knees. The young woman was there in an instant, quickly grabbing the water canteen from her pack and bringing it to the man's crusted lips. Splashes of water quickly decorated the man's face as he drank eagerly from the source, taking a deep breath as he soon slaked his thirst.

It was just after daybreak, and they had only been on the path for a little more than half an hour before he collapsed, a worrying display of the older man's decay at being on the road for so many months. His recent degradation had been particularly worrying for her, and she wondered if it was not time for them to reconsider how they were going about their task.

The old man turned to look at her with watery eyes. "I'm sorry, dear one. I can try to get better and move more quickly."

She smiled at him and caressed his cheek with affection. "It's not your fault. It's mine for asking too much of you during this journey. We need to give you more time to rest."

He shook his head quickly. "There's no time. We're already falling behind as is. We have to move more quickly."

"Then I'll have to get a horse for you," she offered. "Something that would allow you to rest more often."

"A horse would be of no use in this kind of terrain," he said while shaking his head once more. "I can do this. I just need to summon the will."

"I'm worried about you," she said with a sad smile. "I can't do this task on my own."

"As long as I'm here, you won't ever have to," he added with a paternal grin.

The old man took another long drink from the canteen before handing it back to her. Carefully, she helped him back to his feet, and after letting go of him, he quickly lost his balance and nearly toppled over.

"I'm so sorry, dear one," said the man as the tears began to fall. "It appears I'm about at the end of my rope."

"No, you just need more rest," she said as her own eyes turned watery as well. "We'll wait here as long as we need to until you're ready to go again. Another day off the trail would do us good. We'll be fully rested before we set out again."

He gave her a patient smile. "You should just go on without me. I'm only going to slow you down from here on out."

"I won't leave you," she said with a quick shake of her head. "You've been my companion through all of this. We are so close to our task. I can't let anything happen to you."

The old man nodded. "We may not have much of a choice, dear one." He pointed off to the horizon where a large cloud of dust indicated the steady approach of men and horses. By the size of the cloud, they were moving quickly and would be upon them very shortly.

"Come, we have to get you off the road!" said the woman in a hurry. "We don't have much time!"

*****

On the other side of Sorella, Task Force 21 approached the coordinates given by King Heron for his port facilities. A few hours previously, they had passed Heron's capitol city, sailing by without a stop on their way to begin repairs for all the ships.

Abigail sat in the commander's chair on the bridge, silently watching the coast pass by. Deep within the forests, well past the beaches, she knew Jack was on his own task, struggling to recover Daimanos' treasury to begin the rebuilding of Sorella. It was the first time in weeks that she'd been separated from him for this long, and she quite disliked the experience. She looked over at his chair, empty save for her own cap, and said a silent prayer for all to go well on his latest mission. She cared for him more than she was willing to admit and didn't like the separation one bit.

Her gaze drifted over to her sister's command station, finding the younger woman hunched over and clearly working. Their own relationship had been affected heavily by Jack, and it had cooled significantly ever since Anna found out about their earlier indiscretion. It wasn't for a lack of trying on Abigail's part, but every time she'd tried to talk to her sister about it, Anna had spurned her attempts, preferring to keep a personal distance between them.

It was hard to get used to. Despite their age gap, Anna had been the closest person to her on the entire ship for quite a long time, before Jack showed up, of course. Now, it was like they were mere polite strangers but nothing more. It was a sad state of affairs, and it reminded her of just all they would need to overcome in order to have a sisterly relationship once more.

"Abigail, it looks like we've arrived," said Anna while pointing out the window. Abigail had been so deep in thought that her sister's words shocked her more than it should have. She stood from her command chair and approached the window to look out at the Sorellan port. She almost gasped when she saw the facilities available to them.

The Sorellan base was set inside a large-sized bay that provided a natural, secure harbor from the elements. Once inside the C-shaped bay, there were five different docks that jutted out into the waters, providing more than enough berthing space for all three ships. Off to one side, Abigail could clearly see what looked like two different-sized dry docks—one for larger ships and one for smaller ones. The bigger one looked to be a perfect fit even for the Destiny.

On the other side of the bay were several different facilities all lining the coast, looking to be several distinct warehouses as well as a barracks and numerous small office buildings. It almost looked like a Javan base, and she found herself smiling at the prospect of getting the repairs they truly needed.

Their arrival was expected; at the end of the dock, one of the workers stood waving a white flag as the signal to their approach.

"Let's pull alongside the dock and get tied up," said Abigail to her sister. "I'm eager to see what kind of work we can get done here!"

Not much more than thirty minutes later, all three ships were moored in the harbor as their commanders were greeted as soon as they hit the main dock. A small crowd of Sorellans had gathered around, although Abigail noted that many of the facilities around the harbor seemed to be void of life. The telltale signs of war had even affected this far off naval base.

One Sorellan in particular moved to the front of the crowd and was the first to reach out to their Javan allies as the two groups converged.

"Hello there! My name is Andros, and I'm the head of engineering at this base," called a middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair.

Abigail stepped forward and offered her hand to the Sorellan engineer. "Good morning, Andros. I'm Lt. Commander Abigail Wainwright. I'm the temporary head of this task force."

"Welcome to our naval base, Lt. Commander," said Andros with a warm smile.

"Just Abigail is fine," she said with a friendly wave. "You have some seriously impressive facilities here!"

"Thank you, Abigail," said Andros while the smile slowly dropped from his face. "Unfortunately, this base has seen much better days. Almost all of our warships have been destroyed in the conflict and our merchant shipping is in tatters as well. As you can see, we don't have much personnel left here."

"Do you still think you'll be able to help us get repairs?" she asked.

Andros took a look at the ships and then looked back to her with an uneasy expression. "It'll be interesting all right. As you know, most of our ships are made of wood but I'd be very interested to know how you got your metal to float!"

Abigail chuckled. "I'm sure some cultural exchange is in order. We do have a supply ship on the way with some raw materials as well as our own naval engineers along the way."

Andros' face brightened. "I'm sure if your engineers can teach us what to do, we can get the job done with the rest of our manpower."

"That was the whole idea," said Abigail with a smile. She then scanned the rest of the bay before her vision landed on the dry docks. "I've seen your warships before, Andros. I know they aren't as large in size as ours so it begs the question—how do you have such big dry docks already?"

"Our trading ships are usually bigger than our warships," he explained. "Great, large vessels. I take it you haven't seen any yet?"

Abigail shook her head.

"Give it time. They'll come back. The ones that have been stuck abroad since the conflict should begin to come back now. Anyway, our naval doctrine calls for small, fast-moving ships that can get in close to the enemy to destroy them. Our warships are usually smaller for that reason."

"I can understand that. You have no idea how pleased I am to see these large docks. We have some significant work to be done on all three ships."

Andros took a look to the closest ship, the Tiger, and pointed to her bow. "What about that one? Is there anything wrong with her?"

It was at that point that Vicky stepped forward. "That one took some minor hull damage from being beached in Lishkerra. Other than that, she's mostly fine except for some minor deck damage."

Andros nodded. "I'm not sure how much we can help with the steel portion of the hull, but we can do the deck work, no problem. What else?"

"Wait until you've seen mine," said Luke as he stepped forward. "I've got the same battle damage as Vicky all over the deck and a disabled turret. We'll probably have to wait for our own engineers for that turret, but the deck work we can do now."

Andros nodded his head. "That sounds good to us."

"Maybe you can help us find the source of a leak too," added Luke with a small smile. He took a few moments to explain the problem in more detail for the chief engineer.

"We'll see if we can help you with that too," said the engineer finally before turning to Abigail. "What about your ship? You have the large one right here, right?"

"That's right," said Abigail. "Most of our damage is incredibly minor. Other than that, there's not much else wrong with her."

Andros grinned. "She's a mighty ship. Perhaps if your engineers could impart some knowledge on us, we could build something similar."

"Well, we are allies now," said Abigail with a friendly smile.

"Perfect." Andros clapped his hands together. "We'll require the crews off the ships while we attend to repairs. One good thing about the war is that we don't have any shortage of space nearby. There's a crew barracks not far from here, on the other side of the bay. The crews are welcome to stay there as we get started on this work. When is your supply ship due to arrive?"

"Another full week and possibly some more days. You are quite a distance away from our furthest base," answered Abigail.

"More than enough time to get the cosmetic work finished before we require the additional expertise," said Andros. "If you all will come with me, then we'll get started!"

*****

The next morning, Jack awoke before the others just shy of daybreak and took a long stretch. He had slept well despite being on firm ground, but he credited that more to being so tired after spending all the previous day on horseback. He stood up to stretch, noticing that the sun was just starting to peek over the nearby horizon.

“I was wondering who would be the first to wake,” said Greg from afar, tending the last embers of the fire that had extinguished overnight.

Jack yawned before making his way to the log that the Marine was sitting on. “I miss my bed already.”

“At least you got some sleep,” said Greg sourly. “I relieved Elektra shortly after midnight, and I already feel like I’m dragging ass this morning.”

“Quite the change from being on the ship, though, isn’t it?” asked Jack with a smirk.

“It’s more like what I’m used to if we’re being honest,” said Greg. “Being so long on that ship has made me soft.”

“Now that you mention it, you’re welcome to get out and walk as much as you want. Just don’t mind the rest of us while we sail to the next destination.”

Greg made an obscene gesture but before Jack could retaliate further, they were joined by a still sleepy-eyed Vera who took a spot next to Jack on the log.

“Morning all,” she said with a yawn of her own. “I take it you must be hungry?”

“Starving,” answered Greg. “Looking forward to breakfast!”

Jack gave him an irritated look. “She just woke up. Let her relax for a few minutes first.”

Vera smiled. “It’s okay. I’ll get started here shortly. I hope you're ready for a rousing breakfast of oatmeal though.”

“Oatmeal again?” groaned Greg. “It’s going to be a long journey until we get back to Heron’s capitol.”

Jack reached over and nudged the man while Vera broke out into a fit of giggles. Soon enough she had the morning fire going as well as a pot of oatmeal slowly boiling over the open flames. Whether it was the smell of food or the commotion of her preparation, the others slowly awakened as well, with Heron, Nikias, and finally Elektra emerging from their sleeping bags and joining them at the fire.

“What’s the road look like for today?” Greg asked Nikias as they all dipped into their breakfast bowls. “Should we be hitting the foothills today at least?”

Nikias nodded quickly. “We should be this afternoon. At that point, the road will become a mere path, and we’ll have to let go of the horses at that point.”

“My soldiers should be in place to meet us by that time,” said Heron optimistically. “They’ll be able to take the horses back to the city from there while we continue on foot.”

Greg looked out to the horizon, spotting Mount Tarpeious in the distance. The single, lonely mountain looked incredibly tall and steep. “Nikias, is that mountain as tough to climb as it looks?”

“There’s a path that goes around the west side that isn’t so bad,” said Nikias. “I’d hate to have to approach it via the eastern side though. That path is much worse.”

“Is Barak likely to know about the western path?” asked Jack. “I’d assume if he has wagons, he’ll have horses, and he’ll be more likely to take the easier path for the animals.”

Nikias shrugged. “It’s what I would do, but this is Barak we’re talking about. He may take the harder road just to throw us off track. The eastern path is also the quicker one despite the grade.”

“We’ll deal with that when we get to it,” said Heron firmly. “For now though, we should get moving. I don’t want to lose any time when we could be pursuing them.”

That seemed to decide that issue and the group wrapped up their meager breakfast shortly after and began to hitch their supplies to their horses. Just shy of twenty minutes later, they were fully loaded and ready to resume the road toward the mountain. As was usual, Nikias took the lead once they emerged on the road, with Heron and Elektra just behind him, Vera in the middle, and both Jack and Greg bringing up the rear.

“I don’t know what’s worse,” said Greg after the first five minutes on the road. “Being this sore from riding right now or knowing we have another full day ahead of ourselves on these animals.”

Jack began to chuckle. “You just have to take your mind off of it. Picture yourself somewhere tropical with a nice breeze and your feet in the sand. That should help.”

Greg guffawed. “I’d rather picture a beautiful woman between my legs.”

“That works too,” said Jack with a laugh. They both began to chuckle at the joke, even earning Vera’s attention as she looked back at them.

“I know a few girls who are experts in that, if you need a reference, Greg,” said the woman with a not-too-innocent tone.

“Thanks, Vera,” said Greg while turning a shade of red. “But I have just the woman in mind that can help me with that little problem.”

Vera shrugged playfully and resumed her attention to the road in front of her. Jack lowered his voice and looked over at his friend. “I’m just going to assume you mean Brittany by that comment?”

Greg nodded quickly. “What a woman that one is.” He let out a low whistle. “You’d never believe—”

Before he could finish the sentence, Jack held up his hand to the man while something caught his attention in the wooded area just off to his left. Something that sounded like a scream. He brought his horse to a stop and waited to hear the sound again.

“What did you hear?” Greg whispered to him, also stopping his horse.

“It sounded like a scream. From just over there,” said Jack while pointing into the forest. “Did you hear it?”

Before Greg could answer, the sounds of a scream pierced through the morning air, enough to make Jack’s horse take a step to the side.

“I heard it that time!” yelled Greg.

“What was that noise?” yelled Heron from the front of their group.

“Screams from over there! Cover me!” yelled Jack as he spurred his horse forward into the wooded area. Thankfully, he was able to make good time through the forest despite the numerous trees, roots, and branches that emerged in front of him. Riding out from the last line of trees, he entered into a small clearing on the other side dominated by a low hill. There was a small trail of smoke coming from just beyond the hill, faint enough that he only barely noticed it. Jack quickly crested the hill, and his mouth fell open at the sight on the other side.

There was a small camp that had been set in the field not far from another line of trees. The camp was dominated by no more than five men. Two of them looked to be rifling through a few backpacks and other possessions while the other three were chasing after someone low to the ground who was trying their best to crawl away from them. It was only once Jack got a little closer that he saw the one trying to climb away was a woman as the men chasing her loomed ever closer.

“Stop right there!” yelled Jack as he unslung his NT-12 rifle from his shoulder and slipped off his horse. He moved quickly on his feet, approaching the remains of a tree stump that stuck out prominently in the space just to his left.

He caught the three men’s attention almost immediately as they doubled back and temporarily forgot about the woman. She kept crawling away as the men unsheathed their own pistols and began to fire at him.

Jack darted behind the tree stump and felt the force of several shots as they slammed into the wood in front of him. He waited for them to stop shooting before hazarding a glance over the stump and firing off a few bursts from the rifle.

His first burst was deadly accurate, sending one of the men down quickly with a gut wound. He wouldn’t be alive much longer, but his comrades were eager to avenge his loss. Jack barely ducked his head back down while the next few bullets came whistling just over the stump.

“Get out of here. This isn’t your fight,” one of them yelled from just beyond the ridge. More shots rang out as the woman screamed from a distance.

“It’s my fight now!” yelled Jack as he rolled out from the stump once more and fired off a few more bursts. His recent training had paid off, and luckily for him, his recent wounds didn’t seem to hinder him too badly. The next shot struck the second man in the shoulder and took him down easily while the third man took cover, laying flat against the ground.

Jack could see off in the distance that the other two men who had been rifling through the woman’s possessions had taken off, quickly dashing into the forests to make a quick getaway. Finally, it was only Jack and the third man, both sparring off against each other in one last round.

“You can have the girl,” said the man finally, yelling out with a voice mixed with fear and adrenaline. “Just let me go and there will be no trouble!”

His words only seemed to enrage Jack. The man only saw the woman as a bargaining chip to save his own skin, which paled in the face of what he and the other men were planning to do with her. Jack raised his head enough to get off another shot but missed and ducked his head down low again.

The third man must have seen his chance because in the space of a few seconds, he bolted up from the ground and began to sprint headlong into the forested area behind them. It wasn't so far away that he didn't have a reasonable chance of reaching it before Jack could get a shot in, but he wouldn't be so lucky today. A few feet from the tree line, Jack calmly brought the sight to his eye and let out of a burst of two rounds.

One shot pierced the man's shoulder blade and sent him toppling along head first into ground. He didn't get up again.

Even though the fight had felt longer than it should, it had only lasted a minute or two at most, and as Jack began to get back on his feet, he heard the sounds of the rest of the group behind him.

"What the hell happened here?" asked Greg after looking at the bodies and the carnage.

"They started firing on me as soon as they saw me. There's a girl down there. They were attacking her," said Jack while gesturing to the forested area in which the two men escaped.

Greg's expressions hardened. "Did you kill them all?"

"Two got away," said Jack. "Cover my left side while I go in this direction. We might be able to catch them."

The two of them moved off in their stated directions as Elektra remained behind to guard her father, Nikias, and Vera. Jack crept slowly along in a crouching position, never quite knowing if those other two attackers could have paused and waited until he got closer to pick him off at short range. He stepped over the body of one of the original three, the man still groaning and apparently alive. Jack bent down and picked up the man's pistol as a precaution but knew from the wound that he wouldn't be dangerous to anyone for much longer.

It was once he reached a small dip in the land right before the forest that he caught sight of the woman once more. She was huddled against a tree and watching him with fearful eyes, trying to discern his intentions. Her eyes flickered back and forth between his face and his rifle, unsure whether he would be friend or foe. After determining that the danger had largely passed, he pointed his rifle at the ground and approached her with one hand raised.

"I don't mean you any harm," he said to her as her face softened. "I saw them attacking you and I couldn't let that happen."

"How did you see us?" she asked, her expression changing to confusion.

"I heard someone scream from the road," said Jack as he pointed back to where they came from. "Was that you?"

Recognition dawned on the woman's face and she slowly nodded. She brought herself to her feet and brushed some of the mud off her trousers. It was then that Jack noticed just how stunning she was, despite his best intentions. The woman wore an outfit designed to be inconspicuous, her trousers and blouse a deep, forest green color, but it still couldn't hide the mass of blonde hair spilling out from the back of her hood or her gorgeous sky-blue eyes.

Before Jack could look any further at her features, the woman put her hand to her mouth and darted back to the middle of the open field.

"Wait a second," yelled Jack as she rushed away from him. He followed behind her until she reached a spot several yards away and fell to her knees.

"Jacob! No!" she cried once she hit the ground, clutching something to her chest.

That something was an older man who had been lying prone on the ground. As soon as Jack got closer, he could see the man was clearly dead. He had a nasty wound in his gut and not far from his body laid a bloody knife against the ground.

The woman began to weep against his chest, letting loose a steady stream of tears at the poor man's death. Jack was lost for words, not knowing who the man was in relation to her or even who she was for that matter.

As the others arrived and watched the scene unfold with the blonde woman, Jack once again reached her and sunk to his knees beside her. He had the urge to comfort her in some manner and felt some kind of bond with the woman, despite her unfamiliarity. Whoever this man was on the ground, he had clearly been important to her.

"I'll help you with a funeral pyre," he said quietly to the woman. "Nobody deserves a death like this."

She wiped a tear from her cheek. "I appreciate your offer, but it is not our custom. We don't burn our dead, we bury them."

Jack nodded. "Not a problem. I just assumed you were Sorellan. We also bury our dead where I'm from."

In that moment, her head spun to lock her gaze on him. The intensity of her sky-blue eyes nearly toppled him with their power. "I appreciate your offer. Jacob was the best companion anyone could ask for, and now that he's gone, I don't know how I'll go on."

Jack nodded. "This is a bad time to be alone out here in the countryside. Roaming bands of ex-soldiers and thieves are no place for the unarmed."

"It was no place for Jacob either," she said quietly.

"What were you doing out here? Do you live nearby?" asked Jack.

The woman quickly shook her head. "We're not from this island but we were on our own quest. To fulfill an ancient prophecy."

Jack blinked several times without responding. Prophecy? Quest? They seemed like words out of a story from his childhood. Something not to be believed by adults. Yet here this woman was, sobbing over the body of her dead companion and proclaiming to be on their own mission for prophecy. It all seemed a bit far-fetched and fantastical, and he truly didn't know how to respond to her.

Finally, the woman raised her head after pressing an affectionate kiss against the deceased man's cheek. "Thank you for saving me. If you hadn't arrived, I don't know what would have been my fate." Her piercing gaze had a way of striking deep into his very soul.

"When I heard the scream, I just reacted. I couldn't let anything happen to you," said Jack a bit more truthfully than he would have liked. He slowly extended his hand. "My name is Jack Easterbrook."

She looked at his hand for several moments to study it before her gaze locked on his face. A very faint smile filled her lips before she responded. "My name is Kat."

"I can't leave you alone out here, Kat. It's just too dangerous. We're on our own mission, and we can help to make sure you get to the next town safely, but it won't be easy."

She nodded slowly. "We live in dangerous times—that is for certain," she said cryptically before turning her gaze back to him. "If you'd let me accompany you, I'd be very grateful."

Jack smiled gently. "Of course, Kat."

Kat opened her mouth to say something else but before the sound came out, Jack heard his name called from several yards away.

"Jack! This one's still alive," said Greg as he held up one of the attackers by the arm. The man groaned at the sudden movement and his head hung limply against his body.

"Hold on just a minute, Kat, okay? We're going to see who was responsible for this," said Jack to the blonde woman before he pushed up from his knees and approached his Marine comrade.

By this point, the rest of the group had gathered around and approached what remained of the tiny battlefield. Both Heron and Nikias were inspecting two of the dead men while Elektra kept watch. Vera was watching with an apprehensive look while Greg hovered over the one that was still alive and waited for his commander.

Jack reached the man quickly and took stock of his wounds. He was the man that had been hit first and his hands were still clutching his gut and the hole left from Jack's rifle. Disturbingly enough, the man's intestines were visible from the wound, even as one portion threatened to spill out of the opening.

Jack had no time for patience or subtlety. He put the barrel of his rifle directly into the man's wound and applied the adequate pressure. Predictably, the man screamed out in pain.

"I'll make this very easy for you," said Jack through gritted teeth. "I'll end your suffering here quickly, but only if you tell me who you are and why you attacked these two people."

The man cried out in pain once more. "Take it out, take it out!" he yelled.

"Who are you?" roared Jack. "Tell me now!"

"My name is Zeno! Zeno, I'm Zeno . . . fuck!" screamed the man in pain. Jack let off the pressure and allowed the man some breathing space.

"Why did you attack that woman? What did you want?"

"Gold! Just money! Any coin or something valuable!" said the man with a grimaced expression. "We were told they'd have it!"

"Who told you?" pressed Jack.

"Our leader! The robber, Melitos!" he screamed.

"Who the hell is Melitos, and where can I find him?" said Jack while he pressed the barrel into the man's gut once more.

The man screamed in agony once more. "He's a thief, fuck! His hideout is nearby. It's near the Dark Forest! On the west side—no, east side! Fuck, it hurts so bad—so very bad!"

Jack let the pressure slip once more. The man's hysterical screaming didn't seem to be helping the cause, and the great amount of blood that was seeping from the wound meant he wouldn't last much longer.

"How many men does he have? Why is he targeting innocent people? Who does he work for?" pressed Jack, watching while the man's face slowly turned pale. The man began to choke, managing to cough up a wad of blood but nothing close to resembling any further answers.

Jack let his rifle fall to the ground as he grabbed the man by his shirt and pulled him forward. "Answer me! Who does he work for?"

More gargling sounds and blood oozed from the man's mouth before he finally began to shake with a great tremor. The man whispered one name, and the sound of it to Jack's ears made him grit his teeth in anger. Suddenly, just as quickly as the man's tremors started, they stopped. He was dead.

Jack let the man fall to the ground as the rest of the group surrounded him. Several specks of blood now dotted his jacket and his face, but his expression remained calm and filled with resolve.

Heron was the first to speak. "What do you want to do, Jack?"

Jack looked to Nikias first. "How far away is the Dark Forest from here?"

Nikias' eyes rolled up in thought. "Maybe half a day to the west. We need to pass by it on the path to get to Mount Tarpeious."

"Good," said Jack with quiet determination. "We're going to pay a visit to Melitos on the way."