Dink awoke naked with a satisfied grin, feeling the morning sun warming the inside of the mana tent. He was comfortably sandwiched between two beautiful Halfling women. Riva slept chaotically sprawled on one side, lightly snoring. Her lustrous red hair blanketed his arm. Tahlea was the opposite, nestling in close to his chest. He leaned up to brush aside her blonde hair, revealing a peaceful smile. He could feel a storm of emotions transmitted through his bond.

Estra doesn't seem very happy, I can feel her disapproval. I better go and see what her problem is.

Dink carefully extracted himself from the pair of gorgeous women. He gently pulled aside the blanket, pausing to admire their exquisite bodies until Tahlea stirred. Seeing her sleeping expression turning sour, he quickly covered her with the fur blanket. She moaned happily, moving closer to Riva, snuggling close.

He heard a loud yawn behind him while fastening his pants. He turned to see Riva dramatically yawning. The blanket fell aside, putting her incredible breasts on full display. She turned over onto her belly to rest her head in her palms to watch Dink dress, disrupting Tahlea. Who groaned in dissatisfaction, clinging to her and placing her head on Riva’s firm ass to use as a pillow, immediately falling back to sleep. Dink’s face flushed as he drank in the sight of her cleavage pressed together.

“Don’t tempt me, girl. We have things to accomplish today,” Dink admonished, pulling on his ragged vest. He picked up his bastard sword, buckling it across his shoulders.

“Tell me, why do you wear ragged clothes while Murkuk doesn’t?” Riva asked.

“Sigh, you wouldn’t understand. I am no longer who I once was. Rags are more fitting for the likes of me. Forget about it, no more questions,” Dink wistfully replied, flicking open the tent flap to exit.

Leaving the tent, Dink tripped over something just outside the doorway. It yelped as he stumbled forward, managing to regain his balance. Looking behind him, he found Murkuk groggily sitting up, rubbing his eyes. He was looking around in confusion for the reason he was unexpectedly woken up.

"Ugh, what are you doing laying there?" Dink asked.

"Axion says… guard…Chieftain……" Murkuk answered.

"Why did he tell you to do that for?" Dink asked in confusion, pausing to look at him.

Murkuk didn't speak, pointing toward the cart in response. Dink looked to where he pointed, only to be met with a death glare from Estra in the cart bed. Her meditation was no longer in effect as she sat cross-legged.

Dink heavily sighed, choosing to walk toward her. He was passing the smouldering remains of the burned-out wagon when Axion intercepted him. He halted him with a hand out in front of his chest.

"Dink, I don't think it's wise to talk to her, right now. I had to stop her from barging into your tent mid-romp more than once last night. In the end, I post your pet like a guard dog outside just so I could get some rest," Axion advised.

"That might be a good idea, she doesn't look too pleased with me right now," Dink agreed, warily looking at Estra glaring at him

A mischievous glint entered Axion's eye as he looked towards the tent. The large lion man pulled at the beads braided into his mane.

"On second thought, I can help you out by getting the girls up and ready. I'm sure you can sort things out with Lady Estra on your own?" Axion playfully asked, a sly grin forming on his face.

"Haha, you wish cat-boy. They would eat a little kitten like you alive," Dink retorted with a laugh.

"Ah, I think you might be right. But, a kitten can dream," Axion joked, walking toward Estra and humming a merry tune.

***

Everyone was dressed and ready to leave, seated in their places on the cart. Axion and Estra sat on the driver's bench while the rest sat in the back on the cart bed. Dink and the wife-pair together with Murkuk opposite.

Dink could feel the tangible tension in the air. Estra wasn't facing him, but her silent anger was apparent through their bond. Riva and Tahlea pressed their buxom chests against him, vying for his attention.

He paid no heed to what they were saying, he was too busy being overwhelmed by Estra's rampaging emotions. Axion leaned over the bench to survey everyone, turning back with a satisfied grunt.

"Alright, we're all ready to leave now. Lady Estra, could you please get us back to the road?" Axion said, taking hold of Betsy's reins.

He flicked the reigns as Dink felt the familiar feeling of mana being summoned. In response, a swirling mist formed of light gathered beneath Betsy's hooves, lifting her and the cart upward. The mule loudly objected with a hee-haw, before reluctantly walking forward. With each step she took, the mystical light created a road for her to walk on.

They retraced their path through the woods back to the road, the cart was miraculously stable as they passed through the difficult terrain. Logs and leaves failed to impede their passage until they reached the bloated corpses of the bandits. The tall grass of the abandoned field was visible just beyond the treeline.

"Are those… bite marks?" Riva asked.

Dink leaned out the side of the cart bed to investigate. Tahlea reached out to prevent him from potentially falling off. She peeked over his shoulder to look too, involuntarily tightening her grip on Dink's arm for comfort after seeing the remains.

"Yes, they are. They're not from an animal, either. It looks like our addict friend returned for a midnight rendezvous," Dink answered, sitting back in the cart.

"That's statistically probable," Tahlea agreed, nodding her head before turning away.

"Good thing Murkuk got rid of some of the corpses. We just didn't get rid of the leader. It looks like the patrolman uniform is gone too. Oh, well," Dink added.

They crossed through the tall grass without mishap, making it safely to the road. Betsy hesitated a moment seeing the ditch in front of her before bravely crossing over after urging from Axion.

On the other side, Betsy was gracefully put down while the heavy cart slammed onto the road, scattering the passengers from their seats. Estra slyly glanced over her shoulder, watching their distress.

"Ouch, what was that for?" Riva asked, vigorously rubbing her aching ass.

Dink only got a strong sense of satisfaction transmitted through the bond in response. She silently turned to face the road, practically bouncing in her seat in joy at her childish display of displeasure.