The retinue quickly departed from the lands of the Earldom of Otranto toward the city of Edna, on the border with the Earldom of Ahmedapacha, one of the largest cities in Ulheim.
The party quickly began to split into two separate groups, which would finally part ways in Edna.
From there, Tolrik would head to the headquarters of the Shadow Branch Sect, the Isle of Dawn, to continue his training as a Warden. After all, unlike Ulrika and Benia, he was not an official Warden.
And so, with no time to rest, the entire retinue set off practically the very next day from the clan's seat.
This left a fatigued Ducanor speechless as he followed the considerably reduced retinue; after all, several servants and slaves had been left behind at the clan as makeshift labor and temporary guards, given that the clan's garrison was missing.
Ducanor was practically the only one left with the group, forced to follow Tolrik and the rest.
But the fatigue on his face wasn't due to the previous day's wounds, but rather because practically all the work previously handled by the slaves and servants was now in Ducanor's hands. From setting up camp and driving the wagon to preparing food for his new masters.
"It would have been better to stay in a coma," Ducanor grunted in annoyance, as he irritably washed the rest of the group's dirty clothes and sleeping blankets in a nearby stream.
Ducanor's awakening had been abnormal, even to the clan lord's elderly advisor, a man named Dracma.
He had looked with surprise at the abnormality on Ducanor: a slit the length of half a finger in the middle of his forehead, which was covered in golden scales. According to his own words, it was likely a mutation awakened by extreme danger.
Practically an unknown innate ability, which had granted Ducanor two skills: first, an absurd regeneration, as he had easily recovered his severed hand; and secondly, nothing less than the ability to cover his hands in extremely hard golden armor.
Two abilities that Ducanor did not view favorably.
"Now it's harder for me to die, and I'm practically an immortal turtle." These words were not refuted by the group, which was why Ducanor had been sent along with Tolrik to follow him and then serve Ulrika and Benia.
Meanwhile, his mission or tasks upon arriving in Edna remained unknown to him.
"You work too hard to be complaining. Did you perhaps fall in love with one of the little princesses?" asked a curious voice behind him.
Surprised, Ducanor hastily turned around to see a familiar person he hadn't expected to see again. "Julia... What are you doing here? If they see you..."
Before he could say anything, he was pushed toward the water as his lips were sealed by Julia's own.
Her tongue entered his mouth like a tentacle, beginning to suck and wrestle violently with his own tongue, to the point where pleasure melded with physical pain; a pleasure that wasn't solely caused by her tongue.
Her hands had already traced his body, and the water of the stream couldn't extinguish her passion as he saw her translucent figure pressing against him.
"What are you doing here?" Ducanor whispered this time with a confused expression after she parted her lips from his, forming a silver bridge of saliva.
"Saying goodbye," she murmured just as softly.
Ducanor remained silent, waiting for her to explain, and she did...
Sort of.
"The Slave Seal they put on me was a rather weak one," Julia said with indifference and a certain arrogance as she laughed. "They probably thought I was an ordinary noble, but what they don't know is that my innate ability allows me to bypass any normal contract or restriction. Hehe, if it had been a Slave Seal meant for a Mortal Lord it probably wouldn't have been the same, but I got lucky."
Julia's words brought a certain relief to Ducanor, who sighed, though his frown still deepened. "Why are you here? You need to leave, if they find you..."
Ducanor's expression showed a sincere concern that made Julia smile even wider. She merely watched him grow increasingly confused by her apparent indifference to the danger.
He didn't understand the fickle heart of a woman.
"I already told you: to say goodbye. Besides, I have very little energy left and I need some masculine essence to be ready," Julia said with a seductive smile as she stood up, leaning her slender but feminine figure against a tree.
Her chest was already exposed due to the fall, and her body, despite it being night, was flushed and covered in drops of water and sweat.
"Um... we aren't that far away, Julia. If they hear us, you could..." Ducanor's worried words were more for Julia's sake than his own.
"Or are you not man enough to answer when a girl invites you? Or are you scared?" she asked in a provocative and haughty tone that reminded Ducanor of their first interaction. It seemed Julia's personality only became this dominant when she was aroused.
To which Ducanor responded with her same arrogance; after all, he was no pushover.
"Ehh?" she exclaimed in surprise when Ducanor's hand covered her mouth, stifling her imminent scream of shock at his sudden action.
Grabbing her buttocks firmly, Ducanor simply pushed Julia's underwear aside and thrust his manhood without foreplay into the werewolf's wet cunt.
Her tail twitched uncontrollably, echoing her silent pleasure as she bit and sucked on the fingers blocking her mouth. She knew she couldn't scream, but even so, as a weak resistance or punishment to Ducanor, she bit his hand and struck his chest with her tail.
"Do you want it softer?" he murmured into her wolf ears, sending a shiver down Julia's spine. She tightened her inner walls even more, increasing Ducanor's arousal and pleasure as much as her own.
"Mhhaha..." a muffled sound of agreement slipped from her mouth.
A moan that Ducanor did not obey as he fiercely pounded the lycan's womb with his manhood, to the point that her body leaning against the tree and her legs trembled like a newborn fawn.
With his body pressing completely against hers, their faces were mere inches apart, despite the height difference. She looked up with eyes clouded with desire.
A desire that Ducanor, being the good Samaritan he was, was all too happy to satisfy.
..... .....
—AUDIO LOG— —Peregrina Tordespa Portugal— —Date of log: Unknown. —Location: City of Edna.
(...)
Peregrina: The location where the [REDACTED] is situated has been investigated by my agents. For now, we haven't discovered any signs of obvious treason.
(pause) (slow breathing)
But the movements are suspicious; there are dozens, if not hundreds, of suspicious high-ranking individuals appearing in the city. It almost looks like a nest for a conspiracy.
The question now would be, against whom.
Against the Hegemon in Tara? Against the Lord of Ulheim? Against the Feys? Against the Giants? The cults are quiet but still present. There doesn't seem to be an Empire presence, but I can't guarantee anything.
Something is brewing in the city, and the fact that I don't know what it is doesn't please me at all.
Even so, I have located what appears to be their target. I don't know if it's a base of operations or a gathering place, but it seems to be an underground site.
(silence) (sounds of things moving)
For now, I will send in some of my agents. If the situation warrants it, I might intervene.
By the Dead Gods, I hope that isn't the case.
—END OF LOG—
.....
Two female figures walked through underground passageways that seemed naturally formed, though others appeared to be artificially carved tens of millennia ago, older even than the Fey civilization as a whole.
The duo of Benia and Ulrika were dressed not in their martial gear, but rather in tight, sensual dresses that highlighted their attributes in completely different ways.
Ulrika's body was much more mature than Benia's; she had ink-black hair, pale skin, and deep blue eyes. Her dress accentuated her thighs, her wide hips, and her thick legs.
Unlike her, Benia was much slimmer and flatter-chested, but she had slender legs and a narrow waist, as well as a beautiful, youthful face.
Neither of them was over twenty-five years old, yet despite everything, they had killed more than many experienced soldiers. They were Wardens, meaning their willpower was much stronger than anyone else's.
"What are you thinking about, Benia?" Ulrika asked curiously. The tension in the latter had been quite high since they left the north weeks ago; they had moved quickly to arrive in time for the ritual.
But even though they had conversed normally all this time, there was a certain restlessness in Benia's mind that she could feel.
"Nothing," she said, slightly startled as they kept walking. "What do you think we'll find in this place? Maybe some therianthropes?" she asked, trying to change the subject.
"I hope it's just that," Ulrika said with a sharp gaze, setting aside Benia's concerns for the moment to focus. "If by chance there is a vampire or a high-ranking member of the Blood Race, then we'll have problems."
"Yeah, I hope we don't run into a Dhar—"
Suddenly, her voice stopped at the sound of something moving, despite them not carrying their battle gear and being practically unarmed.
Quickly, Benia muttered, "Chakra, Energy," as she materialized a small orb of energy at her fingertip, focusing on the figure that was approaching.
"Wait, wait. I'm not an enemy, I'm your ally."
Suddenly, a slender and not-too-tall figure emerged from the shadows; he barely reached two meters, making him even a bit shorter than Benia.
He had a rough, rather pale face, giving him an unfriendly aura, and as he stood up, he seemed quite arrogant and pedantic despite his appearance.
"You are Ek Thor?" Benia grunted in disbelief, slightly surprised by their contact's appearance.
"What? Did I steal your heart, witch? Hmph, don't think too highly of yourself. You people are damn giant and deformed; besides, those tits aren't physically possible," Ek Thor grunted in annoyance, pointing at Benia, who was left dumbfounded. But when his gaze fell on Ulrika, the guy's eyes widened like saucers. "What the fuck... How do you have such huge tits? Did you inject oil into them?" he asked, astounded.
The result of those words was a beating and a stream of insults from both women, who quickly threatened the guy with poison to finally extract information from him.
And so, in a rather strange way, the infiltration mission had begun.