The rumble of the carriages changed for the first time in nearly a week as the dirt road ended, replaced by one of flat cobbled stone. This was the Gabrielle road, running parallel to its namesake river further into the northern mountains.

 

On the river itself, rafts of freshly felled logs were pulled behind large boats with dozens of rowers to the sawmills here on the outskirts of the city. Later, the lumber they produced would go on to Fort Ettene’s shipyards to fuel Tarras’s unquenchable thirst for naval power.

Kalia watched as the mill workers hoisted logs up ramps and into the serrated teeth of the sawblades to be split apart. Even now as the sky darkened with the evening, they kept up their work under oil lamps and potted moonweed.

 

The last time Kalia had been to Fort Ettene, she had had a lengthy conversation with one of these workers. It didn’t pay well, injuries were common, and hours were long. Still, the need for lumber was ever-present and the number of unemployed was growing. For many people, slivers and back pain kept food in their pantries and doors on their hinges.

 

Normal work like that puzzled Kalia.

She couldn’t picture herself in a routine like that no matter how hard she tried, yet somehow she felt a pang of jealousy for those workers all the same. It was tough and backbreaking, but the worker had expressed a high degree of gratitude in the simple fact that it existed to keep him from going destitute when his business had failed.

As grueling as they were, the mills were a lifeline to catch the unlucky and give them a second chance at a brighter future.

A future that was alien to Kalia’s mind.

 

As the convoy moved onward and the city grew more developed, they came across a gate in the road manned by a few guards, one approaching with a hand outstretched.

“Halt!” He firmly commanded the lead merchant, his face partially hidden under a steel helmet.

 

“License.” He stated simply.

 

The merchant signaled for the wagons to stop and pointed to an engraved metal tablet nailed on the side of his bench.

 

“This is outdated. Do you have a new one?” The guard said after only looking at it for a couple seconds.

 

“What?” The merchant sputtered in disbelief, prompting the other 3 guards at the gate to step forward.

 

“Just what I said. New ones were issued so that one isn’t good anymore. Do you understand that? It’s expired. Now if you don’t have the proper one then please come with me so we can sort this out; the nearest barracks isn’t too far from here.” Said the guard, raising his tone.

 

“Whoa whoa! I’m a member of the V&D guild and I haven't heard any of this!” The merchant objected, holding his hands up defensively. “I’ll get a new license first chance I get of course, but it’s getting late and all of us are quite tired. Surely there’s a period of grace for this kind of thing, right?”

 

“Sir.” The guard said aggressively as the other guards approached. “We can deal with this quickly and easily if you just come with me to the barracks. Now dismount the carriage at once or you will not be allowed to pass these gates.”

 

The four mercenaries all tensed up, hands wandering closer to each of their respective weapons as they watched the other merchant join into the argument.

 

Kalia held her breath with her fingers inches from Blackberry’s hilt. This was a tricky situation, and not just because of the potential for a fight to erupt.

In Fort Ettene, causing problems for any part of the local government was a great way to have an anonymous bounty placed on your head. 

On the other hand, her contract with the V&D guild stated both that she was required to defend the merchants and that she couldn’t interfere with anything on the business side of the convoy.

 

She looked to Codrin, who was usually the person to go to regarding the nitty gritty of their job.

“Hey.” Kalia said under her breath. “What are we supposed to do here?”

 

“Ah.” The party’s leader sighed. “Just listen to the merchants for now and don’t do anything sudden. I’m going to try assembling a bribe. It was stupid to not have one prepared in the first place.”

 

“Hey! What are you doing back there?” One of the other guards barked, causing both Kalia and Codrin to freeze in place.

 

Before either of them could respond, another voice started up. It was loud and pompous, the type Kalia would get bored of after a couple drinks.

Both mercenaries turned around, immediately startled upon seeing the voice’s owner.

 

“Me? What the fuck are you millers doing!?” Shouted Thomas of all people, dismounting his wagon with a firm *Clack* on the cobbles with his nice shoes.

 

“Enforcing the bloody law, boy. But I suppose that the law doesn’t apply to a rich bastard like yourself.” 

 

As Thomas walked forwards, Kalia saw that he was a full head shorter than the guard; a heavyset man with a beard that ran down to his collar. Even without including armor, the guard was probably twice his weight. It was nothing compared to Davy of course, but the guard's voracious attitude made up for it.

 

“I should hope your wife isn’t too unhappy then, since you seem to be so hasty. The anti-smuggling laws don’t come into effect until next month.”  Thomas said, noticing the band of marriage around the guard’s wrist.

 

The guard's eyes widened for a second before turning to fully face Thomas. In three strides, the guard had closed the distance between the two and was staring down the younger man uncomfortably close.

 

“The guard isn’t to be disrespected, sprout.” He spat. “Without us your bones would be carved into arrowheads and talismans by umbers and your flesh would be in a ‘squatch’s belly.”

 

“Right, right!” Thomas laughed. “I suppose I should be thankful since your mere presence has been dissuading raids for the last 30 years. I hope you and your buddies have been enjoying all of your free time now that you aren’t needed.”

 

The guard sighed deeply, took a deep breath and stretched his shoulders.

 

“Alright kiddo, it’s been fun, but I think we should call it here.” The guard said calmly before whistling to his comrades who began to approach with a set of cuffs.

“By the order of Captain Laurence Jean-Petir, fifth division of the Fort Ettene guard; you are hereby under arrest. Lay face down with your hands behind your back or we will use potentially lethal force to bring you into custody.”

 

“Oh? What am I being charged with?” Asked Thomas, unbuttoning his coat for some reason.

 

“Obstruction of justice.” Said the guard, unholstering his mace. “And from the looks of it, resisting arrest as well.”

 

Thomas’s coat had slackened around his shoulders, fully undone and revealing a symbol embroidered on his shirt in black thread. Quickly, the lead guard’s hand shot up into the air to signal the others to stop.

 

“I feel as if we”ve dodged around our original topic a bit, good sir.” Thomas said. “ I do wonder how news of your little extortion skit would be received by your commanding officer. In fact, I was coming to town to go to the grand hall anyway, so I may as well pay him a visit while I’m there. Laurence was your name, right?”

 

Laurence was stunned. He had been set up by this boy, this fucking brat, who had the sign of the bloody Syer stitched to his chest. 

The loan sharks nipping at his heels were bad enough, but he was able to fend them off thanks to his position on the guard. Without it though, he’d be in mortar shoes at the bottom of the river within a week.

 

“Captain, what are you doing?” One of the other guards called out as Laurence stood limply in place.

 

“What do you want? What can I do to make it as if this never happened?” Laurence asked meekly, Kalia cupping to hear him as his voice quieted.

 

“Well, I’d like for you to open the gate. That is your job isn’t it?” Thomas asked.

 

“And then?” The guard asked back, apprehension growing on his breath.

 

“No, that’s all.” Thomas affirmed. “All we want is just to eat something hot and go to bed.”

 

“And you're just gonna let me off the hook like that?” Laurence asked, wide eyed.

 

“Look, I’m just tired. We all are. If it makes you feel better I’ll look out for an opportunity to blackmail you or something. Can we go now?” Thomas asked sourly, half turning around.

 

“I- Um- sure. Ok.” Laurence sputtered, waving his underlings to stand down. 

Gods, how much longer until my shift is over- he thought, eager to pour something alcoholic down his throat as soon as he could.

 

Thomas strolled backwards and pulled himself back up to his wagon, tumbling onto a fur as breathing a sigh of relief. He was unable to relax completely, however, as Codrin was conspicuously staring daggers into him from the carriage aft.

 

“The hell were you taunting him like that for?!” Codrin cried as soon as they were out of earshot of the gate. “You shoulda’ just showed him that damned thing in the beginning and got it over with!”

 

“So was that a real outburst or didja just pull that outa your ass?” Kalia excitedly asked next, not giving Thomas a moment to reply to the party leader.

 

“Nah, half of me thought that he was gonna slug me in the gut the moment I got close.” Thomas confessed, ignoring Codrin entirely.

 

As he witnessed this, Codrin sighed and broke off from the conversation, muttering “Ah. I see.” Under his breath.

 

“Aww, you could at least lie a bit.” Kalia teased. “Good mercs know to never let someone know when you’ve nearly shit your pants.

 

“Well then I’m afraid to say that I’m no merc. I work for a delusional rich lady.” Thomas said before sarcastically adding: “Much more respectable.” 

 

“Hey, well, does the rich lady mind if her shipment is delayed until next morning?” Kalia asked. “The sun’s setting and This sea breeze is fuckin chilling me to the bone. I’ll treat ya to a bowl of chowder and as much edenic wine as you can keep down.”

 

Thomas chuckled.

“I mean, she won’t be expecting me back at any specific time.” He pondered. “But I don’t know exactly how her oracle powers work, so she might already know that I’m back.”

 

“Eh, she likes you. Plus, coming up with a plausible excuse for this should be really easy.” Kalia said, pushing his concerns under the rug. 

“Say, here’s one you could use: A new friend decided to buy you some drinks and poor little Tom-Tom was just too polite to say no!”

 

“Tom-Tom?” Thomas exclaimed. “That’s even less masculine than Tommy!”

 

“Aww, poor you. If you hate it so much then you should try and find a way to get me to stop.” Kalia teased, smiling sharkishly.

_________________

 

Made from reused bits of old ships and located on the wealthier side of the port, the Middle Mast was a Tavern that catered to both the merchant and sailor. Haphazardly decorating its interior were numerous bits and bobs taken from ships and beasts alike, from simply large ropes and netting to trophies taken from the corpses of the unsightliest of monsters.

While it certainly wasn’t the fine example of class that could be found in pubs higher up the mountain, it still sat well above the bottom layer of grease and soot that coated the floors of some places.

 

Not wanting to wait for a server, Kalia and Davriel brought over the food and drink themselves from the bar to their booth located under the giant head-sized beak of a sea-wraith. 

At the moment, they were still waiting on Codrin to return from the warehouse where he was finalizing their contract and collecting their pay.

Since the merchants had gone with him, that just left Davy, Angela, and Thomas from the mercs, as well as Thomas, who had decided that he wasn’t in the mood to separate his own freight from the rest and drive it across the city after dark.

 

Davy set down chowder and bread for the four of them, while Kalia brought over the drinks and a large hunk of cured fipinnid meat to be shared between them.

She placed down an enormous mug of dark lager for Davy, 2 goblets of strong wine for herself, simple water for Angela and the house ale for Thomas.  

 

Since the lot of them had already been waiting for Codrin to return for quite some time, there was little hesitation in the movement of their cutlery as soon as they were all seated. 

 

“So how did you all get in the mercenary business?” Thomas asked once his own bowl was half empty. “I can’t imagine that it’s anyone's dream profession.”

 

“Actually, it’s more common than you’d think.” Davy answered first, having already finished off the entire meal. “I’ve met quite a few young men who just want to fight and get away from their parents. Being a banded merc often happens to be exactly what they're looking for.”

 

“Of course as contractors, we’re all a bit different from that.” He continued. “We were all out of work at some point and had the ability to fight, so it’s really just circumstances that led us here.”

 

Thomas took a drink of ale, cringing a bit at the harsh taste but trying not to show it.

 

“Well, tell me those then, if you don’t mind.” Thomas asked, gulping down his drink to get it over with.

 

“Right, well, after I lost my last job down south I started wandering up the coast looking for the right place to stick around. Never really found that, but I ran into Kal and Cod in Blackbay and they needed help driving looters off a shipwreck for the Warwell Company.” Davy explained. “Kalia was an acquaintance of mine, so she managed to rope me into helping out. Happened nearly three years ago, and I haven’t yet found something I’d prefer to be doing.”

 

“So the group was founded by Codrin and Kalia then. Can you tell me about that now or should we wait for Codrin to get back?” Thomas said, turning to Kalia.

 

“Oh, Codrin’s my big brother.” Kalia slurred slightly, having finished both goblets of wine already. “I guess I just sorta followed him when he started roaming around the frontier. Wasn’t really a group until Davy showed up.”

 

“Oh really? That’s surprising.” Thomas exclaimed. “You two don’t look at all alike and I had taken Codrin as their younger one.”

 

Kalia froze. A wave of something unpleasant washing over her face.

 

“Whoa man, you really don’t have much experience talking to women, do you?” Davy chuckled, giving Thomas a slap on the back.

 

The others hadn’t reacted to the comment about her age because Kalia hadn’t told anyone about that part of her gift. Not even Pops. She had thought about it for ages, but it had always just felt like the wrong thing to do. 

Pestering people was one thing, but directly doing something that she knew would make someone sad just didn’t sit right.

 

Kalia exited the booth and stood up, motionless standing still and staring into space for a few moments.

 

“Kal?” Angela asked, the previous conversation having come to a halt entirely.

 

Kalia strode over to the bar and dropped 2 bronze mids on the counter.

“Kray.” She called out through the window to the tavern’s kitchen. “I’m grabbing this bottle of tollshire.” She said, reaching over the bar to snatch a bottle of red wine and uncorking it at once.

 

The cook said something back to her, but Kalia didn’t pay any attention to what was said since the tone didn’t sound too worried. 

 

Kalia lifted the bottle to her lips as she rose up the stairs to the room she had rented, leaving both her worries and her friends behind her.

 

…

 

A dreadful knocking reverberated through Kalia’s head, so she drew her wine to her lips and tipped the bottle upwards.

As only a scant few drops fell onto her tongue, Kalia realized that the knocking was coming from the door to her room rather than the inside of her head.

 

“Are you still mad?” Came Thomas’s voice from somewhere on the other side.

 

Kalia attempted to set the empty bottle of wine down on her bedside table, but a clattering sound on the floor soon afterwards told her that she had failed.

 

“M’ Not mad at you.” She said after a few moments of chaotic contemplation.

“I just… stopped having fun. That's all.”

 

“Right.” Thomas said doubtfully.

“Well, I at least still want to apologize for my own peace of mind, so Feel free to point the blame at whatever you want.”

 

“No man, you really didn’t do anything wrong.” Kalia cut in before Thomas could get another word out.

“Please, I’d just be happiest if you’d just leave and pretend that nothing happened.”

 

Kalia stared at the door for a few seconds as no sound came from the other side, before she broke the silence herself after noticing that she could hear no footsteps leaving.

“What’s wrong? Can’t a smart boy like yourself follow simple directions? Or are you too curious to ever leave a problem unsolved?” 

 

Another few seconds passed before Thomas spoke.

“I just don’t think that-

 

“Oh good god! Leaving isn’t a difficult thing to do.” Kalia interrupted as soon as she could. “You’re tired, aren’t you? Got to bed.”

 

Another bout of silence followed.

 

Growing tired of entertaining the young man’s drive to help, Kalia decided to change up her strategy. Before Thomas thought up another method of approach, she got up from the bead and walked over to the door.

 

The door swung inwards and Thomas came with it, stumbling to catch himself as the surface he had been leaning on disappeared.

 

As he staggered briefly, Thomas felt himself come into contact with something soft with his upper body. He quickly stepped backwards as soon as he was steady and looked to see what it was.

 

“You’re naked!” Thomas exclaimed, not covering his eyes at all.

 

“Wow! Brilliant deduction, detective. My lack of clothing does lead one to come under the impression that I may, in fact, be in the nude.” She answered dryly.

 

“Want some wine?” Kalia continued, walking back into the middle of the room to grab the empty bottle from the floor. “Oh, right. Never mind. Just sit down please.”

 

Kalia sat down on one side of her bed, leaving a noticeable empty space large enough for someone to sit down.

Thomas hesitated a bit before walking into the room and grabbing the chair from the room’s desk to sit down on.

 

Kalia shifted a bit to get comfortable, placing her palm under her chin to support her spinning head.

 

“Hey, back on the second night. The one where I chased off the Hobgoblin.” She started, squirming a bit to settle her intoxicated form.

“What were you going to do; had we not been interrupted?”

 

Thomas’s eyes drifted across the room for a moment, perhaps trying to avert from lingering on Kalia’s body for too long.

 

“I think I wanted to turn you down.” Thomas said, trying and failing to stare out into space.

 

“Don’t wanna be rude, but why’s that? It’s pretty obvious from here that you want to do a lot more than gawk at me. Plus, can’t imagine that you’d let me get away with half of this shit if you were interested in someone else.” Kalia observed, bouncing lightly on the bed to check its firmness.

 

“I dunno!” Thomas exclaimed with a motion of his hands. “I only knew you a day at the time and I guess I didn’t feel like I’d done anything to deserve your affection?”

 

“That’s dumb.” Kalia slurred back. “Sex ain’t deserved... Sex is an agreement made between people to give themselves to each other… Things like money or fame can be deserved, but people are better than things, so they can’t...” She rambled.

 

At this point, Thomas had gotten a pretty good look at Kalia’s current state. Her face was flushed, her nipples were erect, and she rubbed her thighs together passively as she spoke.

 

“Ehm… so what exactly do you want me to do then?” Thomas asked, fidgeting in his chair.”

 

“We’ll take this one step at a time, so that doesn’t matter for the moment. Instead what you should be asking me is what exactly I’ll let you do.” Kalia corrected, leaning onto her side to show off her body in the best way possible to where Thomas was seated.

“And the answer to that is: Whatever you want.”

 

Kalia smiled as Thomas' eyes grew wider. It was obvious that he had been trying to hide a growing erection since he had first entered the room; which was adorable considering she was already fully naked and quite wet.

 

“Ah, just one condition first.” Kalia said, holding up a finger. “Remember this: Back off when someone says to back off, even if it doesn’t make sense to you. People aren’t a problem to be solved and you have to respect their own perspectives. Keep this in mind both now and in general, and I’ll do my best to respect your wishes tonight, whether they be to join me or otherwise.”

 

The life lesion seemed to surprise Thomas, who clearly seemed to have his mind elsewhere at the moment. Quickly though, a more thoughtful look came to his face and he nodded.

 

“Alright.” He said stoically, standing up and stepping cautiously over to Kalia.

 

Kalia watched as Thomas circled the foot of the bed, following him with her head but keeping her body still. First he approached her and looked as if he was about to reach out and touch it, but no such thing happened. He then moved over to the other side of the bed.

 

“It’s like getting into a cold lake. It’ll be more comfortable if you just get it over with all at once instead of trying to wade in slowly.” Kalia said, trying to help.

“Also, maybe you should take off your clothes.”

 

Thomas agreed and began to disrobe, prompting Kalia to inspect the young man’s features for a change.

He was thinner than Kalia had thought, devoid of the slight plush that she was used to on most upper class men. His shoulders were decently wide to boot, and she figured that he would have a wonderful chest if he had been in a profession with much manual labor.

Finally, the man sported probably the straightest cock Kalia had ever seen. Jutting out like a ship's mast, it was of good size and had a very large head. Fitting, she supposed, considering the name of the tavern they were in.

 

Finally, Thomas made his move. Kneeling on the bed in front of her, he insisted both hands between her thighs and began to separate them. 

Obliging, Kalia showed off her flexibility by lifting the leg on top all the way up and hugging it against herself, her knee near her cheek and her foot above her head.

 

“Really? Most virgins I’ve known have got straight for my tits.” Kalia said, clutching one with her free hand to emphasize.

 

“I thought you said I could do what I wanted?” Thomas asked, a tad off put from being given a label.

 

“I reserve the right to give sass in all scenarios.” Kalia responded.

 

Thomas gazed at the glistening lips of Kalia’s cunt for a moment before he bent forwards and spread it between his thumb and index. 

 

“What are you? A doctor?” Kalia teased.

 

Apparently too preoccupied exploring her body, Thomas ran his other index finger slowly down Kalia’s nethers. Beginning on the hood, Thomas traced down the corner of the inner lips with moderate pressure. He passed over her clit and her urethra until his fingers reached her opening, plunging into the slick hood with no additional effort.

 

For a few minutes Thomas’s index and middle fingers scraped against the ridges of Kalia’s walls as she grew even wetter, a few bubbles even forming between them.

Satisfied and not wanting to push his luck further, Thomas withdrew his hand and watched as a long strand of fluid followed it, breaking after almost six inches.

 

“Okay, you can let that leg down now.” Thomas said, pushing Kalia from her side to her back and crawling further up her body.

 

Kalia did just that, and felt both of her shoulders come into contact with the bed as Thomas hovered over her; not yet quite up to her face.

Instead, he had moved on to her breasts; clutching one and running the nipple under his fanned-out fingers. It wasn’t exactly what she would call typical foreplay, but Kalia’s drunken mind was still able to salvage some comical enjoyment from the act.

 

Feeling a prodding down below, Kalia looked down past her breast as Thomas moved it out of the way to see his bulbous manhood dangling precariously close to her pussy; flopping against it at times as He moved around.

She considered holding the member still and impaling herself on it for a moment, but brushed the thought aside since she wanted to give Thomas as much agency as possible. This was a special night for him since every future encounter the two of them might have would likely involve her barking lessons in love making at the young man. He had to enjoy this grace period while it lasted.

 

With a final shimmy, Thomas rose once more to come face to face with Kalia, his cock now resting on the skin of her toned belly just under her navel.

 

“Ah, I see you’ve finally decided to join me up here.” Kalia said as Thomas as they looked into each other's eyes.. “How were the main attractions?”

 

“Oh, they were good, but I saved the best for last!” Thomas replied, stroking a finger against Kalia’s cheek romantically.

 

“HA!” She laughed. “Smooth fucker, aint’cha? Go on then. I’m waiting.”

 

A deep breath came from the young man as he realized what that meant, half-forgetting that he was already given the go-ahead to penetrate her whenever he felt like it.

 

Kalia placed her hands on Thomas’s lower back and realized that it felt different that she was used to. Unlike a lot of the dockside men, this part of his body was still narrow without any of the laborious lifting that was common around here. 

He was still so green around the edges, and Kalia had the honor of being the first one to take him. 

Even if a new pair of boots felt stiff, getting one was still an exciting feeling.

 

And now for the evening, that’s exactly what Thomas was: hers.

 

Frictionlessly, Kalia felt her pussy open up as Thomas drove himself inside her, and she found herself clutching at his boyish hips as his large head spread her wide.

 

“Ummg. Maybe I should call you ‘Mushroom’ from now on.” She moaned, not faking the expression nearly as much as she thought that she would have to,

 

“Okay, fine. But I’ll call you ‘Monsoon’ if you do.” Thomas teased back.

 

Kalia bent her back to rotate her pelvis forwards in response, suddenly driving Thomas even deeper and bottoming him out as far as her slick channel went.

 

Thomas shuddered, a light grunt of ‘Urmgh’ slipping out from his throat as he felt things he had never felt before.

 

From his perspective, the world seemed to stand still. Crickets outside frozen mid-chirp and his eternity passing in between each pulse of his partner’s heart.

 

For Kalia thought, things had only just begun.

 

Forgetting about her goal of letting Thomas go at his own pace, she propped up his waist with her elbows and drew her hips away from him, savoring the feeling created when the ridge around the base of his enormous glans scraped out her insides. 

Then she pushed back again and felt him sink deeper, painting her walls with thick precum and starting the process over again.

 

Whatever qualms Thomas may have had with Kalia taking over went unspoken, his face writhing in more sensations than he had ever felt before.

 

Realistically, Kalia hadn’t expected him to last as long as he was, it was his first time after all. So as she could feel his breathing growing quicker and his cock twitching faster, she began to vigorously massage her clitoris in a desperate effort to keep up.

 

“It’s- I’m-!” Was all Thomas managed to say as he thrusted his hips faster, their sex filling the room with wet noises and humidity.

 

Their climaxes weren’t perfectly timed, but ultimately were good enough, Thomas erupting first with a moan and Kalia’s body shuddering a dozen seconds later to the feeling of semen coating her insides sticky.

 

Kalia felt something hot flowing out from her as Thomas collapsed into a painting heap on her chest, compressing her tits and erect nipples under his full body weight.

 

“Ooof!” Kalia grunted, slipping out from under the man before also collapsing beside him.

 

Minutes passed with only the sound of the two lover’s exasperated panting filling the room, slowly quieting as their heart rates fell and their flushed faces faded back to normal.

 

Kalia was tired. So, so very tired. Why did the opportunity to get laid have to present itself so soon after she had just finished her journey? What was she supposed to do? Not take it?

 

Uugh. Kalia was too tired to think about that.