Teagan scrubbed herself clean in the river, using a scrap of cloth from her shirt as a makeshift washrag. Her clothing had all but fallen apart at this point, and her boots were close to splitting at the seams. All that she had was gone, and now even her clothes were degrading into little more than rags. She needed to find another person, a trader, and get some new equipment... but what did she have to offer? Any skills of hers beyond foraging and hiding could be considered rudimentary at best, and she had no possessions of value. 

Teagan paused her bath to glance over at Sihil and the soldier. The two of them were fraternizing, although the soldier seemed extremely shaken and seemed to panic whenever Teagan so much as glanced at him. Teagan couldn't help but chuckle to herself, surprised at the sheer amount of abject fear she was able to instill in the little man in such little time.

The little soldier noticed Teagan's gaze falling upon him, and his eyes immediately widened before his gaze shot towards Sihil. He couldn't even maintain eye contact. Teagan couldn't blame him too much, of course, seeing as she had just committed a wholesale slaughter and suffered little more than a few scratches.

Teagan climbed out of the river and rested in the sun a bit to dry off when her stomach started to ache. She was starving. Teagan looked surreptitiously at the soldier. He would eventually have to be dealt with, so why not eat him here and now? It would be quick, clean, and... Sihil... surely it would upset the girl, but if she simply ate them both...

Teagan bit her tongue in restraint. She wanted to hear Sihil scream. She wanted to hear her beg for her life, listen to her sobbing pleas for mercy turn into wordless screams as she was eaten. Teagan was close to leaping at the two tomkins when she remembered the two she had been keeping in her box

Teagan, once she was dry, surreptitiously opened the box, making sure neither Sihil nor the soldier saw her. The two tomkins inside were shivering, having been neglected for nearly an entire two days. Teagan washed the inside of the box out in the river without removing the two residents, nearly drowning them, before lifting them out of the water. She remembered them both, a man and a woman, both afraid for their lives. Teagan growled. She really wanted to savor their fear, but she had no time. She had made it to the valley that was her next destination, and had to continue reading the directions to Whitebreeze Keep. Teagan unceremoniously ripped the clothes off of the two tomkins, leaving them nude. She took a quick glance at the woman's body, unable to help herself. The woman's breasts were perfect, framed by tresses of golden hair. Teagan held one of her bangs out in front of her eyes with her free hand. The reddish-brown color had always reminded her of rust, a quality she found less than ideal. A brief twinge of jealousy ran through Teagan as she beheld this tomkin with her perfect body and her perfect hair. Even her flesh, unblemished and smooth, outshone Teagan's scarred and torn skin. This jealousy soon passed, however. Teagan had nothing to envy about this tomkin, for they were about to become her meal. Still, Teagan couldn't help but run her pointer finger over the tomkin's breasts and between her legs, perhaps out of attraction. The tomkin struggled, but it was to no avail. Teagan felt empowered by this. She began to whisper to herself.

"I'm strong."

Teagan ran her hand down the tomkin's smooth back.

"You're weak."

She roughly rubbed her finger between the tomkin's legs, causing them to elicit more sobbing.

"You're nothing but toys to me. Playthings."

Teagan couldn't help but smile as she wordlessly placed the two tomkins on her tongue, and shut her mouth quickly. They screamed, but their cries were muffled by the enormous pair of lips that sealed them within Teagan's mouth. Teagan caressed their forms with her tongue, sliding it across their nude bodies for a few seconds.

Then she swallowed.

~

Firkon couldn't help it. He already admired Volkhard, and he just met the man. Firkon watched, a faint smile tugging at his normally stern face, as Volkhard went around the feast table, introducing himself individually to each and every one of Firkon's men. It was nothing short of admirable to Firkon. Firkon had been taught that any good commander must understand and appreciate who they are in command of, lest they prioritize themselves over the good of the unit. To bond with a soldier is to view them as a human instead of a weapon, and that adds an infinite amount of value to their life. To view all your soldiers as humans is the first step in being a truly great general.

Firkon smiled, and turned his gaze to Laeron. He was going to ask what Laeron thought of Volkhard, but bit his tongue just in time - Laeron was speaking with a Q'thumani native, a beautiful young maiden with an alluring pair of emerald eyes.

"Well, uhm, I came here to follow through on some, uhm, military business."

Laeron smiled awkwardly at the girl, and she smiled back, her eyes half-lidded in an expression that could be either smug or listless. Firkon hoped it was the former - at least in that case Laeron hadn't lost her attention - but found himself doubting that it was anything besides the latter.

"Hmm. Military business. That's... informative. Tell me, Laeron, what do you do? With a uniform like that, you're clearly no common soldier, are you now?"

Laeron's awkward expression faded from his face, replaced by a confident grin. Firkon prepared for the worst.

"Well, I'm the second in command of the rear guard, but commanding isn't my forte, so I leave that to our unit's legatus in most cases. I manage supplies, finances, handle maps, books, an-"

Firkon nearly had a heart attack as Laeron committed virtual romantic suicide. The girl's smile quickly faded, and she seemed about ready to try and escape. He couldn't help himself from butting in and interrupting Laeron before he poured oil upon the fire.

"He's a tracker, the finest in Orestion. It's said that he's been able to track anything that doesn't fly, swim, or burrow, and so far, he's been living up to expectations."

Laeron chuckled nervously and held up a finger.

"Well actually, I'm definitely not the best tracker, I'd actually say I'm quite medio-"

Firkon kicked Laeron under the table and interrupted him once more.

"Let me amend my previous statement. The best living tracker around. A few ancients are rumored to have been able to accomplish superhuman feats of observation, but the credibility of legends are dubious. Regardless, Laeron is still the best around today."

Laeron gave a half-hearted thumbs up.

"Yup! That's, um, that's me, I guess. I don't like to bring it up. I never thought bragging brought good of anything."

The girl's eyes opened once more, and her smile returned.

"Well! That's quite impressive, Laeron... perhaps you have a story to tell? These recent festivities have left me wanting of a tale of any quality, what with all the illiterate peasants singing their folk tales in every tavern. If you have a way with words, I might be persuaded..."

Laeron couldn't help but let out a quiet gasp as the girl's finger trailed down his chest.

"...to accompany you to your chambers, should you have more tales in store. Nothing is more mesmerising than a wonderful storyteller."

Firkon, satisfied that he'd saved Laeron, returned to his meal. While he doubted the boy's skill at courtship of any sort, he knew Laeron to be extremely intelligent, and had always asked for his counsel when writing any formal letter. The boy was nothing short of a literary genius to boot, always reading whatever was on hand.

Firkon had nearly eaten the last spoonful of rice from his plate when Volkhard sat next to him, apparently finished talking to the soldiers. Firkon set down his utensils and turned his chair to face Volkhard, his expression resetting to its default stern gaze. Firkon spoke quietly and solemnly.

"Volkhard... what are the chances of my men returning to their families? How many do you think will perish in this endeavor?"

Volkhard cast one last cursory glance about the room, making a rough headcount.

"Legatus, I've dealt with multiple giants and giantesses in the past. I'm can say with confidence that I will likely be able to minimize casualties to no more than ten, and that's if there are any casualties at all. I will prioritize the lives of your soldiers as much as I possibly can, but I will not hesitate to make a small sacrifice if it guarantees our victory. Your men have agreed to join you in this endeavor. They know that death may await them, and have agreed to take that risk. The innocents slain by this marauding giantess have not."

Firkon nodded. His line of reasoning was rational, logical, and utterly utilitarian. The reasoning of one who excels as a leader, as a planner, and as a killer. Firkon looked into Volkhard's eyes, and he knew then that he had made the perfect choice. Volkhard was compassionate, understanding, and caring, but he did not shirk duty, whatever the cost.

"Thank you, Brother Volkhard. I have a lust for vengeance; it is my greatest weakness, my ultimate folly, and what would be my downfall. You are free of impulses and irrational desires. I could think of no better man to follow in battle."

Volkhard smiled.

"I'm truly honored. If you have nothing else for me, I shall retire to my quarters for the night."

Firkon returned to his dinner.

"I have nothing more for you, Brother Volkhard. May the stars forever watch over you."

Firkon finished his last few bites of food as Volkhard exited the great hall. He exhaled in silent laughter as he noticed Laeron, a giddy grin stretching across his face, slipping through the crowd of revelers towards the exit, holding the hand of the girl he was so close to losing. Firkon himself soon retired to the room that had been graciously granted to him by Ibn-Jahan, and he quickly fell asleep, memories of the past few days bouncing around in his restless mind.

~

Teagan, dressed once again in her ragged clothes, read the next part of her directions.

Continue to follow the Great Star, and it shall guide you unto a desert plain just beyond the mountains. The mountain path is temperate in all times of year save winter, and should be free of large tomkin settlements. In the desert beyond, however, there is rumoured to lie a great city, one which even the armies of men could not easily siege. I did not see it in my travels, but be wary nonetheless, for the city's armies patrol the desert's oases. Be sure to bring water with you.

Teagan sighed. She had left her canteen, along with the rest of her belongings, back in the plains where the last tomkin city was. This only strengthened her desire to find a merchant of sorts and acquire basic goods... there had to be humanity somewhere nearby, even if there wasn't much of it.

Teagan picked up Sihil and the soldier. She wasn't going to enter a desert without some way to store water. Worst case scenario, she'd have to make her own crude vessel for carrying water and hope it didn't leak. To do that, though, she'd need wood, and to get wood, she'd need tools. Fashioning tools out of stone was an option, but even then she'd need something to carry her implements with her. Finding another person seemed to be the wall behind which any meaningful progress was locked.

"So be it." Teagan breathed, wondering where she'd live were she in this place.