Banished Pt. 04

"I mean yeah, but probably not in the way you seem to think."

She pouted, unsatisfied with the explanation, so I continued.

"What I was gonna say is... the princess thinks Cameron is my mate," I explained, and she raised an eyebrow.

"How did that happen?" she asked, and I sighed.

"They speak a language that's kind of like German, which I speak some of... let's just say some things were misunderstood in translation," I said, and she chuckled.

"Things like what?" she pried, and I sighed again.

"I was kind of trying to express to them that I really wanted to come get you guys, and... well, they kind of understood the urgency, but they sort of thought that what we wanted to do was... make babies."

Francesca laughed, turning around now, letting her guard down a little.

"You're kidding? They thought you wanted to make babies? How did that go?" she asked.

"You're laughing now, but it really wasn't funny. They stripped us down and when we tried to act things out just to please them, they just kind of thought we had no idea how to do it, and then they started teaching us how to have sex, like we were fucking kids."

Francesca began to laugh in earnest now, but as she raised a hand to wipe a tear from her eyes, my eyes instinctively flicked down to her naked breast, and she smiled, as she caught the momentary act of indiscretion.

She bit her lip, before letting the other hand fall, and I noted that her while her breasts were small, they were quite perky and attractive in a unique way.

"So... did you do it?" she asked, and I nodded shyly, studying her expression, but this, time her face didn't seem to sink in the way that it had earlier.

She shoved me playfully, and I sighed as she put her hands behind her back, sticking out her chest a bit, as she swayed girlishly.

"Do you like what you see?" she asked, gesturing towards her breasts. "I know They're not as big as Cameron's," she began, and I shook my head as I reached out, and rested the palm of my hand against her cheek.

"Stop comparing yourself to Cameron," I said, cutting her off. "Or anyone, for that matter. You're perfect just as you are."

She blushed, and I began to wonder if maybe I could control her without having to immediately escalate our relationship to intimacy.

"You know that you don't have to have sex with me to be the most important person to me, right?" I asked, and she studied me.

"I know... but, if I want that. What then?"

I rested a hand on her hip, and she smiled as I let the hand trail to the bit of skin, just above her waist.

"When I'm sure that you actually do want that, and that you aren't just forcing yourself because you're worried about who's getting ahead of you; then you'll have what you want. I wouldn't deny my warrior queen," I said, and she smiled.

She quickly gave me a peck on the lips, and as she slipped out of my arms, she raised her hands over her head, and struck a cute pose.

"Will you do the honors?" she asked, and I nodded, as I proceeded to help her don her armor.

I had just finished fastening the straps on the final shin guard, when Casey peeked out from behind a tree.

"There you are," she said, casting a quick look between me and Francesca. "Can we talk?"

I nodded, and Francesca shot me a suggestive look, as she nodded, then wandered off.

"What is it?" I asked, but Casey's gaze followed Francesca as she left, and she shot me a worried look.

"You know, if you sleep around with everyone it's gonna cause problems eventually," she warned, and I chuckled.

"Is that what you think I'm doing?" I asked, and as she studied me, I advanced on her.

"What're you doing?" she asked, as she suddenly found me to be stiflingly close.

She backed away, a confused look on her face, and I followed her retreat until her back came up against a tree trunk, and she held a hand up between us as I finished closing the space, resting a hand against her face, and the other, against the tree, near her hip.

She turned her face away from me, as I breathed down her neck, her look of confusion turning to fear, and I smiled.

"You're scaring me," she said.

"I know. That was the point."

"Why?" she asked, and I smiled.

"Because it suits the purpose of the conversation I want to have. Do you think I'll hurt you right now?" I asked.

She studied me, then shook her head.

"Good. Now for a question. Who do you think is worse between the person who leads a bunch of girls to rape, and the person who would tie them up against their will to stop that from happening?"

"Depends. Does the one doing the tying know that they'll be raped for sure?" she asked.

"It actually doesn't matter. The minute you tie people up, you're the villain no matter what."

"So... you're pinning me down right now to protect me...?" she asked, and I shook my head.

"No. I want you to help me keep the rest of the people here from dying, or worse, going through what you did. But tying people up isn't the only way to keep them from going off to their own detriment."

"You want me to help you manipulate them?"

"Call it whatever you want. I want to keep everyone safe. You can help me do that... when you're not busy being blinded by your distrust of me."

"Excuse me?"

"On the first day; the best move was to buy enough armor to get danger sense, and two weapons. We'd have been safe to camp out virtually anywhere with that set-up. You withheld that information, and it almost destroyed us," I explained, and she glared at me.

"So, what happened to me was my own fault. Thanks," she said sarcastically, but as I pressed my body against hers, her attitude quickly changed.

"I accept the blame for everything that happened, actually," I explained. "Maybe I could have done more to get you to trust me, or maybe I should have been more forceful. Who knows? But can you say with confidence that if you had your way, and tied me up or killed me, that the group, yourself included, would have made it?"

She bit her lip, and I nodded.

"That's what I thought."

"So, what exactly do you want me to do? I couldn't act the way you do even if I wanted to."

"I don't expect you to. What I want is your complete support."

"I'm already your slave. What more can I promise you?"

"I'm not talking about a simple function as following commands. I want to know that I can tell you, in complete honesty, what my intentions and motives are, and that you will to the best of your ability, provide me guidance and counsel as necessary."

She studied me carefully.

"Why me?" she asked.

"Because you're the person best suited to the job. You're smart. You know more about this place than anyone else; and you know exactly what I am."

"Why not Francesca? Or anyone who blindly trusts you."

"Because I don't need blind trust. I need someone who distrusts me enough to know my true intentions, but who can support me despite it for the greater good of the whole group."

As Casey eyed me carefully, her eyes flicked to my lips, and I suddenly felt reminded of how close we were.

"So how does this work?" she asked. "Do I have to pledge my loyalty with a kiss? Or...?"

I shook my head.

"That's not what I'm after. I only did this to unsettle you because it was the best way to have this talk," I answered, and she eyed me curiously as I stepped away.

She bit her lip, as she studied me for a while, before finally nodding.

"Fine... why aren't you putting armor on Cameron?" she asked.

"Because... if our Kobalt friends can be believed, Cameron might be pregnant," I answered, and her mouth opened slightly in surprise.

"When-? Two nights ago?" she asked, and I nodded.

She rubbed her chin thoughtfully, shooting me a wry smile.

"You really worked that magic on Cameron, huh? Earlier that day, she was asking me for help in dealing with you... Now she's looking at you like a starry eyed school girl with a crush."

"There was no magic. Cameron and I were forced into intimacy, and we ended up bonding in the process."

I quickly gave her a rundown of what happened in our time with the Kobalt, and she studied me carefully.

"You really decided to have a baby like that?" she asked, incredulously, and I sighed.

"Bad decision making, in the heat of the moment while my judgement was obscured."

She smirked.

"So, there might be some human in there after all. What are you gonna do now?" she asked.

"Well, the pregnancy will still improve our relationship with the princess, so it's fine."

"And Cameron?"

"She fulfills a desire of mine for closeness; and I fulfill certain needs that has as well, so I'd say the relationship is mutually beneficial," I explained.

Casey bit her lip, as we spoke.

"There's something you should know; these implants of ours affect our bodies. Sometimes rapidly."

"Is that why I'm developing muscles that I never had?" I asked, and she nodded.

"More than that, though; if Cameron wanted to get pregnant, her body would have responded, possibly by rapidly increasing her fertility."

"So, she might really be pregnant?" I asked, and Casey nodded.

"Yeah... and if she wants the baby badly, she might even be accelerating the pregnancy."

"What do you mean?"

"Our implants can speed up biological processes, remember? Near instant healing? Rapidly growing trees? She could have that baby in as little as three weeks," Casey explained, and I rubbed my chin thoughtfully.

Actually, that might not be so bad.

If she was pregnant for a regular term, then eventually, it would have slowed our migration; so as long as there would be no complications, this might actually be a pretty good thing.

As I thought about it, suddenly my mind went to Casey, and her run-in with Caleb and Vanessa.

"Do we need to worry about any unwanted pregnancies," I said, and as she caught my subtle glance towards her stomach, she grimaced, and shook her head.

"If our implants can cause a sudden increase in fertility, it can also do the opposite. My body basically broke down my uterus' lining, and I bled it out that same night."

"Sounds painful."

"It was. But better than getting impregnated by that fucking moron," she spat.

"So, periods?" I asked, and she shook her head.

"My intense aversion to getting pregnant may have triggered a period-like response in my body, but you'll find that our bodies self-heal more rapidly, and more efficiently, than they would naturally."

"So, the lining of your uterus just never breaks down? How does that work? Does it just build up indefinitely?"

"No, it only builds up in direct response to the desire to get pregnant, and our bodies can break them down without needing to bleed. By the way, why are you so interested in this?" she asked, and I snickered, as I suddenly realized just how uncomfortable the conversation seemed to make her.

"We have, like what? Nine girls? And this is a basic bodily function that has historically been quite problematic for women. Was I misled in thinking that this is a pretty big concern?" I asked, and she shook her head.

"No- it's just... unusual to find a man who actually cares about this stuff. Maybe a psychopath is what it takes," she said, shrugging.

"By the way, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Fuck. I almost forgot. I think you should hold off on putting Jordan in armor," she said.

"Why?"

"Because Nolan is more controlling than I realized. I don't think he'll take it all that well."

I considered the argument.

"There's really no one else," I said, and she nodded.

"I think that's fine, though. If we need someone in armor in a pinch, we can quickly throw it on Jordan before Nolan really has a chance to object. But I think between you and Francesca, we should be covered in dealing with any monsters or miscellaneous threats," she explained.

"Sounds good; that suit is tier one anyway," I answered, but as we emerged from the bushes, and Francesca shot me a quick smile, Casey leaned close to me.

"She's not gonna be pleased to hear about Cameron," she whispered.

"I think I've got her under control for now, but I might have to offer her more than causal flirtation eventually," I said, and she frowned.

"Just when I start thinking you might be decent," she chided, and I shrugged.

"Neither me, nor Cameron, agreed on exclusivity. Besides; in the long term, we are eventually going to have to consider how we're going to expand our population."

She studied me, carefully.

"So, Francesca's essentially 'in line'?" she asked, and I nodded.

"She's a little immature, but I do like her, and it will keep her happy. Two birds, one stone."

"I'm starting to have second thoughts about my position," she admitted, and I smirked.

"That's fine. The second you get comfortable with my way of thinking, I might have to replace you," I teased, and to my surprise, she smiled.

We headed over to Gisela, who was standing before the princess.

I took a quick glance around, and spotted a little cart, which Gunter seemed to standing guard in front of, somewhat exaggeratedly.

"So, are we ready?" I asked, and Gisela nodded.

"Yes. We also carry some implements, along with the God's instruments. I hope it is alright."

I nodded.

"Are you keeping tabs on what we have in stockpile?" I asked Casey, and she nodded in response.

"If you mean our weapons, then yes," she answered, but I suddenly noticed that Gisela seemed to be studying Casey, with a strange expression.

Are we prepared to depart, my love? The princess asked, and as I quickly nodded, she stepped forward.

She spoke some commands to Gisela, who gulped nervously, before calling to another Kobalt girl, and as the two approached the princess, she lifted her hands.

Gisela then began to undo the clasps and supports that held her ceremonial dress together, and with some effort, they disrobed the princess, and I studied with interest.

She caught my eyes on her, and she smiled, as she stepped out of the garb, which was bunched on the floor at her feet, and she now wore a tight fitting grey cotton top which was cut in an X-shaped pattern at the sides to reveal her smooth, green skin just under her arms; and a short wrapped skirt, which revealed a slender pair of legs.

One of the girls made to scoop up the discarded dress from the floor, but she raised a hand, reprimanding the girl.

The next adornment I wear will spring from the efforts of our own grove, she explained to me, and I nodded.

The Kobalt who would be leaving with us began to gather around, and I signaled to Jeannie, who gathered up the girls as well.

The princess began to speak, and she spoke for a bit, before signaling to a pair of Kobalt men who carried wooden spears, and the two took off at a jog, as a portion of the larger group began to form a kind of procession, heading in the same direction after them.

The second group to move was the princess', along with her surrogates, followed by Jeannie's group, then my own, and finally a larger group of Kobalt men.

The guards, or runners, as Gisela called them, seemed to be broken up into groups of two, and they were spread out along the length of the procession, in between each of the groups, and bringing up the rear.

There were also two additional guards who were tasked with escorting Raul; though the defeated expression that the man wore seemed to indicate that he might be much less of a threat to worry about than we'd previously envisioned.

"Shouldn't we keep guards with special weapons on him?" Casey asked, as she looked over the group, and I shook my head.

"If he takes down his guards and gets his hands on a weapon, I rather it be some bone-tipped spears than something dangerous like that," I reasoned, and she nodded in agreement.

At present, all of our weapons were stashed in the cart being carried by the Kobalt, which Francesca was tasked with keeping guard over; while Francesca herself carried a spear, and I carried my trusty old hunting knife.

We walked in silence for a bit, but after, maybe thirty minutes, Cameron suddenly pulled up to a stop, and she crouched down for a second.

"Are you okay-?" I began, when her eyes went wide, and she suddenly dashed for some nearby bushes, and began to retch and throw up.

I quickly moved towards her, but Nolan suddenly pushed past me, as he dashed to her side.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?" he began, and Cameron shook her head, as she cleared some tears from her eyes.

"I'm fine. I just felt a little nauseous."

"What? Did you eat something bad? Could it be food poisoning?" he asked, but as he turned to us, Casey bit her lips, and shook her head.

"We all ate the same stuff; dried fruits. The food was fine," she said, but he kept a hand on Cameron's shoulder, his brow wrinkled with concern.

"It's nothing; I'm fine," Cameron reiterated, and he shot her a questioning look.

"People don't just throw up for no reason," he said, but as she shot a quick glance at me, he followed her gaze, then studied me, questioningly.

"Do you want to take a little rest?" I offered, but Cameron quickly shook her head.

"No. It's fine. I think I just overdid it with the wine last night," she lied, and I shot her a thankful look.

"Maybe you should walk a little slower for a bit; the rear group is still behind us. Nolan, you'll walk with her, right?" I asked, and as he quickly nodded, Jordan raised an eyebrow at him, but stuck with our group as we began moving again.

"I think you might be right about him being a problem," Casey whispered, and I smirked.

"So, this self-repairing thing with our bodies. Shouldn't it help with morning sickness?"

"It would, but if she's accelerating her pregnancy, then her body probably can't keep up with the rapid changes its going through."

As we spoke, I noticed Jordan's eyes on me, and I my mind went back to the way the princess spoke to me, directly into my mind.

"Hey... you know, that pledge thing that you did? I think the princess also did it, and she does this thing where she speaks directly into my mind."

"Telepathy?" she asked. "I don't remember their race having that kind of ability."

"Wait; there are races that can use telepathy?" I asked, and she smirked.

"Yeah. A couple. Not to mention there are abilities that can develop thanks to the energy cores, and their interactions with others who have special abilities. Anyway, you were saying; she speaks to you telepathically?"

I nodded in response.

"From her explanation, it sounded as if her pledge is what enabled her to do that," I explained, and Casey rubbed her chin.

Nolan is gonna murder you in your sleep, Casey's voice said, directly into my mind, and I snickered.

"Not if you watch over me while I'm sleeping," I replied, and Casey gasped.

"Wait, you heard that?" she asked, and I nodded, chuckling with amusement.

"Hmm. This could be useful if I need to send you a message in a pinch. Send me one," she said, and I bit my lip.

How's your hand? I thought, but as she continued to stare at me, I rubbed my chin thoughtfully.

"You didn't hear anything, did you?"

She shook her head.

"Guess it only works one way," I said.

"That's weird though. Why wouldn't it work both ways?"

"Maybe I should ask the people who designed the technology," I teased, and she frowned.

"As much as the company would love to take credit for all of this tech; none of it is their invention," she said.

"Who are the creators then? People from this world?" I asked, and she shook her head.

"No tech here. Hell, this world barely has any naturally occurring metals... from what I've read too, most of the researchers agree that life wouldn't have even thrived here, if not for some kind of external intervention; but as far as I know, no one knows what the source is."