— Herdial steam tank —
A mechanized vehicle that runs on coal, powered by a steam core. It has heavy steel plates in all directions, thick enough to withstand wyvernfire. Tracks wide enough to traverse the desert. A cannon can be mounted at the top. Gunslits allow the infantry inside to fire their muskets.
[Length: 5 meters]
[Width: 3 meters]
[Weight: 30 tons]
Hikari placed her underwear into the wash basin.
She had been wearing the pair since they left the estate.
Several days' march and a battle against the sandworms.
A good washing was overdue.
She poured the water and the soap powder.
The water supply provided just enough to submerge it.
A red stain sat in the middle from her period.
It happened during a night camping out on the route to Herdial.
She remembers the cramps.
The soap wouldn't remove it completely.
It would remove enough of the sweat and grime for it to feel fresh again.
The rest of her clothes could be disassembled into small-sized sheets that could be washed normally.
Her underwear needed sturdier, more flexible materials to withstand her wide hip movements.
The weavers could only put together one pair that fit her new size after she grew bigger from absorbing the titan core.
She lets it soak.
Her socks piled up on an empty barrel on the side, waiting to be washed.
The basin was only big enough for one.
She prefers to wash them herself.
These pieces tend to go missing a lot.
It was a break from the intense battle.
On a raid, she tries to rest as much as she can.
The camp was quiet.
Ria had gone off to tend to some administrative matters.
A hammering sound on an anvil.
The blacksmiths were working on her sword.
The handle was bent from dragging it through the sandworm titan.
The titan's innards had heavily damaged the blacksteel outer layer.
She saw the pristine steel of the runium core as the outer layer was peeled away.
Not a single scratch on them.
The RazenHeir enchanters worked on her throwing daggers.
Brushing up the enchantments on the next batch that she would march off with.
The ones she threw at the sandworms are certainly gone.
They would become relics, dug out of the sand centuries later.
The tannery worked on her wyvern skin.
She could see some light scratches.
They must have come from when she locked against the sandworm titan's side.
She watched as the tanner recarved the runes embedded in each sheet.
The pushing and pulling does wear them out after a few battles.
She stretches.
Arms up into the air.
Bends down and touches her toes.
Her underwear was done soaking in the soap.
She drains the soapy water and replaces it with her socks.
She watches it soak.
She stretches her arms and legs.
All the jumping on the sand makes her legs sore.
The slippery sand made for a great workout, but it made it hard to fight.
Holding her sword plunged into the titan tightens her muscles far more than drills back at the estate.
The sock was done soaking.
She drains the water.
Soak them both with clean water to drain the soap.
She lets them soak.
More stretching.
She looks over the wooden palisade surrounding the RazenHeir camp.
The camp was busy.
Every few minutes, a group of steam tanks leaves or arrives at the depot.
A group of dedicated shovellers keeps the coal in the steel behemoths from running out.
The sandworm pass seems clear.
The steam tanks now ferry supplies to a forward camp at the base of the wyvern peaks.
"Time to cook."
She drains the water and replaces it.
It'll take one more round of clean water to remove the soap fully.
She prepares her cauldron.
It was right outside her tent.
She lifts a water tank and fills the cauldron to a third.
The ingredients were in crates.
Dried cloth covered them to keep the moisture out.
She groans.
Ivory berries.
The grain color didn't look so good either.
She thought the food here would be better since the RazenHeir territory actually imports food from Herdial.
Nevertheless, she must eat.
Back to her washing basin.
Her underwear and socks were just about done soaking.
She drains the water.
The cauldron bubbles in the background.
She touches the cloth.
The soapy feeling is gone.
She squeezes with both hands to drain the water.
Squeeze again.
She hangs them up outside her tent.
The desert wind would dry them in half a day.
She opens the cauldron.
It was not ready yet.
She ducks into her tent, leaving her flats out the front.
It was tall enough to let her sit up right.
She meditated.
The faint sound of steam tanks rumbling out of camp.
The sound of a hammer striking the anvil.
Her mana levels were still good.
She used up a good amount, burning through the titan at the end.
There's nothing scheduled for her for the rest of the day.
Her arms and legs could use a good rest.
Hopefully another sandworm titan wouldn't show up to ruin it.
The cauldron lid bubbled.
Her meal was ready.
She lifted the cauldron and shuffled it so she could eat while sitting on her tent ledge.
It was bland.
There was a crate of spices.
Plenty of high-quality ones.
Ria had said on the way that Herdial spices were in short supply because of the wyverns.
They somewhat made up for the Herdial grain's funny taste.
She finished her meal.
It didn't fill her up from the battle.
She'll wait for the next meal.
Time for a nap.
She lies flat and closes her eyes.
She continues to circulate her mana.
The desert wind was cool.
Her socks keep her feet warm.
She rests.
She raises one leg and uses her toe to push the tent skirts together, blocking some of the sunlight.
She goes to sleep.
A quick nap.
She sleepily opens her eyes.
She senses a tiny mana presence at her feet.
The rapid heartbeats.
The giantess sits up.
"Ria?"
"Oh! You're awake. I didn't mean to disturb your rest."
Ria knelt upright right beside her feet.
Hikari's toes were up to the tiny lady's face.
Her lady blushed.
Her eyes turned towards her giantess knight's feet.
Hikari tilts her foot to the left.
Ria takes the cue and shuffles before the cotton wall at the bottom of Hikari's sock.
The soft puckering sound of her lips.
Her heavy breathing as her nose was pressed against the tough fabric.
Her glimmering blue eyes raised above her toe line.
"How's the camp? Is it too cold here? Should I order more clothes for you to keep you warm? How's the food? Is it to your liking?"
Hikari purred as her lady rubbed her tiny hands against her sock.
She could barely feel them through the thick fabric.
"It's good."
"Oh, that's good to hear. You did a great job out there. Slaying a sandworm titan. Too bad I wasn't there to witness it. How was it? Was it scary? Do tell. How did you kill it?"
Ria knelt up over the toe line.
She tucked her chin in and pressed her lips to the tip of Hikari's toe.
Hikari giggles.
She channels a sound barrier.
Soft puckering sounds.
More aggressive now that she has the privacy of the barrier.
"My feet hurt."
Ria flinches.
The familiar pressure of Hikari's low, commanding voice.
Ria trembles.
She tucks her arms in and presses into the ball of Hikari's foot as hard as she can.
She pushes with all her strength but can barely dent her sock.
Hikari giggles at the futility of her efforts.
"Mmmm…"
Ria puts her back into it.
Even so, there was little she could do to a foot wider and more massive than hers.
Hikari giggles as she watches her struggle.
"Train."
"Mmm…! Yes… Please train me more… Your lady is so pathetic… I am too weak even to massage your feet."
Hikari giggles.
She pushes her messy hair from her face, away from her neck.
She looks neater and more beautiful that way.
Ria shivers at Hikari's beauty as she toys with her.
"Enough."
Ria drops to her arms.
Panting.
Just a short burst of exercise had drained her.
"Talk to me."
Ria takes a short break to catch her breath.
She knelt upright again.
Her chin resting on Hikari's toe line.
Her breasts lean against the bore of Hikari's foot.
"Ah… Now that the sandworm pass is clear. I do think that half of the wyvern raid is done. For us anyway"
"It didn't die."
"Oh, it's dead alright. You set its internals alight before it dives back into the sand. Our flames will certainly consume it. The acid bombs last a long while too."
"Sure?"
"Of course. Don't worry too much. Sandworms don't have a big brain, if any. They barely feel pain, and they hunt and breed on instinct. If it were still alive, it would still be attacking the convoys."
"Ah."
"It's a bummer we won't get to salvage its carcass to earn some money. Its carcass is probably buried so deep under the sand that we won't be able to dig it out. At least you knock one of its teeth out. That material is harder than steel, so it'll buy more than a few meals for everyone."
"Nice."
Ria plants a kiss on Hikari's toe line.
"I heard from the Herdial general who was with you. Rey is his name. After speaking with him, I realized that he could see a lot from inside his steam tank. It's amazing, isn't it."
"Really?"
"Or maybe he's just making all of that up. No matter, I'll ask you how it went."
"He."
Kiss.
"I can't wait to hear a good story about her knight. A sandworm titan massive enough to swallow an entire steam tank whole. Not just one steam tank; it even pulled several steam tanks up in a wire mesh. It's not easy to get the painters to come to a frontier town. It certainly is a feat worthy of celebration."
"Yes."
"Gosh. That must have been terrifying. Is it more terrifying than the flesh titan at Carla?"
"It moves"
"Oh. A massive titan that burrows into the ground and attacks from below. How did you fight it?"
"Dodge."
"That's some quick reflexes you have. Did you see it coming? Can you sense it through the ground? I watch the way you jump during training. That's some incredible leg strength you have."
"Yes."
"I don't worry about you taking on titans. They are no match for your speed. You are both fast and strong. So strong."
Ria kisses.
Hikari giggles.
"Smell."
"Mmm…!"
Ria presses her nose against the sock.
"Your feet smell… so strong… so powerful…"
Hikari giggles.
"Titan slayer"
Ria moans.
"Ohh… yes… a titan slayer's feet. I am so honored… to be the lady of a titan slayer…"
She takes another deep sniff.
"To be able to smell a titan slayer's feet… "
"Strong."
Deep sniff.
"Yes… This is the fresh pair we packed, I believe… it seems you have done some work in them… they already smell so strong… strong like a titan slayer…"
Hikari laughs.
"Story"
"Oh yes… of course… It's my turn to share some stories too… My knight needs some entertainment out on the front… "
Ria turns away and takes deep breaths to calm herself down.
"Oh, there's some good news from home. Your spidersilk dress sold at the Moradale auction. What a pleasant surprise. It's usually a mid-level material for women's lingerie. It's not that popular, though, because it's very tough and doesn't feel nice on delicate skin. "
"Nice"
"The blood crystals sold well too, well above their raw price. Maybe the commotion you caused at the ball had something to do with it. But that's not the piece that sold the most. It's your shoes"
"Shoes? "
"Yes… I'm not sure how it would auction. Obviously no one wears shoes your size. But it ended up being one of the hottest bids. It outbid even one of the legendary weapons at auction."
Hikari giggles.
"One of the most highly prized weapons from the spire workshops. A twenty-rune master-crafted storm-brand cleaver. Did I get that right? It has quite a long name. They used to have tiers, like SS, or AAA, or something like that. But at some point, it got too overused. So they just used a more descriptive approach to naming those legendary weapons."
"Whoa."
"The longer the name, the more legendary it is. Too bad we can never afford a weapon like that that is your size. But that sale really gave us a lot of breathing room. Paid down a lot of our war debts. Well, I would have loved to use that towards your academy fund, but that's what we're here for."
"Yes."
Hikari yawns.
Ria shuffles to the side.
Hikari could see her full body.
"I'll leave you to sleep now. There's still more to do in the coming days. Hopefully, it won't be as intense as slaying a sandworm titan."