Into the large cavern where the goblins and their hobgoblin came from, Sabreman and Akatsuki choked on the stink of corpses and wrapped their faces with rags. Ammy didn't even flinch at the scent; she suspected this was due to her consumption of goblin blood. Through the dark arteries of the land, they travelled deeper, encountered broken skulls of goblins. Akatsuki halted them and picked out a marking on the wall left by the scouts. As well drawn as the previous, which was a good sign.
She wanted a drink, a smoke, a guitar, something to take her mind off the need that started to get her wet and bothered. Goblin blood. She gritted her teeth and increased the pace of their search. Neither of the two complained. They came to the place where the work was done, the main shaft which went down several slopes and faces of the strange crystal lodged into the earth. Here, they observed many goblins who had taken up tools to continue the human work. Sabreman clicked his knuckles.
"Intelligence, taught them to mine and organised them," he pointed down to a group of goblins who went down to dump the crystal into a wheelbarrow, which was carried off shortly after. "There's at least fifty."
"I've got more than enough stamina," she said, "Let's do this fast so we can save the scouts."
"I'll take as many out as I can." Akatsuki said, "Sabreman, I need you to stay."
"Unfortunate," Sabreman said.
"Lout." Akatsuki drew and shot one, then two, and the numbers stacked up as goblin cries had dozens of them charging up the slope. Ammy took out one goblin mace and increased its mass. This one worked a bit better, and she threw it with a spin to crush a goblin's head on contact and knock out a few, disrupting the clump that tried to scale the slopes up to them. She took another and did the same, slightly better. A few more repetitions and she'd have this in muscle memory.
"Not going down to drink, vampire Carbyne?" Akatsuki said when she shot the last few.
"I've had enough," she avoided spitting at the memory of the taste.
The trio descended the slopes. Ammy took sticks, maces and two pickaxes with her as they went down, but upon seeing that she'd used a little more mana than intended, but did not think she could stomach more. Over the bodies and kicking a few down the slope to the wheelbarrow, which they passed with forced ignores as the crystal was none of their damn business.
The next section had her cover her mouth. Symbols drawn on the ground in a circle that were something out of a combination of astrology and black magic, carved in blood. Bodies of men, women and children piled up in stacks at each of the six points of the star drawn for the circle. They each had their eyes plucked out, impaled on wooden stakes. When the silence stretched on, she could hear faint screams coming from the circle of the victims.
"This needs to be burned and cleansed by holy water." Sabreman said, "But first."
Ammy followed his glare to the left side of the room, where a large number of hobgoblins started to march out. Their eyes were black as charcoal, their mouths were dribbling, and she couldn't help her curiosity when she noticed their bulges. Her best guess they were probably each at ten to fifteen inches. And it made her sick to her stomach despite the goblin blood already inside.
"Retreat."
"Yes."
Ammy shoved the hobgoblins and satanic ritual to the back of her mind. And she hoped it stayed there, she needed gin for the melancholy and cigarette smoke for the thoughts to fuck right off...
Once the camp was being set up right in front of them, Sabreman set off to acquire a new weapon for dealing with larger targets, leaving Akatsuki and Ammy alone to watch by the side. In the open. Unfortunately. But how would she deal with this woman when all she knew: she wanted to stick her tongue in her mouth and find other ways to the pretty woman's lips and tongue to use.
"So, Akatsuki, why did you take this job?"
"I didn't have a choice, Carbyne," she replied absently, "I suppose you don't know much, and this is all very public knowledge. I come from a family called Kell. The Kells were part of a large crime syndicate that took root in Dorcus. King Dace stamped us out thoroughly with exceptions. Those exceptions were people who were good at things useful to an empire. Killing, trading, transporting, guarding."
"I see." Carbyne— Ammy unwrapped her dried meat ration and took a bite, "Want some?"
The woman leaned over and took a bite, and said, "Thank you," while she chewed. "So I was given the choice: become part of Nullshade squad or be flayed then saltwaterboarded to death."
"You don't seem upset."
She stuck a finger in Ammy's face, "You don't seem upset at being kidnapped, are you a submissive little girl?"
"Maybe, depends on how I'm approached."
"Oh my," she said with a shit-eating grin, "How old are you?"
"Nineteen." Ammy packed away her half-finished ration.
Akatsuki looked around them as if she were worried about being stalked before she continued, "Come with me." She stood up and snatched Ammy's hand. The two walked for a while around the camp to a secluded spot between two pillars and a rag stuck on the wall by dried blood.
"What's up?" Ammy asked.
"Why do you drink blood like that, really?"
"If I consume anything of any living thing, I can temporarily gain things from them, strength, regeneration, magic." She said, "It wasn't a joke."
Akatsuki tapped her chin, "Okay," and stared into Ammy's eyes and wet her lips with her tongue, "Does it work for human abilities?"
"You mean physique, I don't know." She smirked, "But I'd like to find out."
"All things, for killing our enemies."
Before Ammy could answer, Akatsuki pulled her in for a wet tongue-tying kiss and force-fed her saliva. Ammy closed her eyes to enjoy the moment, and as it was passing, she noticed Akatsuki had not closed her eyes for a second.
"And the result?" Akatsuki asked as if nothing had occurred.
Minor agility boost: 10 minutes
Minor precision boost: 10 minutes
"Yes," she drew a breath, "I'm feeling more agile and precise, but this'll only last ten minutes."
"Blood is more potent, what else?"
Ammy's eyes went here, there and everywhere, unsure of whether she should say what she was thinking or not.
"Sex is what you're racking your brains about. Do not be so childish with me, I've had both men and women before, you fool."
Maybe she'd be open to... Ammy scratched the thought, "Yes."
"Oho! Are you accepting an offer you think has been presented?" Akatsuki bared her teeth in a smile, "Calm down, brat. The goblin blood's gotten to your head."
"I wasn't-"
Akatsuki pressed a finger to her lips.
You are begging for a rough- Jesus! What is wrong with me!?
Akatsuki's smile became a crooked smirk with those knowing dark eyes. "The inn, after we're done?"
Ammy looked around as her stomach felt the burning heat from the blood inside it.
"Oh no, she's feeling ambitious."
And pushed Akatsuki down to taste more of her mouth, especially to put it to better use. Akatsuki seemed overjoyed to force more of her saliva into Ammy's mouth, and she drank willingly, so long as it guaranteed they both finished the job and she could really give this woman what's coming to her with a thorough dicking. If it wasn't for the armour, she'd probably be stuffing fingers into Akatsuki's snatch right this second. But the kiss would have to do, especially if it was leading somewhere...
When they were satisfied, they sat beside each other. Akatsuki had already reorganised herself as if the French kissing had never happened and flashed her a look of warning. "Don't bore me, Carbyne."
Ammy nearly flinched, but chose it was best to give her no reaction. Instead, she touched Akatsuki's thigh and quickly thought of something that would make sense, "If we get into serious trouble, a drop of blood goes a long way if you willingly give it, I think."
The minor death stare turned to intrigue, "Sound," she said curtly, "Be sure to let Sabreman know, though he's a horny bastard who's good at masking it, he probably wants a piece of you like he does every woman except me."
"Why except you?"
"I like playing with my food," she stood up, "We should return before questions are asked.
"Of you."
Akatsuki snickered to herself, "Yes, of me."
Ammy's mind drifted back to the hobgoblins and violated bodies, and ground her teeth. "I'm going to kill every single of of those goblins."
Akatsuki whistled, "Don't let the rage guide your knife."
When they came back to the makeshift bench, they sat on Sabreman watched them both with a stickler's eye or maybe a teacher's eye for when he suspects the students went to the toilet to fuck. He jabbed a thumb behind him and led them to a tent where Captain Harlow stood over a makeshift map with folded arms.
"Hobgoblins and human sacrifices," he tapped his finger on the desk, "Gwyllion would be happy to help; however, Carbyne must prove her strength at maximum."