Remnant -CH2- (Patreon)

Moving at a fast walk Steve wasn’t really sure how he felt about all this. He wanted these people away from his people and what he now viewed as his lands.

If he had to kill every single one of them he would.

Without regret.

This was a dog eat dog world and there wasn’t anything anyone could say to convince him otherwise of that fact. Especially when he’d already lost people he cared about.

Leathers and feathers baby, it’s Mad Ma… Mad… god damnit Shitty Steve.

This is becoming tiresome.

Kassandra and Ina were matching him pace for pace on his left. Ina was between himself and the Lamia. She was the most likely to meet a bad end if someone got close enough to her, but she was also the most dangerous to the enemy if they didn’t close on her.

Steve knew he was no whirlwind of violence with sword and pistol.

He was a brute with an axe who’s imagination didn’t go very far at all. He wasn’t a deep thinker, a strategist, or a politician.

Carrying out orders in a brutal, intelligent, and direct manner was what he did.

Out ahead of himself he could finally see the two groups. They were little more than smears of dark brown colors moving towards one another to him. He could finally recognize that they weren’t part of the horizon, though.

“Whats in that lovely soldier’s mind of yours, my Little Snake?” Steve asked.

“We get close enough to see what’s going on, and proceed no further,” Kassandra said. “If we see an opportunity to attack both sides, then we do it.

“They’ll have items on their person we could easily benefit in having.”

“I like it,” Steve said. The plan fit his mercenary mentality.

The conversation fell off a cliff with that statement and no-one said anything further.

By the time Steve could finally discern people and what they were doing, he found they were in the process of killing each other.

To Steve they all looked as if they were wearing the same type of clothes. Both in fabric and quality.

They were using weapons that looked as if they’d been tools not long ago. Strange swords that didn’t look right. Sickles that had no business being in a fight. And axes much like Steve’s that were being swung like they were a two-headed battle axes.

“They look like peasants,” Kassandra murmured. “Not one of them has any training it looks like. In fact, I think they’ve forgotten entirely about us.”

“Let’s capture them,” Steve said. “We could use some zombie bait or Creep-witches. Or we let them get turned and them burn them down for black dust. You said it was useful, Ina?”

“Very useful,” Ina confirmed.

“Alright. I’m going to go find Jaina and work with her from that side. Our goal is to capture them if possible,” Kassandra said and then moved off. She was swift, low to the ground, and gone.

“Is this normal?” Steve asked.

“What?” Ina responded sounding confused.

“Nevermind,” Steve said, realizing his question was actually rather stupid.

Of course this isn’t normal. This was a functioning country not long ago. Death may have come easy and cheap, but it wasn’t a full out murder-pit of awful.

But… if that’s true… why did everyone resort to absolute anarchy so quickly and easily?

In fact… even Nikki is absolutely ruthless if she decides it’s worth while, now.

Gwen is the softest heart but I think she’d butcher someone if it came down to it.

And that doesn’t even include if Nia came into the equation.

“I’m going to put up walls of flame around them,” Ina said. “That should box them in and force them to face us. It might just be enough to intimidate them into surrendering as well.”

Steve nodded his head as he watched a pretty woman smash an axe down into a beautiful woman’s head. Blood splashed down and all over her very well endowed chest.

It is… absolutely strange to watch really pretty people murder one another.

Wouldn’t this mean that most of these women had mother’s who paid to have them beautified in a city?

That means they had a little wealth, right?

This whole world is so strange.

“I think it’s about time. The survivors seem to be eying the people on the ground. The wounded would work just as well as the living for us,” Ina said.

“Right,” Steve said and then started forward at a trot. Brining his axe up onto his shoulder he ran straight for the biggest woman he could see.

Before he reached his target a wall of purple flame rose up from the ground. It surrounded the group of people from two sides.

Everyone who had just been brawling was startled out of their mad scrum. Heads turned until they found Steve running at them.

As if Ina were a prophet a large number of women simply threw their weapons down and then held up their hands.

Steve didn’t stop. He kept running straight at his target. She was a rather large broad shouldered woman. The closer he got, the bigger she seemed.

“Surrender!” Steve screamed at the top of his lungs.

His shout was echoed by Jaina and Kassandra rushing forward from a different angle off to his right.

A few more women threw their weapons down after realizing they were being engaged again.

The big one didn’t though. She looked grimly at Steve, her hands clutching to her axe.

Much like every other woman he saw in this messed up world, she was pretty. With light-brown eyes and dark brown hair.

Her big frame let her sport an impressive bust as well.

“Put it down big girl or I’m gonna crack your head open,” Steve said coming to a walk six feet away from her.

She was the only one with a weapon now.

“No, I’m leaving,” said the woman.

“You’re not. You’re going to be my prisoner. Or a corpse,” Steve said.

“What kind of-”

Steve was done talking and kept walking forward toward the woman. She had her chance to surrender and he wasn’t about to bother further with her.

Grunting the woman brought the axe in her hands around in a wide swing. Her arm length gave her an impressive reach. She could easily keep Steve at bay with it.

Except he didn’t care one whit about her attack.

No matter how strong she was, she was nothing compared to the Basilisk and the Troll he’d killed.

Deciding to sacrifice his shield, since he had several more and could easily make more, Steve swatted at the axe with it.

With a crash and splintering noises the shield broke at the midpoint. It had absorbed the woman’s full attack however.

“I surrender, I surr-”

The woman’s voice was cut off as Steve brought his axe down into the top of her head.

Which promptly exploded into a pulpy mess that spewed blood, bone, and brains in every direction.

“Should have surrender before you attacked me,” Steve said, spitting out some of the woman’s blood that was trickling down into his mouth. “Anyone else wanna try their hand at me?”

The surviving nine women shook their heads.

“Then get the fuck over there,” Steve said pointing to Kassandra and Jaina with his axe. “Hand over any weapons you on your person, get on your knees, and let them tie you up. Or I just fucking make your head explode. Your choice.”

The twitching and blood fountaining corpse at his feet decided this was a great moment to let loose a particularly strong stream of blood. It shot high up in the air in a red arc.

Women scrambled to their feet, hustled over, and practically tripped over themselves to get to Jaina and Kassandra.

“Alright, let’s figure out who’s wounded on the ground, who we can keep, and who’s worm-food,” Steve said working at stripping the woman he’d just killed of her clothes and possessions.

Pulling at one of her boots, Steve was hopeful they might fit him. His own boots were starting to look rather worn and hers seemed in much better condition.

***

Having made a wagon to carry logs Steve was able to carry a good number of logs back with him each trip.

That alone was making him feel like he’d get this done much quicker than he originally thought.

Moving across the temporary stone bridge Jaina had put in just for him Steve kept trudging along.

Up ahead he could see Kassandra was still grilling their prisoners for any and all information. Jaina was busily using Steve’s hoe on the fields he’d dug up, and Ina was digging out the remainder of trench around the area they’d be living in.

They could use his tools provided he gave it to them, and they had the strength and will to use them.

Looking to his log pile Steve turned his wagon as it cleared the bridge and made his way over.

Moving the logs from his wagon to the pile Steve started pulling the wagon around to head back out to get more trees.

“Steve, I need a minute of your time,” Kassandra said from where she stood.

Fourteen heads turned to face him at the same time. His prisoners had nowhere else to be stored right now. There were four more nearby that had wounds that prevented them from moving.

The rest of the dead and dying had been dumped into the ditch. 

They were hoping they’d return as zombies and they could douse them.

“Right,” Steve grumbled. Not stopping he pulled his wagon out and over the bridge. Only then did he turn back around and come over to Kassandra. He didn’t want to forget what he was doing next, and leaving the wagon there would be a great reminder.

“Okay, I’m here, what’s up?” Steve asked, coming to stand near Kassandra. Turning he looked down at the upturned faces of his prisoners.

They ranged the entire gamut of Humans. From black haired to blonde, brown eyed to green, and every body-type from full figured and overflowing to athletic and toned.

“There’s a series of villages not far from here. It’s out to the west, north west, and north. There’s perhaps nine of them. These two groups are from opposing groups,” Kassandra said. “They’re not from the biggest villages either. Perhaps middle sized is the best I can figure.”

“Alright, any of them explain how they found us?” Steve asked. “Am I giving someone a reward?”

Kassandra opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted.

“I found you!” immediately said one of the women. “I was scouting around and I found your wagon trail! I came back and told Missy and we came immediately!”

“Great. She gets a prize of some sort,” Steve said, indicating the woman who’d spoken. He hadn’t bothered to really look at her or pay her any attention. “And the other group?”

Looking around from woman to woman, than the wounded ones, Steve didn’t get an answer.

“No one knows?” he asked.

“We were… just following their group,” said one of the women who’d been in the more numerous party. “We didn’t notice your little setup until their group started speeding up. Then we moved to engage them. We just wanted their stuff.”

“Uh huh,” Steve said. “Think we should send one of the girls back to cover the tracks?”

“Yes,” Kassandra said with a nod of her head. “I wanted to do that but I didn’t feel right ordering Ina or Jaina around.”

Steve nodded his head at that.

This world had a matriarchy at the top and it all rolled up to whoever the “lead wife” was as far as he could tell.

Nikki was a fairly benevolent leader and didn’t force anything on anyone else.

Still doesn’t make sense.

Sending all the men to the front as soon as they have enough children doesn’t… add up.

Does it?

I feel like there’s something inherently wrong with everything.

“Right,” Steve looked out to where Jaina was. “Jaina!”

Turning from where she was looking, the small Kobold turned to face him.

Waving his hand at her to come over, Steve waited.

Jaina came over with a smile, the hoe she’d been using resting on her shoulders.

“Yes, Husband?” Jaina asked.

“Need you to double back the way we came and obscure the wagon trail we left behind us,” Steve said. “After that, could you go clean up the battlefield and the trails those two groups made as well?”

“Of course!” Jaina said with a beaming smile. “Yes, yes. I can do that very, very well.”

“Great, make sure you’re back before sunset though. If you’re back before the sun touches the horizon I’ll give you a really good belly rub.”

“Yes, yes!” Jaina said and then handed the hoe to Kassandra. She stepped in close to Steve and kissed him briefly, then was off in a flash. Running on all fours and sending grass up behind her.

“You spoil her,” Kassandra murmured.

“She deserves to be spoiled,” Steve said with a shake of his head. “She’s had a hard like so far.”

Steve had a deep suspicion that Jaina wasn’t all together right in the head given what’d happen to her. That she was emotionally fragile or broken.

“There, that’s that then,” Steve said. “Anything else?”

“I think one of the wounded isn’t going to survive the night,” Kassandra said.

“Okay. Dump her in the trench once she’s dead. If sunset comes and she hasn’t died yet… make it quick for her then dump her,” Steve said with a shrug of his shoulders. These people were nothing but resources to him. “Make sure it doesn’t destroy her body. Suffocate her or something.”

“I understand. I’ll make sure it happens. What do we do with them?” Kassandra asked, indicating the number of bound women who were all kneeling next to them. “Should I make their deaths quick as well?”

There was a gaggle of pleas, offers, and begging that was immediate from all the women.

“Shut up!” Steve shouted at them all. They immediately became quiet.

“No. Don’t kill them,” Steve said, glaring at them. “They all criminals?”

“Yes. Every single one of them is a murderer,” Kassandra said.

“Any of them married?” Steve asked.

“No. Apparently they send out the single women to fight to prove themselves,” Kassandra said.

“I’ll bed you!” called a beautiful woman with pitch-black hair, bright green eyes, and an amazing body. She was dressed in black-leather and had incredibly pale skin. Pale to the point of looking sickly. “I’ll do anything you want me to!”

Suddenly all of the women were saying or offering the same thing.

Holding up a hand, Steve was very close to losing his patience and killing someone. These weren’t people to him. They were criminals, resources, and things to be used and discarded.

Respect for life had no place here.

“I have enough wives-”

“You can use me as you wish and I won’t be your wife!” said the same green eyed dark haired beauty.

Once more everyone started agreeing with her, though they weren’t as loud this time. Apparently they weren’t as eager for that end, but they were willing.

“I have enough wives. That means I have more than enough women,” Steve said. “For now you live. You’ll work my farm, and do as I tell you. Anything beyond that is a question mark.

“If you do anything that even makes me think you’re going to be a problem I’m going to just kill you. You’re criminals. By the laws of Lamals you should be executed outright.”

Actually, that’s strange. I don’t have a murderer tag. I’ve killed people.

In fact, what does that even look like?

Looking at the green eyed woman who was trying to save herself, Steve tried to get some insight into her.

Nancy Abellis

Wight

Father: deceased

Mother: Living

Murderer- Killed someone illegally.

Depraved Predator- Lives on the suffering of others.

Merciful- Has spared others for no reason.

“I know,” Nancy said, apparently having caught Steve checking her information. “I only feed passively though. I mean it! I don’t… I don’t cause suffering. There’s enough going around that I don’t have to do anything to anyone.”

“You spared people?” Steve said, closing the window not bothering to hide that he’d been looking.

“They… they were harmless. There was no reason to kill them,” Nancy said. “I’d already killed their leader and they were just… they had nothing. I let them go.”

“What? You said you got that for letting travelers go through,” said another woman.

“I lied, what of it? There was no reason to kill them, and I lied to protect myself after letting them go,” Nancy said, lifting her chin up. Apparently she wasn’t going to back down from the idea that she wasn’t in the wrong.

“Right. Don’t care,” Steve said waving a hand at all of them. “Get Ina to make some massive stone weights. Put’em on a chain gang. They can work the fields together and be there own anchor. I’m going to go cut down more trees.”

“I’ll be good for you,” Nancy called after him. “I can get people to do what you want if I use my abilities! I could make everyone else here work without having to use chains!

“Make me the prison warder!”

Steve stopped at that. If he could use Nancy in the way she suggested, it’d work out rather well. 

“Fine,” Steve said, not turning around. “Shackle Nancy down separately from the rest. We’ll see how she does with them shackled for a while. Once the walls go up, we’ll let her try being the warder.

“Need trees.”

Grabbing his wagon, Steve set off for the wooded area. He needed to get back to work.

Need to tell Ina.

Turning the wagon he headed over to where Ina had been working last. Spotting her, he pushed his wagon up to the side where she was digging away.

“Hey there,” Steve said coming to a stop.

“Oh, hello. Look at that, you’re just the right height. How about you sit down on the edge right there and I see if I can’t get you warmed up for me?” Ina said, reaching up to pat the edge of the trench.

Smirking at that, Steve instead leaned down into the trench and kissed Ina.

“Later,” he said as he pulled away. “Kassandra is going to ask you to make some things for our prisoners. I gave her the idea.”

“Mm. Okay,” Ina said, then grabbed him by the head and jerked him into the trench. “Never-mind about sitting on the edge, we’re going to do it right here in the trench. Nevermind the dirt, I was going to take a bath anyway in one of the barrels before you dumped it in. You can take one with me.”

Ina was already working at his belt buckle as he laid there.

He’d forgotten the cardinal rule with Ina.

Don’t respond to her when she talked about sex.