Rag-tag Ch. 03

The two massive figures squirmed and rocked, moving in an intimate rhythm.

Chanko gazed up at Saji, strong legs locked around his waist, helping the thrusts send his cock deep. Saji growled, keeping his voice low even with that instinctive sound. His hands clutched at Chanko, holding him with a firm affection, offsetting the rough vigor of those thrusts. A light sheen of sweat shone on both of them from the effort of giving and taking.

The large, custom-built bed could nevertheless barely contain their spirited lovemaking, blankets half on the floor, pillows tossed askew, the heavy wooden frame creaking softly.

Chanko clenched his fists on the mattress, keeping himself in place for his lover, wanting to receive every inch of his cock on every swing of his hips, seeking that intense fullness in his core. His own cock was stiff and aching, leaking copious streams of pre-cum. Every one of those thrusts set it to a powerful throb.

Saji switched up his hands, one grabbing at Chanko's shoulder, the other wrapping around the base of his shaft. Chanko jerked, his pleasure ratcheting higher from that touch. The hand began to stroke up and down, matching the rhythm of the thrusts.

The combination soon did him in. His cock erupted messily, spraying all over his stomach and thighs, and Saji's wrist and forearm, adding a splash of creamy white to the green flesh. His asshole clenched, stirring Saji towards climax. The spurts continued, arcing into the air before landing with a splatter, clinging to whatever skin they could reach.

Chanko clenched again, beckoning the thrusting cock deeper, legs flexing around his lover's waist to help the already vigorous effort. The last spurts of his orgasm settled atop the sticky puddles on his stomach and thighs.

A few more thrusts, and Saji buried every inch of himself inside Chanko. A heat bloomed deep inside Chanko. He groaned, welcoming the bursts of cum, clenching again to milk more out, feeling them seep into his body. Saji snarled, his voice harsh and unrestrained. More bursts filled Chanko, offering a heady warmth.

The snarl became a satisfied sigh as the orgasm subsided, the spurts dying down.

Saji slumped atop him. Their mouths met for a long, intimate kiss.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Chanko slipped into Val's room, freshly dressed, hair still slick from his bath. She was fast asleep, arms around her stuffed dragon. Even the smell of cooking breakfast had not roused her. He tousled her hair, and padded out into the hall.

His rucksack, carefully packed last night, waited with his axe and daggers near the door. Saji came out from the main room, wiping his hands with a towel.

"You ready to go?"

Chanko nodded, slinging the axe over his shoulder and then hoisting the rucksack. Saji arranged the daggers on his belt, and patted his back in final approval.

"See you soon, my love," he grunted, leaning in for a headbutt.

Chanko smiled.

"It'll be good to see Silverspear again."

"Last time we went we still ran with the Green Company," Saji reminisced.

Chanko nodded.

"We should catch up with them sometime."

Saji chuckled.

"They'd just try to recruit us back. Or start recruiting Val for when she's older."

Chanko squeezed Saji's shoulder.

"Good luck," Saji told him, squeezing back.

Chanko nodded again, and set off, the early morning sun not yet finished with its climb into the sky.

Muddymuck was starting to wake up. A few people trudged through the main square on their way to and from business. Dawkins sat on the porch of the pub, puffing on his pipe, idly watching Tiffany sweep the steps of the inn. Both greeted him with waves. He waved back, continuing on through the main square towards the western side of Muddymuck.

The usual meeting spot was under the tall cherry tree next to the low wall at the west entrance to the village. No one was there yet, so he sat against the wall, and slung his rucksack off, letting it rest on the ground.

Lily was the second to arrive, coming from the opposite direction, her steps light and cheery. A small shape was perched on her shoulder, and as she neared, he realized it was Willy, the fat sparrow tweeting at her as if in mid-conversation.

"Oh, morning, Chanko!" she said.

"Morning, Lily."

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, very. You?"

She nodded.

"Yes, I usually do before we go on a trip. I sleep like a baby. Don't quite know why though."

The sparrow chirped.

"Thanks for the company, Willy!"

The sparrow nodded at Chanko and then took flight.

"He insisted on seeing me off," Lily explained.

"Good to have a bodyguard."

Lily laughed, and then caught sight of something over his shoulder.

"Oh, look, it's Bort!"

Chanko turned to see him trotting towards them, his pack peeking up over his back.

"Morning, folks," he greeted them.

"Morning."

"Morning, Bort! Did you sleep well?"

Bort shrugged, and set his pack down with a soft thump.

"I always get excited before we head off. Makes it hard to sleep."

"Oh, next time, I can make you a valerian tea! It helps whenever I'm having trouble sleeping."

"That would be lovely, thanks Lily."

Kel came next, almost sneaking up on them, his eyes ringed with a tired darkness.

"Morning, Kel, did you sleep well?" Lily asked.

He shook his head.

"I spent the night with Tiffany."

"She ran you ragged?" Chanko asked, smirking knowingly.

The elf nodded.

"She'll be the death of me some night."

"There are worse ways to spend a night!" Lily said encouragingly.

Tab was the last of their band to arrive.

"Morning, everyone," she said.

"Morning, Tab!" Lily chirped. "Did you sleep well?"

"As well as I could, yeah."

"Wonderful!"

Tab glanced around.

"I told him about our usual spot," Bort said. "He should be here any minute."

"That might be him now," Kel spoke up, nodding back towards the direction of the town square.

The band turned to watch, seeing a lean figure approach with a measured pace.

"Morning," he called to them.

"Morning!" Lily chirped. "Did you sleep well?"

He paused, as if taken aback by the question.

"Well enough," he finally answered with a shrug.

"This is Bram," Bort said to the band. "Bram, this is the rest of the band: Lily, Kel, and Chanko."

"Nice to meet you all. Thank you for taking on this job. I'm quite grateful."

Chanko nodded.

"Where're your wife and traveling companion?" Tab asked.

"They'll meet us further along. I didn't want anyone to see them around the village."

"Lead on then."

He slipped to the head of the group. The band followed him. The sun was higher now, and fierce, already leaving plenty of sweat on Chanko. The road continued ahead, curving up and to the right, only a few travelers visible on the horizon. The forest stretched out on either side of the road.

A few minutes down that road, Bram glanced around furtively, and waved for them to follow him off the road and into the trees on the right. Chanko brought up the rear of the group. The shade welcomed them, bringing with it the sounds and smells of the woods, chirping birds and the scent of various trees and flowers.

Bram paused at a tall, gnarled, heavily leafed tree.

"You can come out."

Kel glanced up, and then two people dropped down from the cover of the thick foliage, landing gracefully. Both were elven women. One was blonde and slender, a dull expression on her face. The other was dark-haired and stocky, worry coloring her features.

"This is my wife, Ivyr," Bram said, stepping over to wrap an arm around her shoulders. "And our traveling companion, Nessa."

Nessa smiled weakly.

"Good to meet you all. We're glad to have the help."

Ivyr glanced between them, sizing them up, and then looked over at Bram, an eyebrow raised very slightly.

"They came highly recommended," he said.

Nessa swallowed nervously, but kept up the smile.

"Let's not waste any more time," Bram continued, traipsing ahead. "We've got a lot of ground to cover."

The band fell in line. Kel slipped in front to take point. Chanko stayed at the rear.

"So, are you two from Navaros or Belialtas?" Bort asked the elves. "Or somewhere else?"

"Navaros," Nessa answered. "But we haven't been back in a long while."

"How does a Silverspear city guard fall in with Navarosian elves?"

"He fell in love with me," Ivyr answered from next to Bram, her voice wistful. "And then I with him in turn."

"It's a beautiful story," Nessa added, walking behind the couple, just in front of Bort, her shorter frame closer to his height.

"Love is always a beautiful story," Lily chimed in from next to him.

"Ours has not always been beautiful," Ivyr added. "We have had pain recently."

"Through no fault of our own," Bram said firmly. "And it will be nothing more than a footnote in our story."

Nessa's lower lip trembled.

The group continued on, Kel leading them deftly through the trees.

"Do you know which way we're headed exactly?" Bram asked him.

The elf nodded.

"We've been through these parts plenty, don't worry. We're headed east. We can't just go in a straight line the whole way but we'll hew as straight as possible."

"Just as long as we keep off the roads."

Kel nodded again.

"Might not be able to avoid Midland Rangers the whole way," Tab spoke up.

Bram frowned.

"We can do our best though," Bort said, nodding in reassurance at Nessa, whose face had paled.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Chanko glanced back at the group. Bort and Lily sat on two large, moss-covered rocks, sharing apple slices, bread, and jerky. Tab stood nearby, having already wolfed down her lunch. Kel was sitting against a shady tree, eyes closed, rucksack by his feet, bow and quiver atop it. Bram, Ivyr, and Nessa huddled on the ground, sharing their own meal, eating quickly and quietly.

The group had moved steadily enough for the past few hours, making nice progress.

He glanced back out into the woods, eyes roaming.

Footsteps came up behind him. His nose twitched. The scent of human was easily discernible, even more so since it was a human he was familiar with.

"There's something they're not telling us," he told Tab, keeping his voice low.

She nodded.

"I know. But maybe there just isn't much to tell."

"We'll see."

She patted him on the shoulder.

"We just need to keep going at our pace. Silverspear is a long way yet, but we've started out well. Especially with added people."

"The women look like they've been through a tough time. The short one especially reeks of fear."

"The other one doesn't look all that happy either. There's a reason Bram wanted help, and to leave as soon as possible."

Chanko raised an eyebrow.

"All for one bandit?"

Tab shrugged.

"And his friends. And any Midland Rangers who might also be counted as his friends."

Chanko frowned.

"I don't exactly love the idea of fighting Midland Rangers."

"If we're fighting them, it'll be for a reason."

"That won't stop other rangers from coming after us. Most don't really care if their fellows are on the take."

"True. But we have plenty of people who can vouch for us. And if we get to Silverspear quickly enough, it won't even be a problem."

Chanko nodded.

Tab patted him on the shoulder again, and strode back towards the group.

He glanced out over the forest again, his thoughts going back to Saji and Val, wondering what the two might be up to at this time of day.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Chanko wound his way through the trees, at the head of the group now. The sky above was drenched in all sorts of vibrant colors from the sunset.

The others followed along, keeping quiet, conserving energy to focus on finishing the day's trek.

Bort was behind him, the dwarf-and-orc scent unmistakeable. Behind him, came the equally unique scent of elf-and-human from Lily. Then two elves, and two humans, Tab bringing up the rear. His nose twitched, sifting through the smells of the forest.

Birdsong whistled softly through the trees, a specific melody that made him halt. Tab whistled back. Chanko sniffed, catching the clean scent of elf right before Kel jogged into view.

"I found a good spot," he told Tab, pointing up towards a hill on their far left. "Maybe five miles that way. High ground, good sight lines."

"Lead on," she told him.

He nodded. Chanko fell in behind him, glancing over his shoulder at the rest of the group. Bort glanced back as well, his eyes lingering longer on Lily than the others. Bram slipped up closer to Ivyr, hand on her shoulder for steady comfort.

Soon enough, the group was at the spot Kel had found.

"Kel, let's get some wood," Tab spoke up. "Chanko, you cook once Lily gets the fire going."

He nodded, and put his rucksack down to go through the food options.

Around him, the other members of the group picked spots to relax.

Lily sat on her pack, and slid her boots off. Her stockinged feet wiggled on the dirt. She let out a sigh of relief, and reached under her skirt to peel the stockings off, showing twin stretches of pale skin. Bort noticed, staring for a few seconds before realizing he was staring, and then looking away quickly, a blush erupting on his cheeks.

Tab and Kel came back soon, both carrying a pile of branches, and set about arranging them properly. Once satisfied, Tab nodded at Lily, who crouched, put her hand in the middle of the branches, and snapped her thumb and middle finger together. A flame burst to life, and crackled into a fire.

Chanko stepped up, pan in hand.

"Can I ask you something?" Nessa said to Tab, who was now sitting against her rucksack.

"Go ahead."

"How did all of you come together?"

Tab shrugged.

"We all ended up in Muddymuck at one point or another."

"I was born there," Bort said. "So, I like to think I was the first member of the band."

"What about you?" Nessa asked Tab.

"I was passing through one day. Bort hired me to help him and someone else get to and from Rangerroost."

"I thought she looked tough."

Tab grinned.

"And then you stayed?" Nessa asked.

"Not at first. But I kept passing through, and each time I'd go with them to Rangerroost, for some extra coin and supplies. Took me a little while to settle, but it was a good decision."

"I had already been adventuring and taking on odd jobs," Bort said. "When she decided to stay, she was an obvious choice to ask along."

Nessa smiled.

"Chanko was next," Bort continued.

"Saji and I settled in Muddymuck," he spoke up, tending the fire. "We met years back when we were both in the Green Company - they're a mercenary group made up of orcs. Easy money when we were younger, but we reached a point where we just wanted a simple life. Muddymuck seemed quiet and nice enough."

"We ended up sharing the road to Muddymuck with them one time on the way back from Rangerroost," Bort said. "So, next time we had a job, I asked them if they wanted to join."

Chanko nodded.

"We figured the extra coin would be good."

"And then came Lily," Tab said.

"Granny insisted we take her on," Chanko said.

Lily smiled.

"Kept telling us she wouldn't slow us down," Tab added. "And that she would get us out of tight spots."

"Which she has," Bort spoke up, a significant note of pride in his voice.

"As you can see, it can also just be very useful having a magic user in the band."

"Definitely," Bram agreed quietly.

"And then Kel was the last," Tab finished.

"I was passing through too," Kel spoke up. "And Bort took an interest in me."

"He has an eye for good people," Lily told Nessa.

Bort blushed.

"Kel joined us for one job, and then more jobs," Tab continued. "And then hung around Muddymuck, so we kept checking in when we had jobs or opportunities. He kept joining us."

"It's decent coin," Kel said dryly. "And they're not the worst band I've been a part of."

"We know you only stay because of Tiffany," Bort teased.

Kel laughed.

"Maybe you can finally make her an honest woman after this."

Kel shook his head, laughing again.

"Making her an honest woman would be like caging a wolf. It's not in her nature."

The sizzle of cooking food soon started up. Bort yawned, stretching out languidly.

"What's the wildest adventure you've had together?" Nessa asked Tab.

Bort's yawn cut into a laugh. Tab grinned.

"Oh, that one is quite the story."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Rudge pushed the pub doors open, hearing bustle and conversation.

Several faces turned his way, noticed the red armband wrapped around his bicep, and nodded respectfully.

"Hey there, Ranger," the slender elf behind the bar called.

"Evening," he replied.

She plucked up a bottle, and then a glass, and poured some of the former into the latter.

"On the house."

He hesitated, but then nodded in thanks, and plucked up the glass. The rum warmed his throat quickly.

"I'm looking for a man," he told her. "Might be around these parts."

"What sort of man?"

He glanced over at the others in the pub, most of whom were engaged in their own conversations.

"Human. Tall, a touch taller than me. Lean but muscled, reddish hair, pale skin. He would be with two elven women. One blonde and slender, the other dark-haired and short. I heard from another Ranger that they came through Muddymuck."

She thought for a moment. He sipped the rum.

"I did see a man like that, actually. He was in here last night. Spoke to Tab and Bort."

"Who are Tab and Bort?"

"Part of a band for hire. They take on different jobs and things."

He nodded.

"Has he been in since last night?"

"Not that I know of."

He frowned.

"You should go across the way to the inn. Tiffany runs it. She might know something. And she loves helping out you Rangers."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Mmm, I love helping out you Rangers," Tiffany murmured, pushing back against his thrusts.

Rudge groaned, his cock throbbing, plunging rhythmically into her slick heat.

"Makes me feel like I'm serving the Midlands."

He reached under her to grab a breast, squeezing the soft flesh through her shirt. His other hand was firm on her hip, giving him plenty of leverage, letting him drive his body against hers.

"I could get used to this," he growled, a shiver rising along his spine.

She purred.

"I'm always happy to accommodate. Come by whenever you want."

He could not help but laugh, squeezing her breast and hip while he fucked her, plentiful juices smothering his shaft. She pushed back against him again, hands gripping the edge of the desk, fingers curled around the old wood. Another shiver fired over him.

"I won't last much longer at this rate."

"Then don't," she shot back. "And you can cum inside me if you want."

"You sure?"

She nodded.

"Don't worry, there won't be a little ranger on my tit nine months from now."

He laughed again, keeping his hips pumping, his cock throbbing again.

"Fuck me harder," she urged him. "Gimme all you got 'til you're done."

"I really could get used to this," he muttered, adding more power to his thrusts, watching her ass jiggle.

She purred again, fingers clenching on the edge of the desk, restlessly pushing herself back against him, matching his pace as best as she could. The desk creaked slightly. His cock strained, barreling into her soaked sex. The pleasure surged higher. Her cunt clutched, working around his shaft, drawing another groan from him.

"Come on, love," she urged, "you can fuck harder than that..."

He growled, and spurred his hips to a rougher, more assertive pace, rocking her against the desk. Her ass bounced, enthusiastically absorbing the thrusts. Sweat built up on his skin from the effort. The pleasure swirled towards climax. He squeezed his hands tighter, pounding away, her channel beckoning him deep.