It was safe to say Casper was not used to traveling with so many companions. Elisayra and Annabelle were one thing, but adding Alex and her maid Nephinae was another thing. The nights they made camp had started getting a bit larger and much harder to conceal, and with the guards likely still on their trail, it was only a matter of time before they were spotted.

Despite their larger camps, food was never an issue, the biggest problem was Casper having enough time in the night to sneak off and channel the Mark. The first 2 nights he couldn't at all, and it wasn't until their 4th night on the road was he able to successfully sneak off, though on his way back, he swore he could hear noises coming from Elisayra's tent, it sounded almost like moaning. Though Casper figured it was likely from being uncomfortable or bad dreams.

A few days into their travel, one morning came quicker than Casper would have liked. He woke early, the sun just barely over the horizon, leaving most of the forest shrouded in pale darkness, broken up only occasionally by the thin pillars of light that escaped the canopy and reached the ground. The others were all still asleep, and Casper had to think fast.

It wasn't uncommon for his senses to alert him to dangers, even when he was asleep, and now as he woke and quickly pulled on his boots the feeling of danger started to fill his body.

Grabbing his weapons. Casper quickly made way to the center of camp. The small embers from the fire of the night before glowing a dull orange and smoking lightly. He could hear the sounds of sleep coming from the others tents.

He extended his senses. Trying desperately to determine what had alerted him. He let the mark wash over and let his ears strain into the depths of the forest. His nose milled through the scents of the morning and his eyes peered beyond the trunks of the trees and the undergrowth.

Heavy footstep, armored individuals, horses. Bowstrings.

Casper let out a breath. 5 individuals, all on horseback. Now he had to weigh his options.

The others were all still asleep, he needed to move quickly before any of them woke. Casper let out another breath. Let his senses find the center of the traveling group. In the blink of an eye and with the rush black smoke, Casper was in the middle of them.

The horses were spooked. They began to neigh in protests, a few stood up on their hind legs in panic at his sudden appearance and Casper knew had to act quickly.

Two knives flew from his hands, sinking clean into the eyes of two guardsmen on horseback. By the time the other 3 guards realized they were being attacked, Casper was already drawing his short sword and swiping it at the back of one of the guards. The blade tore clean through the metal, sending shards scattering alongside the blood and bone.

Casper hauled the corpse up and threw it at the 4th, who tumbled off the horse and collapsed to the ground in a heap of metal. He looked around for the 5th, only to realize he had misjudged quite a few things in his foggy morning haste. Casper was not one to get things like this wrong. But when you are in a rush you make mistakes. Casper's eyes met that of a single man in horse drawn cart, a farmer it looked, riding on the road just a few paces away from the guards. And it was very unfortunate.

Casper felt the air shift behind him, he spun around in time to see the last guard on him, sword angled to run him clean through. Casper felt the heat, felt his arm tense, but before he could strike, an arrow found purchase in the guards chest. Causing him to stumble past Casper.

Casper spun around, just in time to see a second arrow fly from the bow held by Annabelle. It found solid purchase in the soldiers throat, and he stumbled and fell into the dirt in a pool of blood.

Casper looked at Annabelle, it looked like she was more caught up in landing her shots than the carnage around him. However, the farmer absolutely saw him.

The heat of the mark seeped away and gave way back to reality. If Annabelle had not been there he very well could have killed the farmer himself, collateral damage. No one the wise. But now with Annabelle at the top of the slope looking down. There was no way he could get it to happen without heavily damaging their companionship. And Casper could still find a good use for her. Besides, if he was being honest with himself, he had grown rather fond of her, and considered her q pleasant acquaintance.

"Are you alright?!" Annabelle shouted down as she started to run towards the mess. By now the farmer had forced his horse to move much faster, leaving Casper alone surrounded by the carnage.

"I'm alright.." he said, trying to gauge her reaction.

"These are alot of bodies"

Casper nodded, his hand tightening around the hilt of his sword. If she started to suspect too much. He could always find another swordsman...and while she was very attractive and good company, he could always do with less people in the camp. Not to mention she could be considered collateral as well, and then he could go after the farmer. The contradicting thoughts swirled around his mind as he spoke.

"They were particularly weak, a simple ambush. None of them expected it, they were all well tired and unprepared." he lied.

Annabelle seemed to have bought it well enough, as she nodded her head "I've had similar experiences, never against armored opponents though"

"It made them slower" Casper responded, his grip loosening a little

"Ah, that makes sense, wasn't enough time to wake us then I suppose?"

"No"

"You will get hurt going off on your own like that. Though I'm glad to know you are well" Annabelle pouted slightly. Was that her caring about it genuinely? Or just obligation that came with her life debt? Casper silently wondered.

"I've been doing well enough on my own for quite some time...though I thank you for your concern"

"Are you sure you're alright?" Annabelle insisted.

"Yes, I'm fine"

"Your sword…"

Casper snapped out of it, his hand was white knuckled around the hilt of his blade. He let his hand relax and sheathed the weapon "sorry…" he had thought the effects of the mark left his body, he thought he already loosened his grip, But it had not. And that was dangerous. He felt the cool air return to him and took in a few deep breaths.

Annabelle smiled, "well, lets not let what they had go to waste"

Casper was glad that Annabelle was well and blooded, versus the likes of Alex or her maid, Annabelle made it easy, he didn't have to pretend to care about the deaths of these men.

This wasn’t because Casper was uncaring, in fact, if he was honest with himself, (it is worth noting that Casper is only occasionally honest with himself) he was a rather emotional man. He felt rather deeply and passionately about many things. When he village was burned to the ground, he was heartbroken, nearly inconsolable. He sobbed for days, and even now the pain still lingered. But when it came to killing people out of necessity, it didn’t weigh very heavily on him. Of course, he would be upset if Annabelle was killed, he had grown to like her, but if she needed to be killed because she compromised Casper's safety he could be able to do it without much hesitation.

Would he enjoy the act? Not one bit? But necessary things are in fact necessary, so there was no point in lingering weather or not they should be done if the answer is clear.

By the time Casper and Annabelle returned, the others were starting to get up, Nephinae the maid making a quick breakfast for everyone using the food they caught and vegetation Elisayra scavenged for in the days prior. Elisayra was spending time fixing some clothing and Alex struggled to wake up entirely. Which was par for the course.

Casper took a good honest look around his camp as both he and Annabelle returned. His eyes traced over the figures going about their daily business, and the realization struck him.

It was a wonder he hadn't really noticed or taken stock of it before, or rather he was so caught up in other things the realization hadn't dawned on him yet. But Casper had managed to gather a group of exclusively female travel companions. He had already gotten quite the good look at a Annabelle, after all it was hard not to. And he had already analyzed Elisayra enough to know he enjoys seeing her more with her new cloths, enough to make that investment worth it. However he hadn't really studied Alex all that well or his… rather, her… maid that she had insisted on bringing along.

Having seen Alex outside of her boyish disguise, she in fact looks quite feminine even with her pixie cut short hair, a nearly perfect hourglass hiding under that heavy cloak. This realization made Casper blush ever so slightly, wishing he was more conscious the night Alex had changed him.

Casper quickly looked away as Alex realized his gaze was on her. She was back into her male disguise, which was for the best, though it was also disappointing and made Casper all the more excited to be able to tear it off-"

That line of thought was quickly snuffed from his head as he shook the sensation off. The mark was still gripping at him, and Casper was well aware that being horny was one of the side effects, and he had been using that power rather frequently this past week.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The power itself didn't make him horny specifically. Using the mark made him animalistic, primal almost. And that meant a good deal of effects such as a lack of self control, becoming temperamental, and so forth. One such primal urge happens to be the desire to fuck. It's only in man's nature, and he'd been particularly pent up and unsatisfied lately to boot which only amplified that feeling when the Heat begins to effect him.

However, with its effects still lingering it was best to be careful. Which was hard to do as his attention turned instead to Nephinae the maid. Nephinae is an elf, typically considered a higher race, above that of humans, so to see her as a maid must have meant she was purchased as a slave or has been in the family generationally, typically as a debt being owed, such as indentured surviving. Nephinae was tall, with long elegant legs and wide hips on a thin frame as most elves are. Her long platinum hair was done up in a tight bun to stay out of the way and looked to be maybe the equivalent of 18 or 19 in human years, slightly older than Alex Which would place Nephinae at approximately the same age in elven years.

Elves aged on a curve. Elven pregnancies lasted only a little longer than humans, and the rate of growth stayed similar until puberty, which happened at around 13 years of age for elves. From that point it would slow slightly until elves reached their “arcanum-primus” which was almost like a second puberty. This happened when an elves latent magical abilities had reached their natural height. Form that point an elf seemed to stop aging entirely.

An elf could be nearly 200 or 300 years of age and still like no older than 18. That was until they reached the drop off point of “Arcanum-ascensio” This was the point where their magical abilities spiked, akin to a 3rd puberty in a way. From that point they would age at a slowed rate, but more akin to that of a human. Allowing them to appear to be in their 20’s 30’s and 40’s as they reached the century equivalent.

Elves were functionally immortal beings, capable of living indefinitely if no external force cause them to die sooner. Though most elves chose to pass in the form of an Arcanum Dispersion. Where they willed the magic in their bodies to manifest them as arcane dust, allowing themselves to be returned to the magic which birthed them.

Nephinae tended to Alex's every need, and those also just so happen to now be the needs of the camp. It seems that Nephinae is also capable of minor magics, able to start fires, create small amounts of drinkable water. Clean cloths and offer minor repairs, as well as offer aid to healing which has so far been a very nice boon.

However: that also means she is more likely to be able to perceive the markings on Casper's body which was not just a horrible inconvenience but an active threat. Casper had to keep a close eye on her. Which, out of all things to keep an eye on, it was at the very least supremely attractive.

"You two alright?" Alex asked as both Casper and Annabelle grabbed their seats around the fire, just in time for Nephinae to begin hanging out the morning portion of breakfast.

"The guards had almost caught up to us, Casper engaged them. I was already waking when I heard the commotion and helped" Annabelle says rather curtly.

"You shouldn't go out on our own like that you know" Alex pouted ever so slightly "its dangerous"

"You're right, and I apologize. I shouldn't have worried you all" Casper admitted.

He had gotten so used to traveling alone, dealing with large group was not a particularly easy task. He couldn't risk the suspicion. Going out into the woods and hunting a boar is believable, surviving a poorly planned bandit ambush isn't particularly far fetched. However, one man single handed taking out a group of 5 fully armored, mounted city guards is much less so.

Casper had at some point considered lying about his mark and the power it gave him, passing it off as magic. Which while rare isn't taboo. However that idea was quickly dashed away after actually witnessing court mages with his father, where it was clear that incantations are visible, there are specific words you must say. Special hand motions you must do that produce very specific effects, almost like an artist mixing colors.

It would become very aware to anyone who knew what they were seeing that Casper in fact had no idea what he was doing if he tried to lie about casting magic. It would in essence be the equivalent of watching a painter mix red and yellow to produce white. A definite impossibility that would only ever cause problems.

The talk around camp lulled into a passive silence as everyone ate their portion, all but Nephinae. Who sat perfectly still.

"Do you not want any? We are going back on the road so you should build your strength" Casper pointed out.

"I will eat once Alex has finished" she said softly. Nephinae had a soft yet regal way of speaking. Her voice sounded almost ethereal. Like a distant song floating in the wind. In fact the entire way she carried herself was surreal. Every motion practiced and measured to the millimeter. Every step she took was grace, every glance analyzing stare and beautiful observation.

Alex gave an awkward smile "I've tried telling her that she can eat with us. But…" Alex trailed off and Nephinae continued speaking "it is not right for me to eat alongside you all"

Casper finished swallowing his last bite of food. "Eating while traveling will leave a trail, and waiting for you to finish wastes time. If you're going to he traveling with us, then we all need to eat together for efficiency sake"

Phrasing it that way seems to have made Nephinae realize her error in waiting. Of course in a situation, where time is important, and you mustn't leave any evidence for someone to follow, eating while on the move was an impossibility. If she were to delay everyone's travel she would become a burden to the group. This realization flashed across her face, and shortly after. The shame of not having realized it sooner.

"Please forgive me" Nephinae quickly bowed deeply, making Casper and Elisayra a little uncomfortable. While Alex and Annabelle don't seem to mind much. Likely a product of upbringing.

"Its no trouble. Please eat"

Nephinae obeyed and began to eat after apologizing once more.

Casper sighed. This is going to be sub optimal. While in the heat of the moment of course he would decide to save Alex, who was clearly distraught. And apparently she had gone out of her way specifically for this maid of hers. So leaving her behind to be "fucked until she was always pregnant" wasn't an option. However, Casper's rashness in those moments have now turned his personal quest into a party of women all traveling along with him to repay their perceived life debts. Debts he desperately didn't want nor care for.

Casper was aware that this is the culture of these lands and very likely these ideas had been instilled into them at a very young age. Appropriated by cultural zeitgeist and further reinforced by collective norms, however all of that was massively inconvenient and frankly bullshit, he thought.

There wasn't much to be done about it now. Abandoning them here in the woods would be just as bad as killing them himself and Casper despite his occasionally less than moral thinking wasn't a total monster.

In order to avoid lingering on the growing discomfort his thought process was leading him down. Casper decided to Break the silence by asking a question, hopefully in order to ease some tension.

"Alex, how long has Nephinae been your servant?" He asked between mouthfuls of food.

"For a long time now" she stopped eating a bit to think. "She was bought for me at auction when I was 6 years old,

So a slave then...interesting that she is so attached, Casper thought.

"She's been with me since then basically. She's always taken care of me, while technically a slave I've always thought of her as a friend, however my uncle possesses her ownership documents so I can't free her myself"

That explained it a bit more then, Casper thought. So Nephinae is less of a slave, or rather a slave in name only and more of a typical handmaid.

"You said bought at auction? I was always under the impression that elves were considered higher races?" Elisayra was the one who said it, lucky for Casper. He didn't want to sound too ignorant of the world or else they might not trust him to lead, but he had wondered the same thing. According to his father. Elves, celestial, fey and friends were higher races, due to their longer life span, natural beauty and aptitude for natural magics.

"Typically this is true" Alex began "but my uncle got his fame and fortune as a military man, he led many different campaigns around the world, and if an elven settlement is conquered they are sold into slavery just as anyone else would be. They are very rare though as elves are a strong and powerful race."

"That makes sense," Elisayra said with a downturned expression, clearly heartbroken and trying to hide it.

It's strange, Casper thought, that universally elves are praised as beautiful, and there are a good deal of humans who are rather attractive in their own right, Annabelle, and Alex as immediate examples, yet when Two objectively attractive and attracted individuals have a child who is half breed, and also attractive in their own right, such as with Elisayra, they are instantly cast to the bottom of the system and treated worse than mud. Casper didn't understand these customs one bit. But just because he thought they are strange doesn't mean they are. If anything he is the strange one for not holding the same opinion as everyone else.

"Out of curiosity, how much did your father spend on her?" Annabelle asked. Another question Casper was curious about and very grateful that someone else asked. Perhaps having traveling companions wasn't bad after all.

"She was bought for….I believe 18000 gold marks"

Everyone but Alex and Nephinae collectively sputtered and spit their drinks. Elisayra going so far as to begin choking, prompting Annabelle to slap her on the back a few times to dislodge in the Inhaled liquid.

"That's quite the sum" Casper noted, trying his best to maintain composure.

That wasn't just alot of money, that was more than Casper or his entire village had. Period. The average home price inside a city was 5500 gold marks. You could buy a first class sailing vessel for 10,000 gold marks. 18,000 for a person didn't just feel absurd. It WAS absurd. More the fact that someone was willing to spend that kind of money on a 6 year old girls slave.

"Though I've heard that the record for elven slaves at auction has been as high as 50,000 gold marks"

The number was so high it wasn't even possible to spit. Instead the camp went dead silent as the ridiculous notion swirled around in the gathered group's minds.

"Should have been a slaver" Annabelle noted curtly, prompting a dirty look from Elisayra and the hint of disapproval from Nephinae. Though her perfect mask of maidly indifference didn't waver a fraction, the lingering effects of the mark alerted Casper to the micromovements.

"That's…unbelievable" Elisayra sighs. Looking down at the remainder of her food.

"Finish eating, you'll need the energy" Casper sighed.

"Alright…" she sighed back, clearly not wanting to finish the meal.

"If you don't eat it, your breasts will stay small. If you want them big like mine you need to eat alot" Annabelle teased her, bringing her hands up to grab at her own bust.

Casper couldn't help but steal a look at the rather incredible size of them, making gulping Down his last bite a little difficult.

Elisayra however. Seeing Casper's eyes shift to the well endowed Annabelle, Elisayra's resolve hardened. she finished the meal in two quick gulps, prompting a few laughs from the others at her expense, causing her to blush.

Perhaps traveling with a group wasn't so bad after all. Sure it was very nonoptimal in terms of stealth. Resources or speed. But honestly, trading optimization for moments of brevity like these were well worth the trade. It had been far, far too long since Casper had traveled with anyone who could make him laugh like this. In fact. He for a brief moment had forgotten how to. And had to remind himself in the moment how to actually laugh along with everyone. Though as nice as it was, he really didn't need anyone else tagging along. This size right here was perfect.