Setting Off In The Ornament

3 weeks later. In Heian Ciemnosc's bedroom.

"ZzzZZzZZZzzzZZzzzzz..." Heian Ciemnosc and Milyy were on the bed as usual without any clothes on, and the latter was asleep like a log. Her back faced Heian Ciemnosc as he looked at the ceiling with his arms spread and his torso with clear, red-dark bloody marks of small and thin claws, which spread to his neck and groin. His expression was casual, but his body was ultimately relaxed as he breathed in and out without a worry in the world. Suddenly, Milyy turned around slowly and smoothly and grabbed Heian Ciemnosc's arms to hold her.

Rufle, thud- slap- patah. "Mmmmm!" Milyy woke up, seemingly having been like so since a little while ago. Heian Ciemnosc looked towards Milyy as her eyes slowly opened, revealing a kitty's turquoise hot pink eyes dilating and brightening when she sighted him, even though she already 'saw' him and knew he was there. Heian Ciemnosc smiled cheekily, proud of his handsome self, before smooching the tip of his wife's nose. "Grumpy already? More needy? Just tell me, and I will calm you-your kitty down, ey."

"... Hehe~." Milyy smiled, dizzying Heian Ciemnosc, who could only shake his head that someone like her could exist in the world... She was purely youthful, wild to her instincts, but bratty and a snotty punk at once. Quite the unique specimen. Heian Ciemnosc received a bit to his lower lip when he tried to draw away from her face. Milyy licked it left and right with fury before letting go of it, with some dark blood dripping from her fangs.

"Hehe," with Milyy's constant giggling, it sounded in Heian Ciemnosc's mind like he was willing to be bit a little longer, even if only to hear her silly antics again. She became aware of his gaze. As such, Milyy closed in and glued her face onto his chest, breathing in his enjoyable scent and feeling his muscles. They weren't a lot, but they were her man's. And that counted for countless points!

"Are you leaving now? Why didn't you sleep longer? If you wanted to do more... I was willing!" Milyy said, flashing him her tiny mounds before hiding them again, feeling tingly all over and stupidly shy as if Heian Ciemnosc hadn't done unthinkable things to every part of her body as she had to him. Heian Ciemnosc smiled and presented his warmth to the rest of her body with her face re-glued to his pectorals again.

"I wanted to hold my wife for longer. Oh, don't you like that? Or do you see me as a pale piece of meat?" Heian Ciemnosc's second question made Milyy chuckle a little. She bit one of his nipples but got no response. Milyy peeked her eyes away from his pale skin and looked up, only to see the most lovable, darkest eyes in the world. Her lips parted, and her fangs widened the gap between them. "Yeah, I'd like to try that more... Not just after we get all intimate. Maybe just... ah! Cuddle! That's the word, aha. Cuddle!"

"Mn, alright." Heian Ciemnosc caressed Milyy's hair. She became docile and lovely again after growing excited after re-learning a word she barely used other than when she was tiny and only had her mother. In a sense, Milyy and Calisneia's past history reminded Heian Ciemnosc of the Blauws. One hid her daughter because of fear of the world, and the other feared she couldn't protect her daughter because she knew little-to-nothing about her. They were all precious... and would end up as his wives one way or another, right?

"Here, let me help you dress," Milyy said after she was endlessly bathed in the love exuding from his darkest eyes. Hers were still glued to Heian Ciemnosc's, but she helped him up while wearing nothing, getting her entire body entangled around his back as Heian Ciemnosc had to move himself. However, as Heian Ciemnosc took his clothes from his Covert Space bags, Milyy landed her feet on the floor and started dressing him up. She didn't forget to bite him, lap her tongue, and grope his pale skin nonstop while doing so.

While Heian Ciemnosc mentally struggled, Milyy always had fun helping her husband dress up. It didn't take long as Milyy had become quite used to it after 4 months of sometimes helping Heian Ciemnosc get dressed. As for her caresses and bites, they had started only about a month ago, a week before she gave herself to Heian Ciemnosc, the black monster. Thus, the monster was troubled to keep himself and jr. monster in check.

"... Sluuuuurrrp!" Milyy drew her tongue around Heian Ciemnosc's neck, wetting it with her scent and aura. Her presence also impregnated his body, making him feel as if she was there, even if he was tens of thousands of kilometers away in space. Knowing he was marked to her satisfaction and also not minding it, Heian Ciemnosc looked at his wife as she nodded to herself continuously.

"There you go, ready?" Milyy said, standing straight with her back and front appearing fair and slim, drawing Heian Ciemnosc's darkest eyes to explore her life-taking beauty. She didn't mind his gaze, shamelessly scrutinizing her like he owned her, and even adored the sensation. Milyy patted Heian Ciemnosc's shoulder but failed to see the growing tent below, and she had become too used to its scent and hidden one after days' worth of pure carnage, the only way a married couple could have it.

"Mhm, just one thing left." Heian Ciemnosc lifted his left hand while his right one moved to embrace Milyy's left side and back. She didn't notice it as it was like breathing to feel his touch roam around her whenever he wanted, so she wasn't suspicious. She brought her hands to before her chest and hung them there, asking him, "What is it? Did I forget something? It can't be... Alyona made me practice with her and some of your old uniforms when you were here..."

"Ah!" Before she knew it, she was turned around and pushed onto the bed, bending over with her feet gone tiptoe as the rest was against the mattress. When she had just opened her suddenly closed eyes, she felt an intrusion in her poor, innocent body. Rapidly, her lascivious vaginal entrance welcomed his body, and the lovely virile member imprinted in her brain and Soul started disarranging the peace that had remained for too long... after waking up.

Pa- tah! Pa ta tah! Pah, pah, pah, pah...!

. . .

4 hours later. At an office module for managing receiving and completing missions.

Step, step... Heian Ciemnosc walked into a mini-office inside the module, where he found his Team waiting for the employer in charge to return and give them their certificate for this mission. They looked at him, and some nudged their head upwards in greeting, with only Beto nodding to him with a blink and Cara smiling at him.

"..." Heian Ciemnosc nodded in general and rested his back on a wall to wait for the certificate to arrive. After a few minutes, the worker finally returned, oozing a Third Step aura, surprising Heian Ciemnosc a little but not much since this was the Carrier and not a Cruiser or Battleship. The worker walked to them and said to Beto, passing a couple documents into his hands.

"These are your things. Those are your contractors. Go ahead. According to everything, it shouldn't take longer than a week, but if something happens, you will have 10 days before a search party is dispatched. Your results will be shared with the latter. Got it?"

"Ugh, I understand. Thank you, Senior," Beto said, somewhat disgruntled about the search party's mention but still polite to the worker. The cultivator, who could flick his finger and disappear his Team, nodded courteously and said before waving them to shoo away. "Good hunting then. Now, go. You're not the only ones taking missions in the station."

The Team nodded at the fella and walked out, with Heian Ciemnosc remaining low-key, exiting the mini-office the last and staying at the rear. But not for long. Beto twisted his neck around and spoke to Heian Ciemnosc, hurrying him to walk forward. Heian Ciemnosc walked side-by-side with the team leader and asked, "What is it, team leader?"

"Well, as you heard, we get a search party if we take too long. Usually, missions like this only depend on the time. Which means that this mobile station should be pretty far away. However, if we don't give signs of life in 10 days, even if we are perfectly fine, the search party will get half or more of our gains. And this job pays well. At least 10,000 Inferior Neutral Stones to each of us, and 20,000 extra if we manage to do it without any damage to the goods. But it is 100,000 extra if we face any incursion."

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"Okay... so we're trying to rip our contractors off 120,000 extra Neutral Stones?" Heian Ciemnosc lifted his eyebrows, already calculating the gold coins he could get from these and feeling like he could finally get his Craftsmaking practice ongoing again. He no longer had the Blauw Empire's funding, and he wasn't going to show his relationship with them by asking them to send him some via the Wrath Nihility Academy.

Beto nodded, "Yes. That's how it is going to be. However, the search party was distant to my Team before you arrived. Sigh... This means it's because of you and your cursed status that we're being given a time against race. Although the commander signed the documents to have you as an unquestionable member of our Team, her Frigate, and the incomplete Fleet, you're still you. Understand?"

"Yes, team leader. Just say what you want to," Heian Ciemnosc nodded, elevating his arms helplessly before slapping them against his sides. Beto nodded, "Good. That's how it should be."

"You see, we Crimsonbreaking Faction work alone, but the merchants we're escorting have a few Fighters for extra protection. Just some guards and scouts. Nobody's stupid to travel with such goods alone, as if that wouldn't attract the bandits and pirates' attraction. The Faction's contract allows us to control each of these Fighters. I will have 3 and everyone else 2 under your name. Remember, you must protect the goods, not the people in it."

"Team leader, you don't have to doubt my resolve to follow orders. I know the Faction would never ask me to do something against nature or my person. I trust the needs of our contracts, nothing else." Heian Ciemnosc felt he had to say it to calm the Team down. They didn't see him do all those terrible things in person, so they could only speculate why something happened. Singularly since Heian Ciemnosc's Myriad Darkness Materialization covers whatever happens inside from any camera transmitting to the Universal Conveyance.

"..." The Team looked at him and nodded slowly, each at their own time. Beto nodded in reassurance before saying, "If you say so. We hope you do. We aren't a charity organization, blackie. All we do is money. We, the Faction, don't have a goal now, so we can only do this nonstop. It gets dull, and it might make the ambitious feel lost. While we encourage our soldier units to not be good people, it's not bad to be good-natured. As long as you're cold enough to keep that away when working under the Faction's image."

"You will have your 2 Fighters from the merchant's fleet. It won't be taking away from you. Just don't fuck anything up. Your status doesn't matter in my Team, only your efficiency. Now, if you've understood, good. If not, you'll have time to learn before getting us killed. You're the black monster, after all, no?" Beto added after seeing his Team accept Heian Ciemnosc's words.

Heian Ciemnosc nodded, "It's my first mission. I also have people to impress. Believe it or not, it's not just a woman, or more, that I have to prove myself to. There is a grandpa, some uncles, and so on."

"..." The Team fell a little silent, watching Heian Ciemnosc number them with his fingers, tapping them with his other hand's fingertips. Their minds were a little played with by Heian Ciemnosc's antics, but it also reminded them Heian Ciemnosc wasn't taken in because of his looks and, sincerely so, they were also curious to see what the rumored black monster had to offer. If he was that good, it would be beneficial to their Team. If he wasn't, people may die.

"Our Fighters were moved to the hangar already. By the way, blackie. The mechanics from the Third Step praised your Ornament. They wondered if you could visit them after the mission's finished... and if you remain alive." Beto suddenly added as they stepped into a VIP elevator. He was at the front, and the Team on his back.

"Eh! Seriously?! Can I go, too?!" Tomboy Ruo Wei said, looking back at Heian Ciemnosc, but not specifically surprised about the Ornament. Only that Heian Ciemnosc was asked to come to chat with the more knowledgeable mechanics in the Crimsonbreaking Faction. Beto nodded and looked back and to the right, "Yes. You can go, and Cara too."

"Weee, I get to see my senior apprentice brothers. Hehe!" Cara reacted, more interested in nonsense than mingling with the superior cultivators with vast knowledge. Ruo Wei rolled her eyes, but Heian Ciemnosc didn't reply as he was too engrossed in dealing with the mission ahead of him. Heian Ciemnosc wasn't nervous, but it was his first time battling in space. He had only watched others battle while a Fighter, but now... he was using a Fighter to complete a mission, no longer just watching!

Of course, the mission could be hella boring, but that was out of his and the team leader's hands. Heian Ciemnosc waited until the elevator designated for mission-takers to the Carrier's main hangar arrived at its destination. When the doors slid open, his darkest eyes welcomed the sight of hundreds of spaceships flying high and millions of people remaining low. There were no Low class Battleships, but several dozen Cruisers were in the hangar, taking huge space around.

"Over here, follow me and only act on the orders given to the central command in charge of our mission. Remember it when we return an-" Beto said as if teaching a bunch of new kids on the job when Moy interrupted him as the Team walked to where everyone could see their Fighters being checked for who knew which umpteenth time. "Elder Brother, the black monster isn't a young chap like I was. You saw him in space and in our Frigate's training. Can you stop treating us all like kids?"

"Yeah, we know you worry. But seriously, do you doubt commander Choliac that much? What if he hears you?" Ruo Wei chipped in as Clanton, Sandra, Cara, and Loma nodded, showcasing slightly worried expressions. Beto stopped and looked at them, somewhat perplexed. He seemed to recuperate his status as this Team's leader and said, "It's not that I think the commander was wrong, but... We can't lose our reputation any further. If the commander was wrong about this-"

"Gaaaasp!" Everyone except Heian Ciemnosc gasped at Beto's words. Heian Ciemnosc didn't understand what the deal was. Until he saw Beto's eyes widen, seemingly unaware of what he was saying before, and covering his mouth like a shy damsel. His eyes widened in shock, as if asking if he was the one to say that, but his Team's members nodded with eyes that said, 'told you so!'... It was helpless.

"Le... let's just go and do the mission. Surely, it wasn't that... important... right?" Beto said, somewhat nervous, but his team members' faces didn't help. His words were less and less confident, and Heian Ciemnosc could only raise his left eyebrow in contemplation of the commander's skill to hear his soldier units from afar. If their fear wasn't unfounded, someone might suffer when they returned...

The Team didn't waste any more time. While Beto had mental struggles, they boarded their Fighters. Heian Ciemnosc wanted to wait for Beto to get up, but a look from the latter told him he was supposed to enter his Fighter first. Thus, after every other teammate was in their Fighter and confirmed ready, Heian Ciemnosc heard a voice speak to the Team.

"Team #&!&%!(=$, you are allowed to exit the Carrier. Fly to the station's meeting point with your contractors and bla bla bla. Do your stuff. Hangar's central command gives you permission."

Pssshff. Whoooooosh...

Then, Heian Ciemnosc watched Beto get in his Fighter, elevating to the top of the hangar. Heian Ciemnosc and his teammates followed after him, and when they were aligned in a typical formation for a military unit to travel together, they set off under Beto's order. "Onwards!"

Whoooosh, whooooooosh, whoooooosh, whoooooosh...

For the first time in his life, Heian Ciemnosc felt a distinctive sense of belonging as he flew beside his Team. Their Fighters were just another bunch from the thousands of other spaceships in the hangar, moving from one place to another, but he felt as if the world was all around them only. Their cabin's windows weren't clear, so the only way for him to see their faces was via medallion messaging, which was already installed in his Ornament with the Crimsonbreaking Faction's tweaks and improvements to his unique Fighter's system.

"Hey, dumbass!" That's why, when they were coming out of the hangar into space, Heian Ciemnosc felt his feet light, whose lightness spread to his body upwards. Ruo Wei's face suddenly appeared to his left, before him, between his pale, pervertedly handsome face and the windows. She wore a dismissive expression and stuck her tongue out, seemingly biting it with her teeth. "How was it? Did you feel goosebumps? Do you want to make some changes in our Fighters, too? To repay us for letting you be on our Team? Huh?!"

"Don't listen to her, black monster. She was also like that when I first joined. She's 200, but she acts like 12. Doesn't she?" Moy's face appeared before him, below Ruo Wei, and she lashed out immediately. "Who are you calling 12?! You're 12! Your damn ass is 12! No, less! It's like nonexistent! No wonder you get no ladies!"

"Wei Wei..." Suddenly, Sandra appeared, making the whole situation suddenly comfortable while traveling through space to Heian Ciemnosc. Ruo Wei interrupted with a blushing face, "Don't. Call me... WEI WEI!! I'm Big Wei! What Wei Wei? Do I seem cute? I may have more meat than mister tower over here!"

"Come on, that's not true. Besides, tower's butt is cute. The few showers we took together are proof of that. Have you forgotten? Also, why do you act constrained? You are so bulbous everywhere, too. If Cara was a double-sided girl, you would've been together since long ago, sigh."

"Someone said females doing stuff together?" Cara appeared next, saying hi to Heian Ciemnosc with a smile and a reverse nod. Heian Ciemnosc blinked profusely while Clanton, Beto, and Loma remained silent. He asked, "You can show up in my holographic coms anytime, but... Can I do the same to you?"

"Huh? Yeah, why?" Ruo Wei said, trying to keep her blush away from the naked eyesight. Although it was too late, too long for that. Heian Ciemnosc nodded with his mouth slightly agape in a circular fashion.

"Oh."

Beep. Heian Ciemnosc pressed a few buttons, and every face disappeared. Suddenly, the beauty of the universe's silence and its nearly endless blackness returned. Without his face appearing, Beto's voice suddenly sounded from the coms, "Well done. That was the only option. And really, don't mind Ruo Wei. She likes helping the new ones and is one of the oldest in the Team, so now you know she does that every time..."

"Oh..." Heian Ciemnosc said, grinning a little as the Team continued flying in the Crimsonbreaking Faction's one of many typical traveling formations.

...