The trip back to the cabin proved uneventful, and while Warren often caught glimpses of Kassandra moving through the trees, she studiously avoided them. He hoped that once they reached the cabin, she would calm down and talk to him.

  After a few miles, he was forced to remove Zarya’s blindfold. The harsh terrain was proving difficult for her to traverse blind. Plus, she had become his vassal, so he hoped the Holy System wouldn’t allow her to betray him.

  As they marched wearily down his dad’s old dirt driveway, he saw Valentina jump up from a chair in front of the workshop. The book she’d been reading tumbled from her fingers, and she scrambled to grab her rifle. With her weapon in hand, she raced down the driveway to meet them.

  “What the fucking fuck is that thing doing here?” Valentina shouted, raising her rifle and peering down the sight. “Move the fuck out of the way and I’ll shoot it.”

  “She’s our prisoner.” Warren held up his hand and moved between them. The last thing he wanted was for Valentina to shoot his new vassal. “And she’s agreed to provide us with information.”

  Valentina pressed her plump lips together. “Are you fucking kidding me? These things probably killed my squad.”

  Warren frowned at the green beret’s words. He’d suspected that her squad had been killed—or at the very least been taken prisoner—but Valentina had insisted she would reunite with them any day. Either she’d been pretending for his benefit, or she’d finally lost hope.

  “You said yourself the aliens you encountered looked like whales,” he said, his hands still held up in an attempt to calm Valentina down. “The Daskians didn’t hurt your people.”

  Valentina shook her head. “What about all the townsfolk? All the people just going about their day before they got pancaked by these bastards? We should shoot her in the back of her head and dump her in the mass grave with the worms.”

  “I’m not killing her,” he said sharply. “And that’s not up for discussion.”

  Kassandra appeared from the forest and trotted up beside him. “I say we let Valentina take her out. The second our backs our turned, she’ll just betray us.”

  “She won’t betray us,” he said. “I… trust her word.”

  “Why in the hell would you trust her?” Valentina huffed. “Please don’t tell me you’re this gullible.”

  “Her family is coming here to join us,” he said. “I doubt that she would betray us and risk her entire household.”

  Both of the women stared at him with shocked disbelief.

  Kassandra’s eyes looked like that would almost pop out of her head. “You let her family come here? Without even talking to me?”

  “I believed it was in the best interest of the town,” he replied. “What we need more than anything is information. I need someone who can tell me how best to build my stats and deck. And how to level up quickly. She could be invaluable.”

  “But I thought we were a team,” Kassandra continued, sounding hurt. “How could you not talk to me?”

  “I’m with her,” Valentina said. “How could you bring this twatwaffle home?”

  As he opened his mouth to reply, Zarya pushed past him.

  Her purple eyes blazed with fury as she thrust her finger at the two women. “How dare you speak to your liege in such a manner? As your new commander, I should have the two of you stripped naked and caned for speaking to him like that.”

  Warren closed his eyes and swore softly. While he’d felt certain he could diffuse the situation, Zarya had just made it impossible. Judging by the expression on his friend’s face, it was like the alien had thrown a nuclear bomb onto a raging fire.

  Kassandra rounded on him. “Please don’t tell me you put her in charge of me.”

  “I didn’t put anyone in charge,” he replied, his exasperation leaking through into his tone. “Nothing has changed—except her family now serves me.”

  The blond-haired soldier threw up her hands and stalked back to the workshop. A second later, Kassandra followed her inside. He was left standing alone with Zarya.

  The purple skinned woman knelt in front of him and looked up through her long lashes. “May I punish them, my liege?”

  “They are my friends,” he said. “And you’re not punishing anyone.”

  “H-how could you allow anyone to speak to your vassal in such a manner?”

  “In case you can’t tell, your people aren’t too popular on my planet at the moment. If I were you, I’d keep a low profile for the foreseeable future.”

  “As you wish, my liege.” She rose to her feet before dusting off some dried grass from her knees. “Now, where is your fortress located? Is there a hidden entrance beneath this ruin?”

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  Warren scratched the back of his head and winced. “This is my current base.”

  “Oh… I see.” Then the alien woman brightened. “No matter. My retinue will turn this into a powerful fortress in no time. The mighty walls of Kor’Thal will pale in comparison to this bastion of power.”

  “About your retinue,” he continued. “I’d prefer to keep them away for the time being. Is that acceptable to you?”

  “It is most understandable, my liege,” she said. “They will remain in their camp until such a time that you trust me. However, I must ask—are there any world monsters in the area?”

  Glancing up at his map, he shook his head. Aside from Torovox the Destroyer, who was always lurking in the corner of the visible map, there were no monsters nearby. The Daskians should be safe in the wilderness for the time being.

  He then reached into his bag and pulled out one of the beam rifles they’d stripped from the dead. With these weapons, he’d finally have a chance to concentrate on ranged attacks. He’d no longer have to hurl himself into battle with only a sword like an ancient barbarian. “Can you tell me how to use this thing?”

  “My deepest apologies, my liege.” Zarya made a strange symbol with her hands again. “There is no way for you to use it.”

  He raised his eyebrow. “Why not?”

  “Upon purchase from the Holy System, they are keyed to the mana of their owner.” She gave him an apologetic smile. “Only a close family member can make use of one. In fact, many are passed down for generations among clans.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me when I was out there collecting them?”

  Zarya shrugged. “Because you didn’t ask.”

  Warren fought down the urge to curse as he shoved the weapon back into his bag. So much for evening the playing field. He’d have to stick to traditional firearms for now.

  “I’m going to make myself some food,” he said. “You’re welcome to join me if you’re hungry.”

  “Unfortunately, much of the food in this world is poisonous to my people. For now, I will have to rely on my rations.”

  “How long will your rations last?” he asked, alarmed by her words. He didn’t want his new vassal starving to death. And it wasn’t like he could stop by her planet for more. Maybe if things became really dire, he could raid the alien supplies in town. But for that to work, he’d have to find a way to get past the drop ship sensors.

  The purple skinned woman tapped on her arm, and a tiny glowing portal appeared on her wrist. Lowering her head slightly, she gazed inside. “I should have approximately three months' worth.”

  “What the hell is that?” he asked, pointing at the portal.

  “It is simply a pocket dimension for storage,” she said, as though she was talking about the weather. “Do your people not have such things?”

  “We most certainly do not.”

  While the Daskians used some archaic technology, like swords and axes, they also possessed some impossibly advanced ones as well. Or at least magic that resembled technology. It was as though a medieval society had been mashed together with a futuristic empire. And based on Zarya’s account of her people joining the Holy System, that may have been exactly what happened.

  “I think you should wait out here,” he said. “But let me know if you need anything.”

  It was a gamble leaving her out here on her own, but if she wanted to betray him, it was better it happened now rather than in the heat of battle. Though based on the vassal tab on the side of his vision, he still wasn’t sure if she could betray him.

  He walked up to the door to the workshop and pushed it open. Inside, both women were in the midst of heated conversation when he entered, but they immediately fell silent. He felt their icy stares on his back as he walked over to their supplies.

  From the pile of goods, he grabbed a can of soup and then a tin of meat. It wasn’t the best lunch, but it should at least fill him up.

  Kassandra leaned against the wall. “Did you leave her alone outside?”

  “I did,” he said. “I may not trust her, but I trust this strange system to make her loyal.”

  His dark-haired friend crossed her arms, her firm breasts pushing together and almost spilling out of her top. “She betrayed her previous leader,” she pointed out. “What’s stopping her from doing it again?”

  “Because I made her my vassal,” he said. “The system seemed to act like it was a big deal. Is that enough for you? I’m starving and I want to grab something to eat.”

  Valentina stepped forward. “It sure as fuck isn’t enough for me. I say I go out there and put a few rounds in her face.”

  “Does the U.S. Army often going around killing prisoners?”

  “Well…no.” Valentina scowled. “Shit balls. Why are you bringing that up?”

  “No matter what,” he continued. “She surrendered and is our prisoner.”

  “Then why the fuck isn’t she tied up in here?” Valentina kicked a loose screw on the floor, sending it flying across the room. “Maybe we should strip her down and cane her.”

  “No one is doing anything like that,” he said. “At least not until I get more information from her.”

  Kassandra let out a sigh. “If you think it’s a good idea, I’ll go along with it. But I’m going to keep a close eye on her to make sure she doesn’t hurt you.”

  “I’d appreciate that.” His friend’s acceptance of Zarya was so tenuous, he didn’t want to admit he wasn’t sure if he could trust the alien, either. But if Kassandra was watching Zarya with her superhuman senses, he felt a lot safer.

  As he spoke, he scanned their meagre supplies. They had been dropping fast, with both him and Valentina consuming them. They would need more—and soon.

  “On another note,” he said. “I think it’s time for another supply run.”

  Kassandra nodded. “Did you ever find out the location of Boone’s bunker?”

  He shook his head. “Each time I’ve summoned him, I haven’t exactly been able to have a conversation about that. Next time I use my deck, I’ll make sure to find out the location. Assuming he wants to share it. He may want to keep it a secret so he can retreat there with his girlfriend once we find her.”

  “Where should we go for supplies?” Kassandra sat down and crossed her long legs. She bounced her foot, the stiletto heel pointing toward him.

  “Why not your place?” he asked. “It’s one of the closest houses, and I’ll pay your dad back when we get a chance—”

  “Wait,” Valentina interrupted. “Are we just letting that twatwaffle stay here? Seriously? I mean, is the conversation over?”

  Warren turned to look at the green beret. “If she betrays us, then I’ll happily let you take her out.”

  The green beret pursed her lips and tapped her foot. Finally, she nodded tersely. “As long as you’re not going all soft on me.”

  “They invaded our world,” he said harshly. “If they aren’t with us, then they’re against us. I won’t hesitate to kill every alien on our planet if it comes to that. But hopefully, some will be useful.”

  Neither of the women replied to his words, and both seemed temporarily mollified. He then turned his attention to planning their excursion for the night. Kassandra’s family house was much closer to town, and it would be risky going there. But at least this way, they wouldn’t have to face the Vudha Overmind again.

  Still, he couldn’t help but worry what other threats might be lurking out there.