Operation Honey Trap vs The Emperor of the Apocalypse-Chapter 111: Hostage Crisis

The team took a short break from their dragon training runs for water and a snack.

Arrie disappeared into the bushes for a bio break, along with Ruby and Feifei.

A high-pitched whistle sounded.

"What was that Feif?" asked Ruby from behind a nearby tree.

"No idea, but we better take a look."

The two women had barely pulled their shorts up when they were grabbed from behind, encircled in a tight bear hug, their mouths covered. They were dragged back into the thick bush.

Arrie was a little further away. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Feif, what was that whistle? Feif? Where are you? Rubes?"

Arrie walked over to where she had last seen the girls. That was weird, they were gone already. They usually waited for one another. She shrugged and started to make her way back to the training field.

An unknown soldier covered in mud like an evil mud man emerged from the bushes in front of her and Arrie screamed. Stupidly, she was unarmed.

The man ran towards her and caught her before she’d managed to take a few steps in the opposite direction. He threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and started to run.

She screamed again and he slapped her hard on the face.

"Keep quiet bitch or the next one will hurt more than that."

Arrie started to sob in pain and fear.

All of a sudden there was a roar, and she was pitched forward and thrown to the ground. She managed to tuck and roll and jump to her feet.

"Get out of here Araminta," shouted Baer, who had crash-tackled the mud man and was now shaping up to him; both men were armed with swords.

There was no way she was leaving Baer here alone and saving herself. She picked up a nearby tree branch and placed herself behind the enemy soldier.

Baer gave an almighty roar and started hacking at the man with his broadsword.

The soldier was immediately on the back foot and being backed by Baer into a conifer patch from where he could retreat no further. Arrie skittered out of the way of the two large men, staying outside the reach of the blades. She didn’t want to cause any more trouble than she already had.

Once Baer had the man where he wanted him, with nowhere left to go, a sly grin appeared on his face.

"You think you can fuckin’ slap my woman, do you?" he snorted with derisive laughter. "What kind of a man are you, bashing a little woman like that in the face? Are you even human?"

"These little bitches belong to the Emperor, man," the man panted. "You shouldn’t have touched ’em."

"Well, we’re changing shit up, and she’s mine now. You fucking hit her and you’re going to pay for that."

Baer started to cleave his massive broadsword from a great height, bringing it down on the man, who was barely able to take the heavy blows. The next strike went right through his defences and sliced him across the chest.

"Look away Araminta," Baer growled.

She turned her head and covered her eyes, and Baer stabbed the soldier through the heart. The man slid to the ground dead, and Baer put his boot on his chest, pulling his sword free.

He wiped his sword on the grass and strode over to Arrie, his face lightly spattered with the man’s blood.

He pulled Arrie to his chest and let her cry for a minute. He knelt down and looked at her face, where a large bruise was forming on one cheek.

"That fucking bastard, I’ll kill him again," he muttered. "Are you okay shortcake? Did he hurt you anywhere else?"

She shook her head mutely.

"Good," he nodded and gave her a quick kiss on the good cheek. "I need to go and help. If you’re up to joining in, get straight up onto Pawee’s back and stay up there with your shield. If you’re too shaken, climb the highest tree you can find and stay up there, I’ll come and find you later. Okay?"

She nodded again.

"Good girl, go!" he pushed her towards the tall elm trees while he turned and ran back towards the sounds of battle.

Arrie felt her cheek. While it did hurt like buggery, there was no way she was retreating to a tree. She took a deep breath and ran for Pawee, determined to be useful instead of a liability.

As Arrie returned to the training field, the scene was mayhem.

It looked like there had been fighting between the two sides, but now two men had appeared through the gates on horseback with Ruby on one horse and Feifei on the other, daggers held tight to their necks, their hands tied behind their backs.

A man with a scar on his face who held Feifei on his horse called out to General Meyer.

"Prince Alton. Good to see you again, though I wish it was under better circumstances."

"Major Pittman, fancy seeing you here," Alton growled.

"I see you’ve gone troppo. I hope you’ve all had a very sweet time with these ladies here, because it’s going to be a short time. All of you lay down your weapons, or these two women are dead," Pittman pressed his knife against Feifei’s, throat, and a trickle of blood ran down her neck.

Delphi moved to pick up her bow, but Pittman saw her.

"Uh, uh, uh. You must be Miss Chastain. You reputation precedes you young lady, and I see it’s not exaggerated."

He was definitely going to have a taste of that before he killed her. A few days going troppo with that slut would be just the ticket before the return trip...

"If you want your friend here to stay alive, don’t get any silly thoughts. Just ask your boyfriend if I’m not deadly serious. He knows me well enough," the Major laughed, a pitiless little laugh.

Ruby was crying silently, and Delphi’s anger was building to gargantuan proportions.

"I feel sorry for anyone who knows you at all, Scarface," said Delphi. "Another one of the Emperor’s mindless lackeys with little dick syndrome."

"I look forward to disabusing you of that mistaken notion, Delphine," he shot her an obscene tongue lick.

Now it was Alton’s turn to be enraged, and Delphi touched his arm to warn him to keep his cool.

Delphi, Alton and Feifei were madly signing each other while she spoke to the Major.

Feifei was signing, ’take the shot! take the shot!’ over and over again.

Alton was signing ’hold! hold!’

Delphi was signing, ’we’ll use daggers. On my signal shift slightly right. Catch Ruby’s attention.’

Feifei called to Ruby, "are you okay Ruby? Don’t be scared. Look at the General. She’s got you."

"Shut up bitch!" said Pittman to Feifei, pulling her roughly against him.

He was going to enjoy this slut too. He would enjoy them together.

Ruby had now seen the signed message and signed back, ’good. Go.’

Alton sighed. This was happening with or without him, so he’d better make it work. He signed to Delphi, ’I’ll take the Major you take the other man.’

’Three, two, one!’