Indipendent

As the group arrived outside the portal Maiev wandered through, seeming confused to see them there. She then rested her eyes on Lyani and darted towards her to check on her. She stopped short when she noticed the group of girls staring at her with guarded looks. They were gathered around the Nightsaber, and the cat herself was also rather tense. Shandris stepped forward.

“There was an incident.” She offered simply.

“What? Explain!” She stared around the exterior of the portal.

“Where the hell is Cordana?”

“She came to meet us. She wanted to take Lyani.” Shandris explained cautiously. Delaryn observed closely. For all the flak Shandris got for being simple, she was being smart. The girl was letting on very little about what happened in order to draw more out of Maiev, just in case. Behind them, Lyani did not react to Maiev the same way she reacted to Cordana, but she still seemed cautious and uncertain.

“Miss, didn’t Cordanna report to you what I said? I came to her and she said she would send word through before coming back with me.” Amara asked.

“I received no word.”

“Don’t you think that’s suspicious?” Shandris implied.

“I don’t even know what the hell happened!? Careful who you grill, girl!” Maiev pointed harshly. Shandris simply stared back, unmoved by the threatening tone and posture. She took a breath and leaned back.

“Let’s start with what happened. I am out of the loop.”

“Alright. We found the Proctor naked and ****. When she woke up she was babbling and seemed to have gone through some things, but there was no sign that she was attacked. We immediately stopped what we were doing and tried to get help for her, but instead of coming back with you, Miss. Amara came back with Cordana and she scolded us and told us off for not trusting her.”

“As she should have.” Maiev rasped, rubbing her eyes wearily.

“W-what!?” Delaryn shouted.

Shandris held a hand up. “Say what you’re gonna say.”

“Cordana is a Warden. She is second only to myself. Why on earth would you disobey her orders!? She is a proctor on this test! For what? Because a woman who has been affected somehow mentally is showing the exact signs one might expect? You were irresponsible and Cordana is correct in every way.”

Shandris cocked her head to one side. “Would you say that if she was my Sister’s subordinate?”

Maiev inhaled slowly through her nose. “What are you implying? It is your turn to say what you are going to say.”

“I’m saying, you’re maybe giving a bit too much credit to your own people?” Shandris argued.

“What about Cordana not telling you!?” Delaryn interjected.

Maiev chuckled. “Ah… The nepotism case is accusing me of favouring my own? Interesting.” Shandris sneered at her, her light purple cheeks darkening.

“Have you considered that Cordana is capable of acting on my behalf? As I said before, her authority is second to mine. If you do not trust her there is no point in trusting anyone here.” Maiev motioned around the whole area before the portal.

Shandris nodded. “You’re right.” Maiev seemed to relax in response to the remark, however she grew twice as angry when she continued to speak, adding:

“I don’t trust you, either. I’ll bring Lyani with us.”

“You can not.” Maiev warned.

“Debriefing and interrogating her is DIRECTLY under my division's authority within the Guild. That is without even considering that she is one of my own subordinates.”

Shandris smirked, walking forward confidently. “Yeah, well… I’m a ‘Nepo Case’ , remember? If you got a problem, take it up with my Sister.” Shandris waved a hand dismissively. They all followed walking past the hesitant Warden into the portal. Delaryn breathed. They successfully returned to the actual world.

“That was so nerve-wracking…” Amara’s shoulders slumped.

Shandris scratched her head. “I may have overreacted.”

“You think? We’re gonna get blacklisted from all the Sentinel Dungeons, now.” Raene exhaled through her nose sharply, commanding Korra to shrink into a cub again before picking her up by the scruff and dropping her back in her hood.

Delaryn’s face went pale. “A-all of them?” She turned around.

“M-maybe there’s still time to apologise.”

Shanris gripped her shoulder, turning her back around. She was smiling wide. “Two things.” She held up two fingers for Delaryn.

“One, Maiev never forgets a face. Two, she holds a grudge. She still hates my Sister.”

Delaryn whined. “Can’t we appeal to your sister, Shandris?”

Shandris shrugged. “Uhm… Truth is, I’m kinda here against her wishes, anyway? So…”

Raene interjected. “We are screwed. Sentinels Guild is basically closed off.”

“No no no…” Delaryn held her head in her hands.

Shandris sighed. “Relax. You showed your loyalty back there. I won't forget it. You can come with us. We’ll do some of the public Dungeons together to make up for it. As far as we’re concerned, you’re a part of our group now. Right?” She looked at Amara and Raene. They both nodded. Korra let out a very small roar from Raene’s hood.

“You all don’t understand!” Delaryn shouted in a panic.

They all gathered around in the nearest coffee shop. Lyani was bundled up in some clothes they were able to get for her. She was not talking for the moment, but she seemed happy to be back in the normal world and away from the Wardens. Shandris, Raene and Amara all stared down at Delaryn’s Huntress Badge. In the background, Korra laid on the table lapping at a plate of cut up lunch-meat.

“So… You’re D Grade?” Raene asked out loud.

Delaryn nodded. She hung her head in shame. Her face was bright red. “I- I’m not actually that skilled.”

“Hm.” Amara tapped her chin in thought.

“I suppose you could get into Sentinels with that Grade based on your race.”

“I was hoping for a guard posting or something. For a D Grade I can only enter the public beginner Dungeons, and for the few that there are they require me to have a group. No one’ll take me. You can’t take someone of my Grade into the types of Dungeons you all would enter. What even is each of your Grades?” Delaryn looked around the table hopefully. She steeled herself for Shandris’s answer.

“I’m A Grade.” The girl admitted after hesitating for just a moment. She was looking at Delaryn sympathetically. Obviously her mind was occupied with trying to think of a solution.

Raene raised her hand. “I’m B Grade on my own, but with Korra around my Grade goes up to A.”

Amara smiled politely. “I am actually D Grade-”

Delaryn lifted her head hopefully. “Then we can-”

She finished what she was trying to say. “But, when I am in any sort of group my Grade rises to A.”

Delaryn slammed her forehead down on the table. “No… No no…” She looked up tearfully.

“So Raene is a Tamer, which means her effective Grade is A. Amara is a Healer, so the Grade is low on its own but increases drastically when with a group.”

Amara nodded, speaking quietly. “Yes. Well… It is very rare for a healer to have a natural Grade of B or Higher. The only one would be-”

“Anyway!” Shandris interrupted.

“That shit doesn’t matter. We just need to funnel our girl.”

Delaryn lifted a brow. “Funnel?”

“Seriously?” Raene groaned.

“You shouldn’t have to do that.” Delaryn waved her hands in front of her.

Shandris leaned back. “What’s the issue? We go in, we get materials and bring them back to help boost Del.” She made it sound incredibly easy.

Raene leaned forward onto the table. “The whole purpose behind joining a Guild is increased reward and decreased risk. Big guilds like Sentinels have raids that distribute loot evenly. They can do that because they own those Dungeons for a fee from the government and take all the responsibility for running them and keeping them from ‘breaking.’”

Delaryn understood everything that was being said, but Shandris’s head seemed to be spinning. She tried to explain in simpler terms.

“Shandris, when you go into a public Dungeon, it is owned and regulated by the Public Defense ****. In those Dungeons the loot gets taxed as you leave, meaning that you keep around twenty-percent of what you find.”

The warrior’s eyes shoot open as she does a spit take. “What the fuck!? That’s robbery!”

Amara explained. “Truthfully, the PDF keeps those Dungeons pretty safe and the funds go into maintaining the Dungeons and the Defense Forces. That’s their reasoning, anyway.”

“Why have I never heard of this?” Shandris questioned suspiciously.

Raene smirked. “Because you’ve had access to Sentinel Dungeons since you started due to your name. That’s a privilege for even a Branch Family Member of the Whisperwind Group.”

“Branch?” Delaryn lifted her teal brow.

Amara leaned over to say: “Shan’s Grandmother married out, which means her parent who is a direct relation has a different name, and then she adopted that name from her parents.”

“Feathermoon. You don’t need to whisper. I’m proud of my family.” Shandris announced. She threw her head back, staring up at the ceiling as a basket of chicken fingers arrived for the table.

“Hmm… Hmm…”

“Thinking pretty hard, there, Shan.” Raene commented, idly pushing Korra’s big head away from the basket.

As they all started to quiet down and nibble, Shandris shot back upright and said suddenly: “They only take what you bring out.”

“So?” Raene said with a full mouth.

Shandris explained excitedly: “Our group is built for this! We stay in the beginner dungeons long-term. Del can use the materials and loot to grow her power. When we leave, we pay less taxes to The Man since we aren’t actually bringing anything out.”

“Woah…” Raene looked to Amara, as if to confirm that it was a good idea.

“I think that does work.” Amara said.

“.. ming…” Lyani muttered. They only caught the end of what she was saying. Shandris leaned in.

“What’s that?”

“If we all stay in those Dungeons we avoid what’s coming.” She shuddered.

“Away… I need to get away from that portal. Any portal with orcs. Keep me away.”

“Okay, Lyani. If that’s what you want.” Shandris looked at the others for guidance, since she was a bit unsure.

“Since there is nothing visibly wrong with her, anything can be considered therapy. It does not seem like she wants to be taken care of by the Guild at all, right?”

Lyani nodded frantically. “No Guild!”

“Then it’s settled! Welcome to the group, Lyani.”

“What’s her Grade?” Raene questioned curiously.

Delaryn chimed in. “Warden’s tend to be A Grade or above. They are always natural ranks, so supporters or summoners with a natural grade below that wouldn’t be allowed in. So-”

“A3…” Lyani claimed.

They all blinked. “That-” Raene began to say.

“Is crazy skilled. How’d you get-” She stopped herself, thinking better than to ask the traumatised woman about that so soon.

Delaryn’s mind was blown. “That’s a Grade short of the S Grades! That means she’s in the highest percentile within the city… What about Cordana and Maiev?”

Lyani looked off to the side as she divulged. “Cordana is S. Maieve is S3, like your sister.”

Shandris nodded, confirming the info. “Sounds about right.”

Lyani added. “S Grade i-is a chasm ahead of A3. It’s not for nothing that it is its own rank. S3 is…” She trailed off.

Delaryn finished her sentence. “Otherworldly. Clears S Grade Dungeons on their own. Demolishes hundreds of A Grade monsters easily. It’s wild. I’ve seen videos from the Dungeon Beaks. The Legacy folks… Your sister, Maiev, Varian and of course the Windrunner Sisters. All of them are in a whole different league.”

“No point dwelling on that. Let’s figure out the best D Grade Dungeon to camp out in. Any ideas?” Raene and Amara exchanged a clueless look.

“Neither of you?”

“You know we started in B, basically, due to our starting Grades.” Raene commented.

“Right. Uhm…” Shandris was also at a loss, as someone who had always done B or A Grade Dungeons due to her status and Grade.

It was Delaryn’s turn to shine. “How about the Kingdom?” Collectively they all looked at her. Only Lyani seemed to know what she was talking about. She explained it for the rest.

“The Kingdom is a Dungeon that’s D3. It’s higher than normal, which means better materials exist in there. It’s a Dungeon Portal that leads into a realm that’s ruled by a human king. There’s a bunch of villages and the main enemies to fight there are beasts. Big game.”

“Sounds perfect.” Shandris almost stood up right then and there.

“The only issue is that it is ruled by Humans, the Dungeon… They consider it the domain of their King so they are territorial. If you slip up or fail to follow the rules they send their own people after you, in which case the Dungeon becomes A Grade.”

Lyani added: “They have a deal with the PDF, though, so it is very safe. The Taxes add up to almost Ninety-five percent when you leave, so it is not actually a popular hunting ground.”

Shandris smirked. “Same deal. We use whatever we find and they can’t tax that, can they?”

“I doubt it.” Delaryn agreed.

“Then it’s settled!” Shandris announced.

Vela finally understood what Malace was experiencing. She was confused, but once it had been applied to her it made perfect sense. The orc was wagging the totem in her face tauntingly. He was grinning and teasing her. She tried not to react. Instead she did her best to analyse what was going on.

The totem has my features. I can see my face in that crude thing, and my body. She blushed, squirming. Her arms were stuck at her side and she felt like she was being compressed.

He’s holding it tightly in his hand and I can feel it. She observed, ceasing her struggles. Vela passed a pained glance down to Malace, body crumpled and stored in an indecent pose. She had already been used like a doll in that state. Vela could tell she was likely gone. There was nothing she could do. That point brought about her conclusion.

The totem connects to our Soul. That’s the only explanation. It’s a Soul Link that borders on perfect. If the totem breaks, I break. If the totem is touched, I feel it. Anything that happens to it happens to me. She frowned.

As far as I know it only requires one to step near it to activate. However, it seems like it needs to be one totem per person and he hasn’t used it on Jin… Maybe they aren’t that easy to produce? That doesn’t help me at all, but for anyone else… She exhaled wearilly.

Ah… I just realised I’m probably not getting out of here, huh… The thought shook her.

Off to the side Jin had progressed to servicing orcs willingly on her knees. The timid, quiet girl had become an outspoken proponent for orc dicks. As evidenced by the fact that she would sing their praises happily while drooling over the next one she had to suck.

“So many~ I get to suck so many~” She said happily, wrapping her lips around the approaching orc member. Her rested a hand on her head, letting her just work. Vela noted that she was being treated very roughly early on. She was being used. Slowly, however, as Jin surrendered and broke down into what she had become, the orcs allowed her more freedom of movement and almost seemed caring of her, like she was a pet. Her eyes curled up at the corners gleefully as her cheeks concave for hard she was inhaling her most recent orc cock. As she pulled out she was panting. A hand pushed desperately between her legs and plunged herself with two fingers. Her ass wagged.

“Uugh… Fuck. I need something inside.” She admitted out loud. She looked over her shoulder and brightened, lifting her plump rear and spreading her legs for another orc to come back and push unceremoniously into her already warped and spent sex. Jin cried out lewdly, happy to return to the cock she was working on. She looked to be in heaven.

The Shaman snapped Vela out of her viewing with a loud laugh. He released the totem, holding it to allow her more freedom. Vela moved her arms and looked around. Orcs were settling in. They were becoming lazier as the day turned to night and she figured it would be as good a time as any. She tested the passive effects the totem had on her by subtly stretching and moving.

I feel weird… But if there’s nothing binding the totem I can move normally. I can probably sprint and fight… If I can get it away from him-

He got her attention with a wave, pointed to her, then pointed at the ground. Vela was confused by the command but her understanding cleared quickly once he placed the head of the totem in his mouth, between his teeth. Vela’s eyes shot open and she clutched her head. She felt the pressure, like a vice. It was not damaging, but it was jarring and terrifying to the point that her whole body shook. She obediently knelt down before him and lowered her head. Once that command was followed she was relieved to feel the pressure lift and the warmth and smell of his breath faded as a constant aura around her mouth and nose.

Then there’s that. Truthfully, I don’t actually know if it will do enough damage to kill. I think the mental shock was enough for Malace, though… Plus, who knows what it does to the parts of our Soul it captured. Vela waited.

I wonder what’s next. She waited and waited but the only thing that eventually happened was the totem being stabbed into the dirt in front of her ten yards away.

“What now?” She wondered out loud between clenched teeth. She hazarded a longer look up and noticed the Shaman sitting back and watching. Vela gulped as orcs approached. She sensed she was going to have a train run on her like they did for Jin, the girl who was gleefully gargling cum in the background like it was mouthwash. Vela shut her eyes tight but when all she felt was a sharp pain over her stomach she opened them suddenly and looked to see an orc marking her totem with a crude rune. She looked down, doing a double take as she noticed it forming on her actual stomach.

This too… Any changes made to it become real for me. She bore the pain and humiliation as one by one each orc that wanted to come and carved crude drawings into the canvas of her stomach, inner thighs and back. The Shaman finally interjected once she had become an absolute art piece of runes, crudely drawn cocks and what she could only assume were orc taunts and chants all over her body. She felt completely dejected already, but only became more so as the Shaman brought it up right in front of her with a needle. He poised the totem’s breasts together and in one swift but still painful motion he pushed the needle through both nipples, then out. Of all the ones, se thought that would be the worst. She cringed as her nipples actually began to bleed as though roughly pierced on her own body. Then, he caught her attention with the gleaming needle again. He lowered it to the totem’s detailed version of her nethers.

“No!” Was all she could get out before he pushed the needle through the clit on the totem. She threw her head back and screamed into the night air.

“Dammit…” Vela groaned. Before the throbbing had even subsided the shaman pushed piercings into her actual body, locking them in around her nipples and clit. They were a pair of bars with loops in them for attachments, she imagined. Vela dizzily stared down at her new crude, bone additions to her body. The piercings and the ‘paint’ over her skin made her look like she had truly gone native. The girl shook her head dejectedly. The shaman got her attention again with a wave.

“What!?” She shouted at him with renewed vigour and anger only to crumple so soon as the totem was raised to his lips. On her own Vela dropped down into a prostrated position.

“Forgive me…” Her face was in the dirt but she could hear the Shaman laugh above her.

The orc said the first thing she understood. “Smart.” It was in elvish, but with an accent, like it was the only word he knew and he was just repeating it for that. She lifted her head and saw that he was tapping his temple to add a definite confirmation that he was complimenting her. He brought his hand down and ran it through her smooth silver hair. She cocked her head to one side, away from his hand. He shook the totem in front of her with a grin, prompting her to change her behaviour for that minor concession. She leaned her cheek into his hand and allowed him to stroke her head affectionately.

Vela quietly seethed, as opposed to openly. I need to decide now how much my resolve is worth. Is my pride worth more than my life? She questioned solemnly. It only took a few more idle threats to pass before she had her answer.

N-nope! Vela had been put into the position of a pet, like Jin. Only her mind was very much her own. She guessed that the shaman in particular could get some thrill from that as he mostly ignored the living sex doll that Jin had become. Vela was in full squat with her legs spread and her hands up in paw position. She gulped as he brought a bone to her mouth. Her face became bright red as, without even needing a threat anymore, she obeyed and took the bone between her teeth like an animal. The orc stumbled back and cackled, holding his stomach as he bent down, obviously in stitches. Vela’s eyes filled with tears.

Glad you’re enjoying this you bastard! She shot an intense deathwish at him. It was all she could do to send bad luck to him somehow. In contrast to her thoughts, the Shaman snapped his fingers and pointed to the ground at his side. Vela jumped into action and pranced on all fours towards him embarrassingly. She dropped down into a similar squat while rubbing herself up against his leg while practically ‘mewing’ with the bone in her mouth. She shut her eyes as his hand landed on top of her head, stroking her like the animal she had been **** to play.

***

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this story and want to read more of it, more Chapters are currently available to read at https://www.patreon.com/TVWintergreen By Subscribing you also gain access to my extensive backlog of content and uploads of new chapters daily! Hope to see you soon~