Operation Honey Trap vs The Emperor of the Apocalypse-Chapter 148: Mud Wrestling

"You have your own issues to deal with, Niko," said Indy. "Like taking responsibility for Opal. Have you thought about whether you have to marry her? Have you spoken with Brenner? I don’t want to get caught up in this mess you’ve made, I need to get clear of it all and get some headspace."

"What can I do to win you back? I’ll do anything. Just tell me. I can climb mountains for you, India. I’ll do any amount of penance. I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to wait for you to come around," he said fiercely.

"No, Niko! Please don’t do that. Sort out your shit with Opal. I’ll expect you to be together with her from now on, which should feel like a needle in the eye every time I see you two. Do me the courtesy of setting me free, so I can feel sad and try to move on."

"No. I can’t do that, Indy," he said unequivocally.

"The decision might be taken out of your hands, Niko. Going on the level of meticulous planning Opal put into that trap, she’s not going to let you out of it lightly now she’s got her claws into you. I’m heading back to camp now. This is too painful to keep going around in circles over, and I need some sleep."

She tried to stand, and he clasped her hand, kneeling in front of her.

"Indy, I love you. Please don’t walk away from me," his voice cracked.

Ahh! This big, beautiful man was taking her already broken heart and throwing handfuls of salt into the big crack he’d made down the middle of it.

She pulled her hand free and made her way blindly back to the campsite, tears blurring her vision as she stumbled and tripped over the rough terrain.

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The team woke just before dusk, getting ready for the night of travel ahead.

"Is anyone else seriously itchy?" asked Wolf, scratching at a spot on his shoulder blade that he couldn’t reach.

"Yes! I am!" cried Loveday. "I thought it was just me, but I was so itchy it woke me from a deep sleep."

"I think it might be little ants," said Delphi, peering at a spot on her arm.

"Yep, it looks like we made camp on a giant ants’ nest," said Alton, looking all around their swags.

"Oh no, they’re all inside my swag," said Arrie, peering into her bedding.

"Mine too," said Wolf. "I itch all over," he started scratching at his neck.

"My arms are covered in little bites," said Delphi, looking at both of her forearms, front and back. "They don’t sting, but they really do itch."

"Alright grannies, you can itch as we go, but we’re moving out now," ordered General Meyer. "If we find a waterhole along the way, we’ll take a dip to get some relief."

Wolf, who seemed to be suffering particularly badly, perhaps because he had such fair skin, was on the lookout, and therefore the first to spot somewhere suitable to detour, to alleviate the itchiness.

"General! There’s a waterhole down the hill to our left!"

They all crashed through the undergrowth in search of urgent relief. Everyone stood around looking at the ’pond’ dubiously.

Delphi took off her boot and dipped a toe in. It came out coated in thick grey brown mud

"Hm, I think this is a mud pool," she said. "It will be a bit mucky, but it will do us a world of good."

She stuck her whole leg in.

"Look at this," she laughed at her mud-coated leg. "Should be good for the skin, ladies."

"Mud wrestle!" cried Wolf. "Five-a-side, who’s in?"

"Yay!" cried Arrie, "I’ve always wanted to have a mud wrestle!"

Everyone looked at the tiny girl dubiously. She clearly wouldn’t be a champion mud wrestler.

"I’m in," laughed Delphi. "Come on, Alton. You and me, Wolf and Arrie, we’ll verse the other guys. Which pair is happy to split and join our team?"

"I will," said Indy quickly, causing Niko to frown.

She planned to ask Delphi to allow her to find a new partner tomorrow; she needed some space from Niko.

"Perfect," said Delphi. "Alton, me, Wolf, Indy and Arrie versus Brenner, Opal, Baer, Niko and Loveday. Let’s go!"

There was lots of hilarity as they stripped down to their underwear. The girls with long hair bundled their hair up on top of their heads.

The two teams waded in, turning half-grey instantly, Arrie, more like three-quarters...

"Oh, I already feel so much better," said Wolf, sighing happily.

The two teams lined up against whoever happened to be standing opposite them.

Delphi looked across and saw Brenner crouched and ready for action.

He raised his eyebrows at her. Oh, oh, this might not be a good idea, she thought.

She stole a furtive glance at Alton to see if he had noticed. He hadn’t, thank goodness. He was smirking at his opposite, Niko, and she could see they were building up to a serious wrestling match. She couldn’t help smiling at the pair of big thugs.

"Three, two, one!" Alton called, and it was on.

Niko and Alton flew straight into each other, like two bucks fighting, chests smashing into each other and both trying to get a grip in the slippery mud that would allow them to flip the other man.

Brenner started to circle Delphi, with a sinister grin.

"Brenner..." she said uncertainly. "What’s that face for? Don’t do anything stupid..."

Indy and Loveday screamed loudly as Indy managed to get the upper-hand and dumped Loveday completely under the mud. Loveday came up looking like a mud monster, her red hair hidden completely under a layer of mud.

Delphi was sidetracked for a minute and couldn’t help doubling over with laughter. Just as she leant and rested her hands on her knees, shaking with giggles at Loveday, who was trying to clear her eyes of the mud, Brenner launched at her.

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately for him, instead of gripping Delphi’s waist as he had intended, he found her breasts where her waist had been, and he gripped them both with the hold he had planned for her waist.

She squealed with shock as Brenner squeezed both of her boobs like he was planning to lift her up by them.

"Brenner! They’re not handles!" She stood up rapidly, putting her hands on her hips angrily.

"Oops!" he shrugged his shoulders and ducked his head. "Sorry Delphi, I didn’t know you were planning to bend over at the exact moment. Did I hurt you?"

They both looked down at her bra, which now had a perfect muddy handprint on each cup, the glaring evidence of his crime.

The pair burst into laughter.

Unfortunately, Alton had heard Delphi’s squeal.

He threw Niko over his shoulder onto his back in the mud and turned protectively to check on her.