Operation Honey Trap vs The Emperor of the Apocalypse-Chapter 149: Squeaking Point

Seeing Brenner’s handprints on Delphi’s breasts was more than Alton could endure.

He roared in anger and launched himself at the man, tackling him into the mud.

"Was one black eye not enough for you, private?" he bawled at the man. "Do I need to blacken the other one before you learn your lesson?"

"Alton!" shouted Delphi, wading over as fast as she could, hampered by the mud.

"Niko, help me!" she cried.

Niko cleared his eyes of mud. He reached the pair before Delphi could get there, trying to separate the two men who were having a real fight instead of just a mud wrestle.

"General... General..." Niko grunted as he struggled to pull the huge man off Brenner.

Opal saw what was happening and she ran over. "General!" she screamed, "don’t hurt him!"

Delphi was not going to let this happen again; someone would get seriously hurt.

"Alton!" she yelled, sticking her head right in front of his angry face. "Stop! Stop it! I’m fine. Calm down, calm down, there’s no need for this. It was an accident, nothing more. It could have happened to anyone."

Her voice reached through the red haze, and he allowed himself to be pulled back by Niko.

"Could have happened to anyone, huh? Why does it always seem to happen to you, Brenner? You just have to keep pushing the boundaries, don’t you?"

"Hah," Brenner laughed derisively, "you need to chill out man, you’re wound up tighter than a cheap watch. She leant over when I jumped. There was nothing deliberate."

"It’s true, Alton," Delphi sighed. "I collapsed when I saw Loveday come up covered in mud."

Indy and Loveday were still wrestling, oblivious to the drama unfolding around them.

Loveday was trying her hardest to repay the favour and get Indy under the surface, Indy was screaming with fearful excitement.

Baer had been opposite Wolf, but he bypassed him as a wrestling partner and scooped up Arrie.

He gripped her tight against his chest and growled into her ear, "have you missed me, baby? ’Cause I’ve missed you."

"Baer," she screamed with fierce anger, driven by hurt, "put me down!"

She pummelled him on his hairy chest with her fists, but he just laughed.

"They look good covered in mud," he looked down at her chest.

"Baer! I’m serious Baer!" she wailed, close to tears as the embarrassed humiliation kicked in.

Wolf came in low and tackled Baer below the knees, knocking him backwards into the mud. Baer let Arrie go as he fell, and she scrambled off him.

Wolf jumped on top of Baer and started punching him.

"Leave Araminta the fuck alone, Baer," he yelled furiously.

Wolf was slow to anger but went berserk when he lost it. The men knew this, and generally pulled back before they needled him too far. Being the youngest of five brothers by six years, he had learnt to defend himself and fight hard for the things he cared about.

"You’ve done enough damage, now fuck off!" Wolf punched Baer in the jaw.

Baer retaliated and the two men started to fight for real.

Arrie screamed. "Help! Delphi help! Wolf and Baer are fighting!"

The group that had just been trying to defuse the tension between Brenner and Alton turned their attention to separating Baer and Wolf.

Niko couldn’t help laughing as he wrenched the two men apart.

"What the fuck is this guys? Are we all fighting over the women?" he chuckled.

Niko was all for a good fight to clear the air of tension.

He would rather that any day than prolonged emotional pain. If only the solution with Indy was so simple...

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SQUEAKING POINT

"Welcome to Squeaking Point," said Bill Rutherglen. "I’ve missed you guys already. How was the trip over? Anything eventful on your way here?"

"Fairly smooth sailing," said Delphi. "The boat trip was good. Tubiàn dolphins looked after us the whole way across."

"We ran into a patrol in Stanley," Alton told him. "We managed to escape without engaging them, and I don’t think they got close enough to see our faces."

Rutherglen nodded with satisfaction. "A good start. How do you think the hearts and minds campaign is progressing?"

"We’ve got no idea," said Delphi. "We’ve had to keep off the radar and haven’t seen any newspapers or spoken with any townsfolk about it. Have you heard anything?"

"Rumours are starting to trickle through," Bill replied. "Nothing in the news of course, but we’re hearing things from relatives and friends in the north-west. You’re definitely creating quite a positive stir," he smiled. "Well done! Come and meet the clan."

The whole village had turned out to welcome them and they were instantly surrounded. The women and girls spirited the young women away, taking them first to the women’s bathhouse, knowing they would be longing to get clean.

Little girls took the five pretty women by the hands and lead them along.

"You’re the big General woman," whispered a little girl shyly to Delphi.

"Yes, I am," she smiled at her. "You can be a big general one day too if you want to. What’s your name?"

"Jeannie. Can I really be a big General?"

"You can be whatever you want to be if you work hard. What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"A ladies’ doctor."

"Really? That’s great. That’s a job that will help lots of people, and I’m sure you’ll be amazing at it."

Everyone gathered together for a big feast in the evening. The young warriors showcased their prowess with spears, bow and arrow and war clubs.

"You’re a fearsome lot," said General Meyer, who was relaxed and happy after a good meal and some beer. "How about we challenge you to a match?"

A cheer rose up from Bill’s clansmen.

They armed the visitors with wooden training spears and clubs and a show match began.

The women did well, opting for spears and holding their own against the teenage boys and female warriors, leaving the men to fight the adult men.

Delphi came under a sustained attack on three sides by three of the lads, showing off their skills and battling for the beautiful General lady.

Alton suddenly appeared and beat them all back. "I can’t leave you alone for a minute, can I?" he sighed.