Chapter Five: Mission Start!

[Webnovel ©Lynnifer Ice]

(Content Warning: This chapter contains a mild amount of mature content.)

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"Voila! Finished!" Candice and Yunki exclaimed in unison with massive grins on their faces.

"I smell disgusting...," Azariah wrinkled her nose, "It's almost like wet dog. Eugh..."

"Well, yeah. Those werewolves don't smell as glorious as us humans," Yunki winked. "You look stunning, Azariah. If you didn't have to leave, I would totally bend you over that desk. There's no way that Alpha will be able to resist you. If he does, then he has no taste."

"I agree," Candice purred, "Forget the snack; you look like a 5-Michelin Star meal! Yummy.~ Don't forget our dicks too much." Candice stuck her tongue out, teasing her, but Azariah wasn't going to have it. She grabbed ahold of both Candice's and Yunki's still very stiff erections. They both gasped, freezing in place.

"Tease me again about a dick, and I'll rip yours off," Azariah glared at both Candice and Yunki, tightening her grip just enough to get a wince out of both of them.

"Fuck. Fuck! Okay! Okay! I'm sorry- We're sorry! Please, don't break my dick," Yunki whined, gripping Azariah's wrist with both of his hands, his eyes squeezed shut.

"Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow OWWW!!!" Candice cried, gripping Azariah's other wrist with her hands, "Azariah, that hurts! We're sorry!"

The moment Azariah let go, Candice and Yunki let out a massive sigh of relief. They both let go of Azariah's wrists, pouting like scolded puppies. They looked at each other and then at her. Candice grabbed the back of Azariah's head first, wasting no time to crash her lips against hers, gently nibbling on her bottom lip. Azariah was then passed over to Yunki, who also immediately connected their lips. Their kiss was sweet and affectionate but brief.

"You better come back, you hear?" Yunki told Azariah, failing at a scowl.

"Yeah, don't go getting yourself killed," Candice joined in, her voice faltering.

"Dummies...," Azariah whispered before she brought them both in for a group hug, "I'll come back, just like I always do. You two better be here waiting for me when that day comes too."

Yunki and Candice squeezed Azariah tightly, afraid this would be the last time they saw each other. After all, this was the most dangerous assignment yet. They knew Guild Master Wyett wouldn't have told Azariah that there was only a 6% chance of success. They wanted this moment to last but knew they had to let her get a move on because it was best that she reached the werewolf outpost before sunset. They pulled back, wiping their moistened eyes. Azariah sighed and smiled. Yunki went over to his bed and knelt down, reaching under his bed to take out a tiny little chest the size of his two palms.

"This is the communications lacrima crystal," Yunki said as he slowly opened the chest to show her. "This one is explicitly meant for travel on undercover operations. It'll be complicated for even a werewolf to detect because of its size," he continued as he lifted it from the box, attaching a thin silver chain before placing it in Azariah's hand. "Please, don't forget to do your daily check-ins, or at the very least, a weekly check-in."

"I won't, I promise," Azariah said, closing her hand over the tiny crystal, smaller than a pendant. "Thank you."

"We mean it. Don't you dare forget," Candice reinforced.

"I will do my best, okay? Cross my heart," Azariah replied with a smile, marking an invisible X over her heart.

With that, Azariah left her friends in their shared bedroom and headed down the stairs to the Guildhall. She rushed over to the Guild Master and hugged him tightly with a peck on the cheek, which he kindly returned. Then, she left his side and opened the doors of the Guildhall. With a smile and a wave, she was off.

"Good luck, Azariah!" Her guildmates chanted as she closed the doors.

Azariah took in a deep breath, hiding the crystal lacrima on her, and headed for the mountains because the werewolves lived on the other side of the mountains. It would be a long journey to get past just over a dozen mountains, and that was only the width. The length of the mountain terrain was well over a hundred. Step by step, she was determined to see this mission through.

Dusk would be upon her with the next couple of hours. It had taken her several hours just to pass through three-quarters of the way into the mountains. She had listened to the many voices of wildlife since she had left the Guildhall, but...

At one point, the birds stopped chirping. The forest in the mountains had been silent for over an hour. Usually, when the forest went silent, it indicated a predator was in the area, and Azariah thought she was that predator. For once, she was wrong.

Azariah had only been allowed to take her small steel, poison-tipped dagger with her. It was in her handmade sheath, attached to her left hip. The crunch of dead leaves was all it took to stop her in her tracks. Her eyes widened, and her heartbeat sped up. She cursed herself for not paying better attention. She was being followed, but by who or what?

"Fuck...," she muttered under breath as she withdrew her dagger from its leather sheathe. Her eyes darted around, searching for the source of the sound. A snap of a twig had her snapping her head and body to the right. She saw nothing. Maybe she was just being paranoid?

"Hello?" Azariah called out, "Is anyone there?"

Silence.

It's always quiet before the storm, she would remind herself. She maintained her stance so that a possible enemy wouldn't catch her off-guard. She swallowed, taking in a deep breath and slowly letting it out. That's when she heard a creak in the tree next to her. She looked up, and fear flooded through her veins.

A leopard.

- End of Chapter Five -