Chapter 15 baby!

'Wha... fuck...'

Mark gritted his teeth together, pain stabbing his gut repeatedly.

Tears formed at the edges of his eyes, slowly traversing down the sides of his cheeks to nestle into his beard.

He groaned, laying on his side in an effort to quell the suffering. He felt hot, very hot so he pushed the thick pelt off him, but it did little to cool him.

He felt bile quickly rise up his sore and dry throat, so he lunged towards the edge of the mattress, hurling out the contents of his stomach.

'Shit, fuck...fuck! What the hell?!' it took him a few minutes to gain the energy to push his legs off the bed and onto the floor.

Bracing himself he stood up, and yelled in surprise when his limbs gave out under him. He crashed against a few chairs, bringing them to the ground along with him.

He felt dizzy, nauseous. The grey metal was cold and offered some relief against his burning skin.

He heard some noises in the distance, it sounded like walking. His blue orbs could make out the ceiling, and he frowned on confusion: the ceiling had intricate artistically designs, this was surely not the tribunal of justice.

He felt a pair of large warm hands easily raise him up and support him. He could only assume that it was a healer.

"Get... get off me." he meekly ordered, futilely pushing against the hold.

Strangely enough, the unknown individual let him go. He squinted his eyes and realized that the figure next to him was an eta, a servant.

He placed his weight on the nearby wall and proceeded to move alongside it, ignoring the frantic clicking and gesturing of the other.

It took a couple of tries to open the automatic door, especially since the servant wasn't being helpful. He stumbled through and slammed into the opposing wall.

He groaned again when his stomach screamed, wrapping his arms around his aching lower body and curling himself.

He sensed another presence approach him, and saw that it was an arbitrator, but the plates and mesh covering his body was of a different design: his eyes widened when he recognized it to be the same as the one of the visiting clan.

He fell back, struggling on pure instinct as the upholder of honor restrained him, the clawing, biting and trashing not affecting him one bit.

The navy seal was thrown to the floor, cuts and scrapes forming on his knees.

It seemed as if they moved into another section of the large building, and Mark guessed that this had to be the matron's dwelling: the numerous sculptures and luxurious hallways were proof of that theory.

He raised his gaze and noticed what he could assume was the clan's matriarch. "Calm down ooman, you will not be hurt." he still wasn't sure of her intentions but he got up with a pained sigh.

Another female next to her was acting as a translator, and they stood there in silence for a bit.

"Well? I do not have much time to waste unblood." He felt angry at her statement: he asked himself if this yautja really expected him to simply be alright with the fact of waking up in an unknown location after a near death experience.

Still, he turned towards the translator: "Tell your matron that I wish to return to the Fire Skull clan." the leader seemed annoyed by his command, but obeyed nonetheless.

He was escorted out by a number of royal guards, the twin suns glared at him as did the present hunters.

Mercifully, the trail didn't last long, and they soon approached a large ship.

Together the group boarded the vessel and settled in the seats.

Mark tried to relax but he felt uncomfortable next to so many unfamiliar figures.

Worst of all, his stomach kept burning and aching.

He tuned out all outside noises, trying to focus on his breathing only.

He groaned again, and the guard next chuffed in disgust.

He was too tired to start a fight or call the guard on her insult, he just tried to win the battle that he had engaged with sleep.

Mark stumbled out of the vessel as soon as he could, surprising his escorts with his agility.

He prayed to both Lilka and Cetanu that his plan would work; He had saved his strength for the trip, and now he was using it under the form of a rush of adrenaline.

He knew the layout of the streets, his pursuers didn't, that was another advantage he had.

After a lot of ducking and weaving through the crowds, he was allowed access to Kyiv's dwelling upon recognition of the arbitrators.

He was stopped by Yurli, "Mark? You are already back?" he tried to pass her but she proved to be an immovable obstacle.

The rush was over, he now felt weak.

He stumbled forward, but Yurli caught him in her arms.

He coughed, before twisting around to puke on the floor.

The huntress sent a notification to her superior, before trilling at Mark in a comforting manner.

He tried to tell her something, but instead fell against her large frame, exhaustion having taken its toll on his mind.

She sighed, easily picking up the smaller male.

The warrior carried him to his quarters, gently laying him on the bed.

He stunk quite a bit, but she knew that he was not at fault for his state and inability to bathe. She aimlessly curled her fingers through his hair, perplexed by the soft and oily texture of his scalp.

Her claws ghosted over his face to tangle themselves in his beard. It was mesmerizing to feel the difference between this hair and the previous one, but interesting nonetheless.

The stubble on his chin and jaw was rough, coarse, still pleasant though.

He was unnaturally warm, too warm in fact.

She immediately withdrew her taloned hand when she heard the door open.

Her training permitted her to mask her actions as to not be caught in the middle of her endeavor. She bowed her head when Kyiv stood next to her.

"He was overwhelmed by the strain of the chase." Kyiv nodded in confirmation, "Sei, our matron has notified me of his swift albeit reckless return.

When a healer confirmed that Mark was alright, they left the room, leaving him to rest.

"It would honor me, if possible, to know why Mark was taken by the other clan." she questioned.

Kyiv gestured at her to follow him.

They entered his office, where he offered her a generous amount of c'ntlip.

"The matriarch of the Midnight clan wanted to atone for the offense the now dead eldress had caused. After speaking with our own matron, she was allowed to treat Mark with her own resources and personnel."

Yurli raised a sharp eyebrow in confusion: "You did not have a say in the matter?" she inquired, taking a long gulp of the fiery beverage.

"I was in the middle of consuming the evening meal with the other elite arbitrators... I did not notice the message until it was too late."

"Good Lilka... I fear for his life: if I cannot assure his safety on safe grounds, how can I assure his survival until the Chiva?"

She boldly grasped his shoulder, and gave him a light shove, "It is not you who is at fault here elite arbitrator. Mark has faced much, he is a strong warrior, and you do not have to fret, for it was thanks to your training that he is the skilled fighter he is this cycle."

Kyiv tilted his head up to stare in the taller yautja in the eye. "You are right... sei. I will have much to discuss with Mark when he reawakens. Please, drink some more; you deserve it, my loyal friend." he affirmed, pushing the bottle towards her.

Mark awoke, this time his gut didn't feel like exploding. He noticed a towering figure to his side.

"Good morning unblood."

"Yes, good morning to you too royal douche." he sarcastically replied.

Kyiv threw his head back to laugh loudly, his muscled belly quivering with the sharp movements of his diaphragm.

"It is nice to see you in better health Mark." he said, still chuckling as he pulled him up.

The ooman touched his abdomen, perplexed at the absence of pain, "You recovered better than previously thought, even with your little stunt."

He explained to him the more detailed parts of the operation, and how most of his intestines were now artificially composed.

"Well, that's good to know. Now I'm off to bathe, I am in dire need of a wash." he informed him, but was stopped by the arbitrator's large hand.

Kyiv now looked serious, his humor gone: "Mark... you cannot know of the guilt that has hammered in these recent times... but I promise you that there shall not be any more episodes like this one. I swear it on my honor."

The navy seal was shocked to the core; gingerly, he reached up place his hand on Kyiv's shoulder.

Slightly teary, he expressed his gratitude to his mentor. After a heartfelt salute, he proceeded on his way to the baths.

By the time he had arrived at one of the many bathing chambers, the pool had already been filled with warm water.

Mark noticed the various oils and soaps lining the side of the bath. The sweet smell of them brought a content smile to his lips.

He washed thoroughly, rubbing his skin until it was red, making sure to cleanse his most intimate parts.

Moving out of the water, he grabbed a pelt and briefly passed it over his wet body. He reached a mirror, and took the short knife on top of the stool.

He spent a few minutes cutting off and remodeling his hair, carefully shaving it close to a military cut.

The steady operation left his finger joints aching, he then trimmed his mutton chops, not by much though. He liked how his beard looked now, and felt pride in growing it.

Fully satisfied with his state, he left the room, not noticing the invisible yautja that un cloaked herself.

Mark happily consumed his meal, appreciating the meal very much indeed. The naxa juice was actually very soothing to his stomach.

So far, all had been good. He would do another exam before heading to sleep. He said his goodbyes to Kyiv, and was accompanied by Gruvin on his way to the healer.

He caught up with his friend, and they talked about recent topics and the gossiping among the arbitrators, he was touched to know that many of Gruvin's own colleagues wished him for a fast recovery.

He made a mental note to go to nearest temple as soon as he could. He would have to thank the priestess that blessed him, to do that he would have to inform himself on the identity of the female.

He let the healer press and do scans on his abs, prodding them with a few instruments he knew not the use of. The examinations were a success, his digestive system had perfectly absorbed the nutrients of his meal.

He was then back in his own chambers.

He unclipped the leather belt, and removed the fur loincloth wrapped around his waist. Now bare, he uncovered the bed, but stopped.

He felt... watched. Mark stilled his breath and focused on any outside noise. He heard none.

Brushing it off, he settled under the soft covers, and moved to the realm of slumber.

And done... jeez, three chapters in the same week. That's a personal record, I apologized if these last two chapters seem a bit rushed, but I really pushed myself to get them out, especially this one. Not an easy task to do it in less than a day but enjoyable.

Anyways, please remember to vote and comment.

Until next time.