Painful

Dan entered his room immediately taking off all pieces of clothing on him as he crashed onto the bed, losing all the energy within his body in a matter of seconds. As one closed in on his face they would see that he was bleeding from all his orifices. Large streams of blood left their mark as they trickled down from his nose, eyes, mouth and even his ears. The horrendous pain was visible on his face through the tensed muscles and clenched hands and teeth.

'WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK Dan, why would you do that, you could have crippled yourself by doing that?'

"Ca-Calm down Damian, you and I both know I had to do it, that was the fastest method to make her submit. Besides the results speak for themselves, my method of approaching the situation worked. What more do you want?", as he said that Dan coughed spitting out a mouthful of blood on the floor.

'You burst your core muscles just now you fucking idiot, even if you get good results from it what fucking good will they do you if you can't even stand up afterwards.' Damian voiced as his worries morphed into rage at Dan's foolhardy decisions.

"I don't get what you're so worried about, I'm okay and I will get better", Dan stated in between the deep breaths he was taking to rejuvenate himself. 'We have a long way to go Dan if you continue to work like this sooner or later you will take a turn that ends in a ditch. Not every time will you land on your feet. It is better to be prudent than regret your actions later'

"Fools are they who always err on caution for the truly great ones are those who take risks, in the end, I will regret that which I didn't do", Dan voiced his confidence. After hearing this Damian stopped what he was about to say, again he was reminded of how bold Dan had grown from their old days, he on the other hand still carried reservations from his past.

"Damian I know that you're worried and these situations are not what you have experienced in the past, I remember the world you showed me where people took fewer and fewer risks with their life, it was a peaceful world, a happier world. However Planetos is not a peaceful world, misery is the companion of those who choose to bow their head and obey like sheep, I can never go back to that life again Damian not after experiencing this knowledge, this power. I will never go back, so I move forward and instead of taking steps I want to take leaps. My friend today was a leap, not every day will be like this but not every day will be a step either." Dan calmly explained himself, his voice tinged with soreness from the pain as well as the remembrance of the past.

Damian could certainly make out the unwillingness in Dan's voice, as he reflected on his words to him, Damian came to understand Dan's view on the society and he relented. 'You're right Dan it is not the world that I came from it is different but it is also the same in many ways. Ambitious men took risks in my world as they do here the difference between those ruined and those that climbed over their bodies is that one was smarter than the other in the means of taking risks to succeed. You must take risks Dan I agree but you should be smart about taking them as well.'

"I understand that Damian, I assure you the benefits of today will certainly blossom into something magnificent"

'On that, I trust you Dan', as Damian reassured his companion he found him drifting out of consciousness, the body needed rest after such an ordeal and rest it shall receive. As Dan lay in the bed his body began to rework itself into reaching back to its peak condition before the incident took place, within the night Dan would fully recover mobility though the injury itself will take some time to heal. Suffice it to say Dan would not be performing something so dangerous anytime soon.

The next morning Dan woke up still reeling from the pain of his last night fiasco, as he stood up from the bed with great pain he realised that he had recovered a lot of his mobility but the pain continued to linger within his abdomen. Nevertheless, he had important things to do today chief among them striking a deal with the smugglers to take Evelyn along with him. He changed into his beast fur clothing as per usual and left his room to go towards Evelyn's quarters.

He knocked on her door twice before she replied with a quick 'Come in'.

As Dan entered the room after Evelyn's invitation, he noticed her wearing loose night clothes that clung to her body in an alluring way. There was a sense of regal charm in the way she presented herself, even in such relaxed attire.

His eyes were drawn to her figure, and he couldn't help but appreciate the natural beauty that adorned her form. The way her night clothes gracefully outlined her curves, from her round plump buttocks to her firm and modestly sized breasts, captured his attention.

As he moved closer, his admiration only grew. Her porcelain skin seemed to radiate a delicate elegance, and her features, from the aquiline nose to the peach lips, displayed a certain regal sophistication.

He found himself captivated by her engaging black eyes, feeling like he was drawn into an enchanting abyss. There was an undeniable allure in her gaze that made him forget his own status for a moment, creating a connection between king and maiden that transcended their respective roles.

Evelyn knew with a glance that Dan was admiring her body, she had seen this happen many times since her body had begun developing, at first it was intimidating to be constantly stared at but then eventually she got used to the stares. Then came a period where she was annoyed with all the attention she used to grab from people, after a period of time she began to purposely mute her beauty to not become the center of attention at places where discretion was of utmost importance.

For some time now she had been doing this but now in the privacy of her room she had not felt the need to hide herself and when the knock on her door came she imagined it to be her mother but it was Damian. The man who in a single day turned her notions about the world upside down and caused her entire belief system to come crashing down. She admired him, felt afraid of him, envied him but most of all she had started to revere him. He was an apostle of God and she was his chosen.

To be chosen by the apostle of God had set off all the desires within Evelyn she now believed she could achieve far more in life than she ever deemed herself worthy. all because this one person by fate or by his own machinations had chosen her to serve him. So when their eyes met she found herself ready and willing to do his bidding, she did not mind him admiring her, she would let him do more if he wanted but still found her sense of self demanding that she cover herself.

Finally, her shame won over her reverence as she slowly walked past Damian to wrap a piece of clothing around her body. "What can I do for you, my lord?"

As she stared at him Damian also broke from his fixated gaze on Evelyn's body as looked out the window of her room and said, "Evelyn, I want to meet the leader of the Fishhooks."