Chapter 940: Almost Primal

Archer and Brooke continued to practice until she started going severe and got the upper hand over him. She sent several punches that landed on his face and chin, causing pain to rack his body.
"This woman is ruthless,' he thought while cradling his arm.
The final punch from Brooke sent him soaring off the edge of the ship and crashing into the ocean below. Archer was dazed, and his head rang like a bell as her strike felt like he had been hit by cement.
While fighting, the other women cheered him on throughout their match, but their excitement quickly turned to alarm as they watched him fall. Demetra reacted instantly, sprinting to the ship's edge and leaping into the water before speeding toward a dazed Archer.
She scooped him into a hug while letting out a rage-filled roar that caused the Blood Sharks, the circling sharks, to flee at the sound. After that, the two returned to the ship, where Brooke got a swift slap on the bum, causing her to yelp.
The others laughed at the older woman's innocent reaction, but Edith commented while casting some magic that dried him, "Maybe you should eat? You were up all night, Master."
Archer nodded before the group headed toward the galley, where about one hundred sailors tried to give up their place in the queue. He waved them away before joining the end, which earned him strange looks from the surrounding men and women and made the girls giggle.
He turned to them and asked narrowly, "What are you lot laughing at?"
"Why do you sometimes act like a normal teenager and not the bloodthirsty tyrant that you truly are?" Brooke commented with a grin.
Archer rolled his eyes. "I'm not a bloodthirsty tyrant," he said, refuting such slander with a smile that showed he knew he was lying.
This elicited a round of laughter from everyone, and nearby sailors joined in with amused chuckles. However, Edith's tone shifted to seriousness as she asked, "And what about the criminals you dealt with so harshly?"
He spun on the maid with an annoyed expression and retorted, "That man abused children, Edith! And the other beat his wife and children; of course, I would treat them lower than a wild goblin."
Before the maid could apologize, Nala spoke with a knowing grin, "What about the cities you razed or the imperial family you murdered to gain control of Draconia?"
Archer smiled, "Okay, I may be brutal, but it is necessary, or people will take advantage and commit even worse crimes. I will see crime stamped out in Draconia and have instructed the Homeguard to lock up all criminals until I return," he explained.
"Why?" Demetra asked, her yellow shark eyes gleaming excitedly. She knew what he would say.
"Because I plan to deal with them in the most gruesome ways imaginable," Archer replied as the line moved forward. "I want their end to serve as a stark warning to any other criminals hiding in Draconia."
The lioness rolled onto her back, and when Archer saw this, he started stroking her while earning even more purring, which made him smile. After doing that for a while, she returned to her humanoid form, and the group entered the ship as the weather worsened.
Once inside, Archer returned to his room while the ladies went to the officers' baths, having accepted Olivia's invitation. Edith declined the offer and followed him instead. He stood by the window, watching the waves relentlessly battered the ship.
'Storm's wasn't like this on Earth,' Archer thought. "This almost feels primal.'
After thinking about it, he saw a giant whale as long as a battleship breaching the surface between the ships. While watching it, he noticed the vessels closing ranks for protection against monsters and the weather.
He decided to send Demetra and Teuila a message, [Are you two okay?]
[We're fine, darling. We are just hunting some deep-sea whales. Speak to you when we get back; I love you!] Teuila replied just as thunder boomed overhead. Following that, Edith offered to make some tea for them, which Archer agreed to before she left the room. While she was gone, he started planning for the future, 'I need to take out that teleportation spell blocking the domain; I'll need the Monster Army for the upcoming wars.' 'I wonder how strong the Terravians are guarding it,' Archer went to sit down as he watched the rain hit the window. 'It doesn't matter because every kill the girls make I benefit from and I still need to create a spell but will wait for now.'
Edith returned shortly after that, smiling while holding a tray with two cups and a teapot. Archer looked at the white-haired maid and yawned, "After the tea, I will get some sleep. Do
you want to join me?"
"Yes, please," she replied with a smile. "I can feel the exhaustion taking its toll on me since someone kept me up making love all night."
Archer chuckled before teasing her again, "Do you want to do it again all day today? I can
show you how much I desire you."
When Edith heard this, she stiffened slightly and let out a light, almost adorable laugh. "That does sound nice," she said, "but I'm still sore from last time. You stretched me to fit you, and
now it's aching."
"I'm teasing you," Archer revealed. "I know you need to rest, so I want you to rest with me."
Edith giggled before walking toward the window and closing the room, which bathed the room in darkness.
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