Laying on that tree branch, more than 50 feet up in the air, Gaston fell asleep almost as soon as he closed his eyes.
This wasn't his first time having to fall asleep, potentially surrounded by enemies, running the risk of getting killed in his sleep.
Back in his days on Earth as a member of DEVGRU, this was nearly a monthly occurrence, give or take a few days.
And given how dangerous this new world of his seemed to be, frankly, it probably wouldn't be his last time either.
Not that it weighed heavily on Gaston's mind either way.
He had long since gotten used to falling asleep nearly on command, whatever the circumstances or conditions may be.
Though it had to be said, the effects of the alcohol certainly helped, and not just with the falling asleep part, but also when it came to dealing with the pain.
...
As the saying went, there was no rest for the wicked.
Once Gaston opened his eyes again, he didn't see the tree he had fallen asleep on, instead, he found himself back on the ship.
'Even in my dreams I don't get to rest.'
Despite complaining inwardly a little, in truth, Gaston was glad he was recovering his memories at what seemed to be an increasing rate.
'Is this connected to my body regaining some energy? It can't be a coincidence that my longest memory yet came back to me as soon as I bit into the wolf.
'And now, another memory returns, not too long after.'
While he was speculating on the reasons behind his increased rate of returning memories, the past version of himself did not stay still.
Instead, he was sitting below deck, together with three other men, who Gaston assumed were the 3 other men that Hasso was supposed to persuade that night, seeing as Hasso himself wasn't here.
They were sat around a dining table, eating today's portion of their "food,"
The "food" on their table was so small however, that it almost seemed like a joke.
Perhaps this was why the mood around the table was somewhat glum.
"Hasso Breitbarth's injuries will claim his life, and then we will be stuck with the flesh of a corpse! General, I understand your hesitation, however we have to make the decision.
"Is it not simply a waste of resources to let him die like this?"
The flesh of the 11 traitors had managed to sustain the five remaining men aboard this ship for more than 3 months.
However nutritious the meat of a cultivator was however, 3 months was already the limit.
Judging by today's portion size, this was the last of their food, and if not, then tomorrow would be their last.
Either way, they would soon be back to square one, killing each other over food.
To Ruben Hersch, the man behind this suggestion, it only seemed natural that the first to become their food was the only one that was currently heavily injured.
"Hasso is a savior to us all General.
"3 months ago, without his reminder, all 4 of us currently sitting here today would've been blindsided by Jupp and the others and likely would have died.
"It's unfortunate that he is the one that nearly lost his life in the battle that followed, but reality is often harsh.
"I second Hersch's proposal."
Turning his head, Gaston took a deep look at the man that just spoke, Siegbert Schnyder.
Unlike Hersch, who was giving his unbiased opinion on the matter, Siegbert Schnyder was different.
Gaston knew Ruben Hersch to be a Count in the Empire, raised like any other child in his family, like an assassin.
Despite never having met him in person, Gaston wasn't too surprised to hear such words come from someone that had been raised to be a weapon ever since he was a child.
Even though there were rumors that Ruben was unlike most men of the Hersch family, and that he preferred frequenting local bars all around the world instead of socializing with the other members of the nobility.
Gaston personally wasn't a believer.
According to the general populace, Ruben was easy-going and quite sociable, completely unlike anything that one would associate with the Hersch family.
Judging by what Gaston had seen with his own two eyes however, the man was an empty husk hiding behind his little joking remarks.
A man broken beyond repair, trying to fit in.
Siegbert Schnyder on the other hand, was different.
He had history with Hasso, and it was not something that a life-saving favor could wipe out all at once.
After all, Hasso did lead his group of mercenaries to the aid of a pirate force that was being hunted down by the Empire's Navy.
More specifically, by Siegbert and his two closest friends.
The unexpected arrival of Hasso's forces dealt a heavy blow to the Empire's Navy at the time, nearly wiping them all out.
It was only Siegbert and a few of his men that ended up living to tell the tale.
A tale, which, nobody seemed to believe.
This left Siegbert two life-long friends short, and on top of that, openly distrusted by his own people.
In truth, this shouldn't have come as much of a shock to Siegbert, as his reputation within the Empire was far from stellar.
Every other day his name could be heard in the Royal Court, being accused by foreign dignitaries of leading brutal massacre's whenever he felt like it.
How true these accusations were was not clear to anyone, but Gaston for one, knew that the day Hasso faced the Empire's Navy, he and his men did not see the Empire's Flag on the mast of any of the ships.
After all, Hasso was only a Mercenary Leader, not a god.
If his men knew that they were attacking the Empire's Navy, they would take up arms against their leader in a heartbeat, and Hasso no doubt was aware of that fact.
Gaston very much doubted the fact that Hasso, a man that has accomplished so much at the young age of 42, would be stupid enough to do that.