Game Of Castles Omnibus

BOOKS 1-3

MARCUS SLOSS

Copyright © 2024 by Royal Guard Publishing LLC

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Contents

Game of Castles

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Regor Chapter 1

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Regor Chapter 2

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Colette Chapter 1

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Regor Chapter 3

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Isabel Chapter 1

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Colette Chapter 2

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Cynthia Chapter 1

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Chapter 56

Chapter 57

Chapter 58

Chapter 59

Chapter 60

Chapter 61

Chapter 62

Chapter 63

Regor Chapter 4

Chapter 64

Chapter 65

Chapter 66

Cynthia Chapter 2

Chapter 67

Chapter 68

Chapter 69

Chapter 70

Chapter 71

Chapter 72

Chapter 73

Chapter 74

Chapter 75

Chapter 76

Chapter 77

Regor Chapter 5

Chapter 78

Chapter 79

Chapter 80

Game of Castles 2

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Game of Castles 3

1.  Assignments, Please!

2.  Terms, and Wyrms!

3.  If I had a Crystal for Each Champion!

4.  As Above, So Not Below!

5.  I'd Rather Have Fish!

6.  Go Bury Yourself in Rubble!

7.  A Boulder to the Shoulder!

8.  A Mousy a Day Keeps the Champion at Bay!

9.  And Invite and a Send-off!

10.  Where Bat? Bear-Bat!

11.  The Price of Being Sneaky!

12.  Discussions, Discussions!

13.  Shiny Bits!

14.  Dead Skelkies Tell No Tales!

15.  A Fight at First Sight!

16.  I Hate Spiders!

17.  An Upgrade in More Ways Than One!

18.  Wet, Wetter, Wettest!

19.  Mermaid? More Like Brr-maid!

20.  Yeah Right, I'd Like to Meet!

21.  Now That's What I Call a Champion!

22.  Subterfuge!

23.  If It Moves, Kill It!

24.  A Very Special Welcome!

25.  Now That's What I Call A Mistress!

26.  Bride Price!

27.  Gorgeous Onlookers!

28.  Well, That's One Way To Look At It!

29.  Zombies!

30.  Gods-Damned Caverns!

31.  A Chaotic Assault!

32.  Now That's What I Call Chaos!

33.  Points Rich, Wives Wealthy!

Afterword

Game of Castles

AN ISEKAI LITRPG HAREM

Chapter

One

10,000’ Above Corpus Christi

Bon Voyage!

Wind whipped across my face, gushing in from the airplane’s open door. Skydiving wasn’t new to me, but this time, a tingling sensation coursed through every fiber of my being. Either the burrito from lunch wasn’t cooked right or my sixth sense for danger desperately wanted to warn me.

“Adam, you look a bit green!” Janice shouted with a teasing grin.

Her blue eyes sparkled with excitement, helping ease whatever bothered me. I could see her hunger to reach the bottom, and I definitely shared her enthusiasm. Whenever Janice invited me to jump out of a plane, it always came with a perk - the after sex was legendary.

I barely managed a smile in reply. Janice slapped me on the shoulder, leaping out of the plane with a shit-eating grin before I could reply.

Long screams of joy were quickly drowned out by the howling wind and the engines’ roar. I inhaled a deep breath, locked eyes with the jump instructor, and received a hesitant nod of approval.

To me, life was meant to be celebrated, even when things went wrong. A rough childhood with a rotation of stepfathers didn’t help. A bit of trouble with Johnny Law during my teenage years didn’t change my desire to punch people. I had struggled to finish college, swapping into trade schools simply to have something. In hindsight, I had more regrets than fond memories, and yet, I tried to always stay positive.

And yeah, I had some successes, most notably I worked my ass off to build up a plumbing business, and we had just landed a big contract. To offset my failures, I enjoyed a good thrill as much as a sweaty romp in the sheets. An occasional bar fight, some deep-sea spearfishing, and skydiving kept the insane part of my brain in check, so I could straighten out my life.

So when Cameron pointed his head for me to jump a second time, I jumped.

I loved the exhilaration of entering freefall, finding nothing else quite like it. However, that feeling of unease hit a level twenty in my mind until excessive amounts of sweat flowed out of every pore on my body. I quaked as something more sinister coursed through me.

Even though I had a stomach of iron and a constitution of steel, the wave of sickness overpowered me. My desire to vomit never culminated into a projection and against all my efforts, my vision darkened.

Chapter

Two

LOCATION UNKNOWN

Orientation!

"I do enjoy the stubborn ones," a sultry voice whispered from above.

I groaned awake, finding myself on a bed of soft grass inside a serene glen with white-barked trees surrounding me. Butterflies danced from flower to flower behind a gorgeous elven maiden who stole my breath with her beauty. She wore a sheer dress that hugged a curvy frame with plump nipples protruding with just the right amount of enticement.

Of course, none of this made sense, so I blinked, then grinned at the distraction, not hating when I woke up near a solid ten. My ability to land girls at the bar, while somewhat legendary, normally didn’t involve me blacking out.

"Shit!" I remembered I should be skydiving. Not only that, my outfit changed to simple white robes with a leather belt around my waist. Either this vile witch killed me, or I was still in the air and having a very lucid dream.

"Where am I?" I growled, scrambling to my feet.

"Easy, cowboy. You’re safe. You encountered an issue with Greg, not me." Her haughty tone seemed playfully amused, catching me off guard.

"Huh? Greg? As in my business partner?" The elf nodded in reply. "He’s hardly a problem, being such a pushover and all." I rudely snorted. "Just ask his wife."

"You underestimated him."

She swirled a hand forward until it rested palm up right in front of me. An image leaped to life like a hologram. I witnessed an overview recording of me and Greg having lunch before my plane ride.

My business partner wasn't the kind of person who jumped out of perfectly good airplanes, and I remembered the lunch as mundane. We talked about the Kilson contract we'd secured a few weeks ago. The tone was positive about how that extra money would change everything. It wasn't set to start for a few months, but it’d bring in enough for us to expand and grow substantially.

Greg was the money, I was the muscle, and we made a great team, or so I thought. In the rendering, I rose from the chair to take a leak, and when I slid into the bathroom, he poured something into my drink. I frowned, not remembering the sprite as tasting foul or different. When I returned, Greg pretended like everything was fine.

"Poison is such a pathetic way to kill someone. He actually timed it wrong and almost ruined the whole thing by overdosing you to the point you should have died before you even left the restaurant. Luckily for him, your constitution is off the charts, and it all worked out. You should have died seconds after exiting the plane, never opening your chute."

"Should have?"

"Correct. That never happened. I actually plucked you from the sky, saving your life, and swapped you out with a fake body to splatter on the ground." She curtsied with pride. "You're welcome."

"Fuck me."

She nonchalantly shrugged. "I don't dabble with mortals."

I rolled my eyes, feeling charmed by her wide smile and batting eyelashes. "You cured my poison?" I asked, and she nodded. "And took me away from Earth?"

"Yup!" she popped the 'p,' her tone filled with excitement.

"Uh, so back to this betrayal? Did Greg pay?"

The lovely elf tossed palms up in the air with a sly smile. She did this to make her tits jiggle, succeeding in softening the blow of my unexpected near-death experience. It wasn’t lost on me that she’d saved my life. And yeah, I was thrilled that I wasn’t a clone or something.

She continued, “A funeral will happen tomorrow, and Greg will be there pretending to be sad. The coroner, a friend of the flight school, claimed you died of a heart attack based on the reports from the instructor who said you were green with the sweats. While a panic attack into a heart attack sorta made sense, the truth is Greg poisoned you to take your share of the Kilson deal. He’s a snake.”

“I… He had money I never did, making him vital in starting the business. Fuck… Yeah, he always gave me shit for being poor and being cheap. He brought me on to do the dirty work, while he funded the operation for the tools and marketing. We got lucky, landing a deal we didn’t deserve with a large advance coming… Fuck, it was a lot of money I desperately needed. I can see Greg cutting me out, but I’ll admit, I sorta figured he’d lowball me out of my share, or just about anything before poison,” I said, punching the ground with a half-hearted measure.

While I did have emotions at times, I didn’t like letting them rule me, and a broken fist was never fun.

“His loss is my gain. No one can predict everything, and based on your history, you show real fight,” the lovely elf said.

I glanced around the glen, finding no hint as to where I was. “Uh, so who are you and where am I?”

“You're on Limar, a planet much like Earth with a few differences: no moon, slightly longer days, milder winter, cooler summers, and instead of polar caps, they’re the oceans. As in, a massive band of land encircles the planet with a horizontal strip of ocean in between two continents. As for who I am, I’m the Creator, an all powerful being who brought you to this realm of mine.

“I built the planet a few million years ago, seeded it with the most interesting human variants from around the multiverse then let it fester with war!” She squealed in delight, relishing the word. “For immortals: conflict, games, and challenges are delicacies. Limar is one of mine that I use to challenge my minions. Starting here soon, ten of my gods will fight over this planet in a competition of sorts. You’ll enter a draft of sorts. Hopefully one of the ten will select you. If not, I’m afraid you’ll be discarded since your life as you know it is over.”

“Ugh, I…” I huffed in and out, forcing a fake smile to cope. “Please continue.”

“If selected, you’ll receive a short overview with your god so you can understand what is about to happen. But basically, you’re going to compete in the Game of Castles against other champions. Who the gods select is paramount, and this is a way of testing their abilities to read individuals. In addition, it’s exhilarating to watch and bet on, which is something us immortals with powers do for fun.”

I tossed my hands on my hips with a shrug. “I’m not really huge on gaming, but I’m happy to be alive. Honestly, I’m more of a go to a bar and play pool kinda guy.”

“I know, a morally gray ladies’ man who likes hunting in the woods and used to be a natural leader for the cool-kids clique. Exactly what Limar calls for. Let me ask you something, can you swing a sword?”

“Sure, I guess, how hard can it be?”

“It is hard. Shooting a bow is harder, but you’ve killed deer with a bow before, correct?”

I shrugged, figuring she knew the answer. “Sure. You sit in a tree, wait for your prey, then let loose. I’ve always -”

“Hit the heart. Yes, you’ve shown an affinity for archery even if you’ve never taken it to competitions or become a die-hard enthusiast. I say this because you will need to realize, the cozy life on Earth is over. You’ll become embroiled in danger, and it’s good for me to set expectations. Nothing is given besides the basics, everything is earned,” the Creator said.

I smiled. “Hey, that’s how my whole life has been. My life on Earth as I know it is over, you brought me to Limar, and I have to work to make a life. Okay, I’m interested. What can you tell me?”

“The god who picks you will brief you on details, but I’ll generalize briefly. When you kill stuff, nothing happens until you’re out of combat. Once you’re safe from danger, which requires going all the way to your base sometimes, you’ll advance just as if life were a video game. The more you advance, the more of a superhuman you become. By level ten in any attribute, you will essentially be a demi-god, and yes, there’s a cap.

“Once you hit twenty in a stat, it becomes a hard limiter. At that point, in strength for example, your muscles can’t physically get any bigger. Once you hit a cap, you can grind additional points that only make a marginal difference; strength for example can get a surge bonus for a small boost of even more raw power. How are you tracking so far?”

I blinked a few times before jumping in an attempt to see more of the world. After a complete spin, I noted a few odd squirrel type critters, and the butterflies were larger than on Earth. It seemed close to home, but definitely different, and the elven ears were legit. “Decently, but like I said, not big on gaming.”

“Ugh. Gaming isn’t all that difficult, and this is simplified for the masses. Use your sword or bow to kill things. Don’t die and grow an army out of a base. Make your god happy. This is real life with magic on a planet controlled by gods that I rule over. Limar is wonderous or treacherous, depending on your experiences. Oh, and if you die, you die. The premise of Game of Castles is simple: establish a base, rescue or recruit help, amass armies, exploit the environment for your people, and conquer your enemies.”

I held my palms outward. “Okay, I’m listening, but not fully understanding. Don’t die makes sense. Nothing is too crazy; besides, you know.” I paused with a grimace. “Everything is magic.” I held up my palms. “Get a home, build it up, and use magic. Is this a proceeded generated thingy.”

“Procedurally, not proceeded, but I understand. Yes and no. There’s a lot to conquer already there. And yes, sometimes we generate threats to awaken the competition. However, we don’t try to put three ogres in your path on your seventh mission. Instead, a festering ogre problem may prohibit your movement, it may never do anything of note, or it might attack a random outpost you wanted to absorb. Think of it in that sense instead of the controllers directly interfering.

“Limar is ripe with challenges while having countless years of established lore and history. And yes, this is rushed a bit because no one wants to spectate forty hours of you handling orientation. The planet is a cesspit of a place, a real degenerates haven in some areas while a bastion of hope in others. Part of why I picked you is because you’re an unknown, maybe good, maybe evil, makes the selection process that much more interesting.”

“What do you mean by a cesspit of a place?” I asked.

“Oh, you know, in many regions it’s about as grimdark of a world as it gets.” I raised an eyebrow at this. “Fine, you’re a big boy. Evil abounds. Civilized society is top down with brutal wars over constant territory disputes. Outside the cities, monsters use the fairer races as slaves with rape, torture, mutilation, food, and worse. Either you blend in or create a bastion of hope or become a monster of the monsters.”

I frowned. “Right, kill bad things, get rewards. Some bad things are really bad.”

“However, I have one final thing to tell you before I send you to god selection. This is not Earth, and while there are many champions, each of them will stand out to other champions and to regular people through your feats as well as gains. You’ll never know true peace or tranquility. While we call it the Game of Castles, there is no cozy castle building. You will be on campaigns and in fights far more than you will ever be behind a castle. If you accept this, state your name and you go to selection.”

I puffed out my cheeks before releasing a long exhale. “I, Adam Clear, agree to go to Limar to compete in a brutal world. Or is it on?”

“On. Wonderful. And with that, I hope you don’t get Keergo, he hates humans,” the Creator said, blasting with a blinding light until I knew no more.

Chapter

Three

WOOD RIFT EMPIRE

Selected!

Fingers snapped in front of my face, stirring me from a peaceful slumber. I yawned awake with a refreshing stretch. My body felt limber, light, and…

“Whoa,” I muttered, immediately noticing that I’d lost some muscle. “What the fuck?”

“Oye, you with me?” a handsome man said.

Sure, his nose was long, his ears were pointy, and his skin was a tinge of purple, but he reminded me of that Bradley Cooper actor. And yeah, I super wasn’t into dudes, but his charisma and charming smile ruined my anger a bit. Plus, he lacked the warts or boils associated with the mythical race. Yeah, definitely very human-like to the point I only grew more confused.

I patted down my arms, then thighs. “Where’d my muscles go?”

“Part of the restart is to arrive as an average person on Limar. From here, you will become something more than average, and that is an understatement. For now, you’re twenty-five, spry, and lean. This will rapidly change with a few levels. The Creator should have gone over this,” he said, waving me from the bench I sat on to join him in a bustling city.

A morning breeze joined a sun that cast down through scattered clouds with drifting trails of smoke. I glanced around to find myself with an odd glow while wearing the robes from the glen. Once again, I patted my leaner frame. While I worked out at the local gym before work, I wasn’t a gym rat or anything. I enjoyed being fit as a single guy, and exercise left me feeling vibrant for the rest of the day, so I didn’t expect to stay this weak.

The bench I sat on rested along a busy road where people walked to and fro in clumps. A stench of dung hung in the air while side chatter contained a bit of a roar that bounced between merchant shops. After a quick scan over my shoulders, I learned I was in the middle of a stone city with thatched roofs, where no buildings went higher than a few stories.

The people--which was a broad term for what I saw--were a mix of everything but not like what the fantasy stories portrayed. For the vast majority of the residents within this town, they were human or a human variant. The elves were attractive with pointy ears and no beards. The dwarves had bubbly noses, boxy ears and beards. The cat people swished tails with eyes with vertical irises and rotating ears.

And yes, there were plain humans no different than the ones on Earth, but the more I looked the more I saw others. The wolf or dog people had fixed ears and bushy tails but once again, they were far more human, just with additional features. Same with the fairies whose wings helped them shift height, such as getting up or down from a raised path to the road, but none of them flew.

In addition to the variants, there were the mythical creatures who seemed to be less… esteemed. Hell, there probably wasn’t a reason to sugar coat much since I saw orcs, goblins, minotaurs, lizardmen, and more wearing slave collars. Yes, a lot of them walked freely as well, but you could just sense the entitlement of the humans and their variations versus the mythical people.

Along the street, some groups were one species, most were just single or odd groupings. Males stood about a foot taller than females and the few children I noticed clung to their mothers.

Attire seemed to be a mix of wool on the poor and silk on the wealthy with cloth being an in-between. Everyone carried a weapon to the point even the mothers had daggers. A few cart animals ferried goods on small wagons and a nice carriage probably hauled someone important.

Absolutely nobody glanced at me, even when I waved at a kid who looked right at my bench.

“You’re invisible. Starting you here would be very unwise and that’s not how this works,” the goblin said.

I did notice a slight sheen to my skin. Instead of asking why, I needed to know who I was dealing with. “Uh, who are you?”

“Asmi, the God of Barter. Mind you, I hate bartering, but that is what my worshipers called me, and it kinda stuck. I’d always take a clean deal that’s a win-win over needless haggling.” He gestured to traffic in the street. “I’m also the god who selected you as one of his champions. Right now, you’re in Wood Rift, one of the nicest towns in Limar.”

I scoffed. “This is nice. Well, nicer than I expected. There’s sewage in that alley, but the people seem healthy and happy. Almost as if there is order amongst the chaos.”

“Indeed. Those burly fellows with the fancy dome hats and padded cloaks are enforcers. Emperor Mavo is big on rules that only apply to his lands. If you get out of line, you rot in a cell for a few weeks or you hang. In turn for the harsh, but fair rule, this city and this realm prosper,” Asmi pointed to a pregnant mother with two happy kids in tow.

“Yeah, they seem content, but…” I wagged a finger at a child who followed an elven mother with a father who swished a cat tail. “None of the kids look like half-breeds.”

“The mother matters. Elven women birth elven babies, who the father is only affects looks, not what species is born. That is also why dwarves are a bit taller than Earth myths. Same with goblins being taller than you might assume, and why minotaurs are shorter. We normalized the species to allow better unity, even if clumps of similar groups form regardless. But that is basic stuff you can learn later, I have limited time, so please follow me.”

Asmi walked through a fearsome looking man with wolf ears without any hesitation. I stepped through a group of elven women who held their heads down low to avoid eye contact with others. They chatted, seeming happy, but their diminished height and smaller frames meant they had to be mindful of others.

“Patriarchy is the name of the game here. It is everything. Oh, and I’ll use some Earth lingo since it's a favorite vacation spot of mine. The only species with larger females than males are the minotaurs, and they are big passive babies who crave affection,” Asmi said with a headshaking scoff.

“None of them know about this… Game of Castles?” I asked, hopping over a pile of horse dung as if I needed to.

Asmi chuckled, guiding us onto an elevated walking path in the middle of the road. “Keep up. Keep up. Yes, it’s in their history, but from a forgotten time. And no, not like you will. You’re special. There are legends of the Game of Castles from past competitions. Inside those legends will be tales of rising threats in the wilds - or areas outside civilized bastions like this city.

“Right now, for them, it's an average Tuesday. Which, yeah, you get seven days of the week, twelve months a year, twenty-four hours a day, plus or minus a few minutes. All of it is different than on Earth, but to keep your brain focused on where it needs to be, survival, the translation and integration provided by the Creator will make life on Limar smooth.”

We shifted right at an intersection, passing a large water fountain the populace used to fill buckets with. Animals drank straight from the water that people hauled to their homes, and yeah, my stomach turned a bit.

An older mage with a long beard cast a swirling blue spell. He pulled thickening tendrils of water magic from the air, growing the creation. The crowd watched him, not nearly as enthralled as I was. A flaring vibrance glowed off the magic until it condensed in a large bubble. He shot the spell into the middle of the fountain, adding to the water and creating joy for the children.

“Magic comes in many forms, most of it relatable to natural elements. That was a master mage performing a master spell that would seem rather basic to a champion. For that mage, he spent decades to attain that level, never being able to cheat by killing wildlings in the woods or conquering dungeons of danger,” Asmi said, leading us around the fountain to stop at a section of town that seemed to be the start of an industrial or service area.

“Uh, what magic do I have?” I asked.

“We will find out after orientation. Believe it or not, it’s based on a dice roll that all champions are subject to. Alright, here are two shops.” Two doors rested near a road that split them. The buildings were two stories tall, wide, and exceedingly long. “On the left is a carpenter and on the right is a stonemason. Follow me,” Asmi said, walking through the wall instead of using the carpenter’s door.

Passing through a wall felt oddly satisfying and incredibly strange. On the inside of the shop’s entrance three waiting chairs faced a small shop. A homely dwarven woman stood behind a counter, showcasing furniture schematics for a werecat woman who wore a fancy summer dress.

The floor was covered in a fine layer of sawdust while a scent of freshly cut wood filled my nostrils. We passed through the counter and beyond a back wall, arriving in a long workshop. All sorts of tools and raw wood were neatly organized on the outskirts while a team of crafters created products in the middle.

A set of stairs led to a second floor with a small balcony area that had simple banisters. Six children watched the workers from between railings while their mothers ensured they stayed out of trouble.

“This business is run by Uzak, that ugly orc right there.” He pointed to an orc with gray and black hair who instructed an older elf how to finish an edge. “Uzak was born a free orc who started crafting chairs in this very shop just like this little fellow,” Asmi said, pointing to a young lad of about twelve years who had a mouse tail and ears. “He inherited the shop legitimately after his boss failed to pay the local underlords their bribes. Uzak pays them, earning his place in the hierarchy of Limar. To most, he scrounges by, but he has open books, and he takes a small cut for his five wives.”

I scoffed. “Five wives! Who has time for that?”

“Successful men draw women to them on Limar, it is patriarchy at its finest. Two of his wives are former slaves he bought and freed. They’re happy, and Uzak works tirelessly to provide for his growing family. I brought you here to showcase that and more. Most young males join the military, marching off to war for their lords and dying on the field of battle. Most females don’t fight, while some do.

“Because of potions and healing magic, mothers have children with low mortality, while battlefield deaths are high, creating an imbalance. You see the results of this up there with his wives, whittling details into fancy pieces for a carriage while watching the kids. Meanwhile Uzak here is completing orders whilst his eldest daughter manages at the front desk. This comes into play, because wherever you establish your base, you will have a Game of Castles table. On it, you can hire a carpenter, paying a fair rate that is preset. This -”

“Before you keep going, and I know everything is rushed,” I held up my hands defensively, “but I have a million questions.”

“A few, hurry.”

“What do I pay him with?”

“Local coins that he desires, but in reality, you pay with rewards from the competition that become coins. Lord Points are your currency, you convert them into tasks or hiring or coins or whatever you want really. You go out and kill a clump of zombie bears, returning to your base the triumphant hero. You earn three hundred Lord Points or LP. You can hire Uzak to build you a bed for thirty LP. Definitely not one to one, but a quick example.

“When he wakes up tomorrow, he thinks his daughter met you already and your order is a priority. He crafts it, a local hauler wheels the bed to your home, and no one is crossed or betrayed over the transaction. The gods interfere with their normal lives in a way that just… works.”

I scoffed. “Sweet, seems easy.”

While I had a whole lot more questions, he quickly continued, “Ha! Have you tried killing a bear, let alone a zombie one. Anyway, champions have a magical desk called the Game of Castles Table that influences the areas around them. You can also use the system with simple words, but once you get into the competition, you will start to earn. Feel free to spend your LP however you like without my input,” Asmi said, pointing to a very large carriage.

“That’s nice.”

“And comfortable. And yes, you can use enough LP to convince Uzak and his family to load up in that carriage and give up this shop to join your castle where costs for… carriages for example, will go down significantly since all the bloat of living here goes away. However, if enough people leave a place like Wood Rift, it may upset people and cause a war against you.”

“Ah, and this base you speak of? What will mine be like?”

“There’s a dice roll on which region you arrive in, but there will be four options for you to pick from. Your starter gear is standard though: map, camping supplies, basic hunting bow, a simple blade, some water, food, and fire starting tools. For champions, there’s no class to confine you, well, besides your magic affinity. If you wanna be a knight who can shoot a bow, go for it. Won’t be effective, but you can do it. But, don’t pick that. That was a bad example. Come,” Asmi said, leading me through the wall towards the stone shop.

We passed through the small road between the buildings and arrived to see a human man with a bunch of sons of various species loading up a wagon. A bevy of wives kissed their husband goodbye right before he hopped on the long wagon’s front bench.

After a snap of the reins, a team of eight oxen fought the weight until the wheels slowly rolled forward.

“There is so much I want to teach you, but I can’t. What I can do is go over the most important vital aspects, and trust me, this will make more sense later. The average man does not have a harem, only those who are stable and can provide will attain such lofty lives. And yes, these are the one percent of Limar. They have a stable home, food on the table, the street lords’ protection, the emperor's thanks for taxes, and a business that is fair,” Asmi said.

I chuckled at the goblin. “Well, at least you know your business partner's motives.”

“And you need to know that the Game of Castles table keeps you safe. Don’t take risks you don’t have to because you don’t earn LP by venturing into this city or any like it. You take abnormal risks inside another ruler’s home. You’re going to be seen as a lord, not a commoner. Lords don’t barter with stone masons to build a balcony, their lower nobles or lower wives do. And a captured lord has value, remember that,” Asmi warned.

I watched the wives walk over to the wood-keeper shop, likely going to help Uzak’s family carve stuff while their children played. I sighed, learning a lot about the upper class of the city in a short period. Asmi wanted me to witness how a lord stayed in power, and it was through people like Uzak.

“You’re going to be judged by a few metrics. The first and foremost is LP earned. You can be a mighty hedge knight who travels around the world, never using a magical table of note. While limited you can use the interface in your vision. This is not very effective for winning the competition, because, you know, castles are important in Game of Castles, but a wandering knight can stay off the radar, as they like to say on Earth. You will end up fighting and adventuring far more than being in a castle or building a castle, but castles are the end game content.”

I ran a hand through my hair, listening intently. Since he brought up the option, I figured he wanted me to comment. “I can sorta see the merits. It does have a certain appeal. Always on the move, never upsetting any singular lord with your sudden rise in power because you’re in fact helping them with their issues.”

Asmi seemed displeased. “True. It is not very often that a hedge knight wins, or even does that well as a solo champion, but they are a thing. The second way you are judged is not by raw LP generation through quests, but instead through your base. Everyone needs a home… besides a -”

I wagged a finger and said, “Hedge knight.”

“Correct. They travel endlessly, finding the best ways to almost die. No matter what you decide to do, the more you remove threats to Limar, the more LP you gain. This is a massive cheat when compared to the average person who can’t use the system. If they go out and kill an ogre, almost dying, they will receive a reward from the locals who may try not to pay. You get that and you get our rewards. Hell, even our quests reward for completion and kills.

“Anyway, I hope you don’t become a hedge knight because this leads to the next part. The better your base, the more residents inside of it, the higher your score. This score is also largely important for how you interact with the region around you. This is called IP or Influence Points. A person with a high IP will pay less to get Uzak to move to their base. IP does not reward you directly with riches but is more or less a way to receive discount acquisitions. It is also important to note, tracking IP is almost impossible because it is a subjective number to the locals.

“During your competition, your IP score will be a generic number even though it is a case-by-case thing. Then there are MP or Military Points. This is the size of your army multiplied by their gear, training, and organization ratings. The higher the MP and the higher the IP you have in that region, the cheaper new recruits or mercenaries become.

“Finally, there are FP or Family Points. As you have seen, a strong male with a large family is normal; this goes beyond that. A lord with unhappy nobles will face rebellions, betrayals, and sabotage. In addition, a happy family unit is just as important. With that said, not everything is about being nice. Fear works just as well because loyalty is what matters. The higher your FP the more secure your rule is, making it harder for enemies to attack you from the inside.”

I snorted with a headshake, folding my arms. “I hear you. Kill things, build a base, raise an army, and bind a family unit to me to rule over my gains.”

“And remember, almost everything has value. On Earth, a deer’s heart, eyes and tongue are discarded. On Limar, you use them for all sorts of potions while the hide makes boots, not some kid in China!”

Asmi burst into a roaring laughter that only I heard. His joke wasn’t exactly funny, and I suspected child labor was far worse here than on Earth.

“Okay, and what’s the motivation for me? Why should I care if you win and when does this competition end? How many champions are there? Can an opposing god convince his clergy I am a threat?”

He flashed a charming smile that did little to help. “Ten gods, ten champions each. In no way shape or form can I try to connect you to your potential allies. You are all sorta zoned into sections anyway and Limar is incredibly vast in landmass compared to Earth, in addition to slow travel.

“As for a crusade against you, absolutely. Assuming you acquire a castle, build it up, and amass an army, you will have a religion. Barter will be yours. The God of Death who has a bunch of churches a few regions over - and whose champion died to a wyrm - can whisper in his clerics’ ears to call for a crusade against you.”

“But he can’t promise immortality or special favors to assassinate me. Basically, who is going to want to kill me and why am I competing?”

“Assume everyone. I won’t go into our rules for the Game of Castles because it goes back to assuming you will be targeted by everyone besides your closest ally. As for compensation, well, you’re alive when you shouldn’t be. But… the competition lasts for a hundred years with a hundred contestants and only I get rewards for winning it.”

I couldn’t help but rudely scoff. “Seems unfair.”

His index finger shot up. “Ah, but you do get something for competing. Immortality. You’re twenty-five-years old, but champions don’t have to age. For every child you have, and raise to the age of three, you will stop aging for a year. Have ten kids tomorrow, stay in your twenties for a decade,” Asmi said with a sly grin.

“Wait, the hedge knight sucks then,” I said.

“Not everyone likes kids, but in theory he can have many kids on his travels. Drop the hedge knight thing.” The goblin god sadly shook his head. “I implore you.”

I rocked on my feet, eventually shrugging. “Not sure why I can’t just buy immortality with Lord Points. And yeah, I like having a home.”

“Phew. There are two rules of nature: survival and reproduction. Prove you can do both. And with that, our time is up. When you spawn at your starting location, remember I had nothing to do with it. If you want to talk to me, use LP or I may use some of my winnings to visit you,” Asmi said, patting me on the shoulder.

The world around me dimmed until I drifted off to a gentle sleep.

Chapter

Four

TOLMERIA Swamp

Isekai Complete!

Even though I was an outdoorsy extrovert, I did enjoy anime, taking solace in some of the silly tropes and over the top action. Being sent to another world via truck-kun was something that I never expected to happen, let alone for my shift to happen while skydiving; to be fair, I never expected Greg to betray me either.

After two meetings with beings who called themselves gods, the harsh reality sunk in and rooted itself deeply into my heart. I’d been fortunate enough to be given a second chance, and deep-down, I knew if I hadn’t been selected to compete, I’d likely be dead.

That harsh reality should really bother me. I should whine and cry and mope. Most people would expect their friends to react this way, or maybe they’d judge while knowing that is how they’d process such a violent change.

Not me.

Like a light switch flicked to on - I determined to absorb my new role, accept my fate, and ease into being a champion in the Game of Castles. My future wasn’t bright; it was grimdark. A flickering semblance of insanity flared to life in my addled brain, telling me that part actually didn’t bother me.

Insanity might have been a bit much, and yet, life wasn’t fair and a society where you kept what you earned seemed fitting. So when I finally found myself returning to sentience again, I did so with a grin.

I materialized a few feet in the air, looking down at murky brown water on a cloudless spring evening.

When I splashed down into ankle high muck, I found myself in the middle of an eerie swamp dominated with gnarled and stunted trees. Frogs croaked incessantly, bugs buzzed, and my splash sent waves across mostly calm water. Besides a few protruding roots and low branches, there was zero dry land in sight.

After my quick inspection, I checked out the gear I started with. A basic wooden bow rested in my left hand, an arrow in my right. Draped over my right shoulder to left hip in a diagonal were two straps. One was for a man purse type satchel and the other was for a quiver on my back.

A long dagger or a short sword lay on my left hip, opposite of my bag. I sighed, knowing most men would see a medieval satchel as a purse, but when in Rome…

I wore a light and airy tunic, knee-high hooker boots of brown leather, and thin trousers that only went low enough to tuck into the boots. Upon a second inspection, the boots were swamp boots or something like that because my feet were dry, and I didn’t see any laces.

Instead of nocking the arrow, I awkwardly stuffed it into the quiver on my back. In addition to the satchel, a ten-pound bag fought for space on my back. After I tucked the bow under an armpit, I opened the satchel’s flap, finding a map, a notebook, and some fire starting tools as well as a dry biscuit that rested next to a small water bladder.

“Great… A bow that was likely made a few hundred years ago, a swamp that has no end in sight, and it’s about to get dark,” I grumbled, inspecting the sky.

While I wanted to inventory my bag, this was definitely not the right place to do so. The map happened to be a scroll that I unwound horizontally. No indicator star dictated where I was on the map once it was unfurled, and I couldn’t see anything to help my orientation. Luckily there was only one icon for a swamp on the map and based on the scale it seemed small.

As long as I didn’t walk in circles, I’d make my way out in a few hours. In each direction from the swamp, I saw four icons representing grayed out hovels. They weren’t actual homes, because under the icons were locations of their own.

“Huh, this doesn’t seem like a quest at -”

A message flashed in my vision. It didn’t blind me or leave me completely distracted. Instead it was a green prompt with a healthy setting of opacity so I could still see what rested behind it. I didn’t love messages out of the blue, and for all I knew, a gator or something was stalking me already.

I continued to scan my surroundings, staying alert while cautiously giving the message attention.

Quests Available.

Quest 1: Travel North to Brackenfell, squash the pesky wildling infestation, and visit the local mayor for a reward! Wildlings are scavengers that are weak when alone, but deadly when in numbers. They’re also prone to stealing shiny things only to bury them never to be found again. A wildling infestation is always a problem no one wants to deal with, and the Mayor of Brackenfell is no different.

Accept? Yes or No.

“Huh, it doesn’t say what reward, and if Brackenfell already has a lord, that’s just a quest for LP and not a base one. My answer is no for now, but I do like that I don’t have to be an instant noble or whatever,” I muttered to myself.

The words faded and new ones appeared.

Quest 2: Travel South of your current location, venturing deeper into the Tolmeria Swamp, defeat the Queen Hag, and claim the swamp as your base of operations. Swamps are avoided by most, but they actually are a very wonderful source of protein and specialty items for potion making.

Accept? Yes or No.

“Eh, no thanks,” I grumbled, glancing around in case the hag who ruled this place found me. And yes, I felt a bit relieved by the options.

Quest 3: Travel West to Jodi River where a scourge of kobolds have taken refuge in a ruined castle. After a successful defense, the walls were abandoned due to the heavy losses and extensive amounts of repairs will be needed to make it hospitable.

Accept? Yes or No.

“Funny, you try to sell me on the swamp, then highlight the issues on the castle. Last option so I -”

The slightest of movements in the distance sent goosebumps along my arms.

I wasn’t alone.

I had zero desire to be a lord of a swamp, but I sure as shit knew I didn’t belong here. I rapidly stuffed the map in the satchel, jamming it in there.

My hands didn’t shake, but my heart beat so hard in my chest it thrummed in my ears.

A ten-foot-tall blue-skinned humanoid, with sagging tits that went down to her waist, lurked behind a tree not even fifty-feet away. It instantly connected that I stared at a hag who leaned out way further than she ought to. Her feeble attempts to blend in were only worsened when she swatted at bugs by her milky-black eyes.

She didn’t hold a weapon, but with the six-inch claws at the end of her fingers, well, she didn’t need to. I withdrew an arrow, trying my best to play it cool as if I hadn’t seen her. A part of me tried to come up with a plan for a quick escape. The problem was, I had no clue what direction was what, and knew her long legs would likely catch me before I ever reached land.

A terse grin of disbelief at my luck crossed my face while I slowly nocked the arrow to the bow’s sinew.

I figured walking away was a decent idea, mostly because I worried a single arrow may not kill her. Then I remembered something, I could speak the local language and she might just be shy and friendly. The monster definitely had a goofy-looking lopsided smile.

Before I spoke, I drew the arrow back slightly, not aiming it or putting lots of tension on the bow. If she moved, I’d have that arrow pulled back in a second, and I knew this might be a bad decision, but if I shot first, well…

“Hey, I have a biscuit if you tell me which direction -”

The hag unleashed a primal roar, bounding forward with claws spread wide and her legs pumping in long strides. When she screamed, nasty teeth unleashed specks of spittle. Each of those teeth were terrifyingly long and I instantly regretted trying diplomacy.

I gulped, strengthened my resolve, and drew the sinew back to my chin. With a bated breath, I shifted the arrow to line up with the charging creature, waiting for the right moment. She splashed and sloshed with each sprint, showing zero fear of me or my weapon.

Twang!

The arrow whistled forward in a tight spin, soaring across the distance. She tried to dive under the arrow, only to have it lodge into her collar at the base of her neck. The projectile sunk into her torso with a wet smack as she crashed down with an epic splash.

A wave of muddy water drenched me from head to toe.

Out of instinct, I retreated a few dozen paces. She struggled, rising and falling with wet gasps. Her hand reached out for help while I readied another arrow.

“Yeah fucking right,” I grumbled, not moving an inch to help her.

I waited patiently until a very distant roar sent shivers down my spine. The sound originated from the same direction of the hag. An unwelcome frown crossed my face. My foe didn’t exactly cry out, so I wasn’t sure why this second monster screamed.

Unless…

Maybe it could sense the danger of its ally.

Regardless, I drew the arrow back beyond my normal draw point, wanting as much punch as I could get. The hag floundered in the muck filled swamp, clearly suffering from a grievous wound. Whatever cried out, didn’t do so again, but I wanted to finish the job.

She must’ve caught sight of my movement, glancing up at me with pleading in her eyes.

Twang!

The arrow splattered an eye before it drove deep into her skull, killing the hag instantly.

Her face sank into the swamp, her leg twitched, and an eerie silence settled over the area. A squawking call from the earlier roar’s direction tried to talk to the dead hag.

A part of me wanted to remove her claws and teeth or whatever for potion making but I definitely was on a timer. Instead of running away, I created very clear tracks by marking roots and trees with fresh mud before I doubled back.

I hurried to a nearby tree and hunkered down to wait.

If this was a competition, and killing nasty swamp hags rewarded me to get a bed or whatever, I was super interested in ambushing prey.

While I could have climbed up the tree, the leaves had mostly fallen with almost no way to hide, so I stayed down low at the base of the trunk. Instead of trying to wing another shot with a bag and quiver on my back, I set them into the back of the trees, conducting an inventory.

I found a set of clothes, a sheet for bedding, and a folded-up leather hide likely used to keep rain off me in some form. The situation left me nervous, and my supplies were super basic. To compound the problem, only ten minutes into my wait, the sun began to set, and with no moon rising, it became incredibly dark. Thankfully the sky was clear, and the stars shone bright enough to provide just enough to see a few dozen feet.

The natural ambience of the swamp roared to life once night set in. Whatever tried to call for this dead hag stopped a while ago, creating this sense of wasted time. While I could be waiting for nothing, I figured moving at night was likely a bad idea unless I was forced to.

Boredom set in and for the first time I missed my phone. Not many people likely considered how lame the past was before phones, but I got a heavy dose of it. I decided to revisit my options for a quest while I waited.

“Quest,” I whispered, barely saying the words. “Option four.”

Quest 4: Travel East to the haunted woods of Jelin. An unknown force holds a wooden enclave in its grip. The woods are home to the barish berry and fertile soil underneath the corruption. Cleansing the forest will be extensive.

Accept? Yes or No.

“An unknown threat and extensive work. Pass. I don’t like any of the options.” I shook my head unhappily. “Am I forced to pick one of these four for my magical table?” I asked with a whispered voice.

A slight tinge of red flashed in my visions.

“May I have more options?”

Another flash of red.

“May I select Brackenfell, then pick one of the other options later?” When a flash of green told me yes, I released a breath of relief. “I want Brackenfell first then.”

A pulsing yellow arrow arrived in my vision. The magical overlay pointed in the opposite direction of the hag and where the yells came from.

Getting to civilization seemed prudent before I tried to tackle any major threat. While I pondered what I’d acquire, a faint slosh stirred me from my thoughts. A series of chirping guttural noises erupted from the south.

I grew confused at first, hearing but not seeing the creature.

When it drew closer, instead of being a blueish purple, this male was an ashen color, matching the trees perfectly. The male hag was short, even shorter than me, with tiny claws, no weapon, and a sad look on his face filled with worry.

When he saw his mate laying face first in the water, he rushed forward to her corpse, wailing in despair. I popped out since he showed zero regard for his own safety, lined up a shot, and released.

Twang!

The arrow whizzed across the distance, slammed into his forehead, and violently vibrated as it jutted out of his skull. He staggered a few steps before succumbing to his mortal blow, falling to rest beside his mate.

I crept back down, waiting for the next ten minutes or so that felt like hours. When nothing happened, I finally stood to rest my bow and quiver by my bag in the branches. After a quick rummage through my bag, I laid a sheet down on top of the container.

A natural calm settled over my soul, preparing for what came next. Ever since I became a young man, I went hunting, and with the natural high of the kill, came the low of what came next. The concept of gutting and cleaning a buck wasn’t a big deal for me. I had buddies who vomited from warm blood, fleeing the scene so I had to do all the work.

No one taught me the value of converting death into life; I figured that part out pretty easily after staring down at my first killed buck. I mostly gave the meat away, accepting some cash from those who freely gave it, but I did know that the harvested animal went to good use.

I realized that my ability to get my hands bloody might have been why I was selected for Limar. I withdrew the long dagger from my belt, seeing a decently sharp edge on it in the starlight.

Unless the female hag had gills, she was super dead so I started on her. Over the next hour, I removed her eyes, tongue, heart, claws, and nipples. I had no idea if any of it was worth anything, but the claws were insanely sharp so someone could maybe use them.

By the time I finished, it was also super clear the male was dead. I chopped him up the same as the female, ruining my decent sheet for sleeping by turning it into a makeshift bag of sorts. Once I finished, I stuffed the parts on the bottom, tossed the bag on my back, and set off north.

As I followed the yellow indicator, I knew surviving the swamp wasn’t guaranteed. I also knew I could fire this bow with a decent accuracy, which felt really reassuring. Apparently this world would not be gentle, and I had to hope I could stay alive long enough to find a base.

Chapter

Five

TOLMERIA Grasslands

To Wildling or not to Wildling!

About two hours into my march through the shallow swamplands, I thankfully arrived on steady soil. The solid footing proved glorious even if my feet were starting to complain. In a world without cars, I realized there’d be quite a bit of adjusting to do. For another four hours I walked down a dirt road barely big enough to fit one wagon.

During the trip, owls hooted at me, and occasional eyes peered at me from the trees. The longer I spent on Limar, the more it reminded me of Earth with a few twists. The forest lacked heavy undergrowth, letting me see deep into the depths of the gloom to help pass the time.

Occasionally long sections of flat grasslands carried on for miles until either a new forest started, or the horizon seemed infinite. The walk was rather nice with the cool evening keeping it enjoyable. No dragons or monsters loomed in the sky or hid in the woods, but I did carry my bow with an arrow partially nocked, just in case.

Eventually, I arrived at a fork in the road with a knocked over sign with wood so rotten the engraved words were ruined. My indicator told me to go left. The thing was, I was almost certain Brackenfell was to the right due to the worn dirt road.

I picked to go to the right, mostly so I could get these hag parts to a market of some sort before they rotted. My stomach growled, I needed a refill of water, and the nasty swamp smell permeated off my clothing.

The indicator must have realized I didn’t intend to fight the wildlings yet, turning itself off. I didn’t mind, extending my stride as the sun peeked over the horizon. Another hour, maybe two passed with the sun fully rising into the sky. I exited a forest, finding immense farm fields stretching around a rather boring circular town.

A palisade wall that went three times the height of a man wrapped the interior in jagged fashion. Breaking up the sections of wood was a fancy gate with a few guards. The second or third stories of interior buildings peeked over the simple defense. A single central tower protected the town with a bell hanging under a roof.

On the exterior, small farmer’s huts gave the workers a place to rest when they weren’t tending the land. Since the sun was up, the farmers plucked weeds, worked hoes, or harvested some sort of green carrot.

While I knew Limar was a patriarchy, I found myself a bit confused to see mostly women working by their lonesome. They noticed me, not inviting me over or stopping their morning chores to talk to me.

Asmi’s words rang in my mind to keep my head down. Figuring it was probably best to get some information before I tested the guards, I deviated towards a male farmer tending to his fields outside the walls.

The man with his dirty hands was thin, his clothes worn, and based on the quick look he gave me, he needed a good sleep. And yes, while he was definitely a man with normal hands, two catlike ears rested on high points on his head and a tail swished out his lower back.

He kept working until I became close enough that it was apparent I came to see him instead of walking by like he hoped for.

“Ugh, I can smell you from here,” the man said, turning with a frown.

He dusted his hands off, picking up a hoe. I didn’t blame him, if I became violent, it gave him options.

I pinched my face with a few dips of my head to show I agreed. “Fair, very fair. Hey, uh, how’s Brackenfell?”

“Well, it’s fine I suppose. Costs a bronze to get in, ten after hours. You sure look…” He struggled to find the right word.

“I’m a mess, I know,” I replied, not apologizing.

“I take it you were in the swamps?” he asked and I nodded in reply. “Got any coin?”

“Depends on if alchemists want hag parts,” I said with a grin. “But I may have enough to get by.”

“Ah, the excessive mud on you makes more sense now. You’re a sellsword. Nothing wrong with that line of work. As for our alchemist, Betty, well, she doesn’t have much seeing as this is a frontier town.”

“Betty sounds exactly like the right person to visit,” I said with a chipper tone.

This seemed to help relieve some of the tension. “She’s a fair lady and our potion maker for simple things, but Mayor Tolgar will probably buy the parts to take them to market in Estin.”

“I suppose, I gotta head out sooner than later and was looking to get better gear or whatnot. Is this Estin the best local market?”

“There’s closer. If yer wanting fancy stuff, then Estin is wondrous. The trip is worth it. King Vardrin is -”

A head poked out of the hut, causing the farmer to smile with love. As with most things in life, events were dynamic, and it seemed I’d encountered an interruption right as I was getting some great information.

“Who’s this hunny?” a woman half his age trotted over to join us, rubbing a hand down the farmer's back. “A stranger covered in mud and… I smell blood.”

“Tamm always has a better sniffer.”

“It’s from my mother’s side, Jaro. Whatcha haulin stranger?” Tamm asked.

I repeated myself, waiting to hear back from her husband. I understood how patriarchy worked and so did Tamm. She nodded politely, realizing her curiosity intruded on our talk. I tried my best to hide any irritation, but Jaro seemed a bit flustered.

“The capital has a market that’s three times the size of this dump.” He thumbed to Brackenfell. “Actually, I need to haul a cart of carrots to Estin.” Jaro pointed with his head to a patch of sprouted green stalks in a neat row. “I suppose we can venture together, and I know just the mage to freeze these for the long haul.”

I glanced at the farms, noting a whole lot of them were in need of repair. “Hey, what if I trust you. I give you the alchemy parts, you take them to market, buy me a nicer bow, a small cart animal, a tent, and a cart.”

His eyes glazed over and time warped. Everything crawled to the point where a blink would take minutes. I doubted I could do this during combat, but this had to be a Game of Castles interaction. Sure enough, green words appeared in my vision.

You have triggered the system interface through your offer. Since you are still new, feel free to take your time and ask questions. Time is actually frozen even if it seems like it is still crawling forward. You cannot interact with your environment during these trips to an alternate plane, but you can interact with the Game of Castles.

“Okay, but there wasn’t any stats or health bars on the hags.”

Correct. And there are different variations of interaction. Receiving general information, like a quest directional indicator is nothing more than a vision overlay. More elaborate and in depth interactions do take you out of the setting so you’re not trying to fiddle with champion mechanics while in the middle of a sentence. Also, you can’t use this to run around and stab your foes. You literally cannot interact with the real world when time freezes.

“Understood. What, uh, triggered this?”

You have a backlog of interactions.

Quest Assignment Verification Required.

Quest: Sell the bag of hag bits.

The Mission: Travel to Esti, sell the hag parts, and return with the coins as well as a nice bow with a dozen arrows, a cart with an animal to haul it, and a tent.

Cost: 3 Lord Points. 25% of coins earned (Taxes, a fee for Jaro, and a bribe for the guards to sell to the upper part of Esti City)

Quest assigned to: Jaro of Brackenfell

Ding! You have leveled up!

Ding! You have leveled up!

Ding! You have leveled up!

Do you wish to assign the mission?

Yes - No

“Wait, can I check my stats?” I asked, slinging the bag off my back because the weight was bothering me after a long march. A green ping flared in my vision instead of words. “Wonderful, let’s do that first.”

Name: Adam Clear

Champion for the God of Barter

Height: 6’ 0”

Weight: 220lbs

Age: 25

General Level: 4 (3 Unassigned Attribute Points)

Strength: 1

Stamina: 1

Dexterity: 1

Constitution: 1

Endurance: 1

Healing: 1

“Huh, some of this doesn’t make sense. I clearly have endurance to walk for hours, strength to pull a bow, and burst to run,” I said. “Plus I feel strong already with a level one strength.”

A message scrolled across my vision.

In summary, it’s complicated. You started the competition as a vibrant young man in his prime. Every champion starts off with a diminished physique, but their natural abilities remain and what they came with matters. This is to encourage engagement with the environment while also keeping champions from dying when throwing too many punches. Add points to your base stats to increase your attributes.

“Okay, odd, but I think I understand. No luck or charisma?”

Both of those are natural and increasing through killing monsters would make for an unfair competition.

“Add three points to strength because I want superhuman power for certain,” I said.

An orange magic seeped out of the ground in growing tendrils. It moved slowly at first, dancing in an odd pattern before it violently shot into my chest. I lifted off the ground slightly squirming uncomfortably while it coursed through my veins until I felt a slight bit of muscle mass added.

The intense magic faded rapidly, and my feet touched back down. I flexed, feeling better than I would after months at the gym. “Nice, better. Alright. My magic is missing.”

A twenty-sided dice appeared in my palm. I marveled in the hypnotic coloration, eventually realizing I wasn’t supposed to gawk at it. I chucked it onto the ground with eyes slammed shut. When I opened them, I saw a seventeen.

“Yes! What’s that get me?”

Magic Type: Golem

Magic Level: 1

Spell Assignment: Water Golem

Water Golem: The weakest of the golems comes with a lot of utility. There are many who scoff at such a resourceful tool. Let that word soak in… resourceful.

“Ha, the puns. Alright, you seem to be alluding to the fact there are better golems for killing. How do I get something more… coherent?” I asked.

The word coherent was not applied correctly, but your meaning is understood. To gain additional golems, use Lord Points. Golems must gain levels to grow. They start at knee high and are limited to the caster's height. For each level the golem gains, add an hour cooldown for a respawn. To spawn more than one golem at a time, reach magic level 25, 50, and 100. 100 is the max with 4 golems under your command.

Here are the costs for additional golems. If you discover more, the option can be added later:

Stone Golem: 20,000 LP

Sapling Golem: 80,000 LP

Sand Golem: 1,000 LP

Water Golem: Free

Ice Golem: 15,000 LP

Fire Golem: 100,000 LP

Chitin Golem 15,000 LP

Without a doubt, this was going to be a lot of work if killing a pair of hags was only 30 Lord Points. Still, I didn’t worry too much about that now since I had a mountain of issues to address before an upgrade could even be considered. Without any vices to keep my thrill seeking sated, killing would probably be my pleasure.

“Well, if not coherent, more solid then, but you answered that. I guess a water golem can water plants for me or jump in a pot or bucket or whatever for clean water. Everyone has to drink, and dysentery is not something I want to live through… or die to,” I said with a sigh. “These other options are great, but not needed yet. Let me dive into local currency since I need to bribe people, pay for lodging, food, and hire a guard.”

100,000 LP = 1 Gold (Shields).

100 LP = 1 Silver (Swords).

.1 LP = 1 Bronze (Arrows).

“Okay, I’m going to assume those names are local slang or something.”

Imprinted local designs issued by the Estin Kingdom. There are 3 kingdoms in Tolmeria, the region you arrived in. Each of them use their own coins to control their own economies. However, the metal and weights are the same and are often smelted down to change imprints if traded.

Gems, weapons, animals, and everything in between are a currency as well. However, we do not create anything beyond raw metals or local coins. As you will notice, the overwhelming coin used is bronze with silver and gold being tightly controlled by all governments on Limar.

“Yeah, I see that. A thousand bronze to one silver is an odd ratio, but I get it, I think. Let’s start with thirty bronze in a purse in my front pocket please.”

You wish to convert 3 LP into a purse of bronze coins. This will result in 30 Bronze coins minted by the Estin Kingdom.

Confirm by saying Yes.

“Yes,” I said, not whispering this time.

A flare of orange magic originated in my chest pocket, dropping a hefty weight inside. I was honestly surprised the stitching held.

“Great, I added some muscle mass, got some shopping money, and… I confirm to send Jaro on the mission to sell my goods at a twenty five percent cut. I wish to resume time now,” I said.

The backpack I’d set down earlier instantly snapped back on as if I’d never taken it off. The exact second I froze time, returned as if I didn’t spend ten minutes with the system overlords.

Jaro shook his head with a smile. “Wow, my cut will help us buy a donkey we need desperately. Where will you be staying while I journey, my Lord?”

Tamm flushed, leaning down and whispering in his ear.

“Right, right. Let me grab your goods, and be on my way shortly, but first manners. You’re a weary traveler. How about I guide you into town as a guest?” Jaro offered.

I pulled the bloody sheet out, handing it over to Tamm. She bowed slightly, being careful to appear subservient without interest in me. Once accepted, she took the goods inside, closing the door with a locking bar thudding into place.

Jaro gestured for me to follow him, expecting me to accept his offer as a guide.

“How bad are these wildlings?” I asked.

Jaro’s cat ear twitched and his tail swished a bit faster than normal. “Surprised you heard about them?”

“Passing travelers have loose lips,” I lied.

“Makes sense. Mayor Tolgar’s in a fit about them, but they’re just little thieves, stealing crops to live. Or so I believed till recently. If the rumors of them taking that little boy are true, well, I’m far less sympathetic.”

“What boy?”

“One of the farm wenches who can’t keep her legs closed had a baby disappear. She thinks it’s the wildlings, but no one cares enough to find out. I certainly can’t go adventuring, know what I mean?’

I shot him a deadpan stare.

“Shit, me and my mouth. Oh, but…” He cracked a big grin. “I heard mention of a reward, not exactly sure how much it’s for,” Jaro mentioned.

“I may just be interested.”

We walked down the dirt road with me earning a few curious stares. The guards, all male with swords, no shields, and crossbows, watched us approach from the gate’s parapet. They seemed calm and relaxed, like it was just another Tuesday for them. While it might be foolish to step into those walls, I needed a place to at least bathe, and I was a paying adventurer - exactly the type of consumer most small towns desired.

The dirt road held divots from wheeled carts sloshing through mud that we walked around. Right now, the road was bone dry, kicking up dust with each step, but it clearly needed to be paved or improved, a fact that seemed to resonate through the town.

Jaro shrugged. “He’ll find you to offer the challenge. It’s his thing.”

Before we reached the gate, commotion from the small parapet caught my eyes. An angry looking elf dragged an elderly woman by the hair to the edge of the wall. He wore fine white robes with gold embroidery. His haughty face matched his elitist outfit.

The poor woman, who had a fluffy wolf tail and twitching animal ears, fought feebly against the elf’s firm grip. Her thin frame from starvation was no match against his power. Without any hesitation, he yanked her into a stumble.

While she fought to right herself, he shoved her ass with her boot. “We don’t tolerate thieves!” the elf shouted.

She flailed, screaming down from the wall’s top. For a fleeting second, I figured she’d live given the distance wasn’t too excessive. When she landed, she did so on her head with a sick snap.

“Ah, what the fuck,” the elf complained rhetorically, tossing his hands up in frustration. “You weren’t supposed to die!” He glanced up to see us approaching, and in that split second, he forgot about his terrible misdeed. “Who’re you?”

I pointed to my chest, and he tossed a hand in the air, with a ‘Yeah, no shit’ look.

“I’m Adam, an adventurer. Uh, I just went through the swamp and slayed a hag couple. Jaro here has volunteered to take the trip to Estin while I hope to find a nice ale, meal, bath, and -”

“You're hired. Wonderful. Wonderful indeed.”

“Huh?”

“The wildlings, obviously. They’re in the woods.” He flippantly pointed toward the trees.

I contemplated immediately agreeing simply to get the hell away from him, but I really wanted to organize, even if this shitty little town was filled with issues.

“Not sure if I have time,” I admitted.

“Bah! His trip will take a few weeks, leaving you ample opportunity to venture forth and remove the nest these slouches refuse to,” the elf said confidently. I frowned, staring at the dead woman. “Well, are you going to defy the mayor of Brackenfell?”

“I’ll give them an inspection, but no promises.”

Time didn’t slow but a message flashed in my eyes.

Quest: Destroy the Wildling Nest.

The Mission: Not too far from Brackenfell is a nest of wildlings who plague the area. They steal tools, fruit, vegetables, a chicken, and some think they stole a child.

Reward: Transfer of ownership of two slaves from Mayor Tolgar. You will gain Influence Points with the town if successful.

Note - This quest is in addition to the quest assigned during your initial orientation phase by the Game of Castles.

I frowned, not exactly wanting slaves. Maybe I could trade them or just be a decent guy and free them. All this assumed I’d take on his mission. Apparently, the wildlings might have stolen a baby, so yeah, I wanted to kill them. Yes, I could use some influence in the area even if I slowly built it up. At the same time, I wanted to kill the mayor, but knew the abundance of guards would hunt me down if I did.

In addition to his death, I couldn’t help but notice all the very pretty, albeit dirty, young women who needed their farm hovels repaired. I was always a sucker for a woman in distress, probably because they were so eager to reward a man after.

I shouted up to him, “Well, you see, the thing is, I sorta wanted to plough some fields, fix some fences, and -”

“Ha! A kindred spirit. Say no more. Plowing fields is an adventurer’s right. Open the gates,” Mayor Tolgar said. “Ban’s Tavern has everything you need. Bit costly, but travelers generally don’t want to sleep in horse shit, do they?”

“Not this one,” I admitted, stepping around the dead woman’s body. “I got it from here, Jaro.”

“Of course, my Lord,” Jaro said, excusing himself.

The gates widened just enough for me to squeak through. Immediately after they slammed shut. A small section of traffic waited to exit, being fleeced and taxed from their morning activities. Mayor Tolgar never greeted me on the inside, hurrying off to do whatever an asshole lord who threw old ladies to their death did.

I let it go, focusing on not only staying alive, but recovering from a hard night before I made my next move. A lad of ten to twelve ran at full speed, stopping a few feet away with a skid. The squire or courier or whatever hastily handed me a small map.

While I unraveled it, he fled with an urgency. I scanned the map, seeing a few possible spots where the wildlings might be. I sighed, walking deeper into the city of a thousand or two at most. The streets were mostly empty, with a few heads peeking out of windows at my arrival. If anyone was pissed about the woman’s death, they didn’t show it.

The town was in need of repairs that shouldn’t have been ignored besides general laziness. Shutters lay in ruin and most doors leaned against openings instead of using hinges. A few buildings were abandoned with no one bothering to burn the wood. Those planks probably held value only during the winter.

In the center of town, next to the singular tall tower and a massive villa, a big well dominated the space. In sections around the well, animal troughs were empty, neglected like most of the town.

Hell, everyone seemed a bit sickly with malnourishment. The sheer thinness of everyone was a bigger culture shock than the fluffy ears and tails. If I had to guess, the uncovered water source wasn’t helping in addition to the other problems.

Sewage festered in the alleys, birds fought over trash, and rats darted brazenly down the street in the mid-morning sun.

Brackenfell sucked.

I definitely understood why Jaro was excited to go on an adventure.

My trip through town brought me to a few small shops with stands on the porch. Vegetables, fruits, and dried meat were being traded or sold by people on rocking chairs. Based on the prices, my copper would go a decent distance.

This didn’t surprise me since there were not only hags nearby, but wildlings close too, with no one bothering to kill them. To me, that was insanity since a poor person could make a lot of coins from quests. Hell, two slaves! If I were an asshole, that'd be amazing profits for attacking some forest creature who probably also had loot and body parts for potions.

I didn’t bother thinking about their excuses, I knew more than enough people who just wanted to skate through life on easy mode.

“Howdy,” a friendly female voice said.

I arrived at a fairly decent two story tavern that looked more like a place from a western than a fantasy town. Damsels dangled over a second floor balcony, their bosoms propped high in seductive outfits.

One of them winked, and I flicked a small wave, earning giggles.

The bouncer at the door was not amused in the slightest. The shorter minotaur folded his burly arms, staring down his snout at me as if he had something to prove. So far, I hadn’t seen a full on monster person yet. Everyone had been human with some quirks, but not this fellow.

He was a bonafide minotaur with a whole lot of domestication to him. His teeth were clean, he wore common leathers, and while he seemed grumpy, he wasn’t feral in the slightest.

“Twenty bronze a night, five for a bath,” he growled. I sighed, grabbing my purse to extract some coins. “Food and drink are more. No fighting, no harming the girls. Ban takes his security seriously, and he wants to keep his property clean, hence the costs.”

“Just looking for a bath and some food for now. If the rooms are nice, I’ll pay half up front, half in the morning,” I countered, setting fifteen coins in his palm.

“Sure, Mistress Clara runs a tight tavern. If she hollers, I come with sword drawn, and if ya think I’m scared, I’m not,” the bouncer warned, leading me around to the side of the building. Thankfully, no shit rested in this alley and even the walls had been scrubbed clean. He pointed to a grated spot where water drained and said, “Wait here.”

I stood over the grate, not sure what was happening until a bevy of ladies hauled soapy buckets into the alley. A sixth one ended up being the last, with each of them wearing kitchen type clothing instead of the enticing outfits on the second floor balcony.

“I’m Clara, and he paid for a bath and a wash for his clothin.” This was mainly for the crew. Her hazel eyes locked to mine. “Got a name, Mista?” a chipper middle-aged fairy asked. She wrinkled her nose at my smell. As far as I could tell, the wings were way too small to let the five-foot-tall woman fly. “Ugh, the swamps are the worst.”

“Adam,” I said, stripping down right in the middle of the alley.

The ladies didn’t miss a beat, washing my clothes as they came off me. A shy mousey type woman went over my bag, bow, quiver and everything, wiping it all down. Her brown eyes darted up to steal fleeting looks of… desire or curiosity.

I smiled down at her, earning a blush. “Is this included?”

“The mayor sent one of his errand boys. He wants you to be treated nicely,” the head fairy said, earning a few shocked glances from the other ladies.

I snorted. “Apparently I’m not the only one shocked by this.”

“No, he’s normally a sour ass.” She earned a few stares of disbelief but ignored them. “Me… I just don’t wanna hear Ban screaming about swamp stenches in his tavern. Turn around, you ain’t got nothing I haven’t seen.”

I bounced my eyebrows.

Clara giggled but didn’t swat my ass or anything. “The right ladies to be charming are up top. Tonight’s free, covered by the Mayor. Oh, and leave us, the workin girls alone. We’re not for hire, but a handsome fella like you can probably just buy a girl a nice meal and a drink to earn her company. Plenty of singles about.”

“I saw all the pitiful farm homes,” I said a bit unhappily. “Was kinda thinking of going through and helping.”

One of the women with wolf ears snickered, earning a finger flicking of water from Clara who washed my arms.

The fairy snickered. “Jessi here thinks helping people only leads to trouble.”

“Isn’t too different from where I come from. I… A lot of it is easy to fix though.”

“Look at you, complaining about ladies while being scrubbed down by them,” a different woman said with mousy ears and a very cute face.

At this point, I felt like I was in a barber shop with six gals working. Those situations where they talked with you as much as through you.

Clara snorted. “She’s not wrong about helping people being bad sometimes. What’s that saying.”

Another woman snorted in agreement with a bit of flare. “No good deed goes unpunished.”

“I worry you made the wrong friend. If you go out there and don’t do the mayor's bidding, you’ll be chased off or worse. The guards let those ladies get by without paying taxes for favors, but no one helps them. They need to be on the verge of losing it all or else they’ll start to get ideas. Or so Mayor Tolgar says.”

I nodded, not saying a word in reply. I didn’t agree with this in the slightest and suddenly I understood why this location was a place on my list. I could kill the mayor, the guards, and then rule the town. However, sitting atop a pile of dead bodies seemed like a fantastic way to earn a dagger in my back. Especially when I was so new to everything.

Instead of saying it out loud, I promised myself to one day fix the situation here when the timing was right. For now, I wanted to focus on getting myself some levels and a better understanding of my environment.

“I like working. It’s soothing. I also can’t afford to stay here every night. But thank you for helping me understand the situation,” I said.

“Yer going to do it anyway,” a dwarven woman said with a hint of curiosity. I shrugged. “Help Booma then, she needs it the most, and the Mayor won’t even mind.”

“Poor Booma,” Clara said. “Nice bunny girl whose son was stolen by the wildlings. She’s been an absolute mess.”

I’m pretty sure she didn’t say bunny girl, using the proper name for the subspecies, but I didn’t know that word so the translator magically adjusted. I turned back around, seeing the dwarven woman waiting with a bucket for me to dunk my hair in.

With a huff, I dunked my head in with her splashing the back of my head. “Wait, Jaro said they were harmless and that was a rumor.” I removed my head, letting the ladies scrub muck out of my short hair.

“They normally are, but it was their tracks. Their opportunistic little shits. The missing tools in combination with the constant raids are why the mayor bountied them. Or so he has said. Anyway, you’re done. Dami, the robe,” Clara said, palming her fingers to the cute mousy woman.

I turned sideways, sliding an arm into the robe. Dami was shorter than the other women but the way her face blushed from my inspection was adorable. She stepped forward, clutching all my stuff to her chest. “Follow me my lord. If it’d please Mistress Clara, I'll help him settle.”

“You’re volunteering?” Clara asked. The mousey woman nodded with a tinge of red in her cheeks. “Quite unlike you Dami.”

“Booma only took the field job because I got this one. I want to know what happened to Liam, and I just know that Lord Adam is one of the good ones,” Dami said, winking at her boss.

Clara nodded, and Dami hurried into the alley entrance. I accepted my weapons and satchel, leaving the clothes behind to be dried. Most of the women were five feet tall, but Dami was a few inches shorter with hips that didn’t quit.

She warned, “Mind your head.”

I’d been fixated on her ass, instantly saving myself. I ducked below a beam at the end of the hall, arriving in a kitchen. The smell of freshly baked bread provided a reprieve from the nasty smelling city.

I followed her snappy hips, into a private stairwell for the cleaning crews. At the top of the flight of stairs, two beautiful elves eyed me like a stick of meat. They had busty cleavage and long curly hair, and both of them were showing lean legs in slit dresses. I smiled back at their attention, but Dami whispered something that caused them to whimper away with fake pouts.

We arrived at a random door where a lad stood. He handed me a key with a slight bow, holding out a palm.

More coins left my purse, and I was starting to realize how much this tavern, and town, relied on travelers. I opened the door, finding my room didn’t have the nice balcony on which the ladies rested. Hell, it didn’t even have a window.

However, it was a bit bigger than I expected with a small closet. I opened that door to see a pot and a sitting bench. It didn’t smell bad, but I closed the door anyway. Back in the main room, a pitcher of water rested on an end table with a few cups.

The bed was made of a sheet pulled over straw, the pillows were feathers in a cloth wrap, and a small cupboard is where Dami stuffed all my gear.

My weapons went on a rack by the door and before I could finish undoing the sinew Dami slid the bolt shut. She reached around to the front of my robes and undid the cinched knot. While I loved a woman who knew what she wanted, I paused her wandering hands.

“I may not save him. I may see there’s a dragon or demon or something controlling the wildlings and run,” I warned.

“Oh, this is not a trade.” She fidgeted, dancing fingers over the knot.

I raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“You’re cute and I think nice guys who want to help are sexy, plus you have a nice butt I kept staring at,” Dami said, ditching the shy girl routine.

Over the years, I’d met unusually aggressive women. While it was refreshing at times to get down to business, I felt like this was a good time to at least learn more than her name. With my left hand, I bound both of her small wrists in one grip. With my right, I gently tugged on her brown hair, earning a gasp of excitement. Her dark eyes sparkled eagerly.

“What’s your job here?”

She grinned shyly. “I’m the seamstress. Brackenfell only has one, and I used to work for her, but business was slow and Ban runs his own repair shop. If I’m not washing dishes, or cooking food, I’m sewing, and no, I’m not a whore. I’m legitimately taking a risk for once by being so… forward, just like Clara said I should.”

“Your boss?”

She fidgeted, growing a bit uncomfortable. “I’m poor, out here on my own, and while I like men, the good ones are impossible to find. Well, I…” More adjusting due to the nature of the conversation. “I get these feelings. Like when someone is trying to con or rob you and you just… know?”

“Uh, that’s not my best trait, but I do know what you’re talking about.”

“I have that right now. You’re special, Lord Adam. I know it.”

I barely restrained an eyeroll. She wasn’t dressed slutty, she didn’t have a bad job, and she seemed legit, even if I knew I could be wrong. “Either you’re super vulnerable and I’m going to feel guilty as shit after, or you’re an expert working girl and I’m falling for your cuteness regardless.”

Her brown eyes rolled so hard her lovely locks swayed with her head. “You goof. You must be from far away. Go downstairs, or on the street, ask if the mousy girl is a whore. They’ll laugh in your face because I’m a lowborn,” Dami said with a headshake. “Look, I’m not offended, but around here, in Estin, I’m trash.”

“But you’re super cute, have a fantastic body, and -” I never got to finish because she jumped to wrap her legs above my hips. She crushed her lips to mine, letting me know how she felt about the compliment and that talking was over.

I chuckled, setting her down. “Oh, I think I understand. You may fiddle with my knot, but it’s -”

She deftly undid it and the robes spilled open, revealing my nude front. She guided me onto the bed with a mischievous look in her dark-brown eyes. Dami quickly bound her thick brown hair in a ponytail, kneeling at the side of the bed.

“Someone’s getting excited,” Dami teased, grabbing my big cock in her hand.

She kissed the tip of my head, being cute for a few pecks. Next thing I knew she slurped half of my shaft down her mouth. Her tongue worked circles around my cock while her hand jerked up, firming my semi-boner into a rock hard erection.

Dami teased the tip, jerking somewhat steadily while only using her mouth a bit. She enjoyed sucking my cock as much as she got off on watching how I reacted. It was funny because up until the door closed, I figured she was a very reserved and boring kinda gal.

“Your big cock has my little pink dripping. Umm… it tastes so good.”

She drove my cock deep into her mouth, partially choking on it. Her earlier tease seemed to have faded, turning into a very horny young woman who wanted more. I snatched her ponytail, pulling her away from my penis.

I smacked her face with it with a side swipe, earning a delightful giggle. She squealed happily when I shoved her face down, ass up onto the bed. I raised her long dress over her ass noting she’d already yanked her panties down. If I were in a different kind of mood, I’d spank her for that, but I wanted to fuck, nut, then sleep.

Her little pussy was pinker than normal with a sheen of desire. The lips were a hot pink, the clit a shade of white and the inner walls that pulsed open were light pink. The young woman didn’t lie when she said she was dripping in excitement.

I wasn’t sure if I’d fit, but Dami shimmied backwards asking for it. I aligned my cock, gently sliding in while she adjusted to help me enter. Not only was it naturally tight, but she squeezed the shaft of my dick the whole way in. I shoved it in deep, unleashing a grunt of pleasure.

She moaned out, biting her lip. After a few pumps, she loosened up just enough that I could thrust naturally.

Each stab felt like I hit something vital, but her moans increased with my tempo. For the next five minutes, maybe ten minutes, I fucked this mousey woman like a champ until I received a prompt in my eyes.

Warning. Stamina nearing zero. Increase this attribute for rigorous exercise or reduce expansion of energy to utilize your endurance.

This only spurred me on to hurry for a finish. She noticed, clutching the bed with curled hands and increasing moans. Dami flicked her hair over her shoulder, locking eyes with me while my hips smacked into her ass.

“Cum in me… Please, my lord. Cum in my tiny little -”

I grunted, spilling my seed into her. The little vixen pushed back, biting her lip with joy as I climaxed. My hands clutched her thin hips while I spurted a final few times. When I pulled out, a glob of cum smacked onto the wood floor.

“Dammit. I should have flipped on my back if I knew you’d do that,” Dami said, staring down at the cum with a sigh.

“I normally last longer than ten minutes,” I said.

“Ten minutes is better than ten seconds, but why did you cum in me?”

I shrugged. “I liked it.”

“I… I did too. Careful, Adam. Males don’t finish inside lowborns. They hate responsibilities and -”

I kissed her mid-sentence, tossing her onto the bed. I didn’t dare tell her I was a champion who earned immortality through having children.

However, I said, “How about round two with a pillow under your butt after.”

She spread her legs. “This is one time I can be late, so I’m all yours handsome.”

I started to harden again, climbing on top of her. I figured one more go, I’d earn an ally, and then crash for a solid sleep after some great sex. I just had to hope that when I finally left Ban’s Tavern, I would do so while staying out of trouble.

Chapter

Six

BRACKENFELL - BAN’S Tavern

Welcome to the Jungle!

A loud knock on the door stirred me from my slumber. It continued until I hollered, “Yeah, yeah, give me a minute.”

I stretched, reflecting on my rest. The day before consisted of a nap only so I could get on a day schedule. After the great sex, Dami woke me to break the cycle. We went downstairs where I ate a decently tasting stew.

The ale tasted like piss, but the more expensive whiskey proved to be delicious. Of course, I was being charged a bit more for everything, but a champion could live like a king in a place like this as long as I kept killing things. Long term it was shit, but in the short term, everyone loved my coins and were happy to serve me.

I learned a few startling things about local customs, once again having to remember I wasn’t on Earth. For starters, due to prolific babies without fathers, an odd form of child support existed. While it may not exist everywhere, in Estin and small towns on the frontier, it was a law for women to track who potential fathers could be.

Dami joyfully filed a report with a local record keeper, earning me extra attention. The system didn’t exactly make a lot of sense to me, but it did for them. Limar was a place where men didn’t want to die, women wanted stability, food was scarce, and it seemed like everything outside the walls wanted to kill you.

After the wonderful dinner, I retired to the room to sleep through the night, but Dami pounced on me, triggering my stupid stamina limiter again. If I went slow and steady, I won the race, turning the little mousey girl into a pleasure toy. We finally stopped for some sleep, both of us getting a bit sore from the constant entanglement.

And then I slept like a baby, probably for too long. I opened the door to see Mistress Clara with hands on her hips. “I need Dami to come to work and you need to vacate before -” I held up a finger, grabbing a small sack of coins off a table. I tossed them high, but she deftly caught them. “What’re these?”

“Bribes work where I come from. If the service is good and you want more of it, you pay in advance for more. They’re for Ban for the wonderful hospitality. I’m going to go try to find a missing boy, and I’d rather not sleep in a fucking alley when I come back,” I said.

Clara frowned while Dami quickly dressed. The mousy woman slid on her boots, launched up to kiss my cheek, then hurried out of the room while fiddling with her hair.

“You spoil her,” Clara said with resignation. I didn’t, but I probably did by Limar standards. She opened the purse, eyeing me with skepticism. “This is enough for another night…” Her finger fished around. “No two, maybe three. Depends on the rate.”

“Let Ban decide. The thing is, I don’t know if I’ll survive and what good is giving the last of my coins to the wildlings,” I said, donning my clean adventuring clothes. This was only partially true. “Plus I don’t want to haggle when I come back weary from the field.”

“I suppose it’s one method. Not normal, but not abnormal. Paying up front has its benefits. This’ll put you in Ban’s good graces. Mayor Tolgar won’t budge though, so don’t expect Ban to save you from his wrath should you earn it. King Vardrin is putting a lot of pressure on him, offering to officially recognize Brackenfell into his kingdom if he keeps producing some quotas or some such,” Clara said offhandedly.

I snorted. “Wildlings are stealing crops. He needs them to get promoted. I’m shocked he didn’t send the guards on the walls.”

“Ah! You think those fierce lugs are locals.”

“Maybe.”

“Nope. Mercenaries don’t do adventure for charity,” Clara whispered, telling me a whole lot about how stable the mayor's reign was. She also changed what she’d told me in public about the wildlings, adding that it was more than tools that drove the mayor.

While I didn’t think I was earning Lord Points, I might be earning Influence Points with this very conversation. Hedge Knights likely amassed Influence Points everywhere they traveled. Earning Family points would be tough, but if Dami popped out a baby, not so much. Military Points were possible if I started a team, but who’d follow a Hedge Knight with no experience because that’s all I was right now.

No, I wanted to go and visit something I could build up from scratch. And this information helped a lot. It also told me how stable King Vardrin’s reign was too. He needed food badly enough he leaned on frontier farms like this one.

In some distant future of mine, I’d hope Estin could be a trade partner at some point. I dropped the wandering thoughts and finished donning my gear, exchanging small talk. During my exit, the lovely working girls at the stair’s landing waved, being friendly even though I’d kept my proclivities to Dami.

Clara headed down the private stairwell that led to a basement where the girls and Ban lived while I departed the building out the front door. I walked through the streets on a cloudy morning, enjoying the fact the sun wasn’t baking yet. A distant rumble warned of rain, something this region desperately needed.

Farmers lined up with long sticks attached to two buckets to haul water out for their crops. Instead of helping them, I found the nearest guard to ask which farm belonged to Booma. They had to ask a local farmer, and a few minutes later, I knew exactly where to go.

Booma had a fluffy rabbit tail sticking out of her worn clothes with floppy bunny ears atop her head. Outside of that, she could have been any fifteen or sixteen year old girl. The fact she was a mother didn’t surprise me. I firmly dated women twenty or older just to be safe, but this was Limar, and it wouldn’t shock me if her father sold her virginity for a bottle of whiskey.

I slowed when I neared her run down hovel of a home. The young woman picked weeds from a row of carrots. She glanced at me once before returning to her work.

“I’m not a working girl.” Her sour tone oozed venom.

Apparently I appeared to be looking for sex even if I definitely wasn’t here for that. “Easy. I heard about your son, just here to try to -”

The instant, and I mean instant I mentioned the word son, she hopped forward with hands clenched together, pleading for help.

“Liam?” she asked with hope.

I nodded, glancing into the distant trees. “Tell me everything you can.”

Her shoulders drooped. “Sadly, there’s not much to tell since it happened so fast. About a week ago, Liam.” She sniffled, taking a minute to compose herself. “He… he wandered out of bed during the night, not sure why. He screamed loud enough to wake me. I saw the ugly bastards running with him into the woods.” More sadness. “I ran hard to catch them with my shovel, but it was dark in the woods, and he stopped screaming. I stumbled around for a few hours, never finding him.”

“And the search party?” I asked.

She burst into tears. This young woman likely had a child at thirteen or fourteen, raised him in squalor, then had him disappear. Not only did she go through all this, no one helped her. I wasn’t a hero, but this struck a chord.

I grabbed her shoulder. “I’ll find him, but… I… it…” I struggled to find the words to tell her a week for a small toddler was a very long time. Monsters of the dark didn’t exactly let crying infants -

She paused mid-blink.

Quest: Locate Liam.

The Mission: Travel into the woods outside Brackenfell City to locate the lost child. Return him to his mother.

Reward: 3 Lord Points.

Reward: 5 Influence Points with females in Brackenfell City with 25 IP awarded with Booma Brackenfell.

Optional Reward: 100 Family Points if you claim Booma and her son as yours. (Currently Unavailable, no Lord Banner created yet.)

“I’m going to assume this was not issued by her,” I said.

Correct, the operators for Game of Castles can and will issue quests with fair rewards to risks when opportunity arises.

“Can I add her to my family as a daughter or a handmaiden to eventual wives or whatever? And how come nothing popped up for Dami?”

Yes, you may, but children sired by another male do not count towards your points.

“Gross, she’s sixteen at most.”

We respect your 18+ as an adult status. Here on Limar, Lady Booma is of breeding age. While your past life may have had limitations, there is no such law once a woman becomes a woman. We, the managers of the game, try very hard to stay focused on the competition, so don’t expect us to limit someone else from gaining points due to your viewpoints.

Remember, Limar focuses on Survival and Reproduction, but you will not be penalized for letting females reach a higher level of maturity before courting them. Many of us agree.

As for Dami, you engaged in natural proclivities that required no challenge. If you tried to seduce a queen of a rival, that may be given a quest. With Dami, you did accrue Influence Points with her and Family Points, making her more susceptible to betraying Ban or the local authority.

It is important for me to notify you that you can request her standings. Simply glance at Dami and whisper standings. We can’t read minds, nor would we want to, but your words will be left unsaid to others as time freezes.

Also while the Game of Castles is big on points, they are not everything. For example, Booma could have perfect standing with Liam’s father, Mayor Tolgar. But if you promise to give Booma her son to betray him, she very well may. It's not a perfect system, and it will take time to build up loyalty that is unfortunately never guaranteed.

“Huh, this has given me much to think about. You offered me four quests. If I kill these wildlings, will that negate the other three options?”

No. You should do all four quests, but there is only one Game of Castles table that can be set down. While basic use cases for champions can be done with whispered words, more complex tasks must be done at the Game of Castles table.

I snapped my fingers, remembering something. “What if I leave Brackenfell and travel to a different place. Will Jaro find me to give me my coins?” I asked.

No. He will store them safely away from the prying grasp of others for one year. After that, they will simply vanish, and he will forget about them.

“Hmm… The situation here is tense, but I need those items from Estin. Alright, I accept the mission,” I said, unfreezing time.

Booma glanced up at me, tears welling in her eyes. “Maybe they are using him to pick fruit.”

“Yeah, that’d be smart,” I lied, unable to break her spirit.

Before she could keep talking, I walked in the direction she pointed. A distant boom of thunder drew nearer than the earlier ones. While it’d screw with my tracking, a yellow indicator pointed directly along a trail that led into the woods.

I grabbed an arrow, slotting it without any great tension and faded away from the farm fields. When I entered the woods, the yellow indicator flared at a sixty degree angle or so away from the normal path.

“Well that sucks,” I grumbled.

I spent a good minute scanning the woods, knowing I’d be screwed without the indicator.

“What sucks?” Booma asked.

Now, I’d done hide and go seek, played tricks on buddies, had them play tricks on me, but I’d never had someone sneak up on me as quietly as Booma did.

“Eek!” I jolted in shock. She glanced around me, trying to figure out what I complained about. “Did you follow me from your house?” I asked.

She nodded, brandishing a shovel. “I’m here to help.”

“How the fuck did you sneak up on me?”

“Huh?”

“How were you sneaky?”

She tilted her head like I’d hit mine. “Karamondi have padded feet to keep our steps silent.”

I glanced down to see abnormally large feet. While human, they were augmented into a wider setting. “Ah, you’re great at moving quietly but terrible at tracking?” Her ears flopped about as she nodded. “I… I suppose you can follow me. I imagine it’d be hard to hold you back.”

“Thank you, my Lord.”

“Adam, but be quiet please.”

I entered the woods, following the yellow indicator until I arrived on a worn trail I never would have found without cheating. If I was a thief, running in the dark from someone I stole from, I’d stick to the known path for speed, and it seems they did this after a bit of bush crashing.

The path happened to line up with the swath of yellow, so I picked up a slight jog. I didn’t press myself hard, but I did stay steady for a good fifteen minutes. Eventually, we arrived at a fork that didn’t make sense.

I slowed down because the yellow indicator vanished all together.

“Did you make it this far?” I asked.

She shook her head. “I… I never even found this trail we’re on.”

“Their base is that way, I know because I saw the deviation for it on my way to Brackenfell. However, there’s drag marks going this way which can’t be good.”

“Oh no.” Her ears flopped in despair. “They didn’t keep him to pick berries?” Booma said with sniffles.

I sadly whispered, “No, I don’t think they did.” I reached out, asking for the shovel.

She refused with a stern glare of determination. “Take me to Liam. I need to see. I’m his mother!”

“Shush!” I whispered again.

I wanted to fight her, but I didn’t, heading down the other path. Only a few paces in, a section of bushes lay flat from being trampled. A gory mess unleashed a swarm of flies upon our approach.

Unfortunately, Liam didn’t survive his capture. I received a prompt in my vision about completing a quest, but I ignored it. The wildlings weren’t kind to the little guy, and it broke my heart to see him in this state.

Booma vomited from the sight, not even getting close enough for the stench to hit.

I stole the shovel she dropped, spending a half hour burying his corpse in an unmarked grave. I found two sticks, bound them in a cross out of habit with some vines, and stuck it at the head of the grave.

“What’s that do?” Booma asked with her knees to her chest from her spot on the grass.

I’d ignored her while she grieved, but oddly she looked… better. She obviously was distraught, and no mother losing a child was in a good mood. And yet, I could see the relief of no longer wondering if he was crying for her to help and she was stuck unable to do anything.

I plopped down beside her. “It wards off evil spirits.” I lied, not really sure if it did anything.

“A custom of which god?”

I almost said ‘The God’ as in the one and only, then I remembered I lived because of a sponsor. “Asmi, The God of Barter.”

“He’ll receive my prayers in thanks,” Booma said, sliding a dirty sleeve under her eyes. “I… have to let go of Liam. This has been the worst week of my life.”

“I’m so sorry for your loss. Speaking of which, it's bullshit no one walked thirty minutes into the woods to help you.”

“Mayor Tolgar forbade me from wandering alone, and no one would help me. Lost farmers are unacceptable, or so I am told.” Her sad head tuck pulled on my emotional strings. “I.. Thank you.”

She leaned into my shoulder, and we sat there like that for a good ten minutes. “Let me get you home. I need to go scout this wildling camp to prevent this from happening again.”

“I don’t wanna go back there,” Booma admitted.

“Well, right now I’m a traveling lord, but that may change. Stay out of trouble and let others feel bad for you. You've been through a lot.”

She whispered, “Canra needs a new door. She mentioned Deso could wander out like Liam. No one will help her, and I can’t afford the –”

Almost none of the farms had doors that could bolt shut. To do that you needed a sturdy frame. For a sturdy frame you needed a solid foundation. On and on it went to the point where it’d be smarter to just build a new commune farm. I may do that while I waited for Jaro, finding the idea decent enough. Building a new farm was less controversial than fixing all the old ones because I’d look like I was setting down roots, not raising the peasants’ living standards.

“Coins,” I whispered.

Time froze and I generated a new sack of bronze into my chest pocket, knowing it’d go to good use. Plus they were her coins anyway, since it was the reward amount for finding her son.

“Now that is something I can help with. Right after I figure out how big of a threat these wildlings are.” I rose to my feet, offering my hand. She accepted, staying somber during the walk. When we reached the edge of the forest, I said, “Wish me luck.”

“No, my Lord. I wish for you to show them the same mercy they showed my Liam. Tear their guts open and leave them to die a slow death,” Booma said, retreating back towards her farm.

“Booma, catch,” I ordered, tossing her the purse. She didn’t even come close to catching it. When she picked it up and saw the contents she frowned. “I fully plan on coming back. If I don’t, fix some doors for me. Just don’t let those assholes steal it.”

“You’re coming back, to help me fix some doors. I’m not fit to fight yet, but when I can, I won’t be weak again. I mean it, my lord. Show them no mercy,” she said, turning her back on me without another word.

I opened, then closed my mouth, fully intending to make her wish come true.

Chapter

Seven

TOLMERIA Forest

Boom, Crack, Snap!

The quest to kill the wildlings gained priority, so I earned a yellow indicator back into the forest. Before I reached Liam’s grave, the sky wept, drenching me in a steady downpour. In a lot of ways, it fit my sour mood.

When I reached the intersection, I peered to the right, nodding my head in respect at the grave I created. I didn’t need additional vindication or encouragement; I turned left fully expecting to kill or be killed.

The trial led up a hill for a good hour of hiking through dense forest with little deviation to it. Trees rose high, thick bushes dominated the space between them, and only a few game trails were present to create intersections.

About every hundred feet or so, I saw piles of wildling shit, some of it months old. Partially discarded bits, like the stalks of carrots were added to the mess, painting a tale of how the little thieves normally earned their meals.

After that first hour, a squealing animal off the trail caught my attention. I deviated, letting the rain mask my steps. When I neared the frightened animal, I found a trapped piglet that was no bigger than a housecat. It rested inside a small stick cage that dropped down.

A naturally inquisitive part of me tried to see what it triggered, failing to find the device’s mechanism. Worse, the dumb animal easily could have freed itself if it chewed vines or hit the right angle to lift the cage.

The piglet definitely had value and so did the trap even if it was likely meant for rabbits. I pondered on taking the runt back alive so it could be raised to adulthood, but then I realized not only could it escape, but it’d make a mountain of noise in my bag. And then there was the fact I may never come back this direction if I left it trapped.

I pulled out my long dagger, shoving the blade between sticks until it sunk through tough skin, sliding between ribs. I hit the heart, yanked the weapon free, and watched the piglet quickly die. After I slit the throat, I held it upside down until the blood stopped. I didn’t gut it, knowing those would be used in town.

Eventually, I stuffed it in my bag to be a problem or boon for a later me. Under the cage was a bunch of half-eaten vegetables, proving the wildlings weren’t completely braindead.

Since I’d never seen one, I wasn’t sure what to expect besides they were savage, clever, and considered a nuisance more than a threat. I had my answer when twenty minutes after the piglet, I almost stalked right into their camp.

Honestly, I wasn’t some Navaho tracker. I generally bated my hunts, cheating to earn a kill. And to be fair, the situation was dreary, raining, and the stupid indicator didn’t give me a distance, just a heading.

The wildlings set up camp between a clump of trees with bigger than normal bushes. They cut the lower branches, lived under the bushes to give them protection from rain while blending in with the environment.

The creatures themselves were closer to a small pale goblin. They were hideous with their leathery skin, and a face you just wanted to punch. Their dark gray coloration helped them blend in and their large black eyes probably helped them see at night. Long claws at the end of their fingers helped them kill while padded feet not too different from Booma made them hard to track.

While they lacked warts or boils, their excessive wrinkles held nasty crevices and a stench permeated the area even in the heavy rain. A small, crudely shaped spear lay next to a tree and in the middle of their space, a tiny fire pit was used to combat the cold more than to cook food.

I saw at least five of the ugly bastards sleeping through the spring rain, relaxing under their bush. These demonic looking creatures were hardly any bigger than a toddler themselves, and all I could do was remember Liam.

A big problem presented itself. While I loomed over the sleeping wildlings like a giant, I would struggle to kill them all because they’d be able to dart under bushes while I had to run around them. Some problems couldn’t be fixed easily, and I doubted my water golem could help in this situation, so I did what had to be done.

I retreated a few paces, took off my bag and quiver to create a neat pile atop a bush. Once I only had my sword in one hand without any obstructions, I snuck back into their den of sorts while still upright.

Out of an abundance of caution, I removed the enemies’ shitty weapons first, tossing them far into the woods. Once that was done, I slowly lowered myself onto my hands and knees, crawling forward.

I’d never killed anything while it slept before, and if it were any other situation, I might have minded, but not this one.

A thick tension sent my heart slamming against my chest. Not even four feet away, the first wildling snoozed with eyes closed, stretched out in comfort.

The final few crawls put him within arm’s reach. Without hesitation I plunged the dagger into his closed eye with one hand, clamping his nasty mouth with the other. He jerked a few times, never trying to scream.

I yanked the blade free, noting the female beside the male stirred slightly.

With a rapid punch, my left fist slammed into her throat, cutting off her air before she could fully awake. Her eyes shot open right as I slammed the long dagger into her heart. Those beady black orbs crossed before they lost the life within them.

At this point I created a bit more noise than I’d have liked, and it showed. The furthest of the bunch squealed in fright when he stirred awake. Instead of chasing him down, I swiftly stabbed the two closest wildlings multiple times in the chest with a righteous fury.

To my dismay, the last little fellow lunged at me with claws flayed wide. I raised the dagger, watching the dumb shit impale itself. He twitched on the blade, losing a finger to free himself. When he thudded down, he did so with dying throes.

I scurried around the mortally wounded fiends, hurrying under the bushes to try to find more of them. The next bush with an under hang had a bunch of tools, a small fire pit, and about two dozen wooden buckets.

I kept crawling until I heard the chattering of worried creatures. The third big bush contained a grumpy looking male that was a bit bigger than the others with a few females cowered behind him, protecting a nest of young wildlings.

The alpha carried a stick with a sharp point that I paid respect to. Even though I worried I might get hurt, I pushed through the thickening mud to kill the ugly bastard and his offspring.

When push came to shove, the alpha squawked with a hiss, flaring his teeth, and then promptly fled. With his departure, the females held their ground. I gored the largest female, ripping the blade free with a cross swing.

A half dozen young wildlings died in a single blow.

A mother latched onto my arm, biting and clawing with all her might. A swift punch between her eyes snapped her little head back. The neck popped and she fell like a rock to the soft mud. A final mother put herself between me and her baby. I killed them both with no remorse, hastily crawling through the underbrush, tracking the slight indents from the alpha.

“You little shit,” I grumbled when I noticed he started running circles around the bushes to keep from the more open forest where I could run him down.

Thankfully, he didn’t think to use the churned up mud to hide his tracks, sticking to the more sheltered bits of forest floor.

I caught him on the second lap, lopping off his right leg above the knee.

He never tried to fight me, crawling for some place he incorrectly thought was safe. I cut his hand off when he tried to raise his spear.

A claw lashed out that I easily dodged.

With a quick swipe, I disemboweled him. He howled, hissed, growled, and more as he transitioned through all the stages of a mortal wound. While I could have ended him in mercy, I let him suffer.

I left the bushes’ protection to assess my wound, not liking how much blood I lost.

A part of me wanted to create a sled or something to move all the tools, but I skipped that idea for now. I returned to my bag, shoved it onto my back, and put my blade in its sheath.

“Quest,” I muttered.

Quest Complete: Squash the pesky wildling infestation.

Reward given: 50 Lord Points.

Reward given: 15 Influence Points to all mercenaries in the Brackenfell region.

Optional Reward: Visit Mayor Tolgar for a reward.

Ding! You have leveled up!

Ding! You have leveled up!

“These were much easier than the hags. Was the unbalanced reward because of a champion quest?” Green flared in my vision. “If I get this wound cleaned, bandaged, and sterilized, how long will it take to heal and how long would it take if my Healing was at level three?”

Fully healed means no scabs. 12-15 days.

Level 3 healing. 11-14 days.

“Well shit, I can still grab things but it is going to hurt like a bitch come tomorrow. What about a potion for healing, those seem prudent?”

Depends on the quality, but they would repair this damage in a few minutes to a few hours. Wide ranging questions that are not Game of Castles related will eventually cost you LP to have answered, or just ask your god for time, or hope they visit you to help you.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Thanks. Potion it is. Hopefully Betty has a nice one. Apply two points into dexterity. It seems I am going to fight with speed as my factor more than raw strength.”

Name: Adam Clear

Champion for the God of Barter

Height: 6’0”

Weight: 220lbs

Age: 25

General Level: 6

Strength: 4

Stamina: 1

Dexterity: 3

Constitution: 1

Endurance: 1

Healing: 1

Magic Type: Golem

Magic Level: 1

Spell Assignment: Water Golem

“Okay, resume time or whatever, I need to get back to Ban’s Tavern,” I said, grumbling because of the pain and the rain combined.

Behind me, the damned alpha wailed unhappily instead of dying. Its guts lay out around him, he was missing three limbs and I just didn’t give a fuck.

With a grin plastered on my face, I left him behind to die a slow and horrible death. I doubted he was the one who stole Liam, but it didn’t matter to me because I reveled in his demise while daydreaming of a warm bed and a sexy woman to snuggle with.

Chapter

Eight

BRACKENFELL

Dirt in my Mouth!

“What the fuck is in this?” I groaned, trying my best to gulp down the healing potion as quickly as I could.

Betty - the middle aged alchemist - flashed a fake smile. “Stop whining like a baby and drink it. All of it. It cost you fifty bronze, so you might as well not waste it.”

“Is there a better tasting one?”

“It's hidden and costs three silver, so no,” Betty sassed with a headshake. “Ya get used to them with time.”

Booma dried my hair with a towel, not working the farm fields since the downpour only increased by the time I returned to town. I didn’t exactly invite her, but she saw my wounds and rushed out of her hovel to help; the rain be damned.

“Hey, grab that pig out of my bag and take it to the kitchens. Find Clara, tell her to make a celebration meal for us,” I said.

“Us,” Booma gasped.

“Eh, not like that. The kingdom I come from doesn’t allow mating with women so young. Yes, you’re a woman but you -” Her squinting eyes warned me not to finish that sentence, so I didn’t. “I like my women older, sorry. If you want a nice meal, I am offering one as a friend, no strings attached.”

“I accept!” She ripped open my bag, licked her lips as she grabbed the dead pig without any qualms and darted out the door.

Betty chuckled. “Careful, we’re so impressionable at that age. I married a potion maker who showed me a bit of kindness without asking me to… you know.”

“Such a cruel world at times.”

“No, young adventurer, it’s not. The more we tell others, and believe in the good, the more change there is,” Betty said, folding her arms to watch me finish my potion. “The problem for you is, she’s going to want to learn to shoot a bow. If you teach her, you’ll make instant enemies with the mayor.”

“He can fuck right off,” I said, finishing my potion with a grimace.

“He can also leverage his small army against you.”

I grumbled. “I suppose you’re right in some ways. Still, everyone should know how to shoot a bow, even if tits get in the way.”

The grouchy old woman bellowed out a throaty laugh, grinning from ear to ear. “It gets easier when they hang low!”

I struggled to process this besides giving a lighthearted chuckle. When I offered back the empty bottle, she accepted it with a sigh.

My arm itched to the point I eyed it aggressively.

“Alright, I’ve seen enough of yer pretty face. Outta my shop,” Betty ordered.

I snickered with a grin, heading back towards the heart of town. Out in the open, the storm raged on with that perfect amount of rumbling for a good nap. While that part was soothing, my arm hurt like a bitch with each drop against it.

I grimaced through the pain, hurrying across the cobblestones with splashing footfalls. A few youngins were being paid to push brooms across the street towards sewer drains in an effort to clean the town. Thick brown muck turned clean rain into something sour no matter how many times those kids swept.

I arrived at Ban’s tavern finding the same bouncer at the front door with an older male dwarven type sitting on a stool by him. The old man had a long gray beard with braids, a few small and thin gold rings, and bushy eyebrows. His outfit reminded me of something a rich guy would wear to bed since it was a very fluffy and nice robe.

He shifted to glance at the bouncer as if to tell him to relax. His dark eyes wandered back to me. “Hear you found the little shits.” I nodded, getting out of the rain and onto the long porch. “How many?”

“Nine with six infants.” He grunted with a raised eyebrow, wanting more information. “I left the big one bleeding out, but the rest are dead. There wasn’t much to be gained and my arm’s busted, else I’d have carried the tools back,” I replied.

The old man leaned forward in his rocking chair, putting his elbows to his knees. “Why’d you pay in advance?”

“Where I come from, cash up front is cherished, and your tavern is a nice fit for someone like me who just wants to feel… human after being on the road. I’m not rich, but I like living like it sometimes,” I admitted.

“And Dami? Her kind aren’t normally sought after.”

I shrugged, knowing he softened the reality. “Pretty, smart, lascivious. She ended up being much sweeter than I expected.”

“She’s going to become attached,” Ban warned.

“I have a few weeks until Jaro comes back. Do you own her?” I asked.

The old dwarf smirked. “In a way. I’m not a cruel boss. But if you start stealing all my girls I’ll become upset.”

“That’s fair. It didn’t seem like a situation that needed permission, and as of right now, the only intention I have is to heal this, eat a nice meal, and then collect my reward from Tolgar,” I said, raising my bad arm.

“Clara’s good with bandages.”

“Thanks for letting me know.”

“I wasn’t tryin to be nice. I was tryin ta warn ya.”

I chuckled. “Oh?”

“She’s my daughter, hands off her even if she corners you. I need her without a babe in that belly to manage all the harlots. You seem alright for an outsider. A straight shooter.” Ban sighed, rising to his feet. I did realize the translator gave me an Earth idiom to replace his. He walked close so he could lower his voice. “Brackenfell is on the cusp of entering the fold from frontier to proper town. The more trouble you cause the less our chances are. Dami, that’s it. Her mother was a friend. I promised to do what’s best for her or I’d charge you through the nose.”

“Can Booma have her spot back? She doesn’t seem keen on farming,” I mentioned.

“Ah, now that is smart. No. But… You have a point. Tolgar loves bunny girls but hates kids, if ya catch my drift.” Ban departed into the rain, not saying another word.

I understood and wondered what I’d do about it. Long term, definitely something; short term, I’d likely bide my time. I’d already learned that I became bigger, better, stronger with a few levels. Once I had enough power, even a dozen guards would fall to me…

I sighed, knowing Booma would probably end up pregnant again after having sex with a man she didn’t want to, but this was Limar. The idea of solving the entire world's problems never even hit me as something I’d try. Sure, I found her son, was nice to her, gave her coins to help other mothers, and yes, I’d helped her have a decent meal, but she was just another girl in a world of billions…

Or so I told myself.

Clara burst through the front door. “You’re hurt?”

“Uh yeah. A flesh wound.” I chuckled at the reference she missed.

“Come in, come in.” She paused me at the door. “This wrap is awful. We’ll fix it! I… Thank you for being nice to Booma. We all adore her,” Clara said, sliding an arm around my good one.

The bouncer gave me a look of warning that I fully intended to heed. Ban’s enforcer didn’t scare me, being someone who needed their throat slit did.

I let the fairy lead me into the main barroom where a different dwarven girl hauled a basket of wound treatment items. We carried out some small talk about my mini-adventure while they wrapped my arm.

A few sips of whiskey later, and I was starting to wonder where Dami was when the front door slid open. Mayor Tolgar stepped in, made eye contact with me, then waved for me to follow him back into the rain.

I finished off the dribble in my cup tilting it with a shake. As much as I despised the man, I decided it was best not to keep him waiting. One day I’d be the lord, but for now, I felt like my progress on Limar was proceeding smoothly.

Of course, I knew he was taking me to get my reward - two slaves. The idea of someone being a slave irked me a lot. And yes, I didn’t forget that Earth politics compared minimum wage to slavery, I just wasn’t comfortable with the process. But someone like Tolgar, well, the smug elf clearly had no issues and maybe if I played my cards right, I could do some good.

Chapter

Nine

BRACKENFELL

The Gilded Asshat!

Mayor Tolgar and I were never going to be friends for many reasons; none greater than the fact that he chucked a woman to her death for trying to eat. I didn’t like criminals or breaking basic rules, but I’d break the law if I had to. While I didn’t think I’d have to feed the world if I became a mighty lord, well, I didn’t know how you should punish people who stole food to avoid starvation.

No solution really helped the situation besides for a community meal paid for by the rich to feed the poor. As I trotted to keep up with the pompous elf, I resolved my mullings that this was likely the best answer and hoped to be the wealthy lord one day because all these people were so damn skinny.

Two guards flanked Mayor Tolgar as we arrived at a lavish estate instead of any sort of governmental buildings. A single additional guard, who perched in the watchtower with a bell nearby watched over the town, and the fields outside the walls.

It wasn’t lost on me the archer from up high noted my entrance with a mark on some parchment. That tower was how the mayor tracked everyone and everything going on inside and outside of Brackenfell.

The estate was constructed of stone with a nice balcony on the second floor and smooth marble porch below it. It wasn’t super elaborate or adorned in amazing gargoyles of fine architecture, but compared to the best tavern in town, it was super nice.

We passed a pond, hopped up a few stairs and finally left the rain. A warmth of whiskey coursed through me, and yeah, after getting hurt, I shouldn’t have been drinking, so I didn’t hate that this slowed me down.

The large doors swung open, and a trio of bunny girls rushed out to dry me off with warm smiles and happy giggles. Ban was spot on, this predator had a thing for fluffy tails. While they dried us off, I couldn’t help but remember just how little I focused on the fact that Limar was filled with more than humans because they were so much like humans.

As quick as they appeared, they vanished, and I followed him into a basic foyer where we removed our shoes. The smug elf cracked his neck with an amused smile. He generally seemed happy.

“Crino rushed out to check the wildling nest the second you came into the gate. He rode a horse out and back, confirming your kills and that the peasant’s vital tools were there,” Tolgar said.

“They like buckets,” I said dryly.

“Yes, yes those little fuckers do. And you caught a nice piglet in my woods. There’s a tax on that,” Tolgar said, leading me down a hall. “Ban paid it since you set up a slush fund with him. A bronze for a kill is more than fair, seeing as how it's worth twenty.”

I withheld any comment, understanding just how vital food was on Limar. Obesity wasn’t a thing. Hell, Tolgar had the closest thing to a dad bod I’d seen so far.

We walked into a small office room with a tabletop map in the center. A few books lined the shelves and a rather plain painting of Tolgar himself hung from the wall. Inwardly I snorted because he looked like he was born defective in the image.

“A deal is a deal. I offered two slaves from my dungeons, any two, for the removal of that camp. I figured one of their wives, husbands, or fathers would have solved my problem for me, but no, an outsider did. Sad, but you’ve been useful, and I honor my deals,” Tolgar said with a smug smile.

“I sense a ‘but’ coming.”

“No one wants slaves, it's part of the problem. They run away at the first chance they can, they kill themselves, they’re expensive to maintain, and they endlessly cause problems. Honestly, I need to hang the whole lot. Anyway, I feel like it's an insult after you warded off evil spirits off my son’s grave. I can offer you a nice pup instead. Good hunting hounds have value, will respect you, will cost less, and they have a purpose.”

He generally didn’t see this as even slightly insulting. I had to understand that on Limar, people in power sometimes had zero qualms killing the poor to keep the masses in line. Too many and you’d get a rebellion and just the right amount would instill a perfect fear.

Honestly, a pup sounded great to keep sneaky bunny people from stabbing me in the back. However, my humanity to help instead of selfishness won out.

“I’m in need of servants to be honest. Mine died to the hags,” I lied.

Tolgar’s eyes flared wide and he all but hopped in excitement. “Oh, do share!”

I made up some bullshit about how the queen mauled them while I hunted the couple. Since I only found traces of their deaths, I didn’t have a great story to bring him joy. He unleashed a sad frown, heaved out a deep sigh, and eventually resigned to the fact I wanted options.

“They’re nice pups. I mean it, if you decide these… vagrants aren’t good enough, I’ll eat the loss. Also, I don’t let them see me very often, mostly for security reasons. Barker will take you down. He’s the handler, treat him with respect,” Tolgar said, waving me out of the room.

A very pretty elven woman in her early thirties bumped into us in the hall with attendants behind her. I figured she wanted to be a good host by offering a drink or an introduction only to see him wave her away.

She curtsied, not showing any sign of slight.

We walked down the hall with him eyeing my feet near a descending spiral staircase. “It’s a miracle you can sneak up on anything. You walk like a feral minotaur in heat.”

I ran a hand down the fine stonework at the entrance. “I try not to move.”

“Ha! He has jokes. Where are you from, Traveler?”

“Texas. We do things big there,” I said with a sigh. “However, my lord sent me on a quest after wandering eyes got me in trouble.”

“Eyes or hands?” Tolgar asked with an accusing glare.

“To the right lord, it doesn’t matter,” I grumbled. Tolgar measured me up again. I knew he was big on authority, so I shouted, “Barker!”

He raised an eyebrow but didn’t argue. A hideous lizard man arrived from the cellar stairs. It took a good bit of gumption to keep a straight face. The monster was very, well, alien. He didn’t wear a collar or any branding while having a very basic robe on.

“Yesssss, my lord.”

“Escort me to the prisoners, where I pick two or return to get a single pup,” I commanded.

“I’ll be in my office, and they’re slaves, not prisoners, but you knew that,” Tolgar said with a smirk.

Deep-down, I think he enjoyed power more than he enjoyed wealth. He watched his guards, wife, bunny concubines, and now his cellar-keeper jump at basic commands. Instead of replying, I dipped my head in pretend respect, walking down the stairs confidently.

Barker followed behind me, grunting from something. He seemed hale, but one could never tell. I learned long ago to assume the worst with people’s conditions so I could avoid being caught with my foot in my mouth.

I reached the bottom landing pad first, inhaling an awful stench that I powered through. A simple nest where Barker read books and played a board game by himself rested before an iron gate door. The key rested in the hole so I turned it and pressed the gate open, earning loud groans from the hinges.

Inside were four small cells with a drain in the middle of the narrow hallway. The prisoners had to piss out of their cells and then toss their shit into the grate. Small openings within their cell bars held platforms for sliding food onto. Each of the cells were simple bars running up and down into solid stone with basic doors that were locked with chains and not mechanisms.

Inside the four cells were eight people, but not evenly split. Each of them wore collars without the decency of clothing. Apparently, either Barker or Tolgar wanted to keep four of the females in one cage, two younger elven women in their own cages, and the final cage held a middle-aged man with a single eye and an elven boy who appeared to be his son.

“Don’t get too closssse,” Barker warned with a slight hiss when he used his ‘s’.

I ignored the guard, turning to the men first. “Every kingdom is different. How are you marked if the collars come off?” I asked.

“Huh?” the one eyed man said.

His deep frown added to a small layer of wrinkles from age. He had a bit of gray in his sandy brown hair and no scar showed how he lost the eye.

“Just the collars,” one of the pretty elves said. “They’re more than enough when they require a special key. The symbols on the metal say when we should be free and who owns us.”

“Thanks,” I replied, turning to the old man again. I competed in the Game of Castles, and while I had a soft spot for the ladies, I needed to kill, command, and assemble to conquer the land. “Why are you here?”

He rose to his feet, dragging his son up with him. “Why should I say shit to you?” He made that hock a loogie sound, and I dodged his spit when he tried to hit my feet.

The same elf from earlier said, “Think with your brain Gardi. This isn’t one of Tolgar’s people. Do you get one of us?”

I sighed, turning away from the men. The elven woman was probably in her early twenties with a battered face of black and blue. Her bruised wrists were swollen from fighting restraints and her neck was marred with lined bruises. Her thighs were round from eating well and her breasts were larger than average, and I couldn’t see her ribs. I didn’t see any signs of rape and based on the healthy weight, she used to be in a decent situation.

When my gaze drifted over the other women, none of them bore the same marks as her. She tucked her black hair back, trying her best to lock her blue eyes to mine. Even though she was battered, a beauty rested under the damage.

A bit of pity washed through me because of what she endured.

Torture wasn’t really my thing and when I hunted or fought, I always wanted to shorten the encounter, not extend it. That excluded wildling murderers though. “Maybe. Answer truthfully and –”

“Save Rosa,” Gardi said.

The other women joined him, pleading for her life.

I held up a hand, calming them. “What’s your story?”

“I’m Alma’s younger sister,” she said, watching my reaction through her mostly shut eyes. “You didn’t meet her? Tolgar’s wife?”

“I did, and it’s hard to see the resemblance,” I admitted, earning a pained chuckle from her. “Seems odd to enslave a sister in law.”

“We’re prisoners,” she said, her voice a bit nasally from a broken nose.

“It’s a confusing difference, but I think if I take you out, you stay with collars on. There are seven people who look fine, and then you, what gives?”

She sat down, leaning against the wall. “I suppose I must throw myself at your mercy and honesty is the best gamble.” Once again her blue eyes locked onto mine. “I’m Lady Rosa, a former bookkeeper for Lord Tolgar. I may have been caught undercounting food and giving it to the people. When I skimped for food, I may have started hiding tax income. The rest of it I used to buy a nice horse to escape with that was stolen from me.”

“A bookkeeper, sweet. I hate tracking data and prefer working with my hands. And hey, it’s a plus in my books –” Gardi groaned at my pun. “That you don’t like seeing people starve?” I asked.

She scowled. “Nope. We lost three orphans this winter.”

“That part is terrible. Truly terrible. You doing something probably saved more. Which I find wonderful.” While my tone was chipper, it didn’t really do much to cheer her up. “And if you made it to this fabled land on your stolen horse, what would you have done with your time?”

“I… I don’t know. Probably farm, yeah, I would have farmed. Or maybe garden just for myself. My father was big on me not getting my hands dirty, but I enjoyed it. For a long time, I lived a sheltered life, but when times got rough, he finally sent us out the door. I’m supposed to be a lady of Alma’s, but time in Brackenfell has not been nice to me,” Lady Rosa said, spitting in disgust. Unfortunately for her, the liquid splashed onto her leg. “Stupid swollen lips.”

“Alright, taking you is probably what Tolgar wants even if he is going to use the puppy gift as cover. He assumed I’d deduce as much. He probably wants you gone, and Alma doesn’t want to see you hang, even if she’s probably very pissed,” I muttered.

“She beats her,” Gardi said. “Something about not making baroness because of her.”

“Yeah, I actually understand that part. Skimming off the top when every bit matters costs more than you saved. Okay, who else do I pick?” I asked Rosa.

“Uh, where are we going and with who?”

I sighed. “Ban’s Tavern for a night, then we leave in the morning. I was going to fix some farms and maybe build a new one, but you’re my prize for killing the wildlings. The thing is, I have things to do, and I’ll probably take Dami with us, if she’ll go,” I said, leaving out the fact I was leaving so I could get away from Tolgar until the time was right.

Rosa bunched her face. “The mousy dishwasher everyone ignores?”

“Wait, you killed the wildlings?” Gardi’s son blurted.

“Yeah, they ate Booma’s son, so I attacked them while they slept. The nest is cleared and -”

“We’ll be in the farms at night again,” Gardi said with a flustered sigh. “Thanks though. We’ve been mucking alley shit for the last week. I much prefer guarding crops and watering plants.”

“I probably would have sent you into the fields regardless. Those wildlings are no match for an adult,” I said. “I mean, simply put a single guard out there to fix the issue.”

“You can’t be rational, that would mean giving that fuck face credit for being smart. The mercenaries won’t fight outside the walls, period, it’s in their contract,” Rosa said with a slight cough. Her lungs forced deeper coughs until she panted. “Fuck, I’m getting sick.”

“Gods, you look like shit. Please, I tire of this tiny dungeon. Who am I taking besides you?”

“Mo, Gardi’s son. He’s… normal enough, just young and susceptible to his father’s hoverings. They’re in here for tax evasion. They got caught sneaking through a hole in the wall to sell and buy without paying the gate tax,” Rosa said.

“Alright,” I said, rising from my crouch. “I’m going to chat with Lord Tolgar and see what he says.”

“Wait, what about us?” the ladies in the main clump said.

“I’m an archer,” the other elf said. I paused my retreat.

Rosa scoffed and said, “Who killed her husband to start a new life.”

I kept marching out of the dungeon, glaring at the reptilian who moved slowly to let me pass. He didn’t say a word. Behind me, the other slaves pleaded to be considered. A deep frown dominated my sour mood as I tuned out the cries for help.

When I reached the end of the stairwell, Lady Alma stood there with her arms under her bosom. A few feet behind her the lord of the estate waited by a standing desk with a glass of dark liquor and an amused grin on his face.

“Easy darling,” Tolgar said, reading a notebook he jotted notes in. “She has to go or die. I can’t be seen as weak, and I honor my deals. As you can tell, if we don’t shut that door, everything echoes up. Part of why I don’t go down there, they need to stay quiet while needing fresh air. One day I’ll have enough funds for a better prison. One day soon, I hope. For now, close that door.”

I nodded, following his command. While I didn’t like the guy, it was his house and he likely wanted our conversation to be private.

“She needs to suffer!” Alma hissed.

I gestured to reply even though Tolgar opened his mouth to say something. He folded his arms with a dip of his head.

“Lady Alma, she’ll suffer. I promise. Rosa is soft, sheltered, and now battered. My quest will take me on a harsh journey where she’ll lack all the comforts she used to adore. At the same time, eventually, you can rest easy that she’ll likely find happiness after her tribulations…”

Lady Alma scowled, squinting at me with contempt. “You’d be foolish to take a thief with you. But your loss is our gain. I’d rather not see her hang, even if she deserves it.”

“When do you leave?” Tolgar said, driving the conversation forward.

“Well, I have more coins to spend in town. Music to a lord’s ears.”

“By the Gods, it is.”

“My issue is the two weeks Jaro mentioned for my hag parts to convert. I figured I’d help out around town, then depart, but I have a feeling there are more hags to hunt and wildling nests to crush.”

Alma stomped a foot, earning a chuckle from her husband. “I talked with Jaro before he left. Normally I try to swindle and finagle a bigger tax cut, but for whatever reason I honored the deal. Same with your reward… Huh. Maybe I’m just in a generous mood.”

I definitely didn’t mention the Game of Castles at work.

“He’s helping you,” Alma said with a snort.

“True. Slaves in my dungeon serve me limited purpose. All this show is about getting rid of Rosa quietly to keep the peace. She really did earn a lot of allies with her ill-gotten gains. And then -”

“Mo,” Alma said unhappily. “His mother was pure-blood. The strapping lad thinks she died, but no, she gave him up because her tryst with his father was a stain on her family. My Lord wants his loyalty, and he’s susceptible to his father’s bad choices. Are you catching on to what I’m saying?”

I snorted. “I take the father, Mo says a tearful goodbye, you appear to be the good guy by offering him work. You then mold him, and now have another agent on your side.” My assumption was probably close because Tolgar grinned in satisfaction. “What’s in it for me to not pick Mo?”

“Gardi is a decent farm hand with an eye for carpentry,” Tolgar burst into laughter at his pun.

“We get it, he only has one eye,” Alma said sourly.

I didn’t like her either. This was about escaping at this point to return one day. With that in mind, I said, “But Mo is what you want. My goal isn’t to fight with you, just sweeten the deal to get your way.”

“Ha! I knew I liked you. I have a very fine bow that a recent murderer surrendered. Sign the items Jaro is handling over to me, and a hundred bronze just in case he vanishes to make me happy. In exchange, you’ll get the bow, plus some essentials for your travels, and a basic donkey.”

“Gardi, Rosa, and Dami,” I said, folding my arms.

“Dami’s not mine.”

“Ban approved as long as I left Clara alone. Booma needs stability and what she suffered is horrible. I can’t promise her safety.”

Tolgar grunted. “You have this charisma to you. Leave Booma and I will sweeten the deal by taking care of her. On the honor of an elven soon to be lord. With Rosa officially leaving the estate, I’ll promote Kendi to her room and put Booma on staff to fill the slot. If you’re leaving with four, I need to make some deals with some slaves… Oh, I mean prisoners.”

I nodded, not caring enough to fight him. He claimed Booma, but I wasn’t her father or lover or brother or keeper. Plus, if she lived in this nice estate, she may very well replace Alma at some point as the head wife or she might drive a dagger into the bastard's heart while he slept. Hopefully she could stay happy and healthy until I could return.

My foot opened the cellar door, and I hollered over my shoulder. “Bring me Rosa and Gardi.” Barker waited until Tolgar confirmed my orders, which he did. While the lizard went to work, I focused on Tolgar. “We meet at the gate in the morning. I’ll bring my coins I stashed in the woods, you bring a contract and the rest. Rosa will stay at Ban’s Tavern tonight to recover with a potion and so I can get her fit for the road.”

“Good riddance,” Alma said, storming away.

“Between us, Rosa is a confused woman ,and I’m happy to be rid of her. She thinks she wants to farm, but hates dirt. She thinks she wants a sweet man, but she respects strength. She thinks all the world's problems are hers to solve, but buys herself a lavish horse,” Tolgar said with a snickering headshake.

I snorted. “Sounds like my mother. I… I won’t promise anything besides a tough time ahead where hopefully she finds out what she truly desires.”

“Honestly, I’m surprised to say this, but I enjoyed our time together,” Mayor Tolgar said with an over the shoulder wave as he returned to his study.

A few minutes later, I carried a battered Rosa through the rain with Gardi in tow. A wonderful feast in the main barroom turned quiet when I rushed her to my private room. My stomach rumbled, but there was a bunch of work to do before we could travel. Thankfully, Clara and Dami followed me up the stairs because I was going to need a lot of help.

If everything went well, I’d be on my way to establishing a base far away from this little shithole of a town with twisted aspirations. I just had to hope when I held the reins of power, I could bring actual change to this land.

Chapter

Ten

TOLMERIA Woods

A Fine Quest!

“I’m shocked,” Rosa said, roughly combing her hair with enough force to bust the knots.

She sat on the edge of the small cart’s bed, dangling her feet while a donkey hauled her and our minimal gear. We were taking turns having a seat while we slowly traversed away from Brackenfell.

“About?” I asked, watching the dense woods pass through the still drying dirt road.

The elf eyed Dami with curiosity. “How’d you convince her to come? Clara said you were only in town for a few days.”

“He claimed me!” Dami said with a warm smile.

I chuckled, unable to help it. I didn’t. I didn’t assert any sort of ownership or domination or anything of the sort. I simply fucked her so good every chance I could and kept her in the bed with me after.

Over the years, I stayed out of serious relationships, because I didn’t want to settle down and no Gods at the time gave me incentive to have children. I liked to change up sex partners every few months, and I fully intended to do that in a world where a man could have multiple girlfriends at once.

Until recently marriage or commitment wasn’t even a thought since Earth was so… promiscuous. And yes, during those exploratory stages, I learned women had a lot of fetishes. One of them was being dominated and claimed. Pull on her hair, say you’re mine, and they became cum sluts on another level.

Funny thing is, claiming one woman might cause her to strip naked while the next one might smack me. Dami was definitely the former, hovering around me all evening to help where she could and then immediately occupying my small spoon when my busy room went down for the night.

“Men don’t claim inferiors… normally,” Rosa said with a bit of an upturned nose. Before I could scold her, she added, “I like that you have. I don’t like the highborn versus lowborn thing, even if it is ingrained in our society. Most males don’t want mousy children because their sons are almost always regulated to servant jobs and their daughters are…”

“It’s okay. I always make the most of any situation. Being positive even when people are mean has mostly worked,” Dami said. “Lord Adam is a good man, and I want to have a family more than anything in the whole world.”

“You’re going to make me vomit,” Rosa teased in a playful way. “That’s great. Really. Just,” she huffed, “you only met a day or two ago.”

“I didn’t claim you. Not in that sense, but I do enjoy your smiles, blushes, and company. I, for one, am very happy to have someone help with our journey,” I said.

The cart sloshed mud, kicking out sideways a bit until I pushed it through the thicker substance. Once it stabilized, a silence settled over the small group. I started picking up branches from the woods, setting them on the cart to use to get through thicker mud if we encountered it.

Gardi grunted. “Gonna miss my boy.”

The departure at the gate was theatrics at its finest and I thankfully put it behind me. Alma cried as if she’d miss Rosa dearly. Gardi sniffled unhappily with five hugs to his son who was also his best friend. As soon as they separated, Tolgar was there to unlock his collar.

“Oh, that reminds me.” I handed him a key. “Here you go. Just be careful, if you go back to Brackenfell, you’ll likely hang.”

“Thanks,” he grunted. “I… I think this’s for the best. Mo’s a man who needs stability. I… I struggled to even get us food on the table after all those damned taxes.”

“He’s trying to raise a few gold coins to join the Estin Kingdom as a baron,” Rosa said. “Adam’s not wrong. Tolgar will have you killed without a second thought. He wants your son on his side about as much as he wants to be a baron.”

“He’s a good lad.”

Rosa winced. “I think he had yearnings for his mother.”

“She fucking hated him, but yes, I knew as much,” Gardi said with a downcast headshake. “I screwed up. Numerous times. All I needed to do was to move on, and I failed.”

“Not anymore,” Dami said with a positive tone. “Which,” she glanced about, “where are we going, Lord Adam?”

“Uh, just Adam for now, but yeah, that’ll likely change,” I said.

“Cocky much,” Rosa said, hopping off the cart. She asked for the key after Gardi tossed his collar onto the cart. Steel held value, even if he hated it. Rosa removed her collar, having less scarring since she drank a healing potion last night. Once it came free, she released a moan. “Ah! Better than sex.”

“You just need a good partner!” Dami teased.

They shared a chuckle while we never stopped moving. The fifth turn was for the donkey to pull no one, so she pulled a bit faster, picking up the pace. My feet hurt from hours of walking, but the day was young, and the trip would take almost a full days’ march. I pulled out my map, handing it to Rosa.

She frowned, rotating it a few times in disbelief. “This is magical.”

“Yup,” I replied.

Gardi peered over her shoulder. “This… this is worth a fortune. Never seen anything like it.”

“I think it’ll only work for me,” I said, not wanting them to get ideas. “I’m on a quest from my lord to tame the land where the map points. In this case, I have three choices for where I should establish a base. The swamp, the river, or the haunted woods.”

“I can’t farm in a swamp,” Gardi said with a shrug.

“You can with traps and mushrooms, but yeah. I’ll probably end up there to kill the hags anyway. Apparently they’re worth a fortune for their potion ingredients,” I said.

Rosa let out a low whistle. “You can say that again. Honestly, if you just kill a few males every year, they’re not the worst thing to leave alone. If there is dry land, they simply won’t step on it.”

“Interesting. You’re saying to use the swamp as a farm without living there. So you like my idea of traps and hunting trips?” I asked.

“Yeah, the brave already do that,” Rosa replied. “Or foolish, depending on how the missions go.”

“Lord Adam braved the hags,” Dami said, clearly not wanting to drop the lord bit.

It was nearing lunch time, and we were a few hours walk from Brackenfell, so I called a stop at an upcoming clearing in the trees. We shifted away from the road, somewhat pausing the conversation for a bit.

Rosa and Gardi studied the map while Dami and I prepared a teepee pile of kindling. Over the next few minutes, I set up the cooking stand and turned the small fire into a roaring one.

Rosa cleared her throat. “Gardi likes the haunted forest. A nice burn will produce very fertile land. Fruit also has great value if you pick it and freeze it at the right time. Ice mages are expensive but worth it.”

“And your thoughts?”

“Assuming you had to crazily build a base from nothing, I like the spot at the Jodi River,” Rosa said. I added a pot to the cooking stand, and she couldn’t help but comment. “We don’t have enough water to fill that.”

“Yee of little faith,” I joked, rummaging through my bag to find some vegetables to chop up. “While I prep, tell me why you like Jodi River.”

“Well, it’s between Estin, Gorm, and Lao. Gorm is mining with Avorth being the capital. Its people relish war, treat each other like barbarians, and are big on turning conquered people into slaves for their mines. Brackenfell is technically an outpost for the capital of Estin. Their main focus is on breeding horses, pigs, cattle, and other animals while raising crops in the plains.

“Lao is south along the Jodi River, a perfect place to avoid the salt air while being connected to the sea. South of Lao is Seshkin City, the capital of the kingdom and one hell of a massive port on the Southern Sea.

“I like and dislike the island on the Jodi River because of its location in proximity to the three kingdoms. Each serves a function where you can reach their outposts with ease. However, the different kingdoms fight in the middle for various reasons, whenever they feel like it. If war starts, the Jodi River’s bridges are often contested.

“With all this said, haunted forests, ruined castles, and swamps are not what anyone wants besides an exiled lord… no offense intended. So problem spots tend to be left alone.”

I snorted, dicing up a potato. “Non-taken. So the location has its pluses and minuses. Anything else?”

“Sure, the water will help. I’ve drank bad water a few times and never again. I’ll always prepare my water.”

Gardi snickered. “Or have servants do it.” Rosa opened then closed her mouth, merely nodding in agreement. “She has a point though. Fresh water matters. The thing with this river is, the fish will become scarce after a point while a farm field can produce year round with the right seeds or roots. None of that matters if you just intend to eliminate the threats then move on.”

“I suppose I need to give encouragement for you to stay, since you’re no longer prisoners,” I said, wanting to say more when Rosa interjected.

“Around these parts, prisoners suffer in cells, slaves work with freedoms, both can return to society with time served. We were a mix, probably why you keep confusing the terms. I… I think Alma fully intended to kill me. Same with Tolgar finding a way to remove Gardi from Mo. Because of that, I will help you until I feel my debt has been repaid. But if you almost get me killed by swamp hags, I’m outta here,” Rosa said with a slight giggle.

“You look much better out here,” Gardi said in a positive tone. “I’ll stick around for a bit, but I intend to try to get Mo to see reason when I can.”

“Good, well, farming will matter because we’re setting up a base to trade with Estin, Gorm, and Lao. I intend to hire people like Jaro and Booma, as examples, to help us grow,” I said.

“Hiring people and providing for them is expensive,” Rosa rightly said.

“I know. I know. Look. I need to figure out where to focus my efforts. Jodi River provides quick access to Lao, correct?” I asked.

Rosa frowned. “One way, yes. No one goes up river besides to fish further from the city, and you still have to take a wagon to return.”

“He likes Jodi River anyway,” Gardi said. “What’s there anyway besides the fact they're marked on the map?”

“It’s a ruined castle filled with kobolds. I need to scout it properly.” I finished dicing all the vegetables, stepping back to ready my spell. While I hid I was a champion, magic wasn’t impossible by commoners, and I needed clean water. I whispered, “Cast golem.”

“Did you just whisper, cast golem?” Dami asked cutely. “Are you wishing you had magic?”

“Hmm… Wait… Where did you get this map from?” Rosa said, almost instantly figuring it out.

“It’s imperative you agree that my lord sent me on a mission to establish a base in this realm for his eventual arrival,” I said sternly.

Rosa’s jaw popped open, she tilted her head in confusion, then eventually said, “Yes my Lord.”

“I don’t get it,” Gardi admitted. “What’s got you so upset?”

Rosa’s eyes darted between him and me until she finally said, “I don’t think his lord is close by and therefore he may have some issues acclimating to our area. Fear not, Gardi, we’re in good company. To cast magic here you do so from willing it outward, not too different from peeing but from the chest.”

“Oh, you have magic?” Dami asked in confusion.

Rosa snapped her fingers, bringing a swirl of air to her fingertips. “I’m not a very gifted mage, but I can help grow a fire, cool a meal, or blow leaves off a porch.”

Her magic spoke to me. I sensed its desire to unite with my magic, not fully understanding what the hell was going on.

“Hmm... Let me try.”

I pulled for power, trying to exert it from my stomach. A brief queasiness, the kind of hot flash you get before vomiting flared before it dissipated. When I tugged higher, from between my lungs, an odd feeling coursed through my body.

In a way, it felt like my veins turned to sludge.

The spell fizzled, seeping back to my core. I tried again a few times until I felt fatigued and needed to take a short break. When I sat down on a stump around the fire, Dami rubbed my back in support.

“You should tell them,” Rosa said unhappily.

I grumbled. “A. You could be wrong. B. Are you crazy?”

“I’m the best asset you have. Gardi wants his son's love back so he can prove he’s doing well financially again. I need a home and you’re my ticket to luxury. Dami is unbelievably lucky and probably wouldn’t betray you for a million gold coins. If we’re your core team, then we need to know so we can help properly,” Rosa said.

An anger surged through me at her audacity. While she wasn’t wrong, I wasn’t exactly ready to put everything on the line with the others. Sure Rosa figured it out, but Dami and Gardi were clueless.

That anger helped hone my control of the sludge, and this time, instead of trying to create a golem, I just tried to eject the magic. The goop raced through my shoulders, down my arms, and splattered next to the fire. Just like peeing, the magic arced out of my palms in a tight spray that slowly grew, building up as it cascaded out.

After a few seconds, the spell completed and a golem stood only knee-high, watching me much like a puppy would. I leaned forward, trying to look into the sunken eyes.

“What is that?” Dami asked.

“A water golem,” Rosa said. “A magic only passed down through the kings, emperors, and fabled champions. How interesting that a strange adventurer has such rare magic.”

“I’m starting to get it,” Gardi grumbled.

Golem spun around, seeking direction to his existence. The watery creation had a translucent film to keep the liquid inside. All of us watched him manage his confusion.

“What does he do, it’s so cute,” Dami asked, extending a hand.

“She has dirt under her nails, clean it,” I commanded.

The golem waddled closer, swallowed her hand, and unleashed a swirl of magic on the fingers inside his body. A second later it spat out flecks of dirt. When Dami showcased her fingers, they were spotless.

“Will it hurt if you turn into water for my soup?” The golem shook its head. “Go into the pot then.”

The golem climbed up the cooking rod, tightrope walked the cross beam, and jumped into the pot with a flaring splash. I rose, peering into the small black cauldron. Clean water swirled around with the bottom already starting to boil since the metal was hot from earlier.

I gathered up my vegetables, tossing them into the water. When I sat back down, everyone watched me intently.

“I’m important and not important. It all depends on what happens in the next year, give or take.” I asked for the map back, receiving it from Gardi. “This is where I’ll set up a base to start my own legacy. I’m not sure what will happen, or how events will unfold, but I promise to never betray you as your leader.”

“Huh, I'm almost forty and I’ve never heard those words,” Gardi said with a grunt of approval. “Keep your secret, when you’re ready, you’ll share it. I’m pretty big on loyalty myself.” He pointed at Rosa. “She may have had good intentions, but she stole from her lord and betrayed her sister.”

“Bah! Fuck off.” Rosa pinched her face in anger. “Starving people and stealing from your ‘best business’ is fuckery, and we both know it.”

“You misunderstand, but I’ve never been good at talking to women. I’m talking about his secret, it is probably worth a fortune, and you crave wealth,” Gardi said.

I held up my palms. “My bookkeeper will be pampered,” I offered.

Rosa stuck out her tongue, earning an eye roll from Dami.

“I don’t understand, but I had this feeling you were important. More importantly, you’re a good man,” Dami said.

I grunted. “I… I wonder if I will always stay good when I have to make hard decisions. That is for another day. For now, we eat lunch. Then we swing around the swamp and find the Jodi River. By this time tomorrow, I hope to be scouting the enemy to either claim a new home or move onto the next best option.”

Chapter

Eleven

JODIE RIVER

Sweet Melodies of Death!

I peered out from behind a boulder looking at a positive sight I hadn’t expected. Sure, the ruins of the castle were absolutely trashed, which was what the quest notes alluded to. And yes, between whatever battle occurred in the past, combined with the decay of time, only two main walls of the former keep stood.

But boy oh boy, what did shock me was the layout of the defenses. The former bastion rested in the center of the river, perched upon an island. I figured it would have just used the river as a partial defense, but no this island held a built in moat. A partial stone bridge connected this shore to the island while the other side was submerged.

The island itself was much larger than I expected too, with space for at least a few hundred if not thousand people. A staging on the north and south tapering sides still remained open with light grasses.

After a decent time assessing the repairs, I assumed the kobolds swam across at some point with ropes because they bridged the gap with rope and wood. The alterations were pathetic, and when I watched a lone guard cross, it was as if the janky makeshift bridge was perfectly fine. Even from this distance, I knew it wouldn’t hold my weight.

“Well, this is it,” I said, removing my tunic.

Dami deftly undid her blouse, hurrying to get naked. I chuckled while Rosa rolled her eyes.

“What? No,” Rosa scolded. “He’s going to swim across the river and wet clothes hamper his chances.”

“I mean,” I objected. “I like where this is going.”

“Ha! See,” Dami said, pretending to keep stripping.

“I can stand to see how this unfolds,” Gardi joked.

Rosa tossed her hands up in frustration. “Men.”

I finished getting naked in a second, scooping up my quiver and bow, and bound my sword to my bare waist. “I was kidding, but I love the enthusiasm. We’ll save it as a reward when I get back, oh and keep one of the spare healing potions handy.”

For another minute, I stared at the enemy guard who went through the motions, waiting for him to turn around on his guarding pattern. The nose picking kobold stood about five-feet-tall with more fur than skin. He had strips like a hyena with a hunched back. Where most of the humanoid hybrids were very human, this was an animal on two legs.

Once the timing was right, I used the road to go upriver, cutting through trees until I reached the shores jagged rocks. I bound the bow and quiver from shoulder to hip, securing the arrows into a secondary bundle.

If they fell out, I just had to hope they would arrive on the far shore with me. I inched into the cold murky water at the mercy of fate. Rosa mentioned there may be mysterious monsters in the depths, a fact that was as chilling as the water.

I relied on my speed to avoid being a snack because the second I could, I launched into the water like an olympian. A dozen feet from shore, the smooth current dragged me towards the island. I angled for the closest bit of shore, feeling a tingling excitement at the dangerous situation.

Sure, I’d be fighting kobolds who slept during the day in a few minutes, but the lurking predators below were unknowns and nearly impossible to combat. My arms shot me forward with enhanced strength and my legs kicked with all their might. The nearby island grew in size until my stupid Stamina warning flared right as I reached the tip of the island.

Whatever frustration I felt faded due to the elation of reaching safety. I scampered onto the rock, panting intensely from the exertion. While I never sensed anything in the water, I couldn’t help but feel like I’d gotten lucky.

“Fortune favors the bold. Surprised that wasn’t a quest,” I whispered under my breath.

Active Quest: Eradicate the kobolds of Jodi River Keep.

Reward Offered: 50 Lord Points.

Optional Reward: Claim the ruins to earn an interactive Game of Castles table.

“But nothing for the water?” I asked, already feeling my breath stabilize.

No answer came back, and I couldn’t help but sigh in frustration. Five hundred bronze coins wasn’t even a month of living like a noble, let alone getting a leg up. I exhaled my angst, withdrew my long dagger and quickly ascended the shore rocks until I could see the bridge.

The only guard on duty currently walked back towards the keep so I waited patiently. When he flipped around to march back across the river, I sprinted about twenty yards until I arrived at the ruined front wall. Once I was out of his sight, I let my breathing and beating heart calm.

While I waited, I inspected the rubble without moving too much. Based on the moss, mold, and vegetation growing where it could, this place fell a few hundred years ago. I did notice the island held far more space than it appeared to from my previous vantage point. The island had plenty of space for expansions or nice animal pens. It wouldn’t be a mega city unless multiple bridges connected to the shores and the walls went onto both banks, but that was me getting ahead of myself.

Once I was firmly in control, I crept forward, keeping my bow and arrows on my back. The recent rain must have kept any massive scent down because all I smelled was wafts of spring. The bright sunny day beat down, providing a welcome warmth against the cool river water.

A gentle breeze swept grass back and forth with migratory birds flying overhead. A nearby chipmunk foraged through the rubble’s edge, providing an odd serenity to the setting until I reached what had to be a former circular tower.

Even though the stone structure had fallen in battle, the round shape proved somewhat durable. At least ten feet of tower stayed connected, providing a mini house where the mortar held. Inside, a pile of furry bodies compressed on top of each other in staggering numbers.

In a way, it made sense.

They had warmth from when it snowed, shade from the sun, shelter from the rain, and if anyone approached they could fight their attacker. The problem was I didn’t have fire magic or a grenade or just about any way to kill them all at once…

Then it dawned on me that I may just have something.

I backed up a few paces, summoning forth my magic. The ritual proved quicker this time with less hassle. My palms spewed out the little water golem who glanced up at me with the cutest little smile.

I kneeled down and said, “Can you use your water to erode the glue between the stones on something like this?”

When I offered him two chunks of river rock connected by mortar, the wee golem danced happily. A finger from the hand found a tiny hole, jettisoning water at a high rate, not too different from a pressure washer on full power with a tiny outlet. The mortar spat out the backside until the consistency broke and the two stones fell apart.

“Wonderful. Follow me and stay quiet,” I whispered.

Golem nodded energetically, flowing behind me like a slug instead of using legs. We reached the vantage point where the tower on its side remained intact. I pointed above where the kobolds slept in a pack.

“Can you make that stone above them collapse?”

The little fellow shrugged, proceeding forward before I could tell him to wait. Golem slithered up the side of the tower, cresting the circular edge with ease until he stopped a few feet further into the tower.

Jets of water blasted into the stone creating a ruckus. I retreated back to a point where I could safely observe. With bated breath I watched the kobolds, worried they’d instantly awake. The thing was, they didn’t stir from the sound of the intense water chipping away at the glue that held their roof in place.

“No way I could sleep through that,” I whispered.

Sure enough, a kobold stretched, slowly awaking. She stared up at the roof that gently leaked water. The curious kobold peered out to see it was a sunny day, then glanced back up to see water leaking in. The female kobold, becoming more and more bothered, decided to wake a massive male who lay at the bottom of the pile.

By this point, Golem had shrunk to nothing more than the size of a hand. The little creation died, fizzling into a puddle of water right as the alpha left his cave and jumped up to see the roof. He noticed the water, using his arms to lift his body on the tunnel’s lip so he hung from his armpits.

Where Golem failed the Alpha succeeded.

His weight unleashed a violent snap and I could see it on his face.

It was at that moment, he knew he fucked up. He dropped down instantly, urging his pack to flee, only to warn them too late.

The top of the tower crumbled down, sending hundreds of heavy stones crashing down. The noise boomed through the area, sending a cloud of dust and debris. I laid my sword against a rock, unbound the band around my arrows, and nocked one.

When the obscuration settled, I saw the guard dashing toward the rubble to help his pack. The alpha limped away with a shattered foot. A hand stuck out from the pile, opening and closing as if asking for help because their muffled screams weren’t enough.

I never thought of it this way, but I doomed almost all of them with my plan, and yes, some of them would have very painful deaths.

Even though the Alpha suffered from a seriously mangled foot, he towered over his arriving guard at a ratio I never expected until they were close and he for certain posed the greatest threat. The beta male tossed one of the Alpha’s arms over his shoulder, helping him hobble to the rubble.

I felt like shit, but I drew that arrow back to my release point and let the sinew roll off my fingers. Just below the sounds of the dying screams for help, my fancy new bow snapped violently.

Twang!

Between the wet feathers, the hobble, and the soggy sinew, my arrow deviated from his heart. The tip pierced the skin right above the belly button, reverberating with a solid thunk when it hit his spine.

I was almost certain I paralyzed him because he dropped like a rock involuntarily. The guard stumbled, falling with a sickening snap since he was trying to support the much larger Alpha.

When the guard shot to his feet, he did so with almost all of his fingers bent in half. While he screamed in pain and frustration, I realized he never saw the arrow because he was focused on the rubble.

I nocked another arrow, sighted center mass and unleashed the projectile.

Twang!

This time the sound of a snapping bow transcended the screams of the trapped kobolds. The guard glanced up at the wrong time, taking the arrow off his chin. The tip slid along his jawline, carving a nasty gash before it careened off into the distance.

I calmly grabbed another arrow, watching him debate between charging and running. Before I could draw, he sprinted away to hide behind rubble within the keep’s maze of ruins.

While he fled, I stalked forward, watching the Alpha struggle to recover. For all I knew, he possessed magical healing. So I walked until I couldn’t miss and then fired an arrow into the back of his skull.

The guard never tried to stop me so I nocked another arrow and climbed upon the rubble. While it wasn’t my finest moment, killing was never pretty or glorious. Defeating your enemies was about being effective unless you wanted prisoners and I didn’t want any.

While I walked on the rubble of the trapped kobolds, the extra weight crushed lungs and cracked bones. I only shifted around a bit to stop most of the wailing.

Right when I figured the guard had fled for his life, a rock came zooming out from behind a pillar. I frowned, noting the throw was shit until I realized he probably chucked it with his bad hand since his good one had ruined fingers.

“Just run away,” I growled, taking the initiative.

The arrow remained nocked but at a half draw for a rapid fire. I never shot like this unless I was fucking around, but a running shot called for it. The instant I started to chase the guard, he burst into a run, scrambling to gain distance.

For the next ten, maybe fifteen minutes, we played a game of cat and mouse, with him knowing all the nooks and crannies of this ruined fort. While I chased, I began to familiarize until I detected a pattern to the rubble. During the long stretch of time, I never deviated, dodging a few thrown rocks or strewn rubble he moved in my path.

Eventually, I shifted, coming face to face with him at only a dozen paces away. He charged, I fully drew, and the arrow smacked into his forehead at the exact same time he whimpered.

He tumbled forward, dead as dead could be. I walked around the asshole who left me winded, heading back to the rubble. I set my bow aside and the arrows too, grabbing my long dagger for protection. I was fairly certain if any other kobolds lived, they would have helped their buddy during the chase; well, alive kobolds who weren’t buried under rubble.

For almost the entirety of the day, I removed rocks one at a time, uncovering the victims. I only needed to stab two females who were suffering so bad they needed mercy. The rest were set aside until I reached the young.

I didn’t cry or get mopey. While they were thinking creatures with compassion towards each other, the gods wanted them to die and for me to take their home. More importantly, I wanted to live and to do that, they needed to die. The gained experience would turn me into something greater than ever before.

And yeah, my justification was weak, but I’d sleep at night, knowing I could be immortal if I broke a few eggs to get there. These animalistic beings didn’t speak the common tongue and they’d have killed me and fed my corpse to their kids if given the chance.

Eventually, the kobold pack lay out in a row, ready for processing. Instead of calling the others over to do the dirty work, I did it by my lonesome. Not everything was salvageable, but the eyes, tongues, hearts, and hands went into gruesome piles. After they were mutilated for potion ingredients, I chucked the bodies into the river at the edge of the solid stone bridge to ensure they were swept downstream.

By the time the fifth body splashed down, some sort of predator attacked the corpses with violent sloshing at the water’s surface. All I saw was tail fins splashing on occasion, ignoring them to carry out my gruesome work.

Rosa cautiously approached the other shore’s ruined bridge section with an arrow in my old bow. She glanced around nervously stalking forward. Behind her, I noticed Gardi and Dami peeking out from behind trees. They were optimistically hesitant with wide eyes.

Rosa asked, “How’d it go?”

“Golem killed em for me,” I said, bragging with a half-truth.

“The cute water thing, about yay high?” she asked, taking a hand off the bow to lower a palm to her knee. I nodded and she twisted her face in confusion. She blurted, “How?”

“That’d be the one. Started calling him Golem, not sure why and it sorta stuck,” I grunted, heaving a mother into the murky brown waters. “He chipped away at a roof’s support, burying them in rubble.”

The Golem’s heroics or my ingenuity was quickly forgotten when Rosa sucked in a deep gasp.

“Holy shit, those are cavives,” Rosa said when the fish attacked the body. “Did they bite you during your swim!”

I spun, still naked from earlier. “No, how do I look?”

“Dashing,” Dami shouted from the woods. “Can we come out?”

“You have amazing hearing,” I said, never raising my voice.

Dami teased. “These big ears are for more than holding onto during blowjobs.”

Rosa rolled her eyes. “She has no shame! Help me fix the bridge so we can be of use.”

I used a kobold’s shirt to clean my hands, walking over to the rickety bridge. Rosa shook the rope supports from her end before stepping on it cautiously with only a single foot.

“I can’t weigh that much more than the guard,” Rosa assumed.

At my end of the bridge, a double twined rope was looped around a pillar. The rope, which was nicely crafted and likely stolen, seemed sound. The slats of wood that lay across the two ropes were barely secured by vines and far less sturdy.

I realized I could have just crawled across the rope to make it, not having to risk the water.

“I still think swimming was the right option for bypassing the guard, but yeah, these ropes are sturdy,” I said.

“So much give!” Rosa complained.

“Hey, Adam, was there fishing gear?” Gardi hollered as he approached the bridge with Dami.

“Yeah, I think so. I saw some tools and such in a covered alcove,” I said, glancing down at the quiet water. “I suppose we will need food.”

“Seeing as how we have none, yeah, but cavives have a hide that is super valuable,” he said, lowering his voice as he reached the other side of the gap. “They’re also able to kill us if we fall in. Easily.”

“Why not use that?” Dami said, pointing down the river.

I had to adjust on my tippy toes to see a small raft at the far end of the island.

“Well, to be honest, I hadn’t seen it until now,” I said, walking in that direction. “I don’t see how we get the cart across but maybe we keep it over there to make a trip to Loa.”

“Not everything has to be done in a few minutes, Adam. Give me a day or three and I can make a ramp down to the water’s edge,” Gardi said. “But we do have to eat and like I said, the -”

Dami walked across the bridge, freezing him mid-sentence. Her dainty weight barely rocked the structure. She arrived with a grin. “I do believe you owe me my reward!”

I burst into a laugh, shaking my head at how crazy she was.

Rosa said, “Nope, no offense. Those cavives will kill me if I fall, and I have twenty pounds on Dami.”

While it was unusual to hear a woman talk about weight, it probably wasn’t an issue in a society where just about everyone was thin.

“Well, if we take three days to get across the river, then all these parts will rot,” I said.

“How about we tie the ass up nearby, leaving the cart on this side. I come across on the raft with the supplies and Rosa, then when everything is ready to go, I sail downstream toward Lao, arriving before rot ruins the haul, or so I hope. Then I ride back with a wagon with a canoe in it and some nice boards to either build a ramp or repair the bridge,” Gardi suggested.

“Well, that’s not a bad idea. Else this will all go to waste,” I said, dressing from the clothes that Dami brought with her. “Plus Dami can feed the female donkey.”

“Jennet,” Rosa said.

“Sure, we can name her that,” I said, liking her recommendation.

The elven woman opened, then closed her mouth, simply nodding in agreement.

For the next ten minutes or so, we discussed the logistics of what to move, what to buy, and I did decide to officially give Gardi a quest to move my goods. I had no idea what the potion parts were worth, but I needed every coin I could get and wasting stuff at this point was dumb.

We did agree to keep whatever tools we could use and haul the rest downriver for whatever value we could get from them. In the end, I felt confident we were making the right decision by sending Gardi away and none of it had to do with being trapped on an island with two beautiful women - nothing at all.

Dami must have darted off while we discussed the logistics of preparing for shifting the raft because she returned with an odd fishing device. With one pole, you dangled bait at the water’s surface. With another, you shot a speargun with a small lead line.

“That’s not kobold made,” I blurted, heading back to the dead bodies.

“It’s worth more than the donkey and explains where the raft came from. Wouldn’t shock me if fishermen ventured too close only to die to kobolds they weren’t expecting,” Rosa said. “Those bands on the dart throwers break and you need to secure the line before firing it.”

I hacked a forearm off a corpse, tossing it at Dami’s feet. She didn’t become squeamish, securing the bait to the rope.

“How much are these skins worth and what are they used for?” I asked.

“Liquid liners mostly. You skin their outer layer that is rubbery, dry it at a tannery, then use it to line wooden kegs filled with expensive liquids. They’re not super rare, but the meat is good, and the hides fetch a nice return. Whoever lost their gear was definitely hunting cavives if they had that setup,” Gardi said, finding a comfy spot on his shore to take a seat.

“How big are they?” I asked.

“Big enough for a few of them to take down a human,” Rosa said with a sigh, sitting on her end of the bridge. “Gardi is right, we shouldn’t rush anything.”

“I hear…” I grunted, setting the band for the small steel spear. In hindsight, I should have secured the rope before I loaded the dangerous weapon. “Can you hold it in case I somehow trigger it?”

Dami gladly hefted the weapon, aiming towards the water as I connected the end of the rope to a pillar. I gently acquired the weapon again, shouldering it like a rifle to aim at the ground. I doubted this would be pinpoint accurate or fly far, and it took a while to reload, making it terrible for battlefield application, but it was the weapon of choice for this kind of… fishing.

“Ready?” Dami asked, walking a single plank onto the bridge so I could inch closer. “I’ll hop back onto the stone if I feel nervous.”

“Girl! You’re brave, and even if that rickety bridge is sturdier than I thought, I'll take the raft,” Rosa said.

I nodded to Dami that I was ready. She gently lowered the forearm, letting it splash down on the surface. Dami let it submerge, just a tiny bit before pulling it out to splash over and over.

The cavives musta been eating bodies because nothing came up at first. Eventually, a small head that reminded me of a plesiosaur tried to snatch the offering. I didn’t shoot, a bit shocked at what I saw.

“Wait, that lives in the rivers?” I exclaimed.

“Sometimes. And don’t shoot until an adult comes. The juveniles are skittish and harder to hit. My mother works at Lake Powell and at one point one of the fisherman’s sons had a huge crush on me, telling me a lot about fishing. Ugh the smell, it lingers when I think of her work.” She kept teasing the cavive until it faded away. “You ever think of something then automatically have a smell overwhelm you’re -”

A massive cavive snatched the bait, exposing the top half of its body. I released the band quickly, fighting the weapon’s jolt. The spear smacked into the large river monster, diving deep into the body.

Dami released her rope, hopping to safety while the cavive fled for its life. The entire bridge shook when the rope pulled taut against the stone. The rope sliced through the surface as the barbed tip held.

“Nice shot,” Gardi said casually. “Come get me while it wears itself down.”

I figured he had experience in this stuff, so I headed to the raft at the base of the river island. The walk was five minutes, another five to detach the anchor rope, and then Dami and I paddled into the current to cross the river.

When we arrived, Gardi grinned, tossing me our bags one at a time. “That’s going to be worth a quarter silver at least, and I intend to gorge myself on its delicious meat!”

I held a hand out, helping Rosa step on. Gardi double checked Jennett, leaving us on the shore for a bit longer. When he eventually returned, I noticed the fight in the rope diminished greatly.

“A nice meal before a long trip. Let’s get back to the island. While it doesn’t look like much, it’ll be our home for a bit,” I said, pushing off the shore towards a new beginning.

Chapter

Twelve

THE CLEAR ISLE

Work! Work!

A crackling magic ripped space itself, twisting in a violent vortex. One second I stared at an exposed section of masonry in what likely used to be a bedroom, and the next, a massive oak table with a digital surface appeared. The intense shine of the blue and purple magic faded without leaving any traces behind.

I glanced around, curious at the arrival. I hadn’t ordered the Game of Castles table. Honestly, I figured I’d need walls and a door first.

“Bigger than I expected,” I blurted.

“What’s it do?” Gardi asked.

I walked up to the table and when I stood within arm’s length it flared to life. Large bold words scrolled across the screen for all to see.

Welcome Adam Clear, Champion of Asmi, the God of Barter, this is your interface table for your competition in the Game of Castles. Talk or select from the menu of options.

“Champion!” Dami exclaimed. “I knew it!”

“Champions aren’t real,” Gardi said half-heartedly. “Well, I suppose they are if this is, but they were always legends.”

“We are in the presence of the real deal who somehow saved us,” Rosa said with a dismayed voice. She leveled her blue eyes to mine. “Don’t let it get to your head… Please.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” I tapped the overview button on the screen. “To be honest, I wasn’t expecting it to just turn on. I suppose this ruins the secret though. Hopefully you guys will understand why I decided to keep this private.”

Dami pulled on her tail, fidgeting back and forth in a cute way. “I had a suspicion you were special. No male out of hundreds wanted to brave the woods to find a lost baby.”

“They knew he was dead,” Gardi scoffed, earning stares from the ladies. “Hey, I was locked up.”

“This’ll require more reading, which I have a love-hate relationship with. I’ve always been a go out and do instead of open a book and study, but this is worth staying inside to study what I can find out,” Rosa said, her eyes staring at the screen. “Unless… Tell me about the Game of Castles.”

Champion Adam has no castle, keep, fort, or home. Currently, this table is in a spot where one can be claimed. Here is the information about this location.

Location: The Clear Isle

Location Summary: The Clear Isle is cluttered with rubble that must be cleared before life can begin anew. The old rocks are salvageable, but they must be cleaned and free of the mortar that once bound them. Once the foundation is established, new structures can arise. The former farm space is in need of tilling and fertilization before any crops can be planted. The old dock ruins are beyond salvage and a new dock will have to be started from scratch. To bring your base to a moderate habitable location, clean the Clear Isle.

“Wait, so I can’t hire anyone to clean the island or repair the bridge until I clean the island and repair the bridge?” I asked.

The current bridge repair counts as a level 1 bridge. The raft also counts. You cannot hire contractors for a new bridge from this location until you clean your home.

“Ah, okay, okay. This isn’t good, but I suppose the rules of this game are meant to make it challenging. Yeah…” I mulled over my dilemma. I could magically generate rare metals on demand, meaning the best way for me to minimize lost coins was to hand them off quickly. In theory I could send Gardi with a silver coin and my bronze coins, but I wasn’t sure if giving him all my wealth was smart. I heaved out a sigh. “I’m going to have to risk it then.”

“Risk what?” Dami asked cutely.

I rubbed her back and kissed her hair. “We’re going to all load up on the raft and head down river to Lao. Besides Jennet, of course,” I said.

“Are you sure?” Rosa asked, frowning at this change in plans.

“Why wouldn’t he be sure?” Dami replied as if offended.

I chuckled sadly. “Can’t really hide it now, but I understand you guys might not be familiar with the Game of Castles.”

“I’m not,” Dami admitted.

“Well, there are rewards for my death and rewards for me obtaining power. Visiting Lao will be dangerous for me, but it's not like sleeping here in the open is any safer.”

“It sorta is,” Rosa said. When I glared, she pointed a finger at my chest. “I’m playing the other side. I think you should go because it’s not like Gardi or I can rouse followers or barter with your money to convince masons to come out.

“Not to mention, establishing an outpost out here will attract attention eventually, and if you pay a settler’s fee with Lao now, it's one less headache later. Lao is also not the Seshkin Kingdom’s capital. It is much better than Brackenfell in the sense of where Estin City is and in how nice of a town it is. Honestly, any of the kingdoms may get upset since we’re literally squished between all of them.”

Gardi nodded in agreement. “We should fish while we can and get a move on if we want to keep our catch from rotting.” He knocked on the table, earning a solid rapport. “Will this be… uh, destroyed if we leave it behind.”

Destroyed no. Put away, yes. It’ll be easy to bring back when needed, which is when this island is ready for inhabitants. If a new city is deemed a capital, the table can be freely moved to where the champion wants it, assuming he is in control of that area.

“What are the gods like?” Dami blurted as if she’d been holding onto the question.

I shrugged. “Like anyone else, I suppose. I know that kinda takes some fun out of it, but they have hopes, dreams, aspirations, goals, likes, dislikes, and…” I heaved out a sigh. “You get the point. The big thing is, for us mortals, life is fleeting. If given a second chance, be grateful and make the most of it, so I plan on it.”

“Well said,” a sultry omnipresent voice said.

I didn’t reply to that, merely grinning that the Creator likely just broke her own rules for the Game of Castles. These three brave souls just heard a god talk, proving they existed. Even if the game already had done so with the table words, this sealed the deal, likely pulling them to my cause further, or pushing them away faster.

“Was that?” Rosa asked in dismay.

“Yup. This is the real deal. One day, I’ll be powerful, wealthy, and able to marshal an army to roll over Brackenfell. For now, I need a base. In theory I could kill Tolgar and steal Brackenfell, and I still may, but I’ll always want a mighty keep with a river for a moat to fall back to. Yeah… The Clear Isle is where I’ll stake my ground,” I said proudly.

“Once we clean it,” Dami said.

“Once we clean it.” I pointed to Rosa then Gardi. “You guys in? Now’s the time to take off in a different direction.”

“Can I get a raise?” Rosa asked with a spreading grin.

Gardi joined in. “I want one of those, too.”

“We know what you want,” Rosa teased Dami before she could say anything. “A champion’s child is sacred and scary.” Dami playfully batted her eyelashes, cupping my ass with a solid grab. Rosa grinned. “So… What’s the plan?”

“I was thinking Gardi is right. We kill as many cavives as we can, then we haul ass down to Lao, sell the raft, hire some workers, buy supplies, and haul it all up here,” I said as if it were that easy.

“There might be more kobold nests on the way down,” Rosa said.

Gardi grunted. “There have been rumors of minotaurs, orcs, and other savage species besides wildlings roaming the area. Plus, we need to think about food just as much as cleaning. If we can’t grow, we need chickens, and that means a coop so they can sleep without predation. And yeah, a half dozen goats would do wonders for this island. Which, uh, this is odd, but how many coins do you have?”

“Character sheet,” I whispered.

The character sheet on the table is different from out in the field, but not by much.

Adam Clear

Fledgling Lord of The Clear Isle.

Lord Points: 167.22

Influence Points: 0 - your departure from Brackenfell with no intent to return has removed any influence there. If you do return, some, but not all of your IP for that city will return.

Military Points: 15

Family Points: 10 - Dami has converted to devoted status, her last name is now Clear.

“Oh, uh, okay.” I struggled to respond.

Dami hugged me from the side. Rosa gestured for me to kiss her, so I clamped the little mousy woman in a hug and kissed her forehead. It’d only been a few days, and I wasn’t exactly a fan of stage 20 clingers in my past life.

In this one… I found it soothing.

I wasn’t sure, but I needed help and I wasn’t pushing away the sexy little woman. The table flashed a message, breaking our short silence.

You have 3 attribute points unassigned.

“Add them to… stamina. I have to sprint sometimes, and it sucks to run out so fast,” I said.

A swelling of powerful orange magic shot out of the soil, slamming into my core. I lifted off the ground for just a fraction of a second, before landing softly with a fading glow of godly magic. My muscles didn’t grow in size, becoming more defined instead.

Name: Adam Clear

Champion for the God of Barter

Height: 6’ 0”

Weight: 218lbs

Age: 25

General Level: 9

Strength: 4

Stamina: 4

Dexterity: 3

Constitution: 1

Endurance: 1

Healing: 1

Magic Type: Golem

Magic Level: 7

Spell Assignment: Water Golem

“We can hold some questions for later, this part is important.” I definitely cut off all three of them to progress through the day. “Basically, my money comes from the gods. I kill stuff, I get coins.” Dami blinked a few times. “System, display the kobold rewards please.”

Completed Quest: Eradicate the kobolds of Jodi River Keep.

Reward Granted: 50 Lord Points.

Optional Reward Claimed: Claim the ruins to earn an interactive magical table.

Kill Rewards:

13 lessor kobolds: 17.223 LP

1 greater kobold: 8.334 LP

1 cavive: .9 LP

Display ratios for conversion to Lao Currency.

The coin rations go by different names, but the ratios are the same.

100,000 LP = 1 Gold (Krakens).

100 LP = 1 Silver (Sharks).

.1 LP = 1 Bronze (Minnows).

“Wow. You weren’t kidding. Does this work for your… subjects as well?” Gardi asked, scratching at the stubble on his beard.

Yes. In the Game of Castles, a Lord is nothing without those he rules. Subjects can and will aid in the Champion’s goals of creating something bigger than himself. Their efforts accumulate. If his subjects do nothing, he gains nothing.

“You keep saying ‘he’ a lot. Are there female rulers?” Rosa asked, folding her arms under her moderate breasts.

On this world, no, but there are matriarchy competitions where women rule, collecting men to their side. Here it is patriarchy.

“Huh, I guess that’s fair. I could only imagine what that is like,” Rosa said, not earning a reply. The screen returned to the coin conversion. “Lao will take Estin coins just fine, but since their capital is connected to a seaport a few weeks downriver, they prefer the sea themed coins. We have a silver and a half to convert this into a keep.” Rosa mulled it over, tossing her head about. “Maybe that much. In reality it’ll cost thousands of silver or a whole bunch of volunteer work.”

I rocked on my feet, tempering my reply. “Gotta start somewhere.”

“The skin and kobold parts will fetch a nice bounty too. Look. All you need is to hire workers who need coins to feed their families. They’ll come out for honest work, we keep our mouths shut, and as long as nobody bugs us, we grow,” Gardi said, using ‘we’ for the first time.

“And that’s the thing. We’re going into Lao as settlers on a budget. We lean into that. For all that is holy, nobody mentions I’m a mage or champion. We just want to fish, farm, and pay taxes on trade,” I said. “Everyone on board? Because I’d rather not have the gods respawn me to hunt you down for a betrayal, I’m not a nice man when angered.”

“Ugh, you can save the tough talk, we’re team Clear,” Rosa said.

“Very much so, my Lord.” Dami’s finger traced down my back. “May we have a night to recover after a long trip?”

“Sure, I’ll happily invest in getting a room or two worth a damn. Roughing it out here will be tough, but together, as a team, we can get this castle up,” I said, wincing at my phrasing.

Dami pinched my ass with a bounce of her brow.

“It’s cute how he blushes at your forward affections, but enough talk, let’s get moving to Lao,” Rosa said.

And so the four of us loaded up the raft with all our gains and pushed off to a town that I’d risk my very life visiting. Everything had risks, and yes, I wanted to limit mine, but I knew this was a battle I needed to meet head on. I just had to hope it went well because my castle, and our lives, depended on it.

Regor Chapter 1

Cask Region

The World is Mine!

“You look lost,” a female voice said in a friendly, yet soft manner.

Regor turned, seeing a gorgeous strawberry blonde elf fidgeting under his gaze. He flashed his trademark smile, the one that normally bailed him out of so many problems. Of course, he sometimes landed in the ‘depths of the void’ sorta trouble with it too.

The person who noticed him staring at the gargoyle seemed like a lovely young lady who showed an interest in him. Sure enough she waved in a welcoming way.

“I hear there are grand cities filled with such carvings in such numbers I could get lost in the art for months,” Regor said in wonderment. “Do you know any nearby by chance?”

The younger elf, probably half his prior age, nodded. The Creator and Igran the God of Chaos, returned him to his youthful vibrance of twenty-five, a fact he was extremely grateful for.

She answered. “Yes, Obatha is only two weeks south or shorter if you take a river barge. Where… Where are you from, good sir?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Regor said, tucking his hands behind his back. Somehow telling her he should be in the Crispin Galaxy on a test flight for a trade-in he got a super deal on didn’t seem prudent. However, in her blue eyes, he found hope. “I find myself a bit lost, will you join me for a walk?”

“I’d love to, but I’m late for work. The barges are just that way though. A handsome elf like you should have no problems anywhere in Cask, but I suppose you know that,” she said, finding the courage to escape his charm.

Before her butterflies sent her running, he gently touched her elbow, sliding a finger down her wrist. “How about I take you out for dinner after work?” She’d found enough time to deviate and make a comment to a stranger which meant she was being brave, taking a risk. “Beauty like yours is exceptionally rare.”

“I… I’d like that. I work at the Merrimont, washing sheets. It’s not easy but it's honest.”

“I can tell that about you.” Regor leaned close, earning a strong blush when he whispered into her ear. As his hot breath sent tingles down her spine, he tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear while his free hand deftly lifted the purse out of her satchel. “What’s your favorite wine?”

“Mary, ask for Mary,” she said between startled breaths. He clearly flustered her to the point she panicked.

This time, she did find the courage to flee. “And the wine?”

“Brandy,” she shouted, lightly skipping in her spring dress.

Regor was sad to see her go. In a way, everyone was a sale, a thing he told himself over the ages during his time selling spaceships to suckers. Why do work when others will do it for you with honeyed words and false promises. Then again…

He bounced the stolen purse in his palm, opening it to a single silver coin and a dozen bronze.

“I bet you have more and you’re no lowly sheet washer,” Regor whispered under his breath.

He let out a low whistle, quickly heading for the river barge. He’d woo his way onto a private boat, using most of his newfound wealth. So far, the system wanted him to fight and conquer, but that just wasn’t Regor’s way.

Coins and persuasion would be his sword and shield.

Based on how many smiles he earned for his charming looks compared to most of the locals, he knew he’d be ruling this region sooner than later.

Chapter

Thirteen

LAO

Hey, it's not a bunch of Assholes!

Once we fully loaded up the raft, it barely floated, taking on water just enough for me to worry. To fix it, we salvaged some rope from the ruins wanting to do things right. Over the next hour, while the others prepared, I dislodged floating logs from the rocks and carried them to the busted dock to shove under the raft. Once they were firmly attached to the raft, it floated with more than enough buoyancy.

Rosa was skeptical, but we pushed off, quickly getting caught in the gentle current. I used those first few hours to make sure we would be fine, guiding the raft away from either shore with a long push pole. My hypervigilance waned when it became clear we were in for a boring mission.

I reflected on home, finding my mind wandering about so many what if scenarios. I eventually set them aside, taking the time to re-evaluate the ruins. The more I thought about it, the more I liked being in the middle of nowhere with ample space, defenses, and lots of raw materials.

And yes, it was going to be expensive to restore and since every coin mattered, we fished while we drifted. If trading goods that would rot was going to be a regular thing, I definitely needed an ice golem or an ice mage on my team.

For the first day, nothing happened. We smoothly drifted with the flow, taking turns with the push pole to avoid the shores. Besides the fishing to pass the time, we did find ourselves somewhat bored, which changed suddenly.

On the second morning, we drifted around a bend, seeing two orcs with horns coming out their heads. They loomed over the shoreline, arguing about something stuck in the rocks at the river’s edge.

Thankfully, I happened to be glancing in their direction at the right time so I could react quickly. The raft’s mast had been converted into a storage spot of sorts, holding my bow and arrows.

“Shush,” I gently whispered to the others who started to notice the commotion up ahead. “Everyone stay calm and quiet.”

The finely crafted white bow gently popped off the peg. I grabbed an arrow from the quiver, slotted it against the sinew and waited. The orcs seemed focused on each other, arguing over something in between the rock without violence but lots of shouting. Whatever it was, it kept them fully engaged.

I stood stoic, poised for a moving shot. Right when I worried they’d look up, I unleashed the first arrow.

Twang!

The projectile’s shaft bent with a flutter before it entered a tight spin. As if reading my mind, Rosa handed me an arrow. I stayed calm, accepted her offer, and quickly nocked the arrow.

After a quick sighting, a second later, it twirled toward the other orc.

The first arrow slammed into the orc’s throat. He flew backwards, clutching at his windpipe from the damage. His buddy stared at him in shock until my second arrow slammed into the back of his head. He died, never understanding the situation, landing face first into the jagged shore.

I wasn’t too sad. In fact, I was super proud of myself since the wet arrows during the kobold fight weren’t kill shots. This time, I did a pretty epic float by execution.

“Damn fine shot,” Gardi said with a grunt.

“Uh can we get my arrows back?” I asked, glancing around in the hopes of finding a way to the shore.

Rosa stood on her tippy toes. “I want to know what they were arguing over.”

“Right! I bet it was a stuck fish.” Dami didn’t bother trying to stand taller, knowing if Rosa was too short, she definitely was too.

Gardi shrugged, pointing to the large distance between us and the bank. “It’s sorta a ride.”

Rosa sputtered her lips. “I’m sure we can buy new arrows if you truly earned a reward.”

“You have a point. This is a competition, best to treat it that way.” I patted her on the shoulder and the lovely elf leaned into me with her blue eyes oddly flaring with hunger. “Reward,” I whispered. Time froze and text flashed in my vision.

You have slain a level 14 demonic orc. You have gained 95 LP.

You have slain a level 11 demonic orc. You have gained 73 LP.

“A silver and a half,” I excitedly replied.

“Nice! And we didn’t have to even do much,” Dami said with her chipper tone. “By we, I mean you. He was amazing right, Rosa.”

Rosa glanced up at me with a bitten lip of desire. I chuckled, covering for her since the others couldn’t see her face. “She’s a bit stunned.” I shook her shoulder. “Hey, pretty girl with her big brain, I have a question.”

“You think I’m pretty?” Rosa asked, turning a leaf.

Seeing me kill those monsters likely triggered something unexpected, but she wasn’t stunned. She was likely processing raw emotions. “Yeah, of course. Hey, so, the minotaur at Ban’s, he spoke perfect Tolmerian. Those orcs though, they argued in something I couldn’t decipher.”

“Hmm…” The fire faded, and she cutely tapped her chin. “Well, they weren’t normal orcs with their horns. Orcs can fit into any of the regional tropes. They can be wild, feral with their own languages. Those are the kind parents warn their children about. Some can be reasoned with, but most fall into this society of kill or be killed and it rarely ends well.

“Orcs can also be a part of the Hilloc Council. Think of civilized monster people to the north, a totally different but recognized language that some scholars know. The Hilloc Nation tends to battle with rules and respect.

“Finally, as you saw with the minotaur, orcs can be Tolmerian and live in one of the three kingdoms as civilized people. They grow up no different than most except being a lower class citizen in the eyes of some, but they actually have full rights. But those, those creatures were different.”

“The Game of Castles prompt called them… demonic.”

Dami shuddered. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

“The land changes when the Game of Castles ensues.” Rosa gently laid a hand on my forearm. “There’s much we need to study, and even more we should fear.”

∞∞∞

“Surprised this thing is still floating,” the riverguard commented, staring at us like we were crazy.

The dwarf was paired with a stern-faced man who pointed to the sticks at the front. “They modified it. Actually, where’d ya get this raft?”

I faced two options with how to respond, and yes, we talked about this very scenario on our trip down the river: did I lie, or did I come clean?

“Upstream, there’s an old island fort,” I said. The instant my words came out of my mouth, a fancy looking officer glanced at us with interest. She was a female elven ranger with a fancy bow attached to her back and a very thick braid to contain her hair.

The officer stepped forward with a palm up, halting the conversation. “You speak of the kobold haven?” she asked with the guards stepping back.

“Uh, yeah. I killed them and -”

“The bridge is out, our scouts' reports don’t lie,” the officer said with a haughty tone and upturned nose.

I furrowed my brow and tucked my chin, biting my tongue to keep myself from giving a snippy reply. “Actually, it is semi-intact. Our mousy crossed the unusual bridge no problem.”

“But you didn’t?” she asked.

After a charismatic shrug, I replied, “I swam across nude with this bow, those arrows, and that sword. I then -”

“You’re insane!” she blurted.

I chuckled lightly with a half-hearted finger wag. “Uh, maybe, actually, hard to argue that one. Anyway, it's not like you can’t just sail a boat upriver with paddles and hit them during the day,” I said.

“There aren’t many boats that can make the trip. This raft belonged to an ornery old fisherman who would camp during the day and fish at dusk and dawn. Omar’s been missing for about… six, maybe seven moons. But it’s his boat, and that’s his bolt thrower,” she said, pointing to the weapon confidently.

“Definitely were not mine to begin with. Hey, look, I killed the kobolds and need a place to set up while I perform some quests from my lord. As far as I can tell, that isle is in unclaimed land. I don’t mind paying taxes, or providing my scouting data, but I’d like to make friends, if that makes sense,” I said, flashing a smile.

She bobbed her head about, folding her arms in contemplation. “I get it, I really do. I like sleeping behind a nice wall, but adventure calls to me. You can call me Captain Elim, my husband’s a scout for Count Agov and my sister is married to the count’s brother.”

“She’s practically royalty,” the dwarf teased, earning a glare.

“Can it, Mr. Nevergetspromoted. As for you,” her eyes settled on me, “it’ll take a rider a few days to race up north, but if you stay put, and they verify the truth, there’s a reward for those deaths. Unfortunately, I have to take the raft and thrower, Omar had a family,” Elim said with a fake pout.

“Adam,” I replied to her introduction. “And of course about Omar's things. Sorry I can’t provide proof of his death, but the kobolds gnawed on the bones. Uh, also, I have proof of their deaths in a blood bag somewhere under this mess.”

“This one, Lord Adam,” Dami said, showcasing a bag with flies on the outside.

“Speaking of which, can we get these fish to market now? The bottom four are in need of freezing or being fed to animals,” I said.

“We get worse. Dock over there, Alvin will come by to offload and offer a parchment. Take that to the magistrate’s office where you’ll need to make a claim on your quest as well. But hey, do me a favor, check into the Swallow, it's a decent enough bar for adventurers with a bath drain in the basement,” Elim said, nudging the dwarf with her shoulder. “You can escort them. This is Gar, he hates standing still anyway.”

“I suppose I got the excitement I wanted. Been such a dull day,” Gar said, smacking his hands together before rubbing them. “I’ll never get promoted standing around, will I!”

The chain that barred our path into Lao lowered when Elim signaled a controller. A curved wall towered over the guards and the dock where the checkpoint took place. The reddish hue to the stones that stacked at least thirty feet high reflected the sun with an odd glow. The mostly brown water swept into the city, then exited out a back side we couldn’t see yet.

A different scent of dirty water rested where the city designers forced the river to bend around piles and piles of stones. It made sense for the people of Lao to use the river as their dumping ground, and I knew if Clear Isle grew, we’d do the same thing.

At night, during a siege, or whenever the guards wanted, a portcullis could drop to control the opening, something I noted I’d need four of if we ever properly expanded.

We drifted through the wall’s tunnel, arriving at the other end. A crew of dock workers rushed over helping us dock. I vaulted off the raft first, helping secure it to the lower walkway. A manager-type fairy arrived, noting everything the deck hand dragged onto the dock. He tallied all our gear, minimal supplies, weapons, and I even noticed that he counted shoes. I didn’t bother him, letting him do his job.

When he finished, the administrator said, “We can buy this haul, or you can pay to have it stored and taken to market. We take five percent and -”

“Coins please,” I replied quickly.

He finished some notations. “Thanks for doing business with Lao, Lord Adam.”

I checked over our receipt, finding myself mildly impressed. The cavive’s skin hides were worth a fair bit more than I expected. The kobold ears and eyeballs were worthless, something to note for later, especially since eyeballs were a bitch to get out. All in all, we ended up with just over two silvers worth of earnings.

Gar flicked his head towards a proper city at the end of our long dock. No massive ships lay in slips with large masts and rowing ports like I sorta expected. Instead, only barge type creations that were pretty much just huge rafts slid into storage spots. Not far away, a small pile of timber rested, waiting to be bundled before going further down river.

Big wooden warehouses permeated a musky stench of rotting wood and I yearned to finally get clean. The entire place seemed like a fire hazard since the rest of the town was stone but so much of the river section relied on wood.

As we walked off the dock, a set of oxen brought a dry barge to a boat ramp type thing. I understood what I was witnessing. The barges went downriver to Seshkin, then were hauled on wheels up to Lao. Hopefully, I’d be doing the same thing, just on a different scale.

Lao itself was hard to see from the sunken river and the high banks. A few towers loomed from their perches in the skyline and a central fortification dominated the horizon, but the scope of the city proved hard to ascertain until we left the guarded river docks for the city roads.

Traffic here was far heavier than in Brackenfell, but the same thing repeated like it had when I met Asmi. Small clumps of similar species congregated, odd mixings were rare, and people wore decent clothing while hurrying about their day. Maybe it was because of the river, or the ocean port hauling fish inland, but the amount of starving people seemed thinner here.

The buildings themselves favored solid foundations with river stone walls while the roofs, doors, and shutters were a blonde wood. A few of the city homes stuck planters under windows with shutters spread wide to let in the city air and noise.

Guards roamed everywhere, which bothered me. I wasn’t sure if the threats in the area were new and put in place for me, but this army could easily have killed those kobolds and earned their lord’s reward as well as potion ingredients. There had to be something holding them back and I just didn’t know it yet.

Gar led us down an alley that was surprisingly clean, taking us to the back entrance of a tavern where some of the staff lingered. He ignored them, walking in as if he owned the place. The cooks and servers briefly inspected us before returning to their discussion while they worked.

We ended up in a basement bathhouse of sorts. It was more or less just a single tub of clean water with soap on a rack, towels, and buckets. Unfortunately, Gardi was with us. We really needed to bathe because we all smelled like shit, and I could have sex later, but it did spoil the potential setting.

I tossed my bag in a corner, stripping down. My clothes went into another bucket for washing. My other set smelled like fish as well, so this wouldn’t exactly be a quick trip.

“Adam, what was your home like?” Rosa asked.

When she removed her top, her pert breasts reminded me what lean diets did to boob sizes. She gestured to the bucket I worked on, testing me to see if I’d wash her clothes.

“Toss them in. All of you. It just makes it easier. Same with our backup and we’re going to fix our basic essential issues here soon,” I said, watching Rosa shimmy out of her pants.

Gardi tossed me his clothes, then turned around at this point, making sure his one eye didn’t wander by going behind a curtain separator.

Rosa brazenly walked to within inches of me, drawing a curtain so I had to watch her finish stripping. I’d seen her battered and broken, nude to the world. Now that she was whole, I respected the view with a smirk. Dami stripped beside her to ensure she was within eyeshot, winning a grin from me.

“I’m going to be careful with how I answer. However, I can say a lot that will help make me relatable. My mother didn’t know my father, but I did. After years of searching, it sorta just happened when I found his coworker. Next thing I know, I met him and his family during my brother’s sports game. I walked up, said I was a friend of his son’s and asked to have a word.”

I continued washing the clothes while my eyes lingered on the ladies’ nude forms. Yes, Rosa shut the curtain, and yes, I probably should not be so blatant, but she soaped her breasts an extra bit for me, earning a giggle from Dami. This wasn’t the place for us to do more than tease, but I already suspected she’d throw herself at me, a fact I’d be lucky for.

“And what did you say?” Dami asked, snapping me out of my daze.

“Uh, I told him the truth, warning him to keep a straight face. He asked what I wanted, and I told him nothing. No money, no help, just to know that he should shelter his family and cherish his wife. Mom never had it good, ever. His wife did. He thanked me, asked a few questions, then told me he was sorry, and even though it didn’t matter, he was proud with how I handled the situation,” I said, feeling a mix of emotions.

“Sorry,” Gardi said from behind his curtain. “I… I can feel the pain in your words. A father’s love is profound in some ways, ruthless in others.”

“Well said. Anyway, I’ve moved on. I had to. I’m not an overly complex man. I like sports, I like the outdoors, and I don’t mind hard work,” I said, finishing the lavender soaking of the clothes. I tossed mine into the clean water bucket, working Dami’s next while she and Rosa rinsed themselves. “Growing up, I struggled, never really knowing where I’d end up. Tolmeria definitely wasn’t the place I expected to call home.”

“And how did you come to be on this quest?” Rosa asked.

This was part of our faked story, meaning if someone listened in, we’d be fine. “I told Tolgar it was that my heart desired what I could not have. That’s not quite true, but it is if you think I desired riches. In the end, someone I minimally trusted, betrayed me. I expected a double cross, just not such a severe one.”

“You seem hardened by something,” Dami said, hurrying over to finish the clothes while I washed.

While I soaped my front, Rosa finished, shifting to wash the clothes with Dami.

“Phrasing,” Rosa teased. “But she has a point. You’re not jumpy or nervous. Hell, you killed those kobolds, then gutted them yourself.”

“Once you process a deer, you go numb, and before you all think I’m some hero. I’ve had my problems. Back home, we have this smokable pipe medicine to mellow folks out. For a while, when I sold it, it was highly illegal. I spent some time in a… dungeon of sorts. It wasn’t very long, but I learned a lot, and I didn’t make that mistake again. Eventually I grew out of the get rich quick mindset, growing up with my experiences shaping me. The irony was, a few years later, the pipe weed was okay to buy and sell… if taxed,” I said with a snicker.

“There’s mushrooms like that here,” Gardi said, smacking his clothes against a bar to flick the water off. The four of us wrang out our clean clothes, knowing they’d dry later since the day was young and the sun shone bright.

A mistress of the tavern arrived, leaning against a wall patiently. “Welcome to The Swallow. I’m Feth.” She jabbed her thumb into her shoulder, huffing a strand of black and gray out of her eyes. “It’s five bronze per bed per night. Two per bed max unless you have kiddos, which you don’t. Four per night if you stay four or more nights. Simple rules, simple math. Anything, and I mean anything else is extra, including using this room which is a bronze per.”

“Are all the rooms standard?” I asked.

“There’s balcony rooms, but they’re triple. Two beds in there though.”

I reached into a bag, grabbing thirty bronze coins. I set them in her hand. “Balcony and fresh water and ale on the tables with covers on the pitchers.”

“Maggie!” Feth bellowed.

A lass ran down, getting our order and being told to inform another woman to clean our nasty water. Feth spun on her heels, leading us away. We followed her up the stairs, through the kitchen, up two more zig-zag sets of stairs and were shown a large room with a lovely balcony.

“Where we left is the bathing area. The door on the right is the bucket room or direct deposit when you got to shit. There’s a charge for using the bucket. Again, everything costs extra, and you haggle with the person or persons providing the service. Oh, and get your own lock for the door. If you’re not out by zenith tomorrow, me or Angie visit for more coins. You fail to pay and leave, bouncers remove you,” Feth said, leaving the room promptly.

I called up my interface, asked for four bags of thirty bronze each, and then returned to regular time.

“As we discussed on the trip downriver, here is some clothes shopping money. Right now, we’re nobodies barely causing a splash besides killing some kobolds. Let’s keep it that way. Meet back here after you’re done shopping and remember to buy me clothes with one of those bags,” I said.

“Docks for backup?” Gardi asked.

“The entrance, yes. I’m going to cash this receipt then work on buying us a ride home. Either something we can row upriver or ride in. I’ll probably be gone for a bit but expect to be back by supper. If I don’t arrive a few hours after dark, try the docks, and if no docks, then… I honestly don’t know,” I admitted.

Dami slammed into my side with a fierce hug. “Can I go with you?”

“No, not this time, I need you to help us prepare for living in isolation. Meanwhile, I should establish contacts. Be safe, spend wisely, and I look forward to seeing you guys for dinner.”

And with that, I went into Lao to learn what I could with what would likely be one of my biggest trade partners.

Chapter

Fourteen

LAO

We’re not Lazy, it’s Politics!

Before I went to the bank, I bought a local set of nice robes, an actual sword, and got a haircut along with a fresh shave. I’d never been big on beards, almost always having an itchy face at some point.

For a few extra bronze coins, I picked up a shaving kit to go with it. When I arrived at the bank, an older gentleman in fine attire was waiting with a book and a pipe. He bounced a knee, interested in his reading until he noticed me. I found his genuine smile welcoming. His hair was mostly gray, his frame sturdy and fit, and he had kind eyes, almost like a teacher.

“You must be Lord Adam,” the man said.

I dipped my head in respect. “I am, and who do I have the honor of meeting.”

“Baron Hargrin and lord of Count Agov’s military operations as well as expansions. Barret, grab his receipt and pay him,” Hargrin said to a lackey from behind the magistrate’s counter.

I handed off the slip, standing there in silence while we waited. He finished reading a passage, snapped his book closed, and rose right as I received two hefty purses. The Baron led me out of the bank, enjoying the sunshine on his face by raising his chin with a sigh.

“Such a beautiful day. So, I hear you’re not from the region,” Hargrin said, picking up a brisk pace through the city. I frowned at his assumption. “Elim sent me to deal with you, cutting out the middleman.”

“Ever heard of a place called Texas?” I asked.

“Can’t say that I have. I’m going to assume it’s far away.”

We deviated through mild traffic that thinned. In the distance, the clang of metal drowned out the chatter of the city folk. This section of the city had fewer shops, more apartments, and no balconies on any of the buildings.

In the distance, a big arch to a section of the city held the words Lao Military Operations.

“Very. I visited Brackenfell after stumbling into a swamp. Estin didn’t exactly seem impressive, and I heard about Lao,” I said, telling a bit of my past.

“That’d explain the former concubine of Lord Talgor in our city.” He paused short of the entry, tucking his hands behind his back. “And the mousy, why her?”

“Oh, uh, well, she threw herself at me, and I honestly have been loving the attention,” I admitted.

“You don’t care about her birth status?” He raised an eyebrow with this question.

“Nope. Not on a personal level. I won’t be going to balls or galas and trying to shove my viewpoints on others, but I’ll treat her well,” I said.

“Huh, and that sword on your hip, any good with it?”

I didn’t exactly like his question, or the way he asked it. I figured a lie would not help me here. “No.”

“And your weapon of choice?”

I folded my arms, reaching that point of irritation where I had to show some of it. “A bow, why ask?”

“You didn’t study me, did you?” Baron Hargrin gestured for us to enter the training grounds. I went first, somewhat unhappy with how our conversation was going. “It’s okay. I have to assume you’re a spy. Four Hells, you may still be one, but to what end? To what end indeed?”

I crossed under the arch, seeing at least a hundred men and women training for war. Sparring dummies felt the wrath of trainee swords, archers fired on a long range, and in a special ring an orc and a dwarf clashed steel blades. Everywhere I looked, soldiers with far more experience and skill than me prepared for battle to the point it baffled me.

“The kobolds were weak and pathetic, the hags reckless with abandon, the wildlings ripe for hunting in the day,” I said as a blanket statement.

“You’ve been busy.”

“Yeah, apparently the only one to do anything about the problems plaguing the lands.” I snorted, letting him hear my judgment.

“Yes, there’s been a surge of recent threats around our city, and those of our neighbors. Demonic hybrids just sacked a caravan on the way to Estin to trade salted fish for horses. Damn fine horses those Estin folks breed.” We paused outside the ring where the two warriors battled. “You wonder why we didn’t sally forth and crush them?”

“Yeah, honestly. Why let your trade routes become clogged with the dead,” I said.

“Politics. King Vardrin of Estin intends to take Brackenfell into the fold. When he does that, he’ll expand his border closer to ours. King Krastor, our wise and sage ruler, wanted to prove that Estin can’t even protect their new section of the trade route, leaving us to only manage the road up to a certain point. Our portion is safe,” Hargrin said.

“Yeah, well, Tolgar and Brackenfell are pathetic with mercenaries supporting his rule. Not a fan of the guy, even if we came to terms.”

“Ha! I couldn’t agree more. They struggle, using all their males to farm and care for their animals while we don’t do any of that. It only takes a few men to manage a boat that can feed thousands. We trade with everyone along the southern coast. Alas, when the time comes, they have the cavalry, we don’t. Ever hit a knight on a horseback with an arrow?” Hargrin asked.

“Can’t say that I have. I sorta get the dilemma, but again, the kobolds are in your zone,” I said.

“Just outside of it and harming absolutely no one.” He pointed to a sour looking werecat male who oversaw a dozen archers. “That’s Captain Kra, a fine archer. He was set to head north to take out the kobolds tomorrow. We didn’t realize they’d attacked a fisherman, wanting to use them to help break in a new unit. A unit that needed time to -”

“Train. I have a feeling I’m going to experience some of these delays one day,” I said.

“I figured you were some kind of questing lord. Why stop here? More importantly, and why pick an island no one wants or cares for. Why not quest out of Lao?” Baron Hargrin asked.

I smiled, feeling like we were finally getting somewhere. “There’s no glory hiding behind these walls, and I need a lot of glory or a glorious death. I respect your position. You have an army to raise, people to protect, and a Count to answer to. I… I need to do my own thing, and it seems like this area is heating up with the action,” I said, using an animated hand when I mentioned ‘area’.

“Your idiom seems off, but I can maybe correlate. Well, I have to take you at face value for now. To be clear, the only thing you’re requesting is to be left alone?” Baron Hargrin asked.

“Quite the opposite. I need to trade, purchase material, hire laborers, and of course, pay taxes,” I said with a scoff. “That’s my bribe for peace. I do intend to trade with Seshkin, Estin, and Gorm. Through trade I can help establish a base in the middle of… everything.”

“I have a meeting with the Count tomorrow. The delay is so our scout verifies your success. For now, let’s assume you’re telling the truth. You want to go into the wilds to play adventurer and you intend to risk death for minimal gain,” Baron Hargrin paused when I held up a finger. “Fine, I saw your receipt, it’s what a captain earns every three moons.”

“You don’t seem displeased by the notion,” I said.

“No, mostly because I have someone I want you to meet. Someone everyone ignores who may be perfect for you,” Hargrin said, shifting to his right to wave over a mousy lad of sixteen or younger. “This is my son, Ryak. Ryak, this is Lord Adam of Texas, a man on a mission to die in battle.”

The young lad wore a form of chainmail I’d never seen while carrying a sword. His ears jutted out of his metal helmet with numerous nicks and cuts on them. He barely reached five feet tall, being shorter than most women.

Ryak bowed with respect, skidding to a stop before me. “Care to duel?”

I shook my head. “Fight him,” I pointed to a cocky man with a wolf tail who flirted with a female archer.

“Brickro! In the pit, non lethals,” Hargrin barked.

Ryak ran to grab a wooden sword and once he was in the pit, I asked, “You want me to take your son to his death?”

“He has exceptional hearing.”

“Yeah, right. I learned that lesson already. This goes back to you asking about Dami. I plan to have a mousy son one day, so you figure I might give the outcast a try?”

Brickro finally arrived in the pit with a sour snarl. When the fight started, it was easy to see why. Ryak was lightning quick and highly skilled, which made sense. He was the underdog with something to prove, and his entire life was likely dedicated to tell society it could fuck itself.

“No company will take him without a proven battle record, and I can’t show favor -”

A third blow landed on Brickro, ruining his bragging rights to the archer. I could see the big werewolf getting angrier by the second. The young man, for he did have a bit of stubble on his face, could fight like a demon for his size. I respected that, and I needed someone just like him.

In addition, I needed allies, and from what I could tell, the people of Lao were about eighty percent half-decent. I concluded that eating food changed your demeanor, who knew?

As I watched Ryak destroy his opponent in the ring, I remembered a lesson I learned in high school. The gym coach pulled us aside day by day to have us lead the class. I’d always been charismatic, confident, and mostly competent, but I’d never been in charge of someone else as a boss besides for a science project.

Mr. Small, a big portly fellow who was anything but small, told me that yelling wasn’t needed beyond getting attention. People hate being shouted at, but they can’t exactly stop fighting or working with loud hammers, if you whisper at them to stop. That resonated with me, and while I never was thrust into many life or death command situations before, I felt capable of handling a small force, and so did Asmi and the Creator.

“Enough!” I bellowed to end the one-sided fight. I lowered my voice, still making it loud and commanding without shouting. “Ryak, depart the ring. Report to The Swallow in the morning. You march to war as soon as the diplomats find the time to talk.” A collective gasp escaped from the soldiers. I turned to his father. “I need you to comp my room if it is going to take longer than a day. I have shopping to do and one more mouth to plan for.”

“And here I thought he’d have to bribe you,” Ryak said in passing.

I snatched his arm, stopping him mid-stride. “Your anger is from the pit, a feeling I fully understand. Don’t taint your victory today with sharp words. You’ll be disciplined with your emotions, or you’ll end up returning to this training ground as a failure.”

“Yes, Lord Adam. I understand and apologize for my outburst,” Ryak said, tucking his chin down before storming off.

His father snorted. “To be fair, I’ve tried to bribe the few mercenaries who visit.”

“Fuck them. They probably are thinking tactics with formations and set doctrines. I crawled through bushes to hack apart wildlings then broke the roof for the kobolds to kill them. As I slide my blade through more and more chests that belong to pleading eyes desperate for mercy, I am starting to learn that all that matters is victory,” I said softly.

“I should be bothered, but I’m not. My bastard, which means no tie to me officially, will be with your group in the morning. I’ll ask, but feel free to decline, what do you need to ease your trip north?”

I chuckled. “Stuff I’d ask for anyway. About the only thing extra I need is an outlet for his affections.” I leaned in and whispered, “Is he a man yet?”

“I’m a noble of this city, of course he has a wife. A lovely bunny girl named Alma who’s swollen with her first child,” Baron Hargrin said proudly. Then it dawned on him. “No. She’s not going, but he’ll behave. My wife adores her, and it’ll be her first grandbaby. Zero chance she lets her die when she’s this close.”

My empty palms shot up defensively. “No chance I try to get between lady business. I respect it more than most. This is welcome news. All I need now are basic essentials, some workers, and transportation to The Clear Isle,” I said, slowly walking for the exit. “Assuming all the paperwork is approved.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Baron Hargrin said. “At least I hope it won’t be.”

I winced, knowing the deal would likely hit a snag since he just had to say something.

Chapter

Fifteen

LAO

Face Down, Thumbs Up!

Dami found me on the balcony, glass of smoky liquor in my hand, idly watching the busy traffic in the streets below. My meeting with Baron Hargrin and his son Ryak had given me plenty to consider. The crowds decreased as the sun disappeared, but the city was too large to ever fully sleep.

It was busy and insatiable at all hours, much like the mousy woman joining me.

"The rest of the group are eating supper downstairs. Did you get everything done you want to, Adam?" Hope colored her voice, whether for sex or affection I could not guess. Despite our time together, the poor woman still seemed starved for any kind of attention.

"I met Baron Hargrin," I said, taking a sip of the smooth liquor to wet my throat. "Both him and his mousy son."

"Oh," she said when I paused. "I hope nothing bad happened. I'm sorry if I ruined anything by being with you. I warned you that lowborns like me aren't--"

"Stop," I said, setting down my glass and taking her hands in mine. I could feel the fine bones shifting under my broad palms. "Nothing amiss happened. In fact, he'd already done quite a lot of homework. He knew about us, asked quite a few questions about you and me in particular."

Dami had gone completely still, the way a small animal does when a predator is nearby. I'd clearly shocked her, and she still did not believe me that everything was fine.

I squeezed her hands. "I mean it. He asked how I felt about you, and I told him I didn't give a damn about your birth status. I'm going to have a mousy son one day, and I want the world to know that lowborns are just as good as highborns."

She blinked, tears filling her eyes. "You care for me?” I nodded. “You want a child from me? I thought you were just using me for sex."

"Not quite," I said. I did not like seeing her upset and wanted to convince her that being lowborn was not a hang-up for me. "I do want a child, but I don't want it from just any mousy woman. You're special to me. I liked you from the moment I saw you."

"I'm special?" she asked, her voice a soft whisper.

"Very." I nodded. "You're smart, beautiful, and you're brave. You're the perfect type of woman."

"All she needs is the right man," Dami said, not quite able to hide her joy.

"I'll be that man," I said, leaning down and pressing my lips against hers. She twisted her fingers in my hair, squeezing me with every inch of her thin arms.

"Please be," she whispered as I pulled back. "We’d make the most adorable children."

"Good," I said. "I'm glad we're on the same page." I nuzzled her neck. She smelled of cedar, and the expensive soap used by the higher class. Her thin arms squeezed me back, her body trembling from the emotions flowing through her.

Pressing closer, she thrust her breasts against me, making the most of her modest cleavage revealed from her scoop-necked dress. "Will you give me that baby tonight, Adam? Gods, I want your baby so bad that it hurts. Please don't make me wait any longer," she begged.

"We don't need to wait," I said, sliding my hand down her side, tracing my fingers along her sleek curves. Good solid meals had filled out her thin frame. I wondered what she would look like round with my child inside her. "I didn't wait before, and I can't wait now." I brought my lips back to hers, not able to get enough of her.

She squeezed me against her, never breaking our kiss. Her slender legs wrapped around my waist, pulling me as close as she could.

"Please, my handsome Adam," she murmured between heated, desperate kisses. "Please give me what I want."

I lifted her up, carrying her into the bedroom. She was so light, so easy to carry, even without the points I had invested in my strength stat.

"I don’t want to wait until later tonight to make a mousy," I said, my cock hardening at the words. I tossed her onto the covers, and she bounced with an eager smile.

"I can't wait," she whispered as I climbed on top of her.

Neither could I.

I had her strip off her clothing, revealing her lean body to me. Her mousy curves were a treat. I had to hold back to keep from ravaging her right away.

She ran her fingers over my chest, tracing the lines of my sculpted muscles. I had so many points in strength that she couldn't understand just how strong I really was.

"Your muscles are so big," she whispered, leaning up to kiss my cheek. "And you're so handsome. I'm so lucky to have you." She cast her eyes downward, suddenly shy and embarrassed. "I'm lucky to have you for a lover." That last part came out in a whisper, as if she wasn't sure I was okay with that word.

I cared for her, but I knew my feelings for her were not as strong as hers were for me.

"You're so beautiful," I whispered, smoothing away the moment.

"I'll be even more beautiful when I'm pregnant." Dami smiled, her eyes glimmering with unshed tears. "I want you inside me, Adam. Don't leave me waiting any longer."

I smashed my mouth to her plush, yielding lips, our bodies heating as our tongues entwined and we got more and more naked. Her nipples brushed against my chest, and I thought of her ripening with my child.

I wanted that.

I wanted it more than anything.

"Me too," I moaned against her lips, my cock twitching against her thigh. She ran her hands down my back, her nails digging into my skin. She was as into this as I was, and she wasn't holding back at all.

I held her tight, our bodies pressed together, and I slid my cock against her slit. She was so slick with desire, so wet, that my cock slid between her folds, rubbing against her.

My cock was so hard, so stiff, and I wanted her so bad.

"Please, Adam," she moaned, her hand sliding down my body to find my shaft. She wrapped her fingers around my thickness, rubbing the head against her dripping core. "Will you fill me all the way up?" she asked, and there was no need for me to ask what she meant.

"Yes, but not like this. Get on your hands and knees. I'm going to be balls deep in your pussy when I fill you with my cum."

Her eyes went wide with excitement. Dami could not roll over fast enough to present her pretty pink pussy to me. She wiggled her ass at me, and I fell forward, pressing my cock against her entrance.

"I want it," she moaned, and I could not hold back any longer.

I slid inside her tight pussy, and she moaned so loud that I was afraid that the guards at the city gate would hear. I pressed a finger to her lips. She bit down on it then started sucking it as if she could taste my cock through it.

I slammed my cock deep into her glistening opening.

She was tight and wet and warm, her pussy hugging my cock. I slid my hands down her body, holding her slim hips, and I fucked her hard.

She gasped as her pussy stretched to accommodate my girth. "Adam!" she cried, her head dropping between her shoulders as she sobbed in ecstasy. "I've wanted this again for nights. You deprived me!"

I chuckled with a massive grin. "I know, and it’s so tight," I said as I drove into her into the onslaught of her first orgasm.

Dami gasped, her pussy grasping my cock, trying to hold it in. "I'm cumming!"

"I know," I said again, and I did know. I could feel her pussy clench around me as her orgasm rolled through her body like an earthquake, her body shaking beneath me. I held her tight as the waves rolled through her. I bounced her up and down on my cock, fucking her through her climax. I loved seeing her cum. Her pussy was so tight, so wet, so exciting as it sheathed my cock.

I thrust into her hard and fast, showing her no mercy. I was going to give her everything that she wanted. She cried out, her fingers clawing at the bed as she dropped her head to the covers.

"Again!" she begged. "I need to cum again! I want to cum again! Fill me up, Adam!"

"That's right, Dami. We're going to make you cum over and over again until that sweet little cunt of yours milks the cum right out of my body. I'm going to fill you up with so much cum, all you'll be able to do is waddle to the bathroom, and I'll be right behind you, fucking that pussy one more time."

Dami moaned so loud that I thought the entire city would know what was happening in the bedroom. She had already cum once, and I was going to give her another climax fit to rattle her soul out of her bones.

I dove into her with everything I had, driving deep into her pussy, stretching her to the limit. She had no choice now but to take it. She was on her hands and knees, her ass high in the air, her pussy open and ready for me.

"Oh, Adam!" She thrust back, her ass rubbing against my thighs. Her pussy clung to my cock like an iron vise. Gritting my teeth, I had to struggle to slide my length inside her. I watched her tender flesh grip me as I slowly withdrew. Her pussy juices completely lacquered my shaft.

"Tell me, baby," I demanded. "Tell me that you want me to fill you with my seed."

I wanted to hear Dami beg for it. I wanted to hear her try and hold back her desire for me.

I wanted to hear it so much that I drove my cock deep into her and held her there, my cock buried to the hilt in her tight, surprisingly strong pussy. I could feel her tunnel clench around me, begging for me to give her another glorious release.

"Dammit, I want it," Dami grunted as she fucked back onto my shaft. Her mouth was getting dirtier as her hunger made her crazed with passion. "Give me everything you have, ah fuck, because I'm going to take it every, uh, thick inch of it."

Her ass cheeks bounced as I fucked her harder, slamming into her tight cunt with everything I had. Dami seemed to take pleasure in the pain. I could feel her pussy closing in around my cock, trying to keep me deep inside. I pulled my length from her, giving her a moment of relief before I drove back in.

"Mmmm, Adam. Please. I'm so close. I need, ah, just a little more."

I knew that she was. I groaned as the head of my cock slid against her entrance, teasing her with the promise of another orgasm.

Spreading her knees wider, I fucked her hard and fast, each thrust shaking the bed. Her moans bounced off the stone walls and echoed in my ears. I loved the sound of her passion. I loved knowing that it was me that was making her moan and say dirty words that I didn’t think she knew.

I slammed into her sweet, tight pussy again and again. The sound of her sweaty body slapping against mine filled the room with wet smacks.

Dami gasped and grunted, her cute ass bouncing against me. Her pussy was growing tighter around my cock, trying to hold me deep inside.

Bottoming out with a thrust that completely stretched and filled her, I felt her pussy tighten amazingly around my shaft. She came like she was trying to break it off and keep it all for herself. Her ass squirmed against my thighs, and her juicy pussy pulsed around me.

"Yes!" She fell forward, her ass smacking against me. "Yes! Oh, fuck yes!" she said from under her silky brown hair.

"Good girl. You're going to be a screamer by the time I'm done with you, aren't you?"

"Yes, Adam. I'm going to scream so loud that the whole world is going to know I'm yours." She managed to lift her head and grin at me. "You made me into a screamer. My body's been screaming for you since the moment we met."

"That's right, baby. I'm going to fuck you until you cum so hard that everyone in this city will know I've claimed you. Everyone will know that you're mine."

I wrapped a hand around her brown hair, anchoring it at the base of her spine. I pulled her up onto her knees, her back arched against my abs. Her pert breasts were thrust out like the figurehead on a sailing ship.

"You know what I want now, Dami? I want you to cum for me one more time. Fuck my cock like you really want it, like you're going to die if you don't get my seed inside you."

"Yes! Yes, Adam. I want you to fill me with your seed! I want to feel your cum shoot deep inside me! I want to feel your cum splash across my womb and drip down my thighs. Fill me until I’m overflowing with your cum!"

"Then beg me for it!" I cried, and she moaned at the sound of my voice.

"Please, Adam!" Dami begged. "I need you to fill me with your cum! Make me pregnant! Cum in me! I want to feel your cum spurting inside me!"

"That's my girl," I said, and I slammed my iron rod into her.

Her pussy gripped me tighter than it ever had before. I had never seen her this aroused or this desperate. Clawing at my thighs, she writhed against me like a wild, feral creature. She was so lost in her need for me that she didn't even know her own name any longer.

She fucked me back with all her strength, her pussy clamping down on my cock. She was a desperate woman, a woman who had been waiting for me all her lowborn life. Her mousy pussy was desperate for my seed. She fucking hated to have a moment where my cock wasn't buried deep inside her.

She was a woman who was going to bear my child.

I took hold of her shoulders and fucked her hard. I pounded into her with all my strength, giving her everything I had. I gave her everything she had begged me for.

"Yes, Adam!" she cried. "Fuck me harder! Please! Fuck me harder!"

I thrust into her hard enough to crack her spine. I buried my cock so deep inside her that her pussy squished against my stomach. Her hair flew around her face like a halo. She was like a goddess, a goddess begging for my seed.

"Yes, Adam!" she screamed. "Make me a mousy mommy!"

"That's it, baby," I groaned. "Cum on my cock. Cum for me."

Her pussy clamped down on my cock tighter than a fist. Her whole body shuddered against me, and she let out a high pitched squeal. Her pussy contracted around my cock several times in quick succession, each contraction more powerful than the last. She was cumming, cumming hard. Her whole body was shaking, every inch of her willing my cum to fill her womb.

I felt my cock throb, and my balls tightened past the point of no return. I came with a roar, my cock exploding in her pussy. My cum filled her with a burst of seed that I knew she had earned. She had earned it with her adoration, her lust, and her desperate need to have me. She had earned it with her body. I gave it to her gladly, spraying my cum against her womb.

I held Dami still, my hands grasping her shoulders. I drenched her insides with my cum and savored the feeling of her core shuddering around me.

I came like I was trying to set a record for the world's biggest cumshot. I was drained from my balls down to my toes. When I was done, her pussy was overflowing with my seed. My cum ran down her slim thighs in streams. It filled her pink pussy so much that it oozed out of her, running down her trembling legs.

She smiled and whimpered, lowering her head. "Adam," she said quietly.

"Yeah, baby?" I asked as I tried to catch my breath. Even with my increased stamina, that orgasm had been intense.

"If you didn't knock me up this time, can we, um, can we do this again? I’d like to try again if you don’t mind."

I grinned, although I didn't let her catch sight of it. "Sure, Dami, whatever you need."

I let her slide off my cock. She fell to the bed with a sigh. Her pussy was still twitching from the orgasm that she had just had. She was smiling, sated and happy. She was a woman who had gotten what she really wanted. She had gotten my cum and the potential promise of a baby.

"Mmm, you're so good to me," she said as her eyes drifted shut. I figured she'd probably be asleep within minutes. I didn't mind.

I toweled off, then strode back to the balcony to recover my drink. The smoky bite of the liquor was a welcome refreshment.

The evening breeze was cool on my heated skin. The air felt good against my sensitive shaft and my still-sensitive balls. It felt good after the heat of Dami's pussy.

The liquor felt good, too.

I took another sip. I spent a few more minutes enjoying my drink, as well as the view. I was naked on the balcony, but I didn't care. The last thing I wanted was to put my clothes back on.

I had a good view of the city from up here. I could see the lights of the city below me, twinkling with an inviting glow. I could hear faint music and laughter from the streets I headed back to bed for a bit more sleep before I ordered some food brought up.

∞∞∞

“I’m afraid I have bad news,” Dami said, snuggling into my shoulder after a second round of early morning sex.

We’d been in The Swallow for two days now, living comfortably near the city center with a great balcony view, good food, and plenty of opportunities to find talent to hire. The thing was, Count Agov was a busy lord who simply had to keep pushing back our appointment. I didn’t mind, knowing I was raising my influence points with a city I enjoyed.

Not to mention, I’d drastically improved my understanding of Dami. She grew up hiding from others, hating being seen. She literally was the definition of the young woman who thought simple gestures were the most profound thing because everyone demanded everything from her while giving nothing. The fact I freely handed her extra money to buy clothing and basic supplies, without asking for this or that was a huge deal to her.

To me, it wasn’t that big of a thing. She either was provided for, or she suffered. Since Dami became an adult, suffering with a smile was a trait of hers, something I aimed to fix. And yeah, I could tell she was incredibly happy to be held at night, to be kissed in the morning, and for me to not degrade her as a lower-class person.

“Bad news?” I asked.

“They have these tiny fertility potions. If your toes tingle, good to go. If not, start drinking them after a moon flow. We’ll have to wait, which I think is good, but I worry you’ll -”

“Not be bothered in the slightest. I know I’m different, but I want you to know that I value you and think that time is good for us as a couple,” I said. She pouted a bit, holding back tears. “Aw, Dami, let me hold you tight.”

For the next half hour, I missed breakfast, holding her close. We eventually made love with the balcony doors open, having a more romantic coupling than I intended. This seemed to alleviate all her concerns, leaving her very content. When she dressed for the day, I did so as well.

“I’m going to stay with our stuff today, Adam. I… I know if the Count is ready, it should be Rosa at your side,” Dami said.

I frowned, not exactly sure how to reply at first. “Rosa doesn’t seem interested in politics.”

“She’s adorbs, and I agree.”

“You seem bothered?”

Dami brushed her dress down, finding her courage. “I need you to talk to her for two reasons. You, we, need a loyal bookkeeper. You saved Rosa for a good reason from a bad situation, which I adore you for. And I see the look in her eyes. She wants in. However, even if you do take her on as a wife, I’m never going to be her servant. She can have support staff, paid for by you, or her, but it won’t be me. She already had me carry all the bags of clothing to keep up appearances,” Dami said.

I cinched the nice belt on my robes, listening intently. I attached the basic sword to my hip, a dagger to my ankle and a satchel over my shoulder.

“And the second reason?”

“Rosa is not like me. She’s a bookkeeper. I know, I know, you’re already aware. My point is, if you want to add her to your family, you need to do it sooner than later. There are two species that tend to be thought of as the highest casts: elves and werewolves.”

“What’s the story there?”

Dami sighed, pulling on the right side of her hair to make a braid. “Rosa can tell you more, since I’m repeating the tales of my mother, and those I heard through the years. In ancient times, the world only had those two species and the wars they fought were legendary. Then came the rest of us, slowly being added by the gods. Over time, the two slowly lost their hold on power, but not all of it. You’ll notice that in the seats of power, and tables of nobles, the most sought after wives are elves and wolves. They’ll breed fierce warriors, archers, or diplomats.

“I’ll never be a woman who you take to any banquet, other than your own. If we have a son or daughter, they’ll be raised in a society where their diminished size is against them. You need Rosa, and she needs you. After your rescue, her home, her future, it is all tied to you. Estin will shame her for not pleasing the elf her father sent her to, even if he never married her.

“And that’s why you need to talk to her. I have, she’s very interested. Even if your… quest from your lord turns sour, a child of yours is different to an eligible male than a child of a mousy for instance,” Dami said.

“Ah, I noticed that a bit. There seems to be less poor looking elves and people with wolf ears. They’re not taller, but they carry more of a … grander sense. Where I come from, love triumphs all intimate partnerships. Arranged marriages and business marriages are rare. I’d place Rosa in the business side of things. Maybe a contract is in order,” I said with a shrug.

“Something to think about, I’ve said my part. She’s waiting downstairs. I’ll be reinforcing the stitching on some of our new clothes and creating more… blood sacks to put body parts in with the tan hide I bought, so I’ll be plenty busy while you’re away,” Dami said, grabbing a biscuit from the end table before plopping into a nice rocking chair. “I do enjoy the extra space, nice furniture, meals on demand, and fine clothes. I… I want you to know I appreciate you, Lord Adam.”

“Ha! I think I threw out a hip because of your appreciation,” I joked, leaning down to kiss her cheek before departing.

I headed down the stairs, taking them two at a time. A chorus of joyful chatter came from the late morning crowd. Honestly, besides flushing toilets, warm showers, and normal work, I found Lao to be enjoyable.

Rosa sat on the main bar room floor in a booth by herself. Her lovely elven face was buried in a ledger. She flipped between receipts and the notebook with an empty breakfast plate and a mug. I slid into the rough bench across from her, smiling when her blue eyes flicked up to see who arrived.

“You look exhausted,” she said.

“I’m not sleeping well,” I admitted. “I probably should take a nap today, but…”

“Tell her you want a break,” Rosa dryly suggested.

“Eh, I’ve always pushed people away, it may be time that I… you know, grow as a person,” I said.

She giggled lightly. “Or you let your penis not grow, and you get some vital sleep, but what do I know?”

“Speaking of which, if I offered you a marriage contract, would you accept it?” I asked.

Rosa set the quill into her inkpot, pausing as she looked over what appeared to be our inventory wishes. “I hardly know you.”

“Agreed. Look, every time I go out, females see my nice robes, my upkeep, and the fact I’m not attached. I… This is going poorly,” I admitted, stopping before I dug a deeper hole.

“You’re cute for trying. Call me the jealous type, but I hoped to have a loving husband growing up. Instead, I was pushed onto my sister’s husband, becoming a plus one to a vile man who repulsed me. I’m not ready, that’s my answer, but I understand your side of things. Dami brought it up?” Rosa asked.

I grunted with a dip of my head in reply.

“For a mousy, she’s smart. Before you lecture me on the fact she’s more, I know she is. She copped an attitude when I forced her to carry my things, but we’re not at home. This is Lao, and as we discussed, it could be our downfall. Without a doubt, we’re being spied on,” Rosa whispered, gently closing her ledger.

She placed the inkpot’s lid on, cleaned her quill, and filled her satchel. When she scooted out of the booth, I went to join her, but she blocked my path before I could stand. From the position of power, Rosa slammed a fierce and very unexpected kiss to my lips. I reached around her waist gently squeezing her firm ass for the world to see.

When our lips parted, she whispered, “Good. I’m interested but don’t feel ready. I’m enjoying my time with you, so try not to mess it up.” I chuckled. “My options are limited and you’re a known quantity I enjoy and have come to respect. Please, Adam. Reason with Dami. If she’s my servant in places like this -”

“It makes sense. Consider it done,” I said, finding myself convinced and not because of a simple kiss. “Outside of places like this -”

“She’s my equal if not superior.” Rosa finished the sentence exactly how I wanted to hear it.

I nodded, not because she made a demand or wanted to seem powerful, but because that was the way of society here. If she tested me on The Clear Isle, I’d bend her over and spank her.

With a gentle push, she stepped back. I leaned down, pulled her hair back to earn a gasp, then kissed her in my own dominating fashion. A fire burned her eyes to take it further.

After our kiss, I leaned down to whisper in her ear, “I’ll give you time, but not forever.”

“Yes, Lord Adam. I’m on your side, I’m just not as… reckless with my heart as Dami.”

“Fully understandable, now how about we -”

“Lord Adam,” Ryak said from the tavern’s entrance. “Count Agov is ready to see you.”

Chapter

Sixteen

LAO

The Ornery Whore!

“It’s not a one on one, but it’s the best I could do on short notice,” Baron Hargrin said, welcoming us into the Count’s estate. He glanced at Rosa with a deep frown. “I… You’re under dressed, my Lady. Ryak, take her to Betha’s shop and get her in a proper dress. Now!”

I reached into my robes, pulling out a bag with a hundred bronze in it. Rosa glanced at me with a curtsy, “Apologies, my Lord. I didn’t think you’d take a lowborn disgraced woman like me to such an outing.”

“You’re royalty and we both know it. Chin up, back straight, and return to my side with haste,” I commanded.

Hargrin and I strode deeper into the estate while Ryak led the lovely elf back into the city. I enjoyed Hargrin’s presence, not upset in the slightest he wanted Rosa to look the part if she dangled from my arm.

I’d rather he stopped me from making a fool of myself.

During my teenage years, I’d been to plenty of parties to sling some weed. I wasn’t the high school quarterback or the kid whose dad bought him a Lambo to make up for his grandfather’s mistakes. I was just Adam, the charming drug dealer. I sure as shit didn’t do ritzy balls or galas after high school. I worked on a few wedding venues during the offseason, remodeling bathrooms, but that was about it.

This estate was definitely different from what I expected of a fantasy manor. The stone walls only rose to seven feet high and the windows were really spread out. This wasn’t designed to hold events; it was a real fortress in the heart of the city. Steel bars cast crisscrossed shadows, preventing unwanted entry, and I had to remember, Limar was not a nice place, even if the hosts were hospitable.

We strode by stern faced guards and agitated servants. An edge lay over the estate and I began to worry if it was because of me.

“When was the last war?” I asked.

“You feel it, don't you? The tension in the air,” Hargrin said, not exactly asking. “We’ll speak more on this later.” I raised an eyebrow. “We’re interrupting a meeting in progress and there’s been… recent issues that don’t involve you.”

He approached four guards, stepping past them. I grunted, following him into a private library where we paused at additional guards. While we waited, I scanned the room. Servants stood near the back doors, dutifully waiting to be summoned. Captain Elim stood next to a high table, sharing a drink with a handsome fellow with cat ears who was probably her husband. She nodded at my arrival, and I returned the gesture.

A guard asked for my sword, and I gave it up quickly.

In the middle of the room, six nobles sat around a small table, lounging in comfy couches. In the largest of the seats, and the only one to sit alone, was a round man with naturally thick bones and a bushy wolf tail. He wore ornate robes, had a bit of food smudged on his face, and I could smell wafts of honeyed wine washing off of him.

“Ah, the adventurer with grand dreams,” Count Agov blurted, welcoming me with a waving in motion.

Hargrin went through a round of introductions, letting me meet another baron and four merchants of renown. When it finished, Count Agov gestured to Captain Elim, who handed him a rolled scroll.

He never opened it, pointing it at me. “You beat my soldiers to victory, doing what none of our adventurers wanted to do. The parts from the market back up your story and one of the distraught families earned closure. For this, you have my thanks.”

Count Agov snapped, waving forward an advisor from the back wall. They exchanged parchment and once again, a scroll was pointed at me.

“This scroll gives you status and it doesn’t. King Krastor is weeks away, days by raven, and when I send him this information, he’s not going to give a shit about some old fort being rebuilt. I do. If those Estin fucks find a way to bring Brackenfell into the fold properly, and they secure my routes, all of a sudden I’ll be summoned to court to be asked why the fuck I sat on my fat ass without answering in kind. Understood?” Count Agov demanded.

“No and yes. It’s not my business, but I’m following.”

“Ha! Good answer. Humans, quick with their wit, slow with their resolve. Bring me five silver in trade by year’s end or this goes away. It also goes away if King Krastor tells me to bring you into the fold. It also goes away if I fart wrong and die. Are you following?”

“Yes, my Lord,” I said, not afraid to adapt to local custom. “And what does that say?”

“Protect the land around Kobold Isle and convert the lost fort into an outpost under my approval. You’re not a vassal, but you’re expected to maintain trade,” he said, waving it until I grabbed it. “There’s no signing, it’s a decree, not a deal. Best I can offer.” He sighed. “Next, I pay my debts. There’s your reward for cleansing the isle.”

A sack of coins plopped down onto the table from one of the merchants. I scooped it up, bowed to the lord of the city, grabbed my sword from the guard and promptly departed with Hargrin hot on my heels.

“That went well, but I expected that,” Hargrin said. We turned right instead of going out the way we came in. I raised an eyebrow.

“Honestly, I expected some long discussion, a daughter being offered from some noble’s mistress and some threats of pay my taxes or face a noose,” I admitted.

The walls held a few paintings this deep into the estate and we passed nice offices, lounging rooms, and even a small wet bar type thing. For the most part, either the Count or the Countess didn’t enjoy decorating.

“You’re an outsider wanting to stay on the outside. You simply can’t dodge our taxes, period, but fair assumption. Coming back to that tension you mentioned.” Hargrin shifted, pausing us in a quiet hallway inset until we stood off to the side so servants could pass by. “A few minutes before you arrived, the Estin ambassador was shouted out of here.”

“Is all well?”

“Hardly. There’s always a problem on the horizon, that’s the nature of life, and with it, comes stress, angst and worse. Between us, hypothetically, the recent rise of threats is unusually high. And with those issues, comes change from a peaceful decade. In this case, Avorth, the mountain people to the north who supply us with metal in exchange for fish, slowed trading about five months ago. Almost as if they want us to have less steel for our soldiers.”

I wagged a finger. “That was why that raft was never found. I killed two horned orc things while drifting down the river too. I didn’t think much about it, simply bowing them down in an anticlimactic fashion.”

“Did you try to find their clan?”

“No, I had to get the fish to the market. Without an ice mage - which I tried to hire but none are even slightly interested in leaving the safety of the walls - it didn’t make sense to deviate.”

“Well, they’re out there in numbers. From your Isle to Gorm the water shallows, making only lightly loaded barges capable of going up or down river. For the most part, we trade via land. Those land convoys slowed far more than normal. We expected a winter war, since the unusually warm winter made moving easier. That never happened,” Hargrin said, smiling at a passing servant.

I watched them fade around a corner and asked, “But trade stays slow?”

“Unfortunately. In addition, Gorm’s ambassador stopped attending Seshkin Court, meaning the treaty is pretty much only being held up by one side. They like to fight, yearning for it. We like to let them die upon our walls,” Hargrin said, painting a clearer picture of why they sat on their hands.

“Oh… That’s why I can set up The Clear Isle. I become a warning sign if a mountain army approaches,” I said.

Hargrin shook his head. “No, not really. Also, the Avorth have begun raiding Estin farmlands. Estin wants us to face Avorth together, with us as the infantry meat shield, them as the cavalry flanks. It’d make sense if we were…”

“Cohesive. Huh, okay, war brews. Thanks, I figured something had to be up,” I said.

“And that’s why no one is throwing daughters at you as well. We’ve been at peace for so long it’s built up a surplus of men. Estin is no different, even if some of the smaller cities are light on settlers,” Hargrin said in a hushed tone.

I folded my arms, realizing I had seen more men than expected. “Expansions lead to tension, tension leads to war, and there are more monsters in the wilds than normal. I was hoping to find more recruits, but I’ve been struggling. Even the female mages aren’t interested in following a new lord.”

“You’re untested, to them at least. Plus, there are widows, just from a decade ago who lost their husbands when they were teenagers. Me, I personally like them in their mid-twenties to early thirties, but most want them skinny and young. We expect the Avorth warriors to be running rampant in the wilds where they love to fight.

“Everyone figures that, so no one wants to die to a well-organized raid.” He glanced around the hall nervously. “We’ve stalled for long enough, but I want you to know for Ryak’s sake, to be cautious out there. Anyway, my wife wants to meet you in the garden. Follow me,” Hargrin said, leading me deeper into the estate.

A doorless arch led to an immense garden with ample space. The sound of light giggles from an event bounced through the stone hall as we neared.

Four guards crowded the entrance, and once again, I gave up my sword. These were the real deal, not lazy with their pat downs, and stern even with Baron Hargrin.

Once beyond the checkpoint, we entered a vast garden with tall greens and narrow paths that led to openings. Lovely flowers, rose bushes, and alien plants bloomed in ways I never imagined. The cacophony of color felt a bit overwhelming except for the white dressed tea party breaking it all up near the center of the space.

Almost forty women, all of them unique in some way, wore matching summer outfits with different flower combinations. No children, no husbands, and no male servants were present. A large group of ladies-in-waiting stood ready in the background. Trays of wine contrasted the platters of food, and my damned stomach rumbled from no breakfast.

During my scan of the crowd, I immediately figured out who his wife was when a lovely fairy dragged over a very pregnant bunny girl who appeared to be fifteen or so. It wasn’t lost on me that Ryak’s mother, who was obviously a mousy woman, was not present. Hargrin’s wife was barely thirty, once again showcasing a darker side of medieval life.

I waved and hurriedly whispered, “Something just occurred to me. If war looms from too much peace. Why was Brackenfell without men?”

“They’ve been drafted. Part of Lord Tolgar’s deal, but I don’t know that and didn’t say that,” Hargrin warned with a whisper. He immediately changed his demeanor, extending his arms in greeting with a chipper tone. “Darling, darling, this is the grand adventurer who Ryak will follow into battle.”

I bowed with respect, keeping my eyes downcast. Over the next twenty minutes or so she asked a lot of questions, some of them bordering on discovering that Texas wasn’t of this world if I answered incorrectly. Deep-down, I think she thought I was a spy, and honestly, I couldn’t blame her.

The only thing putting the local lords at ease was me getting permissions and keeping my nose out of their business while taming local threats in conjunction with those oh so glorious taxes. I tried my best to be courteous and kind, honestly hoping Rosa would rescue me at some point.

It wasn’t until the ladies stood for a round of wine and brandy testing that I finally found the distraction I needed. While all the elite ladies walked the gardens, going from server to server, I noticed a very smooth criminal in their midst.

The lithe woman moved with an impressive poise, walking silently with her tray in one hand, unclasping bracelets or pilfering coins from satchels with the other. Her cat feet helped her stay silent while blending in with the servants.

“Excuse me, my Lady,” I said, dipping from the conversation mid-sentence.

When I visited New York City, I was wary of pickpockets. They sucked, or I was good at seeing them for who they were. Their eyes always darted about more than their movements, eager to see if I’d been marked.

That meant they watched for people coming directly towards them. Since I knew this, I happened to divert towards a very exquisite fairy in her mid-twenties. I held up a finger, as if trying to earn her attention.

“My lady, Ma’am, excuse me,” I said, breaking protocol by entering their midst.

Right before I reached the very confused woman, who placed hand on her chest as if offended, I spun on the bunny girl thief.

I grinned, knowing she’d let me get way too close.

Her eyes widened and her shoulders slumped slightly.

“Fuck,” she muttered, instantly realizing that when my steely gaze landed on her, she’d been caught.

I sorta expected her to chuck the tray in my face, mostly because it’s what I’d do. Instead, a dagger lashed out with a short flick. With speed, luck, or maybe the fact I’d expected to be attacked, I swiped the blade down with a forearm, knocking it down to clatter on the stones. I knew it’d hurt, and it sure as shit did as a bite of pain lanced from the sharp cut.

At this point, I just wanted to stop a thief, but a blade changed the dynamics.

The thief bolted, trying to gain distance into the gardens. I surged forward with a soccer tackle she never saw coming.

She flew high into the air with arms flailing. For a brief second, she froze in time before gravity claimed her. The downward force drained all the stolen goods out of her satchel. The jewelry and coins clattered on the stone a half second before her head sickly bounced off the garden path.

“Mother fucker,” I grumbled, rising to my feet.

While the slide tackle looked badass, I definitely ripped up the outside of my left leg. In addition, I bled freely from the cut on my arm. I ignored the pain, hurrying to loom over my foe. Her eyes crossed and she couldn’t even orient herself to stand. She vomited a moment later, choking on it.

I rolled her forward, saving her from drowning in her own puke, realizing she’d hit her head hard. Sure enough, her flight or fight instincts lost to the damage, and she passed out. Blood oozed from her head, leaking onto the cobblestones.

“Don’t move!” a guard with a fancy cloak demanded.

I slowly raised my hands, standing very still.

A female orc snapped her fingers in a commanding way. A single glare from her to the guard stopped him dead in his tracks. She approached the pile of loot, plucking a bracelet with a lady-like bend of her knees.

“Sami, is this yours?” the orc asked in a calm voice.

A fairy fluttered forward, eyes the jewelry, curtsied, and replied, “Yes, Countess.”

At this point the guards who spilled out of the manor did so quietly, as if they disturbed some great affair. I stood there with my hands up, leaking drops of blood from my elbow. The Countess ignored my plight and the guards, focusing on her investigation.

She retrieved the dagger that cut me, studying it as she walked over to the unconscious bunny girl. The thief’s chest rose and fell, telling me she’d live.

All that changed when the Countess inspected her for markings, finding a tattoo behind a shoulder blade.

“Fucking thieves guild in my home.” Without hesitation, she slit the bunny girl’s throat. The poor girl twitched a few times before her life leaked out, pooling under her ruined neck. “Ten lashes to every guard on duty. If I hear one complaint, and I mean a single one, you’re on the street. Bring me Captain Carco this instant!”

The last line instilled fear, even in me. Honestly, I’d hoped to stop the thief, get her to explain her motives, then try to recruit her. I should have figured stealing from nobles, while lucrative, didn’t come with light punishments.

My eyes shifted from her dead corpse when the Countess stopped only a foot from me. “Hargrin!”

The Baron hustled over, bowing with respect. “Yes, my Lady.”

“Have Katherine fix his arm,” she paused to see additional blood on my leg, “and get him new robes. Is this the idiot who wants to go camping with your son?”

“I’m afraid so, my lady,” Hargrin said, playing the humble angle.

I kept my mouth shut, knowing just how angry she was, and yeah, I wanted to avoid her wrath.

“Stupid as he may be, ensure he is rewarded for his actions today… Actually, I heard about the slaves who became sick from your fish stew,” the Countess said. “What do you have to say about that?”

“I disclosed everything up front, even mentioning some of the fish may need to go to livestock or for the soil,” I replied, directly and to the point.

“Do you know who is an ice mage?” she asked rhetorically. I, of course, slowly shook my head. “Lady Avorth! Come.” No one came, forcing the Countess to turn. She scanned all the faces, not finding who she sought. “That harlot is probably eavesdropping for the enemy. Ugh! Can nothing go right today?”

She stormed off, and with her, the entire event seemed to fade to anywhere besides near the corpse I was mostly responsible for.

“Well, you sure know how to cause a scene,” Hargrin said with a grunt. I glanced at the loot on the ground, hesitantly leaving it all behind. “Come on, I think it’s time for you to vanish into the north.”

Chapter

Seventeen

LAO

The Mellow Harlot!

“We’re ready to go, but this was unexpected,” Gardi said, bouncing my reward in his palm.

“And the final tally?”

“Fourteen exuberant youths eager for work. None of them are trained in just about anything. But!” He grinned happily. “They’re not criminals, but they’re not exactly accomplished. It’ll take training or repetition to turn them into anything worth a damn.”

Rosa checked my arm unhappily while Dami hurried to pack my things.

“Fourteen and decent supplies?” I asked.

“A basic flatbed wagon that can be converted into a raft with some work. Or stripped down and it may bridge the ruined gap on the east shore. And yeah, basically, I expect us to be able to fish and get clean water, so I focused on tools and raw materials to process with our limited funds,” Gardi said, whistling when he opened the bag to spill it across the table.

The coins we’d been rewarded with were more than I’d expected, and this is the first I saw of how many silver coins were in there. After the altercation at the Count’s estate, I’d been rushed to The Swallow, having a healer fix my arm and leg only a few minutes after arriving. Of course, both Rosa and Dami doted on me until the situation calmed, and we were in get out of town mode with a sudden surplus in coins I didn’t want to take with me.

A fist slammed into the door with enough force to startle the room.

Ryak opened it, peering out to check who it was. He quickly stepped back, allowing in a gorgeous werecat woman who scowled like she’d just found out some terrible news. Behind her, was none other than the Countess of Lao who ushered her forward.

I shot to my feet, bowing with respect.

“Save it.” The Countess tossed a purse of coins onto the floor at the werecat’s boots, never fully entering the room. “This is the fucking harlot my husband accepted from some retarded Avorth merchant. He was so desperate to please a Count he gave up his virgin daughter. Except she’s not a virgin, she has kids, but his dumbass believed the drivel.

“She’s a spy, I know it, but Agov says I’m crazy. Doesn’t matter now. I’m getting rid of her because she’s an ice mage, and you impressed a lot of our most loyal nobles today. This is a win for me, finally. If I see her within six months, I’ll have you killed.”

The door slammed shut and we stood there in shock.

I glanced around the room, not fully understanding what transpired. The werecat walked over to my cup of wine, sniffed it, smirked, then down it in a single gulp. Her unpleasant demeanor instantly shifted once the Countess vanished.

“I think it’s time we leave,” she said.

“Uh, who are you?” Rosa asked.

“Lady Talou, but that can wait. We really need to go, like now,” she said, grabbing a bag and handing it to me.

I held up my palms, pumping the brakes on the madness. “I’m not doing anything rash. I need to spend some coins, plus they still have my sword.”

She bit a nail, clearly unhappy. “That sword means you have to go back into that hellhole. Forget it, buy another, and we need to hurry?” Talou swapped to a whisper, “The sooner we escape the Countess’ wrath the better. She’s the true power of Lao and you’re being played.”

“I kinda noticed that when none of the guards brought up their punishment for the Count to decide. Regardless, these coins do me zero good on the road.” I snatched the second purse off the floorboard, spilling the contents beside the first bag's coins. Even more silver coins clattered across the surface. “Damn.”

“Yeah, this is a…” Rosa stopped mid-sentence, arriving at a logical conclusion. “We can afford a boat.”

“The workers can row it. The trip won’t be fun, but we can be back to The Clear Isle in a few days of hard rowing. Well, that depends on the boat, but yeah, the right vessel can haul everything I bought,” Gardi said with a grunt.

“You can’t go upriver to Gorm, not all the way,” Talou said.

I shed my ruined robes, grabbing a fresh set that Dami laid out for me. “Your people, they march to war?” I asked and she shrugged with a wink.

“Good. Even though I hate the idea, we grab a boat, sell the wagon, and proceed to trade here for now with our excess catches. Wagons are slow, we have the muscle to row against a current, and an open trade route free of threats will be vital. Plus, if your people attack, and we can’t win, we hop in the ship and float downstream,” I said, unhappily.

“It seems like enemy forces encroach on us,” Dami meekly said.

“We just need to get home,” I admitted.

Talou said, “You should let Avorth know you’re independent or else you’ll end up as slaves for the mines. Still may.”

“I don’t exactly have an army to defend my home with.” I growled, tossing a hand in the air in frustration. “Yes, we buy a ship, hire anyone else who we can, and hurry north. The sooner I can clean up the island, the sooner we can become a regional power.”

Talou downed Rosa’s half empty wine, eyeing me curiously. I knew that look, she wasn’t my ally or friend, but I definitely had her attention. I had to hope that when Avorth went to war, we were thought of as the feeble little settlement so I could grow into something mighty.

Chapter

Eighteen

THE JODI RIVER

WARRGGGG!

The concept of rowing upstream seemed simplistic and smart from an outside perspective. In reality, I exercised to the point I felt like death, only making it halfway home on that first day. And that was with me being leveled up to a stronger point than the average person.

The instant we anchored near the shore, I passed out from the exhaustion, expecting to sleep through the night. A hand stirred me from my slumber, gently shaking me awake. I pried an eye open to see Ryak kneeling beside me.

“What?” I grumbled.

“Motion in the forest,” Ryak warned with a hint of worry in his voice.

That woke me up instantly.

I attached the cheap replacement sword to my hip, tossed my quiver over my back and grabbed the fancy bow from Brackenfell. The weapon really was nice, having that perfect bend to it. To complement it, I had bought a large selection of fine arrows.

“Any idea of what?” I asked. Ryak shook his head. I mumbled, unloading a bit of the guilt that’d been eating away at me. “I’ve been learning lessons lately, valuable ones. I probably should have followed the thief who clearly didn’t want to be there, killed her boss, and given her a new purpose while claiming the loot. And yeah,” I rotated a shoulder, enjoying the stretch, “I definitely need to stop trying to prove myself by rowing dual oars for a full day.”

“Told you,” Rosa whispered from beside Dami. “Well, not the thief, that would have earned you enemies instead of trade partners, but I digress.” She grabbed a basic crossbow with a long reload time. “I’ll help.”

“Wake everyone, slowly,” I ordered Ryak.

The boat we bought had a shallow hold with rowing benches. Her draft was only a few feet and the V shape cut through the water nicely, even up stream. However, there wasn’t anywhere to defend her from. It didn’t have railings, there were no port holes in the hull to shoot out of, and she’d catch fire pretty easily.

I scrambled into a crouch, knowing the best defense was a good offense. Without any hesitation, I brought forth my water magic, letting the gooey energy course through my being. The tingling reached my left palm and I let it flow over the boat’s edge.

“What’s that?” Talou asked with a deep frown.

The starlight barely provided enough illumination to see more than thirty feet in the middle of the night, and yeah, I knew this would reveal part of my secret to some. Being a powerful warlock was something I could sell though.

Golem left my palm, materializing in the shallows. This time, he used legs, stood a few inches taller, and had developed a bit of a gut, changes from his increase in levels, or my increases in golem magic. Talou’s slitted orange eyes darted about rapidly, making logical conclusions that I wasn’t an average wayward adventurer.

While she processed the golem climbing on the shore, I shoved the ramp outward from the ship until it jammed into the rocks in a solid position.

“That’s Golem, he’s pretty awesome,” I said, running from the exposed boat to the shoreline where I had a bit of cover.

An arrow whizzed overhead, thunking into the ship's decking.

I never saw who fired it, or what quality of arrow it was, only knowing we got lucky Ryak stirred our group in time. I yanked an arrow out of my quiver, sending golem up the shore.

Return fire from our group zipped overhead, sending arrows smacking into trees. I didn’t mind if they missed, proud of them for sending the enemy a reply.

“What’s the plan?” Gardi shouted, holding a shield up to protect the others who prepared to repel an attack.

And yes, now that the battle started, the stealth ended.

“Keep them busy,” I replied, watching Golem crest the edge.

The watery creation waved his arms for attention, unable to roar out a battle cry. An arrow smacked into his chest, spraying water out the back when it punched through him. He shrank a bit, carrying on with determination.

Grunts and barks of the enemy erupted at his sight as he further exposed himself. With the enemy distracted, I charged up the slope with an arrow drawn tight to my anchor point.

When I crested the lip of the incline, I saw demented minotaur commanding a pack of mutated fairy archers. The minotaur stood tall, at least two feet higher than the average person of Limar. He was nude, carrying a big stone club with dried blood on it.

The archers hovered a few inches off the ground, flinging arrows in mass instead of precision. They carried basic short bows with a few arrows stuffed into the ground for quick withdrawal.

On their shoulders and chins, weird spikes dehumanized them in addition to cracked cheeks that wept blood.

It became very apparent we never saw them getting into position on the high ground and Ryak probably just caught a lucky glimpse.

I lined up the minotaur first for obvious reasons. The big brute bellowed at Golem surging forward to smash the little fellow with his club.

Twang!

An arrow zipped out of the bow with a perfect amount of force. The arrow whistled loud and proud, piercing the chest of the minotaur. As the big beast kept running, he staggered, clutching at the protruding arrow.

The distraction saved Golem who continued to charge the archers. The fairies unleashed a volley into him, shrinking his size further and further. A blur zoomed by my left with a faint reflection of starlight flickering off dual blades.

Ryak impaled the nearest fairy, carving into her unarmored flesh. I nocked another arrow, sending it towards the furthest fairy with a rapid pull followed by a smooth release. Before the arrow landed, I repeated the process, firing arrows as rapidly as I could.

Since no one paid me any attention, I kept the barrage up, earning kill shot after kill shot.

A primal roar caught my attention, shifting my aim to see the minotaur crawling with raspy breaths. With a final surge, he lunged forward, smashing Golem as his dying act.

I returned to kill one of the final targets, only to see Ryak’s blades protruding out the fairy’s back. A horse’s neigh caught my attention from deeper in the woods, but before I rushed to find it, I stepped back into the boat’s line of sight.

“They’re dead, get this cleaned up and ready for us to sail downstream if we have to. There may be more,” I commanded.

“Yes, my Lord,” Gardi shouted back from the boat.

“Did you miss a shot?” Talou asked, walking up the shore’s incline with an impressed look on her face.

I snorted. “Never. Start freezing parts. I figure you’re going to flee for home, might as well help before you do.”

The werecat inched closer and whispered, “Yes, my ability to report conditions in Lao is over. However, you might be worth learning more about.”

“I need to go take care of whatever threat looms deeper,” I growled in reply.

“These were fodder troops, clearly, but I agree, we need to see what else there is,” Talou said, withdrawing long daggers. I frowned, not loving the idea of her with the menacing weapons. “I’ve been trained to fight since I became a woman at twelve, don’t worry about having to protect me.”

“Ha, I worry about you stabbing me.” I simply jogged away before giving her an opening to reply. I arrived at a stunned Ryak, gently shoving him forward. “Come, surprise is our friend.”

The three of us weaved through the trees. Not even a hundred yards deeper into the woods, we found another sign of just how vile Limar could be. The cooked bodies of a family lay next to a smoldering fire. The demonic creations ate the flesh and organs, leaving parts like fingers and eyes intact.

A wagon with two horses at the front rested not far beyond the gruesome scene. The door had been ripped off the hinges and the interior contents lay scattered across the forest floor in one hell of a mess. On the road, piles of guts lay for critters to pick at, and beside them, signs of violent deaths were evident from splattered blood.

Who this family was, or where they were going, I didn’t know, but for certain they met a very unhappy end. I sighed, wanting to let out some of my anger by killing more mutated monsters.

“Why not eat the horses?” Ryak asked in dismay.

“Horses have value,” Talou said, rolling a charred body over. “So do fit adults for slave labor. Honestly, it doesn’t make sense.”

“No, it doesn’t. And we can’t fit the wagon on the boat,” I said.

“But the horses will fit,” Talou replied. “Their nice mares, worth a decent amount.”

I glanced at her. “I’m not sure if the corrupted souls can be used for potions,” I said.

Rosa arrived, hearing me talking out my thoughts. “They can. Just the heart for anti-aging potions and the claws for a dexterity boost. That was one of the things that had me curious to look into since some of the kobolds were worthless and you killed the demonics on the way to Lao.”

“Well, okay. Hey, go let Gardi know to carve out the hearts,” I commanded Ryak. He nodded, not complaining. I turned to Talou. “Freeze the hearts after.”

“Yes, Lord Adam the Golem Master,” Talou said with a huge grin.

Rosa bent down, picking through the items that lay scattered across the ground. “This happened recently.”

“Baron Hargrin said there have been shifts in the wilds as of late.” I heaved out a sigh, stepping into the carriage. No blood lay inside, an odd positive to this terrible situation. “I think he was right.”

I opened up all the cubbies and clasps I could, noting a few had been left unmolested. General clothing, toys, and essentials lay inside. A flustered huff escaped my lips, while I continued to sort through what the enemy missed. I definitely could use the extra blankets, towels, and stuff like soup ladles.

Ryak cleared his throat from the carriage’s entry. “I don’t think this area is safe.”

“I know, I should probably let them fester first, this was a bit too easy,” I said.

“Uh, my Lord, that makes no sense,” Ryak said.

Rosa carried a bunch of useful items from a cooking pot to mittens to handle burning hot handles. “The Game of Castles, ever heard of it?”

“The legends?” Ryak asked in confusion. “Sure, who hasn’t.”

“Well, we think it’s true,” Rosa said, telling a partial lie. “You just killed five, maybe six demonic fairies? When was the last time you heard of them being in the wilds?”

“Uh, never. Wait, does this mean there’ll be enemy castles rising up?” Ryak asked.

I grunted with a shrug. “There’s lots that we don’t know and little to go off of.” That was and wasn’t exactly true. “A prophet told me there’d be rising threats, but he mentioned in passing that it’d… fester. It was all rather vague, but one thing is certain, this force didn’t stop the scout Count Agov sent, so it’s fresh.”

“Dangerously new, but it could have come from the rot in the Jelin Woods. The haunting inside that area was on the tip of everyone’s tongues in Lao,” Rosa mentioned.

I grunted, heading out of the cramped carriage. On the roof, ruined straps of rope lay bound to railings. When I lifted the driver’s bench, I found a sword secured to the lid, still in its sheath.

“I should warn Father,” Ryak said, noting the sword.

“Were we lucky, or were they unlucky,” Rosa muttered.

“No to your father. He has his own scouts.” I glanced around at the scene where the fighting actually took place. “The minotaur did all this. Probably clobbered the dad, killed the mom before she could react, then dragged out the kids. And yeah, five minutes later I might have woken up to an arrow in my guts. Thanks for being a decent lookout.”

“I should have scoured the woods too.” Ryak wasn’t wrong with his suggestion. He thumbed the carriage. “What do we do with the carriage if we’re taking the horses?” Ryak said, not pushing back on the chance to go home already.

“I’m taking it up the road. Same with the horses. Stuff in everything of value. It seems I’m taking another risk, but I want the carriage. It’s a means of sending trade to Brackenfell or Gorm. Besides the door being missing, it’s in great shape,” I said. I patted the spot on the driver’s bench. “Wanna join me?”

Rosa shrugged. “I’d rather we all sailed to the island, then marched back for the carriage as a unit.”

“Not a bad suggestion, but no. I want to get a feel for the woods and kill anything we encounter.” I scooped up the last of the fallen family's supplies, tossing them into the carriage. Over the next twenty minutes, I built up the smoldering fire into an inferno, tossing the partially eaten bodies on one at a time. Afterwards, I created a cross for the family. “And to Asmi you go, may the Gods watch over you.”

Gardi arrived, with the one eyed man solemnly dipping his head in respect. “Ship’s ready to go.”

“Sail it home, take Ryak with you,” I commanded, hopping onto the carriage’s front bench. I glanced at Rosa. “You coming?”

“Sure,” Talou said, stealing Rosa’s seat.

Rosa huffed but bit her witty comments that likely brewed within. I smiled down at her, not acknowledging Lady Talou.

“Gardi, what about the battlefield loot?” I asked.

The stern man grunted. “Secured. The arrows and bows are trash for kids but salvaged anyway. The dead are processed and the bodies sent to the depths to feed the fish.”

“Happy sailings,” I said in a dismal tone.

Gardi chuckled. “Have fun, Lord Adam, we’ll race you home. We both know no one is going to be sleeping after this.”

He departed, watching the fire consume the dead as he walked by. Once he was out of earshot the werecat nudged me with an elbow.

“I have questions,” Talou said.

“Joy.” Rosa scoffed, making her scoot over as she climbed up and sat down.

Chapter

Nineteen

THE CLEAR ISLE

Jennet!

I scooped up some of the feed for the horses to give Jennet as a reward. The donkey seemed super content, hanging out near the isle for a week while we were gone. I honestly was shocked she never left or was turned into monster food.

Since we beat the ship back home, we had to wait for their arrival to cross the river. Instead of sitting around, I spoiled the donkey for a bit, giving her scratches while telling her what a good girl she was.

“You do understand her name is not Jennet, that’s what a female donkey is called,” Talou said.

I shrugged. “She came from a man who never cared a tiny bit about her, and she seems to like it, so, it sticks.”

I continued to dote on the donkey who should have fled. When it came to loyalty, well, it just had this special place in my heart.

“I don’t get him. He’s so… alien. Kills a thief, summons a golem, charges an enemy – albeit a stupid one - and yet, seems soft,” Talou said, collecting sticks for a fire.

“Yes, he’s nothing like your husband,” Rosa said, reminding her that she shouldn’t be interested in me.

I left Jennet, heading to the back storage container on the carriage. Inside were a bunch of tools for dealing with fallen trees, including a solid wood axe that likely cost fifty bronze coins. I hefted the tool out, heading to the nearest tree.

“What are you doing?” Talou asked.

I raised an eyebrow instead of verbally replying. I showed the ax, pointed to the tree, then used my hand to mimic a tree falling.

“Sorry, I should have been clear. That… That former shitty castle is now just crummy rubble. It’ll take years to turn it into something, which, okay you have the time, you like the quiet maybe. But why? Why here? Why is a golem warlock trying to turn that pile of rubble into his home? Why not a small settlement with bones like Brackenfell,” Talou clarified.

I glanced at Rosa, then her. I didn’t trust this woman who had no problem admitting she spied on the Seshkin Kingdom for the Avorth Kingdom. Her pretty looks didn’t woo me, and I sincerely hoped she left soon because I knew she was trouble.

“I’ve been exiled and told to only return with an army at my back. So, I’m building a fort, an army, and eventually a new kingdom,” I said, whacking the axe into the tree.

Talou scoffed. “Good luck. It’s a small isle, hardly capable of much.”

“And Lao, what was its size when it was founded? You always have to start somewhere, and here is defensible. Blow out the bridges then wait for the enemy to swim through predator infested waters to reach you while your archers pick them off. I like it.”

I cocked back and swung hard. The axe smacked into the tree with a solid thunk. Rosa ignored our conversation, going through the items in the carriage to add them to her inventory ledger. Talou waited patiently for me to pause after a dozen swings to talk again.

“Okay, let’s say I believe you. You’re on a quest to raise an army. Naturally, all the best resource locations to generate revenue are taken. The mountains are owned by my people, the plains by Rosa’s, and Ryak’s kin own the seas. This river is shit. It will have some fish, but nothing to sustain numerous people long term. There’s trees, but everyone has trees. What is it you intend to grow your wealth with to pay these future soldiers?” Talou asked, having a very valid point.

I slammed the axe into the tree, carving out a bigger divot for another ten swings. Talou came by, picking up the chunks in a basket to use the bits for kindling later. She eyed me without fear.

“What if I said I know Tolmeria is just one region of thousands on Limar, with each of them having value for me to conquer,” I said.

The werecat shook her head, her pupils widening as the overcast sun broke through the clouds. She clearly disapproved, but she also seemed keen on talking, so I amused her while I worked.

“That’ll never happen. You have fifteen impressionable peasants who cowered on that ship’s deck instead of joining you on the dangerous attack to save their own lives. Sure you gave them courage, but I literally heard one of them whisper to their buddy that they weren’t paid to fight while you saved them,” Talou said. “That audacity. Not like the demonic hybrids take prisoners. But I suppose they’ll know now.”

Everything she said was rational and made sense. It also became abundantly clear she had zero desire to ease the pressure. My plan was stupid as shit, if I didn’t have direct access to the Game of Castles interface and table.

Instead of playing dumb, I turned the tables. “I have my ways, and I’m not telling you them. But… I sense you don’t hate me like you do the Countess, why is that?”

“That bitch… The mountain people of Avorth have to fight ogres, ratkin, trolls, wyrms, and more. I suppose I can admit the Seshkin seafarers fight their own sorts of monsters, but definitely not Lao. No one there fights anything beside the trade partners they go to war with.

“Basically, their society is based around leisure. While my people starve, they let food rot. Sure, we trade with them to survive, but they keep us starving to keep their wealth growing. They know we’re in need of food for our growing population, exploiting us over it. You… You’re a fighter, and you sort of look like the boy I had a crush on before I became a woman.”

“At twelve,” I scoffed.

“Yeah, so?” Rosa blurted, finally joining the conversation. “Every time you see a young mother, your eyes turn to disgust. A very lovely young woman showed you affection, and you all but snarled at her. Why are you so tied up about women having children?”

I pinched my nose, wishing the words back. “Since we have time, I’m going to use it. I did history for a bit, having to pick a thesis for my big year of school. In our teachings we learn about a society called the Spartans. They were a warrior race, trained from a young age to wage war like no other. Literally.”

Right when I had them hanging on my every word, I smacked ten more chops into the tree, nearing the midway point. I panted from the exertion, knowing I should probably pull the tree down in one direction with the horses here soon.

“Against the Spartan was Athens. Sure, they fought other lords, but their main enemy was a neighbor who saw things much like this region does. Women are tools meant to be bred, cycling generation after generation to fuel the war efforts of boys into men. One fourteen year old girl could birth ten children before one Spartan woman had her first baby.

“There are many flaws with that generalization, but it proved vital, or so I argued. There is far more of it than that, but again, we look at the facts. In a world at war, where numbers matter, the society that waits will have fewer numbers. Spartans were forced to have super soldiers, because the Athenian soldiers were decent with infinitely more of them.

“You see, Sparta, for all its inherent flaws, saw women for something more than birthing children. In that, they were revolutionary, and I concur, the math doesn’t lie. In a brutal grimdark world this is the way. Hell, Dami with a single baby at nineteen, since she’s that old now, and Dami with seven babies at the same time is a huge population difference. Okay, we’ve established I see your side of the conversation for kingdom, species, and regional interests.

“The thing is that women need to grow up. They need to become adults and a woman at eighteen is much smarter than twelve. Plus, to me, it’s just creepy. You stop growing around eighteen, and that is the point of adulthood where I come from. To look at someone younger than that, it is considered gross, so please don’t try to push your ways onto me. I hear you, I understand, but I’m not going to change on this one,” I pleaded.

I knew this would come up again and again, so I wanted to make my position clear. Some lord would offer me his thirteen year old daughter who just had her first period, figuring she was of ripe age for a man twice her age. No thanks, and I mainly said this tangent for Rosa, because I fully expected her to stay at my side as a stalwart supporter.

“Fully grown does make a lot of sense. I… I secretly took preventatives until recently to avoid trying to raise a kid while I didn’t have stability in my own life. Between my wealthy father waiting for the right opportunity, a downturn in business, and boys being stupid, I made it to this age childless,” Rosa said.

“Do you regret it?” Talou asked.

Rosa shrugged. “Not really, no. I’m starting to have baby cravings or maybe I’m just horny.” She snickered. “But yeah, I can relate to Dami.”

“Dami commits,” I said in a positive manner. “Speaking of which, what happened where you had to marry Agov and what next?”

“Ha, I married Agov as part of a trade pact. Yes, I wasn’t a virgin. I had a baby at thirteen, then fifteen. My mother raised them along with my younger siblings.”

“Agov seemed nice enough,” I said, not actually disliking the count.

“He was adorable. My fat husband who spoiled me. It was easy to get in his good graces. I just asked him what he wanted sexually and learned it was a reach around. Boobs on his back make it very hard to get pregnant,” Talou said with a happy giggle. “He wasn’t that bad, honestly. Boring, simple, and easy to please. His wife hated that I made him happy.”

“Your sister-wife,” Rosa reminded her.

“Sure…” Talou unlatched one of the horses. “Not going to deceive you guys. Fuck her, fuck him if he doesn’t grow a backbone, I’m going home. If I go back to Lao, I’m as good as dead. They knew I was sending ravens home.”

“With what information? What do I need to know?” I asked with a hint of pleading.

“Nothing really, hence why I got expelled instead of killed. Plus, Agov liked me. I always knew my time was limited there. So… Adam, in this Texas as you call it. A woman with unwed children, not widowed, would she be desired,” Talou asked, telling me a lot with only a few words.

“It depends. In many cases yes. Men in Texas like to party. But if we’re talking to wed, some would see it as a sin, but I’d welcome step kids into my home. In fact, before I was shoved out the door on my quest, I dated a woman with two children. They weren’t very nice to me, even when I tried, but she was great. Eventually, those kids pushed me away,” I admitted with a shrug.

We tied up the tree with one of the mares on a super long lead. After thirty more swings, the mare’s slight tug sent the trunk toppling until it bounced off the road. We watched the tree for a few minutes in silence.

With a distant stare, I asked, “How old?”

“Seven and nine summers. Both times, I let my cups get the better of me. Agov doesn’t know, but it is hard to hide if you dig properly. We needed a spy, and everyone refused to be the sacrifice besides me. Well, I was bribed, and my mother is good to Delia and Argot,” Talou said.

“Wow, I… Uh… didn’t see that coming,” Rosa said. “I’m by no means a virgin, but you straight up are a spy.”

“Oh yeah. I leave before the boat gets here, but I may be back. There’s a mysterious golem mage in the area who comes with world views that align with mine. I want Delia to have a childhood where she can learn and foster her desires before she succumbs to motherhood,” Talou said.

“Ha! What if her desires are boys!” Rosa teased.

“Then I’m doomed no matter what. Still, war is coming, the wilds are rising up, and I think Avorth will be just fine due to our strongholds. Also, if you didn’t notice, I was trying to see if you knew of a secret mine or some fabled fruit trees to harvest.” She grinned. “And there’s the confused look to confirm it. I wish you luck, Adam, but river fish won’t be enough.”

Talou untied the mare who lingered in the road, hopped on her back without a saddle, and rode north with a friendly wave goodbye over her shoulder. I didn’t try to stop her, respecting her decision to at least be honest. And truthfully, I needed all the allies I could get. When she vanished into the woods to the north, Rosa slung an arm around my waist.

I jabbed Rosa with a playful elbow and said, “I think she likes you.”

Rosa shook her head. “Me! No, not a chance. I can barely shoot a bow, I don’t know shit about mining or raising horses, and I’m not some heroic female elf of legend.”

With intense overhand swings, I lopped thin branches off the tree. I worked my way around the trunk until a stupid popup warned me to slow down.

“You know, I think you’re something special,” I said, sitting on a part of the trunk. “When I saved you from that dungeon, I was told you were lost, but I don’t think that’s ever been the case.”

“You think I’m as self-certain as that… dagger wielding spy?” Rosa said, thumbing the direction Talou vanished. “I don’t like her or what she did, but she was confident.”

“Ah! Don’t change the subject.”

She thumped the ledger on her thigh. “But I wanna.”

I chuckled. “Rosa. Think about it. What have you done at every opportunity? Have you taken care of Jennet?” She opened her mouth then shook her head no. “Did you go through Lao giving up a fourth outfit to ensure poor children had bread?” She folded her arms, scowling. I grinned, backing up a bit in case she threw her book at me. “I didn’t either, but the point remains. Did you shop for vegetable seeds or fishing gear?”

“Not sure I like where you are going with this,” Rosa said, tapping a foot.

She squinted her eyes, glaring at me with judging eyes.

I laughed harder. “What’s in your right hand!”

“A ledger!” Rosa wagged the big book.

“Exactly! And when you haven’t been holding a ledger, you’ve had a novel in your grasp. You may have these desires to explore, learn, and experiment, but Rosa, you’re a bookworm through and through. And I know you want to help people, but it’s not what defines you. You do help. Look, Tolgar was dead fucking wrong about you. You’re not aimless, you’re hyper intelligent and bore easily.”

“Go on,” Rosa said, shifting a bit to face me more directly.

“You’re noble, smart, inquisitive, beautiful, charming, witty, and a wonderful person. I’m lucky to have you around.”

“You had me angry for a while there!” Rosa tucked her ledger in her satchel, crossed the distance, grabbed my ear… then gently pulled me face down into her bosom for a hug.

I let her win, for a bit. Her breasts were mounds of heaven, warm and soft. Nestled into her cleavage as her arms encircled my head, I could smell the fragrance that was uniquely hers. Roses, her namesake flower, and the lemony soap she used to clean ink from her fingers blended with the salty sweetness of her skin. I resisted the urge to bite into her tender flesh.

After a few moments, I hardened my resolve and pulled away. It was not the only thing hardening, but I was no boy rushing to get his cock wet for the first time.

Rosa was special, and I was going to show her just how special she was. I was going to do this right, dammit.

I left my axe in the wagon, swapping it for a stack of thick blankets. Rosa had trailed after me, curious how I would respond to her bold embrace. I raised an eyebrow as I took her hand. She blushed a charming pink across her cheeks, and her eyes were wide with surprise. I could not help but admire her impulsive blend of beauty and cleverness tempered with a bit of bookworm shyness.

She opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it again. This moment, this decision, was bigger than words. I squeezed her hand in understanding.

The attraction between us had been there since the beginning, this brilliant woman who wanted to be more than a sheltered bibliophile. I wanted that for her too, the chance to grow and become a strong partner I needed to survive in this new world.

But I had never acted on my feelings for her, until now.

I waited until she nodded, her breath coming faster, her ledger pressed against her ample breasts. I turned away, hiding my grin as I pulled her into the shade of the forest. I'd get that book away from her and give her other things to fill her hands with soon.

The shade was cool against my sweat-dampened skin, the soft rustle of the leaves in the trees above us. The rushing sounds of the river faded as we walked further into the woods, searching for a private clearing. I did not want to be interrupted while indulging in such a glorious woman. While some ladies might not have minded, Rosa did not strike me as someone who would delight in performing for unexpected voyeurs.

Ferns brushed at my legs and trailed over her skirts like a lover's teasing fingertips. I could not wait until my hands and lips could do the same across her body.

My pants were tight, and my body chafed against my clothing. Seeking some relief, I dragged my shirt off over my head.

"Oh," Rosa whispered behind me. My body had changed after the last few weeks, growing stronger and more defined. As she stroked my back from shoulder to waist, I could tell she liked what she saw.

The trees thinned, revealing a small dell sheltered by a tumble of rocks on one side, the ground nearly bowl-shaped and filled with lush clover. I paused, considering, and she stepped closer. Her fingers wrapped around my abs as she pressed a warm kiss against my spine. I shivered as blood surged into my loins. This seemed private enough for her to reveal her passions.

Quickly, I spread the blankets, then turned to embrace her. Our lips met in a fiery kiss, our tongues dancing together in an erotic tango. I ran my hands over her curves, feeling her body respond to my touch. She moaned into my mouth, her book dropping with a faint thud, forgotten as her fingers began digging greedily into my flesh.

As we kissed, I slid my hands down to her hips, pulling her against my aching erection. She gasped against my mouth, her body arching against me as I ground against her. I lifted her up, her legs wrapping around my waist as I carried her to the blankets.

We sank onto the soft fabric, our bodies pressing together. I rolled over, placing Rosa on top of me. Even with the embroidered layers of her gown, she felt light as a dream. She smiled down at me with a mischievous glint in her eye, her fingers tracing circles over my bare chest. Her dress had already ridden up, revealing the creamy skin of her thighs.

I let her explore my body, enjoying the studious intensity that she applied to the task. Her hands mapped my chest, her fingertips brushing over my pecs and down the planes of my abs. I shivered as she rolled my nipples between her fingers. I was more sensitive there than I'd thought, and she seemed to like teasing me.

I knew she wanted to learn how to please me, to know how to please her lover. I would happily teach her.

Her nails raked my nipples, making my cock twitch and leak. I groaned, and she grinned with self-satisfaction. Giggling, she twisted the small nubs, and I arched my back with a groan.

"Rosa," I growled, and her fingers stilled.

Her eyes widened, her fingers twitching. "Did I hurt you?"

I shook my head. "No, I just want to fuck you so badly right now."

She stood over me as she pulled her dress up slowly, bunching it just below her breasts. Her eyes gleamed while watching my face as she exposed her pink lace-trimmed underthings. Her lips parted in hunger, her eyes trailing over the lacy tops of her stockings.

"May I?" I asked, my voice raspy.

She nodded, excitement and anticipation in her eyes as she spread her legs to give me more room to move. I sat up and slid my hands up her calves, tracing the lines of her stockings. I nudged her legs apart a bit more, my hands stroking her thighs as I moved. Her skin was so soft, just like I'd imagined.

I wanted to show her everything.

I kissed a trail up her thigh, finding the center of her womanhood.

"Adam, please," she begged, her voice throaty with need. I chuckled and slid her panties down her legs. She bit her lip as I tossed them to the side, then pulled her stockings down.

"I want to taste you, Rosa," I told her, my voice husky. Her eyes were wide, but she nodded as she sat down on the blankets and spread her legs wide for me. Her wet, glistening flower was open and waiting for me.

"Please," she begged, her voice so soft and full of need, I couldn't deny her.

I locked eyes with her as I moved into position and slowly licked her, sliding my tongue along her wet slit. She whimpered and writhed, her hips pressing against me as I delved more deeply. I breathed in her scent, musky and sweet and totally unique. She shivered as I licked her folds, my tongue teasing her clit as I knelt between her spread knees.

"Oh," she gasped, her hands gripping my shoulders as she arched on the blankets. Her nails sparked my passions higher as they dug into my skin. I kissed her wetness, parting her folds with my tongue. She cried out, her thighs already quivering.

"Shh," I murmured, my tongue against her, teasing her clit with small flicks. "Quiet down or someone might find us."

She whimpered as she struggled to stay quiet, her hips bucking against my chin. She had no idea how badly I wanted to fuck her right now. But there was no way in hell I was going to rush and screw this up.

I licked her again, savoring her sweet honey. My tongue swiped up her slit, my fingers spreading her juices around. She panted; her head thrown back.

"Adam," she pleaded, giving up any attempt to be quiet. Her hips rocked, trying to coax my mouth to where she wanted it. "I need more. Please give me more. I need, oh gods, I need--"

I pulled back, kissing my way back up to her open lips. She sobbed against my mouth, her body writhing in unfulfilled need. I paused, pulling on her dress ties. She lifted her back and shoulders as I pulled it over her head, her raven-hair tumbling down to frame her beautiful breasts. Her hair was so soft, so luscious. I wanted to bury my face in it and her glorious mounds. The desire etched on my face caused her hands to grip the folds of the blankets, her knuckles white.

I chuckled as I tapped her hands, so she’d release her grip before I pulled her to the edge of the blanket, kneeling above her. She stared up at me; her eyes glazed with lust. She reached for my belt, her fingers fumbling with my buckle in untempered haste.

"Let me," I told her, my voice low as I tried to hold together the fraying edges of my patience.

She smiled at me, her eyes sparkling with happiness. The sun-dappled shade painted mysterious patterns against the paleness of breasts and belly, ever-changing in the breeze. She had no idea the temptation she exuded; her body fully revealed to my hungry gaze.

I slid my belt open, unbuttoning my pants. My shaft sprang free, engorged and full of lust. I gripped it, throbbing and so ready to be inside her. I stroked myself slowly from the head to the base, watching her face as she watched me.

Her breasts rose and fell, her chest heaving with excitement. Her eyes slid down my chest, my abs, my cock. Her lips parted, and she sat up, her tongue darting out to wet her lips.

She looked absolutely delicious.

"Rosa," I warned, my voice gruff. I wanted to take her every way I could, stuffing her mouth, her pussy, spurting onto her heavenly tits. I wanted to do it all to her. I didn't dare take her until I had tamed my lust.

"Please," she whispered into the silence of the clearing.

"Please what, Rosa?" I asked.

She trembled like a leaf on the blankets. One hand had found her forgotten book, automatically gripping onto it like an anchor to keep herself from being swept away by her passions. Her voice was low and frantic as she spoke. "I need you to claim me like Dami. I need to feel you filling up my core. I need you to fuck me like I never been fucked before."

"Oh, baby," I groaned, the words exactly what I wanted to hear. I growled as I pulled her to me. "Say it again," I demanded. "Tell me you need me to fill you with my pleasure."

"Oh yes," she panted. "Fill me with your wonderful cock, Adam. I need to feel your thick, throbbing dick inside of me. Don't stop until I'm fucked senseless, and you’ve completely claimed my pussy."

More than my heart swelled. I leaned forward, my lips brushing hers. "Rosa, your pussy is all mine. I've wanted you for so long."

I had meant to kiss her, but it was she who kissed me. She pressed her lips to mine, her tongue seeking entry into my mouth. Her midnight hair tangled around my hand as I cupped her head; my tongue tangled with hers. They danced together, tangling in a mating ritual as old as time.

"Dami wasn’t kidding. I need you in me now, Adam," she whispered. "My pussy can’t wait any longer."

Her hands fumbled with my cock, gripping it and guiding it to her entrance. I watched her face as she took me in, her eyes closing, her lips parting in a sigh.

"Fuck," she sighed, her head falling back. My hands slid up her thighs, gripping her luscious ass. I lifted her slightly, gritting my teeth as I felt her pussy lips spread around my cock. She was so wet, so ready for me. I withdrew slightly, my hand sliding up her torso until I found a hard, pink nipple. I rubbed the tip, my cock sliding in and out of her soft, wet folds.

"Ohhhh," she moaned, gasping as I thrust into her. My hips moved of their own accord, thrusting into her as I stroked her nipple with my thumb.

"Rosa," I breathed, my voice hoarse, my cock sliding out as her pussy lips gripped me. I closed my eyes against the bliss as my cock slid into her depths. She was a tight squeeze, her walls gripping my hard length. My breath hissed out of my chest as her pussy fluttered around my cock, already on the edge of an orgasm.

"Adam," she cried out, her teeth sinking into my shoulder. Her body trembling as we found our rhythm.

"You're so tight, Rosa," I murmured, my voice strained with desire. "So tight. I can feel every inch of your pussy, squeezing my cock. Oh gods, baby, you're going to make me lose my mind."

"Yes," she hissed. "Let go for me, lose your mind inside of me."

I roared my passion as I thrust into her, my hips crashing into her body. She cried out as I stuffed her juicy pussy to the hilt. Falling forward, I tangled one of my hands in her hair, holding her head as I devoured her plump lips. Her mouth was hot, her tongue thrashing against mine. She whimpered incoherently, our lips crashing together as I fucked her silly.

Her pussy clamped around me, her body shuddering as she came around my cock. "Oh gods," she moaned. "Adam, you feel so good, so perfect inside of me. I've wanted this ever since you saved me, but then in the baths I couldn’t stop thinking about you taking me then and there. The sight of your body had me dripping, and I almost came just thinking about you ravishing me."

She was so tight and hot around me, her pussy clenching around my cock. I didn't stop as her orgasm crested. Instead, I kept pounding her, the splurting juiciness of her slit loud in the quiet of the clearing.

"Don't stop. Oh gods, don't stop," she shouted loud enough to scare away the local wildlife as I drove her passion to an even higher summit.

I couldn't have stopped if I wanted to. My cock was buried balls-deep in her pussy, her walls milking me, while her legs wrapped around my waist. She writhed beneath me, her mouth near my ear. "Oh gods, Adam," she wailed. "I'm so close. I'm so close again. Oh gods, I'm going to come again all over your thick cock."

"Come for me, Rosa," I urged her. "Tell me how much you like my cock stuffing you full."

Her breasts bounced with every thrust, jiggling like they wanted to make me cum from their erotic dance alone. One day soon I was going to spurt all over them.

But today I was going to fill this beautiful woman's pink pussy to overflowing with my cum.

Her hands tugged my hair, her lips pressed against my ear, her breath hot against my skin. "I want you to come inside me, Adam," she breathed. "Fill me with your hot cum. I want to know what it feels like to have you come inside me."

"You'll know," I promised her. "You'll know soon, Rosa. I'm going to come so hard."

"Yes, like that," she begged. "Make me yours, Adam. Make me come again."

I growled like a wild beast, her words spurring me on to a bruising pace. Rosa was so close, I could tell. Her body quivering beneath me, every fiber of her being focused on the power of her cunt squeezing my shaft.

"Yes, I like your cock. I like it so much. This is why Dami can’t keep her legs together around you. Oh gods, I'm so close. Can you feel my pussy milking you? Can you feel my juices coating your cock? I'm coming for you, Adam. Oh gods, I'm coming. Come with me, please. Come with me, baby."

"I'm going to fill you with my cum," I warned her. "I'm going to fill you up, Rosa, until you'll never be able to get all of me out."

"Yes, yes, yes," she wailed, her tits bouncing as I pounded into her. "I love your thick cock in me," she rambled mindlessly. "I love how you fill me up."

Rosa's pussy clenched down around me, her body trembling as she came hard, like a water balloon bursting around me. I felt her juices coat my cock as she squirted, her pussy gripping me like a fist. Her wetness dripped down my ball sack.

"I need it," she said, her voice thick with pain and pleasure, her pussy squeezing me desperately. "I need your cock forever, Adam. I love it, I love it, I love it."

I kissed her with all the pent-up passion I'd felt for her the last months. She was mine, just as I was hers. I surrendered my self-control, allowing myself to completely lose control.

My cock erupted, my cum filling her pussy like a tidal wave surging as I reached my release. I roared into her mouth, my hand holding her head as we kissed. I shot my cum into her, my hips pumping in time with my spurts.

"Fuck, baby," I breathed against her lips, my muscles tensing as my cock throbbed.

Her pussy clenched around me as my cum splashed into her. "I can feel you filling my womb," she said in wonderment, her back arching as her orgasm ebbed.

I kissed her again, my tongue exploring her mouth at a more leisurely pace as the fury of my release subsided. My cock began to soften, my spurts slowing to a trickle. I lowered myself beside her as I kept kissing her, my hand still holding her head.

"You’ve claimed me," she murmured. "My pussy is only yours," she whispered.

Her hands slid down my bare chest, her fingernails dragging across my skin. Rosa sighed and snuggled against me. I kissed her forehead, caressing her soft skin.

"I’m not letting you go," I replied, my words genuine. I wasn’t going to leave her. She was a part of this new family I had. "You're mine, Rosa," I told her.

She nodded. "I know," she said in a sleepy voice.

She passed out snuggled into me, her breathing even and deep. I held her as her breathing slowed, and she fell asleep. My cock fell out of her, my cum dripping from her pussy and coating my balls, warm and thick. I'd claimed her and given her my seed. I smiled at the thought, holding her close.

She was mine, and I was hers.

The thought settled into my mind, a warm and pleasant feeling. Rosa was my mate. There was no doubt in my mind that this had gone past just sex. We didn’t know each other well enough for love yet, but we were running that direction, hand in hand.

This was so different than earth had been, and I found myself not wanting to hold back and play it safe. This world was dangerous and alive, flaming my passion for these beautiful women. I wasn’t going to hold back; I was going to give my all in every aspect of the world.

I watched her sleep for a moment, her lips parted, and her eyes closed. Her beauty and peace in that moment settled into my soul.

I stared down at her as I processed the change in my heart before I kissed her and smiled. I was truly happy, even though I knew we were not out of the woods yet.

Chapter

Twenty

THE CLEAR ISLE

Clean Baby Clean!

“There’s a lot to be said that starting new is better than fixing old,” Gardi said, heaving a stone onto the small cart.

I shrugged, picking up a stone that Golem carved off from the toppled wall. The wind was cool, the sun warm, and a few scattered clouds swept the horizon. Across the isle, the sounds of progress clashed as small teams worked to tear down the old ruins, converting them into neat piles.

“You know, you could have gone with Eric.”

Eric was given a mission to visit Lao and sell our perishable gains before they thawed via our only spare horse. He was to return with another horse or two, depending on what he could afford.

“On what? Jennet!” He scoffed with a snickering headshake. “Clearly, I’d much rather toil endlessly.” While his words were snarky, his tone was super playful. His back popped during a deadlift with a grunt. “This’d be easier if I had a second eye!”

I chuckled, knowing that was totally irrelevant. Gardi was happy to toil and honestly everyone seemed to be in high spirits. We fixed the bridge to the point that anyone could walk across it, but not the wagon yet. Since we chopped down trees, picked up sticks and there were plenty of old boards laying around, we almost always kept a fire going. The flames kept dangers and bugs away at night while cooking our fish.

And yes, we stopped killing the cavives until we could get a reliable ice mage. I sent a message along with Eric to give to Hargrin. I wanted him to tell the Countess that her sister-wife said deuces and split. I framed it tactfully, but I knew I’d be in trouble if I didn’t say something.

“Eggs are ready!” Dami hollered.

Gardi grinned. “Back soon.”

“You spoil us!” one of the younger females said.

Her joy spread to the others. As much as we worked, we ate, a luxury for Limar. Of the fourteen workers, six were males, which was less than I wanted. Plus, I’d already converted Eric into the errand boy so that was one less set of hands working.

None of them had any magic, or skills of note, and each of them were crazy to join our mission. But the coins were given half up front at the docks, so they could hand them off to family before they left for a month.

So far, it was only three days since we arrived back at the isle with Eric due back any day. We ate well, we slept well, and we grinded out the progress, one stone at a time. Three days didn’t amount to much on the grand scale, it really didn’t until you stepped back. The wall that used to stand ten feet tall was ripped down, suddenly revealing a smaller wall behind it. To the guys in the trenches, it just seemed endless, even if it was incremental.

Golem, when he wasn’t being killed in a battle and could be properly used, proved incredibly resilient. The little fellow grew another inch from the minotaur fight, always having this chipperness to him. Every time I spawned him, and he didn’t do anything crazy, he lasted for almost the whole day.

When he lost cohesion, I just had to wait a day from his last spawn to regenerate him. Our teams entered this odd sort of efficiency with him. We’d hauled the stones to him, and he cleaned them slowly. Pressure washing killed him, but if he ingested the stones, then snail lurched them behind, he stayed whole while consuming whatever nastiness built up on the rock.

“You coming?” Dami asked, offering the eggs.

I shook my head, staying put while others went to eat. I did pop my back, looking around at the progress and the work ahead. From across the river, or up close or from atop a pile of rubble The Clear Isle seemed tiny. It wasn’t until we started to clear just a single barracks building that I realized how much work I took on.

In a way, it reminded me of those gotcha phone games where you start construction on a simple building only for it to take forty days, and yeah, at this rate, I was almost certain I’d go beyond the month of labor we hired just for the tear down.

Dami set the plate down, so the others helped themselves. Once they dug in, she deviated, coming to stand at my side. “Heya handsome, you okay?”

“No, and I probably should be eating. I just feel full, or I’ve been losing weight from stress,” I grumbled.

“Why don’t you just… check?”

“Ha, right?” I chuckled. “Character sheet.”

Time slowed with an overlay coating my vision.

Ding! You have leveled up!

Ding! You have leveled up!

Ding! You have leveled up!

You have three points unassigned.

“Add them to dexterity. I feel like I’m strong, can run for a bit, and as an archer, can use superhuman speeds,” I said. “Don’t let the other see.”

An orange glow shot out of the ground while the rest of the crew remained frozen. As the magic surged into my chest to enhance me, it wasn’t lost on me that the look in Dami’s frozen eyes was one of love. I kissed her forehead when my feet touched back down, even though she’d never know I did it.

The character sheet populated to reflect my new stats.

Name: Adam Clear

Champion for the God of Barter

Height: 6’ 0”

Weight: 216 lbs

Age: 25

General Level: 12

Strength: 4

Stamina: 4

Dexterity: 6

Constitution: 1

Endurance: 1

Healing: 1

Magic Type: Golem

Magic Level: 9

Spell Assignment: Water Golem

“And my current LP?”

452 LP is unused.

“Going to assume the minotaur and his gang was worth a bunch?”

Yes, for every kill one of your soldiers earns, you gain Lord Points. Alphas, leaders, and other above ordinary foes garner bigger rewards. You also earned LP for fish caught, crops planted, worker morale, soldier morale, and more. Would you like a breakdown?

“I can’t change the outcome of what you give me, but it is good to hear that our efforts are making a difference. Still super far from earning a gold, but if you gave me massive rewards, economies would tumble,” I said.

Not many have lived through rampant inflation and your LP can be used in other ways that generates value without altering economies.

“Resume time,” I whispered. Dami glanced up at me, waiting for me to do something. “Already done, and yeah, two pounds.”

She frowned, then wiped her forehead. “Did you kiss me when you… froze time,” she whispered.

“Yeah,” I chuckled, fully expecting to get away with it. She pinched my butt. “Ouch!”

“Is Dami picking on you again?” Rosa asked, shoveling eggs into her mouth with abandon. She kept talking with her mouth full. “These are so good!”

“Your ribs were showing, hopefully I can help fix that,” Dami said proudly.

The two of them stopped whatever tension they had after we started spending the night as a unit. We shared an overhang tent with sheets for walls and Dami immediately took to a motherly role. Rosa stayed firmly focused on researching the history of the Game of Castles while annotating all our gains versus expenditures in her ledger.

“Hopefully Ryak’s foraging goes well,” I said, already interested in some diversity in our food since we ate a lot of eggs and fish. “He’s also due back soon.”

“Are you worried about the Countess?” Rosa asked.

“Of course he is, I can’t get him to eat!” Dami teased. “Honestly, if I were in her shoes, I’d be nice to us and give us lots of gifts!”

I glanced down the river, then to the east, and finally to the north. A mountain of work rested on this island, and all around it, the world continued to turn even if we made slow progress. I just had to hope I didn’t make the wrong decision by trying to establish a base on my own.

Regor Chapter 2

Cask Region

A New Dawn!

For every good con, there had to be a give. Sure, this induced losses, something Regor was all too familiar with, and yet, the one win was always worth ten failures. That was always his motto: ‘Give to Get!’

When selling spaceships, he always gave away trinkets, drinks, and yeah, even treating potential clients to nice meals. He never did it twice for the same clients, but yeah, he wanted to be known as the guy you could come to and not be swindled, even though that was exactly what he was doing. You were privileged to be serviced by Regor, the glorious elf who always sold the best ships for the right price.

Since arriving on Limar, and in the Cask Region, Regor knew to mask his identity for a while. He abhorred manual labor, rejecting all the stupid quests the Game of Castles threw at him. His god was clear, the path to power ultimately comes from Influence Points, which lead to Family Points and Military Points.

Those generated the coveted Lord Points.

This strategy skipped the chance of dying to some monster’s lucky blow. And yes, Regor understood he’d be weak compared to another champion, but many of those champions would fall in battle. Not him. He’d give up becoming a superhuman, to live as a king should, on a throne with others fighting for him.

If at any point Regor fought another champion in a fair fight, well, he’d fucked up. This made tremendous sense to him. His disdain for manual labor equaled with his distaste for executing violence on a personal level. Sure, it solved problems, but that is what minions were for.

And so, he traveled down the river with a purpose to learn as much as he could. He used his good looks to his advantage, eventually earning flashing flare about stamina issues in his vision when he fucked a stewardess in the supply closet.

Of course, he ignored the demanding information, but it did remind him to see what magical assignment he rolled. After a twenty sided dice appeared in his hand, he cast it with one eye peeking out. It landed on seven, which had no significance to him, but the result was nice.

The Syren’s Call: This ancient and forgotten magic allows the user to connect with the listeners who he sings to. Tendrils of desires and fears will stream from the targets to the user until the magic wielder can determine a person's deepest secrets. Be careful, this is a two sided magic. You can decide to never open that connection, however, if attached to a listener, fill any of their desires to earn Influence Points. If you fail to gift or impress the listener’s soul that you stirred, they can become an enemy with negative Influence Points.

Regor didn’t need to fear random people, knowing this would tell him exactly who to trust and who to remove from the equation. During that ride south, he returned to the stewardess who was already enamored with him. He failed numerous times to summon the magic, until he finally unleashed a soft song he never thought he’d ever be able to sing.

He pried at her desires, of which there were so many it was easy. All he had to do was compliment her in a natural way, which was the easiest option. The deepest desire was to feel loved with a promise of a stable life, a nice home, and for her, three children to care for. He stuck to a simple compliment as a test. When his song ended, he told her how pretty her eyes were - a truth. Afterwards, he asked if she could loan him a silver.

Without hesitation she rejected him, unleashing a long laugh at his request. But she did give him five bronze for singing a great song. Again, he called his magic, this time, triggering more of her desires, including sucking on her toes.

When he asked for a silver the second time, she giggled, disappeared, and returned with a silver. He later found out she stole it to please him, somehow avoiding being caught. And so he arrived in Barvol with a plan on how to worm his way into a position of leadership, by using his seductive good looks along with his Syren’s Call.

Barvol proved to be a very interesting city, and the best part was - he beat the early spring rains that drove people indoors. Once the storms rolled with their endless sways of soft downpours, Regor thanked the Stars he’d found Rimi’s Tavern to sing in. It was here, on his tenth day in the Cask Region, that he stumbled upon the biggest shock yet.

“An orphanage,” the middle-aged elf said. Once upon a time, she was a striking beauty with hazel eyes, excellent contours, and a cute face.

Regor flashed his winning smile. “Oh Ulina, yes, the very best. One with an expansive lawn, grand playgrounds, and the very best staff. No child deserves to be left alone or to live in squalor. If you donate to Regor’s Orphanage, you’ll find your deepest desire for a better future met.”

Ulina sniffled, fully buying his bullshit. It was not just one of her desires, it was her greatest thread. The rich widow was filled with yearning to do the best she could with her remaining years, but a good outlet was lacking, and that is where Regor struck.

He knew her trance could be stronger. That was one thing that always helped - grabbing more than one strong thread and further seducing the target. Unfortunately for him, Ulina wanted an orphanage, and the old bitty yearned for a solid fucking. She wanted to feel young again, and Regor was never above sex for profits.

“That’s beautiful,” Ulina said, daydreaming of something that’d never exist.

“Just like you, Ulina. Hey, I’ve sung enough songs for a bit, how about we watch the rain from my balcony.”

She gulped, calming her beating heart with a meek smile. “I…” He stood, offering her a palm with his best smile. Ulina’s resolve strengthened. “That sounds lovely.”

He led her out of the barroom, Regor earned confused stares from the other patrons. The insanely handsome elf who oozes charisma shouldn’t be with the past-her-prime elf. In the end, she wanted to know she was investing her life savings in a perfect orphanage, and he needed her wealth to take over a business on his rise to greatness.

The two of them entered a confined stairwell with steep steps and because he held her hand, Regor tripped. His entire life he’d never been super coordinated, understanding exactly what he needed to do to succeed in life.

His face smashed into the stairs, busting his nose.

“Awe mother fucker fucking titties,” he cursed, scrambling to his feet while tilting his head back in an effort to control the blood.

“Darling, get in the room, I can heal you,” Ulina said.

He kept muttering curses but didn’t go anywhere. “Do it now please, I don’t want to ruin my robes.” Regor desperately tried to keep the blood anywhere besides the expensive garment he worked his ass off to earn.

She sighed, summoning magic from her core. When it swirled around her, he stopped caring about the blood leaking down his face. The green tendrils of magic called to him, begging him to consume them.

He’d seen a few street performers and even the ferry boat had an air mage casting into a sail, but this…

It called to him. That magic yearned to be consumed and he found himself powerless to its desire.

A voice whispered in his ear, “You’re connected, she’s giving her soul to you. The question is, do you have what it takes to win in the Game of Castles?”

Igran, the God of Chaos, challenged him.

Even if the wrinkly old demon didn’t say a damn word, Regor hungered for her magic. He needed it, and the instant he sucked it into his chest, a few things happened.

A jostle of ecstasy triggered a moan, his nose stopped bleeding, and Ulina leered at him with a crazy glint in her green eyes.

Her right hand slammed into his chest, reaching for his core. The magic around her flowed, picking up in intensity with each beat of Regor’s heart. The power thrummed, creating a blinding light only the two of them could see through.

Ulina whispered, her voice barely audible. “More.”

Regor panicked at this point trying to pull away, but the magic induced witch fell on top of him. She buried herself into him as if they were old lovers, snuggling into his chest repeatedly while they lay on the stairs. The magic she pulled from him never stopped growing until something profound happened.

The intense light, the warping magic, and the tendrils of energy sunk into her chest, turning the spell off in a blink.

“Get off me you -”

BOOM!

Ulina exploded in a wave of green magic as it blew Ulina into a trillion particles that the magic absorbed. She simply ceased to exist. The implosion that transitioned into an explosion happened so fast he didn’t comprehend what happened beyond one obvious thing.

That magic healed him beyond his busted nose. The bad toenail clip, the scab on his arm from scraping it from a different fall, and his entire body vibrated with a renewed energy. But that fleeting second turned disastrous when he smacked the back of his head on the stairs again.

He reached back, touched a slick wet spot on the back of his head, then pulled it forward. When he saw the blood, well, Regor didn’t exactly have a high constitution, passing out right then and there.

∞∞∞

Regor stirred awake feeling wonderfully refreshed. A lovely waft of vanilla filled his nostrils, and when he peeked an eye open, he found himself in a four pillar bed with curtains hiding him. The sheets were silk, he wore a sheer set of robes, and the down blanket was divine.

He stretched, smacking his lips. “Hello?”

A young woman of seventeen or eighteen peeked in. She was pretty, but somewhat plain for his tastes. Her green eyes lit up at his sight. “You’re alive!”

“And gone to heaven. Who are you?”

“Oh, just a handmaiden to the queen who you cured! A champion in our midst! How wondrous!”

Regor frowned, not loving how much she knew. “Aren’t you a chipper one?”

“Why shouldn’t I be happy? The most beautiful man healed my malformed pinky, and the aches in my knee are gone.”

“So, between us darling, I hit my head and now find myself confused.”

“You used your champion magic to heal all of Barvol. All of it. Even the animals are indebted to you. The king has called a month-long celebration. Cask has its champion and the king fully intends to give you everything you need to succeed. Now excuse me while I tell the Queen you’re awake,” she said.

“And you. Are you grateful?” He’d found himself aroused from the setting of only a thin garment between him and some fun with an eager maiden.

“Oh most certainly my lord.” She shook her boobs for him.

Regor felt his loans stirring from her ample cleavage at his angle. “And if I asked for you to wait to tell the Queen until after we have a romp in the sheets.”

“But… my lord, I’m married.” He opened his robes, revealing himself to her. Regor didn’t even know her name, and he definitely didn’t want to have a husband trying to kill him.

“Are we secure in here?” he asked.

His eyes shot high when she pretended to trip. “Oh my.”

Her mouth wrapped around his dick. It obviously was intentional but whatever hesitation she had earlier vanished. He sang to her while she sucked on his cock, using his magic to further lure her to his side. The married handmaiden would be the first of many that he corrupted in the name of conquest.

He’d convince her to complain of cramps to her husband until he could get her pregnant. That was assuming he didn’t find himself too busy with the Queen and her daughters. The world was his for the taking and all he needed to do was to consume the souls of the magic users to change this region for the better, forever cementing his legacy.

As he plotted his take over, the door opened, and the handmaiden pretended to help Regor with his robes.

“And that is the best way to do the knot,” she said, as if pretending to teach.

“Ami, is the champion awake?” a commanding voice demanded.

Amishal blushed, retreated from the curtains. “Oh, it’s you, my Queen, he is, but umm… he has awoken,” she huffed with desire, “aroused from his victory.”

“Aroused?” the queen asked with a scoffing laugh.

Regor opened his robes again, prying himself on his elbows. “My lady, it’s a byproduct of such a powerful spell.” Of course this was a lie.

To his surprise, a woman with wolf ears and a bushy tail stuck her head in. She was in her mid thirties, pretty, and lusting after his body. “I hear your name is Champion Regor, a gift from the gods. I’m Queen Karisha who happens to be elated to see you.” She twirled with boundless energy, completely unaffected by the fact Regor had a raging boner. “I was on death’s doorstep not even a day ago and now I owe you everything.”

“I can feel it in your soul, you…” Regor stopped mid-sentence, covering himself with his robes. He rose out of the bed, walking around to see both sides of the large canopy. It was just the three of them. “How well do you trust her?”

“She’s an agent of mine, saved from the streets and given love. Even as I lay dying with my useless husband seeing me less and less, Amishal was always there. Why do you think it was her watching over you and not one of my husband’s minions.”

“Are you sure you want to proclaim me a champion, I’m not fit to fight,” Regor admitted.

“Absolutely. You’re a seducer aren’t you,” Queen Karisha said.

Regor shrugged, never enjoying such open talk. “I’m naked under this sheer robe with a penis needing attention and two women in the room. Hardly a seducer.”

“Men! I swear. I owe you my life though, you’re a decade my junior and about as handsome as any man can get. How do you want me, my Champion?”

“Uh, aren’t you married?”

Amishal scoffed. “Not that you care.”

“Oh I super don’t. I want to win. Agents, lovers, and more will be needed in this coming storm,” Regor said, checking to see if the bolt on the door was locked. It was and secured to the point it’d take a battering ram to get in.

“All the more reason to consolidate power. The King missed your blessing, traveling to Estonia to court a replacement wife. He already has three, the greedy bastard.”

Amishal snorted with a snicker. “He’s going to be pissed you’re still alive and powerless when the gates are closed to him for his betrayal we create.”

“Plans. We have so many plans to make, Champion of mine. But we can do them in a bit. Tell me, how can I serve?” Queen Karisha asked.

“This is not a short thing, the Game of Castles.”

“We know. The historians have been feeding us every bit of data, of which there is a lot. Children are a personal priority as is conquering the lands to raise your levels,” Queen Karisha said.

“Honestly, I don’t intend to personally fight. I’m terrible at it. I can seduce people and yes, children are a must. If you can protect me, just send the wives and daughters of the most powerful men on Cask to this castle,” Regor said, flopping back into the bed.

“Many men never allow their wives to travel.”

Regor chuckled. “Then have them come for a special blessing. Ami here can jerk them off while telling them how hot she thinks I am.”

“No lord likes being humiliated.”

“Bah, you beautiful vixen. I just have to give them something, anything they desire, and they start to become loyal to me. It’s my magic. I’d use it on you but you’re firmly on my team. Wait, I see the hesitation. Maybe one of your sister wives would -”

“Stop with the theatrics,” Karisha said, slipping out of her formal dress. Regor watched her crawl onto the bed with her heavy breasts sagging in just the right way. He waved Ami over also. “Am I not enough?”

“Forever and always. But I’m in control, not you, even if I intend to make you the greatest queen ever. I’ll seduce and fuck every princess in the kingdom, uniting us all, and you’re going to help me do it. Now, sit on my face while your spy fucks my cock. I’ll let you watch me squirm with pleasure while I lick your pussy.”

Regor sorta wished for his words back because she pounced on his face with an over eagerness, almost breaking his nose again. While he licked her clit, a warm mouth settled over his growing erection. The second it was hard, one of the tightest pussies he ever felt enveloped his shaft.

He licked Karisha’s clit, letting her savor the moment. For Regor, so many times in the past his ability to talk his way into the bedroom proved tedious. Now, they threw themselves at him because of his title and power.

He cherished the Gods and this grand game.

A flare of pain in his nose reminded him that Ulina died for his gains. He silently thanked her for elevating him to royalty. The brief thought vanished when he returned to having a glorious threesome.

In a few weeks, months at most, he’d solidify his rule and planned on expanding into the region next door. The word on the street was that Tolmeria braced for war, proving some of the kingdoms might want a distant ally with excess gold.

He dropped the thoughts and focused on enjoying his new status. It wasn’t everyday a queen begged to swap places so she could have your seed. He intended to deny her. Not forever, and not to punish her, but to make it special because Cask was his to rule as he saw fit.

Chapter

Twenty-One

THE CLEAR ISLE

Are We There Yet!

A saying from Earth stuck with me. Everything simple is not worthwhile. Anything worthwhile is not simple. For The Clear Isle, it was simple work, but it sure as hell was rewarding. And yes, as we neared a completely cleared foundation, it sure as shit felt worthwhile.

I stood on the edge of a properly fixed eastern bridge, watching a nice breeze lift Dami’s skirt in just the right way. She blushed, swatting the nice fabric down instead of waving goodbye to the seven workers who’d finished their month of hard labor. They did their time, they wanted to go home, and the road remained cleared.

They weren’t slaves in a traditional sense. A couple were, but I paid their owners so they could pay off their debts to be free. I tried to avoid that practice, but Tolmeria’s ways had this stubbornness that forced me to adapt to them. While we waved, the smash and clang continued behind us.

Forty other workers toiled in the midday heat with that glorious breeze. A few long clouds stretched the horizon, and more than a few scavenger birds stayed aloft, hunting for spare bits to feast on. I couldn’t help but soak in the sun with a smile while reflecting on our progress.

Over the last month, a lot transpired and none of it involved combat or the fabled Game of Castles’ table. I continued to send people like Eric to Lao on missions for trade and for good reason. We almost always needed something, we had stuff to sell, and a wagon to haul it. More importantly, we let the Seshkin government know the road north remained clear of threats.

And yes, I heard back from Talou’s hated sister-wife, or former sister-wife. The Countess was thrilled we let the harlot go north, proving she was right, her husband was wrong, and to her, that was all that mattered. For some odd reason, I was given a certificate of divorce for Talou. I sent it north when on a trade run, even if we normally went south to Lao.

When Eric would venture to Lao, he didn’t always go alone. Ryak accompanied him with the wagon a few times, taking people home to see their families or for those who quit. What happened was somewhat expected as time drifted by. Those who returned from The Clear Isle, did so in good health, richer than before, and spread the word we were hiring.

Even though I couldn’t hire anyone through the table, I didn’t need to. I had to remember that the Game of Castles was built in many different ways. Our Influence Points went through the roof with the local workers by simply being responsible employers.

Every single time Eric or Ryak went to Lao, they came back with an extra worker or two. And yes, the Lao soldiers finally left their walls to visit on occasion, fighting a few wildlings and even a random troll archer that tried to get Eric one time.

At this point, the work we did on the isle started to provide diminishing LP returns. This didn’t worry me too much, mostly because we were amassing wealth and stored LP points from so many sources, I wasn’t just a washed up noble on a barren island.

The income from our work, trapping, sales, and foraging turned me into an actual baron. I generated enough revenue that I could pay my people fairly while advancing the construction. But yes, funds grew tighter as our growing scale of operations resulted in reduced per person income. Going to a crew three times bigger meant only one and a half times more residual Lord Points.

When I asked, the system mentioned employment through me didn’t guarantee salaries, just that the rewards for meaningful progress would continue based on a litany of factors. At the same time, I faced a different issue. As my income went down, my labor costs went up. The workers busted their backs, wanting raises, and yeah, besides for the desperate, hiring skilled people was impossible.

To improve my odds, I raised the amount I paid out per day with the justification that we no longer guaranteed three meals a day. We did promise a nice place to sleep, and decent working conditions with potions on hand to fix injuries.

Regardless of the hiccups, our crew of fourteen ballooned to forty and we finished clearing the old fort’s foundation early. In another week, we’d have a decent western bridge to use to travel to the massive untapped woods. Inside those trees had to be fruit, animals, and other stuff to hunt and forage.

The farming land on the island was still shit. Not only could I not keep people off it, the soil was filled with rubble bits from siege engines raining their ammunition onto the island. At this point, I sorta felt like the land was better off being used for pastures.

And yes, all our progress didn’t go unnoticed. To avoid unwanted suspicion from the others, I sent fake trade envoys to Brackenfell and Gorm. In my mind, I need to pretend I was getting the coins from someone, even if I wasn’t. Ryak or I would venture down those roads, go hunting and trapping, then come back with more stuff to sell to Lao.

During our trips, we caught a lot at first, but that diminished over the weeks. In addition, we both kept finding signs of monsters in the area, but never finding the monsters themselves. Even if things slowed, the points kept stacking higher and higher for making progress and so the cycle continued with me exploiting the Game of Castles LP to local coins exchange rate to keep my employees happy, well-fed, and paid in full.

As for the grounds themselves, the Clear Isle definitely held far more space than I expected. In addition, even with three times more people than we started with, the work seemed endless because there were extensive amounts of basements clogged with rubble. Yeah, Rosa kept reminding how nice Brackenfell was and telling me about sunken cost fallacy.

While I enjoyed her jabs, I had faith in this spot. In theory, if we expanded enough, we could push out to the east and west shores, creating new outer walls, but for now, I had to decide what to do with my foundation and I just wished the island was bigger.

Most of my frustrations came down to what Talou said a month ago. The Clear Isle didn’t produce food after a certain point. The only thing it generated were trees and a swamp nearby. We were running out of fish, we had minimal farmland, our chickens needed eggs to hatch, and we needed to eat eggs. The hunting and trapping, along with the LP earned, meant I bought, traded, or converted my gain inside Lao for more livestock.

And because Lao was not the best trade partner for that, I had to finally swallow my pride and send Gardi to Brackenfell. He left with Jennet, and the cart Tolgar traded to us almost five weeks ago. His mission was simple, to acquire farm animals. I told him not to go, but the one eyed man demanded to. He needed to see Mo and he was willing to risk his life doing so.

Eventually I caved, knowing this was the best way to earn his loyalty further and maybe if something happened to him, I could finally cleanse that outpost of Tolgar’s stench. Plus, I trusted Gardi to not steal my coins, because one thing we weren’t short on was grazing areas for goats, pigs, or chickens.

Gorm was always an option, but I didn’t have anyone who knew the culture or that wanted to go after Eric said they almost castrated him for visiting. For now we just bought our metal already smithed into the final products at a premium in Lao.

And yes, the taxes Lao earned from us had to be making Count Argo very pleased with his decision to be nice to me. I just knew the other kingdoms may find us a problem.

“You’re too worried,” Rosa said, slinging an arm around my waist.

I snorted. “Gardi should have been back yesterday. I need to know where we stand with Brackenfell.”

“Well, I have bad news,” Rosa added.

After a long exhale, I replied, “Lay it on me.”

“We need to get out there and do more adventuring stuff. Plus, I know you’ve been shy about going to Gorm, but the mountains are where all the mortar paste comes from. Either you need to go, or I do. And… we’re running out of food, rapidly. The fishing crews are going further upstream and Ryak is going farther afield. Either we need to start buying it, cut back on meals even further, or…” Rosa let the sentence hang.

“I know, that is why I sent Gardi to Brackenfell, and rumor has it, Lord Tolgar is now Baron Tolgar. If only Estin itself was closer,” I grumbled with a headshake. “The swamps should be loaded with hags. They’re pretty easy to kill as long as they don’t get on the land. It’s kinda like cheating if that’s true.”

“Not everyone can shoot a bow like you, and they’ll tear Ryak to shreds. Maybe the haunted forest will help, but Adam, I think we’re about to reach an inflection point, at least that’s what the numbers are showing,” Rosa admitted.

I yanked her to my side for a hug. “Are you telling me that the numbers are pointing to war.”

“Uh, yeah, they are. Which is odd.”

“Nope. Many wars were fought through time because of balance sheets and data points regarding profits. I hear you. I just was hoping to hire a fighting force by this point,” I said, kicking a small stone.

Rosa reached into her satchel, extracted a ledger, and thumbed crisp pages. “We’re sitting on seven hundred LP. We’re not broke, but we’re producing more silver than is possible. They’ll either think we’ve found a silver mine on the island, or you’re smuggling for a banished lord or whatever. My point is, exactly what Baron Hargrin said in his last message. How are we doing so well out here with nothing. It’s stirring up attention. To the point, you do need to buy from Gorm.”

“Bah! They’re warriors, keen on fighting all the time. I’d slide tackle a thief and get challenged to a duel to the death,” I said with a scoff. “Asmi was right, I have to be a lord, not a Hedge Knight.”

“Adam, you survived two visits, and you established one trade partner, maybe two. We can’t build Castle Clear without Gorm or Avorth. As your financier, lover, and part of your team, I need you to go kill hags, then sell the loot to Gorm. Get a new wife if you have to, but in about three or four days, that table will activate,” Rosa said with a hint of pleading in her voice.

“Technically I can just sell the hag parts from the table, and it will come out here without me needing to risk my neck,” I said.

“Sure, and if another four dozen workers come up from Lao, no one will bat an eye. There’s a few thousand people in that city with hundreds needing work. I get that you trust the Game of Castles system, but I fear your influence will go into negative territory. You’ll be seen as a ripe target to raid, not one to be feared,” Rosa said.

A slew of scatter clouds rolled in rapidly. I glanced up, watching as they whipped overhead to unleash a gentle sprinkle for a few minutes while we stood there in silence. A solid month of progress led to some changes that forced me into action. I didn’t have a military to command yet, and because of that, everything fell on my shoulders.

It also became apparent that the region stayed boring. Unless some champion managed to infiltrate Avorth, I had this region to myself. In a lot of ways that made sense. Before the champions battled each other, they needed to establish a homeland first. What good would a Game of Castles be without… castles.

This fact further enforced the notion that the competition wasn’t meant to be finished in hours or days or weeks. If we were immortal through children, then it was meant to be a long haul competition, and yes, I realized if the gods wanted us to just battle in an arena, this all would have ended in a few fights.

“I guess it is time. I’m going to head towards Brackenfell with Ryak. It’s only a day’s march and… I’m worried,” I said, spinning to prepare for the mission. Rosa stood on her tippy toes with puckered lips. I gently kissed her. I glanced about realizing the lovely mousy must have snuck off while I zoned out earlier. “Suppose I do need to say goodbye to Dami too.”

“Yes, and Adam, sorry about Gardi,” Rosa said.

“Tolgar wouldn’t have killed him, even with his newfound power. Then again, I’ve been wrong about these things,” I said.

“I… I fear the worst,” Rosa warned, letting me shift by to head into danger.

Whatever delayed Gardi, I just had to hope it didn’t alter my plans because I’d grown to rely on him. Plus, I really wanted to eat a turkey leg. I felt like I should have that right at some point as a noble.

I walked back towards my tent, chuckling to myself about my silly desire. The coming days would likely be bloody, so the levity helped counteract my hunger for violence.

Chapter

Twenty-Two

NEAR THE TOLMERIA Swamps

It’s not a Field Excursion, it’s a Rescue Operation!

“Well, fuck,” I muttered, having to stop suddenly.

We’d been walking towards Brackenfell when we turned a corner in the path. At the end of the bend, the road simply ceased to exist when the edge of the dirt trail crumbled to a jagged edge, transitioning down a good foot until it touched swamp. I’d expected it to be near, mostly due to the increasing smell, but not like this; I’d used this road and it definitely didn’t need a boat the first time.

“Uh, oh,” Ryak said. “This wasn’t here four -”

A shrill shriek pierced the air sending shivers down my spine. I knew that sound, it was a female hag who was riled up about something. I quickly extracted an arrow, half nocked it, and ran through the underbrush.

The extended swamp carved up the road, pushing deeper into the woods to claim the soil with liquid. As I ran along the dry forest I dodged branches, bushes, and piles of dirt. A logical conclusion flicked on like a light bulb: the hags were extending their swamp through digging or some sort of magic.

My heart slammed against my chest from the mad dash towards the upcoming chaos. The hag’s anger belched out in an ever increasing torrent of pure fury. I jumped over a fallen tree, finally seeing something more than just woods and mucky brown water.

A purple-skinned hag faced a point where the forest and swamp collided. Sure enough a half dozen of the ugly monsters worked to remove the soil, digging deeper. Males formed a chain to spread the excavated dirt into the depths of the swamp, probably to low points that sat from decades of stagnation.

All in all, there had to be about twenty of the hideous creatures working to claim the land while expanding theirs. The majority of them worked and only one screeched out her annoying warning with a pointed claw into the woods.

Of course, I grew tired of the incessant cry. I neared a tree, acquired a good firing position, and drew back to my anchor point. Rosa had a point. A month of peace left me stagnated on my level growth and financial gains.

Twang!

The sound thrummed in my ears, but the damned hag screamed so loud, she never heard the release, let alone the projectile’s whistle.

I didn’t fire a second arrow yet, curious to see what happened with the first shot. Sure enough, the tight spinning arrow flew true zipping across the distance.

With a violent impact, it pierced the back of the hag’s skull, popping out the forehead, with the tip thrumming a few inches in front of her face. The hag immediately stopped screaming, swatting at the tip of the arrow as if it were an annoying insect buzzing about her nose.

This lasted for a few seconds until her brain stopped functioning and she collapsed with a decent splash.

Nearby hags, glanced at her in confusion. Mostly out of curiosity, I ducked behind a tree when a hag scanned for threats. No additional cries came out.

With my back to the swamp, I noticed a white mare traversing through the underbrush not even a hundred yards into the woods. Ryak’s little legs finally allowed him to catch up only for me to dive deeper into the forest to see who brought the contrasting mare.

Whoever it was, they caught the attention of the hags yet again, earning another shrieking siren.

When I burst into the path in front of the horse, Gardi raised a sword and shield quickly, acting on reflexes.

“Gardi?” I glanced around, only seeing the mare and… Booma beside it. “What the hell?”

“You’ve got shit timing,” Gardi said, unleashing a relieved sigh.

“I killed the hag,” I said with a grin.

“And the soldiers who are hounding us?” Gardi asked.

I frowned. “Huh?”

Ryak caught up a second later, panting from the exertion. “Whose… that?”

“Booma, Ryak, Ryak, Booma. Can’t say I expected this,” I admitted. “Fill me in please.”

Booma waved to Ryak. “Hi. This is all my fault.”

“No, it’s not. But thanks for trying to take responsibility. Tolgar did make baron, and he recruited my son, Mo, to his side. Sorta. Mo is deep within Estin territory, learning how to become a knight, which was the best news I received. Everything else went to shit pretty quickly. Apparently, the Seshkin Kingdom is not supporting the expansion of the Estin Kingdom, so tensions are high.

“Tolgar learned you’re friendly with Lao, and he didn’t forget my sins, even if you got me out of trouble the first time. He stole the mare, our trade items, and the cart, calling them even for giving you such a good deal before he made baron. Well, he also said I needed to spend a week in his dungeon to set an example,” Gardi said with a wince.

“I sprung him out, stole this prized mare Rosa bought with his stolen funds, and we escaped! Right out the front gate like two bandits dashing to safety,” Booma said proudly with an upturned nose.

I groaned. “Tolgar won’t just let you go; he’s got a big crush on you.”

“Oh, I know, I spent a week bent over and bound to the edge of Rosa’s old bed. He took her disappearance out on me.” A sneer crossed her face with an anger that even scared me.

This time I held in my groan and hung my head. “Booma, I… I’m sorry I failed you.”

“You’re not my father and it’s not your job to save me.”

I tossed my hands in the air. “But I left you.”

“To live in an estate with Liam firmly in the ground. You didn’t make that fucking bastard be abusive.” She grumbled. “Probably pregnant with another one of his kids,” she spat on the ground. I pinched my eyes shut at the implications of all of it. “So he sent out scouts to chase us and -”

“That’s fine, I heard enough, we go to war with Brackenfell and hope we can trade with the other small cities until Estin itself gets wind we’re a threat,” I said.

“Just like that? You go to war?” Gardi asked.

“Yeah, he stole from me. No offense Booma, what he did was terrible, and I’ll try to make him pay, but you’re safe now. Sort of. How far behind are the scouts?” I asked.

“They followed close until we ran into hags throwing spears. Uh, they weren’t that close before but the road is gone and there are hundreds of them,” Gardi said. I raised an eyebrow. “Maybe hundreds. It’s hard to tell. The scouts are only a few as far as I could tell.”

“Good, a few is better than hundreds, but yes, I need to fight the hags. Sorta glad I bought plenty of arrows over the last month,” I said, slinging my pack to the ground. I opened up the cover, seeing four more bundles of arrows. I set them all out one at a time before handing Gardi my bag. “Ryak, get them home at a jog. You guys are close, push hard for two, three hours and you’ll get to safety. I’m going to get in this tree right here…”

I heaved myself up and into a lower branch, ascending until I had a good line of sight on the messy trail they left behind. They watched me get comfortable, staring in muted shock.

“You’re going to kill those soldiers?” Booma asked.

I shifted to glance down at her with a beaming smile. “Certainly not going to ask them for tea. If they don’t show up by nightfall, they turned back once they saw the hags. But… if I had to guess, they raced home to tell Baron Tolgar about the hag threat and how it is expanding. This… This is a big deal. Either way, I’ll cover your retreat, then come morning I’ll start to thin this force of hags so I can avoid the swamp swallowing our home.”

“So much for letting them fester,” Ryak teased.

“Right. Sometimes I say dumb things, but hey, I’m here to fix the problem and I’ll be rewarded in one way or another.” I returned to watch their tracks. “Hurry up, that’s an order and bring me more arrows when you return, Ryak.”

“Yes, Lord Adam,” Ryak said, picking up a jog.

The others groaned, clearly exhausted and wanting to get off their feet. For as long as I could see them, they sped towards safety, leaving me behind in the quieting woods. Once I found peace with the environment, I reflected on my past life.

During my hunting trips, sitting in trees was absolutely refreshing and I definitely wanted to experience the nature of Tolmeria. Unfortunately, dozens of hags altered the land only a hundred yards away, inching closer with every hour that passed. They weren’t peaceful or quiet in the slightest as they’d destroyed the road in almost no time, displaying just how efficient they were at converting the land.

For the next three, maybe four hours, I heard the nonstop progress of the relentless hags. I had to assume they simply ate toads, snakes, spiders, fish and whatever other protein the swamp produced to keep their energy levels up because they never slowed. Plus, the hags were nocturnal, meaning this was just the bare bones day shift.

I expected Ryak back at any minute when a lone rider atop a simple brown stallion entered the edge of my vision. He was a middle aged man with large fluffy ears atop his head, sniffing as he went while watching the tracks Gardi and Booma left behind. Maybe if they’d ditched the nice mare she stole before busting out Gardi, they could have hidden their path, but this guy seemed like a professional, having no issues following them.

Without a doubt, the hags caught his attention. For every few steps of his horse, he glanced into the woods towards the slowly encroaching horde of purple-skinned monsters. I partially drew an arrow well in advance, barely holding it just so I never gave away my position at the last second.

His horse sniffed the trail as well, moseying on forward without any desire to rush into anything. If I had to guess, his plan was to find them where they slept and either report back to the baron or to try to kill Gardi and snatch Booma afterwards.

This guy likely had a wife, kids, a nice home, a dog that followed him around, and problems with owing coins to his lord. I certainly didn’t like that we found ourselves on opposing sides, and yet, once he entered my firing range, I shifted my aim.

He never glanced up, he never saw my hiding spot, he never heard a thing. One second, he followed a trail he thought was far ahead of him, the next -

Twang!

The arrow shot down with a rapid twirl and brief whistle. He startled, instinctively jolting from the nearby noise. Before he could ever assess or figure out where it came from, the metal tip sunk into his flesh at the collarbone, diving into his chest.

He instantly flopped out of the saddle, landing with a thud. He died before he hit the forest floor, becoming a lump of a person that the horse walked away from. I expected the stallion to panic or bolt, finding myself a bit surprised when it simply continued tracking the mare.

And that was the power of a bow and arrow, especially with a well aimed shot. There was no monologue, no grand back and forth, nothing besides a popping sound followed by the slightest of pain, then death. I didn’t scramble out of the tree or even shift at all.

I stayed perfectly still.

For all I knew, he had an accomplice. Five minutes became ten, when the horse realized his rider died. He turned around, nudging the corpse with his nose. A few seconds later, Ryak arrived, rustling the fallen leaves as he approached.

“Whoa buddy, hi,” Ryak said, reassuringly to the stallion. He did steal a glance up in my tree, seeing I sat there, observing with a watchful eye.

The hags continued on in the distance, not slowing a bit. The horse shifted, sniffing deeply until it caught wind of the other horse’s smell on Ryak. The stallion urged Ryak forward, wanting him to take him to the target he sought.

“Tie that horse up. He’ll be pissed but we have work to do and I’m pretty certain Tolgar sent a talented scout, predicting a sure outcome that I ruined,” I said.

“They said two chased them,” Ryak noted.

I grunted, slowly descending the tree. By the time I reached the lowest branch, Ryak had secured the angry stallion who snorted with fury in his eyes.

“I hate this part.” The final drop sent tingles coursing through my feet when I landed with a thud. “Well, you made good timing.”

“I ran both ways,” Ryak admitted. “Seems like I had decent timing.”

“Good enough,” I said, cracking my knees when I kneeled beside the dead scout.

For the next five minutes, we stripped the body until he was nude. The proper thing to do would have been to bury him, but I didn’t do that. I secured his clothing, items, dagger, and thirty or so bronze to his saddle. If I wanted to be really nice, I’d have returned his gear and horse to Baron Tolgar to give to his family, but that asshole wouldn’t do the nice thing, so I didn’t either.

With a heavy weight of shame, I disemboweled the poor scout.

Ryak’s cheeks puffed out, threatening to spill out the contents of his stomach.

“Swallow that. Fuck I should have warned you.” I grumbled. Winching when he painfully gulped down his vomit. “We’re dragging the body to the hags to use as bait. In the meantime, cover our tracks and make clawed indents that might mimic a hag walking on land.”

“But… they don’t walk on land,” Ryak pointed out. Then he gestured to the body. “He probably has a family.”

“No shit. What the fuck do you want me to do, go apologize?” I sassed.

“No, but you seem so… uncaring.”

I shrugged, dragging the werewolf by his ankles. “He wanted to -” I stopped myself, setting his feet down to stare long and hard at Ryak. “You’ve trained your whole life to fight warriors like this, what gives?”

He tossed his palms up in the air, shrugging uncomfortably. “After I killed the demonic fairies, I figured they were just evil creations summoned upon the land. This… this guy was probably named Cedric or some shit. He’s handsome enough with a purse full of coins, and definitely has kids. Makes me think that he’d kill me, gut me, then do untoward things with my body and… and… I don’t like it.”

“Ah, hey, I get it. I think I do. I don’t have a good answer for you. Actually, I can almost guarantee things get worse before they get better,” I said.

“You mean it, you’re going to raid Brackenfell?”

I picked the feet back up, feeling like the crisis averted itself. The kid needed to vent after seeing a dead body with its guts flopped out. I hardly blamed him for his response because I was the asshole who did it, and I also hated the actions.

“Yeah, Ryak. You have to understand Tolgar to understand I’ve got no choice. The -”

“The instant they stole and defied his authority, he has to assert his. I know. I know. Father taught me as much. I’m over it, just sad,” Ryak admitted.

“Good, it’s important to understand why we feel how we do and to cope accordingly. I don’t like that he died, but he can’t exactly get up and swap to our team at this point,” I admitted, getting closer to the cacophony of hag noises. “Now, we go silent.”

For the next thirty yards or so, I’d hide behind trees when I needed to, then rush the body closer and closer to the edge. While I moved, Ryak added divots with his sword to mimic claws punching into the soil. A proper scout would figure it out with enough patience, but it likely would fool someone who was either untrained or in a rush.

To my surprise, when I arrived next to the hag construction, I didn’t earn a banshee’s wail for my efforts. Once I knew I was close enough, I set the legs down, retreating back to where I stored my bow and arrows.

I returned to the body, found a nice tree to perch in and brought up all my gear and arrows. If someone found the stallion, they’d be able to take it without me doing anything, but my ploy was never for a horse and some gear, it was always about the hag parts.

More importantly, I needed to start to tamper down on their expansions and since I was here…

Ryak scrambled up the tree, needing help on the bigger gaps until the two of us watched the hags cut into the forest inch by inch. Only five or ten minutes into our hunting session, an eager hag sniffed out the bait.

An excited chittering bounced between the group.

“How are you going to keep them from throwing spears?” Ryak asked.

I snickered. “Who said I was?”

As the group cluttered, a distant shrill cry erupted from down the line. The snap of bows unleashing arrows soared through the forest and I instantly understood what transpired. In the distance, I figured Baron Tolgar arrived to kill the hags, and he did so with the same strategy I wanted to use, killing the hags from dry land.

While the commotion continued further away, the horde of hags who eyed the body hungrily found themselves in a trance, suddenly returning to their work as if a fight didn’t break out only a few hundred yards away. For a second, I thought they’d start digging further into the forest, but no, they dipped their clawed hands into the muck to scoop out bundles of five foot long spears.

As soon as they carried the weapons in their arms, they lumbered forward, sloshing through the swamp to reach their allies with backup ammo.

A painful cry of a soldier ripped through the air, suffering from what was likely an enemy spear. With the battle reaching a pitched fervor, I was forced with a hard decision: did I go home, did I help the hags, or did I help Baron Tolgar?

Chapter

Twenty-Three

THE TOLMERIA SWAMPS

This is a Wendy’s Sir!

Opportunities like these rarely presented themselves and I might have an opportunity to kill an over-extended Baron Tolgar, a fact that spurred me into action. I scrambled out of the tree at lightning speed.

Sure, Ryak needed help getting up, but I didn’t aid him in the slightest in my hurry. I reached the bottom, dropped down, and let the sting from the fall fade by bursting into a sprint.

All my extra arrows stayed behind for speed. I didn’t have much more of a plan than to run to the chaos with thirty something arrows and figure out how I could exploit the situation. My legs pumped high, and the shrill cries of the battle intensified.

At first, I mostly heard grunts, primordial roars, and battle bellows. As the seconds ticked by and the trees zoomed by my peripherals, the sounds transitioned into agony and pain. Not even two minutes into my run, I saw a terrifying situation.

The Queen Hag surged into the midst of a dozen Estin soldiers with another ten archers racing to get distance from the massive enemy. A few knights wheeled their horses away, letting the men with shields soak up her charge.

The Estin soldiers probably figured the same thing I did, hags didn’t leave swamp waters, but the Queen broke the rules, stomping on a squire with no remorse. His shriek turned to snapping bones and he died in an instant.

“Knights! Harrying attacks, archers, fire those fucking arrows,” an ornate mage shouted out commands while swirling a large arcane staff.

The Queen’s hand reached down, snatched a knight off his horse, and raised him to her mouth. When she tried to bite him in half, her teeth scraped against hardened metal, likely crushing organs.

“Save me!” he bellowed with a slight gurgle.

The Queen became deeply offended by not only the metal, but by his audacious noise. She screamed at the poor knight with unbridled rage, tossing him over her shoulder and deep into the swamp.

His panicked cry ended with a splash. I stole a glance to see a horde of hags pounce on him, sealing his fate.

The officer shouted. “Break ranks!”

The infantry split as a mage within the Estin forces swirled flames of magic between his hands. The mage was a stout dwarf with white hair, youthful features, and a hunger to prove his worth. His robes were fancy, his beard long, and the anger in his eyes burned as bright as the magic he mastered.

“Die Bitch!” A torrent of fire spewed forward.

The spell smacked right into the hag’s stomach tracing red and orange damage between her saggy breasts.

The Queen roared out, jumping closer to the dwarven caster. His eyes splayed wide in horror, knowing he’d earned her full attention. The mage unleashed a blood curdling scream as the Queen punted him into a tree with enough force to bend him in half.

A burly knight charged in, burying his lance into her thigh with a solid strike. While she spun, eager to catch the knight, the archers unleashed a volley, unable to miss at such a close range.

As the damage started to mount, the massive queen backed up, retreating towards her minions. A few more arrows sunk into her back, causing her to panic slightly. When she yanked out the lance in her thigh, the Queen triggered something, losing her use of the leg. She slid face first towards the swamp’s edge.

At first the Estin forces celebrated. They’d down the massive foe and earned breathing room to regroup. Unfortunately for them, the Queen had other plans since her hands were within reach of her minions. With zero hesitation, she scooped up the large hags, flinging them out of the swamp and into the fight.

The instant they landed, they either howled in pain from broken bones or they went full berserker mode on the Estin forces. I watched on in horror, knowing I should probably help, especially since Baron Tolgar wasn’t present and not a target for me.

And yet, this wasn’t a fight for a small force, let alone a single man. This literally was a battle where an army should march against the hags with siege weapons, piked infantry, rows of archers, and elevated casters on horses with knights on charging flanks.

Instead of helping the soldiers survive while the Queen sacrificed her own troops to buy herself space, I snuck closer to the swamp. When a hag tried to call out to the others at my approach, I released an arrow. She died with her mouth frozen open as my arrow sunk into her forehead.

I dashed forward, withdrawing another arrow, knowing I had an opportunity I couldn’t let go of.

“Guide my stealth,” I prayed, not exactly sure to whom.

A spear zoomed inches from my face, smacking into a tree I sprinted by with a solid thunk. The minions continued to march forward, eager to be thrown into the grinder. Only a few of the largest females remained unfazed by her control.

Those nasty hags raised a chorus of cries, finally grabbing their Queen’s attention at my sneaky advancement.

I turned to my left side, skid to a stop, and drew the exquisite bow to my precise anchor point. The Queen shifted her massive eyes flaring with concern at my proximity. That big orb condensed with panic, and I grinned.

At only a dozen paces away, I let the sinew roll off my fingers with a smooth release.

Twang!

The arrow wobbled, entered a tight spin and vanished into the Queen’s eye.

“Behind you!” Ryak said, arriving to find a half dozen hags charging us across the ground. “I thought they didn’t leave the swamp.”

The ball of my left foot dug in deep, giving me a firm grip. I burst into a sprint, tossing my bow on top of a bush. The quiver flew off my shoulder with a quick shrug. Ryak’s eyes flared wide in shock at my dead sprint for him.

“Run you fool!”

Behind me the queen roared out in pain, and as one, her minions cried out for her. I stole the briefest of glances at the Estin forces, seeing them in full retreat with more dead and wounded on the field of battle than standing.

Ryak shed his armor mid-stride, running in the same general direction away from the swamp. My long stride carried me to him in a flash and I nimbly scooped him up, pouring on the speed even with the additional weight.

My vision flared with alerts less than a minute later, warning me to slow the fuck down. Of course, I knew if I just went a bit further, I’d outpace the hags. Right when my vision flared with black waves, warning me that I might pass out, I caved.

I set him down and the red flare in my dimmed vision abated. Every glance over my shoulder revealed hags struggling to keep up while in full berserker mode because of the dirt. Even though I set him down, I swapped to a jog, knowing my lead was plenty at this point.

After five, maybe ten more minutes, I slowed, glancing back to find Ryak. Unfortunately, he couldn’t keep up, falling way behind at some point. I never heard him scream wondering if his death was my salvation. I waited a good five minutes to catch my breath before I withdrew my sword and braved the path back.

“Boss?” Ryak said from up a tree not even a minute towards the swamp. “They… just collapsed.”

He pointed to a twitching hag. I scrambled up a tree to earn a better view. Across the forest floor, twenty plus hags and their male counterparts flopped like fish out of water. When the nearest facedown female stilled, I intently watched her chest. It didn’t rise or fall in the slightest, giving me extra courage to leave my perch.

I hopped down, raced to the female and jumped high for her back. In my mind, if she came to live, I’d avoid her counter attack. Nothing crazy happened. The blade pierced her heart, but she’d already died much earlier.

Ryak joined my side with a confused furled brow. “What - what happened?”

“They don’t leave water for a reason. If I had to guess, when they do, they die from a timer or something.” I shrugged, removing the blade with a grunt. After another glance around, I felt like the threat passed. “Uh, so, stay here and get to work removing bits for us to take to market. Hurry. Sloppy cuts are better than no cuts.”

“You… You want me to butcher them?”

“It’s that or fight the returning Estin forces because I want their gear and I can outrun them,” I snorted with a squinting gaze, “can you?”

He shook his head. “I can out fight them.”

“Yeah, I believe you can, Ryak, I do,” I said, patting his shoulder. “Hey bud. No matter what happens in this world, that scout died to the hags, you understand.”

The young mousy man failed to connect the dots. “Huh?”

“I’m not perfect, Ryak. Tolgar will pay, but that scout died to hags, especially if I need Estin’s help clearing the swamp.”

“You… You think they’re alive?”

“There were hundreds of them. I think King Vardrin doesn’t have a choice, he has to march his army to these swamps, or he’ll lose swaths of his land to the swamp’s expansion.” I sighed unhappily. “The corrupted woods are no different. If anyone asks, so our story matches, we found the horse aimless, followed the trail, then stripped the body that the hags killed, leaving it all behind when the sounds of battle started. Understood.”

“Yes boss.”

“Good. Good. Let’s take the win.”

Instead of replying, he knelt down next to the corpse. I decided this was enough talk for now, taking off towards the main battle site. I ran hard, really hard to the point I was yelled at by the system about my stamina and endurance. I ignored those warnings until I couldn’t, slowing with my hands above my head to cool off once I arrived back at the battle scene.

Any of the maimed or damaged hags that the queen threw, lay still upon the ground. None of them stirred with a horror filled pile of the dead. The battlefield wasn’t quiet, even if it was still with the most stomach churning noises grating my soul.

In the swamp, what I saw would haunt me to the end of times. The Queen Hag lay tits up in the swamp, dead as dead could be. Atop her, a swarm of hags ate her flesh with abandon, ripping and tearing to consume greedily.

Suddenly, I completely and utterly regretted shifting stones across a boring island instead of conquering threats. Then again, this would drag the three sides into action, and with it, I could properly capitalize.

I hurried back to sling my quiver on my back and get my bow back in my hand. No female hags rushed away from their meal to attack me, giving time to secure my gear quickly. When I approached the smushed squire, I realized I’d have to sort gore to get the ruined metal.

While I did leave him as a mess on the forest floor, I applied a quick cross next to his final resting place. The damned Queen weighed so much, she indented the ground with her steps, making tossing some dirt on him easy.

Once that was done, I stole purses, added daggers to my belt, and left the heavy stuff alone. One of the archers with a spear in his chest had a really nice longbow, so I grabbed that as well.

When I reached the dwarven mage who’d been kicked into a tree, I rummaged into his robes to find his purse. To my dismay, he sucked in a raspy breath I’d never have heard if I wasn’t so close. One hundred percent he’d broken his back, but the crazy son of a bitch still lived, defying the odds.

I pried the dwarf off the tree, slung him over my shoulder, and risked his life with my hasty actions. It was a decent walk back to The Clear Isle, but I had a bunch of healing potions if he survived until then.

Before I departed with all the loot, I stole a glance back towards Brackenfell, not seeing anyone coming back. I don’t think they knew I killed the Queen Hag, and one thing was certain - Baron Tolgar had bigger problems than a lost mistress and a stolen mare in his hands. A dozen of his own troops lay dead near a swamp that threatened to consume his very town.

Unfortunately for me, I too had bigger problems to deal with than to have a showdown with him… Yet.

Chapter

Twenty-Four

THE CLEAR ISLE

Dun, Dun, Done!

“Uh, what do we do with him?” Rosa asked, staring down at the wizard who lay unconscious.

After we shoved four potions down his throat, we finally saw positive progress. His breathing stabilized, his back snapped into place, and I became certain he’d make it. While Rosa and Dami placed him in fresh robes and cleaned off the blood, I interacted with the Game of Castes’ table.

“Give me a moment.”

I tapped on the screen.

Champion Adam has no castle, keep, fort, or home. Currently, this table is in a spot where one can be claimed. Here is the information about this location.

Location: The Clear Isle

Location Summary: The Clear Isle has tunnels that need to be free of obstruction before you can claim the location as a home.

“Where are these tunnels?” I asked, my face focused on the screen.

Rosa huffed. “There used to be a dock with a secret tunnel to the main castle. During the war that felled this fortress, it collapsed. We have teams working day and night on it, but Adam, we’ve used more than half our potions fixing broken bones and fingers.”

I huffed, turning to the lovely blue-eyed elf. “And now we’re low?”

“Yup.”

My sour mood didn’t help the situation, and I almost lashed out. A younger me certainly would have.

“Thank you. I’m coming up with a plan right now. Did I earn the kill on the Queen Hag?”

Yes.

“What were the rewards?”

Kill Rewards:

29 female hags: 317.223 LP

14 male hags: 107.5

1 Queen Hag: 5,000 LP (Reduced for Participation)

1 werewolf scout: 29 LP

Other Rewards:

Horse acquisition: 10 LP

Fire Warlock Prisoner: 52.5 LP

“You get points for catching a horse?” Rosa asked, joining me at the table.

Vital additions towards acquisitions are always rewarded if they add to the Champion’s power. The reward itself depends on many factors, but the fact remains, an extra horse is better than no horse in the Game of Castles.

“This is a lot,” I said with a grunt. “How about levels?”

You have six levels gained. A killing blow is a killing blow as far as experience is concerned.

I rolled my eyes at the irony. “Add two endurance, two in strength, and two more into dexterity.”

I rose off the ground, welcoming the orange magic that seeped into my body. When my feet touched down, I felt taller, stronger, and faster in ways that brought goosebumps as well as tingles through my body. I definitely noticed this change more than any other.

Name: Adam Clear

Champion for the God of Barter

Height: 6’ 1”

Weight: 229 lbs

Age: 25

General Level: 18

Strength: 6

Stamina: 4

Dexterity: 8

Constitution: 1

Endurance: 3

Healing: 1

Magic Type: Golem

Magic Level: 14

Spell Assignment: Water Golem

“You’re… bigger and you put on more weight somehow. Fascinating.” Rosa said, immediately jotting down notes in her book.

What she did, well, it incriminated me. It also would be a part of history that some distant champion eons from now may uncover. We were coming to a point in time where my hiding would matter less and less because there’d be no denying my prowess on the battlefield.

Every level I gained, I transformed into something greater than average. I became a fantasy super hero in a sense, capable of profound achievements no mere mortal could attain.

“We’re sitting on almost twelve thousand LP. The silver is staggering and does us no good just sitting in reserves. Yeah,” I said with self-agreement. “It’s an utter waste unless I hold it for a stone golem or whatever, which, this is not nearly enough.”

“It’s amazing, Adam.”

“Right! I do feel rich, regardless.”

Rosa set her ink quill down and rubbed a hand down my back. “Darling, it’s a good start. Lord Tolgar moved thousands of silver and occasionally a gold coin or three. A prized stallion costs ten times what they rewarded you with. In addition, we need hundreds of thousands of LP to build this castle unless people start to believe in the project, calling it home.”

“Or taking a massive pay cut,” Dami scoffed. “You’re paying them a day rate that used to be what I made for a month. It’s excessive.”

“It’s a fair wage,” I grumbled. “Sorry, not in the best of moods. A. You should have been paid more. You’re an amazing person.” We shared a soft kiss. “B. I feel like I got stiffed a bit for killing a thirty feet tall hag. The shot, it was amazing!”

You stole the kill, doing nothing besides earning the final blow. While it took courage, poise, and wit, you ultimately capitalized from the efforts of another party not under your control.

“Fair. Hard to argue that they did the brunt of the dying. I’m sitting on a decent chunk of silver, a metric ton of potion ingredients, and two massive problems I need to address in the swamp and the woods. I think it’s time I go to Gorm and hire mercenaries,” I said with a headshake, not loving the idea.

“Leave me with twenty silver to run operations,” Rosa said, opening her ledger onto the table. “Wait, twenty five. I forgot about Booma and Princess.”

“Who?” I blurted.

Dami giggled. “The horse.”

“Ah. Help her feel at home please,” I said, emptying my pack to stuff in a different set of items for a longer trip.

“What about Tolgar?” Dami asked, stealing a glance at an uncomfortable Rosa.

I shook my head. “A moderate problem I plan to deal with. Trust me, he won’t be forgotten.”

“He deserves to die after what he did to Booma,” Rosa said with Dami’s stern gaze telling me she agreed.

“I know. I know. I put off risks to focus on my home. This tent is lovely, this island is somewhat secure. We have a nice place to rest away from danger at night. Soon, soon it’ll be nicer. For now, I need to see Talou, or whoever from Avorth that’ll listen to me. The swamp hags have to be dealt with and if Estin doesn’t do it, I have to. I bet those hags are going to make a new queen, or many new queens.”

“Are you taking Ryak?” Rosa asked.

I shook my head. “Gardi and Ryak will protect the Isle. I’m taking the recovering mage, the stallion, and the carriage with me. I figure that’s more than enough.”

“But he’s an enemy,” Rosa said.

I grabbed her old slave collar that hung from a peg as a reminder before setting it back down. “He didn’t have a horse that I could see, so if he wakes up angry, he can walk home. Plus, I saved his life. Hopefully that earns me something.”

“I don’t like it,” Rosa said.

“Neither do I,” Booma said, entering the tent. She bowed respectfully. “Thanks for taking me in, M’lord.”

“Sorry we don’t have a spare tent for you,” Rosa said.

I glanced at the ladies, my eyes darting between them. “Oh, take my bunk, I’m leaving, and no, I’m not trying to add you to my family. I think of you like a sister,” I said. “Help out where you can, and great job on freeing Gardi, you did wonderful.”

“Would you like for me to accompany you, Lord Adam?” Dami asked politely.

I shook my head. “They’re a warrior people, and you’re small with big boobs, birthing hips, and slender arms… All of which I adore. Rosa is an air mage at least, but I need you both here, managing our home. If I die, go to Ryak and ask him to get his father to help you flee to Seshkin.”

Both Dami and Rosa smothered me in hugs and kisses, finally conceding to helping me load up our only carriage. I scooped up the unconscious mage, carrying him out of my tent to find Ryak waiting on a boulder with a bowl of steaming stew in his hands.

“Where we going, boss?”

“I’m going to find Talou. I need a fucking ice mage,” I grumbled.

Rosa chuckled. “She clearly didn’t like you enough to return.”

“Ah, don’t be hard on him, he’s just poor,” Ryak said, wincing after he released the words. “Sorry, boss. Not poor, poor, just not lavishly rich. According to mom, who hated Talou as well, she’s big on blingy things and fine foods.”

“I… I don’t think that’s the real her, but I could be wrong. And you’re in charge of defenses while I’m gone. Stay away from the swamp, but feel free to hunt the woods. The last thing we need is a new Hag Queen chucking her offspring at you,” I warned with a raised brow.

Rosa snickered. “She empowers them, helping their birthing cycles. She’s not like an ant in the sense she is everyone’s mother. Think of her as the catalyst that allows rapid growth.” When she framed it this way, I let out an insightful ‘ah’. “A new queen will take time to rise.”

“Well, that’s good. She definitely had super powers of some sort. I mean it, Ryak, stay out of trouble and hunt close to the Isle. Gardi will let me know if you don’t take the post seriously, and I know you’re young, but you’re the strongest soldier we have,” I said.

“Of course, Lord Adam,” Ryak said, not calling me boss in the open.

Some of the others watched me carry the unconscious wizard into the carriage, not saying anything. I loaded up, checked my map, kissed a mousy woman, then an elven woman goodbye, and set off for Gorm.

An uneasy feeling rumbled in my guts, to the point I wished I stayed at home. I’d used a month to solidify my base, and here soon, we’d see a lot of growth. Now I needed to raise an army. Any army would work, and I had coins to spend, assuming my trip to Gorm went well.

Chapter

Twenty-Five

THE TOLMERIA WOODS

Developing Gumption!

The carriage rocked, creaking with each foot we traveled along the uneven road. A soft groan managed to reach my ears, so I pulled the carriage to a stop. The sun shone down at an angle, eager to dip for the night after a long day. A few clouds drifted along the orange skyline with a gentle breeze keeping the late spring day cool.

My boots crunched grit when I hopped off the driver’s bench. The horse ate grass and weeds while we stopped, content for a break even though we’d only been on the road for a few hours.

Each step alerted the mage I neared, and he stopped his complaints as I approached the ruined door. We’d never fixed the door, mostly because it needed new framing, and we lacked the finer wood to make the repairs with. The young dwarf seemed thoroughly confused when I leaned against the ruined frame, staring in at him.

“Welcome back to the land of the living,” I said with a grunt. “You owe me five potions.”

“How…?” He blinked a lot, his eyes darting about. “What am I wearing?”

I huffed unhappily. “You shit yourself, or maybe the impact pushed your digested food out your guts. I found you wrapped around a tree, barely clinging to life. Does getting kicked by a Queen Hag ring a bell?” I asked.

He smacked his lips, finding a bladder of water nearby. After he quenched his thirst, he sat fully upright with a groan.

“Right. Right. I’m remembering now. That fucking dunce Tolgar refused to marshal forth when the scouts reported a hag infestation creeping onto Estin land. He just wanted the mare he paid to have sired by some expensive stallion,” the dwarf said with a scoff. “We… we drastically underestimated the depth of the hag infestation.”

“I couldn’t agree more. The problem is a big one and I don’t think anyone is taking it seriously enough. I found a scout of yours dead, then heard a high pitched scream, followed by a one-sided fight. While you got kicked into a tree, nice fire magic by the way, I shot the queen in the eye with an arrow,” I retold the story with my own spin on it.

He grumbled with repeated nods. “Who… who are you?”

I glanced at his legs. “Those working well enough you can sit on the driver’s bench? I need to keep us moving.”

He wiggled his toes, grabbed the satchel I found on him, and then slid off the bed with unsteady legs. I let him steady himself, heading back to the driver’s bench. He pissed facing away, then joined me on the seat.

“That’s Marco’s horse,” he said sourly. His eyes glazed over with a distant stare that I never expected to understand, but I did. “So many dead.”

“Yeah, the horse is nice enough. Look, you never saw it, but after you got punted into the tree, the big bitch flung her… minions or whatever out of the swamp and into your ranks. I brained her with a shot through the eye, but not until she sent a lot of ten foot tall purple demons into your midst. I say that because even more died,” I said, snapping the reins.

He grunted. “Viscount Lynal, at your service. Thanks for saving me and I don’t suppose you can tell me where you’re going.”

“Adam and not to Estin lands. We’ll be in Gorm by morning if we push through the night. You have plenty of time to get off before you have to. Figured a short talk would be worth the extra walk.”

“Those queens are nasty, downright evil. They have this magical power over their horde, making them incredibly frightening. Look, Adam, everyone likes to be the hero, and I’m in your debt, but I need to be as blunt as I can, how sure are you that you killed the queen?” Lynal asked.

It was my turn to stare at the road blankly. “A hundred hags swarmed the corpse, tearing flesh from bone. I could have expended every arrow I brought and those I salvaged and never finished killing them all.”

He sighed, weighing my words. This was a lot to process, he seemed to need a minute, so I gave him as much as wanted. Eventually he shook his head.

“That fucking shit Tolgar, so pretentious,” Lynal said with a grunt. He didn’t question my statement, shifting immediately to a different source of frustration. “King Vardrin makes him a baron of a shitty outpost, and for what. For him to ignore a massive threat only a few hours from his walls.”

“Ha! I killed his wildling problem,” I said.

Lynal shifted, glaring at me in a new light. “You have his mare?”

“Definitely,” I said, not hiding it. “Our problems are our own, or so I think they are.”

“He won’t see it that way, but you saved my life, killed a queen and helped Estin while he pitched a fit like a baby,” Lynal replied with a snort. “And sorry, I’m processing. Where did you say you were heading Adam?”

“Gorm.”

“Gorm! By the sweaty Gods what for?”

I raised an eyebrow, unable to suppress a snicker. “Sweaty… Interesting descriptor. I ride to Gorm to sell the potion ingredients. Then I intend to hire mercenaries with a proper shield line and archers in the back to lay waste to the swamp. And… I need a fucking ice mage. Tired of having to immediately rush to take potion bits to market.”

“And here I thought you were the stench,” Lynal joked.

He had this way of delivering dry humor just like a Brit would, leaving me cackling. “I do stink.” Another long stretch of time passed. “Hey, sorry about your team.”

“No… I… I’m going to be in a lot of fucking trouble. Like a lot. I’m a viscount, sworn to Estin and its people. Instead of further scouting, I led my team into a trap. Marco and Garith are… were great scouts. Marco should have been with Garith, the backup in case one of them ran into trouble.”

“But you split them.”

“Aye. I shouldn’t have, but I did. Marco likely found the queen first, then she picked off Garith. Since they weren’t together, neither knew, and then I tried to find Garith, only to run into the behemoth with only thirty of us. It… Fuck,” he grumbled leaning back against the carriage. “I shouldn’t be alive.”

“Lynal, you were literally wrapped around a tree, hanging off the ground. You’re one hard son of a bitch to kill,” I said.

“I love my mother,” he said, his downtrodden face turning into a scowl.

I held up my hands defensively. “Figure of speech from my area. It merely means you're tough as nails. Did that one come across?”

“Yeah, sorry. I’m not in the right mind.” He dug through his satchel finding his coins, journal, and other items. “You didn’t rob me?”

“Seemed rude given the fact I robbed the dead.”

He processed this much like the other comments, not being too upset too quickly.

“You should consider giving it to their families. Good men. Damn good men and it’ll be weeks before an army marches into the swamp to recover the bodies. Poor Asto, the lad was only nine.”

My face soured with a deep scrunch. “He got turned to paste… it wasn’t pretty.”

“I may hang. I… Fuck. Hmm… A stint in a recovery ward in Avorth might be what I need,” Lynal said.

“I’d offer you protection, but I can’t. We have nothing, plus, I honestly want to make peace with Estin because I need trade partners, just not with snotty asshats,” I said.

He shook his head. “Asshats. I’ll have to use that one again. Hey, sorry for sending Marco your way. You seem like a nice guy.”

“I’d like to think I’m reasonable. Sorry about your losses, those hags… I showed them no respect the first time I met them,” I said with a heavy sigh. “Tell you what though, I’m going to flood the market with their parts.”

“Well, I hope so. Not to mention our scouts we sent into the Jelin Woods keep vanishing. There’s something going on and I fear I may end up in trouble. Thankfully Avorth loves skilled wizards,” Lynal said.

The road curved, continuing its boring split between thinning trees. Every few hundred feet, the horse pulled us up a slighter larger incline. Between the canopy, the intense snow-covered peaks of distant mountains slowly grew closer.

“What’s Estin like?” I asked. “The proper city, not the shit outpost like Brackenfell.”

Lynal rolled a wrist, his gaze one of indifference. “As a citizen living there, well, there’s always some disaster or drama. They’re ready for war and most of the nobles have a level head. Honestly, Tolgar is an outcast, just circumvent him and ask for a meeting with Count Daro. Daro runs Ashfield, a massive farming community that’s closer to Estin.”

“Circumvent Tolgar, mention trade, get decent results?” I asked.

“Probably. Obviously I can’t guarantee anything. Most of Estin is focused on growth and prosperity ever since the last peace accords and there are children everywhere. Hell, I have five who’ll be missing me something fierce. I… I spent decades learning to master the arcane, even if I look young, it’s my dwarven aging. Heading south to Brackenfell while in command was my big test, and I blew it.”

The fact he went right back to his failure told me enough. His loss would continue to eat at him, and he dropped the helpful hint I needed. Talk to Count Daro in Ashfield. Instead of forcing a conversation, we sat in silence, slowly rolling toward enemy territory that we relied on being friendly.

∞∞∞

“Who?” the burly guard at the gate asked with a pinched face filled with confusion.

I bit my inner cheek, mostly because the guard was a dick who definitely enjoyed fucking with me. For the most part, Gorm seemed to be no different than Lao. Sure, it had more stone buildings, towers, and even the farmer hovels were made of stone, but I didn’t see massive armies arrayed for battle or farmers decked out for war.

“Lady Talou, the ice mage, if she’s not here, it’s fine, I need to sell some potion ingredients and do some shopping, or is that forbidden?” I asked.

The guard scoffed. “Who? Is Talou some whore you miss. Do you need her so you can suckle at her bosom before bedtime?”

“Hmm… Can we have a duel or something? You’re starting to piss me off,” I said.

The guard reddened, not liking my words in the slightest. The thing was, no captain or boss stood behind him to help defuse the situation. Hell, there weren't even guards on the parapet to protect the town. For a warrior kingdom, it seemed like the warriors already were in the field or were hiding.

“No, but you can turn around or pay a silver to enter, you’re clearly not welcome here,” he said.

I glanced behind him to see random residents watching the exchange with interest. “A silver, as if. Where’s your backup? Shouldn’t you be bigger to be talking this way?”

His hand went to his hilt.

“What’re ya doin?” Lynal asked.

I took a step back, placing my palms up to diffuse the tension, even though it gave me an option to summon Golem. “I… I may’ve been going about this all wrong. I’m starting to think I should have just killed Tolgar and claimed Brackenfell.”

“King Vardrin would have rained down hell on you without a smidge of mercy. King Pragor is no different. If you sack this town, his full army will come barreling down on you,” Lynal said with a scoff. “Yer mad.”

I wasn’t exactly sure why he swapped to some of the dwarven slang, but it was probably because he wanted to pretend he wasn’t a fire mage. Being a basic traveler to start made more sense for blending in.

“What are you two loons talking about?” the guard growled.

“Look, I just killed a bunch of hags in the swamp down yonder, and I’m not in the mood for being bullied by a guard. I have a friend who said to visit her, Lady Talou, and -”

He waved at me to stop talking.

“I know who she is. If she’s not kicking her feet up, she’s in the field, you dunce. Training exercise,” he said.

I snapped my mouth closed. “Fuck. You’re marching to war, and we missed it.”

“Ugh. Talk about shitty timing,” Lynal muttered.

Obviously, I was grasping at straws, but it made sense for the army to be mobilizing.

“There’s no war. Not yet anyway. An ogre uprising of unusual strength is causing problems up the mountain and -”

Time froze in that way it only could when the gods became involved. Green lighting stretched across my vision, demanding attention.

Quest: Aid in the defense of Thorim.

The Mission: Travel to the mountain slopes outside Thorim and join the army of Avorth. Once there, slay at least one troll.

Reward: 1000 Lord Points.

Reward: 500 Influence Points to King Pragor. 250 IP awarded to the common soldier and mercenary of Avorth. Accepting this quest will grant you access through the lands.

Optional Reward: Kill additional trolls, shamans, or ogres, for a variety of rewards.

Quest assigned by: King Pragor.

Do you accept this quest - Yes or No.

“Yes,” I said, resuming time.

The guard shook his head, plastered a smile on his face and said, “Welcome to Gorm. Mally is the fourth store on the right after the second intersection. She’ll buy the hag parts I can smell from here.”

I hopped onto the driver’s bench, snapped the reins, and ushered the horse under the wall. Lynal stared in muted shock as we passed under the portcullis’ spikes. He glanced at me, then at the placated guard by standing on his feet.

“Careful, you might hit your head,” I warned.

“How the…?” He grew more confused by the second. “What just happened?”

We rolled into town, seeing a busy road, dirty people, and basic buildings. Some of the structures were rebuilt, evidence that during the regional wars, this settlement normally saw battle. Besides the guard, the people seemed friendly enough with most avoiding eye contact.

“Lynal, I have a way with people at times. Hey look, I could use you, and you sorta owe me your life. But I’ve got a mission to do, and this spot is your exit, good luck with everything Lynal. I mean it. I didn’t have to save you, but I’m glad I did,” I said, pointing to a local tavern on the main strip.

The dwarf’s curiosity was hardly sated. “Wait, what?”

I sighed, waving to a trio of kids who trailed their mother that had to divert because of where I stopped the carriage. “I need to sell my hag parts. My quests require us to part ways at this point, but I do wish you the best. I’m downriver on an island between here and Lao, feel free to visit if you want, assuming you’ll come in peace.”

“Uh fine, whatever. I’m just glad we got into the town,” Lynal said, hopping off the driver’s bench. “You’re weird Adam, but I do appreciate what you did.”

I dipped my head in goodbye, ushering the stallion forward. If Lynal was pissed about me stealing his former soldier’s items, he didn’t protest or try to stop me, which was good. While I rolled down the cobblestones, I pulled out my map.

I sighed, knowing I needed to sell just about everything besides the horse because the trip to Thorim would take three days, maybe two if I pushed hard. While the reward was weak, and the journey took me further than I wanted, I fundamentally understood what an opportunity it was to help the Kingdom of Avorth.

Gaining a northern ally could forever alter how Tolmeria reacted to me and my quest to conquer the region in the name of stability. Hargrin’s words from Lao still ran through my mind. The three kingdoms bordered on war. His words were nothing compared to those of the gods. The Game of Castles were about regions fighting each other.

The regions with strong leaders, mighty armies, and solid foundations would likely triumph over regions already torn apart by internal conflict. And so, I felt resolute in my attempt to earn some influence with King Pragor’s people. Of course, I assumed the battle would wait for me.

Chapter

Twenty-Six

THORIM

Flustered Quagmire!

Selling the carriage proved easy, even if its departure saddened me. I’d grown used to seeing it roll up and down the road only for it to disappear into a carpenter’s shop. It was definitely time to replace it with proper trade wagons.

During my interactions with the people of Gorm, they were indifferent to me, treating me as any business would - trying to buy cheap, sell high. I respected that, getting in and out with as much coin as I could.

My big reason for coming to Gorm, and Avorth in general, was to hire mercenaries. When I ventured through town, I found the barren job board. Someone ripped all the mercenary adverts down. A few rogue types lingered in the alleys, but I didn’t bother to talk to them, noting it was time to move on for now.

I sold all the fancy weapons the Estin forces dropped during the hag fight, in addition to all the hag parts. While I didn’t get as much as I would have in Lao, it definitely felt nice to collect some silver from a different city for once. The merchants I dealt with would likely remember my face, and more importantly, my trade. Still Gorm was not a very big settlement, barely holding a thousand, maybe a thousand and a half people at most.

After selling and shopping was done, I set off for the mission the Game of Castles provided. For the next two days, I swapped saddles between Marco’s stallion and a plain tan mare I purchased for a single silver. The venture north proved to be incredibly boring. I rode hard, slept only four hours, and pushed on.

Even though I raced north, I sorta expected this mission to be a bust because it took me so long to get there because it seemed like the battle should have been long over. However, when I finally exited the trees from where the yellow indicator in my vision directed me, I arrived to find a massive army waiting patiently in the field for the enemy to charge.

Catapults rested on top of leveled platforms all the way in the rear. The crews stood around their assembled weapons, chatting away to pass the time. Sprinkled between them rested all the caravan support people, including the wives, cooks, squires, whores, smiths, and more who traveled in the field. On the flanks, rows and rows of tents stood around fire pits with hardly any organization to the madness.

That chaotic nature of finding a spot to sleep stopped when it came to the neat formations that the soldiers stood in. Whatever transpired on the front was masked by the sheer amount of knights and armored infantry blocking my line of sight uphill. If I had to guess, there were four, maybe five thousand soldiers and a few thousand support personnel arrayed on the field.

My late arrival wasn’t an anomaly or a one off. Additional troops, both solo, units, and small teams marched into the back sections where officers directed them to establish camp before they headed to the front. No drums thrummed, no trumpets blared, and no enemies shouted out battle cries.

Banners flitted in the breeze, displaying a bunch of symbols I’d have associated with dwarves. I didn’t see any super banner or symbol to indicate the king was present, not that it mattered for my part. I needed to establish some influence, not kiss a king’s ass.

I nudged the stallion forward, dragging the mare behind me. Since I approached from a different angle, I led the horses to a random temporary hitching post where knights who slept during the day left their horses.

A thief would probably be able to have a field day here, and honestly, I began to wonder if that was where that saying came from. While my mind drifted, I exchanged fake smiles with soldiers, wives, and even a few children who went about their business behind the formed army.

No one challenged my authority to be here or bothered to ask if I was affiliated with this lord or that duke. The irony was, I planned out this long list of bullshit excuses to use and didn’t say a word to anyone. The camp bustled with activity while the soldiers mainly just mulled about in their formations.

Since it didn’t seem like the two sides engaged in combat, the lax behavior was tolerated. I didn’t question it, grabbing the longbow from the hag battle and the nice bow Tolgar gave me. With a quiver of arrows for each bow, I walked up a worn gray trail where squires added gravel.

The mountainside climbed up at a softening angle until I passed the back of the infantry. As soon as I reached a certain point, I could see the enemy through the formations, and I grunted in shock.

I sorta expected the enemy to mull about in a disorganized clump. Instead, neat rows of troops lined up with ogres in charge of battalions of trolls. They didn’t exactly have uniforms, consistent weapons, or even armor besides on a few ogres, but they did have cohesion. In the middle of the two sides, small one on one battles played out with both sides watching.

To me, nothing made sense here, mostly because the enemy had about a quarter of the troop numbers that the Avorth Kingdom fielded. Plus, in my mind, the uncivilized ogre, troll and shaman army should be in a blood lust, suiciding in some dumb effort to win. Instead they enjoyed the show of small battles, no different than the civilized side.

I kept walking forward, passing the infantry until I reached a section of mounted knights and mages. In the middle of no man’s land between the armies, and directly in front of us, a mounted knight with wolf ears sticking out of his helmet fought an ogre.

The one-sided fight ended right as I reached the front when the ogre landed a sweeping blow. The horse under the knight died on impact, but the knight himself rolled to a stop. One arm ended up behind his back, clearly broken. With his good hand, he rushed to reach into his armor, withdrawing a white towel.

I raised an eyebrow when the ogre accepted the surrender. A team of medics and squires hurried to clean up the mess and provide medical attention to the knight.

Because I stepped a bit too forward, I earned the attention of a nearby warrior.

“Oye, it’s my turn,” a gruff knight said.

I wanted to ignore him, but I shifted to glance up at the elf in his fancy armor. “I’m on a quest to slay a troll, do you mind if I go, I’m rather busy.”

“Bah!” the elf burst into a roaring laughter. “Rather busy with what?”

“Building a castle,” I said.

“This one got hit upside the head. Fine, go die to the ogre like the last four who fought him. I was finally going to put him down, but this should be fun to watch. What fucking archer thinks he can kill an ogre?” the elf scoffed.

His question was definitely rhetorical. “Out of curiosity, are we waiting on King Pragor to do battle?”

“What?” the elf growled.

A fancy dressed fairy with long golden hair, purple eyes, and rainbow-colored wings leaned forward. In her battle attire, she lost a lot of her beauty, but in a gown, I bet she was ravishing.

In a soft voice, she said, “Yes, adventurer. We await our king. Do not break the Accords of Honor or face the consequences.”

“Any other rules?” I asked.

“Try not to kill anyone by accident who’s not fighting. I see that gleam in your eyes,” she said.

“Kill the ogre and the ogre only, fine,” I said.

“Who is he, Beal?” the elf asked the youthful fairy.

She shrugged. “How the fuck should I know? He carries Estin bows, is wearing Seshkin robes, and his arrows are from… Aco’s bowyer in Gorm. You gave him leave to die on the field of battle, so I find myself intrigued.”

Before they could change their minds, I approached the ogre who sat on a boulder as if it were a stool. A team of squires carried away the ruined body of the contestant before me. This ogre was huge, only growing in size with each step closer. When I neared, he grunted, eyeing me with confusion. Wounds on his body wept blood, quickly knitting together. He carried a stone club with a metal cap on the end, so it could have spikes.

The black eyes narrowed, focusing on me in disgust. “What break of decorum is this?”

“Oh, we can talk, neat,” I replied, unfazed by his disdain for my appearance.

His eyebrow raised high. “You speak Hilloc?”

I sat on a small rock, well out of his reach, trying my best to sit as he did. “I do. Do you not speak… Avorth?”

“Tolmerian, or Limarian, and no, very few of the Hilloc Tribes do,” he said with a very smooth voice. “What are you?”

I popped my back, stretching with a twist. “Different. Hey, why not attack? They clearly are waiting for more numbers.”

“Not all of us wish to fight, some just enjoy the show. They charge, those who fight do for a bit, then we fall back, returning to the mountain tunnels,” the ogre said, as if this was something everyone knew.

“Oh, I guess that makes sense. You don’t come to win, you come to experience.” I summarized with a rhetorical tone.

“I come to win, and when the challenge becomes too great, I retreat to live another day. Only a few within those ranks can best me. I can sense their aura, but you, you have none,” the ogre said unhappily.

I glanced back over my shoulder, ready to enter a tuck and roll if he attacked while I was distracted. The elf stared on in disbelief while we calmly chatted. Then I noticed a beautiful set of cat ears on a very unique woman I’d met before, worming her way forward.

“Adam!” she shouted with a wave.

“Hello Talou, nice to see you!” I waved back. “Bit busy at the moment.”

“Knock him dead!”

I shrugged. “I don’t think I will, he seems nice!”

The elf rolled his eyes, and the ogre became bothered. “You speak Hilloc?”

“Yes, surprised you don’t. What good is having an honor pact when you don’t honor their language?” I shouted back. “I’ll be over there shortly, if you don’t mind waiting, Talou.”

Talou curtsied, earning frowns from the others. “Oh, heavens no. Not for an archer who never misses with -”

“Ah! Please, let me put on a show!” I interjected.

She pouted, exchanging small talk with the others around her.

The ogre asked, “What are you saying?”

“Eh, they want me to kill you, and I said I won’t.”

He roared out a laugh, startling some of the onlookers from his side. “He thinks he can defeat me,” the ogre bellowed over his shoulder. “Who are you human?”

When the laughter died down, I said, “I’m Lord Adam, the noble without a castle… Yet.”

“I suppose we should fight, Adam. Before you die, know my name is Master Combatant Ormis.”

“How about this, whoever has the opponent dead to rights, becomes his servant for one month? My estate will miss me, but I feel that is fair. I think learning more about the Hilloc would be wise.”

Spittle spewed out of his excessively large mouth. “Bah! Stakes are too low. A year.”

“Careful, I won’t lose,” I replied.

He fumed, then oddly calmed. “Half a year.”

I popped off the rock, set my bows down beside it and drew my sword. Once I faced him directly, I bowed with respect. Ormis rose to his feet, cracked his neck and grinned. He smacked his club into his palm three times, signaling the start of the fight.

He raced across the distance with long strides, closing the gap in a few blinks. Each of his footfalls sent deep reverberations through the bedrock. Tiny pebbles bounced all around the area, dancing from Ormis’ hunger to defeat me.

I picked up a slight jog, using the rock I’d once sat on to separate us. It wasn’t much of an obstacle, and it surely wouldn’t do more than slow him, but it did cause him to alter his attack angle. The second he hopped over the rock, he committed to an action without any recourse for change.

While the jump was shallow, it left him airborne. I shot forward, dodged a swiping kick and slid to a halt on the other side of the rock he leapt over.

Before he could turn, I held my left hand down, hiding it out of his sight as he spun.

“You move too fast,” Ormis growled, clearly unhappy about my speed.

The water magic gushed out of my palm, and to some, it might appear as if I were peeing. He also wasn’t wrong. I should have died to his kick, but I moved beyond a mere mortal.

“I’m just a bit nervous. The last Queen Hag I fought didn’t have the same intelligence you do,” I said.

“Flattery will not spare you, coward.” Ormis stared down at me with an amused grin. “Do you concede?”

I hurled my sword, sending it end over end towards his chest. He unleashed an ear ringing laugh, loving my stupid decision. A rapid backhand sent the blade flying towards the trolls who watched, impaling one.

When the troll fell to his knees, then collapsed in death, I cheered. “That counts!”

“You fool! You’ll never slow me without your sword,” he said. I picked up the longbow, nocked an arrow, and back pedaled away from where Golem hid.

“Ha! But I completed my quest,” I replied in delight.

Ormis stayed where he was, not in a hurry to complete the inevitable victory he saw before him. To Ormis, he’d clearly won, and I was an anomaly worth savoring. If I had to guess, he’d never talked to a combatant, and I was very strange with my behavior.

Ormis bellowed with a furious anger. “Why toy with me, puny human? What quest?”

I whispered, knowing I was about to earn his loyalty anyway, “My quest in the Game of Castles. You can’t sense my aura because I’m a Champion.”

He staggered back a step, glancing around as if some god might smite him. “The speed… the confidence…” Well, it became clear he wasn’t stupid. A grin spread across his lips steeling his resolve. “Then I shall command you for six months, and you’ll spoil me in riches!”

Ormis charged forward, running right by Golem. The magical creation flattened himself directly under the ogre’s right foot exactly as I’d hoped. His overconfidence led him directly into the trap and instead of solid footing, he’d encountered a slick.

His foot shot out, racing high while he fell.

“Arggg!” Ormis cried out, flailing his arms.

I side stepped, letting him slam into the ground with enough force to crack the bedrock. He slid a few paces with nasty gashes erupting from the skid. I strode confidently forward, wishing Golem to enter his mouth and nose.

All he had to do was swallow the golem, but up to this point, he suddenly lost his footing without understanding the cause. I gambled on the fact he hadn’t figured out I had magic. Plus, he definitely smacked his head super hard.

Ormis scrambled a bit, his fingers clawing at the stone ground with his palms slipping from his disorientation. His eyes remained crossed when Golem finished crossing the distance and shot into his mouth.

Feet kicked out, and he flailed like a fish out of water.

I confidently strode towards him with an arrow nocked at the ready. I stopped right outside his range, watching him struggle. For a smart ogre, it was almost like he’d never fought anyone who pulled a trick like this.

In a way, it made sense, mostly because Golem was rare, a magic of the past. I waited until he pretty much drowned, liquifying Golem since it was over if I kept him solid. Ormis vomited, spewing out blood, bones, and a partly digested horse’s head.

He collapsed after, gasping for breath. I walked over to the dead troll.

“I need this; I didn’t kill him directly,” I said.

“Her,” a shaman said, retrieving the blade for me. He kneeled before me, raising the blade to me as if it were some great treasure. I accepted it, raising the blood covered blade high into the air. “Well fought, human.”

“Thanks, now to see if Ormis wants to keep fighting,” I said with a chuckle.

When I turned back to the ogre, another fellow just as big as him helped him to his feet. When he stood tall, the other ogre shoved a cauldron into his mouth. He gulped down whatever the contents were with his two big black eyes watching me with indifference.

After he finished, Ormis unleashed a burp for the ages. I could see it in his eyes. Intrigue. Ormis the Ogre was excited for the future, and I honestly didn’t blame him. If he held his word, if my influence kept him at my side, he’d earn untold glory.

He fell to one knee, bowing his head to me.

“Six months, Champion Adam,” Ormis said. “The fighting should be legendary.”

“There’s an infestation of hags to slay, a haunted forest to clear, so yes, we go to war,” I said, turning my back on the massive creature.

Was it stupid? Yeah, but I bunched my legs to dodge any sudden attack. However, even though Ormis might be a grouchy ogre, he seemed to honor his word and respect the code between warriors.

The shaman who offered my blade, raised his voice. “You do understand, it has been countless generations since one of the elites spoke our tongue so fluidly?” I nodded that I did. “And if we want to fight along with you?”

“I can’t walk you through the Avorth Kingdom as an army. They’d shit a brick. However, that won’t always be the case. Leave the field of battle, train, and be ready for a call to war. I can guarantee there will come a time where the Hilloc people will face threats with the Tolmerian people,” I said from over my shoulder.

“You promise glory?” the ogre who helped Ormis asked.

I shook my head. “No, but there will be blood, death, and conquest. The thing is, it’s not something that happens overnight. I… I have to keep my answers vague, but if there are some among you who want to be on the winning side, then you’ll have a home with me and mine once the time is right.”

“But not until this army dissipates,” the shaman said, even if it could have been a question.

“Or longer. I… Again, I struggle to give you a precise answer. War between the three brews, but there are unnatural threats rising up, threats that affect us all. One day, joining forces to mine will be easy, and I don’t know when that will be, but it starts today,” I admitted, likely already saying too much. “Oh… and stay on the field of battle until we’re out of view. I don’t want them being upset with me. Maybe when their king arrives you cede the field.”

“Will we fight later?” the big ogre asked again. “So I can train?”

I dipped my head once, then continued walking towards the Avorth forces. Ormis stayed right behind me, vibrating the bedrock with each step. That part would get old fast since it literally made walking awkward.

I couldn’t help but grin when I recovered my other bow and arrows.

A troll followed us out, eager to fight whatever enemy wanted to duel in the spot we departed. Down the stretch of no man’s land, a few other duels played out. I ignored them approaching the lords and ladies of Avorth.

Talou clapped with a giddy smile. “That was delightful. Well played, Adam, well played.”

“Note how she does not commend you on your fighting skills because -”

Quest: Defeat Count Edimon in single combat without weapons.

The Mission: Win or Lose, prove you can fight. The Avorth detest victory through trickery. While a win is a win in reality, sometimes impressions matter.

Reward: 1,000 Lord Points.

Reward: 500 Influence Points to King Pragor. 100 IP awarded to the common soldier and mercenary of Avorth.

Quest assigned by: Countess Sophia.

“You used your wit to win,” Count Edimon said.

I dug into a purse on my belt, grabbed a silver coin, and flicked it at his feet. I smiled at the cute fairy. “Countess Sophia, your beauty precedes you. It is truly an honor; however, I must become a bit brutish.” I turned to Edimon. “Me, you, right here, bare knuckle fight. The wager is a single silver.”

“Ha!” He laughed, then noticed only he laughed with glances over his shoulder. The others watched him with stern glares. “Wait, you’re serious? You’re not going to have the ogre stand in for you, are you?” Edimon eyed Ormis. “You stink by the way.”

I definitely didn’t translate, but I did glance up at him and say, “This one is an asshole who talks a lot. Step back and sit down, so we can have a fist fight. Hopefully that stops them from bothering me on my retreat.”

The ogre did as I suggested, waiting patiently. The troops watched him with unease.

“Wait, what the fuck? You command a Golem, and you speak Hilloc?” Edimon said with a sneer.

“I think he’s cute, Brother,” Countess Sophia said.

“Yes, you should fight him, Edimon. I mean, you can’t back down now, can you?” Talou teased.

“Bah! I’m pitiful at knuckles. Fight Gregor, he’s a fighter of renown,” Edimon said.

I bent down, scooping my silver off the gritty stone terrain. “Talou knows where to find me if you change your mind. I’m not fighting your man; he didn’t find my victory unworthy. If you’ll excuse me, the ogre and I have a war to wage.”

“Wait. Against whom?” Countess Sophia asked.

“A thousand hags, maybe more,” I said, and she frowned, not believing me. “Send scouts. The swamp expands while you have your… duel war.”

“We will charge here soon, giving real battle. It is unbecoming to insult warriors who do more than just duel,” Edimon said with a scoff.

“I’m leaving your lands, with my friend, the ogre. I hope to see you on the field of battle in the swamps. Estin already lost a company to the hags,” I replied with a growl. “They fought. I fought. You did not.”

“Bah! The audacity of this scoundrel.”

I wished I could smite him or something. Instead, I waved for Ormis to follow me, splitting the corridor wider through the army. I had to give it to both the ogre and the army, they didn’t provoke each other, or make any actions that would sully the Accords of Honor.

While I walked deeper towards the back lines to find my horse, I didn’t do so alone. Talou joined my side, scooping an arm into mine.

“How’ve ya been?” she asked with a skip.

Humans with cat features always had this buoyancy to them, likely from their light steps and pent-up energy. Talou wore firm armor, hiding her assets.

“Relaxing too much apparently. Oh, I received your divorce papers, did you get them?”

“I did. I did. I’ve been meaning to visit, but I was waiting to hear from the Count.”

“It’s okay. I was hoping to see you in Gorm. The guards there were assholes.”

“And the swamp, how much of it is true?”

I sighed. “All of it and more. I slew a Queen Hag, albeit with trickery.”

“Good! Winning is important, even if nobles care about the finesse. I bet that helped a lot,” Talou said, waving at all the onlookers who watched as Ormis and I walked through the army.

“Actually, her minions ate her before I could salvage her organs,” I grumbled.

“His steps make it tough. And no silly, I meant for your…” she whispered, “competition.”

Rosa figured it out with less information, and at some point, I couldn’t hide who I was, however, I definitely wanted to get to safety with an army at my side before.

“Just because I have Golem magic doesn’t mean anything else.”

“Ha! You speak Hilloc, have golem magic, are building a castle from ruins, and no matter how many maps I poured over, I never found this place called Texas,” Talou said, continuing to play coy.

I whispered, “Thank you for keeping it to yourself. The Game of Castles is upon us, and the land will not quiet. War comes to all.”

She leaned in close, keeping words quiet as we reached my horses. “Which is why I was meaning to send a message to you. While I researched you, word came in from the northern side of the mountains in the Urith Region. An unknown lord is amassing power, fighting a rebellion. He moves faster than is possible, even for a minotaur.”

“Let me guess, to the north are three or four kingdoms in a clump?” I asked.

“Five, but yes. Our region has almost as many people, if not more, but the layout is somewhat similar. This Lord Zeth, I think he is a champion,” Talou informed me.

“Makes sense. He’s probably progressing faster than me since I fucking moved rocks for a month. I have no spy network, minimal friends, and mounting enemies,” I said with a sigh, patting the horse’s side.

“I can’t join you; father and the court forbid me from leaving my exile in Avorth for diplomatic reasons, but I’m invested in your victory and will send more news as I receive it.”

“And what can I do in exchange?”

“Everyone has to eat; let me share a meal with you before you ran away,” she said. “I want to be seen as an ambassador of yours.”

I chuckled. “Talou, you minx. I’d love that. Since we’re being so blunt and audacious, I need an ice mage, any will do. I have fish that rots that I’m forced to bury,” I said sadly. “See if you can find one and send them my way.”

“I’ll do what I can. The king will likely call me to his presence when he hears I know about you. Hence why I need the very public meal and conversation.”

I grunted, double checking the saddle’s connections. “The Hillocs or troll people, or whatever, they’re going to retreat when he arrives. They want to be left alone while some of them seek battle. It’s an odd system to help their population and society. Honestly, not too different from yours.”

“That almost sounds as if you’re trying to slight my people,” Talou replied playfully.

I walked around the stallion, pulling out a water bladder to gulp from it. When I finished, I stuffed it away, leaning against the horse, giving her a piercing gaze. “King Pragor needs to know what is transpiring. He needs to understand, life in this area will never be the same, and I show no ill will toward him or the north.”

“I doubt he’ll fully believe me. Unfortunately, Edimon will be countering anything I say. As you saw, he’s fairly harmless, playing the role of the astute warrior more than living it, but you didn’t hear that from me,” Talou said, helping to secure my bows to the back of the mare. She raised her voice. “I suppose I can’t convince you to stay longer than a meal?” I shook my head. “Then we shall communicate through letters after today.”

“I shall, to Cadrid, the merchant in Gorm,” I said, earning a nod. I turned to Ormis and said, “We leave in an hour, prepare or rest until then.”

“I could do with a nap,” he replied.

I held my arm out, and Talou locked arms with me, holding my hand and leaning on my shoulder. She guided me back to the area where the nobles were. We talked quietly as we walked around the area, before we sat at a small table for two and ate.

When I finished eating, we parted ways after I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. I headed back to the horses to find Ormis napping. I had a feeling this was common for such a large creature, and he woke up as soon as I was within a few feet of him.

I led the horses southward, leaving as quietly as I arrived… Well, besides the massive ogre who shook the ground and caused the army to gawk at us. I’d left an impression with two armies while getting the hell out of there before politics bogged me down.

And now, the bog filled with hags was firmly on my mind. With Ormis at my side, we could do a whole lot of damage. Of course, that was assuming a new Hag Queen hadn’t risen to power. And tonight, I’d secure an ally in the hopes of building my army tomorrow, because in the Game of Castles, I was going to need all the help I could get.

Chapter

Twenty-Seven

THE CLEAR ISLE

Infinite Drama!

Before I left, Dami, Rosa, and I had a talk about diplomacy. I was going to continue to expand our fledgling empire, sometimes through relationships. Dami encouraged it, and to my surprise, so did Rosa. They both understood that we needed more allies. Talou didn’t seem to be pursuing something with me, but I was glad I could use her ambitions as an opportunity to promote me to the nobles in Avorth, hopefully to my future advantage.

And yes, I felt kinda shitty for how I left Lynal behind, so I checked on him in Gorm on my journey home. Ormis stayed away from the walls, giving the danger a wide berth. I found out Lynal departed, heading deeper into Avorth, telling me all I needed to know.

I closed the book on him, driving on towards home in the hopes of getting him to my side at a later date, and if that never happened so be it. Eight days after departing, I arrived with an extra horse, an ogre, and a lot more coins than I started off with.

What I returned to, well, it was a bit of a surprise. A few extra workers toiled to clear trees on this side of the river. In addition, an extra crew built a bridge to the western side with mortar and stones.

I sorta expected everyone to have gone home since my two-day trip lasted so long. But… Both Rosa and Dami waited for me at the eastern bridge with the broadest smiles. I’d asked Ormis to stay back for now to let everyone know, almost forgetting about him as the duo bolted across the bridge to reach me.

The mare came to a stop, and I heaved myself out of the saddle.

“Adam!” Rosa squealed, lunging at me like a feral cat. She latched onto me with a solid thud.

Dami curtsied, showing restraint. “Lord Adam.”

“I’ve never seen a more beautiful sight than you two,” I admitted.

Over the next five minutes, it was a mostly chaotic back and forth of kisses, and reassurances of love. And yeah, after a month plus of living with both these wonderful women, I’d fallen in love.

“Okay, calm. How did you know I was coming?” I asked.

“Well, we unjammed the dock tunnel and the table populated, giving all sorts of information. One of the things it revealed was the Castle Lord’s location. When we followed your progress, it showed a little pop-up icon and when we clicked it, a bunch of quest data came up. Where’s Ormis?” Rosa asked, glancing around in an attempt to find the ogre.

“In the trees, not far away. Told him to hide for now.” I inclined my head at the organized chaos on the island. “And the extra workers?”

Dami glanced at Rosa who nodded. While I thought I addressed the dominance issue, maybe they were just figuring out a way to both deliver news.

Dami said, “Well, they sorta just showed up from Lao. Baron Hargrin sent a concerned letter. The Seshkin Kingdom is dealing with a necromancer who has grown out of control in the Jelin Woods. They’re about to start a mandatory enlistment after the King marshals his forces. They can’t call on people who aren’t there to be called on, so he asked for you to stop recruiting.”

“Oh, but we aren’t,” I said.

“Nope, but if it’s building a castle or fighting a necromancer, they want to build a castle,” Rosa said. “And then there’s Ryak…”

I glanced around, seeing Gardi, Booma, and a few of the other workers who seemed interested in my arrival, but not Ryak. It dawned on me he skipped out for a reason.

“Ah, he went home.”

“The threat is dire and the Seshkin army is slow to assemble. Plus, a few of those people are from Brackenfell. King Vardrin is said to be preparing to raid the hags at the same time the Lao army will be in the field fighting in Jelin, setting up for a potential battle,” Rosa said with a sigh. “I don’t have a good source of reliable information, but if I had to guess, neither army will take to the field to avoid starting the war.”

“Hmm… Well, I have a lot of LP and silver saved up, so it makes sense for me to try to finally leverage my strongest asset in our favor, it’s time to use the Game of Castles table… right after I fetch the giant ogre from the trees and welcome him to the isle,” I said, diverting back to the woods.

Ten minutes later, a few people trembled at his approach, likely never having seen an ogre before, let alone a friendly one up close. Dami waved, Rosa flashed a fake smile, clearly nervous, and I just let his presence soak in for a bit. When the work resumed, I walked to the edge of the bridge and pointed to the southern tip of the island where the docks used to rest.

“You think you can build a shelter in that area?” I asked.

“You speak Hilloc?” Rosa blurted. She folded her arms, upset with herself more than me. “I should have figured.”

Ormis shrugged. “I can, but I’ll need at least a stepping point or extended sections of riverbank.”

“Well, no rush. Mostly trying to be nice. I need all the trees and roots gone in a wide swath around the castle to avoid, well, people like me from sneaking up,” I said, sweeping my hand across the horizon.

“You wish to make the castle again?” Ormis correctly concluded.

“Yup.”

He grumbled, grimaced, and then plopped down the shore’s decline. “Give me a bit.”

“Sure, no problem,” I replied, crossing the bridge. I knew he wanted to get a feel for the area. I gestured for Rosa and Dami to follow, noting both needed no encouragement. “What excuse did Ryak give?”

“He didn’t give any, his father recalled him as a citizen of Seshkin due to some emergency that was never disclosed. Whatever was in that message, it overrode any and all other orders. King Krastor is wisely taking the necromancer threat seriously,” Rosa said. “Thankfully Gardi has tried some trapping as he is our main forager now. I send him out every chance I get, rarely seeing him. Hell, I don’t even know if he’s back yet.”

We crossed the bridge, hiking up the now cleared castle foundation. Rows of neatly organized pavilion tents provided homes for the workers, stretching across the solid stone foundation. Large pyramids of repurposed rocks lay ready for new mortar to bind them into walls once again.

When I neared a section of stones in need of cleaning, I unleashed Golem from my core. He splashed out of my palms, headed to the recycled stones, and began stripping the organic matter without ever having to be asked.

The feeling of belonging, of being home washed through me.

While the tents weren’t much, the space definitely held a sense of hope as it continued to improve. I fully intended to expand the castle from beyond the confines of the island, but for now, the inner keep was the priority.

One thing was very apparent while I walked among the workers, their temporary homes, and the smiles on their faces - we had no army, not even a semblance of one. Ormis and I could do a lot of work on the battlefield, and yet, I needed more. I wanted to be a powerful lord who commanded legions. I needed to be, to secure my home, and to secure my region.

Those wandering thoughts rambled in my head when I discovered my personal space had been replaced with a large pavilion tent. I noticed Booma had been evicted and that the single bed lay neatly made. The magical table for the Game of Castles called to me, only for my armor to be tugged on from behind.

Dami batted her eyelashes. “You stink, and we want to reward you for returning to us.”

“Indeed. And we bought you new robes, ones fit for a king. To earn them you must please your queens,” Rosa said, smirking mischievously.

“I suppose a few minutes spared are well worth it,” I said with a chuckle, letting them pull me away from the table.

They shrugged off their robes to reveal they were wearing sheer gowns of silk and lace. They looked more like slips than dresses, and I was glad they were inside my pavilion. I didn't consider myself a possessive man, but their ample assets were fully on display. The fineness of the fabric told me they both belonged to Rosa, but I was glad to see she had shared it with the lowborn Dami.

As Dami spun around, showing off her curves, I glanced at Rosa. She pointedly looked away, but I grinned anyway. My sheltered bookworm was continuing to grow and think about people beside herself.

And Dami was a vision. The mousy woman shone with an inner confidence I had not seen before. I was proud to see that she was not continuing to let her lowborn birth limit herself. I crooked a finger, beckoning her over to me.

"I think you ladies have been plotting something. Do you want to come over here and clue me in on your scheme?"

Dami sauntered over like a runway model, side-slits in the silk revealing the shapely curve of her calves and thighs with each step. Her rich brown hair shone in the lantern-light.

"Do you like it?" she asked, a hint of vulnerability in her tone.

I gripped the fabric of the bodice under her breasts, shaking my fist enough to make her breasts jiggle enticingly. My cock surged to life as I continued to make her tits bounce. "You're a wet dream come true," I said, pulling her forward until she could feel my erection under my robes.

"Oh my," she murmured, a flush blooming across her cheeks. I let go of her dress as she unfastened my belt and began undressing me. As Dami peeled away each layer, she handed them to Rosa, who hung them in the wardrobe to be cleaned later.

When she undid my pants, my cock escaped like a caged beast, already veiny and thick. Dami's smile turned wicked as she handed the last of my clothes to Rosa. She quickly kissed my lips before trailing her hands down my thighs, kneeling smoothly in front of me. My cock twitched with anticipation as she licked her lips wetly, then opened her mouth--

"No, not yet," Rosa snapped, grabbing a fistful of Dami's hair and pulling her gaping mouth away from my leaking cockhead. "We agreed we would bathe him first before we did anything else."

"But it’s so thick and right there," Dami whined as the other woman pulled her to her feet. My cock agreed with the mousy woman. Sucking it off seemed like a brilliant idea.

"Try to find some patience," Rosa said, sounding a bit like a prim librarian.

Dami wiggled from side to side. "But I want him to be my mousy's daddy. And that's only going to happen if he fills me up with lots and lots of cum." She let the straps of her gown slide off her shoulders, the neckline slipping dangerously low, only halting its descent when the silk got hung up on her pert nipples.

"Ugh, this isn't about you right now," Rosa said. She spun the other woman around and pushed her over a stool. The silk across her buttocks was translucent in the light, the cleft of her ass and the shadow of her slit visible as Rosa bent Dami over. I wasn't sure where this was going until Rosa swatted her with a generous slap. Dami moaned, encouraging my bookworm to be bolder. My cock twitched with each slap, my balls growing tight as I watched the two of them.

"But I just want to make him happy," Dami cried out. "I missed him so much."

"Stop rushing things, I mean it," Rosa said. I watched in surprise as Rosa brought her hand down again, then again. She brought it down on Dami's ass with a resounding slap that made both of them moan. I had never seen Rosa so domineering before. My cock twitched again.

Damn if I wasn't enjoying the show immensely.

Rosa rubbed her hand along Dami's ass as she slapped it. I could see the red imprint of Rosa's hand on Dami's butt. The way the mousy woman wiggled her ass seemed to be asking for more. The sight of Rosa spanking the one-time maid, and the way Dami's pussy shone wetly in the lantern light, was enough to make me shudder with anticipation.

I didn't try to hide my body as I moved forward.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked, my voice a little harsher than I intended.

Rosa blinked rapidly, then responded. "I am preparing her for your cock. We agreed it would be right for your seed to start a babe inside her."

Dami wiggled her ass eagerly as I approached. Her mouth opened, clearly begging me to fuck any hole I wanted. Rosa smacked her again, and Dami mewed in disappointment.

"She is not to move unless you tell her to," Rosa said firmly. "Not an inch."

Dami turned her head as far as she dared, casting pleading eyes toward me, but I did nothing to help her. While this wasn't the Game of Castles, this was definitely a game I was willing to play.

"Then it looks like you're the lucky one who gets to bathe me," I said, slapping Rosa's ass as she trotted off to fold away the screen and get towels. Water was already steaming in the large tub.

I eased into the water, the heat invigorating. Rosa handed me a bar of soap, then knelt by the tub, her eyes cast down. Dami stared at me, her eyes hungry. She wiggled her ass in invitation, her pussy glistening.

"I can't wait for you to fill me up," she said. "Then I'll be the happiest woman in the world."

"Is that so?" I said, exchanging a glance with Rosa. She gave me a smile that I couldn't quite decipher, but Dami didn't notice as her eyes were locked on my engorged shaft.

Rosa handed me the soap. It took all my willpower to ignore Dami's motions as I scrubbed myself clean. Lathering my cock was agonizing. Dami pressed her thighs together as I soaped up my prick, her fingers twitching like they were running along her pussy.

Rosa sighed and walked over to give her a slight swat. Dami yelped, then wiggled her ass even more as she rubbed her thighs together. Rosa decided to ignore the horny woman and handed me a fluffy towel, helping me out of the tub. She wrapped the towel around my waist, then took my cock in her hand.

"You really must be patient," Rosa said, looking over her shoulder at the other woman. "I missed Adam plenty too." She gave my shaft a squeeze and led me over to a chair. "Him and his plentiful cock."

"I'm not going anywhere right now," I said. Relaxed from the bath and aroused at the same time, I sat down, the towel falling away from my body.

Rosa knelt at my feet, her hands on my calves, waiting.

"I think that's enough punishment," I said. "Come here, Dami."

Dami looked at Rosa, who nodded. She crawled over to me, the flush of passion on her cheeks.

Her hands encircled my shaft, her fingers just barely able to make a loose grip. She stroked up and down, her expression one of pure joy.

“You were gone for so long,” she said. "I want to do my best to make you feel good.”

"And I want to do the same for both of you," I said.

I reached toward Dami's head, giving her hair a gentle tug before she could move. She moaned, the sound of her own voice making her pussy wetter. I pulled her head back, pressing her cheek against my hip. My cock was throbbing, pointing straight ahead. I could feel the mousy woman's breath on it, but she didn't dare move until I told her to.

"What do you think, Rosa?" I said, speaking more to Dami than to my bookish lover. "Does she look like she's ready for my cock?"

"Yes," Rosa said obediently. "But she shouldn't be allowed to move until you tell her to."

"Mmm, maybe you’re right," I said, pushing Dami's head down toward my cock. "Open your mouth and stick out your tongue, my little mousy slut."

Dami did as she was told, her mouth opening on a sigh. Her breathing was heavy, her eyes locked on my prick. I slid my shaft along her tongue and her eyes closed in ecstasy. Her eyelashes fluttered as she pressed her thighs together, her fingertips aching to touch her throbbing pussy.

"That's good," I said, pulling my cock away from her mouth. "But I think you can do more."

Dami looked at me, her eyes pleading. Her tongue was extended, her mouth open. She wanted me to fill it with my cock, to give her a chance to taste more of my man flesh.

"Come here, Rosa. Don't you also want to show me how much you missed me? I'm not sure I'm convinced you missed me as much as Dami did."

Rosa took the hint. She got on the floor and crawled over to me, her eyes locked on my rampant shaft. Her hands reached for it, stroking it as Dami had. The two women's hands were different. Dami was soft, while Rosa's skin was rougher with callouses from writing. Dami's hand started to tremble as her fingers ran along my cock head, while Rosa's hand felt steady as she jerked my shaft.

"I'm sure you're mistaken," she said, her voice demure and quiet. She took one of my balls in her mouth, her tongue swirling over it. My hips thrust forward, but she moved away, her hand still on my shaft.

"I'm not sure I am," I said. "Tell me how much you missed me, Rosa."

"I missed you even more than Dami," she said, her voice muffled by my balls. "I went to sleep every night dreaming of fucking you. I woke up every morning wondering if I was going to get to fuck you that day."

I pulled Rosa's head back by her hair and Dami leaned in to take her place.

"Touch your tongue to the tip," I commanded Dami as Rosa gasped for breath.

Her tongue flicked out, the wet muscle caressing my shaft. It was tentative at first, but then she moved her head forward hungrily. Her tongue rubbed against my cock, moving along my length. She covered it with her saliva, her eyes widening as she felt the thickness of my prick.

"I think she missed me a lot," I said, looking down at Rosa. "Don't you?"

"Yes, Adam."

"But you don't mind sharing?" I asked.

"No, I don't mind sharing," she said with a shake of her head. "I'm happy to share you with Dami."

"Hmmm," I said. "What do you think, Dami? Should we have Rosa prove to me that she missed me too?"

Dami nodded. Rosa sighed and crawled onto the bed. She spread her thighs wide, showing me her wet pussy. Her pink nether lips were shiny with excitement. Her finger slid inside of her hole, then she brought her finger to her mouth, sucking it clean.

"Show me how much you missed me," I said, my voice commanding. “I want to see you cram your pussy full.”

"Yes, Adam," Rosa said, then she slid two fingers into her pussy. Her fingers slid in and out, each time going a little deeper. She moaned, her thighs quivering as she added a third finger. Her fingers kept thrusting in and out as her hips moved. I could hear the squelching of her fingers as they slid into her wet hole. Her entire hand was inside of her now, her fingers moving as she rubbed the inside of her pussy.

I stood over her, my cock rigid and erect. Rosa licked her lips, her eyes locked on my prick. Slowly, she moved her other hand down to her pussy and rubbed it. Her fingers slipped inside her hole, while the other hand rubbed her clitoris.

Dami moaned, her cheek pressed against my thigh as she watched the other woman pleasure herself for me.

"That's a good start," I told Rose. "What else do you want? Did you have anything else planned?” I pressed my cock against her mouth, rubbing it softly. I was in no hurry. I had fucked her for hours before, and I was going to do so again. But this time I was going to make sure she did everything I wanted.

Dami looked up at me, her eyes locking with mine. I nodded and she bent her head down, her tongue reaching out for my cock. She put it into her mouth, her lips tightening around the shaft. I felt her tongue swirl around the head, then she started to bob her head back and forth. My cock slid in and out of her mouth, her lips tight around it.

"Good girl," I said, stroking her hair. “You love sucking my cock, don’t you?”

Rosa giggled before asking, "Do you want me to pleasure myself more, Adam?"

"Let’s see if you can manage to do two things at once, but I don’t want you to get too distracted." Her hair was a shimmering halo across the pillows. Her eyes had begun to go cross-eyed with pleasure.

She smiled, then shoved her fingers back into her pussy. Her eyes closed as her other hand started to rub her clit. Rosa's breathing got more ragged, her hips moving with more urgency. Her ass moved up and down as she pleasured herself just for me.

"Oh," she said, her voice rising. "Oh, Adam." She opened her legs wider, showing off her pinkness. Rosa's head fell back against the sheets. "I missed your cock," Rosa admitted. "I thought about it all the time."

"And what else did you miss?" I said, my voice hard.

"I missed your cum," she said quickly, her voice gaining strength. "I missed you cumming inside me. Cumming inside me so much that it overflows out of my pussy."

Dami moaned as she listened to Rosa, her lips tight against my shaft, her tongue pressed against the underside of my cock. She started to bob her head back and forth. I could feel the head of my cock rubbing against the back of her throat. When it touched the opening of her throat, she gagged and pulled my cock back out.

"You're a good girl, too, aren’t you?" I said to the mousy woman, which was all the encouragement she needed to speed up her efforts.

"I missed your cum," Rosa continued to say, her fingers a blur against her clit.

"And?" I asked, wanting to hear how honest she would be.

"And I want to feel it splash against my pussy like a fucking ocean wave."

"Then come for me," I told her. "Come for me like you're already covered in my cum, and I'll give you what you want." I watched her face as she started to work herself up. Her face couldn't hide what she was feeling. I saw her cheeks flush, her eyes widen, and her mouth open as she gasped for breath.

She moaned, her hips moving franticly, beginning to lose her rhythm. Her whole body rocked back and forth, her fingers gripped by her tunnel. She started to shake, then her body froze. Her toes curled up as she arched her back. Her pussy gushed, her juices mixing with the sweat from her skin. It all ran down her thighs, the sheets getting soaked.

"Oh," Rosa said, her eyes still closed. "Oh Adam."

I let her ride out her orgasm, her body nearly convulsing with the intensity as she came. Her fingers kept rubbing her clit as I stroked her hair.

Her eyes were closed, but Rosa still had the energy to murmur, "You're so good to me."

I laughed, pulling Dami's mouth off my engorged head with a pop. "I haven't even stuffed my cock inside you yet. You should save your enthusiasm for when I'm finished with you."

"You'll still give me more even though I made such a mess?" she asked, a little bit shy in the aftermath of such bliss.

Gently, I pressed my lips to her forehead. "I said I'd give you whatever you wanted if you truly missed me, and I meant it."

With a cry of enthusiasm, Rosa wrapped her arms around me, pulling me onto the bed. And surprising me yet again, she took Dami's hand, pulling her up on the sheets beside us.

"What are you doing?" I asked, my eyes locking on her.

"I want us both to take you," she said with a grin.

I didn't object. Hell, I welcomed the idea of fucking the two of them at the same time. Dami and Rosa both moved to my side, their hands reaching for my cock.

"What should we do with this?" Dami asked Rosa. "Should we kiss it?"

"No," Rosa said, turning towards Dami. "We should share it."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I want to taste you," she said, her eyes locking on Dami's. "I want to feel your lips on my pussy as you lick his cock and balls. I want you to taste my juices on his shaft, then I want to taste yours too."

Dami's eyes were wide with surprise, but she didn't object. She just started to lick her lips as she looked at me.

I leaned back against the pillows, turning Rosa around so that I could see the luscious curve of her ass. She straddled my shaft, her hand shaking in eagerness as she guided me into her slick channel.

"Oh, Adam, you're so big," she cried out as her pussy yielded easily to my hardness. "I thought about this for so many nights. I thought about this so much that I dreamed about it and woke up soaked in sweat. I've been aching for you every day you were gone."

"I was still with you," I said, my hands roaming along the softness of her curves. "Every night."

She smiled, her hips moving back and forth as she rode me.

"I dreamed about you too," Dami said as she crawled between my legs, her touch light as her fingers slid up my muscled thighs. "Every night, I dreamed of your cock inside me. Every night, it was different, but it was always glorious."

Dami lowered her head, her mouth at once finding my balls. She sucked them gently, which elicited a burst of colorful swearing from me as my cock pressed deeper into Rosa's pussy.

With a squeal, Rosa started to move faster, her hips pumping as she rode me like she was afraid she wouldn't have a chance to reach the finish line. I swore again as my cock was squeezed by her inner muscles, my balls shoved against Dami's face.

"Dear gods above, I missed your cock," Rosa said, her hands on my legs as she rode me facing away. "I missed your body, your scent, and the way you feel inside me. You're like a drug, Adam. I can't get enough of you."

"I feel the same way," I said, pulling her upright, my hands moving to Rosa's breasts. It changed the angle of my cock inside her, and I struggled to not blow my load right then.

Her mounds were so soft, her nipples so hard. I squeezed them, pinching the hard buds until she squealed again in delight.

"Dami," she groaned. "Stop teasing his balls and start sucking him. I want to feel your lips on me too."

Dami's lips parted, her tongue sliding along my shaft as Rosa's pussy worked me. Dami's trembling hands moved along my body, her fingers rubbing my balls as her head bobbed in between Rosa's thighs. With every bob of her head, Rosa's body quivered, her pussy clenching my shaft as she started to orgasm.

"Oh gods, I'm cumming," she said, her pussy clenching down on my girth until her body started to shake. "Fuck! Fuck! Adam, I'm cumming all over your thick dick!"

The hot gush of her fluid around my cock nearly pushed me over the edge, but I still had another lady to pleasure. Dami moaned beneath me, her tongue flicking the base of my shaft as my cock sloshed inside Rosa.

"Oh, he's stretched me out so much," Rosa said, her eyes locking on Dami's as she leaned back to catch her breath.

"My turn," Dami said, her hands still stroking my balls as Rosa's pussy clenched down on me a final time before she dismounted with a wet slurp. Pussy juice dripped all over my abs as she tumbled to the pillows beside me.

I reached down, my hands grabbing onto Dami's hips and pulling her upwards. She needed no further encouragement, the second Rosa's overstuffed tunnel unsheathed my cock, she slid down its slick length like her life depended on it.

"Oh, Adam," she cried out. "Oh, dear gods, Rosa wasn’t kidding. You're so big for me!"

I groaned, my hips arching upwards as I buried myself to the hilt inside her. She was so tight, so wet, and so hot that I thought I would explode immediately.

"Fuck, you're so tight," I groaned, my hands moving to Dami's smaller breasts. "God, I love your little mousy cunt."

"I adore your cock too," she replied, her fingers pressing against my chest as she tried to push herself down more of my shaft.

Dami wrapped her arms around me and started to bounce. Her body quivered, her eyes rolling back in her head as she tried to get used to the sensation of being impaled on my thick length.

"I've dreamed so many nights of this," she said, her hips moving back and forth. "Of you and Rosa together, fucking her while I watched and played with my pussy."

"You little slut," Rosa laughed, happy and sated as she watched the other woman ride me. The two girls moved together, Rosa's hand sliding down Dami's back to her ass. She grabbed a cheek, squeezing the round, soft flesh as my cock was squeezed inside the tight channel.

Dami's ass bounced up and down, her breasts jiggling as her body was fucked by my cock. My eyes could hardly focus on the mounds, my head was spinning so much.

I reached down, my hand sliding between Rosa's legs. I was still dripping with her juices, which were coating my length and Dami's hot tunnel.

"I want to feel you fill me up," Dami said, her voice breathy and hot against my ear. "I want to feel your cock unload in my pussy and then fill me up with your cum."

"I'd happily fill you every day," I groaned as I started to thrust upwards. "Every single day."

Dami moaned, her thighs quivering against my hips as I picked up the pace. She was so tight, so petite, so wet that my cock slid right inside her, the intense embrace of her pussy snapping my control.

I was a man on fire, my hips bucking up off the bed as I drove my cock deep into her. I tried to hold back for her sake, gripping her hips, but she wasn't having any of that.

"Don't hold back," she said, her eyes locked on mine. "I want to feel your cum inside me. I want to feel your cum fill my womb. I want to feel your cum give me a baby."

I grunted, my cock twitching inside her welcoming depths. I was so close to cumming, so ready to explode inside her.

"Oh, please cum inside me," she said as her pussy clamped down on me with desperate squelches. "Please, please, please give me your cum!"

The tight pressure inside my balls rose to a point of no return and I erupted. I threw my head back and roared, my cock swelling as it shot out thick ropes of cum.

"That's it, Adam," Rosa said as she watched my orgasm crest. "Fill her up."

Dami screamed, her pussy convulsing around my cock as she felt the hot spray of seed filling her up. "Oh, Adam," she cried out, her pussy pulsing out of control, milking me for everything I had, sucking it as if it was a straw and she was trying to suck the life force from my body.

I groaned, spurting blast after blast of hot, sticky cum deep into her needy pussy. I could feel it sliding along my length, coating me with her juices as I finished inside her. My balls visibly contracted as I unloaded what felt like a gallon of cum inside her slutty little slit.

"Oh, Adam," Dami said, her voice dripping with pleasure. "Oh, Adam, that was incredible."

"Mmm," Rosa moaned, a shiver running through her body. "I could feel it. I could feel your cum shooting into her."

"You naughty little slut," I said, pulling Dami downwards to lay on my other side. She giggled as she felt my seed trickle from her pussy, running down her thighs.

My head was swimming, my ears ringing as I felt the tingles of pleasure slowly fade away. I was covered in sweat, my breath coming in heaving gasps despite my improved stamina.

Rosa leaned over my body, her lips finding mine as she kissed me passionately.

"Did you like that?" she asked, sliding her hand through the cum and juices coating my sensitive shaft. "We really hoped you would like it."

"I fucking loved it," I grinned, my hands sliding up her soft, silky skin. "You are the best girls I could ever hope for. I'm not sure how I got so lucky, but you won't hear me complaining."

Her beautiful eyes twinkled as she looked down at me. They were full of some deep emotion, like tonight had meant more than just showing me a good time. Her lips parted, but then she just shook her head slightly, leaving the bed to bring towels to clean us off.

Boneless with pleasure, Dami snuggled into my shoulder, her thighs tightly clenched together, trying to keep my seed inside. "I'm so exhausted," she murmured as her eyes closed. "And I'm so happy you're back."

I kissed her forehead as she sighed, then pulled Rosa close as well after she tidied up. I could feel the warmth of their bodies against me, the yielding softness of their curves, and I couldn't help but smile.

Rosa drew the blankets over us as we all drifted off to sleep, my arms wrapped tightly around both of them.

The table with the Game of Castles was still there, a silent witness to our passion. I shouldn't get too distracted, but I decided it could wait a little longer.

Chapter

Twenty-Eight

THE CLEAR ISLE

Let the Game of Castles Begin!

Location: The Clear Isle

Location Summary: An island rests in the middle of a decent moving river. A bridge on the east and west connects it to the land. To the south rests Lao, to the north, Gorm. The foundation for the castle is solid, based upon bedrock, and unable to be tunneled under from the far sides of the river. The soil is not rich on the island, but the lack of escape avenues for farm animals makes it a great island for husbandry.

A puff of magic slowed time, freezing Rosa and Dami in position. Not even three feet from my right shoulder, the handsome goblin Asmi spawned. He stretched with a big yawn of awakening. A wide grin crossed his face, and he energetically shook off his arrival jitters.

“Hey! You’re the only one who didn’t call me, so I figured I’d spend some of my points to say hi,” Asmi - the God of Barter - said.

“What are the others calling you for?” I asked with a grunt.

“You know, the usual. I’m in trouble, I did this wrong, or that wrong. Or they want to know where they are in the ranking, or they need me to smite a problem of theirs,” Asmi said, shrugging nonchalantly. “Congrats on not being a Hedge Knight. I really expected you to, since you have this propensity to adventure unlike a normal lord.”

“Sometimes things need to get done. Uh, for the competition, how am I doing?” I asked.

He dragged a chair over the stone foundation, letting it make that annoying noise of grating wood instead of picking the damn thing up. The god plopped into it, kicking his feet up on the Game of Castles table.

“Like shit. Mostly. A lot of champions just conquer something, instantly gaining a table. That opens up so much, but shortcuts don’t always mean the most effective path. I firmly believe that in a few months, you’re going to be in a much better position than now,” Asmi said, breaking the news as if I needed placating.

I set my knuckles on the table, leaning forward. “How many dead?”

“Of mine, or in total?”

“Total.”

“Seven so far, with many more having poor starts. Five of the seven were replaced with starting disadvantages since they died early. While those champions are dead, and their gods penalized, we want a robust competition. New contestants will appear for the first month of the games, then stop afterwards, which is why there are ninety eight Champions left. Personally, I’m doing the absolute worst,” Asmi grumbled.

I raised an eyebrow, knowing he’d continue.

“I lost two champions, one of which is forever gone. I have two roamers, three are just now getting some points after blending in first to get a feel for the local lands, two conquered starting outposts like Brackenfell but are under siege from their actions, and then there’s you. Ironically, all the lesser gods who’ve never seen this before think I’m a loser since I’m in last. So, I wagered heavily on myself, and therefore you.”

“Good, I think I’ll do fine. I do need an expanded map at some point,” I said, leaving the option open for him to help. “Like one with the five connecting regions. All I know about is Zeth to the north.”

“Yeah, you do need more information. Just buy a map from a local cartographer or wait. It's all on the table once you or a registered agent step foot in the region. The options for acquiring goods just drastically changed. Look, I can’t just give you things or do things for you. I can say that your Family Points are solid, but they could do better. A family needs stability, they need those they care about secure, and they need a spiritual purpose.

“The more unified the family, the better. I’m not saying build a church to the God of Barter, I am saying that a church will help. In addition, when you pray, it’ll never be answered in how you think. It did bring attention to me, and the Creator, but both of us won’t intervene to help. Need to be clear about that,” Asmi said.

I frowned, not exactly loving how useless the god was. “I hear you, and I appreciate the visit. I’m doing meh with room for improvement, and you’re not unhappy with my positioning. Anything else?”

“Yes. While I figured you’d want more than a map, or you’d come begging for me to fix your relationship later on, I’ve come for another reason. I’m here to deliver your banner,” Asmi said proudly.

The god swirled his hand creating a wave of magic until a portal opened bringing a long banner meant for war that a squire would carry for the army. The monster’s face at the top emitted a low growl while the bottom licked flames. I didn’t possess fire magic, but this could have been an omen about a fire golem in my future.

Champion Adam Clear’s Banner

+1 to all attributes to all troops, citizens, and believers who fall under this banner’s command.

+1 extra attribute to all troops for the duration of a battle. To activate, raise then lower the banner with the intent to enhance your troops.

“If you ever see a banner like this on the field of battle, with the magic flowing around it, you know you’re facing another champion. These banners are amazing for champions in their Game of Castles battles, truly legendary. However, you can trick a foe by leaving it behind,” Asmi said with a wink. “Some foreshadowing there! Ah… Us Gods love to play our games.”

I let out a low whistle, taking the banner outside. I admired the beauty, walking by the frozen people who paused in time until I reached the horses. Once the banner found a nice home, I returned to my tent.

“That will go to good use, thank you,” I said. “Anything else I should know about them?”

“Go to war, and they activate for their bonus. A soldier with plus two strength is significant. When you add all the other stats, you want to be under a commander's banner when at war. But… there are only so many, and at some point, you’ll have multiple campaigns.”

I pulled up the map on the table. “Like fighting hags, fighting Tolgar, and fighting the necromancer.”

“Exactly, oh and one minor thing. If you defeat another champion, acquiring their banner through conquest or theft, your banner absorbs his, gaining one random attribute point. That’s the only way to improve these exceedingly rare war banners. There are only ten per god, no matter what.”

“Then I shall treat it with the proper care it demands.”

He gently bowed his head in respect, more so for the magic than for me. “Please do, and I knew I picked correctly. It is nice to see you improve so quickly with your core leveling and your family points. Your Influence Points, Lord Points, and Military Points are all lacking from too much tedium, but as you clearly found out, you have a solid foundation,” Asmi said, vanishing with a snap of his fingers.

I leaned back into the table, noticing I earned a level from my antics to the north. At this point, speed really was my friend, so I added another point of dexterity.

Name: Adam Clear

Champion for the God of Barter

Height: 6’ 1”

Weight: 227 lbs

Age: 25

General Level: 19

Strength: 6

Stamina: 4

Dexterity: 9

Constitution: 1

Endurance: 3

Healing: 1

Magic Type: Golem

Magic Level: 14

Spell Assignment: Water Golem

Time resumed, unlocking a confused Dami and Rosa. I exited out of my character sheet, noticing how Golem leveled a bit, while I slowly crept up in power. I did dive into my experiences and rewards, seeing that I earned ten silver for Edimon backing out of the fight. I never needed to trade blows to earn my reward.

I tossed my sack of coins on the table and said, “How much LP and silver do I have?”

172 silver

832 bronze

2,700 Lord Points

“This is much better than when you left. Whatever rewards you received for Ormis put us to another level. Oh, and your Military Points are generating revenue as well,” Rosa said with a hint of delight in her voice. Almost like the wife who found out the husband got a massive raise.

I cocked an eyebrow, eyeing her with a grin. “How are the food problems?”

“Bad, growing worse,” Rosa said.

“We have enough, we… we had to waste a lot,” Dami admitted. “Plus no one is foraging.”

“Alright, alright,” I said the word twice, getting quieter on the second iteration. “Food. Let’s test this new interface.”

I opened up the hiring menu, typed in livestock since I didn’t want perishables, and I received fourteen thousand options. Without another word said, I slowly sat in the chair Asmi vacated earlier.

“This… This is going to take up my entire life,” Rosa said with shock. “I - I - some of this is from across the world where it says the lifespan of the ducks purchased will be drastically reduced because of travel time. And the costs are insane.”

“Interesting, I… I can’t dive into it. That’s going to have to be your lane of operations,” I said.

“Hold on, look at this.”

Location: Ashfield

Kingdom: Estin

Region: Tolmeria

Item for sale: A flock of sheep with shepherd hounds is available. An older gentleman’s days are growing shorter, his sons died, and he needs to offload his herd before he can retire to the city where his daughters are.

Quantity:

93 Sheep

3 Hounds

1 Horse

Price: 6 Silver, 17 Bronze, delivered to Camp Clear.

LP Price: 317 LP

“This doesn’t solve our food problem. We would need to eat more than they can produce,” I said.

“Yeah, but Adam, he delivers them to you for a couple of silver. We probably earn that much just by adding a new food source.”

“Or I can kill hags. We do need the food, but this is expensive, not that there are cheaper delivered options for sheep.”

“Worst case, we eat them all, then buy another flock. Best case, we manage the herd and help it grow with additional acquisitions!” Rosa’s passion levels went through the roof, so high that Dami held her hand to calm her. “We can really use this flock.”

“Lord Adam won’t let us starve.”

“And they’re purchased.” The elf melted into my side with thanks. “Wouldn’t shock me if they come a bit late, but yes. It’s done. Now, I think you should focus on chickens going forward. Especially since Ormis can yank up trees, quickly, uncovering a ton of grubs for them to eat. The more grubs, the more eggs. We’ll invest in sheep after,” I said, earning a half-hearted smile from Rosa.

I could tell she had that same urge to acquire something like I used back on Earth and since we needed it as well as wanted it, I made it happen. Did I feel good about the purchase? Yes, yes I did.

“Hey, I’ll earn more so we can really start to get this food thing under control, I promise, start finding the absolute best deals. Right after I hire an army,” I said.

Since the search engine was optimized to sort all kinds of criteria, I felt less overwhelmed. I spent the next two hours searching through all the best options until I found two units I felt I had to acquire.

Unit: Shield and Stomp!

Location: Thorim

Kingdom: Hilloc

Region: Tolmeria

Mercenaries for Hire: This unit of trolls are the elite of the Thorim warriors. They will secure infantry armor, a shield each, and a mostly sharp sword. While they aren’t the best infantry in the world, they won’t falter or rout unless they take heavy casualties.

Quantity:

27 Trollocs

1 Trolloc Officer (Kell)

4 Wagons

8 Rams

18 Support units.

Price: 17 Silver, 55 Bronze, delivered to Camp Clear.

Discounted LP Price due to Influence Points earned already: 700 LP

Note: This unit will take 5 days to arrive. On day 10, they will be out of food. By day 11, if no food is provided, they will return home. Keeping them fed and happy is important to your Military Point generation and to keep a high Influence Point number.

Keep them happy, their needs met, and figure out a justification to keep them around, such as home defenders, and they can convert from a mercenary unit to a champion unit.

I licked my lips. Investing the LP. “I need meat shields and what better way to get them than from the mountains. Hopefully Avorth doesn’t intercept them and run them down. The bloody Lao mercenaries were ten times this for only a week.”

“Yeah, we’re still small in the overall scheme of things. That will change as you gain Influence Points and Military Points, and when you do, I’m sure recruiting will be easier. Also, I worry,” Rosa said, with a bit of hesitation in her voice. “You might become the Hilloc Lord, forever isolating yourself from the other kingdoms.”

“Well, let’s hope this other selection helps balance it out,” I said.

Unit: Twang and Twirl!

Term: 30 Days Upon Arrival

Location: Thorim

Kingdom: Avorth

Region: Tolmeria

Mercenaries for Hire: This small band of archers are amazing at scouting, gathering, and hunting. To add to this, they’re great at firing a bow too. While not line troops, or used to longbows, their skirmishing potential and speed to get across the realm is unparalleled.

Quantity:

4 Scouts

1 Officer (Carr)

10 Horses

Price: 51 Silver, 125 Bronze, delivered to Camp Clear.

Discounted LP Price due to Influence Points earned already: 2,000 LP

Note: This unit will take 3 days to arrive. This contract has a term and this is a mercenary unit. They don’t care about allegiances, causes or how sad this or that is. It’s about the money. If two of them die, the contract is broken. End of story. They’ll require half up front, which is paid as if you walked back into that Thorim army and handed them the coins yourself.

“Neat, so the gods tweak their memories to make it seem like they struck this deal already, making it easy for them to travel out of nowhere,” Dami said.

“Yeah, this removes the nowhere nicely… with magic,” Rosa said. “Five archers is hardly a big unit of Tolmerian troops, but it’s a start. Are you going to kill the hags first or the necromancer and his minions?”

I snorted with a headshake. “I want to say something fancy or over the top crazy. But no. We’re going to clear the swamp making our way east. Once out of it, we’ll fight the necromancer. All I need to do now is to thin out the hag herd until the trolls get here.”

“My lord, maybe you could do some hunting in the western woods while you wait. We have reports of wild swine in the woods?” Dami curtsied.

“You did spend most of our LP,” Rosa said in only the way a wifey could. “May I purchase more supplies to speed up the castle’s erection?”

I patted the bag. “Go nuts.” They giggled at my pun. “We also need mortar, support beams, a blacksmith, and about a million other things, but this is a team effort. Me casa your casa.”

“What?” Dami said.

“What is mine is ours. I have faith in you wondrous women. Oh, and buy a tent or set one up for a prayer room for the Creator, it’s time we have a religion,” I said.

“Not the God of Barter?” Dami asked.

“He will have a place, but I’ve got a feeling he is completely fine with his boss getting the attention,” I said, applying my sword to my hip. “Regardless, I have a lot of work ahead of me and it seems that all our hard work on The Clear Isle will be worth it.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Dami said with a massive grin. “You can take the rest of the day off from fighting. I need you in bed tonight.” She shook a vial of some sort.

Rosa leaned up, kissing my cheek. “One night. Your day adventures always extend.”

“Ha! I know what you want to extend,” I replied, and as if I’d read her mind, she undid the band to my robes.

Chapter

Twenty-Nine

THE CLEAR ISLE

Tastes Funny!

“I hate the swamp,” Ormis grumbled sourly.

The big ogre’s skin altered its color once we stepped out of the sun, showcasing a part of his kind that I never expected. Ormis wouldn’t be able to completely blend in or fool just about anyone if he was moving, but stationary, to the untrained eye, and it became frightening how hard he was to see. Ogres were apex predators who struck from ambush points, so yeah, a little bit of camouflage went a long way.

We trudged through the swamp with my banner flapping in the wind from the back of Marco’s stallion. Poor Marco. He died to my arrow, never realizing he’d walked into my ambush point. I robbed him blind, gutted him, fed him to the hags, and then, to my shame, named his horse… Marco.

“At least Marco isn’t bolting like Sally did,” I said to the big guy. Sally, the mare I didn’t really need but liked having around, said ‘fuck this swamp’ and ran home. Or at least I hoped she did. “So, uh, where do you think they all went?”

“There’s no expansion, so if I had to guess, they’re solidifying. If that is the case, your golem tricks won’t work, and if we get too deep into the swamp, we’re dead,” Ormis said.

I sighed, knowing the odds stacked against us. “You know what. I like living. Fuck it. Let’s go build until we have a small army.”

“Finally,” Ormis said with a snicker. “I knew you were a smart commander.”

“If the hags want to set ambushes and be a nuisance, then we’ll fill in their territory,” I said, wondering if he picked up on that being a joke.

“Wait what?” Ormis said, getting out of the swamp with only a few long strides.

“Ha, I have no intention of filling this in, but I figured you’d hate the idea.”

The big brute shuddered. “Loathe it. So… Want to hunt or work?”

“How bad is ripping up trees?” I asked.

“Tedious and tiring. The progress is nice though. Very black and -”

A winged fire creation the size of an eagle burst high over The Clear Isle. Even with it being a few hours away on foot, the sign was visible for miles.

“That’s not good?” Ormis said, stating the obvious.

Once the spell fizzled out, I started to connect the dots as to who arrived.

“I camped early, slept late, stopped in Gorm, we never push for home hard because you need to sleep a lot, and we spent all day yesterday and the day before preparing for today…” I said, leading Marco out of the sludgy swamp water. Once he was on solid ground, I swung myself into his saddle. “Yeah, if King Pragor arrived shortly after I left, this is probably his delegation.”

“You do have this way of upsetting people or winning them to your side.” The Ogre’s dry tone said more than his words ever could. “Wonder which one this is!”

I snorted, experiencing a wave of worry course through my body until bumps rose on my arms. “Let’s figure it out. Does an enemy hold my family hostage, or do we have guests who need attention?”

∞∞∞

I left Ormis as well as the horses back in the woods, sneaking forward until I could peer around a tree trunk. When I finally saw my home, it seemed like a diplomatic entourage arrived, not some attacking force. The fact Talou groomed a horse amongst the group set my worry at ease.

A dozen knights, mages, and ladies paused for lunch on the eastern bank with their horses secured and their guard down. A small fire cooked a fox with one of the lords handing the skin off to Booma who helped out. If it were any other spot in Tolmeria, I’d have figured this band of elites were having a nice meal. However, a troll shaman tugged on his restraints, bound in steel while tethered to a large oak tree that managed to escape our clearing efforts.

I returned to Ormis to let him know to stay quiet, then ventured onto the open road towards my home. My sudden arrival stirred a bit of attention with a few extra glances. No one went defensive or drew weapons, watching me with interest.

Talou peeled out of the group, all but skipping across the distance. The woman’s feline orange eyes fixated on me with an odd sort of happiness.

“You seem… giddy,” I said.

As she gave me a quick hug, she whispered, “I’ve been playing you up with Lady Harmony. We don’t have a good relationship, but I got you. Accept her if she wants to stay.”

She pulled back and spoke louder as we walked to the group. “I spoke with King Pragor not even an hour after you departed. He convened a war council right on the spot!” Talou exclaimed as if this were a big deal, and it probably was. I continued my leisurely pace, soaking in the mid morning’s rays. “Summer comes soon, and with it, excuses for peace. Few want to march in the heat, and since no open war was declared at the end of winter, spring nearly is over.”

“I’ll march during summer, and I’ll march during spring. Hell, spring just started,” I replied dryly.

“The season is heating up.”

For some odd reason I glanced up at the sun. “This is nothing, but I did hear from legends of my home that marching in armor is brutal when it gets warm. Maybe we just haul it all in wagons until it's time to dress neat rows or soldiers,” I said, being somewhat sarcastic.

“Your army, your rules, but I need to prepare you. That handsome fairy right there.” She pointed with her eyes, leading me to see a strong middle-aged fairy. “He is Prince Tarsin. His father has ruled for a long time and is likely to step aside after the spring Hilloc battles.”

“Huh, those should be over,” I said.

A man with wolf ears in the group snickered, one of his enhanced ears turned to hear us talk. I didn’t mind, we were close enough to the main group anyway to have our private conversation become useless.

I bowed slightly, raising my voice to the gathering, “Prince Tarsin, welcome to The Clear Isle.”

“Is it true, have the legendary games begun anew?” the Prince asked in a gruff voice.

I frowned, knowing that this could turn ugly quickly. While I feared that might be the case, he definitely could have brought a bigger retinue if he wanted to try to kill me so publicly. I also didn’t think hiding the truth served my purpose here.

“Some think so,” I said, retracting my dip to stand upright. “Limar changes rapidly, devolving into a state of war because of factors we can’t control. I plan to fix some of that, regardless of rumors or implications.”

Prince Tarsin stared down his nose at me, even though I stood a bit taller. “Talou swears it to be true, and I didn’t ride to this… location to hold conversations about maybes.”

“A lack of clarity is hardly my fault. However, I definitely don’t refute Lady Talou’s implications. Does this make you happy?” I asked, and he nodded. “The reports on the north side of the mountain about this Champion Zeth, are they confirmed?”

“Yes, they’re true. As a new lord, he’s making unsuspecting allies by having kings who oppose him assassinated. He’s a fighter, so we doubt he’s really behind the assassinations. He is currently securing a fortress that is being assailed from three factions. He moves at speeds unheard of, can cast magma balls from the sky that are the size of an ogre, and has declared the Game of Castles has returned. We either bow to this… Lord Zeth, or we must ready for his invasion if he wins his local victory,” Prince Tarsin said.

“Lord Zeth seems like he is on a mission to win. Fine, fine.” I stared around his camp. “I’m going to sit, not out of disrespect, but because I want to get the muck off my boots.” I didn’t wait for his approval, sitting on a random log that someone dragged over by the fire. “I’m going to summarize, save the questions for later.”

The Prince sat as well while his entourage relaxed slightly. They likely believed in the tales or saw my prowess in person, knowing their soon to be liege lord took considerable risks by being so close to me. A man without his boots on didn’t scream violence.

Rosa must have seen my arrival, hurrying out to greet me with a steaming bowl of stew. Before I could work on my boots, Dami wormed her way through the elites, snatching them up. I wanted to tell her she didn’t have to, but she made it her purpose to clean them, and I felt like I might slight her. I snatched her wrist for a quick kiss that caused her to thoroughly blush.

“Lord Adam!” Dami exclaimed. When I smacked her ass playfully, she unleashed the cutest squeak.

Rosa rolled her eyes, plopping down beside me. After I accepted the stew, she opened her ledger, extracted a quill and inkpot, then readied to transcribe what I said. A mousy man from the prince’s group found a spot to sit cross legged doing the same thing.

“You, me, everyone here, is on a planet called Limar. If there is life here, it stands to reason there is life elsewhere. Where did the werecats come from or the fairies or the elves? Are they descendants of animals turned people? Maybe, but I can say that there are other planets with life. Life that adjusts with time.

“So I know there are other planets with life, and I know that way back in the distant past, humans with wolf ears and tails fought humans with keen eyes and elongated ears. You may see it differently, based on your species, but I see it as a fact that there is more at play than just this group in this region.

“Who rules over the planets and why? I guess the quest for the meaning of life is infinite but as my momma liked to say ‘it is what it is’. Well, what is it? Thousands, hundreds, the exact number is uncertain, but a lot of people stand before ten gods to undergo a selection process. Those ten gods choose ten champions who fight on Limar for dominance with a twist - magic.”

“A hundred champions are set loose? How many in Tolmeria?” Prince Tarsin asked.

“I… I could be wrong, but common sense says just me,” I replied with a shrug. “We are given quests, we do those quests, we gain power within our regions. We use that power to exploit the area. For instance, I have a company of trolls and a unit of scouts from Avorth coming to aid me in my fight against the hags. If I kill the hags, I’m given more power.

“This Lord Zeth doesn’t lose in a pyrrhic victory. In fact, engaging him at all isn’t fair. If he dies, he’s replaced within the year. If he fights to draw, he wins. If he wins, he wins. If you kill him or me, you lose because another super soldier will replace us in time. If I had to guess, most of the champions are fairly normal people, but back home, we have a saying, ‘power corrupts’.”

“And you believe you are infallible?” the mousy man asked politely.

“Uh, fuck no. I’m going to have to be mean to someone. Life isn’t black and white, good and evil. There’ll come times where I need to divert down the path of wickedness to win. However, I think I’m a pretty reasonable person. I’ve won their trust.” I thumbed at the workers. “I’ve won Ormis’ loyalty, and I fully intend to unite Tolmeria if I can. A stable home provides a good foundation to wage war from.”

“Hold on, before we get back to that, this Game of Castles. We have a million questions,” Prince Tarsin said, shifting the conversation.

Instead of overexplaining myself, I decided to show instead of tell. I led them over the bridge and into my home. Once we got to the table, a lot of the questions stopped. None of them could use it, since they weren’t on my team, but they could watch Rosa and Dami operate it.

For the rest of the day, I fielded more unanswerable than answerable questions. The honest truth was, I just didn’t know that much. Everything I said as truth had some connection to the legends besides Earth. None of them understood the concept of a one species planet with advanced tech and no magic. They mostly just figured our tech was a different kind of magic, and I eventually stopped answering questions about Earth.

When we returned outside, the chained shaman screamed in frustration.

“Oh, what’s his deal?”

“He was caught in our stables, and we don’t know why. When our translator tried to talk to him, he refused. None of us speak his language, but your ogre does. He may think none of us do, meaning we can figure out why. My lord’s scouts tracked him, monitored his activities, and then caught him on his way out of the stables. He didn’t try to steal anything,” Talou said, and Prince Tarsin nodded in approval.

I walked over the bridge, departing into the woods from where I left the ogre and the horses. Ormis snoozed against a tree, slowly waking when I kicked his boot. The big ogre raised a single eye.

“What?”

“I made friends, which means more troops. However, they have a problem only you can solve,” I said.

“A horse.” Ormis stretched. “I desire a horse in payment.”

“Sure, just eat it out of sight. A horse for you to find out why the shaman was in the stables,” I said, untying Marco and Sally’s leads.

In typical Ormis fashion, he used a tree for leverage to rise. Of course, the tree couldn’t support him, teetering before collapsing. He triumphantly stood now that the tree died.

“Ah! Saved myself effort later. So who visited?”

“Some northerners. They apparently wanted to talk about the Game of Castles,” I said.

“Fun,” Ormis snorted. “I’d give them a hard time, but our people talk more than fight too. Are they going to help with the hag problem?”

“Uh, I don’t know. I mostly played nice in the hopes of increasing my Influence Points with them. However, I think we’ll know more once the local threats are dealt with,” I said, pausing before we returned to the road. “Oh, and the shaman doesn’t know I can speak Hilloc, I want to keep that a surprise in case we need it.”

“Sure, works for me,” he said.

We returned to the road with the group way more on edge than before. I’d grown somewhat used to hopping when Ormis’ feet landed, keeping my approach somewhat smooth. I turned directly to the Prince and said, “We should know shortly. Unless, of course, the shaman speaks Tolmerian or whatever.”

“Tolmerian is Limar. There are accents but it's all one standard language. The last winner of the Game of Castles spread a single language,” the mousy scholar said.

“I do appreciate your hospitality, we’ve been most pleased with your hosting,” Talou said with a curtsy.

“Stop pretending to be all lady-like,” one of the female fairies said from the back. She’d been quiet up to this point. Prince Tarsin glared at her. “Sorry Father, she just fawns over him while being recently divorced, and he fully intends to peacefully rule all the regions. Which means he needs ladies of high birth at his side.”

I opened, then snapped my mouth shut. Without a doubt the white haired, faired skinned fairly with bleach white wings was jealous. I wasn’t used to this kind of… flirting, but grayish blue eyes definitely focused on me in an enticing way.

This audacious woman was scantily clad, confident in her demeanor, and based on how the others watched her, unpredictable as well as dangerous. I certainly didn’t mind the plump breasts accentuated by her lean frame.

Talou clenched her fists and sneered, only to relax her anger before the Prince could tell how upset she was.

Prince Tarsin snorted, “Careful with your words, Lady Harmony. You’ve barely returned to my good graces.”

Ormis plopped down beside the shaman, sending a deep reverberation through the ground. He leaned close to the much smaller troll. “They get so angry at each other until they’re ready to kill us.”

“And yet you act like a pet,” the shaman said.

Ormis angered just as quickly as Talou did, showing the hypocrisy of his statement. “Careful, I’m not wearing a collar or chains or -”

“They don’t make any that fit for an ogre,” the shaman interjected.

Ormis craned his neck back unleashing a mighty laugh that lasted a good minute, maybe two. I pretended to be oblivious to their conversation, bringing up small talk while eavesdropping to keep the rouse alive.

“That’s fair. I merely help to keep him alive after losing a duel. How about you?”

“I tried to find the pegasus, but they don’t have it,” the shaman grumbled, having no qualms about trusting his fellow Hilloc.

Ormis frowned, the wrinkles in his forehead bunching tightly. “Pegasus? I consider myself a key student of the Tomb of Knowledge, but I don’t know of a pegasus.”

The shaman grumbled, fighting his restraints. “Well, that I can’t talk about. However, when one is born, there’s another horse born with wings within the same region to make a mated pair. Finding both is worth a fortune.”

“Fuck me,” I said, slapping my right fist into my left palm. I walked towards the Prince aggressively shouting gibberish at first. Once I drew close enough, I whispered, “Give me his key.”

The Prince acquiesced to my request with distaste. I accepted the offered key, strode over to the shaman, and unbound his restraints.

“Finally. Metal is the worst on my skin. Huh, wonder what gives?” the shaman asked Ormis. “This one is bigger than most.”

Ormis shrugged. “Probably wants to show dominance or something to claim the other one’s daughter. Wait, no… Because I’ve been nice, it is probably a reward for me. Maybe he thinks I’ll eat you.”

“Bah! Ogres choke on shaman bones!” The shaman rubbed his neck.

This left Ormis pissed off. “I’d head home if I were you.”

The shaman glanced at me, bowed his head slightly, and said, “Thank you, ugly human. I will be nice to this city when Hilloc Lord Tragg conquers the region.”

I wanted to reply, but instead kept speaking Limar to the Prince, turning my back on the shaman. “We want him to go away and be followed. It is important he’s tracked back to his house. Very important.”

I glanced back at the shaman, nearing the Prince to hand him the key. The shaman slowly retreated when I returned the key. “What did your daughter do to upset you?”

“Adam!” Rosa exclaimed. “Decorum.”

“No, he sees the same thing I do. A young woman eyeing an escape. We’ll discuss that after this new revelation that caused you to release my prisoner,” Prince Tarsin growled.

I didn’t need to wait or save it for some dramatic moment. “A pegasus was born and he knows about it. He’s searching for the mate that should be born nearby.”

“I…” The mousy scholar jolted, becoming almost erratic, like a child who had candy for the first time. “My Lord, if this is true, it’s unprecedented for it to be in the hands of savages. My Lord this -.”

The Prince stuck a hand on his shoulder, calming the scholar. “And you think he knows where one of them is?”

“It stands to reason, if he’s looking for the mate, he knows about the other,” Lady Harmony said.

Prince Tarsin waited patiently, mulling over the facts I’d presented him. He huffed out a flustered sigh. “Father can’t retire. No. Ugh… I don’t see another option. Not if I’m in the field, well, in the tunnels, all summer.”

I stayed quiet, waiting patiently.

“I’m staying,” Lady Harmony said, earning a frown from just about everyone. “Assuming you need a phoenix master.”

“Yeah, I certainly do. That banner right there makes you more powerful if you align yourself with me.”

“You had her at Champion of the Gods. Hell, you probably didn’t even need to show her the table,” Prince Tarsin said. “Acron, follow the troll as far as you can, not that it matters, we’re going to scrap the war with Estin.”

The scholar glanced up from the rapid notes he jotted. “And if they go aggressive?”

“Bah, they never do. The hags and the champion will force them to stay docile. We brace for war, support the champion we know, and study the champion we don’t. While unlikely, we hold no promises we won’t side with him since I need to speak with my king first.”

I smiled at the Prince. “Hey, the Game of Castles is not only about raw power, but diplomacy too. I’ve done as you asked, giving you the information you sought, through and through. I’m afraid I need a horse.”

“A what?” Talou said with a twisted face. “A horse from us?”

“Yes, the ogre’s fee for the information,” I said.

“Give him that mangy thing, and I’ll send a nice horse in its place,” Prince Tarsin ordered, swinging himself into his saddle.

I wanted to fight him on it, mostly because I named Sally, and she seemed like a well-mannered optimal horse. However, when it came to nobility, letting them have a slight win didn’t seem like the worst idea.

“As you wish,” I said, pinching my face so he knew I didn’t like the deal. “This pegasus, why are you so excited?”

The mousy man hopped onto his pony, or dwarven horse with a big grin on his face. “They fly. Obviously… It is said that during the last Game of Castles, the savage either turned more savage or became intelligent. The Hilloc were said to finally congregate and form mighty armies that would rival even ours. With these changes, came other revelations.

“One of them was the pegasi, which were integral to life for a bit. Over the generations, they’ve slowly dwindled until becoming just as legendary as their origins. They’re rare and if kept paired, they’ll have children that will never have children of their own but live forever. Eventually a prince kills a king, or a brother kills a brother, and the pair end up sold or split or dead to a -”

“Dragon,” Rosa whispered. “Not all the threats during the legends were positive. The pegasi were one of them. I… I need you to kill those hags, Lord Adam. We need books!”

“I like her,” the scholar said, beaming a smile. “Books indeed!”

Prince Tarsin smirked, shifting to gaze upon Rosa with a fondness I wasn’t exactly thrilled by. “You remind me of my first wife. Lovely lady and no ill intentions meant by that. I… I think sharing knowledge is smart. Our libraries are open to you, should you wish to visit.”

“Thank you, my Lord. There is much to study, but none of it can be done if we don’t have our home, and I know my desire for knowledge is less important than this castle,” Rosa replied kindly.

“And you?” Prince Tarsin turned to his adult daughter. “At some point, you tell him your past, so I don’t have to. It’s Adam’s choice, but don’t be surprised if you have to catch up to us on our flight north.”

“I suppose I can do that, Father,” Lady Harmony said. She asked for me to help her into the saddle. On a whim, and mostly because I found her intriguing, I humored her. “Lord Adam, this day was lovely, and I intend to lend my magic to your cause. Will you take me and the issues I come with?”

“Uh, is this an Tolmerian marriage thing?” I asked.

“Not at this time. I merely require to be welcomed,” Lady Harmony replied.

“Then we await your return. We cleanse the swamp in four days, if you are late, that’s where you can find me,” I said, helping her into the saddle. “Prince Tarsin, I wish you luck in your hunts.”

“Same to you champion. Although, if the hags still persist after you visit, then I worry,” Prince Tarsin said.

Before I could reply, he and his entourage trotted away. I shifted to walk towards the west, deciding to go deep into the woods in an area we seldom explored.

“Where ya off to?” Ormis asked from his cozy spot.

“I promised you a horse and the future king wants to give me one as a gift. So I’m going to hunt some deer to make you happy,” I said.

“Wait, no horse! But I did my part,” Ormis protested.

I grunted. “You can eat Sally, but I like Sally.”

“This one,” he pointed to the mare.

“Yeah, we found her with a wagon, but she’s super sweet, doesn’t complain and I like her,” I shouted over my shoulder.

“Okay, fine, but Adam, I have to eat,” Ormis said.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m working on it. Food then war. I’d rather keep our work horses alive and feed you…” It dawned on me. “Sheep! I have sheep coming.”

“I like sheep, just without the trimmings,” Ormis hollered, getting comfy for another nap.

I dove into the tent to interact with the table, spending almost the last of my coins to buy any and every sheep in the area to join the herd already on the way.

The way I figured it, I could sell the nice horse in Lao for a tidy profit. For now, I fully intended to go hunting since we needed to wait for my units to arrive before braving the swamp again, and I knew just who to take to help the chaos return to calm.

Chapter

Thirty

THE CLEAR ISLE

Sounds Funny!

I sat in my perch, waiting patiently just like I used to in the old days when I hunted in southern Oklahoma or northern Texas. The woods were drastically different, with the elms replaced by some new kind of oak that had amazing branches for climbing. Whatever nut was on these trees was poisonous to humanoids but damn good for the squirrels, birds, and larger game animals.

The forest was abundant with life, creating a serene setting that I found delightful. The scent of early summer, the crisp smell of a forest in need of rain, and then my own scent of needing a bath.

“I hear something,” Dami whispered, her legs dangling from a branch above mine.

I craned my head back, glancing into her lovely brown eyes. “See, super worth it to bring my darling mousy.”

“I’m not a hunter,” Dami replied in a voice just loud enough to reach me. “But I appreciate the experience, and it’s special to me to be helpful.”

Since the Prince and his retinue departed, I’d been relaxing with Dami in the forest. We’d walk for a few hours, set out bait along intersecting game trails, then climb up in a tree. The first day was a skunk, but something ate our leftover food last night, so I became determined to stay during the night on the second day.

Dami happily followed me into the woods, not quite sure as to why I chose her to be my hunting buddy. On the first day, she found a big root on an ancient oak to bend over, drop her panties and wiggle her butt. Not one to let an opportunity like that pass, I gave her exactly what she wanted. When I kept going instead of turning back, she became confused, thinking I just wanted a private sexual encounter.

Nope.

During that first day, I taught her everything I could about tracking, hunting, and the forest. I didn't expect Dami to become some amazing hunter overnight, nor did she really understand why she was here.

It wasn’t until day two that I let her know I didn’t want to be alone and that if I did fall in battle, she would at least have this mini-adventure where I imparted knowledge to her. And… Yeah, she really wanted to have a child of mine, so life skills in the wilderness made sense for her, and maybe for children I never got to meet later.

“It stopped,” Dami whispered.

The evening sun slowly dipped towards the horizon, making the transition a bit difficult to spot whatever neared. I slowly stood, bracing my feet in a comfortable shooting position. I wanted to make my movements ahead of any animal’s closer approach.

“Your ears make you a treasure,” I whispered.

She beamed a smile, pointing with her head into the distance. I stared in that general direction for the next ten minutes or so. The sun set further on the horizon with the first stars peeking out on the darkening sky.

The squirrels and birds shifted about, just in smaller numbers. A gentle breeze barely helped to dissipate the residual heat. I stunk, that was for damned sure, I just hoped our height in the trees kept that stench out of our prey's nostrils.

Our bait was some rotting lettuce, a fresh fish, and a few chunks of leftover stew. The wafting scent definitely attracted some small deer last night, so I had decent hopes of bagging a buck or two.

And yes, I did all this to feed Ormis, using the teaching opportunity as a bonus. I found myself fond of Sally, but fonder of keeping my word. Everyone had to eat, that was never in question, so I stood patiently, letting my eyes adjust as night settled.

Sure enough, loud snorts traveled on the wind to reach my ears as nothing more than faint maybes. I frowned, not expecting pigs. Wild pigs were big in the Southern United States. If there was one thing people in the south liked, it was bacon.

The problem with bacon was that pigs were smart and hated being penned in. If they could escape, they would. From there, the unprotected farm fields along with tons of wild vegetation became a free for all. The meat from feral pigs was hardly as good, but when it came to starvation or delicacy, well, I know where most of the people of Limar stood.

Honestly, since I knew these were out here, I needed to start trapping right away. I sorta hoped Ryak would have returned by now, but I figured whatever Baron Hargrin had him doing overrode side work for me. I let the angst at losing my best scout go, knowing he’d be replaced soon enough.

A pack of feral swine crept close to the bait with a few sows escorting their litters. A massive boar that simply seemed too big to realistically mate with the females oversaw the group. The black and gray furred beast stood at least as tall as me and longer still. It reminded me of a war boar from fantasy games and I definitely figured it was here because of the changes to the land.

I didn’t bring the longbow, picking the elven fancy bow that served me so well. I expected to need a precision shot instead of a power shot and now I huffed at my decision. Instead of letting the situation bother me, I picked out a nice sized sow as a target.

Deep-down, I had a very high confidence I could earn a kill on the motherless female. Sure, I’d give up the excess meat from the big boar, but the group would spook after a single shot, so I wanted one in the hand instead of two in the bush.

The team, pack, or whatever funky name a group of pigs was called, continued to inch closer until a piglet braved the protection of the group to get first bites of the bait. Once it unleashed a few joyful pig noises, the others surged forward.

I inhaled deeply, slowly released my breath, then let the air out of my lungs smoothly. The tip of the arrow lined up with the ribs of my target until I knew the shot would fly true. The sinew rolled off my fingers ever so gently until -

Twang!

The snap of the sinew might as well have been a gunshot with how violently it cracked the air. Birds burst from trees, the pigs below jolted, and I watched the chaos unfold. Much like a startled cat, the pack of swine darted a dozen directions in utter chaos.

The instant the big boar bolted north, the smaller pigs diverted to follow in his wake.

My target never cried out or squealed from my arrow.

One moment she wanted to get some soggy potatoes, the next, she rapidly died with excessive spasms that slowed. I grabbed another arrow, never expecting to use it, and waited. I’d been on a few hunts where a death in the pack was ignored because of the angry hunger that wild animals needed to sate, but more often than not, they never came back.

The pig at the bait unleashed a final twitch before stilling. I waited, then waited some more, noticing the big boar pause his retreat. He slowly lumbered back to the bait spot, not because he was hungry, but because he didn’t understand why one of his females didn’t come with him.

His extra-deep sniffs disturbed the otherwise peaceful quiet.

His keen eyes flickered around each tree he passed, eager to find a culprit. The boar pranced with a hint of violence, and I said a grateful prayer to the Creator that I was up in a tree.

The pack slowly but surely followed his lead, becoming very skittish once the big beast sniffed my dead target.

A wide grin spread on my face since he let me take a second shot. I picked out a nursing mother, simply because she was the next target of opportunity for sheer size. Once again, I let my aim line up until I felt like I’d earn a kill.

Twang!

The snap of the bow shot through the air with the arrow entering a tight spin. The sow squealed out in tremendous pain, unleashing a part of the hunt I never enjoyed.

The pack split but this time the boar stayed close to the wounded female until her energy faded and she collapsed. He nudged her with his tusks, becoming furious at her for not responding to his requests to rise.

Since the pack didn’t retreat, I drew another arrow and realized I probably should have waited. The boar caught sight of my movement, honing in on my position

A feral shriek erupted from his lungs and he barreled right for my tree with a tucked head. I frowned, knowing he’d never be able to climb more than -

Boom!

The boar headbutted the tree with enough force that Dami almost fell from her branch.

“Oh shit!” she exclaimed, clinging to her spot. Unfortunately she dropped her pack in her desperation. The container pinged off the lower branches until it landed with a thud beside the boar.

In the time it took to snap, the boar tore apart the bag with a righteous fury.

Dami whispered, “Sorry.”

“No sense in being quiet now,” I said, aiming for a confused adolescent male.

Twang!

The arrow twirled across the distance, sunk into the neck, and the young boar ran a dozen paces before collapsing. Once again, the big boar pranced over to the fallen pack member, sniffing the body before nudging it.

“What is wrong with it?” Dami asked.

“I… I don’t know. Honestly, I want to trap some of the piglets for home, but this clearly is abnormal and -”

The boar tucked his head, running full speed for the tree we perched in. I rapidly drew an arrow from the quiver, never getting a chance to nock it in time before the boar blurred with surreal speed.

CRACK!

A massive split raced up the tree, and only by the grace of the gods did it stop a few feet below us. My quiver, which I’d neatly lodged and hooked on a branch, bounced high. When I tried to catch it, I only grasped a single arrow before the container escaped my grip and bounced on the way down.

The monster-sized boar shook the stars out of its vision, snorting in contempt that the stubborn tree still stood.

“We’re in trouble,” Dami whimpered.

I grinned, knowing she wasn’t wrong, but my arms tingled with the fact the boar might win. I knew this feeling was not only futile, but dangerous. Regardless, I eagerly pulled back the arrow, aimed for the chest and let loose with as much power as I could.

Twang!

The arrow soared true, slamming into the creature’s ribs before it vanished, fletching and all. I’d hoped to see the tip come out the bottom, but the arrow simply disappeared while a clean entry point weeped blood.

The boar backed up a dozen paces before slamming into the tree for a third time. A jarring impact reverberated through the tree, and below me, the crack spread higher.

“Eh, he isn’t going to knock it over,” I said with a hint of concern.

“This side won’t hold,” Dami said, clinging to the slowly splitting trunk.

It didn’t matter that the boar unleashed raspy blood filled breaths, struggling to ready another charge because it did what it had set out to do, take us down.

A final ear ringing crack slit the tree in two.

The half we rested in teetered slowly at first until a secondary snap sheared the section of trunk from the base. I entered a freefall, jumping away at the last second.

I entered a roll, wishing I could help Dami but I never was given a spare second. The instant I exited my tumble, a tusk clobbered me from the left.

Once again, I became weightless, flying sideways for a good dozen paces. I slammed into the forest floor with a shoulder to shoulder spin on repeat until the momentum finally faded. My hand shot to my sword, finding the weapon missing from my belt.

Not even a dozen feet away, twin red eyes fixated on me with all the hate in the world. I scrambled to my feet and not a second too soon. The boar zoomed across the distance in a flash. I jumped high for a branch above me, clinging to the round frame just in time to raise my feet.

Once again, the boar didn’t care, deciding to head butt the tree into oblivion. For five jarring impacts, it tried to knock me out of my perch.

Each slam into the larger trunk than the previous tree, resulted in slower subsequent attempts. Each breath resulted in a deeper rasp that worsened. On the sixth charge, the mighty war boar succumbed to the internal damage.

The instant he collapsed, I hopped out of the tree, sprinting to find Dami. When I reached the rent tree, I failed to catch sight of her - squished or alive.

“Up here,” Dami said, waving from a different tree.

I unleashed a breath I’d been holding, waving back. The anxiety faded slightly, but I definitely felt like shit for putting her at such risk.

“Damn… he was different,” I said, feeling downright exhausted even if I barely fought.

“Is it safe to come down?” Dami asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, help me pick all this up. We have some hauling to do, but I think our food problem just became less of an issue for a few days.”

“Those tusks are worth a fortune,” Dami said, standing her tippy toes to see the boar in the distance. “The small one from normal boars guarantee a male’s fertility once ground into dust.”

“Ha! Of course you know this,” I said, picking up my bow and quiver.

“Well, when I visited the Lao alchemist, I figured it’d make sense to know what we… I… you…” She blushed fervently. “You get the point.”

“You’re adorable. Come on, I don’t want to be in the forest all night, and we need to prepare for my army’s arrival,” I said, heading off to the boar to strip the tusks.

I’d never expected to fight such a fearsome beast on this trip, but I sure as shit felt ecstatic that I battled it from above because my left side would need a potion to heal. Any more damage and I’d likely have died.

I just had to wonder how much longer I could narrowly evade death.

Colette Chapter 1

Seskin Port

A Royal Visitor!

A knock disturbed Colette from her studies about golem magic. She set her charcoal pencil down, brushing back her blonde with pink tipped hair behind an ear. This… situation, it flustered her to no end.

Colette attended the magical academy in Avorth, studied the arcane arts, and passed with honors, and yet, in all her years, she never came across a golem mage; nor had she ever heard of one until recently.

Not once.

“Enter,” Colette commanded.

As the eldest child of King Krastor, she had latitudes many in the castle lacked, even if her mother was an Oni. She tried to never use her power for personal gain, but this was an exception. The King’s Private Library was a treasure worth disrupting and after a chance report, she found herself buried in the tomes of old.

Ivine strode in with his head bowed in reverence. “The Champion arrives.”

“The soothsayer,” she said rhetorically. While the town had no idea which Cask royal visited, the King’s Court definitely knew they were about to be graced by a Champion of the Gods. “The Game of Castles is upon us. How does that make you feel, to not be selected.”

“Who says I wasn’t,” Ivine replied with his eyes still downcast.

Ivine was a monster among men. In all the tournaments, he destroyed the competition, becoming the champion of Tolmeria for five years running. If a sixth tournament were to be held this fall in Misho Port, he’d be a six time champion, everyone knew it.

The man could have any princess he wanted, any slab of land he desired, and yet he denied it all. He married his childhood sweetheart with a crooked nose and pocked face. She gave him sons, a loving home, and a simple farm life when he didn’t unleash his rage on the field.

And of course, he never abandoned his early posting as guardian to the eldest princess - her. The two of them were close friends. He guarded her, never being challenged but always finding a way to keep untoward boys out of her room no matter how hard they tried to sneak in sometimes.

“Will you fight him for me? For history?” Colette asked.

He raised his head, turning to the side so she could walk by. “Which one? The soothsayer or the monster slayer?”

Colette snapped the book closed. “And therein lies the problem.”

She strode by the man, her arcane staff angled down to fit under the small door. He secured the door, locking the dusty room for the scholars to infest later.

“Princess, your father will not enjoy your riddles. Nor will he enjoy insulted guests,” Ivine noted.

Colette scoffed. “Then I shouldn’t have been summoned.” She stopped, lowering her staff to touch his armored chest. “We’re warriors Ivine. Warriors of Tolmeria. The others from Estin and Avorth can be assholes and idiots, but they’re our assholes and idiots.”

“I’m not in the habit of discussing politics, ever. Yes, I’ll fight your favored champion, and I hope to win. If not, he seems like the type to have honor,” Ivine said.

“Ha! You feel it. I know you do.” The knight gestured for her to keep going. They talked while striding through lavishly decorated stone hallways of the inner sanctum. “Harmony sent a message, remember her?”

“How could I forget?”

“She's confident and a sister in some ways. Her note said her heart is set in stone. She’s made her decision, she’ll ride at Champion Adam’s side even if he makes her a servant. Unequivocally, the future is in that man, or so I’ve been told.”

“That man is reportedly an archer living in a tent, whereas Champion Regor is in your home, with an armada in our port and a ship filled with treasure as an offering. You stand no chance in court today,” Ivine warned.

Colette unleashed a mad cackle of delight. “And here I thought you didn’t want to play politics.”

The Princess and her guard arrived at the private entrance to the court. Based on the buzz of activity, they were fashionably late. As soon as she entered the room, her ward triggered, erecting a protective barrier around her body. She never slowed as the yellow magic came to life.

The same protection enclosed the King, Queen, and her younger sister Elise. A few upper nobles also held the same protection while many did not. In the middle of the court’s floor, stood a dashingly handsome elf in regal robes singing a beautiful song. This was his magic, an ability the Seshkin spies warned about, and if Champion Regor seemed caught off guard by their protections, he didn’t show it in the slightest.

Colette tucked her dress behind her legs, gently sitting into her seat at the back of the royal court. Her younger brothers would normally sit in this row, but as a precaution, they were precluded from this event.

When the Champion finished, he bowed. The court clapped with applause and her Father stood, smashing his hands together.

“Bravo. Treated by the Gods themselves,” King Krastor proclaimed. “Now, let’s talk business. You’ve united Cask, and you wish to expand to Tolmeria.”

“It is such a fine and wondrous place, how could I not want to call it home as well,” Regor said, sweeping a hand across the crowd. “Your people enthrall me with their intellect, charm, and charisma. Oh, and lest we forget, the grandeur of your castle puts those of Cask to shame.”

“We’ve been to Cask, quite elegant, if I’m so bold to say,” Queen Azine said.

The third wife of her father was the most loose with her tongue, even if her loyalty was normally stalwart. A daughter of Estin, she always had a way of being blunt.

“Very much so. Let me get to the point. We are in a new era. The Game of Castles is upon us, clearly, but it is worth repeating. I want to solidify our partnership. I can offer a hundred gold, three ships, a pegasus’ location in your realm, and I’ll make one of your daughters an empress in exchange for your loyalty,” Regor said with pure confidence and a sincere smile most women would melt from.

Colette died inside.

He came in, offered the impossible to refuse, and it was so good, even she would say yes in her Father’s place. Her shoulders slumped with the world growing numb. She lost focus for a good while until Ivine gently shook her shoulder.

Her eyes shot up to find her family, her court, and all eyes of the guests on her. “Sorry, I found myself calculating battle odds. What did I miss?”

“Champion Regor, Lord of Cask, wants your hand in marriage,” King Krastor said.

Colette stood with her hands folded in front of her and nicely asked, “Oh, and what about Champion Adam?”

Her father frowned. “An agent from Lao is on the task of removing him. Once he falls, Avorth and Estin will join Champion Regor. Tolmeria will be united, and we will be twice as strong as a single massive realm. The scholars approve!”

Unfortunately for her father, she didn’t back down. “True, my King. Two realms combined are better than each separately, if governed well. However, assassinations are unbecoming of Champions as they don’t gain levels, only influence. The tomes of old say so, and scholars agree.”

“Unbecoming matters minimally compared to results,” Regor smoothly said.

Colette turned to Ivine. “True, results do matter. This is my sworn protector since I was twelve. Many men have tried to woo me, all have failed. My mother, although I have many with the title, the one who birthed me was fierce, as all Oni are. I’m not a dainty princess. Defeat Ivine in single combat and you can have my hand. Outside of that, marry Elise, she’s eager to fawn over a man with honeyed words.”

“Diplomacy wins wars, not brute strength,” Regor elegantly replied.

“Says the man who has amazing diplomacy.” She left out the insult to his strength, seeing the King visibly sigh. “I want to be left alone to study my magic and books, not bathe in the spotlight, or share a man I’ll hardly get to know. My offer stands in how you can change your mind,” Colette said, executing a perfect curtsy.

“Wait, Princess.” Regor didn’t try to close the distance, folding his arms with disapprovement. Colette stopped. “And if I make your hand a condition?”

“Do it, but I won’t be with you in private until you can defeat Ivine in one on one battle, which you can’t. If you poison him, the next best will take his spot. On this I’m resolute.” She eyed King Krastor. “Take the elf’s gifts, make him happy. I agree with it. However, if those assassins fail, if Champion Adam or Zeth grow to godlike powers, you’ll have to fight his battles for him.”

“Then I shall send one of my own to both, they’ll never expect as well,” Regor said with a grin.

“It won’t change my stance. Elise is the better wife, I’m a sour privileged princess, not worthy of your time,” she said, retreating from the court.

Colette expected her father to shout at her defiance. Instead, he called Elise forward to dance with Regor while a bard in the corner played a hymn. Colette fully intended to stay out of Regor’s path, and she knew just the library to hide in while she collected her data.

Chapter

Thirty-One

THE CLEAR ISLE

Clang and Jangle!

Five days after Prince Tarsin arrived, I stood on the eastern bank’s road where traffic slowly picked up. Yesterday a whole lot of sheep arrived with an old man apologizing for being tardy. Before him, three wagon loads of mortar supplies from Gorm rolled across the bridge with the crews still unloading.

So far, everyone we hired through the table ended up being late, but in the last case, I didn’t mind since I didn’t want to take the scouts without the trolls. Now that I glanced up the road to the north, I understood why. A series of three carriages and two wagons blocked the road with Lady Harmony riding at the front.

The fancy wagons with interior spaces filled with comfort were pulled by powerful mountain rams. Bunny people, mousy servants, and other subspecies who supported the larger people of Limar managed the animals. Those cart animals hauled a lot more stuff than I expected, and I honestly worried we might run out of room since most of the space was occupied with construction supplies.

I knew that Lady Harmony was a granddaughter of the King, and she may one day be a princess, but from our meeting she didn’t seem… spoiled. I shrugged it off for now, definitely willing to give her the benefit of the doubt because those animals could be used to move stones into place or to drag pulley ropes.

Behind the carriages were the scouts, each of them with two horses. They consisted entirely of wolf eared humans with each of them having packs on their horses for sleeping in the wilds. There were three men, two women and the largest of the men wore a fancy cape to signal he was the officer. As a point of pride the smallest female carried a banner that matched the emblem from their recruitment listing.

Behind the scouts, clangs and clinks repeated from the troll infantry’s’ mismatched armor. Each of them carried a shield, some in better shape than others and the entire unit held basic spears with metal tips. While they wore different types of helmets, clothing, armor, or no armor, they marched in unison as sword and shield carrying infantry.

“I can work with this,” I said, rocking on my feet with my arms folded. “The Gods know I need help.”

Ormis dipped his feet in the river, leaning against the incline. “That’s good, because I’m bored. No one finds ripping trees out to be… exhilarating.”

The dry tone matched his actions of using a boar’s rib to pick his gnarly teeth. I never figured ogres would be bookworms, but this one was, and I was glad for it. Drooling dribble while trying to form sentences didn’t seem… exhilarating. I snickered at the thought of the big ogre being a dummy.

“Lord Adam! I’ve returned,” Harmony announced, breaking my musings. “Where should my things go?”

“My Lady, you honor us with your presence. I admit, I did not expect your return since our establishment is so crude.”

She flung a wrist in the air. “The Great Champion of Tolmeria has arisen and my true purpose has been revealed. And… should I camp here?” Harmony pointed to the clearing on the eastern bank that rested right in the open.

“By the Gods, no. Stay close to the minimal defenses on the island. The south field is less crowded than the north with a gentle breeze in the evening,” I said, trying my best to up-sell the lackluster location.

“Again, sorry for the delay, I needed to get my daughter. Which is where I must confess my sin. I was set to be wed to the second nephew of King Vardrin, furthering the bond between Avorth and Estin. He was fourteen, I was seventeen, and I had only met him as a child. Needless to say, I may have indulged in debauchery out of a rebellious spirit, ruining my good name. Ever since the wedding was called off, I’ve been a model citizen! Who would have thought?” Harmony said with a pained smile.

I frowned. “Uh. I actually don’t care that you ruined an arranged marriage. I find the courage to stand up for your convictions, noble. However, we have zero children here for your daughter to interact with.”

“Yet!” Rosa said, hurrying to my side. “Now we do. We welcome you and the might you bring from Avorth. A phoenix sorceress of your renown is unfit for a second nephew anyway.”

“She’s good. Father likes her, and now I do too. Come, Lady Rosa, we must settle in,” Lady Harmony said, swinging her leg out of the saddle. She handed off the reins to a servant, pausing to stare at me after. “I brought an ice mage. Lowborn, but that isn’t a thing for you, something I find…” She paused for effect. “…noble.”

Before I could reply, Rosa and Harmony crossed the bridge arm in arm. The caravan followed them until the officer of the scouts approached.

“Lord Adam?” the scout officer asked and I nodded. “Sergeant Carr, leader of Twirl and Twang Mercenaries. We need a few hours to rest, then to feed and brush the horses. If it’s okay with you, we’ll start our contract tomorrow.”

“By all means, make yourselves at home where you’d like. I intend to keep the trolls on this side of the river. Oh, and if you get bored, I’m paying good bronze for trapped game that can be turned into farm animals,” I added.

“I’ll let the lads know,” Sergeant Carr said with a dip of his head.

He kept his horse moving with the line, departing without another word. Up last were the trolls who clamored with each step. Ormis stood at their approach, looming over them while leaning on his club.

“Boss?” a big troll exclaimed.

“Yup,” I replied in Hilloc. “Your name?”

“Kell.”

“Kell, I want you to tell your support units to camp right there.” I pointed to a recently cleared section of forest. It had access to river water, a fire pit, and a trough for animals. “Whatever else they need, they will draw the items on this parchment to Lady Rosa, the black haired elf with the pretty blue eyes.”

“Yes Boss,” Kell said, delivering the news to a female troll who stared at the parchment in horror. I could tell she had zero desire to be the go between for her support troops and the Tolmerians.

I sighed, knowing I’d need to teach Rosa Hilloc. Kell returned jogging to the point his helmet tilted. He quickly fixed it, trying his best to be impressive.

“Trollocs! Assemble into a battle formation, facing that direction.” I pointed toward the swamp. “March! While you march, find a way to move silently.”

“You baby the privileged,” Ormis said with a snort.

“If they want to be babied, so be it. I lead from the front,” I said, marching to the side of the trolls. I leaned over my shoulder and shouted. “Marco!”

Dami let the horse go and he sped towards my position, trusting me for whatever reason. I hopped into his saddle, raised my banner and shouted a war cry.

The trolls and Ormis bellowed with me and when I slotted the banner into place a massive pulse of orange energy washed out in a spreading circle. The trolls glowed until the magic seeped into their skin vanishing a second later. Their muscles toned a bit and each of them grinned in glee from the increased power.

“By the Unholy Gods! What a blessing!” Ormis hollered.

I turned over my shoulder to see a stunned gathering of people who worked to build the first layers of the castle. They flexed, jumped, threw punches, or just danced in testing their enhanced abilities.

“I should have tried that earlier,” I grumbled.

“Ah! Puny human, I feel like an immortal champion! This is… All will fall before me,” Ormis said with a booming voice of confidence.

“Assuming we get you proper armor and shielding, I agree.”

I figured he’d say something snarky, but instead he kept on grinning before swapping to a humming tune. Behind us the image of a slowly rising Clear Castle diminished in size. The scouts would have no problem tracking us or catching up.

For now, I needed to see what those pesky hags were up to before it was too late.

Chapter

Thirty-Two

TOLMERIA Swamp

Chomping at the Bit!

Before we entered the swamp, I forced the trolls to consolidate their armor in a pile based on what was worn where. In the end, I outfitted six of the twenty eight trolls and left the other twenty two with basic garb and no armor. They still clanked a bit, and yeah, I binned about a dozen shields that’d break with a cough or sneeze, but we set off well before nightfall to test the swamp.

I wasn't sure what to expect when we stepped into the muck, knowing I’d given the enemy far more time than I’d have liked. In my mind I figured the hags were nominating a queen, prepping for war, and maybe, just maybe, Estin removed the threat for me.

When my tall boots sunk into the water, the warm murky depths just felt different. I walked at the edge of the formation, with my bow in hand, ready for whatever had my instincts caused me to be on edge.

“Champion, the water’s moving…” Ormis said, seeing the agitated surface first since he loomed over us.

When I caught sight of the wake, I figured I saw a shark at first because a fin peeked out of the water.

I assumed wrong, dead wrong.

A fifteen foot long gator surged out of the water in an epic jump of raw power. Large yellow teeth flared when the jaw popped open. The maw snapped shut when the immense gator snatched a troll by the head, and twisted.

The duo entered the thigh high water, rolling with very violent and very chaotic splashing.

Ormis reached down, plucking the gator out of the swamp with one hand. He grabbed the troll with the other, then pulled them apart. This happened in a second, maybe two, to the point I could barely react or tell Ormis that was a bad idea.

The troll’s head popped off the body, being greedily swallowed by the gator.

In reply, Ormis bit the gator’s head off, chucking the body deep towards The Clear Isle. It was undoubtedly a sick turn of events that transpired in a few blinks.

“The hounds of the hags. Should have expected this,” Ormis said dryly.

I sorta stood there in muted shock. After a quick headshake, I said, “Can they hurt you?”

“Ha, no.” The big ogre was bright, but sometimes he definitely acted impulsively.

With a winning smile, I replied, “Wonderful, clear the hounds of the hags so I lose less troops and stack the gator bodies by the armor we left behind. We will have a nice lunch then push deeper.”

“Aw… Fine.” Ormis fished out the headless corpse, begrudgingly walking forward with it as bait. I turned the unit around, slowly marching through the muck for dry land. Before we even reached the swamp’s exit a few dozen paces away, he dumped another gator. “There’ll be a few. I like mine charred.”

“Sure. And Ormis, thanks,” I said.

“Eh, no worries, boss. I like that you’re trying to save Hilloc lives. I’ll need them to fight against the hags though,” Ormis said with a grumble. “Enough spears in my body, and I die. I don’t wanna die.”

“I know,” I said, letting him get to work.

The image of the fin turning into a humped scale flared in my mind. Whatever hellspawn creation of gators these were, or if they were just real and I’d never seen how fast they could move in real life, well, they scared me.

∞∞∞

I’d never skinned a gator before, not exactly doing a good job on my first few. By the third or fourth one I improved to the point I felt like the hides had value for resale. I knew if any of my old buddies stumbled upon me using a long dagger to strip flesh from scales, they’d stare down in horror.

Because of such notions, I chuckled when Rosa arrived with Harmony, both of them staring down at me with approval. Ormis continued to drop gators well into the evening. The action continued for longer than I expected, to the point I once again had to call off the swamp’s invasion for another day. I sent a troll back with a note for a trade caravan to be prepared for Gorm and Lao even if Harmony brought an ice mage.

“How are there so many?” Rosa said, kneeling down to pick a tooth out of the pile.

While I skinned, finding the gory mess oddly rewarding, the trolls removed the heads and feet of the new arrivals. All the loose teeth were piled not far from where I toiled. A troll down the line gutted a gator stacking a high pile of organs for farm animals I intended to add.

A large fire roared a few dozen yards away, providing a nice place to escape the flies that gathered to feast upon the bloody mess. A whole lot of gator meat was being roasted for the starving trolls, and if I had to guess, they didn’t eat much on the way down here.

“Do you need help?” Harmony asked.

I paused, sliding my forearm over the sweat on my brow. “Uh, you mentioned you brought an ice mage? These gators are damn delicious and probably worth a fortune.”

“Yes, I did, a nice gentleman. I must confess, Talou wanted to return to join your growing army of loyal followers. Father doesn’t want the political optics of it since she already said she was an ambassador of yours.”

A soft snort escaped my lips. “She’s a complicated woman.”

“Yes. We all are in our own ways. I’m glad you are understanding.” A servant brought a chair from a carriage over. Harmony let Rosa sit first. “These situations can be tough to adjust to and rumor has it, not everyone is keen on your presence.”

“Hey, I don’t mind talking politics,” I grunted, sliding the knife down a leg, “but do you have that ice mage?”

Harmony turned back to wave forward a youthful male goblin. He only stood a few inches shorter than Dami, and based on how he trembled, my blood-soaked image unsettled him.

“This is Egris, a recent hire.” Harmony slowly gestured for him to go to the pile of processed gator meat with flies on it. “Wait by that.”

I glanced at him, noting he lacked the same vibrancy as the others. While no one glowed orange, I could tell who was affected by the banner in Marco’s saddle and who wasn’t. I raised the dagger and pointed it at him.

“Behind me Rosa,” I commanded and my lovely elf instantly obeyed. Harmony frowned, distancing herself from Egris. I pointed the knife at Harmony. “She’s sworn to my cause, earning the glory of my banner.”

“I know, it's… euphoric,” Harmony said proudly. “I have gained more magical power than ever thought.”

“While your loyalty is most welcome. Your mage is not glowing,” I said.

Egris bowed politely. “I’m sworn to Avorth, in their debt for another decade. I simply cannot change allegiance without breaking my oaths, however, I can work proficiently to earn my pay.”

“And if King Pragor joins my banner?” I asked.

“Then I’ll know the wonders it provides,” Egris quietly said.

I chuckled. “Honestly I expected more of this. I’ll have you watched closely, since trust is earned, but by all means, start freezing what you can. Everything else has to -”

Splat!

Another gator body landed in the pile of the unprocessed. Ormis grinned, from behind me, having done a decent job at approaching silently. I heard him, but he’d been coming and going so often I started to ignore his movement.

“I think that’s the last one. I’ll check in the morning for more,” Ormis said, walking to the fire to carve out a spot to sit.

Four trolls brought him an offering of fully charred gator on a stick that he happily accepted.

“Any particular order on what to freeze?” Egris asked.

“All this meat that is processed please. Lady Harmony will sear the exterior and remove the flies, then turn it to ice. Those bodies there, freeze them as well. It needs to go to the market as a whole,” I said, pointing as I talked. “That pile is going to feed our army for the foreseeable future.”

“I brought enough crew,” Rosa said, pointing to a group of people who watched the trolls with hesitation. “They’d like a warm meal if I had to guess.”

“The pigs went fast,” I said with a dip of my head. “By all means bring them to the fire, then we load up the skins, parts, and whole bodies. Hopefully this goes a long way to solving our food crisis.”

“Now that Egris is here, there are a few cellars below the castle we can keep frozen,” Harmony said, tiptoeing around a pool of blood to sit in a chair a servant brought.

“Indeed,” Egris said, and Rosa confirmed. “If you’ll excuse me, I have some work to do.”

Rosa waved for the others to go to the fire, waiting until it was just the three of us within hearing distance. “You got LP for these kills, it popped up on the board. You also lost a fraction of Influence Points for the death but gained a whole lot more for not needlessly killing the unit.”

“Thanks. When you’re in the thick of things, it's hard to track. How’s Dami?”

“Oh, you know, in heaven. She doesn’t have to go adventuring and gets to watch a baby. You really spooked her by taking her hunting,” Rosa said, a hint of unease in her voice.

I could tell she was scared to bring it up, but felt she needed to. “Falling out of trees has that effect.”

“Yes, that part sounded dreadful, especially for a woman who is hoping for a child,” Harmony said. I raised an eyebrow. “Sorry, Dami explained why she was super happy to stay out of the field. She talked a lot, which was a pleasant surprise.”

“I was just trying to teach her how to live in the wild, assuming something went wrong with me,” I said with a sigh, finishing my last cut on this corpse. “I hear you though, and more importantly, her. Lessons will be done in the safety of the walls.”

Rosa curtsied. “This doesn’t seem so bad.” She glanced around, sniffing the air. “The smell is rich, but it’s almost peaceful on dry land.”

“These gators are insanely fast. If they were here when I arrived all those weeks ago, I’d be dead. Like super dead. Plus… how do I shoot an arrow at a gator that swims?” I rhetorically asked with a shudder.

Rosa gestured for a fancy carriage Harmony brought to the edge of the swamp. “Come, dear lover, we need to get you cleaned up. Let the workers handle the rest. Dami is not the only one worried about your legacy and safety.”

“In a few minutes. Let me finish this first and -” Then it dawned on me. “Sex?”

The raven-haired elf snorted out a laugh while Harmony giggled. “Yes, Adam. You’ve been spoiling Dami, and I want a turn!”

“Well, I mean, twist my arm will ya,” I joked, still skinning the carcass.

While I didn’t exactly love being a slacker, in this case, I’d overworked myself without breaks to process just how crazy the swamp became. There was a very valuable lesson here and I tried to tell myself that the next time I was given a quest, I’d immediately do it.

Chapter

Thirty-Three

TOLMERIA Swamp

Let Death Ring!

Kell organized his troops at the swamp’s edge, and they seemed content to go to war. Filled bellies and less fright against sudden gator attacks helped their nervous tendencies. Off in the distance, Sergeant Carr used a long pole to shove the canoe through the shallow water towards the dry land. I wasn’t quite sure where he got the canoe from, but it proved wonderous for moving rapidly through the swamp once they dragged it over.

The three scouts set off in the early morning before the sun rose, returning as the trolls arranged in a neat formation. I didn’t pause our push into the swamp, grabbing the edge of the canoe to gently let it butt against the shore. I held a hand up for Kell to pause the trolls so I could hear the scout’s report.

“It’s not pretty,” Sergeant Carr said, glancing over his shoulder towards the heart of the swamp.

“Is it ever?” I grunted in reply.

He smirked, his brown eyes darting about to watch the horizon. “They have a king.”

“One second,” I said, swapping to Hilloc. “Hey, Ormis, since you knew about the hag hounds - what’s the king do?”

The big ogre protected the flank, staring down at me in curiosity when I asked this. “Well, they organize. The queen is all rage with a primordial intensity. She is the magic with little brains. The king will hold his troops back or retreat if the situation calls for it, countering her baser instincts with his intellect.”

“Thanks… One day you’ll need to tell me about your home, and this place you studied,” I said.

The ogre nodded in reply, seeming bored and ready for a nap, as he often was. I glanced back, knowing we were already an hour into the morning light. While I wanted to return home, build a castle, and let Estin deal with the problem, I knew better. I tossed both quivers of arrows into the small canoe, hopping in.

“What’s the plan?” Sergeant Carr asked.

“You drive, I shoot,” I said. “Then, when the rest of the troops arrive, we fight to the death.”

“Do they… uh, like your plan?” Sergeant Carr asked, pointing to the trolls with a nod of his head.

I snickered. “No one likes my plan, but it has to be done.” I turned to Kell. “March in our direction until you fight hags or arrive on dry land. Understood?”

“Yes Boss. Banner please,” Kell asked nicely.

I nodded to Harmony who stood on the bank. “My lady, raise that banner and slam it down.”

“You want me to walk in the swamp when you have space in that canoe?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. “You do realize I can cast a phoenix of considerable power.”

“Right. Not used to having someone else to lean on.” I glanced at a stretching Rosa. “Do you want to come too?”

“Heavens no. Take the princess with you, she seems possessive to the point Ormis will be jealous she wants to keep you alive.”

“She’s kinda cute too,” I teased with a wink.

Harmony grinned. “Who needs a battle when you’re getting doted on? My dear Champion, turn that canoe around, please.”

A few minutes later, Harmony sat at the back of the canoe. She wore adventuring clothes, hiding her supple figure in favor of staving off bug bites and providing padding. Once she settled, Sergeant Carr shoved us forward and the other scout helped him glide us over the swamp.

I stayed seated on the middle bench while they worked.

Sergeant Carr said, “Their outpost is adding defenses, as if they want to buy time for another queen.”

“All the better to go to war then. I don’t see another option really,” I grumbled, staring out at the mucky brown water for any signs of gator movement.

Ormis kept pace for a bit, only to fall behind to stay with the trolls. I flicked him an over the shoulder wave goodbye, prepping my bow and arrows. For the next ten minutes we zoomed across the water, saving at least an hour of struggling through the sludge.

The trees thickened with the trunks becoming more numerous until the sun struggled to pierce the canopy. Sergeant Carr paused the boat on a low branch to stabilize our rock. Afterwards, he leaned back, ushering me up with a rapid gesture.

I stood, nocked an arrow silently and waited for what came next. He gently guided our canoe through the trees like a snake until they suddenly vanished altogether. The heart of the swamp spanned about the same amount of space Brackenfell had cleared outside its walls.

A few stubborn trees stood between the swamp forest and the heart. In the heart, hags in the dozens nestled between a chaotic mess. Some of the trees they felled were used as barriers. Inside the barriers, piles were used for gator nests or stockpiled catches. Fish and the odd horse were kept out of the water where the hags tried to keep other forces from devouring their food.

For the most part, I didn’t see any reason or understand how the king used his intelligence. He basically built a tiny settlement in the heart of the swamp. Maybe this was advanced stuff for a hag society, and to be honest, I readily admitted I didn’t know that much.

A few scouts walked the perimeter while at least a hundred hags stayed inside the protection. Sergeant Carr gently spun the canoe, so I had a clear line of sight, and he had a quick getaway.

“Want me to use a spell?” Harmony asked.

“Nope, but thanks,” I replied.

I drew back to my anchor point, sighted the nearest guard and fired. The arrow zipped out of the bow, entering a tight twirl. Maybe it was the open space, but the snap just didn’t have the same oomph as normal.

Before the first arrow could land, I nocked a second, drew back swiftly, lined up my shot, and let the sinew roll free. My first arrow arced high, driving down into the scout’s neck.

The second arrow landed in the guts, likely doing a bunch of damage when it popped out the back. The arrow didn’t kill the hag and it let the world know how much the damage hurt.

“Well, they know we’re here,” Sergeant Carr teased.

I nocked another arrow, waiting until a hag bee-lined it right towards us with a sloshing sprint that sent waves outward. The arrow shot out of the bow, entered a tight spiral, and smacked right into her forehead.

She slowed before splashing face first into the murky water.

A larger than average male shouted at the perimeter scouts, scolding them in a choppy language of grunts and shrieks.

I simply kept firing as the guards condensed towards safety. I earned a hit every time the bow snapped. After the seventh kill, all the guards were protected within the heart of the swamp.

“Get me closer,” I growled, not liking that the fun was ending so soon.

“You’re one hell of a shot, but they’re fast and I see gators they’re letting loose. I’m not fond of fighting the gators,” Sergeant Carr warned.

“Ugh. Yeah, they spook me. Push us forward, and I’ll get in that tree,” I said, pointing to a decent willow with low branches. Sure enough, swishing back and forth wakes streamed out of the swamp’s base, heading directly toward us. “Hurry.”

“I don’t think you should get in that tree, m’lord,” the female scout said. “The hags can climb em.”

“Yeah, well the gators can capsize this canoe then turn us into snacks. Gotta take a stand somewhere,” I countered, jumping onto the branch so I folded over it.

I scrambled up, hung my quivers from a smaller limb and sat. For the next few seconds I shouted, ensuring I had the gator’s attention. Sure enough, my commotion brought them right for my perch. The first gator lunged out of the water, snapping their jaws mere inches from my feet.

A second then third gator swirled below me, waiting for me to fall.

Since I felt relatively safe, as long as I didn’t fall, I shifted to watch the main nest of hags. My adjusted attention proved worthwhile when a courageous female charged out, likely intending to yank me down.

Her shins shoved water in large sprays during her mad dash.

I had to give her credit, the gators obscured the sound of her sloshing and she never cried out, hoping to surprise me. A few seconds later, an arrow whistled across the distance, embedded in her forehead, and she splashed face first into the swamp - never to rise again.

The gators realized I wasn’t falling, and they couldn’t reach me, so they made the fatal mistake of watching me while conserving energy.

“Awe, how kind of you.” I snickered with an evil laugh.

An arrow cracked the skull of the biggest one, driving right between the eyes.

The other two fled back to their base, no longer interested in the prospects of an easy meal if it could kill them. I stood in the tree for a good five minutes, waiting for the next challenge when Ormis arrived.

“I can’t kill all of them,” Ormis correctly noted.

I grunted. “There’s eight less and one less gator.” I turned to face the way we came, swapping to shout at Sergeant Carr in the distance. “Come back!”

A few more minutes of peace passed with little happening while both sides postured. When the canoe returned, I grabbed my spot in the middle again. They pushed the canoe closer to the big nest until I could start raining arrows again. Ormis stepped up to join my side, countering the gators if they tried to get me again.

To reply to my arrows, a mass of spears soared out in a coordinated volley from the hags. For a brief second, the spears flooded the sky, becoming so thick I figured I was as good as dead. That changed when the weight of the weapons dragged them down until they splashed harmlessly a good fifteen yards short of the canoe.

“Close,” Harmony whispered. “You can use me, you know.”

“Soon, Princess,” I said calmly.

I rapidly unleashed arrow after arrow into the huddled mass, showing no mercy. I expected the enemy to charge in force, knowing that the thick group of them would be too much for one archer. Every time they considered it, they glanced at Ormis and were cowed by the reality he could defeat any of them in a small-scale fight.

“The king, he’s scared,” Ormis said.

I grunted in approval. “Good. He should be.”

“We both know he should attack, but I agree, this is good. The queen would have charged. Every single death hurts his odds,” Ormis said.

As if he were listening, he shifted tactics, entering a retreat deeper into the swamp. After two more rapidly fired arrows did little to help our cause, they vanished out of sight. I held off on pursuit for now, hearing the slosh of the trolls in the distance.

A respite in the battle gave the trolls time to catch up and for me to take a break. We drank some water, ignoring the bobbing bodies that drifted face down or tits up.

Eventually Kell arrived with his unit of trolls plus the two other scouts. They were short a troll, telling me I missed something.

“We sent a runner back with a note to the base. A dwarven scout, likely from Estin, spotted us in the forest. He didn’t engage, merely watched before vanishing back towards his people’s lands,” a male scout said.

I nodded, glancing at Kell. “Want a break?”

He shook his head. “We paused in the trees to drink while you shot the enemy. We’re ready.”

“Wonderful. The enemy is on the run. We will raid their home, then pursue them,” I said, earning a grunt from Ormis.

“They’re on the other side of the clearing in formation. They want us to funnel through their home,” the ogre said.

“And that means we’d be within spear range… Smart,” I concluded.

“Yes, but I can see through the thicket of their home from this angle. If we go around, they go back into the nest,” Ormis said, letting the sentence hang.

“Right. Torch the nest, we sit back and watch it burn,” I ordered Sergeant Carr. The man simply nodded, shoving the canoe forward. I swapped to Ormis and said, “Cover them.”

“You’re the boss,” Ormis replied, staying in tandem with the canoe.

I watched the team push-pole right up to a set of decaying trees turned on their side to create a barricade. Ormis snatched a courageous gator out of the water, snapping the adolescents back with ease.

Nothing else disturbed the crew as they built an ember into a roaring fire.

“I could have done that,” Harmony said, sparking a fire between her fingers.

Her steely blue eyes sparkled in delight. She might have found herself in the middle of a swamp around death, but I could see it. Harmony liked being at the front as much as I did.

With a stick still burning, the scouts shifted to a different pile. Smoke plumed and billowed at crazy levels until there was nothing for Sergeant Carr to do besides to back the hell up. He gave the nest plenty of space while the flames spread.

The king of the hags must have known his plot was foiled and his options were limited. He could retreat to the end of the swamp with his back against the edge of dry land or he could give a final fight.

And so he crossed around the edge of the nest while his home burned, leading eighty or so hags which were mostly smaller males. Either the Estin forces dwindled in numbers or the horde I saw eating the queen was every last member.

Regardless, we were out numbered three to one and the hags out-classed us in size. Ormis made a big difference and the second they entered within my firing range, the scouts and I unleashed a volley. Like a true champion, my arrow soared high, dazzled with a reflection of the sun, and then dove down towards the enemy’s mass.

I aimed for the King, gasping when my arrow lodged into the right side of his chest, right above the heart. The King ripped the arrow free, chucking it into the murky water. He bellowed out a string of words until time stood still, leaving me confused at first.

Green words scrolled to life in my vision, providing some much needed clarity.

Quest: Strike a Deal.

Terms: King Ind wishes to be left alone in his sanctuary. If a queen is born, he will slay her before she can capitulate the herd. He promises to restore the gained sections of land his swamp has claimed but cannot repair the ruined road he destroyed. In return for your mercy, he will keep any and all invaders who are not allied to Champion Adam out of this swamp.

Results: The hag survivors will mostly scatter, slow their breeding and be gentle neighbors without aggression to you or yours.

Influence Reward: The Three Vagrant Councils of Tolmeria (Hilloc, Centaur, & Pirates) will approve of your mercy.

Potential Influence Repercussions: The Three Kings of Tolmeria will disapprove of your decision.

Reward: 100 Military Points and a unit of hags on your side for defending this section of land. Unlike today, they will never rout or surrender again.

Do you agree to the terms of the surrender? Yes or No

I answered by nocking another arrow and drawing back with time resuming as if the Game of Castles never interfered.

“Send the phoenix,” I whispered.

Harmony swirled magic around us in a rising inferno. The flames from the hags’ home flowed into her weaves, building a massive bird of fire above us.

I bellowed. “We fight to the death! No mercy will be shown on this day!”

The sinew rolled off my fingertips and the bow twanged. For a few fleeting seconds that arrow soared high before it descended right towards the struggling King.

The first arrow didn’t mortally wound him, but the second… Well, it landed at the top of his forehead, cracked through the front of the skull and popped out the back. His eyes crossed, he spun sideways to show everyone what a great shot I was, then crumbled like a rock.

The instant the king died a few things happened. The remaining females surged forward, shrieking out war cries. A fraction of the males bolted into the smoke, carrying young hags under their arms to seek safety. Another section of males without children ran aimlessly.

The phoenix surged forward, tucking the front ranks of female hags, turning a dozen of them into ash before the spell exploded with power. The flecks of fire sunk into the hags, turning them mad with pain and anguish.

“A princess with bite, I like!”

Ormis lunged ahead of the troll infantry with a fierce roar, sending gouts of muck flying with each monstrous step. His massive club swept out across the surface turning the first three hags into pulp from the sheer power of the blow. The momentum of the strike wiped another dozen hags before they set upon him.

“Forward! March!” I bellowed, unleashing an arrow into a hag’s eye.

The trolls sloshed forward while Ormis retreated to join the battle lines. The hags could flow through the swamp in ways he couldn’t. I watched in horror as his left foot became lodged.

A dozen hags swarmed his legs, sinking their curved tips into his flesh to climb up his body.

He tried to pick the hags off him, but their long claws attached them firmly. The big ogre stumbled back splashing down with a massive wave.

The good news was, he didn’t crush the trolls who stepped on him to reach the enemy. The bad news was, he created a wave that sent me flying out of the canoe. While I flailed, unable to stop my inevitable drenching, I noticed the telltale sign of a croc surging for my position.

Call it luck, call it a lack of luck, but the beast snatched the scout beside me right out of the air. I splashed down, tugging on my sword before I even surfaced. The very instant it came free, I surged out of the muck to suck in air.

By some miracle, the scout lived. He shouted in agony while being flailed about. If he was screaming, he was breathing, giving him a chance.

I lunged in a leap, aiming my sword with an overhand plunge. I landed right on the rolling monster, sinking steel into flesh. When it spun, I held on for dear life, finding myself pressed into thick mud.

In a flash, the raw power of the spin ripped the sword out of my hands. Like a terrifying nightmare, most of my body beside my right arm became lodged in the thick silt. I raised my free hand, waving it around on the surface.

My lungs remained filled, but as the seconds ticked by, I slowly expelled more and more air while fighting the muck. I didn’t give up, trying different strategies without compromising my hand. I knew that motion was my best bet if I didn’t unjam myself.

Out of nowhere, a force smacked me from the side and catapulted me into the air. Glorious air flowed into my lungs and I spied a kneeling Ormis grinning at my flight. He caught me with his right hand while his left dripped mud.

“We’re even,” he said, setting me down.

I merely nodded in reply, not pushing my luck. My bow was gone, my sword was in the guts of a gator I couldn’t see, and the troll infantry fought toe to toe with a half dozen female hags. A smaller phoenix burned a patch of hags to ash, and I traced the magic back to a drenched princess.

Ormis leaned over, balled a fist and slammed it down into the hags fighting the trolls. For those he didn’t kill, the trolls pounced on them, sinking steel into flesh and ending the fight.

I dripped nasty mud, panting with a joy unlike any other. The gator bobbed on the surface nearby with my sword in its chest. I extracted the weapon, sighing in relief. I lived, but the scout who was snatched out of the air bobbed face up with terror filled eyes frozen open.

My near death experience left me feeling exhilarated, and while I knew the work wasn’t over, I trudged toward the nest with my sword in hand. I scowled in determination, resolute to see the hags eradicated from the swamp.

Chapter

Thirty-Four

THE CLEAR ISLE

I Summon Thy Walls!

“I wish I could just summon the walls,” I grumbled, cracking my back after exiting my bed.

Dami, Rosa and I entwined for the entire night after my battle. I didn’t tell them about my close encounter with a fateful ending, but they heard. We held a small service for the three dead trolls and one scout before retiring for the evening. It was somber with the customary cross being built bigger than most.

I managed to sleep in until close to noon, seeing a bright shine peeking through the tent’s openings. I headed over to the tunnels that led to the latrines on the south tip of the island. Yup, we peed and pooped towards Lao with no shame.

After my morning business, I headed to the table to find both the girls missing. Before I could start operating the interface an odd knock sounded on the chair we used to prop the flap open.

“Hey, come on in and use that to let some air in,” I ordered.

A shy two, maybe three year old girl was shoved forward by a hand. A second later Harmony managed to let in plenty of light and the fresh morning breeze. The little girl was a twin of her mother, holding a stitched together bear, and not the cheap kind either. Whoever mended the gray-haired, hazel-eyed girl's bear did so with precision stitching.

“And you are?”

“My lord Adam, this is Pela. The bastard of the unknown peasant,” Harmony said sadly. “She talks but is shy.”

“Aw, don’t be like that around her. At least not with me. Come, let me show you something wondrous,” I said with wide eyes and an eager tone. She, of course, fell for nothing, planting her feet firm. “That chair, let her stand on it and watch. She’ll warm up.”

Harmony didn’t argue or quibble, doing as commanded. Pela stood on her chair, very confused by all the digital flashes on the table. She clutched her teddy tighter, watching with intrigue.

“By the way, you cleaned up nicely, my Lady.” Harmony ventured over, offering me her cheek to kiss. While brazen, I pecked her cheek.

Harmony wrapped me in a hug from behind, eyeing her daughter. “I expect this man to be around as much as Papa.”

Pela ignored her, mostly because some controller in the background created a flying unicorn in the bottom corner of the digital table for her to watch.

“Alright, I need to know how the swamp went,” I said.

3 of 4 Starter Quests completed!

Ding you have leveled up 6 times!

You have 5,600 Lord Points to Spend!

You have improved your base!

2 of your units require reinforcements!

“I suppose we will start with my levels, and I’d like to show them my magic when I enhance. Let’s add one attribute to everything from top to bottom please,” I said nicely. “Gentle, please.”

Orange tendrils of magic snaked out of the ground, curled around my legs and dove into my chest’s core. My stool toppled backwards as the magic lifted me off the ground. The tent shot skywards with a whoosh. I floated a dozen feet in the air, beaming an intense aura of orange magic. My entire body shook, morphing into something superior from the infusion of arcane energy.

As quick as it started, it ended, and I sat back down on my stool to a very shocked crowd. They lost sight of me when the pavilion gently settled back into its anchor points.

Name: Adam Clear

Champion for the God of Barter

Height: 6’ 1”

Weight: 232 lbs

Age: 25

General Level: 25

Strength: 7

Stamina: 5

Dexterity: 10

Constitution: 2

Endurance: 4

Healing: 2

Magic Type: Golem

Magic Level: 18

Spell Assignment: Water Golem

Harmony stared at me with a dropped jaw. Pela watched me, smiling before her attention bent back to the video in the corner.

“I suppose the healing is very important for the hedge knight types who don’t always -”

An orange glow seeped in from outside, weaving around my frame until it soaked into Pela. The little girl furled her brow, clutching her stuffed animal of a deer. I raised an eyebrow, and she asked for me to hold her.

“Did she become a team member for my war party?”

Yes. Her mother already converted, but watching you absorb magic made her oddly trust you. There are mysteries even to us. Congratulations. Family points have increased greatly.

“It… It is a lot to take in,” Harmony admitted. “No one truly believes you are what you are.”

“Surprised you committed so hard,” I said.

She hugged me from behind, smashing her ample breasts into my back while holding on with affection. Pela stole a glance, flashing a small smile.

“Enjoy the victory, Adam. The strong rule this world and sometimes that strength is not found here.” Harmony grabbed my right biceps with both arms, squeezing. She let go and placed a finger over my chest. “But in here.”

I kissed the back of her hand before I focused on my next tasks at the table instead of replying. While I thought Harmony was cute, I had my emotional and physical needs met. I wasn’t a fool though, I knew how this played out. The cute princess with a jaded past and a rigid purpose would fit in nicely in my home.

And so I clicked on reinforcements while letting her sit at my side like a queen.

Unit: Twang and Twirl!

Deficiency: 1

Replacement costs:

Officer: 173 LP

Veteran: 29 LP

Recruit: 5.6 LP

Unit: Shield and Stomp!

Deficiency: 3

Replacement costs:

Officer: 27.5 LP

Veteran: 4.9 LP

Recruit: 2.1 LP

“Table, set a note for Rosa. I’ll tell commanders to report losses to her and what they need for replacements. For now fill the slots with veterans since there are no limitations,” I commanded.

Noted and wisely predicted. These are average, the actual cost will be deducted at time of assignment. You can get into further detail on your options, but not many champions allow their commanders access to their table. The commanders won’t complain unless they know they have an option.

At some point you may experience a shortage of reinforcements to pick from. Either conquer a new region, increase your Influence Points, or train your own soldiers.

I ordered the reinforcements, shifting to my next issue. Pela’s show ended and she walked over to me, crawling up to watch me work on the opposite side of her mother. While it was a bit annoying, I adjusted to keep working.

The Clear Isle was slowly becoming a castle, with the amount of exterior stones being counted. The update, while nice for a data analyst like Rosa, didn’t really help me with anything.

Now that I had a decent chunk of LP to spend, I decided to cycle through the units available. I must have zoned out scrolling at all the options because I heard light giggling behind me. I slowly spun, finding Pela asleep in my right arm.

“Hey handsome,” Dami said with an eyebrow bounce. “I see you can hold children with those strong arms of yours.”

Rosa rolled her eyes, smirking with warm eyes. “Wanna join us for breakfast?”

I nodded, popping my knees as I sat. Pela peeked an eye open, saw her mom and crawled into her lap.

“She had a rough night,” Harmony said, handing me a plate of gator with a few raspberries. “Thanks. That was super cute.”

“Which part?” I asked.

“You blessed her daughter with god power,” Rosa said. “You did everything she ever dreamed of from her potential husband on day one.”

“Cute kid,” I said with a shrug. “If I’m a king or whatever, I’d need to care for her regardless, but her devotion to the cause was unexpected and oddly reassuring.”

“That the innocence of a child favors you,” Dami said, once again bouncing her eyebrows. “My lady bits want a baby sooooo bad.”

“Ovaries,” Rosa corrected.

Dami rolled her eyes exactly like Rosa did earlier.

“How’d it go?” Harmony asked.

I finished my food, licking my fingers clean. “I’m indecisive as fuck on what to pick. I want ten more ogres, but if I do that, I become a Hilloc army, and before you start diving into how they work, I have a whole conversation planned with Ormis later.”

“He’d know better than us,” Rosa said, gently nudging Harmony.

Her wandering thoughts solidified when she saw she was on the spot. “Right. Uh, you want my opinion?” Harmony asked and I nodded. “I’d hire cavalry, then try to get archers from Lao. Avorth infantry and mages are amazing and should not be overlooked. Hilloc skirmishing infantry rounds it out.”

“Simple. Thanks. I just started getting to details and then pricing,” I said with a sigh.

“Save a thousand for me,” Rosa said.

I grunted with a nod. “I have a feeling some Lao archers will open up cheap after their current assignment. Which means mages or cavalry. The problem with mages is, even with my boost, they are amazing, but their sustained fighting is lacking.”

“Yeah, for the most part we’re a one and done tool with a few exceptions. If you give me access to your table without spending power I can start to generate a wishlist,” Harmony said.

I dipped my head in approval. “Smart. I like it. Alright cav it is.” I rose to my feet heading to the table. “You know, I did have one Estin Cavalry unit that stood out. I’d need to cut into your thousand though.”

“By how much?” Rosa asked.

“We probably have silver to make up for it,” I guessed.

Unit: Estin Thoroughbreds!

Location: Clasin

Kingdom: Estin

Region: Tolmeria

Term: 30 Days upon arrival!

Mercenaries for Hire: This unit of cavalry is small but capable. They’re classified as regular cavalry but they border on heavy cavalry. Do not expect them to chase down scouts.

Quantity:

8 Knights

1 Viscount Officer (Drefius)

8 Stallions

Price: 43 Silver, 545 Bronze, delivered to Camp Clear.

Discounted LP Price due to Influence Points earned already: 4299 LP

“My LP discount is shit. Honestly I can get a unit of knights from Lao for cheaper but…”

Harmony said, “You can build on this unit.”

“Honestly, no matter what you pick, you earn Military Points and those generate LP that pretty much pay for themselves; at least they have so far. I think the Game of Castles wants you to have armies, not struggle to gain them. However, to upgrade them with better gear, horses or more units costs more and that means more adventuring,” Rosa said, stepping beside me to hover a finger over the hire button.

“Do it. They get here in three days and then we ride to the Jelin Woods. I suppose it's time Ormis and I had a chat. Ladies, it was a wonderful morning, I appreciate your time,” I said, excusing myself.

Technically I could leave early, but reinforcements and a new unit would make fighting a necromancer that much easier. Afterwards, I wasn’t sure what curveball would come my way, but whatever it was, I hoped to be ready for it.

Chapter

Thirty-Five

THE CLEAR ISLE

I Summon Thy Halls!

“Trolls and an ogre, I’d call you brigand if I didn’t know any better,” Viscount Drefius said with a haughty British tone. Obviously, the translator screwed with his voice, but I found it perfect for his handlebar mustache and sharp features. “I suppose you want to set off right away?”

I paused, glancing at the clouds that sprinkled their light shower. Technically it’d be best to wait, but war loomed, and it was up to me to fix it apparently.

“Actually, I do. You’re a day late but I have good news. The Lao army has yet to take the field, saving us all the glory,” I said, earning a deep frown.

The knights behind him chuckled, obviously loving my thinly veiled jab. He sternly glared, as if warning them from turning the situation jovial. The small unit didn’t even come close to fitting in with our ragtag army. Sure the scouts looked the same since they weren’t Hilloc, but they each had slightly different outfits for their own hunting styles.

The trolls were just a mess, even if they were eager and happy with their victory. Honestly, I needed to hire some good infantry and use the trolls to plug gaps or something. Alas, a small sliver inside me knocked down that notion, coming to the reality that I could in fact properly gear them for outstanding results.

Ormis charmed them with his no armor and big spiked club. He had this way of reminding us little people why ogres were feared. Then there was the goblin ice mage with the phoenix mistress, and me, the odd human with a silly banner.

“I like to honor my deals, Lord Adam, but I’m afraid this one leaves me feeling uneasy. What you said and what I see are slightly different,” Viscount Drefius said.

During those words, I realized he was using his free will to push back against the magic. The gods always said even the highest influenced person could betray me, so I acted somewhat quickly.

“You made it this far, and we need to fix the threats plaguing this land. I’ll make a deal, since I am going and would like you on my team. A bonus of ten silver for ten days completed and the best part is, once you join up, you’ll be blessed by my banner,” I said, spinning the flagpole in my hand.

Sergeant Carr said, “He’s got Champion magic and kills better than any man I’ve seen.”

“One moment.” The astute fellow conversed with his knights.

Meanwhile, I pointed to Kell and told him to get marching. With or without these Estin Knights, we’d be going to war. When I ushered Marco to head south, Harmony sent her stallion alongside mine.

“This is going to be a first,” Harmony said, her back straight, her chin held high.

I raised an eyebrow, glancing back over my shoulder to see the trolls moving in columns of two with the scouts taking off to scour the path ahead of the army. Ormis relaxed to catch a nap, as he was prone to doing, knowing he’d catch up later. The knights huddled in their debate with Sergeant Carr joining them, but step by step, I drew further away from home.

Rosa and Dami waved goodbye with the rest of the workers taking a pause to see us off. Gardi and Booma made it a point to say goodbye last night, heading onto the road north to trade with Gorm. To be honest, Gardi would never be a warrior, but he did earn enough of my trust to have free reign to do whatever he wanted. And his loyalty earned more than my affection. Even though he was twice her age, once I pushed away Booma, she sorta clung to him, and well, the two had history. She did rescue him.

The creak of wheels pulled me from waving goodbye to the beautiful women. I only dragged one wagon full of supplies in the back, mostly because it was less than two days to reach the Jelin Woods and I didn’t expect a long campaign. With Lao being only slightly out of the way, and with us having silver and bronze to spend, it just made sense.

“A first?” I asked after a decent pause.

Harmony dusted a raindrop off her ample cleavage, adjusting the odd tent attached to her saddle. She huffed, clearly not intending to let the rain bother her in her fine dress.

“I suppose the swamp was my first, but it just feels so surreal.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, I’m on my own. For the last two years, while I squatted in my father's estate, I performed phoenix shows for parties to earn my own income. I saved enough to buy everything I have, which is what you see. Of course, I’m not oblivious, knowing that people sold to me at a discount, paid me in excess, and the whole thing was rigged. But this is not.

“I’m here, with you, with this… unique army, marching to war with a lord who should, by all means, reject me for my past. Instead, we are striking out as a team to make a difference in our own way, and I can’t help but be proud. This… this is what I always yearned for - to escape the gravity of who I was born as.”

I chuckled. “Then we should put you in peasant clothing.”

“Ha! I loved wearing basic brown robes. There’s something magical in just being you without having to live up to some standard,” Harmony said.

“Sorry, I wasn’t judging, just saying that the lovely dress you’re wearing is definitely lavish.”

“Ah, my phoenix dress. I do adore it. I normally only wear it when I want to attract attention. In this case, the male suitor I am showcasing my assets to has noticed. I’ll slip into something more comfortable later,” Harmony said with a content tone.

We entered a brief silence when the clomp of hooves on mostly solid ground neared. I recognized who it was by the heavy clomps. I leaned over my shoulder and asked, “Your answer.”

Viscount Drefius pulled his horse on my other side, not getting between me and Harmony. His stallion stood a hand taller than mine, and his thick metal armor dripped rain into the enchanting runed etched upon it. The stern man glared forward for a good minute before he dropped his guard a bit.

“We’re coming. I wanted action, this is action, even if we’re at a different standard from the rest of the bunch.” He visibly strained to call our force something neutral.

I respectfully dipped my head slowly in approval. A second later the banner in my saddle’s pole holder flared with magic, shooting out to coat the new unit of knights. Viscount Drefius shuddered with either unease or pleasure, I couldn’t really tell because he was just that stoic.

“Welcome to the army. The Clear Army,” I said, never really giving my force a name before. “What sent you into the yes camp?”

“Between lords?” he asked, as if there were some hidden code, where nobility kept secrets.

I smirked. “Indeed.”

“Estin is not marching to meet any threats besides defensive ones. While the Avorth Army marshaled to meet the Hillocs, we did no such thing for the centaurs that crossed the Basbin Pass. The centaurs learned quickly that they could smash any outpost not officially part of the kingdom, and raze they did.”

“That’s terrible,” Harmony commented in a regal way. “Those people live to serve Estin. Without the cavalry to help their farms –”

“They die, and we suffer from it. I concur. At the same time, I try to see reason when there are unconscionable actions. King Vardrin is in a position where a slight wrong move might lead to his downfall. Politics are not the most stable back home, but I’m a firm believer that inaction is worse than bad engagements sometimes.”

When he glanced at me to counter or agree, I stayed mum, liking that he was feeding me information about a kingdom I knew so little about.

“The men have families to feed, daughters to provide dowries for, sons to give weapons to, and the list goes on. So I set out to find work, struggling since everyone wants archers for their walls while Estin is a cavalry society. A few weeks passed with the news of the swamp hags hitting hard. A viscount and his unit almost erased, Brackenfell not reinforced, and the chorus of cries from the King’s Court to remedy the situation fell on deaf ears. Then your offer spurred me into action,” Viscount Drefius said.

“Will you be scorned by the leaders for siding with me? I’m not exactly on good terms with Baron Tolgar,” I said.

“Who?”

“The Lord of Brackenfell.”

Viscount Drefius chuckled. “Again… Who? Some backwater outpost is brought into the fold for bribes only to lose most of its might in weeks. But yes, I’ve heard about him. His people starve, his outpost is shoddy, and… I digress. I believe nobility should be earned through achievements, but who am I… Who am I?”

“A viscount who is keen on changing the world around him. You can do that, sitting right there. Assuming I do something with this… bunch.”

“Bah! It’s not supposed to upset you. You and I both know you’re not properly ready for a fight,” Viscount Drefius stated with full confidence.

I casually shrugged. “We definitely need a solid core to build off of. You seem to be well informed.”

“I try to be.”

“As do I,” Harmony said, reminding us she was part of the conversation.

“Tolmeria’s heart, this area, had four threats: wildlings, hags, kobolds, and the undead. Well, you telling me about the centaurs got me thinking. Anything different about them this year?” I asked.

“They’re smarter. We’ve never seen tactics like they’re using now,” Drefius noted.

“An example, please, dear Viscount?” Harmony asked.

The sun peeked out with the shattered showers shifting slightly. Ormis still napped as we pulled further away and the trip towards Lao entered this smooth, but slow, progression. Thankfully the rain stayed light and since the weather was recently dry, we didn’t run into any mud delays.

“Sure. Do I call you former princess, future empress, or just, lady?”

Harmony didn’t become agitated. “None are great to be honest. I’m just Harmony.”

I smiled, not really expecting the humble route. To me, it seemed like I’d reach harmony before Harmony arrived. Dami was living her best life by feeling cared for, respected, and by pitching in to build her own home… a castle no less. When I met Rosa, I didn’t exactly expect to be drawn to her so intensely.

Sure, Dami pushed for it, but I actually didn’t hate how simple my love languages or whatever were. And yeah, Rosa picked up and became this highly motivated boss of a small outpost. She found her happiness, secured a spot at my side, and joined me in our blissful struggles to make ends meet.

And now I had Harmony being guided into my tent, placed at my side, and for the life of me, I understand why Dami and Rosa were so supportive. It just seemed unnatural at first. In the end, I dropped the angst, deciding to roll with it. Harmony was incredibly hot and fun to be around; if she was interested, so was I. After all, if I was doomed to a life filled with war and strife, it didn’t make sense to pass up such wonderfully bouncing boobs.

A finger wag sent my eyes off Harmony’s cleavage. If Viscount Drefius noticed, he spared me any comment he wanted to let out.

“The centaurs are nomadic in general. They rely on plucking wild growth or stealing farmer’s crops, never really settling down. And yes, they’ll even fish out a stream, lake or river to make ends meet. Nomadic is the key thing here. Because they don’t settle to guarantee food, it hampers their prospects.

“Well, they conquered Captain Timo’s farm by the pass. After beating back centaurs for three decades, he retired to farm. Every spring he leaves for a city to train youth or tell stories and drink. While he’s gone, the centaurs come through, find barren land fresh from harvest, and move on. When they finish their circuit, they return to the northern plains to keep on being locusts and the farmers return.

“Captain Timo went home this season, but instead of a nice empty field, he found rows of corn planted for him. Those pompous centaurs colonized his home. Worse, they converted some of the stray hounds to help find intruders. That was the last job I had, charging out to that farm to cleanse the centaurs. It didn’t pay, but it cashed in a debt owed,” Drefius said.

“Almost like they… were magically enhanced. I never talked to you or sent anyone to meet you. The Gods picked you,” I said. He opened his mouth, snapped it closed, tilted his head, then accepted my words with a terse nod. “You’re not upset.”

“I figured something was off. It’s not like me to willingly accept work with Hillocs. I figured you must have drugged me or something, but Sergeant Carr explained the champion thing. He mentioned that you’re a decent enough commander and an astute shot with your bow.” The middle-aged man inhaled deeply before having a distant stare. “The Gods work in mysterious ways.”

“They sure do, they sure do,” Harmony said in agreement.

I wanted to say they worked exactly how they wanted to, within rules and regulations because of… reasons, but I kept my mouth shut. This was likely a very legitimate way to use the system in my favor. More importantly, this information told me a lot about the current state of affairs in Tolmeria.

If I had to guess, every starter region was almost the same. There would be a threat that held no true side but could be deemed dark or light. For instance, helping the wildings would have helped my standing with the hags and the Vagrant Councils. While I found the name a bit uncultured, I did like that the system gave me a hint of it earlier.

To me, it seemed like the divine folks who managed the Game of Castles wanted there to be a different path than allying with the supposed good guys. It also made a bit of sense for them to magically enhance their intelligence as that scholar said.

These centaurs suddenly becoming farmers made about as much sense as the library Ormis visited. The ogre said he knew his vast knowledge from studying extensively in a grand library, but when I asked about the location, not many details were revealed - almost as if he struggled with the memory altogether.

“And now centaurs are settling, solving their birthing issues for a brighter tomorrow. I… I don’t think this is a coincidence,” I said.

“It’s deeply troubling,” Drefius said with a sigh.

“No, it's actually good. There’ll be factions within these councils, just like there are within the kingdoms. My goal is domination, that is done through battle and conquest but ultimately life trumps death. You don’t fight for a world where you’re the last man standing, at least I don’t,” I replied.

“I suppose if there was a great threat, I’d rather have the centaurs in our battle lines than have them smashing our supply lines. Your profound thinking is not new, and maybe you can achieve the miraculous. My thing is, now that I’m having my eyes opened, it might be too late,” Drefius said.

“In all the years since I’ve lived in Avorth, we’ve never had a more peaceful spring.” Harmony glanced back at the trolls. “They even backed down from their ceremonial fight.”

“The other champions will be facing their own struggles, but I’d have to assume they’ll face, crush, then absorb what’s left. Hell, even the hags tried to fight at my side. I slew them to the last mostly because they couldn’t leave the swamp and they’re shit as a fighting force. But it makes you think… Are the pirates raiding the Seshkin ships?”

Both of them shrugged, not having an answer.

“Well, we’re going to pass not too far from Lao on our trip around the swamp. I do suppose I can send a runner to summon Baron Hargrin. He owes me an explanation as to why Ryak vanished from my service. I can ask him then,” I said.

“And the Lao archers?” Harmony asked.

I snorted. “The knights were not cheap, even if they think they’re on discount. I’m broke, but I suppose I can just kill some skeletons or ghouls or whatever to get the funds I need to recruit some archers.”

“We ride down archers with ease,” Drefius said, grinning in a sadistic way.

“Then we need solid spearmen or ogres, then it’s bolt throwers, and the whole time I have to keep everyone happy,” I said with a fake smile. “However, I do want to complete my final starter quest, I have a feeling there’s a special reward.”

∞∞∞

That evening we camped outside Lao with Sergeant Carr going to summon Baron Hargrin for breakfast. He did bring some gator meat and hag parts to sell, something I outsourced earlier. Yes, I needed arrows, some fresh bread, and fish for the trolls, but for the most part, we were just passing by.

The main wagon contained water, frozen gator meat, and all our camping supplies, setting up in the middle of our small army. I promptly led Marco to the trough we established, brushing him off. Once that was finished, I helped build up the fire Harmony started.

The night increased until the flickering orange and reds proved to be the best illumination to assemble my tent with. Even in the dim setting, I rapidly established the four corners and the draped sides. The fantasy tents were little more than pavilion covers and the real issue was getting all the corners to stand at the same time.

For a tall man like me, it was easy enough, and I chuckled inwardly when Harmony struggled with her framing. I finished mine quickly then helped her with hers.

“I wish I were just a few inches taller,” Harmony grumbled.

“Dami oddly never complains,” I teased, earning a glare. “I know, I know, comparing ladies is not fair. You were close with this, and your vertically challenged nature was likely the culprit.”

“Vertically challenged, so using that,” Harmony said. “Hey, your drapes are up, and this dress is getting me eaten alive, care if I change real quick in your tent?”

“Go for it. I’ll feed the horses and figure out a night watch rotation,” I said, leaving her to her business.

Did I want to find an excuse to forget something barging in at a bad time…? Yes, yes I did.

However, I played the gentlemen card for now, going about the nightly routine of securing camp. The horses ate with gusto, the soldiers complained that trolls wouldn’t be part of the watch, and Ormis snored - instantly falling asleep once we stopped.

The half hour or so of work flew by until I felt ready for sleep. When I returned to my tent, I noticed Harmony’s tent never had the flaps installed and the framing leaned from never being anchored. I wasn’t stupid. She put her tent up only until I gave her an out I never intended on extending.

The woman was smart, capable, and wanted to bed me. Her desire matched mine, and I intended to savor her attention. Therefore, I spent the next few minutes packing up her tent. I grabbed her pillow and blankets, entering my tent quietly just in case she slept.

Harmony didn’t have the body of a mother, looking just as fine as any young woman could, but she definitely lacked sleep because of Pela. I found her sprawled on the queen size cot she must have set up for us. If she planned to ambush me, I took too long because she snoozed peacefully.

I stripped, had Golem clean the grime off my body, and then joined her in bed. I had to adjust a bit since her small wings tucked neatly against her back, making it slightly different than normal. Of course, my movement stirred her awake.

She frowned, glaring at me at first, definitely not used to being awoken in the middle of her sleep by a nude man making her his little spoon. She saw it was me, smirked, nestled her butt into my crotch, and swiftly went back to lightly snoring.

The warmth lulled me into a gentle sleep.

A few hours later, roaming hands stirred my slumber. I peeled an eye open, seeing a very mischievous set of grayish-blue eyes focused on me with hunger.

“It seems I’ve stirred both the man and his penis awake!” Harmony said, nudging her lips closer to mine. “Are you sure you don’t want me to go back to my tent?”

Instead of telling her that wasn’t an option, I reached over her smooth hip, cupped her ass and pulled her forward. A second later, I smashed my lips to hers.

She pressed into me as she straddled my abdomen. My hands slid up her back and around front to her breasts.

She chuckled as she broke off our kiss to sit up and lean back a bit. She grinned and moaned as she pressed my hands harder into her boobs before gathering her hair above her head. She released it with a head shake, and I couldn’t believe how beautiful she was. She was every inch a fairy princess, and I wanted to enjoy each inch of her.

“Gods, you’re beautiful,” I said as I played with her hard nipples a bit more aggressively. I knew I was I the right track when she moaned and bit her lower lip.

“Damn, that feels so good. How are you able to make my heart flutter with a look? And your touch? A tingle shoots straight to my pussy, making me wet.”

I chuckled as I felt her wet pussy grinding against my abs. “Then you better get used to being wet because I’m going to be touching you all the time. Your gorgeous body screams for my attention, and my hands will be finding you without my even thinking about it.”

She looked down at me with a vulnerable look, causing me to clamp down on my lust and raise an eyebrow. She wet her lips and squeezed my hands before she said, “Don’t let me screw this up. I want you and need you so badly. I don’t think I could move forward without you. You’re already a better father for Pela than I ever dreamed…”

I sat up and gently kissed her as I caressed her cheek. “You’re mine, Harmony. You and Pela are part of my family; I love you both.”

She stared into my eyes and caressed my cheek as her eyes teared up. “Seeing you with her made me realize how badly she needs you as much as I do. I know I’m not-“

I kissed her hard, forcing her to feel my passion before I broke it off to say, “You’re wonderful, beautiful, and mine. I love you.”

She gazed into my eyes for a moment before she shifted forward, capturing my mouth in a passionate kiss and pushing us back down to the bed. She held my head in her hands as she lay on top of me, and we kissed. She slid her waist down, sheathing herself on my hard cock.

We both moaned and paused our kissing to enjoy the feeling of our joining. After a few moments, she broke off our kiss to sit up again. She grinned down at me as she started squeezing me with her vagina while making small circular movements with her hips.

I let out a deep breath as the wave of pleasure hit me. She whispered, “I’m yours, Adam. Whenever and however you want me, I want you to find your pleasure in me. Even if you just come back from a bloody battle, whenever you want me.”

I grinned, knowing that specific situation might be a bit more for her than me. I’d have to see if I couldn’t help in that regard. “I want to watch my beautiful fairy princess ride me until she’s overwhelmed in our passion.” I put my hands behind my head, as she started riding me. She kept squeezing my cock as she lifted herself before sliding back down.

Harmony moaned as she moved her hands to play with her nipples. “You’re so sexy,” escaped my mouth as my dick twitched deep in her.

“Mhmm… I’m all yours Adam. My hot, wet little pussy is all yours…” she murmured before letting out a soft, “Oh… yes….” Her right hand dropped to her pussy and started rubbing as she kept riding.

Her pace quickened as she whispered, “Yes…ah…yes, oh, yessss.”

She plunged down hard as her eyes shot open to capture mine before she said, “Adam!” and climaxed. Her whole body went rigid as she stared into my eyes. A second wave hit her as I felt her cum around my cock. Her eyes closed on the third wave as she whimpered, “Adam,” as she collapsed on my chest.

I hugged her to my chest, still hard in her as she struggled to catch her breath as waves of pleasure still shook her. When her body calmed, I rolled us, so I was on top. I lifted myself up as I started thrusting, enjoying the view of my beautiful fairy blissed out under me.

She looked stunning with a faint smile, her silver hair in disarray haloing her head. I kept my rhythm steady as I waited for her to come around. When her eyes fluttered and focused on me, her dazzling smile filled her face.

She licked her lips before she said, “I need a hard fucking, my Lord.”

I chuckled as I let go of my restraints as she wrapped her legs around my waist. She bounced on each of my thrusts, causing her to moan as she squeezed my shaft.

“Yes… Fill your pussy, baby…. Ahhh… Right there, baby… Harder!”

I shook my head with a smile as I ramped up my thrusts, plunging as deep as I could into her core. My fairy princess liked to talk during sex, and my change pushed her over the edge again.

“Yes! Oh, gods! Yes!” She climaxed, and I felt her nectar gushing out with each thrust as her channel seized tight on my cock. The extra friction along my length pushed me over the edge as I slammed hard back into her.

I gave a loud grunt as I exploded into her depths, triggering another wave for her. Each release of mine was answered by her needy body until I had emptied myself into her. I collapsed exhausted beside her and pulled her onto my chest.

I could feel how her racing heart matched mine as we struggled to catch our breath. As I calmed, Harmony drifted to sleep, so I kissed her forehead and drifted off to sleep myself.

Chapter

Thirty-Six

JELIN WOODS

I Summon Thy Rationality!

“So, just so we’re clear, your father recalled you because Misho City, an independent trader port not too far away, turned pirate,” I asked Ryak.

We slowly entered the Jelin Woods until a dense fog rolled across our ankles. I’d backed up the units to get out of the fog when Ryak showed up. His father was apparently too busy to see me which seemed incredibly suspect. Granted, I’d probably have sent a runner to an army I’d pissed off, but at least he sent his son who spilled out a bunch of information I had to quickly process because of his shitty timing.

The forest itself seemed fine, even in the fog.

All the small parts of a forest like insect noises, small animals doing their skittish things, and even the smell was normal. I sorta expected webbing and slime or something but instead it was fairly mundane up to this point. The overcast day ruined visibility, but you could still see and the nice breeze kept us cool even if it didn’t move the mysterious blanket.

“Yes,” Ryak replied.

“And no one fought the necromancer because Countess Zera forbade it in case a Misho incursion were to arrive. The necromancer is not bugging anyone and is letting trade get through?” I asked.

“Yes, the vile fiend is consolidating, but so are we and when the time is right we’ll -”

I held up a hand, stopping the gifted swordsman. “Save the politics. Return to your father, thank him for sharing the information,” I commanded.

Ryak opened his mouth, saw the soldiers tensing because they knew I was about to order them to war, and dipped his head in sadness. I could tell he wanted to say or do something else, but I didn’t give the opening.

Or maybe the mousy swordmaster wanted to be involved. He wanted to earn his own mark in the world, and yet, his father ruined that for him with me.

And yeah, I didn’t give a shit about the Misho’s squabbles with Seshkin. I had needed my best fighter and scout to stay when I needed him the most, honoring our deal. Ryak broke that and so did his father, meaning he was all but dead to me in the proverbial sense.

He never apologized, bowed with respect, then retreated towards Lao. This probably went better than he ever expected anyway. I nudged Marco forward with only Harmony at my side.

“That’s bullshit, by the way,” Harmony said.

I grunted. “Figured as much. The politics will come into play later. Right now, I need to deal with the Necromancer.”

The trolls dressed in a loose line formation to make progress through the woods, weaving between the trees. Three scouts stayed at the back as makeshift archers, occasionally spreading out to look for whatever this necromancer might try to surprise us with while Sergeant Carr roamed in the wings.

Ormis took a nap since we stopped, knocking over a few trees to make an elevated bed, clearly disliking the nature of the fog. Drefius waited with his shock cavalry, knowing battle was near.

With each step forward, we pushed deeper into the Jelin Woods with a firm courage. Even if I appeared stoic and poised, I worried. The scouts reported nothing so far, returning every five minutes and without a doubt something rested in these trees, but who or what the necromancer commanded was all a guess.

“Pirates,” Harmony said quietly. Even if she tried to be somewhat stealthy, it didn’t matter because we made a ton of noise and spooked birds to flight at our approach. “One man’s pirate is another’s privateer.”

“Right.”

“You probably need to talk to the Misho Council, they’re reasonable people.”

I grunted. “Again, sure. When the time is right. The Game of Castles is about military power through diplomacy as well as battlefield prowess. How do I apply myself and those I command on the field of battle to make gains? Which, I sorta spent a month moving rocks and laying pipe instead of fighting,” I said with a sigh.

“You added pipes to the Clear Isle, fantastic. I must have missed the construction work,” Harmony said, definitely having the term go over her head.

“Uh, that’s an idiom for making babies,” I replied with a chuckle.

Harmony bounced her eyebrows with a playful smile, not fazed in the slightest. Since our connection, she made it very clear, she wanted me and everything I came with, which was a lot. Her addition seemed to be rock solid, and I looked forward to seeing more of her magic in the field.

I continued, “A huge chunk of it is diplomacy which I’m suffering with. I don’t know how to make everyone happy.”

“You can’t. But Adam, putting me in your harem ties Avorth to -”

“We can continue the conversation later.” A set of green eyes peered out from the fog, snapped shut, then fled deeper into the woods. I held up a hand. “Hold here. If we have to fall back, we can. Scouts in!” I shouted the last order so it could reach my wayward riders.

Thankfully Sergeant Carr returned. I feared I’d lose both scouts and the three others would turn and flee. However, it seemed like the necromancer of Jelin Woods decided to play nice for now.

We didn’t dismount or rest, consolidating the formation for whatever returned. Without a doubt the necromancer’s scout saw us, and I wasn’t exactly keen on walking into a trap. Every necromancer I ever read about was pretty gung-ho on sending his minions to their death as fodder, and I sorta hoped that was the case here.

After five minutes of silence, a ghastly werewolf, and not the humanoid kind, but the full-on beast monster, walked out from the trees. He carried a gnarled staff, wore lavish robes, and brought no army with him.

To say this perplexed me would be an understatement. He definitely didn’t fit in, and he seemed like a rather refined villain.

“Where’s your army?” I shouted across the distance.

“Pushing east to expand my forest claims.” His claim wouldn’t have surprised me if it were true, but again, it confused me. “Did you come to cleanse me from these woods?”

“Uh, yeah, I actually did. The Gods sent me to remove you, and they’ll reward me if I do.”

The werewolf necromancer leaned against a distant tree staring at a claw as if to inspect the dirt under them. He picked at them one at a time while remaining unbelievably calm.

“That’s not nice,” he eventually replied.

“I’m Adam and I was expecting you to be the rude one,” I said.

“Oh, I am. I take from the weak to make me and mine stronger, with the Gods’ approval as well, but your army will decimate my numbers. Even if I manage to win, a pyrrhic victory does me little good,” he said.

“He wants your name, Lord Mancer,” Harmony said.

“Oh! I like that more than my assigned name. Mancer. Yes, Mancer works nicely. My minions aren’t exactly talkative,” he said, finishing his nail picking. “I have an offer for you, Adam. An offer for all of you honestly. You say you defeated me, seeing me retreat to the east with a smidge of a force remaining.”

Drefius snorted. “I don’t lie.”

“Silly noble. I’m going to retreat east, and I’m by myself. That is the truth. You defeated me with sound tactics. As in the sound of your voice. Another truth,” Mancer said.

“Riddles!” Harmony said, putting a positive spin on it. “Not a bad idea.”

“Give me a second.” I translated for Kell and Ormis. They both mentioned they didn’t care if I agreed to leave him alone as long as the offer was good. “And the bribe?”

“A dozen horses, a bunch of leather armor and scout weapons that neither their late owners nor my minions can use anymore, a gold coin I found, and a non-aggression treaty between me and mine to you and yours,” Mancer said. “If you need help, I can send it at the snap of my fingers as long as it is close or not a prolonged endeavor.”

“By the Gods,” Drefius blurted.

“Uh, yeah, I mean, if the gold is real, then I find your terms acceptable,” I said with a grunt. “The thing is, the Gods, uh, well, they speak to me about such things and they’re silent right now. As in, you’re not being honest.”

Mancer’s red eyes flickered between me and off to his right. “That’s far enough,” he bellowed to unseen forces. “They actually seem interested which means my night just got interesting.”

I waited patiently, seeing numerous sets of red eyes shine out of werewolf skeletons. The necromancer’s minions had hugged the mat of fog, creeping right up to a point where we were about to fight. And yes, there were more than I figured but I also realized they’d fade with his death.

“I mean, a gold coin is a nice tribute if that is your honest intent, but it seems something is not honest in your offer,” I said.

Mancer huffed with a nod. “Alright. Alright. The gold may be fake, the skeleton said as much. They’re pretty easy to duplicate with mined gold but the coins are so valuable, they have marked gems and this one seems off. Also, I can’t send troops outside the mist for more than eight days, please don’t share that because -”

Mid-sentence time froze and green words appeared in my vision.

Quest: Shady Dealings.

Terms: Necromancer Lyndsey wishes to offer tribute to Champion Adam as a vassal state. In doing so, Champion Adam will support Necromancer Lyndsey through deception. This deception will be done under the pretense that the nearby threats to the necromancer and the necromancer’s minions will think he has been defeated and dealt with.

Results: The power of Necromancer Lyndsey slowly grows, reaching a point where rapid gains no longer exist. Due to this, his expansion and power are held in check. He will struggle to keep up with the might of other regional powers, needing your protection at some point if his enemies do close in on him.

Potential Influence Repercussions: The Three Vagrant Councils of Tolmeria (Hilloc, Centaur, & Pirates - Misho) & The Three Kings of Tolmeria will disapprove of your decision if you mislead them and then find out.

Reward: A vassal outpost. 500 Military Points. In dire need you can summon Necromancer Lyndsey for aid at a cost.

Reward Items:

10 baskets of fruit every summer and fall season.

8 horses.

12 scout gear sets.

1 fake gold coin.

17 silver coins.

172 bronze coins.

Game of Castles Reward: earning vassals is paramount in Game of Castles. While this vassal is abnormal, it is important for all champions to understand that diplomacy or war are rewarded as long as might is gained. If you take on Necromancer Lyndsey as a vassal, you will earn 15,000 Lord Points.

Do you agree to the terms of the treaty? Yes or No.

I sighed. “The gold coin is fake, but I suspected as much. Give me a moment… Mancer,” I said, not betraying his real name.

After checking with the Kell and Ormis, they were on board. I knew Harmony approved, and the scouts wouldn’t care due to their nature, but it was Drefius who mattered. I needed a cavalry officer for the long term. I saw him as a potential duke for my kingdom and he seemed like he was reasonable, so yeah, I pulled him aside for a conversation.

“I’m going to make a controversial decision that doesn’t align with the Estin Kingdom’s philosophy or any other one besides my own. You’re a mercenary, but I hope to find someone to promote along the way,” I said.

“You can always buy my banner and fill it with an officer of your liking, however, I find myself interested. My children are grown, my wife is having to cut back on the lavish lifestyle she enjoys, and the grandbabies should be coming soon,” Drefius replied with a distant stare. “I… I don’t have a purpose and my daughter has no support, meaning I have kids in the house again. I like coins as much as any man even though I do prefer to be doing something noble.”

“Unifying the region seems pretty damn important and noble to boot,” I said.

“True, but do the ends justify the means of which it is achieved.”

“Well said. We’re taking the scout’s items as bribes. There’s no gold coin, just a fake. But I gain him as a vassal, which means I can increase the number of knights in your unit or get archers.”

“I mean, if you want to make me the head of a thousand strong thundering cavalry,” he sucked in a deep breath, “I suppose that’s one way to bribe me. I’d definitely like to have the power of a king behind my charge.”

“Also, it gets worse. This army isn’t marching home after this,” I said, not grinning or showing any sort of tell as to what I intended. He dipped his head, letting me know he was ready to listen. I spilled out my plan, earning frowns at first that swapped to a grin at the end. “Thoughts?”

“You're different, I like that. The knights are in it for the money for now. Keep us paid promptly or you’ll lose your influence whatevers with us that Harmony was explaining. This… plan of yours, it’s dangerous, but I like it. This necromancer seems contained, but can you trust the Gods not to alter him further,” Drefius wisely asked.

I snorted, before unleashing a long cackle. When I calmed, I shook my head with a grin. “They likely will, but either I’ll dominate the region by that point, or I’ll be so down on my luck it won’t matter. Nothing is guaranteed, not even true love, but I can’t live with constant fear and instead must trust my decisions.”

“And you don’t wish to cower. I’ve already absorbed the aura of your army, my lord. I don’t see that changing with your intention being to unify the region and provide safety through strength against the forces that arise around us,” Drefius said.

“No, but in this case, I’m going to take the easy win. If these fools wish to hide in their walls anyway, tribute over bloodshed seems fitting. Dear managers of this Game of Castles, I accept the terms of my first vassal!”

A surge of orange magic washed through the area, coating at least a hundred skeletons, additional minions being revealed by the magic.

Necromancer Lyndsey unfolded his arms, bent the knee, and then slowly rose with a grin. “You’ve unlocked additional power in me. I… I thank you. If you need me, send a runner to the mist, it instantly alerts me of any outside presence. Eight days, no more or else I have to move the fog by coming myself and I am very interested in being left alone.”

“Expect a scout of mine to try to arrive at this spot at least every month for the fruit this forest bears, but the undead don’t eat. They’ll bring news, books, candles, and other goods you need and request news from you,” I said, turning to Marco.

“As my liege commands. Fair terms are a win for both,” Necromancer Lyndsey said, increasing the mist around him until both him and his army vanished into the Jelin Woods.

I addressed the army, saying my words twice. “We march for a different kind of target. It is imperative you stay focused and quiet. This next battle will be our hardest yet.”

When I rode north, Harmony spurred her horse to match mine. “And where are you riding to my lord?”

“Ah, how about I show you instead of telling you,” I said, pulling out my map.

Chapter

Thirty-Seven

TOLMERIA Forest

Remember Donkey!

I snuck out of the forest, leaving behind Marco with the other horses. The entire army followed me on foot like a long snake surging across the farmlands. Ormis casually approached Brackenfell’s gate with his club over his shoulder. The minimal guards shouted at him to stop where he was but the big ogre charged forward, keeping all eyes on him.

Knowing that every second counted, I surged into a sprint, crossing the distance to the side wall that Booma told me the farmers used to avoid the jerks at the front gate. It wasn’t hard to find the spot since a worn trail led directly to it.

The cloudless night made for a perfect raid as long as we brought a proper distraction and Ormis played the part like a champion. When I reached the hole in the wall that was covered by a matching board, a string of text appeared in my vision.

Quest: Sack Brackenfell.

Mission: Remove Baron Tolgar from power.

Rewards: Extremely Variable

Consequences: Variable

Lord Points Reward: 1,000 LP if abandoned, 10,000 LP if claimed

Warning: Entering illegally into the -

I darted into the city, one hundred percent already committed. My troops flowed in behind me, all of us heading directly towards the Baron’s estate. I pulled back an arrow, rushing onto the main street.

The sentry tower that overlooked the little town held a lone guard who I prayed wasn’t Gardi’s son. That watchman shouted, “Ogre! Ogre!”

He rang a bell for all he was worth, never once assessing his surroundings. During an errant pull I noted the bubbly dwarven nose and let the sinew slip.

Twang!

The sound of the snapping bow caught the dwarf’s attention. He spun just in time to take an arrow into his left eye. He floundered back before flopping out of the sentry tower. He didn’t scream or cry out, already dead from the shot. He did land with a loud enough thud that the gate guards turned to see my army flooding the streets of Brackenfell.

Ormis surged forward, regaining their attention with a club smashing into the wall. The frame wobbled, and troops on the wall fell to their knees or stumbled to stay afoot. Ladders slammed into the space besides Ormis, allowing the heavily armored knights to scale on the parapet.

“Surrender! This is a leadership change, nothing more!” Drefius shouted at the same time that I burst through Tolgar’s door.

I had to give it to Tolgar, the elf was a survivor and an opportunist. He sure did know how to adjust on the fly. He sped towards a back door with a bag over his back that he likely had planned for a ‘just in case’. Rosa’s sister tried to catch up with him, still in her nighty while half asleep.

“That’s Lady Alma. No harm to her!” I bellowed, flowing through the foyer and into the living room.

Tolgar tossed a rug aside and tried to yank open an emergency hatch to what was likely a tunnel entrance. Over and over he tugged, over and over it remained locked. I shot a hand forward, ejecting my magic onto the floor.

Golem rose into creation as Tolgar twisted the handle a half turn, finally realizing he needed to do so to get the hatch to work. The door shifted open slightly only for it to only slam shut when Golem put his weight on it.

“I… What are you doing in my house Adam?” Tolgar demanded, backpedaling from the golem.

“You imprisoned Galdi, raped Booma, stole from me, and thought I wouldn’t care. You see, I loathed you for abandoning your son to farm fields. At the time, I needed to play nice to get my bearings. Well, well, well. Here I am, all ready for war,” I said, setting my bow down.

When I slowly drew my sword, he pulled his own blade out with a shaky hand. “I’m a fucking baron you retard.”

I winced. “Such a harsh word and don’t try to gloat. You didn’t solve the hag problem; I did. My reward is your fitting punishment and sometimes it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission.”

Trolls entered behind the scouts, binding Alma in front of her husband.

Tolgar’s jaw dropped. His eyes darted between the Hilloc people and me. “You’re… you’re with the wildlings?”

That simple phrase revealed so much it shocked me. I shook my head. “Come on, we’re going outside.”

“Fuck you.”

“Tsk, tsk, Tolgar. Die like a man on your feet,” I said.

“I’m a noble elf you crude barbarian with your disgusting mercenaries. You are nothing more than a bandit from the wilds,” Tolgar spat.

I shifted with my superhuman speed, thrusting my blade between his eyes. He instinctively shoved his sword to parry, but I expected this, fainting my attack to land a nasty blow on his wrist.

The sword clattered on the wooden floor. Tolgar fell to a knee, glancing up at me in horror as he clutched his arm to his chest.

“What… What kind of abomination are you? You move like a demon.”

I snickered. “One sent by the gods.” I lifted the tip of the sword to the ceiling. “They watch you.”

When he glanced up, I thrust the blade into his heart.

He died with his eyes open, gently collapsing to rest on his side. I used his outfit to wipe the blood off the blade, giving the moment a finality it deserved.

When I finished, I found Barker in chains and a flow of prisoners heading out of the dungeons. There were more than before and the elven woman whose bow I had wasn’t in the lineup.

I strode outside, finding a series of guards on their knee. They were lined up in front of Ban’s tavern. The old dwarf sat in his rocking chair, waving me over as if that wasn’t where I headed anyway. Ormis jumped the gate coming into the middle of town to flow in my wake.

The ground shook and the townsfolk trembled in fright. I smiled with my bow over my back and my palms up in a gesture of goodwill. Ban patted the rocking chair beside him and I happily stole the seat.

The entire town sat on edge while we rocked in quiet; two men about to have an important discussion that’d hopefully fix this incursion. Well Ban was a dwarf, but I saw him as just another person.

“Ban.”

“Adam,” Ban said.

“Champion Adam, a warrior of Barter, a chosen of Asmi,” I proclaimed.

He nodded. “Dami? Rosa?”

“And Booma. Happy, hale and enjoying life. I’ve grown in power, and will continue to do so,” I said, watching the sneering guards. “Who are these fellas?”

“Oh, you know, King Vardrin’s men. The worst of the worst that are troublemakers worthy of being sent to the frontier, but still his men. There were rumors of your death at the Defeat of the Queen.”

I chuckled somewhat evilly. “Victory for me. I killed her, then saved a Viscount Lynal who is recovering in Avorth. Then I killed the hag queen’s king and every last one of her members. Now I calmed the Jelin Woods too,” I said proudly.

Clara peeked her head out. “Heya handsome, want a drink?”

Ban shooed her away. I wouldn’t take a drink anyway since everything was still so raw. The old man glanced at me and said, “Well, what comes next?”

“These fellows go home, Alma works for you with a collar for a month, and I write King Vardrin a note telling him I have my queen from Estin, Rosa and that the tax levies of Brackenfell are no longer his concern since I control the region,” I said.

“The people won’t like this kind of leadership,” Ban said, pointing to the Hilloc folk. “Or the change.”

“They’re gone by morning. I’m going to steal all of Tolgar’s things then use the proceeds to clean up this outpost. I’ll buy their loyalty by being a good lord,” I said.

Drefius arrived to sit on the stairs. “Three dead, none of them ours.”

“A hefty price for a hovel of a town,” Harmony said, arriving with a knight escort. She stuck her hand into an unlit lamp, setting the oil ablaze. “Ah, much better. Is this Baron Ban I’ve heard so much about?”

Ban squinted at me with a glare. “You suck. I like being left alone.”

He, of course, didn’t want to be a baron.

“Eh, I’m awesome. No taxes, we fix up this town, we take off the restrictions on these old buildings, demo some, rebuild others, and no one lives out there… period. The centaurs are free roaming because King Vardrin needs to grow some balls,” I raised my voice at the end. “If Galsi returns, he comes unopposed and has to divert troops to hold this outpost, which means…”

“We stay safe no matter what. Okay, I can calm the panic. No one liked Tolgar anyway. But! I’m not a baron, I’m just a cagey old man,” Ban said.

“I’ll tell you what. When the sun rises in the morning, if that gate is open, I’ll send workers to improve the outpost at your discretion towards a better tomorrow. If you close it, don’t be shocked if I return to find someone else to do what I want done,” I said, veiling my threat.

“Again. You suck, but the gate will be open, and these troops will be ejected. And Adam, I bent the knee to Galsi, not you, so if he sends his army, I’m not lifting a finger for you,” Ban warned.

“I convinced those fine knights to help me with this adventure to stir the Galsi might. If they can come conquer an outpost, they can deal with the centaurs.”

“Except he wants to hide, and we don’t know why,” Harmony said.

Ban snorted, pointing to Drefius. “Ask him.”

The viscount curled his mustache bar. “I got nothing. It doesn’t make sense, but Adam is making a difference.”

Ban scoffed. “Bah! Get your hopium away from me.”

We shared a laugh that slowly died down.

I asked, “And Mo?”

“Gardi’s son?” Ban asked with a grunt. I dipped my head in reply. “Hell, I forgot about him. Probably in Estin on some training field.”

“It’s because he actually cares,” Clara said from a slightly opened window.

Ban scoffed, and I grew tired of this conversation.

I stood faster than he ever expected, popping my neck. I pointed to the estate. “Release the guards, let them gather their belongings. Hey! Listen to me. The centaurs must be dealt with or the winter will be harsh. I don’t care what lies you spread, at least tell that truth. Go on, get.”

When I shooed the guards away, they rose to their feet, leaving without their weapons but heading to their bunks to grab their kits to head home with.

I clapped my hands once, rubbing them together. “The rest of you! We’re going to steal everything Baron Tolgar owned. If it was stolen, they can come to Clear Castle to plead their case.”

No one cheered, and yes, I had to say the same thing twice, but no one complained. People like earning coins, and they’d all get a bonus. While the troops dispersed, I sighed, taking in the sight.

“How’s Dami?” Clara asked, unable to help herself.

“Wonderful!” I shot across the decking earning a squeal delight when I scooped Harmony into my arms. I pried open the tavern’s door and bellowed, “Tolgar is dead, drinks are on me!” Again, no one cheered even if I earned a few smiles. I fished out a coin, flicking it to Clara with a wink. She saw the silver and gasped. “A celebration! Play some music to help hurry this along. Hopefully you folks are less… jaded on my next return.”

It took a few minutes for a tune to be struck, and by that time, I stopped letting Harmony stand on my toes while we danced to pretend music. Drefius approached, folding his arms, taking a break from watching the looting in progress. He pointed to Alma who had a chain clamped around her neck by Ban himself.

“Your wife’s sister?”

“Yup. She beat Rosa black and blue because Rosa disturbed her chances of power. Now Rosa will reach a nobility rank Alma hungered for. Irony,” I said with a chuckle.

“A fitting punishment. She lives. She’s going to endure. At the end, she is a broken widow who hopefully can find a new life,” Harmony said in approval.

“A month gives us time to see how Rosa reacts, how Estin responds, and I’m going to definitely change how we do a few things around the growing castle,” I said, leaving the tavern to pick over the loot.

I walked directly towards the stables, eager to find Jennet. She might have been a silly donkey, but at one point, she was a friend. Family and friends defined us and my quest to protect mine might lead to additional unexpected gains.

Regor Chapter 3

Alvinia Castle - Cask Region

A Surprise Gift!

Regor unlocked the door, opening it to see Duchess Viness seated in a rocking chair. In Cask, three kingdoms rest on the water, one in the north. Duchess Viness, a cousin to the Karvon King, flashed a fake smile, hating her imprisonment more than most.

All along the gilded upper floors of Alvinia’s inner sanctum were lush rooms with locks on the outside. As Regor acquired wives he rarely had time for, he settled them into this long hallway. They could receive mail, visitors, and send maidens out of the castle to grab them items, but, for their protection, they were locked away.

“Afternoon Viness, you look lovely,” Regor said.

“I feel bloated and gassy, but that is probably because I am carrying our son,” she said, always having this sharpness to her tongue. “Come dear husband. I received this.”

“I don’t have much time, a ship’s arrived demanding my attention. The summary and maybe a foot rub in the wee hours,” he lied.

He would never rub her feet or visit her in the middle of the night. Not when he had a harem of the most beautiful commoner youths in his bed every night. Regor understood politics, mastering keeping his wives safe and secure to keep the bonds that tied Cask together, safe and secure. That meant he was very short on one time unless he was summoned.

Viness smiled at the thought, raising a piece of parchment. “Duke Catabran says the swamp is expanding, centaurs plague the fields, and -”

“Ant people might be abducting farmers,” Regor finished. “I sent the second army to the swamp, the seventh to the centaurs, and some of my best scouts will verify the claims shortly.”

“A wise and gracious emperor. Regor, I grow lonely. May I see my niece once a day for tea?”

Inwardly he cringed, not letting her see it. Ever since he married twins from a Seshkin trade merchant, they hated being locked away separately, asking to visit each other once a day. He knew what was happening. They tested his sway, forcing him to slowly erode at his domination over their hearts and minds.

More and more of his prisoner wives asked for such allowances.

“Free reign is a logistical and security nightmare. I, myself, no longer venture beyond these walls.” He paused her pout. “Hire another handmaiden. I’d rather not lose you and your niece to a poisoned tea pot.”

“And if we just converse, no tea?” Viness pleaded.

Regor sighed with a nod, as if this was some great gift. “I suppose. Short visits at first. But!” He tempered her excitement. “If another -”

“Poor Karisha. Those assassins paid dearly. I understand. You’re such a wise and loving lord,” Viness humbly said.

“I try, I’ll let the guards know, sorry to close this door, I mean it,” Regor said, shutting the door on her.

He locked her in. Technically, they had freedom through their maidens, giving the appearance of not being prisoners. Regor learned that Karisha used her actual freedoms to start administering orders behind his back. At first, he let them slide, realizing he needed the help.

Every lord needed advisors.

It wasn’t until he found out she was bartering for less attractive daughters or lower born ones to maintain his affection and her power, that he threw Karisha off a balcony. He blamed it on assassins, shifted castles, tightened security, and established a system of full control.

No one besides Regor managed his affairs, and all his affairs were handled one floor up. His floor. He strode by the posted guards, knowing he needed to open more doors. All his wives summoned him, and he tried to visit most of them after his morning court. He would sing, figure out how happy they were, then adjust.

However, the wedded ties to the elites of Cask and Seshkin weren’t his only dilemma. Running an empire was vastly rewarding in the Game of Castles, but also vastly frustrating. He let those flustered points jumble through his mind while opening door after door along the hall. Eventually, he reached the end, and he knew Cask was under siege by the Gods.

The problem was that good knights were hard to find. He assigned mission after mission, granting land, women, slaves, and more to those who vanquished his problems. And yet, the hags in the Cask swamp seemed to swallow small parties until he was forced to mobilize a whole army, robbing vital coffers from his treasury.

It seemed like the entire region demanded his attention. He flowed up the stairs, finding Ami waiting for him. Since her queen’s death, which she helped frame as an assassination, the lowly woman had become one of his top advisors.

Her belly showed the first signs of pregnancy and her hair thickened to the point she glowed for him. Unfortunately, she didn’t sleep much, running his spy network, causing heavy bags under her eyes.

Regor kissed her forehead, sweetly before flowing up the stairs to his home.

“The Anthril are here, we assume there are four nests, maybe more,” Ami reported.

“Bah! We are stretched thin. If the pirates launch from the south, they can take any of my cities if I push too many troops north. Ugh, why can’t I just hire more mercenaries,” Regor complained.

His footfalls continued up the stone stairs, echoing deeply up and down the winding space. It wasn’t until he reached the top that he understood why they were quieter than normal. The God of Chaos waited for him in cat form. Beyond the cat, in the middle of the court, a Seshkin envoy lay frozen in time.

Elise stood around a bunch of his advisors, generals, scholars, and more with a pegasus at her feet. The small horse could be easily carried, it was still so young, but the arrival was a major boon, and a complete surprise.

“Hello Igran.”

“Afternoon Regor. Congratulations on the new pegasus.”

Regor snorted at the cat. “Somewhere in Cask, there are two pegasi’ hidden from me.”

“You know where they are, and that’s why I’m here. While I can’t directly interfere, I can comment on some things. Let me start with, you’re in fourth place,” Igran said, perching on an end table with a haughty cat stare.

“We both know I don’t care about that, you do. What else?”

“A month ago, you mentioned you’d send an agent to kill a rival, you never did,” Igran said in a superior tone.

Regor turned around, realizing Igran froze time a bit ago, leaving Ami on the stairs below. The cat unleashed a bit of magic, unlocking a confused confidant.

“Ah, you must be Igran,” Ami said, catching on quickly since Regor mentioned his god liked this form and could freeze time. “How may I help?”

“That Adam fellow in Tolmeria. Did he die?”

“The assassin got close, but no. The Champion was in battle mode, or so the report says.”

Regor folded his arms. “How’s he doing anyway?”

“Actually, I just received a report this morning from Seshkin. The Hillocs march in his ranks, he conquered the hags solo, subdued the necromancer, and pillaged a small outpost town belonging to one of the big kingdoms.” Ami tucked her head, avoiding eye contact for this part. “He soared into the air, soaking up many levels, growing taller, stronger and faster. A powerful sorceress joined his harem, and he gains power every day, building his own castle.”

“Oh!” Igran blurted as if startling. “Leveling, what’s that like?”

“Har, har. I’m in fourth.”

“And suddenly he cares. You said you were sending an agent.” Igrin licked a paw.

Regor wanted to kick the cat, restraining his urges. Of course, the God of Chaos had a point. He never followed through. “There’s a lovely lady archer vying for my attention who happens to be a champion with a bow. I’ll send her to infiltrate his circle and do what those pathetic Seshkin can’t.”

“Cask borders five regions, not one. Three across the top, two on the sides.”

“With mountain ranges or forests in the way of each, but I hear you. I’ve been so focused on controlling my own lords, I have been remiss on the true opponents,” Regor said dryly. “Consider them all targets, if I can find them.”

“Alright, I feel my visit was worth my investment. Every Champion should find and secure their pegasi before they’re stolen. Every Champion should remove the internal threats themselves, leveling their bodies to becoming powerful to godlike status. Every Champion should amass a harem of loyal wives in his grand castle from which he wages war. You only have a few shortcomings, try to work on them,” Igrin said, vanishing with a poof.

Time resumed with Regor retreating out of sight with a finger held up to his court. Ami followed him into the stairwell with a frown.

“He thinks you should be out there,” Ami whispered.

“Ya, no shit. Where I’ll die. I was lucky to make it up these stairs without falling.”

Ami frowned. “I had them install a handrail.”

“Hence why I didn’t fall. Get on the table, start creating quests, and I’m going to whisper sweet words into several ears to calm the region. It’s probably time I start thinking about controlling more of the sea as well. Mercenaries. I need to hire more and more mercenaries while the enemy plays in the mud, fighting himself, I’ll amass armies he can’t defeat with his paltry numbers,” Regor said confidently.

Ami frowned, hesitating at first. He rolled his wrist. “Out with it?”

“Unless you defeat and conquer, we’re short on funds.”

“Fine, I suppose it’s time I gambled. The fifth and eighth armies are to march north, cleansing any and all threats to Cask. We secure our home and if the pirates attack, we pray they think our walls are properly defended. If I’m struggling with four kings bending the knee to me, then I know idiots like that Adam fellow are drowning in problems,” Regor said, striding up the stairs. “Plus, I got one of his pegasi. What a fool!”

Chapter

Thirty-Eight

THE CLEAR CASTLE

Remember Berries!

“Pela, stop feeding Jennet!” Harmony said, chasing after a maniacally giggling toddler.

The donkey smiled, I swore I could see it in her eyes, but it could have just been how excited she was to get another treat. It didn’t help that Jennet was putting on weight because of Pela.

That little child loved to pilfer carrots from the storage box, hide them behind her teddy, then feed them to Jennet when she moseyed over. Every once in a while Dami or Rosa would hand her carrots out of nowhere. I may or may not have been the culprit this time.

“They’re in on it!” Harmony said, catching her daughter to give her tickles. “No more carrots!” Pela didn’t need to be tickled, already unleashing her happy giggles in abundance. Harmony shot us gazes one at a time. “I’m onto you.”

We shared a laugh, living our best lives over the last two weeks. Stray pigs tried to escape newly constructed pens, a solid wall rose to defend the island - albeit thin - at hip height, and we cleared almost every tree in the general area to provide a long line of sight in a full circle.

I didn’t plan on stopping the deforestation either. I’d already outlined a very distant outer wall; the kind that literally only made sense for hundreds of thousands of people. Honestly, I knew the desire to have so many people living in one place was ambition. Regardless of the future, I needed a massive food source to feed my army. We couldn't do that with the current situation.

We lived off gator meat, eggs and purchased fish up to this point with dwindling supplies. Our chicken and duck population were booming with all the free grubs from up rooted trees, which was great, but not at culling levels. The sheep weren’t quite settled in yet, needing time to generate more than they consumed.

As for politics and missions, they sorta faded enough for me to work on tactics, training, and recruitment as well as gear improvements. A lot happened, but nothing drastic. I went from twelve trolls having shields to all of them having full body shields. These were hefty suckers made of thick wood. Honestly, they might have been too much, but they changed them instantly into heavy infantry.

All the trolls did since they arrived was to hold them upright in formation.

A ninth knight joined Drefius, increasing my Military and Lord Points. Rosa wasn’t wrong, just training and having a presence was generating enough points to manage troop retention. The scouts added a sixth as well, wanting a seventh, but one of the veterans went home early when news of a sick mother came in.

The biggest change since I sacked Brackenfell was honestly Idris, Ormis’ friend. After we profited from the loot, I invested in a single military acquisition, another ogre. Outside of that, I focused on upgrading, farming, and the castle.

Rosa was already starting to worry that we might not be able to afford to send a clean up crew to Brackenfell. I was waiting to see how Estin reacted, and so far, they hadn’t. Not officially anyway. Ban stayed in charge, we traded coins for their extra food, ale, and whatnot, and they used those to trade deeper into the Estin Kingdom without reprisal.

I sorta had this notion that two weeks would mean life shattering changes, but once again, time flew by with steady but noticeable gains. Of course, that all shifted when I watched Harmony hug her daughter and a scroll of text appeared in my vision.

Diplomatic Offer: Accept Avorth as a Nation State within the Champion’s Influence.

Offered By: King Pragor

What they offer: Due to thorough research and ample debate, the reality that the Game of Castles is once again set upon the land of Limar as well as Tolmeria. The great scholars have proven that early kingdoms to tie themselves to Champions resulted in the best results. Avorth will open their cities, army, limited coffers, and work forces to you.

What they require outside of normalcy: The pegasus breeding program to be facilitated in Avorth Hold within 12 months.

Game of Castles Reward: Avorth has declared to the region of Tolmeria it is supporting Champion Adam of Castle Clear in the Game of Castles. 100,000 Lord Points if you accept.

Warning/Note: Avorth joined your cause, surprising most in the region. There is a reason for this that is clearly in the terms. They have liberated the female baby pegasus from the Hilloc nation, stirring a hornet’s nest. As with most deals, this one comes with catches.

Diplomacy becomes very difficult at this stage. Kings, regardless of species, do not leave the protection of their forces unless they have to. To finagle deals and help the flow of the Game of Castles, offers like this can be sent great distances for replies. The problem is, if you are the initiator, you must send a runner.

I glanced up to see time still moving. However, a youthful werecat rider arrived, handing Gardi a note. I stood there mulling over the implications, walking into my tent instead of helping prep stones for the wall. Dami’s eyes squinted, watching my change in behavior with concern.

To me, it just seemed odd to finally get diplomacy this way. I knew the rider was right there, but this was a massive deal. If I accepted, I’d have unfettered access to a large city and a war fund to make significant moves.

Sure enough, as soon as I entered the tent Asmi sat in a chair with his legs kicked up and time slowed to a standstill.

“What happened?” I asked.

Asmi grinned, tossing me a scroll. I unbound the parchment.

2 Pegasi per region on day 30.

10 Griffins per quadrant on day 300.

20 Dragons on Limar on day 1000.

“There are a hundred regions… How many quadrants?” I held up a hand. “Wait, I bet there are ten for the then champions per god to fight.”

He clapped with a small grin. “Very well done. And congratulations. In case you’re dense, they didn’t just send the intent of allying you to just you. This was a political master move, encouraged by some of the best scholars in the region and reinforced by stories told for you since you have found in their realm. The Avorth ambassadors for Estin, Seshkin, and yes Misho will all hear that the greatest warriors of the north back Lord Adam, the Champion of Barter!”

“This puts a giant bullseye on my back. Now that the others know I’m a Champion, what's to stop the Seshkin from raiding my city and selling me to Zeth in Urith?” I asked.

The handsome goblin crossed his boots, gazing at me with boredom. “Nothing. We, me in particular, loves this. A single scroll will drastically shake things up. King Pragor made a choice. If enemies abduct you and sell you, his kingdom falls or adapts. In a way, he swore to the gods to support you and he will. Assuming you accept.

“Some of his armies may rebel. Almost every kingdom has rebellious lords within it. That normally is caused by a poor effect; like killing the nobles to control more power, or stealing all the daughters for your concubines and the list goes on. This has defied my wildest expectations. And yes, you are now target number one because Prince Tarsin successfully stole the pegasus!”

“I wanted to rely on the Hillocs, not go to war with them,” I grumbled.

The god waved his hands about in a who cares fashion. “Come one, Adam. Think! Do you rationalize that the Hillocs made it known they were raising a fabled pegasus common knowledge?”

I snorted with a chuckle. “Fair, very fair. And admitting you lost it makes it worse. I suppose those flying creatures are here to help champions get between all these places in short order. It’s days to their outposts, weeks to their capitals,” I said. “There is so much to dissect here. If I’d known about distant diplomacy, I’d have done it sooner.”

“One thing at a time, but yeah, it’s been done this way for generations. Those old texts in the Avorth library would have told you.”

“I can’t be a bookworm.”

“Nope, you really can’t. However you need to work on your diplomacy. Distance… It is an issue, and it only gets worse. Eventually you’ll need to march for months to reach the next zone. Then again, overextending is terrible.”

Asmi waved a hand in irritation.

“I digress. As for how the rest of your diplomacy goes, you… I can’t say. I can say your decisive actions and growing military is spreading like wildfire. Not to mention you sacked an Estin city, spared the guards, left the populace alone, and simply removed a lord.

“Zeth’s exploits are different, but you’ll hear generalizations in reports if you dig and you should. Know thy enemy. He’s doing better than you in the sense he has finally secured his castle, he has troops behind the walls, and his enemies are licking their wounds. All knowledge you can get readily enough.”

“Zeth is this lord to the north I keep hearing about. You want us to fight.” My words were rhetorical and Asmi nodded. With a half-hearted sigh, I added, “But you want us to do it on a larger scale with politics and drama.”

“Of course we do! What fun is watching you stack stones and check traps for years. Don’t get me wrong, in family points, you’re in a much better position than your northern foe who’s been fighting and not exactly winning. Although there is another threat who is –” He paused, disappeared, then reappeared. “I said too much. I’ve actually got to go. Everything changes and new threats will -”

And he disappeared again.

Apparently Asmi liked to push the boundaries. If I had to guess, the God of Barter, who didn’t like bartering, was trying to make some deals to get out of trouble.

Time resumed and I felt a bit overwhelmed when the table flared to life with updates. Harmony, Rosa, and Dami came rushing into the tent with the scroll from the messenger. I unraveled it and let them read it. While they were enthralled with the update, I snuck a carrot out of my back pocket and handed it to Pela.

Her mother never noticed, but Dami did when Jennet barged into our tent being tempted to catch a carrot by a little girl. Of course, the instant she devoured the carrot, Pela returned to me with an open palm.

“It was you!” Harmony said, squinting at me with a playful smile. “Caught red handed.”

“Maybe,” I replied with a smirking shrug. “Uh, so, time to get serious. I accepted the diplomatic offer from Avorth. Dami, Harmony, I need you to go to Avorth.”

“Me?” Dami asked, stopping her attempts to shoo Jennet. “Why me?”

Harmony glanced at me, then Dami, then Pela. She failed to connect the dots. “What am I missing?”

“You’re going to Avorth to play politics. Sergeant Carr and the scouts will act as escorts. I have other plans for the army,” I said.

Rosa blurted, “Wait, what?”

I walked over to the table and brought up the agreement I’d yet to approve. Rosa frowned until she saw the big LP number at the bottom. Once that number registered, she plopped her but down to process it.

Harmony bit her lip with a deepening frown. “I think Dami is amazing, but send her with me?”

“On the face of things, she’s the heart of this castle and knows what it needs to make it a home more than anyone else, including staff. We bust our backs, which is fair, but a future mother of the champion's children will not be on her knees scrubbing stains out of stones while she’s pregnant. You need to help her acquire her own staff.”

“I… Well… I… Well…”

Rosa rubbed Dami’s back, stopping her. “Imposter syndrome is a thing. I had it when I first arrived in Brackenfell as the lord's accountant. Suddenly, everyone came to me. Dami, relax, breathe. You’ve got this. Your lord is making a request of you, you need to be strong.” Dami nodded from the encouragement. “Plus, you’re long overdue for an elevation.”

“Then what will I do?” Dami said, her face awash in confusion. “You may not enjoy it, but I find validation in ensuring we’re cared for without outside hands intruding into our lives.”

I pulled her in for a hug. “Dami, my darling. This was always going to happen.”

“I mean, it’s your castle to rule,” Dami said, sniffling a bit. “I just… Sorry. I’ll try my best to adapt but I still want to wash your clothes personally.” I chuckled. “And cook on occasion.”

We laughed a bit harder. “Of course. Stay busy, do important things to help this family, but let the poor people who want to work earn a decent wage, have a nice place to live in, and treat them fairly. That is part of it. We need to lift more than ourselves. It’s time we invested further in our home.

“And yeah, I want you to get some dresses and Harmony has all the connections for such items. In addition, I want it known, I’m not looking to expand my harem with just anyone for loyalty’s sake. I want to connect to people who want to be here. And while I appreciate their trust, I’m not going into the heart of Avorth just yet,” I said confidently.

Harmony’s eyes flared wide in understanding. “As my Lord commands, it shall be done. Should we stay and await your arrival, or return after a brief visit?”

“Stay for a month, then return home,” I commanded.

Rosa folded her arms glaring at me with squinting eyes. “Adam Clear, you better tell me what the hell you have planned before you leave me here for months on my own.”

“Not alone, but I’m going to war,” I said, pointing at the table. “I met with Asmi today, a few minutes before you girls came in. He didn’t give away a lot, but what he revealed did get me thinking. I have a competent competitor to the north that I’m going to have to deal with at some point. Plus, these last two weeks didn’t bring me closer to fielding a large army.”

“But it did. The actions may have taken a while to catch up, but they did make a difference. Improving the units you have is important, vitally so, and the Game of Castles agrees.” Rosa leaned over the table to activate our rewards for the improvements, and I had to admit, turning the trolls into an actual useful unit suddenly improved my military points by a lot. “Plus taking the time off provided stability the region needs. If you went on a mad rampage…”

“I’d have lost a lot of troops, pissed off the region, but gained a ton of profits. Profits, points, whatever you want to call the gains… matter. They matter a lot.”

“Okay, sure, can you expand on your plan!” Rosa pinched my ass. “My King.”

I chuckled, pointing at the results on the table from the Avorth offer. “This is more than we’ve ever seen before. It proves that in the short term, diplomacy goes a very long way. Which… I’m going to win the hearts of Estin’s most vital asset, it’s cavalry.”

“Wait what?” Harmony blurted, clearly not expecting this.

Dami giggled. “I love when they think they have you figured out and you surprise them. The two of them have a little game: predict what Adam will do. They both fail a lot.”

“I… What? And hey, I like playing,” Harmony said with a shrug. “You’re not going to get the pegasus Estin has, are you?”

“Oh shit. You’re raiding King Vardrin!” Rosa exclaimed.

I rolled my eyes, waving my hands down to calm them. While cute, and well-intentioned, they sure did have a way of expressing emotions better than me.

“You think they have a pegasus, but I have no idea if they do. The last rumor I heard was that it was in Seshkin land. No, my goal is not the pegasus, and if they have one, that’s a bonus. Hear me out,” I propositioned.

“Give me a moment to grab the tea I had,” Dami said.

I nodded in agreement, getting comfy while I waited. She returned, sipping on her baby potion drink. My meek smile mostly came from the fact that I was fairly certain we were doing everything right, and a baby would already arrive seeing as how she gossiped with the others about missing her period and she already had her bouts of morning sickness… likely making me a soon to be dad.

“You okay?” Rosa asked, glancing up from the table screen.

“Uh, yeah, where was I… Right. So, Estin. What grips it into cowering?” I asked.

Harmony huffed, letting Pela roam instead of trying to hold her down. “I’m not a spymaster, nor do I have access to those circles. All I can say is what is common knowledge. King Vardrin is not a coward, but he’s acting like one. Something or someone has him spooked.”

“Okay, that matches what Drefius has said. The Estin army stays secure. Hell, they didn’t even go after the hags once they knew the threats were real,” I said.

Dami slowly raised a finger. I nodded for her to says something, already telling her numerous time she didn’t need to do this, but she was who she was. “He knows.”

“Huh?” Harmony said.

“He knows the Game of Castles is upon us,” Dami said.

Rosa wagged a finger rapidly. “I wish I had that scholar here, but you know what, I agree. In the books of legend. If left alone, the rising threats will eventually demand combat. The brief passages I read said the sieges were brutal for the assailers, not the defenders.”

“Ah. He keeps it a secret that there is a champion in the area, both because he doesn’t know who yet and -”

“He may know now… Please continue,” Rosa said.

“And he doesn’t want to risk troops. He likely has more than enough food for a year or two of war. Plus, it wouldn’t shock me if centaur is edible in a pinch,” I said.

Harmony scrunched her face with a half-hearted gag. “Gross. Okay, King Vardrin is waiting to play defensive. You think he has the pegasus, and you want to ruin his plans?”

“Actually, I have no idea about the pegasus. I intend to usurp his throne with Drefius, placing my guy as the leader of the kingdom,” I said with a grin.

“What!” Harmony blurted.

I chuckled at her shock. “Galsi can ride out, take losses, expend good lives and win. Or he can be patient and manage his court. Regardless of what he does, I’m playing the Game of Castles. I don’t get level-up experience from diplomacy. Sure, I get rewards, but no levels. Killing Tolgar, while rewarding on a personal and financial level, was shit for my core levels. I need to continue to increase my personal prowess, becoming more and god-like.”

“And the rewards are great when you do things. Without your aggression, Avorth would have never sided. If you win Estin, Seshkin will likely broker terms of peace,” Harmony said with a wince. “However, my friend in Seshkin hasn’t replied, and she normally does. I keep receiving ravens without messages, which is very unusual.”

“I know both kingdoms like their secrets. If you go in there with your chest puffed out and your banner flying high, it won’t end well,” Rosa warned.

After I slowly leaned back in my chair, I said, “I’m going to go in disguise as an officer for Drefius. He’ll run the show, recruiting knights to our cause. I’ll get a quality sword, fancy armor, and a stallion worth a fortune. Then we’ll grab quests and profits with a blade in hand, exactly how the Gods want it to be done.”

“It’s either stupid or genius. I definitely see the merit in getting Lord Points and experience. Not that you need to get any bigger, I struggle to walk right most mornings,” Harmony said, earning a giggle from Dami and Rosa.

I thought going on the offensive undercover was a decent path forward, and I wanted to give it a try. “Keep the trolls at home and pay to get them in elite gear. Ramp up hiring, especially from Avorth. Let them get the lion share of our recent rewards to help fuel their economy while the others stagnate.”

“Devious. I like it,” Rosa said with Harmony nodding in approval. “But Adam, I know you have a plan, but I feel like this is a great time for you to upgrade Golem.”

“Soon. Very soon. This windfall needs to go into securing our home and improving our troops. I need to get back out there so I can upgrade golem and more,” I said, kissing their heads one at a time. “I’ll be home as soon as the centaurs are gone.”

There were a bit of sappy goodbyes that I honestly cherished. I liked feeling loved and needed. In this case, I just had to hope my decisions wouldn’t cost me a few months of peace. I definitely figured I could have taken no risks and maybe, just maybe gotten the edge on Zeth. With this plan, I’d be risking it all with the dream of becoming a powerhouse in time for his arrival.

Chapter

Thirty-Nine

ASHFIELD

A New Quest Chain!

“What’d yer mother feed ya?” the fairy said with a southern drawl.

I glanced down at the blacksmith, noting the burn marks on his flesh from years of working around molten metal. He seemed the sort of fellow that wanted to toil in his smith instead of being anywhere else. He also lacked tact, but I didn’t mind his blunt jab. I had to give him credit, the creations he made were exactly as Drefius said - astounding.

“Corn. Lots of corn,” I replied, drawing back my hood.

“Hate corn. But ya didn’t come to chat about momma’s meals did ya.” He pointed with his head to the door at the back of the minimalistic display portion of his shop. “It’s done, come try it on,” Asmond said, leading me toward where the magic happened.

For seven days we rode hard from Castle Clear to Ashfield, deep within the Estin Kingdom. While we didn’t stop in Brackenfell, we did pass by it with Drefius dropping a hefty sum of silver off to Ban with strict orders to spend it upgrading his town. We never visited another town, camping in the woods instead.

When we did enter Ashfield, I did so wearing Drefius’ helmet and armor. Up to this point, the only person who saw my face without a deeply drawn hood or a cage of metal with eye slits was Asmond the Smith. Well, besides the unit. Two days ago, I visited, and picked out a set of brown armor with orange flames in it that stood apart from the rest.

The engravings within the armor were truly something unique and even though the set was worth a full unit of knights, I needed to play the part. My plan involved me having a lot of leeway with a hidden identity in Estin. I wanted others to assume I was either a traveling hedge knight or a scorned lord looking for redemption through helping Drefius.

This armor sold that lie perfectly well.

Everyone who knew anything about me knew I used a bow. Due to my enhanced attributes, I figured I could adjust. And yes, I tested my abilities before leaving The Clear Isle. While sloppy, I could hold a lance and swing a sword with enough power that others could only dream about.

During my trip to the smithy section of Ashfield, I purchased a few javelins to go with an excessively heavy one-sided scimitar. The curved blade weighed almost as much as Pela and the seller said it was meant for slaughtering farm animals with a single overhead chop. I definitely could feel the heft from the thick metal. My goal was to have the weapon avoid getting stuck, unlike lances, which were just slightly longer spears on Limar.

I followed him into the back until we arrived in a separate workshop with no furnace. On a wooden stand with protruding pegs rested something I thought I’d never wear - a thick casing of metal. My fingers ran over the armor, taking in the intricacies.

Asmond said he was feeling… different when he crafted the gear, experiencing a bout of broodiness. As a guy in construction, I could resonate with that a little. Not nearly having the freedom he had, but I did know my mood affected the results of my labors. I bought it on the spot, requested a few measurement alterations and paid extra to have it all changed out quickly to meet my current frame.

Cavin, one of the knights who sacked Brackenfell with me, helped me dress in my armor quickly. It took more than one person to put on, but once the armor coated my body, I felt invincible. Since I’d been hooded the whole time, I dawned the helmet right there in the shop.

“Discretion,” I said, eying Asmond before I set another coin on the table.

The old smith scoffed. “I don’t even know who you are, but if anyone asks, a street rat picked the armor up. Now get out of my shop, I’ve got work to do.”

I nodded, following Asmond out a side door. The armor clanged slightly but nothing too drastic. This set was never meant to enhance stealth, but it sure heated my skin up quickly. I grunted, finding Drefius outside the back door in an alley that connected to the main road.

The Viscount wore his armor with his helmet dangling from his hip. He navigated to a massive brown stallion that was a hand taller than his, turning the steed so I could mount it. In the street, the rest of our party lingered, waiting on me. Our knight numbers blossomed to fourteen with Drefius’ banner fluttering from his stallion. Flowing behind the nights were a dozen squires in light armor with hunting bows.

To everyone else, especially the new guys, I was a random hedge knight who swore an oath to campaign with the Viscount. A campaign that all but wrote itself, too. The job boards were littered with quests no one was taking because the enemy weren’t idiots for once.

“It’s amazing what having infinite funds can buy,” Drefius said quietly, inspecting my armor. He held Drago, the stallion we bought for me in place of Marco. While Marco was nice, I continued to weigh more in addition to the armor. I shoved a boot in a stirrup without responding. Of course, since the armor was new to me, I struggled on my first attempt to get into the saddle. “Are you sure this is what you want to do, young lad?”

“Ha! We’re well beyond that point?” I said dryly.

Drefius slid his helmet on. “It’s… Well, Estin doesn’t view you favorably. Count Daro sent a runner, asking if I’d take a mission to scout the south. No one wanted the job because there are necromancers, hags, and bandits. You, me… we’re the bandits he wants information on.”

“I suppose. Surprised none of the guards connected the dots to who you were,” I said.

Drefius snickered. “A night time raid with hoods drawn and an ogre. Those were the things that stood out. Not the random soldiers who helped keep the peace. Anyway, going out to those plains, well, this will be saving those who dislike you.”

He walked over to a section of wall where he bound his mount’s lead. I waited for him to unhitch his stallion and hop into the saddle. We departed the alley with a slow trot toward the city’s exit before continuing our conversation. Once we were on the road, we waited for the rest of the team to mount.

The locals were in peasant clothing for the most part, working extensive fields during dusk and dawn. When it grew too hot or dark, they sought refuge, finding Ashfield a nice place to shelter.

Count Daro proved to be a dutiful lord, keeping his slums clean, his streets well-guarded, and his people in line. Where he failed was outside these walls beyond the horizon. I never intended to break into Estin City, capture the pegasus, and flee with it, because for all I knew, it was with the pirate or the centaurs.

No, my plan was far more sinister with a slow burn to it that would set the region ablaze.

“Regardless of optics, we marshal our forces, Drefius,” I said with a grunt. The man raised his flag, dipping it ten degrees forward so the unit trotted forward to keep pace. We formed two neat rows of armored horses, ready to take the battle to the enemy. “I find bribery only goes so far and sometimes actions make a world of difference.”

“I… Yes, my Lord,” Drefius said with a dip of his helm. “These people, and I, thank you.”

Behind us the knights and squires increased the clomp of hooves on stones, creating a racket. My funding made this possible, a fact he let me know he was grateful for. We didn’t say much more, trotting our horses towards the distant gate. People left their front doors to stand on porches or leaned out windows.

A unit of heavy cavalry marched down the middle of Ashfield, heading out to reclaim some of the lost land. Centaurs infested the northern and now western plains, even being so bold as to raid Hilloc and Avorth territory.

Before we exited the gate, a quest danced in my vision, bobbing with the jostle of being in a saddle.

Quest: Liberate the farms around Ashfield.

The Mission: A herd of centaurs have fallen upon the Tolmeria Plains. They are quick to support their fellow communities in defensive posturing as well as expanded raiding. Once a nomadic people, the centaurs have turned from banditry to conquest. Cleanse the region of them to establish Estin dominance.

Reward: 5,000 Lord Points.

Reward: 20,000 Influence Points to King Vardrin, since you’re solving his biggest problem in court. 500 IP awarded to the common soldier and mercenary of Estin. 1,000 IP awarded to the farmers and residents who detest the lack of response to the incursion.

Optional Reward: Kill - instead of scare away - centaurs for a variety of rewards.

Quest assigned by: King Vardrin.

I grinned, loving it when a plan came together. While it was still early, the amount of adventure ahead would only compound, and with the violence, I may just gain another castle to my budding empire. This all assumed I’d survive fighting outnumbered and without support.

As I rode under that portcullis, earning nods of respect from the guards, I wondered if Rosa was right to warn me about this mission.

Chapter

Forty

THE FARMFIELDS of Ashfield

A Challenger Arises!

“I don’t get it,” I admitted, staring down at the trail.

Cormith Commune, the little settlement of seven buildings that huddled together around expansive farm fields lay in ruins. No defenses were established, no centaurs brandished weapons at our arrival, and it looked like no one had been here in a week.

“Lord Daro made it very clear. No civilians outside the gates, period,” Drefius said.

“Yeah, I know, I know. But look.” I pointed to where there should be tracks. “This is totally off.”

The viscount snorted. “I’m a cavalryman, not a scout. This looks like they ran to Ashfield to me.”

“No… They were dragged out during a rainstorm. Look at the level smears then the kicks. These were live people being dragged in that direction.” I pointed into the woods. “Ashfield is behind us.”

Drefius caught on. “There are people to rescue.”

“The Hedge Knight is correct,” Alvrod said.

Of all the knights, he wore the lightest armor and carried a hunting bow. My bows were left at home, ready for my next adventure, and it was nice to have a talented hunter with us. For now, I guided Drago onto the trail, determined to see where it led. We didn’t need to have a long conversation about where to go next, or some sort of in depth plan; whatever sacked this village of twenty residents would likely fall to our might.

I knew this was a bit optimistic, but I did have confidence in our unit. The twenty of us peeled away from the ruined village, moving with a purpose. No curious kid had to ask what did this, or where we were going, or how many survivors there were. Everyone knew something bad happened and we’d figure out the ‘who what and why’ soon enough.

We rode for the next few hours with weapons drawn. While I didn’t favor a lance, I did attach a customary buckler on my left arm. My left fist gripped the saddle’s horn, and in my right, I readied a javelin, prepared to throw at whatever came out.

The roar of a waterfall arrived as a slight trickle, growing louder with each passing second. Beside the dragged bodies, I couldn’t find a damned track to identify who the culprits were; centaurs were hefty creatures with tons of weight, and it was almost like whoever did this either flew or walked with a wider stance and a light touch.

Alvrod rode his horse beside mine, cutting me off slightly. “See those dots?” He pointed with an arrow towards a crisp hole off the side of the worn trail.

“Walking stick?” I guessed.

“Or maybe a spear with a thin end, makes sense at first glance, but if you get down, there’s cross pressure. Whoever is using it is pushing this way, towards the waterfall. On that side of the path over there, it's the other way, but whatever it is, it’s not a walking stick or spear, too close together,” Alvrod said, his head on a swivel as he watched our surroundings.

“Legs?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know.” He sucked in a reserved breath. “Whatever it is. It’s not normal.” The hesitation in his voice bordered on fear.

I glanced around the otherwise peaceful forest with a midday shine. The howl of the breeze into my helmet was replaced by the waterfall’s thunder. I slid out of Drago’s saddle, looking back at the tracks the big guy made; they were deep, even with the dry weather.

Something definitely didn’t make sense beside one thing - where the kicking people were dragged to.

In an effort to stay low and quiet, I crab walked towards the pincer hole. Then it hit me between the eyes as I remembered having drunken crab races back in high school. The divots lined up perfectly with a crab.

I shot to my feet in understanding. “These are about a foot apart.”

“Right. Way too shallow to be a walking stick.”

“Uh, I’m not from this region, so excuse me for asking an odd question,” I admitted.

He dipped his head in understanding. “Not many wandering knights are.”

“Sorry, I should be specific. Are there giant crabs capable of this with eight legs that -”

“Fuck…” Alvrod muttered, making some sort of connection.

Instead of sharing it with me, he shifted his horse to Drefius. The duo held hushed talks for a few minutes until the man brought his stallion next to mine. Drefius kept his helmet on but hopped out of the saddle to stand next to me.

“Back in the days of legends, soldier ants plagued anywhere they could fester. They’re feral, angry, and they use those they capture for slave labor until the workers die. Then they become food. Or so Alvrod says, I’ve never been a fan of reading,” Drefius said with a shrug.

I withdrew my sword, grunting from the heft. “I want those people.”

“In this, fair chap, we agree. However, I’m shite with a sword. If a brave soul goes into their hole, that fellow needs to be able to cleave chitin with ease,” Drefius said in a playful way.

“Okay, uh, I got this,” I said half-heartedly. “Probably.”

Drefius held up a finger. “Take Cavin and Ranoe, they’re good knights on foot and they know who you are, understanding to let you be the hero so they can go home. Can I promise a bonus?”

“Yeah, of course. Live or die, a bonus regardless,” I said. “But… I do worry about how this is an issue here and not the centaurs.”

“Those bloody horses are hard to understand,” he huffed in frustration, “especially now. Let me get the lads. Probably not the worst idea to scout ahead while we make ready. The rest of us knights will wait near the hive’s entrance for an ambush spot if you draw out too many.”

I dipped my head in agreement and he returned the gesture before fading into the mix of horses. I tied up Drago, chucked my javelins onto my back with the front band across my body and strapped on my backup sword. I figured I might need a few daggers, rope, fire, water, and the such so I prepared my satchel that was an awfully lot like a big purse.

Did I feel like I brought a bunch of unnecessary stuff? Yeah, sorta. In the end, I shrugged it off, trying my best to be stealthy in my extensive armor and supplies.

I crept forward at a decent speed, knowing that I wasn’t going to fool anyone, and the waterfall was super loud. When I reached the tree line’s edge, I understood why the water was almost deafening.

The drop came from at least a hundred feet up and fell onto exposed rocks.

Without a doubt, those boulders were fresh. Not only had the ants, assuming that was who did this, been digging, they dug so thoroughly they filled in what was likely a deep lake.

I groaned right as Cavin and Ranoe arrived.

We couldn’t talk even if I wanted to, so I led them right up to the side of the waterfall. The dragging tracks stopped when a small stream ran over the trail. I had to slowly step in the muck for a few paces until I cleared the overflow of water.

Cascading torrents sprayed sideways, pelting my armor with repeated strikes. I hurried faster until I reached the backside of the fountain. A misshapen pile of rocks stayed on the left, causing the water to smack into it with fallen trees used as ramps for new rocks. On the distant side, the part I couldn’t see earlier, fresh dirt lay in piles that the spray chipped away at.

I didn’t see any of the creatures, but I did admire their handiwork. The ramps were neat, the piles out of the way, and the water that splashed back entered a nice trough to roll into the cavernous entrance. Flickering torches from deep down slightly whipped about, adjusting to the air currents being sucked down.

“No guards,” I muttered, a bit unhappy.

After a dozen steps, I reached the cavern’s proper entrance. Shadows cast high from the torches revealed two moving bodies that shifted higher. I backed up a few paces, set down my extra gear, and waited.

A few seconds later, a female centaur arrived with twin buckets draped over her horse torso. She was nude, battered, bruised, and based on her face, utterly defeated. Or… tired. The thing was, her eyes were glazed over and she almost moved about in a half-trance.

Driving her on with a whip dragging at his side was an ant-human hybrid. The chitin monster didn’t mesh with the rest of Limar in the sense of being of the fairer species. Instead the ant was an ant, just with a chitin upper torso with arms and a lower body the size of a horses’.

The centaur saw us first, dumping her load to bolt. The ant didn’t hesitate, raising his whip with a jerk and a sudden snap. The long strip of leather wrapped her chest in a lock. He yanked back with more power than a horse… which was impressive.

Of course, I didn’t sit still and gawk. I crossed the distance between us with two long strides and chopped down as if I were Conan himself. The blade connected inward of the right shoulder with a solid crack. It parted rough exterior, slipping through chitin with ease.

The hefty blade continued down until it reached the ant portion of the body.

“Damn… I like this sword,” I said with a grunt.

The centaur lady tried to run away but the ant’s hand was frozen to his whip and she failed to pull free. Unfortunately for her, I grabbed the whip first, then chopped the hand off second. When I gently tugged, she hung her head in sadness, following my lead.

Cavin and Ranoe watched the tunnel for threats, shifting when I pointed with the blade to pick up the dead ant fellow. They nodded in reply as I led her around towards the outside air.

Drefius and the rest of the men waited on the edge of the woods, eager to help as planned earlier. Instead of bringing them a bunch of warriors to fight, I dragged a haggard prisoner who looked like she might die of exhaustion. The knights were professionals, readying water, small amounts of food, and healing potions.

She wouldn’t be free, but she would be treated better than before. I left her in their hands, returning to find the body and buckets gone. It was almost like nothing ever happened besides a splash of water where someone cleaned up the blood.

The logical thing to do was to wait and keep slaughtering the ants who brought their prisoners up. Honestly, I loved that idea. I really did, even though it presented a problem. Time was tight and surprise was everything. Eventually these ants would figure out I was up to no good.

It didn’t take a genius to rationalize that killing their queen was probably my best bet.

“Quest,” I whispered.

Surprise Quest Line: Eradicate the Anthril Colony.

The Mission: Limar changes in ways no lord or lady could predict and the Anthril are a part of that alteration. The King of the Anthril Colony is a mighty warrior most should fear. He uses breeder Anthril females to inject eggs into any female species. This rapidly expands his colony, changing the normal dynamic of a queen being the sole baby producer. The King is feral, knowing nothing besides the glory of his colony, and when he dies, so does his brood.

Reward: 10,000 Lord Points for the King’s removal. Upon his death, the rest of the colony will rapidly decay and turn to dust.

Reward: 20,000 Influence Points to the entire Tolmeria Region of all factions. The only good anthril is a dead one.

Optional Reward: Kill Anthril workers and soldiers before killing their king for a variety of rewards.

Quest assigned by: Game of Castles.

“Ha! A harem ant colony, patriarchy at its finest. The centaur seemed to be free spirited. Can I cure them? The prisoners?”

Yes. Only the females were enthralled by the King Anthril. Upon his death, they’ll lose any implantations and be free of his pull.

“Kill the king ant, it removes the threat, treat the survivors. Sounds easy enough,” I said, still unable to be heard by the others.

The system never responded, and I accepted the quest, hurrying back to the nest’s exit. Flickering shadows changed the lighting dynamic and I knew someone approached. I didn’t need to wave Cavin or Ranoe into place since they already hugged the wall.

We waited patiently in ambush with each second building the tension. I just wanted them to hurry up when I felt like it was taking too long.

When the suspense ended, what exited the ant tunnel surprised me. Instead of slaves or drones, two large ants who held short spears cautiously stepped forward. Apparently, rinsing the blood into the trough was a bad idea because it sent a scent down into the anthill.

Both of the soldiers studied the spot where I killed the slaver drone for about half a second. Antenna shifted toward me when I surged forward. The thick curved blade parted the top half of the nearest ant soldier with a single swipe.

A spear clanged off my chest, hitting with enough impact to numb the point of impact. The loud ring briefly pierced the waterfall’s roar.

I shifted forward faster than expected with a right twirl.

Before the remaining ant soldier could land a second blow, my blade dug deep into the torso. A visceral green fluid oozed out, dripping onto the cavern floor. The soldier’s upper torso twisted unnaturally with eyes wide in horror.

He’d dropped his weapon to inspect the grievous wound, forgetting me altogether. When I yanked the blade free, he collapsed without a cry or shriek. Eventually, the soldier ant chittered in confusion, not pleading for mercy or trying to save himself.

He more or less was absorbed in his self-induced shock of no longer being useful to the colony. I granted him a quick end by lopping off his head with a powerful blow. A thick stream of bug blood entered the downhill drain, further exacerbating my issue of keeping my antics hidden.

In a rush, I scooped up my extra gear and charged down the tunnel, knowing that any element of surprise faded with every additional second that passed by. The colony sensed danger, sent two warriors up, and now I needed to figure out where the king nested before they truly understood how much trouble they were in.

The down sloping tunnel led to a T intersection with a massive boulder causing the end point. A torch flickered both options along with different illuminations coming from bends. The timing was off, which meant that the paths didn’t reconnect around the boulder.

I grunted, unhappy to enter a maze without a yellow icon to guide me. Not everything was lost though. One direction carried the water in a V etched in the stone while the other remained dry.

Cavin arrived first with Ranoe staying up top. I wasn’t sure if I should take him with me, having to make a hasty decision. Honestly, I figured a year of planning wouldn’t help for diving into a mysterious subterranean lair.

On pure instinct, I paused him.

“That waterfall was so loud,” Cavin grumbled.

“These things are tough, real tough. Stay up with Ranoe and let Drefius know I’m going down. Oh, and it’s a king, not a queen who rules down here and he needs females of any other species to grow his colony,” I said with a hiss.

“Alright, if we don’t hear from you for a day or so, we’ll fall back to Ashfield. I think you’ll be fine killing the king though,” Cavin said, spinning to head back up the incline.

And just like that, I left behind my only backup. Rosa would probably be screaming at me for going solo, but there wasn’t any room for two knights to be swinging swords in the confined space anyway.

What there was room for was Golem, so I immediately summoned the quirky creation.

The mana sucked out of my core, coursed through my body, and splattered onto the gritty tunnel surface. The watery creation slowly grew until he reached up to my shoulders. His leveling continued to impress me even if he was the basic model of my magic.

With a simple thought, I asked him to purify the water of the ant blood. His body slurped over the channel, pulling bits of green back upstream. The sight of him struggling told me everything I needed to know: the ichor had already gone too far.

“Eh, stop for now. Go ahead of me to be bait but use legs so you can run. Follow the water to replenish what you shed from the sloshing,” I commanded.

He made a few gestures, and while he didn’t actually say anything, the magical connection let me know that siphoning water would only help a little, he’d get smaller as time passed no matter what.

“It is what it is, and I trust you’ll do your best,” I said, following in his wake.

We rushed down the corridor, diving deeper into the planet. For a good five, maybe six minutes, we ran around curves in a somewhat spiral downslope. Clearly the ant king or whoever engineered this place didn’t want a steep drop but wanted to get way below the surface. Every third turn or so, a torch flickered, and it was on the fourth one or so I noticed they were magically enhanced.

I grunted, unable to do anything else than to try to beat whatever defenses this king readied for me. I did notice that the deeper we went, the more raw and recent the carvings against the tunnel’s walls were.

After what felt like forever, we suddenly came to an exit.

At the base of the ramp a natural cavern stretched for a good distance, reaching so far, it was hard to judge the depth. In the middle of the immense space, a dais rose above the hard gritty floor. A somewhat handsome humanoid being stood on two legs, missing the torso of an ant on his back half.

He wore robes much like a magician would, rising to his feet upon my arrival. Around him, thirty or so ant soldiers and workers sought to protect their king. To the right, twenty citizens of Estin rested in a large cage, not too different from how we penned sheep, just with higher walls and a roof. Besides that, female centaurs lay in hay. Each of them had this gleam to their eyes, much like the female above had.

“Help!” a man croaked from the edge of his cage.

A nearby worker unleashed a whip, reared back, and sent the weapon into the holding cell. It nailed an older werecat man in the jaw, shattering the bone. When he tumbled in a roll, I caught sight of the double stockade racks the females were secured in for breeding. One for the head and wrists, another for the hips.

I grimaced with a righteous fury at the sight.

The king and his entourage burst into laughter at the werecat’s pain. Their chorus died suddenly when I surged into a sprint. Sure, they were at least a football field away, and yes, they outnumbered me thirty to one, but I didn’t slow down one bit.

I carried the blade down and to the right, just above the uneven terrain. The balls of my feet gripped the rugged cavern floor just right, letting me become something more than human. The inner champion within thrummed through my body with a tingling excitement.

I wanted to kill, I wanted to bring retribution, and a few meager soldiers and workers with whips didn’t faze me in the slightest. The King’s hands swirled in vibrant patterns, bringing a coalescence of oranges and reds.

With each lunge, my speed increased, closing the distance at a surreal pace.

“Golem!” I bellowed, shifting to vary my run with hops left and right.

Whips unfurled, snapping back with high arcs as dominating ants sought to strike me down. I knew I couldn’t stop them all or even dodge most of them. Those weapons were uncanny in their accuracy when in the hands of a master wielder.

When they cracked forward, the thick metal armor pinged with intense impacts, sending jarring stings coursing through my body. I grunted through the pain, increasing my speed while thanking the Gods that the metal held.

The King unleashed a fireball with a fearsome roar with a mouthful of unnaturally jagged teeth.

A blast of fire magic whooshed out of his hands, turning the dimly lit cavern into a dazzling brightness. The inferno swirled into a tightening spin, not too different from a launched arrow.

I didn’t duck, roll, or dodge, sprinting harder than ever before to close the final distance.

Golem slapped an arm to my back, created tension with his elastic body, and then rocketed forwards. Sure, he was just a glob of soft skinned water, but in this case, the blue creation was glorious when he raced ahead of me to greet the enemy's magic.

The intense fireball slammed into Golem with enough force to eviscerate the poor little fella. While he died for the day, he extinguished the fireball.

I sprinted through the steamy exhaust that billowed at the collision point, erupting into a long lunge to reach the platform. A soldier stood in the way, raising a feeble wooden spear with resolute courage.

I tucked my small shield tight against my body, barely touched down onto the platform, and let the wood splinter on the thick metal.

The shield had no problems exploding the flimsy wooden weapon into a shower of splinters. Additional whips lanced out snapping against my armor. I ignored it all, knowing only one foe mattered.

The King!

He tried to conjure a second spell when I reached him. With my shield still lowered to help defend against the enemy, I bulldozed into him with a jarring crack. Honestly, I definitely should have done more training with my raw strength because I hit him with so much kinetic energy, he shot off the ground.

While the king soared for the distance, I stumbled from the tremendous impact.

“Damn,” I grunted, eager to chase after my prey.

Not even a second after I recovered, a whip wrapped my waist. A second then third tendril of leather bound my upper torso. I bunched my knees, roared out a battle cry at the swarm, and…

Ran away.

I dragged them for a bit until two of the three lost three grips and I dragged the third. The colony wanted to swarm me, and the King rolled on the ground in agony. Whatever spell he failed to cast no longer danced on his fingertips, giving me an opening.

Cracks and clangs pinged off my back armor from the desperate horde trying to slow my inevitable assault. I only became more galvanized, eager to kill this infestation of the land. The Anthril blight needed to die with this smug asshole’s death, and I roared out in anger.

The mage raised his hands at my rapid approach, hacking specks of blood with each breath. My impact, and the subsequent tumble would likely prove fatal if untreated. I didn’t want to wait for the mortal wound to take its sweet time, lunging the final distance with an overhead chop.

“Asmorkis!” the ant hissed from his knees.

Those were his final words before the hefty scimitar split his skull down the middle.

I slid to a halt, glancing over my shoulder. The colony of soldiers and workers didn’t turn to dust like I hoped. They ran right towards me while I kicked their king’s corpse off my blade.

A few thoughts ran through my mind, none greater than to get distance between me and those soldiers. While I knew my armor was awesome, my weapon a cleaving menace, and my strength superior, I wasn’t a swordsman. Up to this point I’d just brute strengthened everything, not really doing anything with finesse.

And so I peeled away from the body, running deeper into the cavernous opening. The workers outpaced their soldier brethren, eager to rip me to shreds. About five minutes into my flight, the closest worker raised his hand back to crack his whip.

Mid-motion of cocking his arm back, his weapon drifted higher into the air and he burst into a million flecks of dust.

“Sweet fucking Jesus,” I said, ignoring the flaring warnings that I was over exerting myself.

I slid to a stop with a back pop and heavy breaths. One by one, the colony’s warriors and drones turned to dust. None of them gave up, pushing hard to reach me even if they knew their doom loomed.

When the final warrior neared, I raised my blade to strike. He puffed into dust with his spear clattering to my feet. Out of habit, I began collecting every bit of loot. Eventually I had to drop piles on my slow trip back to the prisoners.

They begged, whined, and pleaded for their freedom. Not only did I listen, I helped them one at a time, never rushing them or their freedom. I gave everyone a few sips of my healing potion and followed it up with a few gulps of water.

Right when I was ready to start helping the centaurs, a hesitant Drefius popped his head into the cavern.

“Wow, where’d they go?” the Viscount asked, trying to find the dead enemies. “I see their weapons, but not their bodies.”

“The Gods smited them after sending their son,” a cagey old female fairy said.

Drefius grinned under his helmet. “Nan, you’re quite right. How about we bring the lads and horses down here for the night, have a nice fire and some food before we set off for Ashfield.”

“I’m not your grannie, but thank you Sire,” she replied.

I pulled Drefius aside, folding my arms at the sight of the huddled people. Hell, even the centaurs were stockaded and in need of salvation.

“So close to home,” I said.

“Yeah, it is. This shall reflect poorly on King Vardrin when I bring in all these saved people.” Drefius folded his arms only to wave in more troops behind him. “We have our work cut out for us. Are you going to try to get them to join you at The Clear Isle?”

“The slaves, yes. We will say you already have a buyer down south. If someone wants to overpay, sure, but I need workers, they want to live, and I feed my people well, regardless as to what they started as,” I said.

“Sage words, my Lord. I just worry that the King’s Court will be in turmoil when they hear of our success,” Drefius said.

It was my turn to grin. “Then we shall become legends of the field, bringing our wrath to the infestation while proving King Vardrin is wrong. Hopefully it shakes up the dynamic.”

“That and more. That and more,” Drefius prophesied.

Isabel Chapter 1

Castle Estin Throne Room - City of Estin

But I’m just a Princess!

“Izzy!” The booming voice pulled her from her reports, books, and notes.

Isabel couldn’t help but become lost in the raw data they’d once figured was nonsense. Sure, over time a few scholars studied the ancient text, but to most, the time was so distant and lost, it seemed irrelevant. Why study drastic changes on a maybe? And so the legends dwindled, only to be relit every few generations when a perfectly normal occurrence reared its ugly head.

But now…

Nothing was right.

Isabel knew this as did the king’s advisors and the King himself. Limar stirred with a festering that could only be the Game of Castles, and with it, chaos was unleashed. A chaos that rampaged through the lands with little rhyme or reason besides to be chaotic. To a king, this was wholly unacceptable, disturbing the natural order. To a scholar like herself, it proved to be insanely infuriating because providing answers was not something she could do with most of the questions her lord asked.

“Izzy.” The growl was more worrisome than the booming shout.

“Yes Father,” Isabel replied, sliding her chair back to stand.

She’d completely zoned out on her work, seeing diplomats from Avorth standing before the king. Isabel missed their arrival, and whatever caused the King, and them, to become flush in the face.

“Pegasi, what do we know about them?” King Vardrin asked.

Her father was young for a king, inheriting the throne when his mother and father died mysteriously on a trip to the north. It was a simple getaway, a hidden affair meant to be a short vacation. And yet, they perished, leaving their young son to be king with an uncle as the steward. That meant at fourteen he started wedding older ladies in waiting, having a slew of children not long after.

Her mother, much like herself, was a very lovely wolfkin who hailed from the royal blood lines in Seshkin. The Queen stared down at her with worry, providing Isabel enough warning that the situation was exceedingly tense.

“They arrive during the Game of Castles. Same with tamed griffins and wild dragons, but those follow later. The pegasi will be the most numerous of the flying creatures that befall the land. A pair is meant for every champion to quest for. They’re never in one location or a central point, making their discovery rewarding. Which, I don’t necessarily agree with. The texts state the Champions tend to award their most loyal supporters with maintaining such magnificent creatures,” Isabel said, folding her hands in front of her stomach.

The court hung on her words. Ever since the hags arrived, her nose had been pressed into the tomes of old with Isabel sleeping in the library most nights. She simply compiled the most comprehensive data out of all the scholars in the kingdom, and not out of desperation, but out of desire.

And just like most situations she dealt with, not everyone cared for her opinion. In this case, a wrinkly old man with robes two times too big from him ignored her.

“Yes, yes, we know of this. How is yours doing?” Ambassador Iman asked.

His question was pointed at the King or the five Queens who enveloped the podium. Yes, she knew that she held no sway over the court besides for brief interactions. She was born with small breasts and curvy hips, never earning the true admiration her brothers did. Izzy did have a spine though, and since she stood, facing the diplomat they were on the brink of war with, she fielded his question.

“We don’t have one,” Isabel replied flatly and without hesitation. “You do, but you support the regional champion. We. Do. Not.” Her mother’s jaw dropped, her father scowled, the ambassador grinned, and an advisor at her side gasped at her strong words. She clearly overstepped the boundaries as a ninth daughter to the king. “Not yet anyway.”

“Oh… I do love my time in Estin. Always delightful. Can you expand on the ‘not yet’?” Ambassador Iman asked.

“You push my patience,” King Vardrin said with a grunt. In a surprise move, he softened, looking at her in a way she remembered fondly from her childhood. Love. He so rarely was able to spend time with his children, but she could see his pride. “Answer the ambassador, I’m curious as well.”

Isabel was well aware the entire court, all hundred plus people in the room, glued their eyes to her. She was a forgotten daughter who loved her books more than anything else, and for the most part, avoided galas, balls, and people in general.

She cleared her throat, rubbing her fingers together to help with the wave of anxiety washing through her. Then it dawned on her how to reply. She snatched an old tome off the desk with a prideful smile. Isabel swept the book over the table she sat at with the twenty other advisors.

“This board of advisors is resolute on waiting inside our walls for the chaos to unfold until the land adjusts. Time, and time again, the texts of old have advocated for the rulers of the lands to be passive and defensive during the trying times when the Game of Castles starts. They advise this because the more active a nation is, the more attention it draws from both the Champion and the Game’s monsters,” Isabel proclaimed.

She wagged the text in her hand, having the crowd watch her intently.

“This was written by King Fara, the ruler of what used to be the whole region. He said everyone should stay within their walls to allow the Champion a chance to gain glory from the gods in the Game of Castles.”

Isabel set down the tome and waved a single report.

Her voice raised, booming across the grand hall. “This says he is outside our walls, laying waste to the Tolmerian horrors the Game of Castles generate. Our dear King may know this, he may not, but our Champion, yes ours, is with Viscount Drefius, I’d stake my life on it. He is saving our lands because he needs to, or else he will lose to his opponent in the early rounds of war.

“We know the Avorth Court finds him noble. The people who work with the bandits by the swamps find him reliable and caring. The Hilloc die for him. Our knights removed a troublesome leader for him. He trades fairly, he pays in full, and he does what no one else wants to do, sacrifice for the great people of Tolmeria. Champion Adam is a hero that this court needs. That Estin needs. That Avorth needs. That Seshkin,” she spat the word out, “rejects.”

Isabel finished by taking her seat. She’d never given a rousing or profound speech before, and she didn’t consider this to be one. She spoke with her heart, wanting to return to her studies. Unable to help herself, she scanned the chaotic court.

A chorus of debate erupted through the halls, but one person winked at her…

Her father.

After an exchanged smile, her face returned to the reports.

While the court continued to talk about how crazy this notion was, some definitely didn’t disagree with it. Over the next ten minutes, the merits of her argument that the Champion was with Drefius fizzled, becoming more and more about whether or not Estin held the pegasi.

Finally, Ambassador Fenix rose from his seat in the side bleachers, being announced onto the floor. The Seshkin Ambassador eyed her with disdain as he strode onto the shiny wooden dancing area to stand before the King and Queen.

“My Lord, Ladies,” Ambassador Fenix said, nodding to each of her mothers. The ambassador was a lizardkin, and while he was pretty normal to her, his presence always irked the court due to the status of his birth. “The Misho Pirates have the pegasi. Just ask them.”

Again the court erupted into a frenzy Isabel spent her life ignoring. She returned to her studies, becoming engrossed in past tales of battle. A whole lot of battle. The Gods demanded blood and it ran through the planet as if the soil needed to drink the souls of the vanquished.

She jotted notes, rarely looking up. That changed when she found the sun long gone, the candles flickered, and the advisors retired for the night. King Vardrin cleared his throat in that habitual way he liked to do.

Isabel glanced up with a jolt to find her father sitting across from her with the Crown Prince at his right side and her Mother on his left. She gently set her quill down, sitting straighter. In all her years, she never earned the attention of her parents in such a setting as this, always being left alone to her own devices.

“Your Grace,” Isabel said, flashing a fake smile.

“Ha! Now she uses it,” Gardol said with a scoff.

King Vardrin shrugged. “I am her Father. Something she never uses to her advantage.”

Her brother dramatically clutched his chest with feigned shock. “Ouch, my King… Ouch.”

“Mother?” Isabel asked with a single word. Her presence was the one that stood out here. “These two corner me all the time to do their bidding, but you… You avoid me.”

Queen Lasi smirked. “Because I adore your independence to be you. Sure, you’re privileged, even if you don’t leverage it.”

“And you’re here because?” Isabel tried her hardest to not let her words carry any inflections of disrespect.

“Don’t get snippy with me, daughter. I didn’t want to have you,” her Mother replied with a clenched fist.

This was absolutely abnormal for her and caught Isabel off guard so completely she gasped in shock.

“Dammit Li, can you for once keep your emotions in check for once.” King Vardrin reached across the table with an open palm, asking for her hand. She gently placed a hand in his calloused palm. “I wanted you. Your mother already gave me three wonderful children and she wanted a break. I needed a princess, the kind a normal father has. The kind a man protects. The kind a man watches with no judgment, only love.”

Isabel dipped her head, unable to hold back a smile. “I love you too, but something is going on.”

Her brother opened his mouth, but her father glared at him, killing his words before they were ever given birth. The ragged king gazed upon her with true love.

“You leave Estin tonight. Viscount Drefius, a name I never heard more than in passing, is on every noble's lips. He’s rampaging through the countryside doing what I want to do. I honestly figured I had a rebellion on my hands, but then… Then I realized something. We all assume the sacking of Brackenfell was the Champion.

“But where was Drefius? My spies say he was in the field fighting the necromancer armies at that time, not in Brackenfell, but they’re close. And who hired him. Was it the Bandit Lord Adam. Too much was unknown, but too much makes sense with what Ambassador Iman and with what you revealed today. The Bandit Lord is the Champion. The Champion works with Drefius. Drefius is helping to secure the region, not just Estin, and for that he’ll be rewarded handsomely.”

Isabel seized up, becoming extremely rigid. “No.” Her whispered word earned a chuckle from her brother and a sad stare from her mother. “He’s almost fifty and… and… he has children older than me.”

“Darling,” Queen Lasi said gently. “We’re sending you to help the Champion, not as a wife for Drefius.”

“Your brother and I are going to join you. We’ll ride undercover, just as the Champion does, and we’ll be at the brewing battle. The centaurs will have to turn and fight at Basbin Pass or lose the herd to Drefius. Assuming he’ll have us, I’ll add our banner to his, just like Avorth’s. The warriors who want to fight, will fight,” King Vardrin in a resolute manner.

Isabel gulped, staring at her mother. “You said I’d never be pawned off for a marriage.”

“Your Father made a mistake. He didn’t predict the coming Game of Castles, and there’s only one daughter who he left unwed… his Princess. You’ll be the ambassador to the Champion, leaving my promise in check,” Queen Lasi said.

The reality sunk in. Isabel never admitted it to anyone, but she wasn’t a very sexual being. To her, being pawned off as a trophy caused her skin to crawl. However, being the ambassador to the Tolmerian Champion was everything she could ever ask for.

She wouldn’t be reading history; Isabel would be writing it.

“I… Good. This is… Yes. This is wonderful, thank you, my King.”

“Father. Here soon, you’ll likely call another king or emperor, and he won’t have a tail!” King Vardrin said, helping to lighten her mood.

She definitely shook off the startled jolt. “Wait, so what will Drefius get?”

“Now that, Darling, is a surprise,” King Vardrin said, earning a hearty laugh from her brother.

Isabel frowned, then let the pessimism fade because there were a million things to pack and prepare for if she was going into the field. The very thought of meeting a person who competed in the Game of Castles sent chills down her spine.

Chapter

Forty-One

THE FARMFIELDS of Estin

The Great Purge!

“Ugh!” I grunted, swinging my blade in an arc to loosen my sword arm. “My shoulder is stiff.”

Over the last month or so, Drefius and I haunted the plains, rarely sleeping for more than four hours at a time. Estin proved to be incredibly vast, taking huge amounts of time to wash the plains free of the infestation. The centaurs occupied the land in numbers never before seen, proving to be a thorn in every city’s side.

As we jumped from area to area, restoring the land, it changed the perception of the people. Yes, I figured a part of it was the winning attitude, whereby warriors clung to victory, increasing their resolve. Another part of it was the fact so many men wanted to help but failed to have an organization to support.

Each victory saw our numbers swell until the number of knights in our unit grew into a legion of a thousand strong. The good warriors of Estin rose to the challenge, not being called upon by their liege lord or their king, instead, they fought to take back their lands out of pride.

They fought like lions, ripping out the throats of the centaurs who tried to claim their land. Together we carved the four legged hybrid people into bits, never shying from the gore. The battles were brief, the victories swift, and I continued to gain levels at a rapid rate.

And so we rode from settlement to outpost to village to commune, and each stop led to a flight of centaurs fleeing before our collective might. The centaurs weren’t dumb, deciding to abandon their slaves and vulnerable to save the herd. The strategy of retreat left me feeling flustered since we never truly faced an organized foe.

That changed when we reached the Basbin Pass and the enemy finally turned to fight.

Sure, we’d had skirmishes, and yes, there’d been some stubborn centaurs hellbent on death before dishonor, but this was the first real test. Two armies lined up, with hundreds of cavalry troops on either side.

Not everything about the situation was great. Due to the nature of our conquest, we slept under trees, packed light and moved rapidly. No archers lined up behind us, no catapults were being assembled. Infantry didn’t embed spikes or dig trenches or ready pikes. We simply lined in a neat row with Drefius and I in the middle.

The enemy needed to buy time for their herd. Many of the mothers, young, and feeble, struggled to jam into the narrow pass to travel in the mountain valleys or the region north. The bravest of their warriors lined up with their stolen weapons and mismatched armor. They may have matched our numbers, but they were drastically overmatched by the knights of Estin.

Drefius stood in his stirrups, facing the brave knights as the last of the stragglers arrived in the back of the formation. This army meant business and theatrics weren’t exactly what they expected. So far, Drefius kept his rousing speech pretty bland.

“And so, we push north, to struggle in land we care not for. Our homeland will remain free. Our people will rebuild their homes. And your bravery will be celebrated by all of Tolmeria!” Drefius bellowed, earning a cheer back.

I dug into the back of my saddle, finding the rolled banner I’d kept hidden so far.

“Stats,” I whispered.

Time slowed until it froze and green words appeared in my vision. I’d been very remiss on updating my level, mostly because it was hard to hide my upgrades. However, with the big battle being the culmination of us sweeping the land, the need to hide mostly disappeared. Sure I could go to a tournament, or sneak into a ball for a big reveal, but I didn’t want to.

I missed my family and I was certain they missed me. Plus I was sick of Estin and its endless plains.

Ding! You have leveled up!

Ding! You have leveled up!

Ding! You have leveled up!

Ding! You have leveled up!

Ding! You have leveled up!

Ding! You have leveled up!

Ding! You have leveled up!

Ding! You have leveled up!

Ding! You have leveled up!

You have 9 attribute points unassigned.

I inspected my stat sheet, then made a few quick decisions. “Definitely two to Constitution, having a man cold fucking blew. Two in Endurance, two in stamina, and then three in strength.”

Your stats will look like this after, do you confirm, Yes or No?

Name: Adam Clear

Champion for the God of Barter

Height: 6’ 2”

Weight: 237 lbs

Age: 25

General Level: 34

Strength: 10

Stamina: 7

Dexterity: 10

Constitution: 4

Endurance: 6

Healing: 2

Magic Type: Golem

Magic Level: 21

Spell Assignment: Water Golem

“Yes, I confirm. And since it is nine levels, I want a grand display,” I commanded.

Request granted.

Time resumed, and with it, a mighty welling of power thrummed through the soil. The troops on both sides glanced about, trying to find what stirred the very fabric of the planet. Immense tendrils of thick orange energy lanced out, striking my body like vipers.

The power rocketed me into the air until I hovered over the armies by at least thirty feet. While heights didn’t bother me, being this high with extensive amounts of armor on, and no safe way down, did. My worries shattered when the magic tore into my body, enhancing me with profound energy.

“Oh, yeah,” I whispered out a moan of ecstasy at the alteration.

Before the magic could lower me and finish its course, I unfurled my banner, announcing to both armies that the Champion of Tolmeria rode at the head of this army. I, not King Vardrin, cleansed his lands. I, not King Vardrin, spread a wave of buffs to the troops in the formation.

And yes, though they fought for Drefius, he fought for me, and so they were soaked in the magic of my banner.

The power that fueled the Game of Castles gently lowered me back into Drago’s saddle.

“Showoff,” Drefius said with a grinning snort.

I leaned over to Daxton, a young lad who’d been assigned as my squire. When I offered him the banner, Drefius nodded, having his squire fold his colors. A few of the knights broke ranks to retreat away from the formation, worried they might align to someone that could harm their reputation, but the vast majority held firm.

I stood in the saddle and leaned back. “You want a fancy speech. Here’s mine. Charge!”

Drefius unleashed a roaring laugh, tapping his horse into a charge. The horses surged forward with boundless energy, tired of playing the cat and mouse game. As one, the front line thundered forward in a deafening cacophony of hooves striking rough terrain.

No one talked out a battle plan or discussed a contingency if the enemy did something drastic. We could have, but I was utterly confident in our victory. I sorta expected some centaur mage to come forward and erect a wall or dig a moat with magic, keeping us from our prey, but no saving miracle helped the centaurs.

I leaned down with my blade close to my right boot. Daxton rode right behind Drago, letting the banner fly high and true. We crossed most of the gap in less than a minute, and right before we entered the point of no return, thirty or so centaur archers unleashed a small volley of arrows.

When an errant arrow whistled close, I leaned forward to extend my shield over Drago. He must have noticed because he tucked his head and the tip of the projectile clanged off my buckler.

Ten paces became five in a second, erasing the distance between the enemy and the knights. A burly centaur raised a shield, rushing forward to stop me. His lunge forced Drago to adjust, which saved his life.

The thick scimitar clanged with a resounding thrum when it struck his shield. My arm tingled and my aching shoulder flared in agitation.

As quickly as the exchange happened, we parted.

He had to face the rows behind me while I found the centaur in front of me dodging out of the way. When the main line of knights clashed into the enemy ranks, it did so with a deafening boom.

The second row of centaurs shifted open as they filled gaps, letting Drago carry us right through the main defenses.

In the backlines, I guided Drago toward an archer who tried to reload his bow with violent shakes. A part of me wanted to whisper soothing words for him to be calm. The other side of me parted his head from his shoulders with a well placed chop.

Drago pushed into the true final line of defense where the largest centaur males congregated to hold the narrow pass for their desperate herd. I grinned, raising my shield and knew I’d be slamming into a wall of muscle.

The calm that washed over me, it had this odd serenity to it; I wasn’t quite sure how or why I became a natural during combat. I did know that no soldier was a killer until they killed, and I’d eased my way into the lifestyle far smoother than I liked.

My odd sense of certainty shifted when a massive centaur raced forward to greet me. This big bastard held twin swords, wore fine armor from head to hoof, and spun his blades with the expertise of a master.

This had to be the herd’s chieftain.

“Whoa!” I slowed Drago, pulling us into a sharp right turn.

I ran down the back of the archer line, cleaving into flanks while the centaur Chieftain chased me. While this wasn’t the most courageous thing to do, I inflicted solid damage on the archer line.

At the front line, the impact of the knights against their counterparts continued to be a roaring chaos. Stopping a charging horse and knight with full armor was never a winning proposition, even with the centaur’s added weight. To make matters worse for the enemy, a lot of these knights knew what the hell they were doing with precision lance strikes and rapid transitions into sword blows.

They may not be stone cold killers like me, but they fought like demons on this day. Blades sang free of their holders, the steel glinting in the sunshine. Everything happened so fast that I barely could track more than cutting down the foes in front of me.

After a seventh dead archer, I stole a glance over my shoulder, noting I didn’t sense the Chieftain’s presence chasing me any longer.

After a few seconds, I caught sight of a youthful knight dueling the chieftain with sword and shield against dual blades. Their back and forth was riveting to the point I almost stopped my slaughter.

Almost.

If the Chieftain was engaged, I spun the line focusing on the clumps of centaurs who tried valiantly to hold the line. A stray warrior spun to see me right before I could kill his ally. The warrior’s spear shot out with precision, smacking me right in the chest.

The wind shot out of my lungs, and I vaulted back out of the saddle. Drago spun, kicking the attacker as I crashed into the rugged terrain on my ass with enough impact I felt it in my neck.

Stars danced in my vision, and I gulped in shallow breaths.

Laying on a battlefield where two cavalry forces battled was akin to suicide. With every ounce of strength, I hauled myself to my feet and not a moment too soon. The chieftain came out of nowhere, trying to run me over.

Even though I was dismounted, I wasn’t a small man. I prepared for his charge with labored breaths, unable to dodge due to the press of bodies.

He slammed into me, sending me flying back into the scrum between friendly and enemy forces. Before the centaur could capitalize, the young knight intervened, stopping him from reaching my spot where I scrambled to my feet.

“There is no honor in death, surrender,” the young knight bellowed.

A blade clattered down from a fallen centaur, landing at my feet. Since I had a backup, I double fisted my immense sword over my head, leaning back. With a lunge forward I hurled the blade across the distance.

The edge of the sword came within a hair’s width of hitting the knight.

The Chieftain was not so lucky.

The blade moved with such speed and force it sunk into his lower abdomen between his front shoulders. It traveled deep into his body, never exiting; one second he defiantly clashed blades, the next, he staggered with crossed eyes.

I snatched the spare sword off the ground, ran around the confused knight, and shoved the blade into the chieftain’s heart.

The instant he died, time froze. Green words spilled across the screen

Quest: Accept the centaurs’ surrender and give them a home.

Terms: The fields west of The Clear Castle are empty, used as distant hunting grounds from the north and south. The centaurs can live there as part of Champion Adam’s Banner. They will need help with foods, seeds, and so much more, but they are able bodied and will bend the knee.

Results: The centaurs will be available for recruitment for military or labor if properly cared for. Their abnormal reproduction rates will return to normal should you accept them.

Potential Influence Repercussions: Unknown. A second faction allying to you will be substantial to the region.

Reward: A vassal herd. Earning vassals is paramount in Game of Castles. While this vassal is abnormal, it is important for all champions to understand that diplomacy or war are rewarded as long as might is gained. If you take on the Tolmerian Herd as a vassal state, you will earn 50,000 Lord Points.

Do you agree to the terms of the surrender? Yes or No.

“I mean, I could just hack them down and make the survivors slaves,” I said with a grunt.

This didn’t elicit a response so I glanced around the battlefield, seeing the devastation we wrought upon the herd. Their lines buckled, their mostly armorless troops lay dead or wounded, and the final reserves already fought like demons to stay alive.

The battle was probably over before it began, but at this point, it wasn’t a fight - it was a slaughter. Their chieftain lay toppled, frozen in time before he could smack into the gritty terrain. The women and children centaurs screamed, nearing a stampede to dive deeper into the canyon pass stopped with time itself. The horror in their eyes tore at my heart.

Without a doubt, we’d won, and so, I made the best choice I could for life…

“Yes.”

The whispered words coalesced power and for the first time, I saw magic of a different nature. The eyes of both the centaurs and the Knights of Estin continued to move along with a gentle breeze.

While time resumed, everyone besides me remained frozen.

I walked around the battlefield, tossing the pilfered blade down. The experience seemed surreal on a new level and then I realized it was done for a reason. I needed to broker the peace.

“Right,” I muttered. I sucked in a bunch of air and bellowed, “I am Champion Adam Clear of Tolmeria. I may not have been born in Estin, Avorth, or Seshkin, but they are my home. I protect their citizens who entrust me with their safety, and I use my might to fix the imbalance upon the land.

“The centaurs are not our mortal enemies. They’ve been manipulated by the Gods once and will be changed again after this moment. They’ve surrendered to me. I’ll take them to my castle where they will roam the Jodi Woods, west of the river, where they will call it home. The centaurs will lay down their weapons, stack them on their wagons, and no one will trade another blow.”

A wave of magic lifted very frightened Estin Knights into the air and placed them a dozen feet away from the nearest centaur. The instant both sides were separated, time resumed again.

“What the fuck was that?” a random centaur muttered.

“Ah, I speak centaur. Convenient. That was the gods. Go to the wagons, secure the vulnerable, and make ready to march south. We’re about three to four weeks from home, depending on delays and whatnot,” I said.

The centaur nodded with others in his herd following my orders until they sorta all flowed towards the remaining stalwart defenders. The largest of the herd nodded in acceptance, bossing around his people for me.

I watched on, waiting to see how the Estin Knights reacted to my declarations. Drago moseyed on over, wanting to have his facial armor removed. A few clasps later and he nuzzled me in thanks.

The young knight from earlier approached cautiously. “Nice throw.”

“Threaded a needle. When you lack skill, find a way to make up for it, or someone once told me. I’m Adam,” I said in introduction. “Fancy sword work.”

“Gardol, that’s my father, Galsi, and my sister Isabel,” the young knight said, pointing to two mounted knights in the distance.

They didn’t wear fancy armor or seem special, but neither did the Prince of Estin. I did see one of the slender knights studying the banner Daxton held. I dipped my head in understanding. “I’m honored and you fought bravely.”

“Thanks… So… after the centaurs raided our lands and enslaved our people you’re sparing them,” Prince Gardol stated rhetorically.

I grunted with a nod. “They’ll never fight you or yours again.” I patted Drago’s side, never breaking eye contact with the prince. “Why now? Why arrive once the campaign is over?”

“We want to house the other pegasus,” Prince Gardol said.

This single statement said a lot - far more than I expected. “You don’t have it, obviously. But you know where it is.”

“Maybe. We hear the Pirates of Misho have it. Or Misho Pirates. Or just the people of Misho. Semantics.” He glanced back at his father who removed his helmet. Troops dismounted to kneel around their king. While he stole the attention, the knight with Daxton rode over. “Isabel never learns.”

“Seems to be doing fine,” I said with a shrug.

“Isabel is tactful while being a sledgehammer with diplomacy. Irony, I know. To me, I like it, to Father, it leaves his skin crawling when others make such errors. Isabel she can do no wrong though,” Prince Gardol said.

The knight removed her helmet and unbound a tight ponytail of dark red hair, she swirled it, letting it flow free. The young woman had high wolfen ears atop her head with deep freckles dotting her face. She was cute, exceedingly so with her slight dimples and kind brown eyes.

“And of course, the slow motion hair swirl. Trust me, she’s not trying, she’s just that adorable,” Prince Gardol said with a sigh. “I mean look, the squire is all doe-eyed.”

“Ha, yeah. What’s her deal? As in why bring her to fight?” I asked.

“She’s your ambassador and our scribe for your antics. Father’s going to pledge to your banner instead of that asshole Zeth in the north. He executed a whole line of royals… after they surrendered. Death in combat or beheading of the lineages to break properly led rebellions. Honestly, it’s working, but you know, so is the strategy where you actually get out here and smash your enemies,” Prince Gardol said, gesturing to the dead centaur where my sword was lodged.

“Going to be a bitch to get that out,” I muttered.

The Prince chuckled. “Right. Anyway, fake smile and all that.” Princess Isabel neared, and I offered my hand in a gesture to help her get down. “Izzy, this is Adam, the Duel Interrupter.”

I glanced up at the charismatic Prince. His choice words stung a bit. “Uh, that’s fair. Welcome to the battlefield, Princess.”

“So fascinating. This was the chieftain. Oh, by the Gods Gardol, did you throw a sword into him?” She glanced up at her brother. “No, you’d never win a fight in such a manner, and you lack the strength.”

“I… You suck,” the brother said to his sister. “Alas, I’m fated to this mere mortal body.”

“Fight like a champion though,” I said approvingly.

“Too kind, too kind,” he said as if wanting to hear more.

Isabel asked, “Where is your entourage my Lord? Are they hidden among these knights?”

I snorted. “No Princess. They’re at home building a castle. If you truly are wanting to be an ambassador, then I have work for you.”

“Such as?” King Vardrin asked, arriving with Drefius.

“I’m in need of a library. I have a need for knowledge that is not always provided,” I admitted.

King Vardrin chuckled with a grin. “Then you have the best ambassador in the land for knowledge.”

“I need her to send out missions to acquire tomes before the rest of the cities figure out what is happening and start doing the same,” I said.

King Vardrin’s smile dropped. “That is already happening. We may seem slow, but all the lords have figured out what is happening. As for the knowledge, is there much you don’t know?”

“Yes, no, maybe. I wasn’t expecting the ants for example. I also didn’t know I could domesticate the centaurs,” I said, thumbing the herd that turned around to start the long march south.

“Interesting. Again, the best scholar you can have helping your cause is Izzy,” King Vardrin said. We stood there awkwardly for a good ten seconds. “Oh, right. I’m used to people asking me for things.” He folded his arms. “Even if you can levitate with magic, I don’t want to bend the knee.”

“King Pragor didn’t have to, neither will you. All I need is your allegiance to keeping this region supporting me instead of Champion Zeth,” I said.

“Or that Regor fellow.” His muttering seemed hesitant. He quickly changed his sour gaze. “Okay, but I have another request,” King Vardrin said.

Prince Gardol interjected, “We want to be a part of the pegasi breeding and storage. We’re the horse farmers after all. The Seshkin ambassador swears the Misho Pirates have it. And yes, before you do anything rash, my King, Champion Adam likes to talk like a warrior, not a man of the court.”

“Indeed. Straight to the matter gives me time to do more. As for the pegasi, there are a few issues. I… I doubt I can pry the one out of Avorth and they want the second one. It was part of King Pragor’s deal. They want to have the male around for breeding. It doesn’t -”

“Fuck me,” King Vardrin removed a glove to bite a nail. Isabel sent a pleading gaze he ignored. “I was hoping it was the male.”

“I can let you house the male, and if I defeat Zeth, let you get that female should it survive,” I said, holding a finger up. “But your male will still need to visit Avorth. Honestly, you should be asking for the -”

“Griffin. We will take the male pegasus when not during breeding cycles and the first female griffin should you obtain one,” Isabel said.

“Sure, in exchange for military support, unfettered access to your lands, and economic supplies in establishing a defense for the common realm,” I said, holding a finger up. “And I can help offset costs through the Game of Castles rewards. I highly suggest you accept my terms.”

King Vardrin hugged his daughter. “We’re clear to get the summer crop planted, we can get a pegasus that will be the crown jewel of Estin, and maybe a griffin. Right. Here is my offer.”

Diplomatic Offer: Accept Estin as a Nation State within the Champion’s Influence.

Offered By: King Vardrin

What they offer: Duke Drefius will lead an army of knights under the Champion’s Banner. The unit of knights will be dual maintained by both parties with the majority of the knights coming from Estin for easy recruitment. An ambassador and her team of advisors will be sent to the Clear Castle, however, whatever information they uncover will be shared. Estin will become a shared territory with no one impeding the Champion’s armies as they move.

What they require outside of normalcy: Defense of Estin and its territory. A female griffin for housing if acquired. A male pegasus for housing if acquired.

Game of Castles Reward: Estin has declared to the region of Tolmeria that it is supporting Champion Adam of Castle Clear in the Game of Castles. 100,000 Lord Points if you accept.

Warning/Note: There is no timeline set for the pegasus believed to be in the south, an oversight. These deals are magically binding but they do lose their strength if not fully committed to. Failure to secure the other pegasus, if killed by external factors, for example, will not be held against you. If you build your castle for thirty years and never try to get the male pegasus, then you will lose this vassal state at some point.

“I accept,” I said, gently placing a hand on Isabel’s shoulder. “Princess, please head home, grab your retinue along with ample comforts to live a wonderful life even if I could provide nothing. Then hurry to the Jodi River and meet me at The Clear Castle. I need to retrieve my sword, erect grave markings, and burn the dead.”

“I can help,” she protested with a half-hearted measure.

Prince Gardol snorted. “No, you can’t. You can’t even clean a chicken or rabbit.” His sister pouted. “My King.”

“I’m afraid your brother is right, Darling. While you’re given the title of ambassador, you're not used to being on your own. Champion Adam is giving wise orders to ensure your comfort and safety. Follow them. Continue to follow his orders until you find it fitting to march home and tell me they are bad orders, which should leave you really disliking them,” King Vardrin said sternly.

“Yeah… She’s smart, caring, and oh so spoiled.” He shifted to his father, staring at Drefius. “What’d he get?”

“Duke of Brackenfell for our increasing expansion. Estin is overflowing anyway. Plus he is the legion commander of the first cavalry regiment for Champion Adam. It comes with nothing besides work, responsibility, and the Champion’s ear.”

Drefius removed his helmet to twirl his mustache. “I like the idea of conquering, then expanding. The promotion is wonderful and in turn I have many knights who braved the challenge with minimal reward who’ll need promotions as well. Oh, and the duchess. She’s going to be over the stars happy.”

“There’s an open estate for her in Brackenfell, which I might rename. Anyway, I will try to stop by there on my way home to let them know to clean it out for you. It’s a half day’s walk to The Clear Castle from there, making it a nice place for her to be somewhat civilized,” I said.

“A fair and fitting adjustment.” Drefius slightly bowed with respect.

“Excellent. Well, I’m going to get to work. Nice to meet you, you seem like a nice family,” I said, excusing myself.

It was a very awkward goodbye, but I really did have a ton to do. A few of the bulky centaurs waited for me by their chieftain, staring down at him sadly. Over the next hour, they told me how he wanted to conquer Estin, only to not be certain how to do it.

In the end, they found the cross I built just as fitting as his pyre and once he turned to ashes, we burned the rest of the fallen. The day turned to night rather quickly as we cleaned up the battlefield. By the end of the evening, the stars shone bright.

I hopped into Drago’s saddle, eager to get home in all haste. I’d leave the centaurs in the hands of a few knights but that was it. If I went alone, I could cut the long trip down by a few days, and based on this caravan’s speed, they were going to need a while to reach The Clear Castle.

I wanted to get home, hoping that I could quickly rally a new force with my winnings and turn my attention to these Misho Pirates. Since Estin didn’t have the other pegasus, my sights were set on who did. And yes, the whispered words of King Vardrin started to gnaw at my mind.

Chapter

Forty-Two

BRACKENFELL

Origins!

I pushed myself a bit too hard, accepting I needed to rest. No guard tried to stop me at the Brackenfell gate that lay open. I grabbed a fresh stall next to Ban’s Tavern with a huge pile of straw and melted into the soft stuff.

There wasn’t much of a plan to the maneuver besides sheer exhaustion. No one woke me or disturbed Drago for a good eight hours and when I finally came to, I didn’t feel refreshed, I felt like someone hit me with a truck. I did, however, awaken in a good mood, eager for a scrubbing, a good meal, and a nice ale.

Drago nickered in that way he did when he wanted something. He was downright filthy, probably starving, and we recently both drank from a stream that we had to hope was clean water.

I struggled to rise, still wearing my armor.

“Who… who goes der?” a meek and timid voice said from the barn room’s main area.

I used the top of the wall to yank myself up. A youthful bunny boy of about seven or eight held a broom in unsteady hands in my direction as if it were a sword. I gently lifted my helmet and removed it.

“Good morning.”

His head tilted in confusion. “It’s supper time.”

“Plot twist! Lovely, I’m famished.”

The broom lowered and the lad sadly said, “I don’t have any to share, good sir.”

“Now that’s the sweetest thing I’ve heard all year. Lady Clara still running Ban’s Tavern?” I asked.

His eyes darted about, scared to reply at first. I chuckled, setting his worries this was a setup to rest. “Lord Ban is in charge, good sir.”

I didn’t correct him, knowing he was wrong and right at the same time.

“Wonderful. Are you hungry?” I asked and he nodded. “Go into the tavern, tell Clara…” I paused, knowing my good mood got the better of me. “You know what, she won’t believe you. Come.”

I exited the stall, scooped a bunch of oats, tossed some carrots on top, and set the feed on a hook for Drago. After I added a pail of water, I headed out of the stables to see the sun setting on the horizon.

Brackenfell continued to impress me with the subtle changes. A few of the worn and ragged buildings no longer stood. Most of their destruction was either burned or repurposed while a few buildings still needed their lots cleaned. The streets were infinitely cleaner and the alleys only partially stank.

I stopped not even a dozen feet outside of the barn, pinching my eyes shut. I focused on Golem, unleashing the magic out of my palm. The liquid coalesced growing into the shoulder high creation I’d grown fond of. Golem smiled down at the boy, then up at me.

“Remove the dirt, smell, and whatever else lingers on me,” I commanded.

Golem worked his way up my right side, then down my left. When he covered my face, I simply held my breath, enjoying the sensation of the magic picking me clean. As if to show off his prowess, Golem slug walked away and held up a palm of nasty grime.

“Do the kid, then toss the nasty bits in the sewer. Once you're done, clean as much of the town as you can in the most effective way possible until your magic expires,” I commanded.

“Wait, what?” the lad blurted, trying to run away from Golem.

The magical summon swallowed him whole, spun him around a bit, then dropped him on his butt before heading towards a sewer grate. When he arrived, Golem dropped through the metal bars, disappearing into the sewers.

“How am I not wet?” the young stable hand asked.

I unleashed a chortle. “Magic. Off the straw, you’re cleaner than the day you were born, so that counts as something.”

My armor glinted with a sheen only a polishing could have managed. I walked around the barn to see Ban’s tavern. The instant the minotaur guard saw me, he tensed, his hands slowly raising.

“You scared?” I asked.

“Yes, no, maybe.”

“I like that reply. I use it a lot. What gives?” I asked.

His eyes shot to a fancy horse with an expensive saddle that seemed out of place. I didn’t recognize the horse, but it did put the guard on edge. The lead was tied to the trough outside the tavern, telling me Ban had a special guest. I withdrew my massive blade, pointed it at the minotaur who just tried to do his job and waved it to the right twice.

He kindly stepped out of the way, letting me enter the tavern unobstructed. I tossed my helmet back on with a quick chin strap adjustment before I slowly opened the door and stepped in.

I had to assume my arrival sparked fear in the patrons. I stood taller than the average male, I wore glistening armor, and I carried a sword so big it probably needed to be held with two hands instead of one.

The instant I set foot on the dining room floor, the bard stopped playing, the patrons went silent, and everyone watched me with trepidation.

Ban sat with Baron Hargrin in the corner. The dwarf immediately demanded, “Who’re you?”

“A man weary from conquering the anthril and the centaurs. A man who’s not exactly pleased to see you, Baron Hargrin,” I said, setting my sword in a weapon rack.

When I removed my helmet, Clara rushed over to crush me with a hug. “Welcome back my lord. Are you staying?”

I pushed the door open with my foot, seeing the stable lad standing there with uncertainty. I could feel his angst, waving him in with a reassuring smile.

“Feed this young man until he sleeps in a coma from a filled belly. His kindness to strangers is to be rewarded,” I commanded.

“Carina’s boy,” Clara peered out the door with a tilted head. “It is, Kavin, get in here! He’s so… clean! Good to see you, my lord. A room?”

“I slept in the hay and I need to unify the realm so I can’t dally,” I said politely, shifting to loom over Ban and Hargrin. “I command Estin and Avorth, but not Seshkin. How fitting to find you here.”

“And the necromancer,” Hargrin said.

“And the centaurs fight under my banner now. But not Seshkin.” My words came out like a growl. “I trusted you. I gave your son a chance no other would have, and you tore away my greatest asset when I needed him most.”

I picked up a wooden mug in my gauntlet, crushing it into splinters.

“Ah, come on, those mugs come from Misho,” Ban complained.

“Quest,” I whispered, freezing time. “Convert a hundred Lord Points into bronze then make it rain coins in here.”

Time resumed, puffs of orange magic sparkled around me, spawning small bronze coins in the thousands. Once again, I stunned the room into silence, this time by creating a mountain of wealth with a simple thought.

“I’m a Champion of the Gods. I was never a meek man caught up in your silly games of diplomacy. Maybe I have changed, maybe I have hardened, maybe I’ve gone… darker. I’ve been tasked with winning the Game of Castles, a feat that won’t be done by the meek or pitiful, and right now, I find myself looking upon someone who I’d rather not be seeing,” I said with a deep resonance.

Ban slowly tried to extract himself from the bench only to stop when I wagged a finger no.

Hargrin blanched, starting to understand that my good mood did not extend to him. “I can explain.”

I held a finger up to him. “Clara.”

Clara paused her quiet conversation. “Yes, Lord Champion.”

“Brackenfell is important to me, and therefore the region. Duke Drefius will make the estate of this town his home. You’ll run the town, not your father. Henceforth, you’ll be known as Viscount Clara - a noble woman of Estin and Avorth. It’ll be written and set in stone. A detachment of my forces will help build this outpost into another castle, and yes, a woman will manage the castle under the direction of one of my generals,” I proclaimed.

Ban chuckled. “I’m being retired?”

“You’re going to work for your daughter, exactly how it’s been for a while now,” I said with a huff. “She’s capable, we both know it.”

“Aye, she’s capable. I… I don’t want to watch a friend die, may I excuse myself?” Ban asked nicely.

“I intend to bring Seshkin into the fold, and I’m sure Hargrin has a good reason for his betrayal. However, I do want your seat, and I wanted to commend you on coins well spent in restoring Brackenfell,” I said.

A random person asked, “Hey champion mister, can I keep the bronze on my plate?”

“Yes, everything on your table or you, is yours. Everything on the barroom floor is for Brackenfell’s restoration and beautification,” I commanded.

“A viscount?” Clara said, her jaw still open in shock.

Ban left his seat to hug his daughter. “Come my love, we need to get this in writing, else no one will believe it.”

It took a few more minutes for the chaos to fade. Once it did, the patrons resumed their meals while the staff cleaned up the mess. I slowly sipped an ale, sitting across from Hargrin, who regained most of his composure since I calmed.

The bard sang a nice tune, while quietly playing his flute. Kavin ate with one of the barmaids sitting with him. The young man seemed to be in heaven, and I smiled at his joy.

“Countess Zera figured it out first. She’s about ten times sharper than her husband,” Hargrin said sourly. “Count Agov blew her worries off, saying untoward things about her unfounded worries. She was right. I said as much when my lord demanded my opinion. They forced me to recall Ryak the instant I agreed with the Countess that you were a champion.”

While I wanted to scream at him, I knew he had little choice. The wound was still raw though.

“Well, she wasn’t wrong.” I waved over a barmaid with a waggle of my mug. “Your lack of information is what irked me the most. I figured it was something like that.”

“And your intentions with Seshkin?”

“I want to control the south for the fish. To the east of Seshkin are the Misho pirates, to the west are cliff faces. When I fight Zeth, which is coming, I can’t give my back to Seshkin,” I said with a sigh. “King Kelstor has to know this.”

“King Krastor, not Kelstor. He’s a skilled sailor of humble roots. We vote our kings into power, not relying on their children to rule us,” Hargrin said. The man certainly had a chip on his shoulder, gazing at me with unhappiness. “What do you want from us, assuming that is why I am here, to hear your demands.”

“I need the pegasus and at the very least access to your port and lands,” I said.

“Oh, is that all? You burned a lot of good graces by leaving the necromancer alive,” Hargrin said.

“Why the fuck didn’t Lao deal with him? You’re in charge of Lao's defense and you left the job to me,” I said with a sneer.

Hargrin grunted, opened his mouth, then closed it when Ban arrived with parchment and quill. He mostly filled out what I’d said. I added the rest then indented my thumbprint.

“And so it is done, Viscount Clara,” I said with a dip of my head.

Ban stroked his beard with pride, bowing to his daughter. “Proud of ya.”

“I’m still me, but I’ll do my best to continue my father's work of making Brackenfell better,” Lady Clara said.

I called upon the magic, summoned another purse of silver coins, and tossed them to her. “Hire from both Avorth and Estin. Oh, and build yourself an estate on one of these empty lots because Duke Drefius gets Tolgar’s old place.” I glanced around. “Where’d Alma go?”

“Left for Estin City, no idea if she made it though. Her father is there, and we think that’s where she went,” Lady Clara said.

I nodded, turning back to Hargrin.

The Baron danced the base of his mug on the table, calculating what to say. Eventually, he released a long and unhappy exhale. “I held my troops back. I figured you’d lose troops instead of us and if the war between Avorth and Estin and Seshkin kicked off again, we’d be that much stronger. Necromancers are scary.”

“Yes, and sometimes a deal is better than death. Look, I want the pegasus.” I watched his confused reaction. “Rumor has it the Misho Pirates have it, but the thing is, it just sounds too convenient.”

“I actually know nothing about a flying horse. I do know we lost three trade convoys before we realized the Misho Council turned against us. There are things being hidden from us on the edge of the kingdom. We… We’re not doing well,” Hargrin admitted.

“I mean… I have zero sailing skills. Can I reach Misho by foot? The map shows no known road.”

“Sure, there’s one, but it's more like a dirt trail. it's not efficient, but yeah. Cut through the Jelin Woods, head southeast along the Parsin River, then you’ll reach Misho. Takes a bit longer than by sea. But if you have no port access, then yes, just use the map.”

I scooted over when a big plate of steaming chicken arrived. I thanked the server, inhaling the sweet aroma.

“What can you tell me about Misho?”

Hargrin sipped his ale, leaning back. “It’s not very big, only about a quarter the size of Seshkin Port, with its influence only a twentieth the size.” He grumbled. “When you turn traitor without notice, you’re bound to have some wins.”

“Okay, the Misho Council controls a city the size of Lao,” I rehashed and Hargrin bobbed his head in disagreement. He showed a circle for Lao, then a bigger one for Misho, telling me it was twice the size. “Can’t you just crush them with your fleets?”

“Sure, if they had a fair fight. You… You have to understand. Even if King Krastor is well loved, he’s still one elf. Taking his fleets to war is not something that just happens with a snap of his fingers.”

I snorted, sticking a bone on my plate. “It should. Basically, you made a sailor your king, he’s got no backbone, and Misho is winning the water war so far. Anything else you can tell me?”

“We at Lao were willing to side with you, just as Estin and Avorth have. I can’t confirm that with the king though. I do know we need you to bring the Misho Pirates to an end and not like the necromancer. They must pay for their treachery. The people of Seshkin will be most pleased if the traitors are dealt with,” Hargrin said with such certainty it bothered me.

Honestly, everything he said bothered me. I started to assume that Seshkin was being secretive for a reason, as in, they made a deal with Zeth or another competitor.

“Okay, I understand. But I do have one question. Why are you here, instead of The Clear Castle?” I asked, leaning back in my booth.

“Ah… Caught onto that. I did visit Rosa, a most courteous host. I made the same offer. Renewed trust for the Pirates’ defeat. We… Countess Zera wanted the lord of this outpost to know if they find themselves in need of trade partners that we might be open to discussions,” Hargrin said.

He kept a straight face, almost convincing me of his cause. I did catch just enough to notice something was off. “Are we not trade partners anymore?”

Hargrin winced, holding his hands up defensively. “I’m just a messenger. Countess Zera has noticed that the lower caste of workers are suddenly being paid more at your… castle than in Lao. This has created both an inflationary problem and a worker shortage. I left Lao three days ago, and when I departed, no further workers were allowed to head north. We’re not rescinding your status from Count Agov, merely stating your coins are not welcome.”

I rolled my eyes so hard my head went with them. “They’re your coins, given from the gods themselves.”

“Yes, well, creating coins with magic was never possible. If I didn’t see it myself, I’d have sworn it was nonsense,” Hargrin said.

“Let me get this straight: you betrayed a deal, our ongoing relationship has soured further, and pirates are beating you to the point you need me to fix the problem for you?” I asked with a shake of my head in dismay.

“And we have no idea about any pegasus. At least Countess Zera does not, but her orders are from the King. Be friendly, but not too friendly until we can have assurances,” Baron Hargrin said.

I gulped down the last of my ale. “I actually understand that. I’ll work on having an ambassador assigned to Seshkin before I head off to Misho. I’d wager that the other pegasus started there since the other one was in Hilloc territory.”

“Thank you, and your new allies can backfill any lost labor. It’s a win, win, win. And Adam, sorry about Ryak and us closing our gates, they aren’t my orders,” Hargrin said with an earnest tone.

“Quite alright. There are about to be numerous fleets and armies sailing into Tolmeria, it is best for him to be where he can protect his family. I know I’ll be protecting mine,” I said, sliding out of the table to rise to my feet. “May your journey home be fruitful.”

He said some proverb I didn’t quite catch because Clara came over to see if I needed a room for a second time with a hint of lust in her eyes. I politely declined, grabbed my sword from the rack, and never looked back.

I didn’t need to.

I’d lied through my teeth to Hargrin, just as he’d lied to me.

A brewing plan stirred in my mind, and for once, I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea.

Chapter

Forty-Three

CASTLE CLEAR

Return Greetings!

I rode Drago through the night, following the yellow indicator. The road that the hags ruined dipped with declines and a further incline, but the swamp waters receded. Outside of the occasionally owl or startled deer, it was a very peaceful journey.

When I neared familiar territory, I unfurled the banner and let it shine under the star’s illumination. A part of me missed having a moon, but tonight, the cloudless skin gave a different kind of night that I enjoyed. A wash of orange energy erupted out of the banner shooting directly towards the castle.

Ormis shot to his feet the instant I neared the tree line, honing in on my location as if he expected me. Beside him, two other ogres slowly rose to their feet, stretching to remove their boredom or nap, it was always hard to tell with them.

Behind the trolls, the outer wall rose twenty feet high with a few towers of wood put in place for lookouts. The gate was nothing more than an overturned wagon, but it was something that’d delay any enemy. The sheer fact they finished the wall at all was incredibly impressive.

The southern fields were only lightly occupied with minimal tents. In the north, the trolls’ numbers had grown and their fires dotted multiple camping spots. Based on the sheer amount of cleared trees and the massive stacks of them, the ogres had been busy while the trade wagons had not.

“Rosa said you conquered centaurs and the Estin Kingdom, mighty heroic of you to do alone,” Ormis grumbled. “Are you here to build?”

“I raised the banner of war, did I not,” I said.

Ormis frowned. “Yeah, why’d you do that?”

“Adam!” Rosa cried out, peeking her head out of the makeshift gate.

I kept my voice low. “Ready the troops, Ormis. I must quickly attend to affairs of the heart.”

“And what direction?” Idris, Ormis’ ogre buddy, asked, reaching down to grab his armor from a pile.

I pointed south, not saying it out loud for good reason. The ogres caught on, dipping their heads in agreement. I hopped out of Drago’s saddle rushing across the bridge to meet Rosa halfway.

The lovely blue eyed elf fit perfectly in my arms, swaying her dark hair. When we kissed tenderly, I could feel her love. She tried to drag me into the castle, obviously having a million things to tell me. I gently fell to one knee holding her one hand in both of mine.

“Forgive me, my lady. I cannot rest just yet. But… You can come with me if you’d like,” I said.

“Adam, you just got home, and get off your knees, you’re the mighty champion.”

I snickered. “A man knows when to let a woman know when she’s revered. I want nothing more than to curl up beside you and hear of your woes while I express mine.”

“Stop, I’ll start crying… Okay, a little more,” Rosa teased.

“You’re glowing with beauty on this fine night and my dreams of your radiance hardly did you justice.”

She fanned herself. “Where are you off to next, are you sure you want to take me, and how long do I have?” Rosa asked.

“I missed how organized you were,” I admitted. “I’m going to sack Lao, we ride tonight, camp until dark again, then assault. Should be home in three, maybe four days.”

“Adam, that’s insane,” Rosa protested.

“This is the way, Rosa.” I cringed. “Sorry, that’s an old saying from Texas. The Game of Castles is about power, conquest, and domination. Countess Zera is anti-us. So too is the Seshkin King.”

“She sent Hargrin to cut off trade and all the workers came back. So… you want to what, burn the city down? That won’t win them back,” Rosa said.

“What? No. Actually, I don’t have a complete plan yet. However, if I don’t do something, then I lose an opportunity. We can beat Hargrin before he has a chance to say he saw me.” Rosa raised a questioning eyebrow. “I’m not the best liar, but I called him out on his problems. Plus, I caught him trying to cozy up to Ban in Brackenfell.”

“I’m not big on politics, but that sounds dangerous. Harmony is better at this. I wish she were here so you could discuss Hargrin. He seems to have become a weasel.”

I grunted. “Yeah, I probably should have killed him. Just,” I released a flustered huff, “his wife was so nice, and he forced Ryak home. Last thing I need is a gifted swordmaster trying to kill me. Speaking of politics, I’ve almost been gone a month and a half, where’s Dami and Harmony?”

“They came home then… I will let them tell you why they made a second long trip to the north. Suffice it to say, they had reasons,” Rosa said, looking anywhere besides at me.

“They’re pregnant, or Dami is?”

“I’ve sworn to not respond, but Harmony predicted you’d guess it right away. Not saying it’s true,” Rosa said.

I smirked, hugging her. Rosa beamed a smile. “And you?” She dropped her smile for a frown. “I… I think you should wait until they come back for me to say. Assuming we live through a daring and mostly pointless attack on neutral traders.”

“Bah! They made you promise to wait?” She slyly shrugged. “Also, fuck Lao. That’s what they want, to force our hand. Their spies will know my main army is still in Estin and this army will never win hearts and minds. But I don’t need hearts and minds, I need access to the workers and the trade,” I said. “What’s the status of our forces?”

“Well, some of the workers stayed, liking the pay, space, and people more than an angry letter from their lord in the south. Sergeant Carr is in Gorm, hunting lands further away, but the table lets me recall him. Captain Kell, the troll in charge of your infantry, well he got promoted by Harmony upon her return. This unlocked a new aspect to his leadership and trolls have been slowly flocking to his sub-banner.”

“How many trolls,” I asked, pointing to their encampment.

She reached into her notebook only for Ormis to butt in. “Sixty-two of them.”

Rosa nodded in agreement. “Thanks, Ormis, I’m assuming you told him. I’ve been learning Hilloc quickly, and he, Tolmerian. And we have four ogres now that we promoted Ormis to general. He can get more, but the Hilloc Influence Points are in the shitter since Avorth raided them, and you’ve sidelined your troops.”

“I needed to move vast distances where the trolls are slow and the ogres nap incessantly,” I said defensively. “But honestly, I could have used them to scout, hunt, and find anthril nests.”

“I saw those rewards, well done,” Rosa said.

The overturned wagon that acted as a gate screeched when a bevy of trolls shoved it back. They all wore matching armor, albeit somewhat flimsy and carried bulky shields. I glanced at my sword, then their swords, knowing I probably needed to swap back to light armor and a bow.

“Are you coming?” I asked.

“Let me wake Booma, she can manage things while I’m gone. Gardi will want to know about Mo.”

“Rosa, he’s one young soldier in a sea of them. However, I let Drefius know to try to find him during our journey north should he have an opportunity,” I replied half-heartedly. “I honestly forgot when I spoke to the king, but I’ll have you write a letter.”

“Okay, I need… seven, maybe eight minutes,” Rosa said, woefully underestimating how long it’d take her to get ready.

“We leave in an hour,” I said to Ormis and Kell. “Start marching south, if you are seen by a Seshkin scout, capture them. I’ll join you soon.”

“And supplies?” Kell asked.

“Yes, you’re going to need -” I went over the plan with them while Rosa retreated into the castle. When I finished explaining the plan that I pretty much created as I said it, Ormis unleashed a maniacal chuckle. I had to agree, the plan was deviously delightful.

The ogres and trolls marched by, with their laden wagon the last across the bridge. I watched the procession, inspecting their new kits with pride. I wasn’t sure how to properly use them in my plan, but I figured they were better to bring along then to leave behind.

Once the outflow finished, I decided to help Rosa and face the music with Gardi. Sure enough, the one-eyed man and his new wife were struggling from being recently awoken. They stood in my tent that had the first layers of a bedroom wall around it. A whole lot more workers rested inside the castle walls, which sorta surprised me.

In a way, it made sense for Lao to restrict their labor market. I could only imagine how hard it was to hire general labor for cheap when they were all being employed. Add in the cost of wages going up and my inflows of god-generated bronze and silver, and it explained a lot.

Inside my tent, the master table had drawings stuck to the sides, likely art creations by Pela. I sighed, wanting nothing more than to just take a breather for a bit. This Game of Castles was supposed to be a slow burn thing, but I couldn’t help but feel the immense pressure from Champion Zeth and from the Gods themselves killing the good people of Tolmeria.

The other Champions needed to defeat me and claim my lands. They’d do exactly that if I just retired. The only way for me to protect those I loved was to -

“I never thought they’d leave,” Rosa said, stirring me from my thoughts.

I glanced up to see her tying the tent flap shut. My furled brow of confusion instantly shifted into raised eyebrows when she dropped her robes. She bent over seductively, letting me see her glistening lips yearning for my attention.

After her little show, she bent down to open a chest, shimmying her ass for me. She pulled out a vile, gulped it down, and said, “That should help the baby, if I do have one in me. I’m going to stay positive, Adam, but damn, did I miss you. If I can’t hold you every night, then I want to be like Dami, holding a mini you. Now strip, so I can ride you until I’m sore.”

Unable to help myself, I chuckled. “This armor is not easy to get out of.”

She snorted, not deterred in the slightest. “Surprised it’s so clean.”

“Golem!” I said with a chipper tone, eying her voluptuous body. “Oh, right. I’ve… Uh… There’s this thing where men from combat struggle with -”

Her deft fingers unlatched the binding at my hips faster than I could ever manage. The hip to thigh armor clattered down with most of my body still covered. My bulge in my underpants answered my worry - Rosa smooth skin and pert tits definitely had me aroused.

We didn’t talk after that, both of us rushing to get me naked. The struggle proved well worth it, and when our lips locked, I knew bliss.

Her sweet lips were the only thing I tasted as our tongues met. I couldn't stop myself from grabbing her ass, making her moan into my mouth. She writhed against me, grinding her hips into mine. My fingers traced down her spine, sliding her panties down. They landed on the floor with a light flop.

I’d seen her naked before, but I never tired of the way she looked. Her body was a perfect hourglass, her hips flaring out to her plump ass. Her long, toned legs only made me want to grab her thighs and lift her up, stroking myself off inside her supple body.

A fire lit inside my loins, making me grow harder.

Rosa’s hands ran over my back, feeling every inch of the scars I’d earned. Her fingers traced the lines, tenderly feeling where I had been hurt. I luxuriated in her touch, her slim-fingered hands making me tingle all over. I could feel her building excitement as she kissed me harder, her fingers now digging into my back.

My hands cupped her ass, and I felt her hips buck forward. Her hands ran up and down my body, tracing every muscle as if trying to map every part of my body.

Her fingers brushed against my hard cock, making me twitch. She did it again, and again, until she was stroking me like a pro. Her fingers ran over my shaft, making my dick jump. She cooed as she saw my throbbing member, like a kid finally seeing a long-awaited toy.

She rubbed the head with her palm, making my cock twitch and begin to leak. “We don't have much time. I’m going to have fun with you, then you're going to give me a baby, Adam," she said before shoving her tongue back down my throat.

She was right. We didn't have much time, and who could guess what tomorrow might bring. Every moment we had together was a gift. I was going to fucking enjoy every second of it with her.

She tried to take the lead, but I wouldn't allow it. Rosa might have started this, but I was seizing the reins now. It was time for my bookworm to get a lesson in what her temptation could lead to. If she wanted a baby, then I'd damn well do my best to give one to her.

I pushed her onto the bed, on her back. My eyes ran over every curve, every inch of her perfect skin illuminated in the tent. Her chest heaved up and down, a trail of saliva connecting her lips with mine. Her hands wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me over top of her.

Just where I wanted to be.

"You get me so hard," I grunted, my eyes never leaving hers. "Hell, I want to fuck you so bad."

Rosa’s hand ran up the length of my dick, squeezing the tip. “Then fuck me. Screw me until I don't even remember my name and the only thing I can think of is your meat plumbing the depths of my womb.”

I grabbed her by the hair, pulling her head back, exposing her tender throat. My mouth connected with her neck, and I started to mark her, lightly biting against her soft, pale skin. I could feel her squirming below me, but I didn’t stop, not until she hissed, “Please, Adam. I'm so ready for you.”

My tongue left a wet trail down to her collarbone. A string of spit connected my tongue with her skin as I sat up, my eyes locking with hers. Her eyes were half-lidded, but she was staring at me with the intensity of a warrior about to go into battle.

“I’m going to fuck you,” I growled, “until you’re too sore to walk for a week, a month, a whole goddamn year. I’m going to make sure that every time you sit down, you’ll remember me taking you like a fucking god.”

I kissed her again, my hands grabbing her breasts and pinching her nipples. She moaned into my mouth, her tongue dancing with mine. I reached down and grabbed her panties off the floor, pulling her hips to the edge of the bed.

Rosa’s eyes went wide. “What are you doing?” she asked, breaking off the kiss.

Leaning forward, I whispered in her ear, "We don't want you to disturb the rest of the camp, do we? Do you want everyone to know exactly what I'm doing to you in here, how my naughty little bookworm is taking my cock like a top-tier slut?"

She nodded as she whispered, “I’m your elven slut, Adam.” Like a switch that domineering attitude flipped to a meek, sex-hungry slut. “I’m your little slut…”

I stuffed the underwear in her mouth to muffle her screams as I pulled her legs back, exposing her dripping pussy to my hungry gaze. Hearing her respond and the change in her attitude lit something inside of me, egging me on to see how deep the rabbit hole went.

Placing my hands against her thighs, I lowered my head. The smell of her arousal filled my nostrils, making my cock throb even harder. She shivered as I lowered my tongue, running over her clit. Her body bucked up, but I held her down, clasping her thighs like a vise. Her dirty panties were still in her mouth, muffling her moans.

I continued running my tongue over her clit, then pushed two fingers into her slick hole. Her muscles clamped down on my fingers, making me grin as her wetness ran down my hand. I pushed my fingers in up to the knuckle, then twisted them, feeling her shudder with a climax as I pressed her special spot.

Enjoying her sweet torment, I pulled my fingers out of her pussy, then flicked her clit with the tip of my tongue. She moaned in pleasure, her hips pushing forward to get more of my tongue to feel another wave of an orgasm. I could feel her body quivering beneath me as I ran my tongue up her slit again, this time stopping at the entrance to her pussy.

Her juices flowed over my tongue, sweet and sticky and thick.

I grabbed her by the hips and pulled her ass off the bed, my tongue plunging into her sopping wet folds. She bucked against me, but I was too strong.

I would fuck her with everything I had until she couldn’t move and was too pleasured to think.

She shivered, her back arching. I licked her from her clit to her opening, then pushed my tongue inside her. I fucked her with my face, my tongue sliding in and out of her. She squirmed beneath me, her mouth gaping in a silent scream as I ate her out like a starving beast.

I spread her legs wider and put them up over my broad shoulders, causing her to lift her legs up and spread them even wider. Her waist was tilted up, and she was completely open for me to do whatever I wanted. Her beautiful flower was sopping wet, leaking her cum down and over her tight, little asshole. I grinned as I took two fingers and lazily caressed from the bottom of her pussy down to her puckered star, making her squeal around the wet wad in her mouth. I rubbed around her rose bud once more before I lightly rubbed it directly.

Her muffled scream barely proceeded her bucking waist and clamping thighs as a massive climax took her. She jerked and tried to crush my head as her whole body spasmed. I knew it wasn't something she thought she had wanted, but the way she couldn’t stop orgasming, Rosa was definitely into some ass play.

As I kept rubbing around and lightly rubbing her rose bud, she kept orgasming, which was too cute for me to not want to tease her more. Each wave and shudder of pleasure pushed her deeper and deeper as she drowned in a sea of pleasure. I had mercy on her when her eyes rolled back into her head, and I figured she’d pass completely out if I didn’t stop.

Ready to get my dick wet, I let her legs down, watching as she panted, her plump breasts heaving. She slowly started coming back to herself, and I waited until her eyes were able to focus again. My grin turned into a bit crazy as I stood up and grabbed my cock, pumping it in my hand. I could feel my pulse racing as I watched her, my cock dripping with pre-cum.

Damn if I wasn't going to fuck her, so she’d feel it next week.

“I’m going to fuck you now,” I growled, grabbing her thighs and pulling her to the edge of the bed. “And you're going to be a good girl and stay quiet while your cunt begs for my cum. You might like to be in charge with the other girls, but you’re my little elven slut.”

Our eyes locked, and she nodded as her spread herself wider. I lifted her hips, pushing my cock against her soaking pussy. Rosa trembled as I thrust into her, until my balls were flush against her ass. My girthy length was buried deep inside her, stretching her little pussy open as she struggled to take all of me. I grabbed her ass with both hands, my fingers digging into her buns. Her pussy felt like velvet wrapped around my steel.

I drew my veiny cock out to the edge of her exposed pink flesh, then plunged back in. Rosa was already gasping around the gag, her eyes rolling back in her head and sending her back into her pleasure zone as I began fucking her hard.

Relentless, I fucked her deep, my cock going in and out of her like a piston, stretching her hole wider.

Somehow, she whispered around her dirty panties each time I pulled out, “Oh,” then gave a slurred “Yessss,” as I slammed back into her, her body quaking as I bucked against her.

I was balls deep in her, my cock buried in her pretty cunt.

"That’s right, slut. It’s time to fill you to overflowing," I said as I slipped out of her pussy, then flipped her over, pulling her up onto her knees. "Is my slut ready to get filled?"

Even with her panties in her mouth, I could tell she screamed, “YES!”

I slid my cock back into her, feeling her juices dribbling down my balls. I grabbed her hair and pulled her head back, groaning as I started fucking her again, my ball sack smacking against her ass with every mighty thrust. Rosa trembled as I humped her like a champion, her legs shaking as she struggled to stay on her knees.

Rosa’s ass jiggled as I fucked her, my cock disappearing into her snatch with every stroke. Her pussy was gushing over me, coating my cock in her sweet nectar. Rosa gave a muffled cry as I thrust into her, her body quivering with pleasure.

The sound of my balls slapping against her ass filled our whole area. I could hear the bed squeaking beneath us, but I didn't care. I could only focus on fucking Rosa, driving my cock so deep into her pussy that I could feel her cervix against her cockhead.

"You're going to take my cum, Rosa," I growled into her ear. "You're going to take every drop of my cum, and you're going to like it. Your womb is going to drink my cum and realize how much of a fucking slut you are for my cock alone."

Merciless, I let out a savage roar as I rammed into her until she squirted nectar all over my cock. I growled through gritted teeth as I felt her juices splashing, making me slick against her sweet, velvety walls.

"That's right, Rosa," I snarled, "Your body loves this cock! It loves being stuffed full of my cum."

I could feel my orgasm building. My cock was throbbing with need, every nerve ending in my steel rod on fire. I grabbed Rosa’s hips, holding her steady as I slammed into her with reckless abandon. I leaned over her back, groaning as I felt my cock throbbing with every thrust. It was already twitching, ready to blow its load.

And Rosa’s pussy was eager to drink every last drop of it.

"I'm going to cum!" I roared, my cock firing off inside her.

I unleashed a torrent of cum, my cock throbbing as I filled her up. Rosa’s pussy sucked it down, her body shaking with ecstasy as I filled her with my cum.

The tent was filled with the sound of her pussy drinking it up, my cock pumping its load deep inside her. She sobbed into the sheets as she felt my cum filling her, her pussy throbbing with pleasure.

“That’s right, Rosa,” I panted. “Feel your womb drinking my cum. Your body wants it. Your pussy loves it.” My cock was throbbing, my cum still pouring out of the head. I vibrated with pleasure as I felt it filling her, my balls contracting to wring all the cum out of me.

I leaned over her; our bodies slick with sweat. We were both breathing hard. "You're going to be a good little mommy," I said. "And don't worry, even when you are ripe with my child, I'll still screw you until your milky breasts leak all the way down your round belly to join the cum dripping down your thighs."

Rosa’s pussy clenched hard, her climax whipping through her like a hurricane, fueled by every word I said to this dirty, glorious goddess. I pulled the wet panties from her mouth. They were sopping with drool and still smelled like her salty nectar.

"Next time, you're going to have your mouth full of my cock while I tell you how much I love your pregnant body," I said. "And you're going to drink every drop of my cum deep into your belly."

Rosa moaned, her cunt still rippling with aftershocks. I patted her ass, pulling out of her. Rosa’s well-used pussy was dripping with my seed, the remnants flooding out of her with each throb of her plump pussy lips.

I lay down next to Rosa, pulling her into my arms. She was so utterly exhausted. After a moment, she whispered, “So… good,” before she drifted off to sleep.

I closed my eyes too, my body humming with pleasure in the quiet of the tent. There was so much left to do, and time marched on, ever relentless, but I stole a few final moments here, sated and happy.

Chapter

Forty-Four

NORTH OF LAO

Salutations!

We sat around a fire with the young night just starting. Our hidden spot in the woods on the west side of the Jodi river meant no one should be stumbling upon our encampment. I sorta expected Ormis or Idris to net a few scouts during our trip south, but the Seshkin military seemed to be in a very defensive posture. All that worked in our favor, something I definitely wouldn’t complain about.

I ate a delicious apple, staring into the flames with a distant gaze. No quests popped up or mentions of our looming attack potentially granting rewards. Honestly, parts of the Game of Castles left me baffled, but for now, I did what I needed to do by remaining patient.

A few minutes anxiously ticked by until a young troll who only stood up to my bellybutton returned from the outskirts of Lao.

The moment of truth arrived.

“My Lord, the enemy has given up for the evening,” he said.

I grinned, rising to my feet. The instant I stood, the army stood too. I held out a palm. “Captain Kell, protect your queen.”

“Yes my Lord. And my troops?” he said with a grunt, glancing at the unarmored naked trolls who grinned evilly with anticipation.

“Are going to see battle as promised.” I held up a finger. “After we secure the breach.”

Captain Kell bowed with respect. I placed a hand on the scout’s shoulder. “Lead them to the insertion point. Sergeant Rastov, I mean it. Stay quiet until we have the entry secured and keep your raft afloat.”

The largest of the naked trolls who carried nothing but a sword nodded with respect. “It will be as you command, Champion.”

“They’ve been training extensively for this.” Ormis lowered a palm for me to step into. While he could crush me, he had no reason to, and I could feel his excitement for what came next. “This is a good plan.”

I blew a kiss to Rosa who readied a bow. Everything was set to be broken down quickly and her guards swiftly extinguished the small fire. With a few hasty steps, the four ogres and I headed east towards the Jodi River.

A part of me wanted to be back in my armor with my fearsome sword, but since getting out of the metal casing, I’d stuck to light leathers, wanting to be nimble. The fancy bow for medium to short range distances rested in my left hand, a quiver over my back and a simple sword on my left hip.

After only a minute’s walk, Ormis descended the river’s bank and submerged into the warm river. While I wanted an overcast night, the sky remained clear and the stars bright. A gentle breeze whisked away the residual heat, allowing the summer’s temperature to finally cool.

Ormis figured he could touch bottom, and if he couldn’t, he could jump off the silty river floor. He proved right with the water only reaching his nipples. The four ogres submerged until only their eyes were above the water.

I stood on Ormis’ palm with an arrow nocked. We drifted downriver, nearing the clumpy nasty water where the locals dumped their shit and trash. The walls silhouetted on the horizon first, slowly growing in size.

For five minutes, we drew closer at a rapid pace until I could make out the guard station. The portcullis was lowered, but not fully locked into place. I grinned, knowing Golem created a pressure barrier at the bottom of the spike closest to the chain.

His problem caused the guards to likely raise and lower the gate a bunch of times at sundown, only for them to never secure the portcullis in place. This was the first part of my plan, and it worked. Technically, we could have attacked during the day, but at night would serve a greater purpose.

On the outer dock, two guards played cards with Captain Elim watching over them. I liked her and she seemed like a nice enough person. The trained archer was deadly with a bow and willing to kill me or my troops without hesitation.

And that was the crux with war, good people had to die for leaders to get what they wanted.

I drew to my anchor point, exhaled calmly, and let the sinew roll off my fingertips. If I spared her, she’d never forgive me, and so I let that arrow fly for a kill.

Twang!

The guards jolted at the sudden sound so close to them.

Captain Elim glanced up, then died when an arrow smacked into her forehead. Her blonde hair swooshed when she flew back out of the chair, clattering onto the dock before she splashed into the river.

The two remaining guards rose to ring a nearby bell, kicking their chairs back in a mad dash. Ogre hands snatched them, then quickly silenced their screams by dipping them underwater.

Idris raced to the portcullis, lifting it foot by foot in seconds. The naked trolls rushed out of the woods behind us, jumping into the water in droves. Near the end of their arrival came a small raft, not meant to support much weight besides the hundreds of prepared torches. I watched with trepidation while they gently slid the raft onto the water.

If it tipped, or those torches were soaked, a key part of the plan went to shit. Three trolls grabbed the back of the raft with one grabbing the front to balance it. Once it was stabilized, the back trolls kicked to propel the raft along with the infantry.

Inner guards stirred, their armor clanking as they hurried to see why the gate jostled.

I prepared another arrow, keenly aware this next part might result in us being repelled. Ormis hopped onto the dock, surging out of the water. For a brief second, it held his weight as he deposited me onto the wall’s parapet.

A startled guard who couldn’t see the river yet jolted in shock at my sudden arrival. One second he paced the same path he’d done a million times before, the next, I stood there with an arrow drawn.

I had to give him credit, it only took him half a second to understand the situation. “Alarm! Alarm! Ala -” he never managed the third shout because I sent an arrow into his neck.

The portcullis locked into place in the up position, snapping tight with an anchor bar being set. I’d briefly seen the gatehouse where the lock went on my first trip under the wall. That was my target and reason for being up here. Yes, Idris could hold the gate in place, but why strain, stress, and risk the mission when I could just secure the locking pin.

The nearby gatehouse door lay ajar with a grumbling from inside.

A bell rang loud from the center of the city, alerting every guard in the city of our arrival. I rushed for the door, nocking an arrow mid-stride. I jumped in front of the opening seeing a young man of no more than nineteen staring at me in shock.

I unleashed the arrow, drilling it into his right eye socket. The young soldier collapsed forward, landing in the doorway for me. An older pointy-eared fellow stopped trying to get the lock to unjam, reaching for his sword.

While I smoothly drew an arrow, he struggled to rip his blade from its sheath. His eyes darted about, knowing his luck in life hit an end. His lips quivered, not giving voice to the pleading his eyes begged for.

“Lay down, hands behind your head,” I said calmly.

He realized I had him dead to rights. Unfortunately for him, I never gave him a chance, killing him right away. I needed my presence to be a secret. He died never knowing I lied to him.

I felt like shit, but there was a reason the Hillocs led this assault and not a single person besides me aided them. My part of the plan was finished. Down below, a shrill shriek erupted from a guard that faded as an ogre likely threw them.

While I wanted to peek out and watch the battle, I secured the room by bolting the left side from any guards trying to reach the door from the bottom floor. I exited the way I entered, seeing guards streaming this direction while pointing at the secondary gate.

Idris shouldered the gate as a distraction, causing it to buckle. The powerful attack failed to snap the crossbeam, giving the defenders courage. I expected a bit more chaos, but the defenders of Lao situated themselves to protect the inner city, giving up the docks.

Inside the docks, which spanned both sides of the river, the first of the fires sparked to life. If any monsters of the deep lurked in this portion of the river, they steered clear of the trolls and the ogres.

Ormis used his massive club to ruin every single ship.

The two other ogres tore down the warehouse's gates, letting trolls in so they could light whatever wood they found on fire. A massive pile of stacked trees that we recently sold to them lay vulnerable to flame.

The night turned bright with flames roaring to life. The great fires of Lao’s docks erupted, glowing for the whole city to see. I stared at the massive clump of trees Rosa traded for chickens, ducks, and sheep, finding it ironic they were the target.

What had once drifted downriver to aid the Seshkin capital, became the prime target of our raid. And so, the plan neared its completion stage. The docks were ruined, the warehouses emptied, the massive patch of stored wood set ablaze, and a message clearly sent.

The last act was for the trolls to randomly throw the rest of their torches into the city before swimming up river. A few stray arrows rained over the inner wall pinging off stones of thunking into docking.

“Argg. They shot my ear,” Ormis shouted in Hilloc.

I wanted to shout back to him, but for now, no one noticed me. The entire raid had only lasted for a few minutes, shifting from an assault to simple damage. Fires within the town leapt to life because of some thatch roofing. The inferno in the lumberyard roared with a growing intensity until the fire washed waves of heat over my troops.

“Alright ya ugly lumps. Bail! Bail! Bail!”

Idris continued to pound ineffectively on the inner gate, forcing the defenders to prepare for a breach. While he never gave it his full effort, the trolls dove back into the water. If the gate closed, they’d have to run up ramps and jump, not completely screwing them, but since the defenders had yet to try to retake this wheelhouse, I stayed put.

One by one the trolls vanished back into the north until it was just the ogres. Ormis and another ogre picked up a few burning trees, chucking them in the general direction of the count’s estate. With the internal crews scrambling to put out fires and defend their homes.

The ogres retreated with Idris silencing his repeated thuds.

I ran to the wall and jumped off, being caught smoothly by Ormis. He immediately went to the western bank, helping trolls who struggled in the current. Idris managed to reach the bank right behind us as the portcullis splashed back into the water.

By the time a few arrows whizzed in our direction, we were long gone.

The fires within continued to burn bright, casting the distant forest in an orange glow. Slowly but surely, the infernos were quelled, and the city was left to deal with the destruction from our raid.

Chapter

Forty-Five

CLEAR CASTLE

Boots Up!

You have successfully raided Lao in a brazen attack, letting the region know that you are capable of rapid operations. Due to the fact this did not change any minds or immediately improve your situation, you are being awarded appropriately.

2000 Lord Points Awarded.

I didn’t argue with the table or the Gods or whomever managed the system. I simply went shopping because I was sitting on a load of Lord Points. My army needed archers, skirmishers, engineers, and while it didn’t exactly make sense yet, I needed sailors.

After a good hour of browsing, I came upon a unit that sparked my interest.

Unit: The Fat Sharks!

Term: 3 months

Location: Desm

Kingdom: Xeru

Region: Cask

Mercenaries for Hire: This unit of sailors hunt the legends of the deep. They’ve been known to battle other forces on the seas… for a fee.

Quantity:

1 Leviathan Class ship

42 Sailors

4 Officers

1 Captain - Zormo

Price: 187 Silver.

Share: 50% after the financier recovers costs.

No Discounted LP Price

Note: This unit will work to generate revenue. They are happy to have their costs paid for with a bonus for good performance. If they need to travel outside the region, they can and will sail to where you ask them to go.

Warning: This unit may die while hunting, never encounter any beasts, or may become prey themselves to pirates. While that is the downside, they normally earn 300 silver per season.

The Misho Pirates were to the east of Seshkin in the Cask Region. I set a point on the map, and it said it’d take 2 weeks for them to arrive in Misho. It’d take me ten days of hard riding to meet them at that point, or two plus weeks if I moved with an army. I mostly liked the idea of hiring them as a gamble.

I’d never been big on gambling and finances were pretty rosy at the moment, but that might change when I had to build new walls in Estin or hire a team to mine a second path to the north, or about a million things.

I roughly had fifteen hundred silver, a bunch of Lord Points, an excess of prepared trees, and a whole army of refugees to feed. Without a doubt, investing was always going to be tough in Limar. I could gamble on a new wall or a quality stallion for breeding, but I never knew when something would turn to shit.

To me, The Fat Sharks gave me an opening to get to Misho if I wanted to take the water, which would be unexpected. In addition, if they never directly worked for me to fight, maybe I could have them sell me their catch at the cliffs to my troops or run food for me.

“Oh, you’re awake,” Rosa said, watching me angst about my decision.

I nodded. “I… I can’t sleep.”

For three nights since the raid, we entered a peaceful serenity of mindless building for a better tomorrow. No word came from Lao, or from anyone. I didn’t have ravens or raven services without Harmony around so I laid low, focused on working, and shopped when I couldn’t sleep.

“Elim?” Rosa asked, knowing it ate at me.

I sighed with a shrug. “I… I don’t know. Probably just stress. I’ve needed some time to detox anyway, but yeah, Elim was a good soldier, a good person.”

Rosa shifted, rising out of bed fully nude. A gust of wind blew open our tent a bit and at first, I worried someone might see her naked. Then I remembered that I double knotted that binding.

I welcomed Rosa closer who frowned at the unexpected breeze. With a burst of power, I snatched her at the hips and fled out of the tent. I raced into the open, with a shrieking naked elven beauty over my shoulder and found the culprit who undid my tent knot right away.

“Having fun are we?” Harmony said with a very judging eyebrow.

Rosa stopped screaming when I set her down and covered her with my body. Pela stood outside the tent, almost getting run over in my mad dash.

Rosa tried to retreat, but with lightning reflexes I gently grabbed her wrist.

“Wait.” I commanded, coming eye to eye with the little girl. “Did you undo the tent knot?”

“No, Papa.”

I kissed her forehead, pulling her back from the tent as well. I shed my robes, giving them to Rosa.

“Ormis! On me!” I bellowed with a deep power.

A second later, I summoned Golem, ejecting him onto the ground. The magical creation grew yet again, this time a bit wider. While I didn’t level from the adventure, he must have.

Ormis bounded over the wall coming to a skid nearby. My tent stood out amongst the others, giving it space to prevent unwanted visitors.

“Who else arrived with the Queens?” I asked.

Ormis snorted. “I’m not a common guard.”

“What did he say, Papa?” Pela asked politely.

I reached back and grabbed the dagger on Harmony’s belt, ignored Pela and continued to speak in Hilloc. “Someone undid my flap. It was either an innocent little girl or there’s an intruder. Lift it up on three. One, two -”

He lifted the tent and sure as shit, a cleverly hidden assassin tried to stay behind my armor that tumbled over. It wasn’t just anyone either…

“Ryak, you crafty little mouse,” I said to the young mousy man who was caught in the open. I grunted with a headshake. I snarled. “I need to get us a fucking dog or ten or something. Actually, you handle that, my Empress.”

“Yes, my Emperor,” Harmony said. “It will be done.”

Rosa whispered, “Did he call you his Empress?”

“There are more pressing matters at hand,” I said.

“I hate not understanding you. Want me to squish him?” Ormis said.

“Sorry, I promise to bridge the language gap with you and the other Hilloc folk to Common Limar. The Centaurs have their own language too,” I said, walking into the living area of my tent.

I donned a new set of robes, watching Ryak closely. The whole time he laid in his spot with his hands up. Once I had my cheap sword around my waist I handed Harmony her robes back, kissing the steely eyed fairy on the cheek.

With my back to the swordmaster, I said, “This better be good Ryak. I’ve given you a chance to collect your thoughts.”

“Father sent me, privately on behalf of the king. Openly, you’re to surrender your heathen troops for execution and pay a very large fine. Privately, the pegasus is not in Misho with the pirates. The Misho Council are certain it’s in Seshkin and are holding their stolen ships hostage for the pegasus’ return,” Ryak said meekly.

I tossed my hands up in the air. “Of course. Well, that solves that. I won’t be able to win over the Misho because… Hmm… What do I do with you?”

“I meant no harm, I swear. I was waiting for the lady to make breakfast before revealing myself. I’d then return and publicly proclaim your sins at the gate,” Ryak said.

Harmony sighed. “Pela, go see Mommy Dami at the gate please.” She shooed her daughter away before locking arms with me. I didn’t like this because Ryak was dangerous, but she trusted me enough to risk it. “I believe him, for what it’s worth. Still. Strip him, inspect his gear, then send him home alive if he is being honest. Kings don’t just… trust. They verify.”

“I’m not alone, Ryak. You could have been a part of this. Look at that ogre looming over you. You see his friends watching. They’re hungry,” I said with a headshake. “However, I’m not evil, even if I feel that way at times. It appears I’m going to war with Seshkin, which makes you an enemy. I’ll treat my prisoners with respect, but the Empress is right. Lay down your weapons, submit to an inspection, or die.”

His eyes darted about in a way I didn’t expect. Honestly, I figured he was telling the truth but he began to panic… Almost as if -

Ryak flung a bag right at us. Instinctively I placed myself between Ryak and Harmony. Golem jumped in the way, stopping the container. The instant he contacted the small purse, it unleashed a plume of yellow substance throughout the magic creation.

Slowly but surely, Golem melted from the attack.

Before I could say anything or do anything other than react, Ormis stomped on Ryak with a sickening snap.

The young swordmaster died in a gory mess. Harmony stood firm, but her arm trembled in mine. I gently leaned down and kissed her cheek.

“An honor guard with unwavering loyalty. I demand it,” I said softly. She trembled a bit less. “Pela needs it too.” This calmed her, bringing out the mother bear. “Good.”

Harmony squished my cheeks, slamming her lips to mine. “I - I’ve never had a man do what you just did. I’ll never forget it.” Her head turned upwards to Ormis. “Tell him I’m tired of all the ogre dicks swinging around. I’m rewarding Ormis with his own ogre harem and he can give the unworthy ones to the others.”

I snorted with a laugh. “She wants you to have lady ogre friends as thanks.”

“Nice,” Ormis said with a grin. His nubbed finger pointed at what used to be Ryak “I’m not cleaning that mess.”

“Can you put my tent down?”

He set it down in a new spot out of the blood and closer to an interior wall that was slowly rising. The table promptly despawned, reappearing in the tent. I probably needed to move anyway and focus on my security.

“Yeah, sure. I’ll be sleeping if you need me. Oh, tell the mountain fairy if she wants to make us happy, hire the females from the Kasmi Mountains. They’re…” He licked his lips. “I’ve been meaning to go back out there for a while.”

I walked over to Ryak’s ruined body. “Will do. Funny thing is, he spent decades mastering the sword, then tried to kill me with poison, and died without a blade drawn.”

Ormis grunted. “An idiot, but you expected this.” I nodded. “You need a hound.”

“Right!”

Ormis retreated with Rosa approaching, grabbing my left arm. “I… Sorry I screamed like a frightened girl.”

“You’re a wonderful elf who’s tied to a Champion who is being hunted by ninety-nine other competitors. That number only drops after the first month. So I expect some regions to be empty, but not many. More assassins will come. More will die. One day, I may leave you behind, but… Your ass looked great though,” I said.

“I agree, it looked amazing,” Harmony said. “It’s super plush.”

Rosa stared down at the corpse, unfazed by the mess. “It’s all the squatting to lift rocks.”

“Should our new servants clean this up?” Harmony asked, wrinkling her nose. “Probably sets the wrong tone.”

I shrugged. “Golem can tomorrow but the trolls will do it. He’ll be put in traps for the hunting teams, and I’ll pen a letter to Baron Hargrin. I… I always had hope for him, but like most people who are undervalued, he was sacrificed in the name of the greater good.”

“He’s beating himself up over raiding Lao,” Rosa said.

“It seems I’ve missed a lot. I brought a nice carriage for trips. Adam, will you join your family for breakfast? The door bolts shut,” Harmony said, taking her eyes off the mess.

Her hand slipped into mine until our fingers intertwined. I grabbed Rosa’s the same way, and we departed the sad scene, determined to make the most of our lives. Dami crouched, talking sweetly with Pela, keeping her distracted from the realities we could only shelter her from for so long.

I smiled upon the duo becoming lost in their joy. I couldn’t help but feel like the dragging weight on my shoulders lifted somewhat when Harmony said my family wanted to be with me.

My family.

Battle, death, politics, and worse would always come second to those I cherished, or so I promised myself. Hardships would come, but surviving the Game of Castles didn’t mean I had to kill every opponent. I just had to stay alive and protect me and mine, something I fully intended to do.

Right before we reached the gate, Harmony whispered, “Dami is upset about Isabel. She’ll never openly say it, but she is.”

I stopped just shy, sadly holding a finger up to Dami. “Out with it.”

“Who’s Isabel?” Rosa blurted.

I frowned, waving Dami over. I gently removed my hands from Rosa and Harmony to scoop up a vibrant Dami. Her brown eyes sparkled with joy.

“Oh, I missed you so.”

“The feeling was very mutual. Thank you for watching Pela while we attended to state. Now… Let me tell you ladies about Isabel. She’s an ambassador I met for five, maybe ten minutes, then fled from. She’s bringing a bunch of -”

“Ha! I was wrong,” Harmony said, holding up her palms. “I’m afraid this is my fault. The reports where you had an after-battle encounter with a virgin princess.”

“Ah. I guess I need to be clear. We’re a family, you’re my Empress’. I can’t make promises, but going forward, I will always try to consult with you three before adding more, which… I don’t need more but I have a feeling I will have them thrust upon me.”

“Phrasing,” Dami said, covering Pela’s ears. She clearly was too slow because the toddler thrust a punch. “That is very kind of you, Adam. I worry because - because - because -”

“You're pregnant!”

Dami never suspected that Rosa gave it away. Instead she nodded, became lost for words, and I held her tight. We shared a bunch of kisses and a tender moment until the big reveal ran its course.

I continued, “I’m super excited to be a dad and I know you’re going to be a wonderful mother.”

Dami curtsied. “Thank you, my Lord. I worry about new women more than I did before.”

“I do see your concern. Women who don’t like you will see our child as a threat. Same with Pela, same with Rosa’s baby, and Harmony will not be far behind. I plan on raising some adorable babies with the three of you.”

“Not four?” Rosa said.

I shook my head. “Not for now, but probably. Sorry, this is how it is. At least I’m not taking every woman who looks at me with kind eyes.”

“Adam!” Dami teased with a slight slap on my arm.

“Forgive me. I’m stressed, famished, probably require a six-hour nap and need to do some shopping. How about we have some brekky, then have a snuggle party in this carriage you brought?” I offered.

“It’s so nice! Harmony helped me get all the baby stuff I’d need and I… I just feel like the luckiest mousy alive. Sorry I got jealous,” Dami said, downcasting her eyes.

I gently raised her chin. “Lessons were learned today, and this is the beauty of making new things. As a family we’ll improve and if anyone tries to harm you, I’ll ensure they don’t.”

“I just so happened to have hired a staff of nannies who only have one child to watch after our… brekky.” Harmony playfully said the word. “Then you’re in for a treat. Six weeks away and the ladies want to play.”

“I can barely walk right,” Rosa teased, bouncing her eyebrows. “I’ll watch!”

“Watch them play what?” Pela asked.

I scooped up the little girl. “They’re excited to see me. How about we go visit Jennet, I know just where the carrots are?”

Her answer was crazy eyes of delight, and she peeled off in a mad dash for the bridge. She must have already seen Jennet on the way in because she zoomed away, forcing me to chase after her.

I tossed Dami, Rosa, and Harmony a wave goodbye for the very short term, seeing them watch me with… love.

At that moment, all the bad stuff faded away, and I relished in being a champion in the Game of Castles, even if I worried I wouldn’t be prepared in time for the war against Seshkin.

Colette Chapter 2

Seshkin Port

A Disaster!

Her blade sunk into the woman’s back smoothly, sliding between ribs. As if her horns demanded the blood, they flared from pink to fire red. Mistress Katrina spun, blood frothing on her lips. Her eyes splayed wide in shock, never expecting the Princess standing behind her.

For months, Colette sent encrypted messages to Harmony, only receiving nonsense back. Harmony wasn’t stupid, not in the slightest. She needed to warn Adam, and yet, all she ever received back was nonsense about shopping, building, and how good Adam was to Pela.

Then it hit her hard. The ravens were flying away, then returning to a carrier on the outskirts of town. If not a chance sighting on a bored evening where she contemplated life, the ruse would have carried on forever.

“I’d ask who told you to tamper with my messages, but I don’t need to. Bitch.” Colette headbutted her.

Katrina’s nose snapped, her eyes crossed, and she landed with a thud, twitching as blood pooled around her. She yanked her blade out the back, wiped it clean, and turned to Ivine.

“Get your fucking helmet on,” she commanded.

His stern glare never flinched or altered. The champion did as commanded unhappily. “You can save her.”

“Why? Why would I do that?”

“The court adores you. This will change that,” Ivine warned.

Colette snorted with vehement anger, tucking her blade away. “I’m not a fucking mouse. People love to throw insults at how Seshkin is weak. Right now they’re deserved.”

“Jodi Crossing is not your responsibility,” Ivine said.

“By the Gods you’ve grown soft.”

“Have not.”

“People are out there dying. We sent an assassin after the one man who is actually fighting to protect this region. Regor doesn’t give a shit. To make matters worse, our only leverage was pissed away by that nitwit Elise,” Colette said with venom on her voice.

Ivine opened his mouth, then closed it. Watching patiently as Colette penned a new letter to her friend. The ravens noticed Katarina's death, watching her killer with interest. To them, they sensed a victory over a prize, nothing more or less.

She finished writing her update, furious with the changing politics. Count Agov sent a skilled swordsman with ties to Adam to assassinate him. The spies in the workcamp noted the attempt failed horribly with the ogre valiantly protecting him.

It was exactly how she predicted it and so she resolved her decision. Colette tucked the rolled note into the ankle container, sending the Raven to Harmony. She wanted to kick Katarina, but she withheld her anger, knowing she was nothing but a pawn.

“Ivine, your oath is to protect me?”

He stared down at her. “You know it is, but I answer to your father.”

“What about the people of Seshkin?”

“No.”

“If my father tried to kill me or ordered you to stand down so he could?” Colette asked.

Ivine sighed. “He’d die trying. My children adore you, I’ve grown to think of you as a daughter. Do not change that bond between us.”

“I don’t have a choice.”

“The King is not up for an election, but you can rally one,” Ivine proposed.

“No, that’s not my fate. Plus my brother has been set into motion. No, we warn the court, make it public, then go into exile in Osbin,” Colette said unhappily.

“This, I can agree to.”

“You just want to go to Casprin since it has been repelling sea monsters.”

He shrugged. “There’s a fight there too. I don’t mind killing, just not my friends.”

“Adam will fix it before Father does,” Colette grumbled, walking out of the carrier station. “Oye! You!” Colette waved over a guard at an intersection who desperately wanted her to be calling for anyone else.

Her guard tensed when the man slowly trotted over with an unsettled frown. “Yes Princess.”

“Mistress Katrina slipped and fell on her dagger. Right in the back. Very unfortunate. File a report, while I explain myself to the king,” Colette said, stepping off the shop’s stairs.

Her guards flowed around her, leaving the body for the poor guard to deal with. If Ivine wasn’t upset, those who answered to him weren’t upset. For the next half hour, they walked through the city in the early evening, leaving behind a murder.

The inner city guards let her pass without issue. She literally outran her problem, going straight to the source. The King’s Sanctum boomed with activity, holding the evening session of noble complaints.

These were legitimate complaints with issues to help the kingdom run smoother. Of course, no one expected the King’s eldest daughter to cut the line with her guards pushing the nobility about. In essence she strode onto the petition floor, declaring war, and it really wasn’t too far from that.

Baron Carvi immediately vacated, stopping his petition to retreat.

“Daughter?” King Krastor said, scooting forward to scan his court for threats. He knew instantly that when armored knights walked in with helmets on, this was not normal.

Colette cleared her throat. “Wouldn’t you know it, Mistress Katrina of the raven house rewrote my letters, sending them without vital information to allies. Your allies. So, I drove a dagger into her back for her treachery.”

“Fuck,” her brother blurted from a boring side conversation. “What are you doing Colette?”

“Nothing. I am doing absolutely nothing. Unlike you, my king, and the rest of this court, I’m going to greet the Champion in battle. I march for Osbin to secure its walls,” Colette proclaimed.

Her half brother strode forward with his normal egotistical flair, sweeping his cloak behind him. Prince Daniel said, “War is not for the women and -”

Tendrils of magic swirled around her. “I’d crush you like an ant. Oh, speaking of which, pretty Prince. Why do our people die in anthril prisons while you flirt at women.”

“Enough!” King Krastor bellowed. “Osbin is fitting for you. I’m starting to wish I forced you to marry Regor.”

“He comes,” Colette warned. “He defeated the centaurs. He crushed your assassin. He killed the hags. The necromancer bent the knee. King Pragor bent the knee. King Vardrin gave him his prized daughter. And you, you spit on him like you can spend your way out of your problem.”

“They have no food, big Sis. They’ll be starved out this winter,” Prince Daniel said with a sneer.

She rolled her eyes so hard her head went with them. “I’d wager my firstborn that he uses that necromancer’s land to secure Misho. He commanded Galsi himself in battle. I know your prowess, Gardol soundly carves you up every tournament.”

“Yeah, he’s actually pretty good, but we have the archers to stop them,” Prince Daniel replied.

“Shaky grounds are the best foundation. I’ve said my piece. Our lands are being ravaged and you know whose aren’t, those who allied with the man you tried to assassinate. This court needs to take a long and hard inward look. Lao already burns, Jodi Crossing is infested, Casprin is being attacked by sea monsters that walk the land, and all this happens before those northern armies march. I never approved of Regor, he’s meek. Where’s his ambassador?”

“That is none of your business,” King Krastor said.

“Exactly. That throne is yours to protect but make no mistake Father. Champion Adam will meet our troops in battle, and while I hope we win, what do we do if we don’t?”

“Again, not your problem. Osbin and if one of my agents shows up dead again, I will put you in a dungeon,” King Krastor warned.

She curtsied. “I hear your warning.”

Colette wanted to ask him if he heard hers, but her dramatic arrival and exit was louder than he probably ever expected. When she stormed out, without a doubt she fractured the court, creating an opening to undo the damage her father created.

Maybe, just maybe, Adam would be understanding when their paths crossed.

Chapter

Forty-Six

CASTLE CLEAR

Bend with the Knees!

I stared at the table with a flustered sputter of my lips. No matter how much we built, expanded, and slaved away, our growth as a force superseded our efforts.

Location: The Clear Isle

Location Summary: An island rests in the middle of a decent moving river. A bridge on the east and west connects it to the land. To the south rests Lao, to the north, Gorm. The foundation for the castle is solid, based upon bedrock, and unable to be tunneled under from the far sides of the river. The soil is not rich on the island, but the lack of escape avenues for farm animals makes it a great island for husbandry.

Two weeks after Ryak died, I found myself in a conundrum of my own making.

The centaurs arrived a week ago with a few loose stragglers who continued to pour in. They were actually in pretty decent spirits, eager to start their new life on a good foot, knowing they actually belonged here. And that was exactly what I tried to do for their morale, let them know this was their home.

We used some of our felled trees to create large three sided stables and this proved to really help with the mothers thanking us profusely. The structures were definitely better than sleeping in the open. I struggled to give them a real purpose besides tilling fields to prep for later summer planting; well that and general labor.

Which created a problem, one I didn’t foresee. Four hundred knights arrived, eager to continue fighting under my banner. When the cavalry donned their shiny armor and thundered onto the field, they were the chef’s kiss. When they sat around camp, they didn’t do menial tasks beneath them. Their squires worked, but yeah, they mostly spared or cared for their horses.

Since I bought a bunch of rams to help with protein, cart labor, and yes, troll skirmishing cavalry, I did manage to convince a few to help cross train. Even if they ended up serving a purpose, the Estin Cavalry was noticeably smaller from its former size at the battle of Basbin Pass, leaving me inwardly grumbling.

Duke Drefius moved his wife into the Brackenfell estate. I promptly received a request of funds for a remodel and approved most of it. I wanted Brackenfell to become synonymous with my efforts, which meant a certain status was required. It wasn’t easy to invest my winnings in such a way, because even though I was flush with silver, it would go quickly when it came to maintaining such a large army.

Not everything proved expensive though. My Influence Points with the Hillocs went through the roof because of our successful raid with them leading the way. All it took was a few trolls heading home to talk about how they won without dying and suddenly I earned massive discounts on trolls and ogres.

Of course, if ogres wanted to enlist, I happily took them. My issue was feeding the big warriors. They consumed enough to feed fifty trolls, slept almost eighteen hours a day, and weren’t too different from the knights when it came to work.

Thankfully, they did give me a good hour to three a day of moving boulders or trees, and yes, I hired some female ogres from far away, but I found myself drowning in food purchases. I did however fill Major Kell’s infantry banner, giving him almost two hundred troops now.

I hired the Fat Sharks, simply investing in their ship for a season in the short term. All my other hiring went on hold so that I could properly organize, manage, feed, and move my growing army. The ogres continued to strip trees with the trolls removing branches to produce trunks ready for the mills.

Up and down the river, we yanked up every loose rock we could find, bringing them toward the castle. If we weren’t building shelters for the centaurs, horses, arriving troops, and training areas - we added to the castle. The entire structure was built with mortar and local river rocks. Sure, the ogres split some boulders from the land, making it not wholly riverstone built, evident by the cracking and banging in the background.

“A letter from Hargrin has arrived,” Dami said, quietly disturbing my meeting with Drefius and Carr at the magical table.

I frowned, not exactly looking forward to reading the return letter. I’d been very courteous even if he’d been sent to kill me. When I unfolded the letter, I sped through the cursive to digest the bits that mattered. He apologized for the collapse in diplomacy, and he didn’t know Countess Zera sent his prized son as an assassin. He asked to visit his grave when he could and thanked me for returning his ruined weapons.

I balled the letter up and gently tossed it to Dami. “Burn it. It’s the sad words of a grieving father who is a pawn in a game he doesn’t wish to play.”

Dami didn’t catch the letter, plucking it off the war room’s floor before excusing herself.

Drefius said, “Because King Vardrin still reins over Estin, it appears your discounts are lacking. Seshkin has the best archers in the region, something we desperately need, and those troops were removed as options. I -”

“We’re here,” Harmony said, entering with Rosa. They quickly grabbed seats on the other side. “The centaurs demanded an audience for more meatless substance. We agreed.”

Rosa added, “Not that it matters, the gator just ran out, even the reserves.”

“Sit, relax. We’re talking archers,” I told them. I leaned across the table. “There’s a new banner option. If I select it, we just build it from scratch instead of finding a small unit to improve.”

“I like it, but why aren’t they in a unit to begin with,” Sergeant Carr said.

I excitedly tossed my hands in the air. “Exactly what I was thinking too. Look.”

You can buy an archery unit banner. Until you appoint an officer, the banner will be locked for recruitment. Currently there are 3,417 archers in the Tolmeria Region that can serve as an officer. While you wait to officially appoint common archers to the banner, you can hire them under your champion banner for other tasks like guarding The Clear Castle.

“This says it all, plus we can hire from outside Tolmeria, including in other Champion’s regions, but I decided to put together an Estin and Avorth unit. I’d selected a dozen officers to pick from while hiring a hundred random archers to my banner. It… It’ll mean another two weeks before we are set to march south,” I said.

“No offense, Adam, this isn’t enough to defeat the Seshkin Kingdom,” Drefius said.

Harmony straightened her back. “He doesn’t intend to defeat them, he intends to bring them into the fold.”

“Hardly a difference if they are defiant,” Sergeant Carr said with palms defensively raised. “My point is valid, any power stripped from the Seshkin people is less to absorb and the more damage we do the greater the resentment.”

“True in any war, but there is a difference. Misho will join the fold. I sent a raven almost two weeks ago, here is their response,” Harmony said, reaching into her ample bust to withdraw a folded square parchment. “Seven adventuring ships entered Misho Port, bearing with them the hunters of the deeps. When they docked, they did so as one, in one area.

“While not unusual for a fleet to hunt together, or for them to band together during stops on their voyage, they seemed distant. Jaded. A second fleet came in, smaller than the first, but with wide bodied hulls. Again, not unusual, but the officer in charge of port security didn’t like the situation. The chains to the port were raised prematurely, and yes, this is generally a hostile decision.

“It proved to be correct. The seven ships of hunters tried to capture the chain controls. Only through the valiant actions of a few brave soldiers, did our defense hold. Dozens dead on both sides with many innocents caught in the chaos. In the end, we never got to know who ordered the attack or what those ships held. We secured our port, played defensive, and awaited a leadership change within Seshkin.

“Turns out, they blame us, calling us pirates. We certainly are not, but it's hard to prove these words true. We held seven hunting ships and repelled additional vessels that could have just been filled with lumber we desperately needed. In closing, our council has verified the Game of Castles is upon us again. Establish who attacked us and why to earn our banner to add to yours. Long live Tolmeria.”

“And who wrote that?” I asked. Harmony handed me the letter. “Councilmember Vexus. There’s always two sides to every story. Too bad there’s no ambassadors here to counter these claims.”

“Look, uh, so, uh, this is not normal for me,” Drefius said, stumbling to form a sentence. “The missus. She has a theory if I may?”

“By all means.”

“Sorry, she didn’t come along to say it. She’s very busy with the estate with such a -”

“Pitiful state it’s in, we know,” Harmony said dryly. “It’ll get better, and I’ll go visit her at some point to help sell how much we care about the city.”

“Thank you… my lady. She thinks King Krastor either sided with a different champion and is buying time, or there is another champion in the city. Since the latter doesn’t make any sense, the former does. At first, I thought that was nonsense. Obviously, not siding with you made a lot of sense at first,” Drefius said.

Rosa folded her arms under her mostly covered chest. Unlike Harmony, she preferred to appear ladylike while her sister-wife liked to flaunt her… assets. “But Estin fell weeks ago, Avorth months ago. The Hilloc, the centaurs, the necromancer, the hags, and now this odd scenario where they go on the offensive. Why not unite with your region?”

“I’m not exactly helping my own cause,” I admitted.

“Still this raid on Misho was before anything else. You don’t think there’s another champion in there?” Rosa said.

I shook my head. “I mean, it could be a dead champion’s replacement or a roaming champion. While entirely possible, it is unlikely. What is more likely is the distant east or west regions sent an envoy offering grandeur promises of this or that in exchange for loyalty. Now that we’re making progress and they’re failing, that deal could be in jeopardy.”

“Adam, I’m just a scout, but the fact you don’t know what is going on in that court is telling. Someone does,” Carr said, looking at Harmony.

“Okay, I know things. No offense, one of my sources is very private and worried about her security.” Harmony reached into her bust again, withdrawing a second envelope. “Father, and grandfather have been very happy with how well you’ve been doing. They like the idea of the Estin Cavalry joining the mages of Avorth on the field of battle. A small unit of ten healers arrived yesterday with supplies. They also have sent me this.”

“I haven’t really seen much support from Avorth besides those healers. Which yeah, that’s great. And yes, my Influence Points are through the roof, so I guess it’s on me to hire exactly what I need,” I said.

Harmony raised a curious eyebrow. “When we finish this meeting, we will go to the market camp outside the castle. New arrivals need your attention. However, this is from Father.” She cleared her throat. “Misho and Seshkin are at war. It stems over both believing the other has the pegasus. To the best of our knowledge, both parties had the pegasus at one point. Where it is now is unknown. The Misho Council claims a raid started the war. They aren’t wrong if you believe them.

“The Seshkin say Misho seized a flotilla near its ports, this is also true, and if timelines are to be believed, this occurred before the battle on the docks. The two sides have always been at odds, not too differently than how we are. The main issue is – where is that pegasus? We don’t know, but security around Seshkin Port is far tighter than anywhere in Misho. Our ambassador was ejected even though their ambassador sits nicely on my father’s court.

“Our current theory is that Misho had the pegasus, not too differently than the Hillocs. In an attempt to keep it secret, limited people knew, someone turned – maybe by accident – and a raid was successful. Now they’re trying to find allies or have already made them elsewhere, because no cry for help has come from their court.”

I danced my fingers on the table, ingesting the news. Eventually, I stopped being annoying and bobbed my head around while thinking. The rest of the table waited patiently while Rosa pulled up an area map.

“I think your wife is right. Why not barter with me? Why not engage with your neighbors? Especially when we have only overtly turned hostile. We’re at the point where things can still be forgiven, for certain. Yes. There’s something else at play and my gut is not pointing to the small city state being devious, plus they’re being friendly, so what does Seshkin have to hide?” I asked rhetorically.

Drefius answered regardless of my tone. “They have the pegasus and an alliance with another region. You have to stop them from evacuating that magical creature.”

I flung a wrist in the air. “Not a chance. It’s secured on an island or a dungeon. If I’m King Krastor, my only leverage for support is that pegasus. My issue is, I don’t have a fleet… yet.” I stood to loom over the map. After a few minutes of reading the typography, I came up with a fairly ambitious plan. “I’m buying the banner, but I’m also going to get this unit.”

Unit: Hammer and Chisel!

Term: 3 months

Location: Normith

Kingdom: Avorth

Region: Tolmeria

Mercenaries for Hire: This unit of engineers is wondrous at making roads. Simply dictate where you want the road to go, clear the space, provide the materials, and a fast traveling path will be hastily constructed by the finest engineers.

Quantity:

7 Wagons

54 Laborers

4 Engineers

12 Staff

Price: 35 Silver.

Discounted LP price: 20 Silver.

“A great company out of the north. Wonderful crew. The laborers are slaves, but well cared for ones with freedom clauses.” Harmony paused when I raised an eyebrow. “Dami mentioned your aversion to slavery. Just think of it as prisoners working off their time for crimes committed instead of slavery.”

“I… I intend to hire them, regardless. I need quality work done and the price is right,” I said.

“Yes, it’s dreadful to get back and forth from Brackenfell,” Drefius said.

Rosa cleared her throat. “Not Brackenfell. He’s going to build a direct road to Misho Port.”

“Either to siege or welcome into the fold.” I slowly rose to my feet. “Without the seafood, we’re done long term. I can’t feed this army on grubs and a few fish from an overfished river. At least we have the horsepower around.”

“The cavalry won’t like that,” Drefius said.

I shrugged. “Their horses will. Knocking down trees is what this empire is about. We can fuel the timber trade out of Misho Port, gain an ally with ships, and regardless of who or what the Seshkin are up to, utilize the ocean.”

Carr pointed on the map where the road would cut through the Jelin Forest. “Mancer won’t like this.”

“I bet he will. I’m going to make him an outpost commander, set up a tavern foundation, and let him profit from travelers. I bet legitimacy is appealing to him,” I said, walking over to rub Harmony’s shoulders. “Captain Carr, hire the archers from Avorth, Drefius, the ones from Estin. A hundred bowmen with ten officers. Once you're done, tell the soldiers, all of them beside the defenders we’re leaving behind. For now, we go around the swamp.”

“Thank fucking heavens,” Drefius muttered. “What? I hate swamps.”

“Alright, now, with my plans disclosed, what does your private source have to say?” I asked.

Harmony winced. “You need to understand. My source… We were friends, then grew distant, then she started writing recently. Nothing seemed amiss, simple correspondence until she said something that could totally be false.”

“I’m listening.”

“Seshkin is not allied with Champion Zeth, they’re allied to Champion Regor. He is married to a princess of Seshkin who gave him the pegasus.”

I sighed. “Well, it seems like we need to get in that court to answer questions. Regardless of the situation in King Krastor’s sphere, we can’t defeat his city yet and we have to get food. To Misho we go.”

“I agree, my Lord. Give me more time to talk with her before we trust her information. Please, follow me.” Harmony stood, waving for Rosa to join us.

We exited the dimly lit war room, passing a series of guards and a small maze of walls to limit access to the table. Over the last two weeks, we’d slept in the carriage parked inside the castle. For now, the sturdy spot was delightful with its creature comforts.

Pela and Jennet tried to join us when we passed the large carriage, but her nannies stopped her before she could get far. I wore an elegant robe, designed in Avorth for a lord or king. It flowed behind me, matching the sultry dress Harmony wore and the ladylike dress Rosa wore.

While fashion had never been my thing, it carried a different weight to it in Tolmeria. You could tell a lot about a person based on their outfit. Even Dami took to becoming more of a royalty figure in her stunning gowns.

“How do you think Dami is doing?” Rosa asked, breaking the silence.

I shrugged. “Her mission is… different. If I had to guess her, Booma and Galsi are beyond Brackenfell already.”

“I’m surprised you sent your pregnant lover on a mission into the heart of Estin,” Harmony said.

I rolled my eyes, steeping around the guards at the makeshift gate. “Princess Isabel will be here soon, and with her, a few of her ladies in waiting to join her. However, look,” I said, pointing to the hundreds of knights, soldiers, and workers who lingered around a sprawling camp. “Those soldiers need companionship, and I need it conducted safely.”

“That part I get,” Rosa said. “I heard your tales of no hookin in Texas. She told me it definitely was sex for coin, but you called it hookin, odd, and yes, a shame to ban. If done right, everyone wins.”

I snorted with a light chuckle. “Fair.”

“We need support personnel,” Harmony said with a smile. “Dami has my full confidence.”

“Yup, and it’s more than that too. The trolls aren’t a servant class, and we’re growing. I know Harmony brought an entourage of servants, but they’re ours, with access to our family. I want to ensure their safety and happiness, thereby helping us. And so Dami is off on an adventure of her own to bring workers who deal in everything from sewing to blowing.”

“Ugh, we’re stretching the budget,” Rosa said, stepping over the bridge's cracks, as was her habit. “The road will bring in revenue, same with the troops just doing troop things, but the reality is, expanding the Game of Castles is hard.”

“Exactly why we’re making changes,” I said, stepping around a growing pothole in the dirt road. “Some of them are needed more than others.”

“This road will eat weeks of time,” Harmony said with a sigh. “It is wise of you, Adam, very wise to build connections, but they will take lots of effort from your castle.”

We deviated through the camp of servants, scouts, and laborers. Since the attack, some of the interior residents moved to the exterior to avoid being caught up in any potential fight. A trade convoy arrived while I’d been at the Game of Castles table with most of the laden wagons carrying potatoes.

“The castle is always a lifetime project, but I digress. This is a lot of potatoes.”

They weren’t frozen, already weighing enough. I grumbled, wishing it was chickens or sheep on those beds. Potatoes would suffice, for us at least and it was exactly what the centaurs asked for. The ogres and trolls would eat rats without a second thought so at least there was a boon to our rapidly growing problem.

We inspected the wagons one at a time, noting more and more and more potatoes. That changed on the second to last covered wagon forced us to walk to the back to see a cage. Inside the thick bars, a feral wolf snarled with such violent hatred - I honestly worried it might bust out of the prison.

When the wolf stood, I frowned, seeing her swollen belly. She was a bit bigger than a German Shepard, but not by much with dark black fur. Without a doubt, she'd kill Pela if she got close to her.

“That fearsome beast was trapped the day before I left to come back home,” Harmony said.

Rosa raised an eyebrow. “Here?”

“Yes, Avorth will forever be my place of birth, but this is home. I saw the feral at the market, and I also saw this,” Harmony led me to the last wagon. A golden retriever type female dog wagged her tail when we arrived at the final bed. “I sent a raven right away to bring them here. This lovely pet gave birth. A litter of three.”

“She’s wonderful,” I said, staring into her sweet eyes.

“Yes, a great mother. Once the feral gives birth, we feed her to the ogres, then put her pups with this sweetheart. The pups will have their nature and nurture, it's brutal, but so is Limar,” Harmony said.

I folded my arms before realizing I looked combative. With a move faster than humanly possible, I wrapped her in a hug with a twirl.

“Thank you, Harmony,” I said.

She giggled in delight, leaning down when I stopped our spin to kiss me. “I’m glad to make you happy. Who knew it took hounds!”

“We’re simple,” a fairy driver said with a grunt. “Men appreciate help.”

I couldn’t argue. “I want to make sure my family is safe and secure.”

“Good, because we need some potato soup,” Harmony said with a wrinkled face.

“My dear sister-wife, life will get better,” Rosa said with a grin. “We have cows and ducks coming with Princess Isabel.”

“Have you figured out how you want to deal with her?” Harmony asked.

I shrugged. “She’s a historian from what I understand. I have a feeling she’s going to be asking me questions and glued to the table with Rosa. If she’s a virgin, which is not a dizzying interest of mine, I know it is for some guys, then she might not even be interested in me. I just want her safe and secure. The last thing I need is to be on campaign and King Vardrin is furious about his princess.”

“My Lord, my Lady, it’s time to offload the hound and the wolf, where would you like them?” one of the wagon haulers asked.

With a heavy heart, I withdrew my blade to do the dirty deed myself only to have the handler raise a crossbow. The weapon snapped, unleashing a bolt that exploded the wolf’s brains.

“Let the pups hate me, not you. They won’t know, of course, but best to cut them free while you can. Be their savior,” the handler said.

I dipped my head in respect, getting to work when he opened the cage. Five minutes later, Ormis carried the kind dog's kennel into the castle with three more pups in the litter. I didn’t know how it’d turn out, but the biggest one would go on campaign with me once it was weaned, or so I planned.

For now, we needed to plant crops, haul more stones, stack those stones, clear trees, strip them, and start getting ready to construct a smooth road. The amount of work it took to raise a castle was staggering, but our growing numbers and joyful outlook sure did make it seem possible.

From up above, I could feel a set of eyes on me. When I glanced in that direction, a crow with a slight blue tint watched me with great interest. When I picked up a rock, it fled south, never being in real danger.

“Is the spy magic where you can possess crows?” I asked.

“Yeah, but they exude magic, making them too stupid to try to get over walls,” Harmony said.

“Well, I just saw one. Which means I need to find out how to kill them or counter the magic and keep the scouts on alert for Lao leaving to attack,” I said.

“An open field battle would prove disastrous for them,” Harmony said.

Rosa wisely said, “Kings rarely care about a loss if there is a chance at a great win. Ergo the feral wolf being sacrificed. Lao may not have a choice.”

“Sadly not much is known about the Game of Castles from the last rounds. What worked, what didn’t. The little bit we gleaned before Avorth joined your cause told us a tie was a win for you. If you wanted to carry out a war of attrition, we’d lose. I’m not sure if Seshkin is as smart though,” Harmony said.

I grumbled. “Troops are not infinite. However, I see your point. They may think killing a third of my army is smart. In some ways it is. I’ll - I’ll be more careful,” I said, not sure if I meant it.

For now, I hoped to make unimpeded progress while my army solidified around me. The centaurs needed training, armor, and fundamental leadership. A lot of new knights, ogres, trolls, and scouts needed to train with their units, raw to the ways I handled my army.

And to top it all off, a disorganized archer unit would be arriving while we built the road. Every day that passed, was one more that Seshkin’s chances diminished and because of that, I grew worried they might try something desperate.

Chapter

Forty-Seven

JELIN WOODS

Lined up for Battle!

I had this notion that building a road would be easy. In many ways it was since we had the raw power to yank roots up. Without tree roots the rest came down to proper engineering and more importantly supplies.

Thankfully King Pragor and Prince Tarsin were tipped about my desire to build a road. They also wanted this to happen, so they chipped in my hiring teams to shift mining debris down the mountain. Everyday, laden wagons filled with excess mining rubble rolled in my area to help the project.

In my head, Hammer and Chisel - the unit of experienced roadbuilders - would dig six inches down, then add stones and I needed to supply were the river stones. Since I wasn’t ready to implement the centaurs into my army yet, I used them to go up and down the river grabbing all sorts of stones for the castle and the road. Even though I suddenly had more rocks than I could use, I’d been completely wrong about what to expect for roadbuilding.

The engineers dug three feet down, laid a layer of large stones, then small stones, then a layer of concrete to seal them in, and finally a layer of big stones that could handle the wear and tear.

Basically, the road reaching Misho from The Clear Castle wasn’t going to happen anywhere near my two week timeframe. My part where we tore out trees, widened existing paths, and pushed on was unrealistic. That’d be done no problem and as soon as a heavy rain came through it’d mud then grow vegetation.

Honestly, I felt like shit because I learned about the Roman roads in school and just figured they’d use magic here. Or I completely forgot to pull on my history lessons. Regardless, eight days later, I found myself with a fancy road that only stretched about twelve hours of walking towards Lao.

We wrapped the swamp, deviated away from the Seshkin city, and pushed on towards the Jelin Woods. While we worked, additional troops arrived to further bolster the army. Among them was Isabel and her honor guard.

When the Princess learned I kept Harmony at my side she felt secure enough to travel with me. Having a phoenix mage around was exceedingly useful to everyone… A scholar princess not so much. She arrived with a dozen surly guards, three carriages and a whole lot of notebooks to fill.

For the last three days, she followed me around, asking questions every five or ten minutes, then vanishing back into her carriage to record notes. Rosa stopped by at one point, not wanting to leave our home for very long but incredibly curious as to who Isabel was and what she brought. Isabel and her bonded right away, trading data, books, and the such.

I stayed out of their way, trying my best to make this road finish faster. Not only did I hit an efficiency wall, but we ran out of supplies on day eight. Which probably wasn’t the worst time, because sure enough, the Lao army finally left the safety of their walls.

My forces rapidly assembled to protect the builders. Baron Hargrin picked a section of forest that’d been converted into timber to greet us in battle. The roots of trees created a clearing a few miles wide and deep enough for us to face off in.

He brought a unit of archers in the low three hundreds. They carried precision bows, giving up distance for aim. The ones in the very back seemed like auxiliary troops since they lacked the same uniforms or physique as the main archers on display.

In front of the archers, thickly armored heavy infantry guarded their front. There were only fifty of these troops, but they definitely came as a unit with matching attire and a precision to their combined movements.

At the heart of the formation, a dozen knights waited in a clump with uneasy horses, dancing in place. These were the lower nobles of Lao, well armored with banners flapping, squires behind them, and small units of loyal soldiers nearby for reserves.

On our side, five ogres, a hundred infantry, fifty archers, two hundred and fifty trolls and four hundred cavalry aligned. I nudged Drago forward, wearing my thick brown armor. One of the knight’s sons carried my banner with Drefius joining me to meet in the middle for a parlay.

The three of us crossed the distance, weaving around the tree stumps. Drefius was still in a bit of shock that the enemy left the protection of their walls, mostly because no one wanted to fight four hundred knights in open ground, let alone ogres without siege weapons.

Instead of talking, we saved it for when Hargrin and an archer I recognized as Captain Elim’s husband rode out to meet us. I mumbled under my breath how this was partially a problem of my own making.

When we met in the middle, no one removed helmets at first until I did so. While this was a risk, I also wasn’t exactly a normal human anymore. When everyone removed their helms, I scoffed at their audacity.

“This is insanity, Hargrin,” I said.

“I happen to like our odds,” the man replied.

Drefius shook his head. “I don’t suppose you’re willing to turn back?”

“Bring us the pegasus in the north, surrender to Champion Regor of Cask, and we will absorb your outpost with no one being turned into slaves. That is the official word from King Krastor,” Baron Hargrin said.

“Nuts,” I replied, turning my horse. “Sorry you had to die for nobles who didn’t value your life.”

“Like my wife’s!” the elven archer sneered.

I shook my head, not having a good answer for him. I’d clean my conscience and the threat to my family by removing everyone who wanted to brawl. A tap on Drago’s flanks sent him trotting back toward the infantry lines.

“That was quick,” Ormis said, earning a chuckle from the Hilloc forces. “Kinda figured you’d have a way of pissing them off.”

Once Drago reached friendly lines, I spun him and hopped out of the saddle. Drefius and the banner were slower to make it back, arriving right when I hopped onto a stump in front of the army. I waited patiently for Hargrin to return to his formation.

The instant both armies stood ready, I shouted, “Raise the banner!”

My orange banner licked flames, booming with power under the undercast sky. To my dismay, Hargrin raised his banner in return, signaling he was ready to fight. This left me with a hard choice, and I decided to make this decisive, even if it might hurt me in later engagements by revealing too much.

“What’s the plan?” Drefius asked.

“I’m not a tactical genius, but I’m going to assume cavalry does better against archers than infantry,” I said. Drefius snickered with a nod. “I’ll remove the infantry, you run down the archers. We want them to surrender, so don’t hold back.”

“So it shall be,” Drefius said, wheeling his horse to reach his officers.

I popped my back, rolling my right arm in a stretch. After the centaur campaign, I stopped feeling the ache. Somehow, I figured that was about to be renewed. A different squire brought over my canister filled with javelins. I grabbed one and bounced it a few times in my palm.

“Want us to add to it?” Ormis said, grabbing a rock off the back of a wagon I’d staged behind the ogres.

“Yup. Focus the infantry.”

Captain Carr cleared his throat. “Any rousing speech my lord?”

“Uh, no, not today. This is business,” I said sadly. “Drop the banner!”

Magic washed over me and my army, coating us with the orange power of the Gods.

I turned over my shoulder to glance at the infantry. “Kell, start the chant.”

The troll officer slapped his sword into his shield, creating a drum. The first smack was solo, but afterwards, the trolls showed something rarely seen amongst their kind - cohesion.

Before the enemy could react, I cocked back my javelin and unleashed it with every ounce of my enhanced power. A good hundred yards separated our forces, and no man could ever throw a javelin across such distances.

I wasn’t an average man though.

The javelin howled, never arching high and using gravity to cross the distance. I hurled it with enough power that the well-crafted javelin screamed across the battlefield. Infantry hunkered down, calling out a signal I barely heard.

Shields locked together, forming a tight wall. My throw lined up for the cavalry in the middle, aiming for Captain Elim’s husband. A brave or foolish soldier jumped right into the path, tanking the projectile with his shield.

The weapon exploded, showering the area with bits of shrapnel. Three horses reared with welts oozing blood from splinters. The man who absorbed the blow fell to a knee before dragging the shield with what was likely a shattered arm. A healer rushed to help him but I could see Hargrin barking orders to avoid the area.

A squire helped the soldier out of his shield while a healer stuck a potion to his lips.

I unleashed a second javelin, not letting them recover. The instant it was free, the ogres arched rocks high. At this point, I realized if they wanted to waste their decades of training by standing within our respective ranges, I’d allow it.

Over the next minute, I unleashed a dozen javelins, with most of them shattering against shields. Slowly but surely, the number of infantry holding shields to protect the archers dwindled. They’d mostly recover, but when a rock the size of a man’s head landed in the formations, it left damage no potion could fix. The healer finally used her powers, saving a life. When she finished, she fainted, showing just how weak magic was on Limar.

I didn’t understand Hargrin’s plan until a bugle on our right sounded loudly. One of Captain Carr’s scouts had to have detected a flank attack. Instead of doing something rash, I held the line.

A drum thrummed from out of Lao’s back ranks and the infantry stepped forward in unison. Undeterred by whatever the scout found, Drefius peeled off his cavalry to the left flank while Ormis and the ogres shifted to the right.

The enemy stepped closer with each breath, slowly crossing the distance even with their reduced numbers. Without a doubt, those archers could kill the ogres with enough arrow fire and they’d wreak havoc on our infantry as well so I didn’t want the main bulk of the enemy army too near.

“Ormis! Trees!” I bellowed over the ruckus.

Behind our archers were the supply wagons. Since Hargrin took to the field and would be able to harry us home if he chose, I decided to consolidate for a fight, which meant even Harmony and Isabel were here, not far from our stacks of quality timber meant for trading in Misho Port.

The ogre general sprinted the short distance and leapt over the troll infantry. His impact shook the ground with enough force the enemy stuttered a step. A scout weaved between the shifting ogres who shored up the right line.

I continued to hurl javelins until the final projectile raced across the distance. With those expended, I grabbed the longbow with the thicker arrows. Only twenty or so infantry lay dead or had fallen back with some of them taking the blows without shattered arms.

The scout arrived with worry in his eyes. “Enemy cavalry two hundred, maybe more, my lord.”

“Fuck!” I grumbled, tossing the bow down. I bolted toward the back lines right as Ormis spun twice before hurling a tree. My desire to watch the damage was overridden by the fact I needed to command the battlefield. I slid to a stop, grabbing the squire with my banner. “Bugle an advance, full pace.”

Thankfully, he didn’t hesitate, pressing the brass opening to his lip. A single note blared out a full charge and finally the trolls acted like normal by screaming their battle cries with a full sprint. They bayed for blood in the only way a Hilloc could.

The archers didn’t exactly keep up, forcing me to shout.

“Calvary is coming for our back lines! Get inside the troll ranks. Now!”

My scream stirred the archers into action and even though they only had two junior officers at the moment, they fled forward. I dashed to Harmony and Isabel who waited on their mounts with a small contingent of guards.

The captain of her guard, a surly elf named Mari, unfurled a banner of Estin. He grabbed the Princess’ reins, and the eight of them rode away from the battle while I hopped into Drago’s saddle. While they fled, Harmony’s servant staff crowded under her carriage for safety.

I glanced up seeing most of the enemy infantry’s left flank laying in tatters from the first log throw. With my infantry rapidly crossing the distance, Hargrin had no choice but to stop his advance in the hopes the archers could whittle down our charge.

Even if he managed to slow the trolls and kill a few archers, Drefius’ squire bugled a heavy charge directly for the enemy archers’ uncovered right flank with his left hook. And just like that my entire army besides Harmony, Ormis, and I were committed.

“How many cavalry?” Harmony asked, glancing between the ogre’s legs.

“Two fucking hundred,” I grumbled, ushering Drago into a trot to the right flank. “I have to hold the right flank.”

Harmony shouted, “Prince Daniel will be in the cavalry. He’ll be hard to -” Ormis unleashed another tree.

A thick volley of arrows twanged out of the enemy's mass. I cringed, knowing we’d be taking some heavy damage from the volley. The trolls didn’t slow or stop to raise their shields, in unison. Since their new design was so heavy and they ran so fast, they only inclined their shields for themselves.

Beyond the ogres on the right flank, the first of the enemy knights materialized between the trees.

Harmony’s pretty stallion charged in front of me with her swirling magic of reds and oranges. She glowed with an intensity that forced my eyes off the enemy knights. Time slowed and I fought a desire to feed her magic or consume it. I couldn't tell what battlefield desire vexed me, but I quickly tossed it aside.

When I shifted to look at the main battle, the second tree Ormis threw landed true, wrecking the right infantry flank an instant before the trolls arrived.

Behind them, from the single volley they endured, a dozen trolls and three archers lay either dead or wounded. When Drefius and his knights slammed into the archers at a full sprint, the battle in the clearing pretty much ended with deep reverberating impacts so intense I could feel them in my bones.

The immense force of armored knights drove deep into the lightly armored archer mass. In that fleeting second, I understood the enemy’s plan. Lure us in, arrow down the trolls, then the cavalry would clean up the rest. Except the flank attack timing was shit, the ogres ruined the infantry, our trolls weren’t mere arrow fodder, and the archers died in droves.

Baron Hargrin glanced at me with the saddest gaze in his eyes. He knew it was over for him, even if he survived the calamity of his defeat.

A woosh of immense fire magic roared to life. My armor cooked, Drago neighed angrily, and a swirl of cool air replaced the unbearable heat. When I glanced ahead, Drago slowed his trot to a walk. The enemy knights slowed their charge with the most decorative knights trying to see through the phoenix.

As powerful as that phoenix was, it fought a shield or a dozen shields, flaring the red and orange against blue. While it didn’t pierce their formation, the magical creation spooked the horses and obscured the enemy’s vision. Any slowing of their charge provided immense amounts of time.

While Harmony bought us time, little pockets of the Lao infantry that had managed to make it to the fight started surrendering, something I wanted.

One of the enemy knights who wore sea blue armor glared at me with a leveled sword. Harmony immediately turned her stallion now that her spell served its purpose. I spun Drago to flow with her away from the knights, and towards friendly forces.

In the main scrum, Hargrin charged towards the point of the Drefius’ attack. The small clump of knights crushed friendly archers without mercy in their quest for a glorious victory. Even if the odds were long, they wanted to try to turn the tide of the fight.

Harmony and I fled the enemy knights on the right flank, not exactly succeeding. A row of fancy horsemen burst out of the woods and into the clearing eager to catch me. A tree shot out at horizontal level, crashing into the front three knights.

When the shiny blue armored hero tumbled under his dying horse, the entire cavalry unit stopped their attack to envelope him. A fireball shot out from a mounted mage, streaking over the stumps to slam into Ormis’ chest.

The wounded and dying screamed out across the battlefield with none of them roaring louder than Ormis when that magic sizzled his flesh. Harmony and I managed to reach our lines while the enemy cavalry formed up around their fallen lord.

“Kell! Advance. Archers, arrows into the knights!” I bellowed.

Hargrin peeled his eyes off his opponent to see his salvation falter on the edge of the woods to protect the prince. Idris and the other ogres squared off with the knights, the two sides not pushing the other. The fancy blue armored knight, hobbled on one leg, being propped onto a spare horse that a squire dragged forward from the back of the formation.

Just as quick as they arrived, they fled to ensure the knight, who was likely the prince, remained alive.

Baron Hargrin called out a surrender. While his words carried over the troops, one of Drefius’ knights slid a sword under his helm and into his neck. When the blade came free, Hargrin fell forward but not off his mount, dying within seconds. Different bugles sounded, but for the most part the fight ended when the leader of the Lao army died.

Harmony and I hurried back to the supply wagons, ordering the staff to aid in handing out potions as well as applying bandages - to friend and foe. The next few minutes were chaotic until I found myself binding a young man’s amputated leg, knowing he’d only arrived two days ago to join the archer core.

“Adam,” Isabel said, dismounting from her horse. “Adam. It’s bandaged enough.”

I glanced up from my work, seeing the archer who begged for me not to send him home to his father had passed out. Two potions lay empty beside him, and I’d wrapped his leg three times.

The shock of the victory, the dead laying with eyes wide, the dying screaming for wives, mothers, and friends. It stunned me. The raw reality robbed me of any sense of pride. These weren’t monsters or creations, these were people.

“Uh, thanks. I’m struggling at the moment. I… I’m glad you’re safe Princess,” I said earnestly. Her freckled face lit up with a fake smile, or maybe it was real, I didn’t know her well enough to fully read her yet. “Can I help you?”

A knight with a white scarf in his hand slowly approached. He walked without a horse or sign of injury, so I had to assume he left the Prince’s forces via foot to send a message.

“I must have zoned out,” I grumbled to myself. I glanced around, trying to find Harmony. When I did, I saw her working her fire magic to save lives since our two healers had already passed out. “Come, my Lady.”

We stepped away from the fallen archer, walking to meet the knight with her honor guard around us. The enemy knight stopped walking and removed his helmet. I did the same, finding myself staring at a young man with orange tipped cat ears and sharp canines.

“Do you lead this… army?” the knight asked.

I nodded. “I do. I’m Champion Adam.”

“You’ve broken the protocol of honor,” the knight said.

Isabel stated, “Say your grievances as they are to be recorded. Along with your name and title, young Sir.”

“On the fifth day of the third month of the summer season, Champion Adam prevented an honorable charge with an ogre’s interference. Prince Daniel was wounded in your shameful attack and demands compensation. You are to give up your phoenix sorceress in exchange for your restored honor.” He cleared his throat. “Who I am matters little, Princess Isabel.”

I puffed out my cheeks with a chuckling headshake. “I don’t think anyone is going to like my reply, but here it is. Not just no, but fuck no. She’s family and I’ll burn down the planet before giving her up. Hell, you can even offer me a trained dragon for her and I’ll tell you to fuck yourself, you pompous ass. However, I’ll recall my fleets and halt my army from sacking Seshkin Port for the pegasus.”

“We don’t have it,” he protested.

“Alright. Hey, uh Princess. I… I don’t like this guy. I clearly don’t care about their rules. Who is he?” I asked.

“A disposable knight they may promote one day. You can keep him as a prisoner for exchange at this point,” Isabel said.

The knight spun, fleeing into the woods before I took her up on her advice. I considered chasing him, but I mostly found solace in his vanishing act. The way he ran provided a nice levity.

I had enough mouths to feed already and plenty of issues to deal with. Harmony must have helped organize the wounded because when she appeared at my side she was covered in blood as well. We watched the knight fade in the distance waving his white flag.

“Resounding victory,” Harmony said.

“I believe it was. I sorta just ran around at the second half of it but I suppose that is the purpose of a general,” I said with a grunt.

“He said he would burn the world for you and wouldn’t trade you for a dragon.” Isabel said.

Harmony didn’t say a word, leveling her steely gaze at me with a stern smolder. “Oh?”

“They can’t have you.” I folded my arms. “You’re mine, forever.”

She walked around me, tracing a finger at chest level. “Careful, Adam. Do you understand how protective a woman can become?”

I nodded, snatching her wrist to stop her spin. When I winked, she smirked.

To ease the tension, Isabel politely asked, “What happens to the prisoners?”

“We strip them of their weapons and armor then give them to Lao in exchange for coins in a day or two. I figure if we make them realize what they lost, it’ll be better for our coffers. Shit, I’ll take even five bronze,” I said with a scoff.

“You can’t… magically convert them?” Isabel asked with a frown. “There are passages of champions conquering, then absorbing armies.”

“Uh, no, no magical conversions that I know about. I mean, if the king was in here and I killed him, sure. Or this Champion Regor I am suddenly learning about,” I said with a sigh.

“So it’s true,” Harmony said.

I nodded. “Likely. I plan to ride back to the table to check before I hand them over. Asmi probably knows, I should probably ask him,” I said.

Isabel squeaked. Like an honest to god squeak a dog toy might make. I raised an eyebrow. “Can I meet the God of Barter?”

“Maybe. Hey, this is adorable and all. I need to go mingle with my troops, assure them that we have more healing potions if something goes awry, and make plans for regrouping at Clear Castle. Do me a favor, have your wonderful men help by getting ready to leave however they see fit,” I said, excusing myself.

I could see she wanted to pout but held it in.

Up ahead, Drefius talked with Carr, the two of the standing over the dead from our side. It wasn’t pretty. All in all I lost too many trolls, some of them from the first batch. Lao lost a lot more, and a prince rode away to recover, but some of these young soldiers had been vibrant and full of life just hours earlier.

“I heard about a regroup,” Drefius said, folding his arms.

I nodded. “Yeah, I need to see if this was worth it… What do you think went so wrong for them?”

Carr said, “We captured an in-between scout that passed messages from the Prince to the Lao militia. Hargrin was only supposed to engage, then their cavalry would hit our back lines. But that wasn’t the big problem. Ogres don’t fight in line formations. They’re not line troops. They fight when and how they want, and no troll or troll shaman is someone they follow.”

“Still, seems like an oversight. They knew we’d have ogres.”

Drefius snorted. “My opinion is Prince Dumbass, who’s the fourth in line, was being a dumbass kid. He saw an opening and went for it, getting Hargrin killed and most of Lao’s military captured. Count Argo is royally screwed. Also, don’t over analyze the enemy’s mistakes, Champion. Focus on your mistakes and what you did to capitalize on your enemies. Then improve your tactics.”

“Hurts losing people,” I admitted.

“This is only going to get worse before it gets better, but this is the way of Limar and Tolmeria in general. We were overdue for a war by about three years. This much peace brings too many men, less food than normal, and a hunger for expansion,” Harmony said.

“I don’t like losing troops. I don’t want to lose sight of the fact they’re people with family who likely will miss them,” I said with a sigh. “That kid… the one I bandaged. He cried. Cried because he felt like he failed when an injured warrior rose up to stab him in the leg from behind.”

“I… What are your orders?” Drefius said, knowing we had to move forward.

I nudged some grass with my boot. “You’re right. Worry later. Let's load up our dead and steal everything we can. Carr, send a messenger to Lao. Have him or her shout to them we’re leaving the battle for them to collect their dead in peace.”

“Yes, your grace,” Carr said, excusing himself.

Drefius patted me on the shoulder. “A solid win, your grace. I’ve been impressed by your battlefield prowess and quick decision making.”

“Luck,” I muttered.

“Luck is better than death, or so I have been told.” Drefius chuckled, walking away. From over his shoulder he added, “Let’s hope these idiots learned their lesson and leave us alone to build our road.”

Chapter

Forty-Eight

THE CLEAR CASTLE

Lined up for Sleep!

Repeated light knocks on the carriage door woke me. I peeled an eye open, seeing dim light trying to peek in. A repeated gentle drum on the carriage's roof told it was daytime with a light rain shower. Harmony lay on top of my right side, her silvery hair in a big tangle. Before I could rise, Rosa did so from the booth table at the front of the carriage.

The space only held enough for a cooking prep station with storage in the middle, a seating area at the front and a lavish bed in the back. I’d returned from the battle exhausted, both emotionally and physically.

Apparently, I’d slept in while Isabel brought books, spending her morning with Rosa. The Princess blushed slightly when I propped myself up on my elbow, clearly undressed for bed besides my shorts. My big muscles must have drawn her attention.

The door creaked open ever so slowly with Rosa becoming very, very confused.

I leaned forward to see a maid frozen mid-stride, trying to catch Pela. The maid’s fright was warranted in most circumstances since Pela had a habit of trying to enter when I slept. In this case though, she’d be just fine, and the little girl wasn’t frozen in time.

Asmi, an unknown goblin to everyone but me, escorted Pela towards my carriage. Of course, Pela didn’t fear him in the slightest and ran into the carriage, circumventing Rosa. Rosa tossed me a shirt that I quickly put on.

Pela pulled out drawers to use as stairs so she could climb into the bed, immediately snuggling in my left side. I chuckled lightly, pulling her in for a hug.

“Good morning, may I come in,” Asmi asked.

I stifled a yawn, nodding in approval.

“Who’s this, dear?” Rosa asked.

“Asmi, God of Barter, but just Asmi for you scholars. I really don’t like to barter,” Asmi said.

I snickered. “Except he does.”

Harmony who’d been behind me this whole time stiffened, no longer lavishing in the morning snuggles and light sleeping.

Isabel fainted, smacked her head and woke up a second later. “Ow! What the hell Izzy?” This was her rhetorically talking to herself, something we didn’t laugh at.

Rosa turned to a pot of tea that must have been recently delivered since it steamed. “Want some tea?”

“Absolutely. Mind you, if my face sours it's because in our,” the god paused to find the right word, “home, tea is perfect, and it's nothing against you,” Asmi said, revealing more information than I expected.

Then again, he had a tendency to enjoy sharing. I kissed Harmony’s forehead, then Pela’s and hoisted the little girl up and over her mother. I quickly rose to don a robe over my small clothes. Isabel bit a lip in panic, trying her best to remain calm.

“He’s harmless,” I reassured her. “At least during the Game of Castles anyway. Clear the clutter, it’ll help the anxiety.”

Rosa handed me a tea first that I carried into the booth. Notes, pages, books, and scrolls lay in a disorganized pile I ignored. There just so happened to be a living encyclopedia sliding into the booth across from me. Poor Isabel shook, unable to handle the situation.

Asmi gently touched her wrist, teleporting her to the bed where she promptly fell asleep. Pela jolted from the magic, rushing to sit at my side.

“Sorry, she wasn’t going to calm,” Asmi said. “I figured she’d appreciate the appearance but I have limited patience. Let her know if she is ready next time, I will try, it means a lot to her and one day she shall mean a lot to you.”

Rosa sighed, scooting me over while she blew on her own tea. I stole the warm spot Isabel vacated, getting comfortable. Asmi’s visit caught me a bit off guard, and yeah, he arrived to wake me up too.

Harmony propped herself up, using a blanket to cover her nude form. “We arrived with over two hundred prisoners.”

“I know, that’s why I’m here. I watched the fight, the after fight, and the moping of one champion. Honestly, the sappy stuff is concerning.”

I rolled my eyes at Asmi. “Death should be sad, life should be celebrated. Maybe immortality has lost its appeal to feel.”

The goblin gasped as if offended. “That cuts deep.”

“Yeah, well, so does seeing vibrant youths with an arrow in their chest and horror in their eyes,” I countered.

“Like I said, it’s part of why I’m here. When I gave you the overview all those months ago, I did so with a glazing over of facts that were added to what the Creator said. You were told and experienced that people like Drefius would think they met you. That proved factual, even if it is not always the case. We tend to dislike interfering with the general populace,” Asmi said with a grunt. “Especially when they figure out, we messed with their mental faculty.”

Rosa jotted notes as he spoke. Her face stayed buried in her work while she asked, “Why?”

“A bit open ended, and I’m proud you’re so brave.” Rosa raised a concerned eyebrow. I held in a chuckle when Asmi squirmed a bit. “Brave is probably a bad term. The wise wind mage who supports my champion deserves an answer.” He sighed, sipping his tea. “This is real, you’re not automated, programmed, or altered to fit our narrative.

“That is not always true though. Anthril Kings use magic that normally doesn’t exist for them in their home worlds. Same with the Queen Hag and Lyndsey the Necromancer possessing profound magic. The thing is, we do alter, tweak, create, and improvise. A prime example is the trolls gaining significant intelligence.

“The Hilloc and Centaurs are normally fairly slow, but that makes for a dull game, so we remove their inhibitors, give them a bit of backstory for why they’re not drooling fools, and well, there you have it. And by we, I don’t mean me. Also, everything I just said, are facts you can or have discovered on your own.”

I could feel Rosa’s tension, curious to hear why they imposed limitations or even altered anything at all. She didn’t stop writing, and I waited for her to finish.

I said, “Okay, that makes sense. You want to increase the appeal and action. Game of Castles doesn’t truly need it, but it does enhance the beginning. I don’t see the issue here. I don’t exactly relish people dying.”

“Nor should you. But those prisoners out there.” He pointed above the cooking station as if he could see through walls. “Those are real people. They lost friends. They were humiliated. They’re angry, mostly at you.”

“I know. If this truly were a game, they’d surrender, become my new archer core, and I could march on with them in my ranks. But they have wives to support, fathers to make proud, children to teach, you know, basic humanity. I want for them to fight to the death for a cause they’ll never believe in,” I said with a grunt. “Of all the things, I’m okay with that one.”

Asmi released a pained exhale. “I’m glad I came. Look, you’re not wrong in one sense, but oh so wrong in another. Influence Points are not some fanciful magic. It’s one hundred percent rooted in reality. On Earth, there are plenty of examples where influential leaders leverage their charisma and military prowess to gain additional might. This is no different in some ways.

“Before I make it too complicated. Let me just clarify a few things. If you hire a blacksmith from Gorm, who knows you, he’ll understand that the Champion is using magic to give him work. We don’t need to play a trick where it forces you to explain you're a Champion at some point.”

“Because his influence has spread, the need to assist him fades from the Gods. Surely it is still needed at points,” Harmony said.

Rosa frowned. “I don’t know. The Fat Sharks are a great example. They’re on our roster. But they don’t know who Adam is. They just assume some magnate met them in a seedy dockside tavern, gave them a big advance to pay the crew, and then their winnings will go to the same corner booth to vanish into magic.”

“True,” Asmi said. “Smart assumption and correct. It is important to realize that your gaps in influence points can lead to gains for others. Misho is independent, Seshkin hostile, both can have units hired by other champions. This is no different than outliers supporting causes that tend to align with their desired outcomes,” Asmi said with a flippant tone.

Or maybe he was just trying to explain it and the god superiority slipped through, either way, it caused Rosa to pause.

“Okay, again, no one is really that upset about this. I want to know how I keep from facing a rebellion if I lose too many troops while winning battles and wars. How do I replenish troops when I kill what I must conquer?” I asked, letting my temper rise a wee bit.

“You don’t. It’s not a simulation. However, if you march through the Seshkin Kingdom, raze every town, kill every man, woman, and child, then you will have nothing to draw upon. For example you employ four hundred and seven knights from Estin…” He paused, rolled his eyes and continued, likely scolded by an overseer. “From Houstin. Out of the eligible military personnel of Houstin, you employ less than half of one percent. Basically, you’ve only scratched the surface.”

“I don’t have enough funds to feed and arm them,” I grumbled.

“Exactly. It’s called Game of Castles and not Game of Battles for a reason. Look, this is drawing long, and it costs me to visit you without you calling for me, so let me summarize. On Limar, Nelix’s parents, the archer with the missing leg you saved, they’re super proud of him. Even if he died, they knew he did so trying to expand Tolmeria and unify the region. You may see it as unworthy, and some will, but others believe in that cause. Don’t sully their beliefs, let someone else take the low road while you sell your cause, that’ll only help with your influence.

“As for the prisoners. You have two options for optimal results. Option one is to enslave them for years, then slowly give back freedoms while brainwashing the broken minds. It works, it’s terrible, but it is an option. Option two is that you do exactly what you mentioned. You return the warriors to their families. Some will never forgive you for winning, but most will forgive you just for treating them humanely. For the Game of Castles, you conquer, then protect, then recruit. It works, trust me.”

“Okay, but I can’t just spend Lord Points to make them want to fight with me?”

Asmi shook his head. “No, nothing is supposed to be instant and easy. You’re doing great though.” Asmi signed a book, jotted a note, and then handed it to me. “Go check your level, understand you need to be smarter about your army composition before marching to war, and keep winning, it matters.”

He vanished with a snap of his fingers. A few things happened at once: Isabel awoke with lots of confused blinking, the maid crashed down from her run being resumed suddenly, and Rosa stuck a hand out for the book.

I delivered the book before scooting out of the seat to check on the poor woman who’d fallen while chasing Pela. Things grew a bit chaotic to the point I left to take my morning pee and to check on my Game of Castles status.

Even if Asmi visited, work still needed to be done, and I knew Drefius was waiting on me to figure out what we did next. I knew the ladies would catch up later, and I wanted them to have time to process events, just as I needed it.

∞∞∞

After a jaunt to the pee spot, a trip to a random breakfast point, I headed into the war room. Next to the table, Drefius slept in a rocking chair with a light snore. A ledger sat in his lap, tallying his troops, losses, gains in loot, and more.

He didn’t stir when I sat down at the table, so I let him slumber. I cycled through a few overviews, seeing that Hammer and Chisel continued to build their road with only half a unit of trolls watching over them. I glanced at the timeline on the screen, seeing projected finish dates taking six months. On the map, the work crew had a labor force icon. I added a counter of two hundred people, almost the exact number of prisoners, seeing the time dwindle to four months.

While six months seemed like a reasonable punishment for trying to kill my troops, I just didn’t have the food. Even if my heart was on a pendulum of indecision, keeping them made no sense. Now that the battlefield was cleaned by the Lao forces, we’d be marching down south again in a day or two for a ransom payoff.

By me, I meant Drefius or one of his officers. My largest problem was food, without a doubt. To get food, I needed to adjust from the already rising food prices in Avorth and Estin. The cold hard truth was: I created new mouths to feed at a massive rate by taking on Hilloc and Centaurs while cutting off the primary source of fish from the south.

The ogres weren’t used to being fed from the Avorth farms and the Estin farms faced massive raids all summer. Sure everyone was planting extra, but that took time. The only option I saw was to clear a plain road to Misho while letting Hammer and Chisel do their work behind us over the months.

“Hey boss,” Drefius said, stirring awake. I dipped my head in respect. “You see the winnings?”

I shook my head. “Nope. Asmi came by to wake me up. Wanted me to know whether I enslave or let the prisoners go - I can bend them to my cause with time. Oh, and that people die no matter what and to honor their sacrifices. Or that’s what I took away from his visit.”

After a few taps on the table, the screen flared to life.

Ding! You have leveled up!

You have 1 attribute to assign.

“It’s getting harder to level,” I muttered.

The table flared a response.

Correct. As it should be.

You have 1 attribute to assign.

“I can throw javelins just as effectively as shooting arrows. Granted, it’s not from stealth.” I mostly talked to myself. “Sword, javelin, bow, spear, whatever I use, speed will always keep me alive. Dexterity please.”

An orange glow encompassed me, not lifting my feet off the stone floor. The magic shot into my chest, shimmered, then vanished as the table updated my stat sheet.

Name: Adam Clear

Champion for the God of Barter

Height: 6’ 2”

Weight: 236 lbs

Age: 25

General Level: 35

Strength: 10

Stamina: 7

Dexterity: 11

Constitution: 4

Endurance: 6

Healing: 2

Magic Type: Golem

Magic Level: 22

Spell Assignment: Water Golem

“Now the rewards for the Battle of Stumps,” Drefius said.

Battle After Action Report

Individual:

Disabled enemies: 11

Wounded enemies: 3

Killed enemies: 2

Wounded mounts: 4

Experience and Lord Points added to total.

“Fuck I killed nine,” Drefius said.

I grumbled. “I didn’t mix it up, commanding the army instead.” I folded my arms with a scowl. Looking at my stats and knowing Ormis, Drefius, and even some of the junior knights had more kills bothered me even if it shouldn’t. That was also probably why Asmi saw me - I needed to stay confident and focused. “I think I served a purpose, but yeah, I can probably do more damage on a horse.”

Drefius stretched, then tapped on the screen. “It gets better.

Battle After Action Report

Enemy Army:

Disabled/Captured enemies: 207

Wounded enemies: 3

Killed enemies: 79

Wounded mounts: 7

Killed Mounts: 11

Disabled/Captured Mounts: 8

Champion Army:

Disabled/Captured friendlies: 0

Wounded friendlies: 2

Killed friendlies: 17

Wounded mounts: 1

Killed Mounts: 2

Disabled/Captured Mounts: 0

Outcome:

Victory

Reward: 40,000 Lord Points

Influence Reward: Increased influence through all of Tolmeria. You’ve beaten back a prince and won a resounding victory in the open field. Your wise use of Hilloc troops earned you double points.

Congratulations! With the arrival of the female ogres, your Hilloc Influence Points has reached a level of devotion that the Hilloc Council must compete with. Hillocs of all types will start to immigrate to Clear Castle at no cost to the Champion while also giving Military Points that produce Lord Points.

Note: Seeing as this was your first open field battle at the army level, a bit more detail is being provided. The raw value in the materials won is normally enough to bring rewards to a Champion, but additionally, your officers unofficially level up, along with their banners.

When your units start to experience victory or near defeats, they will add an improved layer of effectiveness. Two of the archers who scored kills are now considered officers amongst the archers. You don’t have to micromanage unit promotions, and in many ways, natural progression is great. Nepotism always has its perks or downfalls as well.

The banners are what is key. The better the banners, the better the troops. Eventually, at certain stages where company sizes dictate no more troops, new banners will be born for free from the veteran banners. Promotions from old to new help the new unit stand up and suddenly you have two.

Now that your banners, Influence Points, and general word of mouth is growing, expect more and more free recruits arriving in the hopes of glory and riches. While it is not mandatory to give your troops bonuses, providing them is an option that will have diminishing returns. It is a very fine line. Too much, and they become independent, just enough and they are left wanting more.

“It’s wondrous,” Drefius said. “I know orcs will be coming. I hate fighting orcs.”

“Don’t see them much,” I admitted.

“Mostly in the mountain valleys with the spiders. They actually tend to be fairly isolated, even more so than the ogres. You really need orcs with those big shields and trolls with javelins or light infantry. They’re kinda shit all weighed down.”

I unfolded my arms, plopping in a rocking chair at the side of the room. “A lot to unpack. The banners birthing new banners is interesting.”

“You need troops to fill them. But you’re skipping a few steps. Before you bring on more troops, you need more infrastructure. You have no black smith, no smithy, no training ground, and the list goes on. While I think this is great, and yes, I think you should reward your troops, it is a lot to take in,” Drefius said.

I rocked in the chair with a distant gaze. “Well, I’ve been thinking about something else as well. Even though we’re still small, we have access to a lot. It’s not the worst idea to stand up a garrison army with units that can swap out for field.”

“Rotating warriors on campaigns is smart, if done right. You can’t do it, yet,” Drefius noted.

“At some point I’m going to overextend again, and I won’t be so lucky that my enemies merely just shut down trade. Lao could have sacked this castle and captured Rosa,” I grumbled over my musings. “However, this information is great, and I expect to act on it.”

“Good.”

“May we enter?” Harmony arrived with Rosa and Isabel.

I smiled, still rocking in my chair. “Of course. Come. We’re just chatting about the table news. Give it a read.”

Isabel handed me a cup of tea, finding a seat to take notes in. Rosa read out the news to the lovely ladies, giving me a few minutes to ponder what came next and how to react.

“What do you think?”

Rosa pointed to her chest, then glanced at Harmony. “She’s the diplomat.”

“I’m his battle wife,” Harmony said, rotating around my chair to stand proudly behind me. “You're his home manager. While I agree that my input is smart here, whatever you guys choose to do next will bury you, the Empress of Clear Castle, in extra work and headaches. I’ll be patching wounds and riding horses.”

“I can help,” Isabel said, trying her best. Her downcast eyes reflected her shock at what the words read. I’d peeked at them and pretended not to care.

Asmi told her and Rosa to give me at least a son each to earn a tour of the gods’ home upon their passing. Not only was this rude, but it also was his wishes not mine. Rosa seemed completely unbothered, but Isabel put on a brave face.

She said, “Assuming you want an outsider’s help.”

“I do,” Rosa said confidently. “Plus, I’m Estin lowborn, while Dami is Seshkin lowborn, meaning you balance out Harmony on the optics side. As for what I think, well, Adam, what do you think is the most important question.”

“About the babies, I think that is unfair, but I digress to the point of banners, recruitment, and Hilloc pride. That part, I find fair. Very fair. I even like giving the troops bonuses. I think this is great news all around. In a lot of ways, it makes sense. As long as you’re not raping, pillaging, and torturing those you defeat, you’re gaining positivity through the winning side. No one likes losing. It is sorta crazy how big of a thing winning is. Momentum in the human mind is massive and the bigger the wins, the more positive the mindset becomes.

“Reality will always set in, but between Asmi and this report I’m feeling much more positive. I say we get a value on the loot, then take a quarter of it, and hand it out equally to the fighters. Drefius gets the same as the common soldier for his bonus. We take another five percent and give it to all the workers and citizens who live here. This will foster more bonding, and with time, we can expand that bonus out further,” I said.

Harmony frowned but Rosa beamed a smile. “That’d improve morale immensely. Even though we pay well, retention has been tough. This fixes some of that problem.”

“You not only want to let your residents go tax free, you want to give them coins?” Harmony asked with wide eyes. “Yeah, I’d say that’ll improve morale.”

“I’m with Rosa,” Drefius said. “Winning people over is just as important as winning on the battlefield. Caroline, my wife, reported Dami is struggling to recruit your spy network.”

“Wait what?” Rosa blurted, clearly surprised by this.

Harmony giggled with a headshake. “Whores make men talk. Dami never was a whore, but she worked with them. Adam’s struggled to form a diplomacy and spy network. Drefius is right, so I guess we’re all in agreement then.”

“I can make it happen. Not sure I like this spy network stuff, but Dami loves to talk,” Rosa said.

Drefius grunted. “And the plan?”

I pointed at the white haired phoenix wielder. “You and I are going to return these prisoners. I was planning on not going, but it is clear I need to.”

“The whole army?” Harmony asked.

“No, a fast moving contingent of knights. Say forty. Drefius will lead the army after the prisoner exchange, pushing the main force towards Misho on a blitz road clearing campaign. Ormis and the ogres will stick with him but stay separate. They’re going to have their own camp, supplies, and orders from Ormis, but they’ll be nearby to fight,” I replied.

“And where are you going to go after the meeting?” Drefius asked.

I shrugged nonchalantly. “Maybe with the main army, maybe elsewhere. It depends on how the exchange goes.”

“Ha!” Harmony exclaimed. “You have the smooth tongue of a ram in heat. Lowers head, charges, enemy falls down, you win.”

“Can you blame me?” I teased.

“Alright, alright. Let me try my best to somehow parse thirty percent value of the loot to set aside, then sell, then disperse.” Rosa waved over Isabel, then held out a palm to stop her. “Adam, I need you to at least see the pups on your way out today. If Isabel is at my side, they’ll think of her as family. Not only that, I need the help and I’ll likely be sharing sensitive data. You need to accept her or reject her.”

I inhaled deeply, before smiling. I rose to my feet. “You’re right. Welcome to the team Lady Isabel. To your father, you’re a princess. To me, you’re a member of my court I am choosing to trust. Maybe one day, family or at the very least family friend. We have to expand our officer pool no matter what, so yeah, we’ll give you a formal position beyond ambassador. If Asmi likes her, so do I.”

“It’s the freckles,” Harmony teased, walking around the table to put an arm in mine.

“Head librarian of Tolmeria,” I said.

Rosa caught her as the ginger wobbled. “Stop Adam. For a bookworm, this is a lot.”

Harmony chuckled, dragging me away. “Come future husband. We need to see our pups, then say goodbye to Pela.”

“My Lord, may I propose you with a request,” Drefius said, rising as well, and therefore halting my exit. “Captain Kroz, a fine officer from the eastern plains will fill in for me. I’m going to check on Brackenfell. It’s still a new outpost and Caroline and Viscount Clara aren’t thrilled that it's left unguarded.”

“We’re spread thin, but I hear you. Enjoy the family time, see you with the main army in a few days. One last thing before I go,” I said, quickly dipping out of Harmony’s arm to scoop Rosa up in a long kiss.

She’d drunk a baby potion upon my arrival last night only for me to fall asleep with exhaustion. However, she hadn’t had her period in two months and had a small bump. Rosa was clearly in denial she was pregnant, and yes, her middle of the night shaking ended up in some bent over the table baby making where we tried to be silent.

“Come home soon, Adam,” Rosa whispered.

“And I feel better. I’d be lost without you, and I’m seriously missing being smothered by you and Dami.”

“I’m sure she’s ready to come home. We have ravens arriving. I can send one with kind words that’ll mean a lot to her,” Rosa said.

I shook my head. “Do so. Let her know her work is important and endorsed by King Vardrin. We need more than just people who can lift rocks if Clear Castle is ever going to survive. In addition… we need to be decisive and if things go my way, I have just the plan for how to score another win.”

Chapter

Forty-Nine

LAO

The Madam Herself!

“Sire, I don’t feel good about this,” Captain Kroz said.

We fed the prisoners, gave them a good night's sleep, then marched them back south. I didn’t escort them alone. I brought Captain Kroz, wanting to get to know the man Drefius considered his second in command, I also brought Captain Nerid, the archer commander who arrived late in the night, and two officers were part of my growing officer pool.

In addition to the officers, Ormis and Idris brough the unit of ogres with us. We were heading in the same direction as the road clearing operation, so it made sense. The Kasmi Mountain female ogres marched at the back of the formation, standing a good five feet shorter than the males. They wore wraps and skirts that left very little to the imagination while still being partially modest with large bags to carry things. They carried an assortment of defensive weapons with none of the gnarled sticks or stone clubs being impressive.

“Lao is limited in their response,” I replied, seeing the walls of the town grow bigger as we neared them.

The outside of Lao was cleared for defensive purposes. Once I felt we were close to the range I paused the formation. In theory, a thousand angry troops could come streaming out of the gates up ahead and we’d have to abandon the prisoners. Yes, they were bound, vulnerable, and easy to massacre, but that wasn’t exactly what I’d do if they did break negotiations.

Daxton, the squire who rode behind the three of us raised a yellow flag, indicating we wanted to negotiate. I stayed in the saddle, getting comfortable. The enemy scouts knew we were coming and likely told their leadership and now we waited for a reply.

“I just feel so exposed,” Kroz said.

The knight was a dwarf with burly muscles, a missing front tooth, and ruined ears from years of fist fighting if I had to guess. While his appearance screamed badass warrior, he was even spoken, friendly, and very calm. He clearly didn’t like abnormal risks, which I could understand.

Nerid snorted. “It’s because you don’t have a mass of knights making you feel safe.”

“Bah! I make them safe,” Kroz joked back.

We settled into an awkward silence while we waited. I finally broke it by asking, “So, Nerid, an archer from Avorth. What part?”

“Kasmon Slopes. It’s way on the northern side of the kingdom,” Nerid said.

Nerid was a lithe elf who probably weighed the same as Rosa. His lean frame let him master a bow in a way my body would struggle with if I wasn’t supernaturally gifted with hitting kill shots. Nerid swore off armor, riding his mount with nothing but the robes of a mage. Maybe he wanted to give a startling appearance, but I suspected it was a comfort thing. His receding hairline and sharp features showed he was handsome once and now age took its toll on him.

“Ah, come on, I need more than that,” I teased with a grin. “What’s Kasmon like?”

“Fine, fine, but I’m not big on sharing. Warning ya now.” The elf pulled out an arrow shaft under construction with one hand and a coarse cloth with another. It took me a second to realize the cloth was some sort of ancient sandpaper he used to smooth the shaft. “Kasmon has this… aura to it.”

“Oh yeah, good or bad?” I asked, trying to be genuine.

“Bad. Mostly bad. The arachne frequent the valleys and high into the mountains, most avoid the upper slopes. But where there’s traces of gold, there are foolish people willing to risk death. Most of the miners stay inside the mountain, becoming pale as ghosts. They trade their hard earned gold for basics at elevated prices since no one wants to risk the trip up the mountain, and they don’t like missing time to go down,” Nerid said with a disgruntled head shake.

“Makes sense in a way. Fish from Seshkin, fruit from Estin, are traded for raw gold from Avorth.”

“I hear you’re not from Tolmeria, so let me explain something. Raw gold comes in flecks and is beyond rare. There’s a reason it holds so much value. Bronze and copper are common, silver rare, and gold unheard of, but yes, mining for resources are a thing.” Nerid smiled, even if his tone was getting a bit testy.

“These arachne, they’re the spider people, right? I’ve heard a lot of bad stuff about them,” I asked.

He held onto his work but tossed his hands into the air in a flustered way. “Four decades of living up in the highlands in isolation. Four decades of being asked about the infamous arachne. Yeah, they’re spider people, and yeah, they’re deadly, but not to civilized folk, not normally. They want to be left the fook alone.”

“I hear they raid caravans all the time,” Kroz said, scrunching his face in confusion.

Nerid rolled his eyes. “If you’re a bandit, and you sack an Estin caravan of farm supplies, what is the best way to keep the heat off you. Not saying I was a bandit, just sayin.”

“So the mountains are lawless? Or at least have a degree of lawlessness?”

“Sure, what place doesn’t. That bad aura, it’s because no one guards that high up the mountain. The guards don’t go up that high because of spider people, ogres, orcs, ratkin, yellow bears, or golems. They avoid the upper mountains because its cold as fuck, and you’ll die to it. Fires struggle to breathe that high up, trees are thin and scarce. It… It is just inhospitable, trust me,” Nerid said with a deflated sigh.

“Back home, we had crazy people living in the thick snow almost year-round. They’d never have survived without tech… magic,” I said, trying to make my story relatable. “I chose to live in the extreme heat. Here, it’s pretty timid year-round except up high. Back home, it got so hot, you could crack an egg, and it’d cook from the sun.”

“Gross,” Kroz said with a disgusted headshake. “Never been to the desert, or up high in the mountains. I know, I know. A dwarf who stays in the plains is odd, but I love my farm.”

“How’s that work, do you serf it?” I asked, not sure if the translator would cooperate to convey my message.

“Huh, no. In Estin we buy land or rent it. My parents bought our orchard. My wife and her sister manage it when I’m away. Twins! Ugh, so, word of caution. Marrying a twin will result in having twins. I’ve got three sets and one without a twin. It means the farm is busy, but the centaurs never raided our orchard so we’re going to have a great year because some silly noble is paying premiums for food.” The dwarven knight bounced his eyebrows with a grin.

Obviously, he found it humorous that I was that silly noble.

Before I could inquire more into what his farm life was like, because it did sound more interesting than the snow-covered mines of misery, the front gate cracked open. The hinges creaked and a chain clanked as the portcullis rolled open.

Count Agov himself waddled out from the city with a young lad carrying a yellow flag. A series of guards accompanied him, but none were ones I recognized. I sorta expected his wife to visit or for him to send another assassin, but the rotund man braved the middle ground himself.

I nudged my horse forward with my two officers and Daxton following me. I wore my brown armor with a set of small swords attached to the saddle for easy withdrawal. The overcast day blew gray clouds overhead at a slow pace with the threat of rain that never materialized. The cool wind provided a comfort for all even though it was only in the high 70s if I had to guess.

“Count Agov, thank you for meeting me in person,” I bellowed with arms open in greeting.

He came to a stop, well within the defense of his walls. Even with my kind greeting, the man seemed very worried.

“Did I have a choice?”

I shrugged. “We always have choices. I expect Countess Zera to berate me for ruining lives.”

“Bah, she’s the one who convinced the boy to try to assassinate you to appease some Champion the King’s Court is enthralled with,” Count Agov said.

I failed to keep my jaw from dropping. “The northern bad guy from across the mountains?”

“I… Think it's the one from the west. Regor, but I stay in Lao for a reason.”

“No Zeth then?”

Agov shrugged. “Rumor has it, he’s had ravens coming south for months, asking for information about coups or new politicians. He also is offering massive rewards for pegasi,” Count Agov said with disdain.

“Huh, I’m neither, really,” I mused.

Count Agov stopped moving forward, taking a seat that one of his servants carried. “I know. It probably saved your life that you didn’t conquer at first.”

“Why try to kill me?” I asked.

His squinting glare spoke volumes. “I told her not to.”

“Well, sounds like marital problems. Speaking of which, Talou actually had nice things to say about you,” I said.

“Surprised the crafty lass isn’t with you,” Agov said with a hint of sadness in his voice. “She’s a very simple, and very easy to get along with woman. Mind if I inquire about her?”

“Went north. She showed some interest in hearing from you but her marriage to you put her off my radar. Sorry, potential suitors.” He stared at the ogres, his eyes glazing over a bit as he likely became lost in fond memories. “Hey, so I gotta ask, why take a losing fight?”

“I didn’t. Look, I don’t like your attitude, Champion,” Agov said with a huff. “However, I need your help.”

I raised an eyebrow. “I think he just asked for help.”

“He did,” Kroz said, not missing a beat. “He tries to kill you, sends his army after you, then asks for help.”

“He did disclose that the Champion Zeth is rallying forces against you and that Champion Regor is influencing the Seshkin court,” a bunny man said. “Merchant Abrin at your service. Before you start a chain of words that paint my Lord as the villain, his wife caused your problems, not the Count. My Lord has been very accommodating and dismissive of your camping adventure until recently.”

“Okay, fine. Where is she? Where is Prince Daniel? What’s the problem you need help with? What is your offer for your archers I hold prisoner?” I asked with a slight growl of irritation.

“My first wife fled to the capitol, eager to be with her second cousin, the queen. She joined the King’s fifth… no fourth son who fled for the safety of his home. He wanted the bounty on your head - one thousand gold coins. Of course, he argued with his guards about leading the charge, then led it, then got hurt, and now… here we are,” Agov said with a snort.

Abrin stepped forward, hesitantly extending a scroll. I gestured for Daxton to fetch it. When he did, he quickly handed it to me as if it were cursed. I unraveled the scroll to see a regional map.

Two rivers and four creeks drained into the Seshkin Port, supporting almost twenty little dots on a map that were roughly the same size as Lao. Some of the towns were bigger, but not many. Lao served as the lumber capital for the kingdom, using its river to float trees downriver for the shipbuilders. It wasn’t alone in this endeavor, but it was one of the biggest cultivators.

A few roads deviated off the river or streams but for the most part, just like we were trying to do with Misho, the engineers built roads direct to urban areas from the capital, not between the outliers. I knew this already and my plan was to return these prisoners to Lao, then establish raids on the road that supported the city - effectively cutting them off.

Raiding Seshkin lands would put them on the defensive, gain me loot, and probably levels.

“There’s a red dot here at a spot where Tesgun crossed the Jodi River and links up with your main road into Seshkin,” I said, pointing out the one oddity on the map.

“Precisely, that’s four days south. King Krastor knows he has an anthril infestation, choosing not to address it. The thing is, I need that road open and no one will help us. I actually sent Hargrin south, only to have his forces sent back to fight you when they ran into Prince Daniel,” Agov said.

I adjusted my seat in the saddle, weighing his words. “You know I’ll win against King Krastor, don’t you?”

“Hmm… Let’s see. He took a bribe from a lord that isn’t even in control of his own region. Zeth can’t march down here to save him, and you are making friends with Misho, Centaurs, Hilloc, Avorth, and Estin. You know the last two are mobilizing right?”

I opened and closed my mouth, glancing back into the woods where Harmony had decided to wait with the engineers. I doubted she saw this turn of events, but she must have suspected.

“He doesn’t,” Abrin muttered just loud enough to be heard. I extended the map back and he accepted it. “Thanks.”

“Ah, well, you’re right. I didn’t know but it made a lot of sense for them to flex their might before winter,” I admitted.

“The Seshkin Ambassadors have been expelled from both nations not even two days ago - hours before our… battle,” Agov said sourly. “Give me my troops back and I’ll promise to sit out the war. Defeat the Anthril and earn a lot of favor with the smaller cities.”

Quest: Save the South.

Terms: Return the defeated archers and infantry you hold prisoner to Lao. In doing so, you will show mercy to those who you once fought. Afterwards, ride south to Jodi Crossing and defeat the anthril Infestation.

Results: The anthril must be dealt with. Their profound magic warps the area and the lack of a unified response could lead to disastrous outcomes for Tolmeria.

Potential Influence Repercussions: The nobles of the Seshkin Kingdom who command the cities outside the capital will view your brave actions positively. King Krastor’s court will become shaken from you doing what he should have done.

Reward: If you return the troops and secure the trade lines for Lao, you will gain a vassal outpost. Count Agov will become Duke Agov, leader of the Clear Castle city of Lao.

Game of Castles Reward: earning vassals is paramount in Game of Castles. If you gain Lao as a vassal city, you will earn 50,000 Lord Points.

Do you agree to the terms of the treaty? Yes or No.

“Your wife will kill you,” I said with a snort.

“She plans to divorce me for the raid and failed battles. I’d appreciate it if Lady Talou returned to my side should you succeed, helping you ensure desirable outcomes,” Agov offered.

“Sounds like wins all around.” I bit my inner cheek, not thinking about it for too long. I swapped to Hilloc. “Release the prisoners.”

Ormis and Idris removed the shackles that connected the line of prisoners to the heavy wagons I’d bound them to. The lead prisoner, an archer officer, glanced at me in confusion.

I raised my voice, “You’re free to go. Count Agov has promised to cease hostilities between your city and me because the kingdom is in peril. I’m going to risk my life to make sure your city survives. Oh, and he agreed to resume trade.”

“That is acceptable,” Count Agov said.

I nodded with a smile. “The Clear Empire accepts your treaty of peace. We will remove the Anthril infestation from Jodi Crossing… soon. If you interrupt our road building again, I’ll show zero mercy.”

“While we expect the Estin and Avorth forces to sweep through the region, we fully expect you to fail fighting the Crossing King. That Anthril has had months of gains while you’ve been fighting elsewhere,” Count Agov said.

“Yee of little faith. I’m no slouch in the tunnels, but I will heed your warning and not let my ego get in the way,” I said, turning my horse. “I expect you to honor your deal when I return with the anthril king’s head.”

“I can’t believe you got him to say yes,” Abrin said in utter disbelief.

Count Agov snorted. “That’s the thing about Champions, they have to fight other people’s battles for the Gods. It’s sorta their thing. I, for one, look forward to hearing how he does.”

Chapter

Fifty

SOUTH OF LAO

A Most Unusual Fellow!

“Whose you?” a cranky old man asked when we approached the campfire south of Lao.

It was going to be another three days until we reached the crossing, and I wanted to hear from locals about the issues during their travels. A fire flickered sporadic light, coating the scene in a haunting way.

“Just a weary man on a quest,” I said, not lying about that bit. “I’ve got coin for information and am buying food for my horses. Don’t mind if it comes at a premium.”

Harmony rode behind me while a troop of forty knights rode through the woods just within shouting distance. The carved out spot on the side of the road was fairly basic with a singular fire pit, a well, and seven carriages wrapped around the area to cover each other for the night. The sun had only set a few minutes ago with some travelers still arriving to join the group’s protection.

“Nah, mate, I’m out. Emis! Ya got any grain? Payin double, this lord is,” the old man with wolf ears hollered over his shoulder.

“Double? Yeah, come on over,” a younger fellow with a sword on his hip replied. “Lord knows I need the coin to hire a mercenary.”

Harmony leaned forward, her sultry dress spilling enough cleavage that one of the mothers with children covered a little boy’s eyes. “Mercenary?”

“Relax darling.” I deterred Harmony while hopping out of the saddle. I wore full military armor that was worth the entire collection of wagons combined. I arrived with a sorceress at my side and a stallion fit for a king. My ability to be lowkey simply didn’t exist. “I’m here to cleanse the local threat, assuming you’re hiring to kill the ant people.”

The young man shuddered, waving us closer. When we neared, I saw he’d chopped his ears off at some point to disguise his mousy heritage. My heart fell, even if I graciously accepted the pail. Based on the scarring, a parent likely marred him at a young age and then he grew his hair out in an attempt to cover the damage.

“A fancy lord come to earn the glory,” he said, while I held the pail for Drago. “Fancy horse.”

“Thanks, he sorta was picked for me,” I said, eyeing him through the slits of my helm. The others in the camp watched, becoming a mix of tense and in awe. Harmony hopped down, tossing bronze coins to kids. “You have an issue?”

“War in the north, raiders on the roads, and pirates on the seas! What’s not an issue,” he said rhetorically. “Who are you anyway?”

“Hedge knight. Lord Amov -”

“Agov,” he corrected.

I smiled. “Right. That fellow paid me to bring some ant king's head.”

“Fucking finally,” the old man said, joining the conversation. He flashed me a bandaged arm. “I fended off a raid when they stole Camin’s missus two nights back.”

I set the pail down for Drago who eyed me with contempt for not feeding him like the prince he was. I smacked his side with a snicker, grabbing a potion out of the back of the saddle. “Here. Anyone else wounded, come get a potion.”

A fairy woman peeked out from the back of a tent to see who I was - becoming very tense at my sight. I handed Camin a potion. He followed my vision with a nod.

When the young mousy man returned, he said, “Thanks. Lator took a pointy leg bite to the guts, saving us when they attacked by slaying two of the freaks.”

“How many?” I asked.

The old man huffed. “Six to sixty, depends on who yer askin. Da sun set, then they sorta just appeared. Like ghosts, but big chitin -”

A yellow indicator appeared in my vision and I instantly yanked my massive sword off my belt. Those around me panicked, scrambling for distance and to draw their own weapons in reply.

I leveled the sword to point to the southwest. “Flare now.”

“Fuck,” Harmony said, swirling magic in a dazzling display.

Drago swallowed the oats, sniffed the air, and lowered himself with an eager snort. I chuckled, grabbed his saddle horn and jumped higher than humanly possible to land in his saddle. In a back pouch, I yanked out a bugle, blaring it three times, alerting my forces that there were nearby enemies.

A dozen trumpets sounded from the east and before anyone could ask what the hell was going on, a flare of fire shot towards the indicator with Drago surging into a full sprint. Not even a dozen trees in, four ant soldiers stalked through the dark forest, thinking they were being stealthy.

“These people are under my protection, fiends of the dark,” I bellowed. While not exactly true, my fearless charge spoke volumes.

A spear soared forward, aimed right at Drago’s face. I stuck a foot forward right as the big stallion deftly shifted. The tip skid off my arm, burying itself into a tree trunk with a resounding wobble.

The ant soldier stood a few inches taller than the first one I’d fought and this time I was mounted. Since it threw its primary weapon, it raised a shield in defense. I carved the blade down with a mighty arc.

All this happened in a split seconds, and one thing became glaringly clear. The ant carried a bunch of ropes, netting, and other enslavement tools, but no extra weapons. The flimsy shield he - which I figured out it was a he by this point - carried would barely stop an arrow.

My immense sword with enhanced strength shattered the fragile wood before digging into the enemy’s chest. The force sheared the chitin, cleaving a fatal chunk out of the ant.

Off to my right, a phoenix dove through the trees, coating an ant soldier’s face until it melted into a mix of goop and ash. I swerved Drago around a tree, wheeling him left.

The two remaining soldiers sprinted away, not expecting a fight of this magnitude. I chased the centaur sized ants hard until the soil trembled. Those reverberations increased until a thunderous roar spoke of a cavalry unit.

My knights arrived with lances leveled.

I reared Drago to stay out of their committed charge, barely staying in the saddle. The fleeing ant soldiers tried to pivot, not reacting quick enough to escape our pinching attacks.

Lances pierced chitin right before large stallions knocked the soldier down. The trample was overkill, and yet, somewhat enjoyable to watch the foes turn to mush.

Just like that, the indicator vanished. I wasn’t quite sure why it popped up this time, but I wasn’t going to complain when the Gods tossed me a freebie.

Kroz flipped his visor up, snickering with a headshake. “Those scouts are never going to hear the end of it.”

“Honestly, they’re hard to see at night,” I said.

“A sorceress improves the odds,” Harmony said, riding her stallion by mine. “Is this it?”

“Yeah, it is. We clean up the dead, then continue south,” I said, hopping out of the saddle. “Come split up the gear onto your horses. Good rope has value.”

“And the cozy camp with the deep and interesting backstories?” Harmony said, thumbing the fire that flickered between the trees.

I sighed. “Victims that deserve a good night's rest.”

Harmony giggled. “Exactly, I’m sure we can rent a carriage since you're fuming and didn’t let me bring mine.”

“Ha! You’re a fiery one,” I teased with a headshake, scooping up a bundle of rope. “I’m not mad.”

“You sure seem like it,” Harmony said. “I only control so much.”

I huffed, knowing no relationship was ever perfect. “You sent ravens that we might need backup. We still may. In response Estin and Avorth are assembling their armies. That will take weeks to prepare, then more weeks to march. Not to mention, it’s harvest season. I honestly want Avorth to send workers to Estin to help with the crop.

“If we march to war as a unit, it’ll be during winter.” She went to say her bit, but I held up a finger. “If we lost the Battle of the Stumps, everything would be different. I asked you to send messages before we left the army. You did. That’s the end of it.”

“That fire looks cozy, my Lord,” Kroz said, pointing to the fire in the distance.

I pointed south before vaulting back into the saddle. “We’re not on vacation. We have to be faster than what we kill and I wouldn’t be shocked if a scout got captured. At least they like taking slaves.”

“Until they die of starvation and get eaten,” Kroz said, using a positive tone when…

“Ah, I see what you did there. Exactly. Every minute counts and now we know just how active these ants are,” I said, waiting for the last knight to get back in the saddle. “We ride for Jodi Crossing and hope that this king has only grown a small hive.”

Chapter

Fifty-One

JODI CROSSING

Blood, Guts, and Wagons!

The Seshkin Kingdom consisted of rolling hills with rocky terrain. Some farmers over the ages tamed the wild lands by picking out all the rocks to create farm fields. I could only imagine the work it took to level off the hills while dragging out boulders. Between the wild landscape and the tamed portions, small trees anchored roots around the rugged lowlands.

We followed the road south, finding less and less dense trees with plenty of fields in need of some tender loving care. This meant our force was exposed to any sort of threats that simply stood on any decent hill, of which there were many.

Thankfully, our scouts were not captured, and I didn’t punish them for missing the ant soldiers because I told them not to scout the camp. It became clear that the anthril were very interested in expanding their population aggressively, and for that, I was grateful because we smashed three raiding parties before we even reached the hive’s entrance.

The ant drones were slightly faster than a trotting horse, meaning we would have to push the horses hard to ride them down, which we did when needed. The ant soldiers proved cumbersome in comparison. I gathered this was because of how damn heavy their chitin armor became as they grew.

Not everything went perfect. When they could see us coming, their drone scouts would flee ahead of the soldiers, warning them in time to disappear sometimes. We normally found the soldiers, and yes, killing the small units felt great, but the fact the scout escaped led to a fairly big problem.

The anthril king had advanced warning of our coming and to my surprise, decided to greet us above ground.

“Uh, so, this looks bad,” Harmony said.

About half a mile away, a large double wagon wide bridge spanned the Jodi River. Once the road reached this side, it split in four directions. One towards the capital, the road we rode down here on, one path across the bridge, and another to more smaller towns. Not even a dozen paces off this intersection a massive mound of fresh dirt became a hill of its own.

Drones stood on the top with a few of them having wings. At the base, a hundred anthril soldiers prepared for battle in front of a large king. They didn’t carry much in the way of armor or weapons, but they did have impressive numbers.

One thing became clear about this boom in population. They were skinny, unnaturally so. I could see the way they eyed our horses, imagining what the meat would taste like in their bellies. This also explained the desperate attempts of their scouts to wrangle any traders on the roads.

“The magic isn’t fair, but it was never meant to be,” I said unhappily. “This king probably stole traders, finding females to impregnate. Things went well at first since no one challenged the infestation. Now they’re at the stage where they throw themselves at the walls of the nearest town to simply feed.”

“Your orders?” Kroz asked.

I shrugged. “We back up, send scouts to hill tops, and crush any of their small missions. While I want to save the people below… I think they’re already dead or beyond saving.”

“We can defeat this army,” Harmony said.

When I flippantly tossed a wrist into the air, it bothered the enemy king. “But why would we? I merely need to defeat the king. We have speed superiority, are well fed, have supplies for a few weeks, and are in no rush while the rest of the army marches to Misho.”

“How were the others so healthy?” Harmony asked. “And isn’t it crazy some of them seem well fed while others are starving.”

I snorted with a head shake. “You know that answer. You just don’t want to admit it.”

Some of these scouting parties were catching prey and eating them before they got home. Apparently, anthril required more protein than ogres, and while it was disturbing to think about, it did make me feel a bit better. Any enemy that could generate almost infinite troops needed some setback.

“I thought ants were always about the colony first,” Kroz commented.

I turned Drago, ceding the field of battle. “These ones obviously aren’t completely loyal to their king. Notice how some of them are thicker but others are not. It’s almost like they are eating prisoners when no one is looking.” I waved over Mond, the sergeant of our four scouts. “Where is the nearest city?”

“Pelio is only a few hours to the east,” Mond said.

“Okay, we ride for there,” I said.

“We’re not fighting?” Harmony asked. “I kinda wanna fight.”

“Oh, we will. We most certainly will. Very soon too, if I had to guess,” I said, continuing to ride away from the enemy.

Kroz spun his mount with the flow of cavalry adjusting to leave the battlefield. The intersection had largely been abandoned recently with new paths giving wide berths to the anthril. We followed one of those divot ridden dirt trails to the east, watching the anthril colony stand there in a resolute manner.

“They’re hostile,” Kroz warned. “The Pelio town.”

I dipped my head in agreement. “War is fluid and no enemy is without a brain. We lost the element of surprise here.”

“My King, why did we not fight if we can win?” Daxton asked, keeping my banner furled.

It was easy to forget the squire at times, but I smiled down at him from over my shoulder. “I’m a fan of history. Mine is slightly different from yours, but one of our greatest warrior nations had this propensity to avoid taking fights. If something, anything, might help their enemy, they retreated.”

“I… I’m missing the why,” Daxton said inquisitively.

“Ah, fair. The region knows about this infestation. Their answer is to isolate that intersection. King Krastor chose to warn all his people, then to let the anthril colony starve. It wouldn’t shock me if they are avoiding direct fights and just heavily arming the caravans. That is how this colony is suffering. Here soon, they need to make a move, a dangerous one. Okay, again, this doesn’t explain the ‘why’.

“If I am that king, and I have half a brain. I want us to fight. Sacrificing troops who are stealing from the core colony’s survival is smart. We clash with them trying to kill our horses. The most loyal drones yank the horses into the anthill then collapse it. How do I counter that? I don’t, not really. Those horses give the colony new life and the cycle continues. Basically, that king would retreat, we’d lose some troops, and they’d win while losing.”

“Or knights,” Harmony commented.

“Sure, they just need to eat and to thin the colony until they can find a better food source. Does that make sense?” I asked Daxton.

“Yes, it does. You decided not to fight close to their home. In that case, if they follow us, and lose, they can’t exploit their loss for gains,” Daxton wisely deduced.

I nodded. “Smart lad. Now, think about this. If you’re the king of an anthril colony, what do you do when hunting becomes scarce, enemies are picking off your troops, and you need a victory to keep expanding?”

“You move?”

I opened and closed my mouth. “Uh, that very well may be what they do. Sergeant Mond will stay behind with a dozen knights to ride down hunting parties and watch the nest once we are out of sight. But that’s not what I would do if I were him.”

“Well, what would you do?” Harmony asked curiously.

I grinned, telling them my hypothetical plan.

∞∞∞

“What’s the name again?” Caleb asked.

Caleb happened to be the mayor of Pelio who’d seen his best years already. The cat ears atop his head were covered in gray fur, his robes were baggy atop his wrinkly skin, and he yawned so damned much it stopped being addictive. His sour mood reflected the situation in Pelio perfectly, and I wanted to be at home.

Trade was down due to the anthril, which meant the tavern was empty, which meant taxes were light, and people were on edge. The eager guards at the gate bought the partial truth that we were a mercenary unit sent to raid the enemy. They didn’t even ask us to relinquish our weapons upon entry.

While that could have been a double cross, I just didn’t see that being the case. The military here was weak, exceedingly so. ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend’ proved to be our winning case when we revealed all the loot from the dead anthril we’d been catching so far. This bought us a lot of leeway with the locals who were happy to hear something was finally being done about the infestation.

To further help our cause, I paid in advance and bribed the guards to make sure our night time raiders could go in and out with a hustle from the people manning the gates. We were given the entire run of the tavern, Harmony had a delightful bath, and I ate a big meal of fish. I special ordered french fries after explaining what they were. They didn’t come out quite right, but I devoured them regardless.

“Texas Rangers,” I lied.

The old man reached into his vest, pulling out a small scroll only a raven could carry. Harmony’s hand gripped my inner thigh under the table, tensing at the situation. I stayed relaxed, knowing I could sack this small outpost with a few swings of my sword.

Caleb squinted and read, “I’m sending outsiders near your city to control the anthril since no one else will help. Signed your friend, Agov.” He bound the parchment back into a roll. “Nice to meet your unit. How is the fight going?”

“Excellent. Fifteen -”

“Sixteen,” Harmony corrected with a smile.

“Sixteen kills. The loot sucks and we’re not being paid enough, but what’s new,” I said honestly. He flashed a weak smile, as if wanting to dodge the notion I should be getting coin from him as well. “May I ask something?”

“Sure.”

“Why has King Krastor not squashed the invasion?”

Caleb waved over a cute bunny girl who was probably barely legal, so I tried to avoid her flirting gaze. He ordered tea and some strips of potato like mine.

“Prince Daniel came through here doing the same thing you are, squashing the hunting parties. No one dares to go into the den since a team of five knights went in and the exit was closed on them. They never returned but we did see anthril soldiers wearing their gear which explained what happened. Well, the parts they could,” Caleb said.

“This Regor fellow who is bribing the region, ever heard of him?” I asked.

Caleb shrugged, leaning back when his tea arrived. “Can’t say that I have. I certainly have gotten no bribe. Then again, Pelio has nothing to offer besides a resting point along a dreary road.”

“I saw some cleared farms, not easy work,” I said, earning a grunt of agreement. “Anyway, I intend to have men cycle into and out of combat. As of right now, everyone stays in armor so these fine working girls will need to be mindful of our battle readiness.”

“They’re just trying to earn some coin, not much different from you,” Caleb wisely said.

I tipped my mug in salute. “I know. I will probably leave a nice tip in thanks for respecting our wishes.”

“Mighty kind of you and mighty kind of you to help fight our battles, even if yer being paid,” Caleb said, rising with his joints popping from age. “I’m going to enjoy my meal with my great grandson.”

He left for a booth on the other side of the tavern. All my knights sat around me in the nearby booths and tables, likely spooking him somewhat. And yeah, his guards didn’t trust us, just as we didn’t trust him, but I kept things civil.

After my meal, Harmony tried to convince me to take a bath then head to bed with her. I knew exactly what she wanted - sex. For her, it was probably validation that I wasn't mad about Estin and Avorth massing to invade Seshkin without telling me.

I honestly wasn’t upset even if Harmony felt I should be. They obviously didn’t want to say they were marching until they were. A ‘hey, I’m getting ready to get ready’ helped no one. So it was a non-starter with me. No, something else bothered me. This nagging six sense that something wasn’t right ate at me from a different source.

Two hours after meeting with Caleb, and a decent way into the night, I decided to walk the town with a handful of knights. The outside air was cool with no overcast and a decent sparkling of starlight. The city itself was wooden for the most part with narrow streets, a small wall keeping raiders out, and only two guard towers to watch for attackers.

People crammed into a few warehouse type buildings for communal living at its finest with windows open, releasing the sounds of snoring. This was sorta what I expected of vikings with their longhouses, support structures like smithies and tanners, and then general storage buildings.

While we paced the small city, I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d incorrectly predicted what the anthril king would do next.

Of course, when a sudden shrill scream from the outhouses rang through the air, a terrified woman validated my assumption. I yanked my sword free, dashing right towards the danger.

Kroz ran with me, his eyes wide in disbelief. “How’d you know they’d attack from below?”

I unleashed a throaty laugh. “Desperate times bring desperate measures.” I raised my voice for the next line, bellowing with all the power I could to spread the word. “They’re coming through the sewer system! To arms!”

Chapter

Fifty-Two

PELIO

Strategic Real Time Fighting!

My heavy footfalls echoed through the tight alley until I reached the bathhouse. I burst through a flimsy wooden wall as if I were a giant mug of ice cold fruit punch. The splintered wood exploded outward, and I arrived in shit, literally. The toilets in Limar weren’t flushing modern marvels and were instead more like the roman aqueducts of old.

In this case, an elevated seating benched provided holes for people to sit on. You dumped water at the top that ran down valleys until it reached a sewer system at the bottom. All this is important because I didn’t enter in the right place, mostly on purpose.

And yeah, there comes a time in a man’s life when he reaches deep down to ask - what the fuck am I doing here? In this case, I realized I had zero shame when it came to victory.

I slid down the shit chute finding a partially emerged ant soldier trying to rise out of the sewers, just as I predicted about twelve hours ago.

“I fucking knew it,” I said, roaring out with maniacal laugh. I brought my sword down in an over-the-top arc.

The heavy blade smashed through the ant’s face, cleanly cutting it in half. I kicked the body off the blade, feeling the entire foundation quaking from deep disturbances. Repeated cracks through the bath house floor told me the ants were trying to widen the opening to the city.

“Back up!” I bellowed to Kroz and the other knights who tried to reach the fight since I’d outpaced them.

My fears became a reality when a final crack sent me falling. The weightless sensation only lasted for a brief second and before I could do anything a nude elven woman crashed into me. A billowing of dust and debris spread until the very powerful ants burst free of the rubble, rushing into Pelio in the dozens.

“Save me,” she shrieked, desperate to get behind my hulking armor.

A trumpet blared in the distance, followed by a flaring orange ball of flame. Armored knights clashed against ant soldiers up above while I scrambled to my feet. I never glanced at the elven woman who saved the day by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, because my job was not to protect her.

No.

My only concern was to close off the enemy’s flow. I regained my feet, crouched to bunch my thighs, and leapt toward the opening the ant soldiers spilled out of. Like an anime hero I brought my blade in a wide swipe, cleaving through enemies at their chests.

Those ahead of them kept pushing upward while those behind found themselves skittering to a stop. I halted the outflow, standing valiantly against a horde of enemies clattering to keep pushing forward.

Just from the two I killed upon my arrival, I’d managed to partially clog the exit. Visceral fluids leaked out of their bodies slickening the rubbles strewn uphill ramp.

In front of me, the soldiers didn’t want to fight the heavily armored human with his big sword while the starving ants in the back shoved them forward.

The space available provided just enough room to cock back the sword with both hands, swinging it horizontally with enough force to cleanly cut through the front two enemies.

“Adam!” Harmony shouted.

“Down here!” I bellowed back. “Clean up those and I’ll hold the gap the -”

A spear clanged off the back of my helmet, completely ringing my bell. Stars danced in my vision, and I staggered. An immense weight slammed into me from behind, dragging me towards the small opening the rest of the colony tried to push out of.

Chitin scraping against the sewer foundation told me the ants were not sitting idly by while I wrestled with one of the bastards who’d turned around to attack me from behind. While I struggled, face down in a mix of blood, guts, and sewer rubble, I summoned Golem.

The magic swam from my core, through my shoulders and out my gauntlets at the finger joints. I fought like a savage, struggling to rip the weight off me because the ant soldier tried his damnedest to keep me pinned down.

Golem slithered between my armor and the ant, creating a slick that finally gave me space I needed. Instead of scrambling for my sword, I gained the grappling high spot to rain fists into my foe from above. The skeletal structure to the humanoid chitin face cratered on the third blow, splattering brains against the rubble.

I hopped off the twitching enemy, seeing an anthril trying to lift my own blade. The thin arms struggled to heft the weight.

“Ha! Thanks.” I pinged off the rubble, shooting across the distance with a shoulder check.

The impact was so sudden and severe, the soldier went flying while my blade hovered in the air for a fraction of a second. My right hand clamped down on the hilt before I swirled in a tight spin.

I cleaved the head off the shoulders, stopped my turn and charged towards the widening opening. The ant soldier who tried to pull back his buddy's dead body died when my blade drove deep into his neck.

“You,” I yanked the blade free, grinning, “should run.”

Of course, the press of bodies didn’t stop and with what felt like infinite foes to kill, I pressed on. That part of my brain that called for the thrill of life and death wanted more. I cleaved two more anthril in half but my blade finally became stuck.

I grabbed a fallen spear, shoving it up under an anthril’s chin until I pinned the head to the top of the sewers. I fought like a possessed demon leaving a trail of blood and gore as I smashed through the troops. The truth was, they started to panic, and that was their undoing.

Lessons from my first fights always taught me to never falter during an engagement. Feint, yes, falter, no. And so I grabbed whatever weapons I could, often using my fists with the strength of a demi-god.

I cracked skulls, broke legs, and slammed my fists through chest plates until I saw the enemy fleeing. I stepped over a dozen, maybe two dozen dead anthril on my way up the sewers. I found my blade in an ant soldier who clung to life.

Obviously, I stomped his skull and ripped my heavy sword out of his shoulder. I strode up the ramp finding four anthril being held back by a shield wall of knights.

“Stop wasting your energy on ineffective strikes!” I demanded surging forward at superhuman speed. “If you lack the strength, hit the joints!”

A blade from Kroz clanged off thick chitin, unable to pierce the reinforced armor. He’d tried to hit the torso joint, just barely missing. I knew I needed to finish this quickly so I crouched and leapt into a high jump, bringing my blade down so fast it blurred.

The soldier ant who struggled to get through the shield wall glanced over his shoulder.

I cut his face in half before landing. A follow through over the top arch lopped off the human torso from the ant lower section from the second anthril. I used the momentum to wind up a spin of my body to help power a throw. The scimitar left my hands with enough power it flew through the last two anthril in a single throw.

In the span of just a few seconds, I killed the last four anthril.

“Get on your mounts!” I roared, understanding part of my anger was driven by blood lust.

Kroz dipped his head in respect. “Sorry, my lord. Their armor is thick and their strength is tough to overpower.”

“Your mounts,” Harmony said dryly. She already rode her stallion, wisely getting him before fighting. My lovely fairy turned to me, biting her lip with lust-filled eyes. “You’ll be needing your sword, my king.”

I let some of the rage go, grabbed the blade and tore it free of both bodies. One of the anthril twitched and I decapitated it just to be certain. Caleb stood at the back of the knights, his eyes wide in shock. The knights fled, eager to grab our mounts.

“Is… is it over?” the Mayor asked trepidatiously.

I popped my helmet off, stuck two fingers into my mouth and whistled angrily. The loud crack of a stable gate shattering rang through the otherwise peaceful air. Drago pushed aside knights to race to my side.

My palms gently slid the blood-drenched helmet over my sweat-filled hair. “Thanks for your hospitality, Caleb. I fear I’m no longer a suitable guest for such a fine town. Open the gate for our departure.” He hesitated. I growled, “Please.”

“I’m not afraid of you.” The way he managed the words almost had me believing him.

I snickered, jumping into Drago’s saddle, not even bothering to hide my champion abilities. “Wonderful. Good for you. However, now that I saved your charming little town, I need to smash the enemy king while he’s trying to relocate.”

“You’re him aren’t you, the champion from the north?” Caleb asked.

“Are you opening the gate?” I replied.

He dipped his head, knowing his answer. “Open the gate. Our guest deserves our respect.”

I raised my immense blade like a marine did with a saber in salute. I didn’t say another word, leading a trail of knights out of the town. The ruined bathhouse behind me would need to be rebuilt, but that was a problem for someone else.

Harmony trotted at my side with thirty knights racing out of the stables to catch up. No one asked where we were going, or why, because they followed my lead. Once we were at the gates, I paused and waited for the army to form. Daxton was last, being gently led out of the tavern by a serving girl. Kroz guided his mount over, waiting impatiently for him to catch up.

Once we formed into three rows, I guided us out of Pelio, not exactly hating the town. A wave of vindication washed through me since I’d predicted this was the anthril king’s next move. Without a doubt, when the desperate anthril king tried to move, we’d be there to smash him.

∞∞∞

I loomed over the blood soaked bridge, staring down at the dead king. The anthril king tried to cross the bridge at the crack of dawn, having no idea we waited behind hills in ambush. The second he deviated too far from his hole we charged him and him alone.

Kroz earned the killing blow, lancing the king in the throat. When the big bastard ripped the weapon free, tossing it onto the bridge with a bouncing clatter, I called for the army to keep on riding instead of fighting. Sure enough, the ant invasion of Seshkin died with the king.

“And so we stand triumphant,” I said, turning my horse to ride through the loot the ant soldiers left behind. “Nothing is very valuable, but I bet they had wagons and such.”

“They closed off the entrance upon their exit,” Sergeant Mond said.

I heaved out a displeased sigh, rummaging through a bag on the back of Drago’s saddle. I found a small shovel mostly meant for burying my shit when I pooped in the woods. “We dig. We owe it to the dead and on the chance some might live.”

No one groaned or complained, even if I could tell they wanted to. I rode Drago over, dismounted, and spent the next three hours digging through two collapsed tunnels until we entered the main cavern. As expected, the bastards killed everyone, even eating the bones besides the skulls.

I did find a few nice saddles, but that was about it. With heavy hearts, we departed Jodi Crossing, doing the best we could by adding crosses before our goodbye. I told myself this wasn’t my fault and pressed on. I didn’t lose a single troop, but I knew deep-down that the enemy captured people recently. Maybe I could have saved them, but in the end I’d sleep well because I knew the assholes in Seshkin Port didn’t do enough.

They’d earned my ire with their complacency.

“Everything okay?” Harmony asked.

I grunted with a miserable frown. I didn’t sleep last night, and I was still pissed off from the blood rage earlier.

“Quests,” I muttered.

Time slowed to a freeze and green lettering appeared in my vision.

No Active Quests.

“That’s bullshit. But I know you’re not lying. What happened to my quest for killing the king and earning Lao as a vassal city?”

Something has changed. We are forbidden from saying what. However, you have earned a lot of Influence Points with the local Seshkin people.

“Of course, resume time.” I grumbled, cursed, and then tossed my shovel into the saddle bag with a furious sneer. Harmony neared with a raised eyebrow. “Count Agov either died or betrayed our deal.”

Harmony frowned, tapping her thumb to the saddle horn. “I don’t like it.”

“Yeah, well, I can for sure say nothing was handed to me when it came to securing the realm.” I pointed north. “We ride hard into the forest where we’ll find a dark spot to camp. Six hours of solid rest then we reunite with the army. Diplomacy has failed but our action comes with a different kind of reward, respect from the locals. They know who vanquished the threat; we did, not the local lords or their armies.”

“And where to once we link up with the army, my King?” Harmony asked.

“Misho. Then I sack Lao and add Talou as the new Duchess,” I commanded, seeing that the knights had finished mounting up. “I’m proud of you all. We… We didn’t lose anyone and fought as a unit. You will all undergo training on foot for precision strikes during down time. That is not me being angry with you, that is me wanting the best from you.”

“It’s fair,” Kroz said with a tiny hint of sourness in his tone. If I had to guess, it was disappointment in himself instead of anger and orders. “I will say this, on behalf of the others, myself included, it sure does feel good having the champion helping to carry the battle.”

“Winning matters.” I grabbed my massive blade, raised it high into the afternoon sun, then pointed it north. “To more winning!”

We rode away from the battlefield, leaving the mess behind for someone else to deal with. I knew that Lao would be very concerned with my wrath, but for now, I needed them to sweat a bit. I needed to court the Misho Council to earn the loyalty of a port city with access to fish.

Cynthia Chapter 1

The Fat Shark - Avoria Sea

Sink! Sink! Doom!

An armada the likes of which she’d never seen barreled down on a few pitiful ships in the distance. The might of Emperor Regor sliced through the water, eager to catch its prey. The pirates thought they’d use her favorite fishing grounds to pounce on the unsuspecting.

Instead, the hunter became the hunted. For Cynthia, and the Fat Shark, the armada was simply a free ride out to sea in infested waters. Not only were the pirates more audacious than ever, but the leviathans also seemed abnormally aggressive.

“Ain’t seen nothin like it,” Zormo said, coming to stand by her side.

Cynthia shrugged. “They’re doomed, picking the wrong day to go after a bait ship.”

“Yeah, this Regor fellow seems keen on giving out big rewards for everything. Actually, look, that's his flag. The rooster with black and gold colors.”

“Explains why they’re so aggressive. The lady slayer is on the prowl.”

The smaller ships added oars to pick up speed, eager to catch the pirates.

“Huh, hadn’t heard that one.”

“He blames assassins, but his wives keep falling from balconies when he’s nearby, never when he’s away,” Cynthia said with a shrug. “But it wasn’t him who hired us, since I know you’re going to ask.”

A military cutter smacked into a much larger pirate ship, sinking its barbs into the side of the hull. A split second later, the crew chucked out large cloth socks to drag the water, instantly slowing both vessels.

Captain Zormo shook his head, watching the armada close the distance. The other small ships zoomed around the pirate flagship, hounding the smaller vessels that normally played the slowing role.

“Fuck, its crazy to witness them like this.” Zormo shook his head, smacking her on the back. “Hey, tell me about this Adam guy again; the mysterious magnate who hired us.”

“Tall, full human, confident, charming, and about as easy going as they get. He straight up dropped the coins right on the table, told me to return in three months, then vanished out of the corner booth,” Cynthia said.

The Cask fleet caught two more pirates, but the cutter zipped away, entering shallows the big ships couldn’t and the small ships weren’t going to catch her. Right when that final ship thought she might get away, numerous tentacles breached from a kraken, trying to wrap the ship.

By some miracle, the pirate cutter jostled, but sailed out of the grasp due to her fast speed.

“Don’t see that everyday,” Zormo said.

“Maybe we should sail for deeper waters,” Cynthia said with a grunt.

Zormo shook his head, shifting to yell at a gawking deckhand who almost took a swinging beam to the face. Cynthia chuckled, leaving the middeck to shift to the upper deck with the wheel. She sighed, glancing over the rough crew who flinched and jerked at every little thing, clearly on edge.

She patted the railing, having faith in the old girl. The Fat Shark wasn’t some high tech fishing boat, she wasn’t pretty, and she definitely wouldn’t win any races. The ship was a few hundred years old, with thousands of scars and countless repairs from the ages. She sat high in the water, wide in berth, and had two big side decks for either netting or lining.

Located on perches on the middle deck, ballistae waited to fight monsters. On the railings, serrated spikes were ready to rip up any kraken tentacles. In the mast beams, archers joined the scouts, waiting for something to test the ship.

As the ship's ice mage, and highest ranking noble - a viscount - she was well respected by the crew. A frozen catch was a good catch. More importantly, she secured the funding up front for the full season with bonus incentives.

And yes, Zormo kept pestering her because he honestly thought the deal was too good to be true. Clearly, based on a nearby kraken, maybe the deal wasn’t good enough. Since she didn’t fish besides to kill, steer the ship, or help with much, Cynthia grew bored.

The fight on the pirate ships ended with little flare. The crews surrendered to become slaves, the Cask Navy added prizes to drag home, and the Avoria Sea became that much safer. She pulled out her eyepiece, inspecting the atolls they sailed between.

The constant splash of the ship cutting through the mild wake sent a repeating comfort through her. Ever since these champions returned to the land, the seas teemed with life once thought legendary. When she saw a gilled humanoid with a rotund body building a lean-to on one of the small, deserted islands, she didn’t even blink twice.

“Darmith on the land!” Cynthia shouted, simply relaying what was expected.

The odd creations returned from their hidden dens in the depths to bother the surface dwellers. A few solid arrows or magic killed them just fine, but they were normally not expected. The beings were awful at piracy, and since The Fat Shark wasn’t going to fight them on even terms, they sailed by.

Zormo ordered the sails furled, slowing the ship now that it reached moderate depths. Cynthia returned her eyepiece watching the water since Krakens could hunt in these zones. They tended not to, picking shallower water.

The Fat Shark was a kraken killer, meant to hunt the leviathans, and her prey feared the wooden sides. The crews dropped baited lines, letting the hooks sink low. Cynthia grabbed a seat on a water barrel, waiting to do her part.

Even though the crew was on edge, they pulled up all sorts of great fish and not many monsters. Spear guns and pikes brained fish, deckhands dragged them into central holds, and Cynthia chilled the sea water into a slush. She never used too much of her magic, knowing how her vital spells could win battles.

Her shift ended that evening with the distant armada slipping off the horizon towards home, she sensed something below, deciding to stay up. The crew fished day and night with Lena arriving on deck to take the dark shift.

“You’re on edge,” Lena said, scanning the deck crew. She wore typical sailor clothing: light, baggy, easy to shed in the water. “The boys bugging you?”

As the only two women on the ship, they looked out for each other. “Cap made it clear. I freeze dicks off that try stupid shit. No. I… I don’t know.”

Second officer Targu approached with his burly arms folded. “Hey, you sensing something?” Cynthia nodded. “Fuck. Me too.” He cupped his hands to his mouth. “Fire arrows out!”

Cynthia summoned her ice magic, being the stronger of the two casters, and about to be off shift, she could afford the expenditure. The crew immediately shifted to secure fishing lines, grab spears, and ready for something, maybe nothing.

A jarring collision shook The Fat Shark’s sturdy hull. Whatever it was, it had likely noticed the crew stopped fishing. Cynthia knew the reverberations originated on the port side. While everyone rushed left, she rushed right to the starboard railing.

When the fire arrows whizzed overhead, the night’s secrets were revealed. Twin eyes glanced up, watching the ballistae crews. “Serpent! Gormith Class!” Cynthia bellowed.

The Gormith’s were akin to land dragons, just a smidge smaller, thinner, and no wings. In essence leviathan eels with dragon heads, and this one shouldn’t be here. On the split second read Cynthia gleaned from staring into its eyes, it was desperate.

Before it could strike or the crews could adjust, magic erupted out of Cynthia’s palms.

Her magic splashed into the water, moving at blurring speeds. The freezing spell latched onto the body creating a massive block of ice around the torso. The ice’s buoyancy lifted the serpent up, creating a great target and a big problem.

The creature snarled, revealing hundreds of long fangs in its hideous mouth. Like a land viper, it curled its head back, honed in on Cynthia and struck.

A protection spell coated her in ice, barely forming in time. The teeth smacked into solid magic, cracking the protection and the fangs. The crews on the ballistae weren’t rookies like some of the deck hands who quaked in fear.

Large bolts snapped out of siege engines, pinning the serpent to the deck with their deadly trident tips. With the serpent’s waning strength, it tried to bust her casing, gnawing on the ice. Lena’s magic reinforced hers, all but sealing the serpent's fate.

A few minutes later, and the fight ended anticlimactically with the blood pooling and the creature's heart stilling. For a few intense seconds, she once again risked her life for some coins. One day, she might just get tired of almost dying for a nice beach house.

Cynthia dispelled her magic when Captain Zormo approached. She left the middle deck for the top decking, letting the crew work their magic while she stayed out of the way. Lena, Targu, and Cap followed behind her.

“Gormiths shouldn’t be this close,” Zormo grumbled.

“And they don’t attack at night. What was it doing?” Lena said, pointing to the beast the crew hacked up to fit in the hold. “And it’s skinny.

“I - I - I think there’s a monster in the depths pushing the leviathans inland. It’ll make for some great farming, these scales are worth a fortune,” Cynthia said, trying to be positive.

Targu pointed to the other side of the atolls. “I feel it too. Something brooding, something dangerous, something… unknown is coming.”

Chapter

Fifty-Three

MISHO Port

May I have this Dance!

Harmony elbowed me for attention. We stood in the Misho Tournament and Fairgrounds on the west side of the city, waiting to hear from the Misho Council. After two weeks of frantic road building, a dirt path connected Clear Castle to Misho.

A mousy butler of a man arrived with a deep bow. Lamond had introduced himself a few times, braving my army when others were hesitant. “I’m excited to announce, there’ll be a gala in your honor!”

I snickered, wagging a finger at him. “And here I had to solve some diplomacy issues to be welcomed.”

“A lot changes in a month, your grace,” Lamond replied.

“It sure does,” Dami said, rubbing my back.

“Look at her smile. You just know that’s what these two have been hoping for the whole time.”

Dami and Harmony bobbed their heads in unison. The two reunited, and I had to remember how they spent weeks together in Avorth while I campaigned against the centaurs. Thankfully, once my mousy shortstack finished her mission recruiting ladies from Estin she raced in a lavish carriage to catch up to us.

While I expected to rip all the trees out for the road crew in less than two weeks, it took longer because of solid rain. The ogres and horses made quick work of clearing out trees from the soft soil, but we had to wait for it to harden for the carriages and wagons to move forward.

I sent a diplomat to Lao and received a message that Count Agov decided to visit King Krastor to negotiate a replenishment force. He never returned and had since vanished. Apparently, this was enough to break our deal, which was a first for me.

I thought the deal was fair, and while I could have laid siege to Lao, I kept my eye on the prize - cutting Seshkin off from the rest of the kingdom and opening up trade routes I controlled.

And so we flung trees, leveled dirt with oxen, and even had Necromancer Lyndsey help clear the path for the engineers. Eventually we’d have to construct a bridge for the Okri River, but for now we simply built a big raft to cross back and forth.

Once we arrived on Misho’s side of the river, a small military force greeted us outside the walls of Misho Port, welcoming us to their city by giving us the fairgrounds to camp in. That kicked off a few cordial meetings that culminated in a formal invitation now that we officially arrived.

“I’d love to feel solid stone underfoot again,” Harmony said, pulling on my arm as if she needed an invitation.

“I’m sure we can construct a summer festival with pavilion tents right out here,” I said with a grin. “If not, no worries, I’ve done my part and braved the wilds.”

“I can ask,” Lamond, the diplomat, said. “I’d be shocked if the council attended, but nobles and locals for sure would want to see you.”

“A neutral place without weapons on both sides seems fitting, granted, I have minimal ladies who can attend to help facilitate such an event,” I admitted.

“But we have coin,” Dami said.

Lamond smiled. “That helps. Is there anything else we can do for you while you wait?”

“Yes, actually. I want to hire an engineering crew to build a bridge and to have worthy sea captains who need financiers to come visit me in person. Oh, and send your spymaster please, I need information,” I said.

“Ah, that last part falls on my shoulders. They wouldn’t send out just anyone,” Lamond said.

I gestured for our extra-large carriage. “A few minutes of your time would be most… rewarding.”

Lamond followed the gesture, not afraid in the slightest. He knew how much we needed him and Misho’s fish. I wouldn’t risk a war when I could gain an ally with ease. The council on the other hand could kill me and gain immense wealth from a bevy of competitor champions.

Around my carriage were different camps for each type of unit. Some of the archers stayed near the knights, but for the most part, their horses had a designated area they stayed close to. A small mist held a dozen wolf skeletons near the wagons. Lyndsey said these would eventually lose cohesion and become piles of bone but he intended to join me soon since I could get him access to Misho’s stores and shops.

A dozen ogres camped on their own, with only three of them being males. Ormis actually stayed behind with Drefius to maintain Clear Castle and the engineer protection detail. Most of the females came south, and their fire roared high even though it was the middle of the day.

The twenty-four warrior centaurs I decided to incorporate into cavalry were causing all sorts of problems I needed to address with Kroz and the knights; those men became babies when it came to working with former enemies. For now, they camped far away from each other.

My archer unit finally resembled an actual fighting force with a proper banner, officers, and plenty of men ready to sling arrows down range. I now had two units of trolls who camped on their own. Unfortunately, most of them were ill suited to being heavy line infantry, so I split those that could into armor and those that could not into skirmishing javelin throwers.

Finally, in the middle of it all was the camp followers, families, and growing randoms. Our grievously wounded who wanted to stick around even with their physical limitations did so in this group. It grew considerably when Dami arrived, but she didn’t come just with her recruits of lovely ladies. Female trolls, generic soldiers who wanted to act as reserves for pay, and even cooks lived in this central section of the fairgrounds.

We stepped into the carriage, interrupting Pela and a nanny who played with her. Dami brought her from Clear Castle to join us on the road. It wasn’t exactly fair to Rosa to play Mom while running a rapidly growing empire. Sure Isabel helped, but like most women who watched other women’s children there were limits and making it fair meant Harmony’s daughter joined the front lines.

I kicked them out politely, removed my boots, and stole the best spot in the booth. Dami and Harmony headed to the bed while Lamond closed the door. He slid into the seat across from me, folding his hands on top of the table.

“What would you like to know?”

I flashed a smile, paused reality, and summoned a bag of coins onto the desk. The bronze thudded with an impressive heft.

“Go ahead, open it.”

He did as instructed with his brown eyes widening in delight. “These are perfect replicas.”

Harmony went to quibble, but I held a finger up. “To be fair darling,” I said. “They’re replicas created by the Gods. Semantics say he’s correct, and he knows it.”

She stuck her tongue out at me.

“I like her. Grand Princess Harmony. The fourth daughter of a prince with twenty-seven children and counting,” Lamond said.

Harmony struggled with the wine she sipped. Her face turned a bit sour, and she replied, “Twenty five.”

“Seven, two new siblings out of Mine and Grind, the whore house. Why your father still births bastards is beyond all. Both girls, hale as can be,” Lamond said. “Harmony is the most powerful sorceress in a generation, maybe two, but she has a short fuse.”

“Yes, yes, you’re a spy master,” Harmony said, sipping her wine evenly again. “Let’s cut to the chase, Seshkin. My source is unreliable. What the hell is going on?”

“I’m afraid I have bad news. The Cask Region, have you heard about it?” Lamond asked.

I dipped my head in reply. “I’ve magically hired a crew to work for me out there. Hunting leviathans for meat, potions bits, and whatnot. Regor rules it, he’s been in the Seshkin Court, and he has the pegasus you did.”

“Ha, I doubt Champion Regor knows you’re employing his own ships under his nose. And yes, you seem to know a lot, but let’s get on the same page, shall we.”

Lamond pulled out a map from his satchel and laid it in front of me. A second later he cleaned some glasses, the only pair I’d seen so far, and put them on.

“Buy a copy when you can,” I said to Harmony who nodded.

“This is Cask. It’s vast on the seas, narrow on the land. Separating Cask from Tolmeria is this massive section of woods called the Obsidian Forest. Of course, there’s no Obsidian in the forest, but that is hardly the point.

“My point is, Champion Regor is different from Champion Zeth. And yes, of course we know about him. Zeth is locked in constant battles, struggling hard to fight his way out of pissing off too many of the local lords. Zeth… He’s tough, real tough. Just like in Cask, there were threats in the Urith region too.” His finger slid to Zeth’s region. “And ripe opportunities to gain levels or fame, and yes, I know about that too. The higher the levels, the more powerful the champion.”

“A very well-informed individual,” I said.

Dami smiled and said, “We have loose lips selling basic information. I… I can’t stop it.”

“I don’t really hide very much to be honest,” I replied, both to make her feel better and to admit any guilt really fell on me. “However, yes. I can do this…” I moved my hand at a fast enough speed the parchment swirled off the table. “Because I killed the threats in the area.”

“Zeth is rumored to be a level forty two,” Lamond said, as if impressed. “He not only conquered his first town, he decimated the population of Urith in his conquests. He also tamed the region with his army while his siege engines are being constructed.”

I grumbled. “That’s actually pretty good. He’s higher than me, but I spent months building or moving around to my enemies. He’s had them all come to him.”

“Meanwhile Regor is a five.” My eyebrows shot high when Lamond disclosed this. “He’s deviously handsome with a harem of wives that are so numerous, I doubt even he knows how many there are. The elven champion reminds the local lords of past times of greatness. From my reports he’s just sooooooo charismatic. Like off the charts. He’s been completely open and honest, letting everyone see his table once he gained control of Cask. And yes, others fight for him.”

“When did this happen?” I asked. “The conquering the whole region thing?”

Lamond puffed his cheeks out, fixing the map. “Months ago. Probably around the time you were fighting the hags or maybe that big ogre friend of yours.”

“Fuck, I’m so far behind,” I muttered.

“Not really, no. More stories of champions reach my ear every day and some of them are dying or getting slow starts. And my agents say that you’re well over level thirty,” Lamond said, fishing for information.

“Stuck on thirty-six. It’s not easy, and I do more riding than fighting. I’d rather do that than have three armies breathing down my neck,” I admitted.

“Our indications say Zeth will lose. He’s ruthless and maniacal. Which is fine once you hold all the power. When you’re trying to take it…”

“Agov said he has his fingers in the Seshkin Court,” I replied sourly.

“Ha! No. Cask is only a week or two of sailing away from Seshkin Port. While you were hiding who you were, he was bribing Seshkin and married Elise.”

“Lines up with my story,” Harmony said when I eyed her.

Lamond continued, “Then you earned Avorth to your side and the Seshkin Court instantly went into a panic. We lost the pegasus, not long after, executing the council member who had it born in his barn and kept it a secret until it was lost.

“Your most concerning enemy will be Zeth if he somehow manages a victory and pushes south across the mountain. Both outcomes require time that is unlikely to happen before next spring. But Regor in Cask has a fleet. A fleet that’s been bombarded with requests to remove a champion who is rising in power in Tolmeria - you.”

“That’s why they tried to sack your city,” I muttered and he nodded.

“Yes. Or so we believe. Controlling Misho is important. Labeling us pirates, easy.”

“Count Agov, in Lao, was willing to side with me, but he vanished. Krastor is gifted,” I grumbled.

Lamond mentioned he didn’t know enough, so I filled him in on my side quest to kill the anthril king.

“I can’t say for certain if he’s dead. If he betrayed a deal made by the Gods, I’d imagine there’d be some negative consequences, but you probably need to ask the people who manage the Game of Castles. Speaking of which, I wouldn’t attack Seshkin head on.”

Harmony snorted. “Let me guess, ships are flowing into there at increased volumes.”

“Absolutely. Seshkin Port is a massive shipbuilder and they’ve expanded operations, or so I’m told,” Lamond said.

“Crap. They’re already a vassal kingdom,” I said, connecting the final dot. “Lao has to fully rebel to join me and right now, that seems like suicide since I can’t sack Seshkin. Unless…”

I started to form plans in my mind.

“I mean… you could have probably snuck in, burned down the lumber supplies, trashed the shipyards, and ruined the fleet with a daring raid,” Lamond said, leaving the sentence hanging.

“But I already did that.” I leaned back and huffed. “Let’s say I hire mercenary sailors from the -”

“East… Farli?” He asked and I nodded. “No. Regor is already hiring mercenaries out of Farli to seize Misho. We are the only unfriendly port and worth conquest points for him,” Lamond said. “You can change how Farli deals with Regor, but he got there first with lots of coins to bribe locals with. Including mercenaries to attack our city.”

Harmony giggled lightly. “At least we know why he’s being so honest and nice.”

“It may not be honest. My sources have reasons to lie as well,” Lamond said, covering himself.

“Sage words. Look, if I sail to Cask and try to kill the Champion Regor, which would pay exceedingly well, I’ll likely run into a check at the ports. I’m taller than average, I’ll be instantly pegged as an enemy champion.”

“Phrasing, Darling,” Dami said.

I snorted. “Ha! No funny ideas. Anyway, hiding and stealth are struggles for me. In theory I can sail close, scale a cliff, sneak into a town, and then assassinate him, but again, this is assuming he’s an idiot, which if he conquered a kingdom with his smile and charm, he likely is not stupid,” I said with a long sigh.

“He undoubtedly will be sending assassins after you, fully expecting you to be hard to kill.”

“I am. So I win by sacking Seshkin while Misho repels an invasion,” I teased.

“Bah! We’d never support you afterwards,” Lamond scoffed so hard his glasses fogged.

I grinned. “I can’t sit on my hands. I have to react. Which… You can’t build ships for me that will outnumber the enemy. Even if I lead the fight, a sea battle is going to be impossible to win. I have to smash the boats in port, not at sea. Who runs Farli?”

“The Temini Emperor. It’s a month's sailing with vast swamps between us and them on land. But yes, we have seen their ships already moving this direction as if hired by the Gods themselves,” Lamond said.

I interlocked my fingers and bounced my thumbs together. “No attack from Zeth until spring?”

“No, it’s very unlikely.”

I continued, “Regor is wanting to focus on dominating the seas.”

“We have reports of marines landing in Seshkin, but not leaving it,” Lamond said. “Again, that is unverified. For all I know there’s a large army marching north.”

“No, not with Estin and Avorth massing. Let us miss harvests while they do nothing in earnest,” Harmony said.

I tapped the map. “May I borrow this while I determine a plan? I promise to have it back before the festival.”

“And our defense? After they stole our pegasus, we told them to fuck off out of anger. Then they attacked. Now we’re feeling vulnerable,” Lamond said, admitting far more than I ever expected him to.

“You need to get the council to agree to be a vassal state. They can set whatever terms they want, I counter, they counter, we agree, done. Use you as the mediator. Even after we sign, I’m going to be hesitant to enter that city. I… I’m going to have to start an honor guard sooner than later who’s not an ogre,” I said with a grunt.

Lamond smiled, putting his glasses away. “And what would you like from Misho?”

“Fish for lumber, minerals, farm foods, and whatever else we can trade. Ships, sailors when I have a fleet, and not to betray me when it is convenient,” I said.

“You know we need help defending against the coming armadas,” Lamond replied.

“I’ve got the perfect fellow to help, but he’s a bit eccentric. If not, I’ll personally defend your inner city with my armies,” I said.

The mousy spymaster inhaled deeply before unleashing a very happy sigh. “We understand we may lose the sea. Ships can be rebuilt. Homes can be rebuilt. Life cannot be reborn and most of us want to see our children grow old.”

“Oh, of course, if we have to abandon Misho, I’ll welcome all refugees and have status retained for all the nobles who flee. Basically, if you need to run, come to my house and I’ll try to have things go smoothly until I can sack Misho back,” I said, sticking a pointed finger on the map. “But that does not guarantee I can defend Misho or win it back. Only that I’ll try if the circumstances call for it and I’m available.”

“A treaty by the Gods will suffice and a festival is warranted. I shall send a bridge crew but no captains out as soon as I’m back. Let’s hope things go our way, Champion Adam, but the soothsayer is a deft diplomat.”

Harmony rose and opened the door for Lamond. “Some kingdoms respect courage and strength over honeyed words. Especially when there is no way to avoid a fight.”

Lamond whispered, “Truer words have never been spoken.”

I raised an eyebrow, but he said no more, vanishing out of the carriage in a hurry. I watched him go, knowing he said a lot, but I couldn’t shake the feeling he was holding something back.

Chapter

Fifty-Four

MISHO Port

Oh, so that’s why it’s called the Game of Castles!

“Boss, they’re dull eyed idiots,” Kroz complained. I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Clearly you aren’t oblivious to the fact they can’t understand a word I say. Even if I could tell them to do this or that, they’re...”

He huffed, not wanting to insult them further.

“Kroz, I’m not. I appreciate the moxie, I really do. I’d always rather have someone be like a blunt businessman instead of a bottled up hidden rager. Give me a second to explain.”

I sipped my tea, wondering if Asmi was right that this was shit compared to the tea the Gods drank. While I tried to find the right words, my wandering eyes locked onto something special. Before I could keep going, I slid out of the booth in my carriage and grabbed a lunch box type of container.

When I plied it open, I found little hand carve toys meant for a little girl. They were somewhat delicate and a special treat for Pela. Harmony forbade her daughter from using them without her around and I sorta worried I may get in trouble for using them since they weren’t mine.

I pulled out a unicorn, a panda bear type figurine, a princess and then a ship.

“This is you, the ship, so I keep your ego intact.” Kroz grinned wide from these words, amused I was playing with children’s toys. “This bear is the centaurs. This unicorn is pikemen protecting the archers, or princess. Following?”

“Yeah, Boss. Of course. Drefius would love this,” Kroz replied.

I shrugged. “We may be seeing him sooner than you think, but back to the issue.” I snapped the figurine holder closed and set it beside me. I then placed the two warring factions across from each other. “In your head, the centaurs charge the left side of the unicorn while you charge the right. The left side repels them, then folds onto you. This would be disastrous.”

“Exactly, they’re shit unless being used as skirmishing troops, but you gave them spears and shields,” Kroz said, picking up a piece to inspect it. “Damn fine work.”

“Harmony’s a princess, even if she plays off being a rebel,” I whispered. I didn’t fear Harmony, in fact I loved her and her spirit. I’d be honest to her face but saw no reason to intentionally pick a fight. “Anyway, my point is: yes, some of them are heavily armored as shock troops. That’s so they can charge in front of you, weaken or break the pike lines with their deaths, then you charge through them to get to the archers.”

“Fuck… You… You want to sacrifice them?”

I furled my brow with a deep frown. “They may live, but no, I am not sacrificing them. I’m using them effectively to enhance the ability of the knights. I’ve spoken with Dartimus, their current leader, and he finds honor in a few brave souls leading the charge.”

“Yeah, it rubs us wrong, but…” Kroz leaned back, setting the piece on the table. “I see the merit. I’ll talk to the lads, straighten them out.”

“Thanks. Send in Lyndsey will ya?” I said.

The door popped open with the necromancer entering on his own. “I’m not a hybrid human with fluffy ears and little tails. I’m an actual werewolf and my hearing is so damn good it's annoying in these large settings.”

“Have you thought about living in the woods where there’s no people,” Kroz teased.

“Har, har,” Lyndsey said with a sarcastic tone. “You summoned, I answered.”

“I’m also here,” Lamond said from the open door. I waved him in as well. “Ah, the famed Jelin Necromancer, quite fearsome up close and you smell… like lavender. How quaint.”

“Careful, weak males appeal to my dominant nature,” Lyndsey said.

“Gross. I’m out,” Kroz said, closing the door and sealing us in.

Lyndsey’s red eyes squinted with disdain at Lamond. “Why am I in here with this… inferior?”

“He's a killer in his own rights, just not like us. Lamond, have a seat. Since you won’t fit, stand. I trust Lamond enough to have this conversation with you present because I’ve come to a realization of something, but before I disclose that, I want to make sure you’re happy,” I said to Lyndsey.

“I’m fulfilled. My yearning for more power grows, but it doesn’t consume me like it did when I’m missing minions,” the necromancer said. “Honestly, I’m trying to learn how to add more minions, but so far, I keep hitting a wall. Figured Misho might have some books or crafting supplies to help pass the time.”

“When I visited during our road clearing through the Jelin Woods, you seemed indifferent to traffic going by your… haunt,” I said, hoping I picked the right word.

The thickly furred humanoid plucked a unicorn off the table. “You mentioned you might build a tavern on the route. Assuming I didn’t send everyone screaming, I might be interested in having a home nearby.”

“Being with skeletons must get lonely,” Lamond said in an astute manner. “That’s not me flirting.”

“I prefer females,” Lyndsey said with a chuckle. “And yes, I do wish for companionship at times. However, I’m not always so,” he paused to calculate the rest of his sentence, “agreeable. Why am I here?”

I pointed to Lamond. Lamond pointed to his chest. “Me?”

“Yes you.”

“I’m lost,” Lamond admitted.

Lyndsey seconded this by saying, “Same.”

“There’s an enemy fleet coming. Very soon. If Misho Port falls, the road I just built ruins your woods as a gateway to an invading force. If it holds, we stop the invasion before it ever comes to your home. I want to know what I can do to bribe you to fight, plus to actually make you happy as a vassal.”

“Happiness is subjective, and at times fleeting,” Lyndsey said.

Lamond countered with, “We all must have goals. Without desired outcomes, we are but lumps on a log.”

“War nears and I’m not keen on just throwing away lives,” I admitted. “I’m trying to bribe you to help save Misho, who will be your ally.”

“Wait, you know?” Lamond said. I rolled my eyes. “Good read, and yeah, I wasn’t too subtle on the hint. I’m here to offer Misho Port as a vassal city. Then I’m supposed to delay the festival while telling you in private to bring more troops.”

“I already called Drefius and the engineers forward. I don’t like having three points to defend. The road will continue to be built from this side while Clear Castle is continuing to boom. The last message I have from Rosa, which flew in this morning was that Estin and Avorth camp followers are starting to flow ahead of the army. Orcs, ogres, and trolls mingle with the good people of Tolmeria. Progress is soaring on the construction with defenses being put in place.”

“The north doesn’t march yet, but its people do,” Lamond said, letting his words trail off like a whisper.

“Oh, while riveting, how do I play into this?” Lyndsey asked.

I raised the princess figurine. “What would make you happy?”

“Books, a nice home by a lively tavern. I’m not sure if I want to manage it beyond having the undead do the slave labor,” Lyndsey answered.

“You have a saw mill here in Misho, correct?” I asked. Lamond held up two fingers. I cracked a grin. “It seems we can all help each other. I deliver the raw timber, they make planks for your tavern, house and stable in the Jelin Woods, and you help us.”

“How?”

“Well, that depends, I need to see this offer from the Misho Council first. If we come to terms, I have a plan you’ll enjoy,” I said confidently.

Lamond handed me a piece of parchment. When I opened it, time crawled to a standstill and green letters stretched over the parchment, super imposing themselves over the flowery prose written in script.

Quest: Tolmeria Strong.

Terms: Accept Misho Port and the governing Misho Council as a vassal state. This includes fair trade rules, mutual defense, and a representative for regional meetings or councils. Should the city fall, the refugees will have refuge elsewhere in the region.

Results: Tolmeria has slowly entered a coalition around Champion Adam, spanning from the far north to the far south.

Potential Influence Repercussions: It has become very apparent, Tolmeria stands with Champion Adam. Another Champion is vying to establish a foothold in the region but is not present.

Reward: If you agree to the terms, you will gain a vassal town with access to the sea. The council will nominate a person of their choosing to become the Duke of Misho.

Game of Castles Reward: earning vassals is paramount in the Game of Castles. If you gain Misho as a vassal city, you will earn 100,000 Lord Points since it is a faction joining.

Do you agree to the terms of the treaty? Yes or No.

“I will once I am outside,” I said, resuming time. I tapped the princess figurine on the table, glancing at Lamond. “Do you have someone who can make a bunch of these for me for my war tables? I’d also love to buy a moving war room on wheels.”

“And our offer?”

I smirked. “I’m going to accept it outside and wash the city in my attribute buffs. The entire population will become more. I figure if your people are more productive, they can send more frozen fish north quicker.”

“I can do all of that, but I find myself curious as to how this looming necromancer plays into all this,” Lamond said.

I danced the tip of my fingers across the table. “What fleet is coming and how far away is it?”

“A mercenary fleet that is meant to just restrict our flow of ships is set to arrive in seven days. A week or two after that, the Cask Fleet will arrive to assault the harbor,” Lamond said.

“Wonderful. That gives me time to get troops into place while securing our supply lines.”

I walked outside, accepted the treaty and welcomed the newest vassal of my budding empire. An orange wave of magic exploded outward from the city’s heart until it encompassed every hovel, estate, business, and barn.

“We should hold a tournament and a gala, my lord,” Lamond said.

“I suppose I can trust the city enough now. I like the idea of moving some of my troops from the outside, in. We need to get a lot of work done, and sitting around training only helps so much,” I said.

Lyndsey folded his arms in front of him. “And me?”

“Well, it’s going to take some time to put this into action, giving you plenty of time to acquire supplies. However, here’s the plan…”

Chapter

Fifty-Five

MISHO Port

Why Hello There!

I stood a few inches taller than everyone else at the event, unable to hide in any way, shape, or form. Part of my grandeur was because a tiny little phoenix danced around my elegant robes, feeding off my raw energy that I slowly let seep out.

After I washed Misho Port in a wave of orange, securing it to the Clear Empire, I braved the streets. For a week, I risked assassinations while trying to live a normal life. Yes, some judged my brazen actions negatively, but I showed the average citizens of Misho that I was not afraid.

No arrow whistled from a window; no dagger flew from an alley. I walked straight and proud through the streets, letting my soldiers enter. Even the trolls came into the slums to help clean up. We prepped the city for a siege, removing all the rubbish and dilapidated wooden buildings. Mud was added to most thatch roofs, being hauled in one bucket at a time from the river.

While it left a nasty stench permeating through the city, it definitely helped with what would be a fire issue. Every morning, I used Golem to secure the sewers, having him lead me to openings the smugglers and riff raff used. To my surprise, he gained levels from the work, growing a little bigger with each day.

These weak points were sealed up to secure entry points. The city underlords didn’t complain, especially when they intended to undo our efforts after the siege. Even though I now ruled Misho, I didn’t go after the slum lords, nefarious captains, or crooked council members.

My job at Misho wasn’t to make it a holy city, it was to help it survive the coming war. A dozen ships from Farli sailed east to west, making decent timing. They’d arrive to cut off the fishing fleet within a day, if not sooner.

In the short term, fishing actually did pretty darn well. The ice mages were kept busy, the crews gained nice profits and then it all stopped to properly secure the port. Some of the ships were dragged out of the water, being rolled into prebuilt dry docks.

Some stayed in, but most underwent repairs or maintenance as if it were the off season. All the rapid changes and preparations lifted the spirits of the locals while giving my army a purpose. For now, the Clear Army provided something they desperately sought: salvation.

In honor of our union, a grand ball was being hosted in the inner city castle. On the exterior of the opulent ballroom, finger food tables lined the walls with wondrous foods. In the corners, bars served drinks at a leisurely rate, as if the council wanted the attendees to avoid getting too drunk. At the back wall, playing in the front storage room doors was a band of bards on chairs.

On the dancefloor a few people mingled and a drunk werecat lady danced solo.

I’d arrived, waved, had a few simple discussions, then tried to pretend to not exist. Honestly, I felt super out of my element until Harmony graced me with her phoenix. Once the bird fed on my mana, I soothed, deciding to enjoy myself.

Dami held my hand supportively. “In all my years, I never expected to be the center of attention.”

The mousy woman had a point. Even though she was only a few months pregnant, she was undeniably carrying my child with her bosom threatening to pop out of a nice dress that didn’t really seem her style. I grabbed her hand, gently twirled her, pulled her in tight, then laid a kiss to her lips.

“Oh Adam, you know just how to make me feel loved,” Dami said, only having eyes for me. I chuckled until the band struck a fast paced tune. I led her away from Harmony, earning a raised eyebrow. “Where are we -?”

I spun her on the dance floor, flowing with the smooth melody of the music. “Relax my darling. I’ve got you,” I said with a smile. “Sorry I’ve been so busy and that we’ve been apart.”

“No apology needed. After Rosa drafted the declaration of an Empire, I expected to rarely see you. And yes, I envy Harmony, being at your side is where I feel most… whole.”

I watched the dance floor slowly fill up, not paying the others much attention besides to avoid a crash. “I just received the draft this morning. She probably had Isabel helping turn it into something she was proud to show me.”

“I agree. That woman, I… She was so lost when we… you rescued her.”

“We.”

“Fine, you charming arse,” Dami teased. “My point is, I find her buried in her work, not looking to steal or alter documents. She’s making the home we want to live in.”

“This night is about you.” I lifted her up, bearing her weight as if she were a feather. “How are you doing?”

“The same as when you asked me this morning, last night, yesterday’s lunch, and every time in between. You’re a sweet man, Adam. I’m blessed, but tonight is not my night. I’ve had many of my whirlwind nights with you already, this one being… more fanciful. Fancier… Bleh, you get the point.” Dami giggled.

I knew what she meant though. The music stopped, I gently set her down, and Harmony retrieved her phoenix that’d been perched on my shoulder.

“May I?” Harmony asked Dami who nodded eagerly.

Dami leaned in. “I’m going to retire to the camp. Idris will carry me home. While I enjoyed the festivities, my feet hurt and I wanted to read to Pela anyway.”

“No, I’ll escort you,” I said. Harmony and Dami shot me squinting looks. “Fine. Thanks for being wonderful.”

Dami curtsied before hurriedly walking towards an exit. She unleashed a tiny squeak of a fart only we caught.

“Poison?” I asked with concern.

Harmony shook her head. “Ugh, men. You put a lot of pressure on her.”

“What’d I do?”

The music started again. Harmony danced with flows that celebrated her long legs.

“Dami is not a woman of balls and galas. Hell, even I don’t like them. I swore I’d stop going when I decided to defy my king,” Harmony said, wrapping a leg over my hip, dipping her head back with an arch. I spun her in an eloquent loop, gently raising her back to lock her steely gray eyes to mine. “She wants to be an at home mother with a purpose. A person who deals with spy reports is probably more than she wants.”

“Oh, I thought she enjoyed your time together in Avorth?”

“Yes, of course. She got to go shopping, preparing for being a mother. Sometimes, Adam, I swear you don’t see what’s right in front of you,” Harmony let the sentence hang.

I opened and closed my mouth. My private drama seemed mundane, and it was definitely a situation I could see myself finding a fix to. All I needed to do was to talk to Dami and give her what she wanted. Which led to my next issue of the night, and what Dami alluded to. Tonight was not about Dami or Harmony; it was about sealing Misho to the Clear Empire.

We spun and twirled, enjoying a nice dance. When it finished, I set Harmony down with a lingering gaze. When it came to the women in my life, she was the most frustrating, but I could feel her loyalty. Her future rested at my side, and I liked exactly how we meshed. While I didn’t exactly find myself drawn to Isabel, I knew fate would pull her closer, but here, tonight, Harmony wanted me to court a new wife.

The ways of Limar were odd, but I definitely understood the politics. I kissed the back of Harmony’s hand then stepped towards the band with a hand high in the air. The band lowered the volume drastically with the nearest members giving me space.

Public speaking never really was an issue for me. I didn’t need to imagine people naked or pretend this or that. I just talked to a group the same way I did with four buddies, just louder and with more people.

“Evening. Evening. Uh, I was scared to come into Misho at first, fearing I would face an unwelcome reception. Bah! Was I wrong,” I earned a few tense laughs. “One and all, Misho has been delightful. Although… It could be all that coin I’ve been spending.”

“Thanks for shopping!” an older lady who I spend a few silvers with to buy dresses hollered from the back.

“Our pleasure. Now.” I almost started to talk about all the hard working average men and women who prepared for the coming war, but I kept that part in. “I’m blessed by the gods to be surrounded by the most wonderful Misho has to offer. As my Empress said, it’s going to be like walking the plank and falling into a sea of mermaids.”

Before I accepted this invitation, Harmony prepped me about some of the cultural norms and mermaids were considered to be special, but mythical. Sea similes worked wonders apparently because I earned some blushes and batting eyelashes.

“I’ve been encouraged to court a lovely lady or two. I could be like other men, charming while charismatic with grandeur promises of bullshit. This is the Game of Castles where, unfortunately, war will force all to sacrifice. I’m just another pawn trying his best to bring stability to those around him.”

Harmony rolled her wrist slightly for me to get to the point.

“There are over a hundred of you lovely ladies who want to find a spot on my court and maybe in my heart. To limit the field, I need someone who can help me win. I only have one lady who likes to follow me on the road. It’d sure be nice if one of you had a deadly skill. I’m looking for a swordswoman, archer, dagger thrower, mage, healer, or something where battle doesn’t scare you. Step off the dance floor unless you wish to meet with me,” I commanded, then added, “please.”

Of course no one moved beside people leaving the dance floor. Harmony shooed me off the stage, taking my place. She pointed to the middle of the dance floor. I frowned and she pouted in that way when I wanted something.

“Dear husband -”

“Wait, you’re going to be my wifey?” I teased.

“If you’re so lucky. Dodge my phoenix,” Harmony said.

I snorted. After the battle at Lao, I realized her magic was entwined to me. It called to me; it demanded I give it attention. While I probably should have explored that more in the short term, I found myself recalling that tug. “You haven’t figured out that I can control the phoenix have you?”

An aged man with gray wolf ears and a bushy tail cleared his throat. He wore elegant robes while leaning into a casters' staff. “While the evening show would be downright entertaining, what you suggest is not possible.”

A quick headshake stopped when Harmony shot a fireball at my chest. I shifted to the right faster than humanly possible, becoming a blur for that brief second. I caught the spell with my left palm.

The intense ball of magic rotated in a fast spin with vibrant pulses, staying firmly in my palm. I swallowed the magic, erasing it in a blink.

“I…” The mage snapped his fingers. What was likely a son, arrived to hear an earful about how he should be recording this. The adjunct began scribbling words. “You can do this with a phoenix?”

“How’d you do that?” Harmony asked, shifting to sit on the edge of the stage. “I’ve seen you jump twice the height of a -” I jumped, easily touching the ceiling that stood fifteen feet high. “Show off. But I never expected you to be able to absorb magic.”

“Think about it. How do you block magic?” I asked nonchalantly.

Harmony huffed. “A shield, but I hate holding a shield. Wards for specific counter magics help and there are shield mages.”

“We call them barrier mages,” the aged wizard pointed out. Harmony agreed with a nod, swinging her heels into the stage. “Well, young Empress, the Champion of Barter wants to see your phoenix!”

His desire to see something special overrode any sense of self-preservation. Harmony frowned, becoming a bit despondent, but she gently twirled an aura around her body. The creation, no bigger than her palm squawked cutely. With a slight waft of her hand, she sent the phoenix across the dance floor.

“Earlier, I fed it. You seemed shocked by that,” I said.

“Unusual for sure, but two mages of the same magic type can band together to create spells. They need to be attuned with each other though,” Harmony said. “I figured it was just a champion thing since you can summon fire golems.”

“Ah, maybe that is what it is,” I said with a head tilt to the side. My knees bent, I hunched down, and with animated hands I brought the phoenix closer. When she neared, I flowed magic out of my core, through my shoulders and out of my palms. “And now I can feel her asking for more.”

“Ha, that’s the fire. It always wants to burn brighter, but I burn out quickly, no pun intended. If I burn more than this I -”

I exploded the power of the phoenix, and not just by making her bigger, I made her whole. When she finished coalescing, she was a bit larger than an eagle with shiny orange and red feathers. Her spiked tail teased my back before she landed on my shoulder.

The crowd unleashed oohs and aahs, loving the sight of the bird.

“So crisp, so… organic,” Harmony said, admiring my handy work.

Once again the magic called to me, but this time, it didn’t lead back to Harmony’s core, it led to the phoenix’s. I could feel the majestic magic's desire to tap into Golem’s reserves. I never struggled with mana, only being limited by the creation levels.

She flew around my head until I closed my eyes and accepted the phoenix. A split second later, she swirled into a tendril entering my ear unexpectedly.

“Arggg!”

In a flash, I burst into flames, turning my robes to cinder. A whoosh of air licked the inferno off my body and towards the balcony.

“Go to them Adam. Show them the power of a Champion. Make them tremble,” Asmi whispered into my ear.

I sprinted through stunned onlookers to reach the balcony. Streaks of magic shot off my chest, flying over the city until they illuminated the bay. To the shock of Misho, an enemy fleet blockaded the port, arriving a day early.

“Can I burn them?” I asked.

“Of course, but your mana drains quickly. Raise your Golem magic to exploit your enhanced magic,” Asmi whispered. “Expel the phoenix. Let them know master mages await them.”

Instinct guided me, likely provided by the Gods. I spread my arms wide, then clapped them together.

A resounding boom split the air.

The phoenix leapt off my body, soaring high into the night. She danced a few twirls before she sacrificed her life to hurl fireballs towards the enemy fleet.

Two of the attacks missed, one hit a magical shield, and a final orb slammed into a distant ship. And then, an eerie silence settled over the city.

From my elevated spot, all I noticed from her attack was a glowing fire on a ship. I was certain crews scrambled, a captain yelled, and sailors questioned the contract, but it was all a guess.

Harmony arrived on the balcony, tucking her arm into mine. She peered at my butt, biting her lip. “You're naked, Adam, and I don’t feel like sharing tonight. Carry me home, and I’ll do that thing you like when -”

I scooped her up and jumped off the second story balcony, landing with the faintest of touches. When I ran from the court at a speed that made her hair flow sideways, she giggled in utter delight. I wasn’t exactly super horny.

No.

I fled the court because they lacked someone with enough courage to approach me on that dance floor. My offer was heard by all and ignored. Meanwhile, as they played their games, I needed to go to war. These mercenaries likely had a clause about losses, and I fully planned on triggering it.

Champion Regor didn’t fight his own battles, a viable strategy until he ran into someone like me. At the same time, I didn’t exactly want to die. While I could jump a twelve-feet wall and run down a street in the nude faster than most people could track, a lucky arrow would kill me.

I had a plan, one that even Ormis would likely agree to. I just had to hope if it failed, that my backup plan worked because the last thing I wanted to do was to fight a protracted siege.

Chapter

Fifty-Six

MISHO Port

Row out the Way!

“Do you think a woman will find me attractive?” Lyndsey asked.

The two of us sat in a little dingey not even two hours after I unleashed the phoenix. While the enemy ship didn’t sink, fiery embers revealed the damage for all to see. Around the city, and out on the water, everyone calmed, settling in for the night. I grabbed the necromancer to race down to the docks wearing a light set of leathers. Harmony pouted when she wasn’t allowed to come, literally, figuratively, and literally again.

It was just Lyndsey and I with hooded cloaks and a rocking ship I loathed. To make things interesting, while we waited for his necromancer fog to seep out of him, he dropped the profound question.

“Yes. No hesitation, yes. That’s not because I do on the exterior. Honestly, of all the people I had to deal with, you’re one of the best. Almost too nice,” I admitted, watching the fog slowly grow.

The mercenary fleet could be launching their own raid, but if I had to guess, slaves rowed all night in the hopes of catching vessels doing last minute runs. Arriving early only further signaled the enemy would be waiting for the main fleet from Cask. Which meant, if we didn’t expect it, it might be worth it to launch something, and so I kept scanning nervously.

“If I am rude to you, you resent me. You start to let that attitude fester, linger like a legion that gnaws on your soul. Or maybe I am too much of an intellectual to let raw emotion control me until I want to let it,” Lyndsey said.

I grinned, slowly rowing us forward. “I stood in a room with a hundred maidens eager to tie their fate to mine and ran from them. Maybe I should have sent… Hmm…” I started musing over ideas that would further bind the region, in one way or another and some were darker than others. Every thought led to the same place, the dark red eyes across from me. “You’ve figured out I’m going to need to promote you yet?”

“In a world of mundane, Harmony glows, so I can understand your happiness. Her power is far stronger than any other mage, besides you, and yes, me. I know you can defeat me and even if I pull off a long shot victory, I have no desire to rule anything. Ironically the best way to be left alone is to be involved,” Lyndsey said with an odd scoff.

The billowing fog thickened, keeping pace with the few rows I did to test it. Once the fog reached the docks, it rose a few feet above the wooden planks. The clickity clack of skeletons scurrying over the wood grew thunderous with constant splashing. Five minutes into our silence, the dreadfully loud noise stopped.

“Well, in all of my scenarios, you get what you want. Your restrictions are actually embraced by the Gods, almost making you something akin to a special weapon. A weapon that is best used defensively,” I admitted.

“Yes. The only reason my fog is flowing is because I’ve let it charge since leaving home. I’m sure if I moved to somewhere else, I’d be able to recover just fine, but then the whole ‘kill the necromancer thing’ begins again. I’d rather be a boring noble who lives lavishly then hell bent on pissing off enough people that everyone tries to kill me. I’ll leave that part to you,” Lyndsey teased.

I snorted with a head shake. “Hey, so, I know some people who know some ladies. Maybe we can set up some sort of tea dates or something.”

“Assuming we survive this,” Lyndsey said dryly. “You do realize I hate the chance of dying. I’m no hero.”

“Bah, we both know you’d be upset if we were at risk. Worst case your skeletons die, and we row home. It’s not like I can’t give you new bones if you lose some skeletons,” I said.

The fog thickened, becoming an almost impenetrable blanket. To an outside observer from the enemy fleet, they probably attributed the dreadfully slow roll to nothing magical, because it was the hour for fog to materialize.

All along the beach and the harbor’s defenses, my troops watched for the enemy to make their move.

Honestly, unless they had their own fog to obscure their approach, I doubt they’d be direct in their attack. If I was the mercenary admiral, I’d be sending a ship packed with marines way down the beach and out of sight to raid the countryside.

“Losing hurts, then comes the hunger to regain what was lost. Those scouts… they should have never entered my woods.” Lyndsey stared into the fog with stoic red eyes.

I grunted with a nod. “Rosa and Isabel, my ladies back home, sent me a compiled report on necromancers from lore. Would you like to read it?”

“Yes,” Lyndsey said, asking me to slow by batting his hand down. “As you’ve rightly deduced, the magic requires an expansionary coat that takes time, making me an ideal defensive weapon. As long as the mist is near, they stay strong.  I -”

Loud drums split his soft words. On the other side of the port wall my army lit torches to beat back the fog. I really did think the enemy would be brave enough to try something audacious on the first night, and yet, bringing the army to bear would give them an assumption we’d prepared.

The way Ormis and my army reacted without stealth hopefully confused the enemy admiral enough to think the fog was either natural and spooking us, or not created by us.

I waited patiently, allowing more and more of the fog to spread before rowing further out to sea. Metal pierced the white plume. A looming and very taut chain stretched between the twin towers that defended the harbor.

I gently rowed us under the thick metal with barnacles on it.

“Why not just send me on my own?” Lyndsey asked in a slightly accusatory tone.

I chuckled. “Trust is earned. Trust. Is. Earned. I get it, I do.”

“You’ve proven to be a man who keeps his word. And yet, you risk a lot.”

“It doesn’t make sense for me to be here except that I have to level. The entire system behind the Game of Castles is built on Champions battling over the land. The more they do, the stronger they get. And so, I go as I must.”

“It seems smarter for leaders to oversee,” Lyndsey said. He quickly added. “That was rhetorical. Regardless, I prefer the current company to the undead.”

“What do you remember?” I asked and he raised a furry eyebrow. “When we met you mentioned your name was assigned and that you leveled for the Gods.”

The mist grew, rapidly spreading out of the port to the point I picked up the pace. The biggest ship of the fleet brazenly dared the locals to attack it - shouting taunts and hurling insults. The big ship’s ballistae, large crew, and anti-boarding measures honestly scared me.

“It happened when I least expected it. Mind you, I hate this story.”

“By all means,” I said, giving him an out.

“No, it’s fine. I needed to do my business, you know, like any other morning after a good sleep and a nice breakfast. My mom… she had this saying, scoop twice, look thrice. This was something I hated doing. The woods behind our house were always hunted - by me.

“Then, one day long after mom passed, my grown children no longer needed me, and work forced me to retire. I returned to that farm because of nostalgia. If I was born there, it was fitting to end my life there. The outhouse needed to be moved, so for a few days, I returned to the woods to scoop twice with barely a look. Right after I finished, they attacked. I suffered a bite right here.”

He patted his right shoulder.

“Doesn’t seem fatal.”

“Nope. It hurt, but I was mad as hell. I used an enhanced strength cantrip and buried the shit shovel into the werewolf’s heart. Gods, I still remember the shock in his eyes. The scripts I read said it’d take time, but I flopped onto the ground right then and there. While that body turned from human, I became a wolf. I don’t remember anything after that point until I awoke here with a basic overview of where I was and why.  I know you probably have questions, but that’s the truth.”

I kept rowing smoothly with an inner chuckle. “The Gods.”

“The Gods. Survive, build a skeleton force, and survive. Before I turned, I used to transcribe magical scripts. Even if my…” He held up clawed hands. “Appendages differ. I’d like that kind of work again.”

“What if I made you a viscount and you helped Misho by building ships with your skeletons?” I asked.

“I like the idea of a quiet house behind a tavern with traders bringing my staff books and no one nearing my home without passing skeletons, but I will consider your offer,” Lyndsey said with a sigh. “Farming fruit and having a pleasant inn, fitting.”

His red eyes softened, and for once I found myself relating to his plight on a personal level. We weren’t here because we asked to be, we were here for the Game of Castles. Since our goals aligned and he seemed to be willing to help, I figured making him happy after this battle made sense - assuming we survived.

A slosh of water against the ship differed from the normal wake. I anxiously glanced around, unable to see much.

“The flagship?” Lyndsey asked. I kept rowing at a steady pace. He pointed over my right shoulder, so I adjusted. “It’s a very big ship. The anchor is…” He frowned unhappily. “I lost a minion to a shark or maybe a big fish.”

“The flagship?”

“Still anchored, everything is still anchored. Which means…”

I pulled in the oars, letting us drift silently. Lyndsey increased the fog and sure enough we heard the sloshing of a nearby rowboat.

“I can’t see noofin,” a youthful voice grumbled. Even though I couldn’t see them, the voice and sounds drifted in the opposite direction of us. “Dis is not natural.”

A few seconds later, the immense hull of a huge battleship curved outwards, looming over us. My entire plan went out the window when a dangling rope almost hit me in the face.

I grabbed it with a gentle tug.

Sure enough, it held firm, attached to something above.

“The dinghy ropes?” Lyndsey whispered. I shrugged, assuming he was correct. They dropped the dinghy then left the ropes behind to attach themselves upon return. “And my minions?”

“Up every anchor they can find. We capture their ships or trigger their death clause. Either way, we strike here and now,” I whispered back.

“That goes right to the enemy, if you but wait,” Lyndsey whispered, glancing at the rope that I started to ascend.

I never replied.

We both knew it was smarter to wait for his minions to scurry up the anchor chains. However, we’d stumbled upon an unexpected opportunity, and I fully intended to exploit the enemy’s weakness.

I ascended on raw upper body strength, wishing I had my thick armor on. The reality was, even with the denizens of the deep being a potential reason not to get wet, I didn’t want to risk tipping the boat or falling into the ocean with my immense armor on.

The lighter leather creaked along with the rope during my ascent until I suddenly reached a point where the fog died. I found myself halfway up a rope, exposed to anyone who peered over the edge.

No one did, but it sure felt crazy to be hanging from the rope while so open.

Instead of fretting, I hurried up until I neared the lip of the ship. A thick railing with balusters that stood a good four feet off the top deck greeted me. Even if I wanted to swing and jump to get onto the deck, the angle was piss poor. The end of the rope dangled from a ring at the tip of a swivel arm, providing my best option to get onto the upper decking.

Almost as if Lyndsey could notice my exposed body, the mist rose up the side. I didn’t hesitate, scurrying up the last of the rope until I crawled onto the arm and ninja’d onto the ship. The crew grumbled because the fog rolled onto the decking in front of me.

“Dis blasted fog. Sweep the railings,” an officer bellowed. “Oye, and Pete, try not to fall over the edge.”

“Again,” someone blurted, earning a laugh from the sailors.

When I set foot on the deck, I couldn’t see more than a few feet. I did move inward and away from the edge.

“We’re never gettin those boys back. It’s magic, has ta be,” a booming voice said. “I’m gonna get the Cap to raise da anchor. We be needin to sail outta dis.”

I followed the voice, slowly extracting the basic sword at my hip. I matched the voice to the footsteps ahead of me, partially running on my tiptoes to close the distance. When he slowed, I worried I might bump into him until a door swung inches from my face.

“Garr, close that fucking door,” a stern voice ordered.

For a faint second, when the air from the interior of the room beat back the fog, I saw seven veterans huddled around a war table. Each of them were flustered at the intrusion, none of them were spry, and based on their fancy outfits, I’d stolen a peek of an admiral with his captains plotting war maneuvers.

I backed my face up, stuck a foot on the inside of the door, and let the fog wash into the small space. A hand tugged on the door, failing to close it while not realizing I kept it propped open.

“It’s stuck, Cap. Musta lodged on the lock, not my fault,” Garr said with a huff.

When the door’s pressure released, I stepped back, walking around the man. The instant I entered the private room the door snapped shut. I turned back, grabbed the lock and slid it into place.

The fog thinned with the obscured doorway no longer oozing the billowing material. The mist seeped in through the cracks, falling down until it gently coated the floor.

“Who’s you?” a cagey man with elven ears asked.

I strode forward, gently setting my sword on the table. A map showcased Tolmeria with battle plans for going up through Seshkin Territory until the armies would reach Clear Castle. I snorted at the gold mine of information I’d just discovered.

The plans were literally written as instructions for the mercenary admiral. And while plans change all the time…

A fleet from Cask was set to arrive in Seshkin in a month. For the rest of fall the dual forces would secure Seshkin, feigning to be building up a defense. In the dead of winter, an attack would come from the west when we least expected it.

The plan was never to sack Misho at all, just to appear like they wanted to. This would draw resources from the main defense against their winter push and keep the fishing boats from catching vital food. An army marched on its stomach, making me glad I stuck around to help them. Some of the map was wrong too, for instance they had the swamp cutting under Lao but it didn’t extend that far.

“The necromancer is correct in the Jelin Woods, the swamp is wrong, and my army is much bigger than a few hundred soldiers,” I said, rubbing my hands together.

“By the gods,” the eldest man exclaimed. “You do know we get a mighty bounty for your capture and you just locked yourself in.”

I wagged a finger, stopping it when a shrill cry of terror leaked into the barred room. Additional cries erupted until a thick and heavy pounding rapped on the door.

“Help… Help us! The red eyes! Red ey -” his words stopped, converting into a gurgle.

With a calm poker face, I thumbed the door. “If I open that, you die, but I don’t need them. My sword is on the table. I dare one of you to reach for a -”

A captain slid a small crossbow out of his sleeve and fired it.

I shifted to the side, letting it thunk into the wall behind me. My left hand wrapped the hilt and lashed out at superhuman speeds. The sword returned to the table, laying just how it was a second earlier.

The audacious mercenary captain grasped his neck, a welling of blood turned into a sudden burst. A torrent gushed out of his ruined throat, splattering against the floor. He stumbled back, used the wall to support himself, then slowly slid down to die.

“I’m Adam Clear, Champion of Asmi, Emperor of Tolmeria. Your fleet is mine now,” I said. The screaming in the background never stopped, but the deaths did grow distant. Surrender every ship this instant and the blood will stop. If not, I need to please the Game of Castles with your deaths.”

“I’m contractually obligated to not surrender. You must surely -”

I never figured I’d become so cold. Yeah, I knew these men had families, friends, and probably dogs that adored them. They were people with dreams, ambitions, and thoughts of a better tomorrow. In the end, they wanted to kill Rosa, or enslave her. Harmony definitely was on their list as a political prisoner. Dami would likely have her throat slit and body dumped in a ditch for the wolves.

That was how I saw the six of them - as invaders.

I moved like lightning, grasping my blade with a swipe mid-motion. I slid the tip of the blade into a shocked eyeball, quickly spinning behind a gray haired man with wolf ears. A crossbow snapped a bolt with me shoving my foe into the path.

At the end of my spin, I skewered another captain. In less than four seconds, only three of the captains stood. My sword snapped when I violently tried to free it.

A dagger sunk into my left shoulder, flung from across the table.

“Thanks,” I muttered with a grunt.

I yanked the blade free and dove onto the man who I figured was the admiral. His dagger went into my guts while the blade in my hand sunk into his neck. With planted feet, I violently shoved the admiral with two hands.

He flew into his buddy with a sword erupting out his chest. Since the second to last captain lost his blade, I yanked the one out of my guts. He dropped his sword dashing for the door with his remaining buddy. They managed to unlock the door, swung it open, and froze at the sight of two looming red eyes.

A set of clawed hands slowly exited the mists, sending the last two men back.

“On your knees and I’ll spare you to the mines,” I offered.

“Uh, yeah, yeah. Fine,” the man on the left said.

The swordless fellow charged the skeletal werewolf in a final act of courage… or stupidity. Twin hands grasped the elf’s throat, sinking pointed fingers into soft flesh. I had to give it to him. He fought on - albeit ineffectively. He kicked, punched, and tried to bite the skeleton until his soul left his body.

“Smart of you to surrender, admiral,” I told the last man whose cat hears lay flat in submission.

“That’s the admiral,” he pointed with his eyes to the man who clung to life.

“Ha, I thought he was too,” I said, fetching the sword out of the admiral's back. With an overhead chop, I severed the former admiral’s throat, giving him mercy. “You’re the admiral now. Do you surrender?”

“Aye… Aye.”

“Wonderful.” I glanced at the nearest set of red eyes. “Have the troops stand down. Kill if attacked only.”

The head nodded in understanding. The sounds of battle continued to ring out across the fleet with the dying decreasing with each passing minute until a silence settled over the area.

When I stepped out onto the blood soaked topdeck, I did so with the thick fog ever present. I wasn’t quite sure if the undead held every ship, but it did seem like I killed most of the captains. No pop up came when the final captain surrendered so I figured there was contention somewhere.

“Stats,” I whispered.

Ding! You have leveled.

Ding! You have leveled.

You have two attribute points to apply.

“Two more points into dexterity,” I said, excited to have more levels.

A wave of orange magic burst through the fog, coating me in a vibrant orange glow. I flew over the deck, illuminating the fog. My wounds knitted together, forming solid skin once again.

I groaned in relief, enjoying the repairs while the enhancements to my speed coursed through my body, altering my muscles until I gently floated back to the deck. Green words scrolled across my eyes.

Name: Adam Clear

Champion for the God of Barter

Height: 6’ 2”

Weight: 236 lbs

Age: 25

General Level: 37

Strength: 10

Stamina: 7

Dexterity: 13

Constitution: 4

Endurance: 6

Healing: 2

Magic Type: Golem

Magic Level: 23

Spell Assignment: Water Golem

“Adam!” a panicked voice erupted from below the side of the ship.

“Who knew applying levels granted healing,” I muttered as I raced to the wooden guide railing, watching uncomfortably while the mists receded.

When I reached the edge, I glanced down, seeing two rowboats chasing the necromancer. He dodged an arrow loosed from the enemy at shockingly close distances.

The werewolf rowed next to the ship with panicked fright evident on his face. Lyndsey’s chest heaved with worry. The way his red eyes darted about, mixed with the erratic rowing spoke volumes: Lyndsey the Necromancer wasn’t a calm and cool killer when it came to combat.

I hurriedly found a bow on a corpse, leaned over the edge, and unleashed an arrow. A skeleton leapt from the top deck, followed by three others.

Even though I shot one of the closing mercenaries, the skeletons ruined the enemy’s dinghies by landing with enough force to shatter the wooden frames. Their ships sank and the predators became the prey.

A phoenix gently floated out from the shore, exploring the water over the waves. I tugged on it, providing the confirmation that Harmony sought. In a few minutes, the few vessels in the harbor would cross a lowered chain line to help me secure my fleet.

We’d brazenly assaulted the enemy and now that I knew Champion Regor’s plan, I knew how to adjust. Before I left, I intended to have a celebratory party or three and introduce the hero of the battle to some people who would see him as an asset, not a threat.

Lyndsey narrowly avoided death, and I intended to reward him.

Meanwhile, I hoped we could get some spies into the Seshkin Court because I had a feeling the enemy would adjust. Even if they did or didn’t change their plans, my actions would force them to react.

Chapter

Fifty-Seven

MISHO Port

Click, Click, Zoom!

For whatever reason Harmony licked my face aggressively while I tried to nap. I pried an eye open to see a puppy’s tongue lapping against my nose.

“And here I was thinking Harmony wanted another round,” I grumbled. “Where’d you come from?”

“Adam,” Rosa warned with a motherly tone.

I shot upright, spreading my arms wide. If Rosa was here, and puppies were attacking my face with love, that meant…

“Papa!” Pela squealed out, attacking me with a hug. I entered a tickle war of epic proportions, sharing a giggle with the wee lass.

I reveled in the affection, sharing a tender moment with Rosa after Pela settled into playing with the three puppies that explored the empty room with loud sniffing. After some snuggles and adjustment time, I shooed them out to get ready for the day.

Since the capture of the fleet, I wore my heavy armor as part of my daily routine. Over the next two weeks, I felt more secure than ever in Misho, but it wasn’t lost on me how irate the enemy must be. In all, we captured eight ships with over two hundred survivors. I shipped the prisoners north to be used as laborers for three years before they could be sent home. Some wanted longer, I wanted shorter, but I settled in the middle.

Of the eight ships, I gave seven to the seven council members of Misho to bestow to crews they found worthy. The flagship became my personal ship that anchored in the middle of the harbor with the Gods shifting the main sail to reflect my banner. As soon as the victory was complete a few major things changed in the area.

The first was the brand new bridge that spanned the Jelin River. With the bridge done, the flow of goods to and from Misho Port streamlined. Part of the outflow was Lyndsey, who departed with his army, visibly shaken from being in harm's way.

While he retired to live a cozy life in the Jelin Woods… I made a major change to my plotting. For months, I focused on Clear Castle, wanting to build a home for myself. This changed and it didn’t change, crews still worked on the castle, and a secondary army protected the walls.

However, since I missed Rosa, and I staged an invasion, I shifted my war table to Misho for the time being. The other reason to shift Isabel and Rosa was those plans I saw on the admiral’s table. The centaur people could flee into Avorth lands, along with the workers, while the orcs, trolls, ogres, and newly forming units could fight from the battlements.

And yes, because I couldn’t be in two places at once, Drefius and a hundred knights shifted to defend the homeland. Basically, I turned Clear Castle into a fortified military base.

Since the war was coming down south with the sea being vital, my base of operation being in Misho just made a lot of sense, especially with all the influence I had in the small port city. The council ushered out its entire labor pool to help us build an expansion around the tournament grounds. We erected a solid palisade around our growing army and within it, homes for others to use one day.

They did give me a fancy estate in the heart of the city, and I loved it over the carriage. Since I’d been on Limar, I’d struggled to find a place where it felt like more than just a temporary home.

Now that Rosa arrived with an orc unit, more archers, and a few more knights, my army expanded to something that was worthy of being called a traditional army.

I exited the large room for the balcony, wrapping an arm around Rosa. “I sure did miss you.”

Rosa slid an arm behind my back. “And I missed you, but we both knew if you camped for long enough, I’d visit.”

“What about Viscount Clara?”

“I always have troops stationed in Brackenfell. They don’t guard much, since they’re rebuilding and farming more than anything else.”

I smiled. “Mostly Tolmerians?”

“I sprinkle a few Hilloc in, but yes, mostly Tolmerian. You should visit and see the residences growth since Estin advance forces help the transition. Both kingdoms are still massing to repel an offensive or go on one,” Rosa said.

She nodded her head to Isabel who sat with Pela. I’d created a disorganized bed in the middle of the private villa’s master bedroom, mostly because the interior was waiting on specific furniture while the bed we had was amazing. A bustle of activity from the interior courtyard was the servants hurrying to help the ladies move into the estate.

Additional puppies ran around the yard chasing each other between the sniffing. The estate was two stories tall with a drab gray exterior, a single balcony, and only two entry points. Rosa inspected the estate in awe until her mood suddenly shifted.

“I heard from Alma,” Rosa said with a sigh.

A myriad of emotions washed through me, leaving me a bit stunned. “Oh?”

“She said she’s much happier as a widow. She blamed Tolgar for most of her letter until she finally admitted her own overreaction. I wrote her back that I wished her well, but to stay away from my family. If she falls on further hard times, to write but not visit,” Rosa said.

I nodded. “That’s good. I think.”

“Yes. I agree and time will tell. Booma and Galdi vanished on a trade run deep into the north. We never had a mission for them further than Garoth, but that was the last they were seen in. I hired a tracker, but he tacked them to a point up the mountains where he wasn’t willing to go any further. It’s a shame. And yes, this was all done via raven, so it could’ve been a scam,” Rosa shrugged.

I folded my arms. “Well, that's a problem for another day. They could have decided a new life in the north suited them.”

“I… I may be responsible,” Rosa said, taking her arm from behind my back. “I mentioned the need to get word to the Urith Region where Champion Zeth is carving out a small empire.”

“Ah, trying to find allies. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

“Exactly. Let’s see what else. Oh, right, the trolls. Uh, there’s a lot of them and they’ve gotten needy,” Rosa said.

“Ormis?”

“He’s been here, but yeah. I guess I left a part out. The table, which vanished when I packed my bags, sold me translation scrolls. I could only buy a limited amount, but there were enough for me to give them to the officers. Ever since then, everyone has been constantly asking for resources,” Rosa said with an exhausted sigh.

“How many trolls?” I asked.

Rosa wanted to roll her eyes. “Ormis will know better. I… I knew you’d ask, but the issue was that the second we got on the road, I couldn’t keep count anymore while they kept arriving. Best guess, a few companies worth, with more flowing in this direction.”

“Drefius should be turning them around. He’s going to hold the walls while we sweep the land,” I said proudly.

I saw Jennet break free of her leader, prancing in the yard to roam with the pups. Instead of standing around on the balcony, I retreated down the stairs and into the yard. The donkey walked right up to me for affection. A young bunny lass handed me a brush with Princess Isabel behind her. I accepted and sat down to brush a mostly clean donkey.

When I glanced back at Rosa, a small line of servants formed, seeking her approval for various issues. She thumbed the interior and mouthed that she’d be back soon. The freckled princess sat down beside me, only to earn a gathering of puppies that wanted to knock her down with kisses.

“Lord Adam, Gardol sends his greetings, asking if he can join your forces since father doesn’t want to lead a full army into Seshkin,” Isabel asked, pulling on the braid in her vibrant red hair.

“How’s life?” I asked instead of answering.

Isabel tucked her hands in her laps with a distant stare. “Nice. Different, but nice. I spend more time writing history than I ever expected. I finally hired additional scribes, but they’re more interested in the wonders around us at times.”

“Wonders?”

“I had a conversation with an ogre, Adam. An honest to Gods conversation with an ogre about why sheep are better farm animals than goats. Not about their taste, or how they’re hard to catch, but about how rearing them, dealing with birth rates and feed is difficult. Oh, and Clear Castle became this bastion of rock in the middle of nowhere at speeds unheard of. Then there’s your damned antics we heard about before we left. Magic bending!”

I chuckled, watching Jennet try to position herself away from the pups and their annoying teeth. If I had to guess the little guys were eager to get some energy out.

“Enhancing, however, I agree, the whole world is exciting right now,” I said.

“For some, yes, painful for others, as is the balance.” Her bushy tail reminded me she was one of the hybrids, even if her freckles and brown eyes spoke of pretty Irish girls. She blushed from the attention. “I’m not good at making babies.”

I wanted to howl out a laugh and roll in the grass, but I bit a lip instead. “That’s been eating at you?”

Her cheeks flared red. “Immensely so.”

“Explains why Rosa was swept away.” A pup grabbed hold of the laces on my boot, demanding attention. I quickly snatched him, made him submit, then put him in my lap where he instantly calmed. “Asmi could be just trying to get into your mind.”

“I can normally deduce much from very little. You’ve lost me, Adam.”

“You at least call me Adam.”

“You are the Emperor, but we are in private. If I’m to bear your children, then I won’t be walked over. I have brothers,” Isabel said with a stiffening spine. I… I knew it pained her to speak this way, and I doubted Rosa encouraged it. No. This had to be her way of coping. “Arggg… I’m not good at this.”

“No one is. I’m sure as hell not. My idea for love meant one man to one woman. That changed fairly quickly. I try to give Harmony the excitement, Rosa the affirmation she’s not only desired but respected, and Dami the affection she needs. They miss a lot because I’m a man on a mission with three ladies who have faith in him. This makes me worry because I know I’m not perfect, no relationship is, but we try. You don’t seem interested in being a queen?” I asked.

She shook her head no. “Nor an Empress. But my fate was never my own.”

“I have to be certain of something. Where I come from, someone doing something against their will is extremely… frowned upon.”

Isabel cocked a single eyebrow. “No one wants to work. They work because they have to.”

“Ah, I should have been less clear. Does this arrangement make you unhappy?”

The Princess went from confused to frowning with concern in a heartbeat. “No. If I was at home, I’d be buried in old texts, not writing them. Such a euphoric feeling to be vital. I do understand the validation Rosa pretends she doesn’t yearn for.”

“Rosa never said her fate was not her own.” I held up my hand defensively. “I know I saved her from her sister. Your father forced you here, and I don’t want to try to court you or whatever it is that happens next, if I’m doing so against your will.”

“Oh, no. My life is just different. I’m very content with this path and since you need the validation…” She cleared her throat, making eye contact. “I not only accept your advances, I welcome them from you, Mighty Adam of Tolmeria.”

“I think that was slightly romantic,” I teased, earning a giggle.

“For me, I’m just nervous mostly. I play out scenarios over and -”

I rose to my feet, leaving the brush behind. I offered my crooked arm to Isabel, and she accepted. “My next campaign launches soon. I can either try to ease you into the situation by taking you on dates.” I pointed toward the small tournament field that loomed not far outside the walls with the clangs of mock battle. “There’s a tournament being held to determine the maiden of Misho. Or I can just throw you over my shoulder and defile you. You’re a grown woman, you pick.”

The Princess sheepishly whispered, “Shoulder. Take and conquer me, Adam.”

I swung her sideways, tossed her over my shoulder and carried her towards the second-floor bedroom. She didn’t kick or fight, but she did giggle slightly, which was unexpected. I set her down before the door and gestured for her to go in. I wanted her committed to being conquered, although it made me wonder about the books she’d been reading.

Isabel turned up a nose, smirked with confidence, and entered on her own. I came to realize her eyes shone with a sense of pride, as if she schemed her way to a victory. I let her have the win, following the virgin princess into the bedroom.

I shut the door and quickly moved to her, pulling her into my arms before passionately kissing her. She tensed as she tried to return the kiss, and it was obvious she wasn’t an experienced kisser. I kept kissing her as I held her to me with my forearms while my hands moved to work on the dress ties down her back.

She broke off our kissing to clearly say, “Rip it off,” before plastering her mouth against mine again. I chuckled internally as I thought, She’s been reading those kind of books.

My hands followed her spine up to her neck to slip under the dress and under garments before I yanked my hands apart and down. The clothes ripped like they were made of tissue paper. Her arms slipped out of the dress as its pieces went to the floor, and they locked around my head, keeping our mouths engaged.

Letting go of the dress, my hands went to her ass where her dress had partially caught on her wagging tail. I quickly threw the remainder of the dress on the floor before I grasp her buns in both hands and pulled her against me.

She responded by wrapping her legs around mine before I walked us to the bed and turned so my back was towards it. We stayed there for a few moments as Isabel was enjoying the kissing enough to open her mouth more. I slipped my tongue into her mouth, kicking off a tongue war as she moaned.

I held her hard against me and jumped back onto the bed, landing in the middle of the large bed. It shuddered but held as Isabel took the change in positioning without breaking our kissing session.

I rolled us to the side as my right hand moved to cup her left breast. She moaned into my mouth as I squeezed her soft tit before rubbing her hard nipple between my fingers. She moaned more with my lighter touches as I focused on caressing her breast before I lightly ran my fingers down to her panties.

She tensed as I rubbed over her slit, so I moved my hand up to circle her belly button. Her panties were still dry, so I figured she was nervous and a bit anxious, even if she really wanted to have sex.

I moved my hand up her side, catching her arm and lifting it above her head as I rolled on top of her. My left hand did the same with her right arm until I held her wrists in my left hand above her head.

I broke off our kiss and said, “Keep your hands above your head, princess. Don’t make me tie you up.”

Her eyes went wide, and her legs rubbed together. I grinned before I kissed down to her boobs. Her nipples were exclamations of her desire for attention. I kissed, licked, and sucked each breast in turn, causing her to loudly moan and continue to rub her thighs together.

I licked my way down to her panties, causing her to tremble as I reached them. I kissed her panties over her slit, causing her to moan. I glanced up her beautiful body to see her eyes closed as she bit her lower lip.

I caught her panties at the sides with my thumbs and slowly started to pull them down. My mouth followed the top edge with wet kisses. As soon as my lips touched her slit, she climaxed and quietly jerked. I kept on task, pulling her panties down and kissing her slit.

After a few moments, I broke off my kissing to completely pull off her panties and spread her legs. She resisted for a moment, but then relaxed, allowing me to lick up the inside of her left leg. When I reached her honeypot, I looked up her luscious body to see her wide eyes staring at me over her lovely boobs.

I winked at her as I slowly licked the length of her slit. She climaxed again, her legs slamming against my arms as she bucked her waist. I took my time kissing, licking, and teasing her little flower, while she came further undone with each new orgasm.

After a while, I realized she was murmuring, “Please…. Please…” in her blissed state. I gave her clit one more kiss before I raised myself up and positioned my hard cock at her dripping entrance.

I leaned forward, pushing my tip into her incredibly tight opening. Her eyes flew open, and she raised herself up on her elbows to watch me in amazement.

I raised my eyebrow only to have her give a slight nod and bite her lip. She wrapped her legs around my waist and started pulling herself onto me. I smiled as I pushed more. Her wet, tight channel slowly accepted me in until she grimaced.

I was about to pull back when she used her legs to ram me another inch into her before she went rigid for a moment and then relaxed back on the bed. She let out a loud sigh before she chuckled and said, “One cherry popped. Let the fucking begin. Your pristine field awaits your eager plowing, my Lord.”

I chuckled as I pressed into her. It took a while for me to fully sheath myself into her. By the end she was breathing like she’d just finished a marathon. I waited, deep in her core as she adjusted. When she was finally able to take a decent breath and smile, I knew the fun was about to really begin.

She said, “By the gods, I really didn’t think you’d fit. That wasn’t anything like the stories I’ve read.”

“Well, I hope this part far surpasses what you’ve read.” I pulled out and thrust back in, shaking her whole body.

She gasped, “Oh!”

I kept up a slow pace as her response quickly moved to pure pleasure at my every movement. When she started intentionally squeezing my shaft, I began increasing the speed of my thrust. A few moments later, she slipped a hand down to her clit and orgasmed on my next thrust. She quietly jerked and shook as her legs pressed against mine.

I kept thrusting as she lost herself in a sea of pleasure. She was so, so tight, and it felt so good. I quickened my pace as my own pleasure built up. I was focused on my own pleasure when her next climax caught me off-guard, tipping me over the edge. I blew my load deep into her womb as her body shook. I pumped and pumped until she’d taken it all.

I lay down beside her and rolled her on top of me as I held her. Her wagging tail caused some teasing friction between our bodies, sending her into another climax. I held her, stroked her hair and scratched her furry ears.

When she finally came back to herself, she turned her face up to look at me. “Your virgin field as been well plowed and seeded. That was so much better than anything I’ve read, Adam. Thank you.”

I kissed the top of her forehead, and after a bit I asked, “Are you sure that field didn’t need some more plowing and seeding?”

She chuckled. “By the gods, I think you’re right. It seems there are vast tracks of land yet to be properly plowed and seeded. The task has only begun. I think these fields are going to need a lot of nurturing.”

I smiled back at her. “We’d best get on that then.”

Chapter

Fifty-Eight

MISHO Port

Twang, Twang, Woosh!

“My Emperor, it is not fitting for you to take the field,” Lamond said, tucking his head with respect.

I rolled my eyes. “Shouldn’t you be talking with Dami?”

“My Lord, we have had nothing but meetings for days. Right now she is at your… table, conducting your Empress’ business. That doesn’t change the fact you should be away from all the weapons held by people we don’t trust,” Lamond wisely advised.

An empty throne sat on my right and left. From my perch, I watched the finest female warriors battle it out in events to earn a chance at my side. The tournament wasn’t too flashy, especially since the men already competed in the normal fall games. Those were a resounding success with lots of fun had by all.

During the men’s events, I stayed on the sidelines and enjoyed the competition. More trolls, cavalry, infantry, and a siege unit slowly spilled into Misho, turning the port city into a growing mass of military. Kroz was unseated in jousting, with one of the up and coming knights winning the tournament.

For the swords, a lithe elf won, being given his choice of a horse or coins. I didn’t like Captain Ordin on a personal level, but he was damn fine with a blade. I promoted him to lead a bandit team, sending him into harm's way immediately.

Even though my army continued to mass, I needed Seshkin to know we were coming. They might try to cut us off from more reinforcements, which was what the spies and scouts reported, but it wouldn’t matter if we swept through their lands while they sat on a road.

And so we reveled in our victory with tournaments. While I desperately wanted to compete in the men’s archery, I watched a young sergeant - named Grivo - dominate the field until he became a captain with his own unit. Captain Nerid approved of his promotion and so did I, splitting the archers into two banners. Some of the veterans might be upset, but I had a ton of officer vacancies I needed to fill.

After the men battled it out, a full day passed to repair the field. Now, the fabled women competed for my affection, which was super awkward to me.

As I gazed upon the field, I withheld my reply to Lamond. I couldn’t help but be a bit disappointed. Misho was only home to about ten thousand people, being dwarfed in size by Seshkin. Instead of hundreds of hungry men eager for prize money and glory, only a hundred youthful women tried to compete with most of them being super lost - as in, they were maids who wanted a chance at a better life.

The best of them were either already from the ranks of the army or spoiled by nobility. Either way, they all competed in an effort to win riches and favor. Unfortunately the stands were mostly empty and my lovely wives were in a meeting to dissect the latest raven reports. I didn’t mind sitting on my perch by my lonesome, but I did yearn to mingle with someone more than the spymaster who helped Dami integrate into Misho.

“I know, I know,” I grumbled. “These fine ladies want a future in my army in some form. How can I bring them into my circle without risking my own life?”

“Well, personally, I think you should just send the necromancer to do all your fighting,” Lamond quipped.

I faked a gasp, then tucked my hands behind my back while pacing in the stands. “Bah! It’s a lovely day, enjoy the stroll with me. I’ll keep you safe.”

“Yes, but who is going to keep you safe?”

I pointed to the four orcs on guard duty. “Anyway, Lyndsey will secure a forest for me, protecting a huge swath of our domain. He’s not a big brave necromancer, but he’s a friend and I’d rather he were happy than forced to fight. While his troops are useful, all you have to do is to kill him, and he doesn’t want to die. So… I’d rather keep him as a defensive tool,” I grumbled.

“You want him on the front,” Lamond said with a snort.

I walked closer to the action, walking nice and slow down the stairs toward the field entry while watching the competitors. “Maybe.”

“My Lord, you’re worrying me.”

My shrug did little to reassure him. “In the history of my home, it was the bad leaders that were normally killed. Assassins take time to prep and I’m just… super-human. Anyway, the only people who should want to kill me are my enemies and these ladies look like cooks, seamstresses, and working girls. Also, shouldn’t you be in the spy meeting?”

“I deliver the news, not analyze it. Well, not to Harmony anyway. She doesn’t want their opinions to be tainted by mine. That one has this way of seeming brash and dull witted while secretly always having an edge,” Lamond said.

I smirked with a one shoulder shrug. “She’s the most powerful sorceress I know as well. Also, I value your insight, so walk and talk with me.”

He followed me to a section of the bleachers that led to a set of stairs for when dignitaries blessed competitors. The orcs tasked as my honor guards shifted aside to let me pass. To me, there was something to be said about security when everyone carried a weapon, but I let them do their job, striding on the field.

“Rosa expected for you to request a summary from me before she briefs you anyway,” Lamond said.

Archers lined up in a long line to fire their first shot. If they hit the bullseye, they went to a secondary line. If they didn’t, they went home with five bronze for having the courage to try. A free meal was hardly an amazing participation trophy, but it did bring a lot more people out.

I walked the line, pausing to give instructions whenever it was needed. Technically, this broke the rules, but this was my tournament, and I wouldn’t help them past the front line. A woman whose belly protruded to the point I thought she might pop out a baby with a simple sneeze tried to fire. I gave her a silver when she didn’t even hit the target.

Her joy brought scorn from others since she clearly came to only get five bronze, but I reached a point in my life where I could live with being judged. I stepped further from the archers, deciding to watch them from a distance. A lot of the ladies glanced in my direction, becoming distracted, so I went closer to where the sword duels were held.

I eventually settled on a bench not too far from the action on both sides of the tournament grounds. The other competitors gave me space, so I could watch between them. Lamond seemed to know I’d ask for information when ready, grabbing the spot beside me with cracking knees. A wave of relief washed over his face when he gave his feet a break.

“They suck,” I whispered, plastering a fake smile on my face.

He snorted, leaning his elbows on his thighs and connecting his fists to rest his chin. “We’re not a warrior sect. We fish, we fuck, and we fish some more.”

I roared out a laugh at his honesty, catching more attention than I probably should have. The insinuation of screwing meant children, and they’d need food hit me in the right way. I eventually calmed, watching the two women spar in the arena. This group was far slimmer than the archers.

“Alright, what’s the latest?” I asked in a somewhat hushed tone.

“Troops from Cask are landing in Seshkin. Mercenaries by the looks of it.”

“Numbers?”

“A few hundred.”

I grunted, expecting this somewhat. “That’s light.”

“Yes, exceedingly so. Almost as if the troops are only meant to appease.”

“Weapons?”

“Pikes. They had to have heard of the ogres.”

“Which means ballistas will be among them.”

Lamond raised a finger. “Ballistae, not ballistas, but I digress. King Krastor started to assemble his forces to march out, but the fall of this mercenary fleet altered his decision. I… They’re saying all sorts of fake talk in court, but behind the scenes, those privy to the planning, are being tight lipped.”

“I wish I had that privilege. However, I won’t need it,” I said, somewhat confidently.

“The Emperor wishes to make a bold move?” Lamond asked.

The duel in front of us finished with the winner joining a small crowd and the loser departing to collect their participation reward. The next four fights finished quickly with only one of the ladies showing any skill. After having a lovely tryst with Isabel, I wasn’t exactly sure what I was looking for - or if I was looking at all.

“Seshkin has to adapt. This has never been about regular people, but instead, about kings and queens,” I said, rising to my feet again.

The tournament shifted from sixteen to eight, and down to the final four. Meanwhile, the ladies with their bows were down to only three at the third step back mark. Of the final four sword fighters, only one showed excellence, but she did so with daggers instead of a sword and shield. She also danced in the pit with a profound fluidity.

“Wait on the next shot,” I bellowed to the final archers.

I stepped up to the arena’s edge. Dipping my head at the semifinals to let them know I wanted to savor this part. The dagger woman, who wore a leather cap weaved and dodged her aggressive opponent. Blade strikes from the wooden blade sliced through the air, never quite landing on the mobile woman. It wasn’t until I had this angle that I noticed the dagger user’s abnormally small bunny feet.

When she dove to slide in close, her opponent flung her shield at the perfect time. The dagger user tried to dive out of the path but failed to move quick enough. The shield smacked into her nose, likely breaking it. The strike earned her first point and before she could recover, two more blows ended her tournament.

She stomped off, spitting out blood. Honestly, her attitude bothered me a bit, but I’d been in her position before. Losing to something you thought was unfair, had a way of ruffling your feathers.

The next semifinal match lasted five minutes until both ladies were heaving with struggling swings. When a victory was called, I realized I’d mostly zoned out. The final two fought second later with the refreshed shield throwing competitor winning with three quick strikes.

“Final four, come to me. The rest, you did well. The army marches tomorrow, you can join or defend your home, either way, I’m encouraged by the ferocity with which you fight,” I said proudly.

The dagger girl had already been peeling off for an exit when she heard my command. The four final ladies, each of them wearing different armor that didn’t really fit them properly, approached hesitantly.

I nodded with my head to follow me to the archers, walking away. My guards stuck between me and the new ladies, becoming more concerned than me. I allowed it for now, even if I felt secure.

“Helmets off,” I commanded the sword wielders once I reached the archers. Each of them reminded me of average young women with something to prove. I nodded with respect, turning to Lamond. “Recognize any of them?”

“These two in passing while I travel through the docks.” He huffed. “Demonti’s crew?” They nodded. He turned to the dagger gal. “She’s been in the dungeons before. This one looks like that one… Sisters likely,” Lamond asked and one of the sailors smiled tersely. “Did you let her win?”

“Pama won’t admit it, but she did. She knew we were going to ruin each other’s chances in the final if we kept at it,” the younger sister said.

“Smart, Pama, I like that. You both did well.” I turned to the bunny girl who tilted her head back to stop the blood. “Healer!” I bellowed, causing them to jump with the ferocity of my yell.

A friendly blonde woman who I recognized from Harmony’s servant crew hurried over. She placed a hand on the bunny lady, healing her nose, then something else.

“Fook me, you fixed me toes,” the dagger wielder said.

“Thanks Jenapee.” The healer blushed, surprised I knew her name. She curtsied before retreating to the sidelines. I turned to the dagger gal. “The dungeons?”

“Girls gotta eat,” she replied, taking out the hair ties that pinned her bunny ears back.

I fished in my purse that dangled around my neck, pulling five silvers for each of them. “Bath, nice meal, then see the blacksmith. You three in armor, you in better leathers. If you need more, or are finished being properly presentable, visit my estate and mention you are the champions of the tournament. You’ll find a place in our empire, assuming you like status, wealth and comfort. In exchange you’ll work to improve your skills in battle, even if you end up as noble ladies with children, you must know how to defend your family. I’m proud of you.”

Before they could even bow in respect, Lamond extracted a ledger with a charcoal pencil, giving advice on purchase locations. He annotated names, housing locations, relationship status, who their employers were, and if they had anyone who could use leverage against them.

Cloe, the rogue, pulled aside Lamond to have a private discussion. When they finished, he flashed me the words on his notepad for me to read. She wasn’t supposed to be at the event and the dock lords owned her. As in, she owed them enough debt she was a slave without a collar. The cost to free her was only three silver.

I pulled my purse out of my tunic but Lamond said, “Consider it done. She’ll be very loyal if you free her from her problems. I’ve manipulated enough people in my days and the council informed me I am to make sure you feel like you’re being supported.”

I responded to him with a nod of respect. “Please, proceed,” I said to the three archers, returning to folded arms.

All three drew the sinew to their anchor point and loosed. The woman on the left, she released with poise while the other two flung their shots. It wasn’t lost on me that I used to shoot a bow with raw power and luck. Sure enough, luck and luck alone saved one of the two ladies.

I ordered the third place lady to buy a better bow and outfit with coins, then ordered her to my villa by sunup to help guard my inner camp.

The two ladies left in the competition. One human, one fairy, stepped back ten paces, waited for a command, then loosed again. This time, the human hit the red with a wink at me afterwards. She was dashingly pretty with a long brown braid and hazel eyes.

At first, I smiled back at her, but then I started to notice subtle things. Her bow was much better than mine, her arrows were master crafted, and her shoelaces were impeccable. She’d smudged a bit of dirt on her face, wore a rather downtrodden set or robes that did a decent job of hiding her highborn status, but I definitely noticed.

Now that she’d won, I wasn’t alone in piecing together the mystery champion.

Lamond cleared his throat with worry when she stepped back to the next firing line.

“Fret not spymaster, I’m merely here to compete and hopefully to speak with the Emperor,” the archer said.

“Your name, Miss?” Lamond said, opening his ledger.

“Pell, of Castle Uth,” she said with an elegant bow.

When she finished her gesture, she fired again, this time hitting the bullseye from a shot I’d probably struggle with.

“Uth was lost to Champion Regor…” He flicked some pages. “Four, no, five months ago.”

“I was told to bring your head in exchange for my father’s,” Pell said, walking closer. My arms stayed folded, and my posture relaxed. “Your shot.”

She offered the bow to a guard who middle manned the transaction. “Guys, I can kill her before she’d even realize she’s dead. If she wanted to try to kill me, making me alert was not the way to get me to drop my guard or to surprise me.”

“Unless it's a long con,” Lamond said.

I snorted. “Look,” I pointed an arrow at her eyes, “you can see the hunger. I have a feeling there’s a lot to this woman, but understanding where she comes from and how she got here is important.”

“I agree,” Lamond said. “Have your guards seize her while I perform an interrogation.”

I winced, not exactly loving the idea.

“But I’m nobility and a champion,” Pell said with a dashing smile.

“Some information will be helpful. I’m at war with Cask. Submit to a few harmless questions and we can have a conversation after,” I said sternly.

She curtsied, allowing a guard to bind her shortly after. Lamond took the runner-up’s information down, I gave her silver and I intended to have her see the ladies while I marshaled the army to war.

I’d spent too long letting my enemy gather. Most of this army was in place and whatever was still strolling in could join us on the march. It was time to bring Seshkin into the fold or burn it to the ground. Strategically it only made sense to protect my family by securing the last part of Tolmeria.

Chapter

Fifty-Nine

TOLMERIA ROLLING HILLS

An Army on the March!

I woke in the wee hours of the morning to the glorious feeling of two mouths kissing my shaft. Needless to say, it was already hard, and I glanced down to see Isabel on my right and Rosa on my left.

They had been soundly asleep when I finally went to bed last night. Harmony slept in another tent, so they could have time with me since they were leaving in the morning.

Rosa broke off her attention to say, “We’re glad you’re awake!” before she focused back on my shaft. Seeing me watch them, they more aggressively kissed my cock, making sure it was well lubricated before they settled back opposite each other.

Rosa snaked her left hand over to hold Isabel’s head while Isabel did the same to Rosa with her right hand. They pressed their heads together, capturing my cock firmly in their two mouths.

They licked my shaft with the tips of their tongues as they started moving up and down it. It felt wonderful and completely different, causing my hips to start gently thrust. They both giggled when the noticed how much I was enjoying it.

We kept it up for a bit with me thrusting through their mouths, and they slowly moved higher and higher up my shaft. It was agony anticipating them reaching my tip. When they finally did, their tongues went wild playing with my crown and tip.

They moved a little higher and all of a sudden, they were French kissing with the tip of my cock in their mouths. It felt fantastic and looked smoking hot. After a few moments, I lowered my cock, having it pop out of their mouths.

They both turned to me grinning before Isabel asked, “Can we both ride you?”

I chuckled and nodded as they both quickly got up and repositioned. Isabel taking my cock, while Rosa sat on my face, putting her wet pussy right over my mouth. Isabel slowly started riding me, as Rosa said, “We’re playing with each other’s tits while we’re riding you, Adam.”

I started licking her slit, and she slowly tilted her waist until I reached her clit. She moaned, and I could tell they were holding onto each other because they started to move in sync. Isabel lifting herself up my shaft pushed Rosa snatch further against my mouth.

I grabbed Rosa’s hips to steady her so I could focus on her pearl while I started thrusting up into Isabel. I could feel the tension rising in both of them until they both came at the same time. I felt Isabel’s cum dripping down my shaft while I licked up Rosa’s as they both shook.

They both slid off to my left, still holding each other and hugging while they trembled through their orgasms. I chuckled as I moved to the edge of the bed and pulled them over.

I thrust into Rosa’s wet pussy first. She was on bottom, Then I thrust into Isabel’s pussy before I alternated thrusting into each of them. I wasn’t too surprised when they started kissing each other and playing with each other’s nipples while I fucked them.

It was crazy hot to watch even if Isabel’s wagging tail got in the way a bit. Isabel begged, “Please fill me up, Adam!” before she continued kissing Rosa. I certainly didn’t mind focusing on her first.

I ramped up my thrusts into her, shaking them both as our bodies slammed together. It seemed like only a few thrusts before she climaxed. I kept rapidly thrusting as I rushed to my own. I held us together as I filled her womb and her whole body spasmed.

When I finished, I pulled out of her, and she rolled to my right off of Rosa. Rosa was grinning at me with a big smile as Isabel curled into a ball and promptly fell asleep. I climbed onto the bed straddling Rosa just below her breasts. She lifted herself up on her elbows to kiss my cock and said, “Let me see to your beautiful cock.”

She took me into her mouth and started sucking me back to hardness. I grinned as I started teasing her long ears. She climaxed within a few moments, and I chuckled as she couldn’t concentrate on sucking me because of it.

When she could focus again, she took my dick out of her mouth for a moment to say, “You’ve found my secret weakness, Adam. Now I can be putty in your hands whenever you want.”

I bent and kissed the top of her head. “Now when you least expect it…”

She responded, “I need a hard fucking…” before she put me back in her mouth.

It didn’t take long before I was ready to meet her need. I pulled my dick out of her mouth with a pop before I moved back down her body. When I had repositioned myself, I looked at her to see her licking her lips. “Fuck me, Adam!”

I thrust into her, giving her the fucking she needed. We were both geared up, so it didn’t take long before we both climaxed, and I collapsed beside her as we caught our breath.

Rosa rolled over to me, laying her head on my shoulder as she caressed my chest.

She quietly said, “Do you mind if Isabel and I enjoy each other while you’re not around? It will only be us, and we promise to share any exciting discoveries about ourselves with you.”

I saw that one coming ever since they started playing, but I wasn’t the type to leave them wanting when I knew I wouldn’t be around for long periods of time. But there needed to be rules.

I nodded as I said, “I don’t mind, but only in the harem. No guards, servants, hopefuls, or anyone else. Understand?”

She squeezed my chest as she said, “Yes, Adam. We love you, and we love our family. We’d never do anything to dishonor or hurt our family. We’ll keep it focused on you as well, so hopefully we’ll be better prepared for you when we’re together.”

“Sounds like you understand, then. I love you both.”

She snuggled against me and sighed before she drifted back to sleep.

I kissed her hair before I let sleep drag me down as well.

∞∞∞

For the rest of the day, the constant clang of metal colliding fought against the grunts of the cart animals, and the creaks of wagon wheels. During those long hours, I rode in the middle of the army as it snaked through rolling hills filled with rocks. The terrain was shit but the weather…

Well, it reminded me of fall in the North East. The kind of climate where it was cool, but warm, and just enjoyable with pretty foliage colorations.

Not even two days after the tournament, we crossed the Jelin River and pushed into Seshkin Territory. Honestly, the first outpost we encountered was the only one that had a road to Misho, which happened to be on the wrong side of a pretend border.

We camped by it, fixed up some defenses, helped repair some buildings, and then pushed on, leaving it better than it had been before. That brought a sense of pride everyone could experience. Additionally, and maybe to the town’s detriment, we constructed a hasty road through a barren set of land.

No one could farm here or get much fresh water, making it only suitable for sheep farmers. On the second day, every sheep farmer who was minding their own business found themselves robbed, in chains, and attached to the labor line of captured prisoners.

While I didn’t care too deeply about taking their sheep to feed my army - especially since we were already ungodly sick of fish - I did feel shitty for turning them into prisoners. The way I saw it though, they weren’t going to add to the enemy’s numbers behind the walls, and they probably needed my food anyways, seeing as how I robbed them blind.

The mix of emotions reached crescendo this morning, obviously still weighing on my mind. Rosa and Isabel’s departure left a hole in my heart even if it was needed. It was sad to see them go early that morning, but I cherished our time together. Since we’d claimed Misho as a campaign launching point, it did wonders for our influence in the area, even if the reach was limited.

Lamond departed with the lovely ladies, sending updates through one of Dami’s agents. Dami never left Misho, already weary of traveling while pregnant. She was assigned Cleo as a guard along with her other spies, fitting in as a lady of the city who operated out of our villa.

That left Harmony at my side while I sat around a fire on that second evening. By this time tomorrow, we’d be outside the first enemy settlement. My beautiful fairy lover leaned into my shoulder, squeezing my bicep.

“I’m not a good person,” Harmony said.

I scoffed. “You’re perfect.”

“I… Aw, thanks. I’m not, but I appreciate the support. So… Adam, I have two questions.”

Instinctively, I leaned back like I was in trouble. Her tone, it just set this mood that seemed troublesome. “I’m listening.”

“Good or bad first?”

“Bad,” I grumbled, waving at Captain Nerid as he walked with a night guard to ensure camp was properly set.

“Will you be mad if I stepped in on Pell’s interrogation?”

I frowned. “As in past tense?”

“Yeah, something just didn’t seem right. Let me tell you a story first. When I was eleven, I brought a parrot home without telling or asking anyone,” Harmony said, her gaze lingering on the fire. “Ronaldo was the sweetest and most colorful bird, and I just had to have him. Consequences be damned.”

“Ha. I doubt that went well.”

“Actually, it did. At first anyway. I made up this amazing plan where I pretended like he’d escaped, and I hated him. That was the key, by me playing a victim like the rest of my family, I blended in to help return Ronaldo to his home. The thing was, I never had any intention of finding its owner, because that was me.

“For weeks, I’d pretend to canvass the city while going to the park instead. My guards weren’t rats. They knew all along what I’d done. Actually, now that I think about it, maybe they dropped a hint to father. In my mind, I figured the fairly trained parrot would be welcomed. Even I could eventually come around to liking it and just claim it with lots of pleading.

“By week two, Father pulled me into his office. Ronaldo, bless his heart, was enjoying tea upstairs with my mother. The two bonded, but Father… he knew something was up. Mother hated animals and would never have gone shopping for one. So he tested me. You know how he caught me in my lie?” Harmony asked.

“The money?”

“Good guess, but no. My vanity. Father made up his own bowl of bullshit, talking about how terrible Ronaldo was. He mentioned he was ugly, stupid, and unworthy of our family. Of course, he spaced this out, getting my responses with measured pauses. I defended the bird I was supposed to hate, because deep down, I thought he was amazing,” Harmony said.

“So what happened?”

“Ha! Mother always gets what she wants. Ronaldo still sits with her during her morning tea. Afterwards he goes to a nice retreat where he can frolic with other birds. That’s one great parrot. But yes, because I defended him so fervently, I was found guilty. I got in a lot of trouble, getting grounded for a full summer for lying so intensely, but thankfully, I unlocked a better part of my magic during those times of anger.” Harmony’s steely eyes shifted to gaze into mine.

“Glad it worked out,” I said, leaning down to kiss her forehead. “Why this story?”

“I love you, Adam, but you’re soft and too trusting. I suppose at this stage, you have to be. Thankfully, I’m around. During Pell’s interrogation, I asked stupid questions, softening her up, just as Father had done to me. Then I asked about Regor, talking about how he wasn’t handsome, how he farted and belched often in our reports, and spaced insults about the elf over time disguised as facts. Whenever Pell had to talk about Regor in generalizations he was the evil man who imprisoned her father.”

“I felt it was odd enough and yet believable enough,” I said with a shrug.

“She was too smart for her own good. No one knows what happened to her father or his takeover of their estate. Why do we not know? Probably because it was a private affair. The thing is, whenever I attacked the things that made Regor great in all the reports, she defended him. It was almost as if her vanity for him outweighed her need to keep the lie going,” Harmony said.

“So you think she’s in love with the Lover Champion?” I asked.

“She probably was. In the end, it didn’t matter. Why deal with a double or triple cross?” Her eyes stayed focused on me.

“I need allies in Cask,” I said, not sure where this was going, but it seemed bad.

Harmony shook her head. “There are many ways to conquer a region. Doing so with a dagger in your back is a tough way. I slit her throat, Adam. She was chopped up and put into traps on the bottom of the ocean to feed the army. I’m not going to let some spy kill you. We’re a family, and I’ll slit a hundred throats if I have to, to help you win the Game of Castles.”

In response by gently kissing her forehead. Harmony was always a firebrand. Her way might scare others, but I loved having her on my side, and I trusted her. I was her future, and she was mine. While I rarely saw Dami anymore with her swelling belly and sweet smile, Harmony dominated my life. Others might find her scary, but her conviction was what I needed.

Champions surrounded themselves with the best, and Harmony was the best.

“My next question is… will you come to Avorth after the Seshkin victory so we can be properly wed in front of Grandfather and Father,” Harmony asked.

“A wedding… Where I come from, I get on a knee and ask,” I replied. Harmony stood, then looked in front of her feet. “And I give a promise ring, which I don’t have.”

She reached into her bust and pulled out a small bag, tossing it into my lap. I opened it, pouring the contents into my palm. Four exact rings of varying sizes in white gold clattered in my palm.

“I always worried you might want to keep Dami as a concubine,” I admitted.

Harmony stepped closer, pulling my head into her stomach. She shifted so my ear faced her womb. “Dami is my sister by love. Rosa and Isabel will be my sisters by marriage. Which, you need to talk to them about their feelings for each other. They’re inseparable.”

“We’re getting off track, but I did. Rosa said they snuggle together at night when I’m not around. They… uh… things were kinky before they left this morning and -”

“Ha! I figured as much. Some kings and harem lords don’t let the wives be happy with each other when he is out. This can lead to complications,” Harmony said.

I held my ear to her stomach and said, “I know. I don’t have to be anyone but me and what my family needs. Either I can be an asshole who forbids two sister wives from having feelings or I allow it. I did make it very, very clear. No other exceptions: no guards, no handmaiden, no wetnurse. They don’t seem like the cheating types.”

“I’d probably lose my mind, and they fear that. Rosa is amazing and a gem of a woman to find in a dungeon cellar. She’s one of the smartest and most capable women in Tolmeria. Cherish her. I know you do, but I cherish her too. Thanks for letting them be whole during our absence,” Harmony said.

“Well, it was, uh, will you get jealous?” I asked.

“No. For me, there’s not even a compromise. Dami, yes. She had this dream where the two of you would retire in a cabin with thirty kids, no wealth, and endless work. I told her the reality was you’d see her less and less and less. Not only that, others would see her as a threat. She let go of that dream and grew a backbone right then and there, knowing she needed to adapt to help the family. And that’s why I love her. But no, I don’t want to kiss her vagina,” Harmony said with a giggle.

“Ah, family dynamics,” I joked. I listened to her belly, not hearing a baby at all, but the fire did pop loud enough to stir us from the moment. “Four rings.”

Harmony waved a flippant wrist with a sly grin. “Four rings. Maybe five or ten at some point. But yes, I want to be married before I have this baby.”

“Everyone at once?” I asked. “And how did you figure this all out?”

“Rosa said you mentioned traditional marriage on your home world when you decided to take her into your heart. Here, it is just paperwork to be bound, signed by a local lord, lost by most families. The binding is in the heart, not the rings. We all, us ladies, love you… And yet, we didn’t know where to go next since you’re not getting on a knee or signing the paperwork,” Harmony said.

I kissed her belly. “Baby?”

“Yes. Pela is going to lose her fucking mind. That child, I swear,” Harmony said, running her hand through my hair. “I need to cut this.”

Some men hated a woman’s affection in this way. This was one that I enjoyed. “I’d like that.” I tucked the rings back in their pouch. “I’ve yet to attend a wedding, so you’ll need to fill me in on the cultural norms. Also we will have it in Clear Castle and I’ll put a ring on your finger first, but only after the others say yes.”

“They obviously said yes.”

“When I ask you all four in person,” I said.

Harmony deflated a bit. “Oh. Can I wear my ring now and send the others theirs to wear and then we do it your way later?”

“You told them you’d get permission,” I said rhetorically.

“Yeah. They’re already wearing theirs. I lose rings a lot so I had extras made and -”

I couldn’t help but unleash a chuckling laugh. “Totally not how it works, but it’s sweet you’re trying. If you want to wear a ring, wear one. It goes on this finger. But I won’t bind us as a family until we’re all together.”

“I may be jaded, harsh, and a bit overbearing at times, but I do love my family. I’d be honored to wait and do it right. Also, this way I can teach you all about our traditions, which differ per region,” Harmony said.

When I kissed the back of her hand, she pretended to pull me off my log with her amazing strength. Afterwards she led me into our carriage, talking a mile a minute. Pela welcomed us with her nanny, going to excuse herself.

“Actually Demel, I need ten minutes without Pela. Maybe a snack or something then bring her right back,” Harmony said.

Pela pouted but followed Demel out of the carriage. I was about to ask what was going on, since she kicked Pela out for the night whenever we had sex, but this time she only wanted ten minutes. When she dropped to her knees and began fishing at my robes to get to my penis, I didn’t complain one bit.

Chapter

Sixty

CASPRIN SETTLEMENT

I Guess!

Nerid, Harmony, Ormis, Captain Grivo (Human Archer), Ordin (Elven Infantry), Kroz, Kell, and Carr stood with me, looking at Casprin with a mix of interest and shock. The settlement was bigger than a commune, in the sense it wasn’t just a bunch of sheep barns with homes around them. The settlement had a simple palisade, a shoddy gate, a single rickety tower and twenty or so outdated structures.

All of this matched the description on the map that Lamond provided. Where it differed was the occupants. We expected the standard humans, human variants, and the subspecies who helped them make ends meet, but instead, well, we found an infestation of fishy humanoids; not a normal kind of mermaid either.

They mimicked a centaur in the sense of an aquatic lower body - akin to a plesiosaur - with a human upper torso at the front. Their skin was bare and blue with large gills at the ribs in addition to breathing through nostrils. They carried weapons of crude designs, creating them from whale bones, kraken beaks, and turtle shells.

Their lower half wasn’t exactly small, putting their mass at almost double a centaur’s. When I reached forty in my count, I stopped trying to get an exact number. There were a lot of them; enough of them that we might struggle against their immense weight even though my army bordered on a thousand soldiers with more camp followers.

The ogres could throw them around, but these creatures would run right over troll infantry and my orc shock troops needed more numbers to stop a charge.

As I watched them, I became more skeptical, doubting anything besides a well placed arrow would do much to their girthy bodies.

“There’s no dock here… the ‘why not’ makes sense, but aren’t leviathans… expected? As in, why not add spikes or a wall or anything to stop attacks?” I asked with a shrug.

We stood close enough to hear the sea crashing against an expanse of jagged rocks. While there was no moon, the other forces in this solar system, like the sun, still created tides. Those tides brough waves, and in a dangerous spot like this, they still could crush a ship.

“I’m not a sailor, or a fan of the sea, but these monsters are cutting through those rocks,” Carr said. “They’re called darmith and they’re not very common. Must be a Game of Castles thing.”

Harmony said, “We ate one yesterday… No, the day before.”

“I hate fish,” Ormis complained.

“Right,” Kroz added.

Harmony continued, “They have been known to raid settlements, but normally in ones and twos, sometimes no bigger than fives. Did you get a quest?”

I raised an eyebrow guiltily.

“Uh… Quest,” I muttered.

Quest: Cleanse Casprin.

Mission: The Darmith Invasion has conquered Casprin. Residents are huddled in below ground shelter and almost out of vital supplies. Purge the amphibious infestation, then claim Casprin for the Tolmerian Empire.

Game of Castles Reward: 5,000 Lord Points.

“I accept,” I said with a sigh. “The quest is simple. Kill the darmith, free the people who are hiding in shelters. It didn’t say what to do with them after, but they’re hurting down there with either a lack of water, food or whatever.”

Harmony said, “Darmith swarm to defeat a foe. Even if those flippers look weak, they’re not. How many Lord Points?”

“Five thousand.”

“Is that a lot?” Ormis asked.

I shrugged. “It’s fifty silver.”

“That’s less than what you pay me for a year,” Kroz said with a snort.

Nerid shook his head. “By all means, kill them all and you can have the reward.”

“I… No. That’s not an offer,” I grumbled. “I want the residents to help build my roads. An empire runs on roads and your trolls are shit at making roads.”

Kell shrugged. “Translation scroll not fun. Trolls good at fight.”

“Ha! Fight yes. But this translation scroll is amazing. Scroll not fun.” Ormis roared out a laugh, catching the enemy’s attention. As one, the seventy or so darmiths waddled our direction, brandishing their whalebone spears and turtle shell shields. We all turned to gaze at the ogre who guiltily shrugged with contempt. “It was funny… Sorry. I can fix this.”

“No. We trained for this and your laugh was quieter than the cooks setting up their fires. Anyway, we have to start fighting as a unit.” Ormis sadly nodded in reply. The rest of the officers began peeling off the hill to join their units. I inhaled a deep breath and bellowed. “Battle formations! Archers to the high ground, orcs to the caravans, knights on the flanks, trolls who like to fight - form the shield wall!”

Daxton unfurled my flag, raised it high, then slammed it down. The banner unleashed a wash of orange magic across the army. When I shifted to rush to the front Harmony cleared her throat.

“You mentioned to remind you,” Harmony said astutely.

I grumbled. “Yeah. Yeah. I shouldn’t always be in the thick of the fighting as the general. Ugh. Watching is far less fun than fighting.”

“But my Emperor, you have my phoenix or your bow,” Harmony said supportively.

I grabbed the banner from Daxton with incredible speed, leaving him startled. “Run to my carriage, get the longbow. It’s the one that’s bigger than you. The arrows for it have the red fletching. Big bow, red fletching… Go!”

He shot off down the hill, managing to get to the bottom with only a few stumbles. I shoved the banner into the soil and turned back to see an average looking darmith cut off one of the others. The wobbling run of the other darmiths came to a screeching halt with the flippers flinging small pebbles from their slide.

The assertive enemy commander grabbed the other amphibian's horn that dangled across the chest. A single blast of that horn snapped them out of their frenzy.

The darmiths slowed, returning to their leader. Both armies shifted, with theirs finally showing some cohesion. The aquatic humanoids formed into a V shape normally reserved for cavalry. Their leader dressed the lines, shouting out a rousing speech I couldn’t understand because of the distance.

Harmony tensed, bothered by how drastically the enemy adapted. I didn’t cry out to change anything, mostly because this was always going to be a win. The question was - how many of my troops perished.

My forces scrambled to dress properly amongst the hilly terrain. I knew the average soldier would be complaining about how the uneven ground made the formation a pain in the ass, but that was the point of this - to give them a life and death experience.

“They’re more organized than I expected,” Harmony said, channeling a spell.

Her hands swirled with powerful gusts of magic that bent the air to their whim until fiery magic spewed forth. While strikingly beautiful, her danger held an additional allure. Instead of helping her spell, I cast my arms forward to unleash Golem.

The magic sloshed onto the ground, pooling with steady growth until the magical creation stood in front of me. I pointed at the enemy, Golem flashed a goofy smile, then lurched forward. I pulled on my additional mana while shifting my finger to whisk some of the tendrils of magic whipping together to form the phoenix.

“Fuck,” Harmony moaned with a devilish grin. “If I’d known you could make me a goddess, I’d have hunted for you in those swamps on day one.”

I chuckled. “You always were a goddess, never needing me.” I walked behind her, adding to her magic with my hands following her flows. The phoenix rose into creation, erupting out of her chest. When she swooned until I saw she was about to collapse. I shifted, sliding an arm under Harmony’s armpit to catch her.

Another horn blast triggered a coordinated charge against a unified darmith army. “They’re coordinating faster than us.”

“I… need to sit,” Harmony grumbled.

With a flick of my wrist, I sent the phoenix into a dive toward the enemy mass. The plan was simple, to have the fire kill the first few to falter the charge to buy time for Golem to turn the solid ground into mud.

It wasn’t perfect or even very clever, but I needed to buy time.

Before my magical creations could reach the enemy, the darmith leader swirled magic of his own. A ball of yellow energy erupted around him, forming a shield that protected the front lines.

I swiped my hand right, pushed the phoenix further, then swept it left and into the enemy’s midst.

The magic cooked flesh as it cut through the back half of the formation. Golem plopped down in front of the hastily forming infantry lines, creating a mud slick just in time. I wanted to cheer on his quick work, but that damned shield absorbed the magic of Golem, killing him and turning the mud back to solid ground.

Daxton arrived with labored breaths, handing me the correct bow and arrows. I gently took them from him, adjusting to fire.

Down below, the clash of the darmith hitting our troll line became inevitable. The big aquatic monsters slammed into heavy shields, pushing back the deeper ranks while flattening those unfortunate trolls in the front.

Ogres leaped over the back ranks, flowing into the cracked formation. Only once the big ogres pushed back, did the enemy’s charge falter. Ormis earned a spear in the guts, returning the violence to his foe by smashing him to a pulp with his large mace.

I fired high shots, aiming for the main clump of darmith. With my shot, a hundred twangs erupted. The volley of arrows raced high before they rained into the aquatic beings.

Shrill shrieks and cries split the air until a chorus of cavalry warhorns drowned them out. Kroz wheeled the two hundred plus knights around a hill, lining up for a charge into the enemy back lines.

“Signal the drums,” I commanded.

Daxton panted with his hands on his knees, quickly swapping to rummage through his bag. He found a blue flag, attached it to the banner, and waved it up high.

Harmony recovered enough to stand straight again, watching the mosh pit of death in the valley between two hills. The trolls raised shields, pressed forward, and did little damage. Their only goal at this point was to keep from ceding additional ground or breaking.

A deep thrum from a big drum erupted through the battlefield.

A tempo beat gave the trolls a cadence to dig into. Ogres smash darmiths in the front, and between my loosed arrows, I saw Ormis figure out who the enemy leader was.

The huge ogre lunged forward, a spear still in his guts, and opened his mouth wide. The darmith officer noticed, but the press of bodies prevented his exit. He raised his bone spear, driving it into Ormis’ shoulder.

Ormis committed, biting his head off before he crushed the body with his weight.

For a fleeting second, the neck squirted blood high.

A massive blue wave of magic exploded out of the leader’s corpse.

Just like that, the intense battle turned into a chaotic mess. And not just because Kroz and the knights lanced into the formation. The enemy just lost all focus, all cohesion. That leader's death turned off something in them, something… divine.

They became feral beasts with insane eyes filled with hate. Former brethren turned on each other and the aquatic monsters started doing our work for us.

Kell and his trolls backed up, reformed their line, and locked shields. A different set of trolls ran to deliver spears to the ogres. One throw at a time, the mass of ogres sent sharpened stakes screaming across the battlefield, piercing into the enemy hides.

Kroz signaled their charge to keep going, and not a single knight stayed back when they tore through the enemy’s rear. The clean charge was meant to be followed up by repeated attacks, but the officers saw the same thing I did - opportunity.

My army formed ranks, attacked from a distance, and sped the demise of the enemy until a single darmith twitched on the ground with grievous wounds. Ormis chucked a spear through the chunky body, giving the confused creature the mercy it needed.

I noticed a dozen dead trolls lay in a heap from where they tried to brunt the enemy’s charge.

“We need pikes,” I said with a sigh.

“The trolls aren’t suited to them.” Harmony thumbed the nervous followers camp that struggled to form into a defensive position. While she talked I grabbed the banner and lowered it, letting the camp follower officers know the battle was over. “Losing a few is what they live for. We don’t get it, but surviving a battle when others didn’t brings more honor to the Hilloc.”

“Savage, and I want to lose them smartly. Pikes would have helped, regardless if there are a hundred more in the followers' camp eager for armor… even if it has some dents.”

I frowned because I wanted them to do better.

“We had almost finished the blacksmith at Clear Castle,” Harmony said. I raised a questioning eyebrow while watching the army slowly reform. Ormis and the other ogres dug trenches to bury the dead while the trolls stripped their gear. “It should be done by now, but I can order a hundred pikes from… Hmm… Rosa is no longer a supply wife. She’s too busy managing your people. Maybe Dami. Maybe you should have picked a Misho wife.”

I rolled my eyes, striding down the hill. “I’m not lacking in the sexy women department and my dick has never been more spoiled in its life.”

Harmony gently smacked my butt, keeping pace with me while I walked down the hill. “Oddly, that was a very nice compliment. You have this way of making me feel… whole.”

“I love you too,” I replied with a chuckle.

The levity of the moment faded when we walked by the dead being buried. I sighed, finding Kell helping to strip the final body. “I’m going to add pikes. At least for an elite few to try to break a pointed charge.”

“Pikes heavy. Too long. Give orcs.”

“We will make them hollow and train some trolls with weights, so they are stronger. One in ten. This is happening,” I said with a slight growl.

Kell didn’t respond beyond a nod of acceptance. I didn’t say a prayer or close the eyes of the dead, choosing to stand there with respect until the process finished.

Harmony cleared her throat and whispered, “They want a cross.”

The more that I thought about it, the more I realized. I’d done a cross at each site in passing without any fanfare or notice. I’d also done it for Booma’s son all those months ago. The more I thought about it, the more I noticed that every time anyone died, I’d left a cross behind without any intention to start a trend.

I reached into Harmony’s satchel, found some twine she used to attach to bones to have the puppies chase, and pulled it out. Beside the dead, I grabbed a shattered spear, binding the two halves into a cross.

“Asmi, God of Bartering, assign your soldiers to a fitting resting place,” I said, slamming the cross into the ground. I fished into my pocket, finding a bracelet Pela made for me. “My barter.”

The bracelet landed on the fresh dirt with a heavier impact than should have been possible. I wasn’t very religious, and I knew the ways of Limar were different, but it just felt right in the moment.

Egris, an ice mage who Harmony hired in Misho and normally stuck to himself, walked forward with a finger raised. I nodded for him to speak. “Lord Adam, while the meat is best suited for farm animals and hounds, the eyes and heart are used for potions.”

“Kell?” I said questioningly.

“Yes, Boss,” Kell said, barking orders to the trolls in Hilloc to pry out the eyes and hearts.

While they went to work, I wove my fingers between Harmony’s guiding her up the hill to the ruined settlement of Casprin. Kroz wheeled the cavalry ahead of my approach to secure the ground for my arrival. In the rear, a bugle sounded to uncluster the bunched followers so we could get the army on the move again.

The trek up the hill toward Casprin was done in silence besides the crashing waves on the jagged rocks. A small guard of knights flowed around our slow walk. I processed the goods and bads of the battle, learning a lot.

“Rosa and Isabel are going to be excited to hear about the hive mind,” I said, crossing the spot where the gate used to stand proudly. “It seems to be a repeating theme.”

“I don’t study the texts much, but concur,” she replied, eyeing the damage.

The basic walls of Casprin lay in ruin. The buildings fared about the same, with most of them either completely or partially destroyed. Besides piles of shit from the darmith, there wasn’t much to scour through. Sure, a few items like tables and chests lay inside partially ruined buildings but no one piled loot.

Kroz and Nerid dismounted near what was likely an animal barn at the back of the settlement. I proceeded to them, finding an angry trail of shattered boards. Knights dismounted to clear a path with the debris being so thick I paused.

“When are you going to upgrade Golem?” Harmony asked nicely.

“I… I don’t know. While my gains have been great, Asmi and the Creator emphasized this was not a short term affair. So far, investing in the army seems… wise.” I patiently watched the knights uncover a section of the barn floor. My goal was to become more like a leader and less like the guy who did everything, which was tough for me - exceedingly so. “With that said, Golem died to a simple shield.”

“He would have as any other kind of magic creation. But,” she paused, squeezing my hand, “I can’t help but dream about how a fire golem would go with my phoenix.”

“It’s the most expensive one. Let me check again,” I said while we waited. “Golem information, please.”

To spawn more than one golem at a time, reach magic level 25, 50, and 100. 100 is the max with 4 golems under your command.

Stone Golem: 20,000 LP

Sapling Golem: 80,000 LP

Sand Golem: 1,000 LP

Water Golem: Free

Ice Golem: 15,000 LP

Fire Golem: 100,000 LP

Chitin Golem 15,000 LP

I grumbled. “I probably should have invested in another golem and crutched on it more.” I incessantly tapped a foot against a fractured stone. A simple glance around the massive army I commanded instantly squashed this idea. “No, that wouldn’t have been smart at all.”

“Maybe after Seshkin, the residual earnings will add up to a fire golem,” Harmony said with a positive tone.

“Maybe. For now we buy labor from Estin, stone from Avorth, fish from Misho, and pay to build countless roads.”

“And armor,” Nerid said, coming to stand by us as the others worked. The northern tucked his bow away with a smile. “Excellent victory, my Emperor.”

Kroz moseyed over, letting the junior knights do the heavy lifting.

“Ah, did King Vardrin acknowledge my legitimacy?” I asked.

Kroz nodded. “He did. For as long as you have a standing army, a beneficial purpose, and all that amazing silver, yes, yes he does.”

“Don’t forget he helped Estin too,” Harmony said. Before Kroz could respond, she continued, “You expertly used the centaurs, thank you.”

“Uh, thanks. I think. Stayed in the rear with the orcs to body block any surprises. Someone has to protect the followers,” Kroz said.

Harmony nudged my side with a wink. “It was the right call. This one keeps worrying they won’t fit in.”

“They don’t! They’re such whiners once they get comfortable.” I tossed a hand into the air. “They remind me of those people who could be on a perfect vacation, with a wonderful environment, good drinks, delicious food, and a cloud flies by on the horizon for them to complain about.”

“Is that why you made Kroz the centaur ambassador? Cold… even for you,” Nerid said with a chuckle.

“Speaking of which,” I said, stepping forward because three knights yanked a massive shutter door upwards.

The instant the heavy wooden frame peeled open a crossbow snapped. A knight shot backwards flying off his feet in a spin when a ballista bolt pierced his shoulder. He landed a few inches away with a single tumble.

“Healer!” I bellowed, stepping forward to cross the distance to the shelter.

I wasn’t upset, I was absolutely irate. I grabbed a large chunk of rock, raised it high, and smashed the double hinges one at a time. With nothing to lock the door in place I grabbed the bottom and flung it off the shelter.

“What the fuck!” I screamed with rage. “Lay down your weapons, walk out with your hands on top of your heads. We literally rescued you and you attacked my man!”

A few tense seconds passed with the knight groaning in pain. Eventually a voice croaked when it tried to talk. I grabbed my water bladder and tossed it down the descending stairs.  A set of barricades peeked out from my angle, but I refused to give them an opening to shoot me, even though it restricted my vision into how many were down there.

“Who’s you?” a husky voice asked from below.

“Your death or salvation,” I growled with irritation. “We cleared the beasts, freeing you from a certain death and you shot my man.”

“King Krastor sent aid,” the voice asked.

“Ha! No. He cowers in his walls. I’m Emperor Clear, a champion in the Game of Castles and this settlement is gone,” I said, somewhat calming when Jenapee, the healer, repaired the young knight. Seeing one of our honored warriors go down definitely irked me.

“Oh, we’ze good, thanks for yer help,” a friendly female voice said as if I’d just go away.

A baby cried, her squall echoing out of the shelter.

I shook my head. “You have two options, travel to Avorth or Estin as immigrants, earning your freedom but being unable to leave whatever city you choose to arrive in for a year. Or you are prisoners of mine for a year, working with food, shelter, and protection.”

“And what if we want to -”

Harmony sent a tiny phoenix from between my legs, sending it to dance over the opening, earning a blissful silence.

I inhaled, calming my anger further. “You serve or you die. My terms are very fair for a huddled mass that is about to die regardless. I even have healers and potions for the sick.”

A shuffle broke up from below with a grinding of wood on stone.

“I have to save her, Colus!” a woman shouted with her voice nearing.

A nasty looking woman raced up the stairs in utter desperation with a bundle tight to her chest. In her rush she tripped on the final step, shooting forward in a fall. The infant she clutched flew out of her hands.

The poor baby’s head lulled, and I could tell she was on death’s doorstep. I shot forward, catching the girl and sprinting to the healer who only partially healed the knight.

“I can help,” Jenapee said, arriving with a pout. For a brief second her eyes flickered to me with longing. I frowned, knowing she was a widow with children who did great work for our army, but I cared for her in different ways. “Easy darling.”

Her magic wrapped around the baby, flaring near my core. I grabbed her hand, instantly channeling her mana with mine to help her grow more powerful. I grinned, staring down at the shocked healer.

“Relax, Jenapee. I can feel a part of you that is untapped. Honestly, you should have unlocked this spell ages ago,” I told her, feeling a hidden door within her magic. Within Jenapee’s core, a hidden treasure nestled in a small sectioned off enclosure. I opened it and immediately fell to a knee. Power shot into the infant, curing her of her weakness, but she still needed substance. “Baby! Fed, the baby.”

The mother grabbed her now very awake and hungry baby while I struggled with the tangled mess of the healer.

Jenapee shifted. She went from adoring and caring to cackling like an evil villain. “The power! The sheer power is so glorious.”

“What’s… happening?” I asked, turning to Harmony.

She approached, readying to help me while the older woman entered a trance of sorts. “Your wives have a theory. It involves Regor’s rise to power, or so we think. Rumors are, Champions can turn healing mages into bombs of rejuvenation. Look into her eyes, what do you see?”

I shifted to view the black eyes turning green.

“Feed her more to find out, cut her off to potentially save her life,” Harmony added. “Rumor has it, she’ll die in the -”

I cut off the power with a simple thought. The healer’s eyes rolled into the back of her head and she collapsed.

“Sandra!” the husky voice who was likely Colus cried out.

The mother shouted, “She’s alive! Oh thank the Gods.”

“Thank Asmi, the God of Barter,” Harmony said, waving over the other healers who were just arriving from camp.

Ormis approached, his heavy footfalls causing the loose rocks to dance from the impacts. He plopped down in an open spot. A team of knights worked to remove the two spears in his body with healers on standby.

The big ogre grunted when the first slurped out of his guts. He shook his head, letting the healers add to his natural magic. “The Emperor has spoken, his terms are fair. Work here or be forced to a new home, but this place is in ruin.”

“A… a talking ogre. The Game of Castles is truly upon us,” a less confident male voice said from the pit. “I surrender for Estin. I hear the fields are lovely.”

“We can’t just give up because if we -”

A loud smack stopped his talk and a few seconds later, a flow of nasty looking residents rose to see the sun again.

I didn’t relish in their capture, turning to go find Drago back at camp. I envied the idea of brushing his coat with Pela. I’d seen enough death for the day, almost experiencing more and was quite happy Jenapee recovered nicely.

The war was just starting and the last thing I needed to do was to kill off my mages to test dark magic. Plus, Osbin, the next Seshkin bastion was only two days away, and if I had to guess, I would find the city well-defended.

Chapter

Sixty-One

OSBIN

The Siege!

“This arrived from Dami,” Harmony said, interrupting the meeting with most of my officers. She handed me a bound scroll I accepted.

We’d arrived in Osbin a week ago, finding a city triple the size of Brackenfell with stone walls, ballistae on the ramparts, and a functioning army. While we outnumbered our opponents, they had the high ground, a tale as old as time.

“Good time to take a break. The trebuchets are finally done being assembled and now we need to smash an opening,” I said, bowing my head to the officers.

Harmony led me back to our carriage where I was shocked to see my gorgeous little mousy babe sitting with Pela at the desk. The two of them drew a pegasus and I couldn’t help but smile at the cuteness.

“Come Pela, Mommy Dami and Papa need to talk,” Harmony said, earning a pout from her daughter. Pela eventually acquiesced to her request, leaving the carriage.

“Hello beautiful,” I said, unraveling the scroll to see a nude drawing of Dami from the waist up. “Ha! Glad I didn’t open this in front of the officers.”

“You would have figured it out pretty quickly. Sit, dear soon to be husband,” Dami said, flashing me her ring finger. “I adore it by the way.”

“Is that why you rode out to see me?” I asked, sliding into the booth so she could snuggle into my side.

Dami shook her head. “I wish. No, and I need to be honest with you, without Lamond, I’d be sinking with this spy business.” She huffed in a way that told me she had something she needed to say but didn’t want to.

“Lay it on me then.”

She adjusted her hips to lean forward and lay her head on the table. “Farli Region, the one to the east.”

“Yeah Regor hired that mercenary fleet out of there.”

Dami elegantly dipped her head in agreement. “It’s without a champion as far as we can tell. We think it has one or had one but they perished.”

“I heard something similar.” I slid out of the table to grab some biscuits. After I placed them on the table, I opened a window and asked nicely for warm tea. “Keep going.”

“Farli has many factions, just like Tolmeria, just like Cask, and just like Urith to the north. In Farli, all of those factions are scared of the coming wars. They accepted Regor’s contract because he sailed an actual agent out to their kingdom. That ambassador convinced their Sailing Hawks to help stall Misho's fishing.”

A slot on the front door slit open and I grabbed the pot a small hand delivered. I poured us tea, enjoying the vanilla smell. Dami stirred so she could sit upright again, sticking a hand on her swollen belly.

When I handed her the cup, I asked, “They want their fleet back?”

Dami sipped her tea, grasping the cup with two hands. “No.” She shook her head, savoring the taste. “Actually, they just don’t want to be seen as taking a side. You have to remember, it's not one nation that sent the ambassador to figure out what happened, it was all of them. The Sailing Hawks were independent, but yes, departed from Farli.”

“Oh, well, the mercenaries took a side, and no one stopped them from departing,” I said.

“Exactly. They also thought he’d win swiftly, since you have no navy. But you did win. The question is: how do you wish to reply?” Dami asked. When I frowned, she added. “I can handle things, Asmi knows I have.”

“That’s always been something I don’t hear about, but everyone praises your results,” I said.

Dami tapped my hand with love. “I dressed up Harmony’s execution of that Cask assassin, I’ve patched differences between the Estin and the Misho army who think that Estin whores should be for Estin men only. I’ve wrangled loose lips into remembering why they should fuck when fucking and not talking with my girls. Three Hells, I even got a spy into the Seshkin Court finally, but this one, this ambassador, he’s above my status.”

“Oof, imagine paying for sex then getting in trouble for it,” I said with a snort. “I’ll talk to the officers.”

“Thanks, but those are problems I’m okay with.”

I shook my head, sipping my own tea afterwards. I sucked in a deep breath. “Except, you're not. You’re not alone. We’re a team.”

She leaned into me, guiding my hand toward her growing belly. “Thanks, I mean it.”

“Okay, two things to go over, this ambassador for Farli and the Seshkin Court.”

“First this, my love.” Dami reached into a satchel, pulling out a rare folder with leather bindings. She opened it up, sliding the document in front of me. I slowly read the details, not really understanding why I was being presented with a bill of purchase for a lake fishing and trading company. “Three things. Sasha, my mother, works for this company. I tried to buy her rights, but it’s complicated.”

A distant boom reverberated through the carriage, reminding us that a siege unfolded outside. I flashed a smile. “We have time.”

“Mother, she is a creature of habit.”

I chuckled. “My Mom pretended to be one, but much like Rosa, she enjoys change, even if it is just scenery swapping. Her older brother, my uncle, well, he was a creature of habit. Worked the same job for as long as I knew him, drove the same… wagon, and never changed much at all. I find Sasha’s desires relatable at times.”

“Yes, well, during my journey into Estin, I deviated. I wanted to buy her from the Bromoth Shipping Company. The truth is, Mother is actually free to go, but they provide her food, rent, and a small stipend for her work as if she were a slave. The way it was explained to me is that in no uncertain terms does she want to change anything in her life,” Dami said sadly.

“You surprised her?” I asked and Dami nodded sadly. I kissed her forehead, stroking her back in support. “Is she excited?”

“I… I didn’t tell her. I didn’t honestly tell her anything mostly so she could stay out of my drama. I worry someone will target her and the less she knows the better. I even saw her under disguise and may have had her forced into a private tavern room to visit me,” Dami said unhappily.

“I never thought I was that dangerous, but the more I think about it, the happier I am that you played it this way,” I replied.

“It is the Game of Castles.”

“Okay, Sasha resonates with me and I’m happy she’s happy. Why this document?”

“The business is going under. The fishing was heavy this season due to the centaurs messing with spring and summer crops. Dorick, the owner, is sweet on Mother. Not sexually, just… he can replace her and doesn’t. He doesn’t do that with any of his employees. He gives raises and that drains the -”

I signed the document and snapped it closed. “Sounds like a fucking fantastic charity. A business that people love working at that is running at a negative. Keep Dorick in charge, Rosa will find room for it in the budget, and if not, I’ll go hunting with the Fat Sharks or whatever.”

She shoved the table back a bit to crawl into my lap. “Hold me for a bit, my wondrous man.”

“There were no strings attached to the purchase!”

Dami giggled at my tease. “I know. I know. This spy stuff is no fun. So… Seshkin. Do you remember Caleb, the mayor you saved?”

“Oh, yeah, actually. He seemed nice enough even if I was a bit abrasive with him towards the end,” I grumbled.

“I believe the translation was edge lord,” Dami teased.

I tickled her lightly, earning a delightful giggle. “What! I’m human. I’m allowed to be emotional in the middle of a battle.”

“No argument from me. Regardless, he asked around and the word was two-fold. They’re marching a lightning strike north to sack Clear Castle while this army is busy, for propaganda to show they can strike a winning blow.”

“Drefius and Idris are there. Going to be hard to sack the castle with the natural layout. Especially if they destroy the bridges.” I mused over the defenses, contemplating leaving the siege to smash that army. “And the other?”

“They’re scared. You’re only ten days away from the capital with only one of three armies. Lao technically belongs to you, but King Krastor appointed a new Count who is definitely struggling to cement his leadership. You’re doing things while they’re consolidating, which was fine at first, but no one likes a loser or a ‘do nothing’ in a fight.”

I let out a long ‘ah’. “Explains the counterattack. I sorta wish we could set an ambush.”

“No, but they’ll aim to cut off reinforcements and supplies to Misho. Estin, or Avorth. You will have to secure your middle roads at some point, or so Rosa and Isabel say,” Dami warned.

“Sure. Or I capture the roads outside the capital and cut off any army in the field, then unleash my armies outwards,” I said with a grin.

“Prince Gardol may beat you to it with the Estin Knights. Meanwhile Prince Daniel is fully recovered from his foolish attack, deciding to let his older brother, Crown-Prince Itron lead the army to attack our home.”

“Prince Tarsin… I wager money that both he and Prince Gardol know there’s a strike coming at Clear Castle. They have to,” I muttered. “They should tell me, but maybe they fear leaks… Hmm… What else?”

“Osbin houses Princess Colette. A forbidden princess of Oni descent with a very confident attitude. Her blunt honesty is favored at court, and you’d probably like her because her boobs are legendary in their size.” I grinned, not denying that I liked big boobs. “She’s very anti-Regor for some reason and in exile for killing a bird, or maybe a bird handler. Honestly, it all gets muddy after a while. She’s locked up, for her safety since she was feeding us information apparently.”

I snickered. “I bet she was Harmony’s spy. And yeah, Harmony stopped getting reports. This is amazing Dami, you’re doing wonderful.”

“There’s a bit more. Caleb said Champion Regor promised a mighty army, but failed to deliver so far, even though ships have been arriving into Seshkin from the Cask Region.”

I finished my tea with a nod. “It seems like we’re inching closer and -” A knock on the door interrupted me. “Yes?”

“South wall has a breach,” one of the junior officers reported.

While this was quick, it wasn’t enough for me. “Commend the crew, make a dozen more holes. When that is done, come back.”

“Yes, my Emperor.”

His footsteps faded into the distance, allowing Dami to continue, “I believe you’re correct. Seshkin will fight until that port is shut down. Harmony, Rosa, and Isabel know more about historical battles, but that mega-city controls a lot because it does everything for the region. As in, they don’t need all these outskirt towns.”

“They have to be hurting on finances though. All the Misho residents are richer in essence. All of Tolmeria is supporting those fishermen, not the Seshkin ones.”

“Regor will be vastly rewarded if you die. Far more than you’ll be if you kill him. Or so Rosa said. It’s based on levels and points across all the brackets. Anyway, Seshkin’s resolve is crumbling and there are whispers of why should their cities burn and their sons die for an elf who won’t even fight for them,” Dami said.

Somm, the pup who never left the carriage, asked to go out. Dami hopped off my lap to pet him, sending him out of the carriage.

“Did you bring the ambassador with you? The one from Farli?”

“To a war zone, no. I came to quit.”

“You’re fired,” I joked.

“Ha! I quit first!” We shared a cute kiss. “I’m going to actually just let Lamond manage group reports since he can onramp my agents. Honestly, I just want to be a mom and would rather watch Pela than manage whores,” Dami admitted.

“I respect that,” I said, sliding out of the booth. “Thank you for what you did and for trying something new. Also, we should think about Rosa’s family being extorted.”

“I… I said as much, but she blew it off, mostly because we’re her family now.”

I heaved out a sigh. “Regardless. As for Farli. We will go into a non-aggression trade pact. Make it official and have Rosa sign it as the Empress of Tolmeria. If you need to draft something for me, I’ll sign it too.”

Dami walked to the edge of the booth, puckering her lips. “I’d seduce you, but I rode for almost three straight days, and you have a city to conquer.”

“I… I do. This time, I get to go near the front so help me into my armor before you go to sleep,” I said.

“Hey Adam, I also have a message from the High Wizard of Avorth. It’s unofficial. Understand?” I frowned but nodded at her words. “While Harmony is immensely gifted in the arcane arts, she’s reckless. There’s so many unknowns with Champions and the Divine’s gifts. It was worded much more tactfully, but the gist was to stop messing with magic you don’t understand. Like a phoenix that is the size of the city might kill her or a baby.”

“Part of science is experimentation, but maybe I can capture some enemies and bend them to my will,” I joked… mostly.

Dami helped me equip my armor, trying her best not to yawn. When she finished, I tucked her into my bed, leaving the carriage to find Drago. Repeated snaps of trebuchets sounded in the background with only a few of the stones hitting the walls.

Even though I asked for them to be aimed low to prevent excessive destruction inside the town, some rocks would fly over the walls, killing innocents. My hand gripped the leather hilt tight enough that it creaked.

“The best way to end a war is to cut through those who’d kill you and yours first,” I whispered, arriving at the long line of horses where Drago nickered. “We’re off to war buddy. Let’s hope they cower at our sight.”

Chapter

Sixty-Two

OSBIN

The Assault!

I stared at an entire ruined wall, grinning at the prompt that overlaid in my vision.

Quest: Conquer Osbin.

Mission: Osbin is part of Tolmeria and it stands against the region. Defiance encourages others while challenging your rule. There are many ways to establish dominance here. Regardless of the path taken, you will be rewarded.

Game of Castles Reward: Varied Lord Points.

Honestly, since the ogres could load the trebuchets, it really changed the whole dynamic of siege warfare. They could help set them to tension lock, add a ball, and do it all over again in short order.

A lot of warlords wanted to sneak into an enemy base, open their gates, and conquer the city so they could take command of an intact city.

I wanted to send a very clear message that this was just a test run. Hell, I even let refugees out of the west gate while I besieged the east. I figured the more people clamoring about fallen cities, the better.

Ormis walked over, adjusting the helmet we had custom crafted for him. He did wear the thigh guards and chest plate smoothly, but he kept messing with that helm. “I hate it.”

“Sure,” I replied.

“What!” he shouted down at me tapping on his helmet to let me know he couldn’t hear. “I need ear holes in this blasted thing.”

I ignored him, rifling through a small patch on Drago’s saddle. Being a general would one day fade, simply because I couldn’t be at the front of multiple assaults. It also was becoming more difficult because of all the people I had to talk to and signal. In this case, I pulled out a small dark blue scarf, waving it around.

Daxton and a few other banner carriers lowered their banners, added red streamers, and then raised them high to signal an advance. A mighty war drum drowned out whatever Ormis continued to complain about.

I nudged Drago forward, curious that the enemy decided to not flee after we tore such a wide opening in their defense. Whoever managed this garrison could go out the back gate, retreat to Seshkin, and regroup.

They wanted a fight, so we gave them one. Sometimes being a general held a simple nature, where you just said, ‘fuck it,’ and took the only obvious action.

The rubble produced an odd sort of defensive line that Seshkin archers stood upon with infantry behind them. A small segment of enemy knights silhouetted the city behind the infantry, their pacing likely to encourage resolve.

As for banners, the Seshkin Kingdom’s blue and gold flew proudly snapping in the wind. Captain Carr and the scouts wrote down all the unit banners they recognized with none of them from the royal line. The highest ranking banner they saw belonged to Duke Tremo who generally wasn’t all that courageous or noble.

The Duke, and the city of Osbin in general, were known for their chicken farming. Since chickens can eat fish, raw or cooked or scraps, they fit in well for the region. Plus, the constant hills were great for foraging. The wild chicken numbers were so plentiful here I finally got to stop hearing everyone complain about fish.

But… we weren’t here for the chickens.

Duke Tremo likely fled well before we laid siege to his city even if his banner was present. I really figured a secondary army would signal a call for aid to their allies, but this wasn’t movies. No riders of Seshkin came thundering in from a flank.

My infantry of trolls, Tolmerians, and orcs, brought ramps, ladders and more. They marched four ranks deep with first and second rows holding shields up high for protection while the third row was archers with a final shield row.

We definitely could have brought more troops, and yet, I left more than half my forces to protect the camp followers. For all I knew, a hidden hillside would spill out troops any moment.

To protect my flanks, the knights rode with the infantry on both sides. A lot of people, myself included, figured cavalry might be useless in a packed scrum, but Kroz assured me the knights would carry the day. The elevated attack points, the superior mass of the horses, and the ability to catch up or flee from any opening proved they could fight inside a city.

Of course, bringing up the rear, fifteen ogres protected the back side of the archers. Between the ogres, armorless trolls wheeled small carts with spears on them. The enemy never signaled a call for diplomacy, nor did they send out assassins or messengers.

We smashed down their walls, started a deep beat, then marched to fight to the death. The whole scene was very climactic, especially since I didn’t hesitate to usher a call to battle knowing this would be bloody.

The enemy wasn’t some armorless monster which left me a bit sad.

No, this time the archers wore proper leathers with nice bows. The infantry carried curved blades on a much smaller scale from mine while wearing matching armor. Their knights were nobles with fancy flares on their lances. Since riding horses was tough in the hilly beachlands, it didn’t make sense to breed them in great numbers and that showed with how few knights the enemy fielded.

Harmony stayed behind for this fight, deciding to lead the defensive forces with Nerid and Idris. I missed her banter, finding an odd quiet as we marched across the flattened out section before the walls. Captain Carr rode his horse beside mine, taking in reports from centaurs who raced around the outskirts of the battlefield to scout.

Four hundred of us marched in unison, nearing the wall when the unexpected happened. Kell’s bannerman raised a flag stopping our assault. While some might find such actions from their commander preposterous in the middle of an advance, I sure as hell knew to respect the decision.

“A trap of some kind,” Captain Carr said, almost as if he were bored. A half-ring of centaurs waited on his left. He pointed at one and ordered, “Go find out what it is.”

“Got any winter plans?” I asked to pass the time.

The wolf-eared man chuckled at my question. “Uh, yeah, making babies.”

“You’ve been with me for a while,” I said.

“I… I lost two more scouts to counter scouting just yesterday. I’m not even old, but I feel it. The idea of having designated fighting seasons definitely sounds appealing, especially when I earn more than enough for some time off,” Captain Carr said, making a great point.

I let his words soak in, not replying at first. Yeah, a big part of me desired to spend the snowy months, which were supposed to be light, by a big fire. The reality was, if I didn’t crush Seshkin by this fall, I’d do it through the winter.

Centaurs continued to run by, catch their boss’ attention, and flash him a green flag to report no enemies hurried to attack or hid behind hills. While I waited impatiently, the trebuchets fired a new volley, sending tumbling rocks high overhead.

Kell lit a torch at the front of the formation, raising it high before he tossed it onto a patch of tall grass that he stopped short of. A large fire erupted, consuming some sort of fuel trap the enemy set.

The rolling boulders arched high before they slammed into the rubble, crushing sections of infantry. Loud cries of agony split the air, almost covering the sound of catapults and ballista firing back. We were within range, but a hundred steps closer would have been better for their range.

I grimaced at the much smaller rocks arching toward our formations. My officers had been given orders to allow their troops to break formation to dodge, even if it would slow us. And so the next phase unleashed more death.

A round rock the size of my head was dodged by a troll. His deft timing brought a joyous cheer. Those cries of joy turned to a gurgle when a ballista spear erupted out his back. The ways of war were never fair.

Mages stepped forward, shifting from the third row to fuel the fire. Air gushed into the flames until the long grass turned to ash, clearing the way for Kell to keep marching. The infantry stepped onto the crunchy grit until a hundred arrows darkened the sky.

“Incoming! Shields up!” officers bellowed, their voices overlapping each other.

The arrows mostly landed in the front ranks with a few errant ones reaching the back line. I withheld counter fire, wanting to dominate the high ground they held. Once we reached the rubble the fight would drastically alter.

Our army slowed, condensing to help with the cover.

Arrows pinged, clanged, and banged off metal. A few cries of torment pierced the battlefield from wounded soldiers, but for the most part, we persisted. Lightly armored centaurs rushed into the formations to grab the wounded, dragging them to the healers in the back.

War…

It was chaotic with a mind of its own.

Almost a thousand people braced for two closing armies with integral parts on the go. While I knew some of our injured needed me to stall out and wait, I had to extend their pain to protect the herd.

“Karmil, double toot,” I ordered to the signaler on my left.

The lad blasted two blaring notes, causing the infantry to storm forward. The archers kept pace, staying right on their heels to keep up. The ogres didn’t run, using their long stride to keep the formation tight.

Drago trotted forward, keeping a steady line. A second volley of arrows rained down from the enemy but this time we didn’t condense. I frowned, raising my own buckler since we’d be riding under the darkening mass.

An infantryman in front of me raised his shield in time, deflecting an arrow backwards. The tip ricocheted directly into Drago’s eye, killing the stallion before he could even process he was hurt.

The odds, the angle, and the sheer luck was staggering.

One second my mighty stallion stood tall, the next he collapsed like a rock.

I didn’t get out of the saddle in time, unable to do anything besides being flung in the direction of his fall. My shoulder slammed into the rough terrain and my right ankle snapped at a sickening angle.

Throughout my entire life, I’d never broken a bone…

Until now. I screamed into a closed mouth at the pain.

It took all my mental fortitude to just shake the stars out of my vision. Drago, the heavy stallion, suddenly became weightless. If this random ogre ever wanted her chance to squash me, this was it.

Instead she set Drago aside, providing room for a healer to arrive. Before their green magic seeped into me, they removed my ruined lower right armor. I tried my best to keep from screaming in pain, but the entire bone was shattered.

Worse, the infantry didn’t slow down. “Arrrrrrggggghhhh!” I clenched my teeth with a feral grunt. “Daxton, keep the banner with the unit. Go!”

Jenapee arrived at my side with large swirls of green magic encompassing her. Her palm wrapped my cheeks, with her locking her green eyes to mine.

“I owe you for saving me from myself,” she whispered, using her ultimate spell I’d unlocked in Casprin.

Magic exploded from her core, drowning me in green bliss. I welcomed the sweet relief as it flooded through me when the tendrils knitted together shattered bones. The pain faded, I wiggled my toes, and I thanked the Gods for their magic.

“Remind me to give you a raise,” I said with a massive smirk. She meekly nodded before stumbling. I snapped my fingers at the squires who collected my bits of ruined armor. “Run her back to camp, then back to war.”

Captain Carr rode his stallion over, hopping out of the saddle, noting I recovered. “Take this one,” he said, signaling over a centaur to grab him a backup from the army camp. “The army needs its hero.”

I shoved my bare foot in the stirrup, vaulting into the saddle. While I loved Drago in a way I’d struggle to understand. I left his corpse behind with a fleeting thought of returning to grab my laden saddle.

I didn’t need to remind myself that I could die in the blink of an eye - I always knew it. It sure as shit was sad to see the beautiful horse, that I had experienced so much with, laying lifeless, but the battle raged on with the infantry reaching the rubble.

“Give me that banner,” I shouted, arriving at Daxton. He tossed it directly in front of me, allowing me to raise it high as I advanced toward the front. I raised the banner, once again unleashing a wave of orange magic. “For Tolmeria!”

Slats of wood were brought forward to build ramps for the troops to quickly ascend the jagged bits of ruined wall. Friendly archers drew back, storming up the ramps first. Since the enemy retreated off the high ground, my archers fired over the enemy infantry, landing arrows into the unarmored enemy archers.

Ogres with one hand filled with spears lunged onto the top of the rubble. With unrelenting volleys, they hurled spears directly into the cavalry masses. Kroz and his officers rode their stallions up a ramp, flowing behind five berserker centaur.

Spears and pikes lowered, angling to stop the short cavalry charge. I crested the rubble with my shield held high, dodging an arrow as it whizzed by my helm.

On the inside of Osbin, the enemy had created crude barricades. Archers lined rooftops in scattered clumps, raining arrows into my troops. Behind the barricades, peasants created a row behind the armored infantry. Our side never stopped counter attacking, and no one on the battlefield’s ranged attacks could match the might of ogres hurling spears.

The thinning knights retreated from the unrelenting barrage of ogre spears.

My knights pierced the infantry, shoving through the mass at the barricades. The melee entered an odd stall. The constant barrage from the trebuchets littered large rocks on the inside of Osbin. I’d have to adjust to prevent such destruction at a later date because most of the homes either lay in pieces or barely stood.

Moss and mildew grew everywhere with the city foundation covered in bits of rubble. Based on my quick overview, only a hundred defenders carried melee weapons with another hundred with bows.

“I expected more,” Captain Carr said, catching up to me on foot.

A yearning to dive into clashing ranks of infantry was held back by the knowledge I had to command. Trolls smashed into barricades with Kroz and his knights taking the left flank.

“They’re either here to die for the others to escape or they have a plan,” I said.

Captain Carr pointed to the knights in the far back. “The Duke’s banner is not standing.”

“Right. I don’t see the downside in pushing in. Even if they counter charge or ambush us, we gain a foothold. What’s happening on the west side of the city?” I asked.

“Nothing unusual so far. Besides the fire line, it seems like the defenders spent more time organizing a retreat than a defense,” Carr said.

Kroz smashed into a row of defenders with spikes glancing off his horse’s armor. His blade glinted in the sun for a fleeting second until it crashed down, clanging against a helm. The stunned enemy found themself knocked over, from his mount’s weight.

The press of the army surged forward, trampling the poor defender where his armor did little to save him.

Ormis surged into an opening and leapt onto a roof where a nest of archers fired down upon my troops. The building collapsed under his weight, spilling debris into the street. The defenders in the road who tried to stem the tide found themselves disorganized or crushed.

In less than two minutes after our arrival, the inevitable became very clear and the defender’s resolve faltered. I wished for my bow or javelins, finding myself watching more than fighting. As a promise to be the reserves to plug any gap or stop any counter attack, I found myself useless.

“The Count has fallen, retreat!” an enemy officer said.

A second later a trumpet blared a retreat.

I turned to my trumpeter, knowing I had two options. Secure our gains, giving the enemy a chance to regroup while we could set up our own section of control in the city. Or… I could signal a reckless charge into a routing enemy and potentially run into a trap. If there was no trap, their defeat would be soul crushing.

Since I had the ogres, and well, me, I ordered, “Full attack. Call in the reserves to circle around the city. This nice refugee retreat ends now.”

Five long trumpet blasts blared. The drums swapped from a slow cadence to a rapid beat. Not only that, the entire army of camp followers and the majority of my forces shifted, scurrying into motion to cut around the city.

I committed at this point, ushering my horse directly toward where the enemy forces fled deeper into their city. The ruined homes here were nicer, swapping to slums only a few blocks in.

The mount I rode didn’t exactly hunger for blood like Drago, but he was agile, smart, and patient. We weaved through the archers, coming into a clog behind infantry. A flow of knights joined my charge with Captain Carr shouting for the press of infantry to split. Kell noticed my approach, turning to his units to create a corridor for the knights to lead the charge.

Once we were past the barricades, our small segment of knights flowed into the hastily backpedaling Seshkin forces. A terrified farmer with blonde hair and blue eyes raised a scythe at my horse.

His hands trembled but he found a resolve at the last second.

Unfortunately for him, he became so focused on me, he never saw the ogre club racing down. One second he snarled to attack, the next, he lay as a pile of squished gore. I rode through the splattered mess, slamming my sword into an archer’s collarbone.

She died instantly and in a flash, I carved my massive blade into the back of a soldier’s head.

A secondary inner wall seemed to be where the enemy was running towards, not the western gate where my other army hurried to end this fight. I followed the fleeing troops who turned for a full rout.

Up ahead, a portcullis dropped down with a resounding thud once the mounted officers reached safety. Before the forces who ran were forced to turn and fight to the death, I stopped and inhaled a deep breath.

“Surrender or be run down. We will give quarter,” I bellowed.

Even as I shouted my offer, I couldn’t help but notice the fleeing enemy kept glancing at an alley near the inner keep’s walls. The hairs on the back of my neck stood.

I raised my sword high, and shouted over my shoulder, “Trap!”

A few of the trolls who ran down the enemy archers kept going, not listening to the overall command to halt the pursuit. I watched the street, seeing the portcullis raise slightly so the survivors could slide under the steel teeth.

The errant trolls who failed to consolidate with our reforming lines recklessly charged beyond the alley I figured was a trap. Four of the five kept running, but one of them jolted with shock pointing into the alley.

A lone knight on a massive steed burst out of the alley, splitting the stunned troll’s face down the middle with a flawless strike. The horse pushed on, slaying two more trolls with deft hacks and stabs. A set of arrows from behind me soared overhead, pinging off his horse’s armor.

He defiantly spun his horse, seeing Ormis hurrying over with more ogres.

The battle entered this odd lull with the brave enemy knight facing off against my forming army. I watched him, wondering if this was Regor himself, come to aid his allies with an ambushed surprise. He certainly possessed above human skill with a blade.

“Are you scared?” he bellowed.

Two of our trolls retreated, safely returning to our formation. “Uh, yeah, obviously.”

He clearly didn’t expect this reply. “Why?”

“There’s a set of ice mages or fire mages, or something up ahead. You should have never told the common soldiers because they kept looking to where you hid. Now I sit back, pick up ruined sections of your walls, and bombard your city until it's rubble,” I said.

An enemy archer hurried over to the knight, whispering something with disdain. The evil looks he shot at our direction sent a clear message. I waited patiently, knowing the trebuchets would be reaching the outer wall soon.

“You’re capturing the poorest of the poor and those the least capable of fleeing. Just when I thought you were smart, you prove yourself unwise,” the knight said.

“Okay,” I replied. “Any last words or do you intend to die with a defiant sneer?”

“I request an official duel,” the knight said.

I hopped out of the saddle, confidently striding forward. “Okay.”

“And here I thought you might refuse.”

“You may think I’m stupid, but I’m telling those nice folks they can come back home, this is over, and we both know it. I’m not some monster,” I said, stopping a dozen paces in front of him. “Your name.”

“Ivine.”

“Adam.”

He sighed, getting out of his saddle. “I know. I kinda hoped to meet you in the spring, but alas.”

“How does this work?” I removed my other boot, so my feet were both bare.

“Three solid strikes win. If I defeat you, you retreat. If you defeat me, well, I can’t promise anything, but the Duke fled, your ogres killed Count Vastin, and the current leader is in a prison cell,” Ivine said.

“Sounds complicated,” I replied, stretching a bit.

He strode forward, raised his blade in a salute, then waited. I raised mine in salute as well. When he charged forward. I hurled my immense sword sideways, chucking it into a house’s wooden door.

Ivine slowed. “Why’d you do that?” I pointed at the vibrating weapon in reply. “Yeah. Why remove your weapon?”

“This is an honor thing right?” The knight frowned under his armor, eventually nodding. “That doesn’t do love taps.”

I raised my fist, stalking forward. I didn’t exactly feel like talking. He entered some sort of fancy pose, dancing forward with flowery flows.

The ball of my right foot bunched and I shoved forward, zipping across the distance to get behind him at an angle. Ivine tried to follow my blurring motion, swiping out with precision.

I balled my gauntlet, batting the sword downward with insane power. The impact ripped the weapon free of his hand. Before it could clatter on the stones, I stopped my lunge, closing into his guard.

He spun, trying to bring his blade around even though I probably broke the other wrist.

I snatched his good hand, raining three quick blows into his face. I dented the helmet, ruined his jaw, and dropped him to lay on the cobblestones.

“Healer,” I bellowed, retreating from him to retrieve my blade. “From the Seshkin army.”

The portcullis raised and a small medical team rushed to treat their warrior.

Captain Carr waited for me by the door. “That’s Ivine, the champion of Tolmeria.”

“I’m the Champion of Tolmeria.”

“Ah, his title is not Gods given. He is the champion of the three kingdoms. The best of the best, of, you know, mere mortals,” Carr said.

“He’s good, but I’m not going to be defeated in a one versus one unless they’re blessed by the Gods,” I said, waiting patiently.

My troops continued to consolidate, dragging our wounded back while hauling Seshkin wounded forward. Five minutes later, Ivine stood again with his helmet off. He shifted his jaw unhappily.

“Well fought, Champion Adam. I’ve never been so humbled in my life.”

I nodded with respect. “A demonstration was needed. I won’t apologize for the display.”

“May I request a parlay?” Ivine asked.

“Like a pirate thing?” I snorted with a grin. “How long?”

“A meeting in the morning. The rest of the day will be at peace to recover the dead,” he offered.

“I’m taking weapons and armor, but the heirlooms will be left on the dead,” I said loudly. “And yes, your refugees will be well treated.”

“See you in the morning. Unarmored troops and citizens will clean up the battlefield. The armored soldiers will keep to the inner sanctum, until our meeting in the morning.”

I grabbed the borrowed horse’s leader and spun, ceding the battlefield. We’d smashed a nice hole into the city, securing a solid foothold for later aggression. It was going to be impossible to stop our trebuchets from ruining Osbin.

“You had a resounding victory, but appear somber?” Ormis asked, a bit sad.

“Drago died to a random arrow,” I said unhappily. “I’m going to bury my friend, secure our gains, then see what the general wants. Our goal was never to own this city. It was always to leave the street littered with the dead.”

“Oh, we did that,” Ormis said.

Kroz chuckled and guided his horse to ride beside mine. “A fine victory, and sad for the losses. Do you want the trebuchets on the opening or in the west?”

Moving the siege engines was a huge pain because they had to be torn down and put back together. A contingent of knights guarded them while the rest of the army amassed on the western gate.

I sighed. “If we can smack this wall down, we can ruin the other side. Take them to the west because I have a feeling a surrender is coming. They saw my power that I only barely unleashed on them.”

“It wasn’t much of a fight,” Ormis said with a grunt. “I can do better.”

“My coin’s on Adam,” Kroz said. “Fucking magic human.”

“Let’s not what if. We start a new siege and ruin more of this city if General Ivine wastes my time. Kell, clean up the dead. Carr, have the centaurs load up the troll carts with the weapons. Everyone else set formations in case the enemy charges while we loot. We leave Osbin as a unit of victors, ready for whatever these feeble defenders may have left.”

Chapter

Sixty-Three

OSBIN

Terms!

“Good morning Cleo,” I said, pausing to loom over her at the pavilion tent’s entrance.

The knife wielding woman wore dark leathers with a thin strip of orange ribbon binding her short hair. She didn’t need to bind her hair, but she wanted to display the colors of the Tolmeria Empire since she already wore a white armband.

The young woman glanced up at me. “It is good to see you, Adam.”

I grinned, unable to help myself. “How’s protecting Dami?”

“You know, fun. My sister thought the idea was silly, but you definitely have spies in your army,” Cleo said.

My presence, probably right around the time I defeated the centaur horde, carried an air to it that caused most commoners to gaze upon me differently. In a way, I was revered, a man of the Gods, no longer a simple mortal.

But not to Cleo. Not one bit.

“I got rid of one,” Harmony said from inside the tent.

Cleo unleashed a wicked grin. “The Empress doesn’t like being away from your side, I’d get in there if I were you. A woman’s scorn is -” Her strength faltered when I slid the back of my fingers down the side of her face lovingly.

“You protect my family. I’ll always let you be honest with me, and more importantly, I’ll do anything for you.” I reached into my satchel and handed her a small journal I was planning on giving Pela. “My time pulls me away from everyone, but whatever you need, just jot it down and then hand me the book. This is more than a job.”

Cleo gently took the book with a small smile. Her resolve faltered and her ability to process kindness shook her. She grabbed a small charcoal pencil from a pocket, pressing it to the exterior.

“Anything?”

“Well, almost, I can’t do the impossible, but I’ll try. I can be an evil overlord or a caring monarch with love for his people but no mercy for his enemies. None of that matters because you protect my children and their mothers, you understand what that means to me, right?”

Cleo opened the book, staring at blank pages in raw understanding.

Harmony arrived, sliding a hand down Cleo’s back. “Be strong. The enemy approaches.”

I turned my attention away from the dagger wielding guard, seeing a standard bearer, a hooded woman, and Knight General Ivine. Instead of heading inside, I figured I could meet them here. They’d already dealt with guards to enter my army, meaning they were weaponless. Even though their arrival only pulled me away for a few seconds, a calloused hand returned the journal into my palm.

While it was a bit rude, I opened the page. She asked for her sister to be out of the slums, bread to be distributed to the Misho poor nightly, and to have someone named Lavin assassinated.

“I will give you, not her, a villa. If you choose to let her stay in it, which you should, done. The bread is happening anyway but we’re waiting on grain from the north. And let it be known, Lavin made a mistake that will catch up to him,” I said with a chuckle.

Harmony giggled. “Right. I’ll take care of this. Welcome to the family Cleo.”

“Thanks, Empress.”

“Harmony, is that you I hear,” the hooded female said when she neared.

My lovely fire mage stiffened immediately, her mind processing the voice. When it clicked, she animatedly squealed, “Colette!”

Harmony was about as badass, stern, and serious as a woman became. To see her erupt in delight didn’t even happen when Pela hit milestones. To further compound my confusion, she rushed to the hooded woman and slammed her in a hug.

When the hood peeled back, I saw a stunningly beautiful horned woman with white hair that led to pink tips. Her large dazzling light pink eyes were highlighted by black eyeliner. Dark horns curved on her head transitioning to pink tips at the end. The baggy cloak hid much of her body, but two things were certain. She had massive boobs under that outfit and even if the species were different, she was probably related to Isabel in some form.

“She’s cute, too cute,” Cleo whispered.

I locked eyes with Knight General Ivine, nodding into the tent. He walked around the ladies following me into the private setting. Dami waited inside, managing the tea kettle that sat above a smoke stacked wood burning stove.

A long bench table meant to seat ten seemed overkill since they only brought three and the banner lad waited outside. I slid into the bench, seeing a simple scone on a wooden plate.

“Did you make this?” I asked Dami. She nodded, bringing over my tea. “You spoil me!”

“I know. Who’s your guest darling?”

“My manners. This is Ivine, the champion of Tolmeria’s tournament rings. Ivine, this is Lady Dami. Dami, Ivine,” I said, not rising to my feet.

Ivine dipped his head in respect. “A habit of mine to avoid food or drink at such events, excuse my lack of manners.”

I stole his biscuit without a second thought. “Did you know they’d know each other?”

“Yes. But that is my job, to know my enemy.”

Even if he goaded me to get angry I stayed calm. “Funny, I’d never heard of you until recently and Gardol seems better with a blade.”

He shrugged. “Bah! He’s good, I’m better. And yes, I’m a tournament champion, not a champion in the Game of Castles.”

“Why are you here, Ivine?” I asked, taking a bite of my biscuit. I turned to Dami, gently pulling on her tail. “Heavenly. Absolutely heavenly.”

She kissed my cheek, relishing in the praise.

Ivine ignored the cutesy banter I shared with Dami and replied, “Winter is coming.”

“The cold is only a few weeks away. I have a nice portion of unruined houses to exploit.”

“Why would you ruin Tolmeria? Why turn our homes into rubble!” Ivine hissed with passion. I could tell he wanted to shout but knew better.

I smugly snorted. “It can be rebuilt. Trust me, I know a thing or two about building stone walls.”

“The dead can’t be resurrected.”

Again, I blew off his words with a snickering headshake. “Then you should have opened your gates, traded with me, and let us pass.”

“Why would we do that?” He sneered with clenched fists.

“That’s enough, General,” the mystery woman said. Harmony entered, rotating to hug me from behind. I wiggled a bit when she landed a hot kiss on my neck. We exchanged about a dozen pecking kisses. “By the Gods, he adores you as much as you adore him.” Her chipper tone turned into a flat expression, bordering on boredom. “I think I may vomit.”

Harmony giggled with a snort. A rare treat that I savored. “This brute has the heart of Tolmeria. Estin knows it as does grandfather. Adam, Colette, if you didn’t notice.”

“I did. Well, her name anyway.”

“We were academy roommates. Eight hellions in one room, but Colette always had this way of keeping me in trouble,” Harmony said.

Colette snorted. “Bah! Okay, maybe a little. Most of my memories involve talking about Professor Baul’s dashing looks and the dreaded arranged marriages.”

Harmony rolled her eyes. “Those were better times. And thank you for the support letters, both in the past and recently.”

“Well, when I told father I’d fuck the entire fleet of sailors rather than marry some Avorth grandpa, he canceled my proposal. I have you to thank for that,” Colette said with a wide grin.

“Ninety seven dead,” Ivine grumbled, changing the subject back to reality.

“I told you to try diplomacy. I fucking told you,” Colette scolded. “But you locked me in a room as a prisoner!”

I raised a finger. “I’m missing a piece of the puzzle here. Even though you have horns and pink eyes, you look like you could be Isabel’s cousin. You know Empress Harmony and -”

“Princess,” Ivine corrected, not acknowledging Harmony’s title.

“I really don’t like you,” I told him.

He shrugged, uncaring.

“Colette is not related to Isabel directly, but she is probably a fifth cousin or something. I don’t look too different from her aunt who was my uncle's cousin's daughter,” Harmony said, and I cringed.

“Right… the arranged marriage thing between the highest of nobles.”

Harmony elbowed me, disliking my rude comment. “Princess Colette, eldest child of King Krastor, but not the heir apparent.”

I leaned back, even though there was no backing to the bench. “How the fuck did they let you get this close to me?”

“Ah, well, there’s a story there. My family most certainly does not approve of me as of late. You’re being tracked closely. I read the reports, finding myself engrossed in your story. Imagine my surprise when I hear of victory after victory, and then…” Colette huffed, glancing at Harmony with a fondness in her eyes. “You adopted her daughter.”

I blurted, “Pela?”

“Is there another I don’t know about?” Colette glanced at Harmony with a raised eyebrow.

“One on the way,” I replied, bouncing my eyebrows. “Also I’ve been around kids. Pela is one of the easy ones that makes you think being a parent is super chill and relaxing. I’m spoiled.”

Harmony hugged my side and kissed my cheek. “Better get on with your diplomacy because I have a future husband to pounce on.”

“I… I’m happy for you. I really am. Best to just get to the point. I met Regor.”

“Handsome?” I asked.

Harmony frowned. “Jealousy is not your thing.”

“Yeah, but… the assassin.”

Colette frowned. “Yes, but repulsive at the same time. He exudes this confidence and bolster that makes my skin crawl. He’d never prop his feet up or take his eyes off Ivine.”

“Because I’d crush him,” Ivine admitted. “I’m a fighter, but yes, he was scared of me.”

“See. I sided with you in the court, predicting this scenario months ago, right Ivine?”

“Rub it in,” he grumbled.

Colette snickered. “And because I showed disdain to Regor, my communications were suppressed. I killed the person in charge, but when I moved to Osbin, my ravens were stolen, and the Duke locked me in a fancy prison. All that is in the past. You won Osbin, and Emperor Adam, I’ve come to officially surrender myself and my faction of the Seshkin Court before it’s too late,” Colette said. She’d been standing this whole time. Instead of sitting beside Ivine, she sat beside Harmony.

Ivine’s nostrils flared with fury. “You… You… You can’t do this!”

“Ivine has been my guardian since I was ten. His words come from my father’s faction, not mine. I truly appreciate you sparing him from death during your duel.” Colette bowed her head while seated.

“My words don’t matter. If you stay in this camp your father will flay me,” Ivine growled.

I finished my biscuit, taking my time to let the turn of events process. “Your knights waited in that alley?”

“Yes. Some of the finest Seshkin has to defend her walls,” Ivine said with clenched teeth. “You may think you’re impressive, but hardened and trained knights can down ogres with ease.”

“Thoughts?” I glanced at Harmony.

Harmony kissed my cheek. “This is not a ruse like earlier. This is the real deal. King Krastor’s daughter is my friend, and more importantly loved in the court, even if she doesn’t have a penis.”

“An odd thing to say, but many wish I did. My brothers are rash, brazen and not as calculating. Look, I’ll be honest. You quelled the swamps, controlled the Jelin Woods, saved Pelio from the Anthril at Jodi Crossing, and yes, you spared Lao even if you raided the lumber. Not to mention you recently rescued Casprin, when father’s knights refused to sally forth.”

“We can’t afford to have our army caught in the field,” Ivine protested. “Seshkin is the everything.”

“Bah! They aren’t our people if we don’t fight for them. Lines on a map matter less than my father thinks, but he’s learning. Losses like Osbin will sting far more than he understands.”

“No one wants to bet on a loser,” Harmony said.

“He’s not, but you arrogant children fail to -” he cut himself off. “My temper gets the better of me, I apologize.”

“Emperor Adam has cut off our exports of fish. Do you think Cask wants fish? No, they have five fishing cities. Who the hell are our fleets fishing for? Reserves for some long siege will eventually hit a point of overdone. Not to mention Regor promised ten thousand troops, but delivered a few hundred. Those troops are -”

“Princess…” Ivine warned. “You go too far.”

I frowned, holding up a hand. I rose to my feet, offering her a palm to place her hand into. “Walk with me, Colette, and call me Adam, please. Ivine. She’s in my protection now, do you understand?”

“You can think whatever you like, but I’ve sworn an oath to her safety,” he replied with his now signature sneer. “If you harm her, the entirety of Seshkin will hunt you down.”

“She’s loved,” Harmony warned. “I mean it Adam. Even if this grouchy asshole has the tact of a spiked fish, he is not wrong.”

Colette placed a hand in my palm. “I’ll be safe. Lady Dami, Lady Harmony, I promise to be a lady in his presence.”

Dami rose from her seat to curtsy. The mousy woman found her niche in my life, living in comfort in the background instead of trying to be a diplomat. I adored her, relishing in her happiness.

After I kissed the noticeably pregnant Dami, I exited the tent, soaking in the warm morning rays. The refugees we corralled ate a nice breakfast after being provided shelter. Sure, this didn’t make them happy, but I wanted Colette to see the care they were given.

A few of the despondent noticed her, rising to their feet on instinct. I gently guided us away from their location, walking to a different part of the camp. Princess Colette didn’t seem to mind. In theory, she could be walking my camp to assess numbers, but any scout with an eyepiece from a vantage point in the city could see every bit.

No, she was here for a different reason.

A reason Ivine hated.

When we entered the ogre section of camp, most of the big lugs were snoozing, as was their way. Ormis peeled a single eye open at our approach.

“Is she pretty?” Ormis asked in Hilloc even though he could have spoken in Tolmerian.

I smirked. “She’s peaceful.” I replied so she could hear me.

“What did he ask?”

“If you were pretty. You are, but Harmony recently slit a pretty girl's throat who wanted to get close to me,” I admitted.

“I like Harmony,” Ormis said with a snort. “Who’s this one? Don’t see many Oni species.”

“Princess Colette, an heir of Seshkin,” Colette said.

He raised an eyebrow. “Are we not fighting? I wanted a duel.”

“It’d be a damn shame to have this be the end,” I said with a snicker.

“Yes?” Ormis asked, like an excited little boy.

I opened my mouth, snapped it closed and nodded. At this point, I hoped we were friends, but if I lost and he left, I’d swallow my pride.

“Levels,” I whispered, slowing time.

Ding! You have reached a new level!

Ding! You have reached a new level!

Ding! You have reached a new level!

“Damn, I only killed six… no seven.”

You led the charge even after losing your friend. Victory matters. In addition, you defeated the most skilled warrior besides you in the realm. Word will spread throughout Tolmeria how you swiftly and soundly defeated Ivine the Tournament Champion.

“Wait, Osbin surrendered?” I asked with a gasp.

When the reply scrolled across my eyes, I chuckled.

…

The Princess surrendered. She is the most powerful agent alive in Osbin.

“It’s forgone, fuck. Uh okay then. Two points in dexterity, one in constitution. If I drink poison, I wanna live. Oh, and it is time to shine. Give me an epic display, my army deserves it,” I requested.

Asking Gods for dramatics. Juicy. Jump over the ogre fire and relish in reaching level forty.

Time resumed without anything happening at first. I glanced around and slapped my hands together with a delighted rub.

“What?” Ormis said.

“The Gods have spoken. More in a second,” I said, jogging away from him and the startled Princess.

I ran right towards the fire, hopped on a boulder and used it to leap over the flames. Well, I tried to. Fire licked my boots, and for a fleeting second, I regretted my egregious decision.

A violent welling of power erupted out of the fire, slamming into my body. I rose off the ground, screaming in agony while the magic ripped at my organs and muscles, reshaping me into something more, something greater.

Tendrils of energy whipped around me, spinning around in extended circles until the entire camp couldn’t help but look up.

I inhaled deeply as the pain subsided.

“People of Tolmeria, we are one. If you find yourself in my camp by force, you are free to go home. For those in Osbin, the fight is over, the siege is at an end. For those who died valiantly in the defense of their home, they’ll be honored, and remembered for helping to end the violence.

“Princess Colette knows the power of Tolmeria. She respects our desire to unify, enjoy life, and to have our children grow up in safety. Not in countless generations has this region been given such an opportunity. With the addition of Osbin, comes Pelio, Lao and other surrounding cities who defy the invaders of Cask.

“The violence will stop as a new border is drawn. A line in the sand where the Cask Region has conquered Seshkin, and we, the Tolmerians hold the rest of this great land. Together we will bring about a brighter tomorrow and with the heir apparent of the last bastion within our ranks, a peace will soon arrive,” I proclaimed, gently floating towards the ground.

Green text scrolled across my vision.

Name: Adam Clear

Champion for the God of Barter

Height: 6’5”

Weight: 242 lbs

Age: 26

General Level: 40

Strength: 10

Stamina: 7

Dexterity: 15

Constitution: 5

Endurance: 6

Healing: 2

Magic Type: Golem

Magic Level: 24

Spell Assignment: Water Golem

I gently landed next to the fire, cracking my neck.

“Never gets old,” Ormis said, entering the makeshift ring. “Weapons or no?”

“No weapons,” I said.

Ormis bellowed in Hilloc, commanding the other ogres to back up. Any who were slow to wake earned kicks, quickly vacating the ring. Princess Colette stood on the edge of the clearing, welcoming Ivine and Harmony when they arrived to see what the commotion was about. The crowd grew, but this was never a spectacle or meant to be a show, so Ormis charged in with very little notice.

I bunched my right leg, digging the ball of my foot into the gritty terrain.

The ground quaked from his errant charge, and I saw the twinkle in his large eye. He knew I’d make a move, I could sense his tension, feel him waiting for it.

I faked a lunge forward and to my left, watching his foot sweep out to kick where he anticipated I’d arrive. Based on the speed and the lack of ferocity behind the attack, he hoped to hit me lightly with speed instead of power.

My right fist lanced out, striking his calf as it zoomed by. Because of the power behind the blow, he eventually reached a point where he not only supported all his weight on his right leg; he also lost a firm balance.

The instant I shot forward, I became a blur with my increased dexterity. Before he could adjust, I slammed into his ankle like a linebacker. Ogre bones were thick, but I worried pulling my tackle would prolong our duel.

Upon impact, he teetered with flailing arms.

He crashed down with enough force to bounce the stone surface. I backed up, returned to roughly the same place I started, and waited.

“Bah, ya cracked something,” Ormis grumbled, clutching at his leg.

I wasn’t exactly sure if I did, but it was a great way for him to save face. “You almost had me.”

“No I didn’t, but the more I learn, the better,” Ormis said, swapping from his side to his back. He glanced at one of the ogre females I barely knew and requested a healing potion. “Did you mean all that you said?”

“Yeah, obviously. Rest, my friend. Rest. I have diplomacy to attend to while you deserve a nap,” I teased.

“A nap does sound good about right now.”

We shared a friendly nod and chuckle before I departed the ring. I reached Ivine, Harmony, and Colette, smiling from ear to ear. “Well, are we ready to march north?”

“North?” Harmony blurted.

“Yup, north. We capture Pelio, then Lao, and once we hold Lao, Colette sets it up as the southern capital of Seshkin,” I said.

The lovely oni girl folded her arms under her plump, rocket-shaped breasts. “I’m not leading a rebellion.”

“No. On this we agree. Your father is siding with the Cask Region and what for, promises of armies that don’t appear. He backed the wrong horse, it happens. I’m the heart of Tolmeria, and Colette,” I paused for effect, “you are too.”

“She didn’t surrender,” Ivine said. “She just proclaimed herself to your cause. There’s a difference.”

“As fucking if. Of course Osbin surrendered. The only chance they stood was with you leading a counter charge, but he didn’t fall for your trap.” Colette raised her voice, defying whatever limited power he held over her. “Can you beat an ogre with your bare hands? Can you defy magic, soaring into the sky? Have you fought two anthril kings, killing them both? There’s more, but I don’t need to say them.”

“You sorta do,” Harmony said, rubbing a hand down her back. “We’re going to Lao to have a wedding and camp for winter. Part of the game requires building a castle, something we have forgotten, even if your father’s armies cut us off from our home.”

Ivine grabbed a signet ring from his finger, placing it in Colette’s hand. “Princess, I can’t follow you north. But I will bear witness to your strength. You stopped a siege from a foe with only a partial army. You sacrificed yourself to this… -”

“Aligned. Be honest or he will whip you. Father is not an evil man. Misguided at times, but lies are the root to,” Colette said with a pause so he could finish.

“Evil.”

Colette tucked his ring away. “Regor is a lost cause. But you don’t care about the optics or the Oxa game being played.” Oxa was a form of complex chess with far more moving pieces. “Avorth and Estin will crush us in the spring or they will march through the Obsidian Woods.”

“Obsidian Forest,” Harmony corrected.

While I almost stepped in, I stayed out of it for now. Colette continued, “Ivine. You have seen the Gods bless this man. Why do you not see what I see?”

He folded his arms. “He may not be a bad person, but I still don’t like him. Good men died from his blade who ought to be with us.”

“I don’t have time for this. Join us for a proper breakfast after you send your former guard away since his liege lord has sided with a womanizer instead of a warrior,” I said, letting out a string of manly grunts.

Harmony squealed in a mix of shock and delight when I slung her over my shoulder like a caveman. She played the drums on my ass, enjoying being carried. Ivine likely continued to be a sour ass, but I was in one hell of a decent mood.

I hit level forty, I had an open path to Seshkin, and I fully intended to leave my enemies worrying.

My soon to be wives were content, my army was growing by the day, and the roads connecting Tolmeria bustled with commerce. While I wanted to keep my options open, I also wanted to prepare for winter, and I felt our diplomatic message was super compelling.

Unify Tolmeria.

At the same time, I knew that Champion Zeth would likely have started to secure his region with additional wins. In addition, Champion Regor wouldn’t be sitting idly by. Whatever plans he set in motion, I just had to hope it didn’t get me killed.

Regor Chapter 4

He stood over the corpse of the Seshkin ambassador with a heavy sigh. He’d personally beheaded the obnoxious man and the blasted gods refused to reward him. Unfair fights and sudden killings were how most killers worked.

“Bring me Elise,” he growled, returning to his throne. “Remove the body, freeze the blood, and then clean my floor.”

He plopped down into the chair, biting a nail. Everything went to shit about a week ago. From the south, ships were falling prey to some unknown leviathan. To the north, the ratkin poured out of sewers, all but sacking Calbun, one of the bastions of the region.

Whoever he hired to kill the anthril were successful on three of the nests, but a fourth surged, adding to its might exactly where it’d started. Hags still roamed his swamps, small bandit groups picked off his mineral trades, and the Hillocs refused to meet diplomatically.

Even when his armies mustered forth and crushed theirs, no envoy from their council sought a treaty. They merely retreated, reformed and did it all over again a few weeks to months later.

Meanwhile, in Tolmeria, that Adam fellow started crushing his mercenaries and allies. They said he could jump twenty feet, move five times faster than a man, and commanded all the races. He killed the ambassador who said the ogres were reloading the siege engines for him, making it only a matter of time before Seshkin fell.

He needed Seshkin, even if he didn’t. Regor fumed at the prospect of losing one of his early allies. The thought just caused him to continue to brood with hatred as his servants removed the ambassador’s corpse.

A guard brought Elise, the Seshkin bride he locked away besides when he yearned for aggressive sex. She loved being ravish, a hidden kink behind her batting eyelashes and princess nature.

“My Emperor, I adore you for bringing me to court,” Elise said, being the tactful diplomat.

He grinned, knowing she saw the corpse of her third cousin or some such. “You’re going home, with a small fleet and two thousand of my troops.”

A collective gasp unleashed from the attendees. Elise curtsied in understanding. “I’m to take the throne?”

“By any and all means necessary. Your sister, that defiant bitch, she’s being besieged by Adam, sure to fall and surrender, it’s inevitable.”

“Father will struggle to -”

He held up a commanding hand. “Yes, yes, we have to, sorry for your loss, and you will look ravishing as the Queen of Seshkin.”

“As my Emperor commands. I will see your will done, or die trying,” Elise said, her voice wavering a bit.

He interlocked his fingers, staring down at her. “Do this, and I will let you pick a regent, while you can have that chair.”

Behind Regor, two of his most loyal wives perched on the edge of their seats. The empty chair was promised to over a dozen of his wives if they did this or that. He kept his word, willing to add more chairs, but most disappointed him.

In this case, he felt Elise would prevail and those pompous idiots in Seshkin would realize the power of the devoted was greater than the efforts of one man.

Chapter

Sixty-Four

OSBIN

Plot Twist!

“When are we going to leave?” Colette asked from her comfy spot in the command tent with her obscene amounts of cleavage on full display from a tight corset.

Two days after her surrender, I set about rebuilding Osbin. Did I have to? No, no I did not. However, I wanted to send riders ahead of our inevitable march through Seshkin lands, letting local lords know we demanded they fight our growing army, an unwise decision, or play nice until politics at the highest level resolved itself.

More important than anything else, I needed to wait for a supply caravan that was meant to come during a prolonged siege of Seshkin itself. It didn’t make sense to extend beyond our capabilities. Just because Osbin surrendered, didn’t mean I had the troops or officers to occupy the city. If I peeled away, leaving the main road exposed, that caravan could be attacked by the weakened defenders.

Dami sent ravens, announcing to our forces that we intended to continue the siege of Seshkin lands while leaving the city alone. At the same time, I hid some of this from Colette, wisely leaving her in the dark until she earned some trust.

“Soon. Not that I’m eager to keep going. The trolls keep coming, ogres keep arriving, knights trickle in, and since my army is being paid with real coins, our camp follower numbers are growing rapidly,” I answered.

“You’re waiting to hear back from Father?”

I shook my head. “Any reply from King Krastor is irrelevant besides an expulsion of Regor’s troops and a desire to unify.”

“He can’t because of Elise, my younger sister already is in Regor’s Court. Plus Regor is subsidizing his loyalty. Unfortunately for you, whoever is on his flank is not breathing down his neck,” Colette said.

“The Farli Region is my saving grace. I don’t mind thinking the right flank is secure, even if I know better. There will be a champion in that region, likely one that is focusing on leveling without pissing people off. My big thing…” I danced my fingers over the war table as I continued, “is the pegasus.”

She instantly placed her hands up. “Not privy. You could tickle me for a thousand years, and I’d be as clueless then as I am now. I have rumors, that’s it.”

“Rumors, be damned, what about your thoughts. You’re loved, cunning and deeply embedded into the court,” I said.

Dami arrived, coming in to relax outside of the chilly early fall breeze. Pela followed, heading to a side table to doodle with her other mother.

Colette smiled, walking over to join them. “You know, I never ever expected Harmony to be better off than me.”

“You’re too kind,” Dami said, playing the role.

“Smish! You’re adorable.” After a bit of doodling to earn a smile for a soft spoken Pela, Colette continued. “The pegasus was stolen in a very… unsavory affair. Stealing is bad!” Pela wasn’t even paying attention. “Whoever did it, likely had Father’s approval. I’d put Duke Cambrin as the most capable. He has a very defensible castle, a very loyal family, and he’s about as boring as they get. Which is good.”

“Why would boring be good?” Dami asked, her large brown eyes darting between us.

Colette didn’t reply rudely. She measured her response. “Rumor has it that he sold it to Elise who then gifted it to Regor. And that’s good because you can probably get three during one raid. Speaking of which, Dami, Avorth has the pegasus because Adam is the opposite of boring. In fact, I don’t think Pela should be with him during an active war.”

“Harmony wants her daughter to be safe and unless I die, I’m her guardian,” I said with a chilly tone.

“But a stray arrow can steal those we love.”

I slammed a fist into the table, causing a jolt through the room. I unbound my balled fingers to hold them up.

“Sorry. I lack the infrastructure of a stable home. Everywhere I go, it is someone else’s location that I visit,” I grumbled. “If Estin or Avorth turn, Harmony won’t.”

“In this, we agree,” Colette said. Harmony hustled into the open tent with a flushed face from running. “Speak of the succubus.”

“What?” Harmony said, arriving with panted breaths.

“To be fair, all the ladies in my life are insatiable,” I said, winking at Harmony.

I apparently didn’t read the room right. The fiery fairy tossed a scroll across the table. I opened it, frowning at her displeasure. My frown deepened when she clutched her daughter in a way only a sad mother could.

When I unraveled the parchment, a quest popped up in my vision that I ignored for now.

Dear Daughter,

The Sabathine Tunnels are overridden by ratkin in numbers we’ve never seen. Supporting them are a deluge of arachne, goblins, and wildlings. Tell your lord that this is common during the summer, and a chance for us to raid their settlements for grand loot. This is different. This is something unholy. It’s a nightmare that is spilling into our lands.

With the Hilloc numbers depleted, we can use some help.

Prince Tarsin

“Harmony. Walls exist for this very reason. Let the enemy die trying to ascend them.”

The fire mage hopped to her feet, reached into her bust, and handed me a much smaller piece of parchment. The instant I had it in hand, she returned to telling Pela to behave.

I grumbled, reading the next message.

Dear Liam,

As your mother, I miss you more than anything in this world and hope you’re well in your new home. I’ve traveled to the north, meeting wonderful new people you will delight in. Two of them love to make cloth animals filled with stuffing. They have these nice horses with wings you will adore but more importantly, they have sweets! You love those sweets. I can’t wait to see you again, but our route home is blocked.

Love your mother,

Booma.

My hand shook until it gently stabilized. Liam was dead and Booma was missing, gone north to find allies. She wanted to prove her worth, and if this was true, she far exceeded any of my expectations. I walked over to the nearest magical lantern, converting the parchment into ash.

I finally decided to give the quest my attention.

Quest: It’s not just Hillocs under the Mountain.

The Mission: Open the Sabathine Tunnels so the Kazon Region can flee from a strengthening Champion Zeth. In order to do this, you must face your greatest challenge yet, a massive infestation of monsters under the mountain.

Reward: LP reward varied upon many factors. You will receive increased IP with Kazon refugees for even trying.

“Zeth strengthens?” I asked Dami.

Colette nodded. “He’s finally gaining territory. It’s slow going, in most directions, but not all.”

“Lamond sent me the same information,” Dami said.

“And Clear Castle, what news?”

Dami sighed. “The Seshkin knights stage outside the city, not realizing just how hard it is to siege with only cavalry. They’ve fully cut off construction and transportation, but Tarsin and Gardol are marching to relieve Drefius before siege and archer components can crush the city.”

“How far out are they?”

“Days, if not hours. The siege could already be repelled, but Drefius is confident he holds. More troops flow to counter the cavalry while less troops reinforce the siege. Gorm is said to be overflowing with refugees and militias. Rosa has offered rewards for those who help the efforts.”

I folded my arms. “Then I go north.” I hung my head in shame for what came next. I walked over to my beautiful mousy lover, rubbing her belly. Her eyes flared wide with understanding.

Colette, who was not privy to all the information, asked, “You go to fight Zeth?”

“No, I'm going to help refugees make it south.”

Harmony hugged Pela a final time and said, “I have affairs to prepare and ravens to send. The second message, albeit cryptic, made sense.”

“Why can’t refugees get south?” Colette asked.

“A ratkin invasion is being bolstered by arachne, goblins, and wildlings. They’re swarming under the mountain and if I had to guess, every region is going to face an invasion, including Cask,” I said with a sigh.

“I need to let Farli know,” Dami said. “It seems smart to be helpful to them.”

“And this is why I hang my head. I arrived in early spring; fall is about to start. You’re close to five months pregnant and a princess in your own right,” I said, kissing her forehead. “I can’t drag you on a long trip.”

“No, but you can leave me with Pela!”

“That’s the spirit. You’re going to take this army back to Misho for the winter. The north faces a new threat and I’m definitely sure they know,” I said with conviction.

Dami vacated the room, leaving to give Pela to her nannies more than likely. I found myself standing at the war table, wanting nothing more than to have the south secured. And yet… If I went north, I could drastically increase my population, military, and pegasus count in my army.

I did realize that most of the refugees’ best warriors would either be dead or held behind to continue to support those who left late or not at all. Even if that was the case, their numbers could change a lot for me. A whole lot.

“Whoa, this is for real, you’re leaving Seshkin, as in the whole military?” Colette asked, joining me at the war table.

She was able to see this, mostly because she wasn’t allowed to go and Harmony adored her. However, I didn’t trust her yet.

“Yes,” I replied with a snicker. “The Gods… they have these controllers who talk to me.”

“And what do they say?”

“This will be a war of wars fought in confines. Normally, I’d ignore them, letting them crash against walls, but I have to open a channel.”

Her hand slid over to the Basbin Pass. “I’m confused. This pass is open since you control the centaurs.”

“I… I don’t think you understand the time we’re living in. Every region needs to face roughly the same threat level. There can be differences, but they’re uniquely minimal. In my opinion, there’s a second herd of centaurs in the Kazon Region.”

“And a necromancer? You think there’s one there too?” Her question had a hint of validation to it. “They scare me.”

“Yeah, probably a necromancer too. Lyndsey likes the finer things in life more than dying for someone else’s cause. That necromancer will be one hell of a defender of his home though,” I said with a shrug. “I did hear the Cask necromancer died though.”

“Well, with Lyndsey, I think it’s smart if you can control him.”

I shrugged. “That’s the greatest part. I do and I don’t. I simply help him live his best life and in exchange he grows attached to being happy.”

Colette folded her arms. While she didn’t try to prop up her breast, she did so until they neatly formed a shelf. “Okay so every region has a necromancer, centaur herd, and more. This means they all will face the invasion from the mountains?”

“There is so much I don’t know about Regor.”

Colette sighed. “I can say this. He bountied and offered rewards for everything. His coins are his power, his singing, his weapon. The anthril, centaurs, necromancer should have all been eliminated, but we never heard how many were properly removed.”

I jabbed a finger on the top of the region. “This is going to be big. If I’m him, I’m trying to get mercenaries that he already needed for one offensive. He may or may not find new ones, but I have to wonder, how does he keep paying them and these warriors in Tolmeria. If he loses a city or three, the troops in our region will need to be recalled.”

Her light brown eyes bordered on hazel. While I became a bit lost in them, she studied me with a realization. “The Game of Castles is at play, and you know something we don’t.”

“I… I wish Rosa was here. She’s this -”

“Wonderful elf with a great love for knowledge and analytics. An out of nowhere acquisition that has been one of the greatest rises to our… empire.” I grinned, unable to help but smile when thinking about her. “Sorry, please continue.”

“Right, I know something. You went to an academy for how many years?”

“Seven.”

“For a hero, rushing to win rewards you, but skipping steps and cutting corners doesn’t always mean you are doing a good job. Regor should have never tried to expand while he had his own problems at home. And because of that, I’m going to remove my army from our Seshkin lands,” I said.

“Ours?”

“Oh fuck yeah, not a chance in hell am I not replacing your father when the time comes. A nice retirement, sure, but I’ll put you on the throne, customs be damned,” I said, packing up little pieces from the war board. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her bite her lower lip. “I saw that.”

“Well, Adam, what you say is impossible.”

I continued to quickly put away pieces until I paused, staring her dead in the eyes. “I don’t give a fuck. I don’t care about the optics, I don’t care about tradition, and I sure as shit don’t care that you can’t rule as a woman. I’m not going to get further into politics. You picked the right Champion, you deserve a reward, assuming Harmony doesn’t slit your throat because you're feeding your father information.”

“I… A lot to unpack.” She curtsied. “Since you like my council, I bet Regor lets his invasion problem fester since it's not a pressing issue,” Colette said.

I shrugged. “Even more reason to wait.”

The auburn haired woman dipped her head in agreement. “You leave Tolmeria whole, Osbin mostly repaired, and then ride north. What about me?”

“Harmony said you’re a nature mage. How powerful?” I asked.

“Well, I would say very but compared to you or her, not so much. I can entangle feet a few times a day or make my favorite plum tree bear fruit once a week,” Colette said.

Harmony flowed into the command tent with a purpose. “Dear husband, the servants pack the war tables.”

“Fair, I’ll get Kroz to rally the cavalry while having Ormis lead the army back to Misho.” I huffed, setting the little icon for the family carriage down. “I… I may need to postpone our marriage.”

“No, we will have it this new year, when the snow is present and the hearth crackles,” Harmony said, kissing my cheek. “What’s the plan with her?”

“She’s not swollen with babe, can cast magic, and has no excuse to not join us,” I said with a shrug.

“I’d love to fight… from the back,” Colette said. “I must admit, I should visit the keep in the city and convince Ivine he is needed. He can be a sour man, but he truly is gifted.”

“Five knights, no more, go.” I stepped out, craning my neck up. “Yeah, plenty of time. This is also your chance to stay in Osbin.”

Colette whispered something in Harmony’s ear.

The fiery sorceress crackled out a laugh, grabbing her travel satchel from a chest. “Yes, he’s always this sweet, yet brooding. Run along Princess, and hurry back, the Emperor rides to war.”

Chapter

Sixty-Five

BRACKENFELL

Brackenfell!

“He returns!” Clara said, glancing around me.

Drefius’ wife, Caroline, rushed out to greet the ladies with proper welcomes while I headed to Ban’s Tavern. I stood in the stirrups and shouted at the army of knights behind me. Two weeks of hard riding left them just as ragged as I felt. The sorry looking bunch cheered up a bit at the thought of sleeping on a hard floor or a nice bed.

“Listen up, Kroz, stables. Nerid, Oban, baths in the alley. No one gets drunk. We ride at sunup. You pay for pleasure, even if it’s a drink or meal for a local lady, which… First drink and meal is on me!” My proclamation earned a few cheers.

I left Marco’s saddle, heading onto the tavern’s balcony to greet Clara. “My Lady, it has been too long.”

She curtsied. “You honor us.”

Caroline excused herself when she didn’t see her husband arriving with us which left me nervous. Since we moved without the carriages, the ravens didn’t follow, meaning I had no idea how the rest of Tolmeria shifted.

“The town looks marvelous!” Harmony said approvingly. Colette looked around a second time, trying to figure out what we were approving. I faked a smile, knowing she was used to royal estates and lavish living. “This is Princess Colette. Two ladies of the bath house, please and thank you.”

“Right this way,” Clara said, leading them into the tavern.

Ban came out, offering me a mug of ale. I gladly accepted, watching a young knight take Marco’s reins.

“Bit small for you,” Ban said, easing his way into the rocking chair.

I sadly nodded. “Yeah, the big guy died in Osbin from a stray arrow.”

“Heard that went well for you. Crushed a city, stole a princess - then fled north!” Ban said, raising his mug in salute.

I tapped his mug, downing a pull of rich ale. “Oh, the fine stuff, thanks, and yes, for once the news is true.”

“Was the victory worth it?”

“There’s some upset people, but not too many. I miss that horse something fierce though.”

“Bah! I meant the princess.”

“Got a few of those.” My joke landed just right to earn an eyeroll. “She still has her honor guard,” I said, adjusting the rocking chair so I could get into it without too much wobble. At the last second, I changed my mind to keep stretching my legs. “You’re building a new wall?”

“Trolls keep bringing rocks from out of the mountains. Frozen fish comes up from Misho. The combination means work gets done,” Ban said. “Hear from Drefius?”

“Nope, was about to ask.”

Ban reached into a pocket handing me a balled up piece of parchment. “Sorry, was going to burn it.”

The report was from Prince Gardol. I grunted with a chuckle. “They routed the three princes, sending them south before a siege could ever fully form.”

“Date a week ago.”

“Thanks Ban. I needed some good news,” I said with a huff, watching the troops flowing into town. Next to the well, a fire leapt to life, providing a communal cookout spot since not everyone could eat or fit in the tavern. “And Ban, great work with Brackenfell, I mean it.”

“Bah! Slow and steady. So, I figure you’re going after the ratkin I keep hearing about?”

“Yeah, I really need to. They’ll be a big problem if not addressed. It’s sorta the Game of Castles theme. Stomp out problems in your region, the proactive ones get rewarded while the rest will have bigger problems,” I said, downing my ale. “How’s Clara doing?”

“Fantastic. King Vardrin keeps sending patrols in this direction, becoming very active again as winter nears. We’re blessed by their visits and immigration is booming. Based on the side chatter I’m hearing, the people of Tolmeria are warming up to this young Emperor who dominates in battle,” Ban said with a chuckle.

I happily sighed, pacing the front porch. Slowly but surely the horses were being prepared for a good sleep as their saddles were removed, oat pails were brought out, and they could roam to get water freely from the well since the town’s gate was closed.

Clara came out with a smile. “Harmony’s ready for ya.”

“I suppose I do stink. It was nice talking to you, Ban.”

“Hold up. Father, I think it’s time we replaced your carriage. The Empress needs a loaner for the trip into Avorth,” Clara said.

I opened my mouth, then closed it. We’d left behind our luxury carriage, letting Dami take it to Misho. Due to the fact that we only had one horse per person, we could only move so fast, alternating between walking and riding. The main way we saved time was by cutting through woods directly.

But now… “Roads!” I whispered with wonderment.

They were an utter priority to me and now that we were in the upper half of Tolmeria, plenty of roads led directly into Avorth. I knew a carriage would hardly slow us at this point.

“Yes, sorry, we had a nice couple who wanted to start a carriage business but they shifted down to Misho where there’s a nice mill,” Clara said. “Father’s is the best in town though.”

“Mighty kind of you. Oh, he, I asked Ban this already, but we had to leave behind the ravens. Any other special news I need to know?” I asked, pausing near the door.

They both shook their heads. “Besides the Seshkin cavalry retreat, not really.” Clara kept the door open.

“Alright. I suppose it’s time to remove the dirt off my frame. Let the knights sleep wherever they need to and try to get their kit washed before the next leg.”

“Yes, Emperor,” Clara said with a curtsy.

I strode by her, entering a bustling inn. The bard stopped playing his lute and the crowd watched me with reverence. It wasn’t lost on me that I’d moved through this very tavern months ago as a nobody.

The jovial times continued when I shifted into a set of descending stairs that echoed endlessly. I reached the private bathing room for ladies. A young elven woman stood guard to make sure no one entered without permission.

She stared up at me, trying to speak but failing to form words. In all my life, I’d never left a woman speechless like this. I chuckled, walking by her and into the private room.

Harmony rose out of the tub, pointing to the door angrily. “Adam Clear, you knock! Out!”

A half-dozen other women, who I didn’t know, soaked in a steaming bath. Princess Colette stood under a very weak shower, not being modest while other ladies covered themselves at my intrusion.

I grumbled at my mistake with a blush.

“Ah, shit.” I turned around. Harmony splashed out of her bath, grabbing a towel. “Clara said I was summoned and the girl at the door stammered instead of stopping me. Dear Ladies of Tolmeria, you have my deepest apologies.”

“We’re going across the hall you big oaf. Ladies, your Emperor commends your beauty, unable to help but turn red.” Harmony’s words earned a giggle. A second set of feet joined us into the hall. Harmony stopped, stared at the shy young woman who was probably not used to even seeing the Viscount, let alone other lords. “No man, not even the Gods themselves, enters this door again or your back will be more red than - than - than something very red.”

“Yes… My Lady,” she stammered.

We walked down the hall and entered a couple’s private bath area. Men bathed in the alley or in their rooms, not earning a private spot unless they paid for a private bath which came with perks - as in ladies! To be fair, even though this was a patriarchy, the basement of Ban’s Tavern was the only safe space for women.

I closed the door behind me, only to earn a knock a second later. I popped the door open to see Colette. Up to this point, she’d had her own tent, never trying to sneak into the tiny one-person tent Harmony and I barely fit in. To be fair, as soon as we lay down, we went to sleep.

“Come on in,” I said, not caring. “As long as you want in, I’m okay with it.”

“I do,” Colette said, squeaking through the door with only a towel on. When I closed it, she stared at Harmony who turned on the shower. “Wait, should you even be in the saddle?”

Harmony’s baby bump showed enough that Colette might have a point.

“A son. I know it. He’s tough as his parents are.” I chuckled, enjoying the sight. I walked under the water in my nasty clothes, letting my lovely beauty unbind the attachments. Harmony’s steely gray eyes locked to mine. “I love you.”

I bent down, gently placing my lips to hers. “I love you too.” After a brief pause, I cracked a grin. “Are you sure you don’t want Golem to clean us?”

“Ugh, I’m naked waiting for you to scrub these swollen boobs! No, I don’t want your damn magic monster!”

Colette dropped her towel, grabbing a bar of soap while giggling. “You know, I never expected this. I’m not very complicated, or so I think, anyway.”

“Uh, I don’t get it.”

“Adam, I had thoughts of taming a man, making him mine, and then fixing him to be how I needed him to be. You… You somehow turned Harmony into a pet,” Colette said, noting one of my finer achievements. “Look, she doesn’t even argue.”

“I’ve never been happier. We’re also good friends, Colette, and I don’t wanna ruin that.”

“Hard to do at this point. I’m the Seshkin wife. I clearly want it, I called it months ago, and you know it.”

I stayed out of it, basking in their attention and the fact I finally got out of these nasty clothes. They both ignored my nasty clothes, spreading the water on my body to lather it.

Harmony said, “This is your chance to leave, or else you’ll lose your virginity in that tub.”

“Technically, my cherry popped when I was fourteen during a horseback competition. While I may be a virgin, I’m not averse to pleasure… assuming that will even fit,” Colette said, staring at my growing penis that Harmony worked into a boner.

Harmony said, “Okay, work on his backside while I work on his front, and he rubs my boobs. In a bit we’ll rinse and you two can take the tub after I heat it.”

“Are you sure?” Colette asked. “I don’t want you missing out.”

“Ha! Once you get to know Adam, you’ll realize that won’t be an issue. I want you two to enjoy, and you don’t need me holding your hair or anything.”

They both laughed, and I was glad I’d stayed quiet. Harmony’s boobs were wonderful, and she moaned as I rubbed and caressed them, feeling their weight. She closed her eyes enjoying it when I got a surprise from behind.

Colette had lathered up my back and was now rubbing her boobs against my back. It felt fantastic. She couldn’t reach very high, but I didn’t mind. I focused on Harmony’s boobs, trying to read her body to get the perfect amount of pressure.

After a while Harmony sighed and opened her eyes. She smiled and gave me a quick kiss before she said, “That felt really good and helped. Rinse, and I’ll heat the tub for you both.”

I turned to face Colette, who smiled up at me bashfully.

I said, “That felt wonderful and I’m looking forward to enjoying more. Are you sure? You’re committed past the point.”

She grinned. “I want you, and I want this family. Trust me, I’m very committed. You know you’ll put a baby in me tonight?”

I looked at her questioningly, so she explained, “I’m an oni. We’re always fertile and once bonded, almost always get knocked up, even when we try not to.”

I chuckled. “Looks like we’re both committed, then.”

We walked under the showers and quickly rinsed off before we walked over to the large tub where Harmony was. The water was already steaming, and she gave Colette a quick hug. “Welcome to the family; enjoy getting knocked up.”

They both giggled before Harmony gave me a kiss and went to put on a robe before going upstairs. Colette and I stepped into the tub. The water was hot enough that it took a few minutes before we could settle in. It felt wonderful, and we both grinned at each other.

Colette bobbed in the water, letting her massive boobs bounce in and out of the water as she watched me. They certainly captured my attention just as she wanted. She said, “How about you play with these, while I take my time adjusting to you. I have a feeling this might take a while.”

“Sounds wonderful to me.”

She stood up to walk over to me before she knelt straddling my waist. Her full, heavy breasts were perfectly positioned in front of my mouth. My hands moved up to cup them even though they were much more than a handful.

She chuckled, looking down on me with her pink eyes. “The influence of big boobs is pretty amazing. Now let’s see about getting you into me.”

She grabbed my hard cock in her hand and guided it to her entrance before she started pressing her weight down on it. To say she was tight would be a vast understatement. She spread her knees out even farther and grunted as she pressed down harder.

My tip slowly crept into her channel while I took turns sucking her large nipples. Her tits were so soft, I couldn’t help but think about having a good titty fuck. Colette’s would be perfect, but I focused on playing with her nipples.

As I played, sucked, tongued, and teased, Colette slowly sank down on my rod until her face was just above mine. I released her boobs and straightened my back which made up the difference and a bit more. I smiled down at her before I kissed her.

She passionately returned my kiss and then did something. My cock was suddenly overwhelmed with pleasure sensations. My whole length was being squeezed and rubbed with different textures. I wondered if this was what the fancy, guy’s sex toys felt like. My thinking brain got much less blood because my lower head needed all the attention to enjoy the sensations.

Colette stopped kissing me, so I opened my eyes to look straight into her pink ones. She was enjoying the affect she was having on me. She said, “We’re bonded now, Adam. Oni only get to bond once. I’m looking forward to seeing our beautiful baby girl.”

It was difficult to focus on her words, but I replied, “I’m sure she’ll be as beautiful as you.”

“Take me by the horns, please and rub them. It will do to me, what I’m doing to you.”

I nodded as she passionately kissed me, and I ran my hands up her arms to her head and then to her shining black horns with pink tips. As soon as I touched them, she jerked and moaned into my mouth.

I could easily imagine using her horns while getting a stellar blowjob. The sensations exponentially increased, and all thought went out of my brain. How long we were there lost in pleasure was beyond me until my body couldn’t take any more and exploded.

I found myself standing in the lukewarm tub, passionately kissing Colette with her plastered against me with my hands still tightly holding and rubbing her horns. I felt emptier than I ever had, like her body had sucked every bit of cum out of me.

Colette still shook in orgasms, and I realized I should move my hands. I lowered them to her shoulders as we continued to kiss, until she slowly stopped orgasming.

She broke off the kiss, and we just held each other as she caught her breath.

“Damn, that was so much better than my mom said,” she whispered. “Wow.”

I was surprised that I hadn’t slipped out of her and realized her vagina was keeping me inside her even though I wasn’t hard. I chuckled as I lifted her up, physically pulling her off of me. I was going to set her down, when she snuggled into my chest, so I switched to a princess carry.

“Wow,” I said, “is right.” I stepped out of the tub and walked us over to the robes, just as someone knocked on the door.

I set her down, so we could put on our robes before I swept her back up into my arms.

She smiled up at me as she said, “I’m all yours, Adam. Now and forever.”

I smiled back. “Welcome to our family.”

Clara guided us up to the nicest balcony room in the tavern, eager to get the water changed out for the next couple who wanted to have a spicy bathtub adventure. I didn’t mind, knowing I needed to write a few letters in the hopes of maintaining diplomacy. I dragged my satchel over to a side desk, engrossed in my work while the sun set on Brackenfell.

In another two weeks, the battle of a lifetime would be upon me. Unfortunately, I had to enter the heart of a kingdom I didn’t control with a lot of knights not fully bound to me. A part of me worried King Pragor might try something nefarious. Most of me hoped the people of Tolmeria would see me as an asset, and at the very least, make their move after I secured two more pegasi.

The thing was, something changed in my heart, and maybe the heart of Tolmeria when I walked in the tavern earlier. Not one set of eyes loathed or hated me. I saw fear, but mostly adulation, and that was what I clung to.

Chapter

Sixty-Six

ARO

The Thunderous Charge!

“Well, it’s not everyday you see this,” Drefius said with a snort.

The twirled mustache man watched with a boring gaze. Kroz replaced him at The Clear Castle with Drefius catching up to our slow carriage. His report of the battle from the Seshkin matched the reports I read. The enemy tried to storm the walls once, failed to secure the walls, then waited for Gardol and the Estin knights to ride them down.

Here, in the north, he was just another unit commander at my side. We watched the unfolding situation with morbid curiosity. The incline up the Kasmi Mountains stretched as far as the eye could see until white capped peaks tried to pierce the sky. In the near distance, a small stone city contrasted the late summer with early fall fields filled with vibrant greens.

In the middle of those fields, I saw ratkin fighting in the hundreds. Their foes… anthril with a king on the surface, none of the soldiers thin, and their numbers impressive. Atop the city walls, soldiers did the same thing we did, watching the two sides scrap it out in the open. I glanced over my shoulder at the knights who looked to me for both courage and orders.

“Daxton, unfurl the banner,” I commanded.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Nerid said in a playful way. The archer’s moxie was playful, helping to cut the always serious nature of Drefius. “Boss, this is well in hand. I mean we can just sit back and -”

“Charge. I earn points for killing, those points buy you coins, reinforcements, and so much more. I’m going, no one has to follow me, since yeah, it’s clearly smarter to wait, but this is the Game of Castles,” I mentioned.

Harmony didn’t hesitate, swirling embers of phoenix magic. Daxton struggled to unfurl the banner until Colette helped him. The young man had it, giving her a glare. I’d need to talk to her, mostly because she was struggling to find a way to be helpful.

Ivine’s replacement, a less grumpy version named Darmo, tried to grab her saddle before she shot forward. “My Lady, you’re not a knight!”

“Darmo, stop bitching and get in front of her. Raise the banner high.” Daxton raised it high. “Slam it down.”

I spurred Marco on, not wearing my heavy armor because it was too much for the smaller stallion. I still carried my big sword and shield, racing past Colette to block for her.

The instant I set the horse into motion the magic exploded out of the banner. A wave of energy coursed through the fabric of Tolmeria, matching the powerful note that erupted out of a squire’s trumpet.

From behind our hill, four hundred and forty knights thundered toward the clashing armies. The defenders on the wall of Aro watched us storm onto the scene, aghast at our audacity. I spotted the anthril king laying waste to the ratkin humanoids who stood no taller than a mousy.

The ratkin wore anything they could for protection while brandishing stolen or makeshift weapons. And I determined ‘brandishing’ a fitting term because they definitely weren’t killing very many anthril with their feeble attacks.

Honestly, I figured the ratkin fodder were being used as bait because the chitin anthril armor simply deflected the enemies blows.

And yes, at any point the mighty army behind Aro’s walls could have sallied forth and crushed the filth, wisely choosing to stay hidden…

Until now.

Trumpets blared, a distant chain popped before it creaked and the army of Aro scrambled to join us in battle.

“At least they’re watching. A show, shall we?” Harmony said with a wicked grin.

Her white stallion easily kept pace with Marco, riding smoothly over the farmfield. Harmony’s white hair flowed behind her as she rose in her stirrups triumphantly. Embers coalesced around her, erupting into vibrant flames with blooming power.

The phoenix roared to life, flying high in the air until it soared behind us. With a dive down, it shot into my back, gobbling up my mana as it passed through my core. When it erupted out the front of my chest, the angry firebird grew to a size I could hardly fathom.

“Figured I’d try something different,” Harmony shouted in glee. “Look at the power!”

At this point, the ratkin and anthril stopped their clashing, watching our charge with trepidation. A few of the ant soldiers broke ranks, hurrying for a freshly dug hole that rested dangerously close to a hole the ratkin protected.

Searing heat emitted visible waves from the approaching phoenix. The enemy would never cram themselves back into their homes in time, and as far as I knew, neither of these rubbish armies were ready for a spell of this magnitude.

The ratkin shrieked at each other, losing grip on their formations to halt the anthril. The anthril king turned to me, his hands up as if he wanted to negotiate. The phoenix smacked into the king's inner circle, avoiding the main army.

Even though he had no shield, his extra tough chitin exterior fought the flames. Our charge sped forward, watching the anthril army falter as their leader used his sheer will to survive the magical onslaught.

Bit by bit, he turned to ash and a few seconds later his army fell with him. The phoenix streaked forward significantly smaller than before. It indiscriminately converted random ratkin to ash, shrinking with each passing kill.

At this point, the ratkin army became a cluttered mess for us to ride down. I slowed Marco, guiding him for the ratkin tunnel. I pointed to the anthril opening and shouted at Colette.

“Block that then get inside Aro,” I bellowed.

Marco weaved around a random boulder, hopped an irrigation ditch, and led me right to the enemy’s retreat point. The ratkin weren’t some magical army that would vanish if I slayed their leader, and every last one needed to die. The instant I neared the opening, purple eyes stared out of the darkness.

I skid Marco to a halt, hopping out of his saddle and not a moment too soon. A bolt of white arcane magic blasted out of the tunnel. I dodged with a twirl, snarling at the hidden creature in the depths.

“Pathetic,” I taunted, hopping into the opening with zero fear.

My blade lashed out, blurring with my enhanced speed. The ratkin casters simply moved too slowly against my enhanced speed. I cleaved flesh, slicing through numerous bones with ease, diving deeper into the tunnel.

Squeaks of fright erupted from the tunnel creatures. My eyes slowly adjusted as I stayed at the spot where the sunlight barely lit the depths. The last thing I wanted was to dive too deep and become cut off. I grumbled, seeing troll shamans in various death poses at my feet, and not ratkin casters.

I decided not to dive deeper, yet. We weren’t even in the same area of the pass I needed to clear, which told me a lot about the infestation problem.

I returned to the surface, grinning at the sight. The cavalry rode down the short-legged nasty creatures with gleeful abandon. Others might judge their grins mid-slaughter, but I didn’t. Victory wasn’t some chess move; it was a blade to a neck most of the time.

Even though the ratkin scrambled in numerous directions, a flow flocked directly towards me, the guardian of their salvation. I didn’t need to hide who or what I was in front of these troops.

With my sword cocked back, I became Death himself. I flowed through the farm field, moving so fast that most of the black-eyed creatures I killed struggled to understand what happened. The heavy blade felt light in my grip, carving through clumps with ease.

My attacks and flows focused around that entrance, never deviating too far from it so I could massacre all those who sought safety. Colette’s knights posted above the anthril hole, cutting down any who tried for that exit, leaving the ratkin no real escape option.

The Aro army surged onto the battlefield, hacking and slashing at any ratkin fleeing towards them. The fight was never a challenge, but it was a message. We could have watched two armies fight for dominance, and instead we came in, sweeping them both aside like wheat to a scythe.

While I didn’t explain a lot to my troops, the reality was, the anthril king exposed himself to win. He foolishly overextended, and if we didn’t kill him, those ratkin probably would have further enhanced his power.

You kill infestations before they fester, a repeating Game of Castles theme.

The hundreds became dozens, then only a few ratkin remained to be shown no mercy. A heavily armored officer trotted his horse in my direction with a small entourage flowing behind him.

I glanced down at my fancy robes, noting they were drenched in a mix of gore and a black blood that reminded me of ichor.

When I smiled, I was certain I appeared unsettling.

“Are you the Lord of Aro?” I asked.

“General Parn, my Emperor. Count Omari welcomes you to his lands and his home.”

I smiled, welcoming the hospitality for once when arriving at a new city. We were a week from Brackenfell and another week from the point in Avorth where I’d need to start clearing the tunnels. The day was young and the troops well-rested. I was sure they wanted to stay behind walls with ale and ladies, but I had a war to win and pegasi to claim to fulfill my oaths.

“Either his lands were not well defended or the ratkin and Hillocs helped the anthril prosper. These didn’t look like they were starving,” I said, tempering my blame by being blunt with my tone.

“We’ve had no raids until today,” General Parn said.

I pointed to the anthril tunnel. “There’ll be slaves down there. Kill or save them, depending on what they have. If it’s Hillocs, set them free, they die for us in the south.”

“I’ve heard, it was an honor to cleanse the field with you.” I dipped my head when he said this. “Your will shall be done,” he replied, bellowing out orders to his troops.

Daxton arrived with Marco’s lead in his free hand. “Shall I fold the banner, my lord?”

“Sadly, no,” I replied, accepting Marco’s reins before vaulting into his saddle. “We push hard north, letting this land heal.”

He raised the banner instead of answering, signaling to the troops to prepare for a charge. Of course, we weren’t charging anywhere but the message was clear. No Aro relaxation. My carriage rolled forward, entering the start of the dead. I trotted Marco onto the road that cut around the city as if nothing even happened.

Harmony and Colette joined me a few minutes later while the army gathered in the same boring formation, trotting like we had for the last three weeks. I didn’t mind, enjoying the lovely air while using a wet rag to clean myself off.

“Adam,” Colette said for attention. I shifted my focus, giving her the attention she sought. “Can we try that combination spell with my vines?”

“Sure.”

Harmony snorted. “He’s the best.”

“I know, right. I expected this big warning, but you know I’ve already had this conversation with Harmony?”

I chuckled. “Yup.” A collection of wagons left Aro in a hurry to travel towards Avorth. If I had to guess, there was a clog, waiting to head north. They definitely wanted to be protected, and I couldn’t blame them. I bellowed, “Kroz!”

The captain nudged his mount forward, guessing, “Tell them we’re not slowing?”

“And see if we can help their speed. We’re in a hurry though and not even a small battle will slow me down,” I said, knowing the next fight would not be so easy.

Cynthia Chapter 2

Exoth Port

The Quagmire!

Cynthia tapped her foot in frustration because something was wrong. Not even an hour ago the Fat Shark sailed into port, expecting to offload, take a few days off, and then do it all over again. Their contract still had enough time on it to go out again, and with a filled hull, they needed to cash in a fine haul.

The thing was, the port authority blocked them from offloading or even exiting the ship. When a crew’s been at sea for a few weeks, blocking their shore leave is a surefire way to create tension thicker than an anchor’s rope.

The early morning sun glinted off the soldiers’ armor with a fall breeze chilling the air. While the soldiers appeared calm, more than a few were confused, doing little more than following orders and bullshitting to pass the time. Meanwhile the crew grumbled, clenching fists while keeping daggers on belts for now.

“What gives, Cap?” Cynthia said, knowing damn well he’d be guessing.

Zormo folded his burly arms, staring down the ramp to the dock where a bevy of guards postured. “We’ll find out soon enough.”

A pompous looking officer split the guards, striding through the mass with an air of superiority. His long black cloak held a golden rooster right in the middle. He stood with poise, his blue eyes darting about with a hint of anger.

“Great, this can’t be good,” Targu grumbled.

The first officer and captain both walked towards stairs that locked The Fat Shark to the dock. The port authority captain strode up the stairs with a furled brow. A sweeping motion of his hand sent her captain and his next in line out of the way.

“I’m Inquisitor Lafrano,” the lithe man said. He glanced around the ship. “You’re not flying Emperor Regor’s flag which is in violation of his most recent edict. This is most unusual.”

“Nope, he hasn’t hired us,” Zormo replied with a flip of his wrist. “We’d gladly take him on as our next employer once our contract is finished.”

“Ah, what you say, well, that’s impossible. Every ship in Cask is mandated by authority of the Emperor to fly the Empire’s black and gold rooster,” Lafrano replied bluntly.

Zormo grunted in confusion. “We have a current contract, is there a stipulation it’s broken and paid in full?”

“I… What is wrong with you? Every ship returned to port weeks ago, immediately raising the flag,” Lafrano said as if the captain were a dunce. “This isn’t up for debate. Either you’re obeying the law, or you’re a traitor.”

Zormo turned to Cynthia. “As the primary contract officer,” she said, “I… This is the first I heard of this and we’d be more than willing to close out our contract with our current employer to adhere to these rules.”

“Who is your employer?” Lafrano asked.

Cynthia said, “Adam. Adam of Tolmeria.”

“Cynthia is your hiring officer?” Lafrano asked.

Zormo nodded. “Yeah, so what?”

“Did you meet Adam?” The Inquisitor’s question was towards her Captain and First officer.

“No, no one besides her,” Targu answered.

Lafrano flashed a smile, waving his guards up the ramp. Once a dozen soldiers reached the main deck of The Fat Shark, he ordered, “Corner them onto the upper deck. While I interrogate this traitor.”

“Traitor?” Cynthia said. “Since when is -”

Lafrano socked her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her. She dropped to a knee. While bent over, struggling for breath, a foot launched into her nose, sending her flying while blood flowed freely. She shook the stars from her head, in a spin of confusion at the sudden turn of events.

“By edict of Emperor Regor, you’re hereby ordered to disclose anything and everything said about Cask’s greatest threat - the pretend Emperor Adam of Tolmeria. You’ve been deceived, and this harlot will pay. She’ll pay dearly.”

A boot slammed into her stomach, snapping a rib. Cynthia whimpered, beyond bewildered as to what transpired. The pain kept arriving every few seconds and when she tried to cast to defend herself, a dagger touched her throat.

“Tisk tisk. I’m a mana drainer,” Lafrano whispered, sucking the magic out of her core to send it back into Limar.

“But… I did nothing wrong,” Cynthia pleaded. “Have mercy.”

He belted a hearty laugh. “Pray to the Gods, because I’ll show you no mercy you vile traitor.”

Chapter

Sixty-Seven

NORTH OF AVO

Divine Fuckery!

A hand shook my shoulder. I pried an eye open to see Asmi looming over me with a finger to his lips. He waved for me to follow him. Harmony and Colette lay in bed with me softly breathing.

I frowned and whispered, “I’m naked.”

“Stay that way,” Asmi replied. I saw his lips move but his words were in my head.

“What the fuck ever,” I grumbled, not enjoying being woken in such a fashion. When Harmony stirred, he zapped her with magic to keep her asleep. “Asmi, that’s my wife.”

For the first time ever, the god scowled at me with a furious squint. I sucked it up and followed him out of the carriage knowing that whatever the hell was going on was probably important since Asmi was normally so supportive.

When I stepped into the evening air, fully nude and very exposed, I arrived to find the Creator, in all her glory, standing beside some tentacle monster alien that was straight nightmare fuel. Honestly, if the buxom beauty wasn’t present, I’d have gone into full attack mode.

A bubble encircled us, and I stood there awkwardly.

The Creator tucked her hands in front of her hips. “The Game of Castles is not perfect. At times, distant hires hit crossroads that are normally fixed with a slight change here or alteration there. Normally. This is the God of Chaos, their name is their own to disclose. Their Champion, Regor, has triggered an empire-wide quest, mandating all ships submit to his authoritarian rule, as is his right.”

“I refused to let them claim The Fat Shark.” Asmi shrugged with a sly grin. “They’ve made considerable amounts of coin that you’re due in accordance with the rules of the game.”

In my entire life, I’d never been in a more odd situation. Every part of me wanted to blurt out questions to get to the resolution, returning to bed. Instead, I applied a fake smile, waiting patiently.

“I offer nothing,” the God of Chaos proclaimed with a haunted voice. “Your ship was seized in a port you don’t control, hardly an issue.”

“Except the rules allow for such proclamations to be met with order adjustments. The controller gave no such option to Champion Adam,” the Creator said, turning to me. “You should have been allowed to tell the crew to sail to friendly ports.”

The God of Chaos waved their spiked tentacles in agitation. “What do you propose, oh great and mighty mediator?”

“The Champion can free his ship, your Champion can try to stop him. If free, The Fat Shark can travel towards friendly waters, as it should have always been allowed to,” the Creator said.

The God of Chaos snarled before it vanished without a trace of ever being there.

I snickered. “I expected smoke, or a shimmering disappearance with a grander flare.”

“And so it is.” The lovely elf swirled her hands creating a doorway portal of blue and white.  “Step into this portal to right a wrong. We can’t turn back time, but you can venture out to fix the problem. You may not leave the ship.”

I raised a hand and she politely nodded. “So I can’t storm the city and kill Regor?”

“No, you will run into a wall. You’re only there to fix our problem for us without us rewinding time, which would ruin many, many things. When you’re finished, simply walk back into the portal, and you will return to your army. However long you’re gone for, will be how long you’ve disappeared for here. No, you can’t alter anything before you go. Step in the portal or return to bed and let Regor have The Fat Shark,” the Creator offered.

Asmi stepped between me and the carriage I desired to return to. I glanced down at the goblin god.  “Look, Asmi, I don’t want to stress my pregnant wife over a ship and its crew I have no attachment to. Nor do I want to go to war naked and without any idea of what the hell is going on.”

“Adam. Cynthia, a very talented sailor, of which you are lacking, and a powerful ice mage, of which your ports always need, is on death’s doorstep. She’s done your will, excelling at what you’ve demanded. In addition, there’s a very slim chance that Regor will travel to the ship to stop you, nude and at a fraction of your power.

“Most importantly, you can send a clear message to Cask in a way most Champions would dream about,” Asmi said, his eyes turning green with a magical desire. “You can arrive in their harbor, naked and alone, and rightfully claim what is yours.”

I sighed. “I can’t save her or heal her. I definitely would have ordered them to go to Misho.”

“If you undock, and sail away, I’ll personally heal Cynthia,” the Creator offered.

The beautiful goddess smiled, gesturing towards the portal. Asmi gently pushed me in that direction, and I realized he really wanted me to go. Up to this point, the God of Barter had been nothing but kind, caring, and a great guide. Against my desires to return to bed, I strode into the portal with clenched fists.

∞∞∞

The portal crackled with power behind me when I arrived in a foul-smelling hold on a ship. The stench of fish was overwhelming, even if the wooden pit was empty. Bits of light seeped through cracks that outlined a ceiling hatch.

Within the hold, a single person lay crumpled in a ball at the junction of the wall and floor. I walked closer, kneeling down beside the body. Her arms covered her face, the welts on them were intense and her chest thankfully still shifted to suck in air.

“Cynthia,” I whispered.

She didn’t stir, sleeping from the punishment. Cynthia sniffled residually from hours of being broken. Her fingers all bent at wrong angles, her face made Rosa’s look pretty compared to when I rescued her. Someone had sliced her up, flaying bits of flesh off to torture her.

Instead of waking her, I knew the Creator would honor her deal, so I steeled my determination to grant her justice and see this through.

I walked up the ramp, not being chained like the poor woman who lay in ruin. Torture was never the answer, and she’d get healed or I’d die trying. When I reached the hatch, I gently tested it, seeing it wasn’t locked.

“Inquisitor Lafrano, I told ya, we have no idea how she’s connected to the Champion. We got the silver, which was spent, then sailed out. You stole our haul, you tortured our -”

I’d heard enough, not really needing to know much anyway. My mission was simple. Detach the ship from the dock and get the vessel moving away from port.

Without flare or some big reveal, I gently slid the hatch open. Based on the stars, it was the same hour here as it was from when I departed my camp. The magic of the Gods never ceased to amaze me.

On the middle deck, a dozen guards lounged behind a fancy looking officer. Their weapons were in sheaths, their attitude lazy, or maybe they were just tired. Above them, on the steering deck, a crew of forty or so sailors were bound, sitting back to back except for the captain of the ship who wore a fancy cap.

A bored young guard watched me exit, yawning at first as if his eyes simply betrayed him. I watched his eyes catch on that a large naked man should not be exiting the hold. I saw a few options here, noting the most important factor lay on the gangway.

“Uh, sir, who’s that?” the young man asked while I strode to the side of the ship.

My hands gripped the rails, and I gently lifted the hefty gangway, disconnecting it before I dropped it in the water. And just like that, I trapped the guards and the officer on the ship with me. None of them would be swimming in their armor, a short-sighted mistake I was grinned at.

A commanding voice boomed too late, “Hey! Stop!”

Splash!

I dusted my hands, walking to the front cleat.

“Are ya deaf, ya daft dunce! Don’t ya do it,” the same voice warned.

I did it - removing the binding, tossing the rope into the water. The inquisitor frowned, watching me from his perch above where he interrogated the captain. I waved, inspecting the lackadaisical guards stirring to their feet. They continued to treat the situation with far less respect than they should.

“That’s it, you’re -” a sergeant started to shout.

The fancy officer shouted over him, “Halt!”

The sergeant stopped. “But he’s setting the ship free, Inquisitor.”

“Let him speak,” Lafrano demanded. “He’s nude, come out of a hold that I personally cleared of personnel and…” He gulped, figuring it out.

“Damn, I thought I’d have to make some grand proclamation,” I said with a grin.

“What - what - what are you - you - waiting for?” Lafrano stammered, the situation fully sinking in for him.

I chuckled with a headshake. “At least one of you is smart.” A portal at the starboard side of the ship flared to life. “Regor can stop me, so I don’t expect you to find salvation today.”

“Emperor Regor,” the Sergeant barked.

“Silence Erom, say not another word,” Lafrano commanded. The Sergeant snarled, then softened his anger. The inquisitor shifted to glance at me. “Surely you know we’re merely doing our jobs.”

“Who are you?” the captain of the ship asked.

“It is rude to demand, but I am your employer, Champion Adam, Emperor of Tolmeria. Slayer of hundreds.”

The Sergeant scoffed. “A small-dicked sailor with delusions.”

I shot across the distance, moving in a flash. Instead of a quick death, I decided on some revenge. Being the hero wasn’t always fun, and an eye for an eye seemed fitting.

The soldier jolted at my super speed, trying for his blade. While his hand gripped the handle my thumbs sunk into his eye sockets, smashing his eyeballs with nasty squishes.

I hopped back, watching him flail his sword around while he collapsed to his knees. The Sergeant cried out in pain with a confused whimper. “My eyes, my eyes,” he shouted over and over.

Inquisitor Lafrano grew tired of the incessant complaining, striding through his troops, snuck behind the Sergeant, and then slit his throat. The man collapsed to the deck, twitching with leg kicks that thrummed through the ship's empty hold.

“Are… are you a god?” the Captain asked.

I shook my head. “Not really, but I’ve slain many, and tortured zero intentionally. That may change though. You knew she was my agent, employed by the gods, and you still decided to flay her flesh,” I said, with no wag on my index finger. I sighed, staring at the shimmering portal that never ejected a challenger. “I suppose Regor isn’t coming.”

When I casually walked towards the hatch, the guards backed up. Inquisitor Lafrano, however, stood defiant. I opened the bottom, hoping to see Regor creeping up the stairs just in case he came through my portal.

A dagger flew across the distance from a sly guard. I caught it, flipped it, and threw it with so much power it blew a hole in his chest and shattered on the ship’s hardwood behind him.

“Impressive throw,” I said with a grunt. “Captain, detach the back line, then remove the bindings from your crew's hands.”

“But I’m from Cask,” the Captain said.

I peered into the hold, seeing no changes. While I contemplated being vindictive, I simply ran out of patience. My whole desire was to go home, not to play games.

From my crouch, I shot across the deck, driving a fist into Inquisitor Lafrano’s face. The bone shattered, and his skull exploded out the back of his head. I rounded on the next soldier, kicking him with enough force he sent his buddy with him flying over the edge of the ship to drown in their heavy armor.

One by one, I ruthlessly murdered the enemy soldiers with vicious attacks they couldn’t track. My kicks cratered armor, and my punches shattered bones. Personally, I figured my bones should be breaking from such impacts, but all I experienced was bloody knuckles. I killed efficiently until the quaking young guard who’d seen me first was the sole survivor.

“Get naked, swim onto the docks, tell the others Emperor Adam is coming for Regor. I may consider a truce if he surrenders Seshkin to me,” I said, turning away from him. “Oh, and you have one minute to get off my ship. I can send a sailor to deliver the message if you’re too stupid to save your own life.”

I strode up the deck, soaked in the gore of the dead soldiers. The sailors squirmed, but the Captain remained calm.

“I… I don’t have your catch, my Lord,” he said, his resolve cracking. “They stole it.”

I strode by him, grabbed the rope that was attached to the docks, and unbound it without letting go yet. Soldiers shouted, trying to rouse a middle of the night resistance to my attack. I ignored them, gently detaching the ship from the docks.

A surge of magic flared from the hold.

“I’m going below. If we’re not sailing for Misho by the time I return, you all die,” I growled.  Before I left, I unbound a few sailors so the chain could get started. While the Captain was a bit stunned, the crew wasn’t. When I undid the binds on the only woman she glared at me in confusion with questioning eyes. “What?”

“My friend, I heard her screams, may I see her?”

I nodded, retreating toward the hold as well. Thankfully, the captain found his senses, bellowing out commands to get The Fat Shark underway. I opened the hold door up, letting the other lady enter before me.

Cynthia stood, pulling on her chains, completely healed with one hell of a scowl on her face. Her face softened at the friend’s sight, then hardened on mine.

“Who’re you?”

“Lady Cynthia, this is Adam, your savior,” the friend said.

“Fuck that, Lena. He’s the… I was… I… I don’t want to talk about it,” Cynthia admitted.

My portal home fluctuated with power, as if demanding I enter, but I didn’t take it yet. “I hired you to do a job. That mandate has now changed. Get to Misho Port, then your contract is absolved.”

Magic swirled on her fingertips, coating the metal in ice. I grabbed the middle of the chain, snapping them both.

“What’s that?” Cynthia said, shattering the wrist cuffs by slapping the iced metal together. Her gaze pointed at the portal.

“A creation of the Gods. You prayed, they answered, I delivered. While you were being tortured, I was sleeping in bed after another victory. I want to be back in that bed. I’d apologize, make promises, but I have no idea what you want,” I admitted.

“Who healed me?”

“The Creator,” I answered, earning a gasp. “Yup, the almighty has granted you a second chance.”

“I’m - I’m blessed?”

I shrugged. “Probably. Actually, Asmi is pretty thorough in his deductions. He wanted me to come for something more than just to free the ship. Extend your magic to me.”

She ejected a tendril of ice magic, trying to coat my hand. I grabbed onto it, tracing the magic back to her body.

“You… You’re tied to me,” I said in surprise, noting she had magic to unlock.

While not as powerful as Harmony, she was very gifted in the arcane arts. Inside her core she possessed a hidden spell of ice sculpting. It wasn’t powerful, but instead was filled with finesse.

“What’re you doing?” Cynthia demanded.

I crushed the gates around the spell, earning a euphoric gasp from the caster. Right when I was about to respond, I sensed a wave of negative energy to the distant south. Something dangerous lurked in the waters. Instead of answering, or helping Cynthia to her feet, I raced out of the hold.

On the main deck, the ship sailed out of the port, not being stopped by anyone. To the south, just on the horizon, a monstrous face breached the water, glaring at me with two large yellow eyes. The starlit night flared those immense orbs, and I could feel them peering into my soul.

“Quest,” I whispered.

The Legendary Ostrid rises from the depths. Each region has one legendary land and legendary sea monster. If defeated within the first year, earn a special prize. If left alone, they will cocoon for five years before emerging as mythical creatures capable of destroying countries.

Quest: Defeat the Ostrid.

Mission: Venture into the Southern Seas and defeat the legendary leviathan by any means necessary.

Game of Castles Reward: Varies.

Warning: The Ostrid is immune to magic.

“Well, fuck,” I grumbled.

Cynthia appeared by my side, using a cloak to cover her nude form that someone provided. “What is it?”

“An Ostrid, whatever that is. I can’t kill it yet,” I said with a shrug. “Asmi wanted me to see this, I know it.”

“Zormo!” the other woman shouted.

The Captain hurried to the front. “I see it, but we’re sailing east, not south… Right?”

“Correct. When you get to Misho, feel free to keep going to keep working for me. Some of the sailors will likely want to go home. Let them travel home on a different ship if they don’t want to stick around. Cynthia is now a very powerful ice mage, reaching her full potential. I expect to see her well cared for and protected or the gods will show no mercy,” I warned.

“And the dead?”

“Fish food,” I answered, leaving them to watch the giant eyes.

As I departed, the illuminated orbs slipped below the water, respecting that I wasn’t ready for a fight… yet.

“Wait, what if we want a follow-on contract?” Cynthia asked.

Most of the crew stared at her in shock. I chuckled. “I have a massive warship in need of a captain, you want the gig?” Only one idiot dared to laugh, but the others wanted to. “Sorry, I will be the captain, you can be the acting captain in my absence. The Steward Captain of Tolmeria. It’ll come with lots of coins to pay a crew with. Maybe this lot can redeem themselves, and if not, Misho is paying a premium for fish while being a great port.”

Cynthia inclined her head, processing the information. I stepped closer to the hatch and she blurted, “And you, my Lord? Where are you going?”

“To the next battlefield where I’ll be far more vulnerable. Refugees need me.” I reached the hold and paused to give her a final look. “I’m glad I could save you, Lady Cynthia. The Gods heard your prayers.” My eyes drifted across the crew. “They’re listening.”

I descended into the hold and closed the hatch. A few seconds later, I stepped back into Tolmeria through the portal, summoning Golem to clean the gore off me before I returned to bed.

Chapter

Sixty-Eight

CLAMOTH

Insertion!

“We can’t fix this armor,” the smith said with a sad headshake. “It’s uniquely crafted, but… you’re at one of the best smithies in the world.”

I nodded, expecting as much. “I need something custom, something heavier, thicker than humanly possible while tapered to let the joints flow. For some reason, I can punch trees to splinters but a wooden spear still stabs me.”

“I’m going to be honest, that sounds terrible. I can adjust some zomina chainmail to fit and flow perfectly. It’s going to stop everything besides ogre strikes. Costs a fortune, but you can afford it,” the smith said, glancing at Harmony.

My lover bounced her eyebrows. “Two please for me as well. One with bump, one without.” Colette nudged her, shyly bowing to dip her pink horns. “Three.”

The smith grunted, dipped his head with respect, then jotted some notes. He came out with some measuring tape, getting exact dimensions. I endured, not really having a choice. I wanted thick armor, but I wasn’t beyond listening to good advice and could probably shoot in a mail dress.

Prince Tarsin approached our spot with a huge swath of followers. I didn’t worry about Harmony’s Father, but I didn’t exactly trust the rest of the people with him. Well, besides Prince Gardol who grinned like he’d just won the lottery.

“Colette!” Gardol exclaimed. “The fabled chastity princess has left the safety of the south. I never thought I’d see your bountiful… hair, in Avorth.”

“How are my brothers, Gardol?” Colette asked, her voice flat.

Prince Tarsin glared at the Estin prince with disdain. “Enough, both of you.”

I folded my arms, not liking how rapidly the politics were evolving. Everyone watched my reply. “Something’s happened. Direct, please.”

Tarsin nodded. “Elise sailed home.”

Colette whispered, “Fuckity fuck.”

“While you fought at Avo, she murdered most of the royal family via a poisoned nail. She hugged them all, but that could be wrong. Reports are rocky. The fact is, Elise sits on the throne while your father is believed to be dead or on the run. Your brothers, and most of the Seshkin cavalry was pushed back by Gardol at Clear. They’re in Lao, requesting a surrender with pardon.”

“One second,” I replied, taking three long strides to scoop Colette into my arms. I walked away holding her tight. I took us around the side of the smithy’s shop in an alley where the noise was loud but the conversation was private. “I’m here.”

“Adam, you can put me down,” Colette said unhappily. “I… I saw this coming. I need to be strong to give you council and yes, I’ll grieve later. You forget, I’m an Oni.”

“I’m sorry.”

She ran a hand down my cheek. “With Father dead, a vote should be triggered. Itron, my eldest and most capable brother, probably would win… If he sat on the throne before it cooled. Elise does, so Seshkin is fully in Regor’s hands at the moment, but Elise is a brat. This is desperation and sure to backfire.” Both of her hands folded into mine. “I know my brothers, I know that court. Give sanctuary to any refugees and accept any cities into the Tolmerian fold to win the politics. The rational warlord is better than the psychopath.”

“I was thinking the same thing. I always intended to forgive most of Seshkin but I have to rule it. Thankfully, this splits the court, further adding to my gains,” I said.

“And our loss, but a change of leadership is rarely without a smidge of chaos.” The pink in her horns flared vibrantly.

I kissed her forehead, not bothering to correct her on the poor word choice. I returned to Prince Tarsin, who effectively ran Avorth and controlled the ravens I’d need to use. The group of advisors huddled with the royalty of the realm.

“Grant any and all Seshkin who wish to side with Tolmeria a full pardon and citizenship in the nation,” I said.

“Wait what!” Gardol blurted.

I raised an eyebrow. Harmony sauntered over and kissed my cheek. “Excuse him, Isabel warned me he is prone to outbursts.”

“No, it’s fine. I can’t be everywhere at once and now Regor made an enemy he shouldn’t,” I said with a confident grunt. “Don’t make any claims to the throne. Don’t dispute Elise’s rule. Simply announce that the Tolmerian Region is saddened by the loss of King Krastor. Any and all who wish to leave before the siege will be granted benefits, including a relocation bonus of five silver per family.”

Harmony snorted, glancing at Colette. “Your idea?”

“Not the silver. That’s insanity. Elise will face an uprising or have to pay the silver to keep them there,” Colette said.

“Exactly. Meanwhile, we’re going to have a massive refugee problem here soon. What do we know about the Sabathine Tunnels that are infested because if they’re not a big deal, I should probably go south?” I asked.

“I honestly don’t know how you plan to unclog them. The enemy has collapsed sections, established intersections of death, and has infinite troops, or so it seems,” Prince Tarsin said.

“Well, that’s good, in a way.” I pointed at Gardol. “I need you -”

“Yes, I’ll clear them with you. Should be a great test of my awesomeness,” Gardol boasted.

I opened and closed my mouth. “I wish Isabel were here.”

“Pining for my sister isn’t going to win wars,” Gardol teased.

I wanted Drefius’ dry and boring chat all of a sudden.

“And me?” Prince Tarsin asked. “Do I go with you?”

“No, you march west.”

Harmony’s father scrunched his face in disbelief. “West?”

“Yup, west.”

Harmony blinked a lot. “My Emperor, the tunnels are more than capable of killing you. A ballista bolt won’t deflect from any armor. The tunnels will be thick with foes, the space will be extremely confined. And… you want Father to go west.”

I nodded.

“Okay what are we missing,” an advisor asked.

“The Karadune Pass,” Prince Tarsin said, figuring it out. “It’s owned by the Hilloc, raided by the arcane and ratkin. The Emperor is worried he might fail.”

“In a world of confined corridors, yes. Those people needed me weeks ago. For all I know, they’ve been forced to take an alternate route and when I studied the map, that’s where I’d go if my primary wasn’t open. And yes, they could be waiting for me regardless. Once my armor finishes, I’m going to try to blitz it with Harmony and hope the flow behind me can block the enemy reinforcements. More importantly, we are going to upset Champion Zeth and I honestly want to not have a massive war against a talented opponent… yet,” I said.

“For taking his refugee?” Prince Tarsin asked in confusion, crossing his arms.

I grunted. “Uh, no. So… Those refugees have two pegasi.”

Gardol slapped his hands together, rubbing them in delight. “Why didn’t you say so!”

“This region is about to get heated,” Harmony said with a sly smile.

“Both pegasi?” Colette blurted.

“Yes. My dear friends are trapped, and I need to rescue them.”

Gardol swung his hands out wide. “Come on, my Emperor, let the boring tactician secure the pass no one worries about before the snows. Take me into the tunnels.”

“Find me a stallion I can ride into war again and I’ll give you death or glory,” I said.

“Asking Estin for a horse! The madness. Deal,” Gardol said, with the word trailing as he ran away.

I chuckled with a headshake. “I’m not taking the horse into the tunnels.”

“The smith will need a day or two to prepare our armor. Father, we’re going to grieve in the Shaloshance Tavern on the river. The balcony views are worth every coin, Colette will join us,” Harmony said, sliding her fingers into mine.

“And your wedding, I’d like to see it before I die in ten feet of snow,” Prince Tarsin said.

I grimaced, realizing I made a mistake back in Misho when I had all my ladies together in one spot, even if it was only for a few days. The reality was, the Game of Castles didn’t let me do much sitting around as of late and a father just made a special request.

“Give me a bit, but I will likely conduct the paperwork while I wait to assault the tunnels. That way the ladies will know how serious I was, regardless of events. The ceremony will be at Clear Castle though, regardless of who wants what to make it fair,” I said.

“Then I will survive the pass to return. It really should be a simple trip up, drag stones into the gap, and make sure no one is already using the path,” Prince Tarsin said.

“If I can’t get through, I plan on using it myself,” I said with a sigh. “Hey, before we leave to grieve in a fancy tavern, I wanted to say thanks.”

“Of course. Avorth has never been stronger, my daughter has never been happier, and my father caved to my requests for a final year in the fields. Come spring, I’ll be sitting on the throne, and you’ll be dealing with Nathaniel or Ergol, capable sons who need to earn their own glory on the field.”

Harmony slipped out of my hand to hug her father, and when she returned to my side, we walked through the market toward the heart of the city.

Chapter

Sixty-Nine

CLAMOTH

Farewell!

After two days of staying in a resort with all the amenities you could find in Aspen on Earth, I wanted to retire. I spent a lot of time running errands, preparing for this and that scenario, but more often than not, I enjoyed the view with my hand or ear on Harmony’s belly.

Meanwhile, news flowed in from Rosa, Dami, and Isabel. The Fat Shark arrived, asking to be bought out. Captain Zormo sailed east while most of the crew returned west, eager to join Cask once again. Cynthia accepted my role, helping freeze fish when my flagship wasn’t patrolling the waters under her command. The sea would only increase in importance as my reign solidified.

Ravens were just reaching Seshkin territory spreading the word of our offer. I expected to hear more about it later, but for now, that region seemed quiet. Since the fighting settled down, I vacated the area to go north, and Clear Castle continued to grow, the ladies left Misho for home.

Hopefully by the time I finished this campaign, they’d be settled with Dami enjoying motherhood. Militarily, I ordered everyone into defensive positions beside the western Karadune Pass. And by defensive position, I meant harvesting fields before the snows, aiding in construction, and getting family time. Over the last eight or so months, not many troops managed any family time.

I wanted that to change, and while a part of me wanted to flood into Cask for an offensive, I decided using my troops to improve our homeland was a far more valuable use of resources. Improved slums, upgraded farms, new earthworks for defenses and more were wise investments to me.

Word from Urith, Champion Zeth’s Region, was that the champion marched to cut off the clogged tunnels. His armies would dwarf whatever I sent into the tunnels, meaning I shouldn’t overextend no matter what I brought and that it was literally a race against time while I was waiting for new armor.

We stood outside the tavern with the street crowded from unmounted knights preparing to march to war. The cavern was only an hour's walk away, so minimal horses were needed for this campaign and supplies would flow from the city with routine back and forths.

I grunted, watching traffic struggling to navigate around the wives, followers, and friends who wished the knights farewell.

Right as I began to fluster, Daxton arrived, carrying our armor with some of the smithy workers. The instant I had my armor in my hands I shoved it on, eager to dive into the mountains. When Harmony had a servant carry hers towards a carriage parked in the alley, I frowned, understanding what it meant, but still finding myself sad.

“You’re not coming?” I asked.

“No, my love. I’m going home to be with the rest of the family. I can feel it. The strain. The -” I kissed her forehead, wrapping her up. If I had to guess, she was nearing the third trimester, meaning one of our first encounters did the trick. “Thanks, Adam, but you’re not going alone. Owen is going, and he’s almost as good as you with a bow. However, he’s sweet, super sweet if you catch my drift.”

I glanced around seeing Gardol waiting beside another man his age who was equally smug in his confidence. He resembled Tarsin a lot and Harmony somewhat. Seeing as how Tarsin had a mountain of children, this was likely a half-brother.

“I believe I do. I’ll take care of him and we’ll be fine. We’re taking at least a hundred knights with more waiting to join.” I reassured her, rubbing her back. “But I welcome the honored few who risk it all.”

“You’re not mad?”

“Not in the slightest. Hey, I love you, my wondrous fire spirit.” I bent down, connecting my lips to hers. “I intend to winter in our castle; see it is cozy.”

Harmony pinched my butt. “I’ll never forget our time just soaking in each other’s presence. You’re a good man, Adam. Save those people, please.”

I kissed her again. “Be safe, my Empress.”

“And you, my Emperor.”

When she stepped back, Colette stepped forward. “And me, my Lord? Do you still wish for me to go home?”

During the downtime, I’d been pretty fixed on having Colette go south. Before Elise claimed the throne, I wanted to keep her safe and protected. Now, well, I wanted her to be close to Seshkin so those who fled had a place to rally to.

“Be my Seshkin Empress. Let the people see you, and let Tolmeria know Cask was a bad decision,” I said, kissing her forehead. “You’re a fierce oni and our family needs your protection. Be well, my pink eyed beauty.”

She slammed me in a hug, nuzzling her horns into me. She might be new to the family, but Colette was definitely attached and possessive. The oni had this twitch to her that I hoped to see unleashed on the battlefield, but for now, this was not the right time. She knew it was time to go when Gardol approached.

The Prince asked, “You ready?”

“You know it,” I said, kissing Harmony and Colette one last time.

I grabbed my bag, tossed it over my shoulder, and started the walk down the busy street. Clamoth proved to be the best town I’d traveled to yet, and I’d remember it fondly. I hoped I could visit again and enjoy the view from the mountains in a more peaceful time.

For now, I had a ratkin incursion to crush.

Chapter

Seventy

SABATHINE TUNNELS

Attack!

“I don’t like it,” Gardol muttered.

I snorted with a headshake.

We entered the tunnel with no issue, diving into the mountain for a good four hours. The road spanned three wagons wide, always giving a passing or break down lane in the middle. Every three hundred paces or so, magical cisterns were carved into the walls to illuminate the dark tunnel with an eerie flickering.

I almost regretted not taking a horse until we ran into the first obstacle. The ratkin caved the roof, creating a mound that almost rose to the broken ceiling. Air still flowed through, and a person on foot could ascend, but no horse would make it past this point. I turned over my shoulder to one of the scouts on horse.

“Let the garrison know to unclog this,” I commanded. The young squire spun his mount, riding away. “Owen, you’re with me.”

“Yes, Sire,” Owen said, following me up the incline.

As we walked down the tunnel, fire mages lit the cisterns with specialty spells. Those big containers were inserted into the walls at chest height, providing ample light for what should be a busy road. The glow proved more than enough illumination down here, but I worried up top.

Even if I carried a torch, it’d further give away our position, so I scaled the dirt mixed with rock as quietly as I could. The roof was only twenty feet up or so with a jagged but gentle slope making the ascent easy.

Instead of preparing to attack with my over-sized sword, I kept it on my back while holding a javelin.

When we neared the top, Owen asked, “Are you happy?”

I snickered, not sure this was the right time to be asked this question, let alone how I should answer it.

“No,” I finally answered, slowly inching higher.

I paused, holding a palm out to stop him. He wisely didn’t keep speaking, letting me reach the top. I peered over the edge, ducking back down right away.

Nothing happened, because nothing waited for us. For about a hundred yards, the roof caved downwards in various amounts of collapse. I sighed, shifting to get comfy by facing deeper into the tunnels and the way back.

“Fifteen minute break,” I said with an even tone. “Once you get up here it levels out. This is a good spot to bury some shit, drink some water, and snack on some jerky before we push further.”

Owen found a comfy spot, watching my reaction. “Why aren’t you happy?”

I snorted with a shake of my head. “Your sister put you up to this?”

“Not really, more like my Father. He stressed that a man needs vices, and you seem to have none,” Owen said. When I didn’t respond, he added, “What would make you happy?”

After a few big gulps of my water, I smacked my lips with indifference. “My vice is death. My happiness lies in victory. I… I hope to retire for winter to know some peace. A whole lot of peace would make me happy.”

He hesitated with a bunch of fidgeting as if he desperately needed to say something but was scared to. Apparently, I’d transitioned into the lord that could change lives. I watched him until he caught on that I was growing impatient.

Owen asked, “Did you know I’m friends with Isabel?”

It became obvious the young man was alluding to something. “Nope. But say your bit.”

“She read that plenty of war happens at the start, then a peace settles in. It takes a lot to march far distances, sometimes years for campaigns, to properly train, equip, and supply long stretches.”

I chomped on a bit of jerky, gulping it down before I replied. “I have Zeth to the north, Regor to the west, someone to the east, and no idea who is on the corners. We’re smack in the middle of the quadrant.” I watched the ratkin side of the tunnel, making sure no one came. “But I hear you. I enjoyed the last two days. They made me happy. Today, the killing, there are times where it makes me happy, but not today. Not yet anyway.”

“Ah, so you just want to relax. And your vice?”

“Uh, no offense, Owen. Your sister, and your friend Isabel, lying between Rosa and Dami, with Colette trying to fit in. Family. Family is my vice. Well family and working with my hands. I won’t give a shit that I’m an emperor, I’m still going to build things, brush animals, and do boring dad stuff,” I said, rising to my feet. He didn’t respond, merely nodding. “Breaks over early since Gardol looks restless.”

The Prince scaled the incline with his winning grin. “Aww, you know it boss. I’m eager to get to Urith.”

“Zeth is close to hitting level fifty and he will move too fast for anyone besides me, so no, you’re eager to clear the tunnel. I’m not invading his lands,” I said, walking deeper into the tunnel.

Gardol chuckled running up the incline. The three of us led the army, a good fifty paces in front. “Did you ask him?”

“Shush!” Owen scolded.

“Out with it,” I whispered with a growl.

Gardol quietly said, “Tarsin hates that one of his sons likes men. He was planning on marrying Isabel who favors ladies to Owen to hide his uniqueness, but you -”

“Will find him another lady like that and give him a villa fit for two families or more so they can be free behind closed doors,” I said with a chuckle. “You were trying to butter me up.”

“The idiom didn’t translate unless you want him to lather you in cow milk, in which case, when’s the party,” Gardol teased with a quiet snicker.

“Earn my affection.” They both let out soft ah’s. “Look, good for you. Be happy and be a nice uncle.”

“Thanks,” Owen muttered.

“Great, you’re to immediately report to Clear Castle,” I said. He frowned, navigating the dip in the upper road with me. “That wasn’t a suggestion. That was an order. Go protect your nephew and help build a better tomorrow.”

Owen frowned, eventually nodding, retreating back towards safety.

Gardol sighed. “That’s going to upset him.”

“You’re going to die. I spared him,” I mumbled.

“I’m pretty hard to kill.”

I shrugged. “Harder to kill when you're behind a castle wall and in a nice villa with your lover.”

“Lovers!” Gardol winked.

We reached the end of the roof collapse, edging closer to where we could see down. I peered out, seeing a mutated super rat the size of a centaur. The hideous creature gnawed on an ogre arm with plenty of flesh on it. The kill seemed to be recent too since the color was still solid.

“Well, fuck, that’s going to be tough to kill because -”

I hurled the javelin, creating a cracking boom from the sudden speed. The tip drilled the weapon into the rat’s mass. The skin bulged before the outward force until the flesh exploded in a shower of gore.

I yanked the massive blade off my back.

“Or we can stab the ones you wound,” Gardol finished with a genuine smile.

I leaned over my shoulder. In the back of the formation, with the minimal supplies was my squire. “Daxton, banner!” I paused, relishing the wave of crackling orange magic that washed over the army. With a wicked grin, I bellowed. “For Tolmeria!”

Chapter

Seventy-One

SABATHINE TUNNELS

Dodge!

A massive club swept across the wide tunnel, sending the poor soldier behind me flying to splatter against the wall with a sickening snap. His scream echoed in the wide intersection, bouncing down all four paths.

I rolled forward, lunged out of my summersault and leaped above his knee. The blow left him twisted at the torso, snarling with a feral battle cry. My massive blade blurred, slicing through flesh with ease.

One second the large ogre figured he’d kill all the puny Tolmerians, the next, he collapsed face first against the cold cobblestones while missing a leg. Normally, I’d pass him to let the others finish off my maimed opponents, but an ogre without a leg was still a very dangerous foe.

I skid to a halt, jumping back towards where the big brute struggled to comprehend his pain. My blade sunk into his ear with a wet rip. When I extracted the blade, it slurped free.

Ratkin in the hundreds poured into the intersection, eager to pick apart whatever enemies their ogre boss left for them. Scattered amongst the ratkin were the Hilloc. While I was used to having them on my side, clearly these warriors didn’t align with me or mine. I didn’t bother trying to convince them that I could be an ally.

Instead, I went to war, eager to cut through this mess.

I summoned Golem, letting him rise slowly at my side. Two friendly casters stepped forward on my flanks.

One channeled water, the other ice. A torrent of rain descended from the tunnel’s ceiling, drenching the enemies one and all. The heavy drum of water slammed down like a fierce storm. Around the ice mage, a torrent of light blue magic swirled in a growing power. The caster unleashed a gust of air so cold, my chainmail links crackled from the frigid temperatures.

I raised my blade, watching the enemy coalition stiffen and slow from the dynamic spell.

“For Tolmeria!” I bellowed, outpacing the soldiers with an ice coated Golem following me.

The heavy blade tore through the enemy ranks, shattering and cleaving the ratkin. Most of the enemy struggled to even move from the magical ice coating. The ratkin and trolls at the back who lucked out, being too far from the spell, pushed the horde forward, unfreezing some of their allies by knocking them down.

I lopped off heads, cleaved torsos in two, and carved big chunks of the enemy into bits with wide sweeping swings. My troops surged behind me, somewhat fatigued from the constant fighting, energized from the opportunity.

As the death continued, I could feel my muscles straining, begging for a break.

Reality didn’t allow for any weakness, only death.

The ratkin numbers proved nearly limitless and so I drove on, cutting, killing, and pushing deeper into the Sabathine Tunnels. This intersection happened to be the halfway point; halfway through a week-long trip that took five days to get here.

So many dead.

So many more to kill.

I grunted with a growl, slicing a ratogre’s face down the middle as he shook off the flecks of ice. A spear raced forward from my peripheral, embedding into a troll’s chest.

Gardol arrived, twirling with his blades, only cutting or stabbing into vitals. Somehow, I’d slowed, so I pushed myself harder, diving into the back lines of the enemy who’d been too far for the spell to affect them.

The ratkin weren’t the heroic type.

They truly needed a swarm to fight, and in this case, we’d killed their leader, their biggest soldiers, and frozen their mages. I showed zero mercy, cutting through feeble weapons to tear my foes into bits.

They died in the dozens until their resolve faltered, then snapped. Chasing down short legged enemies was easy while also being rewarding.

I didn’t stop taking their lives, and I didn’t feel bad.

If anything, I was just as numb as my muscles were while I hacked apart the horde. All that came to an end when a barricade of sorts materialized on the horizon.

Webbing.

Thick, white, and spanning the entire tunnel besides a small door, gave the enemy ratkin a place to flee behind. It was impressive, with intricate bands, layers of depth, and barely illuminated by the cisterns in the back.

In that webbing, a hundred Arachne waited with arrows drawn, daring me to step forward. I turned sideways, skidding to a halt.

The shrill cries of the wounded from both sides continued behind me. Any ratkin or enemy Hilloc I passed up to this point died when I spun on them. Over the next five minutes, the tunnels quieted with one death or healing after another.

Green flares of magic corrected the most grievous of wounds while squires handed out potions to those who needed them. I walked the battlefield, securing every kill I could with a stab to the heart.

“My Emperor,” Daxton mentioned. He leaned against my banner, drinking a healthy helping of water. Blood soaked his face, big bags rested under his youthful eyes, and he looked about ready to pass out. “The reinforcements are arriving.”

I lopped off the head of a crawling troll.

“You okay?”

“I’m a solid eleven out of ten,” Daxton replied with a fake smile.

I snickered at his banter, raising my voice. “Clean the battlefield, reinforcements will cover down while we sleep for six hours! Then we push deeper.”

“The arachne are no joke, they’ll be tough to kill, even for you,” Gardol said, limping toward the sidewall. The Prince accepted a potion, sliding down to sit where the tunnel wall would support his back. “Thanks.”

I watched him gulp down his potion while I waved away someone offering me one.

“I’m not sleeping, you are,” I replied with a grunt. The flow of friendly soldiers executing wounded reached the point where the gruesome work finished. “Not yet anyway.”

“I kinda wish I went with Tarsin,” Gardol said with a stifled yawn.

An older mousy man who Harmony assigned, named Horith, walked the battlefield noting friendly deaths. He snapped his book closed once he found nothing but the enemy dead remained to be looted and piled. He arrived at my side with a blank stare. “Four more, thirty two so far.”

“Thanks. Tally the reinforcements, get the cisterns lit, and I’m going to chat with the arachne,” I said.

“Your Grace, I implore at least a little break,” Horith said. I inclined my head eating some jerky. A runner brought additional reports and news from the reinforcements. I walked over to where the tunnel met the wall, sliding down to have a seat. Horith unrolled three parchments. “Tolmeria is quiet, Tarsin finally set out, and it appears Regor is marching north with his armies, just later than you are.”

“The Game of Castles marches onward, entering a mountain phase. Too bad the Hilloc Council fractured,” I grumbled.

“Yeah, I bet you’re making a difference though. They will likely see that you’re a Champion for them too,” Gardol said with a finger wagging snicker. “Mostly because those who disagree with you die. Oh, speaking of which, your golem thingy seems to have grown.”

“Stats,” I whispered, taking the cue.

Ding! You have leveled!

“Apply a point into healing,” I said with a grim voice. “No theatrics, there’s a fight nearby.”

I thought the magic might reject my request, but orange tendrils of energy seeped into my body, flowing into the skin. The magic coursed to my heart, dispersing through my veins a second later.

Name: Adam Clear

Champion for the God of Barter

Height: 6’5”

Weight: 242 lbs

Age: 26

General Level: 41

Strength: 10

Stamina: 7

Dexterity: 15

Constitution: 5

Endurance: 6

Healing: 3

Magic Type: Golem

Magic Level: 25

Spell Assignment: Water Golem

Secondary Assignment: Empty

“Oh, shit, finally!” I muttered with a grin, but I did so alone. “How many Lord Points do I have?”

183,203.33 Lord Points.

“Hmm… Damn, this is going to cause me some angst for a bit. Show golem options again,” I said, rubbing the scruff on my cheek. I definitely needed to shave, shower, and sleep for a few days. While I pondered my options, green text scrolled in my vision.

To spawn more than one golem at a time, reach magic level 25, 50, and 100. 100 is the max with 4 golems under your command.

Stone Golem: 20,000 LP

Sapling Golem: 80,000 LP

Sand Golem: 1,000 LP

Water Golem: Free

Ice Golem: 15,000 LP

Fire Golem: 100,000 LP

Chitin Golem 15,000 LP

“As the fire golem uses magic, does it shrink?”

They all dwindle with size from combat. Let me reorganize the sheet for you to help your understanding.

Armor Value Low to High

Water Golem: Free

Sand Golem: 1,000 LP

Chitin Golem 15,000 LP

Ice Golem: 15,000 LP

Stone Golem: 20,000 LP

Golems with Counter Attack Armor:

Sapling Golem: 80,000 LP (Thorns/Spikes)

Fire Golem: 100,000 LP (Transfers flames)

“Not really a competition, I want my second golem to be a fire golem. Best to start raising it now,” I said with a grunt.

Asmi appeared, holding out a hand. Around us time stayed frozen with the goblin god scrunching his face from the nearby stench. “Wait, I must discuss this with my Champion first.”

“Huh?”

The god sat on my left, flashing a warm smile. “You’re in seventh place!”

“Oh, really?” I replied with a grunt.

“Yeah, seventy two of you left,” Asmi said.

I snorted. “Not even top ten percent.”

“I…” He opened and closed his mouth with a laugh. “In one of those moods are we?”

“I’m working. I miss my wives. I want to be there for when Dami gives birth,” I replied with a distant gaze.

“Well, I understand that. I actually do. I was watching earlier when that nice young man mentioned what the scholars brought up. I couldn’t help but want to agree. Of course, I’m not allowed to…” Asmi shrugged with indifference, much like a gangster from the old timer movies would. “Sorry you’re not happy.”

“I am. Just ready for a vacation!” I answered with a chipper chortle. “Can you blame me?”

He shrugged. “Nope, can’t say that I do. It’s a hundred year competition, but yeah. So anyway, I’m here because I needed to let you know that Golem is near and dear to you. He’s -”

“Family.”

“He’s worth replacing. Think about that list, then think about the combination options. You can literally light your tree golem on fire with your fire golem. Or freeze Golem with an ice golem. Or wrap a stone or chitin golem in ice. Those aren’t great, but you see my point. There is no combination duo for water and fire. They literally kill each other,” Asmi said, tensely staring up as if he might get zapped away for saying too much.

“Can water feed the sapling?” I asked.

“Yeah, but it’s only going to do so much. Still, they’re symbiotic. Fire is great, and yes, the golems can surrender their souls to -”

And he vanished.

I snickered with a sigh. “Good chat, Asmi.”

For all my woes, Asmi managed to stay in the boon category. He spent his points, not mine. He helped, was kind to my wives, and pushed the boundaries to help me.

Time remained frozen and with it, I did too. I started to drift off, getting comfortable without making a decision.

Next thing I knew, a hand shook my shoulder. “Huh?” I grumbled, fluttering my eyes open. A man I didn’t recognize pointed down the tunnel towards the massive nest. A spider with a humanoid torso the size of a centaur waved politely when I locked eyes. “Thanks.”

I dragged an armored sleeve across my cheek, removing the drool. The others must have figured I just passed out from exhaustion, letting me snooze while they did the same. The more I glanced around, the more this seemed to be the case since most of the army slept with a half dozen guards patrolling the area. The fact the dead were piled not very far didn’t hamper our ability to catch some much needed sleep.

Before I rose, I knew I needed to make a decision.

“System, assign an ice golem as my secondary golem,” I commanded.

“What was that?” the guard asked.

I shuffled to my feet with a back pop. “System, let me -”

Ice golem assigned, LP has been deducted.

“Thanks. Alright, what’s your name?”

“Rano, your Grace.”

“Welcome to the army,” I said and he blinked a few times. “Right, go stand near my banner. If I shout at all, raise it and lower it swiftly. Understood?”

Rano’s eyes darted about nervously. “What constitutes a shout?”

“Trust me, you’ll know,” I said, patting him on the shoulder.

Before he could drag out an explanation, I walked toward the arachne. The spider creature waited patiently and when I drew closer I could tell it was an older male. While he seemed calm, he arrived with a bow across his back and a quiver on his waist. Part of the torso let him cheat on getting easy to grab arrows. The eight legs, and furry skin was freaky, but the upper half could have been any human minus the eight eyes.

“Greetings, human.” The arachne dipped his head in respect. “I’m Martimun, a diplomat for my kin who await the snows return and I come with a mission.”

“Adam, and I hate snow,” I commented. He flashed a fake smile. “Nothing in this world can stop me from pushing into Urith, with that said, what mission?”

“Barathor, the legendary wyrm lord is eating your ratkin for you. Everyone he devours increases his size. You should burn those bodies.”

When he pointed at the dead, I didn’t give him my back by looking at what I already knew was there. I was about to say that no quest appeared when it did.

Quest: Defeat Barathor of Urith.

Mission: Under the Avorth Mountains, terror slithers through the tunnels of lore. With the Hilloc numbers untested by war, the ratkin numbers enhanced through magic, the amount of delicious food to a great wyrm is nearly endless.

Game of Castles Reward: Varies.

Warning: Barathor will become so big, he cocoons, hidden deep within Limar. If not killed before this happens, in five years, he will return as a mythical dragon with near unstoppable power.

I chuckled knowing this was Zeth’s land monster and not mine. Killing it would be great, but when it didn’t die, it’d be his problem. Yeah, probably mine too at some point, but not today.

“Alright, hey, look, no offense. I’d rather Barathor eats all of the ratkin and I fight him in five years. That’s like… twenty, maybe thirty babies to play with before he becomes a problem. However, I’m feeling hospitable. Clear the path to Urith, let me get my refugees through this tunnel, then I’ll come back and kill him,” I offered.

“Adam.” He fidgeted a bit. “You have to understand, I’m just a low level captain at a checkpoint, not an emperor or general or council member.”

“Oh, darn. Okay, I hear you,” I said, about to turn and leave when I realized something. “Ah, you know what. How about I offer you a quest?”

“Me?”

“Yes. I’ll give you a hundred silver if you help Barathor clear the path to Urith,” I said.

“Oh, I couldn’t betray my oaths.” His matter of fact reply let me know there was no wiggle room.

I sadly bobbed my head. “Okay. See you on the battlefield.”

“Wait, you don’t want to convince me to cede the checkpoint, we’re strong fighters,” the spider captain said.

“Hey, again, no offense, I already forgot your name. You don’t fight legendary lords, but want me to. You command thirty fierce warriors. I command tens of thousands. I could give this big speech making myself feel big and you small, but I’d rather fight to the death.”

“Oh,” he replied.

I walked away, this time without interruption. My guards paced the front and back portions of the army, letting me slip into the mass of sleeping knights. Some of the reinforcements slept as well, telling me everyone was a bit tired.

Instead of joining them, I walked to the supply wagon for some food and ale. In a few hours, the slaughter would start all over again. A part of me hoped the arachne would retreat. The logical part of my brain said they’d be spinning extra webs while screaming for help from their allies in a few hours.

Meanwhile, I stared at the pile of dead ratkin, trolls, and the massive dead ogre. All that was food for this legendary beast, food I couldn’t burn yet. I finished eating, then slouched down to pen some letters. Even though I distracted myself, I wondered if all the carnage I caused in this tunnel might be our undoing.

Chapter

Seventy-Two

SABATHINE TUNNELS

Duck Duck What the Luck!

An arrow pinged off my helmet, narrowly missing the eye slit. I raised my basic shield, just in time as a crossbow bolt slammed into it. The tip punctured the metal, stopping the projectile a few inches in.

“Where’s my counter fire,” I shouted. Aramos, the fire mage raced forward, becoming a prime target for the arachne to focus. “No!”

I leapt in his path, soaking up his arrow fire. Sharp impacts pinged off my armor to the point I staggered back.

“Loose! Loose fucking arrows!” I growled with fury.

The arachne were amazing archers, intelligent, quick to react, and stubborn as an ox. I had no idea why they fought like lions, but the assholes didn’t give me an inch of free real estate.

Arrows continued to rain between rows of webbing, deftly dodging the thick material to pepper my troops. We’d killed a dozen, lost a half dozen ourselves, not exactly doing amazing with this forward assault. Our main issue was I needed more archers while I had a unit of knights.

With a grimace of frustration, and an arrow in my left ankle, I bellowed, “Fall back! Fall back!”

I couple more crossbow bolts zipped through the webbing, masking their angles. I still managed to see them, further ruining my shield. Whoever ruled the arachne did so wisely, and yeah, I sorta regretted not making friends with them.

Archers that could climb any tree, cliff, or structure for superior firing angles sure as shit would be useful. Metal grated against stone as brethren dragged the dead and wounded to safety.

Gardol limped back, an arrow stuck in his hip. “We didn’t bring a contingent of archers.”

“We don’t need one,” I said, turning once the arrows from the enemy stopped.

“We sure as fuck do.”

I chuckled, “You’re not wrong in a sense.” I glanced back at the medical team and bellowed. “Potion!”

A lad of about eight delivered a potion at a full sprint. I didn’t scold him during his near fall when he encountered a pool of blood. My hand righted his stumble and I accepted the potion a second later, gulping it down.

With a quick yank, I removed the arrow with a snarl, retreating towards the supply wagon. The flat bed housed all the camping supplies, bags, and extra gear from the dead. A secondary cart carried the deceased with civilian runners wheeling them for proper burials.

I quickly tossed off my chainmail. Yes, it was nice, yes, it didn’t weigh much and stopped arrows, but it definitely was for light infantry or entitled knights. Gardol wore a set under plate armor, still being able to properly swing a sword from years of training. Meanwhile, I wanted to level the battlefield a bit.

Gardol slouched down, leaning against the wheel while he chugged a potion. When he gasped for air, he asked, “Robes?”

I did indeed don robes over my body.

“I shoot, you block, just us,” I said.

“Sounds like a job for a squire.”

I snorted. “Except I don’t want Daxton to die. He’s been with me for a dozen battles and understands my flows.”

“But… I’m the heir to Estin,” Gardol said with a smug smile.

“I know, definitely going to die,” I teased.

He rolled his eyes. “You’re serious about the shield thing?”

“Yup,” I replied, popping the p while I grabbed my precision bow. “Go find a solid shield.”

“I suppose,” he grumbled with a deflated tone.

“What about us, your Grace?” Kelith asked.

Kelith was the second, or maybe the third captain to manage the mass of knights. The death rates were terrible, and his haunted eyes said the same thing my soul did: is this over yet? I popped my back with a stretch.

“Ready for a charge. Best shields at the front. Oh, and if a legendary wyrm appears… Run,” I said, sprinting back to the front.

I blurred with speed, zooming back to the front of the battlefield. The arachne relaxed, taking a break in the fight much like my troops did. I skidded to a halt, found the officers, and unleashed three arrows in rapid succession.

The enemy jolted into action, not ready for my sudden attack, but still reacting quicker than I’d have liked. I killed six minions and two of the three officers before a single arrow whizzed in my direction.

As soon as that first arrow flew in my direction, I retreated.

“What the fuck,” Gardol said, trying to attach the big shield to his forearm. “Do you even need me?”

I flashed a winning grin. “Of course. Get up there, hunker down, and watch.”

“You know, most of the men in Tolmeria will be jealous because of your ability to generate infinite wealth. But me, I wish I could just have a fraction of your speed,” Gardol grumbled, bravely stepping into the range of the enemy archers.

The arachne weren’t stupid, not willing to waste arrows on the massive shield. I stood at the edge of their firing range.

“You will die! And for what! Why defy me!” I bellowed at the arachne.

No reply echoed through the tunnel.

I sprinted forward and to the right with an arrow drawn, twirling left once I reached their range. The sinew snapped, unleashing an arrow that soared true, smacking the last officer between his eight eyes. I shot behind cover as a dozen arrows pinged and clanged off the stone road.

“There has to be a queen or a nest nearby. This doesn’t make sense otherwise,” Gardol said.

I sighed. “Unless they’re attached to Zeth. For all we know, he’s their general and this is just another battleline for him.”

“Uh, I can’t fight him,” Gardol admitted.

His honesty surprised me, but much like our foes, Gardol wasn’t stupid. I nocked an arrow, faked sticking my head out left, then rolled right. My arrow snapped out of the bow, drilling an arachne right in the heart.

I added a new arrow, noting that less enemy projectiles clattered off the road from both sides. I ran back, loosed, and ran in.

Sometimes I faked, other times, I just rapidly fired, killing my enemies one at a time until it was just me and a final spider humanoid. He didn’t quiver or quake when I exited my cover to draw an arrow defiantly. His face snarled, his eyes seethed with hatred, and he died a second later with an arrow through the nose.

The body flopped down to join the rest.

“Flames!” I commanded. “Bring me arrows.”

Aramos stepped forward, flowing behind Gardol’s shield. The duo walked up to the thick webbing until a torrent of fire and flame soaked the material. The arachne netting whooshed, consumed by flame, but never connecting to the next layer.

Without a doubt, those bastards were crafty with their defensive planning.

“Advance.”

And so we cleansed the walls of webbing, one section at a time. Bit by bit, foot by foot, we dove deeper into the Sabathine Tunnels. While we advanced, squires plucked arrows off the stone floor, collected bows, and looted the dead.

The Tolmerian army pushed on, gathering troops while securing the intersections with our own barricades and defensive structures. It wasn’t easy work, it wasn’t fun, but war brought death and misery, something I delivered in spades when my enemies refused to be reasonable.

After the final layer of netting, we lit more cisterns, finding a barren section of tunnel.

No supplies, no reinforcements, and no ratkin forces awaited us like usual.

“What the fuck is going on?” I muttered.

Gardol sighed. “They told you to kill some legendary fiend, right?”

“Offered without compensation, but that could be the Gods using the officer… that one, as a voice. Let’s read the reports, I bet we find our answers,” I said, pointing to an officer's satchel. “I’m going to secure ahead, let me know what you guys find. Hopefully, it’s good news for once because I’m tired of good people dying.”

Over the next hour, we cleaned up the mess, set the enemy bodies to burn, and vacated the area. While we marched further into Urith territory we studied all the details we could scrounge off the dead, eventually finding our answers.

Horith, the fill-in administrator prepped a report while the fire mages lit cisterns, restoring the path of civilization. He struggled to keep up with the fast pace and his little legs. Most of the soldiers dropped extra gear on the carts, having no problem keeping up with my long stride.

“A brief pause, your Grace,” Horith recommended with a pant. I stopped, letting him catch his breath. He handed me a pile of documents that I ignored for now. “The arachne are tribal, not unlike many other species. This defense was held by a tribe that lives above us during the snows, then summers under the mountain.”

“Yeah, the officer said as much.”

“Their king had or has a deal with the ratkin king after losing a few decisive battles. Their  numbers are thinned with most of the remaining army coming here, serving on a boring detail that is supposed to be held at all costs. A week ago, the king sent a message about the wyrm of legend, once again stressing for his troops to hold this tunnel at all costs, even if facing Barathor.”

I snorted with a headshake. “Sounds like bad orders.”

“Well, it does mention the ratkin are exiting the mountain in random spots to avoid being eaten. So far, their poisons are useless against the brown beast. The arachne king thinks the ratkin king will lose enough power soon that the defense will recall and the arachne youth will go outside for their winter season,” Horith said, finishing his review.

“They needed to honor their deal to help their tribe survive until winter?” When I asked this, he nodded in agreement. “Hmm… I - I sorta want to kill this wyrm to see what the reward is.”

“Well,” Gardol invaded my personal space, pointing to a line in the text, “this is in Hilloc, so it may be wrong, but this line says to avoid spilling blood. It’s like a magnet to the wyrm.”

“Nuts,” I said, feeling a slight tremor in the roads from distant quakes. “I’m sure that’s nothing…”

Chapter

Seventy-Three

SABATHINE TUNNELS

That’s what she said!

“It’s huge,” Gardol whispered with a wide-eyed gulp.

I watched the wyrm barreling down the tunnel with loud sniffs to track the blood; its head was brown, bigger than the tunnel, and it utterly destroyed the smooth walls during its hunt. The snake eyes were vibrant, huge, and twice the size of me. Each of the teeth dripped with flecks of saliva at steaming temperatures, creating smoke whenever drips touched dirt.

The nostrils flared flames while the scales carved through stone as if they weren’t anything more than simple flecks of soft dirt. To round it all out, it chuckled with glee, following our blood stained cart.

“Ice mages, build a wall,” I bellowed, spawning Golem and Icey out of my palms. “Leave me on the other side. Reach Urith. Save Booma!”

Golem stretched from end to end with Icey walking into his translucent flesh. The ice mages poured magic into the creations, erecting a massive wall of ice. In a matter of seconds, I found myself alone, facing off against the most horrifying fantasy creature I could imagine.

Once the arachne vanished, I’d swapped to chainmail and my big sword again, mostly for a scenario just like this. I yanked the massive blade off my back and prepared to kill my enemy or die trying.

However, about a good fifty yards away, Barathor slammed to a stop. Flecks of dirt and stone smacked into the ice wall, showering me with a million stings. I grunted, staying on my feet through sheer determination.

“Hey, the smell is gone,” Barathor grumbled.

I shook the dust off, striding forward. “You don’t belong here, wyrm.”

“Wait, is that a human… Hahahaha. You pathetic little -”

I sprinted forward, closed the gap, and leapt with an overhead chop. Sure, I could have done a big monologue bit with him, but I didn’t care. If he was up this high in the mountain, then he’d be able to eat the flood of refugees.

His presence meant it became personal now.

My massive blade cracked scales on the nose, tearing a searing rip across the front of the monstrous face.

The head instantly reared back, smacking into solid stone at the tunnel’s top. When he didn’t manage to get the distance from me he wanted, he wormed in reverse at full speed.

Fire jettisoned out of his nose, but his reaction showed exactly where he aimed. The ejected torrent scorched the spot I rolled away from.

“You little shit, you cut my snoot,” Barathor said with a soft, but startled tone.

“Snout?”

“Fuck off, you pissant.”

Of course, I did nothing of the sort, charging in while he tried to flee. Apparently, I wasn’t the only legendary fighter with super fast reflexes because one second I closed the gap, the next, he struck.

At the very last fraction of a second, I hopped, avoiding the row of immense teeth. While that part was grand, I ended up in the mouth of a leviathan.

Now, over my years as a kid, I learned a lot of bullshit. For instance, I knew how to get out of quicksand, fearing it’d be some grand problem. It wasn’t an issue like all the shows had me believe. Another winning trope was when heroes cut themselves out of the stomachs of monsters. The thing is, and my research could be wrong, but if you go down the gullet, you suffocate and die well before you can ever cut yourself free.

With that in mind, I tried to shove my blade into the beast’s brain, coming well short of the target. My sword slammed into the upper palate of the mouth, firmly embedding into something solid.

“Arggg!” Barathor screamed in pain, thrashing about with tremendous force.

I held on for dear life, climbing up the dull side of the curved blade. The internal temperature of his mouth was downright sweltering, but humid, so I didn’t burn, sweating instead.

He slammed his head about, crashing it into things repeatedly in an effort to dislodge me. Eventually, Barathor calmed enough, realizing how to fix the issue. His tongue started to lap around and I knew he’d pry me free.

Right when he least expected it, I flipped upside down, yanking the blade free with a mighty heave. Before he could swallow me, I stabbed down, pinning the tongue to the lower jawbone. Of course, this only sent him into a new frenzy and the idiot ripped his tongue in two.

Again, I clung to the blade, but this time, I hammered punches above me every time he clamped his mouth shut to swallow. At first, he ignored the blows, but then the flesh ballooned with swelling until it popped.

At this point I was drenched in blood and saliva while only a few feet away from the teeth. However, I stayed out of it alive and more importantly, out of the beast’s stomach.

With a ruined voice, Barathor said, “I surrender.”

I watched for a popup, noting none came.

“What are you offering in your surrender?” I asked, trying to tease out whatever the issue was.

“Nothin ya fuck face! Imma eat you!”

I lanced a kick into a nearby tooth, earning a howl of pain. A second kick cracked the tooth in a vertical split and the massive legendary beast legitimately started bawling like a child who had their ball taken away.

“What ar ya?”

I didn’t answer, coming up with a plan. While he continued to ask stupid questions, I continued to turn the instead of his mouth into my personal kickboxing ring. Since the wyrm had no hands, and ruined his tongue, I made him suffer.

Unfortunately for me, he didn’t sit idle, slithering somewhere for at least a good hour or two. Eventually, he passed out or pretended to.

I found myself in a conundrum. Either I bought the quiet and even breathing as truth, or stayed firmly on my blade. In the end, I knew that all I had to do was to wait for a full day for my golems to respawn to kill him.

And so I waited, but I sure as shit wasn’t patient. I continued to inflict damage anyway I could while I remained trapped in his mouth. Time numbed, becoming guesswork at best. Wherever he collapsed, no one assailed him, and based on the fact Barathor didn’t say anything or complain during my torment, I figured he wasn’t faking being unconscious at this point.

Being able to see was pretty much non-existent since the mouth remained clamped shut. An odd slurping sound from the tongue revealed the appendage slowly repaired. Since I’d been at it for so long, not really changing much, I yanked the blade free and instantly pinned the tongue again.

My rapid reflexes almost proved too slow when Barathor tossed his head up violently and tried to swallow me, blade included. I barely embedded the metal into bone when he roared out in frustration.

He tried to burn me out by placing his nose close to a wall and ejecting fire. He turned his head sideways, trying to drown me in saliva but it simply flowed away. He tried gravity, dipping his head down with his mouth open.

Eventually Barathor vomited, soaking me in a different form of disgusting nastiness.

I learned my lesson though. He tried to talk for hours and hours. I kept trying to summon my golems. Every time he tried to move, I inflicted more damage.

“You’re going to die long before I will,” Barathor eventually said, settling down at some point. “You can’t drink my blood.”

“Fair,” I said, pretending to be sad.

“Oh, the little shit talks. Ya ruined my tongue!” I clung to the weapon, biding my time. “Honestly, truce.”

Quest: Accept a truce with Barathor the Magnificent.

Reward: Non-aggression pact between Barathor and all who swear to the Tolmerian region.

Do you accept the terms: Yes or No

The write up was basic, providing everything I wanted.

But…

“This is a good offer, I’m going to think about it while hoping you sweeten the deal. I need riches and power, you can give me both by being my servant for five days a year,” I said.

“Bah, peasants gonna peasant.”

This shut him up for the next four or five hours while he slept again. Since he didn’t move, I didn’t pummel his ruined mouth that was slowly repairing.

After the millionth or so attempt, my golem could be summoned again. I ejected Golem first, gently placing him onto the legendary creature’s tongue.

“What’s that?” Barathor asked, his words crisper than before. “You should -”

Once Icey spewed out of my palm, I didn’t waste any time taking my plan to the next level. Golem grabbed two teeth, walking back to create tension. The minion shot towards the brain in the shape of a water spear.

Icey jumped into Golem’s path, creating a massive spike that drove into Barathor’s brain.

One second, he rambled nonsense about how he’d eat my family, the next, he crashed down with a massive thud. I clung to the blade, waiting. Then waiting some more. I actually didn’t get up until I received a prompt.

Quest Completed: Defeat Barathor of Urith.

Mission: Under the Avorth Mountains, terror slithers through the tunnels of lore. With the Hilloc numbers untested by war, the ratkin numbers enhanced through magic, the amount of delicious food to a great wyrm is nearly endless.

Game of Castles Reward:

Lord Points: 80,000

A Shield of Dispel: Any magic that touches this unbreakable shield will immediately vanish from existence.

Fully Grown Pegasus: Drago has been reborn… with wings!

Torch of Infinite Illumination: Burns forever, warning, it’s actually fire.

“Drago!” I shouted, ripping my blade out of the wyrm’s jaw.

A horse nervously neighed from nearby. I jumped out of the mouth, arriving by a burning torch that illuminated my valiant steed who stood a good ten hands taller with massive wings over his midsection. He nuzzled into me, excited about our reunion while being hesitant about something.

The shield gleamed with orange and white coloration, flaring in the torched light. The emblem matched my banner and I happily slid it over my left wrist.

“Fits like a glove!” I jovially said, happy to finally be free of the nasty mouth. When I picked up the torch, I swung it around a massive cavern, seeing timid eyes peering from behind clasts. “No time for them. Let’s get the fuck out of this mountain.”

I hopped onto Dargo’s back and the brute snapped his wings violently, lifting us into the air. He soared upwards, zooming through the ruined tunnels.

“Follow the recent trail,” I said, unleashing a holler of joy as the wind beat against my face.

Wings snapped tight, gusting us into a fast soar as we ascended back up the inside of the mountain. There was something magical about flying on a pegasus’ back.

A mad cackle escaped my lips.

I’d lived in a legendary wyrm’s mouth for a full day, never giving up, never giving in, and now… Now I wanted to find the Tolmerian legendary beast and add its power to mine.

“Stats,” I whispered between laughs.

Ding! You have leveled 6 times!

“No six dings?” I joked.

Too busy watching the first Champion of the Games riding a pegasus.

I roared out a laugh that just kept going. Eventually, I stopped, realizing I might be in for a long flight.

“I plan on saving my level up to be dramatic. I have a feeling everything is about to change. ”

Chapter

Seventy-Four

SABATHINE TUNNELS

Freedom!

“Tighten formation!” Gardol bellowed.

The line of infantry held back a tide of ratogres who bayed for Tolmerian blood. The clash and clang of clubs striking metal gradually grew louder until the echo became a roar. Drago showed zero fear, cruising over the gritty terrain with intense flaps.

He popped up and over our troops, flaring his wings in grandeur fashion. We slammed into the heavy infantry with a solid thud, crushing a few ratogres, while scattering the others.

“Daxton!” I bellowed. “Banner!”

Boom!

The magic washed over the troops, further encouraging them from my arrival.

Enemy trolls hurled fire, ice, and dark energy spells, proving this wasn’t just any attack. The magic crashed into a big circle the shield generated, nullifying all the enemy magic with ease. And in that moment, I realized how important killing legendary foes was going to be.

“I am Adam of Tolmeria and you will -” I lopped off a ratogre’s head. Drago literally bit the nose off another while kicking a third. “Die on this day. I slew the wyrm, I will slay your king, and I will conquer this mountain!”

As if he could read my mind, Drago burst into flight. We soared right over the infantry and into the enemy casters mixed with officers.

“Retreat!”

The enemy’s call sounded like sweet music to my ears.

“Spare none. These filth have no position in our ranks!” I shouted, carving a path through a fancy robe wearing ratkin.

Since they were hardly any bigger than a mousy, Drago reveled in knocking down the enemy then smashing skulls with his hooves. Even though he wasn’t a griffin, he weighed twice what any other horse would with his immense size.

Trumpets blared, deafening the battlefield with their endless calls. I ignored them, knowing they weren’t ratkin and originated from further down the tunnel. I swiped the blade down, cleaving a troll shaman in half.

The enemy officer called for a retreat to save his own hide, getting his troops to flee down a side tunnel. He failed to survive, but I did have to urge Drago to take flight as the new force closed on our position. I flew back to friendly lines where the knights ran down the bigger ratogres.

“Hold!” I bellowed. “Reform lines at the intersection. Shields high.”

My words snapped over the trumpet blares. From the tunnel, mounted knights thundered towards our position. They wheeled their charge into the back of the enemy ratkin at a dead sprint. The damage was downright delightful to watch.

Thankfully, no knights attacked us or neared our position. The snap of lances breaking from embedding into the enemies occasionally drowned out the cacophony of hooves on stone.

Eventually, the dying ratkin stopped being interesting to the foreign knights and they slowly filtered back to the intersection. I sat atop Drago, patiently waiting while an officer came to address me.

A middle aged man removed his helmet, but I did not return the favor.

“Champion?” I nodded. “Zeth will want to meet you.”

“I take it my trapped ally is no longer trapped,” I said.

“I cannot comment on such matters,” the knight said. “And the tunnel?”

“Mostly cleared. The wyrm is dead, the damage is severe, and that was the last obstacle,” I said.

“Let me get Zeth. He’s noble, honest, and straight forward. He’ll come to a parlay with the same number of forces you have here… Two hundred,” the Knight said, glancing around at my troops. I nodded in approval. “May I share that a full grown pegasus is here?”

“You may,” I said, deeply disappointed with this turn of events.

He rode away without another word, galloping with his knights who could have steamrolled ours.

“Suddenly wish I had my horse,” Gardol grumbled.

Horith arrived with his notepad out. “What transpired, your Grace?”

“I sat in the beast’s mouth clinging to my sword while doing as much damage as I could. When my golems respawned, I brained him with a trick spell, then hurried to find you in the final fight,” I said.

“A trick spell?” I explained the process and he merely replied, “Oh.”

“This Zeth fellow is supposed to be intense, you sure you want to meet him?” Gardol said.

I nodded. “I need to, but I should probably do this now.”

“Stats, apply levels, no flare, five points to dexterity and one to constitution; yes I know this will max dexterity,” I said.

Orange magic burst from the mountain, coating my chest in vibrant swirled. I never left Drago’s seat as I grew a bit. I figured hitting twenty, the max for any level would take me to the largest size the competition allowed.

Name: Adam Clear

Champion for the God of Barter

Height: 6’6”

Weight: 248 lbs

Age: 26

General Level: 47

Strength: 10

Stamina: 7

Dexterity: 20

Constitution: 6

Endurance: 6

Healing: 3

Magic Type: Golem

Magic Level: 28

Spell Assignment: Water Golem (Golem)

Secondary Assignment: Ice Golem (Icey)

“Go ahead and get comfortable, send a runner back, and let’s hope this doesn’t take too long,” I said, hopping off Drago’s back.

∞∞∞

Two days later, an entourage arrived. My knights were sent home besides for a handful of soldiers who stayed with me. I was just about to leave too when a minotaur as big as me rode a bear right up to the intersection.

His curved horns led down to dark eyes. His muscles bulged in a way only a Champion’s could with golden tattoos engraved onto his brown skin. He wore intricate plate armor on top of chainmail with dual warhammers hanging off his hips. When he neared, he removed his helm, and I did the same.

“Zeth.”

“Adam.” His deep voice resonated through my bones. “You removed some of the ratkin?”

“More persist.”

“Why venture into my lands?”

“A friend asked for help. I sent her to trade, she became trapped, unable to make it home. So I cleared a path.”

He grunted. “A lover?”

“Sister type who I protected early on and grew fond of.”

Zeth bobbed his head in understanding. His right hand flowed in an animated way while he pondered his next question. “Did you come to fight me?”

I shook my head. “Nope. Although, I hear you love to fight.”

“I love to win. I hear you control golems, altering a battlefield to your advantage.” Zeth swirled black arcane magic in his palm, sucking it back in. “Golems sound fun.”

“They sure do help. You look about as leveled as I am. That’s no small feat,” I admitted.

He chuckled. “I tried to tell the local kings of Urith we needed to unify, but I’m an ugly minotaur no one wants to give their daughters to.”

“I… I’m not sure how to respond to that,” I admitted, earning a chuckle from the others who watched.

“And how’d you get that big stallion with wings, I hear they’re all supposed to be small?” Zeth asked, watching Drago with interest.

I flashed a fake smile. “Killed a legendary beast for him. You should have one in your ocean.”

“We’ve had a set of large yellow eyes in the northern ocean… Interesting.” Zeth paused to collect his thoughts, giving me a stern stare. “I like you, not sure why. Probably because you’re a fighter, and I like fighters, but I have to ask. Did you come to steal my pegasi?”

I sighed, knowing this was the point where I lied or told the truth. “They were mentioned as an incentive, but I’d have come for her regardless.”

“They ride for the Karadune Pass. Adam, let me be clear, if those pegasi cross into your land, we go to war,” Zeth said.

“I have a ripe target that I can steal others from on my west and two hidden in the east. And that big guy,” I said, thumbing Drago. “I’m open to a deal to focus on my region and my neighbors if you are amenable to one as well.”

“Fine, one warrior's word to another. My knights can’t crack the retreating caravan’s rearguard due to the terrain. My east and west are not weak, unfortunately. We’re allowed to band together, make deals, or create treaties, but our Gods want us to win.” Zeth grunted, folding his arms.

“I appreciate the honesty. Here is my offer. I fly to the retreating forces, gather the two pegasi then give them to you. If I can’t pry them away, right away, I will in short order or replace them with two random pegasi. In exchange, you open trade with Tolmeria, help keep this trade line clean, and avoid raiding both Farli and Cask, the regions adjacent to me. I leave you and yours alone as well. I give you the pegasi, even though I don’t have to, mostly because I want to conquer my regions in peace for three years,” I offered.

“I agree to your terms.”

This shocked me, but he probably needed a reprieve on one side more than I did. And yes, he probably also needed a recovery period while the Tolmerian armies were fresh, ready for more war. So he instantly agreed, showing weakness in order to be honest.

“And if I can’t get the pegasi?”

“You will at some point. Any two will do. I have enough battles and wars to fight. Six months. If you fail to deliver, I’ll come hunting. My kings will enjoy hearing you want to open trade and help defeat the ratkin together,” Zeth said.

I grunted. “Uh, most of them are wyrm poop, but yeah, for sure my forces will help. My armies are mostly intact. I can march through here, but why, what do I gain, a battered kingdom already in need of repair, only further damaged.”

“Rude, but fair. Here’s a freebie. The Seshkin throne is not as it seems. We believe Elise is not sitting in the chair even if she is supposed to be,” Zeth said with a snicker.

Gardol snorted. “I like him.”

“Where I come from, we shake on it. Clasp palms. Up and down, then let go,” I offered my palm.

He hesitantly accepted it. A swirl of blue and orange magic enveloped us both.

Treaty of Sabathine Tunnels active for six months. Extended to three years if any two pegasi are given to Urith forces within six months.

“You’re going to kill Regor,” Zeth said.

I released his grip and stuck a finger over my lips. “Shush, no spoilers.”

“Come on, the elf is pathetic, and we both know it. I was just going to steal his pegasi if you weren’t going to. With a daring raid I mapped out from start to finish up here,” Zeth said, tapping on his temple. “Assuming I ever found the time!”

I couldn’t help but unleash a deep laugh. “It was nice to meet you Zeth. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to fly to that convoy.” I set a palm on Gardol’s shoulder. “Hey, you lived, go figure. Make it home with these troops, and I’ll join you for an ale later.”

“Well fought, your Grace.”

After I slung my bag and bow over my back, I replied, “Well fought, Prince Gardol.”

I hopped onto Drago’s back, immediately surging into flight. The freeing wind whipped by, and we zoomed by trade partners. A part of me felt bad for making a deal, but most of me didn’t. Three years was a lot of time to build up the Hilloc, to convert the average soldier, and to equip my army to a high standard.

Not to mention, it gave me freedom to expand to my side for recruitment and trade. There were enemies on the other side of Cask and Farli, new foes I didn’t know much about, but again, I would be given time to prepare and react.

And not ironic at all was the fact that the pegasi were the crux of the deal, just as they’d been with every other nation besides Misho. Plus, Zeth wasn’t a slouch, standing at my height already which meant one of his stats hit twenty already - probably strength.

If or when we ever fought it’d be legendary, but for now, I’d rather crush Regor, create stability, and see my kids take their first steps. Of course, this assumed I could kill Regor without dying…

Chapter

Seventy-Five

CLEAR CASTLE

Homecoming!

It’d been four, maybe five months since I’d been back to The Clear Castle. Before I flew home, I followed the trail north toward Karadune Pass. I found Booma and Gardi with Prince Tarsin escorting about eight thousand political refugees out of Urith with a thousand knights and a few thousand archers in the rearguard.

I figured each region probably had a million inhabitants, maybe a few hundred thousand less or more. They wanted to be free of Zeth, risking a treacherous mountain pass on the cusp of winter. The refugees rejoiced at finally making it, adding their might to mine.

Once the trade opened, I was certain some Tolmerians would flee my rule as well. The grass was always greener on the other side. Somehow, those refugees who fled to my home area did bring two pegasi with them. But they were bonded to the people. It didn’t take a genius to see that the rescued pegasi were the reason for their strength.

Instead of fighting them, or causing a scene, I simply hugged Booma, clasped forearms with Gardi, and flew away. I had six months to fix the problem. To me, that meant I could always remove a male and a female when there wouldn’t be a fight later. Or I could go to war with Zeth, even if I didn’t want to.

Since there was time, I returned home to regroup, get intel, check on my loving ladies, and get a proper cloak to weather the cold winds.

Drago and I circled around Clear Castle a few times, intaking all the changes. The island wall stood a good twenty feet tall with a five feet parapet. Guards roamed the lip, watching the traffic of carts and people that flowed in and out of both gates.

Inside the first inner wall that was the best of the two, it was nothing besides industry buildings billowing smoke.

A small market helped the merchants sell their goods while a stream of workers flowed in and out of the town. On the west end, Hilloc homes mixed with centaur fields, stretching for miles with no wall connecting them to the Obsidian Forest. A few thousand trolls mixed with about a hundred ogres, building basic hovels to call home. Fire pits created small communities and yes, quite a few homes were nothing more than tents.

The centaurs shifted north and further west, spreading out deeper and deeper into the forest to plant their crops and live with nature. To keep the area free of mud, basic gravel roads were mixed with tree limbs. These paths cut through the land, helping connect the island to the people.

On the eastern bank, the main roads east, north, and south, became main streets. Apartment buildings dotted the well-built roads, rising a few stories with many of them under construction. Hundreds, if not thousands of carriages were set atop landing pads that reminded me of mobile home lots from Earth. Between the main roads, the rest of the people lived in a tent city of sorts that rested behind an expansive wooden wall that stretched all the way to the swamp.

The people of Clear Castle were diverse, unique, and making the most of an ever-evolving situation. The trees shifted colors of their leaves, the wind was crisp and cool, and the sun set a bit earlier than normal, dipping for the horizon.

“It’s good to be home, Drago,” I said, aiming for him to land well outside the city. “Let’s not spook anyone.”

He zoomed over treetops from the swamp, coming in for a light touchdown not too far outside the southern road that led to Lao. I hopped off his back, enjoying the evening weather for a nice walk. Birds chirped, a random chicken who probably should be inside the walls clucked, and the guards held the doors open.

I reached into my bag, fishing out my banner when I neared the gate. While I didn’t recognize the guards, the six and a half foot tall man riding a pegasus was a pretty big giveaway that someone important was approaching.

To eliminate any suspicion of who I was, I unfurled my banner, raised it high, and slammed it down.

A massive wave of orange magic rolled through the walls, coated the guards, and continued through the town. It didn’t take long to get the attention I sought.

“Adam!” Ormis shouted from the other side of the river. “I was comfy in my nap!”

I chuckled, knowing it was good to be home.

After being greeted by anyone and everyone during my march down the street, I found it a bit hard to believe the changes. The dirt road used to cause problems in the rain, now the Chisel and Hammer company built quality streets that homes hugged for stability.

The populace was still dirty, trash hadn’t been sorted properly, and mages created most of the water, but the sheer grandeur of it being my city, my home, hit me right in the feels. Of course, I expected my lovely ladies to shower me in love, becoming a bit despondent when no darlings flooded me with affection.

Bethia, one of Harmony’s handmaidens arrived in a dead sprint, telling me to hurry. Apparently Dami was waiting for me to finish pushing out our child. I ran like the wind, zoomed under the inner wall and jumped onto the second-floor balcony of our estate.

“Argggg!” Dami screamed.

The instant, and I mean, the instant my foot touched that balcony, the squall of a baby pierced the evening air.

“I’m here,” I announced, striding past two female guards whose eyes widened at my sudden approach.

“He made it! Let him in gals,” Cleo said with a joyous tone.

I arrived to see Harmony wiping off a very pissed off baby. Rosa shifted, waving me over. Dami cried in happiness, and I bent down kissing her forehead.

“The Gods! They sent you,” she whispered meekly, clearly exhausted. I focused on her eyes, holding her hand tenderly. Harmony brought the small baby for us to hold and Dami clutched her to her chest. “Boy?”

“Wonderful daughter,” Harmony said.

The ladies vacated the room after diligently cleaning the mess. Dami drank two potions and the final healer departed. We stayed bound together, the three of us. I eventually sneaked into the small bed with her.

While we lay there, I asked a lot of questions, and each answer came back quieter than the last until she drifted off to sleep. Of course, our unnamed daughter instantly woke her up, so I removed us from the equation to let her recover.

I found a team of wetnurses who eagerly shot to their feet when I entered the side room with my darling baby in my arms. They told me the directions to the ladies of the house, so I left my daughter in good hands to find my other wives.

In a grand living room with secure points and minimal lighting, a hearth crackling a toasty fire, Isabel, Rosa, Harmony, and Colette sipped tea from couches, chatting about something I interrupted.

Isabel and Colette showed no signs of pregnancies, but Rosa and Harmony both looked uncomfortable with their buns in the oven. I knew it was an odd way to think about it, especially after holding my daughter, but I couldn’t help it. Little babies grew, day by day, minute by minute, to fuel the next generation.

“The table mentioned you slew Barathor, but it didn’t say what your reward was,” Rosa said, patting the seat beside her. I flashed the lovely elf a smile, flopping onto the couch. “A full grown pegasus wanders the city, trying to mount every mare he can.”

“Well, it’s Drago reborn, trying to make up for lost time,” I said with a snort. I shifted my gaze to the quiet room, giving them each a second or two of my time. “I’ve missed you.”

“And Booma?” Harmony asked.

“Will be in Avorth City in a week, maybe two. Lady Isabel, your brother fought valiantly under the mountain, and I’d likely be dead without him,” I mentioned.

Isabel quietly giggled. “He asked you to brag about him, didn’t he?”

“Maybe,” I joked. I focused on Colette, becoming serious. “You and I leave in the morning. Your sister has left Seshkin with a puppet in place or something else is remiss, either way, with Drago being able to fly, we assert dominance.”

The horned beauty cooed with a wicked grin. “I can stand to hear more.” I didn’t have more to say, earning a fake pout. “Rumor is, she’s the real deal and still there.” Colette batted her eyelashes.

I snickered. “Good, then I stick her in a dungeon and end the farce. Either way, you and I secure Seshkin.”

“My Lord, your ladies need you for a ceremony, even if the paperwork is legitimate,” Rosa said, snuggling into my side. “And some sex. I miss sex and find myself sooooo horny.”

“Lots of sex needed,” Harmony said. “How about we sneak away for a quickie!”

I chuckled, glancing between them to see if this was an inside joke. They both blushed cutely, gazing at me with lust filled eyes.

Definitely not a joke.

“They’re in their third trimesters,” Isabel said. “Perfectly normal, and you’ve been gone for a while.”

“And here I thought we were going to talk about taxes, troop conditions, diplomacy, and -”

“Sex.” Harmony stood, shedding her evening dress. “The bedroom is that way darling, and I fear we need to use our available time efficiently.”

Rosa leaned into me kissing on my neck. “I agree.”

A giggling Isabel brought over a pitcher of water to clean me. While it might seem a bit awkward, Dami slept, the baby was cared for, and I had two very pregnant wives who missed me.

Tolmeria may be different, but I definitely knew to lean into it. I spawned Golem, deciding to take a shortcut as I shot to my feet. Golem quickly started cleaning me.

“If Dami wakes and calls for me -”

Rosa snickered. “Yes, yes. That’s why we’re in a rush so you can dote on her if she calls. You’re a good man, Adam Clear. Let us show you how you’ve been missed.”

Rosa took one hand while Harmony took the other, and they both pulled me to the bedroom with Isabel and Colette following.

They quickly undressed me, and Golem finished cleaning me shortly after before moving off to clean the area. They quickly had me lay down on the bed and surrounded me.

Harmony said, “Close your eyes and enjoy.”

It was beyond amazing as four of my ladies sought to pleasure me at once. They teased and moved around, constantly switching up who and what was pleasing each part of me. I quickly lost track of which wife I was kissing, whose breast I was kneading and whose pussy I was fingering. My cock was the focus of their combined attention.

They each took their turn on top of me, riding me until we both climaxed before my cock was restored to hardness through the girls’ combined efforts. The cycle began again until they each had been pleasured, and they were all lying around me, contentedly sleeping.

Chapter

Seventy-Six

SESHKIN Port

Liberty!

We dove out of the sky in the dead of night, with a storm unleashing its full fury. Wind whipped across my face with a blazing sting. Colette’s arms wrapped around my chest tightly, gripping my armor with every bit of strength they could.

A flash of lightning revealed a rapidly approaching castle. A black and gold rooster was stitched into a banner that flapped in the storm. I grinned at the sight, knowing this was the big moment to cleanse the upper castle of whoever sat on the throne.

Drago tucked his wings, aiming for the main courtroom balcony doors.

“Uh, buddy.” I widened my eyes. “That’s solid wood.”

If he heard me, he didn’t listen. Light peeked out of the cracks, but the sealed doors might be a problem…

For a non-magical super-horse without wings maybe, the door was impenetrable. Drago aimed like a bullet for the center of the mass, pretty much flying at a blur. We smacked into the wooden doors with enough force to explode into the courtroom.

Colette squealed in shock, probably not even knowing we were about to do something so daring because she hid from the violent assault of the rain. I grunted, flying off his back to float in the air for a brief second. Colette clung to me, and we skidded across a dance floor with her on my back while my metal link armor screeched, creating long gashes.

Drago shook his head like he’d been punched, and in a way, he’d punched himself stupid, staggering like a drunken mule.

“What the fuck you dumbass! I could have kicked the door down,” I grumbled shooting to my feet.

“Colette?” a middle-aged man said from an ornate throne.

He wore a crown, elegant robes, looked to be in his early fifties, and was undeniably shocked at our arrival.

Of course, time didn’t freeze for the rest of the court when we barged in. No, not in the slightest. Guards drew weapons, attendees panicked, and I barely oriented myself. I spun around Colette, using my huge blade to push back any would-be heroes so I could keep the buxom oni safe.

“Father?” Colette uttered in shock.

“Calm!” King Krastor’s voice bellowed through the court. “Everyone calm. No violence, back up this instant.”

A thick tension settled over the area with Drago stomping over to check on me. I pet his neck, watching the room intently. When no blood spilled on the floor, the audience flowed back into their seats, watching me with hesitation.

“Uh, didn’t see this coming?” I grumbled. “Where’s Elise?”

“Safely in her room, locked away,” one of the queens said, standing. I watched her movements, assessed her demeanor, and found no ill will or weapon. She strode across the room, confidently clasping Colette in a hug. “You were right, darling Daughter.”

The woman, a human, didn’t resemble Colette in the slightest, but they were clearly close with a tight bond that I respected.

“Easy, that’s not just your daughter, that’s my Empress,” I warned with a growl.

“Is he always so temperamental?” she asked.

“Emperor Adam, Queen Lavina, and yes, when he’s hungry for blood, he turns bloodthirsty,” Colette wisely warned. “I found the most delightful man to call my husband! And I’ll drive a dagger into anyone who tries to harm him.”

Ivine grunted, standing guard behind the royals. “Can confirm. Uh, to both parts actually.”

“Okay, either my informants are shit, or your deception is next level. Seeing as how there are twenty something attendees here, keeping a secret seems unlikely. What happened?” I asked.

King Krastor sipped on his wine, stealing a glance at the ruined balcony door that let rain in. “We lost. We gambled on the wrong champion and lost. It’s as simple as that.”

“And Elise?” Colette asked, her horns flaring pink with anger.

Lavina sighed, kissing her daughter’s cheek before returning to her seat. While she retreated, she said, “Regor thought your sister came to kill us, behaving like an obedient slave. However, before she departed to Cask, we sewed a warding rune into her armpit. Once the healers fixed her up, your father gave her the pegasus to earn favor.”

“And to avoid having you break down my doors,” King Krastor said dryly as his floor became wet. “Marius is going to fix that while we talk.”

An ice mage who flowed with tendrils of frozen magic nodded to me, not King Krastor, asking for permission. “Sure.” I waited to watch him seal the balcony with a well-crafted spell. The ice crackled with a thud, sealing us in. “You implanted Elise onto… into… ugh. In Regor’s court, getting her favor while having the pegasus secured with the lord you gambled on. Wise, but foolish.”

“I don’t see you offering ships and oodles of gold,” Ivine said with a snarky tone from the back.

I shrugged. “I offer nothing besides peace, prosperity, and a lasting bond with your eldest daughter who will bring grandchildren to this court.”

“One day,” Colette was quick to add.

“Shit, yeah, if you have problems and I -” Colette twirled her clawed nails around my lower back, both stopping and calming me. “Right, back to the problem. Elise is said to be in power, then retreated. Tall order since she arrived with Regor’s troops.”

“Five. She arrived with five guards and a rented ship. Well, more like a forced, low paying, no choice job for the captain. The crew was not thrilled with Elise or coming to our port, and that was the crux of the issue. Regor wanted Elise to fail. He wanted our darling daughter to die, so he could stop hearing our complaints about you,” King Krastor said.

“I am a pain in the ass at times,” I said with a chuckle.

“Yes, true. We killed her guards, saying they died in the capture of the court, then put on a ruse. Genevieve is actively trying to find you, to deliver the news of our wish for an… acclimation to Tolmeria,” King Krastor said.

I huffed in annoyance.

“Everything okay?” Lavina asked.

Colette covered for me, knowing I wanted to fight. “My Lord is on edge and not used to diplomacy winning. After this raid comes his attack on Cask. A raid we can use information about.”

“And so we double cross Regor for sending our daughter to her death,” King Krastor said with a grin. “Did you know he struggles in the north?” I shook my head. “Eshirin Range is home to a legendary golem of vines and stone that stands a hundred paces tall. No defenders have managed to do enough damage, although that Harmony lady may have the right magic. Oh, and it is growing.”

“Let me guess, it eats ratkin?” I asked.

He frowned, clearly confused. “Yes, it does. And it’s said to bleed oil, unconfirmed of course.”

“Hmm… I missed the legendary beast in Tolmeria then. I bet it’s between Estin and Avorth,” I muttered, knowing that was a quest for another day. “Regor struggles in the north?”

“Our reports say he was slow to mobilize. Bastion Ferginad was sacked, as in, the enemy tunneled in, capturing thousands, killing many more. Our latest report from within his camp, since they think they’re talking to Elise who is trying to send reinforcements, was bad. They’re slow to move their large armies in time to prevent the next closest towns from falling.”

Colette snorted. “Not like Regor can rush ahead of the army and save the day. That pathetic man is useless.”

“Yeah, well, not many kings do that,” I admitted. “Okay, he is probably fighting around the northern range.”

At this point, I wanted to trust them just enough, but I also knew if I convinced them to join Tolmeria before I killed Regor, it’d probably tip him off with a message.

“You seek to kill him… With this pegasus?” Lavina said, staring at Drago. “A fine stallion.”

“How did you come by him?” King Krastor asked.

“Sorry Father. And it’s, Emperor, he’s not your commoner. Adam can do what Regor lacks the power to do. He can obliterate this room,” Colette warned.

King Krastor raised his palms defensively. “We’re ready to help, and my Empress has a point, forgive me, my Emperor. As a way to say sorry, let me tell you a secret.”

“Not a huge fan of secrets,” I admitted.

“It involves three pegasi.” The King smirked with a bounce of his eyebrows.

I joined his infectious grin. “Oh, do share.”

Queen Lavina giggled, raising her hand. I nodded. “Adam, there’s more. Something near to your wives lingers in waiting. It could be real, it could be fabricated, but you need to address it now before you may lose your city. Regor has sent something dangerous to sack your city.”

“Uh, I do believe you have my curiosity.”

Chapter

Seventy-Seven

OBSIDIAN FOREST

Carry a Big Stick!

The information I received was vital, with one key element being a tier above the rest. Yes, I needed to plan a daring raid or three, but for now, a problem in the Obsidian Forest called for my utmost attention.

Up in the sky, thin - but dark - clouds drifted overhead with a hint of violence. The midday sun fought to peek through, failing for the most part. The trees flipped coloring on their leaves, readying to shed with a few early droppers drifting on the wind.

My army numbered in the thousands, almost hitting ten thousand total if I ever got them counted or neatly put in rows. I rushed them out of Clear Castle, pushed them hard west, and found the floating fog in the forest not even a day and a half from our walls.

The Cask version of Lyndsey the Necromancer stalked through the woods with a large army. Worse than him being so close, Necromancer Calhoun found the Tolmerian legendary beast on the border, converting it into his army after a stunning victory against the behemoth mammoth. When this happened, Calhoun transcended, becoming something more than just a starter necromancer.

“Lyndsey is going to be most disturbed,” Drefius said in his haughty British tone.

Nerid snorted. “He doesn’t want… whatever this is.”

The archer had a point. Calhoun amassed at least four thousand skeletons and the towering mammoth under his command. However, the minion master no longer possessed natural flesh. Yes, he started as a werewolf, but what he was now was best classified as an abomination.

Calhoun stood at least as tall as an ogre with bulbous muscles overlapping his frame. At some point, he converted the dead into new bones, adding leg extensions with spikes coming out. His arms stretched twice the length of a man’s with immense muscles. But the best part, or worst for him, his head never grew with his body.

Twin beady red eyes stared out of sunken sockets, appearing tiny compared to his overall mass. Around him a hundred ogre skeletons carried massive maces with red orbs in their skulls to watch our assembled army. Arrayed off the center, a thick string of infantry skeletons held solid bone shields and intense bone spears.

The magic in the army far exceeded anything I’d seen up to this point, including a full row of werewolf skeleton javelin throwers. Of course, nothing compared in size to the legendary skeleton mammoth that loomed over the entire army, carrying soldiers on its frame.

“No chance he lets me just walk up and carve him into chunks,” I grumbled.

“I don’t know, he looks friendly enough,” Ormis joked. The big ogre leaned on his club with a grunt. “He should be the sole focus though.”

Our army continued to arrive, dressing battlelines from the makeshift road. The infantry was a mix of armor, species, and weapons. I simply didn’t have the time to create pretty formations filled with specific species yet. The best equipped and largest went to the front.

Archers were useless here, but we knew that coming so most of them stayed behind. Those who wanted to join us, did so with clubs of various materials. What they carried mattered less than how good it could cause blunt damage.

“Making him the focus won’t work. I can’t earn an easy win here, you know that, right?”

Isabel flashed a smile, stealing a moment to give me a warm and supportive glance during her note taking. “I’m listening.”

“If he dies, we win. But… Calhoun will go onto the skeleton’s back, the instant we get near. All he needs to do is retreat, string us out, and then kill everyone who overextends. Unless we defeat his army first, then he’s done,” I said with a sigh.

“Kill Regor, earn a better banner,” Kell said.

I chuckled at the troll in support. “Smart. But if we wait, this fog will assault the women and children of Clear Castle. That’s a monster with no care about life, only power.”

“So we assault, clearly we win,” Ormis said.

“Yeah, actually, we will. For once we hope our training, armor and weapons carry the day. That is one hell of a behemoth mammoth though. Only ogres or me can cut the big bones of the monster,” I added. “Let me check the quest, they sometimes give hints.”

Quest: Defeat the Great Necromancer Calhoun of Tolmeria.

Mission: A tide of undead enter Tolmeria, ready to carve a path through the territory. If not stopped, the gains will continue to grow until the region is conquered by a necromancer. Because the Legendary Zabit of Tolmeria has been consumed by the Great Necromancer Calhoun, he has gained a tier of sentience akin to a Champion. Defeat him or let him fester into something even greater than he is now and suffer the consequences.

Game of Castles Reward: Varies.

Warning: While the Great Necromancer Calhoun’s armor is susceptible to blunt damage, he is immune to it.

“Well fuck,” I grumbled.

“That bad?” Drefius asked.

I nodded. “Calhoun is immune to blunt damage. I’d wager he doesn’t take much damage from arrows either.”

“My nature magic can wrap him up and you can stab his face or whatever,” Colette offered. She whispered, “I don’t mind cutting his eyes out.”

“I think no matter what, we have to get in the thick of it,” I said with a sigh. I stuck a hand on Colette’s shoulder. “Gather the mages and wait for my -”

The massive skeleton mammoth unleashed a loud trumpeting call, pushing the infantry skeletons forward in a berserker charge. I glanced at the infantry lines still forming with almost half of my army still on the road trying to get into formations.

I was forced to make an immediate decision to buy time.

“Back one hundred paces!” I bellowed.

A trumpet ordered a rare fall back toot, driving my officers to shout at their sergeants to flee backwards. The entire army ceded a whole lot of forest, running through the trees to catch up to the stragglers. I was no different than the average soldier in the need to retreat. I became flustered, sweeping Isabel up before depositing her on a fine stallion. Her guards ushered her away to where she could record the battle while I hopped onto Drago’s back.

“And here I wanted for them to play nice,” I grumbled, riding the mount back until we could add more of the trailing army to the formation. Once we reached a hundred paces, the enemy slowed, as if to play nice. Of course, while I watched, Drago bucked me out of his saddle with a vertical stand. “Hey!”

My wobbled shout didn’t deter him as I fell.

He bolted off the forest floor soaring away while I lamented on my ass. For whatever reason, he flew like a demon towards Clear Castle. If I had to guess, he wanted to get Harmony or at least a half decent mage. I’d brought a mage contingent, but none were as powerful as my lovely sorceress.

“You okay, Boss?” Cavorth, the centaur scout who replaced Captain Carr asked.

I nodded. “How’re the flanks looking?”

“Normal. We’re nearing the section where routine patrols happened, so we doubt there are surprises behind us,” Cavorth said in a deep voice.

“Awe, come on now,” Kroz complained. “You know that means he’s going to summon a bunch of undead back there.”

“Thank you for volunteering to make sure it's safe,” I said, running over to Daxton before Kroz could make some excuse to avoid being in the reserve force. “Unfurl the banner, slam it down. Estril, signal a charge when I call for it.”

I held up a hand, watching the enemy lines slow. The necromancer decided he wanted his charge to hit in unison, so the skeletons reformed. Since the skeletons served one master they listened, but the intelligence within the red in their eyes gave them autonomy.

While the enemy dressed lines to finish their charge in a coherent fashion, I sucked in a whole lot of air.

“My style is to normally win through tactics. Today is different. There are no tactics versus the undead besides for infantry to push and cavalry to flank. Today, we fight for Tolmeria. Today, we die for the loved ones who yearn for us to return to them. The courage you show today, means more of us make it home. If I can swiftly end the fight, I will, but expect to fight. Expect to win. Fight for your families. Fight for your friends. Give nothing to the undead lord and take everything!” I bellowed, dropping my hand.

Trumpets roared to life. The banner slammed down, fueling the army with its magical enhancements.

As one, the forces of Tolmeria thundered forward. Orcs sprinted ahead of their counterparts, using their empowered legs to cross the distance. Knights spurred their mounts from a walk to a fast trot, wheeling on the flanks in half moons.

The ground shook with an angry reverberation and the drums of war thrummed violently from the back ranks. For all the soldiers still on the road, they stopped trying to fan out, adding their weight to the charge.

I glanced at my officers, most of whom already spread out to command their lower captains. The front needed me more than they did, so I placed a hand on Daxton’s shoulder.

“Stay close to Kroz, Isabel, and Colette. The rest of us will be busy, so stay alive,” I commanded.

Before anyone could reply, I shot forward, moving at superhuman speed. I deviated to where the mass of soldiers thinned, finding enough space to zoom by a few soldiers. When I could see the enemy from between allies in front of me, I leapt high.

The mass of werewolf skeletons faltered when I slammed into their midst.

I entered a spin to win, turning the heavy blade like a blender. The crack and snap of bones from nearby skeletons drowned out the battle cries. My initial sweep fractured a dozen or so enemies and when they clattered down, scattering on the forest floor, their red eyes dimmed until they died.

Lyndsey pretty much hinted at this.

If his minions suffered damage mid-fight, they'd need to be reborn instead of fighting without legs. A small blessing with minimal impact because as soon as I carved them to bits, magic vibrated the bones.

As I predicted, the vile necromancer scaled up his mighty mammoth, casting his dark magic into the ruined mess around me. New bodies slowly formed from the spell, creating every warriors’ nightmare scenario, having to constantly defeat your foe.

With my right hand extended and my left guarding my body with the legendary anti-magic shield, I jumped in between the stirring bones and the caster, disrupting Calhoun’s spell. Not only did this defeat the magic from bringing new life onto the battlefield, dozens of skeletons clattered down from my spin, not rising again.

Calhoun bellowed out a flustered roar, furious at his inability to birth new troops. All along the battle front, two sides slammed into each other with violent thuds. The reverberating impacts were felt in my bones even with my intense swings sending a numbing tingle in my arm.

Instead of working the line back and forth, I deviated deeper into the ranks, eager to reach the necromancer while disrupting his spells. From the top of the skeleton mammoth’s back, he cast his magic around my block, touching the recent dead.

The instant I drew too close, he left the partially created minions on the sides to clatter down, never completing them. As expected, every spin gave me a glimpse at Calhoun and the bastard faded further and further away on his behemoth mount.

Worse, the enemy shifted, deviating from fighting my allies. As one, they tried to swarm me.

I immediately stopped moving forward, swinging my way back towards friendly lines.

“Arggggg!” I grunted, feeling the strain of the enemy’s press.

“To the Emperor!” Ormis bellowed.

A hundred ogres risked everything to smash through the skeletons between us. Calhoun must have been busy because his overriding command to kill me left his troops vulnerable. I spun a final time until a skeleton ogre hurled an ally right into my face.

I’m sure he just wanted to knock me down, but the solid smack of magical bones to my helm sent me tumbling to the ground with my vision darkening.

“Ooooofffff!” I grunted, rolling a few times until a set of clawed feet kicked me.

“Feel my wrath!” Ormis punted a skeleton who tried to pounce on me, arriving just in time. Idris, his friend, belly flopped ahead of Ormis, flattening dozens of skeletons.

From the wings of the intense melee battle, the cavalry rushed into the fray, trampling the werewolf skeletons with brute force. Intense cracks and snaps filled my ears with a cacophony of breaks. Whatever magic Calhoun tried to instill on the recent dead failed to materialize with his continued retreat and I knew if I survived this next bit, the battle would be ours.

The army found a cadence, shifting through the werewolves step by locked step. I surged back to my feet and summoned both my golems from my outstretched palms while soldiers pushed deeper into the mass.

“The necromancer is short sighted! Break ranks to advance!” I shouted, ejecting the final bits of magic out of my hands.

Golem smothered Icey, freezing to his frame so a fifteen-foot-tall magical creation began clobbering nearby skeletons with furious swings and kicks. I surged forward to help Ormis and the ogres deal with the press of the larger undead.

Idris staggered from a javelin lodging in his neck, falling on a section of eager orcs who suddenly shrieked. The ground jolted when he collapsed, sending shockwaves through the battlefield.

I pushed on, knowing many good souls would visit the Gods on this day. Instead of worrying about Calhoun who fled, I smashed skeletons who seemed to have reverted to trying their best to kill anyone they could.

Since the press vanished, I unleashed holy hell.

Every swipe and strike shattered or cracked bones until I left a trail of bodies behind me. Claws racked my armor, occasionally getting caught, but a knight or soldier would always seem to appear to help remove the offender.

And so I shifted focus.

Instead of racing after the big bad enemy, I focused on saving lives. I became a blur across the battlefield with a tucked shoulder and outstretched shield to soften the blows. If anyone seemed in trouble, they were my go to destination.

I ran down the line, smashing skeletons over and over and over. The roar of the battlefield only intensified as the pressure from our side became overbearing. Infantry plowed over skeletons, trampling the undead.

When I found myself at the end of the line with knights surging through the enemy, I stole a glance at Calhoun. The necromancer was but a spec on the horizon with his mist receding like a cloak being dragged by its wearer.

“No mercy! Crush the undead!” I bellowed.

My call out wasn’t really needed because the troops already encircled the enemy. Instead of letting them escape, they died in an enclosing circle. I ran in a sprint, jumped high, and raised my blade so it glinted in the fading sun.

For the next hour, I carved my way into the center, found a nice spot near the eye of the mass, and spun to win. With the enemy not under some compulsion spell, the killing slowed due to the inability to get around the enemies’ backs. Ogres eventually replaced orcs on the front, carving large swaths out of the skeleton ranks.

Over and over I spun, ejecting my lunch at some point. I didn’t stop until I faced open air, finally feeling the rotation kicking my ass.

“Excellent work, your grace,” Isabel noted while I took a knee to recover.

After a heavy pant, I asked, “Calhoun?”

“Retreating south with minimal forces,” Drefius replied. “Want us to pursue?”

“Absolutely. Full sprint, everyone besides the heavy infantry. Stragglers are to be left behind to smash bones while removing the enchanted weapons. I think it cost him more energy. Have our dead brought back home for a proper and deep burial,” I said, rising to my feet.

When I started running east, Isabel brought her stallion forward to help guide me. Colette offered me her stallion but I jogged faster than it could run so I sped away at the pace of the cavalry. The heavy infantry immediately set about collecting the bone swords and shields, crushing the rest.

Trees flew by with each passing second. As the time passed the setting sun grew dimmer and dimmer. Following the behemoth mammoth wasn’t all that hard since it left massive indents in the ground. Every few minutes, a skeleton would pop out from behind a tree, trying to maim a horse or tackle a soldier.

An hour into the hunt, the ogres gave up, deciding to recover. I didn’t slow until a massive phoenix erupted in the night sky a mile or two away. A shrill shriek erupted from the distance with a furious trumpeting cry of anguish from the behemoth skeleton.

I didn’t see Calhoun die, but deep down, I knew he perished when a wave of green magic washed over the area, turning skeletons into dust.

I slowed with a grin.

“Quest.”

Quest: Defeat the Great Necromancer Calhoun of Tolmeria.

Mission: A tide of undead enter Tolmeria, ready to carve a path through the territory. If not stopped, the gains will continue to grow until the region is conquered by a necromancer. Because the Legendary Zabit of Tolmeria has been consumed by the Great Necromancer Calhoun, he has gained a tier of sentience akin to a Champion. Defeat him or let him fester into something even greater than he is now and suffer the consequences.

Game of Castles Reward:

Lord Points: 80,000

Warhammer of Smashyness: Cannot break no matter how much force is applied.

Twin Red Masin Macaws: These legendary birds pick ripe fruit for their owners, bring the best seeds as well for future harvests. If asked nicely, they will plant the seeds, turning regular forests into perfectly lush orchards.

Godlike Comfort Saddle: Plush for the privileged bum.

The materials and birds spawned right in front me, startling the stoic warriors in my midst. Colette let out a soft moan of adorableness when she saw the confused parrots. I grumbled, not exactly thrilled about having more pets, but they weren’t for me.

Before I could pick up my new warhammer, Harmony landed with a very smug Drago. If he could talk, he’d sure as shit be bragging that he brought the necromancer killer from the castle when I told her to rest.

“Husband,” Harmony said, eyeing the prizes. “What’re those?”

“Your rewards. A comfy saddle, two new parrots, which… fitting seeing as you have a history with them, and the warhammer is for me, which sorta makes sense,” I said, showing my very dented blade. “Thanks for the win.”

“He was trying to reach the ocean, which is concerning,” Harmony said.

“There are more legendary monsters and infinite bones, probably a safe place to flee to,” I said.

“I think his mind warped and he intended to surprise you on the walls, having the advantage,” Isabel guessed.

I stretched, feeling exhausted. “Right. I agree. If he killed the scouts and attacked at night, we’d have struggled. King Krastor’s tip will not be forgotten. However, there’s going to be a lot of dead.”

“A few hundred brave souls perished on this day,” Drefius said with a somber tone.

“Come husband, I don’t want the fancy pony with wings or the cute parrots, I want you,” Harmony said, struggling to get off Drago’s back. Her baby bump made it impossible until my fiery lover grumbled. “And that saddle. Actually, just that saddle. I’m dreadfully tired from the exertion and the mid-wife said no casting magic in the third trimester.”

Isabel said, “Ride my carriage home.” Harmony yawned, falling into my arms when I held them up to catch her. I cradled my very pregnant lady, walking towards the battlefield. The parrots chattered in squawking nonsense, following me. “Oh, she wanted to be carried.”

“Don’t you write that down,” Harmony joked. “But, yes, I won the day, being spoiled is the bonus.”

“Hey, I’m the hero here,” I pretended to complain. “Great job though, my love. I’m proud of you.”

“What comes next, my Emperor?” Drefius asked, following at my side with his stallion.

“I carry this lovely phoenix casting badass to a comfy seat, then send her home. Drago and I are going to Cask. Either we’ll kill Regor or we’ll steal the pegasi,” I confidently said.

“He’s going to have a massive army and probably knows you have a flying mount by now,” Isabel warned.

“Maybe. That’s probably why I needed to hurry, but this army had to be crushed.” My gruff tone did little to help the mood. “Soon, we’ll all be able to relax, enjoying a few years of peace and prosperity, assuming I survive the final few tests.”

Regor Chapter 5

Davo Fields outside Bastion Ferginad

The Ultimate Test!

Ami’s child screamed incessantly, wanting something else that no one could please him with. In all his years, he always avoided the actual baby part, delighting in the making part. When her water broke before the eve of battle, he couldn’t believe his luck.

Two hours later, she demanded the baby be cut out even though the healing might fail. Eight hours later, he sent them to sleep in a different pavilion so he could manage the coming battle. Ever since he left his cozy castle, life turned to shit. Regor pooped in the woods, he could never get comfortable, he was covered in bug bites, and the good wine sprung a leak yesterday, leaving him to drink the sour stuff.

Now, his trusted advisor became bedridden, barely surviving the ordeal. The two wet nurses struggled to keep the one baby in the entire camp quiet. Hell, Regor was worried they might kill him for his son’s petulant behavior, letting the others move further away from the inner sanctum of camp.

Worse, as Regor watched the battlefield surgeons gut Ami, Igran whispered in his ear to run. Run from the monster. He considered killing the kid, but Ami was his rock. He needed her more than he ever cared to realize and that was his heir. And Ami made it very clear, she’d do anything for her firstborn and the heir to Cask.

In due time, he’d send the child away or take precautions.

For now, he sipped his wine, trying to stuff his small ear holes to avoid the never ending squalls. Between the baby, the endless meetings, and the supply issues being cut off from an anthril starvation suicide attack, he was exhausted.

All of Ami’s reports were stacked on his desk, waiting to be read. Since there wasn’t anyone else he trusted, he unrolled them one at a time.

“You’ve gotta be kidding,” Regor muttered, reading that Adam of Tolmeria struck a deal with Zeth. “The two ruthless cunts who should be killing each other are having gay sex. Just my luck. Hmm… This doesn’t make sense. How does he get a full grown pegasus? They’re still small.”

His tent flap opened, casting flickering illumination from the torches out front. The gentle breeze helped with the sweat from wearing armor all day. When he cocked an ear to figure out who entered, he noticed the baby still screamed, masking the footfalls.

“What?” Regor demanded. The seat where Ami normally sat to brief him creaked. He frowned, turning to give whoever it was attention. “You know, just because Ami is recovering it doesn’t mean you can -”

He turned, seeing a youthful man the size of a G-Ball player full of enhancement drugs. He wore fancy robes over armor and the black robes had specks of blood all over them. He wasn’t pretty, but definitely ruggedly handsome with a chiseled jaw and brooding eyes.

The sneer on his face said everything, but just in case Regor missed the hint, he glowed with a vibrant orange aura. Regor didn’t gulp or stammer, he’d made it this far by talking his way into and out of situations, and he sure as shit wasn’t about to stop.

“My guards?”

“Dead, you’d be surprised by the amount of cover a baby makes for a man with my talents.”

“Ah, that is what Igran meant when he warned me. A drink?” Regor asked.

He shook his head. “I’m not staying long. Did you know Elise betrayed you?”

“I… I did not,” Regor admitted. Adam smoothly stood, readying to end the brief conversation. “I’m ready to become a vassal.”

“Nope. Sorry, it’s business, and I learned a hard lesson coming here about making deals with people I can’t trust. I wanted to give you a last request before your passing,” Adam offered.

“Ami. The street girl who became the Empress of Cask. I… I truly love her,” Regor confessed. “The rest of my harem deserve the -”

Regor jolted when he moved faster than possible, crossing the distance in a blink. An immense impact slammed into his jaw, shattering the bone along with flinging him down. Teeth flew out of Regor’s mouth along with half his tongue as he tumbled on the nice carpet to cover the dirt.

He glanced up, seeing a boot descending toward his forehead. It happened so fast he never felt the darkness consume him.

Chapter

Seventy-Eight

ESHIRIN Range

Walk Lightly!

Quest: Win the Game of Castles.

Mission: Eliminate the competition.

Results: You have slain Regor of Cask in the middle of his army. You have earned infinite short term negative Influence, Military, and Family Points with the Cask Region. His banner has fizzled into nothing and you now have a black and gold rooster pendant on your war banner. You can assign any bonus attribute +1 before a battle. Cannot be changed during a battle.

No notification goes out, no one knows you just killed your foe.

You have gained eight levels, nine when you count the necromancer fight.

With time, once the shock has settled, the people of Cask will look for leadership. Once that happens, their recruitment at your table will be possible.

While it is customary to respect a dying elf’s last wish, removing future heirs is rewarded.

1,000,000 Lord Points awarded.

I bent down and looted the body, unable to help myself. Regor’s brains lay plastered on his tent wall and the fucker shit himself right before he died. I stopped my patdown, deciding to grab all his reports instead. Knowledge was power and this was the best of the best from my opponent.

The baby cried, and cried, and cried some more. I didn’t even think twice about it. If the son tried to avenge the father, he’d die in a fair fight. Well, mostly fair, but yeah, I wasn’t about to slaughter women and children to further my political ambitions.

I exited the tent, quickly tossing the dead into the pavilion before walking toward the crying baby. While I’d killed two of his guards at the tent flap, I’d left the rest where they stood. The interior camp’s security seemed unbothered by my presence, not even asking who I was or why I was here.

Outside of the baby’s tent, two guards watched my approach with a mix of disinterest and annoyance. Since I was in the inner circle, I likely belonged, but that didn’t grant me access, plus they clearly were flustered by the crying baby.

“The Emperor sent me to talk with Ami about the baby,” I said with a hint of anger, as if I were simply following orders.

I figured she’d be off limits, but they stood aside to let me, probably eager to get the crying to stop. A few quick steps carried me into a tent with six women watching over one pale mother rocking a baby by candlelight.

“Ami?” I asked.

She glanced up, frustrated with her son and by my arrival. “What?”

Ironically, my arrival caused the baby to fall asleep, something everyone was grateful for.

“You wondrous beast of a man,” one of the wetnurses said.

I flashed a fake smile. “I understand you’re recovering, but I promised your safety,” I said, standing upright and removing my helm. “Do you know who I am?” She tilted her head at first, not certain. “I was in charge of The Fat Shark.”

Her eyes slammed shut for a few seconds, then she nodded. “I… This means… I do. The story of the docks was something I almost didn’t believe.”

Without trying to scold, I added, “You knew this was coming.”

“I feared for it, but I always expected him to win,” Ami admitted.

“I’m going to defeat the enemy on the hill, free the dungeon wives, and take my pegasi back home,” I said evenly.

“Who… Who is this, m’lady?” a wetnurse asked.

One of them left the tent, limiting my time.

Ami adjusted, then realized she was too weak to react. “And me?”

“I’m not a monster. I don’t fear you or your son, but I’d rather make peace if I can,” I offered. “I don’t know how this plays out here, but I’m going home soon to retire for winter and hopefully for years of preparations.”

“I’ve… I’ve done terrible things,” Ami admitted, holding up the baby for me. “Please, save him.”

I held a palm out. “I keep my word,” I said with a sigh, understanding what she meant. “Bundle him to your chest, we’re going south. The ride is smooth, mostly.”

“The Empress is in no position to go anywhere,” one of the ladies said.

Ami barely managed to stand, tears welling in her eyes. “No, it's fine. This is not about me, it’s about Ethan.”

“That’s a strong name, your Grace,” I said, grabbing a thick blanket. She bundled Ethan to her chest in a tight wrap, using my hand to stand. I wrapped her in a bundle, scooped her up, and carried her out of the tent to the dismay of the ladies. The guards watched me with concern. “We’re going to Alvinia, where the Empress will recover.”

I thought this would be the point where they finally challenged me, but they glanced at Ami for guidance.

“I need to be away from the front. See me at the castle, Gavi, Lemo,” Ami said with a weak smile.

I whistled lightly for Drago. The pegasi must have been hiding nearby because he pranced right in front of the tent, unbothered that we were in the midst of the enemy camp. At this point, there was no hiding anything so I vaulted into the saddle.

Before we could get comfortable, a shrill scream pierced the night from Regor’s tent. Drago burst into flight, carrying us up and away from the camp. Torches streamed toward the fallen emperor’s resting place where the army would find him dead.

We were long gone before they could react. I knew I had a decently long trip ahead. It’d take a day or two to reach the south then return, but I did plan on defeating the legendary beast here, mostly so the region didn’t fall to ratkin with me being the cause.

Ami could have tried to dislodge me as we flew over the main army, but she snuggled in instead. Without a doubt, she had her motherly instinct up to an eleven out of ten. Not only that, she was pale, so I merely held her as she fell asleep, because she was clearly struggling from her ordeal.

It’d take most of the night to reach Alvinia, giving time for her to recover since I saw empty potion bottles by her rocking chair earlier.

I stayed awake, watching the landscape zoom under us. Drago seemed boundless in his energy, undeterred by the extra weight. He pushed himself harder than normal. Deep down, I think he knew what came next.

Regor held three pegasi that Drago was likely excited for, and I needed each of them. My mind contemplated how close I was to being near the end with the recent whirlwind events.

It also wasn’t lost on me about how Regor died with ease. Zeth never would let me knock him down unaware, but Regor wasn’t a warrior and it proved to be his undoing.

Eventually, the baby awoke with an annoying cry that spurred Drago to fly faster. Ami brought him to her bosom and all was well in the world as the sun crested the horizon. An outer wall loomed large in the distance and Drago brought us high to avoid the defenses.

Something became insanely obvious.

No one, not even Tolmerian castles, were defended against winged riders. I knew I’d need to do something to fix the issue here soon since we bypassed the wall guards by simply flying out of their reach. Decades of construction, decades of training, and it was all circumvented by a flying horse in seconds.

“That balcony right there. Keep your helmet on and I’ll lead you through the castle to free his wives since I was Regor’s most trusted advisor,” Ami said.

“Not his wife?”

“No. My lowborn status would sully the other wives’ prestige… Hmm… Status is a better word. He was a monster, but he did unify the realm, so I served to help Cask,” Ami said.

“Time to move on and let someone else free the wives. I just want the pegasi.”

“Okay, I need my son secured,” she whispered.

“I recommend you get on a ship and go to Misho Port,” I offered as Drago gently touched down on the balcony. I hopped off his back, setting her down. “You look more hale, Ami.”

“The healing potions merely took time,” Ami said, slamming a fist on the closed balcony doors. A young lady in waiting opened the door with a smile. “Heard my voice?”

“Of course, Lady Ami. Welcome home,” the servant said.

“Ikee this is my current guard assigned to my son’s protection, but I need Ethan to be rocked, burped, then changed while I attend to affairs.”

Ikee bowed, accepting a very distraught Ethan when his mother separated from him. She returned to Drago with arms lifted. I picked her up and we hopped into the saddles again. Ami pointed to a random warehouse near the docks, and I figured this might be when she chose to strike.

Instead, she calmly clung to my frame while we flew towards the ocean. When we arrived at the warehouse, she whispered, “You have to kill the guards.”

I grunted in understanding, feeling the excitement in Drago’s muscles. He began nickering, neighing, and sputtering in an attempt to try to tell me he knew they were in there. I chuckled, also realizing there was another way to free the adolescent pegasi without a fight.

A gentle tug on the reins sent him flying over the warehouse. He slowed to a hover and I hopped out of Drago’s saddle to land on the roof.

With a big overhand arc, I swung my warhammer like a golf club, ripping a massive hole in the wooden framing.

The instant the opening revealed daylight, three energetic pegasi soared into the air. Drago performed a cocky flyby, talking to the year old animals that were too small to ride but plenty big enough to fly. I ran alongside Drago until the roof ended, and I leapt into his saddle. The trio followed our lead, eager to be free and happy to let Drago create the path.

A minute later, I deposited Ami onto her balcony. “See you in Misho.”

“Maybe. I may go west. I may go north. I’m for sure going to load up and leave before the news arrives. There are sixty-three wives in prison apartments in this castle. Each of them will be fighting amongst the generals for who leads Cask,” Ami said.

“I could never get an army here in time, and I’d rather fortify my home than over-extend by claiming it myself. However, Ami, you did good for Ethan today. I won’t forget your kindness, and thank you for being understanding,” I said.

Ami shrugged. “I didn’t do it for you. My whole life, I’ve made bad deals to stay alive, this is no different. Finally, I can do something for me, and I intend to. Goodbye.”

She closed the doors to the balcony while the castle guards shouted at me to bring the pegasi back to their pen. I obviously did no such thing, flying north. I doubted the trio could fly the whole way to my final battle before a nice break, but I probably needed to sleep before I fought a legendary creature anyway.

Chapter

Seventy-Nine

ESHIRIN Range

Liberation!

I slept in a ball of stinky horses under a random section of forest south of the main Cask army. After a few hours of sleep, I picked myself off the dirt, unleashed a mighty pee, and woke Drago.

He talked in horse gibberish to the adolescent pegasi. A few seconds later, they burst into flight, going east towards home.

“Uh, Clear Castle?”

Drago nickered with a head bob, and the look in his eyes said, obviously. I chuckled, hopping into his saddle. While we flew north, barely zooming over the trees. I knew I didn’t need to save these armies, but I wanted to. By now, they for sure knew their leader was dead and his key advisor gone via a man on a pegasus.

For that reason, when I neared the sprawling camp, I flew around the army, seeing them breaking down tents to head home. Thousands upon thousands of soldiers, dejectedly shuffled about on the campgrounds, hating life.

I sighed, knowing if they lost the north, the ratkin would for sure travel through the Obsidian Forest, or even the mountains to hit Avorth. I needed to bring the two sides together before it was too late.

With the sun at its zenith, we soared directly toward the ruins of Eshirin. Amongst the uncoordinated ratkin horde stood a three or four hundred foot tall stone golem. Vines wrapped boulder chunks that formed the sections of the body that made up a human frame.

Two arms had odd biceps with smooth forearms, and two large hands held trees that appeared small. The legs were stubby, with most of the length in the upper torso. Intense black eyes watched my approach with confusion, as if I were just a very large bird.

Quest: Defeat the Ebris of Cask.

Mission: A monster of stone and vines terrorizes the mountain regions of Cask. If left unchecked, it will consume enough protein to split into a dozen half sized replicas over a five year metamorphosis.

Game of Castles Reward: Varies.

“Magic. I swear. Rat guts equals more stones, go figure. Alright, stats,” I whispered, freezing time. Even Drago froze mid-flap without me flying out of his saddle. “Apply nine levels to strength. Grand display.”

Name: Adam Clear

Champion for the God of Barter

Height: 6’6”

Weight: 257 lbs

Age: 26

General Level: 56

Strength: 19

Stamina: 7

Dexterity: 20

Constitution: 6

Endurance: 6

Healing: 3

Magic Type: Golem

Magic Level: 28

Spell Assignment: Water Golem (Golem)

Secondary Assignment: Ice Golem (Icey)

Applying display now.

Time resumed with Drago and I between the two armies. In an odd turn of events, the pegasus shrunk while I stayed stationary above his tiny form. The heavens themselves split, unleashing a massive torrent of orange energy into my frame. My muscles ripped in agonizing pain and for one I was glad to be in the light chainmail armor.

When the pain reached its pinnacle, I glowed just as bright as the sun. Magic pulsed off my form until a voice whispered in my ear to speak.

“I am Adam of Tolmeria, formerly of Earth. I toiled as a construction worker, helping good folk have a sanitary place to live. I never relished in riches or demanded from servants. I was ordinary in many ways, extraordinary in others.

“In the Game of Castles, I’ve risen to the challenge, fighting and slaying thousands of beasts in order to protect the common person. I owe nothing to Cask. I owe nothing to you. Your leader tried to kill me with his agents, and he failed where I succeeded. People respect winners even if you think me a fool.

“Tolmeria is united. None of its cities burn. The winter harvest will be bountiful, our trade is flourishing, and our children play freely without threats plaguing the lands. Seshkin has entered the fold, we are at peace with the north, the east, and hopefully, Gods willing, Cask.

“I’m going to kill this big ugly brute, then drag the ratkin into your ranks. Either let them carve you up from behind, or crush them so you can know peace for winter. My armies can march through the Obsidian Forest, but if you prove your worth, defending your homelands, I’ll just sit by a fire drinking ale instead,” I finished my speech with the glowing power and enhanced voice fading.

I fell back into Drago’s saddle, no longer a lone man high in the sky. The two of us banked hard, with the pegasus tucking his wings. As expected he sank like a brick in water, falling directly towards the legendary stone golem.

“Humie go squish!”

The stone golem hurled both trees with a mad chuckle. Drago slowed to a hover, nickering in joy as the trees came nowhere close. He decided to tease the big golem, enticing Ebris to rise. Even his minimal move of shifting his weight sent quakes through the gritty terrain.

Ebris sneered with a grin. The vines on his joints creaked as he brought his palms together, forcing a gust of wind to lift Drago up and above his attack. The movement brought a house sized foot forward, squishing a huge segment of ratkin. When those stone palms collided, I instantly went deaf with blood running down my ears.

The impact sent a shockwave blasting through my innards and I probably needed a healing potion even if I felt whole. I stole a glance over my shoulder, seeing a whole section of the ratkin army simply ceased to exist under a stone foot. Sure, a whole bunch of the scurrying bastards escaped being flattened, but a whole lot died.

I couldn’t hear shit and when Drago soared towards a knee, blood trailed out of his ears, splattering on my armor. I yanked him hard to the right. He obeyed, giving me a stern glare. I pointed below as we drifted away and I think he caught on.

The big pegasus hovered just out of reach, enticing the big golem to step forward. When he lunged with a punch at speeds no massive creature should be capable of. To narrowly avoid the attack, we barrel rolled.

“Ahhhhhh! What the fuck Drago!” I screamed clutching his saddle.

We couldn’t hear shit, but suddenly, I feared for my life as Ebris stormed after us. Thankfully Drago banked hard and righted himself.

I stared in abject horror when we flew directly towards the golem’s closing knees. For some stupid reason, the pegasus figured flying between two stone legs was smart. He flapped for all he was worth while Ebris hopped up, snapping his legs closed.

Dargo deftly flared his wings, sending us vertical.

So… yeah, I’d mostly clung to the saddle horn, squeezing my own legs to stay attached to the one thing keeping me from going splat. And then, out of nowhere, we zoomed mere inches from the stone structure.

I roared out a battle cry, cocked back the warhammer, and unleashed the power of an enhanced Champion.

The flat metal smacked into the stone with enough force that a giant fissure snapped into place. Oozing black blood gooped out as flecks of stone erupted out of the leg, vines snapped, and Drago faltered when a big rock hit his side.

The wind left his chest and I could tell he’d live but he’d struggle to fly, let alone support me.

He glanced back at me with a pleading madness of desperation in his eyes. That single fleeting look pierced my heart.

“I got this, Buddy. Come get me after.”

Without much of a choice, I unleashed the demon within me. I flung myself out of his saddle, wrapping an arm around a vine on the behemoth’s left hip.

Before my momentum could be arrested, I swung my warhammer for a new blow. The metal cratered stone, creating an all new streak cracking in his frame. Black blood wept from the wounds, but I didn’t stick around to watch it.

Ebris teetered into a fall with a fist coming to squish me. I hastily wrapped my legs, swinging my mighty warhammer to meet his knuckles. The two neared each other with an unavoidable collision course.

When the metal touched the stone fist, my vision exploded in stars and a tremendous force threatened to yank me out of my entanglement. My hip popped, but by some miracle I stayed lodged in his vines.

In hindsight, I probably wanted to go flying because the big fella slammed into the ground, calf first.

Right before the leg connected with the mountain, I jumped towards his stomach. Ebris collided into the stone terrain with enough force to split the planet’s surface. Beneath him, the ratkin army lay in ruins, turning into mush when the stone behemoth splattered them.

He bounced, coming up to greet my mad jump. Even though my shield lay on my left forearm, I clasped the legendary warhammer with two hands, bringing it down with everything I had right as Ebris rose from the ground pushing back.

The head of the warhammer hit the lower belly with enough force that I shot upwards. I cackled maniacally, finding the reaction delightful. Ebris hit the ground from my blow bouncing back up as I came down again.

I smashed the warhammer higher up his frame. The same thing happened with a less pronounced after effect. But my damage was surreal as a massive seam ripped his body down the middle. Over and over I landed blows until my bounces became long strides where I sought sections of solid ground.

The haze of my battle lust consumed me. Eventually, I found myself standing on the big golem’s forehead with his eyes glazed open in death.

I roared out defiantly all around me, seeing scurrying ratkin running for cover since most of their army lay in shambles. Drago zoomed down, flaring his wings to land beside me. I checked his wound, grabbing a healing potion out of his satchel with my free hand. He had exposed ribs that would need a potion and at least ten minutes to heal.

“It’s bad, but you’ve had worse, like an arrow to the eye,” I whispered with a chuckle. I downed the first potion, raising my shield as a series of arcane spells sought to consume us from the ratkin casters. “Wait your turn!”

I grabbed another potion, popped the cork, and shoved it into Drago’s mouth. He didn’t fight me, willing to swallow the bile of a potion to have his body repaired. The cagey horse shot off the dead golem the instant he down the potion, eager to trample ratkin.

“Come back soon,” I grumbled, chucking the bottle at a nearby target.

The glass shattered on a ratkin’s back. I snatched the warhammer from its resting position, noting the Cask army stood motionless in the distance, likely stunned. I sucked in a lungful of air with a righteous fury.

“They’re routing. Get your asses into battle or I will ruin every one of your fucking cities!” My voice boomed across the battlefield, washing over the army with the aid of the Gods.

Instead of seeing how they reacted, I jumped off the dead stone golem, landing next to ratkin. I baseball batted him into pulp, surging through the enemy ranks. While I could summon my magical minions to fight with me, I wanted to save them for true desperation. A rat ogre raised a shield to block my blow, learning his mistake too late.

The impact sent him sideways at a speed that blurred his body as he tumbled over and over. Without a doubt his bones were a shattered mess. I pressed on, a proverbial god among mice, laying waste to the hordes of the enemy. While I turned ratkin skin into flecks of mush, I learned something.

In the Game of Castles, the Champions needed to be countered by kill squads with massive crossbows. Champions were the vital part here, not the castles.

I snickered, crushing a troll shaman midcast with an overhead swing.

My ears healed just in time to hear him pop. “Game of Castles… more like Game of Champions. How do guards protect my family?” I muttered.

Especially if the rewards granted them anti-magic shields. Hell, I figured there was probably anti-piercing armor.

I could die. I felt every arrow impact, every rusty sword that tried to stab me; they hurt, by the Gods, the enemies' attacks took a toll. And yet, I moved at speeds they failed to react to, swinging a mighty warhammer in sweeps so powerful most turned to mush while others went flying.

Eventually my slaughter took me to a tunnel entrance. I sprinted around it going higher to keep killing straggling ratkin. Most of the ratogres died in the battle or retreated already so I deviated away from the enemy’s hiding spots.

A ruined building on the outside of the city provided a nice vantage point to jump onto. When I glanced back, the Cask army finally did something useful. They ran down the ratkin, cleaning up the mess I made.

When Drago landed, I set the warhammer down, running a hand over his tender but healed ribs. I gently slid into his saddle, grabbed my warhammer, and retired from the field. Others could have the rest of the glory, because I had a loving family to return to.

Chapter

Eighty

CLEAR CASTLE

Celebration!

I landed on my balcony, waving to Ormis, who’d awoken at my approach. Any other champion could try to invade my home, making defense exceedingly important. I figured Rosa and Isabel would have a delightful time digging into the books as to how Champions defended against other Champions attacking their homes.

“You smell of rat and…” Ormis raised his head for an extra sniff. “Oil?”

“Huh, maybe he had oil blood after all. Suppose I should see what I got as a reward,” I said.

“The legendary golem?” the big fella asked, sitting back down in my front yard where he stood watch over my family.

“Indeed. How’re the wives?”

He shrugged. “Sleeping.”

I chuckled, knowing that was how the ogres were. The two of us had come a long way over the last eight months or so and if I had to guess, the snow would start soon.

“Quest,” I whispered.

Quest: Defeat the Ebris of Cask.

Mission: A monster of stone and vines terrorizes the mountain regions of Cask. If left unchecked, it will consume enough protein to split into a dozen half sized replicas over a five year metamorphosis.

Game of Castles Reward:

Lord Points: 80,000

Magical Bow of Fire Arrows: The bow will fire arrows without need to knock them, simply pull the string back, and release. A materialized wooden arrow will fly out, lighting on fire. One hundred arrows per hour limit.

Two Oxen of Renown: Good male oxen are worth their weight in gold with these two males being legendary. Almost worth more than a pegasus.

Godlike Comfort Saddle: Plush for the privileged bum.

I caught the hint with a chuckle, watching the two oxen magically appear beside another saddle. I planned on using this one.

“Those look tasty,” Ormis said.

“They’ll be going to Estin.”

Ormis pouted and I couldn’t tell if he was seriously considering eating my legendary oxen.

“Suppose you secured Cask?”

“I did. I did indeed. But Farli will have people fighting over it. Cask too. Meanwhile, we’re going to prepare. I have a feeling as we amass power and prosper, we’ll continue to bring immigration to the region. Once our fleets are massed and our armies ready, we’ll shift the war efforts, but for now, we focus on home,” I said.

Ormis smiled with a sad twinkle in his eyes. “I miss Idris’ snore.”

“Aye. I… I’m sad he won’t make it to the end,” I admitted.

“Will we?” the big ogre asked, flexing his arms when he folded them over his chest. “Will we make it to the end?”

I winked. “There’s only one way to find out.”

TO BE CONTINUED.

Game of Castles 2

AN ISEKAI LITRPG HAREM

Chapter

One

CLEAR CASTLE

Oh, the Harem-anity!

Dami curtsied prettily, mousey ears flopping ever so slightly as her breasts bobbed up and down with her movement.

“I’ve got the granary reports when you’re ready, husband,” she said, tittering like a schoolgirl as her lips formed the last word. “I just got Daleigh down for a nap.” She licked her lips, before frowning slightly as she looked at me. “But you look tired. Are you sure you want to review them now? I could give you a massage instead, if you’d like…”

Dami batted her two rows of surprisingly full eyelashes seductively at me, and I had to admit that I really appreciated what being a mousey woman did for them. Her eyelashes were so full that you’d think she was wearing makeup, but they were all natural. Just like the rest of her. Not that the rest of her wasn’t up to the outrageously high standard set by her lashes, either.

I sighed and leaned back in my throne, the Game of Castles board spread before me. The readouts from the board already showed all the granary reports I could ever want to see, and many that I didn’t ever want to see as well. Trying to keep track of what was going on in my lands and also coordinate troops was exhausting.

“The reports were for you to go over, my love,” I replied tiredly.

Peace - or the lull in fighting that winter brought about, it turned out - really wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Especially not in wintertime, when you lacked Internet and were in a cold stone castle. How medieval serfs didn’t skewer each other for a bit of entertainment or warmth when the days grew short, I’d never understand. How kings survived, I’d discovered, was exactly how I was brightening my days and nights - with my horny wives.

“I already have the reports I need at my table,” I continued, when Dami gave me a confused look. “I want you to know about what’s going on around our land. I know you’re focused on Daleigh, and can’t wait for a couple more babies to love on, but this will help you shift gears from mothering every now and again.”

“Oh,” Dami said with a pout.

My first wife was a serious homebody, so I knew she could see through my words. She would be remaining at Clear Castle, as she had during most of my most dangerous exploits over the past few months, so she wouldn’t ever be without the table and the helpful readouts it provided. But that meant she’d have to leave the nursery, which she wasn’t likely to do if I wasn’t around to seduce her.

“Well, would it be bad for you to go over them with me?” she asked sweetly, and I couldn’t fail to note that she’d put on a schoolgirlish sort of voice, as though I was the teacher and she the needy student. “I always learn so much when you teach me, husband…”

My mousey wife licked her lips seductively, and I chuckled as I rose from my stone throne. The room around us was filled with the golden light of early evening, and outside the tall windows I could see the occasional bird flying south, silhouetted against the blue sky.

Clear Castle rested on a smallish island in the middle of a wide river, and so amongst the sounds of migrating birds I also heard the constant throaty hum of the river itself washing past its stony shores. This place was my home, now more than ever.

So why did I feel so restless? I had everything a man could want, and several things that most men could only dream of, and yet here I was, growing tired of reviewing simple reports, flying across the land and dealing with this noble or that one.

I supposed the truth of the matter was that I felt the lack of action. I wanted to go fight something, not sit around waiting for roads to be passable for a large group of men, or make an appearance at dinner with a cranky duke so he would send his troops when he should.

Ruling was the end result of winning, but I much preferred the winning to the ruling.

I waved a hand to banish these thoughts and turned to Dami, who’d completed the picture of the needy student by folding her hands before her waist and tilting her head to look up at me. She leaned forward, making sure my eyes would focus on her inviting cleavage.

“Dami,” I began slowly. “I love you; you know that. But this past month has been filled with delegation, strategy meetings, and worst of all, politics. I’m feeling cooped up and cramped. I think I just need-”

Abruptly, the two story doors at the back of my throne room groaned open. Well, with two story doors, nothing was particularly abrupt.

But apparently the hinges needed greasing, so the sound ripped through the chambers like a sword striking a breastplate.

“Woohoo! Loud hinges on these!” Isabel said excitedly, giving the towering doors an appreciative glance, followed by a salute before she smiled at Dami and addressed me. “My lord, if you’re prepared?”

Isabel curtsied even more prettily than Dami.

My knowledgeable wife wasn't exactly dissimilar from Dami. But her love of books and games and the arts was a great source of inspiration for me and the family. Her desire to gain knowledge didn't mean that she also loved to stay home. Even if, during some negotiations, I had wished that she would.

Isabel was a master strategist and held knowledge about the Game of Castles that few could claim. But she was also a king's daughter. And so, patience and understanding came about as easily to her as a mouthful of curses came to the Pope.

Dami clutched the granary reports to her breasts and gave Isabel a wide smile. My mousy wife had always known that she was likely to share a husband with other women. But the husband that she had expected would have been powerless, not the champion of an entire region.

"Isabel!" Dami squealed happily, opening her arms wide for a hug.

Isabel beamed at my mousy wife and ran over to her with both arms thrown wide before wrapping her in a solid-looking hug.

"You've been so busy, wife," Isabel tutted as she cupped Dami's cheeks in her hands. "A new mother, and now all these responsibilities thrust onto you." She glanced down at the reports that Dami held, and her grin only widened. "Aren't those just duplicates of the Game of Castles table?"

Dami blushed. "Adam wishes for me to stay up to date on what’s going on in our land," she explained nervously.

Isabel smiled and hugged her again. "The Game of Castles table will live and last so long as the champion connected to it lasts. So you just need to force yourself to visit the table every now and then as a break from the nursery.”

She threw her hands on her hips and turned her attention to me. “You're not planning on dying, are you?" She shot me a withering glare, telling me exactly what she felt about such a prospect.

I chuckled and shook my head. "No, I'm not planning on dying," I said as I walked around the table and drummed my fingers on the rim. Then I continued, "The Game of Castles is a dangerous one, but I'm not planning on dying. However, I only have one Game of Castles table, and my regional holdings grow seemingly by the week. As I travel more - something that is increasingly likely - even with how much of a homebody she is, I want Dami to be able to know about what’s going on outside the nursery. She may not always have the Game of Castles table to fall back on. She'll need to make time to talk with everyone else and read reports."

Dami nodded at my words, eyelashes fluttering prettily. She had her hands still resting against her chect. It felt as though she were looking me up and down, though her eyes remained locked to my face. Outside the windows, I heard the clatter of steel and the neighing of horses, making me wonder what was going on out there.

It sounded as though Duke Drefius was rousing his knights for battle, but I hadn't received any notifications of an ongoing quest.

Nervous, uncertain murmurings crept in through the tall windows, along with the clinking of steel and the neighing of horses. "Is something happening out there?" I asked, gesturing to the tall windows. "It sounds like mounted knights are getting ready for battle, but I don't have any notifications about a fight, and-" I turned to the Game of Castles table, seeing my current holdings listed plainly, but not seeing any new quest options. "-it doesn't look like there's one here either. I wonder what’s going on. Is Asmi holding back on me for some reason?"

Isabel shrugged, and then popped her lips in surprise. "That reminds me," she said suddenly, snapping her fingers. "I'm supposed to encourage you to go see Harmony and Rosa."

Immediately, my fingers clenched so hard around my biceps that I practically tore small rips into my cloth tunic. "Harmony and Rosa?" I asked quickly. "What's happened? Are they alright?"

Two of my other wives were currently - and there's no other way to say this - hugely pregnant. If medieval-level doctors could be trusted, and I didn't really trust them with much that didn't include a baby's due date, then both lovely women would give birth soon. If a man’s battle was on the battlefield, and a woman’s in the birthing chamber, then Rosa and Harmony were about to go once more into every gods’ damned breach from here to Cask, topple every castle for a hundred miles, and then return home for dinner.

At least, that was what I hoped.

“Back home, childbirth was far from safe, even with modern medicine,” I continued, feeling a nervousness pool in my throat. “Here, the technology level is basically medieval, with some magic thrown in. I’m willing to go fight a monstrous Ebris, get nearly swallowed by a great wyrm, arm wrestle trolls, the whole lot. But how can I make sure my wives are safe?”

In response to my question, Dami smiled sweetly and shook her head, brown hair swaying around her floppy gray mouse ears. Isabel chuckled. "They're both fine, Adam. We have plenty of healing potions stocked up, so you don’t need to worry about that," my mousey wife explained. "I’m sure they’re just feeling needy, but they're fine."

I raised an eyebrow, and Isabel threw her hands in the air. “You're their husband, too! You might be a champion of the gods, and emperor of two kingdoms, but they still miss you. Being pregnant changes a woman's body in more ways than one. From what I understand, the hormone changes are insanely dramatic."

Dami nodded eagerly. "The whole time I was pregnant, my pussy ached for your cock every waking moment," my mousy wife explained. "It was awful."

I blinked in surprise, turning to Dami. "I thought that we had a good amount of sex while you were still preggers," I said with a tilt of my head. "That wasn't enough for you? I never heard you complain. I did realize I’ve had to be gone more often than I would have liked."

Isabel snorted, and Dami rolled her eyes. "Adam, you could have been inside me for every last second of my pregnancy, pumping away like you were laying a thousand, thousand miles of fencepost, and I think it still wouldn't have been enough," she said with a sigh, holding her arms beneath her breasts and giving me a wistful expression.

Isabel nodded. "Frankly, that's the way we feel about you all the time."

Then she sighed and folded her arms beneath her breasts too, imitating Dami.

The two beautiful women were quite different from each other, Dami being shorter and more well-endowed in the chest area, while Isabel had a taller, slightly more willowy appearance. Though she wasn't exactly lacking in the boobage department, either. Dami’s were even bigger right now because she was breastfeeding Daleigh. I found myself smiling and licking my lips in anticipation.

I unfolded my arms, pushed myself from the table's edge, and smiled at the two women. "You're probably right. Okay, I hereby promise," I said, giving each woman a kiss on the lips and a squeeze on the ass before leaving, "that I will be more attentive to all of your needs in the future."

"No, we’re not saying you’re lacking in any way. We’re just explaining how much we want you," Dami blurted immediately, shock evident on her lips.

Isabel rubbed Dami's head and said, "You need to focus also on being as brilliant an emperor as you can be. Those are the trials and tribulations of being a wonderful husband and champion. Not only do you have to worry about your wives, but you also have to worry about all of your subjects, too. But for now, see to your pregnant wives."

I nodded and swept through the door. As I went, I couldn't seem to banish the sounds of preparation out in the yard, and I wondered what on Limar was going on.

"Quests," I muttered, pulling up the text box to show me if I'd managed to forget accepting a quest that came in during my discussion.

Quests: No new quests available.

Active Quests: Destroy the Ostrid in the Southern Oceans. Time remaining to Ostrid hibernation = 8 months, 17 days, 22 hours.

Active Quest Notes: The Ostrid is immune to magic, but the Creator now feels that it makes the beast too difficult to kill, since it can just swim away during any attack. So, she’s added a new element to the quest.

As of now, the Ostrid will not be able to flee once engaged, while a champion is still able to do so. If the champion turns tail, the Ostrid may as well. But, so long as the champion keeps fighting, the Ostrid will be compelled to fight back.

I blew out a sigh, half-annoyed at the lack of new quests and half-excited about possibly slaying the damned Ostrid that had been taunting me. There was definitely something to be said for a legendary beast with an impregnable location suddenly being forced somewhat out into the open. I had wondered how I was going to be able to fight underwater to try and kill it.

My breath was frosty in the cold winter air as I dismissed the text box. We were past the worst of the season and heading toward the thaw now, but it was still stinking cold.

“Damned cold,” I grumbled. “Going to be tough organizing fighting forces around here until the middle of spring at least. The thaw, the mud, and then the planting before any armies of any size will be marching. Clearly that’s not stopping Drefius and Carr though. I’m glad they came back with their groups first.”

Whatever was going on out there, until I got a quest notification, I had to trust my commanders and other underlings to do what they did best. The swiftest way to ruin an organization was to engage in micromanagement.

With that thought settled, I focused on where I was going.

Chapter

Two

CLEAR CASTLE

Pregnant Wife? Happy Life!

Several months ago, Clear Castle had been a ruin, populated almost exclusively by thieving kobolds who slept in piles atop one another. The few sections of castle that hadn't played home to their tiny bodies had instead housed spiders, dirt, cobwebs, mold, bits of fallen masonry, rotting wood, and the occasional pile of bones that hadn't been tossed back into the river.

Now, it was a proper castle.

Its tall, vaulted ceiling was shingled in slate and supported by massive oaken columns that ran up and down its length, letting sound carry much farther than a normal height roof would have. Its windows were tall and thin, but frequently placed. The many panes of stained glass gave every hallway and room inside the look of a castle in a magic land, as they patterned the light in reds, greens, blues, purples, and yellows.

It was also full of the sounds of conversation and life now, where before it had echoed with the sounds of hard work during rebuilding.

Every tenth step that I took landed my feet outside of a thick oaken door. Many of these were open, and from within I could see industry happening beyond.

A fletcher tipped arrows here. The scribbling of a quill over parchment told me that a scribe was penning directives to be sent out to the various kingdoms there.

My war room was curiously empty, its door hanging open. The table within was so full of hastily-scrawled maps, documents, and troop movements that they threatened to spill out onto the floor around it.

Those doors which were not open, thick though they might be, often proved unequal to containing the sounds from within. I heard arguing through one, annoyed mutterings through another, and what sounded like a fist banging on a table through a third.

I moved past these louder doors swiftly. They had all the sounds of political machinations behind them, and I wanted none of that.

My own personal chambers were up a curling, circular flight of stairs. Halfway up, Pela greeted me with a gasp, a laugh, and an unexpected leap into my arms.

"Papa!" she squealed as she launched at me, then smacked square into my chest. As quickly as I could, I raised my hands to hold her steady as she looped her arms around my neck. I couldn’t believe how it seemed like she had grown a bit more every time I saw her.

"Morning, Pela," I said happily, scruffing her hair and making her squirm. "Have you just come from visiting Mama?"

The young girl nodded, then pounded her fists on my chest to indicate that she wanted to be let down. When I lowered her to the stone steps, she grabbed my hand, turned, and said, "Come! Mama and Mama Rosa want you!"

Without asking my opinion of my choice of guide, Pela started obstinately up the stairs. I couldn't help but chuckle at her tenaciousness. The young girl might have been shy and timid around me to begin with, but she wasn't letting that stop her now. I supposed that being encouraged under Harmony's wing, and then getting a champion emperor as an adoptive daddy, probably had given her a bit more courage.

Halfway up the stairs, I heard her shudder, and she muttered, "Kissing. Blech." She was at the stage where she acted like she didn’t like getting kissed and snuggled, but secretly she really did.

Now I actually did laugh, and Pela turned and shot me a nervous look. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," I said lightly. "When I was your age, I thought kissing was gross, too."

With that, Pela stuck her tongue out at me, and then turned and raced up the stairs, wondering if I was going to catch her for some tickles. I chased after her, staying just behind her as she giggled and laughed.

My adoptive daughter didn't bother knocking on the door to be let in. Instead, she leapt up to grab the end of the long handle, pulled it down, and then shoved the door open roughly. Just like they had in my table room, the hinges squealed loud and proud.

Pela bounded into the room, shouting, "Found Daddy, Mama! Here, Mama Rosa!"

I followed her in, giving her a quick tickling before I gave both my wives a loving smile, and placing my hand upon Pela's head. "She's quite industrious, this one," I said with a light chuckle.

My private quarters were dominated mostly by a bed large enough to sleep five. There were also a series of dressers and cabinets around to store my wives' various articles of clothing. Ever since Rosa and Harmony had entered their third trimesters, however, I'd had individual beds brought up for both of them.

These beds were filled with goosedown, topped with as many pillows as could fit on them, and covered by thick blankets. This allowed the two pregnant women to make adjustments for their own comfort without having to roll over anyone. The two beds were placed next to one another, and Rosa and Harmony lay with their fingers interlaced, clasping each other's hands tightly.

"You were faster than I expected," Harmony said happily to the child, before turning to me. "I missed you, Adam."

Beside her, Rosa spoke up, “Faster than you expected and perfectly situated, to watch us kiss our husband, and for the three of us to tell each other how much we love one another,” Rosa added with a mischievous wink at Pela that made the girl’s eyes go wide and frown.

"I love you so much, Adam."

My heart swelled to look at my two wives. They were both seated up in bed, pillows forming impromptu chairs around them, their bellies so huge that they strained out even past their large breasts.

Without a word, I walked to the space between their beds, laid my hand upon both of my wives' cheeks, and planted two perfect kisses on their lips. Rosa and Harmony cooed happily at the attention I paid them, and I could feel their bodies thrill with excitement as their cheeks warmed in uniform blushes.

Pela made groaning sounds as I snuggled my wives, so we made our kissing noises even louder.

"My turn!" she demanded haughtily.

The three of us turned and gave identical raised eyebrows to the young girl before she rushed over to me, launching herself into my arms again. I caught her and the three of us focused on snuggling and kissing her for a few moments. The giggling quickly followed as she got a tickling. I set her down so she could catch her breath, when Rosa held up a large carrot.

Pela wore a mischievous grin on her face as she took it, and acted like she was sneaking out of the room. She was still excited about feeding Jennet whenever she was able to get a carrot.

She had just reached the door when I raised a hand and said, "Hold on Pela, aren't you forgetting something?"

Pela raised an eyebrow at me and chucked her hands on her hips. She rolled her eyes before she said, "Love you, Mama! Love you, Daddy! Love you, Mama Rosa!" She put her hands to her mouth and blew each of us a kiss, which we returned. She giggled as she left and started pulling the door shut.

Of course, she slammed the heavy oaken door behind her, adding a loud boom to the squealing screech of the hinges.

"She's starting to get interested in swords and stories about her daddy fighting monsters," Harmony said appreciatively.

Rosa shook her head. "It would be safer if she didn’t want to fight and become enamored with battles."

I gave my pregnant wives a look, folding my arms beneath my chest, before saying, "She's just a little girl for now, but hopefully things will be different when she’s grown. Hopefully, by the time she's grown up enough to actually understand the battles, we'll rule all of Limar. Hopefully I won't have any need for soldiers or killing monsters anymore. But if she wants to learn how to fight and protect herself, then I'm not going to stop her trying her best."

Rosa grinned at me. Harmony rolled her eyes. In this patriarchal land, such statements might sound foolish. But times were changing. The Game of Castles made sure of that. Not that I had too much attention to pay to it, as I soon felt Harmony and Rosa's fingers dancing across the inside of either one of my thighs, making their way north to my waist.

"Let us appreciate how egalitarian you are," Rosa said with a sly smirk.

"Appreciate it?" Harmony said with a scoff. "Let me drain him dry."

I chuckled and made to undo my breeches before a loud knock sounded at the door. My two wives groaned loudly, and I turned to the doorway, thankful that these medieval breeches did a better job of concealing my growing hard-on than the sweatpants that were so frequently worn on Earth did.

"Come in," I said in a commanding tone, hoping to make it clear that whoever was looking for entry was interrupting something.

But the door didn't move. For a moment or two, I thought about shouting to come in again. Then I glanced down and saw that Rosa and Harmony were frozen in place.

Text appeared before my eyes.

New Quest: Destroy the anthril home.

Mission: An anthril colony is situated in one of your border towns. Without ample protection, the town's women are being dragged off to be used as breeders for the king.

Rewards: 50,000 Lord Points, 25,000 Influence Points. The adoration of the women you've proven you can protect.

Quest Notes: I’m trying something new here. Previously, I only froze time when I was around. But, well, I like to see you think on your feet. Plus, since it’s going to be me giving you more and more updates on your quests, I figure it fits with the whole ‘No one can view the gods, save for the champions thing’ I’ve got going. You don’t like it, get over it!

-Asmi

As soon as I'd read through the details and was able to shake my head at the fickle nature of Asmi’s whims, my bedroom door banged open so fast it was like someone had shot it out of a cannon.

On the other side, Drefius stood, and Carr was bent over from sprinting. They both wore dark expressions, while they breathed so heavily you'd have thought that they'd just run a marathon.

"Damned stairs!" Carr grunted as he attempted to push himself upright and take his hands from his knees. "You couldn't have lived on the ground floor?"

"Better views up here," I said with a shrug while he panted heavily while straightening.

"Emperor Clear!" Drefius and Carr said in unison, their heels snapping together and their hands going into salute position.

"At ease, soldiers," I said with a hand wave. "I already know what you're going to ask. It's about the anthril, right?"

They nodded in unison, and I said, "Well, come on then. Let's get going."

Rosa and Harmony groaned hungrily from their pushed-together beds. "You can't stay for fifteen minutes?" Rosa pleaded needily.

"You can't stay for five?" Harmony whined. Rosa gave Harmony a raised eyebrow and Harmony shrugged. "What? I can be quick."

I chuckled but gave it some thought. I had just promised Dami that I’d be more attentive to my wives.

Duke Drefius said, "The riding will be hard, though Emperor Clear should be able to scout out the area on Drago."

Carr and I both snickered at the mention of hard riding. But Drefius groaned miserably.

Carr looked confused before throwing his hands in the air. "If you already knew about this, why did we have to climb all those fucking stairs?"

I shrugged. “Because you never know when or if the gods will inform their champions about the latest quest or news. Both of you go on ahead. I’ll be flying with Drago, so I’ll pass over you in a few.”

Rosa and Harmony grinned as they shut the door when they left.

Chapter

Three

YELLA – Eastern Tolmeria

I’d Rather Meet an Anthril!

"Whoa boy, easy now!" I shouted, above the rush of wind, as Drago leapt into the air.

I couldn't really blame the horse for being a little over-eager. He was a magical creation of the gods, meant for war, not peace.

But with the passing of winter and the relative quiet in my region, peace had been all he'd known for the past month. Clearly, it sat even worse with him than it did with me. We’d been traveling, but my mount preferred actually fighting.

My pegasus mount beat his strong, wide wings with enough power to send Dorothy's house spinning all the way to Oz and back. Oh, and he absolutely, resolutely, did nothing to heed my command.

"Drago!" I yelled, needing to shout just to be heard over the rush of wind.

I clutched tight to his reins as his back shot up and down with every beat of his powerful wings, carrying us east to the small town of Yella.

Despite my turbulent mount, a grin spread itself wide across my face. Finally, a chance to stick my sword into something! And to watch the lights of its eyes go out. Now this is what being a champion of the gods, a major player in the Game of Castles, was all about.

As though he could hear my thoughts, Drago nickered happily beneath me. Instead of shouting at him again, I patted his flank and leaned over to watch as Clear Castle shrank below us.

The castle, much improved though it was, still only dominated about a quarter of the island. On the south side of it, little fishing boats stood at a small dock, while two wooden bridges connected the island to the mainland: one on the eastern side and another on the western side. Despite my major progress on the castle, there was so much more that could be done to improve it. So much progress yet to be made.

On the other side of that drawbridge, I watched as the glittering steel of many mounted knights mixed in with the colorful fletching of even more archers.

The knights were busy attaching wagons and carts to the back of some of their horses, while the archers were climbing into the carts, finding comfortable seats, and laying their unstrung bows along the side rails. Most kept their own personal quivers clutched tightly in their laps.

At the head of the formation, Drefius and Carr both carried banners bearing the sigil of the Tolmerian Empire - my empire. When Drefius raised his banner, I felt a surge of power move throughout the ranks as their speed, agility, strength, and resolve were increased.

I chuckled as I watched Carr grumble.

The two men had drawn lots to see who would be able to carry my actual sigil, while the other bore a banner that was more for show.

Each of the horses below me lifted its head as the golden light of my sigil washed over them. I knew that thanks to this inclusion, the trip would be shortened from three days to perhaps only one.

My grin spread wider as I watched the column move out, trailing along the road east, with speeds that nearly rivaled the first trains which snaked their way across the continental United States, connecting one coast to the other.

Ahead of my troops lay the Gelen Woods, and beyond that some small swamps. Finally, after they'd gotten through all of that, they'd reach their target. Thankfully, the swamps remained free of hags since I'd first cleared them. These woods had never had an issue with any annoying necromancers, as Jelin Woods had. Fortunately, Lord Lyndsey was now my vassal overseeing that wood.

I patted Drago's flank again and my pegasus mount shook his head happily. I held tight to his reins as we passed over the woods, then the swamp, then more fields that stretched long to the horizon.

Tolmeria might be large and fertile, but the cold and snow meant that whatever food had lain in the fields at the beginning of winter had long since been gathered, stored, and probably eaten by now. On and on we flew, and with each beat of Drago's wings I was more and more happy to have won a godlike saddle for defeating the Ebris. Having more than one allowed me to have one devoted to Drago, even if my wives or a courier needed to use another on one of the other pegasi.

Most riders complained of sore thighs from long rides, but riding atop Drago's back it was more like sitting in a reclining seat in the movie theater. I mean, the chilly air notwithstanding.

At only midday, the nearby town which suffered so many anthril problems popped over the horizon, and a short time later we touched down in the town center.

"Quaint," I muttered, taking in the largely hovel-like state of the houses all around me. Most were roofed in only thatch, with crumbling stone walls that spoke of a mean, meager life.

Yella was a small town. It was seated too close for comfort to the large swamp that separated Tolmeria from Farli, and provided a useful buffer against other champions.

Whoever wanted to attack my Eastern flank would have to cross a disgusting-smelling swamp or sail across the southern seas. Much easier for Farli to simply strike out East or North, depending on how far the mountain range on our own northern border stretched.

Still, the swamp gave the town of Yella a frank, unpleasant smell, which made me wrinkle my nose and made Drago shake his head uncomfortably. The pegasus beat his wings, even while standing in the center of the town square, as though trying to drive off the rank air. It did little more than twirl a serving woman's hair into ragged knots as she stepped out of the local inn.

"Oi!" the girl shouted, hands cupped before her mouth, and apron flapping in the high winds. "If you're one of them monsters, just take whatever it is you want and be outta here. It's bad enough having people stolen every now and then without having you mess up my hair on top of it all."

I gave the woman a curious look, then patted Drago's flanks and dismounted once my pegasus had stowed his wings safely on his back. She looked at me curiously, even more curiously than I looked at her.

It seemed that living so near the swamp had turned her part hag herself. Though she didn't appear to be more than sixteen or seventeen, she had a large wart on the right side of her nose, a greenish pallor to her cheeks, and she was heavy enough that it looked like she was a mother bear, preparing to hibernate for the winter.

"I'm no monster," I said, giving the unfortunate-looking girl a bow. "My name is Emperor Adam Clear. Perhaps you've heard of me?"

Even though that particular statement made me feel like a bit of an ass, it also made me feel pretty good to be able to use it for once.

"Emperor Adam who?" the girl asked, folding her arms and tilting her head at me. "Are you related to Mayor Yank? He never called himself no emperor. But you talk like him. Important-like."

I blinked at the girl, then looked around me. The town of Yella, I realized, was probably being given too much credit to be called a town. It seemed more apt to call it a backwater, especially if its citizens didn't know their own emperor's name.

Abruptly, the girl turned and shouted towards a two-story, tavern-like structure behind her. This was by far the nicest property among the various hovels and bungalows that made up the rest of the village.

"Oi, Mayor Yank!" she shouted in a hoarse, raspy sort of voice. "Got a question for your mayorship!"

One of the top story windows banged open, then promptly fell from its hinges. A large bald head popped out of it, glanced at the fallen shutters, cursed, and then shouted, "Vera, I don't care what you've got to ask me. I swear to every last one of the gods and goddesses that if you don't start treating me with respect, I'll send you with the anthril next time."

A part of me wanted to cut to the chase, but another part knew that I had a good deal of time before Carr and Drefius arrived with their forces. So, I opted to let the little argument play out.

Okay, and part of it was that I was tired of dealing with squabbling nobles. Getting to watch squabbling peasants argue with one another was much more lively.

The serving girl, Vera, threw her hands on her hips, stuck one hip way out, and let out a snort of laughter. "Be better for me if you did. None of the men around here appreciate a woman like me. At least then I could have someone's baby for once."

I didn't know whether she was playing it up for effect or whether she was serious. But the greenish tinge on the mayor's face deepened to a moss color, and I heard him retch in the back of his throat.

"Now that I've got your attention, you got family coming this way? This'n says his name is Emperor Adam Clear. I never heard of no Emperor Adam Clear, but he talks like you, all self-important and whatnot."

Immediately, the mayor's green pallor cleared up, his eyes went wide, and his eyebrows shot so far up on his head I thought they were about to take flight. His eyes snapped from Vera to me, then to Drago, and then back to me. He jumped so unexpectedly that he banged his head on the top windowsill.

"Emperor Clear," he said as he rubbed at the sore spot, "Yes, we've been expecting you. One moment, please."

With that, he stuck his head back inside the house, reached a hand out for the shutters that had fallen, snapped in disappointment, and I heard various bangings and stomping as the large man made his way downstairs.

Vera turned to me. "You must be important, then?" she asked, before giving me an appraising look. "Say, you wouldn't be after a wife, would you?"

I swallowed and held up my hand to show her my wedding ring. "Sorry," I said. "I'm already spoken for."

Vera frowned, grumbled something that I couldn't quite hear, then hacked and spat a loogie into the dirt beside her. "Figures," she said. "All the good ones are taken. Most of the bad ones, too. Damned anthril."

I was relieved when the inn's front door banged open again and the mayor waddled out to greet me. Extending a hand, he said, "Emperor Adam Clear? Mayor Yank, welcome to our lovely little town, though I will admit I hadn't expected you for another few days. We'd only just sent word about our little... issue."

I shook the mayor's hand, then wiped mine on my tunic when it came away damp and sweaty.

I explained the situation to him, including mentioning that the rest of the forces should be there by the next day, and watched his eyebrows shoot even farther up on his head.

"So soon?" he said in astonishment. "It takes our swiftest horse a full three days to reach the Gelen Woods, and that's nearer than Clear Castle."

I shrugged and grinned. "The Game of Castles makes many things possible, my good mayor," I said, clapping him on the shoulder. I withdrew my hand shortly after, relieved that his shirt kept his exterior from growing too sweaty. "I'll go ahead to scout out this anthril colony. Is there someone here who can take me there?"

At this, the mayor's face darkened, and he rubbed his hands together. "There might have been," he said, "but most of our men have been slain, and a good number of the women have been taken. I myself am not in the prime of youth, else I would take you myself."

His voice trailed off, and looking at the way his rubbing hands trembled, I very much doubted that he would have taken me willingly at any age. His reluctance for physical activity seemed to be part of his personality, even if he didn't look like he enjoyed a malt beer more than a long walk.

"I'll take you," Vera said, raising an eyebrow at Drago. "Though I'm not riding on that thing. Horse with wings? Unnatural, you ask me."

"Excellent!" The mayor clapped his hands together, shooting glances back to his inn all the while. "I will make sure that you have a room ready for you here, Emperor Clear. Meanwhile, Vera can show you where the nearest entrance is."

"It's called a pegasus, Vera," I said, patting Drago's flanks and then handing the reins to the mayor. "Please see that he's fed and stabled. I want clean stalls for him."

The mayor took the reins and nodded, and I followed Vera out of town.

Vera, much to my dismay, was quite the chatterbox.

The hour-long walk to the nearest hole in the ground was filled with complaints about this man and that one, the difficulties in finding a good man, living an honest life, and how many children Vera wanted.

Listening to her, I didn't doubt that it would be a long time before she found a good husband.

Finally, we arrived at the spot. Vera held a hand up, then pointed ahead. "It's right there through those thickets," she said, gesturing between some thickly pressed bushes. "You can see their tracks, right?"

She gestured at the ground, and indeed I saw the claw marks of anthril feet disturbing the mud.

"Marbella was taken yesterday while I was asleep. Damned things don't know a good woman when they see one."

After her non-stop talking and whining, half of me wanted to throw Vera down the hole. Well, a little more than half of me.

"What do we know about their tunnel system?" I asked her, fighting down that urge.

Vera shrugged. "What do you mean, 'what do we know?’ It's a tunnel system, ain't it?"

I gestured to the east, where the land grew swiftly damper, as the edges of the swamp pressed in on the fertile ground. "Do we know where they go? East? West? I'd imagine the tunnels east would get flooded?"

Vera shrugged. "Could be. I'm not about to pick up a shovel. That’s man’s work, or an ugly woman's."

I groaned, contemplating diving into the hole myself just to get away from Vera. Even though I could destroy many monstrous beasts, the anthril's numbers made me wary. I could easily get overwhelmed down there, without knowing which way to escape or from which direction reinforcements might arrive.

"Why don't you go back to the town, Vera? I know the way." I said, just to get some peace and quiet, and Vera shrugged and then turned and left.

"Thank the gods," I sighed when she was finally gone. "That woman is going to make some man lose his mind one day."

Now that I was alone, I pulled magic from my core and summoned Golem. My water golem appeared before me, filling up as more and more fluid poured into him like he was a vase spilling out in reverse. When he fully appeared, he gave me a salute, and I chuckled.

"Good to see you, Golem," I said, then gestured towards the opening. "Apparently, there's a colony of anthril down there. I want to know exactly how the tunnel system is laid out before we go charging in. Think you can go down there and take a wander? When you come back, just spray the tunnel network into the dirt so I can see it. Sound like a plan?"

Golem gave me a mock salute, then looked around. I could tell he was wondering what I would do while he was gone, since I’d clearly be alone. I shook my head and held a hand up to him.

"Believe me, Golem. I'd much prefer to wait for you alone here than with a company that I've had."

With that, Golem shrugged, then tottered off into the mines, disappearing in a shadow that got distorted through his watery body and leaving me to my thankfully Vera-free thoughts.

I waited for roughly three hours before my tiny water golem reappeared, mimicking wiping sweat from his brow. He walked over to a patch of dry earth, turned to me, and I nodded.

Immediately, he set about using his body like a small water jet. He carved small dashes into the dry earth and dampened it at the same time. As I watched the map of the labyrinth take watery form, I frowned.

It wasn't that the labyrinth was so extensive that made me curious. It was that it wasn't. The other anthril colonies I’d destroyed had mostly been labyrinths, with more side passages that ended in dead ends and traps than ones that led anywhere useful.

In contrast, this had so few dead ends you could quite literally shake a stick at the lot of them. It also seemed to be completely directed to the east from this opening.

When Golem finished, his water body stood at about half the size that it had been when I first summoned him.

I glanced at the network of tunnels and said, "You're sure about this map?"

Golem nodded, then tilted a watery head at me.

"It’s just that it seems smaller than most."

Golem made a rude gesture with a watery hand.

I sat, thinking through my thoughts.

I'd expect at least three times more junctures and places to get turned around. Most of the anthril colonies that we've come across have been huge. I frowned down at the map, and a sudden realization struck me.

Maybe these anthril tunnels were so small because they were so new. Whatever colony controlled the area didn't originate here. They moved here from somewhere else.

A remaining question was: was this their final stop? Or was it merely a place to rest along the way?

The other question was: were they fleeing their old territory? Or were they racing towards somewhere else?

New quest: Discover the reason for the anthril migration.

Mission: Anthril are moving by the dozen, or at least by the one, east out of Tolmeria. This is surprising, since they generally don’t give up good labyrinths once they’re all set. Figure out why they’re moving east and earn a reward.

Reward: 80,000 IP, the comfort of a good mystery solved.

I couldn’t help but shake my head. Asmi was really laying it on thick with the text details these days.

Chapter

Four

YELLA

Prepare to Attack!

"You mean to tell me," Captain Carr said with a huff as he waved his hand over the map of the anthril network of tunnels that I had drawn inside his command tent, "that I brought all my men here to take out a juvenile king?"

Across the table from him, Duke Drefius hardly looked more happy.

The former mercenary leader of the Estin Thoroughbreds had his arms folded so tightly that I thought he might snap his bones above the elbow.

"At least you can get your men inside. The tunnels are too tight to be mounted," the Duke complained.

I slammed my hand down hard on the table, putting a stop to my soldiers' grumblings.

"None of us knew what we would be encountering until we got here. All we had to go on was this mayor's plea for help. I can tell this is our first fight in a while. Plans change and we just need to roll with it." I raised my hand from the table, pointing a finger sharply first at Carr, then at Drefius. "The archers will post up at any intersections in the tunnels. Knights will move forward as explained, with or without their mounts. Agreed?"

My commanding tone caused the two soldiers to snap to attention immediately. Both saluted me with nods and then filed out of the tent. A moment later, the clang of steel, the whinny of horses, and the gentle snap of a bowstring that missed its post told me they were getting ready.

From just outside the tent, Ormis chuckled. The massive ogre had a club leaned against one leg that tipped and fell over when he bent over to look into the tent.

"Remind me not to get on your bad side," he said lightheartedly, reaching down to retrieve the club.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "If you need me to remind you of that, then I hate to say it, but you've already found my bad side, Ormis."

"Ah, that's true enough," the ogre said with a yawn as he sat down outside the tent and propped the club's head over one shoulder. "Why don't we change it to you giving me some heads up if I start to do something that's pissing you off?"

I shook my head. "What's with the club anyway, Ormis? I always figured you’d swap it for a claymore or a battle axe at some point. At least, since you stuck around after your mandatory six months. I’m really glad you stuck around, especially over the winter."

"What, this old thing?" Ormis shoved the club's head through the tent opening and used it to push the flaps farther apart, letting more light spill into the area. "I've decided I like sticking to my roots, as it were. Getting back to my old self. Plus, you know what fighting these damned anthril are like. You miss a sword swing, assuming that its chitin will be a bit thicker than expected, and they have your head off in two seconds. Or worse. No, it's much better to just smash, I've decided." Then he grinned at me and said, "Besides, I have a champion of the gods to back me up. I figure a little experimentation is not unwise."

With that, he lay back and closed his eyes. The ogre could sleep literally anywhere. I chuckled as I focused back on the map.

Shaking my head, I consulted it for some fifteen more minutes, then went outside, buckling on a metal hauberk, steel pauldrons and greaves, along with a shiny new helmet and my weapon of choice for close quarters combat, a longsword.

What? I might have had strength that could make even Ormis blush, but I knew better than to change up my desired tactics without at least getting a chance to practice with them. Plus, the helmet was special.

Isabel had it made for me, claiming that since her father hadn't offered a dowry for her, as was traditional, she had decided to give me a more personalized gift instead.

The helmet was all black, and shone like onyx in the sunlight. With a sharply-angled nose bridge and wider slits for eyes than you would see on an earthly medieval helmet, the coolest thing about it were the twin miniature pegasus wings that stretched up and back from either side of the helmet.

I liked it. It had a definite ‘I'm Adam Clear, and I'm good enough to be cocky’ air to it that I loved.

"Right then, everyone!" I called, seeing heads turn to me from all directions. Even Vera poked her head out of the inn's lower window. I hoped that she wasn't about to join us, hoping to get captured if we failed. "Time to move out! Let's go kill some anthril, get some good loot, and show the empire's citizens all that we do for them!"

Two hours later, thankfully without Vera, we stood before the opening. Ormis strode up behind me. He tapped his club lightly in one hand as he walked, making a tap, tap, tap sound that mimicked his footsteps.

"Nice helmet," he grunted as he strode up beside me. "Don't think I've seen you wear it before."

I turned to look at him and grinned. "Wedding gift. My wives do know just what I enjoy."

That made Ormis bark out a laugh. "So not only do you humans get to marry women you find strikingly beautiful, but you also get gifts on top of it all?"

I nodded. Ormis seemed to find that utterly hilarious.

While my friend emptied himself of the last of his laughter, I turned to the assembled groups and raised a hand for silence. All eyes focused on me and I reached inside myself to see if there was anything I could level.

"Stats," I whispered. "Apply one level to strength. Grand display, if you'd be so kind."

Name: Adam Clear

Champion for the God of Barter

Height: 6’6”

Weight: 257 lbs

Age: 26

General Level: 56

Strength: 20

Stamina: 7

Dexterity: 20

Constitution: 6

Endurance: 6

Healing: 3

Magic Type: Golem

Magic Level: 28

Spell Assignment: Water Golem (Golem)

Secondary Assignment: Ice Golem (Icey)

Applying display now.

I felt my body lighten as I rose into the air and golden light poured from me, applying the new level and the golden display that I requested. It was nice that it came with a powerful voice effect.

"Knights and archers," I said in a voice that was booming with the power of my own personal god, "do not be lulled into a false sense of security. I know many of you have heard that the tunnel network is smaller than we expected, but I want you all to be on your guard and stick to the established battle strategies. All of this might yet be a trick, and I refuse to let any one of my forces fall into a trap. Understood?"

For a moment, silence surrounded me. Then my sigil holder raised the banner high and golden light washed over my men. As soon as they were touched by its magic, a call of "Emperor Clear!" went up from all around, and I grinned as I lowered myself to the ground.

“You ready to bludgeon some anthril?” my ogre companion asked with a grin.

“I’m ready to skewer some,” I responded, tapping the hilt of my sharpened sword.

Ormis nodded, and we entered the labyrinth. Ormis had to bend down to fit and took up almost all of the tunnel all by himself. Fortunately, each junction in the tunnels was significantly larger.

“Anthril!” the shout rang out not five minutes later.

I swung my sword hard, using my added strength to cleave the anthril’s top half from its bottom. The monster barely uttered a word as its insides slid out of it in a sickly, goopy mess. Though it did try to swing at me with both arms, holding short steel daggers, the feeble attempt clanged easily off of my hauberk, leaving barely a scratch on the new steel.

“Archers!” I shouted. “Knock, draw, loose!”

I lowered my sword towards the band of anthril, and at least twenty broad-tipped arrows crested high in the tall tunnel overhead. Down the length of the tunnel, a dozen skittering legs suddenly stopped skittering, and two dozen gleaming eyes shrank when their owners fell.

“Knights!” I shouted next. “On me! Forward!”

Then I led the charge.

My broadsword’s grip was rough in my grasp as my legs pounded again and again against the tunnel’s rough dirt floor.

More anthril joined the fray, pouring in from corridors on the tunnel’s left and right like the insectoid creations they were, multiple eyes gleaming.

“Protect the king!” one of the anthril screamed.

The shout went out from the sword-wielder at the front of the onslaught. An arrow sprouted from the fighter’s thigh, the fletching at the end dripping with the blood oozing out of the wound.

I cut him down first.

My sword slashed down at an angle, biting through his shoulder in a strike so clean that it sent his head and left arm spiraling away until it crashed against the nearby wall.

To my left, Ormis’ club made a sickening crunch and splat as he brought it down on the top of an anthril archer. The only thing left of the poor bastard after Ormis raised his club again was a mess of goopy innards, spiky chitin, and the snapped arrow shaft he’d meant to send into Ormis.

“Couldn’t have even got it off if you were as fast as Adam. Ha!” Ormis cried jubilantly as he bounded forward into the press of skittering anthril.

Our press resulted in the oncoming assault line of anthril getting driven back five feet, then ten, then the retreat halted as our foes’ numbers were restocked from yet more side corridors.

The damned bastards might not have had a big hive, but they definitely filled it way past the gills with their own numbers. Even in the mountains, the anthril hadn’t packed themselves this closely together.

Suddenly, a flash of steel from my right caught my eye and I raised my own metal bracer to block the strike. Sharp metal clanged hard against my steel bracer, sending reverberations rocking through my arm and all the way up to my head, making even my teeth chatter.

Instead of getting to turn and show my attacker just how utterly fucked he was, I was forced to strike forward instead. An anthril came bounding straight at me, heedless of my power. Twin daggers glimmered brightly in his fingers, and flashed as they leapt from his grasp, hurtling at me like two murder hornets.

It was a well-aimed strike. Not that that mattered.

Both daggers clanged loudly when they impacted on my steel helm. The first bounced off and went twirling away, but the second got itself wedged in between the wing on my helmet’s right side, and the smooth curve of metal.

Ormis batted away another three as easily as if he were a professional slugger in the World Series.

To my rear, I heard the grunt of a knight, followed by the cracking of anthril carapace. Glancing back, I saw the anthril whose sword I had deflected earlier collapsing to the ground.

We pushed harder than ever, and soon the anthril line finally broke. The fleeing enemies skittered, terrified, down one of the many corridors that branched off from the main tunnel.

I squinted ahead, trying to decide which of the next three entrances was most likely to have the anthril king hiding at the end of it.

While I thought, Ormis laughed and wandered around, giving any squirming anthril enemies a firm double-tap to ensure that they perished. This double-tap included mostly bashing their brains in.

“Chitin’s pricey, Ormis,” I said with a chuckle. “Let’s try not to turn it all to dust, okay? We can use it in trade.”

Ormis grunted but did stick the narrow end of his club through the eye of the next anthril, instead of pulverizing it.

“That better?” he asked.

“Much, thanks,” I responded, then returned to pondering our next move.

Behind me, the huff and puff of a knight behind me drew my ear. Turning, I saw the man who’d slain my anthril attacker breathing so deeply that it looked like he’d just run a marathon. I raised an eyebrow at him.

“You all right there?” I asked.

He held a finger up and then nodded, breathing deep. "I'm... I'm fine," he said between indrawn inhales. "I’m usually more of a front-line berserker-type on a full night. But I've spent the last month drinking and eating more than I have training. Duke Drefius says that being in the vanguard's good for me. Big guy like myself, it's where I belong."

I nodded slowly. Frankly, where the man belonged appeared to be a running track, not the front lines. But then he had actually slain that anthril and appeared to have kept pace with Ormis and myself. Ormis might have spent most of his life sleeping, but he had a sort of explosive energy when he needed it. And I was super-powered by the gods.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Kiltz," he said, standing tall and using his war hammer’s hilt as a sort of cane to lean on. "I meant to ask, Emperor, shouldn't we be going after them?"

I shook my head. "Anthril are strange creatures," I explained. "They might be luring us into traps. The trick with them is ignoring the small enemies in favor of the big ones. Kill their king, and the rest will either crumple where they stand or flee."

Kiltz raised an eyebrow at me, confused. I jabbed a thumb at myself. "I'll make it simple. Kill their king, the rest are useless. Right now, we need to kill their king... Well, we need to kill their king. And I'd like to understand why they're all the way out here in a newly-built labyrinth. But I'd take killing the king. Assuming we can't get the latter sorted before he kicks the bucket."

"Kicks the bucket?" Kiltz mouthed the words and then shook his head. "Emperor Clear, I was talking to a beautiful woman this morning who gave me an idea about what the anthril are doing out here. Would you like to hear it, sir?"

I shrugged. From what I'd seen of the village, finding a beauty in it was about as likely as finding a swamp in the middle of the desert.

"Speak your mind, soldier," I said, then waved Ormis over. "Thoughts?"

The ogre bounced his club on his shoulder as he said, "If it were me, I'd rule out the tunnel on the right. Goes east into those swamps. Wet, nasty business above ground. Can't imagine it's better under."

I nodded, seeing the sense in that. Then Kiltz spoke up. "Actually," the large knight said, "Vera's of the opinion that they're heading east. Apparently, most of the girls are from west of here, as far as the very swamp's edge. The anthril's been moving east, they say."

"East?" Ormis was shocked. "Through that swamp region? It's bad enough on two legs. Surely their tunnels would flood."

Kiltz shrugged. "All I know is what Vera told me," he said, his eyes shining.

I didn't fail to note the improbability of any man, let alone a lauded knight, finding Vera anything but off-putting. I clapped him on the shoulder and said, "Well, we've got the tunnels blocked for now. Why don't we try this eastern route?"

Ormis grumbled. "You might have told me to bring waterproof boots," he said, before raising a hand to direct the knights and archers down the eastern tunnel.

Kiltz meant to go with them, but I stopped him at the last moment. "So," I said, "You're interested in Vera, are you?"

The burly older knight didn't respond, but his blush told me all I needed to know. That was an interesting piece of information that I put aside for future use. What exactly I would do with it, I wasn't quite sure just yet. I would think of something.

Slamming my sword into my scabbard, the two of us moved east down the tunnels at a trot.

An hour later, and I was forced to admit that the labyrinths were perhaps larger than I expected. I'd failed to gauge the scale of Golem's map, but thinking back on it, the time it had taken us to reach the first crossroads made a certain amount of sense that he'd been building in mostly straight-line tunnels.

As we went, we began to hear the incoherent mutterings of the brood-women, but we encountered precious few anthril. To the contrary, it felt as though they were trying to stay one step ahead of us and were doing everything in their power to not fight us. We pressed forward anyway.

As we went, the wide tunnels narrowed, and true to expectation, the dry walls grew damp as the smell of decay began rising from them. And finally, we reached a fork. The tunnel ahead diverted to the left and right.

"Knights and archers, take the left-hand path," I directed. "Ormis, Kiltz, you come with me, along with ten other knights and archers. We’ll regroup here in two hours. Understood?"

My men nodded at me, and then together, Ormis, Kiltz, and I went down the path to the right. Now, we heard the low hum of conversation, and when we entered a wide cavern, I kept my hand on my sword hilt, ready to draw it and defend myself.

At the end of the cavern stood a familiar sight: the anthril king, directing several of his drones to burrow further into the damp soil. The sound of earth moving was almost cacophonous, and I met Ormis and Kiltz's eyes, and nodded to the two men. Ormis lifted his great club in both hands, and Kiltz did the same with his warhammer. I unsheathed my sword, and together the three of us sprinted the length of the cavern at breakneck speed.

My breathing was easy, Ormis' was steady, and Kiltz's sounded like he was breathing through a straw. But the large knight moved fast, nonetheless.

Well, he moved fast until the grinding sound of steel on steel was followed by a wail of complaint from him, and he collapsed, rolling onto his back and using the flat end of his warhammer to slam the anthril holding a dagger so hard that its body flew and smashed into a dozen pieces in the far wall.

"You all right, Kiltz?" Ormis shouted, and the knight waved him off.

"Bastard cut the back of my leg!" the knight grunted. "Go kill that king!"

"Say no more!" Ormis said with a loud laugh, and I heard the ogre's feet pick up the pace behind me. But I was already at the king’s side.

He was just turning around in time to see my sharp, pointed blade hovering an inch above the soft spot between his eyes. Immediately his hands flew up, and his eyes went wide.

"No!" he said, his tone sounding as though he were more amazed that he was caught than that he would die. "Please! We're so close!"

"So close to what?" I growled, my hand on his shoulder, squeezing so hard that I felt the chitin crack beneath it, and the king wailed out in pain.

"Farli!" the anthril said, his voice coming out in a ragged gasp as sickly fluids seeped out of his shoulder. "It will all be better once I get there. It will all be better."

I frowned, wondering what on Limar this anthril king could mean by moving towards Farli.

"Emperor Adam!" I heard Kiltz shout, and spun around to see the large, downed knight being swiftly covered by the scuttling black legs of the anthril.

Whatever it was that was happening in Farli, there was a swamp between us and them, and anyway, I could figure it out later. Right now, I'd have to complete this quest without fully satisfying the sub-criteria.

I turned back to the anthril king and shoved my blade between his eyes until it poked out the back of his shiny black skull.

Immediately, the bodies of every anthril around us collapsed with loud thumps.

Chapter

Five

YELLA Outskirts

Decisions, Decisions!

That night, I sat in my command tent, deep in thought.

Duke Drefius fumed in a chair across the tented space, while Captain Carr was nowhere to be seen. The Estin Thoroughbreds had been sent with the Twang and Twirl mercenaries to spread out through the mines and collect any anthril corpses that they could find.

Drefius thought that this was below his men's ability, but I pointed out that he worked for me, and that he really didn't have any cause to complain, since he had been allowed to use my banner in battle.

Originally, I'd let Ormis rest right outside near the tent, but his loud snoring soon had me eject him to the farthest reaches of our small camp. I could still hear the ogre's snores in the quiet night air.

As for the aged knight, who had shown his mettle in battle and earned a sliced calf for his troubles, he was resting at the inn.

I shook my head with a grin as I considered just what sort of ministrations the unfortunate-looking Vera was performing upon him at that moment. I suppose it was true what they said - that there really was a pot for every lid, and a lid for every pot, if you had a pot that was amiable enough to accept a lid that was incredibly dented, that is.

"What do you think he meant, going to Farli?" I asked Drefius.

The duke shrugged, tapping his finger on his metal greaves. "It's the Game of Castles that runs the rules now," he said simply. "We're separated from Farli by this big swamp to our east. I hear it takes a month to cross, and that's even including the speed benefits of your sigil. You've already taken out one other champion; maybe they've had their champion killed as well."

I frowned and folded my arms, tapping my biceps in consideration. True, Regor had fallen to my blade, and Cask now lay in turmoil due to his death. I was letting them sort out who should be ruling their individual kingdoms before accepting them into the Tolmerian Empire and dealing with their quests.

Their added land would increase my ability to defend myself. I had no doubt it would make my neighbors to the north nervous. And whatever lands lay west of Cask would be probably feeling the squeeze soon.

But I was on good terms with Zeth, at least. I had delivered the pegasi to him as per our agreement, so we were still in a sort of non-aggression stage. In any case, the mountains made sending forays of troops between Tolmeria and the regions to the north more difficult.

Zeth, if he expanded, was likely to do it to his own north, east, or west, rather than breaking south and risking the dangerous mountain terrain. Likewise, I was more likely to push west, where the pickings would be easier.

Abruptly, I stopped tapping and fixed Drefius with a knowing stare. "One of the first places that I entered the Game of Castles in was a swamp, you know," I said offhandedly.

The duke nodded. "I'm told you killed many a hag there," he said, with a shrug. "They seem like gross little creatures. I'd rather skewer them with a lance than with a sword. Getting up close to something that foul must not have smelled great."

"Actually," I said, "I killed them with a bow. So, I didn't have to get up close, except when I started dissecting her body to loot it for materials."

The duke shuddered, and I said, "Honestly, the smell of the swamp was bad enough that I didn't really notice the hag's smell too much. Or at least, I can't recall it now."

Drefius nodded, and the tent flap opened, revealing a grinning Captain Carr. One look at Carr's face was enough to tell me that the earnings from our fight were substantial.

"Good news, then?" I asked.

Carr nodded, then sauntered over to stand beside Drefius' chair. Placing a hand on the wooden support, he leaned easily and assumed a posture that told me he was excited about the spoils.

"Monumentally successful," the captain said. "We collected enough chitin that we're liable to run out of room. If I'd known we'd get so much loot, I'd have suggested we bring more wagons. I don't have exact numbers, but I believe it should be several hundred pounds of the stuff. It's really good for light armor, even if it is somewhat brittle."

Drefius snorted. "It's got nothing on good steel," the Duke Knight said derisively.

Carr patted him on the shoulder as though he were a child, and Carr himself was a parent about to explain some obvious truth of the world.

"Steel's good if you're knighted and sitting atop a horse. If you've got to move swiftly, though, steel weighs you down. My archers, for instance, would hate to be suited up in your clanky, lumbering steel. But with the chitin to protect them, they'll be able to move swiftly and remarkably silently. It's easier to set up ambushes if you're all in dark colors and not making a sound. The next best thing, of course, would be to garb them in full suits of leaves. But those attract a certain amount of attention from bugs, and once the leaves get brittle, they soon grow even louder than your armor."

Drefius snarled at the captain. I slammed one hand down on my command table as I said, "Guys, we’re all on the same side, and we all fought together. I certainly don’t need to command you two to get along and act more like a team. I’d hoped that fighting some monsters would get you to work together effectively again, since it was clearly the lazing about over the winter that's made you so annoyingly catty."

Drefius and Carr both fixed me with looks, then sighed, then nodded their heads. "It was better on the road. I’m glad we're back in the thick of it again," Drefius admitted with a shrug.

Carr agreed. "It was great on the road. When do you think we'll be ready to start taking over new lands again, Emperor Clear?"

I glanced down at the maps laid out before me. The swamp to the east was barely mapped, and the lands west of Cask were likewise unfortunately barren of detail. "Soon, I hope," I said. "But first we've got to make it through the tail end of winter. Striking out to conquer new territory won't matter if late snows come in and we run out of food at home."

"I hate the winter." Both men spoke the line at exactly the same time, then glanced at each other and chuckled.

"Can't we expand south?" Carr asked with raised eyebrows.

Drefius nodded. "Somewhere warmer. At least warmer than this."

I shook my head. "We don't know how far the southern seas extend," I explained. "Plus, if our armed forces have a single weakness, it's our lack of ships. Or at least fast ships. We've got mostly merchant vessels down there, which are good for trading, and good enough at defending. But I'm smart enough to know not to strike out into unknown territory with our weakest elements."

I didn't love that fact. But not loving it didn't make it any less real. When we next moved to expand our territories, it would have to be to the west, since I’d be busy in Cask anyway.

We would push through Cask, leaving defenders at our borders to the north and east, while we sought to gain new territory. I tapped the table, considering.

I really, really, really hated the lack of detail I had about the swamp. And this hatred caused me to snap my fingers.

"First things first," I said. "Our maps of our own region are detailed, but our borders are fuzzy. Carr, Drefius, select a group of knights and archers to travel north and south from this town. Instruct them to map out the area at the edge of our region, making note of the swamp's status at various points. I want to place a fallback group of defenders at the likeliest areas of attack."

The two men nodded, then both leaned forward. "I know just the knights to send," Drefius said.

Carr nodded. "And I've got a good group of archers with strong legs who've been complaining about the lack of mobility."

"Excellent," I said. "In the meantime, you're right about the southern seas. I'll head down to Misho Port myself and oversee the mapping of our coastline, along with determining the best way to get south from where we are. We'll want to push west, rather than east or north in the spring. But if the situation in Farli is that bad, then I'd be foolish to assume we won't have pirates attacking our southern shores. The swamps between us might be vast, but the ocean doesn't care for them. We don't have that many ships, so we need to deploy them as suitably as possible."

Drefius and Carr both nodded. "Sounds reasonable to me," Drefius said.

Carr rose, patting the front of his pants to get some of the tunnel's dust off. "When will you be heading down to Misho, Emperor?"

"In the morning, I think," I said. Then I glanced around. "I really wish I'd brought one of the women with me."

Drefius snickered. "I hardly think that taking two hugely-pregnant women on a day-long power ride across your lands is the smartest idea, and that Dami of yours has a baby at home, right?"

I sighed and nodded, acknowledging the complexity of my personal life. "Plus, Colette’s the Empress of Seshkin now. She's too busy politicking," I explained.

The men couldn't help but grin at the mention of my oni wife.

"No one likes the smell," they chimed in with a bit of humor.

However, a mischievous look crossed Carr's face, piquing my curiosity. I pointed a finger at him, signaling that I sensed something was up.

"You know something," I said, narrowing my eyes at him. "What is it?"

Carr reacted quickly, almost stumbling over his own chair in his haste to respond. Drefius couldn't help but snicker at the sight. Carr finally composed himself and grinned back at me.

"Your Seshkin Empress might not be as far away or as politically tied-up as you think," he teased.

Raising an eyebrow, I pressed for more information. "What do you mean?" I asked. I couldn't help but shake my head at their gossiping antics. "Drefius, Carr, you two are worse gossips than washerwomen," I remarked with a mix of amusement and exasperation.

However, their playfulness was cut short as one of the hooded guards in the tent finally revealed herself. With a graceful movement, she lifted her hood and unveiled her beautiful face.

"Colette?" I blurted in surprise.

My oni wife grinned mischievously and approached me, her charm undeniably captivating. Her slender dark horns, pink-tipped, glimmered in the torchlight as she raised a finger to my lips, silencing any further questions.

"I figured you might be missing me while out on campaign," she said softly, pressing her warm, soft body against mine. "Don’t worry, Seshkin will be fine without me for a little while. My father is handling most of the tedious tasks. I flew the Pegasus, Celia, back at Clear Castle and the other wives told me you were here, so I continued on to surprise you. Celia still has more growing to do before she’d be able to fly a man of your size around."

I swallowed hard, taken aback by the unexpected turn of events. With her fingers still lingering on my lips, she turned to Drefius and Carr and made a polite request.

"Gentlemen, if you wouldn't mind, your Emperor and I would appreciate some privacy."

Chapter

Six

MISHO

A Wife is Nice, but Two is Twice!

Colette partly screamed and partly squealed as Drago descended swiftly to the stables of the outskirts of Misho Port. My oni wife squeezed my chest hard, as she wrapped her arms around me and pressed her warm soft breasts into my back. Her face was tucked into my shoulder, and I could just see the pink tips of her horns in my peripheral vision.

"Almost there!" I shouted. “Hold on!”

Colette squeezed me even tighter until Drago landed with a loud stomp. The wind from his wings sent bits of nearby straw dancing about in the breeze.

The nice thing about having a winged mount, regardless of whether or not it was pegasus, was how fast you could get places. My trip from Clear Castle to Yella should have taken a few days, but I’d accomplished it in a few hours.

Likewise, the flight down to Misho from Yella should have taken a week, even mounted on horseback. And here we were, landing in the port city in the early afternoon.

Only a minute after Drago’s hooves stamped down outside the city, a stable hand ran over and took the pegasus’ reins while I hopped off onto a saddle block. Then I offered Colette my hand and I helped my beautiful oni wife down by grabbing her about the waist and lifting her clean from the saddle.

There was no screaming from Colette as I deftly maneuvered her. This time it was only happy squeals that issued forth from her lips. The stable hand pretended not to notice, staring at his feet instead.

He was a young lad, probably eleven or so. And once Colette had stopped her happy squeals, he glanced at me and asked, "Does this'n eat anything special, Emperor Clear?"

I grinned at him and said, "He will if you don't force him to eat the regular stuff. He's got a bit of a temper on him, you know."

The boy nodded, then tugged on the reins, to lead Drago to his stall. Only the horse didn't move. He flexed his front legs and stayed stock-still while the leather reins creaked. The boy huffed and glanced at me. Colette chuckled.

"He's a bit headstrong," I said. "Drago, go with the boy."

Drago looked at me and, I swear to Asmi, actually gave me an eye roll. I stomped and pointed in the direction of the stalls. Drago huffed, lifted his head regally, and then trotted off ahead of the boy, who ran after him to try to get the reins back.

I could only shake my head. Drago was a useful pegasus, but I think he liked messing with us humans a bit too much.

I turned to Colette, gave my oni wife a smile and a kiss on the lips, and then said, "Well, shall we go see about the port?"

Colette grinned and gave my hand a squeeze before we both set off.

Misho had once been in a state of chaos. I'd taken over the port town portion by setting fire to it. But all of the burned buildings had been replaced, and the citizenry respected that I had had the strength and skill to take their town before I'd even named myself emperor.

As we walked through the cobbled streets, men and women going about their shopping bowed to me, and small children pointed at me and tugged on their mothers' skirts as they made noises of excitement.

The wrought iron portcullis that spanned the city gates had been down the first time I visited the port city. But now that it was fully ensconced in the Tolmerian Empire, the ropes that raised and lowered the portcullis were tied off to wrought iron wedges sunk deep into the stones.

Two ships sailed into port, bringing supplies of frozen fish to sell at the docks, while grains from the neighboring fields were exchanged. For the time being, I was running my empire more like a command economy than the one that I had left on Earth. It was simpler that way, at least simpler to keep track of everything, and it helped to ensure that I didn't have spies messing with the resource allocation for Tolmeria’s armies.

And, as crucial to a wintertime economy as grain was, the ability to swiftly freeze fish caught in the deep ocean proved even more so. With the good road from Misho to Castle Clear, Misho would become an integral part of our trade. It would flourish as a destination for trade between Tolmeria and other lands, while being an outlet for our goods.

Every morning, the ice mage Cynthia, who I’d saved from torture and death, took my flagship and a fleet of fishing vessels out, fished in the deeper waters, and instantly froze the catch. Part of the reason I’d flown to Misho was to check in on how the fishing strategies might be improved, and part of it was to check in on how the ice mage herself was doing.

As the unmarried captain of a ship in Limar, where the patriarchal attitudes made such an arrangement tricky at best, Cynthia was in a delicate place. For right now, I hoped to enjoy a nice meal with the gorgeous ice mage and my equally gorgeous oni wife.

Collette's warm fingers moved from my hand to my bicep as we walked. As though she knew exactly what I was thinking, she said, "Are you sure that Cynthia is the right person to trust as a liaison with the Council down here? I know she's capable, but she's also..." Collette's voice trailed off.

I knew exactly what she was thinking.

My Seshkin Empress might have had more power in the Seshkin Kingdom than any other, but that was because she was married to me. The social arrangement in my new land was highly patriarchal, and it seemed that our marriage was the only thing forcing the citizens of the Seshkin Kingdom to obey her. Even her father, the king, had to heed her words because of our relationship.

She was viewed as an extension of myself, as opposed to Cynthia, who was merely installed by my command as the captain of my ship.

I shrugged to Collette and said, "You think the poor performance is down to an unwed woman being tasked with carrying it out?"

Collette hummed and trailed her fingers down my arm. "It's not that I don't think she's incapable," my oni said finally, as we turned a corner and saw the harbor spread out before us. "It's more that I think that everyone on the Council is unlikely to work well with her because she doesn’t have enough power."

I nodded. The rules might have been patently unfair to women on Limar, but that was just the way things were. Though I trusted Cynthia more than anyone in the port town, my empire's citizens and council members weren't so understanding.

"What would you suggest I do, then, my love?" I asked with an eyebrow raise. I suspected I knew where she was going with this, but I wanted to hear it from my beautiful oni’s own lips.

Collette blushed and folded her hands before her waist, which pressed her arms against either side of her breasts and gave her an impressive amount of cleavage.

"Well," she said timidly, "the people of Seshkin listen to me because I am married to you. In our world, a wife is an extension of her husband. Cynthia might report to you as the one at the ultimate head of the hierarchy, but everyone knows that she's not connected to you by carnal relations. Plus, she is very pretty."

I chuckled lightly, tucking my arm around the supple curve of my oni wife's trim waist. "You always know just what to say," I said with a grin.

"I have to," she said, returning my grin. "I am an empress, wife to an emperor. And speaking of wives, or at least potential wives, look who's here."

I glanced from Collette's face to check behind me and saw Cynthia walking down the road towards us. The former mercenary and current ice mage and captain walked confidently, and I had to admit that Collette's comments about her appearance were far from wrong.

Long blonde hair fell way past her shoulders, while the bangs that she kept trimmed short framed her face in a pretty heart shape. Her eyes were large and even more blue than the waters outside Misho Port.

Despite how tall I'd gotten, thanks to my leveling, Cynthia was no hobbit in the size department. Still, I was so large that the tall woman could nestle perfectly under my chin.

Her height wasn't the only thing that was big about her either, and her large breasts only appeared anything but gigantic because she was so tall. Although the way that she kept them concealed tightly in a taut leather tunic gave her a surprising amount of modesty for someone so well endowed.

"Cynthia!" Collette squealed happily as she rushed forward to embrace the woman.

As they hugged, the size difference between the two women became even more pronounced, and I saw Cynthia's large boobs rested perfectly atop Collette's even larger ones. My oni wife stood on tiptoes, brushing her breasts against Cynthia's to give the ice mage a kiss on either cheek.

All this attention made Cynthia blush, and she stammered, "Hello, Empress Collette, Emperor Adam. It’s a pleasure to see you both! Come, follow me, and I can show you to the Clear Skies. "

With that, Cynthia gave me a smile that was completed with a cute blush that made her cheeks nearly as pink as the tips of Colette’s horns. Colette giggled at the ice mage, then wrapped her arm in Cynthia’s and patted her hand. I could only chuckle at how forward Colette was in her lust. I expected that the night might well end up with the three of us releasing the tension we’d build up during the day.

“Lead the way, please,” I said, gesturing down the road towards the harbor.

The Clear Skies was not exactly a massive ship, but then she didn’t need to be. She needed to be swift to get into the deep waters quickly, shallow hulled so that her wake wouldn’t cause fish to flee her nets, and nimble so that she could dodge the surprisingly treacherous waters in Misho’s port.

“I appreciate you holding back your fishing today, Cynthia,” I said as we walked up the gangplank and strode onto the deck. “I know that you’ve been dedicated to proving your usefulness to Tolmeria.”

“Yes,” Cynthia said guardedly. “Though I know I haven’t been quite as useful as I would like.”

She glanced around briefly at the items on the top deck. A table had been moved to just before the doors leading below, set with cutlery and with two chairs arranged facing each other. A tallow candle burned in the table’s center, and two platters were placed before either chair.

I raised an eyebrow at the arrangement, and Colette moved from Cynthia’s arm to mine and laid her head against my shoulder. “Looks like someone hoped for a little alone time with the emperor this afternoon, no?” she said with a giggle.

Cynthia’s blush burned fiercely on her cheeks. “I had something of that in mind, yes. But I’m happy to host any of my savior’s wives as well. Just give me a moment, and I’ll go retrieve a third chair for myself.”

With that, she curtsied to me and practically fled down belowdecks. Colette giggled as her fingers traced my manhood beneath my trousers. “Oh, should I start calling you my savior now too?” she asked while bouncing her eyebrows. “Seems you’ve got a thing for feeling all big and strong.”

I chuckled, wrapping my arm around Colette’s waist and giving her a squeeze. “I like you just the way you are,” I growled into her ear. “But look around us. Can you see the problems Cynthia’s having?”

Colette ducked out of my hold, glancing around at the sailors on deck, who mostly lounged about. One appeared to be preparing fishing lines, but as for the rest, they leaned on railings or snoozed up by the captain’s wheel.

“I think so,” Colette said before turning to me and batting her eyelashes. “But why don’t you help your pretty little oni wife understand, my big, strong husband?”

“Ha! Nice one,” I said with a barking laugh. “She could easily have had any one of these sailors go retrieve an extra chair. But she didn’t even bother asking. I don’t doubt they’d do it if you or I commanded them to, but clearly Cynthia knew better than to even ask herself.”

Colette hummed. “It can be difficult, being an unmarried woman in a position of power. So many of your underlings will be male, while the women keep the home and raise babies. Oh, if only there was some way to rectify Cynthia being unwed!”

She elbowed me jokingly in the ribs just as Cynthia returned to the deck, carrying what looked like little more than a small stool. She raised an eyebrow at us, and I just shook my head.

Together, we sat at the table and when Cynthia attempted to sit on the stool, I came over all chivalrous and pointed out that I was the tallest anyway. Finally, she allowed me to take the smaller stool and I wondered whether that pretty blush of embarrassment would ever really leave her face.

That afternoon, we dined on roast salmon, freshly caught and not even frozen yet, caramelized onions, and a good dry red wine brought in from Cask. For dessert, there was a slice of cake that I passed to Cynthia when it became clear that the two women would enjoy the little treat much more than I would.

It was a pleasant time, and we spoke of Cynthia’s difficulties on board. Just as Colette and I had suspected, the problems were mostly related to her being an unwed woman in charge of married men. They resented her importance, and made that resentment known more often by moving sluggishly in their tasks. Though sometimes, as with the chair, Cynthia had learned not to even bother.

A distant red sun was sinking low on the horizon and bathing the ocean waters in a glorious orange glow while the sounds of the port city shifted from the hustle and bustle of daily trade and industry to the quieter sounds of a populace settling down for the evening.

Most of the other sailors on board had turned in for the night, and the man who was repairing the fishing line doffed his cap to us as he concluded his work. Finally, we were left alone on the deck.

"I believe we may have a solution to some of your difficulties," I said as the meal wound down.

"Oh," Cynthia said, her eyes falling to her feet in embarrassment as she rose to begin clearing the plates. "Yes, I know that the trouble is deeply ingrained. The men don't precisely trust me since I had been based in Cask, but I'm working on ways to deal with it. I promise in the future it will be better."

Cynthia yelped when Collette gave her a firm smack on the ass, and she jumped about ten feet in the air. Her eyes darted from Collette to me, and I saw a glimmer of hunger in them as they fell upon each of us.

"Sorry," Collette said, stepping back and idly examining her slender fingernails. "You just have such a good ass, I wanted to check it out. See what the spring back was and all that."

Cynthia's eyes went wide, and I chuckled with a head shake.

"Why don't you show us to your rooms, Cynthia?" I asked, rising from the little stool and offering her my hand. "Don't worry, you're not in trouble. I know exactly why you're having the problems that you are, and I think Collette and I have a solution. Besides, we’ll need a place to spend the night anyway. Flying on Drago is speedier than riding, but even still we couldn’t make it back to Clear Castle before the morning."

Cynthia took my hand and nodded, brushing a stray lock of blonde hair out of her face.

"Oh. Yes, of course. Just this way, follow me if you please,” she said cutely.

“I’d follow that butt anywhere!” Colette said with a giggle. I just shook my head and chuckled at my wife’s insane forwardness. On Earth, her antics would have earned her a slap. But, on Limar, I expected that it would earn her a new wife for her husband’s growing harem.

Cynthia made a surprised squeak and clenched my hand tightly in hers.

“There is a bed in your room, correct?” I asked with an eyebrow raise.

"There is, yes," Cynthia said, before she glanced at Collette, and I saw her lick her lips. She turned to face me, and I found myself falling into her deep blue eyes. "It's not particularly large, so if you two are planning to spend the night, we all might have to squeeze in a little bit. Is that alright?"

Collette gave Cynthia's butt another squeeze, and my oni wife said, "Oh, I think we can squeeze more than just the bed."

I shook my head. Collette was an empress through and through. When she saw something that she wanted, she didn't wait to take it. When she saw something that I wanted, she moved so swiftly, she probably could have outraced Drago himself.

"Right!" Cynthia squealed as Colette gave her pert ass another squeeze. "Yes, follow me!"

Not ten minutes later, Cynthia had shown us into her office/bedroom.

The room was sparsely furnished, with a bed that was barely larger than a double pressed against one wall, a single candle burning across from the porthole that looked out to sea, and several maps hanging from the walls that showed the underwater features of various Tolmerian ports.

A small trestle table stood in the room's center, secured to the rocking floor with bolts, and missing a single stool on one side.

I grinned as Colette took the lead in negotiations, moving swiftly to Cynthia's side and lay a hand atop the smooth curve of her hip. What man wouldn’t want his wife seducing other women for him to sleep with, or even bette,r marry?

"Oh!" Cynthia yelped at the touch, then gasped when she turned around.

In a single, smooth motion, Colette had slipped her concealing robes to the floor and stood tall before the ice mage, fully nude.

"I daresay that your emperor has a particularly carnal answer to your difficulties," Colette purred. "Or his oni empress does, at least."

Cynthia gasped and her fingers flew to her mouth as she stepped back and let her eyes travel up and down Colette's tight, busty frame.

"I... I don't understand," she said, while I could hear the lust rising in her voice as she turned to face me. "Why would sleeping with your wife help my problems, Emperor Clear?"

I chuckled, moving forward to tuck my hand under her chin. "Sleeping with Colette, admittedly, would do very little to help in that department," I said with a wry smile. "But, sleeping with me would help a great deal. Or at least, being my wife would."

"Your wife?" Cynthia asked, starting to wring her hands nervously against her concealed mound. "But I'm just a simple ship captain, and you're the Emperor of all Tolmeria, Adam. I would do anything to be your wife, but what could I possibly offer to you?"

"That ass, for one thing!" Colette declared, hugging her arms beneath her large breasts to press them up and out fully. Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that the middle ages had zilch in the breast surgery department, I'd have sworn Colette's boobs were partly silicone.

I guess that was the nice thing about being an oni.

“Your skill as an ice mage wouldn’t go unwanted either,” I added with a chuckle.

“My butt?” Cynthia asked, turning to glance at it as though she’d barely heard my own input. I suspected that the gorgeous, busty blonde had spent too much time at sea to know how drop-dead sexy she was, and that she was loving the compliments Colette kept heaping on her. "I guess it is nice, but it's nothing on you, Empress Colette!"

"Let me be the judge of that," I said in a low growl that sent excited shivers racing over Cynthia's body.

"O...okay," she finally said, and I noticed her fingers were discreetly working furiously at her mound over her pants.

"Shall I help you, my husband?" Colette purred. "A good wife makes sure her husband's needs are always met, before he even knows what they are. And I can see your needs rising quite handsomely."

I smirked at Colette, feeling my manhood stiffening in my pants just as she said. Then I nodded, and Colette said, "Why don't you go sit on that bed, husband? We girls can put on a little show for you, before you claim your new bride."

I grinned, moving instantly to the bedside and taking a seat to watch. Colette might have been an oni, but I'd seen her with other women vanishingly few times. I was curious just how lewd a show she intended to put on with Cynthia for me.

I didn't have to wait long. Almost as soon as my ass hit the bed, Colette dipped down on her heels, and began kissing Cynthia from the neck down. She paid special attention to the ice mage's breasts, placing two pecks of loving and moaning kisses atop their fullness before continuing down the sailor's trim stomach. When she finally reached the spot where Cynthia's hands were busily rubbing her wetness through the fabric, she kissed Cynthia's fingertips lightly.

"Mmm, you have such lovely fingers, Cynthia," Colette purred.

She lifted one of the fingers from its rubbing circular patterns and popped it into her mouth like a lollipop. Starting to suck on the gorgeous woman's digits, Cynthia began to moan and struggle to pull her fingers back from Colette.

"Please, empress," Cynthia keened. "I love the way your warm tongue runs over my fingers, but I need to keep rubbing myself. I'm so wet, and it's about to show through my pants."

"Mmm, is that so?" Colette asked, popping Cynthia's fingers from her lips, and moving back so that I could see the dark wet spot between Cynthia's legs start to spread out from beneath her stroking fingers. "Oh, you're going to make such a good wife for my husband, for your emperor, Cynthia. That's a good girl, letting yourself get so wet for him."

"Am I really?" Cynthia asked with a gasp at the compliment. Her eyes flicked over to me, where I lay on the bed. "Am I really a good girl, emperor?"

I nodded and said, "You're a beautiful girl, too, Cynthia. But if you want to keep being good, you'd better do as you're told."

Cynthia nodded, gasping lightly at being commanded, and I heard Colette giggle softly as her fingers began working at the wide belt that wrapped around Cynthia's hips. After some struggling, Colette gave a cry of victory and let the belt fall away. Then she slid the ice mage's black pants all the way down her long legs.

Cynthia shivered with delight the whole time, and I could see her wetness glimmering between her thigh gap, her lady juices slowly dripping down her toned legs.

"Your touch feels so good, empress," Cynthia moaned, then she gasped when Colette grabbed her leg roughly and hoisted it upwards.

"Time for your inspection, my good little girl," Colette said, then grinned mischievously and asked me, "Can I make her call you something special, husband?"

Cynthia wriggled in Colette's surprisingly firm grasp, while the oni woman kept her leg aloft and both their eyes fell upon me.

"Depends on what it's going to be," I replied, thoroughly loving the way that Cynthia yielded under my wife's merest touch.

Colette grinned, then looked up at Cynthia and snapped her fingers to get the sailor's attention.

"You are hereby ordered to refer to Adam as Master for the rest of the evening. Do you understand your orders?” Colette said imperiously, putting all her training as an empress to work. “Do you want to keep being a good girl for me, for your master?"

That was too much for Cynthia. "Yes!" she gasped, her body shaking all over and woman juices sopping out of her moist slit, dribbling their way down her thighs.

"Good girl," Colette cooed.

Then she immediately licked the slick lines of orgasm from Cynthia's legs. When she'd finally gotten the sailor cleaned up, Cynthia looked like she was having trouble standing.

"Husband, I daresay your little submissive wife is ready for a good thrusting," Colette cooed happily.

I grinned, watching eagerly as Colette moved around behind Cynthia and kissed her long and hard on the ass, giving the sailor a little bite that made Cynthia's legs tremble. Just as she was about to collapse, Colette surprised me by grabbing both of Cynthia's slick thighs in either hand and lifting her easily into the air.

The submissive Cynthia practically collapsed back against Colette as the oni lifted her and allowed Colette to place a light kiss on her cheek. Then Colette shifted Cynthia's body slightly, so that the ice mage's gorgeous little slit angled directly at me.

"Good to have an oni's strength," I said with a smirk.

"Good to have a husband who I can please," Colette responded.

Cynthia just started to wriggle. Her eyes fluttered open and fell onto my lap, where my hard-on was still concealed by my pants.

"Master," Cynthia moaned. "I can see your cock, Master. It looks so big! Oh, can you show it to me?"

"Only if you use the magic word," I replied with a smirk, thoroughly enjoying getting to play the role of a dom to Cynthia's eager sub. "Be a good girl for Master and ask him nicely."

"Please," Cynthia moaned.

"Please what?" I replied.

Cynthia moaned again, her hips bucking back and forth in Colette's grip like she was trying to wriggle right onto me. "Please show me your big, thick cock, Master! Please shove that big cock into my tight little pussy!"

Cynthia’s hands started immediately working at the buttons on her shirt. The fabric strained as she desperately tugged at the buttons. Soon she'd gotten her whole chest fully exposed to me.

Her tits bounced eagerly as her hips kept bucking back and forth, little spasms racing across the pink lips of her sopping pussy.

"That's Master's good girl," I said in a growl that made even Colette shiver with anticipation. "Thank you for asking nicely."

With my eyes glued to Cynthia's large, bouncing breasts, I slipped out of my pants and sat on the bed's edge, my mast even more full than the ship's above us. With a giggle, Colette walked forward, tilted Cynthia's face towards me, and then impaled the tall submissive woman right on my rod.

"Fuck yes!" Cynthia moaned as I felt her hot wetness wrap tight around my length, skewering her to the hilt in a single motion. "Master!"

But she didn't get a chance to say anything further, because as soon as I bottomed out in her deepest parts, I pressed my lips around hers and began to force my way into her mouth, like I forced my way into her slit.

Now, all the submissive ice mage could do was groan as her lips parted eagerly to admit my tongue.

"There, now," Colette purred as she finally released Cynthia and let the ice mage buck her hips of her own accord on top of me. "That's a good girl for your master. Meantime, let your mistress appreciate watching her husband fuck a gorgeous little slut like you."

With that, Colette moved over to the trestle table and shoved all the various papers off of it in a single move. Then she turned and hopped up to place her round ass on the now-clear surface. Putting one heel on the table, she made sure I could see her every stroke as she began to rub her own pussy.

"Master, your cock is so massive," Cynthia moaned as I started to take control of our little situation and grab her around the hips with both hands. "Oh, yes Master! Control your good little girl. Show me how much I belong to you Master. Fuck me like I'm yours."

Her words made moans of pleasure escape Colette's lips, and the oni woman used her other hand to rub at her light pink horns while her fingers started to pump in and out of her swollen slit.

But I didn't do that, at least not immediately. Instead of fucking her like a fuck toy, I held her hips down firmly instead, keeping my head buried so deep inside her I could almost press into her womb.

"What?" she gasped when she realized that I wasn't going to throw her around like she wanted. "Why?"

I met her eyes, nearly getting lost in their blue while she tucked her lower lip between her teeth and started chewing furiously on it. "Because I don't want to fuck you like you belong to me," I said with a smirk. Cynthia's eyes danced eagerly, seeing exactly where I was going with this train of thought. "I want to fuck you because you do belong to me."

"Master..." Cynthia moaned, her eyes never once leaving mine. "What are you asking?"

"Marry me, Cynthia," I said, keeping tight hold of those wide hips of hers as I felt her pussy start to spasm at my words alone. "Marry me, and accept my cum. Marry me and become mine."

"Oh fuck, yes," Colette moaned from the table, her fingers working her tight hole so furiously that slick slurping sounds came from the tabletop and I could see a puddle of her own juices forming at her ankles.

"Agreed," Cynthia keened. "I love you, Adam, Master. Oh, I'm sorry! Yes, I'll become your sixth wife, I'll let you own me, body and soul. Just... oh fuck!"

I pressed my lips against hers once more, as I started to fuck her roughly again. Up and down, she bounced on my cock, my enormous length jack hammering into her sopping hole so hard I half-worried I'd break her.

Then I started to feel her tighten around me, squeezing me hard and letting me know exactly what was about to happen.

"Not before me," I growled, grabbing her blonde hair roughly in one hand and yanking her head back to start planting loving kisses on her slender neck. "You'll cum with me, or not at all. Understand?"

"Yes!" Cynthia cried out, her voice barely audible over Colette's moans and the slick sounds of her fingers pumping in and out of her. "Hurry! Please, Master!"

"Don't worry, darling," I growled, biting her neck playfully. "I'm almost there, too."

"Mmm, yes!" Colette moaned.

I was close, too. I could feel my balls start to tighten as my orgasm crept up on me, each thrust of my hardness into Cynthia's softness bringing me closer and closer until finally…

"Cum for me, now," I growled as I pumped my first load of hot cum inside her dripping pussy.

Immediately, I felt her unravel in my arms. Her whole body went entirely limp as her pussy pulsed at a furious pace around me. It felt as though her hole was trying to suck up every last drop of cum that I had to give her, and I didn't fight the feeling.

Load after hot load of my cum pumped into her, splashing against her walls, and filling her up to the brim while I held her limp body tightly in my arms.

All Cynthia could do was moan as I drove deep into her and held her fast.

"Fuck yes, Adam!" Colette squealed, succumbing to her own orgasm now.

Her girl juices squirted across the room and painted Cynthia's ass in her fellow wife's girl cum.

Again and again, I pumped Cynthia full and just when I thought she'd spill over I finally felt my orgasm fade. Still holding her tightly against me, I tilted her head back and kissed her a final time. She was still in such bliss that all she could do was moan.

It seemed that she'd be like that for a good while, too, because when Colette and I pulled her off of me and laid her in the bed, she was still mostly just mumbling.

And yet, when I crawled in beside her and felt Colette's large breasts rest atop my chest, I finally heard the words that were the only thing Cynthia's mind could manage to process.

"Master's wife. I'm Master's wife."

"Fuck but she is a sweet little thing, isn't she?" Colette asked.

I could only grin and kiss my oni wife as we settled down for what I hoped would be a good night's rest.

Chapter

Seven

MISHO HARBOR

Pirates! Why'd It Have to be Pirates?

One moment I was sleeping soundly with each of my arms around either of my beautiful wives. The next, Colette's pinkish horn jabbed me in the cheek, and I woke with a start.

"What the hell?" I muttered.

Colette was normally so sound a sleeper that even an earthquake would have difficulty waking her. In fact, she slept so soundly that on more than one occasion, a porter coming to get me for some new piece of information had actually thought that she died during the night. She was simply that immobile.

Let's just say that I definitely wasn't used to being jabbed in the cheek by her pale pink horns.

On my other side, Cynthia sprang up at once. It was a testament to what her mother gave her that her large firm breasts barely jiggled as she went from lying prone to sitting bolt upright.

She rose so quickly that the swift change could have been used to test a fighter pilot’s ability to withstand maximum G-forces.

"What's going on?" I asked.

The boat rocked violently, the hull on my right smacked hard into the felt padding of the dock and made the entire wooden structure creak ominously. Cynthia leapt from her bed, then swiftly retrieved the clothes that lay in a puddle of cloth at the foot of it.

I followed her as fast as I could, slipping back into my traveling clothes in a moment's notice.

"I'm not sure," Cynthia said curtly, "but I don't like it, whatever it is." She gestured to Colette. "I'm going to take this ship out to check out what's going on. You should try to wake her. Is she a good swimmer?"

I glanced at the oni woman lying in the bed and shrugged.

"Never had the chance to ask," I said, "and I don't think that waking her will be a real possibility either."

Cynthia raised an eyebrow at that, and I chuckled and said, "Extremely deep sleeper."

"In that case, you should lift her and take her portside. If we have to sail out of here, then I won't have a potential sinking be the cause of my new wife’s death,” she said curtly, coming out of her sexual submissive role and falling back into her captain’s role. “Are you coming with me?"

I nodded, then wrapped Colette and her clothes in a blanket before lightly carrying her in my arms. The beautiful oni's head lolled backwards, but she remained limp in my firm grasp.

"Lead the way," I said to Cynthia as I followed her up to the deck.

The night air was still and surprisingly calm around our shoulders, but it carried with it a strange smell. It was the smell of a fog.

"That's not usual for this time of year, I thought?" I asked as I trotted down the gangplank and handed the sleeping Colette off to a nearby squire. The lad took her with a puzzled expression and I waved a hand. "Find a comfortable bed for her and leave a note explaining that I've gone out to sea with Cynthia." I leaned down and gave my wife's resting head a kiss, then finished, "She won't wake until the morning, so just move fast."

The squire stowed his puzzled expression, nodded, then trotted away with Colette snoozing softly in his arms. Fortunately, the long month or so of peace hadn't caused my wife to put on any winter weight.

I turned back to the ship and saw Cynthia already giving orders to untie the boat. Then she stood at the end of the gangplank and held her hand out to me.

"Coming along for a ride?" she asked.

I chuckled and ran up the gangplank, kicking it away as soon as I landed on the deck.

"Interesting choice of words," I said, giving my newest wife's butt a squeeze. "Considering how much riding you did last night."

"I think it's actually still the same night,” she said with a giggle. “But point taken. Come on, Master."

She turned and ran to the ship's captain's wheel before I could stop her. Once there, she gave swift orders for sails to be lowered, and then deftly maneuvered the small craft out of the dock.

"Hoist the mainsail!" she cried to some sailors messing about with rigging.

"Untie the port lines!" she called to two who lingered casually on the docks.

"Raise anchor!" she shouted at a group of three who seemed to be more interested in playing a game of cards than figuring out what was going on.

The men moved sluggishly, considering the urgency of the situation, and I couldn't be sure whether that was related to the problems of Cynthia being a woman, or whether they were just as sleepy as we all were.

"You know, Cynthia," I said once we finally got moving, "you don't have to call me master outside of bed. I'm a bit more of an egalitarian when it comes to relationships. You and all my other wives are all important to me. I don't want you to think that I'm putting my own needs above yours."

"And what if I want to keep calling you master?" Cynthia asked with a blush that sat pinkening her cheeks.

I grinned. "If that's what you want, it would be rude of me to tell you that you can't."

"I'll think about it," Cynthia said, then turned the captain's wheel sharply to avoid a hidden shoal.

Her ship, the Clear Skies, moved swiftly, carving through the waters like a knife through butter. While it wasn’t the smallest ship in the fleet, it was good for getting around blockades, and soon enough we discovered how useful that would be.

At the mouth of our very harbor, hidden by the sudden fog, we encountered at least twenty ships of a similar size. These ships flew colors that I wasn't able to immediately identify.

"Pirates," Cynthia spat. "Should have known. Ready to go kill some sea dogs, Adam? Husband? Master?"

She spoke each word like she was testing how it felt on her tongue, and I grinned.

"More than you know, I've got just the thing for this situation, too," She raised an eyebrow at me and I snickered at her, pulling my bow of fire arrows from around my back and jogging over to the ship's edge. "New acquisition. Haven't gotten a chance to try out the newest Bow of Fire Arrows yet. By the way, which of the names did you like best?"

Cynthia snickered, not replying to my question. "I've married a madman," she said under her breath before grinning. "Master, you can't just pull back a bowstring without any arrows. Nothing's going to fire out of it."

Well, that sure sounded like she enjoyed referring to me as master. Did that turn me on? Okay, just a bit. But what red-blooded emperor wouldn't want his wife referring to him as her master? It was practically hard wired into us.

I turned and gave her a wink, choosing to not directly reference that exchange either. "How much would you like to bet on that bow statement?" I asked.

Cynthia gave me a big eye roll, and I returned to sighting the nearest ship. A black and white flag flew from the topmast, with a traditional pirate ship’s skull emblazoned over a figure of some castle or other.

Blurred figures of pirates moved about on deck, deftly adjusting course.

I took note of the prevailing winds which blew into the harbor, then adjusted my aim a little bit to the left, pulled back the string, and released.

Immediately, what had been an empty bowstring was replaced with a sturdy-looking arrow. The projectile leapt from my bow, moving faster than I'd expected. I couldn't help but whistle as I acknowledged that, using it, I would be able to hit targets from a much further distance than even the long bows that some archers trained from childhood in order to fire properly.

A moment later, it soared away from me. The tip, suddenly ignited in a red and orange streak, painted itself across the foggy night, soaring away at remarkable speed. I heard Cynthia give a wolf whistle of appreciation behind me, but I was already readjusting my aim.

I'd been treating the bow of fire arrows as a standard short bow, and it showed me that it absolutely was anything but.

Instead of striking near the ship's bow, where I might have better luck to strike the side of the wooden hull, it soared high and struck further up the ship.

One moment, my eyes struggled to adjust to the bright orange streak. The next, the ship's center sail was punctured straight through, and the arrow disappeared before landing with a sizzle in the waters beyond.

The sail itself caught fire, sure, but the licking embers didn't burn for that long and soon extinguished while the ship turned towards us, finally recognizing the enemy in their midst. That was the nice thing about being attacked on a foggy night. You became indistinguishable from your enemy.

Of course, using a magical bow of fire arrows didn't tend to help things in the sneaking regard.

"I appreciate you trying to save the ship," Cynthia called, "but I think we'd do better to simply raze the bastards than try to collect their ships for parts afterwards. We don't have many in our fleet that are able to actually fight against these pirate ships."

I grinned, then moved my aim a little to the left and a little down, pulled back the string and sent another fire arrow soaring through the night.

As it whistled onwards, I shouted back to Cynthia, "These magic bows always just take a little getting used to."

I heard my newest wife scoff, and then a loud thunk sounded across the water as my fire arrow sank directly into the center of the ship's hull.

Immediately, flames began to spread from the spot, continually fed by the fire arrow itself that was wedged against the ship's right side.

A clanging bell sounded from the ship as it was slowly engulfed, and a porthole window opened just above where the arrow sunk, before I saw a figure lean down and attempt to smack out the flames with his bare hands.

Poor bastard.

The flames leapt from the arrow's tip to the man's digits and he yowled in pain, swiftly retreating back inside the ship. A moment later, a smarter individual grabbed the end of the arrow shaft and yanked it from the hull before the ship turned sharply to port and doused the growing flames in the ocean itself.

"All right!" I shouted. "I've got a hundred of these per hour. Let's see how many it takes to bring down a single ship."

Slowly, I pulled back the string and sent another two arrows sailing into the front hull and the rear hull, and managed to land a third with a miraculous trick shot directly in the center mast itself.

I made sure to steer clear of portholes this time, and the flurry of activity on the distant ship told me that the sailors aboard were scrambling. Whoever manned the crow's nest managed to pull the flaming arrow out of the center of the mast, but not before the flames had consumed enough of it that a loud and large gust of wind cracked the thing in half and sent the top half smashing through the center of the ship.

The arrows at the front and back, meanwhile, sent angry flames licking up and down the ship’s sides, and soon the whole thing began to sink.

"How's that for aim?" I shouted back to Cynthia, and my new wife chuckled. "Keep it up!" she shouted. "There's more than just one of these bastards."

I gave her a mock salute, and then ran across the ship to the other side. The next ship that I aimed for was further away than the first two. This time, I missed two shots instead of one before I landed two arrows on it at the front and rear again.

I kept a running tally of how many of my fire arrows I had used, and wondered what the exact mechanics were for their respawning. I knew I got 100 per hour, but was that up to 100 in any one hour period, or would an arrow be replaced an hour after shooting it? Or did I have to empty my whole tank, then wait a full hour before they all got refilled at once?

Deciding that it was best not to tempt fate, I opted to assume that it was the last of these options, though I made sure that I would give myself a chance to test it when we went back on shore.

I took down the third ship even more easily than the first two.

The fourth and the fifth soon followed.

By this point, the pirate fleet seemed to all understand that they were under attack by something that they didn't expect. The remaining fifteen turned on us all at once, their prows angled towards us, and their sails turned to catch the full wind, bringing them at top speed.

I moved to the prow and picked off three of them. Though by this time word had clearly gone out amongst the pirates that they should avoid the flaming arrows at all costs.

To my dismay, I watched straw bales be lowered from the fronts of the prows. Every time I struck one of these, it went up swiftly in fire, but since they were attached to ropes, they could be dropped right into the ocean and save the ships from any further damage. I groaned.

"It's like they knew I was coming," I complained.

Cynthia chuckled. "Hardly, but fire arrows have always been a good idea to keep on hand for naval battles. Even without magic, covering one in some burning pitch is super difficult to put out. It can cause a good deal of damage. Don't take it personally."

I shrugged and replied, "I'm not. I'm just used to ship battles with cannons instead of fire, so some of the defenses are a little unexpected to me."

I turned back and saw Cynthia raise an eyebrow. "Cannons?" she asked.

I waved a hand. "Something from my world. Don't worry about it. But now they can stop me, how are we going to fight the rest of these off?"

Now Cynthia grinned. She raised a hand and shouted to the sailors aboard, "Soldiers! Ready your grapnels, ready your bows, and ready your swords. It's going to be hand-to-hand combat here soon."

Though her voice was commanding, I noticed that very few of the sailors actually moved to do as she said. I saw immediately what the problem was. They still thought of her as a useless woman, not as an extension of their emperor's will.

"Sailors!" I shouted. "Your emperor commands you to obey his newest wife."

Immediately, the sailors snapped to attention and began hustling about so fast they looked like ants going after a poorly-tended picnic sandwich. I turned and gave Cynthia a grin. She smiled warmly at me.

None of the soldiers, of course, had known that Cynthia and I were husband and wife now. No one knew it except us and Colette, since the whole thing had been consummated rather quickly, followed by sleep, and then a nice battle.

The twelve remaining ships sailed towards us, though I managed to put fire arrows to the masts of some of them, burning holes in their sails and causing another six to lag behind as they lost out on wind.

Still, three was a good number to fight against. The three charged us swiftly, their prows ramming into us and sticking us fast.

At once, the pirates on board pulled out cutlasses and leapt to attack the sailors aboard, firing off a few arrows at the leaping pirates, sending out bloody bursts wherever they struck.

This meant the onslaught was more manageable. And when the Clear Skies sailors pulled out swords, they proved themselves to be just as capable with blades as they were with bows and arrows. Steel clanged on steel as the battle ratcheted up to a furious pitch.

I did some quick calculations about how many fire arrows I had left. Though I was a capable swordsman, my skill still remained more squarely in the sniper camp.

By my count, I should have sixty-six arrows left. And since each pirate ship only had about twelve or so men, this meant that I could do a good deal of harm.

I grinned wildly, glancing to my right to see a black-haired pirate with silver coins dangling from his forked beard raise a cutlass and leap across the short gap between our ships.

My arrow caught him in midair, slamming hard into his chest and knocking him back onto his own ship's decking, where he screamed as he died, the flames burning him from the inside. I did the same to any that I saw until red fire began to lick at the decks of the pirate ships.

Meanwhile, our men fought; some died, but most prevailed.

The remaining ships sailed on, and I used the last ten of my fire arrows to finally catch them ablaze. They sank before they even reached us, and I called to Cynthia, who followed me onto the decks of the three ships who had rammed us.

The flames were licking high on them, but remained mostly contained to the decks, and I directed her to shower any with ice that she saw. The ice hissed as it pulled the flame's heat away, and the fires soon died down. We'd won the battle, though I didn't doubt that if I wasn't here, it could have easily gone the other way.

I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand and grumbled. "We need more ships," I said, failing to keep the annoyance from my voice. "A small pirate fleet could have sacked all of Misho."

"Probably not sack all of it, but yes,” Cynthia countered with a nod. “The damage would be extensive. Still, look on the bright side."

I looked around me at the burned decking of the three ships that remained and shook my head.

"Cynthia," I said, "it's still the middle of the night, so the bright side is going to be pretty difficult to see right now. But I know what you're about to say. We've got three more ships now than we did yesterday afternoon. Speaking of which," I paused and looked around me. "It might be dark out, but does this ship look familiar to you?"

Cynthia gasped. "By the gods, Master, you're right. The last I heard it was sailing to Cask. Then it was supposed to trade with Farli. What's it doing back here?"

I frowned. Farli was coming up far too often for me to ignore. Something was happening there. Something big. But before I could give the thought much more attention, we heard a banging of a metal cup on steel bars from below decks.

"What was that?" Cynthia said.

I shrugged and turned to the hole in the center of the deck. Seeing the ashy and blackened outline of the fire-ravaged aperture, I heard a familiar voice call. "Champion Clear! And, my dearest Cynthia, too! I'd hoped to see you both again, though I admit that I expected to be in better shape than I am now. This damned fleet is captained by a pirate queen. Who ever heard of being taken captive by a woman!"

I frowned down at the opening, then chuckled with a head shake. "Zormo," I said. "You have no idea how lucky you are to be on this ship. The rest are currently on their way to the bottom of the harbor. Which reminds me, we'll have to get a salvage crew out here so trade doesn't get crazy disrupted from hidden dangers."

The former captain of the Fat Sharks chuckled and said, "You and I have very different ideas of what constitutes luck, I think. Though, point taken - I expect the rest of the pirate fleet isn't in as good nick as this old boat."

“You’d be right,” I said with a shrug. “Misho needs a competent hand to keep things going well there. What would you say to a new position on land? If these pirate forays keep up, we’ll need someone to properly build up our coastal defenses.”

“Better than staying in this tub, if you ask me,” Zormo said after giving it some thought. “How’s that ship of yours doing, Captain Cynthia?”

“You’ll see her shortly, once we spring you from this cage,” Cynthia said with a nod towards the Clear Skies.

“Can’t hardly wait,” Zormo replied.

Without further ado, Cynthia hopped down into the hold, ice swirling on her fingertips. Pressing her fingers to the metal lock, crystals of purest ice spread out in fine spiderweb patterns, growing thicker and thicker as the formerly secure metal grew brittle in the cold.

“Mind giving me a hand with this, husband?” Cynthia asked, and I leapt down beside her.

“Finally married him, eh?” Zormo said with a shake of his head. “Will you be joining us on your wife’s new ship then, Emperor Clear? Word in Cask and Farli is - you’ve jumped the line a bit and won a full-grown pegasus?”

“Yep, Drago’s on shore though,” I said, grabbing the metal bars of Zormo’s cage and hauling on them until the lock shattered and the door swung free. “So, we can discuss your new duties on the way to Misho. After that, I’ll be flying Drago back to Clear Castle with Cynthia and Colette. There’s a few things I need to confirm, and I think having an ice mage in my party’s going to open up lots of useful possibilities.”

Oghen Chapter 1

Thrond, Varren Region

A Freaking What, Now!

Oghen waited beside his Game of Castles table, shivering. The cold had settled onto his cliffside castle at Thrond and the surrounding countryside three days prior. Being a dwarf, he had loved most things about his mountainous home, when it had still been in the mines beneath his mountain.

Now that the damned great wyrm had chased him up aboveground into this old, crumbling castle on a cliffside, he almost wished he’d been dumped on a tropical island-type region instead. Almost.

“The tunnels were nice and warm,” he grumbled to his lead commander, a human named Clint who always seemed to be in good spirits. “Gods, how insane is it for a dwarf to wish he’d been placed in a tropical island region, instead of this biting cold!”

Clint raised an eyebrow at Oghen and said, “You could dress a little warmer, Lord Oghen. The mountain regions are known to be quite crisp in the winter.” He lifted his nose and sniffed at the air. “The blizzards should be breaking soon.”

Oghen grumbled, then glanced out the window. True to Clint’s words, the breeze blowing down from the North continued to bring bone-chilling precipitation with it. Each of the past three mornings, he’d woken to ice crystals spreading out over his bedroom window pane. Each of the past three mornings, he’d cursed his bad luck and all the gods of Limar for depositing him in this annoying situation.

“A beard and stout mail should be all a dwarf worth his salt ever needs!” Oghen said gruffly, though his brusque demeanor was hindered somewhat when his voice cracked and a shiver racked through his body.

Clint inclined his head politically. Oghen noticed that his commander, at least, didn’t ask whether Oghen was, in fact, worth his salt.

“Just, go see if that Eldorian champion, Matis, has shown up yet. I want to deal with this treaty as soon as physically possible. Maybe then we can get on the move south, where it’ll be warmer. It will be warmer in the south, right Clint?”

The commander shrugged, then placed his helmet atop his head. “Nowhere’s really warmer in the winter, Lord Oghen. But it might not be quite so cold.” Oghen grumbled again, and Clint chuckled. “I’ll go check with the guards. Remind me, what are Eldoria’s colors?”

“Green and black. Go now. While I check what else we have going with the game.”

Clint bowed crisply from the waist, then strode out of the room. Oghen sighed, then turned to his Game of Castles table.

Atop the wide, oaken table, various pieces of carved stone were set in place of castles, borders, forts, territories, and other hazards. The precariously perched city of Thrond sat atop the highest peak in the lower mountainous region of Varren. A gray castle piece, carved with exacting precision, nestled into sharply-angled gray craggy mountains sculpted out of onyx.

“Damned wyrm,” Oghen grumbled again, leaning down to look more closely at the mountain pieces. “Where are you now?”

Despite his close perusal of his table, he couldn’t see any sign of a wyrm figure amidst the mountains. So, he prodded a mine entrance on the southern slopes below Thrond with a finger.

Immediately, the castle pieces, territories, obstacles, even the mountain pieces themselves all crumbled to a fine, dusty powder. The gray and black powder swirled in a fine, tiny tornado for a few moments, then rearranged itself.

A wind blew in from the window and hit Oghen right in the square of his back, making the dwarf curse as the mountain’s own elements rearranged his table’s layout. That part of the game was one of the few things about it with which Oghen agreed.

When he was still in his old body, his father had had just such a table. The gods might have gotten his dislike for the cold wrong, and his dislike of great wyrms wrong, but they at least made a man feel at home with his table.

The wind wiped away the various words and topography of his map, swirled the chalky ink with the stone dust of his play pieces, and then rearranged the table.

“Right then, you lousy subterranean terror,” Oghen said with a rumble of worry nipping at his tongue. “Where are you?”

The map before him had changed completely. Instead of showing towns, cities, mountains and the like, it now showed mineshafts by the dozen. Layered topographically, and using a very clever legend in the lower left corner of the map, the many mine shafts sprouted away in all directions.

Some went to dead ends, others to vast stores of jewels. More went to hidden entrances and escapes built into the mountain walls, and still others to subterranean lakes where Oghen had found artificial suns burning brightly in the ceiling, giving life to a variety of plant species he’d never seen before.

Only one led out to Thrond, and when Oghen’s eyes fell upon it he ground his teeth nervously.

“There you are, bastard,” he said quietly, as though the great wyrm that slunk through his mines would be able to hear his insult.

As though to confirm his worst fears, a sudden rumbling ripped through his castle and sent columns of dust raining down from overhead. Oghen cowered instinctively, jumping under the table to hide in case the whole room came down. You never could trust living aboveground, even if a damned wyrm threatened your home below.

“You alright there, Oghen? Look like you’ve seen a wyrm!” a loud, overly-confident voice called out from the doorway.

“Lord Oghen?” Clint’s voice asked next. “Are you well, my lord?”

Oghen grumbled, feeling a red flush of embarrassment race up his neck and settle into his cheeks. Crawling out from under the table with as much grace as a disgraced dwarf could muster, he rose to his full height and threw his fists on his hips.

“Perfectly fine, Clint!” he declared in a haughty tone. “Perfectly fine. Now, as for my fellow champion, welcome to Thrond, Matis of Eldoria. I trust your travel went well?”

Garbed in the traditional green and black of Eldoria, Matis rose to some substantial height. Being an elf, Oghen supposed, helped with having substantial height. Having substantial height and lording it over people who were shorter than you.

Without missing a single beat, Matis threw his arm across his waist and bowed low to Oghen in a sign of respect. Still, the damned elf was so tall that even when he halved his height, he remained taller than the diminutive champion. Just another thing the gods should have changed about Oghen’s situation.

Ah, well. Complaints were for sore losers, and Oghen had a plan to go from being a sore loser to a grinning winner.

Matis rose from his bow as a second rumbling tumbled through Thrond. Across the mountain range, pine trees that were dusted white with snow shrugged off their blankets and became green again. Inside the table room, more masonry threatened to come tumbling down in a spray of dust.

“It was a good transit, my dear Oghen,” Matis said with uncertainty, glancing around himself once the dust had settled. “I left a company in the lower garrisons of Thrond, as requested. Though I admit, I was surprised to receive your invitation to come, along with a request for me to bring troops along. The other champions I’ve dealt with would sooner hang themselves than invite not only a champion to their castle, but also a fighting force. You’ll forgive me if my interest has been quite piqued.”

The damned elf had the gall to raise an eyebrow at Oghen, but the dwarf didn’t mind. At least, he put on a good show of it. Alliances like the one he was readying weren’t, strictly speaking, legal. At least they weren’t as far as the Game of Castles was concerned. And the gods wrote the rules for that, so those rules were just about as binding as it was physically possible to be.

“I hear you’ve some trouble with a legendary beast down your way?” Oghen said in his most offhanded way, as though the situation on his southeastern border barely interested him more than a single mote of the dust falling from his roof. “Some great golem, they say?”

Oghen knew enough about himself to know that he wasn’t smooth, suave, or subtle. Basically, any word that started with an S was a word that he expected he’d be bad at. Well, except for being scared.

But who wouldn’t be scared, when you had a massive subterranean wyrm ruining all your tunnels beneath your bed and slowly, terrifyingly, making its way towards you?

Well, whoever that person was, or might be, it wasn’t Oghen. Oghen knew when to be scared, and knew when to grab opportunity by the shirt collar and drag it out of range of that damned legendary beast, above ground or below.

“We have been dealing with such a beast, yes,” Matis said guardedly. “It’s not something that my knights can’t handle. Just taking a bit longer than we really expected, is all. Why do you ask? Trying to make light of your own wyrm difficulties?”

Ah, so Matis knew about his problems just as well as he knew about Matis’s.

“Trying to make certain we understand each other’s difficulties, my dear Eldorian neighbor!” Oghen declared, opening his arms wide. “That is all.”

“Then it seems we understand each other well,” Matis replied, narrowing his eyes. “I understand that you’re running scared from your region’s legendary beast. And, at the same time, you understand that I’m in no mood to fight my region’s problem.”

“No mood, and less several companies that broke against your Ebris’ flanks, if the stories are true,” Oghen muttered, keeping his voice low enough to not be heard.

“What was that?” Matis said, stepping forward. “What did you say to me, dwarf?”

“Ah, nothing at all!” Oghen said as he raised both hands in a sign of servility. “Just that we know our difficulties are shared. Well, what would you say to a unique proposal from a dwarf, elf? You know some of my difficulties, and I know some of yours. Might be, we could work together and so remove both our hardships from the equation.”

Matis raised an eyebrow at that, and Clint chuckled softly, impressed by his lord champion’s diplomatic prowess. When the elf glanced at a tall gilt chair pulled tight against the table’s edge, Oghen nodded and he went to sit in it.

“Clever table dynamics,” Matis said as he lifted one of the mine markers from the wide table. The marker turned to dust a moment later and Matis narrowed his eyes as the thing reformed upon the tabletop. “A relic of dwarven civilizations on another world, I’d imagine?”

“My father’s table. Never thought I’d see the like,” Oghen confirmed, pulling a taller chair back from the table’s edge and sitting in it. Then he leaned his elbows on the table’s lip and fixed the elf with a stare. “We can break free of these monsters, Matis. The gods didn’t intend it, but we can.”

Matis chuckled, plucked another piece from the table and watched as it broke apart in his fingers, swirled back to place, and reformed so fast he barely had replaced it with his fingers in the same amount of time.

“My own table’s slightly different,” was all that Matis said in reply. “Still has the whole wooden thing going for it. But it’s a lot more, shall we say, organic? There are no carved pieces of stone resting on it. Instead, they’re all carved by the table itself. Like little branches that stick up from the top and form useful information. A twig for a river crossing, a sapling for a city, that sort of thing.”

The wyrm passed by again. Oghen shivered to think that it was so close. A quick, unseen glance at the map while Matis looked out the window showed the wyrm’s icon moving closer and closer to the mine entrance, just below the great castle at Thrond. Time, it seemed, was something that the pair lacked.

“Well, I’m sure it’s a nice, impressive table,” Oghen said a bit sharply. Matis turned to face him. “But, about our alliance. The gods allow alliances, to a certain point. They’re generally okay with champions signing deals to not invade each other’s territories for a set time. Such deals, I’m assured, have been signed by a champion named Zeth, two regions west of Varren, and his neighbor to the South. But I don’t want to sign a deal to not go to war with you, Matis.”

“Then it seems particularly foolish to invite me and my soldiers, Oghen,” Matis said, while apparently becoming consumed with the cleanliness of his fingernails. “You’ve brought war to your doorstep, unless you come up with a reasonable offer.”

“Kill me, and you still have to deal with Varren’s wyrm,” Oghen muttered. Matis glanced up and he quickly backpedaled. “What I mean to say is this, my fellow champion. What have you heard of Farli?”

“Farli?” Matis said, clearly losing interest in the discussion and diverting it to his fingernails which, not even a dwarf like Oghen failed to notice, were perfectly free of dirt, grime, and any sign that he performed manual labor himself. “The blasted kingdom with that useless emperor - Temini I believe. And their champion… oh, what was his name?”

“Teposi,” Oghen offered and Matos snorted.

“Yes, Temini and Teposi. Supplicant, I don’t doubt. Naming himself after his region’s emperor,” Matis said, hawking a nice loogie out the tall, thin window. “I know the place. West of Eldoria, but well-guarded by that sop! Puts guards at most major roadways, bridge crossings, you name it. If only the champion would perish to someone else’s hand, we’d be free to deal with that fool Temini, instead. But, with men like us for neighbors, who’s going to kill their champion, eh Oghen? Teposi may have a stupid name, but he’s got little to fear from champions who can’t even kill their own legendary beasts now, does he?”

At this, Oghen’s eyes flashed.

“Not fear from us, no,” the dwarf started. “But from the monsters who beset his land, I expect he’s got a good deal to fear. You haven’t heard?”

“Heard what?”

“Teposi, he… well he expired, underground as it were. And after slaying Farli’s roaming legendary beast, too. Died to some unnamed anthril drone! Can you believe it, Matis? Farli, open for the taking!”

“I…” Matis started to say, then caught himself. “It is surprising, Oghen. But why tell me all this? Why not just take it for yourself?”

“Well, I need someone with me to hold it, don’t I?” Oghen responded with a handwave. “Together, Matis, we can move our forces into Farli. Screw the legendary beasts who want to destroy us! Let them have our old regions! A partnership like this is clearly something the gods didn’t intend, when they allowed alliances between champions, but screw it! If cleverness keeps us alive, I say we swoop down into Farli, together, and burn as many people as we can. I say we claim as much fertile ground for our own forces as possible, then settle in for the remainder, living as kings in peace.” Oghen shivered sharply as a gust of cold air blew in from the window. “What do you say, neighbor?”

Oghen expected Matis to punt on the question for a little while. A week, perhaps, would pass before Oghen expected a response by letter. And yet Matis stood abruptly, tugging his green and black tabard around his shoulders.

"I agree, my dwarven friend! Let the kings of Varren and Eldoria swoop in to deal with these legendary beasts, let you and I play the Game of Castles like we were born to it!”

Unable to help himself, Oghen failed to fight his smile back. “We were born to it, in a manner of speaking, Matis. Very well then, to Farli we go. Prepare your men for battle. Looting should be easy, now they lack a champion to defend them.”

Matis chuckled. “I’d rather prepare them for the warmth.”

Chapter

Eight

CLEAR CASTLE

Now That's What I Call A Map!

“Are you sure about all this?” I frowned, leaning over the Game of Castles table.

Everything on the table changed, seemingly as soon as Isabel poked and prodded at it. Each time she touched a different place, a new section would pop up, or a submenu would either appear from nowhere or close back to nowhere.

Sometimes, extra information, including more details, would float to the surface.

“As sure as anyone can be about the Game of Castles,” Isabel said, turning and giving me a saucy wink and blowing me a kiss.

Evening light filtered through the high windows. Faintly illuminating the room, the table appeared as a screen of sorts, vaguely holographic.

The various menus flew by at lightning speed. I managed to notice, as Isabel swiftly navigated them, that my Game of Castles table apparently stored completed quests in some sort of inbuilt memory.

I wasn't sure what use I could put this to at the moment, but I was sure that there would be something I could use it for later on down the road.

Anyway, I'd been so interested in conquest and defending my gains that I'd barely had time to mess around with the actual table itself. That was one of the benefits of having a Game of Castles scholar in my retinue, let alone one as beautiful as my wife.

Suddenly Isabel gasped and poked a small button in the shape of a quill. "Got it!" she cheered quietly, then stood back and folded her arms beneath her breasts as we both observed the table.

"Got what?" Cynthia asked. The ice mage strode into the room, blonde hair bouncing along behind her in a cute ponytail. I also noted that now she was away from the ships and inside the castle, her choice of clothing had likewise changed.

The constrictive, almost entirely jiggle-less leathers that she usually wore had been replaced, or at least downgraded, to a tight leather corset that came up in a point between her breasts and which had inbuilt padding to keep them well-supported but still able to move about pleasingly.

Isabel spun around at once, even faster than I did, and gave a short squeal of delight.

I supposed it wasn't surprising that my scholarly wife should find my adventurous one interesting. Isabel had spent her life around books, and although it is said that someone who reads often will live a thousand lifetimes before they die, it could also be said that there's seeing with your mind's eye and seeing with your real eyes.

Isabel had seen distant lands, rules of a game that she didn't even know would come to pass in her mind's eye. But her real eyes had seen precious little of the world.

For Cynthia, it was exactly the opposite, and I was pleased that the two women found each other so fascinating.

Cynthia squealed likewise at the sight of Isabel and skipped across the floor, newly-freed breasts bouncing enticingly, before coming to stand between the pair of us and slipping an arm around both of our waists.

Despite my current interests, I couldn't help but think that there might be an even more pleasurable interaction to be had with the two women, amorous of course, than I'd had with Cynthia and Colette.

Placing my arm around Cynthia's narrow waist and resting my palm on the smooth curve of her hip, I gave her butt a light tap and felt the ice mage purr with pleasure.

For a moment, the table didn't seem to change at all. Then I leaned forward excitedly.

"Look!" Isabel exclaimed, pointing.

A ripple had appeared in the center of the holographic screen, its edge radiating towards the outside of the round table.

As soon as the edge of the small ripple met the outside, it reverberated back towards the inside, and when it met dead center again, the whole screen vibrated, seemed to turn counterclockwise, and then changed abruptly.

Instead of a holographic screen, I found myself looking at what I could only describe as one of the most beautifully-drawn map tables from any fantasy novel back on Earth. All of Tolmeria was displayed upon it, with glyphs and symbols to show the rough terrain. Crude, upside-down V-shapes denoted mountains, simple caricatures of pines denoted forests, looping waves stood for the ocean, and gaseous-looking bubbles represented the swamps.

Cynthia let out a low whistle. I grinned and reached forward instinctively to lay my hand upon the image.

I gasped when I realized that it wasn't actually an image at all, or at least it didn't feel like one. The holographic Game of Castles map that I had grown used to was best described as a projection.

My hand could pass through any one of the boxes of text, as though it were nothing more than a ghost. Yet when I laid my hand upon the table now, I felt rough parchment beneath my fingers.

"Amazing," I said under my breath. I turned to Isabel. "It's not just an aesthetic change, right?"

Isabel grinned and shook her head, then nodded towards the map.

Frowning, I used the two fingers still laid upon it to push the map parchment away from me. If this had been a normal medieval map, the parchment would have torn in half at my merest suggestion.

What? I had earned the strength I now called my own.

Still, the map's reaction showed me that, clearly, this was not a normal vellum map.

Instead of ripping or tearing, the world map beneath my fingers moved as easily as though I were shifting the view in any navigation app for a smartphone back home.

Clear Castle moved from the center of the map to one of the outer edges, while Misho Port moved closer to the center.

Curious, I put my thumb and middle finger on the map, and then spread my fingers like I was zooming in. I knew that not all of the champions were from Earth, so other tables probably behaved differently. But a part of me figured that the magic controlling their Game of Castles tables should be something that they understand.

I grinned when the map enlarged under my gesture. After a few more repetitions of this motion, I saw the stables, small bridge, and training fields that surrounded my castle, pictured with little hatching pen strokes. The small figure of a castle that denoted the actual structure itself had a star next to it, and the words Clear Castle written in curling cursive script.

"That is so cool," Cynthia said happily. "How'd you know how to do all that?"

I glanced at my newest wife and saw her eyes wide with wonder. Then I chuckled and began moving the map so that the lands west of us would come into view.

I was curious to know how up-to-date this information was, and I swiftly found the location of Regor’s former castle in Cask. After some manipulation, I located a pictogram that looked like the one used to denote Clear Castle, only this one had several of its steeples cracked in half, and instead of a star next to it, there was a small X.

The words written said, ‘Castle Regor, table destroyed by Champion Clear with the death of Champion Regor.’

"Holy shit," I muttered, flicking the map around now so quickly that I figured both of my wives were probably losing track of where we were. "This is going to be insanely useful, Isabel. Do you have any idea what this means? We'll be able to track the other champions' castles, plan sieges, the whole nine yards!"

Isabel giggled, clearly pleased, but just as clearly uncertain about what the phrase "the whole nine yards" meant.

I didn't want to get into the arguments back on Earth about whether it pertained to a typical length of uncut linen, or the length of a World War II machine gun's belt of ammunition.

I returned my attention to the map, flicking it around Cask. I couldn’t help but frown as I saw lots of little markers indicating sword fights breaking out all across the empire.

“Looks like Cask will need to settle down a bit more before I move in to consolidate it into Tolmeria,” I said with a sigh. “I’ve got bigger fish to fry while they sort themselves out.”

Isabel leaned over next to me and nodded. “Looks like all those wives are quite the political conundrum. Just like with Cynthia, you can’t rule as a widow any more you can as a single woman. Give it some time, Adam.”

I shrugged while Cynthia rubbed my back and hummed happily. I was pleased to know that the ice mage was just as happy to have me as her husband as I was to have her as one of my wives.

Next, I moved north to check on Zeth's region. True to what I'd been told, and what I had seen, Zeth's region was very mountainous, bordered on many sides by the inverted V's, with a clear shot to the west. Zooming in, I soon found an upright diagram of a castle, with the star that said "Champion Zeth."

Suddenly I realized that I could probably use this map to figure out exactly what was going on in Farli. As quick as I could, I zoomed out, moved the map to the south, and then to the east. I saw the small town of Yella, where we'd defeated the anthril denoted by a diagram of three small huts, a dot and the words Yella next to it. And I saw the small popping bubbles that denoted a swamp region to its east. But when I tried to pull the map further, the parchment remained firm under my fingers. No matter how hard I pushed against it, the parchment staunchly refused to budge so much as a single inch.

"What the hell? I said with a grumble, fearing the worst.

I glanced at Isabel and saw her nod. "Unfortunately," my scholarly wife said, tapping her lip in thought, "it appears as though only regions that you have either scouted or acquired maps for yourself appear in detail on the Game of Castles table. Look, see there?" She pointed to a spot across the table from me, where a thin, jagged line was slowly making its way north along Tolmeria's border with the swamp region as the end of the line worked left and right across the table. I saw the small popping bubble insignias appear alongside it.

"That has to be the scouts that I sent to map out the territory," I said, standing up and folding my arms in thought, drumming my fingers along my powerful biceps. Then I snapped my fingers and said, "I can work with this. Cynthia, I'll need someone to buy as many maps from various regions as they can and deliver them to me. We need to test whether only assigned scouts can fill in this map, or whether anyone who looks at it can. After that, we can decide how best to use this new skill."

Cynthia pushed herself from the table, breasts bouncing with the movement, and then reached behind her to feel in the back pocket of her tight breeches. "We can test it right now without needing any more maps," the ice mage said, and then waved a hand at the table. "Position this south to Misho, and then as far east as you can go."

I nodded and did as she instructed. Feeling the tug of the map's resistance, as it reached the swamp region on the shore again.

Cynthia glanced at the map and grinned. "Perfect," she said. "Just give me a moment."

Then she unfolded the parchment and held it up with the blank back facing me so that I couldn't see anything that was written on it. I watched her finger lift and saw the parchment wave when she jabbed it, tracing it along from left to right.

Then she folded the map again and said, "Did it work?"

I glanced back at the table, not seeing any changes.

"Did what work?" I asked.

"Nothing," Cynthia said with a sigh. She pouted, then thrust the parchment at me. I raised an eyebrow at her and said, "A map?"

She nodded, and I handed it instead to Isabel. The ice mage raised an eyebrow and I explained, "Isabel, I am hereby instructing you to act as a scout. Provide a report for me based on any information you see on that map."

Isabel chuckled and Cynthia shook her head, though my scholarly wife took the parchment nonetheless, opened it and scanned her eyes along the page.

Meanwhile, I turned my attention to the Game of Castles table before me and frowned when nothing appeared to change. A rustle of parchment told me Isabel had folded the map again, and I shook my head, taking it when she offered it to me.

"There's probably some hidden mechanic that we don't know about, which allows some scouts to automatically update the map while others don't have the same luxury," I said with a sigh. "Oh well, I'd still say that having the ability to get real scouts to update the table map from a great distance is still useful. But I bet the gods figured this loophole, and if you send a scout out on a suicide mapping mission, nothing would update. It probably only works for scouting missions that will end up being successful."

Isabel shrugged and I accepted the map. "But maybe it really is as simple as using predetermined scouts," I pondered as I unfolded the parchment and scanned my eyes along the contents.

I saw various shoals listed among the watery swirls of the waves. I did my best to take note of them. Then I folded up the map again and returned my attention to the table.

"At least it works for me,” I said with a grin.

Where before there'd only been the swirls denoting a vast ocean. Now we had something approximating lines on a topographical map close up by the harbor. I couldn't help but whistle as I looked at them.

"Cynthia, these are extremely detailed," I said.

The ice mage nodded and grinned.

"You tasked me with running your ship in Misho Port," she said. "Even if I couldn't get most people to listen to me, that didn't mean I couldn't take the Clear Sky out as ordered for fish and perform depth readings myself. Being new to the area, I wanted to map the depths out to determine the best spots to net fish."

I folded the parchment up and handed it back to her. Then said, "I'll want similar readings from the ocean around, as far out as is reasonable and safe. Keep most of the fleet close to the harbor and set up iron chains that can be raised and lowered to protect it against incoming pirate attacks."

Cynthia pursed her lips and nodded. "That'll be Zormo's specialty now, I expect," she said without too much unpleasantness.

I drummed my fingers on the table and said, "I still want to know what's going on in Farli. Do you think we can get any ships out to purchase maps of the region? I'll also need to know what's going on with those anthril."

"I could take the Clear Skies and see what we can find,” Cynthia offered. “But all those pirate ships in the deeper waters mean it’s going to be dangerous.”

I nodded and said, “Let’s keep that idea in our back pockets then.”

I moved the map back to Yella and saw the anthril mine close outside, with an insignia of a tunnel beside it. Grabbing it, I grinned as I saw the network of tunnels appear on the parchment.

"They're all heading east to Farli," I muttered, zooming in on the tunnels. "But why Farli?"

I didn't get a response from either of my wives. And I glanced up to see them standing perfectly still. I chuckled with a head shake and stood up, turning around to see Asmi, the small god of barter, grinning wickedly behind me.

"You really should pray to me more often," Asmi said in a chastising tone, waving a finger at me.

I sighed and gave him a hand wave. "Asmi, it’s not like I don't have enough to worry about here without having to make sure that the god of barter feels like he's appreciated by his own champion. Isn't it enough that I've already conquered two total regions, and successfully defended my gains against all threats?"

Asmi chuckled and rolled his head from side to side. "You're talking to the god of barter, son, so 'enough' isn't really in my vocabulary. It's all about 'more, more, more.' Anyway, I've come to give you a little hint."

I raised my eyebrows. "A hint, really? Awfully nice of you, for someone who's pissed about me not talking to you more often. Honestly, you're worse than my grandmother."

Asmi grinned. "No doubt a pugnacious lady who knows what she wants and rightly knew that her grandson could give her a call every once in a while. But I digress. You're not the only one interested in Farli. And very recently, the roster of living champions has decreased by one, if you catch my drift."

I turned from the god to the map and folded my arms. "It's less of a hint and more of a statement, Asmi. You're telling me that the Farli champion died. How?"

Asmi sputtered his lips and threw his hands in the air. "It's a hint, Adam, much that you say otherwise. This wasn't the only anthril colony leaving Tolmeria and Cask. Notice how you haven't had any anthril attacks recently except the one. And where were they all heading?"

"East," I muttered, looking at the suddenly-halted progress of the anthril king's mine as it shot beneath the vast swamps that separated Farli from Tolmeria. "He said that they were all heading east, and the pirates were leaving from Farli. There's a power vacuum there. I don't doubt the anthril are at the bottom of it."

Asmi tapped the side of his head with a finger and said, "Now you're catching on. Farli's ripe for the taking, Adam. That is, if it hasn't been taken already."

Then he disappeared with a flourish, and both Cynthia and Isabel gave small gasps.

"You just moved," Cynthia said, pointing a finger at me, her eyes wide. "Am I going mad?"

Isabel chuckled and patted my new wife on the arm. "It just means that he's either leveled up or talked with his own god." She raised an eyebrow at me, scanning me up and down. "Since I don't see any golden light, and since your muscles are just as big as always, I'm going to guess you just talked to Asmi?"

I chuckled and slipped an arm around my scholarly wife. "I thought you liked my muscles," I said as I tapped her on the nose.

Isabel shook her head then squeezed my bicep. "I love your muscles, Adam. But size matters, and a girl often finds herself wanting a little bit more from her champion husband." She bobbed her eyebrows at me, and Cynthia giggled. "So, you just talked to your god, then?" the ice mage asked. "What did he say?"

I turned from the women to the map and tapped at the unfinished eastern edge of the tunnel network. "He said a lot of things," I replied. "But the end result is that we're going to travel east to Farli, which means we're going to have to travel through swamps."

Cynthia opened her mouth, and I shook my head. "I know what you're going to say. Sailing's easier than traveling through swamps. But you know as well as I do that the fleet of pirate ships we engaged could have spelled the end of Misho. We'll need heavy forces to back us up, which would mean a lot of ships. I can't risk leaving my port unguarded. No, I won't risk it. We'll have to go overland."

Isabel sniffled and pinched her nose cutely.

"Oh, don't worry," I said. "A couple of wind mages, and the smell will hardly bother you at all. Besides, I first touched down in Tolmeria inside a swamp. I might be an expert at navigating the fields, the mountains, and the forests, but I conquered a swamp first, and I dare say I know them better than most."

Chapter

Nine

ROAD TO YELLA

Bugs, Damnit!

If there was one thing that I appreciated more than anything else about Drago, it was how much faster than a normal horse he was. If there was another thing I appreciated about him, it was how much quieter he was than a normal horse.

Drefius’ knights were mounted up outside Clear Castle’s gates, and they were whinnying and stamping loud enough to wake the dead. Fortunately, the necromancer Lyndsey was no longer in the picture, so I didn’t literally have to worry about dead fingers clawing at their hooves. But still, it was damned loud.

“Can’t you quiet those things down, Drefius?” I shouted over the racket. “You’d think they weren’t trained for battle, or that they hadn’t seen so much of it at least!”

“What?” Drefius replied, holding a hand to his ear across the road.

I gave him an eye roll and indicated a cluster of stamping, snorting, whinnying horses to his left. The duke gave them a glance, then shook his head ruefully as my meaning became clear. Lifting his reins, he turned his own mount and trotted over closer to me.

“They’re quite the handful, aren’t they?” The way he said it almost made it sound like he enjoyed the noise. “Trouble is the cold. Freezes ‘em right through. They’ve been stationary for too long during the winter.”

“We have stables,” I pointed out. “Stables with plenty of hay, plenty of workers, and good solid-ish roofs overhead. What right do they have to be cold?”

“Same as the rest of us, I suppose,” Drefius said with a chuckle. “Don’t worry too much about it. They’ll settle down once we get underway.”

"Can’t happen soon enough,” I said with a snort, holding Drago’s reins so he wouldn’t go darting off after a filly that had wandered by. “Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?”

Drefius gave me a quick salute, then went off to go check on a caravan that was loaded with dry food supplies.

Before I could find something useful to do in helping to get us on the road, I raised an eyebrow to see Harmony and Rosa walking out of the castle wearing warm-looking traveling clothes. Harmony’s red hair was matched perfectly by a plush red cloak that lay draped across Rosa’s shoulders.

“Umm,” I said, wondering how to proceed diplomatically. “What are you two doing out here? Shouldn’t you be inside?”

Recently, and I mean really recently, both women had given birth to bouncing baby girls. Actually, they had given birth at the exact same moment.

It had been, let’s say, a loud evening. It was a testament to how loud the stamping horses were that it still wasn’t as loud as the roadway.

Still, loudly delivered or not, I had to admit that the babies were cuter than buttons.

“Yeah!” Rosa agreed, hustling her buns, but not turning around. “We should definitely be somewhere warm! Where’d you say that nice, warm carriage was supposed to meet us, Harmony?”

“Should be coming around the Eastern Stables any minute now,” Harmony with a shrug.

She gestured down the road to the right where a large, gilt carriage pulled by two fancy-looking horses was just appearing. Rosa gave an excited whoop and blew warm air over her frigid fingers, then shot off towards it like an arrow.

“Explain, if you wouldn’t mind, Harmony!” she shouted as she ran, clearly beyond eager to get into the carriage’s warmth.

I turned to my redheaded wife and raised an eyebrow. “Explain what?” I asked with a head tilt. “Explain what’s with the carriage? What’s with the traveling clothes? What’s with the babies that I notice aren’t anywhere around?”

I gave an animated show of glancing around me, and checking beneath my boot to see if an infant had crawled beneath me while I wasn’t looking.

“Nope, no babies that I can see,” I finished.

Harmony chuckled at my joke, then turned around in time to spot Dami hurrying out of the castle gate.

“Glad I caught you in time!” Dami said breathlessly as she hustled over to Harmony. “Rosa get inside somewhere warm already? That girl is as chilly as a mountain lake!”

Harmony nodded, then wrapped an arm around her sister-wife. Finally, the two women turned towards me. I was pretty sure I couldn’t raise my eyebrows any more than they already were, but I did my best.

Finally, Harmony started to explain.

“Look, Adam,” she said in a consoling tone. “We probably should’ve gone over this with you earlier, but Rosa and I are going east with you. You know you need my phoenix and Rosa’s wits, so don’t try to deny it.”

“I’d never dream of denying that you both are extremely important to me,” I said with a headshake. “But babies? Shouldn’t you both be in there nursing yours?”

I looked from one woman to the other, and Dami took a step forward. “Adam, my love, this may be difficult for you to accept, but I’ll be taking care of all three babies while you all are on campaign.” She held a hand up when I opened my mouth to protest. “Harmony, Rosa, and I have no problems with this arrangement. We’re all your wives, which means we’re all a team, a part of your growing harem. Limar isn’t like your old world, Adam. I love all of your other wives’ children as much as I love our child. It’s not uncommon for Limarian women to feel this way, probably partly from the patriarchal nature of this world.”

“She’s right, Adam. I know you’re trying to be egalitarian, but it would feel weird to us for this not to happen,” Harmony added, then gestured to Dami’s engorged breasts. “Plus, Dami’s got more than enough milk for all three babies. And, she’s staying here at home anyway, so what’s the problem?”

Harmony asked the last question pointedly, and I’ll admit that I couldn’t come up with a reasonable answer. I mean, I definitely could pose a reasonable answer if we were back on Earth. But Limar was a strange world, and only a fool would expect that expectations would be the same between the two worlds.

Finally, I just shook my head and said the only thing I could think of. “What about your boobs, Harmony? You and Rosa will be filled with milk too, won’t you?”

Dami giggled at my words, and Harmony blushed as she looked down at her large breasts. “Well, Rosa and I will have to milk ourselves, or each other depending on what you’re into, at regular intervals,” she said with a sigh. “But once we’ll be on the road for a while, and not around any babies, our boobs should return more or less to normal.”

All I could do was blink as Harmony strode past me and entered the carriage alongside Rosa. I could hear Colette laughing in a sultry tone as she and Isabel welcomed Rosa and Harmony along for the ride. Dami blushed when I caught her eye, and I noticed her blouse’s front was wet with milk.

“Looks like it’s feeding time,” she said with a chuckle. “Oh, and don’t worry about Pela getting along with the new babies. I’ll make sure she doesn’t feel left out.”

“Happy to hear that, but you aren’t going anywhere without a goodbye kiss,” I said, pulling her in tight and pressing my lips against hers.

After we separated, she blushed again and went back inside.

“Ready to go, Emperor Clear!” Drefius shouted from across the road. Then I mounted up on Drago once more and all together we set off.

Our pace eastward was slower than mine had been atop Drago. It was also slower than my troops had moved to catch me up there.

The reason for this was simple. I hadn't ordered my standard to be raised, and so we were without its magical buffing abilities. The twin columns that snaked along the roadway, filled with knights, archers, cutthroats, thieves, and every manner of warrior that I would want in the swamps, moved at a pace that was more traditionally-suited to the medieval environment.

"Can't we just raise that standard for a little bit?" Harmony pleaded on my right.

On my left, Drefius shook his head and tapped the spurs against his horse's flanks at Harmony's request to use my sigil.

"Emperor Clear wishes it kept at the ready, assuming that we might be ambushed," the duke explained.

I nodded, raising a hand when Harmony opened her mouth. "I know what you're going to say, Harmony," I said. "You're going to say that this is all Tolmeria, that no one would dare attack a line of troops this large. Normally you'd be right. But we're in uncertain times now. Farli's champion has fallen, leaving a power vacuum in the region that we will hopefully fill. But we're farther from Farli than her neighbors. I don't doubt that any neighboring kingdoms with easy access to Farli's lands have been doing their best to fill up that vacuum in our absence. If they've been successful, then they might strike west. I might have done the same and tried to pick off small settlements in between the two regions. We've got to stay on our toes."

Harmony and Rosa both grumbled, and Isabel added that the swamps weren't really a region in the usual sense of the word. Colette just shook her head with a smirk.

"Tolmeria, Cask, Farli," the studious bookworm explained, "are all regions in the usual Game of Castles. But the swamps, since they aren't home to an emperor, don't get the same treatment. They're kind of like a no-man's land in that regard, a place that’s set aside and swarming with monsters but not people. If Farli's neighbors push into her lands, they could start to invade the swamps and send monsters out to the Tolmerian side."

"Really?" I asked, intrigued by this new development.

The Creator hadn't mentioned places like the swamps existing, but then she hadn't revealed everything about the Game of Castles to me. That, probably, was Asmi's job. And what I knew about my god included him not getting involved in the details.

Isabel shrugged. "I mean, I wouldn't personally. Swamps are nasty places - no offense to my handsome husband, who conquered them so easily when he first arrived on Limar, of course."

She shot me a grin that I returned.

Rosa grumbled in her palanquin, placing her arms beneath her milk-engorged breasts, and leaning back into her pillows.

I thought I heard her grumble, "Swamps, why'd it have to be swamps!"

Taking a moment to chuckle at her prissiness, I turned to face forward again, squinting ahead of me down the long dirt road. I made a mental note that once I'd gotten things settled, I would have to upgrade it to a stone-paved roadway.

My mind wandered back to stories of good Roman roads, where the stone blocks were laid so flat that they had to be angled to let the water run off. I grinned as I thought of my growing territories being connected by such well-paved trade routes.

At the very least, it was a requirement for connecting Tolmeria to Farli overland. Most of the trade could be accomplished by boat, but I wanted my traders to be happy with their roles. Sending them through an unpaved, muddy, foul-smelling swamp seemed a good way to piss off people I needed.

Then suddenly I heard a whizzing sound, yanking my horse’s reins sharply. An arrow smacked hard into the dirt road, right where my horse's head would have been.

Beside me, Drefius gasped, his eyes following mine as I looked in the direction the arrow's fletching still pointed. A blurry shape moved ahead of me, up in the sky, and Drefius pointed at it and shouted, "Knights, protect your emperor!"

Before I knew it, a shield appeared above my head, and an arrow clanged off of it loudly, making the shield's metal reverberate like a gong. Inside the shaded palanquin, Harmony and Rosa both yawned as they nudged Isabel and Colette.

"Now can we use the banner?" Rosa asked sweetly, and I laughed.

"Absolutely," I said with a shout, as I kicked my heels into Drago's flank, and my massive pegasus spread his wings below me.

Carr raised the banner, and as he lifted the sigil a golden wave of light washed out from him like a ripple through the very air itself. Immediately I felt invigorated, as I glanced back and saw his many archers wearing their new anthril chitin armor.

The golden lighting caught in the gleaming black onyx color of their protective gear. Under its influence, they seemed to grow several inches, and the black color of their chitin armor swirled and shifted while they moved to spread out in a line, raising bows to fire into the air.

"Hiyah!" I shouted as I spurred Drago forward.

My pegasus took two steps and then a running leap as he beat his wings under me. The ground fell away in a sudden precipitous drop, and I rose into the air alongside the volley of arrows, squinting ahead to see what it was that had attacked us.

When I did finally see it, I couldn't help but chuckle. A hundred small, winged creatures, which looked like flying humanoid insects with strangely human faces, cackled as they brandished short bows in our direction.

I unslung my own bow of fire arrows from my back, pulled back on the string, and sighted the first one.

"A hundred of these and a hundred arrows seems to line up just about perfectly, doesn't it, Drago?" I said with a chuckle. My pegasus whinnied, beating his wings, and shooting towards our attackers as though he didn't believe in my ability to not miss a single shot out of a hundred.

I took aim at the closest of the strange monsters, then let my arrow fly. A small, tearing sound rang out as it popped into existence out of nowhere, and I watched with glee as it sheared through the air, leaving a trail of red and orange in its wake.

Clearly, my target was just as amazed by the sight as I was because it froze in mid-flight. One of its weird, spindly hands held its nocked arrow in place as my own fire arrow seared towards it, casting its many-faceted eyes in hues of the same red and orange.

Only at the last moment did it seem to realize what was happening. It opened its mouth and gave a strangled gasp before the arrow punched square through its forehead.

Flames burst out between the joints in its chitin armor in all directions, sending its jewel-like eyes flying out and sinking to the far below ground. For a moment, its wings kept on beating, as though they weren't aware that the monster they were attached to had finally succumbed to death, and then they too gave out.

The thing dropped like a stone, plummeting out of the sky and landing with a smack on the dirt roadway far below.

The creatures' fellow archers hung in the air, their wings buzzing furiously as they tried to piece together what had happened. Then I pulled back on the bowstring and sent a second of their group to the same fate.

That, at least, set them buzzing about again.

They swarmed furiously, forming a sort of blob of bodies out of which arrows whizzed by the dozen.

Drago snorted unhappily, and adjusted course to one nearby that was still making its way to the larger mass.

Before I could sight it with my bow, my pegasus reared back, using its wings to turn its body in midair, and sent an iron-shod hoof cracking through the creature's sternum.

The strange insectoid creature managed to get off a shot, but it whizzed harmlessly beneath Drago's wing, while my pegasus gleefully pounded it into a flying paste. Then it too dropped.

Meanwhile I turned, sighted a third, and let another arrow fly, then a fourth and a fifth.

"Loose!" I heard Carr shout below me, and I patted Drago's neck and pointed downwards.

Behind us a volley of arrows soared high into the sky, and Drago stopped flapping to drop like the insect's head and get out of firing range. Angling himself face forward and then spreading his wings again to turn in a tight circle, the pegasus whinnied gleefully while my own troop's arrow volley smacked into at least a dozen of the winged attackers.

"Hold!" Carr shouted, and I nudged Drago to turn upwards again.

Then I found a relatively tight-knit clump of the flying insectoid creatures, and sent three fire arrows in quick succession into their midst.

The first two struck a duo in the front, though the third managed to soar into the center of the group, lodging within a creature's belly, and popping and fizzing as it sent huge gouts of flame erupting from around its very wings.

The heady sparks leapt onto its neighbor's own chitin, and I laughed as the mere sparks caught that insectoid attacker alight, too. Soon, a small cadre of ten or so of them were all on fire, and I'd only used three arrows to do it.

Swiftly, the mass of archer bodies split apart to stop the flames' spread.

"Not too bad, huh?" I said happily to Drago, patting my pegasus' neck.

He whinnied and shook his head, then flapped his wings hard to shoot towards a clustered bunch that was just starting to break apart, no doubt learning from the mistakes of their companions.

"Loose!" I heard Carr shout again, just as Drago set off, and I made to turn the pegasus downwards out of the volley of arrows.

But Drago was competitive, if nothing else, and now that he'd set his mind to the task of crushing some flying bow and arrow-wielding insectoid creatures, he couldn't be dissuaded.

I yelled triumphantly as the arrows leapt up around us, but Drago's speed was so incredibly fast that they only gained on us in increments of perhaps five miles an hour.

Sharp tips poked feebly into my back before they tumbled away uselessly, no match for my pegasus' speed, nor his bloodthirstiness.

Drago didn't use his feet to stomp his enemies this time. Instead, lengthening his neck, curling his wings tight about himself, and making his body something of a non-explosive mortar shell, he careened into the attackers.

Bones snapped and chitin cracked as he crunched into the nearby group, then spread his wings wide and spun away again.

The unfortunate creatures had now lost nearly half their number, and it was clear they were getting spooked. Those nearest to the back turned and fled, flying away swiftly.

I sighted these with my bow, and sent arrow after arrow at the fleeing attackers, felling creature after creature with expertly placed shots.

"Think you'll sneak up on me, do you?" I shouted after them as I watched the last of the insects flee. "Next time you'd better bring an army."

I kept firing volleys into the fleeing group, while my newly-armored archers did the same from the ground.

Finally, none remained in the air, and I guided Drago down to rejoin the group. We landed with a thump and a cyclone of dust, and I grinned when I saw Drefius and his knights were arranged in a circle around one of the creatures.

"Took one captive?" I asked.

The duke nodded curtly. "Not so much captive as a turncoat, I think," he replied with a nod towards the circled knights.

The knights at the front of the column nodded in return, and without a single word having been passed between them, the circle of knights lowered their lances and moved away to show me a small, winged creature with chitin armor just as black and shifting as that which the archers wore, groveling on the ground.

"I surrender," he said. "All hail Emperor Adam Clear."

I raised an eyebrow at the pitiful thing.

"All hail?" I asked. "You know there are precious few of you left to hail me, right?"

The creature sank even lower, clasping boney fingers together as he lowered his head and offered his hands in a prayer.

"All who can," was all he said.

I chuckled, while Drefius strode forward. "You know," the duke said, "I much prefer a nice firelit evening with the missus to waging war in small bands against well-supplied enemies. Who sent you? Where are you from? What were your orders?"

As my duke continued his line of questioning, I saw the golden shimmer disappear from my troops. The creature seemed incapable of doing anything but groveling now, though, and I laid a hand on Drefius' shoulder when the knight moved to put his fist through the thing's chin.

"Just keep him guarded and safe for now," I instructed. "When we stop for the night, I'll be sure to question him. Make sure no one does anything bad to him until then."

Drefius nodded, but Carr chuckled. "Best to keep him away from Alantil, then. Poor guy. His brother's the only casualty on our side. Took one of their arrows to the soft spot in the neck, flew right between the chitin protection," the mercenary said, before turning to me. "Though, you'll be happy to note that for the rest of us, their arrows simply bounced off of our new armor. Can't have a battle like that without taking some casualties. But one is better than a great deal more. I think you'll agree."

I nodded and said, "I'm glad the new upgrades worked, Carr. Yes, keep him away from this Alantil character. I don't want any of my men getting thoughts of retribution."

When we made camp that night, I ordered the strange creature to be tied up outside my own tent. Even though my wives protested, I knew that he might prove more useful alive than dead. Plus, I wanted to question him and then hit the hay without delay, as the kids say.

It turned out he was quite talkative, no doubt hoping to earn his life with information.

He claimed he was a member of a monster race called the kalatchi. Similar to the anthril, they were more of a flying-type species with a few foot soldiers instead of mostly foot soldiers with a few flying types. His name was Zorel, and he'd been shanghaied into participating in the raid on Yella.

Apparently the kalatchi weren't so similar to the anthril that they were either entirely king, queen, or drone. For the most part, they had minds of their own, and Zorel proved the truth of this.

"Right, that's enough for one night," I said when I felt sleep pulling at my eyelids.

"Where-where do I sleep, my lord?" Zorel asked. He had a thick iron collar attached to his neck that was secured to an iron peg on a thick beam driven hard into the ground.

I raised my eyebrows at him, indicating that this was definitely anything but my problem, and he whimpered but lay in the grass anyway.

The next morning, we got an early start of the march and soon reached Yella.

We pulled into the eastern town midday the day following, and I nearly reared Drago in anger at what I saw.

So much destruction had been wrought on the small village it was like a bomb had gone off.

The small, thatched cottages leaned dangerously, their walls covered with blackened soot and their thatched roofs completely reduced to cinders.

On the way in, we passed a few bodies. Most of them were men, but I noticed one of the women who we'd saved from the anthril lying by the roadside.

The destruction seemed pervasive and my hands clenched into fists against my will as I rode by my slaughtered citizens. Even the stone springhouse behind the mayoral inn had a burned and ruined roof.

But of all the buildings in the small village, it was the inn in front of that spring house that stood out most of all.

While every other home in the area was a smoking shell of its old self, that residence appeared to have come off scott free.

The only damage on it was the broken shutter that the old mayor had snapped off on my last visit, and even still the window looked a damned sight better than any of the hovels had been in their prime.

At the sight of that place, my hands were clenched so tightly I could feel my knuckles pop. I had no love for the rotund mayor, and seeing that his abode was the only one to have survived made my eyebrows furrow in contemplation of why, exactly, it had been spared. There were no virtuous reasons that I could think of.

"Zorel," I asked, falling back to ride alongside the hustling kalatchi with the broken wing. "Was this your doing?"

Zorel turned to me with wide eyes. "There's even more I haven't told you yet!" he said by way of answer.

I scowled at him, knowing that this was as good as a simple ‘yes.’ He was clearly pleading for my leniency by offering more information, in the hopes that it would quell my fury.

Drago nickered and snorted loudly, making Zorel jump. I watched one of the kalatchi turncoat's wings flex wide as though he wanted to take off again and fly away. But his other wing was still too damaged, and he let out a groan of pain at the instinctive response, cringing when his broken wing popped loudly.

"Zorel," I said once more. “I am in no mood for making a deal with you. Tell me what I want to know. Now. If you do, I might find some tenderness in my heart and not leave your body to rot by the roadside with these good people.”

Was it a little overdramatic? Sure, why not.

Was my amping up the drama working? I mean, duh.

"We were told to level the place, see?" he said in a half-whimper. “The big human made a deal with our queen. Said we'd be able to resettle in nicer places than the damned swamps, in exchange for making him come out the hero. Something about currying favor, even though I didn’t know what that meant. Favor not being something you usually serve with curry and all that.”

The kalatchi cringed away from me and I nodded towards the inn and mayor's residence. "You swear this is true?" I asked. "I could have your fingers ripped off if it isn't."

Zorel nodded so fast I thought his head might snap off. His broken wing made smacking sounds against his torso as it smacked into him.

"On my life!" he wailed. "My cousin's a friend of our queen's chamberlain! I swear! We were supposed to destroy everything but the big building right there."

He pointed a thin, trembling finger towards the inn.

I narrowed my eyes at him, and watched as he cringed away even further, scuttling backwards until he bumped into the shins of the knight behind him.

"Watch where you're scurrying, captive," the man said.

Zorel yelped and jumped forward, tripped on his own feet, and landed flat on his face. The troop of knights guarding him didn't stop moving forward, and he had to scuttle back to a crawling position before he could regain his footing.

"I swear it!" he shouted. "Ask them in there! The inn’s the only place we was supposed to avoid!"

I nodded and turned to face the inn, spurring Drago to a light canter until I stood outside of it. Giving the broken shutter that still lay in the dirt yard a frustrated kick, I leaned my head back and shouted up to the second story window.

"Your emperor demands entry! I've heard some terrible things have gone on here, and I want to get to the bottom of it."

Behind me, a bugler put his bugle to his lips and blew three short, sharp blasts. This was the signal to any knights that they should be ready.

I half-expected the mayor's bald head to pop out of the window like it had before. Instead, I heard a groan and a grumble, and then Vera's face appeared above the window sill.

"Well, if it isn't Mr. Emperor Clear," she shouted down at me, and I suppressed a chuckle at the thought that she still thought my first name was Emperor. "Hold on there, Emperor. I'll come on down and open the doors for you."

I heard a deep-throated murmuring come from the window, and Vera held up a finger, turned back, and then said, "Yes, one minute, dearest. I'll help you get downstairs, too."

I raised an eyebrow. "Is that Kiltz in there, still?" I asked.

Vera nodded and I held a hand to her and said, "Don't worry about coming down. I'll come up. I want to talk with a man who's sworn me allegiance. I have questions that I want to be sure I’ve got honest answers to.”

"Suit yourself," Vera said haughtily, "but I'm going to close these shutters again. We've got a lot of folks in here. Seems this place is the only one that's safe from those damned heathens. Speaking of which-”

Vera’s eyes narrowed as they fell upon Zorel. The kalatchi yelped and scurried backwards again. This time, he stayed on the ground since his guards were stationary.

I gestured to the kalatchi and said, "Zorel, you're coming inside with me." Then I shouted at the inn, "A creature like the ones that attacked your village will be joining me inside. Under no circumstances is he to be harmed. Do you understand?"

Vera raised an eyebrow at me and said, "All right, all right then. You’re the one with the sword here, and you're the one who saved us from them damned anthril. I'll go tell the rest."

With that, she shut the windowpane with a clattering bang, so forcefully the leaded windows rattled in the frame. Though I noted that she at least didn’t bother with the shutters, like the mayor had.

I placed a hand on Zorel's shoulder, then steered the kalatchi inside.

The inn's interior was much like those that I had seen elsewhere, only scaled down and a little bit dirtier. A set of stone stairs led down into the earth, giving access to the cellar and perhaps a bathing area, if the residents were allowed anything in the way of amenities, which I frankly doubted.

Another set of wooden stairs stood across the entryway from it, and the wide windows in the inn’s front let in so much light I could see every last one of the million or so motes of dust floating on the still air.

We took the stairs to the second story, and Zorel jumped frantically every time the floorboards creaked under our feet. Since the inn was a nice-ish building in a dump of a town, this happened almost constantly.

“Cut it out, Zorel,” I commanded when he leapt back down two stairs, fleeing a creak of joined wood, “or I will kill you. There’s got to be plenty of kalatchi around in the swamps. I can find one who’s less of a coward and more helpful pretty easily, I reckon.”

Zorel met my stern gaze and nodded with a loud gulp. He didn’t jump at any more noises all the way up the stairs, a small blessing. When we entered the hallway at the top, I noted a pissed-off looking townsman standing outside Vera’s room.

The burly looking townsman gave me a critical look, then his eyes traveled to Zorel. The kalatchi gave a terrified yelp, but before he could flee, I caught him by the shoulder and squeezed hard.

Zorel whimpered pitifully, but remained where he was.

I raised a hand to the man and said, "He's under my protection. Hopefully he'll let me get to the bottom of what happened here."

The man snorted and nodded towards Vera's door. "You won't need one of them to get to the bottom of it. Damned bastards attacked the whole village. After about fifteen minutes of chaos, with people running everywhere, hiding in their houses, some of them even darting off to those anthril mines you closed off, the word came from the mayor to shelter in the inn. Some of us didn't make it. The mayor saved us from that lot, Your Majesty."

I nodded slowly, wondering why he was offering the bit about the mayor so soon. Then the man added, "Then that knight of yours killed him. A lot of folks around here would rather kill the knight than that damned kalatchi, I bet."

“That so?” I asked and he nodded.

“Vera's barred the door with the damned knight inside, too. The only thing that's keeping us from getting in there and getting at him, really, is her. Hells, we'd burn the place to the ground if we could.” The man shook his head. "Killed our own savior. Bastard."

I gave him a stern nod and replied, "I suspect that not everything is as it seems here."

The man's eyes sparkled with surprise. "Nothing's ever as it seems, Your Highness. And yes, I know who you are. After you saved our women from that anthril mine, damn near everyone knows who you are. Hells, I didn't even know we had an emperor until three weeks ago."

I chuckled and said, "Where'd you think your taxes went?"

The man shrugged, "It doesn't really matter, does it? Taxes are taxes. They go to the mayor first, so after that, it's none of my business." Then he nodded at me and stepped back so we could enter the room. "Nice to know they end up in the hands of someone who does anything useful with 'em though. Saw you fly in on that pegasus of yours. Mighty fine beast. Mighty fine."

I snickered, imagining just what this man would have to say about Drago, if he ever had the misfortune of handling the animal.

I knocked on the door and heard a heavy bolt sliding free. When the door swung open, Vera retreated to the center of the room, clutching a heavy iron ladle like it was the club that Ormis had used to clobber so many anthril.

"You lay one hand on him and I swear," she said defensively. "He's a good man."

"Easy now, Vera," Kiltz said from a wide bed set against the far wall.

The knight looked to be in good spirits, though a darkness passed across his face, letting me know that not everything was calm in his world. His eyes fell upon Zorel and he frowned.

"Captive?" he asked with a smirk.

"More like a turncoat, actually," I replied, pushing Zorel into the room's center and watching Vera edge away from him.

The kalatchi practically fell to the floor and Kiltz raised an eyebrow at the display of weakness from a creature who’d no doubt been all hellfire, the last he’d seen of his kind. I folded my arms and gestured with a nod to the prostrate Zorel.

"This one says you were given up. He says the mayor invited the bastards in with the promise of expanding his infamy, and their territory.”

It wasn't a question, but Kiltz nodded and said, "Sounds about right. After the attack, I caught that mayor conversing with one of them out back. I've seen turncoats in my day. People with no honor. And, well, let's just say that he nearly got stuck in the well I shoved him down. Should spend more time in the fields, and less at the table making sneaky deals with monsters."

I chuckled with a head shake. "Kiltz," I said, "how in the hell did you catch anyone doing anything? You're bedridden, aren't you?"

The knight grinned sheepishly. “Truth be told, I was just more or less immobile beforehand. But now, well, their mayor was fatter than a suckling pig. I think I finished snapping the tendon, pushing him down that well. It only got cut in half during our fight against the anthril.”

I shook my head, amazed at the knight’s resolve. Killing a man with a sliced tendon was craziness of the highest order. And craziness was probably what this town needed. You didn’t have so much time to be all cunning when you were running around madly.

Zorel still turned on the floor and clasped his hands together. "See?" the kalatchi stammered. "It was traitors in your own midst that caused this devastation as much as it was my people."

"Oh, I see all right," I replied tersely. Then I glanced at Kiltz. The knight raised an eyebrow at me. I pointed a finger at him.

"I hereby order you to accept any healing that's required to fix that damned tendon of yours. I won't have the new mayor of this town bedridden. You've got a lot of work ahead of you, Kiltz."

The knight raised his other eyebrow. "Mayor?" he asked. "Isn't that usually something of an elected position?" He glanced around him. "Most people here, they still follow their old mayor. I don't think any of them are going to listen to me."

"I'll leave enough knights to keep the peace here. I think five should do it. As for the whole election thing, we have been attacked. Times of war call for military rule, often enough. Plus, it's not like anybody voted for me. I took these lands by force, and I'm giving you control of them, in exchange for your help."

Kiltz pushed himself up higher in the bed and said, "What do you need done?"

"I need you to turn this backwater into a thriving trading town. I'm pushing east into Farli, which means I’ll have to go through the swamps. And that means that I'll need my forces resupplied at regular intervals. Think you're up to the task?"

Kiltz grinned. "On one condition," he said. "You bless the union between me and Vera. Marrying a townswoman, and one so feared as Vera, is sure to help me in the political department. Plus, we’re in love."

I rolled my eyes. I couldn't help it. Glancing at Vera, I saw that the unfortunate-looking maid had gone doe-eyed at the sight of her battle-scarred knight.

“Fine. But in order to get that sort of graciousness from an emperor, I'll need something else, too."

Vera turned to me and curtsied clumsily, "Whatever you need, Mr. Emperor."

"Do you have any maps of the swamp region?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

Chapter

Ten

KRUPIN, Urith Region

The Minotaur and the Mousy!

Flying north on Drago, I touched down in a big-looking city with a large castle overlooking a bustling market square. The rest of my forces were still pushing east into the swamps, aided by a map that Vera had helpfully provided, but meanwhile I wanted to check in on the trade relationship we had going with Zeth.

The only problem was that I didn’t exactly know where the gigantic minotaur champion had holed up. So, the big city with trade wagons going in and out its main gates, and a big castle on a hill seemed as good a place as any to start.

Plus, it was pretty close to the border with Tolmeria, just a single hop skip, and flight over the mountain range that divided Tolmeria and Urith, running east to west along the spine of Limar’s ring-style landmass.

“Hello there!” I called to a woman sorting beets in a stall near where I’d landed. “Can I ask you something, dear lady?”

The woman glanced at me, apparently not impressed by a tall, strong man literally flying a horse down to land right in front of her shop stall.

“You can, so long as it's quick,” she replied, nodding her head at something behind me. “And, so long’s you take off again once I answer it. You’re holding up customers.”

Glancing behind me, I saw that she was indeed correct. A throng of peasant-looking citizens garbed in simple clothes crowded the area. Some carried cloth bags, while more were pushing small wheelbarrow-looking contraptions that were stuffed to the brim with their morning purchases. One glance at the profusion of brown and yellow sprouting from the carts told me that the region had prepared for winter by growing a good stock of root vegetables. Not only beets seemed to be the purchase of choice, but also onions, potatoes, and carrots.

I nodded to the woman and said, “I apologize. Can you tell me the name of this city?”

“Krupin, seat of champion Zeth the minotaur,” she said curtly. “Now could you kindly get lost? I’ve got a stall full of beets to sell and I won’t have you making me late for anything.”

A grin spread itself across my face at the good luck of touching down exactly where I wanted to be.

“Is Zeth at his castle?” I asked, hopping back onto Drago’s back.

“How should I know?” she said while her voice was tinged with annoyance. “You’re the one on the flying horse!”

She had a point. So, giving her a bow and waving at the crowd, I urged Drago to a trot then felt him heave up into the air.

From the sky, the city of Krupin was impressive. Set close to the foot of the mountains, I saw a good deal of trade heading south, showing that Zeth kept to our trade agreement. A good deal more trade flowing north out of the city also showed that he was solidifying his power and probably accurately prepared for the winter snows that canvased the mountain ranges to descend upon his region as well.

Which was why I’d come. I knew that pushing into Farli was a risk, sure. I stood to win a good amount, bring an entire region into the Tolmerian empire. But I also made myself exposed by using troops to invade that could otherwise be set to manning the borders with my neighbors. Zeth and I were contractually obligated to a trade agreement for three years, since I’d returned the pegasi, but I had a suspicion that the rules of the Game of Castles were shifting under my very feet. I didn’t want to move forward onto what I thought was sure ground, only to get swallowed by quicksand.

“Adam!” Zeth declared as I eased Drago to the ground in his castle yard. “You really do play a dangerous part, don’t you? I could have had a company of archers shoot you down while you descended.”

One look at the big minotaur told me he’d never have actually dreamed of doing something like that. His burly arms were spread wide in greeting, and I was almost surprised to see a smile on his broad face. Safe in his own castle, he didn’t even come armed. I couldn’t help recalling the double warhammers he’d worn on his belt during our last meeting.

“A calculated risk,” I said with a chuckle while extending a hand for him to shake. After giving it a raised eyebrow, Zeth snapped his fingers and shook it. “You kill me and you’d bring the wrath of Tolmeria down upon you. Plus, it would go against a treaty signed in sight of the gods.”

We broke off our handshake and Zeth chuckled. “I was never much for math, Adam. More of the brawling type, you know. So, calculations aren’t my strong suit. But, yes, I assume you’ve come here for a reason and not just to see my ugly mug?”

I nodded and when Zeth spread his arm to the side I followed him into his castle walls, entrusting Drago to a stable hand who looked positively terrified of the full-grown pegasus.

Inside, Zeth continued to show his confidence in our peace treaty by showing me right into the room with his Game of Castles table. Unlike mine, with its holographic and parchment-like display, Zeth’s icons and figures appeared to have been made of tightly-woven grasses. I noticed figures that looked like bridges, castles, some armies, and various blockades in the ocean north of his region.

“I was a plains minotaur in my old life,” Zeth said with a handwave at the table. “This layout reminds me of home.”

“Funny how the gods handle that, isn’t it?” I replied. “Mine used to be holographic, but now one of my wives managed to shift it to a more parchment-type map.”

Zeth shook his head. “It’s like you speak an alien language, Adam!” he declared, before grabbing a rope extending from the stone wall beside the door and giving it a tug. In the castle’s distance, I heard a bell ring, presumably attached to the rope. “But speaking of wives, you’ll never guess who got married since our last meeting!”

I chuckled, noting that his map showed troop movement two regions east of Urith. “I imagine guessing here won’t require any detailed calculations.”

“Probably not, no.”

A few moments later a tall, willowy mousy woman poked her head around the doorframe and blushed in embarrassment.

“Champion Adam, may I introduce you to my first wife, Durga. Durga, meet another champion in the Game of Castles!”

The mousy woman dipped into a curtsy and I bowed. “Pleasure to meet you, Durga,” I said as I kissed her hand diplomatically.

“Pleasure’s all hers, I’m sure!” Zeth boomed, then shooed his wife out of the room again. I raised an eyebrow at his lack of tact regarding his wife. “What? She’s no princess, empress, or queen like I hear you’ve been collecting down there. Damned Urith upper-crust still hates my ugly mug. But she’s a good cook, likes my stories, and doesn’t try to override me in conversation.”

I shrugged. “Each marriage is different. You know my first wife was a mousy too?”

“Was she really?” Zeth asked with a headshake. “Well, isn’t that a surprise? But I suppose you didn’t come to talk wives either. What brought you here?”

I moved to the map and gestured at the troop movements in the region north of Farli.

“This, as a matter of fact,” I said, laying the bait out. “The Farli champion’s been killed, I’m pretty sure. That means the regions around it are moving in to take some easy pickings.”

Zeth looked at the map and nodded. “Regions around it, including Tolmeria?” he asked.

“Exactly,” I said with a nod. “But, more importantly for you, including the region north of Farli, which I think is called Varren. That’s going to leave an opportunity for the region to your east, though. Do you see where I’m going with this?”

Zeth hummed thoughtfully before nodding. “The region to my east, Rye, is probably going to attack this Varren region when they move troops in to sack Farli. That leaves them exposed, too.”

“Exactly,” I said, holding back a grin that Zeth was reacting just like I’d wanted him to. “And that means your formerly-hardened eastern front is going to get much softer, leaving you opportunities as well.”

Zeth stroked his forked beard, drumming his fingers on his table. “That’s all true, Adam. But, why come to me with this information? What do you hope to gain?”

“An extension of our non-aggression,” I said easily. “Plus, maybe some help causing enough chaos to keep the region north of Farli from being able to fully commit. The secret I’ll let you in on, is I’m going to take Farli.”

“Are you really?” Zeth asked, shock registering in his voice. “Now that is interesting.”

“Time being though,” I continued, noting that Zeth ate up my armistice like it was a medium rare steak, “I need to get there. Think on my words, Zeth, while I fly Drago back down to campaign with my wives. Think of the women in distant regions who might not care that a minotaur doesn’t look the part of the handsome gentleman.”

Zeth grinned at me. “You already had me at easy picking on the eastern front, Adam! You didn’t really have to sweeten the deal that much.”

I shrugged, then took a final glance at his table, but found little useful information. Finally, I allowed Zeth to lead me back to the yard, found the stableboy and took off south again on Drago.

As we flew, I patted his flank and fought back a grimace that I was leaving an ally’s comfy castle in favor of a foul-smelling swamp.

Ah, well. That was the price you paid for victory.

Chapter

Eleven

VAST Swamps

Lost, and Found!

"And you're sure it's that direction, Emperor Clear?" Duke Drefius asked me with a raised eyebrow.

I nodded, glancing around at the tall, towering trees which surrounded our new, waterlogged land.

"Assuming the makeshift maps that Vera provided weren't lying," I said as I pursed my lips and watched the shadows growing in the distance. "And assuming that Zorel wants to keep both his wings, then yes."

The kalatchi turncoat cringed at my side, stepping backwards until his foot landed in a puddle of water. "I would never lie about my queen, Emperor Clear. She lives in that castle, nestled under protective layers of food that she eats in the yard, and spawning more kalatchi drones who follow her every order."

Drefius gave the kalatchi a knowing look. I could tell the duke didn't like Zorel from the off. But once he'd seen, and more importantly smelled, what the swamp was like, he was even more distrustful of any information that Zorel offered up.

"Drones who follow her orders, unlike yourself?" he pointedly asked the turncoat. "How do we know you're not following her orders right now?"

"I don't know how to prove it to you, but I'm not! I swear it!" Zorel wailed. "We kalatchi may be in the same general pool as anthril, but we are mostly able to think for ourselves. Or we were. The Queen may have been our ruler in the swamps, but some time ago it's rumored that she found a crystal of great power in the swamps. After eating it, she grew to a huge size and was suddenly able to spawn mindless drones like an anthril king."

Drefius sniffed then cringed backwards.

We had only been in the swamps for two days, and already Drefius' nose was squirreled up so tightly, so frequently, that I thought it might shrink into non-existence upon his face. Not that I could blame him.

The swamps were filled with nasty, gaseous outpourings. If you didn't watch your step, a plume of foul-smelling and probably toxic mist might shoot up your pant leg and do incredibly unfortunate things in places that you would rather not have incredibly unfortunate things done to.

"A mysterious crystal in the swamps?" Drefius snorted. "That's the biggest load of rubbish I've ever heard!"

I frowned, not sure who to believe in this situation. Then, suddenly, the covered palanquin's curtain opened. After arguing about letting in the smell so much that it would overpower their burning candle, Isabel popped her head out from it.

"It might not be all rubbish, Drefius," she said, waving a hand back at Rosa, who really hated the swamp smell. "According to my research, the Game of Castles includes multiple rounds of difficulty. It might be that we've passed a barrier leading to a more difficult round with more rules."

"What sorts of rules, Isabel?" I asked.

"I wish I knew more..." she said, pausing to think for a moment. "But if my research is correct, then we may be at a point where more of the great monsters need to be spawned. If the gods didn't include a way to replenish them, then the champions could simply kill them all off before they get a chance to hibernate and become region-destroying super powers. Perhaps this crystal that Zorel speaks of has something to do with that?"

I frowned, not liking the thought of even more of these massive beasts appearing in the game space. Especially not when I already had an open quest to slay the Ostrid that kept nagging at me.

"There's something else, too," Isabel continued after a moment. I raised an eyebrow and she continued, "The next round of the Game of Castles should include some way for a slain champion to be reduced to a crystal himself. Once ingested, the champion's essence gives certain boons to whoever consumes it."

Now my frown only deepened. "Great. So, if I die, some random schmuck will be able to consume my power?"

Drefius chuckled. "I guess you'd better not die then, my emperor."

I sighed. "Guess not. Well, let's forge ahead here and add this swamp castle to the game."

With that, Isabel ducked back inside the palanquin and Drefius and I took the head of the party. Slowly, we made our way to the north. Or I hoped it was the north.

A lone owl hooted above us, and the rustling of leaves told me that it was taking flight. There was no road through the swamps, since there were no known productive enterprises that could be undertaken inside it. The only purpose it served was as an inherent barrier between Farli and Tolmeria.

And even still, any trade between the two regions could be accomplished via the sea. That had its own dangers, including an open quest that I still had yet to tackle, revolving around a massive leviathan.

But still, the ocean would be faster, smell less awful, and for all we knew, might end up being safer, too.

I frowned and regarded the map. Ever since Vera had offered me her small town's version of scouting details, the swamps to the east of Tolmeria had started to fill in with detail.

Just north of where I thought we were, an insignia of an abandoned fort lay sprawled amidst the muck. I pointed at it.

"We need to start setting up bases of operations so that we can get a supply chain going, Drefius," I said, clapping the duke on the shoulder. "We are going to lay siege to this old fortress."

With nothing else for it, the duke nodded. And then I snapped my fingers and said, "Where's Carr? We'll need good archers, ready to pick off any of the defenders who have the gall to resist us."

I glanced back across the mass of men and horses, tents set up amongst the drooping willow trees. A hand raised, and a man shouted, "Ready when you are, Emperor."

I gave him a thumbs up and then said, "Right. In that case, we march into battle."

Drago trotted up beside me, and after swinging myself up into his saddle, I led the column north to take out our first fortress.

If I'd thought that the swamp would be a flat place, I was soon proven wrong.

The fortress, like any good defensible position, lay atop a small rise that felt like a mountain relative to the low, sucking wetness of the surrounding lands.

At the top of the rise, the fortress stood looking like a castle, with four round towers - one at each corner - and a tall stone face, complete with wrought iron gate and blowing pennant flags that fluttered in the wind. It looked more like a castle than anything else.

At the very least, it looked like much more of a castle than Clear Castle had when I first took it.

Drago stomped the ground anxiously, clearly eager to be of use. I had to grip his reins tightly and pull them down towards the ground to keep him from launching himself into the air and trying to take on the castle single-handed.

"Carr!" I shouted. "Ready your archers!"

Carr gave me a salute and then blew a whistle and a line of archers clad in black, shifting chitin lifted their bows into the air. I turned to my bugler.

"Two blasts, please," I told the youth.

The lad nodded, and then put the bugle to his lips and blew two long blasts on it. The sound reverberated around the swamp clearing like an angry bull, and a face appeared atop the parapets, squinting down at me suspiciously.

"What do you want?" the figure said.

I raised an eyebrow. I didn't know what the general procedure of taking a swamp fort was, but I figured it should be pretty clear to the man at the parapets what I wanted.

After all, very few people showed up uninvited, let alone lined in rows of cavalry outside your gates and set even more rows of archers behind them.

"My name is Emperor Clear," I said loudly, my voice booming as though it was magically enhanced. "I wish to progress through the swamps and into Farli. In order to do that safely and securely, I will need to set up supply posts to ferry food, arms, armor, and entertainment to and from my lands. Surrender your fort, and I will find gainful employment for everyone who lives here, along with providing the protection that comes from being ruled by a champion of the gods."

My voice reverberated around the clearing for longer than the bugle blasts did, and I saw the figure on the parapets raise an eyebrow at me.

"Surrender for what now?" he teased mockingly. "Me? I figured you would come here to surrender to us. Get 'em, boys!"

Drago stamped unhappily, and I frowned, then turned to Carr and nodded.

The fortress was larger than I expected, and had the benefit of height on its side, but I was a champion emperor of two whole regions and had brought enough men with me to deal with any threat that might come my way.

Carr lifted his hands before his mouth and shouted to the archers, "Nock! Draw!"

But before he could say "loose," he gave a shout as his horse collapsed beneath him, blood spraying from its hind leg.

Without adequate commands, the archers remained still, and my eyes flicked wildly around the clearing, wondering what had happened.

Then beneath Carr's horse I saw it: a green-clad humanoid insect with a knife red in blood, had appeared from the very moss beneath our feet itself, slipping up out of the muck like he was a very part of it.

I took the advantage. Raising my sword from my sheath, I shouted, "Archers, loose!"

Then I thrust my sword towards the castle, and hundreds of arrows whizzed into the air behind me, soaring high overhead with shocking speed.

I glanced at the bugler and yelled, "Raise the sigil!"

Then I put my heels to Drago's flanks, and my pegasus shook his head excitedly and took two steps forward before he leapt into the air, soaring high behind the arrows themselves.

Gods, but it was good to have a pegasus!

Chapter

Twelve

SWAMP Fort

Hot Moss!

Just as soon as I'd reached the zenith of Drago's arc, a text message appeared before my vision.

New Quest: Capture kalatchi fort.

Details: The kalatchi fort will make a wonderful resupply location. Resting high above the muck, it doesn't smell as bad as the surrounding country. Nor is it easily attacked. The fort is governed by the kalatchi Queen, a larger specimen than the others, who will need to either be slain or entered into negotiations with.

The easy option is obviously destroying the fort, killing the Queen, and driving the kalatchi from the area. However, "easy" does not mean "best" in this situation. Though the kalatchi have many individual tribes, this one will not go away easily, and more Queens will see the now leaderless kalatchi drones and try to move in to claim them for her own brood. This will leave the castle open to frequent skirmishes from the flying pests.

Reward (unique!): Whichever one of these you choose to embark upon, thanks to the swamps being a no-man's land, and not a region of their own, you will be free to move your Game of Castles table to any castle currently under your control.

"Damn," I muttered. "That's a great quest."

Then I shook my head as I realized that the whole world wasn't paused along with me.

Drago's wings, now spread wide, rippled softly in the air, and the hundred or so arrows that we chased down into the castle moved slowly away from me.

"Hey, what gives? I thought you said you’d start pausing the world during these moments.”

A new line appeared in the text box floating before me.

I take it that this means you accept?

I waved a hand. “Yeah, yeah, I accept.”

More lines appeared at the bottom.

Excellent. As for the whole world not pausing, let’s just say that Asmi likes watching you fly. Being the god of barter, he’s a persuasive fellow when he puts his mind to it. Let’s just say he convinced us to keep altering the way you interact with the world a bit.

Keep you on your toes, yeah?

I blinked as I stared at the new text, then grinned and shook my head. I guess it does make sense that Asmi would be good at shooting the breeze, being the god of barter and all that.

I said, tightening my grip on Drago's reins and preparing for the world to resume its normal speed.

Immediately my mind flitted back to the time that the goblin god of barter had interrupted my sleep alongside my pregnant wife, opened a portal to the Fat Shark, and then had me go save Cynthia from dying after being tortured. Plus, he didn't even let me sack the port city in Cask, where the Fat Shark was docked.

As though the god could read my thoughts, which I supposed was more likely than not, the text before me scrubbed away again, and a final last line appeared.

You want to be treated with the carrot, not the stick, Adam? Why don't you think about calling upon your god every once in a while? It sucks having to chase you down to tell you important things that you would know if you just bothered to call and check in.

"Fine, fine," I said, waving a hand to make the text disappear, and suddenly the world resumed its normal furious pace.

Drago's widespread wings tilted downwards, and I was thankful that I'd gripped the reins extra hard when the pegasus shot towards the open area in the center of the castle yard. I felt the stomach drop out from under me as we entered free fall, and I squeezed Drago's sides harder with my legs to keep from slipping off of the massive pegasus.

"Come on, Drago," I said, patting the pegasus' flanks, "let's go kill a kalatchi queen and claim this castle for Tolmeria."

Drago angled his wings and pulled them ever so slightly towards his body to decrease our angle of attack and sent us shooting through the very arrows that were launched towards the castle.

I watched fletchings fly by my right ear and gave Drago a kick in the sides in irritation.

"If you put us in line with those arrows, Drago, they'll skewer me and not our enemies. A little less angle, if you would."

Drago snorted, but extended his wings again and sent us soaring off towards the far wall of the castle.

A moment later, his hooves sent up blasts of dirt and soot as he landed heavily, and I was thankful that I currently had the saddle of godlike comfort installed on Drago, because otherwise I had a feeling my man parts would be taking the brunt of the landing.

I leapt from the saddle, releasing my grip upon the bow of fire arrows, and watching the magical weapon fade away like it was caught in a thick mist. I drew my sword instead, the polished metal gleaming in the cloud-choked sunlight.

Immediately, I perceived that the ground beneath my feet was slightly springy and soft, with bits of crackling moss leaping up around me as I landed.

"What the hell?" I muttered, looking down at the crackling, dry moss that seemed barely able to support my weight. "Why moss?"

Drago nickered behind me, but of course was no help in answering my question.

"And what about you?" I shouted to a black figure that rose swiftly from the crackling moss at my feet. "Any guesses?"

The kalatchi drone didn't answer either, instead lunging at me with sharpened claw-type fingers slayed wide and ready to slice me straight in half.

"Ha!" I shouted, dodging back out of the way of the kalatchi's lunge. "Nice try with that one! Better luck next time!"

The black chitinous drone opened its weird mandibles and let out a clacking roar of anger, then lunged forward again.

I side-stepped easily out of his line and swung my broadsword in a smooth arc in my place. The sword's edge cracked hard into the chitin armor, splintering its way straight through the kalatchi's body from head to tail.

"No luck this time either, then," I said with a chuckle.

Then I neatly sidestepped another figure that rose from the crumbling moss and scraped its sharpened fingers towards my ankle. With a swift kick, I cracked this one in the jaw and sent its head careening back until it smacked against the back of its own neck.

A gooey line of cracked chitin spread across the front of its neck, spilling ichor all down the black front of its body and dampening the dry moss at its feet.

"I'd say better luck next time," I remarked to the kalatchi's corpse as it collapsed to the ground, "but it looks like you don't get the same benefit as your pal over there. Right, Drago?"

I turned in time to see two more kalatchi assassins rise from moss behind the winged pegasus, who was currently blowing thick clouds of steam from his nose, more interested in watching me kill my enemies than keeping track of what enemies might attack him next.

"Behind you, you foolish pegasus," I said, pinching the bridge of my nose and sighing.

Drago tilted his head at me for a moment, then glanced behind himself, spotted the kalatchi drones moving his way, reared back with his hind legs and delivered a double kick that caught one of the kalatchi in the top of the skull and the other in the chest just below the shoulder.

In an instant, the one missing a scalp tumbled forward onto the ground, spilling weirdly-brown brain matter over the moss. Meanwhile, the one who'd been crunched in the chest stumbled forward a few more feet before the spray of ichor that leapt from the hole through his chest stopped pumping and he finally collapsed.

Drago whinnied so happily you'd think he'd just spotted a nice mare in a wide open field with alfalfa grass - his favorite kind, growing wild and free. Of course, in reality he was an ichor-soaked mess of a pegasus trampling happily along on dry moss.

Sometimes, there was no accounting for taste. And if I'd learned anything about my pegasus' taste, there was even less accounting for his.

Another four of the wingless kalatchi sprang up from the very moss around the raised yard, and I gave a sharp whistle for my pegasus.

"Come on, Drago!" I shouted. "The queen's not showing herself right now, so we'd better go see if we can worm her out of her hole!"

Drago stamped his feet, kicked another kalatchi drone through the stomach, then raced over to me. Grabbing his reins in hand and stowing my sword safely in the scabbard, I leapt up and spun to land safely in my godlike saddle.

"A nice saddle makes all the difference, Drago," I said with a chuckle as the pegasus spread his wings and leapt into the air. On the ground beneath us, I caught a glimpse of the kalatchi attackers brandishing their sharpened claws at us as we rose. "Right then, old buddy, fly in a circle around the castle walls. Keep it tight and close. I've got an idea."

Drago whinnied and then set off for the outer wall. Meanwhile, I glanced down to see how Drefius and Carr were handling the sudden onslaught of kalatchi.

On the ground, the situation was of barely-contained chaos. All around, soldiers were prancing on their horses as the beasts desperately attempted to dodge the barrage of sharpened fingers that leapt up from the ground to slice tendons, then disappeared back beneath it in a moment.

"Fire at will!" I heard Carr shout, and the archers turned as a single unit to lace their arrow volleys up the slopes and skewer a good half of a kalatchi unit that came rushing down the slopes towards them. "Again!"

"Knights! Dismount! Take them on the ground!" Drefius commanded, thrusting his gleaming sword high into the air. "Use the sigil's power!"

Immediately, the knights in his company all leapt from their horses, brandishing short knives in their mailed hands. They swung at their foes with short and swift strikes, landing precision blows.

All around them, the kalatchi drones fell in, well, droves. But no matter how many of the skittering insectoid enemies the knights defeated, no matter how many the archers skewered through with sharp-tipped arrows, the waves simply kept coming.

"I've got to take out the queen," I grumbled. "If I don't, they won't stop attacking and she won't have to stop spawning them."

So, turning in my saddle, I lifted the bow of fire arrows out of the aether again and took aim at the brittle, flaky moss that formed the topmost layer of protection in the castle yard.

"Here goes nothing," I said as I pulled back on the string and sent a flaming projectile sailing down into the thick greenery.

I'd half-expected the arrow to lodge straight into the topmost layer, but of course the moss at the top was so flaky and brittle that it gave way immediately, allowing my flaming arrow to punch lower into the interior layers.

Crackling flames made their presence known beneath the surface nonetheless, and smoke rose tremblingly from the impact site.

"How about another then?" I asked Drago, receiving a happy and excited whinny in response.

Without another word I pulled the bowstring back and sent another four arrows soaring down into the press. Trapped inside the castle walls, those four kalatchi assassins who'd popped up to try killing me and Drago screeched pitifully, as the flames began to rise higher and higher, until the top layer caught in a blazing fire.

Their screams were amended by the scrabbling sounds of their sharp claws attempting to scale the interior castle walls, then they were finally silenced when the flames boiled them from the inside out. The screams were replaced with popping hisses as their chitin cracked and their guts spilled out.

I grinned, then sent a final two fire arrows down into the mix for good measure. The flames now rose to the tops of the moss piles and were starting to blacken the walls with soot deposits. More kalatchi drones screamed and wailed as they were burned alive with the others. Still, I didn't see any sign of a unique enemy who might be the queen.

For a long moment, Drago merely circled the castle walls as we watched and waited to see if she really had buried herself down there, like Zorel insisted.

"Zorel, if you were lying to me, you'll wish I'd killed you in the initial battle," I growled as the flames started to flicker and wane.

Then, suddenly, the flames all went out, and a loud buzzing sound rose to my ears. Squinting down into the castle training yard, I watched the ashen pile of dead moss shift.

Dark ashen layers shifted and were caught in the light breeze, tugged up and out of the castle walls, revealing the hissing boiling green moss lower to the ground. Then, a set of six huge insectoid wings buzzed up from the yard, carrying a creature larger than I had expected with them.

"Got you, queenie," I said with a grin. Drago huffed and snorted out fog from his nostrils.

The queen's face was roughly humanoid, but freakish in a way that deeply unsettled even my adaptive personality. Instead of skin, she had shifting layers of black chitin that moved about as her barbed mouth opened in a scream of rage.

Her long, cicada-like body could have spanned the entire length of the bridge that connected Clear Castle to the eastern shore; it was at least 20 feet in length, and massively thick.

Along with her six wings, she had six arms, too. But it looked like she didn't intend to use any of them.

Instead, she rose heavily into the air, pointed herself towards me, and opened her fanged mouth. A furious buzzing sound rose from the queen's mouth, and a moment later a full five smaller, flying drone kalatchi whizzed out of her open maw.

"Gross," I commented with a headshake. "If spawning drones requires you to regurgitate them, consider that an ability I definitely don't want."

The drones came on swiftly, and I was forced to snipe them with fire arrows before they could get close. They may have had hard chitin for shells, but since they were only two feet tall at a maximum, each of my arrows had enough force to pop them like a kernel in an overheated microwave.

"Might be worth a shot," I said as an idea struck me, and I targeted the queen with my next arrow. The flaming bolt whizzed out of my bow, but pinged harmlessly against her flank and I blew out a breath. "Well, might not have been, too."

Then, I got a much better idea.

I'd killed a creature by getting stuck in its mouth before, but I didn't like the idea of having to cut my way out of the chitinous armor.

So instead, I pointed my bow of fire arrows directly into her open maw, pulled the string back three times in quick succession, and sent three of my final five fire arrows racing directly into her open mouth.

The first struck on what I figured was something like her tongue, and the second caught the inside of her cheek, but she closed her mouth before the third could find its home.

Normally, she'd be fine. The saliva of a mouth was more than enough to put out a small burning arrow.

But my bow of fire arrows wasn't normal. I knew the heads would keep burning for much longer than a normal fire arrow would. And as though to show how right I was, smoke began pouring out from the sides of her multifaceted eyes.

She opened her mouth once more to let out a scream of anguish. And this time I saw gouts of flame licking around the inside of her body.

"What a way to go," I muttered, then gripped Drago's reins hard because I saw the fury in her eyes.

A look of fury like the one she gave me could only mean one thing. She was about to make a last-ditch effort, risking everything to kill the man who had killed her and raided her home.

Tough to blame her, even if I had no intention of letting that sympathy cloud my mind to the fact that I needed to kill or be killed on Limar. Sympathy was for the weak.

All six of her wings vibrated furiously, and she shot towards me with surprising speed. I kicked Drago's sides, and my pegasus mount took off immediately. But even that wasn't fast enough.

She shot towards us so quickly, I knew we couldn't outrun her. Her mouth was large enough to swallow me and my pegasus whole, and then I'd find out just what it was like to be cooked alive by flaming arrows, trapped inside a kalatchi queen's stomach.

Thinking fast, I did the only thing that I knew how to do. I pulled my bowstring back and sent the first of my last two fire arrows directly at her right eye.

The force of the impact caused a crack to run up all across her multifaceted eyeball. But her eye was still hard enough that it deflected my arrow, and it didn't add any flames to my attack.

She was close now, and her wings buzzed furiously.

Her wings. Oh, that would be awesome.

I knew what I had to do.

Pulling back on my bow, I breathed out and took a careful aim. Adrenaline pumped through my veins as I aimed not at her body, but instead off to the left of her and slightly upwards, where the shimmer of light told me her wings were vibrating furiously.

I let my arrow fly, inhaling my breath as I squinted towards it.

One moment, the air was full of the hiss of flames, the beating of wings, and the crackling hiss of the vibrating insects.

The next, a powerful scream rent the air, and the queen's true and sure course to swallow Drago and me whole suddenly took a downwards slope.

My arrow cracked the first two of her three right-hand wings clear in two. Though it bounced off the third, it didn't matter.

"Booyah!" I shouted triumphantly, doing a quick fist pump in my excitement at a plan working out even better than I expected it to.

Now that she lacked the necessary propulsion, the queen kalatchi found her body plummeting, falling in a wide arc towards the distant trees. I reined Drago and turned him in midair to watch.

Her huge green body crashed through the mossy canopy of the trees with a loud splash, digging a furrow where her body slid. It finally came to a halt, and a final scream and wail of anguish rent the air. Then I saw flames leap out from inside her mouth as her remaining wings fell still.

Text appeared before my eyes.

Mission complete.

Notes: Well, that was somewhat unfortunate. A god of barter's champion should be better at making allies than this.

But I get it. Sometimes you have to think on your feet, or on your pegasus's wings. Too bad. Anyway, nice new smoky, sooty castle.

I grinned and spurred Drago down to pull tight circles around the castle's edge, and then land with a soft thump in the blackened, mossy interior.

I couldn't wipe the grin from my face at my newest victory. Now, not only could I establish proper supply lines to restock my forces and form an eventual trade route between Tolmeria and Farli, but I could also finally move my Game of Castle's table to a new castle!

I'd just have to see what this new castle of mine was like and decide exactly who to post here in order to keep my supply lines open.

Yes, there was work to be done. Still, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't good to be the emperor.

Chapter

Thirteen

SWAMP Castle

King Me!

“Now that,” Zorel said, stretching his newly-repaired wing, “is what I call impressive.”

The thing he referred to was the Game of Castles table, which stood in the center of the low, dimly-lit throne room.

It seemed that the insectoids had at least known enough to keep brilliant sunlight from drying out too much of the castle's interior, even if they hadn't known enough not to build it on a hill.

The reason that we were standing over the table the next day, as opposed to simply right after the battle, was that the moss and lichen lay significantly thicker in the training yard than I had expected.

It had taken us a full hour to extract the horse and knight who had first ridden onto it, and that was with carefully-constructed ropes and pulleys. It seemed that the kalatchi queen had burrowed down some 50 feet.

Really, it was a testament as to how long-lasting my new sigil powers were that the knight hadn’t completely shattered all his bones simply from the fall.

I didn't have a great plan to deal with repurposing the training yard, but I had ordered that wooden palisades be constructed while horses were kept off of the planks.

Ideally, in time I would fill in the removed moss with fresh dirt, but that would all have to come later. For now, the knights were kept outside the castle walls, and anyone who moved about inside was careful to use the hallways.

Isabel bobbed her eyebrows at the kalatchi turncoat. I folded my arms.

"This is the Game of Castles, Zorel," I said, leaning over the table to examine the map. "If you expect anything else, you're going to be left behind."

"Too true, too true," Isabel said. "And look! Our new territory is all mapped out."

She pointed a finger at the map, where I saw our new castle listed. I raised an eyebrow, and I noticed that the insignia here didn't exactly resemble the ruined castle that had been Regor's seat. Instead of the two inky turrets having cracked in half, only one was. And the text next to the castle read, Unnamed castle belonging to Champion Adam Clear. Ruler unknown.

"What does 'Ruler unknown' mean?" I asked, with a frown. "I mean, it's my castle. Surely I'm the ruler of it, right?"

Isabel shook her head, then swatted away a large fly that had gotten in one of the small windows. The fly buzzed around, heedless of the assault it was currently undergoing. Isabel huffed.

Then suddenly Zorel opened his mouth, and what I could only describe as a long, frog-like tongue shot out of it, smacked the fly right on the tuchus, sticking it hard and fast, and then zoomed back into Zorel's maw.

The kalatchi chomped on it, as though nothing had happened.

"What in the hell was that?" I asked Zorel. He grinned sheepishly at me and shrugged.

"My species lives in the swamp, Emperor Clear. Surely you didn't expect me to eat normal food from the plains."

I sighed with a head shake, and then tapped the map where it said Ruler Unknown. Immediately a scratching sound rose from the parchment table, and new text appeared in a column to the right.

Potential rulers include Cynthia Clear, Isabel Clear, Harmony Clear, Rosa Clear, Colette Clear, Duke Drefius, Captain Carr.

Isabel leaned over the table, making big oohing noises, while I shook my head.

"This feels like useless information," I said with a hand wave. "I mean, I know I could select any of you to rule the castle. Why do I have to select it from a list?"

"Maybe it's just part of the aesthetic of the Game of Castles?" Isabel asked.

Instead of responding, Zorel yelped and leapt up when a door to the hallway banged open.

"Got that crystal you wanted!" a knight said from the doorway.

I turned and saw the steel-clad man, standing with his sword on one hip, and a cloth bag tied at the other. He swiftly unhooked the bag. Then, after I waved him in, he took the bag and strode into the room, depositing the crystal onto the table. Zorel swallowed loudly at the sight of it and Isabel wrinkled her nose.

"God, it smells awful!" I said, waving at it with a hand as though that would banish the scent entirely. Obviously, my meager attempt had zero effect.

The crystal, if I was being completely honest, looked more like a bit of rotting wood than it did a crystal. And it smelled like it, too.

"You sure this is powerful, Zorel?" I asked the kalatchi. It seemed to take all of Zorel's mental capacity to rip his eyes from the glowing swamp gem and face me.

"Incredibly powerful," he said. "As soon as the queen swallowed this crystal, she was suddenly able to start spawning a set number of mindless kalatchi drones per day. Of course, hers couldn't fly, as I'm sure you realized, but having backup like that easily cemented her reign."

I nodded and looked at the "crystal" with some new respect, even if it still smelled fouler than an unwashed outhouse.

"What about the whole ‘turning into a gigantic monster thing’?" I asked Isabel. "You think that this is what they'll do?"

"Maybe," Isabel said, frowning at the crystal. "It might be that only mindless monsters who swallow it go crazy like that. Sort of like the difference between an anthril drone swallowing it and an anthril king doing so."

I shuddered at the thought of a superpowered anthril king, able to spawn drones at an increased rate.

"And you have to eat it in order to get that power?" Cynthia asked from across the table.

Zorel nodded, then shrugged. "Well, eat it, or really probably just swallow it," he said with a head shake. "You understand these monster crystals are incredibly rare, and totally recent. I didn't expect to see any myself. The queen was the only one who really ever got to use them. The power made her big, too, and changed her body somewhat, as you saw. She didn't used to be that huge..." He paused and shuddered before finishing, "Let's just say that I'm extremely pleased Emperor Clear slew her and not the other way around. I don't like to think what she'd have done to me if you'd lost. If I ever doubted that you are a champion of the gods, I hereby apologize wholeheartedly."

Isabel giggled at that and patted my arm while Cynthia rolled her eyes. Meanwhile, I couldn't help but glance at Isabel's modestly-sized chest. The bookish princess scoffed when she saw me looking.

"If you think I'm eating one of those things," she said as she raised her nose haughtily, "then you've got another thing coming, pal."

I chuckled and Cynthia took up the taunt. "Oh really, sweet wife?" the ice mage teased, pushing her chest forward and jiggling her boobs before Isabel's face. "Not even if eating the crystal really gives you boobs as big as mine?"

Isabel made a retching sound in the back of her throat, though I noticed that she did take a moment or two to ponder just how much having bigger breasts would be worth to her.

I raised my hands and said, "Ladies, please. I don't think any of us have any interest in eating this thing. Plus, I think your boobs are lovely, Isabel."

"Lovely but tiny," Isabel grumbled unhappily.

"Lovely and perky," I corrected, then I gestured at the list of potential rulers for the castle. "I also don't think any of us want to stay here any longer than we have to. The smell's bad, the air's dank, and I'm fairly sure that grass and moss is half-mold."

My wives turned to me and frowned. "Then what did you have in mind?"

I leaned forward and tapped the map. "Give me more options," I told the parchment.

For a moment, nothing happened, and we all leaned over the table to get a closer look at the list. Then more words appeared, scratching out the list of potential rulers that had been there a moment before.

Oh, you are a devious one, Adam.

Yes, I think that would work, signed Asmi.

I grinned then turned to the kalatchi. "Zorel, I know that you have stuck with our group mostly through our own force and threat of violence. I can't say that the threat of violence against you will stop, either. The world's a hard place, and no matter how far you climb up the ladder, you will never be a champion, not so long as you work for me." The kalatchi opened his mouth to say something, and I held up a hand to silence him. "However, I do need a kalatchi ruler of my own. I know that now that the queen has been slain, any other forces in the area will be able to take the castle. There's nothing I can do about that without having a kalatchi ruler of my own."

Slowly, Zorel's eyes opened wide, and they darted from my face to the crystal lying on the table.

"You'll have to swear fealty to me," I said, forcing his eyes to snap back to me, though I could see in them that he wanted what I offered more than almost anything.

The question was how much I could trust him now, how much I could trust him after he'd been upgraded a ludicrous amount, and if the answer to either of those was I couldn't, how I could show him just how much pain and agony he'd be in for if he turned on me.

Silently, I checked my experience.

Ding, you have leveled up.

Ding, you have leveled up.

Ding, you have leveled up.

I grinned and whispered, "Put two levels into dexterity and hold the last for a moment. Also, a nice grand display again, if you'd be so kind, Asmi."

Immediately, the world resumed its usual pace around me and I felt Asmi's golden light lift me into the air in the middle of the table room. Brilliant rays poured off of me like hot wax from a candle, practically blinding my wives, who had to squint or otherwise look away.

More importantly, it made clear that I was not a champion that appreciated being fucked with.

"Swear fealty to me, Zorel, and I will make you the ruler of this castle. In exchange, you will pay me seasonal rents in accordance with my rights as your emperor," I called in a loud, low baritone voice that shook the window panes in their frames. "You will also quarter any of my soldiers that I require you to, and guarantee safe passage to any goods and services of mine that come through your castle. Do you accept these terms in exchange for ruling over your own fiefdom and reporting to me as your ultimate emperor?"

Zorel licked his lips and practically leapt forward at me. He moved so fast that if I hadn't been a champion with heightened senses and reflexes, my hand would have fled to my sword hilt, ready to defend myself.

But I was a champion, and I easily saw what Zorel was doing.

He fell to his knees and kissed both of my boots, then pressed his forehead against the stone floor.

"I swear fealty to you, my liege," he intoned deeply, and I chuckled.

"More of a showing than I expected, I'll admit. Now, ingest this monster crystal and safeguard my supply lines."

Immediately, Zorel jumped to his feet, snatched the rotten-smelling crystal off the table, and stuffed it into his mouth. His throat bulged as he attempted to swallow the thing, then his eyes bulged and he redoubled his efforts.

With a big gulp, he finally got the crystal to fit down his throat and we all watched as the shifting chitin of his throat moved to accommodate the extra-large meal.

"Gross," Cynthia said with a chuckle. Isabel looked like she was going to be sick. "You look like you were quite hungry there, Zorel."

Zorel grinned sheepishly back at her, and then suddenly he bent forward, doubling over and clutching at his stomach.

The greenish-black chitin on his body shifted, and thin snapping sounds leapt up from the shell of his armor as it cracked in several places. His body pushed upwards and outwards, expanding in width and height until he stood a full foot taller. Greenish-black wings, twice as large as his old ones and both fully repaired, sprouted from his back.

He grinned and looked down at his hands, clenching them into fists as he marveled at his new form.

"He doesn't look so big," Isabel said with a note of disappointment and relief to her voice. I wondered if she was grateful, she hadn't ingested it now, for a fuller showing in the boob arena.

"Impressive showing, though," Cynthia remarked with a chuckle.

Zorel grinned, looking more menacing now that he was taller. "Not so big as the Queen was," he admitted in a deep, bassy voice. "But after working hard, I should imagine I'll grow even larger."

He turned to me, and his eyes flashed before I grinned and said, "Let's level me up. Give the cocky kalatchi a good showing, why don't we? Last point to healing if you don't mind."

Immediately my body floated into the air, and flames whipped around me, spilling hot golden light across the room, even brighter than those that had radiated from me a moment before. Zorel looked terrified.

"You're not the only one who grows when they level up, Zorel," I said with a smirk as I felt my back pop. Now my own height rose till I was an inch taller than before and towered over him even more than usual.

He bowed, cowed for the moment. I didn't know how far I could trust him, still, but for now, at least he knew what would come for him if he displeased me.

"What should I begin with first, Emperor?" he asked with a bowed head.

I waved around, "Why don't you work on making this place more hospitable for people who live more on the land than in the swamp?" I suggested, and he nodded, then strode out of the room and out into the yard.

Immediately, the vibrating of hundreds of insectoid wings filled the hall, and then were silenced, as Zorel put his castle's citizens to work.

Meanwhile, I turned to Drefius, who’d just stomped into the new table room.

“We have the trade route secured?” I asked.

“As secured as we can get it,” Drefius said with a shrug. “I’ll get together with Carr to decide on how best to carve a straight road from Yella to here, then the rest of the supplies can follow in the trail our army makes as we continue east on campaign.”

I nodded, then glanced at the map on my new table. Zooming in, I saw roads springing up in advance of Drefius and Carr’s actions, though the roads were made with dashed lines to indicate that they weren’t completed yet.

“And what about our forces back in Tolmeria?” I asked. “Do you know where to draw reinforcements from?”

Drefius nodded. “We have four companies manning cities on the border with Cask, which has really started to go to the dogs now. I’d rather not pull them out, just in case. The hillock tribes on our northern border are kind of feisty, but mostly they just want small skirmish-style battles. Since Zeth is currently under a trade agreement with us, I’d like to pull forces from the mountains and use them to form a trade caravan moving between Clear Castle and here, with Yella forming a staging area. How does that sound?”

“I agree. Orders sent. They’ll be glad to head south. I’ve also called up the next round of troops to follow behind us as we push to Farli,” I said, returning to my table.

“Sir,” Drefius said, clicking his heels together as he saluted me.

When he walked out of the room, Isabel slipped her arm into mine. “Well, while all that’s happening, what’s our next move, husband?” she asked sweetly.

I glanced at her and grinned. “First, we take a nice little break here and help Zorel get everything in order. Then, we continue east. Farli awaits, somewhere out there. I still don’t know exactly how wide the swamps are, but hopefully we’ll be through them before too long.”

Isabel hummed, then nuzzled her cheek into my bicep. “Let’s not put too much stock in it being small, Adam. I don’t want to get my hopes up, only to have them be dashed.”

Elyse Chapter 1

The Sea Gull - South Swamp River, Name Unknown

The Pirate Queen and the Pirate Fool!

“But I thought you said all hands on deck, Captain Elyse. And look, all my hands are on the deck!”

Elyse rolled her head back and groaned. Larco had always been something of the ship’s clown. At least since they picked him up floating adrift in the deep waters of the Southern Ocean. He'd claimed to have flown all the way south in search of some great treasure. What's more, he claimed to have found it.

But when pressed, the best he'd been able to offer was something that resembled a foul-smelling piece of rotted driftwood.

But treasure or not, he had survived. More than that, he'd come as close to thriving as anyone on the pirate ship had been able to. Right now, he squatted on the top deck with two hands flat against the wooden boards.

"Get up, Larco," she said with a dismissive hand wave. "You can play the dunce with anybody else, but I know you know what a euphemism is."

"I know more than that," Larco said, springing to his feet and bouncing his eyebrows.

The former castaway wore only the most ragged clothing. A patchy, hole-filled, white linen shirt, and tan breeches that were so threadbare they were getting to the point where they were more bare than thread.

His long black hair fell in oily slivers all the way across his neck, and he refused staunchly to let anyone cut it. He also refused to wash it, or even go swimming in the ocean to wipe off the worst of the grease.

"It reminds me of my home," he would complain when pressed about it. "A grotesque location, and one that I love with all my heart."

Eventually, Elyse had stopped complaining. The reason she stopped was simple: Larco knew his way around the swamp region’s many rivers and she didn't. If her maps were correct, there was a single river that ran all the way out of the Northern Mountains to the Southern Seas.

If Elyse could find that river, she'd be able to hang up the pirate hat and become an honest trader. Not that she didn't love a bit of piracy, but she was starting to find a part of her that wanted to settle down.

She wouldn't be caught dead actually voicing the sentiment that she wanted a little child of her own, but that didn't mean it wasn't true.

"Can it, Larco," Elyse grunted, hoisting him to his feet. "Go get the others. We need to know which of these blasted channels takes us on the northern route, and we need you for that."

Compared to Captain Elyse herself, the difference couldn't have been more stark. Short and squat, Larco looked like something that resembled a rotting hay bale, while Elyse was long-legged, petite, and yet retained fine, powerful muscles.

Still, she didn't appear as though she were a day laborer, or one of those women who were trying to improve their station by showing the men that their biceps were larger. She had the fine, lean frame of an oarsman, or oarswoman, as the case may have been.

She snapped her fingers and whistled down the length of the ship, immediately catching the eye of her cartographer. Then she swept her eyes around the assembled sailors, found the head of rations, and finally located her lead engineer. Slowly the three of them came over and knelt before her.

"Your highness," they said in unison, heads bowed. "What would you have of us?"

Elyse chuckled. "First, rise," she said in a regal tone, and all three of the assembled returned to their feet.

Meanwhile Larco fumbled at his pants and said, "Hold on just a minute. You four women are exceptionally lovely, but it'll take me a moment to get up to speed, you know. A gentleman can't rise like that on command, you understand. No matter what the ladies say about me, Larco's a gentleman through and through."

Elyse, tired of his antics, turned around and slapped him square across the face with the back of her hand. The slap rang out loud across the deck and Elyse felt a shiver of pain race up her fingers and settle into her palm.

Larco spun, surprise registering on his shocked visage, before he tumbled in a heap to the deck.

Elyse rubbed the back of her hand surreptitiously. She didn't want anyone else knowing that she could feel pain of any variety or amount. She didn't want any of her crew knowing that she could feel anything at all.

The fact of the matter was that Larco's face was nearly as hard as iron, feeling a bit like he had an exoskeleton instead of simple human skin. A peculiar trait, he claimed, of any of the humans who had managed to fetch up a living in the swamp regions between Farli and Tolmeria.

Elyse did not doubt that much.

"Your ladyship, what do you need from us?" her cartographer asked swiftly, her eyes studiously ignoring the fact that Elyse had clasped her hands behind her back.

"I need you to work with this thing," Elyse said in response, her head turning to glare at the still-sputtering Larco, who lay on the deck in shock, "and map out as many of the rivers using his unfortunately-dense head as you possibly can."

Victoria, the cartographer, nodded.

Next Elyse turned her attention to the master of rations, a burly-looking ogre woman. She was named Olga, and of all the crew she clearly didn't have to work hard for her biceps to be larger than Elyse's own skull.

"Once the maps are completed, Olga, I need you to go and secure rations for a long journey upriver. If Larco's stories are true, then there will be a good amount of back-and-forth with the locals."

"And for me?" Seraphine, the engineer asked.

Elyse waved a hand to indicate a large corsair lying upriver from them in the tidal basin. "We need the Swift Foot outfitted with proper oars if we're going to make it far upriver, Seraphine. See that it's done, if you would."

The engineer immediately ducked her head, then Elyse clapped her hands and declared, "Right then, everyone hop to it!"

Bowing to her, Victoria, Olga, and Seraphine all set off about their own tasks. Meanwhile, a light tapping sound rose from behind Elyse.

Pinching the bridge of her nose with a finger, she turned slowly.

"Larco, if you don't start behaving yourself, I may well decide that you're better off being used as ballast than as company. Shouldn't you be heading off to help Victoria?"

Larco shot her a wry grin but ceased 'hopping to it.'

He said, "Well, I would go help her, but first she needs to bring me some actual maps so I can correct them properly, doesn't she? No use in following her around like a puppy's tail, kissing ass and all, is there?"

Elyse frowned. "I suppose not," she said, before turning to wave a rowboat over and give swift instructions to lower a rope ladder so that Seraphine could be ferried over to the Swift Foot and start retrofitting her.

"Say," Larco continued, as though he hadn't noticed Elyse's dismissive gesture, "what's up with all the broads on this tub anyway? You all couldn't find men to come with you?"

"Hardly," Elyse said, her low-boiling anger piqued by Larco's question. "But Farli's fallen, and the women are the ones who suffer most in war, aren't they? They needed someone to put them to good use."

"I don't know, are they?" Larco asked, leaning over the railing beside Elyse. "Most of the men get killed, right? What's worse than that?"

"Getting raped first; hence why women need to band together," Elyse said bitterly.

She grew tired of talking to this disgusting individual. Frankly, she just needed him to shut up.

"And this is good use, then?" Larco continued, dodging the old train of thought. "You could be searching for treasure with me! Instead, you're all wandering about trying to find trade routes. Bleh! Rather eat my treasure and become a big old baddie."

Elyse frowned, watching the sailors row Seraphine towards the Swift Foot. Like her higher-ups, the sailors under her command were likewise women. Elyse didn't trust men, not after what happened at Tolya.

"Captain Elyse!" a woman by the captain's wheel shouted, pointing. "Are you going to go aboard the Swift Foot as well? And what about the stowaway?"

Elyse met the woman's eyes, noting how pretty their deep blue was in the morning sunshine, then shook her head. "I'll stay aboard here, and I'm keeping Larco close by as well. The Creator alone knows we wouldn't want to risk losing his precious treasure, right Larco? Especially if you're going to use it to turn into some gigantic monstrosity."

Larco bowed regally, scraping his feet on the wood in his supplication. "A wise decision, Captain Elyse," he said. "Though you might think it wise to put a gigantic monster as far from yourself as possible, correct?"

Elyse chuckled. "Larco, if there's one thing I learned about monsters, it's that the closer they are, the more you know what they're about to do. The real problems arise when the monsters fall upon you suddenly and catch you unawares. Then you're in real trouble, since you haven't had time to prepare."

Larco bowed low. "As you say, captain. But I might suggest that you're wrong on both counts."

"Both?"

"The men really have it worse in war, too,” Larco said, then ducked swiftly out of the way of Elyse's hand as it came around to smack him hard in the face once more. He scrambled quickly away, shouting for Victoria that he was ready to help her map the swamps if she had a map for him.

"Men." Elyse spat as she watched him go. "Good-for-nothing cowards; even the disgusting ones are too chickenshit to stand up to me. They just tuck their tail between their legs and run... or worse, they sneak up on you in an ambush and don't give you a chance to fight back."

Chapter

Fourteen

SWAMP REGION, Location Unknown

A Bridge over the Swamp River!

A week later, the generally boggy and damp soil that formed the ground in the western marshes had, I was sorry to say, gotten even damper, boggier, and more foul-smelling.

Plus, we'd started encountering dank, brackish rivers that needed great care in crossing with all the horses and gear. For the time being, they'd mostly not required a bridge or pontoon setup to cross, but that was all about to change.

"Another of the blasted things!" Drefius grumbled from the head of my line. His horse whinnied in annoyance, and the duke spun his steed around to face the rest of my troops. "And it's blasted deep, this thing, too. We'll have to go up or down the river and see if we can find a crossing."

I was currently riding several rows back, talking to Harmony and Rosa. My two wives weren't any happier about the pervasive scent as anyone else, but at least they had thick pink curtains drawn about their palanquin, and a small brazier of pleasant-smelling herbs lit in the center to ward off the worst of the foul smells.

I sighed and pushed open the flaps, then descended and strode up to where Drefius fumed.

"How deep is it?" I asked, leaning forward, and surveying the brackish pool of water before us.

"Deep enough to know better," Drefius retorted with a chuckle and gestured at his horse's hooves.

Sure enough, green slimy algae rested in a continuous streak up and down his horse's legs, ending at about its midriff. Drefius' own steel greaves now looked like they were made of copper and swiftly succumbing to verdigris, like a knightly version of the Statue of Liberty back home, where copper exposed to the elements swiftly turns green.

I nodded and looked up and down the waterway. Rivers in the swamps were, it turned out, numerous. They were also annoyingly deep, remarkably brackish, and thanks to the constant canopy of thick greenery overhead, which made it difficult to tell which direction one was traveling, annoying to navigate.

I squinted down at the water, and watched the cords of thin green algae slowly drifting about until I determined which direction they moved in. I pointed the opposite way.

"That should be north. Come on, let's get a move on."

Now Captain Carr appeared at my elbow. The wily mercenary glanced from one edge of the brackish river to the other and then suggested, "We could build a bridge, you know. A bridge wouldn't take more than a day or two, though some of the knights would have to dismount or swim their horses across."

He bounced his eyebrows at Drefius, who snorted derisively.

The duke lifted his head and nudged his mount forward until its nose bumped into Carr's shoulder, sending the mercenary captain stumbling off while he cursed.

"Oh, sorry about that, Carr," Drefius said with a chuckle. "Damned beast is headstrong, but he knows a good person when he sees one. Likewise, he knows a bad one, too."

"Enough," I said sharply. "None of us want to have to traverse these swamps any more than the others. You are both soldiers in my employ, and you will listen to your emperor."

Carr dipped his head, and Drefius looked sideways at him before bowing to me. "Apologies, Emperor Clear," the mounted duke said. "Just messing around is all. You know how I get."

I rolled my eyes. "I do indeed, Drefius." Then I turned to Carr. "As for your suggestion, Captain Carr, it is a good one. However, I dare say that the middle of this river could be deeper than we expect. Likewise, you see how it simply repeats itself on the far shore?"

I gestured across the bank, where another low, slowly-churning body of water was flecked with the green moss. It was difficult to see in the half-light of the swamps, and I didn't fault Carr for having missed it.

Carr grumbled but nodded. "I just worry we've been traveling north so much. We'll wander right out of the swamps again. The mountain chain may stretch from Zeth's region to the east, but mountains are hardly more passable than this, and especially with such a large force, which we'll need, assuming Farli is as we fear."

I returned his nod, then shrugged. "It's a good point, Carr. Just like your point about the bridge. However, there's nothing we can really do about it right now. We just have to keep trying."

Suddenly, an arrow whizzed out of the sky and clanged against Drefius' shoulder pauldron. His horse spooked, raising its head back and rearing on two legs, kicking Carr in the process, and breaking his shoulder with a powerful snap.

"Whoa there!" Drefius shouted, desperately attempting to bring his horse under control with sharp tugs on the reins. "Messing around only now, no actually hurting the captain, you foolish beast!"

I was already ducked low and pushed forward and glanced in the direction that the arrow had come from.

At first, the swamp river was still and silent. A light wind made the willow branches drift about and the only sound that didn't come from my troop arose from the light gurgling of the river water as it chugged downstream. I pricked my ears, desperate for another sound.

And then I heard it: the snap of a bowstring.

"Back!" I shouted, shooing the front line of troops away from the river bank.

The second arrow sailed through the air, coming right at me. If it weren't for my god-upgraded abilities, then I wouldn't have been able to sidestep it in time.

My feet moved swiftly, and the arrow thudded into the murky soil directly behind me. I pulled my bow of fire arrows out of the aether, drew back the drawstring, and sent a flaming arrow back along the trajectory of the one that had just attempted to end my life.

The red streak fizzled through the air and slapped hard into an archer who stood in the middle of the river.

Flames leapt in the dim distance, swiftly consuming the unfortunate fellow's body, and then traveling along the ground.

No, not the ground.

"It's a ship!" I shouted, retreating to check on Carr.

"I'll be fine, emperor," Carr said with a grunt from the ground. "Look though, over on the river!"

I did as the wounded man requested and watched as flickering shadows pieced out a long ship's oars where it stood in the middle of the brackish river. The flames leapt higher upon it, and then I saw the same insignia of the ones who had attacked Misho fluttering from a mast in the center.

"Pirates!" I shouted. "Downriver!"

Behind me, Drefius actually dismounted his steed and helped Carr to his feet. The mercenary captain groaned in pain, and when he glanced at me, I could see the stars dancing behind his eyes.

"What shall we do, Emperor? Your orders?" he asked through gritted teeth.

I moved to lay a hand on his shoulder, then thought better of it, and saluted him instead.

"Yours are to stay out of their arrows' range until we can get you a healer or a healing potion." Then I turned to address Drefius. "Yours are to take your men and the archers swiftly downriver. I want you to pepper that ship and any that are with it with as many arrows and other projectiles as you possibly can. Use a shield wall for the front, so that we know that we are better defended than they are."

"And what if they have a shield wall of their own, emperor?" Drefius asked sharply.

I shrugged and shot him a smirk. "Find a big rock, hit that mast, knock the damn thing over."

Drefius grinned. Then called for the banner bearer and lifted my sigil.

Meanwhile, I put two fingers to my lips and whistled sharply. The flutter of wings a moment later told me Drago was on his way. And as he landed before me, Cynthia ran up and shouted, "I'm coming with you."

I looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "I wouldn't risk you, Cynthia," I said simply, thinking that would put an end to the discussion.

Unfortunately, Cynthia had other ideas. She shook her head then took one of my hands in both of hers.

"I'm an ice mage, husband. If we can capture the ship, we can cross the river swiftly. But if they manage to flee, then what good is fighting them? We'll have lost a few men to their assault, and they'll have gotten away before we can catch them."

I frowned but had to agree with her assessment.

"All right," I said. "But hold tight against me. We're not going to be high enough that Drago can spin around and catch you before you hit the ground if you should fall off. And I won't have my wife breaking a leg just like Carr broke his shoulder." I smirked at her, making sure to drag my vision down her gorgeous body. "I like that leg. I like to run my hands up and down it."

Now it was Cynthia's turn to smirk as she blew me a small kiss. "If there's one thing you don't have to convince me to do, dear husband," she said, thrusting her chest out so that I could see her large breasts clearly, "it's to hold tightly onto you. Now come on, let's go."

With that, I put one foot in Drago's stirrup, thanked the gods for my increased height, since it meant that I didn't need to use a mounting block, slipped an arm around Cynthia's waist, and then swung myself cleanly up to Drago's saddle. Cynthia grabbed my shoulder and clambered around behind me, pressing her body tightly against mine.

I wasn't wearing my armor, and I could feel Cynthia's large, full breasts press into my back in deep, inviting swells. I could also feel her pussy, wet and hot against my tailbone.

"You have no idea how distracting having you behind me is going to be," I said with a chuckle.

"Less than having me below you would be, if I remember right," Cynthia replied with a smirk.

"Fair enough," I said, then gave Drago's reins a swift flick.

My pegasus leapt into the air at the suggestion, spreading its wings wide and soaring higher and higher and higher. Frankly, soaring too high.

Instead of rising just high enough to more easily zoom away downriver, he bolted straight up through the canopy of swamp leaves overhead. I sputtered and Cynthia hacked as we both got identical facefuls of soggy vegetation, then popped up out of the gloom.

After squinting my eyes against the suddenly increased light, I heard Cynthia sigh in pleasure. "It sure is something else up here," my newest wife said longingly.

"All the more for how gross it is down there," I replied.

And yet, I could hardly admit that she wasn't correct.

Down below, the world was wreathed in shadows, bathed in stink, and boarded in soggy wetness. Up here, the sun shone high and bright, bathing the forest canopy in an emerald hue, and illuminating the mountain range to the north in shades of pinkish-yellow light.

"Looks like Carr was onto something," I said as I gestured to the mountains. "The range to the North was way closer than I expected it to be. Looks like the next major upgrade I need is going to be taking the Game of Castles Table with me on campaign... or at least a map that automatically updates itself."

Cynthia chuckled, then squeezed me tight, her stiff nipples poking deliciously against my back. I would have stayed up here forever if I could. But there was work to do down in the swamps below and I wouldn't leave my friends and other wives exposed any more than I'd willingly leave a job half-finished.

I shook my head and gave Drago two quick jabs in the sides.

"It's nice up here, but we need to be below the trees, Drago," I shouted, knowing my pegasus would simply fly as high as he possibly could, given the option. "I need to be able to see the things that I'm shooting at."

Drago knickered, and then turned downwards, folded his wings a little tighter against his body, and we shot towards the treeline.

"Hold on, Cynthia," I yelled above the rushing wind, and I felt Cynthia's hands grab even tighter against my powerful chest.

We smashed through the canopy of leaves in a shower of broken twigs and disturbed foliage. Then Drago's wings spread wide, and he shot downriver at breakneck speed, using the increased velocity from his dive to surge forward at a crazy velocity.

"That was pretty smart of him!" Cynthia yelled.

"Everything he does is pretty smart of him," I retorted with a smirk. "This time, maybe he'll be even smarter and fly along the river’s edge instead of straight over top of it. I'd prefer to shoot from the side and not risk hitting him in the back of the head with a flaming arrow."

Drago whinnied, and did as I suggested, adjusting course until he flew on the other side of the river, across from my men and units.

"Good boy, Drago," I said with a laugh, and pulled back my drawstring, then sent two arrows hurtling into the plank deck of the ship that sailed slowly upriver.

The flames leapt from where they struck, but clearly the pirates aboard had learned their lesson from our last interaction, for buckets were swiftly lowered into the brackish water and sent splashing over the hot flames, splattering them apart in hissing sizzles.

As Cynthia clutched me tightly, I could feel her heart beating through her breasts.

"Not too bad, now," I replied with a chuckle.

Then I pulled back on my bowstring and sent three more arrows landing among the decking. As before, the sailors were swift to douse them, and my next frustrated curse included aiming at the damned archer who was ready to shoot us again. The bastard stood at the ship's prow, and I swiftly planted my fire arrow square between his eyes.

"Try to put that fire out!" I shouted as the man's body collapsed to the deck and flames began to crawl off of him.

But another four archers who appeared on deck a moment later forced my hand before I could celebrate too much.

"Let's get out of range, Drago!" I shouted and received the now traditional whinny from my pegasus.

I pulled Drago's reins up and sent him crashing up through the canopy again, while a barrage of arrows whizzed towards us. Most thunked into various tree limbs or pulled away by the high breeze.

I grinned, knowing that my adversaries were wasting their ammunition on something they couldn't hit, instead of aiming for my mounted knights and archers that would have provided much juicier targets.

For a brief moment, Cynthia and I both breathed deep breaths, savoring the sudden light and the escape from the foul-smelling swamps. Then I nodded and felt her tighten her grip on me once more.

I tucked Drago in a dive again, and just as we burst back through the canopy, I heard Cynthia yell into my ear.

"Your fire arrows are great, but they're not doing the job that we need them to. Let me freeze the ship in place, then the knights can drag it to shore using grapnels!"

"Good plan," I shouted back, and heard Cynthia giggle.

"I may not be good at land combat, but I know my way around a ship, and I know how best to take out a fleet."

"Fleet?" I said, confusion evident in my voice.

I felt Cynthia's nose bob against my back as she nodded.

"That's a corsair," she shouted back, "modified with oars, of course. But I'd know it anywhere. It'll be at the head of a raiding party. I'd bet anything on it. Its holds are too shallow to carry much loot back. There are going to be deeper-hulled ships further downriver, where it can ferry material to and from."

"Cynthia," I said, turning in my saddle and grinning at my gorgeous wife, "you are brilliant."

She chuckled, but blushed at the compliment, her cheeks pinkening prettily. "I don't know that anyone's ever called me brilliant before. A bitch, yes. Deadly with an arrow, yes. A talented ice mage, sure. But I like being called brilliant. Not that I'd mind you being a bit more forceful in how you talk to me, Master."

"You're no bitch," I responded, feeling her words raise my manhood a little instinctively. "But we can work on incorporating that into our love-making, if you'd like."

She chuckled and shook her head. "One thing at a time. I might have a bit of a nasty streak in me, but you'll have to tease it out with compliments first."

"Deal," I said.

I brought Drago low alongside the ship and angled his body so that his right wing drew up a long spray of water where the tips of his feathers touched the brackish river.

Cynthia stuck out a hand and shot a long spray of ice into the immobile waters, making the brackish green liquid turn a perfect white of new-fallen snow and preventing any forward progress by our target.

I watched with amazement as the spray from Drago's wing turned to snow that landed upon the deck and painted it a frosty, wintry white.

The shouts from the sailors on board told me that they were as surprised to see this as I was, and I drew Drago in a swift arc in a U-shape around the back of the modified corsair until thick ice flows trapped its retreat back downriver to the south.

After that, I continued the pace and swung around to the north, letting up on Cynthia's ice attack as I came in between the ship and my men, but resuming once I reached the prow.

We continued this arc three more times, deftly dodging arrows that were fired from shocked sailors on board, until the ship's forward momentum was completely stopped by a huge ice flow.

Any movement it could make to get to the far shore was blocked by more ice, and any retreat prevented by a wall of white.

This time, when we passed over my soldiers, I leaned over Drago's side and spotted Drefius atop his mount.

"Pull them in!" I shouted. "Use the grapnels!"

Drefius gave me a swift salute, and then his line reformed.

With men holding thickly-coiled ropes with sharp iron pegs at the ends in the front of the line, these men hurled the ropes over to the ship's decking and then yanked back on them hard. Once the grapnels were firmly tucked in place along the railing, the men attached their ends to horses, and dragged the modified corsair violently towards our bank.

So much force was applied to the ship's gunwale that the whole thing tilted at a forty five degree angle, and several sailors fell overboard.

The last thing that we saw of them before the ship smacked into the back of their heads and sent them to a watery grave were flailing hands. Then the hull smacked hard against the brackish side of our river, and my knights stormed the deck.

A few moments later, the pirate sigil at the front was lowered, and someone attached my own to the mast.

I guided Drago to an easy landing, then dismounted to see what I had won, and what I would be able to take south along this river to steal yet more ships.

Chapter

Fifteen

SWAMP RIVER, Downstream

It's All Insectoid to Me!

It didn't take long for Cynthia and me to set off again.

"Can't I come with you?" Harmony begged as we mounted up. "Surely my phoenix will be of some use out there."

I just shook my head. "I want to do my best to capture some of these ships, then we can sail them south and maybe bolster our defenses along Misho Port, or any of the other natural harbors where we might have enemies making land. Your phoenix would definitely be helpful if we were just trying to slaughter and destroy the enemy fleet. But since we actually want to save it, I worry that it's going to be a bit overkill."

Harmony pouted but nodded, knowing that what I said was true. Plus, she knew that my decision would be the one that we all went with.

I tucked my finger under her chin and lifted her face to mine. Her eyes were brimming with tears, and despite the fact that I knew that it was more the logic of the situation that had caused them than my actions, I yearned to make her smile again.

So, I waved my hand at the ice, which thickly coated the brackish water around the corsair. "Once Drefius and his knights had finished taking captives and recruiting anyone who'd rather fight for an emperor than a pirate queen, why don't you take some time to melt the ice around this ship? Then you can sail it south along the river and meet us there instead."

It was a poor substitute for going to help in the actual front of the battle, but it made me happy to see her smile at the news anyway.

She nodded swiftly. Then I mounted Drago, and my two other wives helped Cynthia up onto his back behind me. I couldn't help but chuckle when Colette grabbed a nice handful of tushie as they hoisted her, and I remembered just how loving my Seshkin Empress had been on our first night together.

There wasn't any time to enjoy some close personal comforts just yet, though. Perhaps after we sorted out this pirate scenario down river, we could do something about it.

I spurred my heels into Drago's flank, and my pegasus spread his wings wide, took a few galloping steps that shook the damp earth and left deep hoof marks wherever they landed, then leapt into the air and flapped his wings to get us up to speed.

Brilliant wind whistled through my hair again, and I could hear Cynthia's long locks flapping in the air behind her. Her legs squeezed me tighter around the hips, and I felt her hands pull away from my chest.

Glancing back, I saw her doing her hair up in a ponytail that flapped from side to side like it was a sigil of its own.

I grinned, knowing that it was a sigil of her love for me, a sigil of the doom that would come to these pirates once we'd found their queen's ship.

We flew for a good long while, passing nothing but the thick press of the swamp trees. Once or twice a hag rose out of the mists on the riverbank and threw a sharpened stick in our direction. Fortunately, Drago kept such good height that the sticks always fell short.

Since I didn't know when I would next need my fire arrows, I didn't send any of the bolts into the swampy creatures. Though I made a mental note that I would have to do so sooner or later. I also considered that I didn't know whether hags could swim.

Looking at the low hang of their swinging teats, it seemed unlikely. And so, I shook off the consideration that I might have to warn those who boarded the corsair about them.

We flew on.

Every once in a while, Cynthia would clearly grow tired of holding tight to my back. She would stretch one arm out to the side, popping her elbow and wrist, before doing the same with the next. For my own part, I had to lean back far to crack my back occasionally. When I did so, I found Cynthia's lips beside my cheek.

Then my ice mage of a wife planted a quick kiss on my skin, and I could feel the heat of her arousal through my tailbone.

It seemed like we would fly until we reached the southern seas themselves. Mile after tree filled, swampy mile of unchanging terrain left me in awe of just how vast these swamps really were... and irritated by that as well.

After the second hour, I was just about to ask Cynthia whether or not she was really, truly, 110% sure that there would be some larger ship downriver when I heard a buzzing noise to my right.

My eyes flicked that way, and I saw a blue-green kalatchi with a sharp angular face and buzzing wings shooting out of the underbrush towards us.

The creature moved with such speed that I was too shocked to react for a moment. Then, all at once, my adrenaline surged through my veins, and I shouted "Drago, bank left!"

Immediately, my pegasus turned its whole body and soared away from the incoming projectile of a kalatchi. But the insectoid was more maneuverable than my large pegasus.

Drago banked and the kalatchi swerved. Drago flipped and the kalatchi banked. It was practically taunting us by now, and I gritted my teeth in fury at the little winged bastard.

"Give us a good fight, you insolent little," I growled when Drago flipped into a tight barrel roll. "Oh shit."

The kalatchi, it seemed, was going to do just that. Right at the point where we were perfectly upside down, the kalatchi dove sharply towards us, claws outstretched and mandibles clacking.

I had my bow of fire arrows summoned from the aether in a moment, but it was upon us before I could even draw back the string and send an arrow at it.

I readied myself for the impact and the sharp claws that would no doubt follow. Only, it didn't strike us.

Instead, the creature hissed and suddenly its face froze in a rictus of anger. And I mean "froze" literally.

Cynthia's right hand brushed my shoulder and I felt tendrils of ice clinging to my shirt as she showered the kalatchi with a blast of freezing magic.

Crystal spikes of pure ice sprouted from the creature's forehead, and then all of its chitinous exterior popped outwards as it froze from the inside out. All the liquid goo inside it expanded swiftly, forming ice crystals that broke it apart entirely.

Frankly, watching the thing pop like a birthday balloon on the South Pole was a bit gross, especially since the spikes of ice that sprouted from it were colored blue and green and red, but all muddied with bacteria.

Still, since it was coming directly down at us, I did have to grab hold of an ice spike that burst from one ruined eye socket that clung to my skin. It was so cold.

I gave a great heave and swung the beast around us, hurling it towards the opposite bank through the gloomy air. It sailed like the world's worst bowling ball, spinning deliriously, then crashed in an explosion of icicle shards and black chitin on the distant shore.

"That was new," I said with a chuckle, then leaned back and kissed Cynthia on the cheek. "Nice timing with that ice shot, Cynthia."

Cynthia giggled and blushed. "I figured you wouldn't have enough time to get your bow of fire arrows ready yet. It moved so fast! I don't remember any of the other kalatchi moving that fast."

I frowned, knowing that she was right. "The Game of Castles table did say that there are other kalatchi kings and queens in the swamp region," I pondered with a frown. "Maybe the drones of other kings and queens have different abilities from each other. Zorel's own queen was something of a big brute. Slow-moving but powerful. It reminds me of the kalatchi that he defected from. Perhaps this one belongs to an emperor or queen who's more nimble?"

Cynthia bobbed her head in agreement, then squeezed me about the chest so tight she nearly cracked my back with her strength alone.

"Love you too, Cynthia," I wheezed dramatically, barely holding back a chuckle.

"Sorry," she said. "I was just worried there. The thought of something happening to you. It was just so scary."

I chuckled at that. "Cynthia, I am a champion of the gods," I replied with a head shake. "Nothing's going to happen to me. At least, nothing done by one of these small drones. One of the bigger monsters? Sure, why not? But nothing that small. Come on, you know that."

Cynthia giggled, then shook her head and pointed downriver. "Look," she said.

I gazed in the direction she pointed and squinted ahead. At first, all I could make out was just the same misty, brackish water that we'd been seeing for the past hour or two, which met my gaze. Then I saw it, fluttering above the mists.

"That's got to be them," Cynthia said. "You don't have super-powered eyesight from those level ups, do you?"

I shook my head. "No, but I can see a flag fluttering down there. Can't make out what's on it, though."

Cynthia giggled. "Better than me, anyway. Come on, let's go see what they've got."

I grinned and spurred Drago onwards. It barely took us five minutes to reach the first ship in the line. I grimaced as I saw kalatchi drones swarming atop the deck. But the beasts were too interested in slaughtering the pirate crew to pay us any mind. We flew on, and I felt dread building in my stomach. Cynthia clenched me tighter.

As we flew on, we saw at least five ships, and each of them was literally crawling with the kalatchi drones. The damned insectoids were so thick on the ships that I doubted whether any of the crew would end up surviving the encounter, and I found myself remarkably thankful to have a kalatchi vassal on my side.

"I wonder how close we were to that being us," I commented when we passed another ship swarming with the things.

"I don't like to think about that," Cynthia said as a shudder wracked her. "Zorel may be a weird-looking thing, but if he's the one keeping kalatchi drones from swarming us like that, he's all right in my book."

"Agreed," I said, grinning then pointed ahead of us. "Wait. Look there! Is that the head of the fleet, you think?"

Cynthia leaned forward, pressing her breasts against my shoulder as she squinted into the distance.

Ahead of us, a tall, three-masted vessel sat in some deeper waters, as though it were waiting as a kind of trap. Bright pirate flags bearing the skull and castle that I'd become all too acquainted with in Misho fluttered from the masts.

"Looks like it," Cynthia commented so tersely that I could almost hear the frown in her voice. "But something's off about it, right?"

I nodded. "It isn't swarming with kalatchi."

"You're right. Why though?"

I shrugged. "Maybe the insects are after flesh more than loot? If I were in their shoes, I'd definitely be doing everything I could to get out of these swamps... but I'm not an insectoid, so who am I to say? Anyway, I wanna check it out, but we should be careful."

Cynthia nodded against my cheek and I nudged Drago in the side to send the pegasus flying low over the waters until he landed in a clatter of hooves on the top deck.

Even Drago seemed nervous as he stomped to a slow halt, snorting great clouds of air from his nostrils and glancing around himself like he wanted to be literally anywhere else right now.

"Easy there, Drago," I said in a calming tone, patting the pegasus' flanks as I dismounted, then lifted a hand to help Cynthia down.

Drago snorted again and his eyes went wild with fear when a small wave rocked the boat back and forth. He suddenly went as still as a stone then bucked frantically just as I pulled Cynthia from his back.

"Woah there, Drago!" I shouted, doing my best to be calm and assertive at the same time, and frankly failing on both counts. "What's the matter, boy? Are you afraid of the water?"

Drago stamped hooves on deck, then ducked low and leapt into the air in a single motion. Spreading his wings wide, he soared to the neared spit of land and touched down swiftly, shaking with fear all over.

"Scaredy cat," I said with a headshake. "He's afraid of water. Who knew?"

Cynthia shrugged. "I did. You can always tell with animals."

I raised an eyebrow at her and she chuckled and patted me on the shoulder. "A ship on a long voyage is a bit like its own little town, Adam," she explained. "You have to bring your food with you. And if you want fresh food, you have two options: you can either grow it or slaughter it. Growing food onboard is mighty difficult, but slaughtering just means you need to keep an animal onboard. You get to know which ones are going to be trouble before too many mistakes. Doesn't take a lot of frightened pigs squealing and shitting all over to let you know which ones are proper seafaring swine. It's pretty much the same with horses, too."

"Neat," I said and gave her a smile. "Not only are you a good girl, you're also pretty, and smart to boot."

"Aww, thank you, Master," Cynthia said with a blush.

If we were in another situation, I would have pursued the path I saw ahead of me, a path that included Cynthia on her hands and knees with her bare ass facing me and her juices dripping down her thighs...

I shook my head and huffed.

"Focus, Adam," I muttered. "We've got a mystery to solve here."

Cynthia giggled, then gasped when the sound of voices rose from belowdecks.

"Look, Elyse," a part-gravelly and part-scratchy male voice said, "Your ships are going to be without sailors soon anyway. Just give them up to me, and I swear I'll deposit you safely back in Tolya."

"Who is that?" Cynthia mouthed at me. I shook my head, shrugged, and nodded towards the door leading belowdecks.

Slowly, and more importantly quietly, we moved towards the door. Then I edged it open and together we descended into the ship's hold. I didn't know what I expected to see down there, but whatever it would have been, this was distinctly not it.

A woman, who I assumed was Elyse, seemed to hover in the center of the hold. Surrounded by barrels with various insignia on them, and the coats of arms of a dozen different empires, including Tolmeria. Then I realized that she was actually strung up instead of floating.

Her hands were tied high over her head and lashed to a crossbeam in the ceiling overhead. It didn't look like she'd been harmed terribly yet. She was still clothed, for one thing, in a traditional pirate garb of tight white shirt and for- fitting black pants, and her face wasn't bruised.

Immediately, I saw that she was exceptionally beautiful, and would only be more so once Cynthia and I got her down from her rope-based cage.

With a slender face that was unadorned with any feminine trappings like makeup or lipstick, and which was framed by her long curly black hair, she could have been a California 10 if she put any effort in. Even without it, she was still clearly an 8 at least.

But, compared to the man strutting about before her, she was practically a 12.

"What a nasty-looking guy," Cynthia said from behind me. "Oh, no. It gets worse."

"Get lost, Larco," the strung-up woman said, practically spitting the words as she uttered them. "I didn't build up a pirate fleet just to lose it to some greasy man."

"That's your complaint? That I'm a man taking your fleet?" the man standing before her said in a low drawl. "Well, in that case, let's reveal just what kind of monster you've really had on board all this time."

I felt Cynthia's hand on my arm. "I don't like this, Master. Wait, what is that?!"

She pointed forwards and I stifled a gasp as I realized exactly what was happening. The greasy-haired man had pulled a monster crystal from his pocket.

"Shit," I breathed. "Well, no time for standing around. Deal with the problems as they present themselves and all that."

With that, I leapt out towards the man, just as he dropped the crystal into his mouth. Pulling my sword out, I jabbed forward and struck him directly through the stomach.

"Not on my watch, asshole," I growled, applying sideways pressure and slicing the bastard's torso from his legs in a smooth motion. "I know what that is."

A ragged gurgle escaped the man's lips as his torso flopped to the right, and I sprang forward to slice down the woman. I didn't know what was going on here, but I'd heard enough to know she ruled this fleet. A nicer captive I couldn't imagine.

Nor, I realized as I held her in my arms and lowered her to the floor, could I imagine a prettier one.

"Hey there," I said, meeting her eyes. "You're safe now. At least, from him. As for me, I might have my own requirements for you."

The woman chuckled throatily at that, then said, "You men always do, don't you."

I smiled. "I could tie you up instead of cutting you down next time."

She gave me the world's largest eye roll, then Cynthia yelped behind me.

"Master!" she shouted and I whipped around in time to realize that the fight wasn't over yet.

The greasy-haired man's torso was indeed separated from his legs, but that apparently didn't mean that he was dead. In fact, he seemed far from it.

Lifting himself off the floor with his arms, he fixed me with a glare. Blood dribbled out of his severed bottom half, and he licked his lips with a black tongue.

"Think you're so smart and powerful, eh?" the man said. "Think you can defeat the anthril? I was supposed to bring this crystal to my champion, but I'm sure he'll understand my actions. I had to do what I had to do."

He let out a low cackling laugh and his body began to shift. The greasy black hair clung to his shoulders shrank and became two anthril antennae. The severed torso found crawling black legs sprouting from it by the dozen. And his face, never picturesque in any sense of the word, only grew more and more grotesque.

His skin began to peel back and reveal black chitin armor beneath it.

"I may have just been a drone," the anthril declared, and I suddenly realized that he was one of those who had been given random magic, no doubt shapeshifting, "but now I can be of greater service to my king, the anthril champion!"

He let out another low cackle and I pulled my bow of fire arrows to me, but too late.

"No, you won't be anything," Cynthia said simply. He turned briefly to face her, his mouth swiftly transforming back to the anthril’s mandibles. "Cool off."

Cynthia raised both hands swiftly and shot a blast of freezing magic all over him. Immediately, it became clear that he thought too much of himself, and not enough of others, because he froze fast without so much as a single complaint.

Crackling ice spread up from the ship's deck, darted up into his body along the dribbling trail of blood that still seeped from him, and popped him from the inside out like with the last kalatchi we'd slain.

In a brief moment, the grotesque would-be monster lay frozen in mid-transformation.

"Gross," Cynthia said with a chuckle. "Sorry for taking that kill, Master. I know you like to slay as much as I do."

I chuckled, then pushed myself to my feet and brought my sword down at an angle to split the weird frozen creature in two. As his torso split, again, the foul-smelling monster crystal tumbled out of his stomach, fortunately undigested.

Picking it up from the floor, I swiftly pocketed it and turned to see the woman, Elyse sneering up at me.

"You make her call you Master, as well forcing her to kill your enemies?" she said bitterly.

I opened my mouth to respond, then thought better of it. Clearly, this woman was the only person on all of Limar who actually disliked the intensely patriarchal arrangement that existed across the world. So, to show that I really wasn't just a jerk who lorded over my wives, I gestured to Cynthia.

"Why don't you take this one, sweetie?" I said with a low bow.

Cynthia's eyes lit with an internal fire as she curtsied to me, then approached Elyse. Worrying briefly that I'd made a mistake in my estimation, and that Cynthia was simply going to slap the woman, I breathed out a relieved sigh when my wife crouched down on her heels and offered Elyse her hand instead.

"It can be a tough world out there," Cynthia said with a long sigh. "Especially for us women. I know your accent. You're from Farli. Let me say that whatever horrors are in your past, I know them more than you think."

Elyse looked doubtfully at Cynthia's offered hand. "How could you possibly know what horrors I've faced? You belong to this man, he's claimed you like a piece of meat. Clearly, you're just like all the rest."

Cynthia chuckled and shook her head, glancing back at me and shooting me a loving smile. "Actually, I know because I nearly died, tortured to the brink of death. These fingers are only whole because of this man behind me, and yes, I belong to him. But not because he claimed me, as you think. I belong to him because, even after saving me from torture, he didn't pursue me. Instead, he let me heal properly, gave me a position of great influence in his kingdom, showed me that a real man doesn't doubt the women he loves. Yes, he claimed me, body and soul, but only because I offered my body to him. My soul, well, that came easily enough, after I saw what he could make me feel."

A flicker of doubt flashed across Elyse's face, but she did finally take Cynthia's hand and allow herself to be helped to her feet. "But you call him Master? How does that work?"

Cynthia giggled and chewed her lip as she glanced back at me. "Actually, it works that I practically begged to be allowed to call him that. At first, he pushed back against it a bit. But, well... you can see that when he sees one of his wives has a desire, he'll move water and earth to fulfill that desire."

I grinned at my gorgeous wife, then found my eyes drawn to the new woman, Elyse's. I could see in her eyes that Cynthia's words were having an effect. Her breathing was starting to come in more ragged, and her heavy chest rose and fell with each of those halting inhales and exhales.

"Really then?" she said softly, her fingers coming up to play with her full lips. "Have I really been saved by the only man on Limar worthy of me?"

Cynthia giggled and I strode forward, wrapping one arm around my wife and the other around Elyse. "Would you like to find out?" I asked.

The woman practically became pudding in my arms.

"Ooh!" Cynthia squealed happily. "I think that's a yes, Master. Can I help you with her, like Colette helped me?"

I chuckled and planted a kiss on my wife's full red lips. "Sure, darling. Assuming she's game."

We both turned to look at Elyse and found the pirate queen's lips opening and closing hungrily as she attempted to devour me with her eyes.

The only words we got out of her were, "Who's Colette?"

Chapter

Sixteen

THE SEA GULL

Well, Isn't that a Surprising Prize!

"Oh!" Elyse squealed as I lifted her easily into my arms. "Goodness, but you're strong, aren't you?"

The raven-haired beauty felt as light as a feather in my arms, squirming playfully against me with her fingernails raising tingling red marks on my skin as they raked across me.

"He's a champion of the gods, Elyse! He's not just strong, he's a total hunk!" Cynthia giggled, wrapping her arm around my waist and positioning her large breasts perfectly for Elyse to rest her head in the deep valley of her cleavage.

"Mmm, are you really?" Elyse said in a low purr, her eyes floating upwards until they locked onto mine.

I grinned at her. "That depends, am I a champion of the gods, or--"

"--A total hunk!" Cynthia squealed as she wrapped her other arm around Elyse's chin and thrust the pirate queen's head deeper into her cleavage.

Elyse giggled, I chuckled, and Cynthia moaned.

"What?" the ice mage asked with a delicious little pout when we glanced at her. "I'm not allowed to enjoy this too? Last I checked, I just helped slay some weird anthril monster!"

I chuckled with a headshake, then leaned over and kissed my ice mage wife long and hard. Her lips, despite all our hard riding and fighting, still tasted like the fruity herbs that she and my other wives left burning in the palanquin.

"Is that strawberries I taste on your lips, Cynthia?" I asked with raised eyebrows when our lips parted for a brief moment.

"Maybe," Cynthia said with agonizing slowness, batting her eyelashes up at me and shimmying her breasts to jostle Elyse's face against her seriously ample boobage. "Do you like the way I taste, Master?"

"Like it?" I asked in a growl that sent Cynthia shivering before me and made Elyse wriggle about in my arms. "I love it, darling."

Suddenly, I felt a wet tongue trace itself down my sternum and the two women weren't the only ones left shivering. Glancing down, I saw the pirate queen, Elyse, sticking her tongue out far enough to lick at my skin.

She blushed prettily as my eyes fell upon her and immediately stowed that tongue back behind her full lips. "Sorry," she said in a sweet voice. "You taste like salt, like sweat... Oh Adam, you taste like the ocean."

I chuckled and then raised an eyebrow at her. "You know, Elyse," I said, "you don't seem like a traditional bra-burner."

"Bra burner?" Elyse asked sweetly, looking up at me with her large green eyes.

I shook my head, grinning at her lovely face. "It's an expression where I come from. I mean, you don't seem like the type of woman who hates men as much as you claim."

That made Elyse chew her lip in thought. "You know, you're right," she said slowly, glancing down at her own tits that were so large they threatened to spill out of her tight top. "I guess, no man's ever been strong and powerful enough to make me feel this feminine. I mean, I'm no princess, you know?"

"Elyse," Cynthia said with a sigh. "You are literally a pirate queen!"

"Well, yeah," Elyse allowed. "But I'm not used to feeling all pretty and ladylike, not like... like this."

Before we could stop her, her arms wriggled up out around her torso pressed against me.

"Whoa there, Elyse," I said with a laugh. "Careful or you'll make me drop you!"

"Oh really?" she asked, adopting a cute little smirk. "Well, I can't have you so distracted then, can I?"

Without another word, she grabbed hold of both sides of her buttoned blouse and ripped them away. Buttons pinged off my chest and made Cynthia giggle girlishly, but I couldn't take my eyes off the sight that Elyse had revealed.

The pirate queen wasn't exactly the bustiest thing around, but that wasn't super necessary, since she was such a petite thing anyway.

"Holy fuck!" Cynthia squealed.

"Agreed," I said with a grin.

"Better get me up to my bed, Mr. Hunky Champion, before you get too distracted and drop me," Elyse said in a purr.

"Yes ma'am!" Cynthia shouted, and my ice mage wife immediately grabbed my hand and helped me navigate my way out of the cramped space and back to the stairs.

Once back on deck, I couldn't help but shoot a glance over to the next ships in the line and confirm that killing the strange anthril had indeed caused the rest of the flying bastards to drop dead, as it had with the kalatchi queen.

Thankfully, it seemed it had. The river upstream was clogged with black corpses, and I made a mental note to have Drefius and Carr select men to loot.

"Oh, a little bug battle and you suddenly lose interest in these, do you?" Elyse said with a giggle.

I glanced down at her and felt my mouth drop open as she took one perfectly symmetrical and gorgeously round breast and started sucking on her own nipple.

"Fuck you are so hot, Elyse!" Cynthia giggled, immediately stooping to start sucking on her other nipple. "Oh gods, and your boobs feel so good in my mouth!"

I could barely understand her at this point since she was rapidly starting to mumble incoherently. Partly, this was due to having her tongue occupied in tracing circles around Elyse's stiff nub, and partly this was down to her losing herself to sheer lust again.

"Come on then you," I said with a chuckle. "Let's get you women seated on a bed and allow me to get in on this fun, too."

"Mmm yes please, Mr. Champion!" Elyse moaned.

"Oh, pretty please, Master!" Cynthia squealed.

"Okay ladies, all right," I said with a chuckle, giving Elyse a little lift in my arms that set her tits bouncing back and forth against both her face and Cynthia's. "But, my beautiful little Elyse, you're going to have to help me out here? Where's your bedroom? Where's the room that I'm going to fuck you so hard you melt into a puddle of our combined cum?"

Elyse's eyes went wide at my words, and she swiftly pointed a finger across the deck to another at the ship's rear, where two wide but stout oak doors lead directly into a well-furnished room.

"Pirate Queen, my round ass!" Cynthia squealed as soon as we walked inside and saw exactly the lap of luxury that Elyse lived in. "You're more like a Pirate Empress!"

The room was large, with wide leaden windows giving a good view of the brackish marshes downriver. A tall gilt chandelier hung from a crossbeam in the ceiling, and flickering candlelight from its many braziers sent gorgeous flickering shadows dancing across Elyse's exposed tits. They also made her perky, stiff nipples cast long shadows across her round orbs.

I nodded to a large bed that lay directly in the center of the room. "That looks like it's big enough for five," I said with a chuckle. "You sure you weren't planning on joining anyone's harem?"

Elyse giggled, then raked her black nails across my bare chest. "Not used to a woman who sprawls out in bed, I take it?" she asked and I raised an eyebrow that sent a blush blooming across her red cheeks. "Okay, okay, so I never really hated men. But you have no idea what it's like for a powerful woman to be asked to supplicate herself to a man who doesn't deserve her."

Cynthia made cooing sounds of agreement, and I felt her fingers start to trail across my waist while her nails made for the clasp holding my pants up.

"My Master is the most deserving man I can think of," the gorgeous ice mage said with a giggle before bouncing her eyebrows at me. "Can I show Elyse how big you are, Master?"

"Ooh! Yes please!" Elyse giggled, clapping her hands together and squirming in my arms.

"In a minute, love," I said, patting Cynthia on the head with a free hand. "Why don't I deposit our little pirate queen on her bed, then you both can appreciate how much of me your tight little pussies will need to handle?"

Cynthia just made a low groan, but shortly after sprinted away then leapt onto the large bed and landed in a puff of covers. I joined her, sitting on the bed beside my newest wife while I cradled the woman who would be my next wife in my strong arms.

"Time for the big reveal!" Cynthia giggled, while I lifted Elyse's face to mine and pressed my mouth against hers.

I kissed the pirate queen long and hard while I felt my pants get pulled down around my ankles and my length be swallowed up by Cynthia's hot lips.

Cynthia bobbed up and down on my length like a ship at storm, frothy saliva spilling out around her lips every time she forced herself all the way down on me, half gagging but doing her best to take it all like the good girl that she was.

"Mmm," Elyse moaned while I opened her mouth and explored her own lips with my tongue. "You taste like sweat, Adam... my emperor. Can I... can I taste more of you?"

"Is that what you'd like, Elyse?"

The question sent chills of pleasure racing down Elyse's spine, and the woman shivered so violently that her mouth popped clear away from mine.

"Come on in, Elyse!" Cynthia said between gags as my cock pressed through the tighter opening of her throat again. "The cock is fine!"

The pirate queen didn't need any more encouragement. Without a single word, she rotated her body a full one hundred and eighty degrees and I felt a second tongue lick up and down my hardness.

Unbidden, the dual pleasure dragged a groan of ecstasy from my mouth, and to keep myself from spilling my seed down the queen's throat instead of her tight pussy, I started to focus on that delicious pussy instead.

Elyse's slit bobbed up and down before my eyes, more inviting than the last beer at a long party.

"You never mentioned that you keep yourself shaved," I grunted before diving in and savoring the slightly sweet, slightly salty flavors of her womanhood.

"Mmm, and you never said you pleasure a woman better than she can pleasure you," Elyse replied at once.

"What's life without a few surprises," I said with a chuckle, running my tongue up and down her dripping slit. "And you're just a perfect little surprise, aren't you. You going to cum for me, baby?"

Before Elyse could answer, I felt a mouth slide straight down around my shaft and Cynthia squealed with delight, "Oh no you don't! No wife of Master's gets to cum without having him fill at least one part of her up."

I held back a chuckle and a groan of pleasure as my cock head pushed all the way into the smaller woman's tight throat. Amidst light gagging, I also felt Elyse's throat vibrate with pleasure that shivered down her spine and soon wetted her pussy so much that her juices dripped off my chin.

"Oh gods, yes Adam!" Elyse gagged around my hard shaft. I could feel her orgasm through the moans in her throat as much as through the sudden gush of girl juices that spilled across my mouth.

"Oh yay!" Cynthia squealed as the busty ice mage pressed her tits against Elyse's face, only adding to the pirate queen's pleasure. "You're nearly as good a girl as me, Elyse! Now, let's have you take your new emperor's seed, huh? How does that sound?"

Elyse could barely form words to respond. Her body fell limp across mine as she used all her remaining strength to pull her mouth off of my cock.

"That was... that was beyond amazing, Adam," she said as she laid her cheek against the length of my shaft, and tenderly licked my balls.

I grinned, then used my champion's strength to heave her body up and turn her around so she lay with her face against mine.

"Could you give her a hand taking my cock, Cynthia?" I asked the ice mage as I maneuvered the pirate queen into a sitting position.

"Of course, Master!" Cynthia said, stifling a giggle. "Can I hold her up using my tits to press against her back?"

I felt Elyse moan at the mere thought of that, and nodded, then deftly moved the pirate queen into a sitting position with her sopping pussy angled against my cock and let her fall back into Cynthia's arms.

"There, there, Elyse," Cynthia cooed, stroking the petite woman's hair and easing her heavy breasts against Elyse's back. "You're doing so good, but you're not done experiencing Adam's pleasure yet."

"I'm... I'm not?" Elyse asked, confusion evident on her face until I shoved my thick rod into her pussy and replaced the confusion with a moan of ecstasy. "Fuck. You're so big Adam, emperor, husband."

"Not husband yet," I growled, grabbing her curvy hips and starting to thrust up into her wetness while I kept her pussy right where I wanted it. "Not until I cum inside of your pretty little cunt and make you my wife."

A thrill of pleasure radiated up through Elyse's body and her whole chest shook with ecstasy at the thought of me spilling my hot seed inside her tight hole. Her tits jiggled invitingly and I leaned up and took one of her nipples in my mouth, then started to suck on it greedily.

"Fuck yes, Emperor Adam," Elyse moaned as I thrust into her and sucked her nipple back to stiffness. "Cum in my tight little pussy. Suck on my big, gorgeous tits. Yes, please! Oh, gods I'm so... I'm so close."

"Good girls hold their orgasms until their master is ready, you know," Cynthia purred behind Elyse, stroking her black hair until it shone. "You want to be a good girl like me, don't you Elyse?"

"Mhmm," was all Elyse could say.

Her mind was starting to go blank now, I knew. I could feel little pulsing waves traveling up and down her damp tunnel, letting me know how close she was. But I wasn't far behind.

Sucking on her stiff nipple, feeling her gorgeous tits pressed against my face, I felt my cock suddenly tighten and I knew I was right on the edge.

"Cum for me, Elyse," I commanded, growling into her nipple and giving it a playful bite at the same time. "Cum while I pour my seed into you. Cum while I make you my wife, my pirate empress."

"Yes!" Elyse screamed at the top of her lungs.

Her walls suddenly grasped tight to my shaft and right when I felt the first load of seed pump from my cock, I also felt her come apart.

"Fuck yes, Adam!" Elyse groaned while her wet walls thrummed with pleasure, pulsing around me hungrily.

I pumped load after load into her greedy pussy while she pulsed around my length. The only thing that escaped her lips the whole time were the moans of pleasure that she failed to conceal. I held her body against mine the whole time, pressing her large breasts against my chest as Cynthia pressed her tits against Elyse's back.

Finally, after what felt like a quarter of an hour, the pirate queen was able to start mumbling incoherently again.

"Hush now," I said to her, kissing her long and hard on the lips. "You're safe now, my newest wife. But we'll be putting your fleet to even more use than I'll be putting your womb to soon. Tell me, do you want to meet your other wives?"

Instead of an answer, all I got from Elyse were light snores. Clearly, the sexual romp had been too much for the petite woman.

And yet, I could see in Cynthia's eyes that she was even happier to have a beautiful, petite wife to play with than I was. And that was saying something.

Leaning back in the pillows, I felt Cynthia lay her head next to Elyse's and the two women drifted off to sleep curled up next to each other.

I almost slept too, but the reality of what I'd accomplished kept poking my mind.

Now that I'd wedded and bedded a pirate queen, we had a whole fleet that we could use to sail all the way to Farli.

No more gross swamps for me!

Chapter

Seventeen

SOUTHERN SEAS

Troubles in Paradise!

I stood at the prow of the Sea Gull, sniffing at the air so that I could be perfectly certain when we left the foul, rank-smelling swamp and returned to the open ocean.

For now, the lush, moss-covered vegetation stretched nearly to the horizon on my left and right, letting me know that we still had some time till we left the tidal basin. Still, the way that the river widened told me that we were in something of an estuary, and that the open ocean should be nearby.

Behind me, a door to the captain's quarters slammed loudly. I turned to see what the trouble was now. I saw Duke Drefius storming away with his arms folded so tightly across his chest his metal cuirass creaked from the strain. Beside him, Captain Carr wore a scowl so deep I'd have needed a ladder to reach the bottom of it.

As they passed Ormis lying beside the captain's quarters on the deck, I heard Ormis' low, rumbling laughter, tumbling about like rocks in a mountain slide.

I raised an eyebrow at my two commanders. "Seems like something's the matter," I said with a chuckle.

Drefius nodded curtly. Carr threw his hands in the air.

“The damned bi-” Carr began hotly.

I stepped from the railing, putting on a serious expression that told the captain just how close he was to stepping over the edge. He could have said what he wanted about Elyse back when she was merely the unknown pirate queen of a fleet that was dead-set on sacking our ports.

But now, she was my wife.

I wouldn't suffer anyone to speak ill of her, in my presence or in anyone else's.

"Watch your tongue, Carr," I said curtly.

The mercenary captain gasped and clapped his hands in front of his mouth while his eyes went suddenly wide with terror. Drefius chuckled at the exchange and shook his head.

"Your newest wife is a hard one, Emperor Clear," the duke explained, unfolding his arms from his cuirass and putting a hand on either hip, before tossing his head back at the open door. "Captain Carr and I just wanted to know more about the situation in Farli. Unfortunately, she has a very high opinion of herself. I have no doubt that it's earned, of course. Gods know I couldn’t raise myself to lord of a pirate fleet from nothing like she has. Still, she is your newest wife, and Carr and I are your servants. I believe that withholding information is sure to doom our expedition. We shouldn't be set against each other in these times, or in any other."

I nodded, then gave a head shake of my own with a chuckle. “Elyse certainly does have a high opinion of herself, I'll grant you that. Sounds like Ormis finds the whole thing hilarious.”

"The ogre does lack a temper and has good hearing," Drefius said solemnly, bowing his head.

"I'll go speak with her," I said, pushing myself from the railing and moving past both men and into the captain's quarters.

Elyse's private chambers were much as they had been before, when she'd first accepted my marriage proposal a few days prior. Though I did notice some differences.

For instance, her single bed still remained in the center of the room, as it had on our first meeting. Though by this point it was surrounded by several smaller cots and filled up with pillows to keep the expanded sleeping area fit for seven at a time. Fluffy white pillows lay scattered across the bedspread, making the sleeping arrangements as comfortable as an impromptu bed could be.

I noticed that Elyse had also installed a looking glass above her dresser. Blue-tinted ocean light bounced around the cabin from the mirror and glittered upon various colorful pigments sitting in vials or open tubs beneath it.

Elyse had never really had a good sense of her own beauty. But I smiled to know that after marrying me, not only was she letting her wild side show in bed, but she was also growing more comfortable behaving in a more feminine manner outside of it, too.

I admired that change in her, even if I still appreciated the lean, professional attitude with which she approached difficulties. Not to mention her general take-no-prisoners form of negotiating.

As my eyes scanned the room, I glanced back at Ormis, who was now sitting up just outside. The giant ogre was shaking his head and chortling like he’d just been told an extremely dirty joke about an ogre's midwife. Above him, the sea breeze blew wisps of his stone-colored hair about.

But I hadn’t come here to check up on my friend in combat, and my eyes flicked away from him and back into the room until they saw the person I sought. Standing at the edge of the bed was my newest wife, Elyse.

I couldn't hold back another chuckle as I realized that no matter how furious Carr and Drefius had looked, Elyse’s scowl put their blustering to shame.

She fixed me with a gaze that was filled with annoyance. Tossing her hair out of her face, she folded her arms beneath her large breasts and said, "Your lessers should learn some manners when they're speaking to a queen. And I don't even mean a pirate queen, either. I mean your wife. They had the gall to ask me for information on Farli without consulting you, my king."

She tossed a hand in the air, as though doing so might vent her frustration and keep it from boiling over.

I raised an eyebrow, moving around to wrap an arm at the small of her back, then leaned down and planted my lips upon hers. I'd always found that a kiss soothed hot tempers, and the same was true here.

She gasped when our lips met, and then moaned when my tongue sought out hers, melting beneath my touch. Once she’d gone as gooey as soft jelly, I pulled my face away and watched her reaction. Elyse must have enjoyed it a good bit, because her mouth hung open slightly and a thin trickle of glistening drool crept down her cheek.

Then she blinked.

"What was that for?" she asked needily.

I gave her butt a smack and said, "That was for proving that you are still going to be the most disagreeable, headstrong, and difficult wife I've yet gained."

Ormis burst into laughter at my comment, and Elyse frowned.

"I did not mean to displease you, my king. I only meant to-"

"Hush now," I said, putting a finger upon her lips to silence her. "I never said that I didn't like it. All of my wives are unique in their own ways. Each brings something to both our relationships and our kingdom. You, I can tell, are going to bring order to proceedings that had previously been chaotic. For instance, I know a few counts and earls whose political protestations I'd gladly dump in your lap to have them silenced. I've never been one for the political machinations of others."

Elyse giggled at that and beamed up at me.

"But," I continued, "I am going to need you to be a little more agreeable with my captains and dukes, as well as with your fellow wives."

That addendum made Elyse frown and raise a foot to stamp it on the wooden decking.

"You don't have to be perfectly agreeable," I said with a chuckle and a head shake. "But at the very least, I'd prefer it if they didn't leave conversations with you fuming so powerfully they might actually catch fire. It would be unfortunate to lose any of my new ships because an angry captain or duke burst into fire and caught the decking."

Elyse giggled at that and nodded. But I wasn’t done yet.

"You have a higher estimation of women than most of the citizens of this land do. I suspect you have a higher appreciation of women than most of my wives. In fact, it might rival my own,” I remarked with a chuckle. “You know that a skilled woman can be just as dangerous as a man, even if she needs to use different tactics to accomplish the same results. However, not all of my subjects will see the world in such a way. In the future, I want you to come to me instead of blowing your lid at people whose heads I need to remain cool, calm, and collected. Is that understood?"

Elyse chewed her lower lip cutely, then nodded.

"I'm not trying to chastise you," I said. "I'm just trying to set some much-needed ground rules. Now, why don't you tell me what Drefius and Carr asked for?"

Behind us, I heard Ormis' snores start to sound out loud and rumbling. Clearly, the ogre had decided that the fun had ended and it was high time for his next nap to continue.

While he slumbered, I heard him mumbling something about the water being no place for an ogre, and I shook my head as I pictured what he would look like swimming. On land, Ormis had barely trusted the wooden bridge to Clear Castle.

"They were asking for very impertinent information about my home region," Elyse explained. "You know why I left Farli with my ships. How living under a champion's rule was acceptable if the champion was honorable. But how Farli's champion had been so boring, pretentious, and generally useless that it's amazing he lasted as long as he did."

I nodded and said, "And you told me how he was slain by an anthril drone, an easy foe to defeat, and one which I've mastered battling many, many times. But I already knew this, and I have relayed that information to them as well. Surely they must have been asking you for more."

Elyse glanced around herself, grinned at the slumbering, slumped-over form of Ormis, and then met my eyes. "That's true," she said. "But they wanted to know more than that. I will tell you, since you are my husband, and in the future, I will come to you when they ask for things which I do not feel they have deserved. First, I think we should sit down. It's a long tale."

I gestured to the bed, and we both took seats upon it. At first Elyse sat on the bedspread next to me. Then to my surprise, she crawled over and sat in my lap. Instinctively, my arms wrapped around her, and I felt her nuzzling her nose against my cheek.

"Our old champion, Teposi, may have been useless," she began, "but at least that's most of what he was. The new champions who replaced him are practically evil. They looted the land, set towns to the torch, and raped whoever caught their fancy. So many of my friends - beautiful girls in their own right - fell to their forces. It's only because I was so plain-looking that I managed to escape south and steal away a ship."

I chuckled, then pressed one finger against her button nose. "Elyse," I said, "you are far from plain. Back home they'd say that you have good bones, even if you didn't apply makeup in exactly the right ways or behave in traditionally feminine ways, either."

Elyse giggled and shook her head, and I could feel the action make her breasts jiggle beneath her shirt, her stiffening nipples grazing my arm.

"That's one of the things that I like about you, Adam," she said, "and I hope that in the future I can be even more beautiful for you. Knowing that my husband is powerful gives me the security to be more feminine. But that's not the point. The information that they sought was the names of the kingdom and their forces. I will give these to you. But first, how about another one of those kisses?"

I grinned at her and did as she asked. The payment, after all, seemed more than worth the value of the information provided.

After that, Elyse told me all she knew of the situation in Farli. Apparently, the kingdoms to Farli's east and north had both invaded once their own champions learned of the Farli champion’s death at the hands of the anthril.

The devastation the invaders wrought upon the countryside was horrific. Looting and plundering seemed to be the general state of affairs in that distant kingdom. The only exceptions were the port towns, which the invaders wanted to maintain to prevent invasion by sea. Most of the other towns had been fully looted and reduced to cinders.

“And what about this emperor Temini?” I asked. “I’ve heard about him, but I don’t really know the extent of his rule.”

Elyse nodded, then folded her arms beneath her breasts. “He still rules Farli, at least so far as I’m aware. He’s mostly a figurehead though, and relies on a council of soldiers and lords to oversee the empire. His main seat is a city called Myrai, a totally defenseless place. He really trusted his champion, Teposi, way too much.”

“Wish the rulers in Tolmeria had trusted me too much,” I said with a chuckle. “Or at all. So, if I bring this Temini fellow to heel, does he have enough power to grant me all of Farli?”

“All that’s left of it, at least,” Elyse said bitterly, dropping her arms to her lap.

From the sounds of things, the piracy which Elyse and her crews engaged in was practically benign in comparison, since she and her crew didn't take everything that the ships she plundered had to offer, and left any crew alive who surrendered to her, while accepting any turncoats who wished to join her crews instead of sailing for this champion or that one.

Thanks to her, I also learned that Farli’s southern ports, which gave the easiest access to Farli's interior, were all closed to any ships, including those that flew the flags of Farli or the two invading empires.

Word of my deeds had evidently gotten out, so we'd need a strategy to slip past the blockade on her own ports. I also learned of the potential for a floating city to be constructed in the southern oceans, but that the Ostrid which prowled the territory made such a thing impossible.

Finally, I learned that Elyse quite liked Cynthia, despite all her protestations to the contrary.

As she finished with the stories, Elyse chewed her lip again in that cute manner that she had, and said, "It's strange, my king, but ever since marrying you, I yearn to have a baby. Only, the thought of bearing it alone terrifies me. Could I request something from you?"

I nodded, and she ducked her head as though she was embarrassed about what she had to ask. “I wanted to ask you for a favor, my king.”

I grinned and rubbed her shoulder until she untensed. “Anything, my queen,” I said.

Elyse murmured softly, then finally built up the courage to begin her request. “Assuming that Cynthia agrees to it, would you be willing to impregnate both of us at the same time? Harmony and Rosa often speak of how good it was to have each other in their pregnancies, and I can think of no better companion than a fellow sailor. Plus, it feels right somehow that two seawomen would take your semen at the same time.”

I grinned at her, chuckled at her little joke, then kissed her hair and hugged her tight against me. “Assuming that Cynthia agrees to it,” I said. "I'd be happy to impregnate both of you at once. It seems that I'd better get used to having sex with more than one partner at once, seeing as how my family keeps growing."

Elyse beamed at me, and then I shook my head and finished, "But first, let's go slay an Ostrid in the Southern Oceans before it goes into hibernation and becomes a huge threat. Then, let's reclaim Farli for the Tolmerian Empire. After that’s all accomplished, you, Cynthia, and I can work on your request. Do those terms sound agreeable?”

One look at the brilliant, glistening eyes on Elyse's face told me that nothing could have been more agreeable to her. Well, nothing except perhaps a good sudden fucking. But I wasn’t the sort of man to hump and dump like that.

What can I say, sometimes people aren’t just lovers or fighters.

I was both.

Suddenly, a call from outside rang out through the open doorway. "Emperor Clear! Empress Elyse! We've reached the open ocean again! Your headings!"

I looked at my newest wife, grinned, and then called in response, "Take us south. We've got a legendary creature to destroy and a quest to complete. After that, it's due northeast to Farli. I think I know how to get past the blockade."

"Oh?" Elyse asked, curious.

I grinned and nodded. "Yep. I used to know a necromancer who excelled in making a fog roll over any waters he wished. He might be out of the picture now, but I think I know how to whip up a suitable replacement. First, Ostrid, though. How’s that sound, Elyse?"

"Sounds wonderful, my emperor," Elyse said, inclining her head and suppressing a happy sigh.

Chapter

Eighteen

SOUTHERN SEAS

Big One, That!

“We've got one breaching!" a sailor on the port side, with lanky black hair hanging down well past her shoulders, shouted. She raised a finger and pointed off over the waters, and I saw a single massive red tentacle careening up out of the churning waters. The gigantic thing twisted suddenly into a spiral and then came crashing back down with a splash that was loud enough to make mothers the world over moan and whine about hearing loss.

"Hold your fire now!" I called when I saw the sailor's hand on the lever that would fire her harpoon. "We want to make sure we've got the best shot possible!"

Immediately, the sailor's hand slapped away from the firing lever and she turned to salute me sharply. Though I couldn't fail to notice that the tendons in her arms stood out like steel girders holding a building way too big for them up.

"Aye aye, Captain!" she shouted and I chuckled.

"That's Emperor to you, sailor!"

"Aye aye, Captain Emperor!"

Elyse slapped her forehead in embarrassment.

We'd been out at sea for no more than three days, and found the Ostrid sooner than I'd expected. The shoreline was still well behind us now, and although I'd hoped for the sort of calm, placid waters that you often saw on postcards for tropical islands, we'd soon found clouds looming overhead.

Instead of flat blue to match the clear sky, we got choppy waves, gray sky like steel, and a driving wind that blew cold down from the north.

Our ship's hull hadn't stopped tossing, turning, or rolling for two nights in a row.

I grumbled and spat over the ship's railing, not even bothering to stop and watch my saliva smack with a splash into the waters below. Instead, I gazed in the same direction as the sailor at the harpoon had.

The distant ocean waters churned and rumbled across every single inch of my rain-dampened vision, and the cold water running down in sleeting sheets across my face and arms sent ribbons of cold grazing across my skin.

"Damned pegasus," I muttered, squinting into the churning waters for signs of another tentacled appendage. "You could have made this so much easier!"

My flying mount was loyal to a fault, of that I had no doubt. But he had his own fears just like any other beast. And, it turned out, one of those fears was being boarded up into the hull of a ship being tossed about in a tremendous thunderstorm.

Go figure.

"Quest details," I said when it became clear the Ostrid wouldn't let its location be known before it wanted to.

QUEST: Defeat the Ostrid of the Southern Seas. Easy, right?

QUEST NOTES: The Ostrid is a terrifying, tentacled, kraken-type monstrosity that makes settling fishing trawlers, conducting trade, or even going on simple pleasure cruises at night in eel-infested waters in that region extremely difficult, monstrously dangerous, and just generally the sort of time you only ever really want to send your mother-in-law to enjoy. Bear in mind that the Ostrid is completely immune to magic of all types. It also can’t run away when you’re fighting it. If you recall, if it goes undefeated during the first year of its appearance, it will swim to the ocean floor and cocoon itself there for five years before rising again as an even more-monstrous entity, with the power to destroy entire regions before lunch.

QUEST ACTIVE TIME: This quest has been active for a period of six months, thirteen days, and twelve hours. Plenty of time left, right? Oh, what's that? You wanted minutes and seconds as well?

I don't have time to keep up with all this shit!

Signed,

Asmi

QUEST REWARDS: Look, you'll find out when you beat the damned thing, okay?

Quit pestering me. I'm trying to have a nice glass of brandy over here, and your incessant questioning's going to make it warm up before I can answer them all.

I chuckled and gave a head shake at the way the god of barter arranged my quest criteria. He was definitely getting more sassy as time went on, that's for sure.

Stepping over to the railing, I glanced at a funny-looking wave that rolled in the opposite direction of its many companions. Squinting, I gasped when I saw a red-and-black something shimmering close to the water's surface.

"You see that thing out there?" I shouted to the sailor with the harpoon.

The black-haired sailor squinted ahead, frowned, then finally nodded.

"Good! Aim for it, account for the drop and the wind, then fire!" I shouted when a gust of wind suddenly leapt up and screamed in all our ears.

The sailor nodded once more, then adjusted her harpoon's angle and hauled back sharply on the wooden lever.

A flash of silvery steel leapt from the harpoon as the barb shot out and headed towards the Ostrid, but I could tell a moment later that the sailor's aim had been slightly off. The problem was that she was responsible for both aiming the harpoon and hauling back on the firing lever. That meant that whenever she went to fire, any small movement would cause the harpoon itself to fly astray.

The harpoon landed with a noiseless splash in the churning waves, and I pointed quickly to another sailor.

"You, sailor!" I shouted and the woman turned to face me and gave me a salute. She had hair that was equally as long as the harpooner, and as lank and greasy, though hers was more of a brunette. "Go man the lever beside her and ready yourself. When I give the signal, I want both of you to work together to fire the harpoon straight and true. Let's catch us an Ostrid!"

My words sent a nervous cheer racing up through the many sailors and I watched as Elyse turned and beamed at me. One thing that really helped her to see me as her emperor was how I took command of these situations, and I reveled in her grin.

Then I glanced at the rest of the ship's sides. The Sea Gull was graced with four harpoons on either side, and I called out to sailors at random to go assist in doubling up on the weapons.

With a slight movement, I pulled my bow of fire arrows out of the aether and slipped two fingers around the drawstring. The fire from my arrows might have been just as useless against the Ostrid, with its nullification of magic, as it was by the fact that I was shooting them literally into the ocean.

But I hoped the arrows themselves would have some physical punch behind them at least.

"What can we do to help?" Cynthia asked from my right side while Harmony slipped her arm around mine on my left. I could feel their excitement at the chase thrumming through them like lightning through a powerline.

I glanced at my two wives and frowned with a headshake. "Your phoenix might be powerful, Harmony, and your ice skills might be precise, Cynthia, but the damned thing is immune to magic," I said with a shrug, then considered the question more thoughtfully. "Both of you stay ready though. It might be immune to your magic hurting it, but maybe we can use your skills to distract it somehow."

They both nodded eagerly and Cynthia shimmied up to my other side, matching Harmony. "I don't just want to stay ready though, Adam," she keened while pressing my bicep between her large full breasts and sighing. "I want to be useful to my husband."

She was practically purring with need, or maybe just lust since I'd broached Elyse's idea to her and I chuckled. "Why don't you go make ice rings in the water around it, Cynthia," I suggested. "That'll at least hopefully slow it down and make it an easier target."

Cynthia beamed at me and sprang away again while Harmony pouted. I glanced at my pyromancer wife and raised an eyebrow. "What? It's not like you just had two breasts pulled away from your side."

Harmony giggled at that, and I watched as Elyse and Cynthia stood at the ship's edge, hand in hand. My two sea wives had indeed grown closer since I'd told Cynthia about Elyse's impregnation proposal. I was glad of that, since the two women seemed practically at odds with one another when they were first introduced.

After some hand-waving from Elyse, Cynthia booked it to the prow and raised her hands towards the Ostrid's location. Then, ice shot of her palms in huge spires, forming large ice blocks in the ocean around the Ostrid, ensnaring it in a maze of frozen ice.

"Looking good, Cynthia!" I shouted and then met the eyes of the black and brunette-haired sailors at the harpoon. "Be ready to fire!"

The two women nodded, first at me and then at each other, before they turned their sights out to sea.

In the distance, the Ostrid's motions became agitated and frantic as it was penned in by Cynthia's ice magic. A roar leapt up from the churning waves and suddenly a huge plume of saltwater sprayed up in a geyser that could have made Old Faithful blush.

The massive Ostrid’s equally-massive noggin breached the churning water's surface, sending sprays of ocean water flying about it like a glass window shattering during a break-in.

"Now!" I shouted, thrusting my arm forward for good measure.

The beast's red-and-black head glinted in the gray light and the black and brunette sailors targeted it immediately. A moment later, the heavy wooden thunk of a lever being thrown rang out across the stormy winds and the harpoon shot forward so fast you didn't even need to blink to miss it, you could've had your eyes trained on the spot all the while and still not seen it leap out.

A whizzing sound trailed in its sharp wake as it sliced through the windy expanse more easily than a hot knife through butter. Then it slapped hard into the Ostrid's flesh, sinking two of four sharp barbs on its tip beneath the monster's skin.

"Excellent shot!" Elyse called to the sailors. "You've both earned a pint of grog on me, once this is all over!"

But I wasn't so easy with my praise. As the creature's roar of pain, anguish, and general unpleasantness ripped through the air, I shouted to the crew, "Hold on, everyone! This isn't over yet! I think it's just begun!"

I was right.

The Ostrid's anguished cry was accompanied by two massive tentacles flailing around it. One caught the edge of Cynthia's nearest ice block and sent the thing flying into the air. It hung there for a moment, then two, then I wondered just how many lucky stars I had to count, when it crashed down on the Ostrid's own head with a loud crack.

"No way!" the brunette shouted eagerly, turning to hug her raven-haired companion.

"Hold still!" I shouted, a moment too late.

With a jerk, the harpoon's trailing line snapped taut as the Ostrid dove down. The line sent the boat creaking as its solid mooring pulled on it and turned the whole of the Sea Gull around. Both black-haired and brunette sailors suddenly went from hugging each other to grasping desperately for the railing to prevent themselves from being thrown overboard.

Harmony's hand smacked hard against my chest as she used me for leverage to keep being tossed overboard.

"Steady all!" Elyse's call came from the prow and I yelled for the two harpooners nearest her to sink two more harpoons into our target.

The sailors at the harpoon's handles gave me salutes, while those at the levers shot me quick nods. Then they did exactly what I told them to, twin harpoons flying out into the breeze like angry hornets until they sank deep into the Ostrid's flesh beside the first.

"We've got her now!" I shouted excitedly, my heart hammering in my chest from the thrill of the chase.

If only it would be that easy. Nothing ever was.

Just as I finished yelling my victory cheer, the ship bobbed up and started to slow. Twin twangs told me that the two newest harpoons' ropes had been cut, while a splintering snap from the gunwale announced the first's mooring had snapped clear free of the ship's frame.

Then, everything went to hell.

A tentacle lashed up in front of the Sea Gull, thick and monstrous, with suckers running up and down its length that were each larger than my champion-altered chest. For a single, horrifying moment, the tentacle waved there beside the ship, and the whole crew gasped in terror.

Then, it came down.

What remained of the railing cracked into a million pieces and splinters shot out like buckshot from the impact site. The original sailors who'd first struck it didn't come out of the experience well. Really, they didn't come out of it at all.

A massive, flat tentacle crushed them into a pulpy mess of blood, guts, and cracked bones.

"Heave to starboard!" Elyse yelled at the sailor manning the captain's wheel, and the woman immediately started fighting to turn the vast bulk.

But the tentacle had a solid grip on us and started to drag the whole Sea Gull down into the depths.

"Cynthia!" I shouted, leaping from the top deck to the middle and already pulling back on my bowstring. "Freeze it where it rises from the water!"

"On it!" Cynthia shouted, leaping to the railing and leaning precipitously over the edge to start showering the edge with ice.

I sighted the flat, bulbous end and let my first fire arrow fly. It was time to test just how immune to magic this beast was.

And that, it turned out, was just as immune as it was seemingly possible to be.

Cynthia's spray of ice into the water around it fizzled out in lightly dancing snowflakes, and my fire arrow not only failed to catch the tentacle like I'd been able to do with so many other things, the bulk of the shaft also simply vanished as soon as the tip struck it.

"Shit!" I shouted when I saw that my best weapon was no use against the monster.

"Shit's exactly right, my king!" Elyse responded sharply. "We need a new plan!"

"On it!" I replied and tossed my bow of fire arrows into the air where it disappeared in a flicker of magic.

Meanwhile, my other hand sought the hilt of my sword and I heaved the heavy blade out of the scabbard with ease. I'd seen paintings of medieval knights using the broadsword, or bastard sword as a sort of club in the middle ages. The swords were no doubt massive, unwieldy and just generally more impressive as a show of might than in an actual battle. At least, they were if you fought with them like you would a regular sword.

I wasn't wearing any steel gauntlets, so I knew grabbing the blade's edge was a risky prospect, but I had little other choice.

My fingers clenched the steel blade hard, slipping only slightly in the rain, while my other hand gripped the handle tighter than a drunkard to his last beer at closing time. Then, I brought the huge blade crashing down upon the tentacle's flesh.

It might not have been magically imbued with fire, but it was still imbued with my insane strength. The blow sunk deep into the Ostrid's jelly-like flesh, until I felt the tip sink straight through it and get lodged in the wooden middle deck.

The creature roared loudly and the tentacle, or what remained of it, careened up and away from the danger I posed, slapping back into the water in a pool of bloody red waves.

"Nice one, my king!" Elyse shouted.

"Yeah!" Cynthia agreed.

"Don't count it out yet," I replied with a smirk. "Everyone, stay on your toes! That's only the edge of one of its tentacles that I removed. There's going to be a lot more where that came from!"

The cheering crew silenced immediately, and they all looked around themselves with trepidation.

Nothing moved, save for the churning of the ocean beneath our hull. The creaking ship sounded eerily silent.

"Where's it gone?" Harmony asked at my side.

I shook my head. "Not sure. Maybe it's-" I paused and gasped as the realization struck me.

The Sea Gull was one of the fastest and most nimble of my new pirate fleet, but it wasn't the only ship in the fight. Behind us, a deeply-hulled merchant vessel bobbed in the waves, too heavy to be much use against such a large and nimble foe.

"Turn the Gull around!" I shouted suddenly, spotting a black-and-red something moving in the waters between the two ships. It was too late.

Unable to protect herself, the big-bellied merchant vessel was helpless as a full four tentacles raced up her sides and applied cracking pressure. A groan of wood about to give out sounded ghostly across the stormy seas, and I knew she was done for.

"Harmony, I know what you can do," I said with firm resolve. My wife raised her eyebrows at me and I gestured to the rapidly collapsing vessel. "Use your phoenix to light that ship up. It's going to sink now anyway, and the sailors aboard are lost. But she can give the Ostrid one hell of a sendoff."

Harmony met my gaze, then nodded. Her phoenix burst out of her in a flash of flames, rising high and seeking out the ship that was rapidly being pulled in half.

Just as the two halves of the merchant vessel finally split in two, Harmony's phoenix leapt down and spread its wings wide to touch either of them.

Immediately, the two halves burst into roaring flames, and I had to appreciate just how advanced Harmony's skill had gotten with her phoenix powers. Seeing her use this much power without me having to supplement her magic and potentially drive her mad was definitely a more agreeable way of doing things.

The Ostrid's four tentacles didn't even know what hit them.

One moment, they were greedily dragging the ship down into the deepest depths of the churning waters; the next the now non-magical flames fed by the huge stores of wheat, grain, actual flour, and not to mention hay and straw in the ship's hold took to the torch faster than lightning.

A hiss of searing tentacle and Ostrid flesh crackled in the air like a bonfire, and the tentacle's writhed as they attempted to release the flaming target. But Harmony's phoenix had lit such huge flames upon the hulls that the embers were actively cauterizing the Ostrid's tentacles to the wooden beams.

The very ocean itself rumbled as the beast roared, and I heard Elyse give a cheer of victory behind me.

"Yes! Great shooting, Harmony! We've got it now!" my newest wife cheered.

Still, I didn't join her celebrations.

"Look!" I shouted, pointing to the merchant vessel's hold.

Not only was the Ostrid finally managing to rip its burned appendages free of the conflagration, but dark shapes were buzzing furiously from the stores.

"Oh shit," Cynthia gasped. "Are those what I think they are?"

"Cynthia, if you ever have to ask that question, then the answer is pretty much always yes," I responded hotly. "Looks like our little anthril shapeshifter friend managed to hide some insectoid eggs in the hold. Seems they need a bit of flame to speed up the hatching process. Someone remind me to square away the details of these things with Zorel then next time we see him."

I meant the last bit to lighten the mood. Instead, no one smiled and no one laughed. Beneath the waters, I saw the Ostrid turning and using some special ability to actually heal its cauterized tentacles. The seared flesh hissed beneath the churning waves, striking up out of them and displaying pure, unharmed skin.

"We need a plan, Adam!" Harmony shouted, when she too saw the repaired limbs.

"Working on it!" I shouted back, my eyes trained on the Ostrid's massive face as it fully breached out of the waves and made to swallow our corsair whole.

It opened its enormous mouth wide, and I grimaced at a black tongue slipping around razor sharp teeth, barely visible from beneath its fleshy interior.

"If only there was a way to kill it from the inside," I grumbled to no one in particular. Then it struck me.

My hand slipped into my pants pocket and withdrew the monster crystal that the shapeshifter had left upon killing it. The Ostrid was close now, and we barely had any time to act. But the call of the crystal was more powerful for the insectoids than the call of a nice corsair steak was to the Ostrid.

Their black wings buzzed furiously over the Ostrid's head, and around its cheeks as they swarmed for the crystal I held aloft.

"You want it?" I shouted to the mass of buzzing things. "Go and get it!"

Then I hauled back and readied to throw a major league level pitch, sending the crystal spinning furiously from my hand and right down the Ostrid's throat.

The beast's eyes flickered angrily as the crystal punched its way into its stomach, and I figured that it probably thought that was all I had.

Then, the insectoid swarm adjusted course, swarming into the shaded maw of the massive Ostrid before it could even gulp in shock. What looked like at least a hundred sets of chitinous black insect wings darkened its open mouth even more than the shade from the darkened sky.

Now, it gulped. It was too late.

The furious beating and scratching of a hundred crystal-maddened kalatchi clawed at the insides of its mouth, its throat, all the way down to its stomach. When it opened its mouth the next time, blood poured from it instead of shadows.

The massive monster gave a final ragged roar as it thrashed about, desperate to rid itself of its newfound parasites and completely unable to do so.

"Gross," Harmony commented with a smirk as its tentacles flailing slowed, and the beast sank beneath the waves.

"Hopefully just gross," I commented, watching the place it sank for signs that a new insectoid vassal or queen might rise from the depths.

I didn't know whether or not the insectoids could swim at all, though the possibility that swallowing a gem changed their form to suit their environment did seem entirely possible. Part of me worried that I'd exchanged a kraken-like creature for a monstrous bug instead.

But the waters showed no signs of disturbance except from the wind and rain and a new message appeared before my eyes.

QUEST UPDATE: Congratulations! You've successfully slain the Ostrid and used frankly-unexpected methods as well. Nice one on that. As for the new Insectoid, what about a little suspense, huh?

I shook my head with a chuckle. "So long as they don't show up to bother us, that king can do what he likes."

Kings always do.

QUEST REWARD: I like watching you think on your feet, Adam. So, instead of the usual Lord Points, you're going to get a nice new piece of clothing instead. Check it out, the cloak of invincibility! Once per day, it will block a fatal blow given to the wearer.

I blinked, then chuckled at the item's silly name.

Oh, come on now! Not every day you get a cloak that's as immune to physical damage as the Ostrid was to magic now, is it?

Chapter

Nineteen

SOUTHERN SEAS

Damnit, Asmi!

"What do you mean I'm not allowed to sack the port cities?" I asked Asmi tersely. "I'm finally a naval power, with all these ships. And now you're telling me I can't use my fleet to my advantage?"

It was ridiculous, and that was even accounting for Asmi's usually ridiculous and dangerous requests.

I pointed a finger down at the god of barter and declared, "If you think I'm going back through those swamps, you've got another thing coming, Asmi."

The little god just chuckled and plopped his feet up on a cloth-covered stool inside the captain's quarters.

Nearly a week had passed since we'd slain the Ostrid, and although I was keen to try out my new cloak, I was also keen to use my advantages to, well, my advantage. It turned out that sailing across an entire region still took some time. At least the smell of saltwater wasn’t as foul as the swamps.

Beside the equally-plush cloth covered chair that Asmi rested his ungrateful rear on lay a table that was stuffed to the brim, and then some, with maps, charts, reports, and letters. It was a good thing that the seas had becalmed ever since the Ostrid perished, or else both the table and all the documents it held would've gotten spilled across my quarters worse than a hay bale in a tornado.

But it was the contents of those maps that told me I'd really need to take one of the ports, or else slip back into the swamps and pursue my quests on foot. Farli's southern shores, it turned out, were basically all steep cliffs, rocky advance, or were so gods-damned shallow that we'd have to row thousands of men to shore in rowboats from miles off the coast. And we really didn’t have that many rowboats.

Asmi beamed at me, then stuck a sweet treat that resembled a bear claw into his mouth, sucking the sweet icing off his fingers with a sigh.

"Adam, Adam, Adam," he said while patting a stomach that had grown significantly more round since the first time I'd met him, "whenever will you learn that you're the champion of a god of barter? You want to go destroy port towns, setting fire to everything and slaughtering your way up to Farli's heart, go join forces with the god of fire… or the god of chaos."

I frowned at him, knowing full well how funny he found all this. The god of chaos wasn't best-pleased with me, after I defied his, or its, will by springing Cynthia from a trap that its champion Regor had set.

"I'd gladly trade for the god of fire!" I declared, while knowing full well that something like that was an impossibility. "Why don't you tell me their name? Or arrange an introduction?"

Asmi shook his head, lifted his feet from the stool and rose to his full, and largely insubstantial height. "You know better than that, Adam," he said testily. "I'm not about to give my champion up just because he wants to go on a burning spree. I've grown used to the life of luxury that your many successes provide. So, I'll tell you one last time: No Sacking Farli. A god of barter needs trade routes to stay mostly open."

I waved a hand and he chuckled.

“Oh, and one final thing, Adam,” he said in a conspiratorial tone. I raised an eyebrow at his sudden change in voice and he leaned forward. “I’m not really supposed to divulge this, but you’re not doing too bad in the Game. However, you’ll have some stiff competition once you finally break out of your section of Limar. Directly on the other side of the globe, a group of four champions are leveling at a crazy rate, especially considering how solidified their empires are getting. They’ve got a big desert region situated in what would otherwise be the intersection of their empires, and they’re effectively able to farm it for big drops and lots of experience even while things start to settle down over here.”

I shook my head at the thought that anything around me could be considered ‘settling down,’ and Asmi chuckled.

“Just that I’d warn you to level as much as you can before you start campaigning across the globe,” he said with a wink.

Then he snapped his fingers and disappeared with a small pop, suddenly returning the flow of time to its usual hectic pace.

Beside me, Isabel stirred in the large bed next to Cynthia and Elyse. Colette, Rosa, and Harmony were asleep in the guest quarters. My bookish wife was taking somewhat poorly to the seas, and even in the becalmed waters that we now sailed over she often woke at the slightest disturbance.

"Adam?" she asked groggily, raising hands to wipe the sleep away from her face. "What's going on, dearest? You were just next to me a moment ago."

As she sat up in bed, I moved over and stroked her hair gently. "Just another visit from Asmi, Isabel," I whispered softly with my lips brushing her ear and making her shudder with delight. "Your big, strong husband still has to heed the gods' orders, even if they're absurd."

"Mmm," Isabel cooed, leaning back against me. "I know you'll figure out some way to make your god happy and be successful, too, Adam. You always do."

"That's right, my brilliant wife,” I said with a grin. “Now go back to sleep and let your husband finalize his planning to do just that."

Isabel stifled a yawn, then leaned her cheek against my manhood. "My big husband," she cooed happily, earning a response from me.

I was about to go back on that whole planning portion of my day when I felt light snores ripple across my waist. With a chuckle, I adjusted the pillows by her head and then went out the door.

The night air immediately washed coolly over my face, raising the whiskers on my cheek as I glanced east and saw the slight graying of the purple black sky that meant dawn was coming closer. A few sailors kept a skeleton crew on deck, and those who were nearby raised hands to salute me. After gently closing the cabin door, I waved them off and they resumed their positions.

Mostly, their prior positions were resting with arms draped over the side railings. That was definitely one thing that could be said for the calm waters, they allowed a certain calmness to exist on the crew as well.

"Morning, Emperor Clear," a woman at the captain's wheel murmured quietly behind me. "What brings you out before dawn? I'd have thought you'd rather the warmth of your wives than the cool night air."

Glancing up at her I chuckled with a headshake. "You'd be right. Unfortunately, a certain god of mine dropped an enormous requirement in my lap, and I'll have to figure out a way to solve it before moving forward."

She nodded. "Gods often have a way of doing that, I'm told. What was the requirement?"

"That I not sack any of the port cities on my way inland, once we reach Farli," I said with a sigh. "How far out are we from making land?"

"Probably a day or two. Mostly, it depends on where you want to make land."

I nodded. "What's the closest port city?"

The woman thought about that for a moment, before responding, "Renat will be the closest large one, though Tolya's a bit closer." She shook her head. "Also, Renat's got one of the worst harbors I've ever seen, and I've seen quite a few. Tolya's two days, or thereabouts. Renat's four, probably."

"Sounds like Tolya's the one then," I grumbled.

The woman shot me a grin, then suddenly the world stopped around me again. I glanced around, expecting to see Asmi waddling out of some shaded corner. But who I saw instead was significantly taller.

"Long time no see, Adam," the Creator said in a voice that was half a purr. "Looks like you've been doing well for yourself."

I grinned, barely stopping my eyes from scanning up and down her gorgeous frame. "I could say the same about you, Creator."

She chuckled at my compliment.

While Asmi had been letting my successes in the battlefield, ocean, land, or swamp go to his head - or more aptly his stomach - the Creator apparently didn't look upon me as a representative of herself in quite the same way.

The first time I'd met her, the elven goddess had worn a sheer white dress that hugged her every curve, and left so little to the imagination not even her nipples were hidden from sight.

Then, I had wondered whether she’d been intending to seduce me, dressed as a solid ten, and not just a Cleveland ten either. But time had gone on, and I’d gradually become aware of the fact that she truly lacked interest in me, at least in that way. Clearly, she still had a certain curiosity about how I’d perform in the Game of Castles, if not exactly in bed.

Still, it wasn’t like she was dressed any worse this time than when I’d first met her.

Instead of a sheer white drape, a green brocade dress hugged her tightly, clinging to her skin like cellophane. Thin straps hung from her slender shoulders, barely coming together in a deep V shape that not only gave me a view of some seriously nice side-boob but also dipping low enough to expose her belly button.

The Creator's chest might not have been flat, but her stomach sure was. The deep-cut dress seemed to end just above her waist before splitting off into a long trailing green fabric, with a slit that ended just below her left ass cheek and pooled around her on the deck.

"I'm trying out a new style. Sort of an experiment. Do you like it?" she asked.

I could only nod, though that was followed by a frown. "You know that I like it, Creator. But what are you doing here? I seemed to remember the last time we met suddenly like this it was to go save Cynthia. And you'd brought some seriously gross company."

The many-tentacled god of chaos hadn't been as frightening as Cthulhu, but it was still unnerving.

"Merely wanted to check in on one of the more-successful champions. See how you and Asmi are getting along."

I raised an eyebrow at her, folding my arms across my chest. "That seems a bit more personal in attention than I would expect, Creator."

She beamed at me. "Well, let's just say that your intentions have caught the eyes of some other gods. I'm not spying for them, obviously. But can't a Creator check in on one of her favorites every now and again? I mean, it isn’t exactly like you can stop me." Then she chuckled and continued. "I also wanted to let you know that, once enough champions have been knocked out of the running, the rules of the Game of Castles are going to change somewhat. Just giving you a little heads-up, since you've already killed one champion, established cool but cordial relations with another, and are currently en route to either be slain yourself or to slay two more once you reach Farli."

I grinned. "Ah, so the champions invading Farli have moved into the territory then?"

The Creator chuckled with a head shake that sent her long hair billowing out around her like ocean waves. "You would have found out anyway, soon enough. It isn’t exactly a secret or anything. You really do miss out on a lot of news when you’re at sea, don’t you? "

I could only shrug. “I wouldn’t if I had a full-grown pegasus that wasn’t deathly afraid of sailing. Drago’s a big coward when it comes to the ocean, and my other two pegasi aren’t big enough for me to ride yet. Probably, they won’t be for another few months, either.”

Her eyes sparkled. Even in the thin moon’s feeble glow, lights danced in them like stars in the night’s sky.

"Well, it sounds like someone needs to investigate using pigeons for news, or enlisting some smaller, more lithe people to ride the pegasi before they’re fully grown?”

I narrowed my eyes at her and she shook her head, clearly enjoying looking down on my difficulties. So I should have been using some loyal teenagers to be my couriers on the pegasi. More administrative things to put into place after this excursion.

“Anyway,” she continued, “after enough champions kick the bucket, as people from your home would say, any gods who lost theirs will be free to accept new ones or enter alliances with a champion's current god. It helps keep the later stages of play interesting, rather than have the currently best champions leverage their holdings to simply crush the lesser ones outright."

"So, you were listening in on my conversation with Asmi," I said with a headshake. "I guess it makes sense. You are the Creator after all. I imagine you listen in on everything."

"Oh, not everything," she said, making those brilliant eyes of hers sparkle like torch flames now, instead of stars. "For instance, I make a point of giving you some privacy in your home life."

The gorgeous goddess shot me a wink, and I grinned. "Well, I can at least appreciate that. So, at some point in the future here I'm going to start getting more visits from new gods then?"

The Creator nodded. "You will, yes. They should introduce themselves, of course, unlike the god of chaos. Which, speaking of, I never told you my name, did I?"

I shook my head and a small wave rocked the boat left to right, forcing me to sway on my feet. The Creator just floated a few inches off the deck instead.

"Analisa," she said, grabbing up the tight green fold of her skirt and dipping into a low curtsy that was equal parts seductive and mysterious. "So, next time we meet you'll have something useful to call me by. I don’t mind my subjects having a little fear of me, now and again. But I’d hate to know that you viewed me as similar to Bethsebel.”

“Bethsebel?” I asked, confused.

“The god of chaos, who so disturbed you, of course!” she replied happily.

She winked and before I could answer she lifted her hands to the dark night’s sky. Then, in a flash of light, she disappeared.

Immediately, the world resumed its normal pace. Beside me, the woman at the wheel spun the captain's wheel sharply and continued like nothing had happened.

"Right then, Tolya it is. Mind fetching some of those charts from our quarters? Need to do some triangulating." When I didn't respond immediately, she tapped me on the shoulder. "Hey, you alright there, my king? You look like you've seen a ghost! This one of those godly visits the girls keep talking about?"

"Something like that," I said, pondering just what the Creator's, or Analisa's words meant for my future plans. Also, why she'd suddenly reveal her true name to me after all this time. "But for now, let's set our target to Tolya. I'll get you those maps, then we can start planning our sneaking mission."

Chapter

Twenty

TOLYA Harbor

Foggy with a Chance of Salamanders!

The following four days passed mostly without incident, though I was starting to get a bit homesick. It was one thing to be an emperor on the warpath, but when you had to leave the mother of your first child home to care for all your children, it took a bit of the fun out of things. Not that my other wives didn't pick up Dami's slack, of course.

Particularly interesting was just how compatible Cynthia and Elyse were proving to be, and not just with each other, either. Let's just say that being able to properly pleasure six women at once entailed such geometric complexity that Pythagoras himself might have given up on trying to prove that the interior angles of all triangles added up to 180 degrees if he took a look at the angles I managed to drum up.

I made sure no one left these nightly sessions without at least one toe-curling release.

And it was just in the midst of one of these nightly sojourns that the knock came at our door.

"Emperor Clear," the sailor outside said in a hushed whisper. "We're ready, your majesty. One mile offshore, like you requested."

I popped Elyse's stiff nipple from my mouth, earning a groan of annoyance from the pirate queen and sat up.

"What's the weather like out there, sailor?" I asked, leaning over to pull my shirt on. Grudgingly, my wives did the same, though they did so with significantly more grumbling than I did.

For them, the lovemaking may have been cut short for the first time in several nights. But for me, this was finally a chance to put my mind to work, and my plan into action.

"Clear skies overhead, your Majesty. Seems to be some cloud cover over Tolya though. Least the stars aren't out over the city," came the sailor's reply.

I grinned. Clear skies might not have suited my plan perfectly, but I could use their presence to my advantage. So far as I knew, the necromancers were the most usually responsible for incoming banks of fog, and that meant that I could strike fear into the hearts of the Tolyan citizens even without Lyndsey's help.

"Thank you for the report, sailor. You're dismissed," I said to the doorway before turning to Harmony and Cynthia. "You two ready?"

"In a manner of speaking," Harmony said with a grunt. My red-haired pyromancer of a wife was currently disentangling herself from where I'd used a rope of the covers to pin her down. "You made this thing too tight, Adam."

I leaned down and growled in her ear, "Well I wanted to make sure I met your usual standard of tightness, my love."

Harmony groaned.

Cynthia giggled.

"Ready when you are, Adam," my ice mage wife reported from the bedside. Cynthia, contrasting perfectly against Harmony, was already dressed in her planned attire of tight black blouse and billowy black skirt with black stockings. She might not have been dressed like Lyndsey, but I trusted the general dark vibes to give off a spooky air. If it sent guards running for the hills, who was I to argue with success?

Finally, Harmony got herself unstuck with the help of some heaving from Rosa and Colette. Not a minute later, and she was dressed in similar billowy black garments to Cynthia and me.

"You three look like proper agents of death now," Isabel giggled before donning similar garb, though with the addition of my cloak of invincibility tied around her shoulders and joining us.

From the bed, Rosa and Colette pouted. "It's too bad we can't go with you for the original assault," Elyse keened. "Harmony, you look positively nightmarish!"

"Yeah," Rosa agreed, glancing at Isabel. "If only I'd studied the Game of Castles instead of politics, maybe I could be of some use, too."

Though the two women were outwardly despondent, I knew they understood the requirements of this attack as well as we did.

"You two can join us ashore after we drive out any invaders and take the city. The sailors will sweep in once we start sowing some chaos in the port city," I reiterated to help calm them down. "Rosa, I'll need your knowledge of this distant kingdom to rapidly establish our presence here. And Colette, no one knows the way of court politics better. You'll join us while we strike north to deal with emperor Temini, assuming he's still alive."

"Oh, he will be," Isabel said immediately. "Elyse's information puts the champions of the neighboring kingdoms somewhere inside Farli, but they'll either need to have formed a truce with one another or have leveraged the emperor's power to better stabilize their own future rule."

My studious wife spoke her words as though they were simple, yet Colette gawked at her before glancing at me and giving a headshake. "Husband, I doubt you'll need me to do any political maneuvering when you've got Isabel with you. She's come a long way."

The compliment sent a blush roaring up Isabel's pale cheeks that turned her redder than an overripe tomato. "It's just the Game of Castles rules that make me helpful here, Colette. But thank you. It means a lot to be helpful."

Sensing an explosion of pent-up drama and a potential tear fest coming on, I stepped forward and put everyone back on task. "We can all compliment each other till the cows come home, once the situation in Tolya is resolved. For now though, we're wasting precious night cover that'll be extremely useful."

I nodded to Cynthia, Harmony, and Isabel, who returned the gesture. Then we all stole out the door and into the night.

Our means of transport to Tolya was a smallish rowboat that barely seated us all. Well, actually, it didn't seat everyone.

Isabel sat in my lap while I worked the oars. Every time I leaned forward to dip them into the cold ocean water, I felt her slick, unfulfilled wetness brushing against my length. Every time I hauled back on the oars, she had to stifle moans of pleasure.

"Ready, you two?" I asked Cynthia and Harmony. My wives nodded, shooting some needy glances to Isabel's bucking pleasure as I hauled back on the oars. "Again, we can all have some private time after we take the city."

They nodded, then Cynthia spread her arms out over the rowboat's edge and sent trails of thick ice spreading out across the waters between us and Tolya. The cool air crackled off our little rowboat's side, quiet and oddly serene. The sound was more like a frozen lake gently thawing than salty ocean water rapidly freezing, and the quaint reminder of calmer times made Isabel sigh in my lap.

"You've got the best seat in the house," Harmony teased.

Isabel shot her a look and then stuck her tongue out at the fire mage, making Harmony giggle.

"Keep focused Harmony," I said as Cynthia's spray of icy water began to slow. "You're up next."

The redhead snickered at Isabel, then bit her lip lustily before nodding. "Right. Maximum heat, minimum fire. Here goes nothing."

In one swift motion, Harmony leaned her breasts over the rowboat's side, and I had to lean away from her to balance out the weight and keep the whole thing from tipping over.

"Sorry," Harmony grunted, reaching a glowing red hand out to the ice flow beneath her. "Nearly there. Just a bit more... Yes!"

Her cry was muted by the sudden crackle and hiss of saltwater rapidly boiling, as huge plumes of salty-smelling steam rolled from the top lip and clouded the night air in thick fog.

"Nice, Harmony," I said, unable to keep the grin from my face. "Keep it up for as long as you can, then we'll move inland some and repeat this until the Tolyan's couldn't possibly see our fleet sailing in. We'll take their city before they even figure out that it isn't a necromancer on their doorstep, or portside."

"No problem," Harmony said with a grunt of exertion. I shook my head, thinking that maintaining her balance must be tricky even for the expert fire mage.

Finally, Harmony's brilliant red hair bobbed and bounced as she heaved herself back into the rowboat. "Easy peasy," she said through long, ragged breaths. "But just so I know I've asked, would you mind if I melted it without leaning all the way down to touch the ice next time?"

I frowned at the suggestion as I took up the oars again, Isabel bobbing up and down in my lap. "If this is too difficult for you then I understand, Harmony. But the last thing we want is for the Tolyans to know who's coming for them." I winked at her. "Your phoenix is something of a legend in Tolmeria. I think it might give us away."

To my surprise, Harmony grinned at that. "Oh, I was thinking of something much smaller. I've been working on it all through the swamps, mostly trying to keep it a surprise. I just never got a chance to show you while sailing. The water's no place for a flame creation, and a ship's barely any better."

"Smaller?" I asked, unable to hide the curiosity from my voice. Harmony nodded quickly. "You know what, sure. Just keep it small enough that no one on shore would be able to see it. No phoenixes, no giant flame bears, I think you understand."

Harmony clapped her hands eagerly at my permission, then gasped and held her palms before her face. "Sorry."

Cynthia chuckled softly. Isabel moaned hungrily. I rowed.

The next time we stopped, after Cynthia finished spreading her long sheets of ice across the foggy outer harbor, Harmony took a long breath.

"Just getting ready," she said, shooting me a wink before cupping her hands before her lips. "Come on now, little one, let's show Adam just how useful you can be."

She whispered the same words three times, then I noticed a thin tail of flames reaching from between her lips and pooling in her cupped palms. I leaned forward, eager to see exactly what it was that my wife was conjuring.

Clearly of the same mind, Cynthia and Isabel did the same. Though, with Isabel it might have been more that she lacked another option, given that she was currently stowed away in my lap.

"That's amazing, Harmony," Cynthia breathed out in obvious, unhidden wonderment.

I couldn't disagree much. At first, I'd worried that the pooling flames in her palms would be bright enough to give us away. But when I realized that it wasn't growing any brighter than a small pool of lava, I breathed more easily.

The glowing dull red ball in her hands began to shift, as though stretching out, and I leaned forward even more eagerly.

"Ow, Adam," Isabel complained. "It's so hot."

She was right. Heat poured from the slowly shifting ball of magma in rolling waves. Even beside the boat, I could hear the intense heat beginning to melt the frozen saltwater.

"Here, Isabel," I said, shifting the oars out of the way to give her some room beside me. "You can hop back on when we get going again. I think my champion status is protecting me from the heat."

Isabel moaned, clearly torn between hopping off my lap, and saving herself from getting toasted. It was only when Cynthia shifted to sit on the cute scholar's lap that she relented.

"What is it?" I asked breathlessly while Harmony and I bent over the new creation.

Slowly, the shifting thing in her hands began to take form. The blob shape lengthened into a slender line. Two small appendages sprouted from the main body a third of the way up one end and just near the other.

"It's kind of cute, right?" Harmony said with a giggle, while she reached one finger in to stroke what was forming its head. "It's called a salamander. I never would've learned about it if it weren't for Isabel here, either. Such a good scholarly girl you are, Izzy."

Harmony beamed at Isabel, and Isabel stuck her tongue out playfully in response. Then, both women jumped when the small hot creature leapt out of Harmony's palms and landed with a hiss, a crack, and some extreme sliding on the ice flow nearby.

"Feisty little thing," I commented, watching as the small, hot salamander lifted its small head left and right, then set off at a little spring along the flow's length. "How'd you make it though?"

"Just patience mostly," Isabel said from beside me. "The old books all agree that pyromancy is one of the most chaotic forms of magic, so it's tricky to control. Patience and determination are key to mastering it. Oh, and being the wife of a powerful champion emperor with enough resources to devote yourself to it, of course."

Isabel snickered and Harmony sighed as we watched her small creation run up and down the ice flow.

Then an idea struck me. "Wait. We can just keep rowing, and Cynthia can make new ice sheets for Harmony's salamander to boil away now. We don't have to stop for Harmony to do it by hand."

Since no one disagreed, we did just that. Though this time Isabel shifted to sit in Harmony's lap and leave me better able to work the oars.

With the difficulty of properly concealing our movements sorted out, we made even better time than before and it wasn't another hour before the lights of Tolya's harbor shimmered and pricked the foggy air. Cynthia's hands returned to her lap, and all three women looked at me.

"Everyone clear on their tasks?" I asked.

They all nodded and Isabel said, "Cynthia and Harmony are set to make as much of a ruckus as they can, while I go with you and provide any info about new enemies in Farli. We secure the area around the harbor, then use our larger force to take the city. Sound about right?"

I nodded, then steadied my arms against the dockside when the rowboat bumped into it.

From the dock, I heard a nervous voice call out, "Who-who's there? Sh-show yourself. I'm not afraid."

I chuckled and gave a headshake, since this poor bastard was so obviously afraid, I doubted even his own mother could've called him brave at that moment. Then, not wanting to belabor the point, I vaulted up over the dockside and leapt into the air.

For a brief moment, I knew what I looked like. Black cloak billowing out around my shoulders, eyes rimmed with black charcoal, silvery steel knife extended.

"Nec-necroman-" the man stammered before I shoved my knife's blade between his ribs, skewering his heart and knocking him roughly to the ground.

My black cloak spread out around me as I felt his precious lifeblood pulse thrice more, feebly through his veins. Then he was still. I felt bad about not giving him a chance, but we were attacking the port and I couldn’t have him raise the alarm.

I glanced around me, seeing the docks draped in fog that rolled off the planks like wisps of ghostly fingers. The clouds overhead had rolled in over the city, and the only light came from the few lamps lit along the street side heading away from the sea.

Out here on the wooden planks, the only light came from the distant moon looming on the horizon, and a flickering glow that made me turn my head.

"What?" Harmony asked sweetly, the shadows thrown by her salamander's flame making her face dance as they roamed across it. "I think he could be useful."

I grinned at her, then shook my head and leaned down into the boat and offered Isabel my hand.

"Thanks," my bookish wife said as I lifted her onto the dock beside me, Harmony, and Cynthia. "Must be nice being tall."

I chuckled. "It's nice being a champion of the gods." Then I looked around us. "But where is everyone? Elyse said that the Tolyans were on high alert. This doesn't look like high alert to me."

Cynthia shrugged. "Maybe they expect an attack by land more than by sea?" she offered, swirling some preparatory ice in a chilly palm.

"Or maybe they don't have the manpower to do both?" Harmony offered, stretching an arm out towards the city so her salamander could race along it. The creature raised its heated nose to sniff at the cool night air, then actually shivered. "Farli has been invaded, after all. If the populace was restive, the invaders could have just decided that they wanted new land more than new populations."

I frowned. The two options were logical, of course. But they didn't seem exactly right to me. Something about the ease of our invasion seemed eerie.

I mean, I knew my plan was rock solid but it had included dealing with a good number of dock guards at least.

Suddenly, Isabel gasped and leaned down to pick something off the necklace that the guard wore. She held it up next to Harmony's faintly-glowing salamander and the creature raised its nose to sniff at the object.

Faintly illuminated against the misty blackness, I saw that it was nothing more or less than a small, cracked crystal.

"What is it?" I asked, leaning forward to get a better view of the thing. It appeared to be a quartz crystal, only with a thin black jagged line darting from one corner to the other.

"Looks like quartz?" Harmony said curiously. "Strange thing for a guard to wear, right Cynthia? Cynthia?"

Harmony turned to her fellow wife, but the ice mage was standing stock still, crouched low with her hands facing down the docks towards the city proper. Isabel's impervious cloak shushed across the planks as she moved to put herself behind me.

"It's a warding crystal," Isabel whispered in a hushed tone. "I read about them in my study of the Game of Castles. There should be a twin to it somewhere in the city. Should the wearer come across a problem for which he needs assistance, he can crush the stone in his hand and it will crumble, alerting whoever has the twin to the disturbance."

Slowly, I moved into a fighting stance to mirror Cynthia while Harmony lifted the salamander to her shoulder and held her hands forward in a flaming mirror of my icy wife.

"I imagine that the black crack means the wearer died then?" I asked, noting that the unnatural crack didn't come from physical assault.

Isabel nodded her head against my back. "The books I've read aren't exactly clear on how the process works, but I think that's a good guess for the time being."

A low, angry roar rumbled out from the city's heart and I pulled my bow of fire arrows out of the aether, knocking an invisible arrow with my fingers.

"Right then," I said tersely. "I guess we'll have to fight whatever that thing is, too."

Then, I watched as two huge pale yellow eyes rose above the rooftops before us.

"Is that-" Harmony asked, but Isabel cut in.

"Yes, I think it is," Isabel said, her fingers clutching desperately to me. "It's an earth golem."

"And it looks angry," I said with a head shake before chuckling. "Well, come on then everyone. Let's kill it."

Silently, we moved forward as a unit into the city. As we went, I heard Isabel muttering behind me.

"But there's no way to kill it."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Isabel, there's always going to be a way to kill it. It's not like it's a god or something. Plus, maybe that’s the reason we haven’t met much resistance."

Chapter

Twenty-One

TOLYA City

Golem Shmolem!

We met the guards before we met the golem.

"Cynthia!" I shouted, seeing the silvery glint of an arrowhead flash from an alley to our left.

Immediately, my icy wifey spun around and thrust her hands out. The silvery glint from the arrow shot forwards just as it was mirrored by the white glint from Cynthia's ice barrier. A long plume of snow-dusted ice leapt from her and met the arrow in midair.

Thanks to the snowy exterior, the arrowhead punched an inch into the column of ice before stopping fast, the shaft and fletching left vibrating as the remainder of its energy was dissipated.

"You ass!" Cynthia shouted, then deftly moved her hands in a wide sweeping circle.

Before the archer could even nock his second arrow, his first spun around in midair as Cynthia's snowy ice melted, shifted, and reformed. The arrow itself spun swiftly until it faced its old master, then in a blink it shot forward and drove deep into the man's unprotected chest.

In the glowing streetlamps we could see a trickle of red darken the green tunic he wore. Disbelief clouded his eyes as he glanced down at the deadly shaft that protruded from his chest, raised his disbelieving eyes to us, and blinked.

"Shouldn't have messed with people who are better than you," I said with a chuckle. "Rookie mistake, honestly."

Once more, the man's eyes fell to the shaft, then the rest of him did the same. The shaft snapped in half as his body collapsed to the cobblestones at our feet.

"Nice one, Cynthia!" Harmony murmured, rubbing the ice mage's back. "That was amazing!"

Cynthia giggled happily at the compliment, then turned to me. "I couldn't let Harmony be the only one practicing her skill. That girl's always been such a showoff!"

Harmony gave a mock gasp and slapped her fellow wife playfully on the shoulder before I held a hand up with a chuckle.

"That's enough messing around for now," I said good naturedly. "Though, yeah, that was pretty badass, Cynthia. I still wish you'd told someone you were practicing. I expected you to just duck or something, not scare me half to death by standing still and meeting the arrow head-on."

Cynthia gave me a proud smirk and Isabel tugged on my own cloak, pointing towards the dead archer. "I think we should see where he came from. That golem's going to be a big enough problem as it is. The more of the smaller targets we take out, the easier it will be to focus our attention on the big one."

I grinned and nodded, then we all set off again. The cobbles were hard and uneven beneath our feet, but thankfully we'd prepared for the eventuality by crafting some seriously tough leather boots that offered ankle support for days and days.

As we ran, I asked, "So it sounds like you've thought of a way to kill the golem then, Isabel?"

"Not really, no," my wife conceded. "But I know you, Adam. There's nothing that I can say about a task being impossible; you'll always just grin and dive headlong into it anyway. Honestly, I like that about you. But it is definitely a bit trying at times."

Harmony chuckled, then abruptly she held her arm out to halt us in our tracks, her elbow pressing against my solar plexus while her hand held Cynthia's boob. I thought she might have even given it a little playful squeeze.

"What is it, Harmony?" I asked, looking around us.

If we'd expected to find the archer's comrades down the way he'd come, it seemed we were sorely mistaken. Only boarded-up windows, creaky signs announcing some wares or other, and the constant slap of hard leather on stone cobbles met our eyes and ears.

"Saulie heard something," Harmony said simply, her head turning this way and that.

"Okay " I said slowly while my eyes scanned the area. To the best of my knowledge, we were still exactly as alone now as we had been a few minutes ago. "That's fine and all. But who's Saulie?"

The salamander on Harmony's arm suddenly stopped sniffing at the air and turned a magma-colored head towards me. A thin flame whip of a tongue darted out to lick at what I thought was its nose.

"Gross," Cynthia said with a giggle.

"Saulie the salamander," I said with my own chuckle. "Well, that's a hell of a name if ever I've heard one. All right, Saulie, why don't you show us what you heard, boy?"

At once the salamander ducked its head in a lava creature's approximation of a nod, then pointed its thin features towards the shop window to our right.

"Something in there?" Harmony asked and it bobbed its head again.

We all squinted through the shop window.

Thanks to the outside lighting, dim though it was, we could see the shop's interior clearly. A group of four arm chairs rested around a circular gilded table that gleamed dully in the gloom. Around the chairs several bookcases rose to impressive heights, though they contained no books that I could see.

Instead, small vials of different-colored potions rested on the shelves, buttressed on either side by alembics and fizzing, bubbling apparatuses.

"A Potion Smith’s?" Isabel asked curiously. "Oh yes, it's got to be! Oh, what I wouldn't give to be allowed inside! This shop must be one of the first Potion Smiths in existence, after the Game of Castles started! I didn't even see any in Tolmeria!"

I chuckled with a headshake. "Considering I'm the Tolmerian emperor and champion, not to mention the fact that I didn't even know how potions were really made on this world, that's hardly surprising, Isabel."

Apparently having decided that Saulie the salamander was overreacting, or perhaps that it had mistaken a bubbling alembic for an enemy, Isabel stepped towards the window, turned, and put her hands on her hips.

"It isn't a thing on this world, Adam," she said testily. "At least, it wasn't. It's only the Game of Castles that's brought the magic back, remember. Oh, but I've read about some of these potions! So much about them, in fact that -"

Suddenly, Isabel's words caught in her throat and her body was shoved roughly forward. She smacked into me with a whump before shards of thin, fine glass window showered us all.

"Isabel!" Cynthia exclaimed, moving to put herself between the window and my bookish wife.

"No!" I shouted immediately, turning Isabel in my arms to show another arrow lying on the cobbles at her feet. "The new cloak is better at blocking arrows than you are, Cynthia."

Immediately, I lowered Isabel's limp form to the ground and swiftly examined the cloak at the same time. True to the quest rewards’ description, the sharp arrow hadn't even left a scratch on the cloak's fine, black cloth. Though, that wasn't to say that it hadn't left a mark on Isabel.

I had every expectation that she'd feel it in the morning.

As I lowered her, a cry came from inside the shop and a second arrow whipped towards me, barely missing sinking into my skin and instead leaving a thin trail of blood on my shoulder.

"Bastard," I grunted, whipping my knife from my belt. "Where did he come from?"

I never got to learn the answer to that question, however. In a flash of red, glowing salamander-sized magma ball, Saulie leapt from Harmony's shoulder and flew through the shattered window faster than a hungry hound descending upon a bowl of fine kibble.

"Go Saulie!" Harmony shouted, pumping the air with a fist and giving a little whoop of excitement. "Show dad what you can do!"

"Dad?" I asked with a chuckle.

"Well, I'm his mom, right," Harmony reasoned. "So that makes you his dad. Kind of at least. I won't forget how you superpowered my magic way back when."

I shrugged. Mostly, I wanted human, or at least part-oni children. It was difficult to play catch with a flaming salamander.

A moment later, the dull red ball of salamander leapt back out of the hole in the window and slapped into Harmony's chest. Immediately, my fiery wife clutched him to her breast with a sigh.

"Oh, good job Saulie," Harmony cooed, stroking the fiery lizard's head with a finger.

"Oh, ow. That hurts," Isabel mumbled from the cobbles. "What happened? And wait. Is that burning flesh I smell?"

I could only chuckle. "You got hit by an arrow," I explained. "But don't worry, the cloak saved you. As for the burning flesh... probably?"

I glanced through the window and finally saw the enemy that Saulie had spied.

The figure seemed to stand in the center of the Potion Smith’s shop, which seemed a little odd until I realized that what he was actually doing was leaning backwards against the tall armchairs. In the streetlight, I could see that his green tunic indeed lacked blood. But also that this lack of blood was because the fatal wound had been so rapidly cauterized.

Saulie had burned a hole right through the man's chest, up near his neck, then another straight through his stomach.

"Quite the unexpected way to go," I said with a chortle while Harmony stroked the salamander's small scalp. "Is that a bit of chair stuck to you, buddy?"

Saulie turned towards me, slightly darker spots on his face approximating eyes, and blinked twice.

"You melted him to the chair, didn't you?" I asked, unable to keep my voice from adopting the same puppy tone that Harmony was so often using with him. "Say, how about you let me kill the next one, huh Saulie? Not that I don't appreciate the help, but I'd like to be some use to this whole thing."

Saulie blinked once more, then suddenly a loud booming voice rolled through the very city itself.

"Come at me then, you bastards!" the golem's low, rumbling voice declared.

I lifted my head to the noise, then strode forward. "That didn't sound like it wanted to kill us," I commented, stooping to help Isabel to her feet. "It sounded like it wanted to fight something else entirely. So, what was going on with that crystal?"

My wives all shrugged, and I stowed that question away for a later date.

Together, we set off through the city and when we finally found the massive golem, I realized just how right I'd been.

The massive clay creature stood at least thirty feet tall in the city's central square. Behind it, a stonework unicorn head lay surrounded by at least thirty men in the same green garb that we'd been encountering so far. At its feet, the fountain that the unicorn head had once belonged to sprayed plumes of water jetting so high the golem could nearly have rinsed his head with it.

But it wasn't only dead bodies that surrounded the golem. At least a hundred living ones encroached in a circular pattern towards it, spears in hand and poking into the soft clay of its legs.

"Think that can kill me, you bastards?" the golem declared, laughing. "I may have lost my champion, but I'm still a god, damn you!"

Without a moment's notice, he bent down and slammed two huge arms that only grew bigger as they descended onto the nearest of the spearmen, squishing the poor sods in a mushy pulp. Then the golem dragged both arms in a wide circle and sent at least ten more spearmen careening away when he smacked them.

At the back of the green soldiers, a mounted knight raised a visor, thrust his sword forward, and declared, "Archers! Now! Kill this championless god! For champion Matis!"

At his command, dozens of arrows made straight for the golem, striking it all over until it looked like a big, clay pin cushion.

"Who do we help?" Harmony asked, tugging on my sleeve.

"Yeah," Cynthia agreed. "The green guys seem like they hold the city, but I just don't know."

I turned to Isabel, instead of answering directly. The bookish girl nodded immediately instead of wasting time. Clearly, the near death experience had given her a sense of urgency.

"If what the golem says is true, then he is a god. Presumably, he's the old god of Teposi, the old Farli champion, and clearly he's pissed about the invaders. Tough to argue with him. If I had to bet, I'd say that the quartz crystal called him here somehow."

Behind us, adding to the confusion of the melee, a loud toot from a horn blasted over the city and I felt golden magic wash over me as the first of my fleet no doubt made port and my sigil was raised.

"So, we help another champion's god?" I asked sharply, keenly aware that there wasn't much time left to decide before my troops arrived and turned the chaotic scene into a proper bloodbath.

Isabel nodded. "I think so, yes. It might be unexpected, but can you imagine what having another god owe you a favor could mean down the line?"

I nodded, recalling the Creator's words on the ship. Could this god join forces with me in the future? Would I even want him to, knowing how rash this attack was?

Making my decision, I lifted my bow of fire arrows and sent a single flaming missile straight for the green-clad knight.

My arrow struck true, and then my troops descended.

Chapter

Twenty-Two

TOLYA Harbor

For Gods' Sake!

A loud boom shook the dimly-lit room as the golem god Grolio slammed a clay fist upon a wooden table that couldn't bear the weight, found its legs cracked, and then collapsed in a single slab with a smack on the stone floor.

Dim, early morning light filtered in through the high windows, illuminating chalky gray motes of dust that either came from the staleness of the room or from the few fires that had burned outside and which we'd managed to put out.

It turned out that letting a golem god rampage through your city, intent only upon the destruction of those who feasted upon his misfortune, ended up with quite a number of those fires.

"I'll be damned if you'll count me out already," Grolio declared, his voice coming out in a clay-like growl that sounded half like a mudslide and half like an avalanche.

It was a truly perplexing tone, and it sent shivers up and down my spine, though I didn't allow the sense of unease to travel to my face.

Asmi stood across the now-collapsed table from the golem god, arms folded across his chest and a scowl etched deeply onto his face as he craned his neck back to stare up at the fifteen-foot behemoth.

It was a testament to Asmi's general pissed-off-edness that the scene didn't look entirely comical, with the massive clay god providing a perfect foil to the tiny red one.

Across the distance between them, and directly across from me, Analisa stood with her hands folded at her waist.

The gorgeous elven goddess had decided, apparently, to ditch the usually revealing garments that I had seen her in so frequently, and now wore a simple gown, though I noted that its purple folds sparkled with little lights studded into them.

I assumed that the small sparkles probably came from diamonds or moissanite. But every time my tired eyes started to unfocus it looked like nothing more than the stars of the night sky, and that the creator, Analisa herself, was the very universe that came into the room with us.

Perhaps it was this that kept the confrontation from seeming so comical.

Behind me, I heard the clink of chainmail as Drefius punched Carr on the shoulder, and the mercenary captain gave a long, low whistle of appreciation.

"Never thought I'd see the day that I'd see a god in the flesh," Carr declared, stepping into the room from the street outside. "Now not only do I see two, but I also see the Creator herself."

I turned and watched as the mercenary captain struck his hand arm across his stomach and bowed low, while beside him, Drefius pulled off his steel helm and held it at his side while he did the same.

Behind my two commanders, I watched as Harmony, Colette, and Isabel all filed in.

The bookish Game of Castles theologian stood at the front of the group and raced forward without even so much as a curtsy. Brushing past me in her eagerness to see the gods that she had read about in books, but which had kept their presence until the beginning of the Game of Castles something of a mystery to the peoples of her world, she wore a wide smile.

"Creator!" Isabel shouted, flinging her arms wide as she leapt up and embraced Analisa in a long hug that stretched on so long it was left to Drefius to cough into his hand and mutter, "Is she allowed to do that?"

Wrapped in Isabel's tight hug, Analisa chuckled lightly, then patted my wife on her back until Isabel slowly lowered herself to her feet. Then my wife turned around, blushed, and hustled back to my side.

"Sorry," she whispered as she passed me. "It's just... I've read about her so much. Seeing her in the flesh. I-I never expected to. Asmi always freezes time for us when he comes by. So, I figured the Creator would do even more than that."

"I would normally," Analisa said with a chuckle, making it known that she could hear exactly what Isabel said no matter how softly, quietly, or calmly my wife said it. "But unexpected events call for unexpected occasions. It's not every day that a god risks his godhood just to take revenge on a small band of mercenaries."

"Nor is it every day that a god ignores my pointed descriptions of what will not happen to his city. Well, former city. And especially not when my instructions are that it should not be harmed," Asmi added, bitterly. "Grolio, you've lost the track, man."

The massive clay god grumbled, mirroring Asmi and folding his arms in front of his chest now.

"Nor is it every day that the rules to the Game of Castles change without the participants knowing about them," he declared haughtily, turning on Analisa now. "You said nothing of these super-powered crystals coming from dead champions. If I'd known that, I would have insisted that Teposi set about destroying his enemies by sneaky tactics instead of taking the time to properly build up and fortify his lands. So tell me, exactly what are the rules that surround these damned things?"

Despite the still-frankly massive size difference between Grolio and Analisa, with the clay god towering some ten feet over her head, in much the same way that he towered over Asmi, Analisa didn't bother to even feign nervousness in its presence.

"You should learn to read more, Grolio,” Analisa declared haughtily, lifting her nose up at the massive creature, before nodding at Isabel. "If a human woman knows the rules of the Game of Castles better than a god who plays it himself, whose fault is that, really?"

Grolio frowned and glanced at Isabel.

My bookish wife blushed and toed the stone at her feet nervously.

"Go on, girl," Analisa said in a soothing, almost motherly voice. "Tell this foolish god exactly what he's missed in choosing to behave rashly over choosing to behave logically."

I turned to Isabel, along with all the other faces in the room, and my bookish wife gulped, swallowed hard, and then raised her eyes to me.

"There's nothing to be afraid of, Isabel," I said softly. "No harm will come to you while I am here. I promise you that."

She nodded and then glanced around the room. "The rules of transmutation are somewhat obscure even to me, I will admit," she said slowly. "Honestly, I hadn't expected them to come into play yet. But I suppose that I should have, especially after we found the crystals in the large swamp region, and the Potion Smiths in Tolya. Right. Here is all I know. Once a champion is killed, once phase two of the Game of Castles begins, the rules shift. In order to stop people from doing just what the god Grolio mentioned, and sending assassins to kill off other champions before they can get powerful, and so jumping ahead in the system.

“It is only after the kingdom lines have been drawn and denoted that they change. Now that that's happened, anyone who kills a champion can use some sort of magic ritual to transfigure their very soul into a powerful crystal. By consuming that crystal, another champion is able to gain levels equal to one-tenth those that his slain opponent had held. This helps to keep the leveling up system going, even while any major moves in the Game of Castles start to take on longer time horizons. It keeps up the interest. But the only problem is that..."

Her voice trailed off and she glanced at me. I nodded, turning to Analisa, Grolio, and Asmi.

"The only problem is that Teposi, the champion of Farli, wasn't slain by another champion, if the rumors are true. He was slain by an anthril, and that can only mean... no. Is such a thing possible?"

My eyes met Analisa's, and she nodded solemnly, although I did notice a small grin creep onto her features.

"You are absolutely correct, Adam. That means one of the newest champions in the Game of Castles is an anthril itself, and vast underground realms have opened to be exploited. Now, not only is the land and sea of this world open to exploitation and play in the Game of Castles, the massive, vast tunnels beneath it are also open as well."

I swallowed hard, suddenly thankful that, although I didn't have an anthril on my side, I did have at least some insectoid counterbalance to the new shift that the Game of Castles had taken suddenly.

I still had to secure Farli, but hopefully after that, or perhaps even at this current moment, my own insectoid vassal was clearing space in the underground.

"What about him?" Asmi asked sharply, nodding up at Grolio. "This bastard god burned three storehouses and did serious damage to a portcullis that would be greatly useful in helping and securing trade. I want punishment. I want retribution. My champion, if he had known that even without sacking the city, destruction would come to it, he could have spent much less time dealing with the politicals.

"Oh, Grolio will be punished," Analisa said with a smirk and a twinkle in her eye that sent even yet more chills down my spine, since it seemed like the twinkle in her eye was yet more starlight. "After he has been properly chastised, perhaps he will even realize the error in his ways. In the meantime, I do believe he'll be of much use to you, Adam Clear."

Her gaze lingered upon me for a good long while before Grolio grunted out a hoarse, rough laugh. "I'm a god, come down from on high to deal retribution unto my enemies! This Adam Clear fellow hasn't harmed me or mine, yet he is a champion. Why should I help him?"

"Because, Grolio, if you don't then I will be forced to swap out the usual punishment in a situation like this for something much more lethal," Analisa said with a handwave. "Your punishment will be to ride with Champion Clear's vanguard and do whatever it is he would ask of you. If you disagree, well, your true punishment will be simple. I will strip you of your immortality, not just leave it turned off temporarily. Then I will send you to the center of a quadrant of powerful champions and give each of them an unskippable quest. Would you like to know what the quest will be, Grolio?"

The golem swallowed but didn't otherwise respond. Asmi, however, beamed a wide smile and grinned openly at me. I couldn’t fail to recall the champions he’d mentioned proving themselves insanely capable, tucked away in a quadrant of the world with a desert between them.

"Their quest will be to disembowel you before slaying you, and the punishment should the task remain uncompleted for a month will be for all of them, collectively, to suffer the same fate." The Creator's eyes flashed dangerously. "Ordinarily I'd offer a carrot instead of the stick for a quest like this, but we don't want anyone to get a hand up that they didn't earn, now do we?"

Asmi immediately burst into laughter, Carr gasped, Drefius snickered, and my harem of deadly, brilliant beauties immediately started whispering amongst themselves.

As for me, I grinned. The punishment might not fit the crime, but I wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth, whether that horse was carrying a carrot, a stick, or a well-shod hood straight to my man parts.

"What about not giving anyone a hand up that they didn't earn?" Grolio protested.

"Oh, Adam earned more than this, if you were to ask me," Analisa responded in a steady tone, her dress seeming to flare with light, like the distant stars embedded within it had all gone supernova at once. Clearly, the intense showing was enough to shut Grolio up for a good long while, because the mortal god had nothing more to say.

With that, Analisa and Asmi flashed out of existence, and I was left in a room with a god reduced to mortal status.

The only question which remained was how to use the new chess piece I'd acquired.

Gods, but it was good to be the emperor.

Chapter

Twenty-Three

NORTH OF TOLYA

On the Road Again!

Banners flapped and waved in the northerly wind, loud enough they sounded more like gunfire. But, of course, this land still rested at a roughly medieval technological level.

Without the magic that the Game of Castles introduced, they were still several hundred years from actually mastering the art of gunpowder.

“The roadway is clear, emperor,” a scout reported to me on the road the next day, giving me a quick salute that made his chitin-armored head bob and glint in the morning sunlight.

I shook my head, not disbelieving the man, but not being able to believe him either. On my right, Ormis strode with purposeful strides, the ogre surprisingly awake, and giant enough that he easily kept pace with a horse.

"You look like you don't believe him, Adam," the ogre said to me.

"I don't believe him," I said. Glancing up at the vastness of Ormis, I shrugged, then turned my attention to the scout.

“Roadway's clear. Maybe. But there's a line of fields on the left-hand side and a thick forest on the right. Have you checked those?”

The scout frowned. "What use is checking a field?" he asked, obviously ignoring my comment about the forest.

"Who do you report to?" I asked.

"Clowbook," the man said. "Only five in line behind Captain Carr himself."

He beamed at the knowledge that he was so close to the captaincy.

I waved a hand. "Not anymore, you don't. Anyone who doesn't check the forests when they're out on a scouting mission for me is hereby demoted."

The man frowned and choked back a sob, but when I waved another hand, he trotted back down the line of troops to return to formation.

Behind me, my army stretched. Though I hadn't wanted to, I had been forced to leave Elyse and Cynthia back in Tolya. The port city might have sworn allegiance to the Tolmerian Empire after they realized that their former god had taken a mortal life to come and destroy their enemies and then been banished to work for me. But it wasn't Tolya that I was worried about rising up.

It was anyone else.

One of the invading empires was the one to the east of Farli, and another to the northeast. Apparently, the long line of mountains ran all the way across the band of the world, neatly separating the single band of continent in at least two. Like I did with Zeth, the Farlians had evidently decided that waging a mountain war wasn't worth their time and so had stayed to buttress their own holdings.

A chill wind whipped the air, and Ormis shivered, hugging a big sheepskin vest tighter around him. From the ogre's massive size, I figured a flock of sheep must have been needed or maybe it was made from a mammoth.

Ormis turned to me and raised an eyebrow. "You want me to lead a force into the forest or the fields?" he asked, removing his broad club from a leather sling around his waist and tapping it lightly into his palm. Even still, the massive wooden block of pounding death made loud thuds with each soft tap.

"Fields," I said after an instant, then reached up to draw my bow from the aether. "I don't fancy having you try to wedge yourself between two close-growing trees and get stuck. We're on something of a time budget here."

Ormis shrugged, then grinned, shifting his club from his palm to his shoulder. He raised it next over his head and called out, "Knights, to me!" Then he lowered his club and asked me in a softer voice that was nearly imperceptible over the sudden clattering of hooves and clanging of steel armor. "You want the banner for this?"

I shook my head, raising my bow above my head next and shouting, "Archers, to me!" The sound of clanging hooves and clattering steel was added to by the weird clicking sound of chitin armor shifting about on larger frames.

Farli clearly expected itself to be well-situated, so we're close to the Emperor Temini now. He lived in the city of Myrai, and it shouldn't be more than three days' ride north of Farli if the maps I found there were to be believed.

Ormis nodded. "You think there'll be a fight?" he asked.

"I think it would be foolish to assume that there won't be," I replied.

Then I dismounted my horse, wishing desperately that Drago had been man enough to brave the seas with me. Or that we'd had enough time to get a message out to Tolmeria again to send the large pegasus flying over the swamps.

No matter. With Ormis' knights assembled, and my archers assembled, we split into two groups, and I moved off to the forests some three hundred yards off the right-hand side of the road while Ormis took to the fields, the big ogre's heavy feet slapping thickly into the soil with every step, and no doubt leaving tracks in the hard soil behind him.

The archers in their chitin armor moved swiftly and mostly soundlessly behind me, running at full sprints to keep up with my light jog. As I jogged, my breath frosted in the air around me, collecting in chilly little droplets on my beard.

Winter was still here, but its grip was breaking on the land, even with a light frosting of snow lay on the ground. I grinned. That, at least, would push off the need to deal with Zeth or whatever kingdom lay to the north of Farli. The mountains would be even slower to thaw from the winter.

No one wanted to send men in armaments across a frozen mountain range when they were plumper, fresher targets to the east and west.

We pressed into the trees, and almost immediately the air temperature rose. It was only a few degrees, but the close-pressed canopy of green overhead, mostly fir trees with a few pines scattered here and there, still held on to the day's heat.

Or, at least they appeared to. Shadows enveloped us, and I squinted through the gloom, seeing fog lying thickly on the ground.

I placed my fingers on the sinew of my bowstring and felt my whole body tense. Behind me, the soft rustle and tap of wooden shafts being drawn from quivers, and the light tap-tap-tap of the arrows being slotted against bows, sounded soft, little more than the tap of trees or the creak in the wind.

Suddenly, a flash of movement to my left caught my eye, and I spun, pulling my bow back in one smooth motion and letting the arrow fly out.

A man in the same green garb that we'd encountered in Tolya opened his eyes wide as my flaming arrow shot across the space towards him. Then those same eyes grew only wider as my arrow sunk home straight through his nose, and the flames of my burning projectile swiftly boiled his eyes from the inside.

They popped like two fleshy balloons, and the man collapsed. All the thick fog prevented my arrow's fire from catching the rest of the forest.

I heard the creaking of the trees, and the creaking of the wind. An arrow behind me leapt from my group of archers and thunked hard into wood before another arrow returned the call and clanged off of hard but brittle chiton with a loud crack.

Another three arrows answered that, and this time I didn't hear any thunk of metal arrowhead sinking deep into wood, though I did hear the thump of a body hitting the ground.

I shook my head and we pressed on.

The next thing I encountered was a wolf, which leapt at me from a dark recess. My arrow found home in its heart.

Still, we moved forward. Shaking my head, I muttered about the foolishness of not checking the forest for hidden enemies. An arrow would have a hard time sailing 300 yards, but a man might run that distance in no time at all, or half of it, and then send his arrow the rest of the way, hitting my lines unaware and inflicting good damage before disappearing back into the trees like he was the fog itself.

We pressed on, loosing shaft after shaft into the darkness, and hearing thump after heavy, fleshy thump as bodies hit the floor. Suddenly, the tree line before us abruptly ended, and we saw a clearing of impressive size.

Probably fifty feet from end to end, and scattered about with rocks, downed logs that had been dragged into the area, and a few tents, we'd clearly stumbled upon their command post.

It was a perfect place to leave a hidden camp for scouts and the like.

What was more, in the center of the clearing I saw the source of the fog. It was a wide hot spring, with stones wringing the edges and thick, warm, inviting steam pouring off of it, spreading out throughout the forest invitingly. Gathered around the edges, at least a dozen or so soldiers lay with their heads leaning back against rocks.

"Nice place for a nap, I suppose," I said while trying to fight back amazement at the lax attention in the camp.

Seemingly, their only line of defense were the scouts in the woods, and those had fallen swiftly. Truly, Farli must have been in a sorry state, if this was the invading force that caused such damage to her lands.

But, just like the gift horse that brought me Grolio, I wasn't about to look this one in the mouth either.

I held a hand up, shadowed by the deeper shade of the forest limbs still.

The head archer in the company trotted up beside me. "Your orders, Emperor?" the man asked with a bow.

I glanced left and right around the edges of the clearing, then asked, "How many men do we have with us?"

"Forty, sire," he replied quickly.

I nodded, then gestured left and right. "Have them ring the area. Send five full volleys into the clearing and then attack with knives. I'm less interested in prisoners during this foray, more in scattering their intelligence lines. From the looks of those slumbering bastards, Temini might still not know what happened in Tolya. I'd like to keep that a surprise for as long as possible. Though, if any commanders show their faces, tell your men to try to snip their tendons instead of slitting their throats. I won't turn down a captive if he's offered to me."

The man nodded and then gestured to his troops, who spread out in a wide circle around the clearing. I raised my bow, pulled back on the string, and sighted one of the tents with a white and red flapping pennant stretched high above the fabric.

Taking a deep breath, I released my fingers and my fire arrow soared through the distance and struck one of the tent's support columns, immediately lighting the thing in a flickering flame and drawing attention from within.

All around the clearing, men on bedrolls raised their hands to rub at their eyes before swiftly shifting to clutch at their throats when the first volley of arrows struck them.

They expired on the ground, blood soaking their rolls and their other bedding.

From the tent flap, a grizzled-looking war veteran sprinted with a sword held high. I sighted his chest and gutted him with a flaming arrow.

The next four volleys proceeded in a clean, orderly fashion before I heard the slight clink of knives being drawn from chitin scabbards. An oddly-incongruous knight, his armor glinting in the fading light, stumbled from the tent with hands raised.

"We surrender, we surrender," the knight cried.

I grinned and called back, "You surrender, you mean?"

The knight looked around himself and swallowed hard. All of his comrades were dead.

"Restrain him and take him in," I called out.

The leader of the archers strode forward, producing a length of hempen rope that he had tied about his waist.

"We'll see what he knows," I said, clapping the prisoner on the back.

What I didn't know, what I couldn't have known, was that the man knew nothing, unfortunately. But I had a better surprise greeting me when I returned to the tent.

"Zorel!" I gasped, seeing the insectoid vassal standing tall beside Ormis, a wide smile stretched onto his unnatural features.

Ormis was chuckling at one of his jokes, then saw my approach and raised a hand. "Look who we found scurrying about in those tunnels," he shouted. "And he brought friends, too! Tunnels, Adam! The fields were crawling with them. Seems like we won't have to take Temini alone."

I raised an eyebrow, then smiled when the kalatchi vassal appeared from behind Ormis.

"I have news, emperor," Zorel said with a bow so low that his nose nearly bumped into the dirt roadway. "You have reinforcements coming from Vera and Kiltz. They passed by my castle two days ago and will be here in only a few more. Additionally, my flight towards your location yielded valuable intelligence about Varren and Eldoria's plans."

"Straight to business, I see," I commented gruffly as I pushed our sole captive forward. "Now, let's see how much of the information I've gleaned matches the one you provide. It would be a shame to lose one's head over speaking false to an emperor who's just slain your entire force, wouldn't it?"

The captive gulped and Zorel lifted from his bow to display his full height. The kalatchi vassal certainly did have height on his side.

Chapter

Twenty-Four

MYRAI - FARLI CAPITAL

War Council Woes!

Three days later, having met no more reinforcements on the road, I was forced to admit that our newest captive was indeed correct.

"It's crazy," I murmured while standing on a hill that overlooked Farli's distant capital of Myrai, "that we didn't get slowed by so much as a single pebble on the road from Tolya to Myrai. What in the name of the gods are Varren and Eldoria playing at?"

Beside me, Collette tapped a red lip in deep thought. My empress wife was significantly more skilled at matters of court intrigue than I was, and I sought her counsel eagerly. It was a foolish husband who didn't listen to his wife's input, and a foolish emperor who disregarded his empresses' specific areas of knowledge.

Below us, Myrai glittered like a jewel cut out of a princess' necklace. Brightly-colored banners flying the gilt peacock of Farli fluttered and flapped, draping the city in their brightness. Gleaming white marble reflected so much of the red dawn's light that it looked more ruby than stone. And the many spires of the castle at its center rose taller than the tallest oak.

"Temini, the emperor of Farli, is a famous fool," Colette said thoughtfully. "See how the city itself is built in an indefensible bowl, with the forest adjacent approaching nearly to its very walls, and our own high vantage point? Some at my father's court claim that he was political in his dealings, allowing himself to find safety where others would have found knives at their backs. "

My wife tugged the reins of her steed as the beast stamped. Even the horses apparently wanted to get there already. I suspect they'd be more cautious if we'd encountered trouble on the road.

"You disagree," I noted.

"I disagree wholeheartedly," Colette confirmed with a nod of her pale pink oni horns. "Politics may have saved him, sure. But more likely in my opinion is the simple fact that he's unwilling to use force where he should. The Farli emperor is, many agree, simply too much of a dandy to be much trouble to invaders. Easier to leave a powerless emperor intact and collect taxes from the serfs and merchants, than to convince those same that you mean them no harm when you've clearly slain their ruler."

I nodded. The harsh realities of this world may have been mostly done away with back home on Earth, but that didn't mean I was totally oblivious to their existence.

"Still," I pondered, "What will Varren and Eldoria do once they find out a champion is in the city?"

"Try to kill him," Colette said with a giggle. "But that's hardly ever been a problem for you, has it?"

"Problem? Yes," I said with a sigh. "True danger? Not really. Come on, let's go see this Emperor Temini. See just was sort of man we're dealing with."

The captain of Temini's war council squared his shoulders and glared at me. He was every bit of six foot seven, and clearly over two hundred and fifty pounds of sheer muscle. Truly, this tactic would have worked wonders for him in so many other arenas that I suspected he postured out of instinct more than anything else.

"Emperor Temini entrusts the safekeeping of his jeweled city of Myrai to me and my fellow captains," the man declared in a booming voice. "He has no need of another foreign champion in this land. And especially not one who brings a member of the race that has slain his own champion on his heels! Sweet, sweet Teposi! This intruder spits on your memory by bringing an anthril into your old home!"

Beside me, Zorel bristled. He opened his mouth to retort, but I stepped between the two of them before this farce could continue any further.

"I spit on any champion's memory," I declared, rising to my full height, and towering several more inches over the large captain with my god-infused power, "who fails to prepare properly for an expedition and leaves his people to be slain."

All around us, the citizens of Myrai's central square looked on. Women with babes at their breast turned to make ready to flee, sensing danger. Some of their husbands stood with arms folded, cracking knuckles though they lacked anything but mean kitchen knives for weapons.

Most of them just stared.

The captain opened his mouth to retort, and instead of allowing him that luxury, I drew my sword in a swift motion and slid it through his open mouth until the gleaming blade appeared from the back of his head, coated in a red brighter than the sunrise gleaming on Myrai's bright marble.

The captain's eyes went wide with surprise and his hands leapt up to grasp at the blade that had ended his life. Desperately, his hands gripped the blade and attempted to pull it free of his mouth. I had no doubt that if I were a weaker man, he would have been successful, as he would have been intimidating me.

I was not a weaker man and even though his efforts would have come too late to save his life anyway, they were even more for naught since I had great strength on my side. His scrabbling palms slid down the length of my blade, then fell away bloodied and slit as his body collapsed to the cobblestone square.

Ormis grunted approvingly beside me.

"That one talked too much, and did too little," the ogre declared easily. "Mercy killing, if you ask me."

"I agree," I replied as I bent down and wiped my blade clean on the gilt peacock that adorned the captain's tunic. When I was done, the peacock was a dusky rose gold.

"Weird reaction from the crowd, though," Ormis commented. "You'd think they'd react to this slaying."

"They don't know fear and they don't know death," I replied, glancing around me at the confused faces of the crowd. "But they would have known both, and soon too, even if their precious war council's captain had lived. Varren and Eldoria have signed a truce."

Ormis hummed and glanced over at the massive golem god. I supposed the captain had likewise assumed his own safety in the presence of his former champion's own god.

"People of Myrai!" I called to those assembled, ready to get this show on the road. "I am not come to kill your men, rape your women, or sell your children into bondage! Though I do come to claim your lands for the Tolmerian Empire, know that my rule is favorable to those who would make this claim in my stead!"

My words sent slow, foolish waves of muttering through the assembled throngs. I grinned, then snapped my fingers and felt my newest page press the decapitated head of Tolya's former mayor into my grasp.

I held the head aloft by its hair and let the crowd drink in the grisly sight. Better to accustom them to death now, than have them break ranks when Varren and Eldoria came to sack their precious capital.

"This is the head of Tolya's mayor, a good man I do not doubt, who found himself without his head when Varren and Eldoria came to claim the port!" I roared, turning the sightless head for all to see. "It is only thanks to my soldiers and sailors that we come to return his head to your Emperor Temini. It is only thanks to my forces that your city knows of their next target.

“Your warring neighbors have made a truce with one another, choosing to disregard the gods' own wishes for combat and conquest in the Game of Castles! They come to destroy your city, to take your lands for their own citizenry, and to do to your emperor what they have done to Tolya's mayor! Do not ask me to describe what they would do to you!"

Now, the slow stupid waves of muttering grew more pronounced and soon a fever of conversation, crying, and despair rolled like heavy waves in a tsunami across the city.

Those mothers nursing their babes pulled the little ones from their breasts and pressed their little faces against their own necks. The men cracking their knuckles found their hands gone limp with fear, and those brandishing knives let their weapons clatter on the stones. Even the cowards who looked ready to turn tail and run from the oncoming danger now held their tails between their legs.

Slowly, then more swiftly, eyes turned up to the towering precipice of the Myrai castle behind me. Not wanting to seem lesser than any other, I met Ormis' eyes, and the ogre glanced back then grinned.

"Looks like you've got a royal audience, Adam," he murmured. "And looks like that royal audience is impressed."

"Temini?" I asked quietly and Ormis grinned.

"People of Myrai!" words from the tower announced. "Long have I been your emperor and long have you enjoyed the peace and freedom that my rule provided you! But now I can see that the tides of time have moved onward from our precious captain, and deposited a stranger into our laps, from the shores of Tolya!

“This stranger brings ill news, but it is not all unexpected by me. Heed his words as you would my captain's. Heed his words as you would my own! For I can see that he alone means to, and is able to, safeguard this fair city from the heathens who would destroy us!"

I ground my teeth, thinking of the burned and ruined towns that we'd passed on the road from Tolya to Myrai. The destruction of my small village on the border of a swamp had been enough to send me into a rage, and yet the destruction of a dozen or more of significantly larger and more economically important cities had apparently not bothered the emperor to so much as raise his portcullis or move his most-exposed populations to more defensible positions.

Yet, I held my tongue, for I knew that the people of Myrai would need a unified command, if they were to do anything to protect their city. And my tact was rewarded when words swam into my vision a moment later.

Quest: Defend the city of Myrai from the oncoming siege.

Mission: The forces of Varren and Eldoria have joined forces, deciding to earn the ire of the gods in disregarding the spirit of the Game of Castles by allying instead of fighting. This loophole has since been rectified, but the change is not retroactive. Even now, they descend upon Myrai in search of the champion who has laid claim to Farli's crown jewel (that would be you, Adam). Destroy their forces and their champions, and yes, save Myrai from plundering, to win control of Farli and bring it into the Tolmerian Empire.

Game of Castles Reward:

Lord Points: 200,000

I blinked. "What? That's it?" I muttered. "I got way more for defeating the Ebris.”

Quest Details: You want big rewards, kill big prizes. The Ebris and the Ostrid were big monsters, worth big prizes. The Varren and Eldorian champions are scum to the gods.

But play nice, and maybe you'll find that doing the gods' dirty work earns you favors worth more than once-a-day invincibility cloaks, fire-firing bows, and special oxen. And before you ask, no it won't be worth more than that fine saddle of yours.

The god of chaos is still upset that we let you earn something of that fine regard.

I chuckled with a headshake. Leave it to the gods themselves to lay out such strange requirements.

Though that did leave the question of who was in charge of delivering these prompts. Was it always Asmi, or did the Creator herself sometimes take more of a hand in the game than she let on?

Chapter

Twenty-Five

MYRAI

City Defense!

I stood atop Myrai Castle's parapets, watching the arranged forces with some trepidation. Truly, if I'd had all the usual might of Tolmeria behind me, the several thousand or so soldiers, archers, knights, mercenaries, and trebuchet mechanics that Varren and Eldoria fielded would have been dealt with easily.

But I didn't have the whole force of Tolmeria behind me. I barely had the whole force of Myrai.

The women and children, for the most part, huddled in large, shaking groups within the actual castle's walls, leaving the larger city in favor of the surer protection that the castle walls themselves provided.

Not that I could blame them, exactly.

A week earlier, the moat surrounding the city had been drier than a hag's unmentionables, the portcullis had been open for so long that the hinges protested loudly when I gave the order they be lowered, and well, we already know about how close the trees pressed to the walls.

Any army worth their salt, and about a dozen more who managed to come up short in the salt comparison, would have quietly amassed forces behind the tree cover and erected ladders from their concealing boughs.

Temini had protested when I ordered the trees nearest the city walls felled and cleared, then sent dedicated pyromancers to light the forest in a conflagration.

"My father grew those trees when I was little," the emperor had complained in a nasally voice. "When I was but a child, I hid from punishment in their upper branches. Where will I hide now?"

I'd looked the emperor up and down doubtfully. Temini was a doughy man - not fat exactly, but so far from thin you'd need a spyglass and a tall crow's nest to spot thin from his current weight. His body showed what he was exactly: comfortable and unwilling to raise a finger if there wasn't a treat to be snatched.

"You'll do no more hiding, Temini," I declared as we watched Harmony's phoenix whoosh down in a fiery show upon the upper branches, while Saulie pranced about in the undergrowth, catching brushes. "If you're unlucky, you won’t live long enough to scramble up any trees ever again. Pray to whatever god you worship that I arrived soon enough to win this battle without having to trade you away."

"I would pray to the god I worship," Temini had murmured, "if Grolio wasn't currently in your employ."

I grinned. "Then pray to me, Temini. Pray that I'm good enough to clean up from the mess that you've been hiding from all your life."

With that, I left the emperor. I wasn't sure that he'd ever prayed to me, but I also wasn't sure that it would have mattered.

Somewhere down in the mud-caked field that extended beyond Myrai's walls, I knew the golem god lay in wait. Fortunately, I knew exactly where my own golems lay. Golem and Icey had seen little use in the past campaign, and I intended to rectify that in the coming fight.

"Tough-looking battle," Zorel muttered, striding out of the shadows of a nearby keep and shielding his eyes with a skeletal, black hand. "Think you can win?"

I grinned at the kalatchi king, my second-newest vassal after Temini. "I think I'd rather ride Drago into battle than a kalatchi monarch. Your back doesn't look like it'd fit my godlike saddle."

That made the kalatchi vassal frown doubtfully, but before he could ask me any more about it, a trumpet blew down the long lines of the Varren forces. The tinny sound leapt out and up from the rear lines and then I glanced over and saw a Varren banner raise over the lines of troops.

Immediately, a golden light whooshed over the arrayed forces, making them all look like they were lit by the light of dawn. The trebuchet's iron balls glowed eerily, and I squinted down to see that they were using what looked like cannonballs that had been magnified six-and-a-half times.

"How many are they?" the kalachi king asked.

"Several thousand, near as far as I can tell," I said with a shrug, then snapped my fingers to my left.

Abruptly, the sound of clicking steel on hard stone rose to my ears, and a moment later a small messenger boy literally skidded to a halt in front of me.

He then kept on skidding, sending little sparks flying up from where his feet flattened against the stones and grasping desperately for the stone arrow slits nearest us. He finally came to a halt a little beyond the kalatchi vassal, then turned around sharply and reached into a pocket to produce a ledger with numbers on it.

I raised an eyebrow at the boy. "I don't think I've brought ice skating to this world yet," I said with a light chuckle, eyeing the intense distance that the small child had traveled since attempting to slide to a halt. "Does it exist already?"

"Ice skating?" the boy asked curiously.

I waved a hand, and the boy glanced down at his feet. "Oh, that. Captain Ormis has ordered that all the soldiers that will be entering the melee down on the fields be provided with studded shoes." He lifted a boot to show me the sole of his footwear, and I saw small iron spikes driven from the sole and sticking out the bottom.

"They're supposed to aid traction in mud," the boy continued. "But they do make running on stone something quite difficult."

I nodded, took the paper from the boy's hand, then waved it to send him scurrying off again. He slid when he entered the nearest doorway and had to grasp the door frame to slide around in a circle and get reoriented.

The kalatchi vassal chuckled. "Nicest thing about flying," he said, "is you don't have to worry about sliding around. If the wind is gusting, you simply stay low."

He raised a finger, and I raised an eyebrow, glancing up to see the pennant of Farli hanging limp. "Seems conditions are ideal," I commented, and he chuckled.

Then I perused the sheet before handing it over to him. "More forces than I have, that's for damned sure," I said with a grunt. "I'm spread too thin. Protecting Tolmeria from the seas, Cask from the land to the west, establishing trade routes through the swamps, and now holding Tolya. I need more men."

Zorel grunted as he looked up and down the sheet. "At least you'll have air superiority," he said.

"Unless they have a pegasus," I retorted.

Zorel chuckled, and we returned to surveying the gathering storm, a battle that was soon to rock the very foundations of Myrai.

In the field, the opposing forces arrayed themselves, and I watched as their trebuchets mechanics worked out simple calculations, using chalk on the sides of the wooden structures.

At the same time, great ladders were brought in from the rear lines, and positioned beneath shield cover, so that they could no doubt make a swift approach to the castle walls. The shield cover appeared to be pontoon boats, or sometimes simple plank wood, and I had no doubt that if this were a normal battle, the attackers would have every advantage.

They had the height, while we had the low ground.

They had the men; we had cowering women and children.

Sure, we had air superiority. But if there was one thing that my fight against the kalatchi drones had proven, it was that air superiority meant little, when it was spread so thin, and the enemy was so large.

Zorel might have been a king, but he hadn't brought many drones with him. And yet, this was not a normal battle, and I was not a normal emperor. I had the advantage of magic on my side, and knowledge of the Game of Castles that many of the footmen no doubt lacked.

I whistled, and another page, bearing my banner, approached from my left. Giving the lad a nod, he lifted it high, and now my own golden light washed over the city, bathing my troops in power.

Immediately the slumped shoulders on the parapets straightened, and backs cracked as they stretched. Archers that had been weary from long travel soon found their sight rectified, and all eyes turned to their captains, while all captains' eyes turned to me.

I drew my sword, then thought better of it, and replaced it in my scabbard. The eyes took on curious dints as my captains tried to figure out what I meant.

I grinned with a chuckle, then summoned my bow of fire arrows out of the aether, drew back on the drawstring, and sent a flaming bolt careening across the sky. The fiery projectile seared itself into my retinas, even brighter than the daylight that glinted on the metal shields and armor and the forces arrayed below.

No wind attempted to tug my shot away, and it smacked hard into a catapult that lay closer at hand than the distant trebuchets. The flames leapt from the mark, and the soldiers manning it shouted and began rustling about like tiny ants on a picnic plate.

"Nice shot," Zorel commented.

I smirked. "It's the only kind I have, Zorel."

Then I met the eye of the nearest captain, who seemed to be getting what I was going at. Giving a nod, the captain returned it, then drew his own sword, turned to the arrayed forces outside the city walls, and thrust the sword forward.

Immediately, archers dipped oiled arrow tips to burning braziers on their right and left, releasing a facsimile of my own bow of fire arrows, though the fire in these would be extinguished much more easily.

My command took some time to percolate throughout the city walls, but this wasn't a singularly terrible thing. Arrows leapt from longbows atop parapets, sinking into forces on the right-hand side of the castle. Then lulls would follow, where those forces would scramble about, desperate to give both repair to their equipment and knowledge of the impending battle to the forces that could not see what was happening.

That was the one problem with an encirclement. You couldn't see what was happening across the city, but I could see everything.

Desperately bugle horns blared, clashing with one another as they rang out from opposite ends of the battlefield. The enemy scrambled, frantically attempting to move into position and set up a counterattack. I caught them in two confusions, since not only did a full encirclement entail some fog of war about what was happening across the city, it was vanishingly uncommon for a city under siege to lead an attack itself.

Normally the gameplay would be to wait for reinforcements, and although those were on their way, I had had word from Zorel that the supply lines across the swamp had in fact been completed in my absence, and Vera and Kiltz were busily leading long marching troops across the swamps, keeping double-pace, and would arrive in short order.

But still, I kept my eyes scanning the distant hills. True, my quest had been to defend Myrai. But I wasn't some lapdog of the gods. On Myrai, I got 200,000 lord points, nothing little to scoff at. Kill the champions who attacked her, though, and I'd gain something much more valuable than simple lord points.

I would gain levels. And with levels, I could gain even more lord points even faster. Already visions of hunting the monstrous beasts that were worth so much across the plains, the hills, and sailing the seas flooded my vision.

That was a valid strategy. No doubt leaving my many forces to reinforce my borders while I led raiding parties to take out monstrous foes, and used the incomes from that to supplement the farming, trade, taxes, and of course forces at the borders, would be a way to safely and somewhat excitingly way to improve my standing in the Game of Castles.

"Where are they?" I grumbled, gazing out across the distant hillsides.

"Where are who?" Zorel muttered.

Oh, right. The kalatchi attempted to snap his fingers and I realized that with chitin instead of skin, the sound was much eerier. And he closed his eyes and thrummed his wings, sending out a high-pitched sound that I could barely distinguish careening out across the city.

"Communications?" I asked.

He nodded. "Our ears may not be as advanced as the anthrils’, but our bodies do have some of the same sensitive receptors as theirs. We can hear high-pitched calls, and even if we can't communicate using complex thoughts with them, they are an expedient way of getting across simple commands, much like your bugles. Though they lie outside of the range of human hearing."

He gave me a smirk, and I rolled my eyes at him.

Then from the city below us, a black swarm rose. Hundreds of onxy chitinous wings fluttered, and the kalatchi forces came to hear their master's bidding.

"Sow some chaos and all that," Zorel said, and I thought that the response in high-pitched wingbeat from his forces was something similar to cackling laughter.

They didn't wait, shooting off across the distance in clumps of twenty, and spreading out to sow chaos at various points in the lines. All the while, a single larger force strode west. This one had two hundred or so kalatchi drones inside of it, and I focused my attention on them.

“Now we'll see if we can catch some champions," I said with a chuckle.

"Happy to help," Zorel responded with a mock-bow.

"The only thing you're happy for," I retorted, "is to have been raised up to kinghood and allowed to rule over your own territories."

Zorel shrugged. "True, but I know which side my worm-toast is buttered on. I was nobody before meeting you, Adam. Your wish, so long as it doesn't result in my immediate death, is my command."

I grinned, and together we set to watching the large group of kalatchi swarm up and down trebuchets, snapping cords that held counterbalances, knock over knights and peel them out of their very armor, as well as tackle over the dead, across the city.

The smaller groups of kalatchi were indeed being beaten back, and soon those longships which provided cover for battering rams, and wooden planks which provided the same for trebuchets, began darting forward as the more simple variety of oiled flaming arrows, threatened to burn them to cinders. Swiftly these forces reached the boats, and flipped either boat or board over before slapping them into the water.

The flaming oil arrows extinguished with loud popping hisses, and I heard cheers come up from the men who'd successfully completed their missions. Or the low rumble of a large wooden wheel carrying a catapult, or the clop-clop of many feet that bore large ladders or battering rams rang out across the land.

"They think they've done it," Zorel commented.

From the looks of things, Temini believed they've done it too. I glanced behind me, taking my eyes for a moment from my target of the densest forces, and watching as soldiers tramped across the boats and the large boards. Leaning with his head between an arrow slit, the former Emperor Temini made nervous sounds, and I laughed.

"Nothing to worry about, Temini," I said. "Just watch. It's not for nothing that a champion of the true Game of Castles has come to save your city."

Temini shot me a withering look, before I sent a mental command to Golem.

The waters burbled beside the boats and the wooden boards, light enough that the men upon them did not notice at first. They noticed a moment later, though, when a huge, watery structure - Golem in all of his massively-fueled glory - rose up from the water itself and began sending thick, watery arms to wash the men and their items over into the moat.

Our attackers went down with screams, and I chuckled.

If this had been a modern battle, the men would have been fine. Most people from my home on Earth knew at least how to doggy-paddle. But many of these men had never seen the ocean, and they sank like stones, releasing gaseous water bubbles as they finally succumbed to the depths.

"Tough way to go," Temini said.

I shrugged. "Live by the sword, die by the sword. Or the moat, whatever."

Then I put my hands to my mouth and shouted, "Grolio, Icey, you're up!"

Amazingly, my words seemed to carry over the vast distances. Immediately my small ice golem popped out of a sewer grate down near where Golem himself was laying about with watery hands.

With a simple hop, Icey leapt up and vanished within Golem's large exterior.

My watery creation quickly began to shrink. Icey wasn't nearly as leveled as Golem, and therefore couldn't properly interface with the large creature as easily. But it wasn't like they were lacking in size.

By the time their fusion was completed, the combination Icey-Golem still stood about ten feet tall as it clambered out onto the far bank and went charging off to literally pummel soldiers with its bare, frozen knuckles.

The sound of cracking ribs, soft in the distance but still pleasant to my ears, made me grin.

At first the soldiers around him tried to cut Icey-Golem down with their blades alone. Swords glinted brightly in the warring distance.

But save for one experience with an ax that tore an inch-wide chunk from his shoulder, Icey-Golem was made of such strong, hard stuff that the blows effectively bounced off.

By the time my enemies had discovered that they needed to use their own brand of oiled arrows to melt him, he'd taken out a good twenty soldiers. And as hissing, popping oil arrows alight with flame sank into his body and reduced his size inch by inch, he didn't stop laying about himself with fists and headbutts. Then, once the top portion of his body had been fully melted, he switched to sliding tackles and kicks.

I grinned to see the little thing go. Well, maybe not so little anymore, but still.

Once I satisfied myself that my magical buddy would kill way more than even a professional knight, I turned my attention to the west.

Grolio rose from the muddy terrain like a creature out of some nightmare. At fifteen feet tall, I'd fought larger golems, and yet none of them had been gods.

Grolio might be mortal, but he was still something to behold. And where Icey-Golem shrugged off sword strikes and was only brought down by flaming arrows, Grolio had the benefit of clay on his side.

The mass of his body allowed swords to sink into it, blades driving deep into biceps, chest, and, for one unfortunate mounted knight, taking a lance through the skull. All of these stuck fast, including the lance.

With Grolio's intense mass behind him, the mounted knight found his grip on his own lance suddenly too much to bear. Stuck with an unfortunate angle between him and Grolio, the rear of the lance's handle drove back through his rib, denting his armor horribly and sending him flying from his saddle, while the horse careered onwards, finally coming to a halt and snickering as it trotted up beside Grolio.

When Grolio laughed loud and booming, many of the enemy cowered. When he drew his power into himself, then pressed the clay of his body outwards and sent their own weapons flying back at them, they scattered like a dozen bugs under a rock that a child had picked up, scurrying away for safety.

Grolio wasn't brought down by oiled arrows, lances, axes, or even clubs. He plowed forward, until finally I saw a flood of Varren and Eldorian forces fleeing over the hillside, racing towards the castle.

These were not arranged in attack formation, but instead were clearly running from something.

When, some minutes later, I saw the Tolmerian banner flying at the head of a line of mounted knights, I knew that Vera and Kiltz had finally made it to the fight. I grinned, and then laughed aloud when white flags rose from the assembled forces. Then I narrowed my eyes when those white flags were swiftly lowered and bugle calls went out from the clump of Varren and Eldorian colors.

"Got you," I muttered.

Then I activated my level-up screen. I needed to get some attention. Because now, not only did I stand to win the levels of my opponents, but I also stood to win something that would come in even handier: the armed forces of both Varren and Eldoria. Armed forces that would be terrified of me, and even more terrified of me than of seeing more battle.

I'd need men to bolster Tolya, since I didn't expect Varren or Eldoria to simply bow the knee just because their champions died. They'd come back trying to steal land, I knew. I couldn't let that happen.

"Let's make this a bright show," I said.

And as I was lowered back to the ground, I mentally queried: Can you perhaps give me a magnified voice effect? Only for about fifteen seconds.

A small chuckle met my ears, thrumming out as though from my very chest.

Name: Adam Clear

Champion for the God of Barter

Height: 6’8”

Weight: 257 lbs

Age: 26

General Level: 56

Strength: 19

Stamina: 7

Dexterity: 22

Constitution: 6

Endurance: 6

Healing: 4

Magic Type: Golem

Magic Level: 30

Spell Assignment: Water Golem (Golem)

Secondary Assignment: Ice Golem (Icey)

Applying display now.

Golden light glowed around me. As I extended my arms to either side, I called out in my loudest, most-booming voice, which was both very loud and very booming, "Forces of Varren and Eldoria, you need not die this day. But you will if your champions do not accept my offer. Defeat me in combat, and whoever defeats the other shall be declared the victor and leader of Farli. I'll even let you fight me two on one. Be brave men, rise to the Game of Castles, instead of trying to cheat your way under it. And see how magnanimous I am, that I even allow you to get away with the cheating you've already done."

The golden light faded from my body, and as I glanced around myself, I saw, finally, a clump of soldiers appear in the large mass, forming a sort of dueling ring. And within it, two men stood awaiting me. Neither stood very proud, nor very powerful. At least they at least had the honor of dying for their citizens.

With a grin, I patted the kalatchi vassal on the shoulder and said, "Well then, let's fly me down there and get this all over with. I've left a very homebody wife at home, and I'd like to enjoy her, along with all of my other wives, before the spring comes."

Zorel chuckled. Then, climbing onto his back, we flew together down to the middle of the circle, where I readied to slay my opponents.

Chapter

Twenty-Six

MYRAI FIELDS

There are champions and there are CHAMPIONS!

Gathered troops looked up with trepidation as Zorel and I flew out from Myrai towards the impromptu dueling arena. A high, blue sky left the world clearly visible, and gave me a good view of my two opponents before we'd even gotten close.

The short Varren champion wore a red-and-gold tunic similar to the one worn by the Farli troops, and the inclusion of a pegasus made me wonder whether he'd already secured the magical prize, or whether there was simply a heraldic rivalry between the two kingdoms.

Why have a chicken when you could have a pegasus, after all?

I know which one I'd have, since I already had one even if Drago was annoyingly far away.

The Eldorian champion, meanwhile, wore the green-and-black that I'd so often seen in Tolya. Based on their colorings, I suspected that Eldoria shared an Eastern border with Farli, while Varren shared either a northern or a northeastern one.

Perhaps it was northwest, but I hadn't heard Zeth mention them during our dialogues, so I doubted that.

"Take us in nice and slow now, Zorel," I commanded and together we began to float down in wide, buzzing circles around the soldiers nearest to the arena.

"Fellow champions!" I called, doing my best to show my face to the troops that would hopefully join my cause in short order. "It is good to see that you love your citizens as I love mine! I approve wholeheartedly of your actions in meeting me in the field of combat, rather than sending your men to die fruitlessly for you!"

As I spoke, the champions glanced up, with the Varren one breaking first under my will. Always good to know which of your opponents loses the not-staring contest first, since they'll likely be the one to crack first, too.

Not like they could afford to let me besmirch their names. And I intended to do exactly that until I put my sword through their necks, bellies, bollocks, or whatever other soft bit of flesh I could slice up finer than a twenty-dollar-a-pound steak at the butcher's.

NEW QUEST: Look, I get that you won Myrai, okay? And yeah, the real quest was always to destroy the champions, but Analisa has a whole thing against setting quests to directly slay champions at this point. Apparently, you're supposed to just do that naturally.

REWARD: The unending gratitude of one Asmi, god of barter. Plus, also, you stand to win a bunch of troops to your cause. Can't put a price on that, can you?

What? You can?

Well, I can't. At least not until Analisa relaxes the rules some. Until that point, go get them, Champion Clear.

I grinned with a head shake, then leapt from Zorel's back once we were a mere twenty feet above the muddy field.

I landed in the muck with a sound that was one part boom and one part wet smack, sending globules of mud to splatter the visor of the Eldorian champion. He appeared to be an elf, at least based on the tall, pointed ears sticking out of his helmet.

"Blegh!" The elf champion spat out a wad of muck and rubbed at his eyes when he lifted his visor. "You could at least give me a champion's dignity of a warning."

"I could," I agreed, darting forward and sliding a thin knife from my sleeve. "But I won't."

Without an ounce of ceremony, I drove the thin knife blade into the bridge of his nose, right between his eyes.

"Thanks for lowering your visor though. This knife could've easily slipped into the opening anyway, but I have a thing about not looking gift horses in the mouth."

With a small grunt, I yanked the blade out of the elf’s face and turned towards the Varren champion, who was so short of stature that I figured he must have been a dwarf. Blood dripped from my knife blade, splattering the ground with red droplets and making the muddy terrain even muddier.

The Varren champion stared up at me with his mouth hanging open. He wasn't a terribly evil looking person, not like the Eldorian champion.

Mostly, he looked like he'd gotten out on the wrong side of the bed one morning and, instead of being deposited safely onto the floor, had been instead thrust into armed conflict in a game whose rules were likely something he'd never prepared for.

"He-he didn't even," the dwarven champion stammered. "He didn't even pull his sword out! Where's the honor you spoke about, fellow champion? This isn't-none of this is fair!"

Abruptly, the dwarven champion started whimpering. He sank to his knees and held his head in his hands as he sobbed miserably. “I should have been reborn on a tropical island,” he whimpered pitifully.

"Oh, come on now," I said angrily. "This is the Game of Castles, not some medieval romance. Winning is what matters. And I'm going to win, no doubt about that."

He kept whimpering, heedless of the words I spoke. With a sigh, I strode forward and knelt on a knee before him.

"Look," I said in a calmer voice, "It isn't like playing the Game of Castles is some great burden thrust on you out of the blue. All us champions were killed back in our own worlds, so getting a chance to not only live a new life, but also be a champion of a magical game, is kind of a best-case scenario for us. Come on now, chin up. I promised a friend I'd kill the Eldorian champion first, but I'll be happy to duel you the old-fashioned, honorable way if that'd help."

Glancing behind me, I saw Grolio's large, clay head rise many feet above even the mounted knights. The clay golem raised a hand to salute me, giving me leave to do what I wished with the other champion now that his favorite city's looter had been dealt with.

I laid my hand on the Varren champion's shoulder in a tender, surprisingly fatherly way. Maybe having offspring of my own had made me grow soft. Maybe it was that being a dwarf, he was roughly the same height as a ten-year-old boy. Maybe it was the fact that we hadn't seen flame nor spark of Saulie since the forest-burning expedition, and the little guy had just scampered out from amidst the gathered soldiers.

"Saulie?" I asked, surprised to see him reappear after so long in a place that was very much not near Harmony. "What are you doing all the way out here? I thought-"

A tickle of pain rose from my side and I glanced down away from the magmatic salamander to see that the Varren champion, in his haste, had attempted to drive his own knife through my stomach.

My eyes traveled from the knife which he held in his clammy hands to his face. A rictus of white flesh stretched across his visage as his brain processed what was about to happen.

Too bad he didn't realize that my invincibility cloak only prevented a mortal wound once per day, or else he might've simply tried thrusting the sharpened metal through me once more.

"Well, so much for honor," I smirked.

The second champion's death was finalized when I slid my knife across his neck, opening his throat and displaying just how mortal even the most rule-breaking of champions were once I'd set my sights on them.

His body collapsed with a thud to the ground, and I waved Grolio to my side.

"What would you have me do, my king?" the mortal god asked with a bow while I rose to my feet. "I appreciate you slaying that bastard first. Please tell me we're not about to bury him honorably?"

I shrugged, then wiped my bloody knife off on a sleeve. "We’re going to do whatever it is Isabel deems necessary to transmute their bodies into something I can use. I very much doubt it'll require proper burial, considering that anthril apparently was able to use Farli's champion, and I don't think anthril even bury their dead. Probably, they just eat them."

Grolio's face cracked into a grin at the prospect and I leveled a finger up at him.

"But, if for whatever reason Isabel believes they need burial, you're to follow her commands. Is that understood?"

The massive clay golem hung his head in something like a nod, then lifted the two deceased champions in either arm and started off back towards the city.

"Well, that was easier than I'd expected," Zorel said as he buzzed down to stand beside me. "What's next then? Back to the castle? Oh, hello there little guy!"

He stooped down to scratch Saulie behind the ears with a chitinous fingertip that almost immediately began smoking.

I chuckled at my strange new friends, then activated my quest prompt.

QUEST: Defeat the champions currently set on destroying you.

STATUS: Incomplete

I blinked, then rubbed the stubble on my chin as I pondered how that could be possible. The only possibility was one that I dreaded.

"Notes?" I whispered.

Immediately, new text filled my vision.

NOTES: What, you forgot about that anthril already? You've made such a ruckus, even Saulie's gone running scared.

"Shit," I muttered, aiming a kick at a small mound of gloopy mud. "The anthril champion. I'd hoped that there was just a misunderstanding, and that champion was the queen we slew when we first set out!"

Zorel stopped scratching Saulie and straightened up to give me a meaningful look. "There's an anthril champion?"

He had a greedy gleam in his eyes that I didn't exactly love. But it wasn't like I had time to really complain about it, since at Zorel's final words the ground shook in a massive earthquake-style rumbling beneath our feet, and a massive chasm cracked open, standing between us and the city.

And, of course, what would skitter up out of that chasm but an army of anthril larger even than the combined forces of Varren and Eldoria.

"Fuck," I groaned, rubbing my face with a hand. "This is going to be a nightmare to deal with."

And, as with all good nightmares, it didn't end once you realized what it was. Because out of the center of the swarming mass of shiny black insectoid bodies rose the anthril champion.

"Oh, so it flies too, now!" Zorel groaned, mimicking my face rubbing.

Chapter

Twenty-Seven

SKIES ABOVE MYRAI fields

There are CHAMPIONS, and there are CHAMPIONS!

Swift as an arrow fired from a longbow, I leapt up onto Zorel's back.

"Now I really wish Drago wasn't such a sissy when it came to the water," I grumbled when the kalatchi vassal leapt up and took flight. "Would've been nice if he came with Kiltz, though. Damned pegasus is probably off doing the two-backed monster with some frisky mares as we speak, totally wasting my excellent saddle!"

On the off-chance that I was incorrect, I put two fingers to my mouth and gave a loud, high pitched whistle. The noise didn't produce any pegasi from the final Tolmerian troops coming down the far hill.

But it did produce a head turn from what I assumed was the newest, and probably only, anthril champion.

"Any more bright ideas?" Zorel grumbled, buzzing up higher so that our target wouldn't have the benefit of both height and size on us.

"Not at the moment, no," I said with a grin. "Cheer up, Zorel. You might be able to absorb this champion's crystal like you did with the old queen's, right?"

I felt Zorel shrug as a sudden lifting beneath my buttocks, then I turned to survey my newest adversary. Hopefully, it would be the last one I'd need to face for some time yet.

The anthril champion was larger than even Grolio, though I wasn't sure that it took up the same volume as Golem had during the battle. Still, that was nothing to scoff at.

Garbed in the same black, chitinous exoskeleton as Zorel himself, the anthril champion turned to show us a face that was an unnerving mix between human and insectoid. Unlike Zorel, whose face was comforting for the fact that it was strictly insectoid, the anthril champion's face had all the large features of a human one.

That is, he had the usual eyes, nose, high cheekbones, and mouth that humans also acquired. But instead of ears, he had two spiky antennae sticking straight out from his head. And instead of a chin, his mouth curved in a bulbous, almost frog-like caricature.

"Gross," I remarked, earning a chuckle from Zorel. "What do you think we're dealing with here?"

"Hmm. Good question. Kalatchi and anthril are quite different, even if we're both insectoid. But from what I can see this champion was probably a drone that somehow managed to slay the Farli champion. Note that he has wings. As to how he then got hold of the champion's crystal I couldn't say. But anthril kings can't fly, so you're likely dealing with something that actually has a head on its shoulders and isn't driven by pure bloodlust."

As though to provide confirmation of Zorel's words, the anthril champion raised a hand and beat his wings in the fast vibratory manner that Zorel had used.

"Fresh champion meat!" he declared, pointing to Grolio bearing the Varren and Eldorian champions swiftly back to the castle. "Collect them for me, while I deal with the third!"

Grolio gave one quick glance backwards and into the sky before hustling at double time, his feet slapping hard into the washed out battlefield as he ran. Then the anthril champion turned to me.

"Choose your death," the anthril champion said in a snarl. "Claws, teeth, or magic."

"How about fire arrows?" I asked swiftly and when the champion raised an eyebrow, I summoned my bow and sent a quarrel whizzing off towards his stomach. "Some people never learn."

The force of firing the magical arrow sent Zorel spinning off in a tight circle, and I had to grab his shoulders so as to not fall. Once he'd gotten his buzzing wings under control again, I groaned.

A wall of water floated in midair before the champion’s extended palm, and he held the fire arrow easily in one hand.

“Shit,” I muttered. “Makes sense that water magic would be able to put out the fire arrows. Still wish it didn’t, anyway.”

"Nice try," the champion said with a cackling laugh, and I recognized that his voice came out weirdly tinny and scratchy. "You champions aren’t the only ones with magic, though. Even the lowest anthril has a chance of getting an elemental affinity! They thought my water powers would flood the whole colony, back when I was a mere drone. But look what I can do now! The perfect foil to your pesky arrows. You'll need more than them to slay me!"

With that, he twirled the arrow around in midair and dropped it to the ground along with his water barrier. Then, he let out a sharp hissing noise and I gasped as at least five small, sharp, chitinous barbs popped out of his chest and zoomed towards us.

I shoved down sharply on Zorel's shoulders and sent the kalatchi vassal buzzing off towards the ground, letting the arrow sail over his head.

"Thanks for that save, Adam," Zorel grunted. "Didn’t expect projectiles in addition to water magic."

"Me neither," I replied. "We need some way to counter the water first, though. My best weapon, especially in midair, is the bow of fire arrows, and clearly he can snatch any and all of my shots like they're nothing."

"Agreed," Zorel grunted. "Oh shit!"

My chitinous mount swerved off to the left as a second shower of small, black barbs whizzed down towards us. Most passed harmlessly over our heads, but I felt a spurt of blood in my shoulder that meant one had found home in my flesh.

With a grunt, I reached up and yanked the tiny, spiked barb from my skin and examined it. Roughly triangular, it had rows of thin, razor-sharp teeth running up and down all three of its sides that could easily inflict slicing damage, along with the piercing damage a target received from simply getting speared with the thing.

"At least it’s not dripping anything," I remarked, then bent forward to show Zorel. "You think it's poisonous?"

The kalatchi vassal shook his head, then buzzed off to the right as another shower soared towards us.

"Doubt it, Adam. But I'd bet that jerk's got a huge stockpile of those barbs left. We need a plan!"

I turned back to the champion, sighting him with my bow again and letting off three shots in quick succession. With the first I aimed for his head, with the second his stomach, and the third I put off to his right.

Since I'd noticed he caught my first shot with his left hand, I assumed he was a lefty, and I wanted to start tiring him out.

"Water wall or not, he's got to run out of energy eventually!" I shouted.

"Doubt it, Adam. Look!"

Zorel pointed up and I noted that the monster champion had caught all three shots in exactly the same places after enveloping them in water. What was more, he wasn't even breathing hard as he let them drop, one after the other, and sent another shower of barbs flying down at us.

"Dive, dive, dive!" I shouted, pressing Zorel down and out of the sudden projectiles' paths.

Zorel dove. Together, we plummeted towards the ground. All the while, I kept a tight hold to his shoulders.

It was one thing to die from a fellow champion's attack. But dying because I fell off a flying comrade from a great height? Come on now, no way that was how I'd let my life and reign end.

Another shower of the sharpened barbs sped down, this time catching me in the back and knocking me from Zorel, just barely close enough to the ground that the impact would just hurt really bad but wouldn’t kill me.

I flew through the air for a few brief moments while the ground raced up to meet me. This fight was harder than any I'd been in yet, but the difficulty wasn't the thing that irked me.

It felt like this anthril champion, having the magic that most anthril were given randomly, was merely toying with me. Oh, and let's not forget that this anthril champion COULD ALSO FLY!

"Shit!" I yelled a moment before hitting the ground with a loud, wet, sickly whump. "Damn, that hurt."

I half-rolled and half-flopped over onto my back, looking up to the sky just in time to watch Zorel, king and owner of a monster crystal of his own, get cracked in the back by the monstrous champion. My vassal crashed to the ground beside me, and I cursed Drago silently again.

"Fucking horse... pegasus... thing," I grumbled. "Where are you when I need you?"

Zorel didn't answer, just groaned.

Overhead, the anthril champion, whose name I realized I never learned, and probably would never learn now, cackled maniacally.

"The great champion who defeated two of his brethren!" the champion declared. "Now destroyed by an anthril, an insectoid monster who he once hated so much! I'll prove to you humans that anthril aren't just every bit your equal! In fact, we're your betters! But you'll serve a valuable purpose, a purpose that ends in empowering my own skills and allowing me to make an anthril kingdom of all Limar!"

With that, he lowered his buzzing wings to the ground and began walking towards us as calm as a summer’s day.

On the ground, he wasn’t as big as I’d first thought, but it wasn’t like I got back up to fight him. I think that in addition to broken ribs, I’d also managed to crack my spine somewhere very tender. I couldn’t feel my left leg at the moment. While the anthril champion had been monologuing, I summoned Golem. He quickly coated me like he used to when he cleaned me.

I could only watch as the anthril champion flexed his fingers and I saw several more barbs whizz out from his back to his hands. I loudly groaned and thrashed like I’d been hurt. Fortunately, Golem was able to stop his missiles similar to how he’d stopped mine.

My leg tingled for a moment as I tried to focus on overcoming this surprise attack. I did my best not to berate myself for letting a surprise attack find me unprepared, either.

Whatever the case, I couldn't die, not like this. I couldn't leave my wives to fend for themselves, couldn't leave them to raise my children in this harsh world without their father. Couldn't--

A warm nose brushed against my beard and sent nasty ribbons of burnt beard hair curling up into my nose.

"Saulie?" I frowned, turning to see Harmony's newest creation singeing my cheek for the effort. "What are you doing here, boy? Shouldn't you get back to the castle?"

Saulie the flaming salamander gave a crackling croak and gestured his magma nose towards the bow of fire arrows that lay beside me. Then he raised his head to me once more and I grinned.

"You can interface with the fire arrows?" I asked, and the salamander nodded swiftly. "When on Limar did you learn to do that... you know what, don't answer that question. Just one of the unforeseen consequences of some system the gods set up. Hop on, buddy, and let's show this anthril what a family's all about. Hope your ability to not get doused by melting ice means you won’t get doused from a quick swim through some magical water."

Saulie gave a gleeful leap and then a slightly less-crackling croak while I sat up and lifted the bow. As I thumbed back the bowstring, he kept his gaze fixed on the invisible arrow.

"One last shot, then?" The anthril champion laughed from a safe distance as he spread his arms wide and summoned a shield of water at least ten feet deep. "Come on then, take your final shot, and then you can die alongside your pet. It's the only truly honorable thing for someone as powerful as I am to do in a situation like this."

I grinned at Saulie, then said to the champion, "Learning that honor is for fools is a hard lesson to learn, anthril! Because as soon as I teach it to you, you'll already be dead."

The champion laughed a final, hideous laugh as I released the bowstring.

Immediately, Saulie leapt into action. The tiny salamander jumped straight for the invisible arrow and at the very same moment that it became visible, the little salamander grasped the arrowhead with two webbed hands. The arrow magically flew through the air, easily carrying Saulie with it.

"Foolish to your last, I see!" the champion declared as his hand leapt forward, grabbing hold of the slowed arrow as it exited the deep, water barrier. "Let's kill you with your own weapon, why don't we? Wait… ow… ow… OW!"

I grinned. Saulie had kept hold of the arrowhead the whole time. While no bit of the extinguished fire arrow pierced the anthril's carapace, every single last bit of Saulie clung to him like he was a fire sale on Apple products.

"What is this magic, now?" he screamed, abandoning all pretenses of level-headedness. My wife's cute little salamander sent hisses of steam bursting from between the links in his carapace, boiling him from the inside out, just as I'd killed the kalatchi queen only a few weeks before. “You didn’t-didn’t-douse?”

He screamed sharply as Saulie leapt into a hole that burst from his side as a jet of boiled flesh burst through his carapace. The anthril champion’s screams rose in tenor as Saulie proved he liked swimming more than I expected, and I watched as bits of his carapace burst apart, spewing steam and chitin across the ground while Saulie moved about in his liquefied innards.

“You bastard!” he finally screamed, before his head exploded from his neck, flying high into the air towards me. A literal shower of anthril guts, chitin, and blood doused Zorel and me.

I suppose it was nice of his head, at least, to splash down right beside my own. Glancing over at the thing, I chuckled as Saulie crawled out of what would have been the champion’s ruined neck and pressed his nose against my cheek again.

“Ow!” I said, jerking my head back as I started to smell bits of burned beard hair rise from the spot. A sharp pain ran up my left leg as my healing fixed whatever was wrong with my spine.

Saulie drew back immediately, and I chuckled. “Okay then, one quick nuzzle, and I’ll hold my nose.”

Saulie gave a little happy hop and nuzzled my cheek swiftly. I did as I promised and held my nose tight. The whole time.

Still smelled like burning beard, though.

Chapter

Twenty-Eight

CLEAR CASTLE

Win and a Loss!

"Arrange a mounted cavalry of knights on the Aldali Mountains, cutting through the Kevalno pass," I instructed, pointing at both the mountain and the pass on my Game of Castles table. "Then send four of Elyse's pirate ships to patrol the waters East of Tolya. We can't count Eldoria out just because their champion caught the wrong side of a knuckle sandwich."

"More like the wrong side of a fileting knife," Rosa said with a smirk, clearly rearing back to go in for the tease. "When are you going to put those knife skills to work at the table then? They way you eat steak, you'd think it was going out of business!"

She gestured at the plate of bloody, exceptionally-rare steak that lingered on the table beside Tolya's map marker.

"What, this?" I asked, lifting four ounces of pure, grass-fed beef to my mouth and savoring the juicy, savory flavors that flooded my tastebuds.

"Yes, that," Rosa said. I shrugged.

"I kind of like it," Colette said with a flirtatious giggle. "Makes you look all manly, eating a woman's cooking."

"Like you cooked it!" Isabel teased, swatting my oni wife on the arm.

Colette shrugged. "Well, some woman did."

My wives all tittered appreciatively at the little joke, and I swallowed the mouthful of juicy steak, then waved the messenger away.

"Go, take my orders to Carr and Drefius," I commanded.

The messenger finished jotting down some final notes on his piece of parchment then folded it up, bowed to me and his empresses, and bolted from the room.

I had every belief that he wanted to get out of dodge, sensing the more carnal endings that victorious husbands enjoy with their beautiful wives when they return home. I also noted that he didn't so much as skid when he turned sharply to the right, just beyond the doorway.

"I wonder if studs would work out in the field here like they did in Myrai? Obviously, they’d need to be taken off in the castle, though," I murmured, forcing my attention fruitlessly back to the map.

There was so much preparation still to do, so many troops that needed organizing, a whole population in Myrai that needed military training, supply lines to be organized, trade routes to be established - the list seemed endless.

"I can think of something else to do with studs than taking them off," Harmony cooed, entering from the doorway.

"Mmm, and what things did you have in mind, sister wife?" Isabel asked in her usual, slightly-innocent tone.

"I think jacking off is much better than taking off, for one," Colette keened as the oni beauty began to run her hands across my chest.

"What about blowing off?" Cynthia asked from behind Harmony.

"Nice one, Cynthia, but I'd prefer it if my husband would finish inside of our wet pussies, instead," Elyse added in a purr.

Despite all the work I still had to do, I felt myself stiffening at the attention. What? It wasn't like one night's sojourn with a coterie of buxom beauties was going to do more damage than the day had already seen, right?

A grin spread itself across my face, but before I could act on it, I heard a familiar voice from the hallway.

"Leave it off, you all!" Dami shouted desperately.

Clearly, my wives didn't pick up on her tone of distress because they all turned and looked excitedly at her. Their faces paled when they saw the redness on her cheeks, the way her breath came heavy, and how she clutched her hand to her breasts.

"Dami, my love," I said immediately, striding forward to wrap my arms around her. "You're a complete wreck. What's happened? Are you alright? Are the kids okay?"

"Oh, husband," Dami said with a sigh, as she collapsed against my chest and breathed heavily.

Finally, once she'd regained all her breath, she looked up at me and spoke three words that I'd never expected to hear.

"Cask has fallen."

To Be Continued in Game of Castles Book 3

Game of Castles 3

AN ISEKAI LITRPG HAREM

Chapter 1

Assignments, Please!

MYRAI

DREFIUS FOLLOWED at my heels like a lost puppy. Sure, he might have been a six-foot tall puppy, wearing full plate armor and a look so muddled it could have been used in a stiff drink. But look, I was sticking with my metaphor.

"Surely Cask is more important than this, Emperor Adam," the knight commented as we passed under a tall arched doorway and came out onto the castle parapets. "Farli might have been a coup for you to take, but Tolmeria is your original seat of power, and Cask is right on your doorstep!"

I waved a hand at the impertinent knight, leaning my elbows on the parapets to watch a company of soldiers marching east, a battalion of archers moving north, and wagons carrying wood south.

The wood was taken from breaking down the various siege engines that had only recently threatened to take the whole city of Myrai in which my newest castle stood. The archers and soldiers were mostly Tolmerian, but I did manage to get some Farli conscripts mixed into them.

Below us, the city that spread out was hardly less active, either. Down in the town square, a tradesman's cries could be heard ringing high and loud in the warming spring air.

"Fresh grain from Tolya! Get yer grain here, folks!"

I couldn't fight a grin that spread across my face. Despite the many trials and difficulties we'd had in securing the new castle and bringing the eastern region into the Tolmerian empire, we were finally exiting the blasted winter. If it weren't for the warning message that my mousy wife Dami had delivered, I'd be content to sit and let the good times roll a little longer.

But if wishes were fishes, I'd be able to feed the whole city anyway.

With a headshake, I turned to my plated knight and said, "It's easy to overreact when you receive unfortunate news, Drefius. Cask poses a threat to Tolmeria, yes. But I've spent a lot of resources to take Farli. I'm not just about to throw my hands in the air and run sprinting back to a land that could house who knows how many traps and fault lines. I will deal with Cask, but not before I ensure Farli's well and truly settled."

The look on Drefius' face told me he still disagreed, but he wasn't so foolish as to keep pestering his emperor. He gave a single grimace, then clapped his heels together and gave me a proper salute that I returned.

"Emperor," he said before turning and disappearing back into the shadows of the castle walls.

With that little niggle dealt with, I returned my attention to the capital city of Farli.

Down in the market, the grain crier had apparently been joined by someone calling out cloths in various colors that spilled from his wagon in emerald green, ruby red, and an onyx looking black. Beside him, I also saw a man leading a cantankerous squadron of squealing pigs, and a blacksmith hawking cutlery alongside shining suits of armor and gleaming swords.

"Adam!" I heard my wife Cynthia's voice ring from behind and above me. "Make some room, darling!"

I turned to see the wide front of my pegasus Drago swooping down from the blue sky and Cynthia's long hair whipping behind him. With a single chuckle, I moved aside. A moment later the clattering of Drago's hooves on the stonework were joined by worried snorts as my pegasus nearly tipped over the palisade's external buttress.

"Whoa there, Drago!" Cynthia shouted happily as she pulled my mount's reins hard and then turned him towards me.

"Find what you were looking for?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

Cynthia giggled cutely, nodded, then extended a hand to help me up onto my pegasus' back behind her.

Ever since being thrust into the Game of Castles I'd grown so tall that I honestly didn't need a hand getting into the large flying horse's saddle. But I wasn't about to let my gorgeous wife feel useless.

"Thanks," I said as I took her hand, and mostly used my own strength to settle into the saddle behind her. Immediately, I could feel her round rear warm between my legs. "So, where's our destination?"

Cynthia giggled, then wiggled her butt back and forth across my crotch, making my sundial go from six to midnight, in no time at all.

"Bed, from the way things feel," she said as she turned round and gave me a swift kiss on the cheek.

I chuckled, then gave her large tits a long squeeze that made her moan. "Maybe later," I replied in a low growl, leaning forward to bite her earlobe and get another gasp of pleasure in response. "For right now, let's focus on the task at hand."

Cynthia moaned at that but allowed me to take Drago's reins. With a single flick of the leather leads, Drago picked up to a canter then leapt straight over the parapets, spread his wings wide to catch the morning air, and soared off and up.

"West, darling," Cynthia cooed with a sigh. "The enemy camp is west."

I chuckled, then muttered, "Open quests," under my breath. Immediately, words began to shimmer out of the air before me.

NEW QUEST: Destroy the enemy forces holed up in Yuko, Western Farli Region.

Description: Most of the remaining Varren and Eldorian forces have either signed peace treaties to be joined into the Tolmerian Empire under terms similar to indentured servitude, choosing to work to earn their freedom. Others have slunk back to their home regions like rats in the kitchen when the fire's lit. Those who remain in Farli choose to fight rather than be slapped back into servitude.

Time to make it clear they're really choosing death over servitude.

Game of Castles Reward:

5,000 LP

20,000 IP

Note: Look, you could really send a company to take care of these guys. But I get it. You want to make sure the local population sees you as their personal liberator because that'll make them easier to rule. Just, have fun out there, I guess?

I grunted with a chuckle and a headshake.

"Did you just second guess my report, dear husband?" Cynthia sassed with a grin.

"I would never second guess anything you or my other wives do," I replied, deftly excusing the fact that I second guessed basically everything. "But I wanted to see if Asmi gave me any more information about the situation on the ground."

"And?" Cynthia asked, leaning back and giving me another quick peck on the cheek.

"And he mostly didn't," I replied. "I think he's starting to get too comfortable in the Game, honestly. So many of his new quest notifications and notes come with extra information that I didn't ask for. Plus, he sasses me way more than any of you beautiful women do. Kind of endearing. Mostly I ignore his comments though."

Cynthia raised an eyebrow and I explained, "He feels that I'm handling too many of these little problems personally and feels strongly that I should just be delegating them out to others. Frankly, he's probably right with how cheap the rewards for these things have been."

"Well, you do delegate out the whole actually ruling your regions thing," Cynthia said. "What's so different about delegating out the fighting, too?"

I shrugged, then leaned forward and kissed the top of my wife's hair. "I like the fighting though, and I hate the ruling. Speaking of which, that's us, isn't it?"

I nodded at a cluster of stone-walled houses probably three miles further onward. From this height it was a bit difficult to make out all the details, but it became clear that the town wasn't quite as small as Varl's town.

Probably that was down to it not being right on the edge of a vast swamp region. That region was home exclusively to nasty smelling gasses, vicious bugs of all sizes including the human sized, and a lack of industrial activity so expansive it would have made Henry Ford roll in his grave.

On the town's outskirts, the stone houses swiftly began to cluster closer and closer together as they made their way up to the town proper. A low dividing wall separated the original town from the dwellings that had popped up since it was first settled. Although the wall itself wasn't even as tall as one of the house’s walls, and probably only rose three feet on a good day, it would have provided some small resistance to attackers on foot.

Good thing we weren't on foot.

Cynthia's head bobbed up and down against my chin as my wife nodded, then I flicked Drago's reins and sent my flying mount in a tight downward arc. We flew easily past the town outskirts, and only started to be greeted by some arrows as we made our way towards the central area. I leaned left when a whistling sound told me an arrow was imminent and easily dodged the sharpened projectile.

Drago snorted unhappily beneath us, and I pulled my bow of fire arrows out of the aether, scanning the rooftops and open windows for signs of our assailant.

But, before I could spot the man, or even consider pulling back the bowstring, Cynthia said, "Would you mind if I took him out, darling? I've been working on something that I'd like to show you."

"Sure," I replied immediately. "If you can see the jerk, that is."

"Oh, I've got him," she said happily, then reached a finger out to point at a small ramshackle home standing amidst much taller structures. "See him? Now watch closely, I want to make sure it isn't only Harmony who's pulling her weight in the magic department!"

I chuckled and considered commenting that even if both women pulled twice their weight, their bodies were so lithe and sexy that they wouldn't be pulling very much at all. But, if there was one thing I knew about women, it was that you shouldn't comment on their weight, even if it was to compliment them.

"Go for it, I see the building," I replied instead.

Cynthia's butt wiggled once more against my crotch, but before I could react to that new development, a startled gasp rang out from the ramshackle building.

"The fuck?" a man's voice cried out, and a moment later I watched in amazement as a spike of pure ice burst out of the opened window.

A sharp point announced the end of the thin spike, and on the end of the spike, the archer dangled like a fish on a lure. Well, not exactly, since this fish had arms and legs and was using both to thrash about worse than any hundred-pound marlin on a deep-sea fishing vessel.

His hands scrambled desperately at the spike where it burst out of his chest. He'd clearly forgotten all about his bow since it clattered from his hands and snapped in half when it struck the cobblestones two stories beneath him.

"Consider me impressed," I said with a lip smack at my icey wifey's ability to create spikes of hardened ice without even touching them. "A distance summon is a great buff to have for an ice mage. When'd that one pop up?"

Cynthia giggled and wiggled against me one last time before saying, "Now, now, Adam, a girl's allowed to keep some secrets you know. But unfortunately, I've only got a good two of those that I can use a day. Any more than that and the ice isn't cold enough to hold up to piercing impacts. It always cracks and shatters."

"Noted," I said and directed Drago to fly towards the town center.

After the sudden ice strike, we saw far fewer arrows popping up out of the open windows below us. Even when we did have to dodge one or two, they were fired so inexpertly that Drago barely had to adjust course to dodge them. The houses those archers hid within went up like matchsticks once I'd put a fire arrow into them, too.

So it was without much fanfare that we swept down into the town's center and saw various faces peering at us from out of the windows. The greens and reds of the remaining Varren and Eldorian forces started to roam out of buildings with hands held high.

"They're surrendering?" Cynthia asked. "Just like that?"

I shrugged and leapt down from Drago's saddle before offering my hand to help Cynthia dismount behind me.

This was, honestly, kind of odd. Normally, my quest update wouldn't have led me to believe it would be a hard-fought battle if the opposite was going to be true. I pulled up the quest again and double checked that I hadn't missed something the first time I read it through. I mean, I know that I hadn't, but something was definitely off here.

When I glanced at the details, I gasped at what I saw.

Current Quest: Defeat the enemy forces holed up in Yuko.

Notes: Quest updated en route. The forces have decided to yield to you, in exchange for safe passage East back to their old homes.

"The quest details changed while we were mid-flight," I muttered with a headshake.

"That's not supposed to happen, right?" Cynthia asked under her breath.

Whatever was going on here, I definitely didn't want to appear weak in the face of a surrendering army or confused either. Really, I wanted to display a proud face and show how resolute all my actions were, even if I was more winging the situation at the current moment.

So, I squared my shoulders and turned to the milling group of soldiers who turned terrified faces my way.

"My name, as I'm sure most of you are aware," I said in a booming voice, "is Adam Clear, emperor of Tolmeria and now Farli as well. You soldiers are charged with invading this fair town of Yuko, harassing its citizens, and making my rule over the region annoying at best. I am a kind emperor when I have not been wronged, but my wrath is quick to boil. I have currently engaged some of your fellow attackers in contracts of indentured servitude. Serve Farli or Tolmeria as laborers in the field for five years, rebuilding and fortifying the very town you sought to annihilate, or else be summarily hanged and have your bodies fed to the beasts of the mountains. Who among you can speak for your entirety?"

My words were met with worried muttering from the invading forces, and cheers from the citizenry who poked their heads out of window sills, many of them waving little bits of cloth to show their appreciation.

Finally, a man's voice rose from the rabble.

"We accept your terms, Emperor Clear," the voice said as a tall, burly looking fellow elbowed his way to the front of the group. "It would be my pleasure to accept your contract."

The man bowed low, and I smirked.

"That's good to hear, soldier," I replied curtly. "But you will not only be signing a contract with your emperor, but the new empress of Farli. And I daresay that she will have stricter terms than I do. What is your name? And the name of your company?"

The man remained bowed low while he replied, "My men call me Dread, Emperor Clear. Though my mother named me Iarlaith.”

“Hell of a nickname for Iarlaith,” I said with a chuckle and a smirk.

“It’s much easier to strike fear into hearts when you’re known as Dread than when you’re known as Iarlaith,” the man said with a shrug. “And it would be my pleasure to treat with the new Farli empress, if you would provide me safe passage to meet her. I assume she could be found in Myrai?"

My smirk only grew wider as I said, "Normally, she would be found in Farli, yes. However, for the moment you are in luck, for Empress Cynthia stands beside me today."

My wife gasped as I let my proclamation settle on the assembled before us. But Iarlaith didn't miss a beat. Without a moment's hesitation, he lifted his face to Cynthia's and then dipped back down into another bow.

"Empress Cynthia," he said solemnly. "I would treat with you for my men's safety, if you would be so kind as to hear my plea."

Cynthia glanced up at me, and I chuckled. "Knock ‘em dead, Empress," I said cheekily. "I mean, if that's what you want. After this, we've got a meeting with the champions who took over Varren and Eldoria though, so make it quick. I’m going to get some levels."

Chapter 2

Terms, and Wyrms!

AKERAL--FAR NORTHEAST FARLI

EARLY THE NEXT DAY, I touched down in the most northeastern city in all of Farli, at least according to my Game of Castles table.

Akeral was surprisingly picturesque, for a mostly mining town at the border of two regions who had invaded it only a few months prior.

Tall waterfalls leapt from the cliff sides all around it, making the air around the city sparkle with light when the flecks of water caught the light. The homes were mostly wooden, hauled up from the forests that ringed the lower steps of its mountain situation. Steep sloping roofs kept the structure safe from collapsing on snowier winter days. Each home included a large hearth in the corner with low embers radiating heat into the otherwise chilly mountain air. A variety of pets roamed the streets that all seemed to want to be petted by anyone and everyone.

"Now this is what I call a village!" Cynthia said happily while petting the fourth dog in a row of wagging tails. "Happy animals, great views, the only thing it needs is probably a route to the ocean."

I gave my wife a grin, then bent to pat the dog she was currently petting on the head. After it had given a happy yip and trotted off with a wagging tail to find someone new to pet it, I gestured to the steep mountainside behind the town.

"All water leads to the sea eventually, Cynthia," I said with a chuckle. "Though I doubt you'd want to sail down a waterfall."

"Probably not, no," Cynthia agreed, then pointed off to the east where a sudden trumpet blast announced the arrival of someone quite important. "Wonder which one that is."

I squinted in the direction of the loud announcement and watched as a young pegasus spread wings that weren't quite as wide as Drago's, bearing a rider in black and yellow colors swiftly towards the town.

A passing woman carrying a wicker basket full of folded laundry must have heard Cynthia's question, because she paused long enough to say, "That'll be Antun, the new Eldoria champion. He's been sending sorties over the border ever since their old champion invaded. Less frequently, lately, but still. I'd recognize the black and yellow anywhere."

She stopped long enough to spit a wad of phlegm on the dusty ground and made a sign over her heart with her free hand.

"Sounds like you have insider knowledge," I commented, and she turned to glance at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Washerwomen often do, Emperor Clear. We need to keep on top of who's going to be tough when it comes time to collect our pay. It’s important to know which traveling group or other care more about being orderly in their garments than in their finances!"

She cackled maliciously at that, then went back on her way. Meanwhile, the medium sized pegasus sailed lower and lower, coming in for a landing in the center of a wide street that was, for the moment, free of merchants and traders.

"What do you think she meant about them sending sorties through?" Cynthia asked when she turned a corner, still cackling.

"Probably just that," I said with a shrug. "Whoever took over Varren must have known something about their old champion being a pushover. It's likely he figured he could win some easy victories in Farli without risking all that much. Now that the old champions are both dead, he might be realizing that the easy victories are going to be more a thing of the past."

"Or, and hear me out here, Adam," Cynthia replied with a giggle. "He heard that the handsome and powerful Adam Clear of Tolmeria was in charge, and he ran screaming from fear of your wrath."

My beautiful wife bounced her eyebrows at me and gave my powerful bicep a squeeze. I just shook my head again.

"Well, either way, it looks like he's way more unaccustomed to flying by pegasus than I am," I remarked, nodding at the way his downward course kept lifting and lowering with each wing beat. "A single strong wind's likely to send him crashing into the mountain side. Come on, let's give him some space. Don't want to have you end up with hoof prints all up down your stomach if he can't effectively land that thing."

Cynthia agreed, and we moved to a food cart where a merchant was hawking apples. Accepting one for each of us, we watched our new arrival descend. It was a good show, way better than more than a few movies I'd seen.

When his pegasus' hooves clattered down onto the road, the damned beast tried to halt so rapidly that the champion nearly spilled forward out of his saddle. The only thing that saved him was a stirrup that got caught up on his boot and made him smack into the pegasus' neck, rather than spill right off of it.

Cynthia snorted when that happened, but I held my laughter back.

"Stupid beast," the champion groaned, rubbing at his nose until his hand came away bloody. "Not worth my time yet, if speed weren't of the essence."

Delicately, he dismounted from the flying horse, dusted himself off, and then tapped his bloody nose with a finger. Immediately, a popping sound sprang from his face and the distinct rightward tilt disappeared, leaving him looking as good as new.

I raised an eyebrow at that. "You a specialist in healing magic?"

"Reluctantly," the champion agreed, standing tall and striding forward with a hand extended for me to shake. "Name's Antun. I assume you’re the Tolmerian champion, Invisible?"

Normally, I'd have taken offense to him pretending not to know my name, but I figured he had enough on his plate as a healing specialist.

"It's Clear," I replied with a smirk.

"What's clear?" he asked, brows furrowed in confusion. Then, abruptly, he smacked his forehead and said, "Ah right. Apologies. Healing magic doesn't always treat head injuries immediately, and I think I must've knocked something loose smacking down there."

"Farli understands completely," Cynthia said, stepping forward and giving the foreign champion a smile that was filled with venom. "And, as empress, I promise to not use it against you in negotiations, at least not too much."

The champion looked my wife up and down before shaking his head, wincing and putting a hand to his brow. "Lovely empress you've assigned there, Champion Clear. Shall we begin negotiations then? Admittedly, I don't particularly care to keep raiding these little towns. More important things to do and all that, you know how ruling multiple regions goes."

I chuckled but decided to charge right into things. "Right, here's what I want from Eldoria. Firstly, I want a signed commitment to trade partnerships to keep the economies on our borders chugging along smoothly. Eldoria has more grazing land than either Tolmeria or Farli, and I long to have a nice steak at some point before I win the Game of Castles."

Antun chuckled at that. "We do indeed have fine beef, and I hear that the Tolmerian fish are something to be greatly desired, so long as you are close by. I could arrange a trade agreement for something like that, if you can satisfy the freshness requirement."

Cynthia smirked and swirled ice around her fingertips. "Not a problem in the least," she said. "Tolmeria has long seen the use in acquiring ice mages and our fish are often frozen for transport before our fishing vessels even return to dock."

"Do they really now?" Antun said, eyes wide with wonder. "In that case, I agree to your first term. What are your others?"

"Mostly, they follow on from the first one. I want trade, not war. I understand you can't stop all bandits from wandering across the border and causing a big stir, but I don't want to see more than normally exist in any given radius, and I swear to the Creator herself if I see any of them flying your colors, I will bend my entire focus to carving you up like one of those steaks I look forward to."

Antun made a face but nodded and then text appeared before my vision.

Quest: Accept the contract with Champion Antun, newest champion of Eldoria.

Terms: For a period of two years, the champions of Farli and Eldoria at time of signing agree to open trade between the two regions and also to prevent as much as possible the incursion into their neighbor’s' regions of violent elements.

Do you accept the terms?

I silently accepted the terms, then glanced at the Eldorian champion to see his eyes had gone distant and glassy.  A moment later, I got a new notification.

Update: Trade Treaty of Akeral between Farli and Eldoria is now in effect.

After that, there was barely anything else left to do. So I shook my fellow champion's hand and then tried not to chuckle as he mounted his pegasus again and floundered up and away.

Instead of laughing as he flapped away, I frowned instead. "That felt too easy, don't you think Cynthia?" I asked.

"Could be that I really was right about the other champions starting to fear you, Adam." She shot me a saucy wink then shrugged. "But yeah. It did feel a bit too easy, didn't it?"

I folded my arms across my chest, and then settled in to wait on the arrival of my next negotiating opponent. Fortunately, it didn't take that long.

Almost exactly like before, a blurry winged shape appeared in the sky. Though this time it was the northern portion with the huge mountainside and the waterfalls.

Apparently, the new Varren champion's pegasus was even smaller than the already undersized Eldorian champion's, because the blurry winged shape barely grew at all as it approached us. Instead, it almost seemed to shrink as the high sun beat down on us.

Finally, the champion and his pegasus touched down on the roadway in much the same way that Antun had, only instead of smacking his face into the pegasus' neck, the new Varren champion flew straight out of the saddle.

This time, I couldn't hold in my chuckle as the large man went flying faster than his pegasus could. A heap of dust and debris blew up from where he landed. I noted that his heavy plate mail left a deep gouge where it knocked up some loose cobblestones.

When he rose, he held a hand to his temple and turned around heavily.

"Damned pegasus should've been big enough to carry me by now," he grumbled.

Looking at him, I frankly doubted how he could have ever figured such a thing a possibility. At well over six feet, regardless of how tall he'd been when the Game of Castles first began, it seemed that he should have known better.

"Your pegasus' saddle barely comes up to your waist," I noted dryly as the man shambled heavily over to us. "I'd say that paints the rider in a worse light than the pegasus."

The champion grumbled, shambled some more, and finally came to stand before us. Glancing up, he winced when the sunlight lit flares behind his eyes.

"You the new Farli emperor?" he asked bitterly.

I shook my head and thumbed to Cynthia beside me. "I'm the new Farli champion, but I prefer to leave the ruling to those who have less on their plate. Please, meet my Farli empress, my wife Cynthia."

"Wish I could say it was a pleasure," the man grunted as he held a hand out for Cynthia to shake. "And I wish I could bow, but in my current state... You wouldn't happen to have a healer around, would you?"

Cynthia chuckled but shook his hand with a grip that must have been firmer than he expected, because he winced again.

"You just missed the healer actually," I said, before producing a small bag of salve poultice from a shirt pocket and handing it to him. "But this should help any surface wounds. Apply it gently, then we can get to discussing terms."

The man took my offering gratefully and removed his helm to reveal a face that was far too furry for him to be fully human. Though he had two bald spots that still looked raw on the top of his head, he began diligently applying the salve to the various cuts and scrapes that ran up and down his face.

Hissing steam rose from wherever the poultice touched the wound, but I knew the healing process wouldn't be actively painful. It just looked that way to dissuade its use outside of battle.

I mean, what woman would want to bed a man whose wounds were still steaming, hissing, fizzling, and popping? And that was even taking into account the highly intact patriarchy of Limar.

When he'd finally finished applying it to as many places as he could, and several that I first thought he couldn't, he handed the salve back to me and now finally did bow.

"Well," he said with a voice that was less trembling, "I can't say I've ever been quite so embarrassed before negotiations begin. But then flying the damned peg’ was my own fault. And you did help me out afterwards, so I guess all's fair in the end."

He shot me a grin and I nodded to the bald scars on either side of his skull. "Let's not assume I'm done with the impertinent questions just yet, friend," I said with a chuckle. "Why didn't you apply any to your most major wounds?"

The champion tilted his head at me in confusion, then a spark of recognition flared in his eyes, and he snapped in recognition.

"Right," he said jovially, "you wouldn't know about me yet. Some of us champions get reborn in the dominant race of Limar, humans you know. But some of us aren't so fortunate. My neighbor to the West's a minotaur. Fine thing to be in battle, big and strong, even if the ladies don't like him so much. Being reborn as a mousy isn't something that brings benefits in either the field or the bedroom though."

I nodded in understanding. "I wasn't aware there were any mousy champions," I said. "Though I know Zeth well enough. He and I actually both married mousies for our first wives, so I can understand your predicament."

The champion pursed his lips then nodded. "Makes sense the mino’ would marry a mousy. Who else would have him, after all? You must've married for love, I don't doubt to look at you." He grinned at me, and I frowned. "No offense meant, they're just as good as any other people on this rock. Even if no one takes them seriously. That's why I cut my mousy ears off. Tough to think the bloke cutting off his own ears right before your eyes is a simple supplicant. Ha! Tough indeed."

"That does seem... extreme," I admitted. "Good to know I'm dealing with someone who means to win, though I'd rather have a pushover. What’s your name, champion?"

"Toral, champion Clear. Yes, I know your name already," the champion said with a chuckle. "But I've got enough on my plate now, so maybe you'll get good terms out of me too."

I couldn't hide my frown as he spoke now, and I was thankful that the shaded awning overhead gave me some cover from him seeing it.

This was the second time today that one of my neighboring champions had spoken about having too much on their plate to negotiate properly. Not only was this a frankly foolish thing to admit, especially heading into negotiations, it seemed unreasonable that they'd still be around if they were making such rookie mistakes. Surely, some other champion would have had them for dinner already?

And that wasn't even to mention the new rule which allowed slain champions to be broken down by their killers for new levels. By every rule of logic that I knew, all champions should be eager to take out their neighbors at this point in the Game. And that could only mean one thing, there was something going on that either I didn't understand, or that I didn't know about.

Doing the best I could to banish my confused frown, I couldn't help but recall the strange way my most recent quest updated along the way.

Something was altering the Game of Castles, and in a pretty major way. I'd have to ask Isabel what she thought about it all, just as soon as my knowledgeable wife finished converting the champions I'd slain into level ups for me.

Too bad they only converted naturally when they weren't slain by another champion.

"I see you waste little time then," I said, squaring my shoulders and striding forward. Normally, I would have listed my terms first in negotiations, and used them to set the tone. But the curious words of the new Varren and Eldorian champions left me intrigued about what they would say for themselves. "Why don't you lay out your vision for the treaty between Farli and Varren."

"Sounds fine," the mousy champion said, gesturing up at the tall mountains which lay north of the town and separated Farli from Varren. "These blasted peaks make striking south a miserable affair. The only reason the old champion tried it at all was because the old Farli champion got himself killed. Well, that and being a dwarf, he probably didn't mind the mountains. Me? I don't like caves, and I don't like wyrms whether great or terrible. What I want from this treaty is some protection from you launching attacks north. Yes, I know all about you killing Barador. You want the wyrm in these mountains, you can have him. Just leave me out of it."

"That's...fine," I said warily. "In return, I want good trade relationships between our kingdoms. You had a harder time taking Varren than I did Farli, from the sounds of things, so you'll want to import more than export, correct?"

"You can just say you want a favorable trade deficit for yourself," he said with a shrug. "I agree with your idea. What sort of deficit would you like to run? One and a half to one?"

"That's agreeable to me," I replied. "Shall we enter into contractual terms?"

The mousy champion didn't respond. Instead, his eyes went unfocused as he apparently perused the contract before him. With a shake of my head, I did the same.

Quest: Accept the contract with Toral, the newest Varren champion.

Terms: Farli and Varren will not engage in open warfare with each other for a period of two years. During that time, Farli will engage with Varren in favorable negotiations.

Do you accept?

Silently, I accepted the prompt then the mousy champion gave me a curt nod and mounted his smallish pegasus again.

"Pleasure doing business," he said, giving Cynthia and me a bow. "Hope to not see you two for a good long while yet. Got to get myself all leveled up before meeting someone your size in the field of battle, Adam."

With that, he put his heels to his pegasus' flanks and took off in a cloud of dust.

"What do you think all that was about?" Cynthia murmured beside me, wrapping her hand in mine. "Two contracts in one day and both the negotiating partners seemingly don't care to come out on top? Seems fishy."

"Wish I could disagree," I said with a headshake. "Frankly, I feel like I should've pressed for even more favorable terms. But, in the meantime, let's go see if Isabel has finished preparing those champions for me. I'd like to get some easy levels before the shit really hits the fan."

Cynthia made no comment but did shake her head at my use of expression. I had little doubt that it meant next to nothing to the sailoress beauty, now empress of all Farli.

Chapter 3

If I had a Crystal for Each Champion!

MYRAI FIELDS

THE EARTHEN GOLEM, Grolio, stomped in a wide circle, matting down any small rises in the field and raising the divots to make a perfectly flat area for the proceedings to be properly viewed by every onlooker I'd gathered.

Mostly, the onlookers were various noblemen of Myrai who, even after I'd successfully prevented a siege from destroying their livelihood and granted untaxed admittance into the Tolmerian empire with taxes to be paid at a later date, still threatened to prevent me from raising soldiers from their ranks.

"Terrible fate for a former god," one of the Myrai noblemen muttered with a head shake as he watched Grolio work. "To think, I used to worship him! Now who shall we worship? That little blighter, Asmi? God of Barter, ha!"

The small band of nobles stood on the last remaining rise that I'd instructed Grolio to keep intact.

At barely two feet from bottom to top, it didn't provide all that much of a view, but it was better than nothing. And it helped arrogant voices travel far enough to hear them from where I stood with my wives, Drefius and Carr.

Whipping around, I shot a fire arrow into the ground between his leather shod feet. Flames licked up the soggy spring grass blades, hissing and spitting as the soil beneath them bubbled angrily.

The nobleman yelped in shock when a finger of flame licked his leather boot. With a shout, he fell over and scrambled backwards on his back until his butt was all wet with dew.

Turning, I nodded to Cynthia who pointed at the little flame and doused it with a spike of ice.

"You'll worship the Creator herself," I said curtly, making it clear that I wouldn't stand for that sort of talk. "Or you'll worship me. For now, you'll remain quiet, and you'll watch."

Still on the ground, the nobleman mumbled some apologies while his neighbors gave him sideways looks. That was one of the improvements throughout Myrai, at least. When I scolded a noble, they listened.

If only it had been so simple in Tolmeria. Especially, I recalled Seshkin being a pickle and a half.

Turning my attention to the tent structures being erected in the field's center, I watched as my bookish wife Isabel pushed aside a tent flap, met my eyes, and shot me a winning smile.

"Nearly ready for you Adam!" she declared happily. "Just putting the finishing touches on the body."

I gave her a nod, then adjusted Drago's reins so the damned beast would stop stamping. Having the only pegasus able to handle a grown man's weight, let alone a champion's, did give me some level of authority with the commoners and nobles alike. But it was greatly hampered whenever he decided to shimmy about like he was after some choice hay or a pretty filly.

"You'd think she'd do the whole process out in the open," a familiar voice from my left remarked, and I turned to see who it was. Only I couldn't make out a new face among my group of wives and warriors. "Down here, Adam. Down here. Don't make me feel more out of place than I already do!"

With a chuckle, I glanced down near Drago's hooves and saw the small god of barter standing at the pegasus' side with his arms folded across his chest.

"Don't you gods normally try to keep a lower profile?" I sassed the diminutive god of barter. "You never used to pop up in a crowded field, just to say howdy."

"Have I said howdy yet, Adam?" Asmi asked with a raised eyebrow and a headshake. "No, but you're right. I just don't want that one getting all the attention of his former worshippers. What can I say? When there's potential worshipers to be won, any god who's able is likely to take advantage."

He nodded his head towards the gigantic golem, the temporarily mortal god Grolio, and I chuckled.

"I think you might be in a bit of trouble then, old friend," I remarked, tilting my head at the scrambling nobleman. "Just because Grolio's out, that doesn't necessarily mean you're in."

Asmi opened his mouth to reply, but before he could do so a horn sounded from within Isabel's tent. The murmurings of the noblemen, now more about how foolish the Grolio worshiper had been than lamenting my rule, immediately silenced. Drago stamped his feet nervously.

"Well, we'll see how they feel after my champion puts on a great and powerful show," Asmi said, leaning forward.

Another blast of the horn sounded and both tent flaps were pulled wide. I expected Isabel to walk out alone, perhaps carrying the former champion's condensed levels on a pillow or something similarly fancy to impress these damned nobles.

What I saw instead was both more likely to impress the foolish men, and more likely to revolt them as well.

"Make way for Emperor Clear's battle winnings!" Isabel chanted in a tone that almost sounded religious. I wondered how much meeting the Creator had changed the bookish woman's attitudes.

As she strode regally from the tent's opening, she was followed by several servants bearing a long plank structure on each corner. Atop those boards lay the extremely desiccated bodies of the former champions.

Time wouldn't have been kind to their flesh after a month, even if they hadn't been magically altered to condense down into their base essence. Now, the skin pulled tight across their faces and their limbs were little more than shriveled husks. I was appreciative that Isabel had at least garbed them in loincloths, so I didn't have to witness what became of that part of them.

All in all, the sight was unexpected, and I smirked as the sight of these champions drew gasps from the assembled noblemen. Instead of the hushed silence, more mutterings started to emanate from where they stood in a clustered group.

Even when it had still had its original champion, Farli was a place so used to peace and prosperity that the mere sight of violence was shocking to the populace. The capital city of Myrai, ruled by the old emperor Temini, was even more squeamish about the sight of blood, guts, and viscera than the rest of the region.

Like usual, the noblemen barely registered their situation. Hell, even after surviving a siege and having their fields reduced to ash, they hadn’t registered their situation. The damned bastards were so unaccustomed to violence that I wondered how they didn’t faint when cutting their steaks for dinner.

Probably, that was because they had cooks for that.

"Silence!" I said in a commanding tone. It shut up the rabble and impressed upon them that when I left, I would not appreciate being fucked with. "You have been given the opportunity to witness a new event in the Game of Castles, not to worry about the state of two men who would have killed you in your sleep!"

At once, the rabble quieted down again, and I nodded for Isabel to continue. Blushing briefly, my wife did just that.

"I would ask that you join me, to witness your new levels, my emperor, my husband!" Isabel intoned.

"Oh, she's just loving this, isn't she?" Asmi commented.

"Like you wouldn't be playing it up even more," I noted as I leapt down from Drago.

"Never said I wouldn't!" Asmi called with a chuckle while I strode across the level ground to the dead champions.

Grolio inclined his head my way in a show of humility. I smirked as I pictured what the peevish nobleman was thinking at just that moment. When I reached my wife's side, Isabel gave me a warm smile, and then surprised me by stepping up on tiptoes and pressing her warm red lips against mine.

My bookish wife kissed me long and hard, her tongue darting out between my lips while my own did the same. After what felt like both too long and nowhere near long enough, she broke away from me and met my eyes.

"Kind of a weird setting for a make out session," I muttered, grinning at her. "I didn't know you enjoyed being watched. This for transmuting the champions?"

Isabel shot me a glare and then snickered. "I enjoy being watched about as much as I enjoy kissing you next to two corpses. But you make it difficult to resist, when you’ve had me cooped up working on some never before tried spells."

“Spells, huh?” I raised an eyebrow at her. "I didn't know you were a mage?"

She grinned. "I'm not. Or wasn't. Now though, your bookish wife is the very woman to bestow all his slain champions' levels upon her dashing husband. Asmi pointed me towards a book describing how to do it."

I chuckled at that and shook my head. Then Isabel turned and bent low over the dried corpses of the two champions. Moving her hands in the air over their bodies, she began to chant long and low.

"You're not going to kiss them too, are you?" I remarked, and she shot me a look.

Abruptly, the two bodies on the litter began to glow, a soft warmth emanating from them that made them seem lit from within by torches.

As I watched, the dried bodies started to glow brighter and brighter as Isabel's own chest began to glow the same way. The glowing light in Isabel's chest grew brighter and brighter yet still, along with the glowing from the two bodies and as I watched, I held back a gasp of amazement.

Right before my eyes, the bodies on the litter were shrinking even more than before. It was like their glow kept up the same amount of light as their bodies shrank, so they burned brighter and brighter until they made bright spots dance in my vision.

If I hadn't worried about what it would look like to the gathered noblemen, I would have looked away. But I wasn't so foolish as to display any weakness with them.

Finally, and somewhat abruptly, the glowing ceased. After blinking several times, I saw that all that remained of the two former champions were small crystals that resembled rough cut quartz.

Thankfully, Isabel's glow had faded to, or else I might have winced when I glanced at her as she spoke.

"Gathered noblemen," my new mage of a wife intoned in powerful tones, "witness now your new emperor as he levels even more than he already was!"

She nodded to me, and I glanced down at the crystals doubtfully. "No one really went over with me how I get their levels," I muttered as I stepped up to the crystals. "Do I have to eat them or something? A little wisdom would go a long way, Isabel."

My wife chuckled quietly and replied in a soft voice, "Just touch them, Adam. You should receive a prompt, if my research is correct that is."

With a light shrug, I did as she requested and reached out to touch the first crystal.

I waited for a moment, then saw text appear before my eyes.

UPDATE: You have connected to two former champion’s essences.

Ingesting condensed levels.

DING You have leveled up!

DING You have leveled up!

DING You have leveled up!

DING You have leveled up!

DING You have leveled up!

DING You have leveled up!

"Damn," I muttered under my breath. "That's a good chunk of levels. Almost makes it feel like I've started over in the Game, with how many levels I can get from a single champion anymore. Well, let's do this. Big show please."

Abruptly, the crystals before me began to glow again, and this time I was forced to squint when they burned brighter than the noonday sun on a lake. They grew brighter and brighter, way more than before, and almost too bright to continue observing without risking some serious retinal damage.

Then, they dimmed in a blink and the light within them shot towards me instead.

"Oof," I grunted when the light burst into my chest.

It almost felt like I'd been shoved by a firm, insistent hand, as though the Creator herself had just shoved me. Then the feeling of massive pressure was over, and I felt myself rising into the air as the glowing light shot out from my chest.

Name: Adam Clear

Champion for the God of Barter

Height: 6’8”

Weight: 257 lbs

Age: 26

General Level: 62

Strength: 21

Stamina: 8

Dexterity: 23

Constitution: 6

Endurance: 6

Healing: 6

Magic Type: Golem

Magic Level: 30

Spell Assignment: Water Golem (Golem)

Secondary Assignment: Ice Golem (Icey)

“Oh yeah,” I said eagerly, as my body floated back down to the ground. “That’ll show them a bit more who they’re dealing with.”

Looking around me, I gave winning easy smiles to the various noblemen. For their parts, the noblemen were standing in states of utter awe. Then, one by one, they all took a knee in the damp grass as they watched me.

“Looks like you won three different victories there,” Isabel said, rubbing my bicep with slender fingers.

I chuckled and glanced at my bookish wife. “Three, huh? I can figure in two, but what’s the third?”

“Leveling up, winning the noblemen to your cause,” Isabel said, her fingers not leaving my arm. “And you’ve grown stronger, too, from the way your bicep feels Adam. I may have to examine you more closely, though. Just to confirm that last one.”

Chapter 4

As Above, So Not Below!

WESTERN FARLI

AFTER THE SHOW in the fields, I rested well that night. I mean, who wouldn't rest well with his wives beside him and the knowledge that he needed to fly fast and far early the next day? Plus, Isabel managed to confirm that my biceps were indeed larger. And she’d spent all night kissing up and down my arms as I entered my wives’ dripping pussies at random.

So, it was with some difficulty that I crept out from under Isabel's warm breasts and Harmony's comfortable thighs, while Cynthia's fingers trailed across my broad chest.

"Can't you stay? Just for one more round?" the new Farli Empress begged.

I shook my head, then kissed her on the cheek. "I would normally, but I really do need to go check on Tolmeria and Cask. If what Dami said is true, then we might be dealing with yet another champion on my doorstep. Don't want him to get a leg up on me, at least not if I can help it."

Cynthia pouted, but at least understood. "When will I see you again, my emperor? I know the weather's warming up, but it's you I want warming my bed."

I chuckled and gave her another kiss, then said, "As soon as I figure out what's been going on, and get things settled down in Cask, I'll figure out a way for all of us to be together again. Meanwhile, I'm leaving Drefius and Carr here. Try to not overrule him too much."

"Ha, you wish!" Cynthia said with a giggle.

As the other women were starting to stir, I felt it best to make myself scarce before they could have a chance to use their own beguiling ways on me.

Quietly, I slid into my traveling clothes, a pair of warm sturdy boots, woolen pants and shirt to keep the cold air from chilling me to the bone, and as a final precaution donned my cloak of invincibility.

What? It didn't hurt to have a little protection, especially now that I knew other champions were starting to use their own pegasi.

Closing the door as quietly as I could, I went down to the stables and found Drago saddled and ready for me in a long stall. One look at the many hoofprints in the straw underfoot and the way two entire bales of hay had been polished off overnight, I figured the pegasus had some idea of what was up for today’s plans.

"Stocking up for a long flight?" I asked the large, winged horse as I patted his neck.

Drago whinnied happily and shook his head, whipping me with his tail as he started stamping in excitement.

"Okay, okay," I said with a chuckle, leading him out of the stall.

Once outside, I cinched down his saddle extra tight, and he whinnied with consternation this time. "Look, the saddle of godlike comfort might be ultra comfortable," I said, giving my handiwork a last check for consistency, "but there's nothing in the item description about it being ultra secure." Drago snorted like I was being unreasonable, but stopped stamping until I was satisfied. "Good pegasus."

With that, I swung one leg over Drago's back, settled into my comfy saddle, flicked the reins and sent the pair of us off and up into the high, cold sky.

The air rushed in my ears as we rose, and I noted that I wasn't the only one leveling up, in a manner of speaking. Drago flew higher and swifter than I'd known before, and I figured that some of my leveling must be rubbing off on him.

"Remind me to ask Asmi about that, the next time I see him," I said to Drago.

Even in the middle of his flight, Drago turned his head back to me and gave me a look that told me he wouldn't sink to that level, even if he could speak.

"Fine then," I said with a chuckle. "Have it your way."

Satisfied, Drago turned to face the direction of travel, and we passed the next few hours silently.

Drago's ascents weren't the only things that had gotten a speedup, it seemed. Despite how wide Farli was from East to West, we reached the border with Zorel's swamp region shortly after lunch time. Abruptly, the fallow fields that had blanketed the ground at our feet dried up at once and were replaced by a thick canopy of tall trees.

Leaning over Drago's saddle, I pulled an apple from the saddlebags and leaned forward to feed it to my begrudging steed. Drago's wings were still beating at what seemed like an easy pace. I didn't doubt that he could keep it up at least until we reached the second newest castle in my collection. But I also didn't want him to resent me for it.

Greedily, he sucked down the apple in a single gulp then turned back and gave me a look that clearly said, 'One is nice, but what about some more?'

I chuckled at his greediness, but before I could reach back into the saddlebag a buzzing sound rose from beneath the swamp canopy to my right. Instinctively, I readied my bow of fire arrows and put my finger to the string, squinting down to see who it was that was about to join Drago and me.

The tree leaves below us parted, and I relaxed my bow hand when I saw the black and green carapace of Zorel buzzing up from the leaves.

"Looks like the reports of an unknown champion flying by pegasus over your lands were correct after all!" Zorel called up to me as he came forward. "Glad to see it's not an unknown one anymore. What brings you out all this way, Emperor Adam?"

I opened my mouth but shut it again quickly when a quest prompt popped up.

New Quest: A monster of the mines has risen from the cavernous depths of the Farli mountains to terrorize the town of Vertikal in Northern Tolmeria. With the power of stone at its fingertips, it can mold the very mountain slopes in its image. Defeat the Stone Golem before it destroys Akeral to earn a great reward... defeat it after it destroys Akeral to earn a minor reward.

Great Reward:

250,000 LP

80,000 IP for the northern region

Blasting Powder Recipe (Can be used to help mine more efficiently, cannot be used for ordinance, ordinary or otherwise, so don't even think about it.)

Minor Reward

50,000 LP

5,000 IP for the northern region

I frowned as I read the simplified prompt. Not only had I not seen contingencies placed upon certain rewards before, I also hadn't expected any new legendary beasts to begin spawning yet.

"I thought the only new change to the Game was all about leveling up when you defeat other champions?" I said with a frown.

Slowly, new text appeared at the bottom of the prompt.

Details: Normally, you'd be right Adam. But look, there’s something that’s definitely stirring up some problems in Akeral's mines. I don't really know what to tell you here, maybe it came from someone else's region?

I frowned even more reading the addendum. Was the new Varren champion using our trade arrangement to secretly divert an existing legendary beast into my original lands? It was certainly possible, though exceedingly unlikely. Not only would it require a lot of planning, he’d have to somehow get it across the monster region north of the great swamps.

Though if it had been him, I supposed that it could explain a bit about why he'd been so easily out-negotiated earlier.

But then, the Eldorian champion had hardly been any better in the negotiating department. I also hadn't had any updates about new legendary beasts entering Farli from the east.

"Something the matter?" Zorel asked. "I was just joking about the whole unknown champion thing."

I shook my head and glanced right where the distant mountains lingered barely over the horizon, even at this height.

"Have you heard any news of new legendary beasts spawning in the swamps?" I asked him.

"Inside the swamps? No, not really," Zorel said and when I raised an eyebrow he continued. "Technically, I suppose I'm a new legendary beast of some variety. But all the legendary anything in the monster regions are created by a crystal. I've had good kalatchi out searching high and low to uncover any new ones we can, before some mindless drone ingests it and becomes a big headache. But we haven't had real luck as of yet. Why do you ask?"

"Because I just got a quest update for a new beast in northern Farli. So far as I was aware,  Farli’s land beast was already killed," I said slowly. "So I'm trying to run through options of where this one came from."

"Could it have come from Varren?" Zorel asked, mirroring my own thoughts. Yet when I heard them spoken aloud, I doubted them more.

"My original idea, too," I said with a headshake. "But I don't think so. I bartered for treaties with both the new Varren and the new Eldorian champions, and both of them were pushovers. It would make sense, if they both meant to betray me with legendary beasts... but I haven't heard a peep about any new developments from near Eldoria."

Zorel nodded, bobbing his head understandingly. "Well, I'll put extra kalatchi on the search mission. It would be bad for me if my emperor got swamped with legendary beasts, especially since I derive so much power from you."

He shot me a wink and chuckled.

"More searchers would be a good idea," I said. "And I appreciate you being willing to bolster the Tolmerian Empire. Wanna bolster it even more and meet up with Drefius and Carr in Myrai, then send a strike team up north to deal with it?"

"Not really, no," Zorel said with a frown. When I shot him another glare, he held his hands up. "What? You are definitely taking things too seriously, Adam. You've defeated two champions, word is you got a bunch of levels for the trouble, earned a new kingdom, and Drago's not looking too bad either. Times are good, my emperor. Enjoy them!"

I pointed behind me and said curtly, "I'll enjoy them when I don't have unknown champions on my western doorstep, strange new legendary beasts on my northern one, or tunnels to who knows where opening up under my very feet!"

Chapter 5

I'd Rather Have Fish!

VIKOOL - WESTERN TOLMERIA

"LOOK, I'm not saying that we need to send them all back," Lord Toren of Vikool told me over a plate of broiled lamb, sweet potatoes, and roast leeks the next evening. "But I'm also not saying I can take any more in without having serious problems."

I shrugged, deftly maneuvering a bit of each of the delicious items into my mouth and biting down. The lamb was juicy, the potatoes creamy, and much to my surprise the leeks didn't seem to leak at all.

"We need more farmers in Tolmeria, and the spring planting season will be upon us in short order. Put them to work in the fields," I said, earning a sputter from the mayor's lips. "Look, what you do with the refugees isn't my problem. What is my problem is making sure that my regions are properly defended. Vet the refugees however you see fit, but we will be closing the bridge to Cask until I can figure out who I'm dealing with over there."

Lord Toren fumed, and a local nobleman said, "It's not that we can't put them to work in the fields. The Creator alone knows we need the extra hands. Too many have died in combat with the Game or to monster hands." I shot him a look which meant to say that whatever had happened in the Game was none of his concern. He raised hands in supplication. "I only mean to say that we've got problems above and beyond the influx of refugees."

"Oh?" I asked, leaning back in my chair. "And what problems would those be? I haven't received any new quest updates for Tolmeria. You haven't had to deal with a new legendary beast, have you?"

"A legendary beast!" Lord Toren gasped, sputtering his lips. "The Creator prevent us from that! Besides, I believe you slew the Tolmerian beasts. We've had it on good authority that they don't respawn during the first year, and that's got several months left before it turns over."

I frowned at the confirmation of my suspicions. Something was changing in the Game of Castles, and I wanted to get to the bottom of whatever it was. A new beast entering Farli, strange updates to quests before I'd even received them, and now multiple sets of rewards -- something was definitely up.

Still, there was little I could do about it at dinner. After finishing my leeks I rose and said good night to the gathered nobles, then asked for directions to the nearest bath house.

The bath house turned out to be perfectly situated on the Vikool River. I took rooms on the top floor with a view of the rushing water and the double spired bridge which spanned the breadth, connecting Farli to Cask by land. Since Drago and I had flown the whole day prior, well through the night, and only landed in Vikool just before dinnertime, exhaustion pulled at my eyelids like a toddler at a pacifier. Yet I knew I smelled bad enough to need a bath.

So, with a long yawn loud enough to make the looking glass over the room's dresser shudder, I made my way down to the cellar.

As was customary, the bath portion of the bath house was operated by a mousy woman. Unlike Dami, the proprietor appeared to be of roughly middle age, though a hard life had left her face so lined with wrinkles that she almost looked old.

"Pleasure to have the business of a paying customer for once," she said, bowing as she accepted the coins I pressed into her palm. "Hey, do I know you? You look familiar..."

I suppressed a chuckle. The mousy woman tilted her head at me before glancing at the coin she held in her palm. She glanced from the coin to my face at least three times before she gasped.

"Emperor Clear!" she said, backpedaling like she'd just been struck. "I'm sorry for my complaints about the poor customers just now! Ah! To think, the emperor himself is in my bath house!" She clapped her hands sharply and two pretty mousy women appeared from around a stone wall. "Please, allow Tiel and Veka to take care of your every need! They're my best girls. Nice and shapely too I might add."

The aged proprietress gave the two mousy girls a look. They both blushed before tugging their bodices down, so they showed off a bit of cleavage. The one on the right, who had been addressed as Tiel stepped forward and took my hand gingerly.

"Please, Emperor Clear," she said timidly. "Allow Veka and I to take care of your every need."

The way she spoke was half a purr, and I squeezed her fingers firmly. "I don't have all the needs it sounds like you're used to providing, Tiel. I am a married man, after all," I said, giving her a warm smile.

"Just like an emperor should be," Veka agreed, striding forward more confidently than her companion. "Still, it never hurts to add another to the collection, no? I hear that your first wife was mousy like us."

I gave her a smile just the same as Tiel. "Is mousy like you," I said gently. "But no. For now, just a good wash is all I require. Well, that and to have my clothes cleaned... and to get a good night's sleep afterward."

Veka frowned at my refusal, but I noted that Tiel looked relieved. "It would be my pleasure. Are you sure there is nothing else you require?"

"Well, I'm currently on the hunt for information as well as a good clean up. What do you ladies know of legendary beasts?" I asked as I allowed myself to be pulled down a hallway, undressed and lowered into a tub of warm, soapy water.

"That one that just showed up?" the younger girl asked, her fingers running down my arms. She scrubbed away not only the day's grime, but the pollen from the swamp trees that lay thick in the air over their canopy.

I nodded, and she giggled, pulling her hand back to her lips.

"She's not used to clients demanding to not spend the night with her," the older woman explained, gesturing at the slight blush that was creeping up the girl's face. "It's not a common experience for us girls."

"I promise, it's not that you're unattractive," I said gently to the blushing girl.

"Of course, it isn't," the older woman said testily. She grabbed the younger's hand and started to scrub harder at the caked grime on my skin. "You're an emperor and can have whatever woman you want. Being pretty isn't enough, and our young beauty over here lacks the magic of your mage wives, and the cunning of your non-magical ones. Plus, the whole lacking land or titles to provide as a dowry puts a damper on things. But yes. We've seen an influx of soldiers traveling south along the Empire Road, sailors down the river, and merchants bringing mined ore south to be smelted. They all say the same thing."

"And what is that?" I asked, leaning forward intrigued.

Missing the prompt information might be a big setback and could potentially be a sign of bad things to come. At least I could still rely on old fashioned talking to get at some info.

The older woman shrugged and shook her head, while the younger one suddenly said, "I'll tell you if you marry me!"

I couldn't help but chuckle at her spunk and tenacity, shaking my head and rubbing my eyes to get the soap out.

"Sorry, my dear," I said sympathetically. "I like that you're starting to take the whole marriage dowry setup more seriously, but you'd need a whole hell of a lot more information to trade for marrying an emperor."

She pouted, shuffling the floor with her feet.

"The information's hardly worth a single dinner at a mid-level restaurant in town," the older woman said. "Anyone with a horse out on the street would be able to tell you the same. The legendary beast that's shown up is apparently some kind of gigantic mole type beast. Ironic it's shown up in the mountains, since their types would normally do better in the soft soil of the lowlands."

"You think it came from somewhere else?" I asked.

She raised an eyebrow at me in surprise. "I'm not paid to think, Emperor Clear. Though, yeah. I think it came from somewhere else. Now turn around so we can scrub your back."

Chapter 6

Go Bury Yourself in Rubble!

VERTIKAL - NORTHERN TOLMERIA

QUEST UPDATE: Defeat the Legendary Beast, the Stadenes of Tolmeria

Details: The Stadenes is normally found deep beneath the topsoil in slightly damp regions, where it diligently and continuously digs tunnels to catch worms to eat. It is rarely seen above ground at all, and frankly is believed to be mostly folklore by a good portion of the population.

The last place people expected to find one was in the mining town of Vertikal. I mean, just look at the quality of soil in the mountains! Hardly the type of place to get some easy pickings. Maybe being roughly ten times the usual size helps?

New Rewards: 220,000 LP

75,000 IP with the Vertikal townsfolk (tradeable for discounts on raw ore prices)

I stared at the words as they floated before me, seated in my comfortable saddle atop Drago's back. Finally, the prompt had come in. I mean, it was way late. But it had arrived, somewhat intact.

Of course, it was completely different from the first that came in to slay the beast. But that was apparently becoming more and more the norm. And that fact made me extra wary. If only there was some outlet for my wariness, I might have been able to do something about it. But, since there wasn’t, it just left a knot in the pit of my stomach.

“Looks like you'll get to have a nice breakfast," I said, patting Drago's flank and nodding at the mountain town seated beside cliffs before us.

Drago knickered happily. He was never the sort of pegasus to appreciate the underground. Then again, he was apparently not the sort of pegasus to appreciate the water either. Seemingly, the only things he liked were wide open fields and wide open skies.

Still, better a pegasus full grown with issues than one barely grown where flying it is the real issue.

We descended in a wide circle before Drago touched down outside the town stables. About a dozen horses looked up at us with confusion as we landed, clearly curious as to what exactly their future stablemate was going to be like. Drago strutted back and forth upon landing, and the horses gave each other the horse version of apprehensive looks.

A stable hand jogged up with a mounting block that I waved off.

"Just see that he's well taken care of," I directed the lad. "Looks like Drago's causing a stir among the other horses."

The stable hand nodded, grasping Drago's reins firmly and causing my usually cantankerous pegasus to give him a bewildered look.

"They're always in a mood for some stirring," the boy said with a grin, tugging Drago's reins and making Drago actually follow him without complaint. "Once I get in there, they usually settle down just fine though."

I shook my head at the boy's tenacity.

Normally, stable hands were given the runaround by Drago. Clearly this one knew his business better than the others, and I watched with fascination as he easily pulled Drago around the stable's side. Just before he disappeared around the corner, my arrogant pegasus shot me a last bewildered look, then I heard the click and groan of a stable door being swung wide and the clip-clop of Drago's hooves as he trotted inside.

"Emperor Clear!" a voice shouted from behind me, and I turned to see someone who had clearly earned his stripes in the mountains. "Good of you to come, sir. Shall I walk you to the mine's entrance?"

I nodded then stuck out my hand for the man to shake. The look he gave it was even more bewildered than the one that Drago had given the stable hand.

"I'm not sure you want to shake my hand, sir," he said tentatively. "It's all coated in dirt, grime, and blood. Had a run in with the beast just this morning."

I looked the man up and down. True, he looked more grime than man, with a big bushy beard and a barrel chest broad enough to nearly obscure the handle of his pickaxe. Coarse coveralls stretched taut over his frame, the leather nicked and scratched in so many places that it was more wound than leather. But his eyes sparkled with happiness at my arrival.

"I insist," I said, not lowering my hand. "And I'll also want to know your name, sir."

"My name’s Adam, Emperor Clear," he said as we shook. "I know, I know. It's a fool who takes the emperor's name for his own. But I was here before you were, sire, and I like my name."

I just chuckled. "I'd be a pretty bad emperor if I got angry for someone sharing the same name as me," I replied to his half nervous look. "Now, Adam, show me to the mines. And give me as much of a lowdown on what's been happening here while we walk."

"As you say, sire," Adam replied, bowing sharply at the waist before he walked off down the wide thoroughfare.

The road near the stables was clogged with traffic, with people on foot, on horse, and on wagon, each of whom seemed to want as much road for themselves as possible and all of them shouting in strange tongues.

Nearly all of them were heading the opposite direction that Adam led me in, going down the mountain. I didn't doubt that they were all going that way because of the strange and sudden occurrence of a legendary beast stalking the area.

While we walked, I sneakily stuck my hand out and summoned up Golem, earning only a few confused looks from riders who couldn't figure out whether the stream of water ejecting from roughly waist height was really what they thought it was or not. One mother actually shielded her little girl's eyes as their wagon trundled past, making me chuckle and smirk.

In a short amount of time, the wide thoroughfare near the stables, leading to the switchbacks that zigzagged down the mountainside, narrowed. Now the carts came closer and closer, and with Golem walking beside me I started to get looks of bewilderment greater than the look Drago had given the stable hand.

"Mommy! Look!" a young boy exclaimed, pointing at Golem, and jumping up and down excitedly. "It's a water monster!"

The child's mother glanced down at Golem, who was helpfully not expanding to his full height in the crowded street. She frowned in confusion, then her eyes flicked up to mine and her mouth popped open in amazement.

"Emperor Clear!" she stammered, quickly pulling her little boy's arm, and tugging him behind her skirts. "A thousand apologies, Emperor. The boy doesn't know what he's talking about. Everyone thinks the youth adapt swiftest to changes, but he lacks the full grasp of what magical items are good and what are bad."

I chuckled, then flicked a coin to the mother and her child. "Apology accepted," I said with a grin when she caught it. "Normally, I wouldn't even ask for an apology, but frankly Golem here is starting to get a bit big for his britches. He kind of likes being imposing. In other words, he likes acting more imposing and, well, more monster-like."

Golem made a face at the boy, earning a giggle in response, and the woman bowed reverently before leading him away from the town center.

"Always play the happy monarch like that?" Adam asked as we entered the town square. Looking around, I saw a variety of goods being bought and sold. Raw, unrefined ore should have been the biggest ticket item in a town that literally mined the stuff. But thanks to this Stadenes creature the only stall that had chunks of ore for sale was half empty. Its withered woman proprietress would clearly have wished for it to be otherwise.

"Not always," I admitted with a shrug. "And I don't always play the monarch either. But, when in Rome you know?"

"When in where?"

I shook my head, then gestured at a building on our right. The Tolmerian colors flew from a flag out of the second story window and a coterie of soldiers were milling about before it.

"This us?" I asked and Adam nodded, elbowing his way through the milling soldiers while he held a hand to indicate he'd return shortly.

"What's he gone in for?" a male voice behind me asked. I turned to see a large man in full plate with a broadsword buckled at his hip.

The man took one look at my face, then fell to a knee and immediately began apologizing, so profusely I half worried he was about to start with the waterworks.

"Emperor Clear," he stammered. "I had no idea, or I would have greeted you properly."

"Don't worry about it," I replied, and heard Adam shouldering his way back out through the crowd. “Seems a lot of folks up here don’t know me on sight.”

“We are somewhat isolated, up in these mountains,” the man said slowly.

"There you are!" Adam declared testily.

The man bowed even lower. "I apologize, Lord Adam. I was called into the mines while you were away. I know that I was ordered to stay put, but the damned Stadenes killed another ten. Someone needed to organize their retrieval."

"Honestly, I just like messing with you, Lacor," Adam said with a chuckle. "You're always so serious. A good trait in a knight, I'll admit. Care to show our emperor where the beast is?"

Lacor the knight finally raised up from his bow but ruined the posture by inclining his head to the lord. I half wondered how much of his life he spent bowing to this lord or that one. Clearly, it wasn't no time at all.

"We've got it cornered in a chamber off the main route," Lacor said briskly while he led us even more briskly away. The soldiers gathered outside watched us as we went, apprehension evident on their faces.

"What are the odds of using some of them?" I asked, thumbing back at the gathered throngs. "Seems foolish to send a small force into the mines if we have so many men just lounging about."

"I agree," Lacor quipped. "But that would be under normal circumstances. These aren't normal. Really, they're pretty far in the abnormal range. How much do you know about the legendary beasts, emperor?"

"Not much more than most, I bet," I admitted with a shrug. "My wife Isabel’s the big bookworm in the family, knew way more about the Game of Castles than even a certain god I've got in my employ."

Adam paused with a gasp. "You really do have control over a god then? I thought that was just a rumor started up to make Farli seem better to travel to. Hardly anybody would risk traversing the great swamp between our two regions, unless there was something really spectacular waiting for them when they got there."

"Oh, he's real all right," I said with a smirk while Golem hopped up and down happily beside me. "Might even get to utilize him, if this Stadenes proves too much of a problem."

"Just through here," Lacor said, shouldering open a wooden door into the mountain and grabbing a torch from the wall.

With a wave that sent orange light floating about the walls and casting our shadows long on the mountainside behind, we strode as one into the gloom.

Adam stopped at a wall on our right, humming before hefting a great hammer from a weapon rack. I raised an eyebrow at finding something like that in here.

"I know you said you don't often get weird legendary beasts popping up in the mines," I said measuredly. "But it definitely looks like you're ready for a fight in here. Those recent additions?"

Lacor frowned, uncertain, but Adam nodded. "Normally, we only stock it to fight off any ratkin that burrow their way in from outside. Once we had an anthril king set up shop at the base of the mountain too. And there's always the occasional problem of raiding skirmishes from the north. Fortunately, that hasn't happened in months. Word is you signed some kind of peace treaty with the champion up there? We've gotten good trade out of it either way."

I gave the burly lord a grin and together we followed Lacor as he strode down several passages. Deeper and deeper, we went into the mountain, until I could practically feel it weighing down upon my skull. The weight of all that rock, soil, and ore exerted an almost palpable pressure upon me. When I glanced at Lacor and Adam, I was surprised to see that they were both handling the intensity much better than I was.

Perhaps they weren't even aware of the intense weight? Surely, if a regular miner had felt like this, he'd hardly be able to swing a single pickaxe, let alone load a minecart with ore.

Then, suddenly, a prompt appeared before me.

Quest Update: Defeat the Stadenes of Northern Tolmeria.

Details: The Stadenes has a special ability to drain the mana of any magic user who enters its vicinity. Your body will naturally attempt to combat this, adding stress to your joints and making you feel sluggish. This puts a distinct time limit on your ability to fight it.

Since it’s underground, however, it can be confused when confronted with bright lights. Unfortunately, the mana draining nature means it’s mostly immune to the easiest ways for a champion to create light—by shooting it with your bow of fire arrows.

Good luck in there.

Yet again, the prompts I received were a mix of helpful and unhelpful. At least the glowing light from the edges of the letters glowed bright enough to illuminate the walls around us.

"That helps a bit," Lacor commented, gesturing at the light illuminating the walls. "Thanks much, Emperor Clear."

"No problem--" I began to say, before the impact of what he'd just said struck me full in the face. "Wait a minute. You can see the prompt?"

"Prompt? I just meant you lighting up the walls like that. Could do with being a bit brighter though, if you've got any light left."

I shook my head, amazed.

This was yet another change in the Game of Castles Prompt System that made me interested in just what was going on behind the curtain. No one had been able to see my prompts before, and although they apparently still couldn't see the actual words, the prompts had also never cast light on the physical world around them before either.

Well, I suppose this was something about looking gift horses in the mouth and all that.

After another few minutes of walking, a loud grinding sound came from a corridor to our left. A huge boulder crashed out of a side entrance, smacking hard into Lacor and sending him flying against the far wall. A sickening crunching sound rang out, along with his torch extinguishing.

Chapter 7

A Boulder to the Shoulder!

VERTIKAL MINES

THE TORCH'S light went out with a hiss and a crackle, plunging us all immediately into almost complete darkness. In fact, the only light came from the glowing text in my prompt window and a slight churning light which emanated from the Stadenes' eyes.

"Looks like it's you and me then," I said to Adam with a handwave at Lacor's corpse that lay in a crumpled heap on the floor.

The burly lord grunted, then nodded towards Lacor's corpse.

"He was a good fighter, too bad," he commented then grinned at me. "Speaking of good things, no one told me that you could make light out of nothing. Luminancy magic is hardly the one you'd want if you were a champion, I bet. But it sure is coming in handy now."

I shook my head, edging carefully towards the edge of the mineshaft through which the boulder that killed Lacor had just crashed. The edge of the opening was rough in places and sharp in others. I winced when my fingers came away bloody with the world's rockiest papercut. Even with the light from my prompt box I couldn't see anything in the corridor beyond, but I could hear something.

A loud, grinding sound tumbled about the narrow space. It bounced off the walls like a superball and echoed back and forth so many times that it practically sounded like there were about a round dozen of the things inside, rather than the more manageable one.

"I wish I could say that I had luminancy magic," I replied, motioning for Golem to move forward and begin investigating the corridor. One thing I wasn't clear on was how exactly my watery creation was capable of sight. Surely it wasn't through the usual cones and rods that humans and the various beast races of Limar used to see. "Golem powers are the only ones I have, unfortunately."

Adam raised an eyebrow at me. I simply said, "I get quests and updates to quests in the form of a glowing text box, sort of like words on a page. In dark environments, the text would usually be completely unreadable, so it seems the gods adjust for that by allowing the text to glow like candlelight."

"Ingenious," Adam said. "And so weird that I can't see it."

"Nothing personal, I'm sure," I said. "Frankly, this is the first time I've realized that the light from the text is visible to others at all. The box usually isn't, so I expected all its effects to be constrained as well."

Adam nodded, shuffling quickly to the opposite end of the entryway, and hefting his large pickaxe. With an even quicker glance, he peeked down the hallway.

Apparently, he saw just as little as I had because he grunted again.

Suddenly, a wave of exhaustion washed over me. It felt nauseating, and was one of the first times I’d been properly woozy without ingesting too much alcohol since I’d arrived.

"Hold on a second," I said, placing a hand on the rock wall for support and earning another few rocky cuts for my effort. Wet blood slicked my hand, running down my wrist.

Damned Stadenes.

“You all right, Emperor Clear?” Adam asked.

I raised a hand to him, catching my breath with some difficulty.

“Just… just give me a minute,” I said. “The quest prompt said that using magic in the Stadenes’ vicinity puts fatigue on the user. I’m thinking I underestimated how much fatigue it meant.”

Adam nodded gravely, shifting the pickaxe on his shoulder. “You want me to go in there?” he asked.

I shook my head. “Not yet,” I said, breathing deep. Finally, the world began to right itself and I was able to stand tall. “You’ve already tried physical attacks, so magic is the next thing to try. Just needs a bit more focus.”

Adam nodded, but I noticed that he hefted the pickaxe in his hands anyway. I couldn’t blame him, knowing how weak I must have looked at that moment. There was something nice about knowing the guy you’ve charged into a monster-infested mine shaft with isn’t going to turn tail and run at the first sign of trouble.

“I think I have an idea about how to light the hallway better,” I said. “I might not be able to increase the luminance of its glow, but maybe I can move it around."

With that, I focused on the box and muttered under my breath, "Move down that hallway."

Part of me expected a short, snarky quip to appear at the bottom as Asmi chastised me for trying to get tricky with the rules.

But no further text appeared, and I almost gasped when I saw the text box zoom off down the hallway away from us. Although, then again, that might have been more due to the extreme fatigue and joint pain than the shock of my newly discovered abilities.

"Seems like it was a good idea," Adam commented.

I could hardly disagree.

In a few moments, I saw bright white lights dance across Golem's watery body as the text box zoomed past him. He seemed to be having some problems navigating the dark passage, even if he was better at it than we were.

A trail of watery drops showed where his footsteps had fallen.

After it passed by Golem, waves of shimmering rock walls were thrown into sharp relief, glinting black where obsidian rested in the stone and a shimmering greenish hue where copper veins were turning to verdigris in the damp air.

Then, the text box stopped abruptly. A pair of red eyes hovered over it, looking more like rubies than metallic ore. At probably a good six inches across they were set wide into the side of a huge face.

The legendary beast's face was broad and pointed at the snout. Gray, yellow fur stretched in mottled patterns across the beast's skin, and between some of the patches I could see red marks of either skin or blood beneath.

"I thought you said your men weren't able to make a mark on it," I said to Adam. "Would've been nice to know, ya know? Save me all this fatigue at least.”

Lord Adam frowned.

"They weren't," he said simply. "Whatever did that to its face, it wasn't one of mine."

The beast roared and a bit of metal clad arm flew from its mouth, skittering across the floor.

"Noted," I said, then mentally commanded Golem to make a slick on the stone floor.

With another great roar, the legendary beast charged forward. Its footfalls were so heavy on the stone floor that I could practically feel my head pounding as my ears registered the sounds.

One, two, three, the steps each rang out louder than the last. In an instant, the beast had crashed straight through the text box. I mentally commanded it to keep pace with the creature. Shadowed from behind, the creature's face was soon reilluminated as the prompt floated in front of it.

I watched shrewdly as the irises within those large, ruby like eyes contracted in the light from my prompt. Not only would the prompt help us keep an eye on the beast, it would also apparently help us fight it, by tricking its eyes with brightness.

"Watch and learn how it's done," I said with a weary smirk to Adam. Then I stepped easily out into the center of the entryway and summoned my bow of fire arrows from the aether. In a moment, I felt the yew bow's comforting weight in my palm, and I hooked two fingers around the drawstring.

The beast still charged, running up the sharply descending tunnel with great huffs and puffs of breath that misted the air before it.

Debris shook from the mineshaft's ceiling, raining down on us in fine particulate that made Adam sniffle and sneeze. I sized up my target, giving the drawstring a last eighth of an inch in pull power, then let the arrow fly.

The fire arrow appeared in midair before the bow like always and added its own light to the light from the prompt box. Now, instead of a darkened tunnel, it almost made me squint to look down it. Red mixed with brilliant, blinding white and forced the beast's eyes to contract even more.

My fire arrow flew sharp and true, but Adam groaned when it made contact with the creature. Instead of embedding deep within its flesh and burning it from within, my arrow's tip got caught fast in the creature's thickly matted fur.

In a blaze of bright light, the knotted fur took to the flame and made the light from the fire arrow seem like a pale imitation in comparison.

"I don't know that it's susceptible to flames on its skin," Adam said, and I held up a hand.

I hadn't expected the first attack to slay it, since the prompt had told me that it was immune to flame. But the prompt had also told me that, being a subterranean creature, it was highly susceptible to bright lights.

The flickering flames dancing around the creature's eyes cast sharp shadows all around itself and made the thing groan in agony.

"It isn't," I said with a grin as the white light from the prompt slipped over Golem's wettened ground. "Icey, you're up!"

At once, Icey bounded out from a point beside Golem's water slick. Plummeting into Golem's puddle, the water immediately froze as solid as a mountain lake in January and the flecks of light caught in various water droplets turned to an icy sheen, reflecting the state change of my two golems.

"Ah, smart move," Adam commented with a nod. "The beast is immune to flames, but my soldiers report that it hates torches, making me think it's got poor eyesight and the bright point lights irritate it."

"Exactly," I said. "Plus, it's pissed off in a big way with its face all aflame like that. I mean, tough to blame it but still."

"Can't say I'd appreciate being lit up like that either," Adam said with a chuckle.

True to both our expectations, the beast's roars now sounded like someone had poked it with a sewing needle, or like it was a bull that had just spotted a matador waving his bright red cape at it.

Its bounds only grew longer and I could see steel colored claws pop out from its paws as it bounded onwards. And onwards. And onwards. And-

SMACK!

The beast's front right paw hit the ice slick at tremendous speed, slipping right out from under it and sending it sprawling across the cavern floor. A sickening crack sound rang out from its left shoulder as the unexpected change in footing and a sliver of chalky white bone broke through the skin.

The bright bone glinted sharply in the flames that were just now starting to burn out on its face as the matted bits of fur succumbed to the fire and finished becoming nothing more than ash.

"Nice one you two," I called weakly down the hallway and behind the beast both Golem and Icey split apart into their respective bodies once more.

Golem gave me a watery salute while Icey gave me a crackling bow that sounded like someone had just tossed a skipping stone across a frozen lake.

"Not a pretty way to go down," Adam said with a nod at the creature.

True, he wasn't wrong. One look at the way its front right leg stretched so far out in front of it told me that the ball and socket of its shoulder had probably been split apart now. And that wasn't even to mention the compound fracture which was all that could be seen of its left shoulder.

Feebly, the beast attempted to rise using its hind legs alone. But this was clearly out of its capabilities at this point.

Instead of rising, it only succeeded in shoving its body some three feet forward. And it only accomplished this at great pain to itself. The beast groaned feebly as its dislocated right shoulder was shoved aside by the motion and its fractured left one tore even farther out of its body, the sharpened spike of bone ripping yet more skin and flesh away.

"Almost sad to see it like this," Adam said sadly, following me down into the tunnel towards the defeated creature. I raised an eyebrow at him and he shrugged. "What? I said almost. The Creator herself knows I'll never get the men back that this bastard killed. Thanks to it, we're in an even worse position relative to the champion Zeth. Yes, I know you've got a treaty with him. But forgive me for speaking out of term, my emperor, that minotaur's making moves. Word is he took out his rival to the East. Only a matter of time before he moves south across the Kardune Pass and starts in on us instead of taking out his northern adversaries."

I shook my head, nodding to Golem and Icey. "I doubt he'll come south through Kardune," was all I said.

At once, Golem met my eye and liquefied right there where he stood. What had been a practically towering golem of water turned to a sort of bulbous globule of liquid that clung to the remains of the beast's fur. Golem's inhuman form shuddered before a thin line of water crept out from the central mass, trailing up the creature’s nose.

The little line of water moved up and up and up and when it reached the beast's tear ducts it became incredibly thin, snaking right into its head at the corner of its left eye.

"Can't say I like where this is going," Adam grunted.

"You'd rather I leave it here to die a slow death?" I asked. "Or that I heal it and allow it to terrorize your men even more." Adam made a face, and I chuckled. "Then can it, Lord Adam. Plus, I’m ready to have my usual energy back. I don’t like feeling like an eighty year old man who forgot to take his arthritis pills."

Though Limar was still several years of technological progress away from being able to manufacture a single can, or presumably having arthritis meds that came in pill form,the meaning of my words must have been clearer than Golem's body on a sunny day, because Lord Adam had no more arguments to make of me.

The whole time that Golem's form was busily entering the creature's cranial cavity, it fixed me with eyes that actually seemed to earn some of the sympathy that Adam was so eager to heap upon it. I mean, not that I was going to grant it anything in the way of sympathy enough to hold back from my plan, it was worth too much as a quest objective to allow it to go completely free, but still.

The other legendary creatures that I'd slain had been annoying to their last. This one seemed to genuinely lament the position that it was in.

That confused me, not that the rest of it wasn't confusing enough as it was.

Not only was this creature apparently not supposed to be here, it was also not supposed to even be in this region. The whole thing, the sudden appearance, the lack of being in its usual terrain, the look of sadness on its face now, it all spoke of something having gone horribly wrong.

"Icey, you're up," I said when Golem's bulbous body shivered to show that it had gotten as much of itself into the beast's brain as possible.

Icey, not one to wait on ceremony, was also not one to wait on approval. The ice golem's finger was already halfway to Golem's puddle before I'd even opened my mouth. The icy golem gave me a single glance back and grinned sheepishly before I sighed.

Then it stuck a finger out and touched the puddle of Golem's body. Immediately, fingers of ice stretched rapidly across the entirety of Golem's watery form, spreading out in icicle type patterns like frost collecting on a window.

As Golem's watery form froze, it also expanded, and that was the key in my easy defeat plan.

As the icy freeze slipped within the beast's own skull, it twitched its ears irritably then went suddenly cross-eyed. It let out a single low grunt, before its whole head suddenly exploded in a shower of gore, bone and brain matter.

Bits of the stuff splattered on the ceiling and rained down on us even worse than the debris had earlier. Immediately, the pain in my limbs vanished like the mist on a bright morning and I stood easily once more. Just for fun, I flexed my fingers and rolled my neck.

It was good to be feeling like my usual self again.

"Well, at least we won't have to worry about that thing too, now," Adam said with a low chuckle. "Kind of wish I'd been able to use this pickaxe first though." I gave him a stern look. "Hey, you want me to be honest with you or not?"

I shook my head. "Honesty's always a good path to walk when speaking to an emperor or a champion. Speaking of which, let me go find out just what Zeth's been up to that's got your panties in a twist."

Chapter 8

A Mousy a Day Keeps the Champion at Bay!

ZETH CASTLE

I SPENT THAT NIGHT, restless, at a local inn overlooking a huge waterfall in town. All night, the sound of rushing water coursing down from high peaks to low valleys, and ultimately to the southern ocean, provided an ambient sort of white noise.

It should have been the perfect soundtrack for a good night's sleep, the sort of thing that I knew some people played to help them turn in after a long day's work.

Still, I tossed and turned, the question of what exactly was going on with the sudden appearance of legendary beasts and with my quest prompts equally suddenly morphing and interacting with the world of Limar pulsing in my mind like an oil drill slowly making its way through the Earth's crust.

Worse, this inn had no amenities that I'd grown accustomed to. The bathhouse nearby was filled with lukewarm water at best, heated at great expense from frigid mountain streams. I also missed my wives, wondering whether they'd safely returned to Clear Castle yet, and how my new children were faring.

That was the hardest part of all, that I had to be a champion of the gods, a husband to my wives, and a father to my children all at the same time.

The next morning, I rose to the sound of snorting and stomping hooves below my window. Getting up, I glanced out to see Drago prancing about happily, chased by a new stable hand who was clearly not having the success his earlier coworker did.

"Good to see someone's ready for travel," I said with a chuckle and a headshake. Drago must have heard me, because the powerful pegasus lifted his head to my window and let out a loud rumbling whinny that rattled the glass windowpanes. "All right, all right. I'm coming. Hold your horses!"

Down in the yard, the stable hand cursed and then shouted, "I'm trying to!"

My clothes for the day were more regal than the armor and invincibility cloak that I'd donned earlier. I was destined for the north, to meet with another champion in his own castle.

True, Zeth may have been an ugly bastard, more accustomed to battle than courtly intrigue, but I didn't know what the various lords and kings in his new region would be like.

Judging by the prissy state of the dead champion, I was left with the impression that they’d value a fashionable emperor.

So, after donning a doublet with the Tolmerian insignia emblazoned on the chest, buckling tall boots that gleamed they were so shiny, and finding a pair of trousers that didn't appear to have been down a mineshaft in the past day, I stepped outside and greeted the stable hand.

"Morning there," I said pleasantly while the boy dashed back and forth. "I hope the other horses don't give you this much trouble."

The boy glanced at me, attempted to dart left in pursuit of Drago, caught the edge of his heel on a cobblestone, and went sprawling out over the roadway. He hit the cobblestones hard and rose wincing as he rubbed his elbow.

"Hardly likely they could give me any more trouble," he said bitterly, clearly happy of my arrival since it would mean that his time with the cantankerous mount was nearing an end. "I hear you beat that legendary beast in the mines yesterday? All on your own too? It's not easy to do that from what I hear. Even the knights talk all hushed like when they've been mentioning it."

Despite the pain in his voice from his elbow, I also noted a distinct sound of amazement in his speech. Drago whinnied happily, and the boy scowled at him before glancing back at me.

"Don't hold it against the knights," I said lightly, raising my hand to get Drago to come stamping over in search of a treat. "I'm a champion of the gods, so I have a bit more leeway with tactics than they do."

Drago approached and nuzzled my open palm before snorting unpleasantly when he realized that I didn't have any snacks for him. Before he could turn away and start being a nuisance again, I deftly moved my fingers to grab his reins and steady him.

"Ah, that makes sense," the boy said before pausing. After a moment of scratching Drago behind the ears, he spoke his mind again. "Do you think... that is... this thing appeared out of nowhere, Mr. Emperor Clear. If you go away, how are we going to stop the next one that shows up? Heck, I didn't even know that more were supposed to spawn yet! It's not like we've got an advanced academy here or anything. I don't know the rules of the Game of Castles like you I bet, but I thought we'd get some warning about this thing popping up. It just... boom out of the mines and..."

His voice trailed off while he sniffled unhappily. Glancing at him I watched tears welling in his eyes.

"You know someone who was hurt by it?" I guessed and he nodded.

"My pa was mining down there. The other miners say he was the first one to see it. Not that he came back to tell me himself."

I sighed, then reached into Drago's saddlebag and drew out a piece of parchment, quill, and small vial of iron gall ink. Passing them to him, I watched as he raised an eyebrow at me.

"I know you probably never learned to read or write," I said, depositing them into his open palms like they were magical artifacts. "But if one does show up again, I want you to take these to the inn. The innkeeper's surprisingly learned. You tell him to send this to me, and I'll come as soon as I can. How's that sound?"

The boy sniffled, then finally nodded.

"Thank you, emperor," he said softly with a glance at the inn door. "You're a good man, aren't you? I never knew the last emperor, but nobody really liked him. Everyone says nice things about you though, even with the troubles in the north."

I patted him on the arm and smiled. "It doesn't matter whether I'm a good man or not, lad. What matters is that I win the Game of Castles. I can't do that without the regions under my control working well and working together."

The boy nodded and with that I swung one leg easily over Drago's saddle, gave him swift heels in the side. Together we soared off up and away over the waterfall and towards Zeth's region.

I listened to the sound of the boy below as he gasped and cheered, while I rose higher and higher. Water droplets flecked my doublet and speckled Drago's reins, while the smaller ones formed a fine mist through which we rose one wingbeat at a time.

In a matter of a few moments, we were already up above the waterfall's source and still we rose. Rocky outcroppings from the cliff face stuck out jagged fingers towards me as we rose, and I gave Drago's reins a quick tug to get him to stop flying like a daredevil and give the sharp jutting stone some distance. With a whinny, Drago complied and then we were up over the outcroppings as well.

Below us, the mountain range stretched in a lazy way as it ran east to west across Limar's single massive ring continent. Already, even the larger caravans of traders and merchants winding their way down the Kardune Pass dwindled to simple specks amidst the green, gray mountainside.

Spurring Drago on, I groaned irritably when my prideful mount soared within spitting distance of a rocky mountain peak, dragging the tips of his iron shod hooves over the highest point and whinnying happily.

Sometimes there really was no winning with this pegasus. So, instead of keeping up my grumbling, I patted his flank and chuckled.

"Better to be up here than out on the rolling waves, huh Drago?" I asked.

Drago snorted, let his altitude sink several feet, and galloped for a few paces over the slight downward slope on the mountain's opposite side.

"Better to have the saddle of godlike comfort," I muttered. "That's for certain."

Drago shook his head and spread his wings, taking us up and into the air once more.

We flew for the better part of that morning, stopping in the early afternoon for some water and a meal by a mountain stream. Drago found some tasty high mountain grasses to munch on while I chomped on my own meal of hard bread and cheese.

We flew, likewise, most of the afternoon and only came within sight of Zeth's castle as the sun was low on the horizon. But Zeth was nowhere to be found.

"Gone East to his new region," a guard at the gates informed me when I'd set Drago down on the road. "I've been told you might be coming, though, Emperor Clear. I was given a map to hand you, and also a letter."

The man leaned on his spear as he rummaged about in a shirt pocket, finally withdrawing a folded piece of parchment with wax seal still intact. He handed it to me and when I accepted it, he clacked his heels together.

"Ah, and all us guardsmen are also informed that we're to give you proper bedding for the night. Follow me, and we'll get someone for your pegasus."

With a nod, I followed the guard into the castle, keeping Zeth's letter tucked tightly in my fist. The northern champion was many things, but book learned was not one of them. Frankly, it was almost more surprising that he could write at all than that he'd leave a note for me to read at all.

Once the guard got me settled in my rooms, I broke the wax seal and read eagerly.

Adam,

Tough times to be a northern champion, frankly. Had word from my men to the south that you know about the damned legendary beast in the mountains. I'd go take care of it, but sending a company in there to fight the blasted thing would probably break our trade agreement. Don't want the gods pissed at me for something like that!

Anyway, I've gone east to my new castle. New region's great. I hear your eastern border's all swamps, but mine's all low fertile fields. Kind of like cheating honestly. The beef my friend! You've never tasted steaks so good!

Regardless, I've left my mousy wife in the castle. Elomi's her name. She's not the traveling type.

Anyway… anyway, I've given her full power to treat with you in my stead. Anything you two agree upon's fair game in the Game, but don't think she's some pushover! Girl like that could negotiate the hair off a fly, ha!

Anyway, anyway, anyway, see you when I see you,

Zeth

I stared at the words, fighting back a smile at the thought of how domesticated the burly minotaur had become in such a short amount of time.

"From battleaxes to plowshares," I muttered with a headshake, removing my nice clothes and folding them beside the bed.

After that, I crawled into bed. Unfortunately, I didn't sleep well that night either.

The morning came bright and early, with the sun practically screaming in through my window. I dressed quickly, then found a page outside my door who led me down to breakfast.

The meal itself was everything that I had missed in the mountains. Jugs of warm tea were mixed with milk, providing a halfway suitable replacement for coffee. Platters were piled high with juicy sausages arranged next to heaps of bacon, golden sunny side up eggs, and fruits and vegetables.

I took my seat at the table and began to eat hungrily. Travel rations of bread and cheese were better than nothing, but what man wouldn't accept a piece of perfectly cooked bacon and sausage when it was offered to him?

The door opposite the one I'd entered creaked open, and I glanced up to see Zeth's mousy wife Elomi striding into the room. Immediately, I was glad that I'd taken the time to dress for the occasion.

Elomi may have been the definition of plain, with a flat face, narrow eyes, and roundish belly, but one look at the empress made it clear she valued being presentable.

Glittering jewels fell across her neck and her fingers shimmered with rings of many varieties, catching the light in red and green and orange hues. As soon as her eyes fell upon me, she grinned.

"It's good to see that some champions value presentability," she said with an approving nod at me. "I love my husband dearly, but I swear he revels in annoying me at times. I approve of your doublet, Emperor Clear."

I returned her grin and rose to bow to her.

"Zeth is a champion at heart, not a diplomat," I said, resuming my seat. "It's little surprise that he'd want to keep his fighting appearance, considering the nobles up here don't even deign to marry their daughters to him. I bet he feels that playing up his brutishness is like rubbing it in their faces."

Elomi chuckled, lifting a huge helping of sausages and bacon onto her plate. When she saw me watching her, she grinned.

"I said I disliked that he never dresses up, not that he doesn't provide a great spread," she said. "But tell me, what brings you North, Emperor Clear?"

"Just doing some background research," I said guardedly. "Partly I want to make sure that Zeth and I maintain both our ends of the trade agreement, and partly I want to ask how things are going in his new region."

Between large bites of food, Elomi responded. "You don't have to be so guarded. Yes, we're also having problems with legendary beasts popping up out of holes in the ground. I mean, we also have problems with the holes suddenly appearing too, but those issues are more strategic than dire. You know of the Stadenes that disrupted mining?"

I raised an eyebrow at the large bites of food she was taking and she chuckled. “I am eating for two, these days. Normally, I’m not quite as ravenous. Now, the Stadenes?”

"Know of, and dealt with," I replied with a nod, registering the fact of her pregnancy without commenting further on it. "Does Zeth have any idea where they come from? They seem to spawn anywhere... Could they be from the caverns which recently opened themselves?"

Elomi pursed her lips while she chewed on a piece of bacon. "You know," she said carefully, "when I was a girl I didn't live in this region."

I raised an eyebrow to indicate I had no idea, and she finished chewing before continuing.

"My family lived in Talud, the region west of here," she said slowly. "I was abandoned as a child, a commonplace practice for those who worship the god of chaos since it is supposed to allow him to work his hand more easily across the child's future. I... had a long time on the streets, then a longer time out in the fields and the wilds. When I was just ten, I stumbled into a cavern littered with what I thought of as monsters at the time. This was before the Game of Castles, well before, you understand. I was chased away for stealing an apple to eat, so instead of turning around and fleeing the cave I had no option but to press forward."

She paused and I found myself leaning forward eagerly, curious to hear the god of chaos come up, especially after defeating his champion. Carefully, Elomi reached out for another piece of bacon. Turning it in her hands, she raised her eyes to me.

"I don't want you to kill my husband, champion Adam," she said simply. "Much the same, I'd appreciate it if he didn't kill you."

"Sounds like you want a treaty before you finish your story," I replied with a chuckle. She nodded and I asked, "What are the terms you'd want?"

"Nothing extraordinary," she replied with a grin. "But we'll have to make sure it doesn't step on the gods’ toes. Basically, I want you and Zeth to keep to your own sides of the mountain range. I want this trade agreement to continue."

I nodded, then rubbed my chin in thought. "Can't say that I disagree," I said, my mind turning to how dangerous Zeth was already with his twin battle axes and chaos magic. "But the gods don't like alliances, ever since what went down in Farli. How about this, we agree to stick to our own halves of the continent, so long as there are other champions on our sides? Then, once one of us fully conquers his portion, we go to fight each other. That's not quite a time limit on things, but it's better than nothing. The gods can't complain about us teaming up then. We'll also probably have to add something about neither of us being required to come to the aid of the other, too."

Elomi grinned. "I agree," she said. I leaned forward, raising my eyebrow to let her finish her story. "Ah, yes. Well, in those caverns I nearly lost my way. Down and down they went, and at the lowest point of one I heard a great low rumbling. Crystals sprouted from the walls down in a pit, and a great, menacing figure of some true monster crept beneath my feet. It was almost like a mass of living mist, all black like smoke."

I hummed thoughtfully. "So, you're telling me that these things are coming from deep down in the labyrinths?"

"I'm not telling you anything directly, champion Adam," she said shrewdly. "But I am suggesting that you'd do well to seal up any caverns in your region, just as I will suggest my husband do when he returns."

Chapter 9

And Invite and a Send-off!

CLEAR CASTLE

SIX DAYS LATER, after a much easier flight due directly south over the mountains, I stood once more in my table room inside Clear Castle.

The trip had been easier for a few reasons. First, since I'd gotten confirmation from Elomi that Zeth's forces had successfully tackled their new legendary beast, I didn't have to use any caution in navigating the skies or care much about where we landed.

One night, we slept beside a high alpine lake where the sounds of birdsong and crickets lulled me into one of the first good night's sleeps that I'd had in what felt like ages.

Second, I was eager to meet up with my wives again.

It seemed that they were just as eager to have my presence back in their lives as I was to have theirs in mine, too.

Dami and Rosa had both grown quite close recently, the growing babies clearly a topic on which both women found common ground. Dami bounced her own baby on her leg while Rosa kept booping the noses of the other little ones every time I saw her. Both women were currently out in the yard, getting some sun with the little ones and Pela. Harmony had tagged along, though I wasn’t sure whether it was to spend some quality time with her old friend or with Pela.

Meanwhile, Isabel was starting to display a more confident side of her nightly ministrations, no doubt due to her finally coming into her own magic. Both Cynthia and Elyse were increasingly eager to have me fill their bellies with babies of their own.

Elyse, especially, seemed eager. Probably that was because I’d recalled her from Farli until we figured out the situation regarding the legendary beasts. I trusted her to rule in my stead, don’t get me wrong. But knew I could never forgive myself if she died while I wasn’t there to protect her.

I mean, I trusted Carr and Drefius with my life. I just didn’t exactly trust them with hers. They were competent soldiers and commanders, but but they weren’t me.

Even standing over my Game of Castles Table I could feel vibrations through the wooden structure as Cynthia drummed her fingers hungrily upon it.

"You can't do that to us again," Elyse purred into my ear. "It's not fun to get married and then have your hubby up and leave you on his flying horse. You know you still have a lot of making up to do with Cynthia and me, before we'll fully forgive you."

Though her words might have sounded irritated out of context, the lilt of her delicious lips told me she was teasing. Well, okay. Part of it was probably real irritation. She and Cynthia had been drinking a special fertility potion twice daily, but we'd barely had enough time together to actually put any babies in those bellies, let alone confirm that they were growing strong and healthy.

"You know you can count on me to make it up to you both," I replied with a grin while I felt Cynthia's drumming fingers move from the tabletop to my waist. The tap-tap against my stomach moved lower and lower until--

The door to the hallway banged open sharply and glancing over I saw Toren standing in the doorway. A pile of papers threatened to spill from his arms, forcing his face to contort so he wouldn't drop any of them.

"Emperor Clear," he said briskly, before bowing. "And ladies Isabel, Cynthia, and Elyse of course. It is good tidings to see you all together."

"Better tidings for us to be less clothed," Elyse murmured into my ear, earning a chuckle. "Though I'd rather not be seen by anyone in that situation, save your other wives."

Coughing to settle the spunky pirate down, I nodded to Toren and said, "It looks like you've been busy since I left. What have you got to report?"

The man nodded, then glanced at the lintel. "May I enter, Emperor Clear?"

Isabel stood proudly beside me and scoffed at the man. "What are you, a vampire? You were summoned directly to this room, so of course you may enter."

The man paled at Isabel's testing accusation. "I swear, Emperor, Empresses, I am no vampire! I came here directly! See?"

He stepped forward and thrust his hand out into a column of red, green light from one of the stained-glass windows to prove his point.

"I didn't even know that vampires existed on Limar?" I asked Isabel. "Are they going to start showing up too, now that the Game's continuing to progress?"

A mischievous little smile danced across Isabel's lips as the man hurried forward and settled the papers onto the table.

"No," she said in a mockingly sweet tone. "But I kind of enjoy messing with people now and again. Besides, since most people don't know all that much about what new changes the Game brings, I can really get under people's skin."

I could only shake my head at the change of attitude that my formerly bookish wife was displaying.

"What's that?" Elyse asked sharply, indicating a rolled piece of parchment stamped with a wax insignia. "I know that sigil..."

I leaned over the table while Toren quickly shuffled some papers around, pushing the rolled parchment towards me. Frowning down at it, I knew what it was before Toren replied.

"It's the sigil of Cask, lady Elyse," he explained as his cheeks started to fill back in with some color, Isabel's mocking threat removed. "It seems normal that you wouldn't know it on sight, as you were from Farli, correct?"

Elyse nodded tersely, clearly disliking this man in real terms and not just Isabel's playful messing around. To steady her, I wrapped an arm around the small of her back, feeling her butt wiggle back against my side.

"What are its contents,  Toren?" I asked, lifting the scroll and turning it in my hand.

The parchment had a fine texture, clearly well made, but the color seemed off from the other parchments that I'd seen on Limar. Where most of the vellum style paper that I'd encountered was a light tan color, this was noticeably darker, a brown so deep that it verged on the edge of pure black.

"I wish I could say, Emperor Clear," Lord Toren responded with a low bow towards Elyse, no doubt attempting to show apology for his earlier words. "It was delivered into my hands two days ago by a mounted knight. And before you ask, no I did not know him by name. It seemed he must have been newly entered in Cask's army, for no one in town knew his name either."

I frowned down at the parchment, processing the news.

"That's definitely odd," I said slowly. "I would have expected such an important piece of news to be delivered by someone who was known in our region, so that there was less risk of finding trouble on the road. Likewise, to be delivered by only a single messenger? He might be armed, armored, and mounted, but I would similarly expect a large group to bear the message."

"It is strange, indeed," Toren said with another bow and an eyebrow raised at the rolled parchment.

Turning to Isabel, I asked, "What are the odds that this thing is enchanted somehow? I don't think I've heard of anything like an exploding scroll or some toxic spell being transmitted by parchment. But the Game's changing so rapidly these days that I don't know what to trust. Just because I haven't seen something happen yet doesn’t mean that it can't in the future."

"I would put the odds at something like that happening pretty low on the list," Isabel replied. "More likely, assuming this isn't from whatever champion now controls Cask's Castle, this would be incorrect in whatever information it provides."

Since there appeared to be nothing more I could discover about the thing without opening it, I put my thumb under the parchment edge and carefully broke the seal.

The red, hardened wax snapped apart easily at my pressure, splitting into two halves with a jagged line running down the center. I took a breath, prepared in case this weird document did actually contain some magic, then unfurled it across my table.

Isabel inhaled sharply, Elyse and Cynthia both clicked their tongues, and Toren actually backed away. Clearly, he hadn't considered that the Game could change so rapidly and was regretting that he brought the message himself instead of sending it with another. But that was the risk in brown nosing, and I had little doubt that he wanted to play the game of court just like I played the Game of Castles.

Yet, aside from a light sprinkling of dust that rose from the parchment, no ill fate befell any of us. The message appeared to be just that, a message. Leaning forward, I began to read.

From the mouth of Champion Artam Seki, Newest Emperor of Cask and Current Emperor of Ulion Across the World, I send this message to Champion Adam Clear, Emperor of Tolmeria and Farli, and Friend to Fiends of the Great Swamp.

Champion Clear, it has come to my attention that you hold some claim on my newest empire. I have it on good authority that you have slain Cask's original champion and, instead of making good on your claim to her lands, have instead turned East and secured Farli into your empire instead. This has been a mistake that you will feel for as long as you live on Limar, I do not doubt.

Yet, I have little interest in playing the role of that specific needle in your side. I know what it is to have neighbors bent on your own destruction, and I seek to provide myself a place of peace on this side of Limar. I have enough problems with three other powerful champions at home, let alone a vast desert region that we all wish to claim.

To that end, I invite you to come parley with me at my new castle. While there, we may decide upon terms of our agreement, much like you have with that minotaur bastard to your north.

If you should agree to this, I will personally vouch safe your whole return to Tolmerian lands at the conclusion of our discussion, regardless of the outcome of these negotiations.

A new prompt should be appearing presently before you. I urge you to accept and come visit me.

Yours, for the time being, Champion Artam Seki, Newest Emperor of Cask and Current Emperor of Ulion Across the World.

As soon as I finished reading, I felt a frown crease my face.

"What a dick," Elyse said in annoyance as she finished reading too.

"Hey, I happen to like a certain handsome someone’s dick," Cynthia replied sassily, laying her palm upon my waist. “And I don’t like this guy.”

Toren grew red in the face. "He does seem to lack a certain amount of... courtesy," he said.

"I can deal with lacking courtesy," I added. "But it's nice when that lack of courtesy comes with honesty and forthrightness. Zeth's about as courteous as a mosquito, but you always know where you stand with him. This guy... I think I know where he's from at least, though that doesn't help me."

"You know where he's from?" Isabel asked.

"I think I know where he's from, not certain," I said with a nod. "Remember, back in Tolya when the Creator came down to punish Grolio for disobeying her wishes, she threatened to send him into a desert region sandwiched between the four current leaders in the Game of Castles. That sounds a whole hell of a lot like where he's describing."

Isabel nodded, while Cynthia chuckled. "Of course the newest champion in the vicinity is some ultra-powerful jerk from halfway across the world!"

The other women gave her bewildered stares and she shrugged.

"What? I just mean, well, Adam's not ranked super high up in the Game, no offense honey, but that doesn't mean he hasn't been kicking all kinds of ass since he got started!" She turned to me, and I saw admiration sparkling in her eyes. "Why, the first time I met you, you literally stepped out of a magical portal which shouldn't exist, walked up onto my ship’s deck and killed like half a dozen hardened soldiers, then freed me from torture! You were my knight in shining armor, darling, only better since you were completely naked!"

Now Toren blushed even deeper. Elyse and Isabel giggled, then time froze.

New Quest: Accept the parley terms from Artam Seki, Emperor of Cask.

Rewards: Well, whatever you decide with the other champion, duh!

Game of Castles Reward: 55,000 IP with Cask, making your face and name known amongst the populace in relation to something that isn’t slaying their beloved champion in secret and having rumor and gossip spread about like wildfire.

Variable LP depending on negotiation outcome.

"Where's that light coming from?" Elyse asked, gesturing at the glowing light from the text as it cast small shadows across the table.

I opened my mouth, but before I could respond Isabel gasped and clapped a hand to her mouth. "Oh no, I didn't realize we'd progressed this far in the game already!"

When Elyse gave her a blank stare, I shook my head and rubbed the small of her back. "Isabel can explain later," I said softly before addressing Toren. "Thank you for the message, Toren. The timing might not line up with my other plans, but it would be foolish not to meet with this Artam fellow. Ladies, I'm sorry but you'll have to get as much of me as you can tonight, because Drago and I will be setting out tomorrow for Cask."

Toren bowed low and shuffled out of the room so fast he would have made both the tortoise and the hare green with envy. Meanwhile, I felt three sets of hands begin to brush against my chest, while Elyse's eager fingers sought out my waist.

Maybe there would be time enough to get babies into Elyse's and Cynthia's bellies before I had to leave.

Chapter 10

Where Bat? Bear-Bat!

CLEAR CASTLE

THE NEXT MORNING, I stood in the stable yard holding Drago's reins lightly with a frown. Dark clouds crouched overhead and flashes of lightning in the distance didn't herald an easy flight.

Probably, the smarter thing to do would be to wait out the storm and set off when the skies were clear again. At least, under normal circumstances that would have been the smarter thing.

"How far south are dark clouds spotted?" I asked the mounted messenger who'd ridden all the way up from Misho after taking a reading at sea.

The man shook his head and pursed his lips. He wore a light traveling garb instead of the metal that he would have had to wear before Tolmeria became united under my command, a small win that was made bigger because it meant he didn't have to increase his risk of electrocution en route.

"We've had reports of thunder as far as two days' sail across the southern ocean, Emperor," he said bitterly. Despite the distant lightning we hadn't seen a great deal of rain yet, but that had changed this morning. Still, it fell in mostly light drops that speckled the messenger's coat instead of soaking him through. "Fishing vessels are mostly fine with it. The rain makes the sailors wet fast, but the big fat drops draw in even more fish. Foolish things think that the drops are bugs dancing on the water's surface, or so I'm told. But the larger merchant vessels report electricity spouting from their masts. Some say it's the work of another champion, but those that do probably haven't spent much time on the ocean."

I nodded, knowing exactly what he meant. Early sailors also attributed the electricity that spouted from their ship's tall masts to a religious event, calling it St. Elmo's Fire.

In reality, it was nothing more than a collection of static charges in the higher air that coalesced and condensed at the tips of long objects.

I considered explaining the history of this to the messenger but decided against it. "Tell the men who worry about champion interference that they would definitely know if that's really what it was. You can try explaining that it's a result of ambient electricity in the air, which might work in place of trying to explain voltage potential across a differential to them instead."

The man gave me a blank look, glancing behind me to the open doorway into the dry castle. The smallish raindrops that had started falling were now beginning to get bigger and wetter, turning into little water barrages that were turning his coat a darker shade. He shivered.

"I can tell them whatever you'd like, Emperor," he said with a mixture of confusion, reverence, and supplication that I found perfectly agreeable in a messenger. "Can it wait til after I've had some breakfast though? And maybe take some refuge from the rain?"

"Sure, but don't think that your ride back's going to be any easier for delaying it longer," I replied with a shrug. "My advice would be to get some food from inside and a stiff, warm drink, then get back on your way. I want you back in Misho before too much time has passed. Talk to Empress Colette when you're there. She'll have more messages to pass back with you."

The man bowed low then trotted his horse to an open stable, removed his tack and equipment, and went swiftly through the arched doorway into the castle's interior.

Meanwhile, I turned my eyes skyward with a frown. "Looks like there's not much else for it, buddy," I said to Drago morosely. "Maybe we can get up above the clouds fast enough that we won't run into trouble?"

Drago stamped a hoof as though he seriously doubted such a thing was possible. I wrapped the cloak of invincibility tighter around my shoulders, starting to feel chilly.

The idea was that I'd wear the cloak and be assured that I'd survive any initial lightning strike, then hope that we'd get high enough in the intervening time to get out of range.

What? It wasn't like I liked the plan, but when a powerful champion literally burrows his way across an entire planet to wind up on your proverbial doorstep, with an understood threat to invade your territory if you didn't meet him immediately, it wasn't like I had many options here.

With a final groan, I swung up into Drago's saddle and spread the cloak's long length across my pegasus's butt. That way, I hoped Drago might also get the benefit of its divine protection.

Kicking my heels into Drago's flank, he snorted then walked out the castle yard into the roadway. The gathering lightning kept most people under cover, even if they'd normally be out even in the drizzle. The road was virtually empty. While it wasn't as silent as a still grave, it was at least as quiet as a grave that a necromancer had set his eyes upon.

Shivers ran down Drago's spine, but I couldn't be sure whether they were due to the quiet road or the advancing chill.

Suddenly, a flash of brilliant lighting cracked open overhead bright enough that it was like the sun had briefly popped out from behind the clouds. From my location on the western side of Clear Isle, I could see the distant trees standing dark and ominous in the distance, the rolling fields of wheat and other grains swaying the coming wind, and something else too overhead. Something big.

Quest: Defeat the Spearopat of Cask.

Description: The Spearopat is a legendary creature that appears like a bat mixed with a bear. Nasty stuff. It is immune to lightning magic and is often seen accompanying thunderstorms where it is able to snap up the electrocuted remains of large and small animals that got caught out of shelter.

During the winter months, this beast generally hibernates if the weather is cool enough, making them hungry and irritable when their hibernation's complete. This one is hungry, and unlikely to behave like the scavenger that it normally is.

Quest Rewards: 55,000 LP

87,500 IP for Central and Western Tolmeria (the populace is just about as happy to see it as you are, Adam)

500 Gold Coins for your trouble

I groaned for real this time as I heard the high winds set the still rope style bridge connecting the isle to the western shore start to rattle in the storm's growing wind.

“Damned thing must’ve been drawn to the storm from inside Cask?” I said, grumbling in the growing rain. “At least that’s what the text box implies. Doesn’t make logical sense that it would be blown in with the storm though. More and more knocks against my neighbor to the west.”

Drago knickered, and another flash lit up the sky. This time I saw the Spearopat with more definition.

True to the quest description, it did appear to be a sort of mix of bat and bear. Two furry wings stretched at least twice its own height to left and right, while massive paws with sharp claws as long as my entire hand rested on each of its four massive limbs.

Since there was no one else about in the storm, the Spearopat's eyes danced around hungrily as it desperately sought to find some protein source where none was evidently about. Then its eyes spotted me and Drago.

At over six feet tall and mounted upon a pegasus that didn't have too much going on the short department, we must've looked like quite the tasty snack to the beast. Even if we didn't, we were the only thing around. The combination of being cranky from waking from a long nap and being hungry from just rising from hibernation clearly combined to make it abandon its usual wins of opportunity and swap it for offense.

It opened its mouth and let out a long, rumbling, and surprisingly high-pitched shriek before turning towards Drago and me.

From inside the castle behind me I heard sudden shouting, and a quick glance backwards showed the small, blurry figure of a crossbowman appearing on the ramparts.

Damned fool.

A single glint of steel caught another flash of lightning as the bow's bolt raised to sight the irritable target, then a second flash leapt straight down to the steel tip and fried the man, crossbow and all, before he could even send off a single shot.

"Right, come on Drago!" I shouted, driving my heels into Drago's side sharply and letting the grumpy pegasus know that I was done with the whole moping thing. "First, fly to Clear Castle so I can warn the guards from fighting. Then, let's go kill this thing!"

Drago gave a single whinny before his hooves struck the cobblestone roadway in sharp ringings. We leapt up with several beats of his massive wings.

True to my instruction, Drago's flight veered in a sharp one hundred eighty-degree spin as he flapped higher, taking us back towards Clear Castle.

The rope style bridge flashed by under his tucked-up hooves and a moment later he pulled his flight to turn in tight circles around the circular style ramparts. Glancing through the open windows I saw about a dozen crossbowmen waiting in the wings while peeks through the arrow slits up and down one of the towers showed me even more shadows of archers as they moved up to the firing area.

"Hold inside, all of you!" I shouted when Drago passed a wide, open doorway. Then I shut my mouth until he'd circled around to another, and I shouted the same command.

Thunder boomed all around me as distant flashes of lightning showed how chaotically the storm was behaving. It seemed that either the storm's main mass was way larger than I feared, a distinct possibility, or there really was some magic going on. I was no meteorologist, but even I knew that it was unusual to see lightning flash across such great distances.

A shadow appeared from one of the doorways, and the commander of my ranged units clambered up onto one of the side walls to hear me better.

"Further commands, Emperor?" the man shouted. I waved him back away from the opening. "Get inside, stay away from the lightning! I'll take care of the Spearopat!"

The man gave me a quick salute, then leapt away from the ledge just in time. A sharp bolt of lighting leapt straight down to where he'd just been standing, cracking off a bit of the masonry that went tumbling down into the upper bailey far below.

With a yelp, the man scrambled back indoors. I shouted over the driving wind, "All right Drago, soldiers secured, so let's go handle this Spearopat next!"

Drago beat his wings sharply and continued the final three hundred and sixty degrees around the tower we were currently circumnavigating, then shot forward towards the west with such speed that I had to haul on the reins to keep from being summarily ejected. The saddle of godlike comfort, apparently, wasn't also a saddle of godlike stability.

Oh well, sometimes you had to take what you could get.

The Spearopat saw us coming and gave another loud pronouncement that was one part bear roar and one part bat screech.

It then bent its head forward and beat its own wings faster, to match Drago and me, claws flashing with every strike of lightning in the surrounding fields.

There was no denying that this thing was fast. As we barreled towards each other, I lifted my hand and summoned my bow of fire arrows out of the aether. I felt the wooden stock materialize comfortingly in my palm, followed by the small snapping sound that accompanied the bowstring snapping into existence as well.

"Keep it nice and steady," I murmured with a grin.

Carefully, I adjusted my aim to take into account the slight bob that came with each of Drago's wingbeats and did the same for the Spearopat. Fortunately, since the bat-winged-bear didn't also have a rider, its own flight was less chaotic.

As soon as I saw my opportunity, I let the bowstring slip from my fingers and the magic fire arrow materialized, flying sharply towards the Spearopat.

"Got you!" I shouted triumphantly. A moment later a flash of lighting leapt down and immediately incinerated the magical arrow mid flight. I groaned.

My arrow didn't even have a chance, practically liquefying upon contact with the electric show, definitely a strange occurrence for something that caught on fire instead of melted.

Desperate to not lose my chance, and quite eager to avoid a one-on-one fight unarmored against something with claws that long, I quickly pulled the string back and let another arrow fly.

This one fared no better than the first, and I cursed under my breath. "Must be something in the storm that's protecting this creature. Shame about that, I was sure it wasn't magical in nature."

As I spoke these words to myself, a nasty thought congealed in my head. What if this had been sent by Artam? I wasn't sure that attacking me before our negotiations would, by the letter of the contract, constitute breaking it and incurring the wrath of the gods.

He definitely hadn't said that he wouldn't attack before our meeting, just that he wouldn't attack me inside Cask, and that he hoped to not attack Tolmeria after signing. There wasn't any mention of what he would do beforehand.

Putting that thought aside, I realized there was nothing I could do about it at the present moment. But still the idea nagged at me, and I decided to test it out. Turning my next arrow aside, so it wouldn't have any chance of hitting the Spearopat even without lightning, I let a second missile shoot out.

This time, no electric defense rose to strike my fire arrow down. It splashed harmlessly into the river waters north of Clear Isle.

"Great," I grumbled, coming to a realization that definitely didn't sit right with me. "I can't strike it from a distance, and it can't get damaged by any of this lightning."

As though the very storm itself wanted to punctuate that last thought, a snap of lightning zipped down and cascaded across me and Drago. Bright white light, not the yellow tinge that I had honestly expected, danced across my eyes. I felt my body suddenly grow tense as electricity forced all my muscles to contract at the same instant.

Drago's wings, likewise, grew suddenly rigid. I was just thankful that they were spread wide when we were struck, otherwise we'd have dropped like a stone.

The strike wasn't what I would have wanted, but I could have kissed the Creator herself when the magical cloak of invincibility pulled through and protected both Drago and me from really serious damage.

"There goes our once a day chance," I said before I gasped.

Another lightning strike lit the sky, this time arcing straight down towards the Spearopat. For an instant, I half expected the lightning to skewer the winged beast like a shishkabob, forgetting the magical lightning immunity it possessed.

What happened instead was even more surprising. Instead of crashing down through the Spearopat, the lightning instead formed a solid ball of pure electricity surrounding it as the Spearopat's power sent fingers of it darting away from its very body.

The ball of pure glowing electricity around the beast lasted for a moment, then the lightning rejoined in a single strike and shot straight towards the ground, landing with a loud boom that set some of the growing wheat to fire.

"It's not just immune to electricity!" I shouted as a wild idea occurred to me. "It's immune to lightning strikes! Drago, get me in there close to it, then you shoot back for the ground! We're both out of damage negation until this cloak recharges. If I get close enough to it, then I can use its own magic to protect me!"

Drago glanced back with a bewildered look, like everything he wanted was down on the ground and not hurtling towards us on huge, furry wings.

"No complaining, do as you're told!" I shouted, spurring the pegasus again.

With a final complaint of a whinny, we sped forward towards the dangerous creature.

Sixteen wing flaps was all that it took to come within range of its huge, clawed paw. I tugged on Drago's reins to spin him left and up out of the beast's anticipated strike. Eight inches of gleaming white piercing power sailed through the air beside my right ear, then Drago tucked into a tight barrel roll and shot up the overtop of the beast.

Drago thankfully pulled into another roll as we sailed over the thing's back, It allowed me to lightly hop out of the saddle and turn in midair, so I could land safely on the Spearopat's back. Still, the maneuver was risky and as I landed on the furred back of the large beast, I felt slick wetness beneath my hands.

"Shit!" I shouted, failing to have anticipated that the beast, while immune to lightning strikes, was far from immune to rain droplets.

For a brief bewildering series of seconds, I felt the broad arc of the bear's back curve dangerously downwards, my hands slip sliding as they scrambled for purchase. My legs splayed wide, pulling very uncomfortably on the more tender parts of my anatomy. I was going to slip right off the beast's back. I knew I was.

Then, I cheered in an exhausted whoop as my heel struck hard against the Spearopat's wing joint. The new foothold provided just enough leverage that I could arrest my momentum, slip a fist through a clump of ragged fur, and decide what to do next.

Beneath me, the sudden pressure on its wing caused the Spearopat to pull sideways in a wide arc that tipped the balance of gravity and threatened to send me spilling off its back again.

"No. You. Don't!" I shouted as my fingers sunk further into its damp, matted fur. "I didn't come this far just to tumble off your back, you big brute!"

It wasn't like the Spearopat could argue with me. All it could do was try to buck me off. It pretty quickly tried to do just that as well.

The beast's broad back heaved up beneath me, knocking my legs briefly into the air. But I still kept firm hold of the matted handhold while I used my other hand to retrieve a small, sharp knife from my waist.

The knife had been buckled into place, so it wouldn't simply tumble out of its sheath if Drago needed to turn upside down. My fingers slipped at the damp restraint for a moment before it came free.

Grasping the handle tightly in my hand, I drove it down into the center of the beast's back, unleashing a torrent of blood that made holding onto it even more difficult.

Dark red lifeblood gleamed a sickly ruby as a flash of lightning burst apart in midair, not a foot above my head. I felt static crackle in my hair as the Spearopat's magic forced the lightning into the same tight ball formation and left both of us unharmed.

"Hell yeah!" I shouted wildly, excitement coursing with adrenaline throughout every limb as my theories were proven correct.

I drove the knife blade down into the Spearopat's right side next, irritated that I couldn't get its left because of my positioning. Blood flowed down the creature's wing. I watched as it dripped off the tip and went falling down towards the wheat field below us.

Lifting the blade up, I drove it down a third time, higher up the creature's back now and then finally slipped the sharp object back into its buckled holster. I wanted to bring the Spearopat down with something resembling a safe landing, since I was still atop its back.

Killing it midair would have been my first choice, if Drago and I hadn't lacked my cloak's magical protection. But, as things stood, I wanted to be safe on the ground before I gave up the Spearopat's lingering lightning strike resistance.

With a heavy, painful groan, the beast's loss of blood forced its hand... or its wings.

Heavy, pained flaps accompanied the pitiful groans as its strength waned, sending it lower and lower by lurching degrees.

I held on tight, waiting until--

BOOM!

The beast landed with a crash loud enough to wake not only the neighbors, but the entire neighborhood. Muddy soil sprayed up away from it like a wave on the ocean. Even with my tight grip on its fur, I nearly went spilling out ahead of it, only to be crushed under its great mass.

The beast groaned a last time as I drove my knife into its neck. Then I watched as the last of the beast's blood pumped out onto the ground, diluting in the rain.

I took a last heavy breath as my beating heart started to return to its normal pace and glanced up to give Drago a smile. My flying mount was already snacking on some grass by the roadside, swollen with the rain and extra sweet because of it.

Then I hopped down from the Spearopat's back and hopped up into Drago's saddle. "Right, no rest for the wicked or the victorious, Drago," I said with a chuckle. "But let's ride overland towards Cask this time. In the morning, we can try our luck flying again."

Chapter 11

The Price of Being Sneaky!

ARTAM CASTLE - CASK

TWO DAYS LATER, Drago flapped down to land in a pastoral field outside of Artam Castle. Wildflowers were starting to bloom in the space, surprising even me.

"What are these doing here?" I asked no one in particular. "This close to his main settlement, Artam should have planted grains or other food that transport easily and store easier."

Despite the fact that I hadn't addressed my question to him, Drago wandered over. He picked up one of the white wildflowers in his teeth and bit down. A millisecond later, he spat out the whole thing and scowled at it. Then he turned to me and gave me a look like I was the reason he'd eaten the damned thing.

I rubbed my eyes and chuckled at his antics while the clopping sound of hooves from a nearby road told me we were about to have company. Turning, I spied a rider wearing a sandy colored garb flying a flag with a sigil that appeared to be two slashed roses on a sandy field.

I'd seen the same sigil all over Cask, including that morning when Drago flew over the broad bridge which spanned the gap between the two neighboring regions. Frankly, I thought the sigil was a bit lame.

But there was absolutely nothing lame about the huge companies of soldiers that I was seeing with the banners sprouting from their middles. For all I could tell, Artam wouldn't even have needed to send any special magical bat bear to come kill me or terrorize my lands. He could have run over all Western Tolmeria before I'd be able to rouse a useful force to push him back across the river.

And it wasn't only soldiers that huddled beneath the sigils either. Each of the companies was also equipped with everything it would need to actually mobilize. That was something that a lot of newbies got wrong about medieval warfare, and modern warfare if I was being honest.

You could have as many soldiers as you wanted, but if you didn't give them proper support and proper entertainment during slow times, you'd find them routing under the smallest pressure. Or, worse, gathering ingredients and supplies from your own populace.

The companies I'd seen arranged in fields and stabled in towns had soldiers, yes, but they also had support. They had supply wagons by the fistful, and camp followers to cook their meals. Straw dummies were set up to practice swordplay against and to hone their aim with bows and arrows. There was even an appropriate amount of livestock to keep them stocked up with the always useful protein that formed the backbone of a successful campaign.

It was all sobering to witness, since I'd secretly been harboring hope that Artam was going to turn out to be mostly bark with little bite. Now I knew that he had bite to match a pretty massive bark.

"State your name there, you!" the mounted messenger shouted as he pulled off the roadway and galloped across the field towards Drago and me.

Drago snorted indignantly and stooped to pick another flower between his teeth, doubtless planning to spit the disgusting tasting thing on the messenger. With a single headshake, I patted his side and raised a hand to the messenger.

"My name is Emperor Adam Clear of Tolmeria, Champion for the god of barter, Asmi," I called in response, keeping my free hand on the knife in my belt just in case. "Your new Emperor, Artam, sent me a message saying that he'd like to discuss negotiations between our two regions."

The messenger didn't respond, but spurred his mount on a little faster until he rode right up to us. If we'd both been standing on our feet, I would have stared down at the man. But he was still mounted and used the opportunity to sneer down at me instead.

"Champion Artam gave me no sign of this," he said with disdain dripping from every syllable. "How am I to know you're being honest. I should stab you right now and drag you weakened before Champion Artam so he can deal--Gaah!"

Quick as lightning, or nearly so, my knife hand lashed out. The blade danced in the light as it zoomed straight for a chink in the armor behind the man's knee. Red blood blossomed like a dozen roses as I withdrew the blade and lightly wiped it on my tunic.

"You should have done so without wasting breath, in that case," I said easily. "Meantime, why don't you run back to your master's castle and let anyone who will listen know that Champion Adam Clear won't suffer any more indignities. Next time I'll find a more dangerous chink in that shiny armor of yours."

The man gritted his teeth, but kept glaring at me until Drago spat the bitter flower right into his face.

"Blegh! What was that for?" he complained.

"What, you'd rather he stab you too?" I said with a chuckle. "Look, you're starting to lose blood pretty quickly. If you don’t get a move on, it's likely you won't even make it back. Come on now, hop to it soldier!"

I said the last in a mocking marching tune and the man's face paled at the news. Finally, he gave me a last withering glare and then turned his own mount around and rode off up the hill towards the castle.

Once he'd turned his back to us, I said to Drago, "Looks like we're not quite as wanted as Artam would have me believe."

Drago squinted down at another of the bitter flowers, and I shook my head before grabbing his reins and leading him up to the castle.

After passing stands of trees, moving from the usual smaller houses on a town's outskirts to larger ones close by, and failing to see any sign that Artam had prepared his castle half as well as he'd prepared his armies, we finally reached the drawbridge.

Despite my suggestion that the mounted messenger should let the whole castle know who I was, what I was there for, and what I would do to anyone who threatened me, I found the drawbridge gate raised once more. A pair of morose looking guards stood on the ramparts atop the closed gate, sneering down at Drago and me.

"Let me guess," I called up to them, "you're not likely to open the gate for me?"

The two guards glanced at each other and then started chuckling.

"Not likely!" the one on the left shouted while the one on the right smirked even more.

I considered simply sending a fire arrow through the smirker, then asking again with a smirk myself, but pretty quickly decided against it.

The gods weren't something I wanted to get on the wrong side of. It seemed to me that attacking someone while I was present for a negotiation would only be permissible if I was provoked. While the messenger had provoked me, I couldn't comfortably say the same about the two men on the ramparts.

So all I did was shrug and start summoning Golem.

Water pooled on the ground from my waist high fingertip, forming a roughly round puddle.

"Hey, you can't just piss because you're pissed!" the man on the left said, folding his arms. "Go on now and get out of here!"

Now it was my turn to smirk, because the man on the right leaned over the wall curiously.

"I don't think he's pissing, Baled," he said cautiously. "Looks more like he's doing some of that magic stuff..."

Baled was clearly not listening and was now starting to laugh at what he thought was my misfortune.

While he was distracted, I muttered, "Go over the moat, Golem, and get ready to merge with Icey to tear it down and let me in. Got it?"

A ripple danced across the pooled water of Golem's body while the bulk of the tiny magical creation flowed down into the moat. A few seconds later I watched as a simple humanoid being rose on two feet at the edge of the drawbridge while I summoned Icey at a point just next to him.

What happened next was swift and decisive, and yeah it was a bit fun too.

What could I say? I liked messing with assholes.

The combination Icey-Golem cracked and popped as the water all across it froze hard into an icey form of armor. Then the powerful construct squeezed fingers through the gap between the raised drawbridge and the masonry. I watched with interest as frozen icey muscles tensed and then yanked hard.

The drawbridge gave a great crack and snap as the metal chains keeping it closed shattered under the intense cold from my golem's hand, then the drawbridge itself fell swiftly downward and smacked loud enough against the ground before me that I felt like I'd have ringing in my ears worse than after a metal concert.

Drago leapt backwards in surprise, and the rumbling that the sudden impact sent through the castle made the trash talking guard stumble forward, trip, and fall tumbling from his perch.

His body landed with a sickly thump on the opposite end of the drawbridge, twitched once and then stilled.

"Thanks for that, Golem, Icey!" I called to my creation while giving it an approving thumbs up to rub it in. Then I glanced up at the formerly smirking guard, noting that he definitely wasn't smirking anymore. "Let Artam know I'm coming in, if you'd be so good. Before or after you piss yourself in fright. The distinction doesn't really matter to me."

The blank look of abject horror on the man's face told me it was likely going to be after he pissed himself. He ran off a few seconds later, and I heard Drago stamp the ground annoyedly. I figured he was disappointed he couldn't just fly with me over the ramparts and down into Artam's throne room.

"Politics, my dear pegasus," I said with a headshake. "Normally, you'd be flying right now. But pissing off another champion is one thing, pissing off a god is another entirely. Don't want to wind up on the Creator's bad side, after so long on her good side."

Drago flicked his head and followed me across the broken drawbridge.

It didn't take us long to find Artam once we passed under the gate. Really, it didn't take him long to find us. The poor bastard practically sprinted out of a side door, still dressed like he'd just come from a fine meal. There were bits of chicken stuck to his shirt, and I thought I could see some fried onion sprouting from his hair.

"What is the meaning of this!" the other champion shouted angrily. "And who let you inside, you... you..."

His face went from confused to disbelieving in a matter of moments as he realized exactly who it was he was talking to.

"Champion Adam?" he sputtered. "I... I figured that the messenger was just telling tall tales! Why... welcome to my castle."

He bowed low, making me frown. His actions certainly weren't lending credence to the idea that the Spearopat was a natural occurrence.

"And an exciting welcome it is," I said in my most magnanimous tone. I was going to play this fool for everything he was worth, I realized. "In the past two days I've killed a new legendary beast, a tricky proposition in a thunderstorm I'll tell you. But I knew timeliness was important in the contract, so I persevered. Then upon landing I was threatened by one of your own messengers, then again barred entry into your castle. My good fellow champion, one would think that you wanted to kill me, not treat with me. And in a disgusting manner, too. You should be powerful and challenge me to a one on one duel if that’s what you really want."

His face went ashen white. "Oh no, nothing could be further from the truth, my fellow champion," he declared. "Come, let us discuss terms in my throne room where it is more comfortable."

"I appreciate your offer, Artam," I replied. "But I think, given the circumstances, that you will understand if I want to make a swift getaway. I have been too long without my wives by now."

The man nodded, rubbing his hands right through the gross bits of chicken on his coat.

I continued, "I also think that you should listen to my terms, because they are as ironclad as my word. I wish the same could be said for all champions."

Artam gulped audibly.

"First, I require a trade surplus from Tolmeria to Cask. My armies require good steel for arms and armor, now that the spring is fully here and war season approaches once more. Your northern mountains are, I know, bursting with ore of all varieties. And while I have improved my mining abilities, I don’t want to simply rely on them. Plus, getting your ore out of Cask means you’ll have less to equip soldiers."

Artam's hand went to his heart like I'd actually stabbed him.

"Second, I want to know that those armies I've seen moving about your barren fields aren't about to come looting in Tolmeria. They can move north, west, or hell, you can try to dredge up some fish from the southern ocean, but if I see so much as a single slashed rose on any pennant or sigil east of the river, then I will descend upon you with almighty force. I have secured my eastern borders as far as Farli, and I'll have you know that the champions on my furthest easternmost border after Farli aren't likely to be able to take out the heart of my holdings swiftly or easily. I've made peace with my neighbor to the north, and if you come east, then I will focus all my attention upon you.”

Artam paled until he looked like a white radish, though he wasn't quite so wrinkly.

"Some looting to the east?" he said, stammering. "What do you mean? Cask is a large region, and there's plenty of food to be had. I don't need to steal it from you."

I chuckled and shook my head. "You need to steal it from someone, Artam. I'm no fool. If you were to visit the area around Clear Castle, you'd see fields bursting with wheat, you'd see fish dancing in the rivers, and fishermen sailing up and downstream to collect them. You'd see ice mages being put to work. And yes, you'd see soldiers. But I've seen of your companies, they have enough food to charge into a neighboring region and steal the food there. I just want you to know that the region you charge into will not be mine, or you won't be charging anywhere else ever again."

Artam bowed his head solemnly and folded his hands behind his back.

"If only the other champions were so foolish. No. I see that I should have expected the remaining champions wouldn't be foolish anymore, though I had hoped that the stories of easier winnings on this side of the world were more true than it seems they've turned out to be,” he said solemnly then sighed. "Very well. Your first two terms are agreeable to me. So long as the trade surplus you run with my region includes well-storing food."

I nodded and he smiled.

"In that case, all that remains is to sign the contract quest, and then I will be on my way."

I glanced around the courtyard as Drago knickered.

My pegasus was clearly hungry, but I didn't want to stay in this place longer than I had to. Not only did I have several beautiful wives to return to at home, but I also still didn't trust Artam.

I'd heard stories, of course, of the quadruple powerful champions across the world, but it seemed to me that one of the successful ways of winning the game of castles was politicking and backstabbing.

Now, the former champion of Cask had attempted some backstabbing of his own, but he wasn't quite so good at it as it turned out I could be.

I still very much doubted that the Spearopat which attacked Clear Castle, did so randomly.

I blinked and a prompt appeared before my vision.

Quest: Accept the negotiated terms with Champion Artam to secure terms. The Creator herself secures all contracts between champions, after what happened in Farli, so turning your back on them is basically a death sentence.

Do you accept?

After confirming, my eyes were brilliantly and suddenly blinded as the intense light of the lettering faded away, disappearing in a moment.

Then I gasped as pain lanced through my shoulder.

What the hell had just happened?

Glancing down, I saw blood pooling near my neck, and I turned sideways just in time to dodge another thrown dagger from Artam.

"You absolute bastard!" I shouted, spinning and leaping up onto Drago's saddle, as an arrow whizzed past the point where my head had just been.

"Easy for you to say," Artam shouted, hurling more daggers at me, as the cloak of invincibility healed what should have been a fatal wound.

I felt gashes leap up on my arms as Drago, turning swiftly, made me a moving target.

"I've seen what's down in the caverns," Artam shouted, as Drago began galloping, gaining speed to leap up and fly away.

A loud boom from the castle entryway told me that the combination Golem and Icey had just leapt forth, and the pinging of a dozen steel-tipped arrows off of hard, icy armor were followed by the rippling cracks as bits of that armor were dislodged.

The Golem Icey charged through the gate into the main courtyard, knocking archers and soldiers left and right so that they went flying up and splattered against stone walls.

My creation's mouth cracked open as though to roar, even though it had no vocal cords.

"Come on, Drago," I said through gritted teeth as I felt my veins begin to pulse.

I had no doubt that those daggers were laced with some terrible poison, and I just had to hope that Drago could fly swiftly enough to get me back to Tolmeria and to find a healer.

Slowly, my mind went back to the bathhouse that I had enjoyed a week or so prior.

My pegasus's broad back shuddered beneath me, and I gripped tight to the reins as he leapt into the air, soaring up, up, up, over Artam Castle's walls, dodging arrows shot our way from over-eager archers.

Finally, we were free. Before I could even begin to contemplate what Artam had been talking about regarding the horrors beneath the soil, I saw a ripple, terrible and ominous, flash across the blue sky. A deafening thunder on a clear day announced that Artam's actions hadn't gone unnoticed.

The Creator had made it clear she didn't appreciate champions disregarding the rules and disavowing the gods. I had to hope that I was out of Cask before whatever was about to happen to the region thanks to Artam's actions irreparably changed it.

Whatever he’d seen down in the caverns beneath the surface must have really terrified him if he was willing to break a contract with the Creator’s stamp of approval on it.

Alya Chapter 1

Southern Oceans

A Monster a Day Keeps the Mermaids at Bay!

Brilliant algae-tinged currents brushed by Alya's smiling face, submerged in the shallows of an island so far away from Tolmeria it may as well have been nowhere. She gave her mermaid's tail a flick and went zooming off through some kelp that swayed lightly in the oncoming tide.

"Princess Alya! Please, wait for me!"

The call came from behind Alya, and it sounded light and airy and sweet. Verolae had been Alya's best friend since before Alya could even remember having friends. The fellow mermaid wasn't quite the princess that Alya was, but she wasn't far off either.

Alya had always envied her long, braided hair that was never dry, no matter how much time she spent ashore and never seemed to acquire any salt no matter how many times she dove back into the briny water.

Plus, it never got caught up in tangles when she sped through the kelp forests. That was a serious plus and a sure sign of deserving princessdom if ever Alya had heard of one.

But it was Alya who was the princess, not Verolae, and so it would always be Verolae who would be the one chasing Alya. Being the chased was what made one a princess in the Polar Isles, not having perfect hair or pretty eyes or perfect breasts.

Well, at least Alya had eyes that only a fool would say weren't pretty. And though her breasts weren't fantastically large, they weren't exactly small either. Between them and her round ass, her body was often described as lithe and lovely.

She thought of herself as dangerous.

"Hurry up, Verolae!" Alya shouted back, dropping her chin to shout her teasing call between the perfect breasts of hers. "We're almost out in the open waters! Come on! Kelvy said he spotted a white seal sunning itself on an ice flow barely twenty minutes from the deeps!"

Alya didn't stop to question Verolae about what was so important. She rarely had to. It was always something foolish, a boy would be playfully chasing her, or she'd worry that one of the village elders would find out about their rule-breaking. The elders were always useless, too worried about orcas to allow anything resembling fun to occur on the Polar Isles.

Alya found it perfectly ridiculous. No one had been killed by an orca since her great-uncle got on the wrong side of an ice-whiskey bottle during a playful game of truth or dare. Even when that had happened, it was roundly agreed that the only reason he actually died from the encounter was because he was too drunk to recognize the black-and-white killer whale for what it was.

According to the woman who'd dared him, he kept repeating that it was just a sea-fox. Only someone properly tossed could have possibly mistaken the large, deadly orca for the small, playful sea-fox.

Alya swam on sharply, her body moving in sinusoidal manner as her powerful mermaid fin shoved water sharply backwards. The cool ocean current chilled her breasts, making her nipples stand out.

Alya would never admit it to any living soul, but the dangerousness of her playing always excited her.

Honestly, it was a good thing she was underwater, or her own wetness would be running down her thighs and pooling at her feet. Her chest thrilled at the thought that Verolae would be swimming through her arousal any moment now.

Yes, any moment now and her childhood friend would get a whiff of the woman that Alya had become. Any moment now...

"Verolae? Are you still there? You haven't turned back to tell on me, have you?"

Alya paused her surging strokes, hovering easily in the oncoming current as the green fins on her tail twisted left and right to keep her body upright. On land, the fins would naturally split and reform into feet while the rest of her tail split at the seam and formed two legs. But it was easier to swim, even to hover in the water, with a fin than it was with two legs.

She looked around her, shivering despite her fish form’s natural ability to withstand the frigid temperatures near the southern pole of Limar. In the distance behind her, the tall fronds of the kelp forest swayed tirelessly, pulled this way and that by the current's fickle whims.

Below her, the seafloor dropped away in leaps and bounds. Deep blue and red coral clung to the steep slope with little fish darting in and out as they sought food or protection in the coral's polyps.

Ahead, the deep expanse of the open ocean pulsed with promise and adventure.

None of it held her friend, however, and Alya's heart was suddenly clenched as though an icy hand had reached through her very breast and grabbed hold of her ventricles.

"Verolae?" Alya called in a smaller voice this time. "You're still there, aren't you? We're just looking for white seals, Verolae. They should be right around here. We can surface on an ice sheet if the dark scares you. Verolae?"

No answer came from the gloom, and the kelp forest suddenly looked menacing rather than inviting. Alya pricked her ears and heard the small sound of distant predators roving about in the frigid waters, looking for a tasty snack. Sharks prowled the deep waters beyond the coral and the kelp, Alya knew that much.

What she didn't know was what else had been unleashed onto Limar. What she didn't know was that the Game of Castles had begun, and that upon reaching adulthood two years prior she hadn't only left the seclusion and safety of childhood behind in relation to her village. All her people had had their safety and seclusion ripped from them, and they were about to find out just what that meant.

A groan from above, like the sound of two massive ice sheets colliding echoed through the water. Alya had learned the various continents of Limar had once groaned over each other to form the single ring-like landmass of the planet and the spine of mountains along the equator. She wondered if it had sounded like this.

Alya's whole body was tense as she lifted her eyes towards the surface. And what she saw there made her every tensed muscle suddenly flatten out like rising kelp dough that had just been beaten back down.

A large, dark something was roving about in the waters overhead, cracking ice apart as it came slowly and surely towards her. The ice sheets tugged under the deep V shape at the bottom of the dark something, thrusting sharp edges far enough down into the freezing water that it could crush her.

Alya wanted to swim away, to swim downwards out of sight of the terrifying thing. But she was too mesmerized by what she saw to move a single muscle. She just hung there, suspended by her own natural buoyancy as her breasts, natural life preservers, lifted her chest slowly up towards the terrifying thing.

Closer and closer it came, and farther and farther she felt she was from Verolae, from the kelp forest and safety, from her home, her village.

Her village!

Suddenly, all the strength returned to Alya's limbs, and she shot downwards in a single stroke. Frigid water forced oxygen back into her lungs as her tail pumped furiously and the big, black, whatever it was threw jagged ice down to strike her.

She was just in time. In fact, she could feel a sharp, cracked edge of one of the frozen sheets brush against the tip of her fin. But it did no lasting damage.

She was free!

Desperately, she fought to turn and swim as fast as she possibly could towards the kelp forest. A terrible thought had just occurred to her, the dark whatever it was wasn't just threatening to run her over, it was headed directly towards her home. She had to warn the others!

Even if she'd followed Kelvy's instructions to the letter, she wouldn't be more than three quarters of an hour from home. It was barely enough time to warn the others. Something big, something strong enough to crack the very ice upon the surface and send chunks of it hurtling deep, deep, deep into the icy water was coming for them.

The thing was moving fast, but not for nothing had Alya lamented that her breasts weren't as big as a stereotypical princess's would be, their normal size allowed her to swim all the faster.

She could beat this thing home, she must. But she had to hurry.

She had to--

Another sound reached Alya's ears, this time from below her rather than above. A low, groaning rumble that sounded nearly the same as the groan from the cracking ice flows. But there was no ice to crack in the deep water, and even if there were, Alya knew of no creature in the Polar Isles that was powerful enough to crack it like the thing above was.

Terrified, Alya's eyes flicked downwards. And it was a good thing that she'd already gone through the whole process of being terrified, frozen, lulled, and then excited by the big thing above because what she saw down there would have forced her to go through it for twice as long as the big thing above.

Two large, red eyes stared up at her from the deep ocean, lit by a single glowing ball suspended in mid-water above and between them.

Alya had learned of Angler Fish in class onshore but hadn't ever heard of them coming this far south. From what she knew they couldn't withstand the frigid waters of the Polar Isles.

From what she knew, they were the single most terrifying creations that the Creator had ever installed on Limar. But they were supposed to be small, no larger than her modest chest at full size.

The thing staring up at her was big enough to swallow a white seal in a single bite. It was definitely big enough to swallow her in a single bite.

Alya turned and swam as hard as she'd ever swam, making a desperate dash for the kelp forest. The Angler Fish was close behind and gaining, gaining, gaining.

With a final desperate burst of speed, Alya's face burst through the edge of the forest and she let out a sigh of relief that she'd held the whole chase. Just as she brought her fin inside the safe seclusion though, she was forced to realize she hadn't been as safe as she'd hoped.

A riot of pain lanced up her tail from her fin and suddenly when she tried to swim forward, she found herself swimming in a wide arc to the left instead. Blood blossomed, red and viscous into the seawater behind her while salt stung her open wound.

Alya could barely see from the pain, but she swam onwards anyway. Her mind was now focused on one simple goal: get to her village and warn them about both these threats. The one from above and the freakish Angler Fish below.

"Alya!" Verolae's voice suddenly rang out from off to her left, and Alya spun about to swim off towards it.

Her progress was awkward and painful, without one half of her gorgeous green fin to help her. Awkward, because the lopsided appendage now kept trying to force her off to the left. Painful, because every thrust brought new saltwater rushing rough against the open wound.

"Verolae!" Alya shouted through labored breathing, when she saw her friend's body shimmer out of the green kelp backdrop. "We have to swim back. We have to warn the others!"

She swam forward and wrapped her arms around her friend, forcing their breasts to press together and reveling in the warmth of Verolae's body. When they broke apart, she gestured to the close distance, where the big black whatever it was still moved slowly and surely forward.

"A ship?" Verolae said in amazement. "Miss Teilo said they haven't been seen in the southern oceans in years though!"

"Oh!" Alya said excitedly, happy to be able to put a name to the monstrous ice breaking thing. "You're right, Verolae! I was so scared, I didn't stop to think..."

Suddenly, Alya remembered the massive Angler Fish and she grasped Verolae's hands in both of hers.

"Verolae," she said when her friend's eyes suddenly went wide. "It isn't just a ship, it's also--"

Her words were cut off by a loud snapping sound from the massive ship over their heads. As quick as a penguin launching off a ramp, both women's eyes darted in the ship's direction in time to see a long sharp barb lance down from the surface and plunge hard and deep into the Angler Fish's dark shape below.

A blossom of blood bloomed from the massive fish. It let out a cry that was just as much wailing as it was anger. But after hanging in mid-float for one moment and then another, it let out a shuddering croak and stilled.

Alya heard muffled cries from the ship's direction, and just as she was about to turn and swim off to her village, twin splashes announced the arrival of two newcomers into the frigid waters at the same time as a warm red light shimmered in the air overhead.

"Pyromancy?" Alya asked Verolae, and her friend nodded. "They must be trying to warm the water for the swimmers."

Verolae suppressed a giggle at what a foolish thought that was, but Alya's voice was stolen by the woman she saw plunging into the icy waters.

Alya hadn't ever slept with a man before, nor a woman for that matter. But she was very accepting of the idea of sleeping with both sexes, like many Limarian women were, who were forced to accept the Creator's instilling of overriding patriarchy with men having harems.

Alya had always been interested in marrying a man with many wives, so she could enjoy their beauty alongside her husband. Her gaze was captured by the gorgeous black-haired beauty who forced hooks with chains attached to haul the massive fish to shore. Alya couldn't help but wonder whether she had a husband half as worthwhile as she seemed to be.

Elyse finished attaching her hook to the massive catch and tugged on the chain to ensure it was secure. She turned to swim surface-side and get some fresh air, but some movement caught her eye. It was a bit surprising when she paused instead, her eyes falling on the lovely mermaid before her who was wounded and yet still unbelievably pretty for all that.

Chapter 12

Discussions, Discussions!

VIKOOL

I WOKE a week or so later in a soft feather bed with my head pounding, my lips dry and cracked. My throat was so parched it felt like it would take several gallons of water to rehydrate completely.

“Not the way I would have wanted to leave Cask,” I groaned as I sat up, blinking open my eyes and seeing the shining lovely faces of my many wives around me.

Harmony was the first to gasp and wrap her arms around me planting kisses on my neck, but she wasn't the last.

“Adam,” she said breathlessly. “Oh Adam, we were so worried!”

I coughed as another body slammed into my chest. This time I looked down to see Colette’s hair bobbing beneath my chin.

Several more thuds announced that everyone else was getting in on a bit of the Adam action, too.

If it felt like it was difficult to breathe with my parched throat before, it was even more so now.

"I love you all too," I groaned, patting bodies where I could, despite the fact that the tangle of limbs around me made it difficult to discern who exactly I was touching. Or what I was touching for that matter.

One of the things felt soft enough that it probably was more breast than back. Rosa giggled, letting me know whose breast it had been.

Gradually, my wives retreated, blushing or blowing me kisses. Only Isabel stood by the window in the small rented room.

Judging by her posture, I figured that she was deep in thought, and when she turned to me, I saw her eyes shining with tears.

"You will forgive me for not embracing you quite yet" she said with a small curtsy. "A lot has happened since you returned."

“So Drago feels that he's earned himself all of the oats from several cities?” I asked with a grin.

Harmony chuckled at that, while Colette rushed over to a low table, lifted a silver jug and poured water into a cup, handing it to me.

I accepted the offer to drink eagerly and downed it in two swift gulps.

Despite how swiftly I drank it, nothing, it seemed, had ever tasted better. I was a champion emperor, leader of armies, destroyer of other champions, and vanquisher of legendary beasts.

I had tasted the finest wines in all the land, and beer so sweet it made my lips pucker. But this glass of water was better than anything I’d ever tasted.

Holding out the cup, it was refilled swiftly, and in no time at all, I had drank and downed half the jug.

Finally, I started to feel sated, and lowered the half-filled cup to my side. I said, "Where am I? Last I remember, I saw a dim, ominous-looking ripple that crossed the blue sky, and I heard thunder on a clear day. But that was still in Cask.”

Harmony, Colette, and Rosa all nodded while Isabel glanced out the window. Following her gaze, I could just barely see the tall tower gate on the Tolmerian side of the river.

I half expected to see dark storm clouds hanging over Cask, or to see the sky red with fire. But the day was apparently fine and clear in both my own Tolmeria and across the Vikool river in Cask.

Small clouds scuttled across the sky, trailing wisps of water vapor as Isabel turned to me.

"If it is as you say, then I don't doubt that something has happened in Cask," she said somberly. "I only received news that you'd been poisoned, and showed up to find that your arms and legs were laced with nasty, blistering scars. We all figured that Artam had turned coat and attacked you instead of negotiating like a true man would."

I nodded, and she folded her hands in front of her waist before continuing, "The gods don't take breaking contracts lightly. We haven't had any news from Cask, but the flow of refugees across the border has stopped, so something must have changed. We weren't also sure what terms you agreed on, and so we're hesitant to send a messenger out to discover what's been happening. Just in case some of your terms included not breaching each other’s sovereignty. "

I nodded.

"That's pretty wise," I said, then lifted the covers to glance at my bare legs.

True to what my bookish wife had related, thin slivers of scars ran up and down them, and I grimaced.

“That bastard Artam thought he could kill me. But it turns out all he did was anger the gods. My quest update said the Creator herself is securing all new contracts. Hell of a bad exchange, if you'll ask me.”

I grinned, and the door behind me creaked open.

Turning I saw my kalatchi vassal, standing there with a worried look on his face.

"I heard terrible things, Adam," he said, glancing around at my wives. "I've just arrived, and I hate to know that they're true."

I nodded briefly at him, and then remembered what Artam had said as he attacked me.

"Zorel," I said, a thought popping into my head, "how much have you and the kalatchi been exploring in the new underground caverns? I've been hearing weird things about them."

Zorel raised a chitinous eyebrow at me, a really weird expression on a face that had the ridges for eyebrows but no actual brows themselves.

"The caverns are dangerous places," he said slowly. "I have been focused on controlling the swamps above ground, though we do get notice of strange creatures emerging from caverns that were long thought sealed."

I nodded grimly, and he bowed his head.

"You wish that I should go explore the subterranean caverns and discover what I can find?" he asked.

I nodded, and then thought better of it, holding a hand up.

"I think that the subterranean caverns are a place I should explore alongside you," I said.

When Isabel raised an eyebrow at me, I explained, "As Artam attacked me, he claimed that there were terrors lurking beneath the surface, and that it was his job to win the game of castles as fast as he possibly could so that he could amass enough power to stop what was coming for us."

The look on Harmony and Colette's faces showed that they thought this was a doubtful proposition.

I couldn't blame them.

If I'd broken divine law to attack a man I was supposed to be treating with, then I would probably decide to spout some nonsense too, to justify my actions.

And yet, Isabel's face went pale.

"What is it?" I asked.

I pushed myself up further on the covers and swung my legs out to one side, while Colette handed me a pair of trousers, and Zorel knowingly glanced away.

"It's just a hunch that I have for now," Isabel said mysteriously. "I don't want to worry you before investigating further. I could be wrong."

"I'd take a hunch over nothing at all," I said with a chuckle.

Isabel sighed and her eyes flicked to the door before she said, "Those monster crystals that we discovered in the swamp region, you remember them, yes?" I nodded slowly while I noticed Zorel's eyes light with a hidden hunger for more of the powerful objects. "Well, I suspect that they appear like ore does, from beneath the ground rather than being exclusively created above it. Many of the monstrous races mutated once the game of castles began, from species that existed on the planet's surface, and yet some we had not seen before. I suspect that now the subterranean caverns have opened, there may be access to monster crystals deep beneath the surface."

She let her words hang in the silence that followed, and then Zorel clapped his hands hastily.

"In that case, I think that as soon as you are ready to go exploring, then I shall be happy to accompany you," he said, and I laughed aloud.

"You just want more of those monster crystals!” I said, and he chuckled. I stood and moved to the doorway. “But I want a concrete goal for this journey, not just wandering around until we find power ups for you Zorel. Do you think these caverns lead to every region? Artam said he was from across the world, so clearly they connect at least some regions.”

I asked Zorel the question, but it was Colette who finally replied instead, and it wasn’t a response to my question.

Gasping and giggling, she exclaimed, “Elyse! What are you doing here?”

I raised an eyebrow and saw my second newest wife rushing down the hallway towards me. She was holding the hand of a beautiful woman, with green legs, red hair, and pert breasts. Oh, and her eyes were shining and emerald colored.

“Adam!” Elyse exclaimed, gasping. “You’ll never believe how far south we can sail now. I personally led an expedition to see if we could connect to the other side of Limar. While that didn’t exactly come to pass, I’m pretty sure we found the South Pole. And, well, look who else!”

She turned and gestured to the beauty she led by the hand.

“Adam!” Elyse squealed. “There are merfolk living down there! This is Alya, by the way. I think you can probably guess what she is.”

The woman, Alya, held out her hand to me. When I took it, I planted a kiss on her fingers and then looked into her eyes.

The beautiful emerald depths were both extremely attractive, and extremely needy. And not in the sexual, hungry way. I saw fear and doubt and worry dancing in their depths.

“Your wife Elyse says that you can help me,” she said desperately. “That you can protect my people from the legendary that threaten our shores. I have seen one already, that your lovely wife killed.”

I shook my head and replied, “That kind of depends. You’ve caught me at an unusual moment.”

Zorel coughed lightly, and I glanced back to see the kalatchi vassal smiling brightly.

“Whatever quest this woman has for you,” he said slyly. “I daresay that we can investigate whether the caverns lead all the way to her home? Could be the perfect opportunity to test your theory.”

Unable to help myself, I grinned.

Chapter 13

Shiny Bits!

SUBTERRANEAN CAVERNS

A SINGLE BIRD chirped in the distance, while the smells of wood smoke coming from one of the nearby houses made my nostrils flare happily.

You had to give it to the gods, I suppose. The entrance to the underground caverns seemed so perfect they were almost alien. I hadn't seen any of these entrances yet.

In my mind’s eye, they were simple caves. I figured that, much like the mine entrances in the northern mountains, most of the entrances to these places would appear as simple cracks in the earth.

I was wrong.

The entrance to the underground cavern was gorgeous, beautiful in its complexity, with a tall arched doorway made of pure carved stone that looked like marble.

The pure white stone led into a small hill on the outside of the town, and around its border was carved what looks to me like runes.

Though what they said I couldn't say.

“Any idea what they're talking about?” I asked Isabel, placing my hand on the small of my wife's back.

Isabel pursed her lips, strode forward, and folded her arms behind her back. Her hands clasped right above the smooth round curve of her perfect ass, her fingers tapping the fabric of her pants.

“It's an old language,” she said finally. “But I think I can get the picture of it. Even if I'm wrong about some of the more minor details.”

“You mean to say that you can read this?” Alya asked, amazement evident in her voice.

The beautiful mermaid strode forward, and stood beside my wife, tapping her lip in thought. “I had thought that the knowledge of this text was lost long ago. To hear that it had survived…”

Her voice trailed off, and I saw a shiver of excitement run through her body. I hadn't exactly expected that the mermaid would decide to join us.

Elyse had taken her ship to sail south once more, while I was surprised to hear that Rosa was heading back to Clear Castle. Apparently, now that the babies were growing ever bigger Dami had her hands full, and she only had so may eyes to spare for the little ones that zoomed about the castle like whirling dervishes.

While I was sorry to see Rosa return, I was more sure about Elyse. The sailoress had already visited the area once before, and I figured that she would be the most effective sailor to send. To help smooth things along, I had also given her signed letters from my own hand indicating that she could begin negotiating with the merfolk for defense terms.

At least, until I arrived.

It made sense to me that the mermaid, being so intimately tied to water, would choose to sail over the sea. A water creature wouldn’t want to trek through damp, dark, and dangerous, perhaps even horror filled caverns beneath the ocean's floor.

But she had claimed that whatever it was that was attacking her islands was so deadly that it terrified her to even look at the water. When I had pointed out that Elyse easily dealt with the beast, Alya had shaken her head and explained that there could always be more where the first had come from. She had pointed out that the oceans are vast and largely unexplored, and that temporary safety was not a promise of permanent safety.

She had practically begged Elyse to come with us underground instead.

But well, there are certain women that there is just no arguing with. And women who are sailors in their own right can be even more hot-headed than the normal, stubborn type of woman.

And so, Alya stood with us outside the entrance. Isabel turned to her and winked.

"So long as it's been written down,” Isabel said, “and the worms haven't gotten to it, or the rats, then nothing is ever truly lost, Alya."

She chuckled and met my gaze, then gestured at the stone archway.

“The words say something to the effect of, ‘tread lightly, those who enter here. Miracles exist in the caverns, and terrors too.’ Then it gives some warning about the people who exit the caverns not being exactly the same as those who enter it.”

She turned back to the stone archway and tapped her full lips with a slender finger.

“I think that it's more talking about being in the cavern changing you than it is about literally different people leaving it. But the grammatical structures at play here are, well, let's just say they're a bit loosey-goosey in terms of pronouns and adjectives.”

She chuckled lightly, and Zorel strode forward, his insectoid wings buzzing excitedly.

"Surely the warning is about the crystals within," he said eagerly. "Come, let us go adventuring."

He stuck one arm out and put himself in a power pose that was frankly ludicrous.

I couldn't help but chuckle and shake my head as I led Drago forward.

For what it was worth, Drago seemed nearly as excited as Zorel to enter the caverns. Yet I didn't doubt that that was because he was a smart Pegasus. He knew that the only alternative was that I would either fly him across unknown lengths of water or stick him on his least favorite place to be on the entirety of this world, a ship.

"Come on then," I said, and stepped forward, the first of our group to enter the caverns with the clip-clop of Drago's hooves echoing behind me.

I didn't know what I expected to find in the caverns, but I could say that I expected to find it a lot sooner than it seemed we were going to.

For hours and hours, we followed a single tunnel that went down, down, down. The angle wasn't so steep that you could risk falling, but it was steep enough that you had to be very careful where you put your feet.

For one source of light, I summoned up my quest prompt and then moved it around behind me. The glowing letters gave off precious little light as it was, but considering how completely pitch black these caverns soon became, that small amount of light was equivalent to a lightbulb.

The glowing letters cast my shadow long and thin ahead of me and bobbed along in time with my body as I walked.

After a little bit, Harmony swirled a fireball atop her staff to help out in the visuals department.

Down, down, down, and then some more down we went.

I was just starting to get annoyed that we hadn't uncovered anything when I heard a sound ahead of us.

The noise appeared to be related to speech, though it wasn't in any language that I'd ever heard. Plus, the strange repetitive nature of the clicking noises and the grinding sounds which followed made me wonder whether or not it was just an underground lake of some variety,

The drip, drip, drip of a stream that was hidden from sight. Hopefully it wasn't a sign that the caverns were about to cave in. I didn't know how far we'd gone, but I got the sense that we weren't yet under the ocean quite yet.

I held a hand up and heard Zorel approach me from behind.

"Do you hear that?" I asked, turning to the kalatchi king.

He nodded, his jewel-like, many-faceted eyes glinting a dull red like they were gems.

"I do, Emperor Adam," he said, craning his ear to listen while a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

"Do you know what's making the noise?" I asked. "It almost sounds like it's someone talking, but I can't tell."

He nodded, then turned his head to give his ear better access to the cavern’s depths. For a little while longer, he paused and listened.

Then a smile spread itself across his chitinous face.

"It has been many years since I heard such speech," he said with a note of excitement dangling at the end of his words. "Some of the older Kalatchi spoke it to one another when I was young. It is an ancient form of speech, and one which I believe marks the writing found on the entrance to these caverns, though I never saw it written out."

"Can you understand what they're saying, then?" I asked and motioned for Isabel to come up and join me.

My bookish wife turned her head down the tunnel as well and listened intently, then gave a head shake.

"All my learning of this language comes from books. And books have a hard time being phonetic about runic languages. I can read the script, but I can't speak it at all," she said.

I nodded, and then Zorel bowed low to my wife and said, "It is amazing that anyone can read it either. Much like Alya, I didn't know that such things were possible. Here is what they're saying.  They know that something’s up, but I don’t think they know exactly how many are with us yet. There's a small band of skelkies, at least I believe they're called. They’re all guarding a wide area in the cavern. We'll have to fight our way through if we want to get past them. Apparently, they're ready to attack and fight to the death."

He paused and turned his ear down the tunnel once more, and then chuckled.

"They don't think that anyone can understand them. So they're giving me quite a bit of information about their strategies."

"Oh?" I said, curious. He nodded.

“Apparently there were lookouts a little farther up the cavern that have queued the town into our approach. More lookouts are placed in thin offshoots off the main tunnel. They devised some sort of rock trap for us that will trigger if we're not careful."

I nodded and asked, "How good do you think their night vision is?"

Zorel chuckled. "They're blind, actually, so pretty poor. There's very little reason to have eyes if there's no light to see by. But their hearing's quite good. No doubt the sentries they've stashed away heard us rather than saw us."

I nodded once more at that, and then turned to the small company of soldiers who had followed us.

Here and there, they were mixed with black chitinous kalatchi.

"Soldiers," I said curtly, "There's going to be some fighting up ahead. I don't want any of you going all soft on me. We haven't seen that much action in Tolmeria, and I know that your units weren't sent to help fight in Farli. It's time to earn some honor for yourselves and your families!"

My words were at first met with some grumbling, no doubt since I was reopening wounds about not being able to fight inside Farli. My exploits in that foreign land were getting some serious renown. I knew that certain of my soldiers were feeling a bit left out because they hadn't explicitly been invited.

But I wasn't a fool, and my mention of earning some new honor spurred them on. A high, piercing battle cry rang out from the group and made me immediately regret my choice of activities.

I raised a hand until the room quieted and then began giving out assignments.

"Zorel, your kalatchi scouts are definitely useful in a fight, and I've seen firsthand how surprising they can be when used as ambush fighters," I said, nodding to my vassal. "But their wings buzz way too much for them to be much use when we want to stay somewhat quiet. How stealthy can they be on the move?"

"More than you'd expect, but I still don't know that they'll be perfect for sneaking up on targets," Zorel said with a smile and a headshake. "Better to use humans or beastkin for work like that. Put them in cloth shirts instead of armor, if you'd ask me."

I shook my head at that prospect, not wanting to risk the lives of my Tolmerian citizens if I could help it. Then, glancing around the subterranean space, I spied just the person I was looking for.

"Grolio, get over here," I said to the barest outline of a face that extended from an alcove on my right.

A moment later, the whole crumbled inwards with a loud, grinding sound of stone on stone.

A few of the soldiers gasped. I reminded myself that though they may have heard stories about what happened in Myrai, none of the present company had actually been physically present to witness it.

The broad, clay face of the former god who now owed his allegiances to me extended from the wall, smirking like he knew exactly how surprised by his sudden appearance he was making the soldiers.

"You called, Emperor Adam?" he asked in a drawling tone of voice. "I aim to please."

"You're damn right you do," I said in a low voice, then gestured down the corridor type tunnel. "I want you to go down there as quietly as you can and take out any sentries who might be standing guard. I don't want any of them alerted to our presence. Sound good?"

Grolio grumbled then started to move off in the direction I indicated.

Almost immediately, I called for him to halt. The movement of his clay body down the hard stone tunnel was like a dozen clay pots being broken all at once. It was hardly the type of sound you wanted accompanying you when you were attempting to be sneaky.

"What did I say?" I asked him sharply once he'd halted.

"Go down and kill some sentries," he replied in a voice so smarmy I wouldn't wipe my feet with it.

"Anything else?" I asked.

"I'm going as quietly as I can, Emperor Adam," he said. "It's not up to me how loud I am. I can lay quiet as a dormouse inside stone, or I can be louder than is helpful. Up to you."

“What about just sinking into the stone floor?” I asked pointedly, gesturing at the wall he’d just popped out of.

“Clearly, the sound of your forces moving is louder than you expected, Emperor,” he replied with a smirk. “Moving through the stone’s even louder than stomping about on it. I sounded like a small rockslide the whole time. You likely just couldn’t hear it over the din of your mounted cavalry. But,if you would prefer a rockslide to the stomp of my feet, well. As I have said, I aim to please.”

He shot me a smirk and I shook my head, trying to think.

What was the point of having a former god in my employ, if that golem style god wasn't able to do what I requested. If only he was able to merge with my other golems, then maybe--

Suddenly, I thrust my hand out with my palm facing the ground and started to summon Golem.

"Umm, Emperor Adam?" Alya said with a little giggle that truly suited the mer-beauty. "It's a bit uncommon for us mermaids to witness a man urinating. Normally, being in the ocean hides those moves from us. If you'd be so kind, next time you need to make water, could you let me know so I can give you some proper privacy?"

I chuckled at the common reaction to the way I summoned Golem.

"If that's what I was doing, Alya, then I would have had everyone turn around," I said with a chuckle, turning to see her auburn hair match the deep blush on her cheeks. "But this is actually how I summon one of my two elemental golems. Pretty funny way to do it, but it's also come in handy distracting enemies in the past."

"Oh," Alya murmured. "I see, yes. Hello there, little guy. Does he have a name?"

"Golem," I said with a smirk, watching as the watery creation rose a head taller than even me with all my god given height.

"Umm, yes I can see that," Alya said, puzzlement obvious in her voice. "I mean, what do you call him, not what is he. Does that make sense?"

Harmony giggled behind me, and I saw her touch Alya's elbow out of the corner of my eye. "The golem's name is Golem, Alya," my redheaded wife explained simply. "Adam's a good ruler and a better general, but we'd all be kidding ourselves if we said he was a true creative."

I shot my wife a look, and she chuckled.

"What?" she said meekly, folding her hands in front of her and putting on an innocent expression that tugged at my heartstrings. "I would never have married an artist! Or worse, a writer! I married the strongest man in all of Tolmeria, and I'm not sad about that at all!"

I could only shake my head, while Alya giggled at finally understanding just how literal Golem's name was.

"I suppose Saulie the Salamander's a better name then?" I asked, wheedling my wife until she put her hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out at me. “I notice you haven’t talked about him or summoned him up in a while. Could it be that you regret your naming scheme?”

Harmony stuck her tongue out at me playfully and flicked her hair behind her.

"You two certainly have a... unique method of communicating," Alya said with amazement. "In my islands, a wife is always subordinate to her husband. She would never dream of insulting him in such ways. Is the land so different as all that?"

"Not really, no," Harmony said quickly. "I just like teasing Adam sometimes. It helps when we're in the bedroom, and he's forced to punish me."

Alya's eyes went wide as Harmony made a spanking motion with one hand. I waved the two of them away and turned to Golem.

"Right then," I said to the watery creation. "Golem, I want to see if you can merge with Grolio here. Sort of like you and Icey are able to merge together."

"Whoa!" Grolio replied immediately, holding hands up. "You want me to merge with a magical creation? I'm a god, Adam. I'm not going to debase myself so much as that!"

I rounded on the mortal god, thrusting an accusatory finger in his clay face. "You'll do whatever I tell you to, Grolio," I said darkly, "or the Creator herself is going to hear how you disobeyed me. Then you'll get to see just how hungry those three remaining champions are for the quest for your head. Must be pretty starving for the levels you'd give them. Why, the new Cask champion's from that corner of the world. I'm pretty sure he's already started summoning legendary beasts and sending them at his opponents."

Grolio's eyes went wide at the mention of his promised punishment for disobeying me.

"Of course," he said sharply. "Whatever you need me to do, Emperor Adam. I'm your god and golem now."

Abruptly, he turned towards Golem and held out a hand to the watery figure. Reaching out, he pressed the tip of his forefinger into the water, sending a ripple radiating out across Golem's chest, but not doing anything else.

"Umm," he said. "I'm trying to do what you ask, Emperor Adam. But this doesn't seem to be working."

I shook my head, then said, "Golem, merge with Grolio. Let's see what sort of combination you two create."

Immediately, the edges of Golem's body surged forward, swallowing Grolio's arm up to the shoulder and not stopping even then.

The clay god gave a short, sharp yelp as the rest of Golem surged over him, covering him completely.

For a minute, I didn't think my plan had worked. Although Golem and Grolio were both technically golems, one was made of magic and the other was made of whatever gods were formed from.

Then, I heard Alya gasp as Grolio's body started to dissolve at the edges. Formerly hard, dry clay melted and flowed like it was liquid too, then slowly his body's former dark tinge lightened as he became something closer to a mud golem than a clay one.

We watched in amazement as the mortal god's body expanded, wettening and melting and expanding as it merged with Golem.

Then, with a final squelching sound, the merging was complete, and a new sort of thing stood before me.

Before, Grolio had stood monstrously tall, at least ten feet. With the addition of Golem's size he was even taller, probably pushing fifteen and change. And yet I couldn't help but smirk at the other changes the golem god had undergone.

"I want to make it clear I don't appreciate this," Grolio said bitterly, his words coming out in a sort of gurgle that didn't do anything to help his cause.

Now not only was I smirking, I also heard Harmony suppress a giggle. Still, Alya cooed in appreciation of the change.

"I think he honestly sounds better this way," the mermaid beauty said.

Grolio grimaced at her. I had a hard time blaming him.

Taller or not, he looked significantly more goopy now than he had earlier.

His massive hands were practically melting off his wrists, bits of gloopy mud and wet clay lengthening them into pseudo stalactites as water dripped from them and pooled on the floor. His chest looked like the time lapse photos showing tectonic plates moving across the magma crust far beneath Earth's surface. His lips were drawn into a line that was apparently supposed to be thin, but which looked more like a frown thanks to how much the ends drooped.

"I don't care if you appreciate it," I replied curtly. "I care if you can move more quietly now that you've merged with Golem. Try it out."

Grolio shot me a withering glare then slowly dissolved down into the bedrock at our feet. The small mound of clay soon became a smaller mound. Though I could still barely discern a slight squelching sound as he sank into the ground, he must have been able to move completely silently because a moment later I watched in awe as his head appeared from the wall some twenty feet down the tunnel.

"Good enough for the conquering emperor?" he asked with a watery clay type smirk.

I gave him a thumbs up, then said, "Come back here once you've cleared out all the sentries, and we'll launch our attack in earnest. We’ve made enough of a racket already. I want to salvage as much of the situation as I can."

He nodded then his face disappeared back into the tunnel wall and the rest of us settled in to wait for his final report of how many sentries he'd managed to kill.

Chapter 14

Dead Skelkies Tell No Tales!

SKELKIE CITY

WHOEVER IT WAS that said that waiting's the hardest part was definitely not lying. I mean, it was for me at least. As for Ormis, the big guy was always a fan of waiting. Waiting meant he got to take more naps.

Loud, rumbling snores rolled around the space while I lounged. The makeshift camp we'd set up to wait for Grolio's return wasn’t exactly the least comfortable place I’d ever stayed, but it wasn’t the most either. Mostly, I occupied my time by itching my butt and growing irritable.

Then, the sounds of loud hoofbeats sounded from up the cavern in the direction we’d just come from. My head snapped towards the source of the noise and I frowned at someone making such a racket when we were supposed to be quiet.

“Would someone shut him up?” I muttered irritably, but he was already so close that it mostly didn’t matter.

The man rode a horse with a saddle that was clearly more adapted to the sheer terrain of the northern mountains than the lowlands which pervaded Tolmeria, making me curious about what tales he had to tell.

The man dismounted and saluted.

“Emperor Clear,” he said. “I come from Vertikal with a report on the ongoing advancements to our mining capacity.”

“Really?” I said, curious. “I hope for your sake that you’ve brought good news, since your horse made such a racket coming here.”

He raised a confused eyebrow and I made a hand it over motion, not explaining. He passed it to me and I cracked the wax seal and began to read.

I said, “Right now, I’ve got a pretty sweet quest going to sack the city. Problem is, Vertikal’s been able to be much more productive, ever since I unlocked that blasting powder recipe. Just want to know if it’s worth it to wait for new arms and armor before plowing ahead.”

The messenger gulped and ran a hand across his face to wipe away some sweat. “Sorry, Emperor,” he explained while I read the report. “It’s hotter in here than in Vertikal. Mountain town’s are usually chilly and all that. Anyway, I don’t know what that report says, but we’re only just starting to really pull out ore at pace with the powder. I don’t know if it’ll be ready for refinement too soon.”

I nodded, agreeing with the lad. “Looks like we won’t have new arms and armor for another month at least. Good to see Lord Adam’s jumped on the task, even if it’s not quite fast enough for my liking. Oh well, can’t wring blood from a stone, or ore from a lord I guess. Looks like we fight here, find some other way around, or else wait for the new arms.”

The man gulped and nodded. “Will that be all, emperor?” he asked and I nodded.

When he left I was pleased to see that he led his mount by the reins and walked much more slowly this time.

Meanwhile, I returned to scratching my butt and growing irritable as I waited for my golem god to return with his own report.

"I know that he'll return soon, Emperor Adam," Alya said sweetly as I made my fourth circuit loop around the gathered forces. "My people may not worship the same gods as those on the land do, but even we have heard mighty tales of the god Grolio's fearsome prowess in battle, even before the Game of Castles began. It is said, in fact, that he fought with the god of the seas, a mighty leviathan named Sarcusial."

"Really?" I asked, curious about the local history of the Limarian gods.

"Absolutely," Alya said with a nod. "Would you like to know more?"

I took a seat, grateful to have something interesting to occupy my mind, and waved to her to continue. After cutely coughing to clear her throat from the dusty air, she blushed prettily and did so.

"Sarcusial was not easily bested by anything or anyone, since he has control of the very ocean itself and can summon great waves and tsunamis to destroy whomsoever he wishes. And yet it is said that Grolio constructed walls of clay and raised earthen mounds so high that not even Sarcusial's waves could scale them."

She paused briefly, and I leaned forward. I was growing more curious by the minute about how the gods had interacted before the Game of Castles forced them into more immediate conflict.

"I didn't know that any of Limar's races had direct knowledge of the gods' existence before the Game of Castles began," I said, rubbing my chin.

"Not direct knowledge, no," Alya admitted with a slight blush at being found out. "But indirect knowledge is useful as well. Shall I continue the story, even knowing that those to whom it pertains are not here to vouch for its veracity?"

"I don't mind a little uncertainty in folklore," I said with a grin that made her blush cutely. "Please, Alya, continue."

"Well then," she continued, folding her hands in her lap. She inadvertently used her forearms to press her pert breasts together, giving her a deep and inviting cleavage. "It is said that Sarcusial battered Grolio's clay walls with tsunami sized waves for three days in a row, while he implored the god of the moon to draw close to Limar so that the tides might rise and aid him.

“The moon god and the ocean god are said to have been estranged brothers, but when Sarcusial asked this favor, the moon god dropped their old conflict and came to his aid. Higher and higher, the waves rose as they slammed hard against Grolio's defenses.

“And yet Grolio held strong. It was only on the seventh day that Sarcusial's strength began to wane. Grolio used this opportunity to form a land bridge into the ocean's heart and wrestle Sarcusial into submission. From that time on, it is said that the clay god is the only thing we ocean dwellers should respect, aside from our own god."

She grew quiet as she finished her story. I noticed that she chewed her lower lip hungrily, its soft plumpness full and inviting.

"That's not all?" I asked gently, noting her distress.

She glanced up at me briefly and shook her head. "No, that's it. It's just that... Well, I had no idea that the only god I should be allowed to worship is himself the vassal of a human man. I am the princess of my people, such as we are, and so..."

I picked up where she was headed. "Let me guess, you're only allowed to marry a prince. And the one to whom you're betrothed is either boring, malicious, ugly, or downright evil?"

She swallowed a smile. "I am not betrothed yet, but the man that would be my husband owns all four of those qualities. And yet the man who controls Grolio surely counts for something, does it not?"

Despite the large number of soldiers standing around us, I noticed her eyes grow hungry and lustful as they roved up and down my body. But, before I could pursue this line of thought any further, a low squelching noise from behind us announced that Grolio himself was back.

The clay golem god rose from the floor of the cavern with a smirk that told me he'd been listening to Alya's story.

"It's not exactly as you heard it, mermaid," he said with a smirk of his own. "In truth, I survived a full two weeks' worth of onslaught before Sarcusial left an opening large enough for me to strike him. I didn't wrestle him into submission either. I socked him twice in his weird leviathan jaw until he proclaimed that I was the more powerful of us."

Grolio put his hands on his hips and smiled down at the gorgeous mermaid. Even though he was technically smiling, I couldn't help but note that Alya grew nervous.

So, not wanting the beautiful mermaid to get any more uncomfortable than she was already, I stood and turned to my troops.

"We march," was all I said. And march we did.

The skelkie city turned out to not be so far away from our impromptu camp, but a series of twists and turns in the tunnel structure prevented much noise from getting to them from where we'd camped.

As we walked, Grolio strode beside me.

"Tough job killing the lookouts?" I asked, making conversation.

Grolio grunted noncommittally. Despite his success in his mission, he still remained merged with Golem. Bits of dripping wet clay and sopping mud fell in clumps with every step. I couldn't help but wonder how long it would take the clay god to waste away to nothing, just from how much of his body dripped off of his every step.

"You heard the pretty mermaid," he said, giving me a wink. "Oh, don't deny it. I may be clay, but even I can appreciate a woman like her."

I chuckled. "I bet you just like her because she said she could worship you," I said. "You don't strike me as either a tits or an ass man."

"That's because I'm not a man, foolish human," he replied, suddenly growing serious. "But no, you are right. Despite my current mortality, normal mortals have no interest to me. Now the Creator, however, there's a woman!"

I chuckled again, shaking my head. "I'd stay clear of her if I were you," I said. Memories of the infinity that I'd seen in her eyes and dress on our last meeting floated up into my mind. "I think you'd be more likely to lose your mind than enjoy the experience."

Grolio chuckled, shaking bits of wet clay all around him. "No doubt. Look though, we're nearly there."

He waved an expansive arm forward and just as we rounded the next bend in the tunnel a huge expanse opened up before us.

The skelkie city was everywhere in front of me. With large stone structures that lacked a single seam. It appeared as though the creatures had carved the whole thing out of the very rock itself.

Big stalagmite-like structures rose out of the ground while big stalactite type structures extended from the ceiling. All around I also saw signs of the skelkie's industry.

"Busy little devils, aren't they?" Grolio said with a small grunt. “Best I can figure, there’s a couple thousand of them squirreled away in there. Got a good, defensible position too. Not a lot of ways in without getting picked off. Mostly, the situation leans towards an open battle, more than a sneak attack. If you allow me to say so.”

“I’m leaning towards fighting,” Ormis said with a chuckle. “Open battles are more fun than sneak attacks.”

“You’re always leaning towards fighting,” I replied.

Ormis shrugged, and Grolio spoke up, “Going around isn't likely possible either. Most of these cavern tunnels only go one way, makes for nice choke points.” He reached down to pull something out of the floor at his feet. "Here, check them out. If you’re going to fight, better to know what you’re up against."

He lifted a small figure up and held it out to me. Normally, I would have said that showing me an example of a monster that was all covered in goopy mud and wet clay wouldn't really be doing the race any favors in the appearance department. But it seemed that normal had well and truly fled from Lima.

The skelkies, while probably not mottled, appeared to be of a green hue, their skin shining in a sort of sliminess that I wasn't sure wasn't from Grolio's wet handling of the creature. They had thin wrists and arms that were barely any thicker, though the hands and feet that extended from these thin columns were wider than my face and had thin webbing running between the digits that appeared to shimmer and shine, almost glowing in the light from my quest box.

Their faces were broad like their hands, with almost humanoid features. At least, they had what appeared to be two eyes and a long, thin mouth. But they only had two holes in the center of their face for a nose. Their gums were lined with fangs, not with the usual omnivore setup that humans and the other monster races like mousies had.

"Looks like something I saw my old champion cough up once," Grolio said, chuckling. "Though his loogie was frankly a bit bigger than these things."

I frowned down at the thing. "That sounds doubtful at best," I said and Alya crept up slowly behind me to look as well. "Something you recognize, Alya?"

The mermaid's lips creased in a frown even deeper than mine as she examined it. Then she raised a finger to her lip and began tapping the full redness in thought.

Finally, she said, "We are familiar with skelkies as a species. But the ones that hunt on my people's island home are smaller than this by a factor of four." She held her hands up and spread them about a foot apart. "I wouldn't say that any of the ones I saw at home were any larger than this. They bite you if you get too close to their hunting grounds. Since they normally hunt crabs, we mermaids are mostly on the lookout for a sharp pinch anyway. Their teeth are barely more trouble to deal with than getting caught in a crab's vice grip."

She continued looking down at the enlarged skelkie while Grolio turned it over to help her examine it more closely. Meanwhile, Harmony and Isabel both walked up to take a look at what we'd found.

"Wonder what made it so big then?" Harmony half hummed thoughtfully, looking instinctively to the knowledgeable Isabel beside her.

I also glanced at Isabel, but in an instant, it became clear that my bookish wife was equally as confused as the rest of us. "I wish I could say for certain..." Isabel said slowly, leaning forward to look at the thing, and inadvertently giving me and Alya a perfect view of her soft, round breasts.

Despite the strange scenario, I noticed a blush steal up Alya's face. For myself, it was tough to disregard the tightening that took over my pants at the view.

Yeah, leave it to a gorgeous woman to make a man's mast stand at attention. It can happen even when he's decided to leave the ship in favor of an underground tunnel, and while he's staring down at the weirdest dead body he's seen in a year on Limar.

"Could it be related to the crystals?" I asked, shaking my head and forcing my eyes onto Isabel's face instead of her breasts. Immediately, I was forced to admit that this was hardly less enticing, since Isabel had the cutest face of all my wives. "I mean, it's the best that we've got to go on for now."

Isabel hummed her agreement, rising to stand tall again. As she stood up I saw Alya's eyes dart away from her. When they briefly landed on me, I noticed that they lingered a beat longer than I would have expected. Suddenly, I wondered whether this mermaid princess was quite as off the table as her stories about needing to marry a prince implied.

But I put that thought aside for the time being. It was time to fight some weirdly big fish people, and to do so while we had the element of surprise on our hands.

Chapter 15

A Fight at First Sight!

SUBTERRANEAN CAVERNS

QUEST: Defeat the Skelkie defenders.

Details: The Subterranean caverns are connected by thin passageways that occasionally open up into large spaces. For the most part, this means that there’s few options for getting around defenses. Going through them is your only real option.

So, right now you’ve got to go through the skelkie city if you want to get past it. Good luck!

Game of Castles Rewards: 50,000 IP with remaining skelkies.

"Men," I commanded in a quiet but forceful voice. “Prepare to fight. Form columns. We’ll hit them with arrow volleys before they know what hit them.”

Immediately, the various arrayed troops behind me began scrambling to get into formation. Where before my forces had been a mere suggestion of coordination, the long drilling that they'd been forced to endure during the general calm of the Tolmerian winter soon showed just how well they fared.

Archers appeared first, forming long lines at least a dozen men deep. The commander in charge of them, a young man named Buile who had been promoted in my absence, ran to the front of the lines, and lifted his own crossbow.

He glanced at me with a raised eyebrow, indicating he waited only for my command. Yet I held off from telling him to begin just yet. My cavalry was snorting with effort as they fought to get into position, and the foot soldiers at the front of the line were barely any closer to getting ready, at least from the looks of things. At least the archers were more timely, and more quiet.

I raised a hand to Buile, signaling he should wait for my signal, as I watched the companies form up. Finally, once the cavalry lines were in position and the pikemen at the fore glanced back at me, our scaly opponents also appeared.

The skelkies moved out into the open in front of their city silent as the grave. They mostly came in ones and twos, and I wondered if this was simply a changing of the guard, or whether we’d been found out while preparing.

"No, it appears that they are not at all like the small skelkies that my people often have to deal with," Alya said from beside me, while I felt her fingers grip my bicep nervously. "At least, assuming they are going to use those swords for what I think they are."

I grinned in spite of the dire situation. "What else would you use swords for, in a battle Alya?"

"Well, in a battle there's not much else," Alya said thoughtfully. "But remember that the skelkies I'm used to don't fight in battles. They wield knives sometimes, though those are often little more than small slivers of obsidian. And they mostly use them for cutting cords for crabbing traps and sometimes for opening up the shells of mollusks, assuming their crabbing went poorly."

"Aren't obsidian blades awfully brittle though?" Isabel asked curiously. "I mean, they don't snap apart from the force of cracking a shell?"

"Sometimes," Alya said with a bitter look that was followed by a shrug. "We know that if you see dark rocks on a shore, you're better served going down the beach before coming on land. Even chipped, those little shards of broken obsidian are mighty painful to step on."

Isabel hummed appreciatively at the thoughtfulness of that approach, and I raised a hand to signal both of them to quiet down and for the soldiers and archers to be ready.

"Hold your fire a moment longer!" I shouted to Buile when Isabel and Alya had stopped giggling. "As a great general once said, 'Wait until you see the whites of their eyes!'"

"But Adam," Alya replied with some sass. "Skelkies have pure black eyes."

"It's just an expression, my beautiful mermaid," I said with a chuckle, watching the skelkie forces fully form their own ranks.

Behind me, I heard Isabel let out a lusty coo at my describing Alya as my beautiful mermaid. Alya herself gave a sort of sharp throaty intake of air.

"Do you mean that, Adam?" Alya asked, and I held my hand up even higher to make it clear that this was a conversation we could have after our foes were defeated.

The skelkies formed ranks much like the ones on my side, forming a weird fishy mirror to my own troops.

Honestly, aside from the fact that they were obviously partly aquatic, they showed true forethought in their battle strategies. If they'd been able to ride seahorses down here, they might have even looked worse.

Long rows of snarling faced skelkies lined up on the hill outside their city, brandishing dented and chipped swords that looked like they'd been pilfered instead of forged. They waved their scavenged weapons at us, glinting in the faint light from my text window and Harmony's flaming ball that she sent soaring high into the cavern and perched floating in midair.

"Anything else we should know about them?" I asked Alya and the mermaid hummed.

"Oh, yes!" she said suddenly. "Their bites may not be that strong, but their species favors an ocean poison that I hear is toxic to terrestrial creatures."

I turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "That's all then? Just toxic poison?"

"Sorry," she said quickly. "I'm not used to talking to anyone who isn't mer. The aquatic species developed resilience to the poison fairly early in our development, so getting bit by one basically just gives us a bit of joint pain. Frankly, the joint pain's no worse than the bite pain either, so no one really mentions it."

"Well, if that’s the case," I said, rubbing my face with a hand, "I bet they've tainted their weapons with the toxin too. Hell, I would do that, if I were skelkie."

"It would be the smart thing to do," Isabel and Harmony both agreed, and I turned to Buile.

"Send the news down the ranks, Buile! Then, fire when ready!"

Buile gave me a quick salute before shouting the message down the lines of troops and signaling to a messenger to bring the news forward in the world's most hectic game of telephone.

Finally, he lifted his crossbow at a forty-five degree angle to the ground and let his bolt fly free into the chilly cavern.

The broad tipped bolt arced high, shining in the light of Harmony’s stationary fireball before it finally started to fall. In response, a skelkie archer at the front of their own battle lines lifted a bow that must have been part magic because it was made of what looked like seaweed and driftwood. After aiming for a moment, the fishy monster let his own arrow fly.

The two projectiles soared past each other in midair, missing one another by the span of what, from my distant vantage, appeared to be a few hairs’ breadth. Then, Buile’s bolt struck the skelkie archer straight in the chest. The fishy thing went down in a gurgle and a squelch, spasming as it hit the cavern floor.

“Nasty sound they make when they die,” Grolio said with a grunt, lining up to face the enemy lines, then punting his own skelkie into the enemy lines. “Mine made that sound and worse, if I’m honest.”

Before I could so much as chuckle, a loud thunk from my right rang out like a bell. Spinning around, I saw Buile grasp at an arrow with fletching like the webbing between the skelkie’s fingers on the end. The shaft was driven straight through his chest. He had a bewildered look on his face like he couldn’t quite believe that he was in this situation.

Then, his eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he collapsed to the stone floor, stone dead.

“Looks like we won’t be able to confirm that toxin theory just yet,” Grolio said with a nod at the slain Buile. “Poor bastard could at least have made himself useful.”

“Not helping, Grolio!” I shouted, turning to leap up onto Drago’s back. “Head down there and start causing some trouble, you big golem! Make yourself useful!”

With another sigh, a headshake, and a grunt when a skelkie arrow soared out of the dim distance to strike him square in the chest, Grolio set off.

“Bastards are good shots, too,” the mortal god declared as he stomped forward on his dripping feet, “especially for bastards that are apparently blind!”

As I vaulted up onto Drago’s back, I couldn’t help but admit that Grolio was exactly correct. These things should, by all evidence, be horrible at defending their city. Really, they shouldn’t have a city to begin with. It all made as close to zero sense as it was possible to make.

And yet, there was no denying that they were real, and their city was too.

Even from this distance I could see huge statues had been built with surprising skill in the outskirts of their underground city. The skelkie statues rose at least forty feet into the air. It must have been a serious undertaking even for a team of masons who had access to both building materials, scaffolds, and eyesight. From the looks of the cavern, these creatures barely had access to building materials.

In the surprise of Buile's death, many of the archers held their return fire, staring in shock at the face of their former leader. But those that did loose their arrows soon had to scramble out of the way. The return fire came from the skelkies, using just as much surprising accuracy as the shot that struck Buile.

Shouts and screams rang out from my archers as they dove out of the way of tipped shafts, knocking each other over in their frantic escapes. Sickly dripping arrows fell about them like the world's least welcome band of mosquitos.

Whenever an archer found himself grazed by one of the dripping tips, he screamed even louder than ever. His bow quickly dropped to the ground in favor of cradling the glancing wound in both hands.

"Looks like Alya's theory was correct then, huh Drago?" I asked my pegasus as he took bounding steps. "Woah! Watch out!"

Not only were the skelkie's apparently great shots at stationary targets, but they were also clearly not to be messed with when it came to moving ones either.

The first few volleys of skelkie shafts pinged harmlessly on the cavern's hard floor behind me, not worrying me in the slightest. It seemed that our enemies were only expert archers when they had a source of noise to aim at, and Drago's hammering hooves certainly provided that.

The surprise came when I saw a flash of fletching whizz towards where Drago would be in a few moments, highlighted in Harmony's fireball so that it glowed dully.

With a great yank, I hauled on Drago's reins sending the big pegasus turning sharply left. He angled directly down the slope instead of running alongside it. Drago whinnied irritably at my sudden change of plans. When I heard the arrow tip ping off the rock where his neck would have been, I knew I made the right move.

"They're anticipating your next moves, buddy," I said sternly, patting him between the ears. "Do you understand that? They're leading their shots like fighter pilots."

Drago wasn't exactly Albert Einstein when it came to the brain department, but he was way closer to the wise old master of relativity than anything else with four legs that I'd ever encountered.

Plus, I knew that he liked living enough to give serious thought to stopping that particular pastime just to get under my skin.

Another arrow whizzed forward, but this time it couldn't account for Drago's increased speed as he stormed downhill.

I could barely do any better than the arrow, as far as that went, to be honest. All I could do was hold tight to Drago's reins and hunker down in the saddle so I wouldn't get knocked off by a sudden stone in the path.

"Up, Drago!" I shouted. The thundering hooves under me threatened to upset the belly full of ham and eggs that I'd wolfed down that morning. What? It was hard work, recovering from the wrath of the gods like I had been. "Come on, you lousy no good pegasus. Up!"

That last insult seemed to do the trick. Drago shook his head indignantly, then spread his wings wide, flapped them twice, and shot up into the air. Well, really since we were thundering down such a sharp slope, shooting up into the air was more like soaring up so we were finally flying in a level plane. Still, it felt like shooting up to me.

Arrows tipped with poisonous toxin screeched and squealed as their webbed fletching shot them up towards us. For the time being though, we were lucky. All of them veered just shy of Drago's wingtips.

"Nice flying, Drago!" I shouted as I realized just how on top of the situation my flying mount was being. Instead of taking his usual straight line routes towards distant targets, Drago was wheeling and dealing. He turned sharply left and right with every randomized wingbeat while his heigh rose and fell. The changes were so sharp I kept having my stomach lurch into my balls or rise into my throat. "How about a little less insanity, though! I can barely see to aim with all this shifting direction!"

I couldn't be totally sure whether he wasn't just doing it to mess with me, but Drago suddenly shot up higher than ever. The saddle of godlike comfort might have been comfortable enough for gods. But when you rise twenty feet in a single second there's only so much comfort that even a god could expect.

My stomach slammed all the way down past the old family jewels and made a beeline straight for my feet this time. If we'd risen any faster, I doubted whether it would have still resided in my body at all. And yet the sudden shift was clearly needed, since I heard a toxin laced arrow ping off of one of Drago's hooves, giving us the nearest miss yet.

"Okay, okay!" I shouted above the rush of still, damp, and clingy cavern air in my throbbing ears. "I get it. You know best when it comes to flying."

Drago knickered in victory, and I muttered under my breath, "Lousy pegasus."

But there was no time to dwell on the indignity which my faithful steed saw fit to slap me with. Just as Drago leveled out, turning in a sharp arc around the flaming fireball which lit up the whole cavern, I summoned my bow of fire arrows from the aether and began raining literal fire down upon my enemies.

And what was awesome to see, was that since the arrows spun into existence at the end of each shot much like the bow itself did, they made incredibly little noise as they shot off after targets.

"If only they lived in driftwood houses, like I bet they would on shore," I said. I sent another sharp point through a particularly loathsome looking skelkie with what appeared to be a fish version of a mohawk sprouting from its otherwise bald, shiny head. The arrow sank deep into its mohawk and sent a gout of flame bursting straight from the spot while the creature itself collapsed. "Driftwood, I could really do some damage with!"

The skelkies seemed, unfortunately, to be basically the perfect enemy to defend against magical fire attacks. I mean, the perfect semi-land-based enemy at least.

Their slimy skin sizzled and popped in the intense heat of my arrows' flames, but otherwise it was able to keep the fire contained. The jagged dwellings carved of stone that rose up behind them were hardly any better at conducting the fires.

Still, no use dwelling on what you couldn't change. There was no way that I could possibly change that situation.

So, as I flew in wider and wider arcs, I took the time to survey the rest of the battlefield.

In the city center, Grolio rose not quite as high as the intricately carved skelkie statues on the outskirts. Yet one look at him was enough to tell me he was giving it his all anyway.

He was moving too fast to be perfectly silent, and even from my height I could hear wet, squelching noises that came from his every stomp. The squelching sounds were matched, of course, when he raised a foot or a hand to slam down on some equally squelchy skelkie. All together the city center sounded like the grossest place this side of a mud pit filled with sumo wrestlers.

Still, I couldn't help but grin at how much fun Grolio seemed to be having. The skelkies may have been unnaturally large, relative to their normal size, but that didn't mean they were a match for a mortal god merged with a massive water golem. Grolio kept laughing whenever he'd squash one.

"Got you, little fishy!" he shouted as he pelted a wailing skelkie armed with a glistening sword into a nearby building.

Glancing to the city outskirts, I noted that my troops were adapting to their enemies' unique skills as well. The columns of archers had started breaking into smaller groups and firing in unison, then the new man in charge would swing his sword left or right and each of the contingents would move in the direction indicated. That way, they avoided staying put where the skelkie ranged units could easily fire upon them. They also didn't have to give away which direction they were moving by shouting the order.

Meanwhile, Harmony stood in the back lines, hurling fireballs even further than the arrows. And my soldiers were rapidly advancing, too. Ormis charged in first, slamming skelkies left and right with wet squelching sounds. But it was altogether remarkably quiet.

In fact, the whole battle had a strangely eerie quality to it, for the general lack of noise. Only Grolio was shouting in the city. On the random occasion that an archer was struck, he had the good head to keep it to himself.

"I think we're winning, Drago," I said with a light chuckle, seeing the skelkies begin to rout before our forces. "Too bad we didn't get to bring the cavalry into the fray, huh boy?"

Drago knickered. I sent another ten fire arrows into clumps of skelkies where they clustered together, sowing even more chaos in their ranks.

The front lines of skelkie soldiers broke for it at that moment, actually running towards my troops. It was a terrible strategy. I was just wondering what on Limar they were doing when my quest box suddenly snapped around to appear before me again.

"What the hell?" I managed to mutter, before I groaned as the box again rewrote itself. "Asmi, I swear to the Creator herself. You've got to stop messing with me!"

Then, words appeared in the blank box.

Quest: Defeat the Saracel, legendary beast of the subterranean caverns.

After that, some shorter lines scrawled themselves into the space before they too were overwritten.

Sorry, Adam. This isn't me doing all this. I'm just as confused as you are about it. But the Creator's being all hush hush. I think she's playing some kind of game.

Just, do your best not to get killed.

"Gee, thanks Asmi," I muttered as I watched the tallest skelkie statue in the center of the city topple and fall. And what crawled out of some deep dark hole hollowed out beneath it appeared to be crystal backs walking on long, spindly legs.

Chapter 16

I Hate Spiders!

SKELKIE CITY

I FAILED to hold back a gasp as the swarm of what looked like rather large crystal backed spiders poured out of a hole beneath the old skelkie statue. Back on Earth, most people were irrationally afraid of either spiders or snakes. Strangely, I'd never met anyone who got the creepy crawlies from both of them.

I supposed the skin crawling reaction was related to either scuttling or slithering, the two devious S words.

Me? I always hated spiders. Seemed the more logical of the two somewhat illogical fears. After all, it was unlikely you would encounter a snake indoors. Once you saw one, they were mostly big enough to target with a swift boot stomp.

Spiders though? Spiders could be small as a tick, and for all I knew could be as venomous as the skelkies' tipped arrows. Not that snakes couldn't be as well, but you get the point.

At least these creepy crawlies were big enough that they mostly were within the boot stomping range of sizes.

Well, the ones I could see anyway.

I swallowed hard, and a buzzing sound from my left announced that Zorel had flown up to join me. Turning, I saw the kalatchi king buzzing on furious wings as his eyes fell to the cavern's floor, ascertaining the same things that mine were.

"Nasty looking things," he said simply before nodding at the glowing patch of my quest update, which he still couldn't exactly see clearly. "Your quest prompt give you any clues as to what the weakness is likely to be?"

I shook my head, pulling my bowstring back and sending a flaming arrow down into the center of the mass of spiders. The arrow struck true, burying into the cracked crystal hide of a scurrying spider and pinning it to the ground. Unfortunately, the flames didn't spread from the damned thing.

"It's still rewriting the prompt," I explained. "Should be ready in a minute. Ah, there we go."

Zorel tilted his head at me in surprise. "I thought it all appeared at once, no?"

I shook my head. "Normally, or usually, it would. Since we came back from Farli though... I don't know. It's like the whole quest system is on the fritz. I've had multiple quests be rewritten on the fly."

"Weird," Zorel intoned.

"Tell me about it," I replied, then I read the completed prompt.

Quest Details: The Geodesic Saracel is a massive crystal-backed spider. And by massive, I mean it's about twice the size of a human. It's immune to physical and magic damage so long as its armor is in place. It can also summon smaller spiders that are simply called Saracels (no geodesic prefix for the ‘little’ ones) out of crystals embedded into the walls of underground caverns. And by smaller, I mean they're about the size of your foot, so not exactly small on the overall spider scale.

I read that aloud to Zorel and the kalatchi grunted.

"Immune to physical and magic damage while its armor's up?" he asked while zooming erratically out of the way of a final skelkie arrow. "Any idea about how to take its armor down, then?"

"Seems pretty imperative, I agree," I said with a headshake, scanning the quest details for a clue. Annoyingly, there was nothing else to go on. "But there's nothing else in the prompt. That really means something's up, since every quest should have a reward attached for completion. There doesn't seem to be any rewards for killing this Geodesic Saracel."

"Figures," Zorel said with a grin. "Bet the reward Asmi would give you would just be keeping your own life!"

"Not that kind of reward," I said, shooting another fire arrow into a patch of spindly weeds growing in the spiders' path and forcing them to scramble when they suddenly met the fiery impediment. "The Game always rewards me with points I can use in the Game itself. Now, there's nothing."

I glanced down and watched as the scuttling crystal backed spiders scurried to and fro, all the while wondering where the actual legendary beast of the group was. These all seemed to be the smaller version that the actual Geodesic Saracel could summon, but I still didn't see the big guy himself.

Meanwhile, the skelkies who couldn't flee fast enough were overrun by the smaller spiders, showing just how deadly even the 'little' ones could be.

"Gods, you see what happened to that one's brain?" Zorel asked as a skelkie below us succumbed to the onslaught and found its gray matter spilled over the roadway. "Anyway, how do you want to tackle this one, Emperor Adam?"

"I don't know," I said honestly. "If the reward was good enough, I'd say we go in and kill the damned thing. But I don't even know if there's going to be a reward, let alone how big it's likely to be. I'm leaning towards retreat, then try to pass by safely later on. I don't even see the beast itself, just all the little guys."

As though the gods themselves were listening to my complaints, which I guessed they were, the text prompt before me filled with more words.

Game of Castles Reward: Look Adam, I just got ahold of the Creator and she doesn't know what's going on here any more than I do. Apparently champions everywhere are getting these strange updates too. While we look into that, I'm authorized to give you the following rewards to entice you.

Lord Points: 400,000

Influence Points: 300,000 Among skelkies who can become allies if you manage to save them. Don't blame the poor bastards, they're just defending the choke point under the tunnel system like the Creator wanted.

Special Rewards: 5 levels for winning, champion.

That's all I can do right now. Honestly, we'll try to figure out what all this is about as soon as we can. Hang in there, Emperor!

"Wow, thanks a bunch Asmi," I said with a head shake at how ridiculous this all was. I mean, what was the point of setting up this massive, world spanning Game of Castles, if you weren't going to stick to the rules, right?

I swiftly related the details of what I'd read to Zorel and the kalatchi king barked out a laugh. "And I thought things would be simpler when you gave me those monster crystals!" he declared in a high pitched, almost buzzing voice. "Well then, I take it you want to fight?"

"You're damn right I do," I said. "Five champion levels aren't something you can come by easily without killing another champion. Go rally your kalatchi. I'll get my men to turn their fire onto these scuttling spiders."

Zorel gave me a swift salute, then buzzed off to convene with the gathered kalatchi drones who couldn't be safely used in a battle where being quiet was important.

Meanwhile, I turned Drago right around and flew him straight down to land before Alya, Harmony, and Isabel. After giving them the rundown on what was going on, Isabel met my eye.

"I totally understand why you want to clear this quest, Adam," she said. She flexed her fingers like she yearned to drain the levels from this legendary beast like she had the two champions. “But we still need a plan."

Harmony nodded, and Alya looked terrified. Still, I couldn't help but think how pretty the mermaid looked with eyes wide like that.

"I have a plan," I declared, before adding, "My plan is to come up with a plan before I get killed."

My wives and Alya all groaned, and I gave them mock salutes of my own before turning Drago to fly to Zorel.

The kalatchi king had just finished gathering his own troops when I hailed him.

"Zorel!" I shouted. "New plan. I want your kalatchi to try clearing out as many of them as possible. Focus on easy wins by flying in, grabbing one so it can't turn around and bite them, then drop them from the top of the cavern. When they hit the ground, they'll go splat plenty good I bet."

"And what should I do?" Zorel asked and I grinned.

"You stick with me and Drago," I said, flicking the reins. "We're going to go dredge up the big bad himself and take him on."

With that, I turned, and Drago flew off just as the line of spiders reached the city outskirts. Zorel buzzed beside me, a curious look on his face like he didn't quite trust my plan.

"Just wait, Zorel," I said with a chuckle. "I'm a bit brash when it comes to plans, but I'm no idiot. The prompt said that it summons new spiders when the old ones die, so we just have to kill enough to get it to show itself and start working its magic."

Behind us, I already started to hear the crack and shatter of the spiders smacking into the cavern floor, making me grin maniacally. More cracks followed. When I glanced behind me, I saw the black forms of kalatchi buzzing all through the air. The spiders didn't plan on fighting an insectoid army, if my guess was right.

As the air was filled with cracks and scuttlings and shattering sounds, the big skelkie statue in the town center rumbled even more. I had just enough time to turn around. I saw the skelkie citizens, annoying though they had been a few moments ago, sprinting right past my soldiers and disappearing up the cavern tunnel.

All at once, a horrible scream rent the air and something very, very big scuttled out from the hole beneath the big statue.

"Big and gross, no?" Zorel commented.

I couldn't disagree. The Geodesic Saracel was big, bad, and weirdly entrancing all at the same time. Since the smaller spiders were so much smaller than it was, I couldn't really see the fine details on their bodies properly. But this one, I could.

Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, the big guy made up for that and then some.

True to the quest prompt, it stood at roughly twice my height. Each of its eight scuttling legs looked to be about as tall as I was standing upright. Even truer to the quest prompt, there was a huge, glowing red crystal in place of its body. The crystal had about a dozen sides, and each caught the light just barely differently enough to dazzle.

"Talk about a crystal on that one!" Zorel shouted. "Look there, see its hands?"

I focused closer until I could. This spider, apparently, was part crystal, part spider, and part humanoid figure. Really what it resembled most was the spider version of a centaur, a man with a spider's body instead of legs. In the humanoid portion's eyes two crystals glowed with internal fire.

I fought back a frown as I noted that the skin on the human half seemed ragged and torn. Strips of it were missing, looking mighty painful from my vantage point.

“What the hell is with all these legendary beasts from the caverns?” I muttered. “They look like they’re coming apart at the seams.”

With a single headshake, I forced myself to focus on his hands, like Zorel implored me to. He had both of them raised, palms outwards, and long thin lines of magic were radiating from either palm in a myriad of individual strands.

"Looks like he's spinning some kind of web, yeah?" I asked, and Zorel nodded.

"Some kind of web that's about to make our lives way harder!"

I glanced to the ends of each of these lines and watched in amazement as the various glinting crystals set into the roughhewn cavern's sides shuddered and quaked. One by one, they shook themselves free of the wall and clattered to the hard ground.

But, where the dropped spiders had broken apart like glass, these only shivered as more legs burst from them. Heads followed the legs, with pincers popping out like horrible zits on either side of their glinting mouths.

"Gonna make this bit tricky!" Zorel shouted. I couldn't help but agree, though it wasn't like I was about to take 'a bit tricky' to mean not worth trying.

I turned Drago in midair, wheeling the massive pegasus around like he was a top I was about to spin.

"Come on Zorel!" I shouted desperately. "We need to stop that damned thing!"

I glanced down to see the miniature versions of the geodesic itself crawling at a breakneck pace down the walls of the cavern. Skelkies screamed and wailed in a gurgling way as they were overrun.

Even in spite of the fact we'd just been attacked by these nasty creatures, I couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for them. I mean, getting killed by a spider eating you alive was already as close to a horror movie as you can get. But getting eaten alive by spiders that you literally couldn't even see coming? That was something else entirely.

A shiver ran up my spine at the thought of simply hearing the creatures' scuttling legs tapping against the hard floor before I saw an arm of the swarm swinging wide to come attack my own forces.

The horses and the knights riding them both screamed, the mounted warriors turning their mounts to flee, for the most part.

"Lousy, good for nothing knights," I said with a grunt as Zorel and I sprinted forwards.

The few knights who hadn't routed in the face of a glinting nightmare fuel soon reorganized as a captain waved a banner.

"Use my banner!" I shouted.

I decided that if there was any proper time to use my power ups it was probably as my army was facing down a suddenly appearing swarm of crystal spiders controlled by a newly spawned legendary beast. I mean, it made a hell of a lot more sense to use it now than when we were fighting against a literally blind army of fish humanoids.

The banner bearer, who I was pleased to see hadn’t routed along with the other cowards, lifted the banner high and then slammed the butt of the staff onto the hard floor.

Immediately, a wave of golden light burst throughout the cavern. It illuminated it so much that even the scuttling spiders hissed and tried to cover their eyes with their spindly legs. The blinding light threatened to turn them into a class of sightless creatures in line with the skelkies.

"Charge!" the banner bearer shouted.

At once, the mounted knights who hadn't fled tugged their reins and sent their horses charging forward. Lances lowered until their glinting points were mere inches from the hard ground. When the line first broke into the oncoming spider threat, they mowed through them like a scythe through tall grass.

The only problem was, there wasn't just a front line of spiders to match my single line of remaining knights.

"Protect the empresses!" the powered up knights shouted as their lances broke through their targets.

"Protect me?" I heard Harmony cry over the chaos. "Protect yourselves you foolish knights! They aren't going to stop just because you broke their advance!"

"Reform lines, men!" the banner bearer shouted over the tumult.

As one, the mounted knights spurred their horses in wide arcs to the left, spinning back out of range of the next line of spiders that swarmed in.

It was the right move, even though it was annoying to have to watch. The knights were best against more powerful targets that were nonetheless smaller in number. Against this swarm type attack, their individual lances were unable to effectively dent the attack.

Even as they reformed their lines, my stomach sank as I watched one knight who'd shown real valor and pushed farther into the enemy lines than the others get a painful reward for his heroism.

Just as the knight's steed had completed half of its about face, a single spider did the thing that haunts most children's nightmares. It leapt straight at him.

The knight's horse gave a wild scream as the crystal spider's sharp fangs pierced its skin, sinking in deep enough to hit bone.

"Hold, Halfa!" the knight shouted, no doubt trying to calm the beast. "Retreat, you blasted animal! Get out of range, and we can still save you!"

But it was too late. The horse, Halfa, I assumed, lashed out with its foreleg in a desperate attempt to knock its assailant off. And in that moment of doubt, another two spiders jumped to match the first one. Since Halfa was currently lashing out with its front leg, these targeted its hindquarters instead.

More desperate cries rang from the horse’s mouth. This time it bucked its hind legs in terror. The mounted knight tried his best to hold on, but holding on to a terrified bucking horse while in full plate armor is insanely difficult a thing to do.

One second, Halfa's cries rang throughout the cavern, the next it was the knight's voice that rose loudest. In a brief, terrible moment he was launched up and out of his saddle and went flying.

From what I could tell his last words were, "Stupid fucking horse!"

A moment later, he landed with a crunch of plate mail on the hard floor. The spiders were on him in an instant.

Chitinous legs swarmed over his glinting steel armor, their backs glinting in their own ways. Several crunching sounds later, and his red blood spilled all across the hard stone floor.

"Poor bastard," Zorel said, buzzing along beside me.

I nodded. "Wish bravery was always rewarded. But then, if it was, it wouldn't be bravery; it would just be common sense."

"Indeed."

The Geodesic Saracel behind us let out a grisly, inhuman screech and flung its palms outwards again. More strings of spiderweb burst out and connected to crystals in the walls, and more spiders burst out of those crystals and went scurrying to join the rest in swarming over their fallen comrades.

I gave the prompt a mental command to swing around in front of me again and read over it quickly. Just as had always been happening recently, the text inside the box had changed again.

Quest Details: The Geodesic Saracel is briefly vulnerable when spawning more underlings. Attack it at that moment to take advantage of this brief swatch of time.

"We've got to strike the damned thing when it's summoning more underlings!" I shouted to Zorel who nodded.

"Guess we've got to take out as many as we can in that case," he said with a smirk.

"It's not exactly kill the underlings to harm the level boss, but it'll do," I said with a shrug before turning to shout to Harmony. "Harmony! Your phoenix ready to come out and do some damage?"

"Always, husband!" Harmony yelled back. "Just a moment!"

"Let's get Saulie involved too!" I added, then said to Zorel, "We should probably get some distance away from the city center. The Creator only knows what her phoenix could do to us if we were caught in its way."

Together, we zoomed out of range and Harmony's phoenix suddenly burst out of her chest and went soaring over the city. Between the glow from my text box, Harmony's fireball, and now her phoenix too, it was suddenly so bright in the cave that it was barely dimmer than a drizzly day.

In a flash, the phoenix lanced down from the ceiling, grabbed Harmony's still glowing fireball in its talons, and went hurtling down towards the rough hewn buildings of the city.

The spiders all glanced up and then, blinded from the intense light, hissed in unison. If all the harm they suffered was simply blinding, it would have been preferable for them. But as it was, the fire came after the light.

The eruption of heat and flame that leapt up from the city center was unlike anything I'd ever experienced and it washed over me like a supernova, singeing my head so bad the smell of burnt hair blasted into my unhappy nostrils.

"What a blast!" I shouted once it had passed, expecting to laugh about my wife's tendency to overdo it with my kalatchi vassal. But no response came from my statement. "Zorel?"

Looking around, I realized what had happened. My cloak of invincibility had used up its one saving throw on me when Harmony's flames blasted over my body. I could tell that my eyebrows and hair had both been burned sharply away, though the cloak apparently was able to literally save my skin.

But Zorel hadn't had the help of a magical cloak capable of saving him from death. And, while he didn't exactly have any hair to burn off, he definitely didn't have anything to protect him either. His carapace would have been useful for defending against physical injury, but it couldn't do anything against non-physical magic types. And he was extremely vulnerable to heat.

"Zorel!" I shouted, knowing the worst had happened.

A single croaking groan far below drew my eye. Zorel lay down there, his black, shiny carapace now significantly less shiny as it was covered in ash, debris, and the remains of a good number of spiders.

"Tell Harmony I said nice shot," he croaked, then his head fell back and he was silent.

A hard pit formed in the bottom of my stomach and I glanced at the Geodesic Saracel. The damned legendary beast was barely even harmed by the magic blast that had straight up killed my friend.

But it did look harmed, at least a bit. Or was it that it just looked different.

I stared closer as the humanoid body spread arms for the third time and sent webbing type magic strands out to connect with various crystals in the walls. It didn't appear to be that poorly hurt...

Then I realized what I was looking at. The Saracel had what I assumed was a sort of natural glow, a red light that was faint but noticeable. Now that the cavern was lit only by my text box and the faintly scurrying Saulie who was busily running to and fro in the deserted city, I could tell that the glow wasn't natural to him. It was a sign that his defenses were currently at full power.

And now he wasn't glowing, but each one of the webs extending to the walls was.

"He has to sacrifice his own invincibility in order to summon new spiders," I said under my breath as I watched in amazement.

Then, just as soon as I'd reached that conclusion, the web lines all snapped at once and the glow returned to his form.

"Sorry you had to die, Zorel," I muttered, the barest hint of a plan starting to form in my mind, "but I’m going to make sure it wasn't in vain."

"Die, humans!" the Geodesic shouted in a voice that was one part hiss and three parts pissed. "I will win the Game of Castles, not any of you!"

"Hey, ugly!" I shouted down at him, aping the most standard of movie line insults from my childhood. "You want to play the Game of Castles, why don't you take on a champion?"

Abruptly, the humanoid face snapped in my direction and a sneer lit up on it.

"Yes, why don't I?" he said while that sneer on his face mixed into his voice. "A perfect opportunity to drain the levels from your corpse! Meanwhile, my minions can decimate your forces. Die, now!"

With that, he thrust two hands towards the ceiling and spun thick webs that stuck to the cavern roof like flies to honey. Then he gave a great tug on both threads and threw himself easily into the air.

He moved quickly, an impressive feat for something that was bigger than me. I guessed that his bones must have been hollow or something like that, since otherwise he'd be way too heavy to toss himself about so easily.

In a moment, he was halfway to Drago's feet. In another, he stood practically nose to nose with me and held himself there using the webs as handholds.

"Always nice to meet another champion," I joked, giving him a smirk. "Especially one who leaves himself open so easily."

"Open!" the Geodesic replied. "You think this is open, foolish human! I'll show you open!"

And with that his hand lashed forward, nails excruciatingly long, as they made a beeline for my chest.

Drago gave two flaps of his wings and sped off, whinnying happily at having dodged the new champion's attack. Meanwhile, I called down to Harmony.

"How about another phoenix, darling? Think you've got that in you?"

Harmony scoffed at the ridiculous notion that summoning a single phoenix would be enough to take her out of the fight.

The fiery bird rose from her hands, and the Saracel cackled maniacally.

"That didn't even work the first time, human! What makes you think it would work the second?"

The phoenix's flaming descent overrode my response. I spurred Drago up as high as he could go, took out a knife and sliced one of the web holds. Still clinging to the second, the Saracel swung idly on his last remaining grip.

Flames erupted in an inferno at my feet, toasting the newly summoned spiders worse than crumbs at the bottom of a baker's oven and singeing the last remaining web.

The Saracel tumbled down into the inferno, laughing all the while. This wouldn't kill him, but that wasn't what I was counting on.

As soon as the rush of flames burned themselves out, he sprang to his feet again and flung his hands wide.

"You need to become a bit more adapt--" his words were cut short when I sent a fire arrow arcing straight down to his heart.

The fletching vibrated as my projectile struck home, and he glanced at his chest in confusion.

"But I was immune to all damage?" he said weakly, then collapsed to the ground, dead.

“You were for a little while,” I said, staring down at his defeated corpse. “But you weren’t when it mattered.”

Then I looked around me at the destroyed city and grumbled. Those damned saracels had wrenched most of the crystals out of the cavern walls. They were also all apparently exploding, now their master was dealt with.

I was annoyed that my victory in the city would include hardly any population with which to engage in trade.

“Damned Caverns,” I said. With a head shake, I made the decision to plough forward and see if we could find the end of this cavern, and a side entrance to Alya’s home.

That is, after I plucked the monster crystal off the geodesic saracel’s corpse.

“Too bad Zorel didn’t make it, huh Drago?” I said bitterly, patting my pegasus’ neck. “He’d have loved to get another crystal. Wonder what I can use it for instead.”

Chapter 17

An Upgrade in More Ways Than One!

SUBTERRANEAN CAVERNS

"THEY'RE NOT EXACTLY POOLS, Emperor Clear," Alya said slowly as we stared down at what I could have sworn was exactly a pool of water.

"Explain," I said with a handwave at the mermaid beauty. "If they're not pools then what, exactly, are they? They look damned close to pools to me."

I was tired. I was sweaty. I hadn't had a good night's sleep in the week we'd been in the tunnels far beneath the southern ocean.

I wanted a bath, but I couldn't have a bath. This pool would serve as the next best thing. It was only Alya's hesitance when I pulled off my shirt and started to work on the drawstring holding my breeches up that held me back from jumping straight in yelling, 'Cannonball!'

And no, I didn't think the mermaid beauty was embarrassed to see a man without his shirt on, either. From what I'd gathered from snatches of our conversation, mermen usually just went shirtless whenever they slipped into the water, though they wore thick clothing on land.

The mermaids like her were hardly more reserved. They opted for simple bikini type coverings for their breasts while letting their new scales cover everything else.

Something about their legs transforming into tails and fins apparently forced their blood to either heat up, or allowed their bodies to withstand much cooler temperatures than they would otherwise be able to. This meant that even when they leapt into the ice-covered waters near the polar caps, they were actually warmer than when they were on land and swaddled in thick furs.

Before Alya could respond, I reached down and stuck my hand in the standing water that was so deep I couldn't see the bottom.

"Gah!" I gasped when my finger touched the liquid's surface. "It's colder than those looks Asmi gives me when he complains about not calling often enough!"

Behind me, Harmony suppressed a giggle at my misfortune. I turned to my redheaded wife. "Oh, like you would have expected ice cold water," I sassed, holding my hand up to show the icicles that were forming where the water dripped off my fingers. "The cavern's practically balmy, I'd guess eighty degrees at least."

"That'll happen when your source of light is a fireball," Harmony sassed me right back. I gave her a handwave, turning my attention back to Alya.

"I believe that the subterranean tunnel network doesn't only exist under the ocean floor," Alya said slowly, coming forward to dip a finger into the four-foot-wide pool and smiling. "Yes, hold on a moment and let me check something."

With that, she shimmied right out of her light shirt, exposing her medium sized but perky breasts to me. She walked forward and simply dove into the pool before I could stop her. Frankly, I was too dumbstruck by the sudden intrusion of a perky rack into our conversation to adapt fast enough.

Thank the Creator all the champions were men, or I would have had an easily exploitable weakness. It was easier to kill a shirtless man than it was a shirtless woman. Anyway when a dude pulled off his shirt, there wasn't any pause in the action like when a woman did.

As she dove into the pool, I realized that she must have unfastened her pants as well, because she leapt straight out of them. Thanks to the way I was positioned in front of the pool, and so close to it, I knew none of the men in my army could see her as she undressed. My broad shoulders and tall frame provided a sort of curtain for the mermaid, so she could effectively expose herself to me alone.

A neat trick, if ever there was one.

So I was the only one who got to see her strong, round ass as it slipped free from the confines of her linen breeches. It was the kind of ass that longed to be smacked playfully.

I was also the only one to see the thin line of her pink slit as it followed that dynamite rear. It was the kind of pussy that longed to have slightly more rough things done to it.

But I was also the only one who got to see the weird way her long legs transformed into tail and fins. That was a picture as unexpected as all the rest of her seductive actions.

In one smooth motion, her legs snapped together, feet touching so tightly you'd think they were attempting to occupy the same points in space. Then, they actually did occupy the same points in space.

Her skin shimmered wetly, even before she struck the water. And no, I don't think it was her pink slit overreacting to my presence that made her legs slick, either. A moment after they shimmered wetly, they also started to look distinctly green. Creamy skin up and down her legs flashed as soon as the green coloration appeared. Scales flickered out from what had been smooth and creamy a moment before.

The next moment, you'd never have been able to tell she'd ever had legs. From her toned core flared wide hips, clad in the green scales of her fishy tail. Beneath that, it was all mermaid all the way.

At least, so far as the unmarred part of her went.

"Did you see that?" I muttered to Harmony once Alya disappeared into the water.

"Yep," Harmony said brightly, shooting me a grin. "Your pool of water definitely doesn't look like that's all it is. Otherwise, Alya would have smacked her head on the bottom!"

She leaned over and gave my bicep a playful kiss while I shook my head.

"Not the pool," I said and noticed Harmony waggling her eyebrows. "And not the stripping either. I get the feeling she only did that for me. The rest of you were at the wrong angle to see anything." Harmony's eyebrows waggled even more fervently and I chuckled. "Yes, she has great tits, Harmony. But I was talking about her tail and fins. Darling wife, with your mind so far in the gutter, all you can think about are tits. Did you notice her fins?"

"Gah! As if there's anything more interesting to think about than a great set of tits!" Harmony declared loudly in her most playfully hurt voice. Then she grinned wickedly at me and smiled. "But no, I admit I didn't see her tail. You're right Adam, I was trying to get a look at her chest. Why do you ask, darling husband with his mind so far out of the gutter he can't appreciate a woman's best assets?"

"Ooh! We talking about boobs?" Colette asked, coming up beside me and glancing down into the water. "Or the fact that the tunnel we've been walking in has been steadily rising for the past two days." She nodded at the ripples in the water. "I bet we're in a column of stone rising up through the ocean and that's the waters of the southern sea beneath us."

"Explains why Alya was so confident in leaping in," I said pondering the nature of that statement. "But no. When Alya's feet transformed into fins, I couldn't help but notice that one of her fins looked like it was missing. The left one. Which is weird because she has both feet so far as I know?"

Harmony and Colette both nodded and then Colette snapped her fingers.

"Aha!" she declared haughtily. "That really is a fascinating topic. I'll have to ask her about it, because when I read that bit of Limarian Species: A Primer on the Unusual, Strange, and Ethereal I figured it was a translation error or something like that."

Immediately, she reached into the folds of her shirt and pulled out a notebook from her bra, slipped a charcoal pen from the pages and began scribbling something down.

I stared at her. "How long have you had that in there?" I asked in disbelief. "And why?"

Harmony sighed, patting my arm fondly. "You know we love you Adam," she said softly, laying her cheek on my arm again. "But you men will never understand how difficult it is to find a dress or traveling clothes that flatter a woman's figure, and also come equipped with pockets."

"Doesn't having a notebook shoved up against your tits kind of ruin the figure, too?" I asked incredulously, not receiving a response from either woman.

"Anyway," Colette continued, "the book mentioned that damage done to either of the merfolk's transformation doesn't affect the other form. That means that she can have the aquatic version of her right foot removed and still have her right foot remain completely intact when assuming her land form. It's quite ingenious, honestly. The Creator herself must have designed her species that way on purpose. Merfolk would be forced to adapt to a new situation after getting comfortable and confident in a different one."

Abandoning my line of discussion about the whole notebooks and boobs thing, I agreed.

"Kind of clever, yes. That way you have a single species that can occupy two distinct forms of conflict. It makes sure that only the absolute best get to stay in their natural choice. I still feel bad about her fin though, is there any way we can use a potion or a healer to grow it back?"

I hadn't heard the splash behind me as Alya resurfaced, probably because the mermaid was so hydrodynamic that she didn't actually make a splash when she resurfaced. I did hear her cough lightly to announce her return however. When I turned back to the water, I saw she was giving me a loving, almost longing look.

I also noticed that she was blushing prettily.

"Unfortunately, the Creator herself made it so that we can't heal either of our forms like you land-dwellers can," she said in a soft voice. "Our scholars aren't quite sure why she set up the situation like that, but sometimes the mystery is part of the fun. The general consensus, however, is much the same as you and Colette had discussed, Emperor Adam. By giving our species two distinct forms that are broadly distinct from each other, all but our best warriors will be forced to adapt to a different environment once their aquatic or land forms receive enough damage to be a problem."

"Wow!" Harmony declared, clearly not listening to what Alya was saying, her eyes stuck firmly to Alya's chest. I gave her shoulder a playful punch, seeing where she was looking. She continued in a half whisper, "She really does have rocking tits, Adam. Smaller than mine and Colette’s, but look how perky they are! And her nipples are so pink, too!"

Alya blushed at Harmony's complimentary appreciation, and I waved a hand.

"You'll have to forgive my hotheaded wife," I explained quickly. "She often speaks her mind, which is great in the bedroom since you always know exactly what she wants but is slightly less useful out of it. Anyway, what did you find out down there?"

Alya gestured for me to hand her down her shirt. When I handed it to her, she lifted gracefully out of the water, slipped it on, pulled her tail up, split it into two legs and then shimmied back into her tight pants. Finally, she took my hand, and I helped her to her feet.

Just to double check, I noticed Colette's eyes trail to her intact foot along with mine.

"It's like I thought, and I believe like your wife said," Alya reported, grinning at Colette. "The subterranean tunnel system has indeed formed a sort of chute running slowly up through the southern seas as it makes for the Polar Isles. I swam about a bit and confirmed that we're about two hundred feet below the surface. Summer's coming along nicely, so the ice blocks overhead are backlit and beautiful. I wish you could have seen them!"

"How far would you say we are from the exit?" I asked her when I noticed her eyes going all fuzzy with fond memories.

"Tough to say," she replied, frowning thoughtfully. "Assuming the chute rises at a consistent rate, I could calculate the distance if I knew the angle of its slope. Since I know we're about two hundred feet from the surface, it would be a simple calculation... but since I don't know the angle relative to the surface, that's out of the question.”

She paused, and since I was worried that we were about to bring more trigonometry into the equation, I held a hand up.

"Rough estimates are fine," I said gently, while Harmony and Colette giggled behind me.

"You'll have your hands full with her, Adam!" Colette whispered between giggles. "Another scholarly wife will be nice to have in the group though."

I shot my bookish wife a look, and she rolled her eyes.

"Oh don't pretend like I don't see the way you look at her!" she protested quietly, while Alya thought. "You can be all concerned about her torn fin. But I saw the way your eyes lingered on her ass when you were checking her foot's still fine."

Since I was unable to reasonably counter her arguments, I just shrugged and winked at her.

"I believe we should reach the surface by nightfall," Alya finally said. Then she blushed and added, "You all are free to stay in my village, if you'd like. Though my own bed's only big enough for two, I'd happily offer it up to Elyse’s family. I owe her, for saving me from that legendary beast. "

With that, she turned and walked primly off down the tunnel some more. Before I could follow her, I felt Harmony elbow me in the ribs.

"Hey, what was that for," I grumbled, rubbing the spot.

"Giving you something to talk about with your pretty new mermaid," Harmony replied, grinning mischievously. “You can use it as an excuse to show her your abs.”

Chapter 18

Wet, Wetter, Wettest!

VITESSE VILLAGE

ELYSE, Alya, and I were all standing in what was basically an igloo near what I had been assured was the shoreline. A wide table of ice covered with boiled sealskins sat at about waist height in front of us. Across the table stood a wizened old merman wearing what looked like the furs of the seal table's cousin.

Though I could peek under the sealskin tablecloth to confirm that the table itself was in fact ice, I was forced to take the shoreline nature of the place on faith.

Outside the igloo dwelling's small door, the snow-covered landscape and the snow-covered ice sheet floating on the southern ocean were basically indistinguishable from one another.

From what I'd seen so far, the whole of the Polar Isles was snow and ice, not exactly the place you think of when you hear rumors about an island chain filled with mermen and more importantly mermaids. The sun reflected so blindingly off all that snow that I'd been squinting from the time we came onto the open land until the moment we stepped foot in the darkened space.

"Well, it's not exactly a tropical island," I said.

"But it does at least have pretty girls in bikinis, or close enough," Elyse quipped quietly from my left.

Alya stifled a giggle and across the table the old merman scowled. "You insult my daughter's misfortune, wench?" he said, furious spittle flying from his mouth at the words. "You would make light of her damaged fin while at the same time attempting to barter for a trade outpost on our shores?"

Elyse frowned in confusion, her eyebrows furrowing as she glanced at me for guidance. I cleared my throat.

"No offense is intended from any of my family members," I said, giving the old merman a small bow. "Little of your people is known to my family or my citizens. I only learned this morning that Alya's damaged fin is not mirrored when she is on land. I daresay that my wife Elyse assumed that since Alya has both feet intact, Alya's fin would be likewise repaired. Please, accept my apology. We all care deeply for Alya. Even if we didn't want this trade outpost, none of us would knowingly insult her."

Elyse made a little shocked sound in the back of her throat at the news that Alya's fin was still as damaged as when she'd first encountered her. At once, she turned to the mermaid.

"I'm so sorry, Alya," she said reverently. "Adam's right, I didn't know your fin was still damaged. I figured that it grew back on its own, but I should have asked."

"It's not your fault, Elyse," Alya said with a headshake. "If you hadn't been there with your huge ship, that bastard fish would have finished the job. If it weren't for your help, I wouldn't just be down a fin still, I'd be down my whole tail at best."

The merman, whose name was Sarosh, looked between the two women, then glanced at me and grunted. "I suppose I must overlook the insult, for now," he said gravely, eyes not leaving my face. "But you should know how damaging that injury will be for my darling Alya. Yes, the Creator herself disallowed our people to heal themselves, meaning that Alya's future is now on the land. But she is a slight thing, and she will find working the land difficult in our home. She is no greatbear slayer."

Alya bowed her head reverently and I spoke up.

"Perhaps she need not live as hard a life as you expect, Lord Sarosh," I said, letting the implication hang in the air.

"Oh, and who are you to say so?" Sarosh said, biting back a bitter laugh. "Our people are not given the same luxuries of industry and agriculture as you northerners are. Every one of the merfolk in this village must pull their own weight. The swimmers take on seals in the ice flows and harvest kelp from the forest for food, protection, and inscription since that is what we use to write our stories and histories upon. The walkers post guard around the village, watching for great predators and legendary beasts, as well as embarking on hunts for fresh large game."

He shook his head sadly.

"Alya's encounter with the massive Angler Fish,” he continued, “will not be her last with a legendary beast. They come more and more frequently. Not for nothing is our village now pressed against the very edge of the landmass. We were forced this way, fleeing from dangers further inland, where the openings to the subterranean caverns spawn huge monsters and legendary beasts."

He spoke the words with conviction, and after he was done speaking a long silence fell over the igloo as each of us contemplated their plight.

Yet I was not about to let the opportunity go. Banging my fist on the icy table, I declared, "Let me marry Alya as proof of Tolmeria's commitment to your people. We will set up our trading post on your shores and bring armed cavalry and knights by ship to defend our trade routes, including your village. In truth, the legendary beasts are spawning more and more everywhere. As you know now my wife Elyse has a kill count that includes more than one. We can help your people survive the coming dangers."

Elyse beamed at my words, and Alya blushed prettily. Sarosh grunted and placed both his hands on the ice table to mirror mine.

"You will forgive me if I am not so trusting," he said in a voice as cold as the frozen winds outside the igloo. The sun was low on the horizon, hovering halfway down the mast of Elyse's ship as it bobbed in the waves. The night promised to be frigid and hard. "But what, exactly, do you expect to trade on your trade routes? I was not born yesterday, young man, and I know our icy realm has little to offer you northerners."

I waved a hand, surprised that he couldn't see the answer for himself. "Lord Sarosh, the reason is simple," I declared regally.

A silence met my proclamation and I stepped back and wrapped an arm around Alya's waist, making Sarosh's eyebrow raise. Harmony and Elyse both turned to me with raised eyebrows as well and I spread an arm expansively wide.

"The southern oceans have been basically impassable for the past year and change,” I said. “It's not for nothing that Elyse's ship was finally able to begin exploring the uncharted waters and discover Alya and your village. But Elyse will not be the only one out sailing. The regions to my east and west are currently unfocused on seafaring, save what simple trade is made possible through the trade winds, but other regions must know about the change by now.

“Already, my western neighbor, Cask, has been invaded from halfway across Limar. I would rather establish a presence on the Polar Isles, even if it's just to prevent my enemies from attacking me unawares. Plus, let's be honest, your daughter is distractingly pretty. I'd hate to lose her to some other man, whether or not he’s got fins."

Though Sarosh nodded along to my first comments, he sputtered when I reached the bit about Alya. Glancing at Harmony and Colette, he asked, "You allow him to speak about another woman like that?"

Colette giggled, hiding her face with a hand. Harmony shrugged.

"He's not exactly wrong, is he?" my redheaded wife asked matter of factly. "Even a woman like me can see Alya's beauty is something to be admired. And it's not like he called Elyse and me ugly, either."

“I’m not blind,” I said with a chuckle as my two current wives placed their hands on my arm and back. “All my wives are the prime of beauty in any world, even one filled with mermaids. Alya is no different.”

Elyse came up behind me and gave me a long hug, her breasts swelling full against my back. Sarosh blustered in embarrassment, and I chuckled.

“Surely, in a world so patriarchal as Limar, you have wives of your own,” I said with a raised eyebrow.

He grunted and coughed into his hand, which came away speckled with blood.

“Unfortunately, my heart was sealed by Alya’s mother,” he said sadly as he glanced down at the blood. Then he chuckled. “But I admit that I am perhaps reading too much of my own life into yours, and into my daughter’s, Adam Clear. Alya is a mermaid grown, and the decision to marry you or not is hers to make, not mine. I was, I’m afraid, never much for that particular branch of a father’s duties.”

He turned to Alya and now it was the gorgeous mermaid’s turn to blush and glance down at her feet.

“I will miss the Polar Isles, I think,” Alya said slowly, raising her face first to her father and then to me. Tears sparkled around the edges of her eyes and she blinked them away hastily. “I would love to become your wife, Adam, to join the other beautiful women in your harem. But, could we please spend our first night as a married couple on shore here? I know that I will miss my home, even if my father is correct that I would die here if I stayed. He is right that I cannot hope to survive against the animals on shore.”

“Anything you desire,” I said. Stepping forward, I took her hand in mine and kissed it gently. When I looked up at her I saw her smiling through the tears. “But we don’t have long. Things are happening in the main regions of Limar, and I need to stay on my toes to adapt to them.”

“You two will be married this very night, in that case,” Sarosh said, coughing again. This time his blood speckled the snow at his feet. “It will be good to see my only daughter married before I pass on. I just wish her mother could have seen her as well.”

“What’s involved with mer-marriage?” I asked.

“Nothing so complex,” Sarosh replied with a chuckle. “Come here, holding Alya’s hand in your own. I will bless you in snow and ice, then you will consummate your union… as man and wife alone.”

“Aww,” Elyse said with a pout. “You mean the rest of us girls don’t get to join in on the fun?”

Sarosh shook his head. “What you do after the first night is up to your better judgment. But it is customary for a man to claim his wife as his own. Inviting others to the marriage bed before that task is accomplished only spreads out the ownership. Alya must belong to Adam alone, not to any of his other wives for the first night.”

Elyse blew a playful raspberry, and I chuckled, then took Alya’s hand in mine and led her over to Sarosh.

“Whenever you’re ready,” I said, then glanced at Elyse. “Looks like you girls will have to spend the night on your ship, Elyse. I’ll see you all in the morning.”

“Don’t knock her up before me and Cynthia,” Elyse said, leveling a finger at me and Alya.

“No promises,” Alya said playfully. Then she lifted her hand from mine and threw her arms around Elyse. My pirate wife gasped in surprise, then returned the hug. “Thank you for saving me, Elyse. And thank you for letting me meet Adam. I can’t wait to join you in belonging to him.”

“Ha, no problem!” Elyse said. She gave Alya a big squeeze, then spun her around and smacked her butt playfully. “And enjoy your first night together. We’ll see you two tomorrow, then you can see just how much we women add to our champion’s growing harem.”

Alya blushed as Elyse and the others walked from the igloo. Then we turned to Sarosh.

The old merman shook his head, then bent low to lift a palmful of icy snow. “Hold your hands together just there,” he said. “With this, I bless your marriage in the name of snow and ice, the land and the water joined in one being, just as man and woman are joined as one.”

The snow drifted across our fingers, making the pair of us shiver. Alya squeezed my hand tighter and flashed me a smile.

I almost gasped when I felt a strange sensation in my stomach. It was like someone had just opened a door in my very core. I could practically feel as Alya’s being stepped in to fill the space.

Glancing at Sarosh, I knew the feeling was something that he’d felt during his own marriage. Alya, too, had clearly felt the change. “It’s like I’m all yours, now, Adam,” the mermaid said.

“You aren’t until the marriage is consummated,” Sarosh corrected her and then gestured to the igloo’s door.

“Time to do something about that, I’d wager,” I said with a chuckle.

And together, Alya and I walked out into the snow to find her own igloo and make her mine in soul and body.

Chapter 19

Mermaid? More Like Brr-maid!

POLAR ISLES

I HAD BEEN under the impression that the mermaid beauty Alya was the sweet, slightly nervous type. One look at the hungry way her eyes alighted on me as I closed the sealskin flap that served as a door to her igloo was enough to tell me that she had secrets yet to be revealed. I knew I was going to be the one to uncover every last one of them.

But first, there was something else that needed to be uncovered.

“You know, those leggings you’ve got on do a great job of showing off your ass,” I said in a low growl, preparing myself to make the world’s easiest joke.

Alya blushed cutely, even in spite of the hungry way her eyes seemed to bore into me. “Really?” she asked. “You like the way my ass looks in them, husband?”

She gave a little wiggle of her hips to show off her goods, and I grinned.

“I can only think of one place I’d rather have those leggings, actually,” I said. She raised an eyebrow at me. “On the floor beside the bed. Come to think of it, your ass would probably look even better in bed than sealed up in those leggings.”

Alya grinned and stuck her thumbs beneath the waistline, then she started shimmying more. With every twist of her hips, the leggings’ edge slipped lower on her light skin. Of course, when she twisted her hips the other way, she did the proper strip tease move of raising it up a little higher again.

“Just how much do you want me to take these leggings off, husband?” she said in a bratty tone of voice.

“Someone sounds awfully confident, for a rule-breaker,” I said with a smirk. She raised her eyebrows at me then did another shimmy, before turning around and sticking her ass out at me.

“Oh?” she said, turning around and giving me a view of her gorgeous face and her pert ass at the same time. “And what makes me a rule-breaker, husband?”

She wiggled her ass a little more and I strode around and sat on the edge of the bed, patting my lap. “You belong to me now,” I said sternly. “And that means you’re to follow my commands.”

Her saucy expression dropped in an instant and real worry flashed across her face as she started to unbutton her leggings dejectedly.

“And just what do you think you’re doing?” I admonished her.

“T-taking off my leggings?” she asked. “That’s what you wanted me to do, right?”

“That’s correct,” I said with a nod. “It’s what I wanted you to do. You didn’t do it, however, and so now you’ve got to be punished first. Come over here and lay that pert ass of yours in my lap. You’ve earned yourself a good couple spanks for your brattiness, Alya. A little funishment, if you will.”

Immediately, the look of dejection and worry fled from Alya’s face as she practically skipped over to receive her ‘funishment.’

“Oh, I do hope you show me how I’ve done wrong,” she purred as she slid her body across my lap. I noticed that she made sure to slide her perky breasts across my thighs, so I could feel her stiff nipples leaving marks on my skin. “I’ve been such a bad girl, haven’t I, husband?”

She gave another happy, excited little wiggle and then stuck her ass up so it was in the perfect spanking position.

“You have been a bad girl, Alya,” I agreed, laying the flat of my palm straight across her voluptuous ass cheeks. “But bad girls can become good girls, if given time… and the proper training.”

I lifted my hand up and sent it smacking down against the soft flesh of Alya’s ass. The gorgeous mermaid gave a whimper of pleasure mixed with some pain. Then the whimper shifted to a sultry moan of delight. She turned to look at me, chewing on her lower lip in anticipation.

“I think I’m starting to get it, husband,” she keened. “But could you give me a little more training? I want to know that I’m behaving exactly as you want me to.”

“Now that’s the first sign I’ve seen of you being a good girl,” I said, smacking her ass again. “We’ve just got to make sure that you know how to keep being good.”

Alya groaned lustfully, burying her face in the soft sealskin comforter. “I want to be good, husband,” she whimpered needily. “Please, show me again how to be a good girl for you.”

I smacked her again, sending her into such a deliciously sexy spiral that a line of drool snaked from her lips to the comforter. “Thank you, husband,” she moaned.

“Good girl,” I agreed, then slipped my fingers beneath the waistband of her leggings. “Now let’s see you know how wet you’re getting for me.”

Her leggings slid down her smooth legs as easy as I slid into any of my wives’ wet pussies. When I ripped them off of her, I slid my fingers down between the deep valley of her ass cheeks and against her swollen pussy lips.

“Oh, you do know how wet your husband wants you,” I growled, earning another gasp of pleasure from the sopping mermaid in my lap. “Now try to stay still until I tell you otherwise.

I smirked down at her and then slid a finger into her dripping folds. Her pussy walls gripped my first finger tightly as I slid it into her. I could feel every last one of her delicious folds flutter against my entry.

A lustful moan escaped Alya’s lips as I entered her, and finally ended in a delighted shudder as my knuckle bumped up against her vulva. Then I slid a second finger inside her.

“Does-does that make me a good girl?” she begged as the second finger fully entered her wet tunnel.

“For now,” I said, leaning down to growl the confirmation into her ear. “But you’ve got to remember to be on your best behavior from here on out, agreed?”

“I-I’ll do my best, husband,” Alya moaned, as she pressed her pussy against my hand. I smacked her for moving without my permission. She bit her lip then glanced at me. “If… Do I get rewards for being good.”

I pulled my fingers slowly out of her tunnel, and she let out a keening moan.

But she must have been listening to my instructions, because she didn’t try to chase me with her waist again.

As slowly as I could, I drew my finger back, until I was just at her opening. I could feel her pussy quivering, needing me more and more with each passing nanosecond.

“What sort of reward would you like, my good girl?” I asked, barely tracing up and down her swollen lips with my finger now.

“Please…” Alya moaned. I could feel her whole body beginning to quiver. “Give me your cock, husband. I… I need it. I’ve been good, haven’t I?”

She glanced back at me, her full lips parted and glistening with her need.

“Please,” she moaned more softly. I smirked at her.

“All right,” I said. “But just because you’ve been so good for me.”

Her eyes flashed open wide. She started to move before she gasped in recognition. I nodded.

“May I move now, husband?” she asked. Again, I nodded. “Where should I move to? How would you like to reward your good girl?”

She began to get off my lap slowly, and I patted it again. She gave me a curious look.

“I don’t understand?” she asked.

“Sit on your husband’s lap,” I said. “So I can reward you like the good girl you are. But sit facing me so I can give you a special reward, too. But that’s the only place I want you to move. Understand?”

She gasped, nodded, and then shimmied around until her whole chest was pressed tight against mine, our lips almost touching. As she began to lower herself onto my length, I suddenly reached out and grabbed hold of her thighs, keeping her steady in the air and holding her still.

“It’s your husband’s job to reward you, isn’t it?” I asked.

“Yes,” Alya said, her eyes sparkling as she nodded.  “You’re right, husband. Please, I’ll be a good girl. Just reward me, please!”

She was getting overly excited. Plus, I felt I’d toyed with her enough. So, shifting my hands so that I was holding her by her round ass cheeks instead of her thighs, I slowly lowered her down onto my cock.

In one strong, smooth motion I speared the gorgeous mermaid in her wettest place, driving myself into her just slowly enough to feel her every fold with my cock now, instead of my fingers. Electric pulses of pleasure coursed through Alya as I entered her, and her resolve to not move without asking permission broke.

“Adam,” she moaned and leaned forward to press her lips against mine. It was technically a move that was against my rules, but I was so busy feeling my cock harden at her every fold that I opted to be merciful.

I kissed my new wife long and hard the whole time I thrust fully into her. My lips pressed hard against hers. My tongue moved out to explore the depths of her mouth, playing with her tongue as a little reward in itself.

“I love you so much, Adam,” Alya moaned between breaths, never stopping kissing me the whole time. “Oh, fuck me, husband. Fuck me as hard as you want.”

“Well, you’ve been good enough for that,” I said.

She sighed happily, and looped her arms around my neck as she directed my face into her perky breasts.

“Thank you.” She sighed when I took a nipple into my mouth and started working my tongue around the stiff little peak.

I started to lift and lower by the ass cheeks, maintaining a constant tempo as I slid in and out of her wet hole again and again. Her ass was warm in my palms, but her body was light with my champion’s strength. Plus, she was exactly the sort of trim figure that made her easy to throw around in the bedroom.

I alternated focusing between moving her body up and down on my shaft, and nibbling at her stiff nipple. Every time I lowered her wet pussy onto my firm cock, I could feel thrills of ecstasy racing through this gorgeous mermaid. Then, I felt a clenching in her tight hole.

“Adam…” Alya moaned as her walls began to tighten around my shaft. “I love your reward, husband. Can I ask permission to do something?”

“Hmm?” I asked, growling the syllable into her ear and feeling her quiver in response. “What would you like permission for, wife?”

Alya moaned softly and chewed her lip before finally raising her eyes to look at me.

“Can I cum on your thick cock, husband?” she begged. “I’m so close, I can feel it.”

“You will cum for me,” I said as I started to pump her body up and down faster on my length. “But not yet. I want the first time that you cum to be when you feel my seed pumping into you. Can you hold on for me, sweetie?”

Alya nodded then gasped. “Please, hurry and cum inside me, Adam,” she whimpered. “I’m going to try to hold on, but it’s so hard. I’m so close… I’m so...”

I pressed my lips against hers again as I felt my balls suddenly tighten in response to her wishes. My shaft grew as hard as iron, then I felt the first explosion of cum start to bubble in me.

“Cum for me, wife,” I growled as the first burst of cum shot into the mermaid beauty. “Cum while I claim your tight little pussy with my cum.”

Alya didn’t respond in words. Instead, her pussy suddenly spasmed around me, and her body went limp in my arms. I kept kissing her while I pumped every last ounce of cum I had in me into her. I reveled in the awesome feeling of her pussy coming apart around me.

Spasms of pleasure rolled through her body. Even her tongue stopped dancing around mine as she lost all control of her body. I kept her chest squeezed tight against me while her spasming pussy slowly calmed down, and I finished pumping cum into her wet hole.

Finally, she blinked her eyes open and gave me a weak, exhausted smile.

“That was the best thing I’ve ever experienced,” she said with a yawn. Then, as though to prove how much I’d taken out of her, she laid her head against my shoulder and promptly fell asleep.

I chuckled at how well she’d done as I stroked her back. Then I shifted the comforter, kissed her forehead, and lowered her into the soft bedding. After that, I climbed in after her and the pair of us both fell into a deep, satisfied sleep.

Chapter 20

Yeah Right, I'd Like to Meet!

VITESSE VILLAGE

I WOKE to a knock at the surprisingly solid edge of Alya's igloo and sat bolt upright. The movement knocked the covers off my chest and sent waves of frigid air rushing over me. The sealskin that made a wintery version of a solid door fluttered and flapped in a light breeze. I saw the shadows of footsteps moving beneath the bottom flap while crunching and slipping sounds told me the owners of those feet hadn't come prepared for a frozen land.

Alya stirred beside me, her beautiful hair falling across her milk white shoulders onto the pillows. For a moment, I thought she was about to get up too. Then she murmured something in her sleep and tugged the covers up over her chin. Holding the covers there, she murmured one last bit of pretty nonsense, then rolled over onto her chest, dragging every last inch of the life saving comforters off of me and cocooning her instead.

I shivered with the cold for real now and slipped out of bed into some fur boots that Sarosh had provided for me before looking around for my pants.

Spotting them on the ground beside the bed, I rose to go put them on and frowned when my footsteps didn't make any crunching noises on the snowy floor.

"Look," Asmi said, showing exactly why my footsteps didn't make any sound. Glancing under the sealskin flap, I noted that the feet outside had grown stiff and still. "I know you're expecting me to chastise you for not calling more often, or to have some information regarding the weird quest updates you've been getting. But, well, things are in motion, Adam."

I turned to see the diminutive god of barter sitting in a sealskin chair off to one side of the large igloo.

Meeting his eye, I glanced at my legs and then at my exposed member and Asmi waved a hand to show I had time to keep the best part of me from getting frostbit.

"What are you here for, then?" I asked once I'd wrapped myself in a throw blanket and donned my breeches. "Come to congratulate me on my new wife?"

Asmi's eyes flicked to the bed, where Alya remained so still it looked as much like she'd frozen from the cold as from the time stop.

"Well, I suppose it's as good a reason as I'd have had," he said slowly, smirking at the way she'd stolen all the covers. "But, no. I'm here on the Creator's request. I've been poking around, asking questions of her and the other gods about what's going on with your quest updates. Long story short, most of the other gods with remaining champions have reported similar discrepancies between what they send to their champions and what their champions receive."

His voice trailed off and he shook his head, looking more tired than I'd ever seen him look. Even back when he'd woken me in the dead of night, he hadn't looked half as forlorn as he did at this moment. His face was deeply lined, like he hadn't gotten enough sleep in weeks, and his eyes were red and bloodshot.

"Anyway," he said, yawning, "The Creator's beside herself with fury at the change. Says it upsets what should be the orderly proceedings of the Game of Castles. Point is, she doesn't know what's causing it either."

"She must have some guesses, though?" I asked curiously. "I mean, she designed all of Limar, from the ground up. She ordered the rules to the Game, too. She doesn't know everything that goes on in it?"

"Oh, she likes to present like she's all-knowing," Asmi said with a grin. "But truth is, she's more like most-knowing." I frowned and Asmi explained, "She didn't create us gods just for shits and giggles, you know. Running a whole planet is difficult enough, and she's in charge of more than one. That's why she made us gods. I take care that barter continues, so the world doesn't stall out when one region has a bad harvest and suddenly can’t trade with another for food they need. You've met the god of earth and heard of the god of water, not to mention old Chaos... We gods handle things for her, and report back to her somewhat regularly, Chaos notwithstanding since that freakish thing hates regularity in all its forms. Here's the point, Adam, what the Creator doesn't know is only possible because one of us gods is withholding information from her."

I nodded darkly, not liking at all the implication that the enemy I was butting heads with wasn't just another champion, but an honest to God, well, god.

"Thanks for the update I guess," I said with a frown. "Any tips on how to wriggle out information from another god though? I assume it isn't Grolio, right?"

"You could always question him," Asmi said with a shrug. "But, no, my money's elsewhere."

I grinned and said, "I thought you were the god of barter, not of gambling."

"And you'd be right, that's Derio. My one piece of advice to you, handling a god is this Adam, take any and all alliances you can. The Creator doesn't like this getting out, and I doubt she'll love that I'm revealing something like this to you, but the Game isn't just for her entertainment. She's moving things along, up there if you will. The winner of the Game won't just rule over all of Limar, he'll have the chance to Ascend."

"Ascend?" I asked. "Like, I could become a god if I win the Game?"

"Yes," Asmi said simply. "But let's not get ahead of ourselves here. The winner will have the chance, just the chance, to become the new god of war. It's a shitty appointment, honestly, since winning the Game means that the major wars will all have been won already. But just keep it in mind. One of the things the winning champion will need to be able to do, though, is to stand toe to toe with us gods."

"What about nose to nose?" I asked with a smirk down at Asmi.

"Oh haha, Adam," Asmi said bitterly, rising from the chair and rubbing his nose. "Just, you know, try not to spurn alliance opportunities when they present themselves. I don't want you to die because of whatever's going on. At this point in the Game, alliances are going to start counting for a good deal, since the levels are coming slower."

“I wouldn’t spurn alliances if the Creator hadn’t explicitly outlawed champions working together,” I said even more bitterly.

“Ah,” Asmi said, smiling. “About that… the Creator’s really pissed about what Artam did to you, breaking the parley and all. Apparently, you’re allowed to form a single alliance without fear of retribution. Just, you know, again, try to use it wisely.”

I scowled at him and he raised his hands.

“Not saying you’re not wise,” he said. “But everyone knows you’ve got reason to be pissed. Stick to your friends, is what I’m suggesting, not enter into alliances with someone who meant to kill you.”

With that, Asmi winked and disappeared in a puff of golden dust. Time suddenly resumed.

"Emperor Clear?" a voice from outside asked. "Are you awake, sir?"

Swapping the throw blanket covering for a proper coat, I stepped outside quietly to let Alya keep sleeping. My boots crunched on the fresh layer of snow that had fallen the night before.

Throughout the small village I noted some signs of movement. Now that we were well into spring, this far south the sun ceased to set. It was now climbing up over the slope of a distant mountain range.

The speaker saluted me and slapped his heels together as he did so. I found I recognized the man as the bugler who'd helped in the battle against the Geodesic.

"At ease,” I said crisply, and the lad relaxed. "I assume you have some news for me?"

The youth nodded eagerly, though I could tell from his look that the news he had was upsetting.

"Come on then," I said. "Holding it in won't help at all. Out with it."

"Well, sir," he said. "It's Cask, sir?"

My heart jumped two beats. Although I'd given orders to reinforce all crossing with our combative neighbor. I was pretty sure the Creator's wrath was enough to keep them buttoned up on its own. My mind was flooded with worrying thoughts of our enemies swarming across the river to strike at the heart of Tolmeria.

"They've sent a messenger, sir," the youth continued. My thumping heart relaxed six beats. "And a ship, sir."

"A ship?" I asked in surprise while I took a rolled parchment from him. "Are they looking to start some problems?"

Even as I spoke, I was already formulating how we might defend our new trade route and our new ally. Sarosh had outfitted all the merfolk who were stuck ashore with powerful weapons. Frankly anyone who was able to take down a greatbear probably had pretty good chances against an enemy on two legs. We could also use the aquatic merfolk to lay traps for any warships that Artam might send...

"I don't think so, Emperor Clear," the youth said. "Leastwise, they didn't fire on Elyse's ship, sir. I think you should read the note they sent. I didn't open it so I can't say."

Nodding, I cracked the wax seal on the parchment and unfurled it.

Emperor Clear,

I would like to humbly ask that we reopen negotiations at your earliest convenience. Considering the end result of our last talks, I can understand if you are hesitant to meet on my terms, however. Shall we say that we'll meet in Vikool?

Please send your reply on my ship, so that news can reach me in good time.

Yours,

Artam

I read the note through twice, confusion building behind my eyes. Finally, I glanced at the bugler.

"You're sure this note hasn't been tampered with on its way to me?" I asked.

"Alls I can say is that if it got tampered with, it wasn't me, sir," he said, looking at his feet. "Might've done it before I got ahold of it, though. Why do you ask?"

"Because I know people like Artam," I said. "And I've received an invitation to negotiate with him before. Not only does this not fit with what I would expect him to do right now, it also doesn't sound like the first note."

"Maybe he got a scribe to write this one?" the kid suggested. "As for the rest of it, alls I can say is it wasn't me that tampered with it, if it was tampered with."

I nodded, then muttered, "View open quests."

Immediately, the text box appeared before me, hovering in midair.

New Quest: Accept the Negotiation Offer with the Cask Champion.

Game of Castles Reward: 10,000 IP with Cask populace

11,000 IP with Vikool populace for using their home as a location for negotiation.

Do you Accept the Quest?

I selected No and the box disappeared.

"Well, at least it appears genuine," I said slowly, turning the paper over to scrawl my response on the back. "Take this to whoever gave it to you and send it to Cask with my regards."

I handed the boy the note and he pocketed it with a grin.

"You're really going to destroy that Cask champion, aren't you?" he asked eagerly, and I yawned.

"If that's what needs to be done, yes," I said. "But first, I'm going to get a couple more winks with my pretty new wife. Come on now, off you run."

The boy nodded swiftly and then set off in his slipping and sliding way to the nearby shore, where a rowboat waited with rowers wearing the two slashed roses of Artam's colors.

Meanwhile, I turned back to the sealskin flap, went inside and undressed again before crawling in beside my beautiful wife. Getting into the big spoon position, I felt her wriggle her round ass back into my waist and figured that I had a couple hours left for fun before I had to return to the Game.

Chapter 21

Now That's What I Call a Champion!

UNKNOWN HILLSIDE, NORTHEAST OF CASK

THE NEXT WEEK passed by in a whirl of activity. There was so much prep work to do before enacting my ultimate revenge on Artam.

First, we had to get our troops back to Tolmeria. Then I had to provide enough ships to defend the Polar Isles against any future legendary beast attacks by sea. Then I had to muster troops, moving them swiftly to Northern Tolmeria without arousing suspicion.

Oh, and I also had to coordinate with the only other champion I could come close to calling a friend. Even if Zeth and I were destined to slay one another before the end of the Game, for the time being we worked well together.

And then, finally, I had to offer the minotaur champion an exchange to the terms of our old peace treaty. I was supposed to deliver two pegasi to him in order to extend terms from six months to three years, but what with one thing and another, not to mention the fact that I wanted the pegasi badly, I hadn’t yet delivered on that front.

So it was with some relief when I sat atop Drago’s back on a hillside overlooking a series of rolling hills and distant fields planted with grain. Beside me, a pleased Zeth sat on his new gift.

"So, first you receive a call to reopen negotiations," Zeth said with a chuckle as he shouldered his twin war-axes, "then you send a confirmation to meet on Artam's own parchment, while at the same time refusing the quest in the prompt itself? Devious little blighter you are!"

I looked up at the large minotaur champion and frowned. Zeth was wearing full plate mail and although he had twin holsters for his twin battle axes it was clear that the big, burly minotaur simply wanted to swing them about for fun.

"I won't say that the plan wasn't devious," I admitted with a shrug, "but I'd also like to point out that I'm only ‘little’ relative to a minotaur as big as you. Compared to most humans and the other races, I'm practically a giant."

Zeth chuckled again and shook his head, deciding that now was the appropriate time to stow both his battle axes in their holsters. The twin dual blades edges gleamed where he'd freshly honed them in the sun.

"Just another reason it's great to be a minotaur!" he said in a booming voice. "Little people like you will never know what it's like to look down on literally everyone."

The pair of us were both seated on our mounts of choice. For me, it was Drago beneath me and between us the saddle of godlike comfort. For Zeth, it was the frankly overly lavish gift that I'd brought to make up for the lack of pegasi in his stable. Thankfully, Zeth had accepted the swap, since all the young pegasi were still too small for even a normal sized human to ride.

I chuckled as I recalled the sight of Varren and Eldoria’s champions setting down on their own pegasi foals. Zeth would probably have broken the back of whatever one he tried to ride.

The massive minotaur champion had, like me, grown even larger since the last time I'd seen him in the flesh and his older bear mount was now actually too small for him to ride without crushing the poor beast. Fortunately, Sarosh has given me a good idea of what an upgrade to a regular bear would be.

Zeth grinned and leaned down to pat his new greatbear mount on the neck.

"Lovely ride, this," he said happily, giving the greatbear a spur with his heels to set the massive thing into motion. "Too bad Artam's not getting the same gift."

"Too bad he tried to renege on a good deal," I said curtly, spurring Drago to keep pace. "Too bad he thinks he can buy me off with a treaty, after attacking me where I stood during our last negotiations."

Despite how well trained the greatbear was, it was still a greatbear, and Drago was loath to get too close to it. The greatbear exited a narrow stand of trees. Drago sped through the gap at a half gallop before swinging wide out of range of a potential claw swipe.

Despite the fact that this greatbear was less interested in my pegasus and more in a bush that was full of bright red berries growing alongside the narrow trail, Drago was still distrustful of it.

We stood on a bluff overlooking the southern slopes of the dividing mountain range leading down to Cask. Arranged on the lower levels beneath us was a combined force of men from Tolmeria and the various beast races loyal to Zeth.

It seemed that the humans were still loath to go into work for a minotaur, and Zeth had apparently decided that politicking was about as desirable to him as having to take a dump on the battlefield.

Word was, Eldoria  wasn't quite so picky when it came to their champion's race so he'd gotten some good numbers from there. Unfortunately, there was bad blood between Eldoria and Zeth’s region, so Zeth had had a hard time moving those units to our current attack.

Fortunately, Zeth was well enough stocked with the beast races to make up for lack of manpower.

I saw tiger people down there, red and yellow fur shimmering in the sunlight, along with people who had curving horns and quite a few minotaurs as well. Though the minotaurs mustering down in the fields were significantly smaller than the greatbear riding one beside me and were probably a bit shorter than me too.

One of the nice things about being a champion is I never had to lie about being taller than I was. Frankly, I was so tall it put people more at ease if I said I was shorter.

Again, nice.

"Devious, Adam," Zeth said with a grin. "Very devious."

Originally, the plan had been to keep our disparate forces separate, so that each of us could command his own troops as he saw fit. However, the humans of Tolmeria and the beast races of Zeth's region were apparently overeager to meet one another. Probably, it was more the beast races who were eager for introductions.

Either way, the men had intermingled. The human camp followers soon found themselves in the laps of beast men, while the beast camp followers soon found themselves in the laps of human men.

"Wish I was more devious, honestly," I said bitterly. "Look at this mess. I'll still have to kill you in the end, you know. The Game of Castles can't have two winners."

"So long as you're ready for me to prove you wrong," Zeth replied curtly, hopping off his greatbear and clapping me on the back. "I look forward to our eventual fight. But we both know it'll be one on one. Neither of us will want to use our armies to kill the other. We'll want to be the one to deliver the killing blow. Let our armies intermingle however they'd like. It'll only help whichever one of us kills the other to have families spread between the two regions."

I nodded and smiled.

The plan, such as it was, was for Zeth and my forces to swing south into Cask while their champion was expecting to enter negotiations with me to the east.

From scouting reports I'd read, Cask's northern border was poorly manned.

From the scouting I'd actually done myself, I knew that the majority of his forces were massed and waiting on his eastern border with Tolmeria.

Like me, I expect they trusted the mountains to provide an effective buffer against sudden troop movements.  Like me, they clearly saw their adjacent neighbor as the most pressing threat.

Unlike me, Artam clearly hadn't entered a truce agreement with his northern neighbor. I knew this, because while I was busy down south, Zeth was busy to his west. And now Artam's northern neighbor was the very minotaur with whom I had a treaty in place.

I'd say all that was more devious than tricking an asshole into thinking I wouldn't attack at the moment he least expected it.

"Right then," I said and signaled for a bugler to announce the march. "I think it's time we got going."

Zeth grinned and said, "On your time, Adam. Looting won't do itself, after all!"

Drago flew in wide, loping circles over the burning town far below while I sent a few more fire arrows down to light some more cloth covered supply wagons ablaze.

Far below, Zeth's greatbear mount bellowed as it separated a knight's torso from his legs with a single swipe. Blood sprayed in a wide arc while Zeth himself swung dual battle axes to do the same to a cavalryman on his right.

"Where are you running to, cowards!" I heard Zeth bellow down there, spurring his mount to chase after the routing troops. "Get back here and let me kill you!"

My own troops swarmed like they were kalatchi over the fields outside the smallish town, cutting down defenders wherever they stood. Meanwhile, people were starting to flood out of the small houses and raise their hands in defeat.

Even as they did so I watched as an armored tiger man charged towards a surrendering farmer, leapt at the man and began ruthlessly tearing his throat out. Gore sprayed in an even wider arc when this asshole attacked a defenseless man than when Zeth carved up a knight.

"Shit," I muttered, realizing I'd have to step in to stop bloodshed being visited upon the people I hoped to bring into the fold. "How many level ups do I have?"

Ding! You Have Leveled Up!

Apply New Levels?

"Sure," I said with a grin. "Give me a grand display and magnify my voice. These assholes need to learn what it means to fight in an organized army. No more anarchic skirmish tactics."

Level Up Accepted. Applying Grand Display Now

Time only seemed to freeze this time as brilliant light shot out of my body making me a good competitor to the actual sun that had just dived behind a cloud bank. My voice boomed.

"Attention all soldiers!" I said in my booming voice. "Your victory grants you spoils and good pay, but it does not grant you leave to slay innocents or surrendering soldiers! Any man who cuts down an innocent or disregards a soldier's surrender will be drawn and quartered! There is no room in my army for wanton murder! I do not much care about winning hearts and minds, but I definitely care about claiming lands with no one left to defend my wins!"

The soldiers below all looked up as I spoke, even the remaining Cask soldiers who had yet to surrender.

Fortunately, as my glow faded and I felt the levels sink home beneath my skin, I saw that most of the remaining Cask troops threw down their swords and raised their hands.

I guessed, probably correctly, that they had figured even if they surrendered, they'd just be killed anyway. If that was how I waged my wars, there would be no reason for any of my enemies to ever surrender, and that in turn would mean I lost more troops to the last-ditch efforts.

No, it was better this way.

Far below in the town's central district, I saw a colorful figure run out of a large stone house with hands raised.

"Three guesses as to who that is," I chuckled to Drago.

My pegasus mount could, of course, not respond. But he did a pretty good horse style impression of the word 'mayor'. Something in the way he neighed really made him sound almost human at times.

"We surrender!" the man shouted in a half wail. "We surrender, oh champion!"

Desperately, the man's eyes turned up towards where I flew in wide circles on Drago. He fell to his knees in supplication, clasping his hands together and holding them above his head.

"Oh, powerful champion of Tolmeria!" he wailed. "We have heard of your skill in battle and mean no ill-will to our neighbors! Please, spare my people, and we will host your troops as best as we are able!”

All the while, the man’s eyes remained trained on me. I expected that my grand display did an even better job clueing him in to my champion status than flying on a egasus would have. I mean, each region got two pegasi so any random general could eventually be gifted a egasus.

Too bad he didn’t realize it was a joint attack.

Poor bastard didn’t even see Zeth and his greatbear mount trotting up alongside him.

He probably didn’t feel the strike Zeth gave the side of his head with the butt of his axe either, at least not right at that moment.

He’d probably feel it when he came to again though.

Chapter 22

Subterfuge!

NORTHERN CASK

“AND YOU’RE SURE no one told you we were here?” I asked pointedly, pressing my blade against the regally attired man’s throat.

“No one, Emperor Clear!” the man wailed, double chins wobbling and face red with fear. “This was a routine execution order from Artam himself! Placed only two weeks ago. We’d normally have gotten here earlier, but the road’s dangerous in Cask these days. Lost half my men to a sudden sink-hole right through the cobbles! I swear it!”

He wailed even worse than before. I pressed my blade's tip far enough against his throat to draw a little dab of blood from his roughly shaved neck. The blood soaked immediately away into his peach fuzz.

We were currently situated in a small barn outside of the town's stables, just the man and me. I couldn't get the smell of hay out of my nose.

That morning, scouts had spotted him and a troop of five knights riding easily up the road into town. They didn't carry banners, but upon hearing a report that they wore the slashed roses of Artam I felt reasonable in ordering the knights be slain and the man taken captive. I'd hoped, and still frankly believed, that my loud offer of amnesty would have prevented escapees from giving up our location, but it always paid to be cautious when you were behind enemy lines.

"A week’s travel eh?" Zeth said in a good-humored roar as he walked through the sliding barn door into the building proper. "You humans must grow beards awfully slow if that's all the hair you've got to show for it!"

The man looked like he wanted to wail louder yet again, only to discover that he was currently wailing as loud as it was possible to wail. Instead, he shifted to sobbing and dropping to his knees to bow low before Zeth and me.

This was a high-risk strategy, since my blade's tip was still jabbing into his skin, but it paid off when the slice seemed to only be surface deep.

"I have always grown a beard slowly, champion Zeth!" the man said into the dirt. "It's not my fault my family line is not so blessed with hair as yours!"

Zeth chuckled, clearly enjoying himself. Leaning close to me he muttered loud enough for the man to hear, "You check him for being a eunuch yet? I could believe it if he's lost his family jewels, but otherwise it seems like he could still be lying. Worth finishing the job, too, assuming it's not the case. He'd have a decent excuse for being so bald then."

This was the first time the man didn't respond. He just lay there with his hands stretched out in front of him and his face pressed into the soiled hay underfoot.

"Hey then, what say you to that?" Zeth asked angrily. "I'm talking about you, you know!"

I squinted down at the man and said, "I think you've frightened him so much he's now just passed out, Zeth."

Zeth raised an eyebrow at me then glanced at the man. As gently as he could, which wasn't particularly gently, he shoved the poor bastard over onto his side with a toe.

His body flopped over limp and a line of spittle flecked his lips, while horse droppings covered his cheeks from where he'd lain. I blew out a sigh.

"Great, Zeth. Now we'll have to wait for him to come to before questioning him again."

Zeth hummed at that, folding his arms in front of his chest. "Easier to verify he's a eunuch when he's like this though. Hey, where are you going Adam?"

I was already at the barn door, wanting to leave this farce as soon as possible. If the man couldn't talk, I'd have to get information from mayor Hardrick. The surrendering mayor may not have been much braver than this poor sap, but he was at least conscious. And that counted for a good deal right now.

"Going to talk to Hardrick," I replied before shooting him a well earned scowl. "I don't want to be anywhere close when you get that bastard's pants off."

"Hey, it was just a joke about the whole eunuch thing," Zeth retorted in a hurt tone. "When you're as hairy as me you've got to give clean shaven folks a hard time now and again. You've grown your beard out nice, I see."

Though his voice clearly showed he was trying to make amends, I decided to let him simmer in his guilt for a bit. "Glad to see I'm not in doubt of being a eunuch, Zeth."

"Aww, come on Adam. I didn't mean it. No one could doubt a man with as many wives as you have is anything less than fully virile." He shot me a sheepish grin, clearly contrasting my many wives against his single wife. "Anyway, what should I do with this one until he wakes up?"

"Set someone you trust to watch over him,” I said with a shrug, “Or, better yet, do it yourself. Either way, I want to strike further south again by tomorrow morning. Whether or not someone squawks about our location, we're running unnecessary risks staying put in one place and not making for the capital."

With that, I slid the barn door closed and stalked off up the hill towards the town again. Normally, I'd ride Drago. But right now, it felt good to blow off some steam by working my legs.

"Right then," I said tiredly as I sat in the plush chair inside the mayor's manse. "Go over it all for me one more time."

"It's just as I've said, Emperor Adam," Mayor Hardrick said in a voice that was way less nervous than his would-be executioner's. "I was given notice that I'd upset Artam by withholding grain exports to the capital. He was having trouble raising forces, or at least in keeping them well stocked. People were going hungry, some starving. Well, it's hard to keep an army in that state, so Artam called in a new tax. But folks here hardly had it any better than the soldiers. We had a tough winter, with all the political turmoil going on. Bandits were bad and the late harvest was worse. I couldn't watch my townsfolk starve so some champion I'd never met could strike another one I'd never met when he was unawares."

"How noble of you," I muttered, turning to glance out the leaded window at the brilliant pink-red of the setting sun.

"Not noble, Emperor Adam," Hardrick said earnestly. "My father was an old lord before Regor came. There's a reason we have mayors now, not lords. And there's a reason it's me that became mayor and not my old pa."

"Really?" I said, stifling a yawn. With how circuitous Hardrick was being, he barely qualified as more conscious than the damned executioner. "Do tell."

"Well, it has to do with how he treated the peasants, you see," Hardrick said, growing more animated. "He was always levying surprise taxes on 'em when times grew tough. A head of cattle during frosts, two bushels of wheat when the rains came so long they rotted even in storage. When ma and he were fighting, he'd claim lord right for new marriages too. Slept with the wives before the husband could. He didn't last long once Regor put an end to lordships."

"I'd imagine not. But why were you able to become mayor then? Everything I know about human nature, it'd be hard for most to disassociate you with your father."

"Would be," now Hardrick was growing sheepish, which was surprising. "If I wasn't the one to stick the knife in his heart." He glanced up at me and raised his hands. "Look, it was him or both of us. I know you're not from Limar, but I imagine killing your dad doesn't sit well with you either. But what if your dad was a monster? What if your dad beat you when you'd done wrong, breaking your arm for stealing a cookie instead of just spanking you?"

I blew out a breath, suddenly much more interested in this man's story than I’d been a moment earlier. "I can understand vengeance, even against kin," I said slowly. "Though I dislike your excuse of choosing the high road to save your own life when it means you killed your father for it."

"As I said, they'd have killed both of us, and ma too probably," he suddenly grew very severe. "They were at our window with torches and grass scythes. They'd already killed the house guards. Anyway, you live through that, and you learn the power of a peasantry when it's organized. I could say that I held our grain back out of the goodness of my heart, or I could say I did it out of sheer self-preservation. Either could be true."

I nodded, then grinned. "You could say either of those things, if I didn't find all this out because an executioner was sent to deal with you."

Hardrick grinned mischievously and a knock came at the door.

"Enter," I said, swiveling my chair to face the doorway.

A moment later, the knob turned and I saw the pale wobbly cheeks of that very executioner backgrounded by the massive bulk of Zeth's plate mail.

The executioner gave a yelp and jumped back into Zeth's chest when his eyes fell upon me and Hardrick. Hardrick's mouth curled up into a sneer at the sight of the man.

"Doing me in anyway?" he asked. "I'd rather one of you kill me, if that's going to be how it is. Better to die to a real champion than a sniveling executioner from a sneaky one."

"We're not going to kill you," I said with a head shake. "At least, not yet."

I motioned the executioner forward and Zeth stooped to enter the room behind him.

"Damned small room you've got here," Zeth muttered, stooping even while he stood inside the room.

"The ceiling's ten feet tall!" Hardrick protested before clamming up when Zeth shot him a look.

"Oh, take a seat, Zeth," I said with a chuckle. "It'll feel less cramped when you're seated."

"A seat would be lovely!" Zeth said, glancing around the room. "Only, where's one that would suit me? Ah, here we go."

He went in a low crouch to a wide table filled with fancy looking vases, plates, saucers, and the like. He gave them an appraising look, nodded once, then with a single swipe of his hand he scooped them all off the table and onto the floor. The porcelain objects shattered in a clattering heap on the floorboards, and he smirked before sitting on the wide space.

He glanced up, then placed his hand flat atop his bull horn and raised it until it touched the ceiling. There was barely two inches of clearance.

"Better than nothing," I said with a smirk before turning towards the two men. "Now, you two seem perfectly situated to tell me everything I need to know about this new champion of yours. I want weaknesses, strengths, and a safe route to sneak a strike team into his capital so I can kill the bastard."

Hardrick paled, while the executioner named Speel blanched. Both were largely the same thing.

“There’s a secret entrance,” Speel said quickly, and I figured he was jumping to get information out first so I wouldn’t think he was being withholding. “Right, Hardrick? You must have heard of it, too?”

Slowly, Hardrick nodded. “I have,” he said as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. “But I’m not some simpering coward who’d give up information for no gain.” Then he glanced at me and chuckled. “No offense, Emperor Adam. But I figured you’d be good for some decent supplies in exchange for such choice information.”

“None taken,” I said, smiling. “But I’m not about to give you supplies out of the goodness of my heart. Now, both of you, tell me what you know.”

Chapter 23

If It Moves, Kill It!

CARRION COVE

"I TOLD YOU, I'm not about to just send you in there all alone," I said curtly to Alya. "Hardrick and Speel both confirmed there's an underwater entrance to Artam Castle beneath this lake. And now that we've got additional confirmation from the local townsfolk, I don't have to worry about drowning down there. You can try to talk me out of it, but I'll just grab hold of your tail anyway."

I shot my mermaid wife a smirk and she blew a lock of hair out of her face before glancing down at the dark pool of water and frowned.

"Look," I said gently, "I'm as surprised as anyone to learn that this is a safe passage, but I'm not going to risk you going in there all alone. You know better than me that your real skill was under water, not fighting on land. You need someone with you to protect you."

"It's always difficult to persuade him otherwise," Harmony said gently, placing a comforting hand on Alya's shoulder. "And it’s especially tricky when he gets his mind set on something."

Harmony looked at me in the fond way that only a woman proud of her husband can, and I knew her jibe was really praise not criticism.

"I can tell that’s the case," Alya said softly, her chin turning down to hide the blush that crept up her cheeks. I suspected she was remembering our first night together. "But still, what if you're wrong Adam?"

"Then I drown," I said with a shrug and a chuckle. "But Alya, let's think about this. How likely is it that both a mayor and his executioner would pose rumors about a specific lake being a secret way in? They should have every reason to disagree with one another.

“And then how likely is it that we'd meet two independent children in the nearby town who've both explored the lake caverns and independently confirm exactly the location of breathing stops along the way? What are the odds of all those people giving the same story and all of them being wrong in exactly the same way? Most have probably never even met each other."

Although both the mayor and his expected executioner confirmed the entrance’s existence, I’d remained wary about trusting strangers. When I questioned some local farmhands about local points of interest, however, and was told by both that the passage led right into Artam Castle, my mind was put much more at ease.

"Very low, I'll admit," Alya said softly before adding, "But it's only a low possibility if there wasn't someone who planted the story. Artam already tried to kill you once that you know of, and probably twice even if you can't confirm that the Spearopat was directly sent by him. Is it really out of the realm of possibility that he planted this story, too?"

Though her logic was sound from an unbiased perspective, it was more or less totally cracked from the insider perspective I had on Artam. I shook my head.

"Look, I never told you how I was killed back on my home world have I?" I asked her and both she and Harmony shook their heads. I sighed, going back over the last time I'd been betrayed by a friend. The two women both listened intently. When I got to the part where I met the Creator on Limar, I finished with, "And now I won't ever allow myself to be betrayed like that more than once. I wouldn't trust my old buddy around any drink or food. I won't trust Artam around any treaty negotiations.

“But Artam doesn't have the sort of drawn out trap devising in him. He's too brash for that by half, or I'd have found myself in a much more dangerous spot, back when we first tried negotiating. His subterfuge is loud and clear, not sneaky and hidden. Plus, I know kids. Those two kids who confirmed the tunnel were so excited to be rewarded for their find. They were practically tripping over their words to get the whole story out."

"They could still be lying to you," Alya said weakly.

"They could," I admitted with a head shake, "but I put the odds of that happening very low down, probably close to one time out of a thousand. Hey, who’s that?”

A smallish pegasus was cruising down out of the sky with a messenger atop it. From the looks of the clothing he wore, I assumed he was from Farli. And when his pegasus stomped down in the field before me a minute later that confirmed my suspicions.

“Emperor Clear!” the messenger shouted, hopping off his winged horse eagerly. “I bring news from Farli!”

I rubbed my face in exasperation. Who the hell was this guy to just fly across enemy territory, giving away my position to anyone with a lookout to see from?

“Speak,” I said simply, holding back my anger.

“Eldoria and Varren haven’t been meeting quotas,” the messenger said swiftly. “We’ve been exporting lots of supplies to them, but they’re hardly sending anything back.”

“And?” I said, glaring at the man. “That was worth flying across three regions on a very expensive pegasus, not to mention flying directly over a region that you know to be at war with Tolmeria?”

“Well, I, that is,” the messenger stammered. I waved a hand dismissively, snapping my fingers. “The lords of Myrai wanted you to know what was happening as fast as possible. They’re kind of terrified of you, Emperor Clear.”

“No good deed goes unpunished, apparently,” I said. “Tell them if they waste resources or risk army property on their wild fears ever again, I’ll string them all up by their ankles. Actually, wait. I want the messenger to deliver this particular news to be imposing. Ormis,  you go deal with this. Report back in reasonable time, if you’d be so good.”

Ormis chuckled and nodded, but the messenger gulped audibly. “You’re sending an ogre?” he blurted out. “But—”

“Shut it,” I said, pointing first at the messenger and then at the pegasus. “You’re to ride overland with Ormis. Ormis, take the biggest steed you can find. And try not to nap too much on the way.”

The massive ogre chuckled good naturedly. Then he raised a massive hand that was more like a paw and smacked the diminutive messenger square in the center of his back.

The messenger went sprawling forward while Ormis and Zeth both devolved into fits of laughter.

Ormis nodded and Zeth raised an eyebrow. “You’re really going to give up your only viable pegasus?” the minotaur asked. “He’ll crush the poor horse.”

Drago whinnied, warming to the challenge noticeably. I patted his flank and shook my head with a chuckle.

“Drago’s no slouch,” I said while the pegasus wandered over and stood beside the ogre. Fortunately, Drago was not only fully grown, but also broad chested even for a draft horse. “And he loves a challenge. Plus, he hasn’t been able to spread his wings for a little while. I think it’ll do him good to get some proper exercise.”

Drago whinnied. Ormis gave Zeth a mock salute, then swung a leg easily over Drago’s back and squared up his seat.

“Mighty fine saddle,” he said with a note of true appreciation.

“They don’t call the comfort godlike for no reason,” I said then turned to the messenger. “Have your pegasus take as many cues from Drago as possible. I’ll probably still be in the castle when you get back, Ormis. Give them the back of your hand, if that’s what you feel is needed.”

“Don’t worry on that count, Adam,” Ormis said. “I’ll give them the front of it, if they won’t listen. Now, come on little messenger. Let’s see what these nobles have to say for themselves.”

With that, Ormis set Drago to a light trot that was followed by a slightly encumbered ascent. After several wingflaps where Drago seemed to barely gain any altitude, the powerful pegasus finally got some wind under him. The pair sailed up higher and higher, followed by the Farli messenger.

“Amazing steeds,” Zeth said appreciatively. “Can’t wait till mine comes of age.”

I patted him on the shoulder and said, “I‘m sure you’ll fly great, Zeth. For the time being, just watch for me to lower the flag from the castle parapets. Once that happens, it’ll be my signal to begin the assault.”

With that, I returned to my original task, the sneaking mission through an underwater entrance with my new mermaid wife.

"Just let me scout it out beforehand," Alya begged. "I can confirm the location of breathing spots and hidden alcoves, then come back for you."

I shook my head then grinned. "No can do, my merwife. The tunnels are only there now because they've appeared all over Limar... and they're pretty much always filled with monsters."

Alya opened her mouth to argue one more time, but before she could do so I grinned and ran forward, wrapped my arms around her lithe frame and jumped with both of us into the black pool.

As I did, I shouted, "Cowabunga!"

Alya yelped in fright as we careened towards the water's surface, and I felt her long legs transform into her wounded tail.

Then, we hit the water in a great splash and Alya gave me a simmering look before she admitted defeat and surged off into the hidden tunnel network.

I held my breath while her slippery body writhed beneath me, sending us hurtling onwards. Cold lake water rushed across my beard as she swam, brushing roughly against her cheek while her breasts swelled large and round against my chest.

For a little while, we just swam. But the tunnel was larger and longer than I had expected. I had to hand it to the young boys I'd questioned about it. They must have had the lungs of oxen, and probably did because of working with the big bulls and ox we'd seen in the distant fields around the town.

Then, the promised respite didn't materialize for a bit longer. And a bit longer.

I mentally shoved my text prompt as far ahead of us as I dared, starting to grow desperate to illuminate any hidden alcove that might house some precious oxygen while not allowing our current location to grow so dim that we'd risk ramming into the wall.

Despite the fact that Alya was a significantly better swimmer than any other person in my army or family, she still wasn't totally used to swimming when she was down one fin. If she smacked into something it might turn us around and then I'd be really screwed.

Just when my lungs felt like they were being licked by a magma wyrm's tongue, a shadow ahead showed where our turn off would be. I could have breathed out the Limar's largest sigh of relief, if I'd had any oxygen left in my body to give to the act.

Alya spotted the darkened patch and put on a final spurt of strength that sent us sailing right into the darkened opening.

My head broke the water's surface and before I could even think about what I was doing I drew the largest breath I'd ever drawn. The air in the underwater cavern was staler than week old bread. From the smell in the damp cavern, it was nearly as moldy, but I didn't care.

Again and again, I pulled lungful after lungful of precious, damp, moldy oxygen into my chest. Finally, I mentally moved my text prompt up out of the water and into the cavern around us.

The space we'd entered was studded with the sorts of crystals that we'd seen dotting the underground caverns on our way to the Polar Isles, glittering dully in the dim light from my prompt.

"These rubies and sapphires still being here probably means the passage is still safe to use," I said while hauling myself out of the water and onto a nearby ledge. "If I were Artam, I'd make collecting them a priority. He's low on grain, according to Hardrick, but that doesn't mean he couldn't buy more on the open market. Hey-- are you all right?"

Alya winced as she swam towards the ledge, swimming even less gracefully than before. Shifting the text prompt over her head, I grimaced to see the water all around her blossoming red like a rose.

"You're hurt," I said, offering her a hand to help her onto the ledge.

"It's nothing," she replied, with another wince that told me it was definitely not nothing. "I misjudged my last thrust there and slammed my tail into an outcropping that I missed. I was so worried about you, Adam. Can you forgive me for being so foolish?"

"Alya," I said softly as I helped her out beside me. Once her tail and fin had transformed back into legs and feet, I wrapped my arms around her and pressed my lips softly against hers. My mermaid wife yielded deliciously to my move, her mouth opening to accept me and my tongue explored her own wet cavern. "I could never be upset with you, not really. And especially not for wanting the best for me. Just know that I'm aware of my limits and every action I take is calculated. I don't just do things on a whim. I always think about what I'm doing."

"I know, darling," Alya said softly, pressing her nose into my chest and giving my chest hair a last soft kiss. "But it doesn't mean that I'm not upset with myself for my own foolishness either. It'll take days for that wound to heal, and until that happens I won't be able to swim you out in time."

"So, the only way forward is up and out?" I asked, and she nodded. "Well, in that case we'd get a move on going up and out... is something the matter, Alya?"

My mermaid wife had suddenly grown as still as if she was a stone part of the very cavern we were standing in. Her face had grown even paler than usual as the blood drained from it. Slowly, she raised a hand to point at something behind me.

I whipped around on the spot, my hand unhooking the keeper on a knife at my belt and letting me draw the sharp blade out to protect us. Just behind me, slender and strangely illuminated, was what looked like one of the skelkies we'd fought only a few days ago. Only, this one was not quite the same as those.

Standing at nearly six feet tall, it would have been like a giant compared to the other skelkies. And with limbs that looked as thin as twigs on a maple, it had the bearing of a living, walking skeleton more than a creature made of flesh and blood. Plus, as I already said, its milky white skin was glowing faintly so that it didn't cast a shadow.

My first impulse was to lunge at the thing and slice its head off with my dagger. The creature's neck was certainly narrow enough that I could do it even with my relatively short blade. But thankfully my shock at seeing something like it walking around on two legs allowed my second impulse to appear. And my second impulse was to consider that this was unlike nearly all the other monsters that we'd fought.

Fortunately, it spoke before my third impulse could race to my throat and override my second: the only intelligent monsters I'd met were champions or legendary beasts in their own rights.

"Greeting, Champion Adam Clear," the skeletal creature said in a voice that sounded like a rope bridge creaking as wind set it swaying over a chasm. "And Lady Alya."

Then the thing bowed low, one spindly arm folded at its waist. The creature wore no clothing, but I was pleased to see that it was either a eunuch itself, or else its race didn't have the usual reproductive organs that other humanoids did.

"What are you?" Alya asked timidly from behind me.

"Who are you?" I asked, grip tightening on my knife.

The creature rose from its bow and gave us a strangely ethereal smile, exposing teeth that were as white as its skin, though these didn't appear to glow.

"I am a member of the race known as Okui," he said with a smallish bow to Alya, before turning to me. "As for who I am, that is a question with two answers. My name, like all my brethren, is Oku. But that is not, I suspect, what you meant by 'who are you,' was it?"

I shook my head and the creature known as Oku chuckled.

"I am glad to see that you are as wise as Artam told me you would be," he said as though giving me high praise. "The ‘who am I’ that you are looking for then is this: I am Artam's steward and head of her household guard. I am to take you to her, so the pair of you may discuss a treaty between Cask and Tolmeria."

Oku bowed and turned, as though his simple explanation was enough to cover any confusion I might have. Needless to say, his statement raised more questions than it had answered.

"Hold on a moment," I said, striding forward and keeping my grip light and ready on my knife handle. "You've got some explaining to do."

"Oh? But I thought that would have answered your question about who I am."

"It did, but now you're calling Artam 'she' and 'her'. I've met Artam and unless there's some serious trickery going on, he's a male, not a female."

"Ah, yes. Indeed, he was a male,” Oku said as the barest flicker of a smile crept across his face. “But you’ll find that women like my mistress are quite adept at controlling the bodies of others. Especially those that she herself has slain. Though, as for Artam, I believe you are to be the one to do that. Now, come. She has quite a good deal that she wants to talk about with you. And who knows, if you’re lucky, she may even trade you the deceased body of not only your most aggressive neighbor, but a high level champion to boot. Tell me, how many levels do you think Artam’s body will grant you once it is converted?”

With that, he turned and stride off down the damp tunnel. As he went, the illumination from his glowing skin made little lights dance upon the shimmering walls, but his footsteps were as silent as the grave.

“What do we do?” Alya asked nervously, touching my arm. “Do we really follow him?”

I frowned. Normally, following someone who’d just dropped that much of a bombshell into your lap would end with you holding both the bomb and the shell. But something about the freakish Oku intrigued me, and Alya had been correct in what she’d said before.

“The only way forward is up and out,” I said. “Seems we’ve got little choice. But don’t worry so much. I was right about finding this cavern, and I’ve got a feeling whoever is controlling Artam’s body really doesn’t mean us harm.”

“How can you say that?” Alya asked.

“Because,” I said, starting to stride forward and bringing Alya along beside me, “when Artam broke the rules of the treaty, he not only angered the gods, he pissed off the Creator herself. What are the odds of all that happening then him dying and getting controlled by some woman, and it not being directly related.”

“It does seem unlikely,” Alya said, starting to sound more comfortable about the whole situation.

“Exactly. So, come on. Let’s go see whoever’s taken control of Cask.”

Milena Chapter 1

Deep Subterranean Caverns – Exact Location Unknown

Bleeding Lava!

Milena stood on the lip of the vast drop, taking depth readings from the rising lava flow below. Fifty feet separated her from the lake of molten death, a small number of feet relative to the two hundred it had been last year, and the four hundred it had been the year before that.

“It does not do to dwell, I think,” Oku said, “on things we cannot change. Come away from there, mistress. What will be will be. And it is not up to the likes of us to dwell on the gods’ wishes.”

Milena turned her ashen face to her manservant and gave him a quick smile.

“You’ve always been so comfortable in taking things as they come, Oku,” she said, though she did turn from the unfortunate sight far below. “It is good you don’t have a city waiting on you to decide what path is best.”

Oku sighed and looked up at the glittering crystals studding the cavern ceiling. Milena liked looking at them as well, since they reminded her of something. Though what that something was, she could never quite remember. And that made her dislike looking at them, too.

“I have seen many things, mistress,” Oku said as his eyes fell from the stars to her face. “But I know that things are not as they once were. Perhaps there is safety to be found after all. We’ve had reports of long-sealed passages cracking open, routes to the surface that not even our oldest fore-mothers knew about. We might yet escape.”

Milena spat on the stone floor and turned away from the star like crystals glittering up above. Above had always hated her kind, even in the old stories.

“I hardly think gaining the surface would be a victory,” she said bitterly. “Up there, even the old stories tell tales of the men who would rule over my city, of the knights who ride days, weeks, sometimes even months to come slay our sated dragons and steal their scales for armor, their useless gold. Tell me Oku, what use has gold? Up there, the people adorn themselves in it. Foolish creatures to fight over something that cannot hold an edge or block a heavy strike. The weakest of the metals, bah!”

“The gods work in mysterious ways, mistress,” Oku said, adopting his usual sagely persona. “Come, let us ride back to the city and see what the council has to say.”

Milena ground her teeth but followed her manservant. The council was a new creation of Be’elz, a reaction to the rising threat from the magma pool to their east and the strange illnesses that had settled into the populace and the crops. Most Be’elzans thought that Milena hated how mixed the representation was.

The dragonkin hybrid who headed it named Yook was supposedly her most hated adversary. Varka, an ogre remarkably gifted with numbers, apparently drew her ire for his changes to city commerce. The young hag named Grochel was supposedly her most vicious competitor for most beautiful in Be’elz.

It was all wrong, all of it. Yook was a powerful adversary, that much was true, but Milena welcomed competition that she knew would temper her own skills like an iron blade coked with copper. Varka had nearly saved Be’elz from an uncomfortable liquidity crisis when the glowroot yield suffered a diseased season.

And as for Grochel, Milena did not doubt that the city hags viewed her as the most beautiful in Be’elz... Yet what did Milena care for the aesthetic opinion of hags? She thought they were all repulsive, with sagging breasts or jowls or man parts. And likewise Milena knew they found her repulsive. Her breasts were too large, too perky, and too round. Her waist was too narrow and her hips too wide.

Her eyes? Ha! Hags favored the small, hungry eyes of starving children over the large, round, womanly gaze that Milena shone upon the world.

The honest truth was that Milena welcomed them all, every one of the monstrous races that made their homes in the caverns beneath the world.

And she feared for them, at the same time.

“Come on then, mount up, Oku,” Milena called as she swung a leg over her cerberus mount, a pretty thing whose three heads could never agree on a reasonable direction of travel and for which she’d rigged an ingenious rope and collar system. “We’ll need to leave now to make the council meeting.”

Oku bowed and did as she bid, stepping lightly onto a lizard mount which glowed almost exactly like his own skin. Taking the lead to light the way, for Milena had no night-vision of her own, they sped off down the twisting corridors that made the caverns feel so homelike.

“Queen Milena,” a simpering vampiric guardsman standing before the council room’s wide double doors said with a bow. “You are expected of course.”

Milena dismounted from her cerberus and strode forward, expecting precisely what the guard had to say next.

“More precisely,” he said, leaning his long spear at an angle across the doorway, “you *were* expected. What has taken you so long?”

“I was busy,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hand, making sure to sway her long black hair across her shoulder. Okay, so maybe she would have been jealous of Grochel, if she cared for the opinions of hags. “The magma pool rises every day.”

The simpering guard’s top lip curled back in a sneer, but before he could utter a single word the door behind him swung roughly forward. He gave a small yelp that made Milena smile as the broad door hit him square in the back and sent him sprawling across the hard stone ground.

She stepped aside to dodge his spearpoint as it followed and went clattering on the stones, then turned to the doorway herself. Oku dismounted and strode up beside her, bowing low.

“Council leader Yook,” Oku said in the magnanimous way that only his unique race of Okui could manage under duress, “it is always good to see you. We would have come sooner, only mistress Milena needed to finish taking reading from the magma pools.”

Yook turned his slit yellow eyes from the sprawled guardsman to Milena, and then to Oku. Milena could understand why his presence commanded so much respect on the council. At seven feet tall, he frequently had to stoop through the cavern’s low doorways, and yet once he was within a room, he could survey all its occupants with ease.

The breathing fire thing didn't hurt, nor did the strength of his jaws and the fierce sharpness of his teeth.

"It is good to hear that a queen's manservant will cover her tracks when she is in need," Yook said in a ponderous way that only the dragonkin could match, and which contrasted brilliantly with Yook's speech. "Yet it is better to hear the queen herself offer such excuses. Milena, you know the city is... irritated with the current happenings. Our prayers to Grolio go unanswered and the disease eats at our crops every season. The magma pools have risen before, and they receded again or so our histories tell us. You should focus your attention on the immediate needs of your people, not on fanciful theories of magmatic conversion."

Yook's eyes turned to Milena, glittering like the gold that the surface dwellers so desired. Were his real eyes gold too or was it simply their strange coloration? Milena realized that she'd never possessed a dragonkin, though she knew the inner workings of all her other citizens.

"Our ancient histories are so old that dust has turned to bedrock on their covers," Milena said with an edge of steel to her voice. She'd never been able to manage the calm serenity of the Okui, or the chill menace of the dragonkin. She liked steel better. "And yet even their hardened contents don't dare say the magma came more than three hundred feet from the cavern floor. It reached that level three years ago and has not ceased since."

Yook's scaly lips curled up into a sneer and his forked tongue darted out like a snake's. Good, she'd hit a nerve. It was often so difficult to discern where exactly a dragonkin's nerves even were.

Her eyes glittering like knives, she met Yook's gaze again and gestured to the open doorway. "Well then," she said sharply, "shall we go inside. I would love to hear what the council has to say about my findings. Of course, I will hear their concerns about our food supplies as well."

With that, she strode past Yook and into the open doorway.

The council meeting was, as always, the dullest affair imaginable.

Yook simmered like a petulant dragonling stripped of its gold the whole while, shooting irritated glances her direction and rising more than once to derail the whole thing.

Varka was little better. The ogre accountant's fingertips drummed on the council table so often she half worried it would crack under the duress. Though at least he didn't shoot her irritated glances the whole time. He was nearly alone amongst the council in taking her concerns seriously, once she'd shown him her measurements. He was a mathematician, after all, and could hardly fail to see the current trajectory. And yet he too focused more on food and drink than her concerns. It was difficult to fault him for that, since lack of food and drink often preceded revolutions. Still, a revolution was preferable to drowning in a lake of magma.

As for Grochel, the hag beauty had little to say, as she always did. She was elected to the council for her sickly looks more than her wit or mind. A beauty contest winner with as much going on between her ears as a dusty, bare cupboard.

Less than that, actually, since dusty bare cupboards often were home to at least spiders.

By the time it was over, Milena had failed to convince any but Varka about the molten threat, had been forced to witness Grochel strutting about more than three times, and discovered that Yook's fires for her hadn't quite extinguished yet. She left the meeting tired, eyes aching, to find Oku standing in front of the double doors, waiting for her as always.

Unlike always, his face betrayed a nervous flicker of doubt, unusual for Okui who were usually as calm and placid as lava lakes, as open as the buds of glow lilies.

"Oku?" she said. "What's the matter?"

Immediately, Oku's face twisted sharply, his lips seeming to spasm as he fought to control his features again. A moment later, and that calm placidity had fully returned to his face.

"It is best discussed in private, mistress," he said softly. "I did not mean to alarm you."

"Well consider that task failed," Milena said as she mounted her cerberus again. "Last time you were that nervous, the city enacted the council, and you feared they'd put both of us to the stake."

"That was indeed a worrying day," Oku said as they rode off in the direction of the royal palace. "I'm not sure I don't prefer it to the news I now bring, however."

"You really know how to put a girl's mind at ease," Milena said with a dark laugh. "You know that, right?"

"I believe you are speaking sarcastically, mistress?"

"And I believe you know the answer to that, Oku."

They reached the royal palace a short hour or so later, their travel through Be'elz halted with irritating frequency by the clogged streets.

Beggars were as much a problem now as they'd ever been, though Milena seriously doubted it was better to be poor in the city than it was to be poor anywhere else.

No glow grain grew in the city center, nor did water flow freely from the fountains anymore. Perhaps the beggars didn't know that the fountains had been shut off once she'd ascertained they were the source of a spreading disease that sent her citizens into the throes of madness.

Once the madness struck, the sufferer would attack any within reach, then dash madly up, up, up, until they reached the surface. So many had been lost like this, but at least closing off the fountains slowed the spread.

That was another reason Milena didn't want to retreat to the surface, even to escape the magma. The surface was long determined to drive monster races mad. Something in the sunlight did it, or so the wise men said.

When they'd finally wedged their way out of the gathered throngs and passed the palace gates, Milena breathed easier.

When they'd made it up to her bedroom door, Milena gasped sharply.

"That door's to remain closed, Oku," she said, gesturing at the door which was cracked enough for a bit of light to spill out into the hallway. "Who's been inside my private chambers?"

Oku simply nodded, then went and opened the door fully for Milena. With a frown, she stepped inside and then her breath simply caught fast in her throat.

Sitting on the edge of her bed wasn't a suitor, as she might have guessed. It was a god.

"Lord Grolio!" she gasped, falling to her knees instinctively. "We had thought you abandoned us!"

The large clay god on her bed turned his face to her and his cracked lips cracked further into a smile.

"I have not forgotten about my worshippers beneath the soil," he said, gesturing for Milena to rise. "Though I have perhaps not been as attentive as I would usually like. The Game of Castles makes focusing on my usual pursuits tricky."

Milena rose and went to sit in a plush, high backed armchair. Oku entered the room and bowed to Grolio, who nodded.

"Anything I can bring to your holiness?" Oku asked, voice perfectly servile again. "We have a pot of tea prepared, and I believe I can supply roasted newt within half an hour."

"Tea would be fine, Oku," Grolio said happily. "At your leisure. My master has given me some time here, though I fear I will be called back sooner than I would like."

"Of course, your holiness," Oku said in a voice like silk. "Anything for my mistress?"

Milena blinked. "Oh, I suppose some tea would be fine, Oku. Thank you."

Oku bowed once more and then swept from the room, bringing his illumination with him. Milena's bedroom was bathed in the usual dark of the city, lit only by the crystals glinting in the cavern sky. Grolio turned his smiling face to her and she swallowed, considering how to respond.

"Clearly," she said at length, "I've missed much since you last visited. What is this Game of Castles, and what god has become your master?"

Grolio inclined his head, then explained all that had happened on the surface since the Game began. When he was finished, Milena gave him a shrewd look.

"I know that you're a god, Grolio," she said slowly. "But you have to tell me now whether you're being honest with me. I won't be made a fool of, even by one like yourself."

"As true as the clay above your head, and the stone beneath your feet," Grolio said with a low bow. "And not all, either. Unfortunately, there's more to say. I don't know why, and I don't know how exactly, but your city threatens to be engulfed. You must get away from here before that happens."

"I know it's going to be engulfed," Milena said bitterly. "I wish someone else knew that too, though. But what can we do about it?"

"You can leave," Grolio said. "Though you know the dangers. On the surface, monster races go mad. So you must figure out how to overcome this unfortunate circumstance. I believe you are a myst at heart?"

Milena nodded, then said, "I am, though I don't see how that matters here."

"Possession, my dear Milena," Grolio said. "The sun will cause a living monster to go mad in short order, but it will not cause a dead one to go mad. It cannot. And if that dead one should play host to a live myst, why that would be technically bending the rules. But it wouldn't break them."

"Okay," Milena said. "But I can't just inhabit a dead monster's body forever. Rot still happens even when you're controlling another's body. Then I'd still be in the same predicament."

"Then you must wed yourself to one who plays the Game," Grolio said. "My master is a good man, Milena."

"Oh, so you're matchmaker now too?" Milena said, spitting the word out like it was poison.

"Not exactly," Grolio replied, eyes twinkling. "I am merely attempting to save my own clay. The magma rising is not part of the Game, Milena. Someone, or something, is messing with the rules. I don't know who or what is doing it, but my master is one of the few I know who is dead set on discovering it and setting things to rights." He fixed her with a gaze, then said, "So, what will you do?"

Milena frowned deeper than ever as Oku brought the tea in and told her she had a visitor as well. "That Yook's clearly trying to rub it in, I think," he said.

"Yook?" Milena asked and Grolio bowed to her, smiling a dark smile. "Well then, I guess we'll have to show him in. Where can I have a private conversation with him, do you think?"

"How private do you mean, mistress?" Oku asked, voice stale as old glow grain.

"I've always wondered whether a dragonkin's eyes were truly gold," Milena responded. "I'd like to find out. Show him to my chamber, Oku, and make sure he is alone. And bring my knife on a platter, if you would be so kind."

Oku bowed and retreated from the room. Grolio stood and made a show of dusting off his legs. Bits of clay flew around the room, and he chuckled.

"You should know that they are," he said.

"That what are?"

"Gold, Milena. A dragonkin's eyes are really gold. That's why they covet the metal so much."

Milena grinned, then said, "Let's see just how honest you're being, Grolio."

Chapter 24

A Very Special Welcome!

ARTAM CASTLE

IT TOOK us a good few hours to fully navigate the subterranean space. Frankly, if we hadn't had Okui to guide us, I'm not entirely sure that we would have managed it.

The kids we'd spoken to in the little village around the lake must have had internal compasses to rival a pilot's. They made it sound like just continuing in the direction of the castle would be as easy as taking a stroll down a sunlit trail.

But the cavern trek was anything but easy, straight, or smooth.

It seemed that every five minutes the tunnel would either swerve dangerously to the left or right, or a hidden puddle of water would rise up to snap an ankle or pull my groin if I stepped into it and discovered it was actually just more lake. Plus, there were all the dozens of side passages that the damned kids hadn't even bothered mentioning.

But they couldn't have been lying, since they had little gold baubles that were far too pricey for a village child to afford on his own.

Still, it was nice to have Oku's soft illumination to light our way. It was a bit annoying to constantly have to readjust my text prompt so it wasn't staring me in the face yet also keeping our way safely illuminated.

"Nearly there," Oku finally said as he stepped up on what looked like a set of stairs carved into the very bedrock itself. "My mistress will be most eager to meet someone like you, Emperor Adam."

"I'm sure the feeling's mutual," I replied while Alya murmured beside me.

Unlike me, the beautiful mermaid wasn't entirely sold on this being a good idea. For the past twenty minutes, she'd kept a short knife stuffed into her bikini style top, just in case she needed it in a pinch.

This seemed a high risk place to put it, but then I reminded myself that she had few other places to stow something like that. She'd brought a pair of shorts along, so it wasn't like she was totally nude from the waist down now that she had her human legs again. But then I'd seen booty shorts on college coeds at spring break that looked practically conservative relative to the length of hers.

Not that I was complaining, seeing as how I got a good glance of lower ass cheek every time I glanced at her. And I got the impression that Oku wasn't exactly attracted to humans.

I guessed that, if I was the member of an unknown race of creatures like the Okui, with features like his and glowing skin to boot, I probably wouldn't find humans attractive either. I mean, crazy as it was to consider Alya anything but a smoking hot ten, even when wet.

Careful not to slip on the slick rock, I summoned my text box again to get some better light, then led Alya up the stairs behind Oku. The rock stairs were clearly carved on purpose, not natural features of the subterranean landscape. Although they were well made, for stairs carved into bedrock, they could only be described as well made for stairs carved into bedrock.

Every step I took, I noted the distinct downward slant that each of the stairs provided. Combined with the slick nature of the stone and the moss that I could feel beneath my bare feet, it was tricky going. I could even tell from the way Alya tugged and groped on my arm that the mermaid was having a tough time too.

"Shoot!" she cried out as her foot slipped and her fingers clenched down like clamps on my bicep.

Her foot made a slick squelching sound as it swung wide, and I moved swiftly to hold her by the waist and secure her.

"You're all right," I said once she'd stopped sliding. "I've got you, remember that. I've always got you, and I'll always have you."

"Mmm," she hummed, pressing her face against my bare chest and giving me a quick peck of a kiss to show she understood.

On the stairs above us, Oku turned lightly on his feet and retraced his way down to where we stood.

"Are you two all right?" he asked in a calm and serene voice. "Neither of you are hurt, I trust."

Alya shook her head, and I glanced down at the okui's feet. He moved so swiftly on the slick surface that I half expected to see suction cups on his soles, like an octopus. Yet his feet, despite their luminance and the webbing between the toes, appeared more or less human.

"How are you keeping your footing so well?" I asked with genuine curiosity. "Alya's a mermaid and even she slips about on these slick stairs."

"Hmm?" Oku said, his wan thin lips curling up into a fishy sort of smile. "Why do you ask, Emperor Adam?"

"Could be useful in the subterranean caverns," I replied with a shrug. "Or out on a rain slicked battlefield. You don't get as far in the Game of Castles as I have without thinking ahead by at least a step or two."

"Indeed," he replied as the smile curled further up his face. "It is a neat little trick of my anatomy, so I'm not sure how replicable it will be for your armies. But since you asked..."

He sat on a stair two steps up and extended his foot to show me. Where I'd expected to see little suction cups holding him steady, I instead saw a series of ridges in his skin that ran at angles like chevrons down the length of his sole.

"The skin on my feet is quite springy, you see," he said as he ran a hand over the ridges so I could see they almost behaved like rubber. "I'd offer to let you touch it yourself, but I daresay that would be considered... How did the mistress describe your people? I believe she said that you land and sea dwellers were distinctly odd. You can touch it if you'd like."

I shook my head with a chuckle. "Your mistress sounds like she got the brunt of the topic right, at least. It's a bit odd to go around touching other people's feet. But I think I get the idea behind it."

"Oh?" he asked, inclining his head curiously as he rose and continued up the stairs.

"Yeah," I said. "Back on my home world we had things called tires on what were effectively carriages. They were made of rubber, which is sort of like what your skin appears to be, and they effectively pushed water away from the points of contact, increasing grip. Fascinating that you have that naturally though. Human skin can sort of replicate it, but it requires a lot more water, and it isn't nearly as defined."

My words seemed to please Oku, because the glowing creature walked a little more upright as we finally came to the top of the stairs.

"Emperor Adam, Lady Alya," he said with a low bow. "We are here."

The stairway ended at a large oak looking door which Oku pushed lightly until it swung wide with a big creaking sound. Despite the noise, it seemed that the hinges must have been well oiled or otherwise magically manufactured, because both of the huge doors were at least a foot thick. And yet they swung so far out, they nearly slammed into the walls on either side.

"Whoa..." Alya said in amazement. "It's so big!"

I fought back a snicker at my newest wife's comment, saying, "Alya, you haven't seen Castle Clear yet either. And haven't I impressed you in other ways too?"

Immediately, Alya blushed a furious crimson and her eyes darted to mine. "Sorry, Adam," she said bashfully. "I didn't mean to--"

"Alya, it's fine!" I said with a laugh, wrapping my wife in my arms. "I'm just messing with you. Frankly, I think it's pretty impressive too."

Together, we stood and marveled at the change that had come over Artam Castle. The last time I'd been inside the gates, I'd barely had time to examine the courtyard let alone any of the rooms. But you get a good feel for castle architecture after being inside for very long.

I'd not only seen a good number in my short time on Limar, but I also still technically lived in one.

The room that the tunnel let out into was bigger than I expected, more lavishly furnished than I expected, and was in all other ways pretty impressive too.

The distant ceiling stretched far above our heads, held aloft by spans of thick wooden beams that glowed a honey gold color in the stained glass windows on either wall. Between the huge stained-glass windows there hung at least two dozen tapestries which were each twenty feet long and about eight feet wide.

The tapestries showed scenes of general labor and diligent work, to my surprise, instead of the military ones that I would have expected Artam to have hung there. We were greeted instead with scenes of farmers using broad plows to till fields, plant seed, and then harvest the grain.

As my eyes traveled around the room, I knew that Oku was feeling even more pleased with himself because he started to hum before stepping light away and leaving through a door opposite ours.

"If you will both please make yourselves at home," he said while gesturing to a wide table laden down with all varieties of food, "I will send for my mistress. She is a busy woman but should arrive within the hour. In the meantime, I will send word that your armies are to be allowed within the city gates. I cannot allow such a large host inside the castle, unfortunately. The space is simply not large enough to host as many as you are rumored to have. However, word will be sent to the bakers and the meat merchants to properly outfit your men with the food they require after a long march. Meanwhile, your family and friends may join you here."

Without another word, he stepped outside and closed the door quietly behind him.

"Well, you've got to admit this is unexpected," I said with a chuckle once I heard the latch engage. "Shown personally down a tunnel that's supposed to be hidden into a castle we expect to be an enemy's. Then we're given food and a place to talk while our armies are let into the city gates, fed, and our family's let into the castle. Who'd have expected this?"

"You're right," Alya said softly, eyes falling to the platters of food on the table. "Do you think it's poisoned?"

"Doubt it," I said, then reconsidered. "But assuming this all might still be a ruse, it could be. He's told us the armies are welcome in the city, but we're still just going off his word. I wonder how high up we are now. The last several flights of stairs were twisting like ones you'd find in a tower, and they weren't slick like the earliest ones."

Alya shrugged and I went to a window to see the view. Though the stained glass would normally have been tricky to see through, I quickly found a pane that was set with clear leaded glass in between the brightly colored segments. I frowned as I realized that we must be in some tower or other because below me the city spread like a quilted blanket.

"Check this out," I said, gesturing to Alya by my side. "You can see the whole city from where we are."

Alya came swiftly but was a foot too short to see out of my pane. It wasn't the worst thing in the world, lifting a beautiful woman easily by the waist so she could see better.

"Oh!" Alya exclaimed with a giggle as I lifted her. "I keep forgetting how strong you are, Adam!"

"Yeah, yeah," I said with a laugh. "Stop struggling and enjoy the view."

"I'd rather look at you, honestly," Alya said, giving me a kiss on the forehead before turning to the window. "But, okay. Oh, look! Well, I guess you can't be with me in the way. Oku must have been telling the truth. I see the city gate opening down there, and a messenger riding out really fast. Wonder what sort of horse he's riding? I've never seen one with so many heads."

"Really?" I asked. "How many does it have? You sure it wasn't just winged like Drago?"

Alya shook her head and gestured for me to set her down. "Look for yourself."

Pressing my face against the window, all I could see down there was a main street that buzzed with activity. But I couldn't see anything that looked like our strange guide, Oku.

"Must have gone out of sight already... Hold on, that was fast," I said as I watched the strange creature reappear on the road. Only this time I noted the distinctly fiery hair of my gorgeous pyromancer wife behind the rider. "Looks like Oku was telling the truth. In the distant trees I can see the army moving closer, and it looks like that messenger's bringing Harmony with him." I paused for a moment, then sighed and said, "Warns me off of pissing the gods off ever."

"Oh?" Alya asked.

"Yeah," I said and briefly explained my theory about this being a result of Artam betraying the parley contract. Finally, I got to the end of my story and frowned. "Though it doesn't exactly explain why breaking that contract in sight of the gods would be so important. The last month or so, all my text updates have gone screwy, and they're sent by the gods."

"Sounds like someone's been messing with the rules," Alya agreed, and I shrugged.

"That's what Asmi concluded too," I said before the sound of a door opening drew my attention.

"Well wasn't that a trip!" Harmony declared from the doorway. "Normally, I'd have just ridden on Drago, but that horse scares me. Always been more of a dog person, myself?"

"Dog person?" I asked in surprise. "You've never mentioned wanting a puppy."

"Darling, I said dog person, not puppy person," Harmony said as she walked over and kissed me long and hard. "Nice to see you both got here safely. I got the gist of what happened from the messenger, but it sounded too strange to be real."

"Adam was right," Alya said. "The underwater portion was just barely long enough for him to hold his breath."

"Adam's always right, unfortunately," Harmony cooed before smirking at me. "One of your best, and most annoying qualities. Just kidding, darling. I love it."

We briefly related what had happened to us since diving under, and Harmony hummed along the whole time.

When we finally reached the end, I asked, "But what was that thing you rode in on Harmony? Alya said it had multiple heads, but I couldn't quite see it properly."

"Just a cerberus," Harmony said as though it was a simple answer to a simple question. "What? Don't give me that look. Colette's been going on for days and days about all the new creatures that are supposed to be entering the Game now that the caverns have opened up. Surely, she's mentioned it to you?"

I could only shake my head. The number of things that Colette had bottled up in that beautiful head of hers made me dizzy to think about them all sometimes, though at least a cerberus was a creature that I was familiar with. Better that than something that required a lot of explanation, like a Geodesic Saracel.

As I shook my head, Harmony's eyes danced around the room and Alya, who apparently figured that Harmony's presence was enough to trust the food wouldn't be poisoned, went to check out the spread.

"Look at all this!" Alya said from the table, holding up what looked like an entire roast leg of lamb dressed in some sticky sauce. "And Hardrick said he was going to be hanged for withholding grain! They could feed a dozen soldiers on this feast alone!"

She wasn't wrong, either. The wide table was so full of sumptuous looking fruits, and delicious looking fried vegetables that you could have gained five pounds just by looking too long at it. And that wasn't even touching on the platters of roast meat with their sauces, either.

A brief survey showed me not only the leg of lamb that Alya was tucking into, but also beef short ribs drizzled in a red wine sauce and topped by sprigs of rosemary, mountainous piles of shredded pork shoulder in a glazy barbecue looking sauce and--

"Are those chicken wings?" I asked, moving towards the table and lifting one between my fingers. Slipping it into my mouth, I suppressed a groan of pleasure as the savory sauce mingled with the crisp skin in a symphony of flavors inside my mouth. "Gods, it is! I had no idea they knew how to make chicken wings on Limar... and this sauce!"

Curious, Alya and Harmony both approached and lifted the wings to their lips before gently nibbling a bit off the end. They didn't so much groan when they tasted the delicious flavor as they did full on moan and they swiftly devoured the remaining meat off the wings, as though they couldn't get enough.

"Hey now," I said in a mock hurt voice. "I've only heard either of you make those noises when I'm inside of you."

"Just think what noises we'd make if you fed us one of these beforehand," Alya moaned softly, swiftly reaching down and grabbing another wing.

I chuckled when Harmony followed her, then listened when my wife gagged on the wing.

"What, now you're gagging on them too?" I said mockingly. "I know chicken wings are delicious but come on ladies!"

Harmony desperately shook her head, her red hair flinging around her face beautifully. Then she pointed up at something ahead of her.

"Look at that one!" Harmony said happily, pointing to a tapestry above the doorway that Oku had used. Strangely, I hadn't noticed it before. But now that I had it was difficult to look away.

I'd described the pastoral tapestries as men using broad plows to till fields, but the one that Harmony pointed at looked more like men plowing broads.

"Quite the scene," I said, placing a hand on the small of my two wives’ backs. "Even if it does look like you'd get hay where you don't necessarily want it."

The scene shown on the tapestry above the doorway showed a man thrusting his member deep into the waiting pussy of a farmgirl. The pair lay in a golden field of wheat, with the woman on top. The woman he was currently seeding had her back arched to push her breasts out as far as she could, and also grind her pussy lips hard into the man's waist, no doubt attempting to get the head of his cock as close to her womb as possible. Beside the two lovers, several other women waited and watched eagerly, pleasuring themselves or each other.

"Well, at least we know that whoever Oku’s mistress is has a similar mind to me," I said with a chuckle.

"Hey, what are we, chopped liver?" Harmony declared, fixing me with a grin as she put her hands on her hips. "Not like the ladies in that tapestry are having a bad time, either."

"No, you're not chopped liver," I said as I wrapped my arms fully around both women's waist. "You're both my lovely, sexy chicken wings... Which yeah is a sentence I never expected to actually get to say."

Harmony and Alya both giggled, and then the door beneath the tapestry opened slowly and the figure of Artam walked into the room with us.

Quest: Kill Champion Artam.

Details: What, you want me to break it down for you Adam? This is pretty self explanatory.

Rewards: 50,000 IP with Cask.

5 Levels from Artam’s Corpse.

Well, so much for a mysterious mistress, or an honest servant. Seems we were duped the whole time.

Chapter 25

Now That's What I Call A Mistress!

ARTAM CASTLE

FOR A SINGLE MOMENT, Artam stood in the doorway with his hands on his hips and his mouth a long, thin line.

Alya and Harmony both pressed close against my side, placing their palms flat on my powerful chest. I could feel their fingers trembling. I glanced down at Alya and saw her eyes wide with fear. Then I glanced down at her chest and noticed her blushing.

"Not your tits," I muttered, doing my best to speak so she could hear me without fully moving my lips. "You've got my knife down there, don't you?"

A look of understanding flashed across Alya's face, and I could feel Harmony's body grow rigid as she tensed her fingers. Leave it to my beautiful redhead to be ready to burn a castle down at the first sign of trouble.

Far from moving into the room, Artam simply stood where he was and stared at us. Any moment now, I knew that he'd be joined by guards or soldiers or that damned Oku.

"Saulie?" I murmured to Harmony and my wife nodded stiffly, swirling fire in both hands as Alya's hand leapt to her bikini top.

In a single instant, the three of us acted together. Alya and I lunged forward, my mermaid wife's fingers clasped tight around the dagger hilt while my arms were drawn back in fists. Harmony slammed her hands out toward Artam and out of the corner of my eye I saw the flaming lava ball of Saulie spray forward alongside us.

Saulie flew forward faster than a bat who'd just spotted the world's tastiest mosquito. A bare moment after he appeared the lizard type creation smacked hard into Artam's head, burning a patch of skin and singeing a reverse mohawk into his hair. He slid off the back of Artam's head and smacked against the wall in the corridor beyond, disappearing in a splatter of red lava.

Even though I had intense super speed, my increased height and muscle mass made getting up to that super speed take a bit longer than one might expect. Since Alya was so much smaller and more slender than me, she had better acceleration. I was super speedy, but she had the acceleration.

The sharp knife she clutched snicked out, slicing Artam's throat so cleanly that barely any blood sprayed out before she too dodged away before he could deliver a blow in retaliation.

Meanwhile, I may have been slower to speed up, but I was a damned freight train once I got up to speed.

"You fucking bastard!" I bellowed as I charged him.

While Alya had leapt over the table in a surprisingly catlike manner for a woman who was actually part fish, I bulled my way straight through the large obstruction. With a single lift of my arms, the whole wooden table went sailing straight up to the ceiling and even though I was so tall now, I passed easily under it.

Summoning the bow of fire arrows didn't even cross my mind as I charged forward, anger fueling my rage until I came face to face with the man who'd tried to kill me once already.

I wouldn't let him have a second go at it.

My right palm sailed forward and a moment later I felt the charred flesh and burned, hairless scalp beneath my fingertips.

Not wasting any time, I slammed my hand forward and charged through the open doorway, sending Artam's skull careening into the wall where Saulie had just smacked in a wet splat.

I couldn't tell whether the stone wall was still warm because Saulie had basically exploded against it, or whether it was the fact that Artam's head struck it with enough force to pop it like a party balloon. Warm, gooey brains sprayed out from the force of the impact, covering my hand in dripping gray matter as it painted the marble stones a mix of red and pink where the brain and blood mixed together.

"Told you," I grunted, pulling my hand back to let Artam's body tumble to the ground. "You absolute--what the hell? Did you get stuck on a hook or something?"

Although I'd released my grip on his ruined skull, Artam's body still didn't fall. Instead, his body simply remained standing upright. Leaning left and right with a frown, I noted that it didn't appear to have gotten snagged on any sort of hook or nail in the stone wall either.

"Okay, that's unusual," I said, pulling up my open quests.

Quest: Kill Champion Artam and claim his castle

Progress: Complete

Rewards: 10,000 LP

100,000 IP with Cask

Unclaimed Hidden Rewards: Full ownership of Artam Castle

I groaned and rubbed my face again.

"I have a section for unclaimed rewards now, too?" I muttered. "How do I claim them then? They've always been applied automatically before. And what's all this about them being hidden? They're hardly hidden if they're now out in the open like that!"

A new box appeared, this time hovering perfectly over the bloody stump of Artam's neck.

Unclaimed Rewards require completion of secondary objectives unrelated to the primary objective. Secondary objectives may be hidden, as in this case.

I read the text once more then shook my head.

"Sounds like Asmi got relegated off my quest updates then," I muttered as Alya and Harmony strode up beside me and made gross noises at the sight of the slaughtered champion before them.

"Umm, Adam?" Harmony asked. "What's going on?"

"Yeah," Alya agreed. "Why isn't he toppling over? Are most champions like this when they're killed? I heard that you could claim their levels now. Do you have to do that before they fall?"

I shook my head. "Good guess," I said. "But no. There's a whole process to convert their bodies to pure levels. Isabel's handled it in the past..."

My voice trailed off as a dark, smoky substance began to leak out of the wounds on either side of Artam's smashed head.

"That usual either?" Alya asked nervously.

"I think we might want to back up," I replied, putting my hands on both women's hips and moving to make a swift retreat in case this deceased champion was still dangerous as some kind of trap.

"Good idea," Harmony agreed with a nod.

Retreating to the relative safety of the doorway, we watched in awe as the smoky substance continued pouring out of Artam's wounds like water from a leaky faucet.

The stuff was truly bizarre, and that was even compared to the other magical things I'd encountered on Limar already. One part smoke in the way it swirled and coalesced into little ribbons in the air around the wounds. It was also strangely liquid in the way it reflected the room's light.

"It's like looking at blood dissipating underwater," Alya said, putting words to the eerie sensation we were all observing.

"You ever see anything with blood that black?" I asked.

Alya shook her head, her fingers trembling as they slipped into mine. I was just thinking a more permanent retreat would be worth considering when the stuff abruptly stopped leaking from Artam, making a gross squelching sound as it did so.

The collected liquids remained floating in midair and then abruptly swirled together into one mass of black smoky water. Maybe it was blood and there was some water mage that was able to manipulate it? But then no, the stuff was way too black to be blood, at least human blood.

Suddenly, the collected pool lengthened and stretched, reforming itself in an instant until it resembled something distinctly humanoid. Roughly five foot five, with indistinct features, the thing stood before us.

Then it opened its eyes. It had weirdly normal looking eyes, for a creature that was made out of liquefied smoke, with blue pupils that scanned the three of us in a surprisingly hungry manner.

Then, the thing's face shifted, turning to glance over at the body that finally collapsed to the floor in a heap. A sound left it that was more like a gleeful smirk than anything I'd ever heard, and it turned to us again.

This time, I noted that the thing's body was more distinct. A narrow waist let out into wide hips. As it turned, I noted that what looked like an ample bust had appeared on what would be its chest. When it turned to us, I could perceive the faint outline of two full lips and a small button nose.

"Glad you finally got his notice," the smoke creature said in a voice that was both calm, collected, and also surprisingly feminine. "And even more glad that you did the smart thing and came to strike the heart of Cask. I'd be really disappointed in you if you actually decided to trust Artam twice."

The smoky body continued solidifying until I could perceive a narrow chin and long black hair that pooled on slender shoulders.

"You're Oku's mistress," I said, taking the world's most obvious guess. "And you've killed Artam."

"Right on the first," she said. "But oh, so wrong on the second. That's the important niggle about the gods' pesky rules. You might not have had cause to learn it yet, but claiming a slain champion's levels is basically impossible unless you're the one to have killed him. I suppose they didn't bother telling anyone since the odds of sneaking off with the body of a champion you didn't kill is about as likely as lightning in a snowstorm, huh?"

She spoke in a light accent, and as the smoky portions of her body started to fall away, I saw that she was almost agonizingly beautiful. Though her beauty was almost alien, or somehow manufactured. It was like her beauty was somehow more than a human woman could ever wish for, and also not what any normal woman would ever imagine she could look like.

"So, you wanted me and my wives to be the ones to kill him?" I asked, taking another stab at things. "Why?"

She raised her striking blue eyes to me and smiled prettily.

"Why, isn't it obvious?" she asked sweetly. "Your other wives may have provided dowries without calling them such, a kingdom here or children there. Nice gifts, but I have more to offer. I intend to give my husband anything he could want of me, and things he never even considered a wife could offer. Levels, in the Game of Castles, Adam. But, come now, there's so much more I have to offer you."

I frowned, gazing down at this strange, beautiful woman and glancing back at the crumpled corpse of a man I'd expected to be my main enemy until one of us killed the other.

"Information, Adam," she said. "I can also offer you information. But first, I'm not one to stand on ceremony. And I finally feel ready to take a husband."

She strode forward and placed a slender finger upon my chest, then drew it down my pecs and across my abs. Her touch was solid, for a woman who'd been smoke a few minutes before, and warm too.

Beside me, Harmony and Alya both clammed up tighter than, well, clams.

The woman raised her hooded eyelashes to my face, and I gave her a smirk.

"We can talk about marriage," I said slowly. "But before we start talking about much else, I'll need to know your name. And I’ll also need to know exactly what you are."

"What a smart, intelligent man you are," the woman half purred. "My name is Milena. As for what I am, my species are called mysts. We have the unique capability of controlling the bodies of other living creatures, once we weaken them enough. Don’t worry, though. I have no interest in controlling anyone else before I am wed. Now, come, and let us discuss things. Your wives are such beautiful things, too. They'll brighten my throne room."

With that, she turned and walked off down the hallway beyond. Glancing at Harmony and Alya, I saw both women's mouths working wordlessly as they processed the subterfuge, and the insane sexiness of the woman.

"Guess we weren't set up after all," I said with a chuckle.

"Well, you were kind of set up," Harmony said, shaking her head and finally able to respond. "But it's a different kind of set up than what I would have expected."

"Think we should hear her out then?" I asked.

"It would be foolish not to," Harmony replied.

When I turned to Alya, the mermaid's lips were still working wordlessly. I raised my eyebrows at her, and finally she gulped.

"Adam," she said breathlessly. "I don't know that I've ever seen anyone as beautiful as her. You can talk, but you've got to promise me you won't become a monogamist if you marry her... someone slender like me can hardly compete with that."

I could only chuckle as I leaned in to press my lips against Alya's full lips. For a few moments our tongues danced together. When we pulled apart, I gave her butt a final squeeze.

"I hereby promise that I will never take only one wife, Alya," I said before turning and slapping Harmony's ass too. "And I promise you the same, Harmony. Now come on ladies, let's go see just what sort of information this Milena is willing to offer us."

Chapter 26

Bride Price!

CLEAR CASTLE -- CASK

WE FOLLOWED the fascinating woman down several flights of stairs, making our way from the top of the tower to the lower floors. Along the way, I wondered why it was that the cavern entrance we'd used to enter the tower originally had let out into a high tower at all, and how we'd failed to notice it.

Then I spotted the first sign of a dead body that shouldn't have been here. I also spotted Coletter and Isabel standing beside it, with nervous looks on their faces.

“Hello ladies,” I said cheerfully, happy to see some more of my wives had made the trip safely. “Nice trip?”

Isabel chuckled and Colette blew a lock of hair out of her eyes. “Only you would say something like that while standing above a dead dragonkin,” she said testily.

"Is that really a dragonkin?" Harmony asked, rushing ahead to kneel down before the slain corpse of what looked like a human mixed with a lizard.

"It was," Milena confirmed, nodding to Isabel and Colette in turn. "He was annoying when he was alive. Useful now that he's dead, though. The eyes are gold, pure and raw. I thought they would be, before I killed him. You can include that in my dowry if you'd like. We monster races have little use for the stuff. It's so soft you'd never get it to keep an edge. I value blades over beauty, though I can see from your wandering gazes that I have beauty anyway."

"Really?" Alya asked, stooping down to examine the corpse and studiously ignoring Milena’s comment about her beauty. "I'd heard of dragonkin, but never expected to see one in the flesh!"

Milena turned back to smile warmly at me before she shrugged. "Is it really a dragonkin?" she asked. "Or are his eyes really made of pure gold?"

Neither woman responded and I bent low to examine the creature. True to her word, the wide open eyes were the dull gleaming yellow of pure gold.

"Gotta be hard to see with eyes made of gold," I said with a snort, deciding to not sully the body just yet by prying his eyes out. I could always send someone to do that after I heard Milena's suggestion.

"Probably less efficient than a normal person's eyes," Milena said. "They weren't good enough to see me coming, at least. Come on then, this way."

She set off again and we followed her through the many twisting corridors of what had been Castle Artam.

Along the way, I watched with interest as the furnishings changed back to what I would have expected. Clearly, Artam hadn't been able to run completely roughshod over all of Regor's former possessions. The closer we got to the ground level, the more of Artam poked through and the less of Regor abounded.

Then again, maybe it was that Milena had taken over the higher levels, reclaiming them from Artam's effects.

Finally, we came to a doorway, and I narrowed my eyes at the sight before us.

"Strange to see that Artam didn’t change this from the way Regor had it,” I said with a nod to the many wire chairs on which his many wives had once sat to drink their afternoon tea.

“I wouldn’t know,” Milena said. The supernaturally gorgeous woman paused before the opening instead of going through it. Tentatively, she raised a finger and moved it outside into the moonlit courtyard with a worried face.

Moonlight fell upon her skin and painted it a creamy white, like a dab of coffee poured into a large jug of milk.

“What are you worried is going to happen?” I asked and when she shot me a look I shrugged. “I can see the fear on your face, Milena. You may be able to control the bodies of other beings, apparently, but that doesn’t mean you have total control over your own features.”

My words caused a small smile to dart across Milena’s lips, then she withdrew her finger and stepped lightly out into the moonlight. The soft glow of the floating orb did some pretty gorgeous things to her own orbs. Her nipples stood out stiff and pink, casting thin shadows down across her large breasts.

“I am a myst,” she said with a small giggle of happiness. “That means that I am technically one of the monster races. You don’t know what happens to us when we see the sun, do you?”

I shook my head, but Colette squirmed with excitement.

“My research says that the monster races are supposed to go mad when they see the sun,” she said excitedly, like all this was a test that she knew she was going to ace. “Them being forced up from Limar’s subterranean caverns is supposed to be the thing that made them go wild. A little while ago, we learned that not all of them go mad, though. One of them even swore fealty to Adam.”

Colette’s voice trailed off as memories of Zorel flitted about behind her eyes.

“He’s gone now,” I finished for her, and Milena nodded.

“It’s probably no coincidence that he swore fealty to you, then,” she said as she spun in a little dance, enjoying the way the moonlight danced upon her skin. Frankly, I was enjoying it too. “I have it on good authority that the only real way to keep from going mad is to tie yourself to a champion. Apparently, it’s sort of like a way to cheat the Game of Castles system. But there are also a lot of potential edge cases that could save one from madness too.”

“You seem to know a lot about the Game,” I said, walking out and sitting in one of the wire chairs to watch the way her breasts jiggled when she turned. “Where’d you pick up that bit of info?”

“Grolio,” she said simply and when I raised my eyebrows at her, she explained, “Grolio is the god of the ground, and everything in it. Technically the caverns are in the ground, so we always worshiped him. When he told me you were his master... Well, let’s just say that I was impressed.”

“That’s not the only thing about Adam that’s impressive,” Harmony said with a smirk. My fiery redheaded wife walked around behind me and laid her hand on my shoulder. “I think you’ll find a lot about Adam is impressive.”

Milena smiled and brought a finger to her bottom lip while one arm slipped across her stomach just below her large breasts.

“Well, Grolio hasn’t told me everything about your husband,” she said slyly before turning to me. “I think you know that my marriage proposal is one part technical and one part out of necessity, Adam. But that doesn’t mean I’m not enthralled by everything I learned about you, nor that you failed to rise to my high standards. It’s also good to hear a man’s wives speaking so well of him.”

I chuckled lightly and spread my arms wide. “What you see is what you get, Milena. I might be a champion, but I’m not one to go around singing my own praises.” I chuckled again. “I’m a good fighter and a better general, but singing isn’t one of my strong suits.”

Milena’s smile widened. “Just as I would have it of my husband. So now, here is my offer of a dowry in exchange for becoming one of your wives, tying myself to you and joining your harem. I offer you the slain champion, Artam and all the levels that will come with his body. I also offer you a Cask that has few political operators left, making it perfect for Tolmerian control. I’ll throw in Yook’s eyes too.”

“Yook was the dragonkin’s name?” I asked.

“Just so,” she said with a nod before growing quiet for a moment.

“There’s something you want from me, in exchange?” I asked. “Allowing you to tie yourself to a champion isn’t enough?”

“No, it will be enough,” she said with a headshake. “The second thing I would have of you is a request, not a requirement. My home in the caverns, a city named Be’elz, is being threatened from without.”

Her voice trailed off and her eyes turned up to the stars and the moon high above. As she looked upwards, the soft light seemed to catch in her long, beautiful neck. Finally, she returned her eyes to mine.

“I would ask that you lead an expedition through the caverns,” she said softly. “I would ask that you try to discover what’s causing the magma to rise and threaten my city. I was their queen, before I made for the surface. I would be your wife, but a part of me will always remain with the citizens of Be’elz. I ask that you do all you can to save them.”

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting this request. I figured it would have been something along the lines of allowing our child to rule some section of my lands, solidifying her reign.

“I can’t promise that I’ll be able to find out exactly what the problem is,” I said slowly and she nodded eagerly. “But Cask is a jewel almost as beautiful as yourself, Milena. You’ve also done me a great service in letting me slay Artam and claim his levels. But I am a married man, and I have to ask my wives for their opinions too.”

“Duh!” Harmony practically shouted. “Go for it, Adam! I mean, come on! How often do you get to explore a city filled with monster races?”

I felt her fingers trembling excitedly on my shoulder and from the lit hallway Colette gasped so excitedly that she nearly dropped the crystal containing Artam’s essence.

I could only chuckle and shake my head. “In that case,” I said, “it seems everyone’s mind is made up. I will marry you, Milena.”

As though directly on cue, a text box appeared before my eyes.

Marriage Proposal: The myst, Milena of Be’elz, offers her body in wedlock to Adam Clear of Tolmeria.

She offers the following dowry: Unbridled control of the Cask region, two golden eyes of a dragonkin, and the already provided levels associated with the body of deceased champion Artam.

In

Do you accept her proposal and add her to your growing harem?

I confirmed the prompt and as it disappeared I chuckled softly.

"What is it?" Milena asked me.

"Nothing much," I said, rising and taking off my shirt. "Just that your request really was just a request. There's nothing in the contract prompt about it."

"I would never lie to my husband," she said, fingers trailing across her stiff nipples. "But first I think we should consummate the marriage contract, right? Artam’s old rooms are just through here…”

Chapter 27

Gorgeous Onlookers!

CLEAR CASTLE – CASK

FAR FROM THE yes-no-yes act that Alya was so fond of, Milena was more…. Let’s just say that she presented well. Shit she cleaned up better than a five star French Maid service catering to the rich and famous. But I could still see the monster hiding just behind her baby blues.

Only this monster didn’t intend to eat me or kill me, at least I was pretty sure that’s not what Milena wanted. What she clearly wanted more than anything else at that moment was to fuck me, to have me claim her and add her to my large harem of beautiful women as my first bride from the true monster races.

And I wanted to fuck her just as much as she wanted to fuck me.

She moved to pounce on me as soon as Alya had closed the door behind her when we were all in the bedroom. Her eyes flashed dangerously, and her pink tongue licked hungrily at her red lips.

But I knew that I couldn’t let her set a power precedent so early in our union and especially not in front of my other wives.

So when I noted the flash of lust and hunger in her eyes, the predatory gleam, I knew I had to nip that in the bud and right away.

With a single glance, I communicated through my eyes that I was going to be the top dog in this relationship, the head honcho, or the big cheese. She was going to be valued, but she was going to belong to me and not the other way around.

Her eyes flared back, daring me to prove with actions what my look communicated. So, I did.

Striding forward swiftly and confidently, I wrapped my hand around her neck. Making sure to only apply pressure to the sides of her throat, and never to her windpipe so I wouldn’t accidentally cut off real air to her lungs, I looked into her eyes. If this wasn’t what she wanted, she could always turn to mist and escape.

But one look at her shimmering hungry eyes told me that this was exactly what she wanted.

“Yes, Adam,” she purred as her long fingers came up to scrape hungrily at my forearm. “Prove to me that you’re the boss here. Make me submit to you, force me to do it. Oh yes, Adam!”

I wasn’t one that exactly needed any more reassurance than that.

“Oh, I’ll show you,” I growled as I moved her submitting body swiftly over to the bed.

In a single instant, the backs of her knees hit the edge of the bed and then she tumbled backwards onto it. Her body bounced slightly as the bed settled beneath her, making her full breasts jiggle with the motion of the ocean. Her long black hair spilled out like an oil slick all around her comically sexy heart shaped face.

“Oh yeah, like that,” she said in a husky groan. “Yes, fuck me like I exist for your pleasure, Adam. Make me yours in every way. The Creator only knows how long I’ve yearned for a man, a real man, to put me in my place. For him to show me that he’s worthy of me, and not some simpering fool like Yook or the others.”

“I’ll show you all right,” I growled back, running my fingers down her thighs and making her arch her back in pleasure. “I’ll make you feel it with every inch of me. And I’ll make sure my wives see me do it.”

Milena made a little snapping motion at me with her teeth. Meanwhile, with her hands, she grabbed the two halves of her shirt and ripped the cloth off of her tight, toned body and her full breasts.

“You like what you see, yes?” she said in another low purr. “I worked so hard on this body of mine. Put so many hours into making myself as gorgeous, as sexy as possible, all so that I would know that the man who earned me would know how unique I am.”

“Oh yeah, and what does a man have to do to earn you, Milena?” I replied, then turned my head to see Alya, Harmony, and Colette standing in various stages of ‘help, I’m so turned on that my girl juices might leak down my legs.’ “Come on over girls. You heard the lady. And you all have my permission to play with yourselves while you watch, too.”

Alya moaned at my words while her legs quivered hungrily. Colette and Harmony moved more swiftly over, shedding shirts and pants along the way as their fingers started flicking at their wet pussies.

“You’re really not going to get my pants off before they remove theirs?” Milena groaned, drawing my attention back to the sexy myst in my new bed.

“Don’t worry, Milena,” I replied as I lifted a hand to squeeze one of her full, round breasts. “I’m going to make sure you get just what you asked for, being owned by me.”

Milena growled her approval even as her hand shot up to grab my forearm squeezing her breast tight. She gave me the hungriest look yet, and I grinned then released her tit and moved to her pants next. The button on them was a tricky thing, but I managed to get it undone one handed. I slid her pants all the way down her long legs, all the while never letting go of my grip on her neck.

“Fuck, he’s so hot,” I heard Alya mutter behind me under her breath.

“Fuck she’s so hot,” Harmony responded.

“You’re all hot as fuck,” I corrected the room. “I don’t want anyone thinking they’re less than the others.”

A chorus of moans and sighs greeted me. I moved my fingers beneath the lace trim of Milena’s panties. I wondered briefly whether these came from her home in the subterranean caverns, or whether she’d stolen them from one of Regor’s old wives.

Then I realized that was a completely stupid train of thought to follow and slipped a finger into her dripping pussy instead.

“Oh yes, Adam,” Milena growled, using her grip on my finger fucking forearm to pull my digit further into her own subterranean cavern. “Fuck that’s it.”

“Someone sounds eager,” I said as I hooked two fingers inside her and began making a come hither motion. “I’ve got to make sure you know I’ve earned you, remember?”

“Mhmm,” Milena agreed through tightly closed lips as her body responded to the pleasure of my touch.

I was going to make sure this monster woman had something done to her that she’d never even considered a possibility. I started working my hand in that come hither motion faster and faster.

Above my fingertips I felt the small patch of slightly rough texture that denotes every woman’s G-spot. I rubbed back and forth on that patch while pressing up into her pelvis. I doubted Milena had ever even heard of squirting before. I was excited to see how she reacted to the sudden flush of emotions, and girl cum, that was always included with a successful squirting climax.

“Adam… what are you?” she said between ragged panting breaths. “What is that… It feels so weird… It feels so good!”

Milena’s tight channel was getting wetter and wetter by the nanosecond as her gorgeous body prepared to cum all over my fingers.

“You’ve never squirted before, have you Milena?” I asked as I started to get my whole arm in on the action. Her grip on my forearm had long since flagged, and her fingers lay limp on her toned stomach.

“I-I don’t know,” Milena panted. “I’ve never heard of it before. What’s squirt- Oh fuck!”

In a single instant, Milena’s pussy was drenched with her beautiful girl cum as her pussy clamped down on my fingers, spasming uncontrollably and leaking all over my palm.

“Fuck is right,” Alya panted behind me. “Fuck her Adam. You’ve got to. Fuck that looked so hot!”

I grinned and shook my head, amazed at how much simple techniques like these could make women come apart for me.

Milena’s mouth was opening and closing silently as her chest heaved, her breasts bouncing with her orgasm. Finally, she started to settle down and just as she did so, I dropped my pants to my ankles and angled my cock head straight at her glistening opening.

“Fuck Adam,” she exclaimed through ragged breaths, “are you going to just stand there or are you going to-“

A gasp of shock and intense pleasure rolled from her the very instant I pushed myself into her. She was so wet from squirting for me that I slid in without the merest hint of resistance. It was like her pussy was the world’s smallest, tightest slip and slide, and my cock was the only thing at the water park.

“Oh shit!” Milena gasped as I thrust fully into her, taking her to the hilt in one smooth but forceful motion that contrasted perfectly with the smooth but controlled way I’d fucked Alya. “Gods, you’re massive Adam!”

“And you’re tighter than I thought you’d be,” I replied as I began pumping my hips, dragging my cock in and out of her glistening pussy while my balls smacked against the lower halves of her tight ass. Her drenched pussy was making erotic sounds with every thrust. Every time I withdrew flecks of girl cum splattered out from her dripping cavern. “I worried that making you squirt like that would loosen you up. Glad to see I was wrong in that one.”

“I’m-always-gonna-be-tight,” Milena said through ragged breaths. The sounds of my wives flicking their respective beans behind me added to the slick chorus we were making on the bed. “Always-tight-for-husband.”

Milena’s breathing wasn’t the only thing starting to go ragged. As I pounded her dripping wet pussy again and again, I started to feel her narrow channel pulsing with every thrust. Meanwhile, the sounds of moans from my other wives pleasuring themselves as they watched me fuck my newest addition were so sexy it was half driving me mad. Clearly, it was doing the same for Milena. I saw her open her eyes as her pussy clenched down the tightest it had ever clenched upon me, even tighter than when I’d made her cum with my fingers.

“That’s right, girls,” Milena growled, leaning up using her elbows so that her large and full tits were on full display for her admiring audience, “finger yourselves while you watch our husband fucking me crazy.”

I was surprised to hear her voice so authoritative when she was apparently about to cum, especially when it had been ragged only half a minute earlier. But there was no denying the sudden spasming that her tight pussy unleashed around my shaft a moment later.

Milena’s whole chest writhed as she came for my cock. Her pussy clenched down on me like a vice before coming totally apart and spasming around my shaft in pulses so fast they could have outraced lightning. Her tits bounced and heaved with every pulse of her fluttering lips, but she kept her eyes open the whole time.

Being something of a connoisseur when it came to watching women orgasm, this surprised me. But then I remembered that I was fucking a woman who was literally a member of the monster races, and that surprises should so expected that they wouldn’t ever really be surprises.

Still, it was hyper hot to watch her tits bounce like that while her eyes scanned the room, alighting on each of my wives with the hunger that I’d seen earlier. Milena must have loved to be watched, which was something that would prove useful in marrying into my harem.

But if I thought keeping her eyes open was going to be the most surprising skill she had in her back pocket, I’d failed to consider what skills she could hide in other orifices.

Suddenly, the spasmic fluttering of Milena’s tight pussy faded away. And it was replaced with a rhythmic, ball draining pulsing.

“Milena,” I growled as her pussy pulsed in steady rhythm around my raging hard on. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“You’re not the only one with secret techniques, I see,” Milena replied in a growl of her own. “You like the way I use my pussy to pleasure you, Adam?”

The pulsing continued, adding even more pleasure to the already heightened pleasure of fucking a gorgeous woman’s tight, wet pussy after you’d made her cum twice. Every thrust now had her practically trying to draw the cum out of me.

“You little minx,” I growled, feeling my body react to her ministrations in the only way it knew how. “You had this up your sleeve the whole time, didn’t you?”

Milena flashed me a dangerous smile as she started to move her toned stomach up and down in time with her rhythmically pulsating pussy, adding to the pleasure.

“You’re close then?” she asked coyly, and I growled in response. “Then, in that case, let me give you a show to cum for too.”

Without another word, she leaned back on the bed and grabbed both tits in her hands. She began massaging her full breasts, squeezing them and moaning until her stiff nipples poked up between her slender fingers.

“That’s a hell of a show,” I growled, feeling myself coming closer than ever to blowing my whole load inside the outrageously sexy monster girl.

“You’ve earned it, Adam,” was all Milena had to say in response. “You’ve earned everything I have to give you. So enjoy cumming inside your new wife while she puts on a show for you… and for our audience.”

“You make it hard to resist,” I said as I felt my balls pull up and my cock swell huge inside the gorgeous woman. “Let’s give you what you asked for.”

With that, I shot my load deep into Milena’s dripping pussy. I swapped out the girl cum that had been coating her moist walls for my own cum as I splattered her insides with my seed. Burying myself up to the hilt inside her wet canal, I pumped load after load into her love tunnel, making her arch her back and writhe with pleasure the whole time.

Behind me, I heard my other wives cumming along with me. A chorus of moans filled the bedchambers as we all orgasmed together, proving the old adage that a family that cums together, stays together.

For what felt like a good two full minutes, I unloaded into Milena’s dripping hole, pumping her so full I was half surprised that I didn’t see a swelling in her belly just from sheer volume alone.

And, when I finally pulled out of her, I stumbled back to sit in a nearby chair and admire my work. While several pairs of tits pressed in around the back of my neck, I watched the still form of Milena lying in bed with her legs dangling off the edge, while a line of my cum dribbled down them. It was a great sight, for sure, and I was almost pissed when a new quest prompt temporarily blocked the view.

Quest Update: You have successfully joined in union with the Myst woman, Milena, adding her as a wife to your champion status.

Quest Rewards; Milena is now tied to you, body and soul. This means that she is able to go about aboveground in full sunlight without fear of going mad. Additionally, you have made yourself the ruling monarch of Be’elz, the monster city below the ground.

New Side Quest: Milena has requested that you take a force down into the subterranean caverns to liberate your new city of Be’elz from whatever forces are set against it. Mostly, this includes stopping a magma flow from overflowing its bounds and turning the city to ash. Of course, there could be yet more threats as well. But you’ll just have to discover those as they arise.

Probably more swiftly than I should have, I banished the prompt and groaned when I saw that Milena had sat up in the time it took me to read it. The monster beauty’s breasts were still heaving as she fought to regain her breath.

“You’re quite the prize,” I told Milena with a smirk. “Techniques like that, and you’re a queen to boot. I count myself lucky.”

“You could,” Milena agreed as she returned my smirk. “But we both know that you’re not lucky, not really.”

“Oh yeah?” I asked. “Then what am I?”

“Prepared,” Milena said simply with a shrug. “No man who’s simply lucky could have earned my body. I’ve met lucky men before, and they were fools. You’re no fool, Adam Clear.”

I chuckled with a headshake. “No, I suppose I’m not.”

Then I yawned, stretching my arms over my head and almost accidentally clipping Harmony’s jaw with my fingers. I looked up to see the pyro beauty’s breasts hanging in the air above my head and smiled at the sight before addressing Milena again.

“I just got a quest update about your request for Be’elz by the way,” I said, and she raised an eyebrow.

“Do you still mean to accept my request?” she asked in a surprisingly timid voice. “I know you don’t have to, now that I’m joined to you anyway.”

I fought back a chuckle as I said, “I’m a man of my word, Milena. I said I would and so I will.” I yawned again, though this time I avoided poking any floating heads above me. “But let’s tackle that problem in the morning. Right now, I think I need about two day’s worth of sleep, just to let my body recover all the cum you coaxed out of me.”

Chapter 28

Well, That's One Way To Look At It!

BE'ELZ OUTSKIRTS

"IS EVERYTHING ALL RIGHT, HUSBAND?" Milena asked me at what may have been noon the next day, though it was nearly impossible to tell in the general gloom of the subterranean caverns.

I shook my head. We’d lingered in Cask long enough to gather a large force to embark on our quest towards the subterranean city of Be’elz. Banners fluttered from polearms all throughout the city, eagerly awaiting our departure.

Zeth had proven himself a minotaur of action, or at least of fatherly inclination.

“Elomi’s due any day now,” he’d begun saying after the second day of what amounted to a mini staycation.

By the fourth, the bulk of his forces had set off North with him once more. This left my own forces mostly alone in the city, along with the few lingering Cask soldiers who hadn’t been quartered in the towns along Tolmeria’s border, awaiting orders to invade which would never arrive.

Six days after what was supposed to have been the original invasion, a small dot had appeared in the eastern skies.

Drago had flapped down onto the castle parapets with a whinny, extending his neck for a carrot that I didn’t have, while Ormis dismounted and relayed his information.

The news from Farli was mostly calm, but that was apparently more down to Drefius and Carr acting swiftly and decisively to slaughter the random legendary beasts that were popping up. Fortunately, they seemed to be somewhat less intense than those that I’d fought in my first few months on Limar.

“Something about them being all bloated and dead inside,” Ormis had reported with a shrug. “Apparently they’re mostly sickened and weak. Doesn’t mean they’re not still a threat, but Carr and Drefius are both professionals. Now, as for the Varren and Eldorian champions, they’re not so professional. I’ve got it on good authority that both got themselves killed. That’s why the trade’s all messed up.”

I had nodded at Ormis’ report and considered whether or not to send troops into the neighboring regions to claim them for my rule. But in the end, I’d decided that it was better to concentrate forces where I knew they were needed than to spread them out and potentially leave my lines open to being broken into.

The end result of that concentration, combined with the Vertikal mines getting production numbers up, meant that I was now supported by several companies of archers, soldiers, and knights riding horses with actual horse armor on them.

I shook my head and glanced at Milena before giving her a smile.

My newest wife was seated atop her cerberus mount, riding beside me and Drago. She was wearing a pair of tight fitting traveling clothes that did fantastic things for her large tits and her round ass. Between the clothes and the strange loping way her mount moved, I half wondered if Milena was simply showing off for me.

It was, to say the least, a bit distracting. But it was the kind of distraction that men the world over had always welcomed, and I wasn't exactly complaining.

I waved a hand distractedly, and her cerberus mount's leftmost head growled low, making Drago whinny in annoyance. I patted the pegasus' neck and scratched him between the ears to calm him down while shooting Milena a look.

"Sorry about that. Bad dog!" she said, yanking on her custom made reins to get the misbehaving head to chill out. "Let me come around to your other side. His right head's much less antsy. It's always been the calmest one in the trio."

Milena adjusted the reins to slow her mount then moved around to my left side. Drago kept turning his head the whole time they were out of sight, adding to his worry. But once she pulled up on my left side and the rightmost head yawned and started panting happily, Drago finally started to calm down.

"That better Drago?" Milena asked and Drago knickered happily. Then she met my gaze. "Were you simply worried about Drago, Adam, or was there something else on your mind?"

I frowned, pondering how to respond. I was in an unexpected situation, and there's no doubt about it. Not that long ago, I'd expected to be feinting around behind a man who'd already betrayed my trust. Now, I was leading what could reasonably be construed as another invasion force down into subterranean caverns with a queen from the monster races.

"I'm fine, I think," I said easily. "It's just a bit of rapid adjusting that I need to do. Not the first time the situation on the ground's been way different than the one I expected from reports."

"Oh?" she asked as she batted her eyelashes at me. "Didn't expect to win a beautiful myst wife when you stormed into Cask?"

She flicked her long hair and let it fall in long tresses. Okay, now I was sure that she was showing off for me. Again, not that I was complaining.

"Not really, no," I said with a chuckle. "And you're not just beautiful, Milena. You're like an 11 out of 10. Kind of crazy, how stunning you are."

"That'll be the myst in me," she said with a giggle, clearly pleased with herself. "Myst are unnaturally beautiful to humans. Normally, it's so we can steal human men away and take them to our lairs, then devour them and walk the surface in their bodies. Well, historically at least."

"Sort of rings a bell," I said, gesturing around us at the darkened cavern. "An outside observer could reasonably say that's exactly what you've done with me, too. You offered me gifts to marry you, then used your womanly guiles to steal me down into the caverns to your old city of Be'elz. Seems to me the next step would be to kill me and devour me."

She laughed lightly and responded, "You don't sound too concerned about all that though. According to your logic, would that make you brave, Or would it make you foolish?"

"I think it'd make me logical more than anything else," I said with a chuckle. "You'd have a hard time killing a champion with his guard up, especially one who rides with seven companies of knights, two companies of archers, and has a literal god in his forces. Trying to do anything down here would mean your death before it would mine. And anyway, we had the same story about mermaids back on my home planet. Alya is one of the most beautiful and devoted women I've ever met. I'd be shocked if I saw her even consider doing anything nasty to me."

"Hey!" Alya shouted from behind us. "I heard that! I'll have you know we mermaids are a fierce folk. I just happen to have an excellent taste in men!"

“As does mistress Milena,” Oku added from beside her. As usual, the okui servant managed to remain eerily calm despite the homecoming.

I chuckled and Milena smiled prettily. "Then you should count your lucky stars that I have exactly the same taste in men. But what's bothering you?"

I shook my head, considering my response. "It just takes a little while for me to adjust when so much happens that I didn't expect. I was still prepared to wreak havoc in Castle Artam, but instead I kill the champion owner of the castle, marry a myst woman who was controlling his body, claim the region, and embark upon a massive expedition into the bowls of Limar in search of whatever's causing a weird collapse." I waved a hand. "It's just, kind of a lot to adapt to."

"Sounds reasonable," Milena said, then pulled her reins back when another cerberus appeared ahead of us down the narrow passageway.

"Halt, in the name of the Be'elz Council!" a hag mounted on the cerberus called.

He carried a staff with a crystal set into the top and a banner fluttering beneath it. The banner had a single cavern opening stitched in gray thread set against what looked like a wide blue sky.

Needless to say, we didn't halt. And not because I wanted to show strength either. It seemed unreasonable to halt an entire army so a single messenger could ride towards us. Much faster to have both parties continue towards each other.

We met up to him in no time, and it was he who halted his mount. The massive three headed dog snorted with all three heads and the middle one licked its chops like it expected us to be its next meal.

"Good to see your mount's got guts," I said to the messenger with a chuckle. "And I didn't know hags came in male forms?"

The messenger didn't respond to me. His eyes remained trained on Milena.

"Queen... Queen Milena!" he was finally able to gasp. "We thought that you fled the city!"

Almost immediately, he dismounted and bowed low to Milena.

"Hello there, Cobald. Good to see you haven't neglected your scouting post," Milena said. "And address all correspondence to my husband, your new king."

The hag's eyes went wide as he pivoted towards me and gave me a crisp bow.

"My apologies, your highness," he said swiftly as he adapted to the new ruling organization. Then he addressed Milena a final time. "Is Yook with you, my queen? The pair of you disappeared at the same time. It's been a nightmare keeping the city in line with the pair of you gone. Varka's halted nearly all trade until he can get a handle on things."

"He never was fit to rule much," Milena said before adding for my benefit, "Varka's good with numbers, an ogre with an exceptionally quick mind for sums. Alas, however, Yook is not with me. Nor will he return I think."

The messenger gulped and I said, "Take us to Be'elz, if you would, my good hag. I promised my queen I'd discover the source of your city's troubles, and I'm a man who keeps his word."

"O-of course, your highness. Please, follow me."

Cobald led us down the tunnel towards the slowly growing sounds of what I assumed was this city, Be'elz, that Milena had told us about.

Though the passageway was twisting and turning, with several winding segments spread about it for good measure, none of us were ever confused about where we should go. This passage didn't have the problems of the one Alya and I had followed Oku up.

Like many of the cavern passageways, it ran exclusively towards the city, even if it didn't run straight there, technically.

As though she could read my mind, Milena said, "Cobald's father was a great explorer, one of the first hags to find side passages around the lava lake. He allowed Be'elz to engage in trade with far-flung kingdoms that we'd only heard about in old stories. Just let him lead for now. It makes him happy, and having someone who knows their way around the place happy is worth its weight in gold."

"Oh?" I asked with a smirk. "And how much does that gold weigh, do you think? About two eyes worth of gold?"

Milena narrowed her eyes at me. "Are you messing with me, Adam?"

"Wouldn't ever dream of doing such a thing," I said with a broad smile. "I love all my wives and take their concerns to heart like a soldier takes an arrow to the knee."

"That means he trusts us to not take arrows to the knee!" Harmony shouted from behind us. "We've all gotten pretty good at it!"

Now it was Milena's turn to chuckle, though she only had a few moments to do that before her laughter turned to a sigh. Up ahead, Cobald had reined his cerberus up short and lifted the banner.

"Queen Milena," he said raising the banner a tad higher, "and King Adam, welcome to your own city of Be'elz."

Milena and I trotted up to the edge of a wide shelf of what looked like granite and I felt my heart thud in my chest.

I'd seen a lot of things since I was reincarnated into the Game of Castles. I'd seen pirate ships and gods of chaos; I'd seen my own wives create massive ice flows; and I'd entered a contract with a literal god.

The city of Be'elz still didn't fail to disappoint.

The whole city looked like it was carved straight out of the very bedrock that we stood on, only unlike the skelkie city we'd seen earlier this had all the outward appearances of being constructed of normal buildings instead of spires of rock hewn with rough implements.

And that wasn't all, either. In the ceiling, the various crystals that had provided easy reinforcements in the skelkie city here glowed in reds, whites, and blues.

"Not too shabby, is it?" Milena asked with a smirk that I could even hear in her voice. "Beats the hells out of that dump I conquered in Cask."

I grinned, turning to my newest wife so I could finally stop gaping at the industrious looking cavern city.

"Regor was much too cunning to have a useful home," I said with a chuckle. "And Artam cared way more about being gruff and unyielding for a comfortable one. He was always on the offensive-"

"Which is why a cunning monster woman could so easily slay him?" Milena asked.

"Doubt it," I said with a headshake. "More likely he was too arrogant to think that anyone could attack him from below."

Milena tilted her head at me.

"He must have encountered a lot of things in the caverns on his way from halfway across the world to my doorstep," I explained. "Knowing his type, he assumed that the things he encountered on the way were the only things that lived down here. He probably conquered a few skelkie cities, not much unlike me, and assumed that all the monsters living in the caverns were dangerous in numbers, but so blind that they couldn't do much on a one-on-one basis. Someone like you, well, I doubt he could have seen you coming from a mile away."

"Oh, he didn't," Milena said with a grin. "Now, come on and let's go see what's changed in the few weeks I've been 'missing,' yeah?"

I grinned, and we followed the lead cerberus down a big sloping road from the high perch on which we sat. The city of Be'elz seemed to stretch for miles and miles, and in the distant portions I noted the relatively uniform colorations on the buildings, which came from the crystals overhead, were mixed with a distinct red hue.

"The magma must be even higher than when I left," Milena said bitterly.

"Whatever's causing it," I said, resting my palm on the small of her back, "if it's possible to stop it, we will."

"Thanks, Adam," my wife said as she scooted her rear into my palm. "It's nice to have someone who wants to look after you, you know?"

"Always," I said, and we continued onwards.

The roadway twisted in about two dozen switchbacks as it wound its way lower and lower, leading to a wide section made of smooth stone.

Two large spires rose on either side of the wide section of smooth stone. Each was engraved with figures of various monster races busy at their work.

On the right hand one I saw kobolds busily measuring out liquids between alembics and vials, ratkin scribes busily scrawling notes on long sheets of rolled parchment, and ogres reshelving books in a grand library.

On the left hand one, skelkies, anthril, and kalatchi and werewolves mingled in a large field filled with flowers. It appeared that this group was setting out to have a picnic or something like that, since I noted what appeared to be woven baskets set atop checkered mats in the middle of the field.

"I don't know that I would have believed any of this, when I first arrived," I said, turning my eyes to face forward again.

"Oh?" Milena asked from my side. "What would you have believed when you first arrived, then?"

"Mostly that the whole of Limar was one big, gigantic swamp," I said. "With some castles and unruly dukes scattered about. I killed a hag like our guide on my first day, you know."

"Well, we can't all be perfect," the lead hag in front said with a laugh. "Bet whoever it was deserved it."

"She was trying to kill me, too," I admitted with a shrug.

Milena laid her hand on my bicep and stroked up and down the length of my arm with soft fingertips.

After the two spires with their engravings, we next encountered a huge gate made of black stone slabs at least a foot thick apiece and nearly twenty feet tall.

"Onyx," Cobald explained. "Mined in the far east and brought here at great expense. Yet it was nothing to the great city of Be'elz, my king. Be'elz is strong and rich, and powerful enough that we can move these massive blocks as though it is nothing.

"Nice to know," I replied, craning my head back as the great stone slabs were opened wide.

Beyond them, the city spilled out like a huge carpet being unfurled in a warehouse. The wide stone road that we were mustered on ran on in a long line forwards, while smaller roads sprang away from it on all sides like it was a tributary leading to a great ocean.

Signs cut, surprisingly, out of wood hung from overhangs on both sides of the wide roadway. I could see a good number of citizens ambling aimlessly between them.

From the looks of the signs, the lettering on them was carved to be extra large. I figured that this must have aided in legibility in the cavern's poor lighting.

But either the larger lettering wasn't working, or something else was seriously wrong inside the city. The shops selling shields appeared lucky to have a handful of patrons, while the ones selling knives practically thronged with poorly dressed types. An armor salesman on the right had literally one person inside, and I couldn't be sure that it wasn't just the owner, while a second-hand shop appeared to be doing a good business in empty wallets and bloodstained shirts.

The large crowd of people thronged about the street, tuned high and on edge as I trotted Drago through it. Several eyes glanced onto and then off of me like I was oily water, falling on Milena. Gasps uttered from several people in the crowd at the sight of their old queen returning, when it was assumed she'd simply abandoned her people.

And when those eyes traveled beyond Milena to the army at my back, friends tugged on their companions' shirtsleeves and pointed. Gasps erupted from the crowd, and suddenly the tense arrangement of peoples grew taut with worry and fear.

"I think you should say something to calm them," I muttered to Milena. "They know you as their queen, after all."

She nodded and rode her cerberus mount to the front of the line.

"My citizens of Be'elz!" she declared, voice ringing high and powerful in the enclosed cavern city. "I have returned to you after time away, and not empty handed! I bring with me a new husband, your new king! He has pledged his support of my cause in discovering the plagues that beset our people! Soon, all our troubles will be over!"

Milena spoke loud and clear, and a hush fell over the crowd as she spoke that let her words echo across the crowded street, bouncing to and fro until it dwindled into silence.

Muttering started to grow from the crowd, growing louder and louder by the second.

I heard words like 'king' mixed in with mutterings about the council, and the name Yook. The previously silent crowd began to seethe and twist, sending ribbons of anger and doubt and fear from it like illness from a dying man.

Seeing that we'd be in for a fight against an unarmed mob if it was allowed to continue, I trotted Drago forward and raised a hand.

"Citizens of Be'elz," I said in a loud, clear voice. "I know you do not know me, and I am likewise ignorant of your ways. But I know poverty when I see it, and I know desperation too. Though I am a stranger to the caverns beneath the surface, I am a conqueror up above. And I am more than that, too. Wherever I conquer lands, I provide peace, stability, and good fortune."

Slowly, the tentative crowd began to settle down again and their dark mutterings began to turn hopeful. I smiled.

"I have no interest in conquering for no gain," I continued, "but I also have little interest in claiming regions that want only more strife. Tell me, do you love the poverty that I see all about me? Do you love stripping the dead of their wallets, their bloodstained shirts, to resell these items for pennies?"

"No," a kobold child near me muttered, swiftly stowing a short sharp knife in a holster at his waist.

"No!" an old female hag with great swinging teats echoed somewhere from the crowd's center.

"Never!" a ratkin merchant holding a set of scales declared as he held the weights aloft.

"Then you will never be poor again!" I shouted, raising a fist high and receiving a cheer in response from the crowd.

All at once, it seemed that the hungry, nervous crowd pressed in all around us. Be'elzans rushed towards Milena and me, falling to their knees with their hands clasped in front of them. Children far back in the crowd leapt up and down, shouting excitedly.

I turned back and said to my logistics officer, "Be careful handing out food. I want everyone here to get a roll of bread and a bit of hard cheese to go with it. A glass of water, too, if we can afford to give it out. Make them form an orderly procession, and try not to kill too many in order to keep them calm and orderly."

The man nodded and I felt Milena grip my arm. "What do you mean, try not to kill too many?" she asked sharply. "Why should you kill any at all."

I glanced at her then waved a hand over the massing crowd. "Group like this, hungry and thirsty, isn't likely to make things easy. We need to keep them orderly in order to make sure everyone gets some, but no one gets too much. That's hard to do at the best of times, and these are hardly the best."

Slowly, the crowd began to form lines in front of supply wagons. This cleared a space in the center of the road for a small group to continue on into the city. But before we could do so another messenger rode up.

This one rode a spotted lynx with fangs the size of coke bottles and he heeled the creature as soon as he came up to us.

"Queen Milena, King Adam," he said with a double bow. "I'm glad I found you before anything happened. The council has news for you both, not good news either. Please come with me."

Chapter 29

Zombies!

BE'ELZ COUNCIL CHAMBERS

THE OGRE NAMED Varka bowed so low his large beard brushed against the burnished copper floor. Milena chuckled happily while I sighed and motioned for him to stand back up.

"Your highnesses," he said. "It is such a pleasure to see you again especially my queen."

He clutched a clay tablet to his chest and I raised an eyebrow at it while Milena gave a low curtsy. She was apparently better at the whole royalty thing than I was, which wasn't too surprising.

"The pleasure is all ours, Lord Varka," she said with a smile. "It's good to be back."

"Good to have you back," Varka responded. “And surprising to see you in the company of a fellow ogre. Good to see you, sir.”

“Good to be seen,” Ormis replied with a chuckle. “Better to have a place to lay my head, though. Though being underground does do my old knees good.”

Varka responded with a chuckle of his own while Ormis dipped into foot touching stretches. I cleared my throat.

"What's on the tablet?" I asked, trying not to sound like I was rushing things. "Milena tells me you're a wizard with numbers. She says you can make them sing."

Surprisingly, this made Varka blush. Ogres look odd when they blush, something that I now realized I'd never seen Ormis do. The gray skin went all washed out and sickly looking. Honestly, I half worried he was going to be sick all over the copper floor.

"Her highness is too kind. I live to serve," he said.

"Sounds like someone's got competition for Milena's hand!" Colette giggled, rubbing my forearm. "I haven't seen someone blush like that since, well, since I thought of you while looking in the mirror."

My studious wife nuzzled my arm, and I chuckled. Varka looked shocked.

"I would never come between my king and queen!" he said haughtily. "Besides, we ogres generally prefer a woman with more... flesh. No offense intended, highnesses."

Milena giggled. I shrugged. "I'd only take offense if you implied my wife had more, how'd you put it? Flesh? Now, about making those numbers sing. What reports do you have for us?"

Now Varka looked forlornly down at his tablet. "Alas, I can't make the numbers sing, either. Or at least, I can't make them sing a happy song." He glanced up at me and gave me a weak smile. "Tell me, your majesty, do you appreciate funeral dirges?"

"Not much of a fan of the bummer kinds of music, if I'm being honest," I replied with a hand wave. "Just give it to me straight, Varka. What are we working with here?"

"Very well. Please, follow me into the council chambers, and I can sing you as pretty a song as I can get out of these numbers."

Varka led us without ceremony through the great underground castle that housed the city government. Inside, it was actually brighter than outside, and I found I didn't need to use my text prompt in order to see where we were going.

All around us, crystals were set into the very stones themselves and glowed so brightly the underground compound looked more like it was late afternoon. Compared to the near-night that we'd dealt with until now, this was so bright it almost blinded me.

Once we'd reached the council room, Varka sat across the long table while Milena, my other wives, and I all sat as well. Ormis, who was becoming practically energetic now he was underground, remained standing.

"You know what Ormis?" I asked as I turned in my chair to stare up at the large ogre.

"No, what?" Ormis responded, chuckling at his own joke.

"I think seeing you so energetic is the craziest thing I've seen down here," I replied with a chuckle of my own.

Ormis shrugged, while Varka slid the tablet across the table to Milena.

"It's hardly surprising," Varka said. "Ogres may live on the surface, but our natural homes are down here. As a species, we are born of the caverns and get most of our energy when we don't have to compete with the sun. Which, speaking of, do you mind my asking where you went all this time, Milena? We've had troops out searching for you since you disappeared. But none turned up the smallest hint of your presence."

Milena smiled a thin smile and shook her head. "A beautiful woman needs her secrets now, Varka," she said as she ran her fingers daintily through her long hair.

"Just so," Varka said, nodding. "Now, the reports. Be'elz has never been in a worse way. Not in my lifetime, not in my father's. We have a population that's on the brink of collapse. Trade's gone sour with Te'em. The glow grain blight that settled in last season hasn't gone away. Lost a good three quarters of our harvest, and the stores are running dry. We're basically out of untainted water. Word is some folks have started tearing the boards up off the wells and lowering cups down to drink anyway... Well, you can imagine how that's gone over."

Milena's face darkened. "And the magma levels?" she said sternly. "We can be overrun with maddened monsters till the glow cows come home, but it won't matter if our whole city is swallowed by the magma."

Varka shook his head gloomily. "That's the worst thing," he said. "You were, it seems, totally correct about the magma."

Milena slumped forward in her chair. “Then it hardly matters whether they’re drinking by the cup or the gallon from the wells, doesn’t it? We’ll all be burned to a crisp before the madness can set in.”

“That’s what makes the magma levels the worst thing, highness,” Varka said solemnly. “It seems that the rising magma is putting pressure on the water table. Even those wells that haven’t been boarded up have started leaking. The water water runs over the edges and spills out into the streets.”

He shook his head miserably and I frowned. “And what’s the matter with that?" I asked. "Seems to me the best way to deal with a thirsty populace is to open up the wells. Has it been poisoned?"

Varka raised an eyebrow, while Milena laid her hand on mine. "It has, in a way," she said. "But we can't be sure what's causing it. A monster who gets let out into the sunlight generally goes mad in a few days. But one who remains underground, in the caverns, can live a whole lifetime without difficulty. Now some who drink from the wells, well, they start to act like monsters let out onto the surface."

She shivered and I narrowed my eyes, shoving my chair back and moving swiftly to a nearby window. The cavern outside the window was dark, even compared to the relative dimness of the room, but even so I could see shapes moving erratically out there.

As I narrowed my eyes, I began to see the shapes of various monster races roving about. Apparently, word had gotten round about my order to feed the populace since the general direction of movement was out towards the large city gagtes.

But even as I watched, I noted that we could never have brought enough to really make a dent in the hunger and thirst. The monsters moving west to the city gates were bone thin, with gaunt faces and clothes that hung from their shriveled skin like they’d been left out to dry on a line.

They would not reach the fabled stores in time to sate their hunger, and they knew it. It was written as plainly as a quest prompt across their faces.

But the water pooled at their feet. They had to splash through it in order to get where they wanted to go.

They might be able to sate their hunger, but they could slack their thirst.

And, one by one, they did.

“How long does it take?” I asked sharply.

“How long does what take, highness?” Varka replied.

But Milena’s eyes were wide. “Depends on how many drink at once,” she said. “We obviously haven’t been to study the phenomenon that well, but it seems that it as soon as one turns, that monster turns others.”

“Like a domino effect,” I said solemnly and I pulled my bow of fire arrows out of the ether.

“What’s a domino?” Milena asked.

In a single moment, all hell broke loose on the wet street below the council chambers’ windows.

The Be'elz citizens went from hungry for food to hungry for blood in about a second flat. My soldiers were forced to adapt on the fly, which I was thankful to see they mostly did.

Newly minted armor shimmered in the dim lighting as units formed lines with spearmen holding big hoplite shields rapidly organized. Over their heads arrows flew by the wagonful, lancing down into the thronging mass of rabid Be'elzans.

Meanwhile, Cobald, who stood guard outside the doorway knocked roughly on it.

"Stay where you are, highnesses," the hag said from outside. "They're coming, but I won't let them through this door!"

After that there was a series of grunts, several snarls, and a big clanging sound that was followed by a slightly less big squelching sound.

"There you are, you big brute," he said again. From the sounds of things, he'd been successful in fighting off whatever had attacked him.

I moved from the window and was just about to try the door when all the people in the room suddenly grew as stiff as stones. Even the twinkling crystals set into the roof and walls stopped twinkling and glowed a steady color.

"Long time, Adam," Asmi said as the diminutive god of barter stepped out of a shadowy corner. "You're looking well."

I blinked down at him. Part of me wanted to chastise his bad timing, but another part was curious about something. Asmi didn't sound like his usual self, and his shoulders drooped so low it was like he'd been weighted down with dumbbells around his neck. Something had clearly caused him to become completely exhausted.

"I wish I could say the same about you," I said with a head tilt. "What's the matter, Asmi?"

Asmi sighed and pulled one of the low chairs beside the table out. When he sat down on it, he sighed again, louder than before. He pressed his hands into his face, rubbing at his eyes.

"I never thought that becoming a god would have been such a drag," he said tiredly. "Been up for three days straight, just trying to coordinate with everyone. The Creator isn't happy. You've never seen her pissed, have you Adam?"

I shook my head and he chuckled darkly.

"I'd advise against it." He shuddered. "Turns out all this stuff with the quests not updating properly, the legendary beasts that are pouring out onto the surface of Limar are connected."

I nodded, pulling a chair back and making to sit down as I laid the bow of fire arrows across my lap.

"Been pushing the Creator to allow me a special quest update," Asmi continued at length. "If she wasn't so pissed with Chaos, I honestly doubt she'd have allowed it. She claims it's unfair to the Game, the rewards would be big enough that whoever accomplished the quest would be sure to win the Game of Castles. One million Lord Points aren't anything to scoff at..." He met my eyes and smiled weakly. "But then again, neither is killing a god."

Then, I got the strangest and most patently ridiculous quest I’d seen in all my months in Limar.

New Quest: Hunt Down and Kill the God of Chaos

Details: After researching the situation for a long while, the Creator has learned that the God of Chaos is putting his hand on the scales. Apparently, it's pissed that both its old champions have already died. The plan, such as it is, is to sow so much chaos in the Game of Castles that the Creator would be forced to do a restart. Apparently, this restart would allow it to get new champions. Or that was its plan at least.

Needless to say, she's not happy. But there's good news too! Much like Grolio, the God of Chaos was forced to give up his immortality in order to meddle with things. He can be killed, and the rewards for doing so are big, big, big!

Game of Castles Reward: 1,000,000 Lord Points earned from slaying a god.

1,000,000 Influence Points on Limar writ large, earned from everyone finding out you slayed a god.

1,000,000 Gold Coins (see above.)

Special Item Reward: Sword of Chaos. An Excalibur style gem studded blade with a special chaos effect. Chaos effect transmutes enemies wounded by the blade into other items at random. How cool would it be to slash an ogre and have it spontaneously turned into a teacup? Or maybe even another sword of chaos? Roll the dice and find out!

"That's a hell of an offer, Asmi," I said after I'd read the details twice over. "A million LP, IP, and gold coins means I'd be well set up to steamroll the competition."

Asmi waved a hand and stood again with a yawn. "This world won't see steam power for decades yet," he said with a grin. "At least, not if you don't have anything to say about it. But, yeah, the terms are very agreeable. Unfortunately, it's an open quest though."

"Open quest?" I asked.

"Yeah," Asmi said. "Remember the Creator's threat to Grolio, if he wanted to start disobeying you?" I nodded. "Well, it's like that but set up for the whole of the Game of Castles."

"So, every champion currently living has been given the same quest?"

"Yep. But don't worry too much just yet," Asmi said with a grin. "I have it on good authority that the God of Chaos is actually pretty close by. Apparently, he's related to this magma level problem your newest wife kept going on about."

Asmi bounced his eyebrows at me, thankfully getting back into the groove a bit and acting more like his usual self.

"Okay, so what about it?" I asked. "Is the God of Chaos forcibly pushing magma levels higher? That sounds like a surefire way to get yourself killed, assuming that he can be killed now."

"I said it's likely related to the magma levels, not the cause of it."

And with that, Asmi stepped back into the shadows and time resumed its usual flow.

"Adam?" Alya said tentatively when I suddenly appeared in a completely different position from a moment earlier. "Wha-what just happened?"

"Just had a visit from my god. He can be temporally challenged," I said with a shrug, while my eyes snapped towards Milena. "Milena, did you say that hag Cobald knew his ways around the secret passages around here?"

"His father knew them better," Milena said with a headshake, as she came to terms with the simple idea that I'd occasionally enter a completely different time space than she occupied. "But I think we can ask him?"

Without waiting for any more permission, I opened the door and found the male hag standing guard right out front. On the ground before him lay the twitching corpse of what must have been a werewolf, when it was alive.

Cobald jumped and spun as soon as the door opened, brandishing his sword towards me. I caught the blade's end easily between my fingers.

"Whoa there tiger," I said with a chuckle. "Let's take it a bit easy there."

The male hag jumped back again and immediately started apologizing.

"Your highness!" he stammered, sliding his sword back into the sheath at his belt. "I'm so sorry, I thought you were going to remain inside."

"Huh, no worries there Cobald," I said with a chuckle. "But you should know that I'm not just going to sit there and let my forces fight for me. I'm an emperor on the surface, and a king down in these caverns, but I'm also a champion. I don't shy away from a fight. Which is why what I'm going to ask you might sound odd at first."

The hag bowed his head. "I would never consider judging my ruler," he said earnestly. "What would you have of your servant, my liege?"

"Queen Milena tells me that your family knows the passageways in these caverns?" I said with a grin, and he nodded. I clapped him on the shoulder, then swiftly raised my bow to shoot another werewolf snarling at us. "In that case, I'd like you to take me as deep as we can go. Milena wants to stop this magma level, and I kind of want to go kill a god."

Chapter 30

Gods-Damned Caverns!

BE'ELZ OUTSKIRT PASSAGES

MILENA WASN'T LYING when she said that Cobald knew his way around the city, but I could tell from the astonished look on her face that she didn't expect just how much he knew about it. How much did he know about it?

Let's just say that I put ten guards on the hag, to make sure that he survived whatever we'd find all the way down here. If he died, I was pretty sure none of us would ever find our way out again.

"See that there?" he said as we turned a corner in our currently twisting, snarling passageway. "The wall on our right is hugely heated. I believe some of the magma lies beyond it."

I stepped up to the wall and raised my hand. But I didn't need to touch it to feel the heat that rolled off it in huge, rolling waves.

"You won't hear me arguing with you," I said. "How far down are we?"

"Probably two hundred feet, your highness," Cobald replied. "Though the passageway goes much further yet. There's a wide area close by that could be useful for staging troops while we prepare to press further down."

Harmony squirmed her way to the front of the group and laid her whole cheek alongside the heated wall. "Mmm!" she giggled happily. "Feels nice and warm down here. I wonder if I could swim in magma?"

"I'd advise against it," I said with a chuckle that earned me a narrowed glance in response. "What? Even if I thought your body could handle the heat, and even if I wasn't against seeing you step totally nude out of a magma pool, I kind of doubt your hair would survive the trip. I like you as a redhead. No offense, but you wouldn't look that great bald."

That sent Harmony giggling even more.

"Well, shall we?" I said, gently pulling my wife back from the superheated wall.

"Yes, let's," Alya agreed. "I don't exactly love all the heat coming off that wall."

So, yeah, we just kept on going. Cobald led the way as usual with my group of guardsmen flanking him on all sides, pikes raised. The hag looked like he didn't love the attention, but he also looked like he'd rather have it than not.

After a short while longer, the narrow passageway opened abruptly. We were greeted with something so completely different to what I'd seen before that I gasped.

Cobald turned back to us with a big smile on his face, then spread his arms wide. His eyes shone mischievously.

"Welcome," he said in a grand old voice, "to my father’s best kept secret."

Milena stepped forward, her jaw nearly dropping to the floor in her amazement.

"Cobald," she said slowly, "this place is..."

"Pretty damn sweet," I finished for her.

It was, too.

While the rest of the spaced that we'd encountered inside the subterranean caverns had been universally inorganic, with the most interesting diversions coming in the forms of the glowing crystals that studded the cavern sides and ceiling, here it almost looked like we were outside on the surface again. The biggest difference was that, like the crystals in the stonework, everything that grew here was glowing in a flickering way.

The walls on my left and right sprinted away from me, opening up into a huge cavern, while the wall behind us shot upwards to a high away ceiling. Glancing right I saw what looked to be glowing green ferns sprouting from the very rock wall itself, complete with infinitesimally small spores that floated down from their fronds. Glancing left, I saw moss slick with dew and spotted with tiny glowing red berries spreading up and down the wall. Above us, crystals glinted in a ceiling that was so far away it looked almost like the night sky. Ahead of us, tall waving grasses showed the underground equivalent of an unmowed field.

Like the plants growing on the walls, the grasses were all glowing a soft yellow-brown color. In the distance, trees whose trunks glowed a deep brown rose from the cavern floor and backlit their leaves in a way that made my jaw practically hit the floor.

I turned to glance at Cobald, expecting the male hag to be wearing a smug expression at revealing such an amazing place. But what I saw in his eyes and his open mouth was that he was just as amazed by what he was seeing as we were.

"This is..." he said slowly before his voice trailed off.

"It wasn't like this the last time you were down here, was it?" I asked and he nodded. I rubbed my face and gestured to a scout wearing a set of newly minted and well oiled armor from Vertikal, an upgrade to his previous black chitin armor. "You there, start exploring this area. I don't know what we'll find here, but clearly none of us does either. We'll make camp near the entrance in case we need a quick escape."

The scout nodded to me then saluted and moved off sneakily through the tall waving grasses. A moment later, he disappeared into the glowing hues and the shifting stalks made shadows dance across the faraway ceiling.

Our camp was established in a matter of minutes. Since we, I hoped, wouldn't be down here for a long campaign, I didn't direct most of the usual amenities to be provided for. Not that I could have had those amenities even if I wanted them.

This far beneath the surface, we wouldn't be exposed to burning sun or driving rain. We also wouldn't be able to find any nearby streams to water our horses at or dig so much as a child's approximation of a well. And that wasn't even to mention the simple fact that I had no idea whether we could even trust the water all the way down here. It sent the monster races going mad. While that didn’t mean it would do the same to humans, I decided that the risk reward ratios were tilted against trying it.

Therefore, our camp was sparse and usable. The two kegs filled with good water were set in the center of a small ringfort made from wagons and a few of the glowing trees that we chopped down. Inside the ringfort the tents rose above the outer protective wall, with my banner fluttering the center of the camp.

I waited patiently for the scout to return, irritated that I wouldn't have the use of my Game of Castles table in order to immediately view the updated map. My foot must have been tapping pretty much constantly, because it drove the soldiers away from the tents and left me alone with my wives.

Even Drago snorted and trotted away.

Finally, a rustling in the grass announced the messenger's return.

The man trotted up to the edge of our fort and removed his helm, showing a nasty gash along one cheek.

"That looks like it could be infected," I said as I walked out of the camp and clasped the man's forearm in greeting.

"Feels like it, too," the man said then shrugged. "It's not from an enemy. At least, not one that can plan. Nasty bat-like thing soared out of a tree branch I was trying to climb, well that I did climb, I guess. It scratched me with a claw. Anyway, I have a report for you, emperor."

I nodded and released the man's hand, gesturing towards camp.

"I want to get you to a healer first. No offence but I really don’t want to find out that your cut is poisoned. We need as many good men in this fight as we can get," I said and together we headed inside my command tent.

Inside, Cobald sat before a low campaign desk with a quill in one hand and his chin in the other. He looked up when we walked in and held up the parchment he was marking.

"I think I've got the rough outlines of this cavern down correctly," he said while showing us the rough outlines of a cavern, with several branches darting off from it at weird angles. "I can't be totally sure it's all still correct though, especially since the last time I was down here there weren't plants all over the place."

"Looks good enough to get started with," I said. "Work with this scout to fill in the details he's got to add to it. Meanwhile, I'm going to go find a healer for him. That wound's starting to glow, and I don't think that's exactly a good thing."

The scout gave me one final bewildered look before holding a hand to the gash. I wasn't lying. There was a certain faint glowing coloration that was starting to spread from the cut flesh.

"We'll get you a healer, don't worry," I said before leaving the tent.

A few minutes later, one of the best healers in tow, I reentered it to find the scout and Cobald leaning over the paper map. Where before only the rough outline of a cavern had been visible, now I saw all the various varieties of vegetation that one should expect to see on a map coming into focus.

Several copses of stencil thin trees sprouted beside what looked like a small path, while low waterfalls with the word 'magma' written next to them told me they wouldn't be good for either drinking or moving supplies.

The healer made a tutting sound, since the wound was definitely starting to glow brighter now, and then set to work. To the scout's credit, he only winced as ointments were applied to the spot. All the while he directed Cobald about what features lay where in the underground cavern.

I took a seat opposite the diligently working pair and did my best not to scrunch up my nose when the odor from the salves and ointments punched me straight in the nostrils. I wondered briefly whether most of the healers on Limar had lost their sense of smell, then examined the map.

"So far as I can tell," the scout said while pointing to one end of the map, "this is the most likely place to find the god of chaos that you're so keen on killing."

He pointed to a small, crudely drawn figure of a castle. Out front of the structure, I saw a big moat with the words 'magma' written alongside it drawn in fine stencil. The road, such as it was, wound its way through copses of trees and over superheated brooks and streams.

"That's a pretty defensible position," I said with a frown, pointing at the structure. "Looks like it backs straight up to another wall, is surrounded by a moat of actual lava, and is protected from most sides by thick forests. They could provide some cover for troop movements, but I bet they'd make mustering big forces mighty difficult."

The scout nodded, then pointed to the wall behind the castle structure. "It gets worse," he said. "The wall behind it is so studded with glowing crystals that it'll probably blind any attackers, while leaving them easily visible to defenders. It'd be like attacking a castle into the sun."

I tapped the map several times, looking here and there for any sign of possibility and coming up with basically nothing. On a whim, I said, "What about this small passage behind the castle? Any chance of getting in there and attacking it from behind. I know it'd kind of be a killing tunnel, since we'd only be able to attack in small numbers, but maybe we could retain the element of surprise? I don't like our odds in a frontal assault much more."

The scout shrugged, but Cobald shook his head.

"There aren't any that I know of," the hag said. "Dad always wanted to explore more than he was ever actually able to, but he never told me of multiple entrances into this area. Damned shame, too. The bigger problem’s going to be the defenders though. I’m pretty sure I heard a Spearopat cry when I got as close as I dared. And I could practically feel the ground skittering with lots of little legs. My guess is there’s at least a geodesic in there, too. Maybe only one if we’re lucky."

"Hate those odds,” I said with finality. "But I’ve killed both those beasts once before, and I can do it again. We’ve got no time to plan anything greater, so looks like it’ll be a frontal assault. Let me go tell the troops."

Chapter 31

A Chaotic Assault!

CAVERN CASTLE

I COULDN'T EXACTLY SAY how long it had been before the troops were well positioned in the forests outside the big imposing castle, since there wasn't sun to use for a reference point. It felt like it was only a few hours, but it must have been more, since we'd managed to strike camp and use the wooden defenses to build siege ladders and boards to cross the magma moat.

Look, it wasn’t like I liked this outlook. I knew wood burns, and if you wound up plummeting into a water moat you could at least sometimes scramble up onto the far back. Your odds of surviving a tumble into magma were effectively zilch. But we didn't have a lot of choice in the matter. There wasn't a way for us to attack the castle from the rear. I wasn't foolish enough to think that'd be the same for all champions.

If some other champion found his way into that narrow passage, he'd be able to strike the castle before me and could potentially slay the god of chaos, earning the game winning rewards for doing so.

The one thing I had going for me that no one else did was my use of my golems.

"You're sure you can hold it for long enough?" I asked Grolio.

The mortal god gave me a grin.

"Who are you to question a god, Adam?" he asked. "Of course, I'm sure."

Beside the big golem of a god, Golem and Icey both waited. The plan for our current assault was to have Grolio spawn and maintain a land bridge that would stretch across the magma moat in one section, while Icey and Golem both attempted to cool the superheated rock enough for two other bridges to be constructed in different sections of the castle.

Assuming that part of the plan held, my troops would move forward and erect siege ladders ASAP, and my forces would hopefully be able to swarm the castle with minimal losses.

"I just don't want us getting cocky, Grolio," I said with a frown. "Better safe than sorry when you're trying to cross a moat literally filled with magma."

Grolio grinned. "You puny flesh creatures are so brittle," he said with a chuckle. "A little heat would only fire my spirits more!"

"Yeah," Harmony quipped from my left. "It'd fire you straight from moldable clay and soil into something like pottery. You look like you'd make a pretty awful vase, Grolio."

Grolio just grinned and bowed as he stepped away to prepare for the assault.

Quest Update: You've discovered the location of the God of Chaos, and for the time being you manage to maintain the element of surprise! He doesn't yet know that your forces are marshaling in his very forests, but if you take much longer in preparing he will soon.

Attack now and use your every advantage to steal troops into the castle walls. Though killing a god won't be as easy as all that, having men at your back definitely couldn't hurt!

I turned my attention from the massed forces towards the castle across the glowing moat, heeding the update. I didn't want to spend too much time in preparation. I also didn't want to rush headlong into a fight without knowing exactly what I'd be up against.

The castle itself looked more or less usual, at least as far as a castle in a cavern, surrounded by a moat of magma could look. It was more or less the sort of place that I'd be happy defending, with many turrets and towers, not to mention a gatehouse that looked like it had a murder hole stocked with yet more magma.

Only problem was, I wasn't defending it. I was attacking. And the multitudes of glowing crystals behind the main structure brought to painful memory my fight against the Geodesic Saracel.

"The god of chaos must be responsible for all these legendary beast spawns," I muttered. "And that means I could end up fighting almost anything inside his walls."

"Yeah, you could," Milena said from my right. "But you've got another bit of protective luck on your side."

"Oh yeah?" I asked. "That's right, I've got Drago!"

Then I leapt on my pegasus mount and left my newest wife to chuckle, knowing I'd got the upper hand on her that time.

Drago snorted and leapt up into the air, while I gave the signal for Grolio, Golem, and Icey to start forming bridges across the moat, lurching up with surprising speed even for a pegasus of gigantic proportions.

Tree branches snatched at my face as he shot upward, with some of those weird bat type creatures slicing the skin on my cheek and drawing blood.

"Damn, those sting," I said with a grunt while I waited for my champion's physique to rapidly heal my wounds. Then I heard a scream from behind me and felt two hands wrap around my waist. "What the hell?"

I whipped around, seeing the smiling, mischievous, and gorgeous face of Milena swimming into view behind me.

"Uh, hi Milena," I said, my words getting muffled when Drago's sharp ascent caused some leaves to smack me in the back of the head. "What... what are you doing?"

"Helping, duh," Milena said while sticking her tongue out at me. I frowned and she waved a hand. "Let me try to explain my thinking. You're going to be the front line of your forces, storming into that castle, right?"

"Yeah?" I said. "And that's the most dangerous place to be."

"And the most useful, for a woman with my skills," Milena said confidently. "Just think about what adding a legendary beast to your assault forces could do for you! That's what I'm good at, Adam."

"Wait," I said, my mind trying to readjust to the new situation in the short flight before we crossed the castle grounds. "You can control legendary beasts, too?"

"Well, I controlled a champion," Milena said with a shrug that made her large boobs jiggle in a very distracting way. "Controlling a legendary beast shouldn't be that much harder, right?"

I shrugged and said, "You're the expert here. But I know one thing's for certain."

"Oh, and what's that?"

"You're keeping your pretty little ass planted in this saddle," I said, shooting her a mischievous grin of my own. "I'm not going to have you fall out in this dive."

"Dive? What di-ohhh!!!"

Drago's face tipped sharply downwards, and we plummeted out of the sky even faster than we'd risen into it. Milena squealed into me, pressing her face so hard against my back that her nose was going to leave a mark. Her arms squeezed my stomach so tight that her grip nearly knocked the wind out of me, even with my champion's strength.

Down and down we went. Then we went down some more. As we neared the castle’s parapets, I gritted my teeth since I saw a bunch of those ‘tiny’ crystal like spiders scurrying about. That probably meant the scout’s hunch was correct, and there’d be at least one Geodesic Saracel somewhere inside, too.

“At least they can’t fire arrows, right?” Milena asked when her eyes beheld the scuttling insectoids.

“Cold comfort, for such a hot cavern,” I replied curtly as I yanked Drago’s reins to pull up again. A couple little spiders leapt ineffectively, trying to grab hold of some part of my pegasus but failing the jump. “You know what those things are, Milena?”

“Saracels,” Milena said immediately. “Probably guarding a Geodesic somewhere inside. Nasty buggers, met a few in Be’elz several years ago. Liked them even less than I liked Yook.”

“That leaves us a problem,” I said as I squinted down at the castle grounds. The whole expanse was practically littered with the scuttling things, buzzing grotesquely. “Since we know the little saracel spiders are controlled by a larger geodesic saracel.”

But before we could even start to do anything about the smallish saracels down in the castle yard, a huge screech rang out from a separate section of the castle. Then that screech was followed by a bellowing roar.

"At least I know how to kill that one easier," I said while turning Drago in the sound's direction.

"That what easier?" Milena asked, clutching tightly as Drago spun.

The high pitched noise echoed around the cavern like a ping pong rally between pros. Back and forth it bounced until I wouldn't have been able to figure out its source, if I hadn't noted it originally.

Of course, the bright flash of lightning that leapt up didn't hurt in locating the Spearopat.

"It's called a Spearopat," I told Milena. "Sort of a mix of a bear and a bat, only bigger than both by a factor of four. We'll have to deal with that first, since I don’t want anything aerial to be able to harm us."

The flash settled and Milena suddenly said, "In Grolio's name, that thing is huge! Do you think you can get me close to it?"

"Considering it's immune to magic, I think we'd have a hard time killing it without getting close," I replied, then paused. "Why do you ask? You aren't seriously thinking of--"

"--Yeah I am!" Milena cried. "I'm not going to be some lowly castle wife, wandering around waiting for you to come home and complaining when you do. I'm not a myst for nothing. I've always fought, and I always will fight. Right now that giant bat-bear thing is looking mighty useful against a castle guarded by monsters and housing a god."

The words spilled out of her mouth like water from a busted dam, and I could only chuckle at her audacity.

"There's no shame in pulling back, if you feel you're not up to it," I said. "Reconsider when we get closer."

Milena's snort into the longish hair on my neck reminded me how much I needed a haircut, and how obstinate women can be when they get their mind set on things. At times, they were nearly as bullheaded as I was. There was something nice about that too.

More flashes of lightning cracked in the massive cavern's air, flying out straight from the beast this time instead of moving with a storm. Drago tucked and rolled twice, nearly unseating me and Milena both times. But thanks to her grip on my torso, and my grip on the saddle, we held on both times.

Finally, the wing beats of my pegasus parted for just long enough to show the matted fur of the Spearopat shifting in the cavern's breeze.

"Last chance to change course!" I shouted, but Milena was already off Drago's back.

"You're mine!" the beautiful myst shouted as she leapt through the air.

More and more lightning sparked from the beast's back. I almost turned Drago towards her to get her out of there. Then my breath caught in my throat.

One moment, the woman soaring down towards the electrified legendary beast was all solid. Her shirtsleeves fluttered in the wind of her descent and her skirt pulled up so high that she must have been giving the big brute the world's best upskirt shot.

The next moment, her skirt and shirtsleeves fluttered around nothing at all.

Milena's body had completely disappeared, turned to the smoky colored myst that her race drew their names from.

The dark myst, amazingly, seemed almost more substantial in some ways than Milena's normal body had. It surged downwards at breakneck speed, only thankfully she lacked a neck to break in this form.

I had a single moment to marvel that my two newest wives were both capable of transforming into other beings, in a sense, before the myst thudded so hard onto the Spearopat that the beast fell a good ten feet from the impact.

It gave a mighty roar and beat its wings even harder, undulating its body in sharp pulses as it attempted to dislodge its unwelcome guest. But Milena couldn't be shaken off that easily.

As fast as blinking, the darkish myst suffused across the Spearopat's furry back, settling into the matted fur like lice. For a moment, all I could do was to watch her work with a mixture of appreciation at her skill and horror at how freakishly it was accomplished.

Then my stomach lurched as her face, strikingly beautiful, appeared suddenly directly on the beast's back.

"How 'bout a fire arrow to distract it?" Milena's disembodied face shouted up at me.

"You got it!" I said.

At once, I sighted the Spearopat's neck and sent a fire arrow hurtling down at it. Flames licked off the arrow's tip, sending little drops of hissing burning oil down into the castle yard far below and making the smallish saracels down there scuttle about angrily.

Then the arrow itself disappeared in a sharp snap of the Spearopat's defensive magic, incinerating faster than a tissue tossed into the fireplace.

Evidently, however, it was enough to accomplish what Milena wanted. The legendary beast’s bear face snapped up to me. It opened its mouth to roar defiantly, but before it could so much as utter a single syllabic grunt the black myst of my gorgeous wife slunk straight into its mouth, cutting it off.

Just like when she’d straight up turned into her myst form, it was both impressive and a bit terrifying to watch Milena work.

The black myst sucked into the bear face quickly, then I watched as a dark lump of swollen flesh showed her transit down the beast’s throat and into its stomach. Smoke poured from the bear face’s eyes, nose and mouth, exiting the beast’s orifices under intense pressure.

Then, the bear’s other opening let out the world’s weirdest, blackest fart type sound I’d ever heard. Its convulsing body stilled.

"Milena!" I shouted, when the beast's body didn't adapt quickly enough. "Take control of it now! Focus on flying!"

The problem was that my wife had consumed a monster that was flying high. If she didn't manage to figure out its wings' workings soon, she'd crash right down into the castle.

The Milena controlled Spearopat fell some twenty more feet before its wings suddenly snapped wide open and caught the cavern's thin air, soaring safely up and turning around to me.

"Sorry for worrying you!" Milena called from the Spearopat's bear face once she'd turned it to face me. "I'm not one hundred percent used to having wings. Makes things a bit tricky."

"Hey, so long as you're not hurt," I said. "Are you ready to go mess up some monsters and gods?"

"Oh yeah!" she shouted back, mimicking a soldier's hooray type voice. Or maybe it was just the way the Spearopat's vocal cords sounded when they were forced into normal speech. "Let's kick some spider ass!"

I gave her a quick thumbs up and then turned Drago into a circle over the castle while Milena sent her massive beast's body barreling straight down into them.

"Fire arrows incoming!" I shouted, loosing a couple shafts into the milling creatures. "Get in there!"

Milena wasted no time in doing just that. Her Spearopat crashed down amidst the spidery things with a huge crash that sent masonry and crystal backs alike crashing up and out of her way. All the while, the lightning leapt from the Spearopat's flesh, arcing at odd angles into the mass of creatures and popping them like zits on a teenager.

Gems cracked and sputtered and fizzled while Milena got her bearings and added huge swipes from her massive paws to the electric carnival. Spiders careened in wide arcs as they tried, and failed, to climb up onto her furry legs.

"Good job Milena!" I shouted from my pegasus’s back. "Keep it up, and the Geodesic will have to summon more from the cavern walls! When that happens, we can strike!"

Milena turned to shoot me a quick glance and give a big, furry thumbs up before returning to her havoc. More spiders were tossed easily aside, while others kept trying to snare her up.

Finally, the big bad that I'd wanted to draw up and out into the open appeared from a darkened doorway. The Geodesic gave a single, strangled cry of fury and rage at having another legendary beast turn against it before swiping out at Milena with a big, spiky leg.

Milena danced artfully out of range of his strike, taking a swipe at the leg that shot backwards just in time to avoid it.

"He's immune for the moment!" I shouted to my previously gorgeous and currently furry teammate. "Wait until he summons more spiders! Then I'll shoot him and put an end to this fight!"

"No!" Milena shouted. "Leave him to me! I'm done with these wings anyway!"

I chuckled and sent a few more arrows into the mass of spiders, before shifting my focus to the army scaling the magma moat.

Grolio's land bridge was doing good work, rising in a medieval bridge style arc over the molten rock. He'd been able to make it wide enough that soldiers poured over four abreast. While the castle's non-spider defenders hurled rocks and shot arrows at them, they raised shields overhead to block the incoming projectiles.

Meanwhile, Golem and Icey's own bridges weren't quite as impressive. Golem's only allowed two soldiers to come over at a time, while Icey's at least allowed three.

All in all, it wasn't exactly the sort of siege force that I'd have wanted to take out a heavily fortified castle. But that being said, it was way better than nothing and served the useful purpose of directing enemy fire somewhat away from me.

When I grinned at the sight of siege ladders rising from ground level to the tops of parapets, I finally turned back to Milena and the Geodesic.

I refocused just in time, too, since the Geodesic had hands raised and was shooting glowing webs from his palms to connect with the crystals studding the cavern walls.

"Now Milena!" I shouted, moving Drago down to land. "Get him now!"

The Spearopat didn't move, and for a single second I feared that Milena was frozen with a similar fear. Its eyes were wide and flat, and its mouth hung open as it swayed on unsteady paws.

Then the first of the smallish spiders leapt up onto its furry leg and sank jaws deep into the thick hide. The Spearopat roared long and loud, and I grinned since it no longer sounded anything like Milena.

"She must already be out of it," I muttered.

Sure enough an indistinct dark shape surged across the castle grounds towards the Geodesic, moving so erratically it was like I was watching the action in fast forward.

The Geodesic's webs glowed brighter, and crystals popped from the walls to sprout spider legs and fangs. Black myst surged up the Geodesic's torso while its eyes were still focused on the spider summons. Then it let out a single rasping sound like the last breath of a drowning man, and Milena surged into it.

This time, I could see the lump of her black myst form move down its throat more easily and the way its belly bulged when she settled into its core.

Thankfully, controlling this beast didn't involve any black myst farts. Unfortunately, it involved an almighty belch.

"Got you!" Milena finally shouted from within the Geodesic.

The smallish spiders all around turned to face her and she gave a wave of her hand. Immediately, those that weren't currently engaged with the Spearopat surged up to the ramparts and began attacking maddened monster defenders.

I sent Drago soaring down to land beside the Milena controlled Geodesic. She gave me a freakish grin that had way too many teeth.

"You know the best part of controlling the living?" she asked me in a gravelly voice. I shook my head. " I get access to their memories. Come on, the god of Chaos is inside and way deeper down. Seems his experimentation with monster crystals is what's been causing the madness from water sources inside Be'elz."

I nodded and together we set off into the castle's interior and down, down, down.

Chapter 32

Now That's What I Call Chaos!

CAVERN DEPTHS

I KNEW I should have expected something tricky to happen as we surged ever downwards. It would have been intensely foolish to assume that the god of chaos would be sitting waiting for us on a throne in a nice well-lit cavern hall. But since it was the god of chaos that we were rushing down to meet, I couldn't even begin to fathom what sort of chaotic underpinnings would greet me.

Viewed in that light, it was somewhat reasonable that the simple and expected turn of events which met us was the most chaotic of all. After all, who in their right mind, knowing that they were going to fight a god that could turn rabbits into alligators, would expect the simplest movie trope style end of the search?

Adam and Melina screamed from within the geodesic's powerful frame when the stairway gave out beneath our feet. We both went tumbling, tumbling, tumbling down into an inky abyss that seemed to go on forever.

“Melina!” I shouted back as my own foot slipped from the bottom stair, and I tumbled after her. “Grab hold of me.”

Desperately I reached out until my hand found the rough calloused form of the geodesic that Melina controlled. Together we fell, and then we fell, and then we fell. And then, for good measure, we fell some more.

Quest Update: Slay the god of chaos.

Details: Looks like you're both lucky and unlucky, Adam. You found the god of chaos's own home. It lives in a void that it carries with it, moving about like a horror story. Its own realm can be infinitely larger from the inside than it is from the outside, and you are just about to figure out exactly how far infinity goes. But chin up. You found him, which is more than anyone else can ever say. Now you've got to figure out exactly where in this realm of infinity he is.

Everywhere?

Nowhere?

Somewhere?

Anyway, good luck.

Game of Castles Reward: Look, we've gone over this already, right? Come on.

Oh, and thanks to you meeting him in his own realm you’ll finally be able to understand his speech. I remember there was some confusion about that the last time you were introduced.

Part of me wanted to chuckle at Asmi's helpful unhelpfulness. Part of me wanted to reach out a hand and throttle the small god. What I did instead was call my wife.

"Melina," I said sharply. "Do you see those glowing pin pricks all around us?"

I couldn't see Melina's eyes open, nor the geodesics. But I had noticed the various pricks in the inky black darkness that surrounded us. Glittering like stars in the night sky.

"What do you want to do with them?" Melina asked.

I fought back a grin. "Use your geodesic’s power to connect to them and try to summon more of the small spiders."

"Connect to them?" Melina asked uncertainly.

"Yeah," I said. "Look, if the god of chaos really lives in this realm, then he's had to add a few more crystals in order to mess up the whole ecosystem of the subterranean caverns, right? That means that there has to be crystals in here somewhere. I'd bet my bottom dollar that those glinting stars we see around us are just that."

In the faint afterglow of the crystal's lights, I saw Melina nod. Then I moved around to grab the geodesic's torso, fighting back a wave of revulsion that came from sitting on a scuttling spider butt. I don't think that I'd have been able to marry her if she really was one of these spider girls that you sometimes read about back on Earth.

Abruptly I felt a tug as glowing lines of silvery web shot out from Melina's palms and connected to the various dots glittering around us. I heard the magical connections creak and stretch like they were physical things. Then a few of the dots snapped out of the firmament, scuttling down from unseen walls with their backs all aglow.

The rest remained steadfast where they were and provided enough support for Melina and my fall to slow. Finally, gasping for breath with my heart racing, we remained suspended in mid-air, or mid-void, depending on what the correct terminology was for this specific situation.

Finally, we stopped descending.

"Thought we could’ve fallen for a bit longer than that, ya know?" I said.

Curious about exactly what sort of place we were in, I lowered a foot over the side of the Geodesic's carapace and was surprised to feel solid ground beneath us.

"Wonder if this would have appeared if you hadn't stopped us," I said as I climbed down from her back. "Felt like we could've fallen forever."

"I think we could have," Milena agreed.

Now secured, with my feet on the ground, I began to take stock of our surroundings. The floor beneath our feet felt hard and unyielding, more like rock than like soil or even roadway. The starlike pinpricks of light seemed to be just as far away as those celestial bodies, though I knew that couldn't be true since the little spiders spawned from them scurried up to us quickly.

The little bastards were much less irritating when they were on your side, apparently. They kept hopping up and down on their little spider legs. I supposed they were trying to be useful. At the very least, it was a hell of a lot better than having them scuttle up and down your legs while chomping on your Achilles tendon.

"Do you think it goes forever in all directions, too?" Milena asked.

"Maybe it would, if we didn't examine it," I said. "But fortunately, I've got a pretty reasonable way to see in the dark these days. Let's see what we've got."

I summoned the quest readout and noted the way the edge lighting from the words spilled across the pure black ground at my feet, illuminating the dark surface with ease. Glinting light from the text box spilled across the ground, exposing smallish fissures that ran across it.

"At least it's not quite as formless as I'd feared," Milena said.

"Yeah," I agreed, squinting at the exposed rocklike structure. "It looks almost normal, not like we'd fallen for minutes. But what the--"

My text box illuminated a grotesque, recognizable face for a brief instant before it soared straight through the god of chaos's ugly mug.

"Hello, Adam, so sorry to see you've brought one of my creations," the god of chaos said in a voice as cold as the wind blowing off an icy tundra. "What are you doing down here, Saracel?"

Before Milena could react, and while I was still puzzling out exactly what he knew about my wife and the legendary beast, and what he was just guessing, he struck.

An inky black tentacle lashed out from the writhing mass of his body and struck Milena square in the chest, thrusting her back with a cry and a yelp.

"Adam!" she screamed as she was thrown clear out of the darkness around me.

"Oh, don't worry little champion," the god said with a sneer. "I just thrust that thing out of my realm. Can't have it hanging around, not when there's so much... chaos to be sown on the surface."

Then the god laughed, cold and loud, and I used the opportunity to gather my wits.

Though I'd met the god of chaos once before, it had been a brief meeting, and was bookended by an eventful night that stole most of my attention. Even on our first meeting, I felt that it had been gross and monstrous looking, not the sort of guest you'd like to find at your war council meeting.

But now that I got a chance to see the god more closely, I realized that my immediate dislike hadn't gone nearly far enough. The thing would have made H.P. Lovecraft green with descriptive envy.

A mass of writhing, squiggling, squirming tentacle limbs formed the mass of its body while the god’s face was beset with glinting red eyes, like rubies in the mess of his face.

Then, abruptly, his appearance grew even grosser looking as all the limbs and the gross features stopped writhing and stood stock still.

"So, you've turned against the Creator?" I asked.

"And you've accepted a quest to kill me," he responded. "I think it's likely time to just end this farce. You killed Regor, my first champion already. My second simply died in an ambush."

"No final exposition, where you tell me the logical reasons for doing what you're doing then?" I asked, placing my palm on the hilt of my dagger.

The god of chaos gave a tentacled version of a shrug. "You know the reasons, yes? I want a restart to the Game. The Creator feels that such a thing isn't warranted. So, I'm taking things into my own hands. Reasonable, easy to understand. Now, I will kill you."

Abruptly, one of those stilled tentacles leapt out towards me, faster almost than the lightning that had flared around the Spearopat.

I leapt quickly aside, tucking into a roll, and came up on my feet again. My hand moved from my knife, and I summoned the bow of fire arrows then sent an arrow hurtling towards the freakish thing.

"No, no, no," the god of chaos said as my arrow flashed into the blackness and abruptly transformed into a rabbit. "That's not how we're going to settle things here. Come on, now, play the Game and look at your quests."

Warily, I pulled the prompt back towards me and gave it a quick once over.

Quest: Kill the God of Chaos.

Quest Details: The god of chaos isn't some simple pushover, and it won't go down without a fight. He has strong resistance to magic, along with a natural chaotic defense. Any ranged attacks are likely to be transformed into other items before they strike his body. The Creator’s own magic safeguards your own body through your cloak of invincibility, so you may be able to get in close. But that’s not exactly a reason to roll out the red carpet.

The god's dangerous at range, and mighty deadly up close.

"Great," I grumbled, stowing my bow into the aether again. "Just what I need."

The god of chaos did the best version of a squid-like sneer that I'd ever seen.

"Something the matter?" he asked, lashing out with another tentacle.

"Oh, you know," I replied sarcastically, dodging this strike too. "Just the usual. I have to get close to you to kill you, seems like. But if I get close to you, you'll likely one-shot me. Nothing a little thinking on my feet won't handle."

"Ha!" the god roared. "It's too bad you weren't my champion, Adam. You've got guts, and a hell of a way with words. We could've done a lot together!"

"Could've, would've, maybe should've," I said, summoning Golem and Icey in a puddle around me. "But, as for the thinking on my feet portion of your compliment, check this out!"

Golem and Icey merged immediately, assuming their gigantic form, only with added spikes at the end of their wrists instead of hands. One punch from the ends of those spikes and whatever was on the receiving end would be pissing blood at best.

The massive golem creation smacked its wrists together with a loud clang and charged forward, thrusting spike arms out towards their target.

"Nice toys!" the god cackled, sending two tentacles to wrap up the combo golems tighter than a freshly smoked salami.

One moment, I was assured that my golems would annihilate their target. The next, I was pretty sure the opposite would happen. As the inky black tentacles slimed their way around my golem creation, I heard pops and hisses as the pressure rose.

The God of Chaos applied pressure to both Golem and Icy, and the force that his tentacles exerted upon them caused their fusion to break apart. For a single moment, Icy cracked under the pressure while Golem spilled out in liquid droplets.

Then, before either of them could vanish and allow me to resummon them, they both transmuted into different objects. Golem transformed into gloopy ball of magma, not unlike the stuff that filled the moat around this castle while Icy became a simple desk with a lamp atop it.

Both the lamp and the desk caught fire when the magma that Golem had been touched them. Then the magma that Golem had been drooped and flowed downwards.

To his credit, the god of chaos let out a low roar of anger as his tentacle arm whipped back towards his body. Flames were licking up and down where it had been burned with the magma.

"Lucky, lucky, lucky," he said in a low, growling voice as he moved the injured tentacle in a slow, wave-like pattern.

I saw from the light dripping off my text prompt that the charred portions of the tentacle flesh soon knit themselves back together. He must have noticed me watching because it said, "Yes, yes, yes, Adam. I can heal myself. I'm a god, don't you remember?”

I nodded as my brain worked through all the possible scenarios that would allow me to defeat him. "Seems like I'm gonna have to one-shot you if I want to kill you, too."

A freakish, tentacly smile cracked the God of Chaos' face, and he roared in laughter.

"Probably," he said.  “I won't deny that I'm something of a tricky customer when it comes to serving me up my own destruction. I don't take things lying down, you know.”

With that, the fully healed tentacle snapped like a whip from him and smacked hard into the spot that I had just vacated as I rolled in another dodge.

"You're quick," the God of Chaos said in a voice that was half sneer and half appreciation. “I never liked Asmi much, but I've got to admit that that god lucked out when it came to getting you as one of his champions. Still, you can't be quick forever. And I have all the time in the world on my side. You can't escape so long as you're in my realm. And as soon as you slow down just far enough, I'll break you in half like a twig.”

"Oh yeah?" I said, as my brain resolved around a single plot that might buy me some time. "Well, why don't we see how fast you are, then?"

I summoned the bow of fire arrows out of the aether and pulled back the string a dozen times in quick succession. Flaming arrows leapt towards the God of Chaos by the dozen, as I kept firing.

But each transmuted into some random object as soon as it got within a foot or so of the god's body. Some became stuffed animals, others fallen leaves. One became what looked like a railroad spike, which was unusual considering the technological level that existed on Limar. But that was the only one that transformed into anything useful, or even approaching useful for that matter.

None transmuted into magma and burned him or disrupted his chain of thought. And the railroad spike was so dull at the end that it barely sunk an inch into his flesh before he popped it out with a wet squelch.

"So much for that idea," I muttered under my breath. "I need a one-shot kill for this thing, but every time I get close to him, my attack transmutes into something random. I don't have enough arrows that I could trust even one percent of them would become something powerful enough to actually kill him. So what do I do?"

"Yes," the God of Chaos boomed.

"What do you do indeed? I can get close to you and one-shot you. But you have no way of one-shotting me. So let's continue our dance, shall we?"

Another tentacle lashed out. And I dodged again, a little less skillfully this time, since I was growing tired thanks to having to dodge so often and think on my feet so much.

I sprang upright again at the end of my roll, but a little slower than last time. Another tentacle followed quickly behind the first one. Again, I sidestepped it. And I could feel my legs growing sluggish.

"What will you do? What will you do?" the God of Chaos said in a mocking voice. "No turncoat Saracel to help you. Your God can't enter my realm. And even if he could, what would the God of Barter do to me? I'm not some cheap harlot who can be bargained with. Nor am I selling clothes in the marketplace.  All I offer you is your own death. But let me tell you what. I can make it quick, or I can make it slow. In deference to the God of Barter, I offer you this choice.

True to his word, his tentacles returned to his body. Though I could see in the flash of red behind his eyes that just because he had stilled doesn't mean that he couldn't end me in a single instant.

I used the momentary respite to catch my breath as much as I could, which admittedly wasn't a lot. My heart hammered in my chest, pumping liters of blood in coursing paths around my body.

"Come now," the God of Chaos said, "time's slipping away. The champion of the god of barter surely knows how to strike a deal faster than this, yes?"

I shook my head, discarding options for success as soon as they came to me, each one less likely than the last, until I was left with a single, absolutely mad option. I chuckled then, knowing that my fate was sealed.  This was the only thing that I could think to do, so if it didn't work, then I would die anyway.

Squaring my shoulders, I stood straight and met the God of Chaos's eyes.

"I'll admit you've beat me," I said, giving him a curt head nod. "I accept my death at your hands. My only request is that you honor your offer and end my life swiftly."

A spike through the brain, perhaps. That same freakish, tentacle-like smile crept off and up the God of Chaos's face.

"It's good to see that you're not a madman," it said in low, clipped tones. "I will end you swiftly, just as I said I would, and when you go to hell, please remember to tell Asmi that I offered him this small token of respect."

I nodded and said, "The next time I see him, I'll be sure to tell him."

Then I spread my arms wide and felt my body be lifted into the air as the God of Chaos's tentacles wrapped around my core and drew me closer to him.

I fought to keep the grin from my face as he drew me closer, knowing that what he was actually doing was ending himself, or hoping that things would turn out as I planned.

In what felt like a single instant, I was afoot from the God of Chaos, our eyes on the same level. Rank, fishy stink met my nostrils, and I had to admit that if this were the way I would die, it would be more difficult to find a more horrific death.

"One right through the brain, yes," he said, and I nodded. At least the freakish smile was gone from his face now.  And I stared at the sharp-pointed tentacle as it rose and stared straight down the barrel of my eyes.

"Would you like me to count it out, or just do it?" I shrugged. "Makes little difference to me," I said, and a moment later, everything changed.

A blinding flash of furious pain lit up in the space of half a heartbeat between my eyes as the tentacled appendage bore through my very skull.

But before it made it very far, my cloak of invincibility worked its magic.

The cloak healed me on the spot, forcing the God of Chaos's tentacle back out of my skull in a defensive motion. Then the God of Chaos's own magic attempted to exert its authority and transmute the cloak of invincibility into some random object now that it attempted to act upon its own body. But in what felt like a series of events so confusing that Rube Goldberg would appreciate it, the God of Chaos's magic was no match for the Creator's. Instead of transmuting the cloak of invincibility into some other random object, what the God of Chaos's defensive magic did instead was transmute itself into a random object.

An instant later, I fell about three feet and landed on my legs. I looked down and saw what appeared to be a small white rabbit looking up at me with fury, confusion, anger, and terror all mixed in its tiny little red eyes. It opened its mouth and squeaked out a question. Then I raised my foot and crushed its tiny skull in a single stomp.

Quest complete: Kill the God of Chaos.

I looked around me and grinned as the double realization that my plan had worked and that I wouldn't be stuck in the God of Chaos's realm with no way to escape now that it was dead.

In front of my eyes, the inky black walls set with crystals of stars dissolved like paint in a rainstorm.

Behind the curtain of dissolving blackness, I saw the faces of my wives.

"You did it?" Melina asked. I chuckled and nodded while the myst's mouth hung slack. "I knew Grolio was in your employ, but I never knew... that was a god, Adam."

Harmony chuckled and patted Melina's shoulder in a tender way.

"The one thing you've got to remember about our husband, Melina, is that when he sets his mind to something, there's no forcing him off of it."

Then she grinned and beamed at me and added, "Though I do have to admit that that was pretty surprising, Adam."

"I dare say you've earned a couple of rewards for your hard work."

"Oh yeah?" I asked with a grin. "And what kind of rewards would those be?"

Now it was Elyse's turn to smile as she patted her belly. Beside her, Cynthia did the same. "Well, in a few months, I dare say you'll be rewarded with new babies, but in the meantime, why don't you allow us to dote on you a little bit?"

I grinned and opened my arms wide so that all of my wives who’d joined me on the quest could rush in and give me a long hug.

"I think I'll accept that reward," I said. "But first things first, let's get back to Castle Clear. I've been long away from home, and though some of my family has been with me for most of my journey, I'd like to see the little stream again and check up on my Game of Castles table."

I grinned around at all the beautiful women, many of whom were pouting that they'd have to wait until we got back to Tolmeria and Castle Clear before they could reward me.

"In the meantime, can anyone think of how I can best spend a million influence points, a million lord points, and a million gold coins?"

Chapter 33

Points Rich, Wives Wealthy!

CLEAR CASTLE

I SMILED when the little wagon that my wives and I rode in crested the last hill before home. Pulling back the curtains, I was almost more happy to see the tall spires and picturesque waters of Clear Castle than I had been to see the darkness of the god of chaos’ realm fade away to nothing.

I definitely wasn’t happier to see it than I was to turn and see Milena and Alya sitting on the plush velvet pillows with their shirts off and their perky breasts on full display. But hey that’s life sometimes.

“Nearly home,” I said, shooting the women a smile. “Would you both like a look at where we’ll all be living from here on out? Neither of you has seen Clear Castle yet, right?”

They shook their heads and rushed across the equally plush and also velvet furnishing of the wagon’s interior, pressing their faces to the small window. While they let out oohs and ahhs of appreciation, I rubbed the full roundness of their dynamite asses.

“Mmh,” Milena cooed at my touch, wiggling her butt further back against my hand.

“It’s so big!” Alya squeaked out cutely.

Unfortunately, the mermaid beauty wriggled free of my butt squeeze to get a better look, and I chuckled. It made sense that the mermaid would be so impressed by the size of Clear Castle, since her home on the Polar Isles was so tame in comparison.

“Wait until you see the bedroom!” Harmony said with a giggle. “It’s gigantic!”

“And it’s got a bed big enough for all of us,” Colette added happily.

The other women had little to add, since we’d ridden through the night. They were still asleep on various pillows scattered around the large structure.

During the relatively short trip across the fields towards Clear Castle, my wives woke up by degrees. Isabel was happy to see her mousy companion again and practically vibrated with excitement but at least Cynthia was more reserved.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

The two women looked at me then glanced at each other and smiled sadly.

"Your empire is expanding so much, Adam," Cynthia said, and then her voice trailed off.

Elyse picked up the dropped conversation where it lay. "We appreciate you making us empresses, but the problem is that, well, by being empresses in foreign lands we'll remain distant from you and each other. You have your base at Clear Castle, and though you've got Drago to flit about the countryside on, we don't have the same luxury. I mean, we will in the future once the pegasi are fully grown, but for the time being we’re going to be stuck in our own regions, away from you.

“I think that Cynthia, like myself, is simply worried that she'll miss everyone, and our family is large, but we've been through a lot together. It's bittersweet to come home and enjoy a final night or week or month with you, and then have to be sent off to rule our own kingdoms again."

I frowned at that. Her logic was sound, but I couldn't see any way around it for the time being. I needed people that I could trust in positions of power, though Drefius and Carr could pick up some of the slack and Ormis could pick up yet more, and my various generals might be helpful in a battle, they weren't diplomats.

I shuddered as I thought about Shanghaiing some of the local Tolmerian dukes, barons, and baronets into service in the empire's name. They'd soon start squabbling with each other, and I had no doubt that it would end in disaster.

So with nothing else to do I gave Cynthia and Elyse a smile and said, "We'll just have to tackle that problem when it comes. In the meantime I believe I owe you two babies."

The women grinned, and if it weren't for the singularly spectacular woman that we found waiting for us inside the castle gates, the homecoming would have been almost completely a somber affair.

But it wasn't.

"Is that?" Milena gasped, sticking one hand out the window at the gorgeous elven beauty who stood before us while the wagon clattered to a halt.

I chuckled with a head shake.

"It is," I said. Then I raised an eyebrow at the shirtless beauty. "You might want to get changed. I know the Creator appreciates a good womanly figure, but I think she might appreciate you more if you weren't flashing your tits at her."

Milena blushed cutely and scrambled to put on a loose-fitting white shirt. I raised my eyebrows even higher when I noticed her pink nipples stiffly sticking through the fabric.

"Hardly better than nothing, isn't it?"

Milena shrugged. "If you've got it, flaunt it," she said with a shrug. Then added, "Assuming the Creator created all of us, then she's surely seen tits in her day. I dare say mine are pretty great. She should be proud of me."

Harmony let out a short laugh at that and then pushed the wagon's curtain open. We all strode out to stand before the Creator and the diminutive god of barter.

"Long time no see, Adam," Asmi said, striding forward and sticking a hand up to me.

I leaned down and shook it. "This time it wasn't my fault," I said with a chuckle.

Asmi raised an eyebrow, and I held my palms out. "You've interrupted me too many times when I'm surrounded by beautiful naked women. I'm not about to come knocking down your door when the alternative is leaving them. Oh, and there's something that I promised to tell you."

Asmi stuck his hands on his hips and scoffed. "Now who is it in the damned hells of this world that thinks that they can make a champion present a message to his god? Must be a powerful person to do that and to get you to agree to it."

"Well," I said with a shrug, "that person might be putting it a bit too far. When the god of chaos asks that you bear a message for him, I think it's probably pretty wise that you do as he says."

Asmi's eyebrow raised higher at that.

"God of chaos? I thought you killed him," he glanced at the Creator. "You said that he killed the god of chaos."

The Creator chuckled lightly, her shoulders bouncing and her tits jiggling. I couldn't fail to notice that as insubstantial as the extremely thin, almost see-through top that Milena wore, the Creator had her beat for causing a scandal.

She was wearing a belted tunic-type garb with the top half made of sheer linen, tall, almost thigh-high boots hugged her slender legs tightly, and her belt was of woven ivy leaves. Though her eyes still held the depths of the universe in them.

"He did kill the God of Chaos, Asmi. Don't worry about that," the Creator said in a light, trilling voice that was like water skipping down a narrow stream. Then she fixed her eyes on me.

"Did he have anything to say to me as well, or was it just Asmi?"

I shook my head. "Sorry, but I think he didn't expect to die in quite the way that he did. Though you can rest assured that it was thanks to your own interference that the God of Chaos got what was coming to him."

The Creator's eyes flashed mischievously, and she said, "Oh, I would love to hear this story."

Asmi strode forward. "What did he have to say, then? The damn tentacle-covered bastard.”

“He wanted to let you know that when it was time to kill me, he offered me a barter: Choose between a slow death or a fast death."

Asmi barked out a laugh. "Ha, and I bet you chose the slow death, you sly bastard. Tell me, what magic did you use to kill him?"

I shook my head and shrugged. "I chose the fast death, actually. I think the slow death might have actually ended in my death."

Then I looked at the Creator. "It was the cloak of invincibility that I won from a quest over in Farli that ended up destroying him."

"Really?" she asked, eyes sparkling even more. Twinkling like stars.

"You knew that the cloak of invincibility would have to force his own body to attack itself then?" she gasped.

I shrugged. "Something like that," I said. "The way I saw it, either that was the case, or it was your own magic that came to the aid of anyone who suffered a strike. I knew that the god of chaos wasn't greater than you and I figured that if its magic tried to transmute your magic into something else that it would backfire somehow."

"And what did he turn into then?" she asked, eyes sparkling even more.

"A rabbit," I said simply. "Easy enough to squish a rabbit beneath your foot when you're as tall and as strong as I am."

"You crazy bastard," Asmi said, with definite notes of appreciation in his voice. "Well, now that's all settled, it seems like you'll be able to spend some time at home for a little while. Enjoy those new wives of yours, yeah?"

I smiled and then shook my head sadly before addressing the Creator.

"I have a request, actually."

"Request?" she said, bemused.

I nodded. "I now find myself rich in points and gold, but I'm not sure that points or gold can solve the problem that I have right now."

More sparkling from her eyes.  "A million influence points can go a long way, especially in major cities," the Creator said, with a wave of her hand. "A million gold coins can go farther, probably depending on how well you spend them. I dare say that you've got enough people in your employ who can pick up the slack, and besides, you have your game of castles table."

I nodded slowly and said, "Yeah, but my Game of Castles table isn't exactly the sort of thing that would help rule an empire."

"Wasn't the exact sort of thing that would help rule an empire," the Creator corrected me gently.

"Oh!" Collette said. "We've progressed to that point already?"

The Creator nodded, and I chuckled with a head shake. "Could somebody tell me what's going on, please?" I asked simply. "It feels like someone's keeping a secret from me."

Collette stepped forward and beamed at me. "From here on out, the game of castles table will provide updates and reports on what is going on in each of the various realms that you control. Regions, cities, even information in the subterranean caverns, if I'd guess correctly." She glanced at the Creator, and the Creator nodded.

"Then that means," I said slowly, "that we all can stay together here in Castle Clear. Live as one big family?"

The Creator nodded, and a moment later I felt the wind practically get knocked out of me as Milena crushed me in a large hug. The other women soon followed until I was the central island in a sea of beautiful ladies. And when I raised my eyes to the castle doors, I saw Dami standing there nursing our own baby at her breast with a smile on her face.

I pried an arm out from the crush and waved at my first wife. "We're home for good, Dami," I said happily, and my mousy wife beamed at me.

"Then come on in," she said, "and get washed up. You've got a lot to do in the castle yet. There are children to raise, feuds to settle, and I dare say a couple more children to be put in various bellies around you.”

“Just a moment," I said, and after some finagling, managed to pry myself and my other wives from each other.

Then as one, we walked together into the castle to enjoy a nice home-cooked meal and some significantly more boisterous activities just afterwards. Milena and Alya had, after all, not yet seen the giant bedroom or the large bed that dominated it.

Even despite my huge advantage in the Game of Castles, what I really wanted to see was how they’d react to their new bedroom. Oh, and also what new activities we’d all be able to get up to in there.

The End

Afterword

This is one hell of an epic story. Adam arrived on Limar, finding himself in a fairly dark world he needed to brighten to level. This let him find love, purpose, and a drive he never knew he had. Far too many LitRPGs have it so the leveling doesn’t matter, but here, it sure as hell did.

I wanted a book where the rewards were tangible, noticeable, and just downright awesome. This book does this in a way I am thrilled to deliver.

The audio is in the works, and I hope you support it if you enjoyed this eBook. It will have SFX with it subtly put in. Nothing over the top, but an excellent recording to match the story.

Alright, this is goodbye for now. Thanks for reading. Please follow me on amazon, leave a review, and check out a different book of mine, there is a lot out there.

Wishing you and yours the best,

Marcus Sloss

Royal Guard Publishing.

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