by Dan Raxor
Honestly, I didn’t need to freeze water here anyway. I had a freezer for that and smacking into the ground mid-cast lost its appeal after a couple of crashes.
What I did care about was that I could drain gems on Lornia to freeze water. The downside was that my gems were in need of charging.
Ming sent a digging teams to the site I marked.
My crashed section of cliff face resulted in the digging team arriving at my home with over eight thousand tubs of dirt with stones in them. Ninety-three were magical gems and one was bigger than all the others.
The new mega ruby went into a custom crafted staff I had a metal worker construct. This staff wouldn’t melt when… I, well, became flame.
The team stopped coming back with shiny rubies, and only stones. Telling me that whatever charged that section and created those special stones was depleted.
I had almost two hundred to work from, which was great. There was still the mystery of how they got on Earth, and how I could see them.
These questions remained unanswered as we used a month of preparation. Buying gold and minting them into Lornian coins was easy once set up. We had so many, I was shocked.
Then I was bitter from the tireless process. Moving gold between planets was super not on my to-do list every again.
Just in case, Ming purchased a few chests of gems, and a few crates of rare metals. Getting her a healer was a top priority. At least her comfy custom wagon survived the trip to Lornia. A few pillows vanished but she’d be riding in comfort.
Yukio found me saying goodbye to my room.
“I want you to take Lars,” Yukio said, rehashing an argument that wasn’t an argument.
“Okay,” I said for what felt like the hundredth time.
“He takes orders from Ming,” Yukio said. I was about to quibble when he inhaled and exhaled in a calming manner. “You take priority on orders. He now understands.”
“Delightful,” I said with outstretched arms of happiness.
“Thank you,” Yukio said with a slight bow, honoring me.
I tapped his shoulder. “It's a team effort. You get that Alzheimer’s thing knocked out and I’ll work on this list.”
“I appreciate your positivity and wish you good luck. Your new wall will be done by the time you get home,” he said.
We were expanding the Montana estate.
An apartment, stable, a training arena, and everything I’d need when moving troops between planets. I still needed to sacrifice a Lornian animal here and see if it worked for recharging my gems.
We were getting low from all the moving. Speaking of that, I dug into a tupperware box, finding a dazzling smaller gem. I brushed off the dust, exposing the gem, and transferred the energy from the small stone to the big gem in the staff.
If I wasn’t careful, I’d be going to hospitals soon to reap the energy from the dying. Even the thought had my darker heart not welcoming the idea.
I left my room, said goodbye to Krissy who was in charge during our long departure. I called Dad, saying another goodbye. He hinted at wanting to go on a trip with me, but would need to wait for a better time.
There was a big smile. I… I think he’d understand Lornia. I wanted to believe my father would support me. He would understand my need to harden my resolve as I became something else.
A master capable of surviving in Lornia. Maybe I was trying to vindicate my actions that bothered me at times.
I exited the foyer for the outside, heading for the horses. It was time to pick my battle mount. Darcy, the one I used during the battle of the night, was still healing in Trimi from minor burns. There was a sad sigh as I walked the line.
Each of these horses were huge and sure to cause a scene in Lornia. I knew which one I wanted - the biggest one was chestnut with gorgeous white feathering around his hooves. This was the million dollar horse. He stood a hand taller than the others and skeptically eyed me when I approached.
“Here,” Min said, handing me an apple.
I accepted the treat and fed it to Tsar. The horse nickered, happy for the tasty morsel. After a few scratches, we were ready. I gave a final look around my estate before preparing to leave.
“Everyone, get between a horse, and touch a neck on each side,” I said, ordering the last of us to make the trip.
A minute later I transported us to an enlarged hallway. The horses were led by the reins to the Lornian portal with a large smile. I set off on the grand adventure to establish a second home, learn new magic, and exploit the fantasy world.
CHAPTER 31
Lornia - Trimi
321st day of the 1st year of King Partel’s Reign
“You’re crazy,” Nathanael said with a huff of frosted breath.
We were in his courtyard after seven days of dreadfully slow travel. A few factors that really slowed us: the constant snows clogged the roads and obscured any blocks in the way, and two wagons broke from all the damn gold.
Yes, we had repair parts. Which actually, in hindsight, I wish we just ditched those wagons instead of spending a day on each to fix them.
The dirt road from Trimi to Riverten required a special type of wheel meant for hauling trees. My caravan had small wheels meant for nice roads. Meaning, building a road would be a priority of mine if I did build a base in Riverten.
Finally, among the horses there was one Clydesdale who was a crafty asshole. The damn horse was a pro at undoing knots. Even when we built quick fencing, he’d move the fence or jump it.
That horse would tease the men, leading them on long chases. If he wasn’t so valuable I’d have ordered him abandoned.
The horse had a very free spirit. So free… I gave him to Viscount Nathanael. Who seemed less enthused than I thought he would be.
“I can sell him to you then,” I said, folding my arms. The whole ride here the men were drooling over the fabulous stallions. I try to give one away and get told I’m crazy. At least Nathanael had a sad look. “Are you going to invite us in?”
“I can’t take him. That is a political death trap, I appreciate the offer,” Nathanael said, petting the horse. I could tell he was in love and scared of taking on the horse for some reason I didn’t understand.
“Fine. Are you going to invite us in?”
He grimaced, resulting in me almost stomping a foot into the snow. “I have a dwarven delegation in my home.” He rubbed the back of his neck, clearly not wanting to piss me off more. “Trevor… this horse is worth a fortune. Like… I advise you not to take these stallions to the capital.”
I frowned, tucking my chin in frustration. “Do you want the stallion or not?”
“This is worth more than this city,” his brown eyes bored into me as he hissed. “Like owning it is nothing but problems for both of us. In Lornia, a stallion like this is worth more than a Prince.”
“Ah,” I said. “So taking the stallions into Crimm will lead to me getting robbed or summoned?”
“Yeah, I mean.” He chuckled when the stallion kissed him. “If a grand entrance is what you're after, then bring them. Just know, they will ask who else was given one. When you say me… I probably won't live long,” Nathanael said with sadness. The two were big goofs with each other. “He is a marvel though.”
“Breed him, and I’ll say he had a bad hoof. Needing stabling and I forced you to take him, but he is still available,” I said, making up a cover.
He nodded. “That’d work. You sure do know how to pick a horse. I feel like I owe you my first born daughter or something.”
“We’re partners, and don’t get the wrong idea. This is an act of friendship. And save your daughter for someone she loves. Here is a massive cock instead,” I said, smacking the horse’s ass.
He chuckled. “You going to stay long?”
“Nope. I bought wagons, tents, warriors, and servants. Enough to fight a small army in the winter. After a long debate, I’m going to Farlake Academy, and then the mages guild in Crimm,” I said, leaning on my staff.
&n
bsp; Lady Pela came waltzing down from the interior of the fort with Targon at her side. “Save me, Sir Trevor, the dwarves complain about the lack of stout ale endlessly.”
“Targon, Lady Pela, tell your lord to quit whining,” I said to light laughter. “This is… uh, I forgot his name actually. This stallion is fucking wild and a pain in the ass. Hence he’s your problem, bad hoof or some such.”
“Ha, you should keep him,” Targon said in jest, except his eyes fixated on the stallion that for once seemed to be content. “I’ll send him to Baron Kellum’s stables.”
Targon left with the horse, sealing its fate.
We saw the fine stallion prance outside the fort’s gate. Beyond guards, my caravan was staged through the city. I was planning on spending a night around a warm fire, but there was no inn to host us all in one spot, and now the local lord had to reject me. The boisterous sound of drinking dwarves told me we would drive on without much rest.
“So no Clruss?” Nathanael asked.
I shook my head. “Magic is my priority. I was also thinking… that I may buy a title.”
Lady Pela grew confused. “Why?”
“There are eagles who can carry me, correct?” I asked and they nodded. “Building a roost at my arrival point is so much easier. Then I can just take over a nice castle that I can improve.”
“Oh… you want a castle now. I get it. You should still build both. Especially since I know how much gold you just dumped into our vaults,” Pela said with a smile.
It was only about ten percent. We had buried about twenty percent of our wealth near the arrival point. The rest was going to Crimm. I needed a healer, a castle, a mage instructor, and more. The best place to store my wealth was in the central bank. That was clear. Having a reserve in friendly territory also made sense.
“I intend to do exactly that come spring. The ground is frozen solid, Riverten residents are hiding in Clruss, and the servant markets for building my army are pooling up in Crimm,” I said with a shrug.
“We appreciate the gift and the faith in us,” Nathanael said with Pela nodding. “Next time a big estate or establishment is vacant or for sale I’ll stick your name on it as first bidder so you have a home here too.”
Pela smiled and said, “We appreciate you hiring humans this time too. A balanced army is a good one.”
“Ha! I had little choice, they were all that was left. Now that I understand binding magic, the idea of bringing others hungry for work made sense. There were a lot who refused to follow a man who worked closely with part fey.” I grumbled a bit, stomping my feet that ached for the carriage’s warmth.
“Well, thank you, and sorry we can’t properly supply you,” Pela said genuinely. Any animosity from our previous meeting was gone.
“At least I brought extra food too,” I mentioned.
Trimi residents still might starve from the earlier loss of livestock. No amount of gold was worth having people go hungry. A lot of our wagon supplies was excessive amounts of food. We spared a big portion of it to the city to help it through the winter.
“You sure Lidia is going to be okay at the inn?”
“Absolutely,” Nathanael said in a confident tone. “Thanks again for selling me some bread. It will help us a lot. Between you and the mushroom carts the dwarves brought we should have no starvations this winter.”
We knew Trimi would be low on resources after the short war. Our wagons were loaded with supplies to feed us and not take from here. Without the wild horse, cleared road, and minimal stops, we should reach Farlake in two weeks, and Crimm three weeks after that.
“Happy to help,” I said with a slight shiver. I was about ready to go when Nathanael’s eyes widened remembering something.
“Almost forgot. Master Mage Telfi is purchasing full fey. I already sold him what the lads captured from the war. Ten gold for uninjured, five for wounded. I know gold means less to you but the prices are crazy high because… Well, I couldn’t figure it out. Just be mindful the new men you hired will be eager to earn some side hustle,” Nathanael said, handing me a bounty note.
I folded up the parchment when I saw Norlan passing the exterior guards. My one eyed captain was rubbing his hand with frosted breaths. The man had to load up his family in a day.
Sure he had help, but moving was always exhausting. I was against taking kids to the capital but he said if we settled into a new home, the winter was the time to take them. Far less banditry.
“We’re ready to go, Baron,” Norlan said, clasping forearms with Nathanael. “Any word on the vixens?”
“First thing your master asked about. No word, they likely found a new home somewhere in the north. As for the dastardly alpha and his mage are locked in the mountain, breeding to replenish numbers. Or so we think,” Nathanael said with a dry tone.
No one cared for Gabriella and Ryleigh since they abandoned us. We all said things like we did, but we didn’t. They made a choice, and lived with it, just like we all had to. The reality was sad.
Those were the wrong kind of thoughts to start a journey on though.
“This is my cue. See you both when I can, and thanks for the help,” I said, clasping forearms of both Nathanael and Pela.
Norlan and I spun, heading for our caravan. “And the family?” I asked him.
“Excited. The ladies always wanted me to be a knight. Getting head guard was a crowning achievement. A knight is well beyond that. I just hope Gabby is okay in Montana while we adventure to a new home,” he said, rubbing his eye patch.
“If I get a healer, can they fix that?” I asked.
He nodded. “I get it, Master. You’re… different in all the right ways as a leader. Just… crushed hopes are far worse than unexpected surprises.”
I bit my fingernail, nibbling on those wise words. He opened my carriage door for me where Rivinia had new books waiting for me to read. Excellent. The trip to Farlake would hopefully be boring.
A warm cushion, a good book, and after the snap of reins, the constant jostle of a carriage. Two weeks. I sure hope it went by fast.
CHAPTER 32
Lornia - Thorngrove Forest
331st day of the 1st year of King Partel’s Reign
Ten days of tedious travel later my ladies got their periods. I thanked the heavens above, not because I was anti-child, just that I wasn’t ready. Since we’d been spending so much time in Lornia, about half the women did not…
The IUDs we had put in were… plastic. They simply didn’t transition to Lornia. Leaving all the ladies very fertile. More than a few of the young women held a voracious sexual appetite, which made me nervous. This also resulted in a grumpy Susanna and comforting Libby.
I was in the middle of relieving my Susanna of her pent up stress when there was a knock on the cabin door. Rivinia walked in allowing a gust of frigid air, chilling my bare ass while I drove my cock into that delightfully swollen pussy.
“We got a problem,” Rivinia said, shutting the door quickly.
Susanna reached back for my hips, wanting me to keep thrusting into her rapidly. I grinned, knowing she was desperate to finish. Even with her bleeding, I still pulled out when we climaxed together. The inner immature part of me giggled as cum coated her abs. The other part of me wanted more when Rivinia licked my seed off Susanna’s belly
I went to a nearby rag to clean off while she continued to moan. I’d get more later; apparently being a Baron meant I was needed in the middle of a blizzard.
After cleaning off I shimmied into my pants, heading for the carriage door. Susanna was already hurrying to join us when I left.
A blanketing white snow was whipped by a fierce wind. The weather had turned to the point the horses in the front wanted a break. It was so hard to judge time when you were in a blanket storm like this. Thankfully massive fires roared to fight the cold and keep our caravan warm.
An extra strong blast assaulted my face, causing my hairs to rise. It was really coming down hard. I reached back into my wagon to get a se
cond, thicker winter cloak. I had to give it to Lornia, they sure could make warm clothing.
Rivinia led me to our command tent. Our wagons made the best box we could to help keep out the snow.
A trail of smoke billowed out the top of the biggest tent. So… we were the only idiots travelling during blizzard season. Not a single other traveler was on the road, and thankfully, no one had died.
We looked for bandits, fey, and to ensure no random enemy force was going to attack. The snow gave a feeling of protection but Norlan was not taking chances. Each scouting team was a minimum of two and normally three per team.
Our progress was slow, and while I was desiring the comfort of a recliner and fried chicken, this is what it took to achieve success here. One thing was evident, my small force was moving through dead zones of Lornia unimpeded.
The tent flap let out a gust of warm air when Rivinia held it open for me. Norlan stood over a table with a map out. He had a scout at his side, pointing to an area.
“Status,” I said.
Norlan gave me a quick glance, letting the scout finish. “We have spotted a fey hideout. There are no cities for long swaths of this area. Mainly because the water is vile in these swamps.”
I had learned as much. If there was no clean water, humans left the zone as wilds. Sure there would be outposts, and small villages living off wells. The big cities relied on fast moving water.
Calling Thorngrove Forest a swamp was wrong. It was just marshy in some areas from my observations. Then again, I didn’t think Lornians knew what a swamp really was like most Americans did.
“Excellent, appeasing Farlake and giving out bounties sounds great,” I said with a shrug and a smile. “What’s the point of hiring an army to have them never fight.”
Norlan nodded. “Then I have your permission to lead a party?”
“Indeed. Want me to come?” I asked.
“It's about a half hour ride. You’re the noble,” Norlan said with a shrug.
I inspected the map. “What kind of fey?”
The scout hesitated before saying, “Bunny, deer, and then the snake-kin looked to be the leaders.”