SafeHaven

by Xander Jade

We stopped at Tavoria’s village and picked up a group of orcs that accompanied us to get their kin. We also asked about taking in anyone that wanted to join their clan. They did and we left. At Gurak’s village, we picked up lots of females that wanted to see if their mates were still alive. Originally, the count from the mountain came out to be eight hundred and fourteen. Twenty came for Tavoria and Racar, the rest were from Gurak’s clan. It would be interesting to see how this was handled. We would’ve reached the crossing that night but we stopped for rest.

  Morning came and after eating some berries and nuts, our procession came to the crossing. I laughed at the looks on the faces of the centaurs and barbarians that were on the lookout. They didn’t know what to do. Calming them down, I requested that the packs of lions and the orcs join me.

  Two hours later, Herc and Reap warned that we had company. I walked into the clearing and stopped with my duo, and all of the weres and orcs right behind me. The rest of the assembled backed them. Not minutes later we saw the gathered groups headed our way. I waited until they came into the clearing before walking towards them. Reap and Herc followed, as did the weres for some reason. Everyone else halted and observed. I noticed that some of my women were in front, leading the procession with others. Making it to the center before anyone else, I slowed to a halt for them to reach me.

  That didn’t stop my ladies. They ran and jumped on me, pulling me down for kisses. I didn’t care; I’d missed them too. Looking up, Kristoph, Tara, Thadoneus, Elonis, Mel and Greinn were waiting, so I made my way over with my women in tow.

  “It seems that you’ve outdone yourself, Maximus. Thank you for freeing my brethren and allies.” Thadoneus bowed to me.

  Greinn bowed to me as well. “You free my people. We have debt now to you, Anointed One.”

  Grunting, I bowed to them. “I would like to know your decision regarding the involvement of your herds and clans.”

  Thadoneus replied, “We have met with the elders and relayed the information you advised. We are coming up with tactics and strategy. Just know we will join you when the time comes.”

  “Our people be there, Maximus,” Greinn responded after the herd leader.

  I nodded, knowing that’s all that I would get out of them for the time being. “That’s great. I will keep in touch with messengers.”

  “I would ask a boon from you, Maximus,” Thadoneus said with some hesitation.

  Not knowing what it would be, I replied, “Ask away.”

  He sighed. “We would have no need for messengers if you would allow us to send our seconds and their guards with them. Our heirs need real life experiences and with you recruiting for our world, it would help them know what it’s like to lead. Good and bad experiences.”

  I glanced over at Elonis and Dhorn. They didn’t express any emotions. I thought about it for a minute and responded to the herd leader, “Before anything is decided, they need to know if they come with me, it’s not going to be easy. They will work for their spot at my settlement like all the others. If they do as I ask and follow commands from one of the people in charge, then they can come with.”

  Thadoneus and Greinn looked over at their heirs. Both of them looked back and nodded.

  “They accept your terms.”

  “All right, if that is your wish, then I will grant the boon.”

  Both leaders bowed and left, I looked over at Cass and winked. She smirked and came over to kiss me on the cheek. Getting my mind back on track, I looked around to see the weres getting to know each other. The orcs were off to the side, conversing. The captives from the mine came by to thank me, and left to go home. It took an hour before everything calmed down enough for me to talk with my people. We gathered and sat down by a fire someone lit.

  After they enlightened me about the weeks I'd missed, I relayed my adventures to them and ended with, “Overlords are coming back to that mountain and I will be there to end them. Now, regarding the discovery of those metals, I have gotten permission from the orcs to go as I please to mine them. It will help tremendously in the coming months.”

  “That’s extraordinary, babe. We will need to keep those mountains on a need to know basis, otherwise others will come for it,” Cass suggested with a smile.

  “I agree, boss. That find will change everything for us, but if it gets out, no telling what will happen,” Frank said.

  I nodded. “Yes, but they won’t get to it. When we send a group to mine the mountain, at least two earth mages will accompany them. Also, if an elemental mage is available, preferably a metal one, then it will run faster. If they encounter trouble, then they will close the mountains. My thoughts were to send a group to switch out if they want or need, every couple of weeks to prevent exhaustion. I will need to talk with Oter and the dwarves to see if we can set up camps inside that mountain range.”

  Val voiced her opinion, “Great idea, love. That will make their year if you can accomplish that.”

  “Yeah, boss. The forges are coming along, but I think some are feeling left out. This will get them back on the right track to being useful, in their minds,” Jacob said.

  Grunting was my answer to that. I cleared my throat, “I don’t know how many orcs, if any, are coming with, but a group of mixed races totaling fifty told me they were coming. Now with the addition of the lions, the count is over a hundred. Things are going faster than we expected. We will need to get them up to speed when we get back, but some of us will stay to take care of the visiting overlords.”

  Frank piped up, “Will we get to see your new bond at that time?”

  People murmured in agreement and wanted to come along.

  “What species did you bond with?” Jacob asked after the group calmed down.

  I didn’t know if Nespea wanted an audience so I checked, ‘Would you like to meet everyone, Nespea?’

  I could feel trepidation, but she replied, ‘No time like the present.’

  I stood up and stepped away from the fire. “Everyone, in a moment you will meet my new bond, but keep an open mind when gazing upon her. I do not want any talk about what happened in the past or any derogatory remarks.”

  Cass was concerned at that point, as was everyone else. “What does that mean, Max? In the past?”

  I smiled and said, “Her species did some bad things, but she disowned them and was living in solitude until our bonding.”

  “It can’t be that bad, boss,” Jacob shrugged, and everyone nodded.

  ‘We shall see. Though it doesn’t matter. I need to prepare myself for things like this,’ Nespea commented.

  ‘That shit doesn’t matter. Just be like me and scare the piss out of them,’ Sig laughed, clearly remembering when he first showed them his presence.

  I took off my tunic and immediately, Sig and Nespea drooled out of my chest, one liquid form and the other, sand.

  “Look at that, it’s sand. Earth elemental.” Frank smiled at me and I nodded at the mage, waiting for the smile to turn upside down.

  It didn’t take long before both elementals made their presence known, about twenty feet away. The surrounding people yelped when they figured out what species the earth elemental was. Everyone, and I mean everyone, moved back away from me. The weres were to the point of shifting, mages had their spells ready, and the orcs came over with their weapons. Tavoria, Racar, and Gurak out front. Lightning was flowing around Cass. All eyes were on the earth elemental. Herc, Reap, and Sig stood at her side. My peeps were about to battle it out.

  “Settle the fuck down before I let them loose, you don’t want to mess with us when we’re deep into blood lust.”

  They didn’t back down. So I stripped quickly and let my beast out in his primal form. We stood up and roared. That got the attention of everyone around the forest and beyond. I stomped over to the gathered and growled. Finally everyone calmed down.

  “I know you have issues with the yikarians. I did at first as well, but Nespea is different. She has bonded with me and we have fought together numerous ti
mes. I vouch for her character.”

  ‘Guys, go hunt, I need to discuss this with them. Nespea, join them. And guys? Try not to scare anyone.’

  They cackled and walked away. Nespea stared at me for a moment and nodded.

  ‘Thank you for standing up for me, Maximus. I won’t ever forget that.’

  ‘Just give it time, Nespea. They will learn to love you like I love you in no time.’

  She snorted. ‘Be back later.’

  I nodded and watched them leave. When they were out of sight, I turned to my friends. “If this is what happens when I bond to others, then you won’t get the courtesy of seeing them until I want you to. Get it through your thick skulls that what we are preparing for isn’t at all normal. The bonds that I receive aren’t for you. Their purpose is to help me grow in skill and power. Some may be reclusive, and others may be somewhat dark in nature. Sig is guiding me through this. I trust him to make the right choices for me.”

  I stopped talking and went back to fetch my clothes and shifted back to human. Not giving a shit, I dressed in front of everyone in the clearing. When done, I called out to the orcs, “Tavoria, Racar, and Gurak, follow me.”

  Not even looking to see if they followed, I walked away from the others. Finding a spot without others in it, I waited. Footsteps came from behind me and they halted ten feet in front of me.

  “Tavoria, what’s the verdict? Staying or going?”

  She gulped and answered, “We are going back to our clan, then regrouping. I have resigned my position, as has Racar. When we say our goodbyes to our kin, then we will join you.”

  Hmm. Didn’t expect that.

  “What about the ones that were freed, are they allowed to join your clan?”

  Racar responded, “They are, though some are coming with us to join the fight.”

  I nodded and turned to Gurak. “What about you, Gurak? Going home or staying?”

  He smiled. “I’m not letting you have all the fun, my friend. We’re not going anywhere. With our mates wanting to come join us, we are whole again. Our crew will need to go and get our young within the next couple of weeks.”

  “That’s fine, Gurak. Go back to your kin, we will be going our separate ways shortly.”

  They saluted and said in unison, “Yes, Alpha!”

  I shook my head as they left. Scanning the area, I sat down on a log and watched the scenery. Butterflies, lightning bugs, and small critters were skulking about. I closed my eyes and just listened to the sounds in the forest. It wasn’t long before my time alone was cut short. They were slowly walking my way, hesitant actually.

  Not looking at them, I said, “Come on over.”

  They did. Cass sat on my left, Val on my right. Soph and Leena sat down in front of me.

  Cass whispered, “We’re sorry. It just caught us off guard, none of us were expecting to see a yikarian.” She laid her head on my shoulder.

  Val said her two cents worth, “The yikarians were thought to be far away from here. We were hoping they went extinct. Her showing up scared us. If you say she’s on the up and up, then we will trust her.”

  Leena nodded and said, “Yes, hon. The others will need to be told beforehand, but they will trust your judgment. We will adjust to the newest member of your crew.”

  I sighed. “It’s only going to get worse ladies. The ones I need to bond with are greater elementals. That means the creature or species has tons of power and skill. Be prepared for things that haven’t been seen in a long time or ever.”

  They didn’t say anything, just nodded. Soph brought up a concern, “How often will you need to leave to find a bond?”

  “Not sure. I do know that one is in Azgrag. Nespea advised me to check them out.”

  “Anything else that needs our attention?” Cass asked.

  “No, I will keep Frank and Jacob with me and a couple of the other mages that were freed. A few weres as well. You ladies will need to take the lions and whoever is joining us back home. Set them up, then get with Gordon, Oter, and his kin. Advise them of the situation and send a group to meet me in Azgrag. I will have Gurak and his crew accompany them for safe travel.”

  “We will carry out your requests, Alpha,” Val responded with a kiss on the cheek.

  “All right, ladies. Let’s head back and get everyone sent in the right direction.”

  They nodded and we walked back to get our people. A group was waiting for us when we exited the forest. I broke off after I told my ladies what I wanted done. They went up to the gathered group and advised them of my requests. I walked over to chat with Elonis and Dhorn, who were a little further away. Kristoph, Tara, and Mel were with them.

  They saw me approach and bowed to me. I did the same.

  “Elonis, Dhorn, and Kristoph, you will go with the others heading to my settlement. I need to stay and take care of some evil ones that are coming to Azgrag.”

  Elonis suggested, “We can help with that.” The others around nodded and voiced their agreement.

  I shook my head. “No, the ones coming are overlords, magic users. I won’t put you in danger so quickly. Go with Cass and the others. They will bring your group back so they can teach you our ways. It will be difficult, but hang in there. Learn from the Inner Circle that has been running our settlement since it was conceived. It will make you stronger in the end. I will be back when the task is done.”

  “As you wish, boss,” Elonis smirked, and the others around snickered.

  I nodded and replied, “Remember the stuff you dish out has consequences and know that it will be given back.”

  He lost the smirk and the others stopped as well. I chuckled and walked off, heading towards the orcs. Gurak was talking to his mate and a few others. He saw me and came over.

  He bowed his head and asked, “Boss, what’s up?”

  “I’m staying with a select group. We are going to be waiting at the mountain range where the prison was. Overlords are coming and we will take care of them there. You may not know this, but in that particular mountain range large amounts of metal are hidden that we can use to build up our settlement with weapons and coin. I have gotten permission from your village and Tavoria’s to be able to do that. When processing the metal, we have agreed to make armor and weapons for them. Cass and the others are meeting with Oter and his kin to bring a group to those mountains to begin mining. I need you and some of your kin to accompany them safely. Can you do that?”

  “Yes, sir. When you’re finished with that task, will you allow us to travel and retrieve our little ones?”

  “Yes, my friend. You don’t need to ask that. Just remind me when you take off.”

  He smiled and replied, “Will do, boss.”

  “I will see ya later on.”

  He nodded and I walked away towards Cass and the others. As I came up, I heard them bickering. They stopped cold when they realized I was there.

  “What’s the problem?”

  After giving a narrow-eyed stare to the others, Cass responded, “Husband, don’t worry about it. Some are arguing their reasons to stay and help, but we will get what you requested done promptly.”

  I nodded and said, “As you wish. I’ll be waiting.”

  Val came over and kissed me, “You won’t be waiting long.”

  She went back and I shook my head. Scanning the area, I saw my meatheads waiting on the outskirts of the forest with their kills. I strolled over and sat down with my back to a tree.

  ‘Are we ready yet?’ Herc asked while chowing down on his meal.

  ‘No, they’re getting themselves ready to go. A select group will accompany us to the mountains to wait for our guests. Of course, we won’t be standing around. A few mages and weres will be helpful in getting some work done.’

  ‘Good idea. We can close the entry to the mountains and make a new one to come and go as we please,’ Nespea suggested.

  ‘My thoughts exactly. Cass will be sending a group of dwarves and more mages when they get back. My plan is to get the mine
s back up and running, then make a garrison and trade out workers and guards every few weeks or so.’

  ‘I like that idea. It will help protect and give our people experience when they fight off anybody that gets close,’ Herc commented as he bit into his stag. Blood ran down his mouth onto the ground.

  ‘Shit, we could even make forges there with all that metal. That way we could make armor and weapons straight from the source. Hmm. We would just have to find a coal deposit. The other metals that won’t be used for equipment, we can transport to our settlement. Especially the rhodium and platinum deposits.’

  ‘Sounds like you have it all planned out.’ Sig snickered.

  ‘Not quite, we’ll have to play it by ear. The ones trained up will be first to come. With as many individuals as we have now, there’s no excuse for people to burn themselves out,

  They grunted and silence came over our group as they finished. I closed my eyes and rested.

  I was awoken by someone leaning their head on my shoulder. Opening my eyes and looking to my right, Cass was beside me.

  “Have a good rest, love?”

  I snorted and said in a low voice, “Yeah, get everything worked out?”

  She sighed. “With your request? Yes.”

  Detecting annoyance in her tone, I asked, “What’s wrong?”

  She lifted her head and stared into my eyes before looking away. “It’s nothing.”

  I placed my fingers on her chin and gently guided her to look at me. “Tell me.”

  The feisty were-mage put her head close to my neck and whined, “It’s… you’re going to think little of me.”

  I put my arm around her.

  She continued, “You’ve been away from us for weeks and now you’re staying in Azgrag. As first wife, I’m bringing your attention to an issue with your wives. It may be the hormones of pregnant women, but we need some alone time, husband. The sister-wives are playing with each other, but it’s not the same. We need some dick.”

  I tried to keep a straight face but failed when the three knuckleheads laughed in my mind. Nespea was snickering as well.

  I choked out, “Okay. I apologize for putting you in this predicament and failing in my husbandly duties. How can I make this up to you?”