by Marcus Sloss
Addilyn was still in shock but broke out of it. “Are we going to torch all the Horde we see? That was impressive. I thought they wanted to keep their magic a secret?”
“Lord Nova was righting a wrong. I saw griffin bones down there, and even some on spears around that city. I will support them regardless of the direction they go as long as we are allies…” I let the sentence hang and Addilyn nodded. “Now finish the tale of this battle as we cruise for the first new barrier please.”
“We expect to have access to the rest of the catalyst soon. The real issue was Herodian Bay, we disclosed our power there. It has been open season since then. We do not report every engagement to you Gryff. Since the dragons, if the Horde target is ripe, the griffins have permission to burn. Everywhere between the cities of man the Horde is being removed. Trust me, we want your caravans to move freely again. It allows so much less stress and burden on us.” Lord Nova declared.
Addilyn thanked Lord Nova and asked for him to thank the other griffins. I stayed quiet wanting the story to come out.
“The Horde waited near two months as their armies piled on top of each other. The first to arrive died of dehydration and were fed to the others. They are truly fodder. Of course, the ogres and shamans all lived to battle day. The goblins died in the millions the same as the orcs. The enemy leadership had pressure to advance eventually and it was comical to watch them form up. It was a three day process of orcs in the front, ogres second, and shamans on wooden towers in the third row. When they were ready they marched forward to meet our awaiting army. It is important you understand how slow an army that size moves. Your human army had archers in the front for a full day. Releasing torrents of arrows into the slow moving enemy lines. It was those platforms that carried the shamans. There were always problems with them, but the enemy general demanded they be in oversight and close to the front. How they kept the orcs from breaking or charging to this day I still wonder… The damage was horrendous. So bad that lines parted from the rear to allow fresh orcs to be arrow fodder.
“When the two sides collided we sprang into action. We were five thousand griffins pouring out of the mountains. A lot of our females joined the fray, which was hotly debated to continue our lineage. Instead, a swift victory was the conclusion so every able griffin fought. The enemy had never seen so many of us in one place, and I never recall that many of us together either. It was a historic moment. Our targets were the shamans and the ogres. As the humans fought to maintain their line we fought to disarray the enemy. It was our most costly battle of the war. Griffins shredded and spooked ogres. We snatched, clawed, and barreled over shamans on their platforms. If only we had golem blood back then we could have saved so many. I saw my mate, Lady Uina take a spiked ogre club. She hit the dirt hard crushing orcs as she struggled to rise. I was the only one who saw her fall. I healed her as she was swarmed. I faltered unable to keep up as the orcs and ogres in the hundreds covered her in wounds. She faded and died. I lost my sense then and recall little after. When I came back to coherent thought I was in the enemy's backlines covered in blood and a cyclops was offering parley. That was how the peace accords were won. Through the blood and death of millions of humans, and hundreds of griffins. We always wanted to return and bury our dead. When you come for the metal we will ask you to dig some graves while we provide air cover.”
The story ended and Addilyn and I confirmed we would be happy to help when we trekked out here on foot. I was doing the math in my head and it was at least a four day trip each way with yakins. Not a fun adventure and it would be hard work, but it would be a worthy endeavor. We increased our speed after this and I watched the ocean as we flew north. Ten minutes later we were inside the new barrier.
“Well shit…” I said out loud. Sure enough, I had not circled the small port city. Havenu was clear to the eye about three miles north. Lord Nova flew us in and out of the barrier on the cardinal directions so we both understood the boundaries of this safe zone. All around us the griffins were testing the edges. I saw the cliffs, and they were hundreds of feet steep. The water churned with anger at their base. There was good land up here that was cleared and a mix of rock and grass. There was no way down to the water though. Any dock would be smashed by the crashing waves. I racked my brain to find a purpose for this large area. Maybe sheep pens. I was interrupted by my thought.
“We want it, gift it to us please,” Lord Nova said asking nicely… He never was polite.
“Not that I am saying no. And I will probably say yes, but why?”
“We can dig into the facing cliff and have breeding homes. It is also a great place for young griffins to learn to fly. You will not get a dock in here but maybe you can use the city docks down there. Sure you will be outside the safe zones but build a workers settlement up here for off hours. Walk down to fish during. Most fishing is outside a safe zone. If you gift us this it will also help ensure we can protect those workers.” Lord Nova explained.
“To my mighty griffin friends… I Emperor Gryff, and officially the owner of this barrier – hereby transfer ownership to King Aves!” I proclaimed loudly and there was cheering. “Now if you would be so kind as to land us. I want to get some training done before nightfall and leave early in the morning.”
Lord Nova thanked me and my team immediately went to work setting up tents while there was still sunlight. I then realized something, our standard operating procedure was two per tent but Addilyn made it thirteen. When I went and started unpacking Tammy came over.
“You had to bring a wife… Nate sent me this way. Normally he would bunk with you but since your wife is here you get me. Let me get this side of the tent.” Tammy said as she worked the wooden tent stake into the ground. I looked to see Addilyn handing out frozen fish to griffins. “So things never worked out with Jak, and before you start raising eyebrows at me suddenly gushing about my love life… listen. This is not easy for me. I am nearly thirty, no husband, a military career, and I get rejected a lot. There are so many women fighting over men. I say this because we are going into this tent tonight. I see the way your wife devours you with her eyes. There is almost a certainty she will have a talk with me before we slide in there to sleep. I am a fairly carefree, uninhibited woman. I have no noble upbringing or fancy titles besides the one you gave me. I am nervous around Addilyn, you not so much. I trust you Gryff… We all do. So if I do something wrong or something gets awkward, you save me. I am not talking about only the battlefield. I mean… Ugh… I preferred sleeping with Janice. Far less stress. Oh well, she got lucky and is probably going to be Victor's third wife soon.”
Rambling, nervous, and agitated. Tammy was my friend and teammate, so I reassured her. “Tammy relax, I am never going to be untoward to you or any woman. Addilyn is a princess…” I paused thinking of how much the woman loved sex and desired a female’s touch. “Okay, maybe you should establish ground rules. But with her, not me. I will help you out if you get overwhelmed.”
The tent was completed and I dropped the subject. Time for a run. I called the team over and Fwar was the last to arrive with Donnie. I went over how we would run past sunset then start a cooking fire, eat a meal, and crash for an early morning rise.
Fwar struggled to keep up, but never quit. We encouraged him instead of harassing him. Dinner was travel rations I had packed, while the griffins had roasted some fish with fireballs. They really loved using their magic. When dinner was over Addilyn and Tammy went for a walk and I retired to my bedroll in the tent. There were three pillows and large blankets laid out. Outside the tent entrance were two small flickering lava torches. I pulled one in and dug into my bag in the corner of the soft blankets. I found my papers and added a sleeping bag to my to do list. The seamstress would probably get the idea. We could add a button and loops instead of a zipper. I then found a fresh sheet of paper and wrote of the Battle of Saquin pass. On another sheet, I wrote out the requirements for securing all that metal. The list was long. I finished it and set the torch back o
utside.
The outside was cool and before I went to sleep I wanted to get clean. So I stripped naked and did a field wash off my body with a rag and a canteen. I saw others doing the same, modesty in the field was not as important as hygiene. Clean and ready for bed I nestled off to one side. Figured I would let Addilyn sleep in the middle.
The ladies arrived fresh and in new clothes, their old clothes wet from washing. I should have done that too. They hung the garments across a tent line outside to dry in the cool air. I heard them talking in friendly tones and light banter. I was a tad nervous about what was going to happen next. I knew Addilyn would come in for sex. I also felt bad for Tammy. I valued her much like I had Una, as a fellow warrior. Sure she was easier on the eyes, more refined, and well… nothing was wrong with Tammy. She merely was inferior to my wives and older. A solid (no marriage) candidate and even my wives would think that.
Addilyn entered with Tammy in tow. “Silence shield us please,” Addilyn requested and Tammy sent her white magic out that covered our tent. “Thank you, Tammy. We will be in the field for at least a few days, and I am okay with sharing a tent. It was an oversight and it is not fair. We can either keep this system or next adventure add another backup. I have yet to decide. What would you like Tammy?”
“So… Addilyn and I talked… This is unusual for me, I normally have a few drinks and let inhibitions go. Not plan out intimacy. I would love to tent and couple with you. Addilyn is drop dead gorgeous and well you are you Gryff. There are like three women in the Empire who do not find you attractive. Probably because they don’t like men,” Tammy said shyly.
“Okay, thank you for the compliment, and I guess I am confused. Couple, like in sex? I do not… and I mean this in the nicest way, Tammy, for even if you were another empress I would still say no… want another wife.” I was lost.
“Oh… you are not from Vin, sometimes I forget that. Concubine. Tammy will be mine… I say again. My… concubine. In case that is not clear. She will be my sex toy. Not yours, if you ever play with her it will be with my permission. I do need your approval to make it official though. Also, we can only add females to our list. Males were allowed in some kingdoms, but you run into paternity issues. No worries with us about that. Part of our discussion before we left Fernlan. No more wives without a five wife vote yes. One concubine allowed per wife, and Bella flat out said she never would, which is fine. I will let you sleep on it before we move forward. If you say no then tomorrow night I will have my way with you alone, while Tammy waits outside.”
I propped myself up on my elbows. Both ladies stripped naked getting ready for bed. Addilyn scooched me into the middle. Tammy laid beside me and rotated her back to me while Addilyn’s firm toned body pushed up against me. I was slightly conflicted until my penis rose into a boner. Guilty. Two naked women and I tapped. I wouldn’t have to marry the girl and it was consensual, so I gave in.
I rotated Tammy over and she snuggled into me. Her small breast pressed into my side. She noticed my erection that Addilyn was playing with. I pushed them both down gently. They kissed my cock in tandem. They worked the shaft together until it was good and wet. Addilyn mentioned how this part hurt and slowly inserted me into her tight tunnel. Tammy sucked on Addilyn’s nipples and fondled my balls. I noticed Addilyn was able to get me hilt deep this time quicker than before. She rocked on top of me finding the right spot and perfect rotation. We peaked in orgasm together, as she arched her back, I shot into her. When we uncoupled, Addilyn placed Tammy on her back and work her into a climax. I rested over her and sucked her nipples helping her reach her goal while Addilyn pleased her little pussy with her tongue. Once everyone was thoroughly finished we snuggled in a ball and went to sleep.
CHAPTER 10
Early the next morning we packed up the tents and ate a light breakfast. As the sun crested the horizon we mounted and were off to the north. I was excited to see Uhara, it was supposed to have deep docks and great fishing waters that had laid dormant from harvest for years. This really had me more thrilled than anything else. I even asked Lord Nova if we could fly faster than yesterday and he nodded. He did mumble about being out of combat shape, but conceded none the less.
We flew over Havenu and I saw the merits of what Lord Nova recommended yesterday. I would need to find the right sailors brave enough to run the distance to and from the docks. If there was griffin cover the crews should be fine. The hardest part would be carting the catch into the barrier or netting it in the deep waters below the cliffs for a griffin to pull up. I am sure those that were tasked to reside here and increase production would figure it out. While a challenge it was worth the effort to find a solution. Every bit of fish helped.
After Havenu there was an increasingly steep shoreline. It was as if the ocean had reached a hand into the land and dragged large swaths into the depths. The waves constantly broke with a thundering crash and spray of salty water. I found it odd the water had salt here in the oceans. I asked Nova and he shrugged and said somethings are without needing a reason.
The drop offs transitioned down and into a rocky beach with shallows. You could see the sand bars as the waves rolled in. There were sporadic small villages in the area and all were long abandoned and most homes were burned to the foundation. We sped by a few Horde hunting or fetching fishing lines. If they were within reach, a griffin practiced their fire magic. There were still hundreds of caskets filled with golem blood so I saw no reason to complain. I even noticed they were mortally burning some while leaving them to die a slow death. Also no complaint. My empathy meter was out of caring. Burn them all and let their seven gods deal with their souls.
The griffins flew a slow circle around an abandoned human fleet of fishing ships that were anchored. Longboats were dashed upon the shore, showing where the crews had fled to. A few had sunk from storms but a good dozen rocked in the waves firmly anchored. They would need a lot of tender loving care to get back to excellent shape. The crews left them far enough from the coastline, and probably too soon because the war kept going to south from here. I retrieved my map and annotated the location the best I could. We then continued to the north.
The outskirts of Uhara danced into our vision. It started as tiny outlying farms. This made sense to me because the fields could be fertilized by the fish remains. The farms transitioned to a large empty moat. Is it a moat if it was without water… a large ditch then. The walls were a mix of dark colored beach stones merged together by earth magic. They stood twenty feet tall and there were many breaks from combat. The amount of chitin that must have been required to build this wall would have been immense. Different times back then. People probably had ant farms. I dug my list out as the chilly wind fought to send it flying. I found an ant farm already listed… added a star beside it.
We tingled into the barrier a few hundred feet outside the exterior walls which would make this settlement ready to go for fishing and farming from day one. At least that was my first thought. Then I noticed the slums and the smell. There were sporadic goblins swarming the city. By the thousands. They ran between the small homes and even ran into the fancy estates to hide. A band of fifty orcs were shouting at us as we flew over.
I had to make a decision quickly. Surprise was our element here, and we were inside barrier so the griffins could do more than a burn from the air.
“Land us in the slums on the outskirts. Clear what you can with minimal structural damage if able. We need to conquer this city.” I said to Lord Nova who turned to look at me over his shoulder with a gleam of murder in his eyes. We slammed hard into the ground and hastily dismounted. The stench was foul and the ground squishy with goblin shit.
The moment all twelve of us were on the ground the griffins dive bombed targets with the city.
“Formation. We are going to push to the central point in the city and kill what the griffins miss. Stay tight! Shields locked! Addilyn stay right on my back.” I said knowing that I was prepared and she was not. I should have ensured she
had a shield before we left. The team locked eight wide and four mages were held back. I was the central point in our line. “Forward march!”
Our feet smacked the pavement in unison as we progressed forward. The roads here were filthy and the buildings degraded. Some could be salvaged but they were slums. I did not build slums. The best part of this area was we could move as one. There were limited alleyways and tall buildings. Goblins retreated from our formation, too scared to directly engage us. The griffins wrecked damage upon the foes with fire and talons.
As a unit, we rounded an intersection to face forty charging orcs that poured out of the building. If that wasn’t enough, an ogre emerged on our right suddenly from an alleyway. We had walked right into a trap. “Tighten!” was the only call I got out in time. Our shield line bowed under the pressure as the orcs crashed into us. Our right flank was set upon by a seventeen foot ogre with a greataxe. The overhand swing was met by Winst’s raised shield.
The ogre's axe split the shield in two and Winst died before he even realized it. I couldn’t spin the formation or box us because of the pressure on the front wall from the orcs. I was fighting for my life in the shield line. “Heave!” Our line pushed as one and gained only a few inches. “Freeze and Retreat!” I called out.
The ground in front of us froze and we stepped back. “Vole!” Victor stepped forward as we went back and unleashed lava on the Horde with feet locked. I spun to address the ogre hoping that our line held the next charge. The ogre eyed me and raised an overhand swing for me. It never went forward though. Lord Nova slammed into the ogre going fast enough to send shockwaves from the collision. Green aura danced into his body knitting his bones together. The ogre never rose. I saw Dina ripping the remaining orcs to shreds further down the road.
There was a calm in the fighting for my team but the griffins were burning sections of the city now.