by Noah Layton
‘Another time. I’ll return tomorrow after conferring with my tribe.’
‘It’s starting to get dark. There’s no way you can make it back to your land before sundown. Why don’t you spend the night? You are our guests. I could even have my wives join you and that purple-haired archer of yours for the evening if you wanted more than one mouth serving your cock.’
‘Thanks, but my wives are the only women that I lie with.’
‘A traditionalist,’ Werger said. ‘Don’t get many of your kind among tribe masters anymore.’
‘You know others?’
‘I am... Familiar with one.’
Werger didn’t follow it up any further, and I didn’t press. Being familiar with another tribe master didn’t mean he had support. If he did he would have already arranged to overrun me.
We exited the, returning to the dim sunset glow of the Gaalus Tribe’s land, where Lara joined me.
‘My companion and I will spend the night at the border onto your land, just where we arrived. No offence but I’d feel more comfortable closer to the forest.’
‘None taken. You seem too smart a man to run around trusting everybody.’
‘You and I have had more than a few opportunities to cut each other down in the past few hours. If either of us wanted that I think we would have done it already.’
Werger held out a hand to shake, which I took. No digital windows appeared before me.
I left the conversation there. Werger made a start back to his treehouse while I crossed to the edge of the land with Lara.
‘What happened?’
‘I found out how much of an asshole this guy is.’
‘You couldn’t tell that already? It was pretty obvious from the moment he opened his mouth back at our land.’
‘True, but he only served to emphasise it. He’s not stupid though, and killing him would cause a shitstorm to come flying my way. His guards might be as bad as him, but they’re loyal. He wants to foster relations with us.’
‘Foster relations?’
‘Trading.’
‘Ahh, I see... See, fostering relations in my mind equates to wiping out these guys and starting afresh.’
I shot her a look.
‘What?’
‘You’re really saying this?’
‘Well, no, but... Yes. There are eight members in his tribe; himself, two moonrise-addicted wives, the three guards, his imp that we have yet to meet, and that large man guarding the other house over there. We vastly outnumber his tribe. Shit, even you and I could take them all down if we took them by surprise.’
My immediate reaction was to laugh it off, which I did... But the thought remained.
‘Drug-addicted, you say?’
‘Moonrise,’ Lara replied quickly. ‘We’ve taken moonseed back at our land, which is a very safe herb of the forest, but what they speak of is much worse. They mix it with ashgraze, a very dangerous plant from the wild. It is incredibly addictive when combined, and potentially lethal.’
I had gotten just a glimpse of what this guy was okay with showing me: a trio of goons, two drug-addicted ‘wives’ that he gave to his guards in exchange for satisfying their addiction. What the hell was he not okay with showing me?
‘This guy is a freaking pimp. That’s literally what he is.’
‘What’s a pimp?’
‘You don’t have those in Agraria?’
‘I don’t know what it is so I can’t tell you.’
‘They get women addicted to drugs, make them dependent and then hire them out for sex in order to pay for the drugs, then keep the rest of the money.’
‘Oh. Then yes, that’s pretty much what he is. Are they well-liked in your world?’
‘Not exactly.’
‘Oh, of course, my master who comes from the land of frigid people who have sex with one person for their entire lives. How could I possibly have guessed?’
‘This isn’t the same thing.’
‘I know, I’m only teasing you. Your temper is short today. Is something wrong?’
‘No... Guy’s like that just piss me off.’
‘Me too. So let’s kill him.’
‘I’m not doing that. We’re spending the night here and heading back in the morning, whether we cut a deal or not.’
‘Would the world really be a terrible place without him?’
‘It’d be better, but... This is his land. I need something more concrete before I even consider launching an assault on this guy.’
We reached the edge of the land and exited through the gap in the perimeter fence. Fifty yards beyond the perimeter we found a hidden patch of grass between some trees and set up camp. After constructing a campfire and laying out some blankets, I set up some meat to cook while we quenched our thirst with water from our canteens.
We basked in the quiet of the forest for a few minutes as Lara tended to the meat over the fire. She looked sharply up to me and smiled.
‘What?’ I asked.
‘What do you mean ‘what’?’
‘You’re looking at me like this is some trashy rom-com and its love at first sight.’
‘I don’t understand a word you just said.’
‘You’re looking at me like an innocent farm-girl with a crush on the boy next door.’
‘Well, you think quite highly of yourself.’
‘I don’t... okay sometimes I do, but only after I’ve killed a monster. And I don’t mean it like that. I mean you’re looking at me like we’re not two people who’ve already been as close as two people can get. What happened to the hard-as-nails hunter that I met in a bar at Ichabod’s Cove who drank hard and killed rogue manticaps?’
‘I’m still like that. I’m pretty sure it was me who just suggested killing this entire tribe.’
I raised an eyebrow at her.
‘I don’t know,’ she continued. ‘I suppose I’m just... Look, I spent years fending for myself and making my own way, and then you came along and you were the first man or woman that wanted to take me in for something other than sex... Or money, like Rook, that is. I’ve been alone since the war and I’ve always looked after myself. I’m just... Letting my guard down with you. It’s tough.’
‘You never told me anything about your past.’
Lara paused in her turning of the cuts of meat in the pan over the fire. She took a deep breath.
‘I don’t remember much about my family. I was raised by a convent of high elves far from here before I ran away to the cove. They were nice to me, but... I just couldn’t stay there any longer. Staying in one place has never been for me.’
‘That doesn’t out you off the tribe, does it?’
‘No, because we don’t stay in one place. We go on adventures, we trek into the wilderness in search of resources and treasures, we go to dangerous places... If I was holed up at the land all day like some housewife I would go out of my mind.’
‘I don’t want that either,’ I assured her, ‘but for me it’s tough. In my world men and women both work, just like we do. Everybody has skills, but… In my world there aren’t things waiting outside of your front door to kill you at a moment’s notice.
‘A man’s family is his tribe. Being my wife means being my family, and the rest of my tribe are like my extended family too, but… Being with you girls every day in the wilderness is something that I’m adjusting to. I don’t like the idea of you being exposed to danger so much. That’s my job.’
‘You really worry about that sort of thing?’
‘It’s gotten lesser with every fight we’ve been in together, but it’s still in the back of my mind all the time. My father taught me to look after my own, and I am, but… I still worry.’
‘That’s just the way it is out here, master. The wilds are dangerous, and the people that occupy them are more dangerous, just like that idiot.’
Lara pointed out towards the land of the foreign tribe.
‘Right,’ I smiled. ‘Oh, and, uhh… Don’t call me that again.’
‘Call you what?’
‘Master. I hadn’t thought about it much because I’ve been working so hard on establishing our safety and our resources, but after hearing Werger’s wives say it to him like that… I don’t like the sound of it. Just call me Jack from now on.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Definitely.’
‘I could call you husband if you want?’
‘Santana and I were talking about that a couple of days ago,’ I laughed. ‘Anything’s better than master.’
‘Oh, don’t say that. I’m sure I could think of plenty of creative names for you.’
‘I’ll bet. Let’s eat.’
The adrenaline from our surprise meeting with the new tribe master hours ago had long-settled. In the shadow of the shock we devoured our makeshift meal and set our stone slabs aside.
Lara snuggled up to my side and we rested upon our blankets. Her firm body pressed against me as she traced a hand over my chest, and her purple hair almost seemed to glow in the firelight.
I knew the threat of the Gaalus Tribe was nearby, but I was beyond comfortable with my wife by my side and my arms wrapped around her.
‘Don’t fall asleep,’ she whispered in my ear, closing her eyes a little. ‘We need to take shifts to make sure that they don’t try and jump us.’
‘And how do you plan on doing that? We’re both exhausted.’
‘I can think of plenty of ways to keep you awake, master.’
Lara’s expert hands slid over my abs and down to my pants, rubbing me gently beneath the material. Needless to say it woke up more than one part of me.
‘How about that…?’ She moaned. ‘Are your eyes staying open?’
‘A little,’ I lied, suddenly feeling wide awake. ‘We have to do something about you though.’
I ran a hand down her stomach and into her pants as she faced away from me. My fingers slid further, finding the wetness between her legs
‘What if they see us?’ She moaned, her eyes fluttering at my touch.
‘Who gives a fuck?’
Lara giggled and pulled down the back of her pants, leaving them around her thighs as she exposed her round ass. She grinded herself against my length, pressing her back to me in the process.
The edge of the tribe was just beyond our private spot, and we were pressed together messily on a blankets in the undergrowth, our clothes a mess and our bodies sweating, but in that moment I had never wanted her more.
I pushed into her from behind, feeling her wet tightness clasp around me as she moaned, taking a handful of the blanket in her first.
‘Oh, gods…’ She cried. ‘You took from behind the first time, remember? This is my favourite… This is how I like it…’
I grabbed her hips from behind as we laid on our sides and pulled from her, thrusting in again. She raised a hand and clasped the back of my neck, a harsher moan escaping her mouth as I fucked her harder and harder.
Lara’s moans become louder in response – so loud that I thought she would wake the forest and the tribe.
Usually I could last longer than this by sheer willpower, but we were too hot and this was too risky – risky in a way that turned me on even more.
I pushed into Lara, holding her against me as she shook her ass up and down on me. She looked over her shoulder, sweeping her luscious purple hair aside to reveal her eyes fluttering as she kissed me hard.
With a sharp groan I came into her, panting for breath as my orgasm subsided. She had finished me off in no time. Even after I was finished, she continued to rub herself up and down on me, squeezing every last drop from me.
‘That might have kept us awake for a little while, but now I feel even more exhausted.’
‘You’ve had a busy week,’ Lara breathed, kissing me again and pulling away from me. ‘I’ll take first shift. But don’t become grumpy when I wake you up.’
Just ahead of us, the campfire continued to burn, obscuring the view of the foreign tribal land beyond.
Chapter Fifteen
‘Jack…?’
‘Mm…?’
My eyes flickered open to see a shadowy figure by my side. My hand automatically slammed down on the handle of my sword, but just as I did I felt the touch of Lara’s hand on my cheek.
‘Calm yourself,’ she whispered. ‘It’s me.’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘There’s no need to be. I understand. Would you mind if I got a little sleep?’
‘No, of course not,’ I said, pushing up to my feet. ‘I’ll keep an eye out.’
She sank onto the ground and snuggled up on the blankets, resting her head and sighing.
‘I’ll listen out for anything.’
Lara nodded and settled on our makeshift bed, leaving me to keep a look out.
I checked the surrounding forest beyond our small camp and made sure that no creatures had come wandering into the vicinity. Some would likely be put off by the light, but there was a chance that others would be drawn to it.
The activity kept me awake for a little while, but there was nothing that posed any sort of threat to us in the wilderness.
The Gaalus Tribe, on the other hand…
I ventured to the perimeter edge and looked at the land. I moved to wave over to the guard, Tobias, who was still sat by the empty house, building a little trust that I was still here, but received no response.
I did it again, and again… Until I realized that he was fast asleep and slumped back against the wall on his stool.
What had Werger said?
That’s just there for when I finally acquire some citizens to share my land. Tobias over there just… Looks after that house. I like to be prepared, you know?
A little light from the torches in the surrounding area spilled towards the house, flickering onto its edges occasionally, and lighting up the image of Tobias as he slept outside.
What the hell was this guy doing guarding an empty house? It didn’t make any sense. Werger had changed the topic pretty fast from this guard and the empty building he was responsible for.
It didn’t add up.
Scanning the land once again, I saw that it was void of any other citizens. He was the only one out in the open.
I bit the inside of my lip and watched the land for a few more stretching minutes. My heart began to beat a little faster, not just at the prospect of the house but at what I was considering doing.
My suspicions about Werger had kept me on edge all day. He was a calculated sociopath, just like a lot of leaders, but the problem with sociopaths is that most are terrible at hiding their true nature.
No matter how friendly or accommodating he tried to act, I knew that it was only because he wanted something from me. I had yet to decipher whether that was to trade or to overrun me and my people completely, but I had little doubt that it would be the latter if he had the opportunity.
I had shot and stabbed people before, and bullets and blades had come in my direction too. I had been cut more than once out here – even in a different world, people were generally still the same.
It was a lesson I had learned early on in life; the folks calling for peace on earth always forget one thing, and that’s the nature of what people are actually like.
Everyone does it; people mistrust each other, groups mistrust each other, countries mistrust each other. Everybody wants to win, even if they won’t admit it to themselves.
Everything just depended on how far the leaders of the world were willing to go to destroy other countries.
Or other tribes.
My approach here had to be reactionary. There was no way that I would slaughter or enslave the Gaalus Tribe, unless they attempted to act violently in any way towards us first. I wasn’t a warlord or a tyrant.
But Werger was different. I knew he would.
And he was hiding something in that house.
I checked on Lara. She was still sleeping peacefully. I made a quick check of the surrounding area and found no sign of any thre
ats. Her bow was at her side if she needed to use it.
I checked the front of the house from the perimeter once more. The guard was still there, slumbering.
Checking my sword in its scabbard, I headed through the gap in the fence and onto the land.
My heart picked up the moment I stepped past the line. I kept close to the fence and moved along the edge through the dying grass and dried dirt until I reached a point adjacent to the house.
Then I moved deeper into the land.
Ten yards from the building I darted left and hurried silently to the house. I moved out of view of the slumbering guard and pressed myself up against the wall.
It was a similar to those that I and my citizens had built back at my land, and I knew that on the left side of the building there was an open space designed for a window. Glass had never been available, but shutters were, and it could provide a way in.
The further I edged around the building, the more convinced I became that this was a terrible idea. I wanted to tell myself that there was nothing but ore and valuables locked away in the house, that my disliking for Werger was just because he was a sardonic little asshole.
I had yet to actually see these valuables that Werger horded. This could just have been his store room.
I looked around the land, then examined the shutters on the window. They weren’t locked.
Why the hell would he have a guard here but no lock on the freaking window?
I slumped against the wall silently and thought for a moment.
I can get out of here. Go back to Lara, wait till morning, continue my talks with Werger then head back to my land with an uneasy agreement to stay out of each other’s way…
I was about to take up my own offer when I heard it.
It was the sound of something living, a crying sound. I held my breath and waited. Nothing. I could have just imagined it.
The crying sounded out again, only much closer this time – and it was coming from inside the house.
What the fuck…?
I crept to the front of the house in silence and peaked around the corner. The guard was still sleeping.
I returned to the window shutters and opened them, surveying the inside of the house from the ledge. Darkness reigned supreme, but it seemed to be deserted.