Homeland: Ingame 2

by Kieron Uchee

  Once inside I noted that several of the tables and booths were full as we made our way to an empty booth and sat down. Soon a server appeared and asked what we wanted. I ordered a large breakfast for us along with kava. We did not talk much and once the food arrived we all began to eat, finally stopping when we could not stuff any more into our bodies.

  I asked the server to send over the Innkeeper and once he arrived we introduced ourselves. I mentioned that we would be staying for several days and that we were hoping to join a Caravan as guards.

  His face brightened and he quickly said, “My brother is going to be leaving in two days, he could always use more guards, he will be doing a full circle of the inner towns and villages then hitting the central high plains. After that, he will head northward towards the Duns. There have been some rumors of trouble with the Dwarves so he may not progress past the first Dwarven village before returning. It will take about four months to get there, are you willing to contract for the full four months?”

  I nodded, this was a stroke of luck, but before I signed us up I asked for the full terms. I did not want to get into a situation where we would end up owing money at the end of the job from having to pay for food or shelter.

  At this point Reona spoke up and suggested that she negotiate the terms, that was a great idea, and so I readily agreed to it. Tasia was looking somewhat worn out, and I asked if rooms were available?

  “There was only one room left but it had a large bed,” the Innkeeper said with a wink.

  People will always assume and they always assume incorrectly, I thought as I took the key. Turning around I grabbed Tasia’s bag along with mine and then with a short “See you upstairs,” to Reona we left the taproom and made our way up to the room. Once we entered I put the bags down and helped Tasia to the bed, unfastening her armor I tucked her under the covers and watched as she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

  Sitting on the only chair I leaned my head back and soon drifted off, it had been a long night. Hearing the door open I was instantly awake with a sailor’s knife in hand prepared to use it if necessary. Seeing Reona enter the room I made the knife disappear and waved at her.

  She gave me a smile and began to speak rapidly, “Torn have I negotiated a great deal. We will be traveling not as just guards but as caravan merchants. We must buy two carts and the beasts to pull them as well as merchandise to sell and trade. Once Tasia wakes up we will go shopping for what we need to take and what we need to trade.”

  “That sounds good,” I replied, “While you are doing that I will get the beasts, is there any particular type to choose?”

  Reona thought for a minute and then said, “Oxyacs are the best but have a look at what is available. I will also need some gold to fund this expedition about 5000 should do.”

  I reached into my bag and pulled out some of the gold, I counted out 10000, giving half to Reona I pocketed the other 5000 and then put the rest back in my bag. Magic bags, I love you I thought. It was great having that much storage handy along with no weight restrictions.

  Looking at Reona I could see that she was tired, and to tell the truth, I also felt tired, being shot had taken more out of me than I had thought. “Let’s rest till the afternoon,” I said, “Here you get into bed, and I will cover you up.” Smiling at Reona I gestured at the bed.

  Seeing her give me a strange look I said, “No worries, your honor is safe with me, we are a team now and we need to trust each other.” Reona slowly nodded and then crept into bed, I pulled the covers up and gently brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes.

  “Sleep now, we have much to do later,” I whispered. Going back to my chair I sat down again and closed my eyes, remembering the last time Reona had been in bed with me. It was before she had betrayed me, we had spent several hours making love and laughing and giggling at life. It was a good memory shadowed by what had happened later but still a good memory.

  Chapter 31 The Children of Gaiatoci

  I awoke from a dream that was troubling, I had heard cries for help from someone, but I could not find them. I had also felt the buff I had received from Gaiatoci flare up with power and then slowly fade, but even as I stood up I could still feel something calling me.

  I glanced at the ladies sleeping in the bed and debated leaving them to sleep, they needed it. As I began to stretch Tasia and Reona both opened their eyes and yawned, then looking at each other they giggled.

  “Nice to see you awake, ladies, if you are up for it, we should go down and grab a bite to eat and then hit the markets. I will see about the pack animals while you two procure a couple of carts and both trade goods and personal supplies.” As they both nodded in agreement I went to leave giving them some privacy for dressing.

  Tasia suddenly spoke up, “Torn I want to thank you for saving me, I know what was going to happen if you hadn’t arrived.” After speaking Tasia slipped out of the bed and walked towards me then reaching up she pulled my head towards her and gave me a passionate kiss. Then holding me she whispered, “Maybe we can continue this later.” Then releasing me she went and sat down in the chair I had vacated.

  Reona had been watching this play out with a smile, then she also stood and walked over to me and spoke, “I also owe you my life and would be remiss if I did not show some gratitude.” With that, she grabbed my head and began to kiss me also.

  It was enough to give me the shivers having two very attractive women kissing me, I could not help but react as it had been a while. As she let go of me Reona looked at Tasia and gave her a wink and said perhaps all three of us can continue this later. Hearing Tasia giggle I knew that I would have to be careful.

  As a man the idea of a ménage à trois with two attractive women filled me with a desire to see it happen, but the reality was I did not want to expose my tattoos to the ladies, Reona had seen them in the flesh and Tasia had seen them carved into the statues that had been erected. Shit, I was going to have to walk a thin line here, I thought. Having a household of three was a possibility because once on the road accommodations would be tight. I just was not sure how it would work out without revealing who I am.

  Taking in a deep breath I spoke, “I will meet you downstairs for a meal then off we go, it must be midafternoon already.” With a wave, I left the room and headed downstairs to find a booth for us to eat at. As I entered the common room I scanned my minimap for any red dots thankfully I saw none. Walking over to an empty booth I sat down and ordered three meals, they were currently serving a huge mug of chicken soup and what could only be called a sub sandwich filled with cheese and roast meat and vegetables.

  I devoured mine and had ordered another by the time the ladies arrived. We all worked on finishing our meals without much being said. Once I was done I stood and said, “I am off, please stay together and keep your weapons at the ready, this is a strange town and we have enemies here. I do not want to lose you. Be careful.”

  Torn stood and slipped out of the booth and then made his way to the exit, seeing the Innkeeper he nodded at him as he left. Making his way towards the center of town he came upon a couple of Watchmen and approaching them he asked where to find the animal market. Once he had directions to the market he flipped the watchmen a couple of silver coins and continued on.

  Eventually, he found himself on the far side of the harbor and entered a huge square which held both stables and many tables full of exotic animals. Along the far end were larger barns and Torn made his way towards them. Glancing curiously at all the animals displayed he realized he did not know what half of them were.

  One large cage caught his attention, it held a dozen small creatures, they looked vaguely like a cross between a monkey and a raccoon. He stared at them fascinated for a minute, something about them pulled at him. As he looked at them they all began to look back at him, until the side of the cage he was facing was full of them staring at him.

  “Well that is unusual,” said the proprietor as he waddled over to greet Torn. “The name is Prop
a, and I have to say that I have never seen them do this since I received them.”

  Torn asked, “What are they? They look intelligent and clearly have a hierarchy within their ranks. They seem to be almost organized.”

  Propa laughed at this and said, “No they are but dumb beasts, I bought them from a group of hunters who had managed to capture them, the hunters claimed that these Diggerduggers as they called them could use magic of a sort to help with moving earth. I have not witnessed it and I feel that the story is bullshit. Tell you what, I will make a deal on them, 2 gold each. That will cover my cost and very little else. What do you say?”

  Torn thought for a moment and then asked, “Do you have any pack animals, I am looking for two teams to pull to carts. If you do I will pay a fair price for the pack animals and will purchase the Diggerduggers for one gold each.”

  Propa looked at Torn with a smile and said, “Follow me,” then headed through the crowds, his wide girth easily parting the milling people. Coming to one of the largest barns he entered and then gestured towards the animals.

  “Here I have my animals, they are strong and in good health, and I will give you a good deal for four of them.” Propa was practically exuding bonhomie as he spoke at Torn whose perception was letting him know that Propa was about to try to fleece him out of a large amount of gold.

  The next hour passed with Torn slowly whittling down the exorbitant prices that Propa had asked for. Eventually, they agreed to a price that was too high but not by much. After arranging for delivery of both the Oxyacs and the Diggerduggers Torn paid Propa. Walking back towards the street Torn asked Propa about the roads and safety and was not surprised to hear Propa say, “There have been rumors, coming from the Dwarven Kingdom. It seems that they are fighting each other but as of yet no other races have been drawn into the conflict.”

  Propa continued, “The fact is that trade has actually increased due to the conflict as both sided need the goods traders bring. It is a nasty business for them but good business for us traders.” The with a nod Propa turned around and walked back into the market.

  As Torn began to walk back to the Inn he thought of what he had heard, the Dwarven Kingdom appeared to be sinking into a civil war. By the time they arrived the mission might be over if the Kingdom fell If that was the case then he would then be free to pursue his own goals. He could find a place to work on leveling and once he achieved what he wanted he could go back to his island in the ancient Greek realm and from there work on getting back to Hell and Ama.

  Once he was reunited with Ama he would return to Mount Olympus and start to look at what he had to do there. Taking a deep breath, he continued to walk towards the Inn, when suddenly two red dots appeared on his minimap.

  Glancing around as he approached the two dots he observed several people going about their daily routine with no one taking notice of him. Just as he pulled abreast of an alley a Dwarf came hurdling across the street and body checked him. The both flew into the alley where a man stood waiting. I was rotated from the impact and stumbled to one knee just as the man leaped up with a sword and swung it towards my head.

  Grabbing my maces, I countered the blow and then got a solid hit in with the left-handed mace. Sensing the enemy behind me I spun around and countered the Dwarf’s attack, he held a long dagger that glinted with a green poison enchant. Using my right mace, I twisted sideways and cracked the knee of my assailant. As the Dwarf went down I swung with all my might against the Dwarf’s head, which cracked open with a spray of blood.

  Reversing the spin, I thrust both maces forward hitting the chest of the second attacker and knocking him on his back. Both of the maces crit with that hit, one with Fiery and the other with Electrical which overwhelmed the Dwarf and knocked him into unconsciousness.

  Quickly standing to his feet Torn looked at the first attacker, the blow to the head had been a death blow. Going over to the unconscious man Torn removed his weapons and then began to search for any clues.

  Finding nothing more than 20 gold Torn returned to the dead Dwarf and searched the body. He found a note that described Torn with the instructions to kill him once located. Staring down at the body with disgust Torn slowly turned away and walked over to the man. Grabbing him Torn began to slap his face which quickly brought the man back to consciousness. As he looked at Torn with fear in his eyes Torn asked him, “Who sent you?”

  The man shook his head, refusing to answer then reached up to scratch at his beard. Pulling a small vial from his beard he tossed it into his mouth and bit. The reaction was instant, his body underwent a spasm and then went limp, he was dead.

  “What the fuck,” Torn said as he released the body. Grabbing the other body Torn threw the two assailants together and then casting the hottest Dragon fire he could, the bodies quickly burnt to ash leaving no trace of what had occurred in the alley. Grabbing the weapons that had dropped Torn turned to leave when suddenly he heard, ding

  You have reached level nine

  Enjoy your new stats.

  I had a quick look at my new stats,

  Level nine stats

  Strength = 8656

  Agility = 3890.625

  Mana = 3632.8125

  Health = 3968.75

  Speed = 3890.625

  As nice as achieving level nine and having the stats grow, the fact that assassins were out looking for me was enough to take away any enjoyment I might have felt. Leaving the alley, I made my way back to the Inn hoping that the girls had arrived back. The sun was fast sinking and I did not want them out at night.

  I was surprised to see that not only were the girls back but they had a large pile of wooden boxes that they were loading into two large wagons. The wagons held harnesses for the Oxyacs and the first wagon had a clever arrangement attaching it to the front of the second wagon. This allowed for only one driver controlling both wagons.

  Greeting the girls, I asked, “What can I do to help?” I was quickly directed towards loading the boxes into the second wagon. Eventually, both wagons were loaded and Tasia called me over to the first wagon and showed me the living area at the front of the wagon. It was a room that held a bed and a small table built into the side of the wall. There was also a chest built in the rear wall that the girls had already claimed. On top of the chest was a small mirror, and in the far back corner stood a small wood burning stove.

  It was clean and cozy and shouted out domesticated bliss. It scared the hell out of me, it seemed the girls were serious about getting ahold of me and sharing. Leaving the cart, we entered the Inn and made our way to a booth, once we had ordered I told the girls about my day and the attack.

  As we ate Reona asked, “Did you find any clues on the bodies?”

  Shaking my head, I answered, “No, but this enemy is on the lookout for me, I don’t think you two have been identified yet, but to be safe I suggest that we all stick together from now till we leave the city.”

  At this point, the Innkeeper arrived and said, “Your animals have arrived, I will have the Oxyacs put in the stables but what do you want to be done with the others?”

  Seeing the girls looking at me I said, “Let’s go see the newest additions to our party.” Standing up I led the girls out and made our way to the stables. The four Oxyacs had already been given feed and were contently chewing the hay. In the corner was the cage that held the Diggerduggers, walking over I knelt down in front of the cage and observed all of them face me. The largest one approached the cage and held out his hand.

  Reaching out I grasped the hand of the little guy and was surprised to hear the Diggerdugger mind-speak to me. “Welcome son of Gaiatoci, we thank you for having rescued us from the portly one. We are at your service.”

  As I looked at the Diggerdugger with surprise he continued talking, “We had almost lost hope until we saw you, but once we recognized who you are the joy at finding a son of the Earth Mother was great.”

  I nodded, nothing surprised me anymore in this game. “What do you want?” I as
ked. The little fellow's answer surprised me, and I had to think for a minute.

  “We are the servants of Gaiatoci in Topland, and when we felt her death it caused great concern for us, but then we felt something of her still in the world, and after much scrying and searching we discovered you. Within you is the gift of Gaiatoci and we will now follow you if you would accept us as servants.”

  This was something that I had not expected but it could be a great blessing. I nodded and told him I would accept having them as servants. Once I had agreed to it all of the little guys came up and lifted their hands to mine. As the last one finished a window opened up and I read,

  You have accepted a small party of followers.

  You are now considered a leader and are granted one hundred and twenty

  points of loyalty from your followers.

  Leading by example is more effective than being a dictator, but the choice is

  yours.

  That seemed an ominous warning and one I resolved to take heed of. I noticed a new icon had appeared that listed the one hundred and twenty points of loyalty, I hid it along with all the other buffs I had, there was no point in letting anyone read me and my abilities like a book.

  As I opened the cage I was surprised to hear the leader mind-speak to me without touching me. It would seem that having accepted them as my servants I could now communicate with them. That was a huge benefit to me, going around holding the hand of a Diggerdugger whenever I wanted to communicate would have been strange.

  “My name is Laioch, and I am the leader of this group, could you introduce me to your companions?”

  I turned around and made my way to the girls who had been watching all of this with surprise. Pointing to Reona I said, “This is my companion Reona and the lady standing next to her is Tasia, we will be traveling soon, and any aid that you can bring would be appreciated.”

  Laioch nodded and then performed a bow before the girls then turning towards me he asked, “Do you have any food?” It turned out they were not well fed in captivity.