A New Path

by Xander Jade

  "Okay, how do I do shift?"

  "It is instinctual and territorial in nature, you might need to be in a fight or something close to it for this to happen. Not sure exactly, but we will work on it. First things first, meditate and rest. Soon you will awaken and we will get to it. I’ve already advised Reaper and Hercules of our itinerary, the Leshies are involved as well. Also, the Leshy wanted me to tell you that he and his family are at your disposal and to give thanks to your clan for the gifts given to them."

  I grunted and replied, "I don’t know what to tell him. They are already scanning the forest for anything out of the ordinary."

  "Yes, I also asked him to come and let us know if they find any quarries or mines like we found, we’re going to need them soon. When you get up, send the males back to the mine and grab all the silver in those rail cars. Money will be needed as well. ... Okay, that’s it for now, Max. Sleep tonight, because tomorrow will be the start of a new life for you. A hard, complex life, but fulfilling."

  "Thanks." I had my mind relax and fell back asleep thinking about what my mentor said. Hmm. Fuckin smart ass is what it is.

  ***

  The morning came and with it, Sasha and her charges were cooking in the kitchen. She was still wary of what would happen when young Max woke to find how they took advantage of him, but the pleasure and ecstasy she felt after being with him convinced her it was the right choice, especially if it helped her clan grow. Sasha sighed and went back to cooking breakfast.

  Leena leaned over and smirked, "Thinking about having another turn, mom?"

  She shuddered thinking about that, but replied to her naughty child. "Leena, you know it was wrong for you to start that, now I’m involved as well. Even though Cass said it was fine, he may think differently."

  Leena sighed and looked down, "I know mom, but I wanted what Cass and Val had. Is it wrong to want that? Pleasure and love?"

  Sasha looked at her youngest, "No Leena, but the way we went about it was wrong and we will need to ask forgiveness when he wakes."

  "Maybe we will be able to start our clan here, mom. Even invite others to come if we can. This forest will keep us safe, especially since the Leshies are looking over us. I can feel it mom, this is the beginning for us."

  Sasha smiled at her enthusiasm, "It would be great for that to happen. We’ll see."

  The others came in and helped set the table, then sat down to eat.

  Elwin asked, "Any change with the boss?"

  Val shook her head, "No, but my instincts say today or tomorrow."

  Cass responded, "He will be busy understanding the bond with the elemental when he wakes. I think this will start a snowball effect and our lives are about to change real quick. Be ready to move at a moments notice if he sends us anywhere."

  They nodded and finished the meal, then went out to complete their chores.

  ***

  My eyes opened to daylight, I blinked a few times to try and wake up, but was still groggy. That fucking elemental, at least he could do was have them get some water for me. I moved around and put my legs on the ground to let them get some blood flowing down my legs. A minute later, I got up and started walking around. It took me a minute to get my ass in gear before walking down the hall into the kitchen. Some leftovers were there, so I devoured them, then grabbed some cheese and bread. After that, I had a question for my peckerhead elemental, "What is the first step you want me to take to practice?"

  He replied, "Well, first, go outside and tell your women that you're alive."

  "I am, just focusing on what I need to do."

  "When you get that done, then we will go over the basics."

  Bastard.

  "I heard that. You do know, anything you say in your mind I can hear too?" The elemental asked.

  I shook my head in defeat and went outside to the bright sunny afternoon. Cass and Val were in the gardens with Sasha. I didn’t see the others, they must be in the barn or corrals. Making my way over, they saw and ran to me.

  Cass and Val hugged me tightly then baraged me with kisses.

  "Love, how are you feeling?" Cass asked with concern. "Any side effects from the bonding?"

  "No, just getting used to the bastard."

  Val and Cass giggled, Sasha asked, "That bad, huh?"

  "Yes. How’s it been going since I’ve been down?"

  Cass advised, "The gardens are coming along great, soon you will have to share your knowledge about those herbs. Other than that, everything is running smoothly for now."

  Sasha looked at me and then down, "Max, we need to discuss something, it has to do with when you were unconscious."

  I stopped her with raising my hand. "I already know."

  The girls were concerned and were stammering out something. Val asked in a low voice, "How do you know, babe?"

  "Let’s just say that my helper told me and leave it at that. Now, we will discuss this later in detail, ladies. I have come to the conclusion that you want our family to grow and I have no problem with that, but next time you better tell me. Understood?"

  All three had their heads down and nodded. Sasha whispered, "Are you sure this is what you want Max?"

  Glancing over to each one, I answered, "If this makes you ladies happy, then we will do it. This is one thing I can give before our world goes to shit. Make sure this is what you want ladies because we can’t go backwards."

  They all nodded and kissed me on the cheek. I slapped their asses as they walked by, each woman yelped but grinned at me. Sighing, I went over to the edge of the woods and waited. My mind knew they were coming up behind me, they both sat down, one on each side.

  I looked at them and nodded, "Guys, I know you can hear me and that I can’t really communicate properly yet, but things are about to change. I’m going to need your help to get me where I need to be. Shifting is the first priority besides learning fire magic, at least that’s what the elemental says. I’m not sure how to go about it, but it would seem that we three will be together for the long run. Just be patient and know that I’ve got your backs because I know you’ve got mine."

  I rubbed behind their ears, both of the huge beasts purred, I chuckled at that. The predators still want to be cuddly it would seem. Taking a deep breath, I walked out into the forest and scanned around the area for a good spot to practice. My duo followed me but stopped at the edge of a meadow. Some trees had fallen and the wood was already decaying.

  "Alright bonded, maybe now you will give me your name since I’m awake?"

  He grunted and replied, "It’s Ignis."

  I thought the bastard was playing. Ignis? "Seriously? Isn’t that part of the name of your breed? Can’t come up with something better than Ignis?"

  He huffed and commanded, "Just say the fucking name."

  "Ignis."

  "Loudly, so everyone will know I am here."

  I groaned, threw my arms up into the air and shouted with annoyance. "IGNIS!"

  Suddenly, fire came out of the palms of my hands. It startled me for a moment and the fire went away.

  The fuckin bastard was laughing at me now. I should’ve known he was playing a trick on me. "Alright you fucking asshole, stop doing shit like that. You said we don’t have a lot of time, so why the fuck are you acting like this!?"

  He calmed down and apologized. "You’re right, I’m sorry. It was just a joke, okay? Don’t get your panties in a twist."

  I grumbled and told the bastard his name was Al from now on. He continued like I didn’t say anything, "It was a good start, but we are going to need to build up your mana pool and stamina. Also, the fire that will come out of you will eventually be white. Extremely hot and fatal for others. Ignem Pugantem, means cleansing fire and the name we use to activate it. Let’s keep practicing. I want you to say the words of magic, but with enough practice, the fire and your mind will become one. No words needed.

  I nodded and replied, "What are the other words that fire mages use?

  "Good, you know
there are multiple sayings for fire magic. Here are the words we will practice with. Flamma, which is just a flame to light a candle or a campfire. Coruscare, a large, fiercely burning fire or a blaze. Calor, heats up your body to a temperature you fix in your mind and has a five foot radius as well. This is useful when you are caught in the cold or in a situation having to deal with the cold.

  "That’s cool. Alright, let’s try this."

  We practiced for hours, the only break I got was when my girls brought me food. It was exhausting and frustrating, but knew that this was the route I would need to go to in the future. My blades would always be there when I needed and it was easier to use, but from what the elemental says it would be useless on some of the creatures that I would have to fight. We finished at dusk, I turned and was about to head back to the cabin when my eyes caught some movement in the forest. Turning, I brought my hands up and had a magic word in my mind to use if needed.

  A tall creature came out from behind some trees, they walked in silence over to me. At that moment, Elwin’s voice popped into my head. ‘Humanoid in shape, tall, over seven feet with a green body and brown arms that looks like bark from a tree, and horns on their heads. The eyes are black, oval shaped heads with brown leaves for hair, and they have a raspy voice.’ It would seem that the Leshy has shown himself.

  ‘Yes Max, that is the Leshy,’ my fire elemental advised.

  The Leshy walked over and stopped ten feet away.

  ‘Greetings, chosen. I would like to introduce myself and let you know that we have found something of interest to you,’ the Leshy said in his raspy voice.

  I nodded and replied, "Thank you for everything you’ve done for me and mine. What have you found, forest protector?"

  "We have found a quarry a mile east of our current position. It was abandoned, but still useful in your quests. Also, we have found a den of brownies or broonies, whichever you prefer. They will be useful to your home in the coming days. Would it be alright to let them know we have found a home for their family?"

  I didn’t know what the hell those creatures were? Al, what do you think?

  ‘That’s not my name.’

  ‘Well, if you would fuckin tell me one, then I would call you it. Advice?’

  ‘Tell him yes. Having a den of brownies will help tremendously, Max. They will take care of your home without anyone being there.’

  Okay. "Yes, forest protector. Tell them they can come to our home,"

  He nodded and said, "Thank you, chosen. We will tell them immediately, inform your clan that they will be there tomorrow. Also, thank you for the gifts and we will continue to monitor the forest. If anything comes up, I will send someone to notify you."

  I nodded and he left. Turning around, I went home as well with Reap and Herc following, they had stayed and watched over me while I practiced. When approaching the farm, Pelleus and Elwin met me at the corrals when they saw me come out of the forest.

  "Boss, it’s good to see you up and about. How’s the bonding going?" Elwin asked.

  "Hey, guys. It’s going to be something to get used to. Having a voice in your head telling you what to do and such is weird, but I’ll manage."

  Pelleus advised, "We finished those projects you wanted. The valves work great and the girls seem happy to be able to water and clean the animals when needed."

  I nodded and suggested them to do what Al wanted. "Guys, you were both at the mine, correct?" They nodded, I continued, "the fire elemental wants us to go back and grab all the silver we can. He said we would need it in the coming days. Soon we will make a trip up there to get started on that project, I also have some news to share with everyone at dinner."

  Elwin nodded, "Okay, we’ll see you there then."

  "By the way, the girls are all happy about your decision to expand our clan and don’t want you to think we have any hard feelings about this," Pelleus stated with a grin. "Elwin and I decided some time ago that our future with this clan is to be with someone from other families or cultures. Both of us would like to ask a question about when we are out searching and uniting the kingdoms. ... Would you be okay with the possibility for others to join us if we come across any elven families that would be willing?"

  Thinking this is some crazy shit to end the day on, I nodded and said, "Okay, that would be fine. I’m still not sure when that will happen though."

  They both nodded and walked away. I sighed, my life is a neverending drama and walked towards the house to get some soap and go clean up in the river. I quickly ran to the water and washed myself thoroughly, it has been weeks since my body was washed. Finished with that task, I headed back to my abode. When approaching the cabin, I realized that six ladies were waiting for me and snorted at the craziness that Cass and Val have brought upon me. Walking into the cabin, the table was set and the ladies were talking to each other until they saw me.

  The conversation dropped immediately, Cass came over and whispered in my ear. "Good evening, love. Don’t freak out, but Leena and Shaila want to serve you tonight. It’s part of their culture to serve their chosen mate, Sasha and Lashane will do this tomorrow night. These will also be the sleeping arrangements as well, Val and I will take the third night."

  I raised my right brow, she grinned and kissed my cheek. "Just go with it, hon." After that she kissed me on the cheek again and winked, then went to her seat at the table. I walked over and was met by Leena who gave me a glass of water, then a kiss on the lips. Man, they don’t waste time at all. Grabbing my other hand, she led me to the table for us to sit down. Shaila was on the left and Leena on the right of me, conversation began after everyone was served. It wasn’t anything important, mostly about the gardens and Zeus with his ladies. I waited until a lull happened before telling them about my day.

  "Alright, much happened today that I need to tell you. First, I will be indisposed at least a couple of hours every day to train with my fire magic. Next, my elemental advised me to take others with me back to the mine and grab as much silver as possible, said we will need it soon."

  They all nodded and asked who would need to go, I advised whoever wanted to. Continuing I stated, "I met the Leshy today." That made everyone snap their heads at me.

  "He came up to you while out in the forest?" Val asked with concern.

  I nodded and Sasha spoke out, "What did he want?"

  I smiled and advised, "He wanted to introduce himself and had some topics of interests to me."

  Cass demanded, "Well, tell us what he wanted then."

  Laughing softly, "He told me of a quarry about a mile east that we need to check out and that they found a den of brownies in our forest, needing a home."

  Everyone went quiet and their eyes widened. Lashane and Shaila asked at the same time, "What did you tell him?"

  Scanning the table, I noticed the hidden excitement underneath their stares. "I advised him to send them here." The beast mages squealed in excitement and the others smiled.

  Cass advised, "That is great. When we have to leave, they will be able to take care of our home for us."

  Sasha nodded and said, "I agree. They will be a boon to our home."

  After that we finished and cleaned up, before heading to bed. The two elven females seemed nervous when they escorted me to my room. They got dressed in their night clothes and blew the candles out before getting into bed.

  "Max, please forgive us for taking advantage of you. It was not right and we are very sorry," Leena said in a low voice. Shaila said something similar.

  Thinking about it for a few moments, I decided not to dwell on it. "It is fine ladies. I’m not going to say it wasn't surprising that you would want to start a family with me, but have come to accept it if that is truly what you want. I will say this though, I don’t share. If that is something you want then I'm the wrong guy for the job."

  "No, that isn’t what we want," Leena responded. "You’re honorable and trustworthy, loyal and loving. That is what the women of your clan here want as our leader. When other
s join us, they will know that you’re worthy of this position."

  Shaila replied when she finished. "Thank you for allowing us to have this opportunity. It will be an honor to carry your child, Max."

  I almost laughed at that comment, but held it in. Mom and dad are gonna freak when they hear this shit. Al gave his two cents with lewd comments within my mind. I responded in a calm voice, "Ladies, it is an honor to be with you."

  At that moment, the women took it upon themselves to entice me with naked flesh when they disrobed. That night was a long one, it was filled with gasps, moans, and screams of pleasure. Not sure how long we went at it, but was definitely sated after our lovemaking. The next few nights were almost a replica of the one before, the ladies with me were insatiable and passionate. They were very vocal, all six of them and were gonna kill me with sex. Well, there are worse ways to go.

  The next few months flew by, we went and got as much of the silver as we could. I stored the metal in the secret part of the barn for safe keeping. My magic wielding was going slow, but was reminded by Al about my mana problems.

  The women had a schedule with me now, they made it to be a single lady to be with me at night. That was fine, it gave me more one on one time to talk and love on them more. We welcomed the family of brownies to our home, it was interesting to see the little creatures. Two foot humanoid, green skin and seemed pleasant. The beast mages made the negotiations with them, showed them their area of the house that was there's and what they would accomplish. I just nodded and went with what they said, not really knowing or caring one way or the other. We were helping each other out. Our family checked out the quarry and was indeed abandoned, but from what Al suggested, it would be what we needed for our journey.

  During those months, we got some interesting news, all six of the women were pregnant. They were all ecstatic, evidently I have some special semen because Sasha was told by her clan doctor that she was no longer capable of getting pregnant. I smiled to myself, the bastard elemental said it was because of him. I didn’t give him the satisfaction with a remark, just kept silent. Plans started coming out of nowhere and some worries about the size of the cabin. I advised we would just hire a carpenter to expand our home and that calmed their concerns. Our time together was amazing, it wasn’t lost on me that evil was lurking in the world and something was eventually going to happen. It was when we were eating the midday meal, when Al alerted me that something was near.