The outside was cool and before I went to sleep I wanted to get clean. So I stripped naked and did a field wash of 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.
“There are more ambushes. Let us sacrifice a few buildings that needed repairs anyway instead of more lives.” Lord Nova suggested and I agreed.
“Back up to the middle of this intersection and box. Let the griffins finish this.” I said as I stared at Winst’s body that was chopped in half. “Hurry up, no more surprises.”
We adjusted the formation and boxed with clear views around us. The fighting lasted another hour and nothing ever approached us again. Lord Nova called us out for cleanup. Victor was the only one who used Vole blood. That section of the road was ruined and the corpses liquefied. The rest of the dead could be salvaged.
“Alright, teams of four. Sack everything, we brought plenty. If it can be fed to a rat, it is still in the sack. Let the new recruits at the mages academy sort it. Okay Nate, take both Brads and Markus. Lazra, take Victor, Fwar, and Janice. Rest of you are with me.” I said as large sacks were delivered by Traz. Nothing would be going to waste except for poor Winst, he would be buried out in the fields. “Actually, before you leave we need to march as one to the fields and give Winst a proper burial. It will have to be quick, but we can mourn him later. Help me load the body Nate.”
I set a sack down beside the two halves of Winst and we scooped him up and onto the canvas. We respectfully covered him and as a unit walked him out of the city proper and by a farm field. Dina landed and dug a deep grave. Nate and I lined up the body and dropped the canvas with our friend.
“This field shall forever be known as Winst’s Farm. May he find peace in his eternal resting place and his soul a happy home. We will miss you our friend.” I said and Dina pawed dirt into the hole covering Winst. That was it. The twelve of us returned to the dropped sacks and split up.
There was lots of work to do. I mindlessly went about my task trying to rationalize how things went wrong. Fighting in confined quarters with a team was new to me. The moment that ogre revealed himself from the alleyway we were flanked. We could have stayed in the air and burnt everything. It was an ambush though, one I would have to learn from. I found the ogre body smeared into the building. It was missing both legs and half an arm from the impact of Lord Nova. Its chest was still in one piece though. The griffin lord probably missed crushing it on purpose knew its value. It was bloody work but eventually, I plopped the stilled heart free of the chest.
This was one item I was not letting the recruits handle. Dina landed beside me when I exited the rubble where the remains were.
“Gryff, I will haul that back. I did a recon of the area, it seems there were hundreds of goblins sent out before, during, and after this barrier went up. They are scattered afield without guidance. They are hiding poorly from us and know they cannot get back in. Lord Nova recommends either a day of cleansing them or sending a second team north.” Dina said as I stuffed the heart into a pouch on her saddle.
“Continue scouting, let me clean up this ogre then pen a note for you to fly home.”
I had to admit to myself I was shaken up by the severity of my friend's death. Sure Winst was no Nate or Donnie to me. It still was bad to lose him. We trained every day for weeks together and survived combat. It was so instant too. I hated that about formations, I couldn’t break ranks and do epic things. I was bound to my role in the line. I sighed and hacked at the ogre into manageable parts. I walked and tossed the dead meat onto a flat sack laid out. Donnie, Tammy, and Addilyn were cleaning up the orcs further down the road. I was the best one to haul and part the large ogre.
When I finished my task I grabbed a waterskin and rinsed my hands. I then retrieved a pen and wrote to Master Mage Lamont. I need to keep going north. Regardless of the extra loot, my focus had to be the tree worms. Long delays like this one needed to be avoided. I wrote to him to send students with instructors to clear these goblins around Uhara out. When he was done, I ordered him to return to normal classes. Griffins would ensure they stayed safe. I had more pressing matters to attend to. Also to send a replacement for Winst. With the message done, I stuffed the letter into Dina’s pouch and she rocketed off the ground. She quickly became a shrinking blob on the horizon. That griffin sure was fast.
“Lord Nova, I have other teams coming, how much have we sacked?” I said to the air.
“We have made a pile of the rest. Those bags tear too easily from our claws. We can freeze the other remains, send most of it home, and then go north.” He said and I agreed.
Bloody, weary, and frustrated we mounted back up. Traz hovered Janice over the stacked bodies and she froze them solid with a spell. A dozen griffins left south with bloody sack in pursuit of Dina to make it home. We continued north determined to move on with the mission.
“We will have to take it slower than before, some of us exerted more aura than we should have. If we camp in Livina tonight we should mostly be recovered. I am estimating a three hour flight maybe four.” Lord Nova informed me as we drifted north.
∞∞∞
“I am proud of you for delegating. There was a part of me that was going to demand you to do so. I become perturbed by such thoughts. My role has always been held back and yet, you have set me free. I want you to know that I appreciate the latitudes you afford me and I remember my place as your helping wife and not a bossy overlord.” Addilyn said four hours into our flight north. I had mostly been silent contemplating the previous engagement. “I love you Gryff.”
She snuggled into me and I replied in the same. The sun was roughly two hours from setting and I was hoping we would arrive soon. Everything I had heard of Livina was positive before the war. It was unknown as to what befell so many of humanity’s greatest cities. There was far less thrill in getting to inspect Livina after Uhara fiasco. I considered it a failure but the reality was Uhara was now secured. We sacrificed one of tens of millions for another warmer city. I sighed and let it go.
“When do you think Livina fell?” I asked Addilyn and Lord Nova. They both shrugged which was unique as we were flying. The little drop was unusual but minor.
“I remember we were watching reports from the north. There were cities west, south, and
north that kept reporting in. Livina is not too far from the Horde portal. Maybe a week's march by foot or six hours flight. Anyway, I remember father being frustrated. He had a sister here and she never made it south. All word vanished, and we assumed the Horde had claimed another city. We will find out soon enough what happened…” Addilyn said pausing to point out in the distance. Sure enough, the city and its shallow bay increased in size as we approached. “We should have brought a historian with us.”
I chuckled at this remember the poor Deltan man Dvar I had voluntold to be a historian of Salvoni’s death. Addilyn raised an eyebrow and I filled her in. Over the next few minutes, we gazed in silence as we watched. Ships by the hundreds materialized anchored out at sea. A few dozen were smashed into the reefs breaking free of anchors at some point. We slithered across the barrier and as we neared Livina I grew more confused.
There was a mighty exterior thirty foot tall, by ten foot wide wall. It shined from a smooth bright marbled construction. There was no damage to it, no marks, or broken sections. The buildings were flawless, none torched. When I reviewed the scene I had to shake my head in my own disbelief. As if I was viewing a mirage. Nope, it was still the same.
The white walls led into a business section right inside the city. As if the port was pushing its good out from the docks to sell to everyone who entered and exited. This was a wealthy city, the slums did not exist here. Off in the distance not even a five minute walk to the north, a torched and decimated smaller town rested in pieces. That had to be where the workers lived because Livina was nothing but lavish estates and high rise buildings. Some even five stories tall. This was a pinnacle of wealth. Lord Nova flew us slowly as he too was intrigued by what happened.
“Land on rooftops then silence!” Lord Nova demanded to his fellow griffins.
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