I started drooling not sure if the gaming verse was giving me a monster girl fetish or if it was simply because I was willing to explore new things sexually.
“Yes females and single ones of those types preferred please,” I said while nodding with a big smile. “Especially a minotaur babe. I want something I can get rough with without breaking. Make sure they are single. I don’t mind a spy trying to kill me, because they eventually will. An angry husband is the last thing I want to deal with.”
“Fair enough and let us take that conversation and pretend you did not say most of it,” Ovaria said with a ‘no you did not go there’ look. “Next issue, this blimp is disgusting. King Ptera will pass on hosting a gala here in your banquet room. Even after a thorough cleaning, the interior will still stink for weeks probably. Those dwarves were nasty when they came in and there was only so much the showers washed down the drains.”
Nicole grabbed our attention by raising a hand.
“I can hire a cleaning crew. I, we, need some standard things like soap, shampoo, and food that is not dried jerky.” Nicole said and Zoey bobbed her head.
“Add it to the list!” I said with a finger pointed up into the air.
“Yes! I so want to cook a nice meal!”
“I want to shop for a few things also. I am bored being a spear thrower, but I do realize it makes slaying foes easy. I want to try a nice set of robes and some interesting orbs to go with them. I miss casting magic and really like the idea of at least an air shield. My mana is pretty solidly built up now and I figured I can backline for a bit while others improve,” I said while contemplating the possibilities. “Maybe just add an air shield and rotate Kor with a mobile pet to start. The idea of the robes is what has me most intrigued. I loved how Barq was able to store orbs in his robes’ interior and rapidly rotated them.”
“Ugh, I got these fucking itchy cheap robes. I want something sexy and in black with red trim to match my hair and eyes,” Zoey said while ruffling her robes with her thumb and index finger. I too joined her in testing the comfort of the material. “See, hideous. I do not think Zany Zemporium will have the right stuff for what we’re looking for.”
“No, she is a volume dealer. We can go to an auction house on Ostri. That was our first stop on the way to Uzah. Robes for Gryff’s size will need to be custom ordered. You might get a tailor with a high enough skill to do it here on Thur but they will have to go to Ostri to get supplies. I can have some people thirsty for work scour the stores to see if anyone has legendary air shields or robes for your girls. If it comes back no, we can go elsewhere.”
“Zoey bring Groz in here,” I ordered and the dwarf happened to be waiting outside the door.
“Was wondering when you were going to invite me in,” Groz muttered as he stepped forward. His armor was highly polished without a spot of dirt on it. A strap across his chest supported a shield on his back and a war hammer dangled from his belt. “Spent four hours cleaning my gear. I owe you a full set of sheets from a guest room. Was standing outside the door and even knocked ten minutes ago.”
“This kitsune tail is super distracting. Sorry, not sorry kind of deal. So this is the port of Asban that we are approaching. This is the main city across from Remi which is the capital of this planet. Harmony is going to turn us north once we reach it,” I told the pilot who bobbed her tail in confirmation. “I wanted you up here to show you to the south. Way in the distance you will see jungle trees down there. That is a restricted farming area that is highly regulated and rarely used. Might as well write that area off as being useful. There are a few nice mini-mountains, but I want to show you other areas I would prefer. Right now we are in winter for this planet.”
“There is no snow on those peaks that rise thousands of feet up and it is winter!” Groz said with dancing eyebrows of surprise.
“Precisely,” Ovaria said. “Gryff here wants you to move further north, those mountains will be sweltering hot during summer.”
“Ay lass, I see the rationale. Port of Asban is the sea city we are passing over. Got it. What is north of this road?”
“Nothing besides a few minor settlements and a large non-citizen dungeon filled with trolls,” Ovaria said.
“They upgraded recently due to a roaming boss nearing the area. Not sure if they will revert or stay the same. You will meet Frooska and Garataur later. They were left behind in our rush to aid you. My issue with this location is the traffic of constant adventurers in all seasons besides the dead of winter. And I like the idea of privacy on the other side of the continent. I think with time, you dwarves could be self-sufficient in both locations but really were building a team stronghold so there are other factors than just what dwarves need.”
The blimp moved so fast it was hard to make out the details of the small settlements we flew over. The fort guarding the troll expeditions bloomed on the horizon and grew as we neared.
“Slow us here. Good, now stop,” I said and Harmony eased us to a standstill. “This is the winter snowline. I see three villages here and a few further north. While not crowded it certainly will have neighbors. The bonus is recruitment. If we hold tryouts here there will be people easily able to take the ferry.”
“Why not blimp them over instead of boat?” Groz asked and Ovaria scoffed.
“That is King Ptera’s dream. He has the hardest time building actual blimps and having them be airworthy,” Ovaria quipped while folding her arms under her triple breasts. “They never stay stable once in the air. Always teeter and then crash.
“We can build blimps no problem, assuming there is some magic to get them airborne,” Groz said confidently. “The trick to stabilize them is to make the base plate insanely heavy.”
“I have no idea how blimp stability works but we can add making real airships to the list. If you could build airships then that would open up even more locations. Still, this is near the cold, in the mountains, and plenty of room to build a small town.”
“Tell me about the expeditions as you called it?” Groz said and suddenly I missed Cyrene.
“We pestered a dryad for all our information. Basically, the master verse has three types of beings in it. Sentient citizens that die forever upon death like you and me. Sentient elevated bosses that can roam and learn as they grow that are non-citizens and respawn after death. Finally, you have barely sentient to outright fodder non-citizen beings. They respawn and are locked to an area. In those mountains are five routes that created five dungeon runs. You go in, kill the trolls, and leave before they respawn. When everything comes back up the next group can attempt the dungeon. Getting levels or floors as the locals call it lets your orbs rank up and your main mana pool grows. The higher your level the harder it is to gain and the less reward you get for said gains. The diminishing returns are a real kick to the nuts. If your crafters want to make nice things then they will need larger mana pools so they need to level. Everything is cycled around mediocrity unless you invest the time and effort into becoming better.”
“How long are we stuck here for?” the dwarf asked and I visibly deflated with a sad exhale.
“Groz, I wish I had a fabulous easy answer for you,” I said and placed a hand on Harmony’s shoulder. “Take us east, princess. Ovaria guide her to Evrin, please.”
“Sure thing boss,” Ovaria said and I turned back to Groz.
“Right now we are still in our infancy stage. Our team is not built to a competent level, our fighting force is filled with level ones, and we have no base to call home. I cannot launch raids on distant planets without a core foundation to work from. Warg has that and we will use some of it, but the reality is we will not be able to spring off his infrastructure,” I said with a frustrated sigh. “I had a high school teacher who had a saying that stuck with me. Ah, I know you do not get the term high school. You will get this quote though. ‘Positivity is a powerful weapon, wield it often’ they would say. I think that applies here. There is so much work to do and we
simply cannot rush it. Our lives depend on winning here.”
“You are right, not a clue what a ‘high school’ is. I do know that the days ahead will be full of hard work. The lads want to go home, we hear some crazy magician freed the universe of the advancing seven.”
“Well Groz, I happen to know from a reliable source that everything back home is doing well and time has slowed there compared to here. Ten days here is one day there. So those with family back home may have aged more than those they miss so dearly. Oh, and I sent an immortality potion to my Empress Amber as my one item.”
“The troops will welcome this news and songs will be sung. Is this the other port city?” Groz asked as we flew near a small city with a wooden palisade surrounding it.
Evrin was home to maybe five thousand. I noticed a few ships against a small series of docks. An inn was the highest building in the all wooden town. A small bell tower was evident and inside the walls, archer towers watched out for potential threats. Most chimneys spewed smoke and the forest near the settlement had been chopped back. I saw no farms during my inspection that was interrupted by Groz.
“It is so small.”
“That's what he said,” Zoey said snidely.
There were some snickers from Zoey and Harmony. Ovaria rolled her eyes. Groz started a knee-slapping laughter.
“I miss having lasses around. We have four in our unit and they were selected to join our ten thousand because they disguised themselves as men. I digress. There is a lot more open space out here.”
“Take us left, little more and perfect,” Ovaria said to Harmony.
I saw a road going northeast following the shoreline. We deviated off to the left and went to a section of mountains that extends further south than the rest of the range. There were sporadic tall pines here with minimal underbrush. Large rocks that appeared to have rolled down the mountain rested in odd locations. I saw the first dungeon on my left.
“Fuck,” Ovaria swore under her breath.
“What?” Zoey asked.
“Look at that house,” Nicole said and suddenly she screamed, “Higher, go higher!”
There was no hesitation from Harmony. We ascended almost to the point I thought we would breach the atmosphere. Our panicked breaths slowed and a semblance of calm reclaimed the interior.
“One at a time. Ovaria go first,” I said.
“That was a new dungeon. Or if it was an old one it had changed as well as moved. Take us back down but no lower than three thousand feet or so,” Ovaria said and then looked to Nicole.
“There was a house partially buried into the cliff face. As if the construction was done midway up the mountain wall. There was a spider with an orc torso aiming a bow at our blimp.”
“Was that species there before?” I asked Ovaria and she shook her head no.
“This means that land will need a reassessment by the King’s property valuation teams. If we pay a fee he will have his blimp utilized to allow the team to rush out here.”
“I can drop Groz and the dwarfs off, for now, right? They can live off the land and that Evrin port. Remi guards simply will not let the army of dwarves in will they?”
“You could drop them south in a town called Kavarney. Fairgrounds down there are cheap to rent but if you drop them here. Well, they can level and live off the land for free. If they don’t like the area scoop them up and move to the west side,” Ovaria said and I saw Groz nodding.
“We will need some coin and oh, I have your orbs the boys looted off the battlefield.” Groz left before I could stop him.
“Find a nice clearing between that dungeon and Evrin to set down in,” I said to Harmony and she repeated her tail nod that was so cute. This is where I wish I could stay and hand off my familiar. “Nicole, Zoey, you both are going to stay with the army. Zoey for offense and Nicole for healing. I will be back in a few hours if not days at most and will start dragging the team out here with me.”
“You just want the foxy kitsune to yourself. I tease, or do I?” Zoey said while pumping her eyebrows. Her red eyes locked to mine and I was given a deep kiss. “I shall level my necromancy orbs while you are away. Thanks for trusting us to protect the troops.”
“I should stay with you in case you need a revival. No offense to Groz or his team. If you die and I could have saved you then we are stuck here,” Nicole said and I saw the error in my logic.
“Fine, you get to stay,” I said.
Zoey swatted my arm playfully and then said, “Such a pushover. Oh, Gryff but I am the key to your heart. Lay down so I can walk on you... the floor is too dirty. Ah!”
Zoey bolted around the pilot’s chair while Nicole chased her. I laughed at the fun they were having. Harmony grew sick of tilting her head to watch where she was landing and wrapped a running Zoey up with her tail. There was a skidding halt, Nicole declaring ‘I got you’, and then a tickle fight erupted as the two tumbled to the floor.
The airship gave a thud as we landed and Groz returned to the room. His eyes locked onto the two girls on the ground playfully roughhousing with each other and he smiled.
“Missed all the fun did I? Here is the bag of valuable loot. The troops are departing now. Anything specific besides survival, level, and keep the peace?” Groz asked as he handed me the bag.
“Yes protect me, you win Nicole, let me up!” Zoey said as she freed herself from Nicole. “Hey Gryff, bring me Mysti, I miss my big pillows and her joyful spirit. Promise!”
“Geeze I promise. Let me walk you out,” I said, giving the bag to Ovaria.
I then slung Zoey over my shoulder in a sly maneuver. She didn’t even fight being hauled around. She only gave the slightest of frustration expressions combined with a minor huff.
The dwarves had the stairwell packed and we waited impatiently. I was tempted to despawn the ship but I knew there were dwarves still on the eighth floor.
The stairwell unjammed and traffic downward started to flow. Soon enough we were walking through the warehouse section with me still hauling a dainty elf over my broad shoulders.
“I will be back soon, keep these troops alive,” I said to Zoey and she held out her hand. “I don’t carry coins on me, what do you expect, everything is done via marker. I do see the conundrum and will work on getting you girls other markers tied to the accounts. I will ask Ovaria about it when we fly back to Remi.”
“I was serious Gryff, I miss Mysti. She has been my rock for years. The longest we have been apart is a day. Kind of fond of you also,” Zoey said while giving me a goodbye kiss after I set her down.
I surveyed the area we landed at. The weather was chilly while a wind blew in from the sea. I saw no birds in the air and the sky was overcast. The ground was poor farming soil but fine to build on or raise some hardier farm animals. I started thinking of how I would keep all these people from starving and then remembered that would not be an issue on Thur. Maybe there was a boar spawn in the woods to the west or there were rabbits in the tall grass near the shore. A finger snapped by my face and I left my thoughts to smile down at Zoey.
“The dwarves are unloaded and you are standing there with glazed eyes,” Zoey said and I merely smiled wider.
“Be patient and stay out of trouble! Back soon,” I yelled so loudly Zoey instinctively covered her ears.
When I was done she swatted my ass goodbye as I went back up the ramp. I pulled the rope that dangled down from the pulley until the ramp made a thud noise at its closure. I secured the pulley rope to the wall anchor and ran back to the cockpit.
When I entered the room the three ladies were talking about the location around us. My loud boots announced my return and all three went to talk at once. They all paused and Nicole went first.
“I like it,” Nicole said while snuggling into my side.
“It will make recruiting tougher but I also like the area. The other thing is this wide area will give us time if the big two show up here in force. We are far away, even from
a blimp’s arrival,” Ovaria said.
“Can’t they just take a common portal here, ride the ferry to this continent, and then wagon ride out here. Once they are here they can spawn a portal directly to his spot correct?” I asked somewhat confused. “That is what I would do.”
“Sure, if the Justicars decide to break the accords then yes that is probably exactly what they will do,” Harmony said confidently.
“I don’t think they will. I mean they would be better off tossing the planet into the sun than raiding a non-combat planet. There are warring planets and non-warring planets for a reason,” Ovaria said and rotated her wrist to emphasize a point. “Now if the top hundred guild, companies, and chartered groups banded together to remove you in a combined raid sure. Again that amount of portal summoners arriving would get noticed and King Rinus has a thorough customs department for new arrivals. They know you will cap out on floors here in this lowbie planet as they like to term places like Thur. You probably already have.”
“My wrist says two thousand three hundred and sixty-three,” I replied. “Hey, get this blimp back to Remi, talk and fly Harmony.”
We lifted off the ground and swiftly spun west. When we were high in the air I saw her apply full speed and the trees under us started to fade as we left. I wave in Zoey’s direction as a few dwarves moved about, appearing as only tiny dots that soon vanished from sight.
“My consensus is that the area is a good base of operations and I do not think the top guilds and companies will band to invade a non-warring planet,” Ovaria said with a reassuring tone. “You will be forced to set up somewhere down the line that they can raid.”
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