I tried to reach the other naga but he managed to escape into the town. I went back to the dead and dying. The crippled naga pleaded for his life.
“I need a real horse, where should I go?” I asked between clenched teeth.
“How would I -?”
My spear lanced out, sinking into the chest of the naga. I removed the weapon to find some green orbs. Well, shit. I rifled his corpse to find a purse mostly filled with gold and silver. Into the bag it went.
I sunk my spear into the leader’s body and found more shitty orbs. There was a blue stealth, so into the bag it went. His purse was heavy with durca and his naga cloak would work. I tossed off the bath robe to adorn his plain black covering over the fancy Justicar robes. The last body was Besna.
Her orbs surprised me. Her corpse donated a purple truth orb and a blue identify orb. Interesting. I swapped my rotation to: Beargor, physical superiority, truth orb, area healing orb, and my spear. Hmm… Still no familiar back in my core. Time to figure out who the flip was lying to me. Enough was enough.
I left the alleyway to join the evening crowds oblivious to the dangers in the alleys. Well, probably not oblivious, but certainly uncaring. When I entered the flow of traffic, my hood went up and I was another body among the masses going about my business. The fact I could kill, loot, and ditch three bodies without a scream or worry was unsettling.
My walk to find a carriage seller was proving tedious. Most of the stores were closing because of the hour and none dealt in real livestock. There was a meat vendor whose food made my mouth water and my stomach rumble. The old man behind the cart stared tiredly at the crowd as they passed him by.
“Whatcha need?” the elderly fairy asked in a sour tone. His wrinkled attitude made me think he was stolen from often.
“Um… three sticks of meat,” I said, handing over three silver. The old man pointed to the sign that said half a silver per stick. “The tip is for reliable information. I need a carriage maker. The actual kind. And please, don't try to lead me down an alley.”
There was a stifled laugh from the man. “Why not, we need the scum of Ries cleared out, since you’re alive it means they are not,” he said and I smirked. I liked this guy. “There are three carriage crafters -”
The fairy’s outline flared with a red aura.
“Hey, that’s a lie,” I blurted.
“No, it’s the truth unless one moved on. There is Decroys, Lamoths, and Ubert's place,” he said with Ubert’s flaring red. I gave two thumbs up and then a down for the last one. “Ah, good to know. Lamoths is down this road on the right. Big shop with a large welcome sign. They’ll still be open at this hour but closing soon. Can’t miss the building, one of the largest in town. He’s a cerbi, the three headed kind. His wifey is a cyclops. Good folk. They are originals to Ries and left alone because of it.”
“Thanks for the meat, and the help,” I said with a genuine smile and a thankful tip of my head.
My snack was delicious to the point I devoured it quickly with loud chomping bites. I walked the main city road while blending in, another asshole in a black cloak sticking to the middle cobbled path. Every alley I passed seemed to either have rough kids or ominous looking hooded beings in them. The crowd I tried to mingle with kept a decent social distancing of at least six feet away from me. Probably smart to stay away from me because the stains on the cloak I wore were indeed blood. I really needed a wagon bed and a long carrying bag.
The walking lasted a while and the town was longer than I expected. Eventually I neared the big portcullis exit that was devoid of any guards; open even as the sun set. I arrived at Lamoth’s Wooden Creations, one of the largest shops I’d seen in Ries.
There was a massive barn, the neigh of horses was clear even from a building over. The smell of fresh cut wood brought a smile to my face. A smack of a hammer hitting wood muffled my entry into the small store section in the front of the shop. The bell of the door rang, alerting a cyclops woman. She waited behind the counter bouncing a two headed baby that seemed content.
“May I help you?” she asked politely.
I removed the hood of the cloak and approached with a smile. “I’m in need of a real wagon, with real horses, and a lady to ride at my side. Simple clothing would help too.
“You’d think I’d get used to folks asking me for the unusual. Yet, this is Ries. The first two are simple,” the woman said with her eyes flickering to the legendary staves on my back. “Ah, you can afford. The question becomes what sane woman would travel with you?”
“I’ve got like twenty wives, so a lot… Yeah a lot of women would,” I admitted with a shrug.
“The truth, sort of. You flared yellow. Count from eighteen to thirty,” I did as she asked. “Twenty five. That is the number of women who claim you as a husband. Impressive. Keera, get in here.”
“Do you rape or harm your wives?” she asked intently.
“Never. All my wives have been treated with love,” I said proudly. “I don’t need another wife, I need someone to help me get to the nearest portal so I can get home. Merely a ruse, I have an interested party that will be seeking a single male like me.”
“Loona, it is about a two days ride directly south of here. I asked because it’d be my daughter going. She is needing to improve her crafting, and I got enough children to tend to horses. It’s her time to adventure and gain some levels. That way she can put in more effort before she tires,” the mother said as Keera entered the room.
The daughter had two heads that were identical. They held kind, shy eyes, and a tight smile. She wore a crafting outfit that hid her figure but based on her fit arms I figured she was lean. Short green hair was tied into tight ponytails and she blushed from my study. I was uncertain how to feel. Keera was incredibly pretty, and yet very different. I sighed, not because of her looks, or the fact this is who’d be helping me; I sighed because she was young and innocent. Death hovered around me lately.
“Will she do?” the mother asked and I nodded without giving away my sadness of bringing her along. The Justicars would be seeking a human, not a cerbi cyclops hybrid driving a wagon.
“Keera, go get ready for a week's journey, be quick about it. Meet us in the stables.” She paused to say, “The carriage and horses aren’t cheap. A dozen durca. The daughter… if you promise to pay her for the journey at a single durca I’ll let her guide you to Loona. Hurry along Keera, no sense in gawking at the sudden change.”
The young woman bowed and said, “Yes mother.” Before she left I noticed both heads were not only identical, they were also synced together. Her mouths, eyes, and even facial expressions moved in unison.
“A zadium for the best horses and nicest carriage,” I said and she shook her head no. “Why not?”
“You’ll die to bandits and your cover will be blown. There are no nobles here besides the big crime lords. They will salivate at the thought of you taking a fancy ride out. Stick to plain and basic so you will avoid notice. No one wants to fight over a cheap wagon. The trip doesn’t require lavishness, plus if you get ambushed an open wagon is better to fight from.”
“Fine, works for me. Where is the wagon at?” I asked and she led me out the front door.
We walked along the building’s edge until she opened barn doors. Inside there were a dozen basic wagons with simple coverings made of hide. I was led to one without horses. There was a driver’s bench, four big wheels, and nothing fancy. The nice carriages and wagons were staged across from me. Their lush interiors on display with revealing open doors. While I had grown used to being pampered a few days riding in a rough wagon would suit me.
“This one?” I asked and she nodded.
I climbed up the driver’s bench to sort my gear in the back. I realized that while I had plenty of loot, there were no pillows or blankets. I was about to ask if I could buy some when a three headed humanoid approached. Each of the heads had eyes but there was a single mouth on the middle head.
>
“What’s this,” he asked in a gruff tone.
“This young man checked out as a trustable wayward traveler. He is in need of a guide and a ride. Keera will be -”
“Ha! Over my dead body is my only daughter going with this… human,” the father said choosing his words carefully.
“Name’s Gryff, I mean you’re daughter no harm. Even gave your wife a full zadium to -”
“A zadium?” he asked his wife who nodded. “Fine, let me say goodbye then. You’ll need separate bedrolls. It’s what Nerina’s father gave to me when we journeyed from the capital.”
The mother, or Nerina, blushed at this statement. I was just happy they weren’t lying to me. Ries was short on good folks. The sight of the two of them worrying about their daughter gave me purpose. The path of goodness had rewards. Beargor and his army would have purged most of the life here in Ries. The back of my mind was still saying I should reap the souls of this bandit town for levels.
Nerina waved to catch my attention. “I’ll get your horses. Loona is far, but a smooth ride. The portal masters there are fairly affordable and the city is firmly independent. Even the Inquisitors lost numerous sieges against the walls.” She paused thinking of something. Her audible hmm… caused me to smile. “I have a long saddle bag that would hide those staves, let me get that first.”
I decided to hold off on doing anything close to relaxing until I was far away from this shitty outpost. While the Lamoths had been honest, there was no telling who they were talking to while I was left alone.
When Keera came out in a tight riding outfit with underboob and a bare midriff, my jaw dropped. The fabled triple boobs were average in size… but… but… there were three of them. I regained my composure to help her off load the supplies into the wagon bed.
“Where’s Ma?” She asked and I shrugged. “I got the extra bedroll and pillow Da forced on me. We have rations, and I’ve a water orb on me. Assuming ya have money, there is a proper town between here and Loona that we can resupply at. Or stay in something comfier than a wagon bed.”
She fidgeted nervously, uneasy by our proximity.
“Two days,” I said with a smile. “Should be a fun mini adventure. What level are you?”
“Six, I’d be higher but Da makes me work and I just hit twenty years old which is young for a cerbi or a cyclops. So…”
“No biggie,” I said heading to the driver's seat. “You got a rain orb or something to count against the mobs we pass?”
“I’ve da blizzard orb. Saved a few months of working to buy the green version,” she said proudly and I winced.
“We’ll pick you up something in this other town, assuming it is not ruled by banditry. If we get into a fight just cast the blizzard,” I said nonchalantly.
She meekly smiled back and said, “I was planning on it.”
Two horses arrived and Keera helped her mother strap them to the wagon. Her father came out trying to keep a stern face. There were tender goodbyes, and I was handed reins. A quick snap and we left the barn. A minute later we were out of Ries. I kept watching behind me for pursuit. It seemed we made a clean getaway.
The night sky glistened with the stars of distant suns. I let out an exhale of longing.
“Everything okay?” Keera asked.
“No, Keera, I’m a long way from my temporary home, and even further from my true home. I thank you for helping me get there. I hope this trip is boring and uneventful,” I said and she smiled.
My reaction must have been noticed. “I know I’m not pretty. I…”
“Whoa, so a few things. I’m all for helping you become a better you. What you said just flared red. So to me that was a lie. We will take this journey one day at a time. For now, let's start with you teaching me about the area and this trip.”
She blushed a crimson. My words impacted her more than they really should have. I had no problem helping a young woman become more assertive in a place as dangerous as the gaming universe. There was an inner feeling that this two day journey would not be a boring one.
CHAPTER 9
The wagon bounced over the rough road with the stars shining brightly. A snap from the bushes was all the warning I received. A fifteen foot tall werewolf lunged out of the wood line. My battle reflexes reacted swiftly, hopping between the aggressor and Keera. My spear pointed at our assailant while I braced my body for the impact.
“Cast blizzard!” I hissed urgently.
The werewolf impaled itself with its momentum, unable to adjust mid-flight to my quick reaction. My thrust into the heart shocked the creature of the night, the flare of its eyes telling me it thought we were an easy snack. A sprinkling of snow descended right before the beast perished.
“By the gods! You killed the menacing night terror of Banewoods,” Keera said, halting her spell.
“Keep casting,” I grumbled knowing I’d done no such thing. I could hear more closing in around us and some were likely bigger.
My healing staff rippled out a wave of green magic illuminating our surroundings. The mobs were immune to the healing keeping them from radiating a magical green glow; when the energy washed over the werewolves I saw them clearly as moving black spots. A dozen werewolves were creeping through the forest, trying to keep pace with our wagon. The inspection orb told me they were low three hundreds. A pack like this, well, it probably was decent loot.
My mind contemplating treasures was alerted when a bolt tore the canvas and went out the other side. Okay, a few of the werewolves were ranged, probably trying to despawn our ride. The blizzard intensified while a new wave of healing gave me a clear target nearby.
My half throw was more than enough as it ripped the head of the beast clean off. The other werewolves howled in confusion for a brief moment, the instinctive reaction ended quickly when the two parts of the corpse crashed down. I turned to address the alpha charging ahead of his pack. I could hear the larger beast cracking smaller trees in its hunt for vengeance.
A new heal gave me definitive sight of his form. I hurled a spear so fast it shredded the canvas with the force of the moving wind. Keera’s eardrums burst and her mouth was agape, and her face terrified. The lady was cowering while clutching her knees in fright.
I could sympathize. You leave home, almost arriving in Loona, but there is just one last section of scary woods before you're safe. And boom, giant werewolves attack you.
The alpha never reacted to my speedy spear soaring for his chest. There was an insertion below the shoulder and an exit out the other side; resulting in a gory mess. That was the bonus of zooming a spear near the speed of sound, it was hard to miss when it traveled that fast, and even harder to dodge. The alpha gave a final howl before dying.
A fresh heal revealed the rest of the pack falling back. While that was good, I still had a sobbing mess to deal with.
We’d ridden through Kirin, the town between Ries and Loona. I didn’t stop even when Keera complained. The problem was Keera was grating, and annoying. She reminded me of a young girl, not a young woman. Sure that was okay, and sure she was pretty, but that damn question by her mother struck a nerve deep inside me.
Twenty five women tied themselves to me. I did the math, counted on my fingers a few times. It should be twenty six. Which meant one of the wonderful women of Vin had moved on or I had problems at home on Thur. Either way, that number was stupid high. While it was hard to pick which wives were the best, there were some I clearly needed to get closer to.
So that was my day and a half while travelling south. Roiling in angst about my home life. This teenager in a woman's body was pining for my attention. Did I want to give her some Gryff loving? Yeah, I actually thought the triple boobs would be amazing. But… I wanted to screw Nicole like a hundred times more and she would cry for weeks in joy if I gave her another baby. So that was what drove me forward.
We alternated sleep, let the horses rest for a few hours, and besides the werewolves we made it to Loona
in decent time. Well, near Loona. This forest was the last step. Now that the werewolves were beyond us I expected to see the city any minute now.
The clomping and neighing of the spooked horses was reined in. I needed them to be calm so they didn’t kill themselves. I finally heard Keera stop sobbing behind me.
“Check your score,” I said, waiting for the inevitable gasp.
As if on cue she squealed like a little girl getting a pony. “I’m over seventy now! I’ll be able to craft so much.”
“Yup,” I said, noticing the fear was replaced by a brief flare of hunger in her eyes.
“Can we farm more of them?” She asked eagerly.
I chuckled and said, “No, sorry. But if you ever venture to Thur there are good crafting jobs and we take our crafters out to increase their levels. We’ve done this a lot actually, it helps both sides.”
“Wait, you’re really going to make me ride this journey home alone? Mom said if I was sweet and kind to you -”
“Ah, ya, so I can take you home with me. You have anything against dwarves?” She shook her head no. “Great, my bed is full, but if you were wanting to have a dozen males fight over you, my place is the place to go to.”
“Um… okay. Yes I’m okay with that,” Keera said, hesitantly making up her mind.
“Awesome, we could use more skilled crafters. I’m sure your -”
My sentence stopped when the trees cleared. The night sky ahead of me burst with dull light on the distant horizon. Additional streaks of fireballs and lightning told me there was a battle we were riding towards.
“I thought Loona held a vast army?” I asked.
“Oh they do. If they’re under siege it’s either a foolish army or a patient one. Their layered defense have withstood the Inquisitor sieges a few times, at least that is what Da mentioned,” Loona said, her eyes fixated by the bright coloration.
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