by Jake Daniel
Dahlia’s eyes filled with fear and fresh tears sprang to the corners of her eyes. “The tournament? But why? Why can’t we stay here? It’s much too dangerous. What if it’s a trap?”
“I realize it may be dangerous, but I’ve been training with Teng every day. I feel like I’ve progressed my skills enough to take on whatever may rise against me. We could use the prize money to help expand the manor, and maybe even save other monsters across Aurilon. Fap’zak said they are going to include the Mystic Vale as part of the prize this year.”
Gwen let out an excited squeal. “The Mystic Vale? No fucking shit?! That’s amazing. I thought that region was lost forever. If you won that, you’d be able to expand north, and all revenue generated from anything in that area would be yours. Not to mention, the area is guarded by powerful magic, anyone and anything living in Aurilon, that means you harm, could never pass through the barrier.”
I nodded. “That would be a nice benefit. I’m not exactly sure what we would find there, or what’s left of the resources that Fap’zak mentioned, but it is intriguing. I’d really hate to leave this place though.” I paused and turned my attention to Dahlia. “And if this year’s tournament is a trap, wouldn’t we want to be there to help save as many monsters as we could?”
Dahlia nodded and shifted. “Yes, I would want to protect those who could be at risk. I wouldn’t wish captivity on anyone.”
I gave her a small smile. “I agree. Not to mention, I’m sure I’ll see if Striker is still alive, and if he is, I can force him to give me more information about my mother, before I kill the son of a bitch for good.”
Gwen stepped back with a giddy expression plastered across her face. “When do we leave? I’ve never been to Ambirn. I’ve always wanted to go!” She straightened, slightly embarrassed. “And of course, if, and I mean if, Striker survived the explosion, I want to be there when you end him.”
I straightened. “Well, the man said there is a temporary peace treaty throughout the duration of the tournament which should go into effect soon. We may still run into hunters and others who may not play by the rules, but I want to give it a chance. Hopefully, the magic that enforces the treaty is enough to discourage anyone from breaking it. We’ll need to be careful.” I shifted my attention to Dahlia and ran a hand down along her arm. “I know you may be nervous, and it’s okay if you prefer to stay here, I’d definitely understand.”
I felt a little uneasy leaving anyone alone at the manor, let alone my bonded, but I was confident we’d built up our defenses and recruited enough support that it would take a well-equipped army to break in at this point. Not to mention, the escape route we’d planned behind the waterfall, which gave us a perfect, hidden path through the cliffs and to the north. It was an area that I hadn’t explored yet, but provided a safe route to use in case we needed it.
Dahlia shook her head and kept her eyes focused on mine. “No, my love, I’m coming with, just promise me you’ll be safe when the time comes.”
“Of course I’ll be safe, trust me. Also, with you and Gwen by my side, I have two skilled bodyguards.” A wisp of light streaked down from atop the waterfall, drawing my attention for a moment before I continued. “I want you two to prepare everything we may need for the trip. I’ll talk to Wofferd about borrowing his cart again.” I shook my head and raised my eyebrows. “I’m sure that’s going to go over well.”
Gwen laughed and interlocked her arm with Dahlia’s pulling her toward the manor. “We better get started.”
They hurried away and I could tell that Gwen’s enthusiasm was affecting Dahlia, at least a little, as the plant girl’s petals brightened, a sign that always gave her away when she was excited.
I watched as they hurried back and laughed as Gwen gave Dahlia a small squeeze on the ass. I could only imagine what sort of pep talk she was giving my innocent Alraune.
I planned to stop by and talk to Chloe later about going, but I already knew she’d want to stay at her tavern, and I was thankful for that. The residents of my manor, and the visitors, all respected her, and she was great at keeping them in line. She wasn’t big on fighting anyway. She’d let her worst enemy drink from her breasts if it meant they’d have a good time. That sounds extreme, but she’d probably agree with me. She detested fighting and preferred her routine.
I also felt okay leaving now that a few more lizard-men, bear-men, and a clan of dwarves had arrived. They all agreed to protect the manor in exchange for a safe place to start their new lives, whether it be at the smithy, or potion making.
The protection spell over the manor had faded ever since Striker made his way here and broke his way in, which allowed more travellers to find us. I made it easy for newcomers to fit in and only had a few nonnegotiable rules. The first, no fighting with others during their stay. I didn’t have time to babysit. Second, they must treat everyone here with respect, especially my bonded women. If I heard about anyone disrespecting any of my bonded, they would have to answer to me. Nobody had the balls to test that rule yet. Third, they must help where help is needed.
I didn’t think the rules were that hard to follow, and everyone who had arrived so far I’d considered a valuable addition to our burgeoning community.
I travelled up the path to the temple above the waterfall and spotted Master Teng standing majestically, overlooking the falls with his palms raised to the sky.
I closed my eyes and used my Sight, only to confirm my suspicions that he was doing some major cultivating. Wisps of golden light spun and danced around his hands, spinning tighter before being absorbed into his palms. I waited to approach until I could tell that the spirit flowing into him slowed. “Good morning Master Teng Shun, how are you?”
Teng let out a long breath and faced me. He gave me a nod and joined me at the overlook that protruded toward the edge of the falls. “Hello, Logan. It’s a good morning. The spirit flows strong today.”
I finally knew what he meant by the spirit flowing strongly. On days like today, I could feel the spirit dancing on my skin, without even cultivating it. “I can feel it.” I held my hand out and closed my eyes. A thick trail of the energy spun around my hand several times before it was absorbed. I couldn’t feel it enter my core as I once could. “How come I’m unable to tell when spirit enters my core as much as I once could? It’s been a few days since I’ve felt any actual strands find their way inside.”
Teng nodded and rubbed his chin. “That’s normal. I haven’t felt spirit enter my core for a very long time. Think about it as a container, like your coffee mug there.”
I glanced down to my mug and had almost forgotten that I was carrying it. I lifted it and held it out in front of me. “This?”
“Yes.” He walked over to a large barrel and pulled out a glass pitcher he used to water several plants throughout the temple. He slowly poured the water into the mug while I held it. “See, you can feel the water entering the mug, correct?” He grabbed the cup from my hand and handed me the pitcher. As soon as I held it in front of my chest, he drizzled some water from the mug back into the pitcher. “You didn’t feel it, did you?”
I nodded and looked into the pitcher. “So you’re saying now that I’ve increased the size of my core, its capacity has increased as well?” I nodded. “That means I probably won’t feel the increase in spirit unless it is a substantial quantity.”
Master Teng nodded and drank the water from my mug before handing it back to me. “Precisely.”
“How large is my core able to grow?” I asked and rubbed my chest where my triangle scar lived.
“As large as you can handle.”
Chapter Two
I cultivated as much spirit as I could while I was at the temple. Besides not feeling it enter my core as often, my scar also stopped hurting as often. It wasn’t painful until recently, when I cultivated regularly. The small triangle would burst with color, a different one depending on which type of spirit I was cultivating. The colors remained visible for several hours after I finish
ed with each cultivating session. Something that Gwen found hilarious.
Teng had hinted at, but not outright confirmed that my scar was more than just a healed wound that reacts with my core. Someone gave it to me deliberately. One thing he was sure of was that it wasn’t caused by a weapon. It resulted from potent magic. He said he hadn’t heard of an Otherworlder having a scar like mine, but that he’d have to do more research to be sure.
The more time I spent in Aurilon, the more I felt like Teng’s theory on my scar held more merit. While it didn’t answer the question about how it related to my mother, it was becoming clearer, that when I passed through that portal the day I’d met Gwen, it wasn’t the first time I’d been here.
I cultivated as much as I could handle while the spirit well was at its brightest. I bid Teng farewell and he remained focused on cultivating as I made my way back down to the manor.
As I approached the front gate, Brazz, the ultra-muscular lizard man, called down from his perch atop the wall. “Good morning, Logan West,” he said with a slight hiss. “You have an unknown visitor. She’s requested an audience.”
“Where is she?”
“I had Cress and Shah take her to the tavern. Chloe agreed to monitor her until you finished cultivating.”
I gave him a small nod. “Thank you. Great job keeping guard here.”
He returned my nod and resumed his patrol along the newly repaired and reinforced palisade. The wall was much better constructed than I expected. They’d added a bunch of stone after Striker and his men blew it up and set it on fire the first time. It would take more than a few explosives to damage this one.
I continued to the tavern and stopped at the entrance. I ran my hand along the carved wooden door, admiring the craftsmanship for a moment, then took a deep breath and entered.
A cheerful voice greeted me as I stepped inside. “There he is. Best fucking cock in Aurilon!”
I rolled my eyes and chuckled. “Good morning to you too, Chloe. And don’t fucking forget it!”
The holstaur woman looked striking this morning as she bent over the bar top. The shirt she’d borrowed from me a couple of days ago, after an intense love making session, was now cut off midway and barely covered her ample breasts, revealing their soft undersides. The shirt was a perfect complement to a small pair of shorts that hugged her voluptuous curves, revealing her perfect ass.
My eyes shifted slowly away from the gorgeous woman and settled on an equally beautiful monster girl. I’d not seen anyone like her during my time in Aurilon. She had two fuzzy blackish-grey, fur-covered ears that stood up on her head and a long bushy tail. The rest of her looked like a young human woman in her twenties, with flowing black hair contrasting against her sky-blue eyes. She wore a pair of extremely tight black leather pants which revealed her gorgeous long legs and toned thighs. The woman had a fierce look, which was accentuated by the sharp outlines of her face.
I’d obviously interrupted their conversation as they were the only two in the tavern. The wolf-girl gazed at me as I approached. “Hello, I’m Logan West. And who may you be?”
She lifted her mug and took a long swig. Her stoic expression remained as she crossed a long leg over the other. “Isobel.”
“Well, Isobel, to what do we owe the pleasure of your company?” I asked. I couldn’t help but check her out, she was absolutely stunning. I was immediately drawn to her and I almost felt as if she were just as drawn to me, but was doing a better job of hiding it than I was.
“I heard what you did for many of your residents here, and your bonded women. I’m hoping you may help me as well. If you’re not too busy.” She stole a quick glance over to Chloe and quickly refocused her gaze on me. I could only imagine what Chloe had told her I’d been busy with. “I’m afraid I’m nearly out of options.”
“I’ll hear you out. What do you need help with?” I glanced at Chloe and she gave me a small smile as she pushed up off of the bar and returned to washing a stack of glasses.
“They’ve captured my father, and I believe they’re going to force him to fight in the tournament.” Her expression remained stoic, but I thought I sensed a little trepidation in her voice.
“How do you know they’re going to force him to fight?”
“Our people have won more tournaments than anyone until recently. They’ve hunted, captured, and tortured us for the past ten years. All for this stupid tournament. Forcing us to fight in the arena against our will. The past two years, by the time the fights arrived, the ones they captured were too broken to fight. It’s the King’s way of ensuring we do not win another tournament.”
“How many of you remain?”
“Only a few in my clan have survived, including my father. He’s the last of the warriors, besides myself. We’re descendants of a proud lineage of wolf-kin warriors. They’ve written their names in magic on the arena walls, and they’ve remained there for years.”
I nodded and kept my eyes focused on hers. “Where are the others now?”
Isobel hesitated and glanced around the tavern. “They’re hidden in the forest a short distance away. I wasn’t sure how I’d be received, or if they’d put a price on any of our heads, so I didn’t want to bring them in right away. Besides, your walls are better guarded than we were expecting.”
“Well, you and your family are welcome to stay here for as long as you wish. Our resident goblin builders could use your help to create a couple more shelters.”
Isobel nodded. “Thank you. I appreciate your hospitality. I’ll let the others know as soon as we’re finished here,” She paused and studied my face intently for several seconds. “It’s so strange. I didn’t think humans could care for anyone but themselves. I really hope you prove me wrong.”
I gave her a small smile. “I try to respect anyone that shows respect in return. I’m not big on getting in other people’s affairs.”
She furrowed her brow and shot me a confused look. “Not one to get into other people’s affairs, you say? Didn’t you kill nearly all the hunters in Necross?”
“Yes, but I’m not a murderer, if that’s what you’re insinuating. I’d like to believe that deep down there’s a reason everyone does what they do, even if they don’t realize it. If given the chance to change their ways, and they decide not to, well, there’s nothing more I can do. I can still respect their decision, even if I don’t agree with it. Even if that means I have to kill them.”
I couldn’t believe that I’d just said I had no problem killing people. Although it was strange, I felt that way more than ever, especially with my bonded women. I’d kill a thousand times over if it meant protecting each of them.
I’d been too lenient with Striker’s men, and it almost came back to bite me. I’d ensure I’d not make that mistake again.
Isobel nodded. “Interesting. I’ll kill to survive or ensure my family’s survival, with absolutely no hesitation. I sense you are different, but I haven’t respected or trusted humans for a long time, so you must forgive my coldness toward you.”
“I get it.” I paused and took a deep breath. “From what I’ve seen of humans since arriving here, I haven’t been too impressed, but that doesn’t mean that they’re all that way.”
She shook her head slowly. “We’ll see. I gave you the benefit of the doubt, normally I wouldn’t hesitate to kill you on sight. If I hadn’t heard from the others in Dunway, I’d never have believed a human could be capable of being honorable.”
“Well, thanks for not killing me,” I chuckled and smiled. “How about we worry about fixing all the messed up shit humans have done another time and focus on rescuing your father instead?”
Isobel stood and brushed her thick black hair back behind her shoulders. She was taller than Dahlia, but probably not quite Gwen’s height. “Deal. I’ll let my clan know they are free to stay here.” She held her hand out formally, as if to shake.
I accepted her hand and noticed the razor sharp nails at the tips of each of her fingers. They looked mor
e dangerous than any knife I’d ever wielded. I gave her a smile. “Perfect.” I nodded and stood. “Did you see who took your father?”
“I didn’t, but I’d bet it was bounty hunters. They always seem to crawl out of the depths around tournament season.”
“Any idea of where they may have taken him?”
“Most likely the auction house up in Kilney. Forget about trying to break in there.” She said with a sigh.
“Why is that?”
“There will be too many guards around the city, they’d kill you before you even got close.” Isobel pulled out a sheet of parchment from her pack. “Look at this.” She stretched it out on the table and pointed to a faintly painted road with a small blue circle next to it.
“This is your manor.” She traced her finger up the map, north past Dunway, and stopped at a second small city. “This is Kilney. They hold trials in the town square in two days. The winners move on to the next stage.”
“And the losers?”
“Are dead,” she responded flatly.
“Fair enough,” I said, keeping my eyes focused on the map in front of me. If the map were to scale, it appeared Kilney was about twice as far as Dunway from the manor. To reach the Capitol, it would take another day’s worth of travel from Kilney. I shifted my eyes back up to Isobel and nodded. “Why don’t you tell the others to come in to get some food and something to drink. If you’d like to clean up, you’re welcome to use the waterfall or we have a working bath inside the manor.”
The wolf girl straightened slightly at the mention of the bath. “I appreciate your hospitality.”
“Of course. Make sure you have everything you need. I’ll be bringing a couple of others with us,” I paused and shifted my focus to Chloe. “Possibly more if they’d like to join.”
Chloe laughed and slapped the top of the tavern. “Um, thank you for the invitation, but no. I’ll leave the adventuring to you guys. Someone’s gotta keep the locals liquored up! I’ll stay here and keep an eye on everything while you’re gone.” She pointed a finger at me and shook it lightly. “You better come back to me, Logan West.”