Building Harem Town 4, page 2
“Exactly,” I agreed. “As we build our home, we’ll need a more permanent solution in terms of sustenance. I’m sure we can form some ideas of how to do that.”
“Babies probably can’t live off apples.” Nicola nodded. “Even holy babies.”
“I agree,” I chuckled.
“So, how will we do this?” Nicola asked as she smoothed down her skirt. “We can only do so much with our hunting and gathering.”
“I’ll help you to work it out, don’t worry,” I replied. “But for now, I thought we should upgrade our weapons. You all fought incredibly well last night, and it made me think practicing with other options would serve you all very well. We can consider the task of managing your sustenance on our quest into Evelhelm.”
“A quest into town?” Penelope gasped with glee.
“New weapons?” Aleia squealed as she fluttered her wings.
“I would certainly love that,” Celeste said with a grin.
“Me, too.” Nicola nodded. “But we’ll need to make sure the gnomes can guard the convent.”
“I’ll take care of that,” I said, and I was suddenly with Elowise, the elderly gnome woman.
She was outside in the morning air, and the sky above was still a hazy orange as the sun rose. The gnome had a basket full of apples at her side, and she hummed to herself as she shined them up on her sleeve.
“Elowise,” I said softly. “How are you?”
“Oh,” she said and slightly startled. “Good morning, Jack. Don’t mind me, I’m just trying to earn my keep.”
“You have done more than enough already,” I chuckled. “Your efforts with those catapults were insane.”
“You do truly speak in an odd way.” The elderly gnome smiled. “I left some apples outside the sleeping quarters for the priestesses. I imagined they might be hungry after such… a large battle.”
The old gnome had a knowing smile on her kind face, and I guessed she knew exactly how much exercise we had really gotten the night before.
“I was hoping you would look after the convent this morning,” I continued. “I fully trust you and your family to keep everything in order, and we’ll be back soon enough.”
“Of course,” Elowise replied. “I’m honored you would ask that of us. Where are you going?”
“Over to Evelhelm,” I replied. “I want new weapons for the priestesses, and we need to consider how to provide more food for the convent.”
“I have full faith that you’ll work it out,” the gnome said with a soft smile, and then she gasped as her gaze fell on the priestesses who emerged into the morning light.
Now dressed in their new outfits, the girls had weapons slung over their shoulders in the form of crossbows, and Aleia had a mace clutched in her delicate hand.
Celeste’s wings seemed to glow under the sunlight, and I could see clearly that there were multiple shades of red on each feather. She always looked beautiful before, but with her wings fully grown, she was absolutely stunning, and I couldn’t remember ever seeing a creature as starkly feathered as her.
“My lord,” Elowise whispered. “Her wings. How… how is that possible?”
“It was a miracle,” I said as the girls approached.
Even though it was true, I felt strange saying it out loud. I could still hardly believe I had performed a real miracle.
“Good morning,” Penelope said brightly, and I noticed the girls each had a gleaming apple in their hands.
“Did you leave us these?” Aleia asked as she bit into the fruit. “That’s so sweet of you, Elowise.”
“My pleasure.” The gnome smiled, but she kept her eyes on the harpy.
Celeste seemed to be standing with more confidence than she had before. Her sculpted chin was held high, and she had a playful grin as she bit into her green apple.
“So,” I said. “Ready for a road trip?”
“My lord?” Aleia tilted her head. “Do you mean quest?”
“Yes,” I laughed. “That’s exactly what I mean.”
“Ready to go.” Nicola nodded. “If I get something new and shiny to kill gargoyles with, I’ll be happy.”
“And I can try out my wings.” Celeste grinned. “Maybe Aleia can join me for some flying.”
“I would love to!” the fairy squeaked. “I might not be able to keep up with you, though, I have a feeling there is a lot of strength in those feathers.”
“We should get going,” Penelope said. “We want to get there as early as possible, in case all the good weapons are gone.”
“I don’t think they’re going to sell out,” I chuckled. “But I do like the enthusiasm.”
The naiad flicked her blonde hair and looked pleased with herself at my approval.
Then there was a sudden bark, and Thunder the puppy raced inside from outside the convent wall. The slobbery mess of a dog tumbled over toward Nicola, and he jumped onto the brunette with an excited howl.
“Good morning,” Nicola cooed as she scratched the dog’s ears. “What a good boy you are.”
The dog licked her face, and she giggled as she wiped drool from her cheek.
“Where was he?” Penelope asked. “He should probably stay in the walls to be safe. He’s so very young!”
“He can take care of himself,” Nicola replied. “Can’t you? I want you to stay here for now, though, boy. Help keep this place safe.”
The dog tilted its fuzzy head to the side and then gave a confident bark as he held a paw up. Nicola grabbed the foot and shook it, and the dog raced over to the gate where he positioned himself facing out.
“Did he understand you?” Celeste asked with wide eyes.
“No…” Nicola said in a very unsure voice. “I mean, I don’t think so? Coincidence, right?”
I studied the young pup at the gate, and he definitely looked like he was on guard duty. Nicola’s powers with animals were surely getting stronger.
“Best hurry along, then,” Elowise said. “Make sure to keep your wits about you. I know how powerful you are, Jack, but the forest is always full of surprises.”
“I will watch over the women,” I assured her. “Luckily, I have four priestesses who are more than capable of defending themselves.”
The elderly gnome smiled approvingly at the girls and gave them a quick wave before she turned to get back to her work. I watched for a moment as Elowise grabbed a weed from the ground and pulled it out with a satisfied nod, and then she grabbed another two as she glared at them like interlopers.
“Quest time!” Nicola declared, and I couldn’t help but laugh as she strode toward the exit of the convent.
“Someone’s keen.” Penelope smiled as the rest of the girls hurried behind.
“What can I say?” Nicola shrugged. “Our master really outdid himself with rewarding us last night. I thought I would be tired after all that worshipping, but I have more energy than ever.”
“Aleia must be especially tired,” Celeste giggled. “For a small fairy, you really do have a lot of… energy.”
The girls all giggled, and it warmed my non-existent heart to see them all getting along so well. The harpy strode alongside the priestesses as if she had been part of the group all her life, and she even nudged Aleia playfully as they laughed.
“So,” Nicola said. “I’m thinking we find weapons so huge we can barely lift them.”
“The bigger, the better!” Aleia cried out as she hovered along beside the group.
My priestess left the convent walls, and I quickly scanned with my God vision to make sure there weren’t any threats lurking nearby. It seemed that there was nothing more threatening than a few rabbits in the nearby trees, and the perimeter of the convent was secure.
I was relieved since I had half-expected a new army of gargoyles to be slowly creeping up on us now that a new day had begun.
We left the limestone walls behind us and headed off on our way to the town, and I followed along with the four women while I continued scanning the woods on either side of the road, just in case.
“How much gold do we have left?” Penelope asked as the girls walked quickly along the tree lined road.
“Plenty!” Aleia sang as she jingled the small pouch on her waist. “The armorer will be so pleased to have our business.”
As we traveled along the familiar route to the elven town, Celeste started to stretch out her new wings.
“Ready to fly?” I asked, and the bird-woman nodded.
“We’re headed straight along this road,” Aleia said. “You can fly ahead if you want?”
“I’ll stay with you all,” the harpy replied. “I just want to try them out.”
With that, Celeste suddenly shot into the sky with an excited shriek of happiness, and I joined her as she soared upward. Her fiery hair tumbled behind her as she hurtled up toward the fluffy clouds, and the bird-woman gasped as she stopped to hover.
“I thought maybe I would need to take my bird form for them to work again,” she said. “But they work perfectly just as I am. It’s as if they were never even clipped!”
Celeste’s entire body glowed as she spun around and twirled in the sky. The sun had almost fully risen, and she stared over the treetops at the distant mountains as she flapped her wings.
“Thank you, Jack,” she said gently. “I know I wasn’t exactly easy to convert, but words can’t express how happy I am that I’ve finally come to understand your glory.”
“I like that about you,” I replied honestly. “I know how intelligent you are, and it’s good to question things.”
“And that worshipping,” the harpy said as she nervously bit her lip. “I know… what I mean is… well, you know I’ve never done it before, and I just hope I did okay.”
My mind flashed back to the gorgeous harpy writhing on top of me, and the electricity between us as our bodies connected.
“You were incredible,” I assured her. “Everything about you pleases me, and you never have to worry about how I feel about you. Just enjoy those wings.”
“Oh, I will,” Celeste laughed as she did a front flip in the air.
The view from the air was breathtaking, and I wasn’t sure if I would ever get used to seeing the rustling treetops and misty mountains far ahead.
“You’re quiet,” Celeste said. “Is everything okay?”
“Just taking in the view,” I said, and the harpy laughed.
“A god,” she snorted. “Impressed with the view? You are mysterious, Jack.”
“That’s my job, right?” I laughed. “You may never understand all my ways.”
There was a sudden noise below us, and the harpy shot down to the ground to rejoin the other girls. I knew what was approaching without having to use my God Vision to travel further ahead. There were three small ponies trotting toward my women, and the riders were unmistakable with their deep-red skin.
“Goblins,” I muttered as the girls drew their weapons.
“Ahhh, a bit of morning target practice,” Nicola sneered. “If they know what’s good for them, they’ll turn back now.”
“You’ve fought goblins before?” Celeste asked.
“Oh, yes,” Penelope replied as she clutched her bow tightly. “It did not end very well for them.”
I could hear the sound of dirty cackles as the small horses approached. The steeds were various shades of brown and gray, and they trotted along as their riders pointed over at the priestesses.
“Well, well,” croaked the fattest of the goblins. “What do we have here?”
Their faces all looked sweaty, and they had pointed ears that stretched up beside their bald heads. The greasy little fuckers were grim to look at, and they wore black suit-like clothing that was torn and filthy. They looked the women up and down and sneered as they got closer, but I wasn’t too worried about the band of goblins.
Nicola and Penelope had their crossbows ready for action, and Aleia had her mace held high as she hovered at head height. The fairy gripped the leathery handle of her weapon, and her freckled face scrunched up as she glared at the approaching goblins.
“Easy,” I said to my women. “I’ve seen you all take down enemies a million times worse than this. Let them go if they don’t cause trouble.”
“And if they do?” Penelope asked.
“Then crush them,” I replied simply, and the naiad nodded as her pretty face took on a focused scowl.
“Don’t hurt the ponies,” Nicola added. “They’re innocent.”
“Look at the legs on that one,” one of the goblins scoffed as the horses came to a halt.
His grimy face leered at Nicola, and I hated the way his eyes looked her up and down slowly enough to memorize every inch.
“Keep it moving,” the brunette growled.
The goblins laughed, and it was a horrible croaking sound, as if they had smoked a thousand cigarettes for a century.
“Feisty, aren’t they?” the fat one cackled. “I like the blue one best. Nice curves on her. How about coming with me, gorgeous?”
“Never,” Penelope shuddered. “Now, we will ask you to move on once more, or you will suffer the consequences.”
“Consequences?” the shortest one snorted. “Aw, did you buy little weapons to look big and scary?”
“Not working,” the fat one chortled. “Especially that little fairy. Come here, let me stroke those wings and show you a good time.”
The red creature leapt off his horse and tried to snatch the fairy in the air, and he suddenly whipped a small dagger from his belt.
“I’ll tear that dress right off that pretty little--” he began, but then the fairy brought her mace down onto the goblin’s skull.
There was a horrific crunch as the metal smashed his head into a pulp, and bits of brain flew onto the nearby trees. The body crumpled onto the ground with a wet thud, and there was a moment of silence as the other goblins stared down at the corpse.
“You fucking bitch!” the short one screamed, and suddenly, the remaining two goblins leapt from their steeds.
Nicola smirked as she launched her bolt, and it flew directly into the short goblin’s neck. Blood gushed from the wound, and the creature made a vile, spluttering noise before he flopped forward onto the dirt.
Then Penelope sent her bolt into the last goblin’s forehead, and the poor bastard didn’t stand a chance. His skull split open like a watermelon, and his eyes rolled back into his bald head as he crashed to the ground.
“Nice,” I chuckled as I looked down at the bloody mess of bodies. “That’s what these fuckers get for messing with my girls.”
“They are so slimy,” Aleia shuddered. “Why are all goblins so vile?”
“It really is in their nature,” Penelope sighed. “Most unpleasant.”
“You guys did great,” Celeste chuckled. “I considered showing off a bit, but you all beat me to it.”
“Save the showing off for the big leagues,” I said. “You badass babes are well above being threatened by fucking goblins.”
“Badass?” Celeste asked. “What is that?”
“It means awesome,” I laughed. “Beautiful and tough at the same time.”
“Badass,” the harpy said slowly. “Yes, I like that.”
Nicola hurried over to the ponies who seemed utterly unbothered by their masters’ fates.
“Little angels,” the brunette said as she stroked the gray one’s mane. “You’re free to roam now. The land is yours. No more slimy little riders on your backs.”
The ponies whinnied, and the gray one nuzzled into Nicola’s chest before it turned and trotted off into the trees. They all hurried away as if they had been waiting for freedom their whole lives, and Nicola smiled as she watched them go.
Then the brunette turned back to the group and narrowed her eyes as she looked at Celeste.
“Everything okay?” Nicola asked. “Are there more goblins?”
I looked at the harpy to see her scowling up at the sky instead of the road ahead.
“I see something,” she murmured, and she hurried up past the trees, followed by Aleia.
I followed the flying women to see what they were looking at, and from way up here, I could see something strange off in the distance to the west. The orange glow of sunrise had gone, but there was still one patch of sky that had a warm tint.
It took a moment for me to realize that I was looking at a distant storm.
An orange, almost fiery storm. It looked oddly unsettling, but it was far away enough for us to carry on.
“Should we be worried about that?” Celeste asked, and I took a moment to consider.
“Not right now,” I replied. “If it gets any closer, we’ll figure it out.”
The harpy nodded and gave the storm a final glance before she carried onward along the road.
Aleia stayed staring at the sky for a moment, and her green eyes narrowed as she studied the orange hue.
I was still coming to terms with everything in this strange new world, and I had a lot to learn. I wasn’t too sure what storms should be like in a land like this, and I’d only encountered them during the night, but since arriving in this world, I had realized I had pretty good instincts.
And something about that storm made me feel uneasy.
Still, I had a quest to worry about, and four women to protect.
“Come on,” I said to the fairy. “Better get going. We’ve got an elven town to get to, and lots of new weapons to buy.”
Chapter 2
The strange storm in the distance played on my mind as we continued on toward Evelhelm. The girls chatted about Celeste’s new wings and the new weapons they would get, but I kept thinking about those orange clouds.
It was probably nothing to worry about, but I had a gut feeling something wasn’t right. Well, I would have, if I had a gut.
“My lord?” Penelope said. “You’re being quiet, is everything okay?”
“You’re thinking about that storm, aren’t you?” Celeste asked, and I had to admire her perceptiveness.
“I was,” I admitted. “But there’s no point worrying about that, it might be nothing. We need to focus on the task at hand.”
“Feeding the convent.” Aleia nodded as she fluttered her wings. The fairy sailed alongside the other girls, and the money in her coin purse jangled as she moved.
