Building Harem Town 8, page 6
We softly touched down on the valley floor as the dragon lowered its wings so we could dismount. Then I helped Nicola down from the scaly creature’s back, and she lovingly stroked its snout.
“Thanks for the ride,” I said. “I really appreciate it.”
The dragon gave me a low bow before it soared up toward its cave, and the baby rushed out to meet it. I chuckled as the growing infant tumbled over its own legs and crashed straight into the older creature.
“They really like the sunshine,” I said. “I wouldn’t have thought that would be the case for ice dragons.”
“They’re mysterious creatures.” Nicola smiled. “Let’s go and find the others. I have to tell them all about how handsome you looked when you slayed that bastard god!”
“And about all the new followers,” I chuckled as Nicola began to pull me along.
“I suppose,” Nicola said. “But the way your muscles glistened under the sunshine is really the important part of that story. Other than the part when you smashed your sword right into his throat.”
We strode out of the central valley as voices drifted through the air. I could hear the gruff grunts of orcs, and it sounded like some of my scouts had returned from their quest of gaining me more followers. When we reached the dragon valley, I could see that everyone had gathered around in a group to hear the news.
Seven orcs, three elves, and a whole colony of Hodges were back from their task of spreading my name throughout the distant lands.
The priestesses were huddled around talking with the Hodges, and they waved excitedly when they saw us. Then they raced over to greet us, and I laughed as the stampede of beautiful women jumped on me.
“Good afternoon,” I laughed. “How is everyone doing?”
“We’re fine,” Celeste said. “But never mind that, how was the god slaying?”
“You should have seen it,” Nicola groaned. “He made that bastard look like a worm. Jack was amaaazing, and he even let me get a couple hits in!”
“Wonderful,” Nieva breathed. “Do you feel better now?”
“I feel like a new woman,” Nicola said. “Just knowing he isn’t out there makes all the difference. Especially since I got to watch Jack fight him to the death.”
“Oh, Jack!” Penelope said. “Some of the scouts are back, and they all seem to have wonderful news!”
“Really?” I asked as I strode over to the group. “I’m glad to see you all back safely. How was the journey?”
“No trouble,” one of the orcs grunted. “There are still many of us out in the darklings’ realm, but we came back to tell you that we have made progress.”
“A whole new colony of creatures were found,” another orc said gruffly. “They live in a swamp to the west, and they have heard of your greatness already.”
“Swamp creatures,” I said. “What are they exactly?”
“Never seen them before,” one of the orcs said. “But they’re double our size and willing to fight. The wolves seemed to impress them.”
“That’s good news,” I chuckled, and I noticed that a few of the Hodges were bouncing up and down excitedly.
Their long ears flopped around as they stared up at me, and I felt like a teacher with students desperate for a turn to present to the class.
“Hodges.” I smiled. “What did you find?”
“Fairies!” one of them squeaked. “A whole colony of them in a distant forest!”
“Yes,” another hodge said eagerly. “They look just like Miss Aleia!”
Everyone turned to look at the fairy, and her forehead crinkled as she shook her head.
“I don’t understand,” Aleia said. “A colony? Are… are my parents there? My family?”
I knew that the fairy had an upsetting past with her mother and father. They had sold her to a perverted human man when they were desperate for money, and Aleia had only just managed to flee before the wedding. She had stolen the coins given from the asshole in order to survive, and she hadn’t seen her family since.
Now, there was a whole colony of them up for grabs. The idea of a fairy army excited the strategic part of my mind, but I didn’t want to put my lover through any emotional distress.
“Your parents are not there,” the hodge said. “I’m sorry, Miss Aleia. We asked all around, but you have an aunt and uncle who have been desperately trying to find you, and your siblings are there!”
“They are?” Aleia gasped. “Oh, my goodness! But… why aren’t my parents with them? Is the colony in the Deep Hazel Wilds?”
“I’m not certain about your parents, miss,” the hodge said and nervously shuffled his little feet. “The colony is in the Violet Woods. But I am very sure your aunt and uncle will be able to tell you. They were so excited when I said I knew you.”
I watched the sweet fairy’s expression flicker between excitement and sadness, and I put an arm around her as her lilac wings fluttered anxiously. Penelope laced her fingers into Aleia’s hand, and I decided to move on to give Aleia a moment to process this information.
“Great job,” I said to the others. “You’ve done really well.”
The Hodges pulled on their ears as they stuck their little potbellies out proudly, and Nicola whimpered at the ugly cuteness of it all.
“Okay,” I said. “What about the elves? Any luck up north?”
“Most people we spoke with were happy to listen,” one of the blue-haired men said. “We met with many farmers. Simple folk, but they made up good numbers.”
“Some were strong enough to fight,” a green-haired elf said. “But many of them are just keen to keep their heads down and work. I’m not sure how many soldiers we recruited, but plenty of working folk know of your greatness now.”
“That’s important, too,” I said. “Not everyone is going to be a warrior. We need farmers and market owners just as much. Take some time to rest, you have all traveled far today.”
The group nodded as they slowly broke apart, and the dragon folk began to pass out cups of tea and bowls of fruit. Hodges bounced around happily as tired-looking orcs tried not to step on them, and everyone got comfortable in the beautiful afternoon sun.
The priestesses huddled around me with their gazes aimed at their fairy sister.
I kept Aleia held tightly as I looked down at her, and I decided to test the waters with how she would feel about visiting this fairy group.
“Hey,” I said gently. “This new colony sounds pretty great, and your aunt and uncle must be desperate to see you.”
“I’ve never met my aunt or uncle, but they sound nice.” Aleia nodded slowly. “I didn’t think anyone in my family would ever care enough to look for me. It is good to know that my siblings are safe, too. Maybe they ran away from my parents just like I did.”
“Good,” Nicola said firmly. “Your parents sound about as great as mine were. I reckon you’re better off without them.”
“Quite right,” Penelope said. “Your family is right here, and your aunt and uncle sound like kinder people.”
“They do,” I said. “How would you feel about meeting them, Aleia?”
Aleia looked up at me with wide green eyes, and she pulled on a strand of her strawberry-blonde hair.
“Only if you want to,” I added. “But if we could reunite you with your family while recruiting an army of fairies, then that would be a trip well spent.”
“I’ve never thought much about seeing family again,” Aleia said quietly. “But hearing about this colony who all live together makes me curious. It really would be lovely to meet my aunt and uncle, too.”
She bit her lip as she swayed on the spot, and her beautiful face slowly broke out into a wide smile.
“Let’s do it,” she said. “I want to meet my new family! Besides, a whole group of fairies would be the perfect addition to your army, Jack!”
“Amazing.” I grinned. “This is going to be great!”
“Yes!” Aleia cried as she flung herself into me. “A new family!”
I cradled her in my arms as she buried her face against my neck, and Penelope bounced excitedly.
“What a wonderful day,” the naiad said. “Another dead god, and we get to go and meet a whole colony of fairies!”
“Yesssss!” Nicola hissed. “Another trip!”
I was coming up to some of the toughest battles I would ever face, and I needed every capable fighter I could get. I could just picture a whole swarm of badass fairies flying to war to fight for my cause, and I felt a thrilling chill run down my spine.
“Let’s get ready to leave,” I said at once. “We need to be ten steps ahead of the remaining gods, and things are going to get dangerous real soon.”
“But we will be together,” Penelope said determinedly. “We are stronger than any army the other stupid gods could put together.”
“Yes!” Aleia cried. “Oh, this is wonderful! These fairies are going to love Jack so much.”
“I hope so,” I chuckled. “Let’s go and ready the dragons.”
“I fucking love when you say that,” Nicola chuckled.
We left the dragon valley in a huddle of excited chatter as the returned soldiers described their travels. Orcs and elves sat with Hodges in the glaring sun, and the dragon folk waved to their queen as she passed by. Then Nicola started to describe my fight with Xomes in detail as the other women listened keenly.
I was too amped-up to listen to their fawning, though. I felt high on adrenaline from the fight with that asshole god, but now I was truly ready to get some plans set into motion. The worry I had over the Oracle wasn’t as strong as we walked toward the central valley, and I knew I was going to amass an army that would be seriously fearsome.
Aleia’s family would be a lot easier to win over with her beside me, too, so I was confident we were going to succeed.
My follower count was already huge, but it kept growing with every minute as my followers spread the word. Finding the Oracle and defeating the remaining gods was going to take every ounce of strength and cunning I had, but I was ready for the challenge.
I smiled as the sun illuminated the cracks of the hillsides, and my women chattered excitedly. There was only a hint of wispy clouds floating by the blazing sun as a flock of griffins flew by.
It was a glorious day to win a fairy army.
Chapter 4
I was tempted to switch into god form for the journey, but I knew the women would be desperate to have more physical time with me. They had barely let me out of their sights, and I was happy to be around them whenever it was possible.
We hurried up to the dragons’ cave and found three of them lazing around the entrance as the baby slept. One of the Hodges scurried along beside us as he described the route, and Nieva listened closely so she could relay it to the dragons.
“Violet Woods,” the winged woman said. “Understood. I’ll pass it all on, thank you.”
The hodge gave a quick bow and raced off before it had to spend any more time next to the dragons. Nieva stroked one of the huge beasts’ snouts as she muttered into its ear, and it tilted its head as it listened.
Penelope and Nicola climbed onto one of the dragons’ backs with me before the scaly creature shot into the air. Then the winged women shot up beside us and twirled excitedly through the sunny sky.
“Let’s go and find some fairies,” I called.
The dragon seemed to have understood the directions perfectly as it confidently soared north toward the Giant Lands. I hadn’t explored much of that area since my recent victory that won it, and I was curious to get a real look at the land. Studying my territory on the map was mind-blowing enough, but it was always more amazing to see it in real life.
There was a constant thud of distant, enormous footsteps below as we flew over the land of giants, and I could see a few cyclopes slowly plodding through the trees. They didn’t pay us any attention as we passed over, and I knew most of the one-eyed beasts seemed to stroll around with empty heads.
As we passed further over, I was amazed to see that everything seemed to mirror how big the creatures of this land were. The trees were double the size of normal ones, and the river was incredibly wide. It was as if the land had adapted itself to be as efficient as possible for the beings who lived there.
We didn’t fly directly over the walled city that sat quietly over the border, but I was eager to explore it whenever I got a chance. There must be some kind of intelligent beings that resided there to have built a solid structure around their home, and I wondered what other massive beings lived inside.
Becoming a god with so much territory meant that I wasn’t able to explore every area in person as quickly as I used to, but I wanted to make sure I knew my realm inside and out. It would get harder and harder as I killed off more gods, but knowing my land and people was a skill I prided myself on.
The women were in high spirits as we soared over the Giant Lands, and Aleia couldn’t stop twirling around as her wings moved in a lilac blur. Her strawberry-blonde hair danced behind her as she flew along and sang up into the sky.
I knew she hadn’t been feeling confident about her special ability lately, and I hoped that seeing her new family would help comfort her. Maybe being around other fairies would remind her of what she could do and give her a gentle nudge toward her full potential.
“I can’t wait to meet more fairies,” Penelope said. “I bet they’re all just as adorable and lovely as ours is!”
“And strong,” Celeste added. “We would be able to take down anyone with a whole fairy army on our side!”
“Can you imagine how great that would be?” Nicola sighed. “We could just throw giant boulders at anyone who tried to fight us. No army would stand a chance.”
“Which god will we battle next?” Nieva asked.
“That hasn’t been decided yet,” I said. “I need to speak with Tobias to plan our strategy, but we will be ready for whoever the hell it is.”
The sound of giant footsteps started to fade as the trees began to slowly shrink down to regular size, and the land sprawled out into a mass of rolling hills and sapphire-blue streams. Fields with tall grass rustled in the gentle wind and gave off a floral scent that drifted up to greet us.
“This part of the world is beautiful,” Penelope sighed. “What a gorgeous day to travel!”
I had to agree that it was a stunning piece of land, and the naiad gasped when we flew over a waterfall that tumbled into a stunningly clear river. The glistening water contrasted against the emerald-green grass of the hill, and I felt Penelope bounce excitedly at the sight.
“Jack,” she said. “Can we maybe stop for a quick dip in the river? Oh, it looks so beautiful and fresh!”
“It really does,” Nicola said as she peered down. “A few minutes of a stop won’t hurt, right?”
“I agree,” I chuckled. “Whatever my priestesses desire.”
The dragon slowly began to circle over the river as it lowered down to the ground, and there was plenty of room in the open clearing for the massive beast to land. We touched down on the grass, and the dragon bent its legs so that we could climb off.
Then I helped Nicola and Penelope down and jumped onto the ground to join them. Nieva, Celeste, and Aleia fluttered down to the riverbank, and Penelope rushed over to the bottom of the falls.
She crouched down as she dipped a hand into the water and sighed as she moved her fingers around gently.
“I’m just going to warm it up a bit,” she said happily. “Then we can all slip in!”
“Sounds good to me.” I grinned. “All of my gorgeous women stripping down for a dip? That’s a good way to spend the afternoon.”
“We do like to put on a show,” Nieva said as she dipped a toe in the river.
“And I like to watch,” I chuckled. “So it’s a win for everyone.”
There was a sudden crunch of twigs behind us, and I spun around to see a bizarre creature peering at us from a clump of nearby trees. It was built like a deer, but it was mossy green with yellow eyes. Twisting antlers stuck out of its head, and they were both covered in drapes of plant life and small flowers. The creature had pointed hooves that dug into the ground as it whipped its oddly long tail from side to side.
I could tell by its timid demeanor that it didn’t mean us any harm, and Nicola gasped as she took a step forward.
“An elek,” she breathed. “Oh, these are such beautiful creatures! They are very intelligent and kind.”
The brunette held out a hand as she approached the animal, and I wasn’t shocked to see the creature creep out to meet her. We had yet to meet an animal that couldn’t be tamed by the brunette, and her powers seemed to grow more every day.
“Hello,” Nicola sang softly. “Don’t be afraid. We are here with the great god Jack. He is a friend to all beings.”
Her voice drifted into the enchanting melody that she used to speak with animals, and it was hard not to feel anything but comfort as she spoke.
“Jack is a powerful god,” Nicola continued as she reached the elek. “If you join his following, then you will always be cared for and safe.”
Penelope suddenly gasped, and I spun around to see her still crouched over with her hand in the water. But the stream had begun to glow silver, and tiny flecks of magic bounced on the surface as Nicola’s voice whispered out from the stream.
Everything the brunette had just said was gently echoing down the river as the silver water seemed to carry her voice away on the current. We all watched silently as the quiet echo flowed down the surface, and a group of large frogs suddenly sprang up onto the bank. They were dark brown with piercing green eyes, and they hopped around in circles as they left damp footprints on the grass.
“Jack is our god,” they croaked. “Jack is a kind and powerful leader!”
I was too stunned to speak for a moment as I watched the small creatures hop around singing my name, and it dawned on me what had just happened.
“Power sharing,” I breathed. “That’s what it means.”
“What was that?” Celeste asked as she stared at the river. “Can Penelope use Nicola’s powers?”
“They combined them,” I said excitedly. “Penelope and Nicola both used their powers in close proximity, and they became one! Holy shit!”
