by Eric Vall
“You got a dead body in there?” I asked with a chuckle.
“Not exactly,” the king muttered, and he eyed me uneasily as he stepped forward to open the chest.
Apparently, I’d have to get used to a less jungle-minded crowd now that we were back in Serin.
Deya swiftly called Ruela to her since the beast only growled and gnawed with more determination, and when Temin opened the chest at last, the buttery glint of gold shimmered all around the room.
Shoshanne gasped, and my jaw unhinged as I eyed the chest filled to bursting with golden coins.
“This is only your first payment,” the king said with a satisfied grin.
“Payment?” I asked blankly.
“For the railway, of course,” he added. “As founder, you get a cut much more impressive than the lords’, but they don’t mind in the slightest, don’t worry.”
“Uhh … ” I managed, but the heaps of gold were practically singing to me, and I worked to rein in the grin on my face. “Your Highness--”
“Temin,” the king corrected.
“Temin. Can I ask what exactly your plans are from here forward?”
“In what regard?” the king asked as he came to my side.
“Well, I couldn’t help but notice I’m being addressed as sir, and with the bowing and the salutes I was wondering … ”
“Ah yes,” Temin muttered. “I hope you don’t mind all that. I had to give the people something, you understand. The train has changed their lives, but I certainly can’t take all the credit, as much as I’d like to. They know who is responsible for the wealth flowing into Serin these days, and with you nowhere in sight, I had to do something to ensure they trusted you’d not abandoned the kingdom for a better offer.”
I nodded and continued to stare at the chest, but Cayla giggled beside me and caught my attention more fully.
“What’s so funny?”
“Oh nothing,” the princess said with a shrug. “I just … perhaps you haven’t realized the king is informing you that you’ve been knighted.”
My gaze snapped to the king. “What?”
King Temin let out a guttural laugh and clapped me on the shoulder.
“I always liked you, Defender Flynt,” he chuckled, “but now you might be my favorite person in the entire kingdom. Take your gold, take your beautiful women. Get settled at Magehill, and then come back here and tell me what we’re going to do about this new army of yours. And see my tailor as well … you’re covered in blood, it’s a bit shocking.”
A giant grin spread across my face as the king laughed once more and strolled from the room, and then Deya let out a silvery giggle that the other women immediately joined in on. They all skipped forward to get a closer look at the bounty of gold, but I just stood there grinning like an idiot.
“Mason, you’re rich!” Aurora announced as she dug her hands deep into the chest. The half-elf pulled two handfuls of coins out and let them rain down with a satisfying clink fresh metal, and then Shoshanne did the same as she shook her head in disbelief.
“We’re rich,” I corrected when I finally got my bearings again.
The four women whirled around to look at me.
“We?” Shoshanne clarified blankly.
“Of course,” I said with a shrug. “Just don’t spend it all in one place.”
The giggles rebounding off the marble walls swarmed noisily in my mind as the four women trotted over to throw their arms around me, and I braced myself to keep from being knocked to the ground while they laid kisses anywhere they could reach.
Haragh cleared his throat loudly behind me.
“I’m not gonna kiss ye’,” he grunted, “but I don’t suppose I could borrow a few of them coins? Those damn daggers wrecked my vest.”
I tried to give my hearty consent, but the women weren’t done with me yet, so I just let them work through their excitement as I waved the half-ogre toward the chest of gold.
When I finally resurfaced, my shirt was even more tattered than it had been, and my hair was ruffled wildly from them groping to pull me closer. I smirked and shifted my pants to try and subdue my erection, but Cayla didn’t seem to think that was necessary. She boldly slid her hand right past my belt, and as the princess’ slender hand closed around my rigid cock, she leaned toward my ear.
“We’re celebrating tonight,” she purred.
“Yes, ma’am,” I mumbled, and Cayla released me with a coy wink.
Luckily, Haragh still had his back turned, and I cleared my throat loudly as I nodded toward him.
“Maybe we should get going,” I told the women pointedly.
They all giggled and blushed as they reluctantly stopped pawing at me, and by the time Haragh had filled his pockets, I only looked half as disheveled as I had a minute before.
“You want help haulin’ this thing to the Mustang?” the half-ogre asked.
“Nah, it’s cool,” I assured him, “but we’re gonna have to shuffle a few weapons around in the trunk I think.”
I sparked my magic to lift the hefty chest from the floor, and I couldn’t help chuckling to myself more than once as I led the way to the courtyard of the castle. The four women were on my arms and chattering excitedly about the many shops they wanted to visit in Serin, and Haragh looked a good foot taller all of a sudden.
Only Ruela managed to remain completely unphased by the riches.
The wolf prowled ahead of me with her head low and her stark green eyes roving in every direction, and the chest of gold drifted at my back all the way down the front steps and to the Mustang.
When I unsealed the trunk, Aurora burst out laughing.
“Where are we going to fit this?” she asked as she eyed the stock of glaives, axes, swords, bows, rifles, and bazookas.
I shrugged. “Give me a second.”
Then I sparked my magic and came around to the side of the car. I glanced at the chest to get a measurement before I raised my palms toward the roof of the Mustang, and then I carefully began forming a deep groove in the metal the same shape.
Once the steel solidified again, I raised the chest of gold and carefully secured it in the groove I’d formed. The steel shifted as I turned my palms slightly, and the metal of the roof rose up a few inches to clamp itself around the base of the metal chest. The last thing I did was fuse the metal together to be sure the gold couldn’t go flying if we hit some rocky terrain, and Aurora climbed up the hood of the car to lay herself across the chest.
“Can I ride with the gold?” the half-elf sighed.
“Absolutely not,” I chuckled, “but I’ll let you swim in it when we get home if you want.”
Cayla let out a soft moan of approval.
“Gods, that sounds lovely,” she mused. “I miss gold.”
“By the way,” I replied, “I owe you money from Rhoemir. You lent me your coins, remember?”
Cayla snorted as she glanced at the chest before she sauntered over to me.
“I think we’re even,” the princess murmured in my ear, and she pressed her body firmly against mine with a lustful look.
I cocked a brow. “Damn, so wealth turns you on. Noted.”
“No,” she chuckled. “You being given your due turns me on. Wealth is boring in general.”
“Only a princess could say that,” Shoshanne sighed. “The rest of us hear the word and stare because we don’t even know what we would do if we had money to spend.”
I had almost forgotten Shoshanne came from a humble home on a secluded island, and as I considered the truth of her words and my own humble beginnings back on Earth, I grinned and pulled her against me. With the princess on one side, and the caramel beauty on the other, I unsealed the doors of the Mustang and led them over.
“Alright,” I said to Shoshanne. “What’s something you’ve always wanted, but never dreamed you could have? You name it, and I’ll buy it.”
“That’s not a fair question,” the healer informed me. “Everything you invent falls into that ca
tegory, I just never knew I wanted any of it.”
“She has a good point,” Cayla acknowledged. Then she slid her hand along my chest before she turned my chin in her direction. “Whatever you buy with all this gold, just promise me you won’t start dressing like the Elite now that you’re rich. I happen to like you covered in blood.”
Aurora purred her agreement as she climbed down from the roof, and she hopped up to give me a fiery kiss as I held the doors open for the women.
The four of them filed into the Mustang with Haragh, and the half-ogre fumbled as he tried not to spill any of the gold from his pockets when he sat down.
Ruela was scanning the courtyard behind me all this time, and the moment her stark green eyes met mine, I didn’t even have to whistle. The beast promptly relinquished her watch to leap into the front seat, and I furrowed my brow as I considered how closely she’d been sticking to me since we arrived.
Ruela had also come to my aid against Onym’s allies without missing a beat, but I didn’t want her getting any confused ideas about whose dog she really was, so I made a mental note to let Deya command her from now on.
Then I dropped into the driver’s seat and brought Bobbie to life.
The deep growl of the engine echoed off the stone walls of the courtyard, and the several subjects who had gathered to admire the vehicle jumped and laughed in their shock.
I nodded to them by way of a farewell, and I took a double take when they all bowed their heads more deeply in return.
“That’s gonna take some getting used to,” I decided, but Aurora snorted in the back seat.
“I’m used to it,” the half-elf informed me. “I always thought more people should bow to you, anyways.”
I chuckled and shook my head as I brought us back to the gates of the castle, and the guards all saluted as we passed and headed out into the cobblestone streets of Serin.
An even larger crowd had gathered, and music was being played loudly in the public squares, so it seemed a lot like a parade had suddenly broken out in the capital. I returned the smiles of the citizens and a few waves while I tried not to run anyone’s toes over in the Mustang, and the same group of grubby boys were dancing eagerly at the gates of the tradesmen’s quarters when we arrived.
I gestured to them and nudged one of Haragh’s jingling pockets while they jogged along beside his window and waved wildly at us.
“Give ‘em some gold,” I instructed the half-ogre.
Haragh only looked at me like I was crazy, and I leveled him with a stern glance.
“How much does a new vest cost, anyway?” I asked the man with the many bulging pockets.
Haragh avoided my gaze as he scowled, and then he took a massive handful of coins from one of his pockets and dropped the entire contents into the hands of the three boys.
“Go on, ye’ little beggars, take it,” he grunted unceremoniously, and Aurora giggled from the back seat.
The noise of the celebration in the streets was blurring my vision by the time we made it to the last gate of Serin, and I only spared half a nod to the two guards who parted the gates for us.
Simun and Goreth were busy trying to catch Aurora’s eye anyway, and I let out a sigh of relief as I floored it at last.
Dirt kicked up behind the Mustang as we peeled off toward the northern forest of the foothills, and I let the drone of the engine steady my focus again for several minutes. It was gonna take a lot of patience to get used to these damn runes, but at least Magehill wasn’t as crowded as the city.
With any luck, the mages would be busy at the Oculus at this time of day, and I’d be able to get settled at the shop despite the headache already pounding behind my eyes.
“I cannot believe any of this day,” Deya laughed as she turned around in her seat to look at the women. “Serin is like one giant festival, and King Temin is so kind. I cannot believe a king kissed my hand today!”
“The Elite kissed your hand every change they got,” Cayla chuckled, but Deya rolled her eyes.
“The Elite are nothing like kings,” she countered. “They are only disgustingly full of themselves. This king of yours is so gracious and kind … and he absolutely adores Mason, so I adore him.”
“Yes, he’s always respected Mason,” Aurora agreed. “Doesn’t that ease your worries a bit?”
“Very much,” Deya sighed. “I never imagined a human king would tell me I could ask for anything I needed. Did you hear him say that?”
The women laughed at the giddy elf, and I smirked as I listened to her carry on over the beautiful stonework of the city and the charming people. I was honestly as stoked as she was about being in Serin that day, and despite the overwhelming noise, it had done me good to be back.
Knowing the hardworking citizens were getting their due with the train up and running made me realize I had more to offer the place than just my weapons, and I wondered if I might get the mages to help out with building up the tradesmen’s quarters. The work would be done in a third of the time, and if only supplies were lacking, I’d gladly haul in all the stone I could find from the foothills. I was imagining expanding the southern border of the city walls to allow for better living space when Haragh grunted, and I tuned into the conversation to find the others discussing the king’s concerns.
“You’re not wrong,” Haragh told the half-elf. “He means well, but he’s getting cocky. Just because the citizens are fillin’ their pockets, doesn’t mean they’ll appreciate a damn army of us.”
“No shit,” I muttered. “Not to mention, there’s no saying the mages will agree to it.”
“They followed your orders in Orebane,” Cayla pointed out.
“That was a troop, at best,” I countered. “We’re talking about recruiting an entire army. No one’s ever commanded the mages on that level. Even the head of the Order isn’t strictly in power over them.”
“Not Wyresus anyways,” Aurora mused. “Abrus was more commanding, but I think that was just his presence. The Defenders respect all of their orders of course, but the others are only students of the Oculus. They have every right to do as they please because being allowed to learn from the head of the Order doesn’t necessarily mean you’re under his command.”
“We’re gonna have to go forward slowly with this one,” I decided. “If things are as bad as Temin suspects, the mages are likely more shaken up than the citizens. It sounds like only mages have gone missing recently, and the last thing we need is a deep divide among them with all that fear flying around. If we do end up trying to form an army, though, I don’t want anyone thinking they have no choice but to join.”
“Agreed,” Haragh said with a nod. “Best to test the situation a bit.”
“Let’s get to Magehill and settle in,” I replied. “We’ll check on the mine and the village, and tomorrow we’ll go to the Oculus to see what we can figure out about all this.”
“And find your weapons,” Cayla added in a livid tone.
I let out a tense sigh as my nerves hitched, and I tried to control my own fury about the weapons, but the notion that the king had somehow misplaced that many firearms was so frustrating I had half a mind to turn the damn car around.
Granted, no one in this realm had been prepared to handle the power of the weapons I’d created, but I thought they’d at least know better than to leave them where anyone could just wander up and take them.
I ground my jaw over this for the rest of the drive to Magehill, but when we were getting close, I couldn’t help but notice the amount of noise coming through the trees ahead. I slowed the Mustang and brought us to a stop, and then I glanced at Haragh.
“How many mages did you say had moved to Magehill?” I asked as I furrowed my brow.
“Don’t know,” he admitted, “but there’s more huts up there now. Why?”
“It just sounds kind of crowded for the middle of the day,” I pointed out. “There’s way more than mining going on.”
“Yeah,” Haragh chuckled, “that’ll be the yo
ungins. They caught on it’s more fun livin’ outside the Oculus, but they’re pretty tame.”
I sighed and unsealed the doors as I realized it was too much to hope for a bit of peace and quiet when we got home, and Shoshanne sent me an apologetic smile as she climbed out of the car.
“You don’t look like you’re doing too well,” the healer said, and she brushed her fingers along the crease that had etched itself on my brow over the last hour.
“I’m fine,” I mumbled. “Just have a headache.”
“Is it difficult with the runes talking, and all of the sounds around you?” she asked.
“You could say that,” I replied with a wry smirk. “Don’t worry about me, though. I’ll get used to it. Not much of a choice at this point.”
Shoshanne crinkled her brow in concern before she held up a finger to keep me where I was and pulled her healer’s bag from the car.
“Here,” Shoshanne said and removed the cap of a small jar of poultice. The healer scooped a bit of light gold paste onto her fingertip, and then she began gently rubbing it into my temples on both sides.
Just her touch soothed me instantly, and I let my eyes fall shut while Shoshanne worked the golden poultice into my skin.
Then I recognized a familiar smell, and I grinned.
“You trying to get me stoned?” I asked.
Shoshanne giggled lightly, and when I opened my eyes, she gave a little shrug.
“Aldrin pollen helps with pain,” she insisted, “but I don’t like to see you so tense, either. This should have you feeling better in no time.”
I chuckled and pulled the healer into my arms to give her a kiss, and as she wove her fingers through my hair, the scent of the Aldrin pollen already begun to seep into my system.
The knots of tension in my shoulders slowly relaxed, and I focused on the scent of the pollen and the sensation of the healer’s sensual touch while she kissed me more deeply. By the time I pulled away and opened my eyes, my headache was hardly even noticeable.
A smile curled at the corner of Shoshanne’s plush lips, and she tapped my brow.
“Much better,” she purred.
