by Dante King
We limped back to Lyra’s town on one oxen, the cart rattling like it might fall apart at any moment. Somehow it managed to hold on until we reached the front door of the Hungry Herb Tavern, then a bolt inside gave and the back of the cart buckled inward. The five of us climbed out, giggling as the whole thing turned into scrap.
Kij stood in the doorway, framed by the dawn light. From the look on her face, she’d been crying for hours. “Mistress,” she said, pulling Lyra into a hug. “We were so worried about you!”
There was a brief, tearful reunion as the girls shared their story with the barmaid. After a few moments, she insisted on bringing us inside, getting us a table in the garden so we could relax and recuperate from the fight. Spotters on the town walls had seen some of the beasts from the Silent Auction make their way through the woods, though none had dared try to scale the fence into the town. I was sure we’d have to do something about them, sooner or later.
“Make sure that Jalen’s wife has a room as well,” Lyra said, letting Kij lead us to the garden. “If she wants a job here at the Hungry Herb, we’ll provide that for her, as well. She’s just lost her husband.”
“Oh!” Kij looked surprised, but not terribly upset. “What a tragedy!”
“Something like that,” Regina said, her dark eyes flashing with mischief. “I’m a widow now, apparently. I don’t know what I want to do, exactly—only I think I should have a nice lie down before I think about it too long…”
“We could all use that,” Lyra said, pushing open the curtains to the garden. “Once we get a little beer and food in our bellies, we’ll practice a bit of Dual Cultivation and it’ll be off to bed…”
Lyra froze. The garden was not empty.
A large, imposing man stood next to the ruined fountain, along with two lackeys. His entourage lounged around the garden, too studied in their casualness to be anything but armed. Instantly I tensed up, reaching out for the reassuring feeling of Anna’s ass in my hand. I gave it a gentle squeeze, as if prepping her to transform into a scythe at any moment.
Lyra made a shocked little sound. Then she bowed deeply before the visitor.
“Governor Shingu! My apologies—I wasn’t informed you were here…”
The Governor? Well, the man did have the bland, fresh-faced look of a politician. Those muscles looked like they hadn’t been built on a debate floor or a campaign trail, however.
“Lyra,” the man said, his voice deep and musical. “It warms my heart to see you home safe and sound! When I heard about the commotion at the Silent Auction, I came right away. To think such a thing could occur here of all places, directly under my watch!”
Hazel elbowed me in the ribs. “Is he mad about the Auction, or about us?” she grumbled, rolling her eyes. I understood what she meant. I didn’t trust this man as far as I could throw him—and with those muscles, no one could throw him very far.
“Yes, well—I’m just glad the parties have been dealt with,” Lyra said. She kept her poker face on, unsure of exactly how much of our escapade had become public knowledge. Did this Shingu know Lyra was a Cultivator now? Was he aware of my weapons?
“Of course, of course.” The Governor moved past her briskly, extending a hand toward me. “I’ve heard it’s all thanks to this young Cultivator, here. Edward, is it?”
“Eric,” I corrected, taking his hand. He tried his best to crush me, but a liberal application of Mana kept my fingers from getting squished. By the time he let go of the handshake, his eyes were wide with appreciation. “From Clan Hyde. I’m a… a stranger in this land.”
“Keep up the good work,” the Governor said, smiling. Yet the smile failed to reach his eyes. Those were cold and searching, trying their best to dig holes into my skull. Who the hell are you? Those eyes asked. And what the hell are you doing on my property?
Instantly I knew—this man understood everything that had been happening at the Silent Auction tonight. He wasn’t upset that people were being bought and sold—he was mad that they no longer were. At the very least, he didn’t seem to know about Anna and Lyra. But how long would that last?
“I can’t believe Guildmaster Ji would stoop so low,” Lyra said, looking the Governor in the eye. “Surely he’ll be dealt with now, Governor. He and the Hollow Frog Guild can’t hide forever.”
The Governor assumed an expression of such surprise that he looked like an actor in a theater. “Guildmaster Ji? But my dear Lyra—Ji was not in attendance at the Silent Auction. He was with me.”
I couldn’t sit there and listen to those lies. “Oh, was he now?”
Governor Shingu nodded like a bobblehead—like he couldn’t hear the disgust in my voice. “Yes. In fact, all of the Hollow Frog Guild were attending a function at my mansion this evening. Not a single one of their members would have been at the Silent Auction.”
I paused, confused. Was Vargus a lone wolf then? Were his words about Guildmaster Ji being with whores been lies?
No, that couldn’t be true. But with only Vargus’ corpse remaining there, him being a lone wolf was a story that would easily hold weight.
Unless I did something about it.
“That’s good then,” I said, startling the group into silence. “Perhaps Guildmaster Ji can help us hunt down the true villains, then. I look forward to meeting him.”
Governor Shingu’s eyes narrowed. “Yes, of course. I’m sure the Guild will be pleased to lend any support they can. Keep up the good work, young Cultivator. We will be watching you, with great interest.”
After a few more minutes of pleasantries, he and his guards withdrew. Once Kij informed us he’d left the building, Lyra collapsed into a chair with a sigh.
“So that was meant to intimidate us, right?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
Lyra blew a lock of hair out of her face. “Absolutely. Shingu is letting us know he knows what we did. He’s also getting out ahead of the scandal. Just like a politician.” She made a fist and slammed it into her palm. “Damn him!”
I thought it over, looking up at the stars. “I don’t suppose there’s any way we could prove the Governor and Ji are working hand in hand, can we?”
Lyra’s nose wrinkled in thought. “Everyone already knows,” she said, shaking her head. “We have no proof that the Governor knew anything was amiss.”
“I’d heard about the smuggling,” Hazel said, her voice hard. “But I never assumed it was anything like this. Buying monsters to harvest their Cores… purchasing people like cattle…”
“It’s disgusting,” Anna agreed, shuddering.
“It needs to stop,” Regina said firmly.
I sat myself down in the chair opposite Lyra. “Could I get a pen and some paper?” I asked Kij, enjoying the feeling of sitting down after a rough battle.
Kij started. “Sure. I’ll be right back—and I’ll bring food and drink, too.”
Once she was gone, Lyra leaned over the table. The other girls took up spaces around the garden—Hazel by the fountain, Anna in the chair next to mine. Regina sat among the plants, cross-legged in the dirt. “What do you need paper for?”
“I’m making a list,” I said. And once Kij came back with a tray full of food and a pitcher of beer, I got to work.
The women watched me as they ate. All of them tried to hide it, but they were interested in what I was doing. I’d always preferred pen and paper when I was trying to work out a problem. Or the notes app on my phone, but I wasn’t going to have access to that any time soon—if ever.
Finally, I sat up straighter and took a big sip of beer. “We need to do three things,” I said.
Lyra seemed amused. “Only three?”
I pointed at the paper. “First, I need to find more women who can transform into weapons. Obviously, the power increase that comes from channeling in pairs is the key to mastering Cultivation in this world—I was able to beat a much stronger Cultivator thanks to you and Anna.”
Anna blushed. “Geez, Eric, thank you. It was mostly you, though
…”
I nodded. “Second, we need to find out who’s smuggling women and what they’re doing with them. I don’t believe all of that was just human trafficking—I think those slaves were chosen for a reason.”
“Oh really?” Next to me, Anna perked up. “They were targeted, you mean?”
“Yes.” I gave Regina a significant glance. “I think there was something special about them. Something that makes them perfect targets for harvesting power from.”
There were gasps around the garden. Yet it was the only thing that made sense. I’d felt things coming from Regina in that fight—and in the reactions of the other slaves. The Vipers hadn’t just enslaved Jalen in debt for no reason. They’d wanted this woman.
Once the girls had absorbed this revelation, they recovered with more beer. “What’s the third thing?” Lyra asked meekly. “After the first two, I’m a little scared…”
I grinned. “You shouldn’t be. Get revenge on Guildmaster Ji. I promised Hazel I would, and I always keep my promises. Plus, we’re going to need to bring him down sooner or later if we want to consolidate power here. Which brings me to my next proposal…”
Hazel stood up. “You’re talking about Dual Cultivation,” she said, warring emotions showing in her eyes. “You want me to try it, just like Lyra.”
I nodded. “You come upstairs with Anna and I tonight,” I said thickly. The invitation I’d made earlier was still open—and Hazel knew it. “By morning, you’ll have your powers back. Then all of us will take Ji on. And we’ll win.”
She wanted it. I knew she did. Hell, I wanted it, too. The thought of Hazel in Anna’s arms, whimpering and moaning with need as my girlfriend helped me get even deeper in Hazel’s pussy… it sent shivers down my spine and made my cock throb in my boxers.
Hazel got oh-so-close. I could feel the heat rolling off her body.
“You want to fuck me?”
I stared deep into her eyes. “Yes,” I gasped, leaning over to take her hand. To guide her back into Cultivation. To welcome her to our family—
She slapped me in the face.
“Absolutely not,” Hazel said, the old her fully back on her face. “I’ll be in my room. Don’t come knocking with any depraved fantasies of yours…”
I watched her go, my gaze fixed on her ass the whole way. Only once Hazel had left did I realize the other women in the garden were all staring at me, open-mouthed.
“Geez, she seemed pretty pissed,” Anna muttered, rubbing her cheek as if she’d been the one stung. “You probably shouldn’t have made it so plain that that’s what we wanted from her, babe…”
“Nah. It’s good to be up front.” I took another sip of my beer. “I can’t wait to find out what kind of weapon that girl turns into once she cums. I bet it’s going to be fucking sharp!”
Lyra laughed so hard she nearly spit out her drink. “Too soon,” the redhead purred, her eyes dancing with mirth.
I watched the floating curtain where Hazel had just gone, a sinking feeling in my chest. “She’s not going to join us, is she?”
Lyra put a hand on mine. “Give her time, young man. She’ll come around. If there’s anyone in the world who would risk anything—even her honor—to be a Cultivator, it’s that one.” The corner of her mouth curled in a smirk. “I think you understand that, don’t you?”
I did. Because I was just like her.
I’d do anything to be the most powerful Cultivator in the universe. With an arsenal of hot babes who transform into powerful weapons at my disposal.
And woe be to anyone who got in my way.
Hazel would come around. Maybe. But in the meantime, I had a lot of work to do.
End of Book 1
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Dante King is an author of Men’s Adventure fiction in various flavors. His books involve strong male protagonists who know what they want and do what’s required to get it.
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