by Eric Vall
“Aye,” Haragh grunted. “One of ‘em told me they’re controlling the balance between the outside current, and the air inside their own bodies. They manipulate both at the same time, and the wind can take them any direction they need in all sorts of maneuvers.”
“Godsdamnit, that’s cool,” I groaned with a tinge of jealousy.
“Only a little,” the half-ogre allowed as he redirected my attention to a different group of Aer Mages. “These guys got the right idea, though. The four Defenders leading them were at the tunnels with all those damn bullets flyin’ around. So--”
“Hold on… I never okayed firing at our own mages,” I immediately cut in as I saw a Defender raise a pistol toward his students.
“Give it a second,” Urn suggested, and he stayed where he was without concern.
I already had my metal magic sparked at the ready, but I quickly realized no one needed saving out here.
The Aer Mages had figured out how to keep a tight and powerful whirlwind tunneling around them while they fought, and every bullet the Defender fired was thrown aside without striking a single mage. I stared as another five bullets were batted away regardless of how quickly the Aer Mages were moving in their combat practice, and it was mesmerizing to watch them all leaping, flying, and repelling bullets without missing a single step.
“I know it looks like a lot of added effort,” Kurna pointed out, “but it’ll save their lives out there. Plus, we’ve been tracking their progress, and with the Aer Mages running both of these drills for an hour a day, their stamina’s improved threefold in the last week.”
A grin spread across my face as another seven bullets scattered. “I can work with that.”
“Thought so,” Urn chuckled, and he motioned for me to follow him further into the field.
My head kept swiveling back and forth as I watched Ignis Mages shielding elves with rings of fire, and there were at least a dozen Defenders spewing flames from their mouths out there.
Flumen Mages were forming three-mage circuits to pull waves straight up from the dirt, but the water was steaming hot when it broke over the field. Every time a bout of boiling water seeped back into the soil, the dwarves would rush out for a battle of maces before the next wave appeared to clear the field again, and the two Defenders overseeing the drill took turns interrupting the wave to keep the mages on their guard.
The Terra Mages were all paired off with ogres at the moment while they ran sprints over rolling mounds of dirt, and I could tell they were pulling the mounds along with them to double their speed as they dodged clubs and dropped ogres into pits up to their necks. Some of them were tearing the field walls apart to get boulders, but then they reformed the mass of stone in midair so spikes as sharp as spearheads pierced their targets at full force.
“Those are the whips,” Kurna informed me as I turned away, and I raised my brows as I saw the chaotic drill taking place in the back quarter of the field.
All our allies were battling one another with a mix of mages among them, and the slithering lashings of fire the mages were throwing out were carefully aimed to strike precise points without injuring any of our soldiers. Mina was among the few Ignis Mages who’d achieved this level of skill so far, and I recognized most of her moves from Aurora’s mentoring.
The young Ignis Mage could shield three elves in her fire rings while wielding a fire whip twelve feet long with sharp precision, and she even kept her rings moving to different soldiers when she noticed they were losing the upper hand.
“So, this new approach of yours isn’t going too bad,” Urn said above the din of clashing blades.
“This is unbelievable,” I laughed. “You’ve got them running offensive and defensive maneuvers simultaneously.”
“Well, we spoke with the allies about how we could help them out in the field,” Urn explained. “Most of them insisted they could get by just fine with their own skills, but when they caught on to how the elements could shield incoming attacks or incapacitate larger opponents, they were quick to get on board. At first, the elves only wanted to work with the Ignis Mages since Aurora’s just about the scariest mage they’ve ever met, but they’ve warmed up to the idea of the other elements, too.”
I followed Urn’s gaze back toward the Flumen Mages, and I grinned as three elves took flying leaps from a surge of water fifteen feet high, and the impact of their landing drove the full blades of their swords into the ground with one firm thrust.
“This is exactly the kind of improvement we need right now,” I chuckled. “Whatever the Master has in that fortress is in for the ass whooping of a lifetime.”
“Unless those storms kick our asses first,” Haragh reminded me, and I caught his weighted look.
“Shoshanne isn’t the only Aer Mage in town, you know,” I muttered.
“Aye, but she’s the strongest,” the half-ogre countered.
“There’s no saying she’s strong enough to hold off a storm of that magnitude,” I argued. “Right now, all that matters is she get more comfortable with--”
“If another storm picks up during the siege, she’s our best chance at holding it off,” Haragh cut in. “Without her, the other elements won’t even be able to put this training to good use. They’ll be gettin’ hammered with fierce winds, pounding rain, and lightning bolts the size of--”
“You’re quick to shove another man’s woman to the frontlines,” Nulena murmured suddenly, and her challenging tone made the hair on my neck stand up as we all whipped around.
Nulena looked more like a murderess than ever as she crossed her inky arms across her jet-black dress, and the way she narrowed her two-toned eyes on Haragh made me slide myself slightly in front of him. The Baroness didn’t take her gaze off the half-ogre, though, and I could hear how loud Haragh swallowed as she strolled closer.
“I find this interesting,” Nulena continued, “especially since you owe your life to Shoshanne, Haragh. It sounds a lot like you’re more than willing to risk hers against a storm no one can anticipate the strength of.”
“B-Baroness,” Haragh stammered. “I didn’t mean… I didn’t realize you were… ”
The half-ogre trailed off as he registered how uninterested Nulena was in hearing excuses, and then all my generals suddenly found a dozen tasks they needed to focus on. Within seconds, the three burly men scattered, and I couldn’t help chuckling at Nulena’s smug little grin.
“You’re so cute when you’re scaring my generals off,” I admired.
“You’re welcome,” the Baroness purred, and she sidled over to tip her chin up for a kiss.
I more than obliged her as the ebony woman melted against me, but then she swiftly caught my arm in hers and pulled me toward the entrance.
“Please tell me you are finished here,” Nulena murmured. “All I want to do is go back to your sex jungle. I’ve thought of nothing but having you between my thighs since I left you this morning.”
“You think about having sex with me while you murder people?” I clarified as we returned to the market.
The Baroness shrugged. “Between tasks, yes. I spent over an hour stalking a young lord around Serin, so I had little else to think about.”
“I see,” I muttered. “And what happened?”
“You pinned me on my knees like the first time you fucked me at the Oculus, and every time I moaned for more, you choked me a little tighter. It was fantastic.”
My eyebrows shot up as I quickly glanced around. “Okay, I meant what happened after you stalked the lord, but good to know I need to choke you more often.”
“Oh,” the Baroness chuckled. “I killed him, of course. The poor man took an unexpected fall into the canal, and it didn’t seem to matter how much I prodded him with a post, he just stayed beneath the surface until there was nothing to be done.”
“Fucking hell,” I snorted a I steered us to a less crowded part of the lane. “What did he do to deserve that?”
“I don’t know, I didn’t listen to the man who
paid me to do it,” Nulena sighed. “I was too annoyed during our meeting because he kept staring at my breasts every three seconds. So, I decided to go back and kill him once I finished with the lord. He certainly wasn’t staring at my breasts after I gouged his eyes out with a broken ink bottle and shoved a letter opener through his neck.”
I took a steadying breath while I tried not to envision any of this. “Well, I’m glad you had a nice time at work.”
“I did,” Nulena purred as she sent me a glittering smile. “Not the most satisfying endeavors, but I’m making do with what I have. The best part is the ink bottle man owned seven of the markets in Serin, and no one will find where I hung his body for at least three days. Shipments will be missed, wages will be disrupted, and we can only hope lives are lost over an inheritance battle. The filthy swine had eleven children. Can you believe the gall of him? I did find a moment to steal several nice things for Deya from a line of carriages at the castle, though, and only two footmen died in the process.”
“That’s sweet,” I chuckled. “Out of curiosity, where did you hang the ink man’s body?”
Nulena sent me a devious grin as we crossed my bridge. “At the sacred garden of the gods, of course. Right above the ceremonial altar.”
“Nulena,” I groaned.
“Come on, it’s funny!” the Baroness laughed. “The next ritual gathering is in three days, and thanks to me, it will be supremely uncomfortable.”
“Alright, but don’t be surprised if the gods end up smiting you for this one,” I mumbled as I pulled the woman against me, and I gently backed her into the front door as I kneaded her hips in my palms.
“Mmm,” Nulena moaned against my lips. “I love a good smiting.”
The two of us were chuckling as we blindly stumbled into the mansion, and I had the straps of her dress pulled down when I heard someone clear their throat. Then I resurfaced from kissing her, and the two of us leapt in shock as the floor to our left ignited with amber flames.
“Um, Aurora?” I called out. “The floor’s on fire?”
My half-elf let out an irritated huff from the training hall. “Obviously, you should follow the trail!”
Nulena and I exchanged confused glances before we tentatively approached the flames, and they began to douse themselves with every step as we worked our way to the training hall.
When we arrived, the entire vaulted chamber was up in flames, and in the middle of the floor, my four women were buck naked and lounging on a hoard of velvety pillows like sultry cats. Their lips were painted blood red while they wore stacks of ruby-studded bracelets on their arms, and each line of rubies tied taut across their throats glinted with flickering firelight.
“Surprise!” the women all cheered as they suddenly hopped up onto their knees, and their bodies glistened with a dewy sheen as my own temperature shot up from more than the flames.
After an embarrassing amount of time, I remembered to blink. “Surprise? Is this a fire sex thing? Because I’m already into it.”
“No, silly,” Deya giggled. “Read the burgers!”
“Read the what?” I snorted, but when I looked all over the room, all I saw were amber flames undulating across every surface.
Eventually, Nulena nudged me and pointed down, though, and right in front of my boots, Alfred’s double cheeseburgers were carefully arranged to spell out “Babies!”
Chapter 4
My knees were the first part of my body to go numb, but my mind followed shortly after, and soon, I wasn’t even sure if I knew how to read anymore. My eyes traced the burger message at least ten times as my heart started doing backflips in my chest, but I was almost certain the word I saw in front of me was “Babies!”
Then I looked up, and my four gorgeous women had bright red cheeks and shining eyes as they sent me cheeky grins. Aurora fluttered her eyelashes at me for good measure while she started tracing coy circles across her belly, and Deya looked ready to explode from happiness as she bounced on her knees and pointed to Shoshanne’s plush hips.
“You two are going to have a baby so beautiful, people will die just by looking at it,” Deya squealed.
I nodded blankly as Shoshanne blushed to her roots, but when I opened my mouth, I said the first instinctive thing that came to mind.
“I will not laugh if this is a joke,” I informed the women. “You better not be fucking with me about this.”
Shoshanne frowned. “We would never fuck with you about babies.”
“Except that first time when we fucked with you about it,” Cayla clarified. “Since that was quite hilarious.”
“This time, we’re completely earnest, though,” Aurora assured me. “Shoshanne used her healing staff to see if we were all pregnant yet, and we are!”
“Mason babies for everyone!” Deya sang as she threw her arms up above her head.
Whatever croaky sound I made was mostly on account of the air rushing out of my lungs all at once, but I manfully cleared my throat while my women giggled.
“That’s… this is… holy shit,” I managed. “Babies. You’re having my babies. We’re having babies.”
“So many babies,” Aurora said with a devilish smile.
“But there could have been more babies,” Cayla added, and she shared a mock-sad sigh with the half-elf.
I rolled my eyes as I looked over at Nulena, but the ebony woman wasn’t standing next to me anymore. She was tiptoeing as fast as she could down the hall with her dress hitched up above her knees, but unfortunately, my elven women were already onto her.
Before I could say anything, Aurora waved her hand to part the sea of flames, and my women vaulted off the cushions. I was salivating by the time all four pairs of dewy breasts shimmied past me, and I shamelessly gawked at their naked asses while they sprinted after the Baroness.
“Grab her arms!” Cayla yelled. “She can’t use her shadows if two of us catch her!”
Then there was a loud thunk as my women grunted with the effort of wrangling Nulena, and a split second later, the screeching began.
“Get off me, you ridiculous little instigators!” Nulena screamed. “I’ve already heard all you have to say! Too many times!”
“Yes, but now I’m definitely pregnant,” Aurora growled as the scuffle escalated. “And I’ll have you know, I can officially one hundred percent recommend it!”
“Did you seriously just blind me?” Shoshanne scoffed.
“Jokes on you,” Deya retorted. “You’ve been blinding me in bed for weeks, and it’s only made me stronger! Get over here! You are feeling my baby bump again!”
Nulena let out a stubborn stream of curses, but Cayla was louder than her by now.
“I know you want Mason’s babies!” Cayla seethed. “Look at us! We’re fucking glowing, and you’re eaten up with jealousy! Admit it!”
“So what!” Nulena screeched, and my women all gasped before a hard slap echoed down the hall.
Then I heard a vicious hiss escape one of my women, and it sounded like Nulena nearly got away, but they caught her again at the staircase. The screeching continued all the way up the stairwell while I nodded to myself, and when the pounding of my women’s feet travelled over my head, I turned to see Alfred holding a silver tray.
Stan was standing in the butler’s hair with two tiny flags in hand that must have been made from toothpicks, and he waved them above his head while he did a celebratory jig that ended with a stellar heel click.
“Congratulations, sir,” Alfred preened as he offered a low bow. “It appears you will have several heirs to boast of, and your women seem quite proud.”
“Violently so,” I agreed.
“I know it’s a bit early for supper, but I’ve prepared a victory burger for you,” the butler announced as he came forward. “I used bison for the patties to spruce things up a bit, and I’ve taken the liberty of planting a flag in the bun to symbolize your triumph and the claiming of the vast territories that are your women.”
“Hell, yeah,”
I chuckled as I admired the tiny blue flag. “It looks like I settled some wild ass land.”
“You certainly have, sir,” Alfred replied in complete seriousness.
“What’s in the glasses?” I asked.
“Spirits, of course,” the butler said with a smile, and he handed one to me before he raised the other in my honor. “May your children carry your legacy forth for generations to come, and may your women remain somewhat level-headed throughout their pregnancies.”
“Well said, Alfred,” I chuckled heartily.
Then the two of us drained our glasses, but we both looked up at the ceiling when we heard Cayla’s whip crack somewhere in the heights of my mansion.
“Shall I rescue Baroness Batanova,” the butler asked, “or would you prefer your women win out on this one?”
“I mean… ” I considered Shoshanne’s heated rant about how sexy she felt carrying my baby, and Aurora kept interrupting while she insisted Nulena acknowledge how her breasts looked good enough to eat at this size. “We should probably let Nulena handle it. Quick question, though, did I hear her say ‘so what,’ or did I imagine that?”
“I can confirm Lady Nulena said ‘so what’ in a tone dripping with desperation, sir,” Alfred reported. “Then she slapped Lady Cayla so hard, the woman flew across the floor. Both appeared to enjoy the exchange to some degree, though.”
“Interesting,” I muttered. “Well, I’ll take my meal to the workshop. I’ve got some work to finish up with before dark. Thank you for the flag of triumph and the victory burger. You’re a good man, Alfred.”
“My pleasure, sir,” Alfred said with another deep bow, and Stan leapt onto my shoulder so he could hug my neck.
I took a last glance at my flaming training hall and the burger message before I left, though, and I chuckled to myself all the way to the atrium while the screeching continued upstairs.
Even the sudden assault against Nulena couldn’t douse my pride at this moment, and when I sat down at my work table, I smiled like a kid on Christmas while I happily plucked my triumph flag out of the bun.
