by Cat Wilder
"I'm not sure that will work," Elky said. "She also said they were worldwide, or something."
"But she did say coast to coast, and maybe that's all the world to her," I said, starting to feel better about our prospects. "I like that idea."
After we ate, Meike collected ten river stones from the brook. She produced a piece of chalk and drew mystic symbols on each one, before arranging them in a circle around the camp. Then we watched her circle the camp, chanting softly, while touching each of the stones. When she touched the last stone, a staticlike feel washed over us.
"Okay, we're safe from all threats," she said. "Now, I'm completely out of mana again." She looked at me, and then at Kahlan. "You know what to do."
Chapter 8
Cormac
We followed game trails westward for three long, grueling days. Meike challenged us with her pace, proving to me that elves had more endurance and stamina than humans. Elky thought she did it on purpose to put us in our place.
Meike stopped, raised her hand, and dropped to one knee. We all froze in place. After a moment, she waved Elky up and pointed to something only they could see. After a moment, I cursed under my breath and moved up to join them.
"What's the matter?"
"Town," Meike said. "Elky said it is the town of Zoss Ford."
Our elevation was lower than the town, so I couldn't tell much except the town sat atop a low hill. From its name, I assumed a river flowed by on the other side. So I pulled up my map and checked it out. The town was indeed notated as "Zoss Ford." As expected, I found a small river meandering all over the place beyond the town.
The sun sat low on the horizon. I hadn't realized it was so late in the day. Small towns and villages closed up tight as soon as the sun went down.
"Elky, designate a new respawn spot here," I said.
Slipping off the trail, I found a nice spot overlooking the town. I stood on the spot, and then pulled up my HUD. I selected Designate a new Respawn site. The prompt popped up before my eyes.
Before designating a new respawn site, please ensure it is a secret location, hidden from casual observation, and safe. Have you done this? Yes? No?
I chose "Yes."
You have successfully designated a new respawn site.
Elky waited with the others when I returned. Meike and Kahlan had unreadable expressions, once again reminded death wasn't permanent for everyone.
I started toward the town. "We can make it before they close the gates if we hurry."
A patchwork of small farms and pastures surrounded Zoss Ford, divided by waist-high wicker fences. Countless little cart paths wound between the farms, all leading to town. We figured out the shortest path to town, and headed out.
"It'll be nice to sleep in a bed again," Kahlan said.
"I just want a nice hot bath," Meike said.
We all agreed to that. Personally, I'd prefer a hot shower, but the game designers didn't think of that, or didn't believe medieval people would take showers. Either way, it forced me to take baths. We didn't get far before we noticed a difference from most of the towns.
"Is every farmer a pigman?" Elky asked.
"Looks that way," I said.
Our maps showed us roads, towns, and cities, even rivers, mountains, and forests, but it didn't name the dominant race of the population. Pigmen had their kingdoms, just as the humans, elves, drow, orcs, and minotaurs had theirs. Goblins, kobolds, and centaurs seemed to be the exceptions. Of course, the centaurs claimed whatever steppes, prairies, or plains they inhabited as theirs, but nothing organized since they were a hundred percent nomads.
Pigman farmers in the fields barely gave us a second look. I took that as a good sign. Pigmen as a rule could be rather surly, or at least their warriors tended that way.
Zoss Ford had a wooden palisade instead of stone walls. Truth be told, I'd seen larger villages, but it had a Lord Mayor's residence and City Hall indicated on our maps. The palisade of upright logs looked new, so I suspected the town's charter had recently been granted. The soldiers guarding the lone gate stood tall and proud.
Pigman soldier floated above each of their heads.
The pigmen soldiers wore open-faced iron helmets, bronze scale armor, and leather bracers. A simple gray surcoat with a coat of arms declared the lord and master they served. Most of them had pinkish piglike heads and faces, with a few tending more toward the boar spectrum. All of them had stout physiques.
"Declare yourselves," one of them shouted as we approached.
"I am Cormac mac Brocc," I declared. "A free sword."
Elky spoke up before I could introduce the women. "I am Elky, also a free sword."
"I'm a sorceress," Meike said, wagging her brows at the soldiers. "I answer to Meike, but you boys can call me anything you want."
Elky and I did double-takes on the elfmaid, who was looking the pigmen over like honey cakes. Kahlan rolled her eyes, stepped in front of the sorceress and introduced herself.
"I am Kahlan, Priestess of the Pure Heart," she said. The gate guards stopped ogling Meike and straighten their posture. Then I noticed the lust in their eyes as they all looked the brunette beauty up and down. "Is there an inn within your walls? I really need a hot bath and a real bed."
I got the impression the pigmen were all imagining her bathing. I recognized that glassy-eyed look.
"There is, your grace," the ranking soldier said. "Just follow the street straight ahead, and you'll find Miss Bartta's Place on the left."
"My thanks, milords," Kahlan said, giving a little bow of gratitude. She motioned to the rest of us. "Come, my friends. Cormac is buying the first round."
"I don't think any of them are actual lords," Meike mumbled after we passed into the town.
"Men respond better when you stroke their egos," Kahlan said.
"I don't think it's their egos they wanted you to stroke, priestess of the busy bed," Meike taunted.
She shook her head. "Who are you to speak? You went into full seduction before I spoke up."
"Hey, they taste like bacon," Meike said. "I love bacon."
Elky and Kahlan laughed. And nodded. What have they been doing? Or should I ask, who have they been doing?
"No fraternizing with the locals," I said.
"What?" Elky asked. "So you're the only one of us allowed to sleep around?"
They all stopped and stared at me with challenging scowls. Yeah, uncomfortable. I might've stammered a bit.
"What am I supposed to do while y'all are out catting around?" I asked. "You know my curse makes me crazy with needs."
Meike smirked and pointed at the building to our right. It stood two floors tall, with randy music coming out its many open windows and doors. It called to something deep and base within.
"Visit the cathouse."
Cathouse indeed. A tabby catgirl leaned out an upstairs window, trading risqué banter with a pair of drunken pigmen. She was topless. Hell, she might've been naked, but I couldn't see enough of her to tell. Another catgirl, looking like a Siamese cat, stood in the doorway biting her lip and giving me a come-hither look. Her outfit barely covered anything, and looked sexy as hell. Above the door swung a placard: Cathouse.
"Is everyone inside a catgirl?" I asked. My ladies all got mad at me. What the hell? It was their suggestion. "Why are you mad? I just asked a question. Besides, I've never been with a catgirl."
Catgirls had a reputation for being wild in bed, a little dangerous, and more than a little crazy. Who didn't want to bag a catgirl?
"Don't encourage him," Elky said. She gave me a fierce look, shaking her fist at me. "I swear, if you visit that place and seduce a catgirl of easy virtue into our family…"
"Nothing but love," I said, holding up my hands.
Thankfully, they laughed and we continued on toward the inn. The whole thing left me uncertain. Did my ladies still have urges to be with other men? Was it because I didn't satisfy them in bed? Should I have more sex with them?
I fell back, l
etting them lead the way up the street. The locals didn't so much look at me, as they stared at my beautiful women. The male pigmen all had lust in their eyes, while the females gave them wary looks. My ladies seemed oblivious to it all, lost in their happy conversations.
Zoss Ford's streets barely qualified as such. The town still bore more of a haphazard village feel. The streets twisted and turned like most towns, but they weren't particularly narrow. Indeed, the streets seemed more the space between homes and shops than defined streets. Structures lay scattered about with little rhyme or reason, so the streets went from very narrow to wide open. Hell, twice we came upon a building in the middle of the street. The second one proved to be Miss Bartta's Inn.
Standing two-stories, the ground floor had stone walls with lots of open windows. The upper floor was half-timbered, with a crew busy patching the waddle and daub on one side. The place had a thick thatch roof, smoke pouring out of both chimneys.
Pigmen, a one-legged orc, and a pair of quite old humans sat on benches to either side of the door. I didn't like the way they stared at Elky, Kahlan, and Meike, so I hurried forward to lead us into the inn.
I found a bustling, crowded common room. Most of the patrons were pigmen, drinking and socializing. A few humans, elves, and dwarven travelers could be seen. I noticed most at least glanced at us, but we didn't cause any fuss with our arrival. Then a female pigman hurried our way, drying her hands on an apron.
Pigman Innkeeper.
Miss Bartta proved a forty-something, hefty woman with a huge pair. Honestly, she didn't wear any kind of foundation or support, so their jostling mesmerized me until Meike gave me an elbow to the ribs.
"Yes! Miss Bartta, I presume," I said. She nodded, a knowing smile on her piggish face. "We need a room and board for four tonight."
She wore what I thought of as a peasant dress: white blouse, dark brown under-boob corset over that, and long light brown skirt. Most common women wore that outfit in that region. She added a white apron. But, her low cut blouse revealed her deep cleavage.
I struggled with my need to dive in nose first.
"Just one night?"
"Yes," I said, struggling to not look her in the eyes. "I'm Cormac, and my ladies are Kahlan, Meike, and Elky."
"Do you have a room with a big bed?" Meike asked. Suddenly all three of my women pressed up close and hung off me, looking up at me like love-sick puppies. At the same time, Kahlan and Elky held my arms down, probably worried I'd reach out and touch Miss Bartta and turn her into another of my ladies. "We're all very close to our lord and master."
I closed my eyes, dread rising up. "Oh god, it's going to be one of those nights, isn't it?"
They giggled. Miss Bartta smiled and shook her head. "I have just the room for you. It costs a little more, but it has the biggest bed in town."
I paid for our room and board, and received a skeleton key and directions to Room 12. I thought that odd, since all rooms were on the second floor. Yet, in some regions they considered the bottom level the ground floor, and the next level up the first floor. Didn't make sense to me, but apparently that mirrored some places in the real world.
"Baths," Meike said. "We need them."
"Right now," Kahlan said.
"And make them hot," Elky added.
Miss Bartta promised to have four hot baths drawn right away. Her children began bringing us beer and food while we waited. She had five kids, three boys and two girls. All preteens. No other servers worked there.
My ladies finished eating long before me, so moved around the room and socialized with the locals and travelers. They flirted with the men, bonded with the other women, all to gather information. The things they found out amazed me.
One table bothered me. Three grim pigmen sat three, watching me and my women with mercenary eyes. All three were mobs: Pigman mercenary, Pigman Mercenary, Pigman farmer floated above their heads.
They appeared to be locals, greeted by others often enough for me to discern a few things about them. First, they were brothers. Second, the two eldest were "retired" mercenaries, probably retired due to the severe injuries I noticed. Daccor, the eldest, had lost an eye and thumb, walked with a limp, and had mange on his shoulder. Groak stood a little shorter than his big brother, missing a few fingers and lots of teeth. I didn't notice anything missing or scarred on the youngest, Uath. All three looked like brothers, with boarish heads, brown fur, and yellowed tusks.
I couldn't get it out of my head that they were sizing us up, trying to decide if they could take us down, and if we had enough coin to make it worth their effort. Thieves and robbers all. Men like that would stab their own mother in the back for a couple coins.
"You have a problem, boys?" I demanded, rising from my seat, hand on hilt. "I have the solution."
Chapter 9
Cormac
"Cormac!" Kahlan said.
I didn't want to look away from the pigmen. No sign of weakness allowed. I put all my rage in that glare we shared. None of them carried swords, but all three reached for their belt knives. I reached for my sword as I stalked towards them.
"Our baths are ready," the healer continued, pressing up close and lowering her voice. "And this is no way to thank Miss Bartta for her hospitality."
Elky and Meike stood by with hands on hilts. They might not want me to fight the three pigmen, but they would support me in the fight. I let my anger bleed away when I noticed the pigmen looked worried.
"They better not be here when I get back," I said.
I glared at the three pigmen, who glared back just as hostilely, as the women ushered me to the back bathing room. Kahlan led me by the hand, while the elfmaid and Amazon followed and cast frequent hostile looks back at them.
"I'm sorry if they bothered you," Miss Bartta said. "Since coming back from the wars, Groak and Daccor have been nothing but trouble. They're in constant pain and angry at the world. I pray my husband doesn't return that miserable."
"Please forgive me, Miss Bartta," I said, face heating up. "The way they looked at my ladies was offensive, but I should've been more diplomatic expressing my, um, displeasure."
"You're a good man, Cormac," she said, to which my women rolled their eyes.
The bathing room proved small and cramped. Four tubs barely fit inside, and there were no windows to relieve the heat and humidity. Yet, we all quickly stripped by inventorying our clothes and eased into the tubs. Elky sighed, Meike moaned, and Kahlan groaned.
I have to say, the lukewarm bathwater sucked the anger out of me, and gave me the warm fuzzies inside. Real baths were a luxury only appreciated when they came infrequently.
"What's your problem with the three Gamorreans?" Elky asked.
That question totally confused Meike and Kahlan, and it took me a moment to realize she'd tossed a Star Wars reference my way. I barked a laugh. Pigmen weren't quite as cartoonish, but those three came as close as I'd seen to a Gamorrean. At least they weren't green.
"There's something bad about those three," I said. "I didn't like the way they looked at any of us."
"I noticed," Elky said. "Slavers always look at me the same way, like they are calculating how much they'll make selling me. So to avoid trouble, I stay away from them. Glaring back at them just causes trouble."
"Sometimes it feels good to fight."
The Amazon warrior couldn't argue that. The game wanted us to fight, and constantly tested us. Elky and I were literally designed to fight. Kahlan and Meike preferred a lot less conflict.
"You want a fight?" Kahlan asked, mischief in her eyes.
Her tub sat to my left, with Elky's on my right. Meike bathed on the other side of Kahlan, closest to the door. The tubs sat inches apart, so it almost felt like we shared one big tub. Close enough for the healer to splash water in my face. So I retaliated with a bigger wave of water.
"Give me strength!" Kahlan shouted her battle cry, and leapt into my tub. "Tickle war!"
Her delicate fingers dug into my ribs, and I ca
n't deny she got me. I squirmed and writhed under her for a long moment, before I remembered I had a set of balls. Then my fingers found her even more ticklish ribs.
"Aaaiiieee!" she squealed.
Meike and Elky laughed, while we wrestled and tickled each other mercilessly. I won. Kahlan fell back into defense, and I overwhelmed and conquered like the might tickle boss that I am. She yielded the field to me amid squeals and giggles, which ignited passion.
In a flash, I found myself on top, the beautiful brunette's feet on my shoulders, and her body open to pleasure. She stroked my rock hard erection, before guiding me in. I thrust into her.
"Uggh!"
"Oh yeah," I groaned, as she threw her arms around my neck and smothered my face with kisses. I thrust into her hard and fast, and then claimed her lips in a deep, deep kiss.
"And…there they go," Elky said, shaking her head. "I swear, that girl gets more nookie than both of us together."
"Generating mana," Meike said. "She has me wanting to join the Order of the Pure Heart."
I ignored them. It was all about Kahlan at that moment. So beautiful. So passionate and loving. I thought my heart would explode for a moment, but then the rush to climax started much too quickly. She must've sensed it, because her vagina clamped down on me and intensified my pleasure.
"Please, baby. Give it to me," Kahlan begged. "I need your seed."
I laughed. My ultimate pleasure, releasing my seed inside her, would also give her a big boost in mana. The very act of sex, including kissing, fondling, hugging, anything intimate, generated mana within the cleric healer. But two things gave her big bonuses in mana: my seed shot into her and her own orgasm.
Kahlan's head rolled back, and she dug her nails painfully into my back. Two signs she was about to come as well, so I redoubled my efforts and tried to hold my own release at bay until...
"Oooooh," she sighed, and bowed up.
My insides erupted with pleasure, and I felt my release. My breath caught as I released over and over inside her trembling body.
"My turn," Elky said.
