Bonded Spirits

by Jake Daniel

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  The first thing I did when we arrived back to the manor was give the ones who had sacrificed their lives to protect us a proper burial. Master Teng led the funeral processions ensuring that everyone could say something to commemorate the ones who’d died.

  Fapplejack couldn’t speak when given the chance. Even through his silence everyone could tell how much the ones who died meant to him.

  We spent the next couple of days focusing on rebuilding the defenses around the manor. I wasn’t about to let Striker come back and overwhelm us again, especially since my hidden manor wasn’t really all that hidden any longer.

  I woke up with both Gwen and Dahlia at my side and slid outside as was my routine the past few days. Chloe had stayed at her tavern to take care of all the guests, although we found time to spend some… quality time together each day.

  Over the past couple of days, the numbers of visitors passing through had increased. A tall man with an abnormally tall hat arrived yesterday and he was the first person I’d met as I exited the manor this morning.

  “Beautiful morning, isn’t it,” he said and took in a deep breath. “Feels like the snows will come early this year.”

  I hadn’t really thought of it too much since I’d only been in Aurilon for about a month, but he was right, there was a distinct bite in the air. “You’re right. How much snow does Aurilon usually get?”

  “Here? Not much. You go up north, however, and you’ll find yourself in drifts taller than your head when it really picks up,” He lifted his hat and revealed his bald head. He wiped his brow before setting it back down and adjusting it accordingly. “Fortunately, we’ve a couple months before we have to deal with that nonsense. I’ll probably be stopping by to recruit your help to navigate the roads to the north. I’d definitely make it worth your while.”

  “Why me? I’m sure there are plenty of others around here that are much more familiar with the area.” I paused and stopped myself from flat out turning the man down. “I’ll tell you what, if the time comes and you’re still looking for an escort to the north, come find me.”

  The man tipped his cap and smiled. “Oh, I shall.” He walked over to his carriage and a small gnome jumped out to open the door for him. “For now though, I’ve business in Ambirn. Don’t worry, the secret of your manor is safe with me.”

  I cocked my head and looked at the man curiously as he stuck his head out from inside the carriage. “Not that it’s really any of my business, but it seems like many travelers have been on their way to the capitol recently. It didn’t seem too strange at first, but you’re the fourth one in as many days. Is there something going on up there that I should know?”

  The man nodded, nearly sending his hat tumbling off his head. “Oh, haven’t you heard? The tournament of course.”

  “Tournament?”

  “Oh, by the gods, you’ve not heard of the King’s annual tournament? It’s the one time a year where humans and monsters alike come together and cheer on their favorite champions.”

  I furrowed my brow. “An annual tournament? How do they get anyone to show up?”

  “Oh, you’ll not want to miss this. The tournament is the one event you have to attend. There’s a temporary peace treaty between all races for the week of the tournament. Anyone caught breaking the treaty, human or monster, is killed or imprisoned immediately.”

  “Interesting. So how are the champions selected?”

  The man laughed as if I was asking a ridiculous question. “Selected? Ha! All you have to do is show up. There are tryouts in a couple weeks in each of the major cities. I’d suggest checking it out, it’s definitely a spectacle.”

  “I may do that. What’s the prize?”

  “Prestige. Well, that and a bit of land as determined by both human and monster leaders ahead of the tournament.” The man paused and stared thoughtfully for a few moments before continuing. “They’ve been having a hard time agreeing lately though. I’ve heard the prize is going to be the largest ever for this tournament though.”

  “I can imagine it doesn’t help that the king is sending out hunters across the country and taking monsters against their will and selling them off to the highest bidder.” I scoffed and shook my head.

  “No, you’re absolutely correct. It’s caused much discontentment across Aurilon. The King has been cautious until this point, but recently he’s become much more brazen in his contempt for monsters. If it were not the one hundredth commemoration, I’m not sure if the tournament would actually go as planned.” He shrugged. “There’s still a chance it may not, but it would be risky for both sides to not hold it as usual. All of Aurilon would probably revolt.”

  “I see. Well, thanks for the information. I may have to check it out. Safe travels, and who knows, maybe I’ll see you up there.” I bid the man farewell and headed toward the falls.

  The goblins manned the large gate that they’d finished only two days earlier to let the visitor exit. They made it of iron from a dwarven forge to the north. They agreed to send iron to the manor for some of Gwen’s wine, Dahlia’s nectar, and Chloe’s milk. I thought it was a fair trade and all three girls were eager to pitch in. They wanted to help in any way they could and after the past couple of days I knew they would give up their lives for me if I asked them to. Their loyalty was unrivaled.

  Gwen joined my side as I neared the lake and greeted me with a sleepy smile. “I figured you’d be out here already.”

  I returned her smile and kissed her lips softly. “I’m thankful every morning you come out to greet me. You look like an angel in the sunrise.”

  She gave me a small snort. “Oh, Mr. Romantic suddenly. I don’t think you were thinking about how nice I looked in the sunrise last night when you gave it to me twice.”

  I feigned a hurt look. “Me? Not romantic? Please. I’m the epitome of romantic.”

  Gwen laughed. “Don’t worry. I’m sure the more time you spend with Dahlia, she’ll teach you some manners,” she trailed off and a small smirk rose to her lips. “Just, save that good boy stuff for her, okay?”

  I grabbed a handful of her ass and gave it a squeeze. “We’ll see.”

  She pushed back into my hand and let out a small moan before I released my grip. We walked to the lake together and she stripped off her shirt as she entered the water. I stared at her for several long seconds as she dipped into the lake.

  She looked like a goddess as she let her hair fall down over her shoulders. Her sisters followed shortly after and I knew that was my cue to continue with what I needed to get done. Her sisters had become increasingly handsy the past couple of days. I wasn’t ready for any more bonded just yet though.

  I continued around the shore of the lake and started up the roughed-in stairs leading up the side of the waterfall to the new temple. I stopped as I reached the top and admired the area below.

  The manor stood proudly, all signs of fire damage were gone and the extension that was started before Striker arrived was now nearly complete. Chloe’s tavern was twice as large as it was originally, and she definitely had her hands full. Gwen’s sisters spent most of their days helping Chloe and tending to the constant stream of visitors.

  A nice benefit of allowing the visitors to stop in was the money they’ll spend. Chloe could be very convincing, and it wouldn’t usually be long before one drink turned into five. I used all the profits to improve the buildings and provide for everyone who called Monster Girl Manor home.

  A small group of kobolds showed up and agreed to build what they called a treasure room in the cellar. The kobolds were unusually adept at digging underground, so I let them knock themselves out. They had a room nearly the size of the armory completed in one afternoon.

  I agreed to let the Kobolds stay for as long as they wished. Their only request was to have a small parcel of land to dig in. I gave them an area a short walk from the manor and they got busy right away. I hadn’t explored the inside yet as they had wanted me to, but I knew fro
m the amount of dirt they had hauled out of the ground so far, it had to be impressive.

  Several goblins milled about at their newest project, a smithy, toward the back of the tavern as the sun rose higher. Even though the top of the waterfall wasn’t nearly the same altitude as a plane, the goblins looked as small as ants from where I stood.

  I walked along the river bank at the top of the falls and stopped as I reached the temple which sat over the rushing water. I wanted it modeled after my favorite home created by Frank Lloyd Wright, Falling Water, and it came out pretty damn close. Trying to explain the concept to the goblin builders was easier said than done, but by the time they finished it blew me away.

  Master Teng greeted me as I approached. “Good morning, Logan. Great day for a little cultivation.”

  I smiled and nodded. “Yes, sir.” I paused and let out a long breath. “Master Teng, can I ask you a question?”

  Teng straightened and nodded. “Of course.”

  I looked out over the waterfall to the manor below. “Do you think Striker really killed my mother?”

  Teng remained silent for several seconds before replying. “I suppose it is not out of the realm of possibilities. Otherworlders, while rare, have been known to visit Aurilon from time to time. What was her name?”

  “Liliana.” The centaur’s face didn’t give away any sign of recognition as I met his eyes.

  Teng nodded and walked over to the rail of the temple overlooking the manor. “The name does sound familiar. It is possible that Striker could’ve had a run-in with your mother at some point.”

  I kept my eyes focused on Teng. “He said he was the one that gave me my scar. I thought with the way it has been glowing that there is much more to my scar than I realized.”

  Teng laughed lightly. “There’s no way that Striker gave you your scar. That scar could only be given to you through great sacrifice. Something I don’t believe Striker is capable of.” He paused and rubbed his chin. “I have a feeling that the truth will reveal itself in due time.”

  I swore I saw an expression of hurt cross Teng’s face, but if I had, it was fleeting. “Anyway, I’m ready to get started. If Striker did somehow survive, I want to be ready for him.” I gripped the railing and squeezed down firmly, digging my nails into the hardwood.

  I paused and pressed on my temple, bringing up my current skills. I quickly reviewed them and tried to decide.

  Current Skills

  Sight–Rank 5: Grand Master

  Nature Manipulation–Rank 2: Practitioner

  Endurance–Rank 4: Master

  Tracking–Rank 3: Specialist

  Aim-Rank 3: Specialist

  Hunting-Rank 3: Specialist

  Intercourse-Rank 4: Master

  Resiliency-Rank 3: Specialist

  Constitution-Rank 3: Specialist

  Luck-Rank 2: Practitioner

  Charisma-Rank 5: Grand Master

  Intelligence-Rank 3: Specialist

  Charge-Rank 2: Practitioner

  I took several breaths to calm myself and clear away the thoughts of Striker from my mind. I chuckled as I reached the skill I’d learned when I’d bonded with Chloe. Charge. In addition, I discovered I’d now had a slight aversion to cloth waving in the wind. I nearly took out Wofferd the other day when he exited the manor wearing his large robe. The wind caught it and sent the ends fluttering in the breeze. Before I’d even known what happened I’d gone twenty feet in the blink of an eye. I caught myself mere inches from slamming into the rotund man’s protruded gut. I could see how that skill would be useful in battle if I were to need it, maybe not so much, around the manor.

  I glanced back up to Master Teng. “Let’s go with Charge. I suppose I’m going to need to practice some of my offensive skills if I want to have any chance of winning the tournament.”

  The centaur smiled and nodded. “We’d better get started then.”

  The End of Book One

  Dahlia Artwork

  Before You Go

  Thank you so much for reading Bonded Spirits: Book one!

  I’ve had so much fun writing this story, and want to keep going, but I need your help!

  If you enjoyed your journey, PLEASE leave a review for me on Amazon!

  Reviews are so important to independent authors like me. The more reviews I get, the better chance someone will pick up my book, and for the Amazon algorithms to show it to other awesome readers like you!

  Even if it’s just a few words, just go there and quickly tell others what you thought!

  Click to review and keep the monster girls happy!

  Preorder Book 2 - Already Up!

  If everything has updated correctly, Book Two of Bonded Spirits should be up for preorder now! (The cover for book 2 is my favorite of the series, wolf-girl FTW!)

  Here is the link for the Bonded Spirits Series Page!

  Author’s Note

  I’ve been fortunate enough to chase my lifelong dream of becoming a published author. I know that I couldn’t have done it without the help from some amazing authors and friends along the way.

  A few years ago I came across an amazing book by Randi Darren called Wild Wastes, which completely opened my eyes to what I’d been missing out on. An amazing adrenaline-fueled, action-packed, adventure novel with a badass MC and badass women by his side.

  I was hooked and immediately fell in love with the genre. So much so, that I finally began writing my own harem story (Bonded Spirits) and had more fun writing it than anything I’d ever written before. I truly hope you enjoyed this book, and continue to enjoy the books to come in this series.

  A special shoutout to the authors who have helped me along the way, knowingly and unknowingly: Hondo Jinx, Aaron Crash, Cebelius, Austin Beck, Brandon Varnell, William Arand, Daniel Schinhofen, Mike Truk, Michael Scott-Earle, Marcus Sloss, Bruce Sentar, Atlas Kane, David Burke, Jack Porter, Chase Daniel, Neil Bimbeau, Dante King, Angel Ramon, Brent Tynan, and many, many others.

  Thank you again!

  Jake

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