Chapter Thirteen
When we got close to the location where the highwaymen had burst out of the bushes, we tied up the horses and mule so we could continue on foot for the rest of the way. I grabbed my shield from the strap on Goliath’s rump and loosened my feather sword in its sheath, and then I led my two women on an asshole hunt.
I snuck through the bushes with Elissa and Mahini right behind me, but we came across some human footprints after only a few paces through the vegetation. The prints looked like they were made by a good-sized pair of heavy boots, if the deep indentations into the dirt were any indication. I made a mental note to learn more tracking skills, and then I followed the trail until I heard the faint sounds of breathing.
A low random cough echoed through the underbrush, so I held my finger against my lips in the universal gesture for silence, and I withdrew my feather sword as silently as I could.
There were eight men huddled together on the side of the road, hidden in the underbrush and camouflaged by their fur armor. They had shaggy beards and dreadlocked hair, and they looked like they didn’t know the meaning of the word clean. Their stench alone should have been enough to find them, but they didn’t seem to care about hiding their tracks anyway.
I made a bow gesture to Mahini, and she nodded her head silently as she unhooked the weapon from her shoulder. Next, I beckoned for Elissa to follow me, and I tiptoed through the underbrush in a squat until I was right behind the bandits.
Then I nodded to my red-haired wife, and the two of us burst out from the undergrowth toward the highwaymen.
“Die, motherfuckers!” Elissa yelled as she swung her mace up over her head and swirled it around in a circle.
Fuck, she was sexy.
I shook my head to dispel my naughty thoughts, and I refocused on the surprised bandits who had turned to face the ambush attack.
Their heads swiveled from me to Elissa and back, and then the eight men charged toward my bride.
Big mistake.
I was by her side in an instant, and I covered her precious body with my shield before a sword swung at her midsection.
Elissa brought her mace down from above her head and straight onto the bandit on the other side of my shield. His head banged against the shield as he crumpled beneath the blow, but then another asshole stepped up into his place.
An arrow zipped through the sky and buried itself into the guy’s eye, though, and he fell before he came within reach of my blade.
“Thanks, my love!” I shot Mahini a grateful smile over my shoulder, and then I spun around to bash my shield into a third bandit.
They were less surprised and more angry at this point, but I was undeterred. I laughed as I blocked a blow with my shield, and I tossed my dagger at a bandit who tried to get behind me before I thrust my feather sword deep into another’s gut. Blood covered my blade as I turned around to check on the dagger dude, but I frowned when I saw he was still standing.
The man struck by my dagger faltered but continued to come at me, but a moment later he was covered in arrows, and his body fell limp at my feet just as I raised my sword up to parry his.
“Got ya!” Elissa squealed with delight as she swung her mace at the man I’d bashed with my shield. Her weapon crashed into his shoulder, and he dropped his sword as he cried out in pain.
“Good job!” I congratulated before I turned and threw another dagger at one of the stragglers left alive.
Elissa managed to kill another bandit all on her own, and I finished off the last one with a swift pull of my blade across his throat.
“Is that the last of them?” Mahini panted as she trotted over to where we stood surveying the damage.
“I think so,” I said, but then I heard a moan, so I frowned and turned to find the source of the sound.
It was dagger dude, except now he resembled more of a pin cushion with how many arrows protruded from his back. He was still alive, though, so I rolled him over to finish him off.
“You… dumb… sack… of shit,” the bandit coughed as blood sputtered from his lips. “The others… are on their… way back.”
“What others?” I asked as I grabbed the front of his armor in my fist and heaved him up.
“The rest of the crew,” the bandit laughed, and blood sprayed over my face.
I dropped him in disgust, and I quickly slid the blade of my dagger across his throat to put him out of his misery.
There were more bandits in the area, and they were headed this way.
“This is going to be awesome.” I grinned as an idea began to form in my head. Ambushing bandits was more fun than I’d expected it to be.
I stripped the fallen highwaymen of their valuables while I waited for the other bandits to join their dead friends, and I bundled up all their weapons to sell or smelt later. All of their swords had been about average quality, but between Jaxtom and me, we could make something awesome with the metal.
Then we hid in the bushes to wait, but it didn’t take very long. A few minutes later, three men stepped into the small gap between the trees. They wore similar armor as their fallen comrades, but one of them had a shield strapped to his back.
“What the hell happened here?” a gruff voice asked from the small clearing where I’d left the dead bandits.
That was our signal to attack, so I nodded to Mahini, and she notched an arrow to her bow. Then I jerked my chin to Elissa, and the two of us crept forward to the edge of the vegetation.
“Hi, honey, we’re home,” I quipped as I dashed forward and plunged my blade into the spine of a bandit who stood with his back to me.
An arrow shot through the brush and struck one of the bandits in the neck in the same instant, and he groaned as he grappled at the protrusion jutting out from his throat.
I thrust my sword into his heart to end his suffering and then turned to the last highwayman.
“Were you expecting company?” Elissa giggled as she leapt forward and swung her mace at the final bandit.
I guess he wasn’t expecting a tiny, red-haired, mace-wielding beauty to appear out of nowhere because the highwayman’s eyes shot open in surprise, and he hurriedly reached for his shield, but it was too late.
Elissa’s mace crashed into his head with a sickening thud, and the bones in his face rearranged as he fell. His half-crumpled head began to bleed out onto the bed of leaves, and my wife wrinkled her nose in disgust.
“They are certainly messy,” she observed, and she flicked her mace to remove some of the highwayman’s hair that remained stuck to the tip.
“Flawless victory!” I laughed, swept her up into my arms, and swung her around. “You were amazing!”
Then Mahini appeared by my side as if by magic, and I opened my arms to include her in the embrace. Both women snuggled up to each other within the safety of the hug, and they each laid their heads onto my chest with contented sighs.
“You’re amazing, Bash,” Elissa murmured in a loving tone. “That was so much fun! I never would have done something like that before I met you.”
“Me, either.” Mahini looked up at me with her piercing blue eyes full of love. “I would have defended myself if they attacked, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to eliminate them. It is a smart move. The land is safer because of you, Great One.”
“Because of us,” I corrected with a grin, and then I released them from my arms. “Let’s gather the rest of the weapons and armor and see what else we can find.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Elissa chirped, and she hopped over to the first body like she was hunting easter eggs.
Mahini shook her head in awe at the redheaded beauty’s childlike energy, but she followed after her with a sway of her hips.
I could let them walk ahead of me all day long, but we had work to do, so I took another long look at my women’s perfect asses, and then I followed after them to scavenge the bodies.
We found a small sack full of jewelry, coins, and other valuables inside one of the highwaymen’s packs, and I added it to my collection of treasure. They’d likely robbed a nearby village, so if I came across the original owners of the items, I was sure they’d be happy to have their possessions returned.
After we’d strapped all the weapons to Warrior’s back, we decided to get the armor, too, and by the time we had everything we wanted to take packed up, several hours had passed since we’d left Lake Balerno. We were losing precious daylight, but the horses were so burdened that we’d have to walk.
That was okay. Anything for loot.
Star was the only steed without extra weight on her, so the two women took turns riding the pretty mare while I held the reins of Goliath and Warrior.
We reached a small village at dusk, and it didn’t look like there were more than five people living there. The villagers peered out their windows with worried eyes, and I noticed their gazes lingered on the scavenged weapons and armor strapped to the horse and mule.
“I am Sebastian, the God of Time,” I announced in a loud voice. “I have come to return your stolen valuables. The highwaymen have been defeated, and what was once yours has returned.”
As I spoke, I pulled the bag of stolen treasures out of a saddle bag and removed a few pieces to show the watching villagers. Then several doors opened along the small, quaint street, and a moment later, I was flooded with people asking questions.
“You killed them?”
“My grandmother’s necklace, did you find it?”
“Are you the Great One we have heard of?”
“Was it you who saved Lake Balerno?”
“How many were there?”
“There’s only three of you, how did you manage to survive?”
“I’ll answer all of your questions in time,” I said in a loud voice. “We require lodging for the night, and a place to keep our horses.”
“Your horses can pasture with my cow for the night,” a kind voice said from below my eye level.
I glanced down and looked into the pretty hazel eyes of a young girl.
“Are you sure your parents will be okay with that?” I asked with a frown.
“They died fighting the bandits,” the girl whispered as she lowered her head. Her auburn hair swept down to hide her face, so I put my hand beneath her chin and lifted her eyes to meet mine.
“They were very brave,” I informed her in a solemn tone. “May they rest in peace.”
“Thank you, Great One,” the young girl replied. Then she nodded her chin toward our horses. “Here, let me take them to the pasture for you.”
“That’s very kind.” I smiled and handed over the reins.
Elissa slid off Star’s back and copied my motion, but she flashed the young girl a dazzling smile.
“You’re very pretty,” my wife informed the little girl. “What’s your name?”
“Annabelle,” the young girl said, and her cheeks flushed hot pink before she took the reins for all three horses and led them away from the small crowd of people.
“I’m going to help her,” Mahini cleared her throat as she moved to follow along behind Annabelle. “I’ll catch up to you later.”
“Be safe,” I called after her.
The rest of the villagers led us to a small house that belonged to an older woman. She had an extra bed for the three of us to sleep in, which wasn’t much, but it was the best accommodations the small village could muster up, so we were grateful.
The elder woman was so old, she was practically blind and deaf, but she smiled wide when I shook her hand.
“A pleasure to host the Great One,” she said to my left shoulder. “I am Krida.”
“A pleasure to be in the presence of such a pretty lady,” I said in a flirty voice.
Krida giggled like a young girl, and color rose in her pale cheeks.
Mahini joined us a short while later, and the three of us sat around Krida’s hearth and sipped on tea. Then we curled up into the small bed and cuddled up tight. We had a long day of travel ahead of us, but the adventure was coming close to an end.
We’d reach the duke’s castle by the end of the next day.
I woke up to see Krida’s white glazed eyes inches above mine, but she scrambled back as soon as I began to sit up.
“Forgive me, Great One,” the old lady murmured. “I just wanted to gaze upon the face of a god before I die.”
“Erm, that’s okay,” I replied as I ran my hands through my hair.
Mahini yawned and stretched out next to me, and Elissa mumbled something in her sleep.
“Good morning, Great One,” the desert goddess said in a seductive voice, but then she caught sight of Krida crouched near the foot of the bed, and her piercing blue eyes turned to a glare. “Excuse me, Madam Krida, but please keep your distance from the Great One. He is powerful.”
“Yes, yes, of course,” Krida rasped, and she shot me an apologetic but awe filled look before she left us alone again.
Being a god was weird sometimes.
“We should probably get dressed and get on the road quickly,” I suggested with a wry smile. “If we spend too much time here, they’ll have us move in.”
“The people of this land have been craving a caring god,” Mahini explained. “Times have been hard on all of us.”
“Well, I’m here to fix it now,” I declared in a confident tone, and her blue eyes lit up with love.
“Give me a baby, Bash,” Elissa suddenly muttered. “Yesss… pour your seed deep into me. Into… my womb… ohhh… yesss…”
“Uhhh?” I whipped my head down to stare at her, her eyes were still closed.
Mahini and I both laughed, and the red-haired beauty’s shiny green emerald eyes popped open to glare at us.
“Is it morning already?” she moaned as she blinked in the light of the sun.
“I’m afraid so,” I chuckled as I tweaked her nose. “You missed the Krida alarm clock.”
“What does that mean?” Elissa wrinkled her adorable nose with confusion.
“The old lady who owns this house was on the bed when we woke up,” Mahini explained, and her shoulders shook with a silent laugh. “I think I put the fear of Bash into her, though, so it won’t happen again.”
“Soon, we will be sleeping in style at the duke’s castle,” I said with a flourish of my hands. “Befitting such lovely ladies as yourselves.”
Elissa giggled. “I’ve never slept in a castle before.”
“Nor have I,” Mahini added.
“That makes three of us.” I grinned and squeezed them both against me in a tight hug. “Fuck, I love you two. You ready to take on the rest of the world with me?”
“Always,” Elissa breathed with hearts in her emerald eyes.
“Forever.” Mahini’s blue eyes were full of fierce loyalty, and I knew she meant her promise with all of her heart.
We got dressed, said farewell to Krida, and headed back out into the small village. Mahini led us to the pasture where the horses and mule grazed beside a fat, brown cow, and a moment later Annabelle appeared by our sides.
“They hardly made a sound all night.” The young girl had deep bags beneath her eyes that told me she hadn’t slept yet.
“You did a fine job,” I complimented the young lady, and then I handed her three gold coins. “One for each animal.”
“Thank you, Great One,” Annabelle gasped, and her hazel eyes grew as large as the coins themselves. “I’ve never seen so much money before in my whole life!”
“You have earned it.” I said, and then I ruffled her auburn hair. “Keep an eye on old Krida, I think she’s going senile.”
“She lost her son recently,” Annabelle said in a solemn voice that didn’t fit right in the youthful body of the little girl. “I promise to look after her, Great One.”
We waved her off, and I helped the two ladies saddle their mounts. Then I decided to leave half the armor for the villagers and put all the weapons onto Warrior’s back. This way, Mahini and I could ride double on Goliath while Elissa rode Star.
My temperature began to rise at the thought of Mahini’s pert ass pressed against my crotch, but it was even better than I’d imagined. Once we were astride the horse’s back, the desert goddess leaned back against me and rested her head on my shoulder.
I wrapped my arms around her waist, and I held the reins in one hand while I explored her body with the other. Her ass was pressed up against my hardening bulge, and each movement of the horse’s legs caused us to rub together.
“This is nice,” Mahini murmured with her eyes half closed after we’d been traveling for a while. “We should ride like this more often.”
“I agree,” I whispered into her ear before I nibbled on her lobe.
Goliath huffed and tossed his head like he disapproved of our shenanigans, and we both laughed.
“Easy there, buddy,” I told the horse, and I scanned the road ahead to see what may have alerted my steed.
The road curled through a stand of evergreen trees at the crest of a hill, but the structures of another village were visible between the foliage. The small town laid at the bottom of a small hill, and it was bordered by a quiet stream. It seemed peaceful enough, and outside the village was probably a good place to stargaze.
The sun was still high in the sky, though, so I didn’t plan on stopping since I knew we could reach the duke’s castle by nightfall if we kept riding.
Then I heard it.
“Great One! Great One!” people chanted as they stood on either side of the street and pumped their fists up into the air.
I rode through the gauntlet of well-wishers like a champion returning home after a victorious battle. My shoulders were back, and my chin was lifted with pride.
Mahini glanced back at me over her shoulder, and her blue eyes were full of awe.
“They knew we were coming?” she asked as she turned to scan the crowd.
“Word travels,” I explained with a shrug, and then I lifted my hand to do a regal wave at the people as we passed by.
All the cheering was going straight to my head, but I was a god after all, so I’d have to get used to this kind of welcome wherever I went. I was up for the challenge, and I was ready to soak in all the adoration bestowed upon me.
“Thank you, my people,” I called out as we reached the edge of the village. “I shall return soon!”
“He spoke to us!” a woman shrieked as she jumped up and down.
The way they fawned over me reminded me of Bieber Fever back in my old world, and I had to laugh to myself at the thought.
We rode out of sight of the town as their cheers still echoed behind us. Then we traveled the rest of the way to the duke’s castle at a brisk pace, and by the time the sun slid toward the western horizon, the steep white walls came into view.
“Woah!” I inhaled sharply as I took in the grand magnificence of the castle itself.
It was like the biggest luxury hotel I’d ever seen, but medieval. It had multiple towers, and turrets along the walls, and everything was lit up like a Christmas tree. The road widened and led up to the drawbridge, and the huge wooden plank was close to fifty feet long and twenty feet wide and was big enough for us to all ride abreast as we crossed over into the castle city.
People were everywhere in colorful dresses and velvet jackets. Some wore curly white wigs, like the founding presidents in my old world, and others wore tri-cornered hats. It was loud and bustling with activity as vendors shouted their wares and children darted about underfoot, and I didn’t know where to look first.
We made our way up the street gawking at everything there was to see, and all three sets of our eyes were open wide with awe.
I started to look for the sign for a stable, and I spotted one for sleeping rooms in the process. Once the horses were boarded, we took all of our belongings to the inn I’d seen, and I paid for a room for one night.
I’d confront the duke the next morning, but I wanted to explore the city first.
I made a new save point before the three of us dipped out of the inn and once again navigated the busy streets of Bullard.
I saw a butcher, a baker, and a candlestick maker, and I snorted with delight as the old nursery rhyme came to life in front of me. Then I decided I’d master all the trades I could in a single night, and I’d amaze Mahini and Elissa with my prowess. Castle Bullard was too densely populated for me to do my normal trick where I knew everyone’s names and solved all their problems, so I would just have to impress people with my endless talents.
I also wanted to find a blacksmith, or someone else to buy the rest of the highwaymen’s armor and weapons off me. Then I remembered magic, and excitement shot through my blood.
I had a wand and a staff that I wanted to get appraised by an expert, and I wanted to learn how to enchant armor with the griffon feathers.
So much to do. Luckily, I had all the time in the world.
We headed to the butcher shop first, and I greeted the man in the thick leather apron with a friendly smile.
“Hello, my name is Sebastian, and I’d like to learn a thing or two about your trade.” I indicated the large slab of meat that rested on the work table. “What are you working on?”
“I’m just finishing up a pig for an order,” the man replied. He wiped his hands clean on his apron and then stuck one out for me to shake. “I’m Kris, pleasure to meet you.”
Kris showed me the pig he was butchering and taught me a few of the basics. Then we went on to his next order, a big hunk of venison that needed to be made into jerky, and finally, we butchered some rabbits.
I spent the rest of the evening learning everything I could from Kris, and he seemed eager to pass on his knowledge and techniques. I guess there weren’t very many young men who wanted to apprentice at a butcher shop around.
Then I reset to the inn and trotted back toward the butcher shop for a second time.
“Good day, Kris,” I greeted the owner of the shop with the familiarity of someone who’d spent an entire evening with the man, which I had, but he didn’t remember me at all.
“Do I know you?” Kris scrutinized me with narrowed eyes.
“I know most things, Kris, it’s not your fault.” I grinned and clapped the butcher on the shoulder. “I wanted to help you with your orders. Mrs. Marin’s pig is first, right?”
“Y-Yes, it is, why, you must be a wizard or something, right?” Kris’ gaze landed on the two beautiful women by my sides, and he shook his head in awe. “What kind of man are you?”
“Not a man at all,” I explained. Then I crossed my arms over my chest and lifted my chin. “I am Sebastian, the God of Time, but you can call me Bash.”
“Oh, o-of course, B-Bash,” Kris stammered as he bowed low before me like I was a king.
“Have no fear, my friend,” I said in a reassuring tone. “I merely wanted to show my ladies my butchering skills before we went shopping. Care to oblige me?”
“My store and my meat are at your disposal, Bash.” Kris wrung his hands together in an anxious manner. “Whatever you wish of me.”
I shook my head in wonder at his complete change of behavior in my second attempt, since now he seemed prone to fear and submission.
A sheep posing as a butcher.
We proceeded to work on all the animals Kris had to butcher that day, and I made record time as I slung my blade through the meat. Mahini watched attentively, but Elissa seemed less than enthralled by the shop. I guess cutting up raw meat wasn’t her favorite pastime, which was understandable, but she gazed longingly toward a pottery shop down the street, so I tucked away the knowledge for later.
Mahini, on the other hand, seemed interested in the conversation between the butcher and I, and she listened silently. The desert goddess nodded every once in a while to show her agreement, but she let me take the lead on most things. Her stoic demeanor would easily crack when we were alone, though, so I wasn’t concerned by her more reserved nature around strangers.
I chimed one more time to really finesse my techniques, and Kris was amazed at my skills as a butcher. We cut through his list of orders in under an hour, and Mahini and Elissa were both wide-eyed at my speed.
“You move so fast,” Elissa observed as she watched my flicking blade dart between chunks of meat. “How did you learn to do this?”
“I’ve never done it before.” I shrugged and gave her a wry smile over my shoulder.
“Incredible.” Mahini’s mouth fell open, and she crossed her arms as her piercing blue eyes appraised me. “Really?”
“It’s true,” I laughed. “Have either one of you ever seen me cut up a dead animal before? I’ve spent most of my time in this world with you two.”
“No, I have not.” Mahini frowned as she tried to remember me showing any indication of the skill before. “I’ve always cleaned my own kills, but I hunt small game like rabbits.”
“There’s a few rabbits back there,” I informed her.
“How did you know that?” Kris demanded in a shocked voice, and he’d paused his work to stare at me with an incredulous expression. “I hadn’t said a word about them out loud, but I had just thought we were almost ready to start them.”
“Maybe I read your mind,” I suggested in a vague tone. “Or maybe I simply know all things.”
“I still cannot believe you have chosen me to bond with,” Mahini murmured as her piercing blue eyes latched onto mine and filled with desire. “I… you have honored me so much, Great One.”
“You still amaze me every single day, my love,” I assured her.
“We have beaten my personal best record,” Kris laughed with pure ecstasy on his face when we were finished. “It is still light out, and I can go home to my family. Thank you, Great One!”
“Please, call me Bash,” I insisted with a grin as my hand was vigorously shaken.
We all washed our hands in the big buckets of water used for this very purpose, and then we continued on into the town. I’d spent a little over an hour at the butcher shop, and I didn’t want to lose out on precious learning time while there were so many more skills I could have learned in the same amount of time.
So, I reset back to the inn, but this time we headed to a different business to learn the trade. I visited the baker, where I learned how to make apple pies, blueberry tarts, and lemon squares. Then I went to the candlestick maker, but my first attempt at making candles was a major fail because I kept laughing over the nursery rhyme while I dipped the string into the vats of wax.
By the third attempt, I was over the joke and ready to move on, so I mastered the art of making candles after twenty or so lessons, and then I reset back to the inn again.
As we were walking up the crowded street, I tried to decide what I wanted to do next. There was a sword maker, an enchanter, and the pottery shop Elissa kept eyeballing.
I chuckled to myself at how obvious my choice would be, and I aimed our little trio toward the ceramics master.
“Yay!” Elissa squealed when she realized where we were headed. “I was hoping we could learn how to make pottery!”
“I saw you looking, remember, I see everything.” I took her hand into mine and squeezed it. Then I turned and caught Mahini’s eyes. “Don’t worry, that sword master you saw is our next stop.”
“You noticed that, huh?” Mahini’s blue eyes fluttered, and she tucked her jet-black hair behind her ear in a self-conscious gesture I’d come to love. Her cheeks were rosy with a blush, and it brought out the warmth of her tanned skin.
She was beautiful, and I watched her every movement with rapt fascination half the time, so of course I’d noticed her gaze flicking toward the master swordsman’s advertisement.
“I don’t miss details.” I smirked. “Not when it comes to the women I love.”
“Aww,” Elissa swooned and gave me heart eyes.
The woman who owned the pottery shop had dirty blonde hair pulled to the side in a frayed knot, and she introduced herself in a gruff voice.
“I’m Trace,” she explained as she shook my hand. “I teach the workshops here, and I make the pieces for sale in the shop.”
“My wife wants to make us some cups for our new house,” I explained as I gestured to the tiny red-haired beauty at my side.
“Wonderful, please follow me,” Trace said, and she turned without any further ado and marched into a back room of her workshop where bins full of wet clay sat in dark corners.
A large wheel sat in the center of the room, and a little stool was situated beside the floor pedal. The wheel looked ancient, like it was made out of some prehistoric rock, and I imagined it must have taken ten strong men to place it there.
We spent the next hour learning how to make pottery, and Elissa enjoyed every second of it. We were covered in an ashy white powder at the end, though, so we ran back to the inn to change before going to the swordsman. Our finished cups would be ready to be picked up in a few days, but they had to be baked in the kiln for a while first.
Then the three of us headed to the swordsman’s shop, I made a new save point, and we cruised through his shelves of blades for a moment before I headed to the counter.
“Hello, I’m Sebastian,” I greeted the man who sat cross legged on the floor in the middle of the room.
“Greetings. I am Shanu.” The man wore white robes wrapped with a multicolored rope, and he had long black hair braided from the nape of his neck. His eyebrows were bushy and dark, but his beard had speckles of gray in it, which showed his age.
We spent the next hour learning sword fighting techniques from Shanu, and I only had to reset three times before I was able to impress him. Mahini even learned some things, but Elissa probably benefited the most. Shanu corrected her attacks with the mace in ways Mahini and I couldn’t, but I memorized his instructions and then reset and gave them to Elissa myself.
“I didn’t realize you knew so much about the mace,” Shanu mused as he stroked his salt and pepper beard. “It is one of the weapons I am least practiced in.”
“You’ll pick it up fast, young one,” I said in a teasing tone.
“Perhaps someday you would spar with me to show me some more of your techniques,” the sword master requested in an earnest voice.
I nodded vaguely, but inside I was grinning from ear to ear.
It was good to be a god.
I made a new save point as we exited the sword master’s shop, and then we headed for the long-awaited destination.
The enchanter’s business.
I wanted to learn how to use my griffon feathers without the enchanter remembering that I had them, though. The last thing I needed was for the thieves of the Castle Bullard to hear I held a powerful magical item on me at all times.
“Why don’t you two head back to the inn while I visit the enchanter?” I suggested to Mahini and Elissa.
Elissa yawned in response, and a blush darkened the freckles on her face.
“I think that’s a good idea, Great One,” Mahini replied with a curt nod. “We have had a long day of learning new skills.”
“It’s been a great day,” Elissa sighed. “We are so lucky to be your women.”
“I’m lucky to have you both in my life. I’ll meet you back at the inn soon.” I kissed the two of them goodbye, and we parted ways.
I would reset to before I said anything, anyway, but I loved kissing them. Then I headed toward the enchanter’s sign.
I knocked on the side of the open door before I entered, and a gruff voice responded.
“Come on in, enchanted gear and jewelry awaits you,” the voice said.
I blinked in the dim light until my eyes refocused, and then I saw the old man in the cloak who sat on an armchair in the corner. A fire crackled in the fireplace beside him, and the flames cast his face into shadows.
“I’m Sebastian, and I need your assistance,” I began. “I acquired some griffon feathers, and I’d like to use them to enchant some of my gear.”
“Oh, my goodness, well, let me take a look at them,” the enchanter said as he leapt from his chair and hurried closer.
“First, you have to agree to teach me,” I insisted as I took a step backward. I wondered how hard it would be to kill the old man, but I didn’t know what magic he knew yet.
“Yes, of course, anything you wish,” the old man hurriedly agreed. “I’ve never held a real griffon feather before.”
I reached into my pack and pulled out one of the griffon feathers. Then I touched the tip of it to bring up the stat box to remind myself of its abilities.
Magical Item : Griffon Feather
Weight : .01lbs
Durability : 100%
Magical Aspect : Fleetness, Agility, Strength
Weakness : Can only choose one aspect
“What does it do?” the enchanter asked as he eyed the feather clutched in my hand with awe filled eyes.
“You don’t know?” I countered with an arched eyebrow. How rare were these feathers?
“I’ve never had the chance to experiment with one,” the enchanter said in a rueful voice. “Enchanting is such an experimental process, sometimes you must use a lot of material to find the right enhancements.”
“Well, given the characteristics of the feathers, I figured I had a few options anyway,” I explained to the enchanter as I handed him my hard-earned prize with mounting trepidation. Then I subtly placed my hand near my sword as I watched what he would do next.
“It’s beautiful!” The enchanter’s silvery eyes lit up as he inspected the crimson tipped feather. “A powerful artifact. This will do nicely, yes…”
He turned and moved over to the workbench taking up most of the space in the small shop. He placed the feather into a bowl, and then he grabbed a pestle and began to grind it up.
My heart pounded inside my chest as I watched the feather breaking down into a red and white powder, but I reminded myself I could reset if this ended badly.
Then the enchanter poured in a sparkling liquid and mixed it together with a wooden spoon.
“What do you wish to enchant?” he asked as he turned to me with the mixture in his hands.
“I was thinking about my boots,” I answered with furrowed eyebrows as I inspected the contents of the bowl. It shimmered a light pink color now, and I wondered if the essence would stay on my boots or if it would fade away.
“Boots are a good choice,” the enchanter said.
So, I removed my leather boots and placed them on the workbench, and then I watched as the enchanter poured the mixture over every single stitch on my footwear.
It seemed easy enough, and it didn’t take him very long, but when he handed the boots back to me, they felt light as a feather. I touched them with my pointer finger experimentally, but I wasn’t sure what to expect.
A stat box popped up.
Magical Item: Griffon Feather Boots
Weight : .01lbs
Durability : 100%
Magical Aspect : Fleetness
Weakness : -1% Durability with each use of fleetness
It seemed choosing the boots automatically selected the Fleetness ability, so I wondered what other items would draw out the Strength and Agility characteristics. I wasn’t quite sure what the weakness stat meant, but I had a feeling it had something to do with an extra speed boost now included in the boots.
Now that I knew how to enchant, though, it was time to reset and figure out a way to do it without the enchanter knowing about the griffon feathers’ existence, so I went back to my save point and said goodbye to the girls again.
Then I knocked on the side of the open door, and I cleared my throat.
“I’ll give you a gold piece if you let me use your shop for a bit,” I said to the old man who sat in the armchair next to the fireplace.
“What evil things are you trying to create in my shop?” His voice wavered with fear, and I realized I’d have to explain a little better than that.
Chime.
“I’m working on a secret project for the duke,” I lied this time around. “I’ll give you a gold piece to let me use your shop in private for half an hour.”
“Very well,” the old man said as he staggered to his feet. “I do not want to displease the duke.”
He took the gold piece and left, so I got straight to work. I repeated the motions the enchanter had made with the griffon feather, but the mixture I got was darker than the one he’d made.
Chime.
I repeated my threatening request, and the enchanter took his money and left, but during this attempt my mixture looked exactly like the old man’s had, so I moved on to pouring it over the seams of my boots. When I was finished, I checked the stats, and they were exactly the same as they had been when the enchanter had performed the task.
I waited for him in the doorway to thank him, and by the time the enchanter showed back up, the sun had set. I gave him another gold piece out of generosity and then shook his hand.
“Give Kane my greetings,” the enchanter said as I turned to leave.
“Kane?” I asked.
“The court wizard?” The old man tilted his head to the side like I should know this. “I assumed he sent you. He’s always bossing me around.”
I nearly jumped with joy.
“Where can I find Kane?” I asked as my heart thumped heavily inside my chest.
“In the western tower of the castle,” the enchanter explained with a puzzled look.
Chime.
I made my request again, but this time I included Kane’s name, and I didn’t even have to pay for the use of the workshop. I’d make it up to the enchanter later, but I didn’t want the enchanter to be aware of my lack of knowledge about the court wizard.
I made the boots the same way as before, and they turned out with the same stats, so I left without waiting for the enchanter to return. I still had two more griffon feathers I could use to enchant another piece of gear, but I wanted to experiment with my updated footwear before I made any commitments.
Once I got Kane to teach me everything he knew about casting spells, then I’d return to the enchantry and spend more time digging into the skill, but until then I had work to do.
By this time tomorrow, I’d know some awesome magic, and I couldn’t wait.