Chapter 31 the children of Gaiatoci

I awoke from a dream that was troubling, I had felt the cries for help from someone, but I could not find them. I had also felt the buff I had received from Gaiatoci flare up with power and then slowly fade, but even as I stood up I could still feel something.

I glanced at the ladies sleeping in the bed and debated leaving them to sleep, they needed it. As I began to stretch Tasia and Reona both opened their eyes and yawned, then looking at each other they giggled.

“Nice to see you awake, ladies, if you are up for it we should go down and grab a bite to eat and then hit the markets. I will see about the pack animals while you two procure a couple of carts and both trade goods and personal supplies.” As they both nodded in agreement I went to leave to give them some privacy for dressing.

Tasia suddenly spoke up, “Torn I want to thank you for saving me, I know what was going to happen if you hadn’t arrived.” After speaking Tasia slipped out of the bed and walked towards me then reaching up she pulled my head towards her and gave me a passionate kiss. Then holding me she whispered, “Maybe we can continue this later.” Then releasing me she went and sat down in the chair I had vacated.

Reona had been watching this play out with a smile, then she also stood and walked over to me and spoke, “I also owe you my life and would be remiss if I did not show some gratitude.” With that she grabbed my head and began to kiss me also.

It was enough to give me the shivers having two very attractive women kissing me, I could not help but react as it had been a while. As she let go of me Reona looked at Tasia and gave her a wink and said perhaps all three of us can continue this later. Hearing Tasia giggle I knew that I would have to be careful.

As a man the idea of a ménage à trois with two attractive women filled me with desire to see it happen, but the reality was I did not want to expose my tattoos to the ladies, Reona had seen them in the flesh and Tasia had seen them carved into the statues that had been erected. Shit, I was going to have to walk a think line here, I thought. Having a household of three was a possibility because once on the road accommodations would be tight. I just don’t know how it would work out without revealing who I am.

Taking in a dep breath I spoke, “I will meet you downstairs for a meal then off we go, it is must be midafternoon already.” With a wave, I left the room and headed down stairs to find a booth for us to eat at. As I entered the common room I scanned my minimap for red dots thankfully I saw none. Walking over to an empty booth I sat down and ordered three meals, hat they were serving was a huge mug of chicken soup broth and what could only be called a sub sandwich filled with cheese and roast meat and vegetables.

I devoured mine and had ordered another by the time the women arrived. We all worked on finishing our meals without much being said. Once I was done I stood and said, “I am off, please stay together and keep your weapons at the ready, this is a strange town and we have enemies here. I do not want to lose you. Be careful.”

Torn stood and slipped out of the booth and them made his way to the Inns exit, seeing the Innkeeper he nodded at him as he set off. Making his way towards the center of town he came upon a couple of watchmen and approaching them he asked about where to find the pack animals. Once he had directions to the Bestiary he flipped the watchmen a couple of silver coins and continued on.

Eventually he found himself on the far side of the harbor and entered a square which was huge, it held small stables and many tables full of exotic animals. Along the far end were larger barns and Torn made his way towards them. Glancing curiously at all the animals displayed he realized he did not know what half of them were.

One large cage caught his attention, it held a dozen small creatures, they looked vaguely like a cross between a monkey and a racoon. He stared at them fascinated for a minute, something about them pulled at him. As he looked at them they all began to look back at him, until the side of the cage he was facing was full of them staring at him.

“Well that is unusual,” said the proprietor as he waddled over to greet Torn. “The name is Propa, and I have to say that I have never seen them do this since I received them.”

Torn asked, “What are they? They look intelligent and clearly have a hierarchy within their ranks. They seem to be almost organized.”

Propa laughed at this and said, “No they are but dumb beasts, I bought them from a group of hunter who had managed to capture them, the hunters claimed that these Diggerduggers as they called them could use magic of a sort to help with moving earth. I have not witnessed it and I feel that the story is bullshit. Tell you what, I will make a deal on them, 2 gold each. That will cover my cost and very little else. What do you say?”

Torn thought for a moment and then asked, “Do you have any pack animals, I am looking for two teams to pull to carts. If you do I will pay a fair price for the pack animals and will also buy the Diggerduggers.”

Propa looked at Torn with a smile and then said follow me and headed through the crowds his wide girth easily parting the milling people. Coming to one of the largest barns he entered and then gestured towards the animals.

“Here I have my animals, they are strong and in good health, and I will give you a good deal for four of them.” Propa was practically exuding greed as he spoke at Torn whose perception was letting him know that Propa was about to try to fleece him out of a large amount of gold.

The next hour passed with tone slowly whittling down the exorbitant prices that Propa had asked for. Eventually, Torn agreed to a price that was too much but not by much. After arranging for delivery to the Inn of both the Oxyacs and the Diggerduggers Torn paid Propa. Walking back towards the street Torn asked Propa about the roads and safety and was surprised to hear Propa say, “There have been rumors, coming from the Dwarven kingdom. It seems that they are fighting each other but as of yet no other races have been drawn into the conflict.”

Propa continued, “The fact is that trade has actually increased due to the conflict as both sided need the goods traders bring. It is a nasty business for them but good business for us traders.” The with a nod Propa turned around and walked back into the Bestiary.

As Torn began to walk back to the inn he thought of what he had heard, the Dwarven Kingdom sounded like it was sinking into a civil war. By the time they arrived the mission might be over if the kingdom fell, if that was the case then he would be free to pursue his own goals. He could find a place to work on leveling and once he achieved what he wanted he could go back to his island in the first realm and from there work on getting back to hell and Ama.

Once he was reunited he would return to Mount Olympus and start to look at what he had to do there. Sighing he continued to walk towards the Inn, when suddenly two red dots appeared on his minimap.

Glancing around as he approached the two dots he observed several people going about their daily routine with no one taking notice of him. Just as he pulled abreast of an alley a Dwarf came hurdling across the street and body checked him. The both flew into the alley where a man stood waiting, as Torn stumbled to one knee the man leaped at him with a sword and swung it towards Torn’s head.

Grabbing his maces Torn countered the blow and then got a solid hit in with the left-handed mace. Spinning around he countered the first Dwarf’s attack with a long dagger that glinted with a green poison enchant. Using his right mace Torn twisted sideways and cracked the knee of the assailant. As the Dwarf went down Torn swung with all his might against the Dwarf’s head, which cracked open with a spray of blood.

Continuing to spin he thrust both maces forward hitting the chest of the second Dwarf and knocking him on his back. Both of the maces crit one with Fiery and the other with Electrical which overwhelmed the Dwarf and knocked him into unconsciousness. Quickly standing to his feet Torn looked at the first attacker, the blow to the head had been a death blow. Going over to the unconscious Dwarf Torn removed his weapons and then began to search for any clues.

Finding nothing more than 20 gold Torn turned to the dead Dwarf and searched the body. He found a note that described Torn with the instructions to kill him once located. Staring down at the body with disgust Torn slowly turned away and walked over to the second Dwarf. Grabbing him Torn began to slap his face which quickly brought the Dwarf back to consciousness. As the Dwarf looked at Torn with fear in his eyes Torn asked him, “Who sent you?”

The Dwarf shook his head, refusing to answer then reached up to scratch his beard. Pulling a small vial from his beard he tossed it into his mouth and bit. The reaction was instant, his body underwent a spasm and then went limp, he was dead.

“What the fuck,” Torn said as he released the body. Grabbing the other body Torn threw the two Dwarfs together and then cast the hottest Dragon fire he could, the bodies were quickly burnt to ash leaving no trace of what had occurred in the alley. Grabbing the weapons that had dropped torn turned to leave when suddenly he heard,

Ding.

You have reached level 6

Enjoy your new stats.

As nice as achieving level six was the fact that assassins were out looking for me was enough to take away any enjoyment I might have felt. Leaving the alley, I made my way back to the Inn hoping that the girls had arrived back. The sun was fast sinking and I did not want them out at night.

I was surprised to see that not only were the girls back but they had a large pile of wooden boxes that they were loading into two large wagons. The wagons held harnesses for the Oxyacs and the first wagon had a clever arrangement attaching it to the front of the second wagon. This allowed for only one driver controlling both wagons.

Greeting the girls, I asked what I could do to help and was quickly directed towards loading the boxes into the second wagon. Eventually, both wagons were loaded and Tasia called me over to the first wagon and showed me the living area at the front of the wagon. It was a room that held a bed and a small table built into the side of the wall. There was also a chest built in that the girls had already claimed. On top of the chest was a small mirror, and in the far corner stood a small wood burning stove.

It was clean and cozy and shouted out domesticated bliss. It scared the hell out of me, it seemed the girls were serious about getting ahold of me and sharing. Leaving the cart, we entered the Inn and made our way to a booth, once we had ordered I told the girls about my day and the attack.

As we ate Reona asked, “Did you find any clues on the bodies?”

Shaking my head, I answered, “No but clearly this enemy is on the lookout for me, I don’t think you two have been identified yet, but to be safe I suggest that we all stick together from now till we leave the city.”

At this point, the Innkeeper arrived and said, “Your animals have arrived, I will have the Oxyacs put in the stables but what do you want to be done with the others?”

Seeing the girls looking at me I said, “Let’s go see the newest additions to our party.” Standing up I led the girls out and made our way to the stables. The 4 Oxyacs had already been given feed and were contently chewing the hay. In the corner was the cage that held the Diggerduggers, walking over I knelt down in front of the cage and observed all of them face me. The largest one approached the cage and held out his hand.

Reaching out I grasped the hand of the little guy and was surprised to hear the Diggerdugger mind speak to me. “Welcome son of Gaiatoci, we thank you for having rescued us from the portly one. We are at your service.”

As I looked at the Diggerdugger with surprise he continued talking, “We had almost lost hope until we saw you, but once we recognized who you are the joy at finding the son of the Earth mother was great.

I nodded, nothing surprised me anymore in this game. “What do you want? I asked. The little fellow's answer surprised me, and I had to think for a minute.

“We are the servants of Gaiatoci in Topland, and when we felt her death I caused great concern for us, but then we faintly felt something of her still in the world, and after much scrying and searching we discovered you. Within you is the gift of Gaiatoci and we will now follow you if you would accept us as servants.”

This was something that I had not expected but it could be a great blessing. I nodded and told him I would accept having them as servants. Once I had agreed to it all 12 of the little guys came up and put their hands on mine. As the last one finished a window opened up and I read,

You have accepted a small party of followers,

You are now considered a leader and are granted 5 points of loyalty from your followers,

Leading by example is more effective than being a dictator, but the choice is yours.

That seemed an ominous warning and one I resolved to take heed of. I noticed a new permanent buff had appeared that listed the 5 points of loyalty, I hid it along with all the other buffs I had, no point in letting anyone read me and my abilities like a book.

As I opened the cage I was surprised to hear the leader mind speak to me without touching me. It would seem that having accepted them as my servants I could now communicate with them. That was a huge benefit to me, going around holding the hand of a Diggerdugger whenever I wanted to communicate would have been strange.

“My name is Laioch, and I am the leader of this group, could you introduce me to your companions?”

I turned around and made my way to the girls who had been watching all of this with surprise. Pointing to Reona I said, “This is my companion Reona and the lady standing next to her is Tasia, we will be traveling soon, and any aid that you can bring would be appreciated.” Laioch nodded and then performed a bow before the girls then turning towards me he asked if I had any food that they could have, it turned out they were not well fed in captivity.

I called one of the stable boys and ordered 4 large meals to be brought out to the stables for the Diggerduggers. I then informed Laioch that the 4 Oxyacs were mine and was surprised when he responded that he would take over the care of the animals.

It turned out that they had amazing skill with animals. I pointed out the two wagons and suggested that they could bed down in the living compartment of the first one and keep guard. The food finally arrived and the Diggerduggers ate to they were full, then making their way over to the wagons the settled in, with 6 on guard duty and 6 resting.

I yawned and then suggested that we all turn in; it had been a busy day and I wanted to sleep. As we made our way up to our room, Tasia asked, “does this kind of thing happen to you all the time or is this something special.” Seeing Reona looking at me wanting to hear the answer I yawned before answering.

“Yes to both, and no I do not want to talk about it, I need sleep more than you two need your curiosity satisfied.” Seeing both women get a look on their face I turned around and said, “I am going to sleep in the cart, goodnight.” Leaving the room before they grabbed me I made my way down and grabbing a flagon of wine I went to the cart.

Making myself at home I drank the wine and thought of all that had happened. I was not sure if I was doing the right thing but the plans were in motion and there would be no turning back now. Closing my eyes, I was about to sleep when suddenly there was a sudden flare of power on the buff the Ama had given me when we married. I almost cried out in pain as a sudden feeling of loss coursed through my spirit. I knew without any doubt that Ama had died. I sat up on the bed and began to cry, feeling the loss that was more than just emotion, we had shared a soul bond and it had been severed. I sat there unable to speak for several minutes before I could think logically and pull myself together. What brought me out of the pit of despair that had attempted to drag me down was the awareness the succubae buff was still active; in fact, it had grown in power since I had felt the loss of Ama.

I knew that I could not sleep so getting up I made my way down towards the docks, eventually stopping before the Golden Ass. It was empty and deserted and held no answers to my questions. Turning I made my way back into the city upon reaching the Inn I grabbed a table at the common room.

The Innkeeper seeing me sitting there gestured for me to join him, so walking over I sat down and was introduced to his companion.

“This is my brother Ingar, and he is the one leading the caravan.”

I nodded and clasped wrists with Ingar, he smiled at me and said, “So I hear that you will be joining me with two wagons of your own, and will be helping to guard the goods eh. Glad to have you, the trails are getting rougher it would seem, and while I don’t expect trouble, it is whispered that trouble finds those that do not seek it.”

I nodded, it was the truth that I had found in my life. Calling out to the barmaid I asked for another round of mead and sat back listening to the brother's talk. It would seem that both the Inn and the caravans were profitable but the brothers were looking to expand. This gave me an idea and I decided to broach the subject and see if they would be interested in my plan.

“Gentlemen, “I began. I have been listening to you discuss your businesses and I have a proposal for you, as it turns out I am in possession of a small ocean going ship, it is in good shape. Would you two have any interest in forming a partnership? I will provide the ship and put up some gold to help pay for the first cargo, I want 70 percent ownership and 60 percent of any profits, what do you say.”

The next hour passed quickly, but I was adamant in retaining the 70 percent ownership, however, I went down to 50 percent of all profits. The men finally agreed to my terms and we signed a contract. I told them that I would have a representative check up on the venture once in a while and with that I was in business.

We had decided to name the business Heavy Hold Trading, and I had a feeling that I was going to get rich from this. The men did not seem to care how I had gotten ownership of the ship after I showed the ship's log and the Capitan’s Journal. Ingar remarked he knew a councilmember who would facilitate the transfer of ownership of the ship to the company.

The evening was now getting late and I went back to the cart, the business deal had taken the edge off my grief, but I still felt empty inside as I went to sleep.