[ - Author's Note - ]
Hello everyone, Endwalker is still being a handful (Doubly so as I wanted to do all the Role Quests before finishing the main one, for better or worse) but I've gotten to the end of the main quest now. Some side stuff to do as always. In short, highly recommend the game. First thirty odd levels can feel slow, but it picks up after that and once you hit Heavensward it really picks up.
The Faves on FFDotNet creep ever closer to one thousand, bit by bit, and we're closing in on two hundred thousand views as well. Nice!
But now; poll results time! The question was; what class would you pick if you came to this version of Eostia! And with sixty-nine votes (Nice!) the totals are...
At last place are Fighter and Singer with... Zero votes. Not one. Really. That's sad; I'm not overly surprised that Singer was at the bottom as it is a support class but I'm surprised Fighter is there. And that neither one got a vote. RIP.
Wildman and Priest got one vote each (1.45%) so they're at the bottom too.
Next we have Arcanist, Juggler and Archer with two votes a piece (2.90%); still so few votes.
Next is Solider and Rogue, each with three a piece (4.35%); I guess no spear or stealth lovers here.
Next is Puglist with four votes (5.80%) which surprised me; I thought it's be lower down.
And starting our top five is Engineer with six votes (8.70%) which is surprising as it's something I thought would be a little higher up.
At fourth is Swordsman with seven of the votes (10.14%); not too bad all in all.
At third is Mage with eight votes (11.59%) and everyone likes a classic mage.
At second is Paladin with thirteen votes (18.84%); James' second class choice I do note...
And at number one is Spell Blade with sixteen votes (24.64%). I wonder how much of that is because it's James' class?
Anyway, moving on.
This chapter we visit not one but two other territories in Eostia and while it's not the longest one it will, hopefully, be a bit of a fun one.
Enjoy!
[ - Act II - Chapter V: The Noble and the Brazen - ]
Pinewall takes it's name from the various uprisings in the region during the days of the Empire of Brazen. The region has two, massive forests full of pine trees that rebels would hide for refuge and safety, often ambushing pursuers within 'the walls of pine'. Attempts to burn the forests down were tried but never fully worked and the rebels would use spears and arrows made from those pines to fight back.
After the Empire's fall and the Wars of Succession those rebels would fight off other nobles looking to take their territory under the leadership of Daryl Foxguard. When Annabelle of the Runes arrived rather then launch into a campaign against them she instead petitioned their aide and asked for them to join them. Foxguard had no desire to fight more then needed, but did agree that if her rule would be just then they would follow her.
Pinewall would remain a neutral territory until the Aegis Accords were called for and seeing the terms laid by Joanna was indeed quite fair they agreed to sign. House Foxguard would rule for an impressive fourteen hundred years before a series of tragedies cut the family's numbers down. House Foxguard would formerly cede power to House Pineforge, a line of noted knights.
Militarily the barony is known for it's light infantry and spearmen, often backed by archers. They are ideal for fighting in heavy forests and quite mobile. Economically they are well known for their pine teas, fertile farms and dye production. In the modern day Pinewall is known for it's people loving freedom and independence.
~Dominic James Pencraft, The Eostia Historia
[-]
It took about three days and change to ride down to Pinewall for us. Unlike our ride to Ur we didn't push the horses so hard, nor did we go too easy. We rode south along the side of the river and then turned west wards once beside it on well kept roads that dated back to the days of Verlangen's Empire of Brazen. Our convoy picked up a third carriage, one of House Fiorire's with their emblem on it. In addition we were joined by six escorts from the Knights of the Blossoming Moon plus Troya riding among them.
I think Prim caught on that something happened between me and Troya but rather then be upset she would have her and Carmen as escorts during our breaks... And sneaking in a bit of 'fun' here and there. And sometimes not that far from camp.
I... might have created a monster...
On another note, Troya turned out to be a good partner in sparring as well as in bed. She was much stronger then me right now, so that helped boost up my XP as the new week started. I also sparred with Carmen and won a few matches against her (And lost some). In the end I won another thirty one hundred XP, plus another six hundred and twenty as the Dark Horse Bonus kicked in. I wasn't the only one rising up; Riri, Aeris, Miria and Makoto all hit level ten as well. Ur'Akara who was lagging back at level five when we started on this journey jumped up to level seven. Hell, even Carmen was at level fourteen now; matching my own level.
Anyway, we would arrive in Needlepoint, the barony's capital, in the middle of the afternoon. The city was interesting to say at the least; there were pine trees planted outside of the city walls that were, for lack of a better term, brownwashed a rich brown with the crenelations on the top painted green. It was interesting to say the least. At the top of the city gates was the emblem of House Pineforge, the barony's oddly appropriately named nobility. The shield had a black outline and started with a flat top that curved down slightly before leveling off to points before curving inwards, back out before it dropped straight down a short bit before curving in once more, then making a curved line to the center. Dominating the inside of the shield was a single pine tree outlined in black; brown trunk, green top with a few darker green lines. Either side of the tree's top was a green shafted spear with a light gray blade with prongs on both sides, turned slightly inwards and outlined in black.
Compared to many banners I've seen it was fairly basic in art.
If Stonewall City loved it's white washed buildings then Needlepoint loved it's green colorations; every building was green with brown trim. There were a few with yellow or dark gold trim colors, but the overwhelming bulk was green with brown. The Pineforge Family lived in a green painted manor as opposed to a castle and unlike Mungale Manor this had no high walls so it had no means to handle a siege outside of a six foot, rich brown fence that wouldn't stop a mob with a seven foot ladder. It would be our destination, as Prim was hoping they would provide lodgings for the day.
We could press on and attempt to reach Greenwave earlier, but there were times it was better to call it early. My knowledge of the Pineforges were a bit limited; I knew there was a pair of sons in the family; one my age and one much younger. Abolitionist through and through, but beyond that I didn't know much more. I'm sure Prim was more acquainted with them; the royal family needed to know all of the local nobility in their realm after all.
I wasn't surprised when we arrived at the manor that we were waved through at the gates. The manor had well kept grounds, and I could see about thirty feet from each of the corners of the manor a pine tree was planted and grew to at least fifty feet tall each. I could also see a circular keep at the back, east corner of the manor; I didn't know if it was attached or unattached to the manor but it was fairly tall and sturdy looking, painted green from base to top like the manor it stood with.
The road that led to the manor's door curved near the end to go around a statue of a man; I didn't recognize him off hand sadly. He was clad in light armor and had a spear in one hand and a round shield on the other. No plaque was present to mention who he was or what he had done.
Finally the carriages came to a halt before the path leading to the door, two guards on either side of said door. Prim stepped out first and I followed her just as the doors opened with two men, a boy and a women stepping out to greet us. If I had to guess scouts or people in their tower informed them of our coming as we reached the city. I flanked Prim on one side with Miria and Makoto flanking my side, Carmen and Troya flanking the other with Riri, Ur'Akara and Aeris behind us. I then looked over the owners of the manor.
The first was a man at about five-ten. He had black, short and cropped hair and a well groomed, short beard. Blue eyes looked us over with a neutral gaze although he paid Prim the most attention. He bore a buttoned up shirt that was gold in color with the Pineforge emblem over his heart with black buttons and black pants tucked into dark brown boots. Clearly the lord of the house.
(-)
Name: Gregran Pineforge
Title: Lord of Pinewall
Class: Dragoon
Level: 24 (-7)
Alignment: Neutral
Reputation: 45
Status: Healthy, Curious, Thoughtful
Known Traits
[Former Warrior] You were a strong combatant back in the day, but you haven't trained in years now. You are treated as 7 Levels lower then your actual level; your Primary stats are lowered by 14 and your secondary stats are lowered by 7.
[?]
[Loyal Husband] You are loyal to the woman you married and will only lay with her and the concubines she chooses. +3 All Sexual Stats with your wife, -3 Sexual Stats with all others.
As Pinewall's Baron he's served his realm for twenty six years as it's leader after the sudden and unexpected death of his father. A stern and rather Conservative politician he seeks to better his house and standing by what means he cans; usually by seeking the means to bring more wealth to his realm.
(-)
Straightforward enough guy then.
The woman with him looked eastern with loose mid-back length black hair, brown eyes and that Japanese skin tone you'd expect. She wore green, silk clothing with darker bird-like patterns over it... however the dress was like a cheongsam style outfit, but with the skirt moving down the sides rather then the front and back. Of course she wasn't wearing anything to cover her silken, white panties. A set of white, heeled shoes were on her feet. She had a passive look on her face as she looked over all of my companions... And mostly ignored me.
(-)
Name: Yuri Pineforge
Title: Flower of Pinewall
Class: Noblewoman
Level: 4
Alignment: Neutral
Reputation: 33
Status: Healthy, Curious, Aroused
Romance Rating: 32
Corruption Rating: 21
Known Traits
[Sapphic Tastes] You prefer the ladies to the lords by quite a bit. -50 Romance Rating for all males. +50 Romance Ratings for all females. Feminine males will gain +70 Romance Rating
[Seductive Sappho] You have an odd charm on women. All women gain +10 Romance Rating with you and increase their Sexual Preferences by 10. In addition you have a 5% chance each day to bypass Romance Ratings to bed someone. This Trait cannot bypass other Traits that dictate sexual tastes, nor can it bypass Traits that dictate loyalty to a person(s).
Yuri would meet Gregran in Thorn where she worked as a barmaid. Taken with her he moved to woo her and asked her parents permission to wed her. She was reluctant, however knew her family needed the money the dowry would provide. However she never really loved her husband and while she provided him with a son she honestly preferred other women; even preferring to have one or two concubines in bed when she must lay with her husband.
(-)
...
O...kaaaaay... This is not what I expected. Wait, provided with 'a' son, not two?
I looked at the young male by the... 'couple' next. He boasted black hair that dropped to mid-neck length coupled with blue eyes and looked not unlike the other male in facial structure. He seemed less stern and more annoyed but curious. He wore a tan shirt with buttons down the right side with the Pineforge emblem over the left side of the chest. Brown pants tucked into black, short boots.
(-)
Name: Coriander 'Cory' Pineforge
Title: Romantic Heir of Pineforge
Class: Juggler
Level: 9
Alignment: Neutral
Reputation: 45
Status: Healthy, Calm, Curious
Known Traits
[Romantic Gentleman] Once you have a Romance Rating of 120 or higher for someone your Romance Ratings for everyone else is reduced by 30
[?]
First son of Gregran and Yuri Pineforge and heir of the Barony of Pinewall he is a romantic at heart and can't see himself with concubines; rather he wants to focus on one woman. He has a knack for throwing weapons, juggling, dancing and singing and uses them as instruments of wooing a romantic partner.
(-)
Lacking much of a description, but guy seems mostly harmless. And then there was the last one; a young lad of maybe eleven or so. He had short blonde hair and green eyes, dressed in a buttoned up white shirt, open green jacket, white shorts and black shoes over white socks. He smiled up at us with a wide grin and waved to us, the only member of the family to not have some neutral expression.
(-)
Name: Ipo Pinegrove
Title: Young Heart Breaker of Pinewall
Class: Singer
Level: 1
Alignment: Friendly
Reputation: 52
Status: Healthy, Curious, Crushing
Known Traits
[?]
[Young Harem Seeker] You have a desire for the females around you, even if you've yet to figure out why. Once you have gotten past Puberty then replace trait this with [Harem Seeker]
[Seductive Voice] Your voice has a chance to woo the women around you. +1 Romantic Rating to women who hear you sing; to a maximum of 25.
The youngest son of Gregran and a concubine. Despite this he claims him as a legitimate son and Yuri treats him as her own second son, granting him plenty of love. He's been doted on by the maids since birth and enjoys being surrounded by women. He dreams of having a harem although his current understanding of this is 'man with many women doting on him and giving him love' and has yet to realize the sexual implications of the term.
(-)
If I were to sum them up... Mostly plain with a single quirk for each of them. Yeah, sounds about right.
"Princess Prim, I'm surprised at your arrival!" Gregnar let off, finally smiling to us as he bowed, or rather at Prim specifically, before losing said smile as he rose up from the bow as he looked over to me. "Hmm... The Noxdecus crest... You must be... James then." He said as I nodded before he turned his head to look at Miria. "And she is... Your... sister..." I did the best to not let my annoyance show; it was clear by his tone he was going to say something else (Likely pet or the like, at best) but refrained. Probably as the Princess was there and Miria was in her company. "Forgive me, but may I ask why the sudden arrival of this group?"
"Baron Pineforge, I apologize for our unannounced arrival." She said, curtsying softly for a moment. "James here is doing work for the Eostian Crown and I am tasked as an escort." His eyes widened a bit in surprise; after all a Shield Princess acting as an escort was a big deal; it was like the equivalent of a military colonel who had the fame of a major UFC fighter or WWE wrestler. To put it in another way it was like having, say, Brock Lesnar, John Cena or Georges St-Pierre protecting me.
Well, if they all were female, cute, had big boobs and threw fireballs.
"I see. Can I be of help?" He asked politely as she softly shook her head.
"We are only seeking lodgings, thank you. However I imagine James would be more then happy to explain his task to you as it may be of your interest." Prim said calmly to him and putting the focus on me directly. Gregran would turn his head over to glance at me with an appraising look for a long moment so I had the bulk of his focus for that moment until he looked back to Prim and nodded.
"Indeed then. You and yours shall be given a place to rest; stay a few days even, if it pleases you." He finally said, smiling to us although it felt to me more like a calculated smile then a true, genuine one; it made me think he had some sort of idea in his head running around. Prim gave a soft, sad shake of her head.
"Sadly while not in a hurry we also must not tarry in our task." She said softly to him.
"It is regrettable; from what I've seen of it Needlepoint is a place of rich culture and colorful people." I interjected as I saw Gregran straighten up somewhat with pride of his territory. "I know Pinewall and Mungale don't have the closest of relations but my father is always seeking to talk of trade. There is no reason not to become partners in business if nothing else."
"Indeed lad, indeed. Well said." He said with a curt nod. While Gregran was not on high on the list of people I wanted to befriend given how this meeting was going there was no reason not to be polite and butter him up just a tad. There was no reason to make an enemy of him, if nothing else. "Let me introduce myself to those who may not know; I am Gregnar Pineforge, Baron of Pinewall. This is my wife, Yuri." The woman of the group curtsied softly. "My eldest son, Coriander or 'Cory' if you want something shorter and my youngest, Ipo. Now then, Cory, fetch the head maid and let her know of our guests then come to me in the kitchen. Ipo, entertain them until she arrives. I need to discuss something with my family, but it will be brief and we will host you as best as we are able."
[-]
Once we were assigned quarters we were asked to come down for a spot of tea and talk before dinner. Princess Prim and myself received private quarters each with Makoto, Riri and Aeris sharing one room and Miria, Ur'Akara, Troya and Carmen sharing another. Our escort and drivers were also given other shared rooms. The primary discussion topic was, of course, the Voxlux. At least right up until Yuri realized they had ordered an ice cream maker from me. Well, their representative did to be frank; Ipo was ill for a time and wouldn't recover until after the day of Prim's birthday party; hence they remained at home to tend to the young lad and sent someone in their stead. Prim, of course, understood and didn't begrudge them of looking after Ipo.
Once conversation had started I explained the boosters, what they were for and what the Voxlux did and that while Pinewall wasn't getting it's own booster right now Celestine would subsidize one to all regions that didn't get one in the first batch. Once they understood their two main purposes (Boosting the signals of the Voxlux and the PA function) Gregran was quite interested in it and it seemed like he'd be investing in one himself for Needlepoint City sooner or later. The pine tea served was quite good (And not poisoned; I was making checking that with my Detect Toxin spell a habit after Halbert's attempt on my life), and the light snacks a delight but there was a few odd things I noticed as we relaxed.
For starters Cory (As cool as a name Coriander was I much preferred the shorter Cory; easier to say overall) was seated next to Prim and I couldn't help but notice his father would keep asking him for his opinion on various matters; doubly so if Prim was the one who had raised them. Yuri took the chance to seat herself to Troya's side and I couldn't help but notice Troya blush and squirm a bit, with Yuri's nearest arm to Troya moving slightly. I could only imagine what she was doing to the woman's thick thigh (Or closer to her core; I couldn't see after all), but Troya wasn't protesting at the attention so I felt it wasn't my place to point it out or object.
I was seated next to my sister but her attention was taken up by Ipo who claimed her lap as his seat and she found herself unable to deny the cute little boy the spot as he leaned his back into her and chattered in a way a young boy did with a few, wide arm gestures. Gregran didn't seem to really enjoy his son sitting on her lap but held his tongue on the matter, only giving a glare now and then to Miria who seemed to ignore it for the most part. I think he was doing his best to not offend Prim (And having learned of the Voxlux, possibly me as well), but it was clear he wasn't happy with her being there, nor his son in her lap.
The oddest thing to me, however, was the attention the maids of the manor were giving to me. There were three working in the room and while one of them seemed to focus on everyone else two seemed to decide that I was the one in most need of their attentions and service. And none of our hosts seemed to mind in the slightest at this blatant favoritism; hell Gregran even seemed pleased by all the attention the maids showered me with.
Hmmm...
As one might expect from this weird, weird world the maid's uniforms were skimpy, but they made the uniform at Mungale Manor look covering in comparison. Black, thigh high stockings with a thick, white band at the top, black gloves with a set of black cuffs with white ruffles on both ends, black heeled shoes, a detached white shirt collar with a black tie with four ends hanging down and the headdress... Plus a black bikini top with small, white ruffles at the shoulders, a white band with a three inch long, black skirt with white edge on the left and right side of the hips, a tiny apron that looked like half a washcloth that barely dipped down enough to cover the groin and an attached black g-string.
Maid number one attending me bore blue hair in two side tails that fell to her mid-back with a pair of long bangs framing her face and a pair of bright, amber eyes that fit into a blushing face. She seemed a bit shy but would keep on leaning over when she could to show off a set of Double D breasts. At about five-one she was a true short stack by the definition of the term.
(-)
Name: Kinna Saltfield
Title: Young Maid of Pinewall Manor
Class: Maid
Level: 3
Alignment: Friendly
Reputation: 43
Status: Healthy, Shy, Nervous
Romance Rating: 81
Corruption Rating: 8
Known Traits
[Quiet Maid] You're a naturally quiet worker; 10% chance to be ignored by those around you when working on a task not given by those people
[Sensitivity to Semen] You love a man's seed. Increase your lust and arousal by 25% when swallowing or covered in a man's seed. Instantly cum if semen enters your pussy or anus.
Orphaned by a bandit attack on her family's small hamlet she was taken in by an old widower who would raise her from the age of six onward. When she was old enough to work she took a job as a maid to help replay the woman who raised her, at least until she passed on.
(-)
By contrast the other maid had waist long, fiery red hair and an easy smile to match a set of soft blue eyes. She was taller then Kinna, at some five feet seven, but otherwise had a matching body type with a matching cup size to the other maid. While she was also willing to show off her breasts by leaning over she was the one who would lean over next to me to set something down or refill my tea while pushing those large breasts to my shoulder or arm. Really, it was clear she was flirting; overly clear. As in the only way she could possibly make it more clear was hold a sign in neon colors that said 'I AM FLIRTING WITH YOU', to the point that a Shonen Protagonist would take note.
(-)
Name: Helia Fyne
Title: Open Maid of Pinewall Manor
Class: Maid
Level: 5
Alignment: Friendly
Reputation: 51
Status: Healthy, Friendly, Curious
Romance Rating: 87
Corruption Rating: 11
Known Traits
[?]
[Honest Maid] A maid that will tell you what she thinks, as she thinks it. +2 to Wil
A bastard child of a local maid and Harold Terrasa, Baron of Cameron. She was refused to be acknowledged by her father and as such was raised only by her mother and uncle until she was old enough to work, taking her mother's place as a maid in Pinewall Manor.
(-)
I could understand maybe Helia's flirting (And yes, both Kinna, Helia and the third maid had been introduced to us) but Kinna seemed a bit on the shy side and seemed more awkward about it all.
After tea and talk we had some time to relax on our own until dinner with myself focusing on enchanting a spell stone. I had set it into a bronze piece designed to hold the stone that I had bought with said stones. The stone was the best one I had of the mid-quality stones I had bought in Stonewall; said stone was blue and an inch long, oval in shape and smooth. The bronze piece was two inches long and wide in the form of a cross. I fitted the stone in from the underside and then pushed little metal prongs to hold it in place. A little glue plus four small rivets held it in place on the back of my armor's left glove.
Really, that was all easy. Enchanting it was the fun (And hard) part but I was sure it would be a huge help down the line. I spent then until sometime before dinner working on it, tweaking and double checking before giving it a brief test inside the room to be sure it worked. It did, but I needed to have it stress tested to be sure I could rely on it. I took the glove of my armor and moved to the training field, needing to test things out. It took asking for some directions more then once, but I found it; although was surprised by what I found.
Ipo was firing at a target under my sister's watchful eye at a targeting range. One of the older looking guards was watching them with a frown on his face while her kept his arms crossed but made no move to interrupt her lesson. I grabbed a training sword and wandered over. "Teaching the young one how to shoot?" I asked as she looked over her shoulder and nodded once.
"Yeah, he pestered me to help him with his archery. He's fine; just needs more practice, really." She said as I tucked the wooden sword under my arm as I slipped the glove on. "...You put a spell stone on your glove? That's not for decoration, is it?"
"Nope." I said, grinning as I tossed the sword to her to catch. Ipo paused to watch us, planting the bow on the ground and leaning on it. He seemed annoyed at the interruption but also curious. "I wanted to try making something." I said as I turned the stone and it's enchantment on... And a round, blue shield appeared before my hand; hovering about three inches away and about three feet wide. It curved to me softly; not unlike a Spartan's shield. I had enchanted the stone with Arcane Shield, but focused the spell into a round form to increase the density of the magic. Ipo let off a 'whoa' as I moved it about. "It's in need of some stress testing though. Do you mind?"
She chuckled and spun the sword in her hand, taking it in both hands with a nod. I moved the shield before me and she swung the wooden weapon into me magical barrier. It made a nice thud and the shield didn't flex. She then smacked it again then again once more, harder with each strike. The shield still held, although I could softly feel the impacts to it.
Miria wasn't the strongest melee fighter and she was using a wooden sword so this wasn't the best test but this was just proof that it would hold up to attacks. I imagine the next sparring session with Troya would be the real stress test for the shield.
"Eh, interesting idea of yours, M'lord?" I noticed the guard who was watching Miria and Ipo wander over; chain mail armor with a chest plate; short blonde hair and short, trimmed beard. Observe told me he was named Terry Canner. "But you'll need a heavier weapon if ye really wanna test it."
"Agreed." I said, turning to face him. "I had someone in mind, unless you plan on offering your services." I said as he chuckled and pulled a flanged mace from his side, spinning it once and taking a combat stance. I nodded once and moved my shield to block. He lifted it up and gave my shield a good, firm smack. It held but I felt the blow in my arm as the shield flexed, needing to reposition my legs for the harder impact. He slammed my shield a second time before drawing his mace back for a harder hit. The shield was still holding but I had to grit my teeth with the impacts. I also noted that the shield seemed to absorb some of the kinetic energy in a fashion; at least I felt like I should have been forced back a step with a normal shield.
Next hit he gave a small roar of effort as he hit the shield and even caused me to stumble back a step. The shield held true before he gave yet a harder hit that finally put a crack on the shield that slowly repaired itself. Before it could even half close he smacked it again, sending the cracks wider. One more impact broke the shield and he pulled the impact as it did to avoid causing me harm as I finally staggered back. I sighed and brushed my hands on my legs before looking to him. "Well... Opinions?"
"Hmmf. Well, no doubt it's easy to carry and it seems you can call it quick enough. No weight to it, but won't last as long as a good, solid steel shield or better yet an enchanted one." He said, setting his weapon away. "Although I saw it was fixing itself?" He let of curious.
"Indeed. The stone's mana will reinforce and repair it when it's not being struck, and I can use my own mana to bolster it further if needed." I explained. "It's more resistant to magic then a steel shield, or at least should be if I'm right and lacks the weight making it easier to handle." I looked up as I thought of it further. "Mind, I'm not planning to take repeated hits; I'm more of a stick and move type; but a shield never hurts."
"Never does, never does." He said nodding before looking back to Ipo. "Alright lad, enough gawking! Back to your archery practice!"
"Ughhh, do I have to...?" The young lordling whined softly.
"Yes, you do." Miria answered before Terry could inject. "Uncle Fredrick always loves to say 'you don't fear the man who's practiced with each weapon once; you fear the one who's used one weapon ten thousand times'." She said before ruffling the boy's hair as Terry huffed.
"Not how I'd put it, but she's got the right of it." He grumbled. "If nothing else... she does know what she's doing with a bow. So you should keep it up and learn, lad. Maybe she'll even kiss your forehead if you do well"
"Thanks..." Miria let off, clearly annoyed with the tone he used to say 'she' (I almost thought he'd say 'it') and the idea of giving the boy a kiss, chaste as it might be, but said nothing else of it as Ipo excitedly got back to work. I sighed as well and hoped this sort or response to Miria being a Catalan wasn't going to be common.
...
Well, unless the other sort of response was worse.
[-]
After Miria and Terry set Ipo back to work I headed back to my room to adjust the enchantment a bit and called it there, instead making plans for something else. This would be a much bigger project and I could only do so much on the road. And how it would come together would depend on something else. I had taken a moment to call home and talk to the manor's blacksmith. While he wasn't the guy who would be able to do what I needed done he would not only know who would be he would be in a position to assist that person. Assuming they could do it at all; I was working with knowledge of my old world on a topic that I had limited knowledge of. If it paid off, however, I could do so much with it.
Dinner was a simple affair but it was fine considering that we were imposing. Prim offered compensation for the lodging that was refused and when dinner was done he prodded his son to show off his singing to her. She started to turn to me, surely to ask me to join them only for Kinna and Helia pounce on me to either side and telling me they drew a bath for me and all but pulled me off to go take it. I gave a glance to Prim as she stiffed a small laugh.
We both suspected the same thing, it seems. Despite how she might seem that girl was smarter then a lot of people thought.
I decided to let them lead me in to the bath where I was offered the towels and soaps I'd need, ushered in and had the door shut behind me. I did my best not to chuckle as I moved to wash up and after that moved to soak in the warm tub. I faced the door, quite sure of what was coming my way. As I did I thought of my other mission.
I'd seen enough of the local lords and their immediate hanger-ons to dismiss them as part of the Black Storm. While the Baron ranked a five on a one to ten scale of jackassery he also ranked a seven on politeness, although I wondered how much of that was due to Prim being on hand and not wanting to offend her. I was sure he planned on saying something to or about Miria if Prim wasn't here.
I was fully unsurprised when the door handle turned and, sure enough, just like I expected, the two maids walked in. And as I expected both were fully naked as the day they were born, Helia striding over to the edge of the bath as Kinna did more of an embarrassed shuffle over to me in a quick manner. I could tell with Helia that the carpets matched the drapes, but Kinna was holding her hands over her groin, hiding it from view. "Enjoying your bath, M'Lord? Perhaps..." She let off... And waited for a long moment until elbowing Kinna softly.
"Perhaps we can help you... en-enjoy it m-more?" The bluette stuttered out as I chuckled softly at the pair.
"Tell me, is the Baron at least paying you more for distracting me?" I asked as both looked to me in shock. Helia somewhat managed to hide it but Kinna wore it directly on her face.
"You knew!?" She let off as Helia glared at her for the outburst.
"Oh yes. I'm quite sure Prim knows about it too." I said chuckling as they looked at me wide eyed. "Please, join me. Might as well wash up while you're here, right?" I offered them as Helia blinked before shrugging and moving off to wash Kinna hesitating a moment before joining her.
To explain; Prim's hand in marriage was one of the hottest commodities on the market (And very few people currently knew it was now off of the market) in Ur and Gregran (Jackass or not) would be stupid to not try and set his son up with her and give him a chance to woo her to his bed and himself to her heart. As the only male in the group then I was the primary obstacle to such a plan and, thus, needed to be sidelined in some manner by something. Hence the maids showering their attentions onto me; they were my distraction.
I admit, they looked more then kinda distracting.
Helia slid into the water next to me and smiled with Kinna moving to sit on my other side. The blue haired maid glanced to my groin in the water as I looked to the redhead. "For the record, you can tell the good baron I laid with you two for hours if it helps, but I'll not do it unless you're willing."
"My, my, such a gentleman, my lord." She let off as she giggled at me. "I am quite willing... Kinna on the other hand..."
"I'm... Interested... Just... Ummm..." Kinna squirmed a bit, biting her lip. "Do you... Force girls to do anal?"
"Um, no... I mean I think I've done it... once? Twice?" I let off, thinking. "Umm, but yeah. If you ask, maybe I will, but it's not what I'll do just for the sake of doing it." Kinna sighed in relief.
"Oh, good..." She let off as I chuckled, looking back to Helia with a smile.
"Anyway, I don't want to- Yikes!" I let off, jumping as I looked back to Kinna who had grabbed my dick and starting to stroke. "Little warning next time?" I said as she blushed at me.
"Sorry..." She let off as she smiled. "B-but if you're going to be so nice, I have to fuck you now!" She let off as I blinked in confusion.
"I'm... I'm mostly sure that's not how it wor-"
"Yes it does!" Kinna let off as she cut my words off, smiling as she moved to stroke me with both hands. "If someone nice isn't going to force sex then they're the people you should have sex with! It's logic!"
...
Well... I guess I can't argue with logic...
I can argue with that statement of hers being logical, but I wasn't in the mood to do so right now, to be quite honest.
"She wants to do it as much as I do, she just doesn't want to come out and say it." Helia said as Kinna pouted to her. "Well am I wrong?"
"..." Kinna pouted for a moment before huffing as she let my dick go. "Sit on the edge, please." She told me in an overly calm tone as I held back a chuckle, moving myself up to sit down on the edge, my mostly now hard cock in the air for the two girls to gaze at, giving them easy access to play with it. I was surprised by the sudden change in character but given Helia's nonplussed shrug I imagine this wasn't the first time it happened. Kinna blushed and looked at my cock, licking her lips and looking ready to suckle on it as she took it in a hand, setting it to the base...
Only for Helia to lean in and swallow half my dick in one go, with Kinna's hand preventing her from taking more. "Whoa!" I let off, clearly unready for this sudden blowjob. I was groaning as Kinna pouted from the oral attentions Helia was giving me before sighing and leaning in, moving her hand to lick at my shaft with her tongue lovingly. Helia giggled with my dick in her mouth, sliding up slowly before slipping her lips off finally allowing Kinna to press her lips where her partner's were and bob down my shaft, moaning as she lowered her lips have way down, Helia moving her lips down to kiss at my balls, leaning over.
My hands set on the floor of the bathroom as I enjoyed their work, the pair swapping off on sucking one at a time before moving to kneel next to me. Curious I watched what they were doing as they cupped their breasts as they leaned in, squashing my cock between two sets of tits. The two started to rock their torsos up and down, tongues slipping out to lick at the head. I groaned softly as my hands reached out, petting their heads softly as I let them work, the pleasure building up in me as I panted slowly over them.
"He he, Kinna acts all innocent, but she loves men's cum... So, feed her a lot!" Helia let off as Kinna blushed at the other maid as she pouted once more.
"Oiy, oiy... Don't be telling him tha—mpphhh!" I groaned out as Helia grabbed Kinna's pigtails and yanked her face and mouth onto my cock, down half way as I shivered hard. Kinna squirmed a bit only for Helia to tug her down further, nearly to the base Despite my attempts to keep it in I came hard as my cock pulsed thick, hot cream up into Kinna's lips. Despite her initial protests Kinna sucked harder as my cock filled her mouth, swallowing everything she could. Even then some cum escaped her lips as Helia finally let go. She gasped out and I could see some white seed in her mouth as Helia leaned in and kissed her firmly, tasting what I gave her.
As the two made out I took a moment to recover and wonder if I was the only one up to these kind of shenanigans...
[-]
Elsewhere in Pinewall Manor
A sitting room on the second floor
"Hold shit, holy shit..." Troya let off, shivering with the bottom half of her armor stripped off and bent over a table, shivering as she looked back over her shoulder. "Holy shiiiiiiiiiiiit..."
Behind her, Yuri Pineforge had her face buried into her sex (And ass, by necessity of doing so) tongue working over her sex. She had cum twice under the Matron of House Pineforge's attentions already and was going to a third. She was the second person she had sex with and was enjoying her somewhat late sexual awakening as the woman pushed her ass cheeks apart with both hands. Really, she regretted not trying this sort of thing sooner; even if she hadn't imagined laying with a woman before now.
Finally she came as the woman pulled her face back with a soft gasp, giggling as she stroked her ass. "Oh sweetie... I want to hear your moans more... Sing for me a chorus of pleasure..."
Troya shivered for a moment; the lady of the house was clearly not done with her yet...
[-]
"Well then, come on now, M'Lord, we are waiting for you." Helia let off as she bend over the edge of the tub, smiling back at me. Laying on the redhead's back was Kinna, bent over the other maid with their asses and pussies over one another; stacked in a most pleasing manner. I took a moment to admire the view as both girls looked back at me. I chuckled once Kinna started shaking her ass to get my attention and stepped in. If nothing else this would fulfill the Ur section of the 'fuck women' part of my quests and knock two of ten from the 'fuck ten women not escorting me around' part as well. I drove into Helia first; if only to further tease a now pouting and whimpering Kinna.
Helia moaned as I filled her sex with my dick but I set a thumb to Kinna's sex at her clit, rubbing it softly to get her to moan along with her fellow maid. I rammed myself into her, sure she could take it, and didn't go that easy as I watched both of their bodies jiggle and rock with my thrusting. I groaned softly, smiling a bit before slipping my cock free of her and moving it to Kinna's sex, roughly pushing it into her. She moaned out as I moved my hand to toy with Helia's clit as I started to rut the blue haired girl now, watching her ass jiggle with each thrust into her. By contrast to Troya's massive ass these two had rumps more my size; sizable but not too big.
Although I still loved Troya's treasure trunk.
I slammed my dick into them one then the other, doing my best to both get the girls off and pace myself at the same time. I panted softly, listening to Kinna moan deep and long as I slammed into her, swapping back into Helia. I kept going at the redhead's clit with a finger as I slammed into her, hearing her squeal hard under me. I picked up my pace a bit until she started to clamp down and squeal, shivering under Kinna who gasped. I pulled free and pushed back int Kinna, starting a bit slower as my finger moved to her sex, rubbing her clit firmly.
Recalling her trait I moved my hands to her ass, gripping firmly as I slammed deeper into her. I focused more on getting myself off now as she moaned and mewling under me, panting as she held onto Helia. Finally I climaxed for my second time, pushing my semen right up into her sex as she cried out, clenching down and moaning deeply under me, shivering hard over her counterpart.
I slid out of her and moved to sit on the edge of the tub, watching both girls pant with Helia's slowing as she recovered first. "Have we been enough of a distraction, M'lord?"
[Fucked List]
Kinna Saltfield=50xp x 5 First Time Bonus=250xp
Helia Fyne=50xp x 5 First Time Bonus=250xp
+20% Dark Horse of Eostia Bonus
Gain 600xp Total
[-]
The only unexpected thing that I noticed the next day was Troya was blushing a lot. I didn't know why, I didn't ask why. If she wanted me to know I'm sure she'll tell me about it. Once back on the road Prim confirmed what I suspected; Gregran had Cory try to woo her in an effort that was doomed to failure at the start or rather before the start, not just because Prim was (Not publicly) taken but that Cory was taken; it seems he had his eyes on a local merchant's daughter and by all accounts she was taken with him. If anything, rather then woo Prim he asked for advice on how to better impress his desired love which I found quite touching.
Miria joined me in my carriage this time as did Ur'Akara leaving Riri in the other carriage with Aeris and Carmen and talked about her time. Terry seemed to soften up on her mostly... Although it seemed to mostly be after Ipo yanked her top down. She scolded him gently and just took it as an accident. I... Wasn't so sure, but I don't think correcting that idea would do her any good to be honest.
Once more I decided to focus mostly on my plans to come... Although this time the girls were content with gossiping for the time being.
I was sure that would change sooner or later...
[-]
While currently in a downturn with their iron mines running low and new ones yet to be found, the Duchy of Greenwave had spent it's wealth well into textiles, tobacco and a growing rum industry to mostly make up for the shortfall. It is clear that they will weather their problems well enough, in my opinion. Greenwave is famous for their horses, however, and in turn their cavalry. Regardless of light or heavy, their horse mounted units are Ur's finest and among Eostia's best. The territory takes it's name from the vast, grassy fields in it's southern and mid-regions which were perfect for raising and breeding horses of a most superior caliber.
While the ruling House of the family Onglave once bore a gray shield with a glaive on it was changed some six hundred years ago to it's current form as their cavalry became more and more important to their military forces, doubly so with the conflicts with Garan. While not on the border it's close proximity to the Kingdom of Balanar means they are among the first responders if things were to go wrong with that rival nation as well.
Boasting a small border with Camafran to the west and easy trade with that kingdom means no lack of wealth flows in, and through it north east to the Grand Duchy. Because of this one of their main focuses is patrolling the roads for bandits; indeed the western and northern hills are known to hide many a highwayman seeking easy coin and gold. Worse, with the slave Barony of Delconna to it's southwest coin isn't the only thing the cutthroats will be after. The sale of flesh tempts others into making easy gold...
Indeed, safety of the citizenry is a common concern of the Duchy's forces...
~Dominic James Pencraft, The Eostia Historia
[-]
It has been another three days on the road since leaving the Barony of Pinewall.
Naturally the girls have been 'entertaining' themselves with my dick along the way with the lone exception of Ur'Akara who was satisfied with just watching the fun for the time being as Miria and Prim took turns. At least it's a bit more XP... And not a bad way to spend time either, if I am to be perfectly honest.
The fields of pine trees thinned along the road and as we entered Greenwave those forests thinned further and further until they were left behind us. Soon the road was surrounded by large, green fields of tall grass with the odd tree (Not pine) sticking out. In the distance you could see a herd of horses running along in formation under the midday sun of various colors and shades. You could see some gentle hills off towards the north but based on what I knew there were more, steeper hills to the north of them in Greenwave; by contrast we were coming south into the Duchy's east before turning westward, avoiding them and riding on flat ground on a well maintained road.
For the most part it was a smooth ride for the lot of us. At the moment I was reading one of the tomes I had bought in Stonewall and learning all I could, as was Miria and Prim; although they read some sort of romantic novel with matching covers and names (The Knights of Wereagell and the Maidens of Nyaru), stopping to chat about it now and then, blushing at the odd bit here and there and almost comparing notes about the characters. That was how the trip was meant to go...
So of course something came up.
Miria's ear perked up on her head before the rest of us noticed anything was amiss, Ur'Akara's following right after. "Heard something?" I asked them once I noticed this as Miria quickly looked at me.
"Someone was screaming on the road, I just heard it." She told me as Prim sucked in a breath, reaching for the window at the door and opening it, looking out to Troya.
"Miria's ears picked up something. Be alert and tell everyone to make ready to fight." She ordered calmly, although her voice did waver a little. Books were put away and the table set down, folded to the wall opposite of the door. Weapons were readied in the carriage (Although we couldn't draw them given the lack of room, save Prim's wand) and I could hear Troya send out the scout and alert the other carriages. Looking out the window I could see the door of the carriage ahead of us open before I saw Aeris fly out, standing on her staff and taking off forwards; my guess is the screaming came from ahead on the road; likely a traveler or two under threat.
I opened the door and used Levitate, but not to fly ahead but to make it easier to climb onto the roof of the vehicle; the diver glanced back to me but otherwise focused on the road. Unlike Aeris I couldn't really fly, not yet anyway. At least not without the vacuum effect of Gale Burst but if there was a fight coming up I'd need the mana. From my new position I could see the tall grass on both sides of the road. There were a few, scattered boulders on the northern side; but some distance away from the road. Using my new spell, Telescopic Vision, I got a better look at what was going on ahead of us.
I could see, indeed, a large, rough looking group of men surrounding a basic but well made wagon loaded with barrels. One younger man was on the ground and being beaten with kicks and stomps, another older one was already dead with a massive gash in his chest. There were two women there as well; one struggling on the ground with one man before she was stomped in the gut by another, having the breath forced out of her before they started to tear at her clothing, ripping it off of her. The other woman had her clothes torn off already and was on her knees, held by the hair by another woman; as rough looking as the bandits and I imagined a part of their gang.
I tried not to let my blood boil watching on as a burst of wind slammed into a group of the bandits, knocking many of them down and drawing the rest's eyes. I could see one crack his head on a rock and go limp as the rest started to get back to their feet. Aeris had arrived first and was attacking from the air, forcing them to turn their attention upwards. Aeris blasted at the female bandit with a Magic Missile, forcing her to abandon her prey to not get hit. I could see our escorts rush ahead; two moving to the north side of the road, two going down the south side and Troya and the other two going down the middle. The bandits started to run (By all accounts they had no means to strike at Aeris while she was in the air), moving north of the road as I channeled magic. I grinned a bit; as they were moving away from the potential collateral damage that now meant I had a very clean shot at them, even at this range.
I sent the biggest Scatter Bolt I could at the group of retreating bandits. The silver bolts sailed over the heads of the knights and rocketed towards the highwaymen and I guided them as best I could. They noticed a bit too late and started to spread but my attacks managed to cut down a large batch of them as Aeris send another wind blast down to try and stagger and suppress their ability to retreat. There was more screaming but now it was from the bandits and I could hear it, even from here.
As we got close enough I took to the air, hovering upwards to get a better view. The knights were moving into the grass to give chase and cut them off. My rise slowed as I channeled another Scatter Bolt, sending it off to the targets.
Using two spells at the same time was always a bit tricky but the 'toggle' sorts like Levitation was easier when it was one of the spells. It was mostly because you had to split how your mana was flowing for two different uses; when you had one that you just need to keep topped up (Like Levitation) it was easy enough to focus on using another spell that you had to channel (Like Scatter Bolt) once you got used to it. You could cast two spells that had to be channeled at the same time (Like, say, Fireball and Gale Burst) but it was quite tricky.
I tried it once. A healing spell helped regrow my eyebrows.
I send my next Scatter Bolt off, doing my best to guide the mass of bolts to one side before turning them into a flat line and sending it down to cross over the bandit's mass retreat. More screaming met my ears as the carriages slowed to a halt. The girls poured out of the carriages as I started to float down to the ground. Carmen checked on the man with the chest wound and shook her head; dead as I assumed he was. She moved to the other man, using her magic to heal his wounds and injuries. Prim and Miria moved to the girls to render aid as Riri and Ur'Akara moved onto the wagon, moving to keep watch. With the knights running down the bandits with Aeris' magical support I moved to the last body on the ground by the wagon; the bandit who cracked his head on a rock in Aeris' initial attack.
Mostly I did it to double check he was as dead as he looked which I confirmed when I knelt down and felt no pulse from him. As I did something caught my eye as I rolled the body towards me for a better view, looking to the side of his neck. "Well now... A Brazen Blade huh?" On the side of his neck was a tattoo; one of a downwards blade with a round pommel with an 'X' in it. To each side was a tribal style pattern that pointed out to each side; wing-like but not in a wing pattern.
"These bandits are so well known that M'Lord has heard of them? Even so far from Mungale?" Makoto let off as she walked over behind me. A glance told me she was also keeping watching to ensure we weren't jumped by any stragglers.
"No; The Brazen Blades aren't a bandit gang per-say. More of a... philosophy." I said as I stood up, brushing my hands on my pants. "You can ask later, for now..." I turned to look to my sister and my fiancee. "Prim, do you need a hand?" I asked as she looked back.
"We're fine, but these girls need something to wear." She told me as I nodded.
"Riri!" I called out, my maid nodding and hopping off the wagon to go back to the carriages and our luggage. She would return with two tunics, passing one off to Prim before going to the other one of the girls. Carmen would move over to check and heal the two women as the man stood up and moved to the other male of his group, gawking for a moment at the corpse before gritting his teeth and clenching a hand. It was about then that we heard the clopping of horse hooves coming over and I turned to see Troya and her knights return, Aeris riding her staff closer to us.
"Your Highness." The lieutenant let off with a salute. "We've slain most of the highwaymen but I think a couple eluded us in the tall grass."
"At the very least, I can't see them." Aeris huffed, crossing her arms under her bust as she floated closer to ground level on her staff. "But the knights ran down anyone who survived our bombardment. Even if there are survivors they'll be in no shape to harm anyone for sometime."
[Defeated List]
7 Highwaymen Grunts x 210XP=1470
3 Highwaymen Killers x 250XP=750
5 Highwaymen Slayers x 270XP=810
Highwayman Point Man=300
+20% Dark Horse of Eostia Bonus
Gain 3996XP Total
Level Up!
You are now Level 15!
+1 to Dex, Acc & Mnc
+1 to End!
+1 to Rap!
+2 RSP & SSP!
+5 UTP!
Well at least one good thing came from this.
"Oh gods, Daddy!" One of the girls (The youngest of the band) let off, moving to the corpse of the older man. I flinched; I already knew it was bad but that made it worse. "Daddy... Daddy!" She let off, shaking the body of the man.
"I'm sorry. Had we been able to arrive sooner, maybe something could have been done before..." Prim said, bowing to the people who were a family.
"Don't... Don't blame yourselves, M'Lady..." The young man let off (Observe told me they were Ronald, Kari and Wendy Plower a farming family; brother, mother and sister respectfully.). He looked at me; a fit lad around my age with a freckled face and brown eyes; maybe five eleven wearing just a brown tunic and black pants with basic, brown boots. "These bastards have been hitting roads up and down Greewave. Hells, I've heard they've been hitting Classa and Pinewall too."
"Damn..." I let off; Bold group to do that. He looked back to Prim shaking his head.
"If anything we're thankful... Even if..." He clenched a hand; he was keeping it together but I could see the tears at his eyes. His sister was bawling over the corpse as his mother looked ready to follow; shaking on her feet. "Even if Pa... He died doing what he could to protect us..."
"We understand..." Prim said softly, moving to him and setting a hand on his shoulder, smiling sadly. "I cannot pretend to comprehend in full your loss. We are on our way to Colt Ridge." For the record, Colt Ridge was the capital of Greenwave and where the Booster was to be placed. "You can join our caravan and share in our escorts protection."
"Th-thank you..." The mother said finally, wiping her tear streaked face. Like her son she bore blonde hair but in a bun, a modest chest size and stood an inch shorter then her son. "I am... I am Kari Plower. My son Ronald, my daughter Wendy and... My husband, Harburt..." She said as Troya started to walk over. I hadn't notice her dismount but she had gotten a blanket and set it down; another knight helping move the father's body into it.
"Prim Fiorire of House Fiorire." She said, introducing herself to their shock. Prim would introduce me next then the rest of us. They seemed too shocked to react to being introduced to the Princess of Ur. "Please, do not act in a formal manner; given the situation informality would be better suited."
"A-as you wish, your highness." Ronald said, gulping. Troya decided, it seemed, to load the body with the boosters as opposed to the family's wagon. Given the situation it made sense. "We aren't going to forget this; honest."
"I think I'll ride with them for the time being." I said, speaking up as I looked to Prim. "I doubt anyone would be dumb enough to jump a convoy with this much of an escort but you never know."
"I'll join you, in that case." Makoto said, patting her chest with one hand. "I am still curious of these Brazen Blades and two more guards will do even more to ward off anyone bold enough to think us a target." She said as I nodded to her once.
The family was still expressing thanks as myself and Makoto boarded their wagon, sitting atop the barrels. Riri would board our wagon with the boosters (And corpse now) in Makoto's place. Soon the family climbed on and joined our escort as everyone started to ride. There would be some, basic chatter (The barrels, as it turned out, was full of apple cider) before Makoto repeated her question with Ronald asking as well, likely to try and take his mind off what had just happened to them; his sister was siting with her arms about her knees in a fetal position next to him as their mother guided the horses.
"Okay, so you know the basics of Verlangen's rise and fall as I recall, right?" Makoto nodded and I looked back to Ronald who nodded as well. Wendy turned her head slightly to me as well and I thought Kari was listening in as well. "Right then. Well keep in mind that while the Seven managed to vanquish the man himself all of his aides, commanders and so on just didn't up and vanish into thin air; they were all still around and had to be dealt with in one manner or another. The most famous was Dreadrick Arblade who famously banked that the Emperor would fall to the Seven Shield Maidens in the Battle of Sulden at what is now Arndale and secure his own territory in the north and name it after himself; where Garan is now."
Makoto blinked and I heard Wendy turn fully to me. In truth most people didn't know much about the region of modern day Garan before it became Garan. "Some of them fled, others surrendered or swore loyalty to the Seven Maidens or fled north to pledge themselves to Arbalde for sanctuary and others would still fight on until the very bitter end. Now what I'm about to relate is based on a combination of rumor, guesswork, interrogations and a few, very sparse reports and found or intercepted documents available in education these days of the time. According to what is said fifteen of Verlangen's most loyal and fervent followers met in a location; said to be an old fortress that is now Castle Elddale. Five of his most loyal commanders, five of his closest bureaucrats and five of his best suppliers and merchants met there in a clandestine manner. At the time the local lords had died or fled north with only a handful of stewards with sympathies to the Empire keeping watch."
I leaned back, hands on a barrel as I carried on. "At the time the fifteen debated as to what actions they should take and divided into their three groups. The commanders believed that they had to carry on the fight in any way they could manage; believing in Verlangen's ideals of power, strength and of the strong having the right to rule the weak and do as they please, even after his final defeat. They wanted to wage war from the forests and hills; destabilizing the seven new kingdoms and build a new army to take Eostia from it's liberators. However the other two groups believed that it wouldn't work; the Seven had gained too much power and influence over the realm to be cowed and toppled by a handful of bandits and irregular fighters. In addition it was the Seven who toppled and defeated the Emperor himself, the world's strongest man; who could stand up to them if they could defeat even him?"
"Meanwhile the bureaucrats proposed a much longer term plan they thought would work; that they infiltrate the higher positions of the new kingdom." I said as Makoto's eyes rose up slightly. "They would seek positions of power; to wed into nobility, to become chancellors or politicians of note, maybe even leaders in the church. And through these positions insert Verlangen's ideals and beliefs into the new kingdom and undermine Eostia's ideals from the inside. The other two sides criticized the plan as it would take generations if not centuries or even millennia to complete. They believed it would take far too long and would fail simply because the reigns of the fallen emperor's ideals would need to be taken by each following generation without fail and with as little notice as possible."
I adjusted my posture for a moment before carrying on. "The merchants decided that the Empire had fallen and there was no bringing it back despite their wants and wishes; that even if Verlangen's ideals were to be brought back, even if a new empire was formed on those ideals the fact was that the Emperor was now dead, gone and not coming back and his empire would not return to it's original state. To them it was better then to carry his best ideals onward like a torch and rid themselves of the weaknesses of the old order and the failures of the old ideals. Not to bring back the Empire but carry it's legacy onward to the people of the new nation in a new form, in a better form. Naturally the other two groups criticized them for just plain giving up on the Empire and turning their back on their shared ideals, that they would do nothing more then peach like a priest of some religion and not rebuild what was torn down by the Seven."
"In the end the three groups found that they could not come to an accord of any sort. All three, at least far as the story goes, couldn't decide on anything; not a leader, not a purpose and not anything resembling a united course of action. Unable to put up a united front and unable to decide on an heir to Verlangen in the end the three factions came to the only agreement they could manage; to each go their own ways and take one part of Verlangen's banner as their own. The merchants would go off and become the Undying Skulls and take as their emblem a skull with a fist on the forehead. They vowed to carry on Verlangen's ideals to the common man and keep them alive and ensure his legacy lived on in some way and do their best to improve upon those ideals."
In truth if I had to describe the Skulls to people in my old world I would compare them to people who flew the Confederate Flag and used it as a symbol of rebellion, independence or just for the ascetics. In short; a mostly harmless group of people who just enjoyed something historical for better or for worse and with the same positive and negative associations. Supposedly there was supposed to be a sizable, if quiet and helpful, community of Skulls in central Ken. Of course with any groups there were bad apples and troublemakers, so it's not like they were totally harmless. I then carried on with the explanation.
"The bureaucrats, meanwhile, vowed to take on their generations long quest to undermine the Seven Kingdoms from the inside. They would form the Cloaked Crowns and as an emblem took on a golden crown with three bolts of lightning and five rubies on it as their own emblem. While no one knows exactly what happened of them it's assumed they're still around, trying to upset and overthrow Eostia's ideals if nothing else while planning from within the shadows; hidden from plain view."
If the Skulls were mostly harmless guys who would fly a Confederate Flag and wave it for the fun of it then the Crowns were most like communist spies and propagandist from the Cold War; seeking to influence political and public opinion in more subtle and less direct ways. In my opinion they were the most dangerous of the three factions simply because they were a hidden enemy inside of Eostia itself; it was much more difficult to fight an enemy that's within then without. The one good thing I can say is over two thousand years they've made little headway, if modern day Eostia was an indicator. If anything with the vast reduction of the amount of slave states since the founding of Esotia it could be said that they were suffering a gradual backslide.
"And at last the commanders would create the Brazen Blades; choosing a sword with bladed wings as their emblem. They started to form bandit groups to raid and disrupt the kingdom but met little initial success and were beaten back by the Eostian forces. The group is said to have splintered in two some years later; one group carrying on with the banditry and the other forming mercenary orders to, perhaps someday, have the numbers, power and wealth to one day challenge Eostia. Despite this fracture both groups would use the same emblem and carry on the same ideals."
If the Skulls were the equivalent of mostly harmless rednecks flying a dead flag and the Crowns were like communists pushing a failed ideology then the Blades were something akin to a terrorist group that focused on stealing and raiding. Not as dangerous to the nation as a whole as the Crowns, but they were a more immediate threat to the people of the nation. In addition fighting the Crowns was by it's nature a tricky game of political chess but the Blades were more straightforwards to deal with; just go and fight them and stab them until they stopped moving. That's not to say they were easy to deal with; they survived after two thousand years of various parts of the Eostian Military trying to stamp them out and they somehow clung on.
"It's said the three factions don't work with or against each other; just trying to reestablish Verlangen's empire in their own way." I said, finishing the tale. "Despite their efforts, however, they've had no luck in subverting Eostia; at least not that I can see."
"I see... Are all bandits in Eostia a Blade?" Makoto asked as I shook my head.
"No, no they're not. There are bands made up only of blades, some have only one or two but most don't have any." I replied. "After all, being a Blade isn't a prerequisite to being a bastard."
"Yeah... It ain't..." I could hear Ronald sigh out.
[-]
A three hour ride later we arrived in the city of Colt Ridge. Unlike the city walls of Argon or Stonewall and unlike the walls at Needlepoint the walls weren't white washed or colored in any fashion; the walls were just bare, gray stone. No color, no decoration, no attempt to pretty it up and just looking imposing in it's odd practicality. Over the city gates was the Onglave family banner; it was a shield with a gold outline trimmed with black on both sides. From the middle to both sides it angled down before angling hard back in, curving in slightly before angling back down to a point. In the center was a gray lance with a darker gray center pointing upwards with a gold handle with blue, upwards stripes. Crossed over the lance was two sabers with gold, D-guard handles with blue, horizontal stripes along the grip, both blades with lighter gray edges and a darker gray center.
On either side of the weapon, facing away from it, was a pair white horse emblems outlined in black. And in the bottom of the shield, inside the wedge the point made, was a lighter green patch with waves at the top, clearly meant to be grass.
[ONGLAVEEMBLEM]
Inside the walls the houses were also plain; study stone buildings built of uneven stones held together with mortar or common brick. A few buildings were made of wooden logs like cabins. The largest ones bore stone walls on the first floor but boasted log floors above them that extended the upper, wooden walls beyond the footprint of the building.
What decorations there were for each house was a series of brass plaques beside or above door frames and cloth banners hanging on poles sticking straight out of the second story of a house, parallel to the ground. Businesses bore wooden signs with the name and emblem of the shop and what it was but also bore a cloth banner under it. We arrived at the destination for the Plower Family and wished them the best. They stopped at a large, local pub and we unloaded the body of their dead loved one. They said they knew where he'd want to be buried and it was close to the city.
Once assured they would be fine we moved off to our own destination; the local Adventurer's Guild. After I met with the local administrator it would be right to work for me.
[-]
Hills Northeast of Colt Ridge City
Depleted Mine
Three men in woolen pants and crude, fur vests climbed up a steep hill along a well worn path. All three of the men were mildly unwashed; after all there were few good places to bathe in this place without a good hike. Entering the mine the trio navigated down the old shaft to a large chamber where several men gathered together. That the other men that had left with them had not returned with them was a bad sign to them. The men turned down a tunnel, walking over wooden planks; the tracks for mine carts long since removed. After coming into another chamber they turned once more down a tunnel that moved deeper underground. It was at the end of that tunnel where they reached a much larger chamber.
Like the rest of the mine several wooden beams were placed to help support the weight of the earth over them. Torches lit the room and various smoke stones on the ceiling drew in and dealt with the smoke from those torches. A few men gambled and drank at tables set up around the chamber but it was the woman in the back that they approached. In the back was a large chair that was given extra padding in the form of layered sheets of wool, it's legs had been removed and the seat was attached to half of an old but sturdy barrel. Next to it was another barrel, this one acting as a table with a plate of jerky and a dinged, metal mug full of some drink; likely ale. The woman tore at a piece of her jerky in her mouth before taking a long gulp of her drink.
The woman herself stood at five foot nine when not seated, but in body type was overweight and could be called obese... If it weren't for the fact that while her gut was thick with fat and her neck formed a second chin she also bore arms and legs with clearly visible and thick muscles under the skin speaking of a level of strength and power that her belly otherwise hid and lied about. Her wild, black hair fell down to her waist and brown eyes looked at the men walking over to her. She was clad in a fur loincloth and closed vest that managed to contain bags of fat that resembled breasts on her chest. Her feet were clad in leather, fur trimmed boot and her left arm bore a layer of metal armor; it's plates starting at the shoulder and covering down to the back of the hand.
What was most unusual about her was her skin was colored pink with her nose being oddly wide, upturned and flattened slightly and she bore a set of slightly pointed but wide and flat ears.
"Well, well, you're back, he-he-he-he, snort." She let off taking another swig of her drink. "Ahhh! So you brought back that cider eh? Heh he he, snort-snort. Did we get some girls to sell too?"
"Ah, yeah, about that..." One of the men said, coughing into his hand. "A caravan with some knights and mages stumbled over us... We're all that's left."
"...What."
"Yeah; they hit us with mages just as we were about to tie up the women." The second man said as they withered under the woman's darkening glare. In reality they were going to have their 'fun' first, but she didn't need to know that. "But two carriages and a knight escort arrived. I saw two different kinds of house seals on them."
"I was on lookout; one of them was the House Fiorire emblem I'm sure of it." The third began. "And one of the people that came out of it had bright, pink hair."
"Princess Prim..." The fat woman said thoughtfully as she grabbed a piece of jerky. "And the other?" She said as she bit into it, chewing it slowly.
"I'm not sure. I don't know the seal I saw off hand." The lookout said, frowning in thought. "Blue background, dark yellow trim with three points on the top. Four stars, three along the top, one at the bottom. A white unicorn with a gold horn on the front."
"House Noxdecus... Snort. Who else was there?" The woman asked after swallowing her food.
"An elf in green, a halfling and cat girl in maid uniforms, another cat girl with a bow, some eastern girl with a sword and a man in blue leather. That's on top of seven knights on horseback and the drivers." The lookout listed off.
"Hmmm... So, it's not Baron Merlin or his wife... Must be their son then? Hmmm, snort..." She let off thinking. "As I recall Mungale is next to the Grand Duchy, but why are they riding together... Snort... I want scouts to head snort-snort out and figure out what they're doing here... They must have been riding out to snort-snort-snort Colt Ridge. Use the horses and get me answers, quickly..." The lookout nodded and moved to speak off to another group of men at one of the tables as another man walked over to her side.
"Hey, boss, what's on your mind?" He said. At six foot four he wore a suit of battered, black leather gambeson with a fur half cape hanging off of it. "You can't be thinking of picking a fight with a Shield Princess, are you?"
"Heh heh heh... Snort-snort. I admit, it is a gamble... But the prize is worth it... Imagine if we could sell her to King Xerander... How much coin we could make and spend, he he... Snort-snort..."
"And how much of Ur, hell, Eostia will come for our heads, loaded for bear if we do." He warned as she smirked.
"By then we'll be in Balanar across the border. After all..." She sneered, leaning over as she picked up another piece of her jerky. "He'll pay all kinds of money to have a leg up on that old cunt Celestine, wouldn't he? Snort-snort-snort... And since she's the weakest of the seven... Yes, it's worth the snort-snort gamble, he he he he he..." She let off as the man sighed.
"As you wish, Hog Queen."
[ - Author's Note - ]
Well I think here's as good as a place as any to call it.
I had wanted to do more in Pinewall but in the end I decided A) it was best not to drag it out too much and B) it would be better to set up a few things to come later. Honestly, it feels more like two smaller chapters combined into one. Some more lore was dropped, a new enemy has appeared and some fun was had. In the end a productive enough chapter, I think. Let me know what you think; comments and criticisms are always welcome.
Next time we have the Hog Queen to learn about and deal with. Until then!.
~~Eostian Scribe