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Chapter 1

I had performed a miracle, my first miracle as a God. At least, that’s what my interface had told me.

Special Occurrence: Miracle Performed.

My physical body never lasted too long, but it was going strong for the time being, and I could feel electricity pulsing through every vein as I tried to process what had just happened.

My beautiful priestesses were celebrating our victory in our battle against the gargoyles, and we had been engaging in a red-hot orgy for what felt like hours. As much as I wanted to examine the miracle, it was tough when four gorgeous women were naked and writhing around me.

Sex was part of the priestesses’ worshipping process, and one I was very happy to participate in.

The miracle had happened right as I came deep inside Celeste, the beautiful harpy. She had suddenly sprouted a new set of scarlet red wings to replace the ones the gargoyles had clipped, and she looked even more incredible than before. Her skin was a mosaic of ivory and red, and her fiery hair fell down over her shoulders as she stroked her new wings. She had glowing amber eyes, and her long limbs had wrapped around me perfectly.

Celeste was the newest of the group, and she hadn’t exactly been a believer in my Godliness from the start of our meeting. Who could blame her? Most of the time, I wasn’t in a physical body, and I looked down from above while using the view from my followers to expand my visual map of the world.

I had taken a while myself to work out what was going on when I had woken up in the convent. I had no memory of becoming a God, and no real knowledge of where I even was, so it had been a swift learning process, and I’d tried to come to terms with the world of magical beings and my Godly abilities.

I could guide my followers and communicate with them so long as they truly believed in me, but it wasn’t until I took to my human body form that Celeste had truly started to believe.

The other priestesses had been with me since the first day I had woken up as a God.

Penelope had been the most devoted from the start. The stunning naiad was pale blue, and soft blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders. She had created a healing river nearby the convent, and her gentle but determined personality made her a wonderful follower.

Nicola was the human of the group, and the brunette’s golden skin almost made her look otherworldly. She was stubborn and tough, but loved me as much as I loved her. Her gift with animals had really started to show, too, along with her epic abilities in battle.

Aleia was the other priestess who I was lucky enough to have worship me. The adorable fairy had freckle-covered skin and lilac wings that were sensitive to the touch. Even though she was gentle by nature, she was physically stronger than anyone I’d ever met, and she was a badass when she needed to be. The strawberry-blonde priestess was the perfect combination of caring and brave, and I had her creamy thighs wrapped around me in worship at this very moment.

We had been fucking for what must have been hours, and I knew it wouldn’t be long until I returned to my God form.

The fairy sat straddling me as I thrust up to meet her movements, and her lithe body wiggled around as she slid up and down on my cock. As Aleia bounced up and down on my erection, I felt delirious from pleasure. Her warm tunnel was so tight, and the fairy made little gasping noises as she moved.

I managed to focus enough to look over at the other three girls, though, who were taking it in turns to passionately kiss and explore each others’ bodies.

Penelope and Nicola lay on either side of Celeste, and it seemed that they were truly showing the harpy just how amazing worship could feel. The winged beauty had her head rolled back as the other girls played with her scarlet nipples, and Nicola started to pump her fingers in and out of the harpy’s pussy.

They had orgasmed so many times already that I was surprised they had the energy to keep going. Not that I was complaining, watching them was enough to make my head explode.

“Fuck,” I groaned as I watched the girls.

I knew I was close to what felt like my hundredth orgasm, and the room was filled with sweat and moans.

“Ohhh,” Aleia moaned as she started to shudder. “Oh, Jack.”

“Are you close?” I growled as I clung to the fairy’s small waist, and she nodded.

“I am about to--” she gasped, and she moaned as I gently rubbed the tip of her lilac wings.

It was enough to send her over the edge, and as I thrust one final time, we both came.

I felt warmth rush over me as I released my load deep into the fairy, and she wailed with pleasure while her wings shivered non-stop. The room was spinning as my climax took over, and my entire body was on fire while I pumped my sperm into her clenching pussy. Meanwhile, all of my other women were moaning louder and louder, and I couldn’t even catch my breath as my cock throbbed inside my fairy lover.

I panted for nearly a minute before I was able to catch my breath, and I rubbed sweat from my forehead as I finally regained the ability to open my eyes.

“Good girl,” I grunted as I stroked Aleia’s soft, freckled cheek.

“Thank you,” the fairy whispered as she clutched onto my shoulders. “I love worshipping my god, and I love it when you fill my womb with your seed.”

“I love it, too,” I breathed as I kissed her on her glistening forehead.

Then Aleia slowly slid off my cock, and I heard the cries of my other girls beginning to peak.

I looked over to see their bodies shuddering in ecstasy, and Celeste had both Nicola and Penelope playing with her pussy now. The harpy closed her amber eyes as she climaxed another time, and then a huge grin spread over her face as my two priestesses slowed their movements to help her come down.

“I love worship,” Celeste moaned as she kept her eyes closed and laid further down on the bed.

“Me, too.” Nicola smiled, and the brunette suddenly looked half-asleep.

Penelope yawned as she snuggled closer to the naked girls, and it seemed that whatever trance had kept the girls awake and fucking like rabbits for hours was finally wearing off.

“Goodnight, my lord,” Penelope murmured as she snuggled down. “I wish you could stay.”

“Goodnight,” I replied softly as the blue woman stroked her pregnant belly, which still showed virtually no bump at all.

I wished I could stay, too, and spend the night curled up with my devoted priestesses, but I could feel myself changing as Aleia slid over to the other girls and snuggled into Nicola’s side. The dizziness from my orgasms turned into that familiar feeling of leaving my physical body, and I felt more like a God than ever before as I began to drift away.

Then I watched my priestesses fall into a deep sleep, and my phantom gaze fell on Celeste.

The harpy had a dewy glow to her skin after her very first night of sex, and her scarlet wings were tucked in close to her back. My mind began to clear as I focused on the feathers, and I remembered how it had felt to cum inside the beautiful creature.

The red-haired harpy had been taken prisoner by gargoyles, and we had only just managed to get her out of their lair alive. She had understandably been dubious when the other girls told her about me, since she couldn’t hear or see me, and it was a hell of a task to earn her trust over the last week.

It had only taken a massive battle and keeping my women safe to convince her of my power, and after that, she had quickly come around to worshipping me with the others pretty immediately. The connection I had felt to her was incredible as she writhed on my cock for the very first time, but the wings that shot out from her back as I orgasmed had taken everyone by surprise.

My question was: was it the sex that had caused the miracle to come about, or was it her sudden devotion to me that had spurred it on?

My gut feeling was that it had been the sex.

After all, the miracle had happened at exactly the same time as I orgasmed, but after the miracle, it was like my women had suddenly become insatiable. They couldn’t get enough of me, and the mind-blowing sex had gone on for hours and hours, but I didn’t mind in the slightest.

One of my favorite things about the whole God business was my sexual superpowers. I could please all my women without ever wearing out or running out of sperm to ejaculate, and my priestesses certainly loved the whole worshipping process.

Still, I hadn’t been so distracted that my burning questions about the wings had disappeared, and I wondered if I would be able to perform more miracles now, or if I could choose when they happened.

Would I be able to gift miracles to those who deserved it?

If that was a new skill I had unlocked, it would surely mean that gaining new followers would be easy. I could reward the ones who already followed me, too, and really help people even more than I already had.

Luckily, I already had devoted followers beside the priestesses. The gnomes had quickly become a dedicated bunch, and they had helped us along the way as we built our convent up from the ground.

I was just beginning to wonder if I could bestow some miracles on the kind gnomes who were so eager to help out around here, but then my thoughts were interrupted by a sudden message on my interface.

Special Occurrence: New Life at Convent.

I already knew what that meant: one of the other women was pregnant.

Penelope had become pregnant so quickly after we met, and I looked down at the other girls and wondered who it was this time. I hoped it was Aleia, since she had seemed so keen to have sex last night that she had been writhing around with me for hours and hogging quite a lot of my attention. The adorable fairy was so kind and quick, she would make an incredible mother to my child.

I chuckled to myself, it was still absurd to think I was going to be a father, but I guess it wasn’t any crazier than waking up as a God.

That one would forever take the cake.

There had been strange puzzle pieces throughout my time in this new world, including a newspaper that described me as a massively successful CEO. I had stared down at the paper for longer than I knew as I tried to remember who I had been before all this, and what I had done in my past life, but I couldn’t put it all together yet. I couldn’t remember ever being a rich CEO, but either way, I was becoming more confident in my God form every day.

As long as I kept my priestesses safe and helped everyone I could, then I figured I was doing my job.

I decided to check the interface for any updates now that my women would most likely be sleeping the day away, and I was surprised to see that Celeste finally had stats along with the other women.

I grinned a bit as I realized that “converting a new priestess” had indeed meant taking her as my lover, and not just revealing my existence to her.

The scores always grew whenever a task or quest was completed, and I was so proud of how far the girls had come already, but as I mentally clicked on Celeste’s name, I was pretty blown away.

Strength: 3

Endurance: 3

Intelligence: 4 (high)

Perception: 2

Agility: 4 (high)

Special ability: Flame combat: Develops into flame embodiment: Level 4

If I had a mouth, I would have whistled. Those were impressive stats to begin with. It didn’t shock me that the harpy’s Agility was so high, with her incredible flying abilities. Clearly she was intelligent, and she had shown that with her need for me to prove myself rather than just believing whatever she was told. The ability to embody fire was also badass, and I couldn’t help but feel smug that I had such an awesome fighter on my team.

The harpy let out a soft snore, and as Nicola muttered something in her sleep, I scrolled through my God interface and examined another new addition that I hadn’t seen before.

It was a tab titled Armies, and it looked like there was currently only one complete section that I could mentally click through.

Armies > Gnome Army > Strength Level 4

There was no other information, and I furrowed my brow while I studied the tab hoping to see something else. I definitely hadn’t expected this development, but did this mean I had to collect armies now? How many exactly was I meant to gather, and why?

I was starting to wish there was an instruction manual for this whole interface, or at least a clear end goal, so I could see how far away I was from completion.

Gathering “armies” seemed to suggest I had a hell of a lot ahead of me, but at least I had one group on the list already.

The gnomes were a loyal and hardworking bunch to have around, and I didn’t hate the idea of more species and races becoming followers of mine. Everyone in the convent had different skills, and it had taken an essential mix of teamwork to build the place up. There was still a hell of a lot to be done, too, and time drifted past quickly as I studied the rest of the interface.

There was a new quest listed for me, and I read over it as the girls slept down below me.

Next Town Quest: Establish sustenance for convent.

I nodded in agreement, and I figured now that we had twelve mouths to feed, we were going to need something more sustainable than the apple tree and daily hunting excursions.

Reward Upon Quest Completion: Create Daily Metal Parts. Limit: Four total of the same part.

The rewards were growing more and more impressive. So far, my priestesses and followers had been working with any supplies they could gather while I supplied the tools they needed, but if I could supply them with more complex parts or even mechanisms, this would cut down on their building time. It also intrigued me to think of how many more things they could create with this added ability available to me, but we had to complete the quest first to find out.

I knew the girls would be up for the challenge as soon as they woke up. Working hard and expanding our home here was something they were always eager to do, and with the gnomes living among them, I guessed it wouldn’t take long before a long-term solution for our sustenance was established.

Time passed quickly as I scanned the forest surrounding my convent to be sure no gargoyles had shown up after our victory last night, but the place was peaceful and only filled with rogue animals and insects. After a while, I watched over my girls as I thought about miracles, and finally, Celeste gently opened her amber eyes.

“Jack?” she mumbled, and her scarlet wings began to unfold slightly as she sat up.

“I’m here,” I said, and my voice stirred the other girls as they stretched and yawned.

“What a beautiful night.” Aleia smiled as she sat up. “I hope you enjoyed your night of worship, Jack.”

“You know I did,” I laughed. “I think those strong fairy powers of yours kept you going well into the early hours of the morning. I hope you’re all well-rested.”

“Good morning, my lord,” Penelope mumbled as she pushed herself up onto her elbows. Her pale blue skin was glowing, and her blonde hair cascaded over her full breasts.

“What a night.” Nicola smirked as she rose to her feet. “I can’t believe we defeated the gargoyles.”

“I can,” I chuckled. “My priestesses are a force to be reckoned with.”

“All thanks to you,” Aleia said shyly, but she fluttered her eyelashes coyly as she spoke.

“So,” Nicola said as she placed her hands on her curved hips. “Are we going to talk about Celeste's new wings?”

The harpy smiled, and I realized I had never seen her full smile so huge before. Her pearly-white teeth lit up her face, and her amber eyes sparkled as she stroked the scarlet feathers.

“It was a miracle,” I said in my deepest, godliest voice. “I decided… it was time to bestow a miracle on my loyal followers.”

“You can perform miracles?” Nicola blurted out, and I had to laugh at her shocked tone.

“He is a god, Nicola,” Penelope sighed with a haughty glance. “Oh, Jack, how wonderful that you blessed Celeste with this gift. You are a most benevolent lord.”

“Will we all get to see more miracles?” Nicola asked excitedly. “How many can you do in a day?”

“That is not something I could explain so easily,” I replied, and I just hoped that was mysterious enough to work.

Because it was true, I couldn’t explain how the miracle happened. It just came out of nowhere, and I had no clue how to harness that power on purpose yet, but I was confident I would learn.

After all, I had picked up all my other godly duties with ease.

“I don’t know how to thank you,” Celeste said quietly. “Really, Jack, what can I do?”

“Just be with me,” I said. “As one of my priestesses, you will do more than enough to repay me.”

The harpy smiled to herself, and she silently rubbed the soft feathers of her wings before she got to her feet. The girls chatted as they pulled on their new dresses, and I enjoyed the show as they made themselves a little more decent.

“I’ve been thinking about our growing numbers,” I said as they combed through their hair. “With the gnomes around, and a child on the way, we need a more reliable form of sustenance.”

I didn’t mention there were technically two children on the way, because I really wasn’t positive which of my women were pregnant after last night. It didn’t seem very god-like to not know who I’d knocked up with my holy seed.

“Oh, yes,” Penelope agreed as she rubbed her belly. “My lord, we will need proper nutrients for our little one.”

“Exactly,” I agreed. “As we build our home, we’ll need a more permanent solution in terms of sustenance. I’m sure we can form some ideas of how to do that.”

“Babies probably can’t live off apples.” Nicola nodded. “Even holy babies.”

“I agree,” I chuckled.

“So, how will we do this?” Nicola asked as she smoothed down her skirt. “We can only do so much with our hunting and gathering.”

“I’ll help you to work it out, don’t worry,” I replied. “But for now, I thought we should upgrade our weapons. You all fought incredibly well last night, and it made me think practicing with other options would serve you all very well. We can consider the task of managing your sustenance on our quest into Evelhelm.”

“A quest into town?” Penelope gasped with glee.

“New weapons?” Aleia squealed as she fluttered her wings.

“I would certainly love that,” Celeste said with a grin.

“Me, too.” Nicola nodded. “But we’ll need to make sure the gnomes can guard the convent.”

“I’ll take care of that,” I said, and I was suddenly with Elowise, the elderly gnome woman.

She was outside in the morning air, and the sky above was still a hazy orange as the sun rose. The gnome had a basket full of apples at her side, and she hummed to herself as she shined them up on her sleeve.

“Elowise,” I said softly. “How are you?”

“Oh,” she said and slightly startled. “Good morning, Jack. Don’t mind me, I’m just trying to earn my keep.”

“You have done more than enough already,” I chuckled. “Your efforts with those catapults were insane.”

“You do truly speak in an odd way.” The elderly gnome smiled. “I left some apples outside the sleeping quarters for the priestesses. I imagined they might be hungry after such… a large battle.”

The old gnome had a knowing smile on her kind face, and I guessed she knew exactly how much exercise we had really gotten the night before.

“I was hoping you would look after the convent this morning,” I continued. “I fully trust you and your family to keep everything in order, and we’ll be back soon enough.”

“Of course,” Elowise replied. “I’m honored you would ask that of us. Where are you going?”

“Over to Evelhelm,” I replied. “I want new weapons for the priestesses, and we need to consider how to provide more food for the convent.”

“I have full faith that you’ll work it out,” the gnome said with a soft smile, and then she gasped as her gaze fell on the priestesses who emerged into the morning light.

Now dressed in their new outfits, the girls had weapons slung over their shoulders in the form of crossbows, and Aleia had a mace clutched in her delicate hand.

Celeste’s wings seemed to glow under the sunlight, and I could see clearly that there were multiple shades of red on each feather. She always looked beautiful before, but with her wings fully grown, she was absolutely stunning, and I couldn’t remember ever seeing a creature as starkly feathered as her.

“My lord,” Elowise whispered. “Her wings. How… how is that possible?”

“It was a miracle,” I said as the girls approached.

Even though it was true, I felt strange saying it out loud. I could still hardly believe I had performed a real miracle.

“Good morning,” Penelope said brightly, and I noticed the girls each had a gleaming apple in their hands.

“Did you leave us these?” Aleia asked as she bit into the fruit. “That’s so sweet of you, Elowise.”

“My pleasure.” The gnome smiled, but she kept her eyes on the harpy.

Celeste seemed to be standing with more confidence than she had before. Her sculpted chin was held high, and she had a playful grin as she bit into her green apple.

“So,” I said. “Ready for a road trip?”

“My lord?” Aleia tilted her head. “Do you mean quest?”

“Yes,” I laughed. “That’s exactly what I mean.”

“Ready to go.” Nicola nodded. “If I get something new and shiny to kill gargoyles with, I’ll be happy.”

“And I can try out my wings.” Celeste grinned. “Maybe Aleia can join me for some flying.”

“I would love to!” the fairy squeaked. “I might not be able to keep up with you, though, I have a feeling there is a lot of strength in those feathers.”

“We should get going,” Penelope said. “We want to get there as early as possible, in case all the good weapons are gone.”

“I don’t think they’re going to sell out,” I chuckled. “But I do like the enthusiasm.”

The naiad flicked her blonde hair and looked pleased with herself at my approval.

Then there was a sudden bark, and Thunder the puppy raced inside from outside the convent wall. The slobbery mess of a dog tumbled over toward Nicola, and he jumped onto the brunette with an excited howl.

“Good morning,” Nicola cooed as she scratched the dog’s ears. “What a good boy you are.”

The dog licked her face, and she giggled as she wiped drool from her cheek.

“Where was he?” Penelope asked. “He should probably stay in the walls to be safe. He’s so very young!”

“He can take care of himself,” Nicola replied. “Can’t you? I want you to stay here for now, though, boy. Help keep this place safe.”

The dog tilted its fuzzy head to the side and then gave a confident bark as he held a paw up. Nicola grabbed the foot and shook it, and the dog raced over to the gate where he positioned himself facing out.

“Did he understand you?” Celeste asked with wide eyes.

“No…” Nicola said in a very unsure voice. “I mean, I don’t think so? Coincidence, right?”

I studied the young pup at the gate, and he definitely looked like he was on guard duty. Nicola’s powers with animals were surely getting stronger.

“Best hurry along, then,” Elowise said. “Make sure to keep your wits about you. I know how powerful you are, Jack, but the forest is always full of surprises.”

“I will watch over the women,” I assured her. “Luckily, I have four priestesses who are more than capable of defending themselves.”

The elderly gnome smiled approvingly at the girls and gave them a quick wave before she turned to get back to her work. I watched for a moment as Elowise grabbed a weed from the ground and pulled it out with a satisfied nod, and then she grabbed another two as she glared at them like interlopers.

“Quest time!” Nicola declared, and I couldn’t help but laugh as she strode toward the exit of the convent.

“Someone’s keen.” Penelope smiled as the rest of the girls hurried behind.

“What can I say?” Nicola shrugged. “Our master really outdid himself with rewarding us last night. I thought I would be tired after all that worshipping, but I have more energy than ever.”

“Aleia must be especially tired,” Celeste giggled. “For a small fairy, you really do have a lot of… energy.”

The girls all giggled, and it warmed my non-existent heart to see them all getting along so well. The harpy strode alongside the priestesses as if she had been part of the group all her life, and she even nudged Aleia playfully as they laughed.

“So,” Nicola said. “I’m thinking we find weapons so huge we can barely lift them.”

“The bigger, the better!” Aleia cried out as she hovered along beside the group.

My priestess left the convent walls, and I quickly scanned with my God vision to make sure there weren’t any threats lurking nearby. It seemed that there was nothing more threatening than a few rabbits in the nearby trees, and the perimeter of the convent was secure.

I was relieved since I had half-expected a new army of gargoyles to be slowly creeping up on us now that a new day had begun.

We left the limestone walls behind us and headed off on our way to the town, and I followed along with the four women while I continued scanning the woods on either side of the road, just in case.

“How much gold do we have left?” Penelope asked as the girls walked quickly along the tree lined road.

“Plenty!” Aleia sang as she jingled the small pouch on her waist. “The armorer will be so pleased to have our business.”

As we traveled along the familiar route to the elven town, Celeste started to stretch out her new wings.

“Ready to fly?” I asked, and the bird-woman nodded.

“We’re headed straight along this road,” Aleia said. “You can fly ahead if you want?”

“I’ll stay with you all,” the harpy replied. “I just want to try them out.”

With that, Celeste suddenly shot into the sky with an excited shriek of happiness, and I joined her as she soared upward. Her fiery hair tumbled behind her as she hurtled up toward the fluffy clouds, and the bird-woman gasped as she stopped to hover.

“I thought maybe I would need to take my bird form for them to work again,” she said. “But they work perfectly just as I am. It’s as if they were never even clipped!”

Celeste’s entire body glowed as she spun around and twirled in the sky. The sun had almost fully risen, and she stared over the treetops at the distant mountains as she flapped her wings.

“Thank you, Jack,” she said gently. “I know I wasn’t exactly easy to convert, but words can’t express how happy I am that I’ve finally come to understand your glory.”

“I like that about you,” I replied honestly. “I know how intelligent you are, and it’s good to question things.”

“And that worshipping,” the harpy said as she nervously bit her lip. “I know… what I mean is… well, you know I’ve never done it before, and I just hope I did okay.”

My mind flashed back to the gorgeous harpy writhing on top of me, and the electricity between us as our bodies connected.

“You were incredible,” I assured her. “Everything about you pleases me, and you never have to worry about how I feel about you. Just enjoy those wings.”

“Oh, I will,” Celeste laughed as she did a front flip in the air.

The view from the air was breathtaking, and I wasn’t sure if I would ever get used to seeing the rustling treetops and misty mountains far ahead.

“You’re quiet,” Celeste said. “Is everything okay?”

“Just taking in the view,” I said, and the harpy laughed.

“A god,” she snorted. “Impressed with the view? You are mysterious, Jack.”

“That’s my job, right?” I laughed. “You may never understand all my ways.”

There was a sudden noise below us, and the harpy shot down to the ground to rejoin the other girls. I knew what was approaching without having to use my God Vision to travel further ahead. There were three small ponies trotting toward my women, and the riders were unmistakable with their deep-red skin.

“Goblins,” I muttered as the girls drew their weapons.

“Ahhh, a bit of morning target practice,” Nicola sneered. “If they know what’s good for them, they’ll turn back now.”

“You’ve fought goblins before?” Celeste asked.

“Oh, yes,” Penelope replied as she clutched her bow tightly. “It did not end very well for them.”

I could hear the sound of dirty cackles as the small horses approached. The steeds were various shades of brown and gray, and they trotted along as their riders pointed over at the priestesses.

“Well, well,” croaked the fattest of the goblins. “What do we have here?”

Their faces all looked sweaty, and they had pointed ears that stretched up beside their bald heads. The greasy little fuckers were grim to look at, and they wore black suit-like clothing that was torn and filthy. They looked the women up and down and sneered as they got closer, but I wasn’t too worried about the band of goblins.

Nicola and Penelope had their crossbows ready for action, and Aleia had her mace held high as she hovered at head height. The fairy gripped the leathery handle of her weapon, and her freckled face scrunched up as she glared at the approaching goblins.

“Easy,” I said to my women. “I’ve seen you all take down enemies a million times worse than this. Let them go if they don’t cause trouble.”

“And if they do?” Penelope asked.

“Then crush them,” I replied simply, and the naiad nodded as her pretty face took on a focused scowl.

“Don’t hurt the ponies,” Nicola added. “They’re innocent.”

“Look at the legs on that one,” one of the goblins scoffed as the horses came to a halt.

His grimy face leered at Nicola, and I hated the way his eyes looked her up and down slowly enough to memorize every inch.

“Keep it moving,” the brunette growled.

The goblins laughed, and it was a horrible croaking sound, as if they had smoked a thousand cigarettes for a century.

“Feisty, aren’t they?” the fat one cackled. “I like the blue one best. Nice curves on her. How about coming with me, gorgeous?”

“Never,” Penelope shuddered. “Now, we will ask you to move on once more, or you will suffer the consequences.”

“Consequences?” the shortest one snorted. “Aw, did you buy little weapons to look big and scary?”

“Not working,” the fat one chortled. “Especially that little fairy. Come here, let me stroke those wings and show you a good time.”

The red creature leapt off his horse and tried to snatch the fairy in the air, and he suddenly whipped a small dagger from his belt.

“I’ll tear that dress right off that pretty little--” he began, but then the fairy brought her mace down onto the goblin’s skull.

There was a horrific crunch as the metal smashed his head into a pulp, and bits of brain flew onto the nearby trees. The body crumpled onto the ground with a wet thud, and there was a moment of silence as the other goblins stared down at the corpse.

“You fucking bitch!” the short one screamed, and suddenly, the remaining two goblins leapt from their steeds.

Nicola smirked as she launched her bolt, and it flew directly into the short goblin’s neck. Blood gushed from the wound, and the creature made a vile, spluttering noise before he flopped forward onto the dirt.

Then Penelope sent her bolt into the last goblin’s forehead, and the poor bastard didn’t stand a chance. His skull split open like a watermelon, and his eyes rolled back into his bald head as he crashed to the ground.

“Nice,” I chuckled as I looked down at the bloody mess of bodies. “That’s what these fuckers get for messing with my girls.”

“They are so slimy,” Aleia shuddered. “Why are all goblins so vile?”

“It really is in their nature,” Penelope sighed. “Most unpleasant.”

“You guys did great,” Celeste chuckled. “I considered showing off a bit, but you all beat me to it.”

“Save the showing off for the big leagues,” I said. “You badass babes are well above being threatened by fucking goblins.”

“Badass?” Celeste asked. “What is that?”

“It means awesome,” I laughed. “Beautiful and tough at the same time.”

“Badass,” the harpy said slowly. “Yes, I like that.”

Nicola hurried over to the ponies who seemed utterly unbothered by their masters’ fates.

“Little angels,” the brunette said as she stroked the gray one’s mane. “You’re free to roam now. The land is yours. No more slimy little riders on your backs.”

The ponies whinnied, and the gray one nuzzled into Nicola’s chest before it turned and trotted off into the trees. They all hurried away as if they had been waiting for freedom their whole lives, and Nicola smiled as she watched them go.

Then the brunette turned back to the group and narrowed her eyes as she looked at Celeste.

“Everything okay?” Nicola asked. “Are there more goblins?”

I looked at the harpy to see her scowling up at the sky instead of the road ahead.

“I see something,” she murmured, and she hurried up past the trees, followed by Aleia.

I followed the flying women to see what they were looking at, and from way up here, I could see something strange off in the distance to the west. The orange glow of sunrise had gone, but there was still one patch of sky that had a warm tint.

It took a moment for me to realize that I was looking at a distant storm.

An orange, almost fiery storm. It looked oddly unsettling, but it was far away enough for us to carry on.

“Should we be worried about that?” Celeste asked, and I took a moment to consider.

“Not right now,” I replied. “If it gets any closer, we’ll figure it out.”

The harpy nodded and gave the storm a final glance before she carried onward along the road.

Aleia stayed staring at the sky for a moment, and her green eyes narrowed as she studied the orange hue.

I was still coming to terms with everything in this strange new world, and I had a lot to learn. I wasn’t too sure what storms should be like in a land like this, and I’d only encountered them during the night, but since arriving in this world, I had realized I had pretty good instincts.

And something about that storm made me feel uneasy.

Still, I had a quest to worry about, and four women to protect.

“Come on,” I said to the fairy. “Better get going. We’ve got an elven town to get to, and lots of new weapons to buy.”

Chapter 2

The strange storm in the distance played on my mind as we continued on toward Evelhelm. The girls chatted about Celeste’s new wings and the new weapons they would get, but I kept thinking about those orange clouds.

It was probably nothing to worry about, but I had a gut feeling something wasn’t right. Well, I would have, if I had a gut.

“My lord?” Penelope said. “You’re being quiet, is everything okay?”

“You’re thinking about that storm, aren’t you?” Celeste asked, and I had to admire her perceptiveness.

“I was,” I admitted. “But there’s no point worrying about that, it might be nothing. We need to focus on the task at hand.”

“Feeding the convent.” Aleia nodded as she fluttered her wings. The fairy sailed alongside the other girls, and the money in her coin purse jangled as she moved.

“I think we should purchase some chickens,” I said. “A supply of eggs would be good.

“Good idea,” Nicola agreed. “Maybe we could get some vegetable seeds, too?”

“I’m sure we can find some,” Penelope said with a nod. “We must have a wide variety of nutrients for the baby.”

The naiad stroked her belly and smiled to herself as we passed a grassy field. There were several goats grazing lazily in the sun, and I wondered if we should try and buy one to provide milk.

It wasn’t long until we passed the weathered sign that pointed us toward Evelhelm, and a small, yellow bird chirped as it rested on the wood. My priestesses walked onward and along the familiar stretch of farmhouses, and the sun glistened down on the colorful fields around them.

There were two elven women carrying baskets through one of the bright fields, and they gave my women a cheery wave as they passed. They both had cropped pink hair and wore pale blue tunics along with black boots.

My women responded with friendly waves and smiles, and the elves continued toward the farmhouses.

The journey to Evelhelm took noticeably longer on foot than when I had flown with Aleia, but the walk was pleasant. As the priestesses chatted and admired the view, it was difficult to worry about anything at all. It was a glorious morning, and the sun made the women’s cheeks glow.

Celeste’s wings were illuminated under the light, and it made the feathers look like they were on fire as the scarlet tones sparkled. The harpy kept glancing back at her wings and smiling, and that was all the thanks I needed for the miracle.

“We’re almost there!” Aleia said excitedly as she fluttered upward to get a better view.

We were coming to the top of a small hill, and sure enough, the town of Evelhelm sprawled out before us. The limestone buildings were illuminated with rays of morning sunlight, and there was already a steady bustle of travelers and locals amongst the streets.

I quickly used my God Vision to survey for any lurking gangs or highwaymen on the road leading into town, but it was clear. It just seemed like a casual morning in Evelhelm, and the priestesses hurried down the hill toward the town.

“Something smells good,” Nicola said as she sniffed the air. “It smells sweet, whatever it is.”

“Maybe we can use some of our money for a treat,” Aleia chirped as she clapped her hands. “If our master thinks that’s a wise idea, of course.”

“I think you’ve earned it,” I chuckled. “Let’s have a look to see what’s available in the market today.”

As the girls neared the town, several elf men walked past with sacks slung over their shoulders. They were all slim, with various shades of greenish hair, and a couple of them grunted in greeting as they passed my priestesses. One of the younger-looking ones stared at my women with his mouth open, but he hurried on by and flushed pink.

I couldn’t blame the elven lad, it was hard not to notice four beautiful women striding along with weapons slung over their shoulders and attire that barely concealed their nipples.

The girls strode down the town road toward the square and admired the rosebushes on either side. There were red and purple flowers blooming amongst the leaves, and even a lilac-toned one that matched Aleia’s wings. Another rose was an incredible blue hue that looked like it couldn’t decide whether to be dark or light, and as we passed, the color seemed to shift between the two.

It was small details like this that reminded me how different this world was compared to the one I used to live in. The color arrays were so striking, and I still wasn’t used to seeing hues I’d never even dreamed of back on Earth. I almost drifted off into deep thoughts about my past life, but I knew I needed to be vigilant in the town. Even though I had been here before, I had to make sure my priestesses who hadn’t were safe.

There was no doubt they were badass warriors in their own right, but I was their God.

It was my duty to watch over them.

Two elven women walked by chattering amongst themselves, they had wild purple hair and identical pointed faces. I figured they were twins, and even their yellow skirts and blouses matched. Their eyes fell on Celeste, and their jaws fell open as they stopped in their tracks.

“You’re gorgeous!” one of them called as the priestesses strolled past. “Are you a real harpy?”

“I am,” Celeste laughed. “Thank you, you are both beautiful, too.”

“I guess not many people have seen a harpy,” I said. “I expect you’ll turn a few heads on this trip.”

“It helps that she’s stunning,” Nicola muttered through a smirk. “Maybe people will pay us to see the rare, gorgeous bird-woman.”

“She’s not a traveling freak,” Penelope scolded, but Celeste snorted with laughter.

“I don’t mind,” the harpy laughed. “If it got us more coins for weapons, I would do that any day.”

“No you won’t,” I cut in.

“That’s right,” my naiad huffed. “No follower of Jack’s will ever--”

“I was joking,” Celeste sighed, and then she sent a blushy glance toward the sky. “You’re right, Jack. I would never do something like that.”

“Good,” I chuckled.

“So, after we buy weapons,” Penelope piped up, “perhaps we could visit that clothing shop? The one you visited with Aleia and found us those beautiful dresses?”

“Windra’s!” The fairy said. “Oh, yes, please! Just for a little peek!”

“Oh, really?” I laughed. “Just for a browse?”

“Of course.” The naiad smiled. “I know how our lord likes to see us in new dresses.”

“We could try on some new things for you, Jack.” Nicola grinned. “Give you a bit of a show.”

The brunette wiggled her hips as she spoke, and I saw another passing elf man almost walk into a wall as he looked her way.

“It’s dangerous having you ladies out in public,” I snickered.

The girls shrieked with laughter and skipped along toward the town square. They rushed past the elven-owned clothing shop and toward some food stands that had a colorful array of wares.

The stalls were different to the ones Aleia and I had seen before, and there were fruits and cakes piled high everywhere.

A middle-aged elven woman stood behind the first stand, and she smiled at the priestesses as they crowded around her offerings. She had light-purple hair tucked into a plait, and she wore a pale green dress with a brown belt.

She certainly had the most variety of stock, and there were intricately decorated baked goods in packed rows. There were small, soft magenta buns with white frosting and thick slices of some sort of pink bread.

Her eyes fell on Celeste, and I saw her eyebrows lift as she studied the red wings. She didn’t say anything, but by her facial expression, I figured it was her first time seeing a harpy.

“Oooooh!” Aleia cooed as she sniffed the stall. “What a delicious smell!”

“Good morning.” The elven woman smiled. “Can I interest you in lavender cakes or sweet bread? All my very own family recipes.”

The girls hesitated for a second, and Aleia clutched onto her coin purse.

“Go ahead,” I said. “You can afford a few cakes.”

“I’ll have a lavender cake!” Celeste immediately said, and I couldn’t help laughing at her eagerness.

“Me, too!” Nicola nodded.

“I’ll have a sweet bread, please,” Penelope said as she licked her lips.

“As will I!” Aleia added.

The elven woman smiled as she placed each food item into a soft, clean handkerchief.

The women eagerly accepted their treats, and Aleia took out a golden coin for the elf woman.

“Oh!” the elven woman exclaimed. “Miss, this is far too much for just a few cakes! I don’t have enough spare change to give back to you, please take more for your trip!”

“Don’t worry.” The fairy smiled. “Maybe we can pick up some more food on our way out of town?”

“Of course!” the elf gasped as she quickly pocketed the coin. “Anything you like, I'll have some meats delivered shortly as well.”

“Wonderful.” Nicola grinned as she bit into her cake. “We’ll be back!”

The girls waved at the stall owner and slowly wandered past the other stalls as they picked away at their treats.

“This is amazing,” Penelope sighed as she wiped sugar from her chin. “I think the baby was craving something sweet.”

“Oh, really?” Nicola laughed. “Are you just going to use that whenever you feel like a cake?”

“Of course not!” the naiad protested, but she smirked slightly as she nibbled the pink bread.

The priestesses finished up their food just as they reached the armorer’s shop with the sword etched into the sign, and a goblin slinked out of the doorway.

Then he shot the girls a sneering glance as he strolled out into the square. His slimy, bald head glistened under the sun, and the girls wrinkled their noses as he hobbled by.

“Why do they always smell so bad?” Nicola muttered as she grabbed the door.

“I don’t know which is worse,” Celeste snorted. “The smell or the sight of them.”

“Now, be careful in here,” I warned as the women stepped into the armory. “Remember, the guy is a patronizing asshole.”

As my priestesses piled inside, I was surprised to see a young human woman behind the counter. She leaned against the wall with a book clutched in her hands, and she glanced up as the priestesses closed the door.

“Morning,” she grunted and begrudgingly closed her book as she stepped forward.

The woman had a strong, square jawline and was almost as tall as the guy who had worked in the shop last time. Her dark brown hair was tied into a ponytail, and she had biceps bulging out of her brown tunic sleeves.

“Hello.” Aleia offered her friendliest smile. “You weren’t here last time we visited.”

“My brother usually works here.” The woman shrugged. “But I know as much about these weapons as he does.”

“And won’t try to look up your skirts,” I muttered. “That’s my job.”

Nicola snorted, and the store worker gave her a curious glance.

“So!” Celeste said as she looked around at the packed shelves of weapons. “What exactly are we looking for?”

“There are so many options,” Penelope said as she examined a nearby display of daggers.

Her lips were puckered in an “O” shape, and her eyes were wide with wonder.

Nicola looked up above the door with a calculating look on her face, and her gaze fell on the weapon I had pictured her with before. A large flail with a deadly, spiked ball hanging off the end. It looked well-made and sturdy, and the brunette would be able to do serious damage with that in hand.

“Can someone get that down for me?” Nicola asked as she gaped up at the weapon, and her fairy friend hovered up to grab the flail.

“Ooooh,” Aleia cooed. “I can picture you bashing in some gargoyle heads with this.”

“So can I,” I said approvingly as the fairy handed the weapon to Nicola.

The brunette stood confidently with the flail as if she had been using one all her life. She posed with the handle held high, and I could just imagine the destruction that spiked ball could cause.

“Do I look good?” she asked as she tossed her long brown hair back a bit.

“You know you do,” I replied. “In fact, just picturing you fighting with that is making me excited for my next dream visit.”

“That settles it.” The brunette smirked. “I’ll take it.”

“Uh,” the shopkeeper replied, and she glanced around at my silent women. “That’s great, but… who were you talking to?”

I realized that nobody else had answered Nicola’s question, and it must have looked like she was just talking to herself. The brunette didn’t seem to care, though, and she placed the flail down on the counter with a smile and absolutely no explanation.

Penelope skipped over to a new stand that I hadn’t noticed before. It was packed full with large, glistening swords with various colored handles. The metal of the weapons glistened so much, it almost looked like it was moving in waves, and the naiad whistled as she admired them.

“Wow,” Aleia said as she hurried over. “What are those?”

“Ah.” The shopkeeper nodded. “Those are brand new from the blacksmith next door. Elven blades combined with the strongest steel in the land. Each one is unique, and I have reason to believe they’re enchanted.”

“Enchanted?” Aleia gasped. “What do you mean?”

“I can’t say anything for sure.” The worker smirked as she raised her hands. “But there was a rumor going around that the blacksmith elf was having it off with some traveling woman. She always had a dark hood, and she’s the one that dropped off those swords.”

“They do look incredible,” I said as I zoomed in on the display. “Take one out to have a look.”

Penelope reached down and grabbed the one with the blue handle, and she pulled it out into the light of the shop floor. The naiad looked more like a warrior queen than ever before, and she brandished the blade with her slender blue arms.

“It’s so light,” she gasped. “I can’t believe it. Oh, master, it’s wonderful!”

The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow but remained silent, and I silently chuckled at how strange the priestesses must have sounded.

Celeste reached into the sword display next and pulled out one with a golden handle, and she grinned widely as she examined the blade.

“I wonder what kind of enchantment is on it,” the harpy muttered. “Maybe something to make it indestructible?”

“We might just have to test them to find out,” Penelope whispered, and Celeste chuckled at the sweet naiad’s mischievous smile.

As the two women examined their swords, Aleia browsed the other offerings as she fluttered around the store.

“What do you think, Jack?” she murmured. “Any suggestions?”

As she rose higher off the floor, I noticed something that looked like a shield, and it was a deep-purple and carved into a triangular shape with a wide handle on the back. The thing that set it apart from other shields, though, were the three deadly spikes that protruded from the front. They were silver and gleaming, and on closer inspection, I saw they had multiple sharp ridges along the edges.

“Now, that could come in useful,” I said as the fairy picked it up by the handle. “With your strength, you could bash--”

“Wow!” she squeaked. “This is so pretty! So shiny!”

I chuckled at her glowing, freckled cheeks, but at that moment, the shop door opened, and the burly man we had met before came in. He glanced around at the women, and his eyes fell on the fairy pretty quickly. I expected a sarcastic remark about her size, or how she wouldn’t be able to carry the shield, but he gave her a nod and gruff greeting.

“That one’s good,” he grunted. “I guess you liked the other weapons, then?”

“Indeed,” the fairy sniffed in a haughty tone. “Surprised someone so small didn’t die from the weight of the mace?”

The man sighed and plodded behind the counter to join his sister.

“You a harpy?” he bluntly asked as he stared at Celeste.

“Yes,” she replied flatly. “Is that an issue?”

“Nope.” He shrugged. “Just never seen one before. Didn’t know they were pretty.”

Celeste smirked and rolled her eyes, and the shopkeeper’s eyes hovered on her scarlet and ivory arms. He quickly looked away when Nicola cleared her throat, but to be fair to the guy, there wasn’t much of the shop that wasn’t taken up by gorgeous women.

“Give them a discount,” the man grunted. “Repeat customers, bought shit-loads of stuff. Might keep spending if we’re nice.”

“We certainly will,” Celeste replied as she grabbed the scabbard for her chosen sword.

“Everyone happy with their purchases?” I asked.

“Super happy!” Penelope smiled.

“Aleia?” I checked.

“Very much!” the pretty fairy chirped.

“Uh, okay,” the male shopkeeper said. “That’s good.”

Celeste and Nicola smirked, and I knew it was killing them not to burst out laughing at the unheard conversation.

“Let’s make it six hundred gold pieces,” the lady shopkeeper said. “That’s fifty off.”

“What about five-fifty?” Celeste asked with a firm, but friendly tone. “Since we plan on coming back if the price is right.”

“Fine,” the male shopkeeper grumbled. “But that’s as low as I’ll go.”

The harpy grinned and nodded in agreement, and I couldn’t help admiring her bargaining skills.

Aleia pulled out her purse and counted the coins onto the table. Then the priestesses called their goodbyes to the staff, and they headed back into the sunny morning with their new collection of weapons.

Penelope and Celeste had their new scabbards hanging from their waists, and the hilts of their enchanted swords glistened in the sun. Nicola had her flail slung over her shoulder, and I couldn’t take my eyes off the golden-skinned beauty or her confident stride. Aleia sang happily as she slid her new shield over her strong arm, and it hung perfectly beside her lilac wings and made her look like the last fairy in the world I wanted to mess with.

“Now, some new dresses?” the fairy asked as she fluttered her eyelashes.

“It depends,” I said. “How sexy are we talking?”

“Well, the weather is glorious,” Nicola observed. “So… I’m thinking of something super light and short.”

The brunette clearly knew how good she looked with her flail slung over her shoulder, and she smirked as she strutted back toward the clothing store with her long tan legs glistening in the sun.

“Hmmm, how short?” I asked, and the girls all giggled.

“Jack, we can’t talk about dirty things here,” Aleia whispered. “Someone will hear us.”

“It just sounds like girl talk,” I snickered. “Nobody will think you’re talking to me.”

Aleia blushed bright pink, and the other women nudged her playfully while she pursed her lips shut.

A wind had started to pick up as we made our way across the square, and the leaves of the rosebushes rustled as the girls approached the clothing store. Celeste reached the door first, and she pushed it open to step inside.

There was a gasp as the harpy entered, and Windra stopped hanging up a dress to gape at her.

The teenage elf had her purple hair tied into two plaits that fell down her shoulders, and her pointed ears had silver studs pierced in the lobes. She wore a navy blue tunic, and brown boots sat at the end of her skinny legs.

“H-Hello,” the young elf stuttered. “Sorry, I just… I have never seen wings like that before.”

“They are rather special,” Celeste replied as the rest of the priestesses piled inside, and she stroked her regrown feathers with an adoring smile.

“Oh!” Windra said as Aleia entered. “It’s you again!”

“So nice to be back,” the fairy gushed. “These are my friends I told you about! We were hoping to have a look at some more of your beautiful clothing.”

“Of course,” the young elf said. “Have a look around, you can try stuff on in the back if you like! We have a new changing section.”

There seemed to be far more options than the last time we had visited, and the priestesses immediately started to browse through the various garments that were hung up around the limestone room. The young elf got to work pulling various pieces out, too, and she eagerly showed them off to the priestesses.

“This is cute,” Penelope said as she held up a silky, silver skirt against herself.

“Oh, I love that one.” Windra nodded. “It is so soft, and the material feels amazing against the skin. Keep in mind, anything can be altered for the ladies with wings, and it’s no extra charge.”

Celeste and Aleia sent the young elf a pair of grateful smiles, but I kept my focus with Nicola as she grabbed a short, bronze dress and stroked the material.

“Try it on,” I urged her. “I want to see what that looks like on you.”

“Of course, master,” she whispered in a sultry tone, and phantom chills ran through me. “I’m just going to try this on, Windra. Is that alright?”

“Certainly!” the teenage elf replied. “Just through the back there!”

Nicola carried the garment past the fireplace and through the doorway into the back of the store. There was a short corridor that looked like it led into a workshop, and another that led into a dressing room. The brunette headed into the dressing room, and she closed the black curtain that hung from the ceiling. The space was hexagon-shaped, and each wall had a tall mirror so patrons could see themselves from all angles.

Nicola hung the bronze dress up and then began to remove her skimpy, silky dress. She made a show of wriggling out of the white material, and I groaned as I watched her glorious breasts appear. Her golden skin shone in the mirrors, and she grinned at her reflection as she pulled the dress off the hanger.

“Let’s see how it looks,” she purred and pulled the bronze material over her head.

The dress fell perfectly over her curves, and I wasn’t ready for how devastatingly hot she looked. The neckline plunged down to show off her perfect cleavage, and the rest clung to her curved hips. The skirt half-draped down just past her ass, and the material swung teasingly with each movement.

“Fuck,” I muttered.

“Does my lord like it?” Nicola asked coyly.

She ran a hand over her chest as she spoke and smoothed down the bronze material.

“I am going to do bad things to you when you wear that,” I growled. “Buy it. Buy it now.”

“You sure?” the brunette asked. “I want to be absolutely sure you like it.”

“I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life,” I said. “The sooner you buy that and get home, the sooner I can visit you.”

Nicola giggled, and her tanned cheeks flushed as she quickly got changed back into her other outfit. Then she carried the dress back out to the shop floor, and the other women all had clothing items clutched in their hands.

“We’ll show you them back at the convent,” Penelope hummed lightly. “We wanted to surprise you with our choices.”

She cleverly directed the words at Nicola, but I knew from the brief and flirty glance that she sent toward the ceiling that she was talking to me.

Windra happily packed the clothes away in a dark silk satchel, and she proudly presented it to Nicola.

“I got these new bags,” the elf said with pride. “I think they’re a nice touch for customers to carry their clothes.”

“Thank you.” The brunette smiled as she slipped the bag over her arm. “How much will all of this cost?”

“Let me see,” the young elf muttered. “That will be two dozen gold pieces altogether.”

Aleia nodded and pulled the money out, and her wings fluttered happily as she handed it all over to the young worker.

“It was so nice to see you,” Windra gushed. “Thanks for coming by again.”

“Our pleasure!” the fairy sang. “Thanks for providing such beautiful items.”

The priestesses all waved to the sweet elf and piled back out of the little shop and onto the road. Then a harsh gust of wind threw dust up into all their eyes, and my women gasped and spluttered from the sudden onslaught.

“Woah!” Celeste said as her fiery hair blew in front of herself. “Where did that wind come from?”

I adjusted my view, and the sky was much duller than it had been when we went inside. The girls’ hair whipped in the wind along with their skimpy garments, and all over the town, stall owners were struggling to keep their goods from blowing away.

“Let’s get going,” I said. “We don’t want to get caught in a storm.”

The elf who had served the women cakes earlier hurried forward with a brown sack over her shoulder, and her head held down against the wind.

“Excuse me!” she called. “I’m about to pack up to get out of the storm, but here is some meat and extra cakes for your generosity.”

She handed Aleia the bag, and the fairy slung it over her arm.

“Thanks so much,” Penelope said above the rush of the air around her. “Be careful in the wind!”

“Safe travels!” The elf nodded, and she ran back to her stall as the other market owners hurriedly packed up their wares.

The girls began the journey back out of Evelhelm, but it was a struggle to get going quickly with such a strong wind and so much dirt in the air. I looked at all their weapons and bags weighing them down, and it really would have been better to have a cart or something for trips like this. We even had our own little pony that could pull it, so perhaps that would be their next task.

The wind howled around the girls as they trudged out of the town and to the hill, and debris and fallen leaves blew everywhere as they walked.

“I thought it was going to be a sunny day,” Penelope hollered above the howling wind, and she pulled her hair from her eyes.

“Um… Jack,” Celeste yelled next. “Are you seeing this?”

I shifted my view to see the harpy had lagged behind, and she was turned around facing Evelhelm again.

Celeste looked up to the sky from the small hill outside the town, and I followed her gaze to see the swirling mass of orange clouds above.

The strange storm had gotten closer, and it looked even more fiery than before.

Chapter 3

It was a hurried walk back to the convent. The priestesses stopped only to talk with a traveling elf who had a cart full of chickens, and they purchased six of them.

I had been hesitant at first, seeing as we didn’t have anything to transport them in, but Nicola carried three of them bundled in her arms, and each of the other women clutched onto one each.

The human priestess hummed as her three chickens dozed in her arms, and it really was adorable to see the birds snuggling up to the brunette. Penelope and Aleia seemed amused by the light pecking of their own birds, but Celeste’s chicken was not nearly as well behaved and kept trying to wriggle free and run into the trees.

“I’m a bird, too,” the harpy had snarled as she pried its talons off her arm. “Can you just sit still?”

The rebellious chicken had eventually surrendered and taken to merely scowling out at its surroundings as it was brought in through the limestone walls of the convent.

Thunder the puppy was still by the entrance, and he howled excitedly as we entered. He jumped up at Nicola’s legs, and the sleeping chickens clucked angrily.

“You all have to get along,” the brunette scolded. “We’re all going to be living here together, okay?”

“Eggs for breakfast!” Penelope sang. “Oh, it really is starting to feel like home, isn't it?”

The blue naiad swelled with pride as everyone placed the chickens on the ground, and they started to suspiciously peck at the grass. I noticed that the sky was still a glorious blue over the grounds, and the only hint of clouds were wispy and white.

The storm hadn’t followed us, and I wondered if we would see the strange, orange glow again that day.

“You’re back!” Elowise called as she hurried over to greet us.

Wilfrim was in tow behind her, and it looked like they had been hard at work tidying things up. The elderly gnomes had grubby hands, and stained cloths were tucked into their belts. Wilfrim had a bit of dirt on his chin, and Elowise tutted as she rubbed it off with her thumb.

“We were just sprucing the place up a bit,” Wilfrim said as he shooed his wife away. “You got chickens, that’s a good plan.”

“The chickens didn’t think so,” Celeste muttered.

“I thought they could help with sustenance,” I said. “They’re a good start, at least, but we’re going to need more as my followers grow.”

I was almost surprised at my own confidence, but having the priestesses and gnomes around me just fueled my self-belief.

I was a god, and gods gained followers.

However the hell all this had happened, I wasn’t sure, but I’d already won so much for my people. Their devotion meant the world to me, and I was eager to provide them the best lives I possibly could.

“We saw a storm on our way,” I said to the gnomes. “It was a strange orange in color, and it seemed to move really quickly.”

“Oh, yes?” Elowise asked as she cocked her head. “A storm, you say.”

The elderly gnome glanced up at the sky, and a small wrinkle of her nose made me wonder if she knew what I was talking about.

“Should we be worried?” Penelope asked. “Is it something serious?”

“Not at all,” Wilfrim said as he shook his head. “We get storms all the time in these parts, nothing to get worked up over.”

Elowise nodded in agreement but kept her eyes on the sky for a moment more.

I quickly scanned my God Vision, half-expecting to find some kind of evil cloud monster in the sky. Everything was clear around us, though, and it seemed like a gorgeous day to work on our convent.

“Chickens!” Morrick shouted as the young gnome appeared from around the north tower. “It’s been ages since we had chickens around!”

“No chasing them, this time,” Elowise sighed. “An anxious chicken doesn’t lay enough eggs.”

“I’m sure he won’t chase them,” I chuckled, but Morrick looked deeply disappointed at the idea.

“We got some meat, too,” Celeste said as she placed the sack of food on the ground.

The harpy pulled the tie open, and I looked inside with her to see a variety of carefully wrapped parcels.

“Looks like a good haul,” Elowise said approvingly. “Oh my, is that lavender cake I smell?”

“Oh, yes!” Aleia said. “We tried some in the town, and they were just heavenly!”

“We should store the meat in the basement,” I said as Celeste closed the bag back up.

“Basement?” Penelope screwed up her face in confusion. “Jack, what is a basement?”

“Oh… it’s what some beings call a space underground where things can be stored,” I explained. “The cellar we found connected to the tunnels could be considered a basement.”

“Base… meant,” Celeste muttered with narrowed eyes. “A base… that is… meant for… storing? Basemeant? No, that word makes no sense.”

Wilfrim nodded in gruff agreement, and Elowise just shrugged at the pair.

“It is a strange term, I suppose,” I chuckled. “But it’s nice and cool down there, which is ideal for meat. We can start to organize our supplies.”

“It’s good to have the town within walking distance,” Nicola said. “But we’ll need a bigger supply of vegetables soon. Picking apples and taking trips to Evelhelm can only provide so much.”

“That is where the garden will come in handy!” Penelope said as she clapped her hands. “Oh, the plans I have for it! Master, our baby will be spoiled for choice with the food we’ll have to offer.”

“I’m excited to see what you do with the garden,” I said with a phantom smile. “Seeing you all use your skills is amazing.”

“Speaking of skills,” Elowise said. “I see there are some new weapons that came home with you.”

“Oh, yes,” Nicola laughed. “Get a look at this.”

She posed with her new flail and held it out for the gnome to inspect.

“Well, now.” Wilfrim whistled. “That will do nicely in battle. I would like to see a gargoyle mess with you if you’ve got that swinging around your head.”

“Jack picked it out,” Nicola said proudly. “He always makes the right choices.”

“Obviously,” Penelope sighed with a smile. “Jack is so wise.”

The naiad unsheathed her sword and excitedly held it out to show the gnomes, and they gasped as the silver blade glistened under the sunlight. Celeste took hers out, too, and the harpy skillfully twirled it around with a grin.

“Where did you get those?” Elowise asked.

“Evelhelm,” Celeste said. “From the same place as the other weapons. The girl in the shop said the blades were enchanted.”

“Oh, really,” Elowise muttered. “May I?”

The harpy handed over the gold-hilted sword, and it looked comically big in the gnome’s hands.

“Do you think it really is enchanted?” Penelope asked eagerly. “What could it do if it was?”

“It’s hard to say, dear,” Elowise replied. “It depends on many things, but it is a beautifully made piece of equipment apart from anything else.”

“Have you ever seen an enchanted weapon before?” Penelope asked. “I was kind of surprised that Celeste hadn’t.”

“Harpies have never relied on altered weapons.” Celeste shrugged. “The abilities of battle birds are deadly enough on their own.”

“That’s an understatement,” I snorted, and she grinned.

“We have come across them.” Elowise nodded. “It’s difficult to examine them accurately, because no enchantment is the same as another. Each is unique.”

“Remember that traveler woman?” Wilfrim asked as he scratched his chin. “Years back, she tried to sell us a bunch of magical weapons?”

“Oh, yes,” Elowise laughed. “She had clearly stolen them from somewhere, and I imagine she brought a curse on herself.”

“A curse?” Aleia gasped as she glanced at Celeste’s sword. “Can that happen?”

“Only if the weapon is taken by force,” Elowise clarified. “Many of them have defensive enchantments, and if they are stolen from their rightful owners, it’s bad news for the thief.”

“Too right,” Wilfrim chuckled. “We reckoned that’s why she was so eager to sell them. She was practically giving them away for a few scraps of gold.”

“We refused, of course,” Elowise said. “A few of the young ones were tempted, but I knew they would bring us nothing but trouble.”

“Wow,” Nicola said. “So, if I try to use their swords, will my hand fall off or something?”

“I doubt it,” Elowise laughed. “Enchanted weapons can tell if they are being stolen, or merely being borrowed for the greater good.”

“Creepy,” Nicola shivered. “But also amazing.”

“I got something, too!” Aleia piped up as she held up her purple shield.

“Well, now!” Wilfrim laughed. “Good thing you’ve got those strong arms on you!”

“It isn’t even that heavy,” the fairy giggled. “It’s so pretty, isn’t it? The spikes have tiny little baby spikes along them, too!”

The fairy mimed beating someone up with the triangular weapon, and I chuckled at her adorable demonstration of her strength.

“I don’t think I’ve seen one like that before.” Elowise smiled. “You really did pick very well.”

“Bring on the next battle.” Nicola smirked.

“Nicola!” Morrick shouted as he hurried over to the group. “Can I please check the trap for rabbits?”

The young gnome looked rosy-faced and eager, and he bounced up and down on his feet as he looked up at Nicola.

“You want to empty the snare?” The brunette smiled. “Well, you might have to find your parents to ask them.”

“They’re napping,” Morrick huffed. “I really want some rabbit stew, though.”

“Well, why don’t we ask your grandparents, then,” Nicola laughed. “Maybe one of them can go with you, I don’t want those fingers getting hurt. We need you for battle.”

“Exactly,” I chuckled. “We couldn’t have brought down the gargoyles without you. I am glad you want to learn more about keeping the convent running, too.”

I looked around at the grounds that were slowly but surely becoming a well-functioning convent. We had access to fish from the river, rabbits from the snare, and now eggs from the chickens. If we could get a steady and reliable supply of vegetables, we really would be thriving.

“There is one thing I’ve been thinking about,” I said to the group. “Our trip to Evelhelm made me realize how handy a cart would be for our journeys. Aleia can only carry so much.”

“I don’t mind, my lord,” the fairy said sweetly. “I’m always happy to help.”

“I know you are,” I said as I admired her freckled face. “But sometimes the others might need to go without you, and a cart would be very useful for a variety of quests.”

“A cart.” Elowise nodded. “We could help with that.”

“You could?” I asked. “Is there anything you can’t do?”

The old gnomes laughed, and Morrick swayed impatiently as he waited for his grandfather to finish up with the conversation.

“We’ve crafted a few in our time.” Wilfrim looped his thumbs in his suspender straps and nodded. “They weren’t the prettiest of things, mind you.”

“Yes,” Elowise agreed. “We are rather good with our hands, but we’re perhaps not the most artistic of folk.”

“I could help with that part,” Aleia offered. “My lord, I’m sure I could help with making the cart beautiful with carvings. At least, I think I could give it a shot.”

“That would be great,” I said. “The more of you who can help with it, the better. Of course, we’ll need to purchase some horses.”

“What about Luna?” Morrick asked. “She could help.”

“Good thinking, and I did consider that,” I praised the young gnome. “But for the size of vehicle I have in mind, she really is too small. We’ll need to find some sturdy horses or mules that can pull a great weight.”

“I’m sure we can find that,” Penelope decided. “Perhaps it would require another trip to Evelhelm, but I’m sure there will be some elven farmers willing to sell.”

“More pets,” Nicola said happily. “That sounds good to me.”

“Everything’s coming together!” Aleia clapped. “Oh, my lord, we are so lucky to have found you, and to have such a caring god.”

“No, I’m the lucky one,” I assured the pretty fairy, but her praise reminded me of the temple I had inspected on our previous trip to Evelhelm.

The sign beside it had told me there was a god named Tobias, and the locals worshipped him. It had amused me at the time, since this was the name of an old buddy of mine. He was from my past life that was quickly starting to seem like a dream, and I had no idea what Tobias was up to now, or if he even remembered me. I did wish he could see me with my followers, and I could picture how jealous he would be to see my priestesses.

I would like to see any man that could look at my life without becoming green with envy. If I had a mouth, I would have smirked to myself.

I wondered what this god Tobias had done for his followers, most of whom I presumed were the local elves. They did seem to have thriving farmlands, so was that down to their amusingly named god? Or was that just their own clever skills that had carved out such a comfortable life for their kind?

Either way, I felt a strong confidence that they would be better off with me as their god, but that would need to wait.

“Rabbit?” Morrick asked hopefully, and Wilfrim chuckled.

“Yes, yes.” The old gnome sighed. “Let’s go and check that snare, and say thank you to Nicola for letting you have a go.”

“Thanks, Auntie Nicola!” the young boy echoed, and then he threw his arms around her waist in a brief hug.

“Aw.” The brunette grinned as she gave him a pat on the shoulder. “You’re welcome, just be careful when you’re touching it, okay?”

Morrick nodded and then raced off toward the convent gate.

“Wait up, boy!” Wilfrim grumbled, and he hobbled off after his young family member.

I quickly tapped into my God Vision to make sure there weren’t any threats lurking nearby the trap. I felt fiercely protective of my followers after our recent troubles with the gargoyles, and especially the young gnomes who had put so much trust in me. With a speedy scan of the dense forest, I could see a couple of fox cubs playing nearby, but no other creatures seemed to be around.

I was still getting used to the mixture of animals I recognized and the mythical beings, but every day I became more and more used to the new life I had.

Celeste put her sword back in her scabbard, and I watched as Elowise eyed the blade.

“Maybe we should have another armory trip in a few days,” I said as I considered the kindly old gnome.

“My lord?” Penelope asked. “We have only just returned!”

“Did you forget something?” Nicola asked.

“Nicola!” the naiad scolded. “Of course, Jack didn’t forget something. He is our master, our almighty leader. He does not forget simple tasks like we do.”

“Now, now,” I chuckled. “I was just thinking that we could get some weapons for our gnome friends.”

“Oh, Jack,” Elowise gasped. “We couldn’t possibly ask for any more gifts, you have already given us so much!”

“You’re my followers,” I said. “It is my duty to look after you, and I would feel much more comfortable if you all had proper means of protection. You all have very fine swords, but the more options you have, the safer you’ll be under all circumstances.”

“He’s right,” Celeste agreed. “One weapon cannot possibly serve all purposes. A good warrior trains with several tools, and is therefore never caught off-guard.”

“Well, I do agree with you there,” Elowise chuckled. “It does sound like good fun, anyway. I haven’t trained with a new weapon in years!”

I thought back to the glistening daggers I had seen in the store, and they would be the ideal size for gnomes. We still had some money left, but we would need to be careful with our purchases until we managed to either earn or loot some more.

“Before we do any of that, we should focus on Jack’s task for us,” Penelope announced. “We have made some progress, and the chickens are such a great addition to the convent, but I know if I can get my garden to grow more, then we will truly be well on our way.”

“Oh, Penelope,” Elowise said. “That reminds me. I had a rummage through my belongings, and I found some seeds for your garden. There’s a packet for carrots, and one for parsnips, too.”

“That’s wonderful!” The naiad smiled. “Thank you so much.”

“You’ve done well,” I agreed. “We just need to make sure we store the food from Evelhelm soon so it doesn’t go bad.”

“The basement.” Celeste nodded. “I’m already excited for our next meal.”

“Maybe we can learn to make lavender cakes,” Aleia suggested. “As our little kitchen grows and grows, we could make delicious pastries!”

“Better not make too many,” Nicola chuckled. “You don’t want those wings to be strained from the weight of all those cakes.”

The brunette playfully prodded Aleia’s slender side, and the fairy giggled and swatted her hand away.

“My wings are strong,” the fairy insisted. “They have to be for when fairies become pregnant.”

I wondered if there was a slight hinting tone to her words, and I glanced down at her flat belly. I had no idea how pregnancy worked with fairies, but there was a subtle smile on her full lips, and I decided I would check in later to see if there was anything she wanted to tell me.

We’d definitely been enjoying each other’s company often enough for Aleia to have fallen pregnant, especially last night when we had gone on for hours. Just the thought of her little moans heated my imagination, and my godly eyes drifted down to see the fairy’s chest had small beads of glistening sweat from the sun. She practically shimmered in the daylight today, and I had to tear my gaze away before I got too carried away with my thoughts.

Having Penelope pregnant was exciting enough, but I wasn’t sure if I could handle the thrill of two women carrying my children at the same time. Especially two women as sweet, gorgeous, and so fucking eager to please as Aleia and Penelope.

Then my eyes fell on Nicola and Celeste, and I suddenly pictured a whole flock of my own kids. Half-god and half-everything else, running around the convent that we had built from the ground up. There was no doubt in my mind that my children would have everything they needed, and I wondered if they would inherit some of my godly powers.

I almost wished I had another god buddy to discuss these things with, and I chuckled to myself at the thought.

“Is everything alright, master?” Penelope asked.

“Huh?” I muttered.

“We were just asking for your advice, but you never responded,” the naiad pouted. “Is everything alright?”

“Everything is great,” I assured her. “I’m so happy with the way things are coming along here, that’s all.”

“Imagine when the carriage is complete!” Nicola gushed. “We can make so many more trips into town.”

“Carriage?” Celeste laughed. “It was just a cart a few minutes ago.”

“I upgraded.” The brunette smirked. “After all, if we are going to buy a whole wardrobe of clothes, we’ll need to take some more trips.”

The brunette fluttered her smoldering eyes, and I suddenly remembered the bronze dress she had purchased earlier. It was getting harder and harder to focus on the task at hand while Nicola toyed with me, and I forced myself not to picture the bronze material falling over her perfect curves.

“A carriage sounds great,” I said a little louder than usual, and Elowise jumped a little. “Then we’ll definitely need some bigger horses, but this will also mean inclement weather won’t be so much of a concern. It looked like you ladies could have really used the cover of a carriage during that windstorm.”

“I agree, and there is so much to do,” Penelope said happily as she stroked her belly. “Everything will be perfect by the time the baby gets here.”

“Let’s have a look at the garden!” Elowise said enthusiastically. “I would love to know your plans for it, and what you want to grow there.”

“Let’s go.” Penelope nodded. “I really do hope the watering I’ve been doing has helped the plants. They haven’t been blooming as quickly as I would have liked.”

The priestesses and the little old gnome made their way around to the back of the convent, and birds chirped cheerfully around the walls while I let my vision trail along with them.

“I’m thinking of getting some more rosebushes,” Penelope continued. “Of course, now I really want some lavender, after all those delicious--”

The naiad stopped in her tracks, and her mouth hung open as she stared at the sprawl of the garden before her. I followed her eyeline and was shocked at the sight before us.

The garden hadn’t just grown, it had developed a life of its own, and it now enveloped the limestone wall with greenery and color.

Flowers made of entire rainbows had blossomed seemingly overnight, and ivy twisted into every corner of the grounds. Butterflies fluttered past and landed on the full bushes, and it seemed that we were one step closer to completing our quest.

Because my beautiful naiad’s powers were certainly growing at full force.

Chapter 4

“What the…?” Nicola muttered.

Everyone stared out at the colorful garden, and Penelope’s mouth remained open.

“Wow, Penelope,” Elowise finally croaked. “What exactly have you been feeding these beauties?”

“I’ve… I’ve just been watering them,” the naiad eventually managed to say. “I suppose the magic from the stream water must have helped them along.”

“Looks that way.” Celeste grinned. “This is stunning.”

“It needs a bit of tidying up,” Penelope said, and she suddenly went into business mode as she walked into the tall grass. “The weeds have grown as quickly as the flowers! Gosh, this would be the perfect little patch for all the vegetables. I’ll get these planted right away! Then maybe we could get some more from Evelhelm.”

The cerulean beauty muttered to herself as she inspected the plants, and she knelt down to look at the patch of dirt beside her. She carefully moved soil with her palm and began to place her new seeds down in smart lines. It looked like we would have vegetables soon enough, and if they grew as quickly as the other plants, we would be well on our way to completing the quest.

“I think we’ll need to make more room for everything,” I said. “The garden can be expanded further around the convent. You truly have brought the place to life, Penelope.”

“Thank you, my lord,” the naiad murmured, and her cheeks glowed as she smiled.

I knew my praise meant a lot to her, and I meant every word of it as I admired her work.

“Oh, my,” the naiad gasped, and I followed her gaze to see something that looked like a rabbit hole.

It was an almost perfectly circular hole in the ground, about two feet in diameter. The den was concealed pretty well underneath one of the rosebushes, and as Penelope crouched down, I could hear a strange hum through her ears.

“Is that what I think it is?” Celeste laughed.

“Yes,” Penelope groaned as she straightened up. “We have spikehogs.”

“Oh,” I said. “Yes, I used to have those in, uh… well, I’ve seen them before. Although, we called them hedgehogs.”

“Aww,” Aleia cooed. “That’s a cute name. I think they’re sweet!”

“They are,” Penelope said. “It’s just that they like to burrow for life, so that means we’ll have to work around them.”

I was about to suggest moving on to another task, since hedgehogs weren’t exactly that thrilling, when one of the creatures rolled out of the den.

It was a hedgehog, but it also very much wasn’t.

It was clearly a baby and could have fit in the palm of my hand if I had one. The shape and general spikey cuteness was all familiar, but they were something a little different to what I was used to.

The little guy was a dark, mossy green color, and his spikes were almost transparent. I could only just see the outline of the protective quills, and they perfectly blended into their surroundings like a chameleon.

“Well,” I chuckled. “I guess they are slightly different to the ones I’m used to.”

The spikehog seemed fearless and snuffled around the grass before it made a beeline toward Nicola. Then the priestess bent down and scooped up the creature into her hand.

“Careful,” Celeste warned. “Those quills are painful, even on the young ones.”

“He just wants to say hello,” Nicola cooed. “Okay, little one, time to go back to see your mama.”

The brunette gently placed the animal down next to the den, and he held his little face up as his whiskers twitched. Then there was a sudden cry of a distant bird, and the spikehog curled into a ball. His mossy fur made him blend perfectly into the grass, and his transparent spikes quivered slightly as he waited for the danger to pass.

“Well,” Penelope said as the animal eventually scuttled back inside. “I suppose it’s a sign of how wonderful the garden is, if creatures want to move in.”

“We should get a bench,” Celeste suggested as she looked around. “Somewhere to sit, and maybe have tea to enjoy the flowers.”

It warmed my heart to see the harpy planning for the future in the convent. She had only been a priestess for such a short amount of time, but it already felt like she had been with us from the start.

“Helloooo!” Morrick’s voice called from the front of the convent.

I heard the hurried footsteps of the young gnome, and he raced around the corner with a large, dead rabbit clutched in his hands.

“Look what, wooooah,” he interrupted himself as he stopped in his tracks. “Was it always like this?”

“No,” Nicola laughed. “It seems that Penelope’s magical water helped the plants grow.”

“I see you brought some food,” I said approvingly to the gnome. “Did you reset the trap?”

“Yes, sir.” Morrick puffed out his chest. “I mean yes… god? Lord? Or…”

“Did you remember your grandfather?” Elowise asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes,” the young gnome replied. “He was just taking ages, and I was excited to show you the rabbit.”

“Let’s get that down in the cellar,” I said. “That meat the elf gave us needs to go there, too. It shouldn’t be left sitting out in the sun any longer.”

Celeste grabbed the sack of food and hoisted it onto her arm, and the women began to make their way out of the long grass of the garden.

Wilfrim strode along toward the group as he appeared from the convent gate, and Balabar appeared from the north tower with a yawn. The two male gnomes hurried over to join everyone, and Elowise greeted her husband with a kiss on the cheek.

“What’s all that?” Balabar asked as he glanced at Celeste’s bag.

“Supplies!” Aleia chirped. “We have meat and cakes from the market.”

“Cakes,” Balabar said with wide eyes. “Can we have them now?”

“Soon,” I chuckled. “I think we have some work to do first.”

“Yes, dear.” Elowise nodded. “We have work to do.”

Balabar scowled, but he didn’t argue.

“With the convent growing,” I explained, “we really need to get a more sustainable form of sustenance. We have six chickens, fishing access, hunting, and now the garden, so it’s all coming along well.”

“What else do we need?” Wilfrim asked. “Somewhere to store it all properly?”

“Exactly,” I agreed. “The cellar has so much space, and we need to make proper use of it. The first thing we need to do is make a ladder down from the kitchen entrance. There’s no point having a cellar door right here if you have to go down to the tunnels to enter.”

“The ones you’ve given us may be too cumbersome in such a closed-in space, Jack,” Nicola said thoughtfully. “We could probably make one out of wood quite easily?”

“That sounds great.” I nodded. “Perhaps Aleia could carry everyone down in the meantime so we can get a better look at what we’re working with.”

“Of course.” The fairy nodded as the group headed to the far side of the kitchen space.

The entranceway had been left slightly ajar so it didn’t stick shut, and Aleia easily lifted the round doorway to the side.

“Who’s first?” She smiled. “Sisters?”

“Sure,” Nicola said. “Why not?”

The fairy carefully gripped Nicola and Penelope by their wrists and gently began to lower them down into the cellar. She placed them softly onto the floor and then fluttered back up to take the gnomes.

“I don’t need help,” Balabar grumbled.

“Me next!” Morrick piped up, and he held his hand up enthusiastically.

Aleia gripped Morrick and Elowise next and brought them down to the cellar.

“I don’t think my wings will fit through that,” Celeste observed. “I guess I’ll need a lift, too.”

“No problem.” Aleia smiled. “Wilfrim?”

The fairy carried the harpy and old gnome down until only Balabar remained on the convent floor, and she giggled a little at the sour look on the gruff gnome’s face.

“Come down, boy,” Wilfrim called. “Stop being proud.”

“Fine,” the gnome muttered, and his cheeks were red as the fairy flew him down into the cellar to join everyone else.

The sunlight from the afternoon sky shone down into the basement, and it illuminated the whole space. There was a thick layer of dust over barrels and shelves, and the floor was in need of a good sweep.

“It has potential,” I decided. “I think you could really set this place up to be great for supplies. You could dry-age the meat down here and everything.”

“That sounds fancy,” Wilfrim said. “Anything with meat is good in my book.”

“Oh, master,” Penelope said with a wrinkled nose. “I think there are still old wine stains on the floor, it is rather sticky under my feet.”

“We’ll need better light, too,” Celeste added. “This is fine during the day, but we’ll definitely need some candles or lanterns for the evenings.”

“We could lay everything out so nicely,” Aleia said as she clapped her hands and looked around. “With some love, we can turn this place into the perfect little storage room.”

“I'm glad you see a vision,” I laughed. “Nicola, I liked your idea about a ladder. Just make sure it’s mounted good and secure, since you’ll be carrying things with you as you go up and down.”

The brunette smiled and flicked her hair as she examined the wall that led up to the entranceway.

“Balabar could help with that,” Elowise offered. “He’s good with wood carvings, he used to make little toys out of branches when he was younger.”

The male gnome puffed his chest out slightly, and he shuffled his feet as he nodded.

“That’s great,” I said. “How about Nicola and Balabar get to work with the ladder, and the rest of you can help with cleaning this place up?”

“It shouldn’t take that long, with all of us chipping in,” Penelope hummed. “My lord, what a wonderful idea, we’ll make this place good as new in no time.”

“As long as we don’t run into any giant spiders again,” Nicola shivered as she glanced down the corridor.

“Giant spiders?” Morrick asked with wide eyes. “You’ve seen one of those?”

“Oh, yes,” Penelope squirmed. “Who knew legs could have a life of their own?”

The priestesses wrinkled their noses at the memory, and I had to admit, I even felt slightly grossed out by that creature.

“Anyway,” I quickly changed the subject. “Perhaps Penelope and Celeste could get started with garden work? That way the garden and cellar can be worked on at the same time.”

“As you wish.” Elowise nodded. “Right, we’re going to get to work grabbing every filthy cobweb from the wall.”

“Wonderful,” Aleia sighed. “It will all be worth it in the end.”

“I’ll make sure you are all rewarded properly,” I said.

It was an innocent enough promise, but I saw Nicola and Celeste exchange sly smirks, and I realized I had yet to visit the harpy in a dream. I would have to put that thought from my mind for another few hours until sundown at least, though, and tried not to stare at her lean body as she bent over to inspect one of the barrels.

“Need a ride up?” Aleia sang as she fluttered off the ground.

“You know what,” Celeste mused. “I want to give flying through that doorway a go myself.”

“It’s too narrow,” Penelope countered. “Your beautiful wings won’t fit.”

“I have a feeling they might,” the harpy replied. “Jack blessed me with these, and they just feel so much more powerful than my old ones.”

“Exactly,” Nicola snorted. “You’ll bring down the whole ceiling if you crash into it with those stretched out.”

“Let’s see,” Celeste said as she stared up at the circular doorway.

Without another word, she launched upward, and her wings almost seemed to bend downward rather than out. The harpy flew stealthily through the cellar door without an issue, and she soared up into the sky of the convent.

“Amazing!” I laughed as I twirled with her over the walls. “How did you know they could do that?”

“I could just feel their power.” Celeste grinned. “Don’t act like you didn’t know they could, Jack.”

I had absolutely no clue that she could have managed to fit through that tight space, but I maintained my Godly mystery.

“Well,” I chuckled. “I hoped you would find out for yourself.”

“Hey!” Penelope called from below us as Aleia brought her back aboveground. “That miracle Jack gave you just keeps on giving!”

“It really does,” the harpy laughed as she did one final twirl in the air.

“And I have more to give you,” I said quietly to just Celeste. “Maybe later tonight, we can have a little moment to ourselves.”

The bird-woman bit her lip as she grinned, and she lowered herself down to the grass without another word.

“My lord,” Penelope called out to me. “Do you have any specific requests for the garden?”

“Not really,” I replied. “I trust you and your judgement.”

The naiad smiled, and her cheeks flushed cerulean as she stroked her belly.

“I’ll do any heavy lifting work,” Celeste offered. “You can be in charge, but don’t you dare strain that precious pregnant body of yours.”

“I love that you take care of each other,” I said as the girls made their way around to the garden.

“Of course.” Celeste smiled. “We’re sisters.”

My phantom heart fluttered a bit at the words, and I didn’t miss the way my harpy’s cheeks burned red as she said this. It was blatantly clear that she wanted to please me as much as she could now that she actually believed in my presence, and I made a mental note to reward her for it later.

“I have an idea!” Penelope said excitedly as she stopped in the long grass. “We could get little Luna to help us with the gardening. She could pull a till around!”

“We don’t have one of those,” Celeste laughed. “Maybe that will need to be another town purchase?”

“Perhaps.” I nodded. “There may be another way to get one, but we will need to be patient for now.”

“There is plenty to do anyway,” Penelope said. “Weeding, moving bushes, creating a little pathway. We need to expand, tidy, and organize.”

It seemed that the blue naiad was in her element as she muttered to herself and pointed to various plants. She strolled around for a while and nodded when she figured something out in her head.

“I don’t want to interrupt,” Celeste whispered. “I’ll just do what I’m told.”

“Probably the best thing,” I laughed. “This is her garden, we just get the pleasure of being inside it.”

“Jack,” Celeste said in the same quiet tone. “Are you really going to visit my dreams tonight? What happens when you do that?”

“Oh, yes, I will,” I promised her. “We can do whatever you want to. Your comfort and happiness is important above all else. I certainly have a few ideas, but it depends on what you feel like.”

The harpy looked like she was about to speak, but Penelope came rushing over with a determined look on her pretty face.

“Okay, sister,” the naiad sighed. “I think I’ll get you to weed first, if that’s okay. It’s not difficult, just slightly tedious and needs a bit of strength.”

“I can do that.” Celeste nodded. “Just tell me what you want to get rid of.”

Penelope ushered the harpy toward a patch of dark green leaves and began to explain how to identify the weeds from the flowers. Then the women started on their work, and I took the time to scan through my interface and check if anything new had appeared.

The priestesses’ stats were all still the same, although I had a feeling that might change once the work in the cellar and garden were completed.

I had hoped there might be some new info on the armies I was supposedly meant to be building, but the gnomes were still the only race on that list, so while the girls began to bustle around the weeds, I scanned my God Vision to make sure we were safe.

Remaining vigilant was something I had come to pride myself on as a god, especially when there were so many distractions around with my gorgeous women and exciting new lands to explore.

The forestland was bustling with life at the moment, but nothing threatening was creeping toward the convent walls. I made sure to check the entrance to the cellar down by the creek, too, but there were no sneaking criminals or giant spiders lurking around.

When I was satisfied with the safety of the convent, I decided to check back in with the cellar group.

Aleia was flying in and out bringing down wood, and then carving tools and brooms to clean with. The fairy’s freckled face was pink as she sped around, and she looked adorably determined as she worked.

I didn’t want to interrupt the flow as the team seemed to be hard at work already, and Nicola and Balabar were measuring out wooden blocks and discussing the best way to build the ladder.

Aleia, Elowise, Morrick, and Wilfrim had gotten to work with the cleaning. Their hands were already dirty, and I knew everyone was going to need a wash in the river after their work was done.

As my followers worked, I drifted from cellar to garden and watched with admiration as their brows sweated, but no one made a single complaint. Penelope and Celeste made quite the team, and under the naiad’s instruction, they managed to tame the garden and created a little pathway with stones running through.

The harpy had of course been the one to trudge back and forth around the grounds until she had enough stones for the job, and her ivory skin was dewy with sweat as she placed the final rock down.

Penelope made sure to give words of encouragement throughout the process, and she clapped as the little pathway became whole.

At one point, the whole family of spikehogs came out to see what was going on, but they quickly disappeared again when Thunder ran over to play.

The sun began to set as the day cooled, and I joined Celeste as she wiped her brow with a sigh.

“You’ve done brilliantly,” I praised her as I looked around the neatly arranged garden.

The bushes now sat against the limestone wall, and the weeds had all been pulled up and stacked in a pile.

“Celeste was wonderful, Jack,” Penelope gushed. “I cannot thank her enough for bringing my vision to life. Of course, there is still much work to be done, but all the hardest work is over. Now we just need to plant more seeds and keep everything trimmed.”

“Penelope is the one with the vision.” Celeste smiled. “I just did as I was told.”

The harpy put a hand on the naiad’s shoulder, and they took a moment to admire their work. Then Celeste wiped her brow, and her amber eyes drifted toward the sleeping quarters.

“Are you tired?” I asked in a nonchalant voice.

“Not yet!” Penelope replied. “Oh, I just want to admire the beautiful garden for a while longer.”

“I am,” Celeste laughed. “I definitely don’t have Aleia’s strength, those rocks were heavy.”

“And I appreciate it,” Penelope said sweetly. “You poor thing, maybe you should head off early for some sleep?”

“I would like to bathe first,” the harpy replied. “If that’s alright? I know the stream won’t be as warm if you’re not there, Penelope, but I just need a quick splash of water to clean off before I rest.”

“Of course,” I urged. “I’ll come with you to make sure you’re safe. Maybe bring that new sword with you, though.”

The harpy gave Penelope a smile and then turned to make her way out of the convent walls.

“I’m glad it’s cooled down,” she said as she strolled out of the gate. “I love Penelope, but she really is very particular about where each stone was placed.”

“That sounds about right,” I laughed. “She’s going to make a great mother.”

“You must be excited,” Celeste said. “It won’t be too long before the baby is here.”

It felt like an almost human conversation. Like something from my old life as she asked me about impending fatherhood. Of course, my old life didn’t have harpies with magical swords, but the sentiment felt the same, and I’d never dated a naiad back then.

“I can’t wait,” I admitted. “In fact, I think all my priestesses would make wonderful mothers.”

“Hmm,” Celeste hummed as we neared the river, and a smile played on her lips.

I didn’t bring it up again, but I wondered if the harpy was also keen to become pregnant like the others. She was such a headstrong creature, I just knew she would make an amazing mother to a half-god child, and she’d been so attentive with Penelope today.

As we reached the flowing water, the harpy immediately began to tear off her priestess robes without any shyness about it. I couldn’t look away as her scarlet and ivory body was revealed, and she carefully placed her scabbard down by the waterside.

Then she stepped down the bank and into the river, and she shivered as the water lapped at her legs.

“A bit colder than I would like,” she laughed. “But it is nice and refreshing after all that work.”

Celeste unfolded her wings and then waded out into a deeper spot in the river so her whole body was submerged. She splashed her face and laughed as a school of small fish swam by her toes, and I felt at complete peace with the harpy.

There was no awkwardness to our silence as she bathed, and she hummed as the sky began to darken.

“Jack,” she said quietly.

“Yes?” I asked.

“Can you… can you see me down here?” she murmured.

“Yes,” I assured her. “Does that bother you?”

“Not at all,” she giggled softly. “I was hoping you’d watch me. I think I’m ready to sleep, though. Can we go back to the convent?”

“Of course,” I said gently, and as the beautiful harpy climbed out of the water, she smiled to herself.

The stars began to peek through the inky sky, and while I watched the droplets of water cascade down my harpy’s bare and ivory skin, I knew the night was about to become even more beautiful.

Chapter 5

Celeste had collapsed into the pile of velvet blankets as soon as she stepped into the sleeping quarters. The beautiful harpy tucked her scarlet wings in close, and it was only a few minutes before her breathing became heavy, and she began to twitch in her sleep.

Then there was that familiar white flash that filled me with excitement, and I found myself inside Celeste’s dream.

The harpy was laying on her velvet blanket waiting for me with her long legs crossed at the ankles, and she was propped up on her elbows. Her amber eyes were wide as she looked at me, and her mouth fell open before she began to laugh.

“Jack!” she cried as she jumped to her feet. “This is incredible. How? How is this possible?”

“I’m a god.” I shrugged with a grin. “You look beautiful tonight, by the way.”

“Oh, thank you.” Celeste smiled. “Actually, I was hoping to try on the outfit I bought today for you. Is that… is that possible?”

“It is,” I chuckled. “So, go on. I can’t wait to see what you picked out.”

“Turn around,” the harpy giggled, and she grabbed the silk bag from the corner of the room.

I turned to face the limestone wall and heard rustling as she quickly changed into her new outfit. I had no idea if she had picked out something sexy or not. Either way, I knew she would look gorgeous, even if it was something more modest.

I still wasn’t one hundred percent sure if she wanted to have dream sex, and I made sure not to make any assumptions or pressure her.

“Okay,” Celeste called. “You can turn around now!”

I spun around, and my jaw hit the floor as I took in the sight before me. All doubts about her wants vanished, and it was clear she had chosen to look as devastatingly hot as possible.

She had on a black dress that clung to every curve of her ivory body, and it was made of silk and had lace trim all around the neckline and hem. The material barely covered her ass, and the straps were so thin that I was amazed they could support the weight of her incredible breasts.

Celeste’s amber eyes sparkled, and the black dress brought out the fiery tones of her feathers and hair. The harpy clearly knew how good she looked, too, and she stood with her hand on her hip as she bit her bottom lip.

“You like it?” she asked playfully, and my cock sprang to life.

“Oh, yeah,” I said as I took a step closer. “I fucking love it. Give me a twirl.”

Celeste spun around slowly, and the dress flapped up just enough for me to get a peek at her sculpted ass.

“Sooo,” I said. “What exactly would you like us to do this evening? Other than making my head explode with that outfit?”

“Jack!” Celeste laughed. “I was hoping we would end up naked together, like we were the night I got my wings.”

That was all the confirmation I needed, and I strode toward the harpy and then grabbed her by the waist. I kissed her deeply, and she pressed her amazing tits up against me as we made out. My tongue hungrily explored her mouth, and I ran my hands down to cup her ass.

She giggled as I gave her cheeks a squeeze, and I could feel my erection press up against her belly.

“Oh,” she mumbled as she broke away from the kiss. “I like the feel of that.”

I stood back so I could admire her dress again, and I reached up to stroke her breasts through the silky material.

“Can we go outside?” the harpy asked. “It’s so beautiful outside the convent walls, and I like being out in nature.”

“We can go wherever you want,” I said. “If you are wearing that, you’re the one calling the shots.”

“I can’t boss around a god,” Celeste laughed. “But I might like it if you bossed me around.”

I groaned as she strutted out of the living quarters, and I watched the dress slip further up her thighs. Then I quickly grabbed a blanket and raced after the harpy.

The two of us hurried out into the night, and she giggled as I grabbed her hand and broke into a run. Then she led me to a spot near the river, right underneath a thick oak tree. The forest was dark and dense here, but there was nothing to worry about in her dream.

She was safe here with me, and I laid the blanket down for her and then sat with my back against the tree.

“Stay there,” I said as I looked up at the harpy. “I want to admire you, you look so gorgeous in the moonlight.”

The harpy twirled for me again, and her fiery hair tumbled behind her as she spun.

“I’m glad you like the dress.” Celeste grinned. “I’m glad you like me.”

“Like you?” I asked. “How could I not adore you? You’re tough, smart, and impossibly sexy.”

Celeste’s cheeks flushed, and she slowly bent down until she was kneeling in front of me. The plunging neckline of her dress gave me an amazing view, and I watched as she crawled toward me slowly.

“I want to worship you, Jack,” she whispered. “My master, you gave me a miracle, and I want to thank you.”

“Oh, really?” I said with a grin. “I want that as well. But first thing’s first, I want to see those amazing breasts of yours.”

I reached out and grabbed the fabric of her dress and slowly pulled it down so that her breasts fell out of the garment. She smiled sweetly at me as I grabbed a handful of soft flesh, and I pulled her closer with a smirk.

“Ohhh,” she cried as I pinched each nipple, and she looked incredible on her hands and knees in front of me like this.

My erection was already painfully tight in my pants, and I shuffled to pull the fabric down and free my throbbing cock. The harpy gasped as she looked down at my manhood, and she ran her tongue over her lips.

“My lord,” she whispered. “Can I taste it?”

I replied by grabbing the back of her head and guiding her pretty face downward, and as she leaned down, I got a view of her ass as the back of her dress rode up.

Celeste’s amber eyes were wide as she hovered her mouth over my cock, and her warm breath sent a shiver through my body. Then the harpy gently cupped my balls and flicked her tongue out to lick me.

“Wow,” she moaned softly, and then she ran her tongue right up my shaft as I shivered. “You’re so glorious, Jack.”

“So are you,” I groaned.

I watched as the gorgeous priestess wrapped her lips around the head of my cock and slowly lowered her head down. Then I gasped as she took me into her warm mouth and began to work up and down. She gagged slightly as she reached the bottom of my shaft, but she didn’t stop, and then she began to bob up and down faster and faster.

I felt light-headed as she whimpered with pleasure around my cock, and I was overcome with the need to touch every inch of her body.

“Celeste,” I groaned, and she slowly took her mouth off my erection.

“Master?” She blinked up at me. “Was that okay? Did it feel nice?”

“It felt amazing,” I reassured her. “I just need to feel your body.”

I rose to my feet and pulled Celeste up with me before I backed her up against the tree. She stood with her back against the thick trunk, and I pulled her dress right up so her beautiful pussy was exposed.

Then I ran one hand over her hard nipple, and the other snaked down to her soft thighs.

“Oh,” she gasped. “I want to be touched. Please!”

“Please?” I growled. “Please, what?”

“Please, master!” the harpy begged softly. “Master, please bless me with your touch.”

I smirked as she began to writhe under my fingers, and I slowly traced my hand up her leg toward her wetness.

“How much do you want to be touched?” I asked teasingly. “What if I say no?”

Celeste’s amber eyes widened, and I almost laughed at how desperate she looked.

“Master,” she breathed as her breasts swelled. “Please, I am such a devoted follower. I’ll do anything for you.”

My want to touch her overcame my enjoyment of teasing, and I slid two fingers up to her slick pussy. She was already soaking wet, and I smirked as I carefully traced her labia.

Celeste whimpered at once, and I carefully moved my thumb onto her clit as I pushed my fingers deeper into her tunnel.

“Oh!” she cried out, and I used my other hand to harshly pinch her nipple.

“Shhh,” I said. “I want you to keep quiet.”

Celeste’s eyes were wider than ever, and she bit her lip as I started to plunge my fingers in and out of her. She thrusted down to meet my movements, but she couldn’t help whimpering as I sped up.

I took my hand from her tits up to her mouth and covered her lips with my palm, and it was so insanely hot to watch her writhe under my touch as I kept her quiet that I almost came just from the sight alone.

Then I ran my thumb over her clit slowly, and she suddenly spasmed and let out a soft and muffled moan. A second later, my fingers were covered in her juices, and she shuddered as her orgasm washed over her.

Only then did I take my hand away from her mouth, and I gently stroked her cheek.

“Did that feel good?” I asked, and she nodded breathlessly.

“Master, I…” she whispered. “I need to feel you inside me again, please.”

I played with her tits for a moment as I studied her flushed face, and I couldn’t help grinning as she pouted up at me.

“I want you on all fours,” I commanded. “Down on the ground, so I can see that beautiful ass.”

The harpy moved quickly and dropped onto the grass below me as she positioned herself. Her tits were still hanging out of her dress at the top, and the bottom had ridden right up to her stomach, so she was essentially naked, apart from the small band of material that had scrunched up at her waist.

“Good girl,” I praised as I slowly walked around her. “I like when you’re quick to obey me.”

“Thank you, master,” she whispered.

I studied her perfect body while she waited there on her knees, and I noticed her wings had folded down so tightly that I could see the back of her head if I stood behind her. I smirked to myself and wondered if the purpose of that was solely to enjoy sex and be able to grab her by the hair.

Celeste began to whimper as I took my time admiring her from each angle, and she suddenly reached down to touch her pussy.

“What are you doing?” I growled. “Did I say you could do that?”

“I just need to be touched there,” she cried. “Master, please.”

The harpy had worked herself up into a frenzy, and I watched as she began to play with herself as she knelt on all fours. I stopped behind her and enjoyed the show for a while, but seeing her ivory fingers slide in and out of her pink pussy was more than I could bear, and I brought a swift hand down onto her ass.

“Oh!” she cried out as she put her hand back on the ground. “My lord?”

“That was your punishment,” I said. “For touching yourself when I didn’t give you permission.”

“Yes, master,” the harpy whimpered, and I got the feeling she had properly gotten into the whole sexy power dynamic now.

I got onto my knees behind her and stroked the spot that I’d spanked. There was only a slight pink hue to the skin, and I decided it should be much redder to match her aesthetic. I swiftly smacked the same spot, and then again when she cried out with a half-moan.

“Shh,” I whispered. “The quieter you are, the sooner I’ll fuck you.”

That shut the harpy up, and she took another firm spanking silently as I chuckled.

“Good girl, Celeste,” I praised. “That’s what good priestesses do.”

I stroked the red mark while the harpy let out a sweet moan, and then I began to line my cock up with her wet pussy. I was aching to be inside her, and I could see she was soaked with arousal, but I wanted to savor every second of this.

I finally had the harpy all to myself tonight.

Then Celeste whimpered again, and I couldn’t take it any longer. I slowly began to slide into her, and we both gasped as electricity coursed through our bodies.

“Ohhhh, Jack,” she moaned, and I eased my cock deeper inside her.

She was so tight and warm that I could hardly hold myself together, and I closed my eyes in ecstasy as I started to fuck her. I started off slowly and clutched onto her slim hips as I gradually sped up, but I knew it wouldn’t be long before I was pounding into the gorgeous harpy.

“You feel amazing,” I growled, and I could barely think straight.

Celeste gasped as I suddenly slammed my cock deep inside her, and I felt like every inch of my skin was on fire now. Our bodies fit together perfectly, and she was the only thing in the universe that mattered in that moment.

“Ohhhh, master,” she moaned. “You feel amazing, I can’t believe I can have you like this. All alone, and… and… ohhhh, yessss.”

“You’re perfect,” I groaned, and I could feel that I was close to finishing as I fucked the beautiful harpy harder.

Nothing could have reined me in as I watched her silky black dress jolt beneath her red wings, and her ivory skin shone in the moonlight as she gasped with every thrust.

“I’m going to cum again,” Celeste panted. “Ohhhh, please give me your holy seed, master. Pleeeease, I’ve been so good for you, haven’t I?”

“Sooo good,” I moaned and forced my cock deep into her womb.

“Then can I please have it?” the harpy begged.

“You can,” I panted, and she shrieked from the force of my next thrust. “Cum for me, Celeste.”

It only took the next scream and the shuddering of the harpy to send me over the edge. As her tight walls clenched around me, I felt my own orgasm hit, and I was suddenly seeing stars. I trembled as I poured my god seed into the eager harpy, and she whined desperately as she grinded back against my pulsing cock. Warmth washed over my body with every urgent spasm of her pussy, and I groaned as pleasure consumed me entirely.

I clutched tightly onto Celeste’s waist as our sweat-drenched bodies stayed joined like this for longer than I could tell, and I was completely out of breath when we finally came down from our shared climax.

Then I gasped as I slowly slid out of her, and she turned around breathlessly to look at me.

“Wow,” she whispered as she sat daintily down. “Thank you, my lord.”

“Thank you.” I smiled as I rubbed sweat from my brow. “You really are incredible, Celeste.”

“I like being your priestess,” the harpy purred. “That felt like…”

“Like what?” I whispered as I pulled her close to me.

“Like a blessing.” Celeste’s amber eyes gazed up at me with adoration, and I left a soft kiss on her red lips.

Then we took a moment to admire the star-filled sky above us and catch our breath before we got to our feet.

“I think it’s time for you to get some real rest.” I smiled as I kissed Celeste’s forehead. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Okay, Jack,” Celeste mumbled, and in a few seconds, she was back asleep in her sleeping quarters.

The blankets were strewn around her naked body, and I admired her as she rested. I had the familiar buzz I always got after visiting my priestesses, and I wished I was in my physical body so I could fall asleep beside her.

Then I drifted from her dream, and now that a portion of my godly duties were complete, the carriage that was hopefully going to be built soon came to mind. The axles would need to be a sturdy metal for the vehicle to be secure, and I decided to test out my new ability and see if they qualified as a “part” I could have appear at my altar. I focused on the thick, metal rods, and hoped they would be the perfect addition to the carriage.

The way the tools I ordered appeared at the altar still surprised me, but I had started to get used to my godly abilities, and I was eager to see just how useful this new “parts” addition could be.

I scanned my God Vision for the rest of the evening as time seemed to race by, and the whole time I kept a careful eye on the convent perimeter, the little whimpers of Celeste echoed in my mind. The way she moaned as I spanked her for fingering herself would probably haunt my waking hours for days to come.

Finally, the sun began to rise in the sky, and I was forced to push my erotic memories to the back of my mind for now.

Baby Roza began to cry just as the morning crept in, and the priestesses stirred at the sound. Penelope was first to sit up, and her motherly instincts were clearly already strong and ready to go as she got to her feet with her eyes half-closed.

“Baby?” she mumbled, and I laughed gently.

“Good morning,” I whispered. “Don’t worry, it’s just Roza. I’m sure her mom will calm her down soon.”

“Oh,” the naiad yawned. “Good morning, my lord. My apologies, I am still half-asleep I think.”

“You can rest some more if you like?” I offered.

“No, no.” Penelope smiled. “I’m awake now, and there is still much to do!”

“Jack?” Celeste mumbled, and she opened her amber eyes blearily.

“Morning,” I said softly. “How did you sleep?”

“Oh!” the harpy yawned. “I thought I was still dreaming. I slept amazingly, and I can’t believe how real that dream felt.”

“It was real,” I said. “I’m your god, I can make anything happen.”

“Oooh,” Aleia said as she uncurled. “Did Jack visit Celeste’s dreams last night?”

“He did,” Celeste said, and she had a cheeky grin as she spoke.

She wasn’t shy and awkward about the encounter, she seemed eager to talk about it, and the other women giggled.

“Celeste’s first dream fuck,” Nicola snickered. “It’s already a glorious day.”

As the brunette sat up, her stomach made a deep rumbling noise, and the rest of the women spun around to look at her.

“Someone’s hungry,” Celeste laughed. “Shall I go and get us some apples?”

“I cannot eat another apple,” Nicola groaned as she rose from her blanket. “I think I’ll go hunting today and catch something exciting. Would that be alright, Jack?”

“Of course,” I said. “That sounds great. I require that my priestesses are content and happy. Convent rule.”

“You took care of that already,” Celeste purred, and the girls fell about laughing again.

The priestesses got dressed into their robes today, and Nicola picked up her crossbow from against the limestone wall. Then she slung it over her shoulder and tucked her long hair behind her ears.

“So what’s the plan for today?” Aleia asked as the priestesses made their way out into the grounds.

It was another beautiful morning, though slightly colder than it had been before, according to Penelope. The sky was mostly clear, and only a few wispy clouds drifted by the orange sun. I could see the gnomes already out and about, and baby Roza was crawling around and giggling.

My women wandered over to their fellow followers, and Nissa gave a cheery wave as she scooped her baby up into her arms. Elowise and Wilfrim had cups of tea in their hands, and it looked like Roza had been fed chunks of mushed up apple judging by the fruit smooshed over her chubby face.

“Good morning!” Penelope called cheerily. “Especially to you, little one. My, don’t you look especially beautiful today?”

“Would you like to hold her?” Nissa asked, and the naiad nodded enthusiastically.

Penelope scooped the cooing little gnome into her arms, and she started to rock her back and forth.

“You must be so excited to meet yours,” Nissa said. “You are really wonderful with babies, you won’t have any problems.”

Penelope’s cheeks flushed a darker blue, and baby Roza soon began to doze in the comfort of my naiad’s arms.

“I think I’ll get going,” Nicola said as she glanced at the sky. “I want to have the whole morning to hunt, but the weather could change at any moment.”

“Good idea,” I agreed. “I’ll come with you and make sure you’re safe.”

“What shall we do?” Aleia asked.

“There’s still some garden work to be done,” Penelope said. “How is the cellar doing?”

“It’s getting there.” Wilfrim nodded. “If we can straighten out the shelving a bit, then we’ll be all done!”

“Did you finish the ladder?” I asked.

I realized I had been so hypnotized by Celeste last night that I forgot to check in on the day’s work.

“It’s almost done,” Nicola assured me. “Balabar should be able to finish it off by himself, is he awake?”

“He’s getting the children dressed.” Nissa smiled. “I’ll let him know to keep going with the project, though!”

“How easy would it be to install some hooks for the meat?” I asked. “If you can get everything hung up, then you’ll be able to keep it nicely.”

“Hooks?” Wilfrim asked. “That shouldn’t be too tricky. There’s moss stone down by the river, they’re easily shaped but strong enough to hold a good ten or so pounds in weight.”

“People use them to make gems for jewelry.” Nissa nodded. “If we find big enough ones, then we could carve them down into hooks!”

“How would we attach it to the ceiling?” Aleia asked.

“We can make a sticking paste,” Elowise said. “All we need is water, good thick mud and some leaves of blueflower. The leaves have a sticky coating on them, and we can use it to make a sort of glue.”

“Glue?” I asked. “Are you certain that will really hold weight?”

“Ohh, you’ll see,” the old gnome chortled. “Sticking paste isn’t for just any sort of sticking. It’s for the sticking that stays good and stuck forever.”

“Perfect!” I said. “Then anytime Nicola catches something in the snare, you can hang it up once it’s gutted and cleaned, and it won’t get contaminated.”

“Brilliant,” Nicola said. “Great, time to hunt!”

The brunette waved her goodbyes to the group and strode off toward the gate. Thunder the puppy was on his back dozing by the wall, and he gave Nicola a sleepy bark as she passed.

I scanned the area with my God Vision and checked our surroundings as Nicola strode straight into the depths of the dense forest. The trees were alive with wildlife, and there were a fair few deer running through the shrubbery.

“I’ve been wondering… do you feel bad about hunting?” I asked as Nicola walked deeper into the forest. “I know you love animals so much, and it occurred to me that you might just become a vegetarian.”

“A what?” The brunette crinkled her brow in confusion. “What does that mean, Jack?”

Ah.

I guessed that was very much something from my old life, and not anything that had been taken up in whatever world I was in now.

“It’s someone who doesn’t eat meat,” I explained. “They just live off vegetables, bread, that sort of thing.”

“Oh,” Nicola replied, and she was silent for a few minutes as she thought. “No, I don’t feel bad. It’s the circle of life, it’s the way things go. Everything is food for something else, but that doesn’t stop me from loving and caring for creatures that I don’t need to eat.”

“That’s a good way of thinking,” I agreed. “You really are perceptive, aren’t you? How did I get lucky enough to have you as a follower?”

“You’re just blessed, I suppose.” Nicola smirked and flicked her long hair over her shoulder, and I snickered at her haughty expression. Then she stepped carefully over twigs and leaves, making sure to place her feet down on soil or grass to stay quiet.

I scanned ahead with my God Vision again for her, but I did a double-take when I saw something large slinking along in a nearby clearing.

“Wait,” I whispered out of habit. “There’s something over there.”

“What is it?” she asked and pulled a bolt from her pack.

The animal was about the size of a buffalo I’d seen on safari when I was a kid, and I still remembered being shocked at how huge they were. Somehow, this creature managed to look even more intimidating, though. It’s fur was a deep, ebony black with reflections of green and blue in the light, like an oil slick. It had two thick, curved horns sticking out of its skull and a long face with pointed fangs protruding from the mouth. The eyes were a deep, reddish-brown, and the beast was grazing on a long patch of grass as it snorted.

“It’s huge,” I said. “Black, big horns, sharp teeth.”

“Oh, wow,” Nicola muttered. “A muckbeast. That could give us weeks’ worth of meat if we store it properly.”

“Muckbeast,” I repeated. “Well, he looks big as hell, you’ll need to be careful.”

“I will.” The brunette nodded. “They’re really fucking fast, and their entire back has a super thick hide.”

“So you need to get the stomach,” I instructed. “Or perhaps the neck.”

“I agree,” Nicola whispered. “And also try to make sure he doesn’t trample me in the process.”

“I would appreciate that,” I snorted.

I looked upward and saw a thick tree that had some low hanging branches. They looked more than sturdy enough to hold Nicola’s weight and would be easy enough to clamber up onto.

“Up there,” I said. “How about you climb up onto the branches to shoot? You would be out of the way enough to not get hit, but close enough to get a good shot.”

“I’ll just need to get its attention.” Nicola nodded. “I want it to run toward me and not away.”

“Exactly,” I agreed.

The brunette carefully stepped toward the thick tree, and as she did, she got a view of the muckbeast through the bushes. It was still grazing and made gross, slurping noises with each bite. The teeth that stuck out of its face were a dull yellow, and it looked like there were bloodstains on a couple of them.

Nicola’s long legs crept to the large tree with just a few strides, and she crouched down behind a thorny bush as she watched the creature. Then she carefully held her hands up to her mouth and cupped them around her lips. I wasn’t sure what she was doing, but I didn’t want to interrupt her, so I stayed a silent observer. The brunette kept her gaze fixed on the huge animal, and she suddenly let out a half-whistle, half-cry before she leapt to her feet and grabbed the closest branch above her.

Luckily, she swung herself up onto the wood just as the muckbeast began to charge toward our side of the clearing.

“What was that?” I asked as she steadied herself on the branch.

“A whistlebird call,” she replied. “That’s their favorite thing to hunt.”

“Nice,” I said approvingly as she quickly loaded a bolt in her crossbow.

The ground shook as the massive creature ran underneath us, and then Nicola took her shot so quickly, it even took me by surprise.

The bolt lodged into the back of the muckbeast’s neck, and it made a deep wailing noise as blood started to pour out onto its fur. Nicola wasted no time in loading up her next bolt, and as the beast spun around, she shot it right in the temple. Then the muckbeast’s eyes rolled back, and it was dead before it hit the ground with a force that shook the tree.

“There,” Nicola sighed. “A quick death.”

She leapt down from her perch on the branch and stood over the animal with a bowed head.

“He’s going to feed everyone for a long time,” I said. “You did great.”

Then I heard a sudden noise behind Nicola, and I knew she had to move before I even had time to scan with my God Vision.

“Behind you!” I shouted, and the brunette spun around while pulling another bolt from her back.

A second Muckbeast charged at full speed toward her, and my phantom heart leapt into my non-existent throat.

The animal was even bigger than the first, and its red eyes glowed as it thundered out of the bushes. Nicola didn’t have time to do anything except shoot, and she stood poised as she let the bolt fly.

It shot through the air and punctured the beast’s skull right between the eyes, and the muckbeast made a gasping noise and then crashed onto the forest floor with a force that almost knocked Nicola off her feet.

“Fuck,” she gasped as she looked down at the second body. “That thing came out of nowhere.”

“You were amazing!” I praised. “That was a perfect shot.”

“Thanks for warning me, Jack,” the brunette nervously chuckled. “Wow, I guess we have enough meat for a whole army of followers now!”

Her words reminded me of the army tab in my interface, and I wondered how many more people would end up living in our ever growing convent.

For now, the two creatures Nicola had killed would need to be properly preserved in the cellar to keep the meat fresh, and just like that, we would have weeks’ worth of meals.

“I guess we won’t need to rely on the snare so much for a while,” Nicola laughed as she ran a hand through her long brown hair.

“Very true,” I chuckled. “We should get these sliced up immediately, I’m not sure if Aleia would even be able to carry them whole.”

“I think she could make it,” Nicola said. “But we’ll need to chop them up for the cellar anyway, I guess.”

“I’ll get someone to come and help you,” I decided. “First, let me check that there aren’t any more of these big bastards roaming around.”

I took my time surveying the land, and it looked as though the pair of muckbeasts were the only ones around.

“There are a few mice running around,” I said. “Think you can handle that?”

“Oh, I don’t know, Jack.” Nicola grinned. “Not sure I’m tough enough.”

“I don’t think that will ever be an issue,” I snorted. “Okay, I’ll see who’s around to help you.”

I shifted my focus to the convent, and I found Celeste in the garden with Penelope.

“Hey,” I said, and the harpy smiled.

“Hello, my lord,” Penelope sang warmly. “How did the hunting go?”

“Nicola was fucking amazing,” I said. “She brought down two muckbeasts.”

“Two?” Penelope gasped. “Two muckbeasts? Really?”

“Penelope,” Celeste giggled. “How unlike you to question Jack!”

“Oh, no! I would never!” the naiad said in a flustered tone. “My apologies, master, I didn’t mean it to come across like that. I’m just impressed, that’s all!”

“I’m joking,” Celeste laughed.

“No offense taken,” I chuckled. “It’s an impressive haul, I was hoping Celeste could come and help get started slicing up the meat for the cellar.”

“Of course.” The harpy nodded as she patted her sword on her hip. “If Penelope is willing to lend her sword for Nicola, we could work even faster.”

“Absolutely,” the naiad said as she removed her scabbard, but then she hesitated.

Her blue nose wrinkled slightly, and she glanced down at the weapon with a wary look.

“You’re worried about the enchantment?” I asked, and Penelope nodded.

“Elowise really made me think,” she said. “What if it hurts Nicola? What if the sword thinks she stole it from me?”

“Don’t worry,” I reassured her. “Remember she said it only matters if it was stolen?”

“Yes, I suppose.” Penelope nodded, and she handed the sword to Celeste. “I’m sure it will be fine. We were just planning the next steps for the garden anyway, I really do want to get more vegetable seeds, master.”

“Next trip to town,” I promised. “Or even to the elves who sold us the chickens. I imagine they would have a good supply of seeds for their farmland.”

“I also realized we have sweet herbs growing,” Penelope said. “They’re perfect for making tea! Nissa even mentioned that the lillyweed I have can be used for healing deep wounds.”

“Wow,” I laughed. “That’s incredible, that gives us even more resources. Medicine, tea, and food. Your garden is amazing.”

“Thank you, master.” The naiad smiled. “I’ll go and see if Aleia needs any help in the cellar, then.”

She hurried out of her beautiful garden, and I watched as her full hips swayed with every step. Sometimes, I felt like, despite saving lives and performing miracles, my biggest achievement as a God was not getting distracted by my women’s hotness every second of the day.

It was a constant struggle, but I was certainly up for the challenge.

“Where is Nicola?” Celeste asked.

“Just south of the convent,” I said as I refocused. “In the forest, not too deep in.”

“I’ll fly.” The harpy grinned as she attached Penelope’s scabbard to her belt. “Every chance to use these wings, I’ll take.”

With that, the scarlet priestess unfolded her wings and soared up into the afternoon sky. She twirled and flipped over the convent grounds, and she closed her amber eyes for a moment as she glided. When she looked down, I gazed through her eyes, and the garden looked stunning from above. It was a burst of color amongst the gray of the limestone walls, and I felt a surge of pride that Penelope had created something so beautiful.

Then Celeste glanced up over the trees, and she could see the sky fade from blue into that wild orange as she looked over in the direction of Evelhelm.

“The storm,” she muttered. “It’s still over there, Jack.”

“It might be nothing to worry about,” I said a little uneasily. “Strange weather happens all the time, we can’t worry about a bit of wind and rain.”

“You’re right.” Celeste nodded. “Besides, we have you. Even if it does come our way, I have no doubt that you’ll keep us safe.”

The harpy flew out over the convent walls, and it only took her a few seconds to spot Nicola amongst the trees. Then Celeste sped downward in a glorious dive, and she whistled as she flawlessly landed beside the muckbeasts.

“Wow,” the harpy laughed. “You really meant business when you said you were going hunting!”

“I do what I can.” The brunette grinned.

“Here,” Celeste said as she handed over Penelope’s sword. “Let’s get these sliced up and ready for storage.”

“Nice,” Nicola said as she pulled the blade from the scabbard. “Did Penelope panic that I would be struck down dead for using this?”

“You know her too well,” Celeste laughed.

I spent some time with the two priestesses as they got to work, and I just enjoyed their laughter and chatter. Nicola and Celeste both had such bold personalities, I had almost worried they would clash at first, but I clearly had nothing to worry about. They joked and poked fun at each other like sisters, and their ivory and golden skin contrasted perfectly side by side.

“I’ll get Aleia to start making trips with the meat,” I said. “The sooner we get it out of the heat, the better.”

“Great,” Nicola said as she carefully peeled the fur from the leg. “This is where a cart would be super helpful.”

“I’ll get the gnomes to start their work on that,” I agreed. “I’m not sure if they’ll have everything they need here, but they should be able to get going anyway.”

I left the two women to their work and found Aleia polishing the shelves in the cellar. Balabar had finished working on the ladder, and the wooden structure sat against the wall beside the sparkling clean storage spaces.

There were three hooks already installed by the gnomes, and I was impressed with how quickly they had worked. The moss stone was a dull silver color, and the curved pieces were held firm onto the ceiling with the dark sticking paste. It really was incredible how well people got on without technology and modern items in my new world, and I wondered if anyone in my old life would have been as resourceful.

Then again, the paste looked as solid as hardened tar, and I couldn’t recall ever coming across flowers on Earth that could produce such a sturdy substance.

“Looks great in here,” I admired, and the fairy jumped slightly.

“Oh, Jack!” she giggled. “Sorry, I was in my own little world there. It’s so nice to hear your voice. I’ve missed you…”

“I’ve missed you, too,” I murmured to the sweet little fairy. “Celeste and Nicola are slicing up the muckbeasts Nicola hunted. Would you be able to transport the meat down here for me?”

“Of course!” the fairy chirped. “Muckbeasts? Wow! That will feed us for months!”

“She did very well,” I agreed. “You all have. I’ll need to go and congratulate the gnomes next.”

“They’ve started to build the carriage!” Aleia exclaimed. “I can’t believe how many improvements we’ve made to the convent lately. It’s going to be such a perfect place to spend our lives, Jack.”

The fairy’s freckled face was stuck in an adorable smile, and she fluttered her wings as she folded up her cleaning cloth.

“I love to see you so happy, Aleia,” I told her quietly, and she blushed so sweetly that I could hardly drag my gaze away from her face. “Perhaps take the sack that the elf gave us with you. That will make it easier to carry everything.”

“I will.” Aleia nodded. “Oh, Jack, thank you so much for everything. I think this is the happiest I’ve ever felt.”

The fairy grabbed the brown sack at her feet and fluttered up out of the cellar to go and find the other women, and a wave of pride washed over me as I watched her cute little ass soar away.

Then I checked in on the gnomes and found them hard at work with wood and chisels. They grunted to each other occasionally as they went, but they seemed super focused on the task at hand. I did wonder exactly how long it would take to build the carriage, but I didn’t want to interrupt their flow by asking. I knew the gnomes well enough by now to be certain they’d deliver.

I saw Aleia already flying back from the forest with the brown sack bulging from every side, too, and the priestesses had clearly made good progress with the muckbeasts. It looked like we were about to have a very full cellar for the first time since I’d woken up at this convent, and as the fairy fluttered down through the circular entrance, something flashed before me on my interface.

Level up!

Sustainable resources achieved!

Next Town Quest: Rescue family of elves.

Reward Upon Quest Completion: Gain ability to grant +2 agility points to one priestess in battle for 30 minutes. Power regenerates at midnight each night.

Family of elves? How was I meant to know where they were? Or who they were? Or what had happened to them?

It was getting late in the day, and I didn’t want to take the priestesses out in the dark when we didn’t even know which direction we were aiming for, and I wondered briefly if this all had something to do with the storm. After all, it had been nearby to the farmlands, and that was the only family of elves we’d really stopped to talk to.

It would just have to wait until morning, but at least now I had my new reward. Being able to order parts would be perfect for the carriage build, and I chuckled to myself at the idea of a god ordering something so readily. It was like having Amazon Prime for supreme beings, but I wasn’t complaining.

The parts would probably appear on the altar, just like the tools had, and I would need to make sure I used my reward wisely.

I shifted my focus to Elowise and found her hunched over a long plank of wood as she chiseled at it with focused grunts. Wilfrim, Nissa, and Balabar sat around her, and they were all cross-legged on the ground surrounded by carefully placed pieces of wood. It looked like they had already figured out the design.

I was pleased to see the two axles had been found on the altar, and they sat gleaming under the sunlight beside the gnomes.

“Hello,” I said to the group. “This looks intriguing.”

“Oh, hello, Jack.” Elowise said. “I hope you don’t mind that we got started with the carriage work. I assume you had something to do with these?”

She gestured to the axles and smiled.

“Perhaps,” I laughed. “I hope they help.”

“They’re a lifesaver,” Wilfrim said. “Thank you, Jack. We can get all our measurements right with these.”

“You certainly can,” I agreed. “We really are on our way to the perfect home. Nicola took down two muckbeasts this afternoon. She and Celeste are carving them up right now.”

“Muckbeasts?” Balabar gasped. “Two?”

“That girl must be a good shot!” Wilfrim whistled. “Those things are enormous!”

I felt a sense of pride at the gnomes’ praise, and I knew that my priestesses were the toughest babes in this whole, bizarre land.

As the evening went on, I stayed with the gnomes mostly and watched as they carved their wood and discussed the best method of construction. I made sure to keep an eye on my God Vision and check that the priestesses were safe as they carved up the meat, but eventually, as the sky grew dark, Aleia and Celeste flew back into the convent with Nicola carried by the strong fairy.

Penelope came to join the gnomes as well, and everyone put their tools down for the night.

“I can’t wait to have a carriage!” Penelope gushed as she sat beside Elowise. “It’s going to be so perfect!”

“We’ll need horses soon,” I said. “We might as well purchase some as soon as possible, perhaps tomorrow.”

“Ooo, I know!” Aleia piped up. “We could go and find those elves who sold us the chickens! They must have horses to spare. Their farm was huge!”

I considered this, and it would tie in perfectly with looking for the elven family we were meant to help.

“Excellent idea,” I praised my fairy, and she turned bright red as she shrugged. “Tomorrow we will take a trip to find them, and our convent will be one giant step closer to being complete.”

“It’s already our home.” Celeste smiled and gazed around at the dimming landscape. “But it really is starting to feel like a proper community. I’m so lucky you all came to rescue me.”

Penelope squeezed the harpy’s hand, and the girls and gnomes chatted as the moon rose. Elowise brought everyone warm honey tea not long after, and as the priestesses started to yawn, I suggested everyone head to bed for the night.

I would tell them about the quest in the morning, and we would hopefully save the lives of some elves.

Whoever these elves were.

Chapter 6

The priestesses slept soundly through the night, and I let them rest to get their strength back up. The only noise they made was a few light snores and mumbles, and with all the work they had been doing over the past couple of days, they were clearly exhausted.

I needed them to be ready for the next quest, so I scanned my God Vision as they slept to keep an eye out for anything that might disturb them, and I kept expecting to see a family of wounded elves stumbling around in the darkness. I didn’t, and the only movement around the convent was the family of spikehogs snuffling around in the dark. They really were cute, and I couldn’t help watching them as the babies rolled around playing while the mother hunted for bugs.

Penelope was the first to wake the next morning, and she sat up suddenly with her hands on her belly.

“Morning,” I said. “Is everything okay?”

“Oh, yes.” The naiad smiled sleepily. “I just had a dream that the baby was already here. It was so vivid.”

“Still a while to wait,” I laughed. “I hope you feel rested.”

“I do.” The naiad nodded as she got to her feet. “I think I’ll go and make some tea. Elowise is normally awake early. It would be nice to watch the sunrise in my garden.”

“That sounds great,” I said gently. “I think I’ll ask Celeste and Aleia to go and find some horses today. You can tend to the garden, and Nicola can make sure the meat is stored correctly and put the finishing touches to the cellar.”

The other women began to stir as Penelope moved around getting dressed, and the naiad slinked off to go and make herself tea in the kitchen.

It was another moment that I wished I could have had a body. I would have loved to have brought her tea in bed as she kept our child rested. She was happily humming to herself as she went, though, and as long as she was well rested, I knew she would be happy.

The other priestesses slowly began to get ready for the day, and I watched my beautiful followers get dressed with yawns and smiles.

“Flying will make the trip faster,” Aleia said as I explained to the women my plan for the day. “Oh, not that I don’t like walking with my sisters, of course!”

“How dare you.” Nicola smirked. “Making fun of us poor wingless creatures.”

“Wings would be so helpful for Penelope,” Celeste said. “It would be so much easier to fly around when pregnant.”

“She can get the best seat in the carriage,” Nicola decided. “When it’s finished being built, we can make a special spot for her and her precious cargo.”

Celeste grabbed her new sword as she left the sleeping quarters, and Aleia attached her new shield over her shoulder.

“Oh, my goodness!” The fairy squealed as they stepped out into the fresh air. “What is that delightful smell?”

They hurried toward the kitchen and found Elowise and Wilfrim carefully stirring a pot over the lit fire. Penelope was sitting with a cup of tea, and she had a huge grin plastered on her face.

“They made us breakfast!” The naiad announced as the other women appeared. “They made up a stew with the muckbeast meat.”

“Breakfast stew,” Nicola laughed. “That sounds like a good way to start the morning!”

“It will keep those tummies fueled.” Elowise smiled as she began to scoop the mixture into bowls. “I always make sure my babies are well prepared to take on the day, and nothing will do that like a big breakfast.”

The priestesses eagerly accepted their bowls of food and sat down to eat their meals.

“You’ve outdone yourself,” Wilfrim said as he scooped stew up in his spoon. “Beautiful, this is.”

“Oh…” Elowise smiled with a wave of her hand. “You’ll eat anything.”

“He’s right!” Celeste said eagerly. “This is amazing.”

“It would be better with some tomatoes,” Elowise said.

“We could grow some,” Penelope chimed in. “My lord, could you enquire with the elves about more seeds, please? Just a few different vegetables would be a huge help!”

“Of course,” I said. “Horses and more seeds, any other requests?”

“I think that’s it,” Penelope giggled. “Be safe, sisters.”

“Watch out for that orange storm.” Nicola nodded as she scooped up the last of her stew. “I didn’t like the look of it.”

“Yes,” Elowise said thoughtfully. “It does sound odd, but you young ladies both have wings, you’ll be fine.”

“And big weapons.” Celeste grinned as she got to her feet. “Ready, Aleia?”

“Yes.” The fairy nodded as she licked her spoon. “I can’t wait to go flying with you, Celeste!”

The two winged priestess said their goodbyes and strode back out into the open grounds of the convent. It was definitely a colder, duller day than it had been lately, and the wind shook the trees around the walls.

“Ready to go?” Aleia sang, and the harpy responded by unfolding her scarlet wings.

“To the elves!” Celeste grinned, and both women shot up into the air.

They twirled around each other as they soared upward and shrieked with laughter while they spun. Aleia’s delicate but strong lilac wings kept up the pace with her harpy friend, and for a moment, they simply enjoyed the feeling of being in the air.

“Let’s go get some horses,” Celeste said as they hovered over the convent. “Look, you can see the storm even from this far away.”

I followed the harpy’s gaze over the treetops, and sure enough, there was an orange swirl of clouds far off in the distance.

“Let’s hope it stays over there,” I muttered as the women began to soar toward it. “I thought that Elowise would have some idea of what it was.”

“Me, too,” Aleia sighed. “She knows so much. What if she does know what it is, but doesn’t want to scare us?”

“I considered that,” I said. “But I really don’t think she would hide that from me.”

“Is it even possible to hide things from a God?” Aleia laughed.

“Everyone is allowed secrets,” I chuckled. “Although, I would appreciate honesty whenever possible.”

The two winged women soared over the trees with impressive speed, and I kept a careful eye on my God Vision to make sure their path was clear toward the farmlands.

“Can you remember which house it was?” Aleia asked. “The one we got the chickens from?”

“It was the one with the big, blue door,” Celeste replied. “Well, that’s the one they were closest to on the road anyway.”

“I hope they have enough horses to spare,” the fairy replied. “Do you think we’ll be able to afford them?”

“I’m sure we will,” I replied. “Although we’ll probably need to acquire some more coins soon.”

“Acquire?” Celeste laughed. “Jack, you make it sound so ominous!”

As the women soared through the sky, I made sure to keep a close eye on the treetops, and it wasn’t long before the orange storm was visible.

It was still covering Evelhelm, and it had also spread further past the city since we had last seen it. That couldn’t be good. The storm was getting bigger, and I hoped the freakish clouds wouldn’t roll by the convent. The last thing we needed was some strong wind blowing apart all the hard work my followers had built.

“We’re getting close,” Aleia called, and she pointed over to a stretch of large fields and tall houses.

Even from a distance, I could make out the bright colors of the elves’ hair as they worked in the crops, and we soon spotted the farmhouse with the blue door.

“That’s the one,” Celeste said. “Let’s go and get us some horses.”

“Will we get to ride them?” Aleia asked excitedly. “I mean, I don’t think they would enjoy flying very much.”

“Even if they did,” Celeste snorted, “you might be able to carry one, but I’m afraid that’s not in my skill set.”

“You haven’t tried it!” the fairy giggled. “Maybe you’re even stronger than me!”

“Impossible,” the harpy replied. “You’re the strongest creature in the world.”

Aleia’s cheeks flushed at the compliment, and she looked pleased with herself that the harpy thought so highly of her. I couldn’t blame her, Celeste was such a fiery, confident force that Aleia was probably happy to impress her.

The priestesses flew toward the house, and I could see several horses lazily grazing in the sun.

“Horses!” Aleia squeaked. “It looks like they have loads!”

I half-expected the animals to be pink or some other odd color, but they seemed to be regular shades of brown and gray, just like the ones I had always known. I couldn’t help thinking how strange it was that some things were just as I remembered them, and some things were so different that they seemed dream-like.

I started to wonder once more where exactly this world was, but I stopped myself from thinking too hard on that.

We had a job to do.

“There he is,” Celeste said as the women began to circle the fields. “Down by the doorway.”

The elf’s farmland was vast, and the house was a dull brown color unlike the bright door. The roof was thatched, and there were several wind chimes that sang on the porch. I could make out a sleeping black cat in one of the windows, and it looked like a very cozy little living arrangement.

The priestesses headed straight for the front of the farmhouse, and a turquoise-haired elf looked up with a puzzled glance. He seemed to quickly recognize the women, and his scowl turned into a friendly wave that beckoned for them to join him.

Then the two women carefully landed down on the ground in front of the farmer, and he raised his cup of tea in greeting. He was a young male elf, but didn’t leer at the women as they arrived. His greenish hair was oily and pushed back, and I guessed he had worked up a sweat from a day in the fields. His brown boots were caked in mud, and his dark blue pants had grass stains all over them.

I caught myself thinking about the god Tobias who had a place of worship in Evelhelm, and I wondered if the elves were ever rewarded for their hard work in the fields. It seemed like something I would have my own followers do in order to level up, and the notion made me think.

If I could get elven followers, then our supplies for the convent would become even more reliable. The women would have access to fresh milk, and a much more reliable meat source than hunting. But that task would have to wait for now, because I didn’t even know anything about other gods in this world, or if they lead their followers the way I did, too. If they did, could I even earn a following of elves who already worshipped another god?

Could I add them to my Army list?

“Hiiii,” Aleia sang. “Remember us?”

“I do indeed,” the young elf man chuckled. “Hard to forget a fairy and a harpy around here! How are those chickens doing?”

“They’re great.” The fairy smiled. “We can’t wait to have some eggs for breakfast.”

“Give them a couple of days to settle in.” The elf nodded. “They'll be laying in no time, but you weren’t looking to return them, were you?”

“Oh, no,” Aleia said. “The chickens are wonderful.”

“We’re actually hoping for some more business,” Celeste said. “If the price is right, of course.”

I shot a phantom grin at my business savvy priestess. Surely it wouldn’t be long until her stats became even more impressive.

“Ohhh, really?” The elf laughed. “And what can I do for you ladies?”

“We need horses,” Aleia said. “Two if you have them to spare, and some vegetable seeds.”

“Horses and seeds?” The elf asked. “Well, you’re in luck. I have a whole pasture of horses and enough seeds to grow fields’ worth of food.”

“Brilliant.” Celeste grinned. “We knew it was a good idea to come back to you.”

“Come with me,” the elf said as he drained the last of his tea. “You can have a look at the horses for yourself.”

He placed his empty cup down on the wooden steps of the porch and wiped sweat from his forehead as he headed out toward the farmland.

The young elf began to lead the women to the field on the left of the house, and he carefully locked the gate behind them as they stepped into the horses’ pasture. The grass was carefully cut, but still long enough for the animals to graze. There were small red flowers dotted around the field, and a few rainbow-printed butterflies fluttered around as the girls walked.

“I’m Aleia, by the way,” the fairy said cheerfully. “This is Celeste.”

“I’m Elias.” The elf nodded. “Nice to make your acquaintance, again. Do you live nearby?”

“Closeish,” Celeste said. “It’s a beautiful route to fly.”

“I’ll bet,” Elias laughed. “I would love a pair of wings, it would make the trips into town a lot faster!”

“Your farm is lovely,” Aleia admired. “Have you lived here long?”

“Oh, yes,” Elias replied. “My family’s farm is nearby, and I moved into this one a good few years ago now. I’ve been lucky to land myself such a big spot.”

They walked over toward the horses, and the wind rustled the grass under their feet. As they approached the animals, I noticed that the storm looked closer than ever before, but I didn’t want the priestesses stressing as they made their purchase, so I kept quiet. Then I checked my God Vision and carefully studied all the creatures to make sure there wasn’t anything sinister hiding amongst the livestock.

Elias came to a stop beside the horses, and a small, black pony trotted over to say hello. The horses were all varying in size, and the ponies looked like the most curious of the bunch. They glanced over at the priestesses, but none of them seemed particularly worried about their presence.

“They are just beautiful,” Aleia cooed, and she patted the black pony as it sniffed her coin purse.

“Which ones are for sale?” Celeste asked. “Are any of them particularly strong?”

“Whichever you like,” Elias said. “I only need a couple for the farm work, so as long as I keep two big ones, I don’t mind. As far as their strength goes, there isn’t much difference between them all. Other than the ponies, of course.”

“Small things can be strong,” Aleia said innocently.

“We already have a pony,” Celeste said. “It’s actually for pulling a carriage that we’ll need them for, so bigger is probably better.”

“Wow,” the elf said. “Wings and a carriage? You ladies know how to travel in style!”

“It’s not finished yet.” Aleia smiled. “But when it is, we’ll need a couple of strong horses for the job.”

The fairy strode up closer to the animals, and she stretched a hand out to stroke a large, gray horse. It had a sleek, black mane and pale blue eyes, and it whinnied softly as Aleia patted its neck.

“Nicola would love this,” Celeste said. “What about that big one?”

The harpy pointed to a ginger-coated horse that was chomping down hay near the gate. It was even bigger than the gray one and had an incredible shine to its coat.

“Of course you like the orange one,” Aleia laughed. “He matches your colors perfectly!”

“You would look amazing riding that,” I murmured, and the harpy giggled.

I pictured the scarlet priestess riding along with her sword held high, and I felt phantom blood rush to my head. Sometimes, I felt like I should get a level up purely for keeping my focus around such beautiful distractions.

“The orange one it is.” Celeste grinned.

“Both good choices.” Elias nodded. “You girls want to give them a go before you settle on them?”

“Ride them?” Aleia asked. “Can we really?”

“Of course.” The elf shrugged. “No point in getting a horse that doesn’t get on with you.”

Elias grabbed a set of reins that was hung over the wooden fence and quickly fitted it onto the gray horse’s neck. It chomped down on the bit and swung its tail lazily.

“Doesn’t it need a saddle?” Celeste asked.

“Nope,” Elias said. “She doesn’t mind putting one on, but she’s gentle and is happy to have people ride her bareback. Besides, if you get thrown off, you girls can just fly upward to safety!”

“That’s true,” the harpy agreed. “Hopefully, it won’t come to that.”

Elias chuckled to himself as he adjusted the reins and gave the animal a pat on the nose.

“Whose first?” he asked, and Celeste shrugged.

“You can go, Aleia,” the harpy offered. “I’ll ride the ginger one.”

The fairy fluttered up to the gray horse’s back and swung her leg over the beast so she was perched on top. She gripped onto the leather reins tightly, and she looked down at the horse as it continued to chomp on grass.

“How does it go?” she asked curiously. “Horsey? Let’s go for a run!”

The gray beast ignored her and flared its nostrils slightly as it ate, and the fairy scrunched up her face in an adorable scowl.

“Ahem!” she said. “Miss horse? Please, can you go? I just want to go for a little test run.”

Celeste snorted with laughter as the animal continued to ignore the fairy, and I couldn’t help joining in as Aleia huffed.

“Give her a gentle kick on the side,” Elias instructed. “Just a little nudge, and that will get her going. She hasn’t had a passenger for a while, she just needs a little warming up.”

Aleia nodded and gave the tiniest nudge with her foot on the horse’s side.

The creature immediately jumped into action and began to trot forward around the perimeter of the field. It kept close to the wooden fence and made a satisfying clip-clop with every hoof that hit the ground.

“It worked!” the fairy cried, and I followed her as she moved along the pasture with an excited giggle.

“Having fun?” I laughed.

“Oh, yes,” the fairy replied. “I’ve never been on a horse this big before! She’s definitely big enough to help with a carriage.”

“You look gorgeous,” I said. “With the wind blowing your hair like that… I think horse riding suits you.”

“Thank you, master.” The fairy smiled. “It is quite fun, but I think flying is a little easier for me.”

The gray creature was gentle with its pace and trotted around the field making sure to avoid the other horses. It carried Aleia around at a steady speed, and then it brought her right back to their starting point beside the other two.

“She seems to be a good fit.” Elias smiled as Aleia fluttered back down to the ground. “Gentle one she is, and clearly respects you enough not to try and buck you off.”

The fairy grinned from ear to ear as she patted the gray horse.

“Does she have a name?” Aleia asked, and Elias shook his head.

“You can name her,” he replied. “Shall we take old ginger out for a spin next?”

The elf removed the leather reins from the gray horse, and they made their way over to the orange one.

“Up you get,” Elias said as he patted the animal on the rump, and the horse slowly got to its feet.

“You made it look so easy,” Celeste said to Aleia. “I hope this guy likes me as much as yours did.”

The ginger horse gave Celeste a suspicious side eye, and it flicked its tail as Elias adjusted the reins. It didn’t seem as at ease as the other one had been, and it continued whipping its tail back and forth as it snorted.

“Are you sure he doesn’t mind?” the harpy asked cautiously. “He looks kind of angry.”

“He’s just a bit stubborn,” Elias assured her. “A nice ride will calm him down, and he’ll be ready to pull that carriage in no time.”

“If you’re sure,” the harpy replied.

“Ready to go!” the elf said, and Celeste flew gently upward to climb onto its back. She hovered slightly before lowering herself, and she took a deep breath as her wings flapped.

As soon as she perched onto the creature’s spine and grabbed the reins, the horse shot off like a rocket toward the other end of the pasture.

“Fuck!” Celeste gasped as she clung onto the reins, and she gripped the horse tightly between her thighs.

Her fiery hair danced behind her, and she spluttered as her breath was caught in the wind.

“You okay?” I asked.

“I think so,” the harpy shouted. “How do I stop it?”

Elias whistled behind us, and the horse seemed to reluctantly slow down as it turned back to its owner.

“Why don’t animals like me?” Celeste grumbled as the horse trotted toward Elias.

“He’s a bit of a feisty one,” the elf apologized. “But he’s good at heart. He just needs a bit of structure. Put him to work, and he’ll be as good as gold.”

“Hmmm,” Celeste replied, but she smirked as she patted the horse.

“Are you okay?” Aleia asked as she tugged on her strawberry-blonde hair.

“I’m fine,” Celeste laughed. “I kind of like that he’s a bit wild.”

“He has that in common with you,” I whispered, and the harpy grinned.

“Do you have the harness you’ll need?” Elias asked. “And reins, too?”

“No,” Aleia replied. “We don’t have any of that.”

“I can get you those as well.” The elf nodded. “You ladies must be lucky to have come by an affordable carriage in the first place, not many of those going about.”

“We’re building it,” Celeste explained. “Well, our friends are. They’re gnomes, and they can build just about anything.”

“That’s impressive,” the elf said as he led them out of the pasture. “Mind you, a much better idea than trying to buy one. If you’ve got the skills to make it, then that’s the best option. Ridiculous prices some people are charging nowadays.”

Elias kept glancing up at the sky, and he scowled slightly as looked at the nearby swirl of orange.

“Ask him about the storm,” I told my priestesses. “Find out if it’s anything he’s seen before.”

“It’s odd isn’t it,” Aleia said. “That storm? Have you ever seen anything like that around these parts?”

“No,” Elias replied as they headed into a wooden barn. “Not that I can remember, anyway, but I don’t like it one bit, and it seems to get worse as the day goes on.”

“What do you mean?” Celeste asked.

“It seems to get darker at times.” The elf shrugged. “Last night it was a much deeper orange, and the animals wouldn’t settle for hours. They kept screaming up at the sky like a bunch of banshees.”

I was curious to find out if banshees were a real thing here, but decided to keep that question for another time. There were only so many ridiculous creatures I could learn about at a time.

There was a box full of riding equipment just inside the door, and Elias rummaged around before he pulled out a set of harnesses and reins.

“What do you think is causing it?” Celeste pressed. “It’s so strange how isolated it is.”

“Yes,” the elf said thoughtfully as he studied the sky. “I’m a bit worried actually, it looks like it’s right near my family’s farm. It’s been over there for the past day or so, and I haven’t heard from them in that time.”

“How often do you normally hear from them?” Celeste asked with a worried frown.

“They usually come by every day,” Elias said uneasily. “They always stop by for lunch, or at least a cup of tea. We’re really close, you see. I just assumed they were busy with the farm, but I’m starting to wonder if I should go over there.”

The priestesses looked over to the swirling storm that blanketed the sky above the nearby farms, and I suddenly realized what our next quest was.

We needed to go and save Elias’ family from the storm.

Chapter 7

“That’s your next quest,” I said, and both the priestesses exchanged glances. “Those elves, I need you to save them from that storm. Tell him that you’ll check in on them once the horses have been taken back.”

“Oh,” Aleia said with wide eyes. “Um, Elias, we would be happy to fly by your family’s farm and make sure everything is okay.”

“Really?” he asked. “Why would you do that?”

“You’re selling us what we need,” Celeste said. “Besides, even with the trip back to our home, it will be faster for us to fly than for you to walk.”

“And you have a farm to run.” Aleia nodded. “Please, we promise to make sure everything is fine on their farm.”

“I don’t know how to thank you,” Elias said as he ran a hand through his turquoise hair. “You know what, I’ll knock some money off the horses for you.”

“Really?” Aleia asked. “We’re happy to pay full price, honestly.”

“He says he’ll give us a deal,” Celeste murmured as she gently nudged the fairy. “Our money can only last so long, let’s accept his kind offer.”

“Let’s see,” the elf muttered. “If you give me two hundred for the lot, that’s normally what I would charge for just one horse.”

“Wonderful!” Aleia opened her coin purse. “Thank you so much.”

“And thank you, too.” The elf nodded as he accepted the coins. “My parents are not as young as they used to be, and I worry about them.”

“We’ll make sure they’re okay,” Celeste promised. “We’ll report back as soon as we’ve visited.”

“They stay on the western side of the farmlands,” Elias explained. “Their house is two stories high and has a large red barn beside it. There’s a creek just as you get to it.”

“We’ll remember that,” Celeste assured him.

Elias nodded as he looked over to the orange stormy sky in the distance, and he shivered as his eyes studied the clouds.

“Oh, I almost forgot your seeds,” the elf realized. Then he rummaged in his pants pocket and pulled out two small, brown packs.

“Thank you!” Aleia said as she tucked them into her pouch. “My friend will be very grateful for these.”

“Tomatoes and carrots,” the elf explained. “They grow really big, juicy ones. I’ll have some seeds for greens in a few days, too, after I’ve seen my brother. Feel free to come back for more.”

“We probably will.” Celeste nodded. “You’ve been great, Elias.”

“It’s my pleasure,” he assured the women. “Now, let me show you how to fit these reins real quick, and you’ll be all set.”

The priestesses got to work with fitting the reins on each of their chosen horses while Elias instructed them, and the animals barely reacted as the women flew up onto their backs.

The ginger-colored beast whinnied as Celeste gently tapped its side, but it didn’t try to run off this time. Then Elias opened the field gate, and the women trotted out toward the road.

“Be safe on your travels,” Elias called. “Thanks again for the business!”

“We’ll speak soon!” Aleia called back, and the two horses began to make their way along the path back to the convent.

“Jack,” Celeste said when they were out of earshot. “Why do we need to check in on the elves? Are they okay?”

“This is the task I have given you,” I said firmly. “You know I cannot tell you more than I do. As my priestesses, I trust you will carry out the work you need to.”

“I will.” Celeste nodded. “It’s just so exciting when we are given a quest, especially one outside the convent.”

“I hope they’re okay,” Aleia said as the horses trotted up the road. “Elias was so kind to us, I would hate for anything to happen to his family.”

“Just focus on getting the horses back first,” I said gently. “As soon as they’re returned, we can make our way to the elves’ farm.”

The horses needed little guidance as they rode back toward the convent, and the ginger one only whinnied in protest a few times. The sky was darkening by the minute, and grayish clouds passed over the sun as the girls rode. There were even a few short bursts of light rain, and the wind began to pick up more and more as they got closer to the convent.

“What horrible weather,” Aleia pouted as she glared up at the sky. “I hope everyone is staying dry at home.”

“It is getting stormy,” Celeste observed, and I saw her glance at Aleia with a frown.

“Everything okay?” I asked, and the harpy nodded.

“I’m worried about your wings, Aleia,” Celeste said. “I know they’re strong, but they are still delicate, and all this bad weather might damage them. Especially if we’re flying against the wind and in hail, they might get ripped.”

“Well,” Aleia hummed. “I don’t want to miss out on the quest, but I’ve never really flown in a proper storm before.”

“I think Celeste’s right,” I decided. “You’re so strong Aleia, and we couldn’t have gotten this far without you, but I need you to take care of yourself. We can’t make the most of those super muscles if you can’t fly properly.”

“I suppose,” the fairy sighed. “I just want to be useful to you, Jack.”

“Useful?” I asked. “You’re essential to this whole convent! Don’t you think for a single second that you aren’t.”

The strawberry-blonde smiled, and her freckled cheeks flushed.

“Wait,” Aleia said. “Does that mean Celeste will be going alone? Master, won’t that be too dangerous?”

“I’ll be with her,” I assured the fairy. “I promise I won’t let anything happen to her.”

“We’ll be fine,” Celeste agreed. “It’s just some elves and clouds, how dangerous could it be?”

“Take your sword anyway,” I said. “An enchanted weapon can’t hurt to take along on a quest.”

The horses sped up as the wind began to howl louder, and I hoped they’d made it back to the convent before anything really spooked them. I checked my God Vision more than usual as the women rode, since having two strong horses made them even more of a target than before, and I was worried we would run into some more goblins, but the only other travelers were a couple of young elves who seemed to be in a hurry.

They waved hastily as they passed and kept their heads down so the wind didn’t blow in their faces too much as they ran.

“It’s getting worse,” Celeste grimaced as dust blew up from the road, and the horses snorted in protest.

She looked up at the sky, and it was almost completely covered with the dark grayish clouds.

“We’re almost there,” I said. “The shelter of the convent walls will help with the wind, and you can get the horses settled once you’re back.”

The priestesses gritted their teeth and held their arms over their faces with each huge gust of wind. We eventually made our way by the creek, and the horses paused briefly to have a quick drink of water. The hydration seemed to fuel them, and the animals trotted quickly up toward the convent gate.

Thunder the puppy wasn’t there to greet us this time, and I couldn’t see anyone as we rode into the grounds.

The wind immediately became less intense as the limestone walls sheltered us, and the women sighed with relief as they slipped off their horses and fluttered down onto the ground.

“Helloooo,” Aleia called out. “We brought company!”

Penelope and Nicola appeared from the back of the convent, and the women both gasped as they spotted the horses. Then the priestesses raced over, and both horses immediately flocked to Nicola as she stopped beside them.

“They’re beautiful,” the brunette purred as she stroked both horses’ manes. “How was the trip?”

“It was good.” Celeste nodded. “We got a good price for them, along with reins and a harness.”

“Wonderful,” Penelope replied. “I missed you both, and I really missed you, master.”

“Glad to hear it,” I said warmly. “I’ll make sure I get plenty of time with you soon enough.”

The naiad smiled as she reached out to the gray horse, and she hummed softly as she stroked the beast.

“It’s been really windy here,” Nicola said as she glanced up at the sky. “The gnomes are all under the north tower with some tea. The little ones were getting a bit anxious about the storm, so they’re trying to get them down for a nap.”

“That’s good,” I said. “The three of you can get the horses settled, maybe around by the garden where there’s more shelter.”

“The three of us?” Penelope asked. “My lord, what do you mean?”

“Celeste is going on a quest,” I replied. “There is an elven family that needs to be rescued, and Celeste’s wings are the best option we have to get there safely and quickly.”

“Rescued from what?” Nicola asked. “Is it the storm?”

“That’s right,” I said with a phantom nod. “The elf who we bought the horses from has a family living under those clouds, and he hasn’t heard from them since the storm arrived.”

The priestesses all looked warily at the sky, and Penelope stroked her belly as the wind howled.

“Please be safe, Celeste,” the naiad pleaded. “Your wings may be strong, but we don’t know what is causing those clouds.”

“I will be,” the harpy said with a determined nod. “Jack will protect me, and I have my weapon, too.”

“How is the carriage coming along?” Aleia asked.

“The gnomes work quickly,” Penelope replied. “They’ve taken a break, of course, due to the storm, but I reckon it won’t be long until we have means of transport to town.”

“I nearly forgot,” Aleia said as she rummaged in her coin purse. “Here you go, Penelope. Seeds!”

“Oh, wonderful,” the naiad gasped. “Thank you, sister. Do you know what kind they are?”

“This packet is carrots,” the fairy said. “And this one will grow tomatoes.”

“Wonderful,” Penelope sighed. “That’s a good solid addition for my little vegetable garden.”

“Tomatoes are technically a fruit,” I said. “Not that it matters, just a little fact for you.”

“My lord,” Penelope giggled. “It really is a blessing to have you share your knowledge with us.”

There was a particularly loud gust of wind, and Thunder the puppy barked from one of the towers.

“Luna is out grazing around the back,” Nicola said. “I’ll take these beauties to meet her.”

“I hope they get along,” Aleia mused. “They don’t have names yet, either.”

“We’ll sort that out,” Nicola cooed as she stroked the ginger horse’s snout. “Jack, is there anything you want us to do while you’re gone?”

“Just stay safe,” I replied. “We don’t know what’s going to happen with this storm, but I don’t want any of you going out of the walls unless you really need to. In here, you have some level of shelter, and you can make your way into the cellar if things get too wild.”

“We’ll stay put.” Nicola nodded. “Besides, Elowise is going to show us how to make dandelion wine.”

“Oh, is she?” I laughed. “Well, that sounds like you’ll not even miss us.”

“Don’t say that,” Penelope pouted. “I always miss you when you’re gone.”

“I’m just teasing,” I said. “We should get going soon, I don’t want to wait much longer to check in on the elves.”

“I’m ready,” Celeste announced, and she patted her scabbard on her hip.

“I can’t wait to find out what makes those swords magic.” Nicola grinned. “Maybe they’re specifically designed to break apart creepy, orange storms.”

“That must be it,” I laughed. “There’s only one way to find out.”

I took a moment to check my God vision and make sure there was nothing unusual around the convent. I didn’t want to leave the other priestesses if there was any form of danger lurking nearby, and while completing the quest was important, nothing was as important as protecting my women.

The forest was particularly quiet, and I figured most animals would be burrowed down in whatever holes sheltered them from the wind. There were a few birds grasping onto the trees, but there wasn’t even so much as a lone rabbit around on the forest floor.

The priestesses having their new weapons made me less concerned about leaving them anyway, and they had the gnomes to back them up if any danger presented itself.

“Celeste,” I said as an idea came to me. “Why don’t you give your wings a stretch while you’re in battle bird mode for this? We might as well go in with all guns blazing.”

“Guns blazing?” The harpy cocked her head to the side. “What does that mean, Jack?”

Ah. Yet another phrase from my old life that meant nothing here.

“It’s just a godly expression,” I said. “It means going into a situation ready to fight.”

“I do love hearing your wisdom.” Penelope smiled. “It sounds so odd, but so comforting. I can’t wait for you to teach the baby some of your phrases.”

“Well, as sweet as that will be, I’m afraid I can only transform during battle,” Celeste told me. “Otherwise, I would love to. Maybe I’ll get a chance if we find something unpleasant under the storm, though.”

“You’re plenty tough in harpy form anyway,” I observed. “I feel sorry for whatever we find in the storm if it has to try and face you in battle.”

“Maybe it will be another bird-like creature,” Aleia piped up. “If it’s up in the sky with the clouds, it could even be some mysterious fairy.”

“Fairies can’t make storms,” Penelope snorted. “You of all people should know that!”

“Who knows?” Aleia shrugged. “I haven’t met every single one of my kind. There might be some odder outcasts that have different powers.”

“Whatever you find, I know Jack will protect you,” Penelope told the harpy. “But I am rather worried about you going alone, sister.”

“Don’t be.” Celeste smiled. “You’ve seen me in battle bird mode.”

“Exactly,” Nicola said. “Is there anything scarier than a giant eagle shooting fire from her claws?”

“I hope not,” Aleia giggled. “But the giant spiders we fought might be up there.”

The horses both suddenly whinnied and looked up at the sky with flared nostrils.

“What’s the matter?” Penelope asked as she stroked the ginger horse. “There’s nothing there.”

The naiad gazed at the dark clouds above the convent, and I knew it was time to go. Maybe the animals could sense something that we couldn’t, and I had a feeling it was something to do with the orange storm.

Then baby Roza started to cry, and her wails echoed out from the north tower. It seemed that everyone was getting stressed out by something in the air, and the horses continued to whinny nervously.

Thunder the puppy howled somewhere in the convent, and Nicola looked around for the animal.

“Poor baby,” she sighed. “I wonder if there’s a noise that we can’t hear? Maybe something too high-pitched for human ears.”

“It’s possible,” I said. “Or maybe they can just sense that the storm’s on the move again.”

“Jack!” Elowise called, and she hurried toward the priestesses with wide eyes.

“Is everything okay?” I asked. “Baby Roza isn’t hurt, is she?”

“No, no,” the gnome said. “We’re all fine, I just wanted to make sure everything had gone safely with your trip. Everyone’s been on edge with the storm, and the little ones are getting a bit worried.”

I hated to think of the innocent little gnomes being upset, and I noticed Penelope pout as she rubbed her belly.

“I won’t let anything happen to them,” I reassured Elowise. “They’re safe here, and I’m just about to go with Celeste to examine the storm.”

“I’m worried about what you’ll find,” the old gnome admitted. “I don’t think it’s simply bad weather. The way the animals and children are acting, it makes me think this is something magical.”

“Magical?” Nicola asked. “I did wonder about that, it could be some kind of spell.”

“I just don’t want you to rule anything out,” Elowise cautioned. “I know you will protect us, Jack, I just wish we knew more about what we were up against.”

“It’s going to be a challenge,” I agreed. “But we’re a family, and we protect each other. Whatever is causing this, magic or not, we will defeat it. I love my followers, and I’m not going to let some orange clouds harm the beautiful lives you’re building here.”

“Oh, Jack,” Penelope gasped. “My lord, your words always hit me right in the heart. We are a family!”

“Exactly,” I said. “It’s my responsibility to make sure I help everyone I can, and these elves could be in real danger.”

“You always save those who need it.” Celeste smiled. “I’m living proof. Without you, I would still be frozen into stone with nobody but a bunch of horrific gargoyles for company.”

“This is a slightly nicer life.” Nicola grinned.

“I couldn’t imagine you not being here now,” Aleia said as she squeezed the harpy’s hand. “We became a sisterhood so quickly, it’s like we were always destined to find each other.”

“That’s sweet,” Celeste chuckled. “I just feel sorry for anyone who doesn’t have Jack as their God.”

“Like the elves,” I muttered half to myself, and my naiad’s eyebrows twitched up a bit in intrigue. “Who knows, maybe after we help them out, they’ll come around to being one of us.”

“That would be perfect,” Penelope decided. “It would make getting supplies so much easier if we knew all the farmers.”

A huge gust of wind blew the women’s hair over their faces, and Elowise grabbed onto Penelope’s arm to keep from falling over from the force of it.

“I don’t like this,” the gnome grumbled. “It’s not right, Jack. I’m so grateful we have you to defend us.”

“Okay,” I said. “I think if I get any more compliments, my head might explode. Let’s go and figure out this storm.”

“I believe in you,” Elowise said with a solemn nod. “Just let me know what to do to help, and I’ll do everything I can.”

“We all will,” Nicola added.

“Anything for my sisters!” Aleia said.

I felt a wave of pride wash over my phantom body, and I suddenly felt unstoppable as my devout followers looked up at the sky.

“Get the animals settled,” I instructed the priestesses. “Celeste, it’s time to go.”

“Be careful,” Elowise urged.

“Goodbye, sister,” Penelope sighed. “Come home safely.”

“Try not to set too many things on fire,” Nicola added. “But also, be careful. I mean it.”

“You’re a harpy with a magical sword,” Aleia chirped. “Nothing can mess with you!”

“I’ll see you all soon.” Celeste smiled as she unfolded her scarlet wings.

“Stay safely inside the convent,” I said to the others. “We’ll be back.”

Then the harpy shot up into the air, and she soared toward the hazy grayish clouds. She looked down at the convent, and the other women had already begun to lead the horses to the garden. The animals kept glancing up at the sky, and I wondered what exactly it was they could sense.

I decided to briefly check that the other gnomes were safe just before we left, and I was suddenly with Nissa as she sat beneath the shelter of the north tower. Baby Roza was in her arms, and the other children were sound asleep at her feet.

Balabar was dozing in the corner, and Wilfrim was peering out across the grounds.

“We really are lucky to be here,” the old gnome said just as I was about to leave. “I would hate to be out in the forest if that storm comes our way.”

“Do you think it will?” Nissa asked as she rocked her baby back and forth.

“I’m not sure.” Wilfrim shrugged. “But even if it does, Jack won’t let it touch a hair on that little one’s head.”

I decided to leave unnoticed, and I somehow felt warm in my phantom state. The belief that my people had in me fueled my determination, and I had never felt this powerful or driven before. Adding Celeste to the convent had felt like some kind of final puzzle piece, and even though I wanted more followers, I had everything I needed within the limestone walls.

I returned back to the harpy and looked out at the vast forest.

“Ready?” I asked.

“Ready,” Celeste confirmed, and she shot off over the forest toward the farmlands.

Whatever was causing the storm, we were about to find out.

Chapter 8

Celeste’s powerful wings glided over the forest, and there was a distant rumble of thunder as she sailed toward the farmhouses. Despite the fact I had already seen the forest from up high, it still took my phantom breath away.

Even the dull lighting of the day couldn’t take away from how beautiful the land was, and only a second rumble of thunder shook me out of my thoughts.

“I don’t like the sound of that,” the harpy said as she eyed the sky.

“Me, neither,” I agreed. “Let’s try not to worry until we get closer. A bit of thunder never hurt anyone, after all.”

“True,” Celeste said. “It does feel good to get use out of these wings as well. I still can’t believe how beautiful and strong they are.”

“Just like you,” I said, and almost groaned myself at the corny line.

Celeste seemed to like it, though, and she did a spin as she flew and then giggled as her hair fell over her face. She did a few more twirls, and the beautiful harpy let out a deep sigh as a light splattering of rain began to fall.

“I’m glad you like the wings,” I laughed. “They’re powerful as hell, and they look amazing on you. Of course, anything would.”

“Jack.” Celeste grinned. “You’re too sweet.”

A louder clap of thunder interrupted the harpy’s laughter, and the clouds were practically black above us. I was getting more concerned for the elves by the second, and I only hoped we would get there before any harm could come to them. We hadn’t failed a quest yet, and I didn’t plan on changing that any time soon.

Of course, there was a chance that the storm wasn’t anything to worry about. I still had so much to learn about this new world, there was a chance the orange clouds could just be an unusual patch of weather with nothing magical about it. Although, nobody else seemed to recognize it, either, and that was more worrying.

I gave myself a phantom shake and focused on simply getting to the farms for the time being. I could figure out what the hell to do when we got there.

“Tell me more about your battle bird form,” I said as Celeste flew over a flowing waterfall. “It’s such a fascinating mix of powerful and stunning.”

“What would you like to know?” she asked.

“Can all harpies do it?” I asked. “And is it a choice, or something that just takes over you?”

“All harpies have the ability.” Celeste nodded. “Although some only use it once or twice in their lives. Since it is only possible during battle, there are some harpies that never need it.”

“Do you still have your own thoughts?” I asked. “Or does the battle bird take you over completely?”

“These questions are fun,” the harpy laughed. “I’m very much still myself when in bird form. I have the same emotions and thoughts. I suppose I just feel like a much more powerful version of myself, and my abilities are so much more advanced that I don’t feel much fear.”

“That makes sense,” I said. “You look incredible when you switch, it’s amazing to watch. The first time we saw you, your light just lit up the whole convent.”

“I’m meant to be the one that praises you,” Celeste laughed. “You really are a caring god.”

“Let’s show that to the elves,” I said. “Maybe we can convince them to turn to me, rather than old Tobias.”

“Who?” Celeste asked.

“Oh, it’s just something I saw once with Aleia in Evelhelm,” I explained. “There’s a place of worship there that’s dedicated to a god named Tobias, and I think the elves place their faith in him.”

“A friend of yours?” The harpy smirked.

“Not really,” I chuckled, although I chose not to mention that my best friend happened to be named Tobias. That was my last life, although the shared name did make me even more curious about this other god.

“Well, I don’t know anything about that god,” Celeste said. “But I know there’s no way he’s anywhere near as amazing as you are.”

I couldn’t help agreeing with her. Despite the fact I had only been a god for a short span of time, I felt like I was born to do it. The super-hot priestesses were a definite plus, but I had really grown to love helping and overseeing the convent.

Maybe this was always my true form, and that life before was just some glitch or practice run, but every time I thought of my past life, my mind drifted back to the newspaper and my photograph. I still didn’t have all the answers I wanted, but I sure as hell was fitting into the life of a god.

Rain spat down from the dense clouds as Celeste flew over the forest, and it seemed that raindrops simply bounced off her feathered wings. She hummed as she flew, and I tried not to get distracted by the dampening cloth on her chest as the rain got heavier.

“The rain feels nice,” she sighed. “It’s refreshing, like being in the river and flying at the same time.”

“Don’t make me think of you in the river,” I said. “I want to try and stay focused, and that’s far too sexy of an image.”

“My lord,” Celeste giggled. “I love when you watch me, I already can’t wait for our next dream visit. You really are the most fascinating being I’ve ever met.”

I had to admit, having the gorgeous redhead shower me with compliments was a good way to spend a journey. I was so proud of how devoted the harpy had become, after being so unsure to begin with. I was grateful to have her as one of my priestesses, and I had a feeling she would get to show off her battle bird powers again very soon.

As Celeste flew over the treetops and toward the direction of Evelhelm, the orange storm came into sight. The swirling mass of warm tones looked especially out of place while the rest of the sky was so dark and brooding.

But the strangest thing about the storm was that there seemed to be a very distinct line where it ended. I hadn’t noticed that before, but now that we were approaching it, it ended right at the edge of the forest and went on to cover Evelhelm and beyond where the farmlands lay.

The orange clouds didn’t merge into the gray ones, it was as if they had an invisible wall separating the storm from the rest of the world. Although the clouds swirled around, they never drifted out to meet the more regular-looking ones.

“That’s weird,” I muttered.

“Has it grown?” Celeste asked. “It looks a lot bigger than it did from the ground when we bought the horses.”

“I’m afraid so,” I admitted.

Evelhelm was in view now, and the rain made the buildings look even more gray than usual. As the harpy flew onward and over the town, I could see there were no market stalls set up or people wandering around, and then I eyed the temple as we passed over.

I couldn’t help wondering how many of Tobias’ hopeful followers were praying to him over this storm, or what sort of assistance he was offering them right now.

Celeste passed over the town quickly, and we began to approach the farmlands beyond as I recalled Elias’ directions.

“Make sure to stay to the west side of the farms,” I said.

“I remember.” The harpy nodded. “Big red barn, two-story house.”

The storm had stretched out considerably more than I remembered. It swirled over several different farmhouses and covered a vast amount of fields. The animals below seemed to have all huddled together in their various enclosures, and I could see a flock of sheep pushed up against the fence to try and get away from the storm.

“The livestock don’t seem happy,” I observed. “They must be able to sense something.”

The harpy nodded in agreement and flew onward while the rain eased up slightly, and the wind died down as we got closer to the mysterious, orange storm. Then Celeste suddenly slowed down and hovered as she looked up at the sky.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I just feel something,” she said quietly. “I don’t know how to explain it, but I just got a sense all over my body that something’s not right. That probably sounds really silly.”

“Not at all,” I objected. “Can you describe the feeling?”

“Not really,” Celeste murmured. “I just know that there’s something unpleasant nearby, it’s almost like that feeling of being watched, but there’s nobody there.”

“It’s good to trust your instincts,” I said. “You’re really intuitive, Celeste, so you can call the shots about what we do.”

“Thank you,” she said softly. “I feel safe, but there’s just something making my skin crawl.”

“Let’s get closer,” I suggested. “Do you feel comfortable with that?”

“Yes, let’s do it.” The harpy nodded, and she continued onward until we were right at the edge of the forest where the orange storm lay.

She hovered beside the farmlands and looked out at the dense clouds. There was a yellow glow on the ground below, and the storm seemed to be making a low rumbling noise like it was alive. I had no idea what the hell was causing it, but I was sure it wasn’t natural.

“This must be magic, like Elowise said.” Celeste frowned. “Maybe some kind of curse?”

“Why would anyone curse the elves?” I wondered. “They seem like pretty peaceful people, I can’t imagine them pissing anyone off.”

“Pissing anyone off?” Celeste asked. “What is that, Jack?”

“It means to annoy someone,” I explained. “Sorry, I forget my language is a bit odd to you sometimes.”

“I like it,” the harpy said. “But what should we--”

She quickly stopped speaking as something small flew past one of the orange clouds and then disappeared again into the storm. It moved too quickly for me to get a real look at it, but I could have sworn it was a tiny humanoid-shaped creature.

“What was that?” I asked. “Some kind of flying goblin?”

That was an unpleasant thought, and I hoped I wasn’t right.

But my mind was racing with all the mythical beings I could think of, and I kept my gaze on the orange clouds in case the thing reappeared.

“Not a goblin,” Celeste said, and then another of the creatures appeared.

It flew close to the edge of the storm, and we managed to get a good look at it before it disappeared again.

The creature was definitely humanoid, but it couldn’t have been any bigger than two feet tall. It had orange skin similar to the clouds and wore a ragged little cloth around its body. Its wings were black and moved so quickly, it was difficult to even see them. I couldn’t tell a gender, but it had wisps of dark hair sticking up at odd angles, like it had been hit by lightning.

As I continued to watch the storm, I began to notice hundreds of the tiny beings zip in and out of sight. It seemed that there was a whole colony of them inside the clouds, and they all looked erratic and in a rush as they fluttered around in circles and occasionally banged into each other.

“Squall Sprites,” Celeste whispered. “But… there’s so many.”

“Sprites?” I asked, and I tried to sound calm about this. “I guess they’re the ones that created this storm, then. Have you ever encountered them before?”

“I have briefly,” she replied. “But they usually only stay in small groups, I can’t believe how many of them there are.”

“Are they usually violent?” I asked.

“Sometimes,” Celeste replied. “But since they’re usually in small groups, they never do much damage. I’ve never seen an orange storm before, though, they normally form little blizzards or a few gray clouds. Maybe a small thunderstorm if there’s a really big group.”

“Really?” I asked. “Then what the hell is all this orange shit about? Can they talk?”

“I don’t think so,” Celeste said. “At least, I’ve never heard one myself.”

We watched as more and more sprites flitted through the clouds, and I tried to piece together a reason that they would have to attack the farmlands. If Celeste had never seen a giant swarm of them before, they must be planning something important. I wondered if it could have something to do with curses, like Celeste mentioned, or if Squall Sprites just blew in like whole hurricanes once in a great while. Every thought I had sounded more ridiculous than the last, but I had come to realize that ridiculous was just how things were in this new world.

“Should we try and talk to them?” Celeste asked. “Maybe we can find out what they want?”

I had never even seen a Squall Sprite until that moment, but I somehow had a strong feeling they wouldn’t be down for a casual chat. Out of all the creatures I had encountered so far, the sprites seemed the most chaotic.

“Let’s try and work out just how many there are,” I said. “Or at least get an idea of what the hell they’re up to. Fly around the perimeter of the storm.”

The harpy began to soar around the edge of the orange clouds, and it seemed like every inch of the storm was occupied with the sprites. They hadn’t seemed to have noticed us yet, at least, or if they had, they didn’t care much.

“Do you know if they have powers?” I asked. “Other than summoning storms?”

“Not that I was aware of,” Celeste replied. “But they never inhabit clouds they haven’t formed themselves, so judging by the strange color of these clouds, I guess they are capable of something else. Although, I don’t know what.”

“I just don’t understand why there are so many of them,” I muttered. “Why would they suddenly be conjuring a mass of orange weather rather than a few rainy clouds?”

I kept seeing little orange heads and black wings fly by, and there was suddenly a huge rumble of thunder from the middle of the clouds.

It was so loud that Celeste jolted backward, and the animals below all cried out in distress. There was a high-pitched shrieking noise, and it took a moment to realize that it was coming out of the Squall Sprites. It was a manic, ear-piercing noise, and I caught a glimpse of a sprite with a wide toothy grin.

“They’re laughing,” I realized. “Those little fuckers are clearly enjoying terrorizing the animals.”

The farm animals below wailed again, and I was glad Nicola wasn’t there to witness them being so scared.

“That’s horrible,” Celeste said with a wrinkled nose. “What should we do, Jack?”

“We should go and check on the elves,” I decided. “I think that house right below must be the one. These little bastards might be here to cause some serious chaos, so let’s hope they haven’t done anything violent.”

Celeste scanned the ground below and spotted the farmhouse with the red barn. There was a thin, winding creek a few fields behind the buildings, and it looked quiet. There was no one moving around the surrounding fields, and nobody out doing any kind of farm work. I figured that the storm was forcing them to stay inside and hoped that everyone had managed to stay safe.

“That must be the one,” I said.

“Okay,” the harpy said. “Let’s go and find the elves.”

She quickly sped down toward the fields, and she took a breath as she flew down toward the elven house. As she dove, there was a huge cry from the clouds, and a group of sprites darted down in front of Celeste and blocked her path.

The harpy abruptly stopped and watched the small, orange creatures snarl at her. There were eight of them altogether, and they were spaced out enough to make a wide line in front of the harpy.

“Oh, for goodness sake,” she snapped. “Get out of the way.”

The little creatures spat and growled, and I could see now that they had sharp, curled claws at the end of each finger.

“You’re not turning into your battle bird form?” I asked. “Shouldn’t now be the time?”

“That only comes out for real threats,” Celeste whispered. “Not tiny sprites being more nuisances than real danger.”

“Fair enough,” I snorted. “How about we cause some of our own chaos to these guys? Maybe we can show them who’s boss around here.”

“That sounds fun.” Celeste smirked and pulled her sword out of its scabbard.

The blade made a clinking noise as it left the protective case, and the sprites covered their ears with a low growl. I didn’t want to slaughter them if there was a chance they would move away on their own. They might have been ugly and annoying, but I felt it was my duty to try gentle tactics first.

“Give them a chance to move,” I instructed the harpy. “See if they can understand you. Explain that we want to get past, and that you’ll use force if they don’t comply.”

“Okay.” Celeste nodded and cleared her throat. “Listen, if you get out of my way now, then we won’t need to fight. This is in your best interest because I promise the fight will not go well for you.”

The creatures seemed to understand her words, and they cocked their heads to the side as she spoke. Then they let out a guttural cackle and gnashed their teeth together as they looked at Celeste.

Then the Squall Sprites suddenly started to twirl around in a little whirlpool formation and formed a tornado of orange skin and black wings. They made a loud shrieking noise and started to sway back and forth as they moved. I wasn’t sure if the tactic was meant to be for intimidation or not, but it looked weird as hell to see the little bodies spin so quickly.

“I don’t think they’re taking the hint,” the harpy muttered and stared at the strange array of sprites.

“Let’s see what that enchanted blade can do,” I told her. “Keep alert, they might dart toward you at any second in their little tornado.”

Just as I spoke, one of the sprites broke away from the formation and launched itself at Celeste. It snarled as it hurtled forward, and it held its sharp claws outstretched toward her face.

Celeste was ready, though, and she swung her sword so quickly that the sprite didn’t have time to react.

The blade cut through the creature’s orange skin like butter, and the sprite was cut in half within a second. It was a perfect slice down the center of its body, and guts flew out in every direction as the two parts of its body plummeted down onto the field below.

Celeste was left with a blood-covered blade and a smirk on her ivory face.

“That did the trick,” I snorted.

The other members of the group watched with wide eyes as they stopped spinning, and then they made a loud howling noise as they shook their heads.

“Give them a final warning,” I said. “Get out of the way, or they’ll end up with the same fate.”

“You see what will happen?” the harpy challenged as the wind whipped her scarlet hair around. “If you don’t move, then I will slice every single one of you down the middle.”

The sprites continued to shake and scream, and one of them even began to tug at its tufts of hair.

“I think I made them angry, Jack,” Celeste whispered. “Surely that was enough of a warning--”

The harpy was interrupted as two more Squall Sprites dove at her. They approached from different directions, and one flew toward her legs while the other went for the head.

Celeste quickly brought her sword up above her head, and as the sprites got close, she brought it down with a forceful grunt. The blade cut through the higher up sprite just as it was within arm’s reach, and I watched the sword fly straight through its body. The second sprite looked up as the blade crashed into its back, and it made an unsettling wail just before as it was cut in half. Then the two bodies sprayed blood everywhere, and there was a gross mess of wings and orange skin in the air for a moment before the dead sprites went hurtling downward.

Thankfully, there wasn’t any livestock in the area of the field directly below.

I watched as the blood painted the grass red, and I hoped the elves wouldn’t mind that they would need a slight clean-up operation in their fields.

“Too easy,” I said with a phantom grin.

The five remaining sprites seemed infuriated as they snarled and spat at Celeste. Their dark tufts of hair danced in the wind, and they had started to wave their arms in the air to add to their manic look.

Then I noticed movement above and saw a sprite coming from the orange clouds just in time.

“Above you!” I shouted, and Celeste swung her sword upward just as a sprite silently dove from the clouds.

She impaled it right through the chest, and the creature slumped down onto the blade as blood oozed from the wound.

The other sprites hurtled forward a split second later, and Celeste soared up to avoid them as she shook the body from her sword.

“I officially do not care for sprites,” the harpy growled as she watched the creatures below her scream.

They seemed to have lost any traces of planned attacks and were wild with rage as they chaotically flew around in a blizzard.

“You’ve definitely riled them up,” I said. “Let’s put the remaining five out of their misery, and then we can get to the elves.”

“I wonder why no others are coming down,” Celeste said as she glanced up at the storm. “There’s a whole army of them hidden up in those clouds.”

Before I could reply, one of the sprites from below flung itself up toward Celeste, and it screamed as she kicked it in the face. There was a crunching sound, and it flailed its hands around as blood poured from its nose. Then the harpy brought her foot up once more as the sprite was blinded by blood, and she kicked the creature right in the top of the skull.

“Nice” I said approvingly, and the sprite’s wings stopped as its eyes rolled back in its bloody head.

It was dead before it began to tumble out of the air, and there was a bloody stain left on Celeste’s boot.

The body falling down seemed to be the final straw for the remaining sprites, and they shot back up to the sky and disappeared inside the cover of clouds. I wondered if they had just gone to rally some backup, but no sprites came flying back out.

“I think you scared them,” I laughed.

“Cowards,” Celeste sighed. “They’re pretty easy to kill, although that was only a small group of them.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “They might be a hell of a lot harder to finish if they came down in their hundreds.”

She stayed for a moment staring at the storm, and the movement within the clouds seemed even more energetic than before.

It was strange that such small creatures could cause something as big as the storm, and I wondered if they even had a plan, or if they had meant to create the strange weather at all. They definitely seemed to be anger-filled animals, and it was surely only a matter of time before they came back in a bigger team.

Celeste was tough, but taking on an entire army of Squall Sprites was too much for one person, but I figured that if that did happen, I would get to experience the battle bird form with her.

I couldn’t help but grin at the thought.

“Let’s go,” I said. “Before they decide to come back for seconds.”

Celeste gave one final glance at the bodies below, and then she soared down toward the elven farmhouse.

I could only hope that we would find the family of elves safe inside, and I almost found myself saying a prayer to myself.

Chapter 9

The harpy was quiet as she flew toward the building, and she gave the clouds a quick glance as she approached the ground, but it was almost impossible to see the sprites from that far away. Then she landed on the ground gently and stood in front of the large, two-story farmhouse.

It had a slanted thatch roof, and the door was made of dark wood. There was a little swing set to the right-hand side, and some red flowers in flower pots had been knocked over. The farmhouse looked well-kept, but the wind had done some damage to the little ornaments and plants that sat at the doorway.

The windows along the sides of the house had fabric draped over them, and there was smoke coming out of the chimney.

“I can still hear them,” Celeste muttered as she glanced up at the sky.

The sound of the Squall Sprites was muted down on the ground, but their shrieks and cries were still loud enough to be heard over the wind. I could have sworn the orange of the clouds had gotten darker, but I wasn’t sure if I was just imagining it.

“Little fuckers,” I said. “You did really well against them, by the way. The sword works well for you.”

“It feels so light,” the harpy observed. “I can’t explain it, but it almost just feels like moving my own arm.”

“I guess the enchantment works,” I said. “Let’s see how our elves are doing. I can’t imagine it’s been fun having that little shitstorm swirling over their livelihood.”

“Shitstorm,” Celeste giggled as she stepped up to the door. “I like that word.”

The harpy knocked on the wooden door, and there was a shuffling noise on the other side.

“Hello?” a timid voice called out.

“Hello!” Celeste called. “My name’s Celeste, I’m here to check up on you. Elias wanted me to drop by.”

“Oh,” the voice replied, and it seemed to hesitate as the handle of the door twitched. “Elias sent you? How do you know him?”

“He sold me and my friends some chickens,” Celeste said. “Then some horses, too. He said he was worried about you, and I offered to help out.”

The handle slowly turned, and there was a low creak as the door was pulled open.

A middle-aged looking elf man stood in the doorway, and he looked Celeste up and down with wide eyes. He had pale blue hair that was neatly trimmed, and wore brown overalls that screamed farmer. His face was gaunt, and there were purple bags under his dark eyes.

“I’m a harpy,” Celeste said quickly as the elf eyed her. “Sorry, I should have mentioned that.”

“C-Come in,” the elf said, and he stepped back to let her inside.

Celeste entered the farmhouse, and the elf quickly shut the door behind her before he turned the key in the lock.

The space opened out into a large sitting room area, with two old worn, leather sofas and hardwood floors. There was a crackling fireplace on the back wall, and a younger male elf sat with a little girl on his knee.

They all had the same powder blue hair and thin faces, and it was easy to tell they were all family.

The little girl was clutching onto a stuffed toy rabbit, and she tugged at her pink dress as she stared at Celeste.

“Magic lady!” the girl shouted excitedly.

“Hello.” Celeste smiled. “I’m Celeste, you have a really beautiful home.”

“Thank you,” the older elf said wearily. “I’m Arzur, this is my son Elm, and his daughter Olive.”

“Can you fly?” Olive asked as she jumped off her father’s lap. “Can you fly like the sprites? Do you know the sprites? Do you make storms--”

“Olive,” Elm warned. “Let the lady talk. Sorry, she’s not been outside in a few days, so she’s got a lot of energy.”

“That’s fine,” the harpy laughed. “I get like that if I’ve been cooped up, too.”

The little elf girl held out her stuffed rabbit like a trophy, and Celeste crouched down to admire the toy.

“What a lovely rabbit,” she said. “You take really good care of her.”

“Yes.” Olive nodded solemnly, and then she sat on the floor and began to play with the animal along with a toy cart.

“So,” Arzur said. “Please, have a seat. I was just about to make some rose tea if you would like some.”

“Yes please,” Celeste replied kindly. “I’m really glad that you’re okay in here, Elias was worried that you hadn’t been over to visit.”

The harpy took a seat on the sofa opposite Elm, and Olive jumped up beside her and sat staring at the harpy’s folded wings.

“There’s more of us upstairs,” Arzur explained. “My mother is in bed, and so are the two older children.”

“Good thing you have a lovely, big house.” Celeste smiled.

“It’s been in the family for generations.” Elm nodded. “Luckily, we’re always well stocked in the pantry, too.”

Arzur handed Celeste a white mug full of a pink tea, and she smiled as she accepted it.

“Find out how long the sprites have been here,” I told my harpy. “If he’s grateful for the pantry being stocked, they might have been trapped in here for a while.”

“When did the storm arrive?” Celeste asked.

“Only a few days ago,” Elm replied. “But those sprites haven’t let us have any peace. If we step outside, they eventually come down and try to swipe at us with those little claws.”

He rolled up his sleeve and showed off several deep scratches that looked like they had only just healed.

“They look sore,” Celeste winced. “I’m so sorry that’s been happening to you.”

“The sheep will be hungry,” Olive said sadly. “They have grass, but daddy usually gives them special food, too.”

“They’ll be fine,” Elm assured her. “Sheep are meant to eat grass, ours are just a bit spoiled with their treats.”

Olive didn’t look convinced, and she stuck her rabbit’s ear in her mouth and chewed on it slowly.

“So you’re being held prisoner here?” Celeste asked.

“Basically,” Elm sighed. “I know that sounds ridiculous, sprites are so small, but they’re vicious little buggers.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Celeste said. “We encountered them, and they’re definitely trouble.”

“We?” Arzur asked. “Was there someone else with you?”

“O-Oh,” Celeste stuttered. “I just meant… me and my sword. It feels like it’s got a life of its own, haha.”

“Right.” Elm glanced down at her scabbard with a confused frown.

“Anyway,” Celeste said quickly. “Have you ever had this problem before? I have never seen so many sprites in one place.”

“Never,” Arzur answered. “In all my years on this farm, we’ve never seen anything like it. Even my mother said she’s never encountered them.”

There was a loud rumble of thunder, and Elm glanced at the windows as Olive covered her ears.

“We thought they were after our crops at first,” Arzur said. “Or the livestock, but they don’t seem to want anything. They haven’t tried to steal anything, it’s like they are just here to torment us.”

That surprised me. I had just assumed the sprites had targeted the farm for a reason, but if they weren't trying to take anything, what was their plan?

“Ask about their god,” I said as curiosity got the better of me. “Maybe they’ve been helped by him?”

“Have you tried praying?” Celeste asked. “You worship the god Tobias, yes?”

“Of course.” Arzur nodded. “Our family has always served the great Tobias. We pray every night, but I suppose we are not part of his plan right now.”

“He hasn’t responded?” Celeste asked, and the elves frowned.

“Responded?” Elm asked. “What do you mean?”

“He hasn’t helped,” Celeste said. “Does he explain anything to you?”

“Miss,” Arzur said slowly. “What do you mean by that?”

The elves were looking at her as if she’d just suggested that they ask a giant, invisible elephant for help. They glanced at each other, and it seemed that the great Tobias wasn’t much for communication.

“I guess he doesn’t reply to them,” I said to my harpy, and my curiosity only increased. “Some help he is.”

“He doesn’t sound like a very kind God,” Celeste muttered quietly. “Gods are meant to help their followers.”

“Well… it’s more for luck than anything else,” Elm said with an uncomfortable chuckle. “We never expect Tobias to actually reply or send down some miracle to help us. That’d be… well, that’d be quite odd, if I’m speaking truthfully.”

“Then why pray to him?” Celeste asked. “My God, Jack, helps us all the time.”

Silence fell over the sitting room, and the only sound was the crackle of the fireplace. Even Olive was looking at Celeste like she was crazy, and I decided we should move on before we lost their trust.

“Change the subject,” I muttered. “We can talk more about gods later.”

“Anyway!” the harpy said lightly. “Tell me more about the storm.”

“Well,” Elm sighed. “It seems to have shown up out of the blue, and then just stuck around right on top of this whole area, like those sprites are only interested in targeting all this farmland. A whole bunch of the neighbors headed off soon as they arrived, but we thought the storm would move on in no time… Now, we’re stuck here, and--”

“We didn’t bloody do anything!” Arzur suddenly spat. “We’re honest, hardworking elves. Everyone in this whole area is the same. We work hard and sell our wares in Evelhelm. What do they want from us?”

“It’s hard to say,” Celeste said gently. “I’m so sorry this is happening to you. I’ll do anything I can to help.”

“Can you fight them?” Olive asked. “With your magical sword?”

“How did you know it’s magical?” Celeste laughed, and the little elf shrugged.

“We can’t ask that of her,” Elm scolded. “She doesn’t even know us, we can’t ask her to risk her life.”

“I’ve already fought a few,” Celeste said with a shrug. “Sorry, there’s a bit of a mess in one of your fields.”

“Good,” Arzur snorted. “I hope you chopped the hell out of them.”

“Dad,” Elm hissed. “Thank you, miss, that can’t have been easy.”

“There were only a few of them,” Celeste assured him. “I don’t know what I would have done if they all came down at me. There must be hundreds of them in those clouds.”

“Hundreds?” Olive gasped.

Celeste sipped her tea a little nervously as she realized how upset this news made the elves, and Elm put his head in his hands.

My anger built up for the poor elf family. Not just at the sprites, but at their god who didn’t even communicate with them to comfort them. I was brand new to being a god, but I took the well-being of my followers seriously. They were the reason I was a god in the first place, and I would do anything I could to make their lives comfortable and safe.

I pictured the priestesses or gnomes asking for help, and how I would do everything I could to give it to them. What was the point of a god who didn’t actually do anything?

Did he even exist?

The notion paused my spiraling thoughts for a moment.

What if I was the only god in this world who could speak to and visit his followers? What if I wasn’t just a god… but the god?

My ego couldn’t even compute the idea, and everything I’d heard from my priestess about other gods seemed to contradict it, so I shoved the thought away for the time being.

What mattered most was that I knew the elves would be better off with me as their leader, and I genuinely wanted to help them. But I would need to be patient with that. They were already in distress, and I didn’t want to overwhelm them with talk of converting to a new deity when they had been worshipping Tobias for generations.

“Do you have enough food?” Celeste asked.

“For a while,” Arzur said. “The pantry is well stocked, but the supplies won’t last forever.”

I knew we had to get the family out of their farm, and the obvious answer would be to have Aleia lift everyone to safety. The problem was that they had an elderly elf woman and a bunch of kids, so it wouldn’t be as simple to move them, and I didn’t want anyone to get hurt.

Especially if those little sprites decided to attack en masse.

“The carriage,” I said thoughtfully. “Once we have that up and running, you could use that to transport them out. Of course, you’ll need to fend off the sprites since they’ll probably try to attack, but I know you could do it.”

“We might be able to help,” Celeste said as she offered me a subtle nod of agreement. “That is, me and my friends, I mean. We’re building a carriage, and we already have horses to pull it. That’s why we bought them from Elias. We could use our carriage to get you out of here.”

“Really?” Elm asked with a stunned expression. “But wouldn’t the Squall Sprites still attack?”

“Probably,” the harpy admitted. “But my sisters and I are excellent fighters, we can certainly defend the carriage until it’s free from the storm.”

“That’s so kind,” Arzur said with wide eyes. “Why would you go through all that just to help us?”

“That’s what we do.” Celeste shrugged. “Our god, Jack, always wants us to help those who need it.”

The elves looked at her curiously, and I hoped she’d caught their interest enough to question their alliance to Tobias even slightly.

My more godly side couldn’t help but hope.

“You say you’re building the carriage,” Elm led. “How long do you think it will take to be ready?”

“We’ll be as fast as we can,” Celeste promised. “It’s still in the early stages, so it might be a few days. Can you wait that long?”

“We’ll manage,” Arzur said with a nod. “Like we said, we’re well stocked, but I can’t believe I’m being chased out of my own land. What do they want from us?”

“It’s hard to say.” Celeste frowned. “I don’t even know if they’re targeting you in particular, the storm has expanded. I saw it a few days ago when it was still just past Evelhelm, but it’s spreading closer and closer to the town already.”

“Maybe they’re just out to cause chaos.” Elm nodded. “Some creatures are like that.”

“Can I touch your wings?” Olive piped up, and Celeste smiled.

“Of course,” the harpy chuckled.

The elf girl grinned and carefully reached a hand out to stroke one of the scarlet feathers.

“So soft!” she giggled. “Can you breathe fire?”

“That’s dragons,” Elm sighed. “Don’t ask rude questions, Olive.”

“I don’t mind,” the harpy laughed. “No, I can’t breathe fire from my mouth, but when I turn into a battle bird, I can shoot fire from my claws.”

“Woah,” Olive gasped. “What’s a battle bird?”

“It’s me! Well, me when I need to fight something big,” Celeste said with a mischievous grin. “I change my form so I can protect myself and the people I love.”

“Dad,” Olive said. “Can I turn into a bird?”

“No,” her father chuckled. “I’m afraid not.”

“Well, that’s not fair,” the little elf muttered, and she went back to playing with her rabbit.

“What if the storm gets bigger?” Arzur asked as he wrung his hands. “It’s already spread toward Evelhelm, what if it just keeps growing and growing? The whole town could be under it in a few days. Maybe even the forest beyond.”

“We’re going to get you out,” Celeste promised. “Even if we have to fight every single one of those sprites, we’re going to stop this storm.”

The harpy spoke with so much determination that even I wouldn’t have argued with her. The elves smiled at her, and Olive stared up at Celeste with awe.

“How will you get back home?” Elm asked. “Those things swoop down on us the second we step outside.”

“I think I gave them a good warning,” Celeste said with a smirk. “They’re probably going to be spooked enough for a little while, and if not, then I’ll just have to use my sword on them again.”

“Is Elias safe?” Arzur asked anxiously. “He doesn’t have any of this storm over his farm?”

“He’s fine,” Celeste said. “It’s only regular old gray clouds over his way, but I’ll stop by to make sure he knows you’re all okay.”

“I miss Uncle Elias,” Olive pouted. “He gives me cakes when we go over.”

“You’ll see him again soon.” Celeste smiled. “We just need a few more days to get the carriage finished. My friends are gnomes, and they work very quickly. I’ll make sure they know how urgent the situation is.”

“Gnomes,” Elm mused and scratched his chin. “So you’re a harpy who lives with gnomes?”

“And a naiad.” Celeste nodded. “Also a human and a fairy. Oh, and our animals, of course.”

“That’s quite a mix,” Elm chuckled. “What do you all have in common?”

“Our god,” Celeste said as she tipped her chin up proudly. “Jack takes care of us, and we live in the convent together.”

“You say he takes care of you.” Elm furrowed his brow. “What do you mean by that? You’ve had good luck at the convent?”

“It’s not luck,” the harpy said. “He gives us what we need to be safe. These wings appeared from a miracle he performed.”

“A miracle?” Arzur asked as his jaw slackened just a tiny bit. “You can’t be serious? You got those wings given to you?”

“Yes.” Celeste nodded. “My wings were damaged by a group of terrible gargoyles, and Jack gave me these new ones when I became a true believer.”

The elves stared open-mouthed at the harpy now, and I felt a bit smug as I watched them question their own beliefs. It pleased my holy side in an odd way, like I’d accomplished something, and I felt like I knew everything I needed to know about Tobias.

He was either utterly useless, or didn’t give a shit about his followers.

Either way, there was no chance he would keep the elves’ faith if they realized how different their lives could be with me.

I’d make damn sure of that.

“How did it happen?” Arzur asked. “Did the wings just… appear one day?”

Celeste hesitated, and I snickered as I remembered the moment her wings had appeared. She wasn’t about to mention it happened during a red-hot fuck session, and the harpy stuttered for a moment before she spoke.

“It… it was just one morning,” she said in an oddly high tone. “I was down at the river after praying, and, uhhhh… they just appeared on my back.”

“Nice cover,” I whispered, and the harpy’s cheeks blushed as scarlet as her feathers. “Now, make sure they won’t leave the house until we can rescue them.”

“You’ll need to stay inside.” Celeste cleared her throat to regain her composure. “It’s not safe to go out, and we’ll be back as soon as possible to get you out of here.”

“I’m worried about the animals,” Arzur admitted. “They’ve got grass to graze on, but I’m worried they’re going to get frightened to death. I’m sure those sprites take pleasure in terrorizing them as much as us.”

“They did seem agitated,” Celeste replied. “But I’m sure they’ll be okay until we can sort this out. Animals are tough, and as long as they have food, then they’ll manage.”

“I’m not sure about that,” I muttered. “The sheep did look scared half to death. Maybe we can do something to help. There’s a barn outside. You could try to get the sheep inside?”

“What about the barn?” Celeste offered. “Is there space in there for the animals to go?”

“There’s plenty of space.” Arzur nodded. “But how can we get them in if we can’t step out the door?”

“I’ll do it,” Celeste said firmly. “I don’t know anything about rounding up sheep, so I might need some tips, but I can do this.”

“Are you sure?” I asked, and Celeste nodded the tiniest bit to answer me.

“You could use the whistle,” Elm said. “They flock to wherever the whistle comes from, but we really can’t ask you to do something so dangerous. You’re already helping us so much, and--”

“I want to do it,” the harpy said with determination. “It’s what Jack wants, too. We take care of people.”

The harpy got to her feet and placed her teacup on a wooden coffee table beside the sofa.

“You’re so brave,” Olive sighed. “I hope I’m as nice as you when I grow up.”

“Aww.” Celeste grinned. “You’re sweet, and I bet you’re already more than brave enough.”

“Well, if you’re sure about this,” Elm muttered as he stood up. “I’ll fetch the whistle.”

The elf hurried over to the staircase and plodded upstairs as each step creaked under him.

“You’re so kind,” Arzur told the harpy. “I don’t know what we did to deserve this, but you have my gratitude.”

“That’s all I need.” Celeste smiled. “But if you ever feel like giving us a discount on wool, I wouldn’t say no.”

“That could be arranged,” the old elf laughed, and I was once again impressed with her bartering skills.

Elm reappeared with the whistle a moment later and held it out to Celeste. It was made of silver metal, and it had a fraying rope to place over the neck.

The harpy put the whistle on and pulled her long red hair through the rope.

“So, the sheep will just come to me?” she asked. “All I need to do is blow it?”

“That should be it.” Elm nodded. “They’re not exactly the most complex of creatures. The barn has plenty of feed in it already, and there’s some nice straw for them to sleep in.”

“They’ll be safe in the barn,” Olive agreed. “And please close the door so the evil animals don’t get inside.”

“Of course,” Celeste chuckled. “Anything else I need to know?”

“I don’t reckon so,” Arzur said. “Now, you make sure to get out of here as soon as that barn door closes. We can’t have you hanging around and putting yourself in danger.”

“I will do that,” Celeste assured the man. “Shall I drop the whistle back with you before I leave? I could leave it by the front door.”

“Just take it,” Elm said. “We have more, and you could maybe use it on your own animals.”

“Thank you,” Celeste replied. “Well, I’ll get going, then. Thank you for the tea.”

“Thank you for everything,” Arzur said, and he placed a gentle hand on the harpy’s shoulder.

“Bye!” Olive shouted, and she wrapped her arms around Celeste’s legs in a tight hug. “You promise to come back and help us?”

“I promise.” Celeste nodded. “You have my word, brave girl to brave girl.”

The little elf grinned from ear to ear and hurried over to her father to grab onto his hand.

“Thank you,” Elm said. “And uh, thanks to your god as well, I suppose.”

My holy ears perked up at the words, and I couldn’t help feeling a bit giddy at the prospect of adding a few more followers to my interface.

“I’ll pass it on.” Celeste smiled, and she strode toward the doorway as the whistle laid against her chest.

Arzur hurried over to join her and opened the door gently for her. Then Celeste nodded at him and quietly slipped out onto the grass, and she looked up at the storm.

It had definitely gotten wilder. The orange hues had black running through them now, and the clouds seemed to be swirling at a rapid pace. I could hear the cries of the Squall Sprites getting louder, but they didn’t seem to have noticed Celeste yet.

“They’ll probably notice you when you move to the barn,” I warned. “Be ready for the little fuckers.”

Celeste pulled her sword from the scabbard and glanced over to the barn in the next field over. It would only be a short distance to fly, but every second she would be exposed was a danger.

“I’ll be fast, Jack,” she said. “Let’s go and save some sheep.”

The harpy launched herself into the air and soared toward the open barn door. The building was almost as big as the farmhouse, and there were some gardening tools laying around the doorway. I could already see that it was fairly dark inside, but it looked like a palace as far as the sheep would be concerned.

Just getting them out of the open should calm their nerves, and it wouldn’t hurt to have them sheltered from the storm.

Celeste only took a few seconds to reach the barn, and she dove inside to land.

“I don’t hear any of them,” she muttered, and she peered up at the storm.

There weren’t any diving sprites approaching, and it seemed that she had either gone unnoticed, or they were still scared of her.

Either way, it was a win.

Then the harpy raised the whistle to her lips and blew hard.

The noise was sharp and high, and the sheep immediately reacted. They began to baa in unison, and they all moved forward together toward the open gate, but as the flock raced toward the barn, it seemed that our luck with the sprites ran out.

Three of the little orange creatures pelted down from the sky and flew right for the farm animals.

I could hear them snarl from the barn, and they had their sharp claws outstretched toward the sheep.

Then Celeste moved quickly and flew straight for the sprites with her sword held high.

“Leave them alone!” she shouted, and the sprites looked up with wide eyes as the harpy hurtled toward them.

The shock stalled them for a moment, and that was all Celeste needed to take a swing with her weapon. She reached the first sprite and chopped its head off before the others had time to move out of the way, and as the orange head flew several feet away from the body, the sprite’s blood splattered all over the sheep below.

The animals didn’t seem to care and kept their focus on getting into the barn.

“Hell yeah!” I shouted as the sprite’s head hit the ground, and its body slumped down with it.

The sheep trampled over the corpse, and the little orange body quickly became a pile of mush.

Then the other two sprites tried to fly away, but Celeste was far too fast.

She lunged forward and stabbed her blade at the orange creatures at full force, and both the sprites were suddenly impaled on her long sword as the weapon pierced right through their chests. They slumped down dead as blood oozed from their sternums, and Celeste violently shook the sword to fling them off.

The two bodies made a dull thud as they hit the grass several yards away, and the sheep carried on toward their shelter despite the raining corpses.

“Fuck yeah,” I laughed. “Great work with that sprite kebab.”

“Kebab?” Celeste asked. “What does that mean?”

“It’s meat served on a stick,” I replied in a low, godly tone. “It’s a superb way to eat. But the point is, that was badass.”

Celeste laughed as she followed the sheep, and she made sure they all got inside the barn. Then the animals came to a halt when they were indoors and immediately dove into the troughs of food.

No other sprites came down to challenge Celeste after that, and she quickly checked the sheep for obvious injuries before she closed the barn door to keep them inside.

“They’re safe,” she sighed. “At least their livestock won’t get hurt now.”

“Great work,” I praised. “Now, let’s get back to the convent, and make sure that carriage is finished as soon as possible.”

Celeste kept her sword out as she flew up into the sky, and she stayed low enough to avoid the Squall Sprites, but as she flew past the farmhouse, one brave sprite decided to give her a last challenge.

“Haven’t they learned their lesson?” Celeste sighed.

The Squall Sprite pelted toward her and waved its arms manically as it went. It was slightly bigger than the other sprites had been, and it seemed to have scars on its chest.

“Looks like this guy’s been in fights before,” I warned my harpy. “Be careful.”

The scarlet woman held her sword out as the two approached each other, and she swiped at the sprite with a swift and practiced movement.

It dove to the side and spat as the blade just missed its leg.

“Fuck,” Celeste hissed, and the sprite dove toward her face with a speed I hadn’t seen in them so far.

“Duck!” I shouted, and she dipped away just in time.

Then the sprite flew over her head and snarled as it tried to slash at her skull, and Celeste swung her sword upward and managed to graze the side of the beast’s torso.

The orange creature cried out, and it’s eyes were wide as it drooled on itself.

Celeste wasted no time in getting another swipe in, and the sprite didn’t move fast enough to dodge it. The harpy’s blade collided with the sprite’s chest, and it cut right through the little orange creature.

The sprite was dead in a second, and its head flopped down as it fell onto the grass with a splat.

“Good work,” I praised the harpy. “Persistent little bastards.”

“They’re getting brave, Jack,” Celeste muttered. “Let’s hope they don’t decide to storm the house while we’re away.”

I looked over at the thatched roof, and I knew it would be easy enough for them to break through if they used their whole army.

“I don’t think they’re smart enough for that,” I said with a little trepidation. “From what I’ve seen, they might be fast, but they’re mostly pretty fucking stupid.”

Celeste soared back toward Evelhelm, and a few minutes later, we left the farmlands behind us as she crossed over the town.

“Maybe we should drop into the temple,” Celeste said grimly. “We could give our own message to Tobias.

“The temple is all locked up, unfortunately, but I have a feeling he won’t be listening anyway” I replied. “Let’s try and focus on people who will actually do something to help.”

The harpy nodded, and then she flew over the temple and the empty streets of Evelhelm as rain pounded down onto the cobbles. Once we passed the town, we quickly stopped by Elias’ farm on the way back and told him everything we knew.

He was devastated to hear about his family, but so thankful to hear Celeste was going to help. The poor elf couldn’t stop thanking the harpy and offered her anything she wanted from his farm in return, and I instructed her to politely decline.

We weren’t just saving the family to be owed favors, although I was sure his generosity would come in handy if we ever needed supplies.

After Celeste had reassured Elias that we would get them out as soon as possible, she made sure he calmed his nerves with a cup of tea on the porch. I knew the poor guy must be worried sick, but we had to get back to the convent to get the plan rolling.

The harpy left him with the promise to return soon, and she’d taken to the sky with a determined scowl on her ivory face. When we neared the forest again, I looked up at the dark storm as a rumble of thunder rang out.

“Celeste,” I said as I observed the clouds. “Does that look like the storm’s grown or moved to you?”

“Oh, no,” the harpy whispered. “It has, Jack. Look, it’s over the trees now.”

Celeste reached the forest in a few seconds, and she stopped to turn back once she was safely out of the storm’s way.

There was no doubt about it, the orange mass had crept a few feet into the forest. The invisible line that separated the orange and gray clouds had moved, and it was no longer just the town and the farmlands that were in shadows.

“What does it mean?” Celeste whispered. “It’s getting closer to the convent?”

“It looks that way,” I said grimly. “Not only is it getting closer to us, it’s getting bigger. Look, it hasn’t just moved. The whole of the farmlands are still covered.”

“What do we do?” Celeste asked. “Should we go back and just try to get the elves out now?”

“No,” I said firmly. “We’ll cause more danger than good if we do that. We stick with the plan. The faster we get that carriage finished, the faster we can save the elves.”

“But what if the storm keeps coming?” the harpy asked. “Even if we save the elves, it’s going to keep getting bigger and closer to our home.”

She sounded more worried than I had ever heard her, and it broke my phantom heart to hear her afraid. My hatred for Tobias suddenly grew, too. How could any god hear his followers scared, and do nothing to help? The guy had to know all his followers were down here seeking his assistance, especially if he had his own place of worship built right in Evelhelm.

“Celeste, listen to me,” I said calmly. “I am not going to let anything happen to you, or any of my followers. The storm might be getting bigger, but it’s strength is nothing compared to yours.”

I didn’t really have a solid idea of how to stop the Squall Sprites yet, but I knew I would figure it out with the help of my priestesses. They were everything to me, and I wasn’t going to let some orange assholes put them in danger.

“I trust you, Jack,” Celeste murmured. “I’ve just never seen something like this before.”

“We’re in this together,” I assured her. “Now, let’s get back to your sisters before they start to worry about you. You were amazing today.”

“Thank you, my lord,” the harpy whispered, and I checked my God Vision to look at the farmhouse one last time.

The fields at least were quiet, and there were no sprites descending on the roof. That was really all I could ask for until we got back to help.

But I couldn’t help worrying about the family inside, and that only fueled my determination. We were going to make sure they got out safely, and I would be one step closer to having a whole new army of followers.

Chapter 10

As Celeste flew away from the storm, I couldn’t get the orange swirling clouds out of my mind.

The Squall Sprites were already causing harm to the elven farm, and it seemed that we had gotten there just in time to prevent any serious assaults from happening. Who knew what they would have resorted to otherwise? I dreaded the thought of the family trying to escape on their own, especially with an old lady and kids to look after.

And what would happen to their livestock that was left behind?

The only plus side I could see in the situation was that the sprites didn’t seem like the brightest creatures in the world, and that would hopefully make our getaway plan easier to pull off.

Of course, we still didn’t know how or why they had created the storm. I considered that maybe they were more intelligent than they let on and were saving their smarts for some big attack operation.

I just couldn’t figure out what it was that they wanted. If their normal storms were gray and tame, then where had this new breed come from? Were they trying to cover the entire land in the orange storm and keep everyone trapped inside? The more I thought about it, the less sense it made.

There were a million possibilities, but at least we had a plan. We just needed to get that carriage up and running as soon as possible. It irritated me a bit that I had to be the god to step in and save the elves, rather than this mysterious Tobias. Not because I didn’t want to help, but because he clearly didn’t give a shit about his people.

Had my earlier guess been right? Was Tobias non-existent?

The more I thought about it, the less sure I was. I only had an altar and a small convent to my name, and he had a whole temple erected for him. Plus, followers who’d been loyal to him for generations. He must have been a genuine god, but his managerial style was shit, in my opinion.

I’d seen first-hand how much could be accomplished with a little nudge from me, and all of my followers had been grateful and better off because of it.

Celeste was quiet as she soared over the forest, and we both stayed in our own thoughts for a while as I surveyed the scenery.

A strange, green bird soared past us, and it made an odd chirping noise as it passed Celeste. The trees below were alive with sounds from various other birds and creatures, too, and I wondered if they were panicking about the storm.

“Are you doing okay?” I finally asked my harpy. “You’re not hurt from the fight, are you?”

“I’m fine,” Celeste replied. “I just feel awful for the elves. They have little ones, and they’re whole livelihood is at risk.”

“We’re going to get them out,” I assured her. “Maybe they’ll have to come and stay in the convent for a while, but we’ll get them their farm back, too.”

I really believed it. Tobias’ shitty godliness only fueled my own belief in myself. We would show the elves what a real god did for his people.

“Jack,” Celeste said. “You know how my sword is meant to be enchanted? Do you think it really is? Only, I haven’t seen it do anything yet.”

“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “There are so many kinds of enchantments, right? Maybe it will only reveal itself at a certain time, or when something particular happens.”

“I hope so,” Celeste sighed. “Although, it is such a great weapon and so easy to use. I wouldn’t really mind if it wasn’t magical. Maybe the shopkeeper just wanted to up the price.”

“Maybe,” I agreed. “But the weapon works well, and you look incredible using it.”

The harpy twirled in the air as she grinned, and her red wings stood out against the dark sky.

There was a howling wind as we approached the convent walls, but at least the rain was holding off. The trees danced below us, and I checked my God Vision to make sure the perimeter was safe.

“Home, sweet home,” I said as Celeste flew over the limestone walls, and she came to a graceful stop on the grass.

In the middle of the grounds, the adult gnomes were hard at work with the carriage, and it was coming along nicely.

“You’re back.” Elowise smiled as she stood up and dusted sawdust from her sleeves.

“Glad to see you again.” Wilfrim nodded. “You were gone for quite a while.”

“We were starting to get worried,” Nissa added as she handed Balabar a small carving tool.

“I’m fine,” Celeste said.

“And so are the elves, I added. “Well, they are for now.”

“They’re back!” Penelope gasped from behind Celeste. “My lord!”

The naiad came along from the gate with Nicola and Aleia by her side. They all had wet hair, and it looked like they had just come from a bathing session at the river. I was slightly disappointed I had missed it, but there would be plenty of opportunities for that.

The three priestesses hurried toward the group, and Aleia grabbed Celeste into a tight hug.

“Good to see you, sister,” the fairy said. “Jack, how did everything go?”

“Well,” I sighed. “Like I told the gnomes, the elves are safe for now, but we need to get them out of there. The storm is full of Squall Sprites, and they’re vicious little fuckers.”

“Squall Sprites?” Aleia gasped. “They made the orange storm?”

“But they usually just summon up rain clouds and thunder,” Nicola said with a frown. “Why is this storm a different color? Did anyone else know they could do that?”

“Not me.” Penelope shook her head. “If the Squall Sprites have some new kind of power, does that mean the storm is purely magical and not natural?”

“So it seems,” I replied. “It’s separate from the rest of the clouds, too, as if there’s an invisible barrier that separates it.”

“Squall Sprites are horrible,” Aleia shuddered. “I remember running into one when I was small and out playing in the woods.”

“What did it do?” Nicola asked.

“It tried to steal my toy,” the fairy huffed. “It rustled up some wind and rain, so I threw a heavy rock at its head and squashed it. I was only a child, but I knew I felt like I was in terrible danger, and it was no match for my strength, even then.”

“Good for you,” Celeste said with a nod. “They’re really vicious with their sharp claws.”

“Thank goodness you found the elves,” Penelope murmured. “My lord, how many of them are there?”

“Hundreds,” I replied. “Celeste killed off a few, but there’s just clouds full of the little bastards.”

“They’ve been keeping the elves prisoner.” Celeste nodded. “Every time the elves step foot outside, they get attacked. I managed to get their sheep into the barn for shelter, but I don’t know how long they’ll be safe there.”

“Shit.” Nicola whistled. “What do they want? The farm?”

“It’s hard to say,” Celeste said. “They don’t seem to have taken anything, just caused chaos.”

“Why would they want the farmlands anyway?” Wilfrim asked. “I don’t think they’re exactly known for their agricultural ways.”

“Maybe they need the food,” Aleia suggested. “I’m not sure what they eat, but maybe they just want the animals.”

“It’s not just the farm, either,” I said. “The storm’s spreading. It’s already over Evelhelm, and just as we left, it had started to drift over the forest.”

“Toward us?” Aleia asked with wide eyes. “Master, are they coming for the convent?”

“I don’t know what their plan is,” I said. “But it won’t end well for them if they try to come here.”

“This is bad,” Penelope fretted. “A new kind of vicious storm, and it’s spreading over the whole land?”

The group was silent for a moment as they took everything in, and a distant rumble of thunder made everyone look up at the sky. I had always enjoyed thunderstorms as a kid, but this new breed of them had really soured that memory.

“So,” I continued. “We have a plan. We’re going to get the elves out of there, but there’s too many to just carry, and they’ll want to bring some of their belongings with them, I’m sure. We need to use the carriage, so how’s it coming along?”

“Very well,” Wilfrim piped up. “I reckon another solid day or so of hard work, and we can have it up and going.”

“It’s not going to be pretty,” Nissa added. “But it will function.”

“That’s all we need,” I said. “Well done making such fast work of it.”

“Of course,” Nissa replied with a proud little nod. “The little ones are asleep, so we’ve had more time to work. They’ve tired themselves out from the excitement of meeting the horses.”

“Aww,” Penelope cooed. “Little darlings. They’re sleeping very soundly considering the thunder.”

“Give it time,” Balabar sighed. “I’m sure they’ll decide to wake up soon enough.”

I examined the gnomes’ work so far, and it definitely looked like most pieces of the carriage had been cut out. There was a neat pile of completed siding laying down in front of the gnomes, and the work looked sturdy and smooth, but the dark wood could do with a lick of paint at some point.

We could deal with the aesthetics later. As long as the vehicle could move from A to B, that was all we needed. I hoped that at least one member of the group was a good driver, although with a carriage, I assumed the horses did most of the work.

It was one of the rare occasions that I missed things from my old world. Rescuing the elves would be a hell of a lot easier in a truck.

“Can the elves wait another day?” Elowise asked. “Perhaps we should keep working through the night. I would hate for them to be stuck in that house one moment longer.”

“You need your rest,” I said. “You won’t build to your best ability if you’re exhausted. A carriage made sloppily isn’t going to help us.”

“I’m going to go and check on the children,” Nissa said. “They were up very early this morning, I might lay my head down for a short while before I get back to work.”

“Take as long as you need,” I replied. “You’ve done amazingly well, thank you.”

The gnome blushed and placed her tools down before she hurried off to the north tower.

“I can go a few more hours,” Balabar said gruffly. “It’s relaxing to me, sawing and carving the wood out. It takes my mind off all the stuff going on with the storm.”

“I don’t know what I would do without all of you,” I told the group. “The way you all come together to help people is awesome.”

“Thank you, my lord.” Penelope smiled. “We couldn’t do it without you. Does anyone know much about Squall Sprites? I don’t believe I’ve ever come across one.”

“I’ve met a few before,” Elowise said. “They were only in a small group, and I don’t recall them coming with much other than an irritating downpour. They were vile, though, very feisty and intimidating.”

“I remember that,” Wilfrim agreed. “Yes, it was when we were out in the mountains one day. It was raining already, and then they showed up and made it worse.”

“Yes,” Elowise sighed. “But I do have a rather odd memory of what happened, come to think of it. Jack, they didn’t speak to you, did they?”

“No,” I said. “It didn’t seem like they could do that? There was just a lot of hissing and squeaking.”

“Yes.” Elowise wrinkled her forehead. “I must be remembering it wrong.”

The gnome gazed up at the clouds as she scowled, and I wondered if she knew more than she was letting on.

“I don’t remember any talking,” Wilfrim grunted. “I just remember us getting out of there as quickly as possible and losing the little pests in the trees. They seemed happy with their pathetic storm and left us alone.”

“How easy were they to kill, Celeste?” Nicola asked. “What are our chances of taking them down together?”

“One at a time was easy enough,” Celeste said. “But like Jack said, there are hundreds of them. I’m not sure anything is easy to take down if there’s that many.”

“It won’t be easy,” I agreed. “But luckily, I have the toughest warriors in my convent, and I know you’ll be up for the challenge.”

“You’ve got that right,” Nicola said as she flicked her long hair. “I’m ready for a fight, especially now that we have our new weapons. I’m dying to try out my flail.”

I pictured the brunette in her bronze dress with the flail and forced myself to focus back on the conversation at hand.

“Good thing we went to get those horses,” Aleia chimed in. “If we hadn’t met Elias, we might not have found the elves in time.”

“At least our god cares enough to help,” Celeste muttered. “Which is more than can be said for that one the elves pray to.”

“Oh… Tobias, isn’t it?” Penelope asked with a slightly haughty tone. “Has he not helped at all?”

“It doesn’t sound like he has,” Celeste admitted.

“But he’s the god of the whole of Evelhelm…” Penelope narrowed her eyes. “Surely he must have done something…?”

“Nope,” I replied. “He doesn’t even acknowledge his followers. Not the ones we spoke to, at least. Those poor elves have been trapped for days, and he’s done nothing. They’re desperate, and he’s nowhere to be found.”

I thought of little Olive’s adorable face, and my phantom blood boiled. How could you not try to help a little elf girl? Even if he wasn’t powerful enough to stop the sprites, surely he could offer words of comfort or advice?

“That’s awful,” Penelope gasped. “A good god would step in and do something, isn’t that right, Jack?”

“Well, we’re going to do the job for him,” I promised my naiad. “Lazy bastard.”

“My lord!” Penelope giggled. “Are you supposed to speak of other gods like that?”

“I can do what I like,” I laughed. “Besides, it doesn’t seem like he’s in the business of replying to anyone.”

“Did they go to the temple to pray?” Nicola asked.

“They wouldn’t be able to,” Aleia pointed out. “When I first met Windra, she told me the temple has been locked ever since she could remember. No one has been able to break in.”

“Maybe he’s really strict about where he speaks with his followers,” Nicola mused.

“Well, they were trapped at home and in need,” Celeste said. “Surely he would understand that and speak to them whenever they might seek his help?”

“You would think so,” Elowise sighed. “I’m afraid all beings aren’t as understanding and loving as Jack.”

I wondered to myself if the location of the elves’ prayers really did have something to do with it. Was it possible that he could only hear if the prayer was at the temple? If that was the case, then who knew when the god had last heard a prayer. The temple clearly hadn’t been opened in years. Could that be why he hadn’t responded?

I knew nothing of the other gods in the land, but maybe he just wasn’t as powerful as me, and his means of communication were limited. But it didn’t make much sense to have a god with such limited powers, especially one that so many people worshiped. I was still convinced that he most likely didn’t care enough, locked temple or not, and I wondered if he would ever intervene as we saved the elves.

“I reckon the elves will question their loyalties,” Wilfrim said gruffly. “Once Jack gets them out of harm’s way, it will be difficult to go back to praying to Tobias.”

“Especially when they see how caring he is,” Penelope agreed. “Our master is just so kind, and thoughtful, and--”

“Alright.” Nicola smirked and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Someone’s looking for a dream visit tonight.”

“Nicola,” Penelope scolded under her breath, and her blue cheeks darkened as she flicked her gaze toward the gnomes to make sure they didn’t hear.

“Don’t tease her,” Aleia giggled. “Our sister likes to worship out loud.”

“I just think that Tobias has a lot to answer for,” Penelope sniffed. “He has so many followers, and he doesn’t do a thing to help them! What is the point of putting your trust in a deity that does nothing to keep you safe?”

The naiad was clearly getting riled up, and she pushed her blonde hair behind her ears as she shook her head.

“I bet he’s not as good-looking as Jack, either.” Nicola grinned.

“Of course he won’t be,” Penelope scoffed. “Not that anyone would know, seeing as this Tobias never makes an appearance to anyone. Gosh, he’s making me furious thinking of those poor elves.”

“The elves will be okay,” I assured her. “The little ones are a bit scared, but they’ll be safe before you know it.”

“Little ones?” Penelope asked. “There are children there? And he still does nothing?”

The cerulean woman looked like she might explode from frustration, and she rubbed her belly as she fumed.

“It’s going to be okay,” Aleia said gently as she patted Penelope’s back. “We have Jack.”

“And a carriage,” Balabar added.

“Exactly,” I said. “I know you’re angry about Tobias, but the most important thing is getting that family to safety. We’ll show them how a real god looks after his people.”

“Yes, we certainly will.” Penelope nodded with determination. “I’m sorry I got so worked up, Jack. Just with the baby… I think I’ve become more protective of all children.”

“That’s understandable,” I said gently. “It’s also a sign that you’re going to be a wonderful mother, but we all knew that anyway.”

The naiad’s frustration melted away from her pretty face, and she smiled softly. I got the feeling she could use some stress relief, and my mind began to wander to this evening. Penelope worked so hard and cared for everyone. It was important to me that she was reminded how cared for she was, too, and besides, she deserved a reward for her devotion.

Out of all my priestesses, the beautiful naiad was certainly the most eager to please and praise me.

“I’m going to make some tea,” Elowise said as she stretched. “Would anybody like some?”

“Yes, please, dear.” Wilfrim said, and Balabar grunted with a nod.

“I could use some.” Aleia fluttered her wings. “I think I need something to help me sleep after all the excitement. Tea always gives me pleasant dreams.”

“I might head down to the river,” Celeste decided. “Fighting Squall Sprites worked up a bit of a sweat.”

“I’ll come with you,” I said. “I don’t want you out there alone.”

“I can go,” Nicola offered. “I’m not too tired, and I want to ask Celeste more about her fighting with the sprites.”

“Great!” the harpy cheered.

It made me so happy to see their friendship blossom, and I knew they could take care of themselves. I made sure to examine my God Vision, and it seemed that past the convent walls there were some woodland creatures and not much else.

“You’ll need some food, Celeste,” Elowise said. “We all ate while you were away, but I made sure to save you a big bowl of soup.”

“Thank you.” The harpy smiled, and her stomach rumbled right on cue. “I’ll have it right after I come back from the stream.”

“I think I’ll visit my garden before bed,” Penelope yawned. “It makes me so happy looking at the beautiful flowers. Some new tulips have bloomed, and they’re simply gorgeous.”

“I’ll accompany you,” I said. “Goodnight, everyone, and great work today.

The group all echoed goodnights and drifted off to their various activities.

I went with Penelope as she made her way around to the back of the convent, and she hummed happily as she stepped into her garden. The wild ivy seemed to have grown even higher up the wall, and there were new yellow and blue flowers along the stone path that I hadn’t seen before.

“Has this grown even more?” I laughed as I took in the view. “It looks amazing.”

“Thank you, my lord,” the naiad said happily. “I just did a little more work here and there, but the plants are doing most of the work themselves. They really are thriving here, I can’t wait to show the baby.”

“You’re going to be so good at motherhood,” I murmured. “You’re just the right mix of caring and tough. You’re also unbelievably sweet, and you always know just what to do to raise everyone’s spirits.”

“Jack.” Penelope blushed. “You really do compliment me too much!”

“That’s not possible,” I chuckled. “We would all be lost without you, so you better get used to being showered with compliments every day.”

“I never dreamed life would be so perfect,” Penelope sighed. “I always dreamed of finding love and the perfect god. I can’t believe I got both at the same time.”

“Neither can I,” I admitted, but the naiad would never know how much I really meant this.

My current life constantly blew my mind.

My beautiful naiad wandered down the stone path and gently brushed her fingers over some pink tulips as she went. I noticed a new patch of sprouting greens, and it looked like the naiad had set up the rest of her vegetable garden.

“The tomatoes are coming along nicely,” Penelope said as she looked down at the sprouting plants. “I can’t wait for the potatoes, though, we can have them in stews and soups, or even just cooked nicely on their own. Along with carrots and parsnips, we’ll be spoiled for choice!”

“Mashed potatoes are what you want,” I said, and for a moment I really missed my taste buds.

“Mashed potatoes?” Penelope repeated. “I don’t think I’ve had those before.”

“Seriously?” I laughed. “You just peel them, cook them, crush them up, and add butter.”

“That sounds lovely,” Penelope cooed. “How do you know what tastes good, my lord? Are you able to eat sometimes?”

I hesitated as I thought of a godly answer, and the naiad tilted her head curiously.

“I have had food in the past,” I said eventually. “Maybe I’ll have some again one day.”

It suddenly started to rain, and the droplets bounced off the petals of the flowers and clung to Penelope’s robes. The sound of the rain against the limestone was soothing, and the naiad closed her eyes and held out her hands to catch the drops.

“Maybe I should get inside,” the naiad said as she looked up at the sky. “It is late, and I need rest to make sure the baby grows big and strong.”

“Good idea,” I agreed. “Besides, if your robes get too wet, then I might lose my mind with how delicious you look.”

“Jack,” Penelope giggled. “Are you… are you going to visit me tonight?”

“You’ll have to fall asleep to find out,” I teased. “But I have a feeling we’ll be together soon.”

Penelope smiled as she turned from the garden, and she began to make her way to the sleeping quarters.

Then I put the sprites and absent gods out of my mind, and soon all I could think of was Penelope.

Chapter 11

It didn’t take long for the naiad to fall asleep. The wind outside made a soft howling noise, and the rain drummed against the limestone walls. It was a soothing sound, and Penelope looked beautiful as she drifted off into a dream.

I didn’t have to wait long for that familiar white flash, and I found myself standing at her feet with a grin plastered on my face.

“Jack!” she said as she sat up.

She was already naked, and the only thing covering her was the velvet blanket she had clutched up to her chest. Her blue skin gleamed, and I was ready to dive right into her worshipping session.

“How are you feeling?” I asked. “I know you must be tired with the baby.”

“Not at all.” Penelope smiled. “In fact, I feel more energized than ever. My sisters make sure to help out with everything, so I don’t tire myself out.”

“I love that they take care of you,” I said. “It must be hard being the only pregnant one.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” she said coyly, and my mind began to race.

“Oh?” I asked. “Is there something I should know?”

“Nothing for certain.” Penelope shrugged. “I did notice that Aleia has a darker purple hue to her wings than normal. Fairies’ wings do change when they’re expecting little ones.”

I grinned from ear to ear at the thought of Aleia carrying my child. It would be an adorable little fairy baby, and she would make such a loving mother.

The thoughts of fatherhood soon left my mind, though, as Penelope slowly rose to her feet, and the blanket fell to the ground. For a moment, I was speechless as I took in the naiad’s body.

Her curves were so perfect they could have been carved from marble, and her blonde hair fell over her breasts in decadent waves.

Then she stepped toward me, and I snaked my hands around the perfect curve of her hips.

“You’re gorgeous,” I whispered.

“Thank you, master,” she breathed, and I pulled her in hungrily for a kiss.

The naiad’s tongue tasted as sweet as honey, and I ran my hands down to cup her firm ass as she gave a soft moan.

“My lord,” Penelope said softly as we broke apart. “Would it be okay if we perhaps went down to the garden? It makes me so happy, and I would love to worship you there.”

“Of course.” I smiled. “Your wish is my command.”

She giggled as I took her hand and hurried her out into the night air. The rain had eased up, and the sky in her dream was a deep navy blue.

We strolled across the grounds, and I couldn’t keep my eyes off her body as she walked. My cock was already rock-hard, and every glance down at her figure made me feel even hotter.

When we reached the garden, Penelope led me over to a spot beside the ivy-covered wall. There was a large patch of grass amongst the flowers, and she stepped into the little clearing with a smile.

“My lord,” she whispered. “I have thought about worshipping you all day.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” I replied with a grin. “I already have plans for you this evening. I’m going to touch every inch of your body until you can’t stop moaning and trembling.”

“Oh, master,” Penelope shivered. “Please, I need to touch you.”

“I need to touch you first,” I said, and I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into another deep kiss.

As our bodies pressed against each other, I grabbed a handful of her large breasts. Then I gently played with her nipple and began to kiss down on her neck beside her ear.

“Oh,” she breathed. “That feels so good, master.”

“You’re such a good priestess,” I whispered.

I ran my other hand down her soft belly and to her mound, and then I gently stroked my fingertips over her warm pussy lips. They were already moist, and I grinned as I teasingly pressed a finger into her folds.

“You’re already soaked,” I murmured. “You really do love to worship me, don’t you?”

Before she replied, I plunged another finger into her tunnel, and she let out a gasp.

“Master,” she breathed, and I began to pump my fingers in and out of her warm hole.

Penelope whimpered and wrapped her arms around my shoulders, and I slowly moved her backward until her back was up against the garden wall. Then I rubbed my thumb over her clit, and the naiad moaned as I pleasured her. My erection was begging to be inside her, but I wanted to watch her cum first, and I sped up the pace of my thumb and moved in small circles over her clit again and again until she began to breathe faster.

“Ohhh, master,” Penelope cried. “Thank you, thank you for taking such good care of meee.”

Her flushed cheeks and closed eyes told me she was about to climax, and I stooped down to suck on her nipples as I moved my fingers as fast as I could. Then Penelope suddenly shuddered against me, and her soaked pussy clenched around my fingers.

“My lord!” she wailed. “I feel amazing.”

“Good, I wanted you to cum for me.” I grinned and slid my fingers from her slick tunnel. “It’s so fucking hot watching you squirm. Now, get on your knees.”

Penelope knelt down in front of me and licked her lips as she reached out for my rock hard cock.

“No hands,” I ordered. “I want you to worship me with only your mouth.”

“Yes, my lord.” The naiad nodded obediently, and I brought my erection right to her soft lips.

She stuck out her tongue and flicked it over the head of my cock, and I groaned as she planted gentle kisses on me and looked up at me with wide eyes.

“What a good priestess,” I praised her. “If you keep being this good, then I’ll make you cum again.”

That seemed to be all the encouragement she needed, and she slowly began to take me into her mouth.

I felt light-headed as she lowered her full lips down on my shaft, and her warm mouth took my cock deeper inside. She began to bob up and down, and I grabbed fistfuls of her blonde hair as she sucked me off. I kept the hair out of her face and moaned with every movement, but then she went right down to the base of my cock, and I kept her head there for a moment as she used her tongue to swirl around my shaft.

As soon as I let her do what she pleased again, she began moving her mouth faster and faster, and I was so close to climaxing, but I knew I wanted to cum on her beautiful tits.

“Sit back,” I moaned, and she slowly slid backward right as my orgasm hit.

Then I sprayed my load all over her blue breasts, and warmth electrified my body. As the cum dripped down her tits, I felt like I was seeing stars, and I groaned with ecstasy.

Penelope sat on her heels and smiled up at me with her stained chest.

“You look so fucking beautiful,” I growled. “Do you like having my seed all over you?”

“Yes lord,” she moaned lightly. “I love being covered in your god sperm.”

Her words made my cock twitch, and I knew I needed to fuck her before my head exploded.

“Follow me,” I ordered. “I want you to straddle me like a good little priestess.”

I walked over to the limestone wall and sat down with my back against it as Penelope followed me. Her hips swayed as she walked, and my cum glistened on her cerulean skin.

She knelt down once more and swung a leg over my lap, and I grabbed her glorious tits and gave them a playful slap. Penelope gasped as her breasts bounced, and I pinched her nipples as she moaned.

“My beautiful priestess,” I growled. “All covered in my cum. Should I let you have another orgasm?”

“My lord,” she whined as she ground her pussy onto my thigh. “You said you would give me one?”

“I did,” I agreed. “But I can do whatever I want, and I need you to worship me some more before I allow you to climax again.”

My cock was once more rock-hard, and the naiad started to line up her pussy against it.

“Please,” she whimpered. “Let me worship you.”

Her eyes were wide as she hovered over me, and I slowly began to thrust upward to meet her. As the tip of my erection pushed into her pussy, she let out a low moan and bit her bottom lip. She looked so sexy that I wanted to keep staring at her all night, and as she began to lower herself on me, I gave her breasts another quick slap.

“I’ll decide when I fuck you,” I growled. “I want to keep you waiting.”

I chuckled a bit as her eyes widened, and she looked so pleadingly at me that I almost felt sorry for her.

“Master,” she begged. “Please fuck me. I need you deep inside me.”

“You do look amazing covered in my cum,” I said. “How deep do you want me exactly?”

“Soooo deep,” she moaned. “I want to be filled completely with your glorious cock, and then I want you to pour every drop of your holy seed into my womb. I love the way it feels to have your warm sperm inside of me.”

Her words made my head spin, and I slowly began to ease my cock into her tight pussy. She was so warm and wet, and my cock slipped right in as we both gasped with pleasure. As she reached the base of my shaft, she threw her head back and whimpered, and the sound sent a shiver down my spine.

I kept my hands on her hips and began to thrust up to fuck her, and our bodies fit perfectly together. I gripped her soft blue skin tightly as we both groaned in unison, but then I started to speed up my movements, and her large tits bounced up and down as I rammed deep inside her.

“Jack!” she gasped. “Oh, master!”

“Do you like that?” I growled. “You have such a tight little pussy, you feel amazing.”

“I love your cock, master,” she cried out. “Oh, my lord! Yes!”

The naiad writhed on top of me, and her tunnel walls gripped my cock tightly. Our breathing became faster, and pleasure electrified every inch of my body. All that mattered in the world was fucking the beautiful priestess, and I grabbed onto one of her breasts as she bounced. My cum was still dripping from her chest, and the sight was almost enough to push me over the edge.

Then I pinched her nipple hard, and she cried out toward the night sky.

“Cum for me,” I hissed. “Cum on my cock like a devout priestess. Your lord commands you to.”

“Ohhhh!” Penelope wailed. “Yes, master! I’m going to cum all over your huge cock!”

Her pussy tightened, and it was all I needed to hit my second, mind-blowing climax. I filled her tunnel up with my seed and moaned as the warmth rushed over my cock. The whole world exploded with bright colors, and I clutched onto her as I caught my breath.

“My lord,” she breathed once we both came down. “That was incredible. Thank you so much.”

“Same to you.” I grinned as I brushed her blonde hair from her face. “Your warm little pussy is perfect, and you look so hot dripping in my cum.”

“I like being covered in it,” she said coyly and bit her lip. “It makes me feel like I’ve worshipped you properly, and I feel so close to you.”

I grabbed her neck and pulled her in for a kiss. Her warm lips met mine, and I could feel her breasts press up against me as I explored her mouth with my tongue.

Several minutes later, I slowly slipped out of her, and we got to our feet in the garden.

The naiad’s thighs glistened with cum and sweat, and I grinned as she ran a finger over her creamy chest.

“So much seed,” she giggled. “I think you enjoyed my worship, master?”

“Are you kidding?” I laughed. “There isn’t a strong enough word for how much I love fucking you. Those big breasts of yours were just made for my mouth.”

“I feel amazing,” she sighed. “I love you, Jack.”

“I love you, too,” I said softly as I admired the way her tousled blonde hair framed her blue face. “Let’s get you some rest now, you’ll need it for the next step in our quest.”

I kissed the naiad’s cheek, and we began to wander back to the sleeping quarters. We held hands as I led her back to bed, and she sleepily climbed under the blanket.

“Goodnight,” I whispered and tucked her in, and the naiad drifted back into her peaceful state of rest as I left her dream.

Everyone in the convent seemed to sleep soundly that night, and the rain continued to pound against the limestone walls. Even the gnome kids didn’t stir, and the only sound was a few gentle snores from my followers.

I remembered the wheels we needed for the carriage and focused on the large, sturdy items until I was sure they would appear at the altar. Then I kept a watchful eye on the sky as they all rested and made sure there was no trace of orange amongst the clouds.

My dream time with Penelope had given me even more drive, and it sounded like there might be more than one of my kids to protect soon.

Was Aleia really the one who’d gotten pregnant the other night, or was Penelope just guessing?

I watched the sleeping fairy and noticed that there actually was a dark purple stain on her wings. It crept up from her back and made a lightning-shaped pattern over the usual lilac. I was sure it hadn’t been there before, and I glanced down at her flat belly. I figured fairy pregnancies worked differently to human ones and wondered how long it would take for her to show if she was in fact carrying my kid.

The strawberry-blonde muttered something in her sleep, and she wrinkled her cute, freckled nose. She was truly gorgeous, and I really hoped she was pregnant, too.

I spent the rest of the night picturing my kids running around the convent while my gorgeous priestesses drifted around in barely-there clothing. The gnomes would be great babysitters for the nights I wanted alone time with my women, and I almost wanted to visit one of their dreams again as my mind pictured them all together with me. But instead, I decided to let them sleep on and made do with reliving all the glorious times I’d shared with them when I actually had a physical form.

That Tobias idiot really didn’t know what he was missing with god life. Although, I doubted all gods were lucky enough to have four hot priestesses who loved dirty sex.

I chuckled to myself as I checked the convent walls again. I really had won the jackpot, and however I came to be a god, I couldn’t be more grateful. Life before this world might have been good, but nothing could compare to how incredible my life had become.

I noticed movement on my God Vision as the sun crept into the sky, and I saw that the gnomes had begun to stir and leave their tent.

They started to get ready for the day, and the children ran out to visit Luna and the other horses.

I joined Elowise as she headed into the kitchen, and Wilfrim came in behind her with a yawn.

“Morning,” I said softly so I didn’t give them a fright.

“Good morning,” Elowise replied cheerily. “I thought I would make us some tea and then get straight to work with the carriage.”

“Excellent,” I said. “Do you think it can be finished today?”

“Well,” Wilfrim said. “The wheels are proving to be rather tricky, but we can always try.”

“Perhaps check the altar,” I offered. “Maybe something of use will be there.”

“Jack?” Elowise laughed. “Have you brought us something again?”

“Only one way to find out,” I replied, and the gnomes hurried out into the garden to the altar.

They both gasped as they saw what sat at the foot of the structure, and I had to admit, the wheels were even more impressive than what I had expected. They were incredibly sturdy-looking and made from iron.

“Jack!” Wilfrim gasped as he strained to pick up one of the four wheels. “These are magnificent.”

“Thank you, Jack.” Elowise nodded. “This is just another display of why we choose you to worship.”

“Now get yourself some tea,” I laughed. “You’ve got a long day ahead.”

The gnomes hurried off to get to work in the kitchen, and I checked back in with my priestesses just as they were getting up.

“Good morning,” I said. “I hope you all slept well.”

“Like a baby.” Aleia smiled as she stretched, and I glanced at her changing wings.

The women happily chattered as they got dressed in their robes and made their way outside into the convent grounds. It was slightly brighter than the day before, but the clouds were still an ominous gray.

“At least the sky isn’t orange yet,” Nicola sighed.

The priestesses made their way over to Balabar, and my phantom jaw fell open as I took in the progress he had made.

The carriage looked almost complete, and the only thing missing was the seating inside and the four wheels. It was all made from the same deep-brown wood and looked big enough to hold all my followers if they squeezed in. Balabar had even brought over the reins for the horses and laid them beside the carriage.

“Balabar!” I said. “This is amazing.”

“Oh,” the gnome mumbled as he glanced up at the women. “Thank you, Jack. I’m quite pleased with it.”

“You should be,” Aleia gasped. “It looks wonderful!”

She ran her hand over the side of the carriage and traced a swirling pattern with her finger.

The four new wheels and axles sat beside Balabar, and the women gasped as they stared down at the items.

“Where did these come from?” Penelope asked. “Jack?”

“I helped a little,” I chuckled, and the naiad clapped her hands.

“Having a bit of trouble with them actually,” Balabar said. “The axles are simple enough to attach, but for the wheels to get in properly, I need to raise the carriage up a bit.”

“Like this?” Aleia asked.

Then she fluttered up to the top of the carriage, grabbed the back side of the roof, and hauled the rear end of the vehicle a few feet off the ground.

Balabar stared up at her with an open mouth, and I laughed at his amazement.

“Come on!” the fairy grunted. “Even for me, this is pretty heavy!”

Balabar hurriedly got to work installing the wheels, and Aleia picked up the front half of the carriage so he could finish. It only took a few moments for the gnome to attach the wheels securely, and the metal axles gleamed beneath the impressive structure.

“Do you want to help out with decorating it?” I asked the fairy. “You could make a little pattern on the side maybe? Just something to mark it as our own.”

“I would love to,” the fairy sang and did a happy little twirl in the air. “Is there anything in particular you would like me to try?”

“I trust your artistic judgement,” I said. “We should get the weapons ready to load up, so we can leave the moment the carriage is finished.”

“I’ll go and get them,” Celeste offered.

“I’ll help!” Nicola said.

“And I’ll fetch us some breakfast,” Penelope decided. “We can’t save a family on empty stomachs.”

The women all got to work quickly and hurried off to get started with their various duties, and over the course of the morning, I made sure everyone was content and ready for action.

Penelope and Elowise made up a quick muckbeast stew, and Wilfrim helped hand out portions to everyone. While Celeste and Nicola brought the weapons to the carriage, Balabar kept working at installing the seats, and he had made up two benches that fit perfectly into the space facing each other.

The roof above would hopefully give my followers some shelter from the sprites. The doors on each side stopped halfway up so that the higher half could be seen out of, but it would also be good for shooting bolts from. There was a sturdy tailboard sticking out of the back, and the driver’s seat would hold one human or a couple of gnomes. It really looked like a proper vehicle.

Balabar had never been my favorite of the gnomes, but I had to hand it to him that he had done incredible work.

“This looks amazing,” Nicola said as she placed her flail down into the middle of the carriage.

She and Celeste had made a small pile of all the weapons and were admiring the craftsmanship.

“Where’s Aleia?” Penelope asked as she sipped a cup of tea.

“Here!” the fairy piped up from the far side of the carriage.

The other women walked around to find Aleia stood beside the doorway with a small carving blade in her hand.

The beautiful fairy had a flushed face and dewy brow from working, and I could see why. I had expected a nice little pattern, but instead she had fully transformed the wood. The doorway was covered in an intricate, swirling pattern complete with various carved flowers. It was absolutely stunning, and the attention to detail was crazy.

Especially considering how quickly she’d accomplished it all.

“Wow,” Celeste whispered. “Aleia, I didn’t know you could do that.”

“This is simply beautiful,” Penelope agreed.

“Shit,” Nicola muttered. “This is amazing.”

“Really?” Aleia asked as she fluttered her wings happily. “I got a bit carried away, it was only meant to be a small carving.”

“This is wonderful,” I laughed. “Your carving skills are off the charts!”

“What charts?” the fairy asked with a puzzled look.

“It means you’re really talented,” I quickly replied.

The strawberry-blonde smiled and stood back to admire her work. I had expected her to do well, but she had really made a piece of art on our new carriage, and I decided I needed to check in on her Stats soon.

Penelope had been thriving with her gardening skills since her pregnancy, too, so I couldn’t help wondering if Aleia’s sudden burst of skill meant she was also pregnant. The dark purple lightning pattern on her wings seemed to be spreading already, and she did seem to have a new glow to her freckled skin.

It was hard to process the thought of two gorgeous women carrying my kids, but the idea made me happy beyond words.

“That’s the finishing touches,” Balabar grunted as he patted the door. “All it needs are the horses.”

“I’ll get them,” Nicola said. “Celeste, do you want to help?”

“Fine,” the harpy grumbled. “But I’m not getting on top of it again.”

Elowise and Wilfrim came over to join the group, and they gasped when they saw the finished carriage.

“Good work, boy!” Wilfrim cheered as he slapped Balabar’s back. “That’s beautiful craftsmanship.”

“It really is,” Elowise said, and she stepped around to see Aleia’s work. “Oh, my goodness! Aleia, did you do this?”

“Yes,” the fairy said shyly. “I know it’s a bit much…”

“A bit much?” Elowise scoffed. “Young lady, this is some of the most beautiful carving work I’ve ever seen.”

“Incredible,” Wilfrim said as he stood with his arms folded. “How did we manage to become friends with such talented folks?”

“You’re all endlessly skilled,” I told the group. “Balabar, do you think we’ll all fit inside with the elves?”

“It will be tight,” he replied. “But if the children sit on their parents’ knees, then it should be fine.”

“Who’s driving?” Penelope asked. “I’m not sure I would be much use at it, to be honest.”

“We can drive,” Elowise offered. “Wilfrim and I have driven carts before, this is just a little bigger than what we’re used to.”

“You really can do everything,” Aleia said in awe.

“Not everything,” Elowise chuckled. “I could never make something as beautiful as that carving of yours.”

The fairy blushed and scrunched her face into an adorable display of embarrassment and pride. I wanted to kiss her right that second as her cuteness actually overwhelmed me, but more than anything, I wanted to get her alone for a private moment to ask her about the pregnancy.

There was a sound of heavy footsteps, and Nicola and Celeste appeared with the two horses at their sides. The brunette was in the middle of the animals, cooing and stroking them in turn, and Celeste was beside the gray horse and eyeing it suspiciously.

“Celeste,” I said as they approached. “We decided you should drive since you’re so connected to the horses.”

The harpy stopped dead in her tracks and looked desperately at Nicola.

“He’s joking,” the brunette snorted, and Celeste let out a sigh.

“Jack!” the harpy giggled. “That’s mean!”

“You enjoyed it,” I chuckled, and the scarlet woman blushed a soft pink.

Then Nicola and Penelope helped guide the horses into position in front of the carriage and carefully fitted their reins. Nicola fitted the leather harness that Elias had provided, too, and handed the straps to Penelope so they could attach the horses to the carriage. The dark leather was strong, and it looked like we officially had our vehicle ready to play with.

The animals even seemed happy enough, and I figured they had probably pulled carts before for Elias.

“Celeste,” Penelope said as she stroked the ginger horse’s mane. “Maybe you should give us your tips for fighting the sprites. Is there anything in particular we should know?”

“They’re fast,” the harpy replied. “Maybe they aren’t smart, but they are capable of attacking as a group. Their claws are really sharp, too. One cut with those, and you could be in trouble.”

“So keep them at a distance as much as possible,” I agreed. “Obviously, they come from the sky, but keep vigilant at all times in case they try to sneak up. Their wings are silent so you won’t hear them coming.”

“The elves need us.” Celeste nodded. “A couple of us can run into the house to help get them out, and the rest should stay on guard duty. The sprites will attack the moment the elves step outside.”

“I’ll go in,” Aleia volunteered. “I can carry some of them out.”

“I’ll go with you,” Penelope offered. “Do we have all the weapons loaded?”

“Got them all here,” Nicola said as she gestured to the pile in the middle of the carriage. “The crossbows will hopefully keep them at a distance, but we have everything else for any of the little bastards that get too close.”

The group were silent for a moment as they looked at the carriage, and it seemed like it was time to put the new vehicle to the test.

“Nissa and Balabar are going to stay,” Elowise said. “To look after the children, it’s really a two person job.”

“That works,” I agreed. “They can keep an eye on the convent, too. Thank you, Balabar. The carriage is amazing.”

“You’re welcome,” the gnome said as he kicked a bit of dirt. “Nissa said I could go, but I don’t want to leave her with all the little ones alone.”

“Good man,” I agreed. “Keep safe, and we’ll be back as soon as we can.”

“Let’s get going!” Nicola jumped into the carriage to take a forward-facing seat.

Aleia fluttered in to sit beside her, and then Celeste and Penelope took the opposite bench.

After a brief hug from Balabar, the two gnomes climbed into the driver’s seat. They grabbed the reins with a determined scowl, and Balabar gave a final wave before he hurried off to his wife.

“Ready?” Elowise called.

“Ready!” the priestesses echoed.

The gnome gave a gentle but commanding whip to the horses, and they immediately turned to trot toward the gate.

“Here we go!” Nicola cheered as the carriage rumbled smoothly along the grass. She picked up her flail and leaned an elbow on the doorway as the horses raced past the limestone walls.

“Oh, I thought of names for the horses,” Aleia spoke up. “If you all like them, that is. Smokey for the gray one, and Ember for the orange one?”

“Aww,” Nicola said with a smile. “I love them, good idea.”

“Ember and Smokey,” Elowise shouted. “That works for me, dear!”

The girls sat back and took in the view, and they gripped their weapons with determination.

“Step on it, Elowise!” I said, and the gnome frowned.

“Step on what?” She asked.

“Oh, uhhh,” I chuckled. “It means try to maintain a swift speed.”

“You and your godly sayings.” Elowise smiled. “Is everything okay, Jack?”

“I’m only worried about the storm,” I admitted. “It could have gotten worse in this time over the farms. I have a feeling those clouds are going to let all hell rain down soon. I just don’t want you to have to deal with too much difficult weather.”

“Understood.” Elowise nodded, and she whipped the horses hard enough to speed them up.

The gnomes gripped the leather with focused glares, and the priestesses grabbed each other for support as the carriage rocked its way down the road.

Then there was a not so distant crack of thunder above, and it started to rain.

Chapter 12

The carriage raced along at such a speed it was hard to believe there wasn’t an engine attached to it.

Elowise insisted she knew a shortcut to the farmlands that would take us around Evelhelm rather than through it. I trusted her knowledge of the land, and the group raced over a dirt road that took them through dense woodland.

As the horses galloped over the road, the priestesses kept a close watch on the sky. The rain was still only light, but the gray clouds above had begun to have a suspicious orange hue to them. It was as if the Squall Sprites themselves hadn’t reached the forest completely yet, but were marking it as a future spot.

The further away from the convent we got, the harder the rain began to fall. I had hoped the light shower would be steady throughout the journey, but it was clear my followers were in for a downpour. The road became wetter and wetter until there was a solid couple of inches of water on the ground, and I was worried the wheels would struggle, but Balabar’s craftsmanship was solid, and the carriage didn’t slow once.

Mud splashed up on either side of the carriage, and I imagined someone would need to undertake a pretty intense cleaning of the wood after our quest was finished. I tried not to worry about the gnomes back in the convent, but I figured the worst danger around was the sprites, and I had a feeling they were only going to be focused on the carriage pretty soon.

“Looks like the sprites are letting loose with the rain,” Celeste shouted over the wind. “Do you think they’re angry?”

“It looks that way,” Penelope replied as she pushed her hair away from her face.

The wind kept blowing her blonde locks into her eyes, and she eventually tied her hair up into a messy plait. She had one hand on her stomach as she stared out of the window with a determined scowl, and I had a feeling her pregnancy was going to make her fight with ten times the amount of aggression as normal.

“You’ll need to be ready to fight,” I said. “I have a feeling they might attack the second they get a whiff of our carriage.”

“We’re almost there!” Elowise called. “Told you this way was faster.”

“I never doubted you,” I chuckled.

As we got closer to the farmlands, Nicola leaned out of the window and looked up at the sky, and I switched my own gaze so I could see out of her eyes.

Shit.

It was a deep, angry orange mixed with swirling black and gray. The trees glowed with the ominous colors, and I saw several woodland creatures run in the opposite direction of us as the gloomy sky loomed over their homes.

“I guess they officially took the forest around Evelhelm,” Nicola said grimly. “I can’t wait to bash some sprite brains in.”

She pulled her head back into the carriage, and her hair was already soaked from those few seconds outside.

“That’s my girl,” I chuckled. “They messed with the wrong priestesses.”

“And the wrong god!” Aleia added.

“I’ll have a look outside,” Celeste said, and without another word she launched herself through the window and up into the sky. I joined her as she soared over the carriage and got a good view of the fields close by.

Evelhelm was visible behind us, and it seemed that Elowise’s shortcut had taken us right past the eastern side of the town.

“We’re nearly there!” Celeste called down to the gnomes. “Just like Elowise said. Just take a right at this next fork, and it’s straight ahead.”

“Got it,” Wilfrim yelled.

The harpy had a good view of the farmlands, and I could see the two-story house from her spot. Thankfully, it looked like the house and barn were still intact.

“We might be just in time,” I said. “I can’t see any sprites attacking yet.”

“Let’s hope the elves are still inside.” Celeste nodded as rain poured down her scarlet wings.

“Get back in the carriage,” I said. “I don’t want them to have any extra chances to spot us.”

The harpy did one last quick scan of the sky and plunged back in through the carriage door.

“I can’t see any sprites yet,” she reported as her wings dripped on Penelope’s lap. “Looks like we might get in there without a fight.”

“I doubt we’ll leave without one,” I muttered. “Aleia and Penelope, the second we stop, you get inside. There’s an old elf who will probably need the most assistance.”

“Got it.” The fairy nodded.

“Nicola and Celeste,” I continued. “One of you grab a crossbow, and the other take something for any fuckers who get too close.”

“No problem,” Nicola agreed as she clutched her flail. “Celeste, are you okay with the bow? Wait, stupid question.”

“I’ve got you.” The harpy grinned as she arranged the weapon on her lap. “It’s not going to last forever, though. We won’t be able to go and get our bolts back during the fight.”

“Make sure you have your sword ready, too,” I said. “For whenever the bolts run out.”

“I may not even need them.” Celeste smirked. “I have a feeling the battle bird might just come out to play, but I’ll take them just in case.”

The girls were poised and ready as the carriage turned right at the fork in the road, and the horses continued at a careful trot toward the soaked farmlands. As we reached the fields, the wind was so loud that the women could barely hear each other even when yelling.

“Right up to the front door,” I said to Elowise. “You and Wilfrim just stay here ready to drive, the women are ready to help the family and fight.”

“Got it,” Elowise replied.

As the carriage got closer to the house, the rumble of the storm got louder and louder. It wasn’t even thunder anymore, just a constant deep noise that seemed to be all around the atmosphere.

“Ready?” I asked, and the priestesses all nodded.

Smokey and Ember came to a smooth halt right outside the elves’ front door, and Aleia and Penelope leapt out of the carriage. They were instantly drenched with rain, and the naiad flung herself against the door as she knocked.

“Hello!” she called. “It’s Elias’ friends, we’re here to get you out of here!”

The door stayed closed, and I couldn’t hear any noises inside over the sound of the wind.

“Helloooo!” Aleia cried. “Please--”

The door swung open, and Elm stood on the other side with Olive gripped to his leg.

“Come in,” he yelled, and the women jumped inside.

Then the elf slammed the door shut behind them, and the priestesses looked around the room. Arzur stood with two little elf boys, and they stared at the women with open mouths.

“I’m Aleia,” the fairy said hurriedly. “This is Penelope, the carriage is outside.”

“Time to go.” Penelope nodded urgently. “The children will need to sit on laps, but there’s just enough room for all of us.”

I studied the family and realized there was no elderly elf woman.

“Someone’s missing,” I told my women.

“I can’t believe you came,” Elm said. “The storm feels like it’s about to rip our house apart, but I can’t get mother to come down.”

“What?” Penelope asked as she frantically bobbed on the spot. “What do you mean?”

“She won’t go,” Arzur said gruffly. “She says she isn’t leaving the farm like this.”

“She has to!” Aleia insisted. “Is she hurt?”

“No,” the old elf replied. “She just loves this place too much, and she said she would rather die here than run away and let it crumble.”

“Shit!” Aleia squeaked.

In any other circumstance, I would have laughed at the adorable fairy’s cursing, but my mind was in overdrive. The quest must be completed, and I had to save every member of the family. I would not leave some stubborn old elf woman here to die.

“Get her,” I ordered the girls. “I don’t care what you have to say to her, but we need to leave.”

There was a loud, cackling sound above us, and it sounded like multiple sprites laughing in unison. The sound made my phantom skin crawl, and the women shivered as the noise echoed around the house.

“Maybe we should start getting you out,” Penelope said.

“No,” I countered. “The elves basically have targets on their backs. If you lead some of them outside, the sprites will attack, and you might not be able to get the old lady out. We need to take everyone out together so we’ll be ready to leave immediately.”

“Is she upstairs?” Aleia asked. “What’s her name?”

“Milly,” Arzur replied. “It’s no use, she won’t listen to a bloody thing.”

“She’s coming with us,” the fairy said flatly, and she flew upstairs as Penelope ran behind her.

The women raced up the wooden steps and found themselves in a cozy hallway with dark green paint. There were four bedrooms lined along the left-hand side, and it didn’t take long to find the only occupied one.

The women went into the room, and the floorboards creaked as Penelope passed by the neat dressing table. In the middle of the space, there was a large bed with white cotton sheets and dusty pink pillows.

An old elf woman lay under the covers with a face like thunder and scowled at the priestesses. She had hair that was such a pale green that it was almost white, and her whole face was made of wrinkles. I could see her brown tunic sleeves poking out of the covers, and she was clearly fully dressed but in bed as a protest.

“Who are you?” she barked. “You’re one of them, aren’t you? One of the storm bringers!”

She suddenly grabbed a broom from beside the bed and waved it toward Aleia.

The fairy grabbed the handle and easily pulled it from the old elf.

“Intruders!” Milly shouted. “Ruffians! Whores!”

“Excuse you!” Penelope scoffed. “We’re here to rescue you and your family.”

“You’re welcome,” Aleia said sourly.

“I’m not leaving,” the elf snapped, and her eyes suddenly filled with tears. “This is my home. I won’t leave it.”

“I know it’s sad,” Penelope said. “But it’s not as sad as your family losing you over stubbornness. You can build new houses if this one is damaged. You can’t replace people.”

“Exactly,” Aleia said as she softened up. “They won’t leave without you. Elm and Olive and all the rest, they’re going to get really hurt if they stay.”

Milly stared at the fairy, and I really thought she was about to give in when her expression turned back to a furious glare.

“How do you know their names?” she barked. “Have you been romantically involved with my Elm? He’s my baby!”

“No,” the fairy groaned as she rolled her eyes. “I have not. Also, he is a fully-grown elf with children, so I’m guessing he has had romantic relationships before.”

It was the sassiest I had ever heard the fairy, and her normally shy exterior was nowhere to be found as she folded her arms. I had to admit, I liked seeing that side of Aleia, and I had to wonder if the influence of the other priestesses had helped her confidence.

There was another clap of thunder, and one of the kids downstairs began to cry.

“They’re terrified,” Penelope told the old elf. “You need to be strong for them.”

“We’re going to help you,” Aleia said in her usual gentle tone. “We promised Elias.”

“Ooohh!” Milly suddenly shouted as her eyes flared. “So, it’s my Elias you’ve been smooching!”

The fairy and naiad groaned at the same time, and Milly folded her arms.

“Maybe I should just carry her?” Aleia muttered so only Penelope could hear.

“I don’t think so,” I said. “She looks seriously frail, you might hurt her.”

“We need to do something!” Penelope wailed. “Where is Tobias during all of this? Where is the one that you and your whole family have been relying on? Surely he should be convincing you to act as you should and get out of that bed!”

The naiad began to pace back and forth and clutched her head with her hands.

“Penelope,” I said gently. “We know that Tobias doesn’t answer them.”

“What are you on about, girl?” Milly snapped. “What’s Tobias got to do with any of this?”

“He should be here,” Penelope said in a huff as she stopped at the foot of the bed. “That’s what a god should do for his people. Take care of them and be there when terrible things happen.”

“Pffft,” the old elf said. “When has that ever happened?”

“Jack does it!” Penelope scoffed. “Our lord has helped us in battle, with supplies, he even gave our friend a new set of wings!”

“Penelope,” I warned. “I appreciate it, but this isn’t the time to be singing my praises.”

“Sorry,” the naiad mumbled. “I just wanted you to know that not all gods are like that. Jack is going to help you.”

“Jack?” Milly frowned skeptically.

Then there was another rumble of thunder, and another one of the kids began to cry. It sounded heartbreaking down there, and even I could barely stand the sound of the poor kids wailing as if they would be trapped here forever. I didn’t know if it was the children’s misery or all hell breaking loose around the house, but Milly suddenly swung the sheets off her body and sat up.

“Fine,” she said. “I’ll go, but not because of anything you said.”

“That’s okay with me,” Aleia sighed. “Come on, let’s get you downstairs.”

As the priestesses helped Milly slowly shuffle out of the bedroom, I checked back in with the carriage.

Nicola stood outside on the tailboard with her flail poised and ready while Celeste was on the roof with a bolt already loaded.

“Everything okay?” I asked.

“Not exactly,” Nicola said grimly.

I looked up to the sky, and even though the sprites hadn’t descended, things didn’t look good. The clouds had started to gather into a whirlpool of orange and black, and I could see hundreds of little bodies flying around as they waved their hands and screamed. It looked like the beginnings of a tornado, and little flashes of yellow light kept appearing amongst the dark clouds.

“What the fuck?” I muttered. “Is that some kind of intimidation thing?”

“I reckon so,” Wilfrim grunted. “Trying to spook the horses, no doubt.”

“It’s like they’re having fun with it,” Elowise shuddered. “Oh, Jack, are those elves nearly ready?”

“The old woman took some convincing,” I explained. “Shit, the rain is getting worse. Are you going to be able to drive in all this water?”

“We’ll manage.” Wilfrim nodded. “The horses don’t care for the weather, we just need to hope Balabar’s carriage holds up.”

“It will,” Elowise said. “But we don’t have any weapons while we drive, Jack. We’re very exposed up here.”

“I won’t let anything hurt you,” I promised. “Celeste, make sure to cover them.”

“Always.” The harpy nodded, and she didn’t move her gaze from the sky.

I couldn’t stop staring at the whirlpool, either. It was still only in the sky, but I had a feeling it was building into something much bigger and weaponized. The sprites hadn’t terrorized the farm for all this time to just let the elves walk free. They were biding their time, waiting for something, and I had a phantom gut-wrenching feeling that we could have underestimated their planning power.

Then a sudden, high-pitched noise blasted out across the farm, and everyone in the carriage winced.

“What the hell?” I shouted. “Is everyone okay?”

“Well, that stung something fierce,” Wilfrim grumbled as he rubbed his ears.  “Oh, dear, the horses!”

I looked over to the creatures, and in that split second, I conjured up a horrible image of them struck down dead. To my relief they were still standing perfectly alive, but they had their heads facing right up to the clouds and seemed to be frozen in place.

“What’s wrong with them?” Celeste asked.

“They’re Petrified,” Elowise gasped. “Ember! Smokey! You want some apples?”

The old elf reached into her pocket and pulled out a few slices of apple. She made an enticing clicking noise, but the horses just kept staring up at the heavens with their ears pressed against their heads.

“Nicola, go and help them,” I ordered.

“I don’t know how to!” the brunette admitted. “Jack, I’ve never seen this before.”

“Go,” I urged, and Nicola hesitated before she jumped down from the carriage and ran around the front.

She skidded to a halt on the flooded ground, and mud soaked her feet and calves. From the front, I could see that the horses were trembling, and their eyes were fixed on the clouds. It was fucking creepy, like they were possessed or something. I had no idea how to help them, but if anyone could soothe them, I knew it would be Nicola.

The brunette kept her flail in one hand and reached the other out to the orange horse’s snout.

“Ember,” she whispered. “It’s me, you’re safe. Nothing is going to hurt you. I’m here.”

She repeated the words to Smokey and took it in turns to stroke their long faces.  Then the brunette stepped closer to Ember and gently rested her head against his neck as she stroked him. She hummed quietly and patted his gleaming hair in slow, methodical patterns.

The orange horse’s breathing began to slow down, and his eyes flickered away from the sky and onto Nicola.

“Hello, friend,” she said gently. “Everything is okay, you’re safe.”

Ember dropped his head and whinnied as his tail flicked.

“Amazing,” Wilfrim mumbled, and Elowise elbowed him and shushed him.

Nicola rested her head against Smokey next and repeated the same moves while Celeste kept guard over the carriage. It was like watching an enchantment being cast as the gray horse slowly drifted its focus back to look adoringly at Nicola. The gray horse even gave the brunette a lick in the face, and then it proceeded to ignore the storm altogether.

“There you go,” Nicola cooed. “Be a brave horse, now. You’re not alone out here, I’m right here with you. You’re safe.”

“Nicola,” I said in awe. “That was amazing.”

The brunette pushed her drenched hair behind her ears and almost looked teary as she smiled at the animals.

“They’re going to be okay,” she breathed. “I can feel it. They’ll stay steady for us.”

Then she quickly made her way back to the rear of the carriage and leapt back into position like the badass warrior she was. I wanted to praise her more, but there was no denying that the sky was about to explode at any minute.

“I’m going to check back with the elves,” I told the group. “Be ready.”

“They need to hurry, Jack,” Celeste warned. “We’re clearly running out of time.”

“I know,” I agreed.

Then I rejoined the group in the house, and it was absolute fucking chaos.

Milly was finally downstairs, but she was arguing with the others about anything and everything as Elm tried to put a thick coat around her.

“It’s freezing, mother,” the elf groaned as she shooed him away. “Please, we need to leave now.”

Olive and the two boys were sniffling, and they each had matching toy rabbits clutched in their hands.

“Tuck those in your coats,” Penelope said to the kids. “You don’t want them to get wet.”

“They won’t get wet,” the smaller boy sniffed. “They’re made from magic.”

I wanted to ask so many questions just then, but I knew the kids wouldn’t be able to hear me, and there were a million things to do.

Unfortunately, nobody was moving.

“Aleia,” I said. “If you carry her by her armpits, you won’t hurt her.”

“But you said she’s frail,” the fairy hissed.

“She is,” I allowed. “But she clearly isn’t going to move any time soon, and this house is very fucking close to becoming a burning pile of rubble. It’s better to give her a sore arm than to have the roof collapse on everyone.”

“I’ll get the door,” Penelope muttered, and she strode over to grab the handle.

“It’s time,” I agreed. “Be as fast as you can.

“Everyone!” Penelope bellowed with an impressive projection. “Jack is looking after you know, and he doesn’t leave people behind, so we’re moving out. Immediately! In the carriage the children will sit on the adults’ knees. Understood? Good!”

The naiad swung open the door just as Aleia flew behind Milly and grabbed her under her armpits. The old elf shrieked and flailed, but she had no chance against the fairy’s super strength.

I was glad that the rest of the elves wasted no time after that.

Elm and Arzur ushered the kids along, and they leaped out of the farmhouse and toward the carriage. Aleia gently placed Milly down on the front-facing bench inside the carriage, and the other two adult elves sat beside her. Olive sat on her father’s knee, one boy on Arzur’s knee, and the other squeezed onto the floor against the elves’ feet.

“Go!” Penelope yelled as she skidded onto the rear-facing bench, and Aleia sat beside her.

The gnomes and horses didn’t need to be told twice and immediately lurched forward. Celeste flew over the vehicle, and the horses sprayed mud and water everywhere as they ran, but Nicola was still braced on the tailboard. She had a good firm grip on the handle that was raised on the back of the contraption, and her feet were wedged into the curve of the wooden ledge.

“Are you okay there?” I asked Nicola as the carriage rattled loudly.

“I’m fine.” She nodded. “Don’t worry about me, but something’s happening up there!”

I followed her gaze up to the sky, and the swirling tornado of clouds had moved rapidly and was hovering directly above our carriage. Then there was a flash of red light, and a fiery bolt struck the farmland just a few feet away from the carriage.

Shit.

The horses whinnied but kept galloping onward, and the elves shrieked and covered their ears.

“They’re attacking!” I yelled. “Elowise, get out of the flooded lands and the carriage will move easier! Any route you know to take us to higher ground!”

The gnomes whipped the horses, and they pelted at full-speed toward the road.

But the sprites were cackling so loudly that their voices rivaled the thunder, and the swirling whirlpool kept following the carriage as it moved.

Every step the horses took, the sprites would follow and match their pace.

Then another lightning bolt struck the ground, and this time it hit a patch of ground right in front of the horses. The animals barely swerved in time to miss the attack, and they finally reached the edge of the farmlands.

That didn’t stop the sprites, though.

Their orange whirlpool kept up with the carriage, and as I looked up, I saw the Squall Sprites start to descend en masse.

Chapter 13

The screams of the sprites seemed to fill the entire sky, and I knew the high-pitched sound must have been torture for the horses. As the carriage raced out of the field, the swirling tornado of the storm followed, and red and yellow bolts of lightning hit the road and land around my followers.

Aleia grabbed her spiked shield and flew out of the carriage to join Celeste, and Penelope already had a crossbow in hand and leaned out of the window as the sprites began to descend.

The naiad was the first to fire a bolt, and her shot flew directly into the chest of the closest attacker.

The orange-skinned creature made a sputtering noise as its black wings slowed down, and it flailed its clawed hands as it quickly tumbled to the ground.

That clearly pissed off the others, and as another red bolt of lightning appeared, I realized it had come directly from the palm of a sprite. Then the creature waved its hand again, and another flash of scarlet light appeared before it flew across the road and became lightning.

“They can throw lightning bolts!” Aleia cried.

“It doesn’t look like they can aim with them,” I added. “Either that, or they’re just shit with their own weapons! You’ve got this. Focus.”

Just as I finished talking, there was a sudden burst of white light, and everyone in the carriage threw their arms over their eyes. For a second, I thought the sprites had caused it, and then I saw that Celeste had transformed into a battle bird.

Fuck yeah.

The fiery eagle-woman dropped her weapons onto the back of the carriage with Nicola and soared into the sky toward the oncoming swarm of sprites. Her glistening feathers gleamed as rain fell onto them, and her massive talons opened and closed threateningly.

I knew she would need to get above the sprites to use her fiery powers, but I had a feeling that wouldn’t be a problem as the sprites recoiled in terror.

There was a steady swarm of the beasts shooting down from the sky, and the sudden appearance of an enormous, eagle-like creature seemed to stun them. The sprites shrieked and tried to scatter as Celeste bolted upward toward the clouds.

The other women used the distraction as the perfect chance to attack.

Penelope shot another bolt perfectly into a panicking sprite, and it pierced right through the fucker’s neck. The creature’s blood poured onto the soaked ground and bled into a puddle, and the body fell down and splattered beside the carriage wheels. Penelope didn’t miss a beat, and she leaned far out the window and reached down as soon as the vehicle passed the dead sprite. Then she grabbed the bolt from the body with a proud little “hmmph” sound.

“Nice work,” I said approvingly.

“Thank you, Jack.” The naiad smirked with pride and got ready to take aim at her next victim.

Aleia and Nicola were also ready for the sprites that managed to dodge Celeste. The fairy held her shield up toward an approaching storm beast and dove at full force toward the creature, but then the sprite flung its hand toward her, and a small bolt of red lightning flew out of its palm.

Aleia’s shield absorbed the hit, and the lightning bolt bounced right back at the sprite. The red electricity shot into the creature’s forehead, and it was dead before Aleia lowered her shield to look.

“Yes!” the fairy cried. “I love this thing!”

“That’s amazing,” I laughed. “These little bastards don’t stand a chance.”

Nicola was next to use her new weapon as a fat sprite flew straight at her, and the beast cackled as it waved its talons and it bared its sharp teeth. Nicola stood her ground confidently, and she raised her flail behind her shoulder to get ready to launch. The second the sprite was within striking distance, she flung the spiked ball forward while she kept a tight grip of the handle.

Then there was a wet crunch as the metal impaled the creature’s skull, and one of its eyeballs fell out of its socket and plopped onto the ground below. The rest of the body fell down shortly after, and the metal spikes slid out smoothly as Nicola tore her weapon free.

I was blown away by my women’s ruthless fighting skills, and the gnomes continued to drive the horses onward to Elias’ farm.

“Jack!” Elowise shouted. “We’re taking a slightly different route to Elias! We’re going uphill some more so we can get out of the flooding. I’m worried about the wheels!”

“Go for it,” I agreed. “Just keep everyone moving, and we’ll do the rest!”

The gnomes both nodded and expertly guided the two horses through the soaked dirt road and forest trees.

Celeste had managed to circle right above a group of three frantic sprites, and just as they looked up, she released hell. The bright burst of light flew out of her talons, and the fiery beam scorched the three sprites into a cloud of black ash.

“Good work!” I cheered, and I spotted a lone sprite hurtling toward the gnomes. “Over there! Protect Elowise and Wilfrim!”

The harpy flew down at the sprite with such speed that she was almost just a fiery blur. As rain soaked her feathers, she opened her talons and screeched so the sprite would look up. Then she made sure to aim her talons diagonally so the flaming blast went well over the carriage and horses, but still burned the storm beast into a crisp.

Once there was nothing but ash left of the sprite, Celeste flew back into the sky to greet more descending beasts, and she continued to fire off bursts of flame into as many as possible.

Nicola was a fucking machine at the back of the carriage. Multiple sprites launched toward her, and a few tried to take out the wheels. She moved her flail with such speed and power that not a single talon so much as scraped the wood, and she grunted with each swing of her weapon.

“Fuck you!” she shouted as she swung the spiked ball into an orange skull.

“Getting some anger out?” I asked with a phantom grin.

“Oh, yeah,” Nicola said. “Their heads make a very satisfying squishing sound.”

Another sprite suddenly shot out from its hiding place in the trees and almost reached the brunette’s side.

“Left!” I shouted, and Nicola swung her flail just in time.

The sprite’s face connected with her metal, and there was a sickening crunch as its skull was caved in. Blood spurted from all angles as the sprite was flung onto the road with a thump, and Nicola flashed a deadly grin as her wet hair whipped around her face.

Penelope made sure that none of the Squall Sprites got into the carriage, and I could practically see the awe on the elves’ faces as they watched her fight. She had switched over to her sword for battle, and it gleamed under the rain every time she stuck it out of the doorway.  The naiad dove from right door to left and chopped the hell out of anything that dared come close, but then I spotted two of the orange fuckers trying to sneak from the front toward the left window.

“Penelope!” I said. “Two on the left.”

The naiad didn’t miss a beat. She jumped with the grace of an Olympic gymnast and hung her torso out of the carriage window as the sprites dove toward her. She stabbed her sword forward at exactly the right moment and impaled both sprites by the head in one single blow.

Blood quickly stained her blade, and she gave the sword a single flick so the dead bodies flew off into the trees.

“Ewww,” Olive said, and the little elf stared at Penelope with wide eyes.

“Sorry,” the naiad grimaced. “You might want to not look.”

“You’re amazing,” Olive breathed, and she clapped her hands as she bounced on her dad’s lap.

Elm, on the other hand, looked thoroughly ill and had turned so pale, he was almost transparent.

“Daddy doesn’t like blood,” one of the little boys whispered. “But we think it’s exciting watching you be a warrior.”

The naiad didn’t have time to absorb the compliment as she raced over to the right-side window, and another sprite tried to fly inside. Then she stabbed it through the neck, and Elm covered his mouth with his hands.

Olive put her hands over her father’s eyes and watched as Penelope dropped another dead body to the ground.

It seemed that an endless supply of sprites kept raining down on the carriage, but Aleia was moving her shield so quickly that there was a constant bang as bodies connected with the metal spikes. Her freckled face was scrunched up in determination as she flew back and forth over the carriage like a ninja hummingbird, and every time she stabbed into a sprite, the body would slide off the weapon and leave a trail of blood on the purple shield.

“They keep coming!” the fairy yelled. “Jack, what do we do?”

I looked up at the sky and saw that the swirling cloud formation had started to slow down, and it was gradually losing ground on the carriage.

“Keep fighting,” I instructed her. “You’re weakening them. They’re starting to slow down.”

The fairy nodded and smacked a sprite in the face with her shield as it tried to dive-bomb the carriage. The beast fell on top of the roof, and the elves inside screamed as the body slipped off and fell onto the mud beside the left-side window.

Celeste seemed to be making the sprites think twice as they came from the clouds, and I watched a few of the fuckers fly right back where they came from once they spotted her. The harpy continued to ruthlessly smite down every storm beast she could, and the swarm slowly began to thin out.

“They’re giving up!” Nicola grunted as she knocked a sprite’s head clean off with the flail. “Look, the whirlwind thing isn’t right above us anymore!”

The brunette was right, the swirling storm had fallen behind the carriage, and the sprites inside the clouds weren’t throwing their red lightning down from the sky anymore.

There were still a good few of the bastards that decided they were up for the fight, though, and the women stayed focused as the wind howled through the trees.

Three sprites seemed to have coordinated an attack on the gnomes, and it looked like one was going for the horses as the other two hurtled down at the drivers.

“The gnomes!” I shouted. “Aleia, Celeste!”

My flying women didn’t need to be told twice.

The harpy flew down at the solo sprite and snapped it up into her talons just before it could touch the horses. Then she soared back over the trees as it squirmed, and she tightened her grip until there was a loud crunch. Celeste had broken the creature’s back in her taloned feet, and she dropped the limp body down into the forest without a second glance.

Aleia slammed herself into the other two sprites with her shield, and they both went flying with wounds from the spikes in their sides. They were still alive, but their flying slightly slowed down as they dove back at the fairy. Then Aleia spun around in her own little whirlwind and smacked one of the sprites right in the face with the shield.

The creature died instantly as the steel impaled its brain, and it was flung into the other sprite like a domino. The dead creature’s skull slammed into its buddy’s head and killed it on impact.

“Fuck yes!” I cried out as both of the bastards fell onto the wet ground.

I noticed the carriage was no longer amongst a flood, and I looked up to see the gnomes had led us up a small hill where the water wasn’t as bad.

The remaining sprites had begun to flee back to their clouds now, but not before Celeste and Aleia did something about it. The fairy and harpy soared upward together, and they bolted through the panicked mob of storm dwellers like beautiful beacons of death.

Aleia started to spin around like a tiny tornado and held her shield out as she turned. Once more, several orange bastards were impaled on the silver spikes, and they fell to their doom as blood splattered all over the stormy sky.

Celeste was faster than the sprites and managed to get right above them before they could reach the safety of their cloud cover. Then she opened her talons as the terrified creatures stared up at her, and they were quickly engulfed with flames.

The crispy remains of the Squall Sprites began to fall apart in the air, and their ashes were carried away with the whipping wind.

I checked the sky to see the swirling whirlpool had fallen behind us, and there was no sign of any more sprites.

“Nice work,” I praised my followers. “That might be the end of them for now, but I don’t think we’ll have long before they come back in full-force.”

Celeste began to transform back into her harpy body, and it was just as bizarre to watch as the first time. Her fiery feathers turned into ivory skin, and there was a gasp from the elves in the carriage as her head slowly became beautiful again. She had a grin plastered over her face as her battle bird form faded away, and she shook her whole body as she flew down to retrieve her weapons from the back of the carriage.

Then the two winged women dove back in through the windows and squeezed onto the bench with Penelope. Nicola didn’t hesitate to clamber around the rattling carriage walls so she could also climb in through the window, and she looked like some train robber in an old western movie, but infinitely hotter.

The women sat catching their breaths in the crammed carriage, and the priestesses were all soaked and caked in mud while their weapons were covered in bloodstains.

“Is everyone okay?” I asked, and Penelope nodded.

“I think we scared them away for a while, Jack,” the naiad said.

“Don’t get too comfortable,” I muttered. “You were all incredible, but we need to be alert for whenever they return.”

“That felt good.” Nicola grinned. “Their heads are very satisfying to squash.”

I snorted as the elves stared at her with open mouths. I was overwhelmed with pride at how the priestesses had handled themselves, but I was still concerned that the sprites might dive down for round two at any moment.

“Your bird body is amazing,” Olive said as she stared at Celeste. “How do you do that?”

“It just happens.” The harpy shrugged. “It’s pretty helpful for when I need to beat up horrible little sprites.”

The child elves all giggled and gaped at the harpy in awe. It was pretty clear that all the elves were taken aback with the priestess’ fighting abilities. Elm and Arzur simply stared with wide-eyed admiration, and even Milly had more shock than scowl plastered on her wrinkled face.

“Who were you talking to?” Arzur asked. “When you were fighting, it was like you were responding to someone who wasn’t there.”

“I think he’s figured me out,” I laughed as the women exchanged glances.

“It was that god, wasn’t it?” Elm asked. “He told you when sprites were attacking from behind you. I watched Penelope turn around to fight when she couldn’t have known there was anything there.”

The naiad squirmed, and I had a feeling she was desperate to talk more about me like the devoted priestess she was. It wasn’t like her to hold back on her holy praise, but I figured she was waiting for my instruction.

“Go ahead,” I said gently. “You can tell them it was me.”

“It was Jack!” Penelope blurted out with a delighted smile. “He was with us the whole time, he kept us safe and made sure we all knew exactly what to do. We could never accomplish so much without him!”

“Don’t sell yourselves short!” I swiftly interrupted. “You’re all warriors in your own right.”

“Yes, we are capable.” Nicola nodded. “We’re actually really fucking great fighters, but Jack makes us even better.”

Penelope nudged her and gestured to the kids as Nicola swore, and the brunette shot them an apologetic grimace.

“So… he tells you how to fight?” Arzur asked with a raised, bushy eyebrow.

“Sort of,” Aleia said with a sweet little shrug. “It can be so challenging when there are so many enemies at once. Having Jack look after us is like having eyes in the backs of our heads.”

“Our holy lookout and protector,” Penelope sighed with reverie, and she fluttered her eyelashes at the ceiling of the carriage for me.

“Jack is the reason we got you out of that farm,” Celeste explained. “You may not believe in him, but Jack doesn’t worry about that sort of thing. He’s a very humble and noble god, and he does things simply because they should be done. Not just to collect new followers or show off.”

I agreed with the harpy, but I had to admit that the extra followers wouldn’t hurt, and I did enjoy watching the priestesses blow everyone’s minds while I assisted them in the fight.

I decided to have a look at my new devotional map on the interface, although I had a feeling that the elves wouldn’t be on it yet. Whenever I gained a new follower, they would appear marked as a red dot on the map, and those on their way to believing would be yellow or orange, depending on how close they were to completely accepting me as their god.

It didn’t surprise me to see that no one other than the priestesses and gnomes appeared on the map, and their devotional dots blazed a brilliant red where each of them sat.

I hoped several more dots would be joining in soon, and I couldn’t help but feel the elves would be a good race to have as followers. But for now, I decided to check in with the gnomes while the priestesses sang my praises.

“How are you both doing?” I asked as the gnomes began to drive the carriage down the hill.

“Never better,” Wilfrim grunted. “I take it nobody’s hurt?”

“No,” I said. “Everyone did really well, including the two of you. Thank you so much for being the expert drivers we needed to pull this whole thing off.”

“Glad we could help!” Elowise smiled. “I have to admit, I did enjoy watching those sprites get what they deserved.”

“The priestesses were amazing,” I agreed. “But there’s plenty more sprites left in those clouds. We need to be prepared for their next move.”

“What do you think that will be?” Wilfrim asked.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But I have a suspicion they’ll go somewhere bigger than the farm. If this whole thing has really just been about intimidation, then they’re going to set their sights on somewhere more populated.”

“I just don’t understand it,” Elowise muttered. “Squall Sprites have never been anything more than a small nuisance.”

I felt slightly frustrated that I didn’t have any more pieces of the puzzle, or any indication of the sprites’ motives. During the fight their only goal seemed to be to cause as much harm as possible. They didn’t try to steal anything, and they didn’t even seem to care about the elves particularly. Maybe the family had just had shitty luck, and their farm was simply targeted because of its location.

As I looked out at the land ahead, I recognized that we were close to Elias’ farm.

“Another shortcut?” I asked, and Elowise smiled.

“I’ve got a map the size of a muckbeast in my head,” she laughed. “I might be old, but I remember every path I’ve ever walked down.”

“So, what’s next?” Wilfrim asked.

“Let’s just get the elves to safety,” I replied. “There’s going to be a big discussion of next steps coming up.”

The gnomes nodded, and the horses trotted along the dirt path as we neared more green fields filled with various livestock.

Back inside the carriage, Penelope was still carrying on and on about me as if no time at all had passed.

“He really tells you what to do?” Elm asked as he scratched his chin. “He actually talks to you?”

“Oh, yes.” The naiad nodded. “Every step of the way he was with us. He speaks to his true believers and always guides us to do the right thing.”

“Is he here now?” Olive asked quietly, and Penelope nodded again.

“Of course.” The cerulean beauty smiled. “He’s keeping his word and making sure you get safely to your uncle’s house.”

“Just like he promised,” the little elf whispered and smiled up at the ceiling as if I was some invisible fly.

The carriage rolled along as light rain fell on the roof, and it wasn’t long until we had reached the familiar stretch of Elias’ land. The horses were lazing in the pasture, and they looked over curiously at the familiar faces of Smokey and Ember.

The smallest ponies trotted over to greet us, and Elias was already outside as we pulled up to his house. He was sitting in a rocking chair with a cup of tea in hand and almost dropped the cup when he looked up to see the carriage. Then the elf raced over with a look of disbelief, and he laughed and threw his arms up with relief.

“Uncle Elias!” the kids all called out in unison, and they jumped out of the doors the second the carriage pulled to a halt.

As the family piled out to reunite with Elias, there were screams of happiness from the children.

I would have punched the air if I had hands, but I settled for joining the women as they helped get Milly out of the carriage.

“You’re here!” Elias gasped as he tried to hug all the children at once. “I can’t believe you made it, I was so worried.”

“We owe it all to them,” Elm said as he gestured to the priestesses and the gnomes. “We would still be cowering under that storm if it wasn’t for these folks.”

“And Jack!” Olive piped up as she showed Elias her bunny.

“Jack?” Elias asked.

“Their god,” Arzur said. “Apparently, he’s been helping them out. Telling them what to do in battle and providing supplies.”

“Oh?” Elias asked. “Um, alright, then.”

The elf looked baffled by this news, and he looked up at the sky as he clutched onto his nephews’ hands.

“We’re so glad we could help,” Aleia said. “But we do need to prepare for whatever comes next.”

“What exactly is next?” Elias asked. “What was causing the storm?”

“Squall Sprites,” Wilfrim said grimly. “Horrible, violent little things.”

“The priestesses killed them!” Olive said excitedly.

“Squall Sprites?” Elias asked. “What could they possibly want with the farm?”

“It’s not just the farm,” Nicola explained. “Their storm is over Evelhelm and the forest now, too.”

“So what do we do?” Elm asked. “Even with all of your skills, four of you aren’t enough if the whole army of them comes down to attack.”

“Jack will tell us,” Penelope said with total confidence. “He’s guided us through all of this, and he will again.”

I knew she was desperate to ask them for their faith in me, but she stopped herself and rubbed her belly with a smile.

Meanwhile, a plan had started to form in my mind, and I knew we would need to move quickly if we were going to be one step ahead of the sprites. Evelhelm would surely be the next target for the orange fuckers. That was where the majority of the nearby people were, and the storm was already over the town.

I decided to check my interface properly and scope out the next task, but right before I had the chance, a bright flash of a message appeared before me. I studied the text and felt slightly smug as I read the words I had been expecting.

Level up!

Elf family safety achieved!

Next Town Quest: Defend Evelhelm against the Squall Sprites.

Reward Upon Completion: Visit convent in physical form for 10 hours and gain ability to visit followers to provide assistance for fifteen minutes.

It looked like I had been right, it was time to save a whole town.

Chapter 14

“We need to defend Evelhelm,” I announced, and the women and gnomes fell silent.

“That makes sense.” Celeste nodded.

“What does?” Arzur asked. “Did Jack say something?”

The old elf didn’t seem as skeptical as he had before, and he leaned in close to Celeste as if he was trying to hear my voice, too.

“Evelhelm is going to be under attack by the sprites soon,” I continued. “We can protect the town if we can get everyone to work together.”

Celeste relayed my message to the elves, and Arzur’s eyes widened with alarm.

“We need to prepare the locals,” Nicola announced. “Let’s hope there’s a few of them with some kind of combat knowledge.”

“We’ll need to get going, then,” Elowise said. “We can’t stand around here and wait for the sprites to get ahead of us.”

“I’ll go with you,” Elm offered. “You’ve done so much for my family, I want to see if I can do anything to help.”

“That’s good of you,” Wilfrim said. “I reckon we’ll take any pair of hands we can get.”

“The older elves should stay here,” I said. “Make sure they get inside safely. The kids, too.”

“Jack would like the children to stay here,” Penelope announced. “Perhaps Milly and Arzur, too?”

“I won’t object,” the old woman said gruffly.

“That’s a first,” I said, and my women snorted.

“You know where everything is, dad,” Elias said. “Use all the food and bedding you need, just focus on getting some rest.”

“I want to go,” Olive wailed. “I want to help with the fighting.”

“But we need you here!” Aleia reasoned. “You need to protect the farm. Do you think you can do that for us?”

The little elf puffed out her chest and nodded furiously as she looked up at the fairy.

“Wonderful.” Aleia smiled. “I knew I could count on you. You make sure those grandparents of yours get some rest, okay?”

My phantom heart melted as I watched the strawberry-blonde give the kid a sense of importance and reassurance so easily. She was going to make an amazing mother, and I allowed myself a couple moments of sappiness before I snapped back to the task at hand.

“Right,” I said firmly. “Let’s wrap up these goodbyes and get moving. We’ve got a town to save,”

“Time to move,” Celeste agreed. “Arzur, Milly, make sure you stay inside the house. Keep the children in, too, and wait for our return before you do anything else.”

“Understood.” Arzur nodded. “Come on, dear, let’s get on our way.”

The old elf ushered the three children into the farmhouse and gave his wife an arm to lean on as they shuffled off.

“They’ll be fine here,” Penelope assured Elias and Elm. “If we do everything Jack asks of us, then we will be back here before you know it.”

Everyone clambered back into the carriage, and it was a much more comfortable fit now that there were a few less members of the group. The two elf brothers were pale as they looked out at the farmhouse, and Elias patted Elm’s shoulder as the horses began to move.

“I don’t think my hair will ever be dry,” Penelope sighed as she patted her soaked braid. “I do like a bit of rain, but I would be happy to never see a cloud again.”

The women began to discuss the sprites as Elowise and Wilfrim drove, and my mind wandered to our new task and reward on offer.

My next extended visit with my priestesses was coming soon, but this new quest offered even more than a lengthy evening of their delicious company. The added ability of having fifteen minutes to help my followers would be amazing, but it could also mean a lot of different things. Did it mean that I would only have one fifteen minute slot after the task was complete? Or would I be able to use multiple bursts of fifteen minutes whenever I needed them? I really wished the interface came with an instruction manual. Or at least slightly clearer instructions.

Usually, I was given some information about when a power could regenerate, like at midnight, but I was kind of intrigued by the switch up here.

Maybe every time I completed a quest, it would build more and more time for visitation at will. Maybe I’d be able to pop down to the surface whenever I pleased for those incremental visits, and I could fight beside my followers for once.

Or help build necessities for the convent.

The tricky thing would be using that precious time for useful tasks, rather than spending every second tangled up with my gorgeous women.

“Jack,” Aleia said and snapped my attention back to the carriage. “What should we do when we get to Evelhelm?”

The two male elves watched curiously as the fairy spoke, and they glanced around the carriage like they expected a booming voice to echo out from the sky.

“We need to let everyone know what’s happening,” I answered. “Making sure the locals understand exactly what kind of danger we’re dealing with will make people feel prepared.”

“Get the townspeople the news.” Nicola nodded. “Got it.”

“Then we need to locate weaponry for everyone,” I continued. “Obviously, there’s the armory, but I would expect some of the locals will have something of their own.”

“Will the shopkeepers be willing to lend out their weapons?” Aleia asked. “They weren’t exactly the friendliest pair.”

“They’ll have to,” I said. “The other choice is letting Evelhelm fall to the sprites.”

The women caught the elves up with the details of our conversation, and the carriage soared over the dirt road toward the town. Elowise and Wilfrim focused on the road as they went, and I eyed the sky for signs of movement.

“Jack,” Elowise said. “Since Evelhelm is already covered by the storm, do you think we’ll make it in time?”

“I do,” I assured her. “The sprites will be reeling from that fight, and I think they’ll need a while before they feel strong enough to get back out. Celeste scared the living hell out of them.”

“Too right!” Wilfrim cheered. “I just hope the townspeople are open to cooperating.”

“They’ve seemed pleasant,” I said. “From what I’ve seen of them, anyway. I think they’ll be looking for leadership in a time like this, at the very least. It’s not as if they have anyone to really turn to for guidance.”

I couldn’t help making the dig at Tobias. I had started off taking lighthearted jabs at the god, but since the fight, I had really started to loathe him.

If I hadn’t helped the women during the fight, one of them could have gotten seriously injured. Of course, they were all tough as hell on their own, but there was no way to fight off that many enemies without a bit of holy help.

Now we had a whole town to save, and not one single peep from the god they had prayed to during their darkest moments. I might have still been a newbie to the whole godly experience, but I was confident that I was ten times the leader that lazy bastard would ever be.

If he was even real, and I was even starting to doubt that.

“I wish I could thank him,” Elm said back in the carriage. “It’s very confusing to think about gods responding and all that, but my children are safe because of him.”

“Elm,” Elias muttered. “We don’t even really know if he’s real.”

“He’s more real than Tobias,” Nicola said bluntly. “If you’re going to put your faith in a god, it should definitely be Jack, trust me.”

“Tell Elm I can hear him,” I said. “And that I’m just grateful to be able to help.”

“Jack says that you’re welcome,” Aleia told the elves. “He is happy to help your family.”

Elm smiled at the fairy and drummed his fingers on the wooden door as wind howled like a wolf from the trees.

As we approached Evelhelm, the priestesses all sat up straight and gripped their weapons.

“Here,” Penelope said as she offered out a crossbow. “I’m going to stick with my sword, but you should have something to arm yourself with.”

“I’m not sure I’ll be much use with this,” Elm said hesitantly. “I’m just a farmer.”

“We’re all learning together,” Celeste said gently. “You’re on our team now, and we’ll take care of you.”

“Thanks.” The elf smiled. “It seems like a pretty great team to be part of.”

The carriage rolled through the gates of Evelhelm, and I wasn’t surprised to see the streets were empty.

Orange and gray masses angrily swirled in the sky above, and I had no doubt that the next sprite attack would be ten times bigger than the last.

“Our mission is to make sure the town is prepared,” I told my followers. “Spread as much information and as many tips as possible.”

“We might have to knock on a few doors,” Nicola said. “It doesn’t look like many people are out for a stroll today.”

“I don’t blame them,” Elias shivered.  “It’s hardly a nice atmosphere for a bit of market shopping.”

“Where shall we stop?” Elowise called, and I joined the gnomes as they slowed the horses down.

“This is fine,” I told them. “It’s where the market usually is, so it’s nice and central.”

“How will we get everyone outside?” Aleia asked. “It’s pouring with rain, and the sky is basically on fire. Nobody will want to leave their houses.”

“I wouldn’t call that fire,” Celeste snorted as she toyed with one of her feathers.

I looked around for some form of shelter, but there wasn’t much except a lone abandoned stall. The blue fabric was sodden, and the wood had turned so dark that it was almost black. Whoever left it there was clearly in a rush, and it didn’t give me much confidence that the locals would be willing to come out for a group chat.

“Maybe we go door to door to start with,” I said. “If you all split up, you can spread the news faster.”

“What exactly are we meant to say?” Nicola asked.

“Tell them everything you know,” I replied. “Assure them that we’re going to do everything we can to help.”

“Ooo, we can tell them of your greatness!” Penelope said excitedly. “Now we have Elm and Elias as witness to the fight, we can spread the word that you are the only god worthy of a following, and that your holy guidance will--”

“Penelope,” I said gently. “I love you, and how much you want to spread the word, but we just need to focus on the fight right now.”

“We might not need to go door to door,” Aleia said. “Look.”

I followed her gaze to see a small, huddled crowd of elves rush toward the carriage. They had something that looked like an umbrella, but once again, it was different enough to remind me of the difference between worlds. Two of the elves held poles on either side of the group, and the large rectangle of black cloth kept everyone underneath dry. The fabric seemed to repel the water completely, and each drop of rain simply bounced off the cloth.

I remembered Olive saying that her rabbit would stay dry because of magic, and assumed the material was the same.

“What is that stuff?” I asked. “Why don’t the market sellers make their stalls out of it?”

“That is dry silk,” Elowise said. “It’s rather expensive, especially in large enough quantities to make that shelter.”

“Silk,” I said curiously. “It looks a hell of a lot tougher than silk?”

“It’s been woven by fairies,” Elowise explained, and everyone turned to look at Aleia.

“I must have missed that sewing lesson.” Aleia shrugged. “I believe it takes a very long time to weave, and I’m not sure I would have the patience.”

“You certainly didn’t mind focusing so hard on carving the carriage,” Celeste laughed.

“But I enjoyed that!” the fairy said. “It’s different.”

“Well, if you ever feel like learning,” Wilfrim sighed. “We could use some out here in the driver’s seat.”

The gnome shook his head, and rain flew everywhere as Elowise tutted.

The group of elves reached the carriage, and I could see there were two middle-aged elf men along with two older women. They all had brown robes over their clothing, and the hoods were pulled in tightly to protect their faces from the rain. There was enough room under their shelter for a couple more, and Penelope opened the door to greet them.

Then the naiad slid out under the shelter, and Nicola jumped down to join her.

“Who are you?” one of the male elves asked. “We saw your carriage roll in from our windows, and we knew we had to warn you about the storm. Although, I am rather baffled that you didn’t notice it yourself.”

“It’s cursed!” one of the women cried. “Or haunted! Or something, but you must leave at once. There is no trade or business in Evelhelm for you just now until the storm passes by.”

“I don’t think it’s going to do that,” Nicola sighed.

Before she could continue, another group of elves hurried over to see what was going on. They didn’t have a shelter like the first group did and instead made do with their cloaks fighting off the worst of the weather.

“What’s going on?” a young woman asked gruffly. “What is this?”

It only took a few moments for the voices of the group to carry, and it seemed none of the neighbors wanted to miss out on any action. The priestess and gnomes all gathered at the front of the carriage, and the elf brothers joined them as the rain eased up slightly.

Soon, the town square was full of curious faces, and they all peered at my women with clear confusion and interest.

Celeste flew up on top of the carriage, and she looked out at the sea of townspeople.

“I guess it’s speech time,” I told my harpy. “Keep it to the point and try to get across how urgent this is.”

“Got it.” Celeste nodded as she tucked her fiery-red hair behind her ear. “Hello, people of Evelhelm!”

The crowd went quiet, and all eyes were on the beautiful harpy as she glanced down at the other priestesses.

“I know you’re all worried about the storm,” she continued. “And we’re here to tell you what’s going on. We’ve been up close with it and have just finished a battle with the creatures that made it.”

“Fire fish!” an old elf cried out with a wild sort of flare, and Celeste wrinkled her eyebrows.

“Um… no,” she said. “No, it’s Squall Sprites.”

An eruption of noise broke out, and the elves cowered as they stared up at the ominous orange and black sky above.

“Which means,” the harpy continued, “that this storm is magical and caused by the sprites as a means of attack.”

“Why are they attacking?” a young elf woman shouted. “What do they want? Why us?”

The elf then started to cry hysterically, and Celeste’s amber eyes widened as she looked down at the local. The harpy looked a bit lost for words as the crowd started to panic, and Penelope cleared her throat as she smiled up at her friend.

“Please,” the naiad said loudly. “If we panic, then that gives the sprites what they want. The less prepared you all are, the easier it will be for them to fight.”

“They’re going to fight us?” a voice from the crowd asked, and I suddenly spotted that it was the woman from the armory.

“Yes,” Nicola said. “It looks that way, so are you willing to calm down and defend your town, or not?”

The crowd suddenly fell silent, and the townspeople looked at each other with wide eyes as if they were desperate for someone to make the decision for them.

“Tell them they don’t have a choice,” I said. “It’s either defend their town, or lose it.”

“That seems harsh,” Aleia muttered.

“It is,” I agreed. “It’s harsh but necessary. I will not lie to them.”

“You only have one option,” Nicola announced. “You either defend your town, or you won’t have a town for much longer.”

“We will fight,” the armory shopkeeper suddenly announced. “I’m not letting a bunch of sprites take away my family’s livelihood.”

“Me, too,” a young elf agreed. “This is our home, and we won’t let it go.”

“Our whole lives are in this town,” another local agreed. “What do we do?”

Even more locals had joined in the crowd and were asking what was going on as they peered in at the priestesses, and I just hoped everything would remain somewhat in hand long enough for my followers to organize everyone.

“Okay,” I said as the sea of faces grew. “It’s time to make your way through the crowd and find out just how many able-bodied fighters we have here. Make sure everyone understands the dangers of the sprites, and make sure to mention the lightning bolts those fuckers can throw.”

I looked up at the sky and was relieved to see the swirling whirlpool part of the storm hadn’t drifted over the town yet. It looked like we still had time to get the people ready for battle, and we would hopefully have a night’s rest before action needed to be taken.

The priestesses and gnomes broke off individually and began to make their way through the crowds. Elm and Elias hovered by the carriage at first, but it wasn’t long until locals pounced on them to quiz them on what had been happening.

“Have you heard of the ancient and most holy god, Jack?” Penelope asked in a hushed voice, and the moment she spoke, I followed the sound to find her with a group of elves huddled close together.

“Jack?” a young woman with purple hair asked. “I’ve never heard of him. We pray to Tobias.”

“I see…” Penelope sported a polite smile, and I knew what was coming next. “And what has he done for you? During our fight with the sprites, Jack guided us and helped us. We couldn’t have survived without him, and he is the reason we’re here now. He knew your town needed help. He sent us to save you. To save all of you.”

“Penelope,” I sighed.

The naiad blushed a bit and cocked her head ever so slightly to the side as if to innocently ask me what I wanted.

“This isn’t the time, remember?” I murmured.

Penelope pursed her lips, but then she cleared her throat and promptly changed the subject so she could tell the locals about the sprites instead of my glory.

As my followers spread the word, I started to see the confidence of the locals grow. Not many of them seemed to be up for calling themselves fighters, but they were desperate to know how to defend their town.

I joined Nicola as she spoke to a group of younger elves, and they couldn’t have been much more than teenagers.

“We just work in the tavern,” a green-haired boy said. “We don’t know how to fight.”

“Does anyone know how to?” Nicola asked. “Is anyone in Evelhelm trained?”

“Maybe a few folks,” the boy replied. “There are some that used to train as soldiers when they were a bit younger, but most of us are just regular townsfolk. Evelhelm is a seller’s town these days. We all work in trades or sell goods.”

“We can’t do anything!” An elven girl suddenly cried as she pulled at her lilac pigtails. “We’ve never been in a fight in our lives. This is hopeless!”

“Woah,” Nicola said as she put a firm hand on the girl’s shoulder. “It’s not hopeless, not when there are people who care so much about their town. I didn’t just wake up and know how to fight, it took time and patience.”

“Do you think we can do it?” the girl asked. “Evelhelm won’t be destroyed?”

“Trust me.” Nicola nodded. “You’re going to save this place. I believe in you.”

I jumped between the priestesses and gnomes after that, and the conversations were all similar. The locals were keen to protect their town but worried that they didn’t have the abilities to do it. I was proud of how my followers talked the locals up, and I could see the confidence increasing among the elves every moment.

When I checked back in with Penelope, I had to laugh as I heard her once again whispering about the greatest of all gods, Jack. It was pretty cute that Penelope thought she could spread the word in secret, even when she knew I was with her all the time, and it was honestly ridiculous how devoted she was to me.

But I was secretly curious to see how the elves reacted.

Most of them just shook their heads, but then their jaws dropped when the naiad told them exactly how involved in fights I was.

“Are you behaving?” I teased as Penelope left another trio of elves with wide eyes.

“Hello, master,” she said coyly. “I promise I am spreading the information about the sprites. I’m just adding some important details. You said to make sure they knew the important details, so…”

“Is that right?” I laughed. “It seems more like you’re trying to win over a whole town for me.”

“But would you really mind if I did?” The naiad grinned, and she hurried off to her next group of elves.

I chuckled with pride as I watched her go, but then my gaze drifted to the temple in the background of the crowd. I almost wanted to ask one of the women to go and try to break in and explore it. The worried faces of the elves had only added to my frustration at their god, and my phantom blood boiled as I glanced at the impressive, white structure dedicated to Tobias.

He had a whole fucking temple. Surely, he must have at least earned such a gesture in some way.

“My lord,” Elowise said. “Are you there?”

“Of course,” I said as I snapped my focus back to the gnome. “Is everything okay?”

“Oh, yes.” She nodded. “It’s just going to be getting late soon, and I don’t want everyone to stand out here and catch a cold before they have time to fight.”

“Very sensible,” I said gently. “What do you think? Are they up for the challenge?”

“I think so,” the gnome hummed. “They’re no gnomes, mind you, but with your help… I’m sure everyone can learn how to fight if it’s for something they care about enough.”

“I agree,” I chuckled. “I do want them to get some rest before they have to fight. By the looks of it, we still have time.”

“Yes,” Elowise agreed as she looked up at the sky. “I had expected the sprites to attack much faster, but I suppose they need to rest, too. Oh, what’s going on there?”

“Look!” a young elf called as he pointed up to the sky. “The storm is leaving!”

I looked up to the swirling mass of clouds, and I was surprised to see that it had started to drift slowly away from the center of the town.

“We’re saved,” a pink-haired elf shouted.

“Jack,” Nicola said as she stared at the sky. “What do you think?”

I took a moment to watch the slow movement of the clouds, but my quest log indicated that the town was still in danger. Maybe it was a tactic to give us a false sense of security?

“I don’t think they’re going for good,” I said. “I don’t buy that for a second. All that intimidation just to run away before the fight? No way.”

The locals stared transfixed at the storm as it drifted further and further from the town square, and it began to move over the gray walls. There were hurried whispers and excited cheers as the orange clouds retreated back over the forest, and I didn’t want the townsfolk to think that the battle was over.

“Tell them that we’re coming back tomorrow,” I said firmly. “I don’t know what the hell this is about, but those sprites will return. I know it.”

“You’re sure?” Celeste asked.

“There is going to be a war,” I said. “There’s no doubt about that, and we’ll be here to help them.”

The harpy nodded and cleared her throat before she called out to the crowd.

“The sprites have not left for good,” she announced. “Jack wants you to prepare for battle like we planned. We will return tomorrow morning to help you, you’re not in this alone. Jack still stands with you.”

“But the clouds moved,” a scrawny elf shouted. “How can he be sure that they’re going to come back?”

“Because he is a good god,” Celeste said. “Trust Jack, and he will guide you to victory in battle!”

There were more murmurs and sighs amongst the crowd, and I was pleased to see there didn’t seem to be any objections to my plan.

“We’ll start to head back soon,” I decided. “We can drop Elm and Elias off first and then get back to the convent. The storm moving will give us some time.”

“I hope the others are doing alright,” Elowise worried. “It’s a bit nerve-wracking leaving them at the convent alone.”

“They’re well protected,” I assured her. “And don’t forget how terrifying your family is with a catapult.”

“How could I?” Elowise laughed.

The elderly gnome waved at her husband, and the two began to make their way back onto the carriage. I wanted to make sure the gnomes got enough rest, too. They would never admit it, but they needed their sleep just as much as the elves would. I had such a soft spot for Elowise and Wilfrim, and they had already driven a carriage in a violent storm without a word of complaint. They must have been freezing from the rain, too, and I made a mental note to try and invest in some of that fairy silk to make a shelter when they drove.

The townsfolk had started to drift back to their houses. They were chatting in whispers as if they didn’t want the storm to hear them in case it returned, and there was a mix of excitement and fear in their voices.

“I think we should head back,” I said as the priestesses gathered together. “We all need our rest, and so do the people of Evelhelm if they’re going to be of any use in battle.”

“I hope they’re ready for this,” Aleia said nervously. “Some of them seemed really enthusiastic, but the sprites are not an easy fight. Especially for a group that doesn’t have much experience at all.”

“And no wings,” Celeste muttered.

“Did anyone find fighters?” I asked.

“There were a couple that worked as soldiers,” Nicola said. “They were still pretty fit-looking, but mostly just regular people who work in shops and taverns.”

There were still several people lingering as the women made their way back to the carriage, and the elf brothers quickly climbed inside. Penelope turned back to face the dwindling crowd as the rest of the priestesses got seated, and I had a feeling the naiad had something left to say.

“Get some rest,” she said kindly. “This is a big task ahead of you, and you need to be strong. Both in your body and your mind. Don’t be fooled by the moving storm, they want to take you by surprise, and we won’t let that happen.”

“I’m scared,” a young boy said over the wind. “I know I have to be brave and defend my town, but I’m really worried I won’t be tough enough.”

“You are tough enough,” Penelope assured him. “I didn’t think I was tough not so long ago, but now I have done things I never dreamed I would be brave enough to do.”

“But how?” the young elf asked. “How do I find that? I don’t want to disappoint myself when the fight comes.”

The naiad hesitated for a moment and glanced up at the stormy sky before she answered, and my phantom grin twitched.

“Pray,” she said with a sage nod. “There is a god who will protect you. All of you.”

“Tobias?” the elf asked. “I pray to him every night, just like my family have always done. He can’t really do anything, though, he’s just there to comfort us.”

There was a gasp amongst the other remaining elves, and I couldn’t help feeling sad for the poor young guy. He looked so lost and had clearly wasted time on an absent god.

“No, no, gods aren’t meant to just be for comfort,” Penelope explained. “They’re meant to protect you. We worship them, and they repay the favor by looking after us. No matter what happens.”

“That’s not true,” the boy argued. “We do worship them, but they’re too busy being gods and making the world work. They don’t help little, unimportant people like me.”

“That’s enough of that talk,” Penelope said firmly, and she looked genuinely upset that this elf thought so little of himself. Then she raised her voice good and loud so everyone who was left in the square could hear. “You can pray to Tobias if you like, but I am coming to believe that no good will come of it. Because Jack is who you should be praying to. Jack is the god who has helped us all this time. He is with us always and guides us when we’re lost. He is the holiest of lords, the most endearing, the most brave and handsome and glorious. Jack is the very best god you could ever hope for, and when the Squall Sprites attack, it is him who will help you all.”

Her voice rang out around the square, and the town was silent except for the rain. Then Penelope smiled at the elf boy, and he gave her a half-grin back. He didn’t say anything else, but I saw him glance at the temple as he turned to go back home.

The rest of the townsfolk quickly hurried off, and Penelope took a deep breath as she stood in the rainy square and proudly patted her cute little belly.

“Come on,” Nicola said from inside the carriage. “That was a beautiful speech, but we need to get back to the convent.”

Penelope nodded and climbed in to sit at the end of the front-facing bench.

“Sorry, Jack,” she said without much remorse. “I know you told me not to, but you inspire me so much. I just knew you would inspire the people of Evelhelm, too.”

“You did great,” I chuckled lightly, and the naiad smiled as the horses led the carriage out of the town.

The priestesses were quiet as we left the town behind, but the wind howled non-stop as they headed back to the convent, and I kept my gaze on the distant darkening, swirling clouds the entire way.

Chapter 15

As the carriage rolled back toward Elias’ house, I felt unsure about leaving the townsfolk. The people of Evelhelm had shown a determination that I admired, and they clearly wanted to defend their town with everything they had. The only problem was that their physical skills might not match up with their mental strength.

Judging by the storm, I knew it would be at least another day until the Squall Sprites actually reached the town, but I still felt uneasy leaving the locals behind. We had already seen from the elven family that farmers weren’t exactly used to blood-soaked battle scenes. I didn’t blame them, but I did wonder if they would learn to fight as quickly as the priestesses had. My women had been sculpted into killing machines with my guidance, but they already had strength and skills to begin with. Could we build an entire, sprite-fighting army from scratch? Were there even enough willing participants to take on an army of the little orange fuckers?

I knew there were plenty of kids and old folks in the town, and I was worried that they would be forced to join the fight if there weren’t enough numbers. The young elf that worked in the clothing shop was one of the many kids who could be forced out into battle, and I hated the idea of her going up against the Squall Sprites.

Of course, we would have a better chance against them if we could just work out what the hell they wanted. I had almost just accepted that it was pure, bad luck that had brought them to Evelhelm. Sprites already created bad weather in small groups, so maybe they had all collided by sheer coincidence, and that had caused the mega storm. It was certainly possible, but I just couldn’t get rid of the feeling that they wanted something from the town.

Or that they wanted to send some kind of message, but whatever that message was, it was as clear as fucking mud.

It seemed that everyone in the carriage was lost in their thoughts as the priestesses and elves stared out of the windows in silence. Penelope rubbed her belly, and Aleia twirled her hair around her finger as she leaned her head against the naiad’s shoulder. The fairy looked absolutely spent, and I knew she must have used a lot of her super strength during battle. Penelope must have been exhausted, too, since she had been running back and forth like a track star. I knew that pregnancy seemed to have given her a new upgrade in energy, but it must have been difficult fighting while carrying a kid.

Nicola and Celeste leaned against each other and stared out in opposite directions, and the elf brothers looked half-asleep.

I checked in with the gnomes and found Wilfrim softly whistling as the horses trotted along.

“How is everyone doing?” I asked gently.

“I think I’m ready for bed, dear,” Elowise said. “It’s been an exciting day.”

“You could say that,” I laughed. “I really can’t thank the two of you enough. Not just for today, but for everything.”

“Don’t mention it,” Wilfrim said gruffly, but he puffed his chest out a bit as he clutched the leather reins.

“I will mention it,” I insisted. “You both keep showing bravery and dedication to the convent, and we wouldn’t be half as strong without you.”

“You’re too kind.” Elowise smiled. “We wouldn’t be as happy or protected without you, Jack. I’m glad we can help repay the favor even slightly.”

“Makes you wonder,” Wilfrim grunted. “All those people in Evelhelm, they would be so much better with you as their God. I can’t imagine they’ll keep Tobias as their leader after the sprites come down.”

“We’ll see,” I said. “Honestly, I just want them to be safe. Even if they stick with Tobias, I’ll be happy if they’re in any way protected or better prepared.”

“That’s what makes you different,” Elowise said. “You help people whether you get followers out of it or not. That’s not what we’re taught about gods.”

I looked off into the trees as something rustled nearby, and I used my God Vision to scan the woodlands. There were a fair few deer wandering around, and I wasn’t even shocked to see that some of them were pink. It was a little herd with a large stag and a few does with fawns, and the stag was the normal brown color I was used to. The little ones were a mix of brown and fuchsia, and I wondered why the hell that would be. It was like the deer I knew from my old life had bred with something else, and I briefly thought back to that world I had come from.

I never spent much time thinking about that life anymore, since the one I had now was superior in so many ways.  Maybe the technology wasn’t as advanced, and there weren’t shops on every corner selling exactly what we needed, but this world was full of magic. It was so much more satisfying to work for what we needed and solve problems together. I had almost forgotten what that felt like in my old life on Earth, where everything was easily gotten whenever I needed it.

I’d certainly never had four devoted priestesses worship me in my past life, either, and I wouldn’t trade those incredible women for any world.

Even my old one.

“We should drop the elves off before we head back,” I said, and the gnomes nodded.

“We’re already on our way,” Elowise assured me. “Poor things must be exhausted. We know how tiring it is to have to abandon your home! At least they got everyone out safely, that’s all that matters really.”

“We’ll check on them again soon,” I decided. “I really do care about them, even that old angry one.”

“She was quite a handful,” Wilfrim snorted. “The priestesses dealt with her well, though.”

“They really did,” I chuckled. “They’ll all be glad to get a good rest tonight, and you all must be hungry.”

“I could eat.” Wilfrim nodded.

“You could always eat!” Elowise laughed. “We’ll make up something hearty when we get back to the convent. Plenty of muckbeast left, and we can cook up a nice stew.”

“That muckbeast meat is perfect,” Wilfrim sighed. “Nicola’s got some good hunting skills on her.”

“She does,” I agreed. “Watching her take down two of those creatures was impressive to say the least.”

The notion made me wonder how much my women had been advancing lately. They had been getting by so well lately, and Nicola’s hunting and Aleia’s carvings were incredible. I had a feeling this all might have impacted their scores, and I decided to check on the priestesses’ stats and pulled them up on my interface.

I looked at Nicola first.

Strength: 6

Endurance: 4

Intelligence: 3

Perception: 3

Agility: 3

Hunting/Animal Husbandry: Develops into Animal Communication: Level 12

I was impressed to see her strength and intelligence had gone up along with her special animal skills. She had certainly earned it, and I was pleased with her quick progress.

Next I checked out Aleia’s stats.

Strength: 10

Endurance: 5

Intelligence: 3

Perception: 5

Agility: 5

Special Ability: Crafting: Develops into Alchemy: Level 12

It seemed that her endurance and perception had both gone up, and her crafting ability was now at level 12. I wondered if any of the improvements could have to do with a possible pregnancy, but either way, I was proud of her improvements.

I had a feeling that Penelope would have some differences, too. Her garden and pregnancy were both thriving, and I hoped it reflected in her stats.

Strength: 4

Endurance: 6

Intelligence: 4

Perception: 3

Agility: 2

Special Ability: Water Seeking/Fishing: Develops into Water Magic: Level 12

I was satisfied to see that her strength and endurance had both gone up. Maybe her agility would improve as her pregnancy progressed. After all, carrying around a heavy belly during battle must earn her some points.

Celeste was last, and I was intrigued to see how the harpy was getting on.

Strength: 4

Endurance: 3

Intelligence: 4

Perception: 3

Agility: 4

Special ability: Flame combat: Develops into flame embodiment: Level 5

Her strength and perception had risen, and I suspected living in the convent had really helped her become emotionally stronger. I was happy with her numbers, especially since she was still a new addition to the convent, and all in all, I was satisfied with all of my priestesses’ current stats.

I felt a deep sense of pride for my gorgeous, warrior women.

The rain had finally stopped, and something that sounded like an owl hooted loudly from the darkening woods. I was impressed with how well the carriage had held up during the fight. I had expected it to have a few malfunctions seeing as it was built from scratch with little guidance, but it rolled along without a single dent.

Back inside, Aleia’s eyes had closed while she still had her head on Penelope’s shoulder. The naiad stroked the fairy’s hair, and my phantom heart melted as I watched them.

“Hey,” I said softly to the group inside the carriage. “We’re going to drop off Elm and Elias before we head back to the convent. Can you let them know?”

“We’re taking you home,” Nicola said. “Well, to Elias’ home.”

“That’s very kind.” Elm nodded. “I really don’t know how to thank you all.”

“Just keep Jack in your thoughts.” Penelope smiled. “He’s the reason any of this happened.”

“I will,” the elf said with a thoughtful look on his face. “I actually wish I could talk to him, to be honest. He sounds like a great God.”

“You will be able to soon enough,” Penelope assured him. “All it takes is true belief to communicate with Jack. I have a feeling you’re well on your way.”

“I guess I am,” the elf sighed. “I think part of me still feels a bit guilty for moving on from Tobias, but I don’t know why. It’s not like he’s done anything to help me before.”

Elm seemed angry for the first time, and he scowled as he looked up at the sky from the carriage window. It was as if he was glaring up at the god who had abandoned his family in their time of need, and I promised myself right then that I would never abandon the elves if they ever put their faith in me.

I’d be the god they’d needed all this time.

“So what do we do now?” Elias asked. “Do you think the storm is ever going to leave for good?”

“It will.” Celeste nodded. “I think it’s going to be a bloody battle to get rid of the sprites, but I think you’ll get the farm back soon enough.”

The light began to fade as the sun left the sky, and the wind had calmed down to a gentle whisper rather than a howl. Aleia snored gently as the carriage rolled along, and we soon arrived back at Elias’ farmhouse.

The horses and ponies had all laid down for the night, and only a couple of them raised their heads to look as we rolled up to the front door.

“Hopefully everyone’s asleep,” Elm yawned. “I’m ready to go to bed. The story can wait until morning.”

Aleia woke with a start as the carriage came to a halt, and she rubbed her eyes as she stretched.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” I chuckled.

“Are we home?” she asked as she blinked heavily.

“Not yet,” I said. “We’re dropping the elves off first, but we’ll be back soon.”

Elm and Elias opened the door and jumped down onto the wet grass.

“We really must thank you,” Elias said as he turned to the women and gnomes. “Please, take some hay bales for your horses.”

“You really don’t need to give us anything,” Aleia said sweetly.

“I insist,” the elf replied. “You’ve done so much for us. My family might not be here with me if it wasn’t for you. In fact, they almost certainly wouldn’t be.”

Elias strode around the side of his house and under a tin roof shelter that shielded and kept a pile of hay bales dry. He grabbed four piles by their strings and carted them back to the carriage.

“Here,” he grunted. “Take them before the rain starts again.”

Aleia reached out and took the hay from Elias, and she carefully placed it on the space where the elves once sat.

“Thank them for me,” I said. “That’s great for the horses.”

“Jack says thank you,” Nicola murmured. “The horses will really appreciate it.”

“Oh, please.” Elias waved a dismissive hand. “He has nothing to thank us for. Anything we can do to help, just say the word.”

“Are you going to be okay here?” Celeste asked.

“For now,” Elm said. “We’ve got our family here, and we’ve got supplies. That’s all we can ask for until we get our family farmlands back.”

“Daddy?” Olive suddenly appeared at the doorway and raced down the porch to jump into Elm’s arms.

“What are you doing awake?” the elf asked as he kissed his daughter on the cheek.

“I wanted to make sure you came back,” Olive said. “Did you go to Evelhelm? Were there more sprites? Did Celeste become a fight bird?”

“Let’s answer these questions when you’re in bed,” Elm sighed. “Come on, say goodnight to our friends.”

“Goodnight!” Olive called out to my followers. “Thank you for saving us.”

“You’re more than welcome.” Penelope smiled warmly. “Now, get to bed and rest. Take care of your dad, okay?”

The little elf nodded seriously and snuggled into Elm’s chest with her cuddly rabbit clutched tightly.

“Goodbye,” Elias said. “Take care.”

With that, the two brothers turned and headed back to the farmhouse. Olive fell asleep in her father’s arms in seconds, and one of the horses grunted as it rolled in its sleep.

“Right,” I said. “Let’s get back home and get some food for everyone before bed.”

“That sounds good to me,” Nicola yawned. “My arm is killing me from using that flail. Aleia, you need to show me some weightlifting techniques.”

“I will,” the fairy laughed. “You were amazing with that weapon, especially standing on the back of a moving carriage!”

“It was damn impressive,” I agreed. “You looked incredible.”

The brunette smiled, and her golden skin glowed as moonlight shone into the carriage. I couldn’t drag my gaze away from her sculpted legs, and she looked like she could use a wash in the river as dirt and blood were still splattered on her skin.

Actually, all the priestesses looked like they could use a bath, and I tried not to get too excited at the thought of them all cleaning up in the water.

But I did wonder if I could one day use my fifteen minute visit to “assist” them in this way once in a while.

“Maybe you should clean up before you eat,” I suggested. “I don’t want that blood to dry on your skin.”

“That’s a good plan,” Celeste said. “There’s mud everywhere.”

“I think Jack wants to watch.” Nicola smirked. “You like it when your priestesses get all dirty.”

“How dare you,” I scolded. “I’m purely thinking of your comfort and hygiene.”

“Of course,” the brunette chuckled. “Whatever was I thinking?”

The carriage soon neared the convent, and we rolled past the gentle waters of Penelope’s river.

“Drop the women here,” I said to the gnomes. “They’re going to get washed up before dinner.”

“No problem,” Wilfrim said, and he pulled the reins to halt the horses.

Ember and Smokey dutifully stopped, and they flicked their tails as the women climbed out of the carriage.

“They’ve earned that hay,” Nicola said as she walked around to pat the horses. “Good babies.”

The horses nuzzled her gently and then began to trot off as Elowise flicked the reins.

“See you back at the convent,” the old gnome called. “We’ll get food all ready for you.”

The priestesses waved before they headed down toward the riverbank with yawns and stretches.

“Let’s get the water nice and warm, Penelope,” Nicola said. “My legs could use some heat.”

I watched as the women quickly stripped, and my eyes drank in the sight as they climbed naked into the river. All thoughts of sprites and storms disappeared as they began to cleanse themselves, and their sleek, beautiful bodies began to wash clean of blood and muck.

Nicola seemed to be making a particular show of herself this evening, and she ran her hands slowly over her chest as she looked up at the stars.

I knew at that moment that I was going to visit her that night. She had been amazing during the fight and was clearly taunting me. I knew she wanted me to reward her for all the good she’d been doing lately, but I would wait a while until I told her I would be in her dreams.

No harm making her work a little bit more to earn her visit.

“The water’s perfect.” Celeste smiled as she splashed her face.

“So is the view,” I said, and the women giggled.

“I can’t wait for food,” Aleia sighed. “There’s nothing like falling asleep with a full belly.”

I glanced down at the fairy’s stomach and wondered if I would find out soon if she was carrying my kid in there, but I told myself to be patient.

The priestesses enjoyed the river for a while longer, and they splashed themselves around until their bodies were clean and gleaming. I would have happily watched the bathing beauties for another hour, but Penelope’s stomach rumbled, and it was clearly time for a meal.

As they climbed back out of the water, I took in each perfect curve and felt like the luckiest bastard in the universe as they got dressed.

“Let’s go and get some food,” Celeste said. “I know I worked up an appetite after that fight. Battle bird form really takes it out of me.”

The women walked up to the convent, and the crescent moon shone down on the limestone walls. As they reached the gate, Thunder the puppy raced over and leapt into Nicola’s arms.

“I missed you, too!” the brunette laughed as the dog licked her face. “Woah, I just had a wash! Enough of that.”

The big puppy snuggled into her chest, and she huffed a bit while she hauled him over to the fire that the gnomes had built. Elowise and Wilfrim were huddled around the flames already, and a large pot of stew released steam up into the sky.

“That smells amazing,” Penelope sighed. “Is everyone else asleep?”

“For now.” Elowise smiled. “No doubt baby Roza will have something to say in a few hours, but at least Nissa and Balabar are getting a bit of shut-eye.”

The women sat down and gratefully accepted bowls of steaming hot dinner. The convent was quiet for a while as everyone ate, and Elowise topped up everyone’s bowls before she spoke.

“I have to admit,” she said. “I am slightly worried about Evelhelm, Jack.”

“I understand,” I replied. “To be honest, I am as well. They’re a good bunch of people, but I’m not sure they’re ready to be an army.”

“They have all the information they need,” Celeste said. “They did seem nervous, though.”

“I don’t blame them,” Aleia muttered. “Fighting the sprites was hard enough with Jack looking out for us. I can’t imagine doing that without guidance.”

“I worry they won’t organize themselves properly.” Penelope crinkled her eyebrows. “Even if they are brave enough to fight, they need to be smart about it.”

“We can check back with them,” I told the naiad. “Maybe we can fly over just to make sure they understand exactly what to do during their preparations.”

“I can do that.” Aleia nodded. “The elves are so kind as a people usually, I would hate for them to be unprepared for the sprites. We told them everything we could, but I want to be certain they’re okay.”

“They will be for now,” I reassured her. “The storm won’t be over the town for a while yet.”

“At least Elias and Elm have a crossbow,” Celeste said. “They’ve got something to defend the farm with in an emergency.”

The women scooped up the last of their food, and everyone began to yawn again.

“We’re going to have a look over the carriage before bed,” Wilfrim said. “I just want to make sure everything’s in order.”

“It seemed to hold up really well,” I pointed out. “But no harm in giving it a once-over.”

“I’ll need to decorate the other side soon,” Aleia mused with her eyes half-shut. “Maybe I could do that tonight, too.”

The fairy already looked like she was basically asleep, and I laughed as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

“Maybe tomorrow,” I said gently. “I think you could use your rest tonight.”

“If you insist.” Aleia nodded. “But I definitely have the energy to do it now.”

“You look like you do.” Nicola smirked as the fairy almost dropped her empty bowl.

Elowise and Wilfrim collected the bowls, and Wilfrim began to put out the fire.

“We’ll see you all in the morning, then,” Elowise said softly. “I hope you all rest well.”

“You, too,” Penelope purred. “Thank you so much for being our drivers today.”

“You’re welcome.” The gnome smiled. “Thank you for making sure sprites didn’t tear our heads off!”

“It’s the least we could do,” Nicola laughed. “Who else would make us such delicious muckbeast stew?”

The gnomes waved as they hurried off to examine the carriage, and they held hands as they walked over the convent grounds.

“They’re so cuuuute,” Aleia pouted. “I love them.”

“They are adorable,” Penelope agreed. “I hope we’re that sweet when we’re old.”

“I will always be adorable,” Aleia giggled, and she yawned so much that her tiny face scrunched up.

“Let’s get you to bed,” I laughed. “Before someone has to carry you.”

“It’s their turn anyway,” the fairy said as the women got to their feet. “I carry them all the time.”

“I can carry you if you like?” Celeste offered as they started to head to the sleeping quarters.

“I’ll make it,” the fairy replied, but she linked arms with the harpy for good measure.

As the women made their way to bed, I kept my eyes on Nicola while her hips swayed with every step. She yawned as they reached the bed, and the girls started to peel their clothes off once more.

Then Celeste and Penelope helped Aleia into the bedsheets, and the fairy was fast asleep in seconds.

“Aww,” Penelope giggled. “Our little fairy needs to recharge.”

“So do I,” Celeste yawned. “That warm stew and river water was just what I needed.”

The harpy’s breathing slowed down, and soon she was making gentle snoring noises as her wings were tucked in tightly against her back. Penelope stroked her stomach as she settled down, and the naiad had a soft smile on her face as her eyes closed.

“Goodnight, sisters,” she mumbled. “Goodnight, Jack.”

“Goodnight,” I murmured. “I’ll see you in the morning, my loves.”

Nicola took her time getting into bed, and she stood naked as she stretched very, very slowly. I was hypnotized by her body and the little moan she let out with her arms stretched above her head, and I couldn’t wait to run my hands over her curves and pull her close as she moaned like that for me.

“You were such a good girl today,” I whispered to only Nicola, and a smile played on her lips. “I think you deserve a reward for that.”

“A reward?” she whispered. “Oh, Jack, I do like the sound of that.”

“Then you better hurry off to sleep,” I chuckled. “I’ll be ready whenever you are.”

The brunette quietly climbed into bed with the others, and her eyes soon closed. I watched eagerly as she drifted off to sleep, and it wasn’t long until there was that familiar flash of light.

Then it was time to enjoy my favorite part of being a god.

Chapter 16

Nicola was waiting for me with a coy smile, and she was propped up on her elbows with the blanket draped over her body.

“What a sight.” I grinned as I admired the golden-skinned beauty. “How about you stand up so I can get the full view?”

“Whatever my master wants,” the brunette drawled, and she slowly rose to her feet. She spun around slowly so I could admire every inch of her body and then grinned as she strode over to me.

“It’s a beautiful night,” I said as I reached out to hold her waist. “Why don’t we head outside?”

“Whatever you’d like,” she purred. “I’m just here to serve.”

“It’s my turn to serve,” I told her. “You’ve done so well today, and you deserve to be rewarded.”

We walked out into the grounds, and the stars glistened up above us in the inky sky.

“Where shall we go?” Nicola asked, and my eyes fell on the wooden carriage.

“You looked so good fighting today,” I said with a devilish grin. “Let’s get you inside that carriage so I can reward you properly.”

“A reward from my god,” Nicola murmured and smirked at me. “I’m not sure I deserve such a gift.”

I ran my hand down her back as we walked and firmly squeezed her ass.

“How are you so perfect?” I whispered, and she wiggled her butt as we reached the vehicle.

Nicola climbed inside and gave me a perfect view of her behind as she bent over to get in the doorway. Then she sat down on the front-facing bench, and I followed her inside.

I knelt between her legs the moment I joined the brunette beauty, and I slowly pulled her knees apart to reveal her perfect pussy.

“Master,” she giggled. “It feels naughty to be doing this in the carriage.”

“I want to make you moan,” I whispered. “Then every time you ride in here, you can remember my mouth all over you.”

I began to kiss her inner thighs and softly pressed my lips down on her golden skin. She sat back and closed her eyes as I worked my way up her legs, and then she let out a soft moan as I neared her labia.

“Jack,” she whispered. “I’m already so wet for you.”

“Are you now?” I asked. “I’ll have to taste you to make sure.”

Then I gently ran my tongue over her wet lips and buried my tongue inside her.

Nicola groaned and grasped my hair as I began to lick her, and she started to thrust toward me as I ran my tongue over her clit.

She panted as I ate her out, and I soon felt her legs begin to shake. I kept running my tongue over her sensitive spot and gripped her thighs as her orgasm hit. Then she groaned with pleasure as she leaned back in her seat, and I sat back to look up at the stunning brunette.

“Oh, Jack,” she gasped. “Thank you.”

“You earned it,” I said as I kept a firm hold of her legs. “Now, it’s time for my good little priestess to fuck her master.”

I raised myself up onto the bench facing her and gestured for her to come to me. She got to her feet and bit her lip as she moved over to straddle me, and then the priestess knelt on the bench so her legs were on either side of me so she could hover over my rock-hard cock.

I stroked her flushed face and moved my hands down to grab her magnificent breasts, and I pinched her nipples just a bit to make her squeal.

“My beautiful, devoted priestess,” I growled as she writhed on my lap. “Are you ready to be fucked by your master?”

“Yes,” she moaned. “I need you, Jack.”

I gave her nipple a playful lick, and she started to grind her pussy along my shaft.

“So wet,” I muttered as I reached a hand down to finger her. “You must really want my cock inside you.”

“I do,” she moaned as I pushed two fingers inside her warm tunnel. “Oh, master, please. I need you to fuck me deep. I want your seed pouring inside me.”

She began to move up and down on my fingers, and I grinned as she worked herself up into a frenzy. I let her fuck herself on my hand as I used my other hand to fondle her tits, and my erection became so hard that I actually felt dizzy.

“Say please again,” I growled as I kissed her neck. “I need to know you really want it.”

“Please,” Nicola pleaded. “Master, please bless me with your thick cock. I’m begging you to fuck me.”

She whimpered as I slid my fingers out of her and raised them up to her mouth.

“See how wet you are,” I whispered, and she opened her mouth obediently.

Then Nicola sucked her juices from my fingers, and I groaned as I watched her tongue run over my hand.

She still hovered over my cock, but I finally began to guide her down toward me for being such a good girl. I gripped onto her hips as she let out a ragged sigh, and her soaked pussy slipped down onto the head of my cock.

Nicola gasped, and I moaned as she lowered down until she had taken my full length inside her.

“Fuck,” I moaned as her tight pussy clenched around me. “You feel incredible. Give me more. Ride me, my love.”

“Yes, Jack,” the brunette whimpered.

Nicola began slowly sliding up and down on my shaft, and pleasure soared through every inch of me as I watched her perfect body speed up as she fucked me. Her golden breasts bounced with every movement, and I reached out to grab them as she let out a cry.

“Good girl,” I growled, and she whimpered again at the praise. “Your pussy is so warm and tight, Nicola.”

“Ohhh, Master!” she cried out. “Your cock feels so good inside me. It’s sooo big, I can hardly--”

I firmly thrust upward before she could get the words out, and she screamed from how deep I forced my cock into her trembling tunnel. Then I kept thrusting to meet her movements, and she let out a breathy shriek every time she felt my full girth.

Our bodies were in sync as we fucked inside the carriage, and the moonlight illuminated Nicola’s perfect curves as I clutched her golden body and kept her bouncing on my cock. The wooden bench under us creaked ominously as I sped up our pace, but Nicola’s moans were almost loud enough to drown out the sound.

“Master,” she whimpered as I fucked her harder and harder. “I want your sperm deep inside me. I can’t stop thinking about it all day long. I… I want to be the next one to get pregnant, my lord.”

“You sure?” I grunted. “That’s what you want?”

“Yes!” the brunette cried out.

“Tell me,” I ordered.

“I want you to make me pregnant,” she panted desperately, and her eyes burned into mine. “I want to carry your child, Jack. I… I… I’m about to cum again, master.”

“You love telling me all of this, don’t you?” I asked with a taunting grin, and Nicola moaned as I relentlessly thrusted deeper.

“Yesssss,” she screamed. “Pleeeease give you all of your seed. I’m such a good priestess for you, I need your cum deep inside my pussyyyy.”

I was about to reply when her tunnel walls tightened, and her orgasm sent me over the edge. Warmth, pleasure, and electricity erupted in my veins, and I groaned as my climax hit. My cock shot more and more of my cream deep into the priestess, and my body shook as stars covered my vision. I just closed my eyes as I gripped onto Nicola’s waist, and we held each other tightly as our orgasms washed over us.

“Fuck,” I hissed as I opened my eyes. “You’re amazing.”

Nicola was out of breath as she slid off my cock, and her face was flushed and dewy.

“Master,” she gasped. “Thank you, that felt incredible. Next time you’re in your physical form, I really hope you get me pregnant.”

“I didn’t know you wanted that so much.” I grinned as I stroked her hair from her face.

Nicola slowed down her breathing as she climbed off my lap and sat beside me on the wooden bench.

“I really want it,” she sighed, and she sent me a slightly embarrassed look. “Seeing Penelope so happy, and maybe Aleia, too…”

“So, Aleia is pregnant?” I asked, and Nicola laughed.

“I can’t say for sure.” She shrugged. “But she does seem to be very glowy lately, and she kept talking about how deep inside of her you came the other night when you came down from the heavens to love all of us.”

“Glad she enjoyed it,” I laughed. “I love how you all talk so openly, and I hope you enjoyed your reward for today.”

“Enjoyed it?” Nicola snorted. “That’s an understatement, I don’t even think I can walk properly just yet.”

“You have no idea how good you look,” I groaned. “Bouncing up and down on my cock like that. I can’t get enough of your body and your beautiful face.”

“You’re too sweet,” she giggled. “I also like it when you punish me, though.”

“Well, then I’ll have to keep an eye on you.” I grinned. “Next time I visit, it might be for a much stricter session if you’ve been bad.”

“Promise?” she purred.

I sighed at her shamelessly devious smile, and then I reached around her to slap her ass just once. The instant moan she let out made my blood burn, and the second I caught sight of the heat in her eyes, I knew I wasn’t done just yet.

Nicola was bent over the bench of the carriage in seconds flat, and she mewled like a kitten when I gave her my cock again. Then I fucked her until she screamed with every thrust, and I spanked her more times than I could count.

Every time I planted my palm against her raw ass, the priestess’ pussy quivered with pleasure, but I wouldn’t let her cum. I made sure she was begging for it before I finally eased up on her, and when I let Nicola climax, I gave her another dose of my sperm to reward her for waiting.

The brunette beauty couldn’t even stand without shaking by the time I pulled her out of the carriage, and her hooded eyes burned with lust and love. She had my cream spilling down her golden thighs, and my red handprint was emblazoned on her ass, but the look she sent me assured me nothing pleased her more than having her private time with me.

No matter how much I punished her.

I chuckled at the sinful beauty and helped her walk back across the grounds with me, and I couldn’t stop admiring Nicola’s body the whole way.

She was truly built like a golden goddess, and I couldn’t wait to give her a child since that was what she so desperately wanted, but I would have to wait until a physical body visit for that.

Even if I couldn’t get her pregnant in our dream visits, they were the perfect way to be close to my women, and to find out what they truly desired from me.

I already couldn’t wait for the next session.

As I led Nicola back to bed, she turned to kiss me deeply. I ran a hand through her hair and then reached down to give her perfect ass a final squeeze.

“I love you,” I said softly. “Get some rest now, and dream about me fucking you until you scream.”

“I will,” she giggled, and she fell into bed with a tired smile.

As she arranged the blankets back over her body, she began to doze off with her grin still in place, and I drifted back out of her dream.

I stayed watching my women sleep for a while after that. The red-hot sex with Nicola kept replaying in my mind, and it was hard to think of anything other than her gleaming body on top of mine.

If I could impregnate her soon, then I would possibly have three kids on the way. That would be an exciting change to the convent, and I wondered how many new adjustments we would have to make to the place. It was already pretty baby proof with the limestone walls towering around the grounds, but we would probably need some updated sleeping arrangements.

If Nicola and Aleia became pregnant, then that would just leave Celeste. I had no idea if she wanted to have a child with me or not. Either way, I enjoyed every second I got with the harpy, and fucking her was mind-blowing regardless of if she wanted a pregnancy or not.

I couldn’t help imagining how cute a half-harpy baby would be, though, and I laughed as I imagined how different all the kids would look. Being a dad was something I had always wanted in the back of my mind, but I never pictured fatherhood happening in such a magical place with such gorgeous women as the mothers. I really was a lucky bastard, and I couldn’t wait to meet the little kids that would soon be running around the convent.

My convent.

As the night drifted by, I checked over my God Vision to make sure there weren’t any sprites that had followed us home. I tried not to worry about Evelhelm, but I had a gut feeling they were going to need some more help. I was concerned that the moving storm had given them a false sense of security, and that they wouldn’t be as alert when the sprites returned.

Luckily, there was no sign of the little orange bastards as I checked the perimeter of the convent, and my followers slept soundly through the night. I briefly considered ordering some sort of parts or tools for my followers, but lately, it seemed they didn’t need too many things from me.

I was pleased to know how efficient the convent and my group were becoming, and time flew by before the sun began to rise with baby Roza screaming a wake-up call.

I checked in with the gnomes and found Nissa on her feet with her eyes half-open.

“Morning,” I said gently as she yawned as picked up the baby.

“Good morning.” She smiled. “Gosh, I’ve been asleep for ages.”

“You clearly needed it,” I laughed. “With a baby, you should take as many hours of rest as you can get.”

“I certainly did,” Nissa said as she gently rocked Roza. “I think that’s the longest this one’s ever slept without stirring. I suppose I probably have you to thank, Jack? You’re always so good to look after us like you do.”

I mentally smirked at the praise, but I definitely didn’t think Roza’s evening had anything to do with her faith in me.

The baby gnome quickly stopped crying as her mother swayed, and Balabar grumbled as he began to rise. I didn’t want to invade their privacy, or see Balabar crawl out of bed naked, so I quickly returned to the priestesses as they stirred.

“Good morning, sisters!” Penelope said happily as she got to her feet.

Celeste mumbled something as she rubbed her eyes, and she flung an arm around Aleia’s waist.

“Sleepyhead,” the fairy giggled. “Are you trying to cuddle me back to bed?”

“You’re very cuddly,” the harpy mumbled. “I’m comfy.”

“Me, too,” Nicola yawned as she sat up. “I could stay here forever.”

“What about now?” Penelope asked, and she quickly grabbed the blanket and yanked it away from the women in one swift movement.

The three other priestesses groaned, and Celeste sat up with a pout.

“That was mean,” I laughed. “Are you practicing your strict parenting techniques?”

“Maybe,” Penelope giggled. “But I also knew you might like the view, my lord. What do you think?”

“You’re not wrong,” I muttered, and I let my gaze zoom in just a bit to really take in the nude scene before me.

Watching my naked women slowly rise was the best way to start any day, and I wished I was in my physical body as they began to pull on their priestess robes.

“Who did Jack visit last night?” Aleia asked. “I passed out so quickly.”

“I spent the night with Nicola,” I said. “We had fun in the carriage.”

“Oooh!” Aleia giggled. “The carriage! That’s so naughty.”

“Jack likes us being naughty,” Nicola purred, and she stuck out her butt as she slid on her robes.

“Behave,” I growled. “Or you’ll all be punished next time I get my hands on you.”

“What a shame.” Nicola smirked, and the women laughed as they finished getting dressed.

“What’s the plan for today?” Celeste asked as they made their way outside. “What do you want us to do, Jack?”

I forced my mind away from the filthy things I was thinking about and focused back on the tasks of the convent. It was a brighter day than before, but it was hard to look up at the sky without wondering if Squall Sprites would roll in at any moment.

I wanted to make sure the convent continued to thrive, and the garden and cellar would need a lot of upkeep. It also wouldn’t hurt for the women to practice their combat skills. They were already such badasses with their weapons, but they needed to stay sharp if we were going to keep the convent protected.

“I have some plans,” I said. “Maybe a little combat class would be good, just to freshen up your moves and keep you on your toes.”

Elowise was already up and bustling around the grounds, and she hurried over to the women with a bowl packed with food.

“Morning!” she said. “I hope you don’t mind, Penelope, but I picked some of those lively tomatoes of yours.”

“They’re grown?” the naiad asked. “Already? Oh, my goodness!”

“See for yourself,” the gnome laughed as she handed Penelope the bowl. “I picked some along with chopping up some apples. You ladies need to keep your strength up, so make sure you all get some.”

The women all helped themselves to the fresh fruit and smiled as juices ran down their chins.

“These are delicious,” Aleia said. “The tomatoes are so sweet!”

“That garden is already working wonders,” I said approvingly. “Well done, Penelope. You have really done amazingly with it.”

“Thank you, my lord.” The naiad smiled as she popped another tomato into her mouth. “I’m just so happy I can help feed everyone. It’s wonderful we have these supplies in time for the baby.”

Nicola grinned, and I knew she was picturing her own pregnancy. I hoped I would be giving her what she wanted very, very soon.

“Maybe I could do some more work on the carriage,” Aleia said. “I would love to have carvings on both sides.”

“And I would love to do some more garden work.” Penelope nodded. “I need to make sure the vegetables have enough space to thrive. Maybe Elowise can work with me?”

“Of course,” the gnome agreed. “You know I love the garden, we can check on the herbs and see if we can harvest anything else.”

“That all sounds great,” I said. “Celeste and Nicola, how about you find Balabar and get some fighting practice in.”

“He would like that,” Elowise assured the girls. “He’s been with the kids non-stop, I’m sure a little battle practice would add some variety to his day!”

“Actually,” I said thoughtfully. “Let’s get all of you practicing together for a few hours. Afterwards, you can work on the carvings and the garden. Those things are important, but not as important as making sure your defense skills are as sharp as possible.”

“I’ll go and get Balabar.” Elowise nodded, and she hurried off to the north tower.

“Do you think we’ll go back to Evelhelm soon?” Nicola asked as she looked out at the forest. “Just in case the storm comes back?”

“We’ll leave in plenty of time,” I said. “We’ll keep an eye on the sky to make sure we know when the storm moves. That’s one of the reasons why I want you all to have a fighting session. I have a feeling the elves are going to need more help before the sprites descend on the town.”

“I am worried about most of them not knowing how to fight,” Penelope admitted. “Perhaps we should give them proper demonstrations, or at least the ones who were willing to fight.”

Elowise brought Balabar over to the group, and he cracked his knuckles as he joined the priestesses.

“So,” he said gruffly. “We’re doing some combat training this morning?”

“If you don’t mind,” I replied. “I know you’re a busy dad.”

“It’s not a problem,” Balabar said quickly. “Nissa’s got them all eating breakfast. The only time they’re all quiet is when they’re stuffing their faces, and I’m certainly built for a lot more than fatherly duties, I can tell you that much.”

“Wilfrim’s helping Nissa, too.” Elowise smiled. “He is fulfilling his grandfatherly duties and making sure the little ones get a good breakfast.”

“Excellent!” I said brightly. “In that case, what do you suggest we work on, Balabar?”

The gnome looked slightly surprised that I had asked him, but he proudly scratched his chin as he looked at the priestesses.

“Well,” he hummed. “They’re all already so skilled as you know, but there are always things to learn and improvements to be made. I’m not perfect by any means, but I do wonder if we should practice hand-to-hand combat. Can’t let ourselves get rusty, you know.”

“You mean without weapons?” Nicola asked. “Is that necessary? We’re always armed.”

“You are when you’re expecting a fight,” Balabar said. “What if something sneaks up on you when you’re bathing or cooking? It’s important to be able to fight without weapons, and to utilize your own personal strengths to defeat attackers.”

“Sounds good,” I agreed. “You all have very different skills and abilities, I’ve got no doubt you could beat the shit out of anyone with your bare hands.”

“Aleia could,” Nicola snorted. “Imagine getting punched with the strength of a fucking muckbeast.”

“Yeah,” Balabar said as he eyed the fairy. “Maybe we won’t use our full strength while we practice.”

“I’ll be gentle!” Aleia laughed. “What’s the first lesson?”

“Let’s get into the middle of the grounds,” Balabar said. “We should work on defending ourselves when someone sneaks up on you from behind, since that’s most likely what an attacker would do.”

Thunder the puppy ran alongside Nicola as the group walked, and the dopey-faced dog stared up adoringly at the brunette. He slobbered everywhere as he ran, and then he ran off when he got distracted by a butterfly near the gate.

“Okay,” Balabar said as he came to a halt and rubbed his hands together. “Now, this will be slightly different for each of you, seeing as you’re all different sizes. Let’s start with Nicola and Celeste.”

“I’ll be the attacker.” The harpy grinned as she jumped behind the brunette. “I’m here to steal your puppy.”

“Pshh,” Nicola snorted. “If you tried to touch Thunder you would already be dead.”

“Now,” Balabar said. “Obviously, we’re not going to actually fight with full-force here, but we can walk through the moves. Okay, Celeste, act like you’ve just grabbed her.”

The harpy reached her arms around her fellow priestess and held her tightly with one arm around the neck and one on the waist.

“What do you think you would do here?” Balabar asked, and Penelope shot her hand up like she was in school.

“Kick backward to the groin?” The naiad asked.

“I can’t reach her groin,” Nicola said as she attempted the move.

“Oh,” Penelope said as her shoulders slouched.

“It was a good guess,” I said encouragingly.

“You want to use the head first,” Balabar said. “If you knock your head back as hard as possible, you’re going to damage something. You might break their nose, or fuck up their neck if you’re a bit shorter than them. Either way, you’ll probably cause enough chaos to get your next move in.”

Nicola did a dramatic, slow-motion jolt of her head, and she nudged Celeste’s chin.

“So now you’ve taken them by surprise,” Balabar continued. “You might have even knocked a few teeth out. Quickly reach down, go between your legs, and grab their knee. Pull their leg through between yours as hard as you can to get them on the ground.”

Nicola bent over and could just reach Celeste’s leg. Then she grabbed the harpy’s knee and pulled, and both women tumbled over into a giggling pile before Nicola sprang up and waved her hands.

“I’m free!” she cheered as she jumped up and down. “No robbing for you today.”

“Damn.” Celeste grinned. “I was going to steal all your riches.”

“Joke’s on you,” Nicola snorted. “I don’t have any.”

The brunette helped her friend up off the ground, and Aleia clapped.

“Nice work,” I said approvingly. “Aleia and Penelope should practice that one, too.”

The naiad and fairy got into position with Aleia at the back, and they mimicked the motions they had just seen.

Balabar went over the move again with more details and variants, and soon it was second nature to the women to headbutt then bend down. I had to admit I was impressed watching the gnome instruct the priestesses. It was seriously useful to be skilled in fighting without a weapon, and it was awesome to watch the girls improve with every try.

They laughed with every takedown, but took the fighting seriously, and Balabar continued to demonstrate kicks, punches, and using the palm to break noses and chins. The women carefully reenacted each move, and it wasn’t long until sweat poured down their foreheads as they worked.

I kept checking the sky during their training and made sure there wasn’t even the slightest hint of orange in the clouds above.

Elowise appeared after an hour or so with water for everyone, along with some more chopped apples and berries she had foraged. The women gratefully took the refreshments, and they wolfed down the snacks in a matter of minutes.

“It looks like it’s going well!” Elowise admired.

“Balabar’s a good teacher.” Penelope smiled. “I’m learning a lot.”

“Let’s get back to it, then,” Balabar said. “Not a second to waste!”

As the girls restarted their training, I scanned my God Vision. The perimeter of the convent was quiet, and the only motion was Thunder running in circles chasing his own tail. Then I looked over the forest, and I stopped as I found a group of several elves walking toward the gate.

“What the…?” I muttered as I watched them.

There were five altogether, three guys and two women. They were all relatively young but probably somewhere in their thirties. If elves aged the same as humans did, that was. They had sensible, earth-colored pants and tunics, and the women had their hair tied back.

“We’ve got company,” I said. “There’s a group of elves on their way.”

The women dropped their hands and turned to face the gate.

“Elves?” Aleia asked. “What could they want?”

“Check the sky,” I said. “Make sure the storm isn’t over the town yet.”

The fairy shot into the air, and it only took a few moments to see that the orange clouds were still a good distance away from the far-off rooftops.

“No sprite attack just yet,” Aleia said, and she fluttered back to the ground.

“I hope Evelhelm’s okay,” Penelope fretted. “Do they seem hurt?

“No,” I replied. “They look fine, but let’s make sure they’re okay. Elowise, could we maybe get them some tea?”

“Of course.” The gnome nodded, and she hurried off toward the kitchen.

I watched the group of elves as they appeared at the gateway, and since the door was open, they looked around wide-eyed at the convent. When they spotted the priestesses, they waved and hurried over to join the group.

“Hello!” Penelope called. “Is everything alright?”

“Good morning!” one of the young men replied, and the group came to a halt. “Sorry to drop by uninvited.”

He had curly, yellow hair, and was the most well-built elf I had ever seen. Instead of the normal, wiry frame his people usually had, he had biceps bulging out of his tunic sleeves, and wide shoulders.

That’s when I noticed that all the elves in the group were slightly more muscly than usual, and I wondered if they were the ex-soldiers we had heard about in Evelhelm.

“It’s not a problem,” Aleia said. “You’re welcome any time.”

“Thank you,” the elf replied. “My name is Grez, we’re from Evelhelm.”

“Is the town okay?” Celeste asked. “The sprites haven’t attacked, have they? The storm is still away from the town?”

“For now,” Grez said. “I know it’s only a matter of time before it returns, though, just like Jack told us. But that’s actually why we’re here. We think we might need a bit more guidance for when the fight comes around.”

“Ask them how we can help,” I said.

“What can we do for you?” Penelope asked. “We’ll do anything we can to help.”

Grez didn’t answer as he stared around the convent, and the other elves muttered as they pointed to the towers and limestone walls.

“Would you like to look around?” Aleia offered. “We could show you the garden, the altar, or anything you’d like.”

Elowise arrived back with cups of tea for everyone on a wooden plank tray, and she offered the drinks out to the new arrivals as the elves gratefully accepted.

“Wow,” one of the female elves said. “You really have it all set up nicely here, don’t you?”

“We’re rather pleased with it.” Penelope smiled. “We put rather a lot of work into upkeep and building new things. Come on, let’s show you around.”

The priestesses led the elves around the convent, and there were a few gasps when they stopped at the garden.

“This is beautiful!” a pink-haired elf girl said. “Oh, my goodness, the vegetable patch is lovely, and look at those herbs.”

Penelope flushed a darker shade of blue, and she grinned from ear to ear as the group complimented her work.

“Seems like everyone can tell how impressive you are,” I chuckled.

“Oh, my lord,” Penelope said with a wave of her hand, and the elves looked at her curiously.

The next stop of the tour was the altar, and the elves seemed shocked at the mural.

“You have an image of your god?” Grez asked.

“Oh, yes.” Penelope nodded. “He is very handsome, isn’t he?”

The elf women nodded, and I felt slightly smug as they giggled.

“This is so odd,” the pink-haired woman said. “We’ve never seen an image of Tobias.”

“That doesn’t shock me,” Nicola sighed. “From what we’ve heard, he isn’t exactly one to appear before his followers.”

“Appear?” Grez scoffed. “Of course not. When has a god ever done that?”

He looked at the priestesses’ raised eyebrows and gasped.

“You’ve seen him?” one of the men whispered. “In real life? You’ve actually seen a god in physical form?”

“He comes down sometimes.” Nicola nodded. “Well, not necessarily down, since he’s here all the time, but you know what I mean.”

“He’s here all the time?” Grez asked in a higher-pitched voice, and I had a feeling the elf was struggling to take it all in.

“Jack speaks to us,” Aleia said. “It’s sort of in our minds, but we can all hear it. If you truly believe in him, then you can talk with him, too.”

The elves stood open-mouthed as they stared at the altar, and I hoped they were more impressed than freaked out, but it was hard to tell as they waited in silence.

“Maybe take them somewhere else,” I suggested. “I think that image gave them a bit of a shock.”

“Let’s go and sit down with our tea,” Penelope said hurriedly. “It’s nice a bit closer to the gate where the sun hits us.”

It wasn’t a sunny day, but the elves simply nodded and followed the priestesses as they strode away from the altar.

“Sooooo,” Nicola said. “That’s some of the convent, sorry if the altar took you by surprise. We could go and look at the kitchen and cellar after our tea. They’re impressive but don’t have any pictures of all-powerful deities.”

“I apologize,” Grez said as the group sat down. “I didn’t mean to get so startled, I just didn’t expect to have such a clear visual of your god all of a sudden.”

“That’s understandable,” Celeste said. “It’s a lot to take in.”

The group sipped their drinks for a moment, and Thunder the puppy barked in the distance as he raced after a rabbit.

“So,” Nicola said. “Evelhelm is doing okay for now? Why is it that you came here?”

“Not that we mind visitors!” Aleia said quickly. “You’re all very welcome any time, we’ll prepare some food next time.”

“Not at all,” Grez said. “We just wanted to come, because we were curious about your god, and we were hoping for some more guidance from him.”

His answer took me by surprise. I had expected the guy to admit to some curiosity, but not for him to say flat-out that they were looking for my instruction. Penelope’s talk of me in the town really must have made an impact, and I knew I had a duty to help the elves out.

“Tell them of course, I will help,” I said. “They just need to be willing to listen.”

“Jack wants to help you,” Aleia told the group. “He just needs you to be open to his ideas.”

“Of course,” Grez agreed. “The five of us are ready to fight. I used to be a trained soldier, and so did these two.”

He gestured at one of the men and one woman, and the elves nodded.

“We’re just keen to help,” the other guy added. “We have a little workout group together to keep fit and strong. We figured this was our chance to use our skills to help the town.”

“We’re ready to learn,” the pink-haired woman added. “I know this goes against Tobias to come to you, but…”

She trailed off and shifted on the spot as she glanced up at the clouds. I could tell she felt slightly uncomfortable coming to a new god for help, even if she knew it was the right thing to do.

It must have been a hard choice, and it showed just how done they were with Tobias to have walked into another god’s convent.

“Let them know that they’ve done the right thing,” I said. “I’m here to help in any way I can, and it took bravery to come here.”

“Jack says you have nothing to worry about,” Nicola said. “He thinks you’re all brave for doing this, and he’s ready to help.”

“Great.” Grez smiled. “We told everyone we were coming here, they’re all kind of waiting to hear what they should do. Honestly, we don’t really have a clue what move is next. The information about the sprites was really helpful, but we’re not sure how to go about defending an entire town with so little resources.”

“Okay,” I said. “First thing’s first. Everyone needs to be armed. Ask about the weaponry.”

“You need to be armed.” Penelope nodded. “Jack wants to know if your armory would distribute their wares.”

“The staff agreed to it,” Grez replied. “The old guy who owns it wasn’t very happy about the idea, but the two younger staff members convinced him that they wouldn’t have a shop left if they didn’t.”

“There’s not quite enough for everyone,” the pink- haired woman said. “But there’s plenty for all the able-bodied folks who can fight, and a few left over for older people to defend themselves with.”

“Good start,” I said. “Obviously, the sprites attack from the sky, so the safest place to hide the kids and elders will be as low as possible. Find out if they have any cellars.”

“Right,” Celeste said. “Jack suggests you hide anyone that can’t fight underground if you can. Do you have many cellars?”

“We do.” Grez nodded. “The bigger houses have them for storing food and wine, so there’s definitely enough room for the older folk and children. That’s a good idea.”

“Jack is pretty good with plans.” Nicola grinned. “These sprites don’t stand a chance.”

“Make sure their strongest fighters are spread out,” I said. “If any of them can get up high to be on the frontlines, that would be great. Make sure they keep some strong ones near the hiding places, too.”

The women relayed my instructions, and the elves nodded.

“Also, make sure nobody is fighting in an isolated spot,” I continued. “Those orange fuckers will sneak up on you from behind, and their wings are pretty quiet. At least two people at each post, so they can watch each other’s backs.”

The priestesses made sure to repeat everything I said word for word, and the elves slowly began to look more determined than nervous.

As the group spoke, I knew that we would have to go back to the town with the elves. I wasn’t going to leave them to fight this battle on their own, and they were in desperate need of a god. It was all good to give them a plan to work with, but things never went according to plan during a fight. I needed to be there for when shit went wrong, and the priestesses would be an amazing addition to the army of townsfolk.

“Aleia,” I said. “Let’s do another sky check.”

The fairy nodded and flew up over the treetops to see the location of the storm. The orange and black clouds had begun to drift back over Evelhelm, and I knew it was time to fight.

Aleia flew back to the ground and gave the other priestesses a grim nod.

“Tell them that we’re going back with them,” I said firmly. “The storm is coming back, and we need to move now. We’ll load up the carriage and take them to Evelhelm. “

“We’re going with you,” Celeste said.

“You are?” Grez asked. “To Evelhelm? The storm is back?”

“We’re going to help you fight.” Aleia nodded. “Jack wants to be with you so he can help during battle.”

“I can’t believe it,” Grez muttered. “This information is really coming from him? Jack is telling these things to you?”

“Every word.” Nicola nodded. “That’s what you get when you believe in Jack. He’s going to be there every step of the way during the fight.”

“Incredible,” one of the male elves breathed. “Why is he helping us, though? We’ve been praying to Tobias for decades, we’ve never muttered a word to Jack.”

“Your town is in trouble,” Penelope said. “Jack helps those in need. That is what a mighty god does.”

There was a distant rumble of thunder, and everyone looked up at the dull sky. I didn’t want to waste any more time when we could be on our way to town.

“Let’s start getting loaded up,” I said. “You can discuss more details on the ride over. Get the weapons loaded and the horses ready, and someone tell the gnomes what’s going on. If we can take Balabar with us, that would be great.”

The priestesses got to their feet, and the elves followed.

“I’ll get the horses,” Nicola said.

“I’ll grab weapons.” Aleia nodded.

“I’ll help you,” Celeste offered.

“Then I’ll talk to the gnomes,” Penelope said, and the women all broke off to hurry about their tasks.

I followed Penelope as she hurried off to the kitchen, and we found all the gnomes together as they fed the kids and sipped tea.

“New instructions,” I said. “We’re heading to Evelhelm to join in the fight.”

“Ooooh,” Morrick said. “All of us?”

“Someone needs to take care of the children,” I said. “Nissa, I’m guessing you want to stay?”

“Baby Roza will be distraught if I don’t.” The gnome nodded.

“I thought so,” I said. “Morrick, we know that you’re a great fighter. Can you stay here with your mother and protect the kids?”

“Of course,” the gnome child said with a serious nod. “I won’t let anything happen to them, Jack.”

“Good man,” I said. “Balabar, Elowise, and Wilfrim, can you come with us and fight?”

“Absolutely,” Wilfrim gruffly agreed, and he tugged on his suspenders with pride. “You know us, Jack. We’ll go wherever you need us to.”

“I knew I could count on you all,” I said. “You’re going to need to be spread out amongst the townsfolk so I can communicate all over Evelhelm. The priestesses are getting the carriage loaded up, so come over as soon as you can.”

Penelope turned and hurried back to the carriage as the gnomes said quick goodbyes and exchanged hugs.

The elves were standing beside the carriage as Nicola attached the horses, and the two winged women had already placed the weapons inside the carriage.

“Let’s get inside,” Aleia urged, and the elves piled in to sit on the rear-facing bench. It was a tight squeeze with the men’s wide shoulders, and one of the women had to half-sit on the other’s lap to fit.

The priestesses piled onto the other bench, and Celeste folded her wings up for them all to fit.

Then Balabar climbed onto the tailboard, and the older gnomes got in position at the front.

“That was fast,” I said. “Great job. Now, let’s go save a town.”

Nissa and the kids waved as the horses began to move, and the carriage quickly rolled out of the convent and passed a sleeping Thunder.

“This thing is gorgeous,” Grez admired as he looked around. “Where did you get it? It must have cost loads.”

“The gnomes built it,” Celeste said. “They’re amazing with woodwork.”

“They built it?” Grez asked. “Wow.”

I scanned the forest road to make sure we wouldn’t run into anything unpleasant on our way. It occurred to me that we hadn’t had any dangerous creatures slinking around nearby lately. I wondered if the spreading storm had spooked some of the forest animals, and maybe the woodlands would get busier again when the sprites had been defeated.

The horses raced along the dirt road at an impressive speed. The carriage seemed to go even faster when there wasn’t heavy rain causing mud along the track.

As we made our way toward the town, it wasn’t long before the eerie orange and black hue of the clouds came into view. The storm was once more swirling over Evelhelm.

It felt like a countdown clock had started.

There was no way to tell when the Squall Sprites would descend onto Evelhelm. All we could do was hope we got there in time.

Chapter 17

As the carriage finally rolled into the town, there was already a gathered crowd in the town square. Everyone was ashen-faced and staring up at the sky, and panicked voices filled the air as we rolled to a stop.

“Okay, first thing’s first,” I said. “We need to get everyone calm and aware of the plan. Confused people are scared people. Let them know that we’re going to walk them through this whole thing.”

Everyone climbed out of the carriage, and a sea of worried faces turned to look at the priestesses.

“You’re back!” someone cried. “Are you going to help us?”

“We are.” Celeste nodded. “Jack is with us, and he’s going to make sure we stay as safe as possible.”

There was a murmur amongst the townsfolk, and then another growl of thunder directly above.

I looked up to see that the whirlpool was just a few miles beyond the town walls, and I knew it wouldn’t be long until it was right above the town center.

“Get everyone moving,” I said. “Elders and kids into the safe spaces, and we need to get the weapons handed out.”

“First order from Jack,” Celeste called out as she spread her wings and flew up onto the carriage. “All those who cannot fight need to be taken down into your cellars. That’s anyone too old, young, or injured to fight. Go!”

There was a sudden burst of movement, and several groups were led away as those with basements offered up their spaces.

“Next,” Celeste said. “We need to make sure everyone is armed. Where are we with the weapons?”

“I’ve got the shop unlocked,” the burly man who worked at the armory shouted. “My sister is in there just now, she can hand everything out. Got some new crossbows in just this week, too!”

“Great.” Celeste nodded. “In that case, I want everyone to get in line at the shop and hurry right back here for further instruction.”

“Nice,” I said as the locals all turned and raced over to form a line at the shop doorway.

The elves from the carriage joined them, and the wind started to pick up around the square. Rain suddenly began to fall, and I could hear the cackling of Squall Sprites in the distance.

“Let’s get some basic training in,” I said as I shifted my gaze up to the sky. “Whenever the crowd starts to come back with weapons, spread out and give them some tips. You all know how to defend yourselves, so pass on as much knowledge as you can as quickly as possible.”

I didn’t need to tell my followers twice.

The locals began to appear back in the square clutching various daggers and deadly metal creations. The shopkeepers had stayed true to their word, and slowly, the whole town became armed with top-tier weapons.

Then the priestesses and gnomes spaced out throughout the square, and they formed different little demonstrations for the townsfolk. I watched as they showed off quick movements, and how to hold the weapons properly.

“I’ll take some down to the cellars!” Grez called out to the sky.

I thought he was talking to the crowd at first, and then I realized with a shock that he was trying to speak to me.

“I’ll be right back!” The yellow-haired elf shouted. “Thank you, Jack!”

I knew he didn’t fully believe in me yet, but the guy was clearly trying.

As he ran, I decided to have a look at my devotion map out of curiosity. Grez had tried to speak to me, so surely that would mean that he was at least on his way to belief?

I scanned the map on my interface and felt a surge of victory as a pale yellow dot flickered over Grez.

It wasn’t the red mark of a full believer, but it was the beginning of it. I even noticed two more pale yellow dots from random members of the crowd, and I hadn’t expected that. Maybe the fact that I was here helping out was enough for them to begin to accept me. After all, they had wasted so much time on a god who did nothing. It must have felt good to have something to believe in.

I grinned at the idea as I mentally clicked out of my devotional map, and Grez rushed off to one of the nearby houses and disappeared inside with an armful of gleaming daggers.

Then I checked in with Aleia who had a large crowd around her, including the shopkeeper guy. He watched her with narrowed eyes and had his arms folded as the fairy did her demonstration. She was showing how best to utilize the daggers, and how to aim the crossbows properly from a distance.

“This was so helpful,” a nervous-looking elf woman said. “Thank you.”

“Not bad,” the shopkeeper grunted. “I guess you’re pretty good with the weapons.”

I felt a phantom smirk at the huge man’s compliment, and I was bursting with pride for my beautiful fairy.

The rest of my women were equally as impressive, and the locals were mesmerized as they hung on their every word. I watched as the townsfolk became more confident with the way they held their weapons, and they started to stand tall rather than cowering into themselves.

“We should have a look around,” I said to Aleia as she demonstrated how to shoot a crossbow. “Get an idea of the highest spots for attack, and maybe some sneaky windows that can be shot from without the sprites noticing.”

“Good plan,” the fairy said, and she handed the weapon back to a green-haired elf woman.

The rain started to get heavier, and I had a feeling the walls around Evelhelm were going to trap it inside and cause some flooding.

“We should prepare for flooding,” I decided. “Make sure everyone keeps their valuables either upstairs or in a well-sealed cellar. If there’s anything outside, like a market stall, it either needs to get taken down or tied down. The wind isn’t going to be forgiving.”

Aleia nodded and carefully repeated the information back to the locals.

“What about the horses?” she asked. “It looks like everyone around here has kept their beasts at the farms, but I don’t want Ember and Smokey to get too scared…”

I glanced over at the two creatures. They were watching the crowd curiously, but their eyes kept glancing upward, and I remembered how spooked they had gotten at the farm.

“Shit,” I muttered. “We should hide the carriage, too. The sprites might recognize it from the earlier fight. I don’t know how smart they are, but they might just destroy it for revenge. I know some of those little bastards had to be watching you guys slaughter their comrades.”

“Where can we hide a carriage and two huge horses?” Aleia fretted as she looked around.

“I have a stable,” a skinny elf boy suddenly said. “It’s not very big, and there’s already a donkey inside, but I think your horses and carriage should fit.”

“Brilliant!” The fairy smiled. “Thank you so much, can you tell me where it is?”

“It’s just down past the temple,” the boy said. “It’s not locked or anything. The house with the orange door. It’s the only house with a stable over there, so you’ll find it easily.”

“Great,” Aleia sighed with relief.

“Just be careful he doesn’t get out,” the boy said nervously. “I use the donkey for carrying our wares to different markets, so I need him. His name’s Smoosh.”

“Of course, it is,” I chuckled. I couldn’t tell if that was an elven name, or if the kid was just a quirky one. Either way, we had our carriage problem solved.

“Make an announcement,” I told Aleia. “Once everyone has the weapon basics down, they should board up their windows as much as possible. Those lightning bolts will break through glass and fuck up their property.”

“Everyone!” Aleia called as she fluttered up over the crowd. “We have instructions from Jack for you to follow for your safety.”

The elves turned to face the fairy, and the swirling whirlpool in the sky crept closer with every second. As the fairy opened her mouth to speak again, there was a crash of thunder so loud that half the crowd jumped off the ground, and several younger elves screamed. Then rain began to pour down, and Aleia was suddenly drenched as she looked out with a determined scowl.

“As I was saying!” she screamed angrily at the sky. “Jack wants everyone to board up their windows and make sure any valuables are locked away somewhere that flooding won’t touch them.”

The crowd nodded as rain soaked everyone, and huge droplets bounced off the cobblestones.

“I have an idea!” Celeste called out. “If we can leave a couple of windows with a small gap in the boarding, we could use it to fire bolts through! It could work well for taking out sprites without being seen!”

“Good plan,” I agreed. “Celeste, Nicola, go with a couple of the elves to get that arranged.”

“What about me, my lord?” Penelope asked as she pushed her sodden, blonde hair from her face.

“And us,” Elowise said. “What can we do, Jack?”

“I want you all to scout out good fighting spots,” I said. “Penelope and Wilfrim, take the east side of the town. Balabar and Elowise, you focus on the west. Any high vantage points you can find, or anywhere hidden that the sprites won’t spot.”

Now that everyone had their instructions, all we had to do was move fast.

“Let’s go!” I said. “Aleia, give the word!”

“Everyone has their duties!” the fairy shouted. “Once you have boarded up your windows, report to one of the priestesses or gnomes for your fighting spots. Good luck, and remember… Jack is here for you all.”

Penelope practically glowed with pride at these words, and the townsfolk raced off in various directions over the slippery stones.

“Let’s get the carriage hidden,” I said, and Aleia flew down to the horses.

She sat in the driver’s seat and grabbed the leather reins that had been soaked in the storm. Then the fairy gently goosed the horses along, and they trotted off down the street toward the white temple.

“Maybe we should knock on the temple door,” Aleia said with a haughty smirk. “Tell this Tobias that he should be ashamed of himself.”

“Somehow, I don’t think he would open up,” I chuckled as the carriage rolled past the tall building. “But I love where your mind is at.”

“Well, I’m proud of you, Jack,” the fairy announced, and then she blushed. “Not that it’s my place to be proud of a god! You’re so wonderful all the time, Jack! I only meant… I just…”

“You meant that you’re proud of me,” I chuckled as I watched her blush even more. “You can say it. I may be a god, but I value your opinion quite highly, Aleia. Very highly.”

“You do?” Aleia’s green eyes widened.

“More than you could ever know,” I assured her. “In fact, knowing you’re proud of me makes me want to do all kinds of godly things. And some not so godly things… especially with you.”

The fairy giggled at my teasing, and I didn’t think I’d ever seen her so red-faced before. It made her look twice as beautiful as usual, and I found myself gazing at her smooth little belly.

Fuck, I hoped she was the priestess who’d gotten pregnant the other night.

It didn’t take long to spot the orange door and the small stable attached onto the side of the house. The structure was very shoddily made, and I wasn’t sure that “stable” was exactly the right word. It was made of steel sheets and looked like it was held together with the same sticking paste the gnomes had made for our cellar.

Aleia jumped down from the driver’s seat and gently pushed the door open. Inside, it was a lot nicer with a tidy area and fresh hay bales against the wall. The gray donkey was laying down in the back corner, and the poor thing was shaking as thunder rolled above the rooftops.

“Hi, Smoosh,” the fairy said softly. “Um, we’re going to bring some friends in, okay? Don’t be scared.”

The donkey didn’t look at her and laid its head down on the floor.

“Nicola should have done this bit,” Aleia sighed, and she opened the door wider to bring in the horses.

She unclipped them from the harness so they could go in one at a time, and then she dragged the carriage in with her own hands. The vehicle only just fit through the door, and she grunted as she wedged it into the front right side of the stable.

The horses seemed to comfort the donkey, and Smoosh stood up to greet them.

“Great,” I said. “Now that the animals are all buddied up, let’s make sure to close the door tightly.”

“They’ve got water, too.” Aleia nodded as she glanced at a silver trough. “And hay, they should be happy enough until this is all over.”

The fairy came back out onto the street and carefully closed the steel door behind her.

“Okay,” she said. “Horses and carriage are safe. What next, Jack?”

I stared at the temple for a brief moment and wondered if we could find a way inside. Even if we had to break in, it could be the perfect spot to set up a base for any injured folks, and Tobias certainly didn’t seem to be using it anyway.

“Well… the others have everything under control, so I say we go and look at old Tobias’ house,” I said grimly. “If we can get in, we can use it for a medical base. There might even be some good angles to shoot from in there.”

“Okay.” Aleia nodded. “Maybe there’s a window up high I can get in through to open it up.”

“Good thinking,” I praised.

The fairy smiled sweetly and flew toward the white building, but she had to steady herself as a huge gust of wind blew against her.

I looked up to see the swirling whirlpool of orange had crept closer to the town walls, and I could hear the cackle of the sprites even over the wind and rain.

Aleia flew toward the temple and sheltered from the wind around the back wall. There were several tall windows up high, but each one of them had been filled in with stone.

“That’s weird,” the fairy said. “Why is it all filled in?”

“I don’t know,” I replied. “I know nobody has been here for years, but that looks like a way to just never let anyone in again.”

Aleia flew around the whole perimeter of the building, but every nook and cranny had been filled in with brick. It was even too much for Aleia’s strong fists to break through.

“I don’t think there’s a way in,” the fairy sighed as she landed at the front of the temple. “I guess Tobias really doesn’t care.”

“I can’t say I’m surprised,” I muttered.

For some reason, I felt slightly betrayed. I knew this Tobias guy was probably a shitty god, but there was still a tiny part of me that thought he might come through at the last moment. Surely gods should be sticking together, maybe trying to solve problems like these Squall Sprites together. We could have been a holy duo or something, but I suddenly didn’t even think that Tobias was near his place of worship at all. It was just a run-down, empty building with nobody listening inside.

But fuck that guy. I had a town to save.

“I’m going to check in with the others,” I decided. “If the locals are back at the square, start dividing them up into little teams. Make sure you get the strong fighters spread out.”

“Got it.” The fairy nodded, and she flew off toward the town center.

Then I joined Penelope and Wilfrim and found them tearing apart some moldy wooden planks from an abandoned store. There was a grubby, faded sign above the doorway that wasn’t readable anymore, and the windows were already boarded up.

“Hi,” I said to let them know I was there. “How’s it going?”

“We thought this might be helpful,” Penelope grunted as she broke off some rotten wood from the doorway.

“It’s all blocked up already,” Wilfrim said. “But if we can break off enough to get inside, we can use it to shoot from.”

“There’s people hiding in the cellar next door,” Penelope added. “So if we get some people stationed in here with crossbows, they can take down any sprites that try to get near the house.”

“Good work,” I praised the pair. “The horses and carriage are in the stables, and hopefully the door will stay shut during the storm.”

“I don’t think they would run even if it didn’t.” Wilfrim muttered. “They would probably be spooked by the storm. They’ll stay put.”

“I’m going to see how everyone is getting on,” I said, and I joined Celeste and Nicola.

The two priestesses were inside a dark room, and they were looking out onto the town below from a high window.

“What is this place?” I asked.

“We’re inside an old lookout tower,” Celeste replied. “I hadn’t even noticed this before, it’s pretty tucked away, but it has a great view of the storm.”

“It’s a great spot to attack from,” Nicola agreed. “The window openings are already really slim, so we don’t even need to board them up. This is the best part, too, look.”

She strode over to the center of the room and passed a spiral staircase that led down to the ground floor. The brunette hurried over to a heavy-looking door, and she pulled it open to reveal a small, stone room.

“We can hide in here if sprites spot us,” Nicola said. “It’s like having a little safe room if there’s an emergency.”

“Perfect!” I replied. “Great work, this place is awesome. Now we just need to make sure we get someone who’s a good shot in here. Celeste, how about you?”

“Me?” she asked and blushed lightly. “O-Of course, Jack. I can hole up in here if you like. Maybe Nicola can join me? She’s been doing wonderfully lately!”

“I have.” Nicola nodded frankly.

“I’ll actually need to get a couple of others to come and join you, instead,” I told the harpy. “I need to have my strongest fighters spread out and facing right out at the storm, so I’ll need to divide you four up throughout the town.”

“I found a house with a flat rooftop, too,” Celeste recalled. “The elf who owns it said we can use it to fight on, it’s just a few buildings down from here.”

“Perfect,” I said. “Penelope found an old shop on the other side of town as well. Of course, we will have to have people out on the streets, too, and that could be a bit tricky for these less-trained elves. Nicola, can you stay around the square and look after them?”

“Of course, Jack,” the brunette agreed.

“There’s loads of buildings around there,” I continued. “So you’ll have plenty of little alleyways to take cover in, and we’ll make sure you have some strong fighters with you, too.”

The wind outside howled so loudly that I swore the walls moved, and I knew we must only have a few minutes before all hell broke loose on the town of Evelhelm.

“Let’s meet back at the square quickly,” I said, and the priestesses hurried down the spiral staircase and out of the old watchtower.

As they raced back to the cobbled square, there was an orange glow that shone down onto the town. The locals brandished weapons and stared at the angry sky, and it looked like the priestesses and gnomes were all back and awaiting instructions, too.

“Okay,” I said. “Celeste, I want you to repeat these instructions to everyone for me.”

The harpy unfolded her scarlet wings immediately and soared upward so she was above the middle of the crowd.

“I want Nicola, Grez, and two others in the town square,” I decided. “Wilfrim, Celeste, and two others in the tower. Celeste will be above in battle bird form, right?”

Celeste nodded and then repeated the instructions, and the locals began to divide themselves up into groups with my followers.

“Penelope, Elowise, and one other in the old shop,” I continued. “Aleia, Balabar, and six more on that rooftop. It’s going to be a main point of attack since it’s up high.”

The harpy relayed my words, and there was a scurry of movement as more groups were formed.

I looked out at the formations so I could quickly move my focus around to anyone if necessary, but I was grateful to see the locals were self-aware enough to have evenly spread out the strongest amongst all the different groups.

There were still around thirty elves left over, including the pink-haired woman who had visited our convent earlier. By the looks of it, she was the strongest left of the bunch, and she didn’t flinch under the storm the way the others did.

“Ask what her name is,” I said to my harpy. “The pink-haired elf.”

“Jack is asking for your name,” Celeste called down, and the elf raised her eyebrows.

“Nia,” she shouted back as she gripped a sword by her side.

It didn’t look like one of the enchanted ones, but it was a deadly blade, nonetheless.

“Tell her she’s in charge of the remaining elves,” I said. “She will know this town well, and I want her to station groups of two or three fighters around the ground in spots where there’s a good amount of shelter. I need someone I can trust in charge of the fighters on the ground.”

Celeste translated to the elf, and Nia nodded as she puffed her chest out proudly.

“Um,” a male elf said and tentatively raised his hand. “I’m the doctor’s son. He’s hiding out in the cellar because he’s rather old, but I’m good with medical assistance. If that’s… anything you want help with?”

“Get him off the streets,” I decided at once. “Keep him inside one of the houses in the square so everyone can take any injured fighters to him.”

The wind howled so loudly that Celeste had to go right down to the elf for him to hear her.

I knew that there was no time left to waste. I had more that I wanted to say, but the swirling mass above us told me that we only had a matter of moments before the sprites descended.

“Go!” I yelled. “Tell everyone to get into position!”

Celeste gave the word, and the last of the crowd scattered.

The priestesses ran off with their new teams, and Nia bellowed instructions to the rest of the elves. Nicola stood in the center of the town with her flail held high and a dagger attached to her hip. Grez stood near her with a crossbow ready to fire and a mace strapped to his back. Two elves were spaced out behind them, and they held their weapons poised and ready.

Then there was a sudden burst of light, and several lightning bolts flew down onto the cobbled streets, just narrowly missing the elves’ feet.

They jumped backward and watched wide-eyed as the storm raged above them.

A feeling of determination washed over me as the townsfolk prepared to fight, and I was ready to do everything in my power to help them. This was what being a god was all about. Being right in the midst of the ugly, bloody times. Doing everything in my power to help those who needed me, and making sure they were prepared for the battle of their lives.

Tobias might have a temple, but I had something much more powerful. I had loyal followers who cared, and I had an unshakable sense of responsibility to them. What was the point of being a silent god? I had been given this power for reasons that I still didn’t understand, and I was going to use it for good.

Then an ear-piercing screech echoed out through the sky, and the Squall Sprites began to descend.

Chapter 18

Manic laughter filled the air as the sprites flew down over the town, and the orange whirlpool of the storm circled over the whole of Evelhelm. The ugly beasts hovered above the buildings, just high enough to be seen, but not touched by weapons. Their black wings were almost invisible as they fluttered swiftly, and the Squall Sprites waved their taloned hands threateningly. They didn’t dive down or attack just yet, but they hovered above the crowd with snarls and bone-chilling cries.

“What are they doing?” Grez shouted. “Trying to scare us off?”

“Looks that way,” Nicola said grimly. “Come down here and fight, you fuckers! See what happens when you mess with Jack!”

“Be ready,” I warned. “They might dive at any moment. Don’t let your guard down.”

“Stand your ground!” Nicola shouted to the others. “Be ready for when they swoop down at us!”

The sprites continued to howl above the town, and it looked like they were really upping the theatrics to freak out the locals. It seemed to be working, too. The two elves behind Nicola and Grez had already taken several steps back.

I wondered if they were going to just hover there until someone fired a shot, or if they even had a plan at all.

Then something really fucking unexpected happened.

The Squall Sprites spoke.

It was as if they were all talking as one, and a booming, gravelly voice filled the air and seemed to carry on the wind so that the whole town could hear.

“We are heeeereee to destroy youuuu,” the voice said with an eerie hiss. “We are servantsss to our god alone, and weeee are his wrath.”

I was speechless for the first time in a long time, and my mind raced as the creatures spoke. A god? Was it Tobias? Had that bastard sent an army to destroy the very people who had worshipped him for so long? From what I had learned about the guy, I wouldn’t put it past him.

But it still didn’t make any sense.

“We destroooooy in the name of the great god Ethannnn,” the sprites echoed.

Ethan? Who the fuck was Ethan?

“The great master Ethan sent us from deeeeep within the mountainssss,” the sprites cried out. “Over Mount Sprital he presides, and he will claim all other lands with our stoooorm.”

Lightning bolts flew out of the sprites’ palms, and Nicola had to dive out of the way as one crashed at her feet.

“We will take this towwwwn,” the mass-voice boomed out. “None shall surviiiive. Ethaaaan shall rule alllll.”

“Fuck this!” I yelled. “Hold your ground, make sure they don’t take you by surprise for a single second.”

Nicola kept her expression determined, but the rest of the fighters in the square looked terrified.

The sprites suddenly began to move in a huge whirlpool motion, and they flew around in a circle as they began to chant. It was even more intimidating when there were so many of them, and they became a blur of orange and black just like the clouds.

“Ethan! Ethan! Ethan!” their voice cried out, and for a very regular name, they managed to make it sound fucking terrifying.

More and more sprites came down from the storm to join, until it seemed like there were hundreds swirling around together. Their booming voices dissolved into hundreds of individual cackles, and they began to howl and cry out like wild animals.

Then the sprites broke off from their circle in a sudden burst of noise and lightning. Yellow and red bolts of electricity shot in every direction, and their poor aim meant that some sprites got hit by their own kind.

The orange bastards scattered and swooped down all over the town with their talons outstretched, and their manic laughter echoed over the cobbles.

Nicola moved before any of the other fighters in the square. Just as two sprites pelted toward her, she leapt up and swung her flail with a grunt. The metal spikes scraped both beasts in the face, and their skin was torn horribly as they screeched. The brunette wasted no time in delivering her second blow, and she managed to finish off both sprites with one swoop of her weapon. The silver ball cracked each of their skulls in quick succession, and their bodies hit the soaked cobblestones as the first kills of the fight.

Her efforts seemed to rouse the rest of the troops, and the square became a mass of stormy chaos.

The elves had quickly jumped into action behind Nicola, and blood flew everywhere as they slashed orange skin with daggers and axes.

“Good work!” I shouted. “Keep going strong!”

Nicola grunted in response as another sprite came into contact with her flail, and she kicked another in the face as it tried to sneak under her arms.

Then I joined Aleia on the large rooftop of a nearby house, and she was just about to shoot with her crossbow. Balabar and the other rooftop fighters moved quickly all around her, and it seemed a huge amount of the sprites had decided to target them.

Aleia shot a bolt right into the neck of an approaching storm beast, and she flew up to yank it out of the spluttering creature right before it fell down dead.

“Good shot!” I shouted, and the fairy quickly reloaded.

Right beside Aleia, Balabar swung a short sword around and managed to decapitate two sprites with one swipe. Their ugly heads rolled off and were blown away in the wind, along with their blood and entrails.

The fairy and gnome were getting most of the kills in, but to be fair to the elves, they were doing damn well for fighting newbies. I recognized one of them as the other male that had been at the convent, and he was slashing sprite faces with his axe with excellent aim.

The others were keeping up the pace the best they could, although one of them already had a gash in his arm from a sprite talon.

“Aleia!” I yelled as I spotted a group of three sprites soaring in behind her. “Behind you!”

The fairy spun around and flew upward at the same time. She took one of the fuckers out with a shot of her crossbow, and the other two received brutal kicks to the face. Their noses broke, and blood poured from their heads as they wailed. Then Balabar swooped in and finished the two injured sprites off with one swipe of his sword, and their slashed bodies dropped onto the roof.

Lightning bolts were flying aimlessly around the building, and it still seemed that the sprites had no real control over where they went.

Luckily, Aleia had her shield strapped over her shoulder, and she swung it around to her front as a whole cluster of red light flew toward one of the elves. She dove in front of him just in time with her shield held up, and the lightning bolts ricocheted back into the sprites.

They died immediately as the fiery light hit them, and some of the nearby sprites quickly changed course to stay away from the rooftop.

“Keep going,” I urged. “You’re all doing great, I’ll be back.”

I went to Celeste next and found she had already transformed into her battle bird form. She was circling above the watch tower, and the sprites were losing their fucking minds.

It seemed that the tower was the safest place to be at the moment, since every slim window had a shooter, and the harpy fried most sprites that even came close. Celeste screamed out as she aimed a stream of orange flames at a group of sprites, and they burned up so quickly that their skeletons were the only thing left to fall to the ground.

“Amazing!” I called. “Fry those fuckers, Celeste!”

“Jack!” the harpy shouted as rain streaked down her ivory face. “Who is Ethan?”

“I honestly have no idea,” I replied. “But he sounds like a piece of shit.”

Celeste grinned at the words before she charred another two sprites all to hell.

Inside the tower, Wilfrim was with the female armory shopkeeper and a purple-haired elf man. The shopkeeper had clearly saved some of the best weaponry for herself, and I didn’t blame her. To her credit, she had placed the items in the middle of the floor so the others could use them, and I watched as the burly woman took a match from her pocket.

She was holding a crossbow, and I realized that the bolts had flammable patches at the end. The girl struck the match and lit the bolt on fire before she aimed it out the window and struck a sprite right in the head. Its body was consumed by flames in seconds, and the shop woman smirked ruthlessly to herself.

“That lady’s a good fighter,” I said, and Wilfrim grunted as he fired a bolt into an oncoming sprite.

“She’s got good aim,” the gnome agreed and then quietened his voice. “The elf’s not much use.”

The purple-haired man also had a crossbow, but his hands were shaking as he took aim. I noticed that Celeste was directly above his window, though, and I was glad to see she was taking care of the dangers in that direction.

“They can’t all be warriors,” I sighed. “He showed up at least, I’ll give him credit for that. You’ve got three strong fighters here, I believe in you.”

“We’ll be just fine, Jack.” Wilfrim nodded.

I visited Penelope next and was surprised to find my pregnant naiad outside the shop with her sword in hand.

“Penelope,” I said a little anxiously. “You don’t want to shoot from inside?”

“Oh, master,” she breathed raggedly, and her drenched outfit revealed her swelling breasts. “Something in me was called to by the sword, Jack. I just need to use it!”

The naiad looked awesome as she stood ready with her blade held up by her chest, and she scowled up at the sky as a group of sprites dive-bombed her.

“Steady,” I cautioned. “You’ve got this, just stand your ground.”

Then Penelope raised her sword, and something really fucking weird happened.

The blade glowed a deep, navy blue, and as four sprites tumbled toward it, the sword let out a burst of cerulean light.

The orange creatures clutched their ears like they had been deafened, and they fell to the ground screeching and writhing.

Penelope’s eyes were wide, but she didn’t waste time with questions or confusion. She jumped forward to the fallen sprites and brought her sword down on each of their heads until every one of them had a split skull. They bled out onto the drenched ground, and the naiad gasped as she held the sword in front of her stunned face.

The blade was back to its normal gleam, but it seemed to have a darker tone of blue to it than before.

“What the fuck?” I muttered. “I guess that’s the enchantment?”

“It must be!” the naiad said excitedly. “Oh, Jack! This is amazing, it’s as if it gave off an unbearable sound that only the sprites could hear!”

“Incredible,” I mused. “I wonder if anyone else could hear it.”

Then I remembered the extra agility points I still had to give out, and I knew that they could give Penelope even more help. Maybe it was because she was more pregnant than the others, but I felt that she was the one that should get the extra help.

I added her bonus points to the stats, and suddenly the naiad leapt off her feet and swung her blade through three approaching sprites. Their stomachs were sliced in half with one swift movement, and a pile of wet guts fell to the floor.

“Holy shit,” I laughed. “You are unstoppable!”

“I feel like I am!” the naiad shouted, and she moved her sword so quickly, it was almost hard to see.

Sprite bodies began to rain down around the naiad, and I knew I had made the right choice with the points. These little orange assholes didn’t stand a chance against Penelope.

Once I was certain my pale blue lover could hold her own out there, I quickly joined Elowise inside the dark shop, and she stood at a halfway boarded-up window along with a pale-haired elf.

“Elowise, did you hear that sound?” I asked.

“I heard nothin’, Jack!” the gnome replied. “But I saw what it did to those sprites. Penelope has finally become in tune with the sword’s enchantment!”

The nearby elf looked at Elowise with raised eyebrows and seemed clearly alarmed at the gnome talking to an invisible force.

The shop seemed to be in safe hands, though, and it didn’t seem to be attracting as many sprites as the tower and rooftop.

“Keep fighting,” I urged. “I need to check the square again.”

Back in the center of the town, there was already a mass graveyard of orange bodies, and the cobblestones were stained with blood. The rain was nowhere near as heavy as it had been, and I looked up to see that the storm had become a lighter shade of orange. It seemed that there were no sprites left waiting in the clouds, and they had all swarmed down to attack the town by now. The lack of creatures in the sky seemed to make the whirlpool vanish, but their howling voices still carried on the wind.

Nicola was right in the middle of the square, and she scowled up at the sky with determination as she pushed back her dark hair. She had blood all over her golden skin, but I was relieved to see none of it was her own. The brunette had a pile of dead sprite bodies at her feet, and her flail didn’t stop moving.

She really was a red-hot killing machine.

“You’re doing amazingly!” I cried. “There aren’t any sprites left inside the storm. Once we kill all of them in the town, then they’re done for.”

As the priestess continued to fight, I watched the swarm of attackers become more and more thinned out. I could see the orange bastards were losing faith in their team, and their attacks were more frenzied than confident.

They had stopped calling out the name of their god, and the storm had really started to die down. The wind was less intense, and the rain had become more of a soft drizzle than a downpour.

For the most part, the clusters of elves spaced out over the streets were holding their own, but I could see one of them limping as she brandished an axe.

“Someone’s hurt,” I said. “Down the alley on the right, we need to get her to safety. Tell one of the elves to get her to the doctor’s son, but not Grez. You need him here to keep the strength of the fight up.”

“Hey!” Nicola shouted over her shoulder. “One of you needs to go and help that girl in the alleyway. Make sure she gets to the doctor’s son.”

A pink-faced elf nodded, and he made sure he wasn’t being followed before he sprinted off to help the injured fighter.

“I think we’re making a dent in their army!” Grez called out. “Jack! Are you seeing this?”

The yellow-haired elf looked up at the sky.

“I am,” I instinctively replied, but the man didn’t seem to hear me.

I felt kind of sorry for the guy that I couldn’t reply to him yet. He seemed so close to believing in me entirely, but something must have been holding him back from completely accepting my presence.

Fuck it. I decided to check the devotional map again, just in case.

Then I felt a phantom smirk as I saw Grez’s dot was now a deep orange. He was well on his way to being a red dot of a true believer. It was only a matter of time.

“Tell Grez he’s doing awesome,” I quickly instructed Nicola. “You’re both fucking demolishing them.”

“Jack says nice work!” Nicola yelled. “Now stop talking and keep fighting!”

“Yes, ma’am!” Grez nodded, and he smashed his axe right into the center of an oncoming sprite’s skull.

I could tell the guy was an ex-soldier by his immediate acceptance of orders, and I was glad to see him take the instructions from Nicola so willingly.

As the Squall Sprites thinned out, I checked back in with Aleia on the rooftop. Her soaked, strawberry-blonde hair had been tied up into a messy bun as she fought, and her face was scrunched up with focus. She was holding her purple shield up as she rammed into a fat sprite, and the spikes impaled the bastard right in the belly.

Then his stomach ripped open, and guts splattered out onto the roof as the fairy pulled back her weapon.

“Are you doing okay?” I asked. “You’re not hurt at all?”

“Nope!” Aleia chirped. “We’re really doing well up here, Jack!”

“You certainly are,” I assured her. “I’m so proud of you. The storm is easing up, and I think the more of them you kill, the calmer it gets.”

“We’re doing it!” she squealed. “They don’t stand a chance!”

“Not against you, they don’t,” I chuckled.

I looked down at the surrounding buildings and noticed that none of the boarded-up windows had any more damage than a few claw marks. It seemed that the sprites had all been unsuccessful in breaking into the homes, and they were shot down before they could do any real damage to the properties.

The flooding had also been minimal. The sprites must have been weakened so quickly that the water hadn’t had time to build up properly.

Aleia fluttered back down to the roof since there were suddenly no new attackers, and she rubbed sprite blood from her freckled cheeks.

“There’s hardly any left!” the fairy gasped as she looked around. “Jack, we’ve killed so many of them!”

“I knew you would,” I murmured. “You’re a very fierce little fairy, Aleia. The ground is basically covered with bodies! See what a town can do when they all come together.”

“Thanks to you,” Aleia said and fluttered her eyelashes. “They never would have united like this otherwise.”

“Perhaps,” I chuckled. “I’m going to see how they’re doing at the tower. Keep vigilant!”

As I joined Celeste, I found her with two sprites gripped in each of her taloned feet. Then she crushed their feeble bodies easily and dropped them down onto the distant ground.

“Still going strong!” I cheered. “These bastards didn’t stand a chance against a battle bird.”

“They really didn’t,” the harpy laughed. “There’s less and less of them now, too. The people of Evelhelm made quick work of this!”

From her view, I could see most of the town, and there had to be less than a hundred orange bodies flying over the buildings. They looked lost as they bumbled around, but their screeches had become more manic and high-pitched. It seemed that whatever god they were serving hadn’t come with them for protection, and this Ethan guy was about as useful as Tobias was.

I already didn’t like the name Ethan, either. I remembered some guy back in my old life by that name. There wasn’t much I remembered about him, other than I worked with him at some point, and he was a real asshole. The pompous kind of guy in a suit that was always a dickhead to the young secretaries.

I wondered if the god Ethan was a similar kind of being. Greedy to take what others had and offering no help to the workers that needed it.

Then I glanced down and was horrified to see two sprites had a young elf man in their grasp. The orange bastards each held onto one of his feet, and they cackled as they flew back toward the clouds with their prey.

“Celeste!” I shouted. “Over to your right, get those fuckers!”

She didn’t waste a single second and pelted toward the sprites as they laughed.

The elf looked almost unconscious, and he dangled upside-down over the cobblestones as the sprites got higher. If they dropped him now, his head would crack wide open on the ground.

“Make sure he doesn’t fall,” I instructed, and Celeste nodded.

The sprites’ little wings were no match for the battle bird’s huge scarlet ones, and soon Celeste flew right into their path. She whipped her talons up high so they were pointed just above the sprites’ heads, and then a blast of flames flew right at them.

The fire caught right on the top of their ugly heads, but it was high enough not to go near the elf.

As the sprites screamed, their hands flew up to their burning skulls, and the elf was dropped.

Then Celeste flew down in a split second and soared underneath the elf so that he landed on her back.

“Thank you,” he breathed as his eyes rolled back into his head, and he passed out right on the harpy’s back.

Celeste carefully landed next to two other elves, and they rushed over to help.

“We’ll get him to the medical house,” one of them said, and they lifted the unconscious elf to carry him off.

“That was awesome!” I praised the harpy. “Great work!”

“We got him just in time!” Celeste panted as she flew back into the sky. “Jack, look! There’s barely any left!”

The rain had almost completely stopped, and the wind was not much more than a gentle breeze. Evelhelm was stained red with blood, but all the bodies littered on the streets were sprites. I could only see a handful of the storm creatures, and they seemed to have lost all confidence as they zigzagged over the streets with flailing arms.

I chuckled as I watched the elves on the ground gain a new sense of confidence, and they leapt at the remaining Squall Sprites with screams and chants.

Back in the square, Nicola had her flail by her side as she looked up at the sky. The orange and black clouds had turned into wispy gray ones, and there wasn’t a lightning bolt to be seen.

I looked up to see what must have been the one remaining sprite left from the whole army, and I couldn’t help but snort with laughter as it flew around in a panicked circle.

“Poor bastard,” I chuckled. “I wonder who’s going to get it?”

My question was answered as Aleia flew toward the beast with her shield held out, and she approached it silently from behind. She smirked as she got closer, and the Squall Sprite turned around just as she reached it.

The fairy smacked her weapon into the orange beast’s chest, and it was impaled on the silver spikes. The creature spluttered as blood poured from its torso, and then the final Squall Sprite fell to the cobbled street with a dull thud.

There was a long beat of silence, and a beam of light shone onto the town. I looked up to see the sun poking out from white clouds, and the townsfolk had started to gather back into the square as they realized the army had been defeated.

My followers hurried over to each other with wide grins.

“We did it!” Celeste yelled as she began to change form back into a woman, and several elves stared as her feathers began to shift into ivory skin.

Level up!

I suddenly felt the cool air on the back of my neck, and my feet were on solid ground in the very center of the town square.

The priestesses gasped as I looked down at my physical form, and the gnomes instantly cheered.

But silence fell over the people of Evelhelm as they stared at me, and Grez suddenly dropped to the ground in a deep bow.

“Jack,” the yellow-haired elf whispered. “Our god is finally here.”

Chapter 19

I looked down at the bowing elf and smiled as he raised his head to look at me.

“I knew you were real,” Grez whispered. “I tried to pray to you during battle.”

“And I heard.” I smiled. “You were an excellent soldier. You all were.”

I turned to face the crowd that had gathered around me, and I locked eyes with the locals as they covered their mouths and rubbed their eyes.

“You have done your town proud,” I announced. “Defeating a whole army of Squall Sprites is not an easy task, but you didn’t cower from the challenge, and you’ve defended yourselves bravely.”

“This can’t be,” an elf girl muttered. “Is this really you, Jack? You’re really a god?”

“It is him!” Grez cried out. “We saw his mural at the convent, and now he’s here after saving us from the sprites. He has saved our town and our lives!”

Suddenly, more and more townsfolk fell to their knees, and I was quickly surrounded by a whole crowd of bowing locals.

“You saved us!” a voice cried out.

“He’s really here!”

“Jack is our new god!”

“All hail the mighty Jack!”

I grinned down at the elves and ran a hand through my hair as I enjoyed the feel of the sunshine on my skin. It was always a good time when I got to have my physical body back, but a whole new army of worshippers really added to the high, and a heady sense of pride and power seemed to wash through me all at once.

This felt so right.

Then the priestesses made their way over to join me, and the elves began to bow in their direction, too.

“Jack’s priestesses are warriors!” a woman cried out. “I watched Penelope take down six sprites at once!”

There was a sudden outburst as the locals discussed the awesome fighting they had seen, and I smiled at my women as they grabbed me into a tight embrace. I clutched them all in a tight hug, and it felt amazing to have their skin pressed up against mine. For a moment, I closed my eyes and enjoyed the warmth of my women as the voices in the background sang out praises.

“I think they like us,” Celeste whispered, and Aleia giggled.

“It does seem that way.” Nicola smirked. “And we get to touch Jack’s body. This is a good fucking day.”

As the priestesses stepped back from me, I could see the whole of Evelhelm were on their knees, and various prayers were being muttered around us. I let the locals have a few moments of worship, and then I cleared my throat as their heads shot up.

“Thank you for your belief,” I said in my most gracious tone. “It is greatly appreciated, and I know it isn’t easy to accept a new god.”

“It is when he looks like that,” a young elf girl muttered to her friend, and Nicola snorted with laughter as a ripple of giggles spread through the crowd.

“How can we repay you?” Grez asked. “You have done so much for us, Jack, even when we were all mindlessly following Tobias.”

Suddenly, the elves all looked over at the white temple with sour faces. It couldn’t have been easy to realize they had been putting all their time and effort into the wrong god, but at least they finally knew the truth.

Tobias wasn’t coming to help anytime soon, and now they had seen what I could do for them as their leader.

Now they knew what a real god was like.

“Please, get up.” I smiled gently. “I don’t need everyone to bow, you’re welcome to approach me and talk if you want.”

“T-Talk to a god?” Grez laughed. “I can’t believe this!”

The townsfolk got to their feet all at once, and they murmured as they studied me with reverent stares.

“Jack has always been ten times the god Tobias was,” Penelope said proudly. “Now you can see for yourselves just how dedicated he is to his followers.”

“Can I shake your hand?” Grez asked eagerly, and I held out my arm with a smile.

The elf grabbed me firmly, and he began to laugh as he shook my hand. Nia stepped closer for a better look, too, and the pink-haired elf looked hesitant as she eyed me up and down.

“You were incredible out there,” I said to her. “You all were. Watching you fight was an honor.”

“Are they gone now, Jack?” a young elf asked. “The sprites?”

I looked up and smiled as sunlight washed over my face. The sky was a light blue once more, and there weren’t any signs of dark, moody clouds. But then I frowned a bit as I remembered what the sprites had said. That this Ethan guy ruled over Mount Sprital, wherever the hell that was.

“Which direction is Mount Sprital?” I asked, and the elves all pointed to the North.

“It’s many days of travel,” Nia said. “I’m not sure I’ve ever known anyone who’s actually been there.”

“Aleia,” I said and turned to my fairy. “Shall we have a look?”

The fairy nodded, and as she shot up into the air, I walked a little ways away from the crowd and watched her progress. Then I decided to try something I’d never attempted yet, and I closed my own eyes as I focused on the thought of Aleia.

A moment later, I was following her vision.

From this perspective, I could see the buildings of Evelhelm far below her, and she kept fluttering higher until she had a good view way over the treetops of the forest.

We both stared out into the distance, and my stomach dropped as I saw the far mountain ranges. The dark peaks were jagged and tall, and there was no denying that above them there was a swirling mass of orange and black.

“They’re really still out there,” Aleia whispered.

“They are,” I agreed as I spoke quietly out loud, and Aleia’s wings shook in surprise at the sound of my voice.

“You can speak to me like this even when you’re on the ground?” the fairy gasped.

“It appears so,” I replied.

“Oh, Jack…” Aleia kneaded her hands anxiously. “Do you think those clouds mean that Ethan is over there, too?”

“I’m not entirely sure,” I admitted.

It seemed absurd, but was that just because Tobias had tainted my belief in other gods? If Ethan really was a real god, why did he feel the need to take over everything he could and destroy people’s lives?

It didn’t make any sense to me, but the distant storm confirmed that even if Ethan wasn’t real, the Squall Sprites sure as hell were. It might be a while before we would have to face them again, but I knew that they would make the journey once more if they wanted to. The next time they might even bring a bigger army, and Evelhelm could be in real danger. The forest and even the convent could be in real danger.

“What should we do?” Aleia asked.

“For now, we need to keep the townsfolk motivated and happy,” I said. “We won this fight, and they saved their town. That’s all that matters right now.”

“Do you think the storm will come again?” the fairy asked, and I hesitated as I watched the far-off clouds.

I didn’t want to lie to her, but she deserved to celebrate her victory at least for the rest of the night. There was no point worrying over a storm that we couldn’t do anything about yet.

“I think we won’t see the sprites again for a long time,” I said gently. “And whenever we do, I have full faith that my beautiful priestesses will save the day, like they do every time.”

“Jack,” Aleia muttered coyly. “You’re so sweet, my lord.”

“Look who’s talking,” I laughed, and then I lowered my voice even more. “Maybe later I can show you just how sweet I think you are and give you a reward for being so brave today.”

“Oh, my,” the fairy squeaked. “Don’t get me all hot and bothered up here, Jack! The whole town is down there waiting for me!”

“Sorry,” I chuckled quietly. “I’ll save that for later. Let’s get you back to everyone.”

I opened my eyes again and watched the fairy flutter down to the ground once more. She smoothed down her robes as she reached me, and her face was still a deep pink when I offered her my arm and led her back to the priestesses and the rest of the crowd.

“What did you see?” Penelope asked. “My lord, are the sprites still out there?”

“They are,” I sighed. “Far, far off over the distant mountains, but it looks like their storm is still going strong.”

There was an outburst of hurried whispers, and I hated seeing the locals’ excited faces turn wide-eyed and pale again. They had just saved their town, they deserved to feel good and forget about storms and sprites for a while.

“That is not a worry for today,” I announced in what I hoped was a deep, godly voice. “You should all be incredibly proud of what you’ve achieved here today. You were brave, smart, and willing to learn. Evelhelm is still standing because of its people.”

“Thank you, my lord,” Grez said with a deep bow, and it felt good to hear those words.

The rest of the elves nodded and echoed his words, and I suddenly realized I had a whole town of new followers.

An entire fucking town.

“My lord,” an elderly elf said as he shuffled forward. He had wispy, silver hair sticking out at odd angles and wore a slightly ridiculous purple and yellow tunic.

“Hello.” I smiled. “How can I help?”

“Dad,” Grez groaned. “Don’t scare away our new god.”

The old elf waved a hand at his son and then beckoned for me to bend down to hear him. I leaned forward, and the elf gave me a pat on the shoulder.

“My lord,” he repeated. “I have an entire cellar full of wine I was saving for a special occasion. Perhaps now is the time? I’ll save the best bottle for you.”

I started to laugh so hard that tears fell from my eyes as the old elf grinned mischievously.

“People of Evelhelm,” I chuckled as I straightened up. “It looks like we’re about to have a town party here in the square, and I certainly think you’ve earned it!”

Everyone’s faces lit up, and Grez sighed as his father dragged him off to help with the wine.

“A party!” Nicola grinned. “Nice idea.”

“It was his.” I smirked as I pointed to the old elf. “He said he has a cellar full of wine for everyone. I say we let them enjoy themselves, and not worry for the night.”

“Sounds fun,” Celeste laughed. “Although, I would love to spend every possible second with Jack in his physical form.”

“We all would,” Nicola purred. “Maybe we’ll get to worship our master soon?”

“Oh, you will.” I winked at the beautiful priestesses, and every one of them instantly blushed.

“My lord!” an elf woman called as she hurried over. “Please, we want to thank you for all you’ve done for us. I own a fabric shop down the street, please take anything you desire for your convent.”

“That’s very kind.” I smiled. “Do you have any of that waterproof stuff?”

“Of course!” she cried, and she turned to run off down the street.

“Hello,” a quiet voice said behind me, and I turned to see the young elf Windra.

“Windra!” I smiled. “Good to see you.”

“Y-You… you know my name?” she asked with wide eyes.

“Of course,” I laughed. “You helped my priestesses with their clothing. I’m ever so grateful to you for doing so.”

“We love everything we got from you!” Aleia preened. “I’m so glad you’re okay, Windra.”

“My family can’t thank you enough,” Windra said, and she looked down shyly. “They would like to offer any new garments you want, and of course, I can make alterations for wings like before.”

“That is so sweet,” Penelope gushed. “We would love anything you have to offer.”

“I could pick things out?” Windra offered. “If you don’t want to come and look for yourselves, I could probably find something for each of you that would look good? You’re all so pretty, you would suit anything!”

“What a kind offer,” I replied. “That would be very much appreciated.”

“Yes, my lord!” the young elf mumbled as she looked down at her feet. “I’ll get started right away! Thank you!”

She hurried off toward her shop, and I grinned as I watched the crowd begin to disperse. It looked like they had very quickly embraced the idea of a party, and two elves had appeared with guitars. A couple of market stalls were being set up as bars, and there was a buzz of excited chatter in the air.

“Look how happy you made everyone,” Penelope sighed as she snuggled up to my arm. “My lord, you did all of this. You really are the best of all the gods.”

“I think they’ve already forgotten about Tobias.” Celeste nodded. “I can’t blame them. They pray to him for decades and get nothing. You come along and save their town in one day.”

“And then appear in the flesh,” Nicola added. “It’s not really a difficult choice to pick the better god.”

“It’s not a competition,” I told my women with a mock-scolding tone, even though I honestly had no clue if this strange life actually was a competition of some kind.

Then Nicola rolled her eyes.

“Alright, Jack,” she snorted. “But if it was a competition… I’d say you’re definitely winning.”

“By many, many miles.” Penelope nodded smugly.

“By a whole town, at least,” Aleia giggled.

“As it should be,” Celeste murmured, and I glanced over to see her amber eyes scanning the town square with obvious pride.

“It does seem that Evelhelm doesn’t belong to Tobias anymore,” I observed. “But that makes me wonder about the temple.”

I looked over at the closed-up white building and wondered if it was time to take over.

If the people of Evelhelm wanted a place of worship, they deserved to have one. For a god that would always help them, and not abandon them when they were in need.

“The temple is locked,” Aleia said. “The windows are filled in with stone, how would we ever get inside?”

I thought hard for a moment and then wondered if the horses could help. The door was locked, but if we attached the horses to the hinges, surely they could pull it off? Aleia could even help, and that would surely be enough power to take the doorway down. Then we could finally see what was inside.

“I have a plan,” I said. “But it will probably be loud and messy.”

“Louder and messier than a Squall Sprite massacre?” Nicola snorted.

“Good point,” I laughed. “Nicola, Celeste, can you go and get the horses, please?”

The two priestesses hurried off just as soon as Aleia explained where to find the beasts, and then I started to make my way over to the temple with Aleia and Penelope.

“What do you think is inside?” the fairy asked. “It’s been locked up for such a long time!”

“I really don’t know,” I said. “Probably not much, but I just want the people to be able to enjoy it again. They deserve to have a temple.”

“It’s such a waste just sitting there,” Penelope agreed. “Jack deserves a temple!”

“I already have the convent,” I laughed as we stopped at the doorway. “The temple would be more for the people than for me.”

“What will we use to pull the doors?” Aleia asked as she examined the hinges. “It is old, so it will probably come off easily enough with enough force.”

“Maybe that woman from the fabric store will have something,” I said. “Could you maybe go and see if she sells something suitable?”

“Got it!” Aleia nodded, and she fluttered off down the cobbled street.

“Excuse me,” a voice behind us said, and I turned to see a group of elves holding out a brown, leather pouch.

“Hi,” I said. “Is everything okay?”

“Oh, yes!” A red-haired man nodded. “We just have a collection from the richer families in town… An offering for our new god.”

“An offering?” I asked suspiciously.

I eyed the sack and was slightly wary I was about to be presented with a human head or something outrageous. The elf stepped closer and held out the pouch, so I took it and pulled it open to see that it was full to the brim with gold coins.

“Woah!” I laughed. “I can’t take this from you! This is far too much!”

“It’s a gift,” the man insisted. “Like I said, it is only from the richest families with plenty to spare. They wanted to offer something for the priestesses, so they can afford anything they desire.”

Penelope was speechless for once as she stared down at the gleaming pile of money, and I snorted as her mouth moved wordlessly.

“You’re sure?” I asked, and the elf nodded.

“We are forever in your debt, my lord,” he said with a bow. “But we also wanted to thank the priestesses for their leadership during the fight.”

“Thank you,” Penelope eventually managed. “Please, pass on our gratitude.”

The elves smiled and hurried back off looking pleased that the gift had been so well-received.

“What’s that?” Celeste asked as she arrived back with Nicola and the horses.

“The rich families have given this as a gift!” Penelope said excitedly. “So that we can buy whatever we want!”

“That is a lot of gold,” Nicola whistled. “Did they mean to give us that much?”

“It’s really heavy,” I laughed. “I think this is one for Aleia to tie around her waist.”

“We should save towns more often,” Nicola murmured. “I didn’t realize we would get so much reward for it.”

“Sister!” Penelope scolded. “We do it for the good of the people!”

“The gold helps, though.” Nicola smirked. “Think of how many more sexy outfits we can get to show Jack.”

“Don’t,” I groaned. “I need to focus on the temple before I get distracted by how ridiculously delicious you all are.”

“If you insist, master,” the brunette beauty purred, and the smoldering look she sent me made me want to spank her right there in the street.

Luckily, Aleia soon returned with long lengths of some kind of thin, black rope.

“She gave me this!” the fairy said as she fluttered down onto the steps. “She’s currently cutting us some strong silk to take back to the convent, but she said this is perfect for the job.”

“What is it?” I asked.

“I think it’s made from leather?” Aleia guessed. “Or really strong stuff that’s been coated in something. They use it in ships for hoisting sails and stuff, so it should do the trick!”

The fairy got to work tying the material around the bolts of the hinges, and I handed the lengths down to Nicola. She attached the rope to the horses’ reins, and we soon had our plan in place.

“Okay,” I said. “So now we just need our horses to give us a good old pull. Nicola?”

As the brunette started to lead the horses away from the temple, I noticed a crowd had begun to gather.

Curious elves peered over to see what was happening to the temple, and they whispered amongst each other as the horses began to put strain on the ropes. The huge doorway creaked, and I ushered everyone away from the front of the building in case the door suddenly broke from the hinges.

The two horses whinnied as they pulled with all their might, and the door kept shaking as if it was fighting against their efforts, but it was almost ready to burst open.

“Hey, Aleia,” I called. “Maybe they need a little helping hand?”

“On it!” the fairy squeaked, and she fluttered down to grab a piece of the black rope.

She began to pull, and there was a gasp amongst the crowd as the door suddenly shuddered louder than ever. Ember and Smokey were grunting as they kept trying to walk forward, and Aleia gave the rope one final, forceful tug.

Then the doorway gave way in a thundering boom, and bits of wood and stone cascaded down onto the cobbles. I covered my eyes with my arm as debris and dust flew through the air, and Nicola spluttered beside me.

“Are you okay?” I asked as I rubbed her back, and she nodded.

Then I slowly walked up the temple steps toward the dim entryway.

Part of me felt it had been too easy to get inside the place, even if the temple did seem to fight against our efforts a bit, and I couldn’t help wondering if this had something to do with the beliefs of the elves.

They had all pledged their faith to me now… so did that mean Tobias’ temple had to yield to our efforts at last?

The dust began to settle now, and I could see inside the forbidden place. The priestesses and gnomes hurried in behind me, and we walked into the temple of Tobias.

It was much like any other church setup from my old life, with rows of wooden benches all facing a small stage at the far end. Unlike other churches, though, there were no statues of deities or religious symbols. There were plants growing through cracks in the ground, and the only light came from the broken front door.

I carefully stepped over bits of broken glass that I assumed came from where the windows used to be.

“Wow,” Nicola breathed as she looked up. “The ceiling is amazing.”

I followed her gaze and caught my breath as I stared up at a brightly-colored mosaic made of stained glass. It was a landscape with trees, green fields, and a pink sunset, and it sparkled even in the dim light.

“Nice,” I said. “Who do you think made it?”

“Not Tobias,” Nicola muttered.

The gnomes wandered down the aisles of benches, and Wilfrim whistled as he admired the ceiling.

“This place is nice,” the old gnome said. “I reckon it wouldn’t take much to get it all tidied up.”

The elves started to slowly pile in, and they gasped as they looked around the spacious temple.

“What a waste,” Nia said. “This would be a great space to have the market in on rainy days.”

“Nia!” Grez hissed. “It’s for Jack!”

“I don’t mind what you do with it,” I laughed. “You can keep it as a temple if you like, or use it for whatever the community needs.”

“Why didn’t we find you sooner?” Nia sighed. “It would be a shame to not use it as a temple, I suppose. We would just need to get the weeds pulled out and sort the windows.”

“That would be simple enough,” an older elf said. “We just need to hammer the stone away with some tools.”

Suddenly, upbeat music drifted in through the doorway, and it sounded like the party had begun. A few of the elves scurried out to join in, and I smiled as I watched them run over to the festivities.

“I think we’ve done everything we can for today,” I said. “We should start to get ready for the trip back.”

We left some of the older elves to discuss what to do with the temple, and I gave the mosaic ceiling one last glance before we headed back onto the street.

Nicola untied the black rope from the horses, and the gnomes led them to retrieve the carriage from the stable.

The square of Evelhelm had started to turn into a real street party, and the two guitarists were stamping their feet as they played a punchy, upbeat song. Some of the younger elves had started to dance, and I spotted Grez and his father handing out goblets of red wine.

I grinned as I watched the locals enjoy themselves with no worries of storms or sprites hanging overhead.

Then the elf who owned the fabric shop hurried over with thick lengths of material folded up in her arms.

“Here you are, Jack!” she said breathlessly as she passed me the pile. “This is a supply of strong silk for anything you wish to make waterproof. Of course, I can get you more if you like, I just need a few days to get the supplies from out of town.”

“This is perfect.” I smiled as I accepted the gift. “Thank you so much, now go and enjoy the party!”

The elf bowed as low as she could and then hurried over to join her friends, who were at the wine stall. Windra was the next to rush over with a silk bag crammed full of garments.

“I’ve brought them!” the young elf gasped as she handed over her goods to Celeste. “I hope you like them! I picked them out so carefully with all of you in mind!”

“We will love them,” Penelope assured her. “Thank you so much, I can’t wait to try on whatever you picked out.”

“Goodbye, Windra,” I said. “Enjoy the party!”

The young elf blushed and hurried over to a lanky teenage boy elf with a dopey but charming grin on his face, and I sent the young man a wave.

“Home time?” Aleia asked as she laced her fingers into mine. “We need to make the most of all Jack’s time that we have!”

“And what shall we do with that time?” I asked with a grin. “Because unless you have other ideas, I can think of a few things I would like to do to each of you.”

“Master,” Penelope giggled. “Do you have plans for how we will worship today?”

“Yes, I plan to get each of you naked as soon as possible, but the rest is a secret,” I whispered. “So how about we get into that carriage and head back to the convent where I can enjoy your beautiful bodies?”

“That sounds fun.” Celeste smirked. “Let’s go now!”

The gnomes arrived back with the carriage, and all three of them had crammed into the driver’s seat.

“We wanted to give you plenty of space!” Elowise said. “Since Jack’s here in the flesh, you need a bit more room.”

“Thank you.” I smiled. “Much appreciated.”

The priestesses began to climb into the carriage, and some elves hurried over as they spotted us getting ready to leave.

“Jack!” Nia called out. “Are you all leaving? Why don’t you stay for the party? It is in your honor, after all!”

“That’s kind,” I said. “But my priestesses need to recuperate back at the convent, and the gnomes have little ones to get back to. Enjoy your party, and we will be back soon.”

“Thank you!” Grez called out. “For everything!”

“A thousand blessings to you!” Nia added.

I jumped into the carriage and sat on the front-facing seat between Penelope and Aleia.

The elves waved and cheered as we drove through the square and toward the gates of the town. Evelhelm was alive with music and laughter, and it felt like the best reward I could have possibly gotten. The locals were grinning from ear to ear as wine was passed around, and I had a feeling they would be celebrating long after the sun left the sky.

But I glanced up at the clouds and frowned as I thought about the distant storm. I would need to find out what the hell was going on in those distant mountains, and if this Ethan was really a threat. Maybe he would end up just being like Tobias, an idea of a god but nothing more. Maybe he was just a name the sprites used to pray to, but he had never really done anything himself.

“Celeste,” I said as we left the town behind. “I think tomorrow we should head off on a little scouting mission, just to check out this storm.”

“Of course, Jack.” She nodded obediently. “Tomorrow we can do that.”

“But toniiiight.” Aleia grinned and fluttered her eyelashes. “Maybe we could all do something a bit more fun?”

“I want to sit with Jack, too,” Nicola pouted from the opposite bench.

“We can make room,” Aleia giggled, and she jumped up so she was sitting on my lap.

Nicola and Celeste leapt over to join our bench, and the women roared with laughter as they all tried to fit.

“You’ll squish the baby!” Penelope giggled.

“Never!” Aleia said, and she leaned over to kiss the naiad’s belly. “Besides, it’s not just your baby that we need to look out for now.”

“Aleia?” I asked, and my tone made the fairy blush instantly. “Have you got something to tell me?”

“Surprise!” Aleia cried as she threw her arms up. “Jack, I’m going to have a baby! I’m pregnant!”

“That’s amazing,” I laughed, and I grabbed her into my arms and planted kisses all over her freckled face.

I had suspected it for ages, but hearing her confirm the news with such a huge smile on her pretty face just felt like the cherry on top of an amazing day.

“What a shock…” Nicola grinned. “None of us had any idea.”

“Complete surprise.” Celeste smiled. “Nobody noticed your wings had changed color at all.”

“You all knew?” Aleia asked with a little frown. “Really?”

“It’s so obvious!” Nicola snorted. “But you were so cute thinking it was a secret that we didn’t want to burst your bubble.”

“It was her news to tell,” Penelope said curtly.

“Aww,” the fairy pouted, but then she began to giggle again when I kissed her cheek.

“It’s wonderful,” Penelope gushed. “My sister is pregnant alongside me!”

The little fairy practically squealed in my arms, and she kept bouncing up and down in my lap like her excitement couldn’t be contained. I’d never seen her glow so much before, and I tightened my hold on her to keep her even closer.

“I’m so happy,” I whispered into Aleia’s ear. “You’re going to be a perfect mother.”

“I’m just so excited, Jack.” The fairy smiled as her eyes met mine. “I love you so much, and I wanted this so badly.”

“I love you, too,” I said. “And I love this little bean that we’ll get to meet soon.”

“Bean?” Aleia giggled.

“Yeah, Jack… is that what gods call babies?” Nicola chuckled.

“I’m a god, I can call it what I like,” I sagely replied.

Then I gently stroked Aleia’s belly, and the fairy bounced up and down excitedly once more.

As the carriage brought us back toward the convent, my mind began to wander from storms, sprites, and gods. All I could think about were the gorgeous women around me, and how exactly I should enjoy my time in my physical body.

Chapter 20

When we returned to the convent, the priestesses practically dragged me out of the carriage as they showered me with kisses. It felt good to be really standing on my grounds, and the air was cool and pleasant as the wind blew gently.

I made sure to thank the gnomes for everything with as straight of an expression as possible, and then I quickly excused myself so I could spend some time with the priestesses.

I was sure I saw Elowise throw Wilfrim a smirk as they headed off to their sleeping quarters, but they simply wished us a goodnight. Balabar hurried off to find Nissa, and then the grounds were still.

“Come on!” Celeste laughed as they hurried over to the sleeping quarters. “We can’t waste another second of having Jack here!”

“We need to get in as much worship as possible!” Penelope agreed. “Our lord needs to be shown our gratitude! He defeated a whole army of sprites, and we must show our gratitude with our bodies.”

“I’ll show him anything he likes,” Nicola purred as we tumbled into their bed of blankets. “Come on, master, show us how to behave like faithful priestesses.”

“As you wish,” I said with a grin.

I instructed the women to strip for me the second we were alone, and they put on a mouthwatering show of peeling off their priestess robes. The reward for being a good god was certainly worth it, and as I watched my women undress, I prepared myself for the night of my life.

As the sun disappeared from the sky, I barely noticed the light outside dimming. I was too preoccupied with hungrily kissing each of my beautiful women as their warm bodies pressed up against mine.

They were all so riled up from the fight and high energy of the day that my head was quickly spinning from pleasure. My cock was rock-hard within moments, and the women crowded around me hungrily as they gasped and moaned. Nicola and Penelope began to lovingly lick my shaft as Aleia and Celeste made out beside me. Then I watched as the naiad took my dick into her warm mouth, and I groaned as she moved up and down as she worked her tongue.

I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feel of Penelope’s mouth, but then my eyes snapped open as I heard Celeste moan.

The harpy had her mouth over Aleia’s nipple, and my head almost exploded from watching my women pleasure each other.

“My lord,” Penelope mumbled after she slowly slid her mouth from my cock. “Who would you like to release inside of first? Let us please you however you wish.”

“Me, please?” Aleia begged to be fucked first, and I couldn’t say no to her pleading eyes as she bit her lip. The fairy writhed on top of me as the other priestesses explored each others’ bodies with their fingers and mouths, and I kept one eye on all of them while I indulged in devouring Aleia.

I gripped Aleia’s thighs as she lowered herself onto my cock, and I moaned as her tight pussy clenched around me. She cried out as I immediately thrusted deep inside her, and she begged me to fill her up with cum within seconds of feeling my full girth. Then she whimpered over and over as I buried my cock deeper and deeper, and her little body shook with pleasure the moment I gently stroked one of her wings.

The little fairy kept covering me in kisses the whole time I moved her on my cock, and as my first orgasm washed over me, I was reminded how incredible it was to climax with my physical body. I loved visiting the women in their dreams, but somehow the pleasure felt a thousand times stronger when I was right there with them.

That could have been because Aleia was so fucking tight, though, and the fairy wailed and blushed bright red as she orgasmed with me.

After that, the women all pounced on me at once and kissed and touched every inch of my body. Penelope pressed her full tits against me as she kissed me, and I grabbed handfuls of her warm flesh while I reveled in the many sighs echoing around me.

“My lord,” the naiad whispered. “Nicola wants you to cum deep inside her. She wants your seed, isn’t that right, Nicola?”

The brunette moaned as I dipped a finger into her wet pussy, and she positioned herself on all fours without a single command from me. It was an offering I was not going to refuse, and I admired her perfect ass for a moment before giving her a playful spank.

Then I crawled out of the tangle of my other women, and I thrust my cock into Nicola’s wet pussy without a moment’s notice. The brunette let out a long groan as she arched her back for more, and I quickened my thrusts. Then I spanked her again, and she started panting my name over and over again.

I fucked Nicola as hard as I could from behind as I watched Aleia go down on Celeste, and my mouth salivated from the view of my women pleasuring one another for my own enjoyment.

After that, the entire night was spent in a hot, frenzied orgy with my gorgeous women, and when everyone was exhausted from their orgasms, it was finally time to sleep. The priestesses were all dewy with sweat by the end of it, and Penelope pressed up against me for a final, deep kiss before she collapsed onto the velvet blankets.

“Master,” she mumbled. “Thank you for allowing us to worship you.”

“I hope we satisfied you.” Aleia smiled as she sleepily ran her fingers over my leg.

I almost laughed. Satisfied wasn’t a strong enough word for how fucking perfect I felt. Having just one of those gorgeous women would have been mind-blowing. Having all four of them at the same time seemed like a dream, and I could still barely wrap my head around my new life as a god.

“It was incredible,” I said. “You are all fucking perfect. Never forget how much I love you all.”

“That was perfect,” Celeste said. “Thank you, Jack, for blessing us.”

“My legs feel weak now,” Nicola giggled as she snuggled down beside the others. “You really did cum soooo deep inside me.”

“I bet there’s a baby in there now.” Penelope smiled as she tapped the brunette’s belly.

Aleia smiled to herself, and I chuckled as I pulled her a little closer to my side.

The women began to fall asleep quickly, and I watched as their breathing became heavier, and their eyelashes fluttered. I was in awe of their beauty, and I felt like I would be perfectly happy to just sit and watch them forever.

How the fuck did I get this lucky?

I was on cloud nine. First an epic win in battle, and then a night of passionate sex with the hottest women in existence. Yeah, I was pretty happy to stick with this whole God thing.

But I could feel that I was going to leave my physical body soon, so I enjoyed the last few moments feeling the women’s warm skin against my own. Then as I transformed back to my god-like state, I started to think about our task in the morning.

My duties as a god never stopped, and I had an uneasy feeling about what lay within those far-off mountains. I couldn’t rest properly until we found out what the hell was going on with the sprites. I felt a phantom chill as I remembered the way they had chanted, and how their voices all became one uniformed echo.

Creepy little fuckers.

The women slept soundly through the night, and the convent was still and peaceful as the stars shone in the dark sky. Even baby Roza slept peacefully, and it seemed that the whole convent had a happy night of good rest. They had certainly earned it. I was so proud of how far they had all come, and I couldn’t wait to see how our home grew and developed next.

Developments made me think back to all the advancements I’d been seeing in my interface lately, and I recalled the new section I had discovered a few days ago. Then I pulled up the Armies menu. There was a new tab beside the gnome section, and I felt a phantom grin as I mentally clicked through it.

Armies > Elf Army> Strength Level 6.

Hell yeah.

A rush of adrenaline washed over me as I thought about how many tabs I could soon have. After all, I had won the elves over pretty quickly, so who knew how many more species would soon appear?

Next I scanned over to the devotional map, and I was shocked to see my follower count was up to seventy-six. Seventy-six beings who worshipped me. I felt delirious with happiness, and I could hardly believe how quickly the number had grown in such a short span of time.

I spent the next while thinking about my new followers in Evelhelm, and how they could help our convent grow, and when the sun eventually began to rise, Celeste was the first to stir.

The harpy mumbled softly as her eyes flickered open, and she pushed her red hair from her face. Then she stretched out with a yawn as she propped herself up, and her fiery hair cascaded down over her full breasts. She looked like a painting, and my phantom heart fluttered as her amber eyes looked around the room.

“Jack?” she whispered. “Are you there?”

“Right here,” I replied softly. “Did you sleep well?”

“I did.” The harpy smiled. “I was worn out after all of last night’s… worshipping.”

“I’m not surprised,” I chuckled. “All those orgasms can take their toll.”

Celeste giggled as she got to her feet and slowly began to pull on her brown, buckskin outfit. She looked as hot as ever as she squeezed into her tight pants, and I had to force myself not to get lost in more filthy thoughts.

“When shall we go and look for the storm?” she asked as she pushed her red hair over her shoulders.

I looked down at the rest of the sleeping priestesses, and I knew it might be a while before they properly rose for the day. Even if they woke up before we got back, I knew they would just get on with their days without the need for guidance.

“Let’s go now,” I decided. “They look like they need some more rest. Maybe grab yourself something to eat, and then we can make our move. The sooner we can figure this storm out, the better.”

Celeste quietly left her fellow priestesses asleep and headed out into the morning air. There were birds chirping from the forest, and the sky was tinted pink as the sun rose behind wispy clouds. Luna had wandered around to graze near the gateway, and Thunder was sprawled out in a patch of sunlight nearby.

“That’s a beautiful sunrise,” Celeste sighed. “It seems even prettier after spending so much time looking at that horrible orange storm.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “The sky is much more pleasant when it’s not full of ugly, orange things that want to kill everyone.”

The harpy strode over to the apple tree and picked a shiny red fruit to bite into for breakfast. She took a few moments to eat and admire the view of the sunrise, and then she spread out her scarlet wings.

“Morning!” Elowise called, and Celeste turned to see the elderly gnome holding a cup of tea.

“You’re up early,” I said. “Is everything okay?”

“Oh, yes!” The gnome smiled. “I slept like a baby after that battle, passed out the second I laid down. I thought I would get a head start on the day and have a look at that new fabric.”

“Good idea,” I agreed. “You could build something onto the carriage to keep the driver’s seat dry.”

“That material is amazing.” Celeste nodded. “I’ve seen it before, I think it takes days to make.”

“I can’t believe we got it for free,” Elowise chuckled. “That stuff is mighty expensive! I would have never dreamed of owning so much of it.”

“We’re lucky.” Celeste smiled. “That’s what we get for following such a wonderful god.”

“We chose well,” the gnome laughed. “And now you have a whole town of new followers, my lord! The whole of Evelhelm is at your service.”

“And the farms,” Celeste added. “I think Elias and Elm will be happy to provide us with any supplies we need. Maybe we could get some more animals.”

“That reminds me!” Elowise said. “I think the chickens have laid some eggs, I’ll cook something up for dinner later with them. It’s amazing how much our little convent has grown, we’re a proper little community now.”

“It’s a lot to take in,” I said as I looked around at the beautiful grounds. “I’m just glad we could help everyone, but I have a feeling the war against the Squall Sprites isn’t over yet.”

“The mountains.” Elowise nodded grimly. “Is that where you’re off to today, my lord?”

“We’re going to scout it out,” I confirmed. “I want to know exactly what it is we’re dealing with.”

“And who we’re dealing with,” Celeste added. “I wonder if this Ethan is anyone we should be worried about. The sprites seemed pretty loyal to him.”

“They did,” I muttered. “But the elves were loyal to Tobias, and look how that turned out. Although, even if Ethan isn’t anything to worry about, his followers definitely are.”

“Be careful,” Elowise said as she sipped her tea. “Those mountains have dark stories attached to them. I’m sure there are creatures over there that we wouldn’t want to run into. Even with the protection of a god like Jack.”

“I’ll be safe,” Celeste promised. “I don’t think I could take on a whole army of sprites on my own.”

“I think you could make a good go of it, though,” I laughed. “But we won’t put you in any danger.”

“I’ll let you get on with it, then,” Elowise said. “Safe travels, and I’ll make sure to have something warm and delicious cooking for when you get back.”

“You’re wonderful.” Celeste smiled.

“You really are,” I told the old gnome. “And maybe leave that carriage building for tomorrow. I think you deserve a day of rest. Sit by the water and enjoy the day. That goes for the whole convent.”

“Well,” Elowise laughed. “I’ll pass on your strict instructions!”

“Make sure you do,” I chuckled. “I want everyone to spend the day however they like. A swim in the water, or just a sleep in the sunshine. Your choice.”

The gnome strolled back toward the garden with a wave, and Celeste took to the sky. She soared upward into the morning air and spun around as she stretched her wings. The pink and blue sky had a stunning glow, and it lit up the limestone walls below.

“Time to fly North,” Celeste said, and she headed off over the forest.

I scanned my God Vision as she flew and made sure there was nothing suspicious around the convent before we left it behind. Luckily, there wasn’t anything bigger than a family of rabbits hanging around.

Celeste hummed as she flew toward the mountains, and I started to wonder what exactly we were going to find at the other side of the journey. What if the sprites had just been the beginning of what the storm had to offer? Maybe they were merely the pawns being sent in first to test the waters, and something much more sinister was lurking in the dark.

I didn’t want to imagine what else could be looming above in the clouds, and my imagination ran wild as I pictured massive beasts with huge claws and teeth.

I tried to shake the feeling off. I was probably just getting worked up in my head about something that wasn’t there. It was like watching a horror movie when I didn’t see the scary monster… it was always way worse in my head than in real life.

“Are you thinking about him?” Celeste asked. “About Ethan?”

“Not really,” I muttered. “I was more worried about the creatures he could have as followers. If Ethan can get Squall Sprites to build a whole storm for him, what else can he convince creatures to do?”

“Do you really think he’s over there?” Celeste asked. “I mean, I know Tobias turned out to be nothing, but what if he really is a vengeful god?”

“Then I guess we’ll have to fight him,” I said.

That suddenly made me consider the possibility of coming up against someone with more godly experience than me. After all, I was still relatively new to this whole thing. Yes, I had a growing number of followers, and an expanding convent, but what if Ethan had been building his following for decades? Or for longer than that? This guy could have a few armies hiding in the mountains and ready to pounce on the first idiot that tried to start something.

Then I thought of the battle we had just had, and how I got an entire town to defeat the Squall Sprites with minimal training and only a few good fighters. I had built my convent up from nothing, with basically no knowledge of how any of this worked. I had figured it all out by myself and came out victorious on the other side.

Fuck the sprites, and fuck Ethan.

I was the god around here, and if he wanted a fight, then he would come to regret it.

“Wow,” Celeste gasped. “Jack, look down there!”

I looked down to see a huge waterfall spilling over the edge of a grassy hill. The water was electric blue, and even from the sky I could see brightly-colored fish swimming around under the foamy stream. A small deer was lapping up water on the bank, and it looked like there was an entrance to a little cave under the waterfall.

“That’s beautiful,” I said. “I bet Penelope would love to go there. She could turn that into a warm swimming spot.”

“I’ll remember the location,” Celeste replied. “We can take her there after we get back! A little splash around in a waterfall would be a good way to spend a day off!”

“Absolutely,” I said as the sound of the flowing water got quieter. “And I’m never going to complain about watching all of you bathe.”

The harpy laughed as we soared over a small clearing in the trees, and I looked down to see a traveling elf leading a cart and donkey. He was headed in the direction of Evelhelm, and I wondered if the market would be up and running after their night of partying. It had been wonderful to see so many of the townsfolk enjoying themselves, and we had come out with a huge bag of gold and new supplies.

The view was incredible as we traveled over the new parts of the forest. I had been flying so many times with Celeste and Aleia, but I didn’t think I would ever get over how amazing it was to see the world from up high. It was different from being inside a plane, and more like I was the one who had wings. Flying with my women was one of my favorite things about my new life, and I took in every inch of the view with a phantom smile on my non-existent face.

The forest started to become darker in color as we got further and further from the convent. It was as if the leaves were a duller green, and the shadow of the mountains seemed to loom over us. The wind had grown slightly wilder, too, and I saw several dark shapes move quickly through the trees below us.

“It’s grim over here,” I said as I eyed the mountain peaks. “Have you ever been out this way?”

“Never,” the harpy replied. “I don’t like the look of that sky.”

As we got closer to our destination, I could start to see the extent of the storm.

It wasn’t just the size of Evelhelm, it was so huge that it spanned out as far as the eye could see. A vicious, dark swirl of orange and black sprawled out over the hills and far over the land beyond. It was as if the entire world had been eaten by the Squall Sprites, and it looked like it was pulsing as deep rumbles of thunder echoed out. I could see sporadic bolts of yellow lightning flying around, and it was clear we hadn’t seen the last of the orange bastards.

“Fuck,” I breathed.

As Celeste reached the first of the smaller peaks, I could hear the far-off cries of the sprites.

“Jack,” the harpy whispered. “I don’t know how much further we should go. If these clouds are full of Squall Sprites, we’re not safe here.”

“Stay low,” I murmured. “We’ll just go a little further over the next ridge.”

The harpy soared down so she was just above the peaks, and she glided slowly over the hills so we could see the further mountains.

Then Celeste hovered in one spot as we stared out at the jagged mountaintops, and the storm moved menacingly above us.

I eyed the hills carefully for any movement, and my gaze fell on one of the larger mountains with a distinct, curved ridge. It almost looked like a worn down version of Half Dome, the famous hill in California. I had been there on a school trip as a kid, and I remembered it looking pretty similar. As I examined the surrounding mountains, I felt a strange sense of deja vu.

This place looked really, really similar to Half Dome. It was as if someone had almost copied the landscape point by point in this new, magical world. Like someone had taken a rough sketch from my old life and tried to rebuild it in this new world.

I was silent as I continued to study the hills, and the memories from that school trip began to flood back.

It obviously couldn’t be the same area of California. That was my old life. I was floating in the air with a harpy, listening to an army of Squall Sprites howl overhead. I was a god with four priestess lovers, and armies of dedicated followers.

This was a whole new life, a million light-years or whatever away from that old world. The world I barely remembered or thought about anymore.

Although, the more I stared at the oddly shaped ridge, the stranger I felt.

Then, suddenly, like a fucking hurricane, I was hit with a realization.

It was as if I had unlocked some knowledge I had been ignoring or pushing down to the dark corners of my mind.

That didn’t just look like Half Dome.

It was Half Dome. I was sure of it.

Although that would mean that I wasn’t in some distant fantasy world… and that couldn’t be the case.

Was it possible that despite the elves and sprites, and all the other magical beings, I was still in the world of my old life.

Could this crazy new reality of mine actually be Earth?

End of Book 4

End Notes

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Copyright © 2021 by Eric Vall