Wild Wastes 4 -Ch4- (Patreon)

Standing near the shore Vince felt rather… atypical. Something was nagging at his senses but he wasn’t quite sure what it was.

Ryker had confessed he wouldn’t be able to transport them in the end. That unfortunately, he’d have to ask them to pleas handle manage themselves accordingly.

He did thankfully specify a location.

Or so Sam relayed to them all when she came back from Wooden Heart.

Apparently Ryker had gone straight to Mila and had been woo’ing her ever since. The “other Overgod” hadn’t left.

From what Sam had seen of it, Mila was very interested, but was playing very hard to get. Forcing him to stick around and introduce her to the others in his life.

Fortunately, since he couldn’t complete his bargain with them, he’d promised a favor for them in the future. How far that went Vince wasn’t sure.

Looking out at the procession of people, equipment, and resources being set out and ready for loading, Vince was getting nervous.

Concerned, one could say.

He was about to leave for years.

On a mission to either conquer, or expand his harem. Yaris and Fes had both pressed that point till he knew there was no way to avoid it.

They expected him to come home with a new harem of women to hand over to them, or a country. The in-between of those two outcomes wasn’t something to be discussed.

I mean… I guess if I failed taking the country, I could just come back with a bunch of wives.

Though that just encourages me to take the country over. I don’t need anymore women in my life.

Fuck no.

Which left them here, with a literal boat load of equipment.

Everything needed to be loaded onto the boat Ryker had provided them with. A large strange looking contraption that would make the trip in two weeks, which seemed impossible to him.

Supposedly it was something that’d be easy to get moving and handle with incredible responses. Vince had no idea about any of that except that the pilot would need to be from Legion.

Standing on the newly built Orc-made wharf, in a city under the domain of his brother-in-law Berten, Vince was just waiting.

Watching.

Though he was still surprised at how quickly Elysia had torn apart the secret of the sea-stones. Then going even a step further and creating a single stone that could be carried onto a boat and used to protect it entirely. Allowing it to go across shallow waters without an issue.

There were a number of boats from Yosemite that were prowling the gulf and up along the eastern sea-board now.

A repeat of the Tri-lliance invasion wouldn’t be tolerated. There’d been a number of times that the new Yosemite fleet, armed with Wardens as gun-emplacements, had stumbled across Tri-lliance boats.

Who fled very quickly back to their own water.

There was a sudden feeling that spread out through his senses. He need to flee, hide, or duck away.

Immediately.

Spinning to the side and out of the way, Vince already knew what it was. Snatching at the woman’s neck as she went by him he managed a perfect grab on the back of it.

With a grunt Vince jerked her to the ground and pinned her to the grass beneath him. Then he collapsed down atop her, putting his free hand on her shoulder.

Staring down into the brightly glowing eyes of Red, as well as her ear to ear and fang showing grin, he couldn’t help but smile back at her.

Long gone was the bird’s nest of brown tangled hair. Her triangular ears that stuck up from her head trimmer and groomed.

Her tail was always well combed and brushed out now.

She was still as pale as when he first met her and just as cursed. Though this time by her own design. Her fingers that became claws rather than nails were curled possessively around his arm. Lightly grazing back and forth as she gazed up at him.

Dressed out in leather armor, she was kitted in a very similar way to a Dryad or a wood Elf.

Red was clearly quite happy to have been caught like this.

Considering she’d been traveling for close to three weeks with Leila, and likely eating the heart of anything that came at her cross-wise, he hadn’t seen much of her.

He missed her.

“My Red returned to her Bringer,” Vince said, then leaned down and kissed the feral woman with need. Kissed her for far long than he probably should considering there were a great many people around.

Before he could break away though Red had wrapped her legs around his hips and was now clinging to him. She’d given up on holding to his arm and now held him. Her fingers digging into his back without using her claws.

Pushing down on Red’s neck he managed to get himself a little distance.

Gazing down at the very-bright glowing eyes now, Vince found she had a wondering and sweet look on her face. Like she hadn’t wanted to stop kissing him at all.

“Red… Red missed Bringer desperately,” she said breathily, looking up at him with a great deal of fear. “Red didn’t know what to do. Red killed… killed our baby. Because Red didn’t want to be the nasty woman she’d once been. Red wanted to be Red and… and Red k—”

Vince leaned down and pressed his forehead to the cursed undead monster’s. He smiled at her and gave her a brief kiss.

“Red, are you my wife?” he asked in a low tone.

“Red… Red is-is very much your wife. Red wants to mate right now, in fact. Doesn’t matter if others are watching. Mating right now would be very nice. Bringer should take Red’s clothes off and mate with her right now,” confessed Red, her eyes glowing ever brighter and brighter as she looked back into his own eyes. Her words coming faster and faster as she spoke only to suddenly break off. “Red is feeling v-very dizzy now. Red needs her husband inside her. Red can’t… can’t think good.”

Grinning, Vince leaned back a bit to give the poor woman some space and then simply stood up. Taking Red along for the ride since she hadn’t released him.

Reaching down he stuck his forearm under her rear end and simply carried her like that. He put his other hand on her side.

“Tonight, Red, I’ll be all yours. To show you that nothing is wrong. That you’re still my Red and the one I need beside me in any awful situation.

“I’ll feed you, love you, and then bed you. Because while we did lose our first pregnancy, that doesn’t make it your last,” assured Vince. He knew what he could demand as a favor from Ryker.

Red was panting as she stared at him, her hands pressed to his shoulders. Looking at him in a way he’d only seen from her on the rarest of occasions and after coupling with her.

“Red loves you,” she said in a squeak.

“And I love Red,” Vince said, then kissed her chastely once more. Then he turned and looked to the Warlock he was expecting to be there.

He was surprised to find not only the Warlock he expected, but also a Dryad he didn’t, as well as a very large Fae.

Looking to Leila, Vince smiled and tipped his head to her.

When she’d fixed Red, Leila had unfortunately suffered a miscarriage as well. Neither she, nor Vince, or Blue, told anyone. No one at all.

Instead, they waited for a better moment, further away from what she’d done with Red, to announce the loss. So that the poor Beastkin wouldn’t suffer even further.

Standing at about four-foot tall, Leila the gnome was his Warlock.

Her incredibly large and beautiful purple eyes were something he wanted to dive into.

Glittering sparks lurked there that fluttered through them the longer you stared into them. Such beautiful and unique eyes were set in an elegantly sculpted face with very clean features. She had a sharp jawline and delicate cheekbones.

Her hair was a dirty blonde color and was quite obviously cut recently. Styled and pulled back from her face with a pony-tail.

Grinning, Vince set Red down and then moved over to the gnome.

“V-Vince, don’t you dare. There’s people here and—”

He cut her off by picking her up off the ground, hugging her, and then kissing her. To which Leila responded to in all things quite eagerly, despite her angrily growled words.

When he finished he set her down and caught her eyes.

Before she’d left, they’d tried to get her with a child again. He wanted to ask her about it but wasn’t sure how he could.

“She is,” murmured Blue who stepped up to tap his shoulder while he knelt there. “As of course am I, and I deserve equal attention.”

Looking up he found a smile on the beautiful and slim Elven Dryad. She was lithe to the point of what only an Elf could be with a narrow waistline. Blue had somehow managed to have more than what an Elf would in the chest, though.

Her name was given to her for the fact that she had one bright blue eye, and one green Dryad eye. Though they both lit up as a Dryad’s eyes would.

Since her Dryad wife, Green, had died a while back her entire personality had shifted. Trying to squeeze every bit out of every moment in life that she could.

“Of course, of course. I can’t forget my beautiful Dryad wife Blue,” Vince said and then stood up. No one would deny that Blue only came after Mouth in the Dryad hierarchy. Who only came after Meliae. She had a position of envy amongst other Dryads.

Even Karya and Daphne had lost ground to her, although that was partially due to the fact that they’d died and he’d sought comfort in Blue for that.

Hugging her with one arm, he kissed her deeply.

With his other hand, he casually snatched out at Sam and caught her around the waist. He wasn’t able to hold onto her as easily as he once had though.

She was only an inch or two smaller than Leila now.

“Vince!” shrieked Sam before he finally looked her way, breaking the kiss with Blue.

Grinning he looked to the Fae.

Every time he got ahold of her, he filled her up to the brim with magical energy. Infinitely expanding her life-span and forcing her to grow in size. It seemed like to him he didn’t have long to wait before she was gnome sized now.

Her dark black hair was cut short but in a very styled way. It made her hair flutter about her warm azure eyes. Her clothes looked very similar to Leila’s as if they were sharing a size now.

“I’m going to kiss you, Sam,” Vince warned.

“No! Not big enough yet, you oaf,” said the Fae as he leaned in to her. She put her hands to each side of his face and turned her head away. “Not big enough yet!”

“Ah, but you look so pretty, my dear Fae,” offered Vince.

Sam sniffed at that, slowly turning to look at him. Up close, she really was just as big as Leila now. There wouldn’t be much time left at all on their deal.

“Pretty?” she asked.

“Very,” he said, grinning at her, then moved in toward her again.

“Not big enough!” shouted the Fae, turning her head away again.

Vince laughed, pulled her down to his shoulder, and began discharging magic into her instead. She went limp in an almost drunken comical way there. Twitching every now and then.

“Better her than me,” Leila said, peering up at him. “I’m still filled to bursting from the last time you did it to me.”

“Really? I can’t smell any of his seed on you. Where’re you keeping it?” Blue asked in a playful tone. “I always kept it in my mouth for Red when I could.”

“Leila? You have Bringer-food? Give it to Red! Red hasn’t tasted it in weeks!” Red said, quickly getting down on all fours in front of Leila. It looked like she was about to kiss Leila and maul her mouth with her tongue to try and find “Bringer-food.

“No! That’s not what I—”

Red ended the discussion by grabbing Leila and kissing her. She’d also quite clearly pushed her tongue into the gnome’s mouth.

“Hm,” Vince said and then looked to Blue. “You did that on purpose.”

“Maybe a little,” admited the Dryad with a grin. “I’m so excited to be on this trip. I can’t believe I’ll have you to myself for so long. You’re only Dryad. I can’t… I can’t wait to see how many pregnancies you give me. I have some eggs left. You haven’t gotten every single one yet. You need to work harder.”

Grinning, Vince nodded his head to that. He had his tastes and his Dryads were a vast majority of his strike zone now.

“Oh, there’s Petra,” Blue said, turning to look off to the side.

Petra was walking with Elizabeth the silver Dragon maiden. They were having a discussion amongst themselves.

The beautiful silver-horned woman, with long dark gray hair always looked somewhat forlorn. Sad but determined. Her incredibly luminous silver eyes flicked his way.

There was an odd connection with her that Vince felt whenever she looked to him. One that felt very strange to him.

Then she looked away, moving with Petra onto the ship. Behind them went the squad of “heavies” Kitch was dispatching to guard him. They were a group of seven that would be able to handle close to many things.

Added to that squad was two-squads of Orc “light infantry” soldiers who also reported to Kitch. They were they to help bring flexibility to her soldiers. Even if they were kitted out in the heaviest gear that any army could field if you excluded the Ogres and Trolls.

Behind them was two squads of Frit’s mixed cavalry with Ratkin riders.

Another several-squads of mixed race groups were in line. They came from the infantry of Yosemite. From across the many different cities, tribes, and villages.

Blended down into one very cohesive and highly-trained unit.

After that came several groups of Dwarves and Elves. They were craftsman, recruited on to help in case anything needed to be built or fixed.

There was a platoon of people that were coming that hadn’t arrived yet. Roughly four-squads of people all trained for something like what they were heading to.

That was the extent of who and what they were taking.

Everything else was supplies and resources. A great deal of it.

The idea was that with enough wealth, or equipment, Vince could carve something out for himself. Then begin taking over just as he had with Yosemite.

With any luck… I can buy slaves by the bushel again.

Then free them.

Best thing that ever happened to me was setting free so many people.

All starting with a mischievous little Dryad that my Fes wanted me to buy, so she could get pregnant.

Looking to said people, Vince found them standing side by side, directing things onto the boat. Fes was acting as a support crutch for the very over-sized Dryad.

Yaris was on the other side of Meliae who was the other crutch should it be needed.

Daphne and Karya were right behind Fes and Yaris. They were now personally responsible for the next generation of heirs that were coming.

Which included Caroline and why she wasn’t going. On top of that, she was quite busy at the moment finishing the vault for Taylor. In fact almost everyone with any magical ability was assisting to finish the vault immediately.

The poor Black Dragon was going mad with the need to fill a nest with her young. Vince had apparently done his job too well with her and she was quite heavy with eggs and desperately needed to lay them.

Alice, Taylor’s second, was apparently only a few weeks behind her in the same need.

Ramona had been their only saving grace and helped the two of them keep it under control. Having only just gone through her own nesting phase not long ago.

Vince had been informed in no uncertain way that when he returned he would be required to decorate all three women’s horns with bridal gold.

Apparently after she’d finally laid her eggs, it’d been expected he would give that bridal gold to Ramona, but she’d held off on that out of solidarity for Taylor.

He didn’t know what that was, but he wasn’t going to deny them anything either. His Draconic women were important to him.

He identified with them a great deal. More than any other group in Yosemite.

“Looks like it’s time to go,” Ryker said a second after simply appearing beside him.

Turning his head, the man regarded all of them standing there.

“Good group. I’m glad you listened to all my advice,” Ryker murmured, his eyes focusing on Red. “Oh, well that’s no good. That won’t fit my plans at all.”

Lifting a finger he flicked it at Red and then to the side.

“There, all better,” he said and looked out at everyone getting on board. “No need to ask me for that favor now, Vincent.

“Consider it a repayment from me to you and Meliae for introducing me to Mila. She’s… a very interesting woman. Shirley warmed up to her pretty quick. Though… wow… Adele is fucking pissed at me right now. Like… angry cat hissing angry at the sight of me.”

“You probably deserved it,” offered Blue in the silence afterward. “Especially if you didn’t ask for permission first. Even Vince knows better.”

Ryker froze, then turned and looked at Blue. He stared at her for several seconds.

“Hm. Elven Dryad. So very curious. Green is the Dwarf Dryad. I thought I’d find your wife more attractive but… I like your spunk. You’re right, of course, Blue. You’re right,” he confessed and looked ahead again. “I could have handled it better. Could have handled a lot of things better.

“Oh well. All I can do is march on and try to make changes on the fly. That’s all we can do, right? Ah, I should let you know. Felix is already set up and doing well in his new world.

“Though he kinda picked a bunch of women who are going to ride him like a merry-go-round. I have no idea what was going through his head when he did that but… it’s Felix. He’ll succeed.”

“Course he will,” agreed Vince. It’d been surprising to find out Felix was offered a deal at the same time he was, but then it wasn’t at all. It felt exactly like what Felix had warned him about.

That they’d be worked in such a way as to get the best deal from them, while giving them as little as possible. Felix had prepared him well.

“The fuck is that,” Ryker grumbled as two top of the line Warden’s were marched past them and onto the boat. Mr. White was walking along behind them with a great many chests. Likely filled with his inventions and equipment that would be needed.

Older, with a bit of pudge around the middle, the man looked out of place many places. He was bald from hairline to crown, with only the sides of his hair left.

He wore thin, circular glasses, but carried a confidence with him along with a smile that promised everything would be fine.

The same smile that he always had on. One that’d told Vince everything would be fine, then had made it so.

A smile that told the world he was just here to have fun and thought it was all a game.

At his side was a young and beautiful Orc woman from Berenga’s own tribe. A distant relative of hers who’d somehow managed to steal Mr. White’s heart away in a wild-whirlwind of romance that culminated with her proposing to him.

Unfortunately the miraculous man wouldn’t be coming with them, though he was sending his son along. Who apparently was a chip off the old-block and had inherited his father’s penchant for being a “mad scientist” as it were.

If Vince didn’t miss his guess, it was the young man walking alongside Mr. White. Who looked a lot like him, though with a full head of hair.

“Equipment,” Vince said around a massive grin. He looked forward to seeing what the young Mr. White could pull off. “Personnel.”

What Ryker hadn’t seen yet, was that just behind that, was the Sword of Yosemite. A specialized Warden Felix had cooked up specifically for Vince. Apparently he had a similar once that’d been made for himself called the Fist of the Legion.

That’d spawned an idea to have one made for Vince since he got into fights so frequently.

“Felix prepared for this moment. Did you forget?” Vince asked with a chuckle.

At the same moment the stomp and crack of boots marching in unison drew the eye to the road. To the road and a short ways down it.

Marching their way was something Felicity had promised to send him. A fully equipped and outfitted platoon of Legionnaire’s. Armed, armored, and ready for warfare.

Led by Julia Crawfird and her husband, Steve Middleton who wearing two more of the newest Warden armors. The soldiers coming along behind them were all trained by Ioana and Petra.

A group designed to lead a fight in the Wild Wastes of this world, with gear that could survive an unforgiving climate with few resources.

One of the first groups to graduate from that training, in fact was this very platoon.

“They won’t even know what hit’em,” growled Vince with a grin. He was looking forward to getting a chance to doing it all over again.

This time though, he had a great deal of resources to start with.