Building harem town 5, p.23
Building Harem Town 5, page 23
“Here you go!” Grez said cheerily as he handed them all plates. “Excited for today? I know I am. I can’t wait to see what kinds of weapons the gnomes have made here!”
“Me, too.” Celeste grinned. “I want something deadly and covered in spikes.”
“I think you should lead some demonstrations,” I said to the harpy. “You’re such a skilled fighter, and I’m not sure there’s a weapon you don’t know how to use.”
“Really?” Celeste asked. “Jack, I’m honored you would ask!”
“Of course,” I said. “You’re our resident battle bird. If everyone was as good of a fighter as you, then Luke’s followers would be dead in seconds!”
The priestesses reached the front of the queue, and Elowise scooped meat and eggs onto their plates.
“This smells delicious,” Aleia said. “Thank you, Elowise.”
“No problem, dear.” She smiled. “Make sure you eat it all up, that little one will need some nutrients, too!”
The women took their plates over to one of the wooden logs and sat down to eat. They made happy noises as they scooped the food into their mouths, and I chuckled as I saw Layla wander up behind the women. The bear had all three noses sniffing the air, and she hurried over behind Nicola.
The brunette turned around as the heavy footsteps approached, and she laughed as Layla sat down.
“Good morning,” Nicola said. “Does this smell good to you, too?”
She picked off a fatty part of her meat and threw it at the bear’s middle head. Layla chomped down the food and then licked Nicola’s cheek.
“We actually have a special dish for Layla!” Allam called over as he held up a cooked rabbit. “She helped us catch so much on the hunt, I thought she should keep at least one whole animal for herself.”
The gnome strode over with the rabbit in hand, and Layla hurried forward with alarming speed.
Allam stopped in his tracks as the beast raced toward him, and he smiled nervously as she sat down beside him. Her tongues smacked her lips, and large blobs of drool fell down onto the ground.
“I know she’s friendly,” Allam said. “She’s still a bit terrifying, though.”
“Understandable,” I chuckled. “It looks like she’s ready for breakfast.”
Allam nodded and then threw the rabbit down in front of her. Layla’s right head snapped up the food and happily chomped down as bits of meat fell to the ground. The other heads grabbed the fallen scraps, and it only took a few seconds for the rabbit to disappear without a trace.
Layla gave a grateful growl and then laid down to lick her paws clean.
Everyone was handed a cup of tea by Jemmy and another young gnome, and it wasn’t long until the bowls were empty.
“So,” Grez said as he put down his teacup. “What’s the plan, Jack? Where should we begin? Are we practicing in pairs or groups?”
“We’ll do groups,” I announced to everyone. “We can focus on different weapons and techniques. Celeste and the gnomes will be leading the groups, along with anyone else who thinks they have a particular skill that should be passed on.”
“Shall we get the weapons out?” Jemmy asked. “There are rather a lot of them to show you all, and you may not have seen some of them before.”
“Yes, please,” I said. “Bring out everything we have to work with, and we can have a look over our options.”
Jemmy nodded and hurried off with two other gnomes to collect their weapons.
“We’ll look at the goods first,” I said. “Then we can divide up into smaller groups and alternate throughout the day.”
“Should we do it all here?” Nicola asked. “Or should some of us go outside?”
“We’ll stay here,” I said firmly. “You’re all going to be focusing on your skills, and I don’t want anyone to have an opportunity to catch you off-guard. That reminds me, we should get some shifts going in the watchtower, too. I won’t be able to keep guard at all times when I’m helping here, so we’ll need a lookout.”
“We should do short shifts.” Allam nodded. “This way, the lookouts still get plenty of practice time.”
“Good thinking,” I agreed. “I want you to take the shifts in pairs as well. Nobody goes out there alone, okay?”
“Got it.” Allam nodded again, and he started to allocate time slots to the gnomes around him.
Jemmy and the other gnomes arrived back with bulging sacks in each arm, and the elves hurried over to help them.
“Are these filled with weapons?” Nia asked.
“Oh, they certainly are,” Jemmy chuckled. “Like I said, we’ve been making them for years. Used to sell them to travelers of all races way back when. Some of them we’re a bit rusty on using, and some are too large for our set of folks, but we take great pride in the craftsmanship.”
The elves and gnomes brought the bags into the middle of the square, and they began to take out the items inside and laid them out for everyone to see.
There was a huge variety of weapons, and it was hard to know where to look as more and more of them were placed down on the ground. The swords and daggers were all made of gleaming bronze, and each one had its own unique pattern carved into the hilt. The blades were varying sizes, and some of them even had small gems encrusted into the metal.
Crossbows with razor-sharp arrows gleamed in the sunlight, and there were a couple of small axes with sturdy, wooden handles.
Everything looked awesome, but my main excitement was the things I had never seen before.
There were several versions of something that looked like a sword, but they had a strange black outline across the blade.
“What are those?” Penelope asked as her gaze fell on the same thing.
“Heat swords,” Jemmy said. “The rim of the blade is flammable and will burn for a good few hours once you light it.”
“Wow,” Celeste breathed. “Fire and a blade combined? I like the sound of that!”
“And these?” Nicola asked as she picked up something that was shaped like a wide U.
It was carved from a dark wood and had tiny little silver spikes covering most of the surface. The only smooth area was the right hand edge that Nicola was clutching, and there was a thick, leather glove to pair with the weapon.
I decided it was basically a deadly boomerang, and if I had a heart in my god form, it would have skipped a beat at the beautiful sight.
“Let me guess,” I said. “You throw that at someone, and it comes back covered in their blood?”
“Exactly!” Allam said. “But you need to be very skilled with it, even with the glove. If you don’t aim properly, then it could fly back at your face, and the glove won’t save you then!”
“Nice.” Nicola grinned as she carefully placed it back down.
“Let’s make sure we get plenty of practice with that one,” I said. “And nobody with bad aim should touch it.”
Penelope picked up something that looked like a scythe next. It was a long, metal pole with a curved blade, and it clearly had some weight to it, judging by the way she struggled to hold it.
“That one’s good if you have a strong hand,” Jemmy said. “Hitting someone with that handle could do just as much damage as the blade.”
“It is heavy!” the naiad agreed as she gripped it with both hands. “But it feels so sturdy and powerful! Aleia, you could use this easily!”
She handed the weapon to the fairy, and Aleia easily swung the blade up over her head. She looked so badass holding it, and she scrunched up her adorable face as she swung the blade around.
The deadly weapon contrasted against her cutesy blue outfit, and I was distracted for a moment by how good she looked.
“You look so sexy with that,” I whispered to her, and the fairy giggled.
Then she spun around in the air and made quick movements with the scythe, and I could tell she had fallen in love with it.
The gnomes also had a variety of shields, although most of them were fairly small. Aleia did have her shield, too, and I was sure the gnomes could fashion a few larger ones if the elves or priestesses needed some.
“Okay,” I said. “This is an awesome collection you’ve got here. It all looks so sturdy and well made.”
“They feel incredible, too,” Celeste added. “I can tell how skilled you are at this.”
“Thank you.” Allam grinned and bounced on his toes a bit. “We do take pride in our work. Like I said, we’re a little rusty with some of them, but they’re damn good weapons.”
“Let’s organize the groups,” I said. “Celeste, I want you to lead the practice with swords and daggers.”
The harpy nodded and unsheathed her own enchanted blade.
“Balabar,” I continued. “That hand-to-hand combat you taught back at the convent was great. Can you do the same for those who weren’t there?”
“Of course,” the gnome said as he puffed out his chest. “It’s my pleasure!”
“Great,” I said. “Then Jemmy, if we can get your three most skilled fighters to demonstrate the weapons we’ve not used before, that would be perfect.”
“Will do!” Jemmy said, and she carefully studied the crowd.
“Divide into groups of five or six,” I instructed. “Doesn’t need to be exact numbers, but just make sure you all have a chance to try out each weapon, okay?”
The crowd nodded and excitedly got to work with distributing the weapons and organizing groups. They spread out through the fortress to make sure each group had enough room and made sure there was a mixture of races in each set.
I felt a rush of pride as I watched my followers get to work, and everyone wore determined looks on their faces as the demonstrations began.
“Everyone here has something to contribute,” I said. “Make sure you volunteer any knowledge that might be helpful. Aleia, you know all about using your small size to your advantage. Penelope, you’ll know what to do if someone falls into water during a fight.”
“And I can help if any more three-headed animals appear.” Nicola grinned.
“Exactly,” I laughed. “Now, let’s get those weapons moving!”
As the group began to practice, the fortress was filled with determined grunts and cheers of encouragement. The whole place was buzzing with energy, and I knew there was no way Luke would ever create an atmosphere like this.
I didn’t need to possess my followers to get them to work. They were strong individuals already, they just needed a little guidance and help.
My mind wandered back to my new quest, and the incredible reward that came with it. Even though I had so far dominated all of my quests, I could never get too comfortable or lazy with them. This reward was my biggest one yet. Restoring all the magic to the deep forest? That was fucking huge. It would save countless animals, plants, and communities. I would finally rid the woods of the foul, cowardly god that had taken over everyone’s lives.
And even gain the magic of the forest to help my followers live better lives.
It was a lot to fight for, and I couldn’t help feeling a pang of nerves about how high-risk it was. But I had to shake that feeling off and remember who the fuck I was, and everything I had achieved so far. I was Jack. The old god who’d saved a whole town, countless lives, and earned more followers than Luke ever could.
The fact that a god could be destroyed was huge news, though. Apparently, I had the power to get rid of Luke for good, but I still wasn’t exactly sure how.
If I went into battle with my army of trained, skilled followers, then I had no doubt we would figure it out. Luke didn’t have that bond with his people, which meant he could never work as a real team with them.
I wondered if I should order some new metal parts for the gnomes to help with any last minute building. Maybe I could get some handles for shields so they could quickly build some for the taller people?
That made me think about my powers, and how Luke’s were clearly different to mine. I did have the ability to order things, and to visit my followers in their dreams. Would Luke have those abilities, too?
Something told me that he wouldn’t, and that an evil god would have darker powers.
That would mean that Ethan could have some seriously fucked up abilities, but I didn’t want to think too hard on that right now. I hadn’t forgotten the threat of Ethan, but I had to take down Luke first. Once the little puppet god was out of the way, I could worry about the one in the mountains and his army of Squall Sprites.
I took time to watch each group practice, and it suddenly became clear just how skilled my followers were. Despite their different heights and sizes, they fought well together, and I couldn’t spot anyone who was particularly weak.
Celeste was showing off different moves to use with a sword on someone behind you, and the gnomes and elves in her group carefully mirrored her movements. The harpy was patient as she corrected some postures, and she cheered when the group perfected the moves.
“You’re doing great!” I said. “Keep it up!”
Celeste nodded with a grin and began to show her team how to hit the perfect spot of someone’s ankles.
I moved on to the next group and found Balabar demonstrating how to take someone down if they’re taller than you. Grez and Aleia were the only non-gnomes of the group, so the fairy practiced on the elf.
There were three more groups led by gnomes, who were showing off the different weapons. One middle-aged gnome woman had the spiked boomerang in her hand, and she was demonstrating how to hold it without the wielder impaling themselves.
“I really want to try that,” Nicola said to the gnome. “I’m a good shot with my bolts!”
“Prove it,” the gnome said suspiciously and handed her a few arrows along with a longbow.
The brunette grinned and began to easily hit whatever spot of the fortress the gnome pointed to.
“It’s a very dangerous tool!” the gnome warned. “You need to be ready for how fast it’s going to return to you!”
“Can you show us?” Myra asked, and the gnome nodded.
She carefully adjusted her leather glove and then gestured for everyone to move back.
“Alright,” she muttered. “I’m aiming for that spot in the post.”
She pointed to a mark on a wooden post that held up one of the torches.
“Won’t it get stuck in the wood?” Nicola frowned.
“Just you wait,” the gnome chuckled, and then she hurtled the weapon forward with a powerful swing.
The group jumped backward and watched as the spiked tool flew through the air. It moved so quickly that it was just a blur of gray, and it smacked right into the middle of the wooden post.
Instead of sticking into it, it bounced off like it was made of rubber and started flying back toward the gnome.
She held up her hand unflinchingly and kept a stony face as she grabbed the smooth edge of it in her fingers.
The whole group erupted into a cheer and raced over to see the damage of the pole. It was covered in small, deep punctures, and I imagined it would be absolutely lethal if that had been thrown into flesh.
“Wow,” Nicola breathed. “That was incredible.”
I left them to admire the new weapon and checked that the other groups were making good progress.
Everyone was busy, and there were weapons being skillfully thrown in every direction.
As I watched my followers practice, I decided I wanted to try out my own godly weapon again. If we were heading into battle soon, I wanted to have at least one more practice with my new sword. It had already sliced clean through a sword and crushed an entire wall, but maybe there was some kind of weapon that could be a worthy rival for it.
I studied the groups to determine which one would be best, and I chose Celeste’s, since they were all working with blades. Then I focused on my physical body, and I appeared right next to the harpy as she watched her team practice.
“Jack!” she said, and her beautiful face lit up as she leaned over for a kiss.
“Hi.” I smiled. “I just wanted to get a bit more practice with my new sword.”
The whole group stopped to watch as I pulled out my golden blade, and their mouths fell open as it glistened under the sunlight.
“Jack!” Penelope shouted when she looked over from her group, and she hurried over with wide eyes.
Nicola and Aleia spun around as my name was called, and then they raced over to join as well. I laughed as my women jumped on me and planted kisses on my face and chest.
“Hello, my loves,” I chuckled. “I’m just going to do a little practicing with the Wrath of Jack, okay?”
“Of course!” Penelope gushed. “We won’t be in your way.”
She dragged Aleia and Nicola off me, and the women stood to the side with eager smiles as they watched me hold my weapon.
“We’ll go back to practice in a moment,” Aleia assured me.
“Yes.” Nicola nodded distractedly. “We just need to watch you with that sword, and those biceps, and that face, and those lips…”
The brunette made a little whimpering noise as she trailed off, and I chuckled at how weak at the knees they all were over my sword.
“Okay,” I chuckled. “So last time I tried this out, it kind of fucked up the other sword. Does anyone have a blade they aren’t personally attached to?”
Celeste glanced down at her enchanted sword and then clutched it tight to her chest.
“I won’t try yours.” I smiled. “Although, the enchantment might protect it.”
“I’m not sure I want to risk it,” Celeste said hesitantly. “It’s so deadly and shiny, and I love it.”
“I have an old one,” one male gnome offered. “There’s quite a few that we just have as backups. This one here has been around for years, so I don’t mind if it breaks.”
“Great!” I said. “Fancy a battle?”
“With a god?” the gnome snorted. “I can’t pass up that opportunity, now can I?”
He stepped forward with his dull sword clasped in hand and held it up solemnly.
I steadied myself and clutched the golden hilt tightly. It was like I could feel power pulsing through me as I gripped the weapon, and I waited until the gnome moved. Then he sprang into action and leapt up with a swipe of his sword. I brought mine down in an instant, and there was a scraping sound as our blades collided.
