Building harem town 5, p.8
Building Harem Town 5, page 8
“That’s very true,” I agreed. “I’m glad you’re so knowledgeable about these things.”
The group quieted down slightly after the mention of so many monsters, and everyone kept a firm grip on their weapons as they went. It felt like an hour or two had passed when the road started to open up, and the trees dispersed to show off a small lake on the right-hand side.
The water was a stunning, bright blue, and I was grateful to see it didn’t look wide enough to be hiding a kraken down in the depths.
“Wow,” Penelope gasped. “Oh, it’s so pretty!”
“I’m not sure I trust lakes again quite yet,” Celeste said as she eyed the surface. “But it does look beautiful.”
“There are some stunning sights on this trip.” Elowise nodded. “Does anyone need to splash their faces or dip their feet?”
“I could do with a quick step in,” Nia said. “The sun’s been hitting my neck for a while, and I’m a bit warm.”
Everyone slowed down their horses and headed over to the edge of the lake. I was wary about it after the kraken incident, but I didn’t want to become paranoid, so I just kept my gaze on the water, ready to call out if I spotted the slightest hint of a shadow.
The priestesses bent down to splash water over their faces, and the elves pulled off their boots and stepped into the lake.
“I wonder how long it will be until we can see the storm,” Penelope said as she glanced up at the bright sky.
“I could check if I flew up,” Celeste pointed out. “I don’t really want to, though. It’s kind of nice just enjoying the scenery and forgetting the whole murderous god thing for a while.”
“We need to keep our guards up,” I said. “Ethan’s territory is closer than you think.”
“It’s so creepy,” Aleia shivered. “Having him and his Squall Sprites so close by.”
“Not for much longer,” I promised. “We’re going to work out how to defeat him, once and for all.”
“Do you think he’s strong?” Nicola asked as she ran her fingertips through the water. “You’re such a powerful god, Jack. Do you think he could be, too?”
“He can’t be,” Penelope scoffed. “Jack is clearly the best god. His devoted followers prove how wonderful he is. Ethan just has some sprites!”
“That’s very kind,” I said. “But honestly, I think we need to prepare for this asshole being just as powerful as I am.”
The group fell silent, and Penelope looked devastated as she pulled on her blonde hair.
“That doesn’t mean we won’t win,” I said firmly. “We will. He might have powers and strength, but his whole thing seems to be terrifying people into following him. He’s not going to keep his army loyal if they’re just scared of him. We have trust and love on our side, and I know that sounds super cheesy, but it’s true.”
“Cheese?” Grez asked. “What cheese?”
“It’s a godly expression,” Penelope whispered. “It means silly.”
“Oh.” Grez nodded, but he still looked confused.
“Let’s get going,” I chuckled. “Grab some water from the jugs and a snack, and we’ll start off again.”
Everyone got out from the edge of the lake, and the elves passed around water and dried strips of meat jerky. Nicola made sure all the horses had a treat, and then the gnomes led the way back onto the overgrown road.
The walk continued to become more and more beautiful, and I lost track of time as we passed huge caves and sparkling streams. There were a few brightly-colored birds that soared overhead as the group traveled, and the priestesses took it in turns to swap with the elves on the horses.
“Why don’t you come and join us, Jack?” Nicola asked as she rode on the chestnut elven horse. “I miss your handsome face.”
“Me, too,” Aleia said. “Oh, we could try and time it!”
“I would love to,” I said. “But I want to save my energy in case something happens that I need to help with. I don’t want to be needed on the ground right after I’ve used a visit up for fun.”
“Fine,” Nicola huffed. “But I miss you!”
“Let’s focus on the quest,” I chuckled. “What’s the plan for winning over these gnomes?”
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Wilfrim said.
“We should pretend to know about the exploding volcano, too,” Aleia giggled. “Maybe they’ll let us in.”
“I doubt it.” Elowise smiled. “They’ll probably think you’re a volcano monster being sent to trick them.”
“Volcano monster?” Penelope cried. “What is that?”
“They’re not real, dear,” Elowise chuckled. “Well, I don’t think they are anyway.”
“I think honesty is our best bet,” I laughed. “And we’ve packed plenty of food, maybe they’ll accept some of it as payment.”
“We packed loads of baked treats,” Myra said. “If they say no to the lemon bread, then nothing will work.”
“And we have weapons,” Azza added as he nodded his green-haired head. “Those usually do the trick.”
The stony-faced elf kept one hand on his sword hilt as he spoke, and Myra wrinkled her nose at him.
“Getting into the fortress is just the start of the battle,” I told the group. “Even after we win the gnomes’ trust, we’ve still got a long fight ahead of us. We need to stay alert because Ethan could launch an attack at any moment. He could have creatures watching us right now.”
“Ew,” Aleia shivered. “That’s scary.”
“I’m going to fly up,” Celeste decided. “Aleia, do you want to come?”
The fairy nodded, and the two winged priestesses soared up past the treetops. Celeste sighed as she spread her scarlet wings out fully, and the two women stared out into the distance. The mountains were just visible from their spot, and the orange hue of the storm made my stomach crawl.
“There it is,” Celeste sighed. “At least it hasn’t spread any more. Although, it’s hard to tell from this distance.”
I noticed something odd as we looked out over the forest, and I couldn’t work out if it was just a trick of the light or not.
The leaves on the trees were a much deeper green than earlier in the forest, and they looked like there was an iridescent shine to them. It was like they were glowing.
“Do the treetops look odd to you?” I asked, and the women looked down.
“Oh, yes.” Aleia nodded. “They’re shiny?”
“It looks like they’re covered in dew,” Celeste said. “But it’s sunny and dry. That’s so weird, but it’s beautiful!”
“Well,” Aleia said. “At least we know we’re going in the right direction. I can’t see the fortress from here, but Elowise said it’s between the convent and the northern mountains.”
The women flew back down to rejoin the group, and Penelope had taken a turn on one of the horses.
“Let me know if it’s comfortable enough,” Grez said. “I know you have a little one riding with you! I can put a blanket down to soften it a bit?”
“I’m fine.” Penelope smiled. “Thank you, though, that’s very sweet. You’ll make a very good father one day!”
Grez glanced at Myra and then hurriedly looked away with flushed cheeks.
Penelope and Nicola caught the look and smirked at each other, but then a noise suddenly rang out over the road.
It sounded like something heavy had fallen down, and everyone stopped their horses as we listened out for another sound.
“Where did that even come from?” Penelope muttered as she stared ahead.
Her question was answered when Myra was thrown from her horse as a huge, gray hand punched into her shoulder.
Everyone spun around to see an eight-foot-tall, humanoid creature staring out from the trees.
“Ogre!” Elowise shouted, and everyone drew their weapons.
Chapter 6
“Myra!” I shouted as I looked down at the lilac-haired elf, but Grez leapt off his own horse to grab her before the ogre stomped down on the spot where she’d landed.
Then the group jumped into action as the ogre let out a deep cry.
The beast was wide as well as tall, and its skin looked like it had bits of moss growing in the joints. It appeared to be male, and had a filthy rag covering its groin area. The eyes were a dull blue color, and the overgrown fingernails on its club-like hands were yellow and chipped.
Celeste and Aleia flew into the air immediately, and that seemed to distract the ogre for a second. The harpy was armed with her sword, and the fairy gripped her mace in her delicate but strong hands.
“Bastard!” Elowise was the first to attack, and she launched a small dagger right at the ogre’s head.
The blade whacked off the beast’s temple with a dull thud and fell to the ground without even breaking an inch of skin.
“This thing has a strong hide!” I yelled. “Aim for weak spots like the throat, eyes, and ankles!”
The ogre took another step from the trees, and the ground shook as it slammed a foot down onto the road.
Azza was still on his horse, and as he raised his sword, the ogre swiped at the animal’s face. The horse whinnied as it was struck in the head with a massive hand, and the poor creature tumbled to the ground with its rider. Azza managed to leap to his feet before the horse crushed him, and he quickly guided his frazzled steed back up onto its feet.
“Get the horses out of the way,” I said. “They’ll just get themselves killed!”
Azza and Nicola hurriedly grabbed the reins of all the animals, and they led them away from the group to a spot further up the road.
“Space out,” I ordered. “You’re all too close together. The ogre will be able to knock you over easier as a group.”
The gnomes, elves, and priestesses all jumped apart in their groups, and the ogre growled as it swung its head around to look at each of them.
Then Penelope charged just as the gray beast turned, and she brought her sword down against its upper arm. The enchanted sword did manage to cut the skin, but the ogre swung back around before the naiad could bring the blade down any deeper.
Penelope leapt back as the ogre swiped an arm toward her, and Nicola pulled the naiad away before the massive hand could reach her.
The gnomes had loaded up their crossbows, and Balabar aimed and fired a bolt right into the ogre’s neck. I groaned as the impact did little damage, and the ogre reached up and plucked the bolt out like it was an annoying bug.
There was a very small patch of broken skin, but the dark blood was barely even visible.
I quickly studied my interface and made the decision to transfer two speed points to Aleia along with two agility points to Celeste. I figured the women in the sky would make the most use out of them, and every little bit of help was needed.
As soon as the points were distributed, the fairy flew so quickly past the ogre that I could barely see her. She slammed her mace onto the ogre’s shoulder at full force, and the gray beast cried out as the skin broke.
The ogre suddenly roared in fury and lunged at the elves, and Celeste plummeted down with her sword held out. She tried to swipe at the creature’s skull right as it looked up at her, but the harpy had to twirl to the side at the last second to avoid the ogre’s flailing hand. Celeste wasted no time before flying back again, and she managed to scrape her blade right over the top of the ogre’s skull.
That cut was the first to draw a decent amount of blood, and drops of red began to ooze down the ogre’s head.
The gray beast screamed and showed off crooked, broken teeth as it glared up at the harpy.
“Nice!” I yelled. “It’s got its eyes on Celeste now, so Aleia, can you fly in behind it?”
The fairy sped around so she was facing the ogre’s spine, and she swung her mace around to make contact with the base of the back. The impact of her weapon made a dull crunch, and it sounded like she had definitely done some damage.
Then Aleia quickly flew back up as the ogre spun around, and the elves charged forward as a group.
Grez and Nia managed to get their blades into the beast’s belly, but the ogre swung around again before they could cut very deep. His massive, gray arm hit Grez square in the chest next, and the yellow-haired elf grunted heavily as he was flung backward onto the road.
Azza and Myra grabbed each of Grez’s arms, and they managed to haul their friend out of the way before the ogre’s giant foot came down onto the ground again.
The ogre’s size and thick skin were protecting it well, and it was difficult for anyone to get near enough to properly do any debilitating damage.
Celeste dove down once more as the ogre focused on the elves. Then she swung her leg around so her foot connected with the beast’s eye, and the ogre howled and stopped in its tracks as it clutched its face.
“Nice kick!” I shouted. “Quickly, use this time to attack!”
The entire group hurried forward with various weapons held up, and the ogre screamed as blades and bolts connected with its dull skin.
A few wounds were deep enough to draw blood, but the attack mainly just made the ogre really fucking mad.
Because its arms were so heavy, it was hard for anyone to get close enough to do any lasting damage. The few wounds the ogre had weren’t bleeding out as much as I hoped they would, and the beast showed no signs of giving up.
Celeste and Aleia had managed to get a good few blows in from above, and they were able to distract the ogre whenever it got too close to the others, but as I watched the fight and instructed my followers, I debated coming down to help.
There were so many skilled fighters, and I didn’t want to waste my chance on something they could probably kill alone anyway. What if they turned the corner and ten more ogres appeared? There was always the possibility something bigger would come along, and I wanted to be able to save them when it was really necessary.
“Jack,” Celeste grunted as she wiped her brow. “It’s not getting any weaker!”
“Yes, it is,” I insisted. “It might not be showing it just yet, but every blow and cut will weaken it. You’ve got this. You all do. Celeste and Aleia, I want you to fly around its head and distract it. Gnomes, while they do that, I want you to go for its ankles.”
The group nodded, and the winged women swooped down toward the gray creature’s face.
The flurry of brightly-colored wings seemed to alarm the ogre, and it made a dull roar as it tried to bat the priestesses away. The women were just a few inches out of reach, though, and they made taunting noises as the beast desperately swung for them.
The gnomes moved fast with small blades outstretched, and they scuttled toward the trunk-like legs. Elowise and Wilfrim dove at the right foot, and Balabar took the left. They stabbed their blades into the ogre’s flesh right above the feet, and then the gnomes hurried away as the beast kicked and screamed.
I had been right, the ankles were a weak enough spot for blood to pour out of the gray skin. Dark red blobs fell onto the muddy ground, and the ogre made a new noise. It was a much more guttural and feral howl than before, and its dark eyes studied the group as it stood still.
“Be careful,” I warned as the group waited for the ogre’s next move.
Normally, I would have told everyone to jump while the beast was still, but something told me it was too dangerous.
We needed to keep going with the attacks while keeping it distracted. I remembered how Penelope’s enchanted sword had glowed during our battle with the sprites. Both her and Celeste had similar blades, and it seemed that they could create a kind of high-pitched noise that hurt the ears of the sprites. I had no idea how the enchantment worked, though, or if the same thing would even work on the ogre.
“Penelope,” I shouted. “Do you remember what you did to make your blade glow before?”
“No!” she cried desperately. “I just sort of thought about it? And wished whatever enchantment it had would work?”
“Try that, then,” I said. “Both of you. Just think about the swords’ spells, and don’t focus on anything else.”
Both priestesses nodded and gripped their hilts as they closed their eyes. There was a moment of silence, and then the ogre moved.
It leapt toward Grez and Nia, but that’s when the light came: a blast of deep blue from Penelope and a dark red from Celeste. Both swords lit up with a luminous glow, and the ogre screamed as it covered its ears.
“Fuck yeah!” I cheered. “I knew you could do it!”
The sound was clearly troubling the ogre as it stumbled backward, but it didn’t knock it to the ground like it had done with some of the sprites.
Still, it was the opening my followers needed to be able to attack in earnest, and the whole group charged toward the beast with a newfound anger. They all cried out as they ran, and the elves, along with Penelope and Nicola, managed to get their swords to pierce both sides of the rib cage before they had to jump back from flailing arms.
The gnomes got a couple more swipes to the ankles, and the winged women brought their weapons down onto the shoulders.
“You’re doing it!” I yelled. “Keep working together as a team. This bastard doesn’t stand a chance!”
The ogre had become manic and distressed as blood oozed down its thick, gray hide. Large globs of drool dribbled from its mouth, and its eyes darted back and forth between my followers. It was clearly hurt, but it seemed to have become more reckless with its movements. It wasn’t being as careful to dodge the weapons as before, and that meant it wasn’t afraid to charge right into the group.
“Look out!” I shouted as it ran toward the gnomes, and Elowise had to shove Balabar out of the way before a massive foot came down to where he had been standing.
Then Nicola grabbed her flail and raced toward the back of the beast. The brunette swung her spiked weapon around, and she smacked it square into the ogre’s back.
“Nice one,” I said as the ogre let out a pained cry.
Nicola wasted no time in getting another hit in right to the ogre’s side, and then she leapt to the side as it spun around.
Grez and Penelope took the sudden change of direction as a chance to attack from behind. They both jumped forward and drove their swords into the creature’s back. They used the wound Nicola had created as a starting spot, too, so their blades sliced through the skin much more effectively than before. For the first time, a massive strip of skin was slashed open, and the gray flesh flapped down the ogre’s back as blood seeped out of the gaping hole.
