Jebidiah's Change Bk. 01 Ch. 13

Welcome back gentle reader

Warning, there's a bit of rougher play in this one, things get a little physical. It's not non-consent, just really confrontational. I had a hard time with the whole scene, trying to convey what I wanted. If you've ever been married and managed to piss off your wife but she won't tell you why but expects you to know, you might understand. I can't write things from the perspective of a woman, because I'm not one, and it becomes hard to gauge how accurate a female character's response should be to what's going on. While some of the stories on this site are entertaining in their fantasies, the way a lot of female characters behave is very, shall we say, male biased. The women's reactions to Jeb are just based on the weird sort of situations I've encountered in life.

Going along with my train of thought here, personally, I do not understand the whole harem thing, I would imagine a woman would only be 'ok' participating in one for political purposes or power since historically it seems only the ruling class had or have harems. I don't consider the modern polygamist like you find in the fringe LDS movements to be harems for those that might think about it. I've had quite a bit of exposure to polyamorous relationships, not that I was in one myself, but it was easy to understand how a group of people could love each other equally, especially after having seen it play out in person, so I chose to examine polygyny instead of other types of relationships.

When I created the campaign world of Tresolmar, oh so many years ago, I was reading a ton of different philosophical essays and books. Out of it all, I chose to explore what would happen when a bunch of women were forced to share a man in a world where men were treated like women are in most modern societies. A majority of my campaign players were younger men, with a couple females thrown in, and watching them all roleplay out the dynamics of this world was worth the effort. CorruptingPower's Quaranteam Book Two series looks like he'll be examining the ramifications of the same setup and I am waiting with baited breath for his storyline to continue. If you haven't checked out his work, please do so.

Once again the standard disclaimer, multiply ages by roughly two to get equivalent Earth ages. Everyone is a consenting adult.

Quick note, something happened with an edit to chapter 10 I made shortly after hitting the publish button the first time. My changes did not stick and Joy's bonding never hit the press. She did in fact bond in chapter 10. I have an update submitted to bring that chapter up to speed to where it should have been. Lesson learned on how edits work while waiting for a chapter to publish.

-- Somewhen, Somewhere --

Lashan glowered as he considered the outcome from the first major test of Comlain's player, this upstart Valor. There was no longer a way to block the raising of the Valor banner but, truth be told, he never wanted that in the first place. Several of his peers had given it a shot and failed, much to his amusement. Lashan's own plans almost required the rise of the House he had so thoroughly destroyed. The Valor name had a rich history in the human world, more than the current lot remembered, but there were those whose memories spanned centuries that would recall the name with loathing. There were even those among that select few who feared the name. It was time to refresh some of those memories.

He flexed his power and sent an avatar to appear in the center of the Orc horde conference happening in Darkhunt Hold. He liked the central room they had gathered in, built of the darkest obsidian harvested from the old lava flows below. Depending on how one looked at those walls and supporting columns, the torchlight either reflected brightly or was absorbed completely. It created a room blanketed in shadow and light, a multitude of sharp angles that shifted with the flames. The room was overflowing in roars of challenge, cries of pain, angered shouts, the clash of steel, and the smell of fresh blood. It suited his mood.

"Children of Lashan!" He roared, the volume of his voice magnified so the reverberations threatened to burst eardrums. It cowled everyone allowing him to continue in the silence that followed, "Scourge of Darkhunt! It is time! For too long the humans have held you at bay! You are strong! They are weak! Pathetic! Lower than the goblin and kobold fodder." Spittle began flying from his lips as he roared, whipping the Orc leaders around him into a frenzied bloodlust. "Sound the drums of WAR! It is TIME! Time for the Starn to be destroyed! To WAR!"

The thunderous chants of "WAR!" managed to drown out even Lashan's voice.

-- Chapter 13: Ruins of Valor City --

-- Second Tenday of Yantaen 813 AGR --

If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them.

- Asimov

Jebidiah woke with a start. It was early morning, he could tell that much, but the sounds of camp were muted. He vaguely remembered holding onto Greta as sleep claimed him, but she was missing now, having been moved while he slept. He found himself alone instead. Someone had thrown a blanket over him in the night. It was welcomed, summer had begun but the morning masked a chill that wanted to sink its teeth in.

He felt the tugs at the bonds before the first of his wives appeared. Joy's face lit up as she saw him finally alert. "The healers worked on you some as you slept, they weren't sure when you would be able to wake. They bade us leave you sleeping where you were and not wake you to move. I was so worried about you all, I hate always been left behind with the supplies. Can I train to do something to stay close? It's not fair, Jeb!" Her words continuously tumbled out without pause in the way only Joy was capable of.

"Breathe, Joy," Jebidiah said as he hugged her to try and calm her down. "One of these days you'll pass out, munchkin. We'll figure something better out, but I'm afraid you weren't meant to be in the thick of things like the rest of us. I haven't heard you tumble through so much speech since you found out you had a trip to plan. What made you so excited?"

She pulled from his hug and sat next to him, gingerly leaning into his side, not knowing where all he was injured. He reciprocated by wrapping an arm around her to hold her close and kissed the top of her head. "Don't dodge. Mila gets to be with you, I can train. But for the excitement?" Joy put her hands up to hold his head still and looked into his eyes, "Jeb, you created a House."

"I think the banner created it." He sensed someone approaching and Joy let go of his head when he turned to look.

Crystal, Dana, and Tenner stood around them. "Hello my lovelies." Jebidiah said with a smile, glad for the distraction from Joy's predicament. "What word was there while I slept? Where is Greta? How are Mila and Hiro? Dana, how is your side, love?"

Crystal answered for the group, "The healers spent a few hours after the fight stabilizing everyone then rested to regain their spells, there was only so much they could do for you and Dana. Dana shooed them away from you, figuring you would be angry if there were more seriously wounded to tend to. Hiro is fine, just got his head banged around a bit but he and Stern managed the camp while you slept. He said we should leave after the midday meal so we can reach the next outpost before nightfall."

"Awake is good. Hard to live with a dead man." Mila moved in from behind the rest, wearing a smile of relief that Jebidiah was awake and talking.

"You did well last night Mila. All of you did. I am so proud of all of my wives. But how is Greta? Shit, how are Sift and Kelek? I shouldn't have left them alone."

Crystal walked up to him, leaned over and gave him a solid kiss. "You made us all proud, my husband. Joy is right though, the banner may have been raised declaring the House, but these women around you? Last night you earned their loyalty, to you and the House, my love. They keep bringing tributes throughout the morning and we've been turning them all away with our thanks, appreciation, and explanation. It is hard for me to explain it all, but Joy summarized it well. You built a House last night."

"I know enough military history to know our victory was one for the archives, Jeb. Still not sure how we pulled it off like we did, your plan had issues," Dana said with her own sort of smile. The women all looked relaxed in a way they had not for days. When he thought more about it, there had been a rising tension since the banner had been raised, the huge unknown of what it meant and how it would play out weighing down on everyone.

"Since everyone keeps avoiding it, Tenner, how is your cousin?"

The smile she had been holding onto faltered. "We don't know. They loaded her, Miller, and Simmons into the cart with Farrah and took off last night. We won't know until we catch up with them in the city. We need to bond her, Jeb."

He nodded, absorbing the news. "The bond will work itself out as it wants." he ruffled Joy's head, "It took munchkin a few tries but we managed."

She piped up, "And Mila."

Mila winced. "Joy!" five voices rang out as one and then broke into laughter.

After some more small talk, and assurances that Sift, Kelek, Michael, and Shirely were well, they all headed into the camp to find Jebidiah some food. It took longer than it should have. Everywhere he moved saw a soldier saluting or kneeling in deference as he went by, and of course Jebidiah felt it necessary to acknowledge them, say thanks, or check on the health of each.

Unfortunately for their stomachs, they ran into a longer delay when they found Hiro and Stern before they found their food. "Stern, thanks for keeping everything running, big guy. What's our casualties look like? Just how badly did we get licked?"

Stern glanced at Hiro looking for him to answer but when none came he turned back to Jeb. "Seven more dead and nearly thirty wounded to some degree. They may have bruised our ribs but I would say we broke their back. We gathered over fifty of their dead for mass burial and have thirty-seven wounded they left behind. They were patched up but some may be too far gone to see a prison cell. We had to use available healing on our own first."

"Thirty-two." Was all Jebidiah said in response as he looked around the bustling camp.

"Thirty-two?" Stern asked for clarification, unsure what Jebidiah meant.

"Thirty-two dead or missing. I was holding a count of one hundred and twenty soldiers in my head when we left Soldier's Rest and I now return with eighty-eight, mostly wounded. I wonder if any of our people made it through this expedition unscathed. Why, Hiro? Why do they defer and pay respect to me so much more today when I just mangled them last night?"

"It may seem counterintuitive to you, Lord Valor, but it is because you mangled them and they came out the better for it. These are the victories the bards sing of and we made them part of it. The dead will be revered as heroes, just as the living. They are proud, Lord Valor. Pride is a mighty motivator. It sows loyalty in its wake, just waiting to be harvested."

"What else do I need to know?"

Stern rubbed his chin in thought, "Since we sent a small group ahead with the more seriously wounded, I also sent two to scout down to the next outpost. They were instructed to return with fresh guards to fill in our gaps. From what I was told they should be Stockmars, not Bh'orel, but they should suffice. We captured the Crag and Faltha supply trains whole, from both Houses." He waved his hand to the side, "We have them lined up over to the east so Joy can inventory them but at a glance we can at least cover our losses. There's nearly a hundred extra horses now."

Joy let out a low, slow whistle in appreciation. "That will come in handy. Ok loverboy, I am off to see the spoils of war." There was a definite spring in her step and she bounced away. "Don't forget, husband, training!"

Mila's gaze followed her, "Keep an eye on munchkin I will." She hurried after Joy. When she caught up Joy gave a small cry of surprise and hooked her arm into Mila's, dragging her along.

"Did she just call Joy a munchkin?" Dana snickered.

"Those two are going to be trouble," Crystal said in answer. "Not sure what Joy has been instigating there, but something changed in Mila since your, um, dalliance."

"Since Jeb fucked her brains out and broke her, you mean," Tenner supplied.

Hiro smirked as the three girls said in unison, "Sex magic!"

"Dammit. I will not deign to respond to that. I need food." He promptly stomped off, away from the laughter that promptly followed behind him.

After eating and resting some more, he took his retinue to visit Lt Featherton and the wounded. After that, there was a quick check on Sift and Kelek; the two were deep in discussion when they arrived. On his approach they broke their talk and Kelek hissed out a distinct "Hello Jeb" that shocked him into stillness. "Kelek, did you just talk?"

Sift related his question and Kelek gave out a series of short hisses that Jebidiah realized were laughter. Sift replied, 'Kelek's [*****] makes it difficult to form many words but she is highly intelligent and a quick learner."

Crysta spoke up, "Sift, define your second word."

"Her [*****], physical form, body parts.."

"Anatomy." Crystal interjected.

"Anatomy. Thank you, Crystal. Your assistance keeps proving helpful, I would not have guessed you used the [*****] form of that word."

"We'll have to continue the vocabulary lesson later. Is everything well here, with the two of you, Sift? Do either of you require anything?" He had lost nearly two hours of his life he would never get back explaining the multitude of meanings and uses of the word 'fuck', and why Sift shouldn't begin using the word. Jebidiah had decided to forgo similar exercises with other words.

A short discussion between Sift and Kelek followed and once again Jebidiah was shocked when Kelek hissed out "No."

"Excellent work, Sift. Good job, Kelek. I'll leave the two of you to continue."

They next went in search of Michael and Shirley, but the two were still resting after running through so much of their magic in the battle. Neither resurfaced until the midday meal when the camp began to break.

They all ate in silence, a slight awkwardness hung in the air. "Is nobody going to bring it up?" Joy broke the silence, startling most everyone.

"Joy," Crystal said in a low warning.

"She's not daft now, what point be there?" Mila asked from where she sat very close to Joy.

Shirley, back to her nondescript ways, as nondescript as a tiefling can get Jebidiah mused to himself, looked up. "I... I would rather not discuss it now."

Dana let out a long exhale of held breath, "I was kind of looking forward to that discussion. Has that happened to you before?"

"You were a goddess." Tenner said.

Shirley just shook her head, her pink cheeks flushing purple.

Jebidiah looked around the group as he admonished his wives, "Leave her be, everyone. She did good work last night, we can leave it at that." He turned his gaze back to Shirley's golden eyes but paused a minute before speaking. "Shirley, I would be honored to stand by your side again, any time. You did me and mine a great service, and I thank you." Shirley managed to blush even more and could only give a quick nod.

It was an hour after they returned to the highway that the relief force reached them. An entire company of Stockmar regulars had responded to the request for reinforcements and they headed back west together, assured it was only a few more hours until they reached the outpost. Throughout the remainder of the ride, the two groups of guards stayed mixed together and Jebidiah took notice of a host of animated discussions among them. He knew he should find out what was going on but he was too tired for the effort. He didn't speak much on the ride and the others left him be, sensing his desire for solitude and not knowing what to do for him. His mood deteriorated throughout the afternoon.

That evening, since they did not travel with the Stockmar contingent, Jebidiah and his women were able to enjoy the hospitality of the highway tavern accommodations. It had been three full tendays since the last time they had all dined at a proper table and chairs. The meal wasn't extravagant or even very good, but it was comfortable. They ate and drank into the evening, making small talk while the soldier's outside settled down for the evening. Jebidiah had been quiet most of the meal. He finally rose to leave the table with half his plate still full.

"Everything ok, Jeb?" Crystal asked. Her concern was easy to read, he didn't need everyone's bond to feel how the level of concern had built up throughout the afternoon.

"I need to check on the women, make sure the camp is set."

"Jeb, Captain Gentry has everything in hand. It's her job, you know." Stern said from where he sat.

Jebidiah nodded silently then sighed. "I... I will just retire for the night then. I'll be up in our room."

A mixture of emotions followed him; concern, fear, a little anger. The bond was always there, letting him know what his wives were experiencing. When he reached their room, he completely disrobed and dropped a coin into the water heater receptacle. When the coin fell into a divination field and was accepted, a section of water pipe instantly heated up as water poured into the waiting tub. He dumped some of the supplied minerals into the bath water and slowly sank in, willing himself to relax. He had almost fallen asleep when a disturbance in the water drew his tired eyes back open.

Dana, as naked as she could be, stepped into the water at the opposite end of the tub. Jebidiah looked over her body in appreciation, she truly was a sexy woman when she wanted to be. Her red hair was matted like the rest of theirs from so long on the road. She kept it in a long ponytail and he knew from experience how long it would take to fully wash and brush it out. Most women in the services tended to keep short hair, but Dana was never 'most women'. Her face had some small bruising where punches had landed but her steel gray eyes were still shining and held his attention. Until her breasts caught his attention that is.

He winced when he reached the patch of yellow and purple that covered her side from just under her breast to her hip. The bruising that surrounded the angry red line and black stitching of the wound only served to enhance the overall ugliness of the injury. "It will heal, love," she said to him.

"Divines, D, I am so sorry I got you hurt like that."

"I was always going to get thrown into the pointy end of things, Jeb. I'm a Warrior Talent after all. They say I'm a druid as well but I don't know what to do about that part, haven't felt very Druidish. I don't feel 'magical'. You have more than I do and you aren't supposed to have any." She could feel his emotional rollercoaster picking up speed and looked sharply at him. "What's going on in that head of yours, Jeb."

"I don't know! It's just so much, so much responsibility, so much death. I did that to them! And they like me for it? How am I supposed to process it?"

"Like an adult, Jeb. Time to grow up and put your big boy pants on and leave the self pity behind."

Jebidiah wasn't sure how to respond. They had gotten in fights on many occasions, sometimes even threw fists, but she had never been quite as insulting as that. "So I'm a petulant child throwing a tantrum?"

"You are a grown man who is now Lord of a House and you need to act like one. Not mope around and throw your hands up going 'why me?' You are better than this, Jeb. You are setting an example that the entire kingdom is watching. The Queen is allowing a man to be in charge and you are acting like an asinine fool."