The Beast

"What?!" Ally cried, rushing over to the pair of them.

"See for yourself," Eila pushed Ally's hand against my chest.

I just stood there dumbfounded, waiting for an explanation.

Eila spoke up, "Frelser, Eldritch energy that powers our magic, is also our life force. The more power we use, the shorter our lifespans. This ties all back in to couples sharing power." She was almost hyperventilating.

"If... If you're creating infinite energy, and... Powering us..." Ally continued, "We'll be practically immortal... And so will you..."

Before I could respond, a sudden shriek cut through the air. It was a familiar sound... One I didn't think I'd be hearing any time soon. More shrieks cut into the air, followed by the sound of a large bell being rung.

"That sound was a goblin hunting party. The rest, means it's a big group. Judging by the bell, I think goblins are attacking a town nearby." I said quickly.

... Chapter Seven...

Eila and Ally wasted no time quickly dressing. The three of us rushing towards the sound of shrieking goblins. Within minutes, we cleared the trees. Like expected, there was indeed a village along the water. This one was thankfully large enough to have a palisade wall. Unfortunately, they were having trouble getting the gate closed. Now, Goblins aren't slow creatures. Not usually, but they're not really sprinters either. Crossing a road to slash a man's throat before he draws his weapon, sure. Crossing several hundred meters of open ground to attack a town... Not so... Without waiting to discuss things with the ladies, I set off at a sprint.

I caught up with the trailing edge of the goblins easily. It was no difficult feat to sweep them out of my way with my sword, or topple them over with my shield. By the time the goblins realised I was there, it was already too late. Those in front couldn't hear me coming, those behind couldn't keep up. As I burst through the front ranks of Goblins, I made directly for the gate. There were hundreds of goblins out here, and the town wouldn't stand a chance if they got in. Unfortunately for me, however, the sight of a fully armed, albeit small, battle troll charging for the gate, meant I was shot half a dozen times with arrows. Ignoring those wounds however, I pulled to a stop beside the gate. There were several armed men staring at me with terrified expressions. I didn't have any time to waste trying to explain things, so I simply grabbed the edge of the gate, and started hauling it shut.

It was three quarters closed when I had to abandon the attempt. Spinning around, I caught a goblins spear on my shield. Unfortunately for the goblin, it was still shorter than my sword. I stabbed him through the chest, and flicked him aside into another goblin. I knew at this point I could just charge through them. But I had to hold the gate until it closed. I just hoped those terrified idiots finished the job. Thankfully, for me, the guards in the watchtowers must have seen what I was doing. Between each sweep of my massive sword, the first row of goblins was peppered with arrows. Preventing any from slipping behind me.

But with all this carnage, the scent of goblin blood drove the others onward. In minutes, the wall of goblins before me became a mountain. Each member of this small army wanting the honour of my death. The urge to kill the one who slew so many of their kin was strong. And like before with the elves, every now and then something slipped through. A goblin threw himself at me, wrapping his arms around my chest. I felt his dagger slice into the back of my shoulder just as I threw him to the ground. Stomping on his small form, I let loose a battle cry and hacked two more in half with a single swing of my massive weapon.

The next was a spear, thrown from the back. I managed to deflect it upwards, but the tip managed to graze my forehead, snapping my head back. This allowed a third goblin to tackle me to the ground. In an instant, I knew I was dead. I wasn't going to last long pinned on the ground. I just hoped Eila and Ally would survive and escape unharmed. But that didn't mean I was going down without a fight. Driving my head forwards, I felt the crack of the goblin's skull against my own. Throwing it aside, I sat up and lunged my sword forwards, skewering the next in line. Before I could withdraw my blade, a spear slammed into my chest, driving me flat onto my back again. Before I could sit back up, a second spear found the gap at my waist and drove it home. I reached down, grabbing the shaft, in an attempt to remove it. But that just left me open for a third goblin to shove a spear into the gap at my shoulder. Together the two goblins managed to push me back, hard against the gate, which was thankfully closed by now.

Flicking out my sword, I managed to catch the goblin spearing my stomach. But it was quickly replaced by another. Before I could make a second swing, another goblin stepped in and tackled my weapon. I wasn't quite pinned, but another goblin stepped in holding a curved dagger... Yup... That's it... I'm done... Sorry ladies...

A warm breeze washed over me. Goblins screamed... And I just laughed... Opening my eyes, there stood Eila, palms extended, washing flames over the nearby goblins. Behind her stood Ally, holding a goblin sword and a rough shield she must have scavenged. The pair quickly exchanged places and Ally quickly washed over the gate with a flurry of water and wind. That was new, the water hit hard enough to bounce off the wood, but felt like rain to me. The moment she finished, Ally helped me pull the spears free and gave me a moment to heal.

It didn't take very long. The wounds inflicted were superficial, the main problem was that I was pinned and one had a dagger for my throat. But now I had a moment to breathe, I climbed steadily to my feet. Before us was a wave of destruction. Hundreds of either frozen, or crispy goblins littered the ground. A few more looked like they'd been drowned. Along with a healthy amount with obvious stab wounds... Ladies had been very busy getting to me. There, however, was still over one hundred of the little fuckers to deal with.

Stepping between my ladies, I bellowed my battle cry and slapped my blade to my shield. The nearest goblin shrieked in it's high pitch voice and charged me. I knocked it's sword aside with my shield while dropping my own sword. Ducking low, I managed to get a hold of it's ankle. Heaving upwards, the goblin squealed in terror as I swung it around my head. I used it's body to beat two more goblins into the ground before hurling it's corpse back into the crowd of goblins before me. Retrieving my sword, I took a guard stance as Eila and Ally stepped up either side of me. A split second later a jet of water shot out from Ally, knocking several goblins over. While a series of ice shards from Eila tore through some more... And the goblins' morale finally broke.

Once the one or two deserters, turned into dozens, we stopped our assault. That was it... We were done. It was a few minutes more before the last of the goblins disappeared back into the trees. When the last stragglers were gone, the gate behind us creaked into motion. Turning around, I watched the gates open just wide enough for me to spot dozens of archers aiming bows at us.

"Get behind me," I snarled.

Stepping between the archers and the ladies, I turned my shield horizontally, trying my best to cover both of them at the same time. When a voice called out.

"Shit, he talks," a well dressed man said, stepping forwards.

"And right now, he's wondering why he's on the receiving end of your bows. The archers on the towers could see me hold the gate for you." I growled, refusing to back down.

"Lower the bows, lads!" The man called. As the archers relaxed, the man stepped forward, "sorry about that. Thought you were a troll runt. They're unpredictable at the best of times and figured the ladies managed to train you or something."

"Fair enough," I muttered, lowering my shield. I didn't bother to enlighten him, probably wouldn't do me any favours if I did anyway. "Who do I have the pleasure of addressing?"

"Oh!" The man chuckled, "It's been a long time since a visitor has had any manners. I'm Jurn. I run this little town. We're mostly farmers and craftsmen, but we're far enough into the wilderness we have ourselves a decent little militia."

I waited a moment in case the ladies wanted to speak, but it seemed they were comfortable with me handling things. "I'm Frelser. These are my... Wives... Eila," she smiled politely, "and Ally." Who gave a small nervous nod."

"Well, Frelser, what are you three doing all the way at the edge of the wilds?" Jurn asked.

I just shrugged, "honestly, North is humans, who wouldn't care for my wives. South is the elves, who wouldn't care for me. East has large cities where I'd probably have a hard time proving I wasn't a troll."

Jurn looked between the three of us, "I can see how you ended up out here then. Any of you have any skills?"

"I worked as a gatekeeper for the last few years," I said quickly, "but I'm not opposed to labour, and I'm smart enough to make this armour, grow vegetables and hunt."

"What about you ladies?" Jurn continued.

"We're both powerful spell weavers," Eila started. "We can hold our own, and honestly, we just want to settle down somewhere quiet."

Jurn nodded, "not sure you'll find quiet any time soon. Back the way you came through, a goblin clan was wiped out. Created a power vacuum that's pulled in all the surrounding clans. We've pushed back a few patrol groups recently, but without your help, we'd have been swept up under that attack."

"If you can provide us lodgings, for the time being, we'd be happy to help out in the future." Ally chipped in.

Jurn thought about it a moment, before looking me in the eye. "I've got a place you can stay. Old Yen's place. It's near the outer wall, away from most of the other dwellings. It's a bit old and run down, but it's warm and dry. I can take you there now, if you like?"

A quick exchange of looks with my ladies were all I needed. "Please, lead the way."

Jurn led us through the centre of town. It was surprising to see how many different peoples we passed. A few orcs, some cat people known as fetz and a handful of humans made up the majority. I even spotted a masculine figure covered with bright green scales, that I couldn't identify. All in all, this town looked like the kind of place where outcasts and nobodies congregated... A place where people just wanted to be left alone. What really sold it for me, was the half dozen or so children I saw running around. If this were some bandit hub, I doubt we'd be seeing any children at all.

We listened to Jurn talk about the town. He pointed at the street markets as we passed. The town square held the town well and the entrance to his own home, should we ever need him. Jurn even gave me a slight nudge as we passed the barracks, making it clear he thought I should sign up as a guard. I didn't want to burst his bubble quite yet, but I really wasn't planning on it. Soon enough however, we came to the warehouse district. This area was mainly used for town storage. As such, it had a strong guard presence in the area. And there, tucked between a granary and a warehouse full of wooden crates, was a shabby looking, two story shack.

"Don't look like much from out here, but it goes right back against the wall." Jurn walked up to the front door and pulled it open.

Eila went in first, followed by Ally. I had to duck my head to come in, but I was surprised at the tall ceilings. There wasn't much, but I wasn't at risk of hitting my head just standing. Jurn led us through the dwelling. It had been cleared out after the late Yens had moved on, but all the old furniture remained. There was still a little work to be done. Patching a wall, rehanging a door, rugs to be beaten off dust. But it was spacious, had a well built kitchen and larder, and that was just downstairs. Upstairs, there were three empty rooms and a fourth that was the master. It came with an oversized four poster bed with a fresh mattress and linens.

"Now, there's a private bathing area out back, Yens had a bit of a people problem, so he had one built. I don't know much about it, so you'll have to figure it out yourself." Jurn said, heading back downstairs into the lounge. "So what do you think?"

The ladies and I followed Jurn downstairs, taking another look as we went. "Well ladies, I'll live anywhere, it's up to you."

"How much?" Ally chirped immediately, taking Eila's hand while they smiled excitedly.

Jurn grinned, "considering how just about everyone here owes you three their lives, I'll do you a deal. One gold a month, paid at the beginning of the month. I'll give you three months free to get your feet under you."

I honestly had no idea whether or not that was a good idea. I had no real knowledge of the value of currency. If I wanted it I made it or found it myself, there was never anyone willing to trade with a goblin clan. So I was paying attention as Ally pulled something from a pouch hidden inside her armour.

"Would you accept this as currency?" She asked sweetly.

Jurn took the offered object. It was indeed a gold coin. Removing one of his own, he compared the two for a brief moment. "Yours is a little larger than what we're used too. I'd feel better if you took this down to a jeweller and made a trade for local coins, that way I wouldn't be ripping you off." Jurn scratched his chin for a few moments, "I better show you where the jeweller is, huh?"

The three of us accompanied Jurn for a quick walk. The town jeweller was closer to the warehouse district than most of the other stores. Taking advantage of the increased presence of guards. Jurn explained that while the local population was relatively at ease with one another, there was occasionally the odd bandit that came through looking for trouble. Suddenly the reaction at the front gate made a whole lot more sense.

Jurn led us through a wide door, into a well lit room filled with glass cabinets displaying various gems and jewellery. "Ho there, Marge," Jurn called.

A short woman, I guessed was probably a dwarf or gnome came in from a back room. "Don't rush me Jurn, I was getting my armour off. You know damned well I'll go down swinging if it comes to it." As she realised it wasn't just Jurn in her shop, she stumbled to a stop. "Sorry, sorry, I didn't realise anyone else was here."

After Jurn quickly introduced everyone, he took a step to the side.

"No harm done," Eila smiled. "We were wondering if you could exchange some currency for us?"

"Oh," Marge brightened, "I'd be delighted."

Jurn handed over the coin. Marge examined it closely. "I haven't seen elvish coinage in decades," she took stock of the ladies, "displeasing your fathers then?" Eila smiled and nodded, Ally just looked uncomfortable. Marge immediately picked up on it, "don't worry yourself lass. From what I saw of your man here, you'd be hard pressed to find a more capable warrior. If your father was half the man, he is," she stuck her thumb at me, "he'd be proud.

"So... How much are we looking to exchange today?" Marge asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Jurn, if you were to sell to us, how much would it be?" Eila asked quickly.

Jurn furrowed his brow a moment, deep in thought. "I could let it go for fifty gold."

Ally didn't need instructions, simply pulling free a medium sized bag of coins. "There should be fifty like the one in your hand."

Jurn just chuckled to himself. "Alright, I'll go get your paperwork sorted. Meet me back at my manor at the square." With that he walked off, leaving the ladies and I with Marge.

"So who are you really?" Marge asked softly.

Ally immediately moved to draw her blades, but Eila held up her hand. "I'm the daughter of King Phaslo. I was wed to a monster, I'm sure you know against my will. Ally is my handmaiden and Frelser helped us escape."

"Ah... I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting that," Marge chuckled. "I was thinking you were either a merchant's daughter, or a minor noble... To think I have royalty in my home..."

"Please Marge," Eila stopped her. "The man my father gave me too, whipped and beat me for the hour we were legally wed. Frelser found my just before he was able to rape me. I killed my fellow elves making our escape." Eila drew herself up, "I am no longer royalty, so please... Just call me a friend."

As Eila finished her speech, Ally pulled her into a deep hug. I pulled them both into mine as I watched Marge for her next move.

Marge however had a pained expression on her face. "I'm sorry dear. I would be honoured to call you my friend. I'll not speak of your past to anyone."

With that, Marge quickly weighed up the coins, before filling several bags with local currency. There were smaller copper coins, some silvers and a bunch of golds. I simply handed them straight to Ally, figuring she'd be the best to keep track of it. We thanked Marge for her time and left in the direction of the square. Without Jurn guiding us, we were able to stop and look around. The town seemed just big enough to be self sufficient. There was a blacksmith, various stands selling all types of farm produce. Even a cobbler set up beside a tanner. As we approached Jurn's home, we were pleasantly surprised to see it doubled as a schoolhouse. Considering the events of this morning, it was empty, but it meant the town had planned for growth.

Knocking on the door, it opened almost immediately. Jurn stood before us with a friendly smile.

"Come in come in. I just need the coins and for you to sign the paperwork," he said with a grin.

True to his word, the three of us signed a very basic and straightforward writ, and the home was ours.

... Chapter Eight...

We made a quick detour on the way home. Stopping by a tailor. Entering the store, it was run by an older looking orc gentleman. His puzzled expression seeing the ladies still in armour, was nothing compared to the open mouth stare he gave me.

"Good morning. I'm Grah-Sha but you may call me Grah. You must be the newcomers that turned back those goblins." He said in a rough, throaty voice. It was an odd sound, as he was clearly an educated man.

"We would at that," Eila smiled. "Unfortunately, all we have to wear is our armour. We were hoping to pick up a few sets and get fitted for a few more."

"Yes, I can see how that would be a problem," Grah eyed me warily. "I'll probably have a few basics in your size you can take now. But I won't have anything for your troll."

"Their... Troll... Has clothing under his armour," I growled. "I would, however, like a few more sets of spares if you could manage it."

Grah's eyes almost bugged out of his head. "Gods... I'm terribly sorry young man, I judged you poorly. Please, I'll measure you first, I'll have one of my daughters bring the ladies tea."

"Thank you," we all replied in unison.

I followed Grah into a well lit back room. He quickly disappeared, returning with a young woman in her early twenties, who smiled politely as she passed through.

"There now... Again... I'm terribly sorry, that was a horrible first impression I made," Grah said with a pained smile.

"No harm done. I expected this kind of thing. It's why we headed west and not east." I chuckled, diffusing the situation.

"Still... Even after you helped save the town, I should have spoken better. I'll put your order on priority. I'm sure Mrs Potter can wait an extra day for her doilies, while I get you into something comfortable."

From the point, Grah was methodical and exact. He took his measurements, wrote them down and moved on. Five minutes later, I was sitting with Ally and Chit-Sha, Grah's daughter. I listened halfheartedly to their idle banter while enjoying a cup of tea for myself. When Eila returned, Ally disappeared. After a few moments of silence, I realised Chit was eyeing me. I tried to ignore her at first, but as I kept my eyes moving around the room, Chit started leaning closer. Finally I'd had enough, and I spun in my chair, snarling silently as I moved to face her.