Chapter 5
I looked at Bethany sleeping beside me, her face was peaceful as she slept. In truth we had not slept much, the fact was we had both been inexperienced but made up for the lack of skill with a great deal of enthusiasm. I was looking forward to continuing our nocturnal activities tonight. She was pretty, smart and willing to try anything, it was a winning combination. Too bad I could not meet a woman like her in the real world.
I left the bed and dressed then quietly left the room, there was already a fire going and coffee was waiting, grabbing a cup I greeted the few people that were up and about. Seeing Ajax walk into the Common room I grabbed him a cup of coffee and we sat down to plan the day. The plan was already in motion but the review never hurts so we went through it all. Garrick and a few men would be at the exit cave with a large fire burning just inside the entrance. We would be outside the mine with a huge fire burning with a wind mage blowing the smoke from the green wood into the mine.
Ajax thought that it would take about two hours for the smoke to kill everything in the mine. We would then put the fires out and have the battle mage blow wind throughout the mine getting rid of the smoke. I had decided that we would drag out the bodies of the Arghounds and burn them. Bloody monsters with huge jaws and sharp teeth they stood about 6 feet tall and were vaguely wolf-like in nature. Ferocious fighters and not showing any mercy they had to be killed. We needed that mine and I would kill any monster that stood in my way.
Ajax waved at me and said, “Milord the scouts have some news for us, they have not finished exploring the valley fully but they have found what appears to be a ruined temple in a gully that deepens into a small valley it is located behind your land.”
I was not surprised to hear about this, my hidden valley had secrets. “Which God is the temple dedicated to?” I asked.
“That is the strange thing, the scouts could not tell who the temple was dedicated to, it is a ruin but still in good shape. Once we have some time we should head there and see what it is all about.”
I nodded, another thing to add to my growing list, first the mine, then the Inn and the farm homes, then my home which would be a cross between a small keep with a tower and a country home. I wanted to build a water wheel there in what would be the outer area. Then a smithy, I had a ton of ore to work with which I could use to start on Magical Engineering. I also wanted to start a trading post something I would own outright located near the Inn. I had plans, lots of them but first I had to make my valley safe.
By now the morning light had overtaken the darkness of the night and we were able to prepare. I went with a team of men and we spent the morning cutting trees, lots of them, they were green and wet, the kind of wood that needs to be dried out for a couple of years before burning or it burns badly with a lot of smoke. Exactly what I wanted. By midmorning we were ready, and once the runner from Garrick arrived letting us know that he had a roaring fire, we soon had a roaring fire going inside the mine.
The minor Battle Mage Calhoun was skilled in wind manipulation and soon had a strong steady wind blowing into the mine. I busied myself making sure lots of wood was nearby to stoke the fire and we all waited, in the end, we gave it about three hours and then let the fire die out. Calhoun was as good as it gets and kept a steady wind blowing, eventually, another runner came from Garrick and told us that smoke was coming out of the cave like a winter chimney being fired up.
After about an hour of this, we received word that no more smoke was leaving the mine so we proceeded into the tunnel. Ajax again warned me, “Milord stay in the middle and do not venture away from these 5 guardsmen they have one task and that is to keep you safe.”
I nodded it was something that I was coming to appreciate. Caspar, I thought, Can your senses pick up anything in the mine, a little foreknowledge is a good thing.
Not much, the curvature of the walls and the fact that stone absorbs sound makes it difficult, but if I do I will alert you, he replied.
Good enough it was the best warning system I had and I was glad I had it. We made our way deeper into the mine finding bodies in groups of two on the first level. It was slow and difficult work, I originally had the bodies double tapped, a sword thrust through the heart or the neck slashed. I could tell the guards were not happy doing it, but it needed to be done. Calling a break, I addressed the men, “I know that this is difficult for you, it would seem that we are desecrating the dead bodies of our enemies. I know that does not find favor with you, and I understand. I may be the Lord of this valley but let it not be said that I would not pull my weight. I will take over double tapping the enemies.”
The men nodded a few with relief evident on their faces, but one asked me, “Milord what does double tap mean?”
I spoke quickly, “It means that when you fight a hard and strong foe who is cunning and full of wiles, you make sure that he is actually dead, the first tap so to speak is what kills him the second tap is what makes sure he stays dead.”
The men all nodded and I heard one of them say something about that is how you deal with the undead. I strode to the front of the men surrounded by my bodyguards and we continued on. Approaching each body, I made sure that the pike I had borrowed would penetrate the heart and then we moved on. I had a group of men dragging the bodies out to the front of the mine where we were now throwing them on a huge funeral pyre made from the leftover wood from our fire.
We continued on until we hit the end of the third level were Caspar informed me that there was a new hidden entrance, behind of which he stated he could hear a high-pitched crying sound. I gestured for the men to stop and called Ajax over and pointed at the wall. “There is a hidden entrance here that is new, with a small cave carved into the stone behind it. At least one living thing is in there, I would like to take it captive.”
Ajax quickly gave orders, “I want you two men here with pikes, and you two here with swords and boards. Don’t mess this up, men, something is in there and Baron Lightborne wants it alive.” With that two other men grabbed along the wall and pulled a large somewhat flat slab of stone away, this exposed a small hole.
Ajax grabbed a torch and held it into the hole which brought enough light into the darkness for us to see that at least one body was in there along with what looked like a humanoid puppy. It was clear that the female had died and the puppy was not doing too well. I walked past Ajax and called out for water, grabbing the skin that was given me I grabbed the puppy and dragged him out. He growled and tried to snap at me but was very weak. Uncorking the skin, I slowly poured a trickle of water into his mouth. After briefly coughing he began to lap up the water.
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“Well, what should I call you,” I said softly to myself. I looked at Ajax and smiled, then said, “Everyone should have a dog, I am not sure how intelligent these Arghounds are but I bet I can tame this bruiser here. I am sure that these things are much smarter than a dog but not as smart as Humans or BeastMen. They are primitive and seem to have been functioning at the pact level.”
I stared at my pet, he was a dark gray-blue color and judging by the size of his paws and hands he would be large when fully grown. I was now fully committed to keeping this wolf monster and I gestured for the men to come close and listen.
“This little guy is mine and I don’t want anyone screwing with him, this goes for you guards, the farmers, and the miners. If someone does something to him, the will answer to me.” I stared at the men surrounding me and noticed that many of them nodded and a few looked grim and looked away.
Standing we made our way back to the entrance, where the fire was roaring with all the bodies now piled on it. As we walked Ajax strode beside me and chuckled as he said, “Will you put the fear of the Gods into your men today. They listened to you and saw you covered in the blood of your enemies as you warned them. It is a rare thing for a Lord to do what you did today and the men greatly respect you for it and they also fear you. Be gracious to them and you will have their loyalty to the end.”
“Thanks, Ajax, I appreciate what you are saying, once we get back to the Inn I want the cooks to prepare a special celebratory supper for the men. I also want a detachment of guards at the mine tonight along with a crew of miners. Let’s get this thing happening.”
I was getting tired carrying the puppy, he was about 40 pounds and had decided to have a nap with his head on my shoulder. Eventually, we made it back to the Inn and Ajax quickly had the men heading towards the mine. Garrick came over and said, “I will be getting three crews working, and will have a stockpile of ore waiting for you by the end of the week. The first couple of days will be slow, we will carve out a room to bunk in. Once that is done we can swing into full production."
Thanking him I grabbed the mug of ale that appeared and then smiled as Bethany brought me a plate of meat and cheese. Blue, my Arghound, sniffed at my meal and I asked for another plate of meat to be brought over. Once the tray was delivered he set to it eagerly tearing into the meat all the while growling with delight. I snagged Bethany and sat her down beside me while asking, “How was your day here?”
She looked at me with a smile and said, “It was busy, I helped out in the kitchen, baking bread and cooking some of the meat that was about to turn. It was a little strange but all the women were very kind and a little subservient to me. Is it because we are together now as a man and a woman?”
Thinking for a moment I said, “I would suspect that is the case, by sharing my bed you have intimate access to me, much more so than anyone else. I once read that aside from a king’s mistress the closest people to a king are the Grooms of the Chamber and the closest of all to the King is the Groom of the Stool. This man, in particular, was often called the Chief Gentleman of the Chamber and would often control the purse of the King and as such would end up having immense power. Lucky for you I am not a king and the only person I want in my chambers is you.”
Bethany listened intently and then when I finished she blushed and then gave me a full kiss. “Thank you, milord, I will do my best to be the kind of servant girl you will want.”
I smiled, life was good. Tonight, once Bethany was asleep I would log out and get some exercise and food. I would have to be quick, as I wanted to be back in the game before morning broke, I had a lot to do. I was hoping to head out and help erected a couple of the farmer's dwellings. They looked a lot like a simple wooden Yurt and should not take too long to build.
Once dinner was served I cheered the men and toasted them, thanking them for our victory today. Blue was sleeping curled up next to Bethany who seemed to have fallen in love with the puppy. I mentioned that he was mine and I would not tolerate anything bad directed at him. I then had an impromptu meeting with most of the people and was happy to hear that within a week all the farmers would have the homes up and running and would start working on bringing in the harvest of wild wheat.
I was also told that the Inn would be repaired by weeks end and that it would have 5 rooms, the common area, and a small private bar room. Once the Inn was done work on the guard’s barracks would begin. Everyone was happy until one of the kitchen maids asked, “But what about your keep milord, surely you need to have your place done before the rest of us?”
Standing I looked at the suddenly silent crowd and then I said, “My keep will be built, but the needs of you come before me, I will stay at the Inn until after the harvest by then most of the work will be done and we can all work on my home.”
The people began to clap slowly until someone shouted, “Cheers to our Lord, Baron Lightborne. Hupp Hupp hurray.” Once the crowd had stopped cheering I thanked them and then grabbing Bethany and Blue I made my way to my room. Many of the folks stopped me to thank me and several blessed me. Eventually, I made it into my room and closed the door.
“Wow that was something else, I am glad that all these folks are happy but what the heck it was like I just gave them the winning lottery ticket.”
“I am not sure what that is but what you have done is unheard of, for a noble to put his people first and to wait for them before seeing to his own needs. I can truthfully say that you are not like any other noble that I have ever heard of. Oh, some of them are kind to us peasants and a few have promoted the low born to positions of trust and respect within their homes but you have done more. You treat us almost as if we matter to you. Thank you, milord.”
I stared at Bethany who was now softly crying, and then I gave her a hug and said, “Please call me Cam, it is what my parents called me and it is what I want you to call me in private, okay.” I looked at Bethany her eyes soft and wet and suddenly I felt a surge of emotion, something I had suppressed for a long time, really, from the day that my parents had died. I was beginning to care for this girl, and it did not matter to me that she was an AI, she was as real as any woman I have ever met and it was obvious that she cared for me.
Maybe that was her programming, she would probably care about any Lord she bed. Thinking about this did not bother me, I was here living in an artificial reality that was so much better than the real world, it was not a surprise to me that I cared about Bethany, really that I cared about everyone in my valley.
Did I love her, no not at all but I did like her and I could feel my emotions begin to come alive again. I leaned forward and kissed her gently at first and then with passion. Grabbing her blouse, I lifted it off her and then dropped to my knees and pulled her down, then reaching out I grabbed her breast and began to suck on her nipple while I undid her skirt. Picking her up I placed her on the bed and then began to kiss her neck slowly working my way down to her breast. Her nipples were thick and tender, gently biting on them I heard her whisper, “Don’t stop please don’t stop.”
I had no intention of stopping and slowly I moved my mouth down between her breast kissing the underside of them as I played with her nipples. Continuing to kiss her I worked my way down to her belly and the grasping her hips I let my tongue go lower licking and tasting her aroused wetness. Lifting her legs over my shoulders I began to work at her pleasure flower, kissing and licking I continued on until I felt her hips buck up as she orgasmed. I continued on until she bit her lips as her hips began to rock against my mouth as I tasted her and made her come over and over.
Finally, I slowly began to kiss my way up until I held her head and then began to kiss her gently as our tongues danced with each other. “Cam,” Bethany whispered, “The older ladies have told me that all men love to be pleasured by women who suck on them, let me try this for you, the idea of you in my mouth is making me weak.”
I nodded and slowly pulled her head down to my rock hard little buddy. She slowly began to lick it and then suddenly began to suck on it, moving her head up and down she began to moan with pleasure as she took my full shaft in her mouth. After several minutes I could hold it no more and I released into her mouth, I could feel her swallowing all my seed and then licking my shaft clean. She finally finished which was a good thing as I was half hard again. Pulling her up I kissed the top of her hair and then spooned with her. In moments she was sleeping and I logged out.