The night continued the same way for another hour before Wallace stood up and cleared his throat. It was speech time.
“Friends, It’s been over a month since we were taken from our home. A month since our world changed completely. A month of hardship and suffering. Through this month, we have persevered and survived. Greenwell is now our home for the foreseeable future and it makes me happy to see that it is growing and strengthening its defenses.
“The growth is not only from our efforts to build a new future, but also growth in population as we welcome four new locals into the fold. They have lost their own homes, we however, did not have to witness ours go up in flames. As such, I want to introduce you to them. If you four could stand up please?” Wallace said, his voice loud and clear for all to hear.
William watched as Noctis, Devlin, Frenn, and finally Armine all stand up. William instantly felt a change of temperature in his side with Armine’s absence, but he watched on as did every other member of Greenwell. He had noticed that Wallace’s words struck a chord with the others as their attention was wrapped onto him with eagerness and anticipation. William realized then what Wallace had meant by paying attention to his speech. His diction and tone conveyed passion and camaraderie in everyone there, hooking their interest into the points he was about to make.
Wallace looked at the four newcomers and continued, “These four needed our help and we provided it. In return for joining us, they will use their jobs to improve Greenwell further, from smithing and tailoring, to trade and entertainment. These roles are essential to our next steps and all four are willing to take apprentices, thus imparting their jobs onto others. I would strongly recommend those who want a job to excel at to speak with me or one of these new individuals.
“I will now introduce them. The two brothers over at the fire on the left are Devlin and Frenn. The big guy at the fire on the right is Noctis. Last but not least at the fire before me, We have Armine. Give them all a kind welcome.”
Cheers and claps sounded throughout Greenwell. William even found himself clapping, subconsciously getting involved in the cheers. He never would have clapped before coming to GAEA there was never a point to it in his mind. In the end, William shrugged it off as “Charisma stat go brrrrr.”
A few moments passed before the cheering quietened down and Wallace gestured for the four new members to sit down again. William saw Armine sit in the same spot as before and had some butterflies in his stomach as she picked up his arm and wrapped it around her. William was curious as to how she was so interested in him. Was it just that he was strong compared to her? Or was it from the stories he told of his time in GAEA up to that point?
Those were points for another time he decided, he would just enjoy the moment for now. With that, he turned his head back to Wallace as the older man spoke up once more, “With the introductions completed, I would like to voice my own decisions. I’d like to put myself forward as the leader of Greenwell. This would be a role to fulfil all aspects of leadership within Greenwell from irrigation and farming, to well-being of our members and defense. I’d also pick several individuals to be advisors in specific areas. We need direction, and from my own leadership experience on the battlefield, I believe myself to be the best choice at present. As such, please raise your hand if you’re opposed to this suggestion.”
Silence and unmoving watchers was all that filled the atmosphere for a pregnant moment before the Duncans and three others at the fire on the other side all raised their hands. Six out of thirty four was pretty definitive and William felt much relief in the result.
“Okay, six against it, twenty eight in agreement. I humbly thank y’all for it. With that decided, I will be naming three advisors immediately. The first is Advisor of Combat, William Brooks.”
Some murmurs sounded from the other fires, but William appreciated that those around his fire had no such hesitation.
He watched as Wallace added, “It seems odd, I know. William is the strongest fighter here and as y’all know by now, he’s fought the denizens of this world multiple times. Experience trumps all. He has also experienced the pain of taking multiple lives, as I have in the past. That is how I know that this is the correct choice.”
William felt warmth at Wallace’s kind words, even if it was slightly diminished by the mention of those he had killed so far. He wondered how many more would die to his hand before he was slain by another. He didn’t dwell for long as he noticed that Stacey had turned her attention to him with a worried look.
She whispered, “You okay?”
William nodded slightly before whispering back, “Yeah, just thinking about those I...you know what.”
She gave him a sympathetic smile and nodded back solemnly, clasping his arm tighter.
The pair turned their gaze back to Wallace once more as the murmurs stopped.
“The second advisor is Jane and William’s father, Bill Brooks. He will be the Farming and Agricultural Advisor, being the most skilled hand from our old village. He was employee of the month for four consecutive years at the Duncan farmstead. He is a man with a passion for provision.”
The only contestation was a couple huffs from the Duncans. That was completely expected however, and William found it slightly amusing.
Wallace nodded at the lack of contestation, “Finally, the Advisor of Civility, Miss Jones. I know it may seem odd, but she was the hairdresser for all of us back on Earth. She’s probably spoken to each of us more than we’ve spoken to each other. She also has life experience as a councilor before she moved to our earthen village. I can’t think of anyone better to advise on the well-being and civility of those within Greenwell.”
There were some initial murmurs, but they subsided quickly. It seemed that Most of the villagers agreed with him. Less headaches was always pleasant after all.
The old veteran finished with a smile and some final words, “I haven’t got anything else to add so enjoy the fire and food.”
Wallace sat down and sighed in relief. It was comforting that William wasn’t the only one that would be on edge during public speaking.
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Jane patted Wallace on the back and said, “Good speech, fancy making William the heir to Greenwell?”
William let out a small groan, drawing a brief pointed look from Jane.
“We came to an understanding sis,” William said, hoping the look he gave her convinced Jane to drop it.
He was relieved when she seemed to get his meaning and sat down where she had been seated before. Nothing much happened for the rest of the night as people left one by one. In the end only Wallace, William, Jane, Stacey, and Armine remained as the rest of Greenwell had turned in. Two of the other villagers had taken the night watch by the gate as leaving no guards would be a disastrous idea. The moon was full that night, lighting up the hills all around Greenwell. A sneak attack wouldn’t go unnoticed in such conditions.
Jane looked over at William, Armine, and Stacey grinning, “So, William. Two women eh? Ambitious. Who knows, maybe polygamy is okay in this world.”
William paled at her words. “What the fuck Jane?! Please don’t ruin this.” William roared mentally, not able to voice the thought without, making himself look bad.
He was relieved at what Armine said a fraction of a second later, “Polygamy is perfectly acceptable in this world. Sleeping around for the sake of it isn’t, but sharing your interest and attention amongst people that you care about is perfectly fine and even encouraged.”
Music to William’s ears. Harem goals could in fact be achieved. William also took pleasure in Jane’s expression of surprise, clearly not anticipating that remark. William knew Jane was only playing around, but words could ruin many things unintentionally. Luckily they hadn’t with Armine, but he did wonder about how Stacey felt as she came from earth where Polygamy wasn’t common.
William took a moment to gather his courage before he turned to Stacey, “What're your thoughts on that, Stacey?”
She looked up at him with a slight smile, “I don’t mind that much, I’ve never dated anyone before so it’s all new to me, but I can understand the point Armine makes. As long as I’m girlfriend number one, I’ll be happy with the idea.”
“Halle-fucking-lujah.” William cheered internally, before replying, “Of course you are.”
Stacey beamed at that, and wrapped herself up around his side even firmer before kissing him on the cheek.
William worried that Armine would contest the number one position, and was elated when Armine just shrugged and said, “I’m happy being number two,” before running her hand through his hair.
The touch of her hands was heavenly.
His revelry was broken unfortunately as Wallace spoke, “So Lad, what did you glean from my speech.”
William shifted his focus onto Wallace. Serious time.
“I saw that the way you worded everything built up the attention and captivation of your audience, making them more pliable to your suggestions. I don’t understand why you wanted those opposed to your leadership to raise their hand rather than have those interested raise theirs.”
Wallace grinned at that last point, confusing William somewhat.
“Lad, the reason I did it the way I did was because now we know who’s opposed to my leadership. As such, I can keep an eye on them in case they try anything untoward,” The older man said, with an aged intelligence painted across his face.
William was impressed. He wouldn’t have thought that far ahead. He had much to learn.
William smiled back and replied, “Well, with you teaching me leadership skills in the coming weeks, I’ll hopefully get to where you are in the future.”
“You will Lad. As my Combat Advisor, I’ll be relying on you too. The decisions for combat through this world’s means is up to you, but tactics and strategy will be mine to finalize. I’ll also be teaching you those skills by the way.”
“Sure thing. Anything I can learn will definitely help me grow in this world, I’m sure.”
“Good. I’ll turn in for the night too,” Wallace finished, ending the conversation and walking away.
Jane also stood up and said, “I’m out too. I’d say have a nice night, but that would be stating the obvious given how the three of you are almost bunched up enough to merge into one being.”
William and Stacey stuck their tongues out at her and Armine just raised an amused eyebrow as Jane turned and walked away.
All that was left was William and two new girlfriends. That was certainly a situation he had never expected to become a reality.
He lay back onto the grass and took in the night. It was the perfect level of cool, with a calming breeze. The smell of burnt wood lingered slightly, but it wasn’t too bad. The wood wasn’t the same as earth it turned out. The trees in GAEA connected to the Ley-lines of the world, permeating them with ambient Mana. It was not enough to even provide one MP, but when burned, a subtle aroma spread out on the smoke. It was floral yet bitter. Sweet yet sour. Calming and exhilarating. Nothing he had smelled on earth came close. It could only be summarized as the smell of Mana.
The lingering heat form the embers caressed William’s lower half in a warming embrace. And his eyes were fulfilled as Stacey and Armine looked down at him with warm expressions.
“Gotta admit, that’s one hell of a view,” William said with a wide grin.
Stacey leaned down and kissed him on the lips. Her lips were softer than fresh pillows, and more bountiful than a good harvest.
“Can you come up for air Stacey, you aren’t the only one that wants a taste of him,” Armine said with a teasing tone.
Stacey’s lips lingered for a moment before she relinquished her kiss. William didn’t get a chance to react further as Armine came into view and pressed her lips onto his. Her lips were even softer, as if made from clouds. Her tongue was a soothing presence that claimed his own. As their tongues entwined in each other, William felt her hand caress his hair. The kiss continued for a few more moments before she also sat back up.
“Wow. You’re an amazing kisser. I’m guessing you were a sought after man in your world,” Armine said with a lustful expression.
She couldn’t be further from the truth. William was over the moon at the words however, as he felt some confidence well up from deep within.
Stacey gave him a cheeky wink at an angle where Armine wouldn’t notice. She knew the truth about his life on Earth, and he appreciated her even more for not pointing it out.
William then learned that Armine was a very confident and to the point woman as she spoke up, “I think your little shed can fit all three of us in it just about, and I wanna know if you are as good at...exciting activities as you are at kissing.”
William was speechless for a moment and he also saw Stacey redden slightly.
Armine caught Stacey’s flushed face and chuckled before adding, “Well, If Stacey’s not ready yet, the two of us will have some room to roll around at least.”
A cute little harrumph came from Stacey as she looked away and shyly said, “I...want him to...have me too…”
Armine chuckled wryly before she replied, “Get your bedroll then Stacey, I don’t have one so I’ll need to squeeze up in William’s with him tonight.”
Stacey didn’t say a word before scurrying off. Armine looked back at William and ran her hand under his shirt feeling his defined chest. The stat improvements had given him what could be counted as a decent beach body. He was far away from being a chiseled Greek god, but that would come with time. Her hands were gentle and warm, caressing his torso with pleasant precision. It was as if she was also a masseuse.
Her other hand circled through his long hair and she kissed him again, with even more passion before she whispered in his ear, “I can’t wait for you to have your way with me. I hope you have the stamina to satisfy both of us, but preferably enough to satisfy me at least.”
He chuckled and looked at his stamina quickly: 710/710SP.
“Oh don’t worry about that,” he replied, confident that his high SP would allow him to do whatever position he wanted from the...adult...educational content he had watched on Earth.
Armine chuckled with some anticipation hinted on her face before Stacey came back with her bedroll in hand. The next couple minutes were a blur as they went back to William’s shed. The other Bedroll was laid out and several minutes later, the three were naked, having piled all their belongings in the corner of the shed. William pulled them close and the three indulged in what would be a long and heated night.