"A wife? Are you crazy?!? What makes you think I need a wife?"

Damian lost his jolly mood and came to sit back down.

"Do you know the law of Gothcraks?"

"What does Gothcraks have to do with this?"

"It is law there, that anyone who dies without a clear successor or spouse to inherit their estate, has that estate go back to the government."

"And since we are in the same valley as the Mine of Gothcraks, they may claim that it's part of their domain and thus entitled to Gibraltar."

"Exactly."

"And I can't leave a written will saying I leave whatever to whoever?"

Damian shrugged.

"What if they argue if it is a fake?"

James sighed.

"I see your point. Well, Mr. Schemer...I assume you have some candidate in mind?"

"Of course! My dear niece as a matter of fact!"

James chuckled despite himself.

"Alright, let me know who this person is and anyone else who is interested, and I'll talk to them."

It turned out to be the wrong thing to say. James had briefly forgotten his position, but someone possessing the money to pay a couple hundred workers, and soon to be in control of a massive moneymaking venture like Gibraltar? Despite his being a human, there was no shortage of applicants. And once word spread that he was looking for a potential wife, even more women showed up.

But while James began interviewing potential marriage candidates while trying to be openminded to the idea, he quickly dismissed most of them. Some were only after status or money, and others had left their boyfriends to try and scoop him up as a catch. James had no use for such shallowness. However, there were a few that did interest him, whom he thought he might be able to tolerate over breakfast and perhaps share some interests with. With the passage of time, he had come to accept that he might eventually die in Morganthal rather than earth, and while there were still some things he missed like root beer and chips, he found it also rewarding to know so many people. So by the end of the initial screening, he had narrowed the list down to a final six candidates.

Mackenna was a dwarf and also Damian's niece. He was almost disappointed to learn that she didn't have a beard like a Tolkien dwarf, but looked surprisingly young with rosy cheeks, dark brown eyes and long hair that was partly braided as it ran down her back. She was a blacksmith who for some reason always wore her leather hauberk despite the high temperatures of the forges, though she preferred to create tools and other objects that struck her imagination or fancy. More than one creation had passed through her hands that had no practical purpose but was made to represent her idea of art or to satisfy the cravings of her mind. And this showed in her strong ripped muscles, with which James had no doubt she could wipe the floor with him despite her smaller size.

Selena was a centauress, a woman that was part human and part horse. Whereas he towered over Mackenna, Selena towered over him. She didn't like living underground, but she was also a free spirit who could lose herself in a gallop with her long auburn hair flying in the wind as her green eyes danced. This, combined with her independence as she wore her brown leather vest and vambraces as she spent her days hunting with a bow in the vast outlands made James respect her freedom.

Jessica was a naga, a woman with the upper torso of a human and the lower half of a snake. Despite her appearance, including her emerald-yellow reptilian eyes and her snake forked tongue that hissed when she was startled, the woman had a soft personality. Not liking to get her hair in her face, she usually wore it in a tight small braid. While not the most beautiful in her humble appearance and simple plain minidress, James was also prepared to entertain the idea of many a quiet night spent by the fire simply enjoying the presence of the other.

Mimi was the exact opposite. Originally a guard, she often made more coin gambling on fighting and armwrestling than she earned. Her hair was the longest, with a long black river that fell loosely to her waist. She was also a beastkin, with black panther ears and a matching tail. With a dark cloak covering most of her, though not enough to cover the belt of knives as her waist, James wondered if she would use them on him if he pulled her tail. Not that he was eager to find out though.

Jo'Lena was an orc, and she fit the word barbarian very well. With rough coarse reddish hair that was rough and uneven, dressed in animal skins and chainmail with a club over her shoulder, one would never have known that she was a prospective teacher. How she had come James didn't know, but he had asked her to send his regards to Ik'Laus the next time she saw him. Perhaps because he was the only other one who spoke her native language, they had spent a great deal of time together and James had grown to appreciate her insight.

The final person he was considering was a faun, or saytr as they were most often called. Helena had short curly hair, merry blue eyes, and always seemed to be cheerful and smiling. It was appropriate that she had small horn nubs jutting out of her head, as she was a seemingly endless source of mischief. A travelling musician before she had heard of Gibraltar, James had often seen her flit and dance with her goat hooves in a way that made everyone clap and cheer as if they were in a hoedown. Her infectious laughter more than anything was what had drawn his attention.

With Damian's advice, and after getting pointers on interspecies courtship, he arranged to meet the women outside the fortress in four sunrises. Until then, his days were spent busily preparing the schools, balancing the account books, and seeing that qualified staff were trained for both the school and the bank. At last, though he felt like nothing was ready, James handed over what he could to Hrauss, who had temporarily taken over for Damian while he searched for a new assistant.

Exiting the fortress, he was met by the six ladies by his old cart. Feeling a bit refreshed by the idea of travelling again and not being bogged down with paperwork and running the fortress, James greeted them with an eager smile.

"Hello ladies! I trust you are all ready? Is there anything else you need to grab before we set out?"

They all answered negatively, so after feeding the keptha a treat, he affectionately rubbed it's ears and scratched its chin for a few moments before everyone except Selena climbed onto the cart.

They set out and moved away from the canyon, but still not in the direction of the orc settlement or human village. Even on a date, he had decided not to violate the trust that Ik'Laus had shown him and as a member of the Othrek Clan, he wanted to honour it. So instead he set his sights on a closer field of trees, one not large enough to be considered more than a small forest but according to his map one not too far from a nearby desert. Luckily it was not far away, and should only take a half day of travelling to get there. As they left, the mountains faded like impressive giants in the distance, and James turned to face his new travel companions.

"Any of you been out this way before?"

"I often hunt game here" Selena answered.

"And I've seen maps of this area" Jessica told him, a testament to her scholar profession.

"Alright then, how long do you think it will take us before we get to the group of trees known as the Trasmian Wood?"

"I'd say about another three hours."

"That sounds about right."

"Alright then. Mackenna, please come and join me."

She came and sat beside him, while the other ladies gave them some space. There was not much room on the cart so they would probably hear everything they said, but James appreciated their respectful gesture.

"So...please tell me about you. What are you looking for in a husband, and what made you take up smithing?"

"I've been smithing most of my life. It's something I've just always had an affinity for."

"And what made you decide to apply to be my wife?"

"Eh, my mom made me."

James laughed, amused by her honesty.

"I take it that means you are not interested?"

"Meh, you're nice human, I'll give you that. But I already have a boyfriend."

"Then why did you apply? Wouldn't he be upset?"

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"Eh, at worst I get the riches before you die. Dwarves can live to be over two hundred years old, so I lose nothing."

James' amusement died out as he realized Mackenna had just admitted that she could wait for him to die before marrying her sweetheart and taking his wealth. While grateful for her honesty, he couldn't help feeling a little bit used.

"Alright, thank you. Helena? May I please speak with you now?"

The two women exchanged places, and while Mackenna was gruff but soft-spoken, Helena was bubbly and energetic.

"Hey!"

"Hello."

"I've never been to Trasmian Wood. Do you think I'll get to practice my music there?"

So saying, she pulled out a reed flute and began to play, tapping her goat hooves as she did so. While dressed as if she were a savage in the wild with wild furs matching the fur on her goat half, no one could doubt her enthusiasm and wide-eyed wonder for the world.

He waited until her tune finished, then he hurriedly spoke up before she could begin another tune.

"So how long have you been a musician?"

"I learned from my father when I was seven."

"And how old are you now?"

"I'm twenty-three."

"And what made you participate? Why do you want to be my wife?"

"Because you can buy me new instruments! I can then travel everywhere giving people my music!"

"But what if you became pregnant and couldn't travel or play for a couple months?"

"Ugh! I hate kids."

James' eye twitched as he looked at her. The whole point of this process was for him to find a wife and eventually, hopefully, have a child as a successor. How had this music obsessed ninny passed the initial screening?

"Okay, thank you. I'm sure you will have plenty of chances to play your music later. Jo'Lena, can we speak now?"

The orc woman took Helena's place, and James was reminded of Andre the Giant when he placed his hand on a person's head in the movie The Princess Bride.

"So..." he started, trying to get a sense of the woman's interests and character. "It's surprising to see an orc here. May I ask what clan you are from?"

She looked at him in surprise.

"Clan Gurkash."

"Ah, I see. Sorry, I only know Clan Othrek. I was even accepted as a member by one of them."

"An orc clan accepted a human? That I find hard to believe."

"Well, it's true anyway."

"Ha! Then who approved of you?"

"Ik'Laus" he answered, already starting to get frustrated with the woman's scorn.

"Ha! That cretin never did have good eyes."

James abruptly stopped the cart. He didn't trust himself, so he waited a few moments to calm down while the women looked at him curiously. Then he turned and looked at Jo'Lena.

"Leave."

"What?" she asked him, looking at him confused.

"Leave. Start walking back, to the fortress or your clan, I don't care. Just go."

"You're rejecting me? No one rejects Clan Gurkash."

"I believe I just did. Goodbye."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"You can have your beef with me, but I will not stand an insult of Ik'Laus and Clan Othrek. If you will not leave, then I will have to make you leave."

"Ha! How is a puny human going to do that?"

James got down out of the cart and drawing a dagger he drew it across his palm, holding the blood out to her.

This action drew confused glances from every woman except one.

"Do you know what you have just done?!?" Jo'Lena demanded.

"Yes. We now have a blood debt. You have insulted my friend and my clan. Now, there can be only one winner."

"I will beat you until the only thing left is bloody paste!"

She roared and drew a club, one made of wood but with a ring of metal around it near the tip. James knew that what he was doing was foolish, but he didn't care. This was a fight about honour.

Stepping back and readying himself, James suddenly remembered a critical piece of information about basic human biology. With only a dagger, he wondered if orcs also had a femoral artery. And if they did, would his dagger cut that deep?

He glanced at Jo'Lena's leg and tried to visualize how he would win. Not how he would attack, but how he would win. In the next moment the orc woman stomped on the ground and ran forward, intending to finish the duel with a single swing of her club. But how could James make it so easy?

Watching the club to mentally calculate its arc, he dove out of the way and as the club thudded into the ground he jumped again, swinging his dagger in around but only managing to give Jo'Lena a shallow cut just above her knee. Releasing her club with one hand, the orc reached down to grip his neck, but as she lifted him up his dagger flashed again along the inside of her leg, causing her to scream with pain and release him on reflex. Darting back, he got to his feet to see the woman holding her leg with green blood gushing through he fingers. Unsure if she would be able to stop the bloodflow, James briefly considered attacking again but abruptly dismissed the idea. He had barely managed to avoid having his neck crushed the last time he tried that. Instead he raised his voice and taunted her.

"Is this all a proud warrior of Clan Gurkash can do?"

Jo'Lena looked at him with rage. Releasing her leg, she took up her weapon again and howled with anger, sweeping around before throwing her club at him. James was almost brained by the shaft as it tumbled end over end with deceptively fast speed. A thudding boom echoed behind him as the club struck the ground again, but that was not the end as Jo'Lena again chased after him. By now she was losing blood with every step.

"I admit! It was dishonourable of me to taunt you and smear the name of your clan! But so did you when you insulted my Clan Othrek! Now hurry, bind your leg before you die of blood loss!"

"A warrior of Clan Gurkash never surrenders!"

"You'll die if you don't stop!"

"I don't care!"

"Is your head filled with rocks that you can't understand? You're dying!"

"I would rather die with honour than...let..."

She stumbled, her eyesight growing dizzy. Seeing this James dashed forward, tackling the orc woman to the ground. As she rapidly began to lose consciousness, James frantically placed his hand over the artery, stemming the blood flow.

"I need a strip of cloth or leather NOW!" he yelled at the other ladies. He looked at the glazed eyes of the proud orc, hoping that she would make it.

"Come on, don't die on me now."

Mimi quickly brought him a strip of leather. Not wanting her to lose any more blood, James started barking instructions.

"Tie it around her thigh! Make it tight, and then tighten it again! Does anyone have a needle and thread? And someone start a fire!"

Jo'Lena woke up to find that it was dark. Trying to get up, she found that her head was being held in the lap of the human James.

"I'm sorry for insulting you. I guess we are both a bit hotheaded."

"Why am I alive?" she asked, giving up on getting up.

"Why not? I don't want you to die, although that was certainly my intention at first when I invoked the blood debt. But now we have both bled, so I hope we can put it behind us."

"A blood debt is not so easily forgiven or broken."

"Then there is only one way to end it."

"What way?"

"The Ancient Ways."

"What?"

Now she really sat up, turning to look at the human.

"No one has passed the Ancient Ways for centuries! It is a fool's errand!"

"But it may be the only way to erase the blood debt. Don't the ancient ways of the clans say that by passing the Ways, all other debts are forgotten?"

"Yes, but..."

"When you are well enough, please return to your clan. I will eventually return to Gibraltar. There, I will meet with the clan elders and take the tests."

"You should just kill me."

"But I don't want to kill you. I want you to live, and this is the only way. Now please rest, I'll bring you some food."

James gently helped ease her back to the ground and went to their fire and grabbed her a plate of food, making sure to bring a large portion for her orc appetite. Handing her the plate, they both sat in silence for several moments.

"I'll be returning to the fortress after this. You collect the clans and tell them where I am. I will be waiting."

He then stood up and went to the keptha, chuckling as it twisted its head into his scratches. As Jo'Lena watched, she had an inkling that something big might be about to happen.