“Marriage? Anastasia said something about it, but that’s a human thing.”

“More of a human concept.” I reply. How do I explain something like that to a monster? Because Axi is a monster. I know what my goblin instincts are telling me. She has the same set but doesn’t have memories of being a human. Her title and few reincarnations means her intelligence is probably in the top 1% of humans on Earth, but she is only one year old. In human terms, she is a sheltered genius, though for a goblin, she is rather old and experienced. “You can think about it as a deal between two people. A special deal that it’s named due to its importance.”

“Is it important to us, though?”

“I would say so, given I would like to marry you.” I reply.

“Well… You should explain, then.”

I nod. “In general, the most important thing about it is that two people are agreeing on the terms of their relationship and how they are going to behave towards each other. Both parties want to be happy with that relationship, so they want behavior from the second person that would make them happy.”

"It feels like you just want me to behave in a different way towards you.”

I chuckle. “That would be rather demanding of you and wouldn’t bring you happiness. Marriage is rather a way to cement the current relationship.” I exhale. “You know how goblin tribes work. I want to maintain our current relationship, no matter the circumstances. Let’s say I’m wounded and weakened, and another goblin is stronger than me.”

Axi frowns. “So? I’m the chieftain right now. You can’t win the position of a shaman with strength.”

“Sure, but what if someone defeats you as well? We can agree to be together, no matter our position in the tribe. It would work for you too. I would have sex with you, even if you are already pregnant and there are other females to impregnate. Or even if you were rendered infertile for some reason.”

She stays silent for a while, and I know she is thinking about it. I can’t help but add to my speech, “I would love to also add mutual support for our goals and spending time together to the deal.” This is rather obvious for regular people, but Axi doesn’t know what a marriage is, so it’s better to explain.

“But you have supported me before with my forging and stuff.”

“Yes. It could be perceived as me, as a leader, supporting you because your work is very beneficial for the tribe. It wasn’t entirely that, but as a married couple, I would support you to do whatever you want, regardless of what the tribe needs.”

“I… I suppose I can agree to it.”

“Wait! I mean, I love it that you are agreeing, but I need to explain completely. I don’t want you to have sex with anyone else beside me. Well, I suppose I don’t mind if you bring more girls to the bed, but that’s it. Also…“ I sigh. No, I can’t deceive her. "Also, I won’t have sex with someone else without your permission. That’s only fair to you.”

“Hm. Ok. I don’t mind, but in that case, I want to always have priority. If I want to have sex, you need to do me, not another female.”

“Sure, no problem.” I smile and creep towards her for a kiss. She accepts, but then pushes me away.

“All that talk about human things made you stupid. We need to get out of here before kobolts decide to get rid of us for good.”

“You are right.” I sigh. I collect the few remaining weapons, my projects, and the earth mana core and walk out of the hut. Wounded hobs sit on the ground, goblins do something in the background, and two girls are rather frightened by the current situation. “We are moving from here. Everyone, pack up.”

A few minutes later, we march back to the 1st-tier zone. I’m sending part of my mana regeneration to sustain hobs, but I’m hoping we find some pray, so I can use their vitality to heal my hobs. As we leave to 2nd tier zone, everything becomes less. The ground becomes more sandy. Air has less life in it, a bit similar to air in mountains. Trees are smaller and weaker. I suppose this answers how high-tier people and monsters don’t destroy the world.

Mana reinforcement was one of the first tricks I learned. In high-tier zones, higher mana concentration is reinforcing all kinds of things passively. I wonder: is it possible for us to even live in a high-tier zone? I am thinking about not being able to pick a fruit because the tree is too sturdy. The air will probably be fine. Even loose soil may be as hard as rocks here. I shake my head. There is no point in wondering about that now.

“To rescue Anastasia, we need to be smart, especially now that our tribe has been nearly wiped out. We need to recover first; let’s take a day to gather food.” We can divide ourselves into two hunting parties. It would be easier to feed ourselves with our small numbers. There are a limited number of monsters in the forest.

“Then?”

“Then we will rescue her. We need to sneak into the town. I have a plan. Before that, I think we need to impregnate two girls. They will not betray us so easily with goblins in their wombs, plus we need to recover our numbers regardless. Do you want to designate a goblin for the job?”

“You don’t want to?”

“I want to keep the terms of our marriage deal.”

“I don’t mind. Hm… Do you want me to join?”

“If you want to.” I shrug.

“I do. I always wanted Anastasia, but she didn’t like it.” She smile. “I’m finally going to check how it is with another female.”

I frown. “I’m not sure they will be into it. You shouldn’t force them in that case; we don’t want them to be unwilling slaves.”

“Sure.”

“Girls. It’s the time. Come with me.” I led both of them to the earthly hut. Axi follow us. There are furs lying on the floor.

[Author: Sex scene inside. You can skip it, if you want. I'm not sure if this is my thing, but decided to try to write one.]

“Strip.” I tell them while removing my loincloth as well. Axi takes down her armor. Samantha blushes while Nancy moves her head to the size. They take the clothes off, though.

“The main part of the deal is that you are going to birth new goblins. This obviously means I am having sex with you. Everything else is optional. I want you to know it. You can say no. Well… You can say no to sex as well, but unless you have a good reason, the deal is off. Any questions?”

“Why is she here?” Samantha asks while pointing at Axi.

“She is my wife. Did you ever do it with a girl? She wants to check how it is. Interested?”

"No, really," Nancy says. Samantha doesn’t say anything.

Axi comes closer. “I’m digging in.” She kisses Samantha, who blushes deeper. Nancy takes a look and fidgets with her feet.

“We are starting with you.” I look at Samantha. I lay her down and lick her pussy.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Me too!” Axi shoves me to the side and takes over. I shrug and lick her nipples. She moans. I motion to Nancy to come over. “Can you take my dick in your mouth?” She takes a look at the pair and then at my thing. She nods and then kneels. “Good.” I praise her and give her some small advice.

It seems the preparations are complete. “Thank you.” I kiss Nancy and come over to Axi. “My turn.” She gives me space, and I thrust into Samantha. She moans. Axi looks at us but doesn’t know what to do. “How about you sit on her face? She can return the favor.” I wink. Axi nods enthusiastically and does that.

Nancy is left behind, so I once again motion for her to come closer. I hug her from the side and kiss her. Then, I move my fingers to her nipples and stroke them delicately. At least I try to. I keep pounding Samantha in the meantime. Axi takes a look at me and starts playing with Samantha's breasts as well. Soon, Samantha grunts, and her body convulses. Axi moves up a little, and Samantha breathes heavily. I take a short break and kiss Nancy again.

I start pounding soon enough. Axi continues to ride her. After another minute, I cum inside and fall back. I pull Nancy closer and lick her nipples while observing Axi and Samantha. “Axi, how about you try scissoring?”

“What?”

“Rub your pussy on her pussy.” I explain. A flash of understanding appears on Axi’s face, followed by determination.

I turn back to Nancy. “Are you scared?”

“A bit. It’s my first time.”

“I see. Lie down.” I move on her pussy and start licking her. Slowly. Just to the side, Axi is moving vigorously against Samantha.

After some time, both Samantha and Axi cum. I move up and aim my cock, then massage her pussy with it. Nancy looks at Samantha. The second girl notices and reluctantly moves up. I observe. Samantha moves behind her and places Nancy's head on her tights. She caresses her head. “Don’t worry.”

I move. Nancy whimpers. I send a trickle of vitality to her and continue to move. Axi moves from the floor as well and then hangs on my shoulder. I kiss her.

"How is it? Is it painful?” Samantha asks.

“No. It’s… fine.” Nancy moans.

“How about you? Did you enjoy that with Axi?”

Samantha blushes. “I did… I like doing it with men more!” She corrects herself. I shrug. I don’t care. Axi moves to Nancy's breasts and sucks a nipple. I expect Nancy to protest, but she doesn’t. I continue, and in a few minutes, both Nancy and I cum.

“You can stay with us for a bit.” I tell the girls, and then I bring Axi in for a hug and lie down with her. “Do you want a round?” I ask her, and send vitality to my penis. The trick is not very hard. Unlike my penis.

Axi smiles. “Obviously.” I push my dick inside from a side. Then I fuck her furiously. I'm not sure that the other girls do. I don’t care. My eyes are on Axi. She is now my wife, while the other two are practically prostitutes for us. Even if they develop any feelings, it doesn't mean I will reciprocate them. While I don’t have any reason to discriminate against them, Axi is first. After one round, I have another with Axi, and then we fall asleep, tired.

I wake up the next day. Axi is lying next to me, which forces me to smile. Samantha and Nancy are sleeping in the corner, hugging. They both have clothes on them, though, unlike me and Axi.

I check my wounds. I’m still not recovered, but my combat readiness is mostly back. I check on the remaining goblins. I use some of my mana to help those with the worst wounds. Then, it’s time to start the operation to rescue Anastasia.

[Ferdinand's POV]

“Evil witch Anastasia has been found guilty of her evil practices. By the decree of the Lord Governor, she will be burned at the stake in a week. May gods have mercy on her souls, because we won’t!” The crier announces. Some people cheer, but most don’t care. This is not good. I go and meet a priest I know.

“Why the execution?”

The priest sighs. “Merchants weren’t able to make a binding contract with her. If that Smag exists, he is either not interested in fighting or weaker than she claims. The governor decided it’s only a burden to keep her imprisoned.”

I sigh. “I see.” I catch myself. “I really wanted to kill that warlock, but it seems that’s not meant to be.” I can’t be too friendly toward the woman.

I leave the priest. Since it’s like that… I make preparations. Next day I got to the keep with significant part of my money.

“Here.” I give guards two sacs, one for each of them. They let me in. I pull a slave after me. She is meant to replace the witch. She isn’t that similar, but dirtying her face with mud should suffice. She doesn’t know what’s happening, but will people even believe her when she says she isn’t the witch?

I bought most of the guards, though most of them don’t know about my true intentions. I sigh. I don’t want to die.

[Anastasia’s POV]

Who’s there? I’m going to be executed. Are they here to laugh at me? I notice the guy. There’s a woman with him. He opens my cell.

“Get out. I’m freeing you.”

I’m stunned. Resolve comes next. This is probably my only chance at survival. I run out of the cell, and the man throws the woman inside, then closes the cell.

“You! Let me out! Nobody will believe it anyway! You can’t do that!” The woman protests. I pity her, but I’m not out of trouble yet. Better her than me.

“Follow me. You are that slave.” He takes mud from his pocket and smears it on my face. I want to protest, but the girl also has a dirty face. He gives me the same clothes as the girl has, and I change. I'm a bit uncomfortable with the man observing me from such a close distance, but I’m more interested in living. If he wants to have sex with me, then I will gladly give it to him for saving my life. I follow him.

"How was it?" One of the guards asks the man. Ferdinand, I think. He gropes my ass.

“I thought the witch would give in after witnessing some nice action, but she is still hopeful. Maybe a day before her death she will be more willing for one last fuck.” The guards burst with laughter.

“You are quite brave. Who knows what she can still do?"

“Or what was inside of her? I don’t want to catch something nasty.” The second guard adds.

Ferdinand shrugs. “I don’t think that’s true. Anyway, it’s time for me." We leave, and I look around. I no longer have sealed perks; Ferdinand has unlocked manacles. My magic is pitiful, though. Just a neutral mana. My perks are mostly about fighting with weapons. If I want to fight, I need a weapon.

“Why save me?” I ask.

“I want to meet Smag. Can you take me to him?”

“Probably.” I say. I’m not sure, but it’s not a situation in which I can say the truth. “But why?”

"I want to become his disciple.”

I nearly burst into laughter. Well… Smag should be a former warlock, but I’m guessing he lost most of his memories, or they just slowly come back to him. I’m not sure how much he can teach Ferdinand, especially since Ferdinand seems to be a melee fighter.

“I see. Help me leave the town, and I will take you to him. He should agree after I ask that as well.” I promise.

“Good. For now, we will go to a safe location and change clothes. I have prepared armor for you and a bow. We will leave the town as adventures.”

After five minutes we reach the location and change.

A bell. The sound of a bell spread through the town. “What?”

I take a peek through the window. Gates are closing. “Fuck! They must have noticed somehow.” I roll my eyes. How wouldn’t they? The poor girl just kept screaming. For all I know, she just used a perk. Something I shouldn’t be able to do in manacles. This guy isn’t that smart.

“We need to charge the gate. Maybe move over the wall." Ferdinand moves across the room and back. They are on high alert. We need either a good plan now or to hide a great plan in a few days. I suppose an average plan in a few months will suffice as well. Can I hide for that long? They certainly have trackers.

I panic. They have trackers. Even if we leave the town, how long can we fight them off? I need reinforcements. Smag? I shake my head. It's better to forget that guy. A monster? I would need 4th tier one to completely stop pursuers. Impossible. Can I hide somewhere?

Dungeon! The place is changing a bit all the time. It’s notoriously hard to track something in a dungeon. I need a big lead or to somehow charge through traps without triggering them, but there’s hope in this solution.

“We need to attack the gate. We can’t stay here too long.” Ferdinand must have come to similar conclusions. I nod. “Lead the way. I’m an archer.” He moves forward. I step behind him and grab a short sword. Then I push it into his back. He slashes his sword in a wide arc, but I drop my sword and jump back.

“S-Sorry.” I stammer.

His look is full of confusion, unwillingness, and hate. He makes one step and then falls down on his face. I pick back the sword and clean it on his clothes. Then I leave the building. Guards are running around in the distance. They probably don’t know yet why alarms have been raised. I walk fast towards the entrance to the dungeon. No one stops me.

The Dungeon entrance is a small compound, enchanted and fortified. All this is to prevent dungeon breaks, not to deny access. There are only two guards charging for entry on this side. I don’t take a chance. I draw the bow and shoot. The first guard is down, likely not even knowing what happened. His colleague draws his weapons and spots me. I shot the second arrow and run forward. The guard dodges and prepares for a fight. Bystanders have already noticed, and soldiers and adventures are going to be here soon.

I store the bow on my back and slash with the sword. Guard blocks, but I don’t follow with the exchange and jump ahead instead. I remove the simple lock and enter the room, shivering from crossing the threshold. There are small holes, probably meant to shoot whoever is inside. I don’t linger and jump into a magical film on the other side. I made it!

I don’t linger. There are traps inside, but I can’t stay this close to the entrance. I try to remember everything I know about the dungeon. It’s a maze of underground tunnels. Enemies are goblins. I grimace. I will probably have to eat some of them. After my experiences with Axi and Smag… I suppose hunger is the best spice. The boss is an orc, but he is only in the center. I also need to watch out for adventurers inside. But if I can stay here for a month or two… They will probably think I’m dead. That would be my chance.