Chapter 7: I always return to Yew

“What the hecht is this?” Isa asked, dropping a plate of food on the floor.

I scrambled out of bed, getting tangled in a sea of ghostly women that were The Peril.

“I can explain,” I called after her as she fled. “I was trying to build a road!”

In reality, I accumulated enough mana that night to make quite a few roads. The system was kind enough to give me play-by-play updates as I accumulated mana. It seemed to coincide with certain climaxes, both mine and theirs. My stomach rumbled at the sight of food on the floor, and I briefly wondered if any of it was still edible. No, food is the last thing I should be worried about. Isa is extending an olive branch, and I need to take advantage of it.

“Round two, My Liege?” one of The Perils asked, reading out for me as I fled.

I brushed past her, trying my best not to look. “No, thanks. And how did last night only count as one round? Seriously, I need a break.”

I needed to find Isa…to somehow explain. I threw on my kingly robes and headed to her room. There, I was met by Zelle and Nax, who looked sad.

“She’s not here,” Nax said.

Zelle placed her hands on her hips. “We’re you really having an orgy in your bed chamber?”

I sighed. “In my defense, those were ghosts, and they’re insatiable. I just wanted to accumulate some mana to make roads, and none of The Perils know what the word moderation means.”

Nax wrapped his arm around my neck. For a moment, I worried he might choke me. Instead, he spoke in a gentle voice that didn’t sound like Nax at all. “Do you love my daughter?”

“Yes,” I admitted without hesitation. “I think I’ve loved her since the moment I met her.”

“Good,” he replied quietly. “I’m going to need you to convince her to stay when the time comes.”

“Stay?” I asked.

He sighed. “We both know Annabelle and myself can’t remain in these borrowed bodies. There is going to come a time when we have to move on. Isabelle has convinced herself that she wants to come with us, but she can’t. I believe you are the only one that can make her see reason.”

“But she hates me,” I sighed, making a mental note about what Isa’s mother’s name was. “You saw her. It doesn’t matter what I do. I always make it worse.”

“She loves you,” Zelle said.

Nax gave me a weak smile. “Like I said, take care of my baby girl.”

I stood there in shock, partly because of what they asked but also because the request was coming from Zelle and Nax.

After composing myself, I asked. “Do you know where she went?”

Nax nodded. “She’s in the courtyard. When she’s upset, she takes her stress by training.”

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“Isa?” I thought it was a good idea to announce myself.

She stood in front of a training dummy with her head lowered, not reacting at all to my presence. I wondered where the knights who usually occupied the courtyard were.

“Is everything okay?” I tried again.

Isa’s eyes glinted as she turned to face me. “No! Everything is not okay! I died. My parents are back, but not really. My friends are…out there…somewhere. I’m horny! And you! You’re…you’re a big jerk.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, and I was sorry for all of it. “I didn’t want any of that stuff to happen to you. Well, the sex I did, but if I could make all the other stuff go away, I would.”

“I wish I never met you,” she sobbed, her voice cracking. “But I’m drawn to you like an idiot. If I’d just moved on after you resurrected me, Zelle and Nax would still be here.”

“We will get them back,” I promised, even though I had no clue how I was going to pull it off. Pi had them, but I felt confident he would give them back. I just had to find him and figure out what he was up to.

A tear drifted down Isa’s cheek. “You’d better. We gotta make this right.”

“Would you like any help with your training?” I asked, pulling up her stats.

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Isabelle Strome

Level: 22

Class: Revived Curandera

Affection Level: Confused

Isa sucked her tongue as she regarded me. “No. We tried that. I can’t hold back when I fight you.”

“Did you know your class changed?” I asked quietly.

Her eyes widened. “I had a feeling. Something feels different about how I collect chi. I haven’t tried having sex since I died. My attacks feel different, too.”

“I’ve been thinking of recruiting some humans to join Albion,” I said, hoping to invite Isa to come along.

She raised an eyebrow. “Why would you do that?”

“Oh,” I replied, realizing she didn’t know how the kingdom worked. “Albion gains mana similar to how you do. Only, rather than getting chi by fighting, it gains mana from each of its citizens. I need roughly thirty thousand more people to reach the next milestone.”

Isa whistled. “That’s a lot of recruiting.”

“Yeah,” I sighed. “I have no clue how I’m going to get that many. I don’t think Yew had that many.”

“You’re going back to Yew?” she asked.

I nodded.

She planted her hands on her hips. “You’re going to see that dungeon, aren’t you? Bori’s Mom.”

I froze. The thought of taking Isa anywhere near a dungeon gave me goosebumps. She was too reckless.

“This was a bad idea,” I sighed.

“I’m sorry,” Isa deflated as the fight went out of her. “I don’t want to fight with you. Just tell me how soon we can go after Zelle and Nax.”

I looked at her level again. Getting killed in Xanadu was an even worse idea. “We need to level up for that. I want to get at least level fifty.”

Perhaps taking Isa to a dungeon wasn’t the worst idea. At least with Aura, I could guarantee she wouldn’t be killed…hopefully.

“I got a plan,” I said after a long pause. “I think.”

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“Are you sure you don’t mind looking after everybody?” I asked Primith as we stood together at the dock.

She nodded. “Leave it to me. I’ll whip the other players into shape. Good luck with the recruiting.”

I couldn’t keep the grin off my face. The old team was back together. Whether it was a good idea or not remained to be seen. I also decided to take Bori with me. I was going to see her mother, so it only made sense to bring her along. Likewise, Isa brought Nax and Zelle. With her parents' souls inside their bodies, they liked me a bit more than the originals.

Ceru wanted to come, but her belly had swollen a lot over the last month. She assured me ogres had roughly nine-month pregnancies just like humans did. The only thing I didn’t know was just how long a Gaian month was.

There was one other person I invited: Pippa. When she asked why, I only said one thing. “You’re going to be the bait.”

She gave me a mock glare before smiling. “I don’t mind. I trust you.”

The knights also accompanied me, stating I couldn’t go anywhere without my Royal Guards. We didn’t sail into Dabia. I wasn’t quite ready to deal with the king and his politics. Besides, he wasn’t likely to donate people to my nation no matter how much I asked. Also, I hadn’t unlocked the treaties perk yet.

One good thing about magical ships I kept in a necklace was that I could park anywhere. We did just that. I sailed up the coast until I saw what passed for a road and beached the ship. Once everyone was ashore, I transformed the boat into its pendant and summoned the carriage from my bracelet.

Realizing we were probably broadcasting, I spoke directly to Cordelia. “We’re headed to Yew. Meet us there if you like.”

Isa raised an eyebrow at my comment. “Really? Inviting more girlfriends? Are you planning to have a reunion?”

“More?” I asked. “Oh, you mean Aura. No! I’m not having a reunion. I want to recruit people.”

“Are you saying you intend to recruit more girlfriends?” Isa raised an eyebrow. Was she genuinely mad, or was she playing with me?

“No!” I balked. “I was hoping to talk to the mayor and…”

Pippa cleared her throat loudly. “Is that why you brought me? On second thought, maybe I don’t trust you!”

“Don’t worry,” I threw up my hands defensively. “It’s going to be fine. I won’t let him keep you there.”

“You better not!” she snapped. “You’re stuck with me whether you like it or not.”

Isa sighed. “This is turning into exactly what I thought it was.”

“That’s just a coincidence,” I said. “She was necessary for the…”

Isa waved me off. “Whatever. I get it.”

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Yew was just as magnificent as it was when I left it and completely black.

“We did this for you,” I whispered in Isa’s ear as we passed through the gate.

“And I had absolutely nothing to do with it?” Iris growled from her tattoo on my chest. “I seem to recall tasking you with painting everything a certain color. You dedicated it to her after the fact.”

“But I did dedicate it to her!” I replied.

Isa stared out of the carriage window. “Is this my memorial?”

I nodded, and Iris didn’t say anything further to correct me. I was glad she was back, but Yew did nothing but remind me I’d lost Isa in the first place.

It was getting late, so we went to my house. I was hesitant when I opened the door, unsure if the ex-cultists had cleared out. Fortunately, it was vacant. That just left one problem. Everything was coated in dust.

To my surprise, Zelle and Nax got right to work cleaning things up. Pippa wandered into the bedroom while Isa watched her.

“This house isn’t half bad,” Pippa said, pulling the comforter off the bed and shaking it. The resulting cloud of dust made her cough uncontrollably.

“We’re going to have to figure out the sleeping arrangements,” Isa growled from behind her.

Pippa was more careful with the blanket after the first time. “Don’t worry. I don’t mind sharing.”

It was fairly clear she meant me and not the bed. Isa snorted and went back to the living room with her parents. Meanwhile, Bori was awake and had materialized her avatar. She tugged my arm and said, “Hurry, Daddy. Let’s go visit Mommy.”

“I know, I know,” I said as she dragged me toward the back door. “I’m coming. I’ll be back later, everyone. Sleep wherever you like. I’ll figure something out when I get back.”

I was frogmarched out the door and through the backyard before anyone could say anything. When we got to the shed, Bori pointed to the pedestal where Aura’s core sat and said, “Put me next to Mommy.”

A portal appeared right after I did, and Bori’s construct, which was still out, pulled me toward it. I followed her inside and found myself in Aura’s inner sanctum. Rather than a bed, she decorated it with a series of comfy couches and a wide open area, which I assumed was for Bori to play in. Aura’s construct was the red-headed elf she knew I was partial to.

“Come here, you,” she said, wrapping Bori in a tight hug. “I want to hear all about your adventures.”

Bori squealed as her mom held her close. “Ease up, Mom. I haven’t been gone that long. I did learn some neat puzzles, though.”

“I can’t wait to see them,” Aura replied. “And you,” she added, pointing to me. “You promised to communicate with me every day.”

“Sorry,” I rubbed the back of my head apologetically. “It’s been hectic setting up the kingdom.”

“Bori looks healthy and happy, so I guess you’re forgiven,” she gave me a warm smile. “How are things going over there?”

“Not bad,” I replied. “I need to level up so we can get some friends back.”

Aura nodded. “Do you remember what we talked about?”