WIEDERGEBURT Act IV: Chapter 9

The days passed and Zane did grow at least a little stronger, enough that he could keep up with Lin while she was holding back. Of course, once that happened, Lin would use just a little more strength to keep him from being able to fight her on even terms. To Zane, it probably didn’t look like he was growing at all. Even my encouragement that he was, in fact, getting stronger, didn’t seem to keep him from feeling disheartened.

It wasn’t just Lin who had taken to sparring Zane either. Kari would spar so he’d know how to deal with someone who handled a polearm, Fay would as well to teach him how to fight someone who used their fists, and even I beat--er… even I sparred with him once or twice.

Like the day after he watched me and Siv have sex.

It was all in the name of training.

While the days were dedicated to sparring, the nights were dedicated to spiritual exercises. The first one I had Zane do was the leaf floating exercises. It was a simple exercise in which someone had to push their Spiritual Power through their palms to make a leaf float, then maintain it for at least one hour. Once Zane was able to do that, I added a second leaf, then a third, a fourth, and finally a fifth. When he finally reached the fifth leaf (one for each finger), Zane was able to reach the First State of Spiritualism.

“Owch… hssss…”

At the moment, Zane was not sparring or training his Spiritual Powers. He was taking a bath. Just like when me and Fay had been training to grow stronger, I was using alchemy pills to increase his strength. I’d dropped a Body Forging Pill into the bath and was having him soak in it.

Zane looked like he had seen better days. While it was hard to tell because of his dark skin, his entire body was covered in bruises. He’d been sparring with me again today. I think some part of me was still angry at him for watching me and Siv have sex. Then again, I could have also been angry that I was no longer having sex after that blunder. It had been twelve days since the last time I was able to be intimate with one of my wives, and it was making me really agitated. I felt like there was a constant vein throbbing on my forehead.

“Did you… really have to be so rough with me?” asked Zane.

“Yes,” I answered immediately.

“Tch. I think I like it better when Lin teaches me.”

The answer sounded honest, and it once again reminded me that I didn’t know a whole lot about Zane. He had saved mine and Kari’s life before, but I never bothered to learn anything about him in my previous life. I had my own issues to deal with back then. After he took us to Muqadas, we had parted ways, with Kari and I joining a mercenary company while he continued traveling with his small caravan. I wasn’t even sure if the Zane from my previous life was alive or dead.

None of the girls were inside the wagon right now. Lin was sitting on the roof, Kari and Fay were in the driver’s seat, and Siv was flying through the sky with Raul in her arms. It was just us at the moment.

Come to think of it, this was the first time I’ve been alone with another guy in awhile, hadn’t it? The last time was when Dante entered the bath when I was relaxing. That was… some time last year, if I wasn’t mistaken.

“I was told… that your family was killed by lamia,” I said at last.

Zane stiffened in the bath, but then the tension eased from his body as though he was resigning himself. He sighed and ran a hand through his black hair.

“My story isn’t very rare. A lot of families were slaughtered by the lamia.” He frowned distastefully as though remembering something unpleasant, then continued with even more resignation lacing his voice. “I lived in a small village a few days journey from Cairo. We were dirt poor, but our village did have an oasis, so our water supply was at least plentiful. We might have been poor, but we were happy.” His expression darkened. “Then our village was attacked by lamia--an entire group of them. They came in like a sandstorm, killed those who resisted, and enslaved those who didn’t.”

Zane paused, allowing me a moment to contemplate everything he said. His story really wasn’t unusual. I’d even say this was common. Humans and lamia had been fighting in the Endless Desert for centuries. Even so, that did not make what happened any less tragic.

“I was one of those they had enslaved,” he continued with a deep sigh. “We were forced to travel across the desert. We were given only enough food and water to survive, but many of us died along the way. Some died from lack of water, some from starvation, and some because the lamia decided to kill us. One of the women who’d been kidnapped even decided to kill herself after she was raped by our captors. I remember living in fear every day during that time. There were times I clung to life, times I wanted to die.”

“And then you were saved by Alshams?” I guessed.

“Yes. I’ll never forget what happened. Lord Alshams and a group of Spiritualists under his command came in on their Struts and attacked the lamia. Many were killed, but most of them fled. After the lamia were gone, he freed us and took us in, giving his food, water, and offered everyone jobs. I decided to live in service to him from that moment on.”

All the red medicinal ingredients was gone from the tub, which had also grown cold, so Zane stood up and stepped out of the water. I tossed him a towel. He caught it and began drying off.

“So, how did you end up falling for his daughter?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“Ah. That.” Zane seemed a bit embarrassed, but he pressed on. “I actually didn’t like her at first. Ronia was a nosey woman who kept pestering us guards. She constantly asked us for training, even though women are not allowed to train in combat.” Another pause ensued as he looked at me. “To be honest, I am very surprised you allowed your women to learn Spiritualism.”

“Where I come from, whether you are a man or a woman has no bearing on your abilities,” I stated. “We venerate the strong. Strength is all that matters because it is the strong who protect the weak.”

After listening to me, Zane slowly nodded. “That does make sense. It is a good perspective to have, I think. Ronia is actually very talented in both Spiritualism and combat. She’s already reached the First State of Spiritualism and might be able to reach the Second State if given enough time. However, because she is a woman, her father would never let her learn. He’d be very cross if he found out she’s been training.”

“And yet you know of her talent,” I stated, raising an eyebrow.

Zane gave me a wry smile. “I chanced upon her practicing one night while I was doing my rounds. I found her training in the courtyard.” His eyes glazed over as if he was remembering something precious. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more beautiful sight in my entire life. Up to that point, I’d only thought of combat as violence and death, but she made it look like a dance. She was so graceful, so lovely, like a goddess descending to the mortal world.”

I understood how he felt very well. I often felt that way when I watched Kari, Fay, and Lin spar. Siv was like that too, but she didn’t enjoy combat, so she rarely joined us when we were training.

As Zane slipped on his underwear--a triangular piece of fabric girded around the waist--I stood up from the couch and went over to the alchemy table. My ring was sitting on the polished surface. I grabbed it, slipped it on, then summoned a jar of Three Way Spiritual Widening Pills. Zane put on his shin-length skirt and a pair of arm warmers. As he did, I tossed him one of the pills from the jar, which he caught in his hand and popped into his mouth.

“Tell me something,” I said as Zane sat cross-legged on the floor and began his spiritual exercises. “Do you still hate Lin because she is a lamia?”

Zane did not answer me at first, but I could tell from how scrunched his face was that he was thinking deeply about how to answer. A moment passed. Then he shook his head.

“I do not,” he answered. “At first, I despised her because of what she is, but Lin is… surprisingly kind. She is not at all like the lamia who stole my home from me.”

His answer satisfied me enough that I didn’t bother him anymore. As he got back to training, I looked at the door as it opened and Siv walked in with a very happy Raul in her arms.

“How was it up there?” I asked Siv as I went over and gave her a kiss. I also took Raul from her arms, cradling him in mine.

“Good,” Siv answered. “Muqadas is up ahead.”

“So we’ve finally arrived,” I said.

“Mmm.”

I traveled to the front of the wagon with Siv and Raul, passing Zane who was deep into his meditation, and looked out the windowless sill to find that, indeed, a large city was appearing on the event horizon.

“Eryk,” Kari said with a smile as she cracked the reins. “I was just about to let you know that we’re close to Muqadas. We should be there within an hour or two.”

As she spoke, the door in the back opened again and Lin appeared near the top, hanging upside down. She used her snake lower half to slide in through the door, then lowered herself to the floor. The muscles of her stomach flexed as she did.

“This princess is excited,” she said as she zipped past Zane and clambered onto the bed. “She’s never been to Muqadas before, but her mother has told her about it once or twice. It’s supposed to be the biggest city in the Endless Desert.”

Just as Kari said, they reached Muqadas within an hour or so. Along with the city coming into view, the scent of salt water filled my nose, and numerous palm trees and other plants popped into view.

Many people who knew of the Endless Desert but had never been there thought of it as a place that was all sand dunes, and they wouldn’t necessarily be wrong, but it wasn’t completely true either. If a person traveled far to the north, they would eventually reach the sea. Muqadas was a port city located on the edge of the sea. I didn’t know much more than that since I’d only been there a few times in my previous life.

“W-what kind of monster is that?!”

“H-halt! Halt, I say!!!”

As we came upon the entrance to the city, a pair of panicked guards screamed at us. Kari pulled on the reins to make the Giga Monster stop. She looked down at the guards as they stood several meters away, quivering in fear as they stared at the giant Demon Beast.

I wondered if I should step in, but honestly, Kari was better at handling these kinds of situations than I was.

She handed the reins off to Fay, hopped off the driver’s seat, and landed adroitly on the ground. As she walked over to the guards, a polite smile appeared on her face.

“It looks like your mom is about to show you her skills as a politician,” I said to Raul.

“Ma! Ma!”

I paused when I heard the noise come out of Raul’s mouth. It sounded a lot like he was saying “mom,” but there was no way. I mean, it was common knowledge that every baby’s first word was “dad,” right? Right?!

“Oh, looks like Raul said his first word,” Fay said with a smile.

“Y-you are clearly mistaken,” I said.

“I am clearly not.” Fay seemed amused, but my face was pale. I was certain all the blood had drained from it. “I’m pretty sure I heard him say ‘mom.’”

“This princess is also pretty sure he said ‘mom.’”

“He said ‘mom.’”

As both Lin and Siv affirmed that Raul had indeed said “mom,” I felt myself falling into depression. Kayli’s first word had been “dad.” I was expecting all my children to say “dad” as their first word. I mean, dads were the best, weren’t they? We were. We definitely were. Kayli had been a total daddy’s girl. Why wasn’t Raul the same? Was it because he was a boy? Were all boys momma’s boys?

While I was struggling with the knowledge that Raul might be more interested in his moms than me, Kari stopped in front of the two guards, who seemed enamored by her appearance. She still wore a polite smile. However, even though I was currently in the throes of depression, I could feel the ill-intent exuding from her body.

“Can I ask why you two stopped me?” she asked.

“Er… ah… we, um, that is…” one of the guards said. He seemed incapable of speaking properly, his cheeks were bright red, and he kept looking down at her chest.

Kari had that effect on men.

“A toll,” the other man said. He seemed more cognizant than his companion. “Muqadas requires a toll to enter.”

“How much?” asked Kari.

“Fifty valis,” the man said.

Kari’s smile, which had been relatively polite up to this point, suddenly turned stiff. A strange pressure swept over the area. The hairs on my arm stood on end, a chill ran down my spine, and even Raul began fidgeting as he felt it. Fortunately, my son was quite resilient and didn’t react to the intense Spiritual Pressure by crying or anything. That’s my boy.

While Raul was perfectly fine, the same could not be said of the two guards, who had gone pale. The blood had drained from their faces, their knees were shaking, and sweat poured down their forehead in thick rivulets. I was honestly surprised they hadn’t pissed themselves.

“Big Sis is angry,” Lin observed.

“She’s very angry,” Fay confirmed.

“As she should be,” a pale Zane said. It seemed he was still not immune to the Spiritual Pressure my wives and I could exude. His entire body was shaking. “The toll to enter Muqadas is only ten valis. Those two guards are trying to rip her off… probably because she is a woman, they think they can take advantage of her.”

The man shook his head in a pitying manner. While the Endless Desert was a patriarchal society, Zane’s sense of male superiority had disappeared over the course of many beatings in the past sixteen days.

“I’m sorry,” Kari began again, her smile growing wider as shadows appeared on her face, making her appear ominous and haunting. The increasing Spiritual Pressure only made it worse. “What was the toll again?”

“It’s… um… fif--it’s ten! The toll is ten valis!”

One of the guards tried to claim it was fifty again, but Kari focused her Spiritual Pressure on him. It was interesting to see how quick the man changed his tune once she did.

“That’s what I thought you said.” The Spiritual Pressure vanished, and Kari’s smile once more became polite and refined, but I think that only made the two men fear her even more. “Here are the ten valis we need to enter the city. I hope, for your sake, that you do not try to deceive anyone else again.”

After paying the two men their valis, Kari spun on her heel and walked back over to the wagon. As she did, Lin summed up her thoughts in a single sentence.

“This princess is so wet right now.”

So was I, Lin. So was I.

***

As a coastal city, Muqadas was a lot more populous than even Cairo. The streets were filled with carts, wagons, and people. Vendor stalls had been set up on either side of the roads. Each stall was a simple wooden one with a leather tarp to protect vendors and their products from the sun. They hawked their wares to potential customers,shouting about all their great deals, about how their products were the freshest, or how they only carried the latest in fashion. Some of the stalls sold jewelry, while others sold food.

I was sitting in the driver’s seat with Fay and Kari. I sat between the two as Raul sat on my lap. Lin and Siv were inside the wagon with Zane. While I didn’t mind them coming out, I thought it best to assess our surroundings first. Lin was a lamia and therefore a potential target for attacks, and Siv was not human either. I was pretty sure none of these people had ever seen a dragon before. That said, she was an exotic beauty and the Endless Desert was well-known for their legalization of slavery.

I didn’t want some asshole thinking he could kidnap my wife and sell her as a slave.

Our wagon was getting a lot of attention, which I expected since our wagon was not only large, but we also had a giant lizard pulling it. No one seemed to panic. Even so, quite a few people stopped what they were doing and stared as we drove past them.

“This salty scent is so different from what I am used to,” Fay said as she sniffed the air.

“Muqadas is near the sea, after all.” Kari wore a bright smile. “Of course the smell is going to be salty.” She turned to me. “Do you think we can visit the beach while we’re here?”

“I don’t see why not.” I shrugged. “But let’s find a stable for our mount and a place to stay before we think about going to the beach or exploring, okay?”

Kari pouted at me. “I know what we should do first. You don’t have to treat me like a kid.”

“You say that, but you tend to forget yourself a lot whenever we’re somewhere new,” I pointed out.

Fay nodded in agreement. “Kari always gets overly excited when it comes to exploring new places.”

“You two are terrible,” Kari muttered with a huff, but we just smiled at her.

Finding a stable turned out to be a lot more difficult than I thought it would, but what could I expect? Our mount was a Giga Monster. It was a several meter long reptile with a height of about four meters. Even the largest stables were only about three or four meters high, and none of them had a stall that it would fit inside.

It took nearly an hour. However, we eventually managed to find someone who was willing to let us park our wagon.

“That’s quite the beast you’ve got,” said the older man. His dark skin was wrinkled and his hair had streaks of white in it. While he appeared to be a man in his late fifties, I had a feeling he was much older. “He won’t fit in any stable, but I can let him remain by this oasis. That said, because he’s so large, it’s gonna cost you extra.”

“How much extra?” asked Kari.

The old man eyed the Giga Monster, which eyed him back. It looked like they were having a staring contest.

“Let’s say… one hundred valis,” he said.

Kari pursed her lips as she studied the man, trying to see if he was deceiving her, but she eventually decided he was offering a fair price and gave him a hundred valis. If the man was surprised to see her handling our monetary affairs instead of me, he didn’t let on. He must have been a consummate professional. Most of the people we’d dealt with so far tried talking to me instead of her.

“Thank you for your business. You can bring your demon beast and that wagon of yours over to the oasis. I’ll station some guards around it to make sure no one tries to steal anything from you,” the old man said as he looked at the gold coin resting on his palm, his eyes alight with glee. Gold was quite rare in the Endless Desert.

“Thank you,” Kari said with a smile. “I’m quite pleased to know you don’t intend to let anyone steal from us. It would be very unfortunate if we returned and found all our items missing. I wouldn’t know who to blame if that happened.”

“There’s no need for threats, missy,” the man said. “I have my integrity. We made a deal, and you have more than compensated for it. I will make sure your valuables are protected.”

Since our mount and wagon were now safe for the time being, we decided to find an inn. There were many inns within Muqadas. As the largest city in the Endless Desert, a lot of people came here to do business.

Of course, that meant Lin and Siv were with us.

I already knew we would garner a lot of attention once those two made their appearance, but I think I underestimated just how much.

Lin was a lamia. That automatically made her an object of either resentment or lust. In this city, the only times people saw a lamia was when they were being put up for auction at the slave market. On the other hand, Siv was something none of them had ever seen before. Her petite body was covered in scales, she had huge leathery wings, a giant tail dragging across the ground, and her clothing was every bit as revealing as Lin’s.

It was only natural these two would be stared at.

“What’s a lamia doing walking around without a slave collar?”

“Think she belongs to that man at the front?”

“That’s a man?! I thought it was a woman!”

“What sort of creature is that girl with wings?”

“I don’t know, but she’s gorgeous.”

“Heheh. Yeah. Damn, I wish I could have a piece of her. If I could get her into my bed… you know I’d never sleep!”

I wasn’t sure which comment annoyed me more: The lewd ones directed at my wives, or the ones from people who thought I was a woman. Either way, I tried to ignore them.

“This princess forgot how unnerving it was to have so many people staring at her,” Lin muttered as she hugged my left arm. Her body emitted a gentle heat from constantly being in the sun. The swells of her breasts pressed against me.

“It has been a long time since people stared at you like this, hasn’t it?” Kari said. She was standing on Lin’s other side, acting as a bodyguard in case anyone tried to do something stupid like attack us.

“Scary,” Siv muttered.

While Lin didn’t appear too bothered by the stares she was getting, Siv was definitely not enjoying the attention. She had burrowed into my side as if seeking to hide herself from view. I did what I could to help, but her wings and tail got in the way. Fortunately, Fay was on her other side and glaring at anyone who came too close. She acted very much like Siv’s protective older sister.

I was a little worried since Fay was holding Raul, but I knew she wouldn’t let anything happen to our son.

“More like annoying,” Lin said with a slight hiss. “The only people allowed to stare at this princess with such wanton lust is Darling and Big Sis.”

I snorted at her words. However, I didn’t say anything to rebuke her. While there were a lot of people looking at her with loathing and fear, just as many were staring at her like she was the finest piece of ass they had ever seen. In all honesty, I was very tempted to fry those people with lightning--or at least castrate them with a water blade.

“Are there any inns we can stay at that won’t discriminate against Lin?” I asked Zane.

Zane, who was walking behind us, scrunched up his face at being addressed. I waited for several seconds. He eventually shook his head.

“I apologize, but I do not know. I have been to Muqadas once or twice as Lord Alshams and Ronia’s bodyguard. However, Lord Alshams does not have any lamia slaves.” He scratched his chin. “That said, there is an inn used by visiting nobles who do not have a villa here. It is not unusual for nobles to have lamia slaves. I imagine they would not have an issue with Lin.”

“This princess is not a slave,” Lin muttered, her shoulders slumping.

“I never said you were,” Zane pointed out.

“Let’s check this place out,” Fay suggested. “If they allow lamia to stay there, great. If they don’t, we’ll just have to keep searching.”

I had Zane move up to the front so he could lead the way. It had been many years since I’d been to Muqadas, and the last time I was here, I didn’t explore much of the city. Actually, outside of razing the Malik Estate to the ground, I hadn’t done much of anything before leaving. I’d never even been to the beach before.

We didn’t get far, however, before several people who looked like guards surrounded us. They were wearing skirts like Zane, but they also wore armor. Their helmets covered both their heads and shoulders. They wore forearm bracers and shinguards. The armor appeared to be made from a type of Demon Beast hide, meaning it was flexible. All of them were holding kopesh--the traditional weapon of the Endless Desert.

I frowned at how they surrounded us.

“Halt!” the man in front said, holding up his hand.

“Is there a problem?” I asked, stepping forward.

Since she was no longer protected by me, Siv moved closer to Fay, who was more than happy to shield her. Similarly, Kari chose to stand beside Lin. If someone attacked, I didn’t doubt those two would wipe them out.

“There is indeed a problem,” the man said. He was a bit larger than I was, with a large nose and long hair sticking out of the helmet he wore. His lips were twisted into a cruel sneer. “Lamia slaves are not allowed to travel through Muqadas without an enslavement collar. I’m going to have to ask that she comes with us.”

I felt my spine stiffen as a red haze fell over my vision. It didn’t take a genius to know what this man was trying to do.

“You seem to be under some kind of mistake,” I said after finally reigning in my anger. I couldn’t attack without justification… well, I could, but that would cause more trouble. “Lin here is not a slave.” I paused for added effect. “She is my wife.”

I spoke in a loud voice, proudly declaring that Lin and I were married, without even a hint of hesitation. My words caused the people around us to quiet down. I didn’t look at the surrounding citizens, instead choosing to keep my eyes on the man in front of us, but I didn’t have to look at these people to know they were shocked. A human marrying a lamia? They probably thought the idea was preposterous.

“You wed yourself to this… this monster?” asked the man, his voice filled with disgust.

The anger returned.

I considered myself to be a pretty patient man these days. I dealt with nobles who tried taking advantage of me with refinment, did the paperwork for my sect without complaint, and didn’t release any murderous intent when someone asshole tried to hit on one of my wives. However, there were a few things I did not tolerate.

Since this man was willing to insult my wife, I decided not to hold back.

All the restraints I had placed on my Spiritual Power came undone. Like a storm sweeping over the city, my Spiritual Power exploded from my body and blew across the road. I carefully controlled it so no one would get blown away. However, I let everyone here feel it. This soldier who spoke so rudely, these people who glared at my wives with hatred or lust or both, and even the people beyond my line of sight. I didn’t think there was a single person in this city who couldn’t feel the Spiritual Pressure I was emitting.

The results were immediate.

Everyone dropped to the ground. Some fell onto their hands and knees as they struggled to remain conscious, but most of them had simply passed out. They’d fallen face first to the ground and didn’t get up. Their bodies twitched, a few pissed themselves, and some were frothing at the mouth.

I didn’t care.

I stared at the soldier in front of me, who had fallen onto his backside and was staring up at me with eyes widened in terror, my lips curling as the acrid scent of urine filled my nose. This man had piss leaking down his thighs as he shook. His entire body was shaking like a leaf trapped in a hurricane.

It wasn’t enough.

I reached down and grabbed his neck with an iron grip, hefting him off the ground and forcing him to look into my eyes. His own were wide. His pupils were dilated. I wondered what he saw as he stared into my eyes, which I already knew were filled with all the fury I felt.

“If you ever insult my wife again, I will kill you,” I said.

I felt like I could have been more threatening. A part of me wanted to describe all the horrors I would visit upon him, all the things I would do to torture his mind and body, until he was nothing but a broken shell. However, I didn’t think it was needed, or more like, I didn’t think this man could even hear me. He was still staring at me in horror, but his face was pretty blank. In fact, I think he might have been unconscious.

“Tch.”

Letting my Spiritual Power fade, I let go of the man, stepped back, and watched as the man wobbled in place, then fell face first onto the road. It seemed he really had passed out.

“Let’s go,” I said to my wives and Zane as I began walking away.

My wives all glanced at each other, then looked at Zane, who was pretty close to passing out. With a sigh, Lin helped the man to his feet and they quickened their pace to catch up to me.

***

The inn that Zane led us to was called Kazanufa Lodgings. It wasn’t a single building but a complex similar to the villas most nobles lived in. Surrounded by a wall and protected by Spiritualists of at least the First State of Spiritualism, the space beyond the wall was the kind I’d have expected from a noble’s residence, filled as it was with various plants and flowing water.

When our group entered the first building, I took a look at the limestone walls and floor, noting how everything was polished to a shine. It was easy to tell that this place catered to nobles from how the inside also had several plants and fountains. In a place where such things were scarce, vegetation and an abundance of water were a sign of someone’s wealth.

The receptionist did not react with shock when our group came up to the table. She did glance at Lin and Siv, but she seemed professional enough not to give away her thoughts. That meant she likely dealt with nobles a lot and assumed Lin was a slave. I tried not to let that bother me.

“Welcome to Kazanufa Lodgings,” the woman greeted us. “How may I be of service today?”

“I would like two rooms,” I said. “One of them for this man here.” I gestured to Zane. “And the rest for me and my wives.”

If the woman was surprised when I said wives, which included Lin, she did not show it, putting her up a notch in my book.

“We do have two rooms available. One is the noble suite, and the other is a servant’s quarters. The noble suite comes with a large bed and two rooms. It costs one thousand valis a night. The servant’s quarters is one hundred valis a night.”

That was a lot more expensive than most inns, which only cost maybe fifty valis at the most. However, this place was a lot more luxurious than the other inns we could have stayed at--and it wasn’t like I was hurting for cash.

“We’ll take both,” I said, summoning a bag filled with 11,000 valis. The woman’s eyes, which had remained professional, finally widened when the bag suddenly appeared in my hands. I set it on the counter and continued. “We’ll pay for ten nights.”

Snapping herself out of her stupor, the woman quickly took the valis out of the bag, only to gasp when 110 of gold valis spilled onto the counter. She quickly counted them up, making sure the amount was correct. When she determined it was, her spine suddenly straightened and her countenance became even more polite than before.

“Everything is in order, my lord. May I know the young lord’s name? I need it so I can write you into our ledger.”

“It’s Eryk Veiger,” I said.

“Lord Eryk Veiger.” The woman took out a piece of charcoal from underneath the table, flipped open a large ledger that had been sitting on the counter, and wrote my name down along with the amount I paid and the number of days I was staying. “Very good. Everything is in order. I will have a servant show you to your quarters.”

“Thank you.”

The woman quickly grabbed a passing maidservant and asked her to show us to our room. I didn’t know what was said, but the maidservant--a beautiful girl dressed in the skimpy clothing so often found in the Endless Desert--nodded emphatically several times before walking over to us and bowing low.

“Lord Eryk, my name is Zahra. I will be your personal servant for the duration of your stay here. Should any of you require anything, you may feel free to ask me. Now, please allow me to show you all to your accommodations.”

The woman named Zahra led our group out of the main building and across a paved path through the garden. Several pools surrounded by trees and bushes were on either side of the path. The scent of flora mixed with the salty smell from the sea.

We were directed toward a large building near the very back of the inn. A second building, much smaller than the first, was attached to it. That was the servant’s quarters, I presumed. The noble’s suite was made from the same limestone as most noble residence, and it was painted white to keep it cool.

The inside was every bit as extravagant as the outside. Not only did it have a bed, but it had a bath as well. The rectangle pool ran through the very center of the building, filled with crystal clear water. Lined on either side of the pool were a series of intricate columns. There were also vases, potted plants, and small hanging gardens decorating the room.

Zahra bowed to us and once again stated to let her know if we needed anything before leaving.

“Now that we have a place to stay for a few days, what should we do now?” I asked. “Should we explore the city, visit the beach, or maybe relax here to rest from our journey?”

“I’d like to explore the city,” said Fay. Our son was still in the baby carrier strapped across her chest, but he had fallen asleep.

“I’ll stay here,” Siv said.

While Fay and Siv stated what they wanted to do, Lin was tugging on Kari’s sleeve and whispering something into her ear. Kari nodded several times. I wondered what they were talking about, but then Kari clapped her hands.

“I think me, Fay, and Siv should do a bit of exploring,” she suggested. “We’ll be back in a few hours.”

Siv looked like she wanted to protest, but then she caught sight of Lin. Several emotions flashed through their eyes, and then Siv walked over to Fay and Kari as if she had decided to travel with them on a sudden whim.

It was amazing how they seemed to have a conversation without talking. However, even I now understood what was going on.

“I’ll go with Fay and Kari,” Siv said after a moment, though she didn’t look enthusiastic about it.

“Thank you,” Lin said.

Zane didn’t seem to know what was going on, but he decided to rest off the fatigue from traveling and training in the servant’s quarters. Kari, Fay, Siv, and the still sleeping Raul left after he did.

“I guess it’s just us for now,” Eryk said.

“Yeah.” Lin nodded as she slithered up to me, until she was so close the scent of her hair tickled my nose. “Darling, this princess wants you to know she was very happy when you called her your wife.”

“Well, you are my wife,” I said with a wry smile.

“You know what this princess means,” Lin said, frowning.

I did know. I understood exactly what she meant.

In the Endless Desert, humans and lamia hated each other. Despite that, I had proclaimed that Lin was my wife in front of an entire group of people without a second thought.

“You know I’ve never cared about what others think,” I said.

“Yes, this princess knows that, but she still wants you to know how grateful she is,” Lin said, leaning forward and wrapping her arms around my waist. Her modest chest pushed into me, and her groin came into contact with my crotch.

“Oh? And how do you plan on showing me gratitude?” I asked, smiling as I placed my hands on her hips.

“You should already know how…”

Lin said nothing more as she leaned up and pressed our lips together. I allowed her to take the lead, opening my mouth so her long tongue could move inside unhindered. The way she plundered my mouth like a bandit plundering treasure set my body racing. I was already hard.

We moved to the bed and tumbled down, our kiss turning ravenous as we sought to explore each other’s bodies. My hands were already on her chest. I slipped my hands under her shirt, cupped her breasts, and rubbed them, playing with her nipples, caressing them, pinching them, pulling them.

“Haa… hyk… hrnnn… hsss…”

Lin had already freed my cock from its confines and wrapped both her hands around it, stroking it until it was even harder than before. It was a little painful. Our skin was dry from the desert sun and lack of moisture.

“I don’t think this is working,” I muttered.

“In that case, this princess will use her mouth.”

Lin bade me to sit up. I placed my hands behind me and leaned back as Lin entwined her tongue around my cock. The sight of her tongue, at least 15 centimeters in length, engulfing my dick, twisting around it like a rope, sent a jolt of pleasure straight through my body. It was a sight and sensation I never grew tired of.

It wasn’t long before Lin had taken my entire dick in her mouth. The way she sucked on it was masterful. She went all the way down until her nose was pressed against my crotch, then moved back up with a slurping noise like she was sucking on me. I gritted my teeth and placed my hands on her head. I didn’t push her back down, though I really wanted to, and simply messaged her scalp as she gave me the finest blow job in the entire world.

Lin wasn’t just satisfied with pleasing me. While she was busy sucking me off, she removed her specially made underwear, placed her hands over her crotch, and began fingering herself. Her moans as she plunged her fingers into her pussy vibrated around my dick and set me on edge. I could feel the pressure building up.

“Lin… if you keep that up… I’m gonna…”

Once Lin realized I was close, she leaned forward until her nose was once again pressed to my crotch. My dick was in her throat. I could feel the walls of her throat close around me and lost it. With a grunt, I sprayed the inside of her throat with my cum. She didn’t even need to swallow it. I was sure it had shot straight into her belly.

I took several heavy breaths as Lin let go of my dick with a pop. She wiped her mouth of saliva and grinned up at me.

“Thanks for the meal.”

The sight of that grin was too much.

I grabbed Lin and pulled her onto the bed, rolling us over so I was on top. Her tail thumped against the ground as she looked at me in anticipation.

“You had your meal, but I’m still hungry,” I growled.

“Then feel free to partake.” Lin’s smile showed off her cute little fangs. “This princess has plenty to offer.”

“With pleasure.”

Her clothes were still on, but I quickly undid the bindings on her shirt and skirt, removing them and tossing each article away. I leaned down and attacked her neck first. Lin moaned in my ear and threaded her fingers through my hair as I bit her neck hard enough to leave a mark.

“Are you… gonna brand this princess?”

“I am.”

“M-make a mark that everyone can see. Let them know this princess is yours, okay?”

“Don’t worry. I plan to.”

“Hssss!”

Lin’s tail thrashed against the ground and her body bucked as I left a trail of bite marks on her neck and shoulders. When I got to her breasts, I began lapping up the sweat that had formed on her skin, then sucked a nipple into my mouth. At the same time, I cupped her drooling pussy and began rubbing my fingers against it. I even added a little of the lightning element to further stimulate her body. Her outer labia and the scales surrounding it were soft and squishy.

“Hrrrn! Hss! Ahn! Hsss! D-Darling! That… sho good! Thish prinshessh’s pusshy feels sho good!”

Lin was slurring her words as I stimulated her engorged clit, pinching it between my fingers and using my Spiritual Power to increase the sensations she felt. The lightning element stimulated her nerves, the water element caressed her genitals, and the fire element warmed her insides as I plunged a finger inside her sopping entrance and curled it.

“Ahn! Nn! Nnn! NNNNNAAA!”

Lin orgasmed hard, coating my hand in her love juices as she wrapped her arms around my neck. A loud crashing sound let me know her tail had probably broken the limestone tiles. I’d have to pay for repairs. I held Lin as her body shivered and shuddered, then sat up as she went slack.

A pleased smile appeared on my face as I saw how out of it Lin was. Her eyes were glazed over, drool leaked down her cheeks, and her body was flushed red. I glanced at her pussy and saw her clit twitch a little. Hmm. Maybe adding so many elements at once was going overboard.

Still smiling, I leaned down and pressed the tip of my dick against her nether lips, and then placed several short kisses on her mouth. Lin stirred and began kissing back. Her arms went around my neck and her tail around my legs. I was trapped.

“This princess… needs you to fuck her right now,” Lin said seriously.

“What did you think my plan was?” I asked.

Lin narrowed her eyes. “You have teased this princess before.”

“Have not.”

“Have to.”

“I would never.”

“You’re teasing this princess right now!”

Snickering a little, I slowly pushed my dick until just my head was inside of her. Lin hissed and closed her eyes in pleasure. I leaned over, placed a kiss on her cheek, then moved until my mouth was near her ear.

“I might tease you a bit, but you know I’d never work you up so much without making sure you’re satisfied, right?”

“You had better not,” Lin muttered before a strangled moan escaped her lips. I had pushed a bit more of my cock inside her tight pussy. “This princess… ha… ha… would never forgive you for that.”

“All the more reason to make sure… you’re fully satisfied.”

With a final grunt, I thrust my cock all the way in. Now our hips were completely joined and my dick was fully sheathed inside of her.

I could not move because Lin’s tail had coiled around me, but at least my arms were free, resting on either side of her head. I cupped her cheeks and stroked them with my thumb before leaning down and kissing her.

Having sex with Lin was a lot different from having sex with my other wives. Her snake tail made it impossible to situate myself between her legs… since she didn’t have legs. Instead, I straddled her tail and rocked my hips back and forth. My position while fucking her reminded me vaguely of riding a horse, but there was no way I’d tell Lin that.

Lin’s tight insides started off cool, but they quickly heated up. The walls of her vagina tightly squeezed my dick. It was like putting my dick into a warm velvet glove several sizes too small. She was tight to the point where it was hard to move, but I still managed to slide thanks to how wet she was. Her love juices provided an excellent lubricant.

Because we were chest to chest, I couldn’t see the way her modest tits bounced as we had sex, but I could feel her nipples grinding against me through my shirt. I had forgotten to take that off in my haste. I’m glad she wasn’t wearing a shirt. Since I couldn’t admire her boobs, I stared into her face. Her eyes were pools of arousal, lust, and love. I could have sworn there were hearts in her eyes.

“Darling… kish… thish prinshessh wantsh a kish…”

She was slurring her words again, almost like she was drunk. I thought it was cute.

I kissed her, filling her mouth with my tongue, letting her tongue wrap around mine like a sleeve. Just like how my cock felt like it was being wrapped in velvet, so too did my tongue.

I wasn’t going to last much longer, and just like I expected, my entire body shuddered from pleasure as I filled Lin’s pussy with my seed. Lin moaned into my mouth as her tail tightened around me. Her orgasm caused her to squeeze my dick. I felt like a cow being milked. The pleasure was so intense I ended up cumming again. It was so much that I could feel my cum dribbling around my cock as it spilled out of her.

Lin’s tail suddenly slackened as if she’d lost all her strength. I pulled back and looked down to see a lot of white liquid pooling in the small crevice where her thighs would be if she was a human. I pulled my dick out, shuddering in pleasure as her insides rubbed my overly sensitive cock. When I’d fully removed myself, more of my seed flowed from Lin’s pussy.

“What say we take a bath, then meet up with Kari, Fay, and Siv,” I shuddered.

“Thish princess… thinks that is a wonderful idea…” Lin only slurred a bit, and her breathing was heavy. “However, this princess is having trouble getting up. She doesn’t think she’ll be able to wash herself.” She held her arms out to me as if asking for a hug. “Carry this princess and wash her body for her.”

“I suppose I could, you lazy princess.”

I slid my arms under Lin’s tail and around her shoulders, lifting the girl as if she weighed less than a feather. Lin snuggled into my chest as I carried her to the bath.

“This princess is not lazy. She’s just unwilling to let such a perfect opportunity to be pampered slip by.”

“Hmmm… well, I suppose you do deserve to be pampered.”

And so, like that, I spent several hours pampering Lin.