Godless and Faithless Chapter 4

Axel’s worrying over the plan to attack the bandits proved misplaced. As Barny explained to him, battles were often small-scale brawls and went from one extreme to the other with lots of death on one side, or an indecisive outcome with few fatalities.

Theirs had been a resounding victory. All the bandits they knew of were dead.

They took longer than expected, as they had to deal with another two dozen women and girls rescued from the bandits. Then there was the packing of the loot.

The bandits had been busy, they had plenty of food and even more weapons. Nothing too amazing as Alta was not a rich country. The bandits had been attacking both the Inimi and coalition forces, hitting their supply lines.

Rayner told him the bandit boss was an officer in the coalition army who turned deserter, finding it more profitable to loot the countryside.

The two prisoners who helped the rest of the women were the ones sent by the Coalition to stop the deserter bandit boss. One caught him trying to leave, and the other was part of a group sent to bring him to justice.

Rayner told him soon after the battle his plan for the loot and Axel agreed. He didn’t really want anything they had. They would present the idea to the others when they got settled in Ridgehill.

They also checked their stats, and it had remained stagnant except for Rayner’s new skill.

Name: Axel, Level: 3, Class: Thug, Mana: 12, Skills: Pain Knife(0.5), EXP: 32.

Name: Rayner, Level: 1, Class: Barbarian, Mana: 30, Skills: Force Hammer(0.5) Roar(1.5), EXP: 36.

Rayner said he had discovered how to create the skill himself, just like last time. It was not as if they both had not tried before, but nothing worked, and it hurt to try, putting strain on their mana.

The feeling of using mana felt painful for Axel as if bees were in his stomach. And for Rayner, he described it as his surging through his body, then leaving him as he activated the skill. He and Rayner spent the ride to Ridgehill trying to figure out how to make another skill.

Ridgehill’s name was apt. The town was on top of a large mound and surrounded by ridges of varying height. As they approached, the gates lay open, and people were waiting for them.

He could hear the sounds of cheering. The two gate guards waved their wagon train in with smiles on their faces.

The throng of people went up to the wagons trying to touch them. What was this all about? Were they movie stars? It became difficult to get the wagons past the crowd.

Then the town guards showed up, pushing through the crowd, making a path for them and their wagons. They followed, having nowhere else to go. The rest of the guards stayed to hold the crowd back. They arrived at a large building.

“Your friends are inside the hotel,” the guard said. A hotel, not an Inn. He was eager to find the cause of the townsmen’s jubilation.

Entering the building Axel looked around. A smartly dressed woman cleaned glasses at the bar. The interior had tables made of rich wood and cushioned chairs. Tessa and Garman sat with a woman he did not know.

“I’m going to get settled in,” Dara said. Evans went with her.

He and Barny took a seat at the table. “That was quite the welcome,” Barny said.

A mature woman in a fine low-cut dress answered Barny. “I apologize. News of your arrival spread fast,” the woman said. “You being here means you have defeated the bandits. They’ve been harassing us since the invasion. Worse than goblins those men.”

“Food would have become a problem if things did not change. Mrs. Harman let us stay here until you came back,” Tessa said.

“Grace Harman,” she said, extending a hand for them to shake.

Rayner who had not taken a seat waited until greetings were done. “This is as good a time as any. I want to talk about how to distribute the loot we got from the bandits.”

“We will not take your spoils,” Grace said.

“No, I want to set up a fund for the refugees. They need it to rebuild their lives. No one family would get a significant amount, but if we share, it should support hundreds of families at least. If they have help from the authorities.”

Her eyebrows raised; she had expected them to keep it for themselves. “Oh, this will be no problem. We can and will help. We’ve already taken in all the refugees in the area, a few more with the help of the loot will not hurt. I will speak with the rest of the council about loans—at a reasonable interest rate I assure you.”

The rest nodded their agreement, even the gaudy merchant Garman. Rayner had expected resistance, but seeing the ravages of war had made them all sympathetic.

“The councilwoman has rooms ready for everyone. The staff will take your things to your rooms,” Tessa said.

“Everyone? In this hotel?” Axel asked

“The wealthy patrons of this establishment fled long ago. And us refugees won’t be staying here once you spread out that loot amongst us. The rooms are reserved for those who fought,” Tessa explained.

“Don’t know if Evans and his fighters will stick with us, but it’s not like they have anything left,” Barny said.

“I would not be so sure my friend, some of the widows have been pursuing them aggressively,” Garman said.

“I know there is much to discuss but…” Axel said. His eyes struggled to stay open.

“Of course, your journey has been long,” the councilwoman said. She clapped her hands and scantily clad servants came and escorted them to their rooms.

***

Gaudy was the best word Axel could think of to describe the room. Thin blue carpet covered the floor and the walls. Two chairs with light green padding and pillows were at a writing desk with a lamp and the other in the corner.

Unlike the other homes they passed coming to the hotel, these windows had glass, not just a curtain or wood shutters to cover it.

Every surface of the room was covered in some form of cushioning, Axel could sleep on anything in the room he wanted. It helped because boy did he need some shut-eye. He fell asleep as soon as his head rested on the pillow.

Axel had never felt so good after sleeping. He felt like a new man. Checking his stats, he saw his mana had increased by 1, from 12 to 13. He didn’t know if rest increased his mana, or the mana increase improved his rest, and he did not care, because he felt great!

He still had not washed and had noticed his own smell for the first time in a while. The staff showed him the bath and washrooms before taking him to his rooms so he knew his way there. He knocked before entering, no answer.

He went inside, got everything ready and sat in the bath. The bathtub filled itself. No pipe or faucets could be seen. The water was already the perfect temperature. The room was faintly lit, though no light source was in the room.

The staff explained to him a hospitality God generated the light, heating, and water with its blessing. Such gods and their Worshipers guide travelers to inns, spas, and other places of comfort, making them a popular choice for those in the leisure business. The hospitality God was tied to the building itself. It wasn’t one of the higher gods like the ones from the Coalition.

He heard someone enter; without opening his eyes he yelled that the room was occupied, and continued to relax.

“My lord,” it was a woman’s voice.

That got his attention. A naked woman stood before him. Axel recognized her as one of the staff. Now that he thought about it, all the staff were women who dressed provocatively.

He would get this lord stuff cleared up first chance he got. Not because he did not like being called a lord, but a real lord might show up and take offense. Was this woman here because of that misunderstanding?

“I am not a lord, people just started calling me that,” Axel said.

She moved closer, seeming not to care. “I am here to service you. I would have come earlier, but you slept so deeply.”

Even this lovely creature would not have been able to wake him up. He had no problem with prostitution, but he believed paying for sex was like giving up. He knew some guys just wanted to fuck and leave, but it was his dream to find a woman who would do that for free, a foolish dream.

All men paid one way or the other. Still, he was not in the mood for sex, not since coming to this world. He thought rest would help. But as he stared at this woman from her bare feet to her button nose, he still had no reaction.

“Thank you, but I don’t pay for sex.”

“I am already paid for. Word of your brave actions is all over town.” She moved next to the tub, kneeling. “Ridgehill used to be prosperous. Now it’s full of desperate refugees. The wealthy have fled.”

“Your clients all left, this is not a hotel, it’s a high-class brothel.”

“High-class,” she laughed. “A whore is a whore. However, we do provide better service and keep cleaner.” She moved her hand into the tub, reaching for his cock. “Let me assure you, us so-called high-class prostitutes are much dirtier in other ways,” she said while stroking his cock.

“You think a handjob is dirty?” If so, he would get up and leave on principle.

“You are not in the mood for more, but you need to relax.” She got him to full erection, taking her time stroking the length of him. “You are…very large.”

He knew she was not stroking his ego, yet he was not happy with her words. Girls said that just before leaving, not wanting his log of a cock inside them. A point of endless frustration.

She joined him in the tub, it was large enough, for this was its true purpose. Using both hands she grabbed his cock, stroking all of him. One hand focused on the tip and the other his base, “You have to relax. Here,” she said, leaning forward, offering her well-formed breasts to him. He grabbed them, enjoying their softness.

She took her time, making sure to pleasure all of his cock, moving to play with his balls, never doing the same thing for too long. He could hear her breathing, she was doing so on purpose, for him, it was like she was humming a lullaby. Her breaths, her stroking, the feel of her soft breasts, all of it brought him over the edge.

His cum shot into the air landing on her face and covering her soapy hands. It had been a while, and his built up cum kept shooting. She purposely aimed him at her face and stomach, getting most of her upper body splashed with his cum.

She stood and paused, letting his eyes wander over the curves of her wet body, with her face, chest, and stomach dripping with his cum. Without cleaning herself off, she left the bath.

***

He’d fallen asleep in the tub. The rest he got was just as good as the one before. He checked his mana, and it was the same. Too bad. Sex and sleep did not increase his stats.

He went to the bar, and Rayner was waiting for him.

“Hey,” Axel said.

“Hey,” Rayner said, drinking this world’s version of coffee.

“Last night…”

“Same,” Rayner said, blushing.

A waitress brought him a drink, and they sat silently for a time. They had been fighting since getting to this world and now that they had time to think, they did not know what to do with themselves.

“The prostitute told me the town has gone to hell. All but one of the neighboring towns and local villages and hamlets have been attacked,” Rayner said, after finishing his drink.

“The rich left, leaving the poor. I don’t blame them.”

“I do. The rich have a responsibility to care for the poor who let them live their lives of privilege.”

It was good to know Rayner had not changed too much. Axel called for the waitress. “How many people live in this town now?”

“2000 before the invasion, 5000 after the refugees came.”

“Thanks.” He did not expect an exact number. Why did she know that?

“Are you sure that’s all you want lords?” she said suggestively, leaning forward to show her assets. Yes, this was a brothel for sure. He politely declined; surprisingly, Rayner looked like he wanted her to stay.

Getting Rayner’s attention by waving a hand in his face, he continued. “Ridgehill has more than doubled in size. I am surprised they let all those people in.”

“My guess is that it has something to do with the gods. If many of the refugees worship the same god or an allied god, then the town leaders may have had their hands forced.”

“My god, politics must be hell in this land.”

“They are at war, so yes, it is hell,” Rayner said.

“What’s next for us? Everyone has gone their separate ways. We live in the same hotel, but everyone has their own priorities.”

“This is a RPG world, with no guild, and since this country has no major religion, there is not a church that posts missions.”

“Because of our Titles, we are not affiliated with any religions. So it wouldn’t matter.”

“You know what!” Rayner banged the table with his glass of beer. “We won’t figure out anything sitting around. Let’s get out and see what this town has to offer, we can meet back here at the end of the day.”

“Look at you, taking the initiative. I like it.”

They got up to leave, but the waitress stopped them. “The Madam wants to talk with you two.”

“We were just heading out. Is she fine if only I attend?”

“Yes, that would be acceptable sir.”

“You go on ahead Rayner. I’ll see ya later,” Axel said, waving Rayner off and turning to the waitress. “Take me to your leader.”

The joke fell flat.

***

Rayner left the hotel, wondering what the Madam wanted from them, hoping that they don’t owe money for sleeping with those prostitutes. It could be because he was a little rough with the girl that showed up in his room. He was having nightmares about the battles and thought she was attacking him. He had grabbed her by the throat and thrown her on the bed. She had taken it in stride, smiling and telling him she offered rough play as well. The old him would have told her she was mistaken, that was not what he wanted, but it was a lie. He took her on the bed, without taking off her clothes. When he woke up, she was gone. He would find and apologize to her.

Poverty and suffering were everywhere as he walked the streets instead of riding past them in a wagon. Beggars sat on the ground with their hands out. Mangey dogs dug around for trash. Barefoot children ran through the streets, trying to steal coin purses.