Returning Chapter 02

Thank you for the pointers and comments on the first chapter. please continue I tried to make sure I did not make the same mistakes again.

There was one reader that commented about the number of dead. My answer to this is that Rhys is a Warmage and though he does not fully understand what this means yet he is fully trained as an Armsmaster, a master of unarmed combat and a Mage that has skills in spells of mass destruction. The Lithan are just little more than wild animals that have learned how to make stone axes. The equivalent fight would be an armed Samurai fighting cave men. The Lithan would have no skills to avoid him in combat at all. The numbers may be fantastic but not impossible. Later when his magic comes into play the the samurai would be so low compared to him that it would take at least as many of them to harm him. The only real defense against him would be strong magic and he will face a lot of that in the end. He also is not limitless. His limits will be tested in a near future chapter (6 I believe, and yes they are already roughed in I am roughing in 7 tonight. it just takes time to get my proofreader and main critic to stop reading her books and read my chapters. :P) If the Lithan had been trained warriors I would not have expected him to take more than around a hundred without the use of magic and no more than two or three of the master ranks.

The soft core words have more to do with the mindset than the explicit nature of the sex. In the time frame of swords and sorcery, words like Cunt, Cock, fuck and such were not commonly known or used. I feel that those words would destroy the mood of the story. If I am wrong time will tell and I will change the style a little. I am fully versed in hardcore language and stories of a more modern time will have it well used. Admittedly Rhys would think in those terms in the beginning but I felt it would confuse the story too much to switch down from hard to soft later. Also Rhys is a bit of a romantic at heart. If more people would prefer the hardcore words let me know in the comments.

As for Likka, alas she is Rhys’ oldest companion and has loved him since childhood. More on that later. Their relationship started as one of comfort as she is the last of her breed and he was the only Warmage. Morgana did not come along until he was a full adult and already at war with the Mage Kings and by then they had taken to hiding what she is. Now I am giving to much of the story away I think.

As for the story, things are starting to heat up we meet Father in this chapter and find a little more about Rhys. We also start to learn some of the man that is Rhys how he thinks and what values he holds.

Again please comment and let me know about errors. I have been writing for years for my own enjoyment and my decision to let others read my tales has come from the advice of someone who told me that a story shared is a story enjoyed more than once.

Thanx
Brootforce
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I awoke in the morning with Missa still spooned up in front of me. I climbed carefully out of the bed so as not to wake her.

As I returned from the outhouse she sat up in the bed “Good morning sir. I don’t want to leave but I have morning duties in the common room.”

I walked over and kissed her, “Thank you Missa.”

I got dressed in clean clothes and placed my weapons about me. Once I was ready and looked presentable I headed down to the common room for breakfast.

As I walked into the common room a group of the young bargirls were standing with Missa to one side and they all started giggling as they looked at me. Trying not to show my slight embarrassment I walked over to a table towards the back of the room. I no sooner sat down when Missa came over with a platter with ham, eggs, bread and cheese on it. Peotter was behind her with a platter of raw meat for Likka. When Peotter stood up I held out a gold coin to him. “As I promised, it was all there.”

He took the coin as he stared at me, then he clutched it in his hand and ran off to the back. Then the barman Kinal came over to the table with a pitcher of fresh squeezed orange juice and a glass. As he went to move away I set five more of the gold coins on the table, “I will be staying another day if it is not an inconvenience for you.”

“No inconvenience at all sir.” He said as the coins disappeared into his apron. He quickly walked away. I turned to look at Missa staring at me. “Would you like something?” I said as I pointed to the platter with more food on it than I could eat in a weak.

She smiled at me as she sat down in the chair beside me. “Sir, May I ask a favor of you?” she whispered as she looked down.

I reached out and cupped her chin as I held her face up and looked her in the eyes. “Missa I have taken you to my bed, I believe you have earned the right to look me in the eyes and ask for what you want. The worst I will do to you is say no.”

She smiled, “Would you purchase my mom for the night tonight sir? I want her to feel what I felt just once in her life.”

“What is her name?”

“Miska.”

“Is she a bargirl like you?”

“She was but the men say she is too old and ugly now.”

“Will you ask her to come to me when she has a free moment please? But before you do, why don’t you and the other girls over there help me eat this wonderful breakfast.”

The other girls had heard me and came walking over. I motioned for them to sit and motioned for the barman to bring over more plates and such. Soon the girls were all eating and laughing. A little blue eyed blond girl looked at me, “Is it true sir you gave Missa so much pleasure she passed out?”

“I think Missa has been telling tales, what kind of man would be so mean as to pleasure a girl till she passed out?” I asked arching an eyebrow.

Missa looked up from her ham and said “The best kind.”

All the girls laughed.

As we were all laughing and talking Miska entered the room, I motioned with my hand for her to come and sit down. As she sat down the barman brought over a plate and silverware for her. As she was eating I reached into my pouch and pulled out two gold coins. “Would you do me the pleasure of joining me in my room tonight Miska?”

“I’m sure sir one of these younger girls would be more to your taste.”

“I didn’t ask them I asked you.”

She reached out tentatively towards the coins, “I will be happy to join you sir.”

“Rhys, my name is Rhys.” I said quietly. All of the girls looked at me wide eyed. I looked back and said “Never be afraid of a name. The man I am named after was a great man.”

“That name was outlawed by the mage kings. They have slain anyone with that name for the last six thousand years.”

“I am here so that isn’t completely true is it?”

“I would say it isn’t true now but was for a long time.” A deep voice said from behind the girls. I looked up to see a person covered from head to foot in a dark hooded robe, nothing of skin could be seen.

“You would be the one they call father?”

“Yes Rhys and you and I must speak in private for a time, if the ladies will excuse us…”

After we were in my room I turned to the hooded figure “So why are you disguised as a man?”

“I should have known my disguise wouldn’t fool you Rhys you always could see through them.” As she spoke she pulled back the hood and unwrapped the black cloth from her face. She had short blond hair with a gold circlet across her forehead. Here eyes were sky blue and her features would have made most supermodels jealous. “Why have you come back Rhys? The Mage kings have tightened their hold so tight in the north that even the very rocks are bleeding. Your name carries a death sentence, and if they found out you were in this town they would level it and kill everyone in it.”

“I don’t know I came back because Morgana pulled me back.”

A sharp intake of breath caused me to look at her. “She couldn’t have Rhys. It’s not possible.”

“Why not?”

“The mage kings caught her almost five hundred years ago; they turned her into a statue. I am sorry Rhys but your wife is dead.”

“My wife?”

A look of surprise crossed her face. “How can you not know she is your wife, everyone knew that?”

As her hand went for her sword Morgana appeared in the room. “Taina, Rhys you don’t have time to doubt each other, you both must be in the central kingdoms before the next full moon, and you must be together. From here you must go to the town of Feck it is east of here. In Feck find the one they call The Shadow. Taina leave your disguises behind you are Armsmaster Taina once again. If this all works the mage kings will be no more inside the year.” With that said Morgana turned to Rhys. “I miss you my love. Weep not for me, but remember me.”

As she disappeared Rhys looked at the space she had been standing and whispered softly “I can’t remember you.”

Likka looked up from the floor and muttered “And the collecting begins.”

“What do you mean collecting?”

“Rhys no matter where you go you collect a trail of women behind you. It has always been this way.”

“Why didn’t you tell me she was my wife?”

“Because there is still enough you in there that you would have moved heaven and earth to find her.”

“I never would have cheated on her if I had known.”

“Yes you would have she knows who you are and has always accepted you as you are. She has even joined you and I in bed many times.”

“She knows and accepts?”

“I think the proper word is encourages. She knows a man like you has appetites that no one woman can satisfy.”

“And if one of them were to get pregnant?”

“She would have a baby to love; she cannot have children of her own.”

I turned to face Taina. “I will need a general merchant we are going to need some traveling supplies. Do you have a horse?”

“No and there will be someone else traveling with us.”

“Who?”

“My daughter Laina.”

“I need a good merchant to buy horses from then. Do you need weapons?”

“Weapons I have.”

“Pack anything you need we can’t exactly come back after we leave. Be sure and pee before you leave the house. We leave in the morning be here for breakfast at sixth hour…”

After a day of going from merchant to merchant buying supplies and horses, I found myself enjoying a large meal in the common room of the inn. Several of the girls were sitting at my table eating with me. I looked over to see one of the girls, Kimberly I believe, bringing ale to a group of men at one of the tables. The man on the end pulled the girl down into his lap causing her to spill his ale all over him. He stood up yanking her to her feet and pulled his hand back to backhand her. That is where his hand stayed as he screamed. My reaction had been as natural as it was instinctive. A snap of my arm and one of the flechettes in my sleeve dropped into my hand a flick of my wrist and it went through his hand and pinned it to the beam behind him.

As I stood and strode across the room he managed to yank his hand off the barbed flechette and turn to face me. “Apologize to Kimberly for spilling your drink on her dress.”

“To hell with you, this isn’t your town; as soon as you are gone I will come back and…” One of his friends started to get up until five of the flechettes outlined his hand on the table. He wisely decided a sip of his ale was much more important right then.

“If I even think that you have come back here to hurt one of them, I will come back here and I will find you. When I do I will cut small pieces off of you till you beg me to die.”

“I am not scared of you warrior. You won’t hurt me because you won’t be here.”

“Your right I won’t be here. So I guess I will just have to make sure the girls are secure before I leave. Kimberly, do you know of a troop of mercenaries in town? Ones that have a good reputation?”

“Yes Rhys.”

“Go find me their leader and tell him I have a job for them. Kinal!”

Kinal came running to me, “Yes sir.”

“Are you the owner of this establishment?”

“Nay sir Momma Kith is the owner. She is the lady that does all the cookin’.”

“Please ask her to come out and sit with me for a bit. I have a business deal for her.”

Fifteen minutes later Kimberly returned to find me sitting at the table with Momma Kith. “Rhys this is Captain Mitch of the Mercenaries guild.”

I extended my hand to Captain Mitch, “Good evening sir, please sit and enjoy the food with us, they seem to think I eat enough for twenty people when I sit down.”

He sat and quickly speared a slab of the roast and put it on his plate.