Herald of Shalia 2 Read online

  “Ena,” Fayeth teased while wiping the sweat from her eyes. “Are you saying you want the herald to reward you?”

  “Never!” Ena snapped while unleashing a flurry of furious attacks on the defenseless golem.

  “Liar,” Renna grinned wickedly while savagely swinging her daggers at the paralyzed stone monster. “You want him so bad! Every time you get drunk you try to drag him to your bedroom!”

  “I do not!” Ena’s voice cracked as she yelled.

  “Stop teasing her,” Frost laughed as Ena beat on the stunned golem. He almost felt sorry for the monster as Ena relentlessly clobbered him. She’d definitely gotten a lot stronger since they’d started their experiment but they were still far from figuring out if paladin was an available class.

  The prerequisites for basic classes like fighter and squire were widely known while advanced classes like unholy knight and spellblade were treated like trade secrets. This meant that if he wanted to unlock new classes he needed to experiment.

  Frost was still a fighter but he learned paralyze, barrier, and a few other divine magic spells. After that he added some points in plate armor and unlocked holy knight as a class even though he hated it. The fighting style just wasn’t for him.

  He even leveled Runic Master: Primal to four in order to read from the spellbook he looted off of Sir Thomas of the Eight Slayers of Blackwater. He learned a few elemental spells and he probably could have unlocked the elementalist class if he used free points to level the abilities, but he wasn’t making that mistake again. Instead, he was slowly leveling the abilities naturally and saving his free points.

  Each time he figured something out he wrote it down in one of several journals he was keeping and eventually he intended to use what he was learning to make a curriculum for the village children.

  “Wow!” Fayeth said as Ena shattered an enormous chunk of the golem. “You’ve gotten really good at bashing!”

  “You make it sound like I’m a brute,” Ena snapped as she pummeled the golem. “I am an innocent…holy…maiden!”

  Frost looked on as the elves completed their assault and the golem crumbled. He walked over and used a harvesting crystal to separate the two dead golems into their components and gathered up whatever valuables appeared.

  “Come here for healing!” Erissa said cheerfully as the elves ran up to the colorful cleric. She unleashed a gentle beam of refreshing light on each of the women restoring some of their physical strength. “Herald Frost! I gained another ability point in restore!”

  “Showoff,” Renna pouted jealously. “You’re only leveling fast because you can use paralyze.”

  “It really is amazing,” Fayeth laughed. “I’m surprised the high priestess didn’t think of using paralyze like this given how often she uses it on us.”

  “I know,” Frost sighed. He actually asked Lysandra why she didn’t use it that way, just in case he was missing something. As it turned out, it just never occurred to her to use paralyze that way. If she did use it on an enemy it was normally so she could run away. “In her defense, it’s not like anybody else thought of it either.”

  It wasn’t surprising that nobody else thought about it since so few elves chose to be clerics or spellcasters. The role was inherently dangerous since they hadn’t been using tanks or crowd control. Most of the elves aimed to become either archers, fighters, thieves, or soldiers. Basically, the classes that could solo.

  “Okay,” Frost glanced at the group of sweat-soaked women drinking water and found himself almost hypnotized as they glistened under the warm summer sun. Frost shook his head and pointed at the large dark boulder in the middle of the field. “Are you ready for the big one? Last one and we’ll head back to the village.”

  “Ready!” Renna said excitedly. “I want to go home!”

  “Me too!” Erissa said as she dumped the remainder of her canteen on her head. The water dripped down further soaking her already transparent robe as Renna jokingly shoved the blue-haired cleric. “What?”

  “You know what you’re doing,” Renna said judgmentally while poking the cleric’s breasts. “You exhibitionist.”

  “I can’t help it,” Erissa blushed. “It’s hot out!”

  “Let’s just get this over with,” Ena said begrudgingly while dumping water over her head. She double checked the leather harness holding up her plate cuirass and picked up her shield. “It’s too damn hot out for this.”

  “But you’re so sexy when you’re all sweaty,” Fayeth said playfully tapping Ena’s armor. “And seeing you be all rough is such a turn on. Isn’t that right Herald Frost?”

  “Such a turn on,” Frost teased as Ena’s face turned red.

  “Shut up!” Ena snapped. “I don’t care what you think!”

  “That’s not what you were saying the other night,” Fayeth teased.

  “I said shut up!” Ena blushed while stomping ahead of the group. She kicked the enormous boulder sitting in the middle of the field and the ground rumbled as the golem burst from the earth.

  “Paralyze!” Erissa shouted as the giant golem swung at Ena. The plate-clad elf dodged backward narrowly evading it’s crashing fist as Fayeth began firing arrows at its eyes. Erissa quickly tried to recast paralyze but it resisted the attempt. “Herald Frost!”

  “Shit,” Frost said as he scanned the enormous golem. He immediately accessed his internal grimoire and felt a surge as he cast the spell. “Paralyze!”

  The golem king stopped short of stomping on Ena as the pointy-eared blonde hid under her shield. Frost had thirty levels on the rocky bastard so while the level thirty golem king could easily resist Erissa, it had no chance against him.

  “You going to lay there all day Ena?” Frost joked nervously as Ena climbed to her feet. He realized he probably should have been paying more attention. “Do you need me to step in and teach you how to swing that thing?”

  “Sorry Ena!” Erissa said anxiously as the angry squire kicked the massive golem king.

  “So,” Frost recast paralyze on the massive golem while the elves started whittling away at its health. He pulled out a journal and opened to the golem page where he listed the various types, their levels, and their spawn rates. He was almost finished surveying his entire territory. “So, two percent spawn rate for the king sound about right?”

  “Seems about right,” Fayeth answered between shots. “But a level thirty is twice the level of anything else around here. That’s really dangerous.”

  “Yeah,” Frost said in agreement. “That’s why we’re doing the surveys. But it should be fine if the party’s high enough level or if Lysandra’s with them.”

  “Herald Frost,” Renna whined while swatting at the massive golem. “We’re going to be here all day if we have to kill this ourselves.”

  “Okay,” Frost said pulling an ornate steel longsword he’d looted from the eight slayers of Blackwater after killing them. They had quite a few nice weapons to choose from but Frost almost always gravitated back to swords. “Out of the way.”

  Frost dashed forward as the world slowed down around him. To be more accurate, his awareness of his surroundings increased as he prepared to defend or counter attacks from any direction. It was eerie how natural the feeling was given he’d never really done anything other than put some ability points in swordsmanship to earn it.

  As he reached the golem, he sliced vertically from the ground up, cutting through the monster as easily as he would cut through the air itself. The golem king instantly crumbled into a pile of rocks and Frost took out his harvesting crystal. He activated the small gem instantly separating the king into three piles of material and placed everything into his inventory except for a vibrant red gem.

  “Oh,” Frost scanned the gemstone. It was a golem heart and appeared to have a good deal of magical tolerance. He imagined that the right crafter could probably transform it into something special. “Nice.”

  “Can I see?” Renna asked while trying to snatch the gemstone from his hand. “I just want to look at it!”

  “Fine,” Frost said tossing it to her as he made his way back to the grazing horses. “Don’t lose it though.”

  “I won’t,” Renna said staring at the gemstone. Erissa, Fayeth, and Ena all circled her as they passed it around. After they finished admiring the gem the elves chased after Frost. “Wait for us!”

  Frost’s horse was named Witch and her name fit her personality.

  Witch was a vicious red mare that wouldn’t let anybody under level seven riding ability mount her. He figured her bad attitude was due to her smaller size since most of the animals they stabled were larger than her.

  “Herald Frost,” Renna grinned impishly as she reached into her horse’s saddlebag and pulled out a bottle of liquor. “Want to get started early?”

  “Seriously?” Frost asked as Renna tossed him the bottle. The elves brewed three different types of fruity alcohol. The first was a weak sangria type of drink. The second was a more standard fruit wine. But the last was basically a fruit brandy. Renna tossed him the brandy. “It’s not even dinner time.”

  “But you’re probably going to go to bed early,” Renna pouted while pulling out a few bottles of the weaker stuff to pass around. “And Brynn said that she gets you all day tomorrow for the wedding. The least you can do is celebrate a little with us.”

  “It is a short ride,” Fayeth smiled approvingly. “And it’s only a little early.”

  “I’ll have some,” Erissa said excitedly. “I’m really thirsty.”

  “That’s not going to help your thirst,” Ena said judgmentally. “It’s just going to get you into trouble.”

  “Speak for yourself,” Renna said smugly while handing Erissa a bottle.

  “Lighten up Ena,” Fayeth said while gently p
atting the cerulean-eyed elf’s cheek. “It’ll only be a tiny celebration since we all need to get to bed early anyway. The herald is getting married tomorrow after all.”

  “Fine,” Ena said as she reluctantly took a bottle from Fayeth. “But we need to get to bed early.”

  “Obviously,” Frost nodded in agreement as the elves waited for him to drink. “I’m not trying to get into any trouble.”

  “Exactly!” Renna said happily as they popped open their bottles and started drinking on their way back the village. “Let’s get into trouble!”

  CHAPTER 2

  Frost felt the harsh light of the sun shining directly in his eyes and reached around for a blanket or pillow to cover his face with. He immediately found one but he also found a warm slender body beneath it. He moved hand up her soft narrow waist to find surprisingly generous proportions. He squeezed her chest gently, trying to figure out whose it was.

  “If you want to play with them just say so,” a familiar voice whispered seductively as he gently massaged her breasts. “I had so much fun last night Herald Frost.”

  “Last night?” Frost said as he tried to remember what’d happened after they got back to the village. Bits and pieces started to come back to him as he opened his eyes to see Lyra laying naked in bed next to him. The blue-eyed elf smirked at him as his heart pounded like it was trying to escape his chest. “Renna’s going to kill me.”

  “I don’t think so,” Lyra grinned impishly while pointing at the other side of the bed. Renna was sprawled out naked without so much as a sheet covering her, her lean body shamelessly on display for anybody who walked in. “She’s the one that dragged you here last night. I think she missed me.”

  “What about Callie?” Frost looked around the room. “I thought you two were…”

  “We are,” Lyra pointed to a blanket covered lump at the foot of the bed. Lyra tugged the blanket revealing the naked violet-haired elf. “She was more than happy to entertain the herald.”

  “Entertain?” Frost chuckled as he looked around the room. There were empty bottles of fruit wine everywhere and half the furniture was knocked over. He started to remember more of the night and suddenly recollected having his hands around Lyra’s slender neck. He glanced at the sapphire-haired elf and noticed bruising around her neckline. “Shit, did I…”

  “You?” Lyra laughed as she realized where his eyes had focused. “These weren’t you. I don’t mean to offend you Herald Frost, but you were a little too gentle. You kept checking in and if I so much as made a peep you pulled away. Fortunately, Renna was more than eager to step in and help.”

  “Oh,” Frost said as more memories started to come back to him. He recalled Renna trying to show him how to do it properly and in fact remembered the petite elf going a little overboard. He almost couldn’t believe the elated expression on Renna’s face as she wrapped her hands around Lyra’s neck and squeezed like she was trying to kill her. “Sorry about Renna…”

  “Don’t be,” Lyra said wantonly while rolling her hips. She slid her hand beneath her blanket and started squeezing one of her breasts with the other. “I’ve never orgasmed so hard in my life. I may have to leave Callie just to get back together with her. Just thinking of her punishing me more…”

  “You really are the worst kind of person, aren’t you?” Frost chuckled as he looked down at the sweet innocent Callie resting. The violet-haired elf was head over heels in love with Lyra despite her lascivious reputation. “You should really be nicer to your partners.”

  Even by elf standards Lyra was gorgeous. The twenty-two-year-old elf had a narrow waist, long sexy legs, and an unexpectedly large bust for her frame. Her porcelain skin was completely flawless and even her pink nipples were perfectly sized for her breasts. It was no surprise that the elves in the village continued to sleep with her even after messy breakups. Although he was starting to think that the messy breakups were intentional to ensure when they did come back, they came back angry.

  In truth, he couldn’t really judge the elf harshly. All of the elves in the village were survivors of horrible situations that left their own special scars on the individuals. Lyra always changed the subject when he asked about her past but he knew from Lysandra that she blamed herself for the destruction of her village.

  “I should be nicer to my partners? I wouldn’t be so quick to judge Herald Frost,” Lyra smirked while poking his chest. The gorgeous blue-haired elf rolled over to show him her welt covered ass. “My neck was Renna but my ass was all you.”

  “Uhh…”

  “Don’t worry,” Lyra giggled and kissed his chest. “I won’t tell on you as long as you come back and do it again. You were so amazing last night. It’s no wonder you have this entire village wrapped around your finger.”

  “My finger?” Frost struggled to contain his laughter at the absurdity of the statement. “I’m pretty sure it’s the other way around.”

  “You think so?” Lyra playfully bit his nipple before moving her mouth lower. The azure-haired elf amorously licked his abdomen as she moved toward his waistline. “Does that mean I have you wrapped around my little finger?”

  “Nobody’s wrapped around your little finger,” Renna growled while placing her hand on Lyra’s head. She slowly guided Lyra back toward his chest before releasing her grip on the lustful elf. “He belongs to everybody.”

  “Really,” Frost smiled as the petite elf pressed her athletic body against him. The slender thief wrapped her leg around his waist and kissed his naked chest. “I belong to everybody? You all just own me now?”

  “I don’t mean it like that,” Renna moaned seductively as she rolled hips. “But you’re our herald we love you. You have to take responsibility for it.”

  “I don’t intend to take responsibility for anything,” Frost joked as Renna and Lyra simultaneously moved toward his neck. Their warm tongues bathed everything they touched as they made their way upward.

  “Not even what you said last night?” Callie’s head popped up. The drowsy violet-haired elf yawned and rubbed her eyes while waiting for a response. The other two stopped what they were doing as they waited for an answer as well.

  “What did I say last night?” Frost asked suspiciously as the three women grinned. Their colorful eyes were practically glowing as they stared adoringly at him. “What?”

  “You said that you were going to marry us,” Renna said happily. She immediately turned to the others for confirmation and they both nodded.

  “No, I didn’t,” Frost said obstinately. “Nice try.”

  “But you did!” Lyra whined while gesturing at the three of them. “We all heard it! You said that Shalia wants you to marry her followers.”

  “That sounds familiar,” Frost said while glancing around the room for anything that might jog his memory. Unfortunately, the only things coming back to him were flashes of having sex on furniture. “But I’m pretty sure I didn’t ask anybody to marry me.”

  “But you did! I would never lie about that Herald Frost!” Callie insisted while crawling on top of him. The violet-eyed elf looked like she was ready to cry as she straddled his waist. “You asked us how we’d feel about marrying you!”

  “So, I didn’t ask you to marry me,” Frost said firmly. “I asked how you’d feel about…”

  “That’s cruel!” Renna growled while getting an inch from his face. Her emerald eyes emanated rage. “You didn’t just ask how we’d feel about marrying you. You asked if we’d be happy marrying you even though you would be a horrible husband. And when we said it’d make us happy you said you’d do anything to make us happy. After that you must have said you loved us over a hundred times each.”

  “At least a hundred times,” Callie said insistently. “It made me so happy!”

  “I was drunk,” Frost chuckled nervously as he suddenly recalled drunkenly declaring his love while burying his face between their thighs. He really needed to break that bad habit of telling women that he loved them during sex. “It doesn’t count if I’m drunk.”

  “Drunk words are sober thoughts,” Renna said harshly.

  “Where’d you hear that?” Frost said recognizing the statement from his own world.

  “You said that to Ena, remember?” Renna said.

  “I was just teasing her about saying she wanted to sleep with me while she was drunk,” Frost said while shifting uncomfortably in the bed. Renna and Lyra both pressed their bodies against his sides, holding him in place as Callie continued straddling him. “And, and!” Frost said realizing his way out. “Although I said drunk words are sober thoughts, I still I haven’t slept with her!”