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  Upon arrival at the town center, Elan greeted me with his trademark warm smile. A rigid five foot tall woman stood fifty feet in front of the griffin, giving it plenty of space alone. She was fit, clean, and the best dressed woman I had seen on Vin yet. I wondered if her rank as a rider afforded her certain privileges or if Cern was in a better state than this village.

  Behind her, I got a better look at the massive creature. I had expected it to be much smaller. It was at least thirty feet long and fifteen feet tall. The feathers were clean and neat as if recently brushed. Its tail and swatter hung lazily off his back end. I got a single dismissive glance as it balled up on the ground to rest.

  “Ah, Mr. Gryff, good to see you,” said Elan. “Let me introduce you to Lady Nalia of Cern. She is the third wife of Hanz, Captain of the Cern city guard. She will be handling your trade requests today.”

  “So this is the man Elan has been praising. I hardly believed him when he mentioned you were not from this planet, but now I see. You are too tall, too handsome, and probably without faults. Definitely not from Vin. And for the love of the gods put on a shirt.” Lady Nalia said with rudeness.

  I was not sure what I did to warrant this attitude but before I could ask Lyna spoke up.

  “Oh, he has faults. He is impulsive, gullible, and immature. Also, blasphemy! Let him stay shirtless.”

  I raised a single eyebrow at Lyna.

  “Widow Velia, I never thought I would see you looking so lovingly on another man. Not after Frin gave his heart to you, a lowly field worker from a small village,” Nalia said with a sneer. Her arms were crossed and she stomped a foot in annoyance at having to be in our presence.

  Okay, I pieced some of it together by this point. In the past, Velia's former husband must have been involved in a love feud thing with Nalia, and Nalia had never moved on.

  “Uhh... Lady Nalia, can we talk of trade. No need for bickering or insults. These are the items I need delivered.” I handed her the two slates of bark. Her eyes grew wide and laughter escaped her lips.

  “This vermin filled village could never afford all this,” she said with scorn.

  All right, I had had enough of this. Time to rock the proverbial boat.

  I turned to Donnie, pulled him in close and whispered an order to him. He promptly took off running.

  “Well. So much for being cordial. I have these to trade. They should cover a lot of this.” I handed her the goblin skin sack that was filled with goblin parts.

  Nalia peered into the bag and gasped. “How?! These are eyes, tongues, and hearts of goblins. No one hunts the Horde, not anymore. It is all but officially outlawed in Cern. The Baron has said we can no longer risk angering the Horde under any circumstances. The Baron passed a law prohibiting fighting the Horde, but that was struck down by the King’s court. Still, men who do as you have and fight for resources in the wild lands have gone missing. You play a dangerous game in dangerous times.”

  “Good thing we’re not in Cern,” I replied as I clapped my hands in agitation.

  “Maybe you can afford the items on this list. I may have misjudged you, traveler. The mages will pay handsomely for these parts. If they find out you can get more, they may even trade work for them.” She let out a deep laugh. “By the gods, I know some who would gladly be sacked and brought to this rundown, backwoods village for first access to these.”

  “Speaking of mages... I am in need of a healer. I expect in my line of work to get injured at some point. Is there an apprentice or midlevel healing mage I could hire to relocate to here?” I asked her.

  Nalia looked in the makeshift bag some more, tilted her head in thought. She scanned the list again, and then back at the bag.

  “Three more silver and I can get the rest of what’s on the list in exchange. As for a healer, the Master Healer of Cern has been bribed with many a noble’s child to be trained since the peace accords. For a gold coin, he could be persuaded to send one here to gain real world experience. Let’s say a year. He should agree to that.”

  I tossed my purse to Velia who grinned. Lyna frowned that it wasn't her.

  “Pay the nice lady,” I said.

  Velia walked over to her rival... or was it a frenemy? Not sure how I would classify two ladies who used to fight for the love of a deceased man. When she pulled the three silver coins out, Velia fumbled the purse a bit. Coins spilled out.

  Nalia picked up three silvers and a gold one.

  “Indeed, I have misjudged you, Sir Gryff. You continue to surprise me. These are the purest coins I have ever seen. Two silver will more than cover your dues. This pure gold will get you his best apprentice.” Nalia had a genuine smile on her face as she happily handed the extra silver over to Velia.

  Well shit... now I was probably going to piss her off. Right after I had finally won her over to not being a bitch. Donnie arrived with the goblin arm that had been hacked off during the fight yesterday. I grabbed it and walked purposefully by Nalia and towards the relaxed griffin.

  Shock and terror reflected on her face.

  “Wait! Stop! Did no one bloody warn him that griffins kill men who come too close?” She yelled at everyone as I went past her.

  “Told ya, impulsive. Maybe add stubborn as a flaw too.” Lyna said.

  Even though Nalia now seethed with rage she did nothing to stop me from approaching the griffin.

  “What is your name, big noble sir?” I asked the male griffin. How did I know it was a boy, well when it flew over it had a huge sack with balls in it. Dead giveaway. They were so big they were displayed under his tail behind his butt as he napped.

  “I am Lirkon,” said a voice inside my head that sounded like a fast talking salesperson. “A member of the Cern pride of griffins. Step no closer, and toss the food at my feet.”

  I stopped and glanced around. Yup, that had to be the griffin talking. I tossed the arm at his front paws. Which was quickly devoured with a loud cracks of bone breaking.

  “I would have guessed they could not talk,” I said out loud to no one in particular.

  “They don't. At most, they gesture or point. The fact that Birk hasn't mauled and eaten you is a wonder,” Nalia said.

  “Who is Birk?”

  “Him.” She pointed at the griffin.

  “No, that is Lirkon. He told me only a moment ago.”

  Hearing his name out loud confirmed it for Lirkon. He went from a relaxed comfortable posture to on his paws and attentive.

  “By the great griffin creator, you heard me! You understand me... The pride... They will be so overjoyed. There is so much to tell the humans that we rely on so much.”

  The massive creature jumped up in joy... and then raced for me. I was caught flatfooted and not ready for the attack. Women screamed. Elan screamed. Hell, even I let out a squeak. As its massive frame reached me, it slowed and started rubbing its head against my bare chest. I reached down and pet him. Okay, maybe it was coming over for love instead of blood. I could work with that, you know, the not-dying thing being a big plus.

  “Uhhhh.... plot twist,” I said out loud, knowing I was the only one who would get it. It made sense, me being able to talk to griffins like Lirkon. Sara did say my show would be named Gryff the Griffin Rider. She also mentioned zero scripting and complete free will. I could talk to griffins... Bonus!

  “By the gods,” Nalia said.

  Dismayed muttering erupted from those gathered.

  “All right, that is quite enough,” I told Lirkon and retreated. “I am glad you enjoyed your treat. We really need the supplies your rider has to go get, so if you could help with that, I would be very grateful. I would even trade a single favor.”

  I wanted to establish that I was not a griffin to human translator from this day forward. I already had enough stuff to deal with and accomplish.

  “My mate is with cubs and may lose them without more food. The cowards of Cern no longer hunt for us and we are slowly starving. Can I take a f
ew goblin bodies to her? Any amount improves the chances the cubs will be born alive and defect free.”

  “I think that would be fair. We could use the meat, too, but I feel I could get more with some effort. We all had a large meal last night, and I don’t really want to eat goblin yet... So yes, feel free to take the six bodies from down on the western fields.” Lirkon dashed forward and nuzzled my chest again. What a big softie he was. “I do need you to scan the wild lands between Cern and Fernlan, though. Report everything you see. That should help me get more meat in the future. I wish you and your mate the best. Nice to meet you, Lirkon, and thank you for your trade, Nalia. Drop off the supplies here when you can. If I am not hunting, I will come say hi.”

  I gave Lirkon a final rub on his head and slid my arm around Velia. With a gentle guide, I led us back down toward the western fields. Behind us, I heard Nalia, asking the griffin if his name was really Lirkon. It looked like the rider and the creature had some stuff to work out. In the end, I was relieved it hadn't eaten me.

  Moments later, the griffin soared overhead, wings spread wide. My small group instinctively ducked as it passed above us. It landed quickly on the goblin pile and then launched skyward again with the bodies in its talons.

  “There goes our extra food,” I said.

  “Ummm, we may need to talk,” Velia said. We were almost back to the western fields.

  “About me giving away our food?” I asked.

  “Well, that, yes. If we hadn't recently had a large meal I would be scolding you. But mainly I wanted to discuss this.” She reached down to the hand I had wrapped around her body.

  I stopped and shooed Lyna, Lily, and Donnie forward.

  “Go find busywork,” I told them.

  When they were out of earshot, Velia began a nervous shifting sort of dance.

  “Out with it,” I told her.

  “The last Baron, Baron Frank, died in the siege of Cern. He had a son. His name was Frin and he was a handsome, caring noble. When he decided to marry me, he elevated my status from peasant to potential baroness. I loved him dearly, but he died four years ago. The Horde had only been on Vin for a year and hope was still high among the people. We believed we would push back the vile Horde and have a future to build upon, greater than before. That is what he believed, that is what my Frin died for. I wanted so badly to give him a son and grow old with him. None of that happened.

  “I never took another lover. I could have, I was courted. Yet as the war progressed even those suitors I started to have feelings for died. I see the way you look at me Gryff of the Redlands. I feel the way you touch me. I need you to know that while I have this tough no nonsense exterior. Deep down I still have a broken heart. This is partly to also explain Nalia, that bitch tried her hardest to steal Frin from me. She even went off to war with him but escaped the ambush he died in. I asked her to tell me the story of his death but she shunned me.”

  I took all this in. The part about Nalia made sense. I was still getting mixed vibes from Velia. She kissed me on the cheek, never fought my touch, and teased me. Yet she said she was having emotional conflict. Women...

  “Velia sorry if I make you uncomfortable at times. I want us to stay the same way but if you need more time before we become intimate say so. Maybe some structure to how the culture here would help me. Nalia is a third wife, is that common? How many wives do Kings, Dukes, and Barons normally have?” I asked her.

  “I know you didn't ask but let me go over nobility on Vin first. The titles from low to high goes like this, Knight, Trade Master, Baron, Viscount, Count, Earl, Duke, King, and then the King of Kings is the Emperor. You become a noble in one of four ways. First is you are born into it. The second way is a Baron or higher anoints you to nobility. There are some rules here. A Duke can make a Baron, a Baron cannot make a Duke. If anyone higher in title disagrees with the promotion they may dismiss it. For example, a Duke names his dog a Baron and the King can overrule it. The third way is the next highest group of nobility appoints a temporary noble unanimously. If no higher nobility objects within three months the title sticks. This was done recently in Cern. Frin's father who died defending Cern needed to be replaced. Cut off from the nearest Viscount, Earl, and Duke they voted in the current Baron. Baron Liffa was a Trade Master, he got the votes, no one replaced him and now he is a legitimate Baron. The final way is to become a Trade Master. A Trade Master is any merchant that a noble deems worthy of promotion. For soldiers, you got Knights, for merchants you got Trade Master. Got that?” Velia asked, to which I nodded.

  “Okay wives is really messed up right now. As you have seen I help manage widows and orphans. Assuming there was no savage war, trade routes were open, and people were prosperous most of us would have found a new husband by now. Being a second or third wife was not unheard of in the past. Humans still fought humans in border skirmishes and men still did most of the dying. There was a good chance if Frin never died I would have been a sister wife to Nalia. Which, while I dislike her, I bet we could have eventually found happiness with the three of us. Anyway, the Horde changed everything. Look at the women down there.” She pointed to the field where the widows worked with the children. “Many of them are beautiful, charming, great women who would make a fabulous wife. This village only has twenty men, most have two wives already. The problem is if they take on more they can’t feed them, clothe them, and provide in general. Times are too rough. Nalia got lucky, she married a captain of the city guard. She may not have gotten the Baron's son but she did land a Knight. Which leads me to you. Micka is right, if you don't form a harem, a harem will form around you. Assuming you survive long enough. You are wealthy, can get food, and are kind. If you had a dog face and a third arm, you would still get a harem in these conditions. Ten years ago with dashing looks and no money probably still yes. So you add all that together and then take into account the current situation. You are doomed...

  “Minor confession here, we set you up with Lyna and the well. Merely take a second to think about Lyna. She has two daughters and no hope of a husband. She is smart though, she begged us to set you up to prove you were a man. She knew right away the best shot she had at your harem was to bed you early. Many of us want more children, some want a male role model in their lives. The pressure on you will be great, and unless you run from this village you will get tied down to it if these women have a say.”

  “I think I get it, I had a bit of warning before coming here and I am not upset about Lyna. No one forced me at knifepoint to have sex with her. Public sex even behind cover is not normal where I come from. Casual hookups are normal though. Polygamy was deemed legal a few hundred years ago, and while still rare occurred mainly with important or famous people. Even women have harems where I come from, actually more powerful women have harems then men do. I personally have always been unattached, too busy with training and school. I am already falling in love with the idea of Vin and being in Fernlan. Maybe one day I will sweep some beautiful women off their feet and make them as happy as I am. Until then there are more adventures and tasks to be done. Speaking of which, you talking to me while others work is just not fair.” I said then scooped her off her feet and tossed her over my shoulder.

  “Unhand me you brute!” Velia hollered as I marched her down to the berry fields. I planted her on her feet and laughed at the scowl she gave me. When she turned to leave I swatted her ass. A loud snap echoed over the fields. Maybe I did that one a bit too hard. Yeah... she was rubbing her ass from the sting. Less force next time.

  “We are even now, have a good day at work wife!” I said with my biggest grin.

  She looked ready to explode in a tirade, took a deep breath and went to work.

  I cupped both hands around my mouth and shouted “Donnie!”

  Off in the distance, the young man came running from the tree chopping area. He deposited the ax away in the collapsed tool shed and came to my side.

  “I want to check fish lines the goblins l
eft in the water, my guess is they baited them again before coming to yell at me.” I saw at least three female heads pop up from working. Before they could say something I continued. “But... I know there is a high chance of an ambush being there now. So I will go outside the eastern part of the village. I will take you with me, our next stop is the village blacksmith.” I told the lad.

  “You mean it sir, you will let me help you fight? I know I am barely a man but I promise to listen and do exactly what you say.” Donnie said.

  “And that young sir is why you will be allowed to come. Listen to what I say and ask if unsure... quietly.”

  I walked off the fields and up the dirt ramp into the main village. Luckily none of the women had deemed it necessary to stop me from arming Donnie or from taking him into the wild lands. We needed food, and I could use him as a runner. Well, honestly I could use him to help with baiting, pushing, carrying, and more. I would actually like more help but the other men all had vital jobs and the next oldest male child was eight. Maybe I could hire an adventurer or two from Cern who were languishing because of the current Baron’s policy on the wild lands. Add it to the list.

  We arrived at the blacksmith and I expected it to be extremely loud and hot. Instead, it was quiet, cool, and no one greeted us at the front desk.

  “Hello, looking for the blacksmith,” I said loudly.

  “One moment.” The older gentleman I had met at the feast last night came from a doorway. “Ah, Sir Gryff how may I help, and before you get your hopes up I cannot make anything new without smelting something old down first. This village has not seen any new raw metal in a while.”

  “Dennis, right?” the man nodded yes at my question. “Well Dennis, Donnie needs a weapon. Something that he can move quietly with. We aren't too picky with the what, we can master it later. For me, I was wondering if you had any pikes. It seems these javelins I have are too light and easy to launch. I need something bigger to kill bigger things.” I said.