WilliamDArand
patreon
The Axe Falls 2 -ch 9-
🕑 Added 2024-09-26 01:41:22 +0000 UTCJulie gently pushed open the door to the home and gestured inside.
The home was just a few streets away from the guild house and only a single street away from the restaurant theyâd just had dinner at.
Itâd been a pleasant evening for Nick and Julie had quickly devolved back into her previous self.
He did note that her way of speaking had changed just a bit but overall she wasnât that different from what his memory told him.
âAfter you,â she said with a grin.
Nick didnât hesitate and walked straight into her house. No sooner than he did than he took a step to the side to wait for her.
From what he saw, it was a nicely decorated home quite suitable for a single woman who might be leaving in a year or so. Everything matched every statement sheâd given him so far.
Entering the house, Julie closed the door, locked it, then laid a hand to the door frame. Nick got the impression she was reinforcing her security.
âIf Iâm housing my king for the evening I need to make sure my security is at itâs peak,â Julie muttered, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.
âI mean, thatâs fair. Sara is my officially appointed personal body guard but⌠Iâm fairly certain I could handle any threat sheâd be strong enough to handle,â Nick admitted. âOutside of just dying for me, which I wonât be allowing.â
âThat⌠Sire, can I see your status?â Julie asked, letting her hand fall away and turning to face him.
âSire? Really?â Nick asked with a grin. âDo I need to find some rope so we can go back to our first time?â
Julie turned a sudden and deep bright red color.
âNick, would you please show me your status?â she asked, ignoring his statement as well as the fact that she couldnât be blushing any deeper.
âOf course I will. You should know I have four classes, not one. Swordsman, Sorcerer, Prince-In-Hiding, and Executioner. Mind if I sit down, by the way?â Nick asked and gestured at the living room that the entry way led to. At the same time he casually threw out his status screen to Julie.
âPlease do, S-so that we can speak easier,â Julie murmured, her eyes now locked to the screen in front of her. âYou were much lower level when we met, werenât you.â
It didnât sound like a question to him.
âYes, I was. With worse gear,â Nick agreed. âWhy, nervous you wouldnât win this time?â
âI donât think I would, no. I have extra spells and things as a magician but⌠if you really do have Sorcerer and with this hitpoint pool, you could tank up most of what I could throw at you,â Julie confirmed, her eyes still stuck on his status. âOur level difference isnât high enough for me to get easy criticals on you.â
âHey, good thing we ended up fucking like rabbits then became friends,â Nick said then stuck his left ankle on top of his right knee and promptly put the Dimensional Ledger heâd been holding onto in his lap. âSo it really isnât much of a concern of who would win in a fight. Now youâre my personal Wizard.â
Julie had winced as soon as he mentioned that theyâd had sex and then dismissed his status window. She moved off to the far side of the living room and through a doorway.
âCan I get you anything? A drink? After dinner snack? Something?â she asked.
âNo. Just the resource list if you donât mind,â Nick said with a smile. He had briefly considered flirting with her, but he realized that this wasnât the time.
As fun as it was to poke at her a bit, he wasnât quite interested in her in that way. He was already trying to secure Jessieâs insecurities while balancing the fact that Claudia was his fiance.
âYes, yes, Iâm getting it, Iâm getting it,â Julie answered from the other room. âBut I need another drink. If youâre going to-going to keep reminding me that Iâve known my king carnally than I need-I need more alcohol.â
âYou had three glasses of wine!â
âI need more. I wish you understood my point of view.â
âWhich one? On your knees, on your back looking up, or when you were on top?â Nick asked, deciding to actually push in this moment. If she was already this flustered it wouldnât matter.
That and he was fairly certain that when he finally got around to telling Jessie about all of this, sheâd probably find it funny that he was tormenting Julie to a degree.
Jessie was a Dark Elf and while much of the reputation of her species was undeserved, she did have a mean streak as well as a deep sense of enjoyment through others suffering.
Especially if it involved him, heâd noticed.
That or she just really liked watching Sara suffer because it was Sara.
âI-you-no! That-that right there! You canât just keep hitting me with that!â squeaked Julie from the other room. It sounded like sheâd put down a glass suddenly.
âI never hit you. Unless those hand prints I left on your ass when I rode you face down in the bedroll,â countered Nick.
Julie sputtered loudly as if she were choking on something as she came back in the room.
She didnât have a glass in her hand.
Instead, she had a full bottle of what looked like hard liquor.
As she walked by him she worked the top off it, flicked it with a finger, and then upended the bottle. Drinking directly from it.
After several loud chugs she slammed herself down in a recliner and glared at him. Her other hand held a sheet of paper.
âYouâre never going to let this go,â she said finally.
âProbably not,â agreed Nick with a wide smile for her. âI mean, you were the first woman I had sex with that wasnât me having to pay for time.
âIn a way, you were my first intimate relationship. How ever could I forget such a thing?
âOf that dashing and daring strong magician that stole me away, used me against my will, and ransomed me off.â
Julie shook her head, her eyes wide as she listened.
Only to put the paper down on the coffee table between them and look like she was considering taking another long drink from her bottle.
âYouâre going to get me killed,â she hissed.
âNot at all. Youâre not allowed to die till I say you can. Besides, I owe you pay, remember? You even wrote out how many times we need to have sex further,â Nick countered and picked up the paper. âI do still have that letter you know. You even signed it. I should frame it and put it in my throne room later.â
âOh my gods,â whined Julie, closing her eyes. âI did do that. I thought I was being so funny and flirty. That maybe at some point in the future I could run you down.â
âI thought so. Surprise, Iâve run you down instead,â Nick agreed as he looked over the list. He noticed that there was already an ink-pot and quill on the table as well. Opening the ink-pot Nick glanced at the nib and saw it was recently trimmed. âOkay. Letâs start going over this.â
Putting the Ledger down on the table he then set the paper down next to it.
Opening it to the correct page, Nick quickly wrote down the first line item. Which unsurprisingly were basic second promotion healing potions.
The response was prompt and immediate.
Nick simply opened to the first listing and looked to the prices that were there.
âLooks like the current running price on healing potions is about five smiv. I think thatâs pretty close to what the price was before the war,â he relayed and looked to Julie.
Who was staring at him blankly.
âRight now itâs like eleven smiv, isnât it?â Nick asked.
âYeah,â Julie confirmed. âThatâs about right, I think. It can go up or down from there. At one point it was as high as eighteen smiv.â
What should be the price if I want a small amount of profit, cover fees, and not have to worry about much, Lucian?
Iâm no master trader.
âAh, thank you for consulting me, Sire. After having gone through many transactions with our family I can easily say that you need only charge the Dukes seven smiv. You will make a small profit and providing this many potions outside of the market will bring prices down a degree as well.
âWhile I donât think it bears repeating, itâs probably a prudent time for me to remind you that quality control is not an issue when using the ledger. Everything must be exactly as labeled.â
Great. Thanks Gramps.
I appreciate you.
âI can sell as many potions as the Dukes want at seven smiv,â Nick said and then wrote down a price next to the line-item after dipping the quill in the ink-pot. âThere really is no limit on the number as far as I can tell. Thereâs lots for sale at the moment.â
âTheyâll buy as many as you can sell,â mumbled Julie.
âI doubt that. There are⌠sixty-three thousand potions for sale at that price,â Nick replied with a chuckle. âJust go back to your contact and get a number as well as payment for it.â
Glancing down to the second line item, Nick snorted.
Third promotion healing potions.
âWell, thisâll be boring but needed,â Nick said to himself as he began to write down the item into the search window.
âCan you buy anything at all from there?â she asked.
âIndeed. Even mercenary forces. Would the Dukes like to hire mercenaries?â Nick asked after he had considered it for a second. âBe sure to tell them that this is a magical contact you made.
âYou canât control when it contacts you or where. That youâre not even sure itâll happen again in the future.
âJust in case they get it in their heads they want to try and make my acquaintance without you.â
âAlready did so,â blurted out Julie who them promptly took another several large gulps from her bottle. âIt wonât be an issue, Nick.
âCan I also buy some things from you? If weâre going in as a party, I want to be prepared.â
âCertainly,â Nick said with a nod of his head. âI wonât even make a profit off you. Youâre my personal Wizard, after all.â
âIâm your Wizard,â agreed Julie. âIâll likely need to leave for a time once we finish up, by the way.
âLikely a week or three, depending on what the Dukes response is. I can guess already that Iâll need to get in touch with someone higher up when I tell them their wish list, isnât so much a wish as it is just a list.â
***
Yawning, Nick rolled over and reached out.
He found Jessie, wrapped an arm around her, and drug her directly against himself. Then promptly stuck his other arm around her.
âNicky, too warm,â grumbled Jessie.
Nick only grunted, kissed the side of her cheek, then stuck his face into her hair. Not releasing her.
If anything he pulled her closer and tighter.
Jessie grunted, let out a soft sigh, then turned around. Facing him directly and snuggling in close.
âLove you,â she mumbled.
âLove you, too,â replied Nick, nuzzling the top of her head. âWhen I was kidnapped I slept with Julie repeatedly. I wasnât sure if sheâd kill me out of hand and I was looking for an angle.
âI didnât tell anyone else about it. Wasnât sure how theyâd take it. Donât plan on telling them either so youâll need to keep it a secret.â
âMm, makes sense,â Jessie answered without even sounding bothered. âMakes more sense why you were so quick to accept my offer.
âYou also never told anyone that Iâd originally bartered my ass out just to live. That you could have as much as you wanted whenever you wanted.
âYou just tell people we fell in with one another and let them assume we just went from there.â
Nick kissed Jessieâs cheek again and relaxed in their bed. He felt better for telling her and more so that she more or less dismissed it without it being an issue.
âNothing happened last night?â she asked curiously. âJust the talk about materials?â
âI tormented her endlessly that she had kidnapped me and raped me. I mean, she didnât rape me but itâs fun to mess with her,â Nick confessed. âNothing happened though nor did she suggest anything.â
Jessie laughed at that. It was a dark chuckle that blended into his perception of her and fit perfectly.
âI think I should probably take you back sometime to meet my family. I think theyâll like you once they get over that youâre not a Dark Elf,â Jessie muttered, then let out a sleepy sigh. âGet out of bed. Youâre too warm and youâre clearly awake. I want to sleep a bit more.â
Jessie gently thumped a fist against his chest.
âI could put you back to sleep?â suggested Nick.
To which Jessie nodded her head eagerly.
Thirty minutes later Nick left the room. He adjusted his armor as he stood there in front of the door.
The room to his right was Sara and Claudia. The room beyond that was Rahak.
Nick had the back corner room on the second floor of the inn.
If he needed to, he could go out a window and escape.
No sooner than he had started to move than the door opened and Sara stepped out of her room.
She met his eyes, smiled and then fell in with him as he walked past her.
âAnd whatâre we doing today?â she asked.
âGoing to go see about putting up a small stall and offer a commissions service,â Nick muttered. âGoing to buy a golem to man it so that I never have to be seen. Ever.
âCan also use it for cover with Julie if she needs it or I need it. That way thereâs a cut-out that can be dropped at any given time.â
âWhoâs idea is that? Itâs rather good,â offered Sara as they walked to the stair-case.
âMy own,â Nick lied. It had been Lucianâs idea, but he wasnât about to tell anyone about Lucian.
His grandfather was a secret to everyone for the time being.
âI finished up that list of items I wanted. Though Iâll need to take a out a loan from you,â Sara murmured. âIâm sure the things I want wonât be cheap but being able to get exactly what I want is rather worthwhile.
âAs for collateral, well, as a potential fiance, Iâm sure my line of credit is good. Isnât it?â
âYeah, itâs fine,â Nick allowed with a chuckle. Given how many items were on Julieâs list and the prices involved, it was quite likely Nick was going to become a very wealthy man, very quickly. âPotential fiance, hm?â
âYes. Iâve already sent out several letters to my family as well as government minders,â Sara confirmed. âIâve revealed nothing about the situation and my statements and questions were all roundabout.
âAbout the king, the situation, the Dukes, and what our stance is. Nothing about whatâs happened or could happen.â
âA wise course of action,â agreed Lucian. âSara is a valuable ally and has been well trained in politics.â
ââI think their response will likely be reasonable and in favor of the Dukes. Then I just have to push the idea of me being a politically useful tool to throw at a young⌠nobleman⌠as a wife and there we have it,â Sara murmured, gracing him with a pretty smile. âHardly an inconvenience.â
âYou are literally saying you want to push out children for the sake of an arranged marriage,â Nick replied, still feeling very odd about how Sara was handling all this.
âAbout that, is there any chance I could get that child before Jessie does?â Sara asked, dodging the main thrust of his comment and somehow ending up where she did. âSheâs not actively trying right now, is she? If she is⌠thatâs⌠hm.â
Blinking, Nick got his answer.
It also left him feeling a bit cold.
Sara just wanted to compete with Jessie.
âI mean, Iâm attracted to you, and I wanted you to ask me out, but even then, itâs a bit fast to rush straight to a kid if youâre already trying with Jessie,â grumbled Sara, watching him intently as they went down the stairs.
âKinda trying, kinda not. Leaving it to chance,â Nick confessed.
âDamnit. Alright,â Sara groused as they went through the common room and out onto the street. âI suppose Iâll just have to wait. I donât want to rush our relationship. I can beat Jessie in other ways.â
Well⌠that makes me feel better.
Iâm something to fight over, but also because she wants to be there.
âThough I need to get into your bed sooner than I want to. I canât let Jessie dictate the pace or Iâll never beat her,â grumbled Sara with a shake of her head. âOkay. I demand a date night. You took Julie out, now itâs my turn. I want to take you to dinner tonight and tomorrow. Iâm asking for them up front.
âIâd ask for more this week, but I think more than two days would alert the others to my plans.â
Blinking, Nick shrugged his shoulders.
âUh⌠you donât need to force yourself on my behalf. Or rush anything,â he said and kept walking. âAs far as dinner⌠alright. I think weâre planning a dungeon dive just before lunch today and being in there till about dinner.â
He wanted to get to the more run-down part of town. Where it bordered another section, in fact.
Somewhere that wouldnât be high visibility at first, but could easily shift population by it.
âI donât think Iâm forcing myself, per-say, just moving past my own limitations faster than I expected I would,â Sara countered, her head moving around as she eyed their surroundings. âI mean⌠I had already felt rather strange that I was so attracted to a Human.â
The way she said the last left Nick feeling a bit odd.
Itâd sounded strange in the way she said it. As if there were a lot more lurking beneath the surface of the statement.
âYou said no,â he blurted out as an argument.
Coming to a slow stop as he said the word, Nick looked around. He felt like this was the right area for what he wanted.
He could see homes that dropped in value down the road from where he was as well as middle class houses around him right now.
âYes. I did. Foolishly. I genuinely thought youâd chase me further,â hissed Sara, her brows drawing down and her eyes flashing. âYou were supposed to run me down and ask me out again. Then we would have started our secret relationship that we couldnât let others know about.â
Gramps, are Elves really that different than Humans?
She sounds kinda strange.
âThey arenât human, my boy. Your family has never dated or wed anyone other than a Dragon or Humans,â offered Lucian. âI can only provide you insights from associations that were friendly at best, nothing romantic.
âElves are⌠very⌠much not Human. They tend to have certain qualities that make them very focused on a few things. Often related to their species or upbringing.
âFor all we know, Saraâs focus is on her self worth and perception. You not fitting with her expectations could possibly have unnerved her.
âIf thatâs what it is. Iâm merely speculating and I truly donât feel confident in my own answer.â
Ah, alright.
GrampsâŚ
âBefore you ask, Iâve only heard of two types of elves. Dark and High. I never met any other race while I lived, nor after I passed,â Lucian answered, jumping to the question Nick wanted to ask.
Got it.
Alright.
Anyways.
This looks like a good spot.
I need a golem I can put down from a distance and retrieve from a distance.
Any chance you can help me find something in the ledger for that?
âGladly, Sire.â
