Gula POV

There were a few oddities that stood out from what I knew of my kind in the swamps in both attire and behavior. I noticed a good many clutching a necklace with an odd X shape that was sideways and had one leg longer than the others. Seeing men among them, men who were unbounded, not dead, and whose faces were filled with worry and relief instead of fear or bloodlust, also threw me off.

Another oddity was how… vigorous the women were in bringing in new life. Back in the swamps, the main way to make children was by taking some injured soldier against his will. It was many things, but romantic wasn't one of them and most couldn't bear to make more than three children. Here, gifted with not just willing men but full-on husbands, families typically had three or four daughters at the least while a few had six or seven.

As I was helping get some blankets from the main back room that had served as a makeshift storage unit, Salamede came through the door with a smile.

'I've talked with three Orcs who represent the women of the Waveborn.' She said happily as she took the pile of blankets out of my arms. 'The nations of the Central Continent got sick of the guards and military of others mistaking their spies as the real thing before killing them. They all work under a single organization called the Watch imbued with the authority to conduct operations across borders. Not an imaginative name, but they do their job and they do it well.

If there were any other spies among them, Nate would have known.'

Throwing my head upward, I felt a weight come off my chest.

'Saved by national convenience.'

The huff from her snout made me raise my eyebrows.

'It may make you feel better, but Eli was not so easily swayed. The captain murdering that Dex fellow has made him more trustworthy, the others, however, not so much. At least as far as Eli is concerned. He's worried about a bureaucratic error or unknown organization slipping in.'

I raised an eyebrow as I rubbed and stretched my tired arms.

'That seems a bit paranoid. If we trust the Orc women to carry out missions, surely, we could trust them on this.'

'I said as much,' She responded with a roll of her eyes, 'But then the letter Cell brought back talked about protecting the two keys to his heart and… Damn him.'

A shrug and a knowing smile were all I gave her before we both left the room.

With a weight lifted off my shoulders, the work of getting some forty people in place and comfortable went on. The next interruption came when I was in the lowest level below the furnace helping put away one stack of clothes. One of the older women came down the steps and stayed near the top. A blonde with short hair, a stubby chin, and faded green pants with a white shirt stood on the steps with a blank face.

"We would like to talk. Your two mage friends are staying above deck but we-" She put her right hand to her face, those red eyes staring off into the distance while she thumbed the odd X-shaped piece of wood on her necklace.

"What is it?" I asked as I approached with my hand rifling through my side bag for the healing patch. She put up her left hand to stop me.

"Mages are near me. I could go up the stairs and see mages. Male mages. Right there. I've been on the waves for near forty years, but it seems there's always something new to experience. Speaking of male mages, we need to talk. Names Hursa, by the way."

The gulp that came down my throat told her I knew what the discussion was going to be about. Still, manners had to be observed.

"Gula, if you didn't know."

I walked up with her before coming onto the middle deck. Sitting on the floor was a large number of the Orc women and a few of their older children, all between toddlers and the dawn of their twenties, like me. Though the sudden shift of all their eyes towards me was a significant difference. Looking through the crowd, those by doors or the long piece of metal through the middle that served as the furnaces heat outlet, and a few sitting on the stairs leading into the open deck, I immediately noticed the lack of men. On my left, I saw mother giving me a reassuring nod. Salamede coming down the stairs to walk up to my right took a bit but they allowed her that time before the older woman who brought me and two others stood opposite of me amongst the squatters.

Standing in the middle, an older Orc with long braids of grey and black hair and a bandanna of grey that matched her dress coughed into her wrinkly hand to start our little forum.

"First," She proclaimed with a deferential look in her gold irises surrounded by black. "We must thank you. Without your intervention, we would have been practice posts for those monsters in fine silk. For that, you have our undying thanks. For both us and our children." A wave of nods went through the small crowd.

"I did what any decent person would do," I dismissed with a small smile as I looked around the room. "But I also saved the men and my trained eyes have concluded there aren't any here."

The last standing Orc on my right, an early 30's woman spoke up with a wave of her shoulder-length black hair over her brown dress. I could tell there was some strain from the look in her red eyes and the force she was putting behind the smile above her sharp chin.

"This is a discussion between those blessed with ovaries."

I couldn't keep my smile down as small chuckles broke out among those sitting on the floor.

'Salamede,' I said to the Kelton woman in a spirit connection. 'I think it's best we establish your position first.'

"I'd have to disagree." She proclaimed to the crowd, "For all that my sister in marriage has done, I don't think it's the… feminine side of our marriage that has you all so interested."

That drew some gazes towards her, but most still stuck towards me.

"Your marriage?" The middle Orc asked with a raised eyebrow as she looked between us and rubbed her sharp cheekbones. "How full is his bed? Between you two and his human wives, are his reproductive resources fully claimed?"

Looks of hope blossomed in the faces of the younger Orcs, with most leaning further ahead on their knees with expressions of rapt attention.

"He has no human wives, and he has no interest in crowding his bed," I answered with a steady tone.

Furrowed eyebrows and a sea of frowns greeted the statement. It was the blonde on the left, now leaning against the wall, who asked the next question with a gleam in her eyes.

"Will he only be taking concubines on the side then?"

Before I could respond, the speaker on the right put up her hand for silence.

"What, exactly, is he? There are all types of mages."

A huff from the older, braided Orc drew all eyes towards her.

"He's a mage powerful enough to cast spells. I didn't realize we had such a bounty of them that we could start being picky."

"We've had a few for more than a week," Someone from the back called. Nods of agreement went all around the crowd. Seeing an opening to get towards the discussion I wanted to have, I seized the moment.

"And one of those was a scion. The same as that Palta princess. Even one such as he follows our husband." I proclaimed, bringing the sea of faces on me. "We are here to bring a new way of things. A world where magical ability is not the end of all ambitions."

More than a few scrunched up their noses in confusion.

"What do you mean?" The blonde Orc asked with crossed arms.

"This ship is not held aloft by magic," I responded. "I don't expect you to fully believe what I'm saying right now, but we have a power called science that relies on metal, wood, and knowledge. We use magic for convenience, but as we grow and expand, we will move away from magic to make our tools. These tools will allow us to make weapons that are more powerful than any spell, ships that move faster than any in the sky or on the seas, and cities grander that the best of what any earth mage could summon.

All of this, with no consideration of birth.

That's what we're offering. A society where your life isn't determined from the first moment you left the womb. Where what the Bastard did to us doesn't matter. At least, not enough to make a huge difference."

"The Bastard?" The Orc in the middle asked with a raise of her black and grey eyebrow. "Who are you talking about?"

I puckered my lips, trying to understand what she was missing.

"Him. The cur who gave us our skin and made us what we are."

A head tilt from Hursa on the left drew my gaze as she ran a hand over her stubby chin before words that never occurred to me spilled forth from her mouth.

"Why call Garren that? Seems a bit ungrateful."

"What?" Was all I could get out as the air fled my lungs.

The black-haired Orc started talking but I kept my eyes locked on their original target.

"He made us. He gave us life. Not the best life, but a life. If it wasn't for him, our daughters' smiles would not exist, no food would pass our lips, nor would we ever feel the bright morning sun on our skin. And having all of our future children be mages means we will eventually win. Our history has been a harsh one but not without a purpose."

I didn't scream. I didn't swing my water sword into anyone's neck. I didn't do anything. My mind blotted out all noise as it struggled to comprehend the nonsense that just assaulted my ears. It was only the touch on my left shoulder that finally got my mind off those impossible words.

'Dear,' Salamede's voice sounded out in my head through a spirit connection. 'They've asked you three different questions and you've just been staring at the wall. Maybe I should take over while you work through this patch of cultural friction.'

I idly nodded before stepping back as I wrangled my emotions.

"Like we said," My sister wife said to the crowd, most of whom were looking at me with concerned faces. "We're here to bring on a new system. It won't be perfect, as anything involving people always will be. But the course of your life won't be decided at conception. That is what our husband is offering, not his magical ability."

"But without his abilities, would he be able to deliver on this vision?" The blonde asked with a handwave. "Would spreading his seed with a few of our daughters not speed along the creation of this system? Besides, he has sired with you lot so why would he refuse any charms from us?"

"Ungrateful?"

My word cut through the air like a knife as I took a step forward. Salamede moved to the side, content to let me speak now that my tongue had found its will.

"What do we owe that monster?"

They seemed surprised by the venom in the last word even as it came out at the same volume as the rest. While most seemed confused, some were downright offended that I called the bane of our entire existence what he was.

"Our lives," The blonde stated. Mother was on her feet now and coming up to me.

"Despite his best efforts," I corrected with a sweep over the crowd. "Tell me, when he made us reliant on human men to keep our species going, did he do it for our good? I suppose when he made it so we would easily overtake the humans if given the slightest chance, it was to ingratiate us to the people we couldn't live without."

Hardened eyes softened all around as doubt replaced anger to one degree or another. The older braided Orc had some pity in her gold eyes before she coughed into her hand.

"I'd say the motives of our species sire is known only to him. And while some may think we are destined to win out over the human race" A measured look towards her brown-dressed compatriot was given before she turned back towards me. "That is a matter for those born far after we'll all be gone."

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and calmed myself. Debating the appropriate levels of hatred for the Bastard, the fact there was anything to debate at all, was a verbal punch I had been unprepared for. As my indignation subsided, the realization came to me that just because we shared skin, that didn't mean they were my people of the swamps dropped on another continent.

As Mother reach across my back and patted my right shoulder, I collected my thoughts. When I prepared what I was going to say to them, most of what I came up with involved spite for…him. A store of emotional motivation that had been universal among my kind for as long as I remembered. With that gone, I decided to pull on a thread they had presented.

"After we're gone? What about us? What about the children? Are we going to wait for some far-off time when a male mage blunders into one of our settlements? How many hundreds or thousands of years will it be before that happens?

Even if we do get one mage, we'll need to kidnap other mages to replace him after he's gone. Mages are not so abundant that any significant amount going missing would be written off as accidents. And to fight toe-to-toe with the humans, we'll need thousands, all of various abilities to compete with them"

"She's right," The Orc in the middle said with a nod that swung her braids of black and grey hair across her grey dress. "There's a lot of luck required for us to win this little species brawl. Relying on chance isn't what kept my bones off the seafloor for all these years."

A huff from the Orc on my right drew everyone's attention. She ran a hand through her shoulder-length black hair before using it to dismissively wave.

"Luck?" She mocked in a dismissive tone. "It wasn't luck that brought about the Cradle nor the Plains. We already have the infrastructure to hide and care for any captured mages."

With that, she turned her rather angry-looking red eyes on me and my mother.

"Of course, that relies on us doing our jobs and catching them when we can. Why do you have the two mages blundering around the seas and not strapped to a table in the Cradle? We could make this 'science' thing after we've won."

"Because" Mother scoffed, "We're new to these lands, they're more powerful than us, and my daughter's husband has more power than anything our species could hope to offer. And don't misunderstand, just because he's an ultimate mage, that doesn't mean magic is his sole gift. Eli's the only one who knows how all this works and we can't afford to try and clobber him."

"Ultimate?!" Hursa gawked. The rest had slacked jaws while the Orc on the right stepped closer with fire in her red eyes.

'You didn't tell them?' Mother gruffly asked in a spirit connection.

'I was focusing on keeping them alive. A prickly subject like that and our lack of child was something I was hoping to wait until we were back in the base to discuss.' I responded.

"He's an ultimate mage?" The older Orc asked, her golden eyes sharp enough to cut steel as they tore into me.

"Yes," I bluntly admitted with an outstretched chin.

The crowd burst into whispers while the three said nothing as they looked me and mother up and down. Daughters turned to mothers with a thousand questions as various toddlers looked around at all the excitement with wonder or trepidation. One of them from somewhere in the crowd shouted and it silenced the rest.

"Do we take on his abilities?"

Hursa turned back towards the sitting onlookers.

"Quiet! This isn't an open discussion." There were looks of irritation among the Orcs as a few looked ready to argue the point. The older Orc did so as well, but the red-eyed one hadn't moved as she continued to stare at us.

"What makes an ultimate mage?" Another shouted question came

Hursa looked ready to loose a verbal volley when Salamede summoned a swarm of bubbles and shot them through the crowd. The accompanying wind blew them around before they disappeared. It worked as the little show drew everyone to the Kelton woman stepping forward, idly wiping some dust off her wood armor.

"All magic is fueled by mana," My sister in marriage spoke like she was lecturing a gathering of children, though her students listened with rapt attention. "Without it, mages have no power, no spells, and no strength beyond that in their arms."

A nod from Hursa made us look towards her.

"We know that. It's why the Bloody Plains have trees and grass that won't instantly kill anything that touches them."

"But did you know how mages counter that issue?" Salamede asked with a raised finger.

They all shook their heads until one of the older Orcs spoke up.

"I heard it involved crystals. But what does that have to do with ultimate mages?"

"They can make mana. It still costs them some effort to summon it from their skin, but they're almost unstoppable until that strain becomes too much."

Hursa nodded along with a few others who seemed to get a bit of it, though most just stared blankly at her. Then the big question dropped from the one person who had stayed still this entire time.

"Do we inherit this mana making like we inherit magical ability?" The brown-dressed Orc demanded, never once taking her red eyes off me. Like taking the first dip in the water of a cold day, this was best done quickly.

"We don't know," I responded.

It took a second before they understood what that meant. Frowns and furrowed eyebrows of disapproval showed all around the room. Hursa, however, got ahead of the pack.

"How long have you been married?" She asked with pursed lips and arms crossed.

"He took my virginity just a few days ago." I offered truthfully.

That seemed to mollify everyone aside from the Orc who was still drilling her eyes into me. She tapped her foot impatiently like I was a child lazing about when I should have already cut the weeds or dumped the trash. A comparison that became more apt when she spoke with the tone of an annoyed mother.

"And what of you, Durka?" She demanded.

"What of me, Ugak?" mother responded with her apparent name. Mother emphasized her point with a cross of her muscular arms and a flare of the bone nose ring.

"How far along in your pregnancy are you? Does he perform well?"

A long moment of silence continued until mother got onto the main event with a voice holding more trepidation than any other time I had ever heard it.

"I'm not laying with my daughters' husband."

"We've decided to hold off on making any children for a while yet," I stated, if for no other reason than to get that thorn out.

Even Hursa and the older Orc got deep frowns at that, but it was Salamede who had the first word in.

"Gula is the wife of an Ultimate mage, as am I. Of all the women in this world, we have been chosen as his beloveds. Think long and hard about what you say concerning our relationship. Eli is a patient man, but it runs short and thin when it comes to mistreatment of those he cares for."

Pissing off someone who sent the Devourer away stifled their anger, but it only served to embolden Ugak.

"We're not mistreating his wives. We are simply asking why two of our kind have failed so thoroughly in their basic duties. I was mistaken when I said this was between those with ovaries. This is a discussion between Orcs."

There was a bit of ambition in those red eyes of hers. In the crowd, I saw a few more who had the look of greed on their faces. A quick dousing of those thoughts was in order.

"It's not happening," I said with a shrug. That seemed to anger all of them, but I pressed on. "The whole reason Eli is here is because the humans tried to use him as a stud, his ability to be a father to those children be damned. They kept pushing the issue and now… well he's helping us. If you have any aims on his bed, remember that he decided to betray his entire species before siring a bunch of children he could not be there for."

A moment of hesitation seeped into the crowd. None of them knew how to respond to that, but it seems Hursa was willing to wait.

"It's been a long day and we're all pretty hungry. What with almost dying in horrific agony and discovering mages among us. How long until we get wherever we're going?"

"A few hours." Mother responded with a blank face.

Hursa nodded before giving a performative, long stretch upwards.

"Let's put this issue to rest for now. We're talking about a person we can't meet and a science… thing we can't see for ourselves. Any objections?"

Ugak made hers known well enough as she finally turned from me towards her two compatriots.

"I don't like it. Our birthright is to make mage children without fail. If magic is chucked to the side for that thing, are we not throwing away our greatest gift?"

A mixed reaction greeted the words, with some nodding and others raising their eyebrows in doubt. With the meeting drawing to a close, I threw out my best pitch.

"Could," was all I said before I had the crowd's attention. "We could get mages. We could use mage Orcs to get more male mages. And at some point in the future, we could be able to freely live among the cities of the now chained humans.

Could.

I offer will.

Science WILL let us walk among human cities without being immediately killed. We WILL have lives that are not decided before we're even out of the womb and we WILL lead those long, happy lives among our fathers, brothers, and uncles just like the human women. And it WILL happen because it doesn't rely on us getting lucky or the humans being stupid. That is the fundamental difference between our visions."

It worked. There were quite a few nods all around and most seemed interested. Ugak didn't seem impressed, but most of the people who were nodding earlier contemplated my words either quietly or among trusted friends. With our meeting closed, the crowd dispersed. The sailors came down, the meager rations we brought were distributed, and people fell asleep on blankets wherever the space could be found. A few tried the showers that Eli had installed for long rides, but I waited until everyone settled in before falling asleep with mother and Salamede at my side beneath the stairs.

"Oi. Miss Gula."

The words stirred me from the land of half-remembered dreams as my lungs pulled in air so salty it could only mean we were back home. Looking up I saw an Orc no more than ten wearing the usual sack that the young ones wore. Her wild blonde hair and sharp chin filtered through the steps while her nose and mouth were blocked.

"Someone above deck was asking for you."

Getting up, I moved from between Salamede and my mother who were laying in their armor on my right and left. The child nodded to me before going back to the left wall and leaning against her mother to sleep. Coming up the stairs, the first thing I saw was Eli on the left going down the ladder.

"Leaving without saying goodbye?" I lightly teased, trying to keep my voice down. His silver hair swirled as he looked around before those purple eyes locked on me. He shot up and almost ran across the deck, flapping his white shirt and grey pants from the resulting wind while he took off his smiling mask. I was a few steps from the entrance below deck when he got to me.

"A little girl said you were asking ab-"

He took my mouth before I could say anything else. My eyes rolled up and took in the stone ceiling with its mana lamps as my spine vibrated from his touch.

'I love you.' Was all he said in a spirit connection.

I was a bit irritated at being accosted so early in what I assumed was morning, but feeling his hands mold my body and the constant stream of 'I love you' through our spirit connection quickly appeased any complaints I may have made. After some more oral play, he finally pulled back. There was some drool coming down his strong chin, but he didn't notice as his eyes wandered all over me.

"Any problems? Any injuries?" He asked, emphasizing the point with a squeeze on my hips.

"No. We're all good." I replied. It had been demoralizing to hear how so many of the Orcs didn't approve of how I handled my position as his wife, though I couldn't blame them based on what they knew of the situation. But seeing the concern and lust in his eyes, I felt some confidence seep into me when it came to our family. Speaking of.

"I'll get Salamede. She probably wants a quick hello as well." I offered. He nodded, giving my bum one last pinch before I walked away. Taking the first three steps below deck, I started a spirit connection with the Kelton woman leaning against the wall.

'Salamede'

She stirred awake with a stretch of her arms upward.

'What?' She asked as she wiped the grey fur around her left cheek.

'Eli's here. Be ready, he's damn frisky right now.'

Her quick shot up from the floor and brisk walk over my still sleeping mother made it clear Eli wasn't the only morning person here. She quickly moved up the stairs and past me with a speed that would have been impossible in any metal armor or made with less precision than what Eli gave it. I couldn't help but smile when Eli and Salamede tore into each other like starving beasts. It occurred to me that the deck was empty and looking further beyond it, I saw the open expanse of the hangar.

The concrete walls and the mana lamps that dotted them were the same as ever, but the large doors to the forge on the right were closed and I noticed all of the goods in the workshop ahead had been moved out aside from a few beds and blankets made with plant crafts. When the light moans subsided, I turned back towards the two. Salamede's wooden armor did little to hide the difference in height between the two as she leaned on his chest while they stood still enjoying one another's company.

"It's great to see you again Eli," I said as I came forward. "But I was wondering how-"

Salamede grabbed my right hand and pulled me into their hug as Eli opened his left arm. Squished on the sides of the two, I could do nothing but listen to my beating heart. Eli kissed my cheek while Salamede rubbed my backside as we soaked in each other's presence. I knew there were a thousand different things that needed doing, but none of them seemed as important as feeling this moment in our little corner of the world. When the time to pull back came, we were still close enough to hold hands.

"Do you know where the rest of the people went?" I asked Eli as he rubbed my back along with Salamede.

"A fair few went to get showers. Some went to the kitchen to prepare a feast of a breakfast. I have guards stationed around the place and I've been too busy trying to segment the workplaces so that the men can be employed in the more basic jobs. Working the farms and using tools to mold the armor are going to be their main jobs, nothing that tells them how our stuff works. Segmenting those two functions off from the main production chains is going to be a pain, but the peace of mind will be worth it."

"All right," I agreed before turning to Salamede. "I don't know about you, but I could do with a shower."

"You've stolen my thoughts, sister. See you at breakfast, Eli." She gave Eli one long last kiss before pulling back. I followed her lead, kiss and all. Our husband gave one final wave before he took off down the side of the ship.

"Should we both stay here?" I asked as we approached the wide hatch leading below deck.

She bit her lip as her white eyes moved between the hatch and the workshop before she made her decision.

"I don't think it will get disorderly. Get a shower in our room and check on how breakfast is coming along."

Nodding, I bid her farewell with a wave before climbing down the ladder.

Walking across the stone floor with the golden glow flickering everywhere, I looked behind me to see the interceptor resting behind its bulkier cousin. Making my way across the open room, I came past the wide tables in the center of the workshop. A few Keltons were seeing to one bed or item of clothing, but the metal that had been scattered about was gone.

Feeling a bit nervous given how our conversation with the Orcs went, I went through the meeting room with a wide circular table and into our main room. Going to the cabinet on the left of my bed, I fetched some black pants and a white shirt from the right side that served as the storage for my and Eli's clothes. Pulling the wooden armor off my chest, legs, and arms, I went for a shower in the room on my right. A quick wash under the wooden flower and I was out of the room. Walking down the hallway into the meeting room, I took a left into the main hallway. The stone walls were the same grey bathed in golden light from the crystal diamonds dotting the walls, but the noise of the kitchen coming out of the double doors to the left was different. Going through them, the long tables with benches were also the same but along the left wall I saw a lot of green skin moving around in the kitchen window above the bar that typically held our food. Scattered among them were a few Kelton's directing people.

"How could you?!" A man yelled from somewhere in the kitchen.

Walking forward and taking in the smell of breads baking and onions crisping in oil, I came through the door to the kitchen on the left side of the room and into the cooking area proper. The assorted array of ovens along the back was the same as ever, though the number of pots heating on them was far larger than normal. On the right side was a long series of fryers with metal baskets all holding cut potatoes. The bigger heaters for man-sized pots along the wall on the left were not being used but neither was anything else at the moment.

All the work had stopped as people gathered around the center where a pudgy man with short black hair and a bald cap was standing over a teary-eyed Orc. He held a squishy blue potato in his hand and his brown eyes were furious, an emotion accentuated by the flare in his bulbous nose and shake in his generous jowls.

"What happened?" Salamede's mother on his left asked, her small brown dress having flour on it as she had turned away from the dough balls on the table behind her. Her pointy brown spikes moved with her looking between him and the blonde Orc with a quivering sharp chin and tears in her golden eyes.

"She cut some skin off and almost threw it away." The chef declared with an elaborate slap on his white apron and brown pants.

"We were skinning the potatoes!" The blonde refuted with a pullback of her head cover drenched with sweat.

He took a step forward and held out the squishy blue potato with the offending cut along its top.

"Do you have the faintest notion of what these are?" He asked with a swing of his right arm to the floor on her left. Getting on my tiptoes, I saw it was a basket filled with magically enhanced vegetables. No one had any idea what to do with them and someone lower on the chain must have stuck them with the rest of the food stocks. It took a moment for her golden eyes to look over the basket of carrots and multi-colored potatoes before she seemed to realize what they were.

"Magical food?"

The chef nodded with a solemn look in his eyes.

"Aye. These would probably go for ten gold."

That caused a stir among the crowd as the offending Orc went pale.

"Ten gold for just that basket?" Someone on the left asked.

Red heat now blotched the pudgy man's skin as he turned to the curious voice with the blue potato raised in outrage.

"Per, you blind fools! Per!"

The poor girl bit her lips as she looked ready to cry while the rest whispered among themselves. Taking the moment to intervene, I moved forward with a cough. All eyes turned to me, and the chef seemed irritated until he recognized the face that was behind the wooden helmet. Standing a bit straighter, he did a slight bow as I came up to the two of them.

"My lady. I'm sorry for that unseemly sight. Please inform your husband that we didn't mean to pilfer his stock of magical resources."

Worried whispers and pursed lips filled the crowd, all surrounding the blonde Orc who looked like she wanted to throw up. A quick dismissal with a handwave assuaged their fears, though.

"He won't care. In fact, I'll ask him if he wants to distribute the mana-rich food to the men. We could do with some more mages around here to help with the enchanting."

The Orcs all looked very intrigued at that proposal, but the chef let loose a sigh of relief before turning towards the unfortunate vegetable peeler.

"Be very grateful. Most lords would have had you beheaded if they were in a good mood."

"Ah," I interrupted as I took a stool on the right and pulled it up near the blonde woman. "I think most lords would have asked what an Orc was doing in their mansion then executed them."

That got a round of laughs as the chef fought down a smile. But he raised an eyebrow as I pulled a sack of potatoes from near the ovens.

"My lady." He said with a note of heavy deference. "Having the lord's wife perform such basic tasks could be viewed as unseemly."

"Bah!" I scoffed as I took up a sharp peeling knife from the assortment near the blonde Orc. "I spent enough time on my butt doing nothing but watch my husband run himself ragged when the only tasks to be done involved earth or plant magic. We are here to work, one and all."

A moment of odd hesitation came over the crowd as I started peeling, but the chef started getting everyone moving.

"Spice the fish!" He exclaimed as he turned to a pair of Orcs near the right-side ovens. "I know it's all the meat we have, but that doesn't mean we can't have some variety with it. Get those-"

I couldn't hear the rest as the kitchen came alive with a chorus of sizzles, chops, and shouts. It took a while until the meal was finished but with the sheer size of the meal being served, my meager experience and kitchen sense couldn't properly appreciate how much faster it went with the large ovens and child-sized pots. Along the serving bar between the long tables and kitchen were long wooden trays of spiced fish fillets, oatmeal, rolls, and a hearty vegetable soup with a creamy base.

People started coming in and looking rather fresh despite the long night some of them had. The big frogmen and Kelton's weren't perturbed by the newcomers and understood that we needed to have a long discussion with them. Most had a quick meal and left for their daily duties while some of the younger Keltons and Orcs played together at the empty tables on the left side of the room, though the green girls still looked a bit tired from yesterday's adventure.

The sailors and the women were all happy just to be alive last night, but as I sat at the head of the middle table, I heard some talk more about this magical place and not just because of the mages present. It's amazing how quickly luxury becomes unnoticeable to those who have it. Looking at all the women rubbing their wet hair in excitement and chatting amongst themselves about how clean they felt, a small ember of pride bloomed in my chest.

Waking up every morning in a thoroughly warm room and getting to take a shower straight away without having to heat the water beforehand was a miracle of daily living, but it seems I had begun to take such things for granted. When Salamede came with a simple wooden chair from the meeting room and sat opposite of me, wearing her green dress frilled with white, she had a smug smile that pulled her grey fur over her smooth cheekbones. Mother quickly joined on my right, though the grunt she gave before plowing into her breakfast was barely heard in the crowd. After my sister in marriage set the chair down and the meal got started with plates of steaming food and mugs of water, the main item of interest still hadn't arrived.

'Salamede,' I asked in a spirit connection. 'Where's Eli?'

She shrugged for a moment before putting down her mug of water.

'He should have been here already. I wonder-'

It was at that moment that he came in through the double iron doors a few rows behind Salamede. The words I was getting ready to shout died in my throat when I saw what was laying on his head. With a thin cheek resting in his silver hair, an Orc no more than five years old was riding his shoulders with eyes closed and a slight snore coming out of her mouth as her black hair spilled into my husband's silver locks. Her clothes, contrasting with her peers, was a simple brown dress. It was one of the items we were making with our magically grown cloth from those we use for the balloons, and it fit her frame far better than the typical sack most her age wore. Green legs smacked against his grey shirt while his black pants moved with a steady walk. The girl's hands swung over his smiling metal mask as he retrieved a plate of fish, potatoes, and cutlery from the bar and moved between the tables towards our position.

A few looked askance at his weird features, as his purple eyes surveyed the room and took in those looking at him. It wasn't until he was up to our spot that a lot of people started looking at him. When he took the seat between the two of us and set down his breakfast of potatoes and fish, all the noise and commotion stopped as people finally realized who had just arrived. Except for a panicked squeal off somewhere to the right, nothing disrupted the void of sound and motion that fell upon the onlookers.

"Get a good sleep last night?" Eli asked as he took in the company at breakfast and put a hand on the girl's back to make sure she didn't fall over.

I didn't say anything as I felt butterflies in my chest. Fatherly. Seeing him care for the young girl so thoughtfully and casually holding her on his shoulders, that was the only word I could think of. Out of all his abilities, that was probably the weakest word to describe him. But him acting that way with a green-skinned child made my heart thump with a tangle of emotions that I couldn't begin to sort out.

When he reached out to get a roll from his plate, the little girl's sharp nose twitched. As he brought the steaming bread up to his face, his burden's golden eyes shot open. Taking only a moment to get her bearings, she quickly snatched the treat from his hand. Sitting up, she munched on the stolen prize with a snort from her victim being the only sound heard.

"Is it good, little one?" Eli asked with an indulgent smile and a look upwards.

"Hmm. Yesh," She exclaimed with a mouthful of bread.

"Welub!" One woman yelped off to the right. It was a rather harried-looking Orc with long black hair. She was standing up with an equally nervous sailor. Both wore white shirts, but the woman was scrunching up her brown pants nervously.

"Ah," Eli exclaimed. "I assume she's yours. She was looking over the dresses and distracting the workers when I arrived in the workshop."

Quite unmoved at the rudeness of her actions, Welub gulped down the last piece of bread and shrugged at her violation of protocol.

"They said they was for us." She stated rather defiantly.

"That they are." Eli agreed as he took her hips and lifted her off his shoulders. "But I think you've worried your mother enough for today."

She nodded before taking off to the right. As her head of black hair bounced with her run around the tables, Eli turned to me with a raised eyebrow. It hit me then that a disappointed groan had escaped my lips without me meaning to.

"Something caught in my throat." I weakly offered before looking down at the plate of fish and potatoes before me.

I heard some shuffling on my right and saw the sailor who had been sitting next to mother move to make way for Beaton. His large grey beard wasn't disheveled now and the bits of mud on his face had been washed away. The blue coat, white shirt, and brown pants he typically wore also had a newer feel to them since being washed.

"Thank you for the rescue, good sir." The captain said with a low bow. His brown eyes had an air of resignation as he idly rubbed the sharp cheekbones above his grey beard. "But I heard you had some proposal."

"That I do," Eli said idly as he brandished a fork and took out a chunk of fish. "But I think long discussions are better had on full stomachs."

Beaton nodded, looking rather nervous as he retrieved his meal and drink from his original spot to sit back down on my mother's right. The rest were still stuck on the fact Eli was there. While men looked on in fear, the women looked more confused than anything else. A male mage was sitting right there. They could go up and touch a male mage eating his breakfast. The brothers had quickly eaten their meal and left to work on their daily chores of testing fire safety before the main group had woken up, apparently concerned about their safety now that their magical abilities were known. Even if they were here, they weren't in the same space of legends as the ultimate mages.

On the left, a small group of Orc children came up to him with curious looks in their eyes.

"Are you a mage?" One particularly bold red-haired child asked with big gold eyes.

Eli chewed on his fish for a moment before swallowing. Putting up his hand towards the newcomers, he twirled his index finger as a circle of sparks and mist started trailing the digit. Wide-eyed, the children stood still until the rings of mist and sparks shot out and whirled through the group. The magical constructs dodged a few of them, but they collided with one black-haired girl in the middle and exploded in a shower of flickering lights and mist.

The delighted wave of giggles brought smiles all around the table, but I mostly focused on the weird ball of emotion in my stomach. Looking over towards Salamede, her face was taking in the scene with an interest at least as great as mine. When the magical show ended, one girl with black pigtails and a mole under her left eye pushed through the crowd.

"Are we too young for you?" She asked in a delighted tone.

There were some disapproving grunts from the men around the table. Eli just sat there with a stone face as his lips thinned from a frown, clearly at a loss for words. Personally, it was the funniest thing I had heard in weeks, and had no problem letting others know it. My laugh joined the other Orcs and Salamede's.

'Really?' Eli lightheartedly scolded in a spirit connection, his voice carrying a bit of exaggerated hurt. 'Aren't they a bit young to be thinking of such things?'

'It's damn funny.' Salamede disagreed as our laughter died down.

'If they can speak, they can be told why they humans are so afraid of us. It's kind of hard to avoid the subject.' I offered.

For their part, the kids looked positively offended at the assault on their sensible question. More than a few were frowning and the one who asked the question looked at me with her hands on the hips of her sack dress. She didn't seem capable of articulating her objection and Eli didn't give her the chance.

"If you are ever with a man, be with him based on how nice he treats your parents or the serving staff. His ability to shoot rocks out of his fist will not tell you much about him as a person."

She thought about it for a moment before walking forward. His chair wasn't right up to the table, leaving the small girl all the room she needed to wiggle between him and his breakfast. Climbing up onto his lap with an awkward shimmy, she squatted on his left leg as she looked up at him. A few others quickly joined her, either on Eli's lap or sitting on the arms of his chair. He even helped a few with a pull on an arm or pat on the head even as green hands went through his hair or over the teeth of his smiling metal mask. After a few seconds, there was more Orc in the chair than there was Eli.

"But mom said Garren made us to make mage babies." One blonde with choppy hair on the right said as her legs hung from the armrest and laid into Eli's side, along with another Orc on her left who was content to thread her legs under the seat. The man in the center took a deep breath as he prepared a speech. This wasn't how we thought this conversation would start or with who, but the moment came all the same.

"Whatever he made you for, it's not what you have to be. I'm going to make a world where the peasant has the same opportunities as a scion. Also, don't be in a rush to grow up. Play and enjoy these years. When the time to leave your parents and be a big strong woman comes, you'll look back on these days and wish you hadn't tried to grow up so fast."

"Pff." One redhead on his right leg scoffed. "I know how to tie ropes and dad said I scrub the deck like I was born for it."

Eli smiled as he patted the girl's head. Taking the moment to steal a look around, the Orcs were hanging on every word. Most of the men looked intrigued at the bold claim Eli made, though a few couples wore panicked faces as their child sat atop a powerful mage.

"You're certainly capable," Eli said with an indulgent tone. Then several large blocks of water sprung up behind him. "But you still need to have fun."

That seemed to properly distract the squatters, who abandoned their living seat as they went up to the blocks of shimmering liquid scattered about the back of the room. It started with a smack or two, but eventually, they started punching the soft blocks and running through them with that whimsical abandon that only those in the domain of childhood could ever have.

With his captors now distracted, Eli picked up his fork and resumed eating his fish and potatoes. The rest of the room was still silent aside from the occasional slap of water, with everyone still staring at him. He knew, of course. Taking only a few seconds more to attend to his meal, he wiped a cloth across his mouth before leaning back and addressing the crowd.

"Have you found the accommodations satisfying?"

There was a wave of nods all around, but it was Beaton who spoke.

"Better than we could have ever imagined." Despite his gratitude, his brown eyes still had some hesitation as he strummed his fingers beside an empty plate.

"Well then," Eli proclaimed, "I am the leader of this little corner of the world. And, as I've been told, you already know I'm an ultimate mage like Rodring and Bodding. What has brought me here is a long tale of government neglect and societal entitlement."

"We heard some of it." Hursa called to the right. The blond Orc was coming along the tables with Ugak and the older Orc from earlier in tow. I had expected rabid lust from the three, but they seemed more intrigued than anything else. When they were on Eli's left, the older Orc looked him up and down with gold eyes that gave away no emotion. After a few seconds, she took a step forward.

"You don't hate us." She declared. "There's no revulsion in your eyes and any mother could spot a man feigning sweetness with pups."

"Well, I'm not from around here. Getting long tales of the green menace wasn't a staple of my people's storytelling."

In the sea of raised eyebrows, none rose as quickly as Hursa's. She was also the first to voice her thoughts.

"Is there really a place where we are not reviled?"

"Yes," Eli nodded as he continued his explanation. "Though that was due more to there being no magic where I'm from."

It was kind of funny how everyone leaned forward because of such a simple statement. But Eli disappointed them by not immediately elaborating.

"My tale is not a short one. Let's see what chairs we can get-"

"It's fine." I declared.

Drawing all eyes on me, I got up from my seat and moved to take a spot on Eli's right leg. Salamede quickly followed my lead and plopped herself down on his left leg. It was a bold thing, bolder than I would typically be comfortable with doing in such a public space. But I needed to feel him. I wanted those firm hands that had been so playful with the kids on me. Besides, he was my husband, and the children aren't the only ones who should get to enjoy using him as furniture.

The three Orcs sat in our seats, with Hursa taking mine, Ugak on Eli's left and the older Orc sitting beside her. They were all dressed in the ubiquitous white shirts and brown pants found here and they seemed a lot more relaxed than they did last night. Even Ugak seemed positively friendly as she sat down, though we were in Eli's presence now, so that was probably more for his benefit than anything else.

Once they were seated, the long tale began.

I had heard, dissected, and pondered over it enough to let my mind wander during the story. Throughout re-telling his story, he had to stop at the obvious objections. Yes, he had ships among the stars. No, he had no magic in his home…dimension? An odd word that only barely took me out of my stroking of his arms and chest. His time in the coalition itself was glossed over, focusing mostly on his adventures hunting necromancers and his actions in the swamps while his time in the 'proper' Coalition lands was left to a few words about being discarded. When he reached the end, the crowd had its expected range of reactions.

Then something unexpected happened. An obvious question, previously unasked, was presented.

"A mighty tale." Ugak offered in a respectful tone, despite her lips being pursed and the doubts clear in her red eyes "But why exactly was increasing your…mind such a grievous crime? Surely, such a thing would only make your people stronger."

It was an obvious question, in hindsight, but I hadn't bothered trying to explore the intricacies of Eli's culture as it would probably involve more things that bent the mind and defied all sense. That or it was a simple religious dogma. The deep breath Eli took as my hands rested on his shoulder and chest, however, was as clear as it could be in showing hesitation. After a moment, he finally gave the answer.

"Overminds." He said with a nod and a far-off look. "Once the threshold of thirty-two point eight is breached, the person starts taking over everything around them. Guessing the timing of markets becomes a lot easier, working ships and designing buildings is almost trivial. More importantly, it starts a snowball effect. It allows you to more easily break or evade the constraints on further improvements, which allows you to increase your mental ability further.

I'm sure you can see the loop there. The people who do this are called Overminds. Now, this could be a great boon to humanity and people everywhere. But the curve of growth is exponential. The first person who went through with it would be so far ahead of everyone that laws become strongly worded suggestions.

More than that, the people who have such aims haven't been benevolent. I've heard tales of hideaways where groups of people tried to take that step. Most failed and were subsequently blown away by a company's patrols or the local government, if they were fortunate. Those that did succeed ended up being slaves to the one person who got their chips hooked up in a blink of an eye faster than the others or some random piece of code saw them get a calculation done one nanosecond faster."

I looked at Salamede to see the same conflict in her face before turning back to Eli. There was a pain in my husband's face, a long look in his eyes, and a bit lip above the strong chin.

"Eli." I gently prodded as those purple irises turned to me. "I… Knowing that. It doesn't seem like they were…"

I struggled to find a word less abrasive than 'wrong', but he understood what I meant all the same.

"I never tried to conquer any nation, build any kingdom, or bring any planet under my boot. The only thing I wanted was the information I needed to look for my family. To at least remember those who should always be at the forefront of my mind. I am not the best, nor the most faithful follower there ever was.

'Luke 14 verse 26: If a man should come to me, and not hate his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, even yet, and his own life also, he is at fault in the eyes of the lord.'

But I'd like to think God is forgiving in his follower's failures and will allow me this indulgence. I know why my people did what they did. I can't say that they were even wrong in doing what they did. It's perfectly obvious what my network of influence in the galaxy looked like to them. For all that, though, I was still forced to choose between them and my family. I made my decision, and I don't regret it."

There was a bitter note in his voice at the end. Hursa, however, had a question of her own.

"You know the scriptures?" She asked with a raised eyebrow and swish of her blonde hair that swung the odd X hanging from her necklace. That seemed to lighten Eli's mood a bit.

"Yes, as a part of the spirit codex. Saint Adia, I assume?" He asked as he sipped from his cup.

There were nods from around the tables. Beaton, however, just shrugged.

"I thought you lot didn't have magic. So how would that Jesus fellow have risen from Necrosis?"

Hursa pursed her lips and turned to the muscled, older man with furrowed eyebrows while Ugak and the older Orc smiled.

"He didn't rise from-"

A cough from Eli brought all eyes back to him.

"As fascinating as cross-dimensional theological discussions can be, I feel we have more pertinent issues to discuss."

A round of nods let him move forward with the proposal that would save my entire species, all to a backdrop of children chuckling and the splashing of water.

"All that I have done is for my family and that is what has brought me here today. We are here to supplant magic. To give the technology that saw my people travel the stars the chance it deserves. To allow the potential of people everywhere to go beyond how many fire-lizard steaks they managed to eat before they turned ten. I will not, nor will I ever, promise perfection. But I do promise something better than the system you have known."

"And what will we need to do to make that happen?" Ugak asked with crossed arms.

"For right now?" Eli responded with a shrug, "Mostly more work. Hopefully, we can just sit still, picking up the desperate masses falling through the guardrails of society until I have airplanes with enough missiles to answer any complaints. The big part of that is knowing how things work here. To that end, is there anything from your discussion with Kantor that you'd like to add?" He finished with a look towards the captain. The older man stroked his beard with a solemn look before nodding and sitting a bit straighter.

"I didn't understand why you wanted us to go over our experiences together, but having talked with him I can see the wisdom. Sadly, I think his time in the cold wastes has given him a more favorable impression of the green lands than is warranted. It's warmer, but his kind doesn't have to deal with King Beasts. Like the…"

He fumbled for a bit. His eyes looked between the three of us for a moment before he spoke again.

"That was you in the black things spirit connection, correct?"

Eli raised an eyebrow but simply nodded. Beaton continued, with a bit of sweat coming down his forehead.

"I mean no offense, but you… do you appreciate that? What that means for everything and everyone."

The quad mage puckered his lips while Salamede and I looked around the table. Green or tanned, the faces all had this eager look in them. Something between the relief of a coming rescue and finding a long-sought treasure.

"I thought I did," Eli admitted with another nod. "But the energy of the room says sending the big worm packing is more significant than just bragging rights."

"The Devourer is a King Beast," Ugak exclaimed with a now palpable eagerness. They seemed to think that answered it, but my husband only shrugged.

"The books my academy had told only the bare minimum needed when it came to history. Most were on spell crafting and the various uses and gathering techniques around magical resources. When discussions of the Central Continent came up, it was always to spin poetry about their magical resources and the actions of my fellow Ultimates. Even finding a bare map was a… painful endeavor."

A dawning look of comprehension stole over their faces, leaving Beaton to continue the conversation.

"King Beasts are the top predators, monsters who've lived many decades or even centuries and grew more powerful as they feasted across the wilds. Outside of the capital Casdan, we live by their grace and mercifully full belies. On the more northern coasts, it is the Devourer that marks its territory, in the southern shores near the Poison fields, it is the Thousand-Screams Toad who holds sway. Before Rodring brought the nations together, it wasn't by the sword or armies that some nations died, but by the irritation of such beasts. The fact that the Burning Mist Pirates can control theirs is one of the many reasons they've been a staunch thorn in everyone's sides."

'Eli,' I asked my husband in a spirit connection, making little effort to hide my irritation 'Why are we only finding out about this now? Didn't those brothers visit these lands?'

'I'll ask them about it, but I doubt they knew. Jeff just had his beloved open her legs for him and Andrew isn't the most curious soul even when he was awake from gestation. More importantly, the beasts here mostly kill peasants. The psychopathy of mages has never left much concern on that front in books or conversation. Even with all that, this isn't new. We already knew humans weren't the top killers here and even if it was brought up, they probably dismissed it as another big local monster.’

'I don't think it's the same.' Salamede disagreed. 'There are things out there that can kill small towns is a lot different from ones who can kill off nations.'

Eli bit his lip for a second, thinking things over until he spoke in our spirit connection again.

'Could. In times long past when the countries were small feuding towns with a castle or two. For all we know, letting a bunch of magicless curs die to the monsters isn't an issue for the government and the King Beasts are only a threat to the lower classes. Come to think of it, what about these northern lands?'

Salamede shook her head.

'I doubt it. Aside from the occasional mole migration and sea creature, nothing big lives up here from what all the shopkeepers and dockworkers said. At least nothing Kantor and any of the other Kelton's heard of.'

Furrowing my eyebrows, a restrained smile stole over my face as I spoke to Salamede.

'Everyone living and dying by the hunger of giant monsters seems like a big item to miss. Are you sure no one said anything about a giant bear or something out on the icy wastes during your time in the Kelton hold?'

Salamede took a deep breath before answering with an equally restrained voice.

'Gula. No. There was no mention of giant beasts or imminent destruction by mountain-sized monsters. When the humans talked about the lack of kings, I clearly misinterpreted it. If you've forgotten, they are from the more southern regions while we are in the most northward tip of the frozen lands. You can't expect them to have the same information and experiences.'

'A lot of the food is brought in from the south and almost every living thing is along the coast.' Eli offered in a light tone, 'If there was a King Beast here, it would have snacked on a Kelton settlement by now and they'd talk about it. Part of the reason I chose these lands is that they are so remote and disconnected from the rest of the continent. That has a lot of strengths and a few weaknesses, as we have just learned. But there's something else we need to know.'

He coughed before audibly speaking to the crowd, all of whom were watching with rapt attention even as we talked without sound.

"What about the King Beasts near the local capital? Will we need to take any special precautions when visiting there?"

Beaton and the rest of the onlookers considered the notion but didn't come up with anything. That was until a younger lad with brown hair and a white bandanna in the back spoke up.

"My Pa and I visited to deliver leather a few times. They're north of the Devourer and don't have to worry about its hunger. The upper fields of snails, however, are dangerous and give them shells as well as magical resources. Besides being too barren to sustain a King Beast, Crasdan also has the best place for collecting the harvest of Kispin. That's the only reason they send any real amount of support up here from what I've heard."

Eli sighed he pondered various figures and calculations but the older Orc with braided black and grey hair leaned forward.

"Since you can take them on, will you be pushing them out to make room for us?" her gold eyes shimmered with hope, as did most of the others around her. It dimmed a bit when Eli put up his hand and shook his head.

"Declarations of absolute supremacy are most often found on tombstones and crypts. I promise I'll get you away to safety if the time comes. But since we know about the Devourer and that there are no King beasts near the capital, let's put this subject to rest for now."

They all seemed a bit miffed at him casually pushing aside the King beasts. Obviously, none voiced such an objection as he continued speaking.

"We want to get closer to the local Orc communities. I don't suppose you'd know how to do that?"

His playful tone elicited a few smiles, making those around the table relax a bit more. Ugak was the first one to speak, her voice soft and supplicating as she pulled her black shoulder-length hair aside with a wave of her hand.

"As you well know, spies among the incoming men are always a concern. Sadly, we can't just give you the location of the Orcs in Casdan as such knowledge is kept privy only to those who need it. Instead, we will need to go to Baker's port. It's the main base of operations for us Waveborn. Once we've gotten you introduced, I'm sure we'll have enough volunteers for whatever project you have here."

Eli raised an eyebrow along with an indulgent smile.

"Sadly, I am needed here for my own projects. Of course, that has its own needs. Beaton." His head turned towards the captain who respectfully nodded back, ignoring the strained smile from Ugak as he did so. "Your craft has taken you all up and down the coasts, correct?"

"I'd probably find my way around in my sleep if I could run the ship myself. More than that, I was involved in some military jaunts in my more willful days." He finished with a cross of his arms, letting the blue coat and white shirt crumple up with his lean forward.

"If I wanted to acquire more metal from a mine owner of flexible character who didn't ask too many questions about where his money came from or to who his goods went, where would I go about meeting them?"

The sad smile under the grey beard spoke of nothing good coming.

"The only reliable sources these days is what you have on hand. The pirates have been pillaging, raping, and killing across the seas with abandon. The warehouses are low on what they need and stuffed with crap they can't do anything with. It'll be months before it all gets sorted out if we're lucky.

In the past when the pirates managed to get organized enough to start serious trouble like this, the disruptions lasted for months or even a year or two. I'm not going to pretend to know what it is you can and can't do. But, in my blunt opinion, if you want a stable supply of metal, you'd be better off mining it yourself."

A sigh and look downward was my husband's first move. This was an opening that Salamede took for all it was worth.

"The icy wastes have a lot of untapped veins. Too far away to be mined, but if we had another ship and the workers, we could make it happen. We'd just need to get the people."

I knew the fate of the poor souls on the icy wastes was weighing heavily on her. Nodding, I moved to support her idea when Hursa spoke up in a desperate tone.

"There are also a lot of eager Orcs, hungry and desperate to work for a scrap of bread and a solid roof. We could have a lot of hard-working hands ready in days if we did a run at Bakers."

Salamede's snout flared and her grey fur pulled with her puckered lips. Worst of all, a lot of the red and gold eyes turned to me. Sensing this was going towards a Kelton and Orc slugging match, I quickly struck down any notion that I would be a part of it.

"Hursa," I said in as firm a tone as I could manage, drawing all eyes to me. Some were hopeful, some eager, and all were expectant. "Our work here will save our species. Our entire species. You want Eli to slay the big scary monsters?"

Looking around the room, I saw a lot of heads nodding in agreement.

"Do you want abundant food and warm homes?" I asked again and received the same answer. "Then we need to work towards the common good. We have several groups we can easily pick up on the wastes. Groups we won't have to spend time looking for spies slipping through."

The blonde Orc bit her lips for a moment until the older, braided Orc spoke up.

"Could we not get both?"

A sad shake from Eli's head flattened her hopes.

"We need metal to expand our base." He explained. "The local barnacles could ruin any building we make if it's not encased in layers of wood and iron or steel. We have enough for now, but I want to solve the shortage before it manifests."

Salamede dipped her head as she rubbed her half of Eli.

"We will still need as much help as we can get. The faster we help the Kelton's here, the quicker we can get to bringing in Orcs and their families."

I nodded in agreement, making sure to leave no doubt that this was coming from both of us. Hursa bowed as the others seemed satisfied.

Beaton coughed as he leaned back a bit.

"Speaking of spies, how do you intend to deal with Nate and the others?".

The captain seemed resigned, and the rest of the people got hard eyes with pursed lips or scowls. In the back, I saw a few women put their heads down as they pushed food around on their plates.

Eli puckered his mouth for a bit as he looked between us. If the stories he told me were anything to go by, I had a general idea of what their fates were. It had sickened me a bit, hearing how Eli had tortured captives in the past. And I knew enough about how Eli to see he had already decided the spy's fate.

"We can be harsh," I cut in, "If you have any objections as to their treatment, say them now."

Surprisingly, a lot of the people looked offended at the offer. Beaton, however, took a deep breath and put his hands out onto the table as he meshed the fingers together. Clearing his throat, his eyes held a rage similar to that on the riverbank

"A common practice among the spies is to kill their families before they leave. There isn't a member of the crew or on Baker's who hasn't walked in on a mother over her children, their bodies mangled together as she tried to protect the little ones against their father.

No, we don't care how you treat them."

Eli nodded while I pressed myself closer to him, looking around and seeing the women who were looking down a little pale in the face.

"Excellent." The quad mage pronounced to the canteen. "But these concerns are behind us now. For the next few hours, I'm going to finish setting up the shops. In the meantime, workers and farmers will be coming by to explain their professions and you can decide which you will want. Sadly, I must announce that I have decided to restrict the men from working the ships, heating and water systems."

Thankfully, the nods from around the table included all the men. Then Eli turned to Beaton.

"I understand working together will be easier if you're there to mediate disputes and direct people in your group. The Kelton's I've brought in had a patriarch and I've let him keep that role to a certain degree, but at the end of the day, my word trumps all others. Do you have any objections?"

He shook his head as he leaned back.

"I'd like to think mother didn't raise too big of a fool. I'll keep an eye to make sure any arguments stay verbal, but, of course, you decide what to do and where."

Satisfied, Eli relaxed in his chair while Salamede pushed up his mask and fed him a forkful of fish. When I gave him his water, he looked me in the eyes for a moment before pulling up and stealing a kiss. The men nodded before turning to eat, but the women seemed intrigued. No doubt wondering what romance with a mage was like.

But work had to be done and our breakfast was eaten in short order. The three Orc matriarchs left the table and went to get food. I reluctantly pulled back and got up, leaving Eli enough time to kiss Salamede as well before turning towards our meal. It passed with some idle chatter, though most kept stealing glances at the man who headed our table.

It was a few more minutes before he had to leave with one last bow.

"Ah!" One of the small red-headed girls cried when her block of water became smaller and smaller before Eli made it dissolve into nothingness.

To the wave of disappointed moans, Eli raised both hands. Shooting bubbles all over the kids before running to the doors, he gave me and Salamede one final wave goodbye as he made his escape. When he was out the canteen, mothers started calling their brood from the mass of children, who promptly filtered through the tables in an excited tide of green flesh and rough cloth sacks.

Eventually, the first meal ended. Content to have a light workday, Salamede and I took it slow. We finished our food and left the tables as farmers in armor and a few workers with basic tools from the workshops began coming in. The plates and dishes were being washed in big tubs on the right side of the kitchen with bars of soap and cleaning rags.

As we handed off our dishes, the three Orc matriarchs stopped us just outside the door and Hursa motioned us towards the now deserted left-most table. We walked over the stone floor and sat down on the wood bench with Salamede on my left, Hursa on my right, and the other two sitting opposite of me.

"Well, he certainly presented a compelling argument." Hursa proclaimed to the group.

Everyone nodded, though Ugak quickly spoke in a rather sultry tone as her shoulder-length black hair whirled from a thrown back head.

"He did more than present his vision, he got into the good graces of all the women. Using magic just to make children giggle, what a scandalous thing. He should use his grand gift to forge nations and legends of glory."

I raised an eyebrow at that, while everyone else was decidedly neutral on the statement. The Orcs took a moment, looking around the large room and vaulted ceiling sprinkled with mana lamps.

"Why?" Salamede asked with a shrug that crinkled her green dress, "Does everything have to be about power? Can't we just be happy and enjoy the company of others?"

That got some guarded looks from those around the table.

"Miss," the older Orc interrupted with a lean forward and a tired expression exasperating the lines in her face. "Power is what keeps you alive. I think having such a force of nature as a husband has made you complacent about the necessity of taking every advantage you can."

Salamede puckered her lips as she straightened her back.

"He didn't seem like a force of nature when I tended to him from crippling pain brought about by casting magic. Perhaps you should give what he's offering you a chance before making any judgments."

They all nodded, but Ugak puckered her lips before turning to me.

"Perhaps. But we have another item to discuss. You said he took your virginity just a few days ago."

I nodded, making sure to meet her red eyes as the other two Orcs joined her. A huff on my right made me turn to Hursa.

"You've barely lost your maidenhood then. I'd be more inclined to say you've merely been pierced, but it's not your fault. You're still quite young and need to be instructed on how to properly drain a man. Making sure his legs wobble in the morning when he's been good with the kids or kept a promise is a skill every wife should have."

Looking around, I saw Salamede regarding me with a passive face and a nod, the same look of coming instruction she had when she taught some of the workers. Realizing I had lost my teammate to the enemy, I boldly leaned forward with a stuck-out chin.

"He didn't have any objections when he was on top of me, his face like a wild animal as he ravaged me with every thrust between my legs."

Their small head shakes were the most profoundly annoying head movements that had ever graced my eyes. It was Salamede who delivered the killing blow.

"You have much to learn, dear sister."

"No worries," The older Orc exclaimed, "We've discussed it with your mother, and she's given us her blessing to show you down this path. But don't worry, like all things, sex is a skill that improves with practice. So don't beat yourself up if it doesn't go perfectly the first time."

Crossing my arms over the table, I made sure to wear a smug face as they started. I had seen the man's very tip and felt it enter me, what difference would their words do to my sensibilities?

A lot, it turns out.

As I made my way out of the canteen with my face feeling like it was on fire, I couldn't bring myself to look at any of the men as I made my way to the communal room for Eli and us. It turns out my experience had only put images to their words, making them more real and my blood pump all the hotter for it. After dousing my head in the water of our shower, I returned to the workshop.

Eli was still putting in the added space in the workshop connected to the meeting room and sending workers to make way for another workshop directly connected to the forge. The day, as slow as it was to start, picked up and people got to work on one task or another. Even the brothers came around as I was instructing a few of the Orc women in the basics of swordsmanship and aiming these long wooden weapons Eli offhandedly called 'rifles'.

When they realized they weren't going to be hogtied by the green women, the two mages went about their usual work on the heating and helping with fire safety. At dinner, when everyone was gathering at the tables, a few of the younger women and kids still bothered them. Andrew in particular when his familiar was around. Between the kids playing with the fire ape and the noise of the canteen, the place was livelier than any time in memory.

The day coming to its close, we all eventually retired for the night as the sailor's families went about the various beds spread out across the hangar and a lucky few went to the available rooms in the living area next to the unfinished expansion. In our room, bathed in that golden glow under a mana lamp, I stretched my hands over Eli's bare chest while Salamede rubbed his now exposed chin and cheeks with her snout.

"So, what's the verdict?" He asked, looking at me with love clear in those purple eyes. Pushing the morning's advice from the women away, I cleared my throat and gave my honest opinion.

"Not as well as I had anticipated. Given… everything about our lives, I thought they'd jump at the chance to chuck this world overboard. Some of them, despite how hard things are for us, seemed to have latched on to some far-flung future. A future of us winning out over the humans.

It's a fever dream, in my opinion, but it gives them hope. Hope that goes against upending magic. Honestly, I don't think the Orcs as going to be as unshakeable a pillar as we thought."

Eli took it in like any other report, though the hand he rubbed down my white-laced spine was anything but professional.

"It is an incredible ability on a societal level," Salamede put in as she looked at me from over Eli's chest. "The humans have turned their every resource towards expanding magical talent. Being able to sling out mages at will is pretty amazing when you think about the mountains of gold the Coalition expends just to get a few casters."

She meant well and she wasn't the object of my rising tide of anger, so I forced down my scowl before it showed on my face and dug my head into Eli's side.

"It came from him," I said with a tremor of hate and despair.

A hand rubbed my shoulder, far softer than Eli's.

"We love you, Gula." Salamede offered in a soothing voice. Eli reaffirmed her position by pulling me closer.

Mentally chiding my weakness, I could only lay there as Salamede took my hand and held it over Eli's chest before Eli used a long pole of summoned stone to turn off the mana lamp. Feeling the warmth of those I loved and the bonds of marriage in my soul, the room freshly plunged into darkness felt lovelier than any palace I had dreamed of as a little girl. A thought that preoccupied me as I drifted off to sleep.