Chapter 85
PART 14
The next day Karzog trained troops, Helemia trained lieutenants, and Reggie and Valentia trained the
fourteen Senior Sylvan, after naming them colonels in a quick ceremony.
Only a weekter they promoted Dolimatbene to General, and the new Sylvan force took part in their
first co-operative military exercise with the Homesteaders, facing a force of demons simted by
Quewanak, Ria, Equemev, and Povon. Equemev and Povon had been recruited because even
Quewanak and Ria needed help simting enough enemies for almost twenty-one thousand fighters.
Having proved themselves and their Sylvan force in battle with a convincing and very aggressive
performance, General Dolimatbene and the colonels were directed to report to Commander Yazadril for
further training, and the four young governors relinquished theirmand and their posts.
This freed them to throw themselves into their other projects, including assisting Hilsith’s research.
Twenty-one dayster Hilsith’s research group, which included most of the best magic-users in
Homestead, seeded in giving wizardry to a human whopletelycked the ability. This was the
first time it had ever been aplished. Mark’s grandmother Sana was the first, and a moment after
the great Linking of wizards was finished with the operation, Mark taught her Movement by setting the
spell in her mind. She lifted the pendant she’d chosen for her first act of magic a moment after that, and
everyone cheered their aplishment for the great victory that it was.
Over the next two days she was thoroughly Healed, which reduced her apparent age to about twenty-
three years. A monthter she was learning new spells rapidly, she had exhibited no side effects, and
Hilsith’s testing revealed that she was no longer aging.
This prompted another celebration, and that night Valentia redesigned the spells. The next morning
Markhan the Senior started receiving the improved treatments. He was a wizard by lunchtime, and had
regained his youth by suppertime.
By the time thest human in the vige had been made a wizard, the senior wizards who were casting
the spells were so proficient at it that any six of them could do it. Mark, Talia, and Alilia could do it with
just the three of them, as could Hilsith, Yazadril, and Nemia. Reggie and Helemia could do it as a pair.
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Only Valentia could do it by herself.
At that point Hilsith threw herself into the elven fertility problem with Yzell, while Mark, Talia, Alilia, and
their children found themselves in the position of test subjects in that project.
Yazadril started a team that used the techniques they’d developed to make wizards of humans to
improve the power of the weakest elves.
Reggie, Helemia, Valentia, and Karzog continued to contribute to both of those projects, but they began
putting much of their effort into the void warfare project with Kragorram and Povon.
Over time, the Homesteaders and the Sylvan mixed more and more. They all fought simted demons
together, some of the senior Sylvan began making contributions to the research projects, and a few of
the younger adult Homesteaders took to training, fighting, partying, and living with the toons of the
Sylvan. Trade was established as they learned what goods and services both groups had to offer. The
most popr trade was Sylvan mead for specialized magic instruction.
With seven months to go before the scheduled call to the gods, at a gathering of everyone held on the
Sylvan beach after six strenuous hours of battling simted demons, Reen augmented his voice,
called for attention, and made an announcement that surprised almost everyone.
“There’s a new tradition in The Just Alliance; that you can marry whoever you want. You can marry
outside your race, as Mark and Talia and others here have done. And if you can attract more than one
spouse and keep them happy, you can marry as many as you want to. So it’s fine that Yazadril is
practically married to both Nemia and Hilsith, and Mark is practically married to both Talia and Alilia.
“In the keeping of this new tradition, my wife Nek Sibook and I would like to announce that in fifteen
days, in the Homestead Gathering Hall, we will be married to Pn and Mika Longstrider!”
As everyone gasped, cheered,ughed, or eximed, those two worthy young men stood with Nek,
and the three of them moved to stand behind Reen.
Pn and Mika were brothers, and were Mark’s grandfather’s younger brother’s sons, but they tended
to spend most of their time at the pub as either assistants or customers, so Mark and his immediate
family didn’t know them very well. Like all the Longstrider men except Mark, they were about two
hundred and thirty centimeters tall, with muscr builds and brown hair, in their case lightened to light
brown by the sun. They grinned as they hugged their new fiancés, whom they towered over.
“While Mark and Yazadril have two wives each, Nek will have three husbands.” Reen continued. “Now
some may wonder why I’d let my wife marry two more husbands, but the truth is that Nek is our shining
star. Her abilities and character are so incredible that in a few years, I intend to make her ruling
Empress of the Human Empire of Sming. I still can’t believe she settled for me when she married me,
and Pn and Mika both know that she’s better than what they deserve as well. But she loves them
anyway, and she loves me, and they love her, and the two of them and I have grown to love each other
like brothers. Nek gets three husbands because that’s what she wants, and she deserves it, just for
making us as happy as she does.
“And besides all that, she’s sexually insatiable, and no one man could keep her satisfied! Oww!”
Thatst was in response to the short punch she gave to his shoulder, but then she was hugging him
and grinning as the four embraced, and everyone gave them augh and a cheer.
The party that night was a particrly good one, and the one after their wedding fifteen nightster was
just as fine.
Just more than a month after Nek’s second wedding, while Mark was putting away his dishes after
breakfast, he noticed something in his yard.
“Hey, there’s a big dead deer on thewn.” he remarked, but it vanished as he finished speaking.
“That’s mine!” Helemia snapped, seeming more than a little defensive. “I’ll finish dealing with it after
breakfast.” she added in a calmer tone, aware of how strident she had seemed.
“Why would you leave a dead deer on thewn? And when?” Alilia asked in a puzzled tone.
“What’s the difference?!” Helemia yelled. “It’s mine and I’ll deal with it!”
With that she disappeared in a sudden Translocation.
Her family were stunned with surprise for a moment, then Talia asked Reggie; “Is she all right?”
“She’s fine.” he nodded reassuringly. “Really, don’t worry about it, it’s not a problem.”
He obviously wasn’t going to say any more about it, and they didn’t want to check on Helemia in case
she felt they were prying, so they had to take his word for it.
In a cave on the south-east coast of Hiliani, Helemia spent a few long moments calming herself,
preparing herself, and staring at her dead deer. Then she spoke.
“Karzog?”
The young ck dragon appeared in the cave with her, looking a bit flustered.
“Thank you for the gift, Karzog.” she told him in a friendly tone with a warm smile.
“Ah, you’re wee.” he stammered. “I’m not sure why I did it. I had a dreamst night where I hunted
for you and brought you prey, and it felt so nice that I woke up and did it. I’m, ah, I’m a bit confused
about it, really. I know I should have had it butchered and wrapped for you, since you’re a humanoid,
but that just didn’t seem right.”
“I’m honored and grateful, and I ept your gift most humbly, just as it is.” she smiled, and his broad
smile beamed toothily in response.
“Does it feel as nice as it did in your dream?” she asked.
His smile became a grin. “Yes. Yes it does.”
“Good. I’ll tell you what.” she said as she Summoned a short sword and some spices. “Tear off a
haunch for me and I’ll skin and prepare it, then you can roast it for me. Then we can eat together, and
go flying.”
“Sure!” Karzog enthused as he tore off the left rear leg and thigh. “I think I’d really like that.”