《Tex of Arkana - The Silver War of the Kingdom of Ir》


 Chapter One - Awaken

    Somewhere in the east of Finton''s Field on the night of the second moon*


    Finton''s Field is where the battle between the two Dukes are trying to grab territory and power from each other, within the Kingdom of Ir. The Kingdom of Ir is made up of ten duchies, and all are brothers of the King of Ir, which is about as large as North and South Dakota and looks a lot like the Dakota landscape there. The dukes are fighting over a piece of land that is about the size of a small county. The reason they are fighting is silver, which was discovered within the Barony of Kora. Which, in turn, is a part of the Duchy of Gosha that border on the Duchy of Norda. Each of the two Duchies borders the Frontier. The Frontier has not been explored much. Nor has the frontier ever been conquered by any kingdom or empire in a thousand years since the Fall of the Great Empire of Dar Kurn. Both sides are using their Barons as a proxy war using their knights disguised as mercenaries to keep the King from knowing what is going on. Like all battles over greed, information gets out. In this case, the King of Ir is not doing anything, in the hope that both brothers weaken themselves to keep them busy from plotting against him. Thus the start of the Silver war began.


    Barony of Kora uses Blue in their clothes or a piece of cloth tied around their right arm, while the Barony of Dosu uses yellow cloth.


    ***********


    Eugene Gregory Jones woke up to a massive headache while propped up against a pile of logs. Considering that it was night time, but the area seems to lite up as if it was an evening twilight. Raising a hand to his forehead and feeling around, he felt something sticky in his mangy mess of hair that seems to go past his right ear. Still being groggy when he snaps out of the daze he was in when he felt his slightly pointed ear using the other hand, he felt his left ear, and it too was somewhat pointy. Still feeling that his hand wet and sticky, he realizes that he has a head wound that has already stopped bleeding. Wiping his hand on his course pants.


    "What the hell," muttering to himself. The feeling of the pants was like wool. The feeling was familiar to him because of his grandmother. One summer, when he was a kid taught him to crochet and knit and weave a blanket which made long days in military camp less boring. While being a scout in the army with knitting needles may seem embarrassing, of course, the ones that were laughing and teasing him in the beginning, learning how to knit themselves. Thinking about some of the barbecues parties ended up becoming knitting circles that his grandmother told him about, grinning for a moment when his stomach growls.


    "Ssh! you hear that?" came a loud, whispering voice off to the right somewhere in the darkness.


    "Shut your mouth, Jared! We need to get these dead soldiers stripped of their armor and weapons before the sunrises before those two Baron''s armies return to bury their dead. We can make a lot of silver off this battle that can keep us in women and ale for a few years!"If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "Pa! This one ain''t dead!" Another voice to his left ring out.


    Eugene heard the father give a deep sign, which seems to sound like it was off to Jared''s right. "I swear, John! You must have gotten your mama''s smart. Use your damn knife and kill him like you did the pig we slaughter last month that we stole from Odell''s place. Then strip him of his armor, weapons, and coins so we can get the hell out of here!"


    About that time, the moon to Eugene back moves out of the clouds and lighting up the battleground around him like it was daylight. From where he lay, he can see the man to his left slash his knife across an unconscious man''s throat, causing blood to cover John from head to foot in blood. Hearing Jared laughing so hard from John''s cursing that John''s brother fell on his butt, laughing while John just stomped his feet and started cursing at his brother who was laughing.


    "Quiet, you fools you want to get us killed!" Both brothers stopped what they were doing with their heads hanging down, muttering. "sorry, pa."


    "Get back to work!"


    While this was going on Eugene, found a nick dagger on the ground after picking it up he began to stare at it in the moonlight. The night brighten up some more from another light source overhead showing that the dagger was made of bronze. With a puzzled look, he looks up to see a small half-moon. Turning his head slowly, he became stunned upon seeing another moon that was a quarter full, and it was slightly larger than Earth''s moon behind him to the west. The two moons made him freeze in panic. It took Eugene a few minutes of getting his bearing and looking at his own body under the moonlight only to realize that he was a lot smaller than his six-foot frame. Eyes were going wide as he felt his baby-smooth face and the missing beard he had worn for at least the last ten years while driving a cattle truck. Glancing around and seeing bodies everywhere, most of them were wearing clothes like him except for a piece of cloth tied around their right bicep, noticing that there seem to be two different colors. The one on his arm was blue, and the other look yellow. Hearing someone muttering as they move his way, Eugene lay back down with the dagger press against his side. He can see the other two robbers were off in the distance carrying stuff toward the woods, that was about two maybe three hundred yards away. He was guessing that their wagon was hiding the woods itself. As he focuses on them, his eyesight zoom in on the two men. As if he was looking through a scope, everything was bigger and more focus as the area around the edge of his eyesight was blurry. Once again, he is in a panic as his breathing got heavy. The zoom effect stop and everything around him came back to normal only that looking up and seeing millions of stars lighting up the landscape, and the moons were like small suns. He realizes that he can see at night if there is any light, no matter how small. The Thought shock and surprise him and at the same time thrills him to the bones, having this type of skill can give a scout an edge if only he had it on Earth. The one called John stumbles to stop next to him blinded at night, even with the moon out. Whereas Eugene can see everything as if it was daylight thinking maybe the man standing over him has some night blindness.


    "Better get this done, Hilda should have breakfast for us by the time we get home. Maybe little sis will entertain me so I can sleep better." Grinning as he looks up at the moon above him. The smell that was coming from him seems to overpower the smell of the battlefield around them. Preparing the dagger, Eugene watches John bend over and grab him by the shirt to pull him up as if to move him off the pile of dead.


    "Just a little poor little shit not worth my time..."

 Chapter Two - Night Time Visitors

    Eugene''s hand suddenly clamp over John''s mouth as a dagger enters his left side up under the ribs cage and into his heart while being drag back down with Eugene onto the pile of bodies all the while making very little noise. He waited a few more minutes to see if anyone heard anything or if there was anyone nearby. He then rolls John''s body over onto his back and pats him down, finding a dagger and a money pouch and deciding to check the pouch later he tucks it in between the rope belt that Eugene has on to hold his pants up.


    Eugene then pulls off a poorly made dagger sheath that goes around the leg calf. Strapping the scabbard onto his right calf, it took a few minutes to get it on. After it felt like forever trying to undo a knot in the leather string before he was able to put the dagger in and make sure it will stay in place. Eugene checks the shoes on the body, only seeing that it was the same type of boiled leather that was wrapped around like the one on his foot with a cloth. Seeing several other pieces of leather armor on the body, an arm-guard, one shin-guard, and a belt, all poorly made and worn with a lot of use. But leather is leather strapping them one at a time and thinking that at the moment he needs to take care of the other two and to get the hell out of here. An intense pain flooded his head as memories, images, and intense emotions flash through his mind causing him to almost blackout. The strongest memories were of his father and uncles'' death by men on horseback charging toward them. Watching as their sharpen spears splintering as the horses'' barrel into them flinging them like rag dolls. Turning in the direction where they last stood, the intense feeling of taking them home flooded through his heart. With tears flowing down his face as he realizes that the body he inhabits lost some of his family here. The knowledge of his home was only thirty miles to the east. He shivers as the wind picks up from the cold autumn air. The thought that he has a family shock him. Have an aunt who was raising him and his younger sister. What more there was another aunt and two nieces who live nearby. The thoughts of having a family nearly overwhelm him. After his two grandfathers pass away some twenty years ago on Earth, he has been alone for most of his life.


    The memory of a small spring about a mile to the east of here came to mind. It was surrounded by a sizable thorny thicket making it an excellent place to hide and maybe keep the wagon there safe until the troops leave the area. The name of Joseph of Farwell flood his memory, Commoner don''t have last names usually name after their job or place they live. The small village must be Farwell. Memories of several families living around a deep well that was dug out a few years ago pop into his head. The land is rocky like that of the Ozarks mountains region of Southern Missouri and Northern Arkansas. Several villages in this area are barely scraping by and paying the Baron''s high taxes. He remembers that there were many nights of going hungry just so his aunt and younger sister can eat.


    Several of his neighbors were hauled off to the silver mines a few months ago for not being able to pay the raise taxes. If not for the trapping this boy had done, they all would have been carted off too. Still didn''t stop the barons from conscripting all able boys and men for this war. From the previous owner''s memories of three of the young girls whose family was carted off to the mines are being used by the knights as prostitutes. Sarah. Leela and Fran were all at marriage age but never got picked by anyone in the last two years because of their looks and sturdy built. It would not be long before they would have been sold off as servants to the Barons or other rich lords. Thinking back to the reason why he was not married was his elf-like ears. Remember that his mother was aunt''s sister that was raped by a man seventeen years earlier. The local families did not want their children married to a bastard sired by a rapist. At this moment, he thanks his boy''s father for his eyesight and the fact he was not married.


    ¡°Joseph sounds much better than Eugene. Please to meet you,¡± muttering to himself as the moons were once more swallow by the clouds dropping his vision to that of twilight. He glances up at the stars that seem to shine as bright as a full moon that shine through the cloudy sky. Worry about the next morning and being out in the sunlight with his night vision the way it is. It took a few minutes of weaving through his memories that he can remember that his eyes adjust to the light unless it is sudden and blinding. So Eugene realizes he was going to have to be careful while looking at lights and campfire, so not to be temporarily blind him, ¡°or sunrises and sunsets,¡± he mutters to himself. He was thinking about how Joseph was able to keep from being blind. He realizes that Joseph never really thought it was strange seeing in the dark better than everyone around him. Yet the sunlight did not bother Joeseph because he was able to see in both environments with no problem. The fact he can zoom in on things or people he kept most of that a secret to prevent others from making fun of him or bully him. There were quite a few of the young men and some adults that were rude or downright hateful to him. A few of them beat by some of the kids in the villages over the years. It was worst during the harvest festival.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°You did not have a good life, even some of your own family maltreated you, yet they did care about you. Things will change.¡± muttering to himself.


    ¡°Gods damn it! It would have to go pitch black just as I get up to you, John¡±. Eugene heard Jared''s voice directly behind him, turning around and grabs Jared as he walks up from behind, plunging the dagger up under his chin into his brain, killing him instantly. I gently laid him down upon the ground, listening intently, waiting to see if anyone else was around. ''Stupid! Stupid! Acting like a recruit and daydreaming is going to get me killed'' chiding himself. Patting down the body and finding two hatchets, smiling to himself as he felt their weight and balance. Growing up with two grandfathers, one of which was his real grandfather, but the other was his adopted grandfather. Well, he was his grandfather''s war buddy from world war two and my uncle.


    Joseph''s grandfather and his best friend saved each other during that war and made it out. Both of them married sisters that only made their bond stronger. In truth, he was his uncle, but it was more respect calling him grandfather. His adopted grandfather was a full-blooded Cherokee Indian. That taught him how to trap and hunt. Although he did not have a drop of native blood in him, his adopted grandfather did not care and taught him how to survive in the wilds. That later help him to become a better scout in the army. Just like both of his grandfathers that were in northern Africa and Italy campaign during the war as scouts. Thinking of wars, the memories of the Joseph came forward about the two weeks of training on how to use the sharpen sapling as long spears to stop men on horse. Guessing from his history books, it seems that the world he is in is like the Greeks and early Roman. Bronze weapons seem to be the common material used in this world, with the stone being used if there is no bronze. He read a lot of history about ancient wars in the textbooks that a buddy of his was using to pass a test in one of his classes he was doing online. He was surprised at how much tactics and past events were still useful in future wars. He began to use that knowledge and his grandfathers'' knowledge of guerrilla warfare, which help him make it to Master Sergeant before he left the scouts and the army behind.


    All he wanted to do is to work his ranch in Montana and forget the world. If not for the fact he was ambushed by the Grayson brothers and some cousin of their upon the highway, he would have been busy hauling the ten head of cattle and Bubba the bull he bought, back to his ranch. Remembering seeing a car broke down on the side of a county road, and a woman flagged him down. He stops to offer her some help only to be attacked by all three of the Grayson boys. Garth, Terry, and Barry. The girl must have been a cousin that was sweet on Garth. After Fighting Terry and Barry, one with a tire iron and the other with a wooden baseball bat. He remembers that he was able to disarm both of them when they both pull out their knives. Words of both of my grandfather went through my head at that time. ''If they start it, you end it, but if they pull a knife on you and try to kill you, then you kill them first. A dead enemy can not stab you in the back''. Rememberingplunging a knife into Barry''s gut after killing Terry. He then heard a woman screaming, and a gun goes off, making him stagger. Realizing he been shot he pulls the knife out of Barry and flung it at Garth as he fires again, Eugene saw the knife blade enter Garth''s chest as darkness descended.


    Eugene faintly remembers that just before it went black, he saw a coyote walking up to him and sitting down. Eugene shook his head and sign deeply before realizing that while he was reminiscing, there is still one more robber out there. Right now is not the time to worry about his death. Now he is more worry about Joseph''s family. The boy''s sister was only thirteen years old and becoming a beauty. Her father was worried the local Baron would use this war between the two dukes to grab his daughter and his nieces. Looking around and not seeing anyone around him except for some lights to the west, at least he thinks it the west considering the moon over there was lower in the horizon than it was before. And the eastern sky had a faint tint to it, harking the sunrise in an hour or more. The lights to the west look like a camp, maybe one of the armies. After thirty minutes, he found his father and two uncles'' bodies. It took him thirty minutes to carry them to the woods. Just as he lay the last uncle''s bodies next to his father that he heard movement coming toward him in the woods. The night was lighting up with the coming sunrise, and he figures that the two men he killed father were coming to check on his boys. Pulling out the two hatchets, he crouched near a tree and waited.

 Chapter Three - Encounter in the Grove

    The grove of trees looks relatively young, and it seems like it was harvest about twenty years ago. The grove itself was about a hundred to two hundred acres of birch and maple tree. The birch trees are fast-growing and easy to harvest. They can be used in various forms to healing salves, and sedatives. Even casts for broken bones and the maples trees will make a good harvest of syrup in the future. Someone did some planning on their crops. The grove is surrounded by fields and a road to it south. Each of the fields has a small wall of fieldstones to mark the boundary of the field. While waiting for the grave robber to make his appearance, Eugene dwells on his newly acquired memories. The battle earlier today was about two thousand people total mostly serfs like him. All the serfs were given a short training on the use of the sharpened wooden spears. About a hundred light cavalry and a few dozen men on both sides with short bows with a few longbowmen thrown in. One of the few armors, if any, that were used in the battle was draped over Jared''s dead shoulder. It was a brigandine, which is basically a breastplate made of two pieces of leather sew or riveted together with bronze plate place between the leathers to keep the plates from moving around. Depending on the quality workmanship, which in this case, it was sub-par quality. A little heavy, but it beat no armor.


    ¡°Once I finally get settled in, I will make my own. I am not ready to get in the middle of a fight between the two dukes that only want to grab land and more power at the slaughter of their people.¡± Muttering to himself, remembering how all the male in Joseph''s family and other members in the village were dragged away to become cannon fodder for the enemy knights to slaughter. In a war for silver, that will only make the barons richer, and the poor suffer more. If he had two hundred to four hundred crossbows, their cavalry and troops could have been stopped. Eugene thought of the carnage that would happen with the introduction of gunpowder.


    ¡°Is not going to happen,¡± Eugene mutters to himself. Roman-era to early middle ages is okay on weaponry, crossbows are doable, but gunpowder made changes to the world to the worst in his opinion. It is not something Eugene is ready to live with. The pointing ears make him worry, thinking of Tolkien series of books he had read when he was younger of elves and dwarves. It bothers him about other things like the possibilities of magic and dragons. From what little he can glean from his memories there is dwarven iron, weapons made from them are rare and sought after. There is magic in the world, but rare and hard to use. Goblins, orcs, and trolls are whisper about in the night to scare children, but even the adults seem to be frightened by the stories.


    The sound of a thump and some cursing not more than fifteen feet away brought Eugene out of his thoughts. Carefully gripping the hatchets in his hands as he watches as the middle age man smack into another low branch, nearly knocking him to the ground. Using the distraction, he slips closer to the man on the ground.


    ¡°I''m going to skin those two bastards alive for delaying me this long! If we get caught on the road before we reach our home, we are all dead!¡± The man grumbled as Eugene stare at the overweight man as the man slowly walks within the grove, peering around nervously.


    ¡°Boys! Are you there? Don''t make this old man have to beat you for trying to play tricks on me!¡± he stomp and hiss aloud.


    While he was staring at the man, it may have kicked in the man''s six senses. Because he seems to sense someone here, Eugene lay one of the hatchets on the ground and picking up a nut. Giving it a toss over the man''s head and hearing it bounce on the ground and roll through the fallen autumn leaves. The man jumps around, holding a sword while peering into the darkness.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°Come any closer! I will kill you! So stay back!¡± in a nervous yell.


    Picking up the hatchet and raising it above his head for a throw, Eugene hesitated only for a second as he remembers the man''s orders to his sons to kill the wounded soldier. He let fly the ax, hearing it thunk into flesh as the man fell. Waiting a few moments, he moved up to the body and started striping several daggers and a sword. A couple of better leather wrist guards and two more shin guards were retrieved from the body. Sadly no shoes or boots, only sandals, which is something he never wants to wear. The one dagger felt different than the rest a lot slimmer, and the texture feels different than the bronze dagger like it been shaped and not pour into a mold. The armor was light leather over the padded armor that didn''t protect him from the hatchet. Although the bronze skull cap may come in handy if not as protection, maybe a bowl. Two small bags were found on the body. One bag had a hefty bit of coins, and the others feel like a bunch of stones like crystals or gems. Not sure if they are gems, he only felt crystals a few times in stores that were selling them.


    It was not hard to find the two-wheel Ox cart with the two mules that were attached to it.


    The morning sky was getting brighter. Looking over the cart for about thirty minutes, finding lots of wool blankets, he spots several short bows and one longbow. There were four large barrels of arrows and a few dozen bronze short swords, daggers, and a few different pieces of leather armor. He was able to load his father and two uncles'' bodies onto the cart and load up the rest of the stolen thing that the two brothers gather from the dead. As the sun rose, he checks over the mules for brands, not finding any. Another fifteen minutes of looking around the cart. He saw a wainwright brand burnt into the bottom of the cart it seems like it was branded about a decade or two at the Town of Dalt about one hundred miles to the south of here. Eugene sign with relieves that there was no crest to identify that it belongs to a baron or duke. He cleans up his tracks and lay some false trail. He makes it look like a cold camp using the cart as a place to sleep. He headed out after eating some hard biscuits and moldy cheese he found in the cart. Two hours after sunrise and he headed to the road running east and west and pulled on to it and went east toward the sun. After a mile down the road, he spotted a sizable thorny thicket off to his right several hundred feet to the south of the dirt track that supposes to be the road. Finding an old trail leading into the thicket, he jumps off and cleans up and cover his tracks as best as he could. If anyone were looking and an excellent tracker, they would quickly find his tracks considering the cart was loaded with bodies and items from the battle nearby. It took an hour to carefully move the thorny bushes and vines out of the way. Moving a few small fallen trees and leading the cart farther into the thicket. He finally arrives at a small open area with a broken foundation for a house and a small stone spring house that was about ten square feet with a missing roof. Looking into the spring house, show a pool of clear water tricking out the doorway and into the grassy, muddy grounds to the south side of the spring house and into the thicket itself.


    Getting a drink of cold refreshing water. Eugene surveys the area after a while, then moved the cart to the west side of the small space and unhook the mules, leading them over to a small puddle of water just below the spring house. Staking both mules where they can feed on the green grass and drink from the water that trickling into the pool of water. Eugene went back to cover up the tracks and then started covering up the cart with the brush. The thorn on the thicket is about six inches long and hollow. Cutting off a few thorns, he wrapped them up and put them away. Hearing some horses, he drops flat near the entrance into the thicket hiding in the brush.

 Chapter Four - The Waiting

    Tex never did like his first name Eugene, nor did he feel like a Joseph, which is this body name that he inhabits. Eugene was born and raised in Missouri to two wonderful parents Arthur and Edith Jones that died when he was in his early teens. He had family ties in both Oklahoma and Kansas. Yet his heart was always in Montana, Wyoming, and Utah area. It was his buddies in the army that started to call him Tex after he got his Stenton hat for becoming a scout in the Army. Yes, even in this age of planes and tanks, there are still Scouts in the army. He always loves the wild west stories he read about and was told by his grandfathers, and the stories passed down to them.


    When he was little, he uses to spend weekends and holidays with both grandfathers. It felt like being in heaven during his summer vacations learning to hunt, trapping, ride horses, leatherworking, and roping cows. It was after high school that he went to college, but after one year, he quit to work at a ranch in Texas, where he fell in love with ranching. A year later, his grandfather that raise him, was in the hospital dying from cancer. It was then that he promises to join the army to become a scout just like his two grandfathers. It was while he was in a jungle of Central America searching for drug lords. He found out that his adopted grandfather past away, ten years from the day that his first grandfather had died. He was able to come back and attend his grandfather''s funeral. It was there that he saw a coyote sitting by his grandfather''s open casket that no one else saw. He ended up seeing that coyote many times in the next fifteen years while in the army. It was not the only time the coyote appears to him in the past. Each time the coyote appears, it was when something big happens or when family or friends died, or danger was nearby. The coyote saves his life many times in his career as a Scout, and later, as a ranch hand. It was when he died that the coyote did not appear until the moment of his death. The coyote was not there to warn him but guide him to this place. After Tex arrives in this world and seeing the violent and the darkness in the human heart, it did not surprise Tex in the least. The stories of the ancients times that show humanity at its very worse. Life meant very little to those that are stronger. The weak always were the ones that suffered.


    The sound of horses brought Tex out of his thoughts. It was at this time that he notices two coyotes sitting nearby one watching towards the road as he lay in the tall grass the other to the west. Peering up the pathway toward the road, he zoomed in on Baron Rathe''s fourth son. Roger Theodore Rathe, a prick if there ever was one, the boy is at least as worse or more so than his older brothers. Because of the fact he learns that no matter what he does, he can either blame it on others or plead with his mother to get out of it. Baron Rathe has one wife and a dozen concubines and between twenty to thirty children. He would have more, but deaths in the Baron''s family frequently happen with his women and children.


    The young Lord Rathe was riding a small size horse reminding Tex of the Mongolian horses in Asia. Zooming his eyesight on the saddle, he is surprised that there were no stirrups and two horns instead of the one on the saddle that he was accustomed to. The young man looks to be about fourteen to fifteen years of age. Wearing boil leather with bronze plates riveted onto the outside of the leather and polish so much that it reflects the sunlight. Upon his head is a bronze helmet with a blue feather on top. Not sure how the enemy could not have spotted him by now. Tex turns his attention to the twenty men with detail carving on their leather armor from head to toe that surround the Baron''s son. Each piece of leather armor was carved in detail of flying eagles. Each of the men was on horseback, and all of them holding bronze tip spears, checking their surroundings for danger. These men have the look of battle harden soldiers most likely assign by the boy father to guard him. One of the men stiffened and pointed to the west about the same time as one of the coyotes growled a warning as it looks westward. Panic ensued for a moment until the men turned eastward and fled with the baron''s son. Not more than five minutes later, forty or more men on horses appear riding up fast and coming to a stop as they watch the Baron''s son and his men pass over the distance rise. The group of men stops in the same area for a moment stirring up the ground with their horses and cursing as they stare to the east. It was the yellow flag with a bear standing fluttering in the breeze that caught his attention, Baron Scoon, is baron that was invading this barony. Looking at the officer and not recognizing the man at all. This is of no surprise to Tex considering Joseph only explored the land up to here and to the north of his village in his lifetime. Most villagers never travel more than a few thousand feet from their homes. Two men broke off from the group and headed east as the rest of the men turn and headed west toward the battlefield and the camp just beyond. It might be a good idea to see if any of the villagers were captured when he looks for the women tonight. Glancing up at the sun and seeing that it was about mid-morning, he decided to take a nap and move out after sunset.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    It was sometime early afternoon, when he awoke, wide eye and definitely not bushy tail but was hungry. After drinking more water and ate another biscuit, he washes out two waterskins he found in the cart and fills both of them up. Staking the mules to another spot where they can drink and eat. He went to the cart and cleaned up his father and uncles'' bodies before wrapping them up in blankets and spent the next few hours using a short sword to dig three shallow graves and bury his father and two uncles. It took another two hours to pile rocks on top of the three graves, which were to the far side of the area so as not to contaminate the springs. He figures he could come back in a year or so and move the bones to the family plot if they so wish it. Saying a prayer over the graves, not knowing who to ask to watch over them, he calls upon his grandfather stories of the great spirit. He asks for it to guide them peacefully on to their next life.


    Sitting down tiredly, he pulls out the two daggers, one bronze and the other one of iron to look them over. The craftsmanship of the iron dagger was excellent. The blades were dull, yet it would not take much to sharpen them. Some oiling and polishing would clean them back to almost new. The iron blade was slim and about twelve inches in length. However, the handles on both would need to be redone sometime in the future, and it would not be too hard to do. Carving a new handle and wrapping it with leather would take more than a few hours. The handle on it now was falling apart, but for killing someone, it still can do that.


    Digging through the cart, he found a whetstone. After walking around the area, checking to see if anyone or thing was nearby, he proceeded to sit down and sharpen both blades. The cold hard biscuit and moldy cheese went down hard and tasteless. After taking care of business using the latrine. A hole that he dug and covered it up after he was done. It seems the food was as hard going in as it was going out. At this time, toilet paper would seem like a gift from the gods. Seein has an hour or so before sunset. Tex crawls up to a path toward the road to get a better lay of the land. Thirty minutes of crawling, he found a spot to check out east and west of the road.


    The thoughts of several of the women from his village being used as camp whores against their will. It made it hard to fall asleep, upon waking, he decided he was going to find and rescue them. This world may condone slavery, but he doesn¡¯t have that mindset. He knows he can¡¯t save everyone, but Tex can help those that he can do something about. He feels that he owe Joseph for using his body. The more he got to know Joseph, the more he realized he was a kind soul, always treating everyone as a friend without doubting their character. He is still giving them a chance to change. He became bullied because of his kind nature. His Adopted parents were either they are not perceptive to this, or they did not care. The memories of his adopted father are mix with kindness and bitterness. His adopted mother shows no care other than acknowledging him as her sister''s child. They may not be kind to him, but they are Joseph''s family, and he will treat them as a family until they try to kill him, then the gloves are off. Everyone else beware he will not be bullied.


    Finally, making his way out of the thicket at sunset, he notices someone that Joseph knew from his village. The man by the name of Holden shows up with his brother Jack about six months ago. Both brothers were not married and didn¡¯t seem to be interested in any of the women in the village. Both brothers were in their early twenty and tended to bully the younger villagers when the elders were not looking. He believes one or both of them had destroyed several of his traps and snares. The only reason Joseph figure it was the two brothers was destroying his traps was because he spotted them walking the woods near where he place traps and snares. They were writing something on a tanned leather a few months back using charcoal, and both had foxes and weasels hanging on their hips.

 Chapter Five - Encounter on the Road

    Holden was burying something by the road. After he was done, he got up and drag his left foot across the road, leaving a line across the dirt tracks. after that, he then tied a yellow cloth on a branch of a shrub that could be easily spotted from the road. Then he walks east for a bit before going north off the road. Waiting until the sunset, Tex made his way to the spot where Holden buries something. After finding the right place, he dug up a small piece of soft leather that had a drawing of a crude map of the area using charcoal. Showing the battlefield nearby, fifteen farms around the area, showing several wells and a symbol that looks like food, the possibility of food supplies for an army.


    The language was strange, looking like writing he saw on stone tablets at a museum, it had the word sand in it or something to that effect to describe the language. After a few moments, the words he was looking for was Sanskrit. After looking at the words and what looks like numbers at first not understanding them, the words and meaning flow into his mind and impose itself until he can understand it. Tex still can write and speak English while understanding Farlin, which is the language of trading. Joseph had some learning in writing the language and some math skills but not much, only just enough for him to get by when dealing with merchants selling his furs. What more he knows a few words that he can understand in the elven language that he learn from an old trader in Jandel, a town to the northeast in another duchy. There are thirty-six languages spoken in the Kingdom of Ir and five nonhuman languages. Two dwarven languages using runes to write. The elven language is considered too beautiful to speak and read, which only the rich and powerful know-how. Even then, only a few of them would be able to speak, let alone can read. The goblins tongue is known by orcs, and goblins mostly gruntle sound and no written language.


    The map shows his baron''s military camp, which is ten miles to the east with nine hundred serfs, thirty knights, and eighteen archers wrote on it. Also marked on the map are trails leading to small villages to the north that was a silver mine, and it is seventeen miles from here. Looking it over, he can see that the three duchies in this area all border by the swamp with it in the center. Beyond that is the frontier that has not been map due to bandits, monsters, and strange occurrences. Still, the large swamp is several hundreds of square miles of swampland that get flood by the Blood river that goes along the border of the Duchy of Troth. The river is always muddy with a deep red look to it. Large catfish and suckers have been known to be pulled out of the Blood river that flows out of the Drake Stone Mountains that is inhabited by dwarves and drakes. Drakes are a land dragon that can be twice as long as a crocodile on longer legs and tail that roam the mountains and the land beyond. Out of the three duchies, Troth is the most stable with its river commerce, sea access, and trade with the dwarves. It is envy by all of the brothers, yet its defenses are the strongest. It also has three twelve largest cities in the Kingdom of Ir.


    Realizing the two men are spies, he folded up the map and went back to the road and took the cloth down from the bush. He heard whispers farther east on the road. Ducking into the weeds as the light of the first moon reveals four men on the road, two of them being the spies. The other two are from his village that Joseph grew up with. Harry was like just like Joseph, a trapper standing about five feet ten inches tall with sandy hair that grew to his shoulders. He was twice the size as Tex, and none of it was fat. Harry does have three one inch long scars on his right cheek from a Coon like creature that leaps out of a tree and claw his face. He was able to kill the beast, and his family ate the meat, and they sold the fur. Harry is the only son in their family. And his younger sister is only ten and currently hiding with his family at an abandoned farm five miles outside of the village. Harry would come across each him in the woods and point out what he saw to Tex in his travel, even resetting traps and snares that got triggered to help out the other when they can. Harry''s father was severely injured a decade ago from a boar and could not walk far without a cane. It did not stop him from teaching his skills to his son and Joseph. If not for both of him and Harry, the village would have starved by now. The other man was a farmer''s son, and they planted food near the stream. They were usually the earliest ones to harvest crops even in dry weather, but the downside they lost a lot of grain to rabbits, mice, and deer. Last few years they have been racking their brains on how to irrigate the farm fields. The spring and its water run below the field. The Spring is about a tenth of a mile from the field. Currently, everyone has been carrying buckets of water. Both of them are dependable, so the question is, why are those two with those jackasses. Seeing both of the boys in torn clothes and looking dirty and exhausted while the two brothers look rested and cleaner. Tossing a pebble and hitting Jack on his back, forcing him to turn around and pushing Harry. ¡°Careful! You asshole!¡± he hisses.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Moving over near them quietly, Tex whisper, ¡°Any louder, you are going to bring the sentries down on your back.¡±


    ¡°Joseph?¡± Harry whispers back. Everyone drew a weapon.


    Tex moves up beside them. ¡°Quiet, there are sentries in the woods ahead of us.¡± whispering as quietly as he can. ¡°Follow me,¡± pulling Harry with him back east to a ditch as the rest of them follow.


    Once they were all there, he turns to Harry pointing east. ¡°Our camp is somewhere to the east, to the west is held by Baron Scoon''s men,¡± Tex said.


    Harry look east then west in thought, knowing none of them could see far in the dark, and the night already was dark and getting chilly. ¡°We are going to rescue the Hanson girls and our mothers that were cooking in our camp if they were not killed,¡± Harry comment back, looking to the West.


    Hanson girls were both strong girls even I would not want to wrestle one for fear I might lose. The oldest girl, Karla, can farm better than most guys. Her problem is no one will listen to her because of the fact she a girl. Same with Dotty, give her a bow, and she can outshoot anyone, again she was born without a dick, and women must be protected at all cost. Well, other than Halley, the woman in the Army Scouts on Earth, I had no problem with a woman saving me. It was Halley, a former scout in our unit saves me and our unit several times. She ended married a nice guy and had three kids, two boys, and a girl. Her husband got her through quite a few mental patches over the years, sorry I not going to be there to pay back the lives I owe her.


    Seeing them all looking determine, ¡°Let me get them out of the camp, and you guys can lead them to a safe spot.¡±


    ¡°Joseph, how are you going to do that you can''t even fight! You''re a coward that runs from danger!¡± Holden pushes Tex back with both hands while sneering. Then the other was trying to quiet down Holden as Tex shook his head in annoyance.


    ¡°I know how to hunt and trap. Sneaking up on the sentry should be as easy as sneaking up on a deer,¡± telling Holden quietly, hoping his explanation would work. He spotted a coyote staring behind him with its hackle raise.


    Crap! Lost track of the other guy! Using the warning, he grabs Holden by the shirt and swinging him around as a shield just as Holden''s brother slams a knife into Holden''s back. Pushing Holden back into Jack, knocking them both to the ground. Pulling the hatchet out, he leaps at the fallen men trying to hit Jack with the hatchet only to miss. Both Harry and Jimmy stood in shock to what was happening in front of them in the moonlight.

 Chapter Six - The Spies.

    Harold POV


    Tex rolls into the darkness of some nearby bushes and stops moving only to see that both of the brothers were on the ground entangle in each other arms. While the other two men from the village look on with surprise as they back away from the fallen brothers. Both of them were looking around into the moonlit landscape to see if there are any other dangers. Harold could see the two brothers on the ground. One of the brothers was trying to get up while swearing. Seeing a knife sticking out of the back of Holden put Harold in a daze. If not for seeing Jack in the moonlight trying to kill Joseph, he would not have believed it. Coming to his senses, he grabbed his Jimmy and pulling him back up the road to the east, worry that if Joseph dies, they would be next. The Larson brothers were only recent immigrants to their village.


    In contrast, Joseph has been a member all his life and help out trapping food with him to feed the families of the village over the last few years. If not for the previous year''s help from Joseph, they would have lost half of the villager to starvation. Pushing his friend into the dark shadow of a bush farther up the road, he whispers into his ear.


    ¡°Stay and keep quiet unless you hear my voice or Joseph." If anything happens to me, head home, and tell my ma what had happened here.¡± After seeing his friend nod, Harold moves back up the road pulling out the short sword that he pulled off a dead body yesterday. He would have felt more comfortable with the spear. Holding onto the sword while moving back up into the shadows trying keeping out of the moonlight, both thanking and cursing the moons shining so brightly tonight. He stops moving when he saw one of the brothers move onto the road. A strange thought pop into his mind, ''What with Joseph''s strange accent?''


    Tex POV


    Tex figure that if these two brothers got their way, all of them would have been lead into a trap or killed right here. Not knowing why they decide to attack him first, Tex could only figure that they couldn''t take on three of them, so they decided to kill one of them. While in training a few weeks ago, Tex did outfight the others in using the spear. To Tex, the training was a joke compared to the boot camp that he went through. It would seem they plan on killing one or all of them near around where they buried the map.


    Staying still in the grass, he can see Jack holding up Holden, helping him toward the road. Jack seems to have pulled out the dagger in his brother back when he was untangling from his brother earlier. The blood flow in the moonlight was a lot. If it does not stop soon, Harold was going to die from blood loss. Jack was almost to the road when he stops and lay Holden down onto the ground. From where Tex is hiding in the grass nearby, seeing his friend Harold was only a few feet up the road from Jack hiding in the shadow of a bush. Tex can see Jack standing up and looking to the west, an uneasy feeling went through him, and he then saw a coyote walk out of the grass and sit next to Jack, looking west, waiting for something to happen. Tex curses loudly in his mind at the Coyote God. Lifting the ax to throw just as Jack was raising his head to shout out to the west for help and bringing down the sentries on them. As he was about the release the ax, Jack stiffened and fell forward, hitting the ground face first with a dagger embedded in Jack''s back. Looking east and seeing Harold picking up his sword off the ground from where he was crouch rushing forward and plunging the blade into both brothers.


    Tex looks around and not see anyone else. He moves up and whispers toward Harold, ¡°Hey Harold, it T-Joseph.¡± Almost calling out his name as Tex Harold jump in fright.


    ¡°You are going to scare someone to death, giving them a fright.¡± Harold patted his chest in fright as he sees Joseph step out onto the road in the moonlight as if he appears like magic.


    ¡°Can''t believe we trusted them.¡± Pointing at the two brothers dead on the ground, Harold spat out as he walks over and pulls the dagger out of Jack''s back, as he was about to wipe the bloody blade on Jack''s clothes until Tex stopped him.


    ¡°No point wasting good clothes. strip the two and bury them.¡± Tex pause looking at the moon to the east and commented. ¡°Bury the body where no one can find them and head west on the road until you are north of the battlefield and hide. I will rescue the women for you and try to get as many out of the camp as I can.¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Harold nod and crouch down as Tex point toward a thicket. ¡°There two mules and a cart full of goods I liberated from some grave robbers that took the items off the dead on the battlefield. There is an old abandon foundation of a spring house that can be used for water, be careful about leaving tracks going down that entryway so no one can spot them.¡± Pointing toward the area where Tex enters the road from the thicket. ¡°When I free everyone, you two bring them here and keep them quiet for a day or two before heading back to the village, Move at night and keep off the roads, be sure to use the mules. We can come back and get the cart later.¡±


    Harold pulls off a pouch full of coins and dumps a few into the palm of his hand in the moonlight. The silver coins are called crests. (Silver Crest are silver coins that the Kingdom of Ir use as it''s currency. It is a silver coin that been melted and pour into molds with the Kingdom of Ir crest upon it thus call a Crest.) Harold''s eyes get wide as he looks at Joseph shaking as he looks back down at the silver. There is enough silver there to buy a farm and livestock and still keep a family alive in food for a few years.


    Tex clap Harold''s shoulder and whisper, ¡°you two divide up the silver and use some of it to help the widows and orphans in the village. Be sure not to let anyone see the money,¡± Pausing as he saw Jimmy moving over to them exited holding another bag.


    ¡°Silver?¡± Tex looks toward Jimmy.


    ¡°Yyy-yes!¡± stuttering, whispering excited, handing over a bag to a surprise Tex. There were also several pieces of wood with marks on them. Jimmy''s eyes grew wider, looking at the pouch in Harold''s hands.


    Tex pulls out the two pieces of flat woods and seeing lettering on them that came to focus as words to his eyes. Being surprised that he can understand the writing, realizing that Joseph must have learned to read and write when younger by his father teaching them. All in total, there were sixty-two silver crest and a few dozen coppers. The copper was the size of a nickel and thick as a quarter stamp with the Barony Dosu crest on one side and the year 641 Li (founding of Kingdom of Li) stamp on the other. It seems the local barons can make copper coins. The only reason they''re not a massive influx of copper coins is the fact Bronze weapons and tools need copper and tin. A silver mine may be a good money source, but unless iron ore is found and use to make weapons and tools, the next best mines to have is copper and tin.


    Looking over the pieces of wood seeing the words Bounty: Alive, one male ¨C one Crest; Alive, one young female ¨C two crests; three crests if virgin; Alive, one elderly person ¨C five copper. Children alive one copper; No bounty if dead; half breeds are ten crests if female twenty crests.


    Tex grew angry at seeing the bounties and after looking at the other wood panel and seeing scratch marks showing ten women and six children and two elderly women and about forty men. If not for the fact that both spies were dead, he would raise them from the dead, then kill them all over again only much slower. Upon seeing a symbol next to the children mark on the piece of wood that looks familiar to him. Pondering over it, he remembers that the same symbol was on the map by a farm just three miles from here to the northwest. It might be where the children are being held.


    Telling both Harold and Jimmy, ¡°Get back here before daylight and hide out until it is safe and try to get to Old Man Kepler''s farmstead and hide out there instead of heading to the village. Use the money to buy food quietly from the neighboring barony. I was at the abandoned farm two months ago, and everything was a button uptight. Dry firewood in the back and I check the food cellar, and they''re still several containers of seal corn in there. I will go and get the girl out, be sure after you finish bury those two to go meet me north of the battlefield and hide off the side of the road.¡±


    He was thanking Joseph in his mind on the memories of checking that farmstead a few weeks ago. He thought back to that wood-frame house that sat on top of the food cellar and stone foundation. The lower half was used as a barn, and a house was on top. The heat in the winter from the animals would rise into the house above. From Joseph''s memories, the barn held some hay from the summer and stalls to keep a few heads of cattle, sheep and goats are clean but empty. The farm is only about five miles north of the village, about halfway to the swamp. Old man Kepler passes away while hand cutting hay in the fields. Someone from the village saw some of Baron Rathe''s men leaving the farm the day before. He was found in the field with the sickle embedded into his chest as if he fell on it.


    It took an hour for Tex to move through the woods, passing the sentries undetected that was posted in the woods. When he saw a coyote was laying on the ground ahead of him, calmly looking at a tree. Tex froze.

 Chapter Seven - Snares and Traps.

    Tex remains frozen in place, using his eyes to scan the area around him. He inhales through his nose to see if he can smell anything. Since awakening in this body, his senses seem to have been enhanced, maybe because of his elven half. To the west, the sounds of men moving in a camp that is about half a mile away can be heard as well as the man urinating to the south of his position by a few hundred yards, seeing that it was only a sentry. But it was the tree that seems to have captured the coyote attention.


    Staring at the tree for about five minutes, he mutters under his breath. "What do my eyes not see, is there something hidden." Even with the warning by the coyote. Goosebumps cover both of his arms, the last time it happens to this body, Joseph almost fell into a pit trap that had sharpened stakes in the bottom. Tex always went with his gut, between it and the coyote both have saved his life in the past. It was at that moment that Tex realized that his left hand and fingers were doing a strange movement without his control. It is frighting him for a moment. What surprised him more was a pulse of green light radiated out from him, turning part of the ground ahead of him red as well as the tree. Looking around to be sure no one else saw the light, he spotted several more red spots on the ground off to the south and the north. Before fading away, a weariness seems to hit him all at once. Pulling out the waterskin and taking a long drink and he sat down facing the tree, he been staring at for a while.


    He finally made out the bent limb that was pulled back by a rope. The rope went around the base of another tree and across the path ahead of him. After studying the tree for a few more minutes, as the feeling of weariness fade away. He spotted some sharpen sticks lash to the branch that could kill or maim someone from the chest to their head, depending on their height. Moving cautiously forward, seeing the trap was well made and not put together too fast but with meticulous detail. Someone in that war camp is good at traps and snares, and that person would be dangerous to encounter while spending some time searching the two spots that he spotted earlier. He finally found a small pit trap that, if someone steps in, would fall up to his knee, piercing their foot on the stake at the bottom of the trap. All around the side of the small pit was more sharpen sticks, pointed downward at an angle. It would make it hard for someone to pull their leg out without damaging it or puncture an artery. The other trap was a simple trip trap forcing someone to fall onto some small sharpen sticks, and this trap didn''t need to trip someone at all. It only needed someone to step on the sharpen sticks to get their feet cut up or fall and stab them in their chest. The best that anyone can wear here is wrap sandals that may have some harden leather under the wrapping to protect the feet but more likely just cloth wrapping, thus making these traps painful and a warning system for the sentries in the area. Looking around, he spotted a small triangle carve into a tree nearby both traps. It was after returning to the first trap that he spotted a third triangle carve in the tree to warn someone of a trap ahead. The thought of disarming the trap was strong, but the mission to rescue the women came first. If he disarms the traps, the person that armed them would know someone with skills was in the area. He didn''t need that headache at the moment.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    It took another thirty minutes to make it to the battlefield. The smell of blood still lingers in the air. Spotting a few predators moving around in the moonlight only made the trip across the field to be more troublesome. Not because he might get attack but because he might spook the animals, whereas the sentries might investigate the noises. It took close to midnight before arriving outside the camp. Tex was almost peed on by one of the soldiers after getting close to the camp. That was when he found out a little bit of news when a sentry stopped the man.


    "Hey, Gregory! Where your pants thread?" The sentry asks.


    Gregory mumble, before unraveling a leather strip from around his wrist, "Sorry Joe. I just woke up and need to take a piss. I put it on now." Kneeling and tying the string around his left leg. Standing back up, he patted the yellow wool band on his right arm. "Still got the band, Joe, so everything okay?"


    "Get back to bed before I report you, and you owe me a cup of ale." The sentry said.


    Muttering under his breath in agreement, Gregory headed toward the main camp to sleep while waving acknowledgment to Joe as he left.


    Tex pulls out a leather ball made up of leather strips and cut a length of one, long enough to tie around his leg. After he was done, he took the yellow wool he got off the bush and tied it around his right arm. Making sure the bandage around his head covered his ears, Tex walks out of the shadows while he pulls up his pants.


    Before the sentry could step out, Tex started cursing, "That damn Gregory! I told him to wait until I get done with a dump! The bastard took my wine. When I find that asshole, I going to break his nose!" Exclaiming as he passes by Joe hiding in the shadow of a bush. It is not the first time he uses this ruse to get pass sentries that have become lax in their job. It is easy to pretend you are one of them. It is only half the battle to sneak in. By making them think you belong, it helps fill in their mind on what they want to see. Most people do not expect the enemy to walk into the camp, considering how little the training these people have it like taking candy from a baby.


    Joe chuckled to himself over the soldier''s loss of wine, seeing that the man has both the armband and his left leg tied above the ankle with a string, so he let him go. Turning back to watch the battlefield to the east shivering, it was a good thing they buried the dead. Sometimes the dead will arise and attack the living. He spent several years fighting the living dead of those they killed after a battle. It was good that the Captain was smart on burying the dead.


    Tex arrives in the camp and moves toward the kitchen, looking for some of the village women when he spots one.

 Chapter Eight - Enemy Camp.

    It was seeing a woman being drag into a large tent that concern Tex. The woman''s head was enclosed in a wool bag, and her hands and feet were tied. He watches as they threw her into the tent. His fingernails were cutting into his hand that brought him out of his rage, forcing him to look around, hoping no one saw him staring.


    Seeing that in the distance not far from that tent is the mess hall, Tex avoids the sentries around the camp. The sentries were easy to spot. Now that he knew how the troops would tie a cord of leather around their left leg above the ankle, as an extra security measure. It would make it easy to catch a spy walking in with just a yellow cloth tied around their right arm if they didn''t watch the camp. It still bugs Tex that there are no boots or moccasins anywhere. Tex loves leather products, many of them he made in his lifetime. Never finding a home of his own until the end of his life, he travels a lot while farming, ranching, and doing odd jobs after his two grandfathers passed away. One of the jobs allows him to learn to be a cobber from an old man that made leather boots and cowboy hats. The old man also reshapes the old hats for the older generation that bought the hat base on quality and nostalgia. He also was taught to appreciate the quality of handmade items. It is one of the reasons he had ten boots in his truck. One he made himself and nine other made by different artisans across America that he picked up over the years in his travels.


    Tex walks through the camp as if he belongs, making it to the chow line at the mess hall tent. Pulling out a wooden bowl and a broken wooden spoon, he found along the way and allowing one of the serving women to put a ladle of soup in the bowl, grimacing at the smell as he sniffs the watery soup as he moves away. Can''t be too picky about the food. Still, it did bring back memories of the food that he was going to miss like, chili, barbecue ribs, and cheeseburgers just the thought of the food made his mouth drool. That was until the smell of the soup hit his nose again, which made his stomach feel nauseous. Moving off to watch the women that were cooking, he spotted the older women from his village and two other villages nearby. Tex was frowning as he counted a total of sixteen women in the mess hall from the villages. None of them were young women. Most were in there forties and fifty. For this type of world, they were old, considering most would be dead from illness or child labor long before now. All of the women were either being slap or yell at while they cook or clean pots and dishes.


    Sitting down beneath a nearby tree, an officer in partial armor grabs a bowl of soup and move over and sat down next to him. Tex looks the man over and seeing that he is about mid-twenty and standing about five feet ten inches or so with a clean-shaven face. With a copper badge of a sun on his chest representing him as an officer. A red ribbon is hanging down from the star, showing that he is a nobleman.


    Tex starts to get up to salute like some of the men did earlier to a nobleman.


    "Sit. Enjoy the food." The man waves him down.


    "Thank you. Sir!" Tex responded to the man as he repositions himself beneath the tree.


    "Not seen you before." The officer said while looking him over.


    From the way the officer is dress in fine clothing, he figures he is one of the Duke''s men, and maybe the man not met all of Baron Scoon men thinking of a large town in the barony to the north. "Walter of Thornfall, my Lord. Was scouting the enemy until they killed my horse, and I made my way back to here. It took me a few days avoiding the enemy. I reported to the Baron''s first son when I flag them down on the way to warn them of sentry posts ahead of them. Nearly gotten killed by the Lord if not for one of the men remembering me from Thornfall." Taking a deep drink of the nasty soup to hide his face from the man.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "Anything of important you found." The officer asked.


    Tex was smiling to himself on the inside over the thought of causing some trouble. "Yes, sir! A heavy loaded cart was going east from the crossroads with four mules pulling it and several dozen men with bows moving on both sides as if guarding the cart. Saw several knights leading the cart. After that, I came across some horse tracks running alongside the road. I counted ten horses, and maybe extra mounted guards that were keeping out of sight. The First son seems to be excited about this. I was told to get something to eat and sleep when I get to the camp. I was told he would report what I saw to the Duke." Tex explains to the officer.


    You could almost see the greed in man''s eyes as he got up suddenly. "Your right, you should get some rest, maybe use the camp whores before heading out."


    "Whores?" Sounding a little excited. "Where might they be."


    He pointed to the other side of the mess hall at a large tent where Tex spotted the tent earlier for the camp whores. The officer got up, pausing for a second in thought. "When did you encounter the cart?"


    Tex scratches his arm, pretending to be in thought. "A few hours before sunset. Just a few miles or so east of the crossroads."


    Tobias tossed down a piece of sanded wood with the branding of the Duke''s crest. "Head north in the morning with a horse and scout the land for any alternate routes north of here toward the silver mines to the northeast If you find anything reports to me. I am Lord Flaus'' elder son Tobias. Show this token to get what you need, and return it after you completed your mission. Oh, and do not tell anyone what you saw today or any information on the silver mines that you find. You understand?" Looking Tex in the eyes, only seeing a frank look staring back at him.


    Tex stood up and saluted with his right fist against his left chest like he saw other soldiers in camp did. "Yes, sir! My Lord. I go clean up and get some rest."


    Tobias absentmindedly saluted back as he heads back into the camp tossing his bowl of soup to the ground. He is smiling while in deep thought over the thought of capturing silver from the enemy and padding his vault. He was going to have to beat out that Baron''s first son on getting the silver maybe the pompous ass will conveniently be killed by the enemy.


    A small hint of a smile touches Tex''s face as he cleans up his bowl and spoon. Pulling out the token, he smiles again as an idea pop into mind.


    Showing the token to one of the women and pointed to the women scrubbing dishes, seeing that the village women were getting bully by the enemy''s camp followers. He moves over to them as one of the women was slapping a villager. Telling her that they are not to eat until all the dishes are scrub again and only after she inspects them. The woman stops scolding them and frowns as Tex walks up.


    "Solder! No one is allowed here unless by order of one of the officers or the Lord himself!" snorting at the man looking him up and down with disdain. The man before her was only a lowly soldier, not worth the dirty clothes he was wearing. Although the boy''s face is handsome, the dirty and blood on his face and clothing turns her off. She prefers her men to be clean and with more money in their pouch.


    Tex held up his pass token, "I have orders to move these women to the west by Lord Tobias. Make sure they been fed and loaded in a cart in an hour!" Barking out an order to the camp follower. After pointing out the women he wants while trying not to show his face to them. The woman seems to be flustered and started herding the women to the food line as fast as possible. Knowing the Lord doesn''t like to wait on anyone and have punished those that do make them wait.


    After he was done giving out instructions, he headed west toward the whore camp. There was only a guard sleeping while sitting in front of a large tent where the scream of pain mix in with other sounds of sexual pleasure could be heard from within. The camp had quiet down as people were going to sleep for the night except for Lord Tobias leading fifty knights out of the camp with horses. They were Heading toward the East-West road using torches. Hoping his friends would not be spotted by the group. Tex gave a silent prayer to the gods of this world that they are safe before turning to find the rest of the girls in the whore house.

 chapter Nine - Entering the Whore House.

    Finding the whore tent nearby was no longer busy with a line, and the guard in front was asleep while sitting on the ground next to the entryway flap. There is a green wood sign with a rope hanging on a pole holding the flap open below the sign was a blazer full of ash with a few flickers of flame to heat and light the area around it on this crisp autumn night. Seeing that the wood sign had black paint on one side and green on the other, he turned the wood sign around to the black side. Hearing a whacking sound of a paddle hitting flesh and muffle screams, Tex silently steps past the sleeping guard and slip into the tent. Only to come to a stop upon seeing a green naked woman tied over a bench on her belly. With her ass in the air and her legs spread apart to allow men to mount her from behind. A dark-headed woman in a long yellow dress made from wool, her hair done up in a bun was standing over her. She looks like the camp Madame.


    The Madame was spanking the naked woman that was tied down. With her back to him, he moves up behind her. Tex brought his right arm around into a stranglehold while grabbing the paddle, after a few moments of panic, the woman went limp. Checking for a pulse, he lay her on the floor while looking toward the tent flap to see if the guard heard any sound. Seeing the tent was divided with several large wool blankets, hearing moaning from both pain and pleasure coming from behind there, debating for a moment on what to do. He went and untied the green skin woman on the bench and gently laid her on a fur skin of a bear, sometime during the paddling she passes out from the pain. Staring down at the ground and seeing a bag of salt. The Madame was using the salt to increase the pain on the wounds she was inflicting.


    Anger course through Tex at the thought of this woman abusing other women and knowing full well that the nobility class doesn''t care and condones the practice of enslaving and abusing men, women, and children. There is no point in trying to find justice for the victims'' only recourse in this world is to seek it yourself. Killing an unarmed woman goes against his morals. Still, the eye for an eye always has been instilled into him by his two grandfathers to find justice, Ripping off the clothing of the Madame only to finally get a better look at the woman''s face as Tex push her over onto her back. Guessing she was in her late fifty and heavy with heavy makeup to cover her wrinkles around her mouth and eyes. Some women can age gracefully, and some like her did nor age so well. Figuring that by the time she is in her sixty, her face will be full of wrinkles much to her horror, pulling off a corset that was used to keep her hourglass shaped figure and sagging breast up. The belly of the woman then bulged out. Without the corset holding in her love handle, it shows how overweight and out of shape the woman was. Getting Madame on to the bench took a little time as she kept rolling off the mounting bench because of her gut being too big. Once Tex got one leg tied onto the bench, it became easier to tie the rest of her down on the bench. Tex crams a cloth into her mouth to gag her and to use another cloth to tie it in place to keep her from spitting it out. He then bent over the woman on the furs nearby and pulled off the bag that was over her head, revealing a beautiful woman with small tusk in her lower part of her mouth. Seeing her large breasts made him feel a stirring in the lower part of him, Rolling his eyes, he covers her up to keep his mind on his task.


    Pointed ears show that she has some elven blood in her. Orcs tend to have larger ears, so Tex assumes she was half-orc born from an orc and elf union. From the memories of Joseph had a half-orc were strong and more intelligent than regular orcs. They still have the same quick temper and bloodthirst as an average orc, but they tend to handle their rage better and manage from becoming berserk while in battle more. The red hair of the woman added more to the thoughts she was half-elf too. Taking the wool bag, he put it on the madam''s head and tie it, so it does not slip off using a knife to add a few holes to let more air inside. Looking around, Tex spots a copper pot by the bench and see several copper coins inside, pour the coins into the pouch that was around the woman waist, he then tuck the pouch away but not before relieving the Madame of her necklace, two bracelets, and several rings. Leaving a couple of copper in the copper pot to show its use in case anyone does not understand its purpose. Looking around and seeing a hallway with a blanket hanging over some rope that was slightly parted.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Hearing someone moving his way from the back of the tent. Gathering up the ripped clothing and stuffing into a basket of clothing in the corner. Picking up the unconscious, naked woman and drape her over his left shoulder and carry her pass a man that pushes aside the curtain.


    "Last room on the right is open," the man chuckled, "I wore that bitch out."


    Keeping his temper in check, he mutters an acknowledgment and wave as he head that way.


    Not hearing the man comment as he passes Tex but did hear heard a coin landing in the pot.


    The hallway is not very long, with only five rooms partition off in the tent just big enough to hold one to two people on some fur skins. Going to the end of the tent and finding the Madame room, peeking in, he sees a young girl in servant clothing crying. She was by far better dress than anyone in his village pausing for a moment over that thought of the village girls being forced to become prostitutes. He realizes that somehow Joseph''s memories and life have merged with his own that it feels like the village that Joseph grew up in was his home.


    Looking over the serving girl, he guesses she nine to ten years of age. From the old and new bruises around her eyes and arms, it would seem she has been abused a lot. The girl''s body looks like a stiff breeze could knock her over at any moment. Slipping in when the girl back was toward him, he steps up behind her and clamp his hand over her mouth and pull her against him as he crouches down.


    Whispering in the girl''s ear, "if you scream and warn everyone, you will be dead before they get here. Just to let you know that your mistress is currently tied up and busy at the moment." Turning the girl to face the door using the finger on the hand covering her mouth, he points to the door, as the loud noise of a man thighs slapping against a woman''s ass could be heard as he bangs the woman. "Or you can clean up and dress this woman, and I find you a safe home. I swear to the," pausing for a second thinking that this world had many different gods and goddesses instead of one since he died and appeared here it shaken his belief system. "I swear to the gods no harm will come to you. You can decide to go home or start new. Nod, if you agree, if not, I leave you gagged and tied up for someone to rescue. But if you scream..." leaving the threat hanging.


    Tex was not sure what the girl''s decision would be. It took her a long time thinking, figuring she was going to decline the girl suddenly nods.


    Jesse was scared for her life, and her mistress had beaten her earlier for spilling her tea. Being slung over the bench, she was more afraid of what might happen after the spanking than the spanking itself. The last serving girl Tess was only nine and was used by the men in the camp after the mistress spank Tess and another girl. Both of the girls were forced to watch as the Tess was sexually assaulted on the bench. To be used as a lesson to not make any mistakes in the future. Tess died several days later. The other girl was older, at least twelve old, and was put in a room after several men offer more money to have sex with her. She screams before becoming sobs in the late morning. So she nodded, figuring just maybe this man is telling the truth. Beside press up against him, she felt a sense of protectiveness fill her soul for the first time since her family sold her. There was not any feeling or perverseness coming from him like so many others she encounters while being a maid to the mistress.


    Tex releases the girl and signs in relief over not hearing a scream from the young girl. The girl turns around and looks him over until she was staring at the naked woman over his shoulder. She points to a pile of furs as she moves over to grab a bag with a shoulder strap on it. As she walks over to his side, she glances at the entryway to the mistress quarters.


    Tex turns to her after laying the woman on the furs.


    He smiles and cups his ears as if to tell the girl to listen. She stared at his slightly pointed ears as she heard someone using the bench in the main room. Her eyes went wide when she looks at the woman on the fur, and she remembers the mistress had her tied to the bench an hour ago, and the woman was screaming in pain when she was spanked earlier.


    If she not on the bench, then who...

 Chapter Ten - Healing

    "Is that the Mistress?" She whispers as she points toward the front where the loud sound of sex can be heard. Tex nodded to the girl as he looks around the room for some medicine.


    Seeing the man is looking for something. She realizes that he was looking for something to heal the woman on the furs. Jesse ran over and grabbed a medicine bag that her Mistress kept cover by her bed of furs. Dragging the heavy bag over to the green skin woman, not sure if she should smile or have a look of horror on her face thinking that her Mistress was on the mounting bench. After carefully clean the blood and placing salves on the green skin woman ass. The woman woke up with a moan of pain as Tex clamps his hand over her mouth and bent near her ears,


    "I just rescue you off that bench, we are still in the tent with soldiers here, so please keep quiet as I clear out the tent so we can escape, you understand, little lady." Pausing as they heard another man step out into the hallway and move away.


    "This one got some meat on her. I do her next too bad. There is a bag over her head." They can hear the man saying. After a few moments, the slapping of flesh against flesh started up.


    "I''m going to release you. I need to rescue the other girls, and then I will get you all out of here." Tex whispers into the girl''s ear. Moving away as he stood up, still hesitate for a moment only to sigh a breath of relief as that the woman was not yelling. The green skin woman passes out again from the pain on her back. Tex looks over the woman''s naked backside. He can see bloody whip marks on her back and ass. Most of them are deep wounds, and as Jesse was putting a salve on.


    The girl Jesse looks like she wants to do something but afraid she be punished, he seen the look before on children that know something but afraid to say or do anything.


    Tex crouches down and looks over the scared blond girl. Her bright blue eyes are wide with fright as he pats her head like a father. "I''m not going to hurt you, do you have a name?" Tex asks.


    "J-Jesse." She nodded as tears were forming in her eyes.


    "I''m not going to hurt you, can you help this woman?" Pointing at the green skin woman on the furs.


    Nodding as tears started falling. "Yes." She gulp.


    "Afraid you might get punish?"


    Jesse nodded, "My mommy told me not to tell unless it was important. I will be killed or lock away in a cage for the rest of my life."


    "I promise I will not kill you or let anyone kill you. And when you become eighteen, you can leave and do anything you want." Tex whispers into her ear.


    The feeling Jesse was feeling was like she was in her mom''s arms being protective before the bad men came and took her away. She wants nothing more to be held and protected again, but the fear that it is not true still lingers in her heart. Tex can see the warring between fear and trust in her tear-filled eyes that it made his heart melt, pulling the girl into his embrace as she gave a small yelp of surprise he whispers into her ear. "Baby girl. I will not let anything happen to you, understand? As long as I live, I will protect you!" A strong sense of protecting this girl fills his very being. He senses a kinship with the girl like he never has to another person except for his grandfathers.


    Jesse cried on his shoulder as tears flow down her face. For the first time, she can sense an emotion that was not of desire or lust but kindness and caring almost fatherly. It made her heart soar. She has always felt other people''s emotions, like their hate, anger, and jealousy. Only her mother''s love was the only thing that she wants most in life after feeling her mother''s pain, humiliation, then fear and worry about her. It was finally her death that she kept all her feeling bottle up inside her and not show any emotion that, in the end, save her from being used as a sex toy when her Mistress bought her. Her Mistress, the Baroness, wanted a servant that was emotional distance and easy to control. If she knew her secret of healing, she would be locked up never to see the light of day. The Baroness is a cruel and heartless woman that beats and sometimes kills her servants. Jesse had been beaten many times over the last two years serving the Baroness. It was only luck that she not been put in a brothel. Jesse felt it was only a matter of time before her usefulness was up. Jesse was hoping that learning math and accounting would delay or stop the Baroness from casting her out to be used. A man not long ago offers her a hundred silver for Jesse only for the Baroness counter with one hundred gold. The man walks away.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Jesse pushes herself reluctantly out of Tex embrace and wipes her nose on her sleeve as she kneels next to the green skin woman. Rubbing her hands together really fast and then blew into her cup hands. Closing her eyes and visualizing a white healing light coming out of her heart into her hands. She then places one palm against the woman''s head and the other on the woman back as the feeling a warm flow of water flows out of her hand into the woman''s body.


    Tex was in shock as the woman on the fur begins to glow in a white light. Jesse soon collapsed into his arms as the light fades away from her hand and slowly fade away on the woman. Many of the wounds seal up, leaving a faint scar that was slowly fading away. There are many more wounds on the woman. But most of the smaller ones are gone, and the bleeding has stopped on the rest. Staring at Jesse, he realizes the girl is a healer, a real laying on the hands'' healer.


    "I do good?" Jesse asks, breathing hard from healing the woman.


    With his eyes wide open with surprise, he nods, "You done well." Saying that aloud while thinking to himself, ''Oh my fucking god, that was magic, she did magic, wait! Did I do magic in the woods like this?'' Trying to calm down as he reaches over and pulls back her hair, uncovering her ears. Looking at both ears and seeing that there were faint scars on the top of her ears. Taking a closer look, he realizes someone had cut off her pointed ears when she was a child, maybe even when she was a baby to hide the fact that she a half-elf. Tex checks the rest of her face only to see flawless skin except for a small scar on her forehead along the hairline.


    Looking into the puzzle, tired eyes of the little girl, he smiled and said." You did really good. Is that all you can do for now?"


    "Yes, master, I need a few hours before I can do more." She gulps some air as the feeling she didn''t do enough fills her soul, but the sense of protectiveness seems to radiate from the man.


    Tex put the finger on her lips. "I''m not your master I don''t own you and never will. Do you understand?" Do you have any family?''


    "No, they were killed a few years ago, my little brother and I were sold to some bad people that sold him to a man in my mistress barony. I was given to my Mistress as a gift two years ago," she said.


    "Okay, I need you to take care of her," pointing at the would lady, "and I need to rescue a few others in here. Do you know where all the men that were captured?" asked the girl.


    She nods, "They were taken away to the west at a camp across the border a few miles. I heard one of her sons told her to get ready to move in a few days."


    "Who is your mistress?" Tex asks innocently.


    Her eyes went wide as she whispers, looking back toward the direction her Mistress is at. "She the Baron''s first wife." Sensing that the man before her not lying to her in not knowing who the woman was, Jesse, became shocked. "Her sons bring her fresh girls to fill her brothels. She has one brothel in the barony and several brothels in the Capital, and she supplies several lords and a lady with servants."


    Tex looks around and back at the little girl. "How many girls are here?"


    Jess thinks for a moment. "Eight, there was ten, but two died yesterday from abuse. They were waiting on a group of children in a few days to sell in the Capital as servants and sex slaves. Some will end up in shop making things for the nobles to sell."


    Tex face become red with anger, Jesse wince when she can feel the emotion of anger roll off him, fearing he would rush out of here and get killed. She put her small hand on his arm. "The girls that died were from the Mistress barony. The girls here are all from the enemy camp." Realizing she said enemy camp meaning his camp, she blushes. "I mean from the camp that the baron attacked." Putting her head down, afraid she angers him. The feeling of anger seems to have vanished, making her look up and stare at his blue eyes looking back at her. The sense of sadness and shame flow out of him to her, and she gets pulled into a hug. Her feeling became conflicted as she can see that Tex only about seventeen to eighteen winters old in appearance, but the feeling of him being an older soul conflict with that. To a point, she doesn''t understand her affection to him from a brotherly to a fatherly standpoint.

 Chapter Eleven - Gathering the girls

    Tex quietly slips into the makeshift room as one of the knights was brutally raping a young lady from Tex''s village upon the furs on the floor. The name of the naked girl on the bed pop into his mind, Dotty, she is good with a bow. She was always blushing and running away from him and Harold whenever they met. Which caught Harold''s attention, and was smitten with the girl. The knight''s back was to him, and the guy was thrusting into Dotty from behind. Tex can see cuts and bite marks all over the girl''s body. The right nipple on her flat chest is bleeding from being bitten. On the furs, next to them were three girls that were just barely in their early teens. All three are naked and laying a pile unconscious. At least he hopes they were unconscious and not dead. Seeing no one else in the room, he thought about breaking the man''s neck, but the size of the man and Tex unknown muscle strength help decide for him. He was pulling the dagger out carefully while moving up behind the guy. Just as the man makes a forward thrust into her body, he then leans back with a sigh of contentment as he releases his load into the girl''s womb. Tex grabs the man''s hair and yanks back while slicing the man''s throat, letting him fall to the floor as the man''s lifeblood rapidly leaves his body. As the man died on the floor, Tex moves over and check Dotty to be sure if she was okay.


    "Ssssh." Quieting her down and point to the girls nearby. "Please get dress. You are coming with me. I will check on the three girls while you dress." Talking as quietly as he can while moving over to the girls on the floor. Finding one girl almost dead from being strangled, he gently pushes her to the side and checks the other two, and finding their pulse was steady. The girl that he was inspected first was Debbie. She was going to have her twelve birthday this year. If not for the scar across her face from her left ear to her mouth, she would have been a beautiful child. The girl''s stepfather slices her after getting mad at the young girl for spilling his beer. Debbie''s mother stabs her husband in the back and killing him. Being a woman in this world, and having almost no rights, most women were treated worse than animals. The mother was beaten to death by the village elders for murder. The girl was taken in as the village slave. She was forced to sleep in the village barn with the animals, along with a few other orphans.


    Remembering what Jesse did with her magic healing power and thinking since he could do magic too, maybe he can heal the girl that was dying. Moving back over to the girl that was trying to breathe, he rubbed his hands together and blew on them like Jesse did while putting one hand on the girl''s forehead and one on her heart. Nothing happens, feeling disappointed Tex then closed his eyes again and started imagining healing energy was flowing into the girl. When he was about to give up, a feeling of warmth began in his heart. The feeling spread to both arms and down into his hands. That began to glow with a green light and enter the girl''s body. The bruising around the girl''s neck began to heal as the girl take in a deep breath. Feeling weary and blurry eye, he lifts his hand from the girl. The feeling of intense exhaustion sweep through him as he watches the girl continuing to heal even the deep scar faded enough not to be noticed from a distance at first sight.


    Dotty was hurting from all the abuse and was a little bit embarrassed over Joseph seeing her naked. She was no beauty. In fact, her seventeen-year-old body is very plain looking with no blemishes or scars on her face. But the fact she is flat-chested and had no curves. Worse of which was her course, frizzy brown hair and tomboy appearance didn''t appeal to any of the men in any of the nearby villages. Her mother thought about marrying her off to Joseph. But her mother''s racist views about half breeds change her mother''s thoughts on marrying her off to Joseph. But she has been interested in Harold because he likes to hunt and trap, which appeals to her, but her mother would never consider a hunter. Every time she patrols the village to kill any of the dangerous beasts that try to enter. She would bump into Joseph or Harold when they come by to drop off a beast they kill in their traps. She would blush red. Joseph is the most good looking of the two, while Harold was stronger of the two, both of them could put food on the table and make money selling the hides of the beasts they kill. Reaching marriage age, she knows that if she didn''t find a husband, she would be sold into service to the Baron or some other lord. Now, who would want a whore?


    It didn''t matter now. Her parents sold her to the Baron for fifteen silver over a week ago. So instead of going to the Baron''s castle to be a maid. She was sent to the whore tent until the enemy overran it, and now she was serving the enemy troop. In the last week, she has been with several hundred men, She would be surprised if she not pregnant, but her monthly curse is a few weeks away. The biggest surprise is to be rescued by the one man that every one in six nearby villages despises him because he is a half breed. If the Baron found out he is a half-elf, everyone in those villages would have been killed for fear, they all been tainted by an elf. No one knows why the Baron hates elves, but he had burned a few elves to death over the years. Rumor is that his late wife was with child sired by an elf. Both the mother and child were burned at stake. It was near the same time that Joseph''s mother was with child and gave birth a month later. The villagers all agree to keep it a secret for fear they would all be killed. It would be only a matter of time before the Baron found out. Currently, there are ten silver coins rewards for information on any elf sighted. Enough to keep a family alive for a few years. But the fear of everyone dying, including the person reporting the bounty, keep everyone''s mouth shut. All of them were hoping when Joseph becomes of age. He would leave to look for his father that was an elf.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Looking at Dolly''s body reminded him of the girl he fell in love with before he died and appeared here. Haley''s body was a lot like Dolly. Both are flat chest with no curves. Haley was big on personality, and her southern accent made his heart flutter. Shaking his head to get rid of the thoughts that were sidetracking him, remembering his promises to the two boys, he finds the girls. He is going to have to focus on getting everyone out alive. He can''t daydream about past regrets.


    "Dolly, please watch over that girl, and I will get these two to safety. Harold sent me to get you out. So be careful, and you be safe soon." Tex whispers to her as he picks up both girls and steps out into the makeshift hallway.


    Harold here!'' Feeling of joy, then shame flow through her at the thought of leaving here and facing Harold.


    Tex returns shorty and picks up the last unconscious girl and slip back into Madame''s room with the unconscious woman over his shoulders with Dotty following. Seeing Jesse standing with her eyes shut weaving as if she about to fall asleep on her feet. Jesse was startled for a moment when she heard a man whisper into her ear. "I think you can open your eyes now and rest for a minute."


    Opening her eyes in surprise, she turns around and sees the naked woman draped over the back as the man. Jesse and Dotty help Tex lay the woman on the floor.


    "Clean them and clothes them..." looking around in thought, "take any of valuables that are easy to carry. Jesse tug on Tex shirt and points to a small chest in the corner. Tex walks over and sees that the chest is locked. He remembers that he took a necklace off the Madame that had a small key on it. Pulling out the necklace and spotting a small key which he uses to open the chest. The chest weighed about ten pounds. Upon opening the small chest, he found several small bags of copper coins, one pouch of silver coins, and a pouch holding several gems. There was some loose jewelry laying in the bottom chest. Weighing the pros and cons of carrying the chest or bagging up the loot, he grabs a bag and dumps everything into it. Picking up the bag and feeling that it is lighter by almost half, he tucks it into his belt.


    It took about twenty minutes to rescue the other five girls leaving behind several unconscious men and two more dead knights. One knight was raping the girl''s name, Tess. The other was choking one of the girls from his village. Betsy is her name, a dumpy girl, about fourteen winters that whine and cry a lot from what he can remember. He ends up choking the one knight to death, and it was also where he was stabbed in the left shoulder during the struggle with that knight. Luckily the knight was weakened by very little oxygen. Jesse was in a state of panic with seeing so much blood from Tex''s shoulder. She froze for a few seconds before rushing over to stop the bleeding by covering the wound with a salve and spider web over the wound. She then bandages it up with her previous master ripped dress she pulled out of a trunk.


    "Jesse, I need you to heal these girls, take what time you need to do it, but we need to leave in a candle mark." He said as a muffled scream came from upfront. Tex looks toward the front. "First, can you check the front and tell me if everything okay?"


    Tex looks down at the girls that were no longer unconscious and not clothed. Feeling relieves that both of the Hanson girls were found. Feeling a little uncomfortable while staring at the eyes of the girls he rescue, several of the girls'' eyes are filled with hero worship. G lacing at the green skin woman seeing that she was still unconscious. Tex was never a womanizer in the first place, and the only woman he slept with was a married woman that was in the army as a sniper. He actually fell in love with the woman but parted ways with her to keep her marriage intact. It too late to worry about Haley, the woman he fell in love with, now that he had died and appeared here in this world. But looking at the women in front of him, he knows that he could easily bed all of them. The fact he looks seventeen and some of the girls are near his physical age, well one is in her mid-twenties he is still mentally in his thirties. The fact that this world allows men to have several women. Most men can not afford to take care of so many women and children. Only the rich and the noble can do this. Seeing the looks in their eyes only makes her want to protect them. Shaking his head, I really need to find their family or set them up to find them a husband. He knows that he had regrets of not getting married and have a family. This second chance at life, he not going to squander it.


    Tex nodded his head toward the front to indicate to Jesse to head toward the front of the tent. Feeling a little bit nervous, Jesse peeks through the gap and seeing her former mistress was tried down on the breeding bench with a bag over her head. She would never forget that vile woman''s body or her sagging breasts. What made her eyes go wide in shock was the man standing behind the woman with a penis almost as big as a horse ramming into the woman''s ass. She watches as the man pulls out and slams it into her ass again, causing the woman to arch in pain and scream into her gag. Jesse remembers this man killing several of the maids before on the same bench as punishment to keep the Madame''s servants in check.


    Rushing back toward Tex, who looks up surprised at her entry. Jesse shook her head and whisper, "it okay. I need to do something." Walking over and pulling out a small bag of coins, feeling the weight, and that fact it is copper coins inside, she felt relieved that it was still there. She then fled back out and stopped nervously next to that massive breaded man holding his penis while pumping hot sperm all over the woman''s back.


    Holding the small bag up to him while she stares at him as he pumps load after load onto her mistress.


    Hearing an evil chuckle from the man, "does the little girl want to play with it?" He laughs as he stokes it some more.


    Returning to her senses as she shivers in fright. She handed the man the small bag," my mistress said you could use her until sundown tomorrow if you want longer, just toss a few coins in." She points to a copper pot.


    Stroking his beard and raising his left eyebrow to the little girl. "Hmm, how much to plow your field?"

 Chapter Twelve - Leaving the Brothel

    Jesse showed up looking scared and out of breath. She nodded to Tex before gathering up some the Mistress valuables before following Tex out. Looking around the darkened room and seeing all the girls in here. She signs in her heart, wondering if it worth it dying to escape, but remembering seeing her Mistress being rape on the mounting bench. She narrows her eyes and nod to herself, thinking it is worth several deaths seeing her on the mounting bench being rape for all the evils she has done in this world. Jesse never prays to any of the gods after she was sold into slavery. She vaguely remembered that her mother worships Deltesta, the goddess of health and kindness, but after her family had died. And the horrors that Jesse has seen, somehow she lost faith until a few days ago she prays to her mother''s goddess for a chance to live a good life. For a moment, she wonders if this man was sent by the goddess to help? Even if he wasn''t, she still gave a thankful prayer to Deltesta promising to help others in her name if she lives.


    Sarah of Farwell is a young girl of twelve winters that was taken along with her sister Leela from their home after their father and mother were hauled off by the Baron''s men. She is skinny, with long legs and wavy brown hair that doesn''t like to be tamed. Her doe-like brown eyes no longer shine with innocent since the Baron sons took that from her a few weeks ago before dumping her into a brothel in a war camp. She is below average on looks. What used to make people think she was pretty was her bubbly personality, only now that personality is replaced with numbness and loathing of the touch of men. For a flicker of a moment, she shows emotion like hope when a man enters the room she was in and kills the fouls smelling man that was raping her. She lay there on her back, staring at the man with no thought on living or dying.


    When the man looking at her spoke in a strange accent while picking her up and saying. "Little girl, no one is going to harm you as long as I have anything to do about it!" Holding her in a hug, Sarah realizes that she was sobbing into the man''s shoulder as he pets the back of her head. For a moment, she felt safe before wariness enters her soul. She will have to see before believing anyone anymore. She no longer trusts words but action, and the only action she had seen, have been what men and women can do to others. Both good and bad but mostly bad. She was taken to another room and was told to get some clothes on as the man left. He was leaving her with a few other women, including the Madame servant that was washing off the blood on one of the women and helping her get dress. A brief urge to strangle the girl before her because of who she served.


    Leela of Farwell is fourteen winters old and tries hard to protect her sister Sarah only feeling shame that she could not protect her. The feeling of being weak only makes her want to be stronger, so no one can harm either of them again. She has long brown hair and brown eyes with freckles that seem to only get darker on her face from too much sun. Her body is stocky and big bone. None of the boys want to date her because she can wrestle with them and win. She helped her dad on the farm and did a lot of chores around the house because their mother got sick a lot. After her father was hauled off to the mines to work on trump up tax evasion charge that she knows was fake. Because her father paid the tax collector just a month before they were taking from their home, her mother passes away a month after she was tossed into a brothel a few weeks ago. She has not told her sister that their mother is dead too afraid it would cause her sister more harm. She is only waiting to find time to escape with her sister. She had just started her curse as the women around the village would call it a few months ago. She worries that her monthly curse had not happened like it should this month. When she told one of the older women in the camp, the woman looked sadly at her and patted her hand, telling her that she is pregnant. This only made her want to leave as soon as possible if the Madame knew she was pregnant; she would be killed as a waste of food.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    A man entered the room and woke her up, clamping a hand over her mouth and whispers into her ear if she wants to escape, and she nodded her head. After the hand move, she whispers, "My sister is here."


    "There several women I have already rescued. We can check and see if she there. If not, I look for her." The man said to her.


    Sure enough, the man''s words were true as she was hugging her sister in an embrace crying. After a few minutes, a girl called Jesse helped them get dress and gave each of them a bag to carry and told them not to say a word and follow the man out the slit in the back of the tent. Leela is not sure why Jesse is helping the man because she worked for the Madame of the brothel, uncertainly in her heart made her hesitant.


    Seeing this, Jesse whisper to her and said, "Don''t worry, the Madame is on the mounting bench." pointing to the front of the tent. "That man tie her to the bench as punishment for harming everyone." Jesse smile at her. Leela hopes it was true. When the girl turns away, Leela slips out and check the front of the tent and saw a woman on the bench. After a few minutes of staring at her being rape, she spotted a birthmark and the woman''s arm. Leela''s eyes went wide with shock and joy, hurrying back to her sister''s side. Her eyes sparkle with hope for the first time in a few weeks since this hell started.


    With Susan Applefarm help Tex was able to get most of the girls to the cart. That was loaded with the women from the villages that were waiting to the north of the camp. Taking out three of the sentries along the way and knocking out two of the men guarding the women and the cart. He had Susan help him get the last two women, one of them being the green skin woman to the cart. Tex found out that Susan Applefarm''s husband died in battle, and she was capture while burying him and three other men that were friends with her husband, Earl. Susan was in her mid to early twenties, light brown hair that is waist length. The hair is drape to her left side to hide the burn mark on her cheek down to her neck from pig fat that was accidentally spilled on her as a child. Her green eyes have a glow to them after being rescue by Tex. It was the blood lust that appears on her face when she plunges a dagger up into a guard''s skull while looking the man into his eyes, which made Tex shiver. Tex later learns that the guard she killed took great pleasure into sodomizing her with items in her ass and beating her several times when she stops screaming with pain. It was at the time that she kill the guard that Tex realize that the woman had magic because the glowing eyes paralyze the man allowing her to walk up and kill him.


    "Scary woman." Tex mutter to himself. Tex figure somewhere in the woman''s family tree, there is an elf or a fay mix in. Curious about what type of magic she was using. He would have to ask later.


    While on the last trip carrying the green skin woman, he spotted a skinning area that someone had a leather stretch out on a stretching rack. On the ground was a bundle of leather roll up and tied. It took a few minutes staring at the leathers and debating on how to grab them and carry the woman. When Susan gave an exasperated sigh and muttering "Men," grabbing the skins and giving him an expression that told him he was an idiot. Shrugging, he looks around, not finding any more sentries. They finally reached the cart a few minutes later and loaded those that can''t walk in the back. Having the rest that can walk follows behind the cart. Sending Susan to lead the mules pulling the cart to the road, he scouted ahead to make sure it was safe. He could use his token and gotten pass the sentries, but figure it would cause more problems to confuse the enemy if they thought there was a raid. Looking toward the east, seeing a hint of morning light, he knows he needs to get these people to safety and only has an hour to do it in.

 Chapter Thirteen - A Tag Along.

    Fran is thirteen winters old. She was spoiled rotten by her parents only to grow up fast after being abuse by men daily. She was not a pretty girl having several large birthmarks scatter on her face, and her right eye was droopy, making her appear dumb. She uses her appearance to stare off into the distance and drool to fool everyone into thinking that she is stupid. While enduring the pain and humiliation so that she could wait for a time to poison everyone that harmed her, she has spent weeks putting together the plants needed to make the potion to kill everyone in the camp. All she needs to do is find a way to get to the camp kitchen and put the poison into the morning gruel they feed to everyone. If innocents die to get to the ones that harm her, so be it. She no longer cries after they killed her father and mother. Only hate has filled her heart. Fran learns to read and write by her mother, who hopes that her daughter would become useful as a servant or assistant and move onto a better life than a lowly serf. Fran''s mother also taught her herbalism and learned some potion-making. Fran learns to make poison from several of the card shape slate of wood that had recipes on it. They were handed down from mother to daughter for many generations by her grandmothers on her mother''s side. Her mother told her that some of the recipes go back several hundred years. All the wood slates are buried in her family back yard.


    She spotted a man leading some women out of the brothel, making several trips sometimes carrying a woman on his shoulders. Realizing that he was rescuing the women, she felt it was her time to escape hoping that this man would lead her to a better place than here. Seeing that he was entering the tent again, she slips into the cooking area and pour her vial of potion into the morning gruel that was being made. With an evil smile on her face, she rushes back, trying to avoid being spotted. She was arriving just as the man was carrying another woman out of the back of the tent while leading a woman that used to work in the brothel to safety at the edge of the camp. After following them, she saw a cart with quite a few women around it. Fran was waiting for them to leave so she could sneak into the group of women and blended in. If this doesn''t work out, she could always poison them and flee later.


    Tex''s night vision has to be one of the best abilities that he could have ever wish for if someone granted him a wish other than a ranch would have been nice too. With his eyesight, he was able to spot the sentries before they could have located them first. Killing them all was easy except for one that reacted to some sense of danger. The man stumbles back, barely avoiding the dagger only to slam into a tree stunning him. He was stunned long enough for Tex to tackle the man and plunge his dagger several times into the sentry. The man was able to leave a bloody scratch with his fingernails along Tex''s left shoulder and neck as the man was dying. With the sound of the man last breathe Tex lowers him into a sitting position, Tex was already relieving the man of his money and gear that looks useful. The total number of items gathered from the killing the sentries that he dropped into the bottom of the cart. He found several bronze daggers, a couple of short bronze swords, and two short bows with quivers of arrows, the third bow, and quiver he kept for himself. After finding several bow strings on the men, he strung up one bow getting it ready to use in case one of the sentries run. Fortunately, they made it to the road and met Harold and Jimmy. Jesse surprise Tex when she pulls Tex to the side and heals his scratches on his neck and shoulder.


    The trip back to the Thorn hedge was uneventful after getting everyone into the clearing he grabs Harold and brushes the road of the tracks leading back going east. About dawn, when there was a loud ruckus from the camp by the time they got back into the clearing. It seems that the camp found their dead sentries. Unbeknownst to Tex, a large group of men was poison when they ate their morning breakfast. Causing a ruckus because the leaders of the camp were out on a snipe hunt looking for a load of silver that was on an imaginative cart. It was shortly after that when the sentries were found dead, and horns began to sound as the camp prepares for a possible attack.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Tex had everyone hide and kept quiet while passing out some bread that the cooks carrying with them to the cart and from the cart that he liberated from the grave robbers. Checking the supplies and seeing that he only has two days of food left to feed everyone. Remembering the map with the supplies depots on it, he pulls out the map and looks for the nearest one.


    Seeing that the depot was ten miles from here near the route that he was planning on taking the women, he pointed out the place to Harold.


    "Think we can check it and see if there any supplies?"


    "We can try, but we will need the two carts to bring everyone." Harold pointed out.


    Rubbing his face and realizing he no longer has a beard to stroke, he moves his hand back to the map. "If I remember right, there is an old logging road about a mile to the north of here that merge with that trail we were planning to take the women by to the farm. Think you can get both carts and the women to the farm?"


    Tex was watching Harold as he looks over the map in thought and seeing him nod. "I think I can do it. What are you going to be doing?" he inquired


    While pointing at the map to the northeast about three miles. "There may be some kidnapped children there that need to be rescued. I am heading out tonight and see if I can get them. I will meet you to the west of the village of Farwell at Kenny''s old barn in two days at midnight. Cover your tracks when you leave here, we don''t need an army on our backs."


    Harold nods at him only to freeze as the sound of galloping horses. Tex looked toward the road and spotted a group of thirteen men on horses racing down the road. Some of the men look bloody and worn while some of the men are leading several horses behind them. It would seem the men that went out to capture his fake cart that was supposed to be carrying silver have returned empty-handed and short half of their people. Since he came to this world, he did not have any loyalties to any of the barons or dukes of this land. With Dukes allowing their barons to fight it out over territory and silver is a waste of good talent and resources that could be used to improve the people''s lives of this world. Tex looks at the women around them that all had fear on their faces. Each of them fearing that anytime they will be drag back into the horror, they were living in the last few weeks. Tex realizes that he can not stand aside and allow these people to come to harm. The idea of a simple ranch has somehow become complicated.


    First, he needs to rescue the children and get them and the women to safety. Then he needs to save the men to the west. Watching the men on horseback disappear to the west trampling over the tracks they made. Tex gave a sigh of relief before dropping his telescopic vision.


    Tex checks on the green skin woman while chatting with those that were caring for the injured woman. Seeing most of the wounds and a few scars were missing from her back. He turns to talk to women for a while and calm their fear. He moves off to comfort several more women to make sure they were okay and need if they needed anything thing. He learns that most of them were sold or lost love ones with no place to go and were worried about their futures. Many of them know that going back would lead them back into the baron''s hands.


    Unnoticed by Tex as he moves away, the green-skinned woman stirred and mumble, "Tex? Is that you?" Before falling back into a restless sleep full of images and memories, she doesn''t understand.

 Chapter Fourteen - Finding the Children

    Sometime after dark


    Watching the farmhouse ahead of him with his night sight, he spotted a total of four sentries around the farmhouse. The building itself is made of sun-baked dirt bricks and has a thatch roof that requires repair. The building looks like it has been built in three phases over the year. Halfway around the building is an outer dirt wall that is crumbling in various places from neglect. The shed nearby was fallen in, so there was no one around it. Near the shed are several horses that pull the wagons. Two bodies of children were unceremoniously dumped nearby about a hundred feet from the shed was and was already have several possums like creatures eating on them. Glancing up at the night sky, seeing the sky ablaze with a milky way like galaxy covering most of the sky, none of the moons have risen yet, to dim the showcase that is in the heavens. It took about four hours of travel while avoiding both barons'' spies on the road and paths to reach this place. Searching through Joseph''s memories brought nothing on who used to live here or any information that could help him. Trying hard not to be distracted by what to do with all the people he found. Returning them home will only put them back in the same spot or worse dead. Only the thoughts of being on the frontier keep coming to the foremost of his mind. He really wants to make some money and buy some land from a baron, a duke or even a king, at least money always seem to work in the stories that he had read. The fact that he can make some shoes or even boots and some leather armor like the ones that Halley asks him to make for a neighbor kid that lives nearby her. So he watches several videos of how to make scale mail armor and even some different leather Armour and learn to stamp leather. He also made a costume for a fellow soldier to give to his son for cosplay as a musketeer. He even learns to make chainmail to enhance some of his leather pieces. Even though it was not something, he enjoys doing as much as working with leather. He made quite a bit of money selling specialty leather goods online over the last few years. It was enough to live on while his military disability went into buying the ranch he wanted.


    An hour had passed already, and the sentries have all group up around a fire pit to keep warm during the autumn night. Seeing the night as if it was daytime, he was able to make it to the shed and spotted three cages like wagons, the first real wagons since he has gotten to this world. Looking one of them over, he can see it could still use a lot of improvement. And the small sold wooden wheels would not last more than a month of continuous travel. Tex hates sloppy workmanship more than anything. The cages are all made of wood, making the wagon heavy. Checking each of the wagons, he can smell the feces and urine pool at the bottom of the wagons. The last wagon had a matted doll made of wool with some dry blood on it. Reigning his angrier, he moves over to the farmhouse while slipping out a dagger as he walks over to the door and hears snoring from the other side of the door. Apparently, someone is asleep guarding the entrance. Moving over to the windows and finding them all shutter with a bar holding them in place from the inside. He back away into the bushes to think.


    As he ponders the problem, he notices the sentries moving off to patrol the area, giving him a chance to take them out. One of the men came to the door nearby him and knock with three taps then two then three more. The door opens, and he could hear them talk.


    "How is it going in there?" the sentry asked.


    "It quiet, other than that damn elf is in labor!" the old voice spatted out.


    "I not heard any screaming."


    "Too prideful that bitch is." The old man sneered, "They should kill all those filthy elves!"This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "I heard Lady Maple, want the baby, to sell in the capital after it born, and the woman is to be taken to her manor for breeding."


    "Aye, but I not sure if the woman will make it. She tried twice to kill herself and the child in her womb. And the midwife said a half breed baby drains a lot of energy from an elf. Only a few survive giving birth because most of the mana in the mother is transfer to the baby. which is why they can do magic."


    "What we do if she dies, and how are we going to feed a baby!" the sentry exclaimed.


    "We worry about that when it happens. She should birth the child by morning, so have the wagon ready to leave. We will have to leave fast if we want to be paid the gold promise us." The old man said gleefully about the gold he is going to get.


    "What about the other children?"


    "We burn them and the farmstead when we leave. Just take the girls, we don''t have the horses to for more than one wagon and for all of us to ride. It a shame we could have made money on selling them to be trained to work in the workshops. But the baby will make us ten times what they will bring us and I have a guy that wants the young girls will pay us good coin for them. It the bitch dies it no matter to me. The Lady already paid us, so whether she lives or not is of no concern of mine.


    The longer he listens, the more Tex wanted to kill both of the men slowly. Human traffickers are the worse scum of the world to him. It will be a pleasure to kill all of them. Waiting for the guard to leave, he follows behind the man and slice his throat and catching the man as he fell. Groaning to himself over the fact he needs to excise more. He drags the body into the bushes. He doubts serious that he could even bench his weight right now, shaking his head in detain over how weak this body is compared to his old body. His speed is faster, and his agility is far in advance to his old body. He still misses his height and built.


    Pausing in thought and staring at the wood behind the house, the feeling that something in the woods seems to be calling to him. The feeling seems to tug upon his body as he just stares at the woods before moving off to kill the second sentry by using the bow to pierce the man in his throat with an arrow. After watching the two other sentries walk around to the other side of the house, blocking their view.


    "Hey, Kevin, why is your ring glowing?" Someone said aloud.


    "Shit! We got an elf nearby!"


    "Kevin. Of course, there an elf nearby the bitch is in the house is giving birth!" Said a man in a disgusted tone. "Use your head!"


    "Oh! Sorry. I forgot. Every time I am near an elf, this ring glows. Cost me some gold to buy it and pay for itself already." Laughing evilly.


    The ring flares up for a second as the back of Kevin''s skull cave in from the handle of the dagger striking him.


    Tex rushes over to the corner of the house, looking for the other sentry. Upon seeing a shadow from the rising moon moving toward him. Tex reverses the dagger and plunges it up into the man''s stomach and behind the rib cage into the man''s heart. Cleaning off the blade and searching the bodies, he found some silver and a few coppers, as well as the ring. Looking the ring over, he slips it onto his finger as the ring glows briefly before the glow faded away. Two spells came to mind at that moment. Thorns and Plant Growth. The spell Thorns was the ability to fling nearby thorns as if they are darts. The requirement requires thorny plants or thorns to cast the spell. The spell Plant Growth allows a person to make plants grow individually or over an area until they mature or mana stops. Raising an eyebrow, Tex looks surprised.


    The knowledge that he can do more than healing and detect traps make him happy and a little bit scared at the same time. This type of magic is real magic, not the fake magic you see on television! Pulling out several thorns, he had wrapped up. He raises his hand with the ring and imitates the flow of finger movement that appeared in his head. He watches with a blink of an eye as one of the thorns embeds itself into the mud wall not more than ten feet away. Wide eye, he just stares at the spot where the thorn was embedded in the wall. Feeling a little bit tire from casting the spell, he moved over to the wall, and he tries to pull out the thorn. Only to realize it is firmly embedded in the wall. Shrugging and thinking, ''Oh. Well.'' Tex looks toward the house as he pulls out several more thorns that he hand wrapped up earlier and walk up to the front door to knock.

 Chapter Fifteen - Birth of a Child.

    Knocking on the door, like the sentry did earlier, got the result that he wanted. The door opens as the old man stuck his head out as a thorn smash through his eye, killing the old man before he even realizes what happens. Tex slams the door open while shoving the old man into two other two men that were sitting on some chairs around the table. Knocking the men down upon the dirt floor into an entanglement of arms and legs. Tex pulls his short sword out of it sheath and blocks a dagger that was come up at him as another man rush forward, trying to slam the dagger into his guts. The sword and dagger locks into a strength versus strength battle over who will break free from their deadlock of blades. The fourth man in the room rush toward him as Tex sends another thorn that slams into the man¡¯s chest, knocking onto his butt. The man stares down at the blood staining his chest before falling over to his side dead.


    Tex curses as he misses the man¡¯s head and instead of hitting the chest. If the man had a breastplate on, he might have survived, and it would have been a different outcome. Tex grunted as the man with the dagger tries to kick him while their blades locked together. Tex sends another thorn dart to slam into the man¡¯s manhood sending shockwaves threw out the man¡¯s body as he collapses to the floor.


    Tex stomps upon the man¡¯s throat, ensuring the man¡¯s death and hearing the tangle men cursing as they stagger to their feet. Tex glances down and seeing that there was only one thorn that was left. The man with the sword was more of a threat to him while the other man was still pinned somewhat by the old dead guy. He still needs to get him out of the way first. Casting the spell once more cause a feeling of tiredness to rush through his body as the thorn flew into the swordsman¡¯s throat. Tex staggers forward, plunging his blade into the choking man¡¯s chest, pushing him back onto the other man about to break free. The other man could only see someone rushing at him, so instinctively thrust his dagger at the person only to realize it was the back of one of his buddies. The dagger misses two ribs and went to the hilt into his friend¡¯s back as they both fell back onto the ground. Unbeknownst to the man that his buddy was already dead before his dagger plunge into the body. Tex staggered over and killed the last man trapped under the bodies on the floor.


    Shaking his head to shake the dizziness, he felt. He looks around and not seeing any more threats. He staggers over to a small table with a pitcher of water, feeling as if he about to pass out. Laying the sword onto the table, he lifts the pitcher and taking a long drink before pouring the rest of the water over his head to dispel the dizziness. Shaking his head flinging water all around, he stares at a door to the back of the room as he hears a woman screaming in pain. It must be the elf that is about to give birth. Gabbing the sword he laid on the table, he rushes and slams into the door knocking a woman to the floor that was trying to listen to see what was going on. Another woman ran at him, screaming with a dagger in her hand. Tex blocks the woman¡¯s arm that was holding the dagger and pushed the dagger away from him as he punches the woman in the face sending her to the floor. Rolling several times and slam into the wall and falling unconscious. The sound of a baby crying grabs his attention as he sees an old woman backing away with a newly born baby in a blanket holding a knife.


    ¡°Get back! I will kill it if you do not let me go!¡± The old woman spatted out. If there is ever was a way of describing the woman before him. The word would be an old hag.


    The woman is only two steps away from him. The old woman looks toward the door trying to decide if she can make it. Upon seeing the number of bodies in the other room, her eyes got wide for a moment. Tex stares behind her, using his eyes like he is trying to hint at someone to do something. She spun around, waving the dagger as Tex rush forward and grab the arm holding the knife from behind. He drops his sword to grab the baby in the blanket while spinning the woman back around while slamming a kick into her stomach, knocking her into the wall. The old woman rebound off the wall and fell face-first into the floor, moaning in pain from some broken ribs. Tex set the baby down on the table and grab the old woman by the hair and lifted her head to slam another punch into her face knocking her out. Breathing heavy Tex let the rage in him flow out as he regulated his breathing. Tex glare at the third girl that he knock to the floor, daring her to do something the young woman only whimper as she balls up on the floor crying in fear. Tex moves over to the bed, where the elven woman is lying in a pool of sweat and blood. He can see that the woman was tied to the bed with her legs apart. He was rubbing his hands together and the place one on the elven woman¡¯s head and the other on her chest. The green light of healing energy flows out of him into the woman as if a flood gate opens up inside of him. A minute later, his knees buckle as he collapses onto the dirt floor. Breaking contact with the woman, he sat there panting as the baby continues to wail on the table. Staggering back to his feet, he checks on the baby while using the table to steadying himself. The baby looks cute as he gently picks up the bundle and wipes the blood off the baby¡¯s face. Seeing long pointed ears on the baby, he turn and stare at the woman on the bed, seeing that she has long pointed ears sticking out of her pure white hair that lay in a mess around her as the woman lay there unconscious. Sitting the baby down, he glares down at the Three women in the room that is on the floor. In this world, he not found any laws. The only justice is what the nobles deems just and noble to them. These people are human trafficker that deal with slavery in this world. From Joseph¡¯s memories, about over two-thirds of the population are slaves or serfs that are bought and forced to work the land or workshop for the nobles. Those that serve in the local military and survive for ten years can become freemen. They can rent land to grow plants or raise animals, at which point the nobles will take half or more for themselves. These slave traders use war and racism to justify kidnapping and selling people for their greed, dragging the three women out the building to one of the wagons. He pulls off some rope and bound them after searching them for any weapons or items on them, finding a bag around the old woman neck that was dangling between her sagging breasts. Tex pulls the bag off her neck and found several pieces of gold and silver inside along with two pieces of wood with a brand on them. Recognizing one of the brands, he pulls out the token he had and sees that they are the same crest, frowning he tosses women into the cage wagons and locks it. Looking at all three, the young woman look to be in her early teens with black hair, her face, and what skin showing in the rags she is wearing are black and blue marks all over her body. Shaking his head, he will have to figure that out in the morning.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Going back inside and check on the baby and seeing that it is sleeping. He then checks on the elven woman and senses that she is not doing well. Checking her pulse and realizing her pulse is low, he stares at the elven face. The woman is gorgeous far beyond any supermodel he ever saw. The woman had long white hair that goes to her small waist, the fact her hair was dirty, and sweaty still did not take away from her beauty. She looks to be just under five feet in height and petite to the point he could wrap both hands around her waist and touch. Small breast that he can see under the flimsy blanket fits her small frame. Looking over at the baby and then the woman, shaking his head, knowing he was going to have to uncover the woman to feed the baby soon if she doesn¡¯t wake up soon.


    ¡°The elf is dying if you want to save her come to me in the woods.¡± A female voice spoke in his head as if two women were speaking at the same time.


    ¡°She only has a few hours to live, giving birth she transfer most of her mana into the child. As weak as she was before birth, the transfer has caused her to weaken to the point that she will die soon. If you try to heal her again, she will suck out your mana and kill you. If she does that, you will force her onto a path of a dark elf.¡± once again, the voice fills his head.


    ¡°Who are you! Show yourself,¡± Looking around the room, drawing the sword.


    ¡°I am called Ella. I am a nature fairy trap in the woods. I can heal her, but I need your help. Come and find me I am not far. I know you can sense me!¡± A woman¡¯s voice spoke in his head. At that moment, he heard a noise from a door at the back of the room. He grabbed the sword off the floor and walked over to the door while ignoring the voice in his head.


    Tex leaned against the door and heard some more noises rustling in the room beyond the door. Looking down at the door and seeing that it is latch from this side. Pulling the latch open, he shouldered his way into the room. He was hearing screams and cries of frightening children, letting his eyes adjust as the smell of urine, feces, and death assault his nose. In the far corner of the room, several dozens of children are huddle together on the dirt floor. On the floor, itself were several bodies of dead children. Anger flares up for a moment before he put away the sword.


    Shaken by the scene before him, he found his voice, ¡°I¡¯m here to rescue you. The bad people are gone. Anyone here older enough to help me?¡± Looking over the group of children that range in age from two to ten years of age, over two-thirds are girls. Several minutes past as both sides stare at each other. Finally, Tex spotted two girls and a boy that looks about ten years of age. Pointing at the three of them, he waves them over to him.


    ¡°Can you three, step forward? Please,¡± he asked softly.


    A boy steps forward, placing himself in front of the two girls. All three are cover in filth.


    ¡°I have a woman that needs help. She is an elf in the next room that had a baby. I need to help her and save the baby. If you help me, I find a way to get you all home or find you a good family.¡± Pausing for a moment, looking at all the children. ¡°I promise not to hurt you or sell you. I need your help,¡± seeing them still staring at him. Reaching into a pouch and grab a handful of copper coins and toss them to the ground in front. A dozen kids leap on the coins as the older boy tried to get everyone back behind him.


    ¡°There more if you all help me. Does anyone know those children¡¯s names pointing at the dead children.¡± Everyone in the room shakes there head, indicating that they don¡¯t know.


    ¡°I do,¡± the little boy about ten years old spoke up. ¡°They are my brothers Roy and Kirk and my cousin Sissy.¡± The little boy stares at the ground, wearing a bag like a shirt with holes cut for his arms and neck, blood and mud cover all of them, and the smell in the room still makes him want to gag. Seeing the children make his heartache.


    Crouching down, he looks at the boy. ¡°We will bury them and make sure to leave a marker.¡± Tex pulls out a dagger from his boot. All the children scream as he flips the dagger around in his hand; he held out hilt first to the boy.


    ¡°This is your to help protect them.¡± Handing him the knife. If you find any more knives, give them to the older children.¡±


    The feeling from the woods behind the house is getting stronger. Checking on the woman and the baby, Tex waves one of the girls over, ¡°When the baby wake makes sure to baby feed.¡±


    The girl look puzzle. He points at the woman¡¯s breasts until the girl¡¯s eyes widen in understand as she nods. Tex turns and walks over to the boy.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go out and make sure no one is around. Keep the door lock, and don¡¯t open it unless it is me. If anyone shows up, I will take care of them. Get together food and anything of use so we can leave.¡± Watching the boy nodded his head, he turned to leave and stop to look back at the boy. ¡°Have everyone decide what they want to do after we get you all to safety.¡±


    ¡°You are going to free us?¡± the boy asked.


    ¡°Why do you think I gave you a knife? If I wanted to kill you or sell you, I would have locked the door and left you in that room.¡± Staring at the boy, ¡°What your name?¡±


    ¡°Timmy, I mean, Tim.¡± Puffing out his chest as he straightens up, trying to look bigger.


    Smiling to himself, Tex rubs the ten-year-old boy¡¯s head, ¡°By the way, my name is Tex, watch over everyone while I am scouting the area, so I am counting on you. I will be back by daylight.¡± as he walks out of the building and stopping to look back. ¡°Have everyone decide what they want to do when I get back.¡± pulling the door shut.


    Hearing the latch on the door drop into place, he headed toward the woods.

 Chapter Sixteen - Trapped Sprite

    Tex check on the three women bound up in the wagon. Seeing that the two older women were sleeping, and the younger girl was sobbing. He Tex turns and heads toward the woods while scanning the area for any hidden enemies. The presence in his head steers him deep within the woods. Most of the trees here look to be several hundreds of years old that would have made a lumberjack drool at the number of board feet they would get from just one tree. Stopping by one of the trees, he crouches and watches the woods for any movement. His mind is continually going over the problem of what to do with all the people he had to rescue. He had a notion to just flee into the northern lands and carve out a place to have a ranch. But now his damn heart can''t stop him from rescuing strays. It will be doubtful he can find a safe home for even a fourth of the people he encountered. He is not a cad that wants to sleep with every woman he rescues. He can see just from the faces of half of the women he saves would sleep with him if he even shows them an ounce interest. Shaking his head in defeat as he watches a possum-like creature that twice the size of one on earth ambles through the woods.


    Winter will hit in a month from Joseph''s memories. The farmstead that he sent the others to is out of the way. Unless you travel a few miles off the beaten track, it would be hard on anyone to spot or even find the place. No one has checked the farm other than Joseph in the last year or two. The storage cellars of the nearby farms may have some food that been harvest before this little war started. Considering most of the men were grab soon after harvest season.


    Glancing around, Tex moves deeper into the woods until he came upon a stone marker that was about six feet tall and a foot square. Carve into the stone is some runes, as his hand move close, they begin to glow. Taking his hand away from the runes, they return to normal.


    "I am past that totem that is trapping me in this place. There are three more that surround me. Destroy them, and I will give you the ability to help your friends."


    Tex snorted. "Sorry, no deal, I came because you said you could heal the elven mother!"


    "Free me, and I will tell you what you need." The woman wail.


    Tex thought for a moment and said, "Tell me how to free her, and if it works, I will destroy one of the four totems you said trapping you here."


    Tex waited a good twenty minutes in silence, not knowing what the voice will do. While he waited, he found two of the totems figuring he find the last one just a few feet past some tree, making a six hundred square feet area. While searching, he found a fragmented skull and some parts of a human bone. Bury under years of dirt and debris. He found two rings that were buried in the soil along with bones of two hands of a person. The teeth of the broken skull he found were two fangs like the vampire movies he seen as a kid.


    "So, a vampire lock you in?"


    "Yes! His name was Finnegan Blood, a blood mage that turns himself into a vampire. He thought to still my life to make him more living than dead." She pauses. "Three hundred paces to your left, you can find a bush with berries. Picking a handful of the purple berries and crush them until they are pool in a liquid. Take the seed and pulp out and add a mouthful of water and stir until thoroughly mixed, Pour the liquid into her mouth and make sure she drinks all of it. Await one hundred heartbeats and cast your healing spell. It should save her, after you are done, destroy that totem," pausing for a moment, "please!"


    "Alright, when the woman is safe, I will destroy one of the totems. For the others, we will have to discuss that later." Tex turns and went to the spot and found the berry bush.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    As she watches the mortal head to the bush, the pile of leaves and branches gave a snort. "Why must I put my life in the hands of this mortal. His soul does not belong to that body. The people of this world will eat him. Too much kindness in his soul." The leaves move as the wooden face of a girl stares up at the heavens. "I do not like the fact that you are forcing me to bind with this mortal. What do I get out of this other than my freedom?"


    Snorting again, "Companionship is overrated. I can survive on my own thank you very much."


    Fluster, she growls, "Not my fault that I got trapped!"


    As the creature in the tree argue with an unknown source. Tex was able to pick about two cups of berries. For some strange reason, the word Soul Berries came to the forefront of his mind. Seeing a green glow on the berries and the roots at the base of the grow glowing. Looking around, he can see plants with green glows, red glows, and a lot with no glows at all. Checking a few of the red, he can see blood-red berries on some and sticky thorns on others. Words like Death Berries and Weeping Thorns came to his mind. Several other plants that did not glow words like Lick weed, Grap thorn, Kew grass would pop up in his mind. Several oaks and cedar trees were pointed out as well as a Maple tree that he marks with his knife. The glow faded away as he staggers and leans against a tree. From start to finish, the information that flows into his mind was about five minutes.


    "That was a nature spell that you somehow invoke. It is called Plant Identification. The spell allows you to identify plants that are safe to eat, use in potions, and what plants are poisonous that could be used in making stronger poison. As you get stronger in using it and more knowledge you can glean from the spell. More you use a spell, the longer you can cast it." Ella''s voice spoke in his head again.


    "Do you even know what privacy is?"


    "Okay, youngling, I won''t tell you about the goblins nearby then!" The presence of Ella in his mind abruptly disappears.


    "Goblins?" he mutters under his breath. The only thing he knows about goblins from his world is what he read in books or watch on TV. The stories that Joseph knows about goblins are about what the local knows about them. Goblins come down from the barren lands to the north to raid in the fall for food. Grabbing up livestock and people to use as food, using the women for breeding purposes, and living behind destroy farms and towns depending on their size. Sometimes in the winter, if the goblins don''t have enough food, they will rush to the south and wiping out large areas feeding upon anything living. The goblin will only stop when they encounter a strong force that destroys most of their tribes or when the weather becomes warmer, and the vast herds in the north move south again in the plains and barren lands.


    Signing to himself as he looks around and seeing movement to the west of him heading toward the farm. Spotting a total of four strange-looking creatures that stand only waist-high moving through the woods. Zooming in with his eyesight, he can see they are pale orange in color and wrinkly in their skin. They have donkey-like ears that hang down. Pug like noses with small tusks protruding out of their wide mouth. The small amount of hair like weeds sprouting from their forehead, Long thin legs and arms that nearly drag on the ground. Their potbelly is sticking out. Two of the Goblin are carrying sharpen sticks over their shoulder. The other two do not look like they are carrying any weapons unless you don''t call claws as weapons.


    Tex still feels tired from the spell, trying to decide on where he should attack the goblins from as he pulls the bow off his back and sting the bow.


    Looking around for any more goblins, he moves stealthily through the woods, trying to keep a large tree between him and them, still feeling tired as he stops at one of the trees and sees the Stinky Thornbush next to it. Taking his knife and cutting off about ten thorns, he moves on to another tree and seeing the four goblins arguing and pointing toward the farm that is about a thousand feet away. After a few moments, two goblins split up from the other two and move to the north. The other two goblins spread out and started crawling on their belly like dogs. Tex grabs an arrow and pulls it back to fire at one of the goblins when he heard sounds of creatures running from the west.

 Chapter Seventeen - The Woods

    Tex was about to look around until he saw a coyote looking in the direction of the sound of running feet. The coyote was standing with its hair on its neck ruffle up, and he was snarling. Looking at the trees around him and can see one tree just a few steps away with a sturdy branch low enough to jump up and pull himself up. Looping the bow over his shoulder and taking the steps he needed for him to launch himself up onto the limb. Standing against the tree as he heard the sound and scream of the four goblins fighting six wolves. Pulling the bow out and notching an arrow, he turns to sight down on the battle. Two of the goblins were dead, and one of the wolves was lying on its side while three others were sporting injuries. One of the Wolves was bigger than the others. Sighting at a wolf to the back, Tex let loose the arrow killing the wolf. Leaning back against the tree, seeing if anyone notices he watch as the two goblins with the homemade spears keep the wolves at bay with their back to a tree.


    Ten minutes later, both goblins have several injures to their legs and feet. One had his left arm mangle up. Another wolf lay dead at their feet as the injure wolves weave around, trying to find an opening. Pulling back another arrow, releasing it to another wolf that stood off to one side, killing it as one of the goblins was pulled down by two of the wolves in a frenzy. The other goblin look resigns on dying. It plunges his spear into one of the wolves tearing into his fellow hunter, killing the beast but breaking the spear. While looking around in fear for a weapon or an escape route, the goblin spots the other spear on the ground just as he sees a wolve larger than the others step forward snarling at him, daring him to grab the spear. Tex was about to release another arrow into the wolf that kills the goblins when he saw the resigned look on the goblin face and something click in him. He had seen the same look on his brothers when it looks hopeless. Firing off one, then another arrow within moments, the first arrow enter shoulder of the alpha wolf. Then the second slam into the belly of the wolf as it slams back from the impact. The goblin saw a chance to grab the spear and row with it and plunge it into the wolf''s chest. The beast leaps forward, ramming more of the spear into it and fell hard against the goblin trapping it under its weight. The wolf twitches a few times before going. Still, the goblin under the wolf didn''t move.


    Tex with a smug proud look on his face slips on the branch, slamming down onto his chest on the branch knocking the breath out of him. With a stunning look on his face, the bow slip on down to the ground as Tex hit the ground on his face with enough force to knock what little breath he had out of him. Tex wheezes hard for a breathe as his face turns red, and his eyes were budging out. Tex lay his head back on the ground thumping it on a rock. Seeing stars and gasping for breath, Tex could only lay there helplessly as he regains his breath and his vision. A few minutes later, he sits up and looks around while wincing in pain from a headache. Tex Staggers to his feet, holding his head.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    "I have been staggering too much today." muttering under his breath.


    Picking up the bow and shouldering it as he walks over to the large wolf. Seeing a goblin still alive under the wolf, he pulls out his sword. The noise of the blade leaving the sheath woke up the goblin. It screams.


    "Mercy! Master! Mercy!" The goblin repeats over and over while covering its eyes cringing.


    Tex pause and try to slam the blade down, each time he stops until finally put the sword away and crouch next to the goblin.


    "What am I going to do with you?" shaking his head in annoyance at himself.


    "Okay, what use are you to me? Speak up!" Tex in angry.


    The goblin peeks around his arm at Tex with one eye shut the other open, thinking the human was going to trick him. Seeing the human glaring at him, he finally got the courage to speak. "Yuk can be a slave. Yuk can be a good slave! Master can beat the slave. Slave eat very little!"


    Shaking his head Tex looks at the pathetic goblin trap under the wolf. "How I know you not stab me in the back and flee?" glaring at the goblin.


    Yuk made a look like he was trying to think only to make a face like he was trying to shit. After a moment, it was like a light bulb came on over the little goblin head. "Yuk, make a magic contract with the Master! Yuk will do this. Master will trust Yuk!"


    "Magic contract?" Tex mutter.


    Ella''s voice once again floods his head, making him wince in pain from the twin voices. "Magic contract is a blood contract that the person uses his blood and swearing to the gods the conditions of the contract. If both are in agreement, they must let their blood fall to the ground as a sacrifice. Binding to their oath to the gods. Only when conditions are met will the contract ends. If one or the other renege on the contract, the one that does will die!"


    "Master does not want a contract?" both eyes open fearfully.


    Tex shut his eyes as his headaches pound. Casting a healing spell on himself, the pain fades away. "Okay, Yuk, Swear to me that you will be my slave and obey me, and not to harm anyone unless I tell you too."


    Yuk look at him and look at his hand and look back at Tex. Once again, the light bulb went off again. "I Yuk, swear to be, be... Master, Yuk. No. Not what your name is?"


    Sighing, "It is Tex."


    Yuk think hard again and nods his head, I Yuk, Swear to be Master Tex slave and obey him, Yuk no harm anyone unless Master tells me too. Until Yuk can die a long, long time!" Yuk bite his arms, letting the blood fall to the ground.


    Tex grimaced Yuk, biting himself as he pulls a knife out and prick his little finger and squeeze out a few drops of blood on the top of Yuk''s blood on the ground. A massive white glowing light whips around the blood drawn into the air, forming a scroll with words that he does not understand and two splats of blood at the bottom. The wording change to the oath before the scroll faded away.


    Tex stood there with a look of surprise and his eye wide open.


    "Master, can you free me? Wolf, very heavy."

 Chapter Eighteen - The Goblin

    Tex stares at Yak under the dead wolf. "What use would I want a slave like you?" glaring at Yak.


    Yak''s eyes went wide in fright. He has always been pick on by his family and tribe. Because of his bigger size, he never uses his strength to fight, but he uses his brain to get out of problems. Sure he could kill many of his brethren, but the idea of killing just to kill revolted him. Maybe the stories he heard that his mother bless him before she killed herself at his birth. The males outnumber the females by a hundred to one. So breeding with other females of different species allow the goblins to grow in population. It was those that breed with a beast that comes out dumber that sticks. But his mother was a fay that was capture and bred by who knows which father. Maybe the fact he hated to eat intelligent meat made him different. He feasted on animals instead. Yak shook his head to get back on thought. It was his mother''s blessing that kept them from killing him. Maybe the same blessing will keep this human from killing him. He really wants to live and learn more from the books he found and listening about human stories to learn more. Maybe one day, he can change the way his kinfolk looks at the world. Yak saw that the human was getting impatient.


    Yak looks at the other dead wolves around him. An idea pops into his mind. "Master! Yak knows how to skin wolves good and know how to cut wolves to feed!"


    Tex looks at the wolves that are lying around, thinking if this goblin is being truthful, then he could use a helper may be the goblin can keep an eye in the woods to aid him. "Take the skin off the wolves carefully and roll them up. I want them. Bury your friends, after that you can keep the rest of the meat I only want the hind legs off of two of the wolves." Thinking he needs to feed the children.


    "You can go after you clean up the place. I am freeing you so you can return to your family. But if I see you around here with any of your friends, I will kill you and all of them. Is that understood?"


    Yak nodded his head shock at being freed after he skin the wolves. "Yak understands Master. Yak will do good on fur. Yak will bury brethren. Yak will do good! Yak understand! Yak will do good work!"


    Tex drags the massive wolf off the goblin. The goblin is so ugly that it is cute, with its donkey-like ears and its big eyes and a white patch of hair on his head. He could see lots of kids would love this goblin if it were a doll. Seeing it in real like would probably cause them nightmares. Now that he has the berries, he needs to heal the woman.


    "Set the furs and meat at the edge of the woods by that house." Pointing in the direction of the house. "Then you can leave." Turning and headed to the house.


    Tex stops and tosses a knife that embedded into the ground scaring Yak. "Keep it. It is for you to keep."


    Yak stares at the knife in wonder he never had a knife, only sharpen rocks and sticks. To the goblins having a knife like this is consider being rich and powerful! His eyes went wide at remembering another goblin, Hak or Mak, no, it was Hak found a knife and the chief kill him for it. Looking up and seeing the human was gone. He stares in the directing of where the human went. Yak realizes he will have to hide the knife. He must think about how he is going to explain the skinned meat. His eyes lite up. Yak will say a group of men kill his brethren and that they skin the wolves and when he woke up from being hit! Humans kill everyone and miss him, so he stole the wolf''s meat and ran. If he asks, he will say many hands worth of men since the chief is dumb and can not count. Hopping up, he began to skin the wolves. It will take him a few hours to skin then bury his brethren. The concept of burying his kin is new to him. The goblins eat their dead. He tried to eat his dead brethren once and spit it out and got clubbed a few times. After that, he took his food and gave it to the children and pretend to eat.


    Tex watches as Yak skin the first wolf and is satisfied that the little goblin will do what he said. Still, he not too trusting of the thing. Heading back to the farm, he stops to look in on the three women and found that the two older women throats were slit, but the younger girl was still sleeping. Looking around and checking for tracks and saw some coming and going back to the house. The lone barefoot print was all he found, and after looking over the footprints, he can tell it was a kid about ten to twelve years old, so it either the boy or one of the girls. More likely, the boy. Tex grabs the bound sleeping girl that became so scared that she peed all over herself. He carries the wet girl inside after knocking on the door and saying who he was. Walking in and seeing the boy, he deposits the girl on the floor in front of the boy.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    "Did you kill the two old women in the wagon? Well?" Glaring at the boy. The boy was looking down at the teenage girl name Ema that the two old ladies made into a servant, the girl was kind to the children and pretended to be mean when one of the old ladies was nearby. The girl was staring up at him in fear as a shortsword drop on the ground next to her.


    "If you are going to do the job, then do it right. You might as well finish the job then! There the sword pick it up and finish it!" Tex glare at him.


    The boy stares at the frightened girl as tears roll down her face to drop on the floor. Shaking his head as he bunches up his fist, he stares at Tex in the eyes defiantly. "No!"


    Tex smiled to himself as he narrows his eyes and glare at the defiant boy. "Why? Easier to kill two old women and not a pretty young girl? Tex sneers down at the boy.


    "Ema protected us as best she could, slipping in food that was hers to feed the little ones. She is as much a slave as we are!" he yells back. Then with fear, he jumps in front of Ema when Tex pick up and sword. "You''re not going to hurt her!" Spreading his arms as the other three girls got behind him.


    Tex arch an eyebrow upon seeing the three girls standing behind the boy. Staring down at the girl on the floor that is a few years older than the boy, he made a decision.


    Looking at Ema, "You have a family?"


    Putting the sword away, he bends down and stops when the boy blocks him. "I need to take off the gag," Tex said.


    The boy crouch down and tenderly took the gag off.


    Ema look passes the boy and shakes her head, "No, sir, all dead." Her voice cracks.


    "Alright, you and these three are his responsibility." Thumping the boy on his head. "You are responsible for them. Food, shelter, supplies, and protection." tossing him a silver. "That your wage each month if your willing to work for me. If the girls are willing to be under your protection, they can stay; if not, they can figure out what to do with their lives. The door is right there, or they can follow me to a camp of refugees I am helping."


    Seeing the three girls look at each other. They look at him with hero worship on their faces. Tex looks at the boy and chuckles to himself. Boy, you got your hands full, going to be worse on you because I am going to have these girls and other women learn to think for themselves and not let a man do it for them. I''m not going to have a bunch of women relying on men to protect them. I know this world doesn''t treat women as equals, but it doesn''t mean I have to treat them like property.


    Looking down at Ema, "You can go, stay, follow me or be under his protection. What say you?


    Ema looks at the young man about her age, asking her the question. He really is good looking but scare the hell out of her when he was threatening to kill her. Licking her dry lips and he looks at the kind boy next to her, although he is a few years younger than her, Timmy acts years older. She had seen him protect the children and look kindly on her when she tried to care for them. Emma lost her virginity to some man that the old women toss her to, and the man forcefully raped her. She hid after with the children while being consoled by the boy. He told her many times that night that he will protect her if they escape.


    Ema turns to the man, "I will stay with Timmy."


    Tex nods his head, "Okay, kid. You are their protector. I will make you a spear. It will be easier to use than a sword at your size. A sword is useless right now until you grow taller. So as for your first task, you can get someone to help you bury those dead women and the children that died here and outside." Pointing outside.


    "After that, cleaning up the wagons. Look around and find all the tools in the place and load them on one of the wagons. I will help you move two of the wagons and hide them. Water the horses and stake them on new grass. Understood?" Watching him nod.


    "Good! If you do a good job, I will increase your pay when we get to safety. I am going to go care for the mother of the baby." Looking around the kitchen and finding a pestle and bowl. Smiling with satisfaction and then chuckling at the boy as Timmy helps the young lady off the floor. You are in a world of problems, boy, as he can see the looks of adoration on the girls'' faces as they stare to the young kid. Heading into the room, he can see the elven woman looking bad as she lay on the bed. He can see that she is barely breathing. Closing the door and started crushing the berries as he keeps glancing at the woman. Taking out the seed and pulp, he added water and mix. Rush over to her, he tries to open the woman''s mouth and can''t get her teeth to open up. Sensing he doesn''t have much time, he pinches her nose as he blocks her breathing as her mouth opens a bit but not enough to pour the juice in and cast the spell. He stares at the mouth and looks toward the door.