After a bit more conversation, it was decided that those who were traveling to the other village with me would be Cici, Clarissa, Delphia, Serena, and Valerie. Serena had insisted that she remain by her mother's side, and with that look in her eyes, none of us could refuse her. Valerie simply wanted to remain with her friend, but she also seemed to express great interest in remaining near Delphia as well, and I could do nothing but smile at that.
I had convinced everyone else to stay put, and help rebuild the village and help its people. Sheila in particular looked a bit put out, but there was not much I could do about that. It would just be a lot easier to have a smaller group go to this other village, and after some nice words, and some gentle head pats, Sheila agreed to stay here, a low rumble coming from her throat as I rubbed her head, and scratched her ears.
Benji was not going to leave Alina's side, and since she wasn't going, neither was he. Delphia was insistant that her husband stay here and help with rebuilding and the reorganization of the village as well. He protested a lot, almost to the point where I tried to suggest we just let him come along, but Delphia was a stubborn woman, and after some gentle words, and a few soft kisses, Benarious reluctantly agreed, but he made me promise that she would not be harmed.
"No one will lay a hand on her or anyone else. I promise. If they try, they won't be able to do anything ever again." I said, and my words seemed to placate the man, as he nodded at me.
With that out of the way, I waited for Delphia to get properly dressed. She had just thrown on some stuff to cover herself before, but now she wore something that barely showed off any skin besides her arms, as well as her feet, as she opted to wear a pair of what looked like sandals. The outfit could do nothing to hide the ridiculous swell of her chest, but I did my best to not pay attention to that. Like Cici's mother, Delphia really did look like she was more like Serena's slightly older sister, rather than her mother. She was a beautiful woman, I could admit that much.
"I'm ready." Delphia said, coming up to myself, Cici, Clarissa, Serena, and Valerie, who were all waiting patiently for her.
Benarious was walking with her, his hand in hers as they stopped right in front of us. Delphia turned to him, and gave him a captivating smile that I could see was melting the man's insides. He reminded me of myself. Hopelessly in love. She leaned in and kissed the man, and I coughed and had to turn away as she began to snake her tongue into the man's mouth, who didn't protest in the least.
Serena groaned and hid her face in her hands, Valerie watched almost curiously, and my girls? Well, they just snickered as they smiled at the scene. I would guess this was how people felt when Cici showed me affection in public all of the time, and like Benarious, I couldn't give a fuck less what people thought about that. Delphia let her husband breathe after a few moments, and put her hand on his cheek.
"Don't worry, dearest. I will be fine. From what I heard, Raizen's family, and their village, don't seem anything like he was." She comforted him, before her gaze turned to me, and she grinned, "Besides, even if they do cause problems, there's no way our daughter's future mate would let anything happen to me."
I coughed into my hand. This woman unapologetically blunt, that was for sure. Serena's cheeks had turned so red that I thought her face would catch fire.
"Oh gods..." Serena mumbled as she once again buried her face into her hands.
Cici and Clarissa just giggled like schoolgirls, meanwhile Benarious actually looked at me after she said that, and slowly nodded.
"I see. That makes sense. Elias, please make sure to keep my wife and daughter safe." He said, his earnest request schooling my features as I gave him a nod. I could worry about Delphia playing matchmaker later.
With all of that out of the way, and everyone else saying their goodbyes and telling us to come back safe, I summoned my wings, making several people gawk at me. Delphia stared at me in wonder, as did her husband, Alina, her parents, and many nearby villagers.
"Now." I said, and then I looked down, at the still form of Garreth, who had been laying on the ground in front of me, silent and unable to move, "Show me the direction of your village, and remember this if you decide to lead me in the wrong direction."
I punctuated my words by sending a massive aura of killing intent towards him, and it was such that his eyes widened so much I think they actually split, tears leaking from his eyes as I bombarded him with my aura. Once I thought it was sufficient, I retracted my aura, and gave him the best villainous smirk I could muster.
"Blink twice if you understand?" I asked him, and he actually blinked several times, fear the only thing present behind his eyes, making me grin.
"You... are an interesting boy, aren't you?" Delphia asked me, and I chuckled, as I was about to show her just how interesting I was.
"Hang on tight." I said, and before Delphia could muster a reply, I wrapped her, as well my the other women coming with me, in my Abyssal energy, and began to lift off the ground with them at the same time.
"EEE!" Delphia squeeked in the most girlish sound I'd ever heard in my life, which made the other girls begin giggling hysterically.
"You're safe. Calm down." I said, making sure that the flight would be as comfortable for the women as I could make it, while also making sure Garreth had an unpleasant experience.
As we continued ascending into the sky, Delphia's eyes bugged out more and more, but slowly, she began to even out her breathing as she got used to the feeling of flying. It must be a little unpleasant just having someone else control your flight, but I couldn't really do much about that. Not to mention, there's no chance I'd ever drop anyone.
"This is... fun..." Delphia said hesitantly, which just set off the girls' giggles again. The older woman actually pouted.
"I'm using my power to fly us. You won't fall, and I've made sure the wind won't affect us. You can also talk normally to all of us and we'll be able to hear you." I said, and she gave me a slow nod, looking down at the ground for a second, before closing her eyes and taking a few more deep breaths. I just chuckled under my breath.
As we reached a height where I could see for miles in all directions, I looked at Garreth, and made it so he could actually move his body and speak. The man gasped.
"PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!" He screamed suddenly, but then he choked as I used my power to cut off the airflow to his lungs.
"The only thing I want to hear out of your mouth is where to go. The only thing I want your body to do is point. If you don't, I will make the pain much, much worse. Understand?" I said, before letting him breathe again, and he took several deep breaths, the terror in his eyes making me grin.
He pointed quickly, his hand shaking as he pointed in a direction to my left, although which direction exactly, I couldn't say. I didn't have a compass or anything like that.
"That way! You see that cluster of trees there??? The red and purple ones?? We passed that on the way here! We practically walked in a straight line from our village to here! Even if you don't see the village, you'll definitely see the Dead Lands once we are close enough!" He basically vomited the words in a continuous stream, and all I could do was smirk. I truly loved making assholes like him feel like this.
"Okay, let's go." I said, and with a flap of my wings, and a flex of my power, I set off, not too fast, but not too slow.
Truthfully, I just wanted to get this over with. I just got with Clarissa, and already I was taking care of all of these messes without even it being a full day. Not that I minded or didn't want to, but I really just wanted to lay around with my two loves, cuddling and having passionate sex. Still, I couldn't let something like this happen, especially not to the people I cared about. Not to mention, after meeting so many nice people, I was just glad I was able to do something good here.
The miles seemed to pass by in seconds, and Delphia could do nothing but stare in wonder, although her panicking and freaking out had subsided quite a bit. Now, it was just pure shock and awe. Garreth only spoke when I let him, making him point out other landmarks and making sure we were heading in the right direction. I knew he was telling me the truth by the feeling of his soul, although every time I looked at it, it still just made me want to brain the guy.
After about 10 or 15 minutes of flying, Delphia cleared her throat, having gotten pretty used to flying by this point once she realized it was really and truly safe.
"Elias, could you bring me closer?" She asked, and I gave her a strange look, but I slowly nodded, using my energy to pull her closer.
I brought her to my right side, just on the other side of Cici, who was occupying that side currently, while Clarissa had my left. Next to Clarissa, I had Valerie and Serena flying next to each other, who were talking quite animatedly, and I couldn't help but smile warmly as the smiles on their faces, and the giggles they shared. I was so glad they were vibing with each other this much.
"What did you want to talk to me about ma'am?" I asked politely, and Delphia covered her mouth with her hands, and giggled merrily.
"You truly are so cute. I want you to just call me by my name, Elias." She said, making my face heat a bit, which only made her laugh more. She continued after a moment, "I wanted to ask you about... well, your plans with my daughter? You didn't say you weren't interested in her." She asked me, quietly enough so that Serena couldn't hear her.
I felt... pretty awkward, not gonna lie. Thankfully, the direction of our travels hadn't changed since I had asked Garreth a few minutes ago, so I thought I should have some time to chat with her. She was just... very blunt and to the point, which I will admit I did appreciate.
"Well... you see..." I said, my SSS+ Intelligence doing nothing for me right now, "I do really like and care for her a lot. I haven't known her for very long, but she's a wonderful woman, and she is insanely beautiful." I answered, and Delphia smiled warmly at me.
"She is a doll, isn't she? I like the way you talk about her... about all of these lovely ladies. You can tell that you truly care about them and who they are. Them being gorgeous is just a bonus, am I right?" She said, and I actually chuckled, and nodded at her words.
"Yeah. That's right." I said, turning to look at my beautiful kitten, before my gaze shift to my gorgeous black haired cutie, "My loves are the most beautiful women in the world, but that's not why I love them so much. It's who they are, and also how they love and support me, that stole my heart."
Delphia's smile became gentle, and more genuine than I'd seen from her thus far. She looked at my girls with tender care.
"You must be busy, having so many women chasing after you." She said, and once again, I chuckled.
"It is. Honestly, I still can't believe it some days. The time before I had even met Cici, my life was... not good. It was dark, lonely, and painful." I said, my words causing a sad look to appear on Delphia's face, before I continued, "But that was then, and this is now. My life now is... pretty perfect. Yeah, things have been crazier than I'd like them to be, but I met these two, and I've met so many more people as well. I've made more friends than I'd ever thought I'd have in my life, and I found amazing women who truly love me... ones that I'd do anything for."
While Delphia smiled at me in a way only moms truly could, I felt the surge of emotions from my girls. There was sadness at knowing how my life had been, but there was also happiness for being a part of my life, and their loyalty and love at my heartfelt words about them both.
"You... have been through a lot, haven't you?" Delphia asked me, to which I nodded, before her gaze shifted over to Valerie, "And that sweet girl over there... she told me about some of her life. I... can't believe someone would take such a pure girl like her and treat her like they did. I'll admit, I think I fell in love with her almost immediately. I have this uncontrollable urge to be the mama that girl never had." Delphia said, her words causing my eyes to sting a bit.
Despite how this woman came off, or how she had acted so far, she was a truly kind person. I could sense that drive in her that she mentioned as well. Her soul radiated how pure hearted she was. After a moment, Delphia smiled, and spoke again.
"Is it safe to say that she's the reason why you are hesitating?" She asked, smirking, before adding, "Or maybe it's that adorable little Sheila? It could even be both."
I almost laughed at her calling Sheila little, but I didn't. Sheila was not tall, that was true, but she had strong and toned muscles. She wasn't massive, but her body was sculpted and refined, while sacrificing nothing about her femininity, evidenced by her fantastic tits, wide hips, and spectacular ass. She also hit the nail on the head.
"I've... spent more time talking to them, and getting to know them. Serena always seemed like she had a lot on her mind. I mean... of course she did, given what happen to you all." I said, Delphia smiling at me in a way that was both warm, but sad, "Valeire is just... too nice, and too cute not to like, while Sheila is strong, and not shy about telling me her feelings, even if I do think she's a lot softer on the inside than she lets on."
Delphia laughed good naturedly as she nodded at me.
"She is. I can tell she's been through something pretty trying in her life, but she's doing so well despite that. I want to get her to let some of that out... I think a good cry will be good for her." She said, and all I could do was smile at this incredibly sweet woman.
"Yeah, she's not good at talking about her feelings... but I think you're right." I said, before I looked at her with a grateful smile, "Thank you, Delphia. Those two have needed someone like you in their lives for a long time, and the fact that you've so readily accepted them like you have? It's very respectable."
The smile that she wore was one that was seared into my mind, because my own mother gave me that same exact smile. Although, this time, it didn't hurt, because my own mom was back, safe and sound at home. I couldn't wait to see her again.
"You act a lot older than you are, Elias." She said, before looking at her daughter, a proud smile on her lips, "That girl of mine... she looks so happy when she looks at you. I can see it in her eyes. You make her feel safe, and happy. That's why I asked my question. I want her to be with a good man, one who will treat her well, and one who will love her. Elias, if it's something she wants, will you do these things for her?"
My answer was so fast I think it surprised her.
"I will. I do have a lot of women in my life right now, but I'm coming to accept more and more each day that... the ones in my life care about me for more than just how I look, or how strong I am. Serena is no different, and I'd be lying to you if I said I didn't already have feelings for her. I'm just trying to make sure all of them get the proper time they deserve, while making sure I keep these two happy." I said, gesturing towards the women I loved.
"Well then, that's good enough for me. Just promise me, when the time does come, that you'll take good care of my little princess." She said softly, and I smiled warmly at her, and nodded.
Our travels were much more reserved after that, as Delphia went on to chat with my girls about more mundane topics like their likes and hobbies, and then onto more embarrassing topics like their relationship with me, and the things they liked about me. Soon though, not only did I see something that made me pause, but I actually felt it.
"Holy fuck.." I muttered, as I gazed towards the area that I could only assume was the Dead Lands.
For one, the area was indeed dead, at least from what I could see. As far as the eye could see, all I saw was... grey. Grey lands, dead and grey trees, and with various sharp landmarks and rock formations in various places that I could see. Despite this apparent dead state, the mana exuding from this area was dense, and seemed to be enclosed in this large landmass, while also leaking out into the surrounding area.
"That's... scary looking." Cici muttered from my side.
"That's the place Martin mentioned. And the place we are looking for." Clarissa said, and I nodded slowly.
"We aren't... going in there... are we?" Delphia asked nervously, looking around at everyone.
"I don't like it... it feels... very wrong." Valerie said.
"Even I can feel that from here, and I have to agree with Valerie. My instincts are telling me to stay as far away from there as possible." Serena said, and I just nodded as I continued to look at the place.
While I couldn't see anything from here, the place genuinely looked like a place that contained a localized apocalypse. I wouldn't be surprised if there were zombies or something like that in there. Still, Martin had said that the Dead Lands was also home to many powerful creatures, and I wasn't going to take the chance of going in there with any of the people that were with me. Besides, that wasn't my goal right now.
"No, we are going to the village. That place... it's unknown, and I won't risk any of you." I said, making all of the women sigh in relief.
I looked down at Garreth, who flinched at my gaze, and he began shaking, before he pointed a trembling finger towards the the right of the Dead Lands.
"There! You see the mountain? It's just at the base, near where you see all of the yellow leafed trees!" He said, and when I looked, I indeed saw the place he was talking about.
I wonder how that worked. I had assumed they were the Yellow Plains Tribe because of their blondish yellow fox fur, but now I wondered if it was because of the foliage. Either way, I adjusted course, and began flying that way. It was time to see how these people were, and more importantly, how they'd react to what we were about to tell them.