Jebidiahs Change Bk 02 Ch 01

Welcome back gentle reader

And I truly mean that whole heartedly, after a long delay, welcome back for book two. Jebidiah's stories are really just retelling of a long running D&D campaign as best I can recall with some spice mixed in. Book 1 was meant to set the stage for the current state of the kingdom and world that the game campaign was set in. This book includes the first adventure of the actual campaign, meant for level 1 and 2 characters fresh from the Academy. In the campaign they were still students on their final block and did not have an entire company set out with them, the adventure being recalled here was their third excursion on Academy business. I moved the story ahead some, establishing House Valor beforehand to make book one a better read.

While it may not be necessary to re-read or even do a first reading through book 1, it will help immensely to understand what led to the activities in this book. I strongly encourage new readers to check out that series first (sorry, kind of not sorry, for all the math at the beginning. It gets better, I promise, you can see the rise in ratings as the series goes on.) As is traditional, there will be lots of recapping in this first chapter as a reminder for returning readers or abbreviated introduction to the new. For those new to my works I will also add the warning that while there are explicit erotic scenes throughout, I do not write for titillation or gratuitous sex scenes and there may be chapters devoid of sex entirely if the story does not call for it.

My hiatus was longer than intended, the last year has been incredibly busy on the farm and time has turned into a precious commodity, until suddenly... BAM. It is winter and ice and snow is on the ground. I should be a bit more stable timewise during the winter down time and plan to hopefully crank out all of book two before taking another break. I also ran into an issue with a couple prospective editors so I am back to self-editing for the time being.

One last standard disclaimer for the new readers, multiply ages by roughly two to get equivalent Earth ages. Everyone is a consenting adult.

-- Somewhen, Somewhere --

Magard, Dark Queen of the Dead, Mistress of Demons, and countless other titles bestowed upon her by mortals, sat in a vast inky darkness of her own making, contemplating her next move. When forced to interact with the others -- especially her thrice-damned 'partner' and polar opposite, Avellar -- she endured the ubiquitous grays and lights that permeated their demesne. There was no need for the light; it was merely an archaic remnant of their time on the material plane. Eyes were outdated and cliché, and she hated them more than anything else. The universe deserved to be cloaked in darkness.

She needed to speak with Avellar about the current state of the game and the looming danger to their player but found herself procrastinating once again. She was fully aware of her shortcomings, but it took every fiber of her being to restrain herself from permanently silencing the foolish woman whenever they met. The Power would not look kindly on such an endeavor. The last time Magard gave into her frustration, she discovered it was still possible to feel pain.

Six of the twenty had combined forces on this fourth occurrence of the great game. Three champions were now bonded together in a union that was too strong to ignore. It was a bold move, to be sure, and Magard was both surprised and understanding of why it had not happened before. The Divine did not play well with each other -- ever. Even the Light played their power games with one another. Of more immediate concern to her was just where this triumvirate of players were inevitably going to end up. Should she pull her player back? Were the rewards worth the risk of pitting her player against their three so early in the game? What resources could she muster to lend support?

The thoughts weighed heavily on her mind, but even with the urgency they demanded, the other issue she was procrastinating on kept invading her thoughts. Why did the orc, Lashan, want to speak with her?

-- Chapter 1: South of Evergrow Woods --

-- Fourth Tenday of Juntaen 813 AGR --

Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.

- Asimov

Jebidiah Tonstar Valor woke slowly, his cobweb-addled brain fighting tooth and claw to fall back into the depths of sleep. With a final groan and great mental effort, he lifted himself off the sleeping mat in a series of convoluted motions to not disturb his wife, Dana Valor Tonstar, who was slumbering naked beside him. The sight of her lanky well-muscled form laid out in all her glory, her upper body framed by her vibrant red hair, made him question the sanity of leaving the tent. For the millionth time he thanked the Divine for arranging for him to be within proximity to her let alone married and bonded. With a final snort of disgust at his actions, he stepped out of the tent into the already warming morning, giving in to the urging of his bladder.

After relieving himself, he took notice of Corporals Hiro Yantzee and Michelle Simmons arranging their morning meal and joined them for a mug of coffee. Coffee was rare and considered an extravagance throughout the kingdom because of the difficulty of growing and cultivating it. It was in the second tenday of exploring their new lands that a scout found and returned with a large quantity of wild coffee berries. They were quickly canned and the pits roasted and ground. Joy, of course, was ecstatic at the discovery since it meant an immediate income stream for their newly founded House Valor. Of all his wives, Joy was the only mundane, a Talentless Artificer devoid of magical ability, which ordinarily would mean a supporting, secondary role for her. As the kingdom was finding out, House Valor was anything but 'ordinary'. Joy was considered a 'First Wife' in the family, instead of the customary 'Second Wife' or, more derisively, 'lesser' wife. She was integral to the inner workings of the House, managing its finances and always included in the wifely discussions and decisions. It was just one of the myriad ways that House Valor flouted custom and social norms.

His House's uniqueness extended well past Joy. Jebidiah was openly favored by a few of the Divine, the twenty gods that ruled over their world, as were two of his wives. Well, calling Kelek a wife might be stretching the term. Kelek was of the lizardfolk, and no other lizardfolk were on record as being bonded. Just another in a long list of 'firsts' for House Valor. Shirley, another of his wives, was a Tiefling, and while there were records of other Tieflings bonding, those instances counted just four others in the eight centuries the chronicles covered.

Adding to the oddities of his wives, his family had another male, Stern, in the mix. They were still trying to settle on a label for him. Brother Husband? No family had ever bonded two husbands. Ever. There simply were not enough Talented males to go around to justify it. It was yet another 'first'. The gender ratio among human civilization--one male to every four females--and the ratio of magical versus mundane humans were set in stone, immutable laws of nature. Males, rare and seen as precious, were treated as a fragile and precious resource, which gave them substantially less social standing than most women. This dynamic led to predominately matriarchal societies among the known civilizations.

Except for Jebidiah. He ruled his House instead of his prime wife, Crystal, who happened to be a goblin--another source of 'firsts' and tensions. Males with Talents, Talents being predetermined professions like Warrior or Mage, were even rarer. Stern was one such Talented male and he fulfilled the established ratio imposed by nature perfectly. Jebidiah did not. The Diviners declared him Talentless, an Artificer destined for manual labor, bookkeeping, or possibly research with no hope of fathering a child. Despite this, he had a better grasp of magic than most at his level of ability. Not long ago, with only the help of his Tiefling wife, Shirley, the Battle Mage now known as the 'Mad Lady', the two had decimated an army, earning both the status of 'hero' within the loyal portions of the kingdom. His enemies had less kind appellations.

"Well met, Hiro, I hope you and Michelle were able to get some rest," Jebidiah greeted the pair of First by name rather than rank. It was unconventional, but Jebidiah insisted and, with some time and effort, it had stuck.

"Well enough, Jeb," Hiro replied. Corporal Hiro Donner Han-Yantzee looked rested, though Jebidiah thought he noticed a touch of grey in his dark brown hair in the morning light. They had endured much together, both suffering losses, and yet Jebidiah realized once again there were many things he did not know about his First, including his age. If he was starting to grey, and accounting for the faint crows feet at his eyes, it was quite possible Hiro was already in his twenties--at least a decade ahead of Jebidiah. Yantzee's piercing brown eyes studied Jebidiah before he added, "There's little rest for the First."

Michelle smirked at his statement, while Jebidiah could only sigh in response. "You know perfectly well that Dana and I are more than capable of standing a watch. It really is possible for the two of you to get a full night's rest." Really, he was thankful their relationship had moved past the stoic non-responses Hiro had relied upon when they first met.

Michelle snorted, "Fat chance of that,

Duke

Valor. If you are worried about it, next time bring more First."

This was an old argument by now but it still lingered. The First were the elite of the Bh'orel Guard, a majority of them were lifers who continuously re-enlisted in two-year terms despite only rarely rising above the rank of Corporal. Their primary role was personal protection for the nobility and peerage of the kingdom. Jebidiah's family was already large, even amongst the other House's central families, and now he and his wives were all nobility, peerage, or both, so there were plenty of First to go around. They only had their two personal guards along for this jaunt through their newly acquired lands. Male First were normally relegated to protect the husbands of the family so they normally took on a lesser role within the Houses and ranks of the Guard but, once again, being Jebidiah's First elevated Hiro to be a male First of the First for the House, another uniqueness within the kingdom.

They had ridden two days south of the keep construction site to visit what were now his vassals' farms and ranches, sprinkled about the grassland between where his keep--under construction to the north--and the Tonstar River, the kingdom's primary waterway and the largest river on the Solumni continent, to the south. There had been some effort made to cut back into the woods to the north of the highway to increase available farmland and pastures, but the forest had an unnatural ability to rebound; new growth was accelerated to a startling speed, allowing sprouts to mature into sixty-foot-tall trees in a matter of a few years instead of the ten normally required. This phenomenon gave Evergrow Woods its name but also provided a unique opportunity for a thriving lumber industry.

The largest of those efforts was centered in Mylar Village, situated some days' travel north of the Keep along a larger tributary feeding into the Tonstar River. The new Keep was being built along the banks of that tributary where the highway bridged it. Mylar Village was sending fresh timber downstream to be used in the construction, though a significant majority of that harvest was still being transported along the Tonstar river proper to fulfill pre-existing contracts at the capital. The lumber was the primary established source of income for his new lands, with some also coming from excess grain, fruits, and livestock. It was too early to estimate how much additional revenue the coffee would bring, but Joy was convinced it would be lucrative.

"You know I didn't want a large military presence stomping around people's lands as a way of introduction. Just a few of us held off an army--we four can handle a simple ride through our own lands."

Michelle grinned some more and brushed an errant lock of blonde hair from in front of her green eyes as she focused back on a skillet of sizzling bacon. She was younger than Hiro by several years at least. Jebidiah mused that she was likely in her early teens, and once again belatedly realized how little he knew about those tasked with protecting his House and his family's lives. He could have asked Dana for more information but quickly discarded the thought. Dana was already royalty and made it clear on several occasions that she had it ingrained into her way of thinking that staff were transient and did not warrant much thought because they were constantly being replaced.

"Is that coffee I smell?" Dana's somewhat sleepy voice interrupted as she closed in on the campfire, as though summoned by his thoughts.

"You smelled that over the bacon?" Jebidiah asked, amused.

"Fuck yeah! This added bonus of our own coffee makes up for any of the other minotaur shit I have to put up with bonding to you. My father is going to be beside himself with jealousy."

The Corporals chuckled but were wise enough to refrain from adding their own thoughts. She looked over at Jebidiah, winked, and stretched--hands clasped well over her head, making her considerable height even more apparent. Jebidiah's Change was an Orc, which meant on his tenth birthday earlier that year, he had faced better-than-even odds of changing from human to orc. It made him larger, bulkier, stronger, and taller than the average human. Dana's Change was Elf, which made her much taller than average--well over six foot, nearly halfway to seven.

She arched her back as she stretched, pushing out her proud, round, firm breasts against her tunic, which strained under the pressure--all aimed directly at Jebidiah's line of site. Her red hair flashed in the early morning sun, and her steel gray eyes glinted as she fully opened her sleepy lids.

"Have you checked on the others?"

Her question startled him out of the lurid thoughts her stretching had expertly intended to provoke.

"Most are still sleeping. Stern is doing something strenuous, just not with Olga this time."

He couldn't help but chuckle at that.

When a family was legally formed, it was cemented with a magical bond in a marriage ritual. For those that took the Academy path, the ceremony occurred after graduation and was a required step in gaining citizenship. Jebidiah, again defying tradition, managed to bond most of his wives in a more intimate manner using what everyone jokingly referred to as his 'sex magic'. He hated that term, but it wasn't far from the truth, as all his personal bonds occurred during sex. The formal ritual bonding ceremony took place just four tenday ago, on Summer's Eve, adding not only Stern, Kelek, and Shirley into the family bond while simultaneously expanding and strengthening the existing personal ones.

Previous to the ritual, Jebidiah and his bonded wives could generally tell where each other were as long as they were in close enough proximity. Stronger emotions tended to bleed through as well, allowing them to feel each other's love, excitement, anger, sadness, etc. After the ritual--during which Jebidiah had tinkered with the magic midstream--the ability to locate one another was more precise, seemingly without range limitations. As the tendays passed, the ability continued improving in ways Jebidiah found noticeable but difficult to quantify. The emotional pulses through the bond had also gained definition, allowing basic thought concepts to be passed amongst the family instead of raw emotion. Not to the level of a telepathy spell, but exceeded the capability of other bonded people they had quietly questioned. Instead of merely transmitting the emotion of

love

, Jebidiah could now send the sense of 'I love you'.

It was all still new, the sensations raw and unrefined. Everyone was experimenting, but neither of these changes had been the most startling.

Lust had always been passed through the bond. It had even become so intense that if two or more of the group engaged in sex the others became near-instantly aroused, invariably drawing them into group encounters which, while fun, made moments of intimacy a rare thing. However, after the ritual the sensations of lust exploded through the bonds, intensified to the point where one encounter between Joy and Mila just the day before had become so intense that Dana and Jebidiah literally came in their pants when the two little deviants satisfied each other. The distance did not diminish the feeling, or if it did, Jebidiah shuddered to think what it would have been like a few yards away.

In yet another possibly even more pronounced surprise, one that led to Jebidiah's chuckle at the mention of Stern, the group came to the realization that Stern was without a doubt sleeping with his First, Corporal Olga Smeck. The realization itself manifested during an evening meal as unexpected moans of pleasure escaped the girls around mouthfuls of food. It really looked like they were exaggerating how good the food was, until the first feeling hit Jebidiah through the bond. As looks of understanding about what was happening slowly moved around the table and they identified the source, the laughter was loud and sharp enough to bring in several of the First to investigate. Needless to say, the levels of lust Stern generated were the makings of one wild evening in the tent after their meal was complete.

"At least we shouldn't get another Mila surprise this morning. I was

not

ready for that shit yesterday. I swear someone flipped a switch on that girl, and she's making up for lost time,"

Dana's comment made Hiro and Michelle exchange glances, but again they said nothing and continued making the morning meal with larger smirks on their faces.

Jebidiah just shook his head and once again sighed. Changing the subject, he spoke to Hiro.

"How far do you reckon we are from the River? I'd like to cut over to our branch, then cut back to the keep before we go too far south. I'd like to swing north past the highway to visit Mylar as well. What is the name of our branch? I never looked it up."

"Unsurprisingly, it is the Mylar River. The Mylar expedition was the first to survey this area, so they got the naming rights. Not very imaginative, but maybe more so than Tonstar River. We have maybe a half day's ride to the Tonstar if we continue on our path. When we reach the banks we will turn northeast to find the Mylar and follow it back. I give it four days before we reach the keep--unless something comes up."

"Sounds like a plan. We can collect some of the others before heading to the village."

This was his first extended time away from half his wives in years. He went through school and the Change with Crystal, Dana, Tenner, Joy, and Stern and some others as a pod of ten children. They had seen each other nearly every day since being grouped together at the age of four, a little over six years ago. Of the other four children in their pod, Selene had not survived her Change, becoming a Lost, while two more, Henna and Polly, had been killed during an ambush after the Change Ceremony. Their loss was still fresh on Jebidiah's mind, having occurred only a few months earlier. The sting of their loss was diminishing, but it was nothing in comparison to the bitter fallout with Charlene, the fourth child missing from their original pod. Her family, House Crag, had declared Jebidiah an anathema--an enemy to the kingdom and society. They hadn't heard from Charlene since she left the Academy in anger.