Gift of the Goddess

~~~

This chapter is part of a series. Please read the preceding chapters before starting this one.

~~~

We rose with the dawn, packed up the camp (and the altar), and set off immediately, munching on trail rations as we plodded down the packed-dirt road.

We traveled farther that morning than we had the previous day. During our midday break, I used Pamela's shackles to rig up a tether between the handles on the work-cart and the back of the wagon - so that we could quit dragging the thing by hand.

We shuffled enough things around in the back of the wagon for Rebekah, Myrna, and Pamela to ride there. Lissa rode up front, with me, to keep an eye out for our next camping location. Kyla and Silena rode on the front of the cart. Thankfully, the road was mostly flat - if severely dusty - and my make-shift hitch between the two units held well enough not to endanger anybody.

Hera must have known that we'd cover more miles the second half of the day because - even though we were probably moving twice as fast as we had been before - we still didn't arrive at our lay-over spot until late in the afternoon.

As soon as we reached the location, Lissa moved between the four ordinal points that marked the boundaries of the area where we would camp, performing some kind of mesmerizing dance that looked half erotic and half spiritual.

As I watched her, I realized that her title/profession had changed again.

[ Lissa ]

[ Prophetess - Level 139 ]

[ Blessed by Hera ]

"What was that all about?" I asked her when she finished.

She grinned and said, "Hera gave me a few of your little tricks. That one keeps passersby from hearing or seeing us - and makes this place feel uncomfortable to them - so that they'll move on without looking around or bothering us."

"What else did you get?" I asked her.

She grinned, kissed me on the nose, and said, "That's for me to know and you to find out."

We set up camp, turned some jerky, dried veggies, and seasoning pouches into a passable stew, and then soaked some travel bread in it long enough to turn them from biscuits that were hard enough to crack your teeth into some mushy dumplings that allowed the limited quantity of stew to be enough food for all of us to have plenty to eat.

Pamela asked me to use a piece of canvas to make a crude hammock under the wagon for her to sleep in - so that she'd be farther from me and all of my "wanton lovers" (as she called the rest of the women).

Kyla and Silena set the altar up again and I worshipped Hera with all of them. Once again, Pamela was curious enough to step inside of the range of Place of Worship so that she could oversee the goings-on. That night, however, she didn't take my wives up on helping her relieve her sexual tensions before she headed for her hammock.

All that meant for me was that the girls were in my arms faster and I got a little more sleep before the cacophony of the morning bird-song forced me out of my bedroll. Honestly, I don't *dislike* song-birds but could they start that racket a little later in the day?

~~~

The next day was largely a carbon-copy of the previous one - except that I already had the cart hitched to the wagon - so we traveled even faster.

Traffic on the road seemed lighter than when I'd arrived on the planet - and met Rebekah - but there were still plenty of people, wagons, and carts moving from place to place. Perhaps we had passed a crossroads that I hadn't noticed and the reduction in highway users was due to travelers heading in different directions.

Once more, we set up camp, ended the day with a better meal than we'd had for breakfast and lunch, and then worshipped Hera together.

Myrna asked me if she could sleep with Pamela. Since Pamela seemed agreeable, I gave her my permission. They were far enough away from the rest of us that I only caught a few giggles but it sounded like they were having a good time. Rebekah pulled my head against her chest and covered my other ear with her hand and ordered me to get to sleep. Lissa had already warned us that the next day might be more eventful.

~~~

The next morning, Lissa told us that we needed to be eating better. For breakfast, we fried up a mess of potatoes and stirred in some rehydrated jerky. We still had a few apples left so two of those were quartered and shared among the group. The prophetess insisted that Pamela got any extras. At lunchtime, we roasted a rabbit that Kyla had managed to snare while we slept the previous night. We also finished the last of the apples.

Around midafternoon, Lissa informed us that we had arrived at our next stop. We set up camp - but without the protective dance that she had performed the last two nights. After we'd all had something to eat, Lissa, Kyla, and Silena took the hand-cart and headed down the road. She told the rest of us to be prepared to deal with unwelcome guests.

As soon as they were gone, Pamela looked at me and asked what the hell was going on. I assured her that I didn't have a clue. I armed Rebekah and Myrna with bows and quivers that Jasper had seen fit to supply. Pamela had the dagger from the slaver - plus another blade that she'd found among the tools in the wagon. I'm not sure I've ever held a weapon in my hands - so I just decided to hope Hera did her little intervention thing again - if I ended up face-to-face with another armed assailant.

Since we weren't under any sort of protective illusion that required us to stay within a certain boundary, Pamela and I kept watch near the road - with my two wives hidden further behind us.

Dusk had long passed and - with only the lesser moon currently visible - it was difficult to see very far down the packed-dirt road in the direction that the priestesses had gone.

Pamela and I had tired of standing. It seemed pointless - at least after the first hour or two - for both of us to remain on our feet. She had kept watch while I tried to get a better set of blinds prepared for Rebekah and Myrna to use for cover. It was absolutely killing me - not knowing what we were waiting to face.

Two hours past full dark, we heard the first sounds of movement - a few horses from the sound of it - but the rest was foot-soldiers and supply carts. Soon, a group of about twenty came into view. They were led by an ugly fucker on a big stallion. Behind him came a dozen swordsmen, a couple axe men, a handful of archers, and three title-less laborers who were pulling the carts. Two more horsemen trailed behind.

[ Unknown ]

[ Brigand - Level 139 ]

Based on his words to his group, he had examined me at the same time that I'd identified him.

"Another goddess-touched one," he barked to the group. "Ignore them and keep moving. We'll make camp farther on. I want some distance between us and this fucking place."

My interpretation of the expressions on the faces of those behind the man told me that they weren't used to him backing down from a confrontation. They scowled at Pamela and me as they strode by. None of them, however, gave us reason to step from our positions, guarding the path to where the wagon was standing - and where Greedy Bastard was grazing. He ignored them and continued working on filling his belly.

A half-hour later, Pamela motioned to me that more walkers were coming. I gave my girls a quick kiss and hurried forward to join her.

[ Kyla ]

[ Priestess - Level 88 ]

[ Blessed by Hera ]

"She was just a 'Lover' before," Pamela said. "What changed?"

I looked at her and shrugged.

Kyla had two men with her. Although there were swords at their belts, I didn't think they looked like they were too experienced in using them. They didn't look nearly as hardened as those who had passed by us earlier.

"Hail, Kyla!" I called out.

"Good master," she replied. "If you could get Greedy Bastard hitched up, we'll guide you to our new home."

The ox grumbled about having his evening cud-chewing meditation interrupted - but finally became a lot more compliant when Kyla stepped in front of him and gave him a stern look. She never said a word to him - but (from the look in his eyes) I would swear that Hera herself had been the one glaring at the ill-tempered beast.

None of us had unpacked our bedrolls yet so - with little to load back into the wagon - we were soon underway.

Pamela walked and chatted with Kyla. I drove the wagon. My wives squished in on my flanks on the seat. We listened to the conversation between the two women as we followed along behind.

From the sounds of it, Lissa had taken over a bandit camp that had existed for quite some time. Based on the way Kyla described it, Lissa had simply marched into the small town, erected the altar to Hera on a raised platform in the center of whatever passed for the central square, stripped naked, and stood in the middle of the bed.

Most of the community - bandits, craftsmen, cooks, laborers - nearly everyone - came to see what was going on.

Lissa had done one of her little dance things (on top of the altar) and then stood tall, raising her hands to the heavens. A huge beam of golden light had appeared in the sky - flooding down over Lissa and the altar - and spilling out into the surrounding crowd.

Kyla said - and the two men confirmed - that a loud voice had filled the whole place. Even those who weren't already gathered together heard it.

"This ground is now sacred to me. Honor me and my servants and you will find this to be a place of blessing and healing. Fight against me and mine and you will find this to be a place of mental and physical torment. You may also simply choose to peaceably coexist here. Those who choose that path will earn no boon - but also suffer no consequences."

Kyla said that everyone had then received a System prompt and three choices: "Blessed by Hera, neutral, or Cursed by Hera."

One of the men said that - at that point - the Brigand Leader had screamed in rage and pulled his sword - charging at Lissa.

Based on his next few statements, Lissa had done the same thing with that man that I had done with Pamela's captor. The golden-haired blonde turned and looked back at me, for a moment, with a nod.

The head of the bandits had screamed and then evaporated - leaving behind all of his clothes, armor, weapons, and possession.

"Some lieutenant took charge of the thieves after that and they quickly prepared to leave," Kyla said. "Most everyone else stayed. Lissa said that we'll need you to talk to Jasper eventually but that - for now at least - we should have everything we need to get ourselves established."

A short while later, we came to a crudely-built bridge that crossed the stream that had been our ever-present companion as we had made our way along the well-traveled dirt road.

Once we crossed the bridge, we started up an incline that turned out to be the access-road to get to the small town that had grown up around the bandit camp that held the highest point on the plateau that hung from the west side of a matched pair of mountains. It was as if there had originally been three peaks but one had simply been sheared off a hundred feet above the valley that the road and the stream passed through.

Somewhere above the plateau - midway up the northern peak - there was a cascading stream that carried runoff from the melting snow past the southern edge of the plateau. This waterway tumbled from the bandit town to join the stream by the road somewhere past where the thieves had built their crude bridge.

The steep, rugged mountains and the intersecting streams further served to make the place that Hera had selected for the temple even more defensible. I was no engineer - but we shouldn't have any problem at all holding this place with even a modest force of arms. The higher we climbed, the more I realized that - despite how much walking I'd been doing recently - I was either still horribly out of shape - or this plateau was a lot higher up than what I had imagined.

Finally, we crested the edge. I was almost thankful that it was so dark that I couldn't see how far down I'd fall if I tumbled from the side of the path that was barely wide enough for a wagon and a horseman to pass.

Lissa was standing there, smiling. Unfortunately, she was no longer naked. Two men, with swords on their belts, were standing with her.

The prophetess wrapped her arms around Pamela and kissed her cheeks. She whispered to her and brushed a thumb across her bottom lip. I was a little surprised at the fact that my old classmate didn't pull back when the blonde leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss on the mouth. Lissa released her hold on Pamela and turned to my wives and me.

Kyla's escorts disappeared. The priestess took the knife fighter in-hand and guided her towards a building where I could see Silena waiting.

"Master Basil," Lissa called to me.

"Yes, Beloved?" I asked, smiling.

"Gentle, sweet master," she said. "I had planned to have a big orgy in the central plaza - to welcome all of our new acolytes - but there are several youngsters living here. I'll need to hold off on that ceremony until we can erect some sort of walled enclosure."

"I could use Place of Worship," I offered.

"I have that ability now as well," she responded, "but I still think it's best that we move forward at a more measured pace. Additionally, it has - obviously - already been a long day and we're all more than ready for bed."

I nodded.

Lissa waved a laborer over from where he'd been waiting.

"Please take the wagon to the storehouse," she told him. "The ox's name is Greedy Bastard. He's earned that name. Don't try to hand feed him anything. If you can find him a stall and toss a little fodder at him, that would be appreciated."

I set the brake on the wagon and climbed over Rebekah so that I could help my ladies down. They handed me our packs and then I gave them a hand getting off of the wagon. Each of them used the opportunity to wrap themselves around me and collect a hug and a lusty kiss. They giggled at each other and jostled one another as we kissed each other. It had been a really long day, and it was well past time for me to be asleep between my two girls.

Lissa led us to a modest dwelling next door to the one where Kyla had taken Pamela.

"This place belonged to one of the lieutenants," Lissa told us. "One of the laborers gave it a quick once-over for me. If you can make do here, for tonight, we'll try to get all of the little details figured out tomorrow."

"It's perfect," I told her. "Thank you."

She leaned closer and whispered, "You may want to hit the bed with Aura of Cleansing."

She stood back up and gave me a wink.

"Maybe a couple times?" I asked, smirking.

"Maybe ...," she said, smirking as well.

The girls gave Lissa quick hugs and I opened the door to the small, rough cottage. There was a front room with little more than a few armchairs, a long low table that looked like it had been used to sort and clean loot, and small tables that had (obviously) held more than a few mugged beverages that had been carelessly set (or dumped) on top of it.

The chairs were little more than what we would have set on the front porch on Earth - but with no cloth or leather padding on them. I hit each of them with Aura of Cleansing even though I didn't think they could probably harbor any pests. I just didn't want to have to think about it, later, when I got tired and decided to plop into one of the things.

The kitchen didn't have much that needed attention - at least not the type that the abilities that Hera had given me could help with. I went ahead and hit all of the towels and rags with Aura of Cleansing. There were two bedrooms - a larger one and a smaller one. Since I didn't see a bathroom (or privy), I stuck my head out of the rear exit.

Just outside of the back door was an outhouse. A water bucket sat next to the back step. It was a short walk to the mountain stream. We might need to reconsider some of the sanitary setup around this place if we're going to be here long-term.

Back in the house, the bed in the smaller room was barely a twin. I hit everything in the room with Cleansing and we moved to the larger bedroom. The bed, here, would hold the three of us - but there wasn't going to be a lot of extra space for horseplay.

I ended up not being wrong about having to use Aura of Cleansing multiple times before I was comfortable enough with the situation to allow the three of us to use the bed. The cloth was, obviously, clean now - but the stains remained. As soon as it was daylight, I was heading to the wagon to find something to replace the bedlinens.

The girls tried to get me to mess around but I had a bad case of the heebie-jeebies and couldn't get in the mood. They finally snuggled in next to me and got me to settle enough to fall asleep.

~~~

The first thing I did the next morning was grab Pamela and Lissa and start talking about what we needed to do in order to make sure the homes were getting good, clean water - and that all of the waste was being directed away from the settlement - as well as avoiding any watersheds that might harm someone else's water supply.

Lissa didn't (obviously) understand all of the scientific aspects of what I was trying to explain to her - even with help from Pamela - but she assured us that we would be gathering individuals that would be able to help turn my ideas and instructions into working infrastructure. At that point, I didn't know enough to do more than take her word for it - so that's what I did.

The second thing I did (after double-checking with Lissa that we'd be keeping our current house - at least for the time being) was to rip out everything that wasn't wood or stone. We dragged it to the communal area for burning things and added the stained, nasty mess to somebody else's pile of problems.

Back in the house, once more, I decided that I didn't want the bedframes either. We dragged those off to be burned as well.

I found a carpenter and gave him the dimensions for the replacement beds - a double for the smaller bedroom and a king-sized one for the larger room. The bigger furniture wouldn't leave much room to move around but we'd only be using those spaces for sleeping or fucking anyway - so it didn't really matter. Next, I tracked down a seamstress and ordered the best mattresses that she could produce to fit the new beds.

Once that was done, the girls and I went back through the house and made a list of towels, rags, and other things that we'd disposed of that needed to be replaced. We took that list back to the seamstress and she delegated the simpler items to an apprentice.

We came through the central square (or plaza) to find workers erecting a huge hexagonal structure around Hera's Altar. As soon as the basic walls had been erected - and tied to one another for support - other workers hung canvas tarpaulins from the overhead beams to make walls that would keep the kids (or others) from viewing what was taking place within the crude temple. The structure had no roof - and was open to the sky - theoretically allowing Hera full view of our activities and worship. Lissa was standing by, overseeing the project.

"How's it going?" I asked her, accepting a hug and a kiss from the prophetess.

"Good," she replied. "You get the house fixed up the way you want?"

"It's in progress," I told her. "The carpenter and the seamstress are going to be making us some new beds."

"Oh!" Lissa gasped, wide-eyed.

She turned and looked at my wives.

"Rebekah, could you go and ask the seamstress to come to the temple? Myrna, please ask the carpenter and his daughter to come."

The girls nodded and hurried off to accomplish their assigned tasks.