Magic Has Benefits

Author's Notes:

Oh boy, I can be really slow sometimes, huh?

Sorry I've taken so long with this, 2024 was a heck of a year. But here we go!

As always, I gotta make sure you all are aware that sex isn't entirely the focus of this series, though I always ensure to have at least one spicy scene in here! If you have read my other works on this site, you know how it goes! Fingers crossed Chapter 5 doesn't take as long.

Disclaimer: All characters are 18+. There is also mention of some sexual dishonesty. Also also, this one includes combat, blood, and stuff like that. So if it ain't for you, I apologize! ^_^'

Hope y'all enjoy!

- WS

~~~~~~~

As the age of Relleon shifted further into the autumn season, nights were getting longer and the days, shorter. That being said, it did little to diminish the beauty that often accompanied long journeys down the winding roads of the countryside.

Two figures on horseback were enjoying such views, though they seemed more enthralled with each other's company than with the changing colors of the nearby woods.

"Why do I get the impression you're, once again, downplaying your role in that venture?"

The question was asked by the almost musical voice of Riley Volstrand. The beautiful rose gold hair of the effeminate wizard bobbed up and down as the horse trotted pleasantly on what had recently become a cobblestone road. His vibrant and magical pink eyes were fixed on the back of the man controlling the gelding they rode, listening attentively to another one of his fantastical stories.

The man in question was the half orc, Oskar Grawl, who was chuckling at the inquiry. His black mohawk had recently been brushed by the human behind him, though it did little to diminish the coarseness of the hair.

The pair couldn't be more visually opposite. Oskar was the picture of masculinity. A wall of scarred muscle and confident physicality. Riley on the other hand had his slender arms around Oskar's waist, his effeminate beauty making even the surrounding woods look dull in comparison.

Oskar had to focus almost exclusively on the road in front of him. He'd already almost driven the horse into the forest twice after twisting to look at Riley and getting lost in his beautiful face.

They'd been traveling on the road to Hillgesin for two days now. Based on Oskar's best guess, they would be arriving at the city gates before sundown. This would be optimal, as the portcullis would be down by the evening and would not open again till morning. They would have to spend a night camping outside of the city walls if they didn't arrive there while the sun still shone.

Another night with Riley... it took a lot of self control for Oskar not to intentionally take his time with the journey.

Instead, he focused on continuing their conversation, "Perhaps. But I cannot understate the importance of my traveling companions at the time. They were just as capable as I was."

Riley scoffed a bit at this, "Right. While the three of them fought one of the twin ogers together, you took the other one down by yourself. If you weren't there, they would have surely perished in the battle."

"Same could be said for me if they weren't there," Oskar countered, determined not to disrespect the other warriors he'd traveled the Knifesand Desert with.

"I sincerely doubt that," Riley put his chin against Oskar's back muscles, "You would have figured something out. You're as clever as you are strong, darling."

Oskar shrugged a bit, causing Riley to let out a small but intoxicating giggle as his chin was lifted a little from the motion, "Either way. I am grateful for all the help I have been given so far. Without them, I never would have made it this far."

"Well, in that regard," Riley leaned up and placed a soft kiss on the back of Oskar's neck, which currently was exposed without his helmet, "I'm grateful for them as well."

Oskar felt a warm glow in his heart at that comment. Over the past couple of days, Riley had been increasingly... clingy. Especially after their session of practicing spell resistance. He seemed to still not entirely forgive himself for capitalizing on Oskar's moment of spell driven anger, and was determined to dote on him in some attempt to make him feel better.

This was entirely unnecessary, as Oskar was not at all concerned about the events and had instantly forgiven the wizard. Still, the extra affection served to bolster Oskar.

He was about to start asking Riley some questions about his life. Or maybe more details about magic. But he noticed something up the road and froze.

Riley, who was nuzzling the man's back, noticed as it stiffened. He pushed himself off and leaned around to get a good look at Oskar's face. Riley had grown used to seeing a gentle smile or a look of focus on his face. This one was closer to the look of focus, but also a look of alarm. Riley followed his gaze up the road.

Up ahead was a small caravan of carts heading in the opposite direction as the duo. In a few minutes, their paths would surely cross. Emblazoned on a banner of the middle of the three carts was a symbol that looked like a sun with a pair of hands held in prayer in the middle.

Riley didn't recognize the symbol. But clearly Oskar did.

"Darling? What...?" Riley began.

"Riley, can you make me appear human?"

Riley chuckled a little, "Easily. But why would you want to look human? You're perfect."

"If you can, do it right now. Your eyes too. Make them look less... magical."

It was at this point Riley realized that he was doing that thing with his voice. The no nonsense, man-of-action tone he took when he was being deadly serious.

Riley wanted to ask questions, but the urgency of Oskar's tone was causing him to worry. Instead he asked a clarity question.

"Do you wish to change our shape? Or will a simple illusion do the trick?" Riley was now glancing between Oskar and the rapidly approaching caravan.

"Whichever is faster," Oskar set his jaw.

Riley gave a curt nod and waved his hand towards Oskar with an accompanied mystical gesture, muttering a quick magical word.

With a shimmer, a simple illusion went over Oskar's face. Truth be told, he looked just like Oskar normally did, just as if he'd never had orcish blood in his system. Same harsh features with the same gentle afflictions Oskar usually had. Just no tusks and the jawline was less pronounced. His ears were also more rounded the way humans had.

He did similar to his own face, his usually supernaturally pink and glowing eyes shifted to a more regular deep blue.

"Not exactly my most creative work, but..." Riley joked.

"Riley, do you trust me?" Oskar's tone was so intense, it was making Riley anxious. But Oskar turned to look the wizard in the eyes as he said it. With his illusion, Riley hadn't so much as touched those amber gold eyes. So despite the illusion, there was no mistaking it. The intensity of Oskar's stare was unmatched. Those eyes pierced right into Riley, making him almost shudder with an emotion he couldn't really name.

"Of course, darling..." It was at this point he realized that Oskar had cut him off twice. Something that most people never got away with.

Riley didn't know how to feel about that.

"I need you to remain silent for this entire interaction," Oskar claimed severely.

Riley furrowed his brow. Being interrupted was one thing. Being silenced was another.

Before Riley could protest, Oskar quickly explained, "I don't have enough time to explain exactly why. You just have to trust me. Please."

Riley felt the desire to glare at Oskar subside a bit. He didn't like it, but Oskar seemed very serious.

"Very well. But afterwards you'd better have a damn good explanation," Riley claimed in a clipped tone.

"Of course Ry. Just don't let them provoke you. Keep a straight face and don't look any of them in the eyes," Oskar was explaining this as he tucked his amulet away in his bag.

At this point, the caravan was almost upon them. In the lead was a man on a horse, wearing pristine leather armor that's studs glittered in the sun. A tabard was across his chest, emblazoned with the same symbol on the cart banners. He had a mustache curled at the ends, a mustache that Riley would have found either comical or gentlemanly (or both). But on the face of this particular man it didn't look like either. His brow was furrowed and a fierce, intense look was plastered on his tanned features. He was scarred and travelworn. He even had a long cape that draped across the horse's rump.

On his hip was a long and thin sword, which Riley was fairly certain was a rapier. He didn't study much war craft, but from what he understood it was a weapon that required a lot of finesse and talent to wield.

The man broke away from the caravan by increasing the speed of his horse. He closed the distance between the caravan and their horse in ten seconds, causing Oskar to stiffen under Riley's hands again.

"Hail stranger!" The man called out, his voice made it seem like his throat had been dragged down a gravel road.

"Hail sir," Oskar responded, lifting his hand in casual greeting.

"The season is turning beautifully, wouldn't you say?" The man asked, now close enough to inspect the pair more carefully.

Riley wasn't the best at reading people, as he spent most of his time in his own company. But the man seemed pleasant. It made Oskar's earlier reaction even more of a mystery to Riley.

"Aye, it is Sir Paladin," Oskar gave a curt nod.

"Wonderful! You must know much of our order to recognize my station," the man seemed to puff out his chest a bit, showing off a medal that held his cloak. A shiny brooch of the same symbol upon the banner atop the cart.

"Of course Sir Paladin," Oskar put on a winning smile, "Before my travels took me as far as they have, I was an avid devotee to the Church of The One Father in Jaelom."

"Is that so?" The paladin regarded Oskar with more interest, "And what exactly did you do for the Church?"

"I was a scholar, Sir Paladin," Oskar answered in earnest, "I was charged with studying the monstrous blood of the lesser races, in an attempt to more accurately purify them. It was in the hopes that The One Father would forgive them for their heritage and bring them into his holy domain after their death."

"A scholar! How delightful! You lot have done great work for our cause," the man nodded, then inspected the pair closely again, twirling the edges of his fabulous mustache, "Though given your build, I'm surprised they didn't snatch you up for wrangling!"

"If such a thing was needed of me, I'd of course follow orders. We had plenty of men willing to do such, so I filled a need."

"Hmm... and what has pulled you away from the Church?"

"My mother's dying wish was to have her ashes spread in our home of Hillgesin. I am simply following through, then I will return to Jaelom."

Riley was taken aback. Partially at the fluidity of the lie and partially for the need of it. Oskar's face was even, with a small, gentle, and confident smile. His expression had changed from having a healthy amount of caution to being completely relaxed at the two conversed. If Riley didn't know any better, he would have believed him without hesitation.

A horrible thought sent a shiver down Riley's back. DID he know any better? If he could lie so effectively to this man, how was Riley so sure that he hadn't been lying to him the whole time?

He visibly shuddered at the thought, and action that finally focused the man's attention on Riley.

"And who is this gorgeous young lass you keep in your company?!" The man smiled wide as he studied Riley, "I've been in the company of noble women that are easily rivaled in their beauty by the lady in front of me now!"

Riley almost on reflex corrected the man, but Oskar talked quickly, "She is my servant. Think of her as a gift from her father."

Riley's brow scrunched together in aggravation as he glared at Oskar. This was all getting too much. Oskar DEFINITELY knew he was a man.

"Oooo ho! She doesn't seem to like that very much!" The paladin laughed at Riley's expression.

"It's simply true. She has found her new lot in life to be less than desirable," Oskar shrugged, "Despite her protestations, she's an excellent servant."

"Well, we won't hold you from your quest any longer, dear scholar," the paladin bowed a bit, "We unfortunately must depart quickly. You see, we've heard tale of a witch somewhere within the Horsestray. I don't need to tell you how alarming this is."

Riley froze at the mention of a witch. He wasn't a witch, but that hardly mattered to the commoners that he interacted with. Having an armed man say he was looking for someone you were consistently mistaken for was cause for some concern.

"This is most distressing Sir Paladin," Oskar frowned with a look of complete concern, "I hope your hunt is as successful as it is swift."

"As with your business," he gave a curt nod, "If your travels take you back this way and you are looking to join the hunt, ask for Sir Ullian. I am heading this expedition and could use someone of your stature and knowledge. May I have your name?"

"Andrew Steed," Oskar replied smoothly.

"I'll look forward to working with you Mr. Steed," he bowed again before turning his horse to join the rest of the caravan.

The pair watched the trope go, their eyes not leaving them until they disappeared into the trees that the path snaked along.

As soon as they were gone, Riley turned and slapped Oskar in the back of his leather chest plate as hard as he could. Of course, it only made a dull thudding sound and absolutely hurt him more than it hurt Oskar.

"What the hells, Oskar!?" Riley demanded, "By the gods, I've NEVER felt so disrespected! Really!? Your girl servant!? What was all that about!?"

"I'm sorry Riley," Oskar's humanified face frowned, a look of genuine sorrow etched into it, "There was no time to explain, and our lives were in very real danger with them."

Riley wanted to zap Oskar in his anger, but seeing the gentle giant's sorrowful expression broke his resolve to stay mad. He sighed, waved a hand, and dismissed the illusions. He did a good job with the human disguise, but he much preferred Oskar's orcish face.

"Who were they, anyway?" Riley asked, crossing his arms as Oskar started to spur the horse further.

"The Church of The One Father," Oskar explained, "It makes sense you don't know them. They've been making a name for themselves especially in the last decade. They were pretty underground until they had a prominent Duke convert. They've exploded in popularity as 'the human god'."

"Ah. Once again, people are just making up gods," Riley rolled his eyes, "I'm sure the actual pantheon just LOVES that."

Oskar grunted, "Regardless of their legitimacy, there are plenty of humans that have flocked to it. The big problem comes with their belief that the other races are impure in some way and need to be 'cleansed'. They also distrust magic, hence the witch hunt."

"Soooooo... why are we worried about them?" Riley raised an eyebrow, "That guy didn't look too tough. Besides, it isn't illegal to be a race that isn't human, and it's also not illegal to practice magic."

"Yes but..." Oskar frowned again, "That hasn't really stopped them... and since they've gotten more and more political power, they've been able to get away with more and more violent actions. More likely than not, they've made up some stories of a witch in the Horsestray that has been kidnapping children, or some other such hogwash. All so they can have an excuse to kill someone they don't understand."

It was Riley's turn to frown, "So that's why we disguised ourselves... but still, why did you not correct him when he called me a girl? You know I hate that."

"I didn't want him taking a closer look then he already was," Oskar shrugged, "And challenging your gender may have caused him too much curiosity. Also, they are real big on ensuring... uhh..." Oskar glanced over at Riley with a strange look on his face, "Ensuring traditional human values. If he knew you were a man, he would be very unhappy with your choice of appearance."

Riley pouted, "Still, if he'd decided to cause trouble with us, it would have been more than he could chew."

"I'm sorry Riley, but I'm not too fond of the idea of riding into Hillgesin with the bodies of a Church witch hunting party behind us."

That got a sigh out of Riley, "I suppose that's a good point, Darling. But next time, I can do my own talking."

Oskar turned to him at that point, and eyebrow cocked in amusement, "oh yeah? Because that has consistently gone sooo well."

Riley smirked and slapped him again, this time more playfully, "Eyes on the road, smart-ass."

```

Fortunately (or unfortunately if you chose to view it that way) they arrived at Hillgesin before the sun fell. The guards standing outside the massive gate asked some rudimentary questions about their business within Hillgesin but they traveled in unbothered.

Hillgesin was one of the biggest cities in Releon, and it was a sight to behold. Rows upon rows of brick and wood, creating a labyrinth of winding roads and dark alleyways. Reds and blues and whites colored ceiling shingles and banners that covered the walls. The prominent Releon symbol, a red background with a golden tower in the center, two swords crossed behind it.

Thousands of people hurried across the cobblestone pathways, even at this time in the afternoon. They were shouting and pushing and otherwise trying their best to be the most self absorbed person in the city.

Oskar had hoped this would discourage them from paying any kind of attention to the duo that rode into town.

He was, of course, not that lucky.

Most of the common folk here were impressively similar. Beige and brown clothing of the same few types of shirts and blouses. The majority were human, though there were the occasional dwarf, half-ling, and half orcs and elves.

The pair of them were especially noteworthy. One being the biggest and strongest looking in the entire crowd, large weapons and armor on full display, and the other in fancy, flowing clothing.

And literally glowing eyes.

Oskar was on high alert. More so than he usually was. Throughout all his travels to exotic locations, he had yet to find an environment more dangerous than the ones filled with people. All the eyes on him was causing every nerve in his body to be alight, ready for anything.

Riley, as he often was with Oskar, in direct contrast. He was smiling wide, enjoying all the attention. He fixed his posture on the back of the horse, his body language indicating that he knew everyone was looking at him, and they were welcome. Clearly many of the men didn't understand that Riley wasn't a woman, or didn't care. Many lustful gazes fell on Riley's slender form and pretty face, while various jealous and angry glares landed on Oskar.

They led the horse to a stable the guards had directed them to. Oskar paid the stable hand to watch the gelding for the night and the two walked out on foot to the side of the street. They were a little less noticeable now that they were not parading around on horseback, but they still earned several turning heads.

"I forgot how enraptured common folk tend to be of my visage," Riley remarked arrogantly, smiling proudly at himself.

"Aye. And this makes me uneasy," Oskar admitted, resting one hand as casually as he could on the hilt of his sword.

"Random branches snapping in the Horsestray make you uneasy," Riley chuckled at a recent memory of Oskar's intense reaction to just such an occurrence.

"If you knew the kinds of things that can afford to snap branches..." Oskar said in a low voice, glaring at a nearby dwarf who had been eyeing Riley for a bit too long. He scurried away under Oskar's terrifying gaze.