Chapter 4

“Ahhh! Gods, you are incredible...”

Magnus moaned as pure pleasure coursed through his body. The hand that was caressing his balls, those luscious lips that were squeezing his cock, that soft wet tongue that was stimulating his shaft, and finally, that amazing throat that was milking his cockhead ... Moan after moan was escaping his lips while a pair of playful eyes watched his face contort into a grimace of absolute bliss. Magnus felt his climax build like a tsunami, and even though he was an expert in delaying his orgasm, he knew he was simply overmatched. Letting out a final cry that signaled his imminent defeat, Magnus released all his pent-up pleasure with an explosive orgasm.

“OOOHHH, YESSS!!” Magnus cried out as he felt his cock spurt rivers of seed down that heavenly throat. His body shook with orgasmic throes, releasing the built-up sexual energy, while his balls were being expertly drained of cum.

“Mmm, you are the only goddess I recognize...” Magnus mumbled when he managed to catch his breath.

“What do you mean?” Lady Beatrice said, giving his glans one last playful lick. Even though Magnus’ orgasm was forceful and copious, there wasn’t a single trace of seed anywhere in sight.

“I may or may not have been telling people that the only goddess I pray to is you...” Magnus said with a sheepish smile.

“Beatrice, goddess of blowjobs?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well ... yeah.”

Lady Beatrice watched him intensely for a couple of seconds and then burst into laughter.

“I love it!” she said, rising to her feet and touching his face with affection.

“Sadly, I haven’t got any more time right now, but next time I want to hear all about it!”

“I am looking forward to it,” Magnus said, smiling like a fool.

Soon after, he was walking out of the Highfort’s palace gate, feeling quite satisfied. It irked him that he didn’t have a chance to reciprocate, but he promised himself that next time, he was going to pleasure the amazing Lady Beatrice for hours before he allowed himself any release. It was an integral part of his personality to put the pleasure and sexual needs of women far above his own, and that wonderful woman deserved it all. She was a mother to the queen, yet she never gave any impression that she considered anyone else, even her servants and maids, to be below her. Magnus saw her being kind towards them on more than one occasion.

“A true goddess...” Magnus said with a chuckle. He considered hailing a carriage but then changed his mind.

“These were such fruitful couple of days...” he thought, walking down Highfort’s main street and enjoying the familiar cacophony of sounds that one could hear only in big cities.

“Theia has no doubt reached The Green Valley by now.”

The Owl tribe had decided to accept his offer and migrate to Vistania, and he had escorted them through Wildlands and Nessia, finally reaching Vistania after months of travel. It took a lot of his precious time, but it gave him the opportunity to truly bond with the Owl tribe. The trip itself was almost uneventful, as the first couple of raiding parties from other Wildlands tribes were sent back with their tails between their legs before they even had a chance to shoot a single arrow. After seeing Magnus’ display of magic, they abandoned any idea of bothering the migrating tribe anymore.

“The king was as gracious and understanding as I hoped he would be ... Although, I felt he was eyeing me with such curiosity during our audience ... I wonder why,” Magnus mused, recalling the ceremony where Theia had sworn fealty to the king. The king had been truly generous, accepting Magnus’ suggestion to make The Green Valley Owl’s tribe new home. The valley was a lovely place and it was just north of the farm Magnus grew up on. More than that, the valley wasn’t a part of any nobleman’s estate. It was a piece of land belonging to the Crown, so Theia would need to answer directly to the king. After the audience, Magnus decided to hire several carpenters and a few stonemasons as well. The tribe needed to transition from living in tents to building proper houses, so they needed skilled workers. More than that, Magnus was hoping that the women of the tribe would ... seduce some of the workers, thus strengthening the future of the tribe.

“They will be fine, I have no doubt,” Magnus thought, feeling a pang of sadness. The goodbye with Theia had been very emotional, although he had promised to visit them as often as possible. Unconsciously, he pursed his lips, the memory of that last passionate kiss Theia had given him flooding his mind. A woman like that would tempt any man. But he had a path set before him, one that would take quite some time to fulfill...

“Lina...” Magnus thought as a memory from months ago rushed into his mind...

“Do not make me repeat myself, or you will regret it!” Magnus growled, his hand twitching from the sudden desire to strangle the squirming son of a bitch. The slave merchant was watching him with terror in his eyes, words barely forming on his quivering lips.

“I ... there were so many girls ... I don’t-”

“Her name is Lina!” Magnus said with murder in his eyes.

“She was taken in Vistania and brought here to be sold. Speak, I am losing my patience!”

“In Vistania...?”

“Yes! She was ... is a pretty, dark-haired girl ... Don’t tell me you don’t remember her!” Magnus said, his menacing face now barely an inch from the merchant’s.

“I ... Oh! The mage girl?!” the merchant said in a trembling voice.

“What?!” Magnus replied, taken aback.

“The ... the mage girl, that is who you are talking about?!”

“Listen, you scum! If you think you can-”

“Her name was Lina! I remember now ... And she fits the description...” the merchant said, looking at Magnus’ stunned face in fear.

“She had been taken in Vistania and brought here to be sold ... but just before we struck a deal, the girl, who was obviously ... horrified by her prospects, screamed and my rug was suddenly set on fire ... We barely managed to put it out...”

“What ... What happened to her?!” Magnus said after several seconds of silence.

“Eh ... realizing the girl had magical talent, the ... people who had captured her reneged on the deal ... I was even willing to offer them much more ... A pretty girl who can do magic would be worth a lot to some...” The merchant said and then shut his mouth when he saw Magnus’ face twist in anger.

“Where is she now?! Speak or I will incinerate you on the spot!”

“They took her back!! I ... he said something about getting a fortune for her in Charobny...”

“Who did they intend to sell her to?!” Magnus said, slamming the merchant against the wall.

“Ahh! That is all I know, I swear! I have no contact with Fluvia’s slave markets!!” The merchant cried out in obvious fear. Still reeling from the impact of the merchant’s words, Magnus watched his face carefully, yet he couldn’t detect any trace of a lie. The merchant had been scared out of his mind, probably a consequence of Magnus running rampant through the slave-holding compound, releasing the slaves, and dealing with the slavers. Magnus had barely been able to contain himself from killing them outright when he had seen the conditions in which some of the slaves were being kept.

“Consider this the luckiest day of your life, you piece of scum! But I promise you, if I ever find you trading slaves again, you will burn ... slowly!” Magnus said through his teeth.

“I won’t! I swear it! Only honest goods from now on...” The merchant said, visibly relieved.

“Lina can do magic...” Magnus thought, the voice of a particularly loud carpet merchant breaking him out of his memory. He took a turn from Highfort’s main street into a side alley, recognizing the sign of the Inn where he was lodging. In the last several days, a vague plan was starting to form in his head. He couldn’t just go to Charobny and ask questions. That silly approach had almost resulted in getting him killed. No, if he was to search and investigate through Fluvia’s capital, he had to do it carefully. The city was famous for its University of Magic and plenty of mages had taken residence there. Magnus the mage had attracted a lot of attention and had asked too many questions ... No, if he was to conduct his search without attracting unwanted attention, he had to become someone else...

“Gareth, the swordmaster,” Magnus said out loud and smiled. Over the last few days, he had been thinking how to disguise himself and he realized he couldn’t just pick some random profession. All he knew was how to be a farmer and a mage, so people would notice his obvious lack of skills were he to pick any other profession. Whoever had the coin to buy Lina was without a doubt quite rich, which means he needed access to higher circles of Fluvia’s society, so posing as a farmer was completely out of the question. He couldn’t simply pose as some noble either. Nobles had servants, they had the coin, but more than that, they had manners and nobility protocols ingrained in them from early childhood. Therefore, after racking his brain for ideas, he realized he could take the role of an elite swordmaster, one that teaches the art of using the sword to the nobility. He sent a silent thank you to Rorik, the weapon master who was his first teacher, and then to Lanaya and Voron, the Elves who had honed his skills to true mastery.

Entering “The Soldier’s Refuge,” a relatively inconspicuous Inn where he was staying for the last couple of days, Magnus’ gaze swept over numerous patrons who were sitting at their tables, drinking and eating the relatively tasty food the Innkeeper’s wife made every day.

“I am telling you, it is all over the country already! Fluvia is even worse off and Nessia is probably the next one!”

“I don’t know ... I’ve heard about them, but it is hardly as bad as you are telling it...”

“You are so blind, Liam! The Cult of the Remaker is spreading fast ... There is something fishy going on!”

Magnus lingered for a few moments, wishing to hear more. In the last few days, he had heard this cult being mentioned a couple of times.

“It is just another religion ... We already have plenty of those, so what is one more?”

“Mark my words, Liam!”

“What is this cult about? Whom do they worship?” Magnus asked finally, turning towards the two men who were arguing loudly.

“Some god, who cares ... It is always the same...” the fellow with a big beard said. He was smoking a pipe and smirking at his friend in amusement.

“No, I just feel this is different ... I am telling you, stranger,” the other man said, looking at Magnus. “They worship some god they call ‘The Remaker’ ... Supposedly he will remake the world into a better place, or something...”

“I see...” Magnus said pensively. That belief didn’t sound so strange to him. The world was full of different religions, and this one didn’t seem to stand out. This was certainly not the first religion that spoke of changing the world. The followers of such religions getting a privileged place in that new, changed world, almost went without saying.

“Well, thank you for the information,” Magnus said, going up the stairs to his room.

He lay on the bed, fixating on a spot on the wall where someone had stabbed with a sword or a spear. He wondered if it had been a simple act of frustration or if someone actually stabbed another person there ... Violence was something he had loathed as a kid, but now it was part of his everyday life ... Whether he liked it or not, violence and war were an integral part of this world, and would probably continue to be as long as humankind existed.

“I better stop these futile musings and go to sleep. Tomorrow, the charade begins...”

The road south of Highfort was brimming with traffic, as usual. It had taken an hour of travel for Magnus to get a chance to swerve off the road and into the forest, without being followed by some curious eyes. He had to take every precaution. Once he was hidden by the trees, Magnus changed his attire, switching to more modest clothes a swordmaster would wear, and strapping the new sword he had bought a couple of days ago in Highfort. It was a good blade, much heavier than his searite sword, but far more inconspicuous. Then, as a final touch to his new identity, he took out a vial from his bags, a vial containing some kind of blue fluid.

“I really hope this works ... It has certainly cost a lot,” Magnus mused, taking a deep breath and uncorking the bottle.

“Well, only one way to find out.”

Once the bitter fluid went down his throat, Magnus waited for several breaths, expecting to feel something ... anything. After a moment of hesitation, he removed a small mirror from his bag and took a cautious glance.

“Well, I’ll be damned...”

The face smiling at him was his own, but his hair and the stubble he had let grow had turned blonde. The potion mistress that had sold him the potion had said that the effect would last a month or two and that all the hair on his body would turn blonde.

“At least my cock and balls won’t go blonde,” Magnus thought, chuckling and feeling a sudden hint of desire. At the very beginning of his apprenticeship, Fiona had used some kind of salve and permanently removed all the hair from his genitals, saying she wanted his cock smooth and clean. His face stretched into a huge smile, remembering all the sexual denial, all the teasing and edging she had put him through. He could have found something to reverse the effect of that salve, but he wouldn’t do it for the world. He loved the fact that Fiona had left her mark on his cock. The thought that it was done by her will, that his cock had been hers to decide what to do with, had always sent strong waves of affection and arousal through his body.

“I better get going or I will have to ride with a boner,” Magnus said, climbing into the saddle and turning his horse eastward. His intention was to ride around Highfort and then further east, into Fluvia. Hopefully, enough eyes had seen Magnus the mage riding south towards Fairfield and towards his father’s farm.

Riding through the forest was tiresome, his way often blocked by tree branches, but at least the trees provided protection from the sun. A couple of hours and several scratches later, Magnus emerged onto the eastern road, the road that led to Fluvia and its capital Charobny. He was considering traveling off the road but then decided against it, as that would inevitably arouse suspicion in case he was spotted by someone. There was a lot of trade going on between Highfort and Charobny, so Magnus passed plenty of traders and common passengers on the road. Sometime before dusk, he caught up with a rider that piqued his interest immediately. The young man was riding an old horse and was carrying no weapons, which was rather strange, considering that even the most frequented roads could be perilous. Yet that wasn’t the thing that stood out the most. The man was garbed in a grey robe and his saddlebags were overflowing with books ... A priest of a sort? Magnus didn’t really like priests, although this one seemed unusual even for a priest...

“Hello there!” Magnus called out. The young man turned and Magnus saw he was about his own age, with long and remarkably unruly brown hair. The young man smiled and waved at Magnus and then he pulled at his reins, clearly intending to wait for Magnus to catch up.

“Hi stranger, a fine day it is!” he said with a smile and then added, “Where are you headed, if I may ask?”

“To Charobny,” Magnus replied. He saw no point in keeping his destination a secret.

“Excellent. I am going there too!”

“How come you are riding without any weapons or escort?”

“I have nothing of value on me, except for the books, of course,” the young man said, with a disarming laugh. “My name is Simon, by the way.”

“I am M ... Gareth,” Magnus said, swearing internally. He would need to get used to his new name.

“Pleased to meet you, Gareth,” Simon said, showing no reaction to Magnus’ slip-up. “So, what business is taking you to Charobny?”

“Well, I am a swordmaster, but I’ve had no luck with offering my services in Highfort, so I was hoping Charobny would appreciate me more. I know there are plenty of mages there, but I hope not everyone finds swordplay obsolete,” Magnus said with a shrug.

“There are many mages there in comparison with most other places, true, but even there, it is still one mage per thousand ordinary inhabitants. Magic is very rare. Charobny just managed to attract many of them.”

“Are you a mage?” Magnus asked, even though he knew the answer already. Casting was like breathing to any mage. If Simon were a mage, Magnus would have seen him cast some minuscule spell, at least. It was incredibly hard to resist fiddling with magic and Magnus had to consciously restrain himself from casting even the smallest of spells and thus give himself away to any mage who could see the movement of energies.

“Me? Hardly,” Simon snorted. “But I do find magic fascinating. It is a part of my studies, in a way.”

“What do you do exactly?”

“I am a researcher of history!” Simon said, his eyes beaming.

“A what? Is that like a chronicler?” Magnus asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, in a way, but not really ... Chroniclers work for kings and nobles and usually twist their writing to suit the rulers they serve. I am a seeker of truth.”

“I am not sure I follow.”

“I’ll tell you all about it when we finally sit down at the campfire. The sun is setting, so we better find some camping spot.”

“Yeah, good idea,” Magnus said, pointing towards a nearby clearing.

As dusk gave way to the night, the only sounds disturbing the relative quiet of the open land were the sound of a crackling fire and of two men slurping their dinner.

“The broth was very good, I have to say ... You are quite the cook,” Magnus said, licking his lips.

“I learned along the way ... I often find myself at some remote locations when I am doing my research.”

“About that...”

“Ah, yes...” Simon said, setting his bowl down and wiping his mouth.

“You see, I am trying to record the history of our world. One needs to learn the past to understand the present and to be able to predict the future ... That’s what my teacher used to say, at least.”

“But how do you even begin to do such a thing?” Magnus asked, perplexed.

“There are plenty of histories, legends, and myths out there. It is just a matter of going through them, methodically, and separating the truth from fiction. It involves comparing different texts, understanding the customs and beliefs of the time, and many other similar techniques.”

“So, how far back will your history go?”

“All the way to the beginning!” Simon said with a smirk.

“What?!”

“In almost every religious belief, in every custom, in every legend, there is some small grain of truth. Many of those texts contain accounts of the time when gods ... and demons walked this world of ours, of the time when our world was being born.”

“Huh...”

“Oh yes,” Simon said, rubbing his hands fiercely. Magnus could see the young man’s face coming alive with enthusiasm.

“Millennia ago, this world had been a battleground for gods and demon lords. Nobody knows how gods and demons came to be, but some believe that all of them were created at the same moment in time; that some unknown power had created forces of good and evil to balance each other out. Good and evil, balancing out. That is how it was at the beginning, at least...”

“What do you mean by that? They ... changed?” Magnus said, surprised.

“A good man can get corrupted. A bad man can find redemption ... I don’t see why the same principle wouldn’t hold even for gods and demons. In fact, there are some historical findings that support my claim, although some seem to dispute it...”

“So not all gods are good?”

“Indeed! Not all of them are good, as blasphemous as that sounds to most people. They certainly started as good, but over such a long time ... That also means that not all demon lords are bad. I believe there is always some kind of balance, more or less.”

“Doesn’t that mean that neither good nor evil can ever prevail?”

“Well ... no. I believe that is where we, mortals come in. I believe we were created so the balance could be tipped one way or the other.”

“Huh, this is much to take in ... Wait, you said gods and demons had walked this world. What happened with them?”

“They warred for centuries, bringing creation and destruction to our world. During that time, they created all the races of the world, elves, goblins, and all kinds of benevolent and malevolent creatures to do their bidding.”

“And what about humans?” Magnus asked.

“We came sometime later ... but there is a catch there.”

Magnus raised his eyebrow inquisitively. Simon watched him triumphantly as if he knew that what he was going to say would shake Magnus up.

“We are the only race that came to be through both divine and demonic influence...”

“What?! That can’t be right!” Magnus exclaimed in surprise.

“I could be wrong, of course ... I mean, no one knows the exact way that humans came to be, but I am almost certain that both gods and demon lords were involved in our creation ... That is why we are much more easily corrupted than elves for example, yet that is also why we have the potential to become much more powerful than any elf. The extremely rare ability to wield magic had been given to humans only. No other mortal race has ever been able to shape magic the way some humans can. It is a remarkable and very convincing fact by itself...”

Magnus puffed out a breath of frustration. To be part demon was a very disturbing idea for him. Yet he could tell that Simon wasn’t simply making things up ... Magnus had been watching the young man for a while, noticing how his eyes gleamed while he was explaining his research. It was obvious that this was his life’s calling.

“So, why aren’t gods and demons walking our world anymore?” Magnus asked after a while.

“Again, no one knows for sure. Maybe they got tired of fighting directly. Maybe they realized it would eventually lead to the destruction of the world. Maybe they decided they just wanted to let mortals fight their fights while they could just use their influence indirectly and scheme behind the scenes ... Either way, gods and demons exist in different planes of existence compared to our world. Now THAT we know for sure,” Simon said, shrugging.

They were both silent for a couple of minutes as if pondering the implications of their discussion.

“Well, thank you for that ... I am sure I won’t be dreaming about demons tonight...” Magnus said with a sigh. Simon laughed and clapped him on the shoulder.

“Don’t be so gloomy about it; we have free will, after all. It is all up to us which choices we will make and if we will use our strength and power to do good or evil.”

“I suppose so...” Magnus said with uncertainty in his voice.

For the next several days, the duo traveled east toward Charobny. Magnus found that Simon was great company and he started to like the clever and good-natured young man. Simon enjoyed talking about history and he especially liked to point out the untruthful facts about gods and religions.

“What about The Goddess?” Magnus asked as they rode in the early afternoon. They were likely to reach Charobny that day.

“Which one?”

“The Goddess of the elves ... I don’t know if she has any other name...”

“Ah yes...” Simon said, suddenly pensive.

“I believe she is real ... but I am afraid I haven’t been able to find much about her as she is almost exclusively worshipped by the elves, and as you can imagine, it is not like I can simply ride into the elven lands and ask to see their records and writings...” Simon said unhappily.

“Maybe I can take you one day,” Magnus mumbled quietly.

“What was that?”

“Ehm, nothing...” Magnus said quickly. “So, you never told me what your reason for going to Charobny was. What kind of research do you hope to do there?”

“I am hoping to investigate the Cult of the Remaker.”

“Ah, not that again! What is all the fuss about that cult? I don’t see anything special about it,” Magnus said, exasperated.

“Every cult I’ve seen so far is about some version of one of the gods, or even about some of the high spirits ... except for this one. I’ve never heard about any god or spirit that resembles this ‘Remaker’. My professional curiosity demands that I investigate this anomaly.”

“I’ve heard the cult mentioned in Vistania too, so why Charobny?”

“Yes, I’ve heard rumors coming from Vistania, Ashad, even Nessia ... but it seems that the cult originated from Fluvia, so it made sense to come here.”

“Well, good luck chasing your gods, I suppose ... or demons,” Magnus said with a smirk.

Simon laughed.

“What about you, Gareth? Did you find a god worth chasing?”

“Only one,” Magnus said.

“Yes?”

“The goddess Beatrice.”

“Huh?!” Simon said, surprised. “I don’t think I know of a goddess with that name...”

Magnus chuckled.

“Let’s say that her flock is still very small, but I intend to spread her wisdom everywhere,” Magnus said, laughing. Simon watched him with a confused look.

“Anyway, we can talk about that some other time. Look!” Magnus said, pointing in front of them. While they were talking, the first tops of Charobny’s majestic buildings were starting to show in the distance. They urged their horses forward, in the hope of reaching the city before nightfall. They rode on with renewed energy and with every passing hour, the number of carts and riders kept increasing until the open road gave way to the cobbled streets of the city proper.

Fluvia’s capital was a city that would always make any newcomer gawk in awe. The huge, imposing buildings made of pure white stone, loomed everywhere. The blinding white of the inner city was interspersed with beautiful green parks every here and there, thus avoiding the feeling of crowdedness that was present in Highfort. The city walls of Charobny weren’t as high as those in Highfort, and they had softer curves, depicting a city of a different nature in comparison to the much more military-appearing capital of Vistania. Whoever had designed Charobny didn’t prioritize the city’s defensibility.

“They probably thought that no one would ever dare attack the city, considering how many mages would come to its defense...” Magnus mused as they rode through the wide streets filled with people.

“Gareth, this is where we part ways, I guess. I will take this street toward the university. I must say it has been a real pleasure sharing your company...” Simon said with an honest smile.

“Likewise. I’d say that in these last several days I’ve learned more about history and gods than in my whole life,” Magnus said with a grin. They shook hands and said their farewells, and Simon rode away through the main street toward the famous University of Magic that stood out in the distance.

“Somehow, I have a feeling I will meet him again...” Magnus said, watching Simon being swallowed by the endless river of people. He turned his horse toward a less famous part of the city, in search of a place where he could stay until he had the chance to find some way into the higher circles of Fluvia’s nobility. There was no doubt in his mind about that being the right place to seek information about Lina. How exactly was he going to achieve that, though? Becoming a swordmaster for some noble would take a recommendation of a sort and he had none. During his trip to Charobny, he often pondered about that problem, but he was unable to find a solution. All he could come up with was to use his knowledge of certain noble houses in other countries and pretend he had been a swordmaster there. Would they take his word for it? Unlikely, but it was all he had.

Dusk started to settle over Charobny, but Magnus barely noticed it. The whiteness of the buildings all around him was tricking his eyes, so he was still wandering around in search of a suitable inn. He was about to take a turn toward an inn he saw at the end of an alley when he heard angry shouts coming from around the corner.

“I should probably mind my own business for once ... Attracting attention is the last thing I need right now.”

Magnus started to ride down the alley but then stopped.

“Gods damn it!” he exclaimed in frustration.

Tugging at the horse reins, he turned around once again and rode to the corner of the street as the sound of voices became louder.

“Step aside at once! Do not anger his Lordship or you will be sorry!” the voice said, and as Magnus finally reached the corner, he saw it was the voice of a carriage driver. There were four men standing in front of the carriage he was driving. They had no visible weapons, but even in the waning light of the day, Magnus could see their postures were anything but friendly.