Shalin, p.29
Shalin, page 29
Lisa abandoned her efforts to watch, and on impulse he pulled out of his wife to paint the phoenix's aristocratic feathery features with his few final spurts. She turned her face up with a beaming smile to give him a better angle, and when he let out his final dribble with a groan of satisfied relief darted forward to lap at his opening with her little tongue, eager for more.
He slumped down to the ground while tenderly cradling his wife, and their beautiful new lover pressed against his side to cuddle them, lovingly kissing Leilanna's neck as they panted together, coming down from their shared release.
He looked over to see how Koru was doing and saw her still busy casting her portal. Although the linen of her laborer's trousers was soaked around the crotch with her arousal; she'd obviously been enjoying the show.
Lisa saw it and snickered. “Don't think you're getting out of it that easy, Koru,” she teased. “Next time I'll be playing with your big, beautiful body until you're a cuddly puddle beneath my feet.”
His orc wife grunted in reply, but she wore a wide smile as she continued casting.
Chapter Fourteen
Setback and Pushing Forward
Phoenix Shipping didn't exist.
Oh, it definitely had a presence, flooding the market in Argent with sales and purchases, all related to Shalin in general and Haraldar in particular. But no matter how deep Ireni, Marona, and their clerks dug, and how much intel their spies brought back from Argent, they couldn't find the business.
It had no address. No employees. It didn't use the counting houses or banks in the Silver City to hold funds, only as intermediaries for trade deals. It had no warehouses, didn't store goods, and wasn't listed as a business or guild in any official registry.
It was the ultimate ghost business, appearing on paper but with absolutely nothing pointing to it.
On the plus side, in their investigation they found a lot more things pointing to this being an attempt from Marigold to contact them. Along with seeing the number 1337 on most of the trades, either in the amount of goods or the price offered (often at a loss), there were other clues.
Any items that were light colored were described as “lily white”. In auctions the Phoenix Shipping representative was well known for saying things like “I dare you to outbid me” or “you wouldn't dare”. The business donated to local temples of the Outsider, and to shelters for stray beastkin who were abandoned by their master.
It all pointed to Marigold. But unfortunately it didn't point anywhere else.
After ten days of poring over every single bit of information they could gather that was connected to the elusive business, Marona finally said what they were all thinking, “We could keep doing this for months, but unless they make a mistake I don't think we'll catch them this way.”
Dare, Leilanna, Ireni, Lily, Buttercup, and Celise all slumped back in their seats with defeated groans. “I hate to say it,” he said, gritting his teeth in frustration, “but I have a feeling you're right. Somebody has to be in someone's pocket to keep them hidden like this, but nothing points to anyone.”
His noble consort rested a reassuring hand on his. “I'm not saying we should give up. Actually, I think I know a way we can pin them down, or at least lure them out into the open.”
They all perked up. “What is it?” Buttercup asked.
Marona hesitated. “It would be pretty detailed and labor intensive. We'd have to create several shell companies, maybe up to twenty. Then, working through them, we'd put the squeeze on Phoenix Shipping. Not to cause them financial hardship, or at least not only that, but to draw attention to them. If enough problems point back to them, eventually official channels are going to start trying to track them down. At that point the rat that's hiding them will be flushed out.”
Ireni nodded thoughtfully. “Our spies have a lot easier time getting intel from those channels, and through them we'll get that information too.”
“So what's the catch?” Lily asked, frowning.
Dare sighed. “Unless a business is incredibly incompetent, putting the squeeze on them like that almost always means operating at a significant loss until they're ruined.”
“And if Phoenix Shipping has ties to the Consortium their funds are effectively infinite, assuming they want to bail it out,” Marona agreed. “We'd never be able to match them coin for coin. Also, to even attempt it we'd need huge amounts of gold.”
“Huge as in . . .” Buttercup asked worriedly; she often helped with the Crusade's finances, and knew how tight they were.
His noble consort grimaced. “Millions of gold. At least.”
Dare had been expecting it, but even so the breath whooshed out of him at that number. He wasn't alone as the others exhaled or cursed quietly.
“Is that why you didn't suggest it before now?” Leilanna asked grimly.
Marona hesitated, then nodded. “Also it leaves us a bit exposed, even if we create the same sort of ghost companies they have. I was hoping one of us would think up a better idea, or we'd catch a lucky break.”
He looked around at his wives. “For finding Phoenix Shipping, no. But if it's a matter of gold I have an idea for that. One that could potentially net us around four million gold, or if it's only plated at least a few hundred thousand, and possibly orders of magnitude more. Although it's a bit out of the way.”
Ireni's brow furrowed for a moment, then Sia must've told her what he was thinking because her delicate features lit up with a smile. The other women just looked confused. “What are you talking about?” Celise demanded, looking around as if wondering if she was the only one out of the loop.
Dare pulled a map of Collisa out from under the other papers littering the table, trailing his finger from their location, across the ocean to Horadis continent, then across it to an even larger ocean. And finally across it to a vaguely defined continent traced in warning red and black lines.
He looked up at his wives and consorts with a smile. “Nil continent. Just off the coast, here, there's a statue in a sunken ship. A bit larger than life-sized and made of truesilver.”
Leilanna whistled. “That's worth a trip to the other side of the world for.”
Marona frowned. “How do you know of this statue?”
Ireni was openly grinning now, and he grinned back at her. “I saw it in a dream.”
The Tireless Tinker was too literal and detail-oriented to fabricate details for flavor. Especially when she was trying to make her phony vision of the future as realistic as possible so he'd believe it. Dare was confident that the submerged statue in its shipwreck was right where he'd seen.
To the point he was willing to gamble on a trip to Nil continent to confirm it.
He quickly described the vision and what he'd seen on the shipwreck, the women he loved becoming more excited as he spoke.
“Where there's a truesilver statue there might be even more treasure in there,” Leilanna said, practically bouncing in her chair. “That could be enough to not only make Marona's idea work but fund the Crusade for years to come. We could even buy high quality gear for our higher levels.”
“A trip to the other side of Collisa is fraught with peril,” Ireni warned. “Orcish raiders, naga pirates, mermaid waveguards, not to mention terrible sea monsters.”
“If Trissela's willing to go she could scout beneath the waves,” Dare said. “We could send Belinda or one of the other Crusade Phasewarpers, and a party of our higher level Crusaders, low 50s at least, with Gad leading them.”
“Not Trissela,” Ireni said firmly. “We can't have one of the family leave her children for that long. Our best bet would probably be to ask Tessera or Tissin to help for a portion of the profits.”
Marona frowned. “That's a risk. And it's a lot of strength to invest for what could potentially be months. Can we spare it?”
“Our recruits are getting higher level by the day,” Lily said. “And so are we.”
Dare stared down at the map. “Okay,” he said. “Crusade operations will remain business as usual when it comes to working our way deeper into Consortium leadership through capture and interrogation. On top of that we'll keep looking into Phoenix Shipping hoping to get lucky. We'll also step up the timetable for our raid on Gular, so we can get it done before we send out our expedition.”
He looked around at the women he loved. “We'll have to get a consensus from the core leadership, but I'm confident we can move on him, say, two weeks from now. Assuming it goes well, and he doesn't have any information that leads us directly to Marigold and Marcus, Malin, or any other Consortium leaders, a week after that we'll send off the expedition.”
“We can shave a lot of time off the trip by finding a Phasewarper who can take our Phasewarper to eastern Horadis, then go from there,” Ireni suggested. “Say a month to Nil, then a series of portals back with the treasure. It's not as much of a commitment as it could be. But we should make preparations beforehand. Now, ideally.”
He looked around at his wives and consorts. “Any disagreements about the timetable? Questions or comments?”
“I have a few points we could address,” Marona said. “But overall I think it's a good plan. Let's get the core team together and talk it over.”
◆◆◆
“Don't get up, Nalid,” Dare said, plopping down onto a chair across the table from the prisoner.
Joray Nalid, strapped to his chair and gagged, looked at him with narrowed eyes and didn't so much as grunt.
Dare kicked the prisoner's chair under the table, knocking it over onto its back. The man crashed to the ground with a muffled cry of pain, and Dare stood and circled the table to look down at him.
If Makkal Gloomrise had been a canker, Nalid was a cancer.
He was one of the money men Dare had suggested Ireni and Marona look for. A parasite down in Marogia who'd used his wealth as a bludgeon to ruin tens of thousands of lives, then enslaved his debtors in droves.
The Crusade had captured him in a child brothel, and small surprise that if he was willing to cause such widespread suffering and even death without a moment's hesitation, he'd commit the vilest of acts against the most innocent of people without batting an eye, either.
They'd saved the poor children there and dismantled the brothel at the same time, burning it down as they left to prevent others from suffering in that vile place. It also served the purpose of giving the Consortium doubt about whether Nalid had been the real target, or they'd been targeting the establishment and he'd just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Dare was especially hopeful about what the man could provide in interrogation, since given his vast business holdings it was likely he'd at least be aware of Phoenix Shipping. He might even know how to find them, and through them Marigold and Marcus. And if they were really lucky, he'd be in direct contact with Malin or other Consortium leaders.
Which was why Le'nim's interrogators had been instructed to pry the most pressing answers out of him first.
“We're tearing our way through the Consortium, Nalid,” Dare said, looking down at the man. “And the higher we go, the juicier the targets we find. On that note, we raided your mansion and confiscated your personal funds and possessions. 42,000 gold and change . . . pretty humble for a man who deals in the millions. Also we burned it down afterwards.”
The Marogian glared murder at him.
“Which do you think is worse, Nalid?” he continued, tone hardening. “Killing a man, or driving 1,143 to suicide by ruining them financially? Destroying a city, or enslaving over five thousand people you drove into debt with your crooked dealings? Raping a woman, or forcing dozens into your bed through extortion, intimidation, and blackmail while ruining them socially and financially anyway? Not that you haven't done a sickening amount of the former as well.”
Righteous fury made his voice something low and savage. “As for what we caught you doing tonight, there's no evil to compare it to. My Thief Hunter informs me that when he asked you if you were a good man, you said yes, and his Truth Sense confirmed it was true. One of the weaknesses of the ability is that even the most blatant lie will pass if the person genuinely believes it's the truth.”
Dare leaned down to press one knee on Nalid's chest, enough that the man struggled to breathe. “The fact that you can consider yourself good after what you've done shows that your mind is warped beyond imagination, so buried in self-delusion and absorption that you may as well be living in a fantasy world. Even being in your presence sickens me, but we're going to dredge your foul mind for every scrap of knowledge you have. Then, perhaps, we'll give you mercy you don't deserve.”
He stood, freeing the monster in human flesh to suck in a breath, and strode to the door to knock sharply. It opened and Le'nim's assistant, also a Thief Hunter, strode inside, masked and grim as death and bearing a rolled cloth filled with his implements.
His second goblin wife had wanted to question Nalid, but Dare didn't want her anywhere near this filth. If she was angry at him for it he'd deal with that.
“Gelding is on the table if he doesn't cooperate,” he told the interrogator, ignoring Nalid's whimper of fear. “If he makes it necessary, it might even be better to prevent this scum being able to use that weapon on another innocent again.”
Not that the piece of filth would ever leave this place, since he'd be tried and executed for his crimes once they'd learned what they could from him.
“Understood, Judiciar,” the man said with a salute, tone flat and professional. “Do you want me to bring in a healer so I can take more extreme measures without killing him?”
Another whimper from the prisoner.
“That's up to him. You know your business.” Dare nodded to him and strode from the room.
His first stop was the barracks privy to empty his guts in the toilet. Then to douse in water and cast Cleanse Target on himself. Twice. Then again.
Marogia was better for Nalid being removed, and they needed the information he had. Still, he hated asking his interrogators to do what was necessary to get it.
Fear of pain and the Truth Sense were enough a lot of the time, but not always. And for some, like the scum in there, he had little sympathy if they weren't.
Collisa was a harsh place. Given the enemy Dare faced, the insurmountable task of defeating them, and the measures required for that victory, he feared he was becoming harsher as well.
He wondered if the soft person he'd been back on Earth, working a dead end manual labor job and going home to play video games, would even recognize him as he'd become.
Would he recognize himself after this war with the Consortium was over?
The door opened and Le'nim slipped into the privy, closing it behind her as she took in his wet clothes. Although she didn't comment on them. “You're not going to let me at Nalid.”
“No,” he said firmly. She glared at him and he smiled and gathered her up in his arms; given his previous grim thoughts, her soft little body was a comfort. “That interrogator's glower might work on our prisoners, but they don't realize how sweet and cuddly you are.”
His second goblin wife's glare intensified, although she melted into his embrace in spite of his wet clothes. “Only with you and the rest of the family, husband. Our enemies find me very intimidating.”
Dare believed that. “What about me?”
She gave him a confused and slightly concerned look. “I sure hope you don't find me intimidating, my love.”
“Of course not,” he said, hugging her tighter. “I mean I wonder if people see me the way I see myself.”
Le'nim still looked confused. “How do you see yourself?”
That was the question. He settled back against the privy wall, cuddling her in his lap and stroking her sleek black hair as he considered it. “Weighed down by my responsibilities,” he admitted. “Pulled a dozen different directions and trying to balance it all. Doing my best to do what's right, to deal fairly with people and help those who need it, and not let this war turn me into a man I no longer recognize.” He hugged her tighter again, suddenly protective. “And I'll do what it takes to keep my family safe, no matter what, and ensure the welfare of the people under my command.”
Her eyes softened. “Then I think most see you much as you see yourself. A good hint that it's who you truly are. A powerful man, a skilled leader, and a beloved and loving husband and father who has brought his family safely through some very hard times.”
“I love you, Le'nim,” he said, kissing her forehead, then her pointy nose, then her soft little lips.
His wife kissed him back fiercely, slipping her small tongue into his mouth to slide across his teeth before finding his and teasing it lovingly. “Show me,” she panted, breaking the kiss for a moment. “Mate me right here in the privy.”
She began eagerly working the ties to his pants as she continued in a breathless voice. “I know we can't have a baby until our war is done and I can put aside my duties, but let's at least pretend we're breeding. That you're putting a strong son or beautiful daughter in my womb. The children we'll have when the time is right.”
Dare eagerly pulled off her tunic and yanked down her pants, kissing his way down her soft little body and over her medium-sized breasts, savoring her lotion-slick dark green skin.
While Le'nim was one of the oldest of his wives, even if Forever Young at Level 50 had dropped her body's age back to 19, she was also the tiniest. A few inches shorter than Zuri, she barely came up above his waist and had smaller breasts and lean curves. She was a true pocket rocket, with boundless energy and eager enthusiasm in bed. She also had the same tribal perspective as Se'weir and loved being bent over and mounted.
Especially in the ass.
As her small, lotion-slick hands stroked him to full hardness, he stood with her in his arms and draped her over the sink, rubbing his tip against her velvety little petals as she squirmed and squeaked.
“Take me, husband!” she cried, trying to get purchase on the slippery tiles to push back against him. “Mount me and fill me with your powerful seed!”
