Josh stares up at Enna, wide eyed and mouth slightly open. I like to think I can see the drool pooling and spilling out of his gaping mouth.

I stomp up to the perv and swipe my claws across his arm. My stats are too low to break the skin, but he still feels the attack, "Ren? What the hell?"

Glaring up at him, I point a claw in his face, "Stop perving out over my caretaker!"

"What? Like, she's your maid? Or nanny? That's kinda hot too. Do you ever, you know?"

"NO!" I almost scream at the stupid man.

Enna lays a hand on my head, "Calm now, sweetie. This is a good learning opportunity. Sometimes it is worth suffering a little indignation if someone is particularly useful."

My caretaker sways her hips alluringly as she steps in front of Josh. She is currently at her full twelve foot height, it is almost comical the way Josh moves his head up and down to try and take all of her in. "You are going to be old enough soon; a queen must use every ability she possesses." She stills Josh's head with a single claw under his chin and leans down so her heavy hangers are directly in front of the drooling man's face, "You need to learn how to effectively use every tool available to you. Some tools," She taps the claw under Josh's chin, "Are exceedingly easy to use, if you use the correct method. This is a very fine tool and will serve you loyally for very little. Isn't that right, you're a fine implement, aren't you?" Her voice turns sultry towards the end.

"Uhhhh." Clearly Josh is having trouble thinking. "Yeah, sure. I mean, whatever you want." His eyes briefly dart to me, "Am I seriously about to get laid by a twelve foot demoness?"

I roll my eyes so hard they almost pop out of my head.

"See?" Enna continues, her voice still dripping in sensuality, "This boy will go back to Tarenbaum and play the role of our informant. In return," Her claw moves from his chin to trace its way up his cheek, "His loyalty will be rewarded." She purrs.

"He is not sleeping with you!" I yell and stomp my foot.

Enna sighs, retracting her claw and straightening up. She walks back over to me and kneels to pull me into her, "Oh honey, the less said in these cases, the better." She squeezes me and rubs my back reassuringly, "I know it seems off-putting now, but you will understand better when you grow a little more. You shall not be lowering yourself before anyone, do not worry, I will be here for you. And if you decide it is beneath you, you do not need to do it, as is your right as queen."

I sniffle a little into my caretaker. I'm not really sure what's going on, but I definitely feel upset. No, I understand the concept she is trying to teach me, but I reaaaaaaally don't wanna do that. Maybe it really does have to do with my biological age? Or maybe it's just Josh? I can't really remember if I ever used my sexuality like that in my past life, I might need to trust Enna on this one.

"Uhhhhhhhhh." The Lord annoys me by speaking again, "Are you two having, like, a touching moment? Should I go?"

"YES!" I scream into Enna's chest.

Josh makes a hasty retreat.

It has taken a whole month for the infuriating man to get back on his feet. Apparently, wounds from the Golden Goddess are very slow to heal. At least Sarah and Hollis did all of the work caring for him, giving me plenty of time to cuddle with Enna and pump out vess.

Saving Josh's life did net us a lot of juicy information at least. There are six god touched in Tarenbuam, and they form a council, including Josh, that has been directing the kingdom for a while now. The king is one of the god touched, and Pirous is clean.

Information on the other countries is pretty scarce, but it is safe to assume the gods have their fingers in all of the upper levels of governance. Lotheris seems to be an outlier, as Sarah is the only person the Golden Goddess has offered power to. I guess none of the other members of the golden order met the goddess' high standards. I feel offended on behalf of Oscar; I like that guy and he is totally worthy. If the Golden Goddess doesn't snatch him up, I have half a mind to.

It seems to be pretty early in this god war. Hollis thinks the gods have only been awake for a few months, if when Sarah received her level forty class evolution is used as reference. This seems to line up with when Josh got his 'God Touched Lord' class and is around the time the council was formed.

We've been staying in the new orc village this whole time. They have named it Cil'drada or 'South Home'. The orcs seem to favor single story houses made of bricks with sloped roofs to keep off the snow. My vess has provided the signature black top road through the village and are working on making a safe path through the mountains.

Speaking of snow, it is really coming down. I snuggle into my cushion bed. Of course, I have been provided with a house of my own, the biggest in the village. These orcs really show proper respect, I like that. I send out the mental order to bring some of our really good magical items as a reward. Maybe it'll start a holiday, like Christmas.

I can hear Sarah talking to Josh in the other room. Bleh, I wish he would leave already. At least he stopped trying to flirt with Sarah after almost getting killed by her, he isn't completely stupid. He is supposed to leave to go back to Tarenbaum soon. Apparently, he has a cover story as to where he has been, not that I care.

Enna's light laugh graces the room, "Oh honey, if you keep pouting, your face is going to get stuck like that." She teases.

I stick my tongue out, only to withdraw it with a yelp as Enna's claws come dangerously close to it, "Careful," She sings, "A drake might mistake that for a worm if you stick it out too much."

Hiding under the covers is a good tactic, until Enna fishes me out and sits me in her lap. Her claws poke me in the side, making me squeal and squirm as she laughs at my predicament. She mercilessly tickles me, "Stop! Please!" I gasp between laughing fits.

"Hmmm?" She pretends to not hear me.

Time for my trump card, "I'm gonna pee!" I squeak out between giggles.

Finally, the tickling stops, and I get to catch my breath. Enna has dialed her 'mommy' mode up to eleven ever since the brush with the Void God.

"Oh dear." Her voice is teasing, "Honey, there's a wet spot on your shorts!"

Sarah, predictably, walks in and freezes upon hearing those words, her gaze snaps to between my thighs.

I desperately pull my shirt down to cover, "No! There's no wet spot! Sarah! Enna is lying!"

"Why are you hiding it then?" Sarah joins in on the side of my tormenter with a gleeful smile on her face.

My face heats up to an uncomfortable degree, "Cause, you're looking! Stop it you freak!"

"There is a really simple solution here." Sarah says with a shit eating grin, leaning against the doorframe, "Just show me the proof that you didn't wet yourself, and your name will be cleared. I don't see what the problem is, unless you did have another accident?"

"What do you mean another?" My voice goes up a pitch, I don't think I could blush any harder if I tried, "I don't pee myself!"

The Hero laughs, "Okay, okay, I give. Despite your age, you don't have accidents."

I blush even harder and continue to cover myself.

Stolen novel; please report.

"Ren? Hey, I said it's cool. We're just teasing you."

I avert my eyes.

Sarah shares a confused look with Enna, "Uh?"

Enna calmly picks me up and sets me on my feet, before kneeling down in front of me, blocking Sarah's line of sight, and lifting my shirt. She lowers my shirt and serenely stands and turns to address Sarah, "If you would please excuse us, I need to attend to her grace."

A look of understanding dawns on the Hero's face, soon replaced by sheepish embarrassment, "Ah, okay. Yeah. No problem. Uh, don't worry about it Ren, it happens sometimes."

Today is a bad day, I sniffle and wipe at my tears.

Now wearing a dress, I step out into the common room of my house, Enna patiently shadowing me.

"Okay." I walk up to a mirror and double check to make sure you can't tell I was just crying, "I need to check in with Set, and I'd like to have a conversation with Pirous too." All of the orcs are here in the village, so I don't anticipate any problems with them. Surprisingly, the Matron and Pirous returned with his family. Apparently the two talked a lot as they traveled and have come to some sort of understanding. They also may have boinked. Pirous is a widower, but he's still got it, I guess.

Enna wraps me in a warm cloak and scoops me up, so I don't have to walk through the snow. Sarah is standing outside with her hands buried in her cloak.

I look down at her from Enna's arms, "Hey, what are you doing standing outside in the cold?"

Sarah pushes off the wall she was leaning against and joins us in wading through the snow, "I always liked the cold, snow especially. It doesn't bother me."

"I want down." I inform Enna who promptly stops to set me down on my feet.

Wading over to Sarah is… much harder than I thought. I only get a few steps before losing my balance and almost face planting into the snow. Sarah is quick to catch me and laughs, "Ren, I think you might be too short to walk around in this." She kneels down and lets me scramble up onto her back. Snuggling into the Hero, I wrap my arms around her neck and try to absorb as much warmth as possible through her cloak.

It's late in the evening and the sun is just setting. A few drones cross our path, dutifully clearing pathways for the orcs to use. There is so much snow that the drones struggle to keep up, winter has just begun, and already it is way worse than it ever was last winter.

Of course, the Hero doesn't seem to mind. She easily carries me through the winter weather, not slowing down or struggling at all, even when we run out of plowed path and have to wade again. I wonder what it's like having such high stats. Sarah got shot in the Void and just walked it off, pretty sure she didn't sleep most of the time we were in there either. Superhuman abilities seem fun, but then I would have to actually do stuff, a truly gruesome fate. I much prefer being carried over being the big, tough, strong one. And it's really nice being carried by Sarah, I feel safe.

"I wish you weren't leaving." I almost whisper in her ear. The village is buried in sound dampening snow, it's so peaceful and quiet. It seems wrong to break the silence.

Sarah sighs, "I know."

"Is it 'cause you're still mad at Enna?"

The Hero shakes her head, "No, not really. I'm still pissed at her, but I'll get over it. I know there wasn't anything malicious behind it, she just wanted what was best for you." Another sigh, "I can't really be mad at her, it's her nature. It's like getting mad at a dog for barking at a car."

"Thank you." I give her an appreciation snuggle.

Sarah reaches up and ruffles my hair, "Well, I'm not going to leave until the snow melts, so we have a while yet." She turns her head to smile at me, "It's important, Ren."

"I get it." My mood is sullen, "Lotheris and the Golden Order need to know about the gods. Make sure they know that as long as you are with them, I'll fight for Lotheris."

"Is it weird?" Sarah asks, "That I care about the people who kidnapped me?"

"I don't know."

Sarah smirks, "Let me rephrase. It feels weird that I want to help the people who took me away from Earth, but" She looks up at the falling snow, "I met people who don't suck. I'd never be able to forgive myself if I had the power to help them and didn't. Not sure what it means to be an agent of the gods, but I subscribe to the superhero school of thought, power and responsibility and all that."

My voice is sulky, "You're a real hero."

"I guess." The Hero laughs, "Don't worry, I'm sure we'll see each other often enough."

When I don't answer, Sarah tsks and bounces me once, "Sulky baby."

We arrive at the Clan Head's house and take shelter inside; Sarah puts me down and starts stomping the snow off her boots. Enna brushes me off and takes my cloak, hanging it by the door. Further inside the home we find a warm fire in a room with lots of comfy seats. Set, Jet, Fia, and Pirous are all gathered over warm drinks.

"The queen emerges from her den!" Fia jumps up to smother me in a hug. After a few painful moments of not being able to breathe, she releases me and takes me over to a couch, settles me down and pours me a drink. With me taken care of, she quickly retakes her position next to Pirous, sitting very close to him and giving him some very suggestive looks.

Enna takes her place waiting behind my chair and Sarah plops down beside me, resting her sword against the side of the couch.

"Queen Renna." Jet stands and gives a curt bow, "I want to thank you again for your assistance in constructing these homes. We would never have been able to build them in time for the snow, much less with such high quality, your vess were invaluable."

I beam at the orc, "I take care of my people!"

"Indeed." Set nods sagely, "Now, you wanted to speak with us?"

"Ah, right." I stand up to address everyone, "So, you've all been told about the gods waking. I want to make sure we are ready to protect ourselves and possibly go to war." Holding up a claw to stall comments, I continue, "War isn't something I want to just dive into, I need to build up my forces. My vess are many, I'm not worried about numbers, what I want are small groups of high level soldiers."

I pause to sip my drink, "My knights are strong, but on a one on one fight with a level forty, they will often lose. I want volunteers. Any orc who wants to become stronger is welcome. They will receive magical items and will be able to safely level up in my dungeons without having to worry about anything else. I've already done something similar with Sarah, so I'm confident we could get a bunch of orcs into their forties." I stop and say a little less confidently, "Is that okay?"

"Is that okay?" Laughs Pirous, "Your majesty, many men would stab their brother for such an offer. Most dungeons are crowded and dangerous, if you can truly provide the aid you claim, I think you'll have a problem with too many volunteers."

"But." I can't help but be uncertain, "They will have to fight in my army, will they accept that?"

The General snorts, "Men have died for worse causes. Do not worry, it is a more than fair offer. We won't have any problem implementing it in Blackroad, I assure you."

Letting out a sigh of relief, I fall back down onto the couch, "That's all I really wanted to talk about. I want orcs leveling in the dungeons and ready to fight for me. I hope the Karnakans will be as open to the idea as you say."

"Couldn't you just forcefully conscript them?" Sarah keeps her voice neutral.

I shrug, "Sure, if I was desperate, which I'm not. I'd rather have happy, loyal soldiers. This is already hard for me, I'm used to the unquestioning loyalty of my vess, I don't want to have to trust humans, but Enna talked me into it."

General Pirous leans forward, his arms resting on his knees and his hands folded, "If we wait for North and South Tarenbaum to have their war, it would be a simple matter for the vess to sweep in and pick up the pieces. Many will abandon the fight if they learn that a god controls their kingdom, as I have. It would be trivial for me to recruit them."

"Will other people really feel as strongly about it as you?" Asks Sarah.

"Absolutely." The General's expression goes dark, "It's heresy, is what it is. The Void God, controlling our king. Unacceptable. North Tarenbaum has long worshipped Keash, the God and creator of humanity."

I look back at Enna, the unspoken question on my face. She lifts her shoulders in a gentle shrug, "I have no knowledge of such a god. It may be a new god has been born, or it is simply a tool for humans to control each other."

Pirous glares at Enna, "I will let that go, I can't expect a creature such as you to understand."

"Hey! Be nice to Enna!" I scowl at the offending human. "And did you forget, I'm the same 'creature' as Enna!"

Raising his hands, Pirous apologizes, "My mistake, your majesty."

I huff out an annoyed breath and Set chuckles to himself. "An unlikely collection of allies, don't you think Queen Renna? I am very much looking forward to the future you are leading us into. Perhaps this clan can finally grow and prosper, our numbers may reach the heights of the old days."

Pirous clears his throat, "So, we bide our time while bolstering our ranks. I will keep a close eye on the Tarenbaum situation, and if we have an opportunity, I would like to act on it. Lord Josh will provide us with crucial information, although he is not free to directly act against the Void God."

I nod my approval.

"Then I am satisfied." The General gets up and bows to me, "Please, liberate my people from this false god, and you will have my unconditional support."

Sarah tenses by my side before grabbing her sword and darting over to the window. She peeks out of the blinds and her eyes go wide, "Um, the orcs worship the Frost Wyrm, right? Which is like, a giant, blue dragon?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.