I felt a bit bad because that was textbook special ops regime-ending tactics. Shadow campaigns, maybe with false flags, or just stealth to the degree that no one could prove we were there. Until either the regime collapsed, or an excuse for open action could be manufactured. I liked to think that once the regime was overthrown, life got better for the people in the region, but I’d seen too many times that those promises from Upper Brass either failed to materialize or “unexpected events” led to withdrawals.
At least I was confident that overthrowing Kathra was the right thing. I was even putting in the work beforehand to make sure that the elves could have peace afterward.
As we ate lunch, Amura emerged. She seemed a little unsteady and… I could feel some happiness in her, where usually she smothered her emotions enough that I couldn’t tell what she was thinking. I let her eat before pestering her.
“How are you feeling?” I asked.
“I… am unsure. I feel different. And it feels… familiar.” She noted. “I feel strange and as though my every step will lift me from the ground.”
“That’s likely the weight of the dark magic lifted,” Mavrin noted. “Those under the influence of such magic often feel weighed down, and things that bring joy are lessened, while things that are sad, painful, and infuriating are more intense.”
“Is that why the food was so delicious?” Amura asked.
“Yes, your joy in its flavor is no longer depressed,” Mavrin confirmed.
I was glad Amura was feeling better. It was also a relief to see she wasn’t seeking to have any residual pain from the process. Amura was closest to Lymarith, and I hoped the Shadow Elf considered the young house matron her friend. Watching the two talk, Amura was definitely happier and laughed with genuine mirth at something Lymarith said.
She’d probably let you fuck her now, a voice inside my head taunted. You deserve it.
Nope. I wasn’t going to pressure her, especially during a time of emotional instability. That was not going to happen. Not listening to the intrusive thoughts today.
Besides, I still had Diamiutar who, as far as I was aware, had yet to purge. I could give her the time she needed, then enjoy my fourth matron of the day. Part of me felt a little weird, railing four of my ‘wives’ in a day. But on the other hand that had left yesterday open for the blowjob orgies, and I couldn’t complain about that. But it made sense to try and spread them out through the week.
Then there was the complicating factor of pregnancy. Narusil had been pregnant for three weeks and aside from the one blowjob she had given me, and turned into a creampie because… that was where sperm belonged, she had seemingly had no interest in sex. And even for the blowjob she’d given me, she wasn’t particularly wet when she’d slipped my head inside her sex to get her creampie. Benavur had gone from fairly consistently being affectionate and wanting sex as soon as possible to being content to spend time with the other expecting Matrons. Heilantu was the same. So no matter how much I planned and tried to optimize, the moment one of my matrons got pregnant, it threw everything into chaos again. And getting them all pregnant was pretty much the goal, not to mention being fucking hot, so there wasn’t really anything to complain about.
In the end, I kinda figured out what would be would be, and decided not to worry about it. I didn’t ever worry when dinner finished and Diamiutar had yet to approach me. I eventually just went and laid down.
I had thought sleeping in my boxers was how I’d always go, but sleeping naked had just gotten more and more appealing. The fact that my matrons seemed to enjoy taking full advantage of the situation only further encouraged me to sleep in complete undress. I consistently forgot how quiet the elves were, so it always surprised me when one joined me.
I was mostly asleep when a hand wrapped around my cock and began stroking. That is a fucking awesome way to get brought back to reality. I could feel the horniness oozing from Diamiutar as her lips wrapped around my cock.
“Oh, fuck….” I groaned, in satisfaction.
Diamiutar was in no hurry. She almost lazily sucked me to the verge of orgasm, multiple times, before planting her pussy on my cock and engulfing me. I could tell she could see at least something in the darkness, but I was completely blind. All I had was the sound of her panting as her ass slapped against my thighs each time she used gravity to impale herself on my pleasure rod, and the sensation of her sex massaging and engulfing my cock.
“Oh, shit.” I moaned as I began filling her.
Four matrons in one day… and I probably could have done more. I mean, while constant orgies would be amazing for a while, I did want to make sure I had time for other things as well. But when Diamiutar apologized for waking me, I just kissed her and informed her that it was worth waking up for. Then I rode the post-sex drowsiness to sleep.
The next day was full of excitement. If the Shipwright’s estimate was correct, the ship would be done. That meant today, we would begin our expedition to the Cloud Elves’ City in the Sky. After breakfast, our first order of business would be checking on the ship.
Again, with a fairly small group, this time consisting of me, Amura, Tavorwen, and Sevrina made our way to the shipyard. Walking into the enormous hollow in the tree, it was amazing to see the progress.
What a week ago had been a small wooden growth, leading to a piece of wood that could fit in the palm of my hand had become a full-on ship. The ship extended from one end of the basin to the other. From the tip of the bow to the stern, the ship measured around 70 feet long. And while not nearly as wide as it was long, it was easily 20 feet wide for the majority of its length. A shallow deck, with railings more than three feet high around the sides, was the visible portion, with a slightly elevated upper deck at the back where the steering mechanism and the Elemental ring resided. The mast was easily six feet in diameter, though it only rose about ten feet above deck before connecting to the ship’s main wings. The main wings looked like they could contract or extend, and while contracted, as they were now, barely extended past the ship’s sides. I had no idea how big they would be once extended.
“Your vessel is nearly ready.” The shipwright informed us, tired but proud.
The maidens who had spent the past week creating our ship were running the strong elven cords from key places on the main portion of the ship to the wings.
The ship was majestic. Its prow had the figurehead of a large cat, and I realized it was modeled after Jauna, my panther-like partner/mount. The hull, deck, rails, and other woods were a dark brown, appearing to have been treated with some sort of stain or other compound. The glider had some sort of material, canvas or who-knows-what pulled tight over its frame, which was a nice sky blue, and I thought it was decent camouflage until I saw a cloud literally moving over one wing. Okay, that made it great camouflage.
“This is amazing!” I exclaimed.
“Did you like us borrowing the likeness of your feline friend for the prow?” One of the maidens asked in excitement.
“It is a very nice touch,” I told her.
“Well, if the party who plans on going will bring their packs…” the Shipwright declared. “He should be ready to fly before you return.”
“He?” I asked. Almost every ship I could think of had been given a female name.
“Indeed. Every elven ship is a he.” The Shipwright laughed nervously.
“So a male that an elf made will finally get off his ass and… help.” One of the maidens laughed, only realizing at the end that this was probably an inside joke that should have stayed an inside joke. The rest of the shipwrights glanced nervously at me.
I, however, found it hilarious. The way everything seemed flipped here just got me sometimes.
“Shit, that’s funny.” I finally collected myself, and the other elves allowed themselves a chuckle.
A not-so-quick trip across Ealphamir’s abandoned streets, and an equally long trip back, and we were ready to board. All the members of the household, including Narusil and Benavur who could not join us due to their pregnancies, came to wish us luck. I didn’t really like how as soon as my matrons were pregnant, they were restricted to the city, but it was better, and safer that way.
Audriul and Jakarah also came to see us off. They stood on the edge of the wood basin, looking over the ship. They seemed to take pride in the vessel and to be fair, it looked like a vessel to take pride in.
My elven companions, Matron and Maiden alike, seemed quite enamored by the ship. Given that only Diamiutar and Tavorwen were old enough to have seen the last Wood Elf ship, it made sense. The lower deck was mostly sleeping quarters and storage, though it was comfortable enough for most of the elves to walk and sit comfortably, Laliera and I had to watch our heads since the extra six or seven inches we had put us definitely in the head scraping height. The beds seemed to double as benches, as most of them took their seats down below.
Emerging, the Shipwright was giving Sevrina some instructions on the actual usage of the vessel, and I caught enough of it. Seems like the biggest part was making sure to manage the extensions of the wings and the attunement of the crystal. At full extension, the wings could carry the ship for long enough to switch drivers, but someone would have to be at the steering crystal around the clock.