"what use is this piece of s.h.i.t?" Mike was just about to chuck it when the Guard flinched.

"Alchemist!", shrieking from fear the guard was startled.

"Sir, We will have someone escort you to the lords manor, This way please." Moving slowly and then quickly afterward, the Guard escorted the group on the ground to the Lord Manor.

"Lord Ferare is inside. I will leave you for the attendants." Making sure to get away as fast as possible, the man literally broke into a sprint.

"Mike" Mona called out.

"What"s up?" Mike was curious what she thought, there was the chance that more c.r.a.p could happen if they went somewhere and were recognized as an alchemist again.

"Should we be trying this again so soon? I think we should wait a bit. Mike wondered for a while and then looked at his storage to check his currency." They did have enough gold to do whatever they wanted for some time, but it would only be a matter of time before funding would run short.

"Then lets not even go inside, lets just go." Mike said with a smile and boarded his mount.

The Girls were use to being on their own, So mike was okay with roughing it for a few days and then coming to a stop.

Leaving the Manor, they were taking off and one of the attendants came running.

"We have a message from the Prince!" The attendant cried out.

Mike was already in the air but came back briefly to ask what the business was. Taking out the Frost Cannon he looked at the Attendant and back at the door.

"What is the message?" He asked.

The attendant"s hands were shaking as he handed to message to Mike and pulled back to wait for his response.

"Is this really a message from Prince Troeg?" Mike was confused, the wording was all wrong.

"Yes, Riders went throughout the night to all the cities with the same message." The Attendant pulled back again, sure that Mike would last out at him if he didn"t like the message.

Cara and Jodi were quick to ask with a teasing tone, "What does it say!"

"It says "Thank you. Keep the Emblem and Dragoons with you, they will help you greatly. I was not involved." and then at the bottom it has a name. Goger City." Mike wasn"t sure where Goger City was, but if the Prince really isn"t p.i.s.sed that he left, perhaps it would be a good place to start looking for something else to do besides fly.

"Where is Goger City?" Mike asked the attendant and watched him run off.

Mike dismounted, the fear of attack was over but he left the Frost Cannon in his hand.

An Elderly man returned with a map and pa.s.sed it over.

"This is a map of the area, When you see that nephew of mine again ask him why he hasn"t come to see me." Turning to leave the old man shook his head in agitation and disappointment. Mike sort of got what the man said. The attendant was owned by Troeg"s Uncle, or Granduncle..

"It depends on what he decides, If he comes for me or comes to me.." Mike scoffed gently and re-mounted his Dragoon.

"They gave me a map, We"re going to go check out Goger City. But, I don"t believe anything will be safe, we"re going incognito." Mike wasn"t going to play into anyone"s plans. Explaining the route before they flew off, Mike showed the girls the way.

Donning some robes to hide their faces and appearance, Mike had the girls watch over the Dragoons until he could find out what the inside and waiting for them. Mike made sure to have everything he had at the ready, The "Original" flame Crystal Powered Cannon he had made was already destroyed and disa.s.sembled. The Frost Cannon wouldn"t have the same problem, but it would become increasingly cold and still had the chance to shatter.

"Halt!" A guard stopped Mike, he was abnormal looking and short. Mike didn"t have a tail so the guards wanted to uncover his face.

"Sir. You need to remove your hood!" The guard wanted to get into mike"s face, Mike was very disinterested in over posturing blowhards.

"Use your eyes." Mike spoke clearly and stopped the Guards dead in their tracks.

Holding the Emblem, he knew he was going to be discovered before so he kept it in his hand.

"Speak of this to no one, else I return to find you." Mike couldn"t let them report his arrival, at least not right at this moment.

The streets were packed with strange beings, another port city, Goger City was bustling. Stalls had an abundance of different foods, Mike wandered around until he found a bulletin board. There was no mention of him or the girls, Mike did see an advertis.e.m.e.nt looking for an Alchemist. The paper itself looked rather worn like it had been posted for some time.

Mike saw a dress shop. He wasn"t rich, but he did have money. Getting the girls something else to wear had been on the list of To-Do"s since they left the Poocha Castle.

"How much?" Mike was buying a set of the dresses, he also found a few hair pins and a brush. The matted furs of the girls after their romp sessions made Mike think twice about a few things.

"I wonder If i can make a shower now that I can heat up the water on a whim." Mike put the thought in the back of his mind for another time and paid the Shopkeeper for the Dresses.

After a while he noticed a large open s.p.a.ce and a few empty buildings. The guards near the castle were in pairs everywhere, There was rarely a spot where a single guard was posted. Their counterpart was usually watching their backs.

Mike could feel the anger still welling inside of him after losing the grow, but It was only some stuff. Heading into a bar with some life in it during the Day, Mike saw many faces. They all saw him.

Asking the Bartender how to reach the owners of the nearby vacant buildings, Mike noticed the selection of Alcohol on the back wall.

"BOOZE!" Mike tossed a few gold coins on the bar, the action made everyone stop.

In Goger City, people were starving. Mike just put a few months salary onto the bar, The bartender didn"t know what Mike wanted.

"What do you want?" Curious, the Bartender asked with a dry tone.

"Information and how ever many bottles the rest buys me." Mike wasn"t sure what the booze cost, but he really needed to know about the houses. He could build one, but He didn"t want to invest that much time on a house he might have to abandon like the lab.

"Information, about those houses?" Mike nodded after the Bartender asked his question, One of the regulars had pointed out Mike"s interest in the houses when he pa.s.sed him on the way inside.

"The Houses are owned by Redding. He"s sitting over there in the corner, well.. Sleeping. No one"s lived in those houses for years, Plague took them all." The Bartenders last statement left Mike feeling a little nervous about what to think. Mike knew how to fix the problem, he just had to get the house.

"Are you Redding?" Mike rolled Redding back onto his chair from the table and he stirred just a bit.

"Yea, what od youh whant.?" Sounding more drunk than aware, Mike worked his magic.

"I want those houses, how much." Mike was prepared to pay what was needed, He could figure out the rest when he succeeded.

"I want another Dhrink!#" Mike could smell the alcohol on his breath, the man was depressed and pretty drunk.

Pulling a bottle from a crate that the bartender delivered, Mike placed it on the table.

"Even trade" Bottle for the House, Mike wasn"t going to let an opportunity like this pa.s.s him up. They weren"t being used and no one lived in them.

"Two...No, THREE! Bottles." Nearly falling from his chair, the Bear-looking man caught himself on the table.

"DEAL" Mike put three more bottles on the table, He gave the Bear-man another bottle despite the sale being finalized.

"Go away now... The.." Mike watched the bear fall asleep.

"He doesn"t care anyway. Not for a long time." The bartender said as he looked at Mike and felt a little bad for the Old Bear-Man, he would have a hard time remembering.

Mike put another gold coin on the bar and spoke to the bartender again. "When he wakes up, tell him he sold the houses and that he"s finally free to do whatever he wants."

The Girls were likely wondering where Mike was and what he was doing, So he went back out to the woods and tracked down the girls. They were sitting in a circle telling stories, Cara wasn"t feeling well but that didn"t stop them from trading stories and experiences from their youth.

"Hey, are you alright?" Mike"s voice caught the girls off guard and the Dragoons were happy to see him.

"Yes, I"m just sick to my stomach. Lets get somewhere already" Cara replied with a moaning noise.

"We are, I just bought two houses on the far end of the city near the wall." Mike"s news surprised the girls and they were equally happy about hearing it.

"House? Aren"t we going to start another Lab?" Jodi and March both eagerly wanted to get back to work but Mike had other plans.

Shaking his head to signify no, Mike explained. "We"re going to build a business, and we"re not going to tell people about being alchemists or whatever, Otherwise we might have the same problems."

The girls were confused. Mike always had something he felt like he could do, this would be no different. "We"re going to open a Quality Goods store and the other house is for living in."

"I don"t understand, but it sounds like you know what you want to do." Mona leaned onto Mike"s shoulder, she hadn"t had any time alone with him yet.

"We should get to the city, put on the cloak hoods and follow me." Mike wasn"t sure what would happen when he strode through the streets mounted on the Dragoons, but the Squadron wasn"t leaving his side. Mike had little choice in the matter, so he let it slide.

Walking to the City was different than flying, Mike had even considered just trying to sneak the mounts in. It wasn"t a great idea, If guards saw them someone would come to investigate.

Unwilling to compromise, Mike walked up to the guard outside of the gate. This time the guard said nothing. Mike wanted to keep things calm and civil, so he took another gold coin and pa.s.sed it to the both of them.

The only literature mike had brought to this world was a Chevy C-10 Repair manual and a rolled up hunting magazine. When Mike saw a Book store he was a little more than thrilled. There was no such thing as Television in the new world, Mike would have to use his imagination. The group made it past the bar and to the houses before the sun was directly overhead.

The morning was gone, but tonight they wouldn"t have to sleep on the ground. The doors were caked with dust and the inside was still furnished. Mike remembered the plague and had the girls step back.

Mike covered his face, confusing the girls a bit. Using the alcohol, Mike slowly started to clean off surfaces that would have been heavily touched before walking back outside to talk to the girls. He led them around back so they weren"t just standing outside the house in full view of everyone.

"Cover your faces, here.. use these." Mike pulled out some clean cloth and pa.s.sed it over.

"After we"re done cleaning I have a surprise for you all." Mike smiled and touched Cara"s b.u.t.t.

Cara blushed and covered her face. Mike showed them how to wipe with alcohol and they all put serious effort into cleaning the house. A few hours later and the suns were starting to set. Mike knew it was almost time for his surprise so he went out and bought a bunch of sail canvas, a large box and a some more fresh cloth.

Mike put the large box on the ground in the backyard. The walls weren"t high, but it would keep them from public view for the moment. The box was about 8ftx8ft, covering the box in a light coat of sap, Mike slowly rolled the canvas across it and pierced a hole in the side near the bottom before plugging it.

"All done" tossing his hands between themselves, Mike felt accomplished. Waiting for a few minutes, he pulled out the water crystal and filled it up. The plug looked like it would blow, but Mike put a rock in front of it and then began heating the water till it came to steam.

The girls were pretty much done and noticed him building something in the back yard. On closer inspection they were all really confused what it was for.

"Are we going to put another garden in it?" March asked with an innocence that made Mike feel like laughing again.

"No sweetheart, This is a bath. Well, More specifically its a hot tub."

the girls were sweaty, reeked of alcohol, and their hair was a mess. Mike told them to get in and after they removed all their clothes, Rissa put her toes into the water and winced.

"cheche-che-iiiiesh" Rissa wasn"t use to warm water, when the girls bathed it was usually in the river or at home with their tongues.

"Its okay, its just warm." Mike kicked off his pants and boots, socks and underwear and then stripped off his shirt. Mike went into the water and invited them to join him.

The girls wagged their tails and slowly made it into the tub. The warm water was a welcome feeling, easing the tension they all felt from the last few days.

The Prince, The Kingdom... If they wanted to fight, they could fight among themselves, Mike wasn"t their slave and Neither were the girls.

When the water started to run cold, Mike heated it up just a bit more and then showed the girls what he had bought on his earlier trip inside the city.

The clothes were sleek and loose fitting, Mona"s t.i.ts almost fell out of the top she was wearing when she bent over to put on the bottoms. Jodi"s dress had a slip up the side that accentuated her legs, March Jodi and Cara were all wearing slips of sheets when compared to Mona or Jodi. If they moved in the slightest, something came out to look at.

Mike felt a little awkward when he noticed the sizes were all wrong, but it was really cute watching them all pop out of the clothes at every turn.

"Are you all ready for bed?" Mike kicked the plug on the tub and led the girls upstairs into the room and fell backward onto the bedding. A bit of dust flew out, showing its lack of use. Mike watched as the girls pulled the radio out from the ring. He had forgotten that he left it for them at the camp.

"What are you doing?" asking like he wasn"t sure, Mike saw them put on a show for him. The radio was cranked up and "Santana - Supernatural" rang out in the night. The house brought the attention of everyone outside and in the bar. The noise was beyond anything they had ever heard.

Mike was enjoying the show, the girls were dancing somewhat provocatively. They didn"t know what they were doing but it felt good to them. When the noise came to a stop, there was a lot of noise outside of the house. People were standing in the street wondering if they would hear the noise again.

Mike pressed play on the next song. It was equally as refreshing and cla.s.sic, "Elvis Presley - Suspicious Minds" was playing. Mike had to stand up and look outside, when he drew the curtains away and saw the people staring at his naked body he shut the curtains quickly.

"Huh." Mike laughed a bit. He had just flashed the entire square, a bit embarra.s.sed he wondered what they were doing outside to begin with and then realized the radio was probably to blame.

Kicking it gently to end the playback, Mike dove into the eager arms of the girls.