Lazarus

  Primordial limit.

  Primordial 1.

  Paragon luck.

  Paragon strength 4.

  Presence detection 6.

  Regeneration 13.

  Centaur riding 5.

  Sex 10.

  Sword mastery 1.

  Blink 4.

  Resistance 7.

  Acid resistance 2.

  Poison resistance 1.

  Fire resistance 3.

  Centaur pleaser 11.

  Forging 1.

  Copycat 1 (-------)

  Primordial blessing 1.

  Limitless Primordial 1.

  Primordial Pantheon (presence detection 6)

  [Willows devotion] 2.

  Skill points - 14

  Now I knew it was coming the moment the sun began to break through the nights shadows but it didn't make it any less terrifying. I tried to admire the sight for as long as possible but when the copping of hoofs started I knew I was in trouble.

  "Lazarus! I told you to wake me up!" A very annoyed centaur growled as she exited the awning type set up.

  I held my hands up in surrender. "I thought it best you get a full night's sleep."

  It wasn't the best of excuses and I was never going to wake her up to begin with but I didn't know what else to say.

  "It would have been better if the watch was split." Willow added coming out behind Arath.

  Great both mares disagree with me. I tried to find an ally in Kayalett but the arachnid decided removing her web arm system was a much better task than trying to argue with the other two girls. That was fair enough, I'd dug myself into this hole I needed to get out myself.

  "Don't you dare say you can sleep on one of our backs husband, you are going to be walking all day today as punishment." Arath growled as she approached crossing her arms under her chest in a position that did very little to make her seem intimidating and a lot to make her very alluring.

  And there goes that pn. If I'd know Arath would have said that I might have woken her up. Maybe. Probably not but still.

  "Fine." I relented giving my angry mare a kiss. "I accept your conditions."

  There was a flicker in her expression like she wanted to kiss me back but she wanted to stay angry as well. Her tail on the other hand was more honest as it had risen enough that I noticed it under her dress.

  "Not a word." She growled still trying to be angry.

  The other two were looking busy packing everything away for travel and we're using that as an excuse to avoid Araths grumpy mood.

  "Arath it was for the best." I reasoned walking around her and running my hand against her fnk. "This way those doing the heavy lifting are in top condition and the useless tagalong is tired."

  "You're not useless my lord but you really should rely on us a bit more. I'm sure we could keep watch for one night."

  "I'm sure you could but it seems a little unfair to do that and make you carry the majority of out equipment."

  I didn't let her respond and instead helped the other girls sort though our camp. It wasn't hard to disassemble with the awning being the only thing that really needed to be folded up. The rest of our stuff was in bags with the strap connecting two together, the same as the ones I'd seen Arath use when we first met.

  Of course most of these bags were going on said centaurs back with Willow only able to have one due to all her quivers. So my reasoning made sense and when we all helped Arath saddle up she relented by agreeing that if she were tired we wouldn't make that much progress today. I'll take that as a win but I value my life to much to rub it in.

  "So how long will it take for us to actually reach the dungeon?" I asked once we were on the move.

  "About two days depending on how much progress we make and if there are any interruptions." Arath responded.

  "Do you expect any interruptions?" Willow asked drumming a hand over her left quiver.

  "Hopefully not but we are traveling through beastkin territory. There's no one leader of them all, instead they have a bunch of communities so it's hard to say if one would decide we don't belong."

  Great. I thought. With my luck we'll be attacked before sunset.

  "Don't worry to much. They may be solitary in their tribes but each and every one of them knows about Rayna. With how close we still are to the centaur vilge I doubt they'll be stupid enough to attack. It's part of the reason I decided to set up shop there." Kayalett attempted to put our worries to rest.

  She had a good point although the same could be said about the harpies and that didn't turn out so good. That reminds me is the djinn still around? Would she be a part of our dungeon diving team? Would we want her to be?

  She was kind of terrifying in a way and I didn't think any of the girls would be happy with a new addition to our family just yet.

  But two days

  I was expecting a little bit longer, well hoping more like it. With my two priestesses I might be able to get around ten skill points per day so that would put me dam close to getting Arath her evocation before we started delving. I could always postpone it but everything seemed to be on a timer now days and I know I could use the skill points effectively if I spent them on myself but that defeats the purpose of having two Primordials. Maybe I just use them all before we enter if I can't get enough before we arrive. That could work I guess.

  "What's on your mind husband?"

  I was pulled from my thoughts by Willow having not realized we'd been walking for a good hour already. This was going to be a quick trip if I keep doing this.

  "Just thinking to myself about Primordial things. Mainly how many skill points I can obtain before we reach the dungeon."

  "Did you discuss with Zemelly how many she would give you a day?" Kayalett asked as she passed me a silk tshirt and shorts that was very thin but better than what I was currently wearing. Even with her and Arath making me clothes I seem to be going though them rather quickly.

  "No I offered her the choice in that regard." I responded briefly stripping to put the new items on. All three of them looked and we're not very subtle about it.

  "It was one of the reasons she agreed to be his." Arath added trying to get the blush out of her cheeks. "Not the best choice but securing her was more important at the time."

  "And sleeping with her was important as well?" Kayalett said back with a bite.

  "Kayalett I thought we sorted this out." I tried to meditate already seeing the argument that was about to start.

  "WE did. Arath still has some expining to do." Responded my arachnid shooting my head mare a gre.

  Arath stopped bringing our whole group to a halt. Without waiting she got up in Kayaletts face as much as she could with their height difference.

  "Kayalett as my friend I want you to understand that our future was reliant on Zemelly. As your head mare I want you to understand that you do not get to make comments like that again. My priority will always be our families safety before any one person, even my own. If you do not think what I did was in our best interest then LEAVE."

  This was something I wanted to avoid. Willow seemed to sense I was about to intervene and carefully pced a hand on my shoulder.

  When I turned to her she shook her head in a silent way of telling me to stop. Evidently she thought they needed to sort this out by themselves. I disagreed but Arath had mentioned the girls needed to meditate between themselves every now and then.

  "That's not...."

  "How would you expect to live without a natural way to gain your own skills? How would you expect to raise a family knowing a foal would be better than you in every way? And how would you live knowing that your husband could be killed by any of the species out there that want to kill or kidnap a human."

  There was a tense silence between the two of them. Kayalett snuck gnces at me but Arath remained steadfast in her gre. Willow kept her hand on me as a warning not to get involved.

  "I know you want to experience his touch Kayalett and I know you feel disappointed and that I'm prioritizing other centaurs over you but that's not the case. Zemelly is now part of our family and as such she has a vested interest in Lazarus's future instead of this outsider that is forced to provide something to him. You need to trust me if this family is going to work."

  Again more silence. This time however presence detection pinged something to my left, but when I looked nothing was there. I've been saved by that skill too many times not to rely on it so I kept looking ignoring the girls argument.

  Whatever it was, it was humanoid but seemed to be hiding itself very well. Even my skill couldn't tell me what it was. The djinn triggered it when she saved me so maybe there's a counter skill or something?

  "A head mare must have the herds respect." Willow quietly whispered.

  I gave her half my attention still trying to see what had triggered my skill.

  "What Arath is doing is something that must be done before discord grows, even if it seems a little mean from your point of view. Kayalett needs to learn her position in the herd. Otherwise it will fall on you to keep everyone in line, for better or worse."

  I grunted absent mindedly. "Trust Arath got it."

  Movement in the grass took my full concentration and I blocked out everything to focus on it. There was something there and it was invisible. But I see you.

  It was short maybe chest height on me so maybe a goblin or kobold. It moved so swiftly though, if I didn't know it was there there's no way I would have seen the slight indent of it moving.

  "Lazarus do you understand?" Willow asked, apparently having finished a lengthy expnation of centaur herd politics. I would have to ask her to repeat it an another time as I could now see at least four locations where those things where in the grass stalking us.

  "Girls!" I yelled trying to get Arath and Kayaletts attention but they didn't stop their argument.

  "Arath! Kayalett!" This time more forceful.

  ""What?!"" They returned in unison.

  I turned to look at them, finding both staring back in mixed staged of anger. The twinge of a bow string came from the thing I had been following.

  I didn't look instead focusing on my two harem members as I caught the arrow. It got slightly closer than I would have liked but didn't impale me.

  "We are under attack."