"Sorry to bother you." Blake's voice popped into Mason's mind. "But the, um, scary hot nymph...uh, the tall one. Apocalypsa? God I can't remember any names without Mental Influence. No, no it started with a C. Callico? Whatever she's here and she says it's urgent. I thought this would be less intrusive than bursting into your room. Hey what's...wait, are you? Well that's just rude. Unbrotherly, even. I wasn't..."

 

[Apex Predator activated: Mental connection with Player: Blake Nimitz ended.]

 

Mason sighed and rolled over, shifting Haley in his arms. They'd lay down for a nap, and she was still pressed against him in nothing but a shirt. Mostly he just wanted to spend the day in bed. And that was before he realized Becky was curled up on the other side...

But duty called...and if he was honest, hearing Blake's voice in his mind was annoyingly familiar and sort of comforting. Not that he'd ever tell him that...

He tried to ease away from Haley but she soon yawned and stretched, smiling up at him as she wrapped the sheet around herself like a snake.

"I have things to do," he said, body frozen as his eyes went up and down her body.

"Well go do them, then," she grinned, curling the fabric between her legs, then spooning up behind the sleeping Becky.

"Morning, ya'll," Becky sighed and wiggled into Haley with her eyes still closed.

Haley was running her fingers up and down the country girl's shapely thigh with a devious smile. Mason practically growled.

But he had people to gather. And goblins to kill. And he needed to see a man about a nymph. Well, OK, he just needed to see a nymph.

He was about to throw on some system clothes when he remembered Eve’s gift. He made his green ‘spandex’ appear with a thought, making both girls blink in confusion. Then he just winked and walked out without a word.

 

* * *

 

"Calypsa. Is everything alright?"

Mason found the warrior nymph by the Temple of Gaia, seeing her (and everyone else in town) on his Wayfinder map. She was dressed in her bark-like armor and carried a spear, standing awkwardly next to a chatty Blake.

"Druid." She smiled slightly, the act always a bit unnatural to her face. "I've come to ask for your help."

"Not really into smalltalk, this one," Blake said, tugging slightly at some kind of new necklace.

Mason took a breath and tried not to shout out his frustrated feeling that he always had more to do than he had time or ability. He couldn't help but notice there was also a growing number of civilians and players staring at the nymph.

"Of course," he said, gesturing into the temple. He walked with Calypsa a little ways before stopping her. "What do you need?"

Calypsa inhaled and closed her eyes, an altogether less wholesome look in her bright green eyes when she opened them. "I've no time for what I need, druid. But there are more goblins trying to find our great tree. Thea's magic has held them off so far, but I think not for much longer. No doubt they know roughly where their scouting party died."

Mason tried not to imagine Calypsa naked next to Haley and Becky. Especially since his bed and shower weren't big enough.

"The same goblins just attacked us," he said, anger replacing lust. "I was about to gather my...warriors, and go and kill them all."

Calypsa's eyes flashed as she smiled.

"Then I'll go with you, druid." She clutched her spear and slid a hand down its shaft as her eyes went over Mason's body. "It's been too long since we spilled blood together."

Mason nodded, feeling suddenly like he should maybe run for the exit. Not that he had any problem giving Calypsa another donation...but the number of women in his life were getting out of control. And they were in public...

"I'll get my people," he said, taking a step back. "And we'll go right now."

"As you wish," Calypsa said instantly, her tone neutral, her statuesque beauty impossible to read. Mason turned and walked quickly to the exit.

Blake grinned at him, knowing smirk pulling at the edges of his lips.

"A short delay, brother? Maybe the nymph would like a tour of the temple?"

"Get all the players for me," Mason said as he fought the heat rising up his neck. Blake's grin widened.

"I've already summoned them. They'll be here aany..."

"I'm here, y'all!" Becky apparently arrived first, suddenly making Mason very pleased he hadn't been found in any kind of...compromising position. He scowled at Blake, who seemed ready to burst out laughing.

In ones and twos the others arrived, until every player in Nassau was standing outside the temple and making small talk or waiting in determined silence. Mason introduced Calypsa, with an unsurprising wave of attention from the almost entirely male gathering.

"I want to bring everyone I can," Mason said. "But we need to leave some decent defenders. I have people in mind. Any objections or input before I name the teams?"

"I've got my prestige class already," Carl said beside Phuong. "So I'm happy to sit out of dungeons and protect Nassau till others have theirs."

Mason nodded, knowing that was probably wise. He had no idea how common it was to find the prestige class halls and suspected the answer was 'not very common'. But he'd been planning to bring Carl and now started to re-calculate.

"I'd, um, like to go where Blake goes," said Annie from the back, her pretty eyes practically surrounded in bruised rings of sleep deprivation. "But it' not..." her voice got quiet and she trailed off.

Mason frowned. He didn't trust the girl, and she seemed to be getting worse. But he supposed it was better to have her with them than in Nassau where she might be a danger to the civilians.

"I'd like ta go," said John the Scot, clenching a big fist before shrugging. "I need somethin' ta do."

Mason waited for anyone else to speak but they all seemed content to do what they were asked. He would ordinarily have taken Seamus but the man’s fire magic seemed mostly useless against the ‘domesticated’ trolls, and he’d be a holy terror guarding the walls.

"OK," he said. "Carl, Seamus, Tommaso. You're on guard duty. You'll have Violet and a pack of not very tame wolves outside. Haley will help you feed them. But other than that I want you stay inside until we're back. Everyone else, you're coming with me."

It was the biggest 'attack' they'd made, more players even than they'd sent at the orcs. He didn’t expect they’d all be able enter any kind of dungeon, but he also didn’t know what sort of defenses would be at the tunnels. It might be a vicious fight just to get inside.

And with the new and improved walls, as well as the wolves and continually improving player powers, Mason expected he’d left more than enough to protect the settlement.

"Spend any points you need to," he told Carl alone a little later. "But I can't imagine what could get to the walls so quickly to actually hurt you. The forest is getting pretty clear of threats, and..."

"We'll be fine, Mason. Go kill the bastards."

Mason nodded as he let out a deep breath, mind drifting to the route to the mountain before Carl punched him in the shoulder.

"Jesus kid," the older man shook his fist. "Eat some pie or something, you're all bone and muscle."

Mason smiled a little as he walked away, attention turned to the trees and the fight ahead as he heard Streak howl. He realized his hands were balled into fists, the urge to answer that howl like an itch he struggled not to scratch.

His heart was beating faster, the sound of his pulse like a drum in his ears. It's time, he thought, feeling the urge to bare his teeth, to find something, anything, and rip it apart.

He found Blake and the others stuffing backpacks with supplies, their civilian girls giving hugs and goodbyes as they strapped their weapons and made jokes. Calypsa watched it all impassively. Everyone silenced when Mason arrived.

He could sense their discomfort in his presence now. Or maybe at his change. He could smell their fear wafting off them, recognizable and…yes, he had to admit, delicious as fresh baked bread. But there was respect there, too.

And it wasn't their fear he wanted. They weren't his prey.

Haley came forward to hand him a bag, and leaned in to kiss his cheek.

“Your eyes are glowing,” she whispered. “More than usual, I mean. Just an fyi.”

She walked away, but Mason’s attention was already on the bloody business ahead. He wasn’t even sure why his eyes were glowing. Might have been Transformation already changing him for the gloom. Or maybe Streak had some kind of new pack power. He didn’t really care.

"Stay with me," he said, opening the gate and fighting his annoyance that he couldn't run full speed. He looked back and showed some of the growing excitement he felt in his gut. "Tonight I want every 'Greenblood' goblin huddling in their mountain caves. Because anything outside them is going to die."

He clicked his tongue for Streak, then stepped into the forest.

---