DW4 Ch1

Chapter One

Stern woke early, pinned between his loving wives. To his right lay Cyra, sleeping peacefully, her face unlined with one of her floppy bunny ears covering her eyes. Her ears were nearly the same color as her hair, a mixture of blonde and brown. He might’ve tried to stroke one of her soft ears if not for his arms being pinned down.

After a moment, he turned his head the other way to look at Cammie. The blonde-haired dwarf was using his left arm as her personal pillow. Her hair was tousled from their time together before sleep.

Snuggled up behind her was Trish; her short red hair made her have the most shocking color out of all of them. She was also the most aggressive and forward of their family, not that he’d complain. It was her personality that had led them to this moment.

Healer, trap finder, and a bulwark, Stern thought of each in turn. Nearly a full crew all by themselves… It’s finally time to put our gear back on and go north again. Breakfast with the family first, then after that, they’ll head south and we’ll go north.

“Mmhm?” Cammie murmured as she opened her eyes.

Stern met her sky-blue eyes with a soft smile. “Good morning, Cammie.”

“Good morning…” she murmured back, then giggled when she felt Trish stir behind her. “It seems I’m going to be a handful this morning.”

“A delightful handful,” Trish snickered, kissing the back of Cammie’s neck. Green eyes peered past the dwarf to look at Stern. “Hello, lover.”

“Hello, trouble,” Stern chuckled softly.

“Is it time to wake up?” Cyra yawned.

Turning to look the other way, he gave the green-eyed rabbit lykian a smile. “We’re all awake, so probably.”

Cyra leaned in and kissed him sweetly before she got out of bed. “Okay. We’re having breakfast with your entire family, right?”

“Yeah. We’ve spent the last two weeks enjoying our honeymoon, but it’s time to move on again.”

“While they go south to meet your family’s friends,” Trish sighed, giving Cammie a kiss before she also got out of bed. “Your father seems awfully sure that the Travelers will be here soon.”

“He’s always been like that,” Stern shrugged, following Cammie as she got up. “Not sure if he knows somehow, or if he’s just guessing.”

“Do you think the two Travelers will be okay with your brother, sister, and Josie?” Cammie asked.

“I’m pretty sure. My parents are, and they’d know their friends. It’ll be interesting if the couple will be short-term or more like my parents. If the Travelers come and go often, it could make it a very spotty climb up the ranks for their crew.”

“Agreed,” Trish nodded. “I’ll wish them well. Ana, Josie, and Joseph were really meshing together the last couple of days. I’m not surprised your parents funded a stint through the mock dungeon for them.”

“Neither was I, but Jon’s head almost exploded,” Stern grinned. “Will you need help with your armor?”

“Still getting used to it, so yeah, I could use the help. Your parents went a little crazy on their wedding gifts to us.”

“Showered us with them… new armor and weapons for us and our friends,” Cyra said. “We’ll be the best-geared Walkers at this tier.”

Cammie nodded in agreement as she started to pull her leather armor on. “We’ve taken the time to get used to the feel of the armor and weapons, but it still feels different.”

“I’m glad my younger siblings were happy to have our old gear. It’s good to see them wanting to get used to wearing it,” Stern smiled.

“And I’m glad we got some training in the last couple of days,” Trish said as she put her plate armor on. “It was nice having a couple of weeks mostly off, but I know I needed to keep up with the exercise.”

“You most of all,” Stern said. “The front line is always the most physically demanding spot in a crew.”

“Wear the heavy armor, swing the weapon. It’s also very straightforward,” Trish grinned.

“I can help,” Cyra said, having gotten her armor on. “I’ll get the buckles and straps that you can’t, Trish.”

“Thanks. Never thought about the fact some pieces of this really require a second person to help get on… or at least make it far easier to get on.”

“You could do it by yourself,” Stern said, “but it would take longer, at the very least.”

~*~*~

They grabbed their bags before leaving the room. Jon and Nicole were waiting for them, sitting on the sofa snuggled up to each other. Zasha was lounging at their feet, and Pawly was splayed over their laps, getting belly rubs.

“Glad she’s behaving herself,” Stern said. “Having to heal claw wounds would slow the day down.”

“She’s been a sweetheart,” Nicole giggled. “I’m happy she lets me pet her belly.”

“I only did because Nicole said it’d be okay. I was leery of a trap.”

“It normally is a trap, but she lets a select few get away with belly rubs.”

“Sure you’re ready to move on?” Jon asked.

“Yeah. We can’t get Nicole her perk if we stay here,” Trish said.

“Thank you…” Nicole said softly. Her mask was securely in place, but her gratitude was still easy to see. “I’m hoping we find it soon.”

“It’ll lead to a change, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” Stern said. “Come on, Pawly. We’re going to have breakfast with my family.”

The large Maine Coon was off their laps and by the door in moments, looking back as if she’d been waiting the entire time. Zasha raised his head up, a big doggy grin in place as everyone laughed at Pawly.

Jon stood up, then stretched, clearly finding his limits in his new gear. All of their armor was in the mottled camouflage that Stern’s family preferred, as they were all hand-me-downs from the higher-tiered Walkers. “Never thought I’d be in plate armor… I look like a bulwark more than anything else now.”

“I feel the same way,” Trish said. “If we meet intelligent mobs, they’ll have to figure out which of us is the real bulwark.”

“I’m curious as to how much this prismatic drake hide will boost my spells,” Nicole wondered.

“About a quarter of what it does now, if I’m remembering what Marysue said when she got it years ago,” Stern said. “We put healing into the staves, so you both have two emergency heals.”

“Which will be held back unless absolutely needed,” Cyra nodded.

“I think we’re all excited to try out our new gear,” Cammie said, patting the small crossbow slung over her shoulder. “I know I am.”

Pawly meowed loudly, complaining from next to the door.

“Okay, okay!” Stern laughed. “We’re going.”

~*~*~

Stern was glad for the carriage as it rolled up to the manor his parents had been renting. Getting out of the vehicle, he helped his wives down before getting their bags from the footman. They carried the bags up to the porch, as they’d just take them off soon, anyway.

Six people stood on the porch, watching the new arrivals. Most Walkers would feel intimidated to find that particular group waiting for them, but Stern just smiled at his family. Darkhand— Rescue Squad group one— was the best crew in Walker society. It was led by Stern’s father, Seamus Masterson, and was filled out with his three mothers and Seamus’ two best friends.

“Looking good. Reminds me of us,” Seamus laughed.

“Different, but similar,” Gerald nodded. “You all look comfortable in the gear.”

“Still getting used to it,” Trish replied, “but another day or two will help us feel like we’ve had it for years.”

“I still don’t know how anyone wears that heavy stuff,” Karen said. “Give me my leathers, a knife, and some shadows any day of the week.”

“Has Josie been behaving herself?” Jon asked.

“She’s been a dear,” Julia smiled. “Joseph is clearly smitten.”

“He’s been talking a lot more,” Stacia smirked, “as if someone unlocked his tongue.”

“Eww, Mom!” Stern gagged.

“It’s just how she is,” Seamus laughed. “Once a succubus, always a succubus. Breakfast is waiting. Come on. Goodness knows your siblings are probably trying to eat the table by now.”

“Because we’ve never had a late breakfast in our lives,” Ana said, having opened the front door.

“I swear, sleep in once or twice and your children will never let you forget,” Seamus said, clearly overacting his part.

“Sleep would’ve been forgiven,” Stern grimaced. “Some of those homes weren’t nearly as soundproof as you thought they were.”

“Breakfast, right?” Marysue asked, clearly wanting to distance the current conversation.

“Yes, please,” Gerald said, leading her into the manor.

“I am who I am,” Stacia snickered.

“And we’ll never ask you to change,” Karen said. She put her arm around Stacia’s waist, guiding the infernal into the manor.

The others all went with them, except Seamus and Stern, as the older man had stopped his son for a moment. When it was just the two of them, Seamus gave his eldest child a smile. “I’m glad you asked us to come. I never would’ve thought you’d find three women like me.” He chuckled when Stern rolled his eyes. “Seriously, Son, I’m happy for you. Moreover, I’m proud of what you’ve done. I think things might begin to change finally, all because you made people stop and look you in the eye.”

“Wasn’t me—”

“Don’t downplay it,” Seamus cut him off gently. “You’ve been able to let the anger go. Your new lesser empathy perk probably helped with that, but I’d bet your wives helped more.”

“They did. Still do, too.”

“Being able to push past that and tell people who you are and what you’re doing made an impression, more than anything we did for years. ‘Seeing is believing…’ I guess the old truism still works. The perks you’ve told the guild about and what other irregulars are starting to report will do even more. You’ve almost gathered all of my summoner perks, and you’re just about to reach the copper tier. If you keep going the way you have, you’ll pull it off by the end of bronze.”

“It was hard at the start to take those perks and not the ones to improve me personally,” Stern admitted, “but I wanted Pawly to stay with me the whole way. Then, it kind of snowballed.”

“I know how that is,” Seamus chuckled. “You’re just missing the bulwark perks I took to balance my summoning ones. I think Joseph will pick those up quicker, as he never seemed interested in being a summoner.”

“He’s only ever wanted to be the protector, and now it looks like he has someone other than family to protect. I think they’ll be good together. Josie is intelligent— Joe needs someone who is in his life.”

“Mean, but funny,” Seamus laughed. “We better get going, but I wanted you to know how proud we are. If things really start to change, it’ll be because of you, at least in part.” He added on the last part to stop Stern from trying to deny the sentiment.

“I’ll take partial credit, but it’s not just me.”

“Stubborn, but you come by it honestly.”

Stern chuckled. “I know. From both my birth parents, if not all my parents.”

“Too true… did you know I tried to fight the idea of having all three of them as wives?”

“What?”

“Oh, it was decades back now. Shortly after your mother and I married, when Karen and Julia were just friends. I was being a stubborn ass, holding to old ideals and not letting their love sink in. Your mother is stubborn, thank the Goddess for that. She finally got me to see the hurt I was inflicting on Julia and Karen. When I stopped objecting, that was when love and happiness really started filling in every aspect of my life again.”

Stern listened as they walked inside the house. He’d never known his father had been worried about multiple partners the way he’d been. The fact they had that in common made Stern smile.