The week following Neve acquirement of the wizard tower had been the loneliest Asher had faced since his mother passed. He found himself desperately missing her company as he moved about Pharod's palace.
Pharod had avoided Asher since their previous encounter. One could assume he did not desire to lose any more of his vast wealth.
Asher quickly grew bored with the palace, yet he found himself feeling rather lethargic. So much so that he began to have difficulty in even getting out of bed.
Over the next several days, his condition continued to worsen.
It was at this point that Neve again appeared within the chambers. She took one look at Asher and began waving her arms around in intricate patterns carefully measuring each movement as she began to weave her spell.
Asher's world began to darken, until darkness was once again all he could see.
When next Asher opened his eyes, he was surprised to see that Neve stood over him, constantly chanting.
Seeing Asher again lift his head, Neve exploded with emotion. "Asher I am so sorry I left you. I thought you were on the mend, but now I realize the trolls blood potions and regeneration spells only keep the mud blood away temporarily. They don't fully cure you. Had I not arrived when I did, you would have been slain."
Asher smiled as he began to rise. "We need to leave the palace before Pharod realizes how injured I am."
Neve realized that Asher had accomplished the goal that Pharod had intended by brining exposure to the strength of the midnight beasts. Defeating a troll in hand-to-hand combat was after all no small feat. Few could survive such an encounter, and of those that did there were fewer still that had the brains to properly control it.
Midnight beasts would soon be a staple for many of the armies of the lightless realms. Pharod would make a killing in their sales. With Asher's danger level diminished, he would soon become disposable. Yet he would be unable to survive in the wilderness, and she did not know enough about where the tower was located yet to take him there for an extended period. Where could they go?
Neve and Asher considered the same issue from different angles as the day wore on.
Eventually Neve made a proposal, "Why don't we get a house in the slave quarters. We can begin training the young midnight beasts to earn money from Pharod. We will be out of the palace, and no longer a threat to him, yet we will be increasing the value of his goods before he is able to take them to market. I fear we may grow used to the smell…"
While Asher did not like the proposition, he did not have any better ideas. As such, Asher opened his door and demanded that the guard bring Pharod to him immediately.
Pharod quickly turned up with a heavily armed group of drew in tow. Even still Pharod maintained a reasonable distance from Asher and maintained a position behind his guards as he spoke. "Young Asher, what is it you need?"
Asher carefully formulated a response from his conversation with Neve. "I want my own private home. I tire of constantly being surrounded by others under your roof."
Pharod's eye began to twitch as he imagined the cost of building Asher his own private palace, yet he managed to keep his composure as he responded. "You can not possibly afford such a thing here, what do you have in mind?"
Asher smiled and began emphasized his proposition in a more concrete way. "I wish to have a home in the slave quarters. One building for Neve and me. It does not have to be very large, but I would imagine that would bear a lesser cost than living here has. Id also like a job. I want to train the midnight beasts in the slave quarters. I also want to be free to hunt whenever I desire. The training I am offering should more than make up for the funding required for our food and lodging, as well as the allowance of my freedoms. What say you?"
Pharod breathed in obvious relief as he responded. "Ahhh, you wish to move to the slave quarters. I know just the place. The building has two bedrooms, a common area, and a kitchen should either of you desire to cook. It once belonged to my guards and has since fallen rather empty. You can move in immediately. Keep in mind that when you go hunting, you must go alone. Even Neve will not be allowed to leave with you."
As Pharod finished he described the location to the nearest guard and ordered the group to aid in packing Asher and Neve's belongings and escort them to their new abode immediately.
Packing took less than an hour as most of their belongings were either on them, in Asher's bag, or within Neve's wizard tower.
Once they had successfully packed everything the duo were quickly escorted out of the palace area, down the long corridor back to the slave quarters. As the cave wall descended and revealed the entrance to the slave quarters, the pungent smell of stinking unwashed bodies again assaulted Asher's senses. The smell quickly became so overpowering that Asher could taste the musky, salty filth that covered the bodies within the cave. He quickly covered his nose with his furs to prevent himself from retching.
Unfortunately for Asher and Neve, this time there would be no relief from the stench.
The guards carefully closed their noses as they moved the duo to their new home. Each of the slaves the group passed examined them as they passed by. In seeing those that escorted them they assumed that the duo had fallen out of favor with Pharod and had thus been banished.
Many imagined themselves wearing Neves elegant robes, and Asher's massive hides. Many imagined such a thing, as envy and jealousy were often variables among those that had nothing. That did not however mean that many would be willing to act on such thoughts.
The guards quickly escorted the pair to a run-down earthen house at the edge of town. From its appearance it had remained empty even from squatters, as it was imagined that it could fall at any given moment. It did however, house the amenities that Pharod had described, though they were at this point unusable.
As Asher and Neve examined their new "home" the guards quickly fled, they had seen Asher's battle prowess during his time at the palace, and they feared that he may soon turn his anger at being deceived upon them.
Once they were completely alone, Asher smiled and gazed at Neve with amusement. He then began to feel around the stones that made the external walls with his massive arms. Many of the walls fell and the roof caved in completely, obliterating everything within. Those walls that remained were deemed stable enough to support weight.
Neve sat down and began to examine the spells she knew to determine if any would be of use in establishing this derelict building into a new home.
Once examination of the walls had completed, Asher found they had a single corner that would be relatively safe, though it would offer little in the way of safety or comfort. It had now become apparent that if the duo wanted to create a home here, they had two options.
They could either rebuild the collapsed building, or they could claim a home from those that lived within its walls.
Asher considered his options as he began scooping away the dirt from within the area, he had deemed safe, eventually opening an area large enough for the duo to lay down and rest. He then picked up Neve and placed her within the corner of the wall. He placed himself between the only opening and Neve will she continued to examine her spells and try to formulate a method for helping in the home repair.
The duo quickly found themselves fast asleep. For the first time in a long time feeling mostly free from the burden of others rule.
This sleep was found to be rather short lived, as a group of 20 orcs had been waiting for this very moment. They carefully and quietly began making their way toward the collapsed home as the sounds had died down.
Many knew of the orcs plans to rob the pair, and they too began moving toward the home, hoping to catch a glimpse of the beating that would soon occur.
The orcs were each rather large. That is why they were chosen to move into this village, as these were the orcs that would father the midnight beasts with the drew. Each had armed themselves with stone clubs that they had managed to break from various stalagmites, or stalactites that made up the cavern.
The group had become incredibly confidant in their abilities. They outnumbered the pair 20 to 1, and they were each armed. They did not bother to count Neve, as they clearly recalled her being tied to the bed within one of the homes nearby. If she had been captured before, she would easily be again.
Quickly they narrowed the distance to the wall that Asher and Neve found themselves behind.
No movement occurred from within until they were right upon the wall.
Once they arrived so close that there was now no chance of turning back, Asher rose from the shadows and stepped into the opening blocking their entrance with his massive frame.
One of the orcs casually relayed their demands. "Your new here, and I am guessing you didn't hear about paying your taxes. Give us your hides and robes and any other valuables you may have stashed away between you, and we can leave you peacefully to your new home. If you don't, we will beat you to death, and take her with us. She would make some pretty midnight beast babies."
Asher raised his hand and motioned for them to attempt it. He did not bother to draw his weapon as the orcs moved toward the wall.
Asher took one step forward as the orcs moved together to form a circle around the entrance, planning to block Asher and Neve's escape.
Asher charged toward the nearest orc, grabbing the orcs club with one hand, and punching him in the face with the other, knocking him out cold.
Seeing Asher step away from the opening, one of the orcs darted behind him, aiming to get inside and use Neve as leverage against Asher.
Asher threw his newly claimed club toward the orcs head. As it made contact, the head cleanly exploded, spewing blood, bone, and brain around the floor.
The remaining orcs hesitated in seeing the accuracy of that throw and the ease of Asher's movements.
Asher chuckled as he spoke. "Attack me, and you will live. You will live, and once this house is rebuilt, you will be freed to go about your life in whatever way you fancy. But attempt to harm Neve, as your friend here intended, and you will wish you died as quickly as he did.
You gave your demands, now I am giving mine. My name is Asher Olear. This is to be the location of my new home. Drop your weapons and help me to build it, and I will train each of you in the art of combat when I train the midnight beasts that you have been using as beasts of burden. Continue to fight me, and you will be nothing more than slaves for the remainder of your pathetic lives."
The orcs had now clue who Asher Olear was, but they did know they had no desire to end up as their comrade had with an exploded head.
They quickly lay down their weapons and turned to those they knew would be watching. Ordering them to come into the open.
Asher now found himself standing in front of 18 orcs and 35 midnight beasts. The orcs were those that had until a moment ago intended to rob him. The midnight beasts were their children, the spawn of those that were tied up within the confines of the homes nearby.
Neve stepped out of the remaining walls as the group moved forward and began to pee in the dirt.
She grimaced as this sight and uttered in complete and utter disgust. "Stop that, if you want mud, use water, I can't abide the stench of piss in the walls of my home."
The orcs laughed as one replied, "There is no water, save for that that Pharod and his dogs bring us to keep us alive. If you want us to help you rebuild, this is the only way to craft the mud bricks you need to form a stable wall."
Neve imagined forming bricks from the piss and mud from the many creatures and almost retched in disgust.