The Evernon Saga - The Journey Of Ascension, A Struggle For Godhood.

Meat is a commodity not often consumed in Birkstead. Birkstead often traded with multiple caravans from other villages and several small towns, using money and the fish that they caught as payment.

The freshness of the fish they supplied was ensured, and their prices were reasonable, leading to a stable source of income for Birkstead. Every caravan came by twice a week, from each of their different places of residence.

Meat was always cooked and used sparingly in Birkstead, usually saved for special occasions or eaten once a week, typically during a family gathering. This was Birkstead's attitude towards a rare commodity such as meat.

In contrast to Birkstead, the Capital was opulent beyond imagination, and had the resources to sustainably support its consumption almost indefinitely. It utilized many large-scale, secure, stable trading routes that had been established with the neighboring countries hundreds of years ago, in combination with wide, controlled farmlands filled with beasts that would feed on the ambient Mana more than physical food.

In The Sleeping Bear, the Caravan Corps was currently feasting to their hearts' content. Whole plates of crispy bacon, grilled steaks and other meats, heaped up in a pile upon one another, forming a miniature mountain of meat on each of their plates. On the bright side, they could not eat as much as an a.d.u.l.t would, therefore sparing the owner of The Sleeping Bear from suffering a shortage in meat.

Whilst most of the Caravan Corps only had eyes for the food on their plates, and were feasting with reckless abandon, William and Magnar were taking the atmosphere of the tavern in.

There were many patrons, with many Warriors mixed in. They were clad in various types of armor, in all shapes, sizes, and styles. There were commoners and nobles aplenty, talking merrily amongst themselves and with the Warriors, lacking any form of restraint or hesitation. They showed no fear or apprehension towards offending the other party, and were enjoying themselves within this tavern.

The loud chatter. The boisterous attitudes of everyone present. The warmth.

Every aspect of the current situation made the atmosphere within the tavern one of pure invitation. There were no barriers, no nervousness, absolutely no rules within the doors of this place. It was pure chaos, and yet this chaos was soothing. It was una.d.u.l.terated by social norms or etiquette, as everyone yelled out their hearts' d.e.s.i.r.es freely. It was magical, mesmerizing, and left an impossibly deep impression on William and Magnar.

This place...

Is so much like home...

The Sleeping Bear was very similar to the tavern in Birkstead that they had often frequented with William's father, Jonathan, ever since they had become teens. With Birkstead being a small village to begin with, the community had always been close-knit. Everyone knew everybody who was there. Even if two individuals were not particularly close, they would at the very least know each other's names and general personality.

Throughout the nights that they had been to the tavern, William and Magnar had never drunk any alcohol. Instead, they took their time to bask in the feelings in the air, eventually falling in love with the atmosphere that they could only find there, amongst those people. It was comfortable, joyous, yet possessed a tranquillity amidst the slight chaos. This was a place where people could speak their mind and be themselves, shamelessly, without restraint or worry.

Putting the consumption of alcohol aside, just that fact alone was beautiful beyond words, to the point where one could only feel this concept as a sensation. Attempting to describe it would be a Herculean task.

William and Magnar smiled as they leaned back in their creaky wooden chairs, indulging in the bliss of the current situation. The carelessness, the openness, the freedom. It was all there, this tavern was just like home!

William and Magnar, being two of the older ones in the Caravan Corps, began to cautiously drink wine and ale with the other older members, as they chatted and made merry with Reginald and his team. The alcohol was bitter, and burned somewhat on its way down, but the warmth that it brought to their stomachs was undeniably pleasant.

Being newcomers to the scene of alcohol, the older members of the Caravan Corps began to see their surroundings in a blur, and were either becoming sleepy, or roused up and aggressive.

Reginald facepalmed upon seeing this adorable mess of teenagers. He did however, sternly forbid any member of the Caravan Corps below the age of 15 from consuming a single drop of alcohol. His threat was that he would make them puke it out if he saw them drinking any.

Reginald shot a glance at William, who sat several seats away from him, and suppressed his d.e.s.i.r.e to pull him aside to talk in private, eventually deciding to let him enjoy a good time here. The journey that they had to travel was indeed the longest route that was available for escorts to take.

Initially, he had volunteered to travel to Birkstead with the intention of meeting the Frostblade, Damond Whiteheart. Discovering the existences of William and Magnar was an unexpected, but pleasant and welcome surprise.

"Ah, whatever. I'll spare him for today," muttered Reginald to himself, downing another swig of ale.

Over time, the ale began to affect William and Magnar, as their thoughts dulled, and the onset of dizziness began. They refrained from drinking any further, for Jonathan had taught and always reminded them, "Alcohol must never be consumed in excess, lest one wishes to lose all grace, dignity, and bearing that they possessed beforehand."

Suddenly, William's body jerked in surprise, his eyes widening.

A finger made contact with his right shoulder, and glided smoothly, gently, across his c.h.e.s.t. A young woman, barely past the age of twenty, was clad in a tight dress, the shade of velvet-red, as she strutted past him. Her dress was unlike the massive dresses worn by elegant noblewomen, and seemed to be suited for more...sultry pursuits.

Naturally, William was ignorant of this detail, as his eyes were glued to the curves flaunted by the young woman. In her low-cut, skin-tight dress, much was on display, yet there was enough left to one's imagination, that the sight of her captivated William entirely. He quivered underneath her touch, as his eyes moved to meet her gaze.

Time seemed to slow down drastically for William.

A wide, cheeky grin caused her luscious lips to part, revealing a set of white teeth that completed her beaming smile. It was a genuine smile that reached her resplendent sapphire eyes, two shining gemstones in the picture that was her face. That picture was framed by wavy, dark brown hair that seemed to tumble from her head to the sides of her face, forming a glorious, glistening frame to an already perfect picture.

William had not given much thought to it before, but he suddenly realized that he may have just found his 'type'.

William's heart skipped a beat, as he unconsciously swallowed his saliva .

Her visual appeal, in combination with the touch of her finger, overwhelmed William's teenage mind and senses. His usual calm and collected self was long gone. His gaze was locked with the young woman's, as she walked ever so slowly, past him. Her finger continued trailing across William's c.h.e.s.t, finally reaching the other side.

The finger left the surface of his c.h.e.s.t, ascending as smoothly as it had descended.

Immediately, William felt forlorn, and was overcome with a feeling of loneliness so intense that it threatened to drain all color from his vision. He turned his head longingly in the young woman's direction, as the euphoric sensation that he was immersed in, left with her.

William scrutinized her back, her silhouette, the sway of her h.i.p.s, and the bouncing of her long, beautiful hair on every step she took. Enchanted, it was impossible for him to tear his eyes away from her.

Step by step, the distance between them was growing.

He yearned to speak up, to call out to her, but his voice was nowhere to be found. He yearned for her touch, at the very least to turn around one more time, so that he may lay his eyes upon her beauty once more. He felt an ache in his c.h.e.s.t, which seemed to drawn himself toward her. It felt like his heart was attached to that woman by a string, who was pulling it along with her as she walked away.

To William, it felt like if she were to go far enough away from him, his heart might be torn right out of his c.h.e.s.t, trailing after her.

Indeed, she turned around, a moment before the hope in William died completely.

His heart leaped in joy and surprise.

Her lips parted once more to reveal that dazzling smile, as she extended her left arm backward towards him, curling her finger seductively in his direction. William was confused, but her lips moved and seemed to silently mouth 'come here' to William. An indescribable, invisible force seemed to strike him, sending shudders all throughout his body. He clenched his fists, attempting to fight the goosebumps that spread rapidly across his skin.

The young woman walked over to a table for six, of which, three seats were currently occupied. They were all young ladies of seemingly similar age, and most definitely similar beauty. As the young woman in the red dress seated herself, she shot one last gaze at William before turning to the other ladies, who seemed to be her friends. After a few moments of whispering amongst to themselves, two out of the other three young women looked for William with their gazes, and after finding him, smiled to him as well.

They waved and winked at him, sending jolts throughout his body, and rushes of heat into his head and face.

William took a moment to assess himself. His palms were sweating, his breathing ragged, his legs slightly shaky. He could hear his heart beat in his ears, fast and deafening, like a war drum encouraging him to go to war. He possessed anything but a stable frame of mind right now, yet he knew, deep down, that he wanted only one thing.

To go to them.

He looked over his right at shoulder, searching for Magnar, who he realized was now missing from their entourage.

William looked around briefly before spotting Magnar sitting at a table with a middle-aged woman with a gruff voice and a rugged demeanor. The woman wore a smith's apron, similar to the one that Jonathan wears, but this one had obviously been put through many more years of arduous work. On her belt hung a large hammer, snugly fit into its own pouch-like sheath. They seemed to be hitting it off, making William decide against his plans of dragging Magnar down with him, as he had always done in the past.

William sighed, knowing that at some point, he had to grow up too.

Realizing that he was more or less alone in this situation of his, William worked up the guts to get up from his chair.

William had to dig deep into the courage that lay within himself, as he had never felt such a strong urge for interaction with members of the opposite s.e.x before this very moment.

This time, it was completely different, though he could not place his finger on why. He d.e.s.i.r.ed this interaction, yet some instinctual force resisted him, and froze him in place. He knew that this interaction would be unlike anything that he had ever experienced before, that it was uncharted territory. It was an instinctive fear of the unknown.

William stayed frozen for a few moments, as every fiber in his body refused to move any further. It was a strange feeling, but it was one that William knew well. He may have been well-liked all throughout his childhood, but he had never really had a true, man to woman conversation with a girl. It was always under the relaxing pretense of joking around or while playing in a group. Due to this never-ending chain of coincidences, William was quite shy, and struggled internally with his anxiety when conversing with girls alone, face to face. He never showed it externally, and put on airs to hide his insecurity.

Additionally, the girls and young ladies of Birkstead never approached him, and he had no idea as to why. He could always overhear them whispering and gossiping about how handsome he was, and how they'd love to 'spend a night' with him, whatever that meant.

That part had always confused him, as he was ignorant of its meaning. The girls and young women of Birkstead always admired him from afar. Although he yearned to get closer, he lacked the courage to do so. And thus, it led to a stalemate in his romantic experiences, which never had a proper chance to begin.

In spite of it all, the wild pounding of his heart, the heat that plagued his face and neck, and the rapidly growing urge in his loins gave him the push that he needed to begin moving forward. He took his first step, and then another, and kept forcing himself to take step after step, until he arrived at the table the four young ladies were at.

Three of the four young women had traced William with their eyes, watching him rigidly making his way over. They were all smiles, as one of them whistled softly, her gaze scanning William's physique and falling on his muscular forearms, which were on display due to his beige short-sleeved shirt. Their conversations ended upon William's arrival, as the woman in the red dress turned around in her chair to look at William. She broke out into another bewitching grin.

"So, you've made it all the way over here," purred the woman in the red dress, "Come, have a seat. You've earned it."

She patted the chair next to her, pushing it out slightly so William could sit.

William swallowed nervously one more time, before sitting down tentatively on the chair that was offered to him.

"Th-thank you." mumbled William rigidly.

The woman in the red dress turned her chair and body towards William, leaning towards him. Two out of the other three young women either changed seats, or moved their chairs so that they surrounded William. They brought their drinks with them, filling the air around William with the pungent odor of alcohol, and the alluring, sweet scent of women.

The four women were all similar appearance-wise, with all of them being in their early twenties. They wore dresses that were similar in design, varying in their levels of exposure, and were all of a different color.

"I'm Roxanne, that's Thea, she's Claire, and the gloomy one is Gwen, short for Gwendolyn. We are all members of the Hysteria Family" explained the young woman in the red dress, as she pointed to and introduced the other three ladies.

They were wearing a purple, azure, and white dress respectively, with the white dress being the most modest in its level of exposure.

The white-dressed Gwen however, seemed uninterested in the conversation, and seemed to take no notice of his arrival. Staring out the window into the dark of night, even the very air that surrounded her seemed to be soaked with melancholy.

William was stunned. Surrounded by beautiful women, the young man's thought process had almost ceased functioning properly.

"So? So? What's your name?" asked Claire, eagerly.

"M-my name is William," stammered William slowly.

"A baby name! How adorable!" chimed Claire, giggling.

Thea, the one wearing a purple dress, extended her right hand across the table, towards William.

"Nice to meet you William, I'm Thea Hysteria."

William paused, confused, before remembering the contents of a book that his mother had given him. He had read in a book that in the bigger cities, it was proper or polite or something, to kiss a woman's hand as a greeting. He was not completely sure, but he saw it as his best option.

As gently as he could, William took Thea's hand in his own right hand, before planting a soft, nervous kiss on the back of her hand. Her skin was as smooth as silk underneath his lips, which caused him to space out momentarily, before lifting his head once more. Their gazes met, as he replied,

"It's a p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to meet you, fair lady."

Thea's expression changed to one of shock, before freezing up entirely. The rest of the table went silent as well, as William felt a pit of dread form in his stomach.

Did I mess up?

William began to internally berate himself, blushing red in embarrassment, before Thea and Claire burst into uncontrolled, genuine laughter. The sounds of their laughter were a pleasant melody that floated through the air, mesmerizing him. At least, that was how William perceived it.

"I was expecting a handshake! Oh Gods! He's too cute! Ahahahaha!" gasped Thea in between her bouts of laughter.

"I can't bear it, my sides!" guffawed Claire, wiping a tear away.

"I knew you were interesting from the moment I saw you, but this was unexpected," commented Roxanne, covering her mouth with a hand while chuckling demurely.

Surprisingly, Gwen even snapped out of her depressive sphere to giggle, before finally turning to face William and the rest of her group for the first time. Thea began to calm down, but Claire was still clutching her sides in comedic agony.

"He called Thea a 'fair lady'! I haven't laughed this hard in years! Oh, the pain!" teased Claire in between her self-suffocating laughter.

"Now now, no need to be jealous just because I am fairer than you, dear Claire." teased Thea right back.

At this point, William broke out into his own fit of laughter, his somewhat deep, yet gentle voice resounding throughout their part of the bustling tavern. Roxanne and the others went silent upon hearing his laugh, finding it extremely pleasing to hear.

"You are all very funny and nice people!" said William, as he finally began to relax.

Roxanne reached over, laying a hand on William's right forearm, c.a.r.e.s.sing it. As she was leaning towards him as well, William felt an alien, yet wonderful sensation on his right upper arm.

Squish.

Th-Th-They're touching me!

William began to freak out internally, and although he tried to play it off, Roxanne could feel that his body had suddenly stiffened up.

"Come now William, loosen up. It's more enjoyable to talk when you're relaxed, right?" purred Roxanne into William's ear.

Nodding, William tried to relax his body, and succeeded, mostly.

The combination of the heavenly sensation on his arm and the smell of Roxanne seemed to set a part of his brain on fire, causing an inevitable stiffening of a specific part of his teenage body.

"So William," began Roxanne, "You don't seem to be from the Capital. Where do you hail from?"

The others leaned closer, listening with rapt attention.

"I...we have come from Birkstead with 99 other people. It's really far away, so I doubt you'd-" attempted William to say, before the gasps of the others interrupted him.

"Birkstead?! Isn't that basically on the northern edge of the country?" asked Claire.

"Uh...yes, the journey here was quite long. Honestly, I'm more than happy that it's over," sighed William, "After all, now that I'm here in the Capital, I can eat good food once again. Furthermore, I'm lucky to be able to enjoy great company like you kind, pretty ladies!"

William said this nonchalantly, in a slightly tipsy and cheery state.

To him, he had merely spoken the truth.

However, the expressions of Roxanne and the others turned serious for the briefest of moments, and their gazes softened. Gwen almost failed to contain herself, as she choked back a sob.

This quickly remedied itself as their usual personas fell back into place. Their playful gazes were all trained on William now, as mischievous smiles appeared on their faces, one after another.

"Say, William, do you have a place to stay tonight?" inquired Thea.

"As far as I know, nay. I don't think that's been discussed yet, I'll go ask Ser Reg-" began William.

"Do you have any money? You could stay at an inn for the night." interrupted Roxanne whilst throwing out a suggestion.

William felt his empty pockets, and the little sack that he had brought with him, and realized that he had absolutely nothing of worth with him. He had brought a family heirloom that was a slightly fancy-looking plate, but he doubted that he could find anyone willing to buy it at this time of night in the first place.

"I have no money..." admitted William dejectedly, sighing.

Roxanne smiled.

"Well, you're in luck William. The girls and I all live together, and we can spare a bed for the night if you don't mind sleeping under the same roof as us." proposed Roxanne slyly.

William broke out into a huge smile.

"Really?! That's not a problem, I'll take you up on that offer! Thank you very much, you really are nice people!" said William, as he stood up, thanking them profusely.

Roxanne stood up, as did Thea, Claire and Gwen. They stood slightly taller than William.

"Well then, the night isn't very young anymore. Let's go get some sleep, shall we?" suggested Roxanne with an award-winning smile.

"Lead the way! I'm excited to sleep on an actual bed!" agreed William eagerly.

With his sack of belongings in hand, William found himself being taken by both arms, by Roxanne on the right and Thea on the left, with Claire and Gwen chatting whilst walking behind them. They left through the front doors of The Sleeping Bear, and hailed a carriage back to their house, around 6 kilometers down the road.

***

About 3 minutes after William had left The Sleeping Bear...

Reginald, being red-faced and very drunk, woke up from his momentary slumber, before slamming his table.

The Caravan Corps were frightened out of their antics and conversations.

"Alright you brats! Since we're all tired and angry-" began Reginald.

"But Sir, you're the only who's angry here..." commented one of Reginald's team.

"SHADDUP!" roared Reginald, before continuing.

"We're going to sleep here tonight! I mean, *hic*, that was my plan anyway, but now you ignorant shits know!" shouted Reginald, loud enough to disturb the other patrons on the ground floor.

They frowned, but as they knew him personally, possessed the patience to remain silent.

The master of the tavern chuckled, discreetly writing down notes on Reginald's behavior so he could ridicule him for it the next morning.

"All of you get 50 silver coins! 1 silver coin is worth 100 coppers each, if you idiots can count that high! That's going to be your budget, or whatever, for however long you can keep it! Starting tomorrow, go around the Capital and find a job or something." rambled Reginald.

At this point the Caravan Corps were scared and confused to the point where they could only nod their heads in meek silence.

"In 6 months, no, a year! We're going to meet right here, in this tavern! You can then choose if you want to participate in the enrollment process for the Royal Army, or stay here and work if you change your mind about becoming a Warrior. If you have found a profession you love or want to pursue, I won't stop you!

There is the third option of going home and doing nothing with your life, but you may do with your life as you wish, I don't need to care!" said Reginald with a grand finish of passing out, falling to the floor, and immediately beginning to snore loudly.

Some of Reginald's team could not help but facepalm or hide their faces in embarrassment. One of them stood up, and cleared his voice.

"Caravan Corps, come to me to collect your budget of 50 silver!" announced the Warrior calmly, reaching into a barrel that was inconspicuously sitting in the corner, behind other barrels that were filled with mead.

"Yes Sir!" they replied, swarming around him.

He began to pull out pouch after pouch, each containing 50 silver, as the other patrons froze, mouths hanging open in disbelief. With the 100 kids there, the total amount of silver was 5000!

That was 50 gold coins! And it was sitting there right underneath their noses the entire time!

The many patrons glanced over at the ever-smiling tavern master, who was whistling while washing some wooden plates, a picture of innocence. They began to eye the other barrels around the room with suspicion and greed.

"There is no other barrel like that here, don't waste your time. Order another round of drinks if you feel the need to drown your sorrows," explained the tavern master.

A mixture of sighs and grunts could be heard from the patrons, as they resumed their previous conversations.

After the Warrior handing out the pouches had finished, he surprised that there was one pouch left.

Magnar looked around, searching for William, yet found no sign of him.

William? Where are you?

***

A carriage stopped outside a medium sized house, as four women and a young man alighted from it.

The cool night air hit them like a splash of cold water, as they shivered slightly.

Claire went to go unlock the front door, as the rest followed behind.

"It's damned cold..." commented William, rubbing his hands together.

He avoided using the flames of his Personal Mana to warm himself, as he did not want to attract unwanted attention.

"Fortunately for you, we're home now. You can stay here for the night, and we'll see what we can do tomorrow to help you find a job. Ask them to pay you everyday after work, so that you can afford to feed yourself, and sleep somewhere else starting tomorrow." advised Roxanne, stroking William's head reassuringly, running her fingers tenderly through his hair.

"Thank you, Roxanne," said William gratefully, as the door opened.

As they stepped through the threshold, and the door began to close, all four women were grinning.

***

The innocent William had unwittingly landed himself in this situation, and as is to be expected, one thing led to another, many times over.

Although promised a warm bed for the night, William had naively thought that he would actually have the opportunity and time to sleep.

He ended up being educated on the wonders and beauty of the female body, in great length, detail, and intensity.

With four women at once.