Lazarus

  Primordial limit.

  Primordial 1.

  Paragon luck.

  Paragon strength 2.

  Presence detection 3.

  Regeneration 11.

  Centaur riding 4.

  Sex 8.

  Sword mastery 1.

  Blink 2.

  Resistance 1.

  Centaur pleaser 10.

  Skill points - 0

  So time to meet the parents. Am I going to have to do this with all my mates at some point? God I'm nervous, I'd rather fight something of equal strength than do this.

  Willow however was the happiest I'd ever seen her. She was humming a tune I didn't recognise and almost dancing as she trotted along. It was slightly infectious and helped dissolve my negative mood.

  She was a beautiful woman when she smiled. Her brown hair had been cut short recently and Arath had given her a green bnket dress as well as a matching shirt. I could see how she was a catch but she still looked a little thin to me.

  That could be easily fixed now that she didn't have Sabet forcing his vision on her. Maybe when she got to work in a forge she would get a body more suited to a smith.

  The thought of Arath and Willow arm wrestling over who was stronger was enough to make me forget what we were doing until the thumping of metal on an anvil.

  Time to knuckle down and butter them up.

  "Willow!" A mature looking centaur mare yelled rushing towards us.

  I stepped out of her warpath but Willow wasn't so lucky. Taking the charge head on my smaller wife was swept off her front hoofs and crushed in a bear hug.

  "Oh Willow it's been too long. How have you been? Have you been eating well? Of course you haven't you're as thin as a twig. Come I'm sure I can find something for you to eat."

  "But mum I'm here to introduce..."

  "Pish posh you can do that ter. Now come." The centaur I now knew as Willows mother gave me a slight nod as she passed almost dragging Willow into the house beside the forge.

  I was left alone in the street stunned by what just happened. She came in like a stampede and whisked Willow away. Although if she was with Sabet this would be the only way they could talk alone.

  A grunt sounded behind me and when I turned to it a bare chested stallion with golden brown skin slick with sweat faced me. He motioned towards the forge then started to move towards it I'm guessing wanting me to follow.

  I complied.

  The forge was as I expected, stone walls to stop fire from spreading and barrels filled with liquids and half finished products. Of course all upsized for centaurs, the whole forge was about 40 metres. No wonder it would be expensive to build our own.

  Willows father threw a pair of thick mittens at me then pointed to the bellows beside the actual forging oven. Seems like I'm going to get a crash course in smithing.

  The mittens didn't fit at all and made it a little harder to work the bellows but I managed. Under the stallions gaze I managed to find a rhythm he was happy with and when it was hot enough he pced a piece of metal by the embers.

  Forging 1 acquired.

  Well that was a bonus. Hopefully I could help Willow out in the future.

  "Got a name?" I asked trying to gauge how this man saw me.

  "Rekif." He grunted. His eyes not leaving the metal as it's edges began to melt.

  I'm guessing he's a man of few words and more action. I've used a lot of equipment in my time but never actually got to see the process so I was just enjoying the experience. Both in how it was done and the skill exp.

  After a bit of time Rekif decided it was hot enough and grabbed the red hot metal with his hands. I almost yelled in shock but the stallion didn't seem to care for the heat and carried it over to an anvil in the middle of the room.

  So he has a heat resistant skill. It must be dam high for him to pick up something that was almost magma. Rekif grunted in the direction of a hammer located in one of the barrels and it was only now I realised I was still on the bellows, him grabbing it put me on autopilot.

  To make up the lost time I blinked over to the hammer and gave it to the stoic centaur. He raised his eyebrow slightly at the small teleportation but otherwise got to work hammering the metal into shape.

  He stayed at it for a long while not once looking at me or even grunting in his way of telling me to do something. I was beginning to feel very awkward just waiting for something to happen until he finally spoke not bothering to look up from his work.

  "Why are you here?"

  Well for someone that would rather grunt at me this was progress.

  "To ask if Willow can work with you to gain experience and skill points because her job is a smith."

  He stopped his hammering and turned his attention to me.

  "Do not lie."

  The forge seemed to ring with his words, every sword rattled in there buckets and even the ones on the wall seemed to point the tips towards me. Dam I want whatever skill that is. Unless it only effect things in the forge. That would make it quite restrictive although I did just walk in without thinking it through so maybe others would be just as dumb.

  "I don't lie. Willow has shown her interest in working with you and I see no reason to stunt her growth. In fact if her skills improve I wish to build her a forge beside our own house. Arath my head mare is a padin and will require her own armour and weapons in the future and I am hoping it will create a source of income to our growing family." I held his gaze through my response trying to show him my sincerity but also I doubted my chances at escaping.

  I hope that telling him I gained something from this it would persuade him a bit more. He seemed like a guy that doesn't understand doing something for no reason.

  As if that was what he wanted to hear he nodded. "Three times a week. No less. She stays the whole day."

  That actually sounds really good. I mean if she wants to come more often I'm ok with that but I do want her to spend some time with our family so maybe this is good.

  "Agreed. She comes after breakfast with my herd and leaves you after dinner. Should give you some time with her outside of working to spend with her."

  A smile briefly flickered over his face before it was gone. I'll take that as we did well.

  Rekif grunted towards a different door than the one we first came through, evidently we were done. Not that I was compining, he definitely scared me just a little bit.

  He was definitely a man of few words but there was a slight crack in his composure right at the end. He did love his daughter.

  I left him to his hammering trying to quietly close the door behind me. Only when it was fully closed did I take a proper breath.

  "Dam. Well I think he likes me so that's the father down now I just need to make a good impression on Willows mother."

  "Mothers."

  I jumped at the sudden voice almost running back into the forge. What's the point of having presence detection if it doesn't detect anything. Calming my racing heart I gave the newcomer my attention.

  A white mare with silvery patches along her fnk returned my gaze. Her silver eyes fold with amusement.

  "Willow has two mothers."

  Of course she does. Harems are normal here why didn't I ask Willow before we got here?

  The white mare ughed at my confusion and I was drawn to her chest as it bounced. She wasn't wearing anything on her top or bottom half.

  "Just like a foal. Always wanting the teat."

  That snapped me out of my stupor. "You sound like my head mare, and yes I am very much am a tits man."

  "We do tend to think the same." The white mare chuckled in response.

  So this was the head mare of Willows parents harem but based on colour she's not her birth mother. I could be wrong though. This also makes it slightly harder as I only thought I was trying to impress two centaurs now there were three. Wait what if he is in the mix of getting another do I have to impress her as well?

  "Don't worry, it is just myself and Flooly with Rekif currently."

  "Am I really that easy to read?" I compined causing the centaur to ugh again.

  "No. Take it as an educated guess Willow said you were still learning our ways. Malikeria by the way."

  "Lazarus." I introduced. "Forgive me if I overstep in any way."

  "Do not worry. You are mountains better that Willows st although I'm slightly disappointed she is not your head mare." Malikeria almost taunted while she turned around. I had to avoid looking as her rear passed my sight.

  Yip definitely naked, although her tail did a good job of covering her rear and her hair seemed to flow in ways that hid her nipples. Once she had fully rotated I came up to her side just so I didn't look like a pervert to another man's mare but as I passed I noticed her belly dipped very low. She was pregnant. I don't know why I'm surprised that her equine half was where her womb was.

  Malikeria noticed my staring and gave me a sly smile.

  "I don't meet very many males that don't look at me with disgust."

  "Why?" I seem to be asking that a lot recently.

  "Because it's not their foal within my womb. Most stallions are just jealous. You however look like your interested, almost aroused. Does me being with foal turn you on?"

  "More invisoning Arath pregnant. Is the whole nakedness a part of centaur pregnancy wait I shouldn't ask you I should ask Arath I'm sorry."

  "Do not apologise it is a normal question to ask. But no it is not normal, I just find clothes itchy and restrictive while my child grows so I choose not to wear them in my own home. Males outside of our family are not allowed inside for obvious reasons."

  Malikeria began to walk down the hallway and I followed beside her. She was slow but if that was due to her pregnancy or just so I could keep pace I didn't know. What I did notice was the way she didn't kick me out after saying that. I don't know enough about Willows family but if the head mare is willing to talk to me while she's naked after saying only family can I'm going to take that as a win.

  We entered another part of the house and I was finally reunited with Willow, who currently had another mare with the same brown fur as herself trying to get her to eat.

  "Mother I've had enough."

  "My child. If your belly isn't as big as Malikeria I don't want to hear it."

  "Flooly if Willow has a belly like mine it won't be from your help."

  The mother and daughter pair jumped at our sudden interruption and Willow saw her opportunity to avoid eating anything more.

  "Husband!" She cried out in fake worry as she barreled over to me.

  "Hey Willow. How's your mother or one of your mothers?" I was so going to ask Arath how I was suppose to word things like this.

  "It's great but she's trying to stuff me. Please tell her I don't need to be any fatter." My mare begged holding herself close to me.

  Her mother in question gave me a look that even my male brain said I should side with her over Willow. This is definitely a rock and hard pce. I tried to silently plead with Malikeria but the head mare was too busy trying to hide her own amusement. God dammit.

  "Well Willow I think you're beautiful right now but now that you will be working with your father you might need to gain a little muscle, so Flooly is just thinking about the future."

  That sounded pathetic even to me. So much for trying to appease both sides.

  The mares however seemed to both be taken aback by the news.

  "Wait father said yes?" Willow asked confusion evident on her face.

  "You expected him to say no."

  "Rekif doesn't like most stallions especially after Sabet so the fact he didn't attack you was a surprise." Malikeria replied.

  "That's why you were behind the door. In case he tried to kill me?" That expins a lot. It wouldn't have surprised me if he was just waiting for his new child to grow up slightly before he killed Sabet himself.

  "Wait you're pregnant to stop him doing anything." The realisation hit me harder than I thought, Malikeria got herself pregnant so that Rekif would stay and be it's father rather than killing Sabet and effectively dooming himself to whatever justice system this world had.

  "You are not as slow compared to most males." The head mare complemented. "But yes, you are correct. Although I'm happy you both came to an agreement it will be good to see Willow three days out of every seven."

  Flooly and Willow gasped and Willow pulled me onto a more sincere hug.

  "Thank you my husband."

  "It's okay. Your family cares deeply for you. Now go spend the rest of the day with them. I'll tell Arath you won't be home till tomorrow."

  With a kiss she ran behind me out the hallway in the direction of her father. Flooly gave me a smile as she began to clear the table and Malikeria nodded with satisfaction.

  Not bad Lazarus. Let's hope Araths family are the same.