Locum Tenens 01

~~~ Introduction and Notes ~~~

A new story - on a new world - with a new protagonist - with a new set of magical skills. As per my usual, all chapters in this tale have been completed. They are uploaded to Literotica en-mass. Depending on the benevolence of the gracious admins (may they forever be praised) each new chapter in the series should appear every day or so. Thanks for reading!

~~~ Prologue ~~~

It was Friday night - my night to go out - to go out and get my groceries. I loved grocery shopping on Friday night. Nobody else was in the store. Anybody with a love life - or a home life - or even just a life - they were going out to eat - or taking in a movie - or... doing anything other than shopping for groceries.

I was standing in the freezer section - surrounded by glass doors showcasing the best in fine-dining for those on a budget. The store circular advertised that my favorite microwave TV dinner was on sale - 10 for $10 - with no limit!

I had ten of the spaghetti dinners already loaded into my cart. These were followed by ten boxes of the Salisbury steak ones. After that, ten of the chicken nugget ones joined the growing collection.

I was busy grabbing the boxes of sweet and sour chicken when some doctor-looking dude stopped next to my cart. He appeared to be looking over my selections.

I glanced up at him - worried that he was some psycho homeless person - or a panhandler - or... just about anything... but he looked normal - other than the fact that he was standing by my cart - which was not normal in any form or fashion as far as I was concerned.

"Found a deal?" he asked, pleasantly enough.

"Uh... yeah," I answered hesitantly.

"Look," he said. "I could try to engage you in a lively conversation to make you feel more comfortable about me but - quite honestly - I'm a busy guy so I'd prefer to just cut to the chase."

"Right...," I replied, trying not to be obvious as I looked around for the quickest means of escape.

"Listen, I'm about to blow your mind so just hang with me for a sec, okay?"

"Uh... yeah..."

"Your name is Luke Timmons. You live just over two blocks away from here - at 421 South Division - in a two-bedroom apartment that you found out about from a friend of your cousin's. You only took the place because it was cheap. The first thing you thought when you actually walked into the apartment was that you were never going to get past the smell that constantly seems to waft from the bathroom. You've tried everything to find (or mask) the problem but nothing works. You leave the door closed and have a towel wedged against the crack at the bottom."

The longer this guy talked, the wider and wider I felt my mouth hanging open. The first part was creepy; the last part was nothing that anybody knew - not even my mother. This guy was still going though... and I had to focus back on his words.

"Your last date was six months ago. She didn't look anything like her profile picture. You actually got laid - but got fucked trying to be a nice guy. You worked hard to make sure she climaxed and got her off twice before she fell asleep while you were still waiting to orgasm. You felt bad continuing to fuck her and ended up jerking off in the shower. You slept on the couch because you were pissed. You haven't dated since. I think your exact words were that you were 'over it'."

I was shocked beyond words.

"Dude..."

"You like your job but hate your boss and despise most of your coworkers. Despite enjoying what you do, your assignments of late have been limited to maintaining or updating other people's applications and this leaves you longing to create something of your own."

"No one knows that shit...," I stammered.

"You read the back of the same cereal box every night while you eat your microwave TV dinner. You thought about getting a cat but you went to visit a coworker who said she had kittens that needed 'forever homes'. You took one look at her apartment and ran away."

I just shook my head in disbelief. Every word he said was 100% unerringly true.

"Personally, I think your life is boring and meaningless because you haven't discovered selfless service," the middle-aged gentleman said.

"Okay...," I replied, not sure where he was heading with this.

"Rather than suggest that you spend your evenings helping out at the homeless shelter," he continued, "I would like to offer you the chance to make a real difference - and to discover a life you never believed was possible."

"How?" I asked.

"I represent a deity," he said.

"A god?"

"Yes," he answered, nodding. "This deity has a world without a champion and I think you are perfect for the job."

"Not this world?" I inquired.

He shook his head, no.

"You're trying to tell me that you can just pick me up and move me to a different world?" I asked.

"You'll cease to exist here," he explained. "I will escort your spirit-self to the new world and hand you off to my employer. They will craft you a new body - one that provides what you need and that fits the world he will send you to - and then he'll... uh... well... kind of push you out of the nest and let you live your new life."

"I'll have free will?"

The stranger nodded and said, "You could tell me 'no' right now and I will simply walk away - but I approached you because I think I know you well enough to anticipate a positive response."

"My parents?" I asked.

"They will slowly forget that you ever existed - just like your boss, coworkers, and the woman who is pregnant with your child."

"What?!"

"Just shitting you, dude...," he said, grinning.

I couldn't help it, I laughed. I laughed harder than I had in a long time.

"How soon does this happen?" I asked.

"Just say the word," he said. "I can give you a day or two - or I can wave my hand and all of those microwave dinners will disappear from your cart and go back to their places on the shelves."

"Prove it...," I told him, looking into his eyes.

As promised, he waved his hand over my shopping cart and... it was like all of the boxes started fading.

I turned back to the freezer shelves to find all of the TV dinners appearing where they'd been before I had opened those frosty glass doors to retrieve them from the cases.

"You can do magic?" I asked.

"You'll be able to as well," he promised.

"One request?" I asked.

He laughed.

"No. I will not kill your boss, have him get into a car accident, or get his wife to leave him. The best I can offer you is to give him a flat tire the next time it's pouring rain."

"Done!" I said, extending my hand to the man.

He took it and shook it. He didn't let go.

"Ready?" he asked, looking into my eyes.

"Make it happen, Jackson," I replied, grinning in spite of myself.

"You're gonna feel a little pinch...," he warned.

Pinch, my ass. It felt like someone stabbed me straight in the heart with an icepick. It was like my heart just stopped.

"Fuck, dude,...," I complained.

"Doesn't work quite like putting items back on the shelf...," he said - not unkindly. "I am sorry about this. If I had warned you what it was really going to be like, you would have freaked out. You're almost through."

I felt my knees buckle. The next moment, I was like a ghost. The escort guy was still holding my hand. The pain was gone. My body was lying on the supermarket floor. As I watched, it began to fade into nothingness.

"Here we go...," the man said.

I realized, then, that his body was no longer a physical one either. Suddenly, I felt really light - lighter than air - and then I kind of just turned into luminous dust motes and - I faded once more.

~~~ Heaven? ~~~

It felt like it was just a few minutes later but I really didn't know how long it had been. I slowly faded back into existence once more.

I was in the biggest room that I had ever seen. A few steps away, there was a throne on a raised dais. The throne looked like it was made of solid gold. There was a supermodel-looking guy sitting on it. He was tall, fit, and (though I don't swing that way) the most handsome man that I had ever seen. His eyes were kind and his smile genuine. I felt at ease - but a little nervous - like I should ask for his autograph or something.

"My Lord," said the man that I'd been talking with.

"Dexter," the god - which was what he had to be - responded.

I almost laughed at my escort's name.

"What have you found for me, my friend?" the god asked the man.

"My Lord, I've found your champion," Dexter replied, letting go of my hand and bowing to the god - before rising and lifting his hands - palms up - and presenting me to his 'employer'.

The god rose from his seat, descended the few stairs, and - in steps that seemed to race without hurrying - arrived in front of us.

The dude was like ten feet tall. Somehow, though, I knew this was just how he appeared at this moment. I got the feeling that he was really much taller - and stronger - and...

The god took my hand and shook it.

"What would you like to be called?" he asked me.

"Won't I need a name that fits whatever world you'll place me in?" I inquired.

He waved away my concerns.

"They'll either marvel at your name's uniqueness or gnash their teeth at your arrogance for not taking one that fits their preconceptions. They'll love you or hate you. Unfortunately, that's just one of the downsides of having a deity for a sponsor."

"You pick...," I told him.

"Not that fond of your old name?" he asked, with an infectious smile.

I felt like I'd known him - actually both of them - forever. I knew they were both powerful - and this god was powerful beyond anything I'd ever imagined. It seemed weird to me that nothing felt awkward or weird about these guys, this place, or the situation that I suddenly found myself in.

"This is Luke Timmons, my Lord," the man offered.

"Luke Timmons... locum tenens... I love it!" the god said, clasping his hands together. "Well done, Dexter."

"Thank you, my Lord," the man replied, bowing.

When the god said my name, I found that I liked it a lot better than I ever had.

"How about Loki?" the deity asked me.

"Are you kidding me?" I inquired, unable to hold back a chortle that he was offering me the name of a Norse-god-turned-comic-book-character.

"You like it?" he asked. "I see that you do. You will be known as Loki. Keep that mischievous smile," he instructed.

I nodded.

"Let's get you a new body and I'll... as Dexter says 'shove you out of the nest'."

The god started to focus his eyes on me and then asked a question that I did not expect.

"You prefer the ladies?"

At once, I understood what he was asking. I nodded once again. I might not have had much luck with them - but I preferred cunts over cocks.

"You okay with being a bit of a sex magnet? Powerful men attract attention no matter what world they live in. This one is no different - and you WILL be powerful."

"So, there's not really a choice?" I asked, unable to keep from grinning.

"Afraid not," the deity said, grinning as well. "Those who like what you do will respond most favorably; the others will try to kill you."

"... kill?" I asked, suddenly growing unsure.

"I'll give you a unique skill that will offset things," the handsome god promised me. "You'll need to keep your wits about you and employ a little strategy - but that'll just piss most of them off even more. Watch yourself around the other gods, though. As long as you don't go out of your way to earn their wrath, I can usually resurrect you."

"Good to know, I guess," I said with little confidence.

He cuffed me on the shoulder and grinned - attempting to dispel my concerns.

"Let me focus for a moment now...," the god said.

Almost as soon as his eyes locked onto me, I felt my body begin to tingle - all over.

My ghostly incorporeal body slowly began to take on physical properties. I couldn't see myself in a mirror but it was pretty obvious that I looked more like the god standing in front of me than I did like my old self.

An old quote from mass rang through my mind: "Let us make man in our image..."

The Maker - or whatever this god was - got a queer look on his face as he concentrated and I tried to keep from laughing at him. It became even harder when he stuck his tongue out of his mouth a bit - like a little kid does when they're really focusing all of their intent on something.

The tingling sensation eased and the god stood up straighter. It wasn't until then that I realized that he'd been leaning forward as he worked.

"You won't be able to make babies without asking for special permission," he informed me.

"Okay...?" I said, wondering why.

He noticed either my tone - or the thought as it entered my mind - and addressed it.

"The females of this world may want to bear your children," he said. "They might also get a nudge from their patron deity - possibly to try to steal my design. Some of the gods are a little sneaky. If you find a female that you want to breed, just ask, and I'll take a good look at her. If the child wouldn't cause harm for me or you or themselves, I'll approve it."

"Thanks," I said - meaning that I appreciated the explanation - not the chance to have kids. Worry-free sex sounded pretty good to me - and the god had already pretty much promised that I'd be getting my dick wet.

"You're not the strongest, the most handsome, or the most talented... but... as they are fond of saying on your old world... you're gonna fuck some shit up."

I laughed - both at his words - and the expression on his face. It was like he was looking forward to seeing what trouble I could get up to...

"Exactly," he said, nodding - and confirming that he could, indeed, read my mind.

"Do I need to pray to you or anything?"

"You can if you want... especially if you need something... but Dexter's good at his job and I agree that he's correct in thinking that you are well-suited for this role. I'm looking forward to seeing what you get up to without my interference. I will try to offer gentle nudges when appropriate. This is not the only world that I have followers on however... so... if I seem distracted, just holler."

"What's your name?" I asked. "How do I get your attention?"

"Believe it or not, they call me The All-Father," he said.

He grinned at me as I began to put the name he had given me (LokI) together with the name that they called him (the All-Father). He nodded and grinned with that mischievous smile of his.

I laughed - once more caught up in the giddiness of his humorous nature.

"The joy is in the journey," he said. "That's an idiom from your world and it fits well here. I could explain everything to you and it would melt your brain. I'll just keep an eye on you and see if you get up to as much trouble as I think you will..."

"My skills?" I asked.

"Don't want to just discover them?" he countered.

I hesitated.

"You'll be fine...," he promised. "There will be a few bumps - but that's how we learn, right?"

I cringed. I hated learning at the School of Hard Knocks...

The god laughed again.

Dexter spoke this time.

"The All-Father is wise and far-seeing," my guide promised.

"Okay...," I said, still not fully convinced.

"Off you go then...," the god said warmly.

I began to fade once more.

~~~ Locum Tenens ~~~

I found myself sitting in the dirt - leaning against the front of a building - along a busy thoroughfare.

You can imagine what the buildings looked like if you just let your mind soak in the fact that this busy "street" was paved with hard-packed soil - rather than concrete, asphalt, or even cobbled stones.

As I sat on the ground, I thanked the Maker - I suppose I should say 'The All-Father' - that it hadn't rained recently - or my ass would have been getting wet.

I swore I could hear his voice say, "You're welcome", with that same musical cadence that I'd come to enjoy while being in his presence.

I looked down at my new body. I was far more fit than I had been on Earth - but I was dressed in filthy rags that could barely be considered to approach what I would have previously called 'clothing'. My private bits were hidden from the eyes of those passing by - so I guess the name 'clothing' fit the tattered pieces of cloth that I was wearing.

A three-legged dog trotted up the street and stopped to sniff at me.

"What happened, boy?" I asked him.

I touched his right shoulder - the one that was missing a leg. I felt around for his bones - wondering if he had been born like this or if he had endured some painful trauma.

His eyes studied mine as I looked "through" him - focusing on my sense of touch rather than my sight.

The end of the bone felt "wrong" - like it had been broken. The skin (over that portion of his skeleton) was thicker - like it had grown layers of scar tissue to buffer against the damage.

Something told me that I could "fix" it. I told my body to do whatever it needed to in order to accomplish that. I felt power flow from my chest, down my arms, to my hands - and into the mutt. He started to pull away, whining a little. I gripped and held him.

"Easy...," I told him. "I'm trying to set you right."

He whined again and I tried to "pull" the pain away. It came with a vengeance and I nearly threw up from the force of it. My stomach churned and my foot ached - even as I watched his shoulder grow a new thigh - and then knee - and then the remainder of the leg, the ankle, the foot, and the pads.

When it was done, I closed my eyes and focused on not emptying my already-empty stomach onto the ground beside me.

The dog panted and then licked my face.

I opened my eyes to look at him.

He seemed tired - and thirsty. Somehow, I felt exactly the same. He licked my face again and then slipped out of my hands and went capering down the street - now on four legs instead of three - moving far quicker and more steadily than he had when he had approached me a few minutes ago.

My stomach twinged again and I covered a noxious burp that escaped my lips. There was nothing to expel from my belly except gas bubbles.

I leaned my head back against the wall and closed my eyes to rest until a semblance of calm was restored.

I sat there for several long minutes - listening to people and animals make their way past me without pausing to see if I was okay. Then again, maybe I should have thanked the All-Father that they didn't take my coins - if I even had any.

A door to my left opened and a middle-aged woman with wavy brown hair that hung just past her shoulder used a crude broom to sweep dust from her home (or place of business) into the street. Thankfully, the wind caught the friable portion of the waste and carried it away from my face. I released the breath that I had held - not wanting to take the gritty cloud of particulate into my lungs.

"Off with you...," she said as she swept. "I don't need beggars..."

Her eyes settled onto mine and she paused her exhortation.

Her gaze took in my body - and my clothes - and my lack of personal hygiene - but her inspection returned to my face - and I watched her angry expression soften.

"Just don't pester my customers, alright?" she asked me.

I nodded.

"You thirsty?" she asked. "I can get you a drink of water. I don't have any bread to spare."

I started to speak and realized that my throat was parched. She heard the croak escape my lips and hurried inside without another word.

A few moments later, she returned with a crockery mug. She handed it to me. I accepted it and took a drink. Thankfully, both the mug and the water were clean.

"Clean," I told her, ashamed that I said the word like I was surprised - but I truly was.

She nodded and said, "I've a friend who has a talent for drawing water from the air," she replied.

"I thank you," I told her, returning the empty mug.

Her eyes trailed to my foot and I realized that I was missing one. I gaped at it. I would have sworn that I had two feet when I had left The All-Father.

"Does it hurt you?" she asked. "My gram was missing a hand and she complained that it always ached. How did it happen?"

The words spilled out of my mouth and I was surprised to hear the tale from my own lips.

"It'll grow back," I told her. "I took the injury from one who needed healed."

"How's that...?" she asked, incredulously - curious to know how I'd done it.

Her hand slid down the handle of her broom and she yanked it away suddenly.

"Frig!" she gasped, studying her palm. "A damned splinter of all things!"

"Give me your hand," I told her, reaching my left out to her.

She looked at me and then set her right hand in my left. I held it - cupping the injured thing in my palm. I focused my will on healing her.

We both gaped as the splinter and the wound disappeared from her hand. I shook my right hand, grimacing, as pain shot through it. I held it up and suddenly realized that the injury - as well as the cause of it - had been transferred to my body from hers.

"Holy Father!" the woman gasped.

I put the hand to my mouth, caught the splinter in my teeth, pulled the hand away, and spat the prickly wooden spur to the ground on my right. I looked at my hand and gaped, once again, as the wound slowly healed.

"Fuck...!" I gasped.

"That's amazing," the woman said. "The damnedest thing I've ever seen. You took the injury from me - and then healed yourself."

I nodded - knowing that was what had happened. I didn't speak however. I was still trying to put all of the pieces together. Locum tenens... if I remembered my Latin correctly from Catholic school... meant something like "take the place". I had taken her injury from her - healing her.

"I'll find you a crust of bread, dear one," she said, smiling brightly - with all of her teeth.

Unfortunately, that surprised me as well. I nodded to her.

She studied her hand again for a moment and then disappeared back into the building that I was leaning against. I lay my head back against the wall and closed my eyes once more, thinking over the crazy events.

Dexter had promised a life that was new and different. He had promised to bring me somewhere that I could make a difference.

Without truly being able to see, I knew that I had the stupidest grin on my face. I had healed that woman - and that dog! It had felt like the most natural thing in the world.

I had also told her that my foot would grow back. I pulled my leg up and wrapped my hands around the stump that ended at my ankle.

"How does that work, I wonder?" I thought to myself.

Like magic, the answer came to my mind.

Actually, it seemed that I had two choices - the quick way - or the slow way. The slow way was to simply wait until the bones, muscles, nerve-endings, and skin were restored.

The quick way would require me to see it with my own eyes. Somehow, though, I knew how it would work. I just couldn't believe that it would really work that way - or that it was even possible.

Following whatever guidance the All-Father had given me, I held the end of my leg in my hands and focused my will on restoring my missing foot. I could almost picture the thing in my mind - a fully-restored foot where - at that moment - none existed.

I screamed. The pain was burning, stabbing, and - at the same time - it had a weight to it that was almost beyond bearing. I nearly passed out from it.

All of the pain was forgotten, however, when a goiter - or fleshy nodule - suddenly grew from my upper chest - halfway along the front of my collarbone. The thing was the size of my thumb - and about an inch tall.

I squeezed the thing and it hurt - like a mole. There was a small mole on the inside of my left wrist that I despised. I had once considered taking a pocketknife and cutting the thing off but - when I had tried - it hurt something fierce.

I rolled my hand - to look at the hateful mole - and suddenly realized that this body wasn't the same as the one that I'd had before. The mole was no longer there. There was, however, a giant mole-like protrusion on the front of my shoulder now.

Somehow, I knew that I could suck the thing into my body and the foot would either fall off or melt away once again. I also knew that the almost-excruciating pain that I had felt would come back - just like before. It would last a bit longer - and the foot would ache with pain whenever the weather was taking a sharp turn for the worse.

Oddly enough, I also got the impression that I could "give" the injury to someone else. Somehow, I could pull the nodule from my body and stick it on another person and the pain - and the loss of the foot - would happen to them instead.

I shook my head at the thought. I would need to see it happen to really believe it but - if what my mind was telling me was true - I could heal someone, store that wound or injury, and then pass it on to someone else. I knew there was pain associated with each step of the process but the idea that I could heal one person's malady and then keep it within myself to heal slowly - or give the pain and wound to another - the whole concept just blew my mind.

The woman reappeared. She had a bit of dried meat, the heel of a small loaf of homemade bread, and another mug of cool, clear water.

"Here you are, my dear," she said, giving me the items.

A stern-faced man leaned out of the doorway behind her.

"What're you up to, Valeri?" he asked.

"He healed my hand, Grigori," she replied. "I'm just giving him a bite to settle his stomach."

"That mangy beggar is a healer?" he asked her, scowling at her and then me.

She nodded.

I got the feeling that - despite my initial thoughts to the contrary - the man treated Valeri better than most in this world treated their spouses.

"He needs to move on as soon as he's gotten something in his belly," the man told her.

He shot me a hard look - wordlessly informing me that I shouldn't show up here again - and then turned and headed back inside.

I finished the food, drank down the water, and returned the mug.

"Your foot!" the woman gasped. "It's healed."

"It is," I said in agreement.

I leaned against the wall and got to my feet. I was still a little unsteady - but I needed to be moving - for both of our sakes.

"If you find yourself in need again," the kindly woman whispered. "Come back and sit across the street at dawn. I'll look for you."

I nodded.

"I appreciate it more than you know," I told her.

I turned and began walking away from her.

"My friend," she yelled after me, "who calls water from the air. Her name is Monika. Tell her that you healed my hand - Valeri's hand."

"I will tell her, if we meet," I promised without turning back. "Thank you."

The sun was just peeking over the tops of the buildings on the right side of the mostly-straight roadway. Assuming the sun on this world worked the same as the one on my old one, I was headed north, apparently.

I traveled for probably a about a mile, studying the various forms of crude infrastructure that were employed to serve the populous of this place - trying not to let my distaste show on my face.

Off to the side of the main thoroughfare, there were public wells scattered every quarter mile or so. These wells were surrounded by females (mostly teens that weren't quite women - as well as elderly ladies). Each of them took turns using the one or two buckets to draw up water to fill the clay pitchers or jars that they carried. The younger women often had a wooden stave across their shoulders with two such jars hanging from it - to carry more as well as to balance their loads.

Between the cross-streets that held the wells, there were streets that held alcoves of another nature. These had pits dug out - with stone walls surrounding them like a well. When I got near, however, I knew at once that these did not contain water but rather waste. I saw individuals - mostly young boys but some older women and young girls - who carried wooden buckets. These folks were careful not to spill their cargo. When they got to the walled pit, they dumped the nasty contents inside and then moved quickly back the way they had come.

One of these pits was attended by a man in robes who was covered in grimy soot. He conjured flames and burned up the waste. A noxious gray column of smoke rose from the cistern. When the smoke thinned, he would lean forward and cast his flames again. He looked up at me as I studied the situation. I saw the same look in his eyes that I was sure had been in mine the last day that I'd worked my job on Earth. I pitied him but was thankful for his service. I was sure that he wasn't paid anything near what he was worth. As I walked away, I somehow got the impression that he was required to perform in this capacity to prove himself and would eventually earn a position of higher authority - leaving this job for some new recruit.

I crossed a small bridge - where a storm drain of some kind - somewhat paved with cobbled stones - appeared to serve to divert rainwater from the east to the west - passing beneath the street that I was currently following. This culvert or ditch passed down an alleyway - and not down an intersecting street.

All of these things worked together to inform me that - though this place was straight out of some medieval storybook - there was at least some basic engineering going on here to try to keep people healthy and safe.

I was passing a street with one of the wells when I heard a woman cry out in pain. I turned to see a woman who was probably old enough to be my mother miss her step and begin to fall. Although she was probably only 40-something, she looked as dirty and ragged as I did. She also looked like she hadn't eaten properly in quite a while - maybe ever.

I joined a few others that were hurrying her way. The stave across her shoulders tilted and one of the clay water jars slid from its place - falling to the packed dirt pavement and exploding. A young woman who was closer than me caught the other jar and the weight of it took her to the ground - but she kept it from breaking or even spilling.

As the older woman went down, I heard a sound that could only mean that her ankle had shattered. When the jar exploded beside her, it added insult to injury - or maybe I should simply say more injury. The flying shards that had once been a pitcher lacerated the woman's body and a few sharp pieces speared into her arms, legs, and torso.

One woman tried to catch her but only got her shoulders. She prevented the injured woman from striking her head and I was thankful for that. I hurried to the older woman and sank to my knees beside the foot that was obviously no longer connected to the rest of her body the way that it should be.

I set my hands on her foot and she cried out. A couple women rushed at me but froze as I screamed in pain. My vision turned red at the edges. Once again, I struggled to keep from heaving my guts up.

As I pulled the injuries from the woman, I sent them straight to one of the goiters. There was no way I was keeping this shit in my body and trying to wait out the healing. I was storing this up. I was already barely able to stomach the pain that I was pulling from her.

The two women who had rushed to intervene started to move forward again but the injured woman called them off.

"He's... He's healing me!" she gasped. "Don't touch him!"

The last thing I saw - before I blacked out - was the various shards of pottery being ejected from the woman's body. I tumbled to my side and then my back. My eyes were already closed. At least the pain had decreased markedly.

~~~

I awoke to someone wiping my face with a cool wet cloth.

"He's waking...," a young woman's voice said.

An earthen mug was pressed to my lips and I drank. The water was not quite as clean-tasting as what I had gotten from Valeri - but the drink was still welcome and I quickly drained the mug.

A crust of bread the size of my finger was placed against my lips - and then shoved inside when I opened them.

"It's all I have," she said. "I'm sorry it's not more."

"s'fine...," I answered hoarsely.

Footsteps hurried away. Someone raised my head and shoulders and then slid under me, bringing my head to rest in their lap. I opened my eyes. A pretty (but dirty) young girl was supporting my upper body. She looked down at me.

The auburn-headed girl's hair was chopped off at her jaw - like a short bob. On others, it might have looked like a boy's haircut. It tapered off at the curve of her jaw - a few longer strands of her hair fell down over her eyes - coming down to her mouth. Her mouth was small. Her lips were thin. A look of concern tightened her lips. I was certain that she would be even prettier than she already was - if she was smiling - instead of worrying over me.

"Aren't you a sight?" I told her, with a grin. "What's a pretty thing like you doing in a place like this?"

"She's a bit too young for you, healer," an older voice said.

The woman that I had healed returned. She grabbed my hand and placed the mug in it. I drank down its contents and returned it to her.

"My thanks...," I said.

"And you have mine, healer," she replied.

She looked into the amber-haired girl's hazel eyes. The girl was waif-thin. Everyone around here seemed to be.

"Thanks for helping me, Rilla," she told the young girl. "You'd best get home before you get yourself into trouble."

Rilla looked down at me. She started to say something when the older woman interrupted.

"You've another month yet," the old woman told her laughing, "and your father would beat you if he saw what I'm reading in your eyes. Best you forget this one's pretty face and be on your way. If the gods will it, he'll find his way back to you if you pray hard enough."

The girl looked a moment longer and then wriggled beneath me as I struggled to sit up. She managed to place a kiss on my cheek before I escaped her clutches however.

The old woman cackled with laughter and swatted the girl on the rump as she rose to her feet.

"No wonder your father worries," the woman told her.

"Hush, Malta," the girl said, smiling despite her words.

The eyes of the not-quite-woman found mine again and then she grabbed a wooden bar with two clay pitchers on it, ducked her head under the beam, rested the thing on her shoulders, and stood - lifting the weighty burden into the air.

"Your name?" she asked me, when she saw me looking.

"Loki," I said.

I laughed. I had tried to say my Earth-name - but the one the god had given me came out instead. She didn't know the reason for my grin but returned it anyway.

"Well met, Loki," she said. "Thank you for healing Malta."

"It's the least I could do for such a beauty," I said with a wink.

"Oh, listen to this honeyed-mead, will you?" the old woman named Malta said, laughing. "Get along now, young one, before you get us both into trouble."

"Whatever will you do with this scoundrel when I'm gone, Malta?" the girl teased.

"Off with you!" the croon admonished her - before laughing even harder.

Rilla gave me one more parting look and then headed off.

A hand on my shoulder pulled my attention back to the older woman.

I accepted her help as I climbed back to my feet.

"I thank you," I said.

She waved away my thanks and said, "I've kept you from your business long enough. Thanks again for tending to my injuries. There's not even an ache in my ankle and I know it was beyond repair when you laid your hands on me."

She blushed at her own words. I got a little thrill that she was thinking about a man touching her and associating it with something more than tenderness or healing.

I helped Malta get the stave across her shoulders and then got the remaining heavy clay jar onto the thing. She hugged the jar with her right arm and held the wooden bar in her left fist. She bent forward slightly and started on her way.

"My thanks, again," she said. "May the gods give you fortune in all of your endeavors, Loki."

"And you as well, sweet Malta," I replied.

She shook her head and cackled with laughter as she toddled off.

I headed back onto the street I'd been following - ignoring the looks of the women and girls who were waiting their turn at the buckets.

I made it about another half-mile before I heard a commotion behind me.

"Way! Make way!" a strong male voice called out.

I stepped to the mouth of the alley that I was passing and turned to see what the big deal was.

There was a palanquin - a wooden box-like passenger thing - with two long wood staves at the top. One bar was fastened to the right side and one to the left. I could not see who was inside but they must have been fairly important. In addition to the eight people that held the support-bars on their shoulders to carry the conveyance down the street, there were a dozen guards. There were two soldiers with swords and shields in the front, two archers in the middle, and two more soldiers at the back - one flanking each side of the palanquin.

The guards' faces were all business. Their eyes quickly and efficiently took in every person along the street - in front of them, to the sides, and those behind who they deemed to still be close enough to be a threat.

I stood in the alley as they passed by and then watched for another minute or two to see how the pedestrians, carts, and wagons on the road moved aside for the group to pass by them.

~~~

I nearly squeaked as I felt the point of a knife press into the back of my kidney - just as a hand wrapped around the left side of my neck where it met my shoulder.

"Nice and quiet-like," a male voice ordered at a whisper. "We'll just slip back and do a little business - you and I. Nothing to worry about as long as you don't try anything."

"I don't have any money," I told him.

"We'll see soon enough," the voice said confidently. "Best come up with something to appease me, though, if you value your head."

He forced me backwards a few steps and then turned me and directed me down the alley. At the end, there was an alcove to the left and we moved into that space.

When I got there, I found a dead man - as well as a wide-eyed middle-aged female who was clutching tattered garments against her body to try to protect her modesty. I realized that she had a rope tied to her ankle. The other end was secured to an iron ring that was fixed to the wall behind her. I wasn't sure about the original purpose for the ring but it looked like my new friend had found another use for it.

"Are you alright?" I asked the attractive woman.

She looked at me and then glanced behind me.

"You needn't worry yourself about her," the man behind me said.

The knife pushed forward and the tip dug into my flesh hard enough to draw blood. I stifled a curse.

"Your coins...," the man said. "Now."

"I told you...," I replied.

The knife dug deeper - and then twisted. My vision clouded red. I caught the wrist of the hand on my left shoulder and quickly shoved the pinky back as hard as I could. The man screamed in pain but managed to keep his hand where it was. I pushed until the finger snapped. He shoved the knife into the back of my guts - to the hilt. I grabbed the hand on my shoulder with both of mine and twisted, turning myself as I applied force to his wrist - working as hard as possible to get it to snap. As I spun, the blade came out of my back. I could feel the blood running from the wound.

I now faced him. He sneered at me, raised the knife, and slammed it into my chest - piercing my heart. He pulled it free and grinned at me.

"You die!" he spat through the pain in his hand.

"I'm tagging out," I said through clenched teeth. "You take my place."

His sneer turned into a look of confusion.

This time, instead of healing the person that I was touching, I did the opposite. I shoved my injuries into his body - along with the pain.

The transfer wasn't painless for me either I discovered - but it was far less agony than I'd been experiencing when I started the process.

As the knife wound disappeared from my chest - and appeared (instead) in his - he screamed. I looked into his eyes and grinned. The pain disappeared from my chest and back and I knew that every bit of it had now found a home in his body instead. My back was whole again as well. He writhed in agony from the wounds in his chest and back. His eyes began to roll back into his forehead - even as the blood-curdling-scream still poured from between his lips.

I thought about giving him Malta's broken foot - or using the dog's injury to remove one - but he was already collapsing to the ground. I reached out and grabbed the knife from his hand as he fell.

I turned towards the woman and her eyes widened. I held up my hands - with the knife in my right one. I held the handle in my thumb and forefinger - the other fingers raised like those on my free hand - showing her that I wasn't intending to wield the blade like the other man had.

"I'm just gonna cut you free if that's okay," I explained.

She hesitated a moment and then nodded.

"What did you do to him?" she asked as I worked to cut the knot - and not her wrist.

"Gave him back what he gave to me," I told her. "I heal by taking the injuries and the pain into my body. In his case, I took the injuries and pain that he'd given me and traded it back to him for health and wholeness."

"He deserved worse," the woman said matter-of-factly.

She glanced at the corpse that had been lying on the ground when I had arrived.

"Somebody you knew?" I asked.

She nodded and said, "My husband."

"I'm sorry," I told her.

"Honestly, the fucker did me a favor, killing him," she replied, "but that doesn't leave me with a way to care for myself."

"We'll search the two bodies," I told her. "You can have whatever is on them. I'd like to keep this knife if that's okay."

"You've earned it," she said. "He already took everything of value from my husband's corpse. I'd offer you the clothes he's wearing but he's been dead for a couple days now."

"Did... Did he hurt you?" I asked, meaning the killer.

"He... used me," she said, nodding. "He poked me with that knife until I gave in to him. He was not gentle."

I finished cutting away the knot. She rubbed at her wrist.

"I'll heal you as soon as I cut this rope free. I might as well have it as well. In the video games I have played, you almost always needed rope."

"Game?" she asked.

"Ignore me," I replied. "I'm just thinking out loud."

Since I didn't need to worry about harming the iron ring, I sawed through the fibers quickly and the rope was soon mine. I dropped the rope and the knife to the ground and knelt by the woman.

"Give me your hand and I'll heal you," I told her.

She looked into my eyes and nodded. She extended her hand - with the wrist that was raw from chaffing against her bonds.

I smiled at her and began taking her injuries and pain - and storing them in another goiter on my collarbone. She saw it appear and then studied my face as I focused on not crying out as I transferred her injuries, wounds, and pain into the fleshy nodule. I tottered a little just as I finished.

She looked down at her wrist and saw that it was whole once again. I wobbled and she wrapped her arms around me. She pulled me close and kissed my lips.

"I don't know how you did it," she said, "but I feel whole again - even inside."

I nodded. My head lay on her shoulder. I was pretty much half-way lying on her. With my body now firmly pressed against hers, I realized that her breasts were far larger than I had noticed before. She rolled me to the ground and got to her knees above me.

"Mind if I suck your dick?" she asked.

I laughed.

"Mind?" I asked. "Not sure how I would mind..."

She moved down my body and began working to get my pants undone. My cock was already stiffening. The pain was almost gone from my body - but I was exhausted.

The woman's dark brown hair was matted with sweat, dirt, and grime. I studied the side of her face as she worked to get my pants opened up enough to get at my penis. She wasn't ugly by any means. Her full lips - and the anticipation of what she had promised - had me thinking that her mouth would be perfect for sucking my dick. I laughed quietly, knowing that few men would refuse a blowjob - even if the woman was hard to look at.

A hand grasped my rigid cock - and then the woman sucked my flesh-rod into her hot, moist mouth.

"All-Father!" I gasped.

I pictured his face. He was grinning.

I moaned. This woman was pretty good at this. This was, obviously, not her first time. It had been a while for me, though, and I was quickly headed towards an epic finish.

"I'm... You.. Uh...," I tried to warn her.

She stopped sucking. I sighed. It was probably for the best, we would have just made a mess...

She stood, looked me in the eyes, reached under her skirt, untied something, and then dropped a pale garment to the ground. She pulled up the bottom of her dress and I saw the prettiest pussy with the biggest dark-brown bush...

The woman got to her knees again - straddling me this time. She quickly got my cock inside of her.

"All-Father...," she moaned as it slid in.

For my part, I was mute. I stared up into the face of the big-lipped, big-tittied MILF in amazement. She licked her lips - those full, gorgeous lips that had just been wrapped around my shaft.

She began moving - pistoning my penis in and out of her slippery clasping channel. I reached up, grabbed her ass, and squeezed. Her waist was narrow, her hips were slightly wider - and her ass small and taut. It made her chest seem even larger. I groped at her bouncing tits through her tattered clothing.

"Yes...," she hissed. "I feel your pure desire. Your touch - it sets me on fire. Don't stop. Use me, healer - because I intend to use you to sate this need that burns inside of me."

As horny as I was, I was too caught up in the suddenness of the brief blowjob - before this amazing woman had mounted me and buried my cock inside of her.

She moaned and bounced and gyrated and keened and continued to ride my cock. I squeezed her tits and thumbed her stiff nipples. I held her waist and ran my thumbs back and forth over her toned tummy. I gripped her hips and then squeezed her ass.

The woman stared down at me with her brown eyes. Those eyes were filled with lust as well as a voracious hunger. In only a few moments, she was climaxing. I squeezed her tits as she rode out her release.

"Are you... Have you not yet spilled your seed?"

I shook my head at her.

"I refuse to stop until I have it," she said.

"Works for me, gorgeous," I told her.

Her eyes twinkled at that. A passionate growl curled up from her chest. She placed her hands on my chest and began to ride me with reckless abandon.

"Gods, this cock!" she moaned. "It's divine. The perfect size! It makes my body ache with lust! Quench my fire, healer! Give your seed to me or I shall perish from this burning within my womb!"

I squeezed her ass a little harder. I was starting to get damned close...

"You're about to get your wish, beautiful," I told her.

She shoved me all the way inside of her cunt and then she writhed on me. The muscles up and down her vagina - and especially those at the mouth of her womb - twisted and churned and kneaded the sensitive flesh of my penis.

I cried out as my balls erupted and I felt the massive load of jism race up my shaft and begin exploding inside of my lover.

"Yes...," she hissed with erotic desire.

I had almost finished squirting my semen inside of her when her pussy clenched once more and her body shuddered with another climax. It was like someone had lit a fuse to my balls - and the eruption started all over again.

Gooey jizz was oozing from her pussy, squeezing out around my cock, spilling down over my balls and thighs and pooling on the ground beneath me.

When her orgasm finished, she lay forward on me, kissed me lustily, and then lay herself on my chest, hugging me tightly. I closed my eyes and just enjoyed the feeling of her against me - and of the glorious tension that her pussy was still giving my manhood that remained buried inside of her.

~~~

I opened my eyes and found the woman looking down at me. She giggled.

"Ready for another round?" she asked.

"I... uh...," I stammered.

She laughed.

"I'd love to have another go - but I'm a little sore," she admitted.

"I'm sorry?" I replied.

She laughed again.

"I'm the one who fucked you, if I remember correctly," she said. "I'm not sure what you have to be sorry for."

She stood to her feet. As my penis slipped out of her, a veritable waterfall of jizz poured from her vagina.

"Sorry about the mess," I said.

She laughed and said, "I'm not - it was wonderful."

She picked up the knife, moved to her husband's cadaver, and cut some loose sections of cloth from the body. She brought those over and used them to clean me up. Once I was mostly ready to get dressed again, she used them to clean up her own body. She tossed the mess back onto the corpse.

I stood to my feet as she returned with the blade. I accepted it from her hand - and then accepted a sweet kiss from her lips. I grabbed up the rope.

"I'll take his clothes," I told her, nodding to the dead killer. "You can have the rest."

"We'll split it," she said. "You're still being too generous."

We went through his things and came up with a waterskin, a coin pouch, two small hidden daggers, and a ruby ring. I stripped the clothes off of him. I remove my garments, threw them on his body, and dressed in what he had been wearing. It was far better than what I'd had on.

I stood back to my feet and the woman wrapped her arms around me. She pressed her lips to mine. Her kisses were hungry.

"Come home with me," she begged. "I need to get some things settled and I'd prefer to have some company while I do it. I'll feed you and then you can have your way with me again. I want you on top of me this time - claiming my pussy. The house will pass to my husband's brother - and I'll be required to marry him to secure my future - but I can share my bed with you for a day or two before I have things in order."

"You're sure?" I asked.

"Positive," she said. "I'd ask to come with you but - based on how you looked when we met - I'm guessing that you have yet to find your place and I don't want to be a burden. I'll drain your balls a few more times, kiss your beautiful lips, and then throw myself at my brother-in-law. His wife will likely treat me like shit but I'll have a roof over my head and food to eat. He's a successful merchant. If I'm lucky, he might even let me keep the house and just stop by once in a while to have me drain his balls. If it works out that way, you're welcome to come stay anytime he's not there."

"You wouldn't get into trouble?" I asked, wondering at the customs of this new world.

"He could beat me but why would he as long as I suck his cock and take his seed?" she replied. "His brother never managed to put a child in me so I'm certain that I'm barren."

I wrapped her in a hug and squeezed her ass in my fists as I kissed her. She giggled into the kiss.

"I do hope the All-Father sees fit to have my new husband let me keep the house...," she said quietly - before begging another kiss.

Hand-in-hand, we strolled from the alcove, down the alley, and headed for the woman's home.

We followed the main street for another half-mile and then turned left. We passed a well where another crowd of young and old women collected water. One or two spoke to my companion.

I found out that her name was Nella.

"Who's the cutie, Nella?"

"Saved me from Yuri's killer," my lover replied. "I need to go get the house ready for Yusof."

Nods accompanied the sad expressions on their face.

"Good luck," most of them told her.

One old woman looked at me, grinned, and told my companion to make sure she did everything possible to leave me a withered empty husk. Nella winked at her and told the woman that she had every intention of doing just that.

A few more turns and we arrived at a house that was better than the majority of those that we had passed.

Nella unlocked the place using a key that I hadn't seen her collect off of either of the bodies. Maybe she had had the thing on her the whole time.

Once inside, she dragged me straight to her bedroom. She stripped off her clothes, lay on her back, and ordered me to fuck her. I undressed, crawled up her body, and kissed her as she guided my stiff prick into her welcoming cunny.

"Fuck me, Loki," she ordered. "Fuck me hard and leave me a broken woman who pines for your return."

I certainly did my best. I pistoned my cock in and out of her hungry pussy as she alternated between grabbing my ass and squeezing my biceps. Her eyes were filled with something more than lust. Her desire was evident and it didn't take me long to get her to cum. She came a second time before my balls gave up their load and I filled her. Once again, she climaxed as I spilled my seed inside of her - which set off another eruption from my testes. She giggled at me as we pulled the sheet from the bed so that the mattress could dry.

She began to fix lunch and I ordered her to give me a job to do. She sent me for firewood. Following her directions - and carrying the sling that she handed me - I traded a copper coin for a sling full of seasoned logs. I hoisted them to my back and made my way back to Nella's home.

I stacked the firewood where the rest was kept and returned the canvas sling to the place where it had been before Nella grabbed it.

My lover ordered me to the table and gave me a mug of mead to enjoy while she finished preparing our food. When she brought our plates, I pulled her onto my lap and rubbed my hard-on against her ass as the two of us filled our stomachs.

I helped her clean up after the meal and then we returned to her bedroom with a new sheet. I only got her to cum once before I climaxed - joining my orgasm with hers. We fell asleep still tangled together and had a nice afternoon nap.

After we awoke, I talked her into a bath. We filled the wooden tub half-full with water she heated on the stove. I scrubbed her first and then let her scrub me with her waste-water.

I emptied the tub while she started on dinner. I did a few more small jobs while she prepared the meal. When it was ready, she slid onto my lap with a giggle and we ate our food.

Nella found a travel pack and began to fill it with items for me to take with me the next day. She told me that she had hoped for more time together but informed me that she was under a bit of a time-constraint now that the women at the well had learned that she was widowed. She would need to get her business in order and make contact with her dead husband's brother the next day. She gave me a wood stave to serve as a walking stick as well as a weapon. I also still had the killer's knife. She gave me his coins and added a few from the strongbox in her bedroom. I had a bit of travel food, the ruby ring, my rope, the waterskin, and a few other items that would make things easier for me as I traveled.

Once that was all taken care of, we returned to Nella's bed.

She had me sit on the end of it. She knelt in front of me and stroked my cock until it was hard. She took it into her mouth and sucked me until I ached for relief. She pulled me to my feet and then bent herself over the bed and ordered me to fuck her from behind. I swatted her ass and then squeezed it. We both moaned as I slid my cock inside of her velvety passageway.

"Gods, you feel amazing, Nella," I told her.

"Holy Father," she prayed. "Please let Yusof grant my request. I think I'll die if I lose access to Loki's amazing cock. You brought him to my rescue. Let me worship you as I drain his balls."

"Best prayer I've ever heard...," I told her. "I'm close, beautiful."

"Do it!" she ordered. "I'm sure I'll cum, as I did before, when the heat of your seed fills me."

I let my balls do their thing and began squirting my sperm deep inside of the brown-haired woman's churning depths. As promised, she came almost as soon as I did. I slid my hand beneath her, stroked my fingers through her wiry bush, and played with her clitoris.

"Loki!" she gasped.

Her body shuddered with another climax and I groaned as my balls responded with yet another load.

When I finished, I collapsed onto her back. She giggled and shoved me off - to the mattress. She sucked and licked my cock clean - and then kissed me. She retrieved a mug of honeyed mead from the kitchen and we shared it as we relaxed.

Nella and I held each other tightly as we lay together in her bed. I stole a quick kiss and then we closed our eyes - welcoming the darkness of slumber.

~~~ End of Chapter 1 ~~~

There are 18 chapters in this story series.

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