Chapter 47

Several years had passed since we introduced bound animals into the Oasis. Karl no longer managed his various companies; each was now run by employees who shared his values, prioritizing people over profits. A foundation was established to oversee these companies, funneling excess profits into a trust fund that the Oasis co-op and Karl could access. His cabin was to be deeded to the co-op upon his death, with the stipulation that Nancy could use it as a teaching space for young women to learn housekeeping and cooking as long as she lived.

The shelter had been operating for nearly three years, supported by the men from the Oasis and eager young volunteers from the town. It depended on a small county budget and modest adoption fees. While we didn’t contribute financially, we always provided food for the animals and access to veterinarians whenever needed.

The Oasis now had one bound animal for every three men. We have sheep and llamas, and we sold hand-spun wool and yarn. Since the animals were bound, we could shear the llamas and sheep three times a year.

Cows, steers, and pigs were not bound animals, as they were processed for sale and used for food sold to tourists. Bulls, boars, and roosters were the only bound in our food supply, as they made sure our meat and egg offerings were of the highest quality.

The cave campsite proved popular almost year-round, thanks to its consistent temperatures between 65 and 70 degrees from the nearby hot springs. The RV Park had a more seasonal operation, often fully booked during the warmer months.

Karl’s Park remained open for seven months or more each year, while the hotel ran year-round, albeit with a minimal full-time staff. Owned and operated by the employees, the park staff opted to earn hourly wages or take lower pay for year-round employment. Many families opted for a 12-month payout, while single men and women typically chose higher hourly rates and worked in other states during the off-season.

The hotel was primarily staffed by part-time workers from the Oasis during the off-season.

*****

This year Jesse, myself, Karl, and six others, including James and Grey, are taking a vacation to Australia and New Zealand. With all the portals at our disposal, the trip was nearly free. Joshua was our guide.

“I enjoy the tours and history, but can we do something exciting for once?” Jesse asked the group.

“How about skydiving, bungee jumping, or para-sailing? Or maybe swimming in the Great Barrier Reef? Getting attacked by sharks might be the most exciting!” Joshua suggested.

“Skydiving is out,” I said. “You spend all day in training, and then you’re either followed by an instructor or, worse, tied to one. If you’re lucky, maybe on your next jump, you can go solo.”

“It’s even more involved than that. You won’t jump without help for quite a few tries,” Karl added.

“Bungee jumping isn’t much better. No real training, but it lasts only ten to fifteen minutes. Still, it would be exciting,” Jesse said.

“Oh, come on, shark attacks mostly happen in different waters!” Grey chimed in.

“Even if we got attacked, we could turn into bigger sharks and hunt them. The spirits would surround Keith; none of them would let a shark near him,” Jesse replied.

Karl, looking younger than usual since he will be declared dead after the vacation, said, “I wouldn’t mind diving.”

“What, scuba diving?” I asked.

James jumped in, “Yes. I’d love to learn scuba diving, especially with you, Karl. Honestly, I’ll do anything as long as we’re together.”

“I’ll do it. How about you, Keith?” Jesse asked.

“Only if everyone agrees; otherwise, I’ll watch from the boat,” I replied.

“You heard him. We all need to do it,” Jesse declared.

*****

Unfortunately, all the big reef excursions were booked. Even if they weren’t, we’d have to split into two groups. Joshua contacted some past associates and secured a fishing adventure boat, provided we could find at least two dive instructors.

“Let me check if anyone at the Oasis is or was a dive instructor. You still have your computer system, right?” Grey asked Joshua.

“Everything’s as I left it, except for some added space for new recruits. I haven’t turned it on in a while, though.” With that, Grey and Joshua left for Joshua’s home to work on the computer.

“You know, we could just skip the training altogether. Bungie jumping equipment can be made by the spirits, and so can parachutes. The scuba gear might be trickier, but it’s not too complicated. If we let Ursus, Cetus, or Fen loose with a computer to research what’s needed, I bet they could build everything except the plane or the boat,” Detrick said.

Detrick has been assigned to shadow me during the vacation, unless Jesse decides otherwise. Jesse believes having a “bodyguard” will enhance the trip—at least for himself. Initially, I found this arrangement annoying, but as I got to know Detrick better, my perspective changed. I discovered that he used to be a professional bodyguard, and Jesse reminded me that I had met him once in the cave system while I was distracted during a conversation with the two dragons.

He knew his job and made it look like he was just part of our group and not ‘hired help’. I was thinking of him more and more as one of us.

Grey came back with Josuha. “We have quite a few divers in the Oasis. Three of them from this part of the world, of those, two are instructor qualified.” Grey said, waiting for my reply.

“Better bring all three here, unless the guy who’s not an instructor is not willing to come.” I told Grey.

“Oh, He’s very willing. Asked me to make sure I gave a pitch about having him here. Said he would make things much easier on the other two.” Josuha had barely finished telling us about the guy when all three men came thru Josua’s portal.

“I see they’re eager to join us. I hope you have some contacts here? We Have a boat but no equipment, nada not even a way to refill the tanks.” I told them.

“We don’t even have any tanks.” Jesse added.

The three stood in front of me. “Sir, I’m Jasper, the one who’s not an instructor. I can get the refilling equipment, but we’ll need to pull it from my father’s boat. We’ll have to return it afterward.”

Jasper was a big guy now, though I’d never imagined him as a diver, let alone an instructor. “We’re not stealing it, right?” I asked.

“No, definitely not. The boat is all mine and my brothers. It’s all we have left from when our father died. I already spoke to my brother about using the boat, but he said it’s in pretty bad shape. He hasn’t been working, so there’s no money to fix it,” Jasper explained.

“How big is this boat of yours?” Jesse asked.

“My dad ran a sportsman’s charter—fishing, scuba diving, that sort of thing. He bought the boat to expand the business, but passed away before he could fix it up. It can sleep up to twenty, with twelve bunks and four rooms for two each. Not huge, but big enough. Why do you ask?”

‘You want the Spirits to repair the boat, don’t you?’ I communicated with Jesse.

“What exactly does the boat need?” I asked Jasper.

“It’s water-ready, and the engines are new. Above the waterline, it needs a lot of work. The interior was okay, but I have not seen it for a long time and my brother told me it is in terrible shape. It’s in dry dock. A good friend of my father’s is letting us keep it there,” he replied.

‘The Spirits could fix it up in no time. What do you say? We’d be helping out his brother to get him into the charter business,’ Jesse suggested.

“I have a proposition for you,” I said. “We can repair the boat for you and then use it for the rest of our vacation. Is this acceptable to you and your brother? If the boat’s ready to float, we could launch it, take it somewhere hidden, do the repairs, and then head out. Do you know a place?”

Jasper was smiling so much I thought he might cry. “Yes, that’s acceptable, and I know a place. Since I’ve been at the Oasis, I haven’t been able to help my brother financially. This will get him back on track. Thank you, sir.”

‘You two heard all that. Can the boat be repaired ASAP?’ I asked the two omegas.

‘If what you’ve been told is accurate, yes, it can be done,’ they both answered.

‘This is another thing we didn’t consider. How many other men in the Oasis have family members that need help?’ I addressed Jesse, Karl, and the two omegas.

‘We can fix that oversight when we get back,’ Karl replied.

‘I’ll need three spirits to come here. One will go with Jasper to check out the boat and get it launched. The other two will accompany the instructors to gather the equipment. If you can duplicate any of it, just have them bring or buy one set; later you can replicate the rest.’

_ _

“Both of you are instructors—do you still have your licenses?” I asked.

“Sir, I’m Charlie, and I have a license,” one replied.

“I’m Regan, and I have a license too, but I may need a checkout. Should only take a day at most.”

“Alright, Regan, get squared away. Charlie, go with one of the spirits and find a set of high-end gear if possible.” I noticed three credit cards in my hand as Cetus appeared with Leo and Cobra, all in human form. “Use these for payment. Cetus will inspect the tanks and equipment. If it can be reproduced, we’ll need just one of each; if not, we’ll require twelve of everything.” I handed the other two each a card. “This should cover the cost. Leo and Cobra will accompany each of you.”

As I finished speaking, Jesse chimed in. “We could all go. You, me, and Grey can tag along with Charlie and Cetus, while Joshua, Karl, and James can go with Leo. The rest can be with Cobra. We have nothing else to do—let’s sightsee!”

I hadn’t thought of that; we definitely needed to get out more. “You guys up for it?” I asked. I got mostly yeses and some halfhearted okay responses. Since we were securing most of the equipment, “we should rent a Ute.” I told everyone.

Charlie, being from Australia, corrected me. “A Ute is a small truck. Five of us could fit in one, but there wouldn’t be room for the equipment, and it’d be tight even with Cetus in spirit form. We need a big truck.”

“I thought all trucks were called Utes over here. Guess I shouldn’t listen to the slang from movies,” I replied to the group.

Charlie started calling rental places. After several attempts, he hung up. “Found one with room for us all, and they’ll deliver it here. Not sure if we need to drive the driver back or if someone’s following him.”

The others had left, leaving just our group waiting for transportation. Finally, a crew cab truck with a Hertz logo pulled up. “This should be ours. Let me check if we need to drive him back; if so, it’ll be crowded.”

“Don’t worry, Cetus knows what to do.” I glanced at Cetus as he headed back to the elevator, ready to stay behind.

Charlie returned. “We don’t have to take him all the way back; he just needs to be dropped off nearby.”

****

We were heading to the second dive shop; Cetus took human form right after we dropped off the driver. According to Charlie, the first shop had subpar equipment. He skipped the idea of visiting every dive shop and we were going to one he knew had what we needed. The downside? It was a long drive. The sights along the way offered little, mostly stretches of open land with the occasional stop. I figured it was an excellent opportunity to get to know Grey and Charlie better. Jesse was zonked out; if he wasn’t driving, he preferred to rest.

“So, besides working part-time at an intervention hotline, what was your day job?” I asked Grey.

“Pretty similar, actually. I worked for the county counseling young boys at the detention center. I fell into that right after college and stayed until they forced me out. They said I was getting too old and frail, worried I might get hurt by one of the delinquents. That’s what most people thought of them, not as boys who just made a wrong choice,” he replied.

“Man, I wish I had you as my counselor. You really wanted to help those boys find the right path,” Charlie said.

“I take it you were one of those kids?” I inquired.

“Yes, sir. It took finding myself in jail before I got the help I needed. If I’d had a counselor like Grey, maybe I wouldn’t have ended up that far down,” Charlie admitted.

“You weren’t built like you are now when they retired you, were you?” I asked Grey.

“Hell no, I had a good build when I started. I tried to maintain it, but with a job that was more mentally draining than physically demanding, it changed me. I wouldn’t say I was unfit, but I definitely gained some in the middle. After I found out you liked the muscle bear look, I decided to become one. Before coming here, I’d grown comfortable with my body as it was,” Grey replied.

“You did it for me? How do you feel about it now?” I asked.

“I did it for you at first, but now I want to be this way for myself. Lifting again has brought back those feelings from college when going to the gym was my way to unwind.”

“I have to say, you make a very desirable muscle bear, even now with less mass. You’re quite the catch,” Charlie remarked.

“I agree. I told Jesse that, too. He said as long as he’s my number one, he’s okay with you or Karl being my number two. Each of you has distinct qualities I admire. My father wasn’t very, let’s say, emotionally open.”

“How about you, Charlie? What’s your background?”