Natasha the Halve

Tolerates smokers… I’m not touching that shit again, anyway.

“You like the smell of the ocean?” I looked at the wizard.

“I grew up in a port city, of course I like it.” she smiled.

“What’s this about being underwater, then?” I looked her in the eye.

“My mother is an asshole. We went to the beach and she threw me to the ocean when I was three years old.” she sighed. “Large bodies of water are a little scary since then.”

“That’s pretty mean.” I bit my lips to avoid laughing.

I looked at the other form next.

Name: Bromisnar Bahadh

Species: Satyr (Khlyp)

Gender: Male

Age: 176

Likes: Music. Poems. Yinka Plavas’ works. Fine wine.

Dislikes: High percentage alcohol. People touching my horns. Unfounded rumors.

I tolerate: Uncultured people.

Offspring: None.

Interested in: 70% Men. 30% Women. Would accompany any party.

Languages: Kator. Common. Twisted Verse.

My motivations are: Meeting Yinka Plavas. Writing a poem worthy of Saravia.

Hobbies: Playing the Lute. Writing Poems.

Highest Class: Minstrel (Support Performer)

Total Level: 300+

Partner: 1 (Bonte Slirmy)

Oohh! A Satyr. Saravia as in the God? What a mad lad. I smiled. This one is quite the sensitive fellow.

“He seems alright.” I nodded. “Who is Yinka Plavas? I know they wrote Kingdom Fall, but nothing else.”

“Yinka Plavas is a pen name.” Alyssa sighed. “Nobody knows who they are. They’ve been publishing books for three hundred years, so the possibilities are many.”

Oof. I can’t imagine what Dostoyevskiy could’ve written if he lived that long.

“You’re a fan, right?” I turned to the Luzo.

“Yes.” she nodded, a slight blush on her face. “I’ve read their works since I was young.”

“Nice, so he’d be a fellow enjoyer.” I chuckled.

“Hopefully.” she smiled.

“What’s Twisted Verse?” I re-read the form.

“The language of the Satyrs.” Lapia responded.

“Seems okay.” Yolin said and offered me the form she held.

We traded papers and I went over it.

Name: Bonte Slirmy

Species: Tigea (

Shishi)

Gender: Male

Age: 143

I tolerate: Picky eaters. Nobles.

Offspring: None.

Interested in: 40% Men. 60% Women. Making friends.

Languages: Kator. Common. Severed Fin.

My motivations are: Gathering money for a personal project.

Highest Class: Shadow Chaser (Scout)

Total Level: 200+

Partners: 1 (Bromisnar Bahadh)

Kator must be Tigea Language? So little information. I tilted my head. Well, he doesn’t really have to write a dating profile, after all.

“Haha! Funny man.” the Oni laughed while reading, then nodded. “Interesting goals.”

“Why do men write so little information?” I asked, going over the form once again. “I understand it’s not really mandatory to put your entire life, but this… Bonte, wrote very little.”

The three shared looks, then turned to me.

“Men like to be a little mysterious.” Alyssa sighed. “They’re complex creatures.”

“It’s to keep women from knowing too much about them before meeting.” the Oni shrugged.

“Makes them more interesting, in my opinion.” Lapia smiled.

Weird, but acceptable. I nodded.

“Hmm. In Riverfield, most forms I read stated interest in both genders… is everyone bisexual?” I asked, my brain tickled with a little confusion.

“Byesexual?” Alyssa tilted her head. “What’s that?”

Oh no. My eyes widened. Are heterosexuals a minority?

“You know… being attracted to both genders.” I put a hand on Alyssa’s thigh, caressing the limb.

“That’s normal, though?” the Oni scrunched her eyebrows. “Why have a name for that?”

“Hmm.” the Elf rubbed her chin. “There are women who only go for men, but those are outliers.”

“Okay.” I nodded. “And what do people call them?”

“Cock-chasers.” Yolin chuckled.

I laughed. Who came up with that?

“That’s a derogatory term.” Lapia shook her head, leaning back on the sofa.

“Doesn’t make it less true.” Alyssa giggled, wrapping her fingers on my bicep and licking her lips.

“I have a question.” the tank raised a hand. “Will men join us as partners at some point?”

Lapia and Alyssa looked at each other and shared a knowing smile.

These two. I couldn’t help but smile.

“After you experience Natasha, men will disappear from your mind.” the Wizard gave the Oni an extremely smug grin.

“Oh?” the woman leaned forward, looking at me with hungry eyes. “Is it that good?”

“Extremely so.” Alyssa blushed hard and nodded.

The three looked at me with different degrees of lecherous eyes.

Holy shit. Women DO chase, after all. I shook my head. Let’s change subjects.

“Anyway. I’m okay with the two joining our… party? Team?” I put the form on the table.

“Both work.” the healer said, scooting closer to me and taking my hand.

“Are you staying at the Church, Yolin?” the wizard turned to the woman next to her, supporting her head on a tan arm resting on the sofa.

“I am.” the Oni nodded, her sky blue eyes meeting Lapia’s emerald green. “You said Natasha went to find an inn?”

“I did. It’s pretty nice.” I nodded. “Koporva’s Rest was the name, I think. A little to the east of the city. You should join us.”

“I’d like that.” Yolin gave me a wide smile. “Right next to the dungeon, nice.”

“What?” I blinked a few times. “The dungeon is in the city?”

“It is. Well, the city was built around the dungeon, actually.” she gestured her hand in a circular motion.

“That’ll save us a lot of time.” Lapia nodded. “Leave in the morning, spend the day inside, then return for the night.”

“And pay the tax every single day?” Alyssa shook her head. “We can camp inside the dungeon.”

“I can keep watch the first few days. I don’t want to lose my sanity, however, so one of you can switch with me every few days.” I nodded.

“It’s good to know limits. If you have any in the first place, anyway.” the Elf chuckled. “Being of E’er.”

“What’s with those comments?” I tilted my head. “Not that I’m mad, just asking.”

“I’m amazed, is all.” Lapia sighed. “Desseyr slept a lot. Fortunately, he was never late to class.”

“Probably had pleasant dreams.” I shrugged.

“Hmm?” Yolin looked at me. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Communication is key. I reminded myself.

“I went through a trial before being born.” I looked her in the eye.

She raised her eyebrows, and nodded with a serious face.

“I went through Hell.” I smiled, waiting for her reaction.

“What happened?” her face turned gentle.

Alyssa covered her mouth, Lapia laughed.

“No, I literally went through Hell. I have a title, Hellwalker.” I giggled.

Her eyes widened to their limits. “What?” her soothing voice came out a whisper.

I laughed. “I killed a lot of demons. Every time I sleep, I remember my stay. Wouldn’t recommend, however. The service was horrible.”

The Luzo choked, fighting laughter. The Elf bent over, her laughter increasing in volume.

Yolin bit her lips.

“It wasn’t that funny, come on.” I rolled my eyes.

“That explains a lot about Halves.” the Oni relaxed. “I won’t tell anyone, rest assured.”

I gave her a smile. “It’s okay. The title is pretty cool. Way better than ‘Your Excellency’.” I sighed.

The red woman stood up and walked to me, opening her arms.

I copied her and she gave me a tight hug, resting her forehead on mine. “Thank you for trusting me, despite having just met me.”

Her warm body was pleasant. “We’ll be together from now on, so it’s natural.”

I gave her a kiss on the lips and she smiled. “You really do like kisses.”

“I do.” I kissed her again.

Alyssa joined the hug, followed by Lapia.

We stayed like that for a while, enjoying the intimacy. The Luzo’s tail wrapped around our bodies.

Feels really good. I smiled, bubbly happiness spread inside me.

“We’ll meet the other two in a few minutes. A letter was sent informing them of potential companions.” Alyssa separated first, then turned to the table and stored the forms.

I took out my black pocket watch and read the time. Almost eight.

“Oh?” Lapia looked at my new acquisition.

“Looks pretty nice.” the Luzo said, walking back to where we stood.

“Right?” I gave her a smile. “I bought it from a very tiny person.”

“Rutia’s?” Yolin asked.

I nodded.

“How much did it cost?” the Elf raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms.

“Twenty gold coins.” I shrugged. “I know I might have been overcharged, but it’s whatever.”

She nodded. “At least you consider that.”

“Do you have one?” I looked her in the eye.

Her other eyebrow rose as well. “I don’t. I lost it to the bandits.”

“Here, I bought three.” I took out the other two. “Choose the one you like.”

The Elf sighed, then smiled and turned to the healer. “How about yours, Alyssa?”

She nodded. “My Pomma gave it to me when I turned ten, so it’s important to me.”

“That’s nice.” I smiled, then turned to the Oni. “How about you?”

“I have one.” she shrugged. “I bought it a few decades ago, so it’ll last a while longer.”

“Alright.” I looked at the Elf. “Pick the one you like.”

She inspected each, appraising and opening them.

“I’ll take the gold one. It resembles your eyes.” the Elf gave me a cocky smile, storing the pocket watch. “Thank you.”

My cheeks burned a little. “Smooth.”

She hugged me and we kissed. I ran a hand through her dark blond hair.

I separated and smiled. “I’ll go feed Sonya.”

“Alright.” she playfully smacked my ass.

“I’ll join you. I want to meet the Ratnak.” Yolin looked at me. “I also have to feed my mount, you should meet him.”

I nodded. “Okay.” then turned to Alyssa. “We’ll be right back.”

The Luzo gave me and Yolin a soft kiss each, circling her fingers around our biceps.

The Oni opened the door and walked off, I followed.

We walked in comfortable silence through the cathedral. I caught up and put my right arm around her waist, feeling her red skin and the muscles beneath.

She turned to me and gave me a wide smile as we walked.

“I’m really excited about joining you.” her sky blue eyes met mine.

“They’re amazing women, aren’t they?” I smiled back.

“They are. And you too, are amazing.” she gave me a quick kiss. “I’ve heard Halves are pretty reserved, so your honesty surprised me.”

“Haven’t met any.” I looked forward. “I’d like to, at some point.”

“Sounds like a pretty good adventure.” she laughed. “We might end up going to Makah. Yulianna went there.”

“I heard.” I nodded. “What is she?”

I realized I had very little information regarding my own kin. Lapia and Alyssa only mentioned them a few times, but didn’t go into details. I hadn’t asked, either.

“She’s a wizard. The specifics are unknown.” she shook her head.

“What about the others?” I caressed her muscled waist.

“Miraztor is a cleric. Nilenna an Archer. Desseyr a Scout.” she chuckled. “I’ve heard Desseyr is a complicated man.”

“Lapia said the same. What makes him complicated?” we were approaching the front gate.

“I’ve heard he talks in riddles.” she let me go once we exited the building. “And almost nobody can understand him.”

The world was painted with a warm orange, probably the suns setting. I didn’t look to check, since I didn’t want to have a heart attack, we were pretty high in the city.

“Sounds creepy.” I laughed. “I’m sure I’ll know more once I meet them.”

“True.”

We walked to the parking lot and my eyes opened wide when Yolin walked to the giant black wolf.

She hugged it and patted its head, then asked something in a quiet voice.

I approached Sonya and she turned to me.

“Have you been a good girl?” I patted her head.

“You talk to her in Orkish?” Yolin asked while feeding huge chunks of meat to the dog.

“I do, It’s more comfortable than common for me.” I produced the metal balls and fed her.

“Is it tasty?” The Oni asked in Japanese, a steak on the wolf’s mouth.

I slowly turned to face her. “Is that the Red Tongue?”

“Hm? Yes.” she nodded, answering in Common. “I bought Pochi here in Red Island. He likes Red Tongue better.”

I sighed, patting Sonya’s red scales. She’s an Oni, should have guessed. And her markings look like a Yakuza’s tattoos. Good thing I worked with Japanese v-tubers and learned a little. Should’ve learned more than basic shit that is absolutely useless to me now.

“How do you write it?” I asked as I played a little with Sonya.

If it uses Kanji, then Chinese also exists.

“Like this.” she walked over to us and showed me a book.

It had an alphabet I had never seen in my life.

“I see. I don’t understand.” I chuckled.

She shrugged. “It’s only spoken in Red Island, so you don’t lose anything.”

Sonya turned to Yolin. The Oni gave her a big smile. “So you’re Sonya?”

The Ratnak stared for a few seconds, then snorted and reared her head back.

Not moving a single muscle, the tank took the headbutt with a smile.

“Good girl.” I rubbed her giant head. She looked me in the eye with her blue ones and nodded.

Sonya’s were lighter, more of an ice blue, while Yolin’s were a beautiful sky blue.

“Say hi to Pochi.” she patted the Ratnak’s scales.

I turned to the giant wolf and he stared me with brownish eyes.

“Hello, Pochi.” I laughed.

What a ridiculous name to give a giant wolf.

He sniffed me all over, his black nose touching my skin felt cold. A big paw rested on my left shoulder as the wolf looked me in the eye.

“What is he doing?” I asked, not breaking eye contact.

“Trying to push you down.” the Oni explained. “Just like the Ratnak, the Fekir are group animals. They hunt big game and live in the mountains. They usually fight for the alpha position, but I trained Pochi to just push people down to test them.”

“Looks cool.” I smiled when the dog put his paw down.

The two animals looked at each other, then they circled around us, keeping eye contact. Sonya was a taller, and had thicker feet. Pochi was slender and looked agile. They came closer and sniffed each other, then separated.

“Well, that was fast.” I looked around, the two were the only animals at the parking lot. “Huh?”

“What’s wrong?” Yolin also looked around, her ponytail swinging around.

“Where are the Bhin?”

“Probably at a livery.” she said, walking to me. “Bhin are part of the horse family, so they’re not that smart compared to a Ratnak or a Fekir. You can ask a Watcher to take them to a livery. It’s pretty cheap here in Mountroad, since everybody stays for short periods of time, or simply doesn’t have horses.”

“I see.” I nodded. Then, I had a thought. “Wait. What about Centaurs?” I asked.

“What about them?” she tilted her head.

“Won’t they be angry if people use horses?”

“They don’t. They’re too distant to consider them cousins, even.” she shrugged.

I shook my head. “What about ancestry?”

“They come from the same animal, sure, but they’re not that close.” she patted the wolf’s head. “Like Lupum and hares. Harpies and Hawcans. Tigeas and Untu. You get it.”

“I get the gist of it.” I nodded. “Thanks for explaining.”

Pretty complicated.

“Not at all.” she turned to me gave me a big smile. “Let’s go back.”

I nodded, and followed her. The inside of the building was lit by the chandeliers, white light coming off. I stared at one and didn’t see a flame. Instead, small spheres stood where candles should.

I changed my clothes to a shirt and skirt, my belted boots on my feet.

Yolin opened the door to the room we were at and we found Lapia and Alyssa sitting on a sofa, leaning on each other and reading books.

They looked up and smiled.

“That was fast.” Lapia turned a page.

“Did you leave the Bhin nearby?” I asked the two as I entered the room. “I told the clerk at the inn we had mounts.”

“We’ll fetch them later. There are Watchers outside we can ask.” Alyssa returned to reading.

I nodded, then walked over to the free sofa and sat down. Yolin joined me and put an arm around my shoulders. I leaned my head on her and relaxed.

“You look really good on those clothes, Natasha.” the Oni looked at my breasts, playing with my braid.

“Thank you.” I kissed her cheek. “I like your outfit, too.”

She smiled.

I heard a set of footsteps approach the door, voices following.

“I said it once, and I will say it again. There is no way the other party is a Halve, Bromi.” a high pitched male voice said a good distance behind the door.

“You need to think outside the box, Bonny.” a melodious tenor said back. “If it is as you say, we’ll do as previously decided.”

I looked at the three women and saw them smiling. Lapia stood up and walked to the door.

There was a knock on the door, and the Elf opened it.

Two men stood there, polite smiles on their faces. The cleric dwarf behind them.

The Satyr was tall. Really tall. Over two meters in height. He wore a tacky, silk long coat with more colors than it strictly needed to have, a pink cotton shirt beneath it with a pronounced v-cut revealed a modestly hairy chest. Tight, gray leather pants stopped at the knees, where his light brown, furry legs ended in cloven hooves.

His face was completely shaved. Pink eyes with goat pupils scanned the room. His skin was light brown, thin lips formed a small smile. White horns like a ram formed at his temples, circling around medium length ears, longer than Alyssa’s, but shorter than Lapia’s. His went to the sides, instead of the back. His hair was an attention-grabber mix of red and blond combed backwards, a few locks escaping reached his red eyebrows.

The man next to him was short, around 160 cm in height. Tall ears covered in brownish fur twitched every few seconds. His face was mostly covered by thin, soft hair. The little skin visible was the same brownish color, and amber feline eyes inspected the woman in front of him. His brownish hair was tied in a side braid, reaching his shoulders.

He was wearing a black, sleeveless leather vest, and leather pants, which continued down to his leather boots. A thin, furry tail lazily swayed behind him. His naked arms were covered in short fur, resting behind his head.

Their smiles disappeared when their eyes met me. The Tigea clicked his tongue and produced a few gold coins, handing them to the Satyr.

“Told you.” the taller man chuckled. “Good evening. I am Bromisnar Bahadh.”

[Bromisnar, Khlyp Satyr Lvl 167 Minstrel]

“Nice to meet you.” the short man said, crossing his arms. “My name is Bonte Slirmy.”

[Bonte, Shishi Tigea Lvl 129 Shadow Chaser]

They walked into the room, Lapia stepping aside.

Surprisingly, the Satyr’s hooves did not made a clip-clop sound, but a muted thud instead.

We all stood up, I was a little slower in the action. Bromisnar had my full attention, the man towering over everyone in the room.

He should play basketball! I smiled.

“Alyssa Pruvik.” the Luzo nodded.

“Lapia Pofeta.” the Elf introduced herself.

“Yolin Makav.” the Oni waved at them with a toothy smile.

“Natasha Novak.” I offered the Satyr a hand.

He took it with a smile, an unhealthy amount of rings on his fingers. His hand was big.

“Hmm.” he looked down at me in the eye. “Eyes like the suns. It’s no longer a metaphor.”

I chuckled and let go, we all shared handshakes and I noticed the Tigea’s hands were furry and had short claws at the end of each finger. He didn’t have the pillows normal cats have, which was a little disappointing.

The Dwarf had been standing next to the door, a smile on his face. He entered the room and produced a third sofa and placed it behind the table. He left with a few words of good-bye.

We all sat down and introduced our classes.

“I am a support performer. Bard and Minstrel. My skills revolve around sound, I can buff allies and inflict enemies with serious effects. I play the lute to cast them.” Bromisnar said, presenting a big lute.

“Scout. Rogue and Shadow Chaser. I can sneak around, disarm traps, pick locks, and cast a few illusions. I use daggers and a crossbow.” Bonte nodded, showing a pair of daggers.

I nodded and thought about the items I had in my storage. I wasn’t going to give them Mythical equipment, since they weren’t my partners. I needed to make a distinction. I wasn’t a charity, nor were my items endless. I also didn’t have equipment for performers. The game had only one, and it was shit. Maybe Unique items and costumes. I had thousands of those.

Whatever, we’ll see tonight, or tomorrow.

“Do you know any music, Natasha?” the Satyr asked me from the sofa in front of me, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

I nodded. “I play the piano, and I can sing.”

“Ohh…” he sighed. “The music of a Halve would indeed be beautiful. I would love to hear it some time, if it’s no problem.”

“Not at all.” I smiled. “Happy to show you.”

“I’d like to ask.” Bonte raised a hand, looking at me. “How will our formation be in combat? I’m a scout, so I can cover the back, sides, or go with the vanguard.”

Alyssa nodded and thought for a few seconds. “You could go with Natasha. Yolin would protect me, Lapia, and Bromisnar in the back. Lapia can burn down whatever comes close.”

The Oni nodded. “I can hold a lot of enemies by myself, so you wouldn’t face a single one.”

Everybody nodded. Except me.

“Couldn’t I just… carry you all?” I tilted my head. “You know, charge in and slaughter everything.”

The men and the Oni looked at me with complicated expressions.

“Have you entered a dungeon before?” asked the Tigea.

I shook my head.

“There are a lot, and I mean a lot of monsters inside. If you charge in as you said, we’d be swarmed.” the Oni laughed. “I’d like to see that, but I can’t endanger others.”

“Oh… I see.” I bit my lips. “How many, on average?”

“A few hundred thousand.” the Satyr further extended the crack on my sense of reality. “On each floor.”

A thick crack formed on it. I see. That’s why it takes so long, and is so dangerous. If it was that easy, everybody would be powerhouses. I was thinking more of a dungeons and dragons experience.

“Hmm…” Alyssa tapped her chin. “We need to be relatively close to absorb E’er efficiently. If you charge too far, we wouldn’t benefit from it. Maybe you could focus on killing the more dangerous ones, or enter when the fight is leaning against us.”

What am I? A deus ex machina?

“Okay. Sounds good.” I nodded. “I’ll focus on the stronger ones, and help you if too many gather.”

“Let’s talk about range, then.” Yolin produced a sheet of paper and a pencil. “My auras have a reach of around six hundred meters. How about yours?”

“One hundred.” Bromisnar thought for a few seconds before answering.

“Over three hundred and fifty.” Alyssa said.

“Over two fifty.” Lapia instantly replied.

“I don’ have any.” the scout shook his head.

I checked mine.

Monster Hunter, Lvl 50. [Aura] Face insurmountable odds. Increases status according to the number of enemies you take on for you and your allies by 10%(2 highest stats) per enemy (STR/5)m around you. Enemies must be doing battle with you. Spends E’er in accordance to the duration you intend to use.

Prevention, Lvl 50. [Aura] You are highly aware of the dangers of battle. You become increasingly resistant to slow, arrest, immobility and effects that impede movement. While mounted, this effect is shared with your allies in (STR/5)m around you. Spends E’er in accordance to the duration you intend to use.

So both are a fifth of my strength. 5400 divided by five… uh… divided by ten is 540. Times two is 1080… an entire kilometer, pretty good.

“A little over a kilometer.” I answered after counting on my palm for a few seconds.

“That’s a lot.” the Oni laughed. “So we shouldn’t be farther than one hundred meters from Bromisnar.”

The Satyr nodded. “That would be correct.”

“What about warcries?” Alyssa turned to me.

“That would be too dangerous. It attracts enemies in a challenge to the death. It doesn’t specify if they attack only me, so I won’t use it.” I shrugged. “The other one paralyzes everything that hears my voice, so I don’t know the range.”

They all nodded.

“About attacks.” the Oni finished writing and continued. “I can punch, and extend a field around me that deals little damage, but taunts enemies and makes them focus on me.”

“Fire.” Lapia smiled. “And space.”

“I can numb nerves, blind, and force a brain into overproducing serotonin in enemies weaker than me.” Alyssa fixed a lock of hair behind her ear.

That’s scary. I looked at the Luzo and she gave me a sweet smile.

“I can cause confusion with my illusions. And I use daggers, as I said before.” the Tigea nodded.

“My skills can make enemies deaf, and paralyze them for a short duration.” Bromisnar crossed his legs and rested his hands on his knee.

“I kill.” I shrugged. “Doubt anything can survive my attacks, anyway.”

They all chuckled.

“That would be it.” Yolin stored the sheet of paper. “I will keep this, since I’m the tank and need to know your skills in case an enemy approaches you.”

“Naturally.” the Satyr nodded.

“About loot.” the Tigea cleared his throat, supporting his elbows on his knees and leaning forward, resting his chin on his hands.

“You can have my share.” I shrugged, leaning back. “I have more money than I can reasonably spend.”

“That would leave us five.” the man next to him rubbed his chin. “We split it evenly?”

The three women nodded.

“Where are you staying?” Lapia asked them.

“At an inn near the gates of the city.” the scout relaxed on his seat. “We’re fairly close to the dungeon, so we can meet early.”

“When are we going?” I asked.

“Tomorrow.” the Oni smiled at me. “And we should go to a tavern and celebrate tonight.”

Affirmative answers were given.

I thought back on the inn. I hadn’t told the clerk we’d be out on the first night. There was no way I could have known either way.

“What about the inn?” I asked anyway. “I didn’t tell them we’d be out.”

“It’s normal.” Alyssa gave me a smile. “People go out to have drinks when arriving at a new city.”

“I see.” I nodded.

“Let’s go, then.” Yolin stood up. “To Horace’s.”

The Satyr nodded with an approving smile. “Good choice.”

Follow the locals. I smiled.

We all stood up and left the room.

The two men went ahead, quietly chatting.

I was looking at the Satyr’s legs. His had the ankle joint midway down his shins, like a goat. That made sense in my mind, since most animals have that joint higher in the leg structure. It was a fantastic thing to see, whether logical or not.

A hand nudged me from my left, I turned and found Lapia smiling.

“You’re staring.” she whispered.

“Sorry. It’s amazing.” I gave her an innocent smile.

“I like it when you stare at my ears, but men are a little more sensitive.” she took my hand.

“Do I stare that much?” I tilted my head.

She nodded and gave me a cheeky smirk.

We left the small cathedral and Alyssa approached a Watcher standing nearby. She said something and the man, an Elf, nodded and walked off to the street.

The world was darker now, but still had the pink-orange stain of dusk.

“We’ll meet you there.” the Satyr waved at us and got in a carriage waiting in the street.

I watched the vehicle leave, a pair of Tateli, the ostrich-like creatures, pulling it.

“We’ll go get our mounts, we’ll be right back.” Yolin walked towards the parking lot.

I followed, we got our animals, and returned to the cathedral. The Oni didn’t use a saddle, I noticed. Neither did she use reins. When she shifted her hips the dog turned, slowed down, or sped up.

Pretty neat. I nodded.

“Where did you study to become a cleric?” I asked her as we waited on the street.

“Back in my homeland. I went for a purely tank path, so it took me just ten years of studying to get my first class.” she patted the dog’s head.

“Cool.” I leaned forward, resting on Sonya’s neck.

I made sure my skirt covered my ass. Alyssa and Lapia walked over to us, both staring at my butt.

“Nice position you got there, Natasha.” Lapia licked her lips. “I can almost see your panties.”

“You can see them whenever you want.” I grabbed my skirt and slowly lifted it a little.

The Elf’s green eyes, and the Luzo’s red followed my hand with religious commitment.

I let the fabric go. “But not outside.”

Both blushed.

“This is the woman that almost cried in shame when the sheets sodden with our discharge were taken by the maid.” she smirked at me. “Time changes people, indeed.”

Alyssa covered her mouth, blushing harder. Yolin laughed.

“Oh, I remember.” I fought the embarrassment and replied. “You were squirting like a Water Weaver.”

“If it were up to me, I’d flood the world while fucking you.” her face turned red as she countered.

Holy shit. My cheeks burned. This Elf is a huge pervert! I love it.

“You win.” I laughed. “For now.”

She clenched a fist. “Lapia one. Natasha zero.”

We all laughed louder. Dirty jokes would always be funny no matter the world. Especially if a hot Elf told them.

The clip-clop of horses made me turn. A Watcher was approaching us with two Bhin.

Alyssa and Lapia walked over and gave the man a couple silver coins. They mounted up as he walked away.

We followed Yolin through the city. I avoided looking down, staring at her back the entire way.

A few minutes later, we stopped at a two story building in a street full of stores.

The building had ‘Horace’s Endless Tankards & Barrels’ written on a white stone sign above the door. It was built with granite, just like the entire city.

“Here it is.” Yolin gestured at the building. “There’s a rest post nearby, let’s leave our mounts there.”

There it is. It wasn’t parking lot, but rest post. I cringed inside.

We followed her and entered the rest post, then dismounted. The Bhin were tied to a pole, and Sonya laid down next to Pochi.

We walked an entire block back to the tavern. Not many people on the streets, as it was getting darker. Poles with lamps lighting up on every corner.

I guess night has been conquered already. I stared at a pole, a glass sphere emitting light hung from it.

Opening the front door, we entered the establishment. It was spacious, around thirty meters by twenty. Tables occupied the first floor, a lot of patrons sitting and having well deserved refreshments after a long day. Or so I assumed. Most wore linen, leather, or cotton clothes. Elves, Dwarfs, Lupum, Humans, a few Tigea, and two Luzo.

Gentle music was played by performers on a little stage. Lupum and Elves with flutes, lutes, and a few percussion instruments.

At the back of the room, a staircase went up. The second floor was visible, sticking to the wall and leaving space for the suns to enter, if it were daytime. Windows on the walls were blocked with wooden covers.

A large counter covered the entire left wall, a few meters of space behind it for the workers to serve the customers. Three bartenders were chatting with a few waiters and waitresses. The bartenders were Dwarf males, the waiters Humans, and the waitresses Lupum.

What a diverse Kingdom. I nodded as I walked inside.

A few people looked my way, and I felt the cold hand of regret grip my soul. I hadn’t worn my armor to conceal my species. While it wasn’t bad, I wanted to avoid being called stupid titles.

I sighed and followed the group to the back. There, Bromisnar and Bonte sat next to each other on a round table.

The Satyr was holding a glass of wine, a bottle next to him. The Tigea was sipping from a tankard, a small barrel next to him on the ground.

They spotted us and the performer waved at us. We walked to the table and sat down on wooden stools.

I sat next to Bromisnar, Yolin next to me, Lapia next to the Oni, and Alyssa between the scout and the wizard.

“Aayyy!” the cat man cheered. He waved at the counter and turned to us. “You got here pretty fast. We were just served.”

Just as he finished those words, a Lupum waitress approached our table.

“What’s the order?” she asked in a bubbly tone. Her violet eyes stopped on me for a second longer. She put a wooden tray on the table and waited.

“Ale.” Lapia put two silver coins on the tray.

“Plum wine.” Alyssa put a silver coin.

“Whiskey.” Yolin put ten silver coins. “Two bottles.”

“Your strongest potato spirit.” I placed a gold coin and looked around. I saw a few tables with roasted meat and baked potatoes. “Two bottles. And meat, please.”

“Right away!” she nodded and took the tray, then walked to the counter.

I followed her with my eyes, her tall ears bounced with every step she took. I chuckled and returned to reality.

“Are you hungry?” Lapia asked me.

“A little.” I nodded. “We had lunch pretty early today, you should eat too.”

While I hadn’t eaten since lunch, I wasn’t that hungry. This body seemed to be very efficient in ways I didn’t understand. Hunger, tiredness, and sleepiness were almost nonexistent. If I didn’t actively go to bed, or even eat, I could probably still go on for a few days.

“We ate some fruit while searching the registry.” the Elf smiled.

“Thank you for thinking about us.” Alyssa blushed a little, then turned to the two men. “What about you?”

“We had a light meal before going to the Church.” the Satyr took a sip of his wine, the Tigea nodded behind his tankard.

“I’ll partake on the meat.” Yolin nodded. “Our fight left me pretty hungry.”

“How was it?” Bonte asked, his eyes flashing with interest.

“Awesome.” the Elf chuckled. “You should have seen it.”

“About that. Why didn’t you two fight?” I looked at the tank and the scout.

“He’s a scout. It wouldn’t be much of a show if we fought one on one.” the Oni rested her elbows on the table. “Not that I’m belittling you.”

“Oh, no. I get it.” the Tigea waved his free hand in front of him. “My skills are inclined towards sneaking around and illusions, anyway. I don’t have much to show in a controlled environment.”

I nodded. “Got it.”

“So.” Bromisnar began. “I got a few bounties we could clear in the dungeon.”

That caught my attention. “Bounties? What kind?”

“The local smithy needs ores from monsters on the tenth level.” he answered. “The blacksmith’s partner needs hide from the animals on the fifteenth level.”

Eh? Aren’t those tutorial quests? I looked at the table. I’m more of endgame kind of individual. Well… boosting lowies is part of endgame.

“What’s the reward?” Alyssa asked.

“Ten copper coins for every square meter of hide, and one silver coin for every kilo of the ore.” he produced a paper and put it on the table.

“Ah, good old Hinga. She can never have enough, can she?” the Oni chuckled while reading the document.

“What monsters would we face?” Lapia asked next.

“Golems for the ore, and mostly beasts for the hide.” the Satyr shrugged. “That also leaves us with quite the haul of meat. We could sell that to a butcher.”

I was slowly understanding the value of dungeons. If they had that kind of resources, it would clearly be beneficial for people to plunder them.

“So we’re mercenaries?” I asked, a little disappointed in the term.

“No.” Bonte shook his head. “We’re Chasers.”

“We chase power.” Alyssa answered before I asked.

“Ahh… I see.” I nodded. “That sounds pretty cool.”

They went over the details of the lame quest for a few minutes. I expected something a little more interesting, but reality is often disappointing.

When our drinks and the meat arrived, the details were already ironed out; who would skin the animals, who would butcher them, and who would store the meat. Unsurprisingly, the last was my job. I was also tasked with breaking the beasts’ spines or necks, since other forms of violence would damage the hide and meat. The Golems would be blocked by Yolin while the rest kill them.

Laaameeee. I sighed in my mind as I drank vodka. Well... easy does it, after all.

“Why don’t they go themselves?” I asked after swallowing a forkful of meat.

“They’re craftsmen.” Alyssa smiled. “They don’t have combat skills.”

I tilted my head. “Then how do they level up?”

“Most just improve their skills with time.” the Oni shook her head. “Others ask to join people who go to dungeons in order to gain a few quick levels.”

“Seems a little more alive than I initially thought.” I nodded. “Makes sense.”

Everyone seems uncannily willing to answer my questions. I drank more alcohol. Well, I’m what? Around ten days old? Is this underage drinking? I chuckled.

We spent a while discussing routes, possible encounters, traps, and what to do if we encounter criminals.

“How does a dungeon work, anyway?” I asked after half an hour of them talking about traps that should be public knowledge.

“What do you mean?” Alyssa turned to me.

“Like, where do these traps you talk about come from? And the monsters? Do they reproduce? Does the dungeon create them?” I finished the last of my second bottle.

“There are nests inside a dungeon.” the Oni explained, drinking her whiskey. “People don’t touch those, since it’s where monsters, meaning resources, come from. Traps appear randomly, so it’s hard to keep track of them.”

Bromisnar and Bonte both nodded.

“That’s right.” the Satyr drank the last of his wine.

I looked at her with millennium confusion. “Is a dungeon alive?”

“Not really. They’re like... a storm and the rain.” Yolin struggled to explain. “A natural phenomenon. Just like rain falls from clouds, traps form in dungeons. And if they’re too dangerous, a Halve, or a very powerful individual would be tasked to destroy it.”

I nodded. “What about monsters, then?”

“They enter dungeons by themselves. Like the Ratnak are attracted to ores, monsters are attracted to the high density of E’er.” Alyssa said, licking wine off her lips. “And ores in a dungeon form because of it as well. Then, if the dungeon is old enough, monsters can show up inside. Like Golems, for example.”

I nodded. “Hmm.”

I don’t really get it. The amount of books I should read increase every time I ask a question. I smiled. It was five times frustrating, five times exciting.

When we finished the alcohol and the meat, we agreed on meeting at the dungeon entrance at ten in the morning.

Saying our farewells, we left the tavern. The two men walked in the opposite direction we were going.

“Chill dudes.” I looked up and saw clouds blocking the night sky.

We got to our mounts and I guided them to the inn. We got lost and I had to ask for directions.

The city was mostly empty, stores closed or opening for night hours. Mostly inns or taverns.

Once we finally got to Koporva’s Rest, it was eleven o’ clock. We left the mounts at the rest post, and entered the building.

The clerk came out and I registered Yolin as a guest as well, since she decided to leave the Church and join our love nest. I gave him five gold coins in case we took longer inside the dungeon.

We climbed the stairs to the second floor, walked down the hallway, and entered the room. Lapia turned the lights on and hummed in approval at the space.

I went to the bathroom and peed, then Alyssa sat on it, followed by Lapia, and finally Yolin.

I walked to the bed and laid on it. It was pretty comfortable for what it was. I did the deeply disturbing exercise of cleaning my teeth with E’er. The feeling of a colony of ants in my mouth made me cringe.

“I’m mentally exhausted.” I let out a long sigh. “Today was packed.”

“Sex will cheer you up!” Lapia got naked, climbed on the bed, and hugged me, planting kisses on my face.

“We’re entering a dungeon tomorrow, no sex today.” Alyssa declared, entering the room.

The wizard clicked her tongue. “We haven’t had sex since we left Riverfield. It’s been almost a lifetime ago…”

“Haha!” Yolin laughed, sitting on the edge of the bed. “I’m the tank, so I should get proper rest.”

“Can we fuck in the dungeon?” the horny Elf asked, laying next to me.

“Lapia…” Alyssa giggled. “Our tent isn’t soundproof.”

“Ahh…” the wizard let out a desperate wail. “Life is so unfair!”

I laughed and made my clothes disappear. I kept the panties on, however. Sleeping with a penis out was more uncomfortable than it was worth it.

Yolin stared at me, focusing on my panties. Her head tilted to the side, confusion setting in.

“Want to see it?” I asked.

Alyssa walked over to the night stand and got naked, then placed her tail ring on the piece of furniture.

The Oni slowly nodded at my question.

I raised to my knees and stored the panties. My golden comrade hung in full glory.

Her eyes widened. “That’s pretty thick.”

Chuckling, I put the panties back on. “I showed you mine, show me yours.”

The red woman stood up, her clothes disappearing.

I stared at her perfectly sculpted body. Her breasts were a size bigger than mine, dark red nipples greeting the world. She slowly turned around, her butt was bubbly, muscled, and thick. The loose shorts hid wide hips. I licked my lips as my eyes roamed her red, toned thighs. She completed the turn and my eyes widened at the landing strip of white pubic hair.

“Wow.” I breathed. “You’re beautiful, Yolin.”

A wide smile spread on her face. “You three are charming beyond words.”

“Come, let’s rest.” I opened my arms wide.

She climbed on the bed and joined us, then we all got under the blankets. Alyssa laid next to Lapia.

“The bed is amazing.” Alyssa yawned. “Big, comfortable, and bouncy.”

“Nicely done, Natasha.” Lapia laid on her back, her left arm around Alyssa’s shoulders, and her right around my waist.

“Did my best.” I chuckled.

“Better than the Church.” Yolin laughed to my right. “Theirs are like a sack filled with leaves compared to this.”

We all laughed at that.

Lapia turned the lights off and we all shared good night kisses.

“You glow a lot.” the Oni ran a hand over my chest. “It’s beautiful.”

“Thank you.” I felt my face burn. “Let’s sleep. We have a busy day tomorrow.”

I closed my eyes and let Morpheus take me to sweet, dreamy Hell.