Chapter 16 - Rolling in Dough

Our peaceful cuddling was interrupted by the growling of Ves’s stomach. She didn’t appreciate me laughing, but I learned that I could diffuse minor situations like that with an embrace and petting her hair or back. Wonder how long I’ll be able to get away with that.

Ves’s ears flattened. “Damn… I was too tired to even think about buying any food yesterday.”

I removed my hand from her head, but she narrowed her eyes and put it back herself. “We should have more than enough to cover breakfast at the inn, right?”

“We really shouldn’t… who knows when we’ll get our first stipend, or even if they’ll follow through at all. It’s not like we signed anything.”

That thought hadn’t even crossed my mind. It seemed highly probable that Kael could wake up and decide that the Starting Cave should be sealed and ignored, based on what I knew of the guy. Even worse, what if he also convinced Thia to leave the village with him? Ves and I would be back to square one… actually, even further back, because we wouldn't have a convenient place to train near her home.

Before I could spend any more time overthinking possible scenarios, Ves sat up in the bed. There, in the morning light, I was treated to my first good look at her delectable naked body. Her pert, luscious breasts were capped by pink nipples, which entranced me as she stretched her arms and slender waist. Once she finally noticed me staring, Ves covered her chest in her arms (as if the resulting cleavage would be any less appealing) and pouted. “Snap out of it! I’m huuungry.”

“Oh wait, I forgot!” I got up to retrieve the sandwiches I placed in the magical icebox, as Ves put on her Healer outfit. God, she looks so fucking good in that… wait. I can just tell her that now. “That looks so damn sexy on you. It’s a miracle I was able to control myself when I first saw it.”

Ves blushed and waved me off. “Goddess, could you even imagine? Don’t get any ideas about doing something like that in public!” She bit her lower lip for just a second - it was nice to know that the idea of it got her excited, at least.

I grabbed the sandwiches and handed them over. “Got these at the inn.”

Her ears perked up and her eyes widened. “Jeremy! You’re the best.” She took a big chomp out of one, chewed it quickly, swallowed, gave me a kiss, and took another big bite. “We gotta buy ingredients to make these ourselves, though. It’ll be cheaper.”

“Actually, these were courtesy of Thia. She put them on the guild’s tab.”

She swallowed another bite, looking contemplative. “...Damn. She really is just the sweetest thing, isn’t she?” I didn’t think that Ves was going to object to having Thia join our party anymore, but if Thia could treat Ves to a full meal, it couldn’t hurt. Ves offered me the other sandwich, but I declined.

“Thanks, but I got those for you. You haven’t had anything since breakfast yesterday.”

Ves glared at me. “A party is only as strong as its weakest link. You need to eat something!” Relenting, I took the sandwich and thanked her, which she returned with a mischievous grin.

Once we had finished, I got dressed and donned my leather armor. It wasn’t until afterwards that I realized that it was my first time actually putting it on myself, without a goddess making it magically appear out of thin air. Somehow, it felt like second nature to me. Could be some kind of armor proficiency… Another Rogue trait?

“Okay, Ves, what’s the plan for today?”

“We gotta check with the Seekers and see if we still have a deal. And then… guess we should probably do our job and research what’s going on in the Starting Cave. The thing is– eh, one thing at a time. Let’s go.”

Just like the previous morning, the first thing I noticed upon stepping into the morning air was the scent of freshly-baked bread. Not only did it smell incredible, it masked the less-pleasant agricultural smells of Perrenbrook. “Oh man. Ves, before we do anything else, we need to buy some of that bread. We’ll have to eat again sooner or later, and we could bring it with us to the Cave or wherever else we’re going today.”

There was a look of guilty pleasure on Ves’s face. “Alright, you’ve convinced me.”

Ves turned right at the next house, making a detour to the bakery. Along the way, I noticed a familiar home. “Hey, Ves, I just remembered. Yesterday, I ran into a weird old guy who said he was a Healer. Is there a chance he could give any advice, or anything? He’s probably been an adventurer for decades.”

She just looked at me like I was losing my mind. “Uh, there are no other Healers here.”

“Really? …Maybe he was trying to make a joke.”

“Okay, to be fair, it’s possible that there could be another in Perrenbrook. He could be like Tabur. A guy with a class, but not actively adventuring, so most people might not know about it.”

“Yeah, could be. He lived right there, so maybe we’ll see him sometime.”

Ves stopped in her tracks and pointed at the house. “There?” I nodded. “No, that’s where Ms. Cooper and her kids live. My mom and I used to babysit– uh, that’s definitely her house.”

That was the first time Ves had mentioned any family members, but it didn’t seem like the right time to ask for more information. “That’s weird. I know that this is the house the old man entered. I could see that big tree on the other side, and the crooked fencepost there…”

“You’re still new here. Easy mistake to make.” Ves shrugged and continued walking, and I caught up. Just before we turned a corner, I looked back at the house and saw a woman exiting with two young children in tow. Guess my sense of direction was never all that great.

It wasn’t long before we left the bakery with a loaf of fresh bread. Despite our plans to eat it later, Ves and I couldn’t resist sharing a piece while it was still warm. It ended up being at least as good as the scent suggested it would be, and it was hard to stop ourselves from devouring the whole loaf right then.

From there, we made our way over to the village hall. A familiar booming voice could be heard through the door before Ves could open it, giving me a brief flashback to walking in on Kael and Thia’s argument. I was about to give Ves a heads up, but before I could say anything, the door was open.

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Fortunately, this time, Kael was giving a deeply uninterested Mrs. Zurax a blow-by-blow recount of our encounter with the zombie rat queen. Ullun was nearby, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, as she often did. She gave me a tiny nod in acknowledgement, which felt like a lot, coming from the stoic elf. Thia was nowhere in sight.

The tiny old goblin perked up when she noticed me and muttered “quiet, quiet” to Kael before greeting us. “Good morning, Vestele, and lovely to see you again, Jeremy. I think Mr. Xyrosia was just telling me about an arrangement between you and the Sterling Seekers?”

Kael laughed boisterously - he certainly seemed to be in a better mood than the last time I saw him. “Indeed, madam. I would like to complete the necessary forms to ensure that Ves and Jeremy can receive a regular stipend while they perform a service for the Seekers.”

Mrs. Zurax groaned as she climbed off of her stool and slowly hobbled over to her collection of parchments. Kael approached me and Ves and clapped his hands together. “The two of you always seem to be in the right place at the right time. Your marks will be needed on the documents. Ah, and there is one additional change to the original plan.”

Ves put a hand on her hip. “Here we go…”

“Do not think that this suggests a lack of confidence in your abilities, but I would very much appreciate it if a representative of the guild accompanied you for the duration of your assignment.”

Although I immediately knew that he was referring to Thia, who had apparently followed my advice, the fur on Ves’s tail stood on end and her expression hardened. “Oh, I’m not supposed to take that personally?”

“Certainly not! In fact, you’d be doing the guild an additional favor, and your stipend will be increased to reflect this.” As if on cue, Ves’s ears perked up, but her body remained tense. I knew exactly what she was thinking: more money is great, but we still don’t want any strangers around if we discover the secret of the rune. “This would be considered as a type of training for the representative, and I cannot think of any better party for her to work with.”

As much as I wanted to just tell Ves that it was Thia - I thought for sure that she’d put it together when Kael said “her” - I had to stay quiet for now. I didn’t want Kael to realize that his sister and I had been “conspiring” behind his back, even if it was for something as innocent as this. All I could do was put my hand on her back, act clueless, and get us to the big reveal. “So, uh, does that mean someone is coming here from your headquarters?”

Kael stood as tall as possible, his smile and golden armor gleaming at us. “As it happens, she is already here.”

I nearly burst into laughter as Ves made an incredulous glance over at Ullun, assuming Kael was referring to the silver-haired elf. It was as if Ves was deliberately jumping to all the wrong conclusions. Trying to keep a straight face, I asked Kael “Training… Do you mean Thia?”

All the tension drained from Ves, replaced by an embarrassed look. Kael nodded at me. “Spot on, Jeremy! In fact, she should be due here any moment.”

Mrs. Zurax cleared her throat, drawing Kael’s attention. She directed him to the sections of the parchments that he needed to fill out and sign. While we waited, I leaned closer to Ves so I could speak quietly. “Looks like we don’t have a say in Thia joining the party, unless we want to forget the whole deal altogether. How do you feel?”

“Kinda nervous. But I think it’ll be good. We’ll have a lot to talk about.”

I didn’t know if she was referring to the situation with the Starting Cave, or about me - or maybe something else entirely different that I had been forgetting because of the fun I’d had with Ves.

It was then that the door to the village hall opened, and Thia entered, with her usual demure smile. As she moved closer, I saw some rosy blushing on her hazel skin. “Good morning, Jeremy, and it is wonderful to see you again, Ves! Did Kaelition share the news with you?”

It was hard to keep myself from smiling from ear to ear. “Yeah, we just found out - it’s exciting!”

“It truly is! Brother, I need to converse with my new party members privately. Shall we step outside, party leader?” There was just a hint of a devilish grin on her face, accentuated by her black horns.

Ves and I followed Thia outside. As soon as the door closed, Thia clasped Ves’s hands in her own. “Vestele, I am deeply sorry for my behavior in the cave! It will be an honor to be able to work with you again, should you forgive me.”

Ves gently removed her hands, looking embarrassed. “Uh, no, no, it was my fault. I shouldn’t’ve snapped at you. Sorry about that.”

Thia breathed a sigh of relief. “Apology accepted, although I am responsible for my own actions, and I should not have allowed myself to react the way I did. Now this party can have a fresh beginning, with a new leader.” She looked up at me with her deep blue eyes.

“Yeah, about that… At most, I have the same amount of experience with my class as the two of you, and I know basically nothing about this world. And a tank makes for a better leader anyway, right?”

Thia tilted her head. “Tank?”

“Oh, I guess ‘Defender’, in your case. A tough class that keeps the enemy’s attention.”

“I see. It is true that adventurers with classes such as mine are often designated as party leaders, but as you have been chosen by the Goddess, I believe you are destined for the role!”

Ves grinned. “‘Chosen by the Goddess’?”

The rosy glow appeared on Thia’s cheeks again. “I- That is… Due to Jeremy’s unique circumstances, I have been considering the possibility that the Goddess brought him to Fielende for a higher purpose.”

The netharri’s grin only grew wider. “Did you tell her the part about how the Goddess gave you your own special message?”

Thia’s already-large eyes widened considerably. “What?!” She moved even closer to me and held my hands, much as she had done with Ves. “Did something else happen?”

I told her, to the best of my recollection, what the Goddess had said to me when I got my class and how I didn’t know it was unusual until I mentioned it to Ves. By the end, there were practically stars in Thia’s eyes, and it was Ves’s turn to hold back laughter.

“Then it’s true… you must be chosen by the Goddess… Our party is blessed! Oh, Jeremy, I–”

The door to the village hall opened, revealing Ullun. She simply looked at us and said “Your turn.”

I blinked. “Oh, the paperwork.”

We went back to Mrs. Zurax’s counter, where she was holding out a quill. “The party leader needs to make their mark, and we’ll be finished.”

Kael was just off to the side, a proud expression on his handsome face. “Did you accept the role, Jeremy?”

I took the quill from Mrs. Zurax and tried to find the part I was supposed to sign (which she had to point out to me). “Yeah, apparently I was born to do this.”

“Well said! The blood of the adventurer flows through your veins!” He turned towards Ullun, who was still leaning against the nearby wall.

“Ullun, would you please escort the ladies to the inn and bestow the initial stipend?”

My party members - it still felt weird to realize that I had party members, plural - exited the village hall behind Ullun. Ves was clearly annoyed at having to go with the aloof elf. Shortly after they were gone, Kael slapped a hand on my shoulder, nearly knocking me down, and chuckled.

“Jeremy, my friend, you know that I have the utmost faith in you.”

“Thanks, Kael. We’ll figure out what’s going on in the cave and how dangerous it really is.”

“Yes, yes, of course. And you should know that I was elated when Aralithia suggested staying in Perrenbrook when I told her about your assignment. The way my sister lights up when your name is mentioned - you’re a lucky man, Jeremy.”

Whoo boy. “You’re right. I’m really lucky to have such great party members.”

He leaned in closer, still smiling. “Certainly. But while Aralithia may be the party’s Defender, I trust that you will do everything in your power to ensure she does not come to any harm. Of any sort. Do my words reach you?”

Oh, I knew exactly what he was talking about. And in this case, I didn’t just have to placate a girlfriend’s overprotective family member - I also needed to look good in front of the man who was, essentially, my boss.

I ran my hand through my hair in a show of casual confidence. “You’ve got nothing to worry about. And if anything does happen to Thia, well, Ves is a hell of a Healer.”

Kael didn’t react for a few moments, and just stared into my eyes. I wasn’t sure if I should add anything else, but then he burst into a deep laugh, startling poor Mrs. Zurax. “Good man! I believe I can finish up here. Go catch up with your party.”