Chapter 18 - Standard Party Procedure

“Okay, so we’re heading in which direction?” I looked up to try and see where the sun was at, which was difficult due to the height of the trees surrounding Perrenbrook. “East?”

“Uh-huh,” Ves agreed.

“And this town, uh, shit. I forgot its name. Is it pretty much straight to the east, or do we need to take a different road partway, or what?”

“It’s Vanndrenvar,” Thia giggled.

“I asked Tabur how to get there.” Ves had a confident smile. “It’s not a straight shot, but it shouldn’t be confusing. Oh, and speaking of Tabur…” She shrugged off her backpack and rooted around before withdrawing what looked like a couple of clear plastic drinking straws. “We’re officially outside of the village borders now, so… I wanted to give you both something to commemorate our first journey!”

Grinning, I accepted the gift and looked it over, unsure exactly what it was or what to do with it. It really did look like a plastic straw up close, but I knew that it couldn’t possibly be that simple. (And why would she give those as gifts, anyway?) “Hey, thanks, Ves!”

Thia’s mouth was wide open in joyous surprise. “Oh, Vestele! This is… you did not… I am honored!”

Ves looked away, shaking her head. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

It was clear to me right away that I would never figure out what this thing was unless I asked, and luckily, Thia was more than happy to explain. “These are armor enhancers! When applied to magical armor, they slightly enhance its abilities.” She removed her pack of plenty and reached into it, retrieving one of her gauntlets, then held out her enhancer for me to take. “This unravels into a flat sheet, which you then place on the armor. You should be able to feel where the sheet ends, and then you peel it open.

As I followed Thia’s instructions, I realized that this was just like finding the end of a roll of tape, and once I started peeling it open, it really was a lot like a sheet of cellophane. “Okay, where do I place it?”

Thia had me lay it on top of the gauntlet. A few seconds after that, it gave off a faint glow, then the sheet seemed to disappear. Thia was grinning ear-to-ear. “I am still using the armor I received from the Goddess upon having my class granted. For Defenders, the gauntlets allow one to more reliably use a shield to resist blows.” Her smile faded somewhat. “As I learned from fighting the rat queen… I can use all the help I can muster.”

The memory flashed in my mind: the enormous rat monster slamming its claws down onto Thia’s shield, nearly breaking her arm.

“This is awesome… What should I use mine on?” I had no idea that the different parts of my leather armor potentially had different effects on my Rogue talents, and my party members admitted that they didn’t know anything about my class’s gear, either.

“I only know about my equipment because my brother taught me, and did not bother to learn about any other classes.”

Ves crossed her arms. “I never figured out what my robes did, other than trip me up. But when I bought this dress, Tabur said that it increases casting speed a bit.”

There was one thing I was confident in knowing about my gear: it allowed me to move silently, at least for a short while. Some kind of boost to that wouldn’t hurt. I gave my enhancer to Thia and lifted my foot so she could apply it.

“Thanks again, Ves. That was really cool of you.”

She shrugged, but had a hint of a smile. “Eh, I was buying supplies anyway, and Tabur gave me a great deal on the enhancers. Said it was thanks for ordering so much food on the Seeker’s tab.”

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Around noon, we left the road to take a break and eat sandwiches that Brinn had been kind enough to give Ves as a gift for our journey. The innkeeping couple were quickly becoming some of my favorite people in Fielende… not that I knew a whole lot of people yet. We were all thankful to delay eating travel rations, even just by one meal.

It was getting warmer out, but hadn’t reached unpleasant levels yet, especially in the shade of the large trees. We’d been walking for at least a few hours, but I hadn’t seen anything other than the dirt road and the surrounding forest. I kind of loved it. Just me, Ves, Thia… the sound of birds and insects all around… the light filtering through the leaves and branches… It was heavenly.

We had been telling each other little anecdotes about ourselves. Well, the ladies were mostly asking me questions, since they were fascinated by the “other world” I came from. I’m sure Earth could not have sounded stranger from the way I was trying to answer their questions. I would either describe something in ways they couldn’t possibly understand, or oversimplify things and make them sound ridiculous.

It wasn’t that important, though. There was a small comfort in thinking that I could - possibly, if needed - try to find a way home, should things go awry in Fielende. For all I knew, every winter, yetis emerged and ate half the population. How do you even ask about something like that? “Hey, are there any horrifying, recurring events I should be on the lookout for? Any Dark Lords consolidating power at the moment?”

But at the moment, sitting in the shade with two beautiful women, with a class granted to me by a Goddess, on the beginnings of a quest to learn about a magical rune… Nothing could pry me away from this world.

When we finished our break, Ves used her magic to clean our bodies and clothes of sweat and dirt. “Damn, that is such a useful spell. It’s almost like getting a fresh start on our trip.”

Ves couldn’t have looked prouder at first, but then her smirk faded. “…Bet you wish you could have cast it on yourselves before we left, huh?”

Thia made a faint “Oh!” sound, and I felt my heart sink a little bit. “Ah… you could smell it?”

She shrugged with a half-hearted smile. “I probably wasn’t the only one. Had a good time?”

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Man, what a trick question. It felt like I was going to upset someone no matter what I said. Before I could even attempt to put my newly-enhanced boot in my mouth, Thia replied. “No, I had a wonderful time.” There was pure sincerity in her voice - she didn’t sound like she was bragging, or being competitive… just genuinely happy. She positioned herself so she was sitting next to me and leaned into my shoulder.

Some of the color drained out of Ves’s face. I got the impression that she was trying to make this situation less awkward for herself with her usual brand of snark, but it didn’t seem to be working. “Huh, and the party had only been formed for, what, an hour? I’d, uh, heard the stories, but…”

Thia’s head shot up (narrowly avoiding poking my cheek with her horns). “Excuse me, Jeremy and I had already shared an intimate encounter prior to being party members!” From her words alone, I thought she might actually be offended, but her half-lidded eyes and faint smile suggested otherwise.

“Okay, fair enough.” Ves shifted nervously, and sighed. “Ugh, sorry. This is just so new to me.”

That defused a bit of my own tension, and I chuckled as I finally released the breath I’d been holding in. “Everything that’s happened to me lately has been new to me! Whatever this is feels more strange and wonderful than seeing magic and fighting monsters. But I don’t want to make anyone feel uncomfortable.”

One of Ves’s ears lowered and she looked at me with slight confusion. “You’re not making anyone uncomfortable… right, Thia?”

Thia held onto my arm and shook her head, smiling serenely. The sight made my heart skip a beat, and when I looked back at Ves, it happened again. Seeing the gorgeous, feisty, catgirl looking so nervous because she had feelings for me at the same time as another woman was almost overwhelming, in the best of ways. “There’s definitely some cultural differences here that I still need to learn. Ves, this isn’t the first time you’ve suggested something about parties. Can you please explain?”

The color had been returning to Ves’s face, but my question added a bit of red. “Uh, well, like I said, I’d heard stories. More like rumors, really.” Her eyes widened. “Hey, Thia. You’ve been around a lot of adventurers, right?”

“Yes, and I would be happy to explain.” Thia sat up straight, as if she were ready to teach a lesson. “I have heard many refer to this as ‘Standard Party Procedure’. First and foremost, it is important that I mention that none of this is any sort of formal rule, and it is called a ‘procedure’ merely in jest.”

The look on Ves’s face - narrowed eyes and flattened ears - told me everything I needed to know about what kind of student she would be.

Thia continued. “Essentially, adventurers spend an abundance of time in close proximity to their party members. They develop their abilities, grow stronger, and face life-or-death situations regularly. What begins as a more formal partnership grows into camaraderie, and in many cases… intimacy.”

Something told me that this happened faster in parties with at least one aevrana, based on my experiences with Thia and what she told me about their powerful desires.

Ves nodded slowly as Thia finished her explanation. “So there’s a lot of fucking between party members. That’s pretty much what I thought.”

“That would be an oversimplification,” Thia laughed. “It is just more likely to happen for the reasons I mentioned, and it is not a magical compulsion. If there is truly no attraction between party members, then they are more likely to just become great friends.”

This was a lot to take in. It made sense, but to think that I’d be in a position like that… “Wait. None of that matters, because it’s not like there’s going to be any… intimacy while we’re traveling together.”

Thia’s lower lip quivered. “But… why not?”

“Well, okay, maybe if we’re ever able to get multiple rooms at an inn, but even then, I… I would want to make sure I spend equal time with both of you.” I couldn’t believe I was saying this to two amazing women at once.

However, those same women both seemed to be confused at what I was saying, again. Ves cocked her head. “Is this another ‘cultural difference’?”

“Yeah? Probably?” I sighed. “Okay, look. Where I’m from, most people will… court only one other person at a time. Then they tend to get married, or break up, and they can try again with someone else. Sometimes, people will court multiple people, until they form a strong-enough connection to one of them, and then they become exclusive to each other.”

“Do they ever just… marry the multiple people if the connection is strong enough?”

“Do they… oh! No, they court them all separately. That’s what I thought was happening here…” Clearly, I was mistaken.

My lovely party members burst into laughter… of the happy kind, fortunately, and not the derisive kind.

“Oh, Jeremy,” Thia sighed, pressing her face against my arm for a moment. “You are courting Vestele and me together.”

I was speechless for a bit, and the ladies laughed again. Thia leaned over to say something to Ves about my reactions being cute, and Ves replied with something snarky, making Thia giggle. None of this really registered with me as I tried to process what was happening.

Eventually, I was able to speak again. “Is… are relationships like that common?” The only people I knew in Fielende who were in a confirmed relationship were Tabur and Brinn, which seemed to be a standard monogamous marriage like I was familiar with.

Ves patted my back. “They're not uncommon. Happens more often with adventurers and the rich. And adventurers tend to become rich if they’re any good at it.”

That made sense: as with most things, it came down to money. In this case, being able to afford to support a larger family.

I still couldn’t help but wonder how Ves was really feeling. She had said she wasn’t uncomfortable, but she still seemed nervous… and last night, she had admitted to being a little jealous of Thia. Her nerves, at least, could be explained as part of her lack of romantic experience, but I’d have to talk with her in private regarding any lingering feelings of jealousy.

“Ves, are you– oh, wow!”

A squirrel had suddenly run between me and Ves. Weird that it got so close to us. Maybe the squirrels here aren’t used to people.

“So you’ve got squirrels here, too, huh? Please tell me they’re just regular squirrels and there’s not some kind of giant squirrel queen.”

Ves chuckled. “No, don’t worry. Squirrel kings, though–”

Another one suddenly dashed by us. That was enough to make me think we should be cautious. “Maybe… we should get up.” In agreement, my party members rose and grabbed their packs. We hadn’t made it the short distance to the road before a low rumbling noise could be heard in the distance… in the same direction the squirrels had come from.

“Keep moving!” I urged the others to get onto the road and away from whatever was coming our way. Seconds later, the source of the rumbling was visible through the trees: it was a stampede of animals. There were more squirrels, but also deer, rabbits, badgers, and many other small mammals - I was pretty sure I saw at least one fox. Fortunately for us, the animals’ path did not lead them onto the road.

“Is this normal? What’s going on?”

“No, this isn’t normal!” Ves shouted over the stampede. “Why has all this weird shit started happening since you got here?!”

“Maybe my arrival is part of the weird shit; not the cause of it!”

Only a few scattered animals were trailing the main group, but the rumbling sound persisted.

“Something else approaches…” Keeping her eyes focused on the area where the animals had emerged, Thia opened her pack and withdrew her wooden shield and a single gauntlet, and nervously fumbled with the straps.

I quickly drew my daggers, then motioned at our Healer. “Ves, get behind us!” She nodded and did as I suggested. “Thia, try to stay within Ves’s healing–”

A piercing howl caused us all to flinch. Ves had to cover her sensitive ears and looked especially pained by the awful sound. Before we could register what was happening, three large animals ran in our direction at a frightening pace.

At first glance, they appeared to be wolves: grey fur, four legs… but something was off. As the animals got closer, I could see huge sections of their flesh were missing with the bones exposed, and the flesh that remained looked disgusting and rotten.

They were undead.