We ended up spending three days at Xeothea's. We toured the orphanage. We trained, we told stories of our adventures to the children there, and we trained some more. Xeothea's knew what it was good at, making warriors, usually just of females, but as reward they allowed us guys to join in.

  Gwedoline stuck to her word. Isabelle got extra training, turned out Gwendoline was a ranger herself, they went out to woods together everyday.

  Layla got to speak with wise women who guided her to inner peace, she at least seemed to have found it.

  Audovald had a few talking sessions, before blowing them off to help with the works. He tried and failed to flirt with a visiting warrior, who left when the outer wall was fixed. He also won and lost some wrestling matches, the woman that had trounced him, was not interested in his flirting either being a bit older.

  I got to listen in on talks with certain kidnapped girls, sometimes having to hide myself behind a room divider, as they'd been rmade terrified of men. I poured over all the information. Discounting the prisoners and those found dead. In the end there were twelve good sketches. Seven other, half decent profiles and maybe 8 other confirmed raiders without enough information. We had thirteen sketches of dead raiders.

  Isabelle had asked me not to make a move on Tuana. We didn't really speak about our situation but I figured I'd respect the request... Although I did want to kiss Tuana for her excellent work when I received it on the last day, I left it at flirting and a promise I'd come back, with money and materials, for her to make me some armour.

  . . .

  Returning to our regular guild hall, a reward and two letters awaited us. Considered heroes, a reward had been set up by the guild for our participation in the emergency mission, plus we had several offers to buy our drinks and recount our story. Looked like my efforts with Fulgencio were for nothing, the cat was out of the bag.

  The first letter, Ritchie had replied to an invitation to go ice fishing "again". As a joke, perhaps knowing the letter might be read by my new friends, he added a short story.

  'Hopefully this time you don't get your socks wet, end up borrowing my spares and who knows, you might even catch more than one fish this trip.'

  Mm, I was going to get him back for that, because of course having seen it was safe, I allowed Layla to snatch it from me.

  The other letter was from Juniper. An invitation for us all to visit the Ilves-Farkas clan, and the tantalising vague mention of a job for us after winter. They'd moved to the Ullr shrine area and there was something Juniper wanted to show us before it got too cold.

  The letter ended with an awkward addition

  'Lis says it's alright for H you all to visit.' The crossed out (**can't do in wattpad**) capital H being a clear message to me.

  I guessed I could do both since the lake wasn't far from the new yurt village location, however I would not be visiting before it got cold.

  Trouble was, I needed to grind. Get my real level up and follow up on a few of the skill point leads Gwendoline had supplied me with.

  Isabelle was another issue. She wanted to go hunting the mercenaries involved in the Xeothea siege.

  Audovald offered to go with Layla to visit the clan. Audovald for his reasons and Layla to take a break from adventuring.

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  We had a couple weeks of summer left and all of autumn... So I struck a deal with Isabelle. We added a two day detour to a skill point granting totem pole. Plus I needed maybe a week in (and under) the city, no questions asked. The dungeon should offer a moderately challenging grind, then hopefully I can maximise skill points from Ilmarinen. After that, I'd be all hers, and we could go hunting scum together.

  . . .

  "We've made good progress, according to the map, the totem pole is just beyond that ridge."

  "Hm, and why is it so important we visit it?" Asked Isabelle.

  "Because that was the deal, and... Hmmm... I'm pretty sure we also said no questions, remember that?"

  Isabelle rolled her eyes.

  "I'll gather fire wood, you OK to setup camp? Here's my tarp."

  "I'll setup the bedding." She said with a wink, taking my tarp from me.

  This was the first time we'd been alone and not walking since leaving town. The first night we'd sought shelter at a monastery when some heavy rain set in. The monastery had separate male and female quarters. Their dole bread was good, shame we felt pressured to eat in silence. We also sat through a choir performance with a lot humming, it wasn't so long that either us fell asleep, though very tempted to do so.

  Returning to camp, I split up the damp wood I'd found.

  I prepared char cloth within a bundle of grass I'd dried in a pocket all day. I only had one shot, otherwise magic. I struck the flint to steel, fourth time lucky. The char cloth took the spark and a glow began to spread over it, I lightly closed the bundle over it then blew, with some huffing, there was smoke and eventually, fire. I quickly placed it down then piled on feather sticks and fine splits from the inside of logs. Slightly larger pieces over that... I breathed a sigh of relief only to choke at the smoke, the fire caught, no need to cheat.

  Isabelle squat down beside me, assisting with the logs. Large fire established she caught me off guard, pulling me into a kiss. She pulled me up, going straight to tugging at my armour's buckles. I figured it was only fair since she was working on my armour, I'd help with hers.

  Tops off she grabbed me grinning then slid around me.

  "Knee the back of their knee, hold them like a dance partner..." She whispered tapping her knee against the back of mine.

  I buckled, she controled my fall before shoving me down onto the bedding, flipping me over as she did. I was stunned as she climbed over me, leaning down to bite then kiss just above my navel, another light bite turned kiss, to both my nipples. She worked her way up to my lips. She stopped hovering hers above mine. I leant up only for her to slap my face aside. She bit then kissed my ear lobe, her fingers digging into my peck as she did.

  We kissed, but I ended up pulling away wincing as she twisted my nipple.

  I have never had a woman make pain quite so pleasurable before, and take so much control. Though it was fun as a new experience, I wasn't sure I wanted to do it again anytime soon. I'm throwing her down next time.

  . . .

  We'd bought the best value bow staffs we could find. Adding a potion of durability, we were set. For Isabelle, who insisted on joining, special blunt arrowheads. The set of five looked like metal mushrooms. From all the information I could find, the totem had no puzzles, just a number of soulless reanimated skeletons. As far as I could ascertain, they'd be around lv30.

  The blunt weapons, and training with them, were because of the annoying nature of skeletal, rock or living armour monsters. Blunt damage was most effective. Most important detail however was the damage they caused to bladed weapons, blunting and even shattering them.

  Isabelle and I were both lv26 (healer me anyway). Lv30 skeletons shouldn't be too bad, famously low agility. We'd discussed tactics, we'd be hitting and running, avoid, attack, avoid, attack...

  We stayed low, approaching quietly. The totem was in sight, 5m high, a grizzly monument to a vicious cannibal tribe that had deserved the slaughter they received. At the base a carved bear holding up the rest, skulls, a boar, more skulls and it was topped by a skull headed vulture.

  "Hold... We don't know how many there'll be. Be careful, be vigilant, don't get surrounded... Ready?" I asked.

  Isabelle nodded, a blunt arrow nocked but not yet drawn. Her bow staff was within easy reach beside her. I turned, crouch walking toward the totem pole.

  Puff! Pruff! Bomf!

  Skeletal hands erupted from the clearing ground.