Stalagmites burst from the ground!
Starting near David, radiating outward. Gwendoline and I jumped and weaved. Isabelle, recovering near Melody, dove into her and started rolling, both tumbled into brambles on the side of the clearing. Over a metre and half tall rock spikes filled the clearing.
My wrist got clipped, I dropped the warhammer. Gwendoline's leg was badly slashed.
Fuck, Davit was too dangerous. Before the stalagmites started to retract, Davit began sinking into the ground, trying to escape.
No time to find my warhammer or even draw a weapon. I barged, weaved and squeezed through stalagmites. I jumped into the vortex of earth, landing behind him
CRACK!
Pulling his head back and kneeing, my attack shattered his spine.
SNAP!
Twisting his head up and to the side I snapped his neck. I jumped and stumbled back, falling on my backside and crawling back to avoid being swallowed by the earth as Davit continued sinking for a couple seconds. The ground stopped rumbling and the air became still. Davit's contorted corpse was chest deep in dirt, in a hole half a metre deep
"WRAHHHH!"
The wail of grief pierced the air. Nino was standing at the edge of the clearing, her arms limply at her sides, thumbs dislocated, wrists bruised and bleeding.
"I'll kill you all!"
Cli-Click!
Her body glowed as her thumbs snapped back and her wounds healed.
FWIP!
An arrow struck her center mass. Gwendoline had moved in a flash, picking up Isabelle's bow (faster than taking out her own) and firing.
I went to attack but a blur of tattered fabric, trailing bramble vines charged past me. Thinking fast I applied an attack boost. Nino stunned by the arrow, had no time to react beyond screaming, as she died in a frenzy of hacking, slashing and stabbing.
From inside the brambles, Melody had also boosted Isabelle.
Nino might have been useful for intel... I could've healed her from the arrow and the knockout punch I was lining up, but the bloody mess created by Isabelle was too much. Davit was just too dangerous to heal and revive, we didn't have the resources at hand to suppress his magic for such a long journey.
. . .
After Melody deactivated the vines at the chalet entrance, the ladies went searching. I stepped up as a man to behead the siblings for the bounty. After stripping my top half, I grabbed a hatchet from a stump, they had chopped wood between the chalet and sauna, and got to work.
Gwendoline came out with sheets and a leather bag.
"I think General Armen would have accepted my word... I was wondering, how did you catch Nino?"
I took the chance while we were alone. Turned on Deception.
"I found Nino fetching water, got lucky sneaking up to her, choked her out. She nearly threw me off. I really struggled but just about managed."
I wrapped up and bagged the heads as the treacherous magic did its work. Gwendoline snapped back to reality, smiled and headed back in. I did the same to Melody later but decided Isabelle already had inklings of what I was capable of.
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While bagging the heads, I questioned why I had even agreed to this quest. It felt like I had been swept along in a current. It had made sense to follow through... but this really wasn't what I wanted to do anymore.
. . .
While I did't have the famed high level thief skill of LootSense, my keen eyes did notice things. Sweeping the chalet as the ladies made preparations to stay the night, I spotted an oddly placed mat, pushed close to a large chest full of linens. The scrape marks it hid, led me to check behind. There was a tapestry covering the wall, depicting a magical tree with a unicorn lying beneath. Isabelle had spied me acting curious and came over to help.
Heaving the heavy chest away from the wall.
"I like this tapestry, I think I'll take it." Stated Isabelle lifting it aside for me.
Behind was a hatch. TrapAware doesn't alert me to anything, I opened it to reveal a solid wooden box. The box tripped TrapAware like striking a gong by my head.
"HEY MELODY! Could you come up here please!"
I asked Melody, nice as I could, to check the box for curses. Isabelle rolled up her loot as Melody checked the box.
"There is something... Sorry, I'm too weak right now. I'll deactivate it tomorrow." Melody shrugged.
The ladies got their skinny dip in the basin yesterday evening, I got to go now, before we left. Not the fairest deal as I felt rushed, we all wanted to start the journey home.
. . .
The box would have exploded with poisonous thorns, thanks to Melody we could look inside. Forged travel documents allowing entry into various kingdoms and gold! 52 gold!
Me and Isabelle insisted on a fifty, fifty split against Gwendoline trying to act noble. She declined a share. Melody of course tried to decline any portion of the half, after some bickering it ended up where it was always going to, a quarter each. Along with the loose coin we had found elsewhere in the chalet, we were all already richer even before the bounty.
. . .
In Goderdzi we sold an earth magic staff and a high level bow staff among other loot.
Isabelle had to spend much of the ferry ride back working her swords over with a whetstone. Nino's skin had been almost as bad as attacking plate armour.
. . .
I admired Tuana as we walked back to Xeothea's where I could stay that night. Now nearing the end of Autumn and quite late, she had wrapped herself in a burnt orange shawl. She had a sweater dress underneath that I found accentuated her curves very nicely.
We smiled and waved our way past the guards as we went inside. Small talk had stopped, we reached the door of her room, nervous and brimming with tension.
"Thank you for tonight, it's actually the first time I've been to a tavern in the city." She admitted.
"I'll be honest, I wish I'd bribed Géraldine and Louise to cook for us, would have been better— next time OK?"
"Hm, Next time."
"Thank you for the great company and if I don't see you before we leave, thank you again for the armour and agreeing to make similar for Isabelle." I said.
"She really didn't need to pay me so much, and all in advance... I will be buying some toys..."
"Haha, your work is worth it and don't forget to treat yourself too, it's your amazing work!"
"Hahaha, thank you, thank you. Please, this is all a lot... Gwendoline talking about sending me to that blacksmithing school and... and I just think... it was you noticing me..."
"You were always going to get noticed, it was my honor to exploit you while you didn't know your worth— Oh! I meant notice your potential and encourage your growth..."
We laughed, Tuana placing a hand above my pec. I found myself staring at her lips and glancing at her eyes. I leant in. She leant in too. I held her tight in my arms as we kissed. All my training was forgotten, I lost all sense of time and my surroundings...
We pulled back from each other smiling.
"Thank you Harvey... And I'll think about your offer. Goodnight."
"Goodnight Tuana."
I caught her arm lightly as she entered her room. I went for a peck on the lips before walking backward, shrugging and grinning. She smiled, closing the door.
I walked away giddy, thinking of the possibilities. She had brought up the blacksmithing school after I had made an alternative offer, for her to join Isabelle's party with me, after winter.
She'd be an asset to the party, as a fighter, skilled with polearms and her dagger. Plus the benefit of having her maintain equipment while travelling. For her we could visit different blacksmiths, allowing her to see different approaches and techniques in person, not just in books at the Xeothea library.
We could go gathering materials, monster parts and rare ores together... being honest however... The blacksmithing school was better for her.
I made a detour to the library, to see if I couldn't find a scribe to help me write a letter. I should tell Tuana to do what's best for her. The advanced blacksmithing course and opportunities for apprenticeships with grandmasters and even arch blacksmiths was too good to pass. Our courting could wait.
