Chasing My Fiancée Across A Fantasy World - Chapter 6

After three days of fruitless searching, Brideen finally called the search for Tricia off and started the march home.  What had started as a glimmer of hope in the cave, was now a dark miasma in John’s heart.  It wasn’t a complete loss,  John’s pack had a net sack filled with the ears and noses of various monsters the party had stalked and killed.  The girls were happy to let John do most of the work from a distance, though Netruna had expended a good bit of mana from time to time using ice shards and fireballs to gain experience.

Dan didn’t feel physical fatigue, but his mind needed a break after searching and hunting monsters for so long on his first mission.  The team had diligently kept the slimes moist and tossed in a chunk of kobold flesh once in a while for it to be slowly dissolved and consumed by the primitive slime creatures.

Back in Dolono, the guards, Neal and Todd, were standing at their station near the gate when the group arrived.  John took note that the two guards were very polite and more than a little handy with the girls, touching shoulders and grabbing their hands more than he was used to.  When they were waved through, Todd winked at John. “I see you’ve found four when you were just looking for one, you lucky dog.”  John could just shake his head and said nothing as he passed.

John called up to Brideen. “Where are we heading first?”

“Do you want a bag of monster parts stinking up the room at the inn? We go to the guild hall, get rid of our booty and get some coins.  Then we clean up, have a party, and get wasted!”  The girls cheered like it was spring break.

The young man was getting pretty good at putting Tricia out of his mind. Having her take up space when he could do nothing about it made him perform significantly poorer when they patrolled.  With practice, he was able to put Tricia in a little box and set it in the back of the closet of his mind.  When they planned, he always took the Tricia box out of the closet and saw if there was some action he could do to get closer to finding her.

The sun was lower in the sky, so the group walked faster.  Getting to the town square, they saw the guild hall slowly draining of people for the day.  Out of the corner of his eye he saw the red spiked hair of Jethro Beacon walking away with his hand on the shoulder of a cloaked new recruit.  John guessed they managed to find their new porter.

Ezmirelda waved to Brideen and beckoned her to the counter as they entered.  “How are you all doing?”

“Failure in the mission, great success in the little things.”  Brideen unhooked the netbag from John’s pack and dumped it on the counter.  A female assistant immediately put it on a crude tray and started sorting the noses, ears, and scalps using an abacus to tally up the reward.  Netruna swaggered to the counter with a smirk on her face and swung the wet bag up onto the wooden surface.

“Get a load of this.”  Netruna said slyly. 

Ezmirelda opened the bag, and her eyes widened.  “Are these what I think they are?”

“Exactly. They’re high-grade too.  Touch one, you’ll see.”

The receptionist poked her hand in the bag and withdrew it feeling the slimy residue between her fingers. “That is high quality.  Marge, weigh this.”

The assistant set up the scales and replied. “Twenty pounds, seven ounces.”

“We’ll give you two fifty for the ahem, lust slimes.”

“We know what they’re worth, three hundred.”

“Two seven five, and not a neymark more.”

Brideen slapped the table to acknowledge the deal.  Marge hefted the sack to the back store room and John noticed the young woman sneak a slime and slip it into her cleavage.  He couldn’t fathom a cute girl like her needing any help in the romance department, but he couldn’t judge.

Ezmirelda was about to get out the paybox when John edged forward and placed something on the counter. “We need to claim this as well.”

Brideen put her hand to her mouth when she saw Tricia’s engagement ring.  “John, you can’t!”

“I can and will.  I need to get my debt to you paid off and contribute to the group.  When I find Tricia I’ll buy her a massive one.  She deserves it.”  His comrades looked down, not knowing what to say.

The guild receptionist put a loupe in her eye and examined the ring. “It’s small but high quality.  Five hundred, and I’m firm on the price.  I’m doing it as a favor.”

John slapped the table.

“Very good then, let’s get you paid.”

“Miss Ezmirelda?” John asked quietly. “There’s still the issue of my archery S-rank evaluation.  You said I had to have it confirmed with my party captain.”  He pointed to Brideen.

“Yes, please give me your card.  Brideen, how was he under pressure?  Any drop off in performance?”

“None.”  The blonde nodded. “The man is deadly accurate.  He downed three goblins in five seconds.  It would have been dicey since we were caught unawares.”

“Stamp here, and put your mark …. Here.”   Ez blew on the ink to dry it out and then handed it back to John.  “It’s official, you’re not the best hero in the kingdom, but if you had an archery contest with them, you’d give them a run for their money.”

“Thank you Miss.”  He took it and slipped it into his jacket pocket.

The group walked over to a special table at the side of the hall that contained a few scales.  Brideen measured out nine equal mounds of coins.  John got one, and the rest of the party got two mounds each.  Brideen walked to John and gave him an awkward handshake. “Consider your debt to the party paid, you’re one of us now.”

“Thank you.  I’ve learned so much.  I feel like I owe you so much more.  I promise to do my best on every mission.”

They all nodded, while they slipped their neymarks into their leather purses. John noted the weight and how much heavier it felt than Tricia’s ring.

…

John scrubbed hard to get rid of all the dried blood from under his fingernails.  While he was in the wash stall, he washed his clothes apart from the buff coat armor.  After a few days, the terror of combat had formed a callous on his psyche.  Goblins, kobolds, and other creatures were not people, but John could tell there was an intelligence behind the eyes, no matter how evil and aggressive they were.  Taking aim, with the bow was almost meditative, calming his nerves.  Combat itself took his mind off Tricia in a special way.  For every monster that Netruna killed at range,  John killed five.  The group agreed it was a good thing, because whatever creatures got in range of Brideen’s sword or Lori’s mace they were never too many that they couldn’t handle easily.  The three melee fighter’s tried perfecting their technique during the combat and improved just ast much in experience as John and Netruna.

He put on his nicest shirt and long pants from his pack and waited for the group in the dining hall of the Broken Plough.  He had to admit, for a fantasy world, this place did have its creature comforts. He liked that he could keep clean, and the food was particularly good, owing to the organic produce they used.  The Broken Plough’s main dining hall had tables and benches like the guild hall, but there were places set for each guest, and the tables were not jammed together.  The room had a few nooks that contained round tables for private parties. John looked up to see the ornate carvings of the joists and wooden pillars of the hall.  Birds, beasts, and monsters were carved out of wood and gave the impression they were perched, coiled, or hanging from the support beams.    It was all varnished and each creature was painted to look realistic.  He wondered how many more of the carvings he would see in his missions out to the wilderness.

“Hey John!  Ready to eat?”  Lori caught him off guard.  She was bending over wearing a renaissance style dress.  Her auburn hair draped over her chest.  She looked very cute. The others were all wearing attractive outfits, but Ally was wearing pants rather than a dress.

“You bet I am! I could eat a horse.”  He got up and followed them into the hall.  The place was about half full and getting more crowded by the moment.  Waitresses with platters laden with beer, savory pies, and joints of meat sailed past them between the tables.  Merchants, well-to-do farmers, and refined adventurers ate, relishing the food and drink.

John saw Brideen freeze and then look like she didn’t want to be seen.  She had just spotted a party in very fine clothing on the other side of the hall.  At that table sat three very attractive and seemingly high borne female adventurers and a single man.  The man looked like an actor out of a movie.  His biceps strained the fabric of his sleeves, and his pectoral muscles were so big he had to have several buttons undone at the top of his shirt, revealing a crop of golden chest hair.  His hair was stylish coif of golden curls, and his eyes were so blue even John could see them from across the room in the dim candlelight.  Brideen quickmarched to a private table and waited for the party to follow her.

When they were seated, Brideen closed the curtain and separated the party from the main hall.  She sat down and let out a great sigh of relief.

“Did they see me?”

Lori and Allonsa shrugged.  “I don’t think so?”

Netruna nodded yes, but said “no, you should be fine.”  While smiling mischievously.

John looked around.  “What’s the big problem?”

Allonsa pointed her thumb past the curtain.  “That party, the one with prince charming?  Brideen was second in command of that group.  They call it the hero’s party.  Gunther, the man who looks like a god, is said to be chosen by fate to rid the world of the demon lord and his evil army.”

“No pressure right.”  Dan laughed. “What happened?”

Brideen made a smiling grimace. “I was kicked out.  Said I wasn’t a good fit.  Simple as that.” She reached for a stick on a tether and hit a small brass bell on the wall. “Waiter!”

A rabbit kin woman in a miniskirt waitress outfit parted the curtain. “Hello to you all, I’m Estrella and I’ll be your server for tonight. What can I get you started with?  The bar just cracked open a large cask of cider, and if you’re looking for something stronger, he’s got a brandy and a strong mead.”

Brideen interrupted. ‘A round of brandy for everyone, and then keep the cider coming until you feel guilty serving us.  I saw pies being served.”

“Yes, we just slaughtered a sow, and we’ve got pork pies.  They’re very good.  We also have roast vegetables as well, I can bring out a few dishes of that too.”

When the brandy was served in small earthenware cups, Brideen stood up and held her cup high. “I would like to propose a toast to our newest member John.  He’s a ferocious fighter with the bow, but on the spear he’s got a little more to know.  We’re a much better party with you in it and I hope we have good fortunes and good hunting going forward.”

“Cheers!”

The brandy was sweet and smooth and warmed his belly.  The girls regaled him with tales of their training to be adventurers as well as a mishap or two.  The cider started flowing a bit too early before the meal and John was surprised how boisterous they became.

Lori’s face was flush. “Did I tell you all that when I was training as a cleric, I thought I was praying to a different god?  I wanted to be a cleric to the goddess of learning Olu, but turns out the prayers were to Ifreeta, goddess of fire?!  You should have seen my first spell,  I burned all my books accidentally. It cost a fortune.”

Netruna lifted her mug, sloshing it around and spilling a little. “That’s nothing.  My fireballs were double the power of my classmates' castings.  The only problem was that the path of the fireball curved.  If I was out in the open, sometimes I had to duck or I’d get hit with my own spell. Hah!”  She downed a mouthful of hard cider, then hiccuped.

John nodded. “I think we need those pies soon.”

Brideen poked him.  “What,  you don’t think we can hold our liquor?”

“I’m sure you can, it’s just too easy to overdo it without a little food in your belly.”  Estrella came with a giant platter filled with steaming pork pies and trays of vegetables. “Ah here we are.”

The revelry didn’t seem to abate after the food arrived.  They all had terrible table manners, especially Netruna, who ate like a chipper-shredder.  Brideen, who was more than a little drunk kept trying to feed John spears of grilled asparagus.  When John would tentatively open his mouth, Brideen would aim for a nostril.  After the second time, John grabbed her hand and bit down.

Brideen pouted. “It’s no fun if you do it that way.”  Dan chewed triumphantly.

John felt at ease with his new party and this meal just showed how down to earth these new friends were.  Most of all, he liked not having to try to impress these girls, since he wasn’t looking to date them.  Back home, he would often try to do stunts or act funny to get a girl to even look at him, even though he was well built.  There always seemed to be someone who was smoother, or funnier than him, and they would succeed with girls where he would fail.

“John!”  Brideen yelled at him, a bit too closely.

“Yes?!”  He half laughed at her pulling him out of his train of thought.

“I asked if you really thought we were all pretty, or if you were. <hic> pulling our legs.”

“Are you kidding?  Of course you are.  You’re crazy if you think otherwise.  Why don’t you peek your head out of the curtain and tell me who you think is the prettiest girl out there.”

“Fine.”  She went to the curtain and bent at the hips slightly, which accentuated the curve of her butt.  

John tugged the opening wider while putting his hand on her back to steady himself. “Alright, tell me.”

“That redhead next to Gunther, that’s a noble's youngest daughter, she’s named Lizzy Graetz.  She’s the prettiest.”

“Ugh, that’s what you call pretty?  She’s an absolute skank.  A shriveled up old hag.”  Lizzy laughed at Gunther who had just told a joke. “And she laughs like a jack-ass.”

“Stop it!”  Brideen swatted him on the ass. “If she hears you, she’ll cut you to ribbons.”

They got up and closed the curtains. “I don’t have to worry about her, I’ve got you to protect me.”  He made a wry smile.

Brideen bit her lip for a moment and her eyes gave the fleeting twitch that made her look hungry as hell.  John laughed and took a step back, which made the sword maiden snap out of whatever thought she was having at the moment.  The other girls stopped talking and stared uncomfortably.

Brideen broke the tension. “Heh. Another round?”

…

John was glad the night was over after the extra rounds they had, he was actually getting quite drunk.  The group stumbled out of the hall and he looked at the Hero’s party one last time.  He could swear Gunther looked at him and nodded. In response, John gave a small wave and ducked through the doorway.

Netruna was the most blitzed of the party, having the lowest weight.  Lori and Ally held her up and walked her down the hall to their room.  Netruna’s feet barely touched the ground, and her head was tipped back and she walked like she was floating on air.

Brideen walked with John, a little too closely, causing him to feel his heart flutter a little.  He felt safe though, knowing that a girl like her would never really go for a guy like him.  He had to work so hard to get Tricia to even acknowledge his existence.  Brideen was a comrade in arms and a good friend.  And anyway, no one would fall for a guy in just a few days of knowing them.

Once inside the room, they all got into their night clothes with far less drama than his first night with them.  John had no problem just turning around and getting into his pajama pants and undershirt.  Unbeknownst to him, every girl got a good look at his backside as he changed, except for Netruna who was out cold.  

They dimmed the oil lamp and rolled out their mattresses.  When they were all snug in bed, John snuffed out the light.  A few hours into his sleep the man awoke to find Brideen was snuggled into the crook of his arm.  Her bosom mashed against his chest, and a single leg draped over him.

When he tried to worm his way out of her clutches, she whispered into his ear. “He dumped me.”

“Gunther?”

“Yes.  I was the first member of his party.  I was so happy to be a founding member of the hero’s party.  I thought my name would be written down in history.  He soon acquired more members, but they were always pretty women.  I trained so hard to be a worthy member.  Then one day, he kicked me out, saying I wasn’t pulling my weight.  But I knew he just thought I wasn't pretty enough for him. I had confessed my love for him just two days earlier.”

“Brideen.”  He fought to find the words to say. “Any man who would turn you down is a fool.”

She held him even tighter. “I know you’re engaged to be married.  But could you just hold me tonight?  Nothing more. I promise.”

John felt a pang of emotion deep in his chest.  He knew loss just as much as she did, but in different ways. He had his girl ripped away, and her love went unrequited. So he simply held her and put the thought of Tricia in a box and placed it in the closet of his mind and went to sleep.