by Ian Rodgers
Vala swallowed her protests and nodded feebly. Lily clapped her hands in joy.
“Wonderful!” she cheered, before rounding on Gaelin, who flinched back when her gaze fell on him.
“As for you, while I’m shopping with Vala it’s your job to look around the stalls for the stuff we need. And take Bigg Guy with you. He can act as an intimidation factor if nothing else.”
Gaelin nodded rapidly, not wanting to argue with his friend when she was in such an odd state of mind.
“Of course! I’ll check every store, and I’m sure Bigg Guy would love to be my bodyguard. Isn’t that right, buddy?”
“Fiery headed one scares me…” Bigg Guy whimpered.
“That’s a ‘yes,’” Gaelin assured Lily who had raised an eyebrow at the comment.
She huffed but said nothing and chose to walked away to her cabin to grab a bag with clean clothes and some money.
Everyone was silent, and it was only when she left that they all let out a sigh.
“I’ve never seen anyone smile like that before. Is anyone else worried she might ditch me somewhere?” Vala asked nervously.
“Nah. She seems mean and out of character, but she’d never disobey rules that have been laid out to here. She’s kind of a stickler for them,” the halberdier assured everyone.
“Well, your girlfriend’s sudden bout of sea-born madness aside, I think we can all agree that it’ll be an interesting two days here in Riverfold,” the captain said with a laugh.
Everyone ignored Gaelin’s sputtered denials about the state of his relationship with the fiery archer and went about their business.
Only Vala and Bigg Guy were left in their little section of the boat for the moment, and the dusky earth elf let out a whimper. A paw fumbled against her back in a crude facsimile of a sympathetic back pat.
“Should you die, I shall bury you with honor,” the Ursine said. Vala groaned in her hands as they covered her face.
“Thanks, Bigg Guy. That’s not really all that comforting, but I guess it’s better than nothing.”
.
“So, the first place we shall check is an apothecary. See if there are any natural remedies we can work with. If we have to splurge on a potion or an actual Healer, fine, but I want that as a last resort,” Lily said as she practically dragged Vala down the streets and bridges of Riverfold.
The earth elf felt extremely conflicted as she was pushed around by the younger and shorter human. A part of her was somewhat glad that Lily seemed to have gotten a grip on her bias against elves and was willing to spend time with her. But another part was screaming at her that this was a trap, and if she wasn’t careful the red-head would leave her abandoned in an alleyway somewhere.
These thoughts took a back seat as Vala was dragged into a shop that reminded her strongly of home, with its strong scent of herbs.
“Excuse me, I’m looking for medicine to settle someone’s upset stomach. They have rather bad seasickness, and I was curious to know if you had anything like that available,” Lily said to an elderly woman running the store.
“How big is your friend? Herbal doses are made based on their size,” the grandmotherly shopkeeper asked as she sorted a variety of plants and roots out on the counter.
“He’s close to eight feet tall,” Vala said. “And about six feet wide at the shoulders.”
“Is he human?” the herbalist inquired, looking put off at the dimensions the elf gave.
“No, an Ursine,” Vala said with a shake of her head. A pensive frown covered the elderly woman’s face.
“I don’t know what he could take, then. Every person is different, and species can have widely different diets and reactions to medicines than to humans. I’m sorry, but I don’t think anything in my shop would work for him. Perhaps a vet? Ursine are closer to bears, are they not? They might have some idea what would work.”
Vala grimaced at the nonchalant racism on display but nodded politely in response all the same. Lily sighed but remained cheerful and determined to get this done. She took the earth elf by the arm and escorted her out.
“Well, that was a bust. But, it was only the first shop. The day I find something I’m looking for in the first place I look will be the day I wake up from a dream,” Lily said. Only a trace amount of bitterness was within her voice as she mentioned that, and Vala wondered about the origins of that.
The hours whisked by as the pair went from store to store seeking out some kind of answer to Bigg Guy’s astonishing tendency for upset stomachs. None of the traditional methods really seemed like they would work with an Ursine’s physique or metabolism, and only the magical potions they investigated appeared to have universal application.
In the end, Lily cried, “Argh! Fudge it all, let’s just buy him some potions!” and stomped into a Healer’s house that sold a variety of alchemical substances and products. “Herbal remedies likely won’t work without knowing what Bigg Guy can and cannot eat, so we’re going with the potions as our option today,” Lily said with a frown. Vala nodded silently from behind her cabinmate as the went inside.
“Hello again. Finally done browsing?” the woman in a Healer’s outfit manning the counter asked, a smirk on her lips as she regarded the pair that entered her store again.
They had visited this one earlier in the day, but not bought anything, choosing instead to simply browse. Lily had wanted to compare potion prices and get helpful advice on treating a large non-human.
“How long does this particular ‘Sea Stomach’ potion last,” Lily asked, placing a vial of seafoam green liquid onto the counter.
“Two weeks for a human. But, since you are trying to medicate an Ursine, one serving will only provide about a single week of relief,” the Healer said.
“Alright, how much will four of these cost us?” Lily inquired.
“At five silver each, it’ll be two gold coins total.”
Vala choked at the price, necessitating Lily to pound her on the back to get her breathing again. The tiny smirk the Healer wore grew.
“Fine. Here, two gold,” Lily said, reaching into her purse to retrieve the money. Vala’s hands shot out and grabbed the arm of the archer.
“Two gold?! Lily, that’s far too much for you to spend on us!” Vala exclaimed. Lily shook the earth elf’s grasp off and took out the money.
“It’s fine. It’s a dent in Gaelin and my savings, but not much.”
She paid the Healer and took the potions, passing them over to Vala to secure. Hesitantly, the Druid secured them in a pouch at her side where some of her other magical ingredients were stored.
Once they left and were out of earshot from others listening in Vala rounded on Lily.
“How could you possibly afford to spend that much on a single purchase for someone you barely know? You and your friend are only D-rank adventurers! I know adventurers don’t start making gold till C-rank at least! How?!”
“You really want to know?” Lily asked with a teasing smile. Vala nodded.
The red-head’s expression darkened and she grabbed Vala by the hand and dragged her into a nearby alley.
Vala started to breathe heavily, all the crazy ideas of Lily doing something terrible to her in a darkened alleyway returning to her mind.
“Stand there,” Lily ordered, and the earth elf went stock still as the archer let go of her. She reached down to her side, but instead of going for her knife like Vala expected she lifted the right corner of her shirt and revealed her hip.
Vala’s fears turned into horror, but not in the way she had been thinking. A nasty black scar covered her right side just above her hipbone. With just a glance the earth elf could tell it was not a normal wound. And now that she was closer, she could sense magic from the scar radiating a hint of Darkness.
This was the source of the odd magic she had been feeling whenever Lily was alone with her! And if she was seeing this correctly, then this was a serious curse the petite red-head was carrying!
“Last year, in Sanc A
ldet, I got involved in an incident with a cultist of Vandelore,” Lily said, breaking Vala from her stupefied state. “He was known as the Slicer, and was a serial killer. I wanted to prove I had what it took to be an adventurer. And I thought I could handle it. Spoiler warning, I didn’t.”
She looked down at the trash in the alley and pulled her shirt down, covering her injury.
“I was ambushed by the Slicer and almost died because of his damned knife. If Gaelin hadn’t come when he did and fought off that bastard, dying of blood loss would have been the least of my worries.”
“Did this cultist use a serrated knife to inflict the wound?” Vala asked after a moment of thought. Lily nodded.
“He did. And with the symbolic weapon of his god, he managed to curse the injury. It won’t heal without a Level Seven Healing spell or equivalent. And how many people can break such a potent curse so easily? Or cheaply?” She laughed bitterly.
“Gaelin and I have been looking for a cure ever since. It’s unlikely we’ll find a method any time soon though.”
“And the gold?”
“Compensation for getting wounded, and a reward for bringing Kardale’s Justice to the Slicer,” Lily said. She sighed heavily and pushed past Vala onto the streets of Riverfold.
“Let’s go. We still have other places to shop at before we leave.”
“Wait, what other things do we need?” Vala asked.
“For you? New clothes. For me? New clothes and beauty products. For the boys? Dunno, and I don’t care. Now, come on. I want to try some dresses on!”
Lily buried the anguish she felt over her situation and hid it behind a mask of levity. Vala wasn’t fooled, but she followed along behind the young human all the same.
The prim and proper archer led the Druid through the mercantile district of Riverfold to a clothing store for female adventurers they had spotted and passed by during the medicine search. Vala wrinkled her nose at that but Lily was having none of her attitude.
“You need better clothes if you want to be on the road. Your robe is fine, but it wouldn’t hurt to have some trousers underneath it, and maybe a few different kinds of tops. And socks. Never knew how important socks were until I had raw, blistered feet,” Lily claimed as she pulled her companion into the store.
“Now, what styles do you prefer?”
“Um, light and airy? I’m used to being able to move quickly even in my robes, and I like feeling the wind on me,” Vala said. Lily hummed and pushed the earth elf towards the changing booths in the back.
“Take these first,” the archer stated, shoving some clothes into Vala’s arms. She had just grabbed some articles that looked like they might fit the taller earth elf and passed them over. Unwilling to argue with the clearly eccentric red-head, the green-haired elf nodded and slipped behind the curtain.
As she changed, Lily amused herself by checking out the various styles of clothes available, and as well thinking over what she needed for her own use. After a few moments, Vala emerged, dressed in a dark green traveling outfit.
It consisted of a travel-skirt not unlike the red one Lily wore, and included trousers to preserve modesty. The tunic that covered the top had a few frills along the hems to grant a tiny feminine hint while retaining rugged usefulness. Vala glanced down at her outfit with a ponderous frown.
“I don’t think I’m a trouser person,” she said slowly as she examined herself. There was a polished plate of brass that acted as a mirror near the changing area and she gave herself a critical once-over in it.
“And this tunic is sort of tight and constricting. If I have to wear something like this, I’d prefer something with a bit more breathing room,” she complained as she tugged at the collar.
“I’ve seen what your diplomats wear, miss Druid,” Lily said with her hands on her hips.
“Bodysuits with togas? No thank you. Only the Grand and Dire Elf nobles like wearing that sort of crap,” Vala said with a grimace. “No wonder they have such big heads, all the blood gets pushed up into them!”
The archer snickered before she coughed into her hand, embarrassed at laughing out loud, and composed herself. “Never the less, you need something different. You’re going to be on a boat with men for another month, you need something modest and that covers yourself.”
Vala nodded slowly, conceding the fact, before a strange idea bubbled into her mind when she noticed that all the clothes Lily was picking out would be called conservative by a nun.
A teasing smile smeared itself across her face and she put an arm around Lily’s shoulder.
“I finally get it! You’re jealous of me!” the earth elf said with a gasp of laughter.
Lily blushed and frowned, breaking away from the gesture. “N-no! don’t be ridiculous! Why would I be jealous?”
“Is this about Gaelin spending more time with me than you?” Vala asked, discreetly checking to make sure no one was listening in.
“What?! No, no, no! Preposterous! I am not jealous of him spending all his time with you! He can do what he wants, he’s an adult!” Lily protested.
“By Gaea, is your attitude towards me all because of this?”
Lily shook her head vigorously in denial.
“Hells, it is, isn’t it! When did this start? Wait, is this due to the fact you both saw me in my nightshirt the day we departed? Did you think I was going to seduce him away from you?”
“Of course I did! That’s what your kind does, isn’t it?! Lure in innocent men and women! You earth elves are all promiscuous and, and, and slutty!” Lily half-shouted, before slapping her hands over her mouth. No one seemed to have overheard, but she was utterly mortified she had given in to her true feelings and blurted them out.
Vala did not seem angry, though. She was smiling sadly as she gave the red-head a pitying look.
“Even if that were true, you wouldn’t have to worry. I’m not attracted to humans in the first place.”
Hands still clamped over her mouth, Lily raised an eyebrow questioningly.
“Human men are too blocky and muscular for my tastes,” Vala said with a faint chuckle as she indulged the archer’s curiosity. “If I were to fall in love with one, it’d have to be for their mind instead of their body. Even then, I doubt I could overlook their appearance. So, don’t worry. Your halberdier is safe from me.”
Lily turned a vibrant shade of red at that and immediately denied it. However, since her hands were still obscuring her mouth the words came out muffled, which caused the Druid to laugh.
Vala then turned away and decided to humor the girl who had dragged her into the store. Besides, if Lily was paying, who was she to deny free stuff?
.
“You know, this is nice, being able to hang out with another guy,” Gaelin said in a relaxed manner. Next to him, the black furred Ursine rumbled his agreement.
The pair of them were walking around the stalls and vendors that peddled the vast and assorted amount of trade goods that came through Riverfold. They snacked on delectable skewers of meat bought from a food cart as they browsed the various wares and stores. They also took the time to admire the design and layout of the city and its attractions.
The marketplace itself was quite interesting as well. It was basically one giant bridge that connected the banks of the four rivers in a single spot. Water flowed beneath the reinforced wood and stone that made up the market place, and in some places age, mildew and wear and tear had created potholes into which an unwary person could have their entire foot fall. There was even a fountain in the center, spewing water drawn from the river itself. There were channels and waterways built around the area so the numerous gondolas could drop off or pick up passengers at the edge of the commercial district. Ringing the open-air arena of capitalism were dozens of shops and stores which provided goods that the stalls did not have.
As he explored, Gaelin wasn’t too worried about finding information on treating Lily’s cursed wound. They had plenty of time, and given that the red-head was going ar
ound various stores looking for medicine she’d likely be inquiring about curse removal on her own.
So, he was content to take it easy and chat with his new friend.
“Don’t get me wrong! Lily is great. She’s a wonderful companion to travel with. She never complains about the hard work that has to go into everyday survival, she only got squeamish a few times regarding skinning and gutting the animals we caught, and generally speaking, she’s polite and never too haughty.” Gaelin paused to tear off a large chunk of roasted meat from his skewer.
“That said, sometimes a man needs alone time. And, he needs friends with a tad more testosterone. So, if one good thing came of this voyage, it was meeting you, Bigg Guy,” the brown-haired man said cheerfully through a mouthful of flesh.
“You speak of your female companion like you are an old married couple.”
Gaelin choked on the food in his mouth at the Ursine’s words.
“Oh, come on, not you too! We’re not a couple! We’re friends, traveling the world together for one reason or another,” the halberdier said, annoyed at yet another person misunderstanding his relationship with Lily.
“How would you feel if I started claiming you and Vala were a couple?” he snarked.
“I would be amused, not insulted. Vala fine woman. She make a good wife someday. But not to me. I not find any of you attractive. Too little fur, and no tails. Plus, anatomical differences would make child-rearing difficult.”
“There’s more to love than, well, that!” Gaelin said, aghast and somewhat amused.
“I lived in forest, not a monastery. I know about love and what different sorts there are,” Bigg Guy said with a role of his eyes. The gesture was lost though due to his height and the size of his eyes compared to the rest of his face.
“It is just I not see her as prospective mate one way or another. You and Lily, on the other hand…” he trailed off meaningfully, and Gaelin snorted.
“Yeah. No. We’re not like that at all, and I don’t understand how people keep seeing that.”