We passed the bakery first, and I peeked in, but no one was there, so I went out again. The store was next, but to my surprise, the door was bashed in. The glass window was shattered, and the door hung from one hinge.
“Wait,” I whispered as I put my hand up and then reached for my pouch.
The gladius appeared in my hand several seconds later as I walked inside. The front part of the store didn’t even look touched. No blood, no corpses, not even a single item of clothing lay on the ground.
“Everything alright?” Melina called from outside.
“Yeah, come in.”
I still kept the gladius in hand, just in case, and then made my round, moving all the way to the back of the store as the girls followed.
“What do you think happened?” Jess asked, her voice almost a hiss. “This is our livelihood!”
“It was probably an accident. There are no signs anyone was in here, but be careful and stay behind me.”
I roamed around the back part of the store and then walked into the hallway separating the two buildings. The door to the warehouse was still locked, which meant no one had even entered. I shrugged and turned back. Jess seemed distraught, but it was the best possible scenario in my eyes, despite them having to replace the door.
“Isn’t this better?” Melina asked as she moved along the wall with yoga pants and tops. “If they got in here and trashed the place, it would have been a disaster!”
“Yeah, babe, I agree,” I replied half-absently.
She picked out forty-two outfits, among which were a few traditional kimonos for me, for her, and the rest mostly everyday stuff. I packed them into the pouch one by one and felt it getting heavier on me. By the time Jess had picked out some more for herself, Kai, and the others, I was feeling like a pack mule. There was no way for me to get the flour now, only some bread. Bah. Women.
I pulled one of the doors free from the toilet and used whatever I could to barricade the front entrance, then jumped down from the balcony and landed next to the girls. They didn’t say anything and instead looked away, embarrassed after me berating them.
“We done?” Melina asked. “I’m already tired.”
“No, we still need to hit the bakery, but I’ll be quick.”
On our way back, I walked into the bakery for the second time and now found the man organizing his display. There were at least thirty fresh loaves of bread and over fifty pastries.
“Can I get all of it?”
He shrugged. “What the hell, why not? It’s not like anyone has stepped inside since yesterday morning.”
“So bad?”
He nodded. “Even worse than that, but I can’t help it.”
I stood and stared at the fresh bread and pastries, already envisioning the three of us gorging them down like there’s no tomorrow, but then I stopped and took a step back.
“Why do you keep doing this? Wasting flour and ingredients?”
The man took in a deep breath and let out a sigh. He shrugged and looked up at the ceiling as if he could find the answer there. “I don’t know. This is all I’ve been doing my whole life, so it’s not like you can expect me to do anything else.”
“Yeah, but you’ll be all out soon at this rate.”
“Maybe, maybe not. Who knows how long I’ll be alive for anyway?”
We both remained silent for several seconds before I changed my line of questioning. “Say, do you live alone? Or do you have a family?”
“Only my wife and I.”
“Would you like to get a job, then? You can keep doing all this and live in safety. I’ve got a place set up down the street at the oriental ryokan. You know that area?”
He frowned and took a step back as if afraid I was about to attack him. Sure, he knew I could snap his neck or end him the moment I wished to, but it was an instinct ingrained in all of us. Fight or flight. Most chose flight.
“You mean where that widow lives by herself? That ryokan?”
I chuckled and shook my head. “She’s no widow anymore, good man. She’s with me now, and I’m more than enough to protect everyone there. It’s not just me, though, there are thirty others besides me. Ten couples, of which some are with kids, us, and the girls who sell clothes next door.”
His brows narrowed as he studied me. I could see both frustration and irritation flash over his face, then hope. He wasn’t that old, maybe in his early forties if I guessed right, but he had a lot of life experience under his belt, especially after dealing with Kihot and his thugs.
“Will you help us do the second quest? We did the first yesterday when no one was around.”
“Yeah, I can do it right now if you want.”
His eyebrows shot up and his mouth opened wide. “Rita? Come over here.”
I walked out of the bakery, to his surprise, but he didn’t say anything.
“I need to kick you from the party for a moment, Jess. That alright?”
She nodded. “Yeah, that’s fine. Can we wait inside at least?”
“Sorry, I was talking to the baker and forgot about you two.”
I opened the door and ushered them in. They leaned on the display window and waited for what I was about to do.
“Accept an invitation once I send it.”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“You’ll see. Just accept it.”
The man nodded, and so did his wife. Donald and Rita. Interesting names.
Jess’s name was replaced by the two of them almost instantly.
“What now? Do you want us to fight?” Donald asked.
I shook my head and winked once. “No, just wait in here and enjoy the show.”
I walked out of the bakery and pulled out my nodachi. It wasn’t hard finding an elite, as the main street was full of kobolds.
“Need help?” Melina yelled as I ran toward the first group.
“No, thanks, I’ll be right back!”
The elite stood among a group of about twenty grays and purples. Easy target.
I finished some ten minutes after I started, and ran back to get the girls. The two were surprised by how this worked, but unfortunately, there wasn’t enough room for them to stay, so they left our party on their own. If I wanted them inside, then someone needed to leave, but who?
“What now? How do we join you?” he asked.
“You wait until we’re done with the boss. One appeared at Kihot’s place, so I’m going to try to kill it in a bit. Once we’re done, we’ll get the two of you and help take some of your stuff with us. And a lot of those ingredients.”
He nodded, but I could see he wasn’t convinced. There was so much he wanted to ask and so did his wife, but they remained silent. I’d proven to him I wasn’t full of shit, at least with one of my promises, so maybe the other would turn out as good? I could almost read him, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was to get a good cook or baker who did that for a living. It was much more convenient than forcing someone to half-ass it.
“How long do we have?” Rita asked.
“Several hours? Three or four? Depends.”
“In that case, young sir, we’ll be ready by the time you come to get us. And here, please take all of this with you. At least we won’t have to throw it away again like last night.”
“Thanks, Donald. See you in a few hours.”
Chapter Twenty-One
I was about to go left toward our place at the intersection, but then I stopped and waited for the two to catch up.
“Have you seen any damn animals since all of this happened?”
Melina frowned, but Jess didn’t seem to be too interested in the question.
“No, I haven’t. Strange now that you mentioned it.”
“And you, Jess?”
She shook her head.
“And there are no corpses either. It’s as if they just disappeared overnight. Even those who died to the monsters are gone.”
“Does it matter, though?” Melina asked. “They’re gone.”
&
nbsp; “It doesn’t, but it’s just another question I’d like an answer to.”
“Can you give me another one of those pastries instead?” Jess asked. “They’re too good.”
I sighed and pulled another one out, a croissant with vanilla stuffing, and handed it to her. There were only twenty left and more than twenty people back at the ryokan. I sighed and decided not to care about it. I had much bigger worries on my mind than a fight over pastries. At least our bellies were full.
We avoided the groups of kobolds, not wanting to waste energy on the little bastards. There were no more elites anywhere on our way back, which made me feel slightly annoyed despite not wanting to wear myself out. Those monsters dropped good things, and we needed many more of them to get through this shit safely.
The whole group was already waiting outside and milling around when we returned. Kang and Gary were busy again, while Sandro lounged beside the sakura tree with a beer in his hand. He seemed nervous, agitated, and annoyed. Just how I felt after seeing him with that kind of expression on his face.
“We’re going out in half an hour!” I yelled as we stopped next to the tree. “Do whatever you want until then, but better make sure you’re rested and ready to battle the boss!”
“Boss!” most of them said in unison while Kang just nodded and Gary bowed slightly.
Sandro put his beer aside and walked up to me. “I want to fight too!” he slurred under his breath. “I want to fight the boss!”
I glanced over at Melina, who didn’t seem to care and just shrugged.
“Sure. You’re on the front line with me, alright?”
“Really?” he asked, his voice losing the slur altogether just like that.
“Yeah. Go eat something or take a piss and get the alcohol out of your system.”
He nodded hurriedly and ran off. Kang and Gary walked up to us before we could move.
“Boss? What are our chances?”
I stared back, trying to show as little emotion as possible. “I have no real idea, but I think we can do it. Follow my orders and provide support so I can kill that bastard.”
They didn’t seem to like my response as much but remained silent. Their sparring was over for sure, though.
“Thanks for being honest with us, boss.”
“No worries, Gary. You guys want some pastries or fresh bread?”
Both shook their heads and turned toward the rest.
“Anyone want some pastries or fresh bread?”
Three came forward. Jin, Han, and Ang.
“Here, take two each. Give the rest to the girls and the kids.”
I handed them the paper bags filled with the sweet delights and watched as the three ran off. They were joined by the rest once it finally caught up in their minds what was about to happen.
“They’re scared,” Melina whispered.
“Aren’t you?”
“I am, but I’d never show it like that.”
“Show or not, it’s something you can feel. And besides, why don’t we get unpacked? Maybe I should first bring the girls their stuff? Melina?”
She nodded but didn’t let go of me. “I’m going with you.”
“You possessive little monster.”
She smirked as we followed Jess into the left wing and up to her and Kai’s room.
“Kai? We’re coming in,” she yelled and knocked loudly on the door, then opened it and strolled inside. I followed her and waited for Jess to get the two beds in order so I could place the clothes there.
The door to the bathroom opened up, and we all turned to see Kai walking out stark naked. She stood there for several long seconds with her mouth gaping and her hands to her sides. Melina finally hit the back of my head and forced me to look the other way.
“I called before we walked in!” Jess cried as she ran after Kai into the bathroom.
The younger of the two waited until the bathroom door was closed and then let out a deafening scream.
“You idiot!” she yelled. “He saw me naked! Naked! What am I supposed to do now?”
“Calm down already! It’s not like he took your virginity, right? You don’t have it anymore anyway, right?”
“That’s not the point!”
I glanced over my shoulder to the beds and hurriedly unloaded all the clothing they’d picked for themselves and the rest of the girls.
“I don’t think we want to be here when they get out,” I whispered. “Think we can beat it?”
Melina shook her head and chuckled as she tried to stifle her laughter. “Seriously!” She chuckled. “This day couldn’t have started out better!”
“Huh? Why?” I asked as I pulled her out behind me and then closed the door hurriedly. “You like to see me embarrassed?”
“No, I just find that she has a killer body. It’s obvious she’s been watching what she eats and was working out even before all this happened. After this end-of-the-world thing, everyone got a more or less normal or good-looking body, but she had one before that. A really killer body.”
I sighed again and hurried down the stairs, across the yard, and into the kitchen. I needed a drink. A strong one at that. Melina followed me all the while, still giggling and fawning over Kai’s smooth skin.
I dropped down on a big chair in the main hall and waited for Melina to come out of the kitchen. She already held a pitcher of cold brew in her hand and two glasses, which she placed on the small table in front of me and then sat down in my lap.
Her scent was to die for. She smelled like spices and sweet goodness. Something truly divine. Her skin was warm and soft, her hair silky smooth and always in order. I looked over her face, loving the thick black eyeliner around her eyes and the full, red lips.
“Don’t forget what you promised,” she whispered and bit down on my earlobe.
Shivers ran up and down my body as I tried to shake them off, but she bit again and then kissed my neck. I half expected her to try to go down on me, but she didn’t. Melina stopped there and reached for the pitcher. She filled both glasses and handed me one.
“I won’t, don’t worry. I promised you this life, didn’t I?”
She nodded weakly as she sipped her drink. “I found that a man’s word doesn’t mean much, Viktor. I pray to all your previous and my current Gods that you’re different, or I’m really going to end my own life. I’ve had enough of being abused and mistreated. I deserve some happiness with a man who can give it to me, don’t I?”
“You deserve the world,” I blurted without thinking. “And I’m going to give it to you. I’m going to give you the world once I become the strongest man alive. I promise you that.”
She smirked and nodded. There was a hint of anticipation in the way she looked at me. Was I on point? Were her goals so high? Or was it because of my promise? Whatever. I didn’t care as long as she was there and didn’t change for the worse.
“Hey, let Sandro die if there’s a chance, alright? I want him to pay as well for what his partner did to me and what—they forced me to do to myself.”
Now it was my turn to sit there with my mouth agape. At least until my mind caught up with my mouth. “Are you sure about what you just said?”
She nodded. “He watched me bleed and left me sitting there in a pool of my own blood. I fucking hate him. The only good thing he gave me in this world was you.”
I snorted and shook my head. “Yeah, talk about that. It took all my willpower not to kill him when I came to in this new body and they were beating me to death. No, they already had beaten me to death, or rather the previous—whoever this body belonged to.”
“See? Didn’t you promise to take care of all the gangster scum? More and more gangsters and warlords will appear as time goes by, and they’ll hurt more and more people, Vik. I want you to keep your promise and get rid of them.”
“Does Mark know of them? What do you think?”
She shrugged. “Sandro does, and Mark was basically of the same rank as Sandro but for another boss.”
&nbs
p; I let out a deep sigh and leaned back into the chair. This was a tall order and something I wasn’t going to be proud of if I went through with it. What’s more, it might be a test, one to see if I would do anything for her or just to see if—I didn’t know. What the hell was she even thinking?
“I’ll see what I can do, but I’m not going to do it unless it looks a hundred percent random and out of my hands. The ten cousins are good men, from what I’ve seen, so I don’t want to lose their trust and loyalty. We’ll need them for what’s to come.”
Melina didn’t say anything else regarding the matter, and instead just snuggled up to me. We stayed like that for several minutes without saying another word. I felt her temperature change slightly, which might have been out of embarrassment for asking me to off her brother.
“Boss? We’re ready!” Kang yelled from outside.
He called just at the right moment, as the situation inside was becoming awkward. I pushed her off me slowly, but then stopped and looked her in the eyes.
“Don’t do anything stupid until I’m back, alright?”
She nodded weakly and flashed me a smile that was as fake as I was. “Don’t worry,” she whispered. “I’ll be here when you return. Victorious and stronger.”
I nodded. Victorious and stronger. What a way to send someone off. The worst part of all was that the damn woman had me worried now. I was afraid she’d do something stupid by the time I got back. Especially if it took longer than I thought it would, or if she thought something might have happened.
“Do you want to come with me?”
“To do battle?”
I nodded. “Why not?”
“Why yes? Someone needs to protect these innocent lambs.”
That wasn’t the answer I was looking for. What the hell did I know if she would do anything to herself by the time I got back?
“You’re right, someone does need to protect them, but not with your life. Yours is more valuable than all the rest combined, understood?” I whispered and looked around, not wanting to be overheard.
Beginner Quest: A LitRPG Cultivation Series (Towers & Rifts Book 1) Page 26