"Let's talk about it over the bath tonight, hmm? We can get more than one room tonight, and I have heard the inn has a lovely hot spring we can rent as well."
"Mmmmhm!" Both Mikota let out the same confirmation, and it made the other two laugh again.
"Have you two seen Sasha?"
"Yes, she took a different hunting mission and said she would be back with treats tonight," Maxine told me from her position around my arm.
We all walked for a bit in the market, looking at different items and weapons. I felt a squeeze on my arm, and I looked down to see Maxine with red puffed out cheeks and a pointing finger. I followed the finger to the stand in front of us. It landed on a broach with a cute batgirl inlaid with gems displayed on it.
I looked back to Maxine, who was customarily composed and set limits to all of our spending, gaze up at me with watering eyes and red puffed out cheeks. The sight of her cuteness made me want to squeeze her until she popped. Maxine's look turned me into a rubber band, and I don't even remember taking out the chips and paying the lizardman shop keeper, just sliding it into her hair and seeing her face light up.
"Thank you."
Maxine's voice came out quietly as she raised her heels to kiss me. When our lips touched, other memories of similar times started to playback for me. I began to remember how we met Maxine.
It was a peddler, Sasha and I met on our way to meet up with Jill and Mikota. We asked him about local magic users, and he said that he had heard of one in the village ahead but didn't have any specifics. So we took his directions and reached the town by nightfall.
It was a small place, so the inn was easy to find. Sasha had left me to get our meals and room while she went out to look for work. She had come back when I had gotten our meager belongings into the room, and the food came up.
"So, how did the job hunt got?" I asked after Sasha had sat down beside me, and I had handed her a plate with a steak, potatoes, and broccoli.
Sasha took the offered plate and held it up to her nose, smelling it. As her nose traveled over the seasoned steak and buttered potatoes, she took on a dreamy expression. In contrast, when her nose hit the broccoli, she scowled and then turned the same look on me.
"Woah, I didn't put it there. Put it on my plate if you want, and ill give you half of my steak, ok?"
The fierce expression melted away to the cute face Sasha took on when she was content. I let out a sigh of relief, cutting my steak and then swapping half for the three stalks of broccoli on her plate. After she started to eat, Sasha explained the job.
"There is an auction house in town that's pretty popular, and they want us to unload some wagons in the morning."
"That seems simple enough," I said after finishing my food, then asking, "what did you hear about."
Sasha's finger cut me off as she ate her last piece of meat and then said, "you will see tomorrow, let's sleep first. Don't forget your shirt."
Chapter 41: Bathtub Conviction
The next day, Sasha led me to the back of the large auction hall in the small town center. It was by far the most prominent building. Once in the back, Sasha directed us to our foreman. He pointed out what to unload and where to put it, and after two sweating hours, our foreman told us to take a break before the last three wagons got in.
"Man, I would almost sooner be killing monsters than this," I complained as I stretched out on the bench, putting my head on Sasha's lap.
"Don't complain, honestly, I feel the same way, but with the auction house here, all the monsters that are threats have been cleared up for items to sell," Sasha stroking my hair as she explained.
"You to look very comfortable."
Both of us looked to see where that seductive female voice had come from. Our eyes fell on the brunette with batwings coming from her head like Tilly and Sasha's ears. She wore an elegant pink dress, and both of us jumped up and bowed at the sight of her.
"Calm down. I'm not some noble or royalty—no need to bow. I just thought you looked cute together. My name is Maxine. Who might the two of you be?" She asked us while coming over to the bench we had been sitting on and patted the seat beside her for us to sit down.
We sat down and introduced ourselves, and getting into a conversation. It turned out that Maxine was the daughter of the auction house's owner and the head auctioneer. I decided to take a chance and asked her about magic.
"Mmm? Magic? Like this?"
Maxine held her hand in front of us and created a small cyclone. My heart skipped a beat as I watched the air spin, and I raised my hand to hers. When our hands touched, I poured my Earth magic into her Wind magic, and the cyclone slowed and formed a crystal that fell into her palm.
"Wah? What did you do?" Maxine asked in amazement as she held the crystal in front of her face.
"I added my magic to yours, but if we work together, we can achieve even grander things."
"We work together?"
"Yes, if you would like."
"But, I can't just leave."
"Hmm? Why not?"
"My father says I need to be taken care of, and my husband needs to be able to support me, but all the men that come are old, fat, or greasy men that just want to use me for a baby-making machine!"
The explosion from the cute bat-eared girl made us both step back. This poor girl was being yanked around by her father's need to secure noble or wealthy ties had the girl broken inside. I looked at Sasha, and she had a stern look on her face that I couldn't read, but after a moment, the expression softened.
"What does your father need or expect to allow us to take you with us," Sasha asked in a steady voice.
"Umm, well, I need to marry, and there has to be a proper give to prove you can support me."
"Mhm, When could we find such a gift?" Sasha's voice took on that "Oh Yeah?" quality as she interrogated Maxine, who didn't seem to notice the glare or chose to ignore it.
"There is a cave half a days walk from here, and It is said to have a precious ring hidden inside. The problem is anyone that goes doesn't even make it back out, treasure, or not. They sent an expedition of ten men, and none returned."
"So," Sasha turned her glare on me.
"I will make it up to you!" I protested, throwing my hands up.
"You better!"
"Are you sure this is ok? Are you two really going to go there?" Maxine asked, now with a worried expression on her face.
"We will go and come back with the ring. This mission is Dave's kind of thing," Sasha dropped her fist on my head while saying the last part.
"Oww!"
After we finished unloading the last three wagons, we waved goodbye to Maxine, who still had a troubled look on her face. I couldn't blame her. I had an uneasy feeling inside me and not just about the monster we had to fight tomorrow. No, I wasn't excited about our talk tonight.
After eating, we went to the tub that Sasha had ordered. I thought that we had separate ones, but there was only one large wooden tub with steam rising from it. The two of us got undressed and slid into the water.
It was refreshing, but we didn't while we washed off and cleaned each other's backs. Finally, I laid back, and then Sasha sat in my lap, leaning back and resting her head beside mine. Our cheeks brushed, and I started to feel a warmth rising that wasn't water-related, and Sasha giggled.
"So, How come I'm not your wife?"
The question caught me off guard, and I had a momentary pause in my thought process. I did love Sasha, but I loved Jill too. Now I had to marry Maxine to get her to follow us on the mission we set out to do.
"I would like to, but would that be fair to Jill? You know I love you both, and now I have to marry Maxine to get her to come with us," but a playful nip at my neck caught me off guard and silenced me.
Sasha adjusted herself and turned to face me, all six eyes on me. Her naked body excited me, but she held a clawed hand gently on my chest and pushed me back. The desire was palpable, a feeling I could almost taste, but Sasha's soft voice cut into e
very thought I had.
"I will be setting down some ground rules in place of Jill not being here," both of her hands grabbed the tub behind me, and I heard the claws sinking to the wooden side as Sasha pressed her body into mine.
The next day we grabbed some rations and headed out of the village. We traveled the directions Maxine had given us, and just before lunchtime, we made it to the large hole in the ground. We sat together, eating dried meat and looking down into the hole.
"What do you think is down there?"
"Giant snake or lizard," Sasha said while eating.
"Hmm? Really? I think it will be a giant bat or maybe a gorgon, and we will stumble onto a garden of adventures statues."
Both of us laughed as we finished eating and packed out stuff up. Sasha climbed down first, and I followed, scaling down a reasonably easy descent with good handholds. Soon we were at the bottom, but the light still lit up the spot and a large area around us.
Sasha's cat eyes picked up the large tunnel thirty meters in front of us as we looked around. We walked to it and started to follow it as we moved deeper inside. Sasha made light for us with her magic, but glowing green moss began to appear once we got deeper. Walking with Sasha here gave me a nostalgic feeling, and thought's of Tilly's warm smile tugged at me. Even in other memories, my own experiences push through.
"Lumimoss," I half said to myself.
"Hmm?"
"Sorry, just lost in thought."
"Get unlost and get ready. Something feels off," Sasha's voice was on edge now, and I could see her fur lifting and tail twitching.
We had just arrived at a large cave, covered in Lumimoss. Sasha let go of her light and had her claws extended while I looked around while walking. The end of the cave had an altar with a small box on it that I would assume contained the ring we were looking for.
Suddenly, I heard a noise come from the entrance, and only Sasha's quick push saved me from being skewered. After rolling and getting to our feet, we turn to see a giant scorpion advancing on us. I stabbed at me again, but I was ready this time.
As I dodged, I used Earth magic to pin the tail and yelled.
"Get It now, and I will shield you,"
This action was one of our favorite moves because using a combination of Earth and Light magic allows me to create a shield that blocks damage and heal while Sasha fight. We called it the Golden Tiger Aura since only she and I could use it effectively, and Sasha tore into the face of the thrashing monster. In less than a minute, the body had stopped moving, tail and claws piled off to the side.
Sasha and I walked over to the box, and I let Sasha open it up. Inside was a single white ring with a blue gem at the center. Nothing seemed that unique about the ring, and I couldn't feel even the slightest bit of magic coming from it.
Did we get dupped?
Chapter 42: The Step That Smushed
Regardless the two of us carried the ring and monster parts back to the town and auction house. After talking to our foremen from yesterday, we were led up to a friendly office with a wooden desk. Behind that desk was a large man wearing a black suit, and he motioned for us to set our things down and come and sit.
"So, you're the pair my daughter has been going on about, eh? My name's Tamarin, and it looks like you two are quite the pair indeed. Getting that ring back was no small feat, and I would like to reward you. Let's have it then. What do ya want?"
The man was leaning over the desk now staring at me, but his eyes would occasionally flick the pile of parts.
"Let me take your daughter with me, and you can keep the monster parts as a gift!" I announced.
"Hmm? Ya get right to the point, don't ya? Well, hard to say no to a man of your passion and resolve. Plus, ya killed the damn old scorp down there."
"You knew about it?" I asked incredulously.
"Ye, me and the Miss, put that ring down there before she passed away, bless her soul, and we put a baby giant scorpion down there with the ring. That way, we knew the man who got that ring could care for our little baby girl. So, you gonna take care of my little baby girl Mr. Dave?"
"Yes, I will, Sir."
"Well, hehe, let's get this shindig goin'!"
A maid led Sasha and me to Maxine's room, but I was kicked out and told to get changed into something lovely. Tamarin supplied me with an excellent fitting black suit, a change from the leather armor, and underclothes I usually wore. When I finished getting dressed, I was led over to a spot next to Tamarin and told to stay put by a motherly old maid.
The next thing I knew, Both girls in white dresses walked into the room, and everyone started to cheer like it was a football game. As the girls were getting closer, Tamarin whispered something about have two wives and being such a lucky man. I didn't buy it, but I could not deny the pair of beautiful smiling faces. The rest was a blur until Sasha, and I danced later that night.
"So? How does it feel to have two wives?" Sasha teased.
"I'm still trying to figure out what to say to Jill when we finally meet up."
"I'll talk to her, and she will understand. Besides, you have other things you should be worrying about right now."
I followed her line of sight, and it landed on Maxine standing by an open bedroom door. Some of the guests must have seen our lines of sight, and the hooting and hollering began in earnest. Sasha pulled me close and whispered into my ear while smiling.
"I'll let her have you tonight, only because we consummated our marriage last night."
Giving me a long passionate kiss, Sasha then shoveled me towards to open arms of Maxine. She caught me, and we spun into the room, kicking the door closed behind us. The loud cheers continued on all night, and I was sure Tamarin was cheering the loudest.
"Why are you so riled up and blushing, Dave?"
Maxine's voice brought me back to the present, but she was no longer beside me. Instead, she was pressed into the front of me, and her comment clicked as I felt her pushing into me. Before either of us could enjoy the moment anymore, Jill crashed into us with a complaining Mikota.
They had been joking around, and Jill had slipped while dodging Mikota's advances and crashed into us. Mikota was the first to get up, but she didn't watch where she stepped and planted her foot between my legs.
I let out a gasp as my once excited parts were smushed into my body. I felt my eyes roll around the inside of my head as I gasp for air. I moved to the side, clutching myself while trying to catch my breath. Still panting, the girls helped me up.
"Sorry, Dave. I should have watched what it was doing," Mikota apologized to me.
"It's ok!" I gave her a thumbs up with all the smile I could muster to accompany it.
We all walked back to the inn. Jill and Maxine supported me part of the way. Even though it was Mikota's fault I needed the support, she had the gull to stare daggers at me when Jill offered me help. I almost stuck out my tongue at her but refrained, trying to remember who the adult was supposed to be here.
When we reached the inn, Sasha was inside already and had a feast waiting for us. Kyrina was there too, this time in an alluring black dress that showed off her more feminine side. The rest of us grabbed seats and plates and began to eat and talk.
"You should have seen the two were-boar! I had to go and take them down alone! They tried to get away, but I was to fast," Sasha was bragging about the job she had got, and I told myself that the weed picking was an honest day's work.
When everyone had finished, the cook brought out an apple pie, but when she served it, Mikota and my piece got a scoop of pure white ice cream, each the size of the pie piece. We both gaped, practically drooling as the cook handed us our pieces.
When the cook left, Maxine and Sasha came and got really close to me and ended up taking one third each of the ice cream. I was left with my portion when I noticed Kyrina sitting more or less alone at the table with us, so I slipped out from between the girls and went to move beside Kyrina. She was pushing the piece she had broken off the central p
ie around, and I transplanted my remaining icecream onto her pie.
"Hey! No! I can't take your ice cream," Kyrina tried to object, but I put a hand on her arm and used my other to put a finger to her lips.
"Don't worry, I know you have been training, so you deserve this too. Everyone is doing their part, their way right now, so don't be shy with the girls or with this ice cream, or it will melt!"
I pinched Kyrina's cheeks and leaned back as she began to eat more freely and relaxed. Memories started to drift in again, and I felt myself get carried back to that place.
The one that I first met Kyrin and then Kyrina.
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