Ch. 17 – A High Paying Request

In the morning, Damien explained his idea to Bluey and Betty, who both readily agreed.

“Yeah, let's fight something tougher!” Bluey replied excitedly, doing more air-boxing.

Betty nodded along quickly, “The money would be great...”

“Yeah, I don't want to eat into your savings too much,” Damien chuckled.

Betty smiled and blushed. “Yeah, we might need it for...” she trailed off, poking her fingers together.

Bluey didn't read the mood, rushing both of them out the door to make their way to the guild.

They stopped at the Bronze request board, looking through them to find a high-paying request.

“What about this?” Bluey said, grabbing a request for five spriggans.

Betty shook her head. “That barely even as much as the water elementals requests we were doing.”

“Piyu!” Aurora said, holding a request in her mouth.

Damien kneeled down to grab it. “Aurora this is an Iron request, we can't do these yet,” Damien explained, pinning the request back to the board it came from.

Betty stood on her tippy-toes, pointing to one near the top. “Is that one really forty silver?”

Damien reached up and grabbed it, holding it out so they could both read. it. “A harpy...Matriarch? And just one?”

Betty did a grimace. “It's just one, but harpies live in flocks. We'd most likely need to kill at least a dozen, if not more.”

Damien nodded slowly. It might be tough, but forty silver is a ton. We could live off that for weeks.

“I don't...I don't know...” Betty started before trailing off.

Damien raised an eyebrow. “What's wrong?”

Bluey was also curious, which seemed to make Betty blush more. After attempting to compose herself, she explained, “Harpies don't have males in their species, so they kidnap human men and make them fertilize their eggs...”

Damien blinked a few times. Uh...that doesn't sound good. So they'd be targeting me?

Bluey seemed unconcerned, giving him a thumbs up. “Don't worry Master, you're safe with me!”

“Are you sure?” Damien sighed, remembering the previous night.

Betty looked up again. “If you're okay with the risk, then it would definitely be worth it. That's a lot of money, and I think I have an idea on how we can beat them.”

Damien nodded. Since everyone was in agreement, they took the request.

Looking at their map, the harpies looked to be a day and a half away by foot (a straight route didn't have any roads, so carriage wasn't an option this time).

Damien was thinking about the logistics. “What are we going to do with our stuff? Obviously we need to bring supplies, but are we just going to rent out the room for three days to leave our chest in?”

Betty shook her head. “If it's just a chest, we can leave it at the guild.”

After going back and packing their bags for the trip, they put the rest of their item into the chest and took it down to the guild.

“Oh, are you heading off somewhere?” Liz asked.

Betty nodded as Bluey slid the the chest over. “We're going to go do a harpy matriarch request.”

Liz nodded. “Okay, be careful!” she simply replied, and took their chest away.

“Well, that was easy,” Damien said, as they turned to leave.

“Since it's common for Adventurer's Guildmembers to travel a lot, it's normal to need their items kept safe. You can even get them transported between guilds for a small fee.”

After leaving the guild, they walked through the city to the north gate. They hadn't been this way yet, and Damien was amazed at how busy the city was. The upper part of the city seemed to be full of merchants, many hocking their wares from stalls or even their own wagons. On the sides of the street were innumerable stores, dedicated to anything from mundane items to elite Adventurer gear.

Noticing Damien was looking every which way, Betty said, “Maybe if this goes well, we can upgrade our gear. Or at least, maybe we can get you some Summoner gear.”

Damien looked down at his leather armor. It had served it's purpose so far, but getting something more class specific would be nice.

After making it through the throngs of people, they eventually made it through the north gate. The area outside the walls was farmland, dotted by farmhouses every so often, until in the distance the forest started.

I wonder if the trees went this far south before, and they cut them all to support the city? Damien absently mused as they strolled down the road. As if to confirm his thought, they passed a wagon going in the opposite direction laden with logs.

As they walked by one of the farms, he watched as what looked like a husband and wife worked on one of these farms, tilling rows into the field. A third, smaller person (possibly their child) was throwing seeds into the freshly tilled soil.

“What do you think about living on a farm?” he asked to the group. That's a common isekai trope, right? Living on a farm?

Betty blushed, “I wouldn't mind having a house,” she said, poking her fingers together, “...but I don't know how to farm.”

“Me neither,” Damien shook his head.

“I can be in charge of protecting the farm!” Bluey said.

“I think we'd need you to do the manual labor,” Damien chuckled.

Betty looked over at him, “Are you actually interested in getting one?”

Damien shook his head. “No, was just thinking. I'd rather live in the city.”

Betty nodded quickly in agreement, “Me too.”

Bluey shook her head in disappointment. “There's no grass in the city!”

Damien and Betty laughed. “If we get one with a lawn you would...although I don't know if they have those here.”

Betty asked, “You mean, in this world?”

Bluey looked over at them, confused. “What do you mean, this world?”

Damien looked between, then made sure no one on the road was in earshot. “Err...I wasn't really hiding it from you, but I wasn't sure if you would understand. I'm not originally from this world.”

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Bluey nodded slowly, then smiled, “Oh, like me and Aurora? Were you summoned here, too?”

Damien took a moment to comprehend what she was saying. “Oh, yeah, I guess like you too. You're not just summoned from somewhere else in this world?”

“Piyu!” Aurora said, rubbing against his leg.

Damien scratched her ears.

Bluey nodded in agreement(?) of Aurora. “We could be. Even if not, it may as well be a different world with you.”

Damien thought again for a moment. That sounds profound...I think.

They continued through the farmland until they reached the forest, trees towering above them. Taking out their map, they headed diagonally off the path into the woods.

Bluey was leading the way, swinging her arms as she energetically stomped through the trees, with Aurora perched on her shoulders.

Betty and Damien were side-by-side behind her. Betty constantly checked the map, making sure they were still heading the right direction.

Damien, remembering his past experiences in the forest, had his head on a swivel. Bluey will probably notice anything before me, but I can't help it...

A couple hours into the forest, and he turned out correct.

Bluey stopped walking suddenly. “Goblins,” was all she said.

A second later, they heard the whizzing of arrows around them, sailing into the dirt and hitting trees.

Damien instinctively pulled Betty down onto the ground, covering her. He started to blush at how close they were, but stopped when he saw the serious expression on Betty's face.

“Oh Goddess, bolster my allies!” she recited, holding her palms up and around him.

Damien started glowing slightly green. He turned his head, and Bluey and Aurora were already several meters away, sprinting into the distance.

“Bluey! Aurora!” he shouted after them. Turning to Betty, he said, “Sorry...”

Betty seemed confused. “Why are you sorry?” she asked as they carefully stood up.

“I just...reacted and grabbed you, but you were totally calm...”

Betty blushed, “I'm not going to be upset that your first instinct is to protect me...” she said. “But, you don't need to worry. This isn't my first time being ambushed in the woods.” She started creeping from tree to tree in the direction the others had gone.

Damien shook his head, feeling dumb. Of course, she's done way more adventuring than I have! Following after her, they crept from tree to tree as they heard sounds in the distance.

“Bluey! Aurora!” he shouted again.

Betty shooshed him. “Shh, they're fine. No need to draw attention to us. Just watch their HP on your status screen.”

Damien felt embarrassed again, pulling it up to watch. Aurora hadn't lost any HP, but was low on MP. Bluey hadn't used any MP, and had only lost a few HP. Wait, I can use Message! Focusing on Bluey, he sent 'Bluey, are you okay?'

'I'm fine. Fighting goblins!'

Alright...I'll check on Aurora then. 'Aurora, are you okay?'

'Master...yes. I'm low on MP since I activated Speed Boost and used my Fire Breath a lot, but they're almost all dead. I think Bluey is chasing after the last couple.'

Damien let out a sigh of relief. 'Betty and I are catching up.'

There was no response, but after a few moments, Aurora came bounding into his arms. “I'm glad you're alright.”

Aurora licked him, seeming a bit tired and resting in his arms.

They kept walking a bit farther, and eventually Bluey came up.

Damien reached out his hand, “Heal.” After her HP was topped up, Damien asked, “Why did you just run off?”

Bluey seemed confused, “I didn't want them fighting near you two.”

Damien felt embarrassed once more. “I feel like I'm useless in these fights.”

Betty shook her head, “You can Heal them. And your stats add to theirs. You're not useless,” she said, grabbing his sleeve as she tried to reassure him.

Bluey nodded in agreement. “Master is super cool. You don't need to do anything else.”

Damien shook his head. “I should at least get a bow or something.”

“But...Summoner isn't a class that can use bow, right?” Betty asked, seemingly not sure.

“So I can't even use it?” Damien asked, incredulous. Aurora jumped back over to Bluey, licking her cheek.

Betty tried to explain. “You can...but it won't be very useful. Since using a bow isn't a class weapon, your stats and skills won't apply.”

Damien nodded slowly. “Okay, I think I get it...is there any special summoner weapons, then?”

Betty shrugged. “I don't know any. Usually Summoners are magic based.”

Bluey tugged his shirt. “Master, I'm a bit hungry after that...”

Damien nodded. “Yeah, let's stop for lunch...”

After eating some provisions they had brought, they continued on. Luckily, the afternoon passed without incident, and they made good time (considering they were traveling through a forest). When dusk started to approach, they found a clearing to rest in for the night.

Damien and Betty started putting the tent up, while Bluey and Aurora gathered wood and started a fire.

Once everything was prepared, they sat around the fire as they chomped on more beef jerky.

Bluey, while chewing, asked, “Can we bring something besides jerky next time, Master?”

Damien raised an eyebrow. “You don't like it?”

Bluey shook her head, “It's not that, I just like variety.”

“I don't disagree, but jerky is easy to carry, and it doesn't go bad.”

Betty chimed in, “Next time, we could buy some vegetables as we leave. They'd keep at least for a day or two, and I could make a vegetable stew.”

“Ohhhh, I want more Betty stew!” Bluey said excitedly.

Damien nodded, “I would too.”

Betty blushed a bit with a smile.

Aurora, who had been sitting in Bluey's lap, suddenly jumped up and looked in a specific direction.

Bluey also jumped up, “Someone's coming.”

“Some-one?” Damien asked. However, before Bluey could respond, a group of five people came into the clearing.

“Hello there!” a voice came from them. As they got nearer, Damien could see in front was a man, probably around his age but a bit shorter, with white hair and a smile.

Looking at his face, alarm bells started ringing in his head. His smile feels forced...or maybe, it seems not genuine. “Hello...”

“Sorry if we surprised you, I just saw your fire from a distance, and thought there might be fellow Adventurers camping here. Do you mind if we camp on the other side of the clearing?”

It's not like I can stop them...and if they are Adventurer's guild, I don't want them causing issues with the guild. “Ah...sure...Bluey, Aurora, come eat more.”

Bluey and Aurora had been staring straight at them.

This seemed to peak the man's interest, “Oh, are you a Summoner too?”

Damien blinked a few times, then took a look at the other four people. They were all similar looking women, each with slightly different characteristics. One had cat ears, one with a blue streak in their brown hair (similar to Bluey's). One even had green skin. Are they his summons? Did he make them all look almost the same!?

The man stepped forward as the four woman started setting up camp. First, he walked over towards Aurora, who ran away from him, behind Damien. “Haha, so this one isn't level 10 yet. This one though...” he said, walking towards Bluey.

Bluey held up her hands, getting into boxing-mode.

The man, however, just laughed. “My summons would tear you to shreds if you tried.”

Bluey, not expecting that kind of response, merely blinked.

“Bluey, it's okay, just come over here,” Damien said as he patted the ground next to him, trying to avoid a conflict.

“Hmm, I see you can control them if you want,” the man replied, as if musing.

“Control...?” Damien trailed off.

The man now looked to Betty, “Hmmm...you don't seem like a summon, but...”

Betty seemed to gather up her courage, and replied, “I'm his girlfriend.”

For the first time, the man's smile slipped a bit. “Really? You're in a relationship with a summoner? You know he probably has sex with his summon, right?”

Betty blushed, “It's fine. We have an understanding.”

The man took a moment, then laughed, “Haha, of course. You must have been desperate to date a summoner.”

Betty glowed red in embarrassment.

“I was the one who proposed it, actually.”

The man turned to Damien, then laughed again. “Haha, you must be a man of many tastes. As you can see, I have a certain type,” he said, turning to look at his summons lasciviously.

Damien wasn't sure how to feel. I mean, I have sex with Bluey, but I feel like...no, I know it's different. He just seems...

Betty chimed in, “Are you...Herod?”

The man (Herod?) laughed once more. “I see my reputation precedes me.”

Since all pretense was gone, Betty continued, “Yes. I believe you are part of the reason Summons have a bad reputation. You treat your summons like chattel.”

“They are chattel. And why not? I feed them, take care of them, and as long as they're useful, I don't dismiss them.” He turned and started walking towards his summons, who were kneeling at the entrance to the tent, before turning back around. “By the way, Fire-fox summons are pretty good, but they can be fairly unreliable in terms of surviving. And as for slimes, they are fine at your level but tend to fall off at higher levels.”

Damien took a moment to process what he said. What kind of advice is that? Wait...has he already had those and dismissed them? He looked over at Bluey, who was still staring daggers at him, and felt Aurora still hiding behind him. He was filled with dread at the thought of losing them.

He was broken out of his thoughts by Betty, who pulled his sleeve. “Let's get inside the tent.”

“Will we be okay?”

Betty nodded and gave a smile.

The four of them got into the tent. After Damien latched the opening shut, Betty held up her hands. “Oh Goddess, set a barrier to protect us.”

Damien peaked through the flap, and saw the tent was surrounded by a blue barrier. “Won't he be suspicious?”

Betty shrugged, “Maybe, but I was planning on using it even if he wasn't going to be here. His summons are probably high-level, since he's an Orichalum-rank. His level is above 40.”

Damien blinked a few times. “So we'd be dead regardless.”

Betty seemed conflicted. “I...I don't think he'd kill us.”

“You don't seem entirely sure.”

Betty continued, “There's a difference between being mean and being a murderer.”

Damien shook his head, “He seems to get rid of his summons, by the sound of it...”

Betty blushed, “There's a difference between getting rid of your summons and killing another human, at least in most people's eyes. Not that I agree,” she quickly added, hugging Bluey.

Bluey hugged her back. “I love you Betty.”

Betty blushed, “Th-thanks Bluey. I love you too,” she giggled.

Aurora had already curled up on one of the bedrolls, giving a yawn.

“I agree, let's get some rest, and hope nothing happens.” Damien laid down, and both Bluey and Betty laid down on either side of him, leaning into him.

“Umm...I thought we were going to sleep,” Damien asked.

“We are,” Betty smiled, grabbing his sleeve.

Bluey's forehead connected with his shoulder, but she was already asleep.

Betty giggled seeing this. “I wish I could sleep that easily.” She gave Damien a kiss on the cheek, then closed her eyes, still holding his sleeve.

Damien blushed a bit, looking at the two of them. I guess this is nice.