We returned to The Sleepy Dragon briefly to drop my borrowed book back into our room before checking out the job board. I figured since I could actually read it now, I’d hold on to it a little longer and read it that evening.
I ignored all the quests that looked like they involved monsters and picked off the easy-looking errands around town. Bruiser convinced me to take a request to rid a cellar of dire-rats as well, making the point that I better learn to use my sword on easy enemies rather than risking getting gored by a Minotaur or something later. I remembered Bastion’s Minotaur-inflicted wounds that I’d healed the first day I’d met him and hurriedly snatched the job to add to my pile.
I didn’t particularly want to go stab a bunch of rats, but I also didn’t want to get murdered due to my lack of fighting skills later, either.
Bruiser stayed by my side as I wandered from building to building, delivering letters and packages without once uttering a complaint. He gave me information or directions when asked, but never once stepped in to advise me on anything unless I asked for it.
I couldn’t help but remember the way James used to refuse to come to the mall with me and often used to lump me with doing the groceries.
“You’re the accountant,” he’d tell me, trying to frame it as though I had some magical ability to make our groceries cost less, but when it came down to it, I think he just considered groceries a peripheral of the kitchen and therefore women’s work. It would be pretty typical of him, from what I’d seen of this world.
Navigating the streets and knocking on the doors of people’s private homes had made me realize the severe gender imbalance in this world. Ninety percent of adventurers seemed to be males, with the odd female in bikini-armour thrown in, while the people needing home deliveries were largely women wearing aprons who seemed to be perpetually sweeping or hanging out laundry.
If I ever got out of this world, I’d be hacking into James’ files to give these women an update, including vacuum cleaners, washer-dryers, and some goddamned feminist rights.
I mentioned this to Bruiser, and he nodded, expressing again that there was something fundamentally wrong with the creator.
“How are you so self-aware?” I pulled him to the side of the street to ask him. “No one else seems to be able to engage with these kinds of conversations.”
“My kind are more connected with the world itself,” he said thoughtfully. “Shifters are… adaptive. I’ve felt the world changing for a while now, and it hasn’t just been the wars. Most beings here seem set on repetitive paths. If they’re an adventurer, they take jobs until they meet an untimely end more often than not. Civilians rarely change paths either. You’ve recognized already how many civilians seem to be stuck in repetitive loops of tasks. And you can bet that tomorrow many of those tasks will be back on the noticeboard again. There are the odd exceptions, but it seems for most it’s difficult to break out of those patterns.”
“Maybe it’s like you’ve broken out of your programming,” I said thoughtfully. It felt wrong to say he had developed intelligence, because I didn’t want to think what that would imply about Brick, but he had more self-awareness. But there definitely seemed to be a difference between Brick, Bastion, Kira, Lily and Bruiser compared to the other shopkeepers or sweeper-women. It was like the difference between a companion character and an NPC. Someone who had a personality and a filler-character just there to fulfill a role.
“Keep trying with the others,” Bruiser advised me. “They will probably begin to engage with you more over time.”
“How can you be sure?” I asked.
“Because before today I had suspicions about this world, but nothing concrete. Since talking with you… I’ve had all manner of thoughts I would not have otherwise had,” he furrowed his brow in thought. “And Brick… I would not have expected him to want to buy a house and settle down. I believe you have changed him more than you think.”
Hope spring in my chest, but my good mood was dampened when Bruiser insisted we get on with our errands and deal with the dire-rats.
It was messy work, and my boots got covered in blood, but by the end of the mission, I was very close to Level Five. I could feel it. It felt a bit like cheating at times, because Bruiser stomped on the rats for me first to get their health low enough that I could kill them with one easy stab. He’d even held the first couple down for me while I sliced their heads off.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
When I got back to the room, all I wanted was a bath. Bruiser left me to it, taking some time to visit Bonaparte and clean our gear. When I finally came out, he was buffing my boots with leather polish. I smiled at him and offered to go downstairs and fetch our dinners.
Kira was busy fleecing a goblin out of all he was worth, accusing him of breaking a barstool I knew had been broken a few days prior. Kira had likely mended it with weak glue for this very purpose.
I ordered meals of vegetable mash and ale, remembering Bruiser’s comments about the spoiled meat in the stew. I still had to occasionally pick cat hairs out of my food, but I suppose that was part and parcel of ordering food from a feliskin.
I waited at the bar until it was ready, then balanced them on a tray up the stairs. I found myself actually looking forward to eating with Bruiser. It was hard to believe that twenty-four hours ago I’d hated him with the fire of a thousand suns.
He thanked me for the meal and sat by the fireside to eat, while I propped Lily’s book open and read about spells. I felt like they made sense, but I could only remember one at a time. As soon as I tried to learn another, it was like it would shove the other spell out of my head completely.
“Your capacity will grow as you level up,” Bruiser informed me when I asked him about it. “It’s why it can be handy to purchase the books and have your own library of them. For now, choose the one you think you could use the most. That will help you to increase the level of your magic skill as well as your base level.”
I bypassed the healing spells, figuring I already had my Healing Song, and selected the sleep spell I had first noticed.
I lay down in bed and closed my eyes, navigating my settings menu as best I could. I asked Bruiser advice, and he instructed me on how to find out more about my abilities, sitting next to me and answering any questions I had.
Mitsy
Race: Succubus
Class: Healer
Level Four
Health: 500
Mana: 500
Race: Succubus
Abilities: Healing Song, Succubus Slime, Persuasion, Seduction.
Magic Abilities: Sleep LVL 1.
Intelligence: 5 (+2=7)
Charisma: 18 (-1=17)
Stamina: 15
Strength: 5
Magic: 16
Dexterity: 15
Accessories: Adorkable Glasses +2 Intelligence -1 Charisma
With a little context, the numbers made a little more sense, although I still didn’t know exactly what my stats would impact. I supposed dexterity would help if I ever tried to use a bow and arrow or pick a lock. Maybe I’d have better luck with those skills than trying to attack monsters with blunt force objects.
“How do I find out more about my abilities?”
“You just focus on them. Their details should expand. When you want to go back, just look away.”
I did as told and an expanse of writing filled in my vision.
PERSUASION – The ability to influence others through persuasive words or actions. Unlocks conversation and action options unavailable to others. LEVEL ONE 20% SUCCESS RATE.
SEDUCTION – The ability to influence others through attraction. Unlocks conversation and action options unavailable to others. Unlocks the ability to form relationship bonds with other characters. LEVEL TWO 30% SUCCESS RATE.
HEALING SONG – The ability to heal any wound through singing. Only available to races imbued with life magic. LEVEL FOUR HEALING RATE 15%/SECOND.
SUCCUBUS SLIME – A mysterious slime produced by succubus that can heal any wound. Incredibly rare and valuable in apothecaries.
I felt my brain curdling whenever I tried to figure out what the percentage numbers and multipliers meant, but I figured that as I used each ability, the stats would increase, but I’d get a better handle on using them in practice rather than by trying to crunch numbers.
I wondered why there was nothing about my pheromone pores in there, but Bruiser said it was probably because it was an anatomy thing and there was nothing about my other bodily organs either.
I’d had enough of numbers and definitions and opened my eyes to see Bruiser watching me with an odd expression. He looked like he was trying to solve a puzzle.
I felt that familiar warmth spread through me, and sat halfway up, propping my hands on my pillow behind me.
“What is it?” I asked, watching his eyes dilate.
“Your smell changed,” he informed me huskily, and I found myself blushing. I still wasn’t used to dealing with someone who could smell when I was attracted to them.
“I don’t intend to act on it,” I whispered, half as a reminder to myself. I found myself wanting to, though.
“And you’re sure you don’t want me to act on it?” He leaned in slightly closer, and I could tell by the way his eyes hooded that he could smell my attraction spiking as well.
“We shouldn’t,” I said, though I felt a hot twisting in my core. “I’m seeing Brick. It wouldn’t be fair to him.”
He hovered an inch from me, neither of us seeming to be able to move away. I felt those traitorous feelings rise up in me again, only this time it wasn’t that I didn’t want them - it was that I knew I shouldn’t want them as much as I did.
I heard him inhale sharply and knew he had picked up on the feelings of lust that were shooting through my body. His head lowered, and his nose came to rest on my pheromone pores, his lips barely touching my skin. It wasn’t even a kiss, but he inhaled, deep and long, breathing me in.
I raised one hand up to his face, cupping his cheek with my hand. He leaned into it, trusting and affectionate.
My lips parted, and I uttered one word: “Sleep.”
My spell took effect, and he slumped forwards until he was lying on top of me.
I threaded my fingers into his hair, holding his head tightly and trembled.
I wanted him. I wasn’t just attracted to him. I wanted him.
And I wanted Brick too. I just didn’t know how to break it to him.