As the sun dipped low in the west, the group sat on the beach, talking, drinking, and swapping stories. They had finished the progression and then played games and watched performers all throughout the afternoon. After eating at the large communal banquet, they made their way to the shore. Kerrig, Vexor, and the tiny mouseling, Taylyn, had expanded the gathering.
It did not take long before the storytelling of past adventures and misfortunes began. The current story was about the diminutive demolitionist and how her training had nearly decimated the guildhouse.
“So, Myllo’s next construct for her was this huge behemoth of a thing,” Kerrig exclaimed, holding his hands way out to illustrate the construct’s enormity.
“Considering how his smaller golems had fared, I think he was getting frustrated,” Tez added, sitting on a beach chair he had dragged over. The rest of the group were either sitting on an old log that had survived the storm or on the sand, leaning up against the trunk of a palm tree that had not. The fallen tree’s bark was a bit rough on Joe’s back, but with Kenda sitting at his side, leaning her back against his chest, he didn’t mind at all. She was holding the hand he had draped over her shoulder.
They were all basking in the comforting light of Joe’s [Heart Fire], which he had placed in the middle of the ring of guilders. Bottles of spirits were making causal rotations around the group.
“So, Myllo tells Tay to go ahead. ‘Don’t hold back,’ he says. Cause he’s sure she won’t even be able to scratch his juggernaut automaton.” Kerrig faltered in his storytelling, unable to stop chuckling. Meanwhile, the little explosive expert hid her face in her tiny hands. Vexor placed a hand lightly on her back, giving her a friendly bit of reassurance.
The defender’s laughter abated enough for him to continue. “So she does exactly what he told her to do. She charges up a full power [Seed Bomb], all the while dodging the big metal bot, which seemed to be terrible at targeting someone as small as Taylyn.”
“We were waiting and watching behind the shields,” Vex adds. “I had never seen Tay charge anything for that long before. Even so, I was pretty sure she was toast. We’ve watched both Naragash and Edror fight Myllo’s juggernaut and get pulverized. But then, the acorn started glowing so brightly, I could barely look at it.”
“So she lobs the bomb against the golem and casts her [Blast Shield]. The acorn goes ‘tink’ against the metal,” Kerrig says, tapping a finger to his chest and then dropping his hand downward, pantomiming something bouncing off him. “Then KABOOM!” he shouted. “It blows the juggernaut to bits. It blows out the training field shields, knocking all of us on our asses. It blows in the back doors of the guildhouse and even cracks the wall. It breaks every window in a three-block radius.”
“Worst of all,” Kendall interjects, “is it burned off half of Myllo’s hair. One eyebrow, the whole left side of his head, and … half his precious beard.”
“I really didn’t mean to,” the mouseling squeaked. Taylyn was even shorter than a gnome, standing about 18 inches tall. She looked pretty much like a large mouse, except her legs were developed so she could comfortably walk upright. She was wearing a pretty red skirt and patterned vest.
“Don’t be sorry, Taylyn,” Tezeno declared. “You were just following orders. Myllo should have better gauged your power levels before setting you that challenge. Everything was repaired in a couple of days.”
“Except for Myllo,” Kerrig guffawed. “Being part fey meant that all that hair of his is fundamental essence. He couldn’t regrow it with cosmetic magics. He had to wait for it to grow back naturally. And it took weeks.”
“You didn’t have to work with him every day while it was coming back in,” Kendell lamented, throwing a seashell at the warrior. “He was such a bear until it grew back.” She picked up a tiny glass, about the size of a thimble, and filled it for Taylyn before handing the bottle to Hah’roo. “So, we have a new rule now. Myllo is not allowed to train new members before we finish power assessments.”
“And we never ask Tay for full power,” Kerrig added.
“Unless it’s a legendary monster attacking the town,” Vexor corrected.
Joe turned and looked at the tiny little woman, but Hah’roo beat him to his question.
“Those blasts were you?” the wind-dancer asked. Even with her lackadaisical, breathy voice, she sounded astonished.
“Partially. Myllo built the delivery ballista, but yeah, the blasts were mine,” the little lady stated proudly.
“How many times did you level?” Joe queried, having no idea what she would have gotten for breaking that second form. All day, people were celebrating new levels. The Rattler Squad had averaged two or three new levels each. One very new recruit admitted to having gained seven, and the force of it knocked him completely out for a few minutes. In general, most of the town had seen a boost of at least one level.
“Five. It was amazing. That pushed me high enough to break 20.”
Taylyn Dale: Mouseling: Mystic/Grenadier 20
“Congrats,” several of the group cheered.
They toasted the mousling's gains and bantered around for a new story. After a few minutes, they convinced Hah’roo to tell a tale of her travels. As Joe had already heard this one, he found himself focusing on the woman sitting against him. They had been holding hands for much of the night but had not yet kissed again. Instead, it felt like they were enjoying growing comfortable with each other.
At the moment, he was happier than he had been in as long as he could remember. He really liked being part of this group in a way he had never been able to allow himself to do back on Earth. He felt an almost sisterly kinship with Hah’roo. He would trust Earcellwen with his life. Tezeno too. The bond forming between himself and Kenda was amazing. It was as if somehow he had stoked a [Heart Fire] inside his own chest.
Joe let his gaze wander around the group when he became aware that there was a strange red ribbon on the ground beside Earcellwen. He also noted that the pull on his mana from the [Heart Fire] had just increased. The line reminded Joe of the city-watch’s formation magic. There seemed to be numerous little specks that seemed to be sharing a health pool. As the [Heart Fire] pulsed, all the flecks’ health auras grew slightly brighter. Even so, the aura’s deep red spoke of massive damage. Whatever it was, it was on the verge of dying out. For some reason, Joe felt very reluctant to draw attention to the phenomenon, but at the same time, he thought that something needed his help.
“One sec,” he whispered to Kenda, sliding out from behind her. He crossed out of the light, keeping his [Eyes of the Healer] active. They would probably assume he was just going to find a tree, but Joe followed the wandering streak of red auras into the dark instead.
When he reached a larger mass, Joe cast [Healing Wave] and watched the auras of the whole cluster grow brighter. He reached down, and several of the motes moved to his hand. There was enough light from his magical fire, enhanced by [Night Eyes], for him to see his hand was covered in bugs: ants, centipedes, beetles, and more. They were all connected. It was as if a swarm of insects were all pieces of the same creature.
Joe cast [Healing Touch], and the mass of motes condensed around him. Some forms took to the air, buzzing circles around his head. Many of them settled on his shoulders and in his hair. He had never had a problem with most insects, even the stinging varieties. Spiders freaked him out on some instinctive level that he had never really been able to dispel. Thankfully, he had not seen any arachnids, so Joe forced himself not to consider that idea too deeply, or he might start wigging out.
He healed a second time, watching as each spell rejuvenated the health of the whole swarm. Surprisingly, there was no window telling Joe what he was healing. Joe almost yelped in surprise when a chorus of tiny voices spoke in concert.
“ThThThananank yoooooouuu, JJJooooooe,” they uttered in concert.
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“Yuk?”
“Yeeeeeesssssss,” the voices whispered faintly.
“I can barely hear you. Hold on, let me heal more.” As Joe was about to cast his primary healing spell again, a window opened for his attention.
Yuk has invited you to join his party. Accept / Decline?
Joe consented, but when he looked at the party menu.
P
A
R
T
Y
Name
Level
Classes
Health
(Current/Max - %)
Stamina
(Current/Max - %)
Mana
(Current/Max - %)
Yuk
??
? / ?
242 / 458 - 53%
16 / 1365 - 1%
1,957/ 2,306 - 85%
Joe
16
Healer / Fell Bane Druid
1081 / 1081 - 100%
1933 / 1956 - 84%*
4,016/ 5,020 - 68%*
Considering the two heals had delivered 228 health and a few more points from the [Heart Fire], Yuk must have been on the cusp of death.
Yuk is attempting to form a [Parasitic Connection]. Accept / Decline?
Joe was a bit more dubious of this one, but he recalled how Myllo gave the raggedy guilder his complete trust in the meeting. Wincing, Joe accepted. He felt a pinch on the inside of his upper arm. Twisting the limb, he saw a tick embedded into his skin above the hairy resistance end of his arm. Revelused, Joe almost plucked the thing out until a voice spoke in his head.
“Much better. We hate talking out loud. Always sounds awful,” a telepathic voice stated. There was something very alien about those shared thoughts, even when they added the being’s gratitude. “You saved our life, Joe. Didn’t think we were going to make it to the guildhouse. Dumb luck; stumbling into your fire by accident.”
“Should I get the others Yuk?” he thought back, healing again. Yuk’s health rose to 78%. Joe then noticed how low the collective creature's stamina was, so he hit him with [Efferous Endurance] as well.
“No, please. We’re already better. Wish Myllo paired us with you instead of that dick warlock. With stamina, we can grow bigger; can add more vermin.”
Joe saw more flecks around them join into Yuk’s communal health while the newly recovered stamina dipped before refilling again, thanks to the buff. The aura was now just tinted red with the last bit of damage, which Joe removed with one final [Healing Touch]. Yuk was now a blue aura to his [Eyes of the Healer]. Except for the mass of bugs in Joe’s hand, the fragments of Yuk were almost impossible to see with his normal vision. Even with [Night Eyes], individual bugs in the darkness were virtually undetectable.
“We can make it from here.” Yuk announced. The presence in Joe’s mind grew earnest. “We owe you, Joe. If you need anything, just ask; we’ll be there. Do us one more favor, please.”
“Shoot,” Joe thought and uttered back.
“Please don’t tell the others about us; not safe. Myllo and Edror know; nobody else.”
“Sure. If Myllo knows, then I’m okay staying quiet.” Joe asserted. “But can I tell them you are alive? Earcellwen was really worried about you.”
“We like her. Yeah, yeah. Please do that,” the gestalt being affirmed. The words were slowing in their delivery. Even though it was just a voice in Joe’s head, the being behind them sounded weary. Despite the boost from [Efferous Endurance], Yuk was clearly spent.
“Great. So, can I do anything else for you? Mana boost?”
“Nope; we’re good. Go back to friends. We’ll find you later.”
The swarm of bugs slid off Joe’s hand and moved off towards the center of the city. A few seconds later, both the party and the presence in Joe’s head ended. The only sign a parasite had been in his skin was just a faint pink dot on Joe’s arm. He watched the slithering aura fade into the night before returning to the party around his [Heart Fire].
“There he is,” Vexor declared as Joe stepped into the light. “We thought you got lost out there. I was just about to send Ker to rescue you,” the devil-kin smirked.
The mage had found a solution to his scent problem for Joe that did not require the blazing candle. Holy oil, judiciously applied to his skin, masked most of the infernal scent that overwhelmed Joe’s scent ability. Joe had also begun to develop a bit of tolerance against it as well. Both Vex and Naragash were distracting as hell, literally, but Joe could function around them now.
The oils must have faded through the day, forcing Joe to breathe shallowly as he passed the teasing cambion. “Nope, just ran into a friend. I have good news for you guys. I just saw Yuk. He is alive and heading back to the guild.”
Happy exclamations and questions flooded Joe. He held up his hands and countered, “I don’t know much other than he was badly hurt and exhausted. I patched him up, so he was in no danger anymore but was in desperate need of sleep. He said he’d find me tomorrow. If I hear more before you guys do, I’ll let you know.” Joe settled down next to Kendell again and asked, “So, did Hah’roo get to the rope bridge part yet?” he asked to change topics.
She had, and the wind-dancer picked up her story again. By the tale's end, she had them howling with laughter as the lecherous bandit got his just rewards. Earcellwen ended the stories with a full recounting of her coming to Yuk’s aid against the dire corbies. Knowing what he now knew of the odd guilder, Joe could see how the corbies would not have been much danger to the sentient swarm and how he would have difficulty fighting the swift marauders.
Taylyn had fallen asleep by the end. Kerrig picked her up, stating he and Vex would see her home. Hah’roo and RC, who were quickly becoming fast friends, decided to see if they could find a tavern that was still open late. With knowing smiles, they invited Tezeno to join them, leaving Joe and Kenda alone together.
The pair simply sat together for a few minutes, watching the fire, very aware of where the bodies met. Kendell squeezed Joe’s arm and spoke first.
“Do you want to stay here?” she asked quietly.
“Um. Yeah … if you do.” Joe heard his reply and wanted to cringe. He had just dropped the decision back on her, which was surely not what she hoped for. Joe had never been here with anyone before. He mustered his courage and asked, “Do you have to be home anytime soon?”
“No. Actually, given the hour, Mom and Dad will not expect me at all. If I’m not back shortly after sundown, they assume I’m sleeping at the guildhouse.”
“Great,” Joe professed happily. “I’m not sure I’m up for more crowds or people, so I’d rather not follow Hah’roo, Tez, and Earcellwen.”
“Me either, but my butt could use a break from the ground. Do you want to go to the guild … or your place?”
Joe immediately felt a wave of nerves wash over him. He very much wanted to spend time with her alone. Suddenly, his head was spinning. Thoughts of the implications of where tonight might lead and how that could change what was growing between him and this woman started chasing themselves around in his head. Then there was the terror that this churning mental turmoil was going to make him falter further and say something stupid. That new dread added itself to the growing frenzy.
Just as Joe was about to blurt out something, even though he had no idea what was about to fall out of his mouth, a rumbling growl rose from his gut.
The pulsation was not spoken but felt, reverberating around inside himself. The wildness surged over the chaos he was burying himself in and chased every frantic thought away. In the following moment, Joe was silent inside. Poised. Waiting. Aware. He felt the breeze off the ocean across his back. He felt the warmth of the [Heart Fire] and Kendell’s body against his front. He was aware of how he was sitting and how she was holding her breath as she waited for his answer. He felt the moment where his words were needed and the assurance to say what he wanted, not what his fears might have conjured.
“My place. The study or the dorm rooms at the guildhouse aren’t too bad, but I think I’d rather spend tonight with just you. If that’s ok with you.”
“I’m the one who suggested it.” She stood, stretching and rubbing her bum as Joe rose beside her. Taking his hand, they meandered off the beach and through the quieting streets.