What immediately struck Qullqi was the view of the city, the myriad colours of the Pastiche Parade blurring under the rain and fog, the covered highways for the automobiles stretching to the horizon, and the shapes of the smaller buildings at the edge of the city are seen as only silhouettes against the flashes of lightning. A chaise lounge stood right by the windows’ side and the merc couldn’t help but to take a relaxed seat on it.

Alana didn’t think twice before sinking into one of the three fluffy beds, meanwhile, Mazeline stood a bit anxious in the middle of the room.

“I am sorry for this; I didn’t expect the society to be led by some so macabre.” the werewolf said.

“Hmm?” Qullqi tilted her head. “Don’t worry. Given the deals of sponsorship, we had available as a completely new adventuring group, I think this is pretty good. I never expected a no-strings-attached deal like they had to not have at least some odd aspect to it.”

“Yeah, it's not so bad,” Alana said, carelessly stretching on the bed, reaching for the ice box that stood just to the side.

“NO!” Qullqi and Mazeline screamed in unison, causing the witch to freeze halfway through opening the device’s door.

“A place this fancy, I cannot imagine how much a single can of soda will cost,” Qull said.

“Absolutely, Alana, dear, you open a single peanuts package in there, and we will spend the next three decades paying off the debts.”

The red-haired witch’s eyes grew wider, and she nodded, slowly closing shut the jaws of the refrigerated trap.

“Is there anything cheaper?” the witch asked. “We got some credit with these cards, right?”

“Let me see if they have some sort of menu we can follow,” Maze answered.

Qull, meanwhile, continued to explore the options of the room, she found out there were foldable room dividers she could set up for extra privacy between the beds, she also found some magazines and board games, since there were no labels or closed boxes to get to them, she assumed they were free, but reluctantly decided to wait until after Maze and Alana looked over the list of services.

“Woah. This bathroom is something else...” Qullqi said as she finally saw the spacious location, like a mini bathhouse with enough space for maybe three or four people to bathe together.

“Oh wow. It is fancy!” Mazeline agreed, having basically teleported behind her.

“I’d almost feel bad for wasting so much water if I used it alone.” Alana pouted.

“Seems like the water is always flowing anyway so don’t worry pup. And even if it didn’t, not like the island is suffering from drought, on the contrary, it's one clogged pipe away from flooding and sinking. That said, we could share.” Mazeline proposed.

“Pass.” Qullqi sighed. “You two enjoy yourselves.”

She expected some attempt at bargaining, but the door was closed in her face before she realized it. Well, she couldn’t be offended they respected her own reservations.

The walls were of such quality that there was complete silence despite the flowing water and chatting going on the other side. Qullqi hadn’t even realized, but it had been days since she had found herself truly and fully alone.

Even when she was part of the mercenary crew, she had not experienced so much noise as she had with Alana and Mazeline, given that she didn’t even sleep in the camp. She had never considered herself an introvert before, just someone who didn’t actively look out for socialization but never felt tired. That said, these last few days had pushed it, mostly because she had truly lost her lone brooding time, to put her ideas in order and reframe her experiences.

Time to start fixing that.

Qullqi rushed to her bed, extending the room divider to delineate her personal space, immediately, she took off her poncho and hat, also opening her blouse and setting aside a crossbody backpack. Each layer taken off reveals straps and belts carrying weapons, ammunition and other items.

She picked up a piece of paper and wrote down how many manas she had left.

5063₥

She was flying too close to the sun with that current balance, her ability to adapt and survive was tied to it until she was back to her homeland, this was not only meant to get her through Lullaby, but it was also, theoretically, how much she would have to cross the ocean and Iarapira as well.

Of course, she assumed she would have other opportunities to work and make money, but she did not feel safe counting on it when this money was what allowed her to fight and eat.

Now it was time to check on her weapons.

First, a Xiuhcoatl produced IXSi Lightning Driver Musket. It had a long, ceramic barrel, easily seen in its matte colour, with an ornate body and handle in treated wood and rubber. The use of metal was minimal. Some people would call it a rifle because it was a long gun, but it had no rifling.

It was her baby, the first foreign, non-government-issued gun, she would never put it on the “to be sold” list even if she was starving and it was completely useless.

And it was not useless, it was reliable in the long range. It fired a triangle-like electricity-resistant projectile often called “Snake Head”, the name was ironic, given that it implied unity between both parts, but the entire process was driven by one aspect conflicting with the other.

The cheapest snakeheads were wooden with a bone or glass tip, about two manas per shot, but you’d have to buy a bundle. But since Qull only ever used her IXSi for long range, she felt like she could afford the greater accuracy of metallic snake heads and, when she felt like her weapon had been good and deserved pampering, she would buy a crystalline one.

The crystalline projectile was made of speciality glass infused with metallic runes that would be isolated from the lightning until the shot hit its target, then the glass would crack, the runes would be infused, and it all would go kaboom in a glorious explosion.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Another popular type were those with a lithium core to create long-lasting electric damage on the target, but that was something you’d use when hunting monsters, it was excessive for humanoids. Then again, it could have been useful against the slime, but that was just a supposition, not enough to justify a bundle... maybe she could ask Maze to acquire some for her with those swift hands she had.

Next, an Atalanawi Huntsman Model E. Her tool of the trade, even if breech-loaded wasn’t the fastest, the possibility of handpicking what type of bullet she wanted to use on it was a worthwhile trade-off. It dealt in the TACO standard enchanted ammunition: Rune, Talisman and Etched. Runes were projectiles that could receive an elemental charge, Talismans were cartridges that had a limited number of sigils, typically one in the primer and one in the bullet, finally, Etched were the ones with complex written commands to them, the most expensive but also the most powerful ones, by far.

Despite being the core piece of her arsenal, Qullqi couldn’t say she was that happy with it. The rough industrial rifling could only use equally rough, industrial cartridges without messing up the symbols imprinted on them, and having no access to artisanal ammunition was a big issue. No stone talismans or custom-made etched bullets was not ideal.

There was also another upgrade that entered her field of view after Mazeline reminded her that now that she travelled with mages, she could have her guns charged by them, something she couldn’t do herself. This made her start to desire a rifle with an elemental revolver, which allowed her to use blank runes and charge them accordingly by spinning the cylinder.

Ironically, having so many options for upgrades gave her current weapon some extra life. She had avoided runes because pre-charged runic bullets were expensive, but if she bought blanks and had Maze and Alana charge them, then she could find extra use in the Huntsman for enough time to gather more resources to buy a much better rifle.

Next, her pistols, currently three.

Her Asimov Blaster, which was never going away, she never used it either, each charge costing her 500₥, but she felt like if she let go, she would immediately face a situation where she would think the gun would have been handy to have.

Next, her Martin S8 Storm Crow. Fancy name, terrible gun. When she first started using it, her first true automatic Protocol compliant weapon, she was in love, but over time the truth was that it was a terrible finisher. She had been using it as suppressing fire, but, now that more magical guns were available to her, a micro auto-caster could work better for her needs, with a higher rate of fire, and only a slight drop in damage in exchange.

Finally, she had a government-issued mechanical slingshot from Runasuyu. She had modified it to the point it went from being a proper pistol to a wrist-mounted thing. It was unsightly, but again, emotional attachment was a beast. Nevertheless, she never found a use for it, but it couldn’t be sold either, so she kept it on her wrist for now.

For melee, she had a silver blade, locally crafted, but a bit too short, it was fun to think of using it against Mazeline, but between it and her earth-attuned talisman sword she would rather keep the latter.

She also had a third blade, a plasma knife, though the quality of the plasma was so low it looked like a cheap candy, syrupy and waxy in texture. Not the type of thing you’d want to bring in a star war, like those of Tikal and other nations in central Wes’hem.

Bladed weapons, in her view, had a much clearer path. She wanted a silver sabre, and she wanted a lance. It pained her to say Mazeline was right, but the use of the naginata by the Tengu agents impressed her, with a good stance you could gain control over a large area.

And that was it! She did one last test on her warding, flashing a blue-ish violet lantern over the vest she wore under her blouse, seeing if any glyph had been damaged.

Then she ordered her items over the shelf and got much comfier, ready for a bath and for sleep, no armour, no holsters and ammunition belts, just the basics, like light and loose clothing, and a knife.

Just by that time, the other two left the bathroom, looking reinvigorated, steam and the fresh floral smell of the bath filling the room.

“Oh, Qull! You gotta try it out!” Alana said happily, tail wagging. “The soaps they have, they like, cleanse your soul. And there is a thingmajig that massages your back... OH WOW. CASUAL QULL??”

As soon as she noticed what Qull was wearing, the dog girl advanced unto her faster than she would think possible.

“MAZELINE LOOK! LOOK! SHE HAS LLAMA SLIPPERS!”

Mazeline chuckled at Alana’s reaction, or perhaps at how Qull went red as it was specifically pointed out.

“Gift from your dad?” Mazeline questioned.

“Oh. Yeah, for good luck. It’s a bit childish I guess, but it has been with me for a while. I even keep it with my supplies bag, specifically for situations like this.” Qull answered, before rushing to the bathroom before Alana continued her attack.

----------------------------------------

They weren’t lying when they said the bath was relaxing, Qull felt like she had melted in that bath, she could barely even think of her worries, which was very rare given how often she would brood in showers. As she walked back into the bedroom, she noticed Maze braiding Alana’s hair.

“Maze isn’t the best at this, bahaha.” Alana teased the grunting Maze, who, Qull now noticed, already had braids in her hair, in Alana’s style, so it was easy to guess what had happened.

“My sisters and brothers always favoured long wild hair; can’t say we had the culture of braiding it,” Maze said.

“And you Qull?” Alana hummed with curiosity.

“Most girls in my village had braided hair, when I was very young, I used to do it, but every time I asked one of the aunties to do it, they would say mean things about how my dad was raising me. Eventually, I decided to go for short hair and be done with it.”

“Ah... Ah.” Alana connected the dots - Qull could see in her sudden change of expression - and had realized why there was a parental figure missing in that explanation.

“I like it this way, I don’t mind being the tomboy of the group,” Qullqi added.

This statement caused the other two to freeze.

“Huh? Tomboy of the group? What do you mean?” Maze tilted her head. “Wait, wait, wait. Qull, rank us three, from most ladylike to most tomboy. Go.”

“Huh? Well, first Alana then...”

“ALANA!?” Maze laughed. “Are you insane!?”

“What do you mean? She is short, cute as a button, wears floral dresses, makes cute noises...”

The werewolf shook her head. “She is the most tomboyish of the group, she is THE archetypical tomboy in fact, the wild child, going around without a care about norms, diving into rivers, getting dirty in the mud, climbing trees, eating food off the ground, being nasty sometimes...”

“There are implications there, implications that could be classified as a war crime against boykind.” Qull chuckled.

“If I understand what tomboyish means, I will say Maze is the most tomboy.” Alan declared.

“What the... Pup, I am the only one here who wears make-up! The only one who does her nails!”

Qull smirked. “I highly doubt sharpening your nails and infusing them with metal counts.”

“Well. I mean.” Alana sighed. “Isn’t a tomboy sporty, noisy and rough? Mazeline is the one who is into that stuff here, she is the one with the muscles.”

“You dogs have such an outdated view of femininity. Now having short hair or going daily to the gym makes you a tomboy? Come on now.” Mazeline sighed. “Alana is the tomboy.”

“Why? Don’t you take dives at rivers and climb trees as well?” Qull clicked her tongue. “Then by your own metrics, you’d be a tomboy as well.”

“Wrong, because I am a huntress and a frontierswoman. It comes from being a very specific type of person doing certain things, a grandma or a modern camper carrying wood isn’t tomboyish, a small girl with a cute dress carrying wood is tomboyish, it's a setup.” Mazeline smirked. “Qull, you are no lady, but I do not grant you the rank of tomboy.”

Alana gasped. “What do you mean? Qull is THE most lady in our group. She has all the manners, she speaks soft, she even covers her mouth when she laughs.”

“I don’t think pistols are ladylike.” Mazeline shrugged. “Swords and martial arts are much more fitting for traditional ladies.”

“That just means Qull is a cool type of lady.”

Qull facepalmed. This was going to last the whole night, wasn’t it?

Well, she might as well join the fight.

“Maze, are you implying you are the most ladylike of the group? Is that a title you are willing to defend with your life?” Qull declared, readying a pillow.