I had missed being in between these two so much. Even with all the chaos around us the sounds of battle, I was at peace. The sounds of battle eventually died down, and I focused my hearing to make sure it was the adventurers who had won.
It’d be really awkward if we lost while sitting over here.
I heard two of the voices approaching and talking. A merlady and a human dude walked in and assessed the scene, spotting us huddled against the wall.
“Glad to see you’re alive, and you even found your partner,” the merlady said.
“Hi, I’m the partner. Nice to meet you,” I said, exhaustion seeping into my words.
“I’m Bailey. Hell of a job you did with these kids. They’re hungry as hell, but we haven’t noticed many serious injuries.”
“Wish I could’ve done more. Some..some didn’t make it.” I was grateful that I lacked the energy to cry as I remembered my failure.
Her face hardened and she knelt down to my level. “You saved a lot of kids. You’re barely out of the Tutorial yourself; you can’t expect to be able to save everyone all by yourself, okay?”
I weakly nodded my head.
She continued. “I think we’ve finished clearing out all the bandits in here, so we just need to get the kids and start on our way back.”
“Yay. Lemme check if we got them all.”
I did a thorough echolocation of the whole mine.
“Four bandits left. Three under the rubble and one trying to go deeper in the second tunnel.”
The human ran off to deal with the runner.
“Sorry about your arms. Do you remember where they were cut off? The guild could get someone to heal them in recognition of your work here, and it’s a lot cheaper if you still have the hands instead of making them from scratch. I’d hate to see a talent like you retire so early.”
All three of us chuckled, confusing the merlady. “Lost the arms before I registered with the Guild,” I explained.
Her confusion grew, so I retold our usual tale.
People are really baffled by the lack of hands.
I was still too exhausted to stand, so I took up residence on Corby’s back as we left the mines along with the kids. As Corby walked out of the save, it felt like I was being blinded.
Fuck, was the sun always this damn bright?
As my eyes adjusted to natural light again, I saw that the rest of the kids were squinting as well.
“Alright, put me down against a wall, and I’ll start healing everyone.”
“Do I need to put you down for that?” He said apprehensively.
“I guess not, but it’s not like I’m going to disappear if you set me down.”
He didn’t say anything in response, but he did give me a look that made me wither into agreement. I had already given him enough grief lately.
The kids were sent through the line first. Some of them required full verses to heal, but many just needed a simple “heal,” to get the job done; it was a very pleasant surprise. I even saw both of the Gloomy girls, now not-so-gloomy. They were in decent shape once you looked past the weeks of malnutrition, so that was a relief.l. Apparently, their actual names were Allison and Barbara. I didn’t want to call two people Allie, so I dubbed them Lisa and Barb. I chatted them up a little while waiting for my mana to recover a little. I was already fighting a wicked mana-deprivation headache.
“You’re looking a lot better than the last time I saw you kids.”
“Thanks! You…don’t.,” Barb said.
I chuckled at that. “Don’t you worry. I’ll be fine in no time. I’m just sleepy, so I’m gonna nap on this cutie’s back later.” I leaned over a little. “I totally made out with him earlier.”
“Nymmmm,” Corby whined.
The kids giggled. The line continued after them until I made my way through all the kids. Then, I went to work on the adventurers. I had healer’s prerogative, so I healed my friends first. I couldn’t prioritize them over the kids without a fuss, but I had no qualms about playing favorites with my heals.
I was utterly exhausted, so everyone got the same lyrics because I couldn’t be bothered to think of lyrics.
“Healing sounds go woo woo
I am super freaking tired
Magic makes things go pew pew
Something something expired.”
As soon as I was done with the heals, I crashed hard. I desperately needed sleep. When I woke up, I was feeling much better. It had been so long since I allowed myself to sleep this much. I was also excited because reuniting with Bea and Corby also meant I was reunited with my butt wiper. I had sorely missed that thing the past few weeks.
It was already night when I woke up, so I offered to stay up and cover the night shift now that I was a little more refreshed. Corby and Bea each stayed up with me for half of it. It was nice to sit back and relax with them again. We didn’t even talk much; it was just cuddles and enjoying each other’s company. I also used the time to sift through the mountain of System notifications I had been ignoring since I got to the mines.
There were some kill notifications. A lot of kill notifications...but I screened those out and focused on the rest. I had gotten a bunch of levels from that trip, which I guessed made sense with all the mortal danger and kill notifications. I also saw I was close to topping off my level for the last running skill. I was hoping when I got all of them to the same level, some of them would merge since I had so many skills related to my feet and running. I decided I would start running circles around the group as we made our way back to the capital. Kids were so painfully slow, anyways.
I was also able to spend some quality time with my boyfriend and my girlfriend.
Hehe, I have a boyfriend and a girlfriend.
I was still giddy about that. I would constantly surprise-attack them by jumping on them and nuzzling them, occasionally kissing them–the kids all made retching sound effects whenever they saw me do that. Neither Corby nor Bea seemed romantically interested in the other. Maybe that would change; maybe it wouldn’t. But they were happy with me and the whole situation, so we were all content and feeling fuzzy from the buzz of newly solidified relationships.
While we were on the road, I found another prime opportunity to jump on Bea. I landed on her shoulders and nuzzled into her. I had learned to avoid nuzzling her horns, though.
You’re just going to keep doing that, aren’t you?
“Of course. You’re too cuddly to resist. So tell me about your last couple weeks! I wanna hear everything.”
Bea recounted Corby’s and her trip out here. Guilt hit me like a land whale as she described how out of sorts Corby had been. I really didn’t enjoy putting him through that. It was worse because I somehow managed to keep doing it. Still, her story wasn’t all doom and gloom.
“It’s awesome that you were able to stand up for yourself against that fucker. I’m going to glare at them super hard next time I see them. Although, I think I’ve only seen three humans–three adults, anyway. And one of those was that Bentley guy.”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Yeah, they lost one of their guys in the rescue.
“Huh. I don’t know how to feel about that. They helped you save all these kids, but they also treated you like crap. I guess I should offer my condo-whatevers when I see them next. I’m going to run around the caravan for a while. Want a ride?”
I could see her start to cast and cut her off. “And I won’t stray away from the group and get myself into trouble.”
I think it’s Corby’s turn for a ride. Don’t want him to feel left out.
“Good idea. But I plan on letting you both ride me a whole lot, so don’t stress the turns thing.”
I felt her grow hotter as she blushed and I hopped off, basking in the glow of victory. I did another couple of laps and found the humans hanging out in the back of the caravan.
“Howdy, I’m Nym!”
“Yeah, we know. The fuck do you want?”
“I just wanted to thank you for joining the mission and say I’m sorry about your friend. Although my gratitude doesn’t extend to letting you mistreat Bea.”
They shifted uncomfortably, then resumed their angry bluster. “Shove your apology up your ass. Pete died trying to save your worthless ass.” The short one spit as he said it.
“That’s why I’m apologizing. You suffered a loss because of me and I feel like shit about that. You being assholes does help a little with the guilt. Still, you guys helped save kids I was too weak to protect on my own, so I respect you as adventurers even if I don’t respect you as people.”
“Get the fuck out of here!” the short one shouted again. The taller one hadn’t said anything. He just looked somber and tired. It was an energy I understood all too well.
I started to leave and look for Corby, but thankfully he already seemed to be coming towards us.
Uh oh, he looks mad. Did I do something to upset him? I haven’t done anything yet…I don’t think.
“You alright? They give you any trouble?”
“Oh, no, I just went over to thank them and apologize.”
“Them?!”
“Yeah, I mean, I also told them I wouldn’t stand for them messing with Bea, but they still came out here to help people, myself included. One of them even died for it.”
“Still, I don’t trust them. I’d rather not see you get stabbed by another party member.”
“Good point. But they don’t seem like completely awful people. They just need to grow up a little is all…probably.”
“Can they at least grow up somewhere not near us?”
“I’m sure we’ll be off doing some other crazy thing soon enough.”
“...afraid of,” Corby muttered.
“What was that?”
“Never mind,” Corby said. His mouth said smile, but his eyes said brooding.
“Oh, that’s what I wanted to ask you! Want a ride on my back while I run in circles?”
“Why are you–no, I know better than to ask. Sure, I’ll tag along.” Corby climbed on and I set off. He seemed much more comfortable about touching me nowadays. Gone were the days of him flinching and closing his eyes whenever he bathed me. His guilt over my arms was still there, but I’d get that out of him one way or another. Now, both of them took turns taking care of me, which added some variety to my life and some breaks into theirs. I still didn’t feel great about being taken care of and bothering them, but at least now it was a problem divided between them.
Surprisingly, some of the kids took inspiration from my running and started upping their pace. Lisa and Barb were especially dedicated to their running, keeping it up even after we stopped for the night. When they got tired, I would let them hang on my back and we’d chat as I ran.
“You want to be adventurers?” I asked.
“Yup!” They both chimed in unison.
“Well, running is pretty good training for that. What kind of builds are you guys hoping to move towards?”
“I wanna be a mage and make things go boom!” Lisa said.
“I wanna be a nimble fighter like you!” Barb said.
Counseling them on their builds became part of the routine of our march. Corby and I talked to Barb while Bea talked a lot to Lisa. We helped them choose some general skills that would be useful and helped train them while we moved. They still had three more years to train before their Tutorial ended, so they had plenty of time to hone themselves into the people they wanted to be.
By the fourth day of nonstop running, I got what I was looking for, and it was a whopper.
Hell yeah, though I guess I should double check what the skill actually is.
You have tempered your legs into instruments of death in near constant motion. You use them to eat, fight, and run everywhere. legs are resistant to injury while uncovered and you can move faster. Enhanced nimbleness and kicking power. Increased jumping power. Kicking power is based off of Zoom. Reduced Stamina for all leg-related activity. 2% running speed, resistance, and stamina reduction per level.
Oh, shit, this is amazing. My feet are awesome. Which is great, since I don’t have much else to work with. Better resistance with my full leg is a game changer.
Okay, now I need two more General skills. What do I need? Something to help deal with exhaustion would be nice. Time spent sleeping could be time spent training or kissing people.
Got anything for that, System?i
Sleep is for the Weak: You have repeatedly forwent a full night’s rest to accomplish your goals. Your body needs less rest to be at peak condition. .1% per level.
Scaling is on the low side, but it’s a General skill, so I can’t really ask for much more. I’ll be able to never sleep when I get to level…1,000? Math is hard. Maybe I’ll find something better, but I’ll take it for now.
Now what else do I need? Maybe improving my aim? I do seem to be kicking a lot of things at people lately.
I grinded my skills along the way, taking more night shifts and kicking things around to improve my aim. Not long after we made it to the main road leading back to the capital, we found a group of guards coming towards us. Once they caught sight of us, they seemed incredibly on edge. I made my way to the front of the group, flanked by a very protective Bea and Corby. Bailey and Bentley also joined us. The rest looked out for the flanks, trying to ward off any monsters left in the area. The adventurers who had lost a party member in the mines were still glaring at me. Unfortunately, Corby was right about one thing: I wasn’t going to let my guard down again just because they were adventurers. The guards stopped their approach a few meters outside of my aura, and I was doubtful I could get any closer without arousing suspicion. They eyed our group up and down.
“Halt! Why are adventurers transporting Tutorial brats with no parents?” Guard 1 asked, his voice all gruff and authoritarian.
“We were on a rescue mission to help these kids. They were being held as wage slaves,” Bentley said.
The guards looked startled and concerned at that. Guard 1 quickly regained their composure. “Ah, yes, I heard the reports from the Guild about supposedly abducted kids. Good that you found them. Where were they?”
“Thank you,” Bentley said diplomatically. “We found them in a mine the bandits were occupying.”
“Did you find any contraband?”
Bradley gave a polite smile. “Per Guild guidelines, any and all potential items obtained during the rendering of services are forfeit to the adventurers.” A very non-answer answer. Bentley looked like he hated doing this, which definitely improved my already solid opinion of him.
“I see,” Guard 1 said, clearly irritated.
Before he could start again, Bentley smoothly wiggled us out of the situation. “If you’ll pardon us, we’d like to make it to the capital today and it’s a long journey, especially for kids who have already been through so much.”
The guards looked at each other and my suspicions grew. I remembered hearing the bandit captain talking about having things covered.
Hey, I remembered a thing!
I got a vague mocking sense as another chunk of mana left. I focused back on the guards who were now moving past us, looking all tense and stuff. The rescue party didn’t stop tensing till they were out of view. The kids seemed to have picked up on the tension as well, but I couldn’t tell if they knew why.
Bentley sagged his shoulders. “Thank Harvae that’s over. I hate having to do political crap. Bailey gets away without having to do any now that we’re stationed here since a lot of the humans don’t like non-humans.”
“Yeah, all that bigotry really is such a great thing for me,” Bailey said dryly. Bentley paled a little and started apologizing to his partner as we continued on our way.
Name: Nymia
Age: 18
Species: Rabbitfolk+ Lv. 88
Class 1: Musical Medic Lv. 39
Class 2: Student of the Unorthodox Blade Lv. 14
Stats:
Bonk: 154+15
Zoom: 395
Sturdy: 142+14
Senses: 392
Brain: 151
Mana: 204
Willpower: 347+305
Free points remaining: 0
Class Skills
* Sound magic Lv. 39
* Soundproof Lv. 39
* Calming Music Lv. 9
* Healing Words Lv. 34
* Medical Knowledge Lv. 18
Class 2 Skills
* Weird Stabbies Lv 14
* Easy Stabbies Lv. 14
* Studying Stabbies Lv. 1
* Zoom Stabs Lv. –
* Must stab weird Lv. –
General Skills
* No Sleep! Lv. 10
* Dodge! Lv 88
* Accuracy Lv. 15
* Sneaky Lv 88
* Stubbornness Lv 88
Species Skills
* Feet of Thunder
* Enhanced Senses
* Forage
* Burrow
* Cuddles