“I still can’t believe we found the entrance to real ruins! I only recognized half of the runes on the door but I intend to research the rest and see what I can find. Liam, you promise you’ll help me, right? You said they stood for different concepts?” Kassandra begged for the fourth or fifth time that day already. I’d made the mistake of mentioning I was able to get vague meanings from the runes on the door even if they didn’t spell out words specifically and she’d been wending back to the subject every hour or so while we walked.

We’d taken the time to inspect the massive doors and the cavern, finding nothing more than the nest of the crag hunter and some other piles of rubble and rusted metal. While Kassandra sketched the door and its runes, Rieka and I had searched the crag hunter’s nest and found a few bits and baubles to show that the creature had picked off travelers or explorers in the past and we’d shared the items amongst our group.

Kassandra had acquired a curved belt knife as long as her forearm. For someone her size it was more of a short sword, but it still served as a good back-up weapon. We’d found it under a pile of bones. The sheath had rotted away in time but the blade still gleamed in the morning light when she brought it out to look at it. This led the girls to believe that it was enchanted, but with what neither of them was sure. Kassandra had claimed it to do some research to try and find out.

Rieka found a bangle made of mana silver on one of the bodies. The metal had a few scuff and scratch marks in it, but Rieka was confident that they would buff out. The fact that the metal was fully charged with mana showed that either the crag hunter had killed its previous owner before they could use it or that it’d sat long enough to recharge. Kassandra and I had insisted that she take it and wear it as a back-up in case she was ever unable to draw her spell rod. Rieka had only argued for a few moments before complying.

I’d ended up finding a replacement weapon, though it wasn’t exactly a fancy one. Back when we’d picked out gear, Silas, the shopkeeper, had recommended a mace for me. I’d passed on it at the time for the greater appeal of a longsword. This was something that I had come to regret a bit, given my near brush with death from barely knowing how to use the weapon. It seemed that fate was laughing at me. While we had found several weapons inside the cave, all of them were either badly rusted or just damaged enough to not be useful. All of them, at least, besides a flanged mace of regular iron that was only slightly rusted. It was shorter than my previous sword, but the mace was at least something with a bit more range than my claws so I brought it with us to have something to use. I’d given it a few swings while going over what Cerebaton had taught me about other weapons.

Maces need to be swung with more force and a snap of the wrist I think? Something to propel the head forward with more force, just like with the axes. It’s got enough weight to do the job, I just need to get it there. Glad my strength is growing, though I might want to boost my physical stats once I get the ‘payout’ for this mission and get home. I thought to myself while we tramped along the river to follow it out of the hills.

Besides the nest and the small handful of items, the only other things of note we’d found in the underground cavern had been the rusty piles of metal, scattered bones, and a few bits of still recognizable metal like belt buckles, rusted eating knives, and a the ragged remains of a pair of coin purses with only a handful of mana iron coins in them. Surprisingly, the mana iron coins were entirely rust free despite the rusty remains of other iron items nearby. The tracks of the large hunting cat were all over the cavern, showing that the creature had been denning there for some time. With the search of the cave done for now, Rieka had insisted that we head out in order to ensure we made it back to Juneau before the sun set.

The river that we followed wound down out of the mountains for a short distance, curving away and vanishing into another valley deeper into the range. Once Rieka realized it wasn’t going to curve back towards the road we quickly cut overland using the sun to orient ourselves. Heading downhill through the forest was a lot easier and we made it back to the road that headed back towards Kintos as well as Juneau.

Kassandra and Rieka both stuck close to me, well closer than usual that is. The girls usually did not wander far while we were outside the city, but they kept especially close while we were on the road. Rieka walked near enough that I would occasionally feel the soft impact on my hip from her gently swaying tail. Kassandra on the other hand, insisted on basically matching my step while holding my left hand. I kept the mace loose in my right, not because I believed there to be any imminent threats, but because the strap that it would normally hang from had rotted through and sticking the weapon in my belt made it press into my hip uncomfortably.

The girls were quiet until we got to the road but once we were moving at speed they began chattering back and forth rapidly and throwing ideas of what the ruins might be, clearly more comfortable once we were out of the forest cover. I could still see a ruumo swimming through the air further up the mountain, but while I watched it, the massive sky-whale swam out in the direction of the ocean the girls had described to me.

“That door had runes carved into it and was still fully empowered.” Kassandra kept coming back around to this statement. “I’m sure I could breach it, given some time to do so, but the protections I could read were no joke. I need time to research the runes to figure out what the spells were set to do in order to unlock it.” The dwarf lamia bounced slightly on her coils in a motion reminiscent of skipping that made me smile. She didn’t let my left hand go the entire time.

“That much was obvious, Kass. The door showed no signs of weathering despite the other metals in the area having rusted out to a near unrecognizable state.” Rieka sighed, her head still moving on a swivel while the girls talked over me. Rieka was slightly ahead but still close enough that each sway of her tail would brush me lightly with a quiet pat.

“Yes, but beyond being spelled for durability I saw several runes that were clearly defensive measures. Liam, you mentioned you could read the runes, at least generally! With that I can figure out what the wards do and how to safely bring them down. Sure, we could probably blast the door down with enough magic, but that would also ruin the significance of the find! Humans didn’t leave a lot of enchanted items behind, at least not that I’m aware of so far.” Kassandra gushed from her spot at my side.

“And you girls are sure it’s human made? Just because of the statue we found?” I inserted myself into the conversation between the two, getting a smile from both of the girls. They’d left opening several times for me to join in or comment, but this was the first one I’d taken.

“No, we won’t know for sure until we find something far more obvious, like copious amounts of human-age writing, carvings, or bodies.” Rieka said after a moment of thought.

“The architecture might provide its own clues, but neither of us is enough of an architecture buff to be able to tell human-made bricks from dwarven-made bricks. The statue is a best guess from evidence. The carvings that we found that we believe were part of the fountain bowl were heavily worn though. I’m hoping to do some research and experimentation on the defensive spells that the door might be enchanted with before we make another trip back, with your help of course. That’ll give us time to prepare supplies and figure out a time when we can spend more than a single day looking at the place.” Kassandra giggled happily, swaying our joined hands back and forth cutely.

“Fair enough. Probably best to keep the number of trips back low until we can figure out if the location is worth guarding or not. I want you two to get all the credit that you are due for finding the ruins after all. Especially this close to town and under everyone's noses.”

“True. With the crag hunter that was denning there dead, it’s actually less likely to be found. The fact that there were bodies there shows that it’d been defending the area for a while, but none of them were recent. It’s unlikely to have a kill contract out on it, but I can use the excuse of the hide to check for and remove them if there are. Other than hunting the cat, there aren’t many reasons for someone to go into those foothills. There aren’t any mineral veins nearby and as we said before: those looking to gather herbs and mushrooms tend to stick closer to town. The only other folks would be hunters and trappers really and the crag hunter drove off a lot of the other game they’d be looking for.” Rieka agreed, shooting me a small smile over her shoulder. The wolf woman’s ears were perked up happily with the sun glimmering off the ink-dipped tips of the otherwise blonde triangles.

“Fair enough. Does make me wonder what is behind the door. It’s not like they were trying to hide it, given the ruined buildings above and the fountain nearby. So it’s clearly not super secretive. Whatever is behind the door is important enough to warrant heavy protections though.” Kassandra chirped with a grin. “Maybe it’s some country lord’s ancient estate! The door could lead to his treasury and the room might be full of loot!”

“Or it could be the door to an ancient prison full of ghosts and zombies.” Rieka shot back, getting a shiver of disgust from Kassandra.

The girls continued to volley ideas of what might be behind the door, each getting more and more outrageous as the minutes went by. Rieka seemed more focused on something that could be rooted in reality while Kassandra seemed more intent on being as outrageous as possible.

“I don’t think we are going to open the door and find a time-locked harem of women who will throw themselves at our mercies for protection and support.” I said finally as Kassandra wound down her most fanciful tale. The peppy snake woman grumbled quietly under her breath and sighed gustily in disappointment. Turning my attention to a grinning Rieka, I added my two cents to her most recent suggestion too. “I also doubt that it seals the way to the hideout of an ancient order of assassins that were wiped out by their rivals amongst the religious organizations either, Rieka.”

“Doubt all you want, it has about as much potential to be true as any of Kass’ ideas.” Rieka replied primly, giving a derisive sniff and raising her nose in the air playfully. “Until the door is actually opened, it could be anything.”

“Schrodinger door? Never hear of that particular version, but I get the idea.”

“Schroedinger? Who’s that? Was that written on the door?” Kassandra jumped in immediately, her playful expression immediately replaced with one of intense focus. Rieka was right behind her, nodding intently as she stared in curiosity at me.

Sighing, I proceeded to explain about Schroedinger and his box to the girls while we hurried down the road under the morning sun.

<><><>

The girls had opted to push to finish this last leg of the journey without doing more than taking the occasional break, so we were able to make it to Kintos by mid-afternoon.

The little town was bustling with business as people hurried back and forth to complete errands. I was again struck by how similar, yet very different, the world I currently resided in was from my own. The rustle and chatter of people moving about reminded me of a Saturday afternoon at the mall, but the clothes, smells, and sights had me thinking more of the Renaissance Fayre. Peoples of all species rushed back and forth and I spotted well over a dozen different students wearing the badge of Juneau on their clothes as they moved in small groups or alone to different shops or ate at restaurants.

Undeterred by the crowd, Rieka led the charge towards the Hunt and Trade Hall. The girls had been a bit more willing to give me space once we reached town but had continued to keep close the entire journey back to town. This translated to Rieka letting herself step far enough away I wasn’t batted with her tail and Kassandra had our hands swinging between us fully rather than pressing against me.

Not tripping on either of the girls while we walked had required me to pay close attention to their positions, especially Kassandra as she seemed bound and determined to stick like glue to me. I wasn’t staring at her, I was just making sure to keep an eye on the mischievous girl. It wasn’t my fault that she kept her blouse open to display that wonderful expanse of freckle-speckled skin, or that she laughed so adorably when she caught me staring distractedly.

Even in town though, Kassandra kept a grip on my free hand while we threaded through the crowd. I kept my grip on her loose so she could pull away to draw her spell rod if needed, while my right kept the weight of the flanged mace steady where it rode on my shoulder. The girls had promised to get a holder to carry the weapon on my belt when we had time, but for now it was simply easier to have it at hand. I’d gotten a few looks from the gate guards, but I hadn’t rated more than a curious or intense stare for a second or two. I was thankful for the presence of the girls and their obvious badges from Juneau, as I was sure that got me through without a question while having a weapon in my hand.

Arriving in the Hunt and Trade Hall, we found it to be surprisingly empty. Several of the desks were occupied by employees discussing something with either a customer picking up an order or one of their teams dropping something off. There were just as many desks that were either empty or stationed with a worker that was currently unoccupied as there were with customers. Rieka towed us towards one of the latter with hurried steps.

The woman behind the desk, a dwarf based on her size, build, and the raised stool she was on, looked up as we approached with a smile.

“Afternoon to you, students. Come to complete some tasks?” She asked pleasantly, her voice deeper than I’d expected but still with a pleasant feminine lilt to it. I was gratified that the dwarves of this world did not subscribe to the ‘all dwarves have beards’ archetype I’d seen in some books. The woman in front of us had long, brown hair that was neatly braided into a loose plait that hung over the back of her chair. A pair of braids dangled down in front of her ears that fell to her shoulders before being swept back over them. Glittering jewelry was woven into those braids that shimmered as she moved her head back and forth, glancing between all three of us.

“Yes, we need to complete these contracts and I was wondering if there had been a kill contract put out on a crag hunter on the main road to Broadshore?” Rieka produced the folded bits of parchment from inside her belt pouch and handed them off to the dwarven woman. The attendant nearly dropped them in surprise at her last question. She stared up at Rieka with wide, brown eyes.

“Crag hunter? I…uh…” She stammered for a moment while she glanced over at Kassandra and me before looking back at Rieka. The wolf woman just hiked an eyebrow up at her. The dwarven attendant shook herself and a professional look settled back onto her features. She had a look like she was trying to remember something but was trying to focus too. She opened her mouth to answer before that professional look that abruptly fled when she finally recognized the woman in front of her. “Princess Rieka! I am so sorry for not being more respectful…” The dwarven woman scrambled to her feet in order to bow, though it actually put her further down behind the desk given the raised chair she’d been sitting in before.

“It’s fine, miss…?” Rieka let the question trail off and the dwarven woman blushed furiously as she rose from the bow.

“Ah, sorry about that. I am Assistant Glenna Stoutarm. It is my pleasure to assist you, Princess Rieka.”

“It’s fine, Assistant Stoutarm. Please, just call me Rieka. I just want to be treated like any other student at Juneau.” Rieka spoke calmly but her tail was hanging limply behind her.

She’s always preferred the simple approach and I have only ever seen her wince when addressed as ‘princess’. She certainly harps on the ‘only the fourth princess’ bit as well as downplaying it for her rank in the inheritance chain. Time to distract her, she deserves to smile more. I thought quietly before taking a half step forward and bumping her arm lightly with my elbow to get her attention.

Rieka turned to stare up at me in question. Her face was a mask of polite indifference, though I could see the irritation in her eyes and how her ears sat. It was subtle, but I had been getting better at reading her expressions. To cheer her up, I gave her a cheeky wink of encouragement and a ‘what can you do’ shrug. This brought a smirk to Rieka’s gentle features and she rolled her eyes at me before nodding slightly in agreement.

“If that is what you insist, Lady Rieka.” Stoutarm said with some difficulty, drawing our attention back to the table. “Could you please lay out the contract completion items for me?” She picked up the parchment she’d previously dropped on the table and began sorting through them quickly. “We will tend to that first as I will need to step away to check the registry.”

“Of course.” Rieka said with forced politeness. It only took a minute to get the various bottles, pouches, bundles, and bags of things the girls had collected onto the table. The container of vine ray spines got a curious look as well but the dwarven woman seemed to be doing better being back on familiar ground. She quickly checked and matched the items to the contracts before stamping each one and tucking the containers into a wheeled cart next to her after she’d attached tags to each container.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Everything looks in order. The only contract you were unable to complete was the one for the mountain lynx…?” She let that statement trail off, looking up at Rieka in curiosity.

“No, we were unable to locate one. I made sure not to claim the two hunt contracts that we had exclusive when I picked them up. Since they weren’t extermination contracts, I should be able to dismiss that one without a penalty, yes?” Rieka tilted her head, causing her ears to flop cutely to one side in a fashion that made my chest clench at the sheer adorableness of the look. I heard a quiet snicker from Kassandra as well and glanced down to catch the mischievous snake woman smirking at me.

“That is correct. You mentioned something about a crag hunter though?” The dwarven woman pressed and it was Kassandra who answered that statement, breaking the amused staring contest she’d been having with me.

“Because we killed one that wandered too close to our camp.” Kassandra’s words cause the dwarven woman’s eyes to bug slightly in surprise. Kassandra turned her grinning face up at me and, with a squeeze of my hand, continued. “We have the hide here with us as proof and would like to sell it to the Hall as well. Unless there was a contract for a hide already. Then we’ll claim and fulfill that one.”

Taking Kassandra’s hint, I released her hand and swung my pack down to unstrap the rolled hide from it. Removing that weight from my back and shoulders felt extremely good. The hide of an animal that size was no joke and my neck popped twice in relief before I finished getting the hide free and setting it gently on the counter in front of the still-stunned dwarven woman.

Kassandra and Rieka just watched her with amused smiles as Stoutarm stared at the hide in surprise for several seconds. The dwarven woman was only broken out of her introspection when Rieka cleared her throat delicately. The sound made the dwarf jump in surprise before shaking herself and nodding once, focusing on Rieka as she spoke, though her eyes darted to both Kassandra and I occasionally.

“As far as I am aware, there are no hunt contracts for a crag hunter. There might be an older contract for a hide on acquisition. I will go and check for you while your funds are being collected. Please wait here.” Stoutarm didn’t wait to be dismissed, instead hopping back down from the stool and hurrying away.

“Well that was fun.” Kassandra giggled, shifting to lean herself into my hip and wrapping one arm around my waist.

“It’ll be even more fun if they have a standing contract for the hide.” Rieka added, cocking her hip and resting one hand on it as she waited with a neutral expression. The neutrality of her look was ruined by how quickly her tail stirred behind her, showing her own amusement.

“I’m just glad we are back in town. That blasted hide was heavy. Also, while I am not in any rush to leave your company, I am glad that we are back somewhere safe for you two.” I threw in as well, settling one hand into Kassandra’s messy curls and finger-combing her curls very gently, scratching lightly at her scalp with each pass. The motion got a happy groan from Kassandra and a pout from Rieka, who’s gaze was drawn immediately to where my hand was resting.

Grinning down at Rieka’s barely concealed frown, I murmured quietly enough that only Rieka and Kassandra would hear.

“You’ll get your turn once we aren’t somewhere so public. I know you aren’t as shameless as Kass is, Rieka.”

The wolf-eared fourth princess blushed furiously at my statement, but her tail’s excited dancing rose several notches at the prospect.

<><><>

“I can’t believe they didn’t have a contract for a crag hunter hide.” Sulked Kassandra as we exited from the Hall.

Stoutarm had brought another assayer with her to inspect the hide and they’d dickered with Rieka over a price on the raw hide for a bit before finally turning over the coins and copies of the stamped contracts. Rieka had explained that the copies would be used to confirm their activity for the classes that wanted the students getting practical experience. Once the coins had been split between the two girls, a process that had resulted in just as distracting a show as before since the girls again used me as a body shield while extracting their concealed coin purses, we headed back outside and into town.

“I can. Crag hunters aren’t exactly common in the area. So there not being a standing order for a hide makes sense. And it’s not like the creature has been terrorizing the area either. That would have also caused a contract to be written out for it.” Rieka chipped in, shifting her pack on her back with a sigh. “Still, three mana gold for the hide and a double fistful of silver for the herb contracts mean we are well ahead.”

“Still not enough for a dimensional pouch though.” Sulked Kassandra. The dwarf lamia had insisted on cuddling into my side the entire time Rieka negotiated price, only separating briefly to stash the coins in her secret pouches before demanding more attention. Now that we were moving again though, Kassandra was content clinging to my free hand.

“While it isn’t enough yet, this does put us closer to that mark. I agree that we need one for longer trips unless we want to spend time hunting for food. Look, we can pool our resources and get one soon if we keep up the weekly trips into the woods. For now we have to accept that it’s outside the budget unless we get really lucky with missions or want to dip into estate funds.”

“No.” Kassandra replied vehemently, shaking her head back and forth in denial while scowling.

“Why so upset?” I couldn’t help asking at her sudden shift in mood. Rieka sighed and motioned to Kassandra to explain as we wandered through the crowd slowly.

“I kind of mentioned this before but…Rieka and I are both nobility and of age. Being scions of a noble family, we get a stipend from our family to spend on things. In addition to that, Rieka and I both have lands that were gifted from our parents to us, as well as investments we’ve made. Nothing big, but still property and the like. Which means taxes and additional funds coming in regularly as well.” Kassandra explained quickly and quietly to me.

Rieka slipped into the point position with her tail twitching sharply in irritation. I wasn’t sure what was bothering her, but I had a guess that it was related to being gifted lands from her mother. Rieka did have an independent streak that I’d seen and I could see her wanting to stand on her own two feet easily enough.

“Okay, that makes sense so far.”

“Rieka and I both agreed not to draw on the taxes from the properties and invest that and our stipends in growing that land with investments. I have rights to a small orchard and a little village nearby with a small manor. Rieka has a small barony that she holds personally with lands, a mine, and several villages there. Both are land that we own in our personal names, not as a family holding. The barony was a gift to Rieka from her mother when she reached her majority and I paid myself for the orchard to be planted when I was younger. My parents helped grow it and the village until I was old enough to take control a year and a half ago when I reached my majority. It was to be part of my dowry when I marry, but my parents decided it’d be mine alone with how much I’ve invested in the orchard.” Kassandra continued to explain quickly, easily matching my pace as we moved through the crowd.

I nodded along as she spoke, following the implications without a problem. That was likely what they meant by estate funds in their earlier discussion after all.

“Why an orchard?” I asked as the question struck me. What little bit of knowledge I had of fruit trees was mostly related to what fresh fruits grew in Colorado.

Kassandra smirked up at me for a moment before answering.

“I really like Yaaqua fruit. It’s my favorite and somewhat hard to find in the Queendom. So I decided when I was eleven that I wanted to have my own orchard to satisfy that craving. My parents helped me set aside my allowance to get it started for a few years and I’m pretty sure they put in some extra too, but yeah. Thankfully the trees grow quickly and we get a good crop every year. I love going and picking fresh ones myself. My maid would always complain about the mess I made when I was younger. The color is quite…persistent.” There was a twinkle in Kassandra’s eye now and I laughed.

“Makes sense.” I could easily imagine a younger Kassandra using her coils to climb a tree and make off with fresh fruit whenever she wanted and the image was surprisingly adorable too.

“So, we could be drawing from those lands to provide for our mana needs and for supplies. We agreed not to though when we heard about the mission structure and the ways to earn extra funds. We’d rather grow the investments than use that income for short-term benefits. That’s another reason why we take these contracts personally, to earn funds for our mana budgets and the like while not affecting investments.”

“And another reason why having a summoned guardian is a better choice than hired guards?” I asked, glancing down at the grinning snake woman. Her slitted eyes sparkled behind her silver-rimmed glasses and she nodded once.

“Got it. One of many reasons, but still one of them.”

“It’s also proof that we are capable too. While I have the lands of a baroness, I’m not one. I’m honestly more like landed gentry, given how far down the inheritance chain I am and the fact that my mother only granted me the land itself and not a title.” Rieka added in over her shoulder. “Same with Kassandra. Her parents ceded the village and the attached orchard that she paid for over to her officially, but they are unable to give her a title other than their own and only when they finally retire. So we want to make sure our investment is as strong as possible and that the people on our lands are behind us as much as we can.”

“Makes sense to me.” I shrugged once, getting a giggle from Kassandra. “You two don’t have to justify yourselves to me. I know you have your reasons and they are good ones.”

“Thanks, Liam. Kass…I know we should get our supplies restocked and the like before heading back, but I really just want to get back to my room and get clean. Washing in the lake was nice, but I still feel grimy. Cold water wasn’t exactly the best to get sweat and blood off. It might have been worth waiting for dinner to use the cooking pot to heat even a small amount of water to wash with.” Grimaced Rieka, running her fingers through her icy-blonde hair.

“A rag bath isn’t as satisfying but I agree. Liam and I talked about it while washing last night too.” Kassandra said flippantly.

“Before or after your little bit of ‘fun’?” Rieka interrupted her friend with a snarky smile.

“Before, you cretin.” Kassandra jabbed back with a smirk.

The girls dissolved into a brief argument that I happily stayed out of. Instead, I scanned the crowds while we pushed through the growing bustle of the evening.

More and more people were heading into the market and the street was growing crowded. It was a scene I’d witnessed several times in the previous weeks while working with the girls and it was slowly becoming familiar.

People stared in curiosity at us on occasion. Usually, it was either at Rieka, given she was a princess and rather recognizable, or at me. They rarely stared at Kassandra, which I attributed to her shorter stature.

It was feeling the periphery of that oddly heavy focus that drew my attention though as we worked our way down the street. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and I turned slowly, scanning the crowd the whole time. It took less than a minute to find the source of the feeling and realize their focus was actually on my serpentine companion for once, despite her lower height.

A trio of familiar wolf-kin women in expensive clothes stood to one side of the street, nestled between a jewelry vendor and a woman selling bulk cloth. The trio were glaring holes in Kassandra’s back and I narrowed my eyes while I studied them. It only took a moment of searching my memories to identify the trio. The three of them had been the ones to verbally assault Kassandra and I on our outing previously but I couldn’t recall any names other than they were apparently part of a ‘Lady Josephine’s’ group.

Releasing Kassandra’s hand subtly, I covered the motion by adjusting the strap of my pack like it had been digging into my shoulder. When Kassandra looked up at me, I gave her a gentle smile and blew her a kiss, which got a blush and a giggle before she returned to teasing Rieka about taking a rag-bath around the campfire while waiting for me to take her hand again. It took only a couple of quick steps to drop back behind her and step over the low coil of Kassandra’s serpentine body as it wended over the cobblestone street. This put me between the glaring trio and Kassandra.

Blocking their view drew the trio’s attention to me and all three blanched when they met my glare. The leader of the trio looked like she was trying to rally and opened her mouth to say something, so I focused on my Shape-Shifting and urged it to shift my face around. I didn’t have a particular goal beyond something ferocious to scare them with as the irritation rose in my chest. The sensation of my teeth shifting, merging, and becoming large fangs was one of the creepiest sensations ever but I kept the glare in place while my skin turned a dark and leathery red color. I made a quick snapping motion at them with my fang-filled mouth and whatever courage the leader had rallied promptly failed and all three ducked back and fled down the alley between the stalls. Unfortunately, several bystanders also flinched away and that was what gave up the game to the girls.

“Liam?” Rieka’s questioning tone drew my attention back to the front while I was forcing my face back into normal shape. Both of the girls gave me worried looks as they saw my features melting back into their normal shape, but I was gratified to see that neither of them appeared afraid of me.

“I’ll explain once we are on the road to Juneau.” I said quickly once my teeth returned to normal. Rieka gave me a long look before nodding once. Kassandra just grinned and reached up to hook her arm in mine, not caring that I still had the flanged mace in that hand.

“Our big, strong protector is just doing his job, I’m sure.” Kassandra said with a smirk before turning back to Rieka with a thoughtful look. “Is that how you wanted to reward him? I mean, I’m not against the idea of a hand-washing of our protector. I can wholly recommend it actually, but doing it in a tub might be kinda fun too, though we’ll need a large one for all three of us. I’m sure there are bathhouses in town that could accommodate it though…”

Rieka blushed and it grew darker and darker as Kassandra’s teasing continued but her tail picked up wagging once more. The two immediately dropped back into their playful bickering while we got free of the crowds and began to head on the road.

Once we were a few hundred yards down the road that led from Kintos to Juneau, Kassandra let the playful facade drop and turned an intense, questioning look to me.

“Who?” The one word question was firm, but not demanding. Rieka waited patiently as well to get the answer.

“That trio that was harassing us before. The ones you said were associated with Josephine? They were glaring holes in your back with enough intensity that I could tell they had forgotten my little…warning. So I was just reminding them that they’d have to get through me to cause any real problems for you.” Kassandra sighed at my response but Rieka scowled outright.

“Josephine? Again? Do you think they were doing it on her orders?” Rieka’s question got a sharp look from Kassandra, but before the serpentine woman could speak, I answered.

“No idea, I didn’t see anyone else. They did get rather publicly humiliated for their attempt to rope the city guard in with false accusations though so…” I let the statement trail off to let Rieka make her own connections.

“And that would be motivation enough to at least glare, if not plot something.” Rieka finished with a scowl. “Kass, I don’t want you to be alone with them. I’m not saying you need an escort to classes, but be extra careful. Any of Josephine’s cronies have the potential for doing something stupid.”

Kassandra looked like she was going to protest so I chipped in to help Rieka make her point.

“I want you to be careful and ready to call me at a moment's notice if there is a danger. Do it for me, Kass?”

“That is not fair, Liam!” Kassandra protested but she threw her arms around my waist and gave me one of her miniature hugs while burying her face in my stomach. For once, the dwarf lamia didn’t wrap her coils around me to continue the hug but seemed content to just use her arms as she squeezed me tightly.

“Hey, if it works to get you to be careful.” Rieka added in with a grin, sliding into place straddling Kassandra’s tail and sandwiching the smaller woman between herself and me in a group hug.

“That goes for both of you.” I threw in, shifting so I could tuck my mace into the back of my belt. With both hands free, I wrapped one around Kassandra’s shoulders before tucking the other around Rieka to squeeze her as well. After a few seconds of hugging, I settled my hand into the hair at the base of Rieka’s ears and began scratching lightly. This got a contented groan from Rieka, who nearly went boneless while Kassandra gave a muffled giggle from her position against my chest.

“He did promise you scritches, Rieka. So enjoy them! I’m sure if you asked nicely, he’d be happy to give you headpats whenever you want.” Kassandra’s voice was suppressed but full of laughter while Rieka just grumbled.

We stayed that way for several more moments before finally separating and finishing our trek to Juneau. The road was quiet and we were passed by only a single carriage heading towards the academy the entire time. The girls continued to tease each other, with Rieka being the eventual winner with a subtle comment about whether or not Kassandra knew the spells to ward a room to prevent sound from escaping it or if the entire dorm was going to have to learn how when she snuck me into her room next.

Coming to a stop outside of Rue House, the girls gave me one more set of hugs each. Both of them seemed loath to finally let me go, lingering in the hug far longer than usual.

“Bah, this sucks. Liam, you need to find out if there is some way for you to visit fully, rather than waiting to be summoned.” Kassandra grumbled from where her face was buried in my abs again.

“I’ll see what I can do, Kass. From what Cari and Cerebaton have said, this is the only way the System will guide me to you two.” I replied gently, stroking her hair.

“Do that. I’ll summon you back soon, either to talk or for…something else.” She gave me a saucy grin before finally separating. “You’ve done a great job these last few days, protecting us and getting us home safe as well as keeping me warm.”

“Happy to help. Take care of yourselves. I’ll see you again soon.” I gave Rieka a warm smile before bending and pressing a light kiss onto Kassandra’s lips that made the little minx blush.

Rieka laughed at Kassandra’s expression, causing the dwarf lamia to yank her spell rod out of her holster and quickly incant the spell to send me home while blushing furiously and glaring at her friend.

As the world whirled away from me, the edges of my vision flashed and a trio of notices scrolled across my vision.

Assist your contracted companions, Kassandra Silverscale and Rieka Coldeye, with their missions for the next several days and return them safely home.

Reward - 1100 SP

COMPLETED

Assist your contracted companion, Kassandra Silverscale, by ensuring she does not succumb to the cold while away from her nest.

Reward - 100 SP

COMPLETED

New Powers available in the System interface.

Congratulations, Traveler.