Maria didn’t want to listen to any more music for the rest of the night.

A few tables down from her, a bard had struck up a song, that drew in the crowd of adventurers in the mess hall to sing along. He stood atop one of the chairs, one leg on the table, and sang like there was no tomorrow, strumming his lute all the while.

The guild hall was lively, and bustling with adventurers. Many came in dirty, covered in blood or mud or dirt. It certainly brought a musk into the hall, that of body sweat and a long day's worth of adventuring.

Maria sighed and glanced down at her food. She was starving but was struggling to even eat. Her stomach was upset, but as to why, she didn’t know. It could have been for a multitude of reasons. There was a soft rip, and her bronze pin fell from her cloak and clanked against the table. She looked at it. Her cloak was shredded, with a few burnt holes and slashes. Maria picked up the emblem and rubbed her thumb over it. Most times she forgot that it was even there. When she first got it she felt so proud, but as time went on it felt less and less important. The rankings of the guild weren’t even something that crossed her mind anymore. It wasn’t important. Not right now. Not with her quest. Her failed quest.

She couldn’t stop peeking at the upper right-hand corner of her vision. Both Chariot and Tanalia were still in the party. Their health bars had been going up gradually, so she at least knew they were okay.

“What are you doing here?” said a familiar voice.

Maria groaned and slowly glanced up. Irra had taken a seat across the table from her. Her brown and gray clothes were marred in stains, and she was lacking her usual tight-fitting leather armor and mottled green cloak.

A small smile crept up Maria’s cheeks. “Hey.”

“You look like you were dragged through a dung heap,” Irra said.

She lost her smile. “Thanks. At least I don’t smell like it.”

“Honestly, what are you doing here? I thought you were still doing jobs in Oxfell.”

“I was. Master Eardwulf sent us here though to speak to someone about a mission he has us doing.”

Irra looked Maria up and down. “I take it it didn’t go well?”

Maria scoffed. “What gave it away?”

“Oh well… this,” he said, making a wide gesture to Maria’s entire body.

She cracked another smile and forced herself to sit up, resting on her elbows. She could still taste the blood on her lip. “Yeah. We were trying to chase down the guy that nearly killed Master Eardwulf.”

Irra fell silent. “Oh,” she muttered after a moment. “So, what happened for you to look like you just crawled out of the sewers.”

“You’re not far off, actually.”

“Aye, how are you doin’ lass?” Torrin asked as he took a seat beside Irra. Like Irra, the dwarf was dressed casually, wearing just his underclothes and squirrel tail hat. He had brought over to the table with him a tankard.

“You’re having another one?” Irra asked him.

“I don’t see the big deal in another one,” he chuckled. “I’ve only had twenty this evening.”

Maria’s eyes widened. “Twenty?”

“Aye, we dwarves don’t go down so easily, unlike this lightweight bastard,” he slapped Irra on the back, causing her to flinch.

“Hey!” she barked. “I told you to stop doing that!”

“Ah, you’ll get used to it,” he chuckled and turned his attention back to Maria. “What about you lass, how much you ever drink?”

“I uh… well…”

“Leave her alone, Torrin,” Yarina said, appearing behind Maria, and taking a seat beside her. While she was dressed casually as well, she kept on her fur-collared cloak, pinned together by the silver emblem of the guild— The very same one Maria had been wearing. Along her cheek was a streak of blood. Not her’s… but something else.

“I’m just asking her a question. I ain’t doin’ anything,” Torrin said.

“Mhm, but I know where it was going,” Yarina said with a smug grin.

“Ah, let me have my fun.”

“You’ve had enough to drink.”

“I’m not drunk!”

“You will be. I know your limit.”

“And what that may be.”

“I’m not saying anything,” she chuckled, holding her hands up defensively.

“Aye, to hell with ya,” Torrin grumbled.

“You were going to challenge her to a drinking contest, weren’t you?” Irra said.

“Aye, what of it? You seemed to have fun when I challenged you.”

“Please don’t bring that night up again,” Irra said.

“I… I’m good, thank you,” Maria sighed. “I’m not in the mood right now.”

“Something happened?” Yarina asked.

“No, nothing big,” Irra said. “She only failed an important mission. Her party couldn’t catch the man that cut off Master Eardwulf’s leg.”

“Mmm,” Yarina sighed. “All I can say is better luck next time.”

“I don’t know if there will be a next time,” Maria groaned. “It’s just… I screwed up… I think?”

“You don’t say,” Irra said.

“N- No, I didn’t screw up… or maybe I did… I don’t know,” she groaned and slammed her head onto the table. “There was… I can’t say. It was a secret I was keeping from my party, and they found out, and they got mad at me.”

“Ah. And what is this secret?”

Maria groaned. “I can’t.”

“Don’t worry, you can tell me, I’m only going to share it with everyone in the guild,” Irra teased.

“All the more reason not to tell you.”

“Why not have a drink,” Torrin said. “Always makes me feel better.”

“No, I’m not in the mood,” she said. “I just… I probably should have told them but…”

“But what?” Irra asked teasingly.

Maria simply stared at her.

“You could try getting on your knees and begging your team for forgiveness. That always works,” Yarina said, then chuckled.

“That’s not going to work.”

“I meant that to be sarcastic.”

Maria grumbled. She could tell it was sarcastic, but really, she didn’t care. She wasn’t in the mood for banter today, not after everything that had just happened.

“I mean, if you don’t tell us, we won’t really know how to help you,” Irra said.

“I know, I know. I can’t. It’s personal,” her voice drifted off, and she sat silently for several moments. “I’m not a very good leader.”

“To be fair I never thought you would be.”

“Thanks,” Maria frowned. “And I never thought you’d…”

“What?”

“I can’t even think of a comeback,” she sighed. “There’s a lot on my mind right now, alright.”

“Is your team not working out?” Torrin asked.

“That’s a whole other problem. I mean… we’re always getting in front of each other all the time. I think we’re working together, but we’re just doing our things. We keep hitting each other, getting in each other's way, and we bicker and fight. It’s a little frustrating honestly. Tanalia just runs into every situation without thinking, and when she does think, it’s always the most brain-dead, destructive solution to a problem. Chariot, I really like her, but she can be so stubborn sometimes, that it rubs me the wrong way. She doesn’t loosen up. I’ve tried joking with her on the road, but she just takes everything so seriously. The three of us all have ranged attacks, but Tanalia can never decide which weapon she wants to use, Chariot always runs in with a plan. At least she’s ready and plays more defensively, but Tanalia always gets in her way. I… I try to be careful, but sometimes I hit, or nearly hit them with my spells. Sometimes they’re both on the monster and I can’t get a clean hit in without risking hurting them.” Maria gulped and took a few breaths. “Sorry if I just went into a rant there.”

“Don’t be sorry, lass,” Torrin said.

“Sounds like a team Maria would run,” Irra shrugged.

“Do you have any support spells?” Yarina asked.

“No, mostly fire spells, and some lightning spells. Running a team isn’t as easy as I thought it would be.”

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Irra scoffed. “You could say that again.”

“In her defense, you’re not the best leader at times either,” Yarina said to Irra.

“Excuse me? I’m a great leader!”

“Eh,” Torrin said, waving his hand slightly. “You have your moments.”

“Who’s side are you two on?”

“Right now, neither,” Yarina said, then looked back to Maria. “I’m sure things will be alright. It’ll just take some time. If things don’t work out, hey, why not just leave them? We’re still looking for a decent spell caster.”

“You think I’m decent?” Maria raised an eyebrow.

“No, more like below average, but eh, the bottom of the barrel ain’t bad.”

Maria chuckled softly. “Gee, thanks. No, I don’t think I can just leave them.

“Of course you can, you just need to live with the guilt of abandoning your friends.”

“Yeah,” Maria sighed and stood up. “Look… I’m… I’m sorry, I’m just not in the mood tonight… I need some time…”

Irra turned slightly as Maria shuffled past her. She let out a long sigh.

Maria made her way out of the mess hall, and down into the basement of the guild. Her skin was stiff and sticky. The blood running down her nose had dried, and crusted.

The bathhouse below the guild was far more impressive than Maria would have thought. She preferred it much more than bathing in lakes and rivers on the open road, and she was thankful that every Adventurers Guild building had one constructed for members. Maria stepped into the women's washroom and was immediately blinded by such a dense cloud of steam rising from the tubs of hot water that she could barely see. The dim lighting certainly didn’t help either. The low-hanging ceiling had oil lamps that swung faintly, casting long shadows from the women against the warm stone floor.

A row of changing rooms stood apart from the row of ceramic, pearl-white tubs. Curtains draped between each one, giving a little bit of privacy, but not much. From what Maria had come to understand, being in a bathhouse wasn’t supposed to be as embarrassing as she found it. It was no different from the women's locker room at the gym or school, only she found the women here more beautiful, and dangerous. Their well-defined muscles made Maria feel like they could snap her neck in an instant, and yet she found it hard not to stare at their bodies, from the small battle scars cutting at their chiseled stomachs and arms, to the lush curves at their waists and hips, and of course to their round and perky breasts.

She found an empty tub and moved the curtains to give herself some privacy. Maria disrobed, left her clothes folded on a stool beside the tub, and climbed in. The hot water lapped at her skin, burning it at first, but she quickly adjusted to it’s temperature. The tubs were wide, and large enough for multiple people. Maria had passed a few tubs before with several people bathing together in the tubs. Maria immersed herself up to the chin in the steaming water and listened faintly to the echoing bustle of conversation around her. It was all talk of quests, things they had done that day, guild gossip, and such, nothing Maria cared too much about. She was too distracted, and uncertain. She just wanted to think for a bit and soak. The warm water felt great, almost relaxing even. Maria gently brushed her hand against her bruised skin and winced. She hadn’t had the chance to drink a healing potion— Well, she had, she had just never thought to do so. Maybe later. For some strange reason, she didn’t want the pain to go away, even if everything was hurting. Maybe she deserved some of this pain.

The curtains whooshed apart, and Maria gasped, splashing water over the tub. Irra stood over her, naked, and holding a towel over her chest. Her platinum blond hair fell over her shoulders.

“Do you mind if I join you?”

Maria didn’t answer at first. Her eyes traveled up and down Irra’s body. She gulped, her face turning as red as a freshly bloomed rose, though she found she couldn’t stop herself from looking. “I— uh… I mean…”

“Good,” Irra said, “I want to talk with you.” She placed the towel on the stool beside Maria’s before climbing into the opposite side of the tub and sinking until the water came up to her breasts. Maria’s heart was racing. She hadn’t ever been in a bath with anyone before, anyone except her mother when she was still in diapers. No, she was getting off track. She was staring. Irra’s nipples were wide pink circles, like targets that drew Maria’s eyes in. It only made Maria’s blush creep further up her ears. She crisscrossed her arms over her naked breasts before her nipples could betray her.

Irra sat across from Maria in silence, her cheeks turning as red as Maria’s. She took a minute to soak before finally speaking up. “Look, I’m sorry about all that back there. Torrin, and Yarina... Torrin is just… well, Torrin. Yarina’s just—”

“D- Do we have to talk about this here?”

“You’re alone aren’t you?”

“I mean… not really.”

“You’re alone enough. Besides, I need to wash up myself. So, I’ll wash your back, you wash mine?”

“Uhh… Sure…”

Irra rose to her feet, sending a splash of hot water across the tub. Maria’s eyes again traveled up between her legs, before darting to the side as she glanced away awkwardly. She climbed out of the tub with Irra and took a seat across from her on one of the stools beside the tub. It only occurred to her at that moment that her father's marking was unbandaged. She pressed the inside of her wrist against her thigh and kept it hidden from Irra.

Shit.

Irra lathered her hands in soap. Sitting behind Maria, she pressed her delicate hands against Maria's back, causing her to sit up straight at the woman’s touch. She was so gentle with how her hands glided along the ridge of Maria’s spine. “I get what you're going through, even if you can’t tell me all of it,” Irra said.

“You… you do?”

“Leading a party can be difficult, especially if the people in it aren’t always in agreement. You need to have a serious talk with them. Sort out your problems with each other, and come to understand one another more personally.” Her hands glided around Maria’s torso, and into her pits before Irra started smearing soap across Maria's shoulders.

“Sounds kinda obvious,” Maria mumbled.

“It is, but it’s not always so easy for everyone. Me and Torrin never got along when we first partied up with Yarina.”

“Are you not the party leader?”

“I am, but Yarina is older, and more experienced than us. For the first week, none of us were working together all that well. I decided we should all have a long talk, and work out our differences. I’ve seen other parties fall apart easily when they aren’t working together. So, we found a way to make our builds work with one another.”

“Builds?”

“Mhm. You know, your equipment and spells all work to benefit each other.”

“Oh. Oooooh, I think I see what you mean. I… I don’t have a build.”

“Seriously?” Irra glared at Maria. “You are an idiot.”

Maria pursed her lips, and simply nodded along. She suddenly yelped as Irra reached around front, and fran her smooth hands over Maria’s breasts. Maria shuddered as a wave of pleasure rolled down her spine. She wasn’t just washing her back, she was washing her entire body. Did that mean she could also?

“That’s your first problem. If you make a build and stick to it, you’ll only grow stronger. You were too weak to catch the man who nearly killed Eardwulf, right?” Irra’s hands moved south to Maria’s stomach, coming dangerously close to the sensitive spot between her thighs.

Maria's cheeks grew brighter, but what was she going to do? Retaliate? Hell no! “I thought the gear we had was good. It wasn’t strong enough.”

“Oh, so was our little competition all for nothing then?” she said almost tauntingly, squeezing Maria’s thighs. Maria yelped and chuckled nervously.

“N- No, the gear we got from there was helpful… for my party at least. All I really got was poisoned, and a staff I hardly use. The guy we were after beat the shit out of me with it earlier.”

“Is that what all these bruises are from?” Irra asked. Her hand glided over Maria’s ribs, and Maria tensed up, wincing.

“Y- Yeah.”

“You should drink a healing potion.”

“I- I know. I just haven’t yet.”

Irra fell silent and stood up. She retrieved a warm water bucket and returned to Maria to pour it over her. Maria hunched forward as the warm water rinsed her. “There. Your turn.”

Maria glanced over as Irra turned around, and sat on her stool. Maria soaped up her hands, and after a moment of hesitation, started pressing them against Irra’s back. Her skin was soft and delicate. Irra had rubbed her all over, so by proxy, she had permission to do the same, right? An excuse to feel another woman's breasts was never something Maria was going to pass up on, but as she sat there smearing soap against the woman's back, she found her desire to feel her up to be much weaker.

“A build is going to help keep things like what happened from happening,” Irra continued. “You know mostly fire spells, correct?”

“Yeah.” Maria reached around the front, and slowly smeared soap over the woman's breasts. They were firm, and as her finger glided over Irra’s nipples, she found them stiff.

“Then you should be focused on finding gear that’ll boost your fire damage. I haven’t seen the stats of your gear, but I already know none of them are benefiting you in the ways they should be.”

Maria chuckled awkwardly. “Y- You could say that.”

“I am saying that,” she looked back at Maria. “My build leans towards maximizing my damage output. My chest piece increases melee damage, my leggings balance damage and defense, and as I level up and find new weapons to use, they benefit me in becoming stronger. I’m sticking to what I’m good at, and am only improving it from there. If you want to be a witch, be a witch. Dedicate yourself to your role.”

Maria pulled her hands away and nodded. “Yeah. I should.” She rinsed Irra off, and the woman rubbed herself over before turning around to fully face Maria.

“Look, I’m sorry about what happened with your mission, I really am. For what it’s worth, I think you’re a good adventurer.”

“Not as good as you though?”

Irra chuckled. “God no. But… I’ve heard reports from the guild on what you’ve been up to.” Irra reached forward and pressed her hand between Maria’s breasts. Maria blushed and locked her gaze with Irra’s. “You have a good heart. I like that about you, for as annoying as you can be. But that’s what matters at the end of the day. I don’t know what you did with your party, and truth be told, I don’t want to. That’s between you and them. If you want my honest advice, whatever this secret of yours is, give it some time to settle with your party. Then, just talk to them. Keeping secrets from one another, especially if they’re as damaging as this one sounds, is never a good idea.”

“I didn’t have a choice but to keep it.”

“I understand, but what’s done is done.” Irra settled back into the bathtub, throwing her arms over the sides of the tub, and leaning her head back, sighing.

“Then… what do I do?” Maria asked, climbing back into the tub with her.

“Exactly what I’m doing. Relax. You’re not going to think straight if you’re scared or stressed out.”

Maria pursed her lips and inhaled deeply the warm fumes of the tub. Maybe she was right. No, she was definitely right. She just needed to relax, and let the stress of the day melt away in the warm water. A good night's sleep would do her some good too. She wouldn’t feel as sore then, and she could have a clearer mind. After all, it was when you slept that your brain could think more clearly. “Thank you,” she muttered quietly.

“Don’t mention it,” Irra said and glanced back at Maria. “About Yarina’s offer. That’s…” She paused for a moment and took a deep breath. “It’s on the table if things don’t work out.”

Maria chuckled softly. “Aw, so you do care a little.”

“Only because I feel bad for you,” Irra blushed, glancing away, though turned her gaze back onto Maria.

“I… appreciate the offer, but I can’t just let my team go. This mission is one we have to do together. I want us to do it together.”

Irra frowned but nodded her head. “I understand. Still, it’s on the table.”

The two soaked for a while, relaxing to the sounds of echoing water and conversation. Maria fell drowsy after some time. After a long silence between the two, however, Irra waded through the tub over to Maria. Maria glanced back at her chest.

“Is your body still sore?”

“I… yes?”

“Then… I could help with that. But you would owe me for it.”

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The Following Scene (Chapter 44 Uncensored) is Exclusive to Patreon

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Irra splashed out of the water and wrapped her nakedness in a towel. Just before turning to leave, she paused for a moment. “Good luck,” she said and stepped out.

“Wait,” Maria said.

Irra stopped and glanced back at her. Maria was still panting slightly.

“Let’s continue upstairs.”

Irra stared quietly at Maria, raising an eyebrow.

“I’ll make it up to you.”

The woman pursed her lips and swayed her hips as she slowly pivoted to face her. “Thirty minutes. I’m in room two twenty.”

Maria chuckled and smiled at her as she walked off. She stayed in the tub a while longer and let out a long, shaky breath. Her heart was racing, but she couldn’t help but smile a bit. There was a chance things weren’t going to be as bad as she had been thinking for the last hour. It just wasn’t going to happen overnight. If she wanted her team's trust back, she needed to earn it, even if she thought she already had.

Maria lifted her arm from under the water and stared at the mark of the demon king embedded in her wrist.

She was nothing like him.

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'Chapter 44.5 - Relax' is Exclusive to Patreon

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