The echoing grotto grew thick with steam as the day chilled closer to night, reminiscent of the bathroom after Lillye took one of her ‘me time’ showers. Jasson stumbled in the dimming light and caught himself against the soft wall, spongy moss hugging his hand damply. The echoing sounds of laughter resolved into a voice Jasson recognized.

“Oh,” Jasson grinned, “Right!”

Jasson emerged and saw Harriett wading shoulder-deep in the pool. Harriett wore a black and red swimsuit, complementing the white and red of her complexion. There were other details Jasson lingered on as Clara called out, but forced himself to stop as Harriett whirled toward them. Harriett bounced and waved before sloshing to shore (it was a short walk) with the energy of someone who got up late.

“I can’t believe that I forgot about you,” Jasson said. “Clara said it was a friend and I was like ‘Who the heck could that be? Petra isn’t going to walk all the way up here.’”

“You did?!” Harriet whooped, “Fantastic! I have been abandoned on a day of exploration, left behind as my dear companions enjoyed their day without me.”

“What are you doing up here?” Clara motioned to the hot spring, “Aside from the obvious.”

“Oh,” Harriet kicked the water, “I met this awesome local that-”

“Oh, Riri!” A voice sang from the changing room, “I have finished changing!”

“Perfect!” Harriet shouted, “Meet my allies.”

A man (the result of a character creation menu that had a slider that went all the way to ‘god’) burst from the changing room so that Allstars sang into reality. Tall, rippling with lean muscle, standing in mundane shorts and wearing a smile like the sun. The man walked over and took Clara’s hand, deftly kissing it before speaking with the tongue of angels.

“I am Scott,” the man grinned widely, “Scott Sterling, like Sterling Silver. Pleasure to meet you, madam. Tell me, might I perchance upon your name?”

Clara unfroze and said “Why, yes. I am Clara of- ah…nowhere. The pleasure is mine, I’m sure. Quite sure.”

Then he turned to Jasson and gave Jasson a hearty slap on the back.

“You must be Jasson,” Scott said, angelic voice now holding a hint of southern drawl, “Harriet mentioned her party members, so the one man stands out. Good to meet you”

“Same,” Jasson said, “I see you’ve led our friend- I mean our ally up here for a swim. Was it an- uh- arduous journey?”

“Not enough so for dear Riri,” Scott chuckled melodically, “and frankly not at all for me. I live and breathe these mountains and woods, so this little foray was of little consequence.”

“So how did you two meet?” Jasson said, “Did you-”

“Never mind that,” Clara threw something at Jasson that flopped on his face, “Let’s get swimming! We’re burning Petra-light.”

Jasson pulled off what she’d thrown at him and looked at it, then turned to Clara and said “You brought a swimsuit for me? And it’s pink?”

Clara blushed and said “Well, it was on sale and it’s not technically for you specifically. Just for any guy with a thirty-three-inch waistline.”

“I have a thirty-three-inch waistline,” Jasson said, “Did you-”

“Wow, what a coincidence,” Clara walked to the changing room with swimsuit in hand, “Now don’t peek. Petra will tear your eyes out and…um…”

“Pin them to my ears?” Jasson said, “Yeah, okay. I’m sure Harriet will do that for her if she catches me.”

Harriet took a breath and Jasson said “Just agree Harriet. I don’t want to be a ‘trial’ in this way.”

Harriet looked shocked and said “All right. If you insist.”

Jasson rolled his eyes and kicked off his shoes, peeling off his socks with two fingers. There wasn’t a shower to wash off in, so Jasson hoped he wouldn’t pollute the pool.

“Woah,” Scott waved his hand, “that’s foul. Wash off in the stream first.”

“Yeah…” Jasson wrinkled his nose, “good idea.”

Jasson wasn’t normally self-conscious with his shirt off. Yeah, he had a bit of weight, but it packed around his back mostly and didn’t hang off his gut. But there are very few men that, when faced with a body which would be at home beside chisled marble, don’t get a bit nervous about the whole thing.

This compounded with the disturbing fact that, once dressed in modest two-piece swimwear, Clara displayed a beauty that was uncomfortable to stand beside. Worse than that, Jasson couldn’t help but stare at the long scar on her leg. It was so hard not to look at, and the way it deformed her skin…

“Jasson,” Clara said, stepping into the pool, “You’re staring again.”

“Sorry,” Jasson turned away, “it’s just-”

“My scar right?” Clara said, “Gnarly, isn’t it?”

Clara motioned the the livid white scar curving around her lower thigh, something Jasson hadn’t seen since his first day. Jasson felt his stomach twist. Death and/or dismemberment was a real threat in this world.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“It’s beautiful,” Jasson said, “And sad. Like scars should be.”

“Wow,” Clara went below the surface of the water, and Jasson watched her swim away.

“Well put Jasson,” Scott said, slapping Jasson on his now painfully bare back, “Riri, what do you think of Jasson’s travailing situation.”

I don’t think that that’s how you use that word, Jasson thought.

“Oh it’s fine,” Harriet said, “He solved it well. A true champion.”

Jasson stepped into the pool, sloshing deeper until his chin touched the water. It was a little warm, so Jasson swam to the cool side of the pond. Harriet bobbed by, significantly less dense than the water.

“Tell me,” Jasson said, “Where did you meet Scott?”

“Oh,” Harriet straightened herself in the water, “I was going to see what humble abode we’d be forced to endure long term. I knew it wouldn’t be as bad as back home, but a girl can dream. There I found Scott building the place with his bare hands, shirt off and glinting in the sun like a hero in a colosseum.”

Harriet smiled then continued, saying “Well, technically not his bare hands. He was using an Earth crystal to grow trees into the shape of a house. It’s an interesting technique and a more fascinating design. So I figured that I’d give myself a trial and ask who he studied under.”

Harriet went back to floating on her back, then said “Well, you can imagine my surprise when he told me that he studied in the far East. His style was really different. You need to see it.”

“Awesome,” Jasson said, “What about the nickname? Riri? How did Scott start calling you that? It’s…unusual.”

Harriet opened her mouth to answer when the water burst open and Scott emerged in glistening glory.

“I can tell you that,” Scott said, “It would be my honor.”

“Umm,” Jasson said as Harriet smiled, “Okay.”

“You see,” Scott said, “I invited Harriett to this haven of heat, and she seemed hesitant. ‘Too easy’ she says, even with this travailing climb. So then I say, ‘what if I call you an annoying nickname? Surely that would make this more travailing. How about the name Riri?’.”

Scott flourished his hands towards Harriett and continued, “In truth, I said that in jest. A simple comment to rile her up a fraction. But Harriett promptly seized on it and insisted that I call her ‘Riri’. Well, I could hardly deny the request from such a lovely maiden and here we are. Does that answer your inquery?”

“How did you hear my question?” Jasson said, “You were underwater.”

“It’s an advanced hunting technique,” Scott said, “called water hearing. It took me well over a year of swimmer’s ear to master, but now I can hear easily underwater as well as above. This is extremely helpful in hunting fish.”

Jasson gaped. He was pretty sure that physics didn’t work like that. But Scott didn’t seem like he was lying.

“In any case,” Scott reclined into the water and started swimming circles around Jasson and Harriett, “I must say that I am intrigued by your party. You come here to rid the world of this Wyvern threat, yet insist that you stay despite having already done so.”

“Huh?” Jasson said, “What do you mean?”

“The swarm you killed last night,” Scott said, “I was in the middle of repairing our defenses when I experienced the explosion. Knocked my socks clean off and sent me to the ground! What did you use? Some kind of special weapon, right?”

I can’t just tell him that all it takes is a full battery. Jasson thought, recalling Harriett saying that he could try to conquer the world.

“Umm,” Jasson looked to Harriett who was smiling, “I…yeah. It- erm- it takes a week to recharge though. And it usually isn’t like that.”

Scott shrugged and said “Whatever it was, it was huge! A glowing tube equal to the Wyvern’s size. Amazing. But they’re all dead, aren’t they?”

“It’s not that easy,” Jasson said, “They’re bound to be mating right now, reproducing in tremendous numbers. We’ll need to find their nests and kill those as well.”

“Kill a baby wyvern?” Scott said, “You wouldn’t! They’re so cute!”

“Are they?” Jasson said.

Scott sighed, “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never seen one.”

“Then why did you say it like that?” Harriett said.

“Because all babies should be cute!” Scott said, “It’s how the world should be! Tiny babies with large adorable eyes that scream innocence and helpless adoration! Perhaps in a room painted with pastels.”

“It’s a nest of monsters,” Harriett said, “It’s not going to be cute. It will be a slime-ridden layer with the bones of men strewn in horrifying display. Countless victims, picked apart alive by a horde of ravenous baby monsters. We will battle our way through there, slaughtering egg and young alike in our desperate bid for survival. Then when the evicerate settles we will walk among the crunching, squishing remains of our foes as we claim our prize.”

Jasson shivered and said, “Been there, done that. The blood of your enemies is really hard to get out of your shoes.”

“Wait, really?” Harriett rounded on Jasson, “You never told me this!”

“I mean,” Jasson backed away from the aggressively bobbing girl, “I just met you yesterday, and most of that time was spent flying. It’s not like we’ve had time to talk.”

“Excuses,” Harriett said, “Don’t you know that the fastest of friends are made in mere minutes of battle? A dialogue of fists is shared and beautiful understanding is reached as the rain finally stops, a clear ray of sun glistening upon their bond.”

“I’ve heard of it,” Jasson said, “Was there a battle we fought in that I was unaware of?”

Harriett gaped and Scott said “And, although you are most correct Riri, battlefield comrades don’t learn each other’s histories or preferences. Just the nature of each other and a mutual trust born from the deep bond of saving each other’s lives. So there was no way for Jasson to tell you his story.”

Harriett stiffened, glared at Scott, and said “No! That’s not true! How do they become friends without learning about each other’s most painful moments? What do their fists talk about then?”

Jasson looked to Scott and they both shrugged and said “Nothing.”

****

Harriett was pouting in the pool, bobbing along in the distance as Jasson relaxed on the warmer side of things. Jasson watched as Scott came up to Jasson, rippling abs parting the waves.

“Is it okay if I sit here?” Scott said, motioning beside Jasson. Jasson nodded and the masterpiece of a man sat beside Jasson like one of those absurd before and after photos.

“You’re really the guy who did that then?” Scott said.

“Yeah,” Jasson said, “Didn’t know I could.”

Scott nodded then said “I know you’re probably getting this a lot from them-”

Scott motioned to the girls, then continued saying “But I think that that was really cool. Far beyond anything I can do.”

“It wasn’t even me,” Jasson said, “Just my ph- my magical device.”

“Kinda feels like cheating then?” Scott said.

“Yeah,” Jasson sighed, “Like using Guugle in a math exam. Even when they call it open book.”

Jasson waited for a follow-up question, some kind of confusion about what he was talking about. But instead, Scott just nodded and sat beside Jasson in silence.

After a minute Scott said, “Umm…There is a saying we have. You might have it as well. ‘If you put a frog in a pot of cool water and then raise the temperature, how does it know when it’s boiled?’ You’ve heard this, right?”

“Yeah,” Jasson said, “Are you trying to talk about something? Is my magic getting ‘dangerously hot’ or something?”

“No,” Scott stood, “I’m just afraid that we have a frog.”

Scott pointed to where the orange-tinted water boiled from the hot side of the pool. Jasson squinted to see Clara floating in the water with her eyes closed.

“It’s scalding hot over there,” Scott said, “Nearly boiling.”

“You should probably put a sign up about that,” Jasson said, grabbing a rock, “Be careful of slow-cooking yourself to death.”

“You’re not worried?” Scott said.

“She’s a fighter,” Jasson said, throwing the rock at Clara, “She’s tough.”

The rock sailed and bounced off of Clara like a skipping stone.

“What?” Clara straightened out, “Someone needs something?”

“Sorry,” Jasson said, “Just checking if you’re alive. Didn’t mean to hit you.”

“Oh,” Clara waved happily, “Thanks, but it would have been nicer to swim out here and shake me by the shoulder.”

“Umm,” Jasson motioned to himself, “I don’t have fire resistance.”

“Right,” Clara said, “Anything else?”

Jasson sighed and said “Yeah. It’s time to go. Petra will be getting worried.”

“Aww,” Clara said, “But we’ve only been in a few minutes.”

“You should never have stayed here in the first place.”

Jasson whipped around and gasped. Petra was standing at the entrance of the cavern wearing a large floppy hat. Sunglasses were tucked in her shirt, leaving Jasson unshielded from her glare.

“Oh perfect!” Clara waved from the boiling end of the pool, “Hop in Petra! The water is perfect over here.”

“I hiked all the way up this mountain,” Petra said, “With a migraine and dizziness mind you. Do you think I did that to frolic with you in the growing night?”

No one moved, even Scott who didn’t know Petra.

“You guys are idiots, your brains must be half broken.” Petra reached into her locker, “But a broken clock is right twice a day. Where’s the dressing room?”