Hot Springs Brigade!

Itsuki dove headfirst into the futon. He didn't care that the mat was thin, or that he hit his funny bone in the act. The nostalgia of sleeping on a futon reminded him of home and he was overjoyed.

Apparently Vic had all the beds removed in order to accommodate four members to a room. In its place, four mats reminiscent of the futons he used back home were laid out. Maya and their newest member Eve were unpacking their stuff on top of their bedspread.

He glanced over at the empty mat. "That's where Butch would've slept."

"Don't start." Maya didn't bother to look up from her stuff. "It's going to be a new start for us."

"And you two can count on me to back you up!"

Eve was in high spirits ever since we left Greenwick. On the other hand, Maya was quiet the whole way.

Then it dawned on him. It didn't occur to him before when he was freezing his butt off outside. He was going to share a room with two girls! Is this really okay? There weren't any room assignments. People kind of just grouped up and went into a room.

"Uh. I don't mean to be a prude, but are the two of you okay sharing a room with me?"

"Why should it matter?"

"I guess you've slept next to worse things growing up."

KERCHINK!

He turned around to see a knife embedded into the wall.

"Is this where I say sorry???"

"Don't pull that out."

"...and why not?"

"Because I might have to stab you in the middle of the night."

"Mercy…"

Eve took his hand and smiled. "I don't mind sleeping next to you."

"Ah…" His face was getting hot. He turned away before answering her sincerity. "Thanks."

"Ew. If you horny dogs are going to fuck, at least do it in the hall."

"We won't!"

Knock. Knock.

"Am I interrupting?"

Itsuki wrenched his hand away from Eve and shot straight up. He was relieved to see it was Vic and not Deena at the door.

"Vic! Nice to see you, again!"

"You shaped up, kid." She glanced at his waist.

He followed her eyes and knew she was scrutinizing the lack of a coin pouch. "I… kinda lost my last two coins in a river."

"Sounds like a story."

"What brings you down here? I thought you worked on the second floor?"

"Just wanted to drop by and see how my former staff was holding up."

"Aha… for better or for worse, I'm doing alright." He noticed Vic looking past him. "Let me introduce my friends. The elf with a bag full of knives is Maya, and the one in purple is Eve."

"Hi-llo! I'm nice to meet you— I MEAN, it's nice to meet you!"

"Proprietress Vic, I've heard so much about you from my friends in Darcie!"

His companions were starstruck. They stuttered over their words and had trouble composing themselves.

"Nice to meet you both." Vic produced what Itsuki thought was an uncharacteristically charming smile.

"Uh. Am I missing something here?"

"I need to get back to work. Can't let Taisha do everything on her own. We'll talk later."

"Before you go, I was hoping you could do me a favor?" 

"You're asking me for a favor?"

"Consider it a favor for saving Deena."

"You've gotten cheeky. Let's hear it."

"I want you to train me."

She raised a brow. He expected her to refuse, but instead a hand fell atop his head.. "You have an appointment with Deena first. Like I said, we'll talk later."

Vic patted his shoulder and left.

Then he was tackled by Maya and Eve from behind.

"Whaaaaaa, how are you so friendly with Proprietress Vic?"

"You said you knew her, but it looked like you two have history?"

He pushed both of them back. "C-calm down! I worked here for a bit. That's all. What's wrong with you two?"

Maya had her hands on her face. "I always hear stories about her, but seeing her in person is so surreal."

"Before I came down from Darcie, people always talked about Vic and the Royal Cassun. Even my father is impressed with her."

"What is she? A celebrity?"

"Vic is a rags to riches story. A half-demon girl escaping a war-torn Orcus in the midst of the Demon Wars, finds favor with the King of Cassun, and builds herself a resort spa beloved by all races around the world!"

"She's a crazy strong fighter on top of it!"

"She has to be. She's got to protect the Royal Cassun after all."

There are so many stories about her!"

Itsuki was almost afraid to cut in. "What…? What kind of stories?"

"I heard her swords are smelted demon hearts that were tempered in dragonfire."

"Do you know the story of Proprietress Vic killing a manticore when it made nest near the Royal Cassun?"

"I have!"

"There's no way those stories are true…"

"They are!" The two of them retorted.

Maya leaned in. "You probably have a story about her that sounds unbelievable, too."

"Yeah, but… wait." What she said gave him pause. Because she was right. "I do…"

"Tell us!"

"When I was working here, two ogres attacked. Vic cut through them like butter."

"Oh, Maya! Let's talk more in the hot spring!"

"Check out the cafeteria while we're at it."

The two of them grabbed a change of clothes and hightailed it out of the room, leaving Itsuki in a daze.

"What the heck, Vic. You're more of a hero than I am."

He shrugged it off. They hadn't even finished unpacking. To think the two of them bonded in an instant just like that.

"Whatever gets them on each other's good side, I guess."

While they're gone, he's finally got some privacy to himself. It was time to work away this pent up stress otherwise he won't survive sleeping next to two women for a week.

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

Vic made her way back upstairs to meet Taisha. She took the first right at the top and followed the hall to the very last room. It was the smallest of the VIP suites but sufficiently large enough to satisfy the vanity of any affluent individual.

However, the occupant behind this door was no being of wealth or extravagance. He was supposed to be the key to restoring her Legion. Imagine her surprise when Taisha revealed that his only condition was a spacious room. Perhaps, she should be fortunate that was all he asked for.

When she opened the door, the smell of ammonia assaulted her nose. She saw Taisha and a half-dragon man behind a menagerie of glass instruments she'd never seen before. There was a shelf that didn't belong in this room lined from end to end with vials of varying colors across the spectrum.

"Unlike us, ogres do not fear snake bites. Their blood… denatures the venom. Distill the solution. The resulting distillate… a potent toxin. What remains… of the original solution?"

"Essence of Tirn?"

"A sprinkle of crystallized mana… transforms the compound. What is the resulting compound?"

"The crystals would dry it out too quickly."

"That is why we control it… with magic of our own."

"I see. Of course. We can control the heat by cooling it with cold magic."

"Now, look. What has become of the mixture?"

"We've created Martyr's Tear."

"In alchemy… nothing goes to waste."

Vic almost didn't want to interrupt, but the two of them turned around nonetheless.

"Vic, you should've said something. Allow me to introduce Sarrul of the Gilded."

The half-dragon man named Sarrul bowed his head slightly. He looked young, likely not much older than Deena. His eyes were distant, almost dead. More disturbingly were the lack of features that distinguished his kind. He had no scales on his face and hands. Instead, there were wrinkled flesh where the scales should have been. If it weren't for the remaining scales on his tail, she would not have guessed he was born of red dragon ancestry.

"Proprietress. This room is plenty spacious. My thanks."

"To be Gilded by the Alchemist's Guild at such a young age is quite the feat."

"You honor me. Unfortunately, the grand title of Crimson is no longer within my reach."

"It isn't?"

"Taisha must not have told you… I have not been a member of the Alchemist's Guild for some months now."

"You're… not?" She looked at Taisha for answers, but it was Sarrul who answered.

"My license to perform alchemy in Grennadier was… revoked."

"Should I ask?"

"New horizons are exciting."

"Do you have everything you need here?"

"I saw you have a dreadsteed… I should like to collect a sample of its amniotic fluid."

Vic was taken aback. "I've been told it'll hatch soon. You'll have to wait."

"Shame… dreadsteeds are an uncommon sight. Every part down to the hair is worth more than the purest of gold."

"Ahem. Sarrul." Taisha tried to steer the conversation. "About why you're here."

"Yes. Your affliction is not uncommon… there are many cases where people have lost their ability to cast spells."

"But I can still summon my weapons." She materialized Rend and Flay into her hands and promptly vanished them.

"Those with an affinity to magic… have many mana channels that flow through their bodies." 

"Mana channels are a theoretical concept." Vic countered. 

"For now.."

"He believes your nightmares have nothing to do with it."

"You're under the impression that these nightmares… as a result of your bloodline is what hinders you. I believe the fevered dreams…  are a mere symptom of a closed mana channel."

"Assuming they exist, how do we open it?"

"That's what I'm here to find out." He pulled out an empty vial. "Until then… I need a sample of your blood."

"Very well." Vic was about to materialize one of her swords when she saw Sarrul had already procured a needle and syringe. "What sort of alchemist carries around surgical equipment?"

"The prepared kind."

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

Piper wiped the sweat from her forehead. Working over multiple boiling cauldrons was a lot harder than she gave Vic credit for. Especially when the pots were filled to the top with ingredients, her small arms could barely move the stirring ladle.

"Hmmm… oh!"

She put all her strength into rotating the ladle around once, then incanted a spell to make it rotate on its own. She did this with the other two ladles, and all that's left was to focus for twenty minutes.

"Whew!"

There was still an ounce of regret not being able to help upstairs, but she had to stay productive for her friends. Vic entrusted her to hold the fort down here. There's no way she's going to disappoint her captain.

"When he said 'sample' I didn't think he'd take a five vials worth of blood."

"He's peculiar, but he means well."

"Welcome back!"

"Hey, Piper."

"You don't look so good."

"Taisha has a friend in the guild that thinks he can return Legion to my arsenal."

"That's good! Right?"

"As long as he hasn't bled me out by then. I'm going to lie down in my room."

Taisha glanced over at the three boiling cauldrons. "I see you're doing well down here."

"Another ten minutes and they should be done. I hope they taste as good as it looks."

"Have you never cooked before, Piper?"

"I just followed Vic's instructions."

"The key to cooking," Taisha lifted one of the ladles and blew on it. "Is to taste as you go."

Piper leaned in to taste it.

"How is it?"

"Hmmm. A little bland?"

Taisha tasted it as well and nodded. "How shall we remedy that?"

"With salt!"

"That's correct— Wait, Piper! That's too much!"

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

Itsuki rubbed his head as he walked down the hall to the dining area. "What kind of teammates eat without inviting you? Seriously?!"

Maya and Eve neglected to tell him that they were going to eat after taking a dip in the hot springs. Now he had to go eat alone. Maybe he could ask Deena to join him? No, he couldn't ask. He hadn't seen her, so she was probably busy working. 

When he got to the cafeteria, he was surprised to see it was so packed. It was only noon, he half expected people to have gotten their lunch out of the way already. The place was mostly occupied by the Adventurer's Guild. Even when they weren't at a tavern, its members enjoyed spending their time in whatever place offered a meal.

"Move it."

He didn't see the half-demon coming through and was shoved aside. "Sorry, Rust."

Itsuki recognized this half-demon by his cloudy right eye. His name was Rust. He was a proficient archer and leader of the half-demon party that often picked on him.

"I noticed you and the other human girl cozied up."

"She was alone, so Maya and I took her in."

"I don't see Butch."

"He… was killed the night before we left."

Rust made an expression that was somewhere between surprise and disappointment, and then walked past him. "Hmph."

"I know it was my fault…" Itsuki balled his hands into a fist. "But what could I have done…?"

"Are you alright? Should I call the staff?"

"Eh? No, I'm fine." He turned around to a deeply scarred face with a deadpan stare. "Sorry! I'm probably in your way."

"It's fine."

It was only when the man continued into the dining area did he notice the red dragon tail. The half-dragon fetched a tray of food before finding an empty table at the corner of the room. Itsuki realized he was standing around like an idiot. He grabbed himself a tray and headed in the same direction.

"Excuse me. May I join you?"

"If you wish."

"Thanks. My name's Itsuki. You?"

"Sarrul."

"I remember you from the prelims! Though I don't think I saw you when we came in?"

"I've taken residence upstairs."

"As in the VIP suites? You paid for that?!"

"The room was provided to me free of charge… it was the only place I could fit all of my alchemical apparatuses."

"Free? Are you friends with Vic?"

"We were only just acquainted today."

"I see…"

Sarrul ate slow. Or methodical? Itsuki noticed every bite he took out of the bread was the same size. He chewed exactly seven times and then swallowed. When it came to the soup, every spoonful was met with the same blank stare he received before ingesting it.

"So… you're an alchemist. Does that mean you can make all sorts of potions?"

"Yes."

"Healing potions, too?"

"I believe that falls under the 'all sorts' category."

"Haha… right. I was wondering—"

"Itsuki!"

Deena came into the dining room with a towel slung over her shoulder.

"Hey! Are you done working?"

"Nah. I just finished cleaning the private springs, but I've got some time to relax." She pointed to the other person at the table. "One of your new friends?" 

"This is Sarrul. I just met him."

"Pleased to meet you."

"Ain't you the one Vic was talking about? Yuck. What's wrong with your face?"

"Isn't that rude to say after just meeting him?!"

"Wait a minute..." Deena looked under the table and came back up confused. "What happened to the scales on your face?"

"That's even worse!"

"Ah. Red dragon scales are a key component in reducing the high viscosity of cresian extract."

Itsuki and Deena stared at him dumbfounded.

"Doing so… balances the acidity of green slime during its transmutation into nutrient-rich soil."

Her eyes lit up."I don't really get it, but you're an alchemist. Does that mean you can transmute things into gold?"

"Yes…"

"Deena, I don't think he—"

"Itsuki, shh. I'll bring you whatever you need to transmute gold. Whaddya say?"

"Transmuting gold is widely inefficient."

"So you can't do it?"

"No… I can, but you understand there is more wealth to be made selling the ingredients… than to transmute into gold?"

"Doesn't matter to me. Just tell me what it takes!"

"I see you are a hostage to your baser instinct…" Sarrul yielded, giving into her selfish request. "Bring me as much pyrite and tarantula spittle as you can find."

"I'll bring you a mountain's worth!"

"Excuse me. I'm going to retire to my room now. Deena, Itsuki… it was not a pleasant conversation. Nonetheless, it was a pleasure meeting the both of you."

"Ah, crap." Realization struck Itsuki as soon as Sarrul left. "I wanted to ask if he was interested in joining my party."

"Ask him later. I only have until the sun starts going down."

"I almost forgot. Uhm, my room is occupied by Maya and Eve right now."

"We can't go downstairs. Vic and Taisha'll be furious with me."

"I don't really feel like talking about it with other guild members around…"

Deena shut her eyes and furrowed her brows until she came to something. "Have you tried the hot spring yet?"

"Not yet. Why?"

Then he realized what she was going to ask next.

"D-don't take this the wrong way, okay?? But… do you… wanna go in with me?"

Itsuki gulped hard. She was noticeably more embarrassed about it than he was. He couldn't exactly decline...

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

The two of them took a private spring normally reserved for the VIPs. Since Vic was mia, Taisha was upstairs, Piper downstairs, and Aura hanging out with the guild no one would suspect they were here.

Deena couldn't believe she asked Itsuki to join her in the hot spring. It was the first thing that popped up in her mind, and she didn't want to say no after being the one to suggest it. There they were face to face with only a towel in the way of completely bare. But as soon as they had started talking, it was as though the awkwardness dissipated away with the steam.

She listened to Itsuki recount the incident leading up to the cockatrice followed by Butch's subsequent death. At one point he started rubbing his eyes and blamed it on the steam. His quivering voice told her otherwise.

"You're right. If it was me or Vic, either one of us would've shredded that cockatrice apart in seconds." Deena shook her head and tried to pick her next words more carefully. "But you aren't me or Vic. Beating yourself up won't change that."

She was getting irritated that Itsuki had his head down. He hadn't looked at her since they came in.

"How did you get so strong?" He asked just barely loud enough over the running waters.

"I got things I need to kill that are a hundred times stronger than I am."

"The dragons that took your home?"

"Damn straight. I ain't gonna rest until I slaughter a whole brood of them."

"My problems feel so small compared to yours. I can't imagine taking on actual dragons."

"Lucky for me, I got a reliable half-demon to back me up in the future. Until then I gotta watch her back."

Itsuki suddenly grew interested. "I feel like there's a lot more to Vic than she lets on. For example, Maya and Eve were gushing over her earlier. What's up with that?"

She felt a pang of jealousy that Itsuki wanted to talk about Vic. "You got a lot of nerve bringing up other girls in front of me…"

"Sorry! Uhhh, I think the green scales along your hips really accentuate your toned body!"

"I didn't ask you to compliment me!!" She sank her head into the water to hide her blushing face. "Why do you gotta make things so awkward…"

"This is really difficult for me! I masturbated earlier hoping to keep calm, but it doesn't look like it was enough!"

Silence.

Deena and Itsuki went beet red at the same time.

"Suddenly being in the same water with you feels like its defiling my body."

"If it makes you feel any better, I thought of—"

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!" She swung her tail, sending a small tsunami his way.

"Sorry for making this awkward…" He said, coughing up water.

Her heart was pounding. It wasn't like her to be so nervous. Blood continued to rush to her face, and she was steaming more than the spring itself.

"Hahh… I know you're… interested in me. But this feeling is really new to me. Maybe… I…. I'm interested in… you, too." She got out of the pool and headed for the door. "B-but just because you saved my life once, doesn't mean I'm gonna make it easy for you!"

Then ran out.

Itsuki buried his head between his legs feeling embarrassed when he should be overjoyed. "That was basically a confession right? I'm so happy she's so blunt…"

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

Aura had gathered the members of her guild to the lobby. There were dwarves, elves, half-demons, half-dragons, and even a few humans. All of them from different backgrounds with their own story to tell. They have gathered for a single purpose— to bring fame and glory to Cassun, home of the Adventurer's Guild.

"My fledglings! As your first day comes to a close, reflect on why you have come. I hope you do not think the entirety of your stay will be one of leisure and slothfulness."

Some of the more fatigued members were falling asleep on their feet. That just would not do. If this was the most they can offer, the wilderness would eat them alive.

"No doubt there are those among you who would like nothing more than to languish away these seven days. I call upon those that wish to prove their worth, rouse yourselves!" Her eyes flared a deep blue.

"In five days, you shall embark on an excursion northwards. I have hidden eighteen stones of power in the Oaken Wealds. Find them, return them to me. Take care, for foul creatures lurk between here and the walls of Darcie. This is your final test. Do not squander these five days as they may be your last."

There were whispers of worry and hesitation. It was only natural. Dangerous beasts do prowl the northern forests. Vic and Deena occasionally ventured out to cull their numbers and any nests that have grown too close. But these people before her were still wet around the ears.

Her heart aches for those who were not here. Their absence was not lost on her. A half-orc by the name of Butch did not make the journey. She learned of this from Deena since Itsuki lacked the courage to tell her himself.

Though some of them do have combat experience, they were leagues below the Royal Cassun staff. Aura chuckled to herself. She recalled a time when her staff were just as green as these guild members. It only meant she needed to spoil them a little.

"Worry not, my adorable little fledglings!" She declared. "I know you shall return triumphant! Even should you come back empty handed, I shall love you unconditionally. My pride and joy, what you give to Cassun I will give back ten folds."

"For the Guild!" The guild cheered back. "For Guildmaster Aura!!!"

Aura had meant every word of it. Of course there are members out for glory and wealth. Self-interest is a staple trait of an adventurer. But these men and women with no ties to the Cassun crown offer their lives in service to its people. How could she not love them?

She prayed that the weather in the coming days would be fair to her beloved Guild.