Combat Healer Ch. 06 (Patreon)

December 10, 2021

NOTE: This is practically a whole new story at this point, so be sure re-read the first 2 chapters if you read the older version: “My Girlfriend’s an Oni Demon”

I took the first 2 chapters and turned them into 4 chapters.

It's now a story that will have multiple love interests, as well as LitRPG elements (which was what I intended to begin with, as seen by him commenting on his 'analyzing' skills, but I hadn't fleshed out the world that much yet when I first started writing this).

<< Chapter 5 | Chapter 1

- CHAPTER 6: Tale -

Many Years Ago

A young elf girl, with black hair and purple eyes, clung to her knees as she huddled in the corner of the room, her face and clothing covered in blood, her body trembling violently, even despite the roaring fireplace not far away.

She was surrounded by noise, mostly coming from outside, people talking urgently in loud voices, attempting to be heard over the cries of pain and the shrieks of agony, even as she heard a boy’s name called out over and over again.

“Where’s Allister? Someone get Allister!”

“Allister, over here!”

“Allister hurry, he’s about to die.”

“Allister, now this one.”

“Allister, please help her.”

She even began to hear voices she recognized, those who she’d been traveling with, who quickly learned the boy’s name.

“Allister, please heal my husband.”

“Allister, please save my father.

“Allister, please help me.”

Before long, the sounds outside died down, and it became quieter, people speaking in hushed whispers now. Yet the girl still shivered as if she was freezing, horrifying images stuck frozen in front of her eyes.

The moment her mother’s blood splashed all over her body, the whole person in front of her sliced into three separate pieces. The moment she saw her father cast a spell toward the onslaught, lighting up the darkness enough to reveal the hundreds upon hundreds of monsters descending upon him.

She didn’t even react when she heard footsteps enter the doorway…

Only for them to rush over.

“Are you okay?!” a boy’s voice asked urgently. “Shit, where are you hurt? Where did all this blood come from?”

His hand touched her shoulder then, and with it, an intense warmth spread throughout her body, thawing her out. She looked up into his deeply concerned and sympathetic eyes, feeling like she’d been lost in the darkness, and he’d suddenly pulled her into the light.

Yet, once her mind began working again, she could only think to say one thing.

“Allister,” she whispered, her voice barely audible, echoing similar words to what she’d heard not long ago. “Please help me. Please save my father.”

* * *

Mel seemed stunned that I’d survived for three months in a dungeon when I was only a teenager and didn’t even have a Focus unlocked. But what really encouraged me was not just her reaction, but the fact that she actually believed my story, whereas others would have dismissed it as a tall tale.

But not her.

She trusted that I was being honest with her and was eager to know more.

“How did you survive?” she asked seriously.

Still on our way to drop off my book, we were slipping into another alley that would lead us to the main road just before our destination, so I waited another moment before responding.

I cleared my throat once we were moving with the flow.

“Umm. Well, it was horrible,” I admitted. “Like, really horrible. I couldn’t really fight the Scourge Beasts we ran across, and while the elf girl luckily had the Mage class, she only had one spell. Just one basic spell.” I grimaced. “Which meant, every encounter was a fight to the death.” I felt my chest tighten at all the memories threatening to flood my mind. “I got hurt a lot too, but I brought her back from the brink of death probably a hundred times. I healed her shredded flesh and broken bones probably a thousand times.” My grimaced deepened. “And I listened to her scream in pain too many times to count. Every day was torture, for both of us. But most of all, for her. And all we could do was survive. To try to survive just one more day. To survive just one more hour.”

“Oh Allie,” she whispered. “I am so sorry.”

“Me too,” I admitted, feeling almost relieved to be sharing this, and to have someone believe me. “I won’t pretend like everything worked out and it was fine. It was absolutely the most miserable time in my life, even more miserable than when my parents passed. And those three months felt like an eternity in hell.” I sighed then, gesturing ahead of us and changing the subject. “Anyway, we’re here,” I commented, directing her attention as we turned down a wide alleyway that led to an obvious gate. It was guarded by one of the Elf Guard, one of the many perks of being associated with the Queen…and possibly a perk of being someone who slept with the Queen on occasion.

As was the rumor surrounding Sylvia Vanitas, the blonde elf with icy blue eyes who was supposedly a little over a century old despite her youthful appearance, and supposedly a good friend of the Elf Queen who had likewise ruled for nearly a century.

Of course, elves did have longer lifespans than the other races, maturing at the same rate as humans until they got to be in their twenties, but no elf in their hundreds looked like they were still in their prime. Far from it.

Whereas humans often began graying in their thirties or forties, elves didn’t start looking older until they got to be in their nineties. A fifteen-year-old elf looked about the same as a fifteen-year-old human, only taller most of the time. But a thirty, forty, or even fifty-year-old elf often still looked twenty years old. And often acted twenty years old.

To some, it seemed a little odd that elves didn’t really age once they reached twenty, but the way I liked to think about it was in terms of dying. Whereas humans matured to twenty years old, and then immediately began to slowly head toward death, elves were completely different.

Elves would similarly mature to about twenty years old, but then remain in their prime for a long time as if they were never going to age. As if they were never going to start dying. As if they might even live forever.

But of course, they didn’t live forever.

They remained young adults for a long time, until they got into their eighties or nineties, at which point they began to show signs of heading toward death, only at a much slower pace. Roughly about half as slow as humans, with it taking a hundred and twenty years for them to age roughly sixty years for a human.

The end result was about the same.

An eighty-year-old human looked similar to a two-hundred-year-old elf.

But still, a woman who was a hundred and twenty, or older, was going to look like she was at least middle-aged, since that’s exactly what she was for an elf -- middle-aged. Most lived to be anywhere from two-hundred years, to two-hundred forty.

And there was no way to avoid looking old eventually.

Or so I assumed.

I was just waiting for the day when Sylvia began showing signs of graying or something similar, though she’d probably kill me if I ever pointed it out. Freeze me to death with her ice magic, which she’d threatened on occasion when I’d looked at her too long.

Of course, I’d been trying to use my Eye of the Goddess on her, but she’d never allow me to concentrate long enough to divine anything.

Mel straightened more when she saw the guard, the uniform very obvious with its dark blue hues and silver highlights. The only visible armor on the tall man was the decorative metal on his shoulders and head, though it was fairly common knowledge that underneath the blue coat and black pants, they wore a full covering of enhanced chainmail. He also had a sword strapped to his hip, though his posture was relaxed as we approached.

From what I knew from my Eye of the Goddess skill, he was more than competent and very capable with a sword as a standard Fighter class with a Warrior focus. There probably weren’t too many who could beat him in a fight, aside from those in the two or three top guilds. But of course, the guilds were on the kingdom’s side, members being civil servants in many ways, except more focused on the external threats, rather than internal ones.

Really, the only significant difference was that the Elf Guard were all elves, enlistment not being possible for other races.

Of course, I was completely relaxed as we approached, since it was someone I saw with some regularity.

“Morning Kizmel,” I said simply. “Here to return the book I borrowed.”

He simply nodded, his gaze focused on my companion. “And who is this with you?”

“Her name is Melantha. She’s with our guild, Remnant, and on my team.”

“Since when?” he asked more seriously, his mossy eyes narrowing slightly, causing us to stop, since he was kind of in the way.

“Since this morning,” I admitted.

His gaze shifted to her again. “Then, miss Melantha, I am only going to say this once. Thievery elsewhere is punishable by imprisonment. Thievery here is punishable by death.”

Her gold eyes turned into saucers, suddenly sounding nervous as she spoke to me. “Umm, I think I’ll just wait out here then.”

I sighed. “He’s being a bit overdramatic. Sylvia doesn’t usually allow anyone in the back area where everything is at, and you can just have him check you when we leave.”

Mel seemed frantic. “So you’re saying I’m not risking my life by going inside?”

I focused up at the elf. “Kizmel, help me out here. I trust her.”

He frowned, his gaze focusing on her again, only to look her up and down. “Stay in the front area, and I’ll pat you down when you leave. The punishment for stealing here is death, but not without undeniable proof. You’re at no risk for being falsely accused,” he added, finally stepping to the side.

Mel still seemed uneasy. “Okay…I guess if you say so.”

“It’ll be fine,” I repeated. “I come here all the time, often with Jackel or Turg. There’s usually nothing valuable it the front area anyway, so there’s nothing to worry about.” I gave her a little tug for encouragement. “Seriously, it’ll be fine. Sylvia isn’t out to get anyone. She just doesn’t want thieves targeting this place. Although, honestly the average person doesn’t even know this place is here.”

Mel began walking with me finally, glancing back at the elf after we passed him. “And what exactly is this place?” she asked me seriously, finally speeding up to walk at my side.

I loved how she grabbed onto my arm with her free hand, our fingers still intertwined, squishing her firm leather-clad tits against me.

“Basically, if you find something unique or rare in a dungeon, you come here to sell it. If it has any value, then Sylvia will buy it off you. Our team has actually made a ton of money in the last year by exploring dungeons, and looking for rare items, before fully conquering it.”

The subject put Mel at ease as we began taking the stone steps down into the building, seeming to be reminded of our previous conversation.

“You actually explore the dungeon?” she asked quietly, her voice echoing a little. “Isn’t that hard on you?”

“It was at first,” I admitted. “Lots of horrible memories. But having my team has helped a lot. And they’re strong, so they rarely get seriously hurt.” I paused. “I mean, they do get hurt badly sometimes, but it’s not like life-threatening. Not usually.”

She nodded, focusing on the metal door at the end of the steps, the space opening up into an antechamber, leaving plenty of room for multiple people to gather at once.

A few seconds later and I was opening the door and gesturing for her to step inside, a bell ringing within from a pully mechanism triggered by the door. Her gold eyes widened when we did so, likely in response to how bright it was from the Light Crystals within, immediately looking over to her left to see the long stone counter that was the only furniture in the small room.

Of course, upon first glance, it would look like this place was really bare and small, but just beyond an open doorway behind that stone counter, there was a massive cavern, lit brightly in yellow Light Crystals, with seemingly endless rows of shelving containing everything imaginable, from books, to artifacts, to weapons.

Of course, nothing within was too valuable, since if it was, then it would have been sent off to the Queen’s vault, but that didn’t mean there weren’t probably over a hundred thousand gold coins worth of stuff inside.

We barely made it to the counter -- raised on a stone platform with the right side attached to the wall, the left side being the only way behind it -- before a blonde beauty stuck her head around the corner of the back doorway, her icy blue eyes narrow. She was already a couple of inches taller than me when we were on even ground, but the raised level of the platform and inner cavern made her nearly a half foot taller.

I knew she had a wooden desk within, where she did a lot of her work, since the occasional time she made me wait, I always angled myself so that I could see her through the doorway just to ensure she wasn’t truly wasting my time.

“Allister,” she sneered, like the sound of my name made her want to vomit. And yet, her voice was anything but unattractive. “You’re back sooner than I expected. I still expect you to pay for today as well.”

“I know,” I replied evenly. “And that’s fine. I hope you’ll allow me to borrow this once more, in the future. I’ve never read anything with so much new information in it.”

Her icy eyes narrowed again. “We’ll see how it looks when I inspect it.”

I nodded, reaching down to pull it out of my leather bag, as she finally stepped into sight and approached. As was common for her, she was dressed like royalty, wearing an extremely elaborate silver silk dress that hugged her tall body in all the right spots. But I paid her no mind as I carefully set the book on the counter.

Sylvia had ensured a spell was placed on it, to keep it from getting damaged, but I always was extra careful when I was handling it in front of her. She didn’t take kindly to the mistreatment of anything she perceived as being hers.

Silvia spoke up then, directing her words at Mel. “And what business do you have here?” she snapped.

My girlfriend’s gold eyes widened at the hostility in her tone. “I’m just with him,” she said in disbelief.

Sylvia didn’t respond, simply shifting her gaze to me as I dug in my pocket to pull out a gold coin.

“Two days, right?” I commented, even though I was very confident in the amount I owed her.

Of course, Sylvia wouldn’t touch me, even if her life depended on it, so she hadn’t touched the book yet, waiting until I had everything on the counter to avoid accidental contact. Literally, she wouldn’t retrieve the items until my hands were back at my sides.

But unfortunately, it seemed she was in an especially bad mood today.

“Just put it on the table, before I charge you ten days!” she snapped, wincing as she did so, as if the effort caused her pain.

I sighed, placing the gold coin on the counter, worth the twenty silver I owed for two days.

Mel’s eyes widened all over again. “Holy fuck! You’re paying a gold to borrow the book?! For two days?!”

“Shut up!” Sylvia snapped yet again. “I’ve got a godawful headache, and you’re not helping!”

Mel seemed stunned, not overly bothered by the outburst, but instead looking at me in confusion. “Can’t Allister heal that?” she asked seriously.

Sylvia scoffed, abruptly grabbing the tome and gold coin in one swift motion, only to twist around and head back into the main cavern. “No way in hell am I letting a man put his hands on me,” she grumbled, loud enough to hear, but sounding like she was speaking to herself.

I just shrugged when Mel gave me a questioning look, keeping my voice low. “She pretty much hates all men,” I said quietly. “It’s not just me. She barely tolerates Kizmel, or any of the other male guards.”

“Oh,” she said simply. “So then, are we done here?”

I shook my head, gesturing with my chin toward the door, where Sylvia could be seen sitting down within, picking up a quill to jot down some notes as she began examining the tome. I had no idea what she was writing down, but it was a meticulous habit she had. Especially when I had borrowed something that was truly one-of-a-kind.

Mel focused on what she could see from her angle, only to lean on the counter with a heavy sigh.

“You have to wait until she inspects it,” she assumed.

“It won’t take too long,” I promised. “And we can talk if you want. Just have to keep it down.”

Mel sighed again as she nodded, both of us falling silent for a few seconds. She then focused on me, beginning to review what I’d told her. “Okay, so you were swallowed up by that dungeon, and barely managed to make it out alive. But how did you even get out? Did someone rescue you?”

I shook my head. “No, we conquered it.”

Her tone was instantly flat in disbelief.

“Wut.”

I couldn’t help but smile at her reaction. “Yeah, I know it sounds crazy.”

“Uh, yeah,” she said seriously. “You didn’t even have a Focus, and that elf girl only knew one spell? I know you said you both almost died every day, but you conquered a dungeon with one spell? Shit. What kind of spell was it anyway?”

I frowned, wondering if I should be completely honest, since I was concerned now that she might not believe me if I only told her facts I wanted to share. And I felt like she’d already proven she was a sincere person, and sincere in her interest in me. And I realized I needed her to believe me.

So I had to tell her enough that it would make sense.

I sighed. “Technically, I had a spell that helped too.”

Her brow furrowed. “Well, yeah. I assumed as much, since you healed her.”

I shook my head, glancing at Sylvia work her quill as she began flipping through individual pages. “Not just that. I have another spell, one I don’t tell people about.” I paused when she looked more alarmed than I was anticipating, clearly assuming it was more badass than it actually was. “Not that it’s overly powerful, because it’s not,” I clarified. “But I don’t tell people, because if I ever got into a fight, it’s my only real advantage.”

Mel nodded. “I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

I glanced at Sylvia again, unsure if she could hear us from here, but deciding not to take the chance. Thus, I leaned in closer and almost pressed my mouth to Mel’s pointy red ear. “It’s called Stun,” I said simply, only to pull away, speaking at a normal volume again. “And remember when I said I can interrupt attacks with my slingshot?”

Her gold eyes widened as it all clicked for her. “Ohh. Of course. That makes perfect sense now.”

I nodded. “It only lasts for a couple of seconds, but not even Turg, Dagru, or Jackel know, because if I ever got into a dispute with them, it would literally be my only advantage.”

Mel nodded in understanding, knowing it wasn’t uncommon for men especially to get into fights, even if they were friends. “I swear I won’t tell anyone. Not on my life. But then, what spell did the girl have?”

“Shock,” I said simply.

“Shit,” Mel hissed, likely understanding the implications.

Despite its name, shock was a fairly powerful spell, being even more powerful than the basic spell for a fire mage -- Fireball.

However, there was one minor issue.

“No wonder she almost died so many times,” Mel commented. “There’s no option for ranged attacks.”

“Nope,” I agreed somberly. “She practically had to be touching the monster to attack it. Of course, the unique spell I have helped a ton, and thankfully it costs very little essence to use. Otherwise, there’s no way we would have survived.” I paused. “Of course, we absorbed the monster’s essence after killing it, but we still cut it close way too many times.”

As was common knowledge, essence regenerated naturally over the course of a day, and I quickly developed a high recovery rate in the Dungeon, but every fight pretty much spent all our stored essence, resulting in a close call every single time, only for us to absorb just enough magical energy for the next unavoidable fight to the death.

“I’m starting to understand how it was possible,” Mel admitted. “But it’s still a miracle you’re alive.”

I nodded, focusing intently on Sylvia’s quill now, my mind beginning to feel lost as a stream of memories really began to fill my thoughts, causing a somberness to settle over me as I recalled the relationship I’d developed with that beautiful elf. As well as all the intimate times we’d spent together, finding hope in each other, even despite the hardships plaguing us every day.

Mel must have sensed the sadness because her tone was sympathetic as she responded.

“So where is she now?” she wondered.

I sighed. “I don’t know,” I admitted. “Just when we reached the final room, we were attacked by some kind of monster and barely survived. It was dark, so I never actually saw the creature. I just…” I paused to swallow, surprised that sharing all this was really hitting me hard. “Well…umm, we won. But we both got hurt really bad. We were both dying.” I focused more intently on Sylvia’s quill, feeling like her strokes had slowed down. I swallowed again. “I didn’t have enough essence to save both of us,” I admitted quietly.

Mel sniffled. “Oh Allie,” she said almost inaudibly. “I’m so sorry. It’s not your fault. You did what you had to do.”

I shook my head, knowing she was misunderstanding, though I wasn’t ready to explain the whole situation out loud just yet. It was too much for me, to admit how the experienced changed me.

After spending so much time together with that girl, after becoming so close with her, we actually exchanged vows, promising to marry if we ever made it out of there alive. But it wasn’t an arrangement of hope. She did love me, just as I’d fallen deeply in love with her, both of us suffering when the other was nearly killed, repeatedly.

If anything, keeping the other person alive had become the goal we primarily strived for, rather than our own self-preservation. She constantly defended me, and I always healed her first, even if I was hurt worse.

But there was little real hope, since after endless days of suffering, neither one of us truly believed we were ever going to make it out. Our only goal was just to survive. One day at a time, one hour at a time, for months.

Thus, we did our best to live our lives within hell, as if that was just our new existence now.

The problem was, once we finally took the risk to consummate our relationship for the first time, I developed a unique skill. And when I told her what the skill was, she was at first excited…thinking it was a sign from the gods…

But when I told her what I was pretty sure it did, she forbid me from using it.

Because it would forever link our lives, and if she died, then I would die…

She couldn’t accept that.

She knew she might be the one to really die, between the two of us, and she couldn’t accept the idea that her own death might take my life too. She already blamed herself for me being stuck in the dungeon with her, since I wouldn’t have chased after her if she’d just stayed put, so she wasn’t willing to risk her death resulting in mine.

However, after the final monster was defeated and she was dying in my arms, I’d actually been completely out of essence, having no idea where the slain monster was in the darkness, and knowing there wasn’t enough time anyway. Not for either one of us.

My healing magic completely ineffective…

But that’s when I gained the skill Eye of the Goddess.

And suddenly, I understood what it would truly mean to link my life to hers.

I could save her…

I could save her!

It would only cost…

My own life.

I cleared my throat, trying to collect myself as I corrected her assumption. “Umm, no, I didn’t heal myself.” I paused. “I healed her.”

Mel was quiet for a long few seconds. “So then…you both survived?”

I sighed heavily, glancing at her, surprised that her gold eyes were a little teary. “I used up all I had, and healed her. But yeah, I guess I survived too. Obviously.” I sighed. “However, when I woke up, she was gone. The doors to the outside world were open, and she was gone.” I paused when I saw the realization register in her eyes.

“She abandoned you,” she whispered. “Left you there.”

I nodded, returning my focus to Sylvia’s quill. It had stopped, but she began moving it again, flipping pages through the tome slowly.

Mel spoke up after a few seconds. “Maybe she thought you were dead?” she suggested.

I shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. That was like six years ago now.”

Of course, I didn’t want to admit to Mel just how much that abandonment left me broken. Especially after everything the elf girl and I had gone through together. Because I didn’t want to admit to my new girlfriend that it still affected me even now.

The girl I’d loved so deeply…the girl I’d literally died for…left me behind.

Even if she did think I was dead…I couldn’t imagine her doing that.

And yet she did.

Mel sighed heavily. “What was her name?” she wondered. “Have you ever considered looking for her?”

I focused on her gold eyes in surprise. “You think I should look for her?” I repeated, my tone skeptical.

She shrugged. “I mean, you went through hell together. How could you not?”

“Mel, she left me,” I said in disbelief. “And yeah, maybe she thought I was dead. And yeah, I admit that I did initially search for her some, but no one had heard of her and I wasn’t exactly in any condition mentally to be traveling the countryside to try finding her.” I sighed. “Besides, I’m not sure that seeing her again would be something she wants.” I scoffed. “Shit, she would be twenty now. Might already be married to someone.” I grimaced at the thought, even though I had no right to at this point.

Yes, it was true that we did exchange vows, and yeah I’d been confident in how she felt about me, but I wasn’t nearly as confident that all those feelings translated to normal life, when we weren’t surviving hour-by-hour in hell. For all I knew, seeing me might just be a painful reminder of the torment she suffered.

And for all I knew, that might be the exact reason why she abandoned me.

Mel was frowning. “Okay, she was fourteen when you knew her, and she’s twenty now. Does she have any identifying features? And what’s her name? Surely you know that, after spending so much time together, right?”

“Mel,” I said in disbelief. “We just started dating. Can we just focus on us please?”

She scoffed. “Allie, just answer the questions. I’m not saying I want you to jump in bed with her, but if we come across someone that looks like her, I don’t see any harm in verifying if it’s her or not.”

“And what if we did come across her?” I asked seriously.

Mel shrugged. “You’re my human now, Allie. And I just want what’s best for you.”

I frowned at that, uncertain of what she was implying. I then sighed as I focused on Sylvia’s quill, still making notes as she always did in her methodical way. It looked like she was almost done flipping the pages, so I decided to just give in, and tell Mel what she wanted to know.

“Fine,” I sighed. “Obviously, she’d probably be short for an elf, even as an adult, but she also had purple eyes.”

“Oh,” Mel said in surprise. “That’s rare. Doesn’t the Queen have purple eyes?”

I shrugged. “That’s what I’ve heard, but the Queen doesn’t have any children. And the girl would have told me if she was from a noble family. Pretty sure she was just from a common merchant family.”

“Oh, I wasn’t suggesting she was related. I was just surprised that her eyes were purple. So, what was her name?”

I grimaced, focusing on Sylvia’s quill, realizing I hadn’t spoken the name out loud in over five years. “Umm, her name is Elizatay Mariona.”

Sylvia’s quill abruptly halted, her entire body rigid.

I blinked a few times, only to realize she must be finished when she abruptly closed the book and stood up. She then quickly disappeared out of sight for a moment, before reappearing with a black cloak covering her silver dress, the outer garment just as elegant, but useful in protecting her finer clothing from becoming soiled when she traveled through the streets.

Her tone was sharp. “Everything is in order. I may permit you to borrow it again. Are you returning it now because you intend on leaving the city today for a quest?”

I was shocked by the question.

She never asked me about my plans. She never asked me anything. “Umm, no. I just figured I wouldn’t have time to read any more today or tomorrow.”

She nodded. “I must depart on an errand. Please leave.”

I frowned at that, her demand sounding much more normal, coming from her.

But still, I felt uneasy as I began turning to leave. Why in the hell had an errand come up that was so urgent? Had she been about to leave when we arrived?

She must have picked up on it.

“Mr. Allister,” she said sharply.

I glanced back at her. “Yes ma’am?”

Her tone was firm. “Despite the strong displeasure your presence brings me, you are undeniably responsible for bringing back some of the most fascinating artifacts, and are also a consistent source of gold by choosing to rent some of the books and items I have in my possession. It pains me to say it, but I appreciate your patronage and hope you will continue to visit, as the need arises.”

“Umm, sure,” I replied simply. Did she really just compliment me?

She nodded. “Now please leave.”

I turned to do so, Mel having a bizarre look on her face as she also turned to lead the way, hurrying up the stairs to get back to the street level. It was just as we got to the top that I heard Sylvia slipping out of the metal door down below and locking it behind her. However, my attention quickly shifted to Mel when she abruptly held her arms out as she spoke loudly.

“Okay, Kiz’mezle, or whatever your name is. Pat me down, feel me up, or whatever! I did not steal anything!”

Kizmel just looked at her and rolled his eyes, clearly not amused. “Not like there’s anywhere you could hide anything.”

Mel laughed at that, her entire attitude suddenly carefree. “Then clearly you’ve never seen a woman steal. I could shove a whole turkey down my tits and you’d never know, not to mention what I could shove up my--”

“Okay okay,” the elf snapped. “I get the point. Now be on your way.”

She just laughed more, clearly enjoying herself, and apparently looking forward to us spending the rest of the day together. “Okay Allie, what’s next? It’s not afternoon yet, so I guess we visit the nearest market and hang out a little?”

“Sure,” I agreed, holding out my hand when she offered hers. “We can get a few spicy Sizzles to chew on while we look around, and maybe I’ll even get you a small gift.”

“Oh man, you want me that bad, huh?” she laughed, seeming the most relaxed and open I’d seen thus far. It was almost like she was a different person right now, like she was finally showing me the real her, when she was truly happy, excited, and overall didn’t have a care in the world. I also kind of wondered if maybe me sharing with her about a sincerely traumatizing experience actually kind of made her more endearing toward me.

Needless to say, I rolled my eyes in response to her comment, knowing what she was implying. That I was trying to get her in bed with the offer of food and gifts. “I’d like to treat my girlfriend out to a nice date, yes. And hey, if it scores me a few points, that’s great too.”

She laughed some more, the sound quickly becoming my favorite sound in the world.

However, when I glanced over my shoulder as we got to the end of the wide alleyway, I saw Sylvia speaking quietly to Kizmel with a concerned look on her face. Which was possibly the most expressive I’d ever seen her, aside from seeing her irritated.

I turned my head away when her piercing icy blue eyes glanced at me, but I couldn’t help but feel like something was off as Mel and I stepped onto the main road and began making our way to the nearest market square.

Unsurprisingly, Mel wanted to know more about what happened after the events I’d already told her, so I began recounting how I ended up in a small village where I didn’t know anyone, just spending a few years trying to recover, and eventually decided to venture further north to make some money healing those who had been affected by the Scourge.

I then shared more about how I met my teammates, going into more details about the exact circumstances, only to put that story on hold when we reached the market square.

Mel of course was excited just to be in a new place and to see exciting things, so she didn’t notice when a significant realization finally hit me.

That nagging feeling in the back of my head.

The one that let me know I was missing something huge.

When I first began telling Mel my story, prior to arriving at Sylvia’s vault, I’d admitted that I suspected it was possible that the Queen might be responsible for hiding the fact that a major Scourge Outbreak occurred in the Atacama Valley. Because I knew what I’d experienced, and yet no one seemed to know about it. Everyone believed that the last time such a thing happened was nearly a century ago.

But I knew differently.

And if it was true that the Queen was going to extreme measures to hide the truth…

And if it just so happened that Sylvia could hear me with those sharp ears of hers…

Shit.

I mean, Sylvia hadn’t heard me say where that dungeon was, but maybe I’d said enough for her to figure it out…

And what if she had, in fact, figured it out.

Then what if that meant she’d just heard me talk about the exact same Scourge that the Queen wanted to keep secret?

Fuck.

Fuck, this was not good.

FEEDBACK: What's your level of interest in the story at this point? (As of this chapter)

1) It's okay,

2) Really like it a lot,

3) Super Engaging (love it),

4) I am so obsessed with this story, and can't get enough.

Please be honest. A 1 or 2 is perfectly fine, if that's what you think. How does it compare to Innocent Devil's Harem? (I'll still write on that one, but just want a reference.)

Chapter 7 >>