Asunder [litRPG] Chapter 4 (Patreon)

“Well?” Lacy asked. “Did you figure out your class?”

“I appear to be a healer of sorts,” Thane said.

Lacy’s eyes widened. “Oh wow. Healers are really rare! You’re lucky. What healing spells do you know?”

“None,” Thane said. “I haven’t gotten one yet.”

Lacy blinked. “Oh. Well, I’m sure you’ll get one soon.”

“I suspect so,” Thane mused. His stomach rumbled again.

“Let’s go get you lunch before you deafen the town,” Lacy said, grinning at him. She grabbed Thane’s hand and tugged him through the square.

The man barely stopped himself from trying to sweep Lacy’s legs out from under her when he realized that she was just leading him. That was probably for the best, as he got the feeling that his strength was probably lower than hers.

Lacy dragged him past several streets and more than a few amused onlookers. Thane nearly fell over several times as his new mortal body struggled to keep up with the energetic young woman.

Mercifully, the town wasn’t too big. Lacy stopped in front of a small wooden building with several tables outside it. People sat at the tables, eating. Thane’s nose twitched. Something smelled familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it.

The inside of the building had several more tables. There were a few small booths at the wall with straw padded seating. At the far left wall was a small counter and a door behind it. A tall woman stood behind it.

The smell of freshly baked bread and honey hit him like a hammer. It was sweet and rich, with hits of warm spices. His mouth started to water instantly. Lacy laughed.

“I can tell you’ve never had Maggie’s cooking by that reaction. You’re in for a treat.”

Lacy waved to the woman behind the counter as she brought him over to the booth. Thane carefully sat down on one side and Lacy sat down on the other.

“Where is the food?” Thane asked.

“It’ll be here soon enough. Don’t worry, it’s worth the wait.”

The tall woman from behind the counter slipped through the tables, setting down a glass of frothing liquid in front of a man as she made her way towards Thane and Lucy. She gave them a wide, toothy smile.

“Hiya, Lace! This your new man?”

“Vaya!” Lacy snapped, whacking the woman on the arm. “This is Thane. He saved my hide earlier today. I almost got run down by the biggest, meanest UniBunny you could imagine.”

“Ooh, that’s romanic,” Vaya said, batting her eyes at Thane.

“I am nobody’s man,” Thane said, his brow lowering. “I serve only–”

He stopped himself, remembering the Father’s message when he’d first arrived in the world. Would this count as preaching? Thane wasn’t certain, and the last thing he wanted to do was extend his involuntary vacation. He grimaced.

“I’m sure,” Vaya said, looking over him. “A bit skinny, but I’m sure you’ll put some muscle on eventually. He’s not underage, is he? We’ve covered this, Lacy. No cradle robbing.”

“I’m not trying to date him,” Lacy snapped. “I’m just buying him lunch as a thank you.”

“He’s on the table then?” Vaya asked, raising an eyebrow.

Thane briefly wondered if one of the other gods had sent Vaya. It was too blunt for the Opponent, but there were a good number of other ones that had grudges against him. He once again found himself missing the comforting feel of his spear. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d spent more than a few minutes away from it.

“Vaya, please,” Lacy begged.

“Oh, all right,” Vaya said, laughing. “I’ll let you off the hook. What do you want to eat?”

“A stew would be great. And the honey bread, if Maggie’s got any left.”

“For you? We’ll find some,” Vaya said, winking. She spun, slipping back through the crowd. She dodged through the crowd and slipped behind the counter, opening the door and disappearing behind it.

“I’m sorry about that,” Lacy said. “Vaya’s an old friend of mine. She doesn’t have much of a filter.”

“It’s fine,” Thane replied. “I’m just a bit out of touch with modern humor. It’s been a while.”

Lacy nodded, although it was clear she had absolutely no idea what Thane was talking about. He barely looked a day over twenty.

Thane observed the other people in the room while they waited for their food to arrive. Aside from a few people that were lightly armed, the majority of them had no weapons. Many were passed out on the tables, goofy grins on their faces.

After a few minutes, Vaya returned from behind the door, a platter of food balanced on her head. She danced through the crowd, setting it down before them with a flourish and a wink. There were two large bowls, each filled to the brim with a thick stew full of multicolored vegetables and large hunks of meat.

Beside the stew were two small loaves of warm white bread. A bowl honey sat beside them. Vaya placed some utensils before both of them and winked before darting over to help another table. Thane’s stomach grumbled.

“This looks very good,” Thane said, reaching for the stew. He picked the bowl up and tipped it back, drinking some of the broth straight from the bowl.

It warmed him instantly. It was rich and filling, with a myriad of simple yet delicious flavors that coated his entire mouth. He paused when he saw Lacy’s raised eyebrow. “Is something wrong?”

“Well, I guess not,” Lacy said. She picked up the spoon and deliberately lowered it into the stew, using it to get some of the broth and bring it back to her mouth.