Sunday Funday 18 (12/05/2024) (Patreon)

 The sounds of clashing steel gave way to the yells of merchants and the smell of produce. By the time the duo got to the encampment’s marketplace, the sun had already been shining for a couple of hours, and the place was already at full swing.

 Most of the encampment’s wares were brought over by caravans or, in rare cases, airship, making their availability and prices fluctuate almost daily. This presented an opportunity to any merchant to earn some coin away from the capitals, as long as they were fine with the arduous trip.

 Merchants hawked their wares, voices mingling in the chatter of the adventurers who browsed the stalls, restocking supplies before another dive.

 Angra led the way, Fia trailing close behind as they navigated the aisles.

 “There she is” Angra said, nodding towards at stall at the far end of the open space, where a rather buxom woman was haggling with a merchant over a bundle of fragant herbs.

 “10 celes for a bunch of angelicas? They were 5 last week! And these are all dried up already!”

 “Take it or leave it, ma’am” said the small goat zoahume, propping himself up on a stool “These grow everywhere! Don’t like it, go forage them or something!”

 The robed woman had long, wavy auburn hair that trailed down her back, stopping just in time to reveal a slit on her clothes that gave way to a mottled tail. The layers of green fabric enwrapped her body, leaving clear the width of her hips.

 “Oh, would you really make a poor lady such as myself go into the wild for some curative herbs? I’m not like the youngling adventurers here!” she protested. “And furthermore, would you let those blessings of Verdania crumble to dust in your stall over measly 5 celes?”

 Odessa’s mottled ears flopped down alongside a pout from her lips, her pale green eyes looking expectantly at the merchant.

 “Ugh, fine, fine…” replied the merchant, cutting his losses “Take them already before I change my mind!”

 “Thank you, thank you!” she said, putting the herbs into the basket slung over her shoulder with a wide smile.

 “Excuse me, are you Odessa?” asked Angra shortly after the cow zoahume had left the stall.

 “Hi, yes! And who might you two be?” she said, turning around, a simple movement that almost made Fia overheat on the spot.

 ‘H-Holy… C-Cow…’ she thought, feeling the tips of her ears reddening. The sheer size of her chest made the elf feel completely inadequate, even more with the way they jiggled when she turned around.

 It didn’t help that her robe had a wide, heart-shaped cutout in the middle. Odessa wore a golden pendant featuring one of Verdania’s symbols, the intertwined vines, and it rested comfortably between those mounds. It took all of her willpower to look away, almost as if she was a cat zoa distracted by a magic pointer.

 “I’m Angra, and this is Fia. We were supposed to be having an interview right about now, I suppose?”

 “Oh, yes, definitely!” replied the cleric in an apologetic tone “Shopping this morning took longer than expected, please accept my apologies!”

 “It’s nothing to worry about. Shall we talk?”

 “Of course! Would you mind doing so while walking back to my quarters? The marketplace is bound to only get busier.”

 The trio walked through the encampment while Angra yet again retold their story, with Odessa listening intently and nodding along.

 “That’s so unfortunate!” said the zoahume as she unlocked the door to her room in one of the many adventurer hostels.

 A majority of adventurers ended up just camping in tents, but as things around Qof grew, these establishments were now commonplace for the ones who didn’t mind parting away with their celes for some privacy and a mattress.

 “I remember the first time I lost focus while casting Rampant Growth on my own garden. We ended up with so many tomatoes that my oldest still can’t stand the sight of them!” she continued with a laugh.

 “Oh, you have kids?” asked Angra, intrigued.

 “Yep, three of them! The oldest and the twins” she replied, letting them inside her room. Modest would be an understatement, as the place had a bed with a hay mattress with a chest near its foot, and a simple table with a single chair on the opposite wall.

 ‘Cow… Mom…’ thought Fia, trying her best to not let the intrusive thoughts get the best of her.

 “If you don’t mind me asking…” said Angra, furrowing her brow “You don’t really seem like the adventuring type, so what are your goals here at Qof?”

 “Oh, please, it’s an interview, isn’t it?” she replied, putting down her basket on the table, then sitting at the edge of the bed. “By the way, I know it isn’t much, but feel free to make yourself comfortable!”

 Angra thanked Odessa with a nod, and leaned against a wall, while Fia awkwardly strutted in after closing the door behind her. Without knowing exactly what to do, the elf leaned against a wall too, almost letting her back slip.

 “Truth be told, I’m not the adventuring type. I’ve lived in a small village for most of my life, raised my kids and, while I was always a devotee of Verdania, I didn’t consider myself a cleric” said Odessa, meekly twisting her fingers.

 “After the twins went to Halcya Academy, I was expecting to just live a quiet life, bake and tend to my plants, but day after day, night after night, Verdania’s call kept getting louder, so there was no way I could not answer. Turns out I have a knack for this whole healing magic thing!” she said with a laugh.

 “As for why Qof specifically, while I was wandering the kingdom, it seemed like a newly discovered spot that really needed the help. I’ve been here for barely a month, tending to wounds and helping adventurers recover from the miasma, but I really want to take the next step and dive myself!” she added, excitedly.

 “Huh, that’s certainly a way to go. Aren’t you worried about… Well, everything? Adventuring is hard work.”

 “Oh, the path Verdania traced for me is bound to be bountiful and prosperous! I might not have the experience, but I’m eager to learn!” she replied, her white skin blushing with excitement.

 “Well, I’ll have to discuss things with my associate first, but I’ll get back to you through the guild, then, Odessa.”

 “I’ll be waiting! Oh, before you go…” she said, getting up from the bed and rummaging through her basket “Take this, will ya? I baked it myself!”

 Odessa handed Angra a parcel wrapped in cloth.

 “It’s milkbread! The hostel’s owner was kind enough to let me use his oven. I know good food is hard to come by here, so I hope this at least reminds you a bit of home, wherever that is.”

 Angra couldn’t help but smile back at her. “Thank you!” she said, before pulling the static Fia by the hand and leaving the hostel.

 ‘Milk… Cow…’

 “Wow, this is really good!” The warrior broke the small loaf in two, handing a piece to the mage, who was still fanning herself. Uh, is everything alright there, Fia?”

 “I just… Whew… A-Anyway, what did you think of her?” said the elf, finally composed enough to take a bite of Odessa’s milkbread. It was indeed incredibly tasty, almost sweet.

 “I dunno. A cleric would be useful, as any serious wound would end our dive on the spot…” she noted, taking another bite “…but I’m not sure if I could bring a complete rookie among us. Qof isn’t safe. Still, she is an option.”

 “Hm, yeah…” she said, thinking about how she would keep her blood flow in check if she had to dive with Odessa. “Anyway, when’s the next meeting?”

 “Not until post noon. We have some time to kill.”

 “Do you have any ideas?”

 Angra looked down at Fia, and the elf immediately understood.

 “Oh, you can’t be serious!”

 
Hey folks, hope you've been doing well. Sorry for the lack of updates in the past couple of weeks, I've been dealing with something a little complex this month.

Not sure if it any of you heard any news of what's happening in Brazil, but at the tail end of April, the state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS for short) came under unusual heavy rains for the season. Before May had even started, some towns were already hit by intense floods, and it only got worse from there.

I'm not going to spend much time doing a full timeline, since y'all are not here for this, but so far, 447 out of 497 cities/towns in RS were victims of the flood, and half a million people were displaced. Porto Alegre, the capital, is basically underwater, and the rains haven't stopped yet.

 Here's a satellite shot of the current extent of the floods. Porto Alegre's airport is underwater, and many roads and bridges that connect the state were simply washed away.

It's hard to put things into perspective. So far, the only comparison I've seen is that the extent of the damage and the number of people displaced are three times bigger than when Katrina struck New Orleans.

Thankfully, my immediate family doesn't live in RS, but we did have relatives there, and they've managed to leave to Santa Catarina before the full force of the flood made it impossible to do so. Aside from documents and what they could shove in their suitcases, they've lost everything, houses, cars, family heirlooms, everything that wasn't needed in an emergency.

My family and I are working on rehousing them now, as they've come to São Paulo for us to help them, contact their friends, and send help to the ones still trying to get out.

I don't think I've been this stressed in a while, glued to the internet for news while phone and power lines went down, watching videos of entire bridges being swept away and praying that everyone could get here in safety.

I've taken time off my job to make the drive to SC to get them, and now I'm spending a lot of my free time volunteering, getting donations and stocking trucks for the people in the south. It's not much, but I feel like it's the least I can do for the ones who weren't as privileged as my grandfather and grandmother.

Sorry for the dire update, but I felt like I owed it to y'all. Thank you for your continued support.