Rough Draft - Coye 4.12 (Patreon)

A week had passed by since the day Coye had moved into his new house, and had his first threesome, and if you had told him there was a better life than what he had he wouldn’t have believed you. Everything was on the up and up. He was satisfied with work, he’d worked in a routine to train just about every morning, he had a place to come home to, and there was nearly always someone waiting for to warm his bed at night.

His home was flourishing thanks to all the love and attention Shayla had been putting into it. It cost her a lot of mana to change so much of it, but she was able to polish up the exterior and make it shine. A lot of her more extravagant ideas would have to come later, but as it was, the cabin looked a lot better than most actual houses in Cransmere proper.

That wasn’t all Shayla had gotten up to in that time, either. She’d been joining his training, even doing some of her own alongside him. They’d even put their heads together and came up with some new strategies in the time since.

And then there was her developing relationship with Suzette and Byng. Progress had been slow, but slow was better than none. They got along well enough and Shayla had eased considerably when it came to being confrontational. She never got defensive, and she would even go as far to say that she enjoyed their company, but touching them and being held seemed a ways away still.

As far as his sex problem was coming along, there were only two full on group sex sessions that week where all of them were present, and neither matched the fear some intensity he showed in their first one. Whether this was because he didn’t go two days again without being relieved, they weren’t sure. Suzette was still adamant on getting him to see a healer, but he continually put it off and Shayla was worried about what a healer might say so she ended up not pushing him to do so. As long as things didn’t get worse, she didn’t see the point.

That’s not to say his peaceful week went without incident, either. One thing that had changed was Dorothy appeared much more withdrawn around him, to the point where even someone as dense as Coye could notice it without Shayla needing to point it out. He had tried several times to gain her attention so that he could show her his card collection like they were planning on, but she would always have some pressing matter to attend to.

Perhaps to distract himself from the upsetting feeling that gave him, Coye’s eye wandered into more troubling directions. Just as his lovers feared, he’d been trying to find opportunities to talk to the Baddest bitches whenever they were around. He was obviously chasing that high he got from their initial teasing, but was only ever let down when it failed to happen again. Rather, each member was avoiding him.

Sure, that wasn’t too surprising from Marlie, but even Tiph made excuses for not at least sticking around and chatting with him. There were a few times he ran into Coco, but he didn’t know how to talk to her at all. She was so blunt and direct and Shayla didn’t give him any help with her, so she would always end up either growling of biting Coye. Usually both. It didn’t help that Coye discovered he was into that, as Coco could smell the arousal and make a scene out of running away.

Lastly, there was Britni. Her attitude had somewhat changed since they met last on the stairs. Perhaps she’d had more time to dwell on it, but she was distant with him and dismissive. She insisted that by talking to him she’d end up giving him fuel for those sick ‘sissy’ fantasies of his, and she would have no part in that. She urged him to go find someone else to step on him.

Shayla was relieved things were locked in a stalemate with those four, as she wasn’t ready for their growing family to expand anymore than it already had. Least of all to include any of those volatile girls.

And so, after this blissful yet suspiciously quiet week together, Coye and Shayla were wrapping up their morning training after a night where neither Byng nor Suzette slept over. It was rare, but it did happen. He washed up with water from the well, geared up, and headed to the Guild to pick up some breakfast before finding a quest for the day as was his tradition when neither girl was around to cook for him.

It was a little past ten in the morning when he arrived, and no one was at the front desk. Strange for that time of day, but he paid it no mind and took a right to enter into the dining room. It was a lot busier than he’d seen it in recent memory, maybe of the round tables were full with his contemporaries.

At one corner he caught the Knight Orlandis arguing with his scrappy looking mate partner Milse, at another a halfling rogue by the name of Tansy was using his height to stare at the ass of a passing maid, and in one corner there was a pasty looking group of weirdos who seemed to be engaged in a game of RealMonsters. Coye might’ve been inspired to sit close and try to overhear some of their conversation if it weren’t for the bitches sitting at a table all to their own.

He smiled upon seeing them and he started to approach, much to Shayla’s annoyance. Shayla wasn’t the only one. Coco’s tail bristled as soon as she picked up on his scent entering the building, so they knew he was coming. Britni was already leering at him by the time he stopped in front of them.

They were eating their breakfast and wearing all their adventuring gear, making it obvious they were headed out on a quest of their own as soon as they were done.

“Morning, girls…“ He greeted them awkwardly, purposefully avoiding reading the room.

Britni’s eyelid twitched and she looked away from him. “Morning, you little sexual harassing creep. Are you gonna wise up and buzz off eventually, or do I have to…” she became even more irritated. “Ugh, I can’t even threaten you without being worried it’ll turn you on! How am I supposed to deal with this?” she looked at Marlie, who gave her an expression of indifference as always.

“You could let me sit at your table after I get some food?” He suggested, smiling with optimism.

“Hmm, I dunno…” Tiph tilted her head, and Coye noticed that the whites of her eye were a little red. Not unsurprising given what he knew about her, but she wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that she was a little high today. “Coco, what do you say? Think you like… let the guy have a seat?”

Coco bared her fangs at him and moved her big fluffy tail so that it covered up the remaining seat. “Taken! Look for other places to bury your bone!”

Tiph started to giggle far past the normal amount most would deem acceptable. She was laughing like Coco’s basic level pun was the funniest thing she’d ever heard. Whatever she was on, it sure made her chill.

‘She’s as sharp as ever, it seems.’ Shayla commented. Then, Coye thought about what to do and she shook her head. ‘You know, you’re not being very convincing at hiding your intentions…’ Shayla shook her head at his latest attempt to get closer. It sounded dangerously like she was giving him advice, which she said she wouldn’t do, but she couldn’t watch him flounder like this. ‘I wasn’t gonna say anything, baby, but you’re being too aggressive. Give them some space or nothing is ever going to give.’

Coye considered Shayla’s words as he looked at the four girls. Was he actually annoying them? He wasn’t sure. The thing was that he was totally unused to pursuing attention and friendship from others, so the only way he knew how to express himself was by being straightforward and pure. That wouldn’t work with them. At least not at first.

Coye decided maybe Shayla was right and that he should give them some space. He took a step backward and was on the verge of apologizing when the door opened up in the distance and Dorothy walked in with a clipboard in her hand, checking over some files.

She looked away to see all the different adventurers, but froze when she noticed Coye. It almost didn’t even occur to her that he was talking to the bitches, but she snapped out of it bit by bit and she began to worry if there was trouble afoot. Her confused feelings could wait for now, she decided. Coye needed help.

She walked over to the table and put her hand on on Coye’s shoulder, then retracted it with a blush when she thought about how improper that could’ve been seen. Undeterred to let the awkwardness win, she spoke with as much confidence as she could muster.

“Hello, girls. I hope you aren’t… um… trying to give Coye a hard time before you take off for the day…” she said. It wasn’t a lot of confidence.

“Dorothy, no-“ Coye started to speak, but he was interrupted by Britni speaking up.

“Not that it’s any of your business, you nosy bitch, but you’ve got things totally wrong. This little creep won’t leave us alone! Ever since we came back a week ago, he’s been…”

Dorothy blinked, “He’s been what?”

“Talking to us, asking us questions, and trying to hang out with us!” Britni finished, knowing how lame it sounded.

Dorothy gave a pause and looked at Coye, who was looking defensive. “You’re… um… saying he’s… what. Trying to get to know you better?”

Tiph giggled. “I’m sure there’s more he wants, but he’s not getting that, either…”

Marlie rolled her eyes as Britni and Coco blushed.

“Ok, I know it sounds stupid but he won’t give up! Can’t you like, take him away or something?” Britni’s temper flared as she kept looking at Coye throughout her speech.

Dorothy just couldn’t see it. She thought it was nice that he was trying to bridge whatever frustrations they had with him and try to get to know them better. Maybe even a little jealous.

“Uh, girls? Is Coye bothering you, or not?” Dorothy asked everyone else at the table.

“Nahhhh he’s just gotten a little cheeky, that’s all…” Tiph grinned widely and reached out to start playing with one of Marlie’s horns without permission.

Marlie swatted the potion head’s hand away and added, “No.”

Coco was as always on Britni’s side. “Runt makes Coco’s head hurt and confused when he’s around and he always smells like mating!” She barked.

Dorothy took in all the different answers and still didn’t know what to make of this. What was the right answer here? Should she let them solve it for themselves? She hated having to manage people, and she wasn’t all that great at it.

“I’m sorry, Britni,” Coye cut off Dorothy’s worries early by speaking up. “If I’m really bothering you, then I’ll…”

Britni cut him off. “Good, you can start yesterday. Now fuck off.” She then pointed at Dorothy. “You, too. Lot of help you were. Why don’t you go back to your desk where you belong and shove your nose in that book of monster dicks you have?”

“I… donot have any such book!” She lied.

Britni was growing more irritated and she waved the Guild Mistress off. “Whatever. I’m sick of looking at you, so beat it. Not like you’re doing any good around here, anyway.”

Dorothy felt a stinging pain inside of her, and it caused hesitation. She knew she shouldn’t let her employees talk to her in such a way, yet even if she raised her voice, it’s not like there was anything she could really do here to make it stop.

“Hey-“ Coye felt something spark inside him. It wasn’t much, but he took a step forward much to Britni’s apparent delight. She waited for his next words, only for everyone’s attention to be torn away when a huge slam came from the door.

Everyone in the room looked in its direction, and they saw a handsome looking man with silver hair standing in the doorway. He had silver rimmed square glasses and he wore a suit underneath a long, flowing silver trench coat with a hexagonal quilted pattern. His expression was fierce, seemingly beside himself over something, but none of this was what Coye saw when he looked at the man.

He and Shayla could only see what he was dragging behind him.

Coye gulped and Shayla’s eyes bulged. She could scarcely believe what she was seeing, yet there it was. Tossed over his shoulder like an ordinary trophy was the bundle of floating optic nerves and eyes from the aberration they came across back during the hunt with Byng well over a week ago by now. This man had killed it, and he didn’t seem any worse for the wear. Insane.

Coye recognized the man as Auguris Aureo, one of the few Gold-ranked adventurers who worked in the Cransmere Adventurer’s Guild.

Auguris was blind to the attention everyone gave him when he made his dramatic entrance. With all eyes on him, he stormed forward and made his way to Britni’s table, stopping in front of the Guild Mistress.

“Dorothy Whittle,” he said in a smooth, authoritative voice. “I believe we are overdue a discussion now that I’ve returned.”

Tammy soon trailed after him through the opened door. “No. Stop. Don’t. Come back.” She said, giving stopping him her lamest effort.

He threw the aberration’s proof of kill onto Britni’s table, one of its eyes landing in Marlie’s coffee. Undeterred, the half demon flicked it out and took a drink somehow despite her face mask. Sensing things were going potentially going tits up, Tiph took out a small crystal from her pocket and crushed it in her fist, then inhaled the powder. The redness of her eyes faded, as did her high.

“Dude, what the fuck?” Britni stood up and Coco barked, but Tiph pulled her back down by her wrist.

“Not worth it, Brit. Not even you should go around starting shit with a Gold-ranker.” She advised.

Britni grumbled to herself and decided she would let this one go, as it wasn’t worth the trouble.

Unaware of how close he’d been to starting a fight, Auguris continued laying into his employer. “I’ve been tracking this monstrosity of yours after a week and a half, only to be greeted by a colossal degree of disrespect. I ordered you not to touch my lab while I was out, and yet upon my returned many differences have already been noted. Containers have been reorganized- some of them closed. Important documents have been rearranged, and the room now smells of disinfectants. How dare you?”

His words hung in the dining room, all the adventurers watching with great interest as this man menacingly interrupted all their activities. Britni was smiling now. This was much more interesting than picking a fight would’ve been. Coye could only clench his fist.

“Auguris,” Dorothy frowned and brushed some of her messy bangs out of her face. “We’ve been, um, over this… multiple times… you don’t order things of me. I’m the Guild Mistress. The boss.” There were a couple of scattered laughs from the audience which she tried her best to ignore. “Could we maybe have this discussion somewhere else?” She asked.

“That would be most inefficient. My time is valuable, and I’m already here. Now explain yourself.”

Her stress level increased tremendously as she struggled to think of justification for something she needed none to achieve. “I’ve told you dozens of times that the smell of sulfur and all your other chemicals have been seeping out of your room- which need I remind you is a room and NOT a private laboratory and is not ventilated like one- and it’s been stinking up the entire third floor, not least of all including my own chambers.”

“I fail to see how this is any of my concern. I told you not to, and yet you did it anyway. What part of this do you not understand?”

There was a moment of silence and Dorothy stepped forward, attempting to assert herself. “What part of I’m the boss do YOU not understand?”

“Probably the part where we’re all supposed to take you seriously?” Britni offered unhelpfully, drawing an even louder round of laughter from the crowd.

“She is correct,” Auguris nodded.

Dorothy stood there, red faced and full of shame. She had to do her best here. If she didn’t stand her ground, no one would ever respect her. This would prove to the entire Guild that she could stand up to pressure and not back down, but as she looked the Mage in the eye and felt the laughter building up around the room, it all became too much and she started to cry.

Even so, she still tried to push on.

“If… if you won’t… c-comply with my con… conditions, then… I-I won’t have any choose but… to… evict you from the guild and take back your room!”

Auguris didn’t flinch from the threat. “I would very much like to see you try. Not only am I the strongest adventurer you have in your roster, I am almost certainly your top earner as well. It does not do you well to displease me, Dorothy Whittle.”

Of course he wouldn’t back down. No one ever did. They just kept flinging shit at her every time she tried doing her best or standing up for herself. Nothing was ever good enough for these people.

Even as she stood there in the center of the room, she felt isolated and lonely. Totally alone. No one cared for her here, and perhaps no one ever would. Were all those years at the AoA Academy for nothing? Had her family wasted all their gold in sending her there? It sure felt like it, now more than ever.

Fuck it all. Fuck everything.

If everyone was going to disrespect her and treat her like garbage just for doing her job, then… none of this was worth it anymore. Anger bubbled up to the surface of her mind, and she reared back her hand as it clutched the clipboard even tighter. Dorothy was hyperventilating as she worked up the courage, or perhaps the stupidity she needed to throw the clipboard directly into Auguris’s face.

She was just about to do so when Coye reached out and took her by the wrist, stopping the throw. The Guild was silent. The Baddest Bitches were watching closest of all, now. Britni was stunned to see the boy interfere. Stunned, and visibly proud.

“Co… ye…?” Dorothy blinked through her tears, remembering he was there. In her stress induced depression, she had all but forgotten.

“Don’t.” He said. “You could get in real trouble for hitting an adventurer.”

He was right, of course. Dorothy knew that just as much as she knew everything else in that stupid handbook she was forced to read a hundred times over. But why would Coye care whether or now she got in trouble? She didn’t understand.

Dorothy lowered her hand at his behest, but was silent.

“Excuse me,” Auguris crossed his arms. “But I believe you’re barging in on a private conversation. I fail to see how this is any business of yours.”

Coye made it his own business by coating his fist in his powerful aura, taking a single step forward, and clocking the asshole in the face with all his strength.

Gasps echoed out from across the room. Tammy looked like she’d just seen the best entertainment of her life. Tiph had a look of confusion mixed with other more conflicted emotions. Marlie’s purple eyes glew with interest. Coco’s tail wagged and her mouth fell open. Britni’s face burned bright red and her eyes twinkled- her hands clasping together over her mouth for a brief moment.

Dorothy? Dorothy just watched as Auguris flew backwards into the table Orlandis and Milse were sitting at, the sheer force cracking the wood in two as he fell into the pile of rubble it created. The adventurers quickly got out of the way and migrated to another table, not wanting to be involved in wherever this was heading.

And the there was Shayla, who had no idea how to respond to this. It all happened so fast, faster than she could even expect him to even do such a thing.

‘Coye, what the fuck…?!’ Shayla worried aloud as she watched the mage spit out a bloody tooth and realign his now broken nose. ‘He… that guy killed that aberration! You can’t just go starting shit with him! He’ll fucking… agh!’ She grasped both sides of her forehead in panic.

Her words were lost on Coye, who didn’t seem as if he was fully here right now. He was in that battle-drunk state of his that tuned out everything but combat, the gears of his mind spinning on the man he perceived as a threat.

Auguris rose up from the pile of wooden debris and brushed off splinters that had gotten caught on his coat. He seemed absolutely nonplussed at the whole affair, as he replaced his now broken glasses with a fresh pair from his inner coat pocket and placed them back on his face.

“Iron. So simple, yet so powerful. We depend on it for so much, both inside and outside our bodies… minerals are truly fascinating, are they not? I wonder how long it’s been since I last tasted the taste of my own iron…” he pulled a napkin from the same source and began to dab it across his face, collecting the blood and then tossing the cloth aside.

“You.” He looked at Coye for the first time. “Explain your actions so I can better understand why you struck me unprovoked.”

‘Baby, don’t escalate this… say you’re sorry, and-‘

“Because you were disrespecting Dorothy and humiliating her in front of everyone else in the room. You weren’t having a private conversation. You were publicly belittling her.”

Dorothy then understood why he would do such a thing. Just like he promised before he moved out, he was here for her when she needed him most. She wasn’t alone here in this guild, there was always one person who always had her back.

She couldn’t let him do it, of course. She had to apologize to Auguris and sort this out before anything worse could happen. Dorothy marched up to Coye and put her hand on his shoulder yet again, this time to try and pull him away.

“Coye, please… this isn’t worth the trouble. Everything is fine, I’ll just-“

Coye lightly swatted her hand away. “Everything is not fine, and you need to stop pretending that it isn’t.”

How long had she waited for someone to say that to her? Her heart stopped for the briefest of moments as she stared at Coye, seeing his focused and determined eyes cutting straight through her attempts at lying to herself.

“I… I can handle this…” she tried defending herself.

“Dorothy,” Coye sighed, his patience growing thin. “How about you she quiet and let someone help you for once instead of just taking it and bottling it up inside?”

The Guild Mistress was stunned into submissive silence. He wanted to help her. That fact alone did so much for her that it was all she could do not to cry tears of joy. She shrunk back and hesitantly took a step backward, getting out of the way.

Coye looked back at Auguris, still undeterred. “You’re right, this didn’t have anything with me. But I’m sick of everyone in here treating Dorothy like this and laughing at her just for doing her job! Is she perfect? No. But damn it, she tries her best more than anyone I know! You should be ashamed of yourself for talking to her the way you just did, and…” he looked back around the room to take in the faces of all the different adventurers, maids, and chefs peeking out from the kitchen. His eyes lingered on Britni more than anyone else for a moment before he added. “And everyone else should be ashamed, too.”

A couple of the adventurers lowered their heads. Most people just felt Dorothy was annoying. They didn’t actually hate her, she was just someone who was pushy with giving advice for their quests or when trying to get them to buy stuff out of the pages of Adventurer’s First. She was a running joke that the adventurers all joined in on, but there was little actual malice behind it. Most of them felt like shit once their actions had been questioned by someone for the first time.

As to how Auguris felt over it, his stern face was unflinching as he stared Coye down. “I see,” was all he said for several uncomfortable and silent moments. “And what exactly is the desired outcome of this altercation you’ve started with me? Elaborate.”

His cold and calculating way of breaking things down was ooff-putting to many, Coye included, but the boy was doped up on adrenaline right now and he wasn’t intimidated as he usually would be.

“I want you to do what Dorothy tells you and to stop making her life harder than it already is.”

Dorothy’s words caught in her throat as she remembered him telling her to keep quiet.

The Mage stared at Coye in silence, regarding him and analyzing him with his steely green eyes. After more and more of this went on, he said, “You have an excellent punch for someone so small.”

“Do you want another one?” Coye asked, trying to parse his meaning.

‘Baby-‘ Shayla was about to tear her hair out. She loved seeing him so proactive, demanding and confident, but the context was upsetting. Now was not the time.

“Yes, actually. I’m interested in seeing if you could do it again.” Auguris replied, sounding less like he was making a threat and more generally intrigued.

Even Coye could tell something was off.

“Uh, what?”

Auguris crossed his arms, taking on an unflinching pose. “Humor me. The two of us will go out behind the Guild, whereupon I will give you exactly thirty minutes to once again strike me in the face.”

“And why would I play this game with you?”

“Because if you do, what you desired out of this altercation will come to pass. I will no longer trouble the Guild Mistress and will begrudgingly tolerate the cleaning of my room.”

Coye tried to look at things from his point of view, because it wasn’t making sense. “What do you gain out of this?”

“If you lose, then you will permit me to make use of your fist however I see fit.” He declared, sounding far too sincere for his own good.

The Guild started up another round of laughter, this time far more justified.

Tammy spoke up, “Do you maybe want to try and rephrase that?”

“Why would I want to rephrase my previous statement?” He blinked and turned to the receptionist. “I believe I was quite obvious in my intentions.”

Tammy gave Coye an exasperated look, and he felt pity for her. With a sigh, he asked, “Go into more detail, please. I’m not following you.”

“Very well,” Auguris nodded politely. “Specifically, I’m looking for a melee-oriented partner who will party up with me from time to time on certain quests. All my current attempts to arrange such partnerships have fallen flat. I personally do not see it, but I’ve been told on multiple occasions that I am unable to read the room and have an insufferable personality. I am beginning to think this is the main impediment I face when trying to foster new relationships of camaraderie.”

Shayla stared at the man vapidly. ‘I… think this guy isn’t really an asshole. He’s just… really, really stupid.’

Coye, someone who also suffered with his own social hang ups, agreed. This guy was weird as hell and he couldn’t entirely hold it against him, but he still needed to be made an example of.

“You don’t mind if I do this, right?” Coye looked over his shoulder at Dorothy to ask, but it was obvious he wasn’t really asking for her permission. He wanted to make sure she’d gotten his earlier message.

Although she was still troubled, she nodded her head in consent and allowed Coye to help her. She knew that this wouldn’t go well for him. Auguris was far too strong to for Coye to hope to go up against, and yet… he seemed so sure of himself that it confused her.

Coye turned back to Auguris and said, “Give me a half hour to eat something and to stop by my place to pick up some of my gear and I’ll take you up on your challenge.”

“Excellent. I will await you in the back.” He said, exiting the room just as dramatically as he arrived. He stomped away, leaving the crowd silent until they weren’t.

The many adventurers and Guild staff started chatting up a whirlwind, many of them pointing to Coye and saying shocked statements of how they couldn’t believe it. Many of them rushed their food and headed out to the back as Coye made his way to the counter to order himself some breakfast.

After he got it, he approached Britni with his tray.

“You mind if I-“

“Uh, yeah. Coco?”

Coco looked at Britni with confusion, and then at Coye with even greater confusion. She moved her tail and allowed him to join him at their table, where he ate as fast as he could and left without sayin a word.

Coco watched him leave, her ears perked and her tail wagging. Tiph was perplex to the point where she seemed offended about it. This didn’t make sense to her. Marlie kept her cool gaze trained on the boy but remained silent, and Britni stared harder than anyone else. She watched his silhouette fade into the other room, thinking how cool he looked. Her cheeks were red. It was happening again. He’s doing it.

“There you go, you little…” Britni muttered quietly enough that no one else could hear.

Meanwhile, Dorothy was still frozen there in the center of the room. It got so bad that Tammy had to come up to her again and sigh, taking her hand.

“Where are we going?” Dorothy asked in a haze.

“To the show, apparently.” Tammy shrugged, a glimmer of amusement in her eyes.