Chapter 14: To the Dungeon

14

“Nivra, you must diligently resist temptation, or you will lose your purity.” Lionel, our paladin, lectured me over our breakfast. I mostly ignored his ranting. I don’t follow his god, but that never stopped him from preaching before, and I don’t expect him to change now.

My parents are wealthy merchants, trying to buy their way into nobility. When they found out that Lord Hamelon, a high ranking noble with a sinister reputation, was looking for a new human wife, they only saw an opportunity to gain a title. At first, I was upset because he was thirty years older than me, but after learning more about him, I stopped caring about that.

Lord Hamelon’s last wife never left their home, and even the long-sleeved dresses she wore couldn’t cover all the scrapes and bruises. When we found out that his previous wife had died in a ‘bandit attack’ that left almost every bone in her body broken, my parents didn’t care. They insisted that the official story was the truth. Strange bandits. They attacked a noblewoman in her third-story bedroom, without being seen by the servants, and left without taking anything. Only then did I realize that they didn’t care what happened to me.

I wish I believed that they didn’t understand the life they were about to send me into, but they weren’t idiots. Once they realized I understood what Lord Hamelon was really like, they kept me under guard. After all, I was their ticket to nobility. Thankfully, they still forced me to go to church because that was where Lionel found me.

Lionel may be preachy, but he was an honest follower of Kirnthal, God of Honor and Purity. My world had been shattered when he found me crying. I had lost all hope, but Lionel didn’t brush my concerns away as my parents had. He truly listened and asked intelligent questions.

He was the one who came up with a plan to save me. Heedless of the danger he immediately volunteered to help. I respect that side of him, even as I despise the way he kept trying to shove his beliefs down my throat now that we were safe.

Lionel’s plan was simple. Neither my parents nor Lord Hamelon could force an adventurer to marry because adventurers were a law unto themselves. So I needed to join the [Adventurers Guild].

First, I had to escape from my parents.

When we arrived at church the next week, everyone that was too old to be included with the children, but wasn’t yet married were sent to a different sermon, one that Lionel would give. Of course, that included me. Everyone else, including my guards, were excluded. While Lionel preached about the importance of chastity, I excused myself to use the bathroom. Using the key waiting for me in his office, I slipped into the mausoleum and escaped through a hidden tunnel that led out of town.

Running from my parents hurt, not because I would miss them, but because I was leaving my sister behind, and Ariana was the only one in my family worth a damn. She must have been heartbroken when she found out I had run away without saying a word, but if I had told her, then my parents might have blamed her for my escape.

Giving birth to me had damaged something inside my mother, and her midwife said she couldn’t have another child. I was three years old when someone abandoned Ariana at the church. I always thought of her as my younger sister, but in truth, we don’t know which one of us was born first.

Once I succeeded with the first part of our plan, I headed to the home of Lionel’s friend, Wumtug, a gnome.

I was a runecrafter, one of the rarest types of wizards. It was the only good thing my parents did for me. Runecrafters take the mundane and transform it into something magical. From simple glowsticks to powerful artifacts, we create exquisite magical treasures. Depending on the object, inscribing the necessary runes and imbuing them with mana it could take anywhere from hours to years.

I loved runecrafting.

Even as a child, I never wanted to become an adventurer. It’s just too dangerous, and I had no desire to sleep in the woods, or even worse, in crumbling ruins or a cave.

Now that my parents planned to send me into a fate-worse-than-death, I had a new perspective. If I couldn’t trust others to protect me, then I would learn to defend myself, even though I hated everything about it.

None of my skills would help me fight, so I couldn’t safely join the [Adventurers Guild’s] by myself, but Lionel had that covered. Later that afternoon, he joined us, and all three of us traveled to Gravestead and would complete the mandatory dungeon run together. They would protect me.

Once we finished the dungeon, Lionel’s friend and I would join the guild, and Lionel would head back to his church.

Now, we were in one of the cheaper inns, and their food was barely edible. They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so I forced myself to eat, even though I wasn’t hungry.

Fed up with his preaching, I took one final large bite of my omelet and shoved my chair away from the table.

“Where are you going? Leaving in the middle of a conversation is disrespectful,” said Lionel.

“This isn’t a conversation; it’s a sermon. While I appreciate what you’ve done for me, I don’t follow your god. Preach to your congregation. Not me. I’ll be at the gates.” Then I shouldered my backpack and headed for the door.

Lionel wasn’t my father, and it wasn’t any of his business, but that didn’t stop him from acting like an overprotective father.

My duty to my family ended when they proved I didn’t matter to them. I’m going to live my life as I wish, and that includes inviting someone into my bed. The hard part will be pounding that into Lionel’s well-meaning but thick skull.

If only he hadn’t chased off that muscular young blacksmith yesterday.

I could imagine him pinning me against the wall with one strong arm, forcing a kiss on me, tongue invading my mouth. I would whimper as he roughly, painfully, squeezed my breast with his free hand. Then he would rip my shirt open, exposing ... No!

No! NO!! NO!!! Not again!

Cheeks flushed with desire and shame; I pushed the erotic images from my mind.

Rape is horrible, and it shouldn’t be arousing. So why do I keep having these daydreams? What’s wrong with me?

I took a deep breath and deliberately slowed my pace to a leisurely walk. I tried to reclaim the enthusiasm I had felt when I woke up this morning. Today I’ll explore my first dungeon, and tomorrow I’ll join the adventurers guild. Then mother and father can’t force me to marry Lord Hamelon, and I can go back to doing what I actually love. Runecrafting.

When I arrived at the southern gates, I found a covered wagon with the [Adventurers Guild] symbol painted in bright red on its side. The middle-aged human man leaning against the cart called out a cheerful greeting as I approached. His name was Josiah. We both leaned against the wagon, a few feet between us, and watched the crowd flow past in companionable silence.

Stalls lined the cobblestone road, and merchants loudly hawked their wares. Farmers drove wagons loaded with their harvest down the crowded street, or shopped at the cheaper merchants, spending as little of their hard-earned cash as possible.

The merchants and farmers had a friendly rivalry that balanced their need for each other and their mutual dislike of the nobles. I enjoyed the subtle game of defiance they played, using their bodies to delay their supposed betters.

On paper, the nobles have preferred treatment, but these merchants and farmers used their bodies as obstacles, every humble apology was part of their delaying tactics. It’s a silent battle of attrition, as they ensured that nobles pass through the street just as slowly as the rest of us.

I spotted a regal lizardkin sauntering effortlessly through the same crowd that casually impeded other nobles. She’s as vain and arrogant as the other nobles, but the crowd parts around the lizardkin, people practically jumped out of her way. Some stared at her, and others deliberately avoided looking her way.

It wasn’t until she was closer that I understood why they were reacting so strangely. Her dress is beautiful, but I couldn’t imagine wearing it in public. Most of her cleavage was exposed. I thought the flashes of white along the side of her skirt were from colored cloth, but they were glimpses of her bare leg. With every step, a slit exposed her from ankle to thigh.

She doesn’t walk like anyone I’ve ever seen before. It’s a dance. God, I could happily spend the rest of the day watching her walk.

With a chill, I recognized a truth I had missed before.

The lizardkin isn’t walking like a dancer. She walks like a lion stalking prey. Other nobles are fat and lazy house cats, dangerous to any little mouse in their territory, but she is a lion, deadly to everyone around her.

Her commanding presence radiates confidence and power.

“Are you the guild representative for training future adventurers?”, asked the lizardkin.

I could hardly hear her over the blood pounding through my ears.

God, she’s beautiful! So pure and white. Ethereal perfection. Her silver eyes are the same color as her nails and horns, but it’s her stunning red lips that draw my attention. They look so sweet and kissable that I wish I was a man, just so that I could taste them.

Suddenly I realized my mouth was hanging open. Cheeks burning, I gulped and tried to work some saliva into my dry mouth. Just before I worked up the nerve to ask her to repeat the question, Josiah said.

“Yes, I’m Josiah. I take it, you two are here for the mandatory dungeon run?” asked Josiah.

Thankful that he replied before I could make a further fool of myself, I tried taking deep calming breaths.

Wait! Two of them?

I tore my eyes away from the white scaled lizardkin and found a timid looking catgirl standing next to her. The catgirl’s coloring was strange, a soft pink that couldn’t be natural. She wore a thin white camise like body slaves were often forced to wear. To my surprise, her eyes and lips were the same pale shade of pink as her hair. She was as beautiful as the lizardkin.

“I’m Ciarra, and this is Kitten. The last member of our party should arrive in a few minutes,” the lizardkin said, with her hand resting possessively on Kitten’s shoulder.

No title? Was I wrong about her being an aristocrat? Surely, she’s noble-born.

“Hello. I’m Lionel, my companions and I are also here for the mandatory run.” Said Lionel as he walked up with his friend Wumtug the gnome.

Of course, he would arrive now, before I get a chance to talk to her.

Josiah asked everyone to introduce themselves by name, class, and level. He explained that adventurers expect each other to share these three pieces of information truthfully and freely. Any adventurer that refused to share class, level, or name would quickly make enemies.

Josiah went first, “Josiah, level twenty-one Necromancer.” Then he turned to me and lifted a questioning eyebrow.

Cheeks still flushed, I felt like a fool, but I soldiered on, trying to ignore the impossibly beautiful lizardkin that smiled knowingly at me. I had to cough to clear my throat. When I was finally able to speak, I stuttered, “N ... Nivra, level three Runecrafter.”

“Lionel, level two Paladin of Kirnthal, God of Honor and Purity.” He was looking at me when he spoke, eyes questioning.

Hell, if I hadn’t fooled someone as thick-headed as him, then everyone knows. I’ve never responded to anyone like I’ve reacted to this lizardkin. Why her? Why now? Magesight doesn’t show any spells directed at me, so she isn’t using magic.

“Wumtug, level one, but I don’t have a class yet.”

He doesn’t have a class yet, but his chain mail and a mace wordlessly declare his desire to become a paladin, just like Lionel. He has been a great traveling companion, and I hope he gets his class today.

Josiah said, “People often gain a class during their mandatory run. If that doesn’t happen, you can also pick up a class at the guildhall for a reasonable fee.”

The catgirl says, “I’m Kitten, and I’m level two. I just went to the guildhall to become a wizard! I haven’t had the chance to do anything yet, and I can’t wait to cast my first spell!” her wide innocent grin makes most of us smile. She is such a cute young woman, she reminds me of my younger sister. Something about her makes me want to pat her on the head until she purrs.

“Ciarra, level five High Priestess.”

My heart sank. A priestess, Ugh. Almost all the gods oriented around battle are prudes. Hopefully, she follows one of the exceptions. And aren’t high priestesses the overall leader of their faith? Why would a high priestess become an adventurer?

Lionel and Josiah started to talk at the same time, but Lionel quickly quieted down. He respects the chain of command.

“I’ve never heard of a high priest or priestess becoming an adventurer. That’s exciting! Can you share anything about how you differ from a normal priestess?”

Ciarra said, “I just changed from priestess to high priestess last night. Kolra said I’d gain high priestess specific abilities over time. For now, consider me a powerful healer, and leave it at that.”

Ciarra smiled affectionally, looking down the street, and said, “The last member of our party is almost here, her name is Vixen, and she is a level five Reaper of Blood.”

A small black and grey beastkin ran down the street towards us. The crowd fled from Vixen’s path with cries of fear. As she approached, I wasn’t surprised when I made out her species. Her name was all anyone should need. She was a foxkin. Most of her kind are about the size of humans, but Vixen is a little thing, smaller than most gnomes.

Panic slammed into me, and I found myself running from the terrifying foxkin. Lionel and Wumtug fled along with me. After several seconds, the feeling lessened, and I turned back around just in time to see the running foxkin leap into Ciarra’s arms and cuddle against her. It reminded me of one of my friends and her pet dog.

Josiah hadn’t run with the rest of us, but even he looked unsettled.

Vixen kissed Ciarra, then slid down, landing on her feet.

Wow! She’s as gorgeous as Ciarra and Kitten.

Jet black fur covered the foxkin’s body. Where most foxkin had white accents, she had silver. Her fur matched the lizardkin’s talons perfectly, just as perfectly as Kitten’s pink hair, eyes, and lips matched.

I took a second to check with magesight, but none of them had any magic items or hid behind an illusion spell. They really looked like that, and it was impossible.

I know colors, and could hardly believe what I saw. Kitten’s eyes and lips were exactly the same shade of pink as her hair. The metallic silver of Ciarra’s horns, talons, and eyes exactly matched Vixen’s furry ears and the tip of her tail. I’d suspect hair dye and lipstick, but nothing short of magic could change eye colors, and I hadn’t detected any magic on them.

The three most beautiful women I’ve ever seen, and they are all in an adventuring party together. They look like an artist-designed them. Perfect in every way.

For the first time, Ciarra met my eyes and instantly stole my breath away. All of them had perfect bodies, but I only reacted so strongly to Ciarra. Was it something about her attitude, or perhaps the way she moved? Whatever it was, I couldn’t pull my eyes away this time.

I shivered, cheeks feeling heated, and a persistent yearning quietly building in my heart.

Distantly, over the rushing in my ears, I heard Vixen apologize for scaring us, and explain her class to the rest of them.

Ciarra stepped closer, and I shrunk away, pressing my back into the wagon as though I could disappear into the wood. Fear spiked through me as I suddenly felt trapped, even though she hadn’t touched me, and I could easily step to the side. I finally managed to wrench my eyes away from hers and stare at the ground.

Ignoring any idea of personal space, she closed in on me, her left hand reached up, and a razor-sharp talon pressed under my chin, forcing me to look into her eyes again.