The handsome man held an arm in front of his chest and bowed politely. “Kaelition Xyrosia IV, at your service.”

  I could only nod in return. “Jeremy Dodd… at yours.”

  “A fledgling Rogue, I see! Tell me, good sir, have you yet to join a guild?”

  Mrs. Zurax found the information she was searching for and spoke before I could respond. “Yes, yes, here we are… representatives from the Sterling Seekers came to the village recently. Perhaps they’re still in the area–”

  “Lady Zurax!” Kaelition held out his hands as if seeing an old friend for the first time in years, and moved towards the counter. “Ever so wonderful to see you again, madam. Are you taking good care of my new friend Jeremy, here?”

  Mrs. Zurax squinted and her lip curled. “Oh… it’s you again.”

  “My timing seems quite fortuitous! Jeremy, were you,” he bowed to Ves, “and your enchanting companion here interested in speaking to the Seekers’ representatives? Why, we are those very representatives!”

  My eyes widened as I noticed the other person that Kaelition was talking about. With her tall, slender figure, her flowing, silvery hair, and - most notably - her long, pointed ears, she was unmistakably an elf. Most likely some kind of mage, by her outfit. She wore a tight dress that was low-cut enough to put an ample amount of cleavage on display, and had a long slit that revealed little more than a tease of her shapely legs. This was capped off with a shimmering cloak that seemed to billow ever so slightly, despite the lack of a breeze in the village hall.

  Ves and Thia were both beautiful women, even while in a dark cave, fighting a giant rat monster. This elven woman looked like she had put a lot of work into her appearance, with sensational results. That said… while she was undeniably sexy, her body language and cold expression gave the immediate impression that she had no interest in interacting with anyone in this village.

  Ves responded, making me worried that I had been staring at the silver-haired elf. “Yeah, we found one of your guild members in a nearby cave.” She held out the coin to Kaelition, who took it and clutched it in his fist, a pained expression on his face.

  “And so ends the mystery of our missing comrade… He was a new Rogue - like you, Jeremy - and joined our assignment to Perrenbrook as part of his training. He insisted that he could train on his own. Poor lad. We should have been there for him.”

  A tear ran down Kaelition’s face, and I was a little caught off-guard by the fact that his feelings about the loss of the beginner adventurer were genuine. The elven woman’s expression hadn’t changed. Kaelition cleared his throat, and somehow stood up straighter. “Ullun, let us never forget the lesson imparted unto us today. Even those with extensive potential can fall unexpectedly. There is a reason why we form parties, and none should take even the simple act of training lightly.”

  The broad-shouldered man took a deep breath. “What happened to young Gev will never happen to another member of the Sterling Seekers; not if there’s anything that I can say about it. Jeremy, I would consider it a personal failing if I didn’t at least converse with you about the many benefits of joining our humble guild.”

  Fuuuuck. I’ve accidentally made eye contact with the guy working a kiosk and now I’m getting a sales pitch. “Actually, uh, I just got into town and I need to settle in, rest, you know, eat something.”

  “Then a meal you shall have! Courtesy of the Seekers, of course.” Kaelition bowed to Ves again. “My lady, I would be honored if you would join us, as well.”

  “No fuckin’ way.”

  “Then I shall only borrow your companion for a short while! Until we meet again, my dear Mrs. Zurax.”

  The elderly goblin made a “meh” sound and turned away.

  “Jeremy, Ullun, let us make our exit.” Kaelition put a burly arm around my shoulder and escorted me out of the building. I tried to ignore the fading sounds of Ves’s snickering.

  The guild representatives took me to a nearby inn that also served food and drinks. Kaelition loudly ordered the soup of the day, and the middle-aged human innkeeper seemed more than happy to comply. “Right away, Lord Xyrosia.”

  “Please, madam, we’re all friends here! Call me Kael. And that goes for you, too, Jeremy.” I sat down at the opposite side of the table from the others.

  The handsome, horned man immediately dove into his speech, talking about the benefits of joining the Sterling Seekers. Most of it went over my head, as he talked about elements of adventuring that sounded too mundane to include in a typical game, amounts of money that meant nothing to me yet, and types of magical items that I had never heard of before. The expressions on his face implied that everything he was saying was meant to be impressive, though.

  The innkeeper set down a bowl of piping-hot soup for each of us. Since I wasn’t able to get a word in anyway, I started eating. It wasn’t half-bad - not something I might order back home, given the chance, but the feeling of warmth it gave me was very comforting. Ullun, the sexy elf, only took tiny spoonfuls and sipped them elegantly.

  “And, of course, you’ll have the opportunity to train with seasoned adventurers like our own Ullun, here.” Kael gave me a quick wink, and that’s when it hit me: Ullun was there for marketing purposes. She reminded me of a bored model working a trade show. I wasn’t sure how I could tell, but something about her gave off the impression that she really was a powerful mage - maybe the sheer force of her magic was radiating from her. How much of her attitude had to do with her having to present as a sort of eye candy to recruit new members, and how much of it was just her personality?

  Kael perked up, noticing something behind me. “Speaking of lovely adventurers! Jeremy, allow me to introduce you to my younger sister, Aralithia.”

  I turned to see none other than Thia, who looked truly pleased to see me, giving me a warm, but composed, smile. “I’ve already had the pleasure of making his acquaintance, brother, although we did not have the opportunity to properly introduce ourselves.” Thia bowed deeply as I quickly rose to my feet to return the gesture. “Aralithia Xyrosia. It’s an honor.”

  “The honor’s all mine…” I moved over so Thia could sit at the table next to me. The first thing I thought when seeing Kael was that his hair, complexion, and horns reminded me of Thia, but I didn’t want to assume any kind of relation between the two. Kael was also significantly taller and, well, beefier than Thia, so if I had learned that they weren’t actually related, I wouldn’t have been all that surprised.

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  Kael was overjoyed. “Marvelous! Pray tell, sister, how did you happen to encounter our potential new recruit, Jeremy?”

  “I… thought I might take an opportunity to practice with my new class while we were here. I partnered with a local Vitality Mage, and we sought a cave rat queen in a cave, outside of the village.”

  My head whipped in Kael’s direction as the man gasped dramatically. “The very cave in which young Gev met his gruesome end?” He brought a clenched fist to his chest and lowered his head as Thia covered her mouth with her hand.

  “W-what happened to Gev?”

  I leaned closer to Thia. “Ves and I found his body in the cave and brought back his coin.” Thia nodded, looking saddened by the news. “Actually, that reminds me. I retrieved the items he had on him so that I could hand them over with the coin.” I started to pull the lockpicks and other equipment from my pockets, but Kael held up a hand.

  “Please - they will find much more use with you, my friend.”

  “Thank you, Kael. Oh, and Ves has his actual coin pouch. We can give that to you when we go back.”

  “No, no, you may keep that as part of your reward for returning his identification. As for the rest…” Kael opened a pouch and withdrew some coins, placing them in front of me. “But please continue your story, sister.”

  “Yes, of course.” Thia wiped away a tear. “The Mage and I progressed into the queen’s den, but it… managed to claim the upper hand.” She turned and smiled at me. “That’s when Jeremy struck from the shadows, distracting the beast long enough so that I could finish it off.”

  Ullun actually cocked an eyebrow at me, and Kael looked back and forth between us, his smile beaming. “I was right to extend an invitation to this hero!”

  Thia placed a hand on my leather armor and my heart skipped a beat. “And it seems your actions inspired the Goddess to grant you a class. It is well-deserved… and it’s a good look on you.”

  Kael grinned. “Our family is quite proud of Aralithia. Not only do we have two adventurers in one generation, but the Goddess saw fit to grant her class at the age of twenty - a good five years before I was granted my own! And since you have also just recently received a class, the two of you could undergo training together. Before long, perhaps you could even form a party of your own.”

  That… was the strongest case he had made for me to join the Seekers. My problem was that it was all just overwhelming. I’d barely been in this world, had no idea what I could really do with my class, and I needed some sleep. I wasn’t about to sign up with an organization right away. But Thia definitely made the idea tempting. Of course, I had no idea if anything would ever happen between us.

  On the other hand, two out of the two women I’d met from the Seekers were exceptionally stunning. Hell, I had no problem admitting that even Kael was an attractive guy, and he wasn’t my type at all. Even if only a small percentage of the other guild members were as attractive as these three…

  And then there was Ves. She wasn’t as charming or cordial as Thia, but she was every bit as beautiful, and had been an enormous help to me so far. I was also having a good time getting to know her better, and I knew there was a lot more to learn.

  All I knew was that I couldn’t make a decision on the spot.

  “Kael, you’re a hell of a salesman. Your guild honestly sounds great, but I’m going to need some time to think about it.”

  He flashed me another big smile. “That’s more than I can ask for. You’re a good man, Jeremy. Let’s enjoy the rest of our meal, shall we?”

  The conversation turned much more casual as we finished our soup. I offered some to Thia, but she politely declined, saying that she would be eating later. It was difficult avoiding questions that would reveal that I was from another world, but I said that my family were nomads and that we rarely spent time around civilization. (“That would explain why your accent is unfamiliar to me,” Kael remarked.)

  Once the food was gone, Kael stood. “Ah, how time flies! I should be returning you to your companion.”

  “Brother, if you don’t mind, I’ll escort Jeremy.” Thia turned to me and smiled gently.

  Kael clapped his hands together. “Not at all! Jeremy, you were too gracious with your time and company. I pray that you consider our offer, and that we’ll see you again before we leave Perrenbrook. I believe we’ll only be around two, possibly three, more days.” He looked to Ullun for confirmation, but her expression didn’t change.

  “I’ll absolutely think about it. Thank you for the meal. It was nice meeting you, Kael, Ullun.” I thought I saw the corner of her mouth curl slightly before I turned and left the inn with Thia.

  It was getting warmer outside, but there was still a pleasant breeze. “Aralithia-”

  “Please, call me Thia.”

  “Thia, can I ask you a question about the guild?” She looked somewhat apprehensive, but nodded. “Why the hell is it called ‘Sterling Seekers’ when the coins are copper and Kael’s armor is golden? Your armor is closer to silver, at least.”

  She laughed cheerfully. “It’s ‘sterling’ as in ‘excellent’.”

  I thanked her, but tried not to think about how languages worked between our worlds, and decided to chalk it all up to “magic”.

  Thia went quiet for a minute, and seemed to be considering something. “Did you return with Vestele? How is she?”

  “Oh, Ves is alright. She wasn’t upset, if that’s what you mean.”

  “That’s good. I wanted to apologize for how I conducted myself when I… departed the cave.”

  I smiled. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. Ves told me a little about her situation, you know, as a Healer. It sounds difficult. And stressful. Throw in a near-death encounter with a giant rat, and tensions can run high.”

  “Yes, well said. Did she happen to mention anything about my own… ‘situation’?”

  I shook my head. Based on what she said when she stormed off, I’d assumed that it was similar to Ves’s. With what I just learned from Kael about their family, she must have had even more stress piled onto her.

  “I, too, have had difficulty endeavoring with my class. Defenders tend to be more like my brother. I thought it would be wise to train independently of him, so that he wouldn’t have to see my at my utter worst.”

  “So you and Ves decided to could help each other out.”

  “Indeed. And you saw the result.”

  “I don’t want to try and fix something I, uh, don’t really know anything about, but maybe it would go better with the three of us? I have no idea if my class is a good fit for me or not, but even if it’s not, there’s strength in numbers.”

  “...Perhaps. I’m unsure about how I wish to proceed from here.” She suddenly stopped in her tracks. “Jeremy.”

  I turned to face her. “What is it?”

  “Don’t join the Seekers. I may not know what I will do next, but I do not feel like that would be the right path for you to take.”

  Knew it sounded too good to be true. “Why? What’s wrong with the guild?”

  “No, it’s not the guild itself. I just feel that it would… stifle you. There are those who thrive in that kind of environment, but there’s something about you that’s different.” Her body seemed to tense as she looked up at me.

  Meeting her gaze, I decided to be honest with her. Telling her the truth about what happened to me today felt like the best action, especially as it could confirm her feelings about me being “different”. “Thia, can I tell you a secret?”

  Her big eyes widened slightly, and she spoke quietly as she stepped closer. “Yes, of course.”

  Looking around, I noticed more villagers on the street than earlier. We were getting the occasional side-eye - presumably because neither of us were locals, more than anything else. “Is there somewhere more private we can speak?”

  Thia touched her chin. “We’re not far from the edge of the village, and there’s no farmland on this side; only woods. How does that sound?”

  “Yeah, that’s more than enough.”

  We stepped into the woods and behind a thick tree. “This is going to sound weird, but I need to say this sooner than later.”

  Thia touched my arm. “Please, don’t worry.”

  I just had to pull off the bandage. “I’m from another world. I don’t know how I ended up here, but I found myself in the cave not long before I first met you.”

  Thia looked less surprised by my admittedly-weird confession and more taken aback, as if she were expecting something else. “Truly?”

  “Yeah,” I nodded. “I know that it sounds crazy…”

  “Then my feelings were accurate! And for the Goddess to grant you a class so soon after arriving on Fielende… mayhap you have a destiny to fulfill.”

  Now that was something I hadn’t thought about. To be fair, I knew almost nothing about the Goddess that at least some of the people in this world believed in.

  Until this point, Thia’s smiles had been mostly gentle and a little reserved. But now she gave me a radiant smile that filled me with happiness. “You’ve given me a lot to contemplate. I’m glad our paths crossed again, Jeremy.”

  My face felt warm as I grinned. “Yeah, me too! Thank you for hearing me out. It’s, you know, not easy to tell someone about this.”

  “I understand. Thank you for sharing your secret.”

  “Oh, right, now that I’ve told you, we can go back to town.”

  Thia’s hands were behind her back and her shoulders were gently rocking back and forth. “Before that, may I admit something, as well?”

  “Of course. Anything.”

  She moved closer, and my back pressed against the tree trunk. “I’d very much like to pleasure you with my mouth… if you would permit me.”