“Look at our little mage!” Ludwas exclaimed as he affectionately tousled Aila’s red hair. “Leave our sight for a month and you’re already more than twice the level you were when we last saw you!”
“Of course she’s gone up in level that quickly,” Gerwas grumped as he pulled Ludwas back down into his chair. “She takes from my side of the family and actually puts in effort.”
“We’re brothers you bearded boulder, we’re from the same side of the family!”
“No, I’m from the good side, you’re from the lazy side.”
“Side of my fist you—”
“Sit down before I—”
Jadis grinned in amusement as she watched Aila’s uncles devolve into a couple of squabbling goats while still somehow managing to heap praises on top of their mortally embarrassed niece. It seemed even during a party, the two brothers simply could not resist fighting with each other. Whatever side of the family that trait came from, Jadis was glad Aila hadn’t inherited it.
A few days had passed since Jadis had encountered General Egilhard in Alawar. During that time, she’d continued her training under the strict tutelage of Noll while also getting in a few hours every day to help Sabina level. The exuberant smith had actually managed to up her level to eighteen thanks to the concerted efforts of Jadis and her team, though she wasn’t the only one to gain experience. Eir’s oracle class had also gone up in level, from two to four.
The skill Eir had gained at level three had been a little weak in Jadis’ opinion, but both Aila and Eir had assured her that the potential for the skill was great.
| Oracle’s Protection Active Spell. Temporarily increase a single target’s Resilience attribute by 0.1 of your Divine attribute. Effect ends when concentration on the target is broken. Spell can only target one individual at a time. Cost – 30 magic. Duration – Channeled. |
At the moment, the spell would only increase a person’s Resilience stat by eleven points despite Eir’s hugely boosted divine attribute of one hundred and twelve. Eleven points wasn’t exactly small, especially not when taking into account it was a spell coming from a level four class, but compared to the numbers Jadis was used to throwing around it didn’t feel spectacular. Though Jadis had to admit her viewpoint was pretty skewed in that regard. Looking at it another way, if Eir was to cast the spell on her, she’d be nearly doubling Jadis’ paltry fifteen-point score in the magical defense attribute. So, no, it wasn’t actually a weak spell by any means.
The bigger point that Eir had made was that Oracle’s Protection was a prerequisite skill for more powerful versions of the skill that would come at later levels. Oracle classes were well documented in the church, after all, so Eir knew that this one was a must for greater spells in the future.
Naturally thanks to the advancements in level, when the day came that Aila’s family was back in the city, spirits had been high among Fortune’s Favored. Nothing of great excitement had happened, but progress was being made in both training and leveling. They were even pulling in a steady income from demon bounties, enough that Aila had suggested they rent out the Archway restaurant’s courtyard for a true feast. No one had objected to that idea in the slightest.
For a hefty but not unreasonable sum, they had reserved the whole courtyard space for their get-together. One long table had been filled with as many platters of food as possible, some of them familiar and some of them utterly alien to Jadis, but all of it smelled like heaven. A bonfire had been lit in the center of the outdoor area, warming the chill night air and even though a few flurries of snow had started to fall, the space was comfortable and pleasing.
Thus Jadis got to witness Aila’s uncles bicker and dote on her in turns while enjoying a fantastic spread of roasted meats and vegetables as well as literal barrels of ale. Not that Jadis was the only one around to enjoy the dinner and a show.
Aside from Eir, Kerr, and Thea, Sabina had also come to join the party. As had, surprisingly, Hans, though the stoic man had yet to say a single word in Jadis’ presence. Ludwas had also brought Hela along, the healer from Bernd’s Blades. From the way the man kept grinning stupidly at the sharp-tongued cleric, it seemed things had progressed further than just buying her a drink.
Volker and Specht were there too, fulfilling their promise to visit. Volker had also followed through on his promise to bring his new girlfriend along and Jadis had to admit, she was impressed.
“Pass me another mug of ale would you, Addy my love?”
“Here you go, poppet! Now where’s my reward?”
“Bring your pretty face a tad closer and you’ll find out, love.”
The public display of saccharine sweet affection going on between Volker and his girlfriend, Addy, would have been nauseating to Jadis if it hadn’t also been so strangely amusing. The pet names and sweet talk was one thing. The fact that it was between a fairly normal-looking man and an extremely buff orc woman was a whole other facet to the gem of an interaction.
As Volker had sworn, Addy was a tall woman. A tall, green, muscled, and strong looking woman. She was maybe an inch or two shorter than Aila, but she was still more than a head taller than Volker and had biceps as big around as his thighs. Not that the blond man seemed the least bit bothered by the fact. In actuality, he seemed to revel in how much larger his love was than him. That was made blazingly apparent by the fact that he’d taken to sitting in Addy’s lap as the night progressed and everyone got deeper into their cups.
“What’s it like working for the Gilded Rose?” Syd asked Addy while the orc giggled like a schoolgirl after Volker had whispered something into her ear. “The captain I met seemed kind of…”
“Stiff as a squirrel with a stick up its ass?”
“Yeah, that.”
“As long as you mind your manners while in uniform, it’s a decent company,” Addy replied in what Jadis swore was a cockney accent. “All the officers are sticklers for rules and propriety, but the pay’s good and the benefits are better. I’d drag my poppet here right on over if he weren’t stuck in a contract.”
“It’s only a couple of more years. By then, we might have the money to retire anyway,” Volker added with a suggestive grin aimed at Addy. “The coin is flowing right now, that’s for sure, and I can think of some wonderful ways I’d like to spend my days once this invasion is over.”
“Oh can you?” Addy said as she brought her face close to Volker’s, her nose brushing against his. “I think I might like some of those things you’re thinking of…”
“Cute couple,” Kerr murmured from Syd’s left side. “Excuse me while I go throw up.”
“Don’t be a bitch,” Syd elbowed her therion companion as she pretended to retch off to one side. “They are a cute couple. Don’t rain on their parade.”
“Sure, but I’m going to need about another four or five mugs to counteract the sugar seeping from that side of the table.”
Syd shook her head but didn’t argue further with Kerr. Instead, she surprised the inebriated archer with a sudden kiss of her own. If Volker and Addy’s public display of affection was getting on Kerr’s nerves, then maybe a little of her own directed at the horned woman would be a fun way to tease her.
Of course Jadis should have known that her bid to embarrass Kerr by kissing in front of a bunch of other people wouldn’t work. The woman had literally sucked Aila off a few days ago under a table in a restaurant. A little public tongue action wasn’t going to make the crazy slut blush.
“Now hold on, I thought you and the three of them were together?” Jay overheard Ludwas ask Aila in covert tones. “Did that one decide to go get her own girlfriend?”
“No, it’s—it’s complicated. Don’t ask,” Aila answered as her ears turned red as beets.
“What’s complicated about—”
Ludwas’ words were cut off as Hela gave him a slap on the back of the head.
“Did you not just hear your niece?” the healer said with all the crossness of a dour schoolmaster. “She said not to ask. Leave their relationship to them.”
“Yes ma’am,” Ludwas agreed instantly and without argument.
“Why’s that never work for me…” Gerwas mumbled into his mug.
As conversation continued on that side of the table and Syd came up for air on her side, she turned to see Addy giving her a look from where she sat across from her. With one elbow on the table and her other beefy arm around Volker’s shoulders, she leaned towards Syd with a sly smile on her lips.
“You lot just started a mercenary company, right? Fame and Fortune or sumthin’ like that?”
“Fortune’s Favored,” Syd corrected while matching Addy’s leaning posture. “And yes. Registered about a month ago.”
“Don’t seem like the bunch of you are too stuck up on the rules, what with you snogging one of your crew there.”
“I wouldn’t call us heavy handed, no,” Syd answered dryly. “Why do you ask?”
“You wouldn’t happen to be recruiting, would you?”
“We are, actually,” Syd said, surprised at where the conversation was going. “Looking to break with the Gilded Rose?”
“Nah,” Addy shook her head. “Like I said, it’s a good company. My contract would hit me with a harsh penalty for leaving early, anyway. But I’ve got a younger sister who’s looking to sign up with a guild and I don’t think she’d mind a small company that just started up. One that isn’t too strict on the rules would suit her better, I think.”
A sister, was it? Jadis did need two more people to join the guild for it to move from provisional status to fully formed. Jadis wasn’t looking to just hire any random person off the streets, but Addy seemed like a good person and she definitely looked like she was a strong fighter. If her sister was the same, then she could be a good candidate.
“She didn’t want to join your company?” Syd asked, one eyebrow raised.
“She tried,” the orc shrugged with a sad look on her pretty face. “But the captain rejected her. She’s got a particular fighting style and refuses to change it. Can’t blame her, it works well enough for her, but it’s not great for shield walls or cavalry. Plus she doesn’t do great with authority figures.”
“Sounds like my kind of lady!” Kerr interjected with a toothy grin. “She doesn’t have a giant cock, does she? Then she’d be hitting all my buttons.”
“The fuck?” Addy laughed while Volker choked on his ale.
“Kerr, really?” Syd gave the horny woman a withering glare.
“What, afraid of a little competition?” Kerr winked.
“Ignore her,” Syd said as she turned back to Addy. “She just likes to provoke reactions out of people. In any case, while we’re fairly relaxed on rules, we are all about teamwork here. If your sister is the type of person to ignore orders in a fight and just go off and do her own thing—”
“Nah, nah,” Addy waved off Syd’s concern as she slapped Volker vigorously on the back. “She’s not daft. Our family is full of mercenaries, through and through. Lots of training and she knows how to take orders while under fire. She just… well, she just doesn’t do well in a barracks setting, you catch me?”
Jadis supposed she did. She herself was unlikely to mesh well in a strict military environment, even if she was a natural at the whole fighting and killing side of things. If Addy’s sister was just the type of woman who did better in a less rigid structure, then that was no mark against her in Jadis’ opinion. And it would be more than a tad hypocritical for Jadis to dismiss someone for not liking authority figures.
Seeing the considering look on Syd’s face, Addy scooted a little closer and continued in a sing-song voice.
“She’s already level seventeen, has her independent mercenary license too. You wouldn’t even need to pay for her gear, she’s got her own equipment…”
Syd met the orc lass’s twinkling eyes and gave her a nod.
“No promises. But we’ll talk to her at least.”
“Bloody bells that’s good of ya,” Addy cheered before giving Volker a kiss on the cheek. “You won’t regret it, she’ll fit right in with a bunch like you!”
Jadis wasn’t sure if that was a compliment, but the happy look on the orc’s face cleared most of her doubts.
“What’s her name, anyway?” Syd asked after letting Addy and Volker celebrate a little longer.
“Bridget,” she answered with a brilliant smile. “Bridget of Clan Warsong.”
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