Dego was waving wildly as he approached the group. "There you are! I knew you'd make it. I even placed my bet already." Dego's chest puffed out in pride. "You should have seen the bookie's face when I bet everything on you to take the first place! He even had to write your name in!."
Sael resisted the urge to face palm while Dego eyed the girls giving them what he thought was his charming smile. Beth thought he might be having a stroke. "So Sael, who are the new girls! I remember you." Dego motioned to Beth while moving his hand to protect his crotch.
"I'm his wife!" Ara put both arms around Sael's middle clinging to him.
"I'm his consort." Nee stated calmly ignoring both Ara's actions and the new human's eyes starting to pop out of his head.
"I'm…" Beth had her mouth open as if she wasn't sure what to say but wanted to say something.
"Girls this is Dego, Please stop teasing him. He's my power leveling buddy." Sael said while trying to pry Ara off him without hurting her.
"Damn man leave some for the rest of us!" Dego glanced around as if there were women that needed protection from his seduction.
Sael glanced around realizing how much attention they were drawing. "So you all set up for the ball yourself?"
"Yep! I hit level ten and stayed there. Best to be at the top of a bracket. So… what level are you now? You didn't go past five right?" Dego chuckled nervously.
"No, I barely made it to five." He glanced at Nee subconsciously. "The last quest I was on ended up giving a lot more experience than I expected."
Dego seemed to have a light bulb moment. "Oh yeah I asked around about the fact you only get experience for kills during a quest. No one's heard of that. I got some buddies in the guild that want to meet you too!"
"Um, sure I guess. Maybe after the ball. By the way do you have a place to stay?" Sael changed the subject wanting to get off the street.
"Yeah of course I got here a week ago… Wait, you did make arrangements ahead for a room." Their faces must have given it away. "Well you guys can stay in my room if you want. But I only have one bed." He glanced between the girls.
"We have a room!" Beth and Ara spoke up almost in unison.
"Ahh well good. Mines way on the other side of town. Where are y'all staying?"
After letting him know they were staying nearby Sael suggested they head over to the room and get settled in. Despite being in town for a week already Dego rubber necked around at all the sites, or more likely all the females around. Ara had been right about the slums doubling as a red light district.
Once they made it to there room Dego went about catching Sael up to date on what he'd been doing. Apparently he hadn't been joking about putting all his effort into getting money for betting on the ball. He'd even put the money that had been set aside for purchasing new skills into his bet. Hearing how much faith he'd put in Sael's performance started to make him a bit nervous.
He still only had the one basic attack and while he stats were high, other than Dego he had no real comparison still. The girls of course had total faith in him but he felt they might be just a little bit biased. Sael was starting to wish he hadn't bet everything they had on the ball and instead saved enough to unlock another skill or two.
Sael then attempted to give Dego a brief description of his adventures since they parted. Unlike when he told his story to Nee he tried to play down his actions not wanting to inflate his image anymore before the other adventure, in case the ball showed him to be weaker than he thought. Sadly neither Ara nor Nee would have any of that making sure to add in there two cents any time he started to play down the recent adventures.
"Holy cow man. I'm so glad we aren't in the same bracket! Sounds like you're even more overpowered than before! I still don't get how you are still only level five. Man, get you a few skills and things will be crazy. Hey, want to go get one before the ball starts?"
"I'd love to but we just bet everything and then some on the ball." Sael cursed his lack of forethought.
"Dang so did I. Maybe I could get a loan and help you out."
Sael was honestly touched and a bit shocked at Dego's offer. But he hated the idea of being indebted to someone. "Thanks but I think I'll be ok."
Grinning Dego replied. "No kidding man. I can't wait to see everyone's faces. Hardly anyone believes what I told them about you. I only got a few that were willing to make bets on you also."
Sael bit his tongue to keep from swearing at Dego believing it was all his fault that the Gree had noticed him, unaware that the stingy innkeeper's large bet was primarily the cause. "So we got a while left, what do you guys want to do before dinner? I hope you don't mind stew from Little Well. We're pretty cash poor right now."
Ara flopped back on one of the beds and curled up. "I just want a nap." She still didn't look good even though the bags under her eyes had started to fade. Sael glanced at Beth and Nee.
"I want to go see a few shops. Appraise a few things and get a feel for what I'm spending all my cut on." Beth stood up stretching.
"If you are going out I think I'll stay here with Ara. Plus Silver could use some more time not having to hide in a backpack" Nee sat calmly beside him. Dego was sitting alone on one of the beds while the four of them were cramped on the other. Even Silver was sitting on top of Sael's feet glaring at the stranger.
"Dego you think you could show us a few shops?"
"Heck yeah. I was going to see if you would make me something new. With the money I am expecting for my winnings I can get the materials for a set of plate if you can do that!" Dego addressed Beth while unconsciously placing a hand to protect his crotch.
"Full, heavy, even enchanted if you have the right materials. There isn't anything I can't make!" Beth's eyes lit up at the idea of finally getting to make some metal armors.
"Heck yeah. I want something awesome. Can you do spikes and shit? Make it look really bad ass." Dego was practically bouncing.
"Psshht anything I make will be badass. You want some edge lord armor? Get me the materials and I'll make you so edgy you'll cut the pavement when you walk!" Shaking his head Sael got up and prepared to leave.
"You two sure?" When both nodded he added. "You sure you'll be ok?"
"We'll keep the door locked. We may not be a walking army like someone but we aren't helpless either." Nee responded.
Shrugging Sael left with Dego and Beth.
**********
Sael really liked his armor that Beth had made him and he was more than happy with his spear. But the shops there held all kinds of different armor and weapons that left him counting his winning before he had them. Beth often elbowed him if he got too sparkly eyed at a piece of armor pointing out that she could make better if he just got her the materials. Dego for his part had already been through most of the town, apparently he hadn't had the nerve to hit up the slums until it was time to make his bet. But he did know all the shops and showed them both the best places for everything. Beth spent a lot of her time pricing raw materials and Sael even got to go visit the local adventurer's guild to price a number of skills.
He was shocked at how expensive they were with most intermediate skills being a gold and when he asked about the advanced the clerk implied if he had to ask he couldn't afford it. Still he found several intermediate skills he had his eye on. One was an active cleave type that would help when he fought large numbers of enemies such as the battle against the spiders. While another was designed to knock a single enemy airborne. The clerk explained it was the opener for a combo style attack and would not only work to disable an enemy while airborne but if he acquired the other skills lead to some devastating single target damage.
After shopping there the trio made their way back to the inn. Beth was still giving him a hard time accusing him of being more excited by a new combat skill than any girl when they entered the room. Ara wasn't asleep as Sael had expected and was sitting on one of the twin beds while Nee was on the other. Ara's face was flustered and she looked as if she'd just been yelling while Nee sat as calm as always.
"Whoa whoa cat fight?" Dego grinned apparently unable to sense the tension so thick in the air that it was choking.
"Thanks for showing us around Dego. But I need to get some rest and so do you. We have to be there for bracketing first thing in the morning right? Night man!" Sael practically pushed Dego out the room and closed the door behind him.
Nee showed no real response but smiled at Sael as she always did in greeting. Ara for her part didn't even look at him but curled up in the bed stating loudly she was tired and going to sleep.
Both Sael and Beth looked between the two fairies not sure what was going on. Sael knew he should say something, he had a feeling what an argument between them might be about. More than just a feeling if he was honest but since neither of them volunteered anything he chickened out pretending not to notice.
He was getting his sleeping bag out while Beth and Nee squared off seeming to silently be debating on the sleeping arrangements. Nee was the one to speak up. "Beth you and I can share this bed, there is no point in one of us sleeping on the floor. Neither of us take up much space." Beth kinda shrugged in agreement but Nee continued. "Sael you should sleep in the other bed, Ara doesn't take up much space and there is no reason for a King to sleep on the floor."
Beth and Sael froze, both staring at Nee. Surprising everyone it was Ara who spoke first and even more surprising was against it. "No! The bed is too small and he is too big, I'll sleep on the floor."
Sael slowly reached over and pinched his wrist to make sure he wasn't dreaming as Ara got out of the bed to get her own sleeping bag. He looked between Nee and Ara not sure what to make of the two fairies sudden change in personality. Nee suggesting that he sleep with Ara was odd enough but Ara not wanting to sleep with him was really strange.
"Um, I'm good on the floor. Go ahead and sleep in the bed." He could see the argument in her eyes so added. "King's orders!" She glared not at him but Nee before diving into the bed to hide under the covers.
Sael gave Nee a questioning look but she revealed nothing and instead prepared for bed herself. Beth looked between Nee and Ara while chewing her bottom lip looking lost in thought herself.
Sael eventually slipped into his own sleeping bag and wondered if there was a skill he could buy that would help him deal with girls.
**********
Bracketing started the next afternoon and all those participating had to be there early in the morning to sign up. Gregory had been able to explain the first round to him. It was by far the largest of the rounds with the most participants but most would be knocked out. There would be no fighting against other contestants but a fight against monsters designed to weed out all but the strongest of their level bracket. Sael met up with Dego accompanied by the others first thing in the morning. Signing up was actually pretty easy, just the line was huge. He simply needed to provide them his name and place his hand on one of the testing spheres identical to the one Gree had him touch. After that his name went into a huge bucket and they would be drawn out and put in a fight order during lunch.
Sael's five and under bracket had nearly a hundred entries while Dego's ten to six bracket had only about thirty. As for the ones for adventures who'd already undergone a class change were so few they didn't even have a round one. The grand arena looked much like what the term grand arena had inspired Sael to picture. It reminded him of a huge roman colosseum though right now it was divided into four sections so that multiple round one fights could be done at once.
Sael didn't know if he should be happy or nervous that he was in the first round. He went in wearing all his armor still not completely sure what the challenge would be like. It was said to be different every year and something challenging for the bracket but not impossible. His plan might be to hold back but he wouldn't risk his life if things looked too tough.
Standing in the arena a trickle of sweat ran down his forehead before with a single warning his enemy was released in with him. Sael took one look at the foe and his eyes went wide. "No way…"