"Oh, the little one has a good poking spear Haha!" The massive wolf beastkin howled with laughter at how Tina tried to stab the shit out of the overly tall figure that had grabbed her.
And in response, Tina snarled as her eyes glowed a glowing red with her Blood Rage Spear skill activating and she stabbed her Excellia boosting spear into this woman's thigh with a speed and strength that wouldn't be out of place on an average level three.
But the only response she got was a chuckle and a massive hand grabbing Tina by the back of her hoodie and lifting her into the air as the woman boasted. "Bwuaha, I am Gawain, The Impenetrable Wall! Only strength-based adventures past level five can peirce my flesh with good weapons but good try little one!" She said with zero anger at being stabbed. Like at all.
Which was fucking weird.
Then I heard a hum and in the corner of my eye as my face was buried into tits I saw the other girl named Eris, apparently a young woman with wine-red hair and blood-red eyes wearing actually functional adventurer clothes in tight-fitting monster leather shorts and a fur-lined jacket covering her voluptuous upper curves.
"Hmm... Blond, wearing scale mail armor, a pallum supporter, no weapon on him but it's worth looking into." 'Apparently' Eris said before smiling wryly. "Now, you going to walk with us nice and easy? Or will Gawain need to carry you, or even put you to sleep?" She said and I felt Gawain's impossibly strong arm's tighten and my face was forced into marshmallow hell and I realized the leather top she was wearing was basically just a body glove or something as it didn't leave me any room to breathe.
I just glared at her and she smiled wryly and she shrugged. "Alright Gawain put the newbie down, he ain't gonna be trouble." She said confident obviously in not only her own strength but also her partner's.
The moment I was released from Gawain's massive milkers I first held Tina with an arm as I asked quickly. "What do you even want?" I demanded and Eris blinked and looked at Gawain.
"Ah shoot... We never even said why we were kidnapping you." She said with a wry smile at realizing her fuck up and even though I was thinking about how muscle-headed these girls were Eris continued. "But yeah, we got a little job or commission for you so come on so we aren't being listened in on anymore." She finished and I felt her glare at the people who were staring at the scene of Hera's girls all but marching me and Tina away towards the more rich and affluent area of Orario.
A minute later as we were escorted away from the scene of the crime by our would be abductors, Gawain started speaking excitedly. "So, you are a healer or alchemist?" She asked me quickly and I had to parse the words as I didn't understand what this was about so I kinda just shrugged.
I certainly had made 'potions and better elixirs with my fusion ability. But I hadn't gone out of my way to make such things from scratch. Hell, the whole reason I was going to get a Blue Papilio was just so we could have on-demand quick healing. Or maybe we could collect and fuse the dust that came off the wings to make a drink mix or something to make a healing potion.
But instead of taking my weak answer as a sign of being a denial, Gawain nodded looking around furtively as she leaned down to whisper. "It's ok... I get you are a wet noodle alchemist, and you don't wanna get snatched up and your god or goddess becoming, NTR'd, whatever that means..." She muttered with a weird expression coming across her face but she shook her heard with her long blond hair getting sent around before she continued. "But we just wanna get your help in healing one of our members." She finished.
I was honestly thinking more about the whole... NTR bit to be fair. But either way, I sighed and said flatly. "I wouldn't mind selling a potion or something but this hamfisted escort is a bit rude don't you think?" I griped and her head tilted to the side in confusion with her yellow wolf ears tilting backward as she clearly thought she did something wrong.
"Uhm... Would it have been better manners to carry him there so he didn't have to walk Eris?" She questioned Eris who face palmed while my face twitched as I realized Gawain was of the simple brute type.
Which with her being seven-plus feet tall and looking as fucking lovable as a derpy golden retriever maybe I should just lump her in with the strong, lovable, but kinda stupid category of people.
Eris sighed and then spoke flatly to me. "You got made out with that elixer you gave our Sword Saintess. Hera wants to buy more of it, or a better version of it to help some sick members of our Familia." She explained and I blinked as I realized what she meant.
She wanted my stuff to help Materia, who in canon was Bell's mother. And of course the 'Demon of Talent' in Alfia.
And... I had zero problems joining the crowd in Orario in selling my potions and elixirs at mind-boggling fucking prices!
Tina however grumbled. "Then why didn't you just ask for Jake to come meet at the Hera Familia mansions grounds." And at that question, Eris and Gawain shared a look and said in unison.
"Nope to slow!" They said together and then both shared a chuckle at how Tina and I shared a look of incredulity.
So after that I coughed and realized if I was going to play Alchemist and get my pay's due, I needed to play the part. "So can you please explain the symptoms and other details of the afflicted I need to look into?"
And so Gawain for the first time looked somber as her ears drooped forward weakly as she spoke softly. "Little Materia is really sick... She cannot breathe well after walking for long and she has issues even taking a bath and multiple girls join her baths to keep her happy and make sure she gets cleaned properly." She explained but I realized Eris's face was twitching so something was afoot!
"So is it a lung, heart, or some other issue?" I asked getting into more detail and Gawain froze and shrugged.
"I dunno, I just know if someone makes Materia cry I smash them with my fists or my mace!" She said fiercely with her eyes tightening to a slit at the thought.
While Eris coughed and said more naturally. "The medicine gods and other healers said it was both a lung and heart issue along with her very blood being weak or something to that effect." Eris explained while we continued along the richer and more affluent sections of Orario that had massive mansions and the properties being walled in marking off the land and keeping non-adventurers out.
After a couple more minutes of walking and asking questions, we arrived at the Hera Familia estate and it was huge. Done in Greek style architecture it was both a temple devoted to the goddess and a fortress castle that could hold and allow its defenders to hold the area even should they be greatly outnumbered. "Welcome to the Temple of Hera... Or just the Hera Familia headquarters," Eris said with a smile as I kinda squirmed at the feeling of not belonging here as multiple ladies across the large property looked over from park's the castle itself or other places and began muttering at seeing outsiders like us and more particularly myself entering the Familia grounds.
The Hera Familia was a Familia of strict women... And I most certainly was a man so it felt like I had walked into a woman's undergarment store with how I clearly didn't belong.
But either way, I coughed as Gawain patted my back with an encouraging smile as she said cheerfully. "Whelp come on little alchemist I will take you to Lady Hera so she can ask you some questions so all this can be sorted out!"