It had been years since Oz felt any sort of joy when it came to her position of being a hunter. The endless work of moving supplies up and down dungeon floors all but killed the simple joy that being a hunter was for her. Those years of endless work ruined the simple joy of being 'special'. Surrounded by other hunters all the time diluted the feeling of wonderment that Oz once had.
She stared up at the ceiling of her bathroom, the cozy bath was nothing like that wonderful soak back in the sibling's world. The soft jelly like water did wonders for her skin, the water of her home felt harsh in comparison. The moment they returned home, the pair left her to try and relax. Disappearing into one of her extra rooms.
[Daily Quest 24 Hours Remaining]
100 Jumping Jacks : Incomplete (0/100)
1 kilometer Jog : Incomplete (0/1)
1 nutritious meal eaten : Incomplete (0/1)
1 Bath taken : Partly Complete (.5/1)
[Failure to complete within 24 hours will result in Penalty Event ]
The glowing box hovered overhead, the light reflected off the white tiles of the wall. Oz leaned back down into the bubbles, her mind still reeling from earlier. She rubbed her aching scar, the dull pain was becoming background noise to all her day to day aches.
Her Aunt admitted that all her violence was to control her. That she wanted her dead all these years over something as simple as a ring. Her eyes darted over to where the ring sat on the sink, resting on a ring hook to keep it safe. Just to be paranoid she put her clothes in the dry sink.
What else was her grandfather hiding in this home?
She sighed and pulled the plug, washing away the remaining suds. A soft ding overhead told her she was credited her daily. All that was left was the light jog, the jumping jacks, and food. It was easy enough today. Already started the exercise. In the privacy of the bathroom it felt odd to do, but in a way it was rather freeing.
"hey, er, box?" she called out as she did the jumping Jacks. "question. What did Nahern put in my eye socket?"
[Item: Eye of the Scholar.]
"More details than that" she grumbled.
[Eye of the Scholar : A crystal sphere said to be pulled from one eye stalk of the Beholder. Allows the ability to compel the truth from sentient lifeforms. A Mark of the Saint of the Dragon]
"Seriously?" she gasped. "Is it going to hurt me?"
[Negative.]
Oz couldn't help but laugh but kept up her exercise. Who would think she ever WILLINGLY exercise. Doing ten felt impossible after a day, but within twenty minutes she did a full hundred. With barely an ache in return. She pulled on her comfy pajamas, fleecy bottoms with a massive oversized hoodie blazed with some hunter guild logo.
"Nahern? Selene?" She called out, stretching her arms over head. She was starving now.
Stepping back out into the main area, Oz froze in shock at the sight before her.
Over the sofas and tables were wicker baskets stuffed with odd looking fruits and vegetables, piles of thick fur pelts, and more baskets full of fluff. A massive rug sat rolled up by the sofa, dyed with earth shades. Her sofas had been adjusted to allow another rug to rest on the floor.
"Nahern? Selene?" Oz called out again. She walked over to a basket, one of the odd fruits called to her. She picked it up, it looked like a lemon but it was bright blue. It was still cold to the touch. Oz lifted it to her lips, breathing in the odd lemony, pineapple scent.
Suddenly a hand came out, Nahern's body tight against hers. Oz couldn't help the blush that rose to her cheeks.
"You can't eat these raw, they need to be deseeded first." He said, too close to her ear.
"I was just smelling it." She huffed as he stepped back, he was back in the casual tunic and pants again. The terrifying prince aura gone, replaced with the more...standoffish yet still kind persona.
"What is it?"
"A kiren fruit. Extremely sour, much like your citrus but within are extremely sharp seeds. They can be ground into a powerful medicine to help fevers and fatigue." He replaced the fruit on the pile before looking her over. Nahern gave a small huff that made Oz glare.
"What's wrong with how I look?"
"Unkept."
"I'm in my house."
"You should hold yourself with dignity."
"I'm in my house. Who's seeing me but you? So what is all of this? Where did it come from?"
Nahern's ears wiggled at that, the tips flushed purple for a moment. He coughed before motioning to the baskets. "Offerings from our home to you, dear saint."
"You didn't run all the way back to that dungeon did you." Oz cried out. "That would have been hours!"
"Hardly. We are far faster than you might believe. For us it was mere minutes to move the door." He reached into one of the pockets of his tunic, holding the keycard she stole from the mercenary before.
[Inspect!]
[Inspection Successful : Keycard of Travel : Use on any door to open a path to a previously restored dungeon warp point]
He dropped the card back into her hand, Oz fumbled to grab it before it hit the floor.
"But how?"
"While you were bathing, we moved the door to our world from that back alley dump to a better spot to keep riffraff out."
"Where did you move it? Not in my house right. I'm not going to wake up with everyone around me, am I?" Oz felt an odd sense of dread. She followed the prince out of the apartment and out to where she had a sizable shed to hold all her outdoor furniture once broken down. Sure enough, around the door were all sorts of runic symbols and a freshly painted mark on the center of it.
The borrowed eye ached for a moment looking at it, the odd symbols fuzzy in her vision. Yet somehow she understood them.
[Gateway to Ice'nfur]
"Ice'nfur?" She tried to say the word, the vowels sounded sloppy coming off her human mouth.
"Ecc-en-fiir." Nahern corrected. Oz messed it up. After three times he was squeezing her cheeks, puffing her lips out as she butchered the name of his world.
"Ow, ow. Okay Okay. I get it." She pushed him away and rubbed her aching cheeks. "Where's your sister?"
"She should be back shortly. She is informing the others what the plan is."
Oz paused at that, "Plan?"
"Exactly. You need to get stronger, Saint. We can't rely on just that odd skill of yours, you need to be taught how to properly fight." Nahern said, already walking back into the apartment as if he owned it. Oz glared as he walked by, her phone gave a soft chirp soon followed by her watch.
Peering down she had to smirk. The Chairman lived up to his word, a fresh contract was sent to her awaiting her signature. No longer was she anyone's dog.