After five days on the road, the convoy reached its first stop, a walled city called Tempahsta. Its fixed population was only around 200,000, but as it had been built around a Dungeon, it was a popular stop for Merchants and Adventurers heading further south.
"The plan is to stay here for 2-3 days," explained Rasa, her words directed at Aelius while Will, Allyson, and Kris stood nearby, waiting.
Passing her gaze over the trio, Rasa added, "You're welcome to stay with us, but if you want to find lodgings within the city, ensure you're ready to depart at our notice. If we're required to delay our departure because you got caught up in something unrelated to our current business, I may need to reconsider our contract..."
"That won't be an issue," assured Aelius, offering a friendly, confidence-filled smile as he appended, "But, unless there's an emergency, I would appreciate at least a half day's notice before we depart. We also need to make money."
Adopting a smile of her own, Rasa asserted, "That smooth-talker, Angil, will inform you when we're planning to depart. Just don't get caught up in anything serious in the interim."
"Then this is where we part ways," responded Aelius, performing a polite bow as he added, "It's been our pleasure to be of service, Raksha Rasa Khundahar..."
"Away with you," said Rasa, making a shooing gesture with her free hand before casting one final glance at Will, Allyson, and Kris as she departed to attend to more pressing matters.
Waiting until Rasa had departed, Aelius raised his head, turned around, and hummed, "Looks like we have the next 2-3 days to do as we please. Any suggestions?"
"Well, first of all, we need to secure a place to stay," said Allyson. "Let's check if the Inn we stayed at previously has any rooms."
"Sounds like a plan," agreed Aelius, nodding in approval. Then, shifting his gaze to Kris, he declared, "While you and Aiden handle that, Kris and I will check in with the local Guild Hall. The two of you can meet us there once you're finished."
"Okaaay..." responded Allyson, her words trailing off as she reached up to caress the right side of her forehead and sweep back her bangs. She got the impression Aelius was trying to bring her and Will closer together, but since the latter had made it clear he had someone waiting for him back in the capital, she wasn't sure what he hoped would happen.
Setting such thoughts to the back of her mind, Allyson looked to Will and asked, "You okay with this, Aiden?"
"Lead the way," responded Will, adopting his usual relaxed smile. He got the same impression as Allyson, but since he had no intention of making a move, he wasn't worried that anything would happen.
"Then, we'll see you at the Guild Hall," said Aelius, grinning as he waved goodbye and departed with the ever-taciturn Kris...
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"Sorry about Aelius..." muttered Allyson, combing back her bangs as she and Will made their way down Tempahsta's main road, ending in a large, mausoleum-like structure covered in vines.
"No need to apologize," assured Will, casually scanning their surroundings as he postulated, "If I had to guess, his goal is to increase our rapport so that I'm more likely to accompany you to the ruins of Arkaidos..."
"It would be comforting to have more people..." admitted Allyson, linking her hands behind her back, leaning forward slightly, and bobbing a bit as she walked with straightened legs. She and Will hadn't spoken that much over the past few days, usually with her being the one to initiate, but she felt...at ease with him. It was difficult to describe, but she got the feeling that even if she were to get completely wasted and try to seduce him, he would calmly refuse and see her safely back to her room...
"We'll see how things pan out once we reach the capital," conceded Will, resisting the urge to steal a glance at Allyson's ass as he added, "So long as it doesn't delay my return too long, I wouldn't mind a detour or two."
"Really...?" asked Allyson, turning around and staring at Will with widened eyes. "Mind if I ask why...?"
Shrugging, Will contended, "The members of Silver Cat seem like decent people. So long as our interests don't conflict, I don't see a reason not to lend a hand."
Narrowing her eyes slightly and smiling, Allyson's voice had a low, song-like quality as she mused, "I've thought this a few times before, but you're a good person, Aiden. It makes me feel guilty about how I behaved during our first meeting..."
"I'll take the compliment, but I'm not half as nice as you think," contended Will, memories of his past incarnations resurfacing. He had been born into some pretty extenuating circumstances prior to his current incarnation, so while he generally did his best to keep his hands clean, he had more than a bit of red in his ledger.
Noticing the subtle changes in Will's Mana and Aura, Allyson raised her brows and tentatively asked, "Have you...ever killed someone?"
"Never without cause..." responded Will, closing his eyes and refusing to elaborate. Fortunately, Allyson seemed more saddened than disturbed by the revelation, a faint sigh escaping her throat before she softly exposed, "That's something we have in common..." before turning back around.
Though his curiosity had been piqued, Will elected not to ask Allyson who she had killed or why. Few Adventurers reached B-Rank without subduing at least a few bandits. And when push came to shove, and the other party was actively trying to kill you, it was either kill or be killed...
Catching Will somewhat off guard, Allyson, after a lengthy silence, asked, "Hey, Aiden...do you love your fiancee...?" without looking back.
'That's a hell of a question...' thought Will, reaching up and running the fingers of his right hand through his hair. He was good at spinning things, but since he disliked it when others lied or tried to deceive him, he wasn't fond of lying outright.
"It's complicated..." responded Will, feeling it was a better response than refusing to answer entirely.
"It usually is, isn't it...?" asked Allyson, meeting Will's gaze from over her right shoulder. For a brief moment, he thought he spotted a meaningful glimmer in her pale, sand-gold eyes, but she looked away before he could get a proper feel for what she was thinking.
'If things are this bad with 63 Charisma, I should avoid increasing it in the future...' determined Will, feeling somewhat incredulous as he wasn't sure what he had said or done to trigger Allyson's apparent intrigue. He didn't feel he was being overly flirtatious, so the only explanation he could think of was that she was attracted to people who didn't show an overt interest in her...
With such thoughts in his mind, Will was caught off guard when his right foot abruptly sank a centimeter or two into the ground, causing him to trip forward. Allyson reacted to his sudden lurch forward by quickly stepping to her left, but even if she hadn't, Will wouldn't have slammed into her as he caught himself with his left foot and used it as a springboard to leap to the right, spinning once in the air before landing deftly on his feet.
"You okay...?" asked Allyson, eyes wide in disbelief and a confused but concerned look adorning her face.
"I'm fine..." replied Will, his expression deadpan and tone completely flat as he willed himself to remain calm. His tripping was obviously the result of Ohta feeling jealous or annoyed, but since there was nothing to gain from making a scene or trying to lambast the temperamental Demon, he decided to play it cool.
"That was a nice recovery," remarked Allyson, her expression relaxing into a mildly impressed smile. Being able to perform a flip was nothing special, but not many people could pull off such an acrobatic maneuver from such a compromised position.
"Footwork is the foundation of the martial path..." excused Will, changing topics by asking, "How much longer till we reach our destination?"
Thinking Will was embarrassed, Allyson's smile became marginally more prominent as she explained, "It's on the street opposite the Dungeon. It's a little out of the way, but the price is affordable, and the food is excellent for its cost."
"I'm looking forward to it..." responded Will, taking the initiative to step past Allyson and take the lead. His stumble had garnered considerable attention, so he would prefer to leave the area as quickly as possible to avoid people pointing, staring, and laughing at his expense.
'He's a very prideful boy...' thought Allyson, finding Will's efforts to appear calm and unmoved amusing. He reminded her of Kris, in a way, but had the latter been the one to trip, he would have picked himself up, brushed himself off, and walked away as if nothing had occurred. In Aelius's case, he would have performed several flipping somersaults before landing with his hands raised, awaiting applause.
Realizing she was beginning to regard Will in the same category as people she had known for years, a fluttery feeling filled Allyson's chest as a faint red hue tinged her cheeks. She knew for a fact she hadn't suddenly fallen in love, but compared to Angil's and others' attempts to get into her pants, Will's feigned disregard was...refreshing. He didn't give the impression he was lacking in experience, but he was significantly less boorish than most of the men she had encountered since becoming an Adventurer...
'I might be a little pent up...' thought Allyson, goggling at Will's back and shoulder muscles as she trailed a few steps behind him. She hadn't dated anyone since her final year at the Academy, so while she wasn't a virgin, it had been years since she had that particular itch scratched. She wasn't at risk of propositioning an escort or becoming one of Angil's conquests, but if she and Will had a few drinks and he invited her back to his room, there was a non-negligible chance she would accept...
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"As expected, most of these listings involve retrieving items or hunting monsters in the local Dungeon..." noted Aelius, standing with his left arm folded over his chest, supporting his right elbow as he caressed his chin with his right index finger and thumb. Kris was standing behind him, but, as usual, the taciturn redhead chose to remain silent as his eyes scanned the mostly C-Rank listings.
"Excuse me...are the two of you B-Rank Adventurers...?" asked a husky but sonorous voice, prompting Aelius and Kris to turn around and meet the cast of a tall and fit woman with healthy, reddish-brown skin, curly brown hair that extended past the small of her back, and hazel-brown eyes that exuded caution and confidence. Like many other local women, she wore a sleeveless white top that exposed her abdomen, a patterned brown pareo with a white sash, sandals, and, most notably, various metal accessories and a broad-bladed longsword on her hip.
Noticing the disc-shaped plate denoting the woman as a relatively high-ranking member of the local Guild Hall, Aelius adopted his best smile and answered, "We're individually B-Rank, but our party, Silver Cat, is qualified to accept A-Rank commissions. Is there something pressing that needs to be dealt with...?"
Hearing that Aelius's party was A-Rank, the woman breathed a relieved sigh before responding, "This isn't a good place to talk. Please follow me to the reception room. We'll discuss the specifics there."
"Before that, there's something I need to ask," said Aelius, preempting the woman's query by explaining, "We're here as part of the escort for Raksha Rasa Khundahar. If the request you have conflicts with our duties, we may have to refuse."
"Rasa Khundahar..." repeated the woman, recognizing the name as Rasa's convoy traveled through Tempahsta at least twice a year. It would best if she could reach an agreement with Rasa in advance, but since she was pressed for time and didn't have a lot of options, she reluctantly assured, "If it comes down to it, the Guild will intercede and cover the cost of any breaches of contract, per the terms agreed upon..."
"I'm glad we understand each other," mused Aelius, his smile becoming even more prominent as he added, "Now, we just need your assurance in writing, and we can accept your request without hesitation."
"As expected of an A-Rank party..." muttered the woman, the muscles of her jaw flexing as she clenched her teeth. She was tempted to argue that the Guild would never renege on its promises, but since it was normal for some branches to cut corners and make excuses to avoid compensating non-local Adventurers in full, Aelius was wise to get things in writing...
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