The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and baked bread filled the air as two bodies stirred. Ethan lay as still as possible as the girls woke. As he inhaled slowly, their scent filled his olfactory senses.
There was a rustle of blankets, his heart rate increased, and blood flowed to all the wrong places. Soft skin caressed his body as he pretended to sleep. To his relief, both got out slowly, and a rustle of clothing could be heard.
Half an hour passed as Ethan lay remembering his cabin and his hearth on cold winter evenings. The lock on the door clicked, and the door creaked open. The room was silent as the aroma of smoked meat wafted in, and three stomachs growled.
There were three mugs of coffee on the table. Penny and Shaw were chatting to Wendy and Lucy. The patrons had stopped staring at them, getting used to the two girls. A man in the corner of the room scowled at them. He was a new face in the inn, and Ethan had not seen this man before.
"Alas, Shaw, who is that man in the corner? He seems hostile towards Penny and my companions."
"That is Ben. He owns the General store in town. He hates demi-humans; he even has a sign on the door that says demi-humans are not welcome."
"Squee, he keeps staring at us with that face."
Ethan took a sip of his coffee and placed his hand on Shaws' shoulder to thank him. Ethan then walked to the man named Ben. The man stood from his table, and confidence radiated from him.
Ben looked up at him with a confident smile as he spoke.
"I see that you sleep with that filth over there. Have you no respect for yourself or others associating with filth like that."
A massive hand folded over a head and lifted. Feet dangled in the air, and a surprised general store owner yelled in pain. Ethan bent down as he carried the man by his head out the door. Ethan placed him down gently.
The man was holding his head; in the morning, blue and purple finger marks would be visible on his head. People stood outside the inn, leaving their food to see the spectacle.
Ethan's robe was turned down, and he wore a white skintight undershirt. Ethan would walk like that when relaxing but always ready for action when needed. Ethan looked down at the man, his fingers interlaced, resting on his six-pack clearly outlined in his pristine white shirt. Ethan looked highly relaxed, his long hair blowing in the wind, and his blue eyes had a piercing stare.
"Alas, speak your mind."
"You're a foreigner and those filth."
There was a kick to the inner thigh, a body flew back, and a forehead hit the road. The head lifted weakly, then lay back down. People stopped and stared as Ethan walked across the road to the fallen man. Ethan grabbed the back of his collar and pulled the man up, his feet dangled in the air. Ben had scrape marks all over his clothing, which were in a state from the gravel road he had skidded over. Ben's forehead was bleeding. Ben had no more flesh left there, and his elbows and knees were bleeding.
"Alas, I will pay for your meal, seeing that you could not finish breakfast today."
Ethan placed him on the grass and walked away toward the inn. Ethan felt satisfied and hungry.
Wendy and Lucy ran up to him, interlacing their arms in his as they walked toward the inn for breakfast. Penny brought them plates stacked like pyramids with meat and eggs. Shaw got a pitcher of milk with bread and a slab of butter.
Penny grinned as she placed the plates before them.
"Meow, thank you, Ethan. That man always insulted us and my food. This meal is on the house."
"Alas, I was standing up for my friends. His gaze was insulting, and his manner did not impress me. He was weak. How could he pretend to be strong when he was weak as a baby?"
Shaw looked at Penny, and he laughed, holding his stomach. Penny looked shocked at what Ethan had said. To their left stood a man. He was a burly man with brown hair and eyes. Ethan recognised him as the farmer, who nodded at them. He had allowed them to take tomatoes to eat.
"Old Ben used to be an adventurer, and we grew up together in this village. He had grown arrogant as he had become famous around here. He is a bitter, grumpy man who looks down on people whose opinions do not hold water in our village. We are one of the few villages who accept demi-humans as equals."
"Meow, he always complained about my food but came once a week to eat here. He would stare at me. Shaw always served him, and the girls would stay out of his way."
"Alas, he will think twice before insulting Wendy and Lucy again. If he wants revenge, he will have to get stronger."
The smoked meat from the monster melted in their mouths. Their meal was delicious. They had a big day ahead of them. With Sophia's help, Ethan made a list of possible classes that Wendy and Lucy could choose.
Ethan listed the possibilities for them and waited as they thought about them. Lucy decided to be a tank with a giant shield and sword. Lucy loved armour and wanted to be covered in plate armour. Lucy wished for pink armour. Lucy decided that she would be protected from getting hurt in armour. Ethan could not understand her logic. Lucy would be at the head, facing off against the most vigorous opponents on her own.
Wendy had an aha moment as she looked at the beams in the roof. Wendy wanted to be a rogue with two short swords. She could sneak up on her enemies and surprise attack them.
"Hail, Ethan, what will your class be like?"
"Alas, I am good with a bow and would still be a hunter. That is what I have been trained as. I want to hunt monsters and use their meat in delicious meals."
Ethan could not explain to them that he could not have a class.
"Squee, your idea is wonderful. We will have many tasty meals to eat in the dungeon."
With their bellies full and their ablutions done, they set out towards the portal in the forest. They talked about all the possibilities and the lovely meals they could eat at the inn. Ethan had an idea he discussed with them.
"Alas, if we could hunt, process the meat, and bring it back to the inn. I believe that Penny and Shaw would let us eat for free."
Wendy and Lucy danced like fairies at Ethan's suggestion, happily dancing arm in arm towards the portal. As soon as they stopped, they looked at each other, remembering their conversation from yesterday. Three eyes looked at the sky, their cheeks red. Ethan took them around the waists and walked into the portal.
"Alas. How lucky a man I am to have such beautiful companions."
Wendy said something, but it was cut off during the teleport, and she did not elaborate on what she had said. Lucy had heard her as she did not know where to look. Lucy evaded Ethan's eyes and jumped as he took her hand. Wendy's ears moved and were red as blood. She talked a lot and made no sense babbling on as they walked.