A clash of steel and blood spray fills the street. Grace stands by Ethan's side, wielding a broadsword and defending against an attacker. She had cleaved the attacker's arm off at the shoulder. Grace was no sword fighter as she swung the sword wildly. Magic missiles fall like rain onto the second attacker, throwing him back as smoke rises from his clothes—steel flashes.
Grace falls to the side. Sapphire blue crystal steel retaliates, and an arm falls to the terrain. Ting-Ting is now fully committed. The man screams and falls, clutching his stump. Ethan realises Allaric has disappeared in all the confusion. Wendy and Lucy rush to his side, and the bystanders make way for the village guards. The three men were cuffed as healing potions were administered and taken to the train station.
Malisa runs up to Ethan, her ears twitching and her tail franticly moving behind her.
"Meow, Mother says you and Aunty Grace should come to the inn immediately."
"Alas. Thank you, Melisa, we will come. Thank you, Ting-Ting. You may return to your sheath."
Melisa helped Grace to walk. She had a deep cut on her calf. Ethan had cuts all over his clothes, red with blood. Wendy and Lucy held him as they made their way to the inn. Ben grinned as he stared at them. Grace spit to the side.
"Old Ben feels vindicated now that you have suffered injury."
"Alas, Alaric is good with his sword. I would have lost and died if we hadn't been for Ting-Ting and his men interfering. Why would he set an ambush? This was preplanned. He had another goal in mind."
Penny bids the two to go upstairs to Ethan's room, and Grace and Ethan lie on his bed. He was half naked, a towel around his waist. Ethan flinched as the nurse cleaned his wounds. They were given medication to swallow. Sophia spoke in his mind.
"Alas, Ethan, the wounds have been cursed by cultivator sorcery. It looks like blood sect sorcery, which should be impossible. They had been eradicated with your people by the current cultivator sects. You should seek out an apothecary that can heal curses."
Ethan thanked Sophia. There was a cultivator in this realm, and Alaric was indeed involved with cultivators. What was his plan for Grace and the inn? The doctor, a young man Ethan had seen every morning at breakfast, was stitching up Grace's wound. He would be next, his cuts deep and throbbing with pain. The nurse prepares anastatic to be injected to numb the area. A woman asks for Grace outside the room.
"Alas, let the woman in."
It was one of the guild receptionists. Her eyes widened; her attention focused on the small white towel covering his pelvis as she spoke. Ethan realised it did not hide much. The small towel outlined every detail. All the women had their focus transfixed on his small towel. She explained to Grace that the delivery of manna gems, crucial for their guild's income, had been hijacked on the way to the palace.
Ethan thought that they had no shame, staring at his nether region blatantly as they spoke. Grace sent the woman back, telling her not to worry about it for now and to make a report to Thompson at the Royal Police Headquarters.
As soon as the woman exited the room, Grace started crying. Penny held her, patting her back and making soothing sounds. Wendy and Lucy helped her speak softly. Ethan lay still as the doctor injected the areas to be stitched. He had his first taste of a sword master magus who used magic to enhance his skills.
It was all a show. He was behind the hijacking. He was sure of it. They had the challenge tomorrow. He had to be ready for that. They cannot afford to lose tomorrow. They had a meal together. Grace sat silent as she ate, her mind somewhere else. Wendy and Lucy whispered to each other, worried expressions on their faces.
Penny and Shaw kept it lively with jokes and encouraging words for Grace. Grace placed her spoon down. Ethan took her hand, and she tried to pull her hand away. Pulling her closer to him, Ethan hugged her.
"Alas, where can we find many delicious monsters to hunt, partner? Could you recommend a good apothecary as well? My wounds have been cursed."
Grace leaned into him as she spoke.
"Alaric was wielding a cursed blade that sounds like a mythic story from our childhood. How is that possible?"
"Alas, sorcery. The blade was forged through sacrifice and sorcery."
Grace stares at his wounds, and Wendy and Lucy frown as they inspect the stitched wounds. He had a deep cut to his right thigh, right arm, and right ribs. Alaric had skilfully crippled him in the fight. The skill regeneration kept it from bleeding but could not heal it. The more minor cuts healed on the surface, but the tissue underneath did not heal.
"Alas, the guild and manna gems are the priority for now."
Grace gazed up at him, and Ethan winked at her. He explained they could take Wendy and Lucy to help with the meat processing. Wendy was a good tracker and needed the training. Lucy needed to build her strength and stamina. They could collect a decent number of gems to haul them over until Thompson and his ladies recovered the stolen gems. He did not want the gems from the hunt. The guild could keep them to replace the stolen ones; the palace would expect a delivery. They would keep the meat and other valuable items that they find. Grace had her hands clasped together.
"What do you get out of this? Nobody does anything without expecting things like breeding the woman a lot that owed him her gratitude."
"Alas, I have Wendy and Lucy to plough. You are my hunting partner, and we hunt for food."
"You do not see me as a viable ploughing partner then. Am I too human or what?"
Grace glared at him, pushing out her chest. Had he insulted her just now? What should he do? He could not tell her that he would love to plough her. He needed to be subtle here to protect their friendship.
Ethan drained his mug of spiced wine but refused to let her go, so he kept hugging her. She did not try to push away from him. What should he say? Is this a trap, or is she disappointed? He knew you could never tell with women. They were unpredictable. Should he be truthful or tell a little white lie? He respected the woman so much that he would tell her the truth.
"Alas, I will plough you if I ever get the privilege. Your beauty and bravery attract me."
Grace stiffened in his arm.
"Well, we will have to see, won't we, if that ever happens?"
Ethan could not tell, but she sounded cheery now that the tension left her body. Fifteen minutes later, the girls had planned a hunting trip for them; they would be away for four days. Wendy had insisted they hunt near Dark Clover Village and use the inn at Dark Clover Village to stay while they went out during the day and hunt.
Lucy had the idea of using the portal daily to deliver the meat to Penny. Grace loved the idea and would check on the guild while they delivered the meat. Ethan did not think much of his wounds until he prepared for bed. He cringed as he stood, the pain flaring and a cold sweat broke out all over his body. His clothing would repair itself by morning, and he would wash this bloodied set, wearing his spare to the challenge.
That evening, Ethan was told by Wendy that they would investigate the murder and Alaric. It hit him like a jackhammer. They were all from the same village. It could not be a coincidence. Ethan kissed Wendy and Lucy; they had been planning this while he comforted Grace. They undressed, insisting Ethan share essence with them before tomorrow's challenge. They opened their legs while he knelt by the bedside. He was groaning from the effort. He was rewarded as they placed his hands on their breasts.