Grace turned, and she hugged Ethan around the waist. They disappeared and appeared outside Ghost Flower Village. Ethan asked Ting-Ting to fly them to the herbalist. Wendy and Grace stood in the front, and Lucy held on to Ethan from behind. Grace explained where the herbalist shop was, and Ting-Ting flew them there in twelve minutes. The flight was slow, and Grace and Wendy clung to each other as Ethan held Wendy around her waist.
Ethan was surprised not to see a signboard outside and wondered what it was about. It was a three-storey building, a bit bigger than the usual buildings he saw in the village. They had passed the supermarket with its neon sign above the door, and Ethan wanted to see what they had on hand. He was craving a sweet or two, and he would guess the girls would enjoy sweets. The herbs hung outside in bundles to dry, and inside the window, herbs hung. Grace knocked, and the door opened, the air thick with the scent of dried herbs and potions.
A woman stood at the door. She looked around thirty-five years old. Her shoulder-length black hair and purple eyes were gentle and inviting. She wore a yellow dress with red, orange, and white flowers. Her moderate breasts accentuated her rounded hips and features, making her every move sensual. Grace and the woman hugged and kissed. Grace introduced her as Maple.
Grace took his hand and pulled him inside, and Wendy and Lucy followed. Maple wiped her hands on her dress. It made things more difficult for Ethan as the dress pulled tight, showcasing her peaches even more. Ethan had a brilliant idea: what if he strapped it to his leg? Sophia giggled and answered.
"Alas, Ethan, your body is a martial mythic tempering body. No tape or rope could strap it down."
Ethan panicked in his mind. Was he going to go full tent in front of this goddess? Maple gazed into his eyes as if lost and shook her head as if waking.
"G-G-G,"
Ethan held his breath as she stuttered.
"G-G-G Good day, friend. W-W-W Welcome."
She finally said, and Ethan, Wendy, and Lucy breathed deeply. Ethan could see Maple's cheeks turn red. What should he do in this case? He had never been in such a situation. Grace studied him from the side, a hidden smile on her face.
"Alas, I am Ethan, and this is Wendy and Lucy. Please help me. I have been cursed by a blood curse that makes my wounds not heal at all and promotes bleeding as well."
Maple pointed to a chair. There were couches in a corner near a bookshelf. A mug stood on the table, steam rising from it. She was enjoying a cup of something and reading when we arrived. Ethan looked around. He could see the shelves were half empty, and there were herbs, but the bundles were small and wet. They still needed to dry.
Maple took his arm and bent over her dress, flaring open. Ethan screamed in his head as her cleavage and flat, well-toned stomach enticed his eyes. This woman will kill me, he thought. Her smooth, unblemished skin drew his arousal out of him. Ethan crossed his legs, and the damage was done.
"D-D-D do not move."
Ethan turns down his robe, and Wendy helps him remove his skin-tight shirt. Maple's eyes also roam his body, and Grace wipes her mouth. Was that drool just now? Ethan ponders. Lucy placed his sword against his chair, and it righted itself, the tip floating off the terrain. It stands next to Ethan, his long bow and quivers tied to it.
Maple had a firm grip on his arm. She eyed the sword, and Ethan saw that she wanted to ask but did not. She held him in place as she scooped blood from his wound with a small spoon. It was the most miniature spoon Ethan had ever seen. She walked over to the table with all kinds of bottles and burners. Ethan could not help but stare at her ass as she walked. He noticed Wendy was also captivated by her ass. Maple pours liquid into a small vile and mixes his blood into it. She takes four vials and takes a dropper from a shelf. She places a drop of each vile in an empty vile and then adds the blood mixture to it. She turns to them, the vials standing on a wooden stand.
"C-C-C Coffee anyone."
Grace took her arm and led her to her kitchen on the second floor.
"I will help you, Maple. We will be back in five minutes."
Wendy and Lucy stared at him from the couches. They had big grins and made lude gestures at him. Lucy motioned for him to stand, and he complied. His tent showed clearly, and they gasped as if they did not already know. They whispered to each other and giggled. He knew they were talking about him as he seated himself. Sophia spoke in his mind.
"Alas, Ethan, this is a good sign that they accept you now and want to be with you. When you bathe, we will show you what to do."
Ethan felt his heartbeat. What would they show him? He wanted to run and hide. He was too young for such things. Giggles filled his mind; they knew his thoughts. Fear could make a man do strange things; he knew he had seen it happen. Grace and Maple came down the stairs, a tray with mugs and biscuits floating ahead of them. Ethan thought he imagined it, but did they purposely make their peaches bounce? Their attention was on him as they came down. Grace sat beside Wendy and placed her hand on her leg. Maple took cream and sugar, and Lucy helped her stir the coffee. Maple brought Ethan a mug of coffee and two biscuits. She did not say much. She captured Ethan's attention. She was stunning. She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear before sitting beside Lucy and taking her hand. Grace cleared her throat.
"We share a mental link. I will communicate with Maple. As you have noticed, she has difficulty speaking, which has caused her to be ridiculed and teased her whole life."
Grace explained that the herbalist guild did not acknowledge her and her skills because of her speech impediment. She was also banned from the city and other areas with existing herbal stores. She had settled in Ghost Flower Village, her place of birth, with the help of King Helgar. He had set her up and paid for everything. The village supported her, but lately, getting ingredients was a problem, with fewer adventurers taking her job offers, making herbal remedies almost impossible.
Ethan could hear one common thread here: King Helgar helped people with talent. What brought them together like this? There must be an event or something that links them. Maple moves to the table, mixing ingredients with a mortar and pestle to grind down herbs. Grace continues while Maple mixes the medicine.
"Maple has a request she needs to find herbs in the dungeon. I suggest having a dungeon party and taking her there. If we give her ingredients, she will make us healing potions for free."
Ethan liked the idea. He and the girls stared at Maple's backside while she vigorously mixed his medicine. What a lovely sight! Ethan sighed, and Grace followed his gaze and grinned. Wendy caressed Grace's hand. Maple could feel everyone staring at her.
"W-W-W What."
She had a moment of clarity as she looked at Grace, then blushed, placing her hand before her ass. Ethan noticed they had to look each other in the eye to communicate. Maple prepares a special potion, her hands moving deftly among her ingredients. She hands Ethan a vial of shimmering liquid, the cure for his blood curse.