Soreness is creeping in all over my body as I try to make myself comfortable in one of the chairs in my dimly lit room. Blake is on the small bed, seemingly already asleep, his hands beneath his head.
Looks like I'm going to have soreness tomorrow, strong soreness at that. Shouldn't be a problem, but it will be a nuisance.
I think absentmindedly about tomorrow and the things that need to get done.
Lillia needs to get new armor, and Blake needs to buy a backup weapon. They should both still have all of their potions, so I don't expect we'll need more of those. We should stop by the market though and grab some additional supplies for the journey. Food, water, and anything else we will need. Don't want to be a burden on the vendor we're supposed to be protecting. Is that all then? I don't think I'm forgetting anything-
"Hey, Lionell?"
I'm roused from my long list of thoughts by Blake, who lays still in the bed.
"What is it?" I roughly ask, annoyed to be interrupted.
"I'm... Nevermind, it's nothing," he answers, rolling onto his side to turn away from me.
"Okay then," I say, returning to my thoughts.
I don't get far though, my mind slowing as my thoughts drift slowly off-topic before stopping entirely.
* * * * *
"Ah, there's Lillia. Lillia! We're here!" I shout, waving sorely as Blake and I approach.
Lillia's head turns in surprise away from the blacksmith, but a small smile appears after the surprise passes.
"Are we all ready then?"
"Yes, I'm ready," Lillia answers.
Blake simply nods, his eyes avoiding mine.
"Good, let's get started then."
Blake was first. Taking him inside the blacksmith, we looked at a couple of daggers he could use for backup weapons ultimately settling on a longer one that sat comfortably in his hand. Once he bought it, it was firmly secured on the left side of his waist.
Next was some leather armor for Lillia, something she could wear under her cloak. It was a rather quick process, just grabbing a couple of nice pieces she could strap to her arms and legs along with a bigger piece for her chest and back. Ultimately, the price came to be 450 koin, almost all of the money I had made on my last quest.
That will set me back a bit, but I still have some more yet, so I should be fine.
Next we stopped at the market. This was a great learning opportunity for the both of them. First, I taught them which kinds of foods were good for longer journeys like this. Fuits, both dried and fresh, nuts, and meats, both salted and dried, were all great choices. Though the food itself may grow boring to eat quickly, it would easily last the journey, and that was important. We bought two-and-a-half days worth of food and water for the three of us, coming out at another 250 koin.
If it had just been one person on the quest, we wouldn't have necessarily needed to buy any food or water. However, three extra people using up supplies that was meant to last only two people the journey would not work.
Again, the cost of supplies came out of my pocket.
150 koin left. Need to be careful with my spending now.
"That should be everything then," I say, loading all of our supplies into my leather back pack.
I had grabbed it from my room at the inn before we left. Inside it was my spare equipment, specifically another dagger and some leftover supplies of my own. Now, being filled to the brim with food and water, it was incredibly heavy, and my sore shoulders felt that weight immensely.
"Do either of you have packs of your own?"
"Yeah, I do," Blake said, raising his hand with his head turned away.
"I have one as well," Lillia answered as well, seemingly happy to know she could be useful.
"Perfect. Both of you, go and get your packs while I wait here. Once your back, we will evenly split everything between us."
With a quick nod, both of them left to get their packs, leaving me in the market. Finding a nice bench, I sit myself down with my pack by my feet, stretching my limbs in an attempt to lighten the soreness.
"Oh, Lionell," a friendly voice calls out.
"Ah, Rosalie! How are you today?"
Strolling through the market in a casual outfit as opposed to the typical clerk outfit she wears when working at the Guild building, Rosalie walks right up to me, a friendly smile on her face. A slight breeze blows, and her hair flows gently with it.
"Looking as pretty as ever," I say, teasing her as she approaches.
"Oh stop it," she laughs.
The bags under her eyes from yesterday are still there, though noticeably less present.
"Sleep good last night?" I ask.
"Yes, though I was kept pretty late. When I showed up this morning though, Mr. Icrium said I could take the day off! Apparently, he's letting those other two knuckleheads that didn't show up yesterday take care of all the paperwork for me," she says, seeming rather pleased with the situation.
"Looks like it was all worth it then!" I laugh myself.
"Say, what are you doing over here by yourself?" she asks, moving to sit down next to me.
I slide over to give her plenty of room.
"You remember the red-haired kid from yesterday? Had a real fiery temper?"
"Yeah, I remember him."
"That mage girl as well?"
"Yes."
"We partied up. We're preparing for an escort quest starting tomorrow, the one going to Inchor."
"Ah, I see," she sighs. "That's a shame. Who's going to keep me company at the Guild?"
"Mr. Icrium isn't enough?" I jokingly ask, a small grin on my face.
"Of course not! He's all business, no fun and games. And the two knuckleheads are just annoying. I don't know why he hasn't fired them," she blurted without much thought, a small pout on her face.
"How about that boyfriend of yours? What was he, a farmer?"
"Oh, you mean Georgie? I get the feeling he likes his vegetables more than he likes me," she sighs. "I can hardly get him to come into the village with me, and when he does, the crops are all he can talk about. He's sweet, but I don't think he's a good fit."
"Well, you're a young girl, only eighteen. You've got your whole life to figure something out for yourself, so I wouldn't stress about it."
"Hmm, maybe you're right," she sighed once more. "I don't know, I just thought it would be more exciting than it is. Instead, it's rather boring."
"Hey, there isn't anything wrong with boring," I firmly declared. "Besides, there is plenty of time for things to get interesting yet."
"I guess."
She sat there with me, a small moment of silence passing between us.
"Still think I'm going to break up with him."
I laughed.
"Sure."
"Lionell, I'm back!" Lillia shouted, waving at me with a pack on her back.
"Oh, you're that worker that was at the Guild yesterday!" Lillia exclaimed, stopping in her tracks as she saw Rosalie.
"Yes I am," Rosalie answered with a smile before turning back to me. "I should go then, need to finish shopping."
"Of course, stay safe Rosalie," I answer, waving bye as she leaves.
Once she's gone, Lillia comes closer.
"You know her?" she asks.
"Of course, it's important to be friendly with people you work with often," I answer matter-of-factly.
"Oh, so you aren't..." she trailed off.
"Aren't what?"
"D-dating her?" Lillia asks, her face turning red at the question.
"Of course not!" I laugh. "We are just friends."
"Oh, okay," she mumbled with a smile. "In that case-"
"Hey, I'm back," Blake called out, his own pack in his hand.
"Welcome back," I say to him before turning back to Lillia. "What were you saying?"
"Huh!? N-nothing! Nothing at all!" she stuttered waving her arms wildly as her face turned an even darker shade of red.
Huh? That was weird.
"Well, in that case, let's divide the supplies," I say, changing the topic.
Lillia hands me her pack first, her head turned away in embarrassment. A few quick moments later, and it is now holding a third of our supplies.
Next, Blake hands me his, still not looking me in the eye. Just as fast, it also has a third of our supplies, leaving my pack much lighter than before.
Sliding it back on, I'm relieved to find it much more comfortable on my sore shoulders than before. Lillia and Blake put theirs on as well.
"Much better," I say, rubbing my shoulders. "Its good to split the supplies between us. For one, having one person carry everything would tire them out quickly. Then, if that person with all the supplies were to lose their pack or get lost themselves, the party would be left with no supplies. Finally, if you do end up split from the party, having some of the supplies split amongst everyone could save your life if you end up alone for a while."
They both nod at my explanation.
"I see, that makes sense," Lillia mumbles.
"Yeah, I understand that," Blake loudly answers.
"Perfect. Now then, that's everything we needed to do today, so do whatever you need to do. Tomorrow morning, we meet in front of the Guild building and set off."