Chapter 17: Final Preparations
“This isn’t a date,” I tried to explain. “I’m here to…”
“I’m actually Bori’s mother,” Aura explained, giving Helen a level-ten smile. “My name is Aurora.”
“Bori’s…” Helen tried to compute the info. “You mean to say you’re a dungeon…the dungeon.”
“The very same,” Aura replied. “I see you’ve heard of me too.”
“You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone in Yew who hasn’t,” Helen explained, chucking as she regained her composure. “Will the two of you be dining here?”
I groaned again, clutching my stomach. “I overdid it with some mana potions, so I don’t think I’ll be able to eat.”
Helen tutted. “Again, with the indigestion. Worry not. I have just the thing. How about you, Lady Aurora? What can I make for you today?”
Aura shrugged. “Surprise me. I recall a little of food.”
“Hmm.” Helen rubbed her chin. “Making food that fits a dungeon’s taste is an interesting challenge. I’ll be right back.”
We chose an empty table in the back, and I held out a chair for Aura.
“This can be a date, you know,” she said, tossing me a wink from across the table. “Sometimes it feels good to play human; besides, we already had a kid together.”
“That is true,” I said. “I don’t think I’ve been on an actual data on Gaia. At least not one we labeled as one.”
“Good,” Aura clapped. “This will be a first for both of us.”
Helen must have overheard part of our conversation because she returned with drinks and a smirk. “You know, kiddos, I make a mean love potion. It doesn’t make you fall in love, but it will certainly warm you up for after the date if you catch my meaning. My husband and I love them.”
“We’ll take those to go,” I said, curious about how they worked.”
“Will do,” she replied. “I’ll pack them with your food. I know you don’t feel well, but I want you to drink this entire smoothie. You might not think it, but it will make you feel better. As for you, Aurora, try this danish and tell me what you think.”
The glass she set in front of me was huge, and the fact that I’d just drank a ton of potions still had me feeling nauseous. “Is there a pill I can take instead?”
“Do I look like an alchemist?” Helen huffed. “Now, be quiet and drink the whole thing. Chug chug.”
Feeling like a stubborn child, I picked up the smoothie and tried a sip. To my surprise, it felt light and fluffy going down my throat. When it hit my stomach, the roiling potions that had been making it gurgle lightened. I let out an uncontrollable belch and felt better immediately.
“See, I told you,” Helen chuckled. “Now drink the rest of it.”
After that, I had no problem following directions. Not even when the other diners glared at me as I continued to burp loudly. I couldn’t help it, and there was no point worrying about it. By the time I finished, my appetite was back. I looked up to find Aura halfway through her meal.
When I reached out to take a danish, she smacked my hand away. “What are you doing? Stealing food isn’t what you do on a date.”
I chuckled as a memory came to me. “It’s too bad nobody told my ex-girlfriend that.”
“That was wise,” she said with an approving nod. “You dumped her for taking what wasn’t hers.”
“Actually, she left me,” I admitted.
Aura frowned. “I see. Perhaps you aren’t so smart after all.”
“Hey!” I barked, eliciting a chuckle from Aura as she nibbled another danish.
Helen sat a plate of biscuits and gravy in front of me. “This ought to suit you.”
I looked down at the smothered confection. “Are you sure you don’t have something sweeter like what Aura has?”
“Just try it already,” they both said in unison.
I made a show of grumbling but dug in anyway. My worry was pointless as the dish was delicious. The biscuits were light and fluffy, and the gravy had a pleasant peppery taste, with chunks of sausage in every bite. It was the meal I didn’t know I needed.
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+20 Constitution
I smiled as I noticed the buff. Helen gave me a nod. “I used my special flour in both the biscuits and the gravy. Give’s it an extra kick.”
“That is a nice buff,” I admitted.
“Buff?” Helen asked.
“Yeah,” I replied. “All of your dishes give buffs.”
“Oh,” she said, rubbing her chin. “I’ve heard that before, but it’s so expensive to get food appraised. What buff did it give you?”
“Twenty constitution,” I replied.
Overhearing me, several other patrons tried to order the biscuits all at once, causing a bit of a ruckus while Helen rushed to take care of them.
“You should get some help in here,” I replied.
She laughed. “It’s normally much calmer, and I have a routine. That’s why there’s not much seating. I’m making an exception while you’re here.”
“It’s too bad you can’t come to Albion,” I sighed.
“As I told you, I can send someone,” she sighed. “That really is the best I can do for now.”
“That’s okay,” I said, pressing on. “What I really need is enough food for about a month. We are about to go on an extended quest and need provisions.”
Helen’s eyes widened for a moment at the large order. “Hmm, I can do it, but it’s going to take some time, and I can’t do it for free.”
“I can pay,” I replied hastily. “How long do you need?”
“Well,” she started ticking off fingers. “I’ll have to close the restaurant, and then there’s the matter of ingredients. I can have something for you in a week. It isn’t going to be a full menu. Just several meals. If you don’t mind waiting longer, I can do better.”
“No, that’s fine,” I replied, eager to get on the road. “Let me know how I can help.”
“I’m gonna hold you to that,” Helen said, walking away.
I watched Aura eat for a bit before asking, “How is it? Do you notice any stats or perks?”
Aura smiled while still chewing her food. I waited for her to swallow. “Every bite gives me mana. With this food, I can survive without you nearby.”
“That might be useful on our trip,” I said, considering the possibilities.
Aura shook her head with a mischievous glint in her eye. “You aren’t getting off that easy, Lover Boy. I’ll be sucking on you the whole journey.”
“Now, now, kiddos,” Helen chastised us as I blushed. “There are children present.”
Looking around, the only ‘child’ I could see looked older than me. Then again, we were probably all kids in Helen’s eyes.
“Sorry,” Aura apologized sheepishly. “I’m not used to talking to anyone but Alex.”
I got back to the armor shop just in time. Ingrid wrote some numbers on her clipboard and nodded to me, “I’ll get to work on these orders right away and send them to your house when they’re done.”
“What are we going to do while we wait?” Isa asked as we left the shop.
“Train,” I replied. “Maybe get a few more levels in the dungeon.”
“Bori will be delighted,” Aura said.
Isa’s eyes narrowed as she watched our interaction. “Why can’t you train with us?”
“We need to learn how to work as a team,” Anna added helpfully.
“We won’t get much experience that way,” I replied.
“We got plenty this past week,” Vince said, holding up a hand to stall further discussion. “It’s time we learned some teamwork. We all talked about it and decided you’ll be the frontman, and we’ll be your support. That gives us the best odds.”
I knew they were referring to Isa’s death again, so I nodded. “That works for me.”
“Excellent,” Anna chirped. “Now, all that leaves is to…”
“I still have this feeling that none of you trust me,” Isa pouted. “You both know I can’t run into your bodies again, right? And even if I do, I know it’s not you anymore.”
“But what if you encounter Zelle or Nax?” Vince asked. “Can you do what you need to with a level head?”
“Do what?” Isa huffed. “Because if you’re asking me to kill them and save myself, I’d rather die.”
“No, no, no, Sweetie,” Anna tried to soothe her daughter. “We’re just asking you to let Alex deal with it. That’s all.”
“No pressure at all,” I said with a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood.
Isa scowled at me. “You aren’t allowed to kill either of them either.”
“Don’t worry,” I replied. “I won’t get anyone killed.”
Not again. I promised myself.
It was late when we got home, so I dropped Aura off at the dungeon and retreated to the house. Since nobody else had eaten, I took out several of my remaining sandwiches and passed them around. Along with Isa and her family, Pippa and Cordelia were also there. I’d eaten, so I made myself comfortable on the couch while everyone else ate.
Sleeping arrangements were tricky, considering I only had the one bed, and nobody felt like walking to the guild. Isa and her family took the bed, Cordelia retreated to her carriage outside, and Pippa and I shared the couch. What started with us laying head to toe ended with us spooning and trying to be quiet so we wouldn’t wake anyone else up. I silently cursed myself for not staying regular on the tea Isa had given me. If I wasn’t careful, I was going to end up with an army of kids on Gaia, or worse…a disease.
The week flew by. Teamwork training consisted of me soloing things and Vince coming in when it was safe to do so. Anna had no problem staying back, considering she was a mage. Isa was the problem. Her class benefitted hugely from getting in the thick of battle, but her parents forbid it. They were content to let her refill her chi through other means, which typically meant ravaging me between rounds. The close proximity of her parents made things extremely awkward.
The other problem was that we were training in the dungeon, and that meant both Bori and Aura were watching. Aura resolved the issue by placing a privacy field around us, but I could tell she was annoyed as the monsters got stronger after that.
On the final day, Aura finally felt we were ready for a boss. It felt strange because she’d been serving me up bosses regularly when I fought solo. This one looked like a werewolf with long claws and the snout of a wolf while standing bipedal and having the torso of a human.
Wonkey
Level: 55
Class: Rank B Monster
Affection Level: Bloodthirsty
The final boss - part wolf, part monkey.
That wasn’t ominous at all. I checked everyone’s levels and health bars just to be safe.
Nax Def (Vincent Strome)
Level: 32
Class: Berserker
Hitpoints: 3,150/3,200
Mana: 500/500
Stamina: 2,700/3,200
Zelle Lhor (Annabelle Strome)
Level: 33
Class: Aquamancer
Hitpoints: 3,300/3,300
Mana: 2,100/3,300
Stamina: 1,000/1,000
Isabelle Strome
Level: 31
Class: Revived Curandera
Hitpoints: 3,100/3,100
Chi: 4,200/9,300
I frowned when I saw Isa’s Chi bar. Her appetite for the stuff was voracious. No wonder she was always horny.
Vince gave me a knowing look and nodded to the other room. “We’re gonna go rest over there. How does thirty minutes sound?”
I sighed as Isa licked her lips. “That’s fine.”
It would be fine if I used all my stamina before the boss fight…right?
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