Journey to the Port

OUTSIDE THE CAVE:

The group finally emerge from the darkness of the Darkcross' hideout, taking a moment to stop and breathe in the fresh air surrounding them, rather than the piss-soaked stench inside said cave.

They revel in the fresh air, a sense of freedom washing over all of them.

Terra is the first to speak up as she says, "I haven't seen the outside in weeks, even in the dark, it's beautiful".

"We always miss the little things when they're taken away from us" Lani says in an odd out of character moment for the usually bubbly fairy.

John doesn't want to just gloss over his guides words so easily but the others seem to as Amilia asks, "So, how far is it to the Wyverns Port?".

"A couple miles down that way, shouldn't take us too long but we definitely should get moving before it gets any darker" Kyuala responds with her classic leadership tone.

"Then let us go, because I for one, can't wait to sleep in a real bed" Terra says as she begins to walk forward with the others following beside and as they begin walking, John is trying to figure out how to approach Lani's comment.

---

TWENTY MINUTES LATER:

Rain has begun to fall upon the group as they follow the tracks of the travelling carts that still appear in the dirt. Kyuala and Terra take the front while Amilia and John walk at the back with Lani sitting on John's shoulder.

John looks to his right and sees Amilia has a disgruntled look on her face, unlike her usual lackadaisical expression, so he decides to speak up and ask, "Hey, are you alright?".

Amilia grumbles before saying, "Uhh, yeah, I guess, it's just, urgh, I dunno, it's weird".

The cat throws her hands down, frustrated over her lack of ability to describe what she's currently feeling but that's when John carefully asks, "Does it by any chance have something to do with our new friend?".

Amilia doesn't immediately respond, instead she opts to look to the right, away from John.

John looks at Lani who has a knowing look on her face and following the exchanged looks, Lani rises up from John's shoulder before flying over into Amilia's gaze.

"Is it because of what happened in Ivellise's room?" Lani asks her friend.

Amilia grumbles once again but within her grumbling, she lets out a small, "Maybe".

John looks over to Lani who quickly shares the glance before returning back to Amilia, "Ami, listen, she **** you, it wasn't your fault".

"But I could've resisted, instead, what did I do? I ended up being a stupid slut while John and Ky were trapped. I just wanted to feel good and because of that, it could've cost all of you, your lives".

Amilia now looks at the floor, sadness coating her face but she wouldn't be alone for long as she is stopped in her tracks by two arms wrapping around her.

Amilia turns her head and that's when she sees John has taken her into his arms, surprise strewn on her face as John then says, "Listen, you're not stupid okay? We've all made mistakes, and without your help, I'd probably be.. no, I'd absolutely be dead right now. So no matter what you think, you are so important to this group, important to us, understand?".

Amilia looks at him with tears in her eyes, not even responding as she simply embraces the hug, wrapping her own arms around the human, no, her friend, holding him tightly as Lani smiles on.

The two hold onto the other for a few more seconds before finally breaking it, Amilia then starts to wipe the tears from her eyes as she says, "Thank you".

"Anything for a friend" John says with a smile as he looks down at the cat.

A few more seconds pass by and that's when Lani unfortunately has to intervene in the moment as she days, "Hey, we should probably catch up with them".

John and Amilia look down the path and see that Kyuala and Terra have stopped and are looking back, motioning for the others to hurry up which they do as they trio rush up said trail to catch up with the others.

---

ANOTHER FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER:

The group are rushing now as the rain is beginning to literally bounce off of the ground.

The Wyverns Port now in sight as they rush down a small slope, heading for the stone streets of the port.

---

WYVERNS PORT:

The five dripping (and not in the good way) adventurers rush into town and immediately look around for the nearest inn.

They scramble around the soaking streets but that's when John sees a familiar looking wagon and so he asks Kyuala while pointing, "Hey! Isn't that Daffodil's cart?!".

Kyuala looks to where John is pointing and sees the wagon in question, immediately recognising it and responding, "Yes! She must be nearby!"

"Over here!" Terra shouts through the rain and the others converge at her as they see a sign with a proud horse plastered on it and writing underneath with reads,

"The Stallions Stable"

The group look amongst each other as John says, "Alright! Let's get inside!".

Everyone loves that idea and so the group almost make a mad dash toward the door to get out of the rain as fast as they can, quickly heading into the inn.

---

THE STALLIONS STABLE:

The five get inside, the warmth of the large fire immediately hitting them, a sense of great relief flowing through all of them.

The water falls off of their clothes, dripping onto the wooden floor beneath their feet.

The group simply bask in the presence of the fire as Kyuala and John head up to the counter and ring the bell on the counter, waiting for someone to appear.

"Just a minute dearie!" Echoes from the back room, giving you and Kyuala an answer at the very least as you wait for the concierge.

Heels click and clack off of the wooden floor, getting closer to the door leading out toward the waiting two.

John is looking out of the window, seeing the torrential downpour. Somehow, they had avoided the worse of it as they got in.

Kyuala then stands upright, looking at the door as the steps are at their loudest, that's when John turns around and sees the aforementioned concierge.

A long flowing white dress covers the body of a decently tall woman of what appeared to be Asian descent, her jet black hair tied up as she gets closer.

As she does, John notices a red gem embedded in her forehead, glistening in the light from the crackling fire, drawing his eyes further and further into it's allure.

"I apologise dearies, my assistant had to leave earlier and so i've been on my own here, but I shall make do! Now, what can I do for you two?" The concierge asks, snapping John out of his stare, which he admits to himself that he's been doing a lot of staring as of late.

"Well, my friends and I would like some accommodations for the night if possible" Kyuala asks with a gentle tone.

The concierge looks over and sees Terra, Amilia and Lani still drying themselves by the fire before looking back at the two.

"A party of five then? That I definitely can do, two rooms are okay I assume?" The woman asks.

"That would be great" Kyuala responds, that gentle tone remaining along with a small smile.

The woman nods before looking down at her listings book, checking for the available residencies before coming back with, "Okay, we have two rooms next to each other, 204 and 206, is that alright?".

"Perfect, allows me to keep and ear out for our favourite troublemaker" Kyuala says with a chuckle which John joins in with, followed by the concierge.

"Okay, that will be twenty gold please" The concierge says with a smile on her face as Kyuala digs into her pockets, picking out the twenty gold pieces before handing them over.

The concierge smiles as she happily takes the gold, placing it in a drawer as she then picks up her quill and asks, "And what name will the reservation come under?".

"Kyuala, Kyuala Doe".

John's eyes shoot toward his orc "wife", wondering what the hell she's doing but she gives him a wink before turning back to the writing woman.

The quill marks the book, Kyuala Doe boldly showing as the concierge now removes said quill and says, "Fantastic! Now for your keys!".

The woman heads into the back room and after a few moments of rustling keys, she walks back with two sets in hand, giving them over to Kyuala.

"Okay, those are your keys. Now, if you need anything and I mean, anything, you come down and ring the bell okay? And if that doesn't get my attention, just shout Zyrotte, that's my name by the way" The concierge says with a little, innocent chuckle added at the end.

"Well, thank you Zyrotte, you've saved us from getting pelted from even more rain" John says, finally speaking up.

"You are so welcome, I hope you and your friends have a wonderful stay" Zyrotte says with that kind smile of hers.

Kyuala then walks over to the others and says, "Alright, c'mon you three, we've got our rooms".

"Oh thank Zirnor the Wise! I cannot wait to sleep on a real bed again" Terra says, immediately heading toward the stairs with Amilia and Lani in tow.

"By the way, you wouldn't have given residence to a friend of ours, a red-haired dwarven woman, goes by the name of Daffodil?" Kyuala asks.

"Oh! Yes! She is a delightful little firecracker! Shall I tell her that you're here in the morn?" Zyrotte asks.

"Yes please" Kyuala responds.

"Alright, I shall do, enjoy your night" Zyrotte adds.

Kyuala then joins the others but just as John goes to, Zyrotte stops him and whispers, "Oh, and don't worry about making too much noise, the walls are very, very soundproof".

The cute concierge adds a wink at the end which makes John smile as he joins the others with all of them heading up to their rooms.

---

SECOND FLOOR:

The group get upstairs, heading to the left and following the room numbers, a few doors down, that's when they see 204 and 206 side-by-side.

They get up to the doors and that's when the big decision comes in.

"So, who's bunking with who?" Kyuala asks, looking amongst the others.

"Well, i'm with John whatever the case" Lani adds.

"I'll bunk with the new girl, suppose we should try and do some bonding at least" Amilia says with a sly grin.

"Please, please, please, don't corrupt the new blood the first day we've met her" Kyuala pleads with her friend, half-jokingly and half not.

Amilia lets out a dramatic sigh before saying, "Fiiiine, I won't corrupt her, much" A small chuckle leaving her lips at the end.

Terra opens her eyes wide in shock, unsure of if Amilia is actually joking or not but is assured by John who says, "Don't worry, she doesn't bite, unless you ask her, or tease her, or do anything that might be considered sexual, just sleep and you'll be fine".

"But if you snore, i'll make sure to make you shut up, with my thighs" Amilia says jokingly yet flirtatiously at the same time as she takes the key from Kyuala before opening up and sliding past the door, heading into the room.

Terra looks at Kyuala and John with another confused look as Kyuala says, "Don't worry, if she is too much for you to handle, you may come in and sleep with us".

"Thank you both, for everything" Terra says, a smile gracing her face as she turns to the door and heads into her and Amilia's room before closing said door.

Kyuala, Lani and John look amongst each other, some amusement on their faces as the trio head into their room.

---

INSIDE THE ROOM:

The three walk in and that's when they see one big bed in the middle of the room.

"Why do I have the feeling you planned this?" John asks.

"Oh, don't worry, if I had the chance, I would have definitely gotten a bigger bed, so we had more room for, fun, that is" Kyuala says with a sly smirk.

"Please, not while i'm in the room" Lani says in response.

"You needn't worry little one, this bed is way too weak to be able to withstand what I plan to do with him" Kyuala says, surprising both Lani and John with the latter wondering if he was going to have sex or a wrestling match.

The two women simply laugh at the moment as they begin to undress to get ready for with John following suit.

A couple minutes later, the trio are in bed, warming up under the covers as Kyuala holds onto John, cuddling up almost like a real husband and wife.

The three just sit there, relaxing after a long, long, looooong day of fighting, but now, they finally get to just rest.

As they do, Lani says, "This mattress feels like i'm laying on a cloud".

"I know how you feel, I once went hunting with my father and uncle for a week straight, when I came back, even the floor felt like it was made of the softest cotton" Kyuala remarks.

There's a silence for a few moments but then, Kyuala asks the fateful question, "So, what do you both think of our new friend?".

John begins to think over his opinion about Terra, she has been nothing but nice to him, helpful as well, without her help, they definitely would have died in that cave.

Lani responds to Kyuala first by saying, "I believe she is a good person however we don't truly know her all that well so we cannot trust her all that much, especially with John's secret".

Lani's points were very true, John thought to himself. Kyuala also seems to agree with this as well as she says, "You raise some good points Lani, what say you John?".

"I think that honestly, she could be a great help to us, she is a great fighter, both with magic and her staff. She also had no real reason to stick around if she is that capable, she certainly could have left when we got to the throne room as well, my point is, I believe that she wants to help us and if we asked, she might stay".

Kyuala and Lani think on his words for a few moments but that's when Kyuala responds, "I think you may be right as well, I agree with both of your statements and I also think that tomorrow, we may get an answer to your questions, but for now, let us get some rest".

"Agreed" Leaves the combined lips of both Lani and John as they get ready to sleep.

Kyuala then hugs deeper with John as she then says, "Goodnight you two".

"Goodnight my overly large friends" Lani responds.

The three chuckle for a few short seconds before John says, "G'night you guys".

They all close their eyes, ready to drift to sleep but ad they do, Lani then says, "Oh, just a warning, if I hear this bed creaking in any suspicious sort of way, I won't hesitate to put your, appendage, into a chastity chamber until the morn, understood?".

"Wait, you can do that?" John asks, somewhat jokingly but also a little worryingly.

"Do you wish to find out?" Lani retorts.

"Nope, i'm good" John quickly responds.

The trio then have a small round of quiet laughter as they begin to drift into sleep, resting their pained bodies, resting up for the busy day ahead.