Walk away

“That was your only chance. I can’t trust your answers now, so we’re done.” You stand and turn away. Whether she tried to call your bluff or just lied on reflex, it doesn’t matter. She knew the consequences, and now she’ll have to face them. You look to Blythe, thinking of asking her to fetch Roy, or to help you drag Rowena outside. However, you stop yourself when you realize that doing that right now would pose too many risks. Rowena is ready to blast through her mana the moment she’s given an opportunity, and you don’t know what Roy is capable of. Without the proper precautions in place, actually going through with Rowena’s punishment could lead to a disaster. I need to do something about her magic, you think. Hoping the gag stays in place isn’t good enough. If there’s a way to siphon mana, or suppress her spellcasting, I need to find it. Then there’s Roy. He’s popular with the ladies, and has a good reputation among adventurers. Beyond that, I don’t know anything about him. We need to have a talk. You glance back at the bound and gagged elf sitting on the floor. Rather than quake in fear, knowing that her actions have guaranteed a future of pain for her beloved, Rowena maintains a strong, hateful glare towards you.

Something about that look in her eyes sparks a fire inside of you. It’s a **** glare now, but you will turn it around eventually. You grin, imagining a day when Rowena’s absolute hatred for you has been twisted into blind adoration. There may not be time to devote to such a transformation right now, but this fire in your soul forges a promise: someday you will break her. “Someone will come and collect you when it’s time for your punishment,” you say. “Goodbye for now, Rowena.” Like that, you leave the elf in her cage and descend back into the monster village. Blythe retrieves the mana crystal from the ceiling and hurries after you, confusion plain to see on her face. Rowena screams muffled curses at you as you go, but you pay her no mind and soon, she and her voice are once again sealed away behind a wall of spider silk.

…

As the two of you stroll side by side through the monster village, Blythe’s quiet confusion begins to weigh on your conscience. “What’s on your mind?” you ask.

“We left so abruptly,” says the blonde elf. “Surely you are not satisfied with how that went. Was there anything that I should have said, or done, to help you with her?”

You pause to think, and your legs stop with you. Blythe waits patiently by your side while you come up with what to say. If we hadn’t left after I called out her lie, she would have thought I was bluffing about her punishment, you think. Should I have just pretended not to notice? Could I have tried a different approach, with Blythe there to help out? In your mind, you go through everything you would have liked to ask about, if you’d gotten the chance. Stealth magic. The current state of Evris. Your bounty posters, and if they mention either of your companions. The more you think about it, the more you realize that you were probably barking up the wrong tree with Rowena, anyway. You zeroed in on her because she is the mage of her party, but maybe that was the wrong call. You do need to improve your magical arsenal, and fast, but the kind of questions that you need answers to right now aren’t for a support mage; they’re for the person scoping out missions for the party to take on. You need to talk to the person most in touch with the beating heart of the town.

You need to talk to the party leader.

“We were wasting our time with her,” you say, coming out of your head and focusing on the woman beside you. Your epiphany was likely shown on your face, because Blythe seems a little relieved now. Concern still hides under the surface of her expression, though, and you can’t blame her. Not only did you spend precious time and energy trying to grill the wrong target, but you also made Blythe stand there quietly and watch you do it. Now is not the time to be making those mistakes. “I’m sorry,” you say, placing a hand on each of the elf’s shoulders. “I should have worked out a plan with you before charging in there. Next time I’m about to make that mistake, I want you to stop me, okay?” Blythe searches your eyes for a few seconds, then seems to cheer up. She nods, then dutifully walks by your side as you start moving through the village once again. After a few minutes of quiet, you say, “We still need to get what we can out of the other three. You said they were more cooperative, right? Tell me more about them.”

“The knight, Penny, is a simple-minded girl,” says the elf. “It was easy to get her to talk. I only offered her a few kind words, and she became very open with me. She was born in Ranil, a small northern village that is often the target of orc tribes raiding the Empire. Seeing strong adventurers defend her home year after year inspired her to become one herself.” Blythe pauses to think for a moment, then smiles and says, “She thought I was your prisoner, too. ‘When Roy comes, we’ll rescue you together,’ she said.”

“Not on my watch.” You wrap an arm around the busty blonde’s waist and pull her close for a moment. Blythe hums happily at the move, and leans into your side for as long as you allow her. She seems **** to pull away once you release her, so you hold her hand and continue walking. “Tell me about the ranger next,” you say.

“Her name is Juniper Umberg,” says Blythe. “Do you know about the kingdoms that existed before the Empire, Evan?”

“I do not,” you say plainly.

“Today, Umberg is a large mining city in the west. Around two centuries ago, however, it was the capital of its own little kingdom. Juniper is a descendant of that royal line.”

“Is that something to worry about?” You start to imagine a group of secret bodyguards popping out of the woods to save their princess. Surely, if that was going to happen, it would have by now… right?

“I doubt her family will be causing us any trouble,” says Blythe. “I needed to get a little rough with her, but I got Miss Umberg to admit that she became an adventurer out of necessity. Due to bad deals and gambling debts, her family has been in decline for the last four generations. Even so, she declared to me that she was ‘raised to be proud of her name, and devoted to the Goddess’s Teachings.’” Blythe pushes out her chest after that last part, angling herself to give you a good view of the cleavage you taught her how to properly display.

You stick a finger in between her big breasts and give her doublet a playful tug. Instead of yelping and retreating, like she might have done when you first met, Blythe blushes, and looks slightly disappointed when you don’t pop another button loose. You simply grin and retreat your finger, content to let her dream of the day you march her through the village topless.

“Now the leader,” you say. “Tell me about the guy they’re all crazy for.”

“…He reminds me of—”

“Hey! Human!” Blythe is cut off by a voice shouting at you from above. When you look up, you realize that you were walking past Violet’s tree house. The evolved lamia appears to be splayed out on her balcony, staring down over the edge at you. “You’ve got some nerve, telling me to wait ‘til the afternoon when you and that elf have just been walking around for ages!”