Given that Taggart was recovering, Ted’s party was taking one of their rest days. So, in other words, I had no obligations. On top of that, I worked it out with them that I could do two days of spiders at once. So I was free for the next three days and two evenings.

 

‘It’s the perfect time to head back to Rothet. Let's see. I need to report that shady beekeeper, and then probably pick up some quests… And with the credit of killing seven spiders and an alpha warg, I should get promoted to at least E rank if not D.

 

Without further delay, I headed towards the stone fortress in the back of the camp. It gave a certain level of security to be sure, and it had a good track record, but it looked like a relic… Weathered stone made up the entire structure, and vines crawled around the cracks, moss seeping into its walls. Following the road, I approached the large raised portcullis and stepped up to one of the guards.

 

“Destination?”

 

“Rothet,”

 

“15 obsidian.”

 

I handed him the coins and walked onto the platform. Chills began to run through my body and I closed my eyes to help prevent motion sickness, feeling a sudden burst of energy shoot through my entire body and then leave all at once. 

 

It took a moment for the world to stop spinning as my body struggled to confuse the mana of the waygate with my own. I staggered out and quickly sat down for a moment against the wall. ‘It’s even worse now… Oh right, I learned another school of magic…’

 

Motion sickness was something commonly experienced, but mana confusion was less so. It only happened to weak mages, ones that were not advanced enough. And the more mana someone had, the worse it was.

 

One of the factors that increased the amount of mana you had was how many spells you knew, and knowing spells from 14 or so different schools, mine was insanely high for a tier two mage… Of course, it was virtually nonexistent compared to a tier-four mage, but if I was tier four I wouldn’t have the problem in the first place.

 

After taking a moment to steady my mana I began moving through the hall of Rothet’s grand waystation and making my way back into the streets.

 

As I stepped out into the hub, the vast room opened up in front of me. The dome structure was as large as the entire encampment, only it was a wide open space. Quests were organized on several different boards on the outer walls, while the Beekeepers worked within an inner circle in the middle.

 

The building was busy as ever, with the exception of the Howling pass quest boards, which were only busier, now that everyone was avoiding the great forest.

 

I only gave a passing glance as I walked through the crowd, making my way to the guild receptionists so that I could say hello to an old friend. I was prepared to just leave when I saw how long the line was, but as I walked past I heard her call my name. “Chika!”

 

I turned to see her smiling and waving. She was easy to pick out in a crowd. her pointed ears, her height, and the unmistakable beekeeper robes that she had “Modified,” because they were “too hot”

 

All she really did was cut them up so they would show more skin. Considering they were her work clothes you might think she’d get in trouble for that… But you’d be wrong. She was an A rank at one time, so she could pretty much do whatever she wanted.

 

Even if people did care… The adventurers that liked the “Eye candy” would probably speak out louder. I let out a sigh, watching her top rise uncomfortably high as she raised her hand as tall as she could, waving at me. “Hey… Lola…”

 

She left her position without a care in the world, leaving her coworkers to panic as they tried to handle the sudden change of workflow. As she ran out to greet me the few eyes that weren’t already on her quickly drifted her way… And… Indirectly my way as well. “Can’t you where the normal robes?”

 

She looked around noticing everyones eyes. “I could, but they’re uncomfortable, and it’s not like people stare any less.”

 

I couldn't help but let out a small snort, smiling at how ridiculous it was. I suppose a small part of me might have been a bit jealous, but overall it was one problem I was more than a little grateful I didn’t have. Of course… When she hugged me, I started to have a bit of a different problem since everyone thought I was a guy… “Lola… What are you doing!” I whined.

 

She let go but stayed so close that I still felt a bit uncomfortable, if not only because it became too easy to compare myself to her.

 

Her skin was a pale bluish-gray that was so soft and supple it always looked like she was blushing a little bit. She had a small nose and mouth that gave her an almost cutesy feel, but her face and eyes flipped all that around, making her look mature. When you combined all that with her beautiful white hair that was as full and thick as a bear's fur, it was no wonder everyone fawned over her. Not to mention the fact that dark elves in general weren’t common… She was quite literally exotic.

 

Honestly, it made me feel out of place standing next to her, and a bit embarrassed by everyone's eyes, even if I knew they weren’t on me.

 

“Guess you survived after all!” She jeered, playfully nudging me.

 

“Uh… Yeah…”

 

I could hear people start to whisper and look at me as well, making me want to shrink and disappear. “Can we… Go somewhere else…”

 

“Oh, right, you don’t like crowds sorry.”

 

Her attitude was complicated. She clearly cared whether or not I died, but despite her vast wealth she wouldn't imagine going so far as buying me a bottle of soap so I could wash my hair, even as a birthday present.

 

“Crowds are fine if I’m blending into them…” I mumbled turning to walk away quickly.

 

She narrowed her eyes. “What happened…” Her face turned serious as she pointed to my arm.

 

“I, well, I guess I let my guard down...”

 

“That's not like you…”

 

I let out a sigh, looking at my arm and thinking back to that feeling. The adrenaline raced through me as the warg did everything in its power to kill me. And after… I had a panic attack that rendered me useless. “How would you know…?” I mumbled. ‘I mean, I haven’t ever seen her outside of Rothet.’

 

She reached out and suddenly grabbed my hand making me flinched in pain. “Chika… Your hand. Is it broken?”

 

I pulled it back. “It might be now!... Geeze…”

 

She rolled her eyes at me with a long groan, exaggerating the motion with her whole head causing her thick white hair to wave gently, exposing her long pointed ears.

 

I sighed again “No, I doubt it at least. I used my miracle already on the gashes, so I’m hoping it will take care of itself in a few days.”

 

“What? What about the healers? You should have made at least enough money for more than a couple of bandages.”

 

The smile I had on my face slowly faded away as I thought back to the sorry state of the medical tint. “Pretty sure they'd drop dead if they used any more magic… I guess I could find someone here, but I have better things to spend my money on.”

 

I paused and looked at her, she seemed like she had something more she wanted to say, but she just stood still for a while. “Well… You can't do much with one arm. Let's go back to your place and I'll cook for you.”

 

“What? Why now all of a sudden?” The truth was that we had more or less grown apart. I guess it was to be expected from our relationship. It was hard to see her as someone who cared when I had to starve over the winter every year.

 

Although I guess it was probably too much to ask for handouts. Still, it wasn't like she didn't have the money. Of course, if I was being honest with myself I wouldn’t have taken anything for free anyway. ‘I guess my feelings are just as complicated…’

 

“What, friends can't just hang out? I'd love to hear about your first quest this season.”

 

A bear of a man nudged her shoulder with a laugh as he walked by. “Yeah right, you just want to get out of work.” He said with a smirk, continuing on his way.

 

She turned and shushed him as we continued on our way.

 

Even if that was her reason, it was always nice to not be alone. “Sure, why not, as long as you make meat, I need protein since I’m still trying to rebuild my muscle.”