Barrett cautiously tugged at his waistband and peeked inside, tears streaming down his face in a sudden flood.
"CAPTAIN!!!" he shouted, throwing his arms around EeDechi in a wild burst of emotion. "It's grown back—I'm a whole man again! HAHAHAHA!"
Barrett roared with laughter, the joy of regaining what was lost surging through his entire body. His hulking frame clung to EeDechi, shaking her with all his might, but EeDechi stood rooted to the ground, unshaken. The scene looked a bit absurd—like a bear sobbing and snotting all over itself while hugging a black wooden post nailed into the earth.
EeDechi was momentarily stunned by Barrett's sudden bear hug, but then it clicked what he meant by "it's grown back."
With a single hand, EeDechi shoved the burly Barrett off her, nodding as she said, "Mind your manners."
The challenge was over, and in some mind-boggling way, EeDechi had mastered a High-tier area-of-effect healing spell.
Stella couldn't quite figure out if this was Divine Magic or Arcane Magic—maybe Gaia had been strong-armed by EeDechi into lending her immense power against her will.
Stella didn't dare dwell on it any longer. If she kept thinking about it, she'd start questioning her faith, and for a cleric, that was a death sentence.
While Barrett was still wiping his tears, Sean hurried off with Stella to the weapon shop in the capital city, where they bought a chainmail tunic with a hooded gorget and a cotton lining.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, the sun was dipping below the horizon. The four of them gathered at the tavern in the Adventurer's Guild.
The tavern was a buzzing hive of activity, with arms raised high under the dazzling crystal chandelier, clinking oak mugs together in toast after toast. Adventurers shouted and hollered, chugging black rye beer, slicing into the meat slabs on their plates, and ladling thick, creamy corn-and-pork soup into clay bowls.
Waitresses in black vests and white lace aprons darted through the chaos, serving up tasty dishes while dodging the occasional groping hands of a few roughneck patrons.
What do adventurers do when they're not out risking their necks? Chat, brag, play cards, drink, duel, gamble—hell, maybe even hit the brothels. Their lives are a constant dance with death, and the shiny gold coins jingling in their pouches are hard-earned with blood and sweat. After finishing a job, they damn well deserve to cut loose.
"Elite" adventurer EeDechi was clueless about all this. Veteran adventurer Barrett, on the other hand, was stuffed full of food and a few mugs of malt beer deep, feeling a familiar itch stirring in his gut. That thing downstairs had grown back, and he was itching to test if it still worked.
Barrett clapped Sean on the shoulder, shooting him a sly wink. "Wanna go check out some of the empire's capital's finest ladies? I know a few sweet spots."
Sean, being a platinum-level adventurer, had waded through plenty of murky waters in his time, so he caught Barrett's drift in a heartbeat. His green eyes flashed for a second, but he quickly pulled himself together, straightening his back. He glanced at Stella, who was sipping her soup delicately, his gaze softening as he shut Barrett down cold: "Nah, I'm a straight-laced guy!"
Barrett let out a helpless chuckle and was about to stand when EeDechi, who'd been sprawled in a chair with her eyes closed, cracked them open and fixed him with a stare. "Hm? What 'sweet spots' are you off to?"
Barrett threw her a "you know what I mean" gesture, keeping his lips sealed.
The flesh trade was legit business, whether in Baharuth, Re-Estize, or the Slane Theocracy. This world had too many big-shot nobles with power up to their eyeballs and too many women backed into a corner by life's shit hand.
Stella paused with her spoon midair, head dipping in silence. Sean knew her deal—her older sister had been forced into a brothel to pay off the family's debts.
Barrett shrugged, too lazy to deal with their drama, and got up to head out of the tavern.
EeDechi leaped from her chair, snatching her giant sword leaning against the table and slinging it across her back before trailing after Barrett.
Outside the tavern, a black carriage rolled by, its night lantern swaying and copper bells jingling "ding-a-ling." The wheels hit a puddle, splattering mud onto Barrett's boots. He shot a sidelong glance at EeDechi, who was sticking to him like a shadow, and sighed. "Captain, what the hell are you doing?"
"What am I doing? Saving some fallen women, obviously." EeDechi tightened the straps of the giant sword slung across her back, puffing out her chest like she owned the place.
Fallen women? Barrett silently snorted at the fancy new term in his head.
Ever since EeDechi had patched him up with her healing magic, curing every damn thing wrong with him, this quirky captain had shot up a few notches in his book. For now, Barrett didn't bother asking questions. He flagged down an open-top, four-wheeled passenger carriage, and EeDechi hopped in after him.
"To 5 Fallen Avenue, Rable Street," Barrett said, tossing the driver three silver coins. "Please hurry, and keep the change."
The bearded driver winked at Barrett with a knowing "I get you" look, but when his eyes landed on EeDechi—decked out in black from head to toe, sitting ramrod straight on the other side—his face twitched, and he turned back around.
The horse snorted loudly, and the carriage lurched forward, rattling through the cobblestone streets.
This was Baharuth's capital, alright—even at night, the city's glow was something else. Shop signs along the streets, juiced up with "Everlight" magic, flickered in a rainbow of colors, chasing off the dark.
Carriages creaked by one after another, fancy-dressed nobles stepping down with their servants' help, ready to dive into the nightlife.
"So, this fine lady here also out to live it up?" the driver asked, flicking the whip lightly, his gruff voice rumbling like it came from a barrel.
EeDechi, with her stern black outfit—pants, shirt, and gray cloak—looked every inch the stiff, no-nonsense girl, the kind who'd never dream of stepping into a place meant just for men. It was hard not to wonder what the hell she was up to.
Barrett was about to toss out some half-baked excuse when EeDechi cut in, her voice dead serious: "I'm not here to spend money—I'm here to bust the joint up!"
The driver whipped his head around, locking eyes with EeDechi's grim stare, and damn near flinched. He turned back, gave a shrug, and cracked the whip hard, picking up the pace.
The carriage zigzagged through the streets, cutting through a narrow alley. Up ahead, maybe three or four hundred meters off, stood a gaudy three-story building dripping with red lights and boozy vibes.
The driver shot a glance at Barrett's hulking frame, pointing with his whip. "That's it—Julina's Forbidden Paradise. Can't get my rig too close, or the guards'll chase me off. You two hop out here."
Barrett and EeDechi climbed down and started toward the building. The driver flicked his eyes over them, then lashed the horse with a sharp crack of the whip. The carriage bolted off, vanishing into the dark.
Out of EeDechi and Barrett's line of sight, the driver yanked the reins, stopped the horse, and jumped down. He bolted into a shop on the roadside, its door cracked open just a sliver.
Inside, there were no goods for sale—just a guy decked out in leather armor, his face etched with tattoos, lounging there.
When the driver burst in, the man's brow furrowed as he sized him up. "Those two you just dropped off—who the fuck are they?"
The driver caught his breath and said, "The chick said she's here to trash the place. Probably some clueless young noblewoman looking to stir shit up and drag her husband home. The guy looks like an adventurer—bet she hired him as muscle. Enough talk, sound the alarm already. That dude's built like a damn ox and carrying a sword. You can tell he's a badass just by looking at him."
The tattooed guy pulled a diamond-shaped badge from his chest and pressed the red crystal on it, lighting it up. He was sending a signal to the brothel's guards and bouncers.
As the red glow flashed and faded, the tattooed man sneered. "Dumbass woman, thinking she can waltz into our Forbidden Paradise with one adventurer and start trouble. Even if it's an orichalcum-level adventurer, I'll make sure neither of them walks out alive!"
Meanwhile, Barrett trailed behind EeDechi as they closed in on the entrance to Julina's Forbidden Paradise.
Julina's Forbidden Paradise was a three-story brick-and-stone building with a decent-sized courtyard, surrounded by towering walls. The walls were decked out with gold leaf and glowing powder, etched with raunchy images of bare-chested, flirty girls—humans, elves, and beast-eared demi-humans—looking downright filthy.
The entrance was just a small door, flanked by two guards in full steel armor, clutching long spears.
EeDechi strode into Forbidden Paradise like she owned it, moving so fast the guards didn't even try to stop her.
Barrett tried to keep pace and step inside, but the two iron-tower guards lumbered forward, blocking his path.
"What the hell's this?" Barrett couldn't believe it—he, a guy, was the one getting stopped at the brothel door! It threw him for a loop.
A beefy guard stuck out an iron-gauntleted hand and shoved Barrett, snarling, "Our boss'll take care of your little lady. You wanna fuck, go screw somewhere else."
Two more goons in pitch-black chainmail, curved blades in hand, melted out of the shadows, eyeing Barrett. They fanned out, boxing him in like a pack of wolves.
This was some sneaky Martial Art shit, and Barrett's gut tightened—he knew he was in deep now. He'd just come to unwind and blow off some steam, not to stumble into this kind of mess.
If these four assholes came at him one-on-one, Barrett was damn sure he could take them all out. Even the two in full armor were just turtles with tougher shells. But four against one? That was a shitty hand, and he couldn't help but worry about the captain, who'd already marched into Forbidden Paradise.
He peered past the spiked shoulder plates of the guards blocking him, catching sight of EeDechi standing alone in the courtyard. Two burly guards in leather armor, longswords drawn, were closing in on her from both sides, looking ready to throw down any second.
Barrett's right hand rested on his sword, weighing his next move.
"Adventurer, fuck off. This ain't a dump for broke-ass losers like you," one of the full-armored guards barked, shoving him again.
Inside, a guard twice EeDechi's size slapped a meaty hand on her left shoulder, while the other reached for her face, like he was about to pinch her cheek.
EeDechi shot Barrett a quick gesture—don't worry about me.
In a flash, she grabbed the rough paw an inch from her face and flipped the cocky bastard over her shoulder. He crashed into the second-floor balcony, smashing the fancy railing to splinters.
Then her left leg snapped up, and the other guard went flying with a scream, slamming through the first-floor door in a shower of wood.
Barrett let out a breath, watching it all go down. He took a couple steps back, hand dropping from his sword, and shrugged at the four guards hemming him in. "Well, see ya. I won't go in. Hope you guys don't either."