Critical Misclass

CHAPTER 37 - Unsafe Sect

After trading the soreness and aching from sleeping in wooden chairs for the sharp (but much more temporary) sting of our healing magic, we helped Grumzzak clean up, thanked him profusely for everything, grabbed our stuff, and made our way out of Vandrennvar. As much as we wanted to see Grumzzak again one day, we would have been more than happy to never set foot in that city again.

We didn't leave as early as we would have liked, so it was already early afternoon by the time we got back to Sveja's cabin. Unsurprisingly, Sveja was exactly where we left her, only with more books stacked on her desk.

She spoke to us without looking up. "I thought you had left for the city."

Ves acted as though she hadn't heard anything, and sat against the wall near the door, but Thia replied. "We were gone for almost a day and a half. Please tell me you have been taking breaks..."

"It's going to be a long week if you lot won't take a break from saying things like that. Besides, Ididtake time to change out of my armor."

In an attempt to make eye contact, I moved to the side of the desk, but Sveja either didn't notice me, or didn't care. From here I could see that she had, indeed, changed back into her more comfortable dress. While both outfits I'd seen her wear offered an impressive amount of cleavage on display, her dress allowed for Sveja's breasts to press against the desk as she hunched over it, pushing even more flesh into view.

I couldn't have been looking for more than a moment when Sveja spoke again.

"So?"

She was still looking down at her desk, but it startled me. I tried to casually look away, so as to not look like I was caught doing anything.I spend all my time with beautiful women. Why am I flustered?"Uh, what?"

"Did everything go as planned?"

"Oh, yeah, more or less. One of the guys who pointed us in your direction stole a journal from our belongings before we got there, for some reason."

"Odd. Whose journal was it?"

"None of ours, actually. We found it in a sanctified dungeon, but the writing was in a language that none of us knew."

Sveja's quill stopped moving, and she finally looked up at me. "Nowthat'sinteresting. It's a shame it was stolen; I would have liked to take a look at it." She shrugged, and went back to writing.

"Yeah. And there was a symbol that the author doodled on most of the pages. I was hoping to eventually figure out if that meant anything."

Thia sat on the bed and unlaced her boots. "You mentioned that you may have seen that same symbol carved in the city, if I recall."

The quill came to a sudden stop again. Sveja glanced up at me, craned her neck to look at Thia, then turned back to me. "Would you be able to draw an approximation of that symbol?" She shuffled through some parchment on her desk, pulled out a sheet with some writing on it, flipped it over, and pointed the quill at me.

"I'll do my best, but it was kinda complicated."

This was my first time using a quill, which I knew wouldn't help my crude recreation of the symbol look any better. It didn't matter. I had pretty much only drawn the circle outline and some of the curved lines within it when Sveja gently placed her hand onto the parchment and turned it around to get a better look.

Her expression was pretty much unreadable; I couldn't tell if she was bored, curious, or annoyed. "The journal had a symbol like this?" I nodded. "Sketched throughout it? It wasn't the focus, like if it were notes from a history class?"

"No! I mean, for most of it, it was like a doodle in the margins. But over time, there were more and more drawings, and they got more detailed."

Ves had stood up from where she was resting against the opposite wall, and Thia was leaning forward, both of them curious about where Sveja was going with all this.

Sveja stared at the parchment for a few seconds, then spoke without looking away. "And you're sure that you saw the same symbol carved in Vanndrenvar?"

I wasn't sure why I was getting the third degree, but it was making me feel defensive, even if her tone didn't feel harsh or accusatory. "I never had a chance to compare the two directly, but they looked really similar, at least. One of the walls was being fixed, and the other one had drawn a crowd."

The yrrven's eyes darted around as she processed this information. "Where were they carved?"

"One was nearby the pub we stayed at, and the other--"

"And the person who took the journal. You said he helped you find me. What, exactly, did you tell him?"

I tried to remember as many details of that night as possible. "We... ah, shit. We told him that we had found a rune and were trying to learn about it."

Sveja cocked her head to the side, finally making eye contact.Nowher expression was clearly one of frustration. "Did you mention where you found the rune?"

I sighed and shut my eyes while pinching the bridge of my nose. "Pretty sure we said that we came from Perrenbrook, yeah."

"Ah. You may want to leave."

"I-- what do you mean?"

Ves called out at the same time, from across the cabin. "Excuseme?"

Sveja slid the parchment closer to me, and redirected her attention to her original parchment so she could continue working.

"Well, it's up to you. Based on this information, I'd say there's a good chance that you've drawn the attention of a cult."

Thia sat up straight. "Acult?"

"An especially unpleasant one, not that I'm aware of any other kind. It's been years since the last time they made their presence known, but based on previous events, it's likely they'll target your hometown."

I wasn't sure if Sveja was joking. She was saying all of this so matter-of-factly. "Wait, what?!"

"Notyourhometown, obviously. Perrenbrook. Where you found the rune."

Ves jumped to her feet and rushed over to us. "What the hell are they going to do to Perrenbrook?!"

Sveja looked at Ves, then Thia. "I would have assumed this was common knowledge in this part of Treosett, even outside of Vanndrenvar."

I crossed my arms. "That doesn't matter. Just tell us what's going on."

"I'll give you the basics. There's a cult that seeks artifacts from Old Cendriss. They claim to be part of a religion that has existed since those days, although I'm sure it's changed significantly since then. Regardless, they kidnap and sacrifice people as part of their rituals."

"Fuckin' hell," I muttered. The only pleasant part about that had been the way she made it sound, with her unique and sensuous accent.

"The cult goes silent for years, sometimes decades, then they gradually reveal themselves, usually in a new location, attempting to recruit new members. For a time, they don't openly do anything to bother anyone. However, they begin to infiltrate guilds and adventurer parties, as a means of obtaining relics and artifacts for their rituals. Eventually, one way or another, their intentions are discovered, and adventurers hunt them down. Of course, it seems that they are neverfullyeliminated."

Sveja paused here, giving us time to let that sink in. Thia seemed especially lost in thought. I had a million questions, but didn't want to derail the explanation.

She continued. "You said that you found the journal in a sanctified dungeon, correct? Was it along your route from Perrenbrook, and not from some earlier adventure?"

At this point, Thia had stood up, and she took a few steps towards us. "Yes... it was used as a detour on account of a storm."

"Nowthis makes sense. That was a former base of operations for the cult, about twenty, maybe thirty, years ago. Adventurers cleared it out, the Empire sanctified it, and that journal got lost in the rubble as the extraneous rooms were caved in. I don't know if you experienced anything like this yourselves, but since those incidents, the overall attitude towards adventurers has soured in Vanndrenvar. The Adventurer's Network was closed around that time, as well. The relationship between adventurers and the citizens of Vanndrenvar was always tense, but when it was learned that cultists had been posing as adventurers, well..."

The fur on Ves's ears and tail had begun to bristle, and she looked unsettled. "Iluriar didn't say anything about that!"

I bet I know why.

Sure enough, Sveja confirmed my suspicions. "While it's highly likely your goblin friend doesn't realize this, I'm certain that at least some of his regular patrons are members of the cult. Those carvings you saw? They tell members of the cult where to meet."

Ves scoffed. "Pretty stupid to make it that obvious. They just get removed."

"The larger symbols are less for existing members, and more of a way to announce their return. In the past, the cult has used smaller, more secretive, ways to leave messages. But I digress. The important point is: you should consider returning to your village."

My party members and I looked at each other, confusion and concern on our faces. This was a lot to take in.

I was the first to break the brief silence. "Let's just go. I... I don't know what we can do, other than warn the village, but it's better than nothing."

Thia nodded. "We can also inform my brother. He could summon other guild members to help protect the village, or hunt down the cultists."

Ves grabbed her bag, which had just been placed on the floor minutes ago. "Yeah. Let's go."

I noticed her breathing faster than normal, and I touched her arm. "We'll do whatever we can, okay?"

Sveja, meanwhile, remained relatively calm about all this. Her class seemed more inappropriate for her than ever. "Take as many supplies as you'd like. I'll be leaving, as well, when I'm ready." She wrote several more words onto her parchment as we continued preparing to leave, then stopped again. "I suggest that you travel southwest from here, to save time. Maybe even west-southwest, if you think you can move quickly enough, but try to minimize the amount of time you travel off the main road after dark.

While Thia re-laced her boots, Ves and I scoured the cabinets for any kind of food that would travel well. We ended up with bread and dried fruit, both of which we'd had a bit too much of in the last several days, but we weren't about to complain.

One of the cabinets had a lot of glass bottles in various shapes and sizes. Most of them were empty, with only faint traces of colorful liquid remaining on the sides or bottom of the container. There were a few in the back which still contained some kind of (what I assumed to be) potion.

Ves's nose scrunched up in disgust. "Ugh, ever try cleaning?"

"Ah, the potions." Sveja confirmed my theory. "There may be one that could help you, actually. I think it's in a rounded bottle?"

I pushed aside the empty bottles to check those in back. "The purple stuff?"

"No, no, it should be orange. At least, it was when I purchased it."

"Got it. What does it do?"

"It's an Impulse Decoction. I've used them before, at times when I needed to stay awake for an especially long period. What's nice about them, compared to similar, less-expensive, potions, is that there's no aftereffects - negative or otherwise."

I wrapped up the bottle and carefully stashed it in my bag. "Cool, thanks. Surprised you need something like this. Don't you already stay up for days when working?"

"I said 'an especially long period', didn't I? But on that note, those potions should only be used when one has something on which to focus. Otherwise, the stimulation effect can be difficult to handle. It's about halfway full, yes?"

"Uh, yeah, about."

"Split up between the three of you, it won't last its intended duration, but I expect it will get you most of the way home."

We were ready shortly after that. I returned to Sveja's desk to say goodbye, mostly so that she knew we were actually leaving this time. "Alright, we're heading out. Are you going to be okay here?"

The beautiful scholar waved me off. "I'll be fine for a while. Every several years, I have the cabin enchanted with protective wards. Even though the oldest wards should have worn off by now, there should be plenty to keep me safe until I leave. I'll meet up with you later."

With a lifespan like hers - and the way she could lose herself in her work - I half-expected to not see her again for half a century.Come to think of it... I should be so lucky to live that long.

CHAPTER 38 - Impulse Control

Ves was apprehensive about drinking the Impulse Decoction, not that Thia or I were especially thrilled about the idea. It felt like my responsibility, as the party leader, to take the initiative and drink my potion portion first. Thia didn't hesitate at all, taking her third right after me. Ves ultimately relented and finished off the bottle, because Thia and I quickly learned that we had the energy to first speedwalk, then jog, through the forest.

For the record: it didn't taste great. It gave the impression of something that maybeusedto be pretty good, but was long past its expiration date.

Regardless of the flavor, the Decoction was still effective. We were moving significantly faster than our normal rate of travel, even through the rougher terrain of the forest. The only downside was that our bags (apart from the Pack of Plenty) were jostling around more as we ran, making a lot of annoying sounds in the process. Partly as a means of trying to ignore the noise, but largely because we couldn't help ourselves, we found ourselves talking a lot.

"Shoulda guessed we'd run into a cult sooner or later," I grumbled. "They're almost as common as slimes, in fantasy games."

Ves snickered, and pretended to whisper to Thia. "He's talking about his games again."

Thia smiled. "Ithasbeen a while since he's done that. I find it cute; the way that he gets excited about things that are common to us."

"True. But..." Ves sped up so she was side-by-side with me. "Hate to break it to you: cults aren't all that common here."

I scoffed playfully. "So says the girl from the world's smallest village."

"Hah, fair enough! Thia, do you see a lot of cults in Karneissdran?"

"I am not aware of there being any organized groups in recent history. On occasion, someone might make strange claims or espouse odd conspiracies to passersby on the street, but most people do not pay them any attention."

I looked back at her for a moment. "Conspiracies about what?"

"Before becoming a proper city, Karneissdran was originally one of the holds watching over the northern border."

She said it so matter-of-factly, as though it fully explained my question. Before I could inquire further, Ves interjected.

"I guess crazy people are everywhere. And in a place as big and weird as Vanndrenvar, there's enough of them to form a big, crazy, group-- whoa!"

Ves had narrowly avoided a low-hanging branch, and probably would have run into it if she hadn't looked away from Thia at just the right moment. The Impulse Decoction seemed to have an unexpected downside: our enhanced Rogue senses were somewhat dampened. It was a lot like how I felt before I had the class.

Other than that, after the potion had been in my system for a little while, I noticed that it was harder than usual for me to keep to a single train of thought. The idea of using this to focus on work or studying for days at a time seemed ridiculous. I had no way of knowing if it worked differently depending on your species, or if it was just because the potion was old, or if it had anything to do with me.

The latter possibility seemed less likely as the day turned to evening, and my companions proved to be chattier than usual, even as we ran.

"Okay, let's say we get back and everything's fine, or we're able to warn people and stop the cult before anything bad happens." Ves's ears were twitching as she theorized. "What's next? We didn't learn anything useful about the rune, and who knows if what's-her-face will ever show up and give us the class info."

"Ves, I've been meaning to ask you... What was going on at Sveja's place?"

"Right? What a mess."

"No, I mean, you seemed unhappy there." That was putting it mildly, but I wasn't about to accuse Ves of being a rude guest or having a crappy attitude.

"It did seem like Sveja offended you in some way," Thia added. "Do you wish to talk about it?"

I was glad that Thia knew what I was talking about, and had a pleasant way of inquiring.

"What? No, I-- Ugh. It's not really a secret to Jeremy, I guess, but it's embarrassing."

The potion might have helped my brain move a little faster, but either way, I instantly knew what she was talking about.

"...Are you talking about what happened with Tabur's son?"

Thia clearly didn't expect that. "Tabur has a son?"

Ves came to a halt. I stopped running, as well, which immediately felt strange, and Thia nearly collided with Ves.

"Listen, Jeremy, it's not what you think. I'm not worried that Sveja is going to 'steal you away' or anything. You'd have to be pretty stupid to give all this up." She threw her arm around Thia, pulling her closer. Thia looked more confused than ever.

I nodded, shifting uncomfortably from side to side. "Okay, good."

"So, I'm aware of all that, but I still felt jealous. That's what's so embarrassing about it. She was nothing but helpful, and I couldn't get over feeling shitty about yrrven. All I knew about them before the other day was that they're beautiful, and only appear when looking for a mate. Sveja... she's gorgeous, but she wasn't the man-stealing sexpot I expected when she opened the door."

My body was feeling more restless by the second. The others were having trouble standing still, as well. "Well, it's not easy to change long-held beliefs."

"It's not just that, though. As soon as she told us about her class, I thought it would only be a matter of time before she joined our party. You know, between her problems with her class and how fascinated she was with your ability, it seemed like a sure thing."

Thia had squirmed out from Ves's grasp and was pacing around. "It does seem inevitable. She could be a great addition, especially if she becomes able to share and borrow talents with us. That is,ifshe can tear herself away from her work."

Ves bounced on her heels impatiently. "Yes! Definitely! But then that got me thinking about, you know..."

I smirked. Although she was upset, Ves was more irresistible than ever. "'Standard Party Procedure'?"

"Right. AndthenI was upset at myself for assuming that something would automatically happen, and if it did, that it would... I don't know... mess everything up."

God, I want to kiss her, right now."Sounds like a lot to keep inside."

She was looking more flushed than merely blushing with embarrassment. So was Thia, oddly. "Kinda feels good to... get it off my chest." Ves placed a hand on her bosom, which slid down just enough until she was cupping one of her wonderful breasts over her tight dress.

I stepped closer to her. My body was so full of energy, it was practically buzzing. "You should have opened up to me sooner."

"Y-yeah..."

We closed the gap, our lips crushed together, and our hands all over each other. I'd been horny before, but this - this was something else.

I barely managed to get words out between my tongue and Ves's having a long-awaited reunion. "Fucking... potion..."

Ves was already breathing heavily. "It kinda is, huh?" She reached for my pants, her hands shaking, desperate to remove them.

There was no stopping this train, at least, not while Ves was also going at full speed. My mind was a blur. Everything made perfect sense at the time, but the memory is like a hazy dream. Our conversation was unfinished, but our bodies had moved on to something completely different.