The night was approaching late hours as they made it to her house.
“Tunic off, onto the bed.”
Liam didn’t argue back; he simply did as he was told. His desire to feel her touch and healing completely overrode any semblance of pride he’d have shown anyone else. Soon enough, he was on the soft sheets again, lying on his stomach without his top.
He felt her settle beside him. First, her scent enveloped him, then the soothing warmth of her presence. His mind was getting hazy again. A shiver ran through him as her finger glided down his spine.
“You are so tense…”
The single finger became an entire hand, gently massaging his back. The euphoric magic flowed into his being, seeping through his skin where the contact was.
“Close your eyes and relax, Liam; just focus on me. Nothing else matters; clear your mind and let me make everything better.”
The sweetness dripping from her voice, the soothing and gentle tone combined with the divine touch, was an assault on his sense of self. He felt as if he were melting into the bedding underneath. He wanted to reply. He couldn’t. Instead, he just lay there, his face buried into the pillow.
“That is it. You did such good work today. Beating a boss almost entirely by yourself. I do not think anyone could have been as impressive as you were with how you just gritted through the pain. Most would have quit and stopped struggling after the first strike. You are special, Liam.”
The praise was almost as addictive as the feeling of her touch and magic. The combination of the two was something else entirely. His worries or ambitions simply ceased to be. At this very moment, all that mattered to him was the attention she was giving him. He didn’t even realise when he’d fallen asleep during the healing. He only knew his dreams were entirely revolving around her.
The morning light filtered through the window. The first thing Liam felt was the change in the brightness, which had resulted in him escaping the dreamland and returning to the real world. The second thing he felt was the warmth of the woman lying next to him. The realisation awoke him faster than anything else could’ve. His breath hitched; his mind raced.
We slept in the same bed? I don’t remember the night properly. Did we…
He couldn’t finish the thought; his heart was hammering in his chest. His eyes scanned her sleeping form. She was wearing a different nightgown this time. It was longer, but one couldn’t say it left much to the imagination. The black lace clung to her curves so tightly that he wondered how she could even move around or breathe. Every breath she drew, every rise and fall of her chest, was like a revelation to him. The fabric was so thin that it was almost sheer. His throat felt drier than he’d thought possible.
Slowly, he made his way off the bed. Staying there for any longer would’ve been testing his own restraint. That was a line he wouldn’t cross, no matter how tempting a sight she was. He moved around the small house as silently as he could manage, trying to make sure he didn’t wake her. He got his tunic and got dressed. He was torn between leaving and waiting. If he left, then it’d be hard to meet up later since they hadn’t made plans and had no way to make them. If he stayed, he’d just feel awkward. The tightness he felt downstairs was already rather uncomfortable.
He didn’t have to decide. Melissa stirred and slowly sat up.
“Good morning, Liam. I do hope you slept well.”
The groggy sound of her voice was a blow he wasn’t ready for. He loved every moment of it. A brief moment where she didn’t seem perfect. Though arguably that made her even more appealing than if she’d been flawless every second.
“I slept pretty well. It’s like I didn’t break quite a few bones at all yesterday.”
He wasn’t lying; he’d been feeling very good since waking up. A testament to her healing prowess and his own grit, no doubt. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
“I’ll head to the guild and pick up my adventurer card. Meet you up by the city gates when I’m done?”
He watched her get out of bed, trying not to stare and failing.
“That is a good idea. I will wait for you by the gates after I dress up.”
She nodded in agreement as she made her way towards her wardrobe.
He quickly left the house, not wanting to overstay his welcome. He’d thought about staying for a bit longer to see if she’d kick him out or change behind a closed door with him still inside, but that was a question for another day. This morning was meant for picking up the card, the proof of his new promotion to E-rank. His pride swelled in his chest as his steps brought him ever closer to the large building.
He pushed the doors open. Inside was far calmer than he’d ever seen before. He wasn’t exactly a regular inside the hall at morning hours, so he assumed the timing was the reason for the lack of the infuriating noise levels of the nights.
“There he is, that’s him!”
Someone shouted and pointed at him. Quickly, he was surrounded by a couple of adventurers and some guild officials. He was utterly confused about what was going on.
Are they here to congratulate me for my promotion? I know it was fast, but I didn’t realise it was such a big deal; so many officials are here.
The satisfaction he felt crumbled within moments as one of the officials spoke. “Liam D’trea, you’re being suspected of killing a guild official. You’ll come with us to answer some questions.”
Liam turned to face the man, realising he was the same one from the day he registered.
This has to be a joke, right? When could I even have managed to pull that off?
He was in utter disbelief and bewilderment at the claim.
“I didn’t do anything.”
He tried to shout, but the words lacked power due to his shock. He realised very quickly that this wasn’t a joke. The large man started to shove him towards the back. He briefly thought about fighting back, but it’d be pointless. Too many against him, and even if he, by some miracle, won, there was nowhere to go afterwards. He’d be a fugitive, and his dream of being the first to clear a dungeon would just crumble to dust. He didn’t resist.
The door to the back office shut behind the group with a heavy thud.
“You’re the last person to speak to the guild receptionist, Lana, when she was alive. She died rather suspiciously after your interaction. We believe you used magic to kill her when you made contact.”
He was about to ask who that even was, but before he even finished the thought, he realised who they were referring to.
The girl from yesterday.
He shook his head side to side rapidly.
“There has to be a mistake; she was fine when I left. Besides, I don’t even have any mana; you can ask at the academy. My readings were always zero; I couldn’t have cast a spell like that even if I wanted to.”
The admission left a bitter taste in his mouth. He hated being reminded that he didn’t have any mana to imbue his body with while fighting to be more effective at combat. Almost all adventurers had some, and all the best ones had it in spades.
Not every mana user was a spellcaster; that took years of study and a rare mutation, but every spellcaster needed to have mana. The fact that he had no mana at all was the best defence he could offer.
An older official with graying hair raised an eyebrow. An adventurer without any mana was very rare. One who made it past F-rank was even rarer.
“Then you won’t mind if we check that claim by testing you here with our own orb, I presume.”
The same old man said.
“Not at all.”
Liam was confident he’d be safe from all accusations once the truth was seen by everyone in the room. He despised that truth nonetheless. His biggest shame and weakness would be revealed to anyone who was anyone in this branch of the guild. He felt anger more than anything else.
Pathetic, utterly humiliating.
His thoughts were a mix of self-deprecation and rage against the unfairness of the world as the orb was brought towards him. He slowly put his hand down onto the orb as he had done a few times in the academy. He took a deep breath and then sighed. His eyes locked onto the see-through crystal, waiting for the disappointing result that always showed: utter nothingness.
His eyes widened in unadulterated shock.
It can’t be!
There was a flickering light, too small to even matter, let alone suggest spellcasting ability. However, it was undeniably there.
“It seems you’re indeed not capable of casting spells. This is truly a small enough pool that I completely understand why you said you had no mana. We apologise for the inconvenience; you’re free to take your card and leave.”
They thought he was being figurative when he said he didn’t have mana. He wasn’t. This was probably the best day of his life. Even just a small flicker of mana was better than none after all.