Outside the Wall of Salusbreath — 12:00 PM
Dylan, Connor, and Rose stood taking shelter beneath the wooden overhang of a small local shop, shielding themselves from the heavy downpour.
Today was the day they were scheduled to embark on their very first mission. However, right at 7:00 AM, a torrential rainstorm had broken out. To make matters worse, due to the barrier dome safeguarding the noble sector, the rainfall cascaded directly off the dome onto the outer city below the Wall, carving deep streams of water across every dirt road.
"The privilege is real," Dylan remarked, staring up at the barrier dome.
Beside him, Connor nodded with a grimace without looking up, carefully reading over the mission details they had been assigned.
"Do you think the mission will be difficult?" Rose asked, gazing up at the dome with curiosity about what it looked like on the inside. "Will we be fighting a monster?... Do monsters wear clothes, or do they walk around with their members hanging out?"
Connor and Dylan both stopped what they were doing and slowly turned to stare at Rose, wearing a mix of confusion and mild perplexity at her question.
"Just curiosity... no need to answer," Rose defended herself quickly.
Connor let out a sigh, raising his eyebrows and shaking his head before returning to the paper, pretending as if nothing had happened.
"Looks like this rain isn't letting up anytime soon, and the mission has to be completed today," Connor began, slipping the paper into his pocket. "We don't have much of a choice; we have to go now."
Dylan winced but nodded. He had no desire to go around hunting beasts or putting his life on the line, but unfortunately, he had a desperate need to sleep under a dry roof instead of out in the rain—and for that, he needed money.
Ten minutes later, the three set out toward the outskirts of the capital. Their mission was to gather blood flowers in the forest near the city limits and cull a band of goblins that had been harassing local farmers.
"So, are goblins strong?" Rose asked, struggling to carry her pack over her head while trudging through the thick mud. "I've read plenty of manga and novels, but to be honest, every author depicts them differently."
"Goblins? Nah, they're utter idiots. They screech before they even attack; it's practically impossible to lose to them, especially now that you've taken the Initiation Potion. It'll be like fighting children," Connor stated with a broad smile, making no effort to cover himself from the rain pouring down on him.
"What a comparison..." Dylan muttered, covering himself from the rain just like Rose.
"You won't find any resemblance, don't worry. Those beasts are uglier than a kick to the balls!" Connor snorted, bursting into laughter.
The three continued trudging through the heavy downpour for hours. By 3:00 PM, they arrived at the forest edge; fortunately, the rain had finally subsided, though the sky remained overcast.
"Does the sky ever clear up around here?" Dylan asked.
"Yeah, for about two weeks out of the year. Salusbreath is one of the few regions with constant heavy rainfall," Connor explained, tossing his pack onto a clump of bushes. "Six months of rain and six months of endless gloom."
"Wow, life and atmosphere in Salusbreath must be pretty depressing," Rose guessed, but Connor shook his head.
"Nah, only for commoners like civilians and us. The nobles are living the high life. For them, it only rains when they want it to," Connor stated.
"The dome," Dylan said, and Connor nodded as he pulled out the mission scroll to re-read it.
"Alright, time to hunt for those blood flowers. We need at least fifty... damn, we really are running low on Healing Potions, aren't we?" Connor commented with a surprised grimace.
"And what does the flower look like, exactly?" Rose asked curiously.
"Dark red... like blood, hence the name," Connor answered, tucking the mission paper away.
"And the goblins?" Dylan asked; that was the critical part of the mission for him.
"We'll head east once we gather the flowers. There's a farm over there where the goblins were spotted," Connor replied, pulling out a leather pouch. "Then we slice off their left ears and stuff them in here as proof that we actually killed them."
With a collective nod, the three began searching the forest floor. It didn't take long before Rose discovered a small patch of blood flowers, harvesting fifteen of them.
Shortly after, Dylan spotted another cluster, collecting twenty more, and Connor rounded up an additional twenty—all within a matter of minutes.
"Well, that didn't take long at all!" Rose remarked with growing confidence.
Rose leaned over, adjusting her long hair to get a better look at the flowers and count them again. It was only then that Dylan realized something he hadn't considered earlier.
"Hey, Connor... did Rosevelle always look like that? I mean, before Rose?" Dylan asked, pointing toward Rose's female silhouette.
"No idea, I never met him until recently," Connor shrugged, genuinely unbothered. The guy was dead, and Rose was the one occupying the body now. This story is hosted at g.com.
Overhearing the question, Rose turned to look at the two of them.
"Ummm, no. From what the Master told me, Rosevelle looked much more masculine. He said this is more of an effect of my soul influencing the magic core inside me," Rose revealed.
Both of them stared at Rose in surprise, unaware that a magic core could alter one's physical body so significantly.
"Oh, so that's why you look more like a girl and even have a small one down there?" Connor asked out of raw curiosity.
(Damn it! I never thought I'd have to deal with these kinds of questions... I swear I'll never insult a man's size ever again!) Rose thought, blushing with embarrassment. "I suppose so... I mean, I didn't have one to begin with."
"Hold on a second!" Dylan cut in immediately. "If your core adapted to your soul, making your body more feminine, does that mean you are still just Mia and not some sort of fusion of both of you?"
"Yeah. I think the best way to put it is that I'm just me in a guy's body. Nothing about me changed except my physical vessel," Rose confirmed.
"Then why change your name from Mia to Rose? Isn't that unnecessary?" Dylan pressed further.
"Well, that's mostly because of my death back in our previous world... I wanted to start completely fresh," Rose revealed, earning a knowing nod from Connor.
"Like a phoenix? I can respect that," Connor admitted, clapping a hand on Rose's shoulder before stepping over to his pack on the bushes.
The three stowed the flowers into Connor's backpack and were preparing to head toward the farm when a sudden rustle echoed from one of the trees overhead.
All three froze, looking up toward the forest canopy. Complete silence hung over them for a few seconds until a harsh screech broke it.
"GAAHK!" A greyish-green creature with a bat-like nose screeched, leaping directly from a branch toward Connor.
With complete composure, Connor took a single step back. The three watched as the goblin crashed face-first onto the ground like a sack of flour, knocking the wind right out of itself.
Wearing a look of utter disapproval, Connor drew his sword and plunged it straight into the goblin's neck, leaving it to choke on its own blood.
"So they do have it hanging out," Rose commented, staring at the goblin's exposed member as it twitched on the ground.
"The fucking goblin is bleeding to death right in front of your eyes, and the thing that catches your attention is its dick? Besides, it's wearing a loincloth," Dylan pointed out, gesturing to the loincloth that had shifted from the goblin's desperate thrashing. However, he hadn't failed to notice that Rose had brought this up several times throughout the day.
"You... I think the Master is going to have his hands full with you," Connor remarked, agreeing with Dylan.
(What's so wrong with a girl checking out a guy's body?) Rose thought, pouting slightly. But then she looked down at the goblin. (Well... that certainly isn't a man, it's a male goblin.)
Connor crouched down and sliced off the goblin's left ear, tossing it into the leather pouch.
After ensuring they had all their gear, the three set off through the forest toward the farm, hoping to run into the rest of the goblins along the way.
They walked quietly and patiently through the woods to avoid alerting the creatures. After an hour of trekking, they spotted a farmhouse in the distance, and right on cue, a band of goblins came into view.
The goblins were crouching, attempting to conceal themselves among the bushes. Connor suspected they were waiting for nightfall.
"Remember what I told you: don't hesitate to swing your weapons. These creatures attack out of a pure desire to devour human flesh," Connor reminded them.
Dylan and Rose nodded somewhat hesitantly, but advanced nonetheless. The three surrounded the goblins, and at Connor's signal, they struck.
"Now!" Connor yelled.
The three charged into the bushes, swinging their swords without hesitation.
Connor's blade severed a goblin's head instantly before fluidly transitioning toward the next target.
Rose's sword lodged itself deep into a goblin's skull, spattering her with blood. She looked surprised to find she possessed enough physical strength to drive the blade halfway through the creature's face.
Dylan, on the other hand, swung his sword across the chest of a goblin, slashing open both its torso and stomach. Predictably, the goblin's guts spilled out as it desperately tried to stuff them back inside—it was a futile effort, but the creature instinctively knew those organs belonged inside its body.
"Catch those other two! I'll finish this one and harvest the ears. Don't forget to bring the ears back!" Connor ordered, acting as the most experienced member of the group.
Without argument, Dylan and Rose gave chase, splitting up along the path. Dylan followed the trail of snapped branches and trampled foliage until he spotted the fleeing goblin caught in a thicket.
"Foolish human! How dare you attack me?!" the goblin shrieked in rage.
"Sigh... This one talks," Dylan muttered reluctantly. Hearing it speak made it much harder to view it as a mindless monster. "Sorry, goblin. Nothing personal."
"Idiot! You think you can attack me?! The great—"
SWISH
Dylan's sword cut the goblin's words short. A spurt of blood erupted from its neck, staining Dylan's clothes as the creature collapsed dead.
"Dead," Dylan confirmed to himself. His hand trembled slightly—this wasn't his first time striking a living creature, but it was his first time taking a life.
With his trembling hand, he reached down to grab the goblin's ear to harvest it, but his sword hand shook so violently that his grip felt weak.
(Sigh... calm down, Dylan. There's no other choice. It's not a person, nor a rational being,) Dylan reminded himself, finally steeling his nerve to slice off the ear.
Five minutes later, the three reunited. The mission was complete; it was time to head back to the guild.
"Guys, how about we take a bath first? We're covered in blood," Rose offered, pointing off toward the trees. "When I was chasing my goblin, I found a river over in that direction."
"Great idea, Rose! We need to look presentable when we report back to the guild!" Connor exclaimed, heading off toward the river.
A few minutes later, the three were wading in the river, washing off the blood. Dylan scrubbed the dried blood from his skin vigorously, while Connor floated comfortably in the water, reminded of his hometown.
A short distance away from them, Rose stood with her back turned. She looked noticeably tense, her body trembling slightly as the water around her rippled continuously.
"Come on, Rose, relax a bit. It was your idea to come here," Connor said, noticing her restless posture.
"Yeah, Rose, relax. We're all guys here..." Mid-sentence, Dylan trailed off into deep realization as he turned to look at Rose—specifically at the water sloshing rapidly around her lower waist. "Rose?..." he called out cautiously.
Noticing Dylan's reaction, Connor caught on as well, looking directly over at Rose and spotting the subtle, rapid side-glances she kept casting toward them.
"Rose, what are you doing?" Dylan asked, terrified of the answer.
"Ah... it's nothing, guys... I just need a moment alone," Rose panted, the water splashing faster around her. "Yeah... I just need to calm down!"
In that instant, Dylan's eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
"Shit, you're not agitated—you're jerking off!" Dylan blurted out furiously.
"NO... I swear, guys... I just... need a few seconds!" Rose gasped, turning her head back to look straight at Connor, the water thrashing even harder.
"NO, ROSE, DON'T LOOK AT ME!" Connor pleaded, scrambling out of the river as fast as he could, with Dylan right on his heels.
"Calm down... I'm almost done..." Rose whispered, biting her lower lip.
The trek back to the guild was painfully awkward. Not a single one of them uttered a word the entire way. However, Rose's face bore a distinct red mark—clearly the result of a slap, or rather a strike from a flexible tree branch—yet her expression showed absolute zero regret. In fact, she wore a deeply satisfied smile.
(Totally worth it,) Rose thought, remembering the sharp smack Connor had delivered with a branch when he caught her staring while relieving herself.
Upon arriving at the guild, they reported directly to Derek. He immediately picked up on the bizarre atmosphere hanging over the trio, but when he inquired about it, no one offered an answer; Rose simply blushed beet red.
Dylan stared down at the leather pouch containing the goblin ears for a few seconds longer than necessary.
(I hope the next ones don't talk,) Dylan thought to himself.