Chapter 6: Setting the Bar

As Berta, Eryne and I walk through town, we notice a cowgirl priestess handing out flyers. Looking next to her we see... Mika?! We approach Mika and the cowgirl, accepting one of the flyers she hands us. "Mika, what are you doing here?" Eryne asks, speaking for the rest of us. "KYAAAH... oh... sorry... I-uh... well, I plan on learning holy magic from the local church. I've been thinking about it, and decided to start today, I hope you guys aren't mad... I should've told you before I left this morning," Mika rambles. "I don't know... what if this interferes with our... MHM, work schedule?" I ask. "Oh... well... I'm sure you guys can go one or more mi-," Mika says, cut off by Berta loudly clearing her throat. "Err... a project without me..."

 

What do we do?

 

A. Let Mika continue working with the church, scot-free and no questions asked.

B. Tell her she has to notify the "manager" and that she's responsible for any missed "projects"

C. Deny her from associating with the church any further

 

>A. Let Mika continue working with the church, scot-free and no questions asked.

 

"Alright, well, if you're happy, I'm happy," I say, giving her a wink before taking off for the nearest bar. "I wonder why she never told us about this... what exactly does holy magic do?" I wonder out loud. "Well, it's mainly used for healing and purification, but it can hurt the undead, as well as anyone with a black heart. I also hear if one gets the correct tome, the holy energy can be manifested into a physical form, and used for harming those who are not inherently evil," Berta explains. "Gee Berta, when did you learn so much about magic?" Eryne asks. "Oh, I only know stuff on holy magic, and I'd rather not say 'how' i know it..." she replies, looking a bit uncomfortable after speaking.

 

"Hmm... which tavern is closer? The Five Islands, or Creak Arena Tavern?" I wonder, curious as to which bar we should head to. "Personally, I'm going with Creak. They always have good service and their waiters aren't either hags or total sluts," Eryne says. "Why am I not surprised you know that?" I joke. "So let's head to Creak then, anywhere is fine, as long as they have booze," Berta says. "Creak it is! Now let's get there fast, I'm feeling up for a drink too... now that I think about it," I say, suddenly craving beer.

 

As we walk into the tavern, we notice the wall is aligned with pictures of fish, mermaids, streams, and other sea-themed decorations. "Heh, the irony," I say ,"The waitresses are cat-women." Berta chuckles, while Eryne searches for a booth for us to sit in. One of the waiters, a young cat-girl with black cat ears asks "How may I help you?" "Yeah, got any booths open for three? Maybe even four later?" Eryne asks. "Oh, sorry, we just gave the last booth to the recent group that came in," the woman replies. "Damn, we'll just take a table if that's the case," Eryne says, a bit let down. "Okay, follow me then," the waitress responds, turning around and leading us to our table.

 

She seats us at a table close to a wall, so it almost feels like a booth, which lightens Eryne up a bit. An Elf fiddler plays on stage, hopping around the stage with her bow blazing along her wooden instrument. She plays very well, considering she looks like she's 16, at least... from what I can tell. She wears a large hat, aimed at an angle to hide her face, with a large red feather sticking out of the top. She also wears a thick cloak around her neck, as well as a pair of black gloves and brown boots, curled up at the foot, almost like a jester's.

 

The sudden appearance of the waitress startles me, being lost in deep thought and all. Eryne orders a regular glass of beer, while Berta orders the largest mug that they have. "And what will you have sir?" our waitress asks, her tail swishing to and fro. "Hmm? Oh... I'll have what the Dragon's having," I say, trying to put my concentration back on the fiddler at hand. I keenly stare at her, trying to figure what the hat is concealing. A sudden spin on her part shows that she possess light-purplish hair, a pretty strange color in my opinion. Upon further investigation, I can also confirm that she possess light skin. A loud "thump" out of nowhere table tells me the booze has arrived.

 

Berta quickly chugs a forth of the mug, gulping it down with ease before setting it back down on the table with a happy sigh. The fiddler has long since stopped playing and has vanished to the backstage. She is quickly replaced with a singing mermaid, whom I assume is the daughter, or at the very least, related to the owner of the bar. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice an enormous orc following the entrance to the back stage. Deciding this isn't a coincidence, I hastily get up from the table to follow the green-skinned fiend. As I enter, I notice the orc talking to the Elven girl, who seems uninterested.

 

"C'mon, just one time, all you gotta do is go out with me," the orc sputters from his fat lips. "No means no, so please, do away with yourself," the girl replies, doing her best to hid her face. I tap the shoulder of the beast, saying to him "Hey, the girl doesn't want any of your business, so go away." "Bah, what's some little midget to me?! Olaf, the Orc?! Piss off, before I decide to unsheathe my *hic* weapon," the drunken brute says. I move my arms from my cloak, flashing him my two daggers, Lunra and Solus. "Does the little kitty want to challenge the mean dog? So be it!" the tusked drunk says, raising his fists. I copy him, raising my gloved hands and assuming my fist-fighting stance.

 

Olaf appears!

 

Olaf is slightly tipsy!

 

What will Samuel do?

 

Samuel has 2 BP

 

A. Copy Style

B. Punch the orc in the face

C. Sweep his legs

D. Be a pussy and unsheathe his daggers

 

>C. Sweep his legs

 

Olaf throws a slow swing. I quickly duck, reaching my leg out to kick his shin. The hit connects, and the orc falls forward. He stumbles back up, ready to continue fighting. He tries to slug again, but falls forward without me even doing anything. Gods, how much has this brute drank? He gets up once more, fists raised. He's dizzily stumbling about, swaying from left to right. I figure it probably won't take much to take this horny fiend out, but I should still leave my guard up.

 

Olaf is full-on drunk!

 

What will Samuel do?

 

Samuel has 3 BP

 

A. Mimic Style

B. Guard until he either tires himself out, or faints in his drunken state

C. Straight up punch him in the face

D. Persuade the orc to stop fighting (slightly risky)

 

>C. Straight up punch him in the face

 

Annoyed with the fact that I'm fighting such an incapable opponent, I punch the green skinned man in the face. He falls straight down, almost crashing into the fiddler. It was a clean fall to... the guy fell like a wooden board!

 

Samuel has won the fight!

 

Samuel gained 15 exp points!

 

Sam leveled up! Sam is now level 2!

 

What combat skill will Samuel unlock?

 

A. Lightning Leap (Sam jumps in the air and crashes his blade into his opponent 2BP)

B. Grand Cleave (Sam vertically slashes a mighty cleave, powerful enough to leave craters in the ground 3BP)

C. Whirlwind Slash (Sam focuses on his blade, summoning a vortex of slashes at his enemy, dealing massive damage 4BP)

 

"Jeez... what a pushover, the man fell like a pole..." I say, barely breaking a sweat from the almost-comedic fight. "Hmph, violence wasn't necessary, but your help is appreciated," the small Elf says. "So what do you want? Money? Sex? Just ask, mum's the word after all," the Elf girl says, almost mockingly. "Gee, way to generalize someone who just helped you. I don't want anything, but maybe be a little more appreciative of those who care next time," I say, getting ready to walk out of the backstage exit. "Wait! Ugh, I'm sorry, it's just... well... those are the typical people I run into. I'm sorry for what I said, I should've been less harsh..." the girl replies. "Hmm, okay, thanks then. Oh actually... I do have 'one' little request, if I'm not intruding," I say. "Anything, I'll make it up for how i just acted. Just... no sex, I can't really get into it with strangers," she says. "If that's the case, then how about...

 

A. ...come over and have a drink with me and my friends!"

B. ...show me that face before I go!"

C. ...we hang out some other time?"

 

Sam has learned "Lightning Leap!"

 

>C. ...we hang out some other time?"

 

...we hang out some other time? I came here to enjoy myself with a few of my friends, not to fight drunken orcs. Maybe we can wait up by the church? I have a friend who works there that I visit often, so it shouldn't be too hard to find me there," I tell her. "Oh sure, that sounds great! I'll be on my way, I have another session at an inn, and I prefer to not be late," the girl says, gathering her things and heading out the backdoor.

 

I make my way back to the table we were sitting at, only to notice Berta was not there. I look at my drink I ordered earlier, only to find it empty. Eryne, noticing this, says just one word. "Berta," she says, and I instantly understand. The damn woman can't keep her self away from Death's nectar, and it tends to get her in trouble. "Where did she head to? Or is she outside throwing up on the town road?" I ask. "She went with some little cloaked figure she met outside, looked to be an elf... a very short elf..." Eryne says, trailing off. I realize she might be talking about the fiddler. "Damn, i just don't get a break, do I?" I wonder out loud, annoyed with the fact that I have to go Amazon-Hunting. "Just order me a light beer, I don't want to get buzzed, but I plan on coming back as fast as I can..." I say, walking towards the front exit.

 

"*Sigh*, why do I feel like I'm the only one who knows how to wind down around here?" Eryne blurts out. Alone at the table, she wonders if she could have a little fun, and perhaps pick up a girl or two. "Nah, I'd rather chug down some booze right now," she says, answering her own question. She gets up from the table and heads towards the bar, seating herself in one of the stools. "Heh, you look like a pretty dame, how about you and me fool around?" some drunken harpie says to Eryne, stumbling on his talons. "Piss off, I'm here for a drink.  Besides, I don't have use for a bird-prick like yours anyway..." Eryne replies, insulting the harpie. "Why you, I'll teach you to talk to me like that!" the fowl says in a drunken haze.

 

The harpy-man raises his wings; it's a fight!

 

Harpie (M) appears!

 

What will Eryne do?

 

Eryne has 4BP

 

A. Use Skill (Dragon's Breath 3BP, Flaming Fist 2BP)

B. Just knock the damn fool out with one punch

C. Ignore the fight and go back to drinking

D. Poke more insults at the bird until he begins to ignore her

 

>D. Poke more insults at the bird until he begines to ignore her

 

"Gee, no need to get so worked up feather-head, it only goes SOUTH from here," Eryne says with a smirk. The harpie is not pleased, and aims his arm at Eryne. Eryne moves her head, dodging the wing of the harpie. "Little stupid to fight me, you must be BIRD-BRAINED!" she says, and cannot hold her smile back. The winged man is furious, and shoots a claw towards Eryne's neck. She grabs the claw, and pushes it back, causing the bird to stumble back. "Can you not hit me? What are you? FLIGHT-HEADED?" she says, full on laughing. "UGH, THAT'S IT! NO MORE!" the harpie screams. He attempts to tackle her, charging with all his weight. Eryne casually gets up from her seat, causing the harpie to trip and land his stomach on her seat. "Meh, I could've done better. All I really had to do was DUCK!" she finishes, laughing while she walks away from the harpy, who begins crying at the fact that he could do nothing to stop the ridicule.

 

Eryne has (sort of) won!

 

Eryne gained 0 exp!

 

Eryne has learned "Tease the opponent to the point of tears!" (not really)

 

"Well that was fun," Eryne thinks to herself. "I wonder what Sammy-Boy and the other two are doing. Probably getting scolded... or fucking, if I know Sammy and Berta correctly," Eryne continues to think. "Time for more booze, HEY WAITER, ANOTHER ROUND PLEASE!" Eryne shouts across the room.