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The Human From a Dungeon 87
🕑 Added 2025-01-20 11:19:48 +0000 UTCChapter 87
Yulk Alta
Adventurer Level: 7
Orc - Nulevan
Seeing our mother again was just what we needed. Traveling back home had been a pleasant journey, but nothing beats the smell of home. Nash was devastated to learn that mother had just started the stew, though, and it wouldn't be ready until tomorrow.
We opted to grab a bite to eat at the adventurer's guild and invited mom to join us, but she had other plans for dinner. Tales of our adventures would likely have to wait until the next day, which was fine by us. It gave us that much more time to figure out which parts to leave out.
We entered the guild, placed our order with Nima, and took a seat at one of the elongated tables. Nash likes sitting in the middle of tables for some reason. Speaking of stuff that Nash likes...
"Should we check our levels?" I asked Nash with a grin.
"Maybe after food, I'm starving," he replied, ignoring the jab but blushing slightly.
I chuckled slightly, but felt a small pang of envy. Not because I have any sort of amorous feelings toward Nima, but because I've never felt the way that they do. At least, I don't think so.
I have been told that I'm quite clueless when it comes to romantic situations. I'll admit that the art of flirting requires a conversational subtlety that eludes me most of the time, but I definitely feel like I would know it if a woman liked me in that manner. And no matter what anyone tells me, I still feel like puns and wordplay aren't the best indicator of romantic interest.
"I heard somebody say food," a booming voice from behind me said.
Nash and Nick's eyes widened, and I turned around to find Thunra Grantuf standing behind me. The absolutely massive orc beamed at us. I glanced back at my brothers and caught Nick instinctively placing a hand on his stomach. Nash recovered from the shock first.
"Thunra! Good to see you again," he said. "What brings you to these parts?"
The big brawler took the question as an invitation and plopped down into the empty seat next to me and directly across from Nick.
"Guardin' a caravan that happened to be headed this way. Stumbled on the job after the group split, and it paid well enough that I decided to take a little vacation."
"The group split?" I asked.
"Well, yeah. We weren't exactly a long-term team. I brought up becomin' one, but Joni and Yhisith wanted to take a break and spend some of the coin we earned. Matri had some personal stuff to deal with. So, bein' the last remainin' member of the group, I started lookin' for jobs, can never have 'nuff coin, and found one that brought me out this way. Figured it was the best chance to see you lot again."
Thunra sat there with a grin on his face, as if expecting us to ask why he wanted to see us again. Nick, Nash, and I shared a glance, and it was apparent that we were all aware of the reason. We sat there awkwardly for a moment before Nick let out a small sigh.
"Why did you want to see us again, Thunra?" Nick asked in a slightly sarcastic tone.
"To train you!" Thunra laughed. "You show promise, kid! With my help, you'll be a full class brawler in just a couple of months. Maybe a year."
"Ah, well... Actually I'm gonna be enrolling in the magic academy."
"The what?"
"High Chief Ulurmak is heading up the creation of a school dedicated to the study of magic in Kirkena," I explained. "I'll be teaching there, and Nick is wanting to be a student."
"Oh really?" the mountainous orc frowned. "When did they get that built?"
"It's not finished yet. The High Chief said it would be a couple of weeks."
"Perfect! We can train in the meantime!" Thunra grinned again. "Since we're in the village, you'll be able to get good food and rest, which will help you learn even faster. Then, once you're done schoolin', we can tackle your trainin' proper. You'll be a brawler-mage! Imagine, a fireball with one hand and a fist with the other!"
Thunra let out a hearty laugh. Nick, however, looked as if he was struggling not to vomit. Or, perhaps, cry.
"I, um..." Nick paused to collect himself. "I was kind of hoping to-"
"Thunra's got a good point," Nash said with an evil chuckle. "You're already as far as I can take you with the sword. Focusing on magic will be good, but failing to take the opportunity to gain some more hand-to-hand skills would be foolish."
Nick looked to me, his eyes begging for help. The gaze reminded me of a pupper begging to go for a walk, and would normally be rather effective. Unfortunately...
"I agree," I said, tactfully avoiding Nick's pleading gaze. "The stronger we become, the better the odds of us getting you home."
"Then it's settled," Thunra said, reaching across the table and patting the deflated human on the shoulder. "I'll be seeing you boys tomorrow at the trainin' pit."
"You're not going to join us for dinner?" I asked.
"Huh? Oh, y'mean what I said earlier? Nah, I was just kiddin', I already ate," he laughed. "Thought it'd be a funny way to announce myself."
Thunra's hefty mass rose from next to me and we said our farewells. Nash and I glanced at Nick, who had the visage of someone who has just been told about their upcoming funeral, and shared a look of mirth. The human's aversion to painful training spoke of a lifetime of soft living, and while on some levels it was pitiable, on others it was pretty amusing.
Before I could voice that opinion, the sound of a different and much lighter rump hitting the chair next to me drew my attention. I turned with a start, only to find that Yini had taken the seat previously occupied by Thunra. Catalina and Nimora stood nearby, staring at her in shock.
"H-hello Yini," I stammered, surprised by this development.
"You didn't come say hi," she said angrily.
"We only just got back," I replied. "Got off the cart, saw mom, then came to get dinner. I was planning to see you and the girls for lessons tomorrow. I have a new book about the fair folk and learned quite a deal about them on our travels."
Yini's face had softened until I mentioned lessons. She scoffed dramatically as the other girls found a seat. Catalina sat next to Yini, and Nimora walked over to the chair next to Nick and claimed it. Nash and I raised our eyebrow at Nimora, and she crossed her arms at us, challenging us to say something about it.
"Will you be joining us for dinner?" I asked.
"Yes, and you're paying as an apology for ignoring us," Yini said.
"That's fine. You make fine company."
The compliment caused her to become a slightly darker shade of green. Like whenever I mentioned Nima to Nash in a romantic light. But Yini always gets bashful when she's complimented, so I thought nothing more of it.
"Careful, brother," Nash warned. "We made plenty of coin in our travels, but these three are bottomless pits."
"I think you'll find that I have QUITE the bottom, Nash," Yini said, her tone approaching a growl.
Nash raised his eyebrows and chuckled, having immediately picked up on the double meaning. I put a hand to my mouth and pretended to cough to hide my own laughter. Yini glanced at the two of us with confusion before realizing what she had said.
"W-wait, that's not what I meant," she stammered. "I meant that I'm easy to fill."
Nash's grin widened.
"WITH FOOD!"
Before the inadvertent innuendo could continue, Nima arrived with our food. She smiled, set down our platter and pitcher, then pulled up a chair and sat next to Nash. His expression morphed from a mirth-filled smugness into shy reservation, and I treated him to the same grin he had just been wearing.
"Joining us, Nima?" I asked.
"Of course. You were the last lot in for dinner, so I've got nothing better to do."
"Well, actually, the girls here wa-"
"We're fine," Yini said hurriedly. "Don't mind us."
Nima gave Yini a smile that indicated that my pupil had correctly read the situation and made the right decision. I nodded sagely at Yini, and she punched me in the arm. Softly, though, as if chiding me for my lack of social awareness.
"So, what have you boys been up to?" Nima asked.
Nash looked too shy to speak, and Nick was staring pointedly at the table. The girls were wearing their normal attire, which by the standards of most cultures would be considered revealing. Having been well-inoculated against the sexualization of mammary tissue, I hadn't even noticed.
"Well, as you know, we initially made our way to Kirkena because the High Chief wanted to meet Nick," I said, taking the initiative in the tale-telling.
Nash and Nick began to eat as I relayed our adventures to the girls between bites of my own food. I told them about the bandit attack, our encounters with the fair folk, the awakened High Dragon, our reward for saving a certain merchant whose name escaped me, our trip to Calkuti, our fight with the vampires, the kobolds, and nearly everything else. The only parts I left out were the ones in which we nearly died.
The sun had passed the horizon and its light had fled the guild by the time I was wrapping up the story of our adventures thus far. I paused when the story came to our last meeting with Ulurmak. I stared at my food in the torchlight, trying to find the best way to word what happened next.
"The High Chief plans to open a school that is focused on the study of magic in Kirkena," I told them. "Nick plans to enroll, and I have been invited to teach."
Nima excitedly congratulated me, but I felt a sudden darkness coming from my left. Yini had always been fond of her teacher, almost to the point of being clingy. The news of my upcoming move was bound to upset her. I glanced at my pupil, but instead of anger I saw resolve.
"How do I enroll?" she asked.
"Wh-what?" I stammered.
"How do I enroll in this new school?"
"You're capable of magic?"
"I don't know. Never tried. Even if I'm not, though, having people study it academically can't be a bad thing."
"W-well... I don't know..."
"What do you mean? I'm a good student, aren't I?" she asked with a pout.
"It's not that," I said. "I mean I don't know how one goes about enrolling. Nick was in a unique position to do so."
"Guess you'll just have to tag along when they leave for school," Catalina interjected.
"I'll do the same," Nimora replied. "I've been wondering if I have any sort of magical aptitude."
Nash had recovered from his bashfulness and returned the look I'd given him when Nima had sat next to him. I looked at him with bewilderment. Nick was staring at me with a raised eyebrow. I took a moment to recover from my shock, and leaned back in my chair.
"I guess that will be fine. So long as your parents approve."
"Yulk, we're only a couple of months younger than you are," Yini sighed. "Even if our parents aren't fine with it, they can't stop us."
"I know, but I'd rather not get angry mail from them. Your mother has a penchant for targeting insecurities and quite the way with words."
"It'll be fine. What about you, Catalina?"
"Oh, I'm fine staying here," Catalina laughed. "Magic is confusing, and I don't want to leave the village. I'll miss you two, though."
The girls began cooing over each other while the rest of us watched awkwardly. I noticed that Nick and Nash had finished their food and began to eat mine a bit faster. Once I was done and things had settled down with my students, Nash let out a contended sigh.
"Well, we should head home," he said. "It's getting pretty late."
"Oh, I don't know," Nima smiled slyly. "I think there's one more thing to do before you leave."
Nash went stiff.
"What would that be?" I asked.
"Well, shouldn't we check your levels? You just had a big adventure."
"Can't we do it tomorrow?" I asked with an evil grin.
"I think we should do it right now, sweetie," Nima's smile turned cold and she stood. "Come on, let's go."
Nick, Nash, and I stood and followed her. The girls remained at the table, whispering to each other. We approached the counter as Nima retrieved the thingamajig that connects to the Curaguard. The rectangular box with six stubby legs made a soft thud as she set it on the counter.
"I'll go first," I said, pulling out my guild card and grinning. "Nick will go next. Save the best for last, right?"
Nima laughed a little as she took the metallic card from me and inserted it into the box. Blue and green lights swirled until they formed patterns and a hand-print. I placed my hand on the symbol and felt a slight static discharge.
"Looks like no change for me," I said. "Same level and everything."
"That sucks, I'm sorry," Nick replied.
"Oh no, it's fine. I haven't exactly been trying to improve my level. Hardly any point for a magic user, you see. Your turn."
Nima gave me back my card and took Nick's. Once the lights were done shifting, Nick placed his hand on the palm-print. I suddenly remembered what happened the last time we did this, but before I could say anything Nick took his hand off the light and the symbols began to shift. The human didn't look injured, so I turned my attention to what the box said.
"Oh, you're level nine, now," I said, suddenly worried about Nash's response. "Congratulations."
"Thanks," he replied nervously, likely for the same reason.
Nash, however, seemed to be a thousand miles away. I kind of felt the same way, actually. Nash had agreed to court Nima once he was level ten. It would result in a change in lifestyle, and I would get far less time with my brother. My role as a teacher in Kirkena would exacerbate that.
I always knew this day would come, of course. He or I would get married and have children, or we would take a different path in our careers. Then we would be limited to seeing each other whenever we got the chance. Part of me hoped that he was still only level nine. I'd rather have him grumble about Nick being an upstart than face the cold reality that awaits.
He gave Nima his guild card and swallowed heavily. Nima gave Nick back his card and put Nash's into the box. We all held our breath as Nash reached out and placed his hand on the hardened light. Once he took his hand away, Nima and I gasped as the symbols shifted. Nash looked back and forth between us.
"You're level eleven," I managed to say.
Nash and I shared a look, knowing exactly what this meant. His courtship with Nima would cause us to drift apart for the first time in over a decade. We gave each other a solemn nod, then Nash turned to Nima with a smile.
"Marry me," he said.
Comments
Ben Bass
TYFTC! Aww, that is adorable! I wonder how he will feel when he suddenly wakes up tomorrow with a huge headache and no clue as to what happened!
Aerowarrier
Also she’s gonna slap the shit outta him for thinking it would be that simple xD
Aerowarrier
It’s kinda wild he went up two whole levels though isn’t it? That seems like a hard thing to do
ZBTmaniac
Hell yeah, he knows what he wants and was ready to ask Hopefully she says yes lol Also love the unspoken communication between them all. Feels realistic, even when spelled out the way it is here.
DarkValorWolf
INSTANT "MARRY ME" OMG damn what a man, go get it.
