Jonathan A Countyman
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Chapter Thirty-Five Huh? Why can’t I change?
🕑 Added 2020-03-27 19:39:37 +0000 UTCThis took a lot longer to write than I had planned, but here it is. Anyway, I was also thinking I should improve the Synopsis of the story currently over on SH. Any input from you guys on that would be highly appreciated.
Hikaru stopped for a moment to rub her feet. They were starting to ache a bit, but they had been walking a lot today. They had picked up the pace this morning as they were getting close to a town. She glanced at the pair of naked goblin girls and remembered what Amy had told her. Since they had technically tamed them, they would need to buy both goblins a collar and register them with the local tamer’s guild. The registration won’t carry much weight outside Dragon Clan territory, but it would actually protect the goblins to a degree. Apparently, in some circles, female goblins were highly desired as exotic sex pets. They would also be expected to name their tamed goblins when they register them. Then there was the other problem that they would have to take care of.
Aside from Ruri, their party was broke. They had spent ever coin they had on supplies back at the village. Thankfully they had picked up some monster pelts on the road. Selling those would provide them with some funds for the party. What Hikaru was looking forward to the most was the chance for a proper bed, and hopefully, one she didn’t have to share. She glanced at Ruri, the small human girl really wanted to go back to being a man for a bit. Being a girl was a little stressful, but it helped her state of mind knowing that she could turn back anytime she wanted. All the new things could be a bit overwhelming at times.
Then thoughts of the last few nights surfaced, and she blushed heavily. Amy had been teaching her all about the pleasures of being a girl in addition to their normal magic training. She tried not to admit even to herself, but she actually enjoyed those nightly activities to the point that she might be a little addicted.
Having finished rubbing her feet, she resumed walking towards the gate. Her fellow party members had taken the brief break to rest their own feet as well. As they walked she continued to think about what she had experienced last night. Just thinking about it made her a little wet, something that she hoped no one noticed. Last night, Amy had introduced her to a magically enhanced massage followed by some rather interesting use of her fingers. She had never even considered that fingers could be used that way, and Amy hadn’t even been using magic when she got to that part. She pushed the thoughts away, as now wasn’t the time to think about last night.
Before she knew it they had reached the town gate. This was an actual town, that served as a local trade hub in the region. Yilsu was a rather important town, that collected materials from local farming villages and even traded with the wandering clans. The town was surrounded by aging but well maintained stone walls that towered into the sky. Hikaru guessed that they were around 12 meters high, maybe a little taller. The stone was well weathered from years of rain and wind but it still seemed sturdy. The gates were large wooden doors that were reinforced with steel. The gates were open, and luckily there wasn’t much of a line.
Only a small cart was ahead of them, so it didn’t take long for them to reach the guard post. A pair of bored-looking middle-aged guards were manning the post. Amy was the first to speak with them, and she was quickly asked for her identification. She produced her pendant that she got from the dragon, and the guard slipped into a slot on a strange magical device. A crystalline plate suddenly glowed and black characters appeared on its clear surface. The guard looked over the characters and then asked for the next id.
Ruri moved forward the process repeated, and then it was her turn. Hikaru hesitated a moment and then gave her pendent. This time she got a good look at her information appearing on the plate and was embarrassed to see her title right there for anyone to see. Thankfully the guard didn’t comment or laugh about it. He handed the pendants back, and then said, “Well everything seems to be in order. I see all of you are registered with the Aurora’s Temple, but non of you are registered with a local guild. I would recommend that you look into registering with a guild as it brings some benefits. Enjoy your stay in our fine town.”
Amy gave them a bright smile, and then mentioned the pair of goblins. The guards gave them one look, and then quickly printed up a pair of temporary passes for them. Then he requested a few copper marks as the fee. Amy did have a few coppers, and handed over the requested amount.
With that done, they were free to enter the town. They had a couple hours before sundown, so they went to the market. They all agreed that stopping by the Tamer’s or Adventurer’s guild would have to wait until tomorrow. They would need funds first, so that meant selling off the pelts and such they had gotten on the road. The Pandark fur they had was in great condition, and Hikaru had learned from Amy that they were a good source of income. Well worth the trouble of getting them. Given that the one they had came from a King it was even more valuable. Amy thought she could get about four gold marks for it. She also knew exactly who to sell it to as well. Sure they could sell it to the guild, but they would get more if they sold directly. The fur could be made into a number of luxury products, so they were looking for a shop that sold things like that to the upper class. The clans didn’t have a noble class, but they did have a wealthy upper class. Mostly clan leaders, merchants, and the upper-rank priests and priestesses made up that class.
The market wasn’t far from the gate, and it came as no surprise that not many people were around given the hour. Hikaru followed Amy through the market while reading the various signs over the shop windows. There were a number of shops still open even if the stalls had long closed. It wasn’t long before Amy stopped before a small wooden building. The building stood out a bit. It was well maintained and the plants in the windows looked healthy. The sign over the door proclaimed that they sold furniture and rugs.
Amy opened the door, and they followed her in. A younger woman was sitting behind a desk and smiled when they walked in. Hikaru took a brief glance around the room and noticed a few pieces of furniture arranged on display, and couple of fur rugs were hanging on the wall. Along with a few that were spread around the floor. Then her gaze went back to the young woman who was standing up.
She was a rather average and unremarkable young lady with one exception. Hikaru’s attention was drawn to her bulging belly. She moved carefully, and while keeping her business smile said, “Welcome!. How can we help you? I have few designs on display over there, or do you already have a design in mind?”
Amy stepped forward and politely explained, “We aren’t looking to buy. My companions and I recently obtained a King Pandark fur. Would you happen to be interested in it?”
The woman chuckled, and replied, “A King Pandark, you say? I’ll have to look at it first.”
Amy nodded, and had their goblin pack mule pull out the fur she was carrying. The woman looked it over, and Hikaru noticed that she seemed rather pleased with what she saw.
“It’s in much better shape than what I normally see around here. I’ll give six gold marks for it.”
That seemed to catch Amy of guard and she sputtered for a moment before she finally said, “Six!!!?”
“Well, it is quite obvious that someone cleaned the fur after it was killed, and that a priestess mended the few tears in the skin. The fur is quite lustrous indicating that the Pandark was top condition before you took him down. I think six is quite generous for a fur this good.”
Amy numbly nodded her head and agreed to the price. Hikaru had never seen her act that way before, but she had to admit that she was surprised as well. Ruri also seemed a little surprised, and they left the shop with more coin than they had expected to have. They still had a few other items to sell, but they were less luxurious. Seeing as Amy was a little out of things, Hikaru took the lead, and led them to another shop that sold mostly general goods.
By following all the little tricks she had picked up from Amy, she was able to sell them for another gold mark in total. That gave the entire party seven gold marks in funds, that would need to be divided later. A really decent haul for a few days travel. That didn’t count the few odd silvers they had gained as well though, and at some point, Amy must have rebooted.
As soon as they stepped out of the second shop, Amy wrapped herself around Hikaru. Then she happily said, “That was quite a good job, glad to see that you have learned how to use your charms to get a better deal.”
She nodded and tried not to think about what she had just done, while saying, “It’s late, and now that we have some coin, I think we should focus on finding a place to say.”
“There is an inn just a couple blocks down the road. Nothing fancy, but they are clean, have plenty of space, and have good food.”
Hikaru glanced at Amy surprised, and she shrugged saying, “Hey, while you were selling our loot, I was asking questions.”
“Well it sounds good, but I didn’t hear anything about the beds.”
Ruri interjected, “I asked, the beds are supposed to be decent. Again nothing fancy or special, but way better than a bedroll.”
Hikaru nodded, and said, “I guess we can go there.”
A couple of hours later, Hikaru was locking the door for her own private room. Right next door was Amy, and across the hall was Ruri. The two goblins had been placed in the room next door to Ruri’s. The inn wasn’t all that expensive, but looking around the room seemed decent enough. All the essentials were in the room, and there was even an attached bath. To use it however was an extra five silvers, and she would have to ask a maid to fill it for her. Silvers, they had all chosen not to spend, as they were electing to bath in the morning.
She double-checked the lock on the door to make sure that it was locked and satisfied that it would stay locked, she gripped her staff. It had been days since she had last been in her male form, and she just wanted to spend a few hours in that form. Reaching into herself, she focused her mana into the staff, and willed it to return her to her male form. Just like every time she had before. The staff glowed briefly, and when the light cleared nothing had happened. She was still a girl.
For several moments she stared dumbly at the staff, and then finally she exclaimed, “HUH? WHY CAN’T I CHANGE!!!?”
