It would be a stretch to say that Daava continued to constantly jizz up the back of my shirt for the next couple hours of our trip. It was, however, an ongoing affair. Such that by the time we caught a distant glance at the village we were sent to help, my back had several more damp spots and cum dripping down my crack. I'd also been rewarded each time with another piece of the milk candy, leaving me both horny and craving more sweets.
The group came to a stop ahead of us, so we ceased our secret games while we caught up to them. Once we did, I was confused for a moment as to why we had slowed down. Then I heard it, a distant and guttural cry to the right of the path—from a rocky outcropping adjacent to grazing fields.
"That's us," Faublien said with a heavy sigh as he made eyes at the bulltaur. He reached into his bag and pulled out a lasso. With a single flick of his wrist, it made a slight whipping motion and then wrapped itself into a knot. This lasso was clearly enchanted, and it made me happy that Faublien had decided to consider my idea for winning the bulltaur over. He continued, "Yes, we'll have the missing farm animals tied and rescued out of that cave in a few hours. Maybe ... you would all like to accompany us back to the school when you've finished your task?"
The bulltaur watched the lasso, and I noticed an eyebrow raise.
However, it was the student Mystery was making eyes at that spoke up first. In a southern drawl that surprised me, also being from the South, he said, "Thank you for the invitation. We would have loved to, but we're likely going to be around here for a couple days."
"Oh?" Mystery said, clearly trying to cover up a grimace.
He nodded. "We took a quest here because we heard rumors that some villagers spotted someone who looked like an ancient dark lord. We knew we had to check it out. But if y'all like, we can meet up another day?" He glanced at all of us.
I felt a low grumble from Daava that couldn't have possibly been heard by the group.
However, it was Mystery who spoke up first, "We would love to, Caid. Daava and Lilly as well!" So that was his name, I repeated it a few times in my head to try to remember.
Faublien gave the others a wave, "Best of luck, Freja, Bubbles ... Boros."
The four of them waved back and continued their trek down the road, this time staying closer together. I was sure they were talking dark lord stuff or something equally important. And I found myself glad that I had nothing to do with it.
Boros is so funny," Faublien said, a pink glow briefly lighting his otherwise blue face.
"And Caid is
so
hot," Mystery added, biting their lip. "All serious and in command like that. Going out to fight some ancient power."
"irritatingly perfect little..."
Daava muttered under her breath.
I giggled.
"Hm?" Mystery asked, seeming genuinely to not have heard.
"It was nice to enjoy a quiet walk," I interjected, leaving out that the bits that had been nice about it had had nothing to do with our travelling companions. Fortunately, both Mystery and Faublien seemed perfectly content with this answer. They most gave longing looks in the direction of the other group, before Daava gave a gentle squeeze to my ribs—signaling me to begin walking. She directed me toward the woods by my earring reins, and the others quickly began following behind us.
As we walked, I noted the smell of sea water ... meaning we weren't far from the coast. I noticed a few rusted minecarts sitting out in the field, along with a broken pickaxe handles abandoned on the stony ground. A bit of grit got stuck in my sandal from the dusty ground and I had to casually kick to get it out. It was another minute before I heard another guttural scream come from the direction in which we were headed. This sound echoed a lot between the growing number of rock-faces we now saw.
"Hold," Daava said, pulling gently on my reins. She waited until we heard the sound again before signaling me to continue walking. This went on for a few minutes, until we ended up at a mine entrance with rusted tracks and long-extinguished torches. Sure enough, the sound seemed to come directly from it. Daava gave me another candy (which I eagerly ate from her hand) and said, "This is our entrance."
"It's ... a bit dark," Mystery said, voicing my own similar concerns.
"I've got that covered," Faublien said with a grin. He closed his eyes for a moment. Gradually, his skin took on a shimmer ... before beginning to outright glow! It wasn't long before the shade from our position at the mine entrance was dissipated by his light. Faublien shrugged and said, "What can I say? Our travels have left me with plenty of extra magical reserves."
"Fuck yeah," Mystery said. They reached into their canvas backpack and pulled out their heavy wand. Again, their eyes shimmered. It took a moment, but I gradually noticed movement from the cave. Shadows added texture to the rock walls and ceiling. It took Faublien reaching a glowing hand toward the mine for us to see that the walls and ceiling were now lined with cave-crickets—all staring at Mystery.
Mystery smiled excitedly and said, "I'm doing this!"
I smiled for them.
"Are you able to get a read on what they are sensing?" Daava asked, taking a gentle teaching tone that reminded me of how the professors at the university spoke.