Critical Misclass Ch 16 18

Author's Note:

Thanks for continuing to read CRITICAL MISCLASS! It was suggested to me that I try posting the series under Sci-Fi and Fantasy to help get more eyes on it, so I'm giving that a shot. Please be sure to check my profile for more information regarding the story, and I hope you enjoy the latest chapters!

CHAPTER 16 - Business Trip

I left the village hall as fast as I could without looking like I was rushing. After taking a deep breath outside, it was time to meet up with Ves and Thia... my party.

That still sounds weird to me. In a good way.

My heart beat faster the closer I got to the inn. Not even forty-eight hours had passed since I found myself in Fielende, but in that time, I had somehow managed to have sexual encounters with two gorgeous women. And it wasn't even like I had found myself in a world filled with nymphs and succubi (as far as I knew) - these ladies seemed to genuinely like me. And I liked them, too... to put it mildly.

Thia had mentioned something about how it was inevitable that I would have learned about Ves's feelings for me, because we were in a party together. I needed to ask her for more information about that. Was it simply that we'd be spending a lot of time together, or was there more to it? It made me realize that there were likely a lot of customs in this world - and even just in this country - of which I was still woefully ignorant.

I entered the inn, and saw Ves and Thia sitting next to each other at a table in the dining area. Tabur gave me a surprisingly pleasant "Good morning, sir", which I chalked up to my generous tip. We exchanged a few plesantries, in part because I was a little curious about what Ves found appealing about the bald, stocky man.

My beard will grow in sooner or later... Would I look cool with a scar across my face?

The ladies were having a serious chat... or so it seemed, until they both giggled. It seemed to catch them by surprise, too, as they both covered their mouths until the laughter subsided. I walked over to the table and sat down. "Glad to see you both in good spirits!"

Thia smiled. "Yes, it brings me so much joy to be able to work with Ves again. We hardly had an opportunity to get to know each other last time, but I could tell that we would make excellent friends."

The sincerity of Thia's words must have affected Ves, who put her face in her hands. "Oh, geez..."

"My apologies - I did not mean to..."

"No, no, it's fine." Ves's face had turned a light shade of red. "I just... it's been a while since I've had

any

friends, and suddenly the two of you are here, and..." She looked at our smiling faces and got flustered. "It's a little overwhelming!"

Thia and I laughed. "Hey, I'm the guy who went from being completely alone in a strange world to becoming a party leader in no time at all. 'Overwhelming' is putting it mildly."

Thia's eyes lit up. "Are you becoming more comfortable with being designated as our leader?"

"Well..." I looked back and forth at the two stunning women. "It's definitely sounding better by the moment."

I noticed Tabur approaching with a tray of food, which he placed on our table. There was a huge stack of pancakes, a dish of butter, syrup, and a plate of ham. Ves looked absolutely thrilled. "Oh yeah! Guess what - we get to eat on the guild's tab for as long as we're working on our assignment!"

"On top of the stipend? Man, the Seekers must bring in some serious cash."

Thia nodded, and started putting pancakes onto her plate with her fork. "Indeed. They are one of the most successful guilds in the Empire. It... will be difficult to adjust to adventuring on our own once we finish our task, to be honest."

Ves spoke with pancake in her mouth. "Mmf... all the more reason to take advantage of this now, and save up our stipends for later."

"True... Too bad we already had some food earlier. I'd hate for this to go to waste." I grabbed a fork to fill my plate, but realized that most of the food on the tray was already gone... and on Thia's plate.

Thia gave me a coy grin. "I would have thought you knew by now that aevrana have

voracious

appetites."

It was my turn to blush. Ves nearly snorted pancake out of her nose. "So, uh, you say 'adventuring on our own'... have you told Kael that you want to quit the guild after this?"

"No, I have not... Were I to inform him of my plans ahead of time, he would be likely to do everything in his power to try to convince me to change my mind. While there is no doubt that he would be unsuccessful, that would be a great deal of stress that I would much rather avoid."

After that, Thia focused entirely on eating her large portion of breakfast, so I didn't want to bother her with any other questions. Ves still looked like she was in heaven as she savored her meal.

Once we had finished, I felt it was best to lay out our plans. "Is there a library, or some other source of information, in the village where we can do research?"

Ves cocked her head. "Hmm... unfortunately, the village hall is the closest thing we've got. There's a collection of books that adventurers have used to prepare for their travels. Don't know how comprehensive or up-to-date it is, though. My guess? 'Not even close.'"

Thia brought a finger to her lips as she thought. "Ultimately, I believe we will need to leave Perrenbrook if we are to make any headway into this mystery."

"Okay, hold on." I held out both my hands to make a point, then realized I looked like a conspiracy theorist. "

Is

this actually a mystery? I don't know the first thing about magical runes. What if they're created by accident? Like a... a by-product of some other magical effect." Both women were looking at me with a mixture of confusion and patience. "This is a cave that tons of adventurers--"

"

Tons?

" Ves scoffed.

"That

many

adventurers have explored over the years, and yet, this rune carved into the ground wasn't discovered until the other day. How do we know that it didn't appear because of one of your spells?"

The netharri crossed her arms and lowered one ear. "Because they need to be deliberately created. Even if they could be made accidentally, it would be like trying to draw a picture with your eyes closed.

You'd

have as much of a chance of creating one than me."

I sat back in defeat. "Alright, alright, I just had to ask."

Thia looked at Ves. "This is the furthest I have been from Karneissdran..." She turned to me. "My hometown. As such, I do not know much about what lies beyond this region. Karneissdran is, in many ways, closer to a fortress than a proper city. While we may have more luck attempting research there, it may be in our best interests to find another location."

"And I've only been to a couple of nearby villages... and that was a long time ago." Ves scratched the back of her head. "Never had much reason - or opportunity - to learn about more than that."

Tabur came by to take our dishes, and I remembered something. "Hey, Tabur. Ves mentioned that you moved here from another town - is that right?"

He grunted in agreement. "Yessir, Vandrenvar born and raised."

"How long does it take to get there?"

Tabur placed the tray back down on the table and scratched his beard, exhaling loudly. "...'Bout two, maybe five, days."

I looked around the table, wondering if this was normal. "Two to five days? Why does it vary so much?"

Thia chimed in. "Weather."

And then Ves. "Monsters."

"Right... of course. Thanks, Tabur. Oh! Right. Do you know if, uh, Vandrenvar has any libraries or scholars?"

The burly man smirked, which looked unsettling on his face. "Too many." He lifted the tray, the dishes and utensils clinking and clattering, and carried it off to the kitchen.

I turned back to my party. "Well? Does that sound like an idea? Best case scenario, we find the info we need, and we're another step closer to our goal. Worst case scenario, it means we get to spend more time working together on the guild's dime."

"It's definitely an idea..." Ves shrugged. "I mean, it's the only lead we have. I don't think there's going to be anywhere closer than a few days away that'll have anything helpful."

Thia sighed. "I agree that it is the foremost option that we have. However... I would be remiss if I did not mention that, should enough time pass without positive results, the Seekers will consider the investigation failed. Especially as my brother has such a keen interest in seeing the Cave sealed."

Ves slumped down in her seat, her ears flattening. "Not surprising. And it just hit me that we can't get free meals here when we're traveling. That was fun while it lasted."

Shit. I hadn't considered that, either.

"Guess we gotta figure out what kind of travel rations we need, and prepare for the worst."

Sitting up straight, Thia pumped a fist in an enthusiastic gesture. "Right! Yes, let us not dwell on the negatives. The sun is still somewhat low. We could head to the store with haste, and leave the village as soon as possible."

"You think we could?" I glanced at the nearest window. The sun hadn't made its way above the tops of the trees surrounding the village, but the sky was no longer red and orange. "Maybe we should split up to save time."

"Oh, I like that idea." Ves perked up, and held out a bag of coins; presumably the first stipend. "I don't mind doing the shopping if you two can take care of the reading part. Wasn't looking forward to that, anyway."

I told her that it was fine by me, and Thia agreed. We all decided to take care of that stuff first, then Thia would grab her belongings from her room at the inn, while Ves grabbed hers from her home. We would all meet up in front of the inn once we were ready to go.

"Oh, wait!" I called out to Ves right after we began heading in separate directions, and she spun around. "Could you please make sure to get the charcoal rubbing I made in the Cave?" Ves tapped her head and pointed at me, winking, then continued on her way.

"Charcoal rubbing?" Thia looked at me quizzically as we set off for the village hall. I explained how I had essentially made a copy of the rune onto a piece of parchment so that we had it as reference. "Very clever, Jeremy. That should prove to be invaluable. However... I do look forward to you taking me to see the rune, one day, so that I can see it for myself."

"Guess that wouldn't be the weirdest date I've ever been on. Or the first one in a cave, for that matter." Thia gave me a sly grin, and I realized I needed to go into more detail. "It was in high school. I took a girl to an old mine that had become a tourist attraction. Uh, my hometown wasn't all that different from Perrenbrook, the more that I think about it."

"And how did that date turn out?"

"Let's just say I didn't do any more delving for a couple of years." Thia took my hand and squeezed it comfortingly, but she was clearly suppressing a smile. "How about you? Got any good or weird date stories?"

"Ah, well... You see..." She nervously twirled her blonde hair. "Between my studies, my parents, and especially my brother, I never had the opportunity to be... properly courted."

"Damn, that's too bad. Wait - the other day - that wasn't your first time doing that...?" I wasn't exactly a blowjob connoisseur, but it had been obvious to me that Thia did not lack experience.

"No, you see... I became quite skilled at sneaking out at night for the occasional... dalliance."

"Oh!" I smirked playfully. "I always wanted to do something like that when I was growing up, but my town was so spread out, it wasn't easy. Sounds like

you

should have been the Rogue."

"And yet, the Goddess has decided otherwise. She is mysterious, but I had always believed that Her decisions were less confusing. Although," Thia looked up at me. "I have to wonder if I will begin to demonstrate some Rogue traits after we spend time fighting together, similar to how Vestele evaded the rat queen."

"It only happened that one time, and it was at a stressful moment, so it's hard to say. But I've been thinking about that, too. I don't want to get ahead of ourselves, though, so we'll have to see what happens while we're on the road."

We arrived at the village hall and greeted Mrs. Zurax as we entered, then asked her if we could check out the collection of tomes. "Of course, dears. They're available for anyone to read, but please put them back on the shelves when you're finished."

The collection was only comprised of about two dozen books, all of which were pretty substantial in terms of page count, but definitely showed their age. We were able to discount most of them without much effort, as their subject matter wasn't at all related to runes, or even magic in general. I made a mental note to come back to check out the books on geography and local monsters after we'd returned to Perrenbrook.

Ultimately, the only information on runes that we could find was the most barebones, "intro to magic" kind. This was, admittedly, still kind of useful to me, but didn't answer any of our questions about exactly what kind of rune we had found, or the specifics of how it could be activated. Fortunately, some of the more general information I learned was good to know.

Ves's main reason for figuring out how to activate the Cave rune was because she thought it might be hiding treasure, and sure enough, the most common use for runes was to seal up entrances, varying from doors or other passages to small hiding places. A lot of the other basic uses for runes were for surprisingly simple things, like acting as the magical equivalent of a lightbulb. Since very few people could actually create runes, however, having a rune like that in one's home was definitely a sign of wealth or status.

"The entrance hall to the Seekers' headquarters has one of those runes." Thia went on to explain that it had been there for years, created by a powerful guild member, who apparently left the guild to make a fortune.

I also learned that runes could be set up to have many different kinds of triggers, making them nearly impossible to just brute force or get lucky with a wild guess. Some especially powerful runes could even require multiple people using magic or other actions simultaneously in order to activate.

We were finished much faster than I had expected, but wasn't too disappointed.

I get to go on an actual quest!

Thia informed Mrs. Zurax that we would be leaving the village as part of our assignment, so we likely wouldn't be picking up the next stipend on the scheduled day. The saucy old goblin wished us luck with a wink, which I returned with finger guns, although I have no idea if she knew what that meant.

Once we were back at the inn, Thia led me upstairs to her room. The first thing I noticed was how small it was, which wasn't surprising, but it felt smaller because there were two beds. Thia explained that she had been sharing a room with Ullun. "It will be nice to have my own room again. That is, when we return."

"It'll probably be just as quiet."

Thia chuckled and began unfastening her armor. "While that is

mostly

accurate, she does open up to me on occasion. I still do not think she would consider us to be friends, despite that."

If someone had told me that this was a vacant room, I wouldn't have been surprised. The beds were neatly made, and Thia only had a few personal items on the nightstand. Her sword and shield were mounted on hooks, which I almost mistook for decorations at first glance. Only after taking a minute to look around was I able to find a small backpack tucked away between the nightstand and the bed.

The gentle

thump

of Thia's breastplate being placed by the nightstand refocused my attention. As she moved on to removing her gauntlets, I realized that I hadn't seen her without her armor on before now. The blue dress she wore beneath her armor was not as... flattering as Ves's new Healer outfit, but it emphasized the more elegant parts of Thia's personality.

With her back facing me, I moved up behind Thia and embraced her. The black-horned beauty cooed and melted into my hug. I enjoyed the feeling of Thia held against me as she finished removing her gauntlets. Her dress had short sleeves, revealing dark scales along the back of her arms.

The horns, the scales, the intense feelings of desire that border on greed... "Aevrana are sort of like... dragon-people, right?"

Thia turned around and wrapped her arms around me. "Essentially, yes, although any actual connection was before recorded history."

"I like your scales... and your horns, for that matter. They're beautiful. I wish I'd had the chance to say something sooner."

The petite part-dragon pulled me down for a kiss. "We have not had much time together. But that is changing, now, even if we won't be alone." Judging by the look on her face, she didn't seem too upset about that.

"I'm just looking forward to getting to know you better."

"As am I." We kissed again, longer this time, letting the moment linger. Thia looked up at me, her eyes half-lidded, biting her lower lip. "We... should meet Vestele soon, but... I would be happy to pleasure you again."

"Ohhh no, not this time." I lifted her up, bringing us eye-to-eye. She gasped in excitement and immediately wrapped her legs around my torso. I turned to her bed and knelt down until she was sitting on the mattress, then gently moved her legs until they were over my shoulders. "It's

my

turn."

CHAPTER 17 - Oral History

"Jeremy!" Thia giggled. "What are you-- ahh..."

As I pushed her dress up, I kissed one of her thighs, then the other. Much like her arms, there were dark scales along the front of her legs. The scales on her shins were larger, taking up the whole front half of her lower legs, while the rest from her knees to her hips were much thinner. From this perspective, I could see what she had on beneath her blue dress: a surprisingly, but pleasingly, sexy pair of black lace panties.

I ran my fingers along her scales, feeling how firm and cool they were to the touch. It was the polar opposite of her bare skin, which was soft and getting warmer by the second. "Are you able to feel this?"

"Yes, but not as well as I am able to feel your bristles." She giggled again as she lightly moved her legs against the sides of my face.

I'd let her do that all day...

"Well, let's see just how sensitive you are the further I go." Moving closer to her core, I pressed her thighs around my face, rubbing my three-days-past-5-o'clock shadow on her supple skin. Her muscles tensed as a series of small gasps escaped her full lips. Upon reaching her pussy, I gave her a kiss on her underwear. Heat was practically radiating from her core, and the scent was downright intoxicating.

"Do you always wear sexy lingerie under your armor?"

"I was hoping that you would have the opportunity to see it," Thia said invitingly, breathing a bit faster than normal. "I was beginning to think it might not happen today."

The fabric was already glazed with her arousal. My sweet, irresistible, Thia was still wearing her boots, so I only moved her underwear around my head and to her knees, granting me access to her entrance. She was completely hairless down there, but there were some small, thin, scales an inch or so from either side of her pussy. Those had me

very

intrigued. Similar to her other scales, they were cool in comparison to her skin, but these felt more pliant as I traced them with my tongue.

Thia inhaled sharply as her legs jerked in response, and she placed a hand on my head, urging me to move towards her pussy. "Ah- no, no, too sensitive..."

I placed a few slow kisses on her mound, then finally slid my tongue across her succulent lips. Her taste was delicious; easily the best pussy I had ever eaten. I savored the taste as my tongue delved in. The sounds of Thia moaning and gripping the bedsheets were partially muffled by her thighs around my ears. I caressed her tender legs.

God, I hope we get a chance to really explore each other's bodies soon...