I kind of want to go for another round, but at the same time, Drake and I should be setting off. But watching him as he finishes drying off from our shower is tempting. Extremely tempting. To refrain from acting on that strong temptation, I instead focus on getting dressed, then I check my Inventory to make sure everything is there.

While I know everything is because I put it all there, it doesn't hurt to check again, just in case I did forget to put something in.

"Ready?" I ask Drake once we're both dressed.

"Are you sure we shouldn't get me a new sword before we leave?" Drake asks.

After all of our training and Dungeon runs, his sword is no longer usable. It was rather cheap, after all. After we finished up yesterday, Drake wanted to go to the store and buy a new one, but I told him we should wait on that.

"Yes," I answer. "Let's save up your vanri for a better sword. The city on the path leading to the Wind Crystal will sell better swords, and it's only a few days' trip from here. We can stop in some Dungeons along the way and get some more loot to sell, too, which will allow you to save up for an even better sword."

"What about fighting in the Dungeons?" He asks.

"Just punch your way through things," I tell him. "A sword would help you, but you're strong enough to just power through the Dungeons in this area."

"Works for me," he nods.

"Let's go," I tell him. "I want to stop at the tavern and say goodbye to Daniel and Cassidy. I know I did yesterday, but I still want to do it before actually setting off."

Drake nods, then follows me out of the apartment and to the tavern. Daniel and Cassidy are chatting at the bar, but stop to look at us once we enter.

"We're setting off," I tell them. "I'll make sure to stop in after our quests are finished."

"You do that," Daniel tosses me a small crystal, and I catch it. "That's our Guild Crest."

"Got it," I slip the crest into my Inventory. "Until we see each other again, enjoy."

"Enjoy," Daniel and Cassidy say.

Drake and I leave, making our way out of town, and once we're past the walls, he gives me a curious look.

"They gave you the Guild Crest?" He asks. "Is that important?"

"While I might be going off on a quest," I tell Drake. "I'm still a part of the guild. Using the Guild Crest, I'm able to take on official job requests petitioned to mercenary guilds. They're all linked into an official system through some magic orbs, and the crest tells them which guild to send the guild fee to from each job, among other things. I'm not going to short out my guild."

It also alerts the guild to the fact that they've got payment incoming, and all payments are logged, so they'll know if someone tries to short them with the payment as well.

It's a relatively new system, invented in the last twenty or so years. Even though it's spread through the eastern continent as well, I'll probably not do petitioned quests there at all. That would save some trouble with ensuring the money is sent back to Daniel and Cassidy.

"Oh, okay," Drake says. "So you pay a fee for every quest you complete?"

"Sort of," I answer. "I pay a portion of the reward, which has to be in vanri for any job petitioned to a guild. However, the payment comes out of my pay directly, so I don't have to do anything extra."

"Oh, okay," he says.

For awhile, the walk is quiet, the two of us walking first past the farms, then through the fields. I can tell Drake has another question to ask, and it's at lunchtime when he finally decides to ask it.

"How long will it take to reach the next town?"

"We'll arrive tomorrow," I answer. "Though there's an inn that we'll reach a little after nightfall. Normally, inns like that would be spaced so that they can be reached during the day from the next stopping point to either side, but this one is situated outside of a Dungeon entrance."

"There's a Dungeon at the inn?" He asks.

"Yeah," I answer. "A nine-room Dungeon. It takes awhile to reach from Silent Valley and from Whispering Fields, so an inn was built not far from it. That way, adventurers can rest up there rather than just camping out in the fields between runs."

"Okay," he says. "Are we going to do it?"

"That's an additional 54 CP if we do," I say. "Which can net us two more Levels, so yeah, we'll do it."

"Okay," he says. "Have you ever done the Dungeon?"

"No," I answer. "But I've talked to adventurers who have. It's another fields Dungeon. From what they said, the beasts inside include some rats, but also a couple of foxes, and on occasion, raccoons."

"Raccoons?" He asks.

"A small mammal that's something like a cross between a fox and a rodent."

That's the best way I can think of to explain it to him and give him something of an idea of what it is. It's inaccurate, but it's probably enough for him to figure out which the raccoon is should we encounter one.

"Sounds delicious."

We finish up lunch, then resume the journey towards the inn. After we pass it, we'll have the town to reach, which has two small Dungeon near it, then past there, a relatively decent-sized city. I'm not sure, but we might be able to reach Tier II of our first Class while at the City. If not, then we will probably manage it after the Wind Crystal's trial.

Now that I think about it, it does seem easy to reach Tier II of the second Class. Then again, we probably won't have the 200 CP needed for it.

Nothing of any real importance happens on the trip because there really aren't any monsters or bandits or anything in this area. We manage to reach the inn a couple of hours after sundown.

It's a two-story brick building with lights outside the doors and some light visible through the windows, all of which have curtains drawn over them. The Whispering Fields Inn.

Drake and I enter, the door smacking a bell as we find ourselves in a spacious lobby with a dining room to the right and stairs to the left. There's a counter in front of the wall directly before us, with an open doorway leading into the back.

"I'll be there in just a minute!" A woman calls from the room in the back.

We walk up to the counter while waiting, and after about two minutes, a heavier-set woman comes out of the back, her brown hair braided behind her, green eyes bright with energy, despite the late hour.

"Good evening," she greets us with a smile, though her eyes shift to Drake, and I know she's noticed the scales on his neck. She looks back to me. "On your way to visit the Oracle?"

"We're actually headed in the opposite direction," I answer. "Coming from Silent Valley. I'm part of Silver Code."

"Ah," she smiles. "Silent Valley's prestigious mercenary guild. Welcome. Going to the capital, then?"

"The Wind Crystal," I answer. "Drake and I are seeking to charge a Crystal of Power."

"I've heard rumors," she tells me. "That the Elemental Crystals have been sealed off, that no one's allowed to visit them."

"I've heard those rumors, too," I tell her. "But since we don't have any verified sources saying that, we're still going to try."

"It's rare," she gives us an appraising look. "For ones such as yourselves to obtain a Crystal of Power. You're from Silent Valley?"

"I am," I answer. "Drake isn't. He didn't come through this path on his way to us. He'd come to talk with the Oracle, and I decided to tag along with him."

"I see," she says. "A room is eighty vanri per night, comes with two beds and a bathroom."

"We'll be staying tonight and tomorrow," I tell her. "We want to hit up the nearby Dungeon before going through. Every little bit will help with the Elemental Trials."

"Yes, they will," she says as I pull out the money and hand it to her. "Do you need some information about the Whispering Fields Medium Grassy Plains Dungeon?"

"No," I answer. "I've heard about it enough from adventurers on their way to see the Oracle."

"Okay," she notes something down, then hands me a metal key with crystal engravings on it. "Just up the stairs, Room 201. We do serve breakfast in the morning, but you'll have to ask and pay for it."

"Thanks," I tell her. "Come on, Drake."

Drake and I make our way upstairs, and I open the door to our room. The room contains two normal-sized beds along with a wardrobe and a bathroom.

"I'm too exhausted from the trip," Drake tells me. "To do it with you right now, as much as I'd like to. When you wake up in the morning, if I'm hard, don't suck me off, ride me."

It doesn't surprise me that he's tired, we walked for about fourteen hours today. I'm definitely too tired to get it on tonight, too. His request sounds kind of fun, and I'm sure I'll have more than enough energy for that when I wake up.

"And if you're not hard, suck you?" I ask.

"Yeah," he yawns, his tail curling up a little as he stretches. "Let's go to bed."

I close the door, then we undress and climb onto one of the beds, Drake spooning me, the two of us fitting on it like this. It doesn't take me long to fall asleep, and when I wake, Drake is definitely hard. As usual, I savor the feel of him against me, the warmth of his body.

If I could, I'd stay like this for hours, just enjoying the warmth and feel of his body, but we have stuff to do. I do relax in the feel of him for a little bit, but after ten minutes, I extract myself from Drake, then pull out my oil and get to work, waking Drake up as I do. Once we finish our morning fun, I pull off of him and lie on him.

"Good morning," I kiss him, and he pushes his tongue into my mouth, wrestling with my tongue for a few moments. "Let's take a shower, Drake, then get some breakfast. You'll be returning the favor tonight."

"Yeah," he says.

We walk to the bathroom and shower up, washing each other, then dry off and dress.

With that taken care of, we make our way downstairs and to the desk, where I ring the bell sitting on it. A moment later, the woman from last night comes out, greeting us with a smile.

"Good morning," she says. "Are you two ready for breakfast? It's ten vanri apiece and comes with drinks."

"Yes, ma'am," I answer.

"Give me just a few minutes and I'll whip it up for you," she says.

"Thank you," I say.

Drake and I head into the dining room and sit at a table, and a minute later, a girl around our age comes out. Based on her hair and eyes, I'd say she's probably the daughter of the woman who greeted us, though much slimmer.

"Good morning," she greets us. "Ma said you two are going to the Dungeon outside?"

"Yeah," I answer. "We're planning on a rather large adventure, so we need all of the CP we can get."

"Good luck," she tells us. "Have you been adventurers long?"

"A couple of weeks," I answer. "Though we both have training from before we linked into the System. What about you?"

"Not yet," she answers. "I'm hoping Ma will let me link in on my birthday in a couple of months, but I might have to stay to help run the inn."

"Good luck," I tell her. "Have you trained at all?"

"No," she answers. "I plan on going a mage route."

"There's this handsome man who comes by here every now and then," the woman from last night approaches us, putting down plates piled with sausages and eggs with some rolls on the side. "That Gretel wants to join with. I keep telling her he's a little too old for her, but she won't listen."

"He's not that old," Gretel rolls her eyes. "Ma, he's only twenty-two, he's only three and a half years older than me."

"And he's a noble man," her mother tells her. "I keep telling you, Gretel, that he's much too far above you."

"A noble comes by here every now and then?" I ask. "What for?"

"To explore the Dungeon," the lady answers. "I think he mostly just wants a break from his noble life. He's a mage, and strapping young man. Though he dresses in a mage's garb, I can tell he's a noble by the way he speaks. It's strange, though."

"What is?" I ask.

"None of the adventurers who come from town to harvest things from this Dungeon know him," she tells me. "Nor his party. It's as if they appear out of thin air."

Drake looks at me, and I shake my head. He wanted to know if it was possible it was Calvin doing it, and it's not, he's older than that. Though he does look younger, I'm pretty sure Gretel's asked her mage crush his age. In addition, if it were Calvin, they would have noticed the similarities between the two of us.

The resemblance between my brothers and me was strong when we were younger, and I'm sure it still is, even after all three of us went through puberty.

"Well," the innkeeper says. "Let me get you two your drinks."

"Thanks," I say.

She heads to the back, calling Gretel to go with her, and Drake gives me another curious look.

"Calvin's twenty-four," I tell him. "And Taylor's twenty-one. I doubt Taylor would give an older age, nor Calvin a younger."

Though honestly? I wouldn't put it past Calvin to help a friend out. It's quite possible he's taking a friend here every now and then. While his main thing is teleporting himself, Calvin can teleport others, for a much larger cost in mana.

The innkeeper brings us out some cold milk, and Drake and I dig into our breakfast, filling up on it. Once we finish, we thank her and let her know we're heading to the Dungeon, then head outside.

The Dungeon is only about fifty feet from the wall surrounding the inn's back yard, and the ring resembles the one for the Silent Valley Small Grassy Plains, with strips of grass along the tops of it.

"Between runs," I tell Drake as we step into the access ring. "Do you want to do some martial arts training?"

"Sure," he answers.

"Not too much, though," I say. "We'll need to rest between runs."

"Yeah," he says.

"Alright," I say. "If you're ready, let's go."

"I'm ready."

I put my hand on the access stone, and a menu appears in my vision.

Would you like to enter the Whispering Fields Medium Grassy Plains Dungeon? Yes No

I hit yes, and the menu shifts to the next one.

There are other adventurers in the access ring. Select up to fourteen to accompany you. Dranakuliansithventomar Done

I pick Drake, and the confirmations come up.

"Let's go, Naku-Naku," I say, then accept the final confirmation, and the two of us appear in the arrival room of a plains-type Dungeon.