"That girl is a thief." The woman remarked as she dusted off a seat for herself with a hand. Feeling a glance, she found her friend had stopped her legs from swaying. The staff she had on her thighs pausing to a halt as well.

"Probably, Deliah, probably," she added, brushing the tile roof with a final puff just to be sure.

"She isn't, you didn't saw her. She looked tense all throughout. And those bones. Strudin guide me, they're bare to the marrows. I don't know if she died from hunger or she's like that from the beginning. But," Deliah sighed, taking it as a pause as she remembered something, "pitiful child. So don't go whining about your orb, Therese."

Therese simply took a hand to her chin and watched the moat shine fragments of dim light in similarly fragmented curiosity. "Was she? Hmm. I suppose. But that makes her all the more like a thief though. And it's better that way," smiling to herself, she took in the draft that passed by and stretched herself.

"If she breaks it," she paused to moan as she felt the pops, "or steal it I'd get interest from Nez. Ah, goodness. Shiny things!" she cheered herself, garnering a hum from Deliah who had lost interest on whatever her friend was on about. And she took that time to roll her staff with her legs on a sway again.

"Anyway, where's the others?" Therese changed, stifling a yawn with a hand.

"As usual. Gert, Bryce, and Ellefrienshali took off for the forest. Saw some crawling monsters wandering. Probably gonna bet around with it. The others, uhh, for their elven mentor on the woods," she paused and added, "which would soon be forest again. I don't know. Heard the town got someone new for that."

"Ah, another area," Therese curtly acknowledged, staring intently at the woods nearest to the Expanding Plains. She already had a hand on her chin, but remembering the bets the guild leader and the vices were on about for weeks made her other hand automatically slip beside it too. She hummed as she felt a bit dizzy from the winds coiling about. "When will we leave this town," questioning to no one but herself, she sighed, pausing midway as if realizing something. Deliah chuckled at her friend.

"Fifth for today. Five more and you're gonna owe me that dress I wanted."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Five's a lot. Ah wait, it's just dawn! Ahhhhhhhh...." she took in a deep breath, paused, and snorted it instead. "Nez, sold me, didn't he? You know what, let's call it off. I insist! I can't do it! Just let me treat you to a meal tomorrow, ok? Please, please, please?"

"Go ahead," Deliah replied with a smile, knowing fully well of where things would end up. How things ended up. Either way, she continued to trace the forest with but a glance, surely knowing whatever lurked their would be found by their leader.

"Thanks! I knew you were an angel. Oh, no. Aren't we?" Guffawing to herself, Therese enjoyed that lasting second before she sighed once again. "But really, when do you think can we leave?"

As if infected, Deliah also let out a sigh for herself. "Stop with the sigh, please. You make me wanna do that too. It's heavy and I don't want that. Do it again and I'm forcing you to get me that dress."

The two women looked at each other. One giving a threatening look which looked the same as any normal gaze could be while the other was blinking her eyes incessantly. An almost synchronized sigh came from the both of them after a moment. Then Deliah considered the question in all frankness, trying to be as brief as possible.

"I don't know, really. Orden seemed still unconvinced to join us. Some of our members still had not finished their class quests. The others still waiting for some storms to claim their essences. And to chalk it all off," she looked at the dotted sky, "the keeper took a wagon for the Revivalist too."

"Huh, so a couple weeks more. Or mon—"

"Could be, ladies! Could be!" Nez sprung behind them with a yell, unsurprisingly in an attempt to surprise. But of course, to no one's surprise, no one's surprised.

"Harharhar. Oh my Gar. Strudin's cock. I'm shocked." Therese took a hand to her chest and mimicked a surprised face, betrayed by her voice as bland as her acting skills was. She gave a thumbs up at Nez seconds later and asked, "perfect?"

"Damn perfect! I got Strudin's too, you know. Want mine?" Nez asked, shuffling for his belt. Therese only rolled her eyes at him, knowing fully well of the man's inclinations.

"Yeah, yeah. Said Orden's unconvinced. I took off a week and you seemed faring a little bit any better than Gert's bets. All losses."

"Oh, come on. You know the man's waiting for someone! And the leader said not to force it," Nez paused as he took a seat with a huff. "Anyway, we still have a month left to garrison the town before we even began our journey. And hah, some members fucked off their class up and got stuck with same old corrs. No, not you Deliah. You're basically the worst of the lot."

Therese winced almost imperceptibly when she heard a particular word. She washed it off with a sigh followed by Deliah's hums, both a response to Nez's remarks. They were about to continue their talks when a protracted breeze went their way. So instead, the three of them shared moments of silence. But neither sighs escaped them again. They just sat there, enjoying the rustles and subtle lights the night could offer, briefly landing a vivid hue on their billowing hairs.

Therese almost dozed off at that, Deliah swayed her legs a beat slower, and Nez straight out laid on the roof. Doing nothing they were supposed to do. What could they do, anyway? Winter had just ended its set of fair troubles. And the locals along some people who needed the quests and money had already mined the perimeter of the town and even further for any wandering monster lurking in the forest. Clearing infestations one after the other.

So they sat there, bored and simply waiting for hours for monsters to wander unluckily within their post or some civic troubles. Which was, fat chance. Since their stay here, no drunken brawls or a fight to the death occurred within their post. Or almost to every posts other adventurer teams or the local guards have manned.

On the other hand, wandering monsters was similarly rare for them to have a chance to deal with. Not like they could do something about it, even. Their leader, Gert, had already commanded them to stay still and leave the ironworks to him while they have the goldworks. Specifically enunciating that it was his responsibility to do those things and not them. Which, to all frankness, they knew as shit. The man was as they were, bored. Infecting not just them but also their co-leaders who similarly imposed their authority in an almost the same manner.

"The girl, how's she?" Deliah started.

"Good, I think. But very reserved. To the point where she just nodded and nodded and nodded." Nez replied. "Though, she did look excited at the mention of food."

"And orb, Nez. The orb, I say. She seemed like she'd cash it off."

"Hey..." Nez halted momentarily in rumination, "maybe perhaps!" before he agreed with a laugh. Joined later by Therese.

"Stop it. Anyway, that's good. But Nez, you didn't bomb her with words and questions, did you?"

"Come on. You know I wouldn't. Who the hell would go their way do that to recently revived person. Much worse, a case like hers. Just said some stuff to get her all eased. Which she seemed eager to know more about, and then," Nez grinned for a moment, "she's in for a surprise. I had not told her the perks of dying!"

Deliah simply responded with an oh and nodded at Nez, brushing off anything else. She knew the man wasn't that insensitive, but she still felt the need to ask him.

"Orden will be helping her too so don't worry much. Say, maybe I should slip in a good word about us to her? But she just nods. So maybe nah. Anyway, what happened with your week-long off?" Nez shrugged as he glanced at Therese's way.

"Convince Orden yourself. And no, gosh. That week was no different. Nothing variably interesting. Cleared some infestation. Got what I needed. Earned some coins which would be gobbled up later by Deliah the giantess!"

Nez, laughed at that. "Oh doesn't she? Your loss you brought that up."

"Haaaaa. I thought for sure I'd stop doing it with some stakes. But in the end," Therese copied Nez and laid out on the roof, no longer heeding whether it be dusty or be dirty, "old money can't stop boredom. Noo, it couldn't! Please let's just leave! There's no Dominions here for us. I want to use magic. I want to run! I want to bleed. And haaa. There's nothing interesting here anymore."

"Hmm, I suppose. But eh. Maybe we can wait what happens during the rainy days here?"

"Oh, Strudin's cock guide me! How many hundreds of days is that. No!"

"I agree. I thi—"

"pfhtua!"

Therese and Nez's exchange was cut short as they turned to look at Deliah. Who somehow had something filled her mouth. And they grinned almost the same time at the sight of the small insects that suddenly appeared around Deliah. The sight a company well received even if it had been around for months now.

Wide-eyed, Deliah shot to her feet and took flight, spitting all the small insects that landed and whirred around her mouth. Some stuck to her braided hair, some bit to her skin, some tried to zoom inside her ears and nose. Which, to her obliviousness, Nez and Therese broke a guffaw at while bringing their own respective spells to kill the pests. Around them, of course. And further to their delight, choking-Deliah simply brushed it off with a spat. She swatted what can be swatted with her staff as she jumped further away, escaping.

"Damned bugs," she murmured to herself after gaining some distance, waving away the incoming horde of insects with a heavy wooden tile roof as she hastily fiddled around on her pouch. Giving a quick nab on the smooth, black stone, the rest of the bugs scattered away. To her relief.

"Dang, I saw some nasty cicadas there that bites." Nez said in between laughs. "I thought you already had the materials ready? How long is that corrupted class of yours going to last again?"

"I already have, the curse still remains," Deliah grumbled. "And 16 more days before I can attempt again. Now even the stones are losing effect," said Deliah as she activated her healing spell, but what should have been an effective spell appeared to be useless at the small bites. Bringing no noticeable visual effects.

"Oof. That's bad. Look at them hone on you, they wanted to tear you apart!" Nez laughed again.

"Hm. I know," returning to her spot, Deliah acknowledged with a whisper while brushing her clothes and fixing her untangled hair. Thinking deeply of how to settle her problems sooner too. Which, of course, was concluded to one thing.

"And there goes the sigh. Oh Strudin, heed me. Ravage her insides and protect her from the insect invasion that would end Deliah's dear life!"

"Oh, fuck. They wouldn't end her! She's gonna get em insect babies! But count me in on that!"

"Oh, you wouldn't. You pesky old man. You shouldn't. Deliah would need all the stuff in her. To. The. Brim."

Then Therese and Nez went for another series of drawn-out guffaws, all the while as the subject of their humor ignored them and mused of her problem instead.

"Really, it's losing effect," Deliah absently said, her legs back to its sways as her gaze was lost to whatever was beyond the sea of trees. "I might need to hole up within the Ether's vicinity days from now. Settle there for weeks till I could get my class repaired." Deliah coughed up and spat again, halting the two's guffaws to an ohs and ahs.

Nez sighed. "And they won't even let someone enter unless the keeper's around. I said it already. But eh, you really got the worst from the lot."

"Mhm. Gert and the others only had some trouble with their spells and such. How enviable."

She really is. And Deliah wasn't the only one who thought of that. Therese and Nez did too upon remembering how Gert got roughed up the worst from their last Dominion mission only to be the first one to get healed back from the lot. Except, of course, to those who died and had lost their classes upon resurrection.

"Ah, can't say no to that, can we?" Nez lit himself a cigar. "Maybe I'd rough up Orden and force him to us now. The four pillars will be complete and we're good to go. Ahh. I'd have four of them now. That's gonna be tough."

The two women shared a look, before both looked over to Nez and Therese saying, "manwhore."

All of them chuckled. Took in the cool, spring winds again and respectively hoped things would go well just as planned. Of theirs and of the team's.

"Ok, nuff of the rest. Call for me if something's up. I'mma go sculpt the roofs," Nez broke the silence, the cigar tucked between his lips. He got up as he waved goodbyes to the ladies, followed by Deliah as she too stood up and brushed the back of her dress.

"Me too. I'll help with the enchantments," she inserted, giving a look at Therese who kept her eyes closed.

"Fine. I'll be the lookout. Go do the labors," Therese grunted as she pushed herself to a seat. She waved a hand to Deliah and Nez who hopped down the roofs of the sloping houses.

"Don't forget my money, Nez! And pay me twice. You sold me off!" she yelled at them, enunciating to Nez she had not forgotten his betrayal. Expecting a response, she craned her neck and waited for a glob of white to hurl her way. And it did. A white, luminous ball honed her way. Catching it between her not so deft fingers with a triumphant smile, she winced as the bubble silently exploded.

"I will. Just shut up." Therese rubbed her ears as she caught the copper from the ball of light.

"Ah." Just a copper. She blinked at it with an annoyed frown. Looked over their vanishing figures and plopped down again, grumbling to herself.

She wasted some moments counting the starlights. Not heeding of their pretty glitters but was making a comparison from their endless number to what remained of her pouch. Which was a million times more than the amount of money she has left. "My, my. I hope the girl breaks it."

She thought of the orb she lent to Nez and calculated how much she'd receive in the chance it gets destroyed. "20 gold. Ah no. 20 meager gold."

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh..." She drew a whisper in the air. Then coalesced words into life.

CLASSES

Primal Class: Strudin's Witch

The God, Strudin, have found you worthy as one of its brethrens. Bringing you a power to guide for what shall help you. An aid. To which, in time, shall help you have a magic for yourself. Wielding it as your own or as Strudin's. But for now, be guided as one of Strudin's mages. May you find your kind and gather what shall become of Brethrens.

Spells: [Hidden]

Bestowed Class: Light Cleric

Every element has the capability to bring life. From fire, to water, to space, and even to death itself. As one who wished to follow the path of healing, you find it worthy that the light serve as your guide of protection.

(No available spells)

Book Class: Pyro-Clerical Lancer

A fire battlemage at the beginning, wielding a weapon that vanquishes those you heed an enemy. In the time where healings are of to greater need, you have decided to let those that burn heal. Now a beacon of light that destroy and protect.

Amalgamation (Light Cleric and Pyro-Lancer)

Spells:

[Corrupted Spell]

Movement:

[Corrupted Spell]

[Corrupted Spell]

Defense:

[Corrupted Spell]

[Corrupted Spell]

[Corrupted Spell]

Attack:

[Corrupted Spell]

[Corrupted Spell]

Infernal Slash • Lvl 17 (II)

Lance of Lightflame • Lvl [30] (II)

"Oh, Strudin. I haven't told them yet. And now we're off for another month here. Or more. They're gonna kill me on how much this would all cost."

Therese let the words fade away, calculating the numbers she'd need to get her spells working again. And the huge amount was spelled to something easier than voicing the number.

She sighed.

"Luckily I wasn't tagged corrupted or anything yet. And at least I'm not the only one," she convinced herself, went for a cursory look around and plopped down again. Thinking various ways of how to resolve her situation.

"Hmm. Maybe I should dabble with theft too."

She considered. "Still, damn that Herrandezza."

With that, Therese closed her eyes and dozed off to her sleep.