“Sera!” Clarisse gasped, both slightly shocked and relieved to see her. “I have to save Reggie from that thing!” She explained the obvious to the perceptive doll, letting her panic take over.

  “This is a matter above your rank,” Sera calmly replied, flying ahead towards the giant sprite. “Let me show the true power of a mage.” Her voice suddenly ratcheted up in volume, booming through the tunnels as she paused in front of the slime.

  “Duce, get back…” Clarisse crossed the gap and pulled the toad away from the sprite. “I don’t know what she’s going to do, but I trust her, and I need you to trust her too.” she pleaded, not letting go of his robes until he nodded.

  “S???e?????????????b???????????z????? ??????g??????????u?????????r??????????? ???????????q????r???????c??????????????g???????????u????????f????????? ??????????????b?????????s?????????? ???N???????g??????????????e????n???????k??????????v?????????????n???????,??? ????????????V???????????? ??????????p?????????n??????????????y???????????y??????? ??????????b????a???????? ?????????????l???????b????????????h???????????? ?????????g????????b??????????????? ???????????y??????????????r????????a?????????q?????????? ???????????n??? ?????????u?????????n????????a??????????????q????????? ??????????????-??????????? ??????????????U???????????????e??????????????b????g?????????u?????????????t????????????n????????e??????!??????????”

  Sera let out an indecipherable incantation before raising one of her hands and pointing it at the sprite, which was busy trying to digest the unfortunate adventurer stuck inside of it. In the span of a moment, a strong draft of wind blew into the corridor, and a glowing disc of energy formed at the end of the tunnel behind the sprite.

  “You’ll be dealt with by a friend… from the other side.” She declared as she closed her eyes, moving her arm forward and clenching her little fist. A massive arm, pitch black and bony, burst through the portal behind the sprite. It clawed the ground, tearing into the stone with ease and leaving deep gashes in it. It reciprocated Sera’s hand motions, lunging forward and snatching the giant sprite within itself.

  Both rookies watched on in horror as the hand crushed what they had perceived as a monster within its gruesome claws as if it was a mere plaything, melting it merely by contact.

  Sera clenched her fist further, focusing her wooden fingers towards the center of her palm. The eldritch arm obeyed her, corroding the slime all the way until its center and then cracking the core effortlessly. With its core destroyed, the rest of the sludge making up the sprite quickly fell apart, leaving an unconscious Reggie to lay motionless in the giant palm.

  “Sera…?” Clarisse let out a deathly quiet whisper as her perception of the person behind the doll changed drastically. In her eyes, the demonic arm was the same as the one the doll held up, it was essentially hers. Holding onto Duce’s shoulder tightly, her knuckles turned white as she tried to keep herself composed.

  Duce’s reaction was noticeably muted compared to the redhead’s, focused more on the safety of his friend. As soon as the sprite’s remains stopped moving, he rushed forward, tearing himself from Clarisse’s grip. “Reggie! Are you-” He turned towards Sera before trying to touch the arm which held the blonde. “Is he -ribbit- alive?”

  Sera shifted her gaze towards Duce, though her focused expression and shut eyes remained the same for a few seconds. After some terror-instilling moments of silence, she opened her eyes and smiled at him. “Alive, but not unscathed.” As she opened her fist, the strange arm followed suit and slowly lowered itself, revealing a haggard Reggie lying in it. His attire was torn in many places and the exposed parts of his body looked like they were made of wax, layers of skin partially peeling and corroding off like rust on an iron pipe. Even so, there was a faint hint that he was still breathing.

  “T-thank you. Thank you for saving us!” Duce bowed once, and then again, motivated both by gratitude and fear of whatever the doll was.

  Clarisse slowly walked over to stand next to Duce, unsure of what to say. Just a few hours ago she had convinced herself that the duo’s perception of Nikolas had been born of jealousy and frustration. Now, she caught herself feeling the same way towards Sera after getting a glimpse of what she was capable of.

  Sera lowered her hand to rest and the arm shifted to one side, letting Reggie lie on the ground among the gooey slop left from the giant sprite. It slowly retreated afterwards, disappearing into the portal where it came from. The disappearance of the portal left a vacuum in the tunnel, calling forth a gentle breeze to fly through. “You’re welcome. Though I must say, all of you need a deep cleansing after this…” the doll complained, drifting down towards Clarisse’s shoulder.

  “We should get out of here… I’m -atchoo- done with this place.” Clarisse sniffed after a sneeze, looking down at Reginald with a hint of worry. “Is he going to wake up?”

  “Reggie. Reggie!” Duce knelt next to his friend and called his name, shaking his shoulder a few times. “Doesn’t look like it…” he replied, letting out a sigh before making his decision. “I’ll carry him back.”

  “Can you even manage that? We’re both in bad shape right now…” Clarisse asked, concerned for her companion. Her own flames were all but gone, but there was still quite a long way back.

  “I will try.” Duce replied, putting up a determined front regardless of his condition. “If you can show me the way back, I’ll carry him.”

  “I applaud the chivalry, but he’s already wounded.” Sera interjected between them, swooping down to pick up Reggie by the back of his collar and flying up with him in tow. “Any further abrasions will only lead to worse injuries. Now, off you go. It’s about time we returned to civilization.”

  Returning topside made it abundantly clear just how filthy the sewers had been, much to the dismay of everyone else as Clarisse walked back towards her room. She looked down, shying away from all the disgusted looks she was getting from the passersby. Being subject to the disdainful stares of the city felt much more bearable when Reggie and Duce were with her too, but the way back from the guild was hers to complete. Even Sera had decided to keep a safe distance, floating high above in the air as she followed the redhead.

  Clarisse carefully walked up the stairs and opened her door, trying not to leave any traces of waste for her landlord to hold over her the next time rent was due. Once she was in, she bolted to the bathroom with her bag, slamming the door behind her.

  “Yeah, you do need a shower badly…” Sera sighed, floating to the kitchen to pick up a damp cloth and began cleaning up the residue of contact with Clarisse which had been left behind in the room.

  Shut inside the bathroom, Clarisse leaned over the sink and let the remnants of dinner from the previous night pour out, coupled with lots of coughing. Besides the obvious stench of the sewers, it was the downcast gazes she got from everyone on the way back which sent her over the edge, reminding her that she was just a disposable rookie doing the lowliest of work available.

  She let her knapsack drop behind her with a loose thud as she continued to vomit, its durable exterior coated with gooey residue from the quest similar to the rest of her. It was a few minutes before she felt stable enough to stand up without taking support from the sink, her stomach feeling sorely empty.

  Glancing to her side, the bathtub looked as alluring as it did clean. She turned on the hot water and piled all her waste-soaked clothes into the far corner of the bathroom, knowing that it would take much more effort to get rid of the stench than it would to get them to look clean again.

  Sitting down into the warm, bubbling water felt like an ethereal experience, one she hadn’t expected to feel as calming as it did. Still, she simply sat there frozen in place thinking about the quest - those same sprites were plaguing the water circulation, and in some part, she had earnt this bath in more ways than one. And yet, the idea of sending inexperienced coppers into those conditions didn’t sit right with her.

  The feeling of fear and helplessness she had felt facing the giant sprite felt so fresh, and yet so far behind in the warm water as she washed her hair, painstakingly focusing on each lock to make sure she got everything out of it. Gradually, her focus on the encounter faded away as the grime washed away.

  Clarisse emerged into her bedroom wrapped in a towel a few hours later, having thoroughly cleaned herself and her belongings. Glancing around, she confirmed that the doll sitting on her bed stand wasn’t awake before changing into a fresh set of clothes and heading out to her balcony to hang everything else up to dry. A growl from her tummy sent her to the kitchen right afterwards, though she was met with yet another predicament.

  “Right…” She slumped her shoulders, remembering her newfound habit of either grabbing takeaway at Mr. Shirev’s or having meals at the guild. Right now, neither suited the amount of pure exhaustion she was feeling, and she simply slinked back to her bed, ignoring the ever-growing growls of her stomach.

  She sat up with her back to the headstand and her legs pulled close, picking up her diary and opening to the last written page. It was from before the last time she had slept properly, the night after she found she could make flames around her feet. With a sigh, the redhead began writing, gushing all her feelings into the pages freely. There was a lot to write about - Reggie and Duce ended up being footnotes to the quest as she wrote about and doodled Sera saving them from the monstrous sprite.

  Eventually she turned back to the scribbles she had made of Nikolas, pondering on what could be hidden behind the various veils of mystery he kept around him. If Sera was anything to go by, he was equally as dangerous in her mind. She continued to add little notches and details to the drawing until her figurative omphaloskepsis was interrupted by a familiar voice.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  “That looks so cute!” Sera complimented, standing behind her on the headstand.

  “Eek-!” Clarisse snapped her diary shut with the pencil inside it, shaken by Sera’s sudden comment. “How long have you been watching!?” she asked, hiding the diary away under the bedsheets.

  Sera chuckled, floating to sit down on the other side of the bed from the redhead. “Not for very long. And don’t worry, I won’t tell Nik about your sketches.”

  “Umm… thanks,” Clarisse replied, though she still felt off about the doll watching over her. “It’s my personal diary, I don’t let anyone else read it.” she grumbled, picking it up from under the sheets to drop it into her bag.

  “As you should,” Sera affirmed, though there were no hints that she was about to apologize for peeping on the contents of the notebook. “Did you take some time to recuperate?”

  Clarisse nodded, somewhat reminded of her mother from Sera’s tone. “I tried my best to get the smell out of my hair… it might take another wash.”

  Sera leaned in and picked up a lock of Clarisse’s long hair into her hands, smelling it. “It’s not that bad anymore. You got out of this much better than the other kid.” she stated, thinking back to Reggie, who had been close to getting digested.

  Clarisse nodded, but wrapped her arms around herself. “Yeah. It could have been -atchoo!- worse…” she sneezed, reconsidering her words.

  “It might still be.” Sera replied in a concerned tone as she floated up to Clarisse’s head and placed a hand on her forehead.

  Clarisse brushed the doll away with the back of her hand, leaning back to avoid her. “It’s okay, you don’t need to check- I was just in the bath for a long time.”

  “Did you eat after returning?” Sera continued to question her, though she already knew full well there was no amount of food which could reasonably count as a meal within the apartment.

  Before Clarisse could respond, her traitorous stomach answered for her with an audible grumble, leaving her to wrap her arms around herself as her face began to shift towards the color of her hair. “Okay so I haven’t yet… but I can go now. I just needed some rest!” she protested as Sera glared at her with the cadence of a disappointed parent.

  “You’ll end up sick if you don’t eat!” Sera scolded her, floating up and flying towards the door to her bedroom. “Out, now. We’ll go wherever you like, but you’re eating something even if I have to carry you there.”

  “I’ll go, I’ll go…” Clarisse sighed, reluctantly getting out of bed and pulling a thin coat over herself as she went towards the door. “There’s a restaurant nearby that I wanted to try someday…”

  “Today’s as good as any other for that, then.” Sera encouraged her, opening the door and gliding out, waiting for her by the staircase leading down into the street.

  “I guess I could… I did get paid from the quest.” Clarisse pondered, picking out a pouch which fit well in her palm from her pocket, one of three which Rika had bestowed upon the party for their successful venture.

  “And that makes it your first official quest success!” Sera reminded her, flying around the redhead before settling behind her back. “Today calls for a celebration!” she exclaimed, gently pushing Clarisse out into the corridor outside her door.

  “Yeah, maybe it does!” Clarisse replied, discounting the impromptu investigation she tagged along with Nikolas and gradually matching Sera’s enthusiasm as she quickly made her way down the flight of stairs and was off towards the new restaurant she wanted to try.

  Sitting at one of the window tables with a view of the street outside, Clarisse made herself comfortable. The entire establishment was lit with a combination of the dim, smoldering light of burning charcoal from metal cages built into each table and oil lamps overhead at regular intervals. It was clear that the fires were magically maintained within the cages considering the charcoal never ran out or got colder, and yet the illusion was a masterpiece of craftsmanship.

  “Cozy, hmm?” Sera commented, sitting next to Clarisse with her legs dangling off the table’s edge.

  “Mhm!” The redhead could barely contain her excitement, tapping her feet along to the rhythm of a bard playing the lute somewhere near the interior of the restaurant. “I heard this was one of the best places to eat in Junnhaven, and I’ve been eager to come ever since.”

  As she was talking, a waiter dressed in neat green robes stopped beside their table, casting a curious glance at the animated doll. “Do you two already know what you’ll be having tonight?” he asked, pulling out a tiny notepad and pencil.

  “Uh… I actually don’t know the menu here…” Clarisse replied awkwardly, fidgeting her fingers as she wondered if they had forgotten to provide her with one. “Sorry, this is my first time here.”

  “Don’t apologize, ma’am.” The waiter replied, flashing a smile. “We don’t keep physical menus here, the dishes change every day. Little ol’ me will be your menu…” he paused for a moment, before beginning to name dishes from memory. “We have some scrumptious grilled pineapples tonight, along with marinated lamb chops and an assortment of chilies…”

  Listening to the waiter rattle of dishes she had never tried before made Clarisse’s mouth water, but she tried her hardest not to let it show. “I- I’ll have the pineapples first then, and then the lamb chops topped with cottage cheese for the main course!” she decided, her stomach already vibrating on the inside from anticipation.

  “Of course, ma’am. Would you like to have something to drink with that?” The waiter followed up, glancing at Sera who despite seemingly entirely amused, had not spoken up at all.

  “Oh, do you have orange juice?” Clarisse piped up eagerly with wide, hopeful eyes.

  “Indeed, it’s one of our signature delicacies, ma’am.” He replied with a smirk, it was simply another sale made but to see a customer so excited, he couldn’t help but crack up.

  “I’ll have a glass then!” Clarisse declared, much to his joy.

  “Coming right up, ma’am.” The waiter promptly replied before turning and walking away to relay the order to the chefs waiting in the kitchen.

  “What a polite young man,” Sera smiled as the waiter left, leaning slightly to watch him turn the corner. “The world could do with more like him.”

  “Can’t argue with that, but- ” Clarisse replied absent-mindedly, thinking more about the delicacies on their way to her plate. “I remember the cottage cheese my mom used to make when I was little… can’t wait to see how they make it here.”

  After another few minutes of idly enjoying the ambience of the restaurant, the waiter returned with a platter of grilled pineapple slices on thin metal spikes and a glass of orange juice. “Here you go, ma’am.”

  “Thank you!” Clarisse eagerly accepted the glass and platter, taking a deep breath as she prepared herself to dig in. Picking up one of the spokes, she pulled the fruit slices out onto her plate using a fork and quickly began picking them out, letting out delightful hums as she took a bite. “Mmm~!”

  Sera let out an amused giggle at the redhead’s reaction. “Have as much as you like… I should go eat as well though. I’ll be back in a while!” she mentioned, receiving an enthusiastic thumbs up from Clarisse since she had her mouth full of fruit before the doll went motionless.

  When Sera returned to her doll, she was met with a scene of a completely satisfied Clarisse sitting in front of a pair of empty plates, nearly licked clean except for the occasional splotch of gravy.

  “Mmm, cottage cheese…” Sera glanced up, seemingly feeling nostalgic. “I remember, it wasn’t always available as freely as it is today. You’d need a truly talented chef and farmer to exist close to each other to make the best delicacies with it.”

  “Hmm?” Clarisse remarked, both confused and amused. For as long as she could remember, her town had no issues with making it as long as the cattle were in good health. “Why, was it hard to obtain?”

  “Ah, it was some time back,” Sera recollected her thoughts on the topic, seemingly having some difficulty in doing so. “Depending on who made it, it could even be used as a potent way to restore mana.”

  “Wait, really? I thought only ambrosia could do that.” Clarisse prodded the topic further, wondering just how far back in time Sera was talking about.

  “Nowadays, yes.” Sera nodded, her expression turning to one of distaste. “Ambrosia is just about the only food which retained that quality over the years. And even then, today’s ambrosia is just a more expensive yet worse version of its ancestor.”

  “Wow… you must have never run out of mana if it was that common.” Clarisse replied, a tinge of jealousy dripping from her voice as she recounted her unusually low mana reserves the previous night.

  “Oh, no, we did, actually. A lot-!” Sera caught herself bragging, and decided to hold it. Picking up on the girl’s emotions, she instead decided to comfort her. “But you’ll get to that level too. You have to… keep faith!” she responded, though there was a hint of discomfort in her voice when encouraging her.

  “Yeah…” Clarisse sighed, putting her elbows on the table and resting her chin in her hands. “Thanks for being there yesterday Sera… I don’t know why my mana ran out so fast… and what you did was pretty cool,” she said, before looking directly at the doll and raising her eyebrows. “Scary. But still cool.”

  Sera smiled a content smile. “No need to thank me, dear. That was just a party trick… I’d be a pretty bad mentor if I didn’t save my students, no?” She did her best to put up a reassuring voice.

  Clarisse returned her gesture in kind, but with a melancholy smile. “Do you think I could do things like that?” She asked, feeling somewhat guilty for putting Sera on the spot with her rhetorical inquiry. “I want to be able to protect people like you did back there… I want to be reliable like that someday.”

  “Well, it’ll take a lot of effort,” Sera gave her a realistic answer. “Experience doesn’t come easy, and being able to impart that experience to others in a meaningful way is even harder. The line of work you’re in… it’s not one designed for youngins to conquer easily.”

  “I suppose so…” Clarisse nodded in agreement. “I still want to do it. If there are more mentors like you, then it’ll be a better world for adventurers like me.”

  “Well said!” Sera complimented the redhead’s insight, but she was interrupted by the waiter yet again, who had shown up behind the doll with a bill in his hands.

  “You’re welcome to stay and enjoy the ambience for a while, but here’s the bill for tonight ma’am.” the waiter said softly, handing Clarisse the piece of paper.

  “Actually, I’ll pay right now,” Clarisse quickly replied, fishing her earnings from her pocket and counting a handful of coins from it onto the table. She had been left with plenty of them after receiving the quest rewards and paying off her tab at the guild. “We should get home before it gets too late.” She whispered to Sera.

  “Already more responsible than Nikolas.” Sera chuckled, levitating up from the table and following Clarisse to the exit.

  “Really?” Clarisse asked in jest as they stepped out into the street. “What would he do on a night like this?”

  “Oh, he’s usually up to all sorts of things!” Sera exclaimed, letting out a triumphant laugh as she rubbed her hands together, deciding which of their many misadventures to serenade as they returned back to her room.

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