CH 30: Preparations

Jane led the girls back to the Owens’s barn, where her gift was stored. She pulled back the large doors, revealing a carriage for the party.

It was bigger than the carriage they had rented from her before. This one had room enough for 10 people and their gear. Plus, instead of a canvas enclosing it, it had reinforced wood. It looked like it was made for combat. Windows that could be closed with a wooden hatch, the driver's seat even had walls that could be raised.

“I contracted Rebecca to make it a couple of months ago. Her and her family put a lot of work into it. These windows can stop anything from arrows to medium-tier magic. The more stable parts can take a lot more.” She said, pointing out the window coverings. ”The suspension took a while for Daphne to forge, so I didn’t have it ready for your first adventure. But it’s ready now.”

Claire was in shock. Her mom had this planned for her this whole time. She hugged her mom tight, her words not wanting to come out.

Jane patted her head. She was waiting for the day she could show Claire her present. She wanted it ready for her birthday, but they had to delay it until afterwards. Her wife joined the hug, Eve shaking slightly.

“Just please, please be careful,” Eve whispered to her daughter. Her voice broke as she was on the verge of tears. “I can’t lose another…”

“I will, Mom,” Claire responded, her voice carrying the confidence from before. “And I’ll get him back. I swear to you.”

Jane’s eyes widened. Her daughter began to glow again, that scarlet light enveloping the Owens. Both mothers glanced at each other. She was making another oath to her Goddess.

Both of her mothers received her oath etched into their status sheets, their embrace solidifying it. The glow slowly faded as the family broke from the hug. Eve’s eyes watered with tears. Jane herself was close to tears as well, her pride in Claire growing by the hour. She pulled Eve into her arms, her wife’s tears soaking her shoulder.

“Thank you, honey,” Jane spoke, her voice breaking with emotion. Her thoughts were of her lost son and the pride in her daughter. ”We’ll be here waiting for you two…”

Eve’s sobbing broke through, her tears flowing as she thought of her son. Her emotions flowed as her wife held her. Claire and the twins surrounded the crying woman. They embraced in a group hug, trying to calm her. Her tears slowly stopped flowing, her sadness slowly flowing out of her.

She caught her breath and pulled her head off Jane’s shoulder, ”Bring him home.”

They stayed in the group hug until Eve’s tears completely stopped flowing. Claire gave her a firm hug as she whispered in her ear. ”I will.”

The trio left Eve and Jane after they both calmed down. Once they were out of sight, both twins claimed one of Claire’s hands. Their fingers interlocked with their lovers.

”Goddess, Claire, that was… incredible.” Elsie said. “Your oath to our mom and to yours. It was beautiful.”

Ana nodded,” Y-you looked so pretty when you glowed.” Her eyes were glowing with emotion.

Claire’s gaze flickered between the two, their praise causing her to squirm. It was getting dangerous as they piled on compliments. She was getting self-conscious about her growing bulge in her pants.

“S-seriously… you keep outdoing yourself,” Ana affirmed.

“True,” Jasmine interjected. Spooking all three as they were walking. She was leaning against a tree, her eyes locked on the redhead. “Both of your oaths looked like they were ripped straight from a painting. It was incredibly serene. Shame I can’t paint.”

The trio recovered, their heart rates normalizing. All of their eyes stared at the assassin, wide-eyed and full of confusion. A smile crept up on her previously stoic face. It felt nice to tease them.

“I should have known you’d be watching,” Elsie said. ”Did you also watch our dates?”

Jasmine paused, her smile falling for a second as her face reddened. Giving away her answer. She muttered, “Fuck… Yeah, I did. Just to make sure everything went okay.”

“Sure it was,” Elsie said, mocking the blushing assassin. “Did you enjoy watching?”

Jasmine closed her eyes, her face returning to its normal color. She took a deep breath and continued. “I wanted to make sure nothing bad happened. Nothing more.”

“Yeah, okay, I believe you.” Elsie retorted.

“Elsie, give her a break.” Claire whispered into her ear, ”She’s stressed about our upcoming departure.”

Her voice so close to her ear caused Elsie to squirm. She reluctantly relented. Claire looked the assassin up and down, her stoic face slowly melting under her eyes. ”How’s Lily’s suppressants coming along?”

“She’s trying to, but it’s unlikely she’ll have them done before we go.” She said as she walked towards the trio. ”She was able to make birth control for us, so at least we won’t get pregnant… probably.”

She was standing in front of Claire now, her eyes looking into Claire’s. She leaned in and kissed her, her hands holding Claire’s face. She pulled back from it, dropping her hands.

”Do I get a date?”

Claire’s face matched her hair. Her face flushed with heat. She didn’t even know Jasmine wanted one. Did she fuck up?

“Uhhh… yeah I just…” That was all she could get out.

Jasmine giggled before kissing her cheek. ”I’m fucking with you,” She whispered, her hands wrapping around Claire. ”Maybe when we get back, I can set one up.”

“Aww, Claire can’t even speak… Jasmine fried her brain.” Elsie cooed into Claire’s ear. She got on her tiptoes and kissed her on the cheek, bringing Claire back.

“We should go, Lily has some potions for us,” Jasmine said, unwrapping her arms. She turned and headed towards Lily’s workshop. Claire watched her as she walked, her eyes lingering. Elsie pulled on her arm, guiding her towards Jasmine.

Lily’s workshop was a mess. The alchemist's desks and floors were covered in papers and vials. Lily herself was staring deeply into a cauldron as they entered. She didn’t look up once.

Jasmine picked up a satchel right next to the door. She held it up and said, ”These are the birth control potions. Lily says they will work, but I have my doubts.” She handed the satchel to Claire, clinking vials could be heard as it was handed over.

“These are for you two.” She said, turning to the twins. “They have mana rejuvenation and stat boosting tonics.”

“How would we even test these?” Claire asked, shaking the satchel.

“Good question,” Lily said from her cauldron. She started stirring as she continued. ”I was able to synthesize a more powerful anti-ovulation potion that even with the Goddess’s powers couldn’t override. Doesn’t do anything for your sexual urges, but it will completely prevent pregnancies.”

A pause fell on the group as they thought more about it. Claire squirmed. She studied the satchel’s vials thoroughly. The urge to fill both girls beside her was so strong. She could let herself go with these. Not having to worry about where she emptied herself. Elsie and Ana at her sides were in a similar state, their bodies rubbing against Claire.

“So we’ll be safe if we… finish inside?” Elsie spoke up. Her hands snaked up Claire’s arm. Lily nodded without even looking up, her eyes locked on her cauldron.

”Imagine if we had that during our date…” She whispered into the paladin’s ear before looking to her sister. Both of them were stunned and red-faced, their eyes clouding with lust.

“Gods, this is gonna be a difficult deployment,” Jasmine muttered to herself as she watched the trio ponder the new possibilities. She was able to keep calm herself, both because of her skills and having already thought about it. ”Moving on. We will be on a 2-month-long trip around the fief. Monsters have started their pre-hibernation scavenging and are creeping into human territory. We’ll likely encounter more than what we are contracted for. So no messing around during watch. Understood?”

Her commanding tone and the implications brought all three girls back; their fantasies faded. Monsters were bad enough. Hungry monsters were even worse. They nodded, professionalism returning to them.

“Good, Lily here has more potions to help us. These sprays will cover up the smell of our food. These ointments will cover up our own.” She said, raising two bottles. ”It’s also likely we will run into other adventurers, as many are mobilized during this time. Leave dealing with other parties to me.”

They nodded to confirm they were listening.

“Bandits have been known to disguise themselves as adventurers, so keep your eyes on others.” Lily chimed in.

“True… I have a contract to eliminate one of these bandit groups. If it’s possible, I will handle it on my own. If not…” Jasmine stopped, knowing she didn’t have to finish. Terror overcame the trio. The implication was enough to strike fear within them.

Claire shook her head, dispelling the fear. She resolved herself to do anything she needed to. “Understood.” She said, her voice filled with confidence.

Jasmine nodded, ”I’ll do what I can, but they are getting stronger and stronger by the day.”

“W-why aren't the Knights taking care of them?” Ana asked, her voice a bit shaky.

”Because of what they deal with on the side. These bandits kidnap boys and sell them…” Emotion broke through as she spoke. She’s seen how the boys were treated by bandits, and it even shook her. She glanced at her former student. ”Knights would have to go against the noble families to stomp them out.”

Claire steeled herself, her anger slowly rising as she heard the reasoning. “Cowards, all of them.” She spoke with vitriol. They could stop this if they wanted to. But money and power stopped them. She couldn’t believe she wanted to join them. ”I thought their code of justice was stronger than that.”