71. The Morning After and The Hero’s Journey

"Did you sleep well?" Hannah woke up feeling fresh and looking in the best shape of the four girls. Kiara looked downright murderous, while Wynn and Nysta both looked tired.

Kiara didn't say a word, but just sat down and ordered the strongest coffee available.

"-bad night, eh?" Hannah said.

Kiara downed the coffee. Her frustration was almost palpable. Her body was well rested, well, most of it, but her mind was exhausted, tired. As she put on her armor, she didn't even say a word and marched out.

Nysta sighed, sat down and took a sip of her own cup of morning tea. She had briefly forgotten her little massage, but Hannah then sat next to her. "Well, you alright?"

Nysta paused and looked at her party member. "-I think so."

"Good. Did- did you hire the guy yesterday?"

Nysta flushed. "-yes."

"How'd it go?"

"It- It ended too early."

Hannah laughed. "Damn. That's what they did to me too. Makes me think they are real pros, teasing us and making us give them repeat business like that."

Nysta's face was as red as a tomato. Her mind swirled with what she almost asked the illusionist to do. She showed her most sensitive parts to a man that looks like the hero! Just being reminded of what she did last night made her want to crawl back in bed and sleep. She didn't know what to say to Hannah.

"Aha. Did he try something funny?"

She couldn't say that the man fingered her, and they kissed each other passionately. She blushed.

"It's okay. The fella's probably one hell of a sweet talker. I've seen those types around." Hannah laughed. "Anyway, let's see what that receptionist has for us. Wynn, what are you up to?"

"-I'll be installing the new mana stones. That should take a few days of my time."

"Oh! Need help?" Hannah offered. There was actually nothing she could do.

"No." Wynn answered, as she walked out of the door with a bag of mana stones.

"So- what are you doing to go, Nysta?"

Nysta thought about it for a moment, then answered. "I'll head over to the barracks, and see anyone needs special healing. Other than that- maybe just go and pray for a bit. I'm- I'm feeling like I need some guidance in life."

"Don't we all." Hannah laughed. "Alright, I'm gonna go train the soldiers."

***

Meanwhile-

The journey to the old bridges took Aman and Raven through some old villages. The day before was fairly quiet, just a long but constant walk through the old roads that linked Errama and Northengard.

Raven had thought it'd be peaceful, but in the era of demons, it wouldn't be. Because she sensed monsters in the distance-

"Aman. There are monsters ahead-"

"Monsters?" Aman's eyes glowed, as he activated some kind of spying magic. "Let's go! They need our help!"

Raven nodded. They rushed into the village up ahead, to find the sound of battle. There was a group of soldiers fighting to defend the villagers from the attacking monsters.

The hero, in a single slash, cut through six of the giant wolf-looking monsters, with two of them left. "Thank you! You- you must be the hero!"

The hero nodded. "Let me help you with these two." The soldiers were all heavily injured, and Raven's magical arrows blew up the remaining two wolf-monsters.

"Is this all?" Raven asked, but she didn't need the answer. She immediately heard the sound of battle elsewhere.

The soldiers shook their head. "Commander Sofia led the Wolf-Boss elsewhere- Go help her! She's overwhelmed!"

The hero and Raven nodded, and ran in the direction of the battle. They soon saw was a woman with blood red hair trying to hold off a giant Wolf-Monster, flanked by three of the lesser wolves. Her armor was torn and bloody.

The wolf however, didn't look like it was going to kill her. Instead, as the Wolf boss eyed Raven's presence, it howled. "-More Mates!"

Aman, in a sweeping motion, landed next to Sofia. "Are you alright, milady?"

Sofia the Swordswoman blushed slightly and felt her heart skip. Sofia was another of the knight-class heroines, in the same tier as Kiara. The strongest of the Knight-class heroines was Athena, a sealed knight frozen in a magical tomb, but in the original story, Aman would not encounter Athena until they're much further down. "-could be better." She answered, as she gripped her red sword.

The wolf boss howled, and pointed the lesser wolven-monsters at Raven. Aman's hero blade then shone with power. "No, you don't."

The hero cut through one of the wolf-monsters, but only one. In the presence of the wolf boss, the lesser wolf monsters were stronger! Sofia immediately explained. "The Wolf Boss has an empower effect! It makes all the lesser wolves stronger. It's why I had to lure it away from the soldiers."

Aman nodded. "Got it." The hero's aura flared. Both Sofia and Raven immediately felt their strength surge. "Cover me. I'll take the Wolf-Boss."

He charged towards the wolf boss, as if taunting it. Though Aman wasn't very good with women, his combat prowess was a goddess-given talent. The Wolf Boss howled and accepted Aman's challenge, and they engaged in furious close combat.

Raven's arrows destroyed one of the lesser wolves, leaving one left. She walked closer to the soldier-commander. "I'm Raven. Sofia, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

Raven knew Sofia would want to join the hero team. It was just a feeling she had. "Great. Here's a healing potion, let's get rid of that last lesser wolf then we can help Aman out."

"His name is Aman?" Sofia pointed at the hero.

"Yup. He's the hero."

Sofia nodded. "I see."

The lesser wolf was no match for two heroines, and died soon after. As it turned out, Aman didn't need much help against the Wolf Boss either. The hero's power seemed to rise the longer they engaged in battle. With each strike, Aman instinctively grasped the Wolf Boss's timing and movement, and soon he exploited all the gaps.

The Wolf Boss died to a well-placed stab through one of its hearts. In normal cases, this wouldn't be enough, but the power of the hero's blade surged through the body of the Wolf Boss, and the Wolf Boss exploded in a splatter.

"Well- that's it." Aman said. "Are you alright, milady?"

Sofia nodded, her heart skipping a beat. Raven frowned. She had seen this face before. It's that lovestruck look on all the girls. The sentence came predictably. "-Hero! I'd like to join you in your journey!"

In Raven's heart, this was way too typical. Aman nodded. "Well, there's always room for more, but you'll have to work with the team, and well, I'll decide the direction of the party."

Sofia nodded. "That is not an issue, hero! I'm good at taking orders!"

The ranger wondered whether this was a recipe for disaster.