“And that’s why they’re so expensive,” Marjorie adds, taking the ring back from me with a wink. “Even a storage this size costs more than most adventurers make in a year. The bigger the storage, the more expensive it gets. Even for a mithril-ranked team like ours, we have to be selective about what we store.”
This is the moment I decided that I would get a ring of my own one day for sure. When Ayame talked about their existence before I was already interested, and I expected it to do what it does, but seeing it up close and experiencing it for myself just hit me differently. It really screams; Quinlan, you are in the land of magic now!
“Thank you for lending it to me.” I say as I hand the wonderful item back.
She puts her index finger to it, which is almost as wide as Ayame’s calf, and the ring expands until she can put her finger through its hole. “Don’t worry about it. The three of you have really bailed us out of the grim consequences of our actions this time.”
A few minutes later we are finished with packing away anything valuable and head back to our carriage. A large burden leaves my body when I see that, in fact, I can’t see the carriage. Marjorie’s spell still hides it away from prying eyes- or someone just took the entire carriage, mules included and bolted away.
To confirm its continued existence I walk close with my hands outstretched, and my heart starts beating faster and faster. Did someone really steal my stuff?!
I’m going to ask for so much compensation from these two…!
Then I feel my finger reach their intended target and an exasperated sigh leaves my lips. Fuck me, I was starting to get scared.
Once my finger slips through the spell’s transparent veil it breaks apart and the entire set becomes visible for all of us.
I help my ladies up to the seat and glance at our two new partners. I mean, they can’t expect me to invite them up, right? Marjorie would straight up kill the mules and I’m sure the carriage would give up as well, no matter how well enchanted it is. Broderick is one big fucking mass of muscle, so he himself isn’t a lightweight, but he could come up if not for the issue of space- the lack of it.
After all, it’s a merchant carriage and it only has the coachman’s seat, the rest of the real estate is occupied by my wares. I look at them wryly and my gaze meets my new friend’s as we glare at each other. What, he really wants me to let them up?!
We stare into each other’s eyes for a good half a minute as our respective ladies watch the show unfold in silence. Finally, Broderick bursts out with his trademark boisterous laughter. “Bahahaha! You rude little shit, you have to invite us up and then I have to decline your invitation. That’s just basic etiquette! Did you grow up in a remote village or what?
Bahahaha! My mother would spank you if she saw this shameful display!” He grins from ear to ear.
I smirk back at him, finding the situation similarly funny.
Yeah, he is right in that that is how it should’ve played out, but what do I do if they accept? I tell a mithril ranked adventurer that the weight of his wife’s asscheeks would murder my four strong mules in cold blood and that I retract my invitation?
These two put me in checkmate.
“Ignore my hubby, younglings. He is too stuck up in his mother’s teachings… That damned woman still gets in my way even from the grave more often than I would like to admit…” Marjorie grimaces. Her mother-in-law must’ve been one hard headed woman.
“As for our transport, you don’t have to worry, Broderick was just playing with you.”
She then grabs one of her many magical rings and twists it, and a rug appears. It’s as wide as my large carriage and it hovers in the air without any technological assistance.
What an absolutely cool item, how many magical artifacts do these two have on them?!
“Is that a flying carpet?” I inquire.
Marjorie quickly explains its mechanics; “no, it’s just a hover vehicle, sadly it can’t fly above a certain distance from the ground, it only levitates. However, unlike flying artifacts this one has a much higher weight limit, which, as you could probably guess, is very important for our family…” She finishes with a dry chuckle.
Yeah, I can imagine, lady. I’m really curious to see if all of Broderick wives are in the ‘morbidly obese land whale’ category or if Marjorie is the exception. Their cringe worthy team name ‘Broderick’s Busty Belles & Queens’ certainly doesn’t point towards the latter being the truth.
And then, we finally resume our journey to Braedon, this time with a mithril duo accompanying us. I’ve been worried about this journey a bit, as this is the moment we are at our weakest; I’m still a spearman scrub, and both Blossom and I have no armor, furthermore Ayame is also wielding a straight sword currently, not a curved one which is heavily favored by her class.
Blossom’s dagger is also on the trashy side of things.
Long story short; we need to go on a serious shopping spree.
Once we get to our destination we will escalate our party’s strength to a brand new height, especially if I can find a way to become a Wizard, a dream of mine I’ve had since I first played Elder Scr*lls Oblivion as a baby chick on my father’s computer.
I really hope my primordial genes will pull through and let me absorb the supposedly impossible-to-digest-as-an-adult potion, otherwise I will meet the Goddess much sooner than I had hoped.
“Come, Blossom. There was a promise made between the two of us that I have yet to fulfill.”