"That...that was amazing," I gasped in satisfaction, as I rolled off of her and flopped onto the bed.

Not a bad way to lose my virginity in this new body, not bad at all.

"Y-yeah, it...it really was," She nodded with a slight smile, shifting her gaze away and turning slightly red as I glanced at her.

I still can’t believe that really just happened, I’m pretty over the moon right now. That was, without question, the best sex I’ve ever had. And thanks to my photographic memory, I’ll never forget so much as a single detail of this experience.

"Assuming you’re not against it, uh...we should do this again sometime, if you’re up for it," I suggested with a shrug.

"Mm, I’m definitely not opposed to that. However, I should make one thing clear...I’m not at all interested in any romantic relationship, I never have been. I’ve felt physically attracted to people, but I’ve never understood romance, you see," She explained somberly.

Ah, so she’s aromantic, someone who’s incapable of feeling romantic attraction to another person. I know that because I thought that I might be aromantic in my old life...actually, I still think that’s a possibility.

I mean, I never got a definitive answer to whether I am or not, but so far, I’ve never felt romantically attracted to anyone myself. I’ve been physically attracted to plenty of women though, like, a lot. So, yeah, this works out great for me.

"Sure, that’s perfectly fine by me. Honestly, when I see couples being all lovey dovey and stuff, it makes me cringe," I laughed in response.

"Yes! Exactly that, it makes me so uncomfortable, and the thought of doing the same myself with another person is mortifying!" She immediately nodded in agreement.

"Nice, then we’re on the same page about this," I grinned with a thumbs up.

"I’m glad, usually these conversations are so hard, so I’m relieved that you’re of the same opinion as I am," She sighed gratefully.

Yeah, if I slept with someone and they then expected me to be committed to them or whatever, I’d probably be pretty alarmed and apprehensive in response. And that could get ugly, real fast.

"Yup, lately I’ve been invited by some Adventurer parties to join them, but I always refuse since there’s always the possibility of conflict and disagreements, and I don’t want to be committed to a group like that," I remarked with a sigh.

While I have been trying to keep a low profile and fly under the radar, I’ve still been completing some pretty tough quests, so I have attracted some attention to myself.

That said, the main reason why I’ve been turning down all the party invites offered to me is because of Prysm, I can’t afford to have anyone finding out about her. There’s also the fact that I want to keep my abilities a secret, the less people who know what I’m capable of, the better.

"Yes, I haven’t joined many parties myself. And the only officially registered party than I’m in now is a party of two, with my brother," She replied with a sigh.

"I guess a party with someone who you know pretty well wouldn’t be so bad. You seem kinda salty though," I prompted her curiously.

"It’s...it’s our party name that I don’t like. As you might know, our last name is Farndrey...and before I could have a say in it, Rayven registered our duo party as ’Farndeath’. I hate it so much," She groaned in exasperation.

Huh...I actually think that’s kinda good.

"Uh, yeah...it’s not the best name," I nodded in response.

"Hm...you know, a party with you might not be too bad, actually. You understand where I’m coming from when it comes to this, and after dueling you today, I think our abilities should be quite compatible with each other. We would only take on quests that we both agree on, and if one of us wants to carry out a quest on their own, the other can’t pressure them into changing their mind. What do you say?" She suggested, after pausing for a moment.

Hm...that’s not a bad proposition. Officially registered parties get a small bonus when they complete quests, and quests for parties pay significantly more than solo quests, so I’d earn more for completing a particular quest as a part of a party than if I did one solo.

It’ll also open up a lot more options for me in terms of the quests available to me. And the conditions she offered means that I don’t have to be committed to the party if I don’t want to be.

"Yeah, sure...that’s a pretty good deal for me, so why not? Ooh, and how about this for a party name...Thorn Whip? As in, Thorn from your alias combined with my Soul Weapon," I suggested with a grin.

"Hm, yes, I like that. Let’s go with that then, the name isn’t really that important anyway, so there’s no need to overthink it," She agreed, after taking a moment to consider it.

"Sweet. By the way, about the whole mystery of Monsters appearing all around town, how about I tag along with you in trying to catch the culprit? That could be a good way to kick off Thorn Whip’s first official quest," I pointed out.

"I’d appreciate that, I could definitely use all the help I can get. The Guild has already determined all the possible areas in which more Monsters might appear, based on the patterns we’ve noticed. Additionally, it’s likely that it’ll happen during one of the next three nights, most likely tomorrow night. So I, along with several other Adventurers, will stake out all the different possible areas," She explained with a frown.

"Cool, count me in. All signs point to a Noble being involved, so I’m happy to help," I smirked in response.

Yeah, I’ll be really disappointed if it turns out that a Commoner is the culprit, I’d much rather torture and kill a rotten Noble. Just thinking about it excites me.

"Great, glad to have you on board. I’ve been meaning to take a break from my reception duties at the Guild and head to Kaygee Town, but I’ve put it off until this problem is dealt with," She remarked with a grimace.

Ah, guess she’s heading for the Labyrinth too, maybe to train in? That’s the most common reason for why people venture into the Labyrinths, after making money, of course.

"Oh, for real? I’m actually heading there too, planning to go into the Labyrinth for the first time," I informed her.

Wait, crap, I shouldn’t have said that...

"I see...in that case, we could travel there together, it should be a lot easier. I know I would feel safer with you watching my back, and I’d like to think that you’d feel the same way with me. It’s your call, of course, you can turn me down if you prefer not to," She replied, looking at me expectantly.

Uh-oh. While I’m not in the least bit averse to traveling with her, it would make things difficult when it comes to Prysm...I can’t exactly keep her in my Pocket Dimension for days on end, she’ll probably die.

Not to mention the fact that I need her in order to teleport straight to my destination, I haven’t traveled completely on foot in ages. And after experiencing instant travel, doing so the old fashioned way just seems like a huge waste of time. What should I say?

I don’t want to turn her down, not just because I’d feel bad, but also because it might be suspicious. After all, if we’re both leaving around the same time and heading to the same destination, it only makes sense to go together.

"Sure, that’s totally fine. Can’t think of a reason not to," I shrugged, kinda blurting it out as I began to feel like I was taking too long to respond.

"Great, I look forward to it. But first, of course, we have to deal with this Monster issue," She sighed, before stifling a yawn.

Right, it should at least be a couple of days or so before I leave Kieph Town and head to Kaygee Town. I’ll have to figure out how to deal with this before then, I’ll just set it aside for now. It’s less stressful that way.

"Mhm, yup. Anyway, uh...we should probably get to sleep soon, it’s getting pretty late," I suggested, starting to feel kinda drowsy myself.

Even in my previous life, drinking tends to make me sleepy. And the same goes for smoking weed. I’m not exactly exhausted, but I am ready to turn in.

"Good call, I need to be at the Guild pretty early, so I shouldn’t stay up too late," She nodded, before glancing at me, our gazes lingering on each other for a bit.

"Or, alternatively...we could maybe go one more round before sleeping?" I proposed, as the blanket slipped down off her slightly and partially exposed her chest.

"I was just thinking the same thing."

_____________________________________________

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this Chapter! Don’t forget to vote, and feel free to leave a comment, I appreciate any and all feedback and criticism!

Also, check out my Instagram account @aimdaqs for posts relating to this book.

Join the Discord server, I plan to tease upcoming Chapters and future story arcs here, and you can also discuss or ask me any questions about the story and characters. Use the invite link to join:

https://discord.gg/sRbx9VbTVP