AN: Sorry about how long this took.

Chapter 77: I Made it for You

The sun had approached the mid-point in the sky, and most people had begun to take their midday meal by the time that the foursome had finished their simple business in the town of Primrose Acres. A small town with only a few hundred residents, it was the perfect stopping point between Valkovia and White Oak.

Scott counted out the coins gathered from delivering the barbecue and the flowers on time then shared it between the four members of the group. The flower delivery had only been worth fifteen copper, but it was a simple job. The social experience was just as important as the money. The total take from those two jobs was one hundred thirty-five copper. While they had wanted to always split group earnings in half, part for the bank and part for their pockets, everyone agreed that it would be best to split eighty coins among the four of them and deposit the rest.

They stopped at a local restaurant, Dancing Daisies to get a quick bite to eat before they went to meet with Mrs. Kilman about her cat problem. Their meal was simple, but cost them the better part of their flower delivery money. Such was life.

"So, things have gone well so far." said Scott, before he took a drink of the odd tasting apple juice that he had ordered. He had never been a big drinker of alcohol, and did not think it would be a good idea to drink any before going on a combat mission even if he had been.

"These sorts of jobs normally do. Unless there is some sort of skirmish between forces, or a bandit raid, delivery jobs are almost ridiculously easy to complete." said Rhea.

Ero used a spoon like a shovel, and lifted a cube of sugar up and over the side of her tea cup. She then hopped up and gently stood on the rim of it while she stirred it.

Rhea noticed her antics then smiled. "You would drink that easier with a fairy glass or taking the proper size."

The fairy giggled a little, but said nothing. She was enjoying herself. However, she was not the only one to enjoy herself, Herbert spent his lunch dining on a salad with a side order of exotic cheese. He was not one to skimp on a meal.

Neither of them ate a heavy meal. They did not want to stuff themselves before a fight. That would make them sluggish.

"So, do you know anything about the cats around here?" Scott asked Rhea.

She tapped her chin for a moment then shrugged. "They are a fairly common species. They run in prides, but the ones near this area are usually low level. There won't be many places within three day's walk that would have monsters that are too much for us to handle."

"Any special abilities to worry about?" he asked.

"They have a lot of strength and agility for their level, but otherwise they are not particularly difficult to deal with at the level we would find them at around here. Take a walk out into the grasslands for a day or two and that will change." said Rhea.

The lunch conversation turned to simpler things after that. Most of it revolved around the hijinks or Ero and Herbert as they enjoyed their meal.

After lunch they made their way over to the Primrose Dance Studio to meet with the lady who had posted to work notice, Mrs. Kilman. The dance studio turned out to be an outdoor dance floor with a small house attached on the side. Dance classes were weather dependent, and mostly at night in order to allow for a romantic atmosphere. The owner taught dance styles for couples.

Mrs. Kilman was a handsome older woman with honey blond hair, and a merry twinkle in her eyes. She absolutely adored the fact that the people who accepted her job request considered each other a family. It did not take long to get down to business, however.

"Yes, the cats have caused a lot of problems recently. I don't know why there are more of them in the area than usual, but now that there are more of them they have started coming closer to town at night." said Mrs. Kilman.

Ero sat atop Scott's head in a cross-legged position and listened absent-mindedly as Scott and Rhea discussed the situation with the older woman. She did not have much to add to the conversation, so instead she spent the time listening for information and contemplated the days to come.

The fairy girl could not help but sigh a little after she turned her head and gazed out at the dance floor. She could grow in size, but until her power grew considerably she would not be able to maintain her form for more than a few minutes without breaking her limit and using her greater power in a battle.

She smiled softly to herself as a sweet daydream arose before her eyes. She dreamed of dancing with Scott on that floor, a romantic couple dancing the night away. At the moment, it was impossible for real. She could maintain her form for a few short dances, but then she would take hours to regain her strength. Ironically, she lasted a little longer when she was a high-level first tier fairy back on the casual server.

Ero wrapped her arms around herself and swayed back and forth while she listened to music that only she could hear. The conversation continued around her, while she was lost to the rhythms of a beautiful day dream.

"Alright, we'll head north and see if we can help control the local population a bit." said Scott lightly.

Mrs. Kilman granted him a warm smile and said, "Thank you." before the group turned away.

"Dah duhn duhn, dah duhn, dah duhn , dah duhn." mumbled Ero lightly as she swayed back and forth.

Scott reached up and offered her his finger. She wrapped her left arm around it then smiled sweetly. "May I have this dance?" she asked the finger.

He laughed a little then wiggled his finger like it had taken a bow. Ero and Scott's finger wobbled back and forth while she hummed the waltz tune.

Rhea glanced at them briefly then averted her eyes and took a deep breath. She continued forward without saying anything.

The foursome left the studio and headed toward the northern gate of the town. It was a short walk. They had plenty of time to reach the field beyond town.

After a short chat with the town guard, they left and headed north through the field toward the hills beyond. Scott mumbled something about wondering how long it would take to find the wildcats. As it turned out, it did not take long at all.

The background music of the world went from subtle and adventurous to a quirky electric guitar dance mix, complete with minor brass horn accompaniment, the moment three rapidly moving felines raced into the area.

The team scattered immediately, and set up positions. Ero took the lead in the attack by using one of her new abilities as a tier-two fairy to conjure a ball of water. She tossed the ball up into the air then shouted, "Ero's Water Hammer!"

The small ball of water shot down at an angle and slammed into an oncoming wildland cat with great force. The feisty feline cried out a kitty cry of pain as it was crushed into the ground. It was either dead, or unconscious, but either way Ero had set the tone of the fight.

Herbert stood back and began to shake his hips in a rhythmic manner. His little rodent booty wiggled to the left and then to the right, before he whirled around and started to walk backwards with one paw in the air and his head tilted down.

The team suddenly felt lighter, more capable of moving with precision and greater speed as Herbert's dance took effect. It was one of the dances he had learned over the course of the last week by practicing at night, [Moonwalk]. It was a power that lowered the weight of party members and allowed them to move with improved ease. It also increased jumping ability slightly.

The moment Herbert started to dance, cat cries echoed throughout the area. He had offended the pride of the wildland cats by dancing in their domain!

Scott put the bonus to good effect by leaping forward and entering the fray with a flying kick that he assumed would miss. It was hard to hit a rapidly moving target with a jump kick, much less a flying kick. However, to his enjoyment and surprise his swift attack easily connect with his target by taking the cat in the side when it tried to dodge to the side.

He felt the cat's body give way under the assault, the ribs snapped inward with little effort and easily punctured its lungs. A hard heel kick to the chest finished it off so that it would not suffer in death.

In the distance, several more cats had begun to run down out of the hills. Scott turned to face them, Ero prepared another magical attack, and Herbert danced to the music.

Rhea spent a moment cleaning her blade as she finished off the third of the beasts. One swift strike had easily sliced its skull open, defeating the beast with ease.

Another set of cries rose up as Herbert continued to dance. By the time the second wave of cats arrived another wave had started out from the hills. They truly did hate dancing, it seemed.

"Keep it up Herbert!" shouted Scott before leaping to the side to avoid the claw swipe of a slightly larger cat. This opponent seemed to be just a little tougher than the ones that had come before, but it was not in his league. He was both higher leveled, and had greater skill to boot. For once, he faced an opponent in this world that he had an advantage against that did not rely on a safe room.

Rhea pressed forward then leaned to the side to avoid a claw swipe. She immediately countered with a piercing thrust to the side of the beast. Her blade easily slipped between its ribs and punctured its heart. Never stopping even for a moment, she performed a spin to the side that pulled her blade free and allowed her to perform a highly precise slashing strike to exposed abdomen of a cat that had leapt toward her. She easily avoided its attack and tore into it with practiced ease. Another cat was down.

Ero unleashed another of her water hammers, this one was a two-fer as it hit a leaping cat and smashed it down atop one of its pride-mates. The attack had killed the first cat and badly injured the second due to the beast's weight crashing down atop it.

Herbert performed a quick spin then slapped one paw down toward his crotch while he thrust the other paw toward the heavens. The effects of Moonwalk continued unabated.

The biggest cat in the current wave leapt toward Scott but to its horror, the agile sorcerer ducked down then rocketed upward at the last moment. He caught the cat mid-leap then performed a brutal suplex than slammed the cat down atop its head. Its neck snapped with a satisfying crunch. Scott flipped over as the attack hit then regained his footing to continue the attack. However, his opponent was clearly dead.

Another water hammer shot out. Another cat cried out in pain then fell to the earth in a bloody heap. It looked as though it had been shot by a cannon. Rhea landed from a leaping attack that she had just performed, her opponent landed in two separate pieces behind her.

The battle, such as it was, went without a hitch. It was not long until the waves stopped coming. The pride had been dealt with, though the team was not done hunting yet. Rhea cut the paws from the cats. Scott questioned her about them and she grinned.

"Yeah, each paw should count. So, we really only need to kill ten of them to make our quota." she said before hacking at the ankle joint of one of their defeated foes.

"There's more than two dozen here already." said Scott.

Rhea nodded to him. "It's an easy mission."

"I'm glad of it. Let's see how much we can milk out of it." said Scott. The mission briefing had said that they had to turn in at least forty paws. So, the more paws they had, the more they would make as long as it was not too late when they turned the paws in to the guard.

After collecting the paws, the team set about butchering the cats for other parts including meat, fangs, and various organs. Basically, they wasted nothing. Each part would fetch a certain amount of money or could be used for crafting purposes.

"You know..." said Ero as she fluttered around the pelt of the largest of the cats. "Yes, definitely." She tilted her head to the side. "I think."

"What's on your mind, Ero?" asked Rhea.

The fairy turned to her blue haired comrade. "I think I can probably use this one. The rest are too small for my skills to work."

"You can craft with it?" asked the elf maiden as she tied off a bundle of meat.

"Yeah, I think." said the fairy girl. She pursed her lips for a moment then puckered her lips and made a cute noise. "Think I should give it a try? My skills are magic based, so I can make simple things even without tools."

Rhea glanced over to Scott. He was busy with Herbert. The Grassrat member of the team wanted to find a cat skull that he liked for some reason. "Sure. It's not like any of these parts are worth much. The paws are the big attraction for us because of the mission."

"Ok! Let's do this!" said Ero excitedly. She closed her eyes then made hand gestures toward the pelt. She spent a moment in total concentration then opened her eyes. "Without tools, the best I can do is turn this pelt into a simple clothing item. Is that OK?"

Rhea nodded then stuffed the cat meat into her loot sack. It was not a special bag with enhanced storage, merely something to lug items around in when the need arose. The cat parts were going to take up a great deal of space. They would need to return to town before heading out for another round of cat hunting. The lack of a dedicated inventory system was a bit of a pain, but some of the space issues would be ameliorated once they could acquire proper storage bags capable of holding a lot of items.

Ero began to move her hands in a cutting motion. She curled all but two fingers and performed a scissor-like motion with them. The pelt jerked and wriggled as she began her work. Her hand gestures changed from time to time. She made cutting motions, sewing motions, and smoothing motions. Five minutes later the pelt had shrunk considerably and took on the shape of bracers.

Rhea looked at them for a moment then nodded. "Not bad at all."

The fairy girl fluttered up and down in the air excitedly, though she bore a tired expression. "I did my fairy best. The tools are expensive, but I can do this much with my skill alone."

The elf girl picked the bracers up and gazed at them lightly for a moment. She nodded then said, "Good work. What do you want to do with them?"

"Well, I can't really wear them so I figured I would give them to you or Scott." said Ero with a smile.

The blue haired elf rubbed her chin for a moment. "Scott could probably use them more since I'll have to go soon. By the time we are all back together properly, we'll be able to get better gear overall."

"Sounds good." said Ero. "Let's go show him what we did."

"You did it. I just watched." said Rhea.

"Well, that's what a manager does." she Ero cheerfully.

Rhea laughed a little then held out her hand. The fairy girl fluttered over then alighted upon the elf girl's palm. They shared a soft smile for a moment then went to go see what Scott and Herbert were up to.

"Hey Scott! Herbert! See what we did." said Ero excitedly while she gestured toward the bracers that Rhea held up.

The blue haired man and his rodent companion stopped comparing cat heads and looked up to see what the girls were doing. Scott asked, "You found armor?"

"No. Ero made it from the pelt of the largest cat. Take a look at it." said Rhea before she tossed the bracers over to him.

Scott caught them easily then held one up to view it. His [Analyze] skill was not high enough to allow him to see stats for items unless he purchased them with stats provided. However, he could tell certain things about an item. "Fur-lined leather, moderate quality, good construction, small defense boost..." He rattled off his feelings on the bracers then grinned and said, "Not bad. These would probably cost as much as some of the stuff that I'm wearing at the store. Though, I don't feel like there would be an enchantment on them anywhere."

Ero smiled brightly then giggled. A slight blush rose up on her cheeks. "Thank you. Do you like them? They're for you."

"Really? Thank you. I love them." he said with a smile of his own. Scott wasted no time in slipping them on his arms. They fit fairly well and he did not think that they would reduce his ability to fight at all, while they would increase his defense a little.

"I'll tell you the defense increase when we get to a sacred mirror." said Scott.

"OK." said Ero. She fluttered her wings a little then looked slightly embarrassed. "I'm glad that you like them, Scott."

"Of course I like them. They're a gift from my best friend." he said casually.

Ero made a cute noise then twisted his hips from side-to-side. She did not say anything else, however.

Herbert made an excited noise then rushed toward one of the dead cats. He jumped up and down then pointed at it with one of his paws.

"He says that he's found the skull he wanted." said Ero.

"Ok. Mind asking him why he wants one?" asked Scott curiously.

Herbert chittered a few times then mimed placing something on his head. Scott could guess what he wanted from the hand motions alone. Ero translated anyway. "He wants to turn one into a helmet for you."

"Wait. For me? Doesn't he want one?" asked Scott.

Herbert chittered at Ero for a moment. "They are all too big for his head. He needs to level up a few more times before he can grow big enough to start wearing the skulls of his enemies, like a proper grassdancer." said Ero.

"I never saw a Grassrat wearing a helmet." said Scott.

The Grassrat looked up to him then shrugged. He then chittered out a brief statement that Ero translated as, "You never met a true Grassdancer. The skull of an enemy grants the dancer the power of that enemy."

"I see. So, you want this cat's power?" asked Scott.

Herbert shook his head then pointed at Scott. Ero translated his chitters. "No, I want you to have this cat's power. I'm not old enough to wear it."

"Well, thank you for that. Will it fit my head though?" Scott tapped his noggin.

Herbert nodded and Ero translated for his next series of chitters. "He can use other materials to make it a little larger. He just can't shrink it enough to make it fit him at the moment."

"I appreciate it. Thank you." said Scott to Herbert.

The Grassrat walked over then patted Scott on the foot before he chittered a brief statement. "Family does, what family does." said Ero.

Herbert and the crew discussed what he would need to make his project happen. They had most of the materials already. The Grassdancer would need to find quality grass to go with the cat parts that he required. He was certain that he could find what he needed out in the field.

The team finished packing up their loot then went back to town to offload. Monster parts had to be sold in different places. Most of the meat was sold to a local restaurant for a little over ninety copper. The bones, claws, and various organs were sold to the local apothecary for just over one silver. The pelts fetched twelve copper each. All told, they earned a few silver from the deal.

Back in the field, they searched the hills for more cats to claim. They hunted for a few hours, but only discovered two smaller prides of wildland cats. They had a large hunting range, but they rarely came this close to town. Since it was nearly five PM, they opted to return to town and turn in their paws for profit and finish their mission.

The guards tallied the paws then nodded. "Two hundred forty-four. Not a bad day's hunt. Did you get them all?" asked an older guard with a mustache that was too big for his face.

"We took care of all the ones we found." said Scott.

"Right then, good. We owe you six copper per paw, and you needed at least forty." said the guard thoughtfully. "That comes to one thousand four hundred sixty four copper."

Scott received the pay gladly then checked to see that the mission had been labeled as complete. They had done well that day. After they finished selling off everything that they had gathered that they intended to sell, and took the total hunting profits into account they had earned over twenty silver that trip. They decided to keep three silver each and put the rest into their bank account.

That night, they went to watch the couples dance. Mrs. Kilman led the dancers through a beautiful array of romantic dances that seemed to make everyone happy. There were couples of all ages on the dance floor. No caterwauling cats arrived to disturb the enjoyment of the dancers.

They could not stay long, but they made plans to return there after everyone was together again. Dancing the night away seemed like it would be fun.

After they got cleaned up, they went to catch the train. There was a lot more ground to cover before the night was over. Tomorrow evening they would have to take Ero to see the fairy doctor. Both she and Rhea would leave the group for a time.

**

The train ran as regularly as one could hope for during a time of national conflict. The Storm Tyrant had not attacked during the last few weeks. The disruption to the country had settled to some degree, and the foursome made their way cross country at a decent rate of speed. There was no time to take more jobs and fulfill their original goal, but that was not considered to be a problem. Soon they would have to go their separate ways for a time. Just being together was the important part.

After traveling to every major stop in the kingdom, they had spent most of the night and more than half of the next day riding the train. It was past noon when they hopped off the train at the small station a few miles southeast of their destination, Fairywood.

The Fairywood commune was a small community of people who helped to watch over the nearby forest where the majority of the fairy population in the Valkovian kingdom lived. There was a shuttle available to take people there, but Scott and the crew opted to walk. Once they arrived, they would soon part with Ero for a time.

On the way, a topic that had interested Scott for a while was brought up. He wanted to know how the leveling system could work the way that it did in this world.

"What do you mean?" asked Rhea.

"Well, if I can get blinding headaches just from training my skills and fighting, how come everyone isn't level fifty or something just from living their lives?"

Rhea blinked at him. "Oh, that. No, it's not a problem. Most people don't have to worry about that sort of thing since they are not out training like a mad man every day. Social experience does not cause headaches. Skill experience only causes headaches when it is gained quickly without a means to be absorbed."

"Still, don't they eventually reach a point where it's just too much for them?"

"Ah, no. They just go fight a little if it ever happens. Most people don't use their skills enough to worry about it, but the older someone is, the more likely they are to have a higher level. Also, most countries have mandatory military service and training drills."

"So, most people have at least a few levels?"

Rhea nodded. "Yes. Really, it's easy to get combat levels early on. Unless they take up a job like a soldier or a city guard, most people don't increase their skills fast enough for it to matter beyond the training drills most countries demand."

"That works?" asked Scott. He was still confused about the concept. He had developed quickly and the headaches had been intense. Rhea made it sound like common folk were lazy.

"They might have to gain a level every year or two early on, but common people who don't fight or adventure usually won't develop nearly as fast. Few people ever really need to go beyond level twelve or so if they don't lead violent lives."

Scott thought about that for a moment. His skills had taken a while to increase and he had been absolutely dedicated to their training. Someone who simply lived their life without focus on training their abilities would take longer to reach a critical amount of knowledge to generate the headaches. "Ah, so like what Mid said about the way people trained is how it works for normal people."

"What did she say?" asked Ero. She had seen many of Scott's memories in the past, but recently she had not peaked.

"I don't remember exactly, it was a while ago. She did say something like one skill level is a given and four was the sweet spot for people who trained hard." said Scott.

"Oh." said Ero. She had hoped for more.

Rhea spoke up. "That's part of it. Most people only develop skills quickly early on. It becomes harder as the skill level increases, but the character level does not. After they gain a few character levels, the time it takes to increase skills both increases and decreases at the same time."

"That's confusing." said Ero. "How can it do both?"

Rhea smiled. "Well, the skill experience needed for the skill to grow will increase because the skill level has increased. The character level increase allows for more experience to be developed to an extent. Still, the total experience needed is higher."

"Ah, so you're saying that after a few character levels, it becomes harder for someone who is not actively training to develop enough different skills to a high enough point that it causes the headaches?" asked Ero.

"Pretty much. It takes a lot of time and effort to gain skill unless you are dedicated to training in a location where you can heal quickly and have room to use your skills." said Rhea.

"Like the beginner dungeon I was in before coming here?" asked Scott. He had used that place as much as he could.

Weeks, perhaps months, had passed while he milked it for all that he could milk it. Even so, he had only gained around thirty skill levels in most skills. That was with a rapid healing safe room involved.

"Yes. Dungeons such as that are excellent opportunities. They are rare as well." said Rhea.

"You mean, the automatic level-matching dungeons?" asked Scott.

Rhea nodded. "They usually only pop up when the system determines that an auto-generated dungeon is needed in order to balance an area. That is infrequent nowadays, and the automatic matching only applies to the strongest person who first enters that new dungeon. There are a few exceptions, though."

"Really? Like what?" asked Ero in an attempt to get back into the conversation.

The elf girl tilted her head to the side then acquired a thoughtful expression. "Well, there are certain special towers and dungeons that are considered to be trials. A challenger enters as a party or solo, and then they go to their own special instance in that dungeon or tower. The world inside the area warps to be a proper challenge for their skill and level. Each floor has a boss that needs to be defeated before those who enter can leave the area."

"Are those places hard to get to?" asked Scott. That sort of thing sounded perfect for him.

"The closest one I can think of is the ancient lighthouse near Felport." said Rhea. When no one recognized what she was talking about she added, "It's a few hundred miles away from here, on a small island."

"We should go there sometime." said Ero.

Rhea smiled at her the nodded. "It would be a good idea, but we need to be at least level sixty before the tower will unlock for us."

"There's a minimum level for these things, huh?" asked Scott.

"It varies. Sometimes it's a level requirement. Some only open if someone of a specific race is in the party. There are all manner of requirements for places like that." said Rhea before she reached over to rub Herbert's chin. He was sitting on her shoulder while gazing stoically ahead.

The party chatted amiably for a while after that. The topic turned to how much everyone would miss Ero, and how she would miss them. The fairy almost seemed like she might cry as they finally reached Fairywood.

The Fairywood commune was alive with sights and sounds. The local people came in all shapes and sizes. There were tall people who looked like a cross between a man and a bear. There were dwarves and a few elves wandering around. Humans seemed to be in short supply, but fairies flocked in small swarms of buzzing and fluttering people who giggled and liked to show a great deal of skin without any manner of shame involved in the matter.

Fairywood was a town comprised out of living trees. It was a green living activist's wet dream, as everything was merged properly with the world around it. Trees were houses, shops, and acted as roads as well. One of the random bear men pointed their parted toward a tree house on the other side of a small pond. They had to walk up a short series of mushroom stairs to reach the bough that was used as the road that led toward the other side of the pond.

Ero waved happily at the various fairies that she met. Many of them came to say hello after they noticed her. A friendly bunch, a few fluttered along with the group while they chatted with their new friend. One of the fairies was actually a fairy princess, a third-tier fairy evolution. Ero had more than a little hero worship in her eyes as she chatted with the well-mannered fairy.

"Yes. I too have recently become a mother." said the princess. She poured Ero a cup of tea in a fairy glass then offered it to her politely. Scott did his best not to stumble as they walked, since this tea party took place atop his head.

Ero's face became flush as she accepted her tea. "I hope you are both well."

"We are doing well. Thank you, for asking." said the princess before she asked if Ero needed any sugar.

"No, no. My tea is perfect. Thank you, your highness."

Several fairy ladies in waiting hovered and fussed about Scott's head as they attended to their lady. Scott gave Rhea a sidelong glance, and noticed that she seemed to be fighting a laugh. He could not blame her. It was a ridiculous situation.

"Now, Ero. I told you to call me Coquette. Her highness is my mother." said Coquette warmly before she took a sip of her tea.

"Of course." said Ero with a warm smile of her own.

"So." The princess patted Scott lightly on the head. "This great mountain is the man who has stolen your heart?"

Ero inclined her head in what she hoped was a proper sense of decorum. "Yes, Scott is my best friend and the father of my child."

"Best friend?" asked Coquette lightly. When Ero nodded once more, the princess acquired an expression of true delight.

"That is wonderful. The man who fathered my child was a wandering hero who also managed to wander off after heroically getting me with child."

"Oh, no..." said Ero, a look of sadness on her face.

"Ah, do not be concerned. I and my child both are well cared for by my family." replied the princess.

Ero and her new friend continued to chat for quite some time before they reached the house on the far side of the pond. The princess bade the group farewell and promised to look in on Ero from time to time.

The fairy doctor turned out to be an elf named Karsi Evergreen. She was a beautiful elven woman with curly white hair and a matronly disposition. She greeted Ero like an old friend and spoke sweetly to her throughout the initial examination.

Karsi made a clicking noise with her tongue. "Ero, your stress levels are a little high. Have you been fighting with anyone?"

"Well, we did go adventuring recently." admitted the fairy.

The doctor nodded. "Well, it's fine for now, but I would suggest that you stop getting into fights until your little light is born into the world."

"Oh, but..." said Ero.

"No buts little one." said Karsi with the sort of smile one might expect from a sweet mother or a caring older sister. "A fairy light is a beautiful, fragile, thing. She will need to be tended to properly, and raised in a loving environment."

Ero made a promise to Karsi that she would not adventure until her baby was born. The elf accepted that promise with another warm smile.

The little family decided to stay in town overnight. Karsi would take Ero into the forest for proper examination along with a few other water fairies. They would need to spend the month surrounded by nature. The commune was close, but not quite natural enough for a proper examination process.

That evening they had a quiet dinner together. The next morning Ero left with Karsi just before Scott and Rhea said their goodbyes.

After Rhea logged out Scott sighed loudly. "Guess it's just you and me Herbert."

The Grassrat currently sat on Scott's shoulder. He leaned over and nudged the sorcerer's jaw with his nose. He missed them as well. Life would be a little less sweet without the girls around.