Using my Spirit Sense, I quickly located the rest of my party. At Level 8 now, my Spirit Sense was refined enough to allow me to distinguish individual auras and recognize people solely by their spiritual auras. I ignored the additional pop-ups as I focused on rousing my loyal companions awake.

I was extremely proud of them because, unlike the Undead Hunt, we were NOT prepared to fight another horde. And this encounter was, indeed, the equivalent of a horde. But the tricky part was holding back in our attacks just enough to knock the enslaved raiders unconscious. They could have taken the easy way out and simply kill the raiders. Instead, they obeyed my command and tried their best to be merciful to their enemies. Through this trial by fire, almost literally, the loyalties of my companions had been tested and I was delighted with the result.

As I awoke each companion, I said, "We're returning to the tavern now."

Each person accepted my order without question and once Bernetta, the last person to be roused, was awakened, we quickly left the pier.

The reason for this was two-fold: First, I wanted to debrief my companions on what happened. They were rendered unconscious due to the mind blast of the Zorxilixian. I had a suspicion that this was the NOT the first instance of little green men acting as pirates and slavers and enslaving the commoners of Britannia. In fact, according to the game lore, Merlin had repelled a foreign invasion before the Kingdom of Merlin was founded. Did Merlin repel invaders under the influence of the Zorxilix? If so, how was it possible for these aliens to reach the planet? More importantly, will they be returning anytime soon?

Second, I needed to figure out what, exactly, to tell the Leadership Council of the Magic Guild. Was it prudent to mention the divine intervention to save Southampton from being burned down? Or should I withhold this information in my report to them? Would they even believe me if I told them the truth?

Since the Magic Guild was the de facto government of Southampton, I had to tread very carefully in my interactions with them. Iunicus was already suspicious of me. It wouldn't be hard to see him sway some of the Councilors to his negative view of me given my membership and high standing within the Church. I wouldn't be surprised if Iunicus thought that I was seeking to revive the Church in the city and he was trying to prevent this from happening.

Frankly, I wasn't looking to do that. If the Church was revived, who would be tasked with heading this new church? I had no doubt that I would be the prime candidate for this position. Forcing me to settle down in Southampton would prevent me from traveling to the other ruin sites to complete my personal quest. Thus, it was not in my personal interest to have the Church revived in Southampton.

I was lost in thought with these concerns as I walked along the streets. I admit that I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings. Abruptly, I slammed my nose into Van's tower shield. *Whamp* I winced at the pain and quickly brought Gaea's symbol in my mind to activate the Minor Heal ability. As I breathed a sigh of relief from the pain, I tiptoed to lift my eyes above Van's shoulder to discover why the paladin had stopped walking. The reason? A cat girl holding a long sword was blocking our path.

I put a hand on Van's shoulder to gently pushed him aside. I stepped forward in front of my group. I studied the cat girl before me carefully. She was tall and lithe. She was covered with orange-yellow fur and black stripes, unlike Kalistra's snow white fur with yellow strips. I looked at the caption above her head and it read, "Name: Bila, Level: ?, Disposition: Determined." Hmmm. Why was she determined?

When Bila saw me, she looked up at the caption above my head. Her pale green-yellow eyes glowed for a moment and she grinned. "Please forgive my rudeness, Lord Mulligan. When I heard that you were in town, I had to meet you. My sister has told me great things about you." To show that her intentions weren't hostile, Bila sheathed her blade.

I stared at her for a moment. To my regret, I hadn't met many cat girls in my travels. In fact, the only other cat girl I had met was an opponent in the Melee Tournament. My eyes widened as I put two and two together. "Oh! You're referring to Cila?" I asked.

The cat girl's grin widened.

"Cila was a difficult opponent during the Melee Tournament," I said. "Unlike most of my opponents, she managed to land hits on me." She was a student at a dojo in Hampshire and she had invited me to visit if I ever traveled to that place.

"My sister thought very highly of you as well," Bila replied. Her tail flickered.

"How may I help you?" I asked politely even though I already knew what the cat girl wanted.

"I challenge you to a duel," Bila answered.

"I accept," I nodded. "Do you want to self-judge the duel? Or is there someone nearby who is acceptable to you as the judge?"

Bila turned and bowed deeply to Kalistra. "Will you judge this duel?" she requested.

"Sure," my master accepted.

"Why Kalistra?" I asked. "You don't know her."

Bila laughed. "Who wouldn't know Kalistra, the Heir of the Butterfly School of Swordsmanship and the Honorable Master Swordswoman? She is the pride and joy of the cat people. She will judge our duel fairly."

Kalistra nodded slightly in acceptance of the praise. Her tail dangled happily at the recognition. "Unlike some stupid human," she muttered under her breath.

Bjoukia giggled and received an elbow in the ribs from her brother.

I didn't hear what the evil minx had said but I knew it was an insult. Despite all my achievements, Kalistra still had a low opinion of me. I rolled my eyes and slowly untied my scabbard from my belt. I held my sword in both hands before me and kept the blade sheathed.

The crowd quickly backed away to give us some room.

Bila mirrored my movement. She stood only five feet away from me.

Kalistra stepped between us. "Three hits to win the duel. I will call out each hit. My judgment is final. Begin!" She quickly hopped back.

If Cila had been talking to Bila, my former opponent undoubtedly told her sister that I was a defensive fighter. Thus, I decided to mix things up with an attack right from the starting bell. I executed the Charge skill and slammed my sword down on her head!

*CRACK*

Cila managed to block my attack in time. But apparently, she wasn't as strong as I was.

I pressed my advantage in strength and pushed forward with my sword.

My opponent took a knee and kicked out her right foot.

I was forced to jump over her foot. Fortunately, my timing was perfect and I avoided her tripping attempt.

Seeing my distraction, Bila knocked my sword to her right and quickly spun to her left with her sword extended.

My feet had not landed on the ground yet and I couldn't sidestep her attack. Instead, I dropped on my back and gravity helped me avoid the hit. But seeing her arm was now extended above my chest, I jabbed with my sword and scored a hit on her rib.

"Hit!" Kalistra yelled.

Hiss! Bila took a big swing downward, seeking to pin me on the ground.

Fortunately, my back had reached the ground by then and I rolled out of the way. Again, I saw that my opponent's arms when extended and I slapped her arm with my sword.

"Hit!" the judge yelled.

Her arms still extended and the sword still touching the ground, Bila took a big step toward me and swung her sword as if it was a golf club.

Instead of simply rolling away from the attack, I held my ground and timed my counterattack perfectly. I slammed the end of my sword into her paws, causing her grip to loosen.

The sword went flying out of her paws!

I poked my opponent in her tummy to end the match.

"Hit! Duel won by Lord Mulligan!" Kalistra announced and started clapping.

*CLAP-CLAP-CLAP* The witnesses to our unlikely duel joined her in clapping.

Bila bent forward with her right paw held above me.

I accepted her aid to pull me back on my feet.

"I lost fair and square," Bila admitted with her ears and eyes downcast. The duelist couldn't believe she had lost 3-0. It was a total rout. Bila's dueling skills were slightly better than her sister's. Yet, Bila performed even worse in her duel against the same opponent. The only reasonable explanation was that I had somehow improved my skills in the half-week or so since the Melee Tournament had ended. It was a frightening prospect for Bila because the gulf between our swordsmanship was further widening and neither she nor Cila will be able to catch up with me.

"Yup!" Kalistra rubbed it in cheerfully and slapped the other cat girl on the back. "We're returning to The Trade Wind. Why don't you come with us?"

Bila turned and looked at me.

"The more the merrier," I smiled broadly. "I'll buy you lunch," I offered as a sweetener.

Her cat ears immediately sprang back to life. The Trade Wind was the best tavern in town and travelers visited the place for its renowned seafood dishes. Bila couldn't pass up this delicious opportunity! She grabbed my hand with her paws and started purring. "Deal!"

Bernetta nodded at me and started walking again. My group quickly returned to its formation.

The Gods must be awarding me for my good deed in defending the city because I found myself walking on the street with a cat girl clinging to each arm. Van was still walking ahead of me. Bernetta was to his left and guiding him because Van was still not familiar with the streets of Southampton. Kalistra was walking to my right. With Rijana and the two elves behind me, Bila decided that her proper place was to my immediate left.

But unlike the evil minx, Bila had a very different temperament. She was much more affectionate. Thus, she clung to left arm and snuggled against me as she walked. And she was purring the entire time.

Kalistra tried to pull Bila off me but failed. The evil minx was tempted to draw her sword and simply cut my arm off. After all, I was allowing this scandalous behavior to continue. She was worried that it would affect my reputation and, in turn, the Butterfly School's as well.

That said, Kalistra soon noticed that the people didn't mind. Instead, the people of Southampton was hailing me as their hero! Some kids ran up to me and grabbed my robe while adults either patted me on the back or bowed deeply. Some women even tried to grab my right arm! That was the proverbial straw for Kalistra. In a huff, she grabbed my arm. "I'm only doing this to prevent some sleazy tramp from grabbing your arm," she said in an angry tone of voice while glaring at the other cat girl.

I chuckled nervously. "Of course, Kalistra. I won't read anything into it," I promised. I heard a giggle behind me. It was Bjoukia laughing at me. Again.

I didn't mind being given a hero's welcome by the commoners. It was a nice feeling. It reminded me of standing in front of the crowd for the award ceremony after the Melee Tournament was over and receiving my reward from the Mayor. While I was actively trying to return home, I could still enjoy my achievements and accomplishments along the way.

The return trip to The Trade Wind took over a half hour because we were stopped frequently by the appreciative common folk. Bernetta simply allowed the citizens to have their brief moments with me before continuing walking. When we finally returned to the tavern, Bila released my arm and Kalistra did likewise.

"Let's return to the VIP room," Bernetta said and led us through the sparsely occupied common room to the VIP room.

When I sat down at the head of the table, Kalistra immediately claimed her spot to my right before Bila could take it.

Bila turned her head and saw that Rijana was holding the chair to my left.

The mage smiled and offered, "Would you like to sit here?" She gave me a wink and then walked further down the table to claim an open seat next to Bjoukin.

Bila took the seat without any reservation. "Thank you!" she said and purred loudly.

I chuckled and I was promptly punished by Kalistra with a kick to my shin. Ow! When I turned my head toward her to complain, she quickly turned away with a "Hmph!" Meanwhile, Bila had started playfully batting my hand as if it was a ball of yarn.

Bernetta stood in the doorway and said, "Is anyone hungry? Should I bring you food? Or should I just get drinks for everyone?"

Bila immediately raised her paw. "I haven't eaten lunch yet. Can I get your famous fish and shrimp platter with fish soup?" she requested. She turned her head toward me and said, "If that's okay with you."

I smiled at her. "The Magic Guild is footing the bill for our meals. So don't hesitate to order more food," I grinned.

The cat girl beamed with delight. "In that case, I'll have 2 servings, please!"

Hiss! It was from my right--Kalistra. "I worked up a nice appetite from protecting Southampton. I could use a serving myself," she requested.

The hostess smiled. "Anyone else? Don't be shy."

Van raised his hand. "May I have the soup please?"

"Of course!" Bernetta bowed deeply and left the room, closing the door behind her to ensure our privacy.

"I didn't realize the cat people of Southampton are so easily tamed," Kalistra remarked.

Bila hissed at her. "It's called gratitude," Bila replied. "Despite his noble heritage, Lord Mulligan is brave, strong, handsome, and a hero! Only a blind alleycat like you would not see what's in front of you!"

Kalistra hissed back. "You dare call me an alleycat? I think you need your vision checked by a doctor. This pupil of mine is weak and lazy," she retorted and poked a claw at my cheek.

"Don't you dare scratch his face!" Bila yelled.

"Oh, I won't," Kalistra replied nonchalantly. Instead, she leaned over the table and licked me!

Bila's eyes glowed. Refusing to be outdone, she licked my other cheek.

The two cat girls stared into each other's eyes. Their furs puffed up.

"I don't know if I should envy you or pity you, Brother Mulligan," Van remarked with amusement.

The two cat girls turned their death stares to him and the paladin shuddered under their murderous auras.

Thankfully, Bernetta returned to us to broker a truce between the cat girls. Our hostess started placing our orders on the table.

Bila finally released me and started eating her food.

Kalistra did the same.

I drank the honey mead and slowly savored the taste. I took this opportunity to clear out my notifications. I spent the next quarter hour dutifully reading every single message. There were 136 messages in all. I had gained a new title, "Protector of Southampton," and received 1,000 Reputation points along with it. In addition, I had increased my Swordsmanship skills in Charge, Disarm, and First Strike. All Magic Spheres, aside from the General Sphere, had increased, too.

Most importantly, I received 12,450 Experience Points with 2,000 XP from the title, 3,000 XP from completing the quest to defend this city and the rest from combat. At first glance, the experience gain from combat seemed generous. But the reason was that I had received bonus points for inflicting the Unconscious status on every opponent and I had KO'ed quite a few enslaved raiders.

Interestingly, each Mind Blast by Fe had inflicted 5 points of Damage and required a Wisdom saving throw. With my Wisdom score at only 12 points, I was very fortunate to make 2 successful checks in a row. Otherwise, I would have been rendered unconscious and Fe would have won the fight.

For a moment, I wondered how the people of Britannia could live their lives so precariously from one conflict to the next. Then I realized that they simply didn't know any other way to live. Their very lives were like sand on the beach subject to the winds. It was a very sobering thought. It also gave me a new appreciation for my status as a Player Character in this world and my ability to affect the people of Britannia.

An hour later, Iunicus returned to The Trade Wind as I expected. "Brother Mulligan, the Leadership Council has summoned you."