I listen to her story long into the afternoon, and by the time she finishes the sun is low in the sky and the horizon is painted in shades of fire. The full story that she gave me took over three hours to complete, but the gist of it is this.
A few years ago, her friend Mai was injured during a quest to clear out a nearby feral goblin camp. Of course, feral goblins being the nasty little shits that they are, use all sorts of horrible poisons and filth to coat their weapons. At first, the pair thought that she had managed to avoid the worst of the toxins, but after a few days sickness set in. Mai became bedridden, and nothing they tried helped with the symptoms. They tried everything; potions, salves, pills, spells, skills, anything they could afford. She started to lose hope that Mai would make it through, as her condition deteriorated by the day. Until one day, about a year ago, after yet another healer had proven unable to help, a man approached her with a deal.
Do some jobs for the people he represents, and they'd heal Mai. Simple, straightforward, and such an obvious lie that anyone with a lick of sense left in them would immediately refuse him. However, Keira was desperate and fell for it hook, line, and sinker, accepting without hesitation. Ever since, she's been blackmailed into robbing anyone that looks like they even have a little coin. They stopped letting her see Mai a month ago, only promising that she is fine and slowly starting to recover. I don't have the heart to tell her what she must already suspect. Also turns out, Keira is much older than she appears. From height and voice alone, I would place her at around fifteen to seventeen, but she is actually twenty four. Of course, my mind strays from there, but I force myself back on track.
Despite having drunk at least a gallon of sweet honey mead, I only feel a little tipsy as opposed to blackout drunk.
Not sure if that's due to my constitution, or if it just doesn't have much alcohol content…
Either way, when Keira's story gets interrupted by a loud grumble from her stomach, I order us some proper food. Of course, she gets a plate of roasted fish which is apparently a staple in Carata, while I order something called ‘river stones’. As such, my first proper introduction to Atmarian cuisine is a dish that would make any oil-blooded American proud.
A savory blend of salmon, rice, and an unidentified cheese wrapped in a type of freshwater kelp native to most rivers. It's then coated in a blend of egg, milk, and flour and fried for a couple minutes. The result is a monstrous fusion of sushi and a hushpuppy, and holy fuck are they delicious. Each order comes with five of the chicken nugget-sized ‘stones’, and I inhale six of them before finally reaching my limit and still ordering another serving to put in my spatial pouch. Not a clue if it'll stay warm, but that won't be a problem when I'll eat it before I fall asleep.
Keira eats her fish like a normal person, using a fork to nom chunks at a time as she watches my reaction with unconcealed amusement. After telling her story, she relaxed a lot when I still didn't really care about her trying to rob me.
Which, honestly, should bother me more but eh. When a cute cat girl with a tragic backstory fails to rob you, it's gotta be a sign to befriend her. That's like Isekai 101.
Eventually, the day begins to take its toll on us both and I offer to rent her a room for the night. She takes me up on it, and a short talk with the tavernkeep later I pass a small brass key with a room tag to her. She bids me goodnight before taking her leave, vanishing to the stairs with a flick of her fluffy tail. Following shortly behind, I retire to my own room a moment later.
It's everything I expected from a fantasy inn; plain bed with white sheets and a single pillow, a small table and chair against the right wall, and an equally small wardrobe opposite. Locking the door and munching on my new favorite snack, I down the still-warm fried goodness and flop onto the bed. Shuffling a bit to get my extra limbs comfortable, sleep quickly takes me.
I rise with the sun the next morning, the soft rays from the small window painting the wooden walls gold. Yawning as I stretch, satisfied with the best sleep I've had in years, I notice a small object sitting just inside my door. The handle’s still locked when I check, which means it was probably slipped underneath during the night. Looking at it, I immediately feel my heart sink. It's the very same key I handed to Keira the night before.
Rushing downstairs and hoping that I'm simply being paranoid, I confirm with the tavernkeep that Keira didn't leave this morning. Returning to the second floor, I find her room and open the door with an ominous clunk from the lock. Inside, pinned to the wall with a dagger, is a note. Snatching it from the wall, my concern rapidly morphs into blinding rage as I read:
The cat still owes us. Can't let an asset just walk away. You won't find us, so don't try.
A surge of uncontrolled mana shreds the paper, and a deep breath pushes my superhuman senses to their limits. A faint scent of ash and metal catches my interest. It's the same scent that Keira has. Tracking it down like a bloodhound, I storm out of the tavern after tossing the pair of keys to the tavernkeep as the hunt begins. Read complete versıon only at 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩~𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢~𝔫𝔢𝔱