How's your first bounty

Rota followed Thorn through the streets getting a little worried in her dirty clothes as he led her through the better parts of the town where there were better-looking buildings where the rich reside.

"Where are we going?" Rota whispered avoiding looking at the people on the street.

"Here." Belialthorn had stopped in front of a large building and Rota saw the sign of an inn.

So he was leading her to an inn, Rota thought.

She followed Thorn inside where the smell of food made her stomach growled and ache in hunger but she didn't pay attention to that.

Belialthorn led her to the table where Griffin's team was sitting, eating and drinking. "I thought you would be gone by now."

Griffin grunted. "We should have but we had to sell those spell books and that took time. We will leave tomorrow."

Belialthorn felt excited then, they were finally leaving!

Freya looked up, her eyes on Rota. "I heard you went for a bounty today."

Rota flinched as everyone on the table stared at her, she wished she had better clothes to put on or at least she wasn't looking like a beggar.

"Yes! Everyone meets Rota and Rota this is everyon. She is my new partner." Belialthorn pointed at Rota who shrank back. He would have to do something about her timidity, she was going to be his warrior after all.

"Why don't you sit Rota?" Serena said pointing at a chair.

"Thank you!" Rota hurriedly pulled a chair and sat, her embarrassment briefly forgotten as she stared at the food in front of her.

Karina snorted. "Why don't your little warrior eat?"

"Oh...you should eat Rota! Look at you, all bone and little meat. I have to flatten you up." Belialthorn frowned as he took his seat.

Rota should get annoyed at Thorn for comparing her with an animal, maybe she would do it later but for now, she pulled the plate towards herself and started swallowing as fast as she could.

There was a brief silence at the table as they all started at the Rota with various reactions before Griffin cleared his throat.

"Why don't you inform us you wanted to take a bounty? You just got your class today." Griffin said then glared at Karina. "Karina was supposed to take you back."

Belialthorn shrugged. "You already said I am on my own. There's no reason for me to report to you."

Griffin opened his mouth then closed it again, he did say that but shouldn't Thorn have at least informed him about what he wanted to do? And the girl he chooses... Griffin had a lot of questions.

"At least you should have told me about the Bounty or take some weeks off for leveling up first before fighting monsters." Griffin insisted, no matter what, he still felt some responsibility for the boy.

"They are not monsters, they are Vores." Belialthorn shrugged.

"Aren't Vores like level 3 monsters? And you are level what, level 1?" Karina asked.

"Caster level 1 and warrior level 2." Belialthorn did not see the need to tell them Rota only leveled up after they killed the monsters.

"Vores are low levels but you could have gotten into serious trouble if you went to their nest. They breed in the thousands that even we a Grade 7 team might find difficult." Karina pointed out.

Rota paused and her eyes got big as she did the calculations, Grade 7 meant at least all of the people here at the table were at level 121 to 140.

She was sitting at the same table as a team of Grade 7, Rota didn't know how to feel about that. How did Thorn a level 1 caster knew this type of team? She pushed that aside for now as she finished her food.

"There are not that many Vores and Rota here kept me safe," Belialthorn said, giving the stunned girl a small smile.

They all looked at Rota who swallowed her last meat, she didn't look like someone who would save someone from a monster's fangs. She looked like the one who needed saving.

The team said nothing to that, instead, Freya turned to Thorn. "We have your share of the money from the spell books sale. We have kept it in the Hunter's Association savings for you. You can go there to collect a certain sum in a month."

"Also a training space had been paid for in the Hunter's Association for your use," Griffin added.

"Humm.... thank you?" Belialthorn said.

The group dissolved into more natural talks then where they asked how their bounty went. Belialthorn created an elaborate story of how he and Rota had fooled the Vores and picked them off one by one.

Rota was amazed at his lying skills, Thorn had made her out as some sort of impressive fighter who had slain Vores with nothing more than her level 2 warrior strength.

That made the group focus on Rota next and she was forced to start her own sorry story about her life which Karina had snorted and said. "The sad typical story of every slum beggar who thought the Hunter's Association and a warrior class was their way out of the ghetto. Usually, it ended in their first Hunter's bounty with their head between a monster's mouth."

Serena broke the uncomfortable silence afterward by smacking Karina on the shoulder and asking Rota more questions about what she liked.

Belialthorn then asked for fresh female clothes to be sent to his room as he pulled Rota up and they both climbed the stairs up to his room.

*****

"Do you think he knew what he was doing?" Griffin asked, looking at the two climbing the stairs.

"I seriously can't tell," Serena said.

"He acts weird sometimes, do you think they are going up to..." Freya flushed and Serena laughed.

Karina grunted. "I told you that boy is fucked in the head by that Demon."

Griffin's face tightened. "We will kill that Demon."

*************

Belialthorn went to the bathroom attached to his room and heated the water. The tub was covered in glyphs of heating for making hot water.

Then he faced Rota who was looking at him uncertainly. "Take off your clothes."