Part One - Third Year - Chapter [011]

I don't know for how long we had been traveling - but Arslan just kept pressing forward.

He made sure to look back a couple of times to make sure that I would still be following.

Sometimes he would find himself in front of me so much that I would lose sight of him as we traveled in between barren rock and open field. The Grasslands had a simple nature to them, almost freeing. We would find ourselves on top of mountains and in between valleys and rivers.

"Come on, I got you," said Arslan as he helped me climb a particularly rough patch of a mountain covered in mud. We walked further and deeper into forests and mountains that gave way to steeper peaks and greener lands.

Fog would sometimes cover how much we could see in front of us as we traveled through places that we could just barely tip-toe around. 

"Are you sure you know where you're going?!" I protested. 

"Of course, I know," he said without a tinge of insecurity in his voice.

"Sorry - " I mumbled. 

"What for?!" he asked, tossing a rope to the other side of a cliff - then rolling a nearby log so we could cross across a river. 

"I shouldn't question you, you've known you're way around these parts better than I do-" I offered. 

"Oh but you should friend, I'm but as dumb as the next guy," he started pulling at the rope with great strength.

Like someone who carries 40 pounds of metal every day. 

"You're not dumb don't say that -" I tried my best not to get distracted. 

I had spent a little bit of time by his backside - of course, I was going to try to get a good look at him, even though his armor covered him pretty well.

There were hardly any openings for me to gauge his body.

He had a front and back plate in one uniform body, connected by leather and red silks.

The lion's Maine on his neck made it difficult to see the size of his neck. The shoulder plates were big, but the two-piece metal that connected to a long tube that hung from his shoulder down to his elbow also made it difficult to see the size of his arms. He had another piece that hugged below his elbow to his wrist.

The armor was pretty dope - he could move freely. Plus the helmet had a string he could hang around his neck and it would then hang itself like a backpack. 

We came upon another open field. 

"How much longer?" I asked. 

"Just about - we'll need to camp somewhere here tonight, preferably somewhere with some water - I need a bathe," 

A bolt of lightning struck through me. 

"Let me check-" I pestered him getting closer. He looked at me like I was demented - but moved the untangled lion near his neck, and stretched his neck.

Exposing his neck. 

I sniffed like the pervert that I am.

Taking charge of this opportunity.

I mean he didn't say no.

The proximity between us was palpable, I tip-toed so our bodies didn't touch chest to chest.

But it was closer than I've ever been to him since meeting him. 

I took a step back after taking a few whiffs. 

He smelled like sunshine, like mud and sweat - he smelled of the open field, but almost a strong citrus lemon to it. He smelled like a sweaty man - but not of the stench of anything in particular.

He didn't smell bad - just okay. 

He smelled of a strong man. 

A hardworking man. 

He smelled dear and beloved.

"That's - not so bad," I said. 

"Are you sure?" he wheezed. 

He took a whiff at his armpit and gagged at his smell. 

I chuckled.

The grass here reached our knees - but we continued moving forward.

I realized just how cringe that must have been - but he didn't pester me about and moved on like nothing had happened.

Was this normal behavior?

"We'll reach the campsite soon," he said booming his voice back to me.

There was a small pause. 

"Then it's another half a morning, after that to Vinymar," he reminded.

"What are you doing once you reach the town? Do you want me to help you look for some work?" he reiterated.

"We could team up - we always need healers on the party, and you're level's pretty strong! Have you been questing before?" he asked. 

'Apollo needs some help here!" I thought. 

[Quests are separated into levels from 1 - 24 from Alpha to Omega] 

'Okay greek letters,' I thought.

'Thanks, Apollo.'

I started making a story in my head. 

"You know the elves - they had me pretty secluded, their regimen was mostly inside a castle, I had to keep a strict schedule - so I haven't done any quests since coming out into the world - so you could say I'm Alpha" I panted hoping he would believe me, he just looked back at me with a raised eyebrow.

"If that's the case - we can help you out with some quests of lota or lower if you need some leveling up," he smirked. 

"Wait - was I wrong about you're level?"

He was being helpful all of a sudden - did he want me to join his party that bad? 

Another jolt ran through me.

"No - you were right," I mumbled, sweating my ass off.

We stopped to look at the scenery of overlooking clouds - peeking just right from the cliffs of a mountain underneath. 

"Woah!" I stopped and gasped, reaching up with Arslan.

"Never gets old," he smirked. And looked back at me.

A beat as we appreciated the scenery. 

"Is it hard to find a healer or something?" I mused. 

"OH! - SUPER RARE!" he quizzed.

It took me aback for a moment.

Judging by his reaction, I could safely assume I would be a valued asset. 

"The higher the registration of the quest - which is given by the guild master - the more a healer would want to charge, plus having death insurance and all of that for your party is really expensive. So even high-ranking officers of the Lions of the Red Sea prefer to go at it alone," he marveled.

"Oh, so it's about money?" I shared my question. We continued walking 

"Yes and no - healers spend most of their time studying in the science building of their guild but aim to become a minder for the warriors. And if they hear of bad news - they send a package or two. I have never heard of a healer going directly into battle, although I've read about them," he just said all of that while climbing a small hill. 

He looked back at me.

Standing way taller than me.

His golden hair caught and reflected the rays of the sun.

His eyes slanted when he looked down. 

"You don't know any of this?" he asked. 

"Sorry - they raised me in the arts of healing - you know ever since I was a boy!" I scratched the back of my head hoping he judged me innocent.

"Wow," he said breaking eye contact with me.

"Oh well - are you guild-less? Or did the elves force you into the Day-glades?" he questioned. 

'Apollo?! Help!' I thought asking Apollo in the back of my mind. 

[Affirmative] 

[No Registered Company]

'Well that's a relief' I thought. 

"Yeah - they tried - but didn't succeed - I'm free to join any guild I want," I said.

His expression changed from curious to confused. 

"I guess you're lucky - the elves don't give out their teachings just like that," he responded with a just tinge of sadness.

Had I hit open some kind of door that maybe brought some pain with it?

Or had I simply overstepped?

I wasn't sure. 

"Yeah - I know right -" I said half joking, half laughing.

He just sighed. 

I wonder why.

"Come on - it's not long now, only up this hill," he said and started moving with such power and precision. 

Jumping from one landing spot to the next - not only was he strong he was also agile?!

He had everything. 

I was already wheezing - I knew it was going to be hard to keep up to the top.

But still, I kept going. 

Eventually, I made it, only to be greeted with another open field grassland, however, this one very clearly sloped into a massive fresh lake. 

I looked around - the place looked almost undiscovered, untouched by civilization.

Deers, birds, and insects alike all gathered here to celebrate this beautiful place.

The water was glistening and you could very clearly see through it.

There was a soft back and forth as the wind gently carried the water into its tiny shore. With sand and everything, overgrown by vegetation from the lake. We found a nearby tree and Arslan dropped his pack and so did I. 

"This looks like a good spot for us to camp tonight, the sun has around one or two more hours before it sets, we should take a bath and draw some firewood," he sang to me. 

"Sure thing - I'll look out for some firewood," I nodded. 

"Thanks, I'd appreciate that. You're a nice bloke," he suddenly said out of nowhere.

"By the way!" he noted. "I can put in a good word with the guild master of the Lions of the Red Sea if you're interested in joining - we have a pretty good reputation I might add. We're a little bit of a tough crowd - you know. But we're all good people, full of weirdos and sticklers for rules." 

That sounded just perfect for me. 

"Thanks, I'd appreciate that too," I smiled sweetly.

He looked puzzled, but his cheeks were flushed.

I even saw a half smile - satisfied - like it had been easy.

We headed in different directions off to firewood.

Wait a minute - did he just say

'We should take a bath' as in the two of us?! 

Together?!

My mind went places, and my nose started to bleed.