Town

It's... Weird, waking up. On one hand, you're snuggled up to a cute girl with a plush body, who's clinging to you for dear life. Strong arms hold you close, pressing your head into her chest, and if not for the serious case of morning wood (on both of you), this would be bliss

Instead, you're... Conflicted.

Mostly because your ass hurts. Not as much as it should, in your mind, but it's still a bit sore. Stretching out beneath the covers, you give a yawn as Tracy begins to stir to wakefulness. "'Morning..." She mumbles in your ear. "Wasn't a dream, huh?"

"Apparently not." You sigh, remembering the events of yesterday. Was that... All of that really happened, didn't it? You're in a world filled with cute girls, and it seems like they'll all want your butt. If you're going to get strong enough, you'd... Best get used to it.

Tracy shows you to the outside bath, before returning inside to get to cleaning up. You'd have offered to help, but you could really use the soak. Your muscles feel a bit sore from all the walking and fighting yesterday, and the heat from the water does wonders to wash it all away.

"How is it?" Tracy asks some minutes later, the water splashing as she climbs in beside you. "Oh... That's nice."

"Mhmm..." You nod, closing your eyes and laying back in the water. "What's the plan for today?" The sun is already up, and the weather seems like it'll be warm and clear.

"Well... That depends on what you want to do?" Tracy shrugs. "We can go into town for breakfast, and I can introduce some locals. Tama has a fruit stall that makes delicious meals. She's a Tropius."

"That sounds good." You're... Not that hungry, but food does sound good.

"Other than that, I guess it's deciding what you want to do? I usually go into the mist to gather supplies. If you're interested in that sort of thing... Merchants can make a pretty good living, but there's some risk involved. Couriers are sort of the same, but you aren't buying and selling things yourself. Then there's Explorers, always looking for new stable patches in the mist, and Rescue Teams, who go looking for people that go missing." Tracy explains.

"That's all if you don't want to just stay in the town, though. We could always use people that are good with their hands, for building and repairs, or farming." She continues on. "What do you think?"

"I want to practice more with my abilities first." That much is obvious. You want to see if you've gotten stronger after... Last night. And by how much. Beyond that...?

You take the time to mull the decision over through the morning, following along as Tracy leads the way down to the center street of the town. There's perhaps a half dozen people going about their day in a variety of colorful outfits. None of them you can really place without stopping to get a better look.

Rather, Tracy leads the way to a small stall at the side of the road, where you both take a seat at the counter. "Good morning Tama!" Tracy calls to the woman behind the counter, a dark-skinned beauty with a slender neck, absolutely draped in fruit-shaped jewelry.

"Good morning to you as well, Tracy! And who is this cutie?" She turns to give you a wide smile, eyes visibly trailing across your body.

"This is Alex, she's a new girl, from the Mist." Tracy explains. "She's staying with me for the time being, until she gets settled in."

"Oh? Have you perhaps gotten yourself a girlfriend? I knew you had it in you sweetheart." The woman giggles. "You just needed to get out of your shell a bit, and open up to someone."

"Tama..." Tracy sighs. "Let's get some breakfast, okay?" The woman nods, apparently knowing what your new friend likes, as she turns around and begins whipping something up. Whatever it is, it smells absolutely delicious.

"Banana pancakes." Tracy explains, noticing your hungry look. "She roasts the bananas first, and there's a side of apples and cinnamon, with-" You nod along, eagerly awaiting your food, and take a moment to appreciate how... Peaceful all of this seems.

-------------

After enjoying your breakfast, Tracy guides you back to her home, and leaves you to practice in the yard while she gets the inside tidied up further. You've still got the stick from yesterday, and a bit of work makes it into a serviceable staff.

Taking a deep breath, you focus on the feeling of warmth inside you, that still remains glowing inside of you from yesterday...

You give the staff a few swings, turning about as you move it around your body with slow, graceful movements. It feels easy, natural, like the idea of moving your body this way is instinctive. Closing your eyes, you can sort of sense your surroundings, and where your weapon is in relation to your own body.

You draw on that same power you did yesterday, feeling it build up in your mind's eye like a little sparkling star. Moving it around causes a glittering trail to form behind it, and after a few moments of concentration, you open your eyes and watch it float around in clear view. A little spark of glittering pink.

A physical gesture helps it move, first from your hand, and then eventually directing it with the end of your staff. Of course... You don't know if that little spark actually does anything. "Hey Tracy? Do you have anything I can use for target practice?"

"How about some firewood logs? There should be some near the house!" She calls back from inside. A quick search and... Aha! This'll do perfectly! You grab one and prop it up as a target, stepping back and calling up the spark of light again. Sure enough, even though it floats rather slowly, once it strikes the wood it practically bowls it over.

"YES!" You pump a fist, excited by your results. Forming another one, you take a deep breath and draw on the energy inside of you. Make the spark a bit bigger, make it float a bit faster, make it control just a bit smoother... Your next bolt comes out much easier, darting through the space and knocking the log further across the lawn. "Alright then..."

You can't exactly manage to establish two at once, there's not enough energy there, but... Just as soon as the first has reached its target, a second one is quick to form at the end of your staff, racing out as you spin it about. One, two, one, two, one, two, they flow quickly and naturally, flying like soft underhand pitches but striking with enough force that you think you can defend yourself.

"How's it going?" Tracy calls. "Ready to go for a walk?"

"Lead on!" You throw her a smile, resting your staff on your shoulder. Honestly, you feel like this is going to be fun.

Leave some comments and reviews for the story.

For every 20 comments in 1 chapter 1 extra chapter will be released.

For 50 power stones 1 chapter will be given.

For Every 1 review 1 chapter will be released.