True Love

"You saw my commission?"

"Yep, but I didn't expect it would be you," Eiltris answered. "So what's your plan?"

"There is a colossal kraken located deep in the ocean. I intend on hunting it down and killing it. But first, I need a ship."

"A kraken? Sounds hard," she said. "But why? Do you have a grudge against them?"

"I'm competing at the royal castle, and I need the most exotic ingredients there are to have a chance of winning. Call me stupid or whatever for risking so much time and resources to win, but the reward was too good to pass up."

Her eyes widened slightly as she thought for a moment. "That's a lot of effort. I have to make sure you don't die."

"Oh, so you'll join me?" Jake expressed with a grin. "That makes me feel much safer. Thanks Eiltris!"

"Sure... But I want to see you fight the kraken by yourself. I'm only there to ensure that you survive. So you can take care of yourself. Got that?"

"Got it!"

"And that reward... The magical liquid you wrote. I could really need some of that."

"Ye-yeah... Sure, but I can't let you see how it's produced."

"Why? What's so secret about it?"

"Nothing," he said with a sigh. "You just can't. At least not for now."

"All right...?" Eiltris nodded and waved goodbye, hopping over the fence. "Anyway, meet me at the guild tomorrow morning."

"But I still need to buy ingre—" he trailed off as Eiltris had already left the area. "What a pain..."

***

The guild stood as busy as ever, with dozens of adventurers chatting, joking, and drinking.

Jake stopped by the counter, and after exchanging a few words with the receptionist, he saw Eiltris standing at a corner table.

"I'm here," he said, approaching the table.

"You look tired," she noted. "Didn't you sleep yesterday?"

"Don't worry; I'm alive. I guess my eyes are a little baggy, but it sure is difficult to fall asleep when I have the thought of kraken hunting on my mind."

"I see."

"So, where do we go from here? You got the ship laying somewhere?"

"Ship? Oh, right, you needed that."

"Do you... not have a ship?" Jake asked. "How are we going to the sea then?"

"We walk," she replied. "I'll freeze the water and make an ice path. As far as I know, you fight at melee range, and there is no way a ship wouldn't sink at the wrath of a kraken."

"Gosh, you're right; I'm stupid. Then an ice path would be perfect."

"How do you even plan on taking it down? Those things are stronger than a duskwolf, you know?"

Jake chuckled slightly. "Ha, I have a plan. Don't stress about it. Besides, I'm stronger now."

"I'm glad you're confident," she smiled. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What exactly is your goal at the castle? Is it the thousand gold coins? If so, there are other ways to make that type of money, like selling that magical liquid you claim to make. Or maybe you're planning on getting the princess' attention? She's a beautiful girl, after all."

"The former, basically," Jake admitted. "But it's a way for me to grow stronger as well."

"Does it have anything to do with that ability you mentioned? Something something tango and non-minor females, and then you'd gain their ability. Didn't you say something like that?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I did. It's a little embarrassing for me to talk about right now."

"No problem." She paused for a moment before continuing, "You know, I've always wondered why people try so hard to get a woman's attention. They go through all sorts of trouble to impress them, but the moment they succeed, they lose interest and decide to move on to the next. It seems like they only care about sex, and nothing else."

"What? Where did that come from?"

"Sorry, that was a weird question."

"But now I'm curious of what you mean."

Eiltris sighed. "Elven culture is different than human culture, obviously. You know, human men generally marry multiple women if they can, while one of our elven customs is the intimacy between two elves. In fact, walking around naked in public is considered the norm since we're attached to no one but our partners."

"Wow... That sounds interesting. But I guess lust will always be apart of human nature. That's just the way it is; heck, that's why it's a deadly sin."

She smirked for a moment, then gazed at the air. "When a man has multiple lovers, is it still true love? Or does he simply enjoy the company of several beautiful ladies? That's the question I wonder. There are so many reasons behind it. Maybe it's because he's afraid to commit to one person, or maybe he gets bored easily. All these questions I think you should answer yourself later on."

"I think it's different from person to person, but I've never had multiple partners, so I can't answer your question," he answered honestly. "I know it's weird coming from someone with Lust as his element, but if having multiple partners takes away the love, then I'd prefer to stick to just one. Never had I considered women to be trophies or a prize to be won, even though we'd usually never meet again after having sex."

"Aren't you contradicting yourself?"

"I don't really know to be honest. It's a difficult topic to talk about."

Her lips curled into a smile. "You sound like the type of guy who knows how to love."

"Haha, thanks—"

"So, I wouldn't mind doing it with you if you could learn my abilities," she interrupted, looking a the floor with a reddish hue on her cheeks.

Jake nearly choked on his tongue. "Wha-whaaat?!"

"Do-don't yell out loud!" she whispered, awkwardly covering her ears.

"No, wait! How do you know about my ability?"

She took a deep breath before answering, "Isn't it obvious? You're Lust. Then you mentioned only females and no minors. It's obvious, isn't it? You need sex to grow stronger."