PLEASE READ
I have bad news. And good news. Or more bad news, depending on how you look at it.
A few weeks ago, tragedy struck me. I usually keep my data on Google Docs, but for reasons I can't get into, I'd moved everything to my SSD. That SSD broke, not by accident. The time I spent trying to recover everything gave me space to think.
I can't write this story anymore. Not in its current form. I want to redo it.
After chapter 7, my mind was all over the place and I rushed. Rennia stopped being Rennia. She gets shipped off by her mother after public humiliation. Tiamael dumps her. Ishmere uses her. The goddess treats her as a pawn. The story didn't have real energy before chapter fifty. It was only after the Ember chapter that I felt life coming back into it. By then I couldn't work with the foundation anymore.
The rewrite is the same story. Same Rennia, same world, similar premise, built properly, with everything I've learned from other writing I've done since. Reading back, I didn't enjoy what happened to her. I want to keep her as a character without dragging her through the same mistakes.
The old version stays up. If the new one isn't for you, I understand that.
The first few chapters will go up in a few weeks. I'm building a proper backlog first this time.
Thank you for supporting me.
I am going to upload, daily until the last chapter is exhausted. It's your choice if you want to keep reading.
Rennia and Maeve had barely made it back to the Ivarcant adventuring guild, and she was already in a state of heavy exhaustion. All the sex with Gossamer, the foreplay, the assisted masturbation courtesy of Maeve, it had proven to be draining. Couple that with having to hike back because all the transport had been taken, and perhaps you could understand why she felt the way she did.
What she hadn't accounted for was the opposition waiting for them inside, or rather, the wildborn, Fyrne, who spotted them the moment they walked through the door.
"Rennia! And Maeve! You're half a day late! How was the..."
Maeve held up a hand, nose scrunched, dark lips already poised to say something provocative. Rennia had no energy for diplomacy, so she let her. "Look here, sheep girl..."
The slur rubbed Fyrne the wrong way immediately. She crossed her arms and listened, scowling. "We have just arrived after a hellish endeavor, so if you don't mind, can we save the pleasantries for another day? We are quite tired."
Fyrne, rather than getting angrier, deflated, and then turned her attention entirely on Rennia, ignoring Maeve. No doubt she thought Maeve was a stuck-up rich girl. "Rennia, I'm sorry. I just found out some tin-ranked girls got me outclassed, and I guess I really like you."
The ram-girl blushed slightly. "Not in that way, anyway, my party is splitting up, so I thought maybe you could join me and Fiona. It would be an all-girl thing for now."
Maeve shot Rennia a look of full disapproval, and Rennia had to decline. "Look, it's nice to see you again so soon, but I'm going to take the week off from adventuring. My back and my ass hurt. If you want, we can discuss it next week. I'm open to it. It's not like me and Maeve have a formal party." Maeve did not look happy, probably because she had grown affectionate, and the "ass hurting" detail made Rennia sound ungrateful.
"I... see. Well, maybe we can have a drink this week?"
Rennia felt a little uncomfortable. Was Fyrne trying to come on to her, or just angling for her expertise? That wasn't unusual, but she wasn't one for meritocratic group arrangements. Fyrne was going to have to offer more than marketability to pull her in.
"Sure. You know that little tavern outside the city, the Ebongild? You can find me there on most days." She left out the part where she'd be there as a barmaid.
"Oh, about your coat..."
Rennia waved a hand. "Don't worry about it. Just bring it when you're ready." Clearly they hadn't been here long enough to sort that out. Fyrne looked a little disappointed, but Rennia just wasn't having it. She was tired and done.
They walked on, Rennia offering a small, apologetic smile as they moved away. She could imagine the embarrassment, two tin-ranked girls, and the woman she'd pegged as twice their level had just walked past her like she didn't exist. But it wasn't personal. She'll bad about, of course she will but—things were getting a bit too much.
Maeve sighed, exasperated. "Do you have the entire city under your tits? Does ever maiden under the sun want to suck on your nipples?"
"Sorry?" That was certainly, a vulgar thing to say in public. "What's this about?"
Maeve jabbed her in the ribs. "It's like people just gravitate toward you. I don't like it. I don't care what the reason is, they need to respect your, I mean your personage..." She double-corrected herself and just looked flustered.
Rennia scratched her head. What was she supposed to do with all these messed-up women?
"Well! Well! The heroes of Beausqueek! Come to my desk. I have your rewards right here!" Mara shouted, unnecessarily loud. Rennia cringed as heads turned and murmurs rippled through the room. She barely had a moment of rest and recuperation.
Rennia approached the redhead, eyeing her up and down. "We haven't even formally returned the request. You're being overly accommodating, Mara."
"Those other adventurers told us all about your battles, including how you ended up with a sword at a guy named Slayne's neck." The statement landed like an accusation. "Adventurer-on-adventurer combat should stay off the sites of interest." She leaned forward to whisper. "That's what my boss told me to tell you. Don't take it personally."
Rennia died a little on the inside, a guildmaster knowing your business is a classic bad omen.
Maeve ignored all the banter as the money came up, but she was reluctant to take it. She stared at the evenly split pouches. Rennia could feel something heavy pressing on her conscience. "What's wrong, Maeve?"
"You know what it is. The money..." Everything weighed on her, and Rennia thought that maybe because they kept dragging each other into things, Maeve had become something like her responsibility. It was a nice feeling, she'd admit.
Mara watched them both for a moment but said nothing about Maeve. Instead she turned to Rennia, voice dropping low. "Speaking of earnings... Rennia, dear. I believe I owe you a certain arrangement. I'm available tomorrow and Saturday."
Rennia shifted. "I've kind of got a lot going on right now, Mara. I know it's my request, but things are rough. I'll get back to you as soon as I can."
Mara looked strangely amused, no doubt because Rennia hadn't held a grudge over the dungeon mishap. Maeve wasn't too happy about the sound of that either. "I'm sure you do. Debts don't expire. Not to me, anyway. When you're ready, I'll show you around the city. Pay you back for your cooperation."
Maeve was already turning to leave. She was clearly weighed down by feeling like she hadn't contributed enough, and Rennia couldn't blame her. She might have felt the same. Combine it with the fact that she was basically fighting for her attention, it was understandable. But the moment she raised her hands to go, Mara stopped her.
"Rennia... that ring. Where did you get it?"
Odd question. She never visited a dungeon, she wasn't obligated to say.
Mara, soft, caring, and mildly corrupt, had never spoken quite like that before. Strangely out of character. It felt a lot like the gold-curse adventurers sometimes caught, or perhaps just plain greed.
"It's a gift, ahem."
Mara leaned forward and instinctively took Rennia's hand, lifting her finger by the ring. "A gift? This is Fae-work metal. Very rare. Very valuable. You should have it appraised. I know a few people who could..."
Maeve stepped in, colder than Rennia had seen her since they'd met. "She said it was a gift. It's not for sale or public appraisal."
Mara's face shifted into indignation. "I'm only trying to help. I am a former adventurer, and I've taken quite a liking to Rennia's future. You, on the other hand..."
Oh god. Not another argument. Rennia stepped in before Mara could take aim at Maeve. "Look, we're all just tired. You're right that appraisal is necessary. I just need to get myself together first."
Mara exhaled slowly and narrowed her eyes, soft and heavy like she might fall asleep standing up. "It's just that nothing interesting ever happens around here. Until you come along that is, and that...master of yours."
Rennia winced.
"What about my succession to copper rank?" Maeve demanded, arms folded. "You promised me that."
Mara crossed her arms in kind, though the sheer difference in their bust size made the gesture land differently, and Rennia couldn't help but notice. Sure, one of these days she'll work her face into those titties.
"Of course. You're eligible for a rank-up. However, you'll have to pass a test, and you only get one attempt. Fail it and that's it. Whole cycle again."
Rennia brought her ear closer. "What does copper rank entail here in Ivarcant? Back home, we didn't have many benefits beyond access to better quests."
Mara's voice took on a practiced, almost automated cadence, her posture going upright and focused. "Training access. Guild library. Guild armoire. Guild-only merchants and guild-only quests. So on and so forth."
Rennia's ears perked at the mention of training. The combat she'd seen so far had been sparse, the focus almost entirely on managing her sex-related issues. Her Pathfinder class, her main class, had been sorely neglected. If she could find another Pathfinder to train under, that would go a long way.
Maeve looked interested but was too glum to speak.
Rennia wrapped things up, she really wanted to go make something to eat, maybe calm down with a bottle of bubble.
"Mara, I'm sorry, we really have to go. Thank you for your help." She hesitated, then leaned in to whisper, checking over her shoulder to make sure Maeve wasn't watching.
"So soon Rennia, I would invite your for tea and an afternoon lunch, in the upper quaters. You alright, you both look a little spooked."
"Look, something happened on the mountain trail. It's a private matter. Please don't treat her differently because of it."
Mara sighed and yanked Rennia closer. "If you say so. Just be careful. She had a strange story when she ended up here. I simply don't trust her, to be honest. Foreign noble."
"I know she keeps her life private. But it would be better for everyone if we kept things friendly."
Mara nodded, then bounced on her heels, and her chest. "Don't forget about me. I can be all yours."
Rennia felt her face go red.
****
Outside, stepping into the afternoon streets of Ivarcant. She and Maeve walked toward the center of the city along the canal pathway, which led down toward the harbour. It was quite a sight for a country girl like Rennia Perillion. She hated that her mother had never taken her to see things like this. She hated to say it, but she missed her cooking.
"Rennia... I wanted to show you something. Seeing as we're on a mutual-trust basis."
"Show you what, exactly?"
She was wary. Maeve was never this outgoing. "I wanted to show you where I live. My apartment. Maybe partake in some mutual activities and cuisine, I know this nice restaurant, of course, there's no bubble ale there. I know you like the taste, weird as it is."
"I..." she didn't know what to say.
"It wouldn't be much, gods know I used to live in an estate, but I thought you might want to see it. Maybe share a bed for the night? Get to know each other better. Just talk even?"
Rennia was at a crossroads. She kind of wanted to go. But she needed to get back to the Ebongild and report to Ishmere about Ember, so they could start working out a plan. "Maeve, I appreciate the offer, but I need to get back to the Ebongild. We have renovations planned, and I've already missed half a day because of the wrong transport."
"no? oh."Maeve's face drooped slightly, then masked itself just as quickly. "Right, of course. Life calls. I didn't mean to impose."
She moved her arms closer to Rennia's. "Another time. I promise I'll make it up to you."
Maeve nodded. Another time. She stood watching as Rennia turned and walked off in the direction of the mountain pass.