Book 2: Chapter 17 (1/2)

“Do you think goats are some kind of sacred animal here?” Tafel whispered to Vur as the couple walked up to the counter. The guild was bustling, filled with people who were staring at Tafel and pointing at her horns. A few also pointed at Stella, who was standing on Vur’s head with her head swiveling about like an owl.

“A goat is a goat,” Vur said and rolled his eyes. “Nothing sacred about them. Maybe they raise them for milk here.”

The receptionist’s gaze turned even darker as he scribbled on the paper in front of him. He was in the middle of servicing an adventurer, recording her report.

“Hey,” a voice called out.

Tafel turned her head, but Vur was too busy reading the requests on the commission board to care. Tafel’s eyes narrowed at a scrawny, pale man with greasy blond hair. “Did you need something?” she asked. The eyes of everyone in the room turned towards her.

“What are you?” the man asked with a leer. His gaze felt like worms crawling on her skin. “That’s some weird-looking armor you got there. Very … formfitting.” A strange laugh escaped from his mouth as he licked his lips.

Tafel clenched her fist, but Vur stepped in front of her, blocking the man from her view. His eyes glowed golden, causing everyone in the room to stiffen as a surge of mana pressed down on them. The man’s face paled as the faint image of a dragon’s head formed from the mana enveloping Vur. “W-wait.”

A sharp pain on Vur’s head caused him to frown and look up. Stella had plucked a hair out. “Let me, let me,” she said and looked at him with puppy-like eyes. “Punish the bad man, right?”

Vur hummed as he rubbed his chin. The aura around his body died down as he nodded. “Okay.”

Stella cheered and flew into the air. She approached the trembling man and sneezed on his nose. His eyes widened. “Did she just sneeze on me?” the man asked.

Tafel’s brow furrowed as she recalled her first meeting with Rella. What kind of curse would a fairy queen cast? A minor inconvenience? A major inconvenience? A—. Her thoughts were cut off as the man screamed and collapsed onto the ground, his body twitching. His limbs flopped around, smacking himself as red welts appeared on his skin.

“Get them off me! Get them off me!”

The surrounding adventurers’ faces paled as the man clawed at his skin, scraping off layers and revealing flesh beneath. One white mage rushed forward and cast dispel, but nothing happened. Stella giggled as she flew back onto Vur’s head, creating a nest of sorts with his hair.

“What did you do to him?” Tafel asked. She didn’t like the man, but this punishment was a bit unusual and cruel.

“Curse of imaginary spiders,” Stella said with a smug expression.

Tafel paused. “Is this what you would’ve done to me if I didn’t give you the apple?”

Stella beamed at her. “Secret.”

Tafel’s expression darkened. It seemed like she shouldn’t refuse Stella’s demands for apples. How tyrannical. She saw a staff member of the guild approach from the corner of her eye, and she turned to face him. The staff member glanced at Vur and Stella and then Tafel’s horns before finally meeting her eyes. “Are you three new here? The guild master wishes to speak with you. It’s not every day we see a group like … yours.”

“Alright,” Tafel said. “Take us to him.”

“What about our companion?”

Tafel turned her head. The white mage standing over the squirming man was glaring at her. “Ask the fairy,” Tafel said and shrugged.

The mage’s gaze fell on Stella who blinked. “Ask him,” she said and pointed at Vur.

Vur tore his gaze away from the commission board. “Ask me what?”

“Can you undo the curse on our companion?” the white mage asked, lowering his head.