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Time for the next chapter of Dawn of Courage. (Warning: contains mild language, sexual suggestions)
It was the following morning after the party had vanquished General Galvinspine and his Undead Army platoon. The party was enjoying their breakfast with the Gordak Royal Family. It was clear that everyone in the capital was considerably more relaxed knowing that Galvinspine had been destroyed, all having a sense of security and tranquility.
King Rand turned to the party, “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you seven have my eternal thanks. Now, with General Galvinspine destroyed, we can return to a sense of normalcy once again. This also means our famous Night Market will reopen. I highly suggest you check it out tonight. But this also means I can finally offer more support to the rebuilding of the Beastman Resistance. Although I do admit I was quite surprised to hear that you were once part of it, Zeeker.”
Zeeker replied, “Yeah, well, I thought it had been crushed to pieces after Vertebreak got his bony claws on it. So you can bet my surprise when I learned it had survived and was in the process of rebuilding itself. While they still call me ‘Captain Zeeker’ from my past days as one of them, I’m not really their Captain anymore. Not because I’m with this group but because when I thought the Beastman Resistance was gone I didn’t take the fight back up again right away, as my survivor’s guilt got the better of me for a while. It was Nova and the others who relit my fire. But I am quite happy to know that there were more survivors than I originally thought. I just hope we can give them enough help to get the resistance back on its feet.”
Sir Reginald replied, “We should be able to. Especially if we donate certain monster parts to sell like Gargathox tusks, since those can probably be sold here. Getting some extra funds for the Beastman Resistance would be a huge boon to them.”
King Rand nodded, “Indeed. We have a special place here in the capital where you can market such parts. It had been closed down for a bit due to the threat of General Galvinspine but it should be open again now that the threat has passed. In the meantime my intelligence network is gathering up intel on the locations of the remaining Undead Bases in this kingdom. The Beastman Resistance also has some of that information but they haven’t been able to get all of it due to Galvinspine’s presence. I am sorry to say this but you’ll have to go to the inn after we’re done with breakfast, as we’re expecting a meeting with some nobles soon and we need the guest rooms free. I hope you understand.”
Nina nodded, “It’s totally fine, Your Majesty. We’re enjoying the stay in the castle but we’re fine moving into the inn so you can get ready for some important guests. We’re just glad we could solve your Undead General issue before the meetings could take place; if Galvinspine was still knocking at your barrier it would make other nobles tense. Right, boys?”
Everyone else nodded in agreement, making King Rand smile.
“You have my thanks. I will have one of my staff give you the information on the locations of the Undead Bases in this kingdom, but it won’t be ready until this afternoon at best. He’ll meet you at the inn with the information. In the meantime, please, go and enjoy what our city can offer.”
Van asked, “Are your item shops fully stocked?”
“I’m aware it was you lot who recovered a sizable amount of stolen goods. Those have been distributed to their rightful owners and locations, so our shops should be fully stocked. While there’s still a few crates of stolen goods out there, what you’ve recovered has been a huge help in getting our shelves filled with items. Hopefully you can find what you need here in the capital.”
“Let’s hope, as we’ve been looking for certain things for a while now,” Angelo said. “Especially Nuts Oil, since it’s been surprisingly scarce lately.”
The queen replied, “There is a reason for that. One of the nuts used to make Nuts Oil has been in low supply, therefore most providers haven’t been able to harvest enough of those nuts to make Nuts Oil. It seems to be Muu’s doing. Rumor has it that one of his Undead Bases set up shop just shy of a nut plantation, thus its very presence has been enough of a threat to keep farmers from harvesting their crops. We don’t know for sure, but it does seem to suggest that Muu is responsible for the shortage.”
“Joy…” Nova said, deadpan. “When is that big bone boss not the cause of problems for Edyn?”
Kettu chuckled, “Fair point, Nova. But if it is Muu’s doing then that would explain the shortage. Hopefully we can remove whatever it is that’s causing the shortage and return things to a sense of normality.”
King Rand nodded, “If you can do that then I know many people would be grateful, as those nuts are also useful for other things outside of Nuts Oil. But, for now, enjoy your meal and enjoy what our city can offer. Especially now that everyone can feel more relaxed and secure.”
The party nodded and resumed eating. Before long the plates of food were gone. The party then gathered up their stuff and left the castle, entering the central hub of the city.
Sir Reginald said, “First thing’s first. Let’s see if we can grab a few items from the shops. Hopefully they’ll have at least some stock left of the items we’re looking for. After that we’ll head for the special place where we can market those more valuable monster parts. After that we’ll head for the inn to await the intelligence network staff member with the needed information on the various Undead Bases left in this kingdom. After that we’ll see what the Night Market has to offer.”
“Perhaps you should leave the Night Market to Nova and me, as the inn keepers might not like it if we all leave our rooms,” Nina suggested. “From what I’ve heard the inns tend to lock up the place at a certain time so if we all spend too much time in there we might accidentally get locked out. At least if Nova and I get locked out by accident I can just use Teleport to get us back into our rooms. And that way it’ll prevent our stuff from getting stolen.”
Kettu quirked an eyebrow, “Huh. Considering how famous the Night Market is I’m surprised that the inns here would have almost a strict curfew. You’d think they’d be more willing to keep the doors open at night due to the Night Market’s reputation, especially since it would promote business for everyone.”
Sir Reginald nodded, “Both of you bring up fair points. Very well, we’ll leave the Night Market stuff to you two, Nova and Lady Nina. We’ll hold down the fort in the inn if it prevents us from losing our rooms or getting locked out by accident. Hopefully you two can find some good items.”
Nina smiled, “Oh, don’t worry. We’ll come back with a treasure trove of goodies. Now, let’s stop yapping and start taking care of business.”
The party nodded and started to make their way through the expansive city to take care of business. They stopped at every item shop to see what their supply of goods were, purchasing things as they went. After a while they went to the special monster part merchant to barter for good prices on the more valuable monster parts they had, netting a good amount of money. They then stopped at a local restaurant to have some lunch. They casually chatted a bit while they waited for their food, discussing various subjects. When the food came they eagerly tucked into it. After cleaning their plates and paying the bill, they made their way to the largest inn in the city.
Zeeker asked, “Is this the right inn that King Rand told us to meet his staff member at?”
Sir Reginald looked at the note he was holding before replying, “Yes, this is the place. And best of all the Night Market is just down the street from here, tucked into that corner by the northwest wall. That way Nova and Lady Nina won’t have too far to go when they decide to check out the Night Market, and it’ll make the return trip faster so they don’t get locked out. We’d better check with the inn keeper when they lock the front door and when the Night Market opens up. Now, let’s go inside, get our rooms, and wait for when the intelligence network staff member shows up.”
The party nodded and entered the inn. They paid the woman at the counter for two rooms and requested that someone alert them when the king’s staff member came. They then retreated to their designated rooms. Nova sat down on one of the beds. Nina then sat down on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and nuzzling her forehead against his.
“A little alone time for us, beloved,” she purred. “At least before dinner, anyway. Then it’s off to the Night Market.”
Nova chuckled, “You seem a bit lustful, Nina. Maybe the effects of your Lilith Wing Shaman form haven’t completely worn off yet?”
She blushed, “No, those side-effects have worn off, thankfully. But it doesn’t change how I feel about you, beloved. I just simply enjoy spending time with you. I’ve said it a good dozen times now and I’ll say it again: you’re the best thing to ever happen to me. If it wasn’t for you I would still be playing cat-and-mouse with my knights in my kingdom’s attempt to drag me back to them to be their money making scheme. My life has become soooooo much better thanks to you. Now I’m free to spread my wings and be myself. I’ll never be caged again. And I intend to take Earth by storm. Your people won’t know what hit them.”
“To say the least. You’ll definitely blindside them, that’s for sure. I also wonder what my family will think of you. And what they’ll think of me dating a woman from another species. Not that I’m trying to seek their approval, as I’ve long since given up on that endeavor due to constantly falling short of their expectation. But I do wonder what they’ll say about our relationship?”
“Hey, at least I’ve got all the right parts in all the right places. Just with a few bonuses like wings and hollow bones. And considering my kind reproduce the same way as humans it shouldn’t be an issue. And if it is, too bad for them, as nothing will stop me from becoming your wife and the mother of your children. That I promise.”
Nova gained a small blush, “You really are something, Nina. I could’ve never imagined hooking up with a woman of your caliber, not in my wildest dreams. And, believe me, I can have some pretty wild, crazy, and/or strange dreams. Like wresting a space squid on behalf of the president of my country. That type of strange. And yet here we sit. Not to change the subject but we do need to keep track of time, as the Night Market opens at 8 PM and the inn locks its doors at 10 PM. So we need to keep an eye on the clock to ensure we don’t get left out by accident. Yeah, sure, your Teleport spell can get us in safely but I’d rather not depend on that as our best method of returning to our room.”
Nina nuzzled closer to Nova, purring, “Don’t worry, beloved. We’ll make sure to leave both the inn and the Night Market with time to spare. You certainly are a punctual one. But I guess living with such perfectionists like your family might do that. Your parents won’t recognize you after this journey is over.”
Nova gained a serious look, “Yeah, and I’ve got some pretty choice words for them. They won’t know what hit them, either, once I’m done getting years of frustration and anger out of me. Though I wonder if they’ll even bother to listen to me or will just write it off as the black sheep complaining about unfair treatment. Because I wouldn’t be surprised if they do the latter, since that’s how it’s always been.” He shook his head, “I can’t sour the mood right now with that. I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. Assuming I don’t die on this world first. But let’s just say I intend to tear them a new one with my tranquil fury.”
Nina shivered in pleasure, “Ooh, Nova, you’re making me shiver. I can’t wait to see that happen. And considering your tranquil fury makes my berserk fury look tame it’ll be quite the event. But let’s not dwell on it for now. Like you said we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. For now, let’s just enjoy our time together and start mapping out some ideas for what we’re gonna buy at the Night Market.”
The duo nodded and began discussing what items they should get and how much they should buy. After a little while there was a knock at their door. Nova opened it to see Sir Reginald.
“Oh, Sir Reginald,” he said. “I take it we got our information?”
The knight nodded, “Yes, it just arrived a few minutes ago. We’ll go over it later, as there’s a decent amount to sift through. But I wanted to let you know that we’ve obtained the information from the intelligence network on what Undead Bases are left in this kingdom.”
Nina smiled, “Thank for telling us, Sir Reginald. Nova and I have been going over some possible ideas for what items to get from the Night Market. Hopefully they have bargain deals like random assortments and such, as those tend to be more valuable. Hopefully we can also find a few things that we couldn’t obtain in the regular item shops. We have a good idea of what we want but we’ll see what the Night Market has to offer. So expect us to return with bags of goodies. And since we made a fortune on those more valuable monster parts we can easily spurge a bit, as we might not get another chance like this for some time.”
“Just don’t go too crazy, Lady Nina. But considering you’ve got an eagle eye for deals and know the value of certain items compared to their general price you two should do fine. Now, we’ll see each other again at dinner. Hopefully you two won’t be too long at the Night Market, as I know it’s pretty expansive.”
Nova replied, “We intend to leave the inn for the Night Market before 8 PM and leave around 9:30 PM so we don’t have any issues. That should give us enough time to go through the goods and see if we can find any deals. But we’ll keep our budget in mind, don’t worry about that.”
Sir Reginald nodded, “Good. Now, dinner will probably be starting soon so we’ll see you then.”
He left and returned to his room, allowing the duo to close their inn room door.
Nina smiled, “Okay, just a little longer before dinner and then we’ll go bargain hunting at the Night Market. Hopefully we can nab some good deals there like buy one, get one free offers and such. But I think we’ve gotten a good idea of what we want to find so let’s just enjoy some downtime and wait for dinner.”
Nova nodded and sat down next to Nina, who nuzzled up next to him. After a little while there was a knock at their door.
“Pardon me, but dinner will be served soon,” a female voice said.
“Thank you,” Nova replied. He turned to Nina, “Let’s go eat. Then it’s off to the Night Market.”
Nina fluttered her wings happily before the duo gathered up their stuff and went down into the dining room. They rejoined the party and started discussing what items they were going to keep their eyes open for. After getting their food they quickly dug into it, clearly enjoying the quality. By the time they had finished eating it was 7:45 PM.
Nina stood up, “Okay, beloved, time for us to get moving. We want to get to the Night Market just as they open so we’ll have the maximum amount of time needed to scope things out.” She turned to the party, “We’ll be back as soon as we can. Hopefully we can find some nice, rare items while we’re out.”
Van nodded, “Good luck and happy bargain hunting.”
Nova and Nina nodded before leaving the inn and heading toward the location of where the Night Market resided. They soon approached the building and already there was a few people waiting at the door. At precisely 8 PM the doors to the building unlocked, allowing the eager shoppers to enter. Inside the Night Market building were five large stands full of items, along with what looked like a fortune teller near the back and a stage in the center.
“So, this is the Night Market?” Nova observed. “Certainly looks the part. Come on, Nina, let’s see what we can find before other shoppers beat us to the goods.”
Nina nodded and followed Nova into the building. They soon stopped at one of the stands.
“Wait a second!” Nina sputtered. She turned to the merchant, “Is that a bottle of Nuts Oil?”
The merchant nodded, “Indeed, lovely lady. But it is the last one in stock, as the shortage has hit us as well. Are you interested in it?”
“We’ve been looking for that stuff for weeks. How much?”
“One silver.”
“Deal.”
Nina paid one silver coin in exchange for the Nuts Oil, making her smile.
“Nice eyes, Nina,” Nova said. “You spotted that Nuts Oil like a falcon spots a field mouse. Now we finally have some Nuts Oil.”
“It’s only one bottle, sadly.”
“That’s one more than we had before. Take what you can get. Now, let’s see what else we can find.”
Nova put the Nuts Oil in his Digi-Pack before the duo resumed examining the stands. After a good hour they had purchased several pouches worth of goods and items. They took a moment to catch their breath at the benches near the stage.
“We’ve done well so far,” Nova said. “We got several deals on various items. We bought several assortments of Elemental Coins, BOGO sets of various Eye Gems, a handful of assorted Beast Claws packages, some more Glacier Mana Water, a couple of different Goddess Statues, and even stuff like Black Honey Elixirs, Tonton Oils, and Scarlet Pumpkin Juice. And there’s still a half an hour before we should head back to the gang. Too bad we couldn’t get any more Nuts Oil but I’ll accept the fact we got found least one.”
Nina nodded, “You can say that again, beloved. We’ve done well and we’ve barely dented our planned budget due to all those deals. Hmm?”
Both of their attention was redirected to the stage. Soon four exotic dancers stepped up and began putting on a show. Nina gained a disapproving frown but it changed to a smile when Nova stood up and started to walk away. She quickly followed him over to one of the stands.
“Thank you,” she said sincerely to him. “Your loyalty is extremely pleasing, beloved.”
“I don’t deny those exotic dancers are gorgeous,” he replied. “But I’ve already have the best your Goddess can offer so I don’t need that. If I could resist nudist mermaids then I can resist exotic dancers. Although you’d probably look pretty good in those costumes. But, then again, you always look good so I guess it wouldn’t really matter. Now, let’s see if we can fish for any more deals before we have to head back.”
Nina smiled warmly, gaining a small blush as Nova said this statement, before the duo resumed bargain hunting. After a little while they decided it was time to head back.
Nina looked at the grandfather clock near one of the merchants, saying, “It’s 9:25 PM. A bit earlier than we had intended to leave but I think we’ve done enough shopping. Let’s head back to the inn and report to the gang about our finds.”
Nova nodded and the duo left the Night Market and made their way back to the inn. To their relief the door was still unlocked, allowing them to enter without issue. They walked up the stairs to where the rooms were and gently knocked on the door where the rest of the party was. Soon Sir Reginald opened the door.
“Ah, you’re back,” he said. “So, how’d it go?”
Nova smiled, “We managed to net a lot of good bargains, only lightly denting our planned budget. We even managed to get ahold of some very interesting things. Like… this.”
He presented the Nuts Oil, which made Van’s eyes widen.
“You found some Nuts Oil!?” the Centaur sputtered.
Nina nodded, “Yes, I spotted it. But it was the last bottle, as the shortage has also affected the Night Market’s stock of it. But here, Van, since you’ve been pretty determined to find it we’ll give it to you.”
Van trotted over and gently took the bottle of Nuts Oil, gaining a relieved smile.
“It’s only one bottle, and only a medium-sized one at that, but it’s better than nothing,” he said. “At least we finally got ahold of some. Hopefully we can solve the shortage issue soon so the supply of Nuts Oil will rebound. But thank you for finding it.”
Nova took out some jars of oil, saying, “We also found some Tonton Oil. We’ll give this to you as you’re the medical expert of the group.”
Van graciously took the Tonton Oil jars. He put both them and the Nuts Oil bottle into his backpack.
“Good work, you two,” he smiled. “Did you find any other goodies?”
“Other than getting great deals on Elemental Coins, Beast Claws, and Eye Gems, we also got some bottles of Scarlet Pumpkin Juice, more Glacier Mana Water, and Black Honey Elixirs,” Nova said. “Not to mention a handful of different Goddess Statues. We did pretty good. But it’s now time for bed. See you lot in the morning.”
The rest of the party nodded and Sir Reginald gently closed the door. Nova and Nina returned to their room and gently locked the door. Nina stripped out of her clothes, as usual, gave Nova a hug and a kiss before she curled up under the sheets of one of the beds. Nova chuckled lightly, kicked off his Hoverboots, placed his Digi-Pack full of goodies and archery equipment at the foot of his bed, and curled up under the covers. He blew out the candle that lit the room, allowing both of them to slowly drift off to sleep. They were satisfied with what they had acquired from the Night Market, knowing it would help them greatly in the fights ahead.
Next Chapter: Invasion of the Cursed Vines
That's all for today. A bit filler-ish but the events here do play a part in future chapters. Tune in next time to find out.
The Night Market
It was the following morning after the party had vanquished General Galvinspine and his Undead Army platoon. The party was enjoying their breakfast with the Gordak Royal Family. It was clear that everyone in the capital was considerably more relaxed knowing that Galvinspine had been destroyed, all having a sense of security and tranquility.
King Rand turned to the party, “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you seven have my eternal thanks. Now, with General Galvinspine destroyed, we can return to a sense of normalcy once again. This also means our famous Night Market will reopen. I highly suggest you check it out tonight. But this also means I can finally offer more support to the rebuilding of the Beastman Resistance. Although I do admit I was quite surprised to hear that you were once part of it, Zeeker.”
Zeeker replied, “Yeah, well, I thought it had been crushed to pieces after Vertebreak got his bony claws on it. So you can bet my surprise when I learned it had survived and was in the process of rebuilding itself. While they still call me ‘Captain Zeeker’ from my past days as one of them, I’m not really their Captain anymore. Not because I’m with this group but because when I thought the Beastman Resistance was gone I didn’t take the fight back up again right away, as my survivor’s guilt got the better of me for a while. It was Nova and the others who relit my fire. But I am quite happy to know that there were more survivors than I originally thought. I just hope we can give them enough help to get the resistance back on its feet.”
Sir Reginald replied, “We should be able to. Especially if we donate certain monster parts to sell like Gargathox tusks, since those can probably be sold here. Getting some extra funds for the Beastman Resistance would be a huge boon to them.”
King Rand nodded, “Indeed. We have a special place here in the capital where you can market such parts. It had been closed down for a bit due to the threat of General Galvinspine but it should be open again now that the threat has passed. In the meantime my intelligence network is gathering up intel on the locations of the remaining Undead Bases in this kingdom. The Beastman Resistance also has some of that information but they haven’t been able to get all of it due to Galvinspine’s presence. I am sorry to say this but you’ll have to go to the inn after we’re done with breakfast, as we’re expecting a meeting with some nobles soon and we need the guest rooms free. I hope you understand.”
Nina nodded, “It’s totally fine, Your Majesty. We’re enjoying the stay in the castle but we’re fine moving into the inn so you can get ready for some important guests. We’re just glad we could solve your Undead General issue before the meetings could take place; if Galvinspine was still knocking at your barrier it would make other nobles tense. Right, boys?”
Everyone else nodded in agreement, making King Rand smile.
“You have my thanks. I will have one of my staff give you the information on the locations of the Undead Bases in this kingdom, but it won’t be ready until this afternoon at best. He’ll meet you at the inn with the information. In the meantime, please, go and enjoy what our city can offer.”
Van asked, “Are your item shops fully stocked?”
“I’m aware it was you lot who recovered a sizable amount of stolen goods. Those have been distributed to their rightful owners and locations, so our shops should be fully stocked. While there’s still a few crates of stolen goods out there, what you’ve recovered has been a huge help in getting our shelves filled with items. Hopefully you can find what you need here in the capital.”
“Let’s hope, as we’ve been looking for certain things for a while now,” Angelo said. “Especially Nuts Oil, since it’s been surprisingly scarce lately.”
The queen replied, “There is a reason for that. One of the nuts used to make Nuts Oil has been in low supply, therefore most providers haven’t been able to harvest enough of those nuts to make Nuts Oil. It seems to be Muu’s doing. Rumor has it that one of his Undead Bases set up shop just shy of a nut plantation, thus its very presence has been enough of a threat to keep farmers from harvesting their crops. We don’t know for sure, but it does seem to suggest that Muu is responsible for the shortage.”
“Joy…” Nova said, deadpan. “When is that big bone boss not the cause of problems for Edyn?”
Kettu chuckled, “Fair point, Nova. But if it is Muu’s doing then that would explain the shortage. Hopefully we can remove whatever it is that’s causing the shortage and return things to a sense of normality.”
King Rand nodded, “If you can do that then I know many people would be grateful, as those nuts are also useful for other things outside of Nuts Oil. But, for now, enjoy your meal and enjoy what our city can offer. Especially now that everyone can feel more relaxed and secure.”
The party nodded and resumed eating. Before long the plates of food were gone. The party then gathered up their stuff and left the castle, entering the central hub of the city.
Sir Reginald said, “First thing’s first. Let’s see if we can grab a few items from the shops. Hopefully they’ll have at least some stock left of the items we’re looking for. After that we’ll head for the special place where we can market those more valuable monster parts. After that we’ll head for the inn to await the intelligence network staff member with the needed information on the various Undead Bases left in this kingdom. After that we’ll see what the Night Market has to offer.”
“Perhaps you should leave the Night Market to Nova and me, as the inn keepers might not like it if we all leave our rooms,” Nina suggested. “From what I’ve heard the inns tend to lock up the place at a certain time so if we all spend too much time in there we might accidentally get locked out. At least if Nova and I get locked out by accident I can just use Teleport to get us back into our rooms. And that way it’ll prevent our stuff from getting stolen.”
Kettu quirked an eyebrow, “Huh. Considering how famous the Night Market is I’m surprised that the inns here would have almost a strict curfew. You’d think they’d be more willing to keep the doors open at night due to the Night Market’s reputation, especially since it would promote business for everyone.”
Sir Reginald nodded, “Both of you bring up fair points. Very well, we’ll leave the Night Market stuff to you two, Nova and Lady Nina. We’ll hold down the fort in the inn if it prevents us from losing our rooms or getting locked out by accident. Hopefully you two can find some good items.”
Nina smiled, “Oh, don’t worry. We’ll come back with a treasure trove of goodies. Now, let’s stop yapping and start taking care of business.”
The party nodded and started to make their way through the expansive city to take care of business. They stopped at every item shop to see what their supply of goods were, purchasing things as they went. After a while they went to the special monster part merchant to barter for good prices on the more valuable monster parts they had, netting a good amount of money. They then stopped at a local restaurant to have some lunch. They casually chatted a bit while they waited for their food, discussing various subjects. When the food came they eagerly tucked into it. After cleaning their plates and paying the bill, they made their way to the largest inn in the city.
Zeeker asked, “Is this the right inn that King Rand told us to meet his staff member at?”
Sir Reginald looked at the note he was holding before replying, “Yes, this is the place. And best of all the Night Market is just down the street from here, tucked into that corner by the northwest wall. That way Nova and Lady Nina won’t have too far to go when they decide to check out the Night Market, and it’ll make the return trip faster so they don’t get locked out. We’d better check with the inn keeper when they lock the front door and when the Night Market opens up. Now, let’s go inside, get our rooms, and wait for when the intelligence network staff member shows up.”
The party nodded and entered the inn. They paid the woman at the counter for two rooms and requested that someone alert them when the king’s staff member came. They then retreated to their designated rooms. Nova sat down on one of the beds. Nina then sat down on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and nuzzling her forehead against his.
“A little alone time for us, beloved,” she purred. “At least before dinner, anyway. Then it’s off to the Night Market.”
Nova chuckled, “You seem a bit lustful, Nina. Maybe the effects of your Lilith Wing Shaman form haven’t completely worn off yet?”
She blushed, “No, those side-effects have worn off, thankfully. But it doesn’t change how I feel about you, beloved. I just simply enjoy spending time with you. I’ve said it a good dozen times now and I’ll say it again: you’re the best thing to ever happen to me. If it wasn’t for you I would still be playing cat-and-mouse with my knights in my kingdom’s attempt to drag me back to them to be their money making scheme. My life has become soooooo much better thanks to you. Now I’m free to spread my wings and be myself. I’ll never be caged again. And I intend to take Earth by storm. Your people won’t know what hit them.”
“To say the least. You’ll definitely blindside them, that’s for sure. I also wonder what my family will think of you. And what they’ll think of me dating a woman from another species. Not that I’m trying to seek their approval, as I’ve long since given up on that endeavor due to constantly falling short of their expectation. But I do wonder what they’ll say about our relationship?”
“Hey, at least I’ve got all the right parts in all the right places. Just with a few bonuses like wings and hollow bones. And considering my kind reproduce the same way as humans it shouldn’t be an issue. And if it is, too bad for them, as nothing will stop me from becoming your wife and the mother of your children. That I promise.”
Nova gained a small blush, “You really are something, Nina. I could’ve never imagined hooking up with a woman of your caliber, not in my wildest dreams. And, believe me, I can have some pretty wild, crazy, and/or strange dreams. Like wresting a space squid on behalf of the president of my country. That type of strange. And yet here we sit. Not to change the subject but we do need to keep track of time, as the Night Market opens at 8 PM and the inn locks its doors at 10 PM. So we need to keep an eye on the clock to ensure we don’t get left out by accident. Yeah, sure, your Teleport spell can get us in safely but I’d rather not depend on that as our best method of returning to our room.”
Nina nuzzled closer to Nova, purring, “Don’t worry, beloved. We’ll make sure to leave both the inn and the Night Market with time to spare. You certainly are a punctual one. But I guess living with such perfectionists like your family might do that. Your parents won’t recognize you after this journey is over.”
Nova gained a serious look, “Yeah, and I’ve got some pretty choice words for them. They won’t know what hit them, either, once I’m done getting years of frustration and anger out of me. Though I wonder if they’ll even bother to listen to me or will just write it off as the black sheep complaining about unfair treatment. Because I wouldn’t be surprised if they do the latter, since that’s how it’s always been.” He shook his head, “I can’t sour the mood right now with that. I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. Assuming I don’t die on this world first. But let’s just say I intend to tear them a new one with my tranquil fury.”
Nina shivered in pleasure, “Ooh, Nova, you’re making me shiver. I can’t wait to see that happen. And considering your tranquil fury makes my berserk fury look tame it’ll be quite the event. But let’s not dwell on it for now. Like you said we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. For now, let’s just enjoy our time together and start mapping out some ideas for what we’re gonna buy at the Night Market.”
The duo nodded and began discussing what items they should get and how much they should buy. After a little while there was a knock at their door. Nova opened it to see Sir Reginald.
“Oh, Sir Reginald,” he said. “I take it we got our information?”
The knight nodded, “Yes, it just arrived a few minutes ago. We’ll go over it later, as there’s a decent amount to sift through. But I wanted to let you know that we’ve obtained the information from the intelligence network on what Undead Bases are left in this kingdom.”
Nina smiled, “Thank for telling us, Sir Reginald. Nova and I have been going over some possible ideas for what items to get from the Night Market. Hopefully they have bargain deals like random assortments and such, as those tend to be more valuable. Hopefully we can also find a few things that we couldn’t obtain in the regular item shops. We have a good idea of what we want but we’ll see what the Night Market has to offer. So expect us to return with bags of goodies. And since we made a fortune on those more valuable monster parts we can easily spurge a bit, as we might not get another chance like this for some time.”
“Just don’t go too crazy, Lady Nina. But considering you’ve got an eagle eye for deals and know the value of certain items compared to their general price you two should do fine. Now, we’ll see each other again at dinner. Hopefully you two won’t be too long at the Night Market, as I know it’s pretty expansive.”
Nova replied, “We intend to leave the inn for the Night Market before 8 PM and leave around 9:30 PM so we don’t have any issues. That should give us enough time to go through the goods and see if we can find any deals. But we’ll keep our budget in mind, don’t worry about that.”
Sir Reginald nodded, “Good. Now, dinner will probably be starting soon so we’ll see you then.”
He left and returned to his room, allowing the duo to close their inn room door.
Nina smiled, “Okay, just a little longer before dinner and then we’ll go bargain hunting at the Night Market. Hopefully we can nab some good deals there like buy one, get one free offers and such. But I think we’ve gotten a good idea of what we want to find so let’s just enjoy some downtime and wait for dinner.”
Nova nodded and sat down next to Nina, who nuzzled up next to him. After a little while there was a knock at their door.
“Pardon me, but dinner will be served soon,” a female voice said.
“Thank you,” Nova replied. He turned to Nina, “Let’s go eat. Then it’s off to the Night Market.”
Nina fluttered her wings happily before the duo gathered up their stuff and went down into the dining room. They rejoined the party and started discussing what items they were going to keep their eyes open for. After getting their food they quickly dug into it, clearly enjoying the quality. By the time they had finished eating it was 7:45 PM.
Nina stood up, “Okay, beloved, time for us to get moving. We want to get to the Night Market just as they open so we’ll have the maximum amount of time needed to scope things out.” She turned to the party, “We’ll be back as soon as we can. Hopefully we can find some nice, rare items while we’re out.”
Van nodded, “Good luck and happy bargain hunting.”
Nova and Nina nodded before leaving the inn and heading toward the location of where the Night Market resided. They soon approached the building and already there was a few people waiting at the door. At precisely 8 PM the doors to the building unlocked, allowing the eager shoppers to enter. Inside the Night Market building were five large stands full of items, along with what looked like a fortune teller near the back and a stage in the center.
“So, this is the Night Market?” Nova observed. “Certainly looks the part. Come on, Nina, let’s see what we can find before other shoppers beat us to the goods.”
Nina nodded and followed Nova into the building. They soon stopped at one of the stands.
“Wait a second!” Nina sputtered. She turned to the merchant, “Is that a bottle of Nuts Oil?”
The merchant nodded, “Indeed, lovely lady. But it is the last one in stock, as the shortage has hit us as well. Are you interested in it?”
“We’ve been looking for that stuff for weeks. How much?”
“One silver.”
“Deal.”
Nina paid one silver coin in exchange for the Nuts Oil, making her smile.
“Nice eyes, Nina,” Nova said. “You spotted that Nuts Oil like a falcon spots a field mouse. Now we finally have some Nuts Oil.”
“It’s only one bottle, sadly.”
“That’s one more than we had before. Take what you can get. Now, let’s see what else we can find.”
Nova put the Nuts Oil in his Digi-Pack before the duo resumed examining the stands. After a good hour they had purchased several pouches worth of goods and items. They took a moment to catch their breath at the benches near the stage.
“We’ve done well so far,” Nova said. “We got several deals on various items. We bought several assortments of Elemental Coins, BOGO sets of various Eye Gems, a handful of assorted Beast Claws packages, some more Glacier Mana Water, a couple of different Goddess Statues, and even stuff like Black Honey Elixirs, Tonton Oils, and Scarlet Pumpkin Juice. And there’s still a half an hour before we should head back to the gang. Too bad we couldn’t get any more Nuts Oil but I’ll accept the fact we got found least one.”
Nina nodded, “You can say that again, beloved. We’ve done well and we’ve barely dented our planned budget due to all those deals. Hmm?”
Both of their attention was redirected to the stage. Soon four exotic dancers stepped up and began putting on a show. Nina gained a disapproving frown but it changed to a smile when Nova stood up and started to walk away. She quickly followed him over to one of the stands.
“Thank you,” she said sincerely to him. “Your loyalty is extremely pleasing, beloved.”
“I don’t deny those exotic dancers are gorgeous,” he replied. “But I’ve already have the best your Goddess can offer so I don’t need that. If I could resist nudist mermaids then I can resist exotic dancers. Although you’d probably look pretty good in those costumes. But, then again, you always look good so I guess it wouldn’t really matter. Now, let’s see if we can fish for any more deals before we have to head back.”
Nina smiled warmly, gaining a small blush as Nova said this statement, before the duo resumed bargain hunting. After a little while they decided it was time to head back.
Nina looked at the grandfather clock near one of the merchants, saying, “It’s 9:25 PM. A bit earlier than we had intended to leave but I think we’ve done enough shopping. Let’s head back to the inn and report to the gang about our finds.”
Nova nodded and the duo left the Night Market and made their way back to the inn. To their relief the door was still unlocked, allowing them to enter without issue. They walked up the stairs to where the rooms were and gently knocked on the door where the rest of the party was. Soon Sir Reginald opened the door.
“Ah, you’re back,” he said. “So, how’d it go?”
Nova smiled, “We managed to net a lot of good bargains, only lightly denting our planned budget. We even managed to get ahold of some very interesting things. Like… this.”
He presented the Nuts Oil, which made Van’s eyes widen.
“You found some Nuts Oil!?” the Centaur sputtered.
Nina nodded, “Yes, I spotted it. But it was the last bottle, as the shortage has also affected the Night Market’s stock of it. But here, Van, since you’ve been pretty determined to find it we’ll give it to you.”
Van trotted over and gently took the bottle of Nuts Oil, gaining a relieved smile.
“It’s only one bottle, and only a medium-sized one at that, but it’s better than nothing,” he said. “At least we finally got ahold of some. Hopefully we can solve the shortage issue soon so the supply of Nuts Oil will rebound. But thank you for finding it.”
Nova took out some jars of oil, saying, “We also found some Tonton Oil. We’ll give this to you as you’re the medical expert of the group.”
Van graciously took the Tonton Oil jars. He put both them and the Nuts Oil bottle into his backpack.
“Good work, you two,” he smiled. “Did you find any other goodies?”
“Other than getting great deals on Elemental Coins, Beast Claws, and Eye Gems, we also got some bottles of Scarlet Pumpkin Juice, more Glacier Mana Water, and Black Honey Elixirs,” Nova said. “Not to mention a handful of different Goddess Statues. We did pretty good. But it’s now time for bed. See you lot in the morning.”
The rest of the party nodded and Sir Reginald gently closed the door. Nova and Nina returned to their room and gently locked the door. Nina stripped out of her clothes, as usual, gave Nova a hug and a kiss before she curled up under the sheets of one of the beds. Nova chuckled lightly, kicked off his Hoverboots, placed his Digi-Pack full of goodies and archery equipment at the foot of his bed, and curled up under the covers. He blew out the candle that lit the room, allowing both of them to slowly drift off to sleep. They were satisfied with what they had acquired from the Night Market, knowing it would help them greatly in the fights ahead.
Next Chapter: Invasion of the Cursed Vines
That's all for today. A bit filler-ish but the events here do play a part in future chapters. Tune in next time to find out.