Aurora and Camilla returned to their room and closed the door behind them. Aurora made sure to lock the door before shoving Camilla's back against the wall, slamming one hand next to her head. She used her other hand to poke a finger into her chest, her anger evident in her expression.
"Camilla. What. The hell. Was that?" She poked her chest with every word.
"Look, I already said I was sorry, Aurora. What more do you want me to do?" She rolled her eyes, not wanting to deal with this right now. "I'm tired and want to go to sleep. Can't this wait until morning?"
"Absolutely not! You think I'm just going to gloss over that you became a literal dragon! If so, then that was a stupid notion." She backed away and folded her arms, tapping her foot rhythmically against the floor. "So start talking."
Tart, help me out here, would you? Camilla attempted to contact Tart, yet no reply ever came. Great. Left out to dry by a powerful dragon against Aurora's womanly fury.
The taps increased in speed as Aurora's irritation grew. "You'd better start talking right now before I walk out that door."
Camilla let out a sigh, not seeing a way not to discuss it. "The dragon from the mural awakened my dormant blood. That's all."
"Wait, wait, wait?! Are you saying you possessed dragon's blood? How?!"
"I don't know! Okay, Aurora? I just don't. I'm about as clueless as you about this." Camilla sighed into her hand as she placed it across her face. "There is a small chance that my parents might know something, but I highly doubt that."
Aurora slowly approached her from behind, hooking her arms under her armpits and embracing her. "I'm sorry…for getting so mad at you, Camilla. I was just…so frustrated. It seemed like you didn't trust me."
Camilla slowly spun around and pulled her into a long hug. "I have never once not trusted you with my life. So please never think such negative things again, ok?"
"Okay, I won't." Aurora's resolute gaze softened as she stared into her girlfriend's eyes, ensnared by the lovely shade of sapphire blue they possessed.
"You know, if you keep staring, I might have to do something about it." Her empty threat lingered in Aurora's ears.
"Oh? Is that so?" Aurora's hands slid down Camilla's back, slowly undoing the straps on her armor. Her fingers worked swiftly to remove the annoying leather barrier between them. Once she removed Camilla's armor, she stepped away, taking off hers as well before tackling Camilla onto the bed.
"Wait, Aurora. Please." Her words were ignored, as Aurora began to assault her neck with kisses, slowly working her way up before claiming her lips. As they made out, her hands traced a path down her chest, moving past her breasts. They continued roaming further down until her hands paused on Camilla's stomach, before resuming their journey around to her backside.
Her hands finally reached their destination upon her butt, giving it one good squeeze and startling a moan out of Camilla. Aurora broke their kiss soon after with a satisfied smirk and collapsed on the bed next to her, watching Camilla's panting chest rise and fall.
"So Camilla, my dear, how was that?" Aurora grabbed onto one of Camilla's hands, interlocking their fingers, and used a finger from her free hand to draw circles on her exposed stomach.
"Incredible, but far too short." Camilla shot Aurora a teasing look as if asking to continue. However, Aurora had other plans as she stood up and walked to the wardrobe. She slowly stripped herself in plain view of Camilla, before sliding on new undergarments and her nightgown.
Once she was fully dressed, she made her way back to bed, enjoying her girlfriend's bashful expression. "Hurry and change so we can go to sleep. I'm tired."
"HUH?!" Camilla was taken aback at Aurora's lack of interest in continuing their session. All THAT just to say go to sleep?! Camilla grumbled more complaints as she went to change. As she laid into bed, she found Aurora there, staring at her face. She mirrored her pose, lying on her side while resting her arm between her head and the pillow.
Aurora's warm smile melted every frustration she had from moments ago. "Good night, my dear, Camilla." She leaned forward, giving her a peck on the lips before turning over, pulling the covers up. Camilla smiled and followed her lead, drifting into sleep.
The next morning, the pair sat in the guild lobby, waiting for their last party member to arrive. With higher ranks, they could take on more rewarding quests, earning them more money and allowing them to leave the town sooner. After what felt like an eternity, Stella finally entered the hall, eyes scanning the floor to locate them.
Aurora waved her over and then sat back down once she arrived. "Ah there you are, Stella."
"Sorry, I had a sudden errand to run, so what's the plan for today?"
"Today we'll complete a quest that you've picked out."
Stella raised her brow, "Are you sure I should be picking it? You know your own limits better than I do. We could die out there, you know?"
"I am aware of that fact, but I choose to trust your judgment regardless," Aurora spoke confidently, making Stella put her head in her hand.
"Haa. Fine, I'll do it." Stella walked up to the second floor, where the higher-ranked quests were kept.
"Are you sure this is okay? Aurora, those quests are dangerous." Camilla's concern was obvious.
"Relax. We'll be fine. It's not like we'll be fighting a troll since they don't live around here."
Several hours later, the trio was hiking deep into the mountains in search of their target.
"Anything yet?" Stella turned towards Aurora, who was using her tracking skills. A few minutes later, she nodded.
"It's down in the valley past this ridge." She pointed off to the left. She took a deep breath to steel herself. "Let's do this."
The trio began to slide down the side of the mountain to descend faster, stopping once they reached the start of the valley. "How far from here?" Camilla inquired as the party drew their weapons.
"A thousand feet straight ahead. We got lucky. It appears to be a small troll."
Stella smirked at hearing that. "Perfect, I was itching to stretch my legs a little!" They advanced forward slowly, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings. As they rounded a boulder they sight before them made them freeze.
Coiled around the corpse of their target was a large red serpent.
"Tch. This could be a problem. We can't let that snake eat our target." Aurora cursed their luck.
"Stay here. I'll lure the viper away so you can finish off the troll and collect our proof." Stella dashed off without another word, catching the viper's attention. It chased after its new prey, leaving the corpse unguarded exactly as planned.
Aurora approached the troll after a minute to make sure the snake hadn't returned. That stupid woman. She shook her head before summoning a large spike of ice, making it pierce the troll's brain to make sure it was dead.
She cut off the ear and wrapped it in several cloths before placing it in her knapsack. "Let's go. We need to help her."
"Who needs help?" Stella walked back into the clearing, holding a pair of large fangs. "That beast was rather weak. I couldn't even get a good workout from it."
Aurora opened her mouth to say something but shut it just as quickly. I shouldn't be surprised, she is the apostle of a goddess. It's a given she'd be strong. "Shall we head back then?"
Camilla nodded. "We need to hurry and leave the mountains before dark."
"Agreed." With even Stella saying so the trio made haste on their way back to town. They stopped to make camp around halfway back. After a quick meal, they agreed on a rotation for who would be on watch, Stella taking the first watch.
Camilla and Aurora laid out their bedrolls, before quickly falling asleep, their hands intertwined.
Stella sat on her log, gently stoking the fire as she watched them sleep. She didn't miss the detail of the held hands. How peaceful. A forlorn look adorned her face. Too bad it won't last, folks like these two deserve peace.
Her thoughts drifted back to the last meeting with her goddess. It happened shortly after she had finished cleaning her Lady's hidden shrine, her mind pulled to the divine realm.
"Ah, Stella. It's good to see my champion in good health." Lune'inis spoke in a melodic tone.
Stella quickly kneeled, showing her deep respect. "I thank you for your concern, Lady Lune'inis."
"Oh, stop that, you silly child. How many times must I remind you to call me Lune here?"
"I could never show you such disrespect!"
Lune'inis simply sighed and gave up. "Well, whatever. I called for you to complete a very crucial task."
Stella crossed an arm over her chest. "What do you need from me?"
"You will travel to Southtale on the southern continent. There you will meet two adventurers. Your task is to keep them safe."
"As you wish." As she said this, her mind returned to her body.
"Southtale, huh? Better get a move on." Her body melted into sand, vanishing from sight.