Chapter 18: Chapter 16: The Calm

Third day

We woke up, thankfully still alive and with all our worldly possessions, and I went to talk with the others about my mark. Carver had the same happen to him during his shift, and we didn't know quite what to make of it. We gathered everything and without wasting time set back on the road. We were all a lot more talkative this time around, having survived a bandit attack unharmed had us all feeling more confident. Thankfully the rest of the day would be a breeze.

We came across a few trees of scorch berries and took a few for the road. Fate was excited about the find and went on a tangent about all the uses of the fruit in potion making. I was beginning to understand it more with time, catching on a few details here and there that I recognized from previous talks with Fate. I wanted to learn as much as possible to help her out in the lab once we returned.

We also talked about the kingdom itself, and the people who lived within. Since everyone lived for much longer than those in the Other World, relationships worked much differently than I was used to. Friends sometimes wouldn't see each other for years at a time when out on travels, and act as though it was only a couple weeks. Having multiple partners was almost expected, as jealousy wasn't as much of an issue. The thought of living as long still hadn't properly settled in with me, and I wondered if it ever would.

Carver was very distracted during the day. Every once in a while I would see him look out into the distance with a sad look on his face. I tried to ask what was wrong a few times, but he simply claimed to be tired and went back to his ruminations. He was still talking to us most of the time, though, so I just gave him space when it happened.

The trees around us were beginning to look quite different from before, their foliage turning from an expected green to a light and beautiful purple. The leaves were small but numerous, and the trunks were a darker brown and slightly taller than their verdant counterparts. The sky was cloudy, and I hoped it wouldn't rain any time soon.

As the sun began to set, Fate was clearly getting tired. I suggested we switch places, and she could guide me. She quickly obliged and sat back, trying to relax while teaching me how not to send the horses running into the forest somehow. I was happy to help in any way I could, and it allowed her to go over some of her alchemy notes. I got the hang of it pretty quickly, at least while on an empty, straight road.

When the night came we all breathed a sigh of relief that once again the day was uneventful. Nothing attacked us and we were far away from the thieves. Not willing to take any chances however, we still hid as best we could within the forest. I took some time to check my stats, as it had been a while.

Naomi - Adventurer Knight

STR - 15

WIS - 6

CHA - 8

DEX - 12

MAGIC PROWESS - 30

Current Perks - Intimidating, Silent, Feline Agility, Melee Adept

Level - 4

Melee Adept - Your affinity with melee weapons allows you to quickly learn new combat styles more easily.

I smiled, feeling as though I had made progress, even if it was a bit disappointing to still be at level 4 after so long not checking. Once again night fell, and we tiredly shuffled into the woods. While setting up camp Fate collected sap from the trees nearby, claiming it would be useful to make better tasting and more potent potions of healing. I just trusted her, and lit the campfire at the center. We were near a river, and Carver was shuffling through the contents of the caravan in search of a fishing rod.

Although our travels were getting more exhausting with each passing day, I was happy we at least had a few moments of respite. The world was still mostly new to me, so I wanted to learn as much as I could during our missions. Whenever Fate started to monologue about the flora and fauna of the nearby woods I would listen to each and every word. She would often blush in the middle of speaking, likely whenever she realized how invested I truly was in her words.

Of course, adapting wasn't the easiest thing. It was terrifying at first, even with my alchemist friend's guidance. Carver's appearance did wonders to ease my anxiety, and I was much more comfortable having him around. The trust he had placed in me was humbling, and his eagerness even in stressful situations gave me confidence to do what I had to.

As I fueled the campfire with some dry leaves, I sighed; I still couldn't find the right words to truly tell my companions how important they had been that whole time. Instead of talking to them, I simply ate my share of the rations for the night, staring into the fire. Fate came back from her sap-gathering adventure, and sat down next to me. She happily sealed the jar and smiled at me. Before either of us could say anything, I heard Carver's footsteps behind us. He walks up to us, soaking wet and a fish in his hands.

"I still got it!" He sat down next to the fire as well.

"Did you fish with the rod or with your hands?" I asked him, only half joking.

"Mostly the rod."

"Good thing it's not that cold." Fate yawned. "Don't want you to get sick in the middle of the road."

"I guess it's a good opportunity for a quick river bath. The water's clean, right?" I asked.

"Pristine." He replied. "I'll go later as well, I'm already wet anyway. If anything happens, give us a shout."

"Will do."

I went to the river and started to take my armor and clothes off. It still felt strange to look at my body after all the transformations, but a good sort of strange. I raised my tail slightly, and started by just dipping my feet into the water to gauge temperature; the water was cool but not too cold. I sat on the edge and just breathed in the air of the forest for a bit.

I heard footsteps from within the forest behind me, and turned back to see who it was. It took him a while to come into view, but eventually Carver emerged from the trees, yawning and fishless. Our eyes met and he turned his sight away while still approaching me.

"Hey, Nay." He said in a quiet, shy voice. "Is it okay if I... You know."

"Go right ahead." I tapped the ground next to me and properly went into the river. The current was slow, and the water reached my waist.

"This trip is just beginning, isn't it?" He said while throwing his wet clothes to the side. "At least our encounter with the bandits ended well."

He walked closer and sat on the river bank, just like I had before he arrived. I only now noticed how much he had changed due to the potion, his face was much more feminine and he was significantly shorter than before. He now had a smaller waist and wider hips, and his arms and hands looked a lot more delicate. He also had perky, small breasts which he promptly hid with his hands once he saw me staring at him.

"H-hey, now." He stuttered.

"Sorry, sorry." I laughed, looking away. "It's just the first time I've paid attention to how much you've changed since you got here."

"Yeah... Not as much as you, clearly." I heard a little disappointment in his voice.

"Hey, you're getting there. I think you look gorgeous."

"You-" He blushed, smiled and let out a nervous laugh.

"The morning we left, you had makeup on, right?" I leaned against the river bank, looking up at him from the water.

"Yeah, I was... Trying something out." He paused for a few moments, then looked at me in the eyes, expectantly. "You know, once I saw how much happier you were as a woman, I-" He stopped himself, taking a deep breath to collect his thoughts.

"It's alright, you can talk to me." I tried to sound as comforting as I could.

"Well I... realized I wanted that too. I was a little jealous, even."

"Carver..." I got out of the water and sat next to him.

"I guess it took me a while to really understand that no one would judge me for feeling this way here, in this new place. But for some reason I was still scared." He held my hand tightly and looked up at the stars. "So I guess I'll just say it. I'm... I'm a woman." She sighed.

"Feels nice to say it out loud, doesn't it?"

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"Yeah." She chuckled and smiled at me, looking infinitely lighter than she did before. "It really does."

"I'm happy to help you figure that out too. Do you have a new name you want to use?"

"Nah, Carver works just fine for me. Fuck, I feel so much better already."

We talked for a few minutes about everything. How scary it was to embrace femininity for the first time, how freeing it could be to let loose, how exciting life felt after telling someone. It was as if a switch was flicked, and all of her worries turned into nothing as she laughed, rambled and splashed me with water. We had been holding hands the entire time, and when the conversation died down we just stared into each other's eyes. My breathing slowed down, my heart started to beat faster and my surroundings faded. My mind filled with worry, and so I hesitated and the moment passed.

"I uh... I'm just gonna finish up here and get back to the camp." She said, going into the water. "Fate is preparing the fish I brought and... Yeah."

I was afraid of messing up our relationship, of losing such an important friend. I already felt guilty for getting as intimate as I had with Robin, and felt as though I was moving too fast for everyone's liking. I was afraid of getting too close and losing them in battle, of dying and leaving them just like what happened twenty years ago. I was afraid of not being good enough for them, hurting someone or being hurt. That's all it boiled down to, fear. I was simply, and utterly afraid.

I was going to push the thought away, to just go back to camp and dry myself next to the fire. But instead, I remembered the fear I felt walking into that strange cave only to find a demon, the fear of fighting that strange creature with Heather, and the fear I felt when Carver walked into the lab wounded and exhausted. All of it came rushing back to me, and so did the effort that went into powering through them. If I had to be brave for my allies, I thought, I might as well be brave for myself. To hell with fears.

"Fuck it."

I dropped into the water with her, pulling her close by the waist. She gasped in surprise and wrapped her hands around my neck, letting me hold her. I saw her mind race to find the right words and promptly give up. I just pulled her in and kissed her, closing my eyes as she placed her hand on the back of my head. I held her with one hand while the other went down along her body, brushing against her side and resting on her thigh. She moaned into our kiss, and eventually pulled away.

"That's... You-" I had never seen her blush as much as she was at that moment. "Naomi, I-"

"Go on, you'll find the right words eventually."

"Fuck off!" She pulled my head closer and kissed me once again, then looked me up and down. "I've been wanting to do this for ages, took you long enough to take the hint." She laughed.

"Wait, since when?" I tried thinking back to previous interactions, not remembering any signs of romantic attraction.

"Since like, before we got here. That night on the beach, for example. I was kicking myself for so long afterwards for not making a move... But I didn't know if you... You know."

We got out of the river, and I took care not to get water all over my metal armor.

"After we got here, well..." She continued. "I thought you were only into Robin or Fate. I didn't think... I didn't think I had a chance."

"You're selling yourself short, Carv." I decided to leave the armor there until I had dried myself completely. "Though yeah, I... I am also into them. And I just..."

"Hey, as long as you don't forget about good 'ol Carver gal over here, I don't mind you seeing other people at the same time." My expression must have been one of shock and surprise, as it got a sarcastic eye roll and smile out of her. "When we were travelling I heard the bit about people in the kingdom having multiple partners... I guess I just kinda vibe with that."

"Well then." This time I was the one who couldn't find the words.

"Now go on ahead, I'll be there in a moment." She crossed her arms. "I have a feeling you also have something to talk to Fate about."

I walked back to camp to find Fate seasoning the fish she had just roasted over the fire. She heard me approach and without turning around began speaking.

"Back already? I'm just about done with the fish, you should come dry up by the fire."

"Sure thing. I just... Well, I didn't want to get my armor wet so, I hope you don't mind-"

"What?" She turned around, saw me, blushed and went back to her fish. "Oh! Sorry!"

"Don't worry about it." I laughed. "The first time was far more embarrassing."

"Oh gosh, that." She smiled. "I hope you don't mind me saying, but you-" She stopped herself.

"Yeah?"

"You're just... You're really pretty. That's it." She began to cut the fish into equal portions, placing them in wooden bowls.

"Thanks..." I grabbed my share of the food and placed it aside for a while. "I can say the same about you, you know."

"W-well, I..." She trailed off and started fiddling with her own bowl.

"You know, back in the Other World I was always filled with regret. Life there is... tedious, to say the least. I'd wake up, go to work, get berated by my boss, go back home. I would lie in bed just thinking to myself 'why didn't I do this, or that?'..."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Don't be, really. Because during this mission I realized I don't have to live that way anymore. I'll leave my old self in my old life. And that begins by doing now what I should have done way sooner. Just now, I made clear to Carver how I feel about her, and finally kissed her after all the years we've known each other. When we're back from our mission, I will do the same with Robin, like I should have before we set out on this path. And right here, right now, I will do what I should have done before falling asleep next to one another... if you feel the same way, of course."

"Naomi..." Her gaze had locked onto mine, and for a second neither of us knew what to say or do. Until...

She leaped forward and kissed me right as I was about to do the same. With both of her hands, she held onto one of mine, allowing me to wrap my free arm around her waist. Her kisses were slow, as was her breathing. It felt as though she really did want it to last, to savour each second we spent together. Time was meaningless at that moment, a feeling that was becoming commonplace when with my companions.

Carver came up to us just as Fate sat back down. We layed towels over the logs we were using as benches, placed the wet clothes near the fire and started to eat. Our conversation that night wasn't particularly different from the previous days when it came to the topics, but the energy was completely different. I felt lighter, happier, and found myself laughing at nothing from time to time. Once I had finished my food I collected my armor, said my goodnights and went inside my tent. Soon after Carver was calling my name from outside before slightly opening my tent to peek in.

"Hey, Nay." She sounded really tired. "Up for doing something reckless tonight?"

"It depends." I responded, just then noticing Fate standing beside her - also wearing absolutely nothing. "Uhh..."

"What?" The alchemist crossed her arms and turned away. "I just f-felt like the odd one out."

"No guard out today, I think. We're deep in the woods anyway." Carver yawned and fell lying down right next to me. "You're softer than the bedrolls." She rested her hand on my chest and placed one of her legs over me, pulling herself close and instantly falling asleep in that position.

"I had a lot of fun tonight." Fate lied down on my other side and held my arm, cuddling and looking me in the eyes. "She's right, by the way. You're really soft."

I ran my fingers through her hair and closed my eyes, slowly drifting into sleep myself. I felt such distance between my Other World self and the person I was becoming, I could barely believe I had ever been there in the first place. Although the mission we had been given weighed on my shoulders, I wanted nothing more than to protect my new home. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but at that moment I had a smile on my face.

It was a warm, lovely night all throughout.

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