Coye 6.8

Chapter 8 - The Annoying Guest

It was the afternoon of the day after Coye's big battle. As Eschal promised, he returned home before evening yesterday and was free to enjoy his recovery in his own bed, and that's precisely what he was doing. Coye's body still ached, owing to the alchemical concoctions still flowing through his veins that pushed him to regrow his bones at a heightened, unnatural speed. Despite that, he felt amazing. The double blowjob he was in the middle of might've had something to do with that, though.

Coye was naked laying flat on his back, while Shayla reclined horizontally across his chest. She was still exhausted from the day before as well, and there were many things she needed to talk with him about, but most of them had to wait until they were both feeling on top of their game. Thus, Shayla watched as Byng- dressed in casual clothes- and Suzette- wearing a silky nightgown- worked his aching cock between them.

The mature beauty and the youthful gengaggi were improving at their teamwork with every session, and it was really starting to show. There wasn't a moment where someone wasn't giving Coye attention, and between his legs was a blur of warm mouths, wet tongues, and fat, round lips closing around his head and sucking. Coye's constant pleasured moans joined the chorus of wet slurps and messy licking sounds as he struggled to keep himself contained.

"Someone sure is living the life, huh?" Shayla commented, enjoying the sight but not into it enough to do anything for herself.

"I... I can't really help it-" Coye managed to say between slurred moans, struggling to ensure he didn't wiggle around and exacerbate his condition. "I still need to- to get drained or else it'll build up...!!"

"Yeah? Sounds an awful lot like an excuse to me," she teased. "I think you just wanted attention because you're a little manslut, but that's just my opinion."

"I'm not a- ahh...!!" Coye's denial was interrupted by Byng dragging her tight lips up over half of his cock and popping off of him, making a nasty wet noise and taking a deep breath of air.

"Layoff him, Shay!" She wiped her chin, cleaning off a mess of sloppy saliva trailing down her face. "Poor guy slept all day yesterday and didn't wake up till now. I'd say he deserves a little fun, gahaha!"

"As do I," Suzette took advantage of Byng's absence, licking her steaming tongue up his shaft painfully slow. She danced its tip around his frenulum, drawing intricate circles before licking up his latest oozing precum from his urethra. After giving it a deep and passionate kiss, she added, "Putting aside how worried I was for you yesterday, Darling, I'm simply grateful for the chance to make your recovery that much more pleasant."

"Thank you," Coye offered. "You're really, um, r-really... ahhh... helping with that..."

"Fuck, dude," Byng said in a low growl, her hand gripping the base of his cock. "Don't even remind me about yesterday. If I weren't so sure I'd break your everything, I'd be riding the fuck out of you right now. Whenever I remember you acting like a total badass in front of all those people, gods, I could drown you if you ate me out right about now..."

In her feverish excitement, Byng started pumping Coye's shaft at high speeds that were impossible for him to handle. She'd graduated from light teasing to full-on cock-milking, and it wasn't until he started howling that she realized what she was doing and eased off.

"Whoops. Sorry, short-stuff! Got carried away for a sec, gahaha..."

"You're okay..." Coye replied breathily. "But... I'm gonna cum pretty soon now..."

"That's the idea, isn't it?" Suzette giggled, giving him another spine-tingling kiss.

"Yeah, but... this is really nice, and I wish it could last longer..." Coye looked down at his lovers, including Shayla, who was suspiciously crawling her way to his nipple. "It always feels the best when everyone is here for me."

He sounded so sincere in his gratitude that the girls each momentarily blushed at his cuteness, only for the pixie to retaliate.

"Oh, whatever," her little hands grasped her target and forced him to moan as she flooded his nipple with her sensual fairy mana. "Get it done with already so you can rest up, baby! This'll be far from your last chance to get a double blowjob, so let's hustle." To make matters even more urgent for Coye, she started licking it with her tongue. Combined with all the other stimulation he was receiving, it almost made him cry tears of bliss.

"Ahh!! I- AH- you, Shayla, you just can't-" in between ragged breaths, he dug his hands into the sheets in response to the newest onset of sexual pleasure. "Oh, fuck...! I-I can't hold it, I... ahh... AHH!!" There was no holding back once his climax began, and his cock began letting out one of its momentous explosions.

Luckily, Suzette was ready to intercept at just the right time. She opened her mouth wide and took half of her lover in, sucking hard as Byng milked his ejaculating cock straight down Suzette's throat. Rope after rope of Coye's hot cum burst out of him, and when it was too much for Suzette to handle, Byng was there to pick up the slack. Her lips replaced Suzette's halfway through his orgasm, and she managed to suck him off even harder while playing with his heavy balls, making sure Coye got as much out as he could.

Coye's climax was so intense that the convulsions hurt his injured body, but he didn't regret it in the slightest. When he looked up from his pillows, dazed and appreciative, he saw Byng and Suzette both drooping their white, cum-covered tongues out of their mouths for his viewing pleasure. Then, both of them swallowed. Coye was so pleased by the vision of sexual teamwork that he smiled wide and collapsed backward.

"Thank you," Coye breathed heavily, sighing. "I love the both of you so much..."

"Both?" The pixie he'd forgotten was in a dangerous place made the most of her positioning, pinching his nipple to retaliate against the perceived slight.

"Ah!" He winced, keeping his body still. "The three of you, the three of you!! You know I love you, Shayla!"

"Doesn't mean you get to just forget to say it like that," she grumbled.

"Don't mention it, short-stuff!" Byng smirked at the pixie's antics, then wormed her way up the bed. She ended up snuggling tightly to Coye's side, her sharp smile somehow even wider.

Suzette smiled at them, gave Coye a kiss on the cheek, and stood up from the bed. "Think nothing of it, Darling."

"Not going to stay for cuddles?" Coye teased.

"No, I'm afraid not," Suzette laughed. "I was planning to check on the Guild before returning to the store for the rest of the day. I'll be back tonight, however. Think the two of you have it in you to watch over Coye for me in the meantime, dears?"

"I dunno..." Byng suddenly looked very thoughtful. "If you leave us alone, I can't promise I'm not gonna try and ride the shit out of him!"

"And I might not stop her," Shayla clicked her tongue. "Poor guy has to learn a lesson somehow."

"What lesson am I supposed to be learning here?" Coye laughed weakly.

"The fragility of the human pelvis?" Shayla shrugged.

"Hell yeah! That sounds dangerous- I like it!" Byng grinned like a devil and surprised Coye by nibbling on his nipple to reinforce the fact that he wasn't safe. It tickled more than hurt but made him unintentionally shift around while giggling.

Once his new round of pain settled, Coye's mind drifted towards the Guild since Suzette brought it up. Naturally, he started smiling. "You'll have to tell me how Dorothy is doing today when you get back. I hope she's alright..."

"I would imagine she's still resting," Suzette hazarded a guess. "That poor girl. You might've done a lot to make things easier, but... it's all so much to take in after her unfortunate incident."

"Yeah..."

Shayla stood up on Coye's chest and walked up to the space beside him on the pillow to recline by his side. "Are you just worried about her, or is this about the other thing?" She asked, her words carrying a slight barb.

"The other thing?" Coye blinked.

"I think she means the part where you got all serious and told us you were gonna make a move on Dotty," Byng grinned.

"Oh, um, no..." Coye blushed as he thought back to the moment in question. He still stood by what he said and planned on following through, but the situation was more dire when he'd made his declaration. It made him a little embarrassed to look back on it now that things seemed like they were looking up for Dorothy. "I wasn't really thinking about that yet."

"Chickening out?" Shayla raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"No!" Coye snapped back. "I'm going to ask her out, really! Um... After we've all had more time to calm down, I mean."

"Don't let the little lady bully you, Darling. It's best not to rush this." Suzette reassured him, pretending not to notice that Shayla was sticking her tongue out at her.

"I dunno about that..." Byng interjected, propping her head up with her palm as she placed the tip of her claw under Coye's chin, running it down his neck. "If you ask me, I think Dotty is as ready as she'll ever be for you to pounce on her, gahaha! Hear me out. I was hanging out with her yesterday, right? I got a pretty good feel for where she's at. All you gotta do is push, short-stuff. There's no way she's not into you."

"Really? You're that sure?" Coye asked, his voice wavering just a tad due to excitement. He'd loved Dorothy for so long now and never would've believed she'd be so close to being his. Tempering his expectations was vital but also easier said than done.

"Sure! And if you don't believe me, ask Shay!" Byng turned to their flying emotion detector.

"I mean, you probably have a chance..." Shayla crossed her arms and looked away. "If you don't blow it."

Coye smiled and resolved not to do so, but Suzette was getting tired of them plotting behind poor Dorothy's back. "That's enough out of you- all of you. Don't spur him on, Byng. Dorothy needs her rest, and that's that."

Despite her teasing, Shayla was still on Coye's side of things. She wanted to see this to the end now that she was entirely on board with Team Dorothy. "How about this, baby. Eschal said all of your healing should be finished by tomorrow, so we're already planning to go and check on her anyway, right?"

"Obviously, yeah," Coye confirmed.

"Right, so let's just see how she's doing tomorrow. If she's feeling better, you can drop a suggestion that you wanna have a talk with her in a couple of days. You know what I mean? Ask her to go somewhere with you, or bring her back here. Either one works."

"That would be coming on pretty strong," Byng said in approval.

"That's the way it needs to be! She's going to be nervous, but you have to be firm and make sure she can't misunderstand your intentions. Think you can handle that?"

Coye decided he liked Shayla's plan a lot. "Yeah. That sounds pretty good, I think. Let's go with that."

"Atta boy!" Satisfied, Shayla felt a surging desire to show him some affection. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, tickling him with the familiar zap and tingling sensation of her magical body.

As they discussed battle strategies to win over Dorothy, Suzette was in the middle of putting on some makeup with the help of a silver hand mirror she kept in her purse. She hated being the bearer of bad news, but someone had to take the job. "Not to drag you down, Darling, but I hope you know your visit to the Guild tomorrow probably won't go as smoothly as you'd like."

"I think I follow along, but just to be safe...?"

"She means that tons of shallow whores are gonna try and fuck you now that you've shown everyone what kind of man you are!" Byng was being adorably affectionate and comically possessive as if Coye's battle had woken something in her that she was still struggling to contain. She wrapped one of her thick legs around Coye's waist and was about to loop the other one under the small of his back and squeeze before realizing what a bad idea that would've been. "Gah. Shit, my bad! Can't stop myself getting clingy, gahaha..."

"You're okay," Coye laughed and shot her a quick smile. The slight pain her clinginess caused him was totally offset by seeing this adorable side of her. Byng was always supportive and had his back ever since they'd started dating, but she'd never acted so proud of Coye before. It made her want to constantly express her affection for him and reinforce her place at his side. "I like clingy."

To show that it was all good, Coye gave the needy gengaggi a quick kiss that made her beam and show off her sharp teeth in a wide smile.

"Byng is exaggerating to a point, but I suspect it might not be that far from the truth. It won't just be women trying to earn your favor, but that will be a part of it. You've already garnered something of a reputation as a-"

"Manwhore." Shayla offered.

"Promiscuous little fellow," Suzette corrected. "So yes, I'd be shocked if you haven't earned the attention of a few of your coworkers."

"Hey," Coye narrowed his eyes as redness overtook his cheeks. "All of this would still be on the down low if you and Byng didn't go around flirting with me, holding my hands, and kissing me in public!"

"Yes, well..." Suzette puffed out her lips to inspect the stunning black lipstick she'd applied to herself, purposefully ignoring how Coye had an excellent point. He was guilty of public displays of affection himself, but their actions likely greatly impacted his reputation, given that she and Byng both liked to show him off and talk him up any chance they got.

"That's neither here nor there, Darling. You'll be swarmed tomorrow. Mark my words. You handled having all eyes on you yesterday while tensions were high, but will you be alright now that everyone wants a moment of your time?"

"That's a really good question," Coye dwelled on it with a wistful smile. "You've probably already noticed, but I used to hate being the center of attention. It scared me, and I tried to stay off to the sidelines because stupid memories from my childhood would always drag me down. The thing is, I'm pretty sure it's not gonna be much of a problem. I had this moment during the fight where it felt like my anxiety was getting the best of me again, but I pushed through it and, um... I think I can do it again."

Shayla's little heart was beating so fast that she smiled at him. Words couldn't even begin to describe how proud she was, but the fact that she couldn't even think of anything sarcastic to say in response was a good measure.

"That's the spirit, big guy. As long as you keep that experience in mind, you'll do just fine. I know you will."

"Thanks," Coye smiled, finding it hard to look her way.

"It'll be okay. I'll tag along tomorrow to get people off your back if I have to!" Byng volunteered.

"Sounds good, but I need to talk to Dorothy alone."

"Alone plus anyone small enough to fit in your hat," Shayla corrected.

Byng cackled and respectfully backed off. "Wasn't planning to get in your way on that one, short-stuff. Dotty is all up to you!"

Suzette finished the final touches on her makeup and changed into a lovely, sleeveless magenta dress with a tantalizing neckline from Coye's wardrobe. As she imagined how Coye's Guild trip might go, her distaste for a certain someone came to mind. Scowling at the thought of him, Suzette said, "In any case, I do hope that Auguris fellow won't be around to give you a hard time. Never in my life have I ever seen a man more stubborn and hardheaded. Something tells me that even if he's honoring his side of the wager, he's not likely to give up on whatever he wanted from you, Darling."

"I kinda got that impression, too..." Shayla sighed. "He seemed to take the stakes really seriously- hell, he took everything seriously- so I doubt he'd go back on his word... but..."

"If I run into Auguris, it'll be fine," Coye stressed. "I still have business with him, so..."

"You do, do you?" Byng raised an eyebrow. "You got something sneaky in the works, short-stuff?"

"Maybe a little," he shrugged and remained evasive.

"Not sure I like where that's going," Shayla narrowed her eyes but decided she wasn't in the mood to grill Coye over his ideas. "But whatever. You do you. I'm just along for the ride."

Suzette was now ready to head back into town after stashing everything she needed into her overnight purse. She was eager to be on her way and see how Dorothy and Tammy were faring, not to mention she really had to put in the work at her shop. She had big plans for the near future regarding her partnership with Shayla, and now was the time to nurture those seeds.

"Ah, well. I'm through thinking of that suited, silver-haired fool. If the goddess above is merciful and I never have to see that man's face again, it'll be too soon..." Suzette's eyelid twitched, darker impulses haunting her as she pictured the man who put her Darling through so much pain. She was on the verge of saying something even more unkind about Auguris but was cut off by a sudden knock at the door.

Everyone quickly raced to make themselves presentable. Shayla ducked under Coye's hat on the nightstand, and Byng quickly covered Coye's naked body under his blanket. Then, Suzette went over to the door and cracked it. "Hello, can I..." she paused, struggling to contain herself. "Of course. I don't know why I should've expected anyone else. Do you have business here, or-"

"Here as in as in this specific cabin?" Auguris's telltale low and commanding voice spoke up. "If so, then no. My business is with Coye. Therefore, if he is present, I must request access to the interior of his home. The location is otherwise irrelevant."

"Darling," Suzette turned to face Coye, her voice hushed and brimming with her barely contained inner malice. "You won't believe who's at the door."

Coye and Byng shared a look of mutual amusement as Shayla smirked to herself, everyone trying not to laugh at Suzette's distress. "I'm in here. Come on in."

Suzette stepped aside and allowed Auguris to walk in, their first visitor if Tammy's home intrusion wasn't counted. The first thing Coye noticed about him was that Auguris wasn't wearing his metallocoat. He'd never seen the mage without it, and even though he broke it in their fight, Coye assumed Auguris would've had a spare. Maybe he was just trying to be more casual? However, his black pinstripe suit, green and emerald cufflinks, and golden-framed glasses seemed to throw that possibility out the window. His hair was cropped to the side, parted with excellent style in a way that made him look like a distinguished and handsome intellectual.

If only Auguris had never opened his mouth, he could've passed a charming.

"Coye. Greetings. So, this is your domicile? How strange. If I am being generous, I suppose it is better than nothing. Still. I never would've expected you to live in such cramped squalor." Auguris stroked his chin, and Coye couldn't help but notice that his face had fully healed since their battle. That was a shame. Coye thought Auguris would've looked pretty good with a broken nose right about now, but he wasn't in the best condition to give him a new one.

'Cool. Very cool. That's a totally normal thing to say when you visit someone's house. Cool, cool, cool...' Shayla struggled not to sound as bitter as Suzette but failed that miserably. This place was still her dream home, even if it wasn't anything special. The vindictive sprite couldn't help taking his words as a personal attack.

"It's not the best, but it's a start," Coye admitted as he tried to casually downplay Auguris's rudeness.

"Is it? Truly?" The guest looked around, unconvinced. "If this is a metaphorical start, then you must be starting from last place."

"I'm taking off now," Suzette's frustration boiled over, and she saw it best to remove herself from this scenario before it took a toll on her mental health. "See you later tonight, Darling. Byng." She was out the door in seconds flat so fast that Coye wondered if she'd somehow picked up Quick Step.

Auguris blinked. The look on his face said he was puzzled, though it was often his only expression. "Is that woman alright? If I said something to offend her, I would like to be informed so that I might potentially refrain from making the same mistake in the future."

"Nah, you're good," Byng scooted to the edge of the bed and smirked. "Super good, actually. In fact, you should totally stop by her store sometime and load up on any free snack samples she offers you! You know Darkwood General Store, don't you?"

"Why yes, I pass by it quite often but have never once visited its interior," Auguris rubbed his chin again. "I may have to take your advice at some point. Every last scrap of gold I earn must be saved, so I'm always looking to cut costs wherever possible. Thank you for your advice, female goblinoid." The implications were totally lost on him, and he looked delighted at the prospect of unknowingly scoring some poisoned treats.

Coye wondered why Auguris dressed so nicely if he was trying to save gold, but Byng had other things on her mind. She usually didn't take offense at being called a goblin, but the cold, scientific way he addressed her rubbed her wrong. Goblinoid? What the fuck kind of term was that? Byng was at risk of losing her chill, so naturally, Shayla thought it best to poke her with a stick.

'Hope you know that I'm going be calling you that from now on,' she teased, succeeding in getting Byng to scowl in the direction of Coye's hat.

'Hey. Be nice.' Coye chastised her back using telepathy.

Shayla didn't know if she would ever get used to that. Before the blowjob, the two talked briefly about some of that shit he pulled off during the fight. Telepathy was something he could easily replicate, and it seemed that it was just a new permanent skill of his. His was unrefined, however. It was limited to one-way communication with Shayla, and Coye couldn't aim his thoughts at anyone else. All in due time.

Auguris was staring blankly at Coye this entire time, unnerving him until Coye found it in him to ask, "So... what can I do for you, Auguris? Did you come here to visit, or-"

At that simple prompt, Auguris exploded into one of his spiels. "I am here because I must express something, Coye. While I do not regret my actions leading up to the events that transpired, I question in hindsight the force with which I enacted violence upon you. There came the point towards the latter half where even one such as myself could not escape being intoxicated by the hype. More so than I ever intended, I became emotional. I was compelled to strike you down with excessive power simply due to my pettiness, and..."

Auguris paused. For once, he seemed to be having trouble finding his words. "That's not the sort of person I am, and I am ashamed for having acted in such a manner. For that, and only that, you have my apologies."

Coye stared at him for even longer than Auguris did. Of all the things he expected Auguris to say, an apology wasn't one of them- let alone one so sincere sounding. It was still hard to listen to on account of his monotonous manner of speech and his apparent allergic reaction to the concept of contractions, but Coye didn't have to actually follow along with the monologue to tell that Auguris meant what he said.

"Hey, it's cool..." he sat up as some of his blankets fell from his chest. "I got pretty heated back there, too. Both of us were just doing our best."

"I wasn't," Auguris completely missed the social cue and started reiterating facts that ruined their moment. "I thought it was firmly established that I was using my powers to just the extent where victory would be inconceivable for yourself and that my true magical prowess would have demolished you before the fight even had a chance to begin? Indeed, I purposefully drew out the event to pare down your hopes and make you voluntarily submit once you understood how hopeless things were."

Coye felt a stress headache coming on, but as always, Byng had his back. "And how'd that work out for you, loser?"

"As you have just said, I lost," there was a hint of a melancholic smile on his lips. "Most spectacularly, I might add. However, I understand that your victory came at quite a bodily and financial cost. While it may not be much, I have something small for you as a token of my sincerity." Auguris took a small satchel from the pocket of his dress pants, tossing it to Coye, who easily caught it despite his aching arm.

'What is it?' Shayla asked impatiently. 'If he's trying to buy you off, let him! I need all the gold I can get to turn this place into a huge mansion that'll make him lose his shit... just don't tell him Britni already covered your medical bill, baby.'

Coye thought Shayla was somewhat optimistic as he opened the bag and dumped the contents onto his palm. Yeah, that seemed about right. There was no gold or anything valuable inside. All that fell from the confines was a single rock the size of his fist. "Cool. Thanks for the rock."

"Wow. You better plan on sharing that with the rest of us, short-stuff." Byng shot Coye a sarcastic smile, then she noticed Auguris was smiling as well. She had to give him props. His lack of social graces and inability to detect sarcasm made Auguris relatively amusing to have around. Byng thought it was oddly wholesome how Auguris seemed thrilled his gift would inspire actual jealousy.

"It is not just a rock, Coye. In fact, I would go so far as to say that any rock is not just a rock, but this one even more so. Open it up." Auguris made a chopping gesture with his black-gloved hand.

Taking the hint, Coye infused his hand with enough energy to slice the rock in half cleanly. He winced reflexively, only to discover it didn't hurt his injured hand. Pulling apart the two halves of the mineral, Coye sized up the interior to discover that the inside of the rock was actually rather beautiful to behold. There was a smooth layer of glassy black material followed by white crystal formations in the center that turned purple the closer you got to the center, which was hollow.

"Oh, neat..." Coye turned around the rock and watched as the light hit the crystals, shimmering in hundreds of different spots. "It's really pretty, Auguris." He offered one of the halves to Byng, who gladly took him up on it and delighted herself with its beauty.

"That rock is a geode," Auguris adjusted his glasses. "A common enough mineral in the grand scheme of things, so common that one who does not know what they are looking at might pass it by without ever knowing the truth. If only they were to break it open, they would be met with wonders beyond imagination. Forgive my poor attempt at a metaphor, but it reminded me of you."

Coye blinked a couple of times, unsure of how he was supposed to respond to that. He understood the gesture and that this was his way of being kind, but...

'There's no way that wasn't intentional,' Shayla was in disbelief. 'Gods. Never thought that joining up with you would lead to me witnessing the beginnings of the gayest bromance in Karnalle's history.'

'It's not like that! He's trying to be nice, I... hope?'

Byng decided to drop the subtlety, asking, "You know he's not into men, right?"

"How is that possibly relevant to the conversation at hand?" Auguris was baffled. "I fail to see how Coye's sexuality-"

A look of horror dawned upon Coye's face as he turned to Byng. "Is this how other people see me?"

"Trust me, short-stuff," Byng was quick to comfort and patted him on his lower leg. "When you're stupid and oblivious, it's adorable. This?" She craned her neck toward Auguris. "This is something else entirely."

That was a significant relief to Coye, and he sighed significantly. Then, he interrupted Auguris, who had been continuing his monologue this entire time. "So, was dropping off this geode the only reason you stopped by, or what?"

"Aha. How astute of you, Coye. Cutting straight to the heart of the matter, I see. The answer is no. I came here because I want something from you- the geode just so happens to be a rare, sentimental gesture I decided to add in."

"You want to ask me to go on quests with you even though you lost, right?"

"It seems my intentions were far more transparent than I realized. Yes, you are correct in your assumption."

Shayla blinked, wondering if she had missed a page somewhere. 'Wait a minute, what?'

Byng was of a similar mind, asking with laughter, "Are you fucking stupid?"

"No?" Auguris asked, genuinely confused as he took the question literally. "On the contrary, I am brilliant. Quantifiably so, I might add. One might even say I am a genius of sorts."

"A genius, huh? Wow. My bad." Byng held back laughter and rolled her eyes, almost wishing she'd joined Suzette on her way back to Cransmere.

"It's okay," Coye calmed Byng down by reaching out and patting her shoulder. "I want to hear him out." Then, his attention was entirely on Auguris. "Mind explaining what I would even do if I went on quests with you? I don't really understand what value I would bring to the team for someone on your level."

"Allow me to elaborate," Auguris smiled rather smugly like he'd been waiting for someone to ask him that question for who knows how long. "The problem is not that I cannot handle things on my own, merely that I wish not to. When I go out on quests, which is a rather rare occurrence, mind you, I typically pick ones that will further my research in one way or another-"

"Research?" Byng crossed her arms. "Don't you study rocks or some shit? What kind of research would you do in a creepy old forest like the Gnarled Woods?"

"What an excellent question-"

'Couldn't just keep your mouth shut, could you, female goblinoid?' Shayla sighed at the onset of another outburst while Byng contemplated going over there and flattening Coye's hat.

"The Gnarled Woods is perhaps the largest area in all of Karnalle that possesses demonic corruption. It is no exaggeration to say that the Demon Lord Thalrad well and truly ruined these lands during his brief rule over Arrark so very long ago. The very earth itself is tainted. I have an interest in studying the effects of demonic corruption and its effects on the soil, minerals, and even the forest's plant life to an extent. My research is centered on understanding how said corruption might one day be minimized."

It took a second for his words to sink in, but when they did, Shayla and Byng were shocked. Coye figured it must've been pretty out there, but he himself couldn't follow along.

'Is this guy really saying he wants to fucking cure the forest? There's no way that's possible. If any old mage could pull that off, someone would've done it by now!' Shayla's cynicism won out, and she expressed her doubts. It seemed too good to be true. That, and Auguris didn't strike her as an altruist.

"Curing the forest?" Coye caught on to the highlight, thanks to Shayla. "What's in it for you?"

"It is simple, really. Can you imagine how much money there is to be made in such an endeavor?" Auguris smiled and shifted his glasses further up his nose. "Every lord in Karnalle would rush to me while carrying a swollen sack of gold, begging me to rid their lands of their little demonic hotspots. With that much monetary power at my disposal, no one could stop me from fulfilling any ambition I set for myself."

"I can respect that, I guess?" Coye shrugged. It was a significantly less humble goal than it sounded at first, but at least Auguris didn't lie about being in it for anything other than himself. "Now tell me how I fit into things. You go on quests that bring you somewhere you want to be for your research, and then what? I keep things from distracting you during your work?"

"Just so, Coye. Just so. It pains me to admit it, but I become completely enraptured by my fieldwork. The world simply passes me by as I do what must be done, and I often wind up in situations most inconvenient because of my one-track mind. You would serve as an escort and a bodyguard when I simply can't be asked to fight my battles."

"You want to bring me along so you can be lazy." Coye phrased it like it was.

"In so many words, yes. I am willing to forgo a portion of the profit on any quest to entice you further. Though my need for funding is high, so is my desire to streamline my questing procedure. "

"Wow," Byng's disbelief was reaching an all-time high. "How the fuck did you make it to gold-rank?"

"It may or may not have something to do with the fact that I'm strong enough to level an entire town by hailing an earthquake as easily as others might breathe," Auguris said very matter-of-factly.

"Okay, that's one way to make a point, gahaha..." Byng shrank back a little. She was suddenly a lot more hesitant to fuck around with Auguris in case she ended up finding out.

'All that, and yet he can't fight his own battles?' Shayla scoffed. 'What a moron. You know what to do, baby. Send this idiot packing.'

"Sounds great," Coye said. "Feel free to hit me up whenever."

"Excellent. Yes. Most excellent, indeed."

'What?!' Shayla was so shocked that she almost stood up from under the hat and revealed herself. 'What the fuck do you mean sounds great, you big dummy?!'

Byng was quicker on the uptake, stroking her chin as she looked at her man with a knowing smile. "Ah, okay. Now I see what you're getting at, short-stuff. You wanna tag along with him so you can score some gold-ranked quests, yeah?" It was like how she could take on silver-ranked quests so long as she was in the same party as Coye.

"You got it," Coye smiled back. "It'll help me advance my career faster, and I'm really motivated to get even stronger right now, so I'm thankful for the opportunity."

'What opportunity, the opportunity to get yourself killed on the job even faster?' Shayla grumbled at him.

"It is I who should be thanking you," Auguris said, unable to repress his urge to smile smugly.

"Before I accept, though... you haven't forgotten our bet, have you?"

"Of course not," Auguris scoffed. "This new arrangement we've come to doesn't nullify the terms of our battle. I shall remain agreeable toward Dorothy Whittle in all matters henceforth, even during scenarios where I do not believe she is in the right or where I failed to comprehend what I have done wrong."

Coye held back a sigh. It would've been better if he could understand when he was unbearable, but it seemed like that was beyond him. At least this was the next best thing. "Works for me. So-"

'Hold on a second, big guy. Are you really sure about this? You just got your ass handed to you yesterday, and you're already trying to jump into more crazy shit. This really feels like something you should've talked to me about first... fuck, Coye. Who knows what kind of crazy monsters you'll fight if you tag along with him? That's already bad enough, but something tells me he's not gonna be much help if things go tits up. Even if we're getting stronger, I don't know how we stack up to the worst things you can find in the woods...'

'You're forgetting something pretty simple, Shayla.'

'And what would that be, huh?'

'I can always bail on him and get the hell out of there if I ever need to. Auguris is strong enough to handle himself.'

Shayla held back a laugh, wanting to remain stern. She failed and felt a little relieved. 'You would do that? That'd be pretty cowardly of you, baby...'

'I think there's a thin line between cowardly and smart.' Coye shrugged.

'Well, look at that,' Shayla beamed. 'You're learning!' She still had a boatload of reservations, but she had to admit Coye put a lot of thought into this. Shayla wouldn't have been surprised if he was already thinking about this outcome yesterday before the battle started.

"You were saying?" Auguris waited long enough before questioning the sudden pause Coye took to have a conversation in his mind.

"Sorry, just thinking to myself. Like I said, I'm down for this whenever. How often do you think we'll do this?"

"As I stated, I do not quest much, so you should not expect a substantial workload from me anytime soon. Perhaps this habit will change if your presence makes my excursions more streamlined, but that remains to be seen. Your interracial significant other here is also an adventurer, is she not? My offer extends to you as well."

"Okay... first of all, can we clear the air here? I know you don't mean it, but you've been saying some whack ass shit, and I'm gonna draw the line at calling me his interracial significant other." Byng got up from the bed, put her hands on her hips, and marched up to Auguris. She looked up at him with a reproachful expression. "I'm a gengaggi- not a female goblinoid or whatever. We're a species native to Grurguhrohk, got it?" Byng jabbed him in his chest with her claw hard enough to poke through the fabric of his fancy suit.

"Aha. Is this another one of those times where my choice of words has led to an outcome where I've unintentionally upset someone?" Auguris looked to Coye like a child looking for guidance, finding the answer when Coye nodded at him casually. "Forgive me. I will alter my vocabulary and refrain from using terminology related to goblins as well as pointing out the interracial nature of your relationship. I did not mean to imply there was anything unnatural at play here. I was merely calling it as it was."

Byng continued looking at Auguris for several moments in awkward, angry silence. This guy was beyond draining to be around, and it was worse knowing he really didn't mean to cause offense. Auguris was just that thoughtless. She sighed and turned away before plopping back down at the foot of Coye's bed.

"Whatever," Byng grumbled and crossed her arms. "I can't come along on any quests with you, anyway. Even though I'm not all that weaker than short-stuff, I'm still in bronze-rank."

"Don't feel bad. There's always the future, right?" Coye offered his sympathies and a smile.

'Alternatively, you could think of this as a blessing,' Shayla spoke up to raise Byng's spirits. 'Going out on an adventure with Coye is fun and romantic and all that junk, but could you really handle Auguris hanging around the entire time?'

Byng perked up after thinking about it a little. Shayla was right. Coye's presence probably wouldn't be enough to make up for Auguris being there. Some things just weren't worth the hassle, and this was definitely one of them. Byng respected Coye's dedication to the grind knowing how hard it would be to actually team up with this guy to advance his career. As for her? No thanks.

"You know... fascinating realm, Grurguhrohk..." Auguris cupped his chin and looked off into the distance. "One I would not mind visiting in the future. There are so many minerals exclusive to its unique geography that simply cannot be found elsewhere in all of known realmspace. Kurzaghite, artalax, ramethyst, ordoghite..."

Byng and Coye shared a look of mutual understanding. Don't let him learn about their hunting knives if they didn't want to be subjected to a lecture.

"Auguris," Coye interrupted his guest's ranting, capturing his attention. "I appreciate that you came to visit, and the geode was very nice of you, but I'm still feeling pretty achy. If you wouldn't mind taking off, I kinda want to get back to rest."

"Aha," Auguris made a face that looked as if he realized he was no longer welcome here at the present moment. It was a rare flash of understanding, but they did happen from time to time. "Say nothing more. The last thing I want is to intrude. I shall leave you to your recovery..." he turned to the door and started to walk away, stopping right before his hand met the doorknob. Something compelled him to look back at Coye, lingering as he stared for an uncomfortable stretch of time.

"Forgive me. I simply must say my peace before leaving your company. It is not often that I admit I am wrong. On the contrary, I become so rooted in my preconceptions that my resolute mind will refuse to concede the possibility of an error on my part. My stubbornness often reaches such a comical extent that it takes nothing less than a fist to the face to make me understand the truth. I am grateful you had what it took to do so. Thank you for proving me wrong about you, Coye. I look forward to our collaboration."

Auguris's heartfelt confession might have sounded as dry and emotionless as ever, but Coye could pick up on the subtle undertones beneath his words. As always, Auguris was sincere. He was waiting for some form of acknowledgment, so Coye gave him one way by way of a manly nod of respect. It was the first time anyone had done so for him, and Auguris was surprised by the gesture.

He tried returning it, but his version came out botched. He craned his neck out too far and bobbed his entire head instead of tilting his chin back, which left Byng and Shayla wondering whether or not Auguris having some sort of spasm. Auguris ruined what would've been a perfect male bonding moment, but he got the intention across as weird as it was.

Auguris opened the door to be on his way, but before he could take a step outside, he was blocked off by an unexpected interruption. "It seems you have more visitors attempting to disturb your rest, Coye."

For a moment, Coye's excitement perked up. He was hoping maybe Dorothy and Tammy were here, but what he heard next was just as good.

"Rock wizard?!" Coco barked from outside the cabin. "Here to finish the job? Won't let that happen! Coco... er- I will protect Coye!"

Auguris drew his wand from his sleeve, swishing it imperceptibly fast as he summoned a wall of earth in front of Coye's door that prevented the guest from attacking. Coco started banging on it immediately.

"Let me in, damn it! Gonna rip your throat out!"

"Concerning," Auguris thought aloud.

"Down, girl..." Coye heard Marlie's voice which sounded lethargic and devoid of energy today, like she was doing her best impression of Tammy. "They're not fighting anymore. I'm assuming he's here for the same reason we are."

"Just visiting?" Coco asked with suspicion.

"Indeed, though I was just on my way out. Shall I let these girls inside, Coye?"

Before he could answer, Byng scooted closer to her man. Other females were approaching, and now that Coye was more of a high-value male than ever, her gengaggi instincts told her to stick as close as possible. That's not to say she suddenly changed her mind about sharing, only that she wanted to show off a little.

"Looks like you don't have to wait till tomorrow to reap the benefits of your newfound popularity, huh, short-stuff?" Byng asked, giving him a flirtatious smile.

'Better hope no one rips that blanket off,' Shayla teased.

"Go ahead," Coye told Auguris before drawing his blanket around his shoulders. "Come on in."