Of Trails and Snails | Chapter 3: Love Darts

To Jack’s credit, he endured dragging the crane’s head for half an hour before suggesting trying [Sailor’s Gamble] to reset Mia’s [Warp] Skill. It was still on cooldown from the prior week’s adventure into the marsh, but hey, Goddess Nerita may have been feeling generous enough to give her another one. Lady Luck was usually on his side. However, the moment the words left his mouth, Skye threatened to open a [Dark Passage] portal beneath his feet. Without an exit.

Getting used to Skills, Stat Points, and Quests had been one long, wild ride. Molluscia worked a lot more like a video game than Las Vegas—which was saying something—and understanding the mechanics of all three was what kept Jack alive. Which was a shame, because while he’d had a few friends that considered themselves “gamers,” he knew very little about how Levels and Stats were supposed to affect him. All he could do was ask the girls and experiment.

The upside was, in this world, he was a [Swashbuckler], and that was way more fun and gratifying than dealing cards. Even if his new life led to getting crane blood all over his freshly washed gear.

Unfortunately, [Strength] wasn’t his highest Stat, and he needed more breaks than he wanted to admit while dragging the giant bird head. Skye fared about the same with the legs, but neither was about to admit defeat. They spent hours under Mia’s worried gaze and offers to help.

The sun was just beginning its descent over the horizon, painting the sky in oranges and blues, when Lymnaea came into sight. Firefly lamps swung in the doorways of shops and taverns while strings of railroad worms illuminated the thresholds of houses built from wood and stone. The snailgirls had formed peaceful pacts with a variety of insect species, offering them food and protection in trade for services rendered. Whether that meant lighting the village, offering honey, pollen, textiles, or sustenance, there was a bug that usually stepped up to fill the job.

Jack had never expected a beetle to have an idle thought. However, the first time he watched a snailgirl bartering with a fuzzy-faced moth for silk fibers, he cast the rest of his assumptions to the winds. Life here was beyond his wildest imagination, and he wasn’t about to squander his chances at giving it his best shot.

He enjoyed Lymnaea’s daily routines; they weren’t too far removed from Vegas life. For starters, snailgirls hardly slept. Maybe a sporadic one to two-hour nap at a time, and their patterns depended on their trade. The result was a place always open for a meal, or a shop that could provide supplies, or even a snailgirl ready to craft and mend equipment at all hours. The village was always alive, and that fit Jack’s lifestyle just fine.

As he’d expected, the girls in the Guild Hall were flabbergasted to see Jack and Skye hauling most of the crane back to town, insisting that they should have brought something smaller as proof. “Like a few feathers.” Yet, to Skye’s credit, a number of merchants gathered outside the building, inspecting the legs that she’d hauled back, the feathers Mia carried, and the beak’s material for possible reuse. Nothing went to waste in this world, and—in addition to the Guild Hall’s reward—they collected a small fortune from artisans and merchants.

“See? I could have gambled one last time. We wouldn’t have had to walk home after all.” Jack grinned, jingling the pouch of Shells in his palm.

“It would have cost you half of our take-home or more,” Skye countered. “The longer the cooldown, the more expensive the reset.”

She was right. The last time he’d attempted it, no one drank dew for a few nights.

“Are you hurt, Jack? I can try to use another healing Spell,” Mia suggested timidly. “I’m sorry you had to carry the crane’s head all the way back. I should have saved my [Warp].”

“You couldn’t have known.” Jack laughed. “I’m alright. Just teasing.” He placed the Shells in his pack and stretched, his joints audibly popping despite his assurances. Mia eyed him skeptically. “I promise, I’m fine. Let’s clean up and meet at the Achantina.”

“Alright.” Skye’s dark hair was clumped and matted with sweat and bird blood. She’d really taken one for the team with her final strike.

“Come on, Skye. I’ll help you wash your hair.” Mia took Skye’s arm and smiled. “You said you like the way I do it, right?”

Skye’s cheeks pinked, and she quickly looked away from Jack, letting her hair mask her face. “Mia!”

Jack chuckled and made his way to his own small residence with a renewed spring in his step.

---

The Achantina Tavern was comfortably occupied when Jack arrived. Fireflies danced in glass jars that hung from the ceiling, and more railroad worms crawled across the rafters. Every so often, one of the waitresses would hold up a small, squirming invertebrate for a railroad worm to reach out and grab to nibble on.

Snailgirls hovered over their tall tables, picking through still-moving appetizers and plates of fruit and foliage. They didn’t need chairs like humans, and the high barstool that Jack retrieved for himself was a newer addition. Pitchers of fermented dew flowed freely, reddening the cheeks of many of the tavern’s patrons.

The other—and arguably more important—adjustment that Jack made upon his arrival was his shoes. Snailgirls left a trail of slime on every surface, a necessary lubrication for them to travel. To make moving around easier in their hometown, a duo of snailgirls had developed a flooring material made from the leaves of slimshade—a species of plant native to Molluscia. The leaves repelled water, which meant the girls could keep the floors slick and travel faster indoors; they came very close to an average human’s walking speed. Food stayed hot, drinks stayed cold, and patrons went home happy.

For Jack, it meant he’d slipped and fallen flat on his ass the first time he’d stepped inside the Achantina. It had taken a mixture of magic, some insect intelligence, and elbow grease to refashion his boots to counteract the floors.

He set his barstool at their usual table. The chair’s legs worked a bit differently than his boots, holding to the floor with more rigidity, like magnets. Lina, a regular waitress at the tavern, appeared at his table with a tall tankard of dew in the span of seconds. She wore a laced white top tucked inside a dark brown corset, showcasing her generous chest. A layered skirt dangled from beneath the bodice, and a leather belt hung loosely around her hips, with a soft leather satchel fixed at its center. Her chestnut hair was pulled back into a tight bun at the top of her head while her long bangs cascaded over her right shoulder in loose ringlets.

Lina had been the first snailgirl to sneak a love dart into Jack’s skin.

“Hey, Jack.” She placed the tankard in front of him and leaned an elbow on the table. “Are these new?” she reached forward and fingered the gold hoop in his ear.

“They are. We found the material last week.” Hands to yourself, Lina. His encounter with her wasn’t a bad memory, per se, just one he’d rather have been warned about.

 “You wear them well.” Her warm smile was welcoming, but it didn’t make him any less wary of what her fingers were up to. “The gold goes well with your silver eyes.”

“Thanks.” He’d always liked piercings, the barbell in his eyebrow had stayed put from his previous life, at least. But replacing the earrings had been a lot of work.

Lina dropped her hands, and Jack kept a note on their location. “All alone tonight?”

 “Nah. Skye and Mia are coming. We had to clean up after the crane.”

Lina’s eyes widened, and her mouth formed a small O-shape. “The three of you caught the crane? By yourselves?”

“Not just caught. It’s dead.” Jack gestured toward the door but didn’t take his eyes away from Lina. “Plenty of gear will come out of what’s left.”

“That’s a huge relief.” Lina toyed with one section of her bangs, her stare pensive. “Kris will be happy to hear it, too.”

“Has she been back to work yet?” Kris owned the tavern. A blunt, no-nonsense woman with a great laugh if you could get one out of her. Jack liked her.

“No. I hope just knowing that it’s gone will help her heal.”

“Yeah. Me, too.” One of the casualties from the crane was Kris’s sister. Obviously, she hadn’t taken it well. Jack procured a stack of Shells from his pack and slid them to Lina. “Mind getting the usual started? The Party should be here soon.”

Lina nodded, pulling herself from her thoughts. “Of course, Jack. Wave if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Lina.”

She excused herself to check on the other tables and make her way to the kitchens. Just as a precaution, Jack discreetly felt around his neck and sides. No pinch, no sweats. She knew better than to dart him when Skye and Mia were around. So long as he could avoid her until they arrived, or any other wandering eyes in the Achantina for that matter, he was golden.

To his immense relief, he’d barely had time to enjoy his drink before Skye and Mia appeared in the doorway. Skye had exchanged her combat attire for a more comfortable get-up—a tight black tank top that hugged her chest and waist, stopping just above her navel. Ivory skin peeked through the gap between her shirt and frayed skirt, and her scarred, toned arms were bare beyond a selection of leather bracelets and chains that she’d collected over the years. More belts than she needed were strapped around her skirt, crisscrossing in haphazard patterns with different conchos and adornments on each one. With her green-streaked hair and dark makeup, she stuck out from the rest of the snailgirls like a sore thumb. Jack loved her aesthetic, though she’d have to work for a compliment like that.

Mia was dressed more simply. She’d picked out a lacy white dress with puffed sleeves and ruffled edgings. White ribbon zigzagged over her abdomen, hugging the fabric close to her curves. Two sections of her copper hair were braided back on the sides of her head, tied off at the center with a white ribbon, while the rest bounced around her shoulders. A simple gold chain around her neck matched a bracelet with a heart-shaped pendant on her left hand. Jack had given the bracelet to her for her nameday—Skye threatened to gut him if he tried to “pull the same stunt” with her.

Jack waved them over, and Lina brought two more mugs of dew.

Skye eyed the waitress warily as she left to retrieve their appetizers. “She didn’t dart you, did she?”

“No. I think you’ve officially scared her off.” Jack took another swig and grinned. “Though, I do have to wonder why you’re so protective.”

Skye sputtered into her mug, her face turning pink. She inhaled and took a swift drink as if she’d meant to choke on her ale all along. “Lina should just know her place, that’s all.”

Mia looked between Skye and Jack with wide eyes. “Her place? What do you mean?”

Skye slammed her mug down on the table and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Nothing. Forget it.”

Jack chuckled. As much as he wanted to needle Skye further, she was clearly uncomfortable. “So, the bird is dead; the town is saved. What do we do with the Shells?”

The girls exchanged looks. Mia fiddled with the heart pendant as Lina brought their appetizers. A bowl of wriggling insects for Skye and Mia, and an order of cooked frog’s legs and…something…for Jack. The frog’s legs were like eating fishy chicken wings if he didn’t think about it too much.

“Go ahead, Mia,” Skye said once Lina was out of earshot. For as brash and abrasive as Skye could be, she always had a soft spot for their [High Priestess].

“Well, I’d like to see the ocean,” Mia said, twisting her bracelet around her wrist. “I haven’t been since I was little.”

“And I’ve never seen it.” Skye plucked one of the wriggling grubs from the bowl and popped it into her mouth.

“Really?” Jack recalled his trips to California and one unplanned visit to Florida. The beach was a place he thought everyone should be able to experience just once. “How would we get there?”

“There’s a tortoise that’ll go from here to Pomacea, then one from Pomacea to Haliotis. But it isn’t cheap,” Skye explained, snagging another larva and a swig of dew.

Jack hadn’t traveled by tortoise just yet. Snailgirls managed to stick to the shell without an issue, taking turns sleeping on its back as needed. However, without a way to adhere to the tortoise like the rest of his Party could, Jack imagined he’d need a lot of ropes to hold him down. Skye joked about using her chains once, but it didn’t sound much better.

“We haven’t been to either of those places together, right?” Jack asked.

“No,” Skye replied behind her mug.

“Are they more snailgirl villages?”

“Yes! Pomacea is in a big lake! It’s amazing!” Mia exclaimed. Her eyes shimmered as she spoke. “I’ve been there twice. The girls live underwater, but they built a town close to the shore for visitors to stay. And they have a neat bubble system that lets all of us travel down beneath the water!”

Lina brought their meals, passing them around the table with expert precision before excusing herself once more.

“Have you been there, Skye?” Jack chewed on the end of a frog’s leg bone, then moved to his sautéed something. He’d been too afraid to ask what his “usual” actually was.

“Yeah. It’s alright.” Skye shrugged. “The expensive part of the trip is the tortoise to Haliotis. It’s a week from Pomacea, and the trip is pretty damn dangerous.”

“I thought you said you hadn’t been,” Jack countered.

“You may not believe it, but word travels fast around here,” Skye said. “Maybe there is something we do that’s faster than you.”

“Skye,” Mia chided gently, nudging her with her shoulder. She turned to Jack. “I’m sure you’ve noticed that there are a lot of girls who travel in and out of Lymnaea.”

“Yeah. I’m pretty sure I’ve been darted by every girl in Molluscia,” Jack replied. Travelers usually found him before he found them.

“Pfft. Far from it.” Skye laughed. She drained her mug and waved to Lina.

Mia cleared her throat. “A-anyway, Lymnea is kind of in the middle of a lot of big cities. So, we hear a lot of stories about traveling. Even if we haven’t been there, there’s almost always someone here who has.” She picked at her salad, occasionally grabbing one of the wriggling appetizers as a chaser.

“Makes sense.” Jack had heard plenty of tales of other countries from his patrons in Vegas. But that was a fast-paced city with bipedal humans, cars, airplanes, and trains. Not snailgirls on tortoises. The mobility here still seemed so limited.

“Apparently, Haliotis is made up of pools spread out along the coastline. Each one has a different district—residential, shopping, a Guild Hall for adventurers. You name it.” Skye took a drink from her freshly delivered tankard. “When the tide goes out, us land-dwellers can visit.”

“The salt water doesn’t hurt you?”

“We should drink plenty of water while we’re there, but otherwise, we’ll be fine,” Mia said brightly. “We couldn’t live in it, of course, but it’s safe to visit.”

“Okay. So, if we need some extra cash by the time we get to Pomacea, can we pick up a few Quests there?”

“We should have enough Shells for the full trip.” Skye’s words were beginning to slur. She called for another drink, and Jack didn’t bother stopping her. She’d certainly earned it. “Unless you plan on gambling it all away.”

“You’re deeper in your cups than I was in my gambling today, Skye,” Jack said with a grin.

Skye’s eyes widened, and her lips pulled into a thin line, quirking up at the corners. “Seems someone else here doesn’t know their place.”

“Oh? I—shit,” Jack cursed as the familiar pinch sunk into the curve between his neck and shoulder. How any of the girls managed to dart him so quickly was one of life’s greatest mysteries.

“Skye!” Mia squeaked, looking back and forth between the satisfied [Void Walker] and Jack. “You said you’d warn him next time!”

“Whatever. He owes me.”

“Dammit, Skye,” Jack grumbled, finishing off his mug and waving down Lina for another. He’d have to drink fast if he wanted any more.

Love darts resembled tiny needles, no longer than a couple of inches. The girls pulled them from behind their ears, just at the hairline, and aimed for the throat or hips of their victim. It didn’t hurt much—just a small pinch—before dissolving beneath the skin. Sometimes, if he’d had one too many to drink, Jack didn’t know it’d even happened until it was far too late. The problem was what came next.

It started as a slow trickle of warmth from the area he’d been darted, like taking a straight shot of whiskey and feeling every drop move through his veins. Then it messed with his senses. Things tasted better, sounded richer, the setting took on a golden sheen, and he could smell the faint perfumes off of Skye, Mia, and any other girl who moved past their table. Everything was so sensitive; even a slight breeze against his skin made him shiver.

Jack looked at Skye, and it was like answering a siren’s call. His gaze flickered over her body, drinking in every inch. The rising and falling of her chest, the hint of stomach showing beneath her tank top, what he knew was hidden beneath that skirt—   

Skye smirked. She knew exactly what he was going through—she’d done this countless times before.

“Better add yours if you want in, Mia. We don’t have much time,” Skye said. She traced the lip of her mug with one long finger, and then sucked away the drops of dew.

Jack’s breath caught as he watched her. He wiped his face with one hand and groaned.

“B-but— I d-don’t—” Mia stammered, blushing furiously.

“Go ahead, Mia. At least that’ll make this worth it,” Jack growled.

Skye cackled. “Big words for a man leering at me like his next meal.”

“Isn’t that what you are?”

Skye’s smile widened.

“Jack, are you sure?” Mia whimpered.

All I’m sure about right now is where I want Skye’s mouth. Images of a naked Skye in a dozen erotic positions flashed like a slideshow behind Jack’s lids. His pants tightened uncomfortably, and a trail of sweat slid down his spine. “Yeah. I’m sure.”

“Alright.” Mia slid a dart from behind her ear and gently inserted it into the dip of his shoulder.

Every  sensation doubled down. The air felt heavy and thick, impossible to breathe. Mia’s soft skin and sweet voice joined Skye’s hot tongue and low growls in his salacious visions. If he opened his eyes, seeing them right there in front of him only gave a realistic weight to the fantasies.

“Lina,” Jack called, breathless, waving down the waitress.

Lina offloaded a round of drinks to another table before answering his beckoning. Has she smelled that good all night? It only took one look at Jack’s flushed face to know what had happened. Mia’s furious blush and Skye’s smirk weren’t helping.

Lina rolled her eyes. “You couldn’t get him home first?”

“Sorry,” Mia murmured.

“You’re one to talk, Lina,” Skye countered. “You got a key or not?”

“Don’t get your tail in a twist. Here.” Lina fished an iron key with a red ribbon from her pouch. “The red room’s available.”

“Great, thanks.” Skye snatched the key from Lina’s hand.

Lina hesitated. “Jack, I don’t suppose you have space—”

“No. We don’t.” Skye pushed her plate to the edge of the table.

“Thank you, Lina,” Mia said, her eyes glued to the floor.

With one last long look at Jack, Lina nodded and returned to her other tables.

Jack felt ready to claw his way out of his own skin. He wanted to rake his hands through Skye and Mia’s hair and down their backs. He needed to hear them scream. After draining his mug, he grabbed a bag of Shells and dumped them on the table.

Skye clicked her tongue and picked through the coins. “See, this is why we’re poor.”

“Because you dart me before I can pay?” Jack grumbled, then licked his lips. His mouth was parched, and beads of sweat gathered on the back of his neck.

“You need to be more careful with counting your Shells,” Skye finished smoothly, taking her sweet time in fingering each coin before setting it in a pile.

Mia leaned sideways and touched Jack’s arm. “Are you alright?” Her hazel eyes were so wide and clear. The pout of her lip shimmered in the glittering firefly lights, and her posture gave him a perfect view down her thin dress.

He hissed in a stream of air between his gritted teeth. “I’m fine. Perfectly…fine.”

“All settled,” Skye said with a nod, topping the pile of Shells with a final coin. She held the key near her face and shook the ribbon. “Shall we?”