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Finding My Husband in Another World: Season 2: Chapter 2: The Bard

As the bridge started to form two demi-humans, a badger and a coyote, and a beast kin raccoon took charge. Splitting the group into three. I warned them about the hunters but for the most part they ignored all four of us. As we started across the new sand road Dust would move those struggling in the muck up to join the others. Once everyone was across he disappeared and the sand collapsed. The three groups just disappeared after that. Almost as though they had the illusion ability.

"So, where are we headed?" Chaza asked.

"Do you or Ren know anything about this continent?" Rider asked.

"I certainly don't. I was born and raised as your companion." Ren answered. Something seemed off about that since Ren was two years older than Rider.

"I was born here, but my mother and I were captured and separated so I don't really have any useful memories.

"As dangerous as it might be we sort of need to find an adventurer's guild. There we can get ourselves registered, get a couple of beds for the rest of the night, and most importantly buy a map." I said, resigning myself to risking the human controlled port.

"I can guide you to one of our villages. For the right price."

We all spun around and found a beast kin squirrel leaning against a tree.

"And what would that price be?" Rider asked.

"Don't know. Haven't gotten a good read on you yet."

"You little thief. Get out of here or I'll bite your tail off!!" Chaza barked.

"Whoa there pup, you wouldn't want to go breaking the treaty, would you?"

"What treaty?" I asked. There was something off about him, but I couldn't tell what it was that had me on edge.

"The non-aggression pact between all Demi's and kin. Even if you were raised on the human continent you should have learned that from other slaves."

Even in the now pre-down light I could see Chaza blushing.

"Sorry, but most of our kind don't interact with us. Working as adventures on the human continent, even though we were free or because of it, comes with a lot of suspicion from all beings." Ren quickly explained.

"Okay. Tell you what, I'm feeling a little sorry for you since the other groups ditched you and my fellow guides didn't trust your smell. I'll guide you to the village and even to the guild house. Then you can pay me what you feel my services are worth."

"Sounds good, but what if we decide your services had no value?" I asked.

"Prowl! That is both rude and stupid to ask." Ren yelled.

"That is interesting. A fox yelling at a tiger. That's not something you see every day. Then again you don't often see a road of sand form from Desperation Island to shore either. To answer your question, Prowl, I think just sticking close to you will be well worth my time. I am most often called Skit."

"Hello Skit, this is my mate Rider, our mate Reynard or Ren and our strong woman Chaza. Oh and if you look behind you you'll see our fifth member who is ready to spring and take your head off if you do anything threatening, Sky."

Skit slowly turned and then stumbled backward until he was against my chest. "Th- That's a Cloud Leopard! What are you doing with a murderous beast like that?"

Ren walk over and knelt down. "You're scared of this big kitten?" Sky crawled up and draped himself on Ren's shoulders. Which was rather comical considering how large Sky was. However with his control of his density I knew he'd never weigh down his favorite perch.

"How?" I could feel Skit trembling.

"I saved his life, he saved mine, we formed a trainer pact, and then Ren came along and, to be honest, I think Sky likes our cute fox more than me now."

Sky let out a little yowl and then started to purr.

"So you're a tamer, the pup is a fighter, and either the fox or the wolf is an elemental summoner. The other wouldn't happen to be a bard by any chance?"

I decided to keep as much information to the group as possible, but admitting that wouldn't cost us anything. "No, no bards."

The squirrel shook himself and started walking, "This way. So I'm a bard myself. You wouldn't happen to know any songs from the human continent?"

"Maybe. Nothing powerful for a bard and if you wanted us to sing them they might be broken and pretty bad."

"Or in a long lost language." Rider added.

"I might know a tavern song or two." Chaza added.

I glared at her. Of course she would know more than a few tavern songs. She loved being lusted over my drunken adventurers.

"Don't give me that look. I didn't actually drink, but that didn't mean I wasn't going to have fun with the other adventurers when I could."

"So Prowl, I'm getting the feeling that you're the leader of this strange group." Kit said.

***

By the time we reached the village I was seriously considering doing terrible bloody self-surgery on my ears. If I didn't love listening to everything Rider had to say I probably would have gone through with it. Deafness had to be preferable to the constant chattering questions.

Skit led us directly to the guild hall, but before we could enter he went strangely quiet and started to back away. "Okay, you're here. N-no need for any p-payment. The bits of song and c-company were payment enough." He turned to leave, and I couldn't say I wasn't happy to see him go.

Chaza grabbed him by the back of his vest. "No. We pay for services rendered. Maybe a few bits of song are good for you, but I refuse to let you go until you've had a good meal." He didn't have a chance to object as he was dragged inside.

"Oh look, the noise maker has upset someone new." A voice yelled.

"Maybe she'll steal your nuts, No-tail." Another laughed.

That's what had been bothering me. Skit's tail hadn't twitched at all. A species trait that couldn't be stopped. Unless the tail was fake.

"I don't know why you dragged that thing in here but you can toss it back out in the gutter right now. No one wants it here, let it go try to make its way with the humans." The bear desk clerk growled.

"Like it or not he's with us." I said. I might have been annoyed with his constant noise but no way in hell I would let him be treated this way.

"And who are you? I pulled the teams guild cards out of the pocket dimension and placed them on the counter. "Our former team split up, the humans decided they didn't want so many Demis on their team. So we made the crossing and we'll be forming our own team here."

"You'll have to pay all the registration fees."

"No problem, unless you reject guild coin."

"No! Guild coin is accepted no matter what. I'll need your new team name."

"We're the Shadow Runners" Rider quickly said, before winking at me.

"It seems we're going to be the Shadow Runners. Wait, there seems to be a slight problem. Skit, where is your guild card."

Everyone in the hall went deathly silent.

"M-my card?"

"That's what I said."

He moved forward very slowly. "Are you sure?"

I snatched the card from his hands and dropped it on the counter.

"Team leader?" the bear asked.

I slid my card to the top.

"Interesting. Prowl, age twenty, rank B, combination Tamer and Beast Summoner. Tamed companion-" He looked up at me in shock. "Cloud Leopard named Sky."

I nodded. "Sky, show yourself."

From the haze that covered the top off the room a cloud slowly condensed until Sky was sitting on the counter. He immediately started cleaning himself. I laughed. "He just communicated to me that you need to get someone in to deal with the toxic moss infestation up there or you're going to have some very weak adventurers before long."

Everyone in the room looked up at that as if they could see the danger.

"He told you all that?"

"Not exactly. It's more interpretation, but he's been with me since I was five so I've gotten rather good at it."

"You." The Bear said, pointing at an antelope adventurer, "Go get a cleric specializing in building purification. Tell them it's on my authority."

"Yes sir."

"Next up: Chaza, age twenty six, Rank A, Heavy Weapon User, enchanted heavy hammer named Knockers."

There were multiple chuckles from the other adventurers.

"Reynard age seventeen, rank C, Magic Swordsman weapons Chaos and Carnage."

Ren smiled pulling my multi-fanged blades from the pocked dimension.

"Rider age fifteen, rank E-".

"Rank E! That can't be right. Check it again." Rider growled.

"This shows you haven't taken on a single job yet. All beginners are required to start at E rank."

"While that is true, I think you should look a little closer. Rider has graduated from the Royal Academy of magic. Not an easy, or cheap, thing for a non-human. Plus he has three primal elemental summons. I'm sure you can start him off at D rank at the very . . . least?" Again there was complete silence and everyone was now staring at Rider.

"Rider . . . elemental summoner. Rank C. Lord Rider please forgive me."

"Rank C? Not that I'm arguing but that's a large jump. Why is everyone looking at me like that?"

"Lord Rider, perhaps being born on the human continent you don't understand. Demi-human and beast kin elemental summoner only exist in bards tales and folklore."

Skit grinned for the first time since entering the hall. "Long ago, during the first Species War the humans and near humans formed a treaty to work together in order to defeat demon kind. It was a long and tragic war with many heroes born and lost but in the end the demons were vanquished. However the humans, deceitful and possessive, had also been closely watching their sworn allies. At the end of the war they hunted down and killed all with the ability to summon elementals along with their entire blood line so that the only ones that could summon elementals would be humans."

I thought he was done and started to turn back to the registration, but he went on. "During the second War they found and either destroyed or stole our most powerful beast summons hiding them away on their continent. We had our revenge however. We tracked down nearly every beast summoning human and ended them, but we were better than the humans, we spared the summoner's innocent families. That is why beast summoning humans are extremely rare and until today non-human elemental summoners no longer existed."

I smiled if I could break him of the need to fill every moment of silence with pointless chatter adding him to the team wasn't such a bad idea. His knowledge of history might turn out to be invaluable.

"Skitter, age twenty one, rank G, bard, thief, liar, failure-"

I put grooves in the counter as I raked my claws across the wood. "He is a rank E bard. Understood?"

"Do you really think I'm scared of you?"

"I summon the lord of the first moon, Lunarii."

The bear's mouth fell open as the great tiger appeared.

"I summon the lord of the second moon Stellarii!" I yelled.

The hall cleared nearly instantly.

"Can I eat him master? It's been a very long time since I've had bear." Moon asked

"Don't be greedy." Star replied.

"I would of course share with you little brother."

"How about now?" I asked. "Are you maybe just a little scared of a summoner that made pacts with arguably the two most worshiped beast spirits when he was five and since then taught them to not only work together but see each other as brothers?"

"If he doesn't make the changes you wanted I'll ask Inferno to reduce the hall to ash. Though I suppose that would cleanse the toxic moss problem." Rider added.

"By the gods." The bear muttered.

"Now you're getting the idea." Moon said, smiling and scaring even me a little bit.

"I've made the changes to Tail- I mean Skitter's guild card. He's your problem now anyway."

"Very good. Moon and Star, you can return."

"Can't we play?" Star asked.

"Yeah, we were cooped up on that ship for much too long." Moon complained.

"Not today. Today I plan on recovering, getting to know our new team member and then getting some sleep without having to listen to Chaza either complaining or trying to empty her stomach. Tomorrow I'll either see find a job where you can have some fun or if we continue on and I'll let you out to run."

"Okay, master. Just remember, you promised." Star said, before they both vanished.

"Good, now we need two rooms one for our male party members and one for Chaza.

"You mean it?" She asked.

"After that voyage you deserve some alone time. Just-"

"I know, be careful and no puppies."

I nodded and turned back to the bear. "One last thing, please send up four meals prepared for meat eaters and one for Skit. Chaza will likely have her meal down here after she convinces a few of your braver adventurers it is safe to return."

The bear told us how much we had to pay, Skit tried to tell me it was far too much, but considering the disturbance we'd caused it was much less than expected. Then we headed up to our room.

***

The room was about the same as we'd had on the human continent. Two beds, two chairs, and a table. I pulled the top blanket off one bed and shaped it into a bed on the floor for Sky. I felt tingling in my fur and I immediately ran to the small window and opened it. Less than a second later Sky jumped through it. I'd learned that he didn't mix well with holy magic. The rest of us then fluffed as our fur stood on end as the building was purified.

"Nooooooooo!"

I turned in time to see Skit's taxidermied tail reduced to ash and then even that disappeared.

"Skit!" I yelled harshly.

He turned to look at me as tears ran down his face.

"It's gone. Really gone. Forever this time."

"Ren, you're our anchor this time."

"Are you sure? The bear said he's a thief and can't be trusted."

"I don't think he's going to betray my trust. Not if he values his life. Rider, I need a hand."

"What are you doing?"

"Killing two birds with one stone. Support Skit's other side."

Rider got into position. "Now what?"

"We're going to move him over to the bed."

"Just don't take too long." Ren said, with a laugh.

"What does he mean?" Rider asked as we stepped forward into another room. "Tiger, where are we?"

"We're now in the pocket dimension. We can't be long since it is still small and with three of us here there is only enough air for about an hour."

"T-this isn't possible." Skit squeaked. As I looked over vials in racks.

"I never imagined it would be so organized." Rider said, gazing at the shelves, book cases, weapon's racks, and even a bed.

"Skit, drink this."

"What is it?" he asked.

"A very mild sedative. It's not enough to make you fall asleep but it will help with the heartache you're currently feeling."

He took the vial and tasted it. "It's sweet." Then he downed the whole amount. "You're right, I doo fee bettah."

"Let's get you over to the bed so you can sit down."

"Yah, I fee so li-li-lit."

"That's an understatement. Prowl, what did you give him?"

"Skit?"

"Yeh?"

"Sleep."

He fell face first onto the bed.

"You really dosed him."

"Yeah, and he'll remain unconscious until I inject him with the counter agent. Now help me pull his pants down."

"Prowl, you'd better explain."

"It's easier to explain as I show you. Just pull them down enough to expose the scar tissue where his tail was cut off."

"You're going to use regenerate? So forming a pact with that dragon worked and you didn't tell me the truth?"

"No, I actually stock piled a small supply of your glass crystals imbued with regen. Now you might want to look away."

"No, I'm going to help."

"Okay, pull the flesh tight that's going to make it easier to cut away the scar tissue." I presses an obsidian blade to the flesh and then did my best to make a clean smooth cut. Then I placed a crystal on the spot. "Holy powers activate regen and return what has been lost."

The crystal shattered and new growth pushed the remnants away as new flesh started to form. Within minutes a rat like tail had formed and would twitch every few seconds. Next fur began to sprout. At this point I turned away and led Rider over to a couple of very comfortable chairs.

"You're still a marshmallow tiger at heart aren't you?"

"Would you still want me if I'd changed so drastically?"

"Yes, but I'd hope you would remember your true self eventually."

"The down side of all this is that now Skit will be able to access this space."

"You mean he'll be able to come here on his own?"

"No, only I can pull people in with me. But he will be able to reach in and take what he wants. Just like Chaza, Ren, and you."

"Me?"

"It's the reason I brought you with me. Once you've been inside you can access it. However For me to bring anyone here it requires someone that I've brought in the past to act as an anchor in the other realm. Still it isn't bad since time doesn't make sense between the two. When we leave it will be the same instant we entered. I just wish there was an easy way to get air in here."

"How are you doing it now?"

I open the pocket whenever I can if there's a strong windstorm."

"I think I'll be able to help. We just have to find a wind elemental."

"That's my brilliant husband." I said, grinning stupidly.

"How long do we have?" Rider asked getting up and moving toward me.

"Not enough for anything fun. Besides it looks like the regen is complete. Help me carry Skit back out so I can administer the cure. He actually took more of the drug than I'm really comfortable with."

"Okay, but you owe me snuggle time."

"I'll add it to the list, though technically at this point I think it would take four lifetimes doing nothing but snuggling to pay all the debt I feel I owe you."

Rider smiled. "Still a charmer."

***

We exited the storage dimension and placed Skit on one of the beds. I injected him and I sat on the bed to watch him while Rider and Ren moved to the other bed. Rider laughed as Ren pulled out a brush to smooth his fur, but then he did the same.

As they brushed themselves and then each other Rider asked if things were normal and Ren was quick to assure him that it was.

There was a knock at the door and when I opened it a cart was rolled in by one of the guild personnel and another followed with two more chairs.

"Two vegetable stews with added grazer meat for the wolf and tiger, one with clucker meat for the fox, and finally a vegetable stew with tree nuts for . . . Skit."

I chalked the pause up to the server trying to remember Skit's name.

"I also have a plate of raw grazer meat for your companion animal." As if he were a summon spirit a cloud drifted in the open window and coalesced into Sky.

"He appreciates your thoughtfulness in leaving it raw for him. We've been a few places that insisted on searing it at the least. His kind doesn't like that."

"You are most welcome. If you don't come down for the evening meal, we will bring it up after the others have been served. I hope that is alright?"

"That's fine. Thank you for fixing this for us so quickly."

"No problem, sir."

I slipped him several coins as he was leaving. It was always best to be on good terms with kitchen staff.

"Food?" Skit asked groggily.

"Yeah, Can you make it to the table?"

"Of course I can. Just as soon as the floor solidifies. I hate it when someone uses magic to make the world shift and weave."

I helped Skit over to the table.

"Oh wow, your little illusion show must have really impressed or scared them because they used the good stock for the soup."

I took my own seat. I'd let Skit eat before asking about his tail. The sensory nerves took the longest to regenerate so it was likely he didn't know that it was more than just a recreation of his artificial tail.

The stew was served in a large bread bowl and really was tasty and filling. If anything it was better than we'd gotten on the human continent.

"Oh, that was probably the largest meal I've ever had. I'm so stuffed the only thing I can think about right now is a nice nap to let everything settle." Ren said, as he wobbled over to our bed.

I quickly did an appraisal, something I should have done before we started eating, but the only one with any sort of drug in his system was Skit. I made sure the door was locked and I wedged a chair under the handle to keep it closed. "Star, it's your turn to be our look out."

"Got it."

I helped Skit back to his bed as Rider joined Ren. He was back asleep, this time naturally, as soon as I got him on the bed. I honestly considered just falling asleep there, but I was able to turn and fall on my own bed. I snuggled up against Rider and fell asleep.

***

I was woke to the sound of soft chords being played. Skit stopped as soon as he noticed me. He looked as if he was going to say something, but I shushed him. From the light coming through the window it was either early morning or evening. I got up and motioned for Skit to follow me. He looked apprehensive, but followed me down to the main hall. I found a table in a corner and we both sat down.

"You wanted to say something?"

"I- I don't have any way to pay you back. What you did," He pulled his tail around and ran his fingers through his fur, "regeneration magic of this level is too much to waste on a failure like me."

"Did you, or did you not, say that it was my choice to decide what your pay would be?"

"I-" He looked confused for several moments, "Guiding you here from the coast is only worth a few coppers though."

"Skit, you're on my team now so you're going to have to get used to a few things. First you're going to need to talk less when we're traveling. I'm saying this not to chastise you but because it is dangerous if we aren't listening for possible attacks. Second is that I often do things that you're probably not going to understand. I don't like to see people mistreated and bullied, so I help them as often as I can. If that means using a regen crystal from my stockpile to restore a lost tail then I'm going to do so. Cost doesn't figure into it."

"Will you two be having your dinner down here?" the servant interrupted.

"Yes, I think we will. If our companions don't come down before we finish it means they'll be eating in the room again. However they were still resting so that can wait until later." That solved what time of day it was. We'd slept most of the day.

"Very good, sir. I'll bring your meal out right away."

"I have another question why did the three of you cram yourselves onto one bed leaving the other just for me?"

Skit asked.

"This isn't the time or place to explain that. Anything else?"

"Um, you registered me with your team. Will- will I wake up in the morning and find that you've removed me and left me behind?"

"Has that happened before?"

Skit stared down at the table. "A few times, and a couple where they tried to leave me to pay. Fortunately that never worked since everyone knows I'm worthless."

"You're not, at least not to my team. As much as your constant chatter irritates me, that's my problem, not yours. I can tell you, your knowledge, and your skills will be invaluable."

"Hey rodent! How about a song? You're not very good, but still better than nothing." Someone yelled.

"If you want to make a request you will do so through me, and you will pay for his services."

"Five coppers a song, I'm not as good as most bards." Skit whispered.

"The price is one silver per song, except for the ass that was so insulting. If you want a song it'll cost you a gold."

A silver hit the table. "I don't care what you play as long as it has a good beat to dance to." Chaza said, as she headed back toward the middle of the hall.

"I don't know what she wants."

"Do you know any songs that make you feel good?"

"Me or others?"

"Others."

I guess I might have a couple of songs that might work." He moved his lute to his lap and strummed a few chords before starting to play surprisingly really well.

It didn't take long for Rider and Ren to join us.

"I think you made a good choice. I don't know as we needed a bard but it's nice to listen to real music again." Rider said, watching Skit play. He was on his third song and everyone seemed ready to request another song when he finished as Chaza moved gracefully from partner to partner.

***