"Man, I hate the smell of corpses." A young man said exhausted
This young man is a master Necromancer named Otter. In the field of death few can match his expertise. In terms of social abilities, his skills often fall quite short. It wasn't that Otter didn't want friends or a girlfriend. Just that every time he tries to meet people his awkward personality comes out and scares people away.
"Who needs relationships anyway? Not like you die if you don't have any." Otter said bitterly
Life for Otter looked to be an open and shut case. He lived alone and he'd die alone. Little did he know his life would change forever due to two young women.
"Excuse me, can we get two Mugs down here?" A brash young woman said
"What, do we need to whip out our tits for some service?" The girl's friend said imitating the gesture.
The barkeep looked at the two girls with an exhausted stare before sighing and grabbing the girls drinks.
It was a typical night at the bar. Drunk patrons loudly talking, spilling their drinks, and the occasional fight. Some were lamenting their crummy day, and others regaling crowds with their tales of adventure. The two girls frequented the bar, and most nights were loud in jubilation of their latest adventure. This night however was different, they were grieving the loss of their third party member.
They were known as the Golden Harpies, and in terms of ranking they were a B-Ranked party who for the past two years were breaking barriers as the only all female party to reach B-Rank in the Rose Kingdom. The first member left to get married, the second to injury, and the third couldn't handle the constant threat of danger. If they couldn't find a replacement the party would have to disband.
"Puppy, what are we going to do? Thanks to that bitch quitting we're at risk of losing the party." The original brash girl asked
"How the hell should I know Owl? You're the party leader and the brains of this operation. Whatever we do first we need to recruit at least one new member, and while I know we were founded on no men. I think we…" Puppy was cutoff
"Absolutely not! We can't let some filthy man into our group. I'd rather lose the party, than sacrifice my values." Owl spat
Puppy sat there silent, she stared at her childhood friend, her sister in arms. She understood, hell she agreed with her. Still, this party meant everything to her. She didn't want something dumb like pride to be the reason they lost the only thing that felt like a home.
I'm sorry Owl, but I can't sit here and let you take my home from me. I know the scars of our past haunt you. They haunt me too, but not all men are vile like them."
Owl sat there glaring daggers at Puppy, but Puppy didn't yield. Sighing and throwing her hands up in surrender.
"Fine, I'm not promising anything, but I'll meet and consider male applicants."
Puppy, satisfied with the compromise, raised her mug as a symbol of their party meeting ending and their commiserating beginning. Owl raised her mug, and the two girls proceeded to get black out drunk.
The girls drank till the bar closed, and by that point there brains had fully checked out. They were basically zombies staggering around town. The local guard came to arrest them for drunken disorderly conduct. This wasn't a major offense, many adventurers have too much fun and need to sleep it off. It normally comes with a fine and a stern lecture. Just as the guards were about to arrest them, Owl noticed a young man in front of them.
"Hey babe, be a sweetheart and help your drunk girlfriends get home."
Otter looked around before pointing at himself, and realizing that the girl was talking to him approached the guards. The guards looked knowingly at the necromancer, but still asked if he wanted to take them. While this wasn't proper procedure, the guards didn't feel like dealing with the drunk girls.
"These girls yours?" One of the guards asked
Otter not sure how to respond weakly nodded yes. The guards looked at each other and shrugging passed the girls onto him and took their leave shaking their heads. The one that talked to him even turned back to give him a sympathetic look.
Otter dragged the now passed out girls back to his house just outside of town. It wasn't anything special or huge. Just a normal two story wooden house with a deck connected to the second story. He took the stairs to the deck to enter the second level. He dragged them into his bedroom, laid them down and tucked them in and left a glass of water and green potion on each nightstand. With that he left and went back to his laboratory down stairs.
"Crap! I was so distracted with the girls I forgot to get what I went to town for." Otter moaned
The next morning Puppy was the first to wake up, and as she blinked awake it took her less than five seconds to realize she wasn't at her or Owl's place. The black walls were lined with drab artwork. Puppy couldn't help but muse at the dreary paintings of skeletons and people being gutted. She didn't know why she found it weirdly comforting, but there was something soothing about the owner's choice in art. Panning the room she admired the dark decor. The black walls that felt like she was sitting in a black hole. The dark wood that seemed pristine as much as creepy. The king size bed covered in black sheets and blanket. The dark wood night stands with a glass of water and green potion.
Puppy didn't need to debate long about taking the potion. She already felt like death regurgitated. So, she figured she might as well take her chances. Downing the potion the thought that the drink could be poison flashed through her head. She quietly giggled before turning towards the door on the far side of the room. Tip toeing over to it she slowly opened the door and giving a quick look she exited the room.
A very sparsely furnished living room greeted her. It contained a simple wooden chair, a side table, and a glow stone lamp. In front of the chair was a fireplace that Puppy noticed didn't get much use. To her left was a doorway leading to the kitchen and too the right was a small hallway with three doors. One on each side and one more at the end of the hall. Walking into the living room she saw stairs leading down. Walking over to them she noted that in books or scary stories they describe the place being old and creaky, but this wasn't either of them. This place just looked to be owned by a minimalist. Walking down the stairs she expected this to be where the scary stuff was hidden, or at least some reason to be unnerved. She found exactly that. As she descended the stairs she could see beakers filled with different colored liquids. Papers scattered all over the room, and what were obviously corpses on several tables.
"What the fuck!!!" Puppy squealed
She tried to turn and run, but her foot slipped and she tumbled down to the bottom. Holding her head she tried to fight through the pain, but in the fall she twisted her ankle. Still, the thought of whoever brought them here hurting Owl terrified her. She didn't care what happened to her, but Owl was family. They'd known each other since they were five. For fifteen years they've toiled together from begging on the streets, to being sold into slavery. They faced everything together, and she wasn't going to let some sicko take that from her. She scratched and clawed her way to the first step. She was so hyper focused on saving Owl she didn't hear Otter walk up behind her.
"Um… are you ok, miss?" Otter asked with genuine concern
Puppy turned and looking down on her was a six foot three slender man. He wore black pants, black slippers, a white lab coat under it was a white apron, and a white mask. The scariest part was the gloves though. He had on white gloves covered in blood and something else that was brownish black. His long black hair was pulled back in a messy bun, and his purple eyes looked lifelessly into her soul. She couldn't move or speak, panic rushed through her body at break neck speed. She was certain she was going to die. She braced for death, and she waited and she waited. When she opened her eyes Otter was examining her ankle.
"Hmm, looks to be a simple sprain. I think I have something to wrap it, and I can procure ice. So, with a little rest and some healing potion should only be a two day recovery." Otter muttered to himself
After several minutes he finally noticed that Puppy was looking at him petrified. Removing the band from his right ear the drooped hanging listlessly from his left ear. He cocked his head to the side and gave her his attempt at a smile. He found that that is more terrifying than him just staying straight faced.
"W… who are you? Why did you bring us here? What's going on down here? You're a murderer aren't you? Yeah, that explains it; these are your previous victims, and we're your next ones. Well, I don't consent to you killing us." Puppy yelled trying to give the perception of strength.
Otter raised an eyebrow at her assumption, but gave a slight upward nod before responding. "I'll gladly answer all of your questions, but let's get you back in bed and tend to your ankle first."
He took off his coat and apron revealing a plain black shirt. He lifted Puppy with ease, catching her off guard. She didn't think he'd be capable of doing that with his slender frame. He looked like he was barely able to lift a fork let alone a girl of average weight for a female adventurer. He carried her up the stairs and into his room where Owl was still passed out. He carefully set her down, he left to grab the bandages and a towel he filled with ice somehow. Only restaurants, bars, and the wealthy can afford a refrigeration device. He didn't strike her as being all that wealthy.
After treating her ankle and giving her a blue potion. He took a seat in the chair he'd brought in from the living room.
"So, you had some questions for me? Let's see, if I remember right you asked who I am? Well, my name is Otter, nice to meet you, and I'm a necromancer and a medical researcher. As for why I brought you here, that be your friend's fault. You two got wasted and she called me your two's boyfriend. I didn't want you two getting arrested so I agreed to take you back to my place and let you sleep it off. I promise though I didn't do anything beyond putting you in bed and leaving something for the hangover. Next is downstairs, and I know it's spooky, but I'm doing research that's my laboratory. Lastly, no I'm not a murderer, and I'd appreciate it if you'd make sure your friend understands that as well. Any other questions?" Otter finished
Puppy examined his words, his face, his body language. She looked for any sign of deceit, but she could tell with minimal effort that he wasn't lying. She sat there conflicted on how to respond. She believed him, but she couldn't deny how strange it was for a total stranger to take two drunk girls back to his place.
"Sure, I have another question. Why didn't you take us to an inn or see if we could tell you where we lived?"
Puppy watched the moment Otter realized that was an option. His monotone face slowly sank into an internal conflict of asking oneself why didn't they try that. After a few moments Otter looked back up at Puppy and said.
"It never really crossed my mind. Also, I couldn't ask you since you both passed out almost immediately upon me getting you all. I guess another reason could be I don't know you and thus couldn't trust you'd pay me back for the inn expense. Still, sorry for making this kind of creepy. I can see how a girl might not appreciate waking up in an unfamiliar house."
Puppy had to admit that for a weird guy who plays with dead people. Otter was very conscious of optics. She figured he was one of those socially awkward idiots, but he took into account Owl's lie, the odds of him getting reimbursed, and how we'd feel waking up in a strange location. While there probably was a better way for him to have done this. He should be applauded for his efforts.
"Ok, I believe you, now relax and stop being so rigid." Puppy said with a small grin
Otter's face filled with confusion as he looked around the room. "I've been relaxed this whole time. I'm just not use to talking to people. Especially for this extended of a time." Otter said melancholy
Puppy's face turned beat red. She had figured he was just nervous; they'd think he was a creep, but no that's just this personality. "I'm sorry, I hope you don't think me rude. I miss read you and made a mistake." She finished by bowing her head.
Otter immediately threw up his hands shaking them saying "No No, you're fine, I'm the one who's lack of social skills caused this awkwardness."
Puppy couldn't contain it any longer. She erupted in laughter so loud Otter tried to get her to calm down so as not to wake her friend.
After getting Puppy to cool it, Otter finally asked "So, you two are adventurers, correct?"
"Yeah, we're known as The Golden Harpies, and at least for now we are the highest ranked all female party in the country if not the world." Puppy said with pride
"For now? What's that supposed to mean?"
Puppy's face darkened "Well, we used to be a party of five A-Ranked adventurers, but three of them left recently and we've had some trouble replacing them. Not a lot of females strong enough or crazy enough to join a party that actively takes on A to S ranked jobs. Apparently, fighting dragons, giants, and armies of other top tier monsters is too much to ask of a girl… I get it, I truly do, but for me this party is everything. It… saved me…" Puppy trailed off
Otter sat there unsure what to say. After several long excruciating moments he finally cleared his throat. "Hmm, I wonder if the guild keeps adventurers on record even if its been a year or two since they took a job?"
Puppy looked at him quizzically "Hang on are you a registered adventurer? If so, then I'd say your license probably expired and your record went dormant. All you'd have to do is reapply and pay a reactivating fee."
Otter took a beat to process before responding "Yeah, for five years I was a part of a party, but about two years ago the party ended. When that ended I tried the whole solo thing, but that wasn't as fun and I almost died on like half the missions. After that I decided that I'd never do another solo job again, and since people find me to be creepy. I basically quit adventuring, I still go on adventures to gather resources and do research. Still, it's a far cry from my time as a full time adventurer."
Puppy thought to herself how sad it was that his party disbanded, but she understood the feeling. If her and Owl didn't do something soon they'd be in the same boat.
That's when an idea flashed in her head. "Hey, you should join our party. It would be just the three of us, but I promise it will be less boring than going solo."
Otter could tell from the smile she was being genuine, and he couldn't lie. The offer was enticing, but he couldn't help but feel that Owl should be part of the discussion.
"While I appreciate the offer… I feel that your friend there should be a part of this conversation. So, let's put a pin in it till she's awake."
Otter got up and with a nod left the room to return to his research. This only made Puppy want him to join even more. She couldn't tell why, but she could tell he was different. He wasn't like the men they'd known.
An hour passed before groaning and moaning could be heard from Puppy's bed mate. Owl slowly raised her head, her thick brown hair laid heavy on her face. After brushing the shoulder length hair away. She took a moment to assess her surroundings. After doing a scan of the dark room. Blinking twice and doing another scan, she felt panic creep into the pit of her stomach. Puppy realizing Owl was having the same reaction, but handling it way worse quickly tapped Owl on the shoulder.
"AH! Who the fuck are y… oh, Puppy glad you're here. I was worried something had happened to you." Puppy doubted that was the case, but decided to roll with it. "So, where are we?" Owl finished
"According to the master of the house, our boyfriend's place." Puppy mused
Owl sat there confused about what Puppy was talking about. Neither of them had a boyfriend and she was pretty sure they weren't sharing a secret one. She stared at Puppy for several moments before asking
"SO, this boyfriend of ours, where is he?"
Puppy sat with this for a moment trying to decide if she should tell her the truth or let her stumble down stairs and get spooked like she did. While she made it seem like a tough choice this ultimately was an easy choice. Obviously, she was going to spook Owl.
"He's downstairs I think. You should go down there and say thanks for saving us from being arrested."
Puppy knew this was kind of mean, but she also remembers screaming at the top of her lungs and Owl just sleeping through it. Plus, after talking with Otter for a bit she knows he won't hurt her.
"Hey, before you go down there though I'd recommend taking that green potion and drinking some water. Trust me it really helps kill the hangover. Owl looked to her bedside, seeing the green liquid and glass of water. She graciously drank both down, waited a minute for the potion to kick in and then got up to meet this mysterious master.
Heading out of the room she took in the spare furnishings, the kitchen to her left and hallway of rooms to her right. She made her way to the stairs leading down to the lab. Just as she got to the top step she could faintly hear what sounded like someone moaning in anguish. She quickly sprinted down the stairs to see a zombie wearing tattered rags trying to choke out a young man.
"AHHHH!!!!" The zombie roared
"Get fucked, you undead cock sucker." Otter said grunting
Owl wasn't sure what she was looking at. "Um, do you need help?"
"Huh? Oh, hi… you must be… ugh… Puppy's friend. Nice… ugh… to meet you." Kicking the zombie off Otter grabbed a hammer off his desk and bashed the zombie's brains in repeatedly till it finally stopped moving.
Taking a minute to catch his breath he said brushing his long black hair out of his face. "Sorry about that, one of my experiments got a bit out of hand. So, you feeling ok? Hope the potion and water helped."
Owl was still reeling from the zombie thing to really respond. After Otter waved his hand in her face she snapped back. "Huh, oh sorry about that. I didn't expect to see… well. I'm not sure what I expected to see, but that definitely wasn't it."
"Didn't Puppy tell you what I do for a living?" Otter asked quizzically
"No, she seems to have forgotten to mention it." Owl said, grinding her teeth in rage.
Before Otter could ask her anything else Owl bolted up the stairs. Next thing Otter knew he could hear Owl yelling at Puppy for the prank, and Puppy saying she deserved it for sleeping through her traumatic experience with Otter's creepy lab. Otter couldn't help but feel a bit offended at the insult to his lab. He took great pride in the research and lab he used to perform said research.
Otter headed up to the living area, and didn't get but a few steps off the stairs before Owl remembered her hate for men.
"Also, what are you, a pervert? Who takes two smoking hot babes back to their house when the babes are too drunk or even conscious to have a say?"
Otter looked lost for words, and his response only exacerbated the situation. "Well, someone thinks highly of themselves. Look, you were the one who asked me to help you. I'd have taken you to an inn, but judging by your clothes I'm guessing you're probably not good for it."
Owl had on a stained white shirt and non pre ripped red pants. Her red canvas shoes looked worn and faded. Puppy on the other hand wore a black blouse, and dirty white pants. Though Otter was sure they were clean when the night started. Her black knee high boots left a very strong and Otter even had to admit, a sexy message.
Owl wasn't going to take that comment lying down. "First, this is my drinking outfit so I don't ruin my nice clothes." Otter had to admit that was smart. He'd ruin many outfits due to over indulgence. "Second, dressing like this keeps all the creeps away. If you look disgusting they won't want to hit on you. I keep trying to get Puppy to See that, but she won't listen, and she gets hit on all the time." Otter felt there might be a few flaws in the logic, but overall could understand her line of thinking.
"My bad Owl, I just assumed you were a slob, but I stand corrected. You have put some serious thought into this, and it was rude of me to step on that. I'm truly sorry." Otter said bowing
Owl wasn't expecting that response. She stood there dumbstruck, and wanted to keep going off on him. However, his placating took all the steam away from her. Puppy though never one to miss a moment to have some fun jumped in.
"I mean Otter you're not wrong. She is a slob, you should see our apartment. Half the time we have to leave out the window since the door is blocked by her clothes." Puppy could barely finish before laughing uncontrollably.
Owl had turned around to yell at Puppy. When behind Owl, Otter started laughing. It wasn't a side splitting laugh, but still a solid laugh. While neither girl knew him too well they could tell he wasn't the type to laugh much. He seemed like the type for a smile to be his form of laughter.
Otter stopped when he noticed they were staring at him. "What's wrong? Is there something on my face? Or did I do something wrong?"
"YOU CAN LAUGH!!!" Both girls screamed in shock
Taken aback by their comment Otter said "Of course I can laugh. I may be bad with social interaction. I'm still human, and do have human emotions. Also, isn't it a bit early for you all to be surprised to learn something new about me? We've known each other for barely enough time to brew coffee."
Puppy laughed at Otter"s protest, while raising her hands in surrender. Owl just crossed her arms and puffing out her lower lip turned her head mumbling.
"Sorry, I guess we did kind of prejudge you. You just seemed like the stoic type. So, to hear you actually have an emotion beyond indifference caught us off guard." Puppy explained
Owl still chose to pout, but Otter could clearly hear her also apologize.
Otter wasn't mad though, actually, he couldn't remember the last time he'd had this much fun. He wondered if traveling with them would also be this much fun?
"So, now that Owl has finally decided to grace us with her presence. We should continue our earlier discussion." Puppy said
Owl looked confused looking at both people for an explanation. Realizing that Puppy wasn't going to elaborate, Otter decided he'd fill her in.
"Puppy told me about your predicament, and has invited me to join your guy's party. I told her we should wait till you were awake and that brings us to now."
Owl seemed genuinely hurt for some reason. The pained look and eyes of someone who's been betrayed. She seemed utterly devastated.
"Puppy, how could you invite a man into our party? I know I said I'd hear them out, but…" Puppy put a hand up stopping Owl mid sentence.
"I told you back at the bar. I'm not letting your selfishness kill my only home. Look, just talk with him and you'll see he's not like them. He's a good guy, and someone I think will be a real asset in making our dream a reality."
"Dream? What's your dream?" Otter asked
Owl turned with all the fire and indignation she could muster. "Don't you fucking mind what our dream is. You may have Puppy fooled, but that's only because she's an idiot. I know your type. You just want to be a white knight so we'll fawn over you and once you've had your way you'll leave. Probably start some rumor that makes us out to be whores."
Otter stood there with his head cocked to the side. He stood there for a beat then said dryly "That's dumb, I hate white knights. Also, if you think I'm smooth enough to pull that off. Then I'd like to thank you for way overestimating my talents. I'd be lucky if I could get one of you to do more than tolerate me. My social skills are nonexistent, I'm not exactly the strongest, and even if I just stand still my dead eyes and dark aura will creep people out. Still, if you'd rather not tell me your dream then I won't pry."
Owl was unsure how to respond. Puppy however found his speech to be quite convincing.
"Our dream is to be S-Ranked. We want to be so strong no one can ever put us in chains again."
Otter slowly nodded his head digesting the dream, but even more the implications behind the dream. After chewing on their dream for a second he responded.
"That's some heavy stuff…" Otter was cut off before he could finish his thought by Owl.
"Now watch Puppy, this is where he's either going to laugh at or pretend to want to help."
"Sorry to disappoint you Owl, but I can't help the Golden Harpies."
This time neither Puppy or Owl knew how to react. Owl was having her preconceived notions of men rocked at every turn. While Puppy wasn't understanding why Otter couldn't help them.
"If you don't mind my asking. Why can't you help us?" Puppy asked
Otter held up one finger and turned and went down to his lab. The girls stood there for quite a bit of time in silence waiting for them. Puppy took a seat in the chair while Owl paced back and forth getting more agitated with every passing minute that passed. After about ten minutes they heard Otter coming back up the stairs.
As soon as Otter reappeared Owl laid into him. "Where the fuck have you been? Do you think we want to spend our whole day waiting for you to jerk yourself off?"
Puppy snickered at the comment. She tried to hold it back, but she couldn't help it.
"First, I want it on record, I wasn't doing that. I'm out of lotion, and I'd rather not chance chafing myself. Second, I was packing my bags. I'm not pretending when I say I have a dream of my own. Mine also requires S-Rank, and so I figured we can help each other out. However, I can't do it as a member of the Golden Harpies. That party is an all female party, and I'm not going to allow you to change that. However, I think we should create a new party."
The girls sat on Otter's proposal for several minutes. They weren't looking at each other just contemplating the validity of Otter's idea. Puppy was the first to respond, and her question showed exactly how she felt.
"So, this new party, you got a name in mind?"
Otter shook his head no, but added "I have a few I've been work shopping, but nothing I'd want to share yet."
Owl finally spoke after a while. "Who the hell do you think you are? Over the past 5 years we have worked our asses off to make this party what it's become. Now, you want to come in, scrap it and create something new? I have a better idea, why don't we scrap you, and find us a strong female?"
Otter was expecting Owl to raise this objection. So, he was quick with his answer. "Simple, if that female existed you'd already have found them. You guys are pretty well known, and if there were females who wanted to join they'd have been knocking down your doors to do so. Yet, you guys are on the verge of losing your party and all your hard work."
Owl was taken aback and looked to Puppy for support, but Puppy was on Otter's side.
"Sorry babe, but I got to agree with Otter. No female wants to put themselves in mortal peril day in and day out. Only men are dumb enough to do this kind of stuff. Now, before you bite my head off. I know and so does Otter that there are women at A and S Ranked parties. The difference is they often tend to be rear guard healers or support casters. Most mobs ignore them in favor of the combat mages whose majority tend to be male. I don't have the exact numbers, but…" Otter interrupted at this point
"Ninety-eight percent of men fall under the combat designation, and only two percent are female. That's at A-Rank, and there are zero in S-Rank."
Puppy stood there both impressed and confused by his knowledge on this specific topic. Still, she turned back to Owl and gave her a please be reasonable look. Owl ignored the look, and decided to grasp at straws.
"Otter said there were two percent, and we don't necessarily need another combatant. We can just add a healer and supporter. See? Problem solved."
Puppy just shook her head in disappointment. "Don't you get it Owl, he's a medical researcher, and a necromancer. He can provide offensive, defensive, and healing. On top of that he's willing to put up with our psycho asses. The one girl we met who was willing to join us got scared off by your intense attitude."
Owl shot a dirty look at Puppy, who just shrugged it off. Owl still trying to fight the obvious solution, threw one last Hail Mary.
"Ok, I'll grant you that he's capable, but he doesn't help us in terms of support magic. Can he even cause buffs and debuffs?"
Puppy was about to talk about how that doesn't matter since he fits three of the four metrics. However, before she could say anything Otter's voice softly said.
"Yeah, I can do debuffs, but not buffs. Necromancer's can't learn buffs, but as for debuffs, we can use almost all types."
Owl's face said it all. She was stumped, she couldn't justify any other reasons to say no. Puppy was in awe of Otter's abilities. She wondered if there was truly anything he couldn't do.
Owl still not happy about it, asked "Then what's our new party name? Otter since you're the one forcing this change you have to come up with it."
Puppy wanted to protest, but she knew this was as close to a compromise as they'd get. So, she looked at Otter who looked deep in thought and hoped he could come up with something.
"How about the Necromancer's Harpies?" Otter offered after several moments
Owl was the first to speak "Doesn't it kind of sound like we're your subordinates?"
"I mean maybe a little, but in the end we are still the harpies and he is a necromancer. So, while it's a bit on the nose, it tells everyone exactly who and what we are. I like it, I think we should go with it." Puppy said smiling
Owl pouted for a minute before finally sighing and loudly exclaiming "Fuck it! We're the Necromancer's Harpies then!"
Even Otter couldn't help but smile. It was now official, he was an adventurer again, and he'd make sure things would be different this time