The inn felt smaller every day, the smell of mold and the 30-coin debt choking me. Melina's song about "the dungeon strippers" was already being sung by children in the streets of Vaelor, and I just wanted to pay Torin and stop being the butt of every joke. Worse, my head was a mess. Liriel, Elara, and Vespera were walking disasters, but those moments in the dungeon—Elara falling into my arms, Vespera with her teasing smile, Liriel with that jealous glare—got to me. I wanted a normal love life, but with them around, that seemed about as likely as defeating the Demon King with a spoon. I shook my head and headed to the guild.
On the mission board, I found one that looked promising: "Protect the Vaelor marketplace during an auction of rare items. Reward: 100 silver coins." Perfect. Guard stalls, keep thieves away, earn money. And a crowded market might even be a chance to meet someone—if I could keep the group in line. I went back to the inn and dragged the three along. Liriel huffed. "A marketplace? How unworthy of a goddess!" Elara clutched her staff. "I'll stick to simple spells, I promise." Vespera adjusted her bow, grinning. "I love crowds. So much excitement!" I tried to be clear: "No crazy magic, no stray arrows, no succubus charm. Just guard the auction." They nodded, but their looks said I was dreaming.
The Vaelor marketplace was organized chaos—stalls of fruit, weapons, and glowing potions. The crowd buzzed, the smell of fresh bread mixing with incense. A merchant named Rylan greeted us, a thin man with a too-clever smile. "The dungeon strippers, huh? Careful not to strip my clients," he joked. My face burned. He already knew the rumors and looked like the type who profited off gossip. He explained the mission: protect the rare item auction, make sure thieves didn't cause trouble. "There's a weird amulet up for auction. They say it might be tied to the Demon King's general," he added before heading back to the stalls. I noticed Liriel posing with her wine cup, Elara fixing her hair, and Vespera shooting me a look that made me swallow hard. They were all trying to catch my attention, and I couldn't tell if that was good or terrible.
The auction began on a makeshift stage, items glittering under torchlight. Elara wanted to prove herself. "A magic barrier to protect the stage!" she declared. The shield shone for a moment before her mana ran out, collapsing the barrier and dropping a curtain on the auctioneer. The crowd laughed, and Elara, pale, muttered, "Sorry..." Vespera spotted a suspicious guy in the crowd and used her succubus charm. "Come here, little thief!" It worked—but also attracted half the customers, who started fighting over her. She grabbed her bow and fired—only for the arrow to hit a fruit stall, sending a landslide of apples crashing down. "What a delicious mess!" she laughed as an angry customer chased her.
"Liriel, do something!" I yelled. She raised her cup. "Divine magic to purify this chaos!" A glowing amulet on the stage lit up, releasing a blast of light that drenched the crowd—and us—in shimmering goo that left everyone sticky and half-transparent. Again. I tried to save the amulet, rushing to the stage, but slipped on an apple and crashed into Rylan, who shouted, "Hey, no flirting at my auction!" The crowd roared with laughter, thinking I'd done it on purpose. "It's not what it looks like!" I protested, but no one listened.
In the chaos, Elara tried to help me up, so close I felt the warmth of her face. "You always get into trouble, but... you're kind of reliable," she murmured, blushing, before fainting from exhaustion. Vespera, bouncing over the apples, landed right on top of me, laughing. "I love seeing you like this, all tangled up." Her look left me breathless, but a customer shouted: "The strippers are attacking the market!" Liriel, annoyed, tried another spell, but only made it worse: the goo turned into a sticky net, gluing the four of us together. I ended up stuck to them, with Elara groaning, Vespera laughing, and Liriel scowling. "Mortals and their silly crushes," she muttered, though I caught a jealous spark in her eyes. I tried to break free, but every move only made the situation more awkward, while the crowd pointed and laughed.
Rylan, furious, ended the auction early. We caught the thief, but the fruit stall was destroyed. We got 70 coins from the guild, but they deducted 10 for damages, leaving the debt with Torin at 20 coins. Back at the inn, I sat exhausted while Elara and Vespera argued over who "saved" the auction. "My barrier helped!" Elara insisted. "And my charm distracted the thief!" Vespera retorted. Liriel, sipping her wine, rolled her eyes. "You're both pathetic. I did everything."
Rylan showed up, handing over the damaged amulet. "Keep it. They say it's cursed, maybe tied to the Demon King's general. He's getting closer to Vaelor—watch out." He left, laughing, while Melina's new song now mocked the "market strippers." I stared at the amulet, confused. Those moments with Elara, Vespera, even Liriel stirred something in me, but every flirt turned into disaster. And now this Demon King's general? My head spun. How was I supposed to handle all this—and still dream of a normal life?