I Stopped Simping and the Heroines Lost Their Minds

Arthur woke earlier than usual.

Arthur’s clothes were scattered across the foot of the bed, and the wrapped piece of black crust from beneath the cistern sat on the small table.

He checked the cloth around the sample and put it into his inventory, followed by Whisperwind, the Necrotic Dagger, and the rest of the gear he wouldn’t need on the trip back.

Arthur changed into clean clothes before gathering the few things he wanted to keep on hand for the journey. The fading bite marks around his collarbone were still visible while he pulled on his shirt.

He caught sight of them in the mirror, smiled, and finished dressing.

Something heavy scratched against the bottom of the door.

Arthur opened it and found Hati stretched across most of the hallway.

The wolf lifted his head.

"No."

Arthur stepped around him and headed downstairs.

Hati got up and followed, his paws thumping against the timber steps behind him.

Apparently the bastard had decided he was going wherever Arthur was going.

The lodge was already busy. Arthur grabbed a plate from the kitchen and sat across from Derren.

"You’re heading back today, right?" Derren asked.

"Yeah."

Derren looked down at his breakfast. "Great. Now I need someone else stupid enough to follow me into cursed holes."

Arthur kept eating. "You could also stop going into cursed holes."

That somehow turned into an argument about what guilds should pay when the job description included the possibility of being poisoned.

Rhea came through the doors while Arthur and Derren were still arguing about guild pay. Dust clung to her boots from the morning patrol.

She propped her spear against the wall, took Arthur’s cup, drank from it, and dropped into the chair beside him.

Her thigh settled against his beneath the table. Arthur put a hand around her waist when she reached across him for the salt.

Rhea stole a piece of meat from his plate.

"You remember what you said last night?"

Arthur kept eating. "I remember."

Rhea took another piece from his plate and stayed beside him while Derren continued complaining about guild merchants.

A heavy, wet nose shoved its way under Arthur’s arm.

Arthur moved his plate sideways. "Stop."

Hati circled around the bench, shoving his snout over Derren’s shoulder instead. Derren sighed, broke off a piece of bread, and offered it to the wolf.

"You’re making the problem worse," Arthur told him.

Derren gave Hati the food anyway. "He looks hungry."

Rhea laughed when Hati shoved his nose against Arthur’s ear again.

Arthur finally threw the wolf a piece of sausage. Hati caught it and moved away to eat.

Arthur finished eating and wandered through the market before leaving.

A few men were repairing the roof of a storage shed on the eastern side. Two merchants were already arguing over the price of dried fruit, while a group of children followed a tired-looking hunter around the well asking him questions he clearly regretted answering.

Arthur stopped at one stall for something to eat on the way back. Hati immediately sat beside him and stared at the merchant’s hands.

The man took one look at the enormous wolf and added two extra strips of meat to Arthur’s order.

Arthur looked at the food, then at Hati.

"You’ve become a fucking criminal."

Arthur found Mara outside the clinic, sorting through a wooden crate of bandages.

"Heading back today," Arthur told her.

Mara pulled a stack of clean linen from the box. "The marks on Hati’s neck are fading. The hunters are eating again, and I haven’t seen anyone else getting sick since Garr closed the pump."

"Good."

Mara shoved the linen back into the crate and nodded toward the other end. Arthur took it, and they carried the box inside together.

When Arthur turned back, Mara caught his shirt and kissed him.

Arthur pulled her closer, his hand sliding from her waist to her ass for a familiar squeeze.

Mara slapped his hand away, finished the kiss, and fixed the collar he’d pulled crooked.

"Come back when we’re not treating half the village."

Arthur glanced outside at Hati waiting on the path. "Might be a while."

Mara laughed and went back to the bandages.

Rhea came up to the clinic with Hati and kissed Arthur before crouching beside the wolf.

Mara came over with a clean cloth and checked the fading marks along Hati’s neck while Arthur stood beside Rhea.

Rhea’s tail brushed Arthur’s hand, and he caught it halfway down.

Mara noticed while straightening from Hati. As she passed, she flicked the end of Rhea’s tail.

Rhea pulled it out of reach. "Mara."

Mara laughed and continued toward the clinic.

Once she was gone, Rhea put her tail back into Arthur’s hand.

He reached the eastern gate area a short while later. Garr was standing near a stack of crates, talking with Halden and two of the surviving prospectors.

Garr saw Arthur approaching and waved him over. "One thing. Was that stone already damaged before Halden’s people got there?"

"Yeah. The seep was already there too. They broke through the wall around it and made the problem worse."

Halden let out a breath and rubbed his face.

Garr had already worked out the rest with them: Halden’s crew would stay for the repairs, and some of the equipment they’d recovered would cover what the flooding had ruined.

Before Arthur left, Halden pulled out his phone and opened the route his crew had taken across the eastern ridge.

"Here. We came in from this side."

Arthur saved the location and slipped his phone back into his pocket. Elena could work with that.

Arthur looked at Garr. "I’m heading out."

Garr gave him a firm, bruising forearm grip. "There will always be guild work in Rauk Hollow if you want it." He stepped back. "Next time, try to come when nothing is actively trying to poison us."

Arthur glanced at Hati. "You still have him."

Garr looked at the massive, corrupted wolf. "Fair point."

Derren and Kara were checking patrol gear near the gatehouse.

Derren tossed a heavy bracer into the crate beside him. "Send me the good guild jobs when you get back."

"The ones with cursed holes?"

"Especially those."

Kara leaned against the timber frame. "Bring Emily next time. I want proof she actually exists."

"You’d get along."

Kara opened her mouth, but someone yelled her name from the armory.

"Later."

She pushed away from the frame and headed inside.

Arthur found Lysa near the supply sheds just outside the main gate. She was checking a manifest of materials that still needed to be moved while the eastern water remained off-limits.

"It’ll be another few days before Mara clears the pump," Lysa told him when he walked up.

"Sounds like things are finally settling down."

Lysa handed him a wrapped packet of food.

Arthur weighed it in one hand. "Everyone here seems to think I can’t feed myself."

Lysa looked past him toward Hati. "The evidence isn’t in your favor."

Arthur put it into his inventory.

"Guess you’re finally getting rid of me."

"Looks that way."

Arthur glanced at her. "You sound disappointed."

Lysa stepped closer and caught the front of his jacket.

Then she kissed him.

Arthur’s surprise disappeared quickly. His hand went around her waist and pulled her closer as he kissed her back.

Lysa pulled away first.

Lysa stepped back and picked up the manifest she’d left on the crate.

"Safe trip."

Then she went back to work.

Arthur stood there for a moment, then smiled and continued toward the gate.

He finally reached the main dirt road leading away from the gates.

Rhea was waiting for him. Hati sat quietly beside her.

Arthur looked at the massive wolf. "You’re staying."

Hati stood up and started walking down the road beside him. Rhea followed.

They followed the forest road west with Hati wandering between them. Rhea had loosened the strap on her spear, and Arthur no longer heard anyone shouting behind them about water, missing hunters, or corrupted animals.

"What can your academy friend actually learn from a piece of rock?" Rhea asked, matching his pace.

"I’m not sure," Arthur admitted. "But if anyone can figure it out, it’s Elena. I’ll send you whatever she finds."

"You’d better."

They walked another mile before Rhea brought up Kara’s comment from earlier. "So, Emily. What is she actually like?"

Arthur thought about it. "She’ll turn almost anything into a competition, steals most of the blanket, and somehow falls asleep halfway through every movie she chooses."

Rhea laughed. "Bring her next time."

Rhea eventually slowed and called Hati back.

The wolf kept walking beside Arthur.

"Hati."

This time he stopped and looked between them.

Arthur crouched beside him and scratched through the fur behind one ear. The black marks along his neck were still visible, though much fainter than before.

"Try not to drink anything black."

Hati answered by licking him across the face.

Arthur recoiled and wiped his cheek with his sleeve. "Every fucking time."

Rhea laughed as Hati finally went back to her.

Once Hati had gone back to her, Rhea caught Arthur by the shirt and kissed him.

Arthur pulled her against him, his hands sliding down to her ass. Rhea bit his lower lip when he squeezed, and when she shifted in his arms he gave her ass a sharp slap.

She broke the kiss and stared at him.

Arthur smiled.

Rhea grabbed his collar and kissed him again.

His other hand found her tail. She caught his wrist near the base, moved his grip farther down, and left his hand there while they stayed pressed together.

When Rhea finally pulled away, Arthur still had one hand around her waist.

"Come back."

"I will."

She kissed him once more and stepped out of his arms.

Arthur squeezed her ass as she turned toward Hati. After she took a few steps, he reached out and smacked it again.

Rhea looked back at him.

Arthur was still smiling.

She shook her head and continued toward Rauk Hollow.

Arthur watched until Rhea and Hati disappeared around the bend, then continued west.

The return trip went faster once Arthur reached the main road. He caught transport for the busier stretch toward Lornfell and spent part of the ride checking everything he’d ignored on his phone over the last few days.

Arthur gave up on the backlog on his phone after a few minutes and shoved it back into his pocket.

The transport eventually pulled into Lornfell.

Arthur stepped off the transport with the rest of the passengers.

After several days in Rauk Hollow, Lornfell took a moment to get used to again.

He adjusted the strap on his pack.

"Home sweet fucking home."

Arthur joined the foot traffic and headed into the city.