A treat for a treat

A little stupefied, Jay had to process what he just learned while cuddling with Allison.

If it was only a single coin per Innkeeper to give away, Mia was holding him quite dear while she was still willing to share him.

Taking the chance to learn more about the coins, Jay raced his thoughts back to the redhead leaning on his shoulder.

"Yes, only a single coin for each, and it doesn't matter how long they live..." A.

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" J.

"I guess I should have explained that first... From every race out there, only one can take part in our secret group. As it applies to all races, some of them are very long-lived, close to immortal." A.

"...So you are the only human Innkeeper where the coin works?" J.

"Hmpf, you sound pretty disappointed!" A.

"N-No, it's just..." J.

"Don't be. I'm just making fun of you... Of course there are other humans." A.

"Umm... but you just said only one of each race..." J.

"I guess we need to get some things straight here. I was not talking about the races, namely Dwarfs, Elves and Humans.... and may be the Gnomes. The races I was talking about are all the ones that live on this continent, or even the world.

But most importantly, it's the sub races that count." A.

"Sub-races?" J.

"W..You don't know? Like the Beastkin, a race that consist of different species like Equidae, Lagomorpha or Canidae.

I for myself am an Arathi, a human sub-race and the one that founded our Arathi Kingdom. It's said we are the most versatile... Other human sub-races for example are the Al'main or the Al'besh, neighboring our kingdom... The other races are all the same!" A.

"So, has every race a Innkeeper in your ranks?" J.

"You're kidding right? No way there's that many... but for the humans I can answer that positively.

Though you might get a little dejected when i tell you that not all of them a women..." A.

"Huh, then how can i steer clean of the ones handled by men? I'm sorry but i don't have any interest in that direction..." J.

"I know that... the coin tells everyone you are straight with the small star-marking and even the patron with the engraved sign. From this Inn it's the rose, while Mia's Lions pride Inn has a lions-head engraved." A.

"So that's how you could tell..." J.

"Yes, and as I already said it, it's the rarest coin, not to say it's unique. You can expect to be welcomed similar to here whenever you meet a female Innkeep.

But don't worry about the male ones, as they will still give you a huge discount and sometimes even lend their spouses and wives." A.

"Wha... that's... how comes my coin is that unique?" J.

"I told you about our succession and generations, right? Now, how many generations do you expect Mia's Inn had? Exactly one!

...and that is the 'immortal healer' called woman herself. And now you got her coin..." A.

To that last statement, Jay got lost in thoughts. Mia really seemed to care for him in more than one way, even going so far as to gift him her coin.

With this she was openly stating to him to gather skills in this kind of way.

Aiming to change the topic as silence filled the room, Jay decided to question Allison further for her knowledge.

The mature beauty happily complied and told Jay about the racial traits, called blessings he had "heard of".

"Every race has a universal, inborn skill that is called trait. Those are said to be blessings gifted to their ancestors by their respective god they worshiped.

Over the millennia, the races diverted, evolved and mutated, some are even said to have turned to other gods than their ancestors...

Through this the sub-races came into existence, and with them their respective blessings. Because they are still of their main race, a part of their original blessing remains.

That should sum up how the racial traits came to exist. a." A.

"Going by that, what about hybrids then?" J.

"Hybrids? Oh, you're talking about halves, right? ...I guess that depends..." A.

"Depends on what?" J.

"On their parents. If they are only from different sub-races, one of them usually passes on more features, as well as the sub-race.

For completely different races, the traits combine and most of the time, result in a very powerful one.

But it is pretty rare and comes with a major downside: As the races are not that compatible for reproduction to begin with, halves are incompatible to other races and have a fertility close to zero..." A.

"Oh... Speaking of reproduction... You mentioned some other Innkeepers being married... it may be a bit late, but... what about you?" J.

"Heh, I guess most of the female Innkeepers aren't, ...and the same applies to me. As for children... it never happened an I never really wished for it." A.

"Then... what did you wish for?" J.

Allison started to blush when he asked her this question. She hid her face in his shoulder and didn't utter a single word.

Only to him repeating his question in a soft voice, stating she didn't had to answer, did the mature woman raise her head.

"I-..it started when I was a new maid in this Inn. The previous Landlady had some ...special guest. I went past her room that night and couldn't help but peek as I heard the voices. The one with her that night was a Orc...

Since that night I sometimes dreamed of trying something similar, but I never had the guts to do it. ...that is, until now. You more than count as something similar in that regard!" A.

"Wha... how comes?" J.

Pointing down to his still more than half erect manhood, Allison chuckled lightly.

Even though Jay hadn't activated his skill, his physiology seemed to sometimes play tricks on him.

"If this doesn't count... Hey, can't you do something about your boner? Hell, how can you be still this active?" A.

"How about you do something about it then?" J.

Jay couldn't help but shrug and smile to her as he answered.

With a slightly reproachful look, Allison still pulled him in and rolled on her back. With a long kiss they started their last round for the night.

Some time later, they finally got some rest while cuddling together and drifting into sleep.

Jay has had the feeling of someone watching them, but that had vanished shortly before he closed his eyes. Without directly sleeping though, he checked up his gains from the last hour.

There had been no more skills to integrate, but Jay could still gain experience points through intercourse, so the efficiency was something he still had to test out.

From completing the quest for the cause of the totems, through what Jay leveled up once again, he already had 3490 / 34450 XP on his count.

After three rounds for him, equaling in four heavy climaxes and a messed up face for Allison, he gained additional 6740 XP.

Deciding to test out sometime later if the level difference had anything to do with it and how exactly the points got counted, Jay went on and checked the three still open notifications.

***

Quest:

'The Cause (8)' cleared!

3900 XP

***

***

Quest:

The Cause (9)

Object:

Catch the totem's distributor.

***

***

Quest:

The way of Magic

Object:

Enroll the Academy of Arcane Arts

***

The first two notification windows had been something Jay already expected, but the last one was something new.

The system seemed to hint him the way he had to go with this.

Deciding it was to late in the day for thinking about future plans, Jay dismissed the notifications and finally went to sleep for real.

.

.

.

Waking up to something clattering, Jay looked to the side, finding the beautiful redhead lying next to him on the bed. She had fetched some breakfast from the kitchen and returned to his side.

Giving her a kiss, Jay inquired how he earned the honor to be served breakfast to bed, and even more by the Landlady herself.

"Well, it thought it's time for me to treat you, after you treated me so thoroughly last night..." A.

After a second being stunned by her comment, Jay and Allison laughed together. The breakfast wasn't any special, what was no wonder as the chef herself had been sleeping next to him.

But it still consisted of tasty bread, cheese, marmalade and honey. Even coffee was included.

Afterwards, Jay and Allison put on their clothes after they washed themselves separately.

Anything else would have resulted in them probably not leaving the room for hours.

Walking down the stairs together, the redhead suddenly turned around in the middle of the stairs.

"...You know... next time you're in Arathor, you won't need to rent a bed. I'll welcome you in my personal room anytime, okay?" A.

Nodding to her, they went down the rest of the stairs. In the lobby they said their goodbyes and while Allison went back to her work, Jay got on his way.

Out of the Inn, he crossed the already busy plaza in the middle of the trade district. It took him some time to pass all the stalls and filled streets, until he reached the canal road.

There he summoned his horse and rode over the bridge towards his targeted district.

Dismissing his mount again not to stand out, Jay walked for quite some distance.

The unsystematic and twisty roads of the old town made it quite hard for him to find his way. The main road aside that connected the two bridges to the trade- and workers-districts, the old town was more of a maze than anything else.

Jay wondered why the royals didn't go as far as rebuilding the whole district.

Back on the main street after searching the southern part of the district and finding nothing but a few jerks and shady people in the back alleys, Jay decided to go north from next to the pig and whistle.

The pretty big building was at least something giving him a point of orientation.

Doing as planned, Jay soon arrived at a small shabby plaza.

A man in rags sat there, begging to the few passerby's for some coins. Analyzing the man and learning he was named Beasley, Jay went over to him.

Throwing him a big copper coin as he approached, Beasley caught it and directly looked up to Jay.

"Thanks a bunch man. Dis Ol Beasley will live some day more with ya help..." B.

"You're welcome. Say, you got any hint where to find some good deals?" J.

"Eh, ya lookin' fer da back alley, huh? ...knock on da blue gate up the road." B.

"Thanks! Here's a little extra..." J.

Throwing him another big copper coin, Jay walked over in the direction Ol' Beasley had pointed him, as he heard the beggar from behind him.

"Woha, be careful 'dere man... only knock once on da wooden door." B.

With this last hint and warning, Jay walked to the north. He was searching for a big, blue, wooden door or gate on the road he was taking.

Even after walking for a while and the road turning to the left, Jay had yet to find the entrance.

Nearing the canals and about to turn around, thinking the stinking beggar had tricked him, Jay saw three men loafing around.

Some steps closer, Jay noticed a really big and wide gate to a backyard where the men were hanging out. It had to be some yard behind the high wall with the gate, as there was no roof atop it. The houses next door all seemed to be deserted.

Closing further in on the thugs, Jay passed them and like Beasley said knocked once at the door.

He did so pretty hard, showing he knew exactly what to do, when one of the thugs started to talk.

"Never seen ya before... care to tell what you want here?" came from the brown haired man closing in on Jay.

He wore a white shirt and black vest, combined with denim-looking pants and gloves, looking almost like some craftsman. The evil grin though revealed his true occupation.

Analyze revealed him as Lenny McCoy, with bouncer as a job. With this, Jay was sure to have arrived at the back alley.

His next words might decide if he would be able to enter or if the last days had been for naught.

"Nah, new to the city and here to spend some coin..." J.

"Oh, then why did you come here, huh? Who told ya?" L.

"Wouldn't know bout it if I were someone to tell that..." J.

"...Then try ta convince me! Ya sure got some money on ya if it's true..." L.

Holding up a silver coin after taking it out of his pants pocket, Jay kept it between thumb and index finger.

With a stretched out hand to receive the coin, Lenny came closer.

The moment he was in reach, Jay flipped the coin in his palm, swung his hand down and slapped in for a handshake with the thug.

All the while holding eye contact, Jay increased the pressure of his hand while grabbing Lenny's.

Latter went a little pale, seeing Jay's not so friendly smile and glint in his eyes while getting his hand squashed.

He had clearly underestimated the youth before him.

"With this we're clear, right?" J.

"Uhhh, y-yes... I'm Lenny "five fingers" McCoy. Welcome to the back alley..." L.

"Care to lead the way?" J.

"Sure thing...You guys stay here, got it?" L.

With this, Jay finally got access to the back alley.

In only three days and for the price of not even two silver, he had accomplished what the thieves didn't manage in who knows how long...

Him being an outside of course played a big role in that, and Jay knew this was about the only reason he had even been tasked with this.

It still bugged him why the thieves guild seemed so incapable.

Entering through the blue gate, Jay regretted his thoughts instantly.

Even only entering the small yard showed that his estimation was wrong in many ways.