Chapter 246: Committed

“So, uh, I leveled up.”

Dys blinked, hands going still as her tired brain caught up with what Kerr had just said. She was sitting off to one side, away from most everyone else in the camp. While not structurally damaged, her armor, along with Jay and Syd’s, had been doused in foul-smelling blood and gore from the fight earlier in the day. She had picked a somewhat secluded spot to focus on cleaning the gunk out of the three sets of armor since no one wanted to be around the rancid stench. After the day’s events, she also just wanted to do something that would let at least a piece of her mind lose itself in the blankness of repetitive action. She was making progress, though she had a feeling the smell was going to linger for days, or at least until they could find a better source of water than the barely trickling creek they’d decided to set up camp by a few miles away from the scene of the battle.

Her mind had gone somewhat unfocused while she labored at the repetitive and distasteful task, so Kerr’s quiet announcement took time to register. Once it did, though, a bright grin spread across Dys’ face.

“You did? Really?” Dys asked, the excitement welling up in her chest overriding her exhaustion. “You mean you’re level sixty now?”

“Sixty-two, actually,” Kerr replied, her lips twitching in a lopsided smile. “Both my primary and my secondary classes went up a level, plus with the tertiary class starting at level one—”

“Tertiary class!” Dys practically squealed in a tone she rarely took. “You did it! Congratulations Kerr!”

As she spoke, Dys pushed the armor off of her lap and pulled Kerr in for a powerful hug. She embraced her lover eagerly, thrilled that she’d managed to finally reach such a landmark achievement. Not many people on Oros reached level sixty and unlocked their tertiary class. It was a feat made more possible during demonic invasions since there were bonus experience points to be gained from slaying the demons, but the commensurate level of danger that came with fighting such monstrosities meant reaching level sixty was still a harrowing prospect for most.

But Kerr had done it. She had crested level sixty and unlocked her third class. Jadis couldn’t wait to hear what it was.

“So? Spill the beans already! What did you get?” Dys asked enthusiastically, pulling back from her hug just enough so that she could meet Kerr’s green eyes. “It’s got to be influenced by me, right?”

“Yeah, it is,” Kerr tilted her head, though her smile faltered a bit. “It’s really, really good, too.”

“…Then why don’t you seem all that happy about it?”

In that moment, Kerr looked uncomfortable to Jadis. She was fidgeting, nervous. Not at all her usual confident and laid-back self. Her unusual attitude was making Jadis nervous as well. Seeing the obvious anxiety that her girlfriend was experiencing, Jadis acted immediately to reassure and comfort her. Without even thinking she leaned in and gave Kerr a soft kiss on her lips before putting her forehead against hers. Looking deep into her eyes, she hugged Kerr tighter, her hands rubbing her back.

“Hey, what is it? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Kerr said unconvincingly. “I mean, it’s just that—fuck. I feel like this is all about to get pretty damned tangled.”

“Why?” Dys asked, a small frown tugging on her lips. “Go ahead and take your time and explain. Whatever’s got you in knots, we’ll work it out together.”

Kerr smiled, a genuine, loving smile. One of her hands came up to stroke Dys’ cheek, a heartfelt tenderness evident in the touch.

“Yeah, I know. Once you commit to something, you’re all in, including relationships. It’s one of the reasons I love you.”

The L word made Jadis’ hearts flutter a bit. They’d only recently solidified their relationship, so hearing Kerr say she loved her still made Jadis’ spine tingle in a mix of excitement, pleasure, and nerves. She felt like she wasn’t hearing it from either Kerr or Aila often enough, though she wasn’t sure there was any amount that would be “enough” when it came to her lovers.

“I love you too,” Dys said before giving Kerr another kiss, this one lingering for a longer moment. “Now, tell me.”

Kerr smiled, her cow-like ears twitching. She leaned back, pulling her face away from Dys to look around them. While their spot was separated from the rest of the camp, there were several people within what Jadis would consider potential hearing range, at least for normal conversation levels. Most of the solders were either setting up their tents or resting by the bonfire. Bridget was handling the cooking duties while Eir was meditating nearby to regenerate her magic reserves. The priestess had used up almost her entire magic pool keeping everyone alive during the attack, most of the healing going towards the soldiers and Thea.

Thea’s armor had been badly damaged by taking a head-on strike from the Wailing Grudge, so Sabina was working on repairing it. Thea herself was taking a well-deserved rest, curled up under Syd’s arm where she too rested in the tent after a long and trying day. Jay, Aila, and Willa were patrolling together around the campsite, acting as early evening guards while they discussed the pros and cons of continuing further west after such an intense encounter. So far, they were leaning towards continuing, though they all had much stronger reservations than before.

Kerr must have decided that their conversation would be private enough as she leaned back in close, pressing her head against Dys’ before speaking in a soft whisper.

“I was offered an upgraded version of my Nox Archer class, a variant archer class that specializes in slaying demons, and one that was absolutely influenced by you. That fucker D probably had something to do with it, I’m sure, but yeah. Very much a Jadis-touched class. Before I say more, I’ll be upfront with you. Already took it. I just—I want you to know that I’m committed. Fully committed. Okay?”

“Okay,” Dys answered quietly, easily sensing the seriousness with which Kerr was intending her words.

“Alright,” Kerr let out a puff of air. “So. It’s called Bonded Slut Sniper.”

“What?” Dys squinted one eye, giving Kerr a suspicious look. “Are you messing with me right now?”

“No, I’m not. When do I ever mess around when things are serious?”

Jadis wasn’t going to touch that with a ten-foot lance.

“Bonded Slut Sniper sounds like you go around, I don’t know, sniping sluts.”

“I know, right?” Kerr scoffed. “I think the meaning is actually supposed to be that I’m the slut. Which is, of course, ridiculous.”

“Of course,” Jadis kept a completely straight face.

“Anyway,” Kerr shook her head, gently rubbing against Dys’ forehead. “It’s not the slut part that has me wound up. I’m into sex and I know it, I don’t really care that I have a class announcing it. I do the same thing myself, frequently, for Valtar’s sake. The thing is, the bonded part. Bonded. Vincolata. Do you get me?”

“I think I’m starting to,” Dys said slowly.

“Okay, so, here’s the class description.”

“That, uh, that’s…”

“Yeah,” Kerr nodded, her voice quiet and pensive. “Committed. Are you, you know, okay with that, still?”

Dys looked at Kerr, seeing the worry on her face, the anxiousness in her movements, the tenseness of her muscles. At first, she’d thought that Kerr was nervous about Jadis’ reaction to her class being less than optimal or something silly like that. Instead she realized that Kerr’s true worry came from how utterly dependent the class was on her. Bonded was no light description. Kerr had made the choice to fully commit to her relationship with Jadis by picking the class. There was a real possibility that if they ever separated, the skills and abilities she gained from the class would be severely hampered. Yet Kerr had chosen the class anyway.

“Kerr,” Dys spoke slowly, her voice low and intense. “I love you. I love you just as much as I love Aila. You are my girlfriend and my lover and my partner. I swear on my soul, I am just as committed to you as you are to me.”

Kerr let out a small, hiccupping breath, a grin spreading across her lips. Her arms squeezed tightly around Dys as she rubbed her nose against Dys’.

“Thanks. I guess I just… I needed to hear it. I took the class right away because I want to be with you, but then I kind of second-guessed myself and—fuck it. I’m starting to ramble like Sabina. You get what I mean.”

“Yeah, I do,” Dys assured her, hugging her therion lover a little closer.

“Yeah, I know you do,” Kerr let out a brief chuckle. “But, uh, that does bring up another issue. I mean, I don’t know how big of a problem it actually is, but I still feel like we should talk about it. Gods, that makes me sound like such a responsible, boring mud butt. For real though, we need a group meeting.”

“About?” Dys asked, one eyebrow raised.

“Well, you know, this is a bonded class. Actually, now that I think about it, you probably don’t know, do you? Shit. Okay, so, bonded classes aren’t something that happen a lot.”

“I can imagine,” Dys murmured.

“It’s a major sign of commitment from one person to another. Huge. Most married people don’t get bonded classes, you know. I just got one for you, which is great! I’m not complaining. Not even a little! But, uh, I got a bonded class. Me. Before Aila.”

Oh. There Jadis could see where Kerr’s worries stemmed from.

“Well, it’s not like it’s your fault,” Dys said after a short pause. “I mean, you were on the cusp of reaching level sixty when we met, anyway. You naturally got the opportunity before Aila. She’s still got a long way to go before she gets to her tertiary class. Aila will understand that. Besides, at the rate we’re leveling, she won’t have that long to wait for her own.”

“So you think she’ll get offered a bonded class, too?” Kerr asked, one of her own eyebrows raised. “That confident, huh?”

“Yes,” Dys said with absolute conviction. “I know Aila loves me as much as I love her. And since I love you both equally as much, I’d say the transitive property applies. If you got a bonded class, there’s no doubt Aila would be offered one once she gets the opportunity.”

“That’s some kind of logic,” Kerr smirked. “I can’t really argue with it. Or really, I don’t want to. I just hope she’s not angry with me over this. She’s the boss in this relationship, you know. Definitely First Wife material. I don’t want her to think I’m trying to horn in on her position.”

Jadis’ heart skipped a beat at the mention of First Wife, but she chose to dance around that particular prospect for the time being. There was a time and place for everything, and this wasn’t the place for marriage discussions.

“Hey, I’m pretty sure I wear the pants in this relationship,” Dys said instead, a bit of mock outrage in her voice.

“Sure you do,” Kerr nodded sagely. “That’s why Aila is in charge.”

“Whatever,” Dys rolled her eyes. “Anyway, I think you’re right. I’ll let Aila know that the three of us need to have a talk about your new class sooner rather than later. Maybe tonight once everyone has settled down.”

“Good,” Kerr nodded. “Now, with that settled, I’d appreciate it if you let go of me. You stink like demon ass and it’s getting really hard to not gag right now.”

Dys laughed, holding Kerr tightly as she ran her fingers over her sides in a tickling attack.

“Bullshit! We both know you don’t have a gag reflex.”

“We can double check that later,” Kerr said between sporadic laughter. “Seriously, though, you need a bath!”

Dys released Kerr from her grip, a glowing warmth filling her chest. The day had been dreadful, worse than many others in a lot of ways, yet the news Kerr had brought her made her forget all about the terrible greater demon and the horrific fight against it. The love she felt for Kerr, coupled with the sure knowledge of her reciprocation was better than any hot bath for soothing her soul. Though she had to agree with her archer. She needed at least a cold bath for the sake of all their noses. Syd smelled even worse than Dys and the fact that Thea was somehow managing to sleep right next to her was a sign of just how tired the woman was.

“Some good news, then.” Dys announced as she picked up the armor piece she’d set down earlier. “Jay, Aila, and Willa just traced the creek to a small pond further downstream. We can get cleaned up there.”

“Great,” Kerr grinned. “I better get over there first before any of you do and contaminate the water.”

“Wait, hold on,” Dys held up a hand to forestall Kerr’s escape. “You told me the class, but you never told me the main skill you got for it. Also, what about what you got from your other classes?”

Kerr’s grin turned wicked as her green eyes shone in the evening light.

“Eh, I’ll tell you when we all discuss our levels. I know for a fact I wasn’t the only one to level up today.”

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