A deep, slow water creek was just a few yards to the north, going over a ten-foot high waterfall into a still pool below their campsite. It had a sandy, rocky bottom with crystal clear water. The creek above the falls was perfect for refilling their canteens.
"This is great, Fergus. Well done," Killum said. "What are the chances you can hunt us all some meat for dinner?"
"I'm an elven ranger. If I don't bring home dinner, I'll give Rand my archery rings," he said, and vanished into the forest. "Get the fire ready!"
"I'll go look for some nuts and berries," Asha said.
Tiana jumped forward, shaking her head vigorously. "No. Killum and Rand can go foraging. You and I will stay here and prepare the camp. After all, I'll need you to start the fire with your magic."
Both Asha and Rand objected, but Tiana was adamant. She insisted the men hunt and forage, while the women stayed behind to tend the camp and cook fire. Division of labor, she called it. Killum didn't care, so agreed. Tiana gave each of the men a cloth sack, about the size of a pillowcase. Killum then ushered Rand out of camp, listening to his grumbling about sore feet.
"Everyone has sore feet. Try riding the mule tomorrow." He escorted the dwarf to the top of the hill, and sent him to the south to look for anything edible. "Don't return to camp until you have enough to split five ways."
Killum headed north. He shook his head, looking all around. "There are definitely some aspects of this world I don't like."
He never had to eat and drink in the previous realm. Well, he did, but that was only because it affected his Health. He usually took potions to restore his health. Now he could actually taste the food and drink, as well as feel the intoxicating effects of alcohol. But at that moment, his feet ached, his empty belly rumbled, and he really wanted to stretch out and sleep it all off.
"The Game has become real life," he whispered as he reached the creek. "Damn, I should've sent Rand this way and gone south instead."
Rand would let him hear it too, if he got wet crossing the creek. He smiled, imagining the way he'd rail on about being disrespected just because he's smaller than the others. The battle-mage turned right to head upstream, but stopped when he heard a squeal of feminine delight.
"Asha?" he said.
The sorceress's voice was deep and sexy, and very distinctive. Then Tiana's laughter bubbled up from below. He frowned and headed downstream to see what made them so happy.
Their voices continued in very happy tones as he approached the waterfalls.
The camp was empty when he arrived, but he heard them talking lower down the hill. It only took a moment to locate them below the waterfalls, and next to the pool. Killum's jaw dropped when Tiana came out of cover completely naked. The redheaded thief laughed as she ran toward the pool.
Oh my god, he thought. "Wow."
Tiana's body was amazing. The thief's loose clothes hid a treasure of feminine curves. Her breasts were perky and bouncing as she ran. She hit the water with a splash and squeal.
"It's perfectly cool, Asha!" she called. "Don't be shy."
Killum looked back to the bushes. Asha stepped out onto the bank, still fully dressed. She bit her lip, looked back into the woods, and then back at Tiana. The thief splashed some water at her, which fell short. The sorceress giggled, and then pulled her top off.
"Oh," Killum whispered, feeling his face heat up. Something else heated up, too, which was the reason he felt so dirty. "She's got a bikini model body."
Asha was a perfect physical specimen in his book. She was curvy without excess weight. Her brown skin looked silky smooth. No blemishes, cuts, or scratches thanks to healing potions and magic. She had large, firm, perfect breasts. He groaned when she removed her skirt, and then gasped when Asha sat facing him to remove her boots and giving the battle-mage a perfect view of the Promised Land.
She jumped up, causing her body to jiggle in the most amazing way, before the sorceress ran to and dived into the pool. Killum used his Farsee spell to zoom in on her when she came splashing back up. He watched water cascade across her shoulders and down between and over her breasts. Then his eyes lifted to her parted lips, all wet and kissable and…
What am I doing? The battle-mage felt his body stirring, and a second later heat flowed into his face. He ducked and crawled away, before hurrying off as quietly as possible. I'm turning into as big a perv as Rand.
It was almost impossible to concentrate on his objective. All he could think about was how amazing they looked. Asha, especially, was…
"No, no, no," he scolded himself. "Purge. Purge. Must not think about that ever again."
He was about to give up and return to camp when his eyes kept returning to a patch of low plants. They were unremarkable, except for the small purple and white flowers. But after his eyes were pulled back to them for the third time, he gave them a harder look.
Potatoes.
Dropping to his knees, Killum used a stick to dig up their roots. Small yellow-skinned potatoes were just under the surface. He laughed and dug up every one of them. Then he carried them to the creek and washed the dirt off before stuffing them into his sack.
Killum returned to camp to find Fergus on one knee by the fire and tending a pair of rabbits spitted over it. Rand was at the creek washing his haul of berries, with a pile of nuts next to the fire. Asha looked extremely happy with his potatoes, taking them to place in a pot of water. He noticed her waist-length black hair was still damp, as were her freshly scrubbed clothes.
"We'll tend the fire and cook everything if you boys want to go below the falls and take a bath before it gets too dark," Tiana said. "We already got our bath in."
"What?" Rand cried. "Is that why you chased us off?"
The women nodded and giggled. Tiana winked at him. "Better luck next time."
"We have soap, and you can use it on your clothes, too," Asha said. "Please, use it on your clothes, too."
Tiana laughed as she gave each of them a bar of soap and ushered them out of camp. Rand grumbled about missing the "show" while Fergus teased him. Killum was just glad for the darkness of the forest trail, since his face felt red hot.
Chapter 31
Two days on the road were uneventful. Two nights sleeping under the stars passed without incident. And then they started up the side of that mountain. The dragon's lair was visible from the road, and it wasn't even that high up the mountain. But it was steep and the dragon had protection in place.
Ka-Boom!
All five of them were knocked down and tumbled a good hundred yards back down the mountainside. Killum's descent was stopped by a rock. A really big, really hard and unyielding rock.
"What the hell was that?" he asked. The battle-mage used the rock to help him stand. His left hip ached, so he drank a healing potion. "Did the dragon do that?"
He didn't see the dragon or anything else. Fergus was above him on the mountainside, sitting against a gnarly old tree. He was rubbing his ribs, eyes closed. Tiana was sprawled, head lower than feet in an open patch of dirt, head rocking back and forth. Asha was slowly rising to her feet, looking discombobulated.