It was just past the seventh bell, and Katerine was sweating bullets behind the wele desk at the Guild. She nervously fidgeted with the badge she was holding. She couldn't believe she was really sidering this. She'd been w at the Adventurer's Guild for four years now. She had only just gotten promoted to the front desk. Was she really going to throw that away?

  "Excuse me." A voiapped her out of her brooding and she looked up, pstering her er service smile on. Or at least, she tried to. As soon as she saw his warm, brown eyes and his own easy smile upon those kissable lips, her mind pletely froze and she lost the ability to think. She only barely noticed he had asked her a question when he gnced back at his friends with a questioning look on his face.

  "I-I'm sorry, sir. What did you need?" She stammered out, dropping the badge on the desk and blushing.

  "I said we're heading north, to the Bo Mountains, and we were w if there are any outstanding quests or bounties in that area that we could pick up."

  My gods, he is seous. Katerihought, getting lost in his eyes again before she registered his request.

  "O-oh, yes, of course." She said, the blush deepening as she sorted through their records. The Bo Mountains. They haven't even cleared the first boss, but they're heading to the Bo Mountains? Maybe they just don't delve, but then why would they put their boss pletions on the ad? Should I still ask to join them? I'm not as beautiful as any of the irls in their party, but surely they would want an Artillerist. Everyone is always looking for them. But the Bo Mountains...

  Katerihoughts ran a mile a minute as she was s through the quests and putting together a portfolio that fit their request. Do I really have what it takes? After losing my st party, I don't know if I could hahe pressure anymods, I'm ag like a moonstruck fool just because I've seen this charming, handsome man walk through here a few times. Aphrodite really is a cruel goddess.

  When she handed Shiloh the bundle of papers, the foxgirl that had been looking around suddenly reized her.

  "Oh hey, you're the ohat signed me up with them, aren't you?"

  "Oh... um... yes, I am Miss Quickfoot." Katerine murmured, looking at the desk.

  "I suppose I owe you a very sihank you, then. The way they tell me, your quick work actually helped save my life. My name is Shiloh, by the way. Shiloh Sutton." The geous man offered her his hand, and she tentatively took it, shaking softly as she responded.

  "I-it was n-nothing. Anyone w-would have d-do f-for them."

  "Yes, perhaps, but you are the one who did it. What's your name?" He smiled warmly.

  "K-Katerine Sharvel." She blushed brightly. "M-may I ask why y-yoing to the m-mountains?"

  "We got a quest." The tall elf replied curtly, though not unkindly.

  "Straight from Aphrodite." The woman with the fur armor added, winking directly at Katerine.

  "Y-you've spoken with m-my goddess?" Katerine's voice was yered with shock, awe, and a hint of disbelief.

  "Your goddess, huh?" The fur-an teased, leaning onto the desk.

  "I m-mean... uh... m-my parents b-brought me up in h-her church. She i-is the one I p-pray to." Kateri like melting into a puddle. Why was she talking about this? Why couldn't she stop fug stammering?

  "Oh, well, praying to her is great and all." The teasiress leaned in closer, dropping her voice to a whisper. "But our Shiloh here has done far more than simply praying or talking with her." The look in her eyes vinced Katerihat she wasn't just teasing. Arousal flooded through her and she had to strain not to let it show.

  "That is wildly inappropriate to tell anyone, Ara." The elf hissed, yanking the irl back by her ear, muttering something about highly sensitive information.

  "I-is there a-anything else I help you w-with?" Kateriuttered.

  "No, I think we're okay." Shiloh gave her another heart-stopping smile, and a small wave as they turned around. "Thanks for the help, Katerine."

  Her name rolling off his lips nearly made her jump the ter and run after them. The voice she heard , however, made her do exactly that.

  Go to him, Katerine.

  It was not the first time she'd heard Aphrodite's voice. When she was youhe goddess had deigo bless a marriage in the vilge she'd grown up in. That wedding had inspired the desire in Katerio grow closer to the gods, Aphrodite in particur. Her... unique biology, coupled with the few fumbling enters she'd had, made her believe that her only ce for love was through the goddess's blessing. So, when she heard that voice again, she didn't hesitate to follow it.

  She caught up to them in just a few short steps, owing to the lower half of her body being that of a horse, except with only two legs and without the tail. They turned around when they heard her hooves g loudly against the marble, and she got the usual up and down from each of them. Beck seemed the least ied, as a fellow beast-kin, except for maybe the halfling, who hadn't reacted at all. The elf's eyebrows raised a little bit, but Ara elbowed Shiloh and gave him a sacious grin. Does he have a thing for beast-kin? Is he with the foxgirl?

  "Yes?" Shiloh asked, barely managing to not stun her with his smile again.

  "I-I-I-I..." Kateriongue would not obey her, with her nerves running so rampant.

  "Oh no, you've broken her." Ara sighed in mock exasperation. She reached out and pinched Katerine's side.

  "Ow!" Katerine jumped back. "I-I-I'm sorry. I-I w-would like to j-j-join your p-party." At this, all of their eyebrows went up, even the halfling's.

  Shiloh looked at the rest of the girls, then smiled at Katerine again. "Would you like to step into the Looking froup hall to discuss this?"

  Katerine hen followed them meekly through her pce of work. She looked down at her hooves and saw, to her horror, that she was bulging out the front of her pants. The loave him. They saw it. Oh my goddess, I knew I should have done something this m.

  They filed into a secluded partition and sat at the table provided. Elnor leaned forward and took the lead.

  "Well, we have a somewhat well-roueam at the moment, but we are looking for more members. Shiloh you already know. He is our party leader and Support."

  "I don't know about party leader." Shiloh blushed.

  "Well, we do." Elnor refuted. "This is Beck, she's our Defewil here is our troller. Ara is our Skirmisher, and I am an Assaulter."

  "It's a p-pleasure to f-finally m-meet you all. M-my name is K-Katerine, and I-I'm an Ar-Artillerist." Each of their eyebrows rose for a sed time, except for Beck's.

  "You're an Artillerist? What are you doing w at the Guild?" Ara's astonishment and curiosity were reflected in the rest of their eyes, even if they wouldn't have asked the question.

  "I... uh... m-my st p-party was k-killed in the d-dungeon. I h-haven't t-tried going out s-sihen." Katerine admitted, looking at the table.

  There was silence for long enough that she was sure they were going to tell her they couldn't take her. Just when she was about to get up, Shiloh spoke. His voice was soft and g and, when she looked up at him, his eyes were full of .

  "Are you sure you're up for it? You ought to know, we are aiming for the Dungeon Core."

  This shocked Katerine. Very few adventurer's went after the Core, and she khat the mortality rate of those that did was very high. She was residering the wisdom of joining them, when she heard Aphrodite for the sed time that day.

  He will protect you.

  How weak was her faith, truly? She had been instructed specifically by her goddess less than fifteen minutes ago to go after them, and here she was already sed-guessing her. She hardened her resolve, aammer thankfully lessened.

  "Yes. I don't want to w-work at the Guild anymore. If y-you will have me, I w-would like to join you."

  Shiloh gnced around the table, and Elnor took ain. "Well, Beck has cleared the first two bosses, but the rest of us haven't beateher of them."

  "I have c-cleared the first boss." Katerine said, materializing a bck horical to the one Beck had shown them during her interview. She pced it oable, and Elnor nodded in appreciation.

  "May we have a few moments to discuss this privately?" She asked, and Katerine acquiesced. She stood and ccked out of the partition. She hated how her hooves sounded in the Guild. She walked a good distance away from the table so they wouldn't think she was eavesdropping.

  "Katerine!" A man's voice called out. She gnced in the dire the voice had e from and saw Golthar, one of the other front desk aides, walking towards her. She met him halfway, and he frow her. "What are you doing? You just jumped the desk and ran off with those adventurers. Do they need something?"

  "I-I'm applying f-for their t-team." Katerine replied softly.

  Golthar's mouth dropped open, then reformed into a knowing smile. He was one of the few people at the Guild she'd told about her first team, and who knew her role. He cpped a hand on her shoulder.

  "Good for you! They'd be fools not to take you. What's the party name? I get your badge started."

  "A-Aphrodite's A-Apostles."

  Golthar snorted, winking at her. "Finally getting some responses from yoddess, huh? Just e to me when you're ready." He walked off, leaving Katerih her thoughts.

  If only you khe half of it.

  ***

  "Did you see the fug size of that thing?" Ara whispered, giddy. "It would reato your stomach, Shy."

  Shiloh blushed. "That's not the matter at hand, Ara."

  "More like the matter at six hands." Beck ughed. "She had to be pag at least twenty inches."

  "Get it together." Elnor snapped. "Do we take her?"

  "An Artillerist would be invaluable to our party." Twil ented. "Aphrodite told us we need more allies, and she's obviously got Shiloh's i."

  "I don't know if that o be a requirement for joining the party." Shiloh muttered, blushing fiercely.

  The other four looked at him askance. "I think it's something we up, at the least." Elnor said delicately. "Your css is pretty lewd, Shy. Not to mention, araveling with us is going to be made aware of what exactly is going on really quick."

  "She's a Third, Shy." Beck added. "While some of us act like blushing virgins," She pointedly looked at Elnor, who mao keep the color from flooding her cheeks. "I personally guarahat she's had more of a sex life than everyo of ender. Our biology forces us to."

  "Well, okay." Shiloh sighed. "I'll go get her."

  He stood up ahe partition, walking over to where Katerine was nervously pag. He drew up level to her and smiled. "Alright, would you please rejoin us?"

  "O-okay." Katerine murmured, following him back.

  "I'm sorry for what they're about to say." Shiloh muttered, blushing. "Ara and Beck be... they take some getting used to."

  Katerine didn't respond, not knowing what she could even say to that.

  When they'd rejoihe table, Beck leaned forward with a gleam in her eyes. "So, we're on board with you joining. There's just a few... personal matters to discuss first."

  "Beck..." Elnor said with warning in her voice.

  "We're all Shiloh's bitches." Ara said. The ent flopped out oable like a dead fish.

  "O-oh. Um... O-okay?"

  "And he's our bitch." Beck added, grinning. "In the bedroom, I mean."

  "Beck!" Elnor hissed. The foxgirl stuck her to at the elf, her tail wagging in delight.

  Shiloh, meanwhile, was doing his best tomato impression as he tried melting into his chair. Elnor, bless her, chose to offer the more tactful approach.

  "What they are trying to tell you is that the four of us all are in a... retionship, I guess, with Shiloh."

  Are they marking their territory? Making sure I don't think any of them are avaible?

  "O-okay. I d-don't think that w-will be a p-problem. I... um... k-kind of d-doubt he and I w-would have b-been... ah... patible." She looked briefly at him, then at the table.

  "Are you kidding?" Ara scoffed. "I'd be shocked if he didn't get as hard as you were once he saw what you were pag."

  Katerine joined Shiloh iomato impersonator petition, and it was a very tight race.

  "We are all Thirds, Kat." Beck said, grinning at her. "He loves it."

  The two of them briefly looked up at each other, then turned even deeper shades of red. They were b on purple.

  "Well, I think that about covers everything, unless you have any other questions, Katerine." Elnor said, gring at the two troublemakers who were having so much fun teasing the others.

  "N-no, I th-think I-I'm good." She responded quietly.

  "Are you ready to leave now, or do we o wait for a bit?" Elnor asked.

  "I-if y-yoing t-to the B-Bo M-Mountains, I w-will n-need some c-cold weather g-gear." Kateriood as she replied. "I-it shouldn't t-take me t-too long. I'll g-get my b-badge, go t-to market, and m-meet you all b-back at the G-Guild at the e-eleventh b-bell?"

  "Sounds good." Elnor said, also rising and shaking Katerine's hand. "I'll e with you for the badge."

  As they left the partition, Katerine heard Ara speak up. "Shy, she is going to fug rearrange yuts with that monster."