Demonic Devourer's Development

"What are you going for, Voren?" Rosha asked.

"You can become an adventurer and ask about the monsters for me," I beamed, happy with my idea. "You get the glory and I get the information."

Rosha's eyes gleamed. "Well, technically, this isn't against the Guild's rules… I think I even heard about some rich people paying to get themselves a higher rank… What about the materials from the monsters?"

"No. I have to eat them all to get EXP and abilities." As I saw Rosha frown, I hurried to add something to sweeten the deal, knowing her distaste for the Guild and adventuring, "but if there's a quest, we can split a reward. And maybe there's something useless for me I can bring for selling." There was simple math behind that—some materials cost enough to buy a herd of cows, and a herd of cows was worth a lot of EXP, possibly more than in a material itself. "So, do you agree?"

Rosha didn't seem so eager now. She turned away from me and paced down the length of her cramped workshop. We both spend a lot of time here together. Rosha spent a lot of time here on her own, too. During my stay in her house, I took notice that she gravitated towards this room the same way her sister gravitated towards the kitchen.

Risha was a better cook, too. Good thing that Rosha had less time on her hands to insist on doing house chores, because it gave Risha an opportunity to jump on them. And while almost any food of mortal realm was better than what I could find in Hell, I liked Risha's dishes much more.

"I already have one contract with the Guild," Rosha said, throwing a glance at me over her shoulder. "Adventurer's contract is harmless, but I really don't need things piling up."

"Alright, I will just ask someone else." I shrugged, showing how much I cared, and began to stand up from my stool. "Maybe Risha will agree. She doesn't have a job now, so I imagine she'd like some money—"

"Stop right there!" Rosha's angry shout made me pause mid-movement. "I told you to not bring my sister into your schemes."

"But you like my schemes!" I finished standing up and grinned at her. "I don't know anyone else around I can trust about it."

Rosha gave me a scowl. "You ask more and more with each day."

"I don't ask, I trade. Entirely different things. It's often easier to cooperate than to just beat what you need out of people. Especially around here." I gestured at the city just outside the room's walls. "I don't have a century to spend on gathering power. This body will die from old age sooner than that. I have to be more effective, and I need an informant in the Guild. If not you, Rosha, then someone else. And it will pay back to you."

I saw the contemplation on Rosha's face, was sure that she'd agree, when a sound from outside of the door made me tense. I listened in, annoyed with my human body's poor hearing, but even so, I already knew what I would see if I opened the door.

Before I could even go towards it, the door was thrown open. On the other side stood Risha with a pout on her face and a hurt look directed at Risha.

"Rosha, you can't keep doing this! I'm not a porcelain doll! What if I want to help Voren myself? You didn't even let him ask me!"

"Risha! Did you listen in on us?" Rosha looked back at her sister with anger that just recently had been directed at me.

"So what if I did? You keep sheltering me from everything and never stop to think about yourself. You've been working without breaks and rest days for weeks now, and now you want to join the Guild, too?" Risha stomped inside the room with tears in her eyes and hands balled into fists at her sides.

Rosha mirrored her sister's pose. "I'm doing this for your own good! Risha, you've already seen what kind of people adventurers are, and you want to get closer to them again?"

"I just want to help you, Rosha!"

While the sisters argued, I quietly slithered outside. I doubted they would start physically fighting, which would've been an entertaining sight. This kind of drama, though, wasn't something for my tastes. I went into the kitchen instead and helped myself to some buns Risha baked yesterday. Now that Risha had money from selling her crafts, the assortment of food in the household became much better.

In a short while, Risha stomped back up. Her eyes were red and her cheeks glistened with fresh tears as she sat opposite of me and pouted. My eyes fell on her plump lip that just asked to bite it.

Instead, I bit into my sweet bun. Delicious. Would I ever grow used to the taste?

"'I'm doing this for your own good', blah-blah-blah! She always says that! I'm not twelve now! I can help her, too."

Oh, now she was complaining to me? The times when she shied away from my presence seemed like a lifetime away. I let out a noncommittal hum and kept chewing.

"I don't have to sit at home all day. I can go out, too, on my own! Do things on my own! Become an adventurer on my own, for real!"

"If you do that, Rosha'd really lock you at home," I had to point out. This much I understood, even if all this sibling thing was something way out of my scope of understanding.

Risha pouted harder. "I can do something for her, Voren! I can. I will prove it!" She stood up and squared her shoulders. A fire of determination shone in her eyes. "I swear I will!"

I decided it was time to take a day or two long trip to a forest, hunt there, away from female problems. I've began to deplete herds around Glesk, anyway.