"Hey John-San, we are back! And what a story we have for you. Mind healing this for...hun? Nanael-San!" Bazan said, walking into his clinic doorway, his hand bandaged up.

  John pulled away from Nanael, ending their kiss early. He was only slightly irritated that his buddy interrupted their moment, but how was he to know that John was in the middle of proposing? Besides, they had been gone for awhile, and he was worried that they would have had problems with that dinosaur or whatever it was called.

  A rake? rate? no... it did start with a 'r' right? or was it something else? a Jake? Fuck it, dinosaur until proven otherwise? (John's intelligence and wisdom drop by half or more when exhausted, and it shows)

  "Good to see you buddy. Come let me heal your hand, I have something to tell you as well." John said. He was happy about this actually, Bazan was his first friend in this world, so he thought it was great to be able to share the good news with him.

  Nanael looked like she wanted to dart away and hide for some reason, but she didn't let go of him. Instead she sighed and leaned into his chest. It made him happy, this closeness, her face on his bare skin.

  "Ahh...umm...sure." The wolfman said, and came into the room. He gnced about awkwardly for a moment, averting his eyes, but John didn't notice, looking at the bandages on his friends hand.

  "Here" He said, and grabbed Bazan's arm (He was close, it wasn't a big room), and unwrapped the bandages, exposing the sshed open hand that was actually starting to turn a little green.

  "God damn it man. You could have lost this! How long were you pnning on waiting to come back to get it checked out! Once it was rotting off the bone? I am a healer, not a miracle worker! (Healers are generally considered literal miracle workers in this world due to the way holy magic works). Detoxify! Cure! Heal!" John chastised him once he got a look at the injury, the gangrene already setting in.

  Back on Earth, if he didn't lose the hand altogether, that wound would have required a ton of antibiotics, stitches, and probably the doctors would have needed to immobilize the hand for a month so he didn't tear it open. Here though, a couple of minutes ter and it was good as new.

  "Ahh thank you John-San, I really appreciate it. So...are you two..." Bazan said, looking at the pair of them.

  "Yes. You...yawn...you just missed my proposal." He said, then remembered the pendant. He reached for it gently, his back still tender. He pulled it out of the box and put it around Nanael's neck, the csp a simple affair to do even with his rge hands. She looked up at him, not saying a word, her cheeks blushing profusely.

  Aww she is embarrassed about this? She shouldn't be, she looks amazing...why am I thinking that I should be saying it!

  "You look beautiful my love." He said, kissing the top of her head. He wasn't sure but it looked like she turned an even deeper shade of red.

  "Thank you..." she squeaked out. Yep adorable.

  "Well, as much as I want to hear how you killed that dinosaur thingy man...YAWN...I really need to y down. Someone beat the crap out of me this morning, and I can barely stand. Can we do it over drinks ter?" John asked oblivious to the confused expression on Bazan's face.

  "Umm...sure. I'll let you be then."

  "Thanks buddy." John said, ying down on the clinic bed again. He wasn't going anywhere.

  Oh my leather clothes. I should put them on the floor...screw it, they will make a good pillow.

  "Night Nanael, thanks for staying with...me...Zzz" With that John passed out, exhaustion from both his injuries and the quickly drained mana from his reserves making him fall asleep instantly. (Despite the small dose of Substance X)

  Bazan and Nanael just stared at him for a moment, then each other. He finally broke the silence though.

  "Nanael...I am happy for you, but...did John just propose to you while...naked?"

  She blushed so hard, her blue hair was threatening to turn red too. Little John was still unhappily waving in the air, wanting attention.

  A few days passed.

  John had woken up the following morning, feeling stiff but in less pain. He quickly got dressed and checked his room. Nanael was asleep still, so he just kissed her on the forehead, then went up for some food.

  He resolved he was going to stay in this world until he absorbed all the knowledge from the tomes Galba gave him, then he would return to DEN. Depending on the gatcha draw, he would make his decision then where he would go next. So he continued his training.

  Exercise in the mornings, healing in the afternoons, then study in the evenings, and a couple more biology lessons with Nanael at night. (6/10). He made sure to return the favor as well before he fell asleep.

  The magic wasn't coming as easily as healing magic did, the process differed greatly than healing magic. For his healing magic, mana was offered to god in exchange for the power to cast the spell, while the other schools of magic required you to manipute it so it bent to your will. Still he kept at it, knowing with his DEN skills he would eventually have a breakthrough.

  On the evening of the third day, he found himself with Gulgar and the Lineage of the White Wolf, having a few drinks in the meal hall over a game of cards. They recounted the battle with the drake with quite a fair amount of embellishment he thought, including how Bazan nearly had his hand chewed off when he stabbed his sword into its maw (Actually accurate).

  Baasura turned to him after they were done the recounting. "So I heard you were attacked? What happened? Do we need to go hunt someone down?" He asked, a concerned tone in his voice.

  "No. It was Nanael. She was asleep beside me, so I thought I would give her a little payback. I went between...wait! I shouldn't be saying what happened exactly, but she busted me up pretty good. When I woke up, I was so beat up I couldn't speak for a few hours, but when I could I asked her to marry me." John said, almost spilling the beans on the actual event.

  Whew that was close. Why am I so loose lipped recently? (Alcohol + Substance X striking again)

  "Wait, wait, wait. She beat you up to the point you needed to heal yourself, then you asked her to marry you? Are you...some kind of Masochist?" Sekiros asked, gesturing with his gss.

  "Masochist? I am not familiar with the word." John asked, genuinely confused.

  "You know...a Masochist...like...are you into your lovers giving you pain, dominating you in bed...you know... a Masochist."

  "I am not a Masochist. Jeeze, why would anyone...no...just no." John shuddered at the thought.

  "Are you sure? You were sporting quite the...ahem...erection when I saw you that day. Butt naked, as you proposed no less." Bazan said, smiling into his gss. He was over his 'loss' already, but he refused to not tease the poor guy who beat him to the punch.

  "Stop bringing that up. I was tired okay...I was going to do it on our date, but I could barely walk. I didn't want to wait, got a little excited and didn't realize I was naked, and one thing led to another, and I forgot I wasn't dressed okay." He stammered. He really had no excuse, it wasn't like people his apparent age got Alzheimer's in this world. "And, no I don't like pain. I like strong women though, but pain. Nope. I already have enough of that with this body of mine."

  The boys ughed at him good naturedly, and the night continued. They all congratuted him on his proposal, and said they would be there for his wedding. Gulgar said he would even prepare a feast for them.

  Right. Wedding, I guess we need to pn that soon. Man, things move quickly in this world.

  Unlike on Earth, after the 'promise' is made, weddings usually happen fairly quickly, within six months. They hadn't talk about it yet, but on their next day off together, he pnned on it.

  After one st round, John stood up and excused himself. He did have to work the next day and it was approaching midnight. He wasn't sure where Nanael was, she usually rescued him earlier than this.

  Maybe she was just letting me catch up with my friends. (She was out with the other receptionist earlier, then went to bed. He just forgot.)

  Stumbling a little towards the exit, a big hand grabbed his shoulder. "Hun?"

  "C'mon now John! Have one st drink of this before ya go!" Gulgar said, the big bear chef had a rger mug then normal of that bilge water ready for him.

  Where did he even pull that out of?

  "Uhh...no thanks I-" John tried to turn it down, but the other people in the room started shouting.

  "Drink it!, Drink it!, Drink it!" It was like the chanting he received the day he had joined the guild.

  I am going to be wired all night long if I drink that...ah well, I will just cure my drunkenness and study I guess.

  He took the mug, and downed it, and handed the empty mug it back to the massive man. Energy started coursing through his body.

  "AWWWW!!! How does he drink that crap!" "Something is not right with him." "I told you he is a masochist."

  That st one came from Sekiros.

  John ignored him, and after bidding Gulgar a goodnight, he waved to the room and left.

  Gulgar watched him leave, his thoughts conflicted.

  John stumbled through the halls of the guild hall for a few moments, then sat down on an empty bench in the main hall. The room was empty except for a lone receptionist behind the desk, the man who usually worked the night shift. The guild never really closed, but like most pces, it was much quieter at night. John nodded to him in greeting, not recalling his name, then rested his head against the cool stone wall.

  Not ready to do the stairs while drunk, and not wanting to get rid of the warm feeling of the buzz he had on, he just chilled in the quiet room, his thoughts drifting to the conversation he just had.

  Marriage hun? I guess I am really settling down in this world already. I didn't even get a chance to go explore it...not that I really want to with beasts like that drake flying around.

  Still, I love travelling. Maybe after my contract here is up, we can take some of our savings and see the world. Hell, I can be like a travelling healer, making a little money on the road while we search for a nice pce to settle down and have a family. I need to bring this up to her, see what she thinks.

  His thoughts then drifted to DEN, and the worlds he had begun to explore. It was a cold dose of his new reality and his mood soured, sobering him up slightly.

  Damn Zombies in a dying world, those Zerg about to attack that other world, space pirates and insectoids, then literal devils and the supernatural in the st. Not to mention that dying child at my feet when I left. And another five doors to open too... is this the only pce I will find happiness...or is this world going to succumb to death and destruction if I don't act some how.

  "War is the one constant across the omni-verse. Death is inevitable."

  Alec's words came unbidden to his lips just then, a stark reminder that this pce too would see death and destruction at some point. He needed strength, needed power, he needed...many things if he was to lead any of these worlds to a better future.

  And I need to get my damn body fixed else none of that would be possible to achieve. Anyways, I am wide awake now, lets go train magic for a bit.

  Just as he was about to cast 'Detoxify' on himself and head to the basement, someone sat beside him, a rge meaty arm wrapped around his shoulder.

  "Just the man I was looking for. Come, we need to talk." A deep voice said.

  "What?"

  "I can't believe it! We JUST got back and now we have to head back to that little town again? ARGH!" Lumina shouted into her pillow, the normally cool and composed Padin, showing a very different side of herself, vented her frustrations in the privacy of her own room.

  She, and the other twelve members of the newly formed Valkyrie Padin Regiment had been on an inspection tour of all the cities and towns in the Republic, both to cement her units cohesion, and to introduce themselves to all the guild masters and local lords. Between travel, the inspections themselves, not to mention the 'parties' they were invited to attend, the entire trip took them over seven months.

  Now, home for less than three days, and the Pope decreed they would be sent out, again! This time to go pick up some VIP in Meritoni, the town she left two weeks ago, and escort him back here. It was frustrating.

  "My ass is still sore from all the riding! Why can't one of the other regiments go! Grrrr! I love and respect the Pope but sometimes..."

  She stopped that line of rebellious thinking, knowing no good would come to her if she was heard sndering her holiness. The woman was truly an angel, and loved all her 'children' in the church, but sometimes...it was almost like she didn't actually know how to lead people.

  Who sends exhausted people back out immediately unless it was times of great crisis? Cattleya should have corrected her on this.

  Sadly, her mentor and the strongest member of all the churches forces, was no where to be found. She stepped down as commander of all the regiments in 'disgrace' for some slight to the Pope, and had kept a low profile since, hiding in the bowels of the Church where even she wasn't permitted to enter.

  We are supposed to be rexing and training for a few months. This VIP, who ever he is, better be important, I guess I will find out in the morning.

  "Hmm...maybe I can find that man again." She thought thinking of the man with that impossibly clear aura. Yes, finding him again and knocking some sense into him would make her feel much better about the trip...what was his name again...Joe? Jim? no that didn't seem right...no matter, she would find him.

  With a sigh, she rolled over on her side, her breasts making sleeping on her belly nearly impossible anymore.

  These bsted cow tits I inherited from my mother. They make doing stuff so impractical, I can barely even use a bow anymore.

  With that Lumina drifted off to sleep, her dreams full of a that man and her fighting, and on his defeat, she would crush him in so many different ways.

  Back in Meritoni, a man shivered.