Sweet Choices and Sticky Consequences
1880 Words
She skimmed the listings:
"Buzzkill" — drunk stinger-bees terrorizing a brewer’s fermentation room.
"Needles in the Garden" — aggressive hedgehog-like pests.
"A Problem with Portals" — accidental magical bugs.
She chuckled at the stinger-bee job.
"Hard pass. I’ve had enough buzzing between the ears for one week."
Her eyes drifted lower—and landed on something far more her speed.
Basement BeastsThe root cellar beneath Moonmelt Bakery has become uninhabitable. Something is eating the flour sacks and growling at the apprentices. Possibly slugs. Possibly worse.Reward: 15 silver pieces and one deluxe pastry of your choice.
Raina grinned.
Pastry and payment? Yes please.
She tore the parchment free and tucked it into her pouch, then turned her steps toward the bakery district.
Moonmelt Bakery stood like a slice of decadence in stone and stained glass, its amber-carved sign enchanted to catch the morning light.It was... a bit much for bread.
Only in a fantasy world would a bakery have magical defenses for sourdough.
She pushed open the door, a small enchanted bell chiming overhead.
The scent hit her immediately—fresh bread, honey, butter, and a hint of vanilla—and her stomach growled in protest.
Behind the counter, a short, round woman wielding a rolling pin like a warhammer squinted at her.
Then she grinned.
"You here about the cellar?"
Raina held up the parchment.
"Basement beasts. I assume it’s not just yeast gone wild?"
The woman laughed, waving her forward.
"Come on, then. It’s mostly slugs. I think. But some of 'em are glowing now. And something hissed at me yesterday."
She handed Raina a rusty key and pointed toward a trapdoor near the back of the kitchen.
"If you scream, I won’t come running—but I’ll bake something in your honor."
"Fair enough," Raina smirked, tucking the key into her belt."Salt and steel should do the trick."
The trapdoor creaked open, releasing a wave of damp, fermented air.Raina descended carefully, boots sinking into two inches of slime with a disrespectful sloop.
"Lovely," she muttered."Exactly the spa day I wanted."
She stepped fully into the cellar gloom.Bioluminescent fungi clung to the walls, casting eerie blue light.
Then she saw them.
Dozens of glowing stalks.Some bobbed like mushrooms. Others swayed with eerie awareness.
One lurched toward her.
A slug the size of a lapdog—slick with mucus and faintly etched with runes—twitched its eyestalks in her direction.
Raina didn’t wait.
She drew her blade, dusting it quickly with enchanted salt.
"You scream, you slime, you die."
And she struck.
The blade hissed through the slug’s body, salt burning a clean path through the gelatinous mass.It writhed, screeched—and dissolved into a smoldering puddle.
One down.
The others turned.
Dozens of slugs pulsed toward her, bodies gleaming with sticky light.
She slashed—but the floor’s slime caught her boots fast.
I can’t fight like this.
Her HUD pulsed.An idea flickered into her mind.
Siren’s Kiss — Blue Magic (Tier I)Emit a charm pulse. Disorient enemies.
She didn't hesitate.
Closing her eyes, she exhaled a sweet, magic-laced breath.A ripple of warmth spread out in all directions.
The slugs slowed, confused. Some tilted upward like awkward dancers at a ball.
Gotcha.
Raina yanked free from the muck and dashed toward a dry platform stacked with flour sacks.
She reached it and spun, grinning.
Drawing a pouch of salt, she didn’t aim for the slugs directly—she flung salt at the floor.
The slime recoiled, sizzling violently.
A clear path burned outward.
"That’s good to know."
She moved fast now, blade flashing.One by one, the slugs shrieked and melted under steel and salt.
When the last one fell, the cellar steamed with the scent of scorched goo.
Raina slumped against the wall, breathless but victorious.
Chime. Chime. Chime.
Her HUD lit up:
[XP Awarded: 10 XP – Slug Kill][XP Awarded: 10 XP – Slug Kill][XP Awarded: 10 XP – Slug Kill][XP Awarded: 10 XP – Slug Kill][XP Awarded: 10 XP – Slug Kill][Bonus XP: 25 – Unconventional Elimination Method][Bonus XP: 10 – First Slug Kill]Total Gained: 75 XP
She stared.
"So it works…"
She wasn’t locked into s*x-only leveling.
She had options.
Her fingers flicked the system menu open again, and a new notification pulsed brightly:
[System Log Updated]Tracking Path: “This Is Part of the Job”→ Dual Leveling Recognized: Intimacy + Adventuring→ Divine Path Splitting Available at 25% Unlock
Divine Path Splitting.
Raina laughed, a rich, low sound that echoed against the stone.
"Sword and silk. Charm and challenge. Let’s see how far we can take this."
She climbed the slime-slick steps back to the surface, boots squelching with every triumphant step.And somewhere deep inside her, a fire burned hotter than ever before.
You’re not ready for me, world. But you will be.
The city still buzzed outside, but down in the heart of Moonmelt Bakery, Raina had won a small, slimy victory—and now came the true reward.
As she climbed through the hole in the floor, the scent of sweets wrapped around her like a velvet kiss.Her mouth watered instantly.
Having finished the job—she wouldn't call it a quest, not really, since it lacked any real adventuring—she still decided it had been worth it.Messy. Disgusting. But worth it.
The baker woman approached with a bright smile on her face.
"Oh, thank you, miss! Thank you for eliminating those slugs and helping me get my cellar under control again."
She paused, peeking down through the open trapdoor with a visible grimace.
"I don’t suppose I could convince you to clean up their slime, could I?"
Her words were half-joking, but her hopeful eyes said otherwise.
Raina laughed warmly.
"I'm afraid not. I’ve had enough of slime and goo for one day."
The baker chuckled in return.
"Yeah, that’s fair. Well then, about your payment. You get one deluxe pastry of your choice — they’re over there in the golden case. Pick whichever you like while I fetch your coins."
She wandered toward what Raina assumed was the office tucked behind the kitchen.
Raina drifted toward the golden display case, her boots still making faint sticky sounds against the clean floor.
The case wasn’t large — barely big enough for two cakes — but inside it housed five breathtaking desserts, each decorated with delicate, magical precision:
Baked Star Wasp: A dark, ethereal dessert resembling the friendly Star Wasp moth, with decadent blues and purples speckled in white like stars.
Roc Cheesecake: Not shaped like the giant bird, but marbled with vibrant sky colors, and floating subtly inside the case as if caught midflight.
Bunyip Soufflé: A luxurious, fluffy creation, crafted to look exactly like a tiny hopping bunyip — so lifelike it seemed about to leap from the plate.
Manticore Bonbon: A delicate package shaped like a manticore’s tail, containing five miniature bonbons — each a different flavor, each a tiny manticore of its own.
Dragon Crumble: An exquisite cake sculpted into the form of a dragon, detailed down to scales, horns, and wings — clearly crafted by a master artisan.
Each dessert whispered temptation—and each one, Raina remembered vaguely, offered a permanent magical buff when eaten.
But the specifics?Gone from her memory.
She hesitated, practically longing for all five at once.The craftsmanship alone was breathtaking. The thought of the buffs was even more intoxicating.
She tucked her hands behind her back, willing herself not to press her face against the glass.
Don't drool. Don't cry. Pick one.
She stayed silent, even though her mind buzzed with theories.The case always seemed stocked.Always filled immediately after a pastry sold.
Magic? Summoning? Bakery-based enchantment?
It didn’t matter.
Not right now.
The baker returned, holding a small leather pouch that jingled with the pleasant sound of coin.She smiled broadly and crossed the kitchen toward Raina.
Raina straightened slightly, forcing herself to tear her eyes away from the impossible desserts, preparing to make her choice.
Whatever she picked...would shape more than just her tastebuds.
As Raina accepted the coin pouch from the baker, she found her gaze drifting back toward the golden pastry case.Each dessert shone like a tiny jewel, each one calling to her in its own way.
Each one had its potential.And whichever she chose—it would shape her future.Maybe only a little.Maybe far more.
She studied them carefully:
The Baked Star Wasp, shimmering with cosmic blues and whites.
The Roc Cheesecake, marbled like a slice of sky.
The Bunyip Soufflé, practically bouncing with lifelike charm.
The Manticore Bonbon, dark and teasing.
The Dragon Crumble, fierce and regal.
Her heart warred with her head.
But in the end, she decided to trust her intuition—the old whisper of memory and magic she carried inside her now.
Raina tapped the case lightly and smiled.
"I want the Star Wasp dessert, please."
The baker woman nodded knowingly, her face crinkling with approval.
"That one will be perfect for you, little miss."
She moved behind the case, unlocking it carefully and lifting the precious dessert into a soft, silk-lined box.She handed it to Raina with surprising reverence, like passing a blessing.
Happy with her payment, Raina stepped outside, pastry in hand.She wandered across the street and settled onto a sun-warmed bench near the city fountain, the splash of water soothing in the background.
She rested the box on her lap and let herself think.
When I work in the brothel, I seem to get more experience points...I got 125 XP for the pair of men, 250 for the slimeoid.But for killing all those slugs...? Only 75 XP.
She frowned thoughtfully, watching the sunlight dance off the fountain's surface.
Sexual encounters definitely give more efficient leveling... adventuring's slower, harder. I can do both for now... but eventually?
Her stomach growled impatiently, drawing her focus back to the delicate box in her hands.
Enough theorizing.Time to taste destiny.
Raina unwrapped the Star Wasp Cake carefully.It shimmered faintly in the daylight, its deep hues of blue and violet threaded with tiny speckles of white—like a frozen piece of night sky.
She lifted it to her lips and took a slow, reverent bite.
The flavor exploded across her tongue: rich honeyed velvet, a whisper of midnight spice, the soft coolness of starlight sugar.
As she swallowed, a soft chime echoed in her mind.
System Notification:
Legendary Sweet detected: Baked Star Wasp
Sensing physiological changes...
Applying changes upon consumption...
Cake finished.
Permanent Status Boost: Charisma +2
Permanent Status Boost: Intelligence +1
Physiological Change Detected:
Moon Aura added.
Regeneration Buffs Applied:
MP Regeneration Increased
SP Regeneration Increased
The blur of notifications left her blinking.
She had expected one change.Maybe two.But five?
Remarkable.
Her lips curled into a beaming smile as she noticed it—a faint, pearlescent shimmer beginning to pulse around her skin.
She turned, catching sight of her reflection in the fountain’s surface.
Her violet eyes now shimmered faintly, scattered with starry flecks that deepened as the light shifted.The glow across her skin was barely visible—no more than a soft kiss of radiance—but it made her look...
Otherworldly.
Divine.
Irresistible.
A warmth bloomed inside her, deeper than hunger, deeper than magic.
This wasn’t just a treat.It was the first step into the woman she was becoming.
Moon-bathed.Magic-kissed.Unstoppable.
- Writer
