"Well, here we are," the girl said as she and Shallista came to a house. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
Suddenly, the door opened and a middle-aged woman came storming out. "Get away from my daughter, whore!"
Thoroughly confused, Shallista only manage to say, "Huh?"
"Mom!" the girl shot.
"Shut up, Velpanie, and get in the house!"
"Yes, mom," the girl said, her head hanging.
The woman turned her attention back to Shallista. "I won't let you infect my daughter with your whorish ways! Honestly, walking around like that. Where do women like you come from?"
"I can't speak for all Sexy Warriors, but I'm from the mountains of Dimell," Shallista said.
"Whore!" the woman shouted, slamming the door angrily.
Shallista was about to leave until she heard yelling on the other side of the door.
"You didn't let that whore sway you, did you?" the mother said.
"She was trying to talk me out of being like her, mom."
After a brief silence, the mother said, "Don't go over there any more."
"But she's a good person, mom. She's kind and gentle and caring and-"
The next thing Shallista heard was a slap.
"I'm sorry, mom!"
"Do what I say, child! Stay away from those whores!"
Shallista hated the abuse of children more than anything. She felt herself trembling with anger. She resisted the urge to kick down the door and left.
*
Shallista returned to the guild to see Hilde sitting with her head on the table and Neeka rubbing her back. "Hey, there."
Hilde lifted her head just long enough to see who it was before plopping it back down on the table. "Milady...I'd like to quit."
"Huh?" Shallista said. "I guess I don't mind, but why?"
"Because I'm not a Sexy Warrior," Hilde said. "I'm not even an attractive one."
"Is this because of what that girl said?" Shallista asked.
Hilde bawled and sobbed. "She said I look like a boy! Wah!"
Shallista walked over and sat near her. "This doesn't make any sense. Remember when we fought that giant fire-breathing wolf and his pack. If not for your powerful magic, we all might have been wiped out. So you can defeat that wolf, but a teenage girl mistakes you for a boy and that's just too much?"
"You wouldn't know anything about it," Hilde said. "You've never been mistaken for a boy. You've got a killer body that any straight male would want. You'd probably be able to turn most gay men straight and turn some straight women gay. I'm just an ugly bookworm."
"Darn it, Hilde," Shallista said. "Not just anyone can be a Sexy Warrior. I chose you for a reason. We all are meant to cater to the tastes of different people. When we first came to town, the eyes of the people were drawn to all of us. They weren't just looking at me and the others. They were looking at you, too."
"That's just because we're wearing this embarrassing armor," Hilde said.
Shallista stood, grabbed her by the arm, and yanked her up to her feet. "That's it. We're leaving right now. You, too, Neeka."
"What did I do?" Neeka asked.
"Nothing," Shallista answered. "I'm just trying to prove a point. Let's go."
"Ow!" Hilde said. "My wrist. You're hurting me, milady."
Shallista let her go. "Oh...sorry."
*
Shallista, Hilde, and Neeka entered a building filled with shelves of books and mostly male patrons. "This is where you guys come when you get off duty, right?" Shallista asked.
"Yeah, but why are we here now?" Hilde asked.
Shallista clapped her hands and said, "Hey, everybody! Look this way!"
Everybody did so.
Hilde and Neeka looked around, eyes wide. "Are you insane, milady?" Hilde squealed.
Shallista looked at her and smiled. "Check it out."
Hilde looked around. "They're looking at me and Neeka. Their practically drooling."
Neeka looked around, too. "Yeah. And it's almost like Shallista isn't here."
"Yep," Shallista said, nodding. "I'm not their type, but you two are. Still think you're ugly?"
One person did notice her, though. A woman, perhaps in her mid-fifties, walked over and said, "This is a library, young lady. You need to shut up and read a book or leave."
Shallista covered her mouth. "Whoops! I'll be going now. Hilde. Neeka. Have fun basking in your glory."
*
Shallista entered the guild and saw a woman sitting there. It was Velpanie's mother. "Well this is unexpected. Welcome to the Sexy Warriors guild. What can I do for you?"
"Where is she, whore?"
"Huh?" Shallista asked. She thought about it for a moment, but nothing came to mind. "What?"
"My daughter! Where are you hiding her?"
"I've got no idea what you're talking about," Shallista said.
Audrixia came into the guild hall. "I'm sorry ma'am, but it looks like nobody is here but guild members. Oh, hey Shallista."
"What going on, Audrixia?"
"Her daughter ran away from home and apparently she thinks she here?"
"Lousy, stinking whore!" the woman shouted. "This is your fault!" The woman shot up to her feet, marched over to Shallista, and punched her in the face.
Shallista barely felt it. She was more shocked by it than anything. Had she actually been hit by this woman? "Is this some kind of joke? Please let me in on it so I can laugh."
The woman shook and massaged her hand. "Damn...what the heck are you made of, filthy slut?"
The nerve of this woman. "Shut up," Shallista shot.
"Don't you tell me to shut up!" the woman shot back. "You corrupted my daughter and made her run away! I have every right to be mad!"
"No, she probably ran away because you abused her!" Shallista replied. "You even slapped her! I heard it all and it pissed me off! It's taking everything in my power just to keep from strangling the life out of you!"
Wendy, Cordelia, Penelope, and Vilka came in. Cordelia ran in between them. "Calm down, milady."
"What's going on?" Wendy asked. "I've never seen Shallista so angry before."
"Whores!" the woman said. "Is anybody here not a whore? You all look disgusting!"
Penelope stepped and waved in the woman's face. "Um...hi. You may what to stop antagonizing the six foot two woman with the halberd. In case you haven't noticed, she's really big and strong. If she really wanted to get to you, there's not much any of us could do about it."
"I don't want to hear anything from you, traitor!" The woman softened. "I-I just want my daughter back." She dropped to her knees and bowed. "Please...I'll pay whatever you want. Just find her."
Shallista took a deep breath and exhaled. "She's not here. Where do you think she could have gone?"
The woman didn't look up. "Y-you'll do it?"
"I'm not doing this for you," Shallista said. "I can't ignore a missing child. You need to learn from this, though. We'll find her, but you have to treat her better. So, how long has it been since you last saw her?"
"M-maybe a few hours ago, a-after you dropped her off. I thought she might have come here. I don't know where else she might go."
Shallista clapped her hands. "Okay, Sexy Warriors, let's move out. The girl can't have gotten far, but time is still of the essence."
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