With their fees paid, Cain rows them to shore, leaving the puppets and Supporters to watch the ship. If anything goes wrong, they can be back in seconds, but it would take a lot of bravery or stupidity to try to steal a boat in such a crowded area. Unlike the Wave Riders, most desert cities execute Pirates if they're caught.
Pampa has a vast market just off the beach, with nearly a hundred caravans set up to peddle their wares. But other than that and a bunch of taverns, hotels, and restaurants, there isn't much other than the beach with a collection of bands playing. It makes Pampa feel like a music festival instead of a typical resort.
The ladies find an available table by the boardwalk, and Cain brings them a jug full of the local special, an icy beverage made of coconut milk and Rum. A few drinks in, they decide to check out the market. For some reason, Cain gets a bad feeling about today but isn't sure why yet.
He searches the area for a while, not seeing anything threatening at first until the Seraphim Inquisitor catches it.
[There are no women here that aren't working except on the beach]
That's right. Women rarely travel the desert except the few in bandit groups. Having an assortment of beautiful women with him gives the area a jealous vibe, which was what he picked up on.
"Let's go, but stick together. I don't want anyone to be alone in case someone tries something stupid. I've got the feeling there's a lot of lonely guys around here." His decision makes Nila chuckle before she offers Mythryll her arm, like a gentleman offering to escort a lady.
"How about two groups? Vala and Evangeline can come with us while you get Nemu and Laura?"
"That works for me. Meet you back here in an hour? If that's not enough time, we can look at the good stuff together afterward."
The first place Laura insists they go is predictably a candy shop. The shopkeeper takes the transformed Dragon for a type of Pixie and is thrilled to have her as a customer. She loads up the counter with cakes, puddings, and a form of saltwater toffee that they've never tried before. A variety pack of everything she offers, for Laura to choose from.
After that they're off to the stalls selling multi-colored silk clothing. The area's fashion is striking, with brightly colored silks and jewelry. Nemu's belly dancer-style outfit is the closest to blending in, but even she is rather bland in comparison to most of the locals.
The next hour is spent on bikinis, sarongs, wraps, sundresses and finally, a few colorful outfits for Cain, including the brightly colored head wraps that are the signature of the desert living men.
The dungeon turns out to be right on the edge of the market, an open world dungeon full of level 102 human bandits. A total bust as far as trying to get new forms, but if he was looking to farm one for experience just after First Advancement this would have been great.
Cain calls a half dozen copies of Kone and all the Dragons, then transforms into the Golden Proto Dragon again, making Laura swear at him for getting to be huge without her.
"All aboard everyone. Unless you prefer to fly yourself. Trust me, it's awesome up here."
They don't do any actual fighting, leaving that to the supporters and all the other Dragons, instead they simply play about in the air with Laura for ten minutes before the dungeon is empty. A nice relaxing flight about the desert posing as a dungeon. It's just a shame the level is so low.
Mythryll and her group are at the meeting point when they arrive, looking exhausted from the heat and excitement, and Cain waves them over to where he's standing in the shade. "No problems, I hope? I would hate to ruin a vacation dealing with stupid people."
The merchant whose stall they enjoy the shade of snorts in amusement and hands over small samples of the preserved fruit he sells. "They would have to be especially stupid. Stories of the massacre at Blood Sands Castle have already spread all down the desert coast. They say fewer than one in a hundred escaped after the battle."
Blood Sands Castle? That's a much more epic name than he came up with. If it sticks, Cain decides he will change the official name of their Guild Castle.
"One in a hundred is a bit low. At least twice that many left in their undergarments."
"Is it true that you called a thousand Seraphim to aid you? I thought it was a lie, but there's a real live one here with you." A boy who stopped to eavesdrop cuts in.
Evangeline ruffles his hair. "Close to that, but the Dragons are the terrifying ones. Seraphim are very friendly."
Laura, piling up preserved fruit, stops to stick out her tongue at the Seraphim. "You say Dragons are the mean ones, but who ate the last pancake this morning?"
The merchants, who think she's a type of Pixie, all laugh at her priorities, and Laura brings the bag of fruit to Cain. "Put this in your inventory. Elmira and Kone aren't answering, and my inventory is full of candy."
"Do you seriously make them hold your snacks?"
"It's a sharing system. We ask for a flavor, and whoever has it trades it over to the hungry person." The Dragon says proudly.
"Plus, they claimed a storage room in Montauk just for nonperishable candy," Vala adds. Hopefully, their respective species don't get diabetes; that's a lot of candy.
A swim is next on the list, but with the limited appearance options of the Companions, this proves to be a somewhat difficult situation. They can't swim nude in public, but if they equip anything, it becomes their default armor appearance. They're about to declare it a bust and save the swimming for when they're in a private area when Cain comes up with the long overlooked and simplest solution.
They could be using Nemu's [Troubadour's Transformation] skill to give them all appearances that can wear a bathing suit. While Nemu constantly uses it on herself, she can also use the skill on the rest of her group members for a party wide disguise.
Sure, the only option she has is Beastkin, but becoming a group of catgirls is deemed better than not swimming. Misha and Mythryll donate a collection of casual wear and swimsuits to the cause, and the group finds a restaurant bathroom to change in while Cain buys ice Cream.
What comes back out are seven Felian girls in their younger teens, all in casual dresses and sandals or deck shoes. "All of you? Let me guess, nobody wanted to be left out?"
"Exactly. And in fully furred, less endowed forms, we shouldn't get hit on as much. You might not be aware, but the more human-looking species are quite popular among the men." Nemu gives him a look that clearly says she expects to be praised for her genius and sees no potential issues with her choices, so Cain gives in and pets her head until the Felian begins to purr.
They finish their ice cream cones on the way to the beach and pass Cain their shoes the moment they reach the shore. "Last one in pays for dinner."
The white sand gives way to pleasantly warm and crystal clear water, so clean you can see the bottom even where it's five meters deep. Perfect for swimming, tag games, and using Cain as a diving board, climbing on to his shoulders to jump into the water. They play until Misha and Mythryll are exhausted, needing Cain to carry them back up to dinner, much to the amusement of the crowd of vacationers.
The change in appearance seems to have relaxed everyone. Knowing that their names and actual looks are hidden, they let loose, joking, playing pranks, and laughing until it starts getting dark and it's time to head back to the ship. Before they leave Cain stocks up on the fruity drinks everyone liked best, knowing they'll be in demand again soon.
Plus, you can't have a tropical vacation without fruit and Rum; it just doesn't work.
The guards at the dock give Cain a strange look, recalling him coming ashore with a very different group of ladies. Still, they're well paid not to ask unnecessary questions about what the wealthy vacationers are into, so they make sure everyone gets in the small boat safely and then return to their posts.
"This form is nice; I've never had a tail before." Misha giggles, more than a bit drunk from the combination of sun and Rum heavy fruit slush drinks.
Cain snickers and pets her from her head to the top of her tail, making her wiggle in delight.
"Again, again. How does Nemu ever get anything done? I would want someone to pet me all day." She sighs, leaning against his side.
Vala and Laura take over rowing so Cain can have his hands free to pet, sharing a knowing smirk at the dirty look Cain is getting from the vessels they pass. His reputation will have hit rock bottom by morning, not that it was far from it to begin with.
"Nila, let's set sail. I think everyone had enough fun here that we can head to the next stop on your map." Cain instructs as he carries Misha to bed, still in the Felian transformation.
Evangeline uses a light spell from the crow's nest to light the way out of the harbor, helping them avoid shallow spots and underwater hazards until they're in deeper water. The ship gets up to cruising speed just in time for Cain to drift off to sleep with the ball of fur that is Misha passed out beside him.
Whatever they put in those drinks is something else for her to get this drunk at such a high level. He'll have to pick up more of it later.
