Rick took another good long look at Natasha, and his brain was full of disgusting scenarios where he wanted to be dominated in every possible place imaginable. And that's not it, he really wanted to scream 'MOMMY!' at her. Well... who wouldn't?
"See? The narrator gets it."
"Whenever I want to masturbate, I think of a milf like this... I want her to be responsible for me." Sebastian was disgusted when Rick said it without thinking.
"You need help. "You need a lot of help, and you need it as quickly as possible!"
"Stop talking! Whenever I meet a new mature woman, I feel excited and motivated to improve myself in order to win her over!"
"Additionally, loving a mature woman is completely normal for anyone who is cultured, unlike those who are attracted to little girls or underage girls. That's fucking disgusting, alright?"
"Whatever you say, you milf-loving freak."
Natasha went straight to Miraya's desk and didn't even look at anyone else in the guild hall. "Any requests for Hollowshade from the party?"
"Yes, actually," Miraya said carefully. "A new adventurer named Rick Rolland just signed up for it, and he is ready to work with you."
Natasha's ice blue eyes moved to Rick, as if she were looking him over. She looked him up and down with obvious disgust. "That adventurer right there... who was level two?"
"Yes," Miraya said.
"He has never fought before."
"That's right."
"He's going to die in the first room."
"Maybe."
"I'm not carrying dead weight through a dungeon," Natasha said in a flat voice. She turned around and left.
"Wait," Rick yelled, getting up.
He knew he should let her go, but he needed this quest. "I don't have any experience, but I'm a quick learner. And I won't make you go slower."
Natasha stopped and turned to look at him. Her face still looked like it always does, with a scowl. "You don't even have a weapon."
"I'll buy one before we leave."
"Do you know how to use it?"
"I'll figure it out."
"You're going to figure it out," she said again, this time with a lot of sarcasm. "How comforting. What's your profession, if I may know?"
Rick thought for a moment. This was the time when he could lie, but the guild card didn't let him. "Mature Affinity User."
A few adventurers nearby laughed. Natasha's eyes got smaller. "So you're the adventurer everyone has been talking about because of that unusual profession. The man who gets power by seducing older women."
Rick said, "That's not how it works."
"I don't care how it works." Natasha put her arms across her chest. "Here's what I'm offering."
"We're going to Hollowshade at dawn tomorrow. I'll clear the dungeon, and you stay behind me and don't die."
"We split the prize sixty-forty in my favor because I'll be doing all the work. If you agree, meet me at the north gate at dawn."
"I'll leave without you if you're even one minute late, you got that?
It wasn't a partnership so much as indentured servitude, but Rick didn't have any other choices. "Okay."
Before leaving the guild hall, Natasha looked at him one last time with disdain. As soon as she left, the noise level went back to normal.
"Well," Miraya said weakly, "that went better than I thought it would. She usually just says no right away."
Rick asked, "Why did she agree that easily...?"
"Maybe because she's been waiting three days for someone to join her on the quest, and now that someone has, her pride won't let her back out." Miraya took out a piece of paper with suggestions for gear. "You'll need a weapon and some basic armor."
"You can rent starter gear from the guild store on the second floor if you leave a deposit."
...
Rick got ready for the rest of the night. He used most of the silver he made from the escort quest to rent a simple short sword, a wooden shield, and light leather armor. The gear was old but still worked, and the guild armorer gave him a thirty-minute crash course on how to not stab himself right away.
The armorer said in a serious tone, "Keep the pointy end toward the enemy. You'd be surprised how many people forget that."
Rick lay on the bed that night, staring at the ceiling and trying not to think about all the ways he could die the next day. The weakest dungeon monsters were supposed to be slimes, which were basically practice enemies. But if he were dumb or unlucky, tutorial enemies could still kill him.
"Are you nervous?" Sebastian asked, showing up on the desk.
Rick said, "Not going to lie, I'm kinda scared."
"Good. Fear keeps you on your toes. Keep in mind that Natasha is a powerful mage."
"Stay behind her, do what she says, and don't do anything stupid that makes you look like a hero. Your job is to stay alive and help others, not to be the main character."
"Thanks for the talk."
"I'm not here to babysit your ass, okay? I'm here to make sure you don't miss out on this chance." Sebastian's face suddenly got very serious. "Natasha Ravenscar is the kind of person who can help you grow at an incredible rate."
"She is strong, has a lot of experience, and has the emotional barriers that make affection gains big. If you can get her to respect you, even a little bit, the rewards will be big."
"And what if I can't?"
"Then your dungeon run will be terrible, and you'll get very little experience. But you should be able to live."
"Natasha won't let her party members die, even if she hates them. It's a matter of professional pride."
That made Rick feel a little better, even though it was small. He finally fell asleep and dreamed of ice magic and people looking at him like they were judging him.
...
Dawn came far too soon. Rick got out of bed, put on the armor he had rented, and walked to the north gate.
Natasha was already there, and she looked just as unapproachable as she did yesterday. She looked at him once, saw that he was on time, and then walked away without saying anything.
"Wow... she's really cold like an ice queen, but still... it's hot for me! I want to be stomped by her."
"Get your ass moving, you freaky bastard!" Sebastian smacked his head.
"Aw! What the fuck!"
It took about an hour to walk to Hollowshade Cave. Rick knew better than to try to talk to Natasha because she didn't say anything the whole time. When they got to the cave entrance, she stopped and turned to look at him.
"Rules," she said in a curt voice. "First, you do what I say right away and without question."
"Two, you stay behind me unless I tell you to go ahead."
"Three, you run when I tell you to. Don't try to be brave or help me. Just run."
"Understood?"
"Got it," Rick said.
"Good. Slimes are weak on their own, but they can be dangerous when they are in groups. They attack by firing acidic projectiles that will burn through your armor and skin."
"Don't let them surround you. Stay mobile and aim for their cores." She took out her staff, and it started to glow with a cold blue light.
"Let's go."