Mateo wasted no time before hopping into the shower, rubbing off all the excrement on him by using a combo of the best shampoos and bars of soap known to mankind.
Stepping out of the shower he heard a knock on the door and without thinking much of it opened it.
In entered Leone, Ayleen, Amber and Amy with concerned looks, well that was how it was before Amy saw his naked torso covered by water droplets and started blushing. Something both Mateo and Amber noticed in no time.
Amber scoffed at her sister's attitude wondering what sort of attraction she felt for a bulked up guy like Mateo when she herself preferred the compact and streamlined body like Leone's.
Mateo merely took mental notes for the future after all he didn't know what the future held for him and his love life.
The only ones left from the weird Amy - Mateo dynamic were Ayleen and Leone, who either didn't even notice the weird atmosphere or didn't care able it.
Feeling his skin turn itchy after absorbing the water on him Mateo asked the reason for their visits, focusing all his effort on not scratching himself to keep his cool persona in front of Amy.
"Hmm, oh yeah right. What was up earlier Mateo, I mean when Ayleen shot the arrow it was headed straight for the bullseye mark, then a huge gust of wind blew it straight to you. Luckily you have upgraded your endurance stats so you wouldn't even have died. Maybe" Leone said first with a smirk on his fox- like face and a gentle swish of his furry tail, unconsciously charming his two admirers even further.
"And sorry for throwing the stick to hit you. I didn't see you there. And I would never dream of hitting you, stick or not. Sorry that you also fell in Dusty's pile of ... you know" mumbled out Amy, still riding the wave of happiness she was feeling whenever she snuck a glance at Mateo's chiseled torso.
"Oh, speaking of doo doo, didn't that bird form earlier also nuke your head. Strange, the first bird we've seen in days and it decided to drop a bomb on your head. Maybe because it looks like a dump site or something " added Amber, looking at her sister from the corner of her eye and as explained, she wasn't happy.
"Ha haa, seems like you're having a sh*tty day Mateo. And you're the one supposed to have good luck, weird. Cool chain though, where'd ya get it from." asked Leone.
"I bought it at the end of my third calling along with the earth manipulation spellbook, it's supposed to form a barrier around me that can protect me from the force of a TIER 1 attack. The only problem is that it needs too much mana. It needs a 100 mana points to generate a barrier and even after wearing it for about an hour I have given it only 14 mana points."
"Cool skill but it doesn't explain why you are the center of attraction for aerial stink bombs and terrestrial shitmines."
"I was getting to that. Apparently me unlocking the LUCK stat was a mistake that should never have happened. FragHIM said that the luck stat was too powerful for me to handle and so has been locked till further notice. He also said that I would have normal luck till it is unlocked, with random streaks of bad luck here and there, like earlier."
"Well that's too bad, guess we know who isn't winning the next poker tournament. Who is this FragHIM by the way."
"He's that ball of light who appears at the end of the calling."
"Weird. Why would you name a ball of light that just brings up a holographic list of what you can afford with your coins. Don't tell me you were lonely or something."
"What- no. I didn't name him, he told me his name."
"Rigghht, the ball of light is a he now and he told you to call him FragHIM. Whatever, I just want to see the barrier skill in action so I'll fill it up with some mana."
As the only one in the group to have unlocked the Energy stat, Leone's mana pool was the biggest, and with no effort at all he lifted the chain's mana count to 85, saving a bit for himself so as to not feel nauseous.
The girls who had been watching the best friends argue from their seat in the mini- sofa in Mateo's room got up, ready to supply the chain with mana.
Ayleen went up first and deposited 6 points of mana, leaving 1 for herself. Amber followed up and added 8 points, leaving 2 for herself. As a magical sea creature, she needed more mana to regulate body functions out of the water.
Last up was Amy who dropped of one point of mana. As someone who had only experienced one calling, her mana capacity and control was the least, something she used as an excuse to touch Mateo's chain which just so happened to be on his firm chest.
The chain gave out a very dull silver glow, a signal that it was ready for use. The moment Amy stepped away, Leone struck Mateo's chest with a light punch, wanting to see if the barrier would activate. It did not, and the surprised Mateo was left with an ache in his chest, one not caused by heartbreak.
Before another attack could be delivered, Mateo asked for a break to clothe himself, suggesting that he would meet them at the archery practice area to test the strength of the barrier with them.
Alone in the room once more, Mateo rushed to the shower for the third time that day township away the itchiness brought about by dried up water. He cleaned himself, applied cream and dressed before leaving to meet the group of sadists looking to find out how his barrier worked by making him undergo a series of torturous tests.