Chapter 18: Worries

A few minutes later, Dalene comes back with the drivers, turns out they had not fled, but hid some distance away to observe the course of the fight. As soon as they arrive, Dalene and the men unfasten the nets from the carts, free the horse and pull them near the dead behemoth. It takes some times, but with the strength of eight human and four horses, they finally managed to load the foul beast on one of the carts.

- I didn’t realize how bad it was because of the fight, but damn, it stinks… Do we really need to transport the damn thing to the capital?

- I never heard of a beast like that, so yes, we do. Don’t worry, I’ll do my best to preserve it and seal it, so it shouldn’t stink as much.

- Wait a minute, aren’t we going to lose our pay if you do that?

- Maybe, I’ll have the mayor and bailiff write legal documents regarding that matter but I cannot say for sure we will get paid.

- Then let’s forget about it, it’s not worth the trouble!

- It’s three crowns for proof of discovering a new species, two more for a specimen, and up to ten if it’s well preserved. At this point, the contract’s pay barely matters anymore.

- I never heard of that.

- Neither did I.

- It’s not like you would have had the opportunity, discoveries are pretty rare, I haven’t heard of anything major since I started.

- That long? I mean there’s been a lot of exploration going since the great reclamation, I would have thought there’d be a lot of new species sighted.

- That’s to be expected, it’s not like the kingdom expended very far either, it’s been like fifty leagues at best.

While they were discussing, the group has come in view of the village, and Judging from the way the villagers are all waiting outside, the news of the hunters’ victory already reached them.

- Wonderful sight brave hunters, you felled the monstrous beast. In the name all present here, let me thank you.

- We simply fulfilled our part of the contract. More importantly, I would like to buy some alcohol, the purest the better.

He gets a book and shows the mayor a page with drawings of plants.

- Also, is there a way to procure these?

The mayor and the people suddenly look gloom, it seems they understood the team’s desire to preserve their prey from the short exchange, a prey the hungry villagers were looking forward to eating.

Dalene who is just as capable of reading the mood takes the mayor apart to explains the situation to him, and although the man nods, there is no heart in it. Seeing he’s getting nowhere like this, Dalene changes his tactic.

- From my early analysis, this beast is probably inedible, its body contains an unhealthy amount of fat, and under its skin, there are small organs that produce a slimy substance that expand in contact with water, and eating it would probably kill you. Also, remember it ate a child just a few days ago.

That last sentence is enough, after asking the bailiff to help gather the necessary ingredient, the mayor leaves Dalene to speak with the villager, and soon, they are either going home or getting ready to fish.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Obtaining the necessary ingredients cost Dalene two and a half silvers, which is more than what they got from the reward, and for the local merchants, the first profit they made in days.

Due to this and the fishermen’s haul, by the time nightfall, the villagers are in a much better mood and the tension from earlier seems like a lie.

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Later that night, Dalene, who is the only one with the right knowledge, works alone on the enormous body. With the help of the locals, he managed to make a crate waterproof enough to contain the corpse and the altered alcohol and all that is left for him is to close the crate and seal it with tar.

But why is he working alone despite the others offer to help? The answer is simply because of how he felt when his beloved Belina was in danger. Coupled with his earlier failure to see through the noble trap, Dalene has spent his day self-loathing.

Dark thoughts rarely come alone, and now he is wondering if the creature really was a new species, asking himself if he’s just spent the villagers' reward to destroy their chance to earn the true recompense.

He hears some noises behind him and turns around, Arc is standing there, looking tired. He asks:

- What are you doing there at this time, I thought you went to sleep.

- I couldn’t take it anymore, you look pathetic.

- I don’t see what are you talking about…

- The thing with Nyx lord wasn’t entirely your fault, and we made a profit anyway. Now, I’ll admit if this thing ends up being a known species and we don’t get paid I’ll be pissed, but you cannot know everything! You know, besides Belina, you’re the one with the costliest job, but unlike her, your expenses aren’t shouldered by the team.

- So what?

- Even if you bought every book in every city, you still wouldn’t be able to keep up with what’s going on at the scale of a country. Give yourself some slack!

- You may be saying that now, but you admitted yourself you will be pissed at me!

- That’s how things are, we get angry at people for things outside their control, then we forget and move on. Don’t get your stomach in a knot, we’ll deal with it when the time comes.

Dalene looks at Arc for a while then answer:

- That’s the worst pep talk ever.

Arc laugh

- I know right, that was the complete opposite of encouraging. I tried dozens of sentences in my head before coming here and forgot everything at the last moment.

- I should at least thank you for trying… And offer you some books, you really need to do some reading.

- Thanks for the offer but, when do you expect me to read with my daily routine?

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A few days later, at the capital’s central office, the staff is far more accommodating than anyone would have expected. They soon discover there are two factors to the staff attitude. The first one is the director, being a former naturalist himself, he always pushes toward the acquisition of new specimens. The second, is the lord, a severe yet generous individual who is as feared by the wicked that he is liked by those in need.

- How interesting, what you describe resembles a known animal, but known specimens are only three feet long, not twenty. What did you say were the creature peculiarities?

- It secretes a gelatinous substance, it’s very slippery and grows many times in volume when in contact with water. It’s four eyes, capable of looking over and below water at the same time and its body has many layers of fat and skin to protect it from attacks.

- It’s very different from the small ones indeed. And you say it devours its prey whole, just like a snake?

- I haven’t seen it myself, but the villagers say it swallowed a young child whole.

- Interesting…

Realizing what he just said, the man corrects himself.

- Tragic, really tragic obviously. What I meant to say was that this creature looks and act like a hybrid of multiple animals and fish. Tell me more about the way it fought, and everything you learned from the villager.

Dalene recounts the events once more, giving a wealth of details he skipped over the first time.

- I would have never expected such a level of intelligence and adaptability from a creature like that. Understanding the nature of projectiles weapons despite encountering them for the first time, using humans to procure its food. I am convinced this Behemoth must be put on the list of dangerous creatures to be exterminated on sight.

The director whispers:

- Don’t you feel like the Behemoth have shown clearer signs of intelligence of late?

Dalene answer in kind.

- I do, I heard that big predators who used to rush at the hunter’s traps now start with attempts at intimidation before fighting humans. You must have heard of the giant gorilla? The one we encountered recently were using slave vanguards, feints, and crude weapons.

- I am glad to see I am not the only one thinking that way, most of my peers look at me like I am going senile. I fear the army wasn’t thorough enough during the time of the reclamation. They underestimated behemoth, thinking of them as mere animals, and now the survivors have learned and adapted.

- I pray we are wrong.

- So, do I, so do I.