My body was working on autopilot, moving gingerly about the clearing to each fallen wolf and confirming the loot message. A bright light engulfed each wolf in turn; as the light faded, all that was left was the wolf pelt in two instances and teeth and claws in the other. All three wolves had a few copper coins thrown into the mix as well. I gathered the loot into my storage space and slowly hobbled to the river; about halfway there, I found a long stick to support my weight to take some pressure off my injured leg. Gem was mercifully quiet, only giving me directions gently, allowing me time to process everything that had happened.
When I reached the river, which was thankfully clear of animals and monsters, I stripped off my armor and clothes and waded into the water. Getting the wound on my leg as clean as I could, I pulled the extra shirt I had stuck into storage and wrapped it tightly around the wound to hopefully steam some of the blood loss until I could get back to town and have a healer look at it. With that done, I set about cleaning the rest of my clothes and armor as best I could, as well as the knife that had saved my life. The time I spent cleaning allowed me to finally come to terms with everything that had happened, or at least some of it. I was sure I was going to have nightmares for the next few nights, at any rate.
Something was also niggling at the back of my mind. Something I had and probably the rest of the world had just taken for granted. “Gem,” I asked, “Why can we loot animals just like we can monsters?”
“How is that possible? I was always taught that animals were mindless beasts who operated on instinct and had no special skills or abilities, unlike monsters, which could have those. Like those wolves, they only had their natural abilities and instincts with which to attack.
“I guess that makes sense,” I say. But that raises another question: How does the loot system actually work?” I could almost tell by how Gem answered my questions that she was trying to get my mind off what happened.
“I think I get it in a general sense, if not the details,” I say; by this time, I had started limping my way back to the footpath and, ultimately, town.
“Okay,” I respond, unsure what I was getting myself into. But I knew it was going to be interesting. Having known Gem for only a short time, one thing was becoming quite evident: she just wanted someone to talk to, and she was doing everything she could to make sure I survived, not that she’d found someone.
~ ~ ~
After what felt like hours but was probably only half an hour, I limped out of the forest onto the main road leading to the North Gate. It wasn’t long until a guard noticed me and motioned at another guard, and a few moments later, that guard and another figure in a robe made their way over to me.
“Ma’am, are you okay?” The guard asked.
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“Don’t be daft, man,” the other figure said; now that the two were closer, it was clear the figure in the robe was a woman, and she was wearing the robes of a member of the Mage’s guild. I knew the colors of the robe denoted the rank of a member, but I had never really paid attention, so I wasn’t sure what rank the woman’s blue robe signified. “Of course, she's not okay.” I instinctively took a step back when the woman tried to step closer. Clearly, I wasn’t as over the fight as I thought I was. “it's okay. I’m a healer.” the woman assured me in a kind and gentle voice, “I just want to take a look at your leg. Is that okay?” I hesitate a moment before nodding. As the woman kneels down to unwrap my makeshift bandage, I hear the guard take a sharp breath as the wound becomes fully visible.
“What happened?” the guard asks.
“I had just finished picking Millburn for a Request from the Adventures Guild,” I say, trying not to pay attention to what the woman was doing. “when three wolves appeared out of the forest. I was able to kill them, but the third was able to get its teeth into my leg before I could kill it. After the fight, I was able to find a river and cleaned and bandaged the wound the best I could before making my way back to town.”
“Well, there you go,” the woman said, “all healed up.” I realized she was right; the constant pain that I had grown accustomed to over the last hour or so was gone. “And you can put in your report that it is my expert opinion that the injury was consistent with bite marks,” the woman added to the guard.
The guard raised his hand in a defeated gesture. “Fine, fine. Anyway, what's the name I should put on the report?”
“Malissa Cobbler,” I say on reflex, and I notice both of their eyes go wide.
“You wouldn’t happen to be Guildmaster William and Guildmistress Cassandra’s daughter?” the guard asked.
“Yes,” I say, “why?”
The guard groaned, “The captain’s going to want to hear about this. She’s in no danger from her injuries,” the last part was directed at the woman.
“No,” the woman responds, then turns to me, “but I suggest you take it easy for the next few days. Healing only speeds up your body's natural repair ability, so you still need to spend time recuperating, and you should have something to eat when you get home.”
“Okay,” I say, “am I good to go now? I would really like to turn in the request before I head home.”
The guard stares at me like I’m crazy before sighing, “Fine, I’m sure the captain will be able to contact you if there’s anything else.”
“Thanks,” I say to the guard, and I start to move around them before pausing and turning to the woman. “How much do I owe you for the healing?”
“Nothing,” the guard cuts in, “the Guard will cover the cost.”
“Oh, Thank you,” I say, resuming my way to the gate.
~ ~ ~
Before I entered the Guildhall, I found an empty area where I stealthily pulled the basket of herbs from my storage and the pelts and other loot from the wolves. I entered the Guildhall. It was slightly busier than earlier, but it was still not as busy as when I came with Dad. I went to the redemption desk and got into the small line. It was only a few minutes before it was my turn.
“What can we do for you today, Ma’am?” the guy behind the desk asked.
“I’d like to turn in a request as well as some loot.”
“Very good. Can I see your guild card?” the guy asked. I handed it over, and he placed it on a small crystal-like square embedded into the desk, similar to the one the receptionist had used earlier. “Looks like you have an open request to gather Millburn. Is that the request you’d like to turn in?”
“Yes.”
“Can I see the herbs?” he asked, and I handed him the basket. “Quality looks good,” he said after examining them. “Okay, I’ll mark the quest as complete. The reward is ten copper and one guild point. Do you have an account with us, or do you want the reward in coins?”
“Coins,” I say.
“You said you also had some loot to sell. Can I see them as well?” I had over the pelt, teeth, and claws. “Two standard wolf pelts. I can give you seven copper for both. Four standard wolf teath and two standard wolf claws, I can give you six copper for the lot. For a total of thirteen copper. I assume you’d like this in coin as well.”
“Yes”
“Okay, give me a second. I need to go into the back to get the coins. Here is your guild card back.” The guys said, handing me the card before disappearing into the back of the Guildhall, only to return a few moments later with one silver, three copper coins, and a sheet of paper.
“Here you are, ma’am. I just need you to sign this indicating that you received your thirteen coppers in the form of one silver and three coppers.” I did as asked, and the guy smiled and said, “Enjoy the rest of your day.”
“Thank you,” I say, dropping the coins into my pocket, where they fashioned into my storage space. Letting out a sign, I exited the guild with a grin. Thirteen copper plus the seven copper that had dropped as loot, I now had twenty copper to my name. The most money I’ve ever had in my life. But then I remembered that the new adventurer training classes were five silvers per class. It was going to take some time to get the money necessary, for one thing I was sure was that I couldn’t count on the windfall I had gotten today to continue.
I was about to retort but realized, to some extent, Gem was right. The whole economy was based on the coins that were dropped when monsters were looted.