Gwen paid little attention to the villagers that she and the reaper were passing through. That was an old habit of hers. Getting lost in her inner world was a good way to escape from an indigestible reality.
As they went to the farm where they would perform their first quest, Gwen tried to strike up a conversation with the reaper a few times. He could answer things related to the system accurately and systematically, but didn't answer anything more personal.
The reaper had said that he never imagined his life as having another class, other goals. At that moment, she had known the truth.
She had seen too many slaves during her life. Slaves were not only those with chains on their legs and pickaxes in their hands. There were slaves to money, to drink, to women. There was also the worst kind. The slave who had never tasted freedom, and therefore did not know he was a slave.
As they walked along, she kicked the stones on the path toward the goblin. That goblin was not normal. So far, all shots had been deflected by the little creature, who looked straight and only at its summoner.
"Are we there yet?" the Rogue asked, once again. She knew the answer, but her patience was reaching its limits. She needed a little action.
"For the thousandth time, no. I suggest you save the will to talk and use it to walk," the reaper said, slightly out of breath. The years as being an immortal creature had left the man unaccustomed.
Gwen couldn't lie; she liked to tease Bonny. When death had found her, he was wearing the cloak of the eternal slumber. At that time, she felt no inflection in his voice.
But now, after the transformation into a human, she could feel it clearly. Anger, weariness, every feeling was exaggerated in that human who had left humanity behind long ago, and only now regained it.
Gwen didn't miss the details. When they ate hot broth, the hungry look. When he tried on new clothes, the small smile when he looked in the mirror.
Death could try to fool itself. It couldn't fool Gwen.
After a few more hours of walking, they finally arrived at the farm. The place was the typical family establishment, with a wooden house and some long unrepaired fences.
"I suppose this is it," said the reaper. "Where are the wolves? Let's get it over with."
Gwen sighed deeply. It seemed she would need to teach, in exchange for the extra XP promised, manners. "That's not how we do things around here. First let's talk to our contractor, see how the situation is. I might as well accept a plate of hot food, too."
The reaper stared at her for long seconds, expressing his clear displeasure with the delay. A startled snore coming from the man's belly, however, betrayed him.
"Well... I guess we can take a little break," he said.
As they walked to the house, Gwen looked again at the little goblin who was walking with eyes on his summoner. She had never heard of monster summoners. Beasts and animals, yes. But a goblin summoner was new.
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When they reached the door, Gwen knocked three times on the wood, which creaked on contact. She was finding the situation more and more strange. The farmer, whoever he was, did not seem to be able to pay the reward for the mission.
"One moment, I'll be right there," said a faint voice from inside the door.
A lady who seemed too old for any manual labor opened the door for the adventurers. She wore a stained apron and had matted white hair.
The old woman looked Gwen and the reaper from head to toe. Her gaze hovered a little longer on the reaper. "You must be the adventurers. Am I right, handsome?"
Gwen held back her laughter when she saw Bonny's cheeks acquire a slight shade of red.
"Err, madam, we are here to accomplish the mission. I'm afraid we don't have much time to waste. But, we could use a good meal to accomplish the mission efficiently and quickly," the reaper said.
Giving her partner a gentle nudge, Gwen approached the elderly woman. "Forgive his manners, please. What he meant is that we have had a tiring and long day. That makes us unfit to face the terrible monsters around here. I wonder if we could get some rest."
The elderly woman agreed with her head before even Gwen could finish her sentence. "But of course! Come in, Nana will bring you something nice to eat."
When they entered the house, what awaited them matched the outside. Furniture that had not been properly maintained for a long time added to the many faults in the structure of the building. It did not look like a livable house.
When they reached the kitchen, Nana served a piece of bread with something that looked like some meat. The reaper pondered whether or not to risk eating the mysterious food that had just arrived at the table.
Gwen, on the other hand, didn't blink. Life had not been kind to her. Being too picky with what to eat was not something that would work out.
After they devoured the food, Gwen took the dishes to the sink. Now she could concentrate better. "So ma'am. Where are the wolves you said? Are they threatening you?"
Nana looked at the floor, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. "Not quite, young lady. My husband, Gerald, died a few months ago. He was a retired hunter. "
Nana walked over to the next bookshelf and picked up a photo that had apparent weather marks on it. In it, a young couple posed happily beside a wooden house.
Gwen felt a mix of feelings. She couldn't help but notice how beautiful Nana was in her youth. However, she couldn't help but notice how decadent the property looked now, compared to a few years in the past.
"Gerald and I were very happy. But no one can beat time, my dear. You remind me a little of him, actually," Nana said, pointing at Bonny. "My husband was friends with these wolves. He fed them regularly, you can be sure. But when he died, the wolves stopped having food. Since they weren't used to not having at least a little food from the farm, they started attacking the nearby animal farms."
Gwen's intuition beeped. Gerald should have been a Druid, albeit a low level one. She decided not to raise the subject with Nana. Some people didn't like to say share their classes and abilities.
After pulling herself together, Nana took a deep breath and looked at Gwen again. "My son is insisting that I move in with him. He says I won't be able to take care of myself any longer, and sometimes I think he's right. However, I'm afraid the wolves will end up hunting down someone from the village. So, I have hired adventurers with the hope that this will finally be solved. I'm lucky that such good people accepted," added the old woman, smiling.
After absorbing all that information, Gwen and the reaper went to explore the property. She at least didn't feel bad about using the little old lady's savings. According to Nana, she would not need it, as her son would take care of her.
"What do you think of the situation?" Gwen asked.
Since they had left the house, the reaper had not spoken a word.
"I think her husband was probably a Druid. If he is, wolves are probably semi-domesticated. It's a shame to end up with animals like that," he said. Although he didn't know why, when he understood the situation, part of him wanted to simply give up the mission. Putting an end to those wolves seemed somehow wrong.
"I thought the same thing, too. Let's detect their hiding place first, and then we'll think about what to do, shall we?" Gwen said.
The reaper stared at the horizon, determination stamped on his face. "Good thinking."
It was time to hunt.