"Eeaakk!!" The goblin screams as it repeatedly stabs Soren in the chest while on top of him. Jack rushes to Soren. He swung his fist at the goblin so hard that its head exploded upon impact. "Soren," Jack called out, "Beatrice, he needs help. You gotta heal him!" Beatrice was unresponsive. The near-death experience put her in shock. All she did was repeat that she doesn't want to die. "Shit! Suvi, Soren needs help! Everyone, regroup around Soren!" Jack yelled out. Everyone but Elwin regrouped around Soren.

Everyone formed a wall around Soren while Suvi was trying to heal him. Beatrice was still freaking out. Runa slapped Beatrice several times, yelling to get her to snap out of it. Beatrice eventually snapped out of her freak-out and gasped. She then saw Soren on the floor choking. "Soren!" She screamed and tried to get him to drink potions. After choking down all of Beatrice's potions and being healed by Suvi Multiple times, Soren rolled over and started coughing and heaving the blood in his system.

Finally, able to stop coughing, he took a deep breath. Soren screamed as hard as he could out of anger, startling everyone. He looked around to see only a handful of goblins left. Looking at the dead goblin near him, he saw the bloody dagger on the ground. He grabbed the weapon and barreled toward one of the remaining goblins. In a blind rage, he screamed like a banshee scaring the goblin. Soren tackled the goblin and mounted it. Still screaming, he stabbed it continuously. Ignoring its cries in pain, he would not relent. He did not hear the girl's pleas to stop. Trying to resist, it took both Jack and Fynn to pull Soren off the mangled corpse. Seeing Soren's rage, the last few goblins tried to flee but were cut down when Soren broke free from Jack and Fynn.

Runa: "Soren. Soren! Please calm down!"

Beatrice: "S-Soren?"

He eventually calmed down and caught his breath. It was a fight-or-flight response he experienced. The girls started approaching Soren.

Jack: "Stay back! He went into a rage and may still be irrational."

Suvi: "Hey, you ok, kid?"

Fynn: "He'll be fine. Just give him a moment to collect himself."

Elwin: "That's what happens when you're weak."

Beatrice: "Tell me you didn't just say that?"

Elwin: "What? He's weak! Had Jack not saved him, that goblin would have killed you too."

Soren collected himself and walked to the area where his sword broke. He found his sword's blade, picked it up, and put it in his sheath.

Soren: "Let's just call the miners and get this over with."

The miners could not get the wagon into the cave, so they had to make several trips carrying the extracted ore. Soren looked at Elwin's group standing around while he and the girls took the ore to the wagon.

Soren: "Would you mind helping us carry the ore?"

Elwin snickered: "Nope! I'm not a laborer, Ha ha."

After a couple of hours, they collected all of the ore.

Driver: "I'm sorry, but some of you must walk. We'll keep a slow pace.

Everyone laid their weapons back in the cart. The girls sat in the wagon while the guys walked.

"Thank you for helping me save Soren," Beatrice said to Suvi.

Runa: "Yes, thank you so much."

Suvi: "No prob. Question. Has he snapped like that before?"

The girls look and each other, thinking, Runa: "Um. Kind of? When we fought the giant muridae, he acted similarly."

Beatrice: "They swarmed us, and he was poisoned."

Suvi: "I see. That fight or flight response could become problematic if he doesn't learn to manage it."

Runa: "Yeah, we'll talk to him about it."

Suvi: "Elwin is right, though; he's weak. That weakness will get him killed one day."

Beatrice: "He's still a new adventurer! He'll get stronger!"

Suvi: "He'll need a new weapon first."

Runa: "I heard him mention his sword was wobbling."

Beatrice: "Really?" she picked up Soren's sheath and removed the blade.

She inspected the blade and noticed the indent where the blade snapped. Barely any wear was on the edge. A few nicks and scratches but nothing that would indicate the weapons' failing. She grabbed the sword's handle and lined up the blade with the sword.

"Theirs an indent in Soren's sword," Beatrice said, getting angry.

Suvi had a surprised expression; Runa: "What?"

Beatrice: "His sword was sabotaged!" she looks at Elwin.

Suvi: "Wait you're not implying Elwin did it, are you?"

Beatrice: "He's hated Soren since the day he met him!"

Suvi: "You don't know if Elwin did it. It could have broke from wear!"

Beatrice grabbed her sword and the bloody dagger Soren picked up to compare the blade with the indent. She then placed the edge of each weapon individually over the cut, but it was too large for either of them to make.

Beatrice: "Driver, can you wait for a moment?"

Driver: "Uh, sure."

Runa: "What's up, Beatrice?"

Beatrice: "A few goblins in the cave had weapons; let's collect them! Soren, come with us!"

The trio collected the weapons—a few old swords and daggers. Suvi followed behind them.

Fynn: "What are they doing?"

Elwin: "Who cares?"

After returning to the wagon, the group set off back to Fulda.

Jack: "Just gonna say that wasn't cool, man."

Elwin: "You should have let the idiot die.."

Fynn: "Beatrice would have been next, you know."

Elwin: "Suvi would have saved her!"

Fynn: "I'm not so sure about that."

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Elwin: "Tch!"

Beatrice: "OK. I compared all these weapons, and none could have made the indent in Soren's sword."

Suvi: "That doesn't mean it was Elwin!"

Beatrice: "How about we find out? Runa, help me with his sword."

Suvi: "No, wait!"

Runa: "You know something, don't you?"

Suvi: "Maybe. Look, he's a good guy, but theirs's no telling what he'll do when he doesn't get his way."

Beatrice: "Runa!"

Runa: "Yeah!"

The girls lined up Elwin's large sword with the indent in Soren's sword and learned that they matched. Suvi, embarrassed, covered her face.

Suvi: "Why!? Why would he do that!?"

The trip back took considerably longer due to walking, and it was now dusk. Finally, the group made it to the Guild, where Dalic was waiting outside.

Dalic: "Welcome back! Whoa! That's an astonishing amount of ore you collected. Much more than I anticipated. My deepest appreciation to you all."

Elwin: "With a good amount of goblins! You should consider yourself lucky we were asked to join the quest, or you wouldn't have it!"

Dalic: "Really? I hope all went well." (Soren hands Dalic the request form)

Elwin: "The weakling almost died, haha. If only he did me a favor."

Beatrice: "Are you kidding-"

Soren: "UGH! We'd appreciate it if you could spare us your superiority complex. You're not a hero! Just an egoist.. plebian!"

Elwin: "Excuse me!?"

Soren: "You heard me! Plebian! What? Don't you like it when you're the one being insulted?"

Fynn: "Enough! Let's finish this!"

Dalic: "Er, yes.. my client wasn't happy with the terms of the request being changed, but I'm sure he'll be excited with the amount you collected. I'll give him some extra ore to compensate."

Elwin: "Good then. If you're satisfied, let's get this over with! I've had more than enough of him!"

Alulia: "Hey everyone, how did it go? Oh (she noticed Soren's bloody shirt), Well, you're here; that's what matters. So what were the monsters inhabiting the cave?"

Soren: "Goblins... a lot of them."

Alulia: "Then there must have been a lot of ore in the cave to attract them."

Soren: "Yeah.. we filled the wagon we rode in."

Alulia: "Really? Now that I know what monsters were there, let me get your rewards."

Dalic stamped the document and handed it to Alulia. As both groups waited for their rewards, a man entered the guild, and Dalic approached him. "Must be Dalic's client," Soren thought to himself. Dalic talked with the man for a while. Finally, Alulia returned with two sacks.

Alulia: "OK. Here you go, Soren. Here are 500 coins for completing the request. It would have been 1000, but because the Guild Master demanded an experienced adventurer join, due to the unknown nature, we had to split your reward with Elwin."

Meanwhile, Beatrice was displaying visible anger, though Alulia did notice it. Alulia handed Elwin his reward, and he and his group began to leave. Elwin had a smirk on his face, and Beatrice couldn't hold back anymore.

Beatrice: "I would like to file a complaint with the Guild!" Elwin's group stopped and turned around.

This got the attention of everyone in the Guild, and they all stopped what they were doing to watch.

Alulia: "Oh?", She knew Beatrice was angry.

Beatrice: "Yes! My complaint is against Elwin! Soren's sword was tampered with during the quest, which caused it to break, and I've confirmed it was Elwin that tampered with it." (So she's angry with Elwin, Alulia thought.)

(Chatter... chatter... Did something happen? Chatter... Did Elwin do something?...)

Elwin: "You're kidding, right? Why would I tamper with that idiot's sword?" (Alulia gave a facial expression as if she were thinking, "Did you just say that?")

(Chatter... I know he's arrogant, but I never thought he'd do something like that..)

Alulia: "That's a serious accusation. Can you prove it?"

Beatrice: "Yes, I can.. he used his sword to indent Soren's sword, which led to it snapping."

Elwin: "His cheap sword broke fighting a goblin."

Beatrice: "Runa, Soren, can you bring in the swords we collected from the goblins?"

Runa: "Sure."

Beatrice: "I verified with all those weapons, and none matched because the indent was too big. I then verified with Elwin's sword. His was the only large sword in the group, and it was a match."

Elwin: "You touched my sword?"

Soren and Runa returned and placed the weapons on the counter; Alulia: "Soren may I see your sword, please?" Soren handed over the sheathe and separated the handle. She looked over the handle and removed the blade from the sheathe, "It does look too big for a regular sword," Alulia said.

Alulia: "Elwin, your sword, please."

Elwin, visibly angry at first, refused to hand over his sword, "Elwin!" but eventually relented, knowing he would be punished for his action.

Elwin: "Fine!"

Alulia called over to Juna, "Hey would you mind holding this sword?"

"Sure," Juna replied.

After Alulia's inspection, she confirmed that Elwin sabotaged Soren's sword, "It's a match!" she said.

(Chatter.. chatter... I can't believe he did that.. chatter.. what a scumbag.. chatter.. the self-proclaimed hero scumbag..)

Alulia: "Due to the evidence presented, I've confirmed that you, Elwin, have sabotaged Soren's sword. In doing so, you purposely endangered the lives of your allies and the mining crew. Because of your transgression, you are immediately barred from all Guild activity for one month!"

Ewlin: "A month!? What am I supposed to due for coin!?"

Alulia: "Not my problem! Be lucky this is your first offense. I'm well within my right to ban you altogether for this. Instead, use this time to reflect on your actions and learn to treat your comrades better! Now take your reward and leave!"

Elwin grabbed his sword and reward, sulking, and left the Guild with his group behind him.

Alulia: "As a representative of the Adventurers Guild, I would like to formally apologize to you, Soren, for everything you went through due to his actions!"

Soren: "He may be a shitty person, but we wouldn't have done it without him and his group."

Runa: "You just need to get stronger!" Smiling

Beatrice: "Yeah! Someday you'll be stronger than him! Then you'll kick his ass!"

The trio was chuckling, "Hey, Soren!", Dalic called from a distance. The trio looked toward the direction of the call, "Come here for a moment!" Soren turned back to Alulia.

Soren: "Thank you, Miss Alulia."

Alulia: "Of course, have a wonderful night."

Dalic: "Soren, my boy, this is my client Tarble. He wanted to speak with you."

Tarble: "It's nice to meet you, Soren. Ladies."

The trio greeted Tarble. He's a slender well, dressed older man. He was looking to be of similar age to Dalic and tall.

Soren: "So, what did you want to speak to me about?"

Tarble: "Not here. Come. Let's go to my shop."

Runa: "I'm worn out."

Beatrice: "A bath sounds so good right now. We're going to eat and bathe. Don't be out too late, Soren."

As the girls head to Hilda's tavern, Soren, Dalic, and Tarble get onto the wagon and go to Tarble's shop. During the ride, Soren looked at the ore as it shimmered in the moon's light. Finally, they arrived at Tarble's shop, and from the outside, it looked like a typical shop, the interior, however, had a dark yet luxurious theme, almost regal. Upon entering, a man greeted Tarble. He was dressed in clothing somewhat fancier than that typical of a commoner though he had a collar around his neck. Soren looked at the man for a while. Even the man's collar had an elegance to it.

Dalic: "Oh? Interested in that man?"

Soren: "I was looking at that collar."

Tarble: "Are you interested in slaves then?"

Soren had a concerned look on his face, "Slaves!?"

Dalic: "Eh, Soren is a traveler from another country, still learning about all that goes on here."

Tarble: "Oh. Yes, slavery is legal in this country though rest assured, I do not abuse them and detest those that do."

Soren: "But why would someone want a slave?"

Tarble: "My slaves are usually sold to nobles and the wealthy. The men are often bought for their labor or service, and the women for their vitality. Nobles usually only mingle with other nobles, but when that's impossible, they'll pick an enslaved person to sire their heir."

Soren: "Why not just meet normal people?"

Tarble: "A valid question, but what would happen if a commoner suddenly came into wealth? Often the commoner's family fights over said wealth, sometimes leading to disaster."

Soren: "Then what's to stop the same thing from happening with a slave?"

Tarble: "These collars subjugate the enslaved using magic to prevent disobedience. I can't say what will happen to them when they're sold, but I do my utmost diligence to ensure they will be treated properly."

Soren: "You sound like Dalic."

Dalic: "Of course. Otherwise, I would not do business with him."

Soren: "Still, though, it makes me uncomfortable."

Tarble: "I can understand that sentiment. My older slaves were subjugated by others and sold to pay off debts or were forced after raiders killed their families. I'm a businessman with other trades to manage. So I purchase slaves to assist in those trades. For those I know nobles won't be interested, I have them work for me instead. Once their debt is settled, they'll have their freedom and can stay in my employ, should they choose. Most of my younger slaves are kidnapped orphans from ravaged and burned towns. Some are from poor families who could not support themselves but wanted better lives for their children. It's quite common, so when one comes my way, I do my best to present them favorably. Call me a villain if you wish, but many would be dead now had I not taken them in."

Soren was of two minds regarding Tarble and his business but understands that's just how it is here.

Soren: "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Tarble: "I've heard about your requests and your shortcomings. I wanted to show you around my business. Perhaps someone strong to aid you on your quests would benefit you."

Soren: "I don't know how I'd feel about having a slave, let alone one, to help with quests."

Tarble: "If you like, because Dalic vouched for you, I can give you one on loan. I do have one in mind who's fairly strong. He came from a poor farm and has had some training with a sword."

Soren: "I'm sorry, but I must decline."

Tarble: "I understand, but consider them an ally rather than thinking of them as enslaved. Anyway, there may come a time when you may need extra help. Should that time ever come, I'll be here."

Soren left Tarble's shop, "Theirs no way I can do that. Ugh, I'm tired. Time to turn in."