Chapter Thirty-Eight: Work

Ash made sure to keep the head. He needed proof, after all. He also put some pieces of the wolf’s body, which were more stone than fur and flesh. The only reason his sword had plunged into the wolf’s neck was because of the wolfsbane.

At least, it was the only explanation that made sense to him.

He had to use a rock to bash out the teeth and claws, placing them into his glass jar. After that, he tried to get into the chest, using the pommel of his sword to break his way through.

Its heart was a large ruby, but it was different. There was no gleam to it as if all of the light had been sucked out of it.

He put the ruby in the bag.

There’s no blood, so that’s nice, Ash mused. He had to take the wins where he could get them. Lilith was pawing, growling at the circle with strange symbols inlaid into the ground.

Ash walked over, holding the bag of dire wolf parts.

“What did the circle do to you, Lils?”

Lilith gave a last growl at the circle, shaking her head.

Ash studied it. He couldn’t identify the symbols or what they meant, but if Lilith didn’t like them, neither did he.

His arm throbbed, and the backpack strap brushed against it as he slung it over his shoulder, sending stinging sensations zig-zagging through his arm. He hissed, holding his breath for a moment, closing his eyes.

Blowing out a breath, he smiled down at Lilith.

“Ready to go?”

She snorted, then shifted into her little girl form.

He nodded,

“Not going to miss this mine, I’ll say that.”

_____________

A cacophony of swearing spilled from Skori’s shop.

“Light, fucking, shadows take whoever did this, the gutter rats!”

Ash walked in, and Skori whirled around, yelling,

“We are light-cursed clos-Oh. Hello, lad.”

Skori was scowling at an empty case behind the counter. His arms were crossed.

“I take it something happened,” Ash said, placing the bag and jar on the counter.

Skori grumbled,

“Some gutter shite stole my aspect crystals.”

Ash’s brow furrowed,

“Just those?” He looked around at everything else being intact.

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Skori grunted,

“Yes. It also perplexed me, but those crystals were bronze rank and quite valuable.”

Skori cursed again, his palm slamming on the table.

“I’ll make a report to the guard, but it’s doubtful anything will be done.”

“Why not?”

“It’s too late; whoever took them will likely be long gone. Bah! It doesn’t matter; I will write off the loss. Come, what did you bring me?”

The dwarf went through the bag, eyes going wide at the ruby.

“Lad! Do you know what this is?”

“Nope. Sure, don’t.”

Skori shook his head,

“This…lad…it’s a dungeon core.”

“You’re going to have to elaborate.”

Skori frowned,

“I…no. I’ll leave that for the school. They can explain it better than I do. It’s valuable, and it means that it wasn’t a dire wolf you faced but a dungeon boss.”

“Fine. Does it square our debt?”

Skori eyed the ruby-like stone.

“I would say it does. It’s not even bronze rank yet, but yes. This squares us. Ya can keep the teeth and claws since ya no longer owe me.”

Ash nodded, trying to tune out the pain in his arm. The pain must have been on his face because Skori stared at him more closely, noticing his arm.

“Ah, lad, ya didn’t emerge from that fight unscathed, did ya? Let’s see here..” Skori went to the back, coming out with a small vial of healing potion.

“I won’t charge ya for this one. Don’t go tellin’ anyone I was nice, ya hear? I have a reputation to uphold.”

Ash took the vial, holding it up to the dwarf in a solute.

“You got it, boss.”

Ash drank the potion, feeling the familiar, itchy feeling of his skin knitting itself back together.

“Ya’ll have to replace that vambrace, lad. Afraid I’m fresh out of freebies.”

Ash laughed,

“I think I could find something to trade.”

_____________

“You’re going to pass for sure, Ash!” Rosalia said to him, poking the empty socket of the dire wolf’s head.

“Light, a dungeon boss? Does that even qualify?” Nick growled out, drinking some of his water.

“It better, monster nearly killed me,” Ash stated.

They were in the AG building, sitting at the table enjoying lunch.

“You’d live up to your name if it had,” Will quipped.

Ash stared at him.

Will sighed,

“I’m tired, okay? You’re getting the wise-cracking at a discount price.”

“What about you guys? Did you bag your monsters?”

They nodded,

“We’re keeping proof Ag storage. I guess they have a scripted room for the smell. Little costly, but worth it,” Rosalia said.

“Turns out people look at you funny when you carry around bleeding monster parts; who knew,” Will added.

“Shadows take ‘em if not, but do ya think they’ll pass ya?” Nick said after wiping his mouth with a cloth.

Ash held up his hands,

“I could ask you the same thing.”

Nick nodded, acknowledging the point.

“Light, they’d better. Trolls are weak to fire, but I couldn’t afford the script for a flamin’ light-cursed sword.”

“So what did you do?”

Will snorted, and Rosalia slapped him on the shoulder,

“Let him tell it!”

Nick sighed,

“It’s not funny; I lit it on fire.”

Ash frowned,

“Uh. How?”

“I tossed a vile of grease on it, then threw a torch at it. Went up like a bonfire.”

“He almost burned down the forest! Adventurers had to come in and use techniques to put it out! They’re calling him Nick Fire-starter now!”

Will howled with laughed. Nick scowled at him,

“How was I supposed to know the light fucking monster would run into the forest?:

Rosalia put a hand over her mouth, face turning red. Nick turned his glower onto her.

Lilith projected approval into his mind.

“Lils approves,” Ash said.

“How do you know? Light, but the girl never speaks.”

Ash shrugged,

“She speaks plenty, trust me.”

Nick grunted.

“What are your plans while you wait? There’s still a week and a half left of the hunting portion.” Rosalia asked Ash.

He rand a hand through his hair,

“I plan on earning as much money as I can. That means gathering ingredients, and monster parts. Should keep me sharp for the individual duels, too.”

The others nodded,

“Maybe we should spar together every day? You know, practice.”

“That’s a good idea, Rosalia. We should. We’ve come a long way in the last couple of weeks.”

“I’m not fightin’ ya, no way,” Nick shook his head.

“Why not? You used to beat me all the time.”

Nick laughed, slapping the table,

“Ash, friend, that was when you couldn’t use elar. Now that you can? Especially after that duel with Torin? Nah, shadows take that idea. Ya’ll win every time.”

Ash said nothing, just bowed his head so they couldn’t see him go red.

“I’ll take you,” Rosalia said, eyes determined.

“You might win every time, but that’s how you improve. How about before lunch every day outside of the guild?”

Ash flashed a thumbs up,

“Sounds like a plan.”