Ch. 81..90

Chapter 81

The makeshift party traveled quickly through the forest path. With a clear destination in mind, Rydel led them in silence.

Each rider had their eyes glued to the road. The sound of heavy hooves drowned out the sounds of nature. Four hours had already passed, and their mindless chitchat was long over.

Maynard and Rydel didn’t say a word to each other. Not only were they unable to communicate mentally thanks to Jack’s unconsciousness, one led to pack while the other held the rear in case of any attacks on the party.

Brunar chatted aimlessly with Troni for the first hour, but Troni soon became a recluse and stewed in his own thoughts. Thinking nothing of it, Brunar let his imagination wander through thoughts of future glory and praise from his growing fanbase.

The illusory guards remained at the wagon’s side. They held their post perfectly, keeping the exact pace needed. No emotions were shown, just seriousness or boredom.

Slivia tried to pay attention to the queen and Jack, but it was impossible to look away from the road for too long. With their high speed, she had to constantly guide and maneuver the small team of horses. She handled them very well, showing the expertise she gained as a young farm girl, but she could only afford rare glances into the shaded canopy of the wagon.

Inside the wagon’s canopy, the queen’s attention stayed on the unconscious hero. After some time, she decided to reposition herself on the floor of the wagon. It was more uncomfortable, but it allowed her to reach Jack, whose padded stretcher was strapped to the center of the wagon floor.

The queen gently extended her hand to the side of Jack’s face.

Suddenly, a small head poked out of Jack’s cloak and stared at the queen’s approaching hand.

With a sigh, the queen pulled back and continued to keep her thoughts silent. She exchanged glances with the fox and could feel the tension behind the fox’s stare.

Satisfied with the queen’s actions, Bowser hid back into Jack’s cloak. He kept himself hidden and as close to Jack as he could, refusing to leave Jack’s side from the moment Slivia had taken him to the infirmary.

Slivia occasionally found herself able to look back and would feel her heart swell and heat up. She didn’t want to admit it, but she was jealous of a goblin.

The worried cleric would’ve loved to stop the wagon and sit next to her unconscious hero, but she wouldn’t dare disobey orders. And talking back wasn’t going to change anything, so she didn’t bother.

At the front, Rydel kept his eyes peeled on the horizon. He effortlessly led them through the forest and was aware of within thirty meters of the party. Typically, only small creatures and the occasional wild beast would appear. The hunter wouldn’t pay them much attention, not daring to waste time on something pointless.

As rumbling stomachs broke the silence, almost all at once, everyone in Rydel’s party retrieved some rations. Other than the goblins, they all did their best to enjoy their humble meal on the go.

"Be ready for anything!"

Suddenly, Rydel’s call rang out for the party to hear. Each person glanced at both sides and tried to decipher what the party captain was talking about.

"Here they come," added Maynard, confusing the others further.

Both guards at the side of the carriage nodded as if they were already well aware of the situation.

While the younger party members pondered the meaning of all this, Rydel slowed his pace and gradually came to a halt.

In the distance, about ten meters in front of the party was a small band of hooded figures. They were all on horseback and casually approached the halted party, splitting up and surrounding the party like it was an everyday occurrence.

"To what do we owe the pleasure, Bart?" asked Rydel, staring at the man in the lead.

The man laughed and removed his hood. He had a head of pitch-black hair and a square chin that framed his face. No matter how you looked at him, he’d appear menacing and dubious with his piercing gaze.

"Rydel, since you already recognize us, just give it up," replied Bart. "With your senses, I’m sure you’ve already recognized all of us."

"Indeed, but what does that have to do with you stopping us for a little chat?"

"I’m sure you’ve figured that much out. We’re here by order of the Royal Court to escort you and that brat back to the city. As for the others, they can go on their way so long as they don’t interfere," explained Bart.

"So, you’re threatening us?" asked Rydel.

"I prefer the term persuading. Of course, don’t think you can stop us with just you and that silly samurai. I’m glad you’ve finally reached lv. 30, but you two aren’t enough to stop the four of us."

"We’re not looking for trouble, Bart. So, why don’t ya just go back to the city? We’ll be there soon enough for the hearing," said Maynard, keeping one hand at the ready.

"Shut up! I’m talking with your captain here. You may be strong, but you take orders from this cowardly hunter. What makes you think you can threaten us?" asked Bart with a dastardly smile.

"As you said, we’re only trying to persuade you," answered Rydel. "Trust me, you don’t want to try anything. Right now, we’re in a hurry."

"Right, right, you’re trying to hurry back to heal the brat. Don’t worry, we can make sure the best medics and clerics of the Royal Court will tend to him after the trial," added Bart.

"He’s fine, but we’d prefer to have him resting in his own bed and not in the middle of nowhere. Bart, I’m only going to ask once, will you let us pass or not?"

"Wow, you’re pretty anxious for a coward, Rydel. It seems that advancing has gotten to your head," stated Bart. "If I remember right, you’re proud of your eagle eye. Tell me, what are each of our levels, oh great party leader?"

Rydel pointed to the hooded figures one-by-one and said, "Harton and Jayms are both lv. 30, Gradan is lv. 32, and you’re finally lv. 34."

"Since your pride hasn’t blinded you, why do you insist to disagree? Just give up now and turn yourselves in," said Bart.

Rydel was aware of Bart’s indecision to act first. He could tell that Bart was too cautious to risk his life if it was unneeded.

Bart paid close attention to the silent hunter and glanced at the two guards by the wagon. He continued, "Bringing the Balt Guild into this, I don’t know what to say. I’m sure they wouldn’t want to threaten the Royal Court or rebel against our orders."

Happy that the goblin queen had adorned their illusory bodies in emerald green sashes, Rydel played along. "We’re not trying to fight or rebel; we’re only trying to hurry back to the capital. I said I’d only ask once, but for your sake, I’ll ask once more. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"You two! If the Balt Guild stays out of this, we can reward your loyalty with worthy compensation," shouted Bart.

Both guards were blinked and chuckled to themselves. They nodded without a word, agreeing to Bart’s terms.

"Good, at least someone here has a brain." With a silent sigh of relief, Bart threw pouches of gold coins to the ground in front of both guards.

As soon as Bart saw the guards smile, he commanded, "Search that wagon! If the brat is there, take him away by any means necessary."

"Ya can’t do that so easily," said Maynard as he unsheathed both katana.

"It’s always the hard way with you two," sighed Bart. He quickly dismounted and charged toward Maynard, sure that he was the only one that could hold off the crazy samurai.

Rydel let him pass without daring to stop him. Though he never got along with Bart back when they were both association members, he could at least acknowledge Bart’s strength. Instead, Rydel took out his bow and aimed Harton, who was also at the front but at the side opposite Bart.

Harton drew his sword and swung at the flying arrow. Attempting to sliced the arrow in two, he was too late to realize that Rydel’s arrow was traveling far faster than expected. He had no clue that Rydel’s archery was affected by Jack’s passive archery skill, all he knew was that it was too fast to block.

Dropping his shoulder and accepting a small cut from the fletching of the arrow, Harton let out a deep breath as he realized that Rydel was indeed a threat to him.

Bart noticed Rydel’s exchange with Harton, but he paid more attention to the swinging samurai sword that neared his head.

Startled to see Maynard ignore the advance of both hooded figures at the rear, Bart didn’t know what to think. He was baffled further when he noticed the wagon’s guards move and intercept them instead.

 

Chapter 82

Bart drew his longsword, meeting Maynard’s swinging katana head-on. He yelled, "I thought we had a deal! Does the Balt Guild think it can stand against the Royal Court!"

Both guards ignored Bart’s shouts and drew their swords in defense of the wagon.

The most shocking thing was that both guards stood strong in the face of the hooded men. Bart and his men were shocked by the discovery of the guards’ strength, which rivaled their own, unlike anything they’d expected from casually dressed guards from the Balt Guild.

"I believe you’re mistaken," laughed Shlad. In the blink of an eye, both guards’ human forms faded away into nothingness. In their place was a pair of goblin guards with wild grins, with their levels finally revealed.

"But... Goblins!?" shouted Bart. He stepped back from Maynard to reassess the situation. "What’s going on here?"

"You were warned, so you can only blame yourself," stated Rydel, still taking shots at his moving target.

"Whatever, they’re only goblins. Just hurry and kill them. Obviously, no one wants to surrender so we’ll have to do things the hard way," ordered Bart.

The longsword began to shimmer as a heavy swing left a streak of blue light in the air. It was aimed at Maynard’s head, forcing the samurai to go on the defensive.

Maynard’s katana glowed red in retaliation to the incoming longsword. His crossed blades met Bart’s, pushing him back a step to contain the force of the attack. He quickly tilted one katana and let the longsword slide by the side of his face, narrowly dodging a heavy blow.

As the heavy blade dropped, the ronin jabbed his second katana toward Bart’s chest without mercy. The serious look in his eyes showed Maynard’s resolve.

Not being outdone so easily, Bart sidestepped and allowed his sword’s momentum to carry him past Maynard’s jab.

Without a second thought, both swordsmen repositioned themselves and prepared for a difficult duel.

Rydel was still holding off Harton, but Harton was much closer and would be in striking distance soon.

The man was no longer hooded thanks to the volley of arrows he was under. Harton showed numerous cuts and had an arrow lodged just below his left shoulder. He wasn’t doing too well, but he was confident that Rydel wouldn’t be able to best him in close combat.

Thinking the same thing as his opponent, Rydel did his best to use ranged attacks while he still had a chance. As Harton neared Rydel, he sped up and nocked three arrows at a time.

This caused Harton to frown in disbelief. Harton was very familiar with Rydel and his archery abilities. Based on Rydel’s performance in past missions and archery contests, Harton assumed that Rydel’s limit was two arrows. Only the best archer in the branch was able to shoot three, and that wasn’t even during battle.

But right before his eyes, Harton watched as he became the target for three simultaneous arrows. Barely able to keep up, Harton almost abandoned defense as he charged Rydel at full speed with sword drawn.

In the back, both guards had their hands full. Shlad was faring well, standing almost equal with his hooded opponent.

The other guard, Blod, was struggling to keep up with his match. He was doing alright, but everyone watching understood that Blod was at a disadvantage to the muscle-bound man beneath the hood.

Seeing this, Brunar took a deep breath and readied his sword to attack.

"No! Don’t try it; ya can’t fight him yet," yelled Maynard as he exchanged blows with Bart again and again.

Clenching his fist, Brunar gritted his teeth and gripped the hilt of his sword tightly. Accepting his master’s wish, Brunar contained his growing rage within an intense glare. The young samurai couldn’t help but imagine what Jack would do. He pictured Jack bursting into flames and standing up against the men despite his lack of strength.

Troni remained neutral; not acting out in any way or form. By remaining still and calm he knew that no one would try anything against him, thanks to Bart’s earlier promise and his background as the heir to the Salendar Family.

Slivia was frozen in place, clutching the reigns tightly. She knew that the guard wouldn’t be able to hold on for much longer, and it would only take a moment for the muscular man to tear through the wagon’s canopy and grab Jack as a hostage.

"Don’t worry. It’ll be fine."

A gentle voice brought Slivia back to her senses. She glanced back into the wagon and saw the queen coming to her feet, now in her true form.

"Ha, you’re not worth my time!" shouted Gradan, as he pulled the hood off his bald head. The man resembled Zariff but appeared to be a single size smaller. Scars adorned the little amount of skin he showed, from the top of his head to the bottom of his chin.

Blod grunted and did his best to defended against the studded brass knuckles that pounded into his side. After a few body-blows, the goblin was on the edge of defeat.

"Just die already!" Gradan reached to grab hold of Blod in an attempt to drive his knee into the goblin’s chest.

But unexpectedly, Blod’s body flew back a couple of meters, out of reach of Gradan’s bloodthirsty muscles.

"You think you can treat my guards like this and survive?"

Each of the assailants did a doubletake and stared at a figure that jumped out of the wagon. To their surprise, it was a small, feminine figure with smooth grey skin and pointed ears.

"Who in Halmut’s beard are you?" questioned Gradan, realizing that the new challenger was the one who kept him from finishing off his prey.

"You’ll pay for mistreating a captain of my guard," said the goblin queen with a frosty tone. "You will all leave your lives behind as repayment."

"If you wanna interfere, then I’ll—"

Before Gradan could finish his sentence, he felt the soles of his feet heating up at an unbearable pace. Anxious to relieve the swelling heat, Gradan looked down at the ground and felt fear weigh down his breathing.

The dirt path beneath him was rapidly melting, becoming molten rock at a visible pace. It offered no secure footing for Gradan to jump away and began to bubble up around him. A scream left his mouth as a plume of lava engulfed him.

Everyone paused what they were doing and looked at the goblin queen with newfound terror. Bart’s party knew that they had lost the moment the lava pit appeared. Rydel and the others were suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of relief that they had worked things out peacefully with the queen.

Unlike most of the goblin captains which were rushed to lv. 30 and higher with a lot of help from azure crystals, the queen demonstrated power that rivaled extremely talented human mages. She was worthy of being the goblin queen, and she didn’t waste an opportunity to prove it in front of everyone.

The plume of lava died down and left nothing behind of Gradan, not even a spatial storage item.

With a glance, the queen scared Jayms, Shlad’s opponent to his knees. She squinted and watched the full-grown man pant and cry as he scrambled back to his feet.

Jayms tried to run but a ball of flames flew from the queen’s palm and devoured him in seconds, leaving no trace of a corpse.

Bart was doing his best to stay calm. He refused to lower his guard against the battle-hardened Maynard, however, he had no choice but to pay close attention to the angered goblin woman.

"Remember Bart, we tried to persuade you otherwise, but you chose this yourself," yelled Rydel. The hunter was still launching arrows at an incredible speed, not giving Harton a chance to breathe.

Harton had taken a second arrow to the same shoulder while he was distracted by the goblin queen and was desperate to escape. The problem was, of all the opponents he could have, the only ranged threat was his opponent, and there was no way he could escape Rydel’s arrows unscathed.

"Next, it’s your turn." The queen turned around and noticed Harton entering a state of fight or flight. The light around her hand became warped from the immense heat as it was coated in flames.

Harton yelled as he successfully evaded the arrows, only to find himself in line with the speeding fireball.

While Harton’s body was burnt till nothing was left, Bart recognized his dire situation. Not daring to waste time, he hurriedly took out a contact crystal. "Hurry, we’ve—"

Bart tried to contact those back at the Royal Court about his mission’s failure but was quickly silenced by an arrow from the back of his neck.

Blood spilled into his throat as Bart tried to reject his death. His fingers fumbled the longsword as he grabbed at the tip of the arrow, but he only felt something cold cut through his wrists. Bart attempted to look down and see what had happened, only to have his head tumble off his shoulders and fall into his hands, lying on the ground.

 

Chapter 83

"Hurry, we’ve—"

A message sounded out through the air but was cut off as quickly as it had begun. There were three people in the spacious room, listening carefully to a massive contact crystal broadcasting its message aloud.

One figure was leaned against the wall while another remained seated, both keeping silent. The third was pacing around the room and showed discomfort on his face as he spoke out loud, "Now what? How were they able to win so quickly?"

"Calm down," said the man leaning against the wall. "So what? They’ve made it back and now we just need to go with the flow and act like it was against our orders. No big deal."

"No big deal?" interjected the man sitting on the throne. "Me losing four mean at lv. 30 is no big deal? Maybe those men are weak compared to you, but losing them greatly affects the strength of my faction and my influence. What are you going to do about that?"

"Forget about them, my king. I can always find more talent if needed."

"And you; you’re the reason those men were sent out for them. What do you have to say for yourself?" King Leodoro stared at the young man pacing about the room.

"It’s their fault, not mine! They insulted me as the crown prince and you as their king. Of course, we can’t show mercy to people like them," said the young man as his steps came to a halt.

"So what? You were the first to act out of line, even going against custom to threaten association members," replied the king.

"How do you know about that? Was it one of the guards?" questioned the crown prince.

"It doesn’t matter where the information came from; what matters is how you’re punished for your little tantrum. You know that I explicitly ordered to not act against the association or its members. We’re already on thin ice as is and I’d rather salvage the situation than resort to an unsolvable feud," explained the king.

"You’re too soft to be king, old man. You and I both know that we’ve been too lenient with them."

"What did you say!?" Suddenly, the room was filled with a dense pressure that pressed heavily onto the crown prince.

"Father! What are you—"

"Shut up!" King Leodoro increased the pressure, stifling his son. "If your elder brother hadn’t perished in battle, you would never have become the crown prince. He was far more worthy than you. No matter the situation, he’d keep a level head and a clear view of the best plan of action. All you know is how to demand other’s property and credit."

"Now, now, let’s calm down," said the man who was no longer against the wall. Now he stood in front of the crown prince, easing the pressure the prince felt. "Don’t take your frustrations out on him. He’s just a boy who’s still got a lot o learn."

"Silence Arnole! Ever since I allowed you full control of my Royal Court, relationships between us and the other factions have only worsened. Don’t think me a fool who can’t see the truth through your lies. Even him, my own son, has more respect for you as a teacher than he does for me as a father. Why do you think that is?" asked Leodoro.

"Don’t blame me for your lousy parenting, my king. Besides, you know the strength of the Royal Cout has grown substantially because of my efforts and plans. Shouldn’t you be glad?" replied Arnole, maintaining his calm smile.

Leodoro shook his head and answered, "I’d rather increase the strength and stability of my kingdom then amass my personal army."

"You should be thanking me. Because of me, your only living son who had worthless potential has reached lv. 10 within a single month because of my teachings and actions. Without me, you wouldn’t have a suitable heir, would you?"

"And who said I could trust him as my heir?" asked the king, catching both Arnole and the crown prince off guard. "You may have fooled me before, as well as that

Arnole’s gaze sharpened, attempting to pierce the king’s resolve. After a few moments, Arnole patted the prince’s shoulders and said, "You can leave. Wait for me while I chat with your father."

The prince looked confused, trying to understand what his father implied. He obeyed his teacher’s orders and left the room, closing the doors behind him.

King Leodoro spoke before Arnole had a chance to say anything. Bluntly, he asked, "How long have you been a part of the syndicate?"

Arnole finally revealed a look of shock, no longer needing to put on a façade since the king had figured out the truth.

Seeing that Arnole remained silent, Leodoro knew he guessed correctly and continued, "What are you planning for me and my kingdom? I’m sure you had a hand in the murder of my eldest son correct?"

Arnole chuckled to himself and answered, "You are wiser than most, King Leodoro. I will admit that having your youngest as the crown prince is more suitable for my plans."

King Leodoro’s breathing was calm, but his violent gaze bore down on the nonchalant character in front of him. "I repeat, what are you planning for me and my kingdom? It’s obvious you’ve been using your influence in the court to worsen my relationship with the association? Is that so I have nowhere to turn when you and your people make me an offer later?"

"You know more about our recruitment process than I thought," laughed Arnole, saying only enough to admit the truth without giving a clear explanation.

"You may have weaseled your way into my Royal Court, but don’t think I’m some pushover you can manipulate like that arrogant brat."

"Why do you speak of him like that? He’s your only heir now; you should treat him with more respect," stated Arnole.

Leodoro replied, "You’ve already twisted his way of thinking and reinforced it by supporting his tantrums and strange thirst for power. For all I know, he had just as much to do with my son’s death as you did."

"I can see you’ve done a lot of research. It’s a shame I’m only just now learning that you were so well informed."

"The true shame is that I only began to question your motives after I had already lost him," stated King Leodoro. "If I had realized your treachery sooner, I’d have never let you hold so much power in my court."

"Well, it’s too late now," said Arnole, shrugging his shoulders. "How about aligning with us? You already know the truth and you know that you can’t touch me without facing serious repercussions. I can only imagine how much research and time you wasted trying to learn more about us, right?"

The king said nothing, acknowledging that Arnole’s point. At first, he didn’t want to believe that one of his son’s had betrayed the other, or that Arnole had something to do with it.

Only after hiring some adventurers from an ally country to research the situation as a third party did he find the first clue to the treachery within the Royal Court. He spent a lot of money to uncover truth after truth until he could only guess that Arnole had the help of someone powerful in the shadows.

"Don’t worry, you don’t need to give me your answer right away. There’s no rush. Since you already know the truth, that just means I no longer have to find a way to work around you. If anything, this just speeds things up for me," explained Arnole. "So long as you don’t get in my way or mention any of this to anyone, I won’t have to act rashly. And now that you know, you can help me with a few things."

"Know this Arnole," interjected the king, "I won’t help you or your plans willingly. I have no intention to accept the support of the Chaos Syndicate, nor do I wish for you to be in charge of my Royal Court. But I know well enough that it’s too late to remove you from that position quietly without consequence."

"So, you still think you have a chance to out me? Without revealing my involvement with the syndicate?" asked Arnole. "Is that why you didn’t want that hero to join the Royal Court? You didn’t want me to influence him?"

"I have my reasons for how I’ve acted and I have no obligation to explain those reasons to you," answered Leodoro.

"You’re a lot craftier than I gave you credit. I guess we can only act against each other in silence from now on. I can’t eliminate you quite yet for my reasons, and you’re too afraid to eliminate me due to my backing." A devilish grin appeared on Arnole’s face before he turned and began his exit. "I haven’t been this excited since your son caught wind of my identity and forced my hand. I wish you the best of luck, so please make this interesting."

Arnole left without another word, leaving the throne room in complete silence and the king pressing his fingers into his forehead, trying to suppress his incoming headache.

 

Chapter 84

As Bart’s head rolled to the ground, Maynard had already wiped his katana clean and sheathed them. "Ya brought this on yourself, ya pestro."

Rydel walked up to the headless corpse, quickly locating a storage ring. He removed it and scanned through its contents.

"Find anything good?" asked Maynard, unfazed by the death of his four former comrades.

"Plenty of coin and wine, but not much else," answered Rydel.

"Any leftover swords or weapons for the kid? Ya saw what was left of the rapier in the dungeon, right?"

The hunter shook his head when he remembered the bent and charred blade they found near the troll’s corpse. "Yeah, I like that idea. How about we just hand over the ring when he wakes up?"

"Really? But what about all the coin?"

"The kid’s already a patron with some trader; how else do you think he got such great stuff as a newbie?" explained Rydel. "Besides, based on how fast he levels up, he’ll be passing us too pretty soon."

"Enough chatting. Let’s get going." The queen’s cold orders rang through everyone’s ears as she returned to the wagon. She kept her cool and showed no emotion after her absolute victory.

"Fine, but next time at least leave behind a corpse. Who knows what was in those rings?" stated Rydel.

"They angered me, so I acted," reasoned the queen. "They were too weak to be of any value, so I doubt they had anything worthwhile. Besides, they threatened my guard’s life. If I showed mercy in the face of my enemies, what kind of queen would I be?"

Not wanting to argue with the queen he had previously underestimated, Rydel swallowed his pride and answered, "Yeah, yeah, just try your best next. Everyone, prepare to leave in two minutes!"

Troni and Brunar chatted with Maynard about their master’s killing strike. Brunar was especially fascinated and entertained by Maynard’s perfectly clean technique.

Slivia wasn’t too bothered by the ambush, rather she was conflicted about how she should act toward the queen. The queen had just obliterated three adventurers in a row and kept her humble, gentle look after returning to Jack’s side. She had no clue how to address her or if she was some kind of rival for Jack’s heart, which appeared likely based on the soft, determined look in the queen’s eyes.

Without wasting another second, the party moved on after the short break Rydel used to loot Bart of everything he had.

Like they had planned, the party quickly approached Reinolt City in the distance. Once it came into view, Rydel retrieved his contact crystal and messaged Zariff to meet them outside the gates.

In a flash, a mountain of a man exited the city gates and stood in its path. Any nearby guards or travelers scattered and avoided the intimidating man.

"Chief!"

Brunar was the first to shout in excitement. He had recently grown close to Zariff ever since the chief was available to drink with Brunar every night for the past few months. Pushing his new stallion to its limits, Brunar took off ahead of everyone to reunite with Zariff.

"You brat, you only leveled up that much?" laughed Zariff, poking fun at Brunar’s growing ego.

"Hey, I may not be Jack, but I’m still his rival!" yelled Brunar as he dismounted and gave Zariff a big bear hug.

The muscular man let out a small, pained sigh as he was embraced, but he quickly returned the favor to the young samurai. Zariff’s monstrous strength caused Brunar’s face to go from a red to a faint purple before he let go. "What’s this about Jack? He’s okay, right?"

"He’s unconscious, but the medic said he’ll be good within a week," answered Brunar. "Still, he’s too crazy chief. You’ll never guess what level he is now?"

"Oh? Did he already pass you?" joked Zariff.

"No, but he wouldn’t lose to me either," stated Brunar openly. "I can’t tell myself, but Rydel said that Jack already lv. 18."

"Lv. 18? Already?" Zariff was amazed and smiled uncontrollably when he heard that.

For the past three months, Zariff had been living in excruciating pain, day and night. Whenever he tried to sleep, it was impossible to overlook the pain unless he got blackout drunk every night. Jack was the first beacon of hope he had to return to normal and remove his curse. The sooner Jack leveled up, the better the chances of him being able to change Zariff’s situation.

Looking out to the covered wagon, Zariff’s warm smile was on display for everyone to see. The gate guards were shocked to see the battle-hardened Zariff show such a warm expression. Those in the approaching party picked up the pace and hurried to meet the happy branch chief.

"Chief, we’re finally back," sighed Rydel as he dropped from his horse.

"It’s about time!" shouted Zariff, flipping back to his overwhelming personality. "I’ve been swamped with paperwork and court filings because you took your sweet time to get here."

"Calm down, chief," chuckled Rydel. "Don’t blame me, just blame the kid. He was unconscious and forced us to stay the night at the Balt Guildhall for testing. Now that we’re back, there’s someone you should meet."

Before Rydel had a chance to introduce the goblin queen, Zariff caught sight of her beautiful, illusory figure exiting the wagon. "Whoa... Who’s the dame?"

"That’s—"

"Pleasure to meet you, Chief Zariff. My guards and I have come to meet you and witness the grandeur of the capital," stated the queen with a humble bow of her head.

"Oh, I heard about you. Rydel said you’re pretty sexy for someone so different. Is that true?" asked Zariff.

"Oh, I had no clue," replied the queen, passing a strange glance at Rydel, who had his face buried in his hands.

"The name’s Zariff, so no need to use any titles. What’s your name?" asked Zariff.

"I’m the goblin queen. I can only reveal my name to a lover," mentioned the queen in a hushed tone, unable to reach the gate guards.

As those around her heard that statement, a couple of guys grew red in the face as they imagined it, Troni slightly more than the others.

"Fine, queenie, we’ll play by your rules. We’ll hurry and get everyone back to the branch office. We’ve got some extra rooms you can stay in while you’re here." Zariff looked back at the wagon and walked closer. He noticed Slivia sitting there at the front, unmoving and stiff while she stared back at him. "Is Jack back there? How’s he doing?"

A few moments passed by with no answer, so Zariff tried again. "Is Jack alright?"

"Z... Z..." Mumbles escaped Slivia’s mouth, surprising everyone.

"Huh? What’s wrong?" asked Zariff, focusing more on the girl than Jack for a moment. "You’re the new cleric that wanted to join the Adventurers Association, right? We’ll get you registered by the end of the night, so don’t worry about it, okay?"

"Z.. Z..."

"What is it? Spit it out already," said Zariff, wanting to hurry and get everyone within city limits.

"Z... Zar?"

Zariff blinked, being taken aback from the simple word Slivia had uttered. While everyone else was baffled by her strange comments and behavior, Zariff squinted and took a closer look at Slivia. Upon further inspection, he said, "There’s... There’s no way you’re... Sliv?"

The entire party paid close attention to the strange conversation between the muscle head Zariff and the angelic Slivia. What caught them completely off guard was how Slivia leaped off the wagon and tackled Zariff with her arms latching around him.

"Zar... I can’t believe it..." Tears began to form in Slivia’s eyes as she hugged Zariff tightly.

"You can’t believe it? I can’t believe it..." replied Zariff, returning her hug with his tender embrace. "Are you really Sliv? That same little farm girl?"

She didn’t answer, struggling to keep it together.

"Umm... Can someone explain what’s going on please?"

Rydel’s comment awoke both Zariff and Slivia from their trance. "What’s going on? How do you two know each other?"

The two of them let go of each other and faced the party. Zariff was the first to speak, saying, "This was a little girl that I guarded back in my early adventuring days. Her entire family lived on a simple farm, but her mom was the best cook I’ve ever met."

"Then what happened? Why are you so shocked to see her?" asked Rydel.

"That’s because..." Zariff couldn’t bring himself to say it.

"He saved my life," answered Slivia, inducing a steeper silence to envelop the party. "When the rest of my family was killed, Zar stormed into the bandit hideout and freed me. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t think I’d be alive today?"

"Don’t say that," said Zariff, trying to not tear up.

"It’s true. If you had come a day later, there’s a chance that I might’ve given up on my life..."

Overcome with the tense emotions which held everyone’s attention, Zariff let a tear escape. Not daring to overlook her now, Zariff hugged her again, saying, "Don’t worry, you’re safe now."

Chapter 85

Slivia didn’t hold herself back, flooding Zariff’s chest with tears. "I know... I know."

"Let’s get you and the others settled in. Don’t worry, with everyone’s recommendation, you’ve already been accepted into the guild," said Zariff. "You’ll stay with my daughter, Maura. She’ll help you with anything you need."

The watery-eyed cleric said nothing, only nodding and walking beside Zariff with his arm around her.

Taking the reigns of the wagon, the goblin queen took over Slivia’s position as the party finally entered the city gates under the clear night sky.

As they passed through the street many people noticed some of the more famous heroes, like Chief Zariff or Brunar, the young hero on the rise. Each passerby scanned over the party and was surprised that Jack was nowhere to be found.

Jack had already become famous in the city, thanks to Zariff spreading the news of a summoned hero defecting from the Royal Court to the Adventurers Association. Considering the publicity that happened when the Royal Court convinced association members to join them, this was huge news within the city.

Curious to see if the rumors were true, citizens from all around crowded the streets as Rydel’s party passed but they were all disappointed to not find the young hero. However, due to the wagon’s guards wearing clothes similar to the Balt Guild and the beautiful women driving it, many people shouted and asked about the wagon.

Not daring to answer the crowd’s questions at the risk of revealing the unconscious Jack, the party was mostly silent as they passed through the unusually packed streets under the night sky. They would wave occasionally or point out someone they knew personally, but other than Brunar, no one wanted to attract any attention.

Under Brunar’s limelight, Troni quietly left on his own. He had already told his master that he would need to hurry home for some urgent business.

Maynard was never a fan of the Salendar family or their business, but he respected Troni and allowed his student to do as he saw fit. All he could do was sigh as the young samurai vanished into the crowd.

The party eventually reached the association building late into the night. They took the wagon through an alley at the side of the branch headquarters, which led to an open area with stables and places to park wagons or handcarts.

Now hidden behind the association building, they unloaded Jack and took him to a cozy bed in the infirmary.

Commotion came and went within the branch office as the adventurers saw the unconscious hero being carried in. Most of them showed worry on their faces, but Zariff and Rydel put them at ease, telling them he’d be fine after a few days of rest.

Zariff offered to prepare the mission reward despite the late hour but Rydel refused, knowing that Zariff would’ve convinced them to pay for a round of brundies in celebration.

The party quickly disbanded and either collapsed in their cots or, like Brunar and Maynard, went out with the chief for a drink.

Within the quiet, dimly lit infirmary laid Jack, motionless and almost lifeless. On his chest laid Bowzer, patiently waiting for Jack to wake up.

Hours passed as dusk became dawn and dawn became early morning.

While most people in the capital were still enjoying their beauty sleep, Bowzer flinched and looked back to Jack’s face. He was happy to see Jack’s lip and nose quivering.

A soft groan left Jack’s mouth as he turned his head to the side. One arm slowly lifted itself and landed on Bowzer’s back, putting a smile on Bowzer’s face. A few more seconds passed before Jack turned his head again and blinked his eyes before cracking them open for the first time in days.

’Jack! Jack okay!’ Bowzer’s mind yelled as loud as it could.

’Huh?’ Jack opened his eyes a little wider and replied, ’Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?’

’Jack sleep too long. You fought troll, worry us,’ said Bowzer, nuzzling up to Jack’s face. ’Jack really okay?’

’Yes, I’m fine.’ Jack moved his arms to push himself up, but he failed to do so. He could move his arms but whenever he moved his torso, an abrupt pain shot through his upper chest and neck that caused him to shout in pain.

’Jack no move. Wait in bed,’ said Bowzer. ’Jack need rest.’

’What? What do you mean?’

’Jack hurt bad from Troll. Need time to heal,’ explained Bowzer. ’Jack remember fight with Troll?’

The hero thought back to the fight and was shocked that he didn’t remember hardly anything. Jack could only remember what happened up until he activated his bloodline skill. From then on, he could only remember bits and pieces of him being angry and rampaging. After trying his hardest, he remembered being punched in the throat and thrown before his memory cut off.

’I fought the troll but I think he knocked me unconscious,’ said Jack, trying to piece it all together.

’Yup, Jack fought and Byron killed.’ The fox bobbed its head up and down. ’Byron said troll hurt Jack, and Jack sleep long time.’

’But why does my neck and chest hurt so much? Wouldn’t they heal me or take me to a medic?’ reasoned Jack. ’Why does it hurt worse than anything I’ve ever felt before?’

’Jack hurt during fire right?’ asked Bowzer.

’Umm... You mean while I was on fire?’ clarified Jack, getting a nod from Bowzer. ’Yeah, how else could I fight a troll captain?’

’That why.’

Those two words from Bowzer echoed in Jack’s head, baffling him. ’What do you mean, ’That why?’’

’That why Jack hurt bad,’ rephrased Bowzer. ’During fire, bodies no defend well. Very strong, but no defend well.’

’You mean that whenever I fight on fire, every hit I take will hurt even more?’ asked Jack with wide eyes.

’Yup. Remember, Bowzer sleep after fight too.’

’Yeah, but you slept for a day and you were fine as soon as you woke up. How long have I been out?’

’Five days.’

’Five days!?’ Jack was startled and didn’t know what to think. ’Then why am I still hurt? You rested for one and you were fine?’

’Jack no fox, that why,’ explained Bowzer. ’Jack no fox, so fire weak. Bowzer can feel inside Jack. Too weak.’

Jack laughed uncontrollably, not sure how to take it all in. ’So, because my fox bloodline is too weak, I’m extra hurt? If it were stronger like yours, I’d do okay, right?’

’Yup.’

With a sigh, Jack tried to shake his head but groaned as pain shot through him again. ’Looks like I shouldn’t use that bloodline skill so soon after all. I’ll have to wait till it’s stronger. But how come they couldn’t heal me? They tried to heal me, right?’

’Yup, but no heal if hurt on fire. Same for all foxes,’ answered Bowzer. ’All foxes weak after fire, extra weak if hurt on fire.’

Suddenly, a thought came into Jack’s mind. Jack looked up to the fox on his chest and stared into Bowzer’s eyes. ’When I first met you, was your mom weak from fire?’

Bowzer’s eyes widen as the fox looked away and froze for a moment. A couple of seconds passed before he looked back at Jack. ’Y—’

"Jack!"

A shout from the other side of the infirmary door interrupted their conversation. The door swung open, almost tearing it off the hinges. In rushed Slivia, followed by Zariff, Rydel, and Maura in the back.

"Jack, you’re awake! Are you okay? Say something," shouted Slivia as she sat at Jack’s bedside.

"Calm down Slivia, I’m okay. No need to wake up the whole building. By the way, where am I exactly?" asked Jack with a laugh, lightening the mood and hiding the irritation he felt from them interrupting an important conversation with Bowzer.

Slivia sighed in relief, "Thank Halmut. You scared me to death when you fought that troll. What were you thinking?"

"Well, I had to do something, otherwise who knows what he would’ve done to you?" replied Jack. "As long as you and the others are fine, then it was worth it."

"Idiot..." mumbled Slivia, struggling to hold back the water building up in her eyes.

"Still, that was pretty stupid, even for you, don’t you think?" asked Rydel, who was still in his pajamas.

"True, but what else could I do to stop a troll captain? Ask nicely?" answered Jack.

Zariff, still buzzed, laughed loudly, "Not bad brat, not bad at all. Maybe one day, you won’t be a brat anymore. How are you feeling after your long beauty sleep?"

"Umm... about that..." sighed Jack. "According to Bowzer, whenever I activate that bloodline skill, I’m extra vulnerable to attacks and I can only heal naturally."

"That explains why the medics and the others couldn’t do anything," said Rydel. "How are you now? Can you get out of bed?"

"I can move, but my chest and neck try to tell me otherwise with shooting pain every time I try," answered Jack. "From the looks of it, I’ll have to wait a couple more days and see how I’m doing. Got any medicine that might speed things up?"

"They’re not as good as potions, but these are good enough to help a brat with a boo-boo," chuckled Zariff, tossing him a watertight pouch with a think liquid inside.

"Are you really okay, Jack?"

Jack was surprised to hear Maura ask so sincerely as she poked her head out from behind her dad. "Yeah, I’ll be fine with some more rest. Thanks for asking."

"Good," said Maura, returning to her usual rough-around-the-edges composure. "Come on Dad, it’s bedtime."

"Okay, okay. Bye brat, I’ll check in on your boo-boo tomorrow." Zariff waved as Maura pushed him out of the room, with Rydel following behind her.

Slivia and Jack watched as everyone left, unsure of how to treat the current situation.

 

Chapter 86

Jack and Slivia exchanged glances, trying to read each other’s moods. Slivia soon broke the silence, saying, "Well, I’m glad you’re doing okay, Jack."

"Thanks, me too. I’m sorry for worrying you so much," apologized Jack. "I didn’t mean to, I just... I didn’t want him to take you. I couldn’t let that happen."

Some red filled Slivia’s cheeks when she heard that. "You know, I was never able to thank you for everything."

"That’s fine. Don’t worry about—"

Interrupting Jack’s apology, Slivia leaned in close and lightly kissed his cheek. Before Jack could bring himself to say anything, she quickly stood up. "It’s early and I should probably get some more rest. Thank you, Jack."

And just like that, Slivia darted out of the room without looking back.

Jack was left in the room, his mouth gaping in shock. Unsure of what to think, Jack looked back to Bowzer. Sadly, Jack found the fox sleeping comfortably and totally oblivious to what had just occurred.

He took a few minutes to try and process Slivia’s kiss and shyness. Soon, Jack was almost certain that Slivia had feelings for him. Being smart enough to realize this yet too inexperienced to be confident in a relationship was Jack’s current weakness.

Leaving that subject alone, for now, Jack realized that he had a lot of unread notifications in his system menu. Jack opened up the notifications and quickly reached his achievement list, baffled by what he found.

[Reach Lv. 10: completed]

[Complete First Mission: completed]

[Beat Leodoro II to lv. 10: complete]

[Discover the goblin benefactor: completed]

[Find Byron Balt: completed]

[Find any survivors: completed]

[Destroy the goblin city: completed]

[Survive the infestation: in progress]

Jack was ecstatic to see the long list of newly completed rewards and was anxious to claim them all, but something stopped him from doing so immediately. Instead, Jack selected the newest quest achievement in the hope to learn more.

[Survive the infestation: in progress]

[Survive the incoming infestation and help protect Reinolt City in the process. Reward: varies depending on the final result of the infestation. Event reward: 50 skill points.]

After reading the vague achievement description, he froze. Since there was a general event reward like in-game events, Jack was certain that something big was about to happen. That was when he realized that the event achievement was already in progress, meaning that the supposed infestation had already begun.

However, thinking about it this way made no sense to him. If the infestation had already begun and triggered that latest achievement, then why hasn’t there been any special news being passed around town or in the association? Zariff wouldn’t have been so casual had he received news of anything to that scale and Rydel and Maynard would’ve been informed, most likely.

Jack’s brain began to hurt as he played out the scenario in his mind, unable to leave his bed and investigate himself.

Time passed slowly for him as the sun finally began to climb the sky and peak through the infirmary window. It’s rays woke up the now stress-free Bowzer.

The fox stretched atop Jack’s chest and yawned peacefully. Only after seeing the pained expression on Jack’s face did he ask, ’What wrong, Jack?’

’Oh, you’re finally awake.’ Jack’s stiff eyes blinked and repositioned from their trance, getting a full view of Bowzer. ’Wait, did you get bigger since last time?’

’Mhm, Bowzer bigger and stronger now,’ replied the fox.

’But how?’

’No remember? Foxes grow with EXP, not time,’ answered Bowzer.

’But this fast?!’ Jack was floored when he realized that Bowzer had almost doubled in size, no longer the tiny pup who sat on his shoulders. ’How big are you supposed to get?’

’Bowzer a boy, so bigger than mom.’

Thinking back to the large, noble mother fox that he had shot some time ago, Jack began to imagine how big a fully grown Bowzer might be.

’What wrong, Jack?’ asked Bowzer, getting back on topic.

Shaking his head to regain his mental clarity, Jack replied, ’Bowzer, can you sense any monsters or beasts nearby?’

’No, why?’

’Just cause.’ Jack let his brain try to come up with some quick solutions but to no avail. ’If you ever sense another monster or beast, tell me right away, okay?’

Bowzer nodded and hopped off Jack with a spring in his step.

’Where are you going now?’ asked Jack.

’Bowzer go with Sliv to town.’ The fox smiled wide, not attempting to hide any of his excitement.

’But what about me? I thought you were glad I was okay and wanted to stay by my side?’ Jack’s eyes showed a hint of desperation, not wanting to be left alone in bed all day.

’But Bowzer want to see city. Jack okay now, just rest.’ Not waiting for a reply, Bowzer snuck away after unlatching the lock with his tail and pushing the door open.

Jack almost cried, terrified by the immense boredom he knew he’d endure throughout the next few days.

*****

On the other side of town, just beyond the reaches of the king’s castle was a vast estate filled with stables and fields of all kinds, containing a copious variety of beasts.

At the center of the estate stood a mansion built with exotic, dark green marble and golden ornaments all around. It’s two towers at both ends of the mansion both had a full view of the entire estate, letting them keep an eye on everything.

Inside a small, dark room of that building sat a man in a dark green kimono with a samurai sword across his lap and his hands in a meditative pose. His eyes were closed as he sat with his legs crossed in front of a dim fireplace.

"Troni!"

A shout broke his concentration and forced him to turn towards the opening door in reply. "What is it, Father?"

"What is it? You know exactly why I’m here," yelled the burly man as he slammed the door behind him. "What kind of fox does that hero have and why haven’t you told me anything about it?"

Startled by his father’s statement, Troni answered, "How do you know about that?"

"You should’ve already guessed that the king isn’t the only one with a man inside the association."

"What? I thought I was the only—"

"Just shut up, enough about that. Hurry up and tell me more about that fox. It must be rare; according to our rat, the information is classified even within the association," stated the Salendar family head. "He hasn’t a clue about the fox, but you traveled with them. Knowing you, I’m sure you’ve taken the time to learn all about the hero and his fox."

Recognizing the determined look in his father’s eyes, Troni shrugged and sighed, "What do you want to know? I can’t say everything, but I might be able to answer a few questions."

"What breed is it? I heard that it’s exotic and not from around here," asked the dad, happy to see his son’s willingness.

"I can’t say, it’s an association secret," answered Troni.

"Oh, come on, I’m your old man. What harm will it do to fill me in about something so trivial? I’m sure I’ve seen it’s kind before and will probably forget all about it soon enough."

Under his breath, Troni mumbled, "If only you knew."

"What did you say!?" Excitement flashed across the burly man’s face. "If only I knew? You mean it’s special enough to attract even the likes of me, Tridon Salendar, the kingdom’s greatest hunter and breeder?"

Regretting his last statement, Troni looked back to the fireplace. "I’m in the middle of meditation right now, so hurry up and ask your questions. You know I won’t answer anything I don’t wish to answer."

"How strong is its bloodline?" Tridon stepped closer to his son, examining every inch of him and waiting to see any minute movements he made.

Troni did his best to remain still, but he couldn’t keep himself from swallowing some saliva. He understood the type of man his father was and the last thing he would want his father to have is a Hell-flame Fox.

"Wow, it must be very special for you to be this determined," joked Tridon, understanding that the fox should be very high up on the bloodline test. "And for my last question, how old is it?"

"That I can say," replied Troni. "The fox should be a few months old, I think."

"You think? You should know full well how old a fox is by its appearance, I taught you that myself," stated Tridon, poking at his son’s pride.

"Hey, it’s not my fault. I was certain that is was only a few months old when I met Jack, but it’s appeared to have grown a lot in the past few days so I’m not fully certain."

"Interesting." Tridon stroked his untamed bird as he smiled. "So it’s rare enough to grow based on experience and not time. That changes things."

Afraid that he had said to much, Troni yelled, "Now hurry up and go. I’m about to reach lv. 20 and my master says I need to train my mind more before he teaches me the next level of swordsmanship."

"Don’t worry, I won’t be bothering you any longer. I’ve already gotten more than I was bargaining for," laughed Tridon, ecstatic to have a new target at the top of his list of potential prey.

 

Chapter 87

list.

[Reach Lv. 10: completed]

[Reach lv. 10. Reward: 10 skill points.]

[Complete First Mission: completed]

[Complete first mission on time. Reward: 10 skill points.]

[Beat Leodoro II to lv. 10: complete]

[Reach lv. 10 before Leodoro II. Reward: 10 skill points.]

[Find Byron Balt: completed]

[Find, heal, and rescue Byron Balt from the goblin dungeon. Reward: 20 skill points.]

[Find any survivors: completed]

[Some survivors found, and the Balt Guild was passed the responsibility to relocate them from the goblin dungeon. Reward: 5 skill points.]

[Find Slivia: completed]

[Find and rescue Slivia from the goblin dungeon. Reward: 10 skill points.]

[Destroy the goblin city: completed]

[The goblin city received major damage from fires and battles. Reward: 10 skill points.]

Excited to have so many achievements be cleared at once, Jack eagerly claimed all of his hard-earned skill points. With seventy-five skill points at his disposal, he immediately went to his skill tree.

Jack stared at his many skills, most still at lv. 0. He had plenty of skill points, but he also had to keep in mind that each level doubled in cost. The thought of him spending forty skill points on just his bloodline skill was hard to accept.

Thinking carefully, Jack chose to spend fifteen skill points on to upgrade his physical resistance to lv. 2, in hope that he’d have better defense the next time he used the bloodline skill.

Left with sixty-three skill points to spend and plenty of hesitation, Jack decided to save them for later. He had enough to level up three skills to lv. 3 or at least one companion skill to lv. 3, but he had no clue what he would need most against this incoming infestation that no one knew about. Keeping those skill points as a resource later to be used was the best plan he could think of at the moment.

Suddenly, a knock came from the door and it swung open. Jack was startled to see Maura carrying a tray of steaming-hot food towards him. "Is that for me?"

"What do you think?" answered Maura with her typical sass, placing the tray on Jack’s bedside table. "I’ll set it down here."

"That won’t do," replied Jack. "I can’t even raise my arms without feeling incredible pain."

"Then what do you suppose I do, feed you myself?" Maura said it as a joke, but when she looked back to Jack, he was giving her his best puppy dog eyes. With a grunt, she pulled out a chair and sat down beside him. "I’m only doing this because Sliv is gone, you got that?"

"Thanks, Maura." Jack smiled gently at the stubborn girl. He couldn’t shake the feeling that she was colder than her usual sassy self. "Is something wron—"

Before jack could finish his question, Maura had already stuffed the first spoonful of what tasted like cinnamon-flavored oatmeal. "Don’t speak, it’ll take longer for you to eat."

Unable reply, Jack hurried to scarf down the oats but was quickly met with a second spoonful before he could say a word. One look at Maura told him that something was off, that something was different between them, but he couldn’t figure out why. He wanted to ask, but he wasn’t given a chance with Maura’s generous mouth-shovels of oatmeal being forced down his throat.

After a few minutes, the oats were finished and Jack took in a few breaths to regain his composure. Glad to have that over with, he said, "Now that I’m done eating, Is something—"

Again, another vessel was shoved against his lips, this time it was a small bottle of wine.

Maura stated, "Dad said that wine will help numb the pain, so he made sure to share some from his personal stash. If you don’t drink it all, he’ll be mad."

Agreeing with her, Jack tried to nod while guzzling the wine down, gulp after gulp. In no time, Jack finished the bottle and sighed loudly. "Wow, that was some good wine. Thank that old fart for me."

With a nod, Maura picked up the tray and hurried to the door in silence.

"Wait, aren’t you going to keep me company? Or at least chat for a couple of minutes?" shouted Jack.

"My dad will be here shortly to pass you the earnings from your mission and fill you in about your court trial. Until then, get some rest." Maura shut the door behind her, not addressing Jack’s questions in the slightest and leaving him alone.

She rushed down the hall with her head down and accidentally bumped into someone. "Excuse me, I need to—"

"What do you need, sweetie?"

Hearing her father’s familiar voice startled her and she looked up to reply, "Nothing, sorry Dad. I’ll take these back to the kitchen."

"What’s gotten into you? You’ve been acting weird ever since the others got back. Are you getting along well with Sliv?" asked Zariff, showing an unusual amount of care on his face.

"Of course, she’s like an older sister I’ve never had."

Maura was an only child and had always wanted another sibling, especially a sister. In all her life, she had never had any close friends, since they moved around based on Zariff’s assignments from the association and he was extremely protective over his only daughter.

"Good, that’s how it should be. She doesn’t have any other family, so I want to give her a place to call home. I tried to find her at the same inn I left her at a few years ago, but she was gone and no one could tell me where she went," explained Zariff. "Now that she’s appeared again, the least we can do is welcome her as family."

"What does Mom think?" asked Maura.

"You know your mother, she’s more than happy to have another girl in the family," laughed Zariff. "It was a miracle that she was able to have you, considering her condition. She had always wanted a big family, but she wasn’t blessed with that ability. Adding one more to the family might not make it big, but she’s more excited than anyone to have another daughter she can call her own."

"Right, I should hurry and get back to work." Maura smiled and tried to step past Zariff, but he held out an arm to block her.

"Is something wrong, sweetie?"

"No, nothing’s wrong," replied Maura, looking away.

A slight smile crept up on Zariff’s face. "Are you sure? You can always talk to me and mom if you’re having boy troubles."

"What do you know!?" shouted Maura, ducking under her father’s massive arms to escape.

Zariff chuckled and walked towards the same door Maura just exited. He knocked lightly, imitating his daughter’s typical knock, and opened the door slowly.

"You came back. Is something wrong—" Jack’s voice cut off the moment he saw Zariff’s head poke out from behind the door.

Recognizing something, Zariff shook his head and walked into the room. "How you doing, brat? Can you move yet?"

"Not yet, it’s only been a few hours," replied Jack.

"I guess we’ll have to postpone the trial then," stated Zariff. "The Royal Court has been hounding me to bring you and that lazy hunter to trial. Things appear to be better for our case, but you still need to show your face before the trial can close."

"Well, give me a few days and we’ll see how I am then." Jack could feel his body healing itself. It was incredibly slow, but he could feel it after he spent the early morning hours trying to sense his injuries while he waited for everyone to wake up.

"That’s good; I’ll do that then," replied Zariff. "Now, on to the important business. I’ve got your reward money and a couple of other things."

"How much did I make?"

"Well, considering you’re still new and this was your first mission, the commission is lower, and I’ll have to take a portion out for your medical supplies. In the end, you’ve earned about thirty gold," answered Zariff.

"Thirty gold!? I fought a troll captain and I only earned thirty gold?" questioned Jack.

"Did you kill the troll captain?"

Jack froze and didn’t dare to answer the question, not wanting to bite Zariff’s bait.

Zariff chuckled and continued, "Be lucky that you’re the owner of that fox, otherwise, you might not be getting half this much. Earnings for missions are set in stone when the mission is formed and funded, in this case, it was based on the association creating it and not a third party. The reward is then divided based on contributions within the mission. Out of the entire party, you technically contributed the least, only second to Sliv."

"But I—"

"That’s how it works, so take it or leave it," stated Zariff, stern as ever.

"But I don’t need any medical supplies, it won’t even affect me if I did use it. Why am I paying for that?" asked Jack.

"Well, you should’ve told us that before we wasted various potions and paid for a medic to check you out," replied Zariff.

"I was unconscious!"

"That doesn’t change the fact that we used it," argued Zariff.

Knowing that he was bound to lose the argument, Jack accepted his defeat and grunted, "Fine, just put it in my hand."

Once Zariff placed the bag of coins on top of Jack’s hand it vanished. Jack quickly and begrudgingly stored it away.

 

Chapter 88

"I’ve also got this for you." Zariff retrieved something from his storage and held it up for Jack to see.

"That’s refined cleansing powder! Where did you get that?" yelled Jack, amazed to see Zariff with one of the key ingredients to the cure for walking death toxin.

"Old man Zarris got it for me, said you were already working with him, is that true?"

"Yeah, he’s the one who helped me get a few things and prepare for the mission. He mentioned that he might be able to find some refined cleansing powder, but I haven’t given him anything in return. Why do you have it?"

"He and I go way back. I came to him with the list you gave me and found out that you were already looking for it. We talked and he confirmed that a bottle of cleansing powder was in the city. I didn’t want to miss my chance, so I traded a few things and we got it within the day. Also, he said you helped him with these." Zariff tilted his head to the side, showing off two studs in his ear.

Still baffled by the circumstances, Jack struggled to recognize the two other soul piercings that he had appraised for Zarris now in the branch chief’s ears. "Those... You got the soul piercings?"

"Yup, and they come in handy," explained Zariff. "By replenishing my mana faster, I can resist the curse a little more each day. Plus, who wouldn’t want to have something like a soul piercing? I even got the chance to brag in front of that stiff Arnole for once."

"Well... I’m glad you like them," said Jack, still shaking the surprise from his voice. "Do you have any leads on the Death Rattler poison or blood?"

"Nope, I haven’t found a clue yet." Zariff shook his head with a soft smile. "At least we’ve got this now. With this, there’s hope for a cure. I’ll hold onto it for now, till you’ve got the rest of the ingredient. Also, make sure to stop by the old man’s shop, he’s got some new stuff you might like."

"Yeah, if only an old fart wasn’t too cheap to give me only thirty gold," joked Jack.

"Well, brat, someone had to front the cost for the painfully expensive refined cleansing powder, so don’t complain."

"How much is ’painfully expensive’ for a cheapskate like you?"

"Try five hundred gold; does that sound painful enough for you?" replied Zariff.

Jack almost coughed up a lung the moment he heard the amount. In "A Hero’s Tale," refined cleansing powder was cheap, between fifty and one hundred gold. It was a common alchemical ingredient and could be made by any alchemist over lv. 40. Considering the circumstances of modern Kartonia, it made sense but was a hard pill to swallow.

"So, unless you’ve got another complaint, be happy with what you’ve got," barked Zariff.

"Okay, I get it. I won’t complain about my pay any more," said Jack. "But I do have a question for you. Has anything strange happened recently? Or have there been any sighting of a monster in the city?"

"Nope, nothing out of the ordinary. Why?"

"Because my subclass tells me that some kind of infestation is already in progress, and it’s threatening the entire city."

Jack’s answer caused Zariff to stiffen up and the air in his lungs to freeze momentarily. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yup, I’m sure."

"Then I need to get going." Zariff rushed to his feet and turned to leave.

"What are you going to do?" asked Jack.

"If someone that bad is happening under our noses, then there’s only one man in the city that might be able to help figure this out," stated Zariff. "His name’s Tridon Salendar, the head of the Salendar Family."

"Salendar..." Jack was taken aback by the mention of the ancient noble family. It was well known in the Zuran Empire as the greatest family of hunters and breeders; some of the strongest hunters in the entire continent were traced back to them. "The Salendar Family is here in the capital?"

Zariff chuckled as he exited the room, "You already know the family’s inheritor. He’s quiet most of the time, but Troni is definitely that man’s son, whether he likes it or not."

The door slammed shut as Jack was hit with another bombshell of information, leaving him with more time and silence to think.

*****

Time passed at a snail’s pace for the bedridden hero. The only person to visit him was Maura at lunch and dinner, who force-fed him in silence and left without answering any of his questions.

As the sun was setting beyond the infirmary’s windowpanes, a subtle knock came from the door. Jack didn’t recognize it and shouted, "Come in."

A woman walked in, wrapped up and covered from head to toe. Before Jack could say anything, the woman became illusory and vanished, leaving behind the appearance of a light gray-skinned, curvy goblin that oozed undeniable femininity.

Startled by the goblin queen’s sudden appearance, Jack swallowed some saliva. He tried to put together some words, but his lip fumbled them, making them inaudible.

"I’m the goblin queen, the same queen over the city that you and your party attacked," stated the queen.

Jack froze as he focused on his heavy breathing, doing his best to calm himself.

"I came with your party to the capital in the hope to have my horizons broadened, and they have been. But there’s one other reason why I’m here, and that’s you."

"What do you want with me?" asked Jack.

"There are a few things. First, I apologize for endangering the female who traveled with you, as well as the many other humans who were captured by us goblins or the trolls. I’m sorry." She bowed her head and waited for Jack to do the same in acceptance.

"Second, and most importantly, there are some things I must speak with you that are of the utmost secrecy."

"You have my word that I won’t tell a soul," said Jack, frantically nodding.

"I’m sorry, but your word isn’t good enough for this matter." The queen walked up to him and placed her hand on his chest. "If you were able to move, then I wouldn’t be able to do this. But since you can’t, then this is the only way I can guarantee your secrecy."

Arcane energy leaked from her palm and spread across his bare chest that was only hidden by the sheets. It leaked into his skin and left a small brand of exotic characters, the same size as her palm. There was no pain and the brand soon faded away.

"Now, we can talk. I’ve already told your chief to not let anyone near the door till I’m done here, and I’ve cast a barrier of silence within the room so there’s no need to worry about anyone eavesdropping."

"What’s so important to do all that?" asked Jack, just going with the flow since he was unable to retaliate in any way.

"Before I ask you what I must, let me explain a few things..."

"You’re a shadow goblin, one of the rarest breeds of goblins across the continent," Jack called out what was common knowledge to him and unheard of for the whole of modern Kartonia.

"You... you can tell with just a look?" The queen was baffled by how quickly Jack had discerned her origin. "Then you already know that I’m not from that cave originally. I’m the last of my tribe and was lucky to find a protector in Shlad, one of my current goblin captains. With his help, I escaped my tribe’s destruction while I was young. He taught me the ways of the world and helped me plan my take over of the mines that he called home. After many years of training and preparations, we returned and began to develop the goblin city."

"That explains how you arrived there, but how was your tribe destroyed? Aren’t shadow goblins the most powerful goblins? Surely, there were a few goblins over lv. 50 or lv. 60, right?" questioned Jack, remembering the many times he had fought shadow goblins over lv. 70.

"Only the tribe chief was lv. 60, but he was centuries old and dying at the time. The next strongest was lv. 53... but he wasn’t enough to stop the annihilation of our tribe." The queen shook her head, averting her eyes. "After my father perished, my grandfather used his dying breath to clear a path for the others to escape. I was lucky to have Shlad their to guide me and help me. The others... they never made it."

"So, you’re the tribe chief’s granddaughter? That explains your powerful affinity for magic. But what was it that annihilated your tribe? And what does any of that have to do with me?"

"I’ve already given up on the thought of revenge, so it’s irrelevant who destroyed my tribe. My only goal now is to continue my bloodline and eventually recreate my tribe. For that, I’ll need your help."

Chapter 89

"Umm..." Jack hesitated to say anything as the goblin queen stepped closer. "But I-I don’t even know your name. We can’t just—"

"Daliea."

The queen’s interjection caught him off guard. "What?"

"My name is Daliea Shrintal, former heir of the last tribe of shadow goblins. It is my sworn duty to carry on and recreate my tribe. In order to accomplish this, who better than a hero to help my offspring grow strong." She gingerly reached out and ran her fingers down the side of his arm.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on! Who said I was okay with this!?" yelled Jack. "There will be no such thing happening between us."

"And why not? Do you not find me attractive?" asked Daliea.

"You’re..." Jack couldn’t bring himself to finish his sentence, as he felt her soft touch and noticed the caring look in her eyes.

"You will be treated as my king, whether you stay with me or not. What matters is that I can do my duty to my fallen people. Surely, you don’t want my race to die off, do you?"

"I never said that. Of course, I don’t want it to die off, especially if you’re a shadow goblin. Your race is one of the most mysterious of them all," replied Jack. "It was the most secretive and is one of the few races with life spans that last for centuries."

"Then help me, and I’ll offer you everything I have," pled the queen, blinking and tilting her head seductively.

"Sorry, but I don’t think you have anything that I would willingly trade for my virginity," stated Jack.

"You’re still a virgin?" asked the queen, with amazement in her eyes.

"N-no... I just..." Jack tried to take back his words but failed miserably.

"In that case, I’ll trade my virginity for yours. That is a fair trade, yes?" offered the queen.

"Nope! I wouldn’t try that on the first date, let alone before it! You don’t have my consent," said Jack. "As I said, there’s nothing you have that I think is worth my participation in such acts."

"What about this?"

"Nope, I said nothing—" Jack paused when he noticed the small stack of scrolls that were placed on his bedside table. "What are those?"

"Maps, spell scrolls, valuable information, etc. You’re a smart man, so I must offer something smart men find most important, information." Daliea picked a scroll off the top and unraveled it in front of Jack. "This is a map containing the general geography of the entire continent and it contains the locations of each major city and each major trade route. Is this not worth me pleasing you?"

Choked up by his hunger for knowledge on the current world, Jack struggled to form his reply, "Nnnnnoooo... I still can’t agree to this."

A brief flash of anger passed through the queen’s eyes as she returned the map to the table as she retrieved an item from her storage necklace and placed it with the scrolls. "How about now?"

Jack’s breathing grew heavy the moment he recognized the item. "Where did you get that?"

"Near my tribe, we always found these foul beasts. During the long summers, there were so many of them that we held hunting contests and festivals to see who could capture the largest one. Why? You seem very interested in this." Daliea raised an eyebrow as if she knew exactly what she was doing.

When Jack saw the look in Daliea’s eye, he knew that he had bitten her bait. He wasn’t sure how the goblin queen knew he was looking for information about Death Rattlers, but her productions of a Death Rattler stinger was too much of a coincidence.

"You wouldn’t happen to have a sample of Death Rattler poison and blood, do you?" Before he could even finish his sentence, two vials filled with differing liquids appeared on the table.

"Done. Now, I think I’ve offered more than enough considering I’ll be the one pleasing you, don’t you think?"

Jack groaned, "You’re not wrong... but I still can’t go through with something like that with you."

"Why not? It’s because I’m a goblin, isn’t it? Go ahead and say it. I know most humans are repulsed by those of other races." The queen stared at him, expecting his answer.

"That’s not it," stated Jack, shaking his head. "As I said, I wouldn’t even go that far with anyone after the first date."

"First... date? What’s a date?" asked the queen, struggling to figure out Jack’s strange sense of priority.

With a chuckle, Jack answered, "A date is when two people spend time together and try to get to know each other better. Sometimes it’s simply going for a walk, other times it’s some kind of activity."

"Do all humans go on these ’dates?’"

"Usually," persuaded Jack. "Most of the time there are multiple dates before people go that far with each other."

"How many dates does it take?" asked Daliea with a serious determination written all over her face. "Tell me Jack, how many dates must we have before you can give me your seed?"

Not wanting to answer, Jack tried to stall. "I’m not sure, it’s different with every relationship."

"Then how many dates must you have before you’re willing? I must know!" yelled Daliea. "If you don’t answer me, then I might as well take you here and now while you’re unable to fight back."

"I could still activate my bloodline skill and—"

"That would be useless against a lv. 34 shadow goblin sorcerer at your low level, wouldn’t it?" interjected Daliea.

Sinking in defeat, Jack had no choice but to answer. "Three... I would need at least three dates before I could give myself to someone."

"Easy enough," said Daliea. She turned and began to step towards the door.

"What’s the matter with you? Where are you going now?" asked Jack.

"I’ll be extending my stay in the capital. That way, we can go on our three dates before I return to my city," answered Daliea.

Jack opened his mouth to respond but his tongue instead, not daring to deny it out of fear that she might steal his virginity on the spot. He then remembered the stack of items and scrolls on the table and shouted, "What about all this? Are you forgetting something?"

"Consider that a reminder of our first date," replied Daliea. She didn’t give Jack a chance to refute her statement and closed the door behind her as she promptly exited.

Jack sighed and wept with dry eyes. "First... date?" The queen’s last words hit him like the rush of a cold waterfall, shocking him to his senses and leaving him with a sense of exhaustion.

The only thing Jack wanted at that moment was some shuteye. He closed his eyes and tried his best to calm his pounding heart. After a few minutes passed, Jack was still and ready to sink into a deep sleep.

"Hey, brat!"

A sudden shout erupted as the door swung wide open. "The queen said something about you and her dating?"

"No, it’s not what you think you old—"

"Didn’t think you had it in you, kiddo. Not many can swing that way, but I don’t blame yeah considering she’s a rare beauty," laughed Zariff, who was buzzed and looking for some entertainment. He then noticed the pile of good on Jack’s nightstand, almost spitting out the brundy remaining in his mouth. "What did you do? How did you convince her to give you all this?"

"I guess... we had our first date?" Jack didn’t want to reason with a drunk, especially if that drunk was Zariff, who was known for his drunken mood swings.

"For everything she left you, I think the least you could do is help her out. Besides, you’re the only one who can," stated Zariff while he pocketed the vials of blood and poison, as well as the stinger.

"Wait, you knew about that? And you let her!?" yelled Jack.

"Of course I knew. Who else was going to help a virgin brat like you get some action? I’m just trying to help," chuckled Zariff before he chugged his bottle empty. "If anything, you should be thanking me."

"Nothing happened! Nothing!" exclaimed Jack. "Apparently she’ll be staying longer so we can go some dates. It was the only thing I could think of to keep her from forcing the situation."

"Why not just man up and do as she says? What, do you not find her attractive at all?"

"That’s not the point! I would never try something like that on the first date," reasoned Jack, trying his best to sound gentlemanly.

"Wow... you really are a virgin," laughed Zariff. "Almost any other man here would’ve done anything to be in your shoes, and you gave her a lame excuse like that?"

"What’s wrong with that? You wouldn’t want Maura going around and doing the that with—"

"What about Maura!?" yelled Zariff, nearly causing Jack to soil his sheets. "You trying to get my daughter too? And Sliv, what about her? You’re just trying to get it on with anyone, aren’t you?"

"No! Of course not! I would never try to—"

"Just shut up! And not a word about my sweet daughter got it!" Zariff looked at Jack like a dead man as he spun around and waddled out of the room, leaving Jack trying to catch his breath.

 

Chapter 90

Three more days slowly passed for Jack as his only visitors were Maura for meals, Daliea trying to have their second date, and Bowzer returning each night after spending the day with Slivia. Anxious to finally get out and move around, Jack jumped out of bed the moment his body allowed him.

A tumult of emotions and thoughts fought inside of Jack.

Maura seemed closed off and never bothered to chat with him. The sassy, fun-loving Maura that he had met weeks ago was long gone. In her place was a straight-faced brunette that appeared at each meal like clockwork and forced too much food down his throat to let him speak in her presence. And the few things Jack was able to mention or ask were entirely ignored as if she hadn’t heard him.

Daliea was far more persistent than Jack had imagined. It took over an hour for him to explain that her visiting him in bed wasn’t a date, but he never could change her mind that their first "date" was invalid. She would come each night to see if he could stand and go for a quick walk, always leaving in disappointment.

Jack wasn’t sure how he should handle her situation. She always said it was her duty, but she was far warmer than Maura and genuinely expressed care for him. He wanted to keep stalling and eventually reject her when he had a chance, however, there was a small part of him that felt that he shouldn’t turn her away.

One thing that didn’t help at all was how Slivia never came to visit him since the night he woke up. Jack was completely lost about how she felt for him. Previously he had guessed that she liked him and thought the kiss on the cheek was proof. Now, he hadn’t seen her in days and she never bothered to check in on him, leaving him to combat Daliea’s pursuits and Maura’s strange change in personality.

’Jack better?’ asked Bowzer, who was woken up as he rolled off Jack’s chest.

’Yup, I’m feeling a lot better!’ shouted Jack. He raised his arms in excitement and got a whiff of his pits, causing him to cough and almost gag. ’Wow... I need a bath... Come on Bowzer, let’s go take a bath.’

’Bowzer want sleep, bath with Sliv yesterday.’ The fox curled up under the sheets and vanished without another word.

Jack felt a little jealous of Bowzer, who bragged unintentionally. He then remembered the time he had almost found Slivia bathing in the woods. The picture was etched into his memory. Her loose, slightly damp shirt hugged her, and her wet golden hair hung low to dry naturally. It was a view that he’d love to see again.

Not wanting to dwell in his daydreams for too long, Jack walked towards the bathes inside the association building. It may appear rundown, but the bathes were well-maintained and always in perfect order.

He rinsed himself in no time and sunk himself into the calming hot water. Jack could feel the energy he lacked during his long time in bed seeping back into him with each passing minute.

"Uhhhh..." Jack sighed and let himself drift in the blissful waters.

"Ya finally feeling better?"

"Oh... Yeah..." Jack answered Maynard casually, already aware of his presence. "It’s been too long since I’ve had a nice, relaxing bath."

"I hear ya. It’s one of the best ways to clear your head after an arduous mission." Maynard turned around and shouted, "Brunar, hurry up before I’m boiled over."

"Yes, Master!" replied Brunar, barreling out of the changing room and into the warm pool. "Hey Jack, how are you feeling?"

"I’m feeling great; much better now that I can move again. And there’s no better way to re-energize and clear your head than a hot bath," stated Jack. "What have you been up to lately? Anything exciting?"

"I’ve just been running a few errands for Master and chief Zariff. Now and again someone will stop me in the streets if they recognize me, but I love hearing their thanks and expressing my gratitude for their support. Things won’t get busy till tomorrow."

"Ya ready for your trial with the king?" asked Maynard, paying close attention to Jack’s reply.

"I guess, it’s not like I have any choice. If I had my way, then that king wouldn’t be a king in the first place," berated Jack.

"Aren’t ya exaggerating a little? From what I’ve seen, King Leodoro has been far more successful than his father and deserves some praise," reasoned Maynard.

"Why’s that? Would a great king just summon a stranger, declare him as a hero, and then demand he sign away his life in servitude of a kingdom that the stranger doesn’t know or understand?" said Jack.

"True, that logic seems a bit forced. However, should a stranger ask for total trust, support, and wealth from a king before proving himself? I think there are issues on both sides of the argument," sighed Maynard, closing his eyes and returning to concentration to meditating.

Jack rolled his eyes, unsure of how he should answer such a statement.

"Why did you join the association instead of the Royal Court anyway?" asked Brunar. "I’ve heard too many rumors to guess what’s true and what’s not."

"Rumors?"

"Yeah, every marketplace is busy talking about you and why you’re against the king."

"But I never announced that I was against the king. How can that be?" Jack felt a little uneasy, especially after Maynard’s verbal jab.

"That doesn’t matter because you’re wanted by the Royal Court, enough so for them to pursue you legally and publicly. Just that is enough to paint you as enemies. Not everyone thinks you’re a bad guy since you’re a confirmed hero, but most people are unsure what to label you." Brunar shrugged and dropped the conversation to fully sink into the relaxing pool.

Unable to satisfy his desire to know more about the rumors, Jack decided to step out early and get changed. Before Brunar and Maynard were out of the bath, Jack was already rushing to the central plaza to learn more firsthand.

The sun had recently entered the sky, so most people had yet to leave their homes. In the meantime, Jack found himself walking towards Zarris’ booth.

Outside his tent and in the little booth of his wares, stood Zarris, eyeing Jack since he came into view. "Long time no see, Jack."

"Same goes for you, Zarris. Thanks for getting that cleansing powder for us."

"It’s the least I could do for a long-time patron like Zariff, or a summoned hero like yourself." Zarris waved his hands as if the favor was easy for him. "As for the other ingredients, I haven’t found out anything about Death Rattler parts anywhere."

"Zariff didn’t tell you? We got lucky and found someone with some extra Death Rattler blood and poison, so don’t worry yourself over that stuff," stated Jack.

"Seriously?" Zarris wasn’t shocked, instead, he seemed a little hurt that Zariff hadn’t mentioned this the day before or brought any Death Rattler part to trade.

"Either way, the only other main ingredient we’re missing is the Life Tree dew. I know you’re going to tell me that you no clue where to find any, but I need to ask again. Do you know where we can find some Life Tree dew, or a life tree to extract the dew?" asked Jack.

Zarris laughed, enjoying Jack’s blunt statement. "Again, I haven’t a clue where to even look for something like that. The only place I could think of would be a massive auction, the ones big enough to attract the leaders of neighboring countries."

"Oh?" Jack’s interest was piqued, and he leaned over the booth to better listen to Zarris. "Where and when can I find one of these auctions?"

"Hold your horses, Jack. First off, you have no funds to try and hop in on an auction of that scale. Second, the Reinolt Kingdom doesn’t attract enough attention to warrant any major auction companies to create a branch here. The closest one would be inside the Zuran Empire, but the second isn’t much farther and is probably your best bet."

"Let me guess, the Polt Federation?"

"Yup, you guessed it, as usual," laughed Zarris. "Like I said though, to enter there’s always a high-end buy-in, not to mention the final price of something like Life Tree dew. You’d have to plea with your forgotten gods to pull something off so crazy."

A smile immediately flashed across Jack’s face. "Not bad idea Zarris, I’ll have to try that sometime."

"Really!? You know how to do that!?"

"Yes and no... but probably not. It’s worth a shot," chuckled Jack. "Here, I need to trade these in. Mind taking them off my hands?"

Three black, leathery carcasses appeared on the tiny counter space Zarris had for his small booth. "Not bad, Light-tailed Lizards, right? Considering the condition and the size, I can offer five gold for each if I’m being generous, but I’ll only be generous is you remember me after you finally get ahold of your ancient gods. Understood?"

"Of course, that’s very generous of a friend like you."

They quickly made the exchange and Jack rushed off towards the market’s center, which was growing louder with passersby with passing minute. He wore a smile on his face and held onto the idea Zarris had jokingly given him.