"It's mine!" her voice was just barely heard over the loud final wail of the flailing creature. Its large body hit the ground heavily, sending a tremor trough the dirt two others who stood in battle-ready positions.
The young woman with a bright head of strawberry blonde hair enthusiastically jogged over to the corpse of the odd creature, beginning to rifle through small pouches and pockets that sat around its tattered clothes. Watching for large wounds still oozing the tainted blood, she worked with the deft fingers of a seasoned tailor and chef. Pulling small alchemy ingredients and plenty of gold from the mauled being's still body, she dropped it before her to check the value of it all.
'Not bad…' she thought, observing well over two-hundred pieces and plenty of herbs that she needed for her next potion. Setting them carefully inside a beat-up, but well loved sack, she climbed to her booted feet. Looking around the impromptu battle arena, she located her partner dashing about, recollecting arrows. Some he observed with a piercing eye, testing their weight and seeing briefly if they bent to his expert opinion.
This time around, it seemed like more were damaged beyond repair due to the creature's tough skin. He would more than likely fletch more later, but he'd rather save the money for a rainy day than the extra supplies needed to do so. Returning the arrows to a quiver strapped around his waist, his sharp eyes made contact with her own. Nodding silently, he agreed that he was ready to go, trusting that his companion had looted everything in the vicinity.
Trudging over to join her, he looked at the dead creature taking up a lot of room. Looking at her from a side glance, he wondered out loud, "What are we taking back?"
Observing the creature's tough skin and heavy body mass, she thought that it'd be too difficult to carry the whole thing back, and taking a piece of it back would cause a stench that even pigs would avoid. Again, the two would take back claws or teeth back as a souvenir and proof of the creature's death.
After safe extraction, they too, were placed in the sack that rested on her back. "All set?" she asked, grabbing hold to the large steel weapon that jutted out from their kill's body. Struggling for a moment to pull it free, she rocked wildly from the sudden shift of weight, still unaccustomed to the ridiculous size and weight of the weapon.
"Well, if you're finished struggling with that, we can move on," he had folded gloved arms over his thin chest, partly covering the insignia upon his clothes. With his bow strung over his back, and hat replaced upon his wild ginger hair, he was patiently awaiting his friend.
She grumbled to herself, struggling to sheathe it. "Well maybe if it wasn't so heavy!" she reasoned, earning a mirthful scoff in response.
"If you hate it so much, why don't you go back to using magic? You're much better with it than any weapon you've decided to pick up thus far…" He wondered many times why she was determined to do what she does, but nowadays he chocked that up to being stubborn.
In all honestly, she hated it in every way, detesting the simple fact that she had picked it up in the first place. "-But I need to master it!" she stated, voice full of determination. "I vowed to try it, so I am! I need to reach masters with it, otherwise I'd feel horrible."
"There is no reason to feel the need to get so good at it. Nothing is holding you to it," he shrugged, finding himself to be perfectly content to the two weapons he still used today.
"That's the thing though! Nothing is holding me to it, but nothing is holding me back from doing it. What if one day you have a rack of weapons before you, though they're all ones you're not familiar with? That, is why I am doing this. To be prepared for anything." She sounded absolutely confident in her words, trusting them to be true when she needed them most.
It took a moment for her companion to answer, but she got a muttered reply, "Oh, so it's not because you're a perfectionist?"
With a playful hit to his shoulder, she sheathed the offending weapon properly and the two finally returned to their horses waiting from the safety of a nearby path, tethered to a sturdy tree.
Starting their quick journey back to the capital, the two mostly shared memories of other bounty runs and missions gone awry. Playful banter was tossed back and forth, as though a colourful ball was being passed between two children. Before either of them knew it, they were greeting the stable man, leaving him to watch over the horses.
The three shared a farewell before the pair entered the capital, being welcomed by warm scents and friendly faces. The streets were as busy as ever, shop doors wide open with customers bustling in and out. Vendor stands lined what the shops doors didn't cover, salesmen all crying out to the crowd. They promised warm food, good wares, and even the occasional foreign item.
With the air tense with chatter, the young woman felt her spirits lift, a bright smile taking control of her face. She was home again, and all the familiar people around always kicked away dreams of moving away. The cozy smell of fresh bread mingled with the tangible taste of spices, making her mouth water for the wonderful jaw-dropping food that was all within hands' reach. Inhaling the scent with nostalgia, she gripped the bag's strap with a firm fist and started weaving through the crowd.
Less than a few steps behind, the younger ginger fought to keep up with her, passing far too many people. There were too many faces to memorize, too many voices to remember, and it felt as though every hand was reaching out to grab him and never let go. Trying with all his heart to keep an eye on the bright purple robes, he forced himself through the throng of shoppers, feeling smaller with every step.
Not soon enough, they entered a rather empty building. It was not extravagantly decorated, nor did it give off a pleasant aroma to guide customers in. It was rather plain, smelling of a mixture of ink and blood. Upon entering the door, a small bell chimed, echoing through the small first floor.
Behind a towering desk, a rounded face peered over to the two. Eyes practically sparkling from recognition, he hastily clambered over to the counter where the pair of adventurers stood. With his towering figure, the shopkeeper seemed threatening as he loomed over the pair. They peered up at him with unimpressed stares, waiting for something.
Without further ado, the man cheerfully greeted the two, "Why, hello again, Toto, Atiya! Have we finished 'nother job? Without a single scratch this time, I see. You must be getting' along great with the weapon switch then."
The girl, Atiya, looked to her partner with a triumphant look upon her face. "See, I'm not the only one who thinks learning to use other weapons is a smart plan."
"That's only because he's the one you got the idea from…" he mumbled to himself as Atiya pulled the claws and teeth from her bag, leaving them on the counter. The room fell silent as the man inspected them, ensuring that they were genuine. He didn't doubt the two, and weighed in the bounty price. It was a fair amount for the effort they put into the battle, and Atiya was the one who accepted the sack of gold coins.
Before they finally had the chance to decide that it was about time they returned home, the large man leaned forward onto the counter, closer to the average height. "I've got 'nother one for you two if you were willin'?"
Atiya was the one to answer to the offer, "What's the pay?"
His eyes shifted to the side for a moment, "'Course there's high pay for it. S'its awfully dangerous this time 'round, but I'm positive you two will be fine. Not too far 'outta the way either…"
"Yeah, but we can't forget how far your term of 'no too far away' is from ours," Toto interjected, despite the fact he felt like what he had to say wasn't even part of the main concern.
Atiya fell silent for a moment, her face displaying her thoughts. She was thinking about how far they had to travel and what the supplies would cost. Was the bounty price higher than that by at least twice? Whatever the bounty was this time, couldn't have been worse than what they've been doing lately. The man always handed the toughest to subdue and most expensive of bounties to the two, knowing that the rest of the hunters that stopped by his little shop just couldn't handle it like these two.
"We'll take the job."740Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR2xtPlXh1T
