Internal mission

Rank: C

Task: Procure four fangs of the Silvereyed Wolf

Details: Mutated species; has poison stored in their fangs, moderately toxic

Location: Forest region near Sleepless Lake

Timeframe: Five days after receiving mission

Reward: 160 Redwell Coins 

With the help of a knife and some brute strength, Aki pried the last fang free from the lifeless body lying in the dirt. Her hands were sticky with blood and saliva, and she wrinkled her nose in distaste. 

There hadn't really been any sort of fight. Her appearance had been too sudden for the first wolf to react before it met its demise. By the time the second wolf got ready to attack her, growling menacingly, she had already disappeared from her previous spot. Shortly after, her knife had stabbed through its eye straight into the brain and ended its life swiftly. 

Collecting the teeth afterwards was the reason for her messy hands.

Instead of hunting monsters and animals, Aki would much rather go gathering herbs, but she had not once got a mission for that in her two years working for the Redwell Guild.

A surveillance or assassination mission in a nearby town or something similar would've been nice as well. At the very least, she would have been able to buy a gift for her sister before returning.

Maya had spent her whole life at the Redwell Research Center and not even been allowed a single step outside. So, Aki tried to provide Maya with as much distraction and entertainment as she could. Usually it would be books, and by now there was a small but diverse collection in Maya’s room. Sometimes she would get some sweets and fruits, but the stalls in the nearby town rarely had much of those. The town was too close to cursed grounds and not many merchants came to trade. Too much poor folk and criminals. 

Hopefully she would get a mission in a town further away. There was no reason to worry about food for her sister spoiling, since the space rings provided by the Redwell Guild kept food well-preserved for a long time. As long as the item was neither too big nor alive, it could be stored inside. Although the space inside the ring was very limited, it was more than enough for her uses.    

The mix of liquids made her hands sticky, giving her the illusion of it restricting her movements, and Aki remembered having seen a nearby stream. She passed the corpse of the second wolf and walked into the direction she had come from. The trickling of water could be heard before she saw her goal come into view. The soil was slightly soft beneath her feet as she knelt down to wash her hands and knife. It was satisfying to watch the red disappear and leave behind clean skin and shiny metal. 

After a moment of hesitation, she tried to wipe away some wolf hairs on her clothes with her wet hands. The results were lacklustre and her clothes now a bit damp. 

She pursed her lips and got ready to return with the requested items. Though, before that, she took out a small bottle filled with tiny, translucent orbs. It was medicine specially prepared for her. Although she hadn’t used her abilities that often and the cursed grounds weren’t that far from the Redwell territory, she didn’t want to risk any sort of backlash. While her ability was more special than others, it came with a corresponding price and limitations.

The orb melted in her mouth, a clean and refreshing feeling spreading through her body as a sweet smell enveloped her taste buds.

It didn’t take her long before she reached a clearing, and the warm sunlight chased away the gloom of the forest. It was the middle of spring and Aki could see numerous flowers blooming on the meadow. Looking at the peaceful scenery, it was impossible to connect it with the infamous cursed grounds. Her spirits lifted as she took in the colours. Someday, she would have a nice picnic on a beautiful meadow like that with Maya. She’d make sure of it.

Keeping to the edge of the clearing, Aki made her way forward. The grass cushioned her steps, making her progress as silent as possible. 

All of a sudden, the ground began quacking violently and the soil beneath her feet disappeared. There was a sudden feeling of weightlessness, and Aki instinctively used her ability to get to stable grounds. She vanished from her position in midair and reappeared at the bottom of the hole. The moment her feet touched the ground, something slammed into her, its frame massive and maw big. She did another space jump but was not fast enough to avoid one of its massive teeth skewering her midriff.

A loud gasp escaped her mouth. She pressed a hand over the wound, blood gushing out and staining her hand a deep red. Aki didn’t look at it, afraid to see something else aside from blood spilling from her body. Instead, she concentrated on using as many space jumps as possible to get away from the creature. Her vision turned increasingly blurry, and then darkness claimed her.

It took a while for her sight to focus after she regained consciousness. She blinked a few times and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. A familiar and expected sight greeted her.

A big and sturdy tree trunk towered over her, gently covering her in its shade and blocking out most of the bright daylight. Dark red petals swayed in a light breeze and painted a stark contrast to the blue and cloudless sky. 

After staring up for a few seconds, Aki slowly sat upright, scooting closer to the tree trunk in the process. A wave of dizziness hit her, and she leaned against the rough bark. Closing her eyes, she waited for the dizziness and the slight nausea welling up inside her to fade. 

Opening her eyes again, she sighed and got up to report back to Greystone. The clothes she wore were messy, dried mud and blood smeared all over them. The shirt was torn and her trousers ripped. On a particularly colourful patch, some moss was beginning to grow, ready to claim the available ground. 

The environment near the big magnolia tree was thriving with vitality as usual, the grass lush and thick. Covering the reddish soil beneath and making the scene tranquil and picturesque. 

A dirt path led from the edge of the greenery all the way to the back entrance of a large, multi-storey building made of bricks.

Standing in front of the door inlaid with glass, she knocked and waited. The glass was shatter-proof and tinted from the outside thanks to various runes. But whoever was guarding on the other side seemed to quickly recognize her and unlocked the door to let her in. 

Neither of them said a word as she walked past the guard in quick strides. She had been here often enough after similar situations and in similar states.

A single clenching and unclenching of her fist was the only outward reaction Aki allowed herself as she walked down the quiet corridors. The empty walls seemed to narrow around her, and her steady steps mocked her wildly beating heart. A thin layer of sweat formed on her forehead as the anxiety and unease gnawed at her insides, but her bangs covered the traitorous sign. The closer she got to her destination, the more her heart pounded away, until she finally stopped in front of a simply looking door. She allowed herself a second to take a deep breath, before raising her hand once more to knock.

“Come in,” the voice of a man called out, and she promptly followed the order. 

The opened door revealed a simply furnished office with a big window. The towering frame of the magnolia was the clear focus of the view. In front of the window stood a heavy, wooden desk. A bunch of papers and writing utensils were occupying most of its space, and a pair of reading glasses showed that the owner had poor eyesight. Sitting at the chair behind the desk was a middle-aged man with white hair and a face any passer-by would easily forget. 

Closing the door behind her, Aki stopped in the middle of the room and watched Greystone. Light eyes stared at her for a few moments, taking in her messy appearance that stood out even more in the orderly office. Finally, Greystone got up and rounded his desk, coming towards her. 

There was a loud smack as Greystone slapped Aki across the face. Some blood trickled down her chin. Greystone’s space ring had split her lip.

“How fucking useless can you be?! Wasn’t it only a simple mission to bring back some wolf fangs?” Greystone’s displeased voice filled the office. A clock ticked away in the background, uncaring about the tense atmosphere that suffocated her.

The slight sting of pain was nothing compared to the hate and discomfort filling her insides whenever she saw him. She blinked in response and waited until it was her turn to answer. 

“What went wrong?”

“Mutated earthworms, probably.” She tried to keep her voice as calm and even as possible, not wanting to show her emotions in front of him.

Another slap sounded out and the cut on her lip widened.

“You won’t get any more solo missions from now on. Any scout we have would’ve been able to easily spot those things. You’ll join one of the other squads.” 

Greystone stared at her, waiting for some sort of reaction, fully aware of the fact that the other people in the guild didn’t like her. She didn’t particularly mind, any company was better than having to endure his proximity, unable to retaliate.

“Alright.”

The lack of opinion seemed to disappoint him as he returned to his desk, brows furrowed in displeasure.

“You’ll meet your new squad in the next few days, someone will come notify you. Of course, one-way missions will still be your responsibility alone. Now get out.” 

Notes:

Author: Could it be that you’re a bit of a clean freak?

Aki: *cracks knuckles* I don’t mind getting some blood on my hands…but I would like a cleaning rune…

Author: Don’t worry, I have something even better in store for you!

Aki:? I don’t trust you