Vol. 3 Chapter 2: Fine Work
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The beastkin warrior rested the dagger next to the goblin's ear and brought the blade through the base of its flesh. She deftly moved the spindly, flopping meat aside as blood poured from its head. She twisted her face in disgust as the goblin's tongue lolled from its mouth and slapped against the stone floor when she turned it over. The ovoid pupils dilated as the tight grip of death claimed it.

Kirie felt no remorse. The creatures were violent beings that didn't act on simple necessity and preservation. They reveled in the suffering of others, torturing humans and beastkin alike. The sick monsters even ate their own kind when it suited them.

She pulled the strings tight on the leather bag strapped to her waist after she claimed the last ear.

The tedious work of collecting goblin ears was mostly left to newer adventurers, but it would be a waste to not sell the parts in exchange for a couple decent meals. For some reason, it was always creepy old ladies who posted the job requests for goblin ears on the quest boards at the Guild Union buildings.

What do they even do with these things? Kirie wondered. It was a passing thought that had occurred to her on a number of occasions, and she knew it would soon be forgotten.

Kirie grasped the handle of her double-edged axe and pulled herself to her feet. She tugged her brunette hair from the confines of her armor and let it flow its full length just past her shoulders. After scanning the cramped space of the tunnel for a moment she proceeded back to her designated area near one of the cavern's entrances.

The catgirl planted the head of the axe on the ground and folded her hands on the base of the handle, remaining ever vigilant for her guild leader. Alphonse had likely started his careful work in the cavern to collect the bear spider's venom.

Kirie flexed her fingers on the axe's handle as a terrible, pained shriek echoed through the tunnel at her back. A faint rumbling from the stone floor nudged through her armored boots. She didn't move from her position as she stared into the darkness stretching a few yards in front of her.

The shrieks didn't last long. Silence conquered the dungeon once again after no more than a minute's passing. Kirie relaxed her shoulders when she realized that her body had tensed. She released a calming breath and stretched an arm above her head.

Damn fool, she thought.

The human had only spent a few days acclimating himself to dungeon quests again. A normal person might've gained the mental fortitude after a few weeks, but Alphonse wasn't necessarily normal. She knew he wasn't ready, but his unbridled fear of betrayal had been reigned in somewhat when their guild received some new members. Alphonse pushed himself so as not to be a burden. Adventurers accepted jobs that involved dungeons. That's how it worked if a guild wanted to achieve notoriety and grow alongside its competitors. Alphonse understood that, and so he stubbornly forged on.

Kirie scoffed and strode to the canted wall of the tunnel. Her disdain wasn't only directed at her human comrade. She knew full well that she would have acted in the same way, which only made her a hypocrite.

The beastkin leaned against the wall and propped the axe next to her after she inspected both directions in the tunnel. Her guild leader's habits were rubbing off on her. She listened for any other sounds just in case before allowing herself to relax a bit.

All it takes is a stray crossbow bolt to end one's life, she thought.

It was something she wouldn't have considered if she were back home at the Submerged Oasis. She'd started to change a few year ago, but the arrival of the human and his unfortunate circumstances had prompted her to shift her outlook. There were too many problems in the world that couldn't be solved with fighting, and even if it was a solution it could still exacerbate matters thanks to something called "society."

Kirie waved a hand in front of her and watched as a transparent screen appeared before her eyes. It displayed the information for most sentient beings of Hovestile; however, there were two extra portions that were supposed to be reserved for outworlders.

Name: Kirie

Identification: Demihuman

Class: Warrior

Mana regeneration: .7/s combat exclusion= 1.8/s

 

Kirie scanned the sparse information until she reached the bottom:

Stats: Strength – 30      Constitution – 29

 

The stats were a gift from Alphonse when he met Kirie and Asa at the Submerged Oasis a few months earlier. He took one of the greatest gambles and sacrificed his mana pool for the mysterious Construct Contract that made supposed deals of equivalence. After receiving the contract, he sacrificed the stats he thought might be more beneficial for the members of his party. Naturally, Kirie, being a warrior, received the strength and constitution stats. The full extent of the stats was still unknown, but the human deemed them much more useful in the hands of someone dedicated to the role.

Asa had received the stats for intelligence and focus. Kirie found this to be more of a gamble in comparison to her situation. Alphonse only assumed that focus might assist a spellcaster with envisioning complicated spells in their mind's eye, but it was a stat left in the most obscurity. Still, he figured it was better to sacrifice it to Asa since he was dedicated to other stats. Intelligence was apparently a common stat with a denotation in his world that involved spells, so it was an obvious choice giving it to Asa.

The deal Alphonse made with the Construct Contract was mostly a blind attempt. He had no idea if it would work. In the end, the contract decided that his sacrifice was in line with its obscure rules. Kirie used the term “rules” loosely since it seemed like the contract was practically sentient and simply chose to accept deals based on its own preferences.

Kirie reached for her axe as she heard something disturb the silence. She brought the axe up in a defensive stance and scanned the darkness while keeping her body angled towards the wall. After a few seconds, she relaxed when the faint tapping of metal on rock reached her ears. The first two taps came in quick succession, followed by three more out of rhythm. She allowed the sender to move closer until he was a faint silhouette in the darkness.

“It's just me,” Kirie heard the person say. She lowered the axe and motioned him forward.

From the darkness emerged a large man in heavy warrior armor. Propped on his shoulder was a massive warhammer that rivaled Kirie's own weapon. Even with the lack of light there were plain blood smatterings on both flats of the hammer.

He joined Kirie and stood a few feet to her side and watched the direction from where he had arrived. The catgirl let the silence linger in case anything had opted to follow the other warrior. Their specialty and gear didn't necessarily complement stealth and prudence. His heavy armored boots would unavoidably draw attention if monsters were nearby.

After about a minute, Kirie broke the silence, “I'm guessing we're all clear, Derek?”

Derek pressed a fist to his lower back and stretched as he answered, “All good. Anya said that Alphonse did a clean job. But your sister was absolutely livid.”

Kirie raised an eyebrow at this. There was something about Alphonse that made Asa far more prone to emotion. She had always kept her neutral countenance in check during their years at the Submerged Oasis, but it was as if she expected more of Alphonse. Better of him at times. It was like an older sister who wanted a brother to be the example he was supposed to be for other siblings. Alphonse was good at what he did. Sometimes he was downright impressive, but his actions weren't always something to emulate. What he saw as calculated risks wasn't always the case for onlookers.

“We'll be eating real good for the next few weeks,” Derek continued. “I hear La'abrine has this unique cuisine where they marinate meat in a fish sauce.”

Kirie dismissed all her other thoughts at the mention of meat. She caught herself drooling a bit and wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her undershirt. Derek didn't fail to notice this and let out a quiet chuckle.

“You are really obsessed,” Derek said.

After eating manta worm for so many years, you can't help but appreciate all the other delicious meat out there, Kirie thought. “Yeah, it's too damn good. Alphonse promised to cook some venison for us at some point. He said nothing beats that kind of meat out on the open road over a fire.”

Derek straightened a bit at what she thought was an offhand comment. He seemed genuinely impressed. “I didn't know he had that much experience. That does explain how he's such a natural at this whole scouting thing. I'll be looking forward to-”

Kirie lifted her hand and raised a finger at him before he had a chance to finish. She lifted her axe, and Derek mimicked her instantly as they strained to listen in the renewed silence. Kirie stared down the tunnel and kept her gaze on a specific point where she thought she detected movement. She took a careful, sliding step forward. Derek shifted to the other side of the tunnel, and they moved in unison. When they reached the curve in the tunnel, Kirie motioned for Derek to move slightly in the open. She turned the corner with her axe raised and prepared for whatever might be lurking in the dark.

But that was all her austerity yielded. Darkness. Deafening darkness.

They moved further down the tunnel for a few minutes, but nothing deigned to make itself known.

“What did you see?" Derek whispered as he rejoined her. He kept the warhammer raised and made a quick check of their rear.

Kirie shook her head. “I don't know. I'm sure I saw movement.” She bit her lower lip as some possibilities formed. She wondered if maybe the darkness had played tricks on her. She wasn't used to staying still for so long, and she was never one for the boredom of keeping watch. Hell, she could barely read more than a few pages of a book without her mind wandering. Perhaps the exerted focus had just made her exhausted.

No, I saw something, but...maybe. Kirie blinked slowly and stared straight forward until the fuzziness caused by her eyelids dissipated.

“Let's get back to Alphonse,” Kirie said.

Derek gave her a look she couldn't quite read, but he nodded his assent. “Lead the way.”

They proceeded down the tunnel with Kirie taking the lead. Derek hung back a bit and walked at an angled, wide stance.

Kirie pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath before gripping the handle of her axe firmly in both hands.

I saw something. Godsdammit, I'm sure of it.


The black-shrouded figure remained pressed against the wall as the beastkin and her human companion scanned the tunnel. They had each taken up a wall and moved with controlled movements. This lasted for a few minutes, and the individual in black felt as if a lung might burst from holding a breath equally as long.

The beastkin spoke, "Let's get back to Alphonse."

The air eventually escaped with painful relief when the two adventurers returned back whence they came. The catgirl spared one last glance behind her before allowing the other warrior to watch her back.

She saw me, the shrouded figure thought.

She straightened and leaned against the wall. The thought returned a few times until the disbelief turned to acceptance, She saw me.

Honestly, if it was Evan McCarthy, then it wouldn't have been as much of a surprise. Perhaps even Asa Foirena. It was true that the spy didn't implement the full extent of her concealment's capabilities. She didn't think it could possibly be necessary, but for the warrior of the guild known as GRIM to actually notice her presence spoke volumes of the beastkin's discipline.

Even with Ashliv Diavelia's approval, the spy still had some misgivings about the guild's potential. She wouldn't approach Evan McCarthy without the consent of her superiors from the Shin'ryen.

 

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