The horses were right where we left them, waiting for us patiently the entire time we were gone. Madeline and I groggily climbed up onto the wagon. 

 

It took a couple of hours or even more to make it out of that forest, but thankfully nothing ended up attacking us. There were more hornets, but we kept our wits and moved carefully in a calculated manner. 

 

We were both exhausted and our clothing was stained with sweat and dried blood. Our first quest turned out to be a complete disaster. We don’t have the fee for the delivery or any physical proof to bring back to the bakery or the guild for our report. How do we expect them to believe what happened? I hadn’t even thought about any of this until now.

 

 Even though this whole thing went awry, we should still receive some compensation for our efforts. We couldn’t have predicted what would’ve happened, and to add insult to injury, we almost died. If  we don’t get anything from this, it will really suck.

 

“I just want to go home and take a hot bath…” Madeline sighs as she looks at her bloody white robes before grabbing the reins. 

 

“Me too. After we’ve finished reporting to the Frosts and the guild, we’re free to do whatever we wish. Man, I don’t even know how we’re going to explain this to them…” 

 

“I’m sure that they’ll understand, Steven. Everything will be fine.” 

 

I nod and reach into my satchel, grabbing a bread roll for both me and Madeline. It was almost evening right now, so we should be able to make it back to the village by late evening.

 

I sigh as I take a bite out of my bread. I wonder what Leif and Bella are up to right now. I’m sure that they’re worried about me. We were supposed to meet up at the Guild the night before, but unfortunately that never happened. Still, I’m sure that they’ve had better luck in their quests than me.

 

If they both took slaying quests today as well, then that would bring our current total to twenty gold pieces. Not too shabby.

 

I close my eyes. I was completely exhausted. At the moment, there were only a few things I desired: A hot bath, a hearty meal, a cold drink, and a warm bed. All of these things will help me regain my strength for tomorrow.

 

I hear the sound of Madeline's voice. "Steven, wake up." 

 

I slowly open my eyes and look around the surrounding area. We were nearing the entrance of the village.

 

"You've been asleep for quite some time, Steven. We're almost there."

 

I took a lengthy rest, and I already felt more energized because of it. The sky was currently a hue of a fair shade of orange; not too light nor too dark. It was a beautiful sight. The sun was going to set soon.

 

I let out an exasperated sigh. "Finally." 

 

"You can say that again…" Madeline nods in agreement.

 

As we approached the inner gates, I noticed a couple of bright lights. Once we got close enough, I could make out what it was. Two guards at the wooden gates, each holding a spear in one hand and an oil lantern in the other.

 

They didn't look like the same guards who were stationed here the day before. It made sense. There were a fair amount of guards and it was logical for them to rotate stations every now and then.

 

Madeline slowly brought the wagon to a halt once we were right outside the gates of the village.

 

"State your business," says one of the guards as he shines his lantern on us. "Ugh, you two look horrible…"

 

"Yeah, we're new adventurers who are trying to report back to the guild. Unfortunately, things didn't go so well…" Madeline says.

 

"I can see that. Very well, head on in."

 

The two guards set down their items and work together to open the gates. Once they were out of the way, we finally made it back inside of the village.

 

It was rather beautiful at evening time. The sun was about to set, and you could see lanterns and candles all around, particularly in the windowsills of houses. 

 

This was the time that a majority of the businesses in the marketplace will be closing and it was probably the same for the bakery. We had to get there fast.

 

There weren't as many villagers out and about during this time of day, so it was much easier to make it down the cobblestone streets. As a local resident, Madeline knew this village like the back of her hand. We'll get there in no time.

 

When we reached the bakery, I noticed from the inside there was only a dim light. The bakery must have already closed for the day, but there should still be plenty of time to return the wagon and make our report.

 

Madeline stopped the wagon right next to the bakery and then we approached the front door.

 

"Locked," I sigh. "That figures."

 

I proceeded to knock on the door a few times. This should grab their attention.

 

A minute or so passes by with no response, so I knock again, louder than last time. Finally, we hear the latches unlock and the door slowly opens.

 

"Can't you tell we're closed?!" a woman grumbles in annoyance.

 

The woman was Mrs. Frost. She was holding a lantern of her own, and when the door finally opened, she was able to see the two of us. Filthy and tired adventurers.

 

"Oh, my goodness! I was worried about you two! What happened?" she exclaims with shock in her voice.

 

Madeline sighed. "A lot of things, happened, Mrs. Fro–" 

 

"Come in, come in, the both of you," Mrs. Frost interrupts, holding the door open wider.

 

She locks the door behind us and leads us to a table and sits us down.

 

"Is your husband around, Mrs. Frost?" Madeline asks.

 

"No, dear. He went home already. He's exhausted from today's work, as he is most days. I'm still here to finish up for the day."

 

"Ah, I see. Well, we brought back your wagon and the horses. They're safe, just like we said they'd be." Madeline continues.

 

"Thank you, dear. More importantly, I'm happy that the two of you are safe. I was worried that you hadn't returned much earlier."

 

"Well, that's the thing. We ran into problems." I say.

 

"Problems?" the woman raises her eyebrow.

 

"Yes. The man we were delivering to ended up acting crazy, and he was going to hold us prisoner in his cottage…"

 

Mrs. Frost doesn't say a word. I can tell by the look on her face that she's skeptical and finds it hard to believe.

 

"He grabbed Madeline and wouldn't let go. I had to take action."

 

"Take action? What did you do?"

 

"I killed him." I say without remorse.

 

"Killed him?" Mrs. Frost says softly, taken aback by my words.

 

"Yes. I stabbed him in the back. He was able to crawl for a bit, but he eventually bled out. Before he did, he ordered hornets to attack us. For some reason, they could understand his speech."

 

"So that explains your bloody clothing, then…" 

 

"Yes. You might not believe it, but it's exactly what happened. Isn't that right, Madeline?"

 

Madeline nods firmly. "That's right, it's true."

 

"He was one of our most valued customers… Other adventurers who had delivered to him have stated that he was a little strange, but to have this happen…" Mrs. Frost sighs in disbelief.

 

Madeline and I stay silent, not wishing to provoke her.

 

"Thank you for telling me. It's a little difficult to believe, but given your appearance and your lateness in return, I'll take your word for it. I assume you never recovered the fee, then?"

 

Did that even matter at this point? I guess it did to them. It was quite a large order, so…

 

"No," I say. "It never crossed my mind until later on. We have nothing to bring back except your horses and wagon."

 

"Well, it's better than nothing. Still…I can't believe you killed that old man…" 

 

"I had no choice. Also, he deserved it."

 

"He was just… a peculiar old man. Do you really think he deserved it?" Mrs. Frost says, her voice beginning to rise.

 

"Yes, he did. He was hurting Madeline, and if I hadn't done what I did, worse things could've happened to be both me and her.” 

 

"You could've at least tried to reason with him!"

 

"There was no way we could have. That man was too far gone in the head. Why the hell are you so concerned about it?" 

 

I was starting to lose my patience with this woman.

 

Mrs. Frost slams her fist on the table. "Because he was close and important to us! A valued customer, dead at your bloody hands!”

 

"Is that what you care about? The loss of a customer?! You seem to care more about that than the two adventurers that almost died!" I yell in anger.

 

"How dare you say that, you son of a bitch!" 

 

"Guys, stop!" Madeline says, trying to intervene.

 

I ignored her words due to my rage. "Mrs. Frost, you better shut your mouth before you make me really mad. You're not going to like what happens next if you do."

 

"You're a fucking monster. A murderer!" Mrs. Frost cries.

 

"You weren’t there. You couldn't possibly understand what it was like. I did what I had to! And I would kill him again and again if I was given the opportunity!"

 

Mrs. Frost yells and charges at me, punching me in the face once, and I fall back onto the floor. Madeline screams at the sight.

 

I quickly grab my dagger in order to defend myself, and with all of my might, I push the crazy woman away. I had an advantage due to my weight, although she was still strong. I felt that punch…

 

Mrs. Frost is slowly getting up, but I knock her back down to the ground to keep her from doing so. I hold my dagger up high to the sky, the sharp end of the blade targeting Mrs. Frost.

 

"Steven… don't!" Madeline cries.

 

The cleric's pleas don't reach me, and I proceed to stab Mrs. Frost over and over in her neck and her chest until there's blood all over my dagger and my hand. I continue to stab her until the lanterns illuminate the pool of blood and the lifeless woman that was now on the floor.

 

I breathe heavily after coming to grips with what I had just done. I've committed my second murder.

 

"Oh, shit…" I say, turning to Madeline, who backs away from me in fear.

 

She doesn't say a word. She's terrified. Terrified of me. She grips her staff with both hands, and her body is shaking.

 

"Madeline, I didn't want to do that! I…" I look at the blood on my hands. 

 

Jesus. What was I becoming?

 

Madeline quickly runs out of the bakery, and I can hear her cries as she does so. 

 

I stand up and look at the woman I just brutally killed out of blind rage. What the fuck am I going to do now? I never meant for this to happen…

 

I gasped at all of the blood that was continuing to fill the floor. I had to get rid of all of the evidence. But what about Madeline? What if she tells a guard? I wouldn't blame her…

 

I can't think about that right now. I have to deal with what’s right in front of me. With a sick feeling in my heart, I grab a lantern to look around the place for anything I can use.

 

Fuck. I think I made the biggest mistake in my life.