Chapter 59: The Return

Chapter 59: Chapter 59: The Return

The walk back to the guild was slow.

Daniel’s body ached. His chest throbbed where the Dire Wolf’s paw had struck him. His knuckles were raw and bloody. His legs felt like lead. Every step was a struggle.

But he kept walking.

Lyra walked beside him. She was quiet. Her eyes were distant. She was thinking about the fight. About how close they had come to dying. About how powerless she had felt when her bullets bounced off the Dire Wolf’s hide.

Paul walked behind them. He was limping. His side was bruised. His staff was cracked. But he was alive. That was what mattered.

Fluffy walked at the back. She was bruised and battered. Her ears were drooping. Her tail was still. But she was smiling. A small, tired smile. She had helped. She had fought. She had proven she wasn’t useless.

The forest was quiet. The birds had stopped singing. The animals had fled. The only sounds were their footsteps and the rustle of leaves in the wind.

Daniel looked at the sky. The sun was setting. Orange and purple light filtered through the trees. It was beautiful. Peaceful. A sharp contrast to the violence they had just experienced.

"We should rest," Paul said. "We’re all hurt."

Daniel shook his head. "Not here. We need to get back to the guild. Get healed. Report the mission."

Paul nodded. He didn’t argue. He knew Daniel was right.

They walked for another hour. The forest thinned. The road widened. The guild walls appeared in the distance.

Daniel felt a wave of relief wash over him. They had made it.

---

The guild gate was busy. Adventurers were returning from their own missions. Some were carrying trophies. Others were limping. A few were being carried on stretchers.

The guards saw them approaching. Their eyes widened. They had seen injuries before. But Daniel’s group looked terrible.

"What happened to you?" one guard asked.

Daniel pulled out the mission slip. "Dire Wolf. C rank. We completed it."

The guard stared at him. Then at the slip. Then at the group.

"You killed a Dire Wolf?"

"Yes."

The guard looked at Paul. "Is this true?"

Paul nodded. "It’s true. He killed it. With his fists."

The guard’s mouth fell open. He looked at Daniel. At his bloody knuckles. At his torn clothes. At his exhausted face.

"I’ll... I’ll get the mission officer," he stammered.

He ran off. The other guard stared at them. His eyes were wide.

Daniel leaned against the wall. He closed his eyes. He was so tired.

Lyra stood beside him. She placed a hand on his arm.

"You okay?" she asked.

"I will be," Daniel said. "Once I sleep for a week."

She smiled. "You did good."

"We did good."

Fluffy tugged on his sleeve. He looked down at her.

"Fluffy is hungry," she said.

Daniel laughed. "Of course you are."

---

The mission officer arrived. He was a middle-aged man with a stern face and sharp eyes. He examined the mission slip. Then he looked at the group.

"You killed the Dire Wolf?" he asked.

Daniel nodded. "Yes."

"Where’s the proof?"

Daniel reached into his inventory. He pulled out the Dire Wolf’s head. It was massive. Its red eyes were still open. Its teeth were still sharp.

The officer stared. His face went pale. He took a step back.

"That’s... that’s a Dire Wolf," he whispered.

"Yes."

"You killed it?"

"Yes."

The officer swallowed. He took the head. He examined it. He nodded slowly.

"Proof accepted," he said. "Mission complete. 150 contribution points. To be divided among the party."

Daniel nodded. "Divide it equally. Four ways."

The officer looked at him. "Four? But there are only three of you with slips."

Daniel pointed at Fluffy. "She has a slip. She’s registered."

The officer looked at Fluffy. At her rabbit ears. At her small form. He frowned.

"Slaves don’t get contribution points," he said.

Daniel’s eyes narrowed. "She’s not a slave. She’s a member of my party. She fought. She bled. She gets points."

The officer opened his mouth. Closed it. He looked at Daniel’s face. At his cold, hard eyes. He looked at Paul. At Lyra. At Fluffy.

"Fine," he muttered. "Four ways."

He pulled out a small device. He tapped it against Daniel’s slip. Then Lyra’s. Then Paul’s. Then he hesitated.

Fluffy held up her slip. The officer tapped it.

[Contribution Points Updated]

[Daniel Black: 37.5]

[Lyra of the Prick Family: 37.5]

[Paul: 37.5]

[Fluffy: 37.5]

Daniel looked at his slip. 37.5 points. His first contribution points. It was a start.

"Thank you," he said.

The officer nodded. He turned and walked away. He was muttering something under his breath.

Daniel looked at his group. "Let’s get to the infirmary."

---

The infirmary was in the main guild building. It was a large room filled with beds. Healers moved between them, tending to the injured. The smell of medicine filled the air.

Daniel collapsed onto the first empty bed. Lyra took the one next to him. Fluffy curled up at the foot of his bed. Paul sat on a chair nearby.

A healer approached. She was young. Pretty. Kind eyes.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Dire Wolf," Daniel said.

The healer’s eyes widened. She looked at his wounds. At his bruises. At his bloody knuckles.

"I’ll get the senior healer," she said.

She hurried away. Daniel closed his eyes. He felt the exhaustion wash over him.

"You know," Paul said, "you’re crazy."

Daniel opened one eye. "What?"

"You fought a Dire Wolf with your bare hands. A Dire Wolf. And you won."

Daniel shrugged. "It worked."

"It shouldn’t have. You should be dead."

"I’m not."

Paul shook his head. He laughed. A tired, disbelieving laugh.

"You’re something else, Daniel Black."

Daniel smiled. "I know."

The senior healer arrived. She was an older woman. Gray hair. Sharp eyes. She examined Daniel’s wounds. She chanted. A soft light emanated from her hands. The pain faded. The bruises healed.

"Rest," she said. "You’ll be fine by morning."

Daniel nodded. He closed his eyes.

Within minutes, he was asleep.

---

The next morning, Daniel woke to the sound of arguing.

He opened his eyes. The infirmary was bright. Sunlight streamed through the windows. He felt better. Much better. The healer had done her job.

He sat up. Lyra was already awake. She was sitting on her bed, watching the argument.

Paul was standing near the door. His face was red. He was shouting at someone.

"You can’t just barge in here!" Paul said.

"I can do whatever I want!" a voice replied.

Daniel looked at the door. A man was standing there. He was tall. Muscular. He wore fine clothes. A noble. His face was twisted with anger.

"Where is he?" the noble demanded. "Where is the one who killed my Dire Wolf?"

Daniel blinked. "Your Dire Wolf?"

The noble’s eyes snapped to him. "You! You’re the one!"

Daniel swung his legs out of bed. He stood up. He stretched. He looked at the noble.

"Your Dire Wolf?" he repeated.

"Yes! I owned it! I raised it! I trained it! And you killed it!"

Daniel stared at him. Then he laughed.

"You owned a Dire Wolf," he said. "A wild, man-eating Dire Wolf that killed three merchants. And you’re angry that I killed it?"

The noble’s face went red. "It was mine! I was going to sell it! It was worth thousands of gold!"

Daniel shook his head. "It was a monster. It killed people. It needed to die."

"It was my property!"

Daniel stepped forward. The noble stepped back.

"Your property," Daniel said. "Your property killed innocent people. Your property terrorized the roads. Your property was a threat to everyone."

The noble’s face was pale now. His hands were shaking.

"I’ll... I’ll have you arrested," he stammered. "I’ll have you executed. Do you know who I am?"

Daniel smiled. A cold, dangerous smile.

"No," he said. "And I don’t care."

He reached out and grabbed the noble by the collar. He lifted him off the ground.

"You listen to me," Daniel said. "You come in here, accusing me, threatening me, because I killed your pet monster? You should be thanking me. You should be on your knees, begging for forgiveness for the people your monster killed."

The noble was crying now. Tears streamed down his face.

"I’m sorry," he blubbered. "I’m sorry. Please let me go."

Daniel held him for a moment longer. Then he dropped him.

"Get out," he said.

The noble scrambled to his feet. He ran. He didn’t look back.

Paul stared at Daniel. His mouth was open.

"That," he said, "was satisfying."

Daniel nodded. "I know."

Lyra was smiling. Fluffy was smiling. Paul was smiling.

Daniel looked at them. At his group. At his friends.

"Now," he said. "Who wants breakfast?"