"Enatsu saved me, Ryutaro-Sama! The young merchant sacrificed himself to protect me from an attack by the Kamakiri sorcerer, shielding me with his Moruba. Also, Takamori-Sensei started training him to become the next wizard in our guild! My master would be very displeased if he learns that..."

"Please be quiet," Ryutaro interrupted, crossing both hands behind his back. Under his experienced eyes, Yoichi and Shioko were kneeling, and Enatsu was unconscious, lying on his mat.

​​

"I never said we wouldn't find a cure. Enatsu's condition is not rosy, but it doesn't seem life-threatening, for the moment."

After that statement, Yoichi and Shioko's gazes raised simultaneously. The two companions looked at each other for an instant. Soon after, their eyes conversed on the majestic figure of the gatekeeper.

"The wound is serious and quite deep. However, the main problem remains another. How could this boy have shared the physical and psychological pain with his demon? You said it's not his Oracle, right?"

Yoichi and Shioko nodded silently.

"This is inexplicable. A cure needs to be found and..."

"Dragon fire, Ryutaro-Sama... the fire…"

The gatekeeper's words were interrupted by a thin, raspy voice. To the right of the two Nightblades warriors, Enatsu was trying to speak. "Hey! Hey, Enatsu!" Yoichi boomed.

The young tamer approached his companion, resting a hand under his neck and paying no attention to the pain in his forearm. "I'm here, brother. I'm right here. You can rest easy now. Ryutaro-Sensei has healed you with his medical herbs, and you are no longer in grave danger," the blond-haired warrior smiled.

Enatsu's hand made a faint movement, firmly grasping Yoichi's wrist, who fell silent. Enatsu didn't have the strength to open his eyes, but his other hand moved down his sides, reaching into one of the pockets of his pants.

In addition to Yoichi, Shioko and Ryutaro watched that scene intently, fearing that the young merchant was convinced that he was inside a dream.

"Yoichi's fire can... it can counter the dark power," the merchant reiterated. His trembling, slightly injured fingers pulled a small object from his pocket, delivering it into Yoichi's hands.

Yoichi opened his hand and looked closely at the item: a small glass vial had been carefully sealed with a cork. The object was about five or six centimeters in size.

A thick, black substance was moving frantically inside the tiny container, pushing hard against the glassy edges. "I can't believe it.... Enatsu, how did you..."

"When you guys were busy fighting... argh... I managed to grab a sample of Blackblood from the floor of the cave," Enatsu murmured, opening his eyes slightly. "I know it's not much, but... maybe... maybe it's enough to find a cure," he added.

"How is it possible that it didn't evaporate like all the rest of the black mud? I mean... if the mud had stayed around the area, we could have collected more of it. What's so special about that flask?" Shioko asked, intrigued. Once again, Enatsu had managed to amaze everyone by predicting the upcoming events.

"You sealed the flask tightly, removing all the oxygen inside. Just as fire cannot continue to burn without oxygen, you surmised that the evaporation process of the Blackblood would also stop under anoxic conditions... you are a real genius, Enatsu!" Yoichi rejoiced, clutching the dark flask in his hands.

"Yes... argh! Yes, I know," the merchant coughed, trying to act all smug despite how badly he looked. "Kenji's fire... I'm sure Kenji's fire is the solution".

After those words, as if his nervous system had run out of battery power, Enatsu lost consciousness again.

"Rest, my friend. You've done enough already," Yoichi repeated. Placing one hand on one knee and pushing with his other foot on the ground, the young tamer tried to stand up.

Shioko tried to help him promptly, but she stopped when she realized she couldn't grab his arms. Yoichi was still shirtless: to help him up, she would have to grab the waistband of his pants, the only grip helpful in giving him a hand.

"It's fine, Shioko. I got it," Yoichi smiled. He rested a hand on his companion's shoulder, interrupting the moment of temporary embarrassment.

Shioko looked away. Although she had never had such problems, interacting many times with men and women of all ages, she seemed particularly awkward when dealing with him.

Step by step, limping slightly, Yoichi reached his master. Ryutaro was still standing beside the wooden carriage when his student handed him the Blackblood vial.

Between his huge fingers with blackish fingertips, full of wrinkles and scars, the bottle of liquid seemed even smaller. The Blackblood kept moving to one side and the other of its small container, insisting on pushing on the cork.

It was as if the intelligence of that substance was so pronounced that it understood independently that the cork was easier to push away than glass. "Hmm..." Ryutaro murmured, thinking silently. "Don't let anyone see this vial. You will only deliver it into Takamori's hands; he will know how to help you. Your guild leader knows many qualified people in Goldhaven, I'm sure he is not short on alchemist friends," the gatekeeper commented.

Yoichi returned to the mat and placed the bottle inside the leather pouch, his Nekage's favorite handhold. A strange tingling sensation in his chest extended all the way down his back, to the nape of his neck. That sensation led the young tamer to turn his gaze back to the carriage.

Between the wooden beams, a bloody inscription gradually appeared. Drop by drop, it read:

'Defeat the boss and exit the dungeon: quest completed'.

[Reward: +1 to your 'Scorching Breath' skill].

As if recent events had made him forget the last quest of his Demon Pet System, Yoichi looked at the inscription on the carriage in amazement. Ryutaro was busy making final preparations before leaving, and Shioko was looking down on Enatsu.

The letters changed shape, and blood flowed in and out of the wood's pores, creeping around the rusty screws and forming a new inscription.