Trying to find someone who knows how to process raw fibers into fabric in Wildpost turned out to be a hopeless task. Right after my business with Rella, I went straight to the Chief's house to charge him the monthly payment he owed me as well as ask him who produced the fabrics for the village.

It turned out there was no fabric production in Wildpost. According to Bran, producing fabric required a local supply of fibers, usually hemp or flax. With Wildpost surrounded by endless trees, there was no space for agriculture, and even if there was, Bran said the space would be used to cultivate food instead of cash crops.

Fortunately, none of my effort in coming to the Chief's house was wasted. Bran happened to know a bit about the process of turning raw fibers into fabric.

“Back in my younger days, I used to work as a civil official for Halros,” Bran said as he served a plate of biscuits and some tea. “My job often required me to do inspections of the businesses that operated within its walls, be it legal or… illegitimate. Let's just say I used to have some kind of relationship with some unsavory characters in my youth.”

“Not my place to judge,” I said as I slipped some biscuits in the hole I made in Mr. Marion's mask.

Bran gave me a satisfied nod. “Some of the businesses I inspected included the biggest clothing companies in the city, and I got to enter their factories and learn a thing or two about how they make their fabrics.” He sipped his tea before he continued. “The first step in making fabric is to soak the plant stalks you're going to harvest fibers from in water. This softens the stalks and makes it easier to separate the fibers later. They called it ‘retting,’ which takes at least a week or more.”

“Sounds easy,” I commented as I munched on more biscuits.

“Just be careful with retting your stalks or whatever plant you're going to harvest fibers from,” Bran warned. “Take them out of the water early and you're going to have a harder time separating the fibers from the useless parts of the stalk. Soak them too long and you're fibers will turn weak and fragile.”

“I'll keep that in mind.”

“Once your stalks are soft enough, you can start separating the fibers from the stems. You do this by beating, scraping, and combing the stalks repeatedly until all you're left with are the smooth fibers. After that, you can start spinning those fibers into threads with a spindle and weaving those threads into fabric with a loom.”

I nodded in understanding. I already knew spinning and weaving, although I didn't know how to operate spindles and looms. I doubt Bran knew how to use them, so I'll have to consult other people about that.

“Thanks for your insight, Bran.”

“It's no problem, although I wonder how you managed to become a successful clothes merchant without knowing these things,” Bran said with an inquisitive look. “Clothes merchants like you usually know the production process so they could better assess the quality of the fabric.”

“I may have had a lapse in my training…” I said with a vague wave of my hand. “By the way, how are the Night Wardens doing?” I asked to change the subject.

Bran didn't point out the abrupt change in topic, much to my relief. “The Night Wardens have been a huge help with the village's security. Kazimir and Samantia have been patrolling Wildpost's vicinity daily, culling the monster populations before they hit critical mass and attack the village again. I daresay their arrival was a blessing from the Holy Mother.”

I kept myself from groaning at the old man's words. If he knew the real reason why the Night Wardens came here in the first place, he'd have a whole different reaction to their presence in the village.

“I'm sure the Holy Mother sent them in your difficult times, what with the monster populations going out of control in the Wild Woods,” I said, although I didn't really believe it. “They've been getting along with Belka, I hope.”

Bran chuckled mirthlessly. “We're better off hoping the sun will set in the east, Mr. Marion. Just yesterday, I had to personally escort her away from the Night Wardens, who were training by the village walls with the hunters, else she pick another fight with them. Belka's mood had been sour for the past few days. Seeing her own students get along with the Night Wardens must have been upsetting for her.”

“The hunters get along with the Night Wardens?” I asked with mild shock. Last I checked, everyone in the village hated Kazimir and Samantia with a passion.

“You can't blame them. Seeing the Night Wardens kill scores of monsters by themselves to help protect the village in exchange for nothing must have struck a chord with the hunters, whose very purpose is to defend Wildpost. Nowadays, you'll see hunters happily training with Kazimir every morning,” Bran said.

“Belka must be getting her panties in a twist,” I said with a chuckle.

“May I ask how you're faring in your new home?” Bran asked. “I heard Selise complaining the other day about the state of your, ah, living quarters, should I say. I was wondering if that was the reason why she immediately went home the next day after.”

“Things are going great, actually. I've been doing some renovations to my cave recently, and it should look more livable soon enough. I bet Selise would love it once I'm done with the place.”

“Cave?”

“I meant home.” I gave an awkward laugh as Bran looked at me weirdly. No sense in telling him that the great Mr. Marion lived in a dingy cave. I was relieved Selise didn't share anything about what really happened. I didn't know what I would do if Selise started snitching about me being an Ascendant and stuff. “Did Selise say anything about her stay?”

“Not much. She said she enjoyed it, although she might have a few scathing remarks about the ‘unsuitable living conditions.’”

“Did she really say that?”

“Essentially. Although her choice of words was a tad bit more inappropriate.”

I chuckled at that. Admittedly, my cave wasn't the best yet, but by the time I was finished with it, Selise would start begging me to let her stay in my home.

I wrapped up my conversation with Bran, thanked him for the information he provided me with, and left to fetch Taloress. I was eager to go back home so I could continue my renovations.

●●●

Taloress excitedly approached Mr. Bersk's house and knocked loudly on the front door. Several days had already passed since she talked with her best friend, but to her, it felt like ages. She missed Selise and the conversations they had, even though it was wholly one-sided with her being mute and all. Fortunately for Taloress, the Master had given her leave to spend time with her friend while He went about His business.

After a short wait, the front door opened to reveal not Selise, but a young man wearing a leather apron. Various tools peeked from the pouches of his apron, and his eyes were wide when he saw Taloress.

“Er, it's you. Taroless, right? Are you looking for Selise?”

Taloress wanted to smack the young man for butchering the name the Master had given her, but just like what the Master always said when He was tempted to do something impulsive, Taloress decided to ‘be mature.’

Instead of punishing the young man with a mighty uppercut, Taloress crossed her arms below her chest and turned her head sharply to the side in a huff. Her stance exuded so much disdain that even without speaking, the young man quickly understood the meaning of Taloress' actions.

“Now I see why Selise likes you. You two are so similar,” the young man grumbled. “If you're looking for Selise, then you won't find her here. She's doing her shift at the village gates, which will end at midday. You're welcome to wait here if you want.”

Taloress ignored the young man's offer and started walking towards the village gates to see her friend.

“Why you rude little… Hey! You can't just visit Selise during her shift!” the young man shouted behind her, but Taloress ignored him and strode down one of the winding streets. “You aren't even going in the right direction!”

But Taloress was already gone.

●●●

Taloress was lost.

When she haughtily left behind the rude young man, she hadn't been paying too much attention to where she was going. Her mind was occupied with savoring the young man's frustrated shouts as she left. The young man tried to tell her something, but Taloress was already too far away to hear it clearly, especially under the din of the haggling women in the village center. The young man must have been trying to tell her she was going in the wrong direction.

Demit, Taloress thought angrily. It was one of the usual curses she heard the Master utter every time things didn't go His way, and she imitated it. How was she going to find her way out of her predicament?

The streets Taloress was in winded in a mess of loops and turns, making it difficult to ascertain which direction she was facing. The buildings on both sides of the streets were all made of wood, be it a shop, a warehouse, or a residence, which made it hard for Taloress to distinguish them from each other. The Master might have been able to differentiate each building from another, but to Taloress, everything might as well be a house. The idea of asking the Master for help appealed to Taloress, but she decided not to go through with it. The Master was already busy enough, no sense in adding to His troubles.

Taloress decided to continue roaming around until she finally found a way out. She could have just climbed atop one of the buildings to find her bearings, but the Master warned her every time they went to the village not to do anything weird or stupid, so she obeyed. Not that she had any idea what constituted as weird or stupid in the first place. So far, Taloress hasn't seen anyone climb buildings to look around, so she deduced it must be a weird or stupid thing to do.

So she did the ‘not weird or stupid’ thing to do: walk around until she found her bearings or until she spotted Selise.

●●●

An hour had already passed and Taloress was now even more lost than before. The ground was now rising on a sharp incline, something that should not be happening if she was walking in the right direction. Then that means I am not walking in the right direction, Taloress concluded with a nod.

She was learning, and one of the things she learned over the past hour was how to differentiate each building from the other. Now, she was confident enough to say that the buildings surrounding her were all houses, with no more shops or warehouses. Or at least, she thought so.

Bastard-demit-fuck-bitch! Taloress cursed in her mind, mixing every profanity she heard from the Master. She was growing restless from all the time wasted on being lost. An hour had passed already, an hour that could have been spent talking to Selise instead of roaming around the village. The Master would finish His business soon and she'd have to return to His side without being able to spend time with her friend. And how was she going to find her way back to the Master when He did call for her? It was another problem she had to face.

Just as Taloress was about to curse with every profanity she knew from her Master, she bumped into two people just as she turned around a corner. It was Kazimir and Samantia.

The Night Wardens saw Taloress and stopped in their tracks, staring at the masked woman. Taloress did the same.

For a few awkward seconds, the two sides stared silently at each other until Kazimir cleared his throat. “Ah, you're Mr. Marion's companion. You're Taloress, right?”

Taloress considered snubbing the man who attacked her Master so many days ago, but since he was able to recognize her name correctly, she decided to ‘be mature’ and respond.

Taloress nodded, but not before putting her hands on her hips in a haughty manner. It was better to project dominance over the Master's enemies lest they think they were superior.

Kazimir laughed awkwardly at Taloress' response, but Samantia simply glared at her from behind the large man.

“Er, may I ask what you're doing around here? Is your master with you?” Kazimir asked as he looked around for any sign of the Master.

Taloress shook her head as she shot a condescending look at Kazimir. Can't he see that she was alone? Why would he still ask if the Master was around? Really, the only reason why this fool was still alive was because of the Master's magnanimity.

Kazimir bristled in annoyance as he felt Taloress' condescension. “You still haven't told me what you're doing around here, you know.”

“It can't talk, you oaf. It'll never be able to give you an answer,” Samantia said behind him.

“Oh,” Kazimir said with an embarrassed flush. “Sorry 'bout that, Miss Taloress. We're actually on our way to the village gates to train with the other hunters. Would you like to join us?”

Samantia hissed at him as she slapped his back, though she might as well be hitting a solid wall. “Why in the Dark are you inviting it?!”

“What? I'm just trying to befriend her,” Kazimir said before turning back to Taloress. “Of course, if you have some other errand to do, we'll be on our way.”

Taloress waved her hand to say it was alright and walked on Kazimir's right, distancing herself from the glaring Samantia who walked on his left side. Taloress ignored her.

“I hope everything's going fine for you and your master,” Kazimir said as they walked along the twisting paths of the village's residential area. “Although knowing your master, I bet you're all doing just fine.”

Taloress puffed out her chest proudly, which made Kazimir chuckle. Samantia's glare only worsened.

“How many innocent people have your master killed for wandering in his territory?” Samantia asked suddenly.

Kazimir turned to his companion with a furious expression. “Samantia!”

“What? I was just asking,” Samantia said innocently as she eyed Taloress.

“That's a rude thing to ask and you know it,” Kazimir said in exasperation. “Taloress and her master aren't bad people. We were the ones who attacked them in the first place, and he even let us go.”

“That doesn't make them good people,” Samantia snarled. “I can sense evil inside them.”

At Samantia's words, Kazimir shot a worried look at Taloress before shaking his head. “Everybody has some evil inside them. You said it yourself, Samantia, that you can feel it in everyone, even me. Sensing evil in Taloress' master is proof that he's just human.”

“I can feel a different kind of evil,” Samantia muttered.

“Even then,” Kazimir said resolutely.

Despite his words, Kazimir's hand unconsciously drew closer to the hilt of his sword by his side, which Taloress didn't miss. For all his righteous words, Kazimir wasn't naive enough to let his guard down.

Taloress wanted to slap Samantia for calling the Master evil, but she held herself. The Master may have made her body powerful, but she couldn't fight both of them alone. Besides, the woman was only talking out of ignorance. She hadn't fully comprehended the magnificence of the Master yet, even after witnessing His generosity when He let them live. Again, Taloress decided to ‘be mature.’

As they walked through the village, Taloress made sure to take note of her surroundings. The inclined ground slowly returned to a level surface as shops and warehouses started appearing more frequently. Taloress remembered the appearance of each building in case she got lost again in the future.

When they finally arrived at the village gates, the familiar sight of hunters doing target practice greeted them. Most of the younger hunters greeted the Night Wardens warmly, while some gave respectful nods to Taloress. She ignored them and scanned their ranks for her friend, but she was not among them.

“Hey, Loress! Over here!”

Taloress looked up and saw Selise waving at her with a big smile from the top of the watchtower situated beside the gate. Taloress excitedly walked towards the ladder that led to the top of the watchtower, only to be blocked by a tall, muscular man with a hot glare.

“Civilians aren't allowed on the watchtowers,” the man gruffly said.

“Don't be such a spoilsport, Dalton! Loress won't hinder the village's security,” Selise called out from above.

“That doesn't matter. Rules are rules and they will be obeyed. Only hunters are allowed to step on the watchtowers and the walls,” Dalton said as he made a shooing motion at Taloress. “Go, you can talk to your friend later. If the Head Hunter sees you disrupting our work, Mr. Marion will be the one to take responsibility for you.”

Taloress felt her temper rise at the injustice of it all. She had spent more than an hour trying to find her way to her friend and this man was standing in her way! Alas, she could not have the Master cleaning up after the troubles she caused.

With shoulders slumped, Taloress started walking away.

“Miss Taloress!” Kazimir called out from the hunters' training field. Samantia was hitting his back, but he ignored her. “Would you care to join us in our spars?”

Taloress tilted her head to the side. Spar? She never heard of the word before.

Kazimir seemed to pick up on her confusion and hurriedly explained. “We engage in combat with each other to hone our skills in battle. We call them spars.”

Taloress immediately perked up at that. Nothing excited her more than the thrill of fighting powerful opponents, and the thought of battling the powerful Kazimir again made her tremble in anticipation.

Taloress hurriedly went to Kazimir, her body exuding so much eagerness everybody could see it.

“Are you stupid?!” Samantia whispered harshly to Kazimir. “Have you seen what that monster can do? It'll tear the hunters apart like some savage! You can't expect a creature like that to know restraint!”

“I think you're underestimating Taloress too much, Samantia. She'll make sure not to permanently injure any of the hunters.” Kazimir glanced at Taloress. “Right?”

Taloress' shoulders slumped in disappointment, but she perked up again and nodded vigorously.

“Hey, why did you look disappointed for a second there?” Samantia asked suspiciously, but Taloress ignored her and went to the center of the ring where everybody was already gathered around.

“Hey, what do you think you're doing?” A voice suddenly called out. The hunters parted to let the speaker through, who turned out to be Ned. “There's a queue to be followed! If you want to join, you're gonna have to wait your turn.”

Taloress crossed her arms at Ned and stood her ground in the middle of the ring, taunting him. The young man sputtered at her attitude and turned to look at the others, but instead of angering the crowd, the hunters oohed at her defiance and made fun of Ned.

“You lettin' a little girl push you 'round, Ned?” one of the hunters called out. “Didn't know you were afraid of little girls.”

“Hey now, be nice. You're hurtin' Ned's feelings,” another said. Everybody burst out in laughter.

“Fine!” Ned shouted as he stepped into the ring and faced Taloress with an angry snarl. “If you don't want to comply with our rules, then I'll teach you some manners. Just 'cuz you dress better than us doesn't mean I'm taking it easy on you.”

Everybody cheered excitedly at the imminent fight. Kazimir looked like he was regretting his decision to invite Taloress, while Samantia glared at him with an expression that said ‘I told you so.’

An older, grizzled hunter stepped forth from the crowd and positioned himself between Taloress and Ned as the match's referee. “Both of ya' ready?”

Ned retrieved a wooden training spear from one of his friends in the crowd and twirled it expertly. “Ready.”

“Where's yer weapon, lady?” the referee asked. Taloress simply shook her head and brought up her hands. The old hunter grunted. “Suit yerself, then. Fight lasts until one of ya surrenders or 'til one of you is held in check. Ready yourselves! Fight!”

Barely a second passed after the referee's signal when Taloress darted forward with blinding speed, her fist raised as she aimed for Ned's head. She almost transformed her arm into a sharp spike that would have instantly killed her opponent, but she remembered at the last second that this was not a fight to the death and kept her arm whole.

Much to Taloress' surprise, her fist hit nothing but air, sending her off-balance. Ned had dodged her attack at the very last second, mirroring her surprise on his face as he hurriedly brought up his spear to jab at Taloress' vulnerable flank.

Taloress made up for her loss of balance with her speed, quickly finding her footing and moving towards Ned instead of away from him. She dodged his spear thrust as she raised her fist for a second punch. Ned's long weapon would become useless once Taloress moved close enough, a fact that both of them knew.

There was no use in holding a weapon that would become a liability, so Ned released his grip on his spear without hesitation and moved to intercept Taloress' punch. Instead of blocking it, Ned took hold of her arm and used her momentum against her, lifting her over his head to smash her down on the ground. But Ned didn't expect Taloress to be so light.

The young man lost his balance as he overcompensated for Taloress’ weight, sending both of them tumbling to the ground. Taloress thrashed wildly as she became disoriented from the tumble, but Ned nimbly rolled on the ground and was back on his feet instantly. He kicked up his fallen training spear on the ground with one foot and caught it deftly before moving to stab Taloress.

The puppet, still on the ground, saw the attack coming and caught the spear by its tip, pulling herself up as Ned tried to draw his weapon back. She rushed forward, her left hand still gripping Ned's spear, and tried to strike Ned with her right fist. But the young man moved like a slippery snake, dodging her attacks by mere millimeters while returning his own counterattacks.

Taloress easily shrugged off the young man's blows with her superior body, but her temper flared as she realized that she was being outskilled by her opponent. She might have a better and stronger body, but if Ned had the same advantages, he would have beaten her several times already.

With her left hand still gripping Ned's training spear, Taloress violently pulled it towards her, trying to send Ned off-balance. The young man easily saw her intentions and let go of the weapon with a wry grin right as she pulled, sending her off-balance. Taloress almost morphed her body to form a third leg that would have prevented her from stumbling, but she remembered that she couldn't reveal her abilities to the people gathered.

Taloress watched helplessly as Ned followed after her, sweeping his leg under her feet and dropping her to the ground. Before she could get up, Ned pressed a wooden dagger he had been hiding since the match began against her neck, keeping her in check.

“Hup! Victory goes to Ned!” the referee shouted. The crowd around them roared in excitement, cheering on the young man as he smiled smugly at Taloress, who remained lying on the ground in disbelief. She had been defeated by a no-name hunter. She was a powerful puppet personally created by the Master Himself with rare materials that gave her the strength of a Grisly Bear, but still defeated by a normal man.

Before the match began, Taloress expected to easily wipe the floor with Ned and was looking forward to it too, just so she could get to fight Kazimir sooner. But not only did the young man keep up with her, she was utterly defeated by his pure skill alone. Granted, she was forced to hold back her power to avoid killing him, but her defeat still hurt her pride. It's unfair! Taloress thought as she stood up.

“Make sure to think twice the next time you intend to break the rules again, lady,” Ned said smugly as he faced her.

“Don't act so smug, Ned. That was just a practice bout,” Kazimir said as he appeared beside Taloress, Samantia following behind him. “If you've seen Taloress fight seriously, you'd be singing a different tune.”

“I've already seen her fight monsters back when the village was attacked,” Ned replied. “I wasn't impressed.”

Taloress wanted to strangle the young man for his audacity. That was when her body was still made of low-quality fabric, her power no more than what a strong human could exert. But now, she was made of a Grisly Bear's fur, and she longed to see Ned's reaction when she showcased her true power to the rest of them. Taloress swallowed her indignation and looked forward to the time when Ned regretted his words.

“Well, there's no need to be so rude about it. You're talking to Selise's friend, and the last thing you want is Taloress saying bad things about you,” Kazimir said and winked at Taloress.

The idea cheered up Taloress even as Ned choked on his saliva. “Hey now, I was just joking. How about I give you some lectures about fighting and see if we can improve your skills?”

Taloress considered the offer for a moment. She didn't want to train under a young man who was weaker than her and insulted her again and again, but it wasn't just pure luck that led to Ned's victory over her. He had defeated an opponent far stronger than him using only his technique, and Taloress wanted to learn it. She wanted to grow stronger to better serve the Master, and if she had to train under this buffoon, then so be it. Taloress nodded at Ned's offer.

“So you're not gonna say bad things about me to Selise, right?” Ned asked. Taloress was still for a moment, which made him sweat nervously, but she eventually nodded. “I'm glad,” Ned sighed in relief.

“Good luck to you two, then. I'm off to spar with the rest of the hunters,” Kazimir said as he went to the center of the ring where an opponent was already waiting for him with an eager smile.

“Men,” Samantia muttered in disdain. “Always finding excuses to beat each other up and call it training.”

Ned and Taloress left the gathering of hunters and went to a quieter part of the training yard where they could practice in peace. Their only witnesses were the colorful birds perched atop the branches of the nearby trees, watching them with curious gazes. Spring was coming and the birds were starting to come back in force.

“Before we start, let me first ask you your opinion about my fighting style,” Ned said as he cleared away debris to make space. “You've seen me fight. What do you think my style focuses on?”

Taloress stared blankly at him. It took Ned the better part of a minute before he remembered that she was mute. “N-Nevermind, I'll just explain it.” Ned cleared his throat awkwardly before continuing. “The fighting style that all hunters of Wildpost use is called the Art of the Flowing River. Instead of utilizing direct and brutal attacks, our martial arts focus on redirecting an opponent's strength and using it against them.”

Realization dawned on Taloress. During their fight, Ned focused on throwing her around using her own momentum. He didn't need to have the same level of strength as hers if all he had to do was to use her power against her. That's so unfair! Taloress thought bitterly.

“The Art of the Flowing River is usually very effective on larger opponents since it's easier to use their momentum against them,” Ned continued, oblivious of Taloress' feelings. “Which is why most hunters are trained in this martial art. The monsters of the Wild Woods are larger and far stronger than us, but by using their own strength against them coupled with their low capacity for thinking, we always come out victorious in most battles with them. Impressive, huh?”

Taloress grudgingly nodded. She found the name of the martial art ridiculous, but she could not deny the effectiveness of the technique when she already experienced it first-hand. Learning this technique, combined with her strength, would make her powerful.

“But before you can throw your enemies around like little dolls—”

Taloress bristled at that.

“—you'll first have to learn the basic stances of the Flowing River.” Ned began going through various stances, transitioning from one position to the next fluidly like flowing water. Taloress found the concept of the stances ridiculous. Why did she have to contort her body like that if she could just rush to her enemies and rip their heads off with her bare hands?

When Ned finished showcasing all the stances of the Flowing River, he turned to her with a wry smile. “Alright, let's start with the basic ones first.”

Ned started showing the stances one by one, urging Taloress to imitate him. Despite her annoyance, Taloress followed suit, performing the stances with near-perfection as she moved her body this way and that. With her body made only of fabric, she could contort her body in the correct positions easily with no bones to hinder her movements. As a puppet, she could also move any part of her body however she wished, giving her the ability to imitate any stance easily. Ned's jaw dropped at her display.

“You're not messing with me, are you? How are you doing everything perfectly the first time?! Selise already taught you, didn't she?!”

Taloress savored the young man's reaction. She would have laughed if she could, but she simply puffed her chest out proudly and shook her head.

Ned stared at her suspiciously before shaking his head. “If you say so, although I've a feeling you're lying.”

You insolent fool! Taloress thought indignantly, but Ned was already facing forward again to show her the next stance.

Over the next hour, Taloress studied the basic stances, perfecting most of them with her first tries. She still thought that the stances were useless in real combat, but she enjoyed performing them, especially when she got to see Ned's reactions. He looked like he'd eaten a bitter bug as he watched her.

When they finally moved through the last stance, Ned grumpily picked up his training spear. “That's all of them. Are you sure you haven't practiced any of them in the past?”

Taloress shook her head innocently, which further worsened Ned's mood. She wondered why he was so angry with her good performance. Wasn't he supposed to be happy that she was picking up his lessons very quickly?

The Master's voice suddenly echoed in Taloress' mind. It's time to go home, Taloress.

Taloress forgot about Ned's grumpy mood and felt a thrill through her as the Master spoke in her mind. Without a second thought, she abruptly turned around and started walking back towards the Master's wagon, leaving behind a bewildered Ned alone in the training yard.