Chapter Nine: Quest Rewards Part One

I’ve always found Mother Wolves beautiful, from their white and black coats, to large bodies that could come up to a man’s shoulders or my waist, and their insane maternal instincts. They’ll attempt to adopt any young creature they find and raise it as their own and always was able to recognize it, and it’s child will always recognize their mother too. It would go without saying they’d mourn each others lose…

I look at the large wolf's body with pity, I hate that such a beautiful beast like this died because of me, and the young she left behind didn’t even know. I feel hesitant to skin her, but It would be a waste otherwise, I’d take the meat then to. But what about the young?

I took a quick count at the numbers after they had their fill and slept, three puppy Mother Wolves, two prairie cats, and one wolf I couldn’t Identify. I never raised anything before and honestly didn’t want to, but if I left them here they’d die. So either I kill them here or take care of them.

I sigh, take out my sword and get to work. A few hours later I made it to the guild a little before lunch, Vanessa see’s me and waves me over to her. She looks at the sack I’m holding but doesn’t say anything about it, and waits till I sit down to talk.

“Back already, I knew you could take down a couple of goblins. Now if you would hand me your guild card so I can review your quest, and hand out your rewards.” Vanessa said levelly, but with her eyes practically glowing. I hand her my card, and she sticks it into her computer.

She say’s nothing as looks at her computer, and a minute or so later she hands me back my guild card. “Alright Atlas, you’ve killed sixty five goblins, twenty hobgoblins and one orge, scouted out the goblins home and cleared it, good job. Now you will be rewarded two hundred credits for finding the home completing your first quest, killing the goblins and hobgoblins there for forty seven and fifty credits completing your second quest, and one thousand for the orge subjugation quest and giving you fifty nine hundred and fifty credits, that's enough for you take someone on a good date.” Vanessa said level but with a wink at the end.

“I didn’t think you’d want to date me for money.” I said while looking at my guild card watching the steadily rising number in the top right corner with the words credit beside it.

“No! No, no, no I didn’t mean it like that! Sorry Atlas, I just heard guy’s don’t like it when their lover’s pay instead of them,” She said with flustered, and dyed deep red.

“Vanessa, do I look like the type to turn down a free meal?”

“No.. Wait do you want to get some-”

“Sorry, I’m going to busy soon so I just take a rain check on that, by the way do you know a butcher?”

“Yes I do- Wait a minute what’s got you so busy you need a rain check?!” Vanessa asks forcefully, and getting mere inches from my face.

I sigh, open my sack show Vanessa.

“These, these are what are going to be keeping me busy over the next couple of days.”

Inside my sack on top of my furs are a pile of baby animals.

“Aww, where did you find these Atlas? Wait you're not going to eat them are, that’s not why you're going to butcher right?!” Vanessa asks increasingly more desperate.

I pull out my other sack and show her the raw meat inside. “Oh that's why you need a butcher, but wait where did you get these babies and where are their mothers?”

I sigh once again, “I killed a Mother Wolf with a trap, and now I going to take care of these guys till their old enough to fend for themselves…. Hey do you know where I can find some animal milk?”

“Yeah, I do let, no wait I’m about to go on lunch break I can show you some places. So just sit down and wait till I’m done.” Vanessa said calmly, but with a hint of sadness in her eyes.

I got up from clerk's desk and went to sit down, with my new… pets I guess? I had to be extra careful moving the babies into my bag, I first put a bunch of the furs in the sack and finally place their mothers on top, which feels amazing soft and fluffy perfect for sleeping, and then put the babies on top, but they cried and whined but eventually found comfort with their siblings falling asleep on the pile of pelts. And then went back grabbed the other stuff from the goblins cave and walked back over to town, while making sure to be as slow and carefully as possible to make sure the babies are not woken.

I have actually grown a little attached to the little guys, but still I’d rather find someone else to take care of them for me, and just leave them till they're old enough for me to train, but is there anybody in town to take care of them? Maybe Carcajou, but that would probably be more alongs the lines of him just keeping them alive, though I should hit him up to find if he had anything to help me with this. But I don’t even know where he lives.

I found Vanessa tapping on my shoulder waking me from my thoughts, she must have changed when I wasn’t paying attention since she’s wearing a white, form fitting turtleneck and black jeans, which she looks quite nice in. She smiling ear to ear at and said “Ready to go on our date?”

With all my suave and charm I answer “What date? And don’t you have work?”

She didn’t frown or anything, just answered “Well the way I see it, I’ll be taking you around town all day, so I’m leaving work early since this looks like it’ll take awhile, but since we’re going to take all afternoon I’m going to milk this as much as possible, so yes this is also going to be a date.” She answers sweetly. “Oh and don’t worry, you just have to give the tip.”

I a grin spread over my face "You sure you just want the tip?" I said with surely no other meanings, and Vanessa's face go's red all over. I then held my arm out, to which she happily grabs on too, and gently takes one of my bags, which I nod at and we leave the guild.