Chapitre 30: 30. Brand new Saltwater
We'd been travelling for a while when Flora finally decided to acknowledge our new temporary travel companions, and ask them questions.
"What happened to the treants?"
"What?"
"The boss for the second set was supposed to be a treant, instead a High-rank monster was there.
Once we got down here we assumed we'd at least run into a few, but the entire time we've been on this floor we've yet to run into one."
Teal was the one who decided to answer again.
"Let me guess, the monster you fought was a giant bug with blades for legs?"
Flora nodded.
"Yeah, a while ago a couple of them appeared, and started killing the treants and anything else that got in their way - including each other.
Once they all disappeared we just assumed that one of them finally won, and ascended to be the second set boss."
"So, all of the treants are gone?!
Damn, I wanted to hunt them, their high-grade hearts and body parts sell well, and they're slow."
"That's why they died out, couldn't run away fast enough."
"Are we almost there?"
Jurea asked.
She is walking between us and them with a firm grip on her hammer.
"We promised to take you, didn't we?"
(Rebecca)
"You have also kidnapped half of my party, and tried to bury the other half.
This partnership is out of convenience, and as soon as I think you're leading us into a trap I'll...."
"Kill us?"
"No, I'll make you wish I was that kind."
What made that statement even worse is the fact that I knew she is telling the truth.
There are worse things than death in this fucked up world.
"We have arrived."
Teal said as she came to a halt.
The rest of us followed suit.
A hundred yards ahead of us is the boss portal, obscured by a few trees.
"As per our arrangement, me and Becs will kill the boss, and y'all get all of
the rewards."
(Teal)
Both of them started to head towards the portal.
With them moving slower and tentatively due to their wounds.
I might regret this.
"Teal, wait. {Healing palms}."
The burns on Teal and the bruises on Rebecca healed.
"You healed us? It can do recovery magics?!"
(Rebecca)
Flora slapped my arm.
"Why'd you do that!"
(Flora)
"If they're going to fight on our behalf, the least we can do is make sure they're fighting at full strength."
"They're our enemies, it doesn't matter if they make it back!"
"You know they are right there."
(Eric)
Flora stared at Eric, then threw her hands up in the air.
"Fine!"
"Thanks for healing us, but why'd you call me Teal? My name is Latia."
Oh, yeah, that is her name.
"You look like a Teal to me."
"Why?"
"It's the color of your hair."
She just slack-jawed stared at me.
< If I had hands, I'd be doing a face-palm right about now. >
Shut up Patty.
"Let's get this over with Tia, the sooner we are out of the dungeon the safer I'll feel."
Rebecca started pulling her along.
"Yeah, because that's our main concern."
(Flora)
They must have decided to ignore that last comment.
"Stay behind us."
(Teal)
Teal readied her spear while Rebecca took out some low-grade mana potions.
"You know it took Wert months to gather the ingredients to make some of those high-grade potions you stole."
Rebecca said as she downed a couple of potions.
"And I'll be sure to think of him, when I sell them."
(Flora)
"Let's go Becs."
Rebecca angrily stared at Flora's smiling face, then looked at her stomach and decided to follow behind Teal.
The rest of us followed.
"Are y'all sure just the two of you can handle a boss on your own? Flora told us this one is pretty tough."
(Eric)
Teal didn't even turn around.
"This one is only a physical fighter that's on my same rank, this will be simple."
"Didn't you get your ass handed to you by our Low-rank tame?"
(Flora)
"That's different, he's different.
I've never heard of a lizard casting spells, or killing a monster above his own rank. Where did y'all find him?"
"In the great dungeon of fuck you."
We reached the portal and jumped in.
On the other side was a big bear with bony protrusions sticking out of its back, making it look like a bear-hedgehog hybrid.
Once it noticed us, it reared up on its hind legs and roared.
Rooooooar!!
"{Flame spire}."
Rebecca aimed her staff at the monster, and cast her spell.
< Spell learned : Flame spire. Unusable. >
A flame tornado surrounded the monster, trapping it inside.
"Tia, now."
I felt the electricity fill the air as Teal powered up.
The bear charged out of the flames singed, but still going strong.
Teal then let loose her power, and shot forward at a blistering speed.
Her spear slammed into the bears chest, then - as the bear's momentum carried it forward - straight through it.
Teal stepped back as the bear flailed its deadly claws around in a last ditch effort to kill her too.
Eventually it fell to the ground and died.
Teal looked back at us.
"Y'all can harvest it now."
_____________
After God only knows how long, we were finally out of the dungeon.
"Our deal has concluded, here you go."
Teal passed the bag with the egg in it to Jurea.
They turned to leave into the forest.
"Wait, hold up, did you really think that would be enough?"
(Flora)
Teal tightened her grip on her spear, while Jurea tightened hers on her hammer.
"We want that too."
Flora was pointing at the ring on Rebecca's pinky finger.
Rebecca hid it behind her back.
"You can't be serious?! We've already given you the egg!"
(Rebecca)
"Yes, and that was for escorting you out alive, not for us not killing once you have made it outside of the dungeon.
I'd suggest you hand over the ring."
Flora held out her hand, in the universal gesture of gimme.
"We're a higher rank than all of you, attacking us would be ludicrous!"
Rebecca yelled at us.
"Yes, and you still got defeated by us.
Do you really think we showed you everything we can do?"
Teal still had her tight grip on her weapon, but she looked pleadingly back at Rebecca.
"Just give it to them Becs."
Rebecca stared long and hard at Flora, then acquiescenced.
"Fine! This is highway robbery!"
Kind of ironic a bandit would say that.
"Considering that you tried to make me a slave mage, I'd say it makes us even. Give it."
"Can I keep what's inside... please."
I could see she is swallowing her pride to ask that.
"Depends, what is it?"
"Nothing of much worth, it's just sentimental."
"Fine then, I have no need for trash. Hurry up though."
They took out a baby's rattle and provisions to last them a couple of months.
I had Eric give them the extra capacity bags.
After they finished repacking they turned to leave again, but Rebecca turned back to look at us.
"I just wanted to say that I'll remember you kept your word, and that I always repay those I'm indebted to - for ill or not."
For that last bit she stared at Flora, who was still as shameless as ever.
"Are you still here? Bye."
With a final glare at Flora, they left for only God knows where.
I turned to Flora.
"You know you didn't have to do that, right?"
She was admiring her newly 'acquired' ring.
"You're right, I'm too kind."
"How was any of that, in any sense of the word, kind?"
"I should've blinded her, lopped off a limb, or something else to permanently disfigured her.
Instead, I just settled for taking this capacity ring, your weak ass self must be rubbing off on me."
She has got to be joking.
"She's right."
I turned to look at Jurea in shock.
"You too?!"
"They are not helpless girls we rescued, they are cut-throat bandits we made a deal with.
At anytime they could come back and try to kill us. With this they know that they can lose something."
"Exactly! It's best if we make an example of what we could do, to dissuade them of the notion."
(Flora)
Well, if those two agree, it must have some merit.
"Fine, I'll leave it alone.
So, are we headed to our land, or to Saltwater to sell all of this stuff first?"
"Saltwater of course.
We've got to sell our wares, besides I think I can wait to see the run-down house we call home now."
"It's been at least a couple of months, aren't you curious how Emira has built it up?"
We all started walking towards Saltwater.
"Please, we barely left her enough to hire people to repair the basics, let alone clear the land or build anything. When we get there, all I expect is maybe a new out-house."
_________________
"What the fuck's up with all of the soldiers? Did some idiots start another rebellion or something?"
Flora asked Jungo.
We were in Jungo's shop after walking all the way to town.
Once reaching Saltwater it took forever to get past the construction, soldiers, and the newly reinforced gate.
It looked like they were building a guardhouse right after the gate.
So, newcomers would have to walk through the fortified building after they got past the gate.
A little bit overkill if you ask me.
"No, at least I don't think so. There's been skirmishes out there, but nothing like a rebellion.
They haven't really elaborated on what they're doing here."
(Junko)
She gave him the for real look, you know the one.
"Okay, I might have heard a thing or two, but it's so hard to remember now-a-days."
He smiled at her, and she scowled back at him.
"Seriously Jungo? Isn't it enough that I'm giving your daughter a full gold every week out of the goodness of my heart? Now, you want to charge me for common information anyone could tell me."
She motioned towards the outside.
"Then, go ask them."
They had a little stare down.
...
...
...
...
"Thirty copper."
"Sixty silver."
"Thirty-five copper."
"Fifty-nine silver. "
"Thirty-four copper. "
"You went down?! Fine, sixty silver."
"Twenty copper."
"For the love of all the gods, here! We've got other things to do today."
Jurea slammed a gold coin in front of Jungo, and stared Flora down.
"The Empress has decided to expand the borders again, this time she's going for Kash desert again."
"But we completely lost the last time!"
(Jurea)
"Yes, I'm sure he's aware of that.
Continue."
Flora told her.
"Gee, thanks for telling me that I could continue."
"You're welcome, now get to it."
"Anyway, yes we lost before because for the most part we didn't have a steady supply chain, which is why the Empire is planning on making an artificial river that connects the northern sea with Kash."
"Why use Saltwater though? Slogmire is a city, and only a few hundred miles away."
"That I can't say, you'd have to ask someone else.
What I can say is that they're finally getting that damn wall extended!
We'll finally have some gods damn breathing room!"
At the rate I've seen them going, the new wall would be finished in only a couple of months.
"Well, since we've got that out of the way, here."
Flora started taking out the drops we procured in the dungeon.
Jungo snatched up a mana heart.
"Some of these are Mid-Ranked! And high-grade at that!"
Flora started gleefully chuckling.
"That's nothing! How much will you give us for this egg?"
Flora pulled the egg out of the capacity ring.
"Never mind the egg, how'd you get your hands on that ring?
That's not a cheap knock-off, what rich adventurer did you steal it from?
Don't worry, I can still sell hot goods."
"Ha! I didn't steal it. The owner decided to give it to me."
"Really?"
Really.
"Yep."
"Actually, it was more like extortion."
(Me)
"That sounds more like her."
"Hey! You can't extort bandits because they themselves probably procured it from a corpse... they made."
"So, your excuse is, it's not stealing because they are thieves?"
"Exactly."
<Sounds like pretty solid logic to me. >
Shut up Patty.
"How much for that ring? I could go as high as a half a shield."
"Please, as if I'd need to sell, when I got this egg to sell."
"Wait, you're serious... about selling... that?"
He was pointing at the egg.
That's not a good sign.
"Of course! It's the egg of a Mid-rank monster, it's got to be worth at least two shields."
Jungo looked at all of our faces, and saw we were all dead serious.
"Bwahahahaha!!!"
Wait, people actually laugh like that?!
<Yes.>
I felt some energy leave me.
Hey! That wasn't a real question!
<The will of the universe thinks otherwise.>
Stop stealing my energy!
"Why are you laughing?!"
(Flora)
"Because I can't believe someone finally got one over on you."
"What?! This is a Mid-rank egg, I'm sure of it!"
"Yeah, it is and it's worth jack shit."
"What? But for alchemy..."
"Very few alchemical recipes call for eggs or unhatched young.
As for when it hatches, most would have to wait for it to mature to harvest the organs they are looking for, or take it to sell as a tame.
Either way costs a lot, and it's easier to just pay an adventurer to kill or tame an adult monster.
No one buys eggs anymore, except collectors with a lot of coin to waste."
"So, that means..."
"Yup, whoever gave you that, knew you're still a little wet behind the ears, and used that to their advantage.
Don't worry about it though, most inexperienced adventurers make that mistake, and no matter how talented you are, you are still inexperienced."
"So, what do we do with it?"
(Eric)
"Keep it and try to get a,"
He looked at me and Flora.
"Real beastmaster to tame it, to sell when it hatches."
"Can't you just buy it, and do all of that yourself?"
(Flora)
"I'm not in the business of bleeding profit. Y'all just have to take the hit, and learn from it."
"Gee, thanks."
"You're welcome, I will still take the capacity ring though."
"The answer is still no."
"Maybe we should? You know to recoup the loss from the egg."
(Me)
She gave me yet another death stare.
"I said it's mine!"
"Fine, be that way."
"Well, let me see what else y'all got to sell, hopefully not all of it is worthless junk. Hehehe."
Flora just glared at him.
L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS 
Dracolupus
Dracolupus Have a great independence day weekend!