Chapter 21: Cleaning up

Vicrona planted her massive axe of solid earth in the ground as it became one with the earth once again. Then she paused. "...Wait. Which one's Orin again?"

"The one with the right braid," Abel said in a tired tone, like he'd had this conversation multiple times before.

Vicrona nodded in amazement, then pointed at the wolf's corpse. "Anyway, you, young brat, can you go look for a weird rock somewhere around the direwolf's head while I check the rest of its body?"

Kael thought for a good minute. "Me?"

Vicrona nodded. "Yes, you. Come on, help an old lady out."

Kael thought to himself, What does she want from the wolf's corpse? before nodding and agreeing to check the wolf's head.

At first, nothing seemed out of the ordinary-just a large wolf's head with a horn on top. Then he tilted his head and spotted something inside the wolf's open mouth.

A large and shiny, light blue gem, the size of Kael's hand.

Kael grabbed the gem and held it in the air, confused.

"Ohhh, good job, wolf cub!" Vicrona exclaimed, clapping her hands twice.

"Uh, thanks... so what's this?" Kael asked.

Gunther, the leader of the bandits, yelled while still tied up, "That's a magic stone, ya brat! Worth countless-"

Abel elbowed the bandit leader. "So you managed to hold your own against a special rank monster? Color me impressed, Kael."

Kael now had even more questions. "This is a magic stone? Special rank monster?"

Abel explained, "Magic stones are how I got my magic. They can be found as ores in caverns or from monsters like this. We call them special rank monsters. What makes them special is that they might be born with physical abnormalities or even the ability to use magic-like this horned direwolf, apparently."

As the adrenaline rush faded and Kael's questions settled, the pain in his body became extra intense, and he realized a key fact. "I completely left the poison mage and three more bandits unconscious elsewhere…" His face darkened. "There were two more of them, but they ran away… and the wolf got to them."

Vicrona slapped Kael on the back, her voice oddly comforting despite the impact. "You managed to lure away a giant beast with magic on your own, giving those four bandits a chance to live. It's perfectly okay that you didn't save them all. It happens in this line of work."

The slap sent a fresh wave of pain through Kael's already aching body. Her words were a bit blunt, but oddly enough, they did make him feel a little better. He looked up at her and asked, "How did you know I lured it away?"

Vicrona shrugged. "The way you said it. That, and countless years of experience."

Kael couldn't help but wonder just how old she was. She looked like she was in her forties, with some wrinkles and strands of gray hair, but the way she called herself an "old lady" and spoke of countless years of experience stood out to him.

Abel clapped a hand on Kael's shoulder. "I've got more rope. If you're up for it, you can go find the ones you left behind. I'll take them back to the village and figure out what to do with them."

Kael exhaled sharply, his limbs heavy with exhaustion. Every step sent a dull ache through his body, and his fingers trembled slightly as he grabbed the rope Abel had stored in his spatial ring. As he leaned closer, he asked Abel in a hushed voice, "Why did you bring the bandits with you while you were looking for me?"

Abel hummed, rubbing his chin. "Well… mostly bait." He shrugged.

Kael and the captured bandits all paled slightly.

Gunther, the bandit leader, roared, "YA CRAZY DRAGON BASTARD!"

The other bandits quickly followed suit, turning their outrage into a small, impromptu chant.

Abel, completely unfazed, simply said, "I'll let the Magical Association deal with you." Then he dragged them back toward the village.

Meanwhile, Vicrona casually plucked the magic stone from Kael's hand.

"Hey!" Kael protested.

"Relax, I'm not stealing it," Vicrona said. "But I will be holding onto it until you're strong enough to prove to me that you're ready for it."

"That's not fair," Kael grumbled.

"It's very fair," Vicrona shot back. "You did great for gods know how long, but in the end, it caught you. You'd be dead if I hadn't stepped in."

Kael couldn't argue with that. He let out a sigh. "Fine. But I will be taking it back soon."

Vicrona grinned widely. "Good, good. I like your attitude. Now, do me a favor-since you have fire magic, start heating up your body with mana. Burn through your reserves completely, then recover some mana and do it again. Keep repeating."

Kael frowned. "Why?"

Vicrona didn't answer. Instead, she took a swing at a nearby tree. The tree collapsed in a single hit.

Kael immediately started nodding. "Understood. Anything else?"

Vicrona tapped her chin in thought. "...Yeah. Where's the village again? I wanna go take a nap."

Kael pointed in the right direction.

"Thanks," she said, already walking away, wolf head in tow.

Kael sighed and turned to track down the remaining bandits.

…

Kael found the bandits without any issue, guided by a deep blue light. Yet, this time, he couldn't see the fairy.

The bandits didn't put up much of a fight. They had already lost once, and when they saw the young mage now covered in strange cuts he hadn't had before, they quickly put two and two together. He had found the unknown monster. That was more than enough reason for them to abandon any thoughts of trying their luck against him again.

…

Kael returned to the village with four bound bandits trailing behind him. An old man, noticing his arrival, pointed toward a small prison at the edge of town. "You can take them there," he instructed.

After securing the bandits, Kael made his way back to Mr. Arves' house. As he approached, he spotted Vicrona fast asleep in the small garden beside it.

He let out a small chuckle before knocking on the door.

It opened almost instantly, revealing a clearly worried James. "Oh! Young Master Kael!" The butler exhaled in relief. "I was worried sick-but I believed in you and Young Master Abel." He stepped aside, ushering Kael in. "Come, come. Let's clean your wounds. And perhaps sew that ripped part of your shirt while we're at it."

Inside the guest room where Kael and Abel were staying, James brought in a small bucket of water, a cloth, a med kit, and a sewing kit.

Kael insisted that he could handle it himself, but the butler wouldn't hear it. With practiced care, James cleaned Kael's cuts before disinfecting them-earning several flinches in response.

"Young Master Kael, are you feeling alright?" James asked, concern evident in his voice. "Your body is heating up… I believe you might have caught a cold."

Kael shook his head. "No, I'm doing it on purpose. It's… training."

James exhaled in relief, though he still didn't seem entirely convinced.

As the butler bandaged Kael's arms, Kael took a deep breath. There was something he had been meaning to ask. "Hey, James…" He hesitated. "Do you ever miss that Liana girl? Mr. Arves' daughter?"

James froze. His eyes welled with tears, and for a moment, he didn't say anything. Then, with a quick wipe of his sleeve, he composed himself. "Every day," he admitted softly. "I have no idea what she's been up to these past two years… or if she's even still alive." His voice wavered. "Her tracks disappeared at the entrance of the forest. It reminded me of a story my parents used to tell me when I was young-about an evil creature that lurked in the woods, stealing away children who wandered too close at night." He let out a heavy sigh. "I've been praying every day for Young Lady Liana's safety."

Kael almost laughed. "An evil forest creature? " If only James knew the truth-"Orlae was the exact opposite of that."

Then Kael looked him in the eye and asked, "If you had the chance to talk to Liana again, even just through letters… would you take it?"

…

Back in Mr. Arves' study, Abel stood across from Mr. Arves, discussing everything that had just happened.

Abel had presented the direwolf's head right at the front door as proof that the monster problem had been dealt with.

But Mr. Arves was far from pleased. His face was red with frustration as he gestured toward the window.

"I tell you to take care of the bandits and the unknown monster, and you come back with a giant bandit sleeping in my garden!"

Abel did his best to keep a straight face. "We did take care of both the bandits and the monster," he said, voice calm but firm. "But we… uh, accidentally stumbled upon a fellow guildmate. And we couldn't just leave her like that." He hesitated before adding, "Besides, she's only sleeping in the garden. It's not like she's taking up any space inside."

Mr. Arves scowled. "This is why I despise you wizards. No matter where you go or what you do, you always cause problems for others."

Abel's patience was wearing thin. "That was uncalled for. You're lucky you're Liana's dad." Taking a deep breath, he kept his tone measured. "I'm not looking to argue. I'm just informing you that I'll be spending the rest of the day healing the soil. Tomorrow morning, my friends and I will be gone. You won't have to deal with us again."

Mr. Arves tossed a pouch of coins onto the table. "Good. And just so you know, I'm not increasing the reward. The bandits were behind the soil poisoning, so your payment is for that. That wolf monster and your giant friend were unaccounted variables. All you're getting from me is 50 Vellum."

…

After Abel left Mr. Arves' study, visibly ticked off, he walked into the guest room he was sharing with Kael.

Kael was already there, bandaged up, wearing his black vest without a shirt underneath and his comfortable dark gray, loose training breeches-his favorite outfit.

Abel smirked. "Trying to act cool with the shirtless vest and the bandages?" he teased, hoping to get his mind off Mr. Arves.

"Very funny, Pebbles," Kael shot back. "So, how'd it go with Mr. Arves?"

"Absolutely swell." Abel let out a heavy sigh. "He complained about Vicrona and insisted he wouldn't pay a coin extra since the horned direwolf and Vicrona weren't part of the original quest."

Kael shrugged. "Well, at least we're finally leaving. And we got something to make it worth our while-a shiny, beautiful magic stone."

Abel shook his head. "You got something worth your while."

Kael chuckled. "That's beside the point. So, what's left on the agenda?"

Abel pondered for a moment. "Okay, first, finish healing the soil. That should be easy now-no bandits to make it worse, and since the monster's gone, the fairies can help after the village goes to sleep. Then, we need to check on Orlae and see if they're still alive, which we should do at night. And finally, we start heading home-probably with the bandit leader and the poison mage. Since they're both wizards, we can't just leave them here. We'll inform the Magical Association to come collect the others later."

Kael nodded, taking it all in. "So… can we catch some sleep first and then do all that?"

Abel flopped onto his bed, already drained. "Good plan…"

…

Three hours later…

After waking up, grabbing something to eat, and gathering their strength, the two headed for the poisoned fields, starting with the one at the village entrance.

Kael knelt down, pouring mana into the soil, but the land was too damaged-nothing was happening. Frustrated, he stood up.

Abel, however, grinned as an idea sparked in his mind. He loved anything related to gardening or restoring nature. "Kael, come here real quick. I've got an excellent idea."

Kael, confused, walked over. Abel adjusted his stance, placing his hand directly on the soil.

"Now, use some of your fire," Abel instructed casually, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Kael blinked. "Uh… Abel, is fire really a good idea for this?"

"I need a low-intensity flame," Abel explained. "One that can burn away some of the poison and dead plants. It'll clear a path for me to heal the soil."

Kael's eyes lit up at the idea. "You're a genius! Alright, low-intensity flame, got it."

He followed Abel's instructions, carefully letting a controlled fire spread across the ruined field. Smoke rose, reeking of burnt dirt, roots, and poison, before the wind gradually carried it away.

Once enough of the poison was cleared, Abel got back into position, pouring his mana into the ground. "Good enough. My turn now."

Slowly, the soil began regaining some life. It wasn't perfect, but now it was up to nature-and the fairies-to finish the job.

Excited by their success, they rushed to the western side of the village to repeat the process.

This field was in even worse shape. The bandits had camped on that side, trampling and contaminating the soil further. Restoring it took much longer, and the fairies' help would be greatly needed once night fell.

…

Deep in the night, the moon and stars bathed the sky in a soft glow.

The two mages snuck out of Mr. Arves' house through the window, making their way toward the forest. As they neared the village entrance, the darkness lifted, fireflies and fairies casting colorful light around them, as if celebrating their success

They searched the forest for a while, before they found Orlae limping.

The young looking oak-colored Druid waved at them with a faint smile, their dark green robes were torn and cut in different parts, scabs the shape of cuts all over the Druid, even one on the side of their face and their right deer like horn was broken off.

Despite all that, their bright green eyes with their dark gray sclera looked as warm and welcoming as ever.

"I must thank and congratulate you on capturing the bandits and slaying the horned direwolf, but I must apologize for not keeping my promise and failing to slay it myself, I didn't expect it to be able to use magic to bind me down." Orlae said apologetically.

Abel crossed his arms and let out a sigh. "You look like hell Orlae, we're just glad you're okay."

Orlae gave a small chuckle, though it sounded strained. "Ah, well… I'm just glad the wooden like bodies Druid's possess weren't up to its standards."

Kael and Abel couldn't help but laugh as well, then Kael moved forward and said, "We're the ones that are thankful, without that fairy you sent us was a massive help, she took us straight to the bandit camp and aggravated the wolf and chased away, giving me a chance to recover some energy and mana."

Orlae studied Kael and smiled, "I'm sorry but I have no idea on what you're talking about, I never sent you a fairy to guide and help you."

Kael and Abel exchanged confused glances before looking back at Orlae. "The fairy with the deep blue light, she had deep dark shaded irises with some gold specks that looked like stars that lit the night sky and at their center a bright glow that radiated strongly. They looked as if there was a miniature galaxy inside of them." Kael tried to explain as best as he could.

Orlae continued to look at Kael with a warm smile, "Sorry, but I still don't know any fairy like that."

Kael and Abel exchanged glances, the weight of realization settling between them.

"Then… who was she?" Abel muttered, rubbing the back of his neck, before he got fed up raising his hands up and yelled, "Nope! I'm done. No more mysteries, no more questions. I just wanna go back to the guild and relax."

Abel and Orlae laughed at Kael's frustration, when Orlae stopped, they lowered themselves onto a fallen log with a wince. "I appreciate the kindness young saint and dragon, your actions saved a lot of lives and this forest, truly."

Abel sat beside them, arms resting on his knees. "And here I thought you were supposed to be the strong and mysterious druid of the forest. You're ruining the image."

Orlae smirked, though their eyes softened. "Even the strongest trees can be felled, young mage. But with the right care, they always grow again."

"Speaking of which, I healed most of the poisoned soil, but can you ask some of the fairies to help finish the job, especially at the west side, it took more damage." Abel asked, still sitting beside the Druid.

Orlae smiled, "But of course, they were going to do that as we speak."

The pair continued to talk and have a good laugh, until Kael and Abel decided to go back and get some sleep.

"One final thing, in the morning we're gonna be passing with the leader of the bandits, the poison mage that poisoned the soil and a giant guildmate of ours that stumbled upon this village as she was chasing this direwolf that caused all of this, it escaped her and she sent her apologies." Abel said.

Orlae's smiled didn't fade despite of those news, "I accept her apology as she is part of your and Liana's guild, a friend of yours is a friend of mine and she chased the wolf down, she didn't leave it to someone to clean up her mistakes, a very admirable quality."

Kael huffed. "You're taking this better than I expected."

Orlae chuckled. "What good would bitterness do me? The cycle of nature continues, whether we rage against it or not." Their bright green eyes softened. "Besides, if she's your guildmate, then I trust she has a good heart."

Abel grinned, "And a bigger ego to boot."

The trio laughed, the weight of the night's events easing just a little.

Abel stretched his arms behind his head. "Alright, we should head back before the sun comes up, we got a big journey ahead of us."

Kael groaned. "Ugh, don't remind me."

Orlae chuckled again, the pain seemed to slowly leave their body, watching them stand. "Go on then, young mages. Rest well."

As they turned to leave, Orlae called out one last time. "And Kael-"

He paused, glancing over his shoulder.

Orlae smiled knowingly. "That fairy… if you ever encounter her again, listen carefully. You may be speaking to something far older than you think. Show her the same kindness she showed you."

Kael frowned, but before he could ask what they meant, Orlae simply waved. "Goodnight, young saint. Young dragon."

With that, the two mages made their way back to the village, the distant glow of fireflies flickering like stars between the trees.