Chapter 5:

  With the cart having arrived at rivermist once again, the wolf had to show the guard the contents of the bag containing the monster parts he collected and his battered and burnt Guild identification card barely recognizable.

  “... Sir we’re gonna have to put you under inspection.” The tall guard says to Boris.

  “OH COME ON! I’VE PRACTICALLY LIVED HERE MY ENTIRE LIFE GOING THROUGH THE SAME GATE YOU SURELY KNOW ME BY NOW!” The wolf shouted in annoyance.

  The guard smacks a weaved paper on the wolf’s snout before it shines and expands into a paper like rope tying up the wolf’s mouth and restricting his movement as he falls face first to the dirt as he squirms unable to break free from the binds.

  “MPHM-!!”

  “Calling for a bit of help to bring this therian in for inspection.” The tall guard waves at the others on top of the wall calling them down to pull Boris into a room in one of the fortress towers connected to the gates.

  Though the wolf tried using his chin to slow them down, it was all but futile as one of them yanks his tail making him yelp like a dog who got his tail stepped on while a trail on the road was left leading into one of the rooms.

  “...” Sylas, left alone in the carriage, sighed in annoyance upon the realization that he would have to drag the heavy monster parts back on his own.

  ***

  One really long inspection with help from Sylas who helped prove the wolf’s identity, the two are able to turn in the quest yielding them a considerable amount of coins which they split equally once they showed the contents to Alwin in the guild..

  “You both got a huge haul, you know… despite the burnt corpse you brought back.” Alwin chuckled from behind the counter.

  “Ugh… I should have held back.” Sylas wilted slightly but was then brought back up with a light tap as Sasha tried cheering him.

  “Keke don’t be like that. What’s important is you get to live another day! No amount of money is worth dying for!”

  “What if it’s enough to get you a house?”

  “Erm nevermind I guess, I might reconsider it if it's enough for a house HAHA!” Sylas awkwardly laughed with Sasha, before Boris swatted her hands off his back.

  “Hey- little space here?” The wolf shoo-ed the cat away.

  The tiger’s eyebrow raised, as she looked the two up and down.

  “Ain’t you the one being TOO close right now?” Sasha said to Boris.

  Though it was subtle, Sylas has slowly gotten used to the Therians inside the guild, Boris mostly, the others still make him uneasy when alone with them. Looking down on the wolf’s large palms to their fingers, the claws that were once there are now blunt and neat, no longer having a sharp point like before.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  Sasha takes notice of this and gives Boris a sly smirk before whistling.

  “I can see why our poor wittle Sage is all roughed and scratched all over now~! Come on, I'll get you away from this big bad wolf.”

  Boris had a confused look as she reached her arms out to Sylas clutching his bag of coins. Her party, a few tables away laughing at the sight.

  “Wh-! What are you insinuating! I- ugh- see you tomorrow!”

  The rabbit, fuming red, tries slamming the door but ends up being caught with the motion, as it opens both ways. He picks himself up before grabbing the coins that fell out and running to his inn.

  “Agh! See what you did.” Boris rolled his eyes, checked the amount of coins he had and went off to a blacksmith nearby.

  “Sigh… You got it hard Al.” Sasha said to Alwin pitying him. He only scoffs in reply.

  ***

  Sylas returned to his room and softly lowered his body on the bed. Not bothering to clean himself.

  “Usually by this time I would be dying to take a bath…” Sylas talked to himself in the silence of the room, only broken by the occasional shaking of leaves outside and sometimes some kids throwing rocks at a wall somewhere.

  He noticed these changes within himself, he was certainly more comfortable with therians in general, or at least with those he knew. He would still try to keep clear of anyone he didn’t know but in a town as small as rivermist you’re bound to run into the same people over and over.

  Still recalling the events of the cave, and the visions of the past still haunts him. Boris was right when he mentioned how slow he was when casting, it seems Sylas was still reluctant to use magic.

  The Wolf’s silhouette seemed to overlap with the ‘beast’ that haunted him in his every waking moment, yet that bad memory was momentarily forgotten when he remembered the moment the wolf held him tight to hide him from the monster. His heart raced and skin started burning hot.

  “Ugh- what is this?” He stood up rubbing his face, aggresively walking to the bathroom to wash his face. After splashing it with cold water and wiping it clean, they looked to the mirror and saw their disheveled appearance.

  “Sigh… What the hell is happening to me?”

  Eyebrows furrowed as he looked at his reflection, he thought that he looked pathetic before fixing his hair the best he could, flattening the hair sticking out.

  “...I don't wanna risk it happening again.”

  As of right now, Sylas’ couldn’t guarantee he could use his weaving quick enough to support Boris, thus the two of them need more members in their party.

  ***

  “I’m sorry what? Don’t you trust me? I can easily do the work of two more people on my own!” Boris pouts angrily at Sylas.

  “Urgh! Don’t you get it?! I. Cant. Help. You. ALONE! I was way over my head, we need more members in our party at the very least 2 more.”

  The two bickered back to back in a corner in the guild somewhere while eating dinner. Though far away they were easily heard from across the gathering hub.

  “That just sounds like another way of saying you don't trust me!” Boris’ tail wags up and down wildly while he takes a huge mouthful of meat. If it was hitting something it would have made a loud noise each time.

  “Gods this is getting nowhere.” Sylas’ pinched in between his eyebrows from stress.

  The wolf smacks while chewing loudly, this disgusted Sylas more than the brief moments of fangs that should have scared him. He then grabbed his plate of greens and moved somewhere else. Before sitting with Alwin who was inside a staff room behind the counter.

  “Hey you can’t be in here-” Alwin, who was doing calculations immediately tells the rabbit off.

  “Please.”

  “... Alright, only for a moment though. You have to beat it once you finish that.”

  “Thanks…”

  Sylas tapped the plate over and over playing with the food glancing at Alwin who is tallying what was probably profits the guild has made.

  “... If I help you find party members, will you leave me alone?” The husky old man’s glare was no joke, the pressure was intense making Sylas retreat slightly.

  Sylas nodded, still rolling the carrots in his plate.

  “Fine. Get out of here before I take it back.”

  Quickly following his orders, they grab the plate and return to where Boris is terrified but still satisfied with the results of his very risky tactic of pestering the guild master.

  Thank you Sasha for telling me about the guildmaster’s weakness.