Chapter 21: unexpected reward (2)

Chapter 21: unexpected reward (2) Luke curiously turned to look at Noah, seeing him shocked at the mention of the dwarf. "You know him?" he asked. "He’s one of the greatest Blacksmiths alive on the continent! Even the emperor has to act polite in front of him!" Noah whispered into Luke’s ears. "Really!?" Luke asked in surprise as Noah nodded in confirmation. "Hohoho!! Quite the young brats you are! I’m impressed you can hunt a nightmare beast being at just second circle. Good! Hohoho!" Holdok gave a hearty laugh as he praised them. "Let me be direct young brats! I am in dire need of the fur and the tail blade of the Screelowa as I need its high temperature resistant ability, but they are rare to get, since they are not easy to find in the forest. You have brough not just what I need but far better." Holdok said. "But to tell you the truth I don’t have the money right now to pay you for the nightmare materials." Luke and Noah looked towards each other and immediately grabbed the materials, ready to take it away. "Wait! Wait you brats!" Holdok hurriedly stopped them. "These young brats don’t have patience nowadays!" "Let me give you a different offer. Listen to it first and then decide." Holdok sighed and continued speaking. "I’ll pay you the two gold coins previously agreed upon and I’ll take the materials from the killer class. Also, I’ll take the fur and tail of the nightmare class one. But instead of paying you in gold coins, what do you say I make you an equipment or a weapon of your like with the nightmare class mana stone, since I don’t need that." Both of them were shocked and stared whispering amongst themselves, discussing the matter. "It’s a rare opportunity Luke! You can’t buy a weapon from Holdok even if you have money. I think you should ask him to make you a weapon." Noah said. "But, both of us hunted it together, what about you then?" Luke asked. "I already have my blood armaments. They grow with me so I don’t need a different weapon." "But it will be wrong. We can sell it to the guild and split the gold between us." "Are you a fool!" Noah said, angry at Luke’s foolishness. "Let’s do this. On our next hunt, I’ll take the whole reward. This time you take the weapon made from him, since it was you who killed the beast. I have no problem in that." Luke was silent. He wanted a weapon since he was fighting bare handed. But he also didn’t want to take it all alone. He turned towards Holdok and started speaking. "We are ready if you give us two gears." "WHAT? No way brat! Don’t be greedy! I don’t have that much time with me! I’ll only make one." Holdok said, a bit furious now. He never dealt with any negotiations. He hated it when someone haggled with him. "Then we don’t have a deal. We’ll sell it to the guild!" Luke said sternly. Noah tugged his arm, trying to make him take his words back. Holdok was shocked, he was surprised at the young man in front of him. He had heard Luke and Noah’s conversation as he had a sharp hearing being a dwarf. He thought Luke would take the deal since no one would reject a weapon made by him, even if they would have to sell their house, they would happily take a gear made by him. But he was shocked that Luke rejected his offer only because his friend would have to take the short end of the deal. He was glad at the young man’s conviction and selflessness. "Hohoho! It’s rare to see such friendships nowadays in this greedy world! Very good! alright brat! I’ll make two weapons for you. What do you need?" "I need a pair of gauntlets for me and a pair of boots for him!" Luke said excitedly. "You brat! That’s four pieces." Holdok said in an annoyed tone. "They are a pair, so two gears as whole!" Holdok sighed in helplessness. "Alright! come to the smithy after two days! your gears will be ready by then." Holdok signed the agreement paper passed to him by Mia and zoomed out of the room without saying goodbye to the two. Luke signed the agreement with a wide grin on his face. Noah couldn’t help but chuckle. He thought Luke didn’t have much negotiation skills, but he proved him wrong again. ***** Frostbane city, in an underground basement room in one of the buildings at the far edge of the city, a young woman in her late twenties was sitting on a chair in the middle of the room. She was wearing a short skirt exposing her long and slender thigs crossed over each other. She was wearing a pair of steel boots and her upper body was fully adorned with a steel armor. A sword was placed at the side supported on the chair. She had beautiful long, wavy black hair and brown eyes able to mesmerize any men. Two fighter mages in steel armors were standing in front of her and on the ground was a man wearing a black robe and hood on his knees. He was a dark wizard associated with a religious fanatic group. His hands were tied at his back and his face was bloody from all the beatings he had to endure. "Tell me what are you heretics planning in Frostbane!" She asked the dark wizard. He kept his silence, not saying a word, gasping for breath. "He won’t speak this easily lady Anna! Let me give him another beating." one of the guards said ready to strike. "Stop Bren! It’s no use beating him." Anna said. "Hahaha...hahahaha! You won’t...be able...to stop...anything! Hail the endless night!" suddenly the dark wizard started glowing. Dark green light burst out from his eyes and mouth. The two guards jumped towards Anna and casted a protective spell as a blue translucent sphere formed around them. The dark wizard burst into smithereens. Flesh and blood flying everywhere, dying the whole basement red as pieces of flesh stuck on the walls. "These suicidal maniacs!" Anna clicked her tongue, annoyed at failing to extract information from the dark wizard. Just then the door to the room opened and a young woman in her early twenties, similar looking to Anna, short dark black hair and fully adorned in steel armor and a huge axe on her back entered the room. "Did you find him Layla?" Anna asked as she stood up from the chair and turned towards her. "I’m sorry sister. He ran away!" Layla said in an apologetic tone. "Nothing is going right today!" Anna kicked the wooden chair she was sitting on in anger as it broke into pieces upon hitting the wall. "While coming back, I heard a rumor sister!" Layla said. "What is it?" "People are gossiping that father had banished Luke from the household!" "WHAT!?" Anna yelled out. "They’re saying that because he couldn’t repair his circle even after entering the sanctuary, he is even deemed unworthy by the ancestors." "These bastards! They have nothing to do and just keep spreading useless rumors around!" Anna cursed in fury. "Is there any validity to this rumor?" "Luke was seen last in the Winchester city boarding the airship. I guess...father did banish him!" "He dared to pull such a shameless scheme when we are not there!" Anna gritted her teeth in anger. "Where is our brother now?" "He’s in Gemburn with uncle." "Let’s go get him!" "But, without father’s consent...it won’t be possible sister!" Layla said with worry. Anna kept her silence, and after a few seconds of contemplation she said. "Let’s go back! I’ll talk with father! I won’t let that bitch’s schemes work!" Anna rushed out of the room as the two guards followed immediately. Layla sighed in helplessness and turned around, following after them.