A week in the cottage was like a lifetime of peace I'd never known. The days fell into a comfortable, productive rhythm, a dance of shared responsibilities that felt less like work and more like building a home. We were a strange, mismatched family, but a family nonetheless.
Eve and Sera, the hunters, had taken to my new traps with a fierce enthusiasm. The simple, spring-loaded mechanisms I had designed were brutally effective. They would leave in the morning, their movements a symphony of predatory grace, and return by midday, their hands full. They brought back plump rabbits, pheasants, and once, a small deer that had wandered into a larger pitfall trap I'd designed. Eve, who had initially been so skeptical, now looked at me with a new, grudging respect in her crimson eyes. She never said it out loud, but the way she now asked for my opinion on the placement of a new trap spoke volumes.
Vesper, my timid ghost, had found her own personal heaven in the small garden behind the cottage. Her usual shyness and fear seemed to melt away when her hands were in the soil. She treated each plant with a gentle, loving reverence, her soft whispers to the sprouting leaves a constant, happy hum in the background of our days. Her crimson eyes, usually so full of caution, would shine with a pure, unadulterated joy as she tended to her green charges.
And Sia… Sia had taken over the inside of the cottage with a cheerful, sensual grace. She was the one who kept the fire going, who made sure the furs were aired out, and who had, with a surprising amount of skill, organized our growing larder of smoked meat and dried herbs. She moved with a fluid, confident rhythm, her golden blonde ponytail swaying as she worked. She had a habit of humming soft, melodic tunes, and her presence filled the small space with a warmth that had nothing to do with the hearth. More than once, I'd look up from my work to find her watching me, a playful, sultry smile on her lips. "Checking to see if our resident genius needs anything?" she'd purr, and the resulting blush that would flood my cheeks became a running joke that never failed to make her giggle. Her wifey aura was less about traditional duties and more about a comfortable, teasing intimacy that was both terrifying and wonderful.
My own days were filled with a purpose that left me with a deep, bone-weary satisfaction each night. I was a problem-solver, and this new life was a series of fascinating engineering problems. I had reinforced the cottage roof, designed a simple pulley system to lift water from the well, and was in the process of building a small, efficient smokehouse.
But there was one problem I couldn't solve. The garden.
The vegetables were growing at a rate that violated every principle of biology I had ever known. The seeds we had planted just a week ago were now fully mature plants, heavy with ripe, perfect fruit. It was a miracle. A beautiful, wonderful, and deeply unsettling miracle.
"Sera, come look at this," I said one morning, holding up a potato that was the size of my head.
She took it from me, her blue eyes wide with disbelief. "By the gods… it's only been a week."
"This isn't normal, is it?" I pressed.
"Normal?" She let out a short, incredulous laugh. "Satvik, my father was a farmer his whole life. To get a harvest like this would take a whole season, and even then, you'd be lucky if half the crop was this good." She looked from the potato to me, her eyes shining with awe. "This is your doing. Your technique, your magic… whatever it is."
The others shared her sentiment. They saw it as another one of my miracles, like the Carrion Strider kill. But I knew better. I hadn't done anything special. I had used basic, Earth-level agricultural principles and the faint, ghostly memories of the cottage's previous owner. The result should have been a decent, normal garden. Not this… this hyper-fertile anomaly. Something else was at play here, a powerful, unknown variable in the system. I needed information. I needed books. I needed a library. And for that, I needed a city.
As if she had read my mind, Sera spoke up that evening as we sat around the fire, feasting on roasted fish and the first of our impossible harvest. "We're running low on salt," she said, her voice practical. "And we could use more flour, proper blankets for the cold nights to come, and some real tools."
Eve, who was meticulously cleaning the Carrion Strider talons, looked up, her crimson eyes glinting in the firelight. "We have the teeth," she said, her voice a low, practical rumble. "There are ten good ones. A normal Strider tooth is worth fifty or sixty gold. These are bigger. We could get a fortune for them in the city."
The word 'city' hung in the air, instantly changing the mood. Vesper, who had been humming softly while braiding some wildflowers, went still. Her own crimson eyes, so different from Eve's, filled with fear.
"The city?" she whispered, her voice trembling. "But… the people there. They don't like us. They stare."
Sia, who was sitting next to her, immediately wrapped an arm around her younger sister's shoulders. "Oh, but think of all the things we could buy!" she said, her hazel eyes sparkling with excitement. "Real blankets, Vesper! Ones that aren't scratchy! And maybe even a new dress for you!"
"We have to go," Sera said, her leader's voice firm but kind. "Eve is right. We need the money. Eve and I will go to Oakhaven at sunrise."
"I'm coming with you," I said, surprising even myself.
Four pairs of eyes turned to me.
"You're not a fighter, Satvik," Eve stated, not unkindly. "You're needed here to look after the cottage. And them." She gestured to Vesper and Sia.
"And you are all fighters," I countered, looking at Sera. "You're hunters, not merchants. Those teeth are incredibly valuable, and the first merchant you meet will try to cheat you. My mind for… numbers… could be as useful as your fighting skill when it comes to getting a fair price."
Sera considered this, her blue eyes assessing me. She gave a decisive nod. "He's right. His mind is a weapon, just a different kind. He'll come with us."
"Then we all go," Sia declared, standing up. "We're a family now. We don't split up. We go together."
Sera looked at Sia's determined face, at Vesper's fear, and at Eve's stoic silence. She sighed, a small smile touching her lips. "Alright. We go together."
The journey to Oakhaven took the better part of the day. The transition from the wild, magical embrace of the Marrowmaw Forest to the tamed, open road was jarring. The city itself was an assault on the senses. The air, which had been so clean in the forest, was thick with the smell of livestock, woodsmoke, and unwashed bodies. The noise was a constant clamor of shouting merchants, hammering blacksmiths, and the rumble of wagon wheels on cobblestone.
"It's so loud…" Vesper whispered, shrinking closer to Sera, her white rabbit ears pressed flat against her head.
"Look at the colors!" Sia breathed, her eyes wide with wonder, pointing at a stall overflowing with vibrant fabrics. "Is that a bakery? It smells amazing!"
"Too many blind corners," Eve muttered, her hand resting on the hilt of her new talon-knife, her gaze scanning the rooftops. "Too many people with swords. This place is a death trap."
"Everyone, stay close," Sera commanded, her voice a reassuring anchor in the chaos.
I, on the other hand, was captivated. I saw horse-drawn carts with inefficiently designed wheels and my mind immediately started redesigning them. I saw the architecture of the buildings, the logistics of the market, the flow of people. It was a fascinating, complex system.
Our first stop was the Adventurer's Guild, a large, noisy, timber-framed building. When the five of us walked in—four ragged Lagomorph women and a strangely dressed man—the rowdy hall fell silent for a moment. Every eye was on us. Vesper trembled, but Eve met their stares with a glare so fierce that most quickly looked away.
We walked up to the main counter, where a young woman sat, looking thoroughly unimpressed. She was an aloof, perfect beauty, with a flawless fair complexion and hair the color of mint green, pulled back into a neat, low bun. She wore a crisp guild uniform and a jaunty artist's cap.
"Name and purpose?" she asked, her voice as crisp as her uniform, her eyes not even lifting from her ledger.
"Sera, Eve, Vesper, Sia, and Satvik," Sera answered, her voice steady. "We have monster parts to sell."
The receptionist, whose nameplate read 'Scarlett Stone', finally looked up. Her cool mint-green eyes scanned the five of us. A flicker of disdain crossed her features before she smoothed it back into professional neutrality. "Place it on the counter," she said, her tone flat.
Eve reached into the leather pouch at her belt and placed a single Carrion Strider tooth on the wooden counter. It was a wicked, curved thing, as long as my forearm, and it seemed to pulse with a faint, internal energy.
Scarlett's professional mask finally cracked. Her eyes widened, her mouth falling open slightly. "By the gods…" she breathed. She looked from the tooth to us, her expression a mixture of shock and disbelief. "One moment," she said, her voice no longer bored, but tight with urgency. She stood up and disappeared through a door behind the counter.
A few minutes later, she returned. "The Guild Master will see you now," she said, her voice filled with a newfound respect. "Please, follow me."
She led us to a large, oak door. A warm, melodic voice called, "Come in."
The Guild Master's office was a surprising oasis of calm and comfort. A warm fire crackled in the hearth, and the walls were lined with books and maps. Behind a large, polished wooden desk sat a woman who took my breath away. She looked to be in her late twenties, an image of mature, maternal beauty. She had warm, almond-brown eyes that seemed to see right through you, and her hair was a stunning mix of red and brown, braided elegantly over one shoulder. Her body was a perfect hourglass, with a large, full bust and a tight, rounded rear, showcased by the impeccable tailoring of her trousers. She stood up, a warm, welcoming smile on her face.
"Scarlett tells me you've brought something… exceptional," she said, her voice like honeyed wine. Her gaze took in all five of us, lingering for a moment on Vesper, who was hiding behind Sera. "Please, don't be shy. You are all welcome here."
Eve, our designated negotiator, stepped forward and placed the tooth on the polished desk.
The Guild Master—Cynthia June, according to her nameplate—picked it up, her expression shifting to one of intense, professional focus. She ran a finger along its edge, her eyes glowing faintly with a magical light.
"Incredible," she murmured. "The size, the density… and the energy signature is so potent. It's almost… alive." She finally looked up, her almond-brown eyes locking with Eve's. "There is only one place in the world a creature could grow a tooth like this. You found this in the Marrowmaw Forest, didn't you?"
Sera nodded. "We did."
Cynthia leaned back in her chair, a look of profound respect on her beautiful face. "I see." She looked at the tooth again, then back at us. "A normal Carrion Strider tooth of this quality would fetch sixty, maybe seventy gold coins."
My heart began to pound. That was already a small fortune.
"But this," she continued, holding up the tooth, "is from a Marrowmaw Strider. A creature empowered by the forest itself. It is a far more valuable, and far more dangerous, beast." She leaned forward, her expression serious. "I will offer you one hundred gold coins. For each."
Silence. The only sound was the crackle of the fire.
"One… hundred?" Sia gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Is she serious?"
Eve, who was usually so stoic, was stunned into silence. She turned and whispered to Sera, her voice tight with disbelief, "That's enough to buy a small farm. A house."
Vesper, still hiding behind her sister, peeked out, her crimson eyes wide. "We… we could buy so much salt," she whispered, her desire so simple and pure it made my heart ache.
Sera took a deep, steadying breath, her composure as the leader returning. She stepped forward, meeting the Guild Master's gaze with her own.
"We have ten of them," she said, her voice clear and strong.
Cynthia's perfectly shaped eyebrows rose a fraction of an inch. She did some quick math in her head, then smiled, a slow, dazzling expression.
"In that case," she said, her voice filled with a newfound excitement. "Welcome to Oakhaven, adventurers. It seems you are now very, very rich. One thousand gold coins. We accept your offer."
As we all stood there, reeling from the sheer scale of our newfound wealth, Cynthia's smile faded slightly, replaced by a sharp, analytical curiosity. She held up a hand, pausing the celebration.
"I'm glad we could come to an agreement," she said, her tone friendly but her almond-brown eyes sharp as steel. "But before we finalize the payment, there's one last detail. One does not simply find ten perfect teeth from a Marrowmaw Strider lying on the ground. Tell me, adventurers, how did a party of five, with no official rank, accomplish a feat that would challenge my best A-rank teams?"
The air in the room went cold. I saw Sera and Eve exchange a panicked look. Sia's excited smile froze on her face. They were trapped. Lying was foolish, but the truth was impossible. The silence stretched, thick and heavy.
It was Vesper who broke it.
Not understanding the danger, only wanting to praise the person who had made her feel safe, she spoke up, her voice a quiet, clear bell in the tense room.
"It wasn't a party," she said, a proud, innocent smile on her face as she looked at me. "Satvik did it."
She continued, completely unaware of the bombshell she was dropping. "He killed the monster with one shot. With Eve's spear. It went straight through the Strider and got stuck deep inside a Shatterwood tree."
Absolute silence.
Both Cynthia and Scarlett's eyes, now wide with a mixture of shock, disbelief, and a new, calculating light, were locked directly onto me.
I could only stare back at Vesper, completely blindsided, while I felt the panicked, frozen gazes of her other three sisters.
Our lives, all of our lives, had just changed forever.