**Chapter 126 – After the Hunt**
The silence in the forest lasted little.
After the last wolf fell, the group spread out across the clearing. Astrid and Rina checked if there was still any movement. Marina and Sylvara observed the surrounding terrain. Lirien stood still for a moment, sensing the air.
— The corruption is decreasing — she murmured. — Slowly, but it is.
— Good — Joker answered. — Then the source was the leader.
He approached the body of the larger wolf. The purple veins were already fading, but the creature still carried an unpleasant presence even dead.
— The guild is going to want proof — Harley said, stopping beside him. — Just saying we killed it doesn't solve it.
— I know.
Joker raised his hand. A small dark space opened in the air — his personal subspace. Without hurry, he stored the entire body of the leader inside. The volume disappeared completely as soon as it crossed the opening.
— Better to take the whole body — he commented. — Avoids doubt.
Astrid looked at the other wolves scattered across the clearing.
— And these? Anything useful?
— Fang, hide, residual corruption core… the guild buys them — Harley answered. — We're not leaving money thrown on the ground.
— I agree — Rina said, already crouching near one of the bodies. — If it can be sold, we take it.
One by one, the group began collecting what was worth it. Some preferred only the more useful parts. Others, more practical, simply pushed the entire bodies into their own subspaces. In a few minutes, the clearing was much cleaner than before.
Kuroe continued beside Elowen, who was still kneeling, breathing more calmly now, though her body still trembled slightly. The scratch on her arm wasn't serious, but it burned.
— Can you stand? — Kuroe asked.
Elowen nodded and, with a little effort, got up. Her legs were still unstable, but they held.
Harley approached with her hands in her pockets, observing her state.
— You lasted longer than I expected.
— Me too — Elowen admitted, her voice still hoarse.
— That's a compliment, by the way — Harley completed, smiling sideways.
Joker gave one last look at the clearing.
— Mission complete. We head back.
No one disagreed.
---
The way back to the guild's northern branch was done at a slower pace because of Elowen. She didn't complain, but the fatigue still weighed on her body.
— Seriously, were you going to keep fighting if Joker hadn't stopped it? — Astrid asked, walking beside her.
— I would have tried — Elowen answered. — I wouldn't have managed.
— At least you admit it — Rina said. — Some people would say they still had breath left.
Marina looked back, toward the forest.
— That leader was strange. It didn't look like a normal wolf.
— It wasn't — Lirien confirmed. — The corruption in it was denser. More… conscious.
— I didn't like that thing's saliva — Sylvara murmured. — Even the ground died.
Harley laughed low.
— Welcome to real missions. Sometimes the prey bites back in an unpleasant way.
Elowen stayed silent for a moment before speaking:
— Do you always do this? Let someone go to their limit?
— No — Kuroe answered simply. — Only when it matters.
Joker, a little ahead, didn't turn his face, but his voice arrived clearly:
— I needed to know how far you would go. Now we know.
Elowen simply nodded, still out of breath, but clearly processing everything.
---
When they arrived at the northern branch, the local employee lifted his gaze with the expression of someone who had already seen dozens of groups return from similar missions. Until Joker opened the subspace and pulled out the leader's body.
The man froze for a second.
— …That's the leader?
— It is — Joker answered.
The employee approached, crouched and examined the creature with far more attention than the protocol required. The purple veins were already faded, but the size and the deformation were still evident.
— You eliminated that in a single day… and still came back with the whole body.
— We're efficient — Harley said, smiling.
The man shook his head, noted the result and stamped the authorization with a little more force than necessary.
— Rank C confirmed. You can return to the main branch.
In a few minutes, the group was already back at the teleportation gate.
The blue light enveloped them.
In the next instant, they were once again in the main hall of the capital's guild.
Nara lifted her gaze as soon as she saw them enter and smiled sideways.
— You came back in one piece. What a novelty.
Tessa, beside her, rested her elbow on the counter.
— And looking like people who actually fought. The new girl over there looks like she got run over by a tractor.
Elowen didn't answer. She simply stayed a little behind the group.
Joker approached the counter and showed the mission confirmation already registered at the northern branch. Nara checked and nodded.
— Rank C completed. All good.
Next, the group took out of the subspace the hides, fangs and residual cores from the other wolves, placing everything on the counter.
— We're selling here — Harley said. — The capital's price is better.
Tessa was already pulling the scale and the price table, while Nara began separating the material. In a few minutes, the value was calculated, noted and paid. It wasn't a fortune, but it was a value clearly better than the smaller branch's.
— You two never take an easy mission, do you? — Tessa commented, putting away the coins.
— If it's easy, it's not fun — Harley answered.
Nara shook her head, amused.
— And you still come back before the end of the day. One of these days we're going to have to create a category just for you.
— You can create it — Joker said simply. — We'll use it.
The two receptionists laughed. After a few more light exchanges, the group said goodbye and left the guild.
---
Outside, the capital's air was fresher. The afternoon sun still illuminated the streets, and the city's movement continued normally.
Astrid stretched her arms.
— Mission done. Money in the pocket. And it's still Saturday.
— So we're not going straight back to the academy, right? — Rina asked.
— No way — Harley answered. — We just finished a hunt. We deserve at least to eat something decent.
— I agree — Marina said. — I'm tired of tasteless food.
Sylvara looked at Elowen.
— Can you walk a little more?
— I can — she answered. — Just… not too fast.
— No problem — Kuroe said.
Joker pointed with his head toward one of the side streets.
— There are a few places around here.
They ended up entering a small square, away from the heavier movement of the capital. There were food stalls, wooden benches and a few trees providing shade. The smell of roasted meat, fresh bread and real seasoning hung in the air — very different from the academy's cafeteria.
— This is it — Rina murmured, already approaching a stall.
— I want whatever smells the most — Astrid said.
— I want whatever doesn't look like paper — Marina completed.
In a few minutes, the group was gathered around an improvised table, with skewers, hot bread, juices and a few simple desserts. Elowen ate more slowly, still tired, but clearly appreciating the real food.
— This is unfair — she commented after a few bites. — After eating like this… going back to the academy is going to hurt.
— It will — Harley agreed, biting a skewer. — That's why we need to climb the ranking. Good food isn't free in there.
— So the plan continues — Astrid said. — Quiet until the last Friday.
— It continues — Joker confirmed.
The conversation grew lighter with time. Rina and Astrid started discussing who had taken down more wolves. Marina and Sylvara commented on the smell of corruption still stuck in their memory. Lirien only listened, occasionally correcting some detail. Kuroe stayed quiet most of the time, but every now and then answered with short phrases. Elowen, little by little, also ended up entering the conversation, even if with few words.
At a certain moment, Harley leaned toward Joker's side and spoke low:
— She fit in faster than I thought.
— She did — he answered.
— She's going to accept the mark.
— She will.
Harley smiled sideways.
— It's going to get interesting.
The rest of the afternoon passed like that. Without hurry. Without ranking. Without academy. Just the group sitting in that square, eating, talking and letting the fatigue of the mission drain away little by little.
When the sun started to truly lower, Astrid stretched.
— I could stay here until night.
— Me too — Rina said. — But if we disappear until too late, someone is going to find it strange.
— The adults, specifically — Marina completed.
— Then we head back — Joker decided. — Today's enough.
No one truly complained.
They stood up, collected what remained of the food and started walking back toward the academy, still talking quietly along the way.
That Saturday had started with a hunt.
And it had ended in a much lighter way than any of them expected.
**End of Chapter 126**