He was awake. The thick, coppery stench of the dead wolf confirmed it, making his nose wrinkle in protest.
Turning towards Nixsen, who was already moving around the cluttered room, he asked,
"Where am I?"
Stepping out of bed, she stretched, her beauty momentarily catching him off guard. He looked up as she pulled on a fleece over her shoulders—she already had practical pants on.
"Obviously, you're at my palace," she replied, a faint smirk on her lips.
"How does it feel to be in a woman's room for the first time?"
Krey took in the scene. Plates with dried leftovers sat on the floor. Piles of books were stacked on a table in the corner. Behind him, near the window, hung the massive corpse of the wolf.
"...What a mess," he mubbled under his breath.
"How rude," she huffed, buttoning her fleece.
"You didn't have to be so blunt about it." She gestured to the wolf.
"Unhook it. We're going to earn some money."
She moved the bucket of blood aside. Reluctantly, Krey stood. As he raised his arms to reach for the ropes, a deep ache greeted him. His limbs felt heavy.
"Hey, where's my sword?"
"Under the bed. I'll hand it to you after. Now, the wolf."
Grunting, he pulled the carcass down. Its lower half hit the floor. The wolf was too large to carry, so he gripped its hind legs and dragged it across the floorboards.
"It would be nice if you helped out a bit," he grunted.
"Don't be silly," Nixsen said, fluffing her hair. "An elegant woman like me shouldn't be doing such brutish tasks."
"...More like an elegant slob," Krey muttered.
"What was that?"
"Nothing!"
He continued dragging the beast, pushing aside discarded plates with its bulk.
"We don't want to waste time. Let's go boy." Said Nixsen.
Getting the wolf out the door was a struggle. Its massive shoulders jammed in the frame, and a sickening crunch echoed as a few ribs caved in. Krey winced but kept pulling.
Walking through the halls, he thought to himself,
"This can't be right. Her place only had four rooms. These hallways are too long for that." He remembered the other doors in her chamber.
Eventually, they arrived at the adventurer's guild hall. Nixsen strode to the front desk, where a different, stern-looking worker stood.
"Hello there, good sir," she announced.
"We're here to hand over the great wolf from the eastern forest. So now, if you please, hand over the reward." She extended her palm.
The desk worker blinked slowly. "...I'm sorry, ma'am, but you need to have taken the quest beforehand to claim the reward."
"How absurd!" Nixsen's voice rose.
"Why would we need to take the quest when I've already completed it?"
"It's to prevent complications," the man explained wearily.
"To stop people from interfering with parties who are actively attempting it. If you want the reward, you'll have to negotiate with the adventurer who officially accepted it."
Nixsen's eyes narrowed.
"Where is this 'thief'?"
The man pointed over their shoulders. They turned.
Leaning against a support beam was a young man with hair the color of deep ocean blue. He was barely taller than Krey. He wore a white fleece left open, matching pants, a black tunic underneath, and a thin, dark red scarf. His feet were clad in iron-plated boots, and a single metallic glove sheathed one hand.
"You. Come here," Nixsen commanded.
"Nixsen, I don't think that's a good idea," Krey whispered urgently, remembering where he'd seen a scarf like that before.
She disregarded him, her focus locked on the blue-haired young man who now ambled over.
"Now be a good boy," Nixsen said, her tone deceptively light,
"and hand over the quest for the great wolf."
The young man let out a short laugh.
"Hah. Why should I?"
"Use your eyes, darling." She gestured behind her. "We completed it."
Krey thought, "We? Wasn't I the one who killed it?"
The blue-haired youth, looked past Nixsen at Krey, who was still holding the wolf's legs, and the massive carcass. A flicker of appraisal passed over his features.
"...Okay, fine," The young man conceded with a shrug.
"I'll hand it to you."
"What a kind young man you are."
As Samuel moved to place the quest parchment in her outstretched hand, he suddenly pulled it back, a grin spreading across his face.
"In exchange… you give me a cut of the profit."
Nixsen's smile grew sharper.
"I suppose it's to be expected. Ten percent." Samuel laughed, "Hahaha! Forty percent."
"A young man like you should eat more," Nixsen purred.
"Your frail stature makes my fist want to kiss your face. Fifteen."
"I suppose you're right. Twenty-five."
"Such a sharp tongue you have. Twenty."
"Deal."
"Deal."
The young man then handed over the parchment while shaking Nixsen's hand, which was covered in a delicate black lace glove.
Nixsen presented the paper to the desk worker. With a sigh, the man retrieved a hefty bag of shimmering silver coins.
Without ceremony, Nixsen reached in, grabbed a handful, and dropped them into the cupped hands of the young man.
"Pleasure doing business with you," He said before continuing.
"Just in case... the name's Samuel."
"Alright," Nixsen replied.
She took another modest portion for herself, then dumped the entire, still-heavy bag into Krey's free hand.
"Wait a moment," Samuel interjected.
"Why are you giving the rest to him? I've heard stories about how great you are. Shouldn't you be holding the silvers?"
Nixsen looked at him as if he'd asked why the sky was up.
"My dear, that would be unfair. I wasn't the one who slew the beast. It was my good friend, Krey."
The guild hall fell into a sudden silence. Then, a storm of murmurs broke out.
"That guy? She must be lying!"
"Just look at him! I could crush him with my thumb!"
Krey felt the weight of dozens of disbelieving stares. Nixsen, however, seemed to have anticipated this. With a dramatic flourish, she ripped the bandages from Krey's torso.
As the cloth fell away, the room's skepticism transformed into a collective gasp. Across Krey's chest were two massive, livid diagonal scars—the exact matching pattern of the giant wolf's claws.
A single voice broke the silence.
"By the stars! He really did it!"
That comment unleashed a waterfall of praise.
"Incredible! You should join my party!"
"I should have invested in you sooner!"
Krey stood frozen, taken aback. No one had ever complimented him like this before, a world had noticed him.
Samuel stepped closer, his earlier smirk gone.
"What did you use to defeat it?" he asked, his voice low.
Krey blinked. "A sword… why?"
"I see…" Samuel mumbled, his fingers tapping the empty sheath on his hip. Without another word, he turned and exited the guild hall.
Confused, Krey looked down at the heavy bag of silver. A flurry of thoughts crashed through his mind. He looked up at Nixsen.
"...A place," he said.
"Hm?" Nixsen raised an eyebrow.
"I want to get my own place."
"Don't you already have that shed of yours?"
"I do. But what I want is a place within the kingdom walls."
Nixsen studied him, then gave a slow nod. "I suppose I can help you look."
As they were talking, a burly adventurer who had been listening stood up and swaggered over.
"If you want a place, I can help you out! My friend's got a property!"
"Really? Where is it?" Krey asked, excitement in his voice.
"You'd better follow me, then!"
A short walk later, they stood before a building. Nixsen's face grew pale. When she glanced at Krey, it grew even paler.
"T-there's no way you would want to live here… right?" she whispered.
Krey surveyed the structure. "What do you mean? This place is perfect! It's not too far from the gates!"
"Well, yes, but… Krey. This place is slummy."
The location was just inside the kingdom walls, on the bleak border where the main city frayed into the slums. The building was a testament to neglect. Weeds grew from cracks in the rotting wooden walls. Trash was littered around its base, and a putrid smell hung in the air.
"HAHAHA!" boomed the adventurer.
"I'm glad you like it! I'll introduce you to the owner. He's a close friend, so be prepared for a discount!"
They entered the crude-looking building. The adventurer introduced Krey to the landlord, a man dressed in peasant-style clothes that were, paradoxically, woven with fine thread and featured subtle lion embroidery. Bargaining ensued.
After some back-and-forth, the adventurer turned to Krey, beaming.
"A few silver off the rent! Not too bad, considering the rent is fifteen silver a month!"
Krey frowned. "Rent?"
"You have to pay once in a while in exchange for a living area," Nixsen explained.
"I have to pay to live here? Why can't I just buy a place instead?"
"You certainly could," Nixsen said with a sigh. "However, buying a home is expensive. Even I find it difficult."
Krey turned back to the landlord, who watched with shrewd eyes. The man's peasant disguise was thin; the quality of his clothes betrayed him.
Krey looked the landlord dead in the eye.
"Nine silvers was it?" he stated. It wasn't a question.