The Merchant Who Became a Hero

Chapter 1: The Annis

"The mistress will get it from me! I found it, I had the idea to give it to her, I will give it to her!"
A whiny voice with a snarling tone broke the relative silence of the long stone tunnel, making the bugs that littered the bumpy ground scurry away and bats that hung above glare in silent contempt. Grazilt narrowed his beady eyes and waved his torch above his head to annoy them further. The light reflected on his leathery green skin and made the grease that oozed from his pores glisten. He had been locked in this argument for the past forty minutes, the last thing he needed was a group of bats judging him.

"But I was the one to help catch it, so it must be me!"
An equally nasally voice pleaded at his side, Grazilt groaning in frustration and pulling the torch closer to himself. With the light from the torch illuminating him his hooked nose, impish face and wild black hair could be made out. He stared into a face not unlike his own, only with a shorter nose and a bald head. Grazilt pulled his lips into a scowl and showed off his pointed teeth to his companion. The effects were immediate, his fellow shrinking backwards into the darkness.

"Catch it?! All you did was sit and watch while I chased it! If you lie to the mistress like that, I'll feed you to a Barghest!"
His companion was shivering now, Grazilt's threats shaking his already pitiful resolve. He was quick to nod and bow down, trying to make his short and agile body as small as possible.
"O-of course! Nilgog is sorry! Great Grazilt may have the honors!"
Grazilt allowed himself to watch Nilgog bow and grovel for a small while, his scowl turning into a satisfied grin. It was rare indeed for a goblin, weak as they are, to have someone cower before them. Grazilt only had the honor of experiencing it because he had been paired with the coward called Nilgog. And he loved basking in the feeling of superiority that always came with it.

"Okay, the great Grazilt is satisfied. If Nilgog doesn't complain again I may remember how you helped me catch the mistress' gift."
It took a moment for Nilgog to realize what was being hinted at, the goblins eyes widening as he connected the dots. He immediately threw himself at Grazilt and cried into his chest.
"The great Grazilt is so merciful! Nilgog will be good, oh he will be so good!"
Grazilt allowed him to sing some more of his praise before forcibly prying him off. He huffed and wiped the grease away from his fur tunic.
"Nilgog needs a trip to the lake..."
He muttered to himself as he turned and continued down the gloomy tunnel, Nilgog happily following along with a new spring in his step.

The two goblins continued along until they saw a light at the end of the tunnel, a bright green haze leaking out of a large circular opening in the far wall. They both paused at this sight, knowing what lay beyond it. Grazilt, while waiting for his courage to return, squinted and tried to peer through the haze. He thought he could make out a hulking shape through the mist but couldn't be certain. A shiver ran up his spine. Maybe their mistress was busy and could be left alone for the moment...

"The mistress' gift is getting cold!"
Nilgog piped up at Grazilt's side, the goblin blinking and shaking his head. He glanced to his fellow before looking back to the ethereal sight in the distance.
"I know that! I'm simply... shut up!"
He snapped, unable to come up with a proper excuse for his hesitation. Nilgog flinched and backed away. Grazilt let out a sigh and took a deep breath in, approaching the entrance to his mistress' inner sanctum.

"M-mistress?"
Grazilt lowered his usually high-pitched tone to something more gentle as he stepped towards the space in the wall. He stopped a few feet from the threshold, not wanting to let the mist overtake him. That isn't to say he was safe from it, small tendrils of the green haze reaching towards him. It collected around his head and forced itself up into his nose, making him cringe. Goblins were no strangers to horrid smells. Week old fish, swamp water, dung heaps and more were very familiar to him. But whatever was being produced in there utterly repelled him. It wasn't a natural stench, a miasma of the highest degree that burned the nostrils and curled downwards into the stomach to make the bile bubble. How his mistress could live in the middle of that putrid cloud was beyond him.

Grazilt reluctantly stepped forwards and peered closer into the shrouded room, nervously clearing his throat.
"I-it is us, Grazilt and Nilgog. We have brought you something."
His words were left to hang in the air for a moment before a deep, laboured grunt reached their ears. It was a long and drawn-out noise that made his brain vibrate and hit the sides of his skull. Nilgog whimpered beside him and attempted to cover his ears, only for a far louder noise to replace the rumbling sound.

Footsteps. Heavy, ponderous, and uneven. Grazilt could see pebbles and small rocks jump into the air like grasshoppers each time his mistress' foot landed. He gulped and clutched his torch tighter, the booming steps getting closer and closer to them both. He prayed his words hadn't been enough to make his mistress' exit her personal chambers. All he had wanted was to leave it at her door! He screwed his eyes shut as he heard a footfall land right on the other side of the misty veil, slowly opening them when no further sounds followed. Grazilt watched for a bit before gently sighing and wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

His relief was short lived, however, as a massive silhouette appeared beyond the wall of mist. Bulky fingers protruded from the thin veil, parting the haze like a shark fin through water. These digits ended in malformed nails made of glossy black iron, styled into curls so they could inflict terrible wounds that couldn't be easily tended to. Like the webbed feet of a frog deep blue skin was stretched between the fingers, warts and bumps dotted around like stones on a cobbled street. Each finger was larger than Grazilt's body and more than capable of crushing him.

As if it couldn't get worse the hand these digits belonged to emerged from the greenish curtain as well. The musculature under its wrinkled skin was all wrong, sticking out as unwieldy clumps and lumps. Long and thin strands of black hair dangled down from the wrist while boils collected in its palm. Both goblins felt their fight or flight reflexes kick in at its sudden appearance, leaning heavily towards the latter. That hand could scoop them up and squeeze until they popped with ease, able to fit both of them comfortably in its palm.

Yet it did not do that, instead lowering itself to the ground with its fingers stretched out. Its palm was faced upwards, pus filled boils sticking up like clusters of bird eggs. It beckoned with its index finger, Grazilt's heart skipping a beat as his mistress' nail brushed against his fur tunic.
"Y-yes, of course. We found this in um... ah- well you don't care. We just thought you would appreciate the offering..."
His voice trailed away as he reached into his satchel and produced a vibrantly coloured rat. Its tail was a light blue at the tip and faded into a deep pink at the base, it's fur a turquoise with hints of blueberry here and there. It had bled out a while ago due to some teeth marks in its side, staining its colourful coat a dark red.

Grazilt gingerly placed the rat among the boils and took several steps backwards, Nilgog quickly doing the same. They watched with bated breath as the colossal fingers slowly curled backwards into the palm, the hand being pulled back into the stinking cloud. The two heard heavy hums and sighs on the other side of the entrance as their present was inspected. They were kept waiting for a small while before a resonant chuckle reached their ears. That low rumble that reverberated around them made the goblins stand still as statues, the two listening for anything further. To their immense delight the only sound that followed was the slow pounding noise of their mistress footsteps walking away.

Grazilt let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding and rubbed the back of his neck. He glanced over to Nilgog and saw clear admiration in his eyes. Realizing he was going to say something he quickly turned on his heels and began walking away, not wanting to disturb the mistress any further. Every time Nilgog looked like he was going to open his mouth Grazilt shook his head and pressed his finger to his lips. Only when they had some distance between themselves and their mistress' sanctum did Nilgog receive the nod of approval.

"Great Grazilt handled that so well! Nilgog wanted to run, but great Grazilt remained strong!"
Grazilt, despite the unnerving nature of his mistress still hanging heavily in the back of his mind, managed to smile when this praise was given to him.
"It was nothing impressive."
Nilgog shook his head and continued on, beginning to mime out the events of the past few minutes.
"No! Nilgog saw it, it was amazing! The mistress was being all scary, while great Grazilt was being all cool! And Nilgog was stood to the side like-"

Nilgog's voice slowly faded into the background, Grazilt's ears twitching as a new sound caught his attention. It sounded like a mixture of a whistle and air rapidly rushing past something. The noise had started quiet and far away, little more than a whisper in some far-off cavern. But as he listened Grazilt realized it was steadily getting louder, coming from the darkness that stretched out before them.

Grazilt stepped forwards, no longer listening as Nilgog continued his re-enactment. All he could hear was that strange whistling. He squinted his eyes and thrust his torch forwards in an attempt to see what was making that noise. It was only when the whistling became almost too loud to bear did he catch a glimpse if it's source. A metallic glimmer in the otherwise inky void, a reflection of the yellow light emanating from his torch. This glimmer rocketed towards him, cutting through the darkness like a knife. As it entered the radius of his torch Grazilt saw it's shape. A long, durable spear with a curved blade and silver shaft. It was flying towards them with enough force behind it to shatter rock.

After registering this Grazilt whipped around and opened his mouth, trying to make the most of the handful of seconds he had.
"Duck you idiot!"
He called to Nilgog, his fellow goblin only having time to look at him in confusion before the spear collided with him.

There was no almighty crash or smash. At least, not until the spear slammed into the stone wall behind them. It was more of a wet slap, followed by a immediate and violent explosion of gore. Blood splattered against the ceiling, walls, floor, and Grazilt. Nilgog's liver and brain was thrown up onto the ceiling, sticking there for a moment before falling onto a pile of meaty chunks and bloodied bones. Grazilt had thrown himself backwards on instinct, feeling bile rise in his throat as he realized strips of Nilgog's lungs had been blown into his lap. The goblin was quick to wipe them away and hurriedly pull himself back onto his shaking feet, head snapping from side to side.

Grazilt's mind was racing, his heart pounding and breath completely out of control. His gaze kept travelling from the remains of Nilgog to each end of the tunnel. That spear had disappeared into the darkness, the ground shaking boom telling him it had collided with a wall. He looked towards where it had come from, slowly reaching for his torch and holding it high. Whatever had thrown the spear was down there, probably on it's way to get it's spear back. He at least wanted a warning if that was the case, a chance to get out of the way or run from whatever monster was down there. Though he doubted it would do much, Grazilt pulled his rusty dagger out and summoned the courage needed to aim it down the tunnel.

This courage he had gathered fell away instantly as the echo of quick and agile footfalls reached his ears. He physically recoiled from the sound, realizing it was heading straight for him as well. Instead of standing his ground and fighting whatever was approaching him he looked backwards and cried.
"Intruders! Mistress, there are intruders!"
Grazilt called down the hall, barely able to finish before the owner of the swift footsteps reached him. He was able to register a feminine grunt, followed by a sharp pain on the back of his head, then he knew no more.

A blade, made from the purest black with green highlights along the edge, erupted from Grazilt's face. His nose was peeled apart like a banana, one of his eyes being popped whilst the other lazily rolled to the side. A small burst of teeth flew out of his mouth and scattered across the fleshy remains of Nilgog. His head was barely able to retain it's former shape, crumbling like a tower of loose gravel when the blade was pulled out the back. His body slumped down, smacking the mutilated remains of his face against the ground and creating a moist plop. The only reaction his death was able to draw was a gentle sound of annoyance from his attacker, who scooped up his torch while inspecting her weapon.

His attacker held the torch up to her side, revealing a head of dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. Her hair was messy and allowed to collect just above her shoulders, curling down her neck. She possessed a athletic, if not short form with tanned skin and a burn scar over the left shoulder. Her abs were proudly on show, as all she wore on her upper body was a short silk vest and layers of bandages wrapped around her bust. Her lower half was covered by long and flowing blue pantaloons, intricate patterns of golden ivy and petals weaved into them. Sandals on her feet and two weapon sheathes completed the look, one of the sheathes empty whilst the other held a weapon similar to the one in her hand. This singularly dressed woman looked over her bloodstained knife, pouting gently and groaning.

"Petra, did you silence it?"
A deep and masculine voice asked, the sound of heavy footsteps and armour clanging accompanying it. Petra sighed and let her head roll back in slight annoyance.
"Yeah..."
She mumbled back, flicking her weapon in order to get some of the blood and chunks of skull off.
"But it managed to alert the boss before I could."
Petra sheathed her weapon and turned to face her companion, giving him a easy smile as he stepped into the light of her torch.
"Guess that'll just make it more fun, right Alex?"
She managed to perk up a bit as she said this, looking her fellow up and down as he walked past in search of his spear.

Alex was covered head to toe in plate armour, the metal a dark red with some black trimmings around the joints. The pauldrons were designed to look like the talons of a draconid, the sharp claws clutching his shoulders like a vice. The cuirass and plackart had been carved to resemble the upper jaw and lower jaw of a dragon. Metal mockeries of pointed teeth interlocked over his stomach while the lips protected his chest and waist. Over his shoulder was a tower shield, sharing the red tint of the rest of his armor. It was decorated with the symbol of two hands wrapped in emerald chains, black outlining the shields shape. Judging by the thickness and scorch marks around the center it had been used to block against such things as dragon fire and the fists of a fire elemental. And judging by the jaded tone to it's owners voice it had been used for this purpose more times than once.

"You know what we are fighting against, it cannot have even a single second to prepare."
Alex explained, spotting the reflective glimmer of his spear in the darkness and heading for it. Petra simply rolled her eyes and followed behind him with a hand on her bloated hip.
"C'mon, this is only a D-rank dungeon. The hardest thing we've had to fight up until now was a squad of Hobgoblins and a minor cave elemental. You don't think we're gonna find a S-rank boss at the end of it do you?"
She questioned, tapping her foot as Alex worked on dislodging his spear. Her companion merely grunted in response, the stone around his spear cracking and crumbling as he forcefully tore it out.

"No, but preparation can turn even a E-rank boss into a B-rank. You of all people should know this."
Though she couldn't see past his visor, Petra knew he was looking at the mark on her shoulder. She glanced to the side and instinctively brought her hand up to cover it.
"Point taken..."
She mumbled, Alex turning his attention to the green veil that stared at them in the distance.

"That is no doubt the inner sanctum."
Alex pointed out, beginning to approach with his spear out at his side. Petra stayed where she was for a moment longer, gently feeling the tough area around her scar. She flinched each time her hand passed over a bump or particularly rough patch. Her eyes glistened with tears as she remembered the pain she had felt when she earnt that mark.

"Come now, you're really allowing that loud, uncouth mercenary get to you in such a way? I must admit, I expected better from you."
Petra was ripped away from her thoughts as this refined voice spoke to her. She turned her head to see a tall, thin man watching her. He stared down at her with lime green eyes, looking past his pointed nose. This pointed nose, combined with his prominent cheek bones and hollow cheeks, gave him a deathly appearance. Especially when one considered his pale skin, so thin it was like paper. His black hair had been slicked down at the back but was pulled to the right at the front, covering his right eye. His thin lips were pulled into a slight smirk, with a questioning curl at the edges. A long, black robe covered most of his lean body, hands wrapped in white silk gloves and feet in polished dark boots. The only modicum of colour on his outfit was the golden collar and cuffs on his robe. He pressed his gloved hands together and tilted his head to the side.
"Honestly, you will embarrass us if you approach the boss with such a weak will."

Surprisingly, his words managed to draw a smile from Petra. She reached up and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, giving him a confident nod.
"You're kidding right? If the boss is gonna laugh at any of us it'll be you, with that bird beak nose."
Petra laughed at her own jab while her companion dipped his head, beginning to walk past her. As he did Petra aimed a friendly punch at his arm. He hissed gently and glanced over to her with a raised eyebrow while rubbing his shoulder.
"Thanks Pierre."
Pierre merely bowed his head and continued down the tunnel after Alex.

Their armour-clad companion was waiting ahead of them, now holding his shield at his side with his spear. He glanced back to them as they approached.
"This green veil, a smoke screen of some kind?"
He asked, Petra stepping up beside him and Inhaling. She immediately backed up, slapping her hands over her nose and trying to hold back her gagging.
"Smells like a Otyugh died in there!"
Pierre merely sighed and marched past them both, producing a handkerchief from his sleeve and covering his nose with it. He stopped a few feet away from the threshold and inspected the misty wall. He felt like it was reaching for him, thin wisps of green haze extending in his direction. Pierre ignored them and continued his examination.

Pierre remained silent for a solid minute before coming to a conclusion. He let out a satisfied hum and held his free hand into the air.
"Not a smokescreen, a defense put in place by the boss. Any creature who is not fey in nature will be bestowed with a pox most foul upon entering this cloud. It is no doubt being maintained by her disgusting brewing pot on the other side."
He explained to his fellows, earning an impressed whistle from Petra and impatient grunt from Alex.
"You can get rid of it?"
He asked, Pierre chuckling and extending his fourth finger. He left five seconds pass before extending his third, allowing another five to pass before extending his thumb.
"Alexander, you have truly hurt me today. A spell as crude as this is the most trivial thing in the world to clear up. It only requires the right amount of force."

Pierre fell silent, lowering his hand to his chest whilst keeping his fingers and thumb extended. He felt around his robe until he felt the indentation of his holy symbol underneath it. His mouth formed a frown as he placed his palm over it, closing his eyes and gently breathing in. Thirty seconds passed before his frown became a smile and Pierre opened his eyes. He raised his index finger and stepped towards the wall of fog. Petra went to approach, concern etched onto her striking face, but Alexander raised his shield to block her. He shook his head and motioned for her to watch. Though the worried expression didn't leave her Petra refrained from trying to step forwards again.

The thin greenish tendrils curled around his hand and arm as Pierre approached the opening, the smell making his nose twitch. The mist seemed hellbent on consuming his arm and claiming it for itself. But as the blanket of fog became thicker, a light, emanating from his index, began shining through the haze. The murk tried to dull it but to no avail. The light grew brighter and brighter, illuminating the stone tunnel they were standing in. Pierre glanced down at the star he held in his hand before pressing on, hand a mere few centimetres from the veil. With a gentle sigh of victory, he plunged his hand through the green curtain.

The mist immediately began to disintegrate before their eyes, receding backwards like it was being sucked away. They watched as the haze decayed, revealing a large chamber as it did. This chamber had been made to resemble a grand dining hall, the ceiling high enough to fit a giant and wide enough to house a kraken. Wooden stools and tables, both damp and rotted with water, had been positioned in neat rows on either side of them. Candles and lanterns, the wax dripping onto bowls of dead fruit, hung above them and provided a decent amount of light. At the far end of the room, looming above the rows of chairs and tables, was a great cauldron. Its size would make it suitable to be used as a wagon or carriage. Rust and filth clung to its sides; some form of nasty crust having formed around the rim. That was where the mist was going, being forcibly drawn back into it. But the group were not looking at that, no. What held their attention was what hung behind the cauldron.

A huge hand with iron nails clutched the side of the cauldron, the arm connected to it no less bulky or disturbing to look at. Patches of long black hair broke up the fields of blemishes and deep bruises that ran up and down it, two crooked bones protruding from the elbow and pushing the skin uncomfortably upwards. The main body was partly obscured behind the cauldron, only her hulking upper body on display. She was covered by a tattered leather apron, one of the straps irritating a cluster of boils on the shoulder and making pus leak down from them. Its right shoulder seemed to be sticking unnaturally forwards, forced to press her arm against her unwieldy torso. A colossal hump, poorly covered by a cape of brambles and dead roots, stuck out from her back. It forced the creature to hunch over and stick her small head out at them. Large, floppy ears and a tiny nose made her already disproportionate head even more terrible to behold. A mess of wild black hair trailed down from her head, a few greasy and grime covered strands falling into the cauldron. her milky, moist eyes slowly rose from her sickening broth and focused on the party that had destroyed her defenses. Instead of getting angry she merely smiled, lips stretching to the corners of her mouth and revealing rows of iron teeth.

"A gaggle of guests! Starved and hungry they look. Nana must make them something to fill their empty stomachs."
She spoke, a low snarl following each of her heavy and loud words. Pierre and Petra found themselves cringing, the monsters voice like two boulders being grated against each other. But Alexander proudly marched forwards and planted his shield into the ground. He glared at the boss through his visor, clutching his spear so hard his knuckles turned white.
"Your foul concoctions will be left uneaten; we have come for nothing less than the head of an Annis Hag."
The Annis Hag frowned at his words, growling and reaching into her apron pocket. She pulled out a dirty vial full of purple liquid, brown chunks floating within it.

"Ungrateful children, ought to have gone looking somewhere else."
She raised the vial and prepared to throw it, but Alexander was quick to react. He spun his spear so it was aimed at the creature and dug his foot into the ground. Sparing only a second to aim he tossed the spear straight at the Annis Hag's hand. The monster was far too sluggish and huge to avoid this attack, the spear piercing her wrist and coming out the other side. The Annis Hag cried out and clutched her wrist, the joint thoroughly destroyed. Her hand had gone limp and was rendered useless. The vial she had been preparing to throw was dropped and harmlessly smashed against the ground, steam rising from the stain it created. She ground her metallic teeth together and glared at the three.

"E-Rank to B-rank my ass, you put its hand out of commission with a single attack. And you're not even the damage dealer here!"
Petra scoffed and strolled past Alexander, arrogantly spinning her twin blades and glancing back at him.
"Honestly, I don't know what you were worried about."
As she tutted and chastised Alexander for his worry Pierre took a few steps forwards, looking over her shoulder at the Annis Hag.
"If I were to hazard a guess, I would say he was worried about something like that happening."
Petra raised her eyebrow and turned back to the Annis Hag, immediately wishing she hadn't.

The hag had let go of the cauldron and had wrapped her fingers around the forearm of her injured limb. She grunted and groaned as she tugged, making the already stretched out skin break and tear in a few places. Petra had to look away, while the other two looked on with interest. The Annis Hag continued to squeeze and pull until the sound of a bone being dislodged echoed through the room. Her arm hung limp at her side, the skin and flesh around the shoulder being stretched to breaking point. With a wet tearing noise, the arm was separated from the body.
"Bah, was making a replacement anyway."
She complained, raising her arm above her head before hurling the sundered limb straight at the party.

Petra was quick to roll to the side and hide underneath a table, while Pierre calmly stepped behind Alexander. The armour-clad fighter huffed and raised his shield, the arm making impact. Like a runaway cart smashing into a tree, it curled around the shield as it slammed into it, generating a wet splat and leaving a bloody stain. Though it had landed with enough force to leave a dent in the stone beneath it Alexander hadn't budged, lifting his shield away and holding his head high against the Hag. Unfortunately for him, the Annis Hag was far too busy to notice his gesture of defiance.

The Annis Hag plunged her remaining arm into the stinking brew in her cauldron and dug around the viscous, filthy liquid. Her cracked lips were pulled into that haunting smile once again as she found what she was looking for. She hoisted something out of the cauldron, a long and bulky object that hung down like a dead fish. Only when the disgusting slime and steam had cleared up was its true nature apparent. A deep blue, muscular arm covered in hardened skin and scabs. An unsettling forest of hair trailed down along the bicep; its fingernails made of that same black iron. The Annis Hag laughed and held the appendage up to her shoulder, forcefully shoving it against the joint. She pushed and twisted until something clicked, the flesh between her shoulder and the arm knitting together. The monster raised her new limb and flexed her hand a few times, much to the groups dismay.

"Did it occur to you to try and stop it from doing that?"
Pierre asked Alexander, hands folded behind his back. His fellow merely grunted and raised his leg. With a mighty kick he slammed his foot against the severed arm and sent it rolling back along the ground. That gave them some space at least.
"No matter, we'll just have to break it again."
Alexander planted his feet firmly into the ground and readied his shield like before, fully prepared to engage the Annis Hag without a weapon.

"Thankless guests, you'll eat my stew until your stomachs rupture and backs break!"
The Annis Hag threatened, bending down and grabbing onto the bottom of the cauldron. She let out a few heavy, drawn out grunts as she lifted and straightened her back. The cauldron began to tilt, creaking and groaning as some of the abhorrent substance leaked over the edge and splashed onto the ground. She continued to strain and pull, suddenly letting out a powerful cry of effort and completely flipping the cauldron onto its side. A tidal wave of repugnant slop, thicker than mud yet able to flow like water, poured from the cauldron and raced towards the party. Alexander kept his shield up but was pushed aside by Pierre, who crossed his fingers and held them over his shoulders.

"Do not try to block it you dullard! That revolting brew will make your shield and armour disintegrate like parchment in water."
Pierre kept one hand over his shoulder while moving the other over his holy symbol, watching the surge of stinking liquid approach him with narrowed eyes. Just before it reached him, he thrust the hand over his holy symbol forwards and swept it from left to right. A golden, transparent wall of light blinked into existence on the left side of the room and quickly extended to the right. It was high enough to reach Pierre's shoulders and around as thick as Alexander's shield. The sickening substance splashed against the wall, not leaving a single mark on it. Pierre let out a slight sigh of relief but kept his hands where they were.

The Annis Hag, seeing her foul soup being stopped in its tracks, howled in anger and beat her heavy fists against the side of the cauldron. She rolled it out of the way and began trudging through the pool of disgusting sludge, her bulbous feet causing the ground to shake and liquid to splash every time they landed. Pierre ground his teeth upon seeing her approach and turned his head to look over his shoulder.
"Keep the boss away from me, I can only hold its horrid stew at bay if I stay in this position!"
He called back to Alexander, his companion nodding in understanding and rushing forwards with his shield ready.

"Horrid visitors, you'll be boiled and stuffed and served as lunch!"
The Annis Hag stopped on the other side of the low wall and reeled her arm back. Her hand curled into a fist as she brought it down on the two, attempting to reduce them both to red smears on the ground. Alexander held his shield high and blocked the punch, his very skeleton being rocked by the impact. He hissed and pushed back against her fist, shoving it away. The Annis Hag growled at this failed attempt and instead raised her misshapen foot with the intention of crushing them like insects. Again, Alexander was ready to defend with his shield and guarded against the stomp. This time he pushed back with enough force to throw the monster off balance, making the Annis Hag stumble backwards before regaining her footing.

"Exemplary work."
Pierre commented, Alexander panting slightly while keeping his eyes on the boss.
"I can't do anything other than defend without my spear. Petra, it's up to you to-"
He turned to the table he had seen Petra hide under, only to find it empty. Alexander blinked and looked up and down.
"Where did she go?"
He asked Pierre, his fellow raising an eyebrow and glancing over his shoulder.
"I thought she was under that table."

Before a more thorough search could be conducted their attention was drawn back to the Annis Hag. She stormed her way back towards them and held both hands up above her head.
"Enough of this, there will be no more fighting in my kitchen. I'll flatten you both and stuff you into a sandwich!"
She extended her arms and hands, preparing to bring them down on both sides at once. Alexander wasn't sure which way to focus on and kept shifting between the right and left, though he knew he would only be able to guard against one of them.
"Pierre, move!"
He ordered, his fellow shaking his head.
"If I do, we will be washed away by the contents of her cauldron!"
He yelled back, the two of them having been cornered by the brutish hag.

Before the Annis Hag could pulverize them both a sharp pain behind her knee distracted her, the monster grunting and lowering her arms. She looked down to see what had damaged her, spotting a black blade with a bone handle sticking out the back of her knee. She snarled and turned, seeing a grinning Petra behind her. She had her other blade in her hand with Alexander's spear strapped to her back, using the tables to stay above the lake of sludge collected around her.
"Thanks for keeping her distracted big guy, I got you a present as a thank you!"
Petra called over to Alexander, slipping his spear off her back and waving it to him. Pierre chuckled gently while his armoured companion sighed with relief.
"We must put a bell on her."
He mused, watching her leap across the tables towards them.

The Annis Hag howled in frustration and turned to face her, crushing a table underneath her foot as she thundered over.
"Sly little thief! Not even good enough to use as ingredients!"
She attempted to crush the table Petra was standing on with her fist, the golden-haired girl leaping onto another and sticking her tongue out at the monster.
"Catch!"
She tossed the spear to Alexander, who caught it and immediately spun it around so it was aimed at the hag.
"I need a clear shot at the head!"
He called, Petra glancing back to him and quickly saluting before turning back to the Annis Hag.

Petra crouched down and waited for the hag to raise her fist again, laying her free hand against the table surface. When the boss prepared to strike Petra launched forwards, leaping from the edge of the table towards the Annis Hag's thigh. She landed against her leg and stuck her dagger into the monster's tough flesh. The monster shrieked like a banshee and began stamping her foot on the ground.
"Off, get off! You sully my beautiful form!"
She cried, raising her leg and trying to shake Petra off like an insect. Though she was tossed and waved around like a rag doll she did not let go, instead grabbing onto a few strands of dirty black hair and using it to hoist herself up. Petra tugged her dagger free and stabbed it higher, using it like a climber's ice pick.

The monster thrashed around like she was possessed, beating at her own chest and sides in a attempt to get Petra off. Each time her fist landed Petra was only barely able to scramble upwards or to the side. She climbed her like a cliff, circling around onto her back. Petra used the collection of brambles and roots on the Annis Hag's back to pull herself up, clambering onto her hunch and looking down at the area around her. Petra slid down the slope of her hunched back and towards her head, wrapping her legs around her crooked neck. The boss intensely shook her head and tried reaching up to grab at her, Petra ducking out the way each time her swollen fingers came close to wrapping around her.

"Alex!"
Petra called out to her companion, grabbing the Annis Hag by the ears and roughly pulling on the right one. The monster instinctively tilted to the right, effectively being steered into Alexander's sights.
"You'll be chopped up and gutted, used as stuffing and seasoning!"
The Annis Hag snarled while Alex lined up his shot. He waited until the monster wasn't moving or twisting as much, letting Petra steer her this way and that until she was in the best possible position. Taking a deep breath, he steadied his aim and threw.

The Annis Hag's moans and cries were silenced as the spear pierced her head. It went through the cheek at an upwards angle, skewering the brain and eyeball. The creature staggered and swayed for a moment before, like a felled great oak, came crashing down onto her front. Petra was quick to climb onto her hump to avoid the splash from the sickening liquid, letting out a heavy breath and crossing her legs.
"Nice shot, but how are we gonna loot the body?"
She asked, the horrid substance already eating away at the hag's flesh. Pierre was quick to bring his other hand, the one that had remained on his shoulder through the whole fight, forwards and flick it. The wall of light advanced, passing through the tables and Annis Hag like they weren't there. As it swept across the room the contents of the cauldron reverted to steam, dissipating as it hit the wall of light. In a matter of seconds, the vast hall was cleaned of the abhorrent fluid.

"You're welcome, now come down so we can carve the core out of its chest."
Pierre called up to her, striding over to the corpse with his hands held behind his back. Petra jumped down and landed beside him, strolling down to the Annis Hag's lower body and recovering her second blade.
"No way am I doing the carving, I did it last time. Besides, this thing makes me wanna puke. You do it."
Her companion scoffed and crossed his arms.
"I would not even entertain the idea of touching something so repulsive. Besides, I distinctly remember stripping the parts from a Remorhaz not two dungeons ago. It is not my turn."
They both slowly turned their heads to look at Alex, who was pulling his spear out of the Hag's head. He looked between them both before groaning.
"Oh, fine."
Petra grinned and tossed one of her blades to him, letting Alexander harvest the parts they needed from the body.

"I must say, that was slightly harder than I thought it would be. But we still emerged unscathed."
Pierre commented, Petra heartily laughing in response.
"Ah c'mon, this is a D-Rank dungeon. It would be embarrassing to get hurt in anything less than a C-Rank."
Pierre seemed to share her opinion, nodding in agreement.

As he did this a set of hurried, light footsteps began approaching them from the dark tunnel. Petra was quick to draw her other blade while Alexander stopped carving and raised his spear.
"Did we miss one?"
He asked, Pierre shaking his head.
"Not to my knowledge, we were quite thorough."
He answered, standing behind his companions and watching with a hand over his holy symbol.

They need not have feared, however, as what emerged from the darkness was no monster. What they were met with was a young man who couldn't have been older than nineteen, body lean and tall but lacking any real muscle. A shock of messy white hair hung down from the top of his head, a few strands hanging in front of his blue eyes. His skin, though not as pale as Pierre's, was quite similar in shade. His face could have been called cute, with soft edges and wide, innocent eyes. However, the effect was ruined by a thin cut that ran across from his left cheek to the bridge of his nose. The cut was recent but not very deep, only a few small lines of blood leaking down from it.  He wore a deep green wool jacket and white linen shirt underneath, tucked into brown linen trousers. Brown leather boots and gloves covered his hands and feet, a sheathe at his side. On his back was a backpack, filled to the brim with tools for mining and other essential items. In this sheathe was a strange weapon, somewhere between a sword and cudgel without entirely belonging to either category. The handle was simple enough, made of wood with some thin strips of cloth wrapped around it for easier grip. But instead of being connected to a blade it was connected to a rectangular block of what appeared to be stone. It was 95 cm or so in length and thick enough to be used as a club. There was a sharp jut near the top, though it was not nearly long enough to pierce somebody. Narrow light blue lines ran up and down the main body of this strange weapon, sometimes changing colour to a gentle green. This young man came to a stop and looked between them all, gently panting with his hands on his knees.

"Am... am I too late to help with the boss?"
He asked them with his light voice, tone gentle and questioning. The three shared a look, Alex cursing under his breath and dropping down to continue the carving.
"Forgot about the merchant. Didn't we leave him at the entrance?"
Pierre looked back to him and shrugged.
"I remember him following us for a small while. I believe we let him carry all the smaller cores and items."

While the two of them quietly discussed where the merchant had been Petra was the only one to take notice of his injury.
"Yeah, sorry bud. We took it down before you got here. What is... this though?"
She motioned towards her nose, the merchant tilting his head and reaching up with his left hand. He dabbed his fingers against one of the lines of blood, eyes flashing with realization.
"Ah! Well, when you guys went ahead to find the boss, I stayed behind to carve out the lesser monster cores like you asked. I guess we must have missed one though, because a goblin managed to jump me. It got me with its dagger, but I was able to kill it."
He looked over and saw the concern in her eyes, smiling and holding his hands up.
"It's nothing serious, honestly."

Petra ignored his reassurance, turning her head over her shoulder and looking to Pierre. He sensed her gaze on him and looked over with crossed arms.
"You heard the boy, he is fine. Nothing some bandages can't fix when we exit this dungeon."
Petra continued to stare, nodding her head towards the merchant. Her companion gently sighed and placed a hand over his holy symbol, walking over to the young man.
"Very well. Chin up, do not move."
He instructed, placing the tips of his gloved finger underneath the white-haired boy's chin. The young man sighed gently and looked to the side as the area around his injury glowed.

"Thank you... sorry I was too late to help with the boss. You can keep all its items and the share from its core."
He apologized as his wound rapidly closed, Petra pursing her lips at the sight of his upset expression. She wandered back to the corpse and used her second blade to pry off one of the hags nails, cleaning some of the gore off the end with her vest. She brought it back to the boy with a smile, holding it out to him. Pierre, now done healing, stepped aside and watched them both with a raised eyebrow.
"Here, why don't you use those merchant skills of yours to tell us how much it's worth. If you can guess accurately, you can keep it."
She offered, the young man blinking in surprise before giving her a thankful smile.
"I'll try."
The merchant reached out and took it, holding it close to his eye.

As he did this a display, one only he could see, popped up in his vision. The small box of text hung below the item he was holding in his hand, as well as a few other smaller boxes that hung above the nail. These boxes were light blue with white around the borders, the writing inside them pure white as well.

《Annis Hag nail》

Item class: C
Type: Crafting Material

{A nail taken from the finger of a Annis Hag. It magically grows over the course of a few weeks and can be used in crafting or sold.}

The merchant let out a relieved sigh upon reading this, nodding his head to himself. The item class rank, type and description all seemed to be in order. Now all that was left was an evaluation of its price. The young man turned the nail over in his hand and inspected it until a new box appeared to the left of the item.

Value: 1 bronze coin

The young man bit his lower lip and lowered his head, holding back the urge to groan in frustration. That was ridiculously low. He knew items of class C were at very least no lower than one hundred and fifty gold coins. The merchant reached up with his free hand and gently tapped on the side of his head with his knuckle, clinging to some faint hope it would fix his problem. Nothing changed, the value remaining at one bronze piece.

"Um... I'll say around... one hundred and seventy gold coins?"
He asked, hopefully glancing around at them. Pierre scoffed and looked to the side, while Petra nudged his shoulder.
"Leave it, you know he has trouble with that."
Pierre merely brushed his shoulder and returned to Alexander's side so he could oversee the looting process. Petra turned back to the young man, still giving him a gentle smile.
"Well, it's better than some of your other evaluations, so you're definitely improving."
The merchant looked down with a sigh and lightly turned the nail over in his hands.
"I got it wrong again, didn't I?"
Petra was quick to shake her head and place an arm around his shoulders.
"No, no- you just... under-priced it a little. You were only around sixty gold coins off."
Her attempts to comfort him were not received well, the young man rubbing the back of his neck.
"I don't know why I can't gauge the prices- I get everything else right!"
Petra showed patience and understanding in the way she dealt with him, patting his shoulder and nodding her head.
"I know, your great with everything else. I guess, when you were given your class, the process was interrupted or something and messed up your assessment ability."
Seeing his dejected expression made her heart ache a little, rubbing his shoulder some more.
"Sorry, Louis. You'll get it though, I'm sure. Why don't you keep the nail anyway, there's nineteen others after all."
Though he didn't verbally respond Louis did give her a slight nod, Petra smiling and ruffling his hair before joining the others.

While the three took care of stripping the monsters body Louis sat on one of the sodden stools. He removed the bag from his back and placed it down on the ground, leaning down to open it up. The merchant could at least busy himself with checking over the items they had gathered from the dungeon. Though there was quite a tidy pile of items, most of them wouldn't sell for much. Handfuls of goblin ears, mana crystals from a cave elemental, hobgoblin hair, giant spider silk, pink slime goo and some other low-quality items. After placing his Annis Hag nail among the gathered articles he closed the main storage area and opened a flap on the side, peering inside.

A collection of wonderful crystals met his gaze, shining brightly in the limited light of the hall. Most of them were small and could comfortably be held between his fingers. But a rare few could fill the palm of his hand. The majority had a four-sided diamond shape, while the larger ones had a shape similar to a oval. They were white and blue in colour, the larger ones glowing a bit more brightly than the smaller ones. Louis counted each one before letting out a relieved sigh and closing the flap, glad he had remembered to collect the cores from each monster they had slain. Even if the items they had gathered heavily outweighed the cores he knew the latter would make much more money, even if they were from low rank monsters.

Just as he was finishing his inspection Petra let out an amazed gasp, prompting him to curiously look up. Alexander, his armour now covered in a thick layer of viscera, had hauled out the Annis Hag's core and was holding it above his head. It was spiked and jutted out in numerous directions like a crystal cluster. Its glow was enough to light the dark corners of the hall and required two hands to be held, around the size of the Annis Hag's head. Louis looked on in awe as the others inspected it, the sight of a boss core always enough to take his breath away. And a D-Rank core at that. He could hardly imagine what a B-Rank or A-Rank core would look like, a S-Rank core completely beyond his imagination.

"It's bigger than I thought it would be."
Alexander stated, showing it off to the other two as they crowded around it. Petra let out an impressed whistle and tapped it a few times with her knuckles.
"Gotta be worth a thousand gold, at least."
Pierre scoffed at her words, the glow from the core making his pale complexion even more ghostly.
"Try five thousand, easily."
Petra whistled again, staring at it for a moment before clapping her hands together.
"Welp, let's get it out of here then. We only have two hours before the gate closes up, so let's get moving."

Fearing the core would be too heavy or big for Louis to carry, Alexander got on his knees so Petra could tie it onto his back. While they did this Pierre walked over to Louis, carrying the sack of harvested parts at arm's length.
"Here, remember to separate them from the more common items."
The merchant nodded in understanding and took the sack from him. He opened it up to find the rest of the Annis Hag's nails, her iron teeth, some vials holding her horrid potions, and a mop of her filthy hair. Though he cringed a little at handling these items Louis did so without complaint, opening another flap on the side and placing them inside it. Once finished he stood up and slipped the backpack onto his back. Alex looked over to him and called over.
"Is that too heavy for you?"
Louis gripped onto the straps on his backpack and shook his head, giving him a smile.
"Don't worry, I might not be as strong as you, but I'm still a Pathfinder!"
He answered, Alexander nodding and turning towards the tunnel.
"Then let's go."

The party started the journey back to the dungeon entrance, Petra lighting a torch with one of the candles and leading the way. Pierre walked at her side while Alexander and Louis brought up the rear. The merchant found his gaze wandered around the tunnels and caverns as they passed through. They were illuminated, as most subterranean dungeons were, by glowing crystals. The shades ranged from light blues to deep oranges, and even gentle greens. By the crystals light Louis could see the corpses of monsters the other three had slain as they made their way through the dungeon. Goblins, slimes, giant bats and spiders, kobolds, hobgoblins, and cave elementals. All of them were stripped of any parts of value, their cores resting in Louis' backpack. Though seeing them dead and unmoving calmed him, the merchant couldn't help but feel ashamed by the fact he hadn't killed any of them. Most of these monsters were E-Rank, the lowest of the low. Even merchants like himself were supposed to be able to dispatch them with relative ease. Yet the only help he had given was the killing of a single goblin.

"Here's our stop, let's unload and get outta here!"
Petra called back to them, having reached the entrance. Louis picked up the pace and turned the corner, being met with a massive swirling vortex. Its blue glow filled the cavern it occupied, around twenty feet high and twenty feet across. It spiraled like a maelstrom, fluffy and thick like a storm cloud. Though it was blue at the edges it faded into a pure white the closer it got to the center. Pierre and Petra waited for them in front of them, it's light stretching out their silhouettes and making them twist and turn as it whirled around. Louis stopped to admire it. His eyes followed it as it turned, almost hypnotized by its movements. His shoulders relaxed and eyelids gently drooped down, lulled into a sense of comfort by its brilliance. Alexander, as he passed by, noticed his eased stance and clapped him over the shoulder.
"You can watch when we're on the other side, before it collapses."
Louis immediately perked up and shook his head to get rid of his lethargy. He sucked in a deep breath and followed behind Alexander.