The Clean Up Crew
I waited on the side, watching Fina dismantle the demon. She struggled to cut apart its skin, due to its extraordinary toughness. Not only that, it was incredibly messy. Blood would spurt out from where Fina would cut, covering her in red.
("How long is this going to take…?") [Solace]
Thirty minutes passed, and she was halfway done. At this point, I was considering transforming into a human and lending her my aid.
"Check the corridor!" [???]
As I grew impatient, I heard voices coming closer.
"I can smell blood over here! She must be near!" [???]
Many footsteps drummed against the ground, putting me and Fina on alert.
("Is it reinforcements?") [Solace]
Their footsteps came closer. The moment someone turned the corner, I recognized their face.
("Ross?!") [Solace]
Ross, Fina's teacher. Out of everyone I could've possibly thought of, it was her.
"M-Ms. Ross?!" [Fina]
"Fina! Thank god you're okay!" [Ross]
Ross ran up to Fina for a hug, but immediately stopped in her tracks after seeing the awful amount of blood on her.
"I… What… exactly happened here…?" [Ross]
"Well… I think it's a long story-" [Fina]
"Fina! Are you okay?!" [???]
Screaming at the top of his lungs, Jai arrived at the scene.
("Oh, he came back.") [Solace]
Jai seemed to be out of breath, along with a few guards that tagged along behind him.
("Those… are the guards protecting the gate?") [Solace]
Now that I thought of it, I had the sudden realization that the guards could've come to save Fina.
("Thirty minutes had passed though… Why did it take them so long to arrive…?") [Solace]
Just thinking about it made me fume, but I simply held it in.
"Jai… Is Medley with you?" [Fina]
Fina asked with a worried expression.
"Medley...? Okay… No prob… let me just… catch my breath..." [Jai]
He breathed heavily, practically gasping for air. It seemed that the run here was an exhausting one.
"..." [Ross] [Fina]
After a moment of silence, Jai finally calmed himself.
"Phew… So uh… Medley isn't here. She went to the infirmary with Nash." [Jai]
"Is… that so." [Fina]
Her face turned from worried to relieved.
"I hope Nash gets well soon." [Fina]
"Um… Me too." [Jai]
He answered awkwardly, all while glancing at something else out of view.
("What is he looking at- Oh…") [Solace]
Jai snuck glances at the demon's half dismembered body, clearly curious as to what had happened.
"By the way… Can I ask you a question?" [Jai]
"Yes?" [Fina]
"Did you… By any chance… Beat the demon yourself?" [Jai]
Fina looked at Jai, then the demon. Within that moment, she realized what Jai was asking.
"No! Not at all actually!" [Fina]
She waved her hands as if to push all responsibility off of her. It truly brought a tear to my non-existent eye that she was honest enough to tell others that it wasn't her.
"Then how did it die?" [Ross]
"I… Came across some man named… Alt? It was dead by the time I woke up." [Fina]
"Some man named Alt…?" [Ross]
She looked to the guard for answers, but they only shook their heads or shrugged.
"Did this man say anything to you?" [Ross]
"He told me I could keep the demon's corpse." [Fina]
Ross' eyes widened with surprise. Though I didn't really get what that meant, it was probably a big deal.
"To think he would let you have such a luxurious item… Do you know where he went?" [Ross]
Fina shook her head.
"I tried following him when he left, but he vanished." [Fina]
"He… vanished?" [Ross]
Ross seemed to be perplexed by the situation, but immediately changed the subject.
"There's nothing we can do if he's vanished. Fina, do you require assistance with dismantling the demon?" [Ross]
"It would be much appreciated if I received any." [Fina]
"Then would you mind if I put it in my item box? We can have it processed later when we leave." [Ross]
Fina nodded in agreement.
"Good. |Item Box|." [Ross]
A black void, or rather, some portal sci-fi looking thing appeared. It was like a portal to someplace had opened.
"Jai, please help me move the demon." [Ross]
"Yes, ma'am." [Jai]
With the assistance of Jai and the guards, they carried the demon's corpse into the portal. After everything had been moved, the portal disappeared, leaving nothing behind.
"You have acquired, |Item Box|." [Spirit Guide]
("Neat.") [Solace]
Though I may have said, "Neat", I was ecstatic. |Item Box| was the bread and butter of fantasy worlds. There was no way I couldn't be happy.
"Now that we have that settled, let's return home." [Ross]
"Finally…" [Fina]
Attempting to stand, Fina's legs failed her. As if she was completely satisfied with her day, she fell asleep.
"...Have a good rest." [Ross]
("Should've seen that one coming.") [Solace]