Victory

Dan limped slowly towards the gate of the town. Torches were lighting across the top of the wall. A few guards were rushing out of the gates. They saw Dan slowly limping toward them. One hand was clutching a rusty blood covered tower shield. The other was missing, dripping blood steadily in a trail back to where his arm was ripped away.

Dan saw them approaching and hoarsely asked "did my daughter make it in safely" limping toward them.

One of the guards grabbed Dans shoulder and helped him stand. "She made it inside. " he said looking over the wounds covering Dans body.

Another guard grabbed his other shoulder and helped him to the gate. Dan passed out half way. The guards carried him to the gate the rest of the way. They tried to drop the shield but Dan had a death grip on it and refused to let go. They could only bring it with him.

They got him to the gate and lay him across a wooden bench. A couple of people in white robes walked over. They chanted softly before green warmth covered his body. The wounds closed and stopped bleeding. His arm was still missing.

When he was stable, they all laid the massive man on top of the tower shield. Each grabbing a corner they hefted it up and walked him into the town gate. The town was small with only one main road crossing it. The walls around it were made of Timbers of red wood.

Walking down the road barely wide enough for a carriage to pass the white robes and guards lugged the large man on the rusty shield. They passed numerous wooden buildings. They were walking towards a large. White building. It was the only one made of stone.

Carved into the arch that covered the large metal doors, the figure of a woman, glowing with radiance was carved. The doors opened, two other people in white robes pushing them outwards. They greeted the men carrying the large body on the shield.

One of them asked "why are you bringing us a corpse?"

The guard whispered out "he is not dead, this is the one who fended off the blue moon wolves alone" while walking by carrying the man. All four of them entered and carried him to a large table set in the center of the room.

Each of them strained and grunted lifting the shield up and pushing it onto the table. "This guy is huge!" One of them said. Stepping back. The priests were all walking into the room. Casey was among them, he whispered to another priest who went into the room behind him.

Casey looked over Dan frowning. "You got yourself banged up again" he whispered forming a ring with the other priests around Dans body.

All of them began to chant, glowing squiggles forming into the air. The squiggles formed letters, the letters formed words, the words became light that covered Dans body.

All of his wounds began to close up. The slashes on his legs became scars. The cuts on his face also became scars. The cuts on his sides became scars. The stump that was where his hand was also closed up looking like it was missing for years.

Dan opened his eyes as the wounds healed. He looked through the green warm haze surrounding him. Dan looked at Casey, and then down on his body, then to his missing hand. Dan frowned but said nothing.

Casey could see his look at his lost limb. "We do not have the magic to regrow lost limbs. I am sorry" he says dejectedly.

Dan sighs. "No matter what's done is done. If an arm is all it cost me to guarantee my daughters safety, it was a small price to pay. And I would pay it again happily."

Casey glared at him "and you only have two arms? What happens when you can not pay the toll?!"

Dan stared back at him and did not hesitate "then I will pay with my leg. My lungs. Any body part I need to pay with."

Casey yelled at him again. "And what if the price is your life? Will you leave her here alone to pay the toll herself?!"

Dan froze. He did not know how to answer. Living for someone was much harder than dieing for someone.

Casey softened as he saw Dan grow silent. "What you did this time saved all of our lives, but next time it could be a foolish sacrifice. And there will be a next time. This world is full of next times. What is done is done. We can not change it now. But do not think it is the right choice every time. " he walked over and helped Dan stand up. "She needs you" Casey says.

"Daddy!" Came a voice from the side door. Amanda ran and leaped into Dans arm. Amanda hugged him close, then looked at his new scars and then down to his stump. Amanda places her hands on the stump and tears fill her eyes. "Daddy your arm…" she leans down and places a tinder kiss on his stump. Then she hugs it and cries.

Dan pets her head with his remaining hand. "It's ok baby. It isn't that bad" he says trying to console her. Amanda hugged his stump and looked up at him. She kissed his stump again "does it hurt daddy? I kissed it so it should feel better" Amanda says.

Dan smiles widely at her "thank you baby girl, it doesn't hurt at all now" his whispers down.

Amanda beams and hugs him hard.

The priests all stand there quietly. They all felt a little awkward at this touching display.

Casey looked at Dan. He waited a bit more and then asked. "What are your plans with the corpses of the wolves? And what do you plan to do from here?"

Dan asked a question of his own. "What do you mean? And I don't know, find some work and. " before he could answer his stomach grumbled loudly. "Some food…."

Dan looked at Amanda. He smiled. Then he looked at Casey "do you know of any work I could do?"

Casey blinked, "work? You just slayed three blue moon wolves, their corpses are your property as you slew them. You can easily sell them or keep them"

Dan hugged Amanda and looked at Casey again "but I do not know how or where to sell them, they are just corpses to me" Dan said this spinning his legs down to the floor, and then standing up. He felt the weight of the shield tug his hand. The strap was still wrapped around his wrist.

Casey smiled at Dan, he liked this man and would help him further. "That is not a problem, I can introduce you as needed"

Dan grew a smile. "I would most appreciate it, would you mind helping me set it up now? "

Casey nodded "I thought you would ask, the bodies have already been moved to the reclaimer. We were waiting for you to wake up. Would you like to go there now?"

Dan nodded and then looked at Amanda. He did not think taking her to a place covered in blood and bodies a good idea. He looked back at Casey, "do you have someone you trust to watch her? I would rather not bring her to that kind of place"

Casey nodded and called for a specific priest. An elderly woman in black robes walked out of the side door. She saw Amanda and life seemed to come back to her face "oh my look at this precious girl!" She croons and hastily walks forward. She crouches down and whispers something to Amanda.

Amanda's eyes go wide and she looks up at Dan with a happy grin "I will be fine daddy, you go" and then took the old woman's hand and was led away.

Dan blinked, wondering what was said to her. He shrugged it off and turned to follow Casey. Casey lead them away and down the street towards the reclaimers.

The road was made of dirt, and there were trenches along the sides that Casey warned Dan it was best to avoid. Dan watched a lady walk out her front door, and pour a bucket of filth into the trench. Dan understood why.

They continued, turning down a side path and heading towards the town wall. They weaved down a few more dirt paths, till a small, smelly, dirty building came into view. Out front of it were the three wolf corpses, flies buzzing around them.

A portly man wearing a bloody apron and holding a slim knife walked out "you the one who killed these?" He asks looking up at Dan. "They said yous big,but golly, yous really big!"

Dan had noticed he towered over the other townsfolk as they walked, at least by a full head. Dan asked "so what do I need to do?"