SPELLCRAFT: Reincarnation Of A Magic Scholar

"Damnit…" Neron hissed, slightly irritated at the fuss the villagers were making.

He was accustomed to slipping away unnoticed after a job.

It was annoying especially as he wasn't the leader they thought he was—just a man trying to survive.

"We'll collect the payment, and then part ways," Neron said, turning to Legris and the others.

His voice carried a finality that left no room for argument.

Legris nodded, but there was a gleam in his eye as if he wasn't quite ready to let Neron slip away just yet.

"Sure thing. But first, let's harvest some parts. These beasts' hides and claws will fetch a good price on the market."

"Pfttt, alright let's be fast about it," Neron said, sounding impatient but secretly liking the idea.

He couldn't afford to turn down the chance of making more money given his financial predicament.

While he was occupied with estimating the profits from the parts, he missed the knowing look Legris exchanged with the rest of his team as they moved back into the den.

It was a calculated move on Legris part.

He knew that he had to appeal to Neron's self interest rather than his mercy if he wanted him to stay longer.

"I think we should break up into pairs and go to different parts of the cave to harvest these parts," He said to his mates as they surveyed the carnage they had caused.

"Aldric, come with me. We will take the left part of the cave," Lira said taking the hint as she dragged off her partner who was looking lost.

She knew fully well that Legris had an interest in Nero and wanted privacy to talk with him better.

She didn't mind since she didn't want to be stuck with a brooding Adventurer no matter how skilled he was.

She knew Aldric was rather dense in sensitive matters like that which was why she dragged him off before he prolonged the issue or said the wrong thing.

Legris and Neron watched them until they were out of earshot.

"Those two. I guess that leaves me with you. We will start up here."

Without answering, Neron lowered himself to a squat and carefully started extracting the valuable components from the fallen creatures.

The atmosphere was calm and he enjoyed the routine as his hands moved quickly with efficiency.

Besides him, Legris was distracted as he was wondering how to open up the conversation.

After several minutes of silence, he decided to cut straight to the matter.

"You're really something, you know that? Don't think I've ever seen anyone handle a sword like you do."

Neron didn't look up as he was occupied with removing the fangs from one of the beasts. "We are not going down this route again, are we? I'm not interested in small talk, Legris."

Legris chuckled softly, not deterred by the cold reply. "I'm just saying, you've got a lot of skill. It's a shame you prefer to work alone."

Neron stopped what he was doing and finally met Legris's gaze, his eyes hard through the mask. "I work alone for a reason."

Legris raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "And what's that? We made a good team today. There's strength in numbers, you know."

"Numbers don't mean anything if the people around you end up dead," Neron said, his voice cold. "Everyone who gets close to me—ends up dead or worse. I'm not dragging anyone else down with me."

Legris opened his mouth to respond, but Neron cut him off before he could go on. "Stay away from me, Legris. Whatever you think you saw today, it doesn't change anything. I don't want friends. I don't need them."

Legris frowned, his usual easygoing face replaced by something more serious. "Look, Neron, whatever happened in your past—it wasn't your fault. We all have things we've lost but that doesn't mean we have to shut ourselves off from everyone. Besides, I'm fully capable of taking care of myself. You've seen me fight so you know I'm not dead weight."

Neron turned away, his expression unreadable. "I've survived this long on my own, and I plan to keep it that way. Besides, you don't know anything about me."

Before Legris could respond, a low, rumbling growl echoed through the cave.

Both men froze, their instincts kicking in immediately as their hands immediately went to their weapons.

"Did you hear that?" Legris asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Neron nodded, his eyes scanning the direction he had heard it from which was the opposite path of where the others had gone. "We're not alone."

"I thought we finished them all."

"Now it's clear that we didn't. I knew it was suspicious back then when we didn't encounter the boss of the dungeon. As a principle, every dungeon has one."

"Of course I knew that. What do you think? You want to go and check it out?" Legris asked, slightly pissed at the condescending tone Nero used talking to him.

"What of Lira and Aldric?"

"They are too far away to help. It's just you and me. We will be back before they notice."

Legris didn't miss the fact that Nero was concerned about the welfare of the others even though he was capable of handling it on his own but he chose to let the detail slide.

"If you say so," Nero said, getting to his feet as they both headed in the direction of the beast.

The cave smelt awful and the lighting grew poorer the further they went in.

They could hear the beast thrashing about though which gave them a fair knowledge of how close they were to it.

~FWOOSHHHHHHH~

Without warning, something big lunged at them out of the darkness.

Neron pushed Legris to the side and it flew past both of them, missing them by an inch.

It is very fast. its eyes glowing with a predatory hunger.

Legris was still at a loss as to what had happened.

He turned quickly when he heard an angry growl behind him and made out the form of a beast.

It was larger than the other wolves they had faced—easily thrice the size—with thick, matted fur and a set of jaws that could crush steel.

He suddenly realized that the noise earlier had been a feint to deceive them on its location.

The beast was actually very fast and would have had him if Neron hadn't heard it coming before he did.

"Boss Monster," Neron hissed, drawing his sword. "Get ready."

Legris quickly drew his own weapon, his earlier conversation with Neron forgotten in the face of the immediate danger.