It took the work of but a few minutes for Leon to collect not only the proof of all their kills, but the steel axe of the hobgoblin and the shaman’s talisman as well. Returning to Rayne and Syra, he found the man calmer and far more collected than before. Syra’s breathing had also returned to a more normal rhythm, and color was coming back to her face.

  “I can carry her back to Torid,” he assured the man.

  “Sure.” Rayne seemed more despondent than he should have been considering their success.

  Leon considered broaching the topic, but ultimately decided to keep his thoughts to himself. Dropping the loot and proof of kills for the other adventurer to carry, he stooped low and brought Syra into a princess carry.

  “You want to keep her head elevated and a cloth over her eyes—she’s probably concussed,” Rayne informed him.

  Not knowledgeable enough to argue, Leon adjusted her onto his back in a pack strap carry. He had to lean forward to keep her from falling, but she was not too heavy.

  “Will you be all right to walk back now?” he asked his companion, worriedly noting the injured man’s state.

  Rayne nodded though, and Leon let out a small sigh of relief. If his companion were too tired or injured, then the best course of action would be for him to rest here until he was better while Leon brought Syra back to the city. It would be much safer for the man to accompany them even if he were tired.

  Together, they hobbled out of the cave, Leon making sure to walk slower than necessary so that Rayne need not overexert himself. It would be a slow journey, but it was not as if they were on a deadline. There was plenty of sunlight left and Syra was not in any critical condition.

  The walk back was quiet and thankfully uneventful. As they passed by the area where they had found the dead man, Leon offered a small prayer. He did not imagine that Rayne would take too kindly to the idea of them stopping to properly dispose of the man, and so he did not suggest such. Rather, he silently promised to alert the city guard of the corpse. Once they managed to get back onto the main road into Torid, he noticed Rayne’s muscles unclenching and the man breathing a little easier.

  It must have been a tough day for his companions. Rayne was likely walking on pure fumes, alongside suffering from being forced to fight above his skill. Syra was doubtless in for an excruciating wake up and healing session, and Leon shuddered at the idea of having to heal such a major wound on his head.

  His companion was occasionally sneaking furtive glances to the girl resting upon his back, no doubt worried for her condition. A small memory from the morning found its way to his head.

  “Is ‘turn tail’ a verbal faux-pas?” he asked the man. “I cannot claim to have known many beastmen,” he admitted.

  Rayne sighed. “I’m the same actually. Weren’t many of them at the Academy or my clerk job.”

  Neither of them seemed to know what to say, so they merely let the uncomfortable conversation wilt. Still, he would prefer not to insult Syra by accident. She was a capable adventurer, and so long as he was in Torid, she would make a competent ally. It was perhaps lucky that he did not use many colloquialisms, and he suspected Rayne may be more conscientious of his own words going forward.

  The silence hung around them for another half hour or so as they continued on the road. It was while they were still a few miles from the city that he felt Syra stir. Her arms and legs momentarily tightened around his abdomen and neck as her body remembered what it had last been doing.

  Thanking his armor for including a throat guard, he spoke to calm her. “Worry not, you are safe. We have completed the mission and are heading back to Torid now.”

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  Her first attempt at speaking was intelligible through the raspiness and quiet of her voice. Rayne quickly offered her a water canteen that she chugged down.

  “Hobgoblin?” she asked.

  “I slayed the creature. It should add a nice bonus to our commission.” The jovial tone to his voice heavily contrasted with the moods of his two companions. Above him, he could feel Syra’s eyes scrutinize over his body and equipment.

  Slowly, she seemed to relax on his back. Entirely too weak to continue asking questions, nevermind walk on her own. Rayne at least seemed pleased that his companion was awake. The man still seemed weary and worn, but there was a small content smile upon his face.

  “We can take you two to the healer, and then report our success on the mission,” Leon cheerily told them.

  Rayne seemed to have different plans, however. “Does it need to be tonight? I’m already exhausted, and Syra definitely is too. We can rest tonight, and turn it in in the morning.”

  Leon could feel Syra nodding on his back. But his eyes narrowed at the proposition. Was this perhaps a trick? Were they planning to turn in the reward, and then count on his reputation to swindle him of his fair share? His suspicion was only tempered by the fact that they were truthfully exhausted.

  “Allow me to hold onto the monster loot then,” he demanded.

  “What? No, you’ve already got the commision. We’ll reconvene tomorrow, and turn it all in together.” Rayne stared at him with a stern expression, or as stern an expression as he could muster through the pain and exhaustion.

  Trusting them with the loot was a risky proposition. The commision alone was worth essentially nothing; it was the loot from killing a shaman and hobgoblin that was the biggest prize here. The coin from the dead monsters was worth more split two ways than the actual mission reward was when split three ways. Leon continued to ruminate on that while they continued to close in on Torid, before finally speaking again.

  “Then we shall trade. You take the commission, and I take the loot, and then we can reconvene on the ‘morrow.”

  The response was obvious from the apprehension on Rayne’s face. Before the man could argue, though, they were both silenced by the soft voice coming off Leon’s back.

  “Just… split the loot.” The blasé tone of her weak voice quickly silenced them both, neither man could exactly argue her point.

  Leon could feel his face heating up at the simplicity of the resolution, he felt as if he were a child being scolded for not sharing his cake.

  “Right.” Coughing awkwardly, he adjusted Syra to ensure she was comfortable. “We can split it at the clinic.” Rayne nodded along, and they continued on in silence.

  From there, they quietly continued onto the city, Syra’s raspy breathing the only sound any of them making. It was fortunate that they were returning to the city’s western gate; at this time of day, there was little traffic to and fro. There was a small line, but once anyone got a look at their state, they were quickly ushered to the front of the queue.

  Seeing the state of the group, the guards at the gate dropped any pretense of inspecting them, and instead just hurried them through the gate with orders to head to the nearest healer. Leon quickly informed them of the dead body, and managed to exact a promise that the man would be properly buried. Though, he noticed Rayne roll his eyes at their words.

  Once they arrived at the clinic, Syra extracted herself from Leon’s back. It was obvious she was still unstable on her feet, but he would not begrudge her the desire to maintain some pride in finishing the journey on her own two feet.

  “You guys can split the loot between yourselves. I’ll see you tomorrow,” she told them, her eyes downcast and voice dispirited.

  He was unsure what to say to encourage her, or even if his words might be appreciated. He did not know these two, but they had still fought side-by-side. Were they friends? No. But they were comrades.

  “I would recommend paying for the pain nullification, from personal experience,” Leon advised.

  She gave him a small half-smile before heading in, and he felt his own spirits rise at his success.

  Rayne was quick to pull out the various proofs of dead goblins from the sack. Once he had collected five, he handed them over to Leon. With Syra out of the picture, he felt his paranoia wane. It was still possible that Rayne could attempt to swindle him, but that would end with the other adventurer in far worse straits than himself.

  Smiling at the outcome, Leon gave Rayne a final bow.

  “I shall see you tomorrow then. Rest well.” He left the weary man with those final words, and began the trek back to his abode. On the way, he formulated how best to train his pupil based on what he had observed today.