Here's chapter 2 of Dynamite. Please check out the previous chapter if you haven't already. If fantasy and weird stuff isn't your cup of tea then please pop in to read A Secret Revealed, instead. Futa warning, obviously. I'd like Dynamite to be more involved with my readers, so here's your chance to request a custom character. Dynamite is something small for fun, so please leave your character idea as a comment or as feedback. All I ask is for your character's general appearance, nothing too restricting, and also their personality type. If you want something specific regarding their role in the story then please slip that in, too. I'll try my best to stick to character and bring them to life. Be creative, be crazy. And as always, please enjoy my newest chapter.
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- Chapter 2: The foreign Beauty and the abandoned Beast -
"You there! Would you like to see our wares?" a bubbly man threw an open palm at his merchandise, displaying small stands of jewelry. Necklaces, bracelets, rings and trinkets, he had them all.
Caco nodded when she was called out of the crowd and grabbed the edge of the table to make herself taller. Peering at all the shinies, her hues sparkled with interest. One of them caught her eye in a special way. "How much for this one?" hooking a delicate, golden chain from the bunch, she lifted it up until its symbol hung valiantly below it. Engraved with the skill of a true master, an outline of a sitting wolf was embedded within a steel circle, almost like a moon rising behind the beast.
The man smiled broadly "An eye for good craftsmanship, eh? Six Pieces and it's yours."
"Awesome" she exhaled, drawing the word out with her gratitude. As expected, the traveling merchant group still had the best prices for everything you could think of. Only six Pieces for something so beautiful? Hell yeah! She found her coin purse and slapped the Pieces down on the table. Necklace in hand, she wormed her way through the crowds, only catching glimpses of the other stores because of her height. Maybe she could get a better view from a little further away. Swimming and clawing her way through a sea of Humans, she finally popped out of the back. She swallowed a gulp of fresh air and then turned to check out what the district had for her. Well, she'd need to empty her bag at the nearest mineral trader, and also a stop at the leather maker to sell her rabbit hide. Then she would have a full coin purse to spend on all her luxuries.
Drifting her gaze to the necklace, she stared deeply at its symbol. That beast, the Kveldulf, was still up in that cave, still in pain. She needed to find some people to help her and maybe they could free it. But would that be the right thing to do? It's a monster, isn't it? Those eyes, those sad, sorrowful eyes. No, the beast was harmless. Looking up at the booming businesses, she had come to her decision. Diving right back into the crowd, she danced her way through to an opening.
"Sir?" Caco appeared from the swarming Humans, standing up on her toes and waving her hand to try and get the shopkeeper's attention. Behind the table, a rough looking guy was slicing up a hunk of venison into thin strips. "Sir!" she raised her voice but he didn't even glance at her. Curling her lip downward, she groaned. For a while, she watched as he simply chopped through the raw meat. When he was done with a slab then he would push the thin bits aside and grab another one to swat onto the table. Getting fed up with his bullshit routine, Caco spoke up. "Damn it, I just want a small bag of that" she huffed.
The man, without skipping a beat, reached into his pocket to take out a thin leather sack. He held it open with his thumb and forefinger and grabbed a few handfuls of the strips to stuff inside. Presenting the full bag to her, his other hand opened to show all of his fingers. Still, he remained silent.
For a while, she was confused but then it clicked in her mind. "Oh! Five Pieces for it?" she asked, giddy about such a low price.
He slowly turned his head left and right to decline. Again, his hand made the same motion, opening completely.
"Ten?" she said, less enthusiastic.
This time, he nodded and lowered the bag to her reach.
She sighed and pinched the bag from his sturdy grip, replacing it with ten Pieces. "Thanks, I guess" the words came out as a low grumble as she slotted the sack into her backpack. At least now she had something to give to the Kveldulf. How long had it been chained up in that cave? When last did it eat? She was hoping that this would be enough for it, so that maybe it wouldn't go on a rampage when they set it free. But for now, she only a had a couple more hours before the traveling merchant group was going to leave, and then they would be gone for at least another moon rotation. This was the tiny bit of good fortune that she always looked forward to, so she wouldn't let it go to waste. Besides, she still had a bag full of goods to be sold, and so little time...
The mineral trader was generous as always, paying almost double the amount of Pieces for her rare metals and ores than the general stores would normally give. For the first time in weeks, she resorted to using a second coin purse since her first one was overflowing. A wide smile on her face, her back straightened out without so much weight on her shoulders, she hummed through the crowd. What a great day. With her main concern taken care of, she scanned for anything worth buying, like a new scarf, perhaps? Her grassy hues settled on a certain armored figure who stood with his arms behind his back. Proudly wearing the town's flag on his uniform, Caco assumed that he was a guard. Maybe he could help with the beast.
Carefully watching over the district, the man was torn from his concentration by a soft tug on his hand. He glanced down to see the Halfling woman. "Yes, what's the problem?" he inquired.
"There's an animal chained up in the hills. I think it's in pain" she pointed at the distant, blurry mountains.
