The Ascension

"Push the blade in at the rump. It's the most vulnerable part, and the belly is the softest of its hide. Slice up the belly, but you've already sliced from the chest bone down to the middle of the belly." He examined the cut, and nodded. "Not bad, but you'll need a skinning knife to make a straight cut. Normal blades tend to veer one way or another. A skinning blade is so short because you only want to cut the skin, a little thick on the back, but really sharp." She watched him slide the blade in, part it from the rear up to her cut, then continue up the chest and stop at the jawline.

"From here, it's a matter of preference. Some like to cut across the face, others cut across the eyes as there are already holes, and some leave the head completely alone. They cut around the neck scruff, but it's quite tough there." He stopped right at the jawline, cut around and across the eye sockets without damaging the eyes.

"We could pull the legs out of the skin, but there is so little usable hide there, it's much faster just to chop the legs off at the knee joint. You don't lose much meat either." He took a large flat blade and chopped each foot off just above the knee.

"You just peel it off from there. If you're out in the forest, you can salt it to preserve it if you're not coming in for several days. Also, fold it rather then roll it. Don't ruin the fur as when the hide is dry, the fur can be separated from the hide and make two products." After he peeled the skin off, he sighed as he looked at the legs.

"If you don't mind, Toril, can you chop the legs off close to the body?" Aila asked. He nodded and knocked each leg off. "Good. Since spent your sweat to skin it for me so that I didn't lose any silver on the sale, take the legs as payment." Toril lifted his eyes quickly.

"I wasn't going to charge you to skin it. Flame wolf hides are scarce in Aros.   The Inaris scared away most of the hunters with their greed." He said. Aila smiled.

"I know, but what I've said, I can not retract." She grinned. "There is no way I can continue to do business with someone if I'm unwilling to give what I've already promised." Toril chuckled.

"Now I'm sure you're not a human, girl! You must be a demi of some kind as other than Rirn, no one else that I meet keeps their words like this!" He grinned wide. "I thank you for the meat, as I've missed the wild flavor quite a bit." He picked up the legs he chopped off, and went over to a box. He counted out four large silver coins.

"Here you go. Forty silver, or four large silver coins for the hide. The butcher should buy the meat for about quarter silver per pound, and weigh the entire carcass together with the bones and fat for a total price." Toril said as he put the four leg halves into a barrel with some water.

"Ah, I can't wait until they soak up that salt! This is going to be delicious!"

* * *

"Eight large silver. Not a bad day for you, young lady." Rirn said as they walked back to his stall. His wife smiled, and lifted up their child.

"Don't forget the cheese, Rirn. See you in a few hours." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and left. Rirn smiled warmly as they left, and returned to his place behind the stall.

"What?" He asked when he noticed Aila's mirth.

"Nothing. I guess I didn't expect to see a loving relationship like yours." She said with a smirk.

"That makes sense. Poor families sell their daughters to the slave dealer, and some clans raid a village to subdue their entire workforce." He watched Aila frown.

"That happens here? What does the king do?" She asked.

"The Silver King? He's a strong elementalist, but quite removed from his people out this way. Most towns are run by the dominant clan, and only have to pay the taxes to keep the king's attention away from their town. Cities are another story, and have a contingent of soldiers stationed there, but the clans are sneaky. They often bribe the squads, or leaders, and maintain their control." He said, but Aila could see that he wasn't appreciative of this arrangement.

"And what about this clan I've already heard of? Inaris? I think that's the name." She watched his face.

"A declining clan with their assets dwindling on a yearly basis. Greedy to the core, and will chase after small profits only to lose the final payout." He said.

"In other words, stupid." She said. "I figured as much. When that other merchant was trying to cheat me out of that wolf, I realized that he chased the quick money, and failed to see why he couldn't get long term deals. Alright, since your wife mentioned it, so will I. I need cheese, some salt, and those leather clothes. As much as I prefer cotton, I am going to be in the forest."

"Oh, did you keep the core?" He asked.

"Core?" Aila frowned slightly.

"Behind the wolf's heart, there is a stone. It's the beast's flame core." Rirn saw her make an 'o' with her lips.

"Oh, the berry!" She said in surprise.

"I guess it does look like a berry, but the beast core of rank one or higher animals is filled with their element. Staffers use them, and so do elementalists." Rirn said.

"Staffers?" An unfamiliar, yet kind of familiar word for Aila.

"Ah, you must have been from an isolated village. A Staffer is an elementalist without a core in their bodies. They embed a tuned crystal in a staff, and a beast core. They can use that staff to absorb the elements into the core, or use the stored elements. Staffers aren't as strong as most elementalists, and there are complications from time to time as they do not have any elemental affinity. Beast cores are valuable to a staffer for the energy they contain.  They have value to an elementalist, who also uses a crystal to absorb the elements from the core. A flame wolf core is fifty small silver." Rirn rattled off a ton of information, which made Aila sigh.

"I used it last night." She rolled her eyes. "I'll make sure to take note of it next time." She sighed, and began to focus. She felt eyes on her back. She turned her head slightly.

"They think you're a mark." He said. "Since you can kill a rank one flame wolf, and reside out in the forest, those guys shouldn't pose a threat. Just be careful. I think I see an archer or two."

"Thanks. I guess it's just like home. The police force couldn't do anything until the crime is committed, or at least planned." She said and shook her head.

"Police force?"

"Another name for a paid guard force. They work for the ruler, and only react to situations, rather than prevent. Intentions are hard to prove, unless they make many moves that make it obvious." She said and growled a bit.

"Ah. It sounded like a fancy name, but they do sound just like a city guard. They enforce laws, and collect fees that sometimes go into their own pockets." Rirn said, and didn't realize that he had hit the nail on the head.

No matter the world, corruption was just a part of civilization.