Redhaven's city walls appeared on the horizon like a fortress rising out of the haze. Small banners fluttered over open stalls, and the chatter of market-goers drifted on the breeze. Liam and Tomlin trudged in through the main gates, shoulders aching but spirits high from their victory.
Inside the busy marketplace, they made a beeline for the merchant they knew dealt in monster parts. The same portly man who had guffawed at their fleshbrurrower parts last time now regarded them with equal parts curiosity and mild astonishment.
Liam presented their haul confidently: two Fangclaw pincers, a broodmother fang, a handful of eggs, and a couple of venom sacs. The merchant's beady eyes flicked over the goods. "A broodmother, is it?" he muttered, scrubbing his thumb across a fang.
Tomlin cleared his throat, adding, "She's a feisty one. Gave us quite the hard time."
The merchant grunted. He eyed the young men, then leaned close. "See, broodmother parts are rare," Liam piped up, recalling the hesitation he saw in the man's gaze with his Eye of the Abyss earlier. Indeed, Liam's cursed vision had picked up a faint thread of impatience in the merchant's aura – a hint that he might try undervaluing their efforts.
Liam pressed his point, meeting the merchant's eye. "Each fang and venom sac from a broodmother could easily fetch silver. Careful, that's not something you find every day." He wasn't lying; his Eye had been invaluable in knowing exactly where to strike.
The merchant reeled back slightly. "Alright, alright," he stammered. "You two did the work, so I suppose I can't insult the effort… Okay, 50 silver coins for the lot."
Tomlin blinked. "That's—um—that's pretty fair," he said eagerly. Liam, however, wasn't fully satisfied. Something in the merchant's eyes said he was still undervaluing them, trying to save a coin or two.
Liam's eye glinted. He leaned forward, lowering his voice. "Your offer was generous, but if I add the eggs and these Fangclaw pincers," he waved a thick blue pincer under the merchant's nose, "I think 60 silver is more like it. You don't often find both broodmother and fangclaws in one haul."
For a tense moment, the merchant scoffed, then did a quick calculation in his head. Finally, he sighed. "Alright, kid, you got guts. 60 it is."
Tomlin let out a low whistle as he stepped back, retrieving the 60 silver pieces from the merchant's stash. He clapped Liam on the shoulder. "Good eye," he said with admiration. "Eye of the Abyss strikes again?"
Liam smirked, pocketing a handful of coins. "More like Eye of the Negotiations," he joked. They thanked the merchant and left with significantly heavier coin purses, a tangible reward for their survival and teamwork.
That evening, the friends headed to the guild tavern, the air thick with the smell of stew and mead. The room was lively; a small band of other rookies had just returned from a goblin-swarming mission and were celebrating with loud cheers. The rookies spotted Tomlin and Liam and waved them over.
Tomlin slipped into a seat next to an eager, curly-haired girl with bright green eyes and freckles on her cheeks. She clasped Tomlin's forearm excitedly. "You two look like hell! No way you had it easy."
Liam chuckled from across the table. "Nothing easy about crawling through spider guts," he quipped.
Tomlin told them the tale of their cave adventure – the spiderlings, the broken shield, the gigantic Broodmother. As Tomlin animatedly acted out the more dramatic parts, the table roared with laughter. At the peak of his storytelling, he mimicked how he had leapfrogged a Fangclaw to avoid its fangs, flipping an imaginary spear.
The curly-haired girl giggled delightedly. When Tomlin finished, panting a bit for breath, she leaned forward. "You are so brave," she said sincerely. Then, to everyone's surprise, she looked at Tomlin and quickly pressed a kiss to his cheek.
Tomlin went as stiff as a tree trunk. His eyes nearly bugged out, and his mouth hung open for just a second before he stammered, "W-what?"
Liam's jaw dropped in horror, and the whole table burst into cheers and playful hoots. "Tomlin, first kiss!" Liam shouted, and the tavern erupted in laughter and applause.
A deep blush spread across Tomlin's face – he looked like a beetroot in knight's armor. He could only manage a goofy grin as the green-eyed girl called softly, "I'm Elira, by the way."
Liam gave Tomlin a gentle slap on the back. "Well, well, Sir Tomlin! I knew that swing of yours would pay off. Congrats, mate."
Tomlin's knees wobbled at first but he slid down a bit to compose himself, beaming sheepishly. "Thank you," he finally croaked out. Then, more loudly so the others could hear, "To the Guild! And to our newest Bronze heroes!"
Everyone raised their mugs. "Bronze! Bronze!" the rookies chanted, clinking glasses.
As they drank and laughed late into the night, the ordeal of the cave melted into juicy anecdotes. Liam caught Tomlin's eye and winked. "I got some things to learn if I ever want to be as smooth as you."
Tomlin squeezed Liam's shoulder. "Just wait 'til you get your first—" he stopped himself, catching Liam's expression, both of them dissolving into quiet laughter.
Outside, Redhaven's lanterns cast a warm glow on the cobblestones as they finally stumbled out of the tavern. Liam guided the way, walking arm in arm with Tomlin. Elira and two others followed, still giggling at the group's antics.
Tomlin glanced at Elira, who waved at them with a bright smile. He was still dizzy from the whole thing, and especially from that cheek-kiss. Liam nudged him and whispered, "Copper in our pockets. Fire in our eyes!"
Tomlin punched Liam lightly in the arm, laughing. "Copper in our pockets. Fire in our eyes!" he muttered, cheeks still rosy.
They all strolled toward their lodgings, the moon high above. Liam looked over at Tomlin, thinking that this was only the beginning of their adventures – and maybe, of something that had suddenly very much taken off like a spider's web in the wind.