thomasdarkrose
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Vol. 4 - Growth - Chapter 44
🕑 Added 2019-03-27 19:49:09 +0000 UTC(Snowlily's Status: https://i.gyazo.com/thumb/1200/c47068dc9c8cc95e3c1a035fe6433f27-png.jpg )
Thomas looked over Snowlily's status page and saw just how weak she really was ad felt glad he hadn't sped up too much while carrying her. She was currently snuggled up in his arms while warily looking at the people and buildings around her. Thomas was carefully holding her while making his way toward The Swans Nest. Thomas didn't know if this was her first time in a city or not, though he suspected not. He believed that she feared humans because of probably knowing what happened to the Garou at the hands of humans.
He gently stroked one of her soft ears and kept away from any gatherings of more than a couple of people. He didn't want to stress her out any more than necessary. She would need to get used to being around humans. Like it or not Thomas would be spending a lot of time within the confines of a city. As he walked with her in his arms he drew a bit of attention from people, especially women. Well, it was more accurate to say that the ball of pristine white floof in his arms drew their attention.
About half-way to The Sawns Nest, a woman came up to him while smiling. Her eyes were focused solely on Snowlily in his arms. As she got close she spoke in a sweet voice, "Awwwwww it's sooooo cute~!"
The woman stretched her hand out to pet Snowlily. Before Thomas could tell her not to, the small wolf in his arms gave out a 'threatening' growl. Honestly, it was probably the cutest sound Thomas had ever heard. The woman seemed to agree as she gave out a squeal of delight and continued to move closer to try and pet Snowlily. Before she could, Thomas took a step back and smiled apologetically, "Sorry, but it looks like she doesn't want to be pet by a stranger."
As if to agree with him, Snowlily gave out another of her adorable growls while her hackles stood up. The woman finally took a look at Thomas and frowned with displeasure, "She looks so soft. Let me pet her."
The woman's tone was petulant and grated on Thomas's nerves. Thomas put on a firm look, "Sorry, but as long as she doesn't want to be touched she won't be touched. If you'll excuse me."
Thomas stepped around the woman to continue on his way. The woman had apparently not given up as she practically shouted, "Hey! Let me pet her!"
Thomas ignored the woman and continued on his way. The woman got angrier and started to follow him while calling out for him to stop and let her pet Snowlily. He continued to ignore her as he picked up his walking pace. The woman easily managed to keep pace with him. The longer he ignored her the nastier she got. Eventually devolving to calling him names and even questioning his manhood. Thomas found the whole incident to be an annoyance. There were far too many players like this woman who felt like they should get whatever they wanted just because it was a game.
As he approached the main boulevard where The Swans Nest was located, he changed his mind about heading directly to the inn. He didn't want the woman knowing where he was staying and continuing to harass him. She was still following him and the longer he ignored her the more profane her words toward him became. At this point, she was drawing a lot of attention from people as she practically shouted insults at Thomas. A lot of people gave Thomas a look of pity as he walked past them.
Thomas swiftly made his way toward Hekrin's shop. He expected the cranky dwarf would be able to deal with the woman in some fashion that Thomas couldn't. If they weren't in the city Thomas would have already attempted to beat the crap out of the woman or even straight up kill her. If he did anything violent in the city he would have to deal with the fallout. It was the same reason that the woman resorted to yelling at him instead of attacking him, she was attempting to incite him into action first.
After what felt like an eternity of annoyance, Thomas finally arrived at Hekrin's shop and made his way inside. The woman followed and continued to yell at and berate him. Hekrin looked up from his spot behind the counter as a deep frown creased his brow. Thomas looked at Hekrin apologetically and made a gesture toward the woman as an attempt to convey his own displeasure at her presence. It didn't take long for Hekrin to lose his temper and yell thunderously, "SHUT UP WOMAN! THIS IS A PLACE OF BUSINESS! SHUT UP AND BUY SOMETHING OR GET OUT!"
The woman froze mid-shout at Hekrin's thunderous voice. Thomas suspected Hekrin had used a bit of magic to make his voice so loud. The woman quickly recovered and turned to glare at Hekrin as she screeched, "How DARE you talk to me like that!"
There was a dangerous glint in Hekrin's beady black eyes as he looked at the woman. Thomas quietly stepped away from the woman, just in case Hekrin did something extreme. In a low and strangely calm tone, Hekrin stated, "This is a place of business. If you have no business being here then I suggest you leave."
The woman glared at Hekrin as she stomped on the ground in a way that Thomas had only ever seen from children. At this point, he was completely shocked by how petulant and childish the woman was behaving. He even, briefly, wondered if she was a child that had somehow managed to find a glitch or hack that allowed her to log into the game. Though something like that was plain impossible with the sheer number of checks the game would perform. Even if you could hack the hardware of the pod you couldn't hack the servers of the game.
The woman pointed an accusatory finger at Thomas as she shouted, "I'M NOT LEAVING UNTIL HE LETS ME PET HER!"
Hekrin gave the woman a smile that sent shivers down Thomas's spine. The expression on Hekrin's face was one that Thomas had never seen before. Hekrin acted like a grumpy old bastard but he was really a pretty genuine and nice guy. That's why all the local shop keepers put up with him and let Hekrin pawn people off on them. The look Hekrin was giving the woman though... It screamed 'danger' to Thomas and even set off Snowlily's instincts. Her blue eyes were wide as she stared at Hekrin and shivered, the annoying woman completely forgotten by the young Garou.
Hekrin calmly placed his hands on the counter as his eyes became ice cold, "Last chance girl."
The woman seemed even more infuriated at being called a 'girl' after being called 'woman'. She took a deep breath as she prepared to shout once again. Before she could get out a single syllable Hekrin lifted his hand and pointed his palm at her, "Banned."
There was a visible ripple in the air as an invisible force slammed into the woman. Before she could even be shocked the invisible force sent her flying back. As she flew through the air the door automatically opened to let her flying body pass through. She was forced a few meters out into the street before the force released her. The door to the store slammed closed with a finality that seemed to echo in the now quiet store.
The woman quickly recovered and charged back towards the door but the moment she tried to grip the handle of the door an invisible force stopped her from touching it. Frustrated the woman started trying to punch and kick at the door to get it open. Thomas could clearly see her mouth moving as she shouted what he assumed were depraved profanities. Inside the shop, nothing could be heard. Hekrin turned to look at Thomas with a frown, "Now what in the nine hells was that all about?"
Thomas let out a tired sigh and walked towards Hekrin. Though he didn't approach too closely as Snowlily started to violently shake in his arms as he got closer to the dwarf. Hekrin glanced at the small bundle of white fur in Thomas's arms before looking his apprentice in the eyes. Thomas explained the whole situation to the dwarf from the time he met the woman until Hekrin banned her from his shop. Hekin shook his head and asked, "Are there really such despicable people in yur world? Causing all that ruckus just 'cause yur pup didn't want ta be touched."
Hekrin looked at Snowlily as he asked the obvious, "What's up with the pup anyway? I thought ya were testin' yur weapon."
Thomas looked down at Snowlily and smiled. He explained everything that happened to him today. From looking for boars to test his weapon on and not finding any to exploring the ancient village and finding the secret path. When he finished he looked at the dwarf cautiously. Hekrin stroked his beard, "So the pup is a Garou?"
Thomas nodded which prompted Hekrin to laugh, "Well I'll be damned! I'm sure ya don't know this kid but the Garou are legendary. It's been nearly a thousand years since the last sighting of a Garou. Everyone thought they had long gone extinct." Hekrin looked appraisingly at Snowlily as he continued, "Long ago they were thought ta be monsters and hunted ta death by the humans in that first settled Reykhoten. This was long before the humans learned that not everythin' that wasn't human was an evil monster."
Hekrin chuckled a little, "When humans first met us dwarves they reacted much the same as they did ta the Garou. We just fought back better. Not much is really know about the Garou anymore. Still, that little ball of fur don't look like a bloodthirsty monster ta me."
Hekrin wiggled a short finger at Snowlily as he smiled at her, "Ya need ta take special care of the pup kid. If she really is the last of her kind then she's precious." Hekrin's beady black eyes looked up at Thomas, "Though I'm sure that the legends of the Garou have been warped over time, there had ta be some seed of truth that spawned the tales. Ya need ta keep yur wits about ya and keep an eye on 'er. If her soul is really bound ta yurs then any crime she commits will be on yur head too. Keep that in mind kid."
Thomas nodded seriously, "It's my responsibility to raise and care for her. I'll make sure she grows into a being I can be proud of."
Snowlily looked up at Thomas and huffed. Thomas just laughed and stroked one of her ears. Hekrin smiled at the sight then cleared his throat, "Alright kid, the annoyin' harpy is gone. If she bothers ya again lemme know. I'll let the other shop keepers know about that woman. Before the sun rises tomorrow I promise ya she'll be banned from every store in the city."
Thomas looked out the front windows of the store and couldn't see the woman anymore. She must have given up when she realized that she couldn't get back into the store and that they couldn't hear her shouts anymore. Thomas made his way towards the door, "I'm heading into the dungeon tomorrow. Snowlily here needs to get some experience and I still need to test the Peace Maker."
"Let me know how it goes kid."
Thomas left Hekrin's shop and made a stop at Zella's Fashions to pick up some cloth. He wanted to make something for Snowlily. He would need both of his hands free in order to fight properly so he intended to make a sling bag that she could hang out in while he was fighting. With his purchases made, Thomas finally resumed his trip to The Swans Nest. He was hopeful that Martha would allow Snowlily to stay at the inn with him.
Fortunately, he arrived at the inn without any additional incidents or any signs of the crazed woman. As he stepped into The Swans Nest, Martha came over to welcome him back. The moment she spotted Snowlily in his arms Thomas vansihed from her thoughts. Her eyes widened and practically began to sparkle as she looked at the little wolf in his arms.
"So precious...", she whispered.
Thomas smiled wryly and couldn't help but wonder if all woman would ignore him in favor of Snowlily from now on. Martha slowly approached Thomas and Snowlily as her hand started to reach out. She stopped before getting too close and glanced at Thomas as she asked, "May I touch her?"
Thomas looked down at Snowlily for a brief moment, "It's up to her."
Martha looked back down at Snowlily and asked the wolf pup directly, "May I touch you?"
Snowlily looked over Martha for a moment then very subtly nodded her head. Martha gave out a girl like shriek and gently reached out to stroke the top of Snowlily's head. Snowlily just sat in Thomas's arms and accepted it. Martha, on the other hand, looked like she'd entered heaven as she gently pet Snowlily, "She's so soft!"
Thomas laughed a little. He suspected he knew the answer but asked anyway, "Is it alright if she stays here with me?"
Martha nodded enthusiastically, "Yes! She can stay here as long as she wants! In fact, feel free to leave her here when you leave!" She glanced at Thomas, "What's her name?"
"Martha, meet Snowlily. Snowlily, this is Martha. She's taken care of me for a while now so be sure to be nice to her alright?"
Snowlily looked up at Thomas and gave a little huff of acceptance. Martha squealed in delight again and caught the attention of several people inside of the inn. Her behavior was clearly out of the norm and was drawing a lot of attention from the people inside. When she finally managed to calm down she gestured to a table, "Have a seat and I'll get the two of you something to eat."
Hearing the mention of food, Snowlily licked her chops. This elicted yet another uncharateristic squeal from Martha before she disappeared into the kitchen to fetch their food. Thomas shook his head and looked down at Snowlily, "Just be sure to save some of the women we meet for me alright?"
Snowlily just looked up at him innocently. Thomas shook his head in exasperation and made his way to the dining table. He was looking forward to eating something delicious. The boar had been alright but it had nothing on the food at The Sawns Nest.
Comments
Erik Zorger
Please no, she needs to be developed over time, and not forced to grow too fast.
Rande Knight
Cue the 'XP makes them grow' scene where she grows into a useful combat member within a single dive.
Lorraine V
Awesome chapter. Thanks!!!
