Chapter 50: Teeth, Trade, and Tailored Threads
Morning light filtered through the trees as the caravan broke camp. Smoke from the breakfast fires curled lazily into the sky. Isaac stretched his shoulders, bones creaking with the weight of yesterday's strength gains. He hadn't absorbed anything since the previous night, but his body still felt like it was running on coiled power.
Renall approached, nursing a mug of bitterroot tea. "You two sleep well?"
"Well enough," Isaac said.
"Good," Renall nodded, then gestured to the crates at the back of the wagon. "Ever wonder what a merchant hauls out here this far from polished streets and high coin?"
Isaac raised an eyebrow. "Aside from dried food and rope?"
Renall chuckled. "Beast parts. Monster fangs, venom sacs, scales, horns. You name it. Adventurers and hunters bring 'em back in sacks—what they don't eat, I buy. Some get ground into powder for alchemy. Some become enchantment cores. Others—fashionable trinkets for nobles who like danger without the blood."
Lira blinked. "You sell monster parts to nobles?"
Renall smirked. "Lady Varien of Lethorne paid thirty gold for a polished drake claw. Wears it as a hairpin."
Isaac's expression shifted subtly. "Interesting."
He reached into his satchel and tightened the bundle inside—wrapped cloth concealing a collection of valuable remains. As he held it, a memory stirred from just days ago.
— Flashback Begins —
It had been the fifth day of their journey. The air was humid, and the forest floor crackled under their boots as Lira electrocuted a plated tusk-beast with a precise bolt of lightning.
As the creature fell twitching to the ground, Isaac crouched beside it.
"Mind if I try something?" he asked.
Lira cocked an eyebrow. "As long as it doesn't explode."
"No promises," he said, grinning faintly.
He carefully carved out one of the beast's claws—small and intact. Then, placing his palm over the rest of the corpse, he activated his ability.
[Soul Devourer Matrix – Triggered]Absorbed: +1 StrengthCorpse Status: Recognized – Minor Extraction Detected
His eyes lit up. "It works."
"Even with part missing?"
"Apparently."
They tried again on a different beast the next day. This time, Isaac removed a fang, a scale, a talon—small components—before using the Matrix.
Each time, it worked. Stat gains flowed in. The absorption was slightly less potent, but still triggered cleanly.
"No major parts," Isaac noted aloud. "But claws, teeth, maybe horns… as long as the body's not ruined, it still counts."
Lira had smirked. "Should I start a necklace collection?"
He glanced up at her. "Not a bad idea."
The two of them had spent an hour laughing and experimenting under the forest canopy—hunter and corpsebound, discovering the edges of what their power could do.
— Flashback Ends —
The memory faded, and Isaac unwrapped the bundle. Inside were claws, fangs, and a strip of thick, dark hide—souvenirs from beasts they'd killed together.
He approached Renall, who had just finished tying off a crate of dried fruit.
"Got a few of these. Wondering what they're worth."
Renall opened the bundle—and froze.
Inside were remains from two creatures: a Blackspine Ravager and a Thundermaw Shriekbeast. The claw alone gleamed with latent charge. The hide looked thick enough to shrug off arrows.
"This… this is dangerous stock," Renall muttered. "Where did you find these?"
"Wilderness," Isaac replied simply.
Renall looked up, measuring him again, then Lira. "You two take these down alone?"
Isaac gave a slow nod.
Renall let out a low whistle. "This claw could fetch twenty, thirty gold in a city. I can't give you that out here, but I'll offer something fair."
He glanced at their clothes—frayed sleeves, burnt hems, half-torn boots.
"You'll need replacements anyway. You look like you crawled out of a ruin and fought the ruin on the way out."
"I technically did," Isaac muttered.
Renall chuckled. "I've got gear from an unclaimed shipment. Light travel leathers, clean boots, a few cloaks. I'll trade them to you at half value if you throw in the scale plating."
"Deal."
An hour later, Isaac and Lira stood by the wagons in newly fitted travel wear.
Isaac wore a reinforced gray jacket, thick gloves, and solid boots that didn't leak. Lira's dark blue cloak shimmered faintly, tailored for movement with stitched runes around the hem. Her staff was now slung cleanly over her shoulder.
They looked… alive.
Less like hunted survivors.
More like people who belonged in the world again.
Renall passed Isaac a small pouch along with their gear. It jingled faintly.
"Ten gold coins," he said. "What's left after the trade. You could probably stretch that for a week if you're careful."
Isaac accepted it with a slight bow of his head. "Appreciated."
"Not charity," Renall said, smirking. "Your claws paid for more than clothes. This is just fair math."
By midday, the forest thinned, and the road curved toward open ground.
Karlune's Rest came into view—timber walls, a watchtower, chimney smoke rising over rooftops. People moved in and out of the main gate, guards patrolled, and beyond it all, the bustle of civilization waited.
Lira adjusted her cloak. Isaac rolled his shoulders in his new jacket.
"I guess this is it," she said.
Isaac looked at the walls ahead, then down at his hands—still his, still marked, but steadier now.
"Yeah," he murmured. "Let's see what comes next."
They walked forward.
Toward the town.
Toward everything that waited beyond.