Arnold came out of the cave with a grin on his face. The broken dungeon core was going to be perfect for what he had in mind.
"Everyone, gather round!" He yelled; his guild members were quick to line up before him.
"The dungeon core is no more!" He said.
A roar of approval was his answer.
"Now, let us decide what we will do with its remains! It is now property of the guild!"
The adventurers smiled as one. A dungeon core was always good for creating weapons out of. None of them wanted to miss the opportunity to get it.
"I suggest we place it on the barrier around the guild!"
"I need it for a new dagger! Most of the missions I go to are against orcs and giants!"
"No! We should donate it to the research and patch up the guild hall!" A third person said.
"Or," Annie said, as she raised her hand. "We can break it to dust and create teleportation crystals with it! Together with the mana crystals Nikola and his party have abundance! So that no parties would go missing in action the next time!"
The guild quieted down. That was by far the solution which could benefit them all.
"Nikola," Arnold said, as he viewed the brunette. He looked a bit better, but he was still using Dimitri as a crutch. "If we make the dungeon core into dust, will you give us the mana crystals?"
"As many as you need, sir!" Nikola said weakly. He closed his eyes for just one second, only to be caught by Dimitri as he began to sway.
Arnold's eyes softened.
"Party Vampire Rose, you are to go back to training! The quests I will give you for now will not be higher than D-ranked, until all of your party members recover! And you will muck the stables for an entire week, just like I told you before!"
Dimitri winced. He could already imagine the stench.
"The rest, pack and move out! I will send the parties Vampire Rose and Stone Rhinos ahead with my teleportation stone! Move out!"
Dimitri guided Nikola to where the S-ranked Stone Rhinos were resting.
They looked like death warmed over but were awake.
Small mercy, that.
Arnold approached them, taking off his teleportation pendant and handing it to Dimitri as soon as he reached the man.
"You just pour some mana in it, and then you will be able to go home," he said, as he looked at Nikola.
"And you," the guild master nodded at Nikola, who was trying to catch his breath. "Are to check yourself in the hospital! I don't want any protests from you!"
"Sir, yes, sir!"
Nikola didn't think that he should air his insecurities. Even after Dimitri had gotten most of his blood out, the giant's mana and soul were still in him.
He took a deep breath.
"Are there fields around Oak's Rest?" Nikola asked, who felt so, as if he wanted to barf.
"There are a couple, but we can't seem to grow anything on the. The soil is rocky."
Nikola nodded.
"I'll fix that. Might even help me get better," he said, before tipping to the side.
Dimitri grabbed him and positioned him so, that he was resting bridal style in his arms.
Arnold smiled.
"I hope you invite the guild to the weeding," he said with a soft smile. "We need some celebration."
He then turned around and began to give instructions to the other parties.
Dimitri poured mana into the pendant and then nodded at Jack and Jean to help the Stone Rhinos.
When they went through, Dimitri looked at Nikola.
The man had closed his eyes. Seemingly at peace.
"You did good," Dimitri whispered, as he kissed him on the brow. "I am proud of you."
He then took a running start and crossed the portal as well.
Not even sensing that Nikola had been listening to these soft words.
****
When they checked themselves in the hospital, Nikola let his mana loose. Oak's Rest's trees changed their leaves, the bushes on the sidewalks began to grow and ripen berries.
Nikola found the fields. He let the rest of his mana inside of them.
Rich wheat began to grow there. With apple and pear trees, the seeds of which were already in the soil, growing at a fast pace around their edges.
When Nikola got the last of the giant's mana out of himself, he opened a system screen.
"System, how can I get stronger and fast?" He asked.
Alone in the room as he was, hooked to runes which were there to keep him from giving up the ghost.
"Now, what is with this nonsense? Aren't you strong enough already? Or do you think that the giant was sick of life and let you eat his soul out of boredom?"
Nikola had no answer to that.
But he still wanted to spill his soul to someone.
"Dimitri is strong. He can fight," he persisted. "But I can't!"
"Yes, well, you know how to shoot a bow and have money. Why wait for the bow from the Leshy's branch, when you can buy yourself a bow and practice in the meantime?"
Nikola blinked.
"I just didn't think of it," he murmured, as he stared out of the window. The peach tree outside was rich in fruit.
Oh, how he wanted to eat at least one peach. To savor its sweet taste. To treat himself to its sun-bathed juices.
"Ok, I will take more active measures. Here is your next quest: Buy a bow and arrows and train. You have a week to complete it."
Nikola chuckled.
"I won't be let out of here until Tuesday next week," he said. "But you knew that already, didn't you?"
The system gave him a thumbs up.
"You know, you are the good sort," Nikola said, as his eyelids grew heavy.
"And you are also a good person, Niki," the system told him, as she levitated a peach from the tree outside to his room. "Get well soon."
Nikola smiled as he washed the peach.
It was just as tasty as he thought it would be.
He felt himself getting calmer as the sweet juices began to make him remember home and a farm where peaches made each summer sweet.