"Is anyone hurt?" Cless asked the three boys. Silverfang was already licking his lips expecting some tasty bear entrails.

The three boys checked themselves and none of them were hurt. But they were avoiding to look at Cless too much.

"What is wrong? Is anything on me?" She asked, confused. Despite the healing, her body still hurt. Especially the chest. Cless would see with the leatherworker if there was any boob protection she could use.

"Your clothes are torn, Cless. We can see your cleavage." Shane replied.

Cless looked down and they could see way more than her cleavage. She covered herself and went behind a bush to remove her shirt and wear it backward. She'd get a chest breastplate with the first coin they made. Before she returned Cless checked her indumentary for any more indecent wardrobe malfunctions and found none.

"Thank you for pointing it out, Shane. I hope you guys don't mind such an unsightly display. Let's get to work in dismantling this bear. I have knives this time."

"I can help, I know how to dismantle and dress game," Shane offered.

They removed the entrails and skinned the bear. After that Shane hung a rope from a high branch and they raised the carcass to bleed it out. Lesson learned.

"Silverfang, stay here and watch the carcass. if you sense danger or any animal-drawn to the meat, warn us. Don't bite it. We are going to sell the meat."

The wolf lifted his head, bear bowels hanging out of his snout. He nodded and kept on eating.

"We are going to clear branches from more trees. Everyone with me?"

"For the Blind Eye!" The boys mimicked her warcry and went with renewed enthusiasm at the trees.

'Maybe earning almost four thousand Experience Points in a single fight does that to people,' Cless thought with a smile as she swung her hatchet on the branches.

Noon came and they paused. Shane returned from where the bear carcass was at and declared,

"It bled enough. Your wolf drank the blood but didn't tarnish the meat. We should take it to town now, it would be worth more coin fresh. I didn't even see too many worms in the meat, it will earn a lot of coins. I ate bear only once but it is rich and juicy."

Cless didn't know. "How does it taste?"

"It tastes a bit like venison but the texture is more like tough pork. Now that we are in the fall and the bears are fattening up for winter, they are very juicy, somewhat sweet, and fatty. Too bad we shouldn't eat some now. It is dangerous because of the worms."

It made everyone awfully aware of how hungry they were and then doubled it. Now they wanted to eat the bear meat. Maybe even hunt some others, since it was a matriarch.

"How much do you think a whole bear like ours will be worth, Shane?"

"If we can get it to town in one piece, sixty to eighty silver ducats. Each kilogram of that bear should be worth at least thirty copper solidi, and the meat must weight at least two hundred kilograms. The bones are also worth some coin. If we negotiate a good rate for the whole carcass, it could get to one gold."

Talk about raising spirits. They just forgot that they almost died and that Silverfang and Cless did the most damage to the bear. The boys were already dreaming of sleeping on a bed of coins.

"Okay, folks. We are going to take the bear to town, sell it and then return here to carry the logs!" Cless declared. They were not too happy with carrying the logs. Suddenly hunting half-ton bears sounded more profitable. "Unless you want to end like Lyle and Lawrence, we should exercise caution and not hunt critters a score over our average level. I'm happy I could save Arnold a trip to the healer, but ground your feet on the earth, fellas."

Arnold tipped his imaginary hat at Cless, "As you say, guild master. Appreciated."

"Let's go. Boss Karen will be happy nobody from our guild will enter her inn bleeding."

They tied the bear to a pole and carried it out of the woods. Not an easy task. They reached the treeline in half an hour sweating profusely.

"Okay, we won't make it to town. I think I'm going to ask farmer Olson if he has a cart we can borrow and deliver the bear pelt for tanning. Shane, come with me. Martin, Arnold and Silverfang stand guard with the carcass."

They went to the farm and after a brief wait were talking to Olson. "Always a pleasure to see you 'round, guild master Cless. What do you bring this time?"

He was burning a hole in the bear pelt with his gaze but gracefully allowed Cless to show it.

"It is the pelt of a grizzly matriarch we hunted this morning. What do you think of it?"

"Spread the pelt on that table, miss. Let's take a good look at it."

They did. Since they killed with clubs, there were some bruising but the pelt was only cut at the back and where Silvefang clawed it.

"That's an excellent pelt, miss. Not that many sword wounds. Too bad the head is not intact, the skin was broken. It was also cut irregularly along the legs and belly but we can trim one side to make it even."

"We used bludgeons to kill it. I might have gone too overboard with the skull bashing part." Cless confessed, half-boasting, half-sardonically.

"We can't make a bear rug out of it but the pelt will fetch a high price. What do you want? Sell it to me or tan it for you?"

Cless smiled, "Say, farmer Olson, how much do you think this pelt is worth raw?"

"I don't wanna lie to you, miss. I think we can be long term part'na in this. In a big town like Glauchester, this pelt would fetch three gold. I'm willing to pay two gold for it but I don't have the coin with me."

"I'm just curious, master Olson," Shane intervened, "But what are you going to do with the pelt?"

"I'm going to tan it with the fur and ship it to Glauchester with a merchant I can trust. I expect to get five gold for the tanned hide."

It made Cless wonder, "You said about a bear rug, how we should skin the bear to make a rug?"

"You must keep the head intact. You skin the bear until the neck and then sever the spine at the top vertebra. Not an easy task."

"We'll take the coin in good faith, master Olson," Cless decided, changing how she treated the farmer after seeing how he reacted favorably at Shane's treatment. "Pay us what you can now and we'll collect the rest in a few days."

"In a week the wolf hides will be sold and I'll have your coin, miss Cless."

Olson and Cless shook their hands. Cless denied her Skill from triggering one more time. Olson wouldn't stiff her and lose her guild's business.

"Master, if you have the time, could you take a look at the bear carcass?" Shane suggested.

"Oh, right. We are taking the meat to sell in town. Could we borrow a cart to carry it?"

"I might even take the meat off of your hands," Olson snickered. "I might have to hire a butcher if you kids keep hunting big game in the woods."

"We might not. Too dangerous and we have already too many wounded," Cless sighed.

"Let's get goin' then." Olson ushered them out.

After some negotiation, they sold the meat to Olson for seventy silver ducats. It would save them time to carry the stuff to town, find a buyer, etc. Olson promised to sell the bear meat and pay them the rest of the coin he owed as fast as he could. But Cless left the farm with a pouch containing one gold crown and forty-five silver ducats. She retrieved her bag of tools to store the hatchets they used.

"What are we going to do with the coin, guild master?" Martin asked with no small amount of interest. To these teenagers, it was an awful amount of money.

"Armor. We are buying armor for the four of us." Cless declared.

"But I want a sword!" Martin retorted.

"Our wooden clubs are just as good and cheaper. And you can't swing a sword if you are dead. We are going to get you guys some sturdy armor." Cless spoke in a tone that would not tolerate talk back.

"But no helmets! Your skulls are already thick enough!" She turned around and joked with her tongue sticking out.

They laughed and went to the armorer shop. It was near the association branch. Even with their gold, they couldn't afford metal armor for everyone.

They settled for a brigandine leather armor for Arnold and Martin. There were two layers of boiled leather with strips of metal inside, held by studs. It was flexible and resilient against slashing and bludgeoning attacks. Piercing blows could cause a wound if it hit between the strips of metal. It covered the torso, shoulders, and hips with a skirt of leather-covered metal plates.

Thirty silver ducats each piece. Or as Shane put, one thousand and five hundred mugs of piss-grade ale.

Shane got a boiled leather cuirass, Hardened steel-toed boots, bracers, and leg guards. Despite Cless' protests he also got a leather skullcap. Twenty-eight silver ducats.

It left Cless with a budget of forty-seven ducats for her own armor.

"Look, Cless. There is a leather leotard here," A resigned Martin showed her with Shane almost bursting his seams in the background. "You'd look terrific in it. You can use these tall boots with it. They match."

The red piece of leather armor didn't cover the sides of the hips or the kidneys. It even exposed the first ribs at the sides and was hateful. If Cless knew fire magic, she'd incinerate the thing until only a sphere of ashes remained behind. She didn't have to, the shopkeeper took the leotard away.

Cless handed each boy a silver ducat and sent them off. "Wear your armor the whole afternoon to wean on them. We'll meet again tomorrow same place, same time. You three are dismissed. Good job, guys."

She turned to address the shopkeeper, but he was at the back of the shop calling his daughter. Zoe if Cless' memory was any good. The girl came down from their home with a frown and after listening to her father's whispers, she smiled and approached Cless. The shopkeeper went to the back to work on the leather.

"Guild master Cless, it is an honor to have you at our shop. How may I help you?"

'What a lovely fake business smile,' Cless thought. "I need armor. Nothing heavy, easy to move in but sturdy. And also something that can grant great frontal protection." Cless was embarrassed to say 'cover my boobs' for some reason. But from the glances the girl was stealing at her chest, she understood.

"I'm sorry but I couldn't miss it. Your shirt is backward." She pointed out. Zoe was well-dressed and probably had a passion for fashion.

"A bear sent me skidding on my belly this morning. I ripped the front of the shirt open, exposing myself. I need something with great protection."

Zoe tapped her finger in her cheek, thoughtful. "Are you hurt? Did it tear your soft flesh?" She asked, apparently very concerned.

"Yes, but I healed myself. I'm a Cleric." Cless replied with a smile. She was very thankful for changing classes. She really didn't want any scars on her breasts. At least they seemed normal.

"Wonderful! A girl has to take care of herself, right?" Cless nodded. "And I have just the right thing to protect your lovely assets!"

Name: Cless (no surname)

Race: Human.

Level: 21 ( 229,136 / 231,000 Exp)

Class: Cleric 4 (6,926 / 6,000 Exp)

Profession: Warmaster 6 (17,566 / 21,000 Exp), Weaponmaster 6 (17,566 / 21,000 Exp)

Base Stats: Strength: 12 — Agility: 14 — Health: 21 — Intellect: 21 — Magic: 31

Available Status Points: 0

Skills: [ Absolute Contract (S) ]

Proficiencies:

Crafting — Crude Weapons: 5

Magic - Cleric — Prayer of Mending: 11 — Detoxify: 6 — Light: 2

General — Prayer: 10 — Scribe: 2 — Houseworking: 3 — Math: 2 — Reading: 6 — Forestry: 7 (+2) — Skinning: 7 (+4)

Social — Leadership: 13 (+1) — Intimidation: 12 (+1) — Negotiation: 8 (+2) — Tactics: 9

Combat — Sword: 4 — Dagger 2 — Unarmed: 7 — Bow: 4 — Spear: 3 — Maces: 11 — Staff: 4 — Ax: 5 (+3) — Tumbling: 3