The Rarest Flower | D-rank Job

Job details:

“So, what’s this flower look like again?” Shane asked the owner of the medicinal shop again. The blonde mage had picked up a new job. From its description, it was a simple job to pick a flower. Easy enough. But the location made it a headache. Shane had heard the locals speak about the Spooky Forest, and only the foolhardiest of the villagers would want to venture into the forest. And his client had wanted him to seek out a unique plant in the forest for his medicines.

“It’s called the Redbloom. The stalk’s dark green and it’s surrounded by dark red petals, dotted silver near the edges. A single plant has around five to six flowers. You might miss it during the day, but in the dark, it glows with a purple fluorescence. You will know it when you see it,” Henry Name described in detail. He even got a book from a drawer under his desk and flipped it open to the correct page at the first go. He pointed at the photograph of a flower. “That’s the one.”

Shane took a good look at the flower, memorizing what Henry had described. Nodding, Shane pushed the book back to Henry and adjusted his shield strap across his chest as he stood up straight.

“I will get going now,” Shane replied as he walked out of the medicine shop. A look at the sky got him sighing. It was near sunset now. The blonde mage walked towards the village exit and made his ways towards Spooky Forest.

The moment Shane stepped into the Spooky Forest, he found his hearing senses being overwhelmed by the constant howling of the wind between the trees and leaves. He looked around cautiously, holding his forearms up and turned it around. He wasn’t wrong. There wasn’t the slightest indication of any form of wind. It was just the sound. Shane was intrigued but there was no time for that. Not being able to depend on his hearing was already a great handicap.

A pair of eyes, eerily yellow, was following Shane’s every movement the moment he had stepped into the forest. It had been a while since there had been anyone venturing in the Spooky Forest, and it coveted the taste of human flesh every once in a while. It was a timber wolf, larger than a normal alpha wolf, steel gray fur with highlights of dark blue running across his back. The villagers know it as the lone wolf.

Shane continued making his way into the forest, eyes searching high and low, left and right for every sign of the Redbloom. Henry Name had said that it was normally situated in the middle of the forest, near the rock formations. As he ventured deeper into the forest, the superhero in training slowly felt the mist around him getting thicker and thicker. First hearing, then sight. Shane soldiered on. He no longer searched around, guessing that he would find it when he came upon the rock formation.

The sound of rustling in the bushes went unheard by Shane, the howling of the wind ever so loud in his ears. The lone wolf was relying on its sense of smell, skulking low to the ground around the bushes. It had long grown used to not using its ears and eyes to hunt, making the misty area in the Spooky Forest its hunting ground.

An hour passed and Shane finally stood in front of the rock formation. He had reached the center of the Spooky Forest, and from where he stood, the blonde mage could finally see the flower he sought. The redbloom. Shane quickly scaled the rock formations, more bouldering than scaling until he reached the top. He plucked the few flowers that he saw, meeting Henry’s requirements and stored it in the special bag that the man had given to him before he had left.

Carefully putting the flowers in and sealing the bag, Shane tied the bag to his belt and made his way down. The moment he touched the ground, a flash of gray swiped at him to which the mage urgently jumped back. A clang of metal echoed among the howling wind, his shield banging against the rocks behind him. Shane’s right hand moved to his back and pulled the shield-gauntlet hybrid from its strap and held it in his right.

Another swipe came from his left and Shane swiftly brought up his shield to block the blow. For a second, the screech of claws against metal rang loudly before the howling wind took over his hearing again. Shane tried to focus, but there was no drowning out the sound of the wind. He couldn’t depend on his vision as well.

Shane waited. The third swipe came quickly, and he hesitated no more. Within fractions of a second, Shane gathered energy into his right fist and slammed it into the ground. A small crater formed, but more important was the shockwave produced. The mist around him was pushed back, along with the lone wolf. Shane only caught a glimpse of it before it disappeared into the mist. There was no winning this round. Not with his sight and hearing in this state.

Tightening his grip on his shield and feeling the bag on his waist, Shane launched himself at full speed, breaking into a full run. His boots protecting his feet let him ignore the obstacles on the ground. Every once in awhile, Shane could feel a bite around his neck, always missing but getting more and more accurate. He had no way of fighting the wolf, especially if he wanted to keep the flowers safe. They were useless if not treated properly.

“All Might!” Shane called out, leaping off the ground and landing among the branches. The mage smirked, the mist only affecting ground level. He had a clear view through the branches, and he launched himself forward from branch to branch. There was no way the lone wolf could get to him now.

Shane walked into the medicine shop only two hours from when he had left. Night had already fallen. Henry Name was still waiting for him, reading by the glow of an oil lamp, for reasons Shane didn’t know of. Lamps powered by lacrima were plenty cheap and easily available. He placed the bag with the flowers on the counter top. Henry was surprised that the mage had return so early from the job.

“That’s a pleasant surprise,” he said with a smile, before taking out a small pouch with Shane’s payment. “Here’s your payment, Mr Stern.”

“Thanks Henry,” Shane replied, taking the pouch and rapped the table once with his knuckles before leaving.