Mythran's Master Of All

“Billy, what the hell?” Dillon exclaimed when he thought Ren and Clint were out of earshot.

“What did I do?” Billy asked.

“You really put him on the spot there!” Dillon said. “He didn't know what to say!”

“I think he'll accept.” Hank said. “He might be short, but he looks strong.”

“I meant Clint!” Dillon said. “Billy, you should have waited until we were alone to tell Clint that idea.”

“What for?” Billy asked.

“Because Clint might not have wanted Ren in the party, you idiot!” Dillon said. “Didn't he say he wanted a fighter and a magic user for the last two slots?”

“Oh, yeah.” Billy said. “But... look at what he can do in only a few minutes!” He said and held up the bow. “He'll definitely be useful!”

“Sure he'll be useful.” Dillon said. “He doesn't have to be a part of the party for that, though.”

“If he's going to equip us like this on the cheap...” Tommy said, and held a hand up to stop any argument. “It's really cheap and we can't get anything like this anywhere else; so, don't kid yourself about that.” He smiled. “He should at least get a share of the XP his weapons help us get.”

“Well... I guess that's fair.” Dillon said. “But, isn't he just going to be dead weight on quests?”

Tommy smiled. “You saw how quick he was with that healing wand.” He said. “How long does your Cure Light Wounds spell take?”

“Up to 5 minutes.” Dillon said, reluctantly. “Depending on how spread out the wounds are.”

“If we only brought him along for that, he's still worth his weight in gold.” Tommy said, and clapped Hank on the shoulder. “Even if it's just for Hank's sake!”

They all laughed and agreed.

*

Ren had heard everything the other guys said while he skinned the first wolf. He felt both bad and good about their discussion; mainly because they thought he wouldn't be able to fight and that made him feel bad, and some of them wanted him anyways and that made him feel good.

“Ah see where yer cuttin'.” Clint said as he watched Ren work. “Is it tha same on every animal?” He asked, and hoped he could somehow pick up the skill.

“Almost.” Ren said. “The shapes of the bodies determine the shape of the pelt. Rabbits? It's pretty much just the back. Foxes? Part of the leg and neck as well, and if you're lucky, you can add the tail.” He explained and skinned another wolf. “Wolves? It depends on the size. It's the back, most or all of the legs and tail if you want. If you're careful and take your time, you can include some or even all of the head.”

Clint shook his head. “Ah'm standin' here watchin' ya, and yer moving yer hands like ya've done it a hundred times.”

“It was a lot more times than that.” Ren said and finished another wolf. “I still have to be careful, though.” He said and kept working. It took about an hour to do the 30 wolves, and he even let Clint try to do one. Even with Ren's direct guidance, Clint couldn't get the knife to do what he wanted. When he was done, the pelt was a little mangled on the edges; but, he didn't receive the Skinning skill.

“Ah, well.” Clint said. “It was a good try, anyway.”

Ren nodded and took the skinning knife back, then had to pause when he looked at the Dire Wolf. “Okay, I'm really going to take my time with this one.”

Clint nodded, and about 20 minutes later, the unfinished pelt of the Dire Wolf, including the paws and head, was added to the pile.