For a moment after the fight, neither of them moved.
The massive Thornback Boar lay motionless on the forest floor.
William wiped sweat from his forehead and looked down at the enormous corpse.
"Well… that thing is definitely heavier than a Forest Creeper."
Osric nodded.
"That's why we bought the rope."
They quickly got to work.
William tied the rope tightly around the boar's front legs while Osric secured another length around its hind legs.
After checking the knots, the two of them grabbed the rope and began dragging the corpse.
The Thornback Boar's body barely moved at first.
Then, with a heavy scraping sound, it slowly began sliding across the forest floor.
William grunted.
"Damn… this thing is heavy."
Osric said nothing as he pulled the rope over his shoulder and leaned forward with his full weight.
The corpse slowly dragged behind them.
But after only a few minutes, something became obvious.
The monster left a thick trail of blood behind them.
And the rough ground scraped against the boar's body.
William glanced back.
"Maybe we should've bought something to drag it on."
Osric exhaled quietly.
"…Probably."
Even he had not thought of everything.
The wound on the boar's neck was wide open.
Blood continued to slowly seep from the cut as the corpse dragged across the ground.
Osric stopped and removed his large bag.
He walked back to the corpse and pulled the bag over the boar's neck and head.
"That should help."
William nodded.
"Good idea."
They resumed dragging the corpse through the forest.
The journey back to Ashbrook took much longer than usual.
The heavy weight slowed them down considerably.
By the time the town walls finally appeared through the trees, both of them were breathing heavily.
The guards at the eastern gate stared as the two young men dragged the enormous monster toward them.
One of the guards raised an eyebrow.
"You two killed that?"
William grinned.
"Sure did."
The guard stepped aside with a small chuckle.
"Well… try not to drag half the forest inside the town with you."
As they pulled the corpse through the gate, people immediately began staring.
Dragging monster corpses through Ashbrook wasn't unheard of.
But it was rare to see only two people hauling something as large as a Thornback Boar.
Some merchants stopped what they were doing to watch.
Others whispered to each other.
William noticed and smirked.
"Looks like we're getting famous."
Osric ignored the stares and continued dragging the rope.
They soon reached the monster materials shop they had visited several times before.
With one final effort, they pulled the massive corpse through the door.
The familiar grumpy dealer behind the counter looked up.
For a moment, he simply stared.
Then his eyes widened slightly.
"This… you two?"
Osric nodded.
"We killed it this morning."
The dealer stepped out from behind the counter and approached the corpse.
"Leave it there."
They dropped the ropes and let the massive body rest in the middle of the room.
The dealer crouched beside the boar and began inspecting it carefully.
He examined the tusks.
Then the hide.
Finally he looked at the deep wound across the neck.
Osric spoke.
"We dragged it here. There's blood under the bag."
The dealer grunted.
"That's fine."
He stood up and shouted toward the back room.
"Hey! Get out here!"
A younger assistant quickly appeared from the back of the shop.
When he saw the Thornback Boar, his eyes widened.
The dealer pointed at the corpse.
"Help me move it."
The two of them grabbed the boar and dragged it toward the back area of the shop.
Before disappearing through the doorway, the dealer glanced back at Osric and William.
"Not bad."
He wiped his hands on his apron.
"Considering you dragged it here, it's in good condition."
He pointed toward the wound.
"The neck is the best place to kill it if you want the hide and meat to stay valuable."
William smiled proudly.
Osric simply nodded.
The dealer crossed his arms and looked at them again.
"A Thornback Boar is worth good money."
"The meat sells well. Some people even consider it a delicacy."
"The hide, tusks, and those back thorns are all useful too."
He shrugged.
"Normally it would go for more in a richer town."
"But this is Ashbrook."
He looked down at the corpse again.
"…Still."
He raised three fingers.
"I'll give you three silver and fifty copper."
Osric negotiated this time again, because of how much work it took to bring it here.
At the end, they agreed on 3 silver and 86 copper.
They also kept an ear, to show at the guild for proof.
Taking the whole corpse there would've been too much work.
There they received their reward of 90 copper.
Osric decided that they should have another strategy meeting tomorrow on what's next.
William agreed.
"Well, this was exhausting. I hope it will be easier next time. See ya tomorrow boss!"
"Yeah. Goodbye."
Osric walked in the other direction towards his inn and pondered to himself while snowflakes were landing on his hooded coat.
'I need to be better prepared next time.'
'I need to invest in more equipment for corpse handling and maybe even buy a shield.'
'I would also buy a horse, but they are extremely expensive and I don't know how to ride one.'
Every time that Osric achieved something and improved, something reminded him of how inexperienced he still was.