The Dracula Factor Sunscreen created by Ragnar was a huge success in the city of Salem. The hundred units delivered to the vampire Sinistro disappeared from his shop shelves in the first few hours, leaving thousands of vampires empty-handed.

  Unfortunately for those who missed out, Ragnar was unable to manufacture more sunscreen at the moment, as all the Aloe Veralunas in the Iron Bears’ Refuge had been harvested, so it would take a week for the next crop to be ready.

  Supply was limited and demand was extremely high; every merchant's dream.

  "Is that you? Are you the alchemist of the miracle cream?" said a vampire covered from head to toe in a long blue cloak.

  "It's me," replied Ragnar. "Unfortunately, I'm out of stock."

  "Nooooo!" The vampire fell to his knees, raised his arms, and cried out to the sky. "Whyyyyy?"

  The cloak covering his face slipped back, exposing his skin to the sun's rays, which burned his face in a matter of seconds. He screamed in pain, staggered to his feet, and bolted down the street.

  Ragnar felt sorry for the poor guy, but there was nothing he could do to help until the next batch of ingredients matured at the Bears’ Refuge. He took a deep breath, leaned back against the wall of Sinistro's shop, and watched the desperate vampire disappear into the crowd.

  Skiff was taking a long time. It took ten minutes for him to appear on the horizon, looking different. He wore a thick brown leather outfit layered under a purple cloak that extended only along the right half of his back.

  "I came as fast as I could," Skiff said as soon as he arrived.

  "I hope that's true, and what the hell are you wearing?" Ragnar noticed that on his back was a bow and quiver different from those he remembered from the last time they met. "Have you changed your equipment?"

  Skiff made a weird face before answering:

  "Yes. I found a hunter selling his old gear, so I bought it."

  "How much did it all cost?"

  "Only two hundred rubros."

  Ragnar sighed, adding a comment:

  "You know what? It's your money, waste it however you want."

  Skiff pulled his cloak so the druid could touch it.

  "Touch it, feel how soft it is."

  Reluctantly, Ragnar gave in to the request and felt the fluffy fabric with his own hands.

  "It really is soft. But it's still a waste of money. You'll get a set just like it on your next missions."

  Skiff closed his eyes and crossed his arms.

  "I don't care. For me, the important thing is to wear the best-looking gear available."

  Ragnar let out a stifled laugh. Then he pointed to the mission board across the street.

  "We can't just hang around in this city. Go to the board and take on missions as quickly as you can."

  But instead of listening and obeying orders, Skiff crossed his arms, narrowed his eyes, and retorted:

  "But why me? Why didn't you do it while you were waiting for me? Do you think I'm your slave? I was also threatened by that tavern keeper."

  "I'll explain later, you'll have to trust me for now."

  "Okay..."

  Skiff pulled the purple hood over his head, shading his eyes, and headed to the crowded mission board.

  With a quick glance, Skiff checked that there were no suspicious people around. Without wasting time, he grabbed one paper for each available mission and returned to the shop where Ragnar waited.

  The druid opened the Mission Log and read the names of the missions accepted by his friend until he found the one he was looking for.

  "Take a look at this one," Ragnar said. The hunter came to his side to see the mission in the same window as him.

  “What a weird mission. It doesn’t list a reward…” Skiff said.

  "It's this mystery that attracts players. Even though we don't know what we'll get when we complete it, it's guaranteed to be something rare, so there will be a lot of people wanting to finish it before time runs out and..."

  "And we're in a city where many players are newbies, they don't even know how precious this mission is," Skiff added.

  Ragnar snapped his fingers.

  "Exactly. Good observation. But I'm going to need you to do something for me.”

  "Not again..."

  "I need you to learn the leatherworking profession to make the clothes needed for the bonus reward."

  "Do I really have to?" said Skiff, discouraged.

  "Look on the bright side, it's a great profession for your class. You'll be able to make your own clothes."

  Skiff looked down and contemplated the outfit he was wearing.

  "All right. I'll do you this favor, but you'll owe me one."

  Ragnar extended his hand.

  "I promise."

  They shook hands, sealing the deal.

  ***

  For Skiff to become a leatherworker, he would need to train with a master in the field. And if Ragnar could bet on where to find a master leatherworker in the city of Salem, that place would be Artisans' Street. But to get there, the pair would need to take a long walk to the southern part of the city.

  However, there was a problem: increasingly larger groups from the Black Paw guild were appearing on the streets to patrol the city. For the druid, this was a direct consequence of his encounter with the swordswoman Havoc.

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  The druid-hunting season was open.

  "Let's leave the game. We can come back in an hour and try again," suggested Skiff.

  "No," replied Ragnar. "I'm not going to waste an hour on this. We can do it, we just need an opening."

  "But if they find us, won't the guards come to our aid?"

  "Unlikely. When a criminal guild establishes itself in a city, it can bribe the guards to turn a blind eye when convenient, but to do so it needs to gain influence. It's difficult to do, but it seems they've managed it."

  Even though he had a "Respected" reputation within the city, Ragnar knew he wouldn't get help from the guards if he was attacked by the Black Paw. The only ones who could protect him were his vampire friends, who, sadly, were a minority in Salem.

  It was best to be careful.

  The three members of the Black Paw prowling the street had just turned the corner. The druid turned to the hunter and signaled that it was time to leave. They walked slowly so as not to arouse suspicion, staying close to the walls of houses and other buildings. After a long and cautious journey, the pair arrived at Artisans' Street.

  "I don't see any Black Paws on the horizon," said Skiff, followed by a long sigh of relief.

  "We're safe for now, but stay alert."

  Skiff agreed and immediately looked for the Leatherworkers' Workshop.

  "There." He pointed to the center of Artisans' Street, where dozens of people were carrying, brushing, and tanning the hides of wolves, foxes, rabbits, and even bears, which sent shivers down a certain someone's spine.

  Skiff distanced himself from Ragnar and stopped in front of a tall man wearing a white apron, his shoulders broad and his skin tanned. They talked for a minute, confirming the hunter's suspicions: this was the man he was looking for, a master leatherworker willing to initiate him into the craft of leatherworking.

  Skiff returned to Ragnar and told him about the situation.

  "Great, I'll be waiting for you in the alchemy lab."

  Skiff said goodbye and returned to the master leatherworker to begin his apprenticeship.

  ***

  The training was completed in just over twenty minutes. As agreed, Skiff met Ragnar in the alchemy lab to give him the news that he was officially a novice leatherworker.

  It was time for adventure. Together, they left the city and headed for the western fields. Outside, the sun shone brightly in the sky, a refreshing breeze pushed back the black, unruly strands of Ragnar's hair and the hunter's long, blond locks.

  The trip went smoothly. No Black Paw assassins appeared to try to eliminate the druid. The pair walked calmly along the dirt road. Green pastures appeared on the horizon, dotted with tall, thick-trunked trees. They continued walking until Ragnar announced:

  "This is where we’ll collect the pieces of leather needed for the mission." He pointed to the bulls grazing nearby. "Each bull we slaughter will give us one piece of leather, so we will need thirty to complete the mission, and twenty more to make the bonus reward garments."

  Skiff put his hand to his face and said, somewhat worried:

  "But... they're too far apart, it'll take too long."

  "That's where my plan comes in. I'll use my bear form to lure a small group to the shallowest part of that lake," he said, pointing to the location south of where they were. "I'll give you the signal to use your Rain of Arrows. It's extremely important that it hits all the bulls that are chasing me, understand?"

  Skiff confirmed with a thumbs up. Ragnar continued, "The bulls will be slowed down by the Rain of Arrows, which will give me time to return to human form and use an electrical spell that will be enhanced by their being in the water. If that's not enough, I'll conjure my roots to trap them, so we'll have time to finish them off."

  Skiff nodded frantically, something came to mind, as he opened the game menu and checked something that Ragnar couldn't tell what it was until he explained, "Look, Artic and Niki connected not long ago. Why don't we invite them to help us?"

  "No way," Ragnar replied.

  "Why?"

  "Because of the bet."

  "What bet?"

  The druid took a moment to explain the bet he had made with Artic and Niki, about who would reach level 20 first.

  However, Skiff vented about something that was bothering him, "I don't want to sound like a jerk, especially to someone like you. I've seen how good you are at this game, but... I don't know if you'll be able to handle those bulls, they look really strong."

  "Are you saying my bear form isn't strong enough?"

  "Yeah..."

  Ragnar backed away. Then he wielded the Viper's Ruin and raised it to the skies, saying, "Skiff, behold my enhanced transformation." He pointed the spear at his friend and uttered the name of the skill: "Animal Form: Iron Bear."

  The transformation was preceded by a shockwave that took Skiff by surprise, causing him to take two steps back. He expected to see the black bear he already knew, but when his gaze turned back to Ragnar, what he found was a freak of nature.

  "Well?" Ragnar spoke in a deep, gravelly voice.

  He stood up on his hind legs and roared so loudly that Skiff's face showed discomfort. Recovering from the roar, the hunter approached his friend and contemplated the changes in that evolved animal form.

  The first thing he noticed was the size; the improved form must have been 50% larger than the old one. The fur remained black, but it was thicker than before. The paws, which made him apprehensive just by looking at them because they were so thick and powerful, had layers of iron with sharp protrusions like Niki's daggers.

  As the hunter studied it, Ragnar turned to him.

  "Do you still think I'm incapable of holding a small group of calves?"

  Skiff looked into the red eyes of the iron bear.

  "How did you become so... monstrous?"

  "Yesterday I evolved into a legendary class, becoming the successor to Bjorn, the first Iron Druid in all of New Avalon Online."

  Skiff shook his head in disapproval.

  "But it's not fair for you to be the strongest druid of all."

  "Skiff... People don't play this game because it's fair or balanced. People love the game because it's a virtual world where anything is possible."

  The hunter remained silent and downcast.

  "Cheer up, maybe one day your time will come," Ragnar tried to console him.

  "Okay." Skiff raised his head. "Let's take advantage of the fact that this area is ours alone to hunt these bulls."

  "That's the spirit."

  Before starting the hunt, they took a minute to analyze the place. The bulls were scattered across the pasture. The vast majority grazed alone, although there were a few groups. Since the lake occupied the entire western part of the area, Ragnar would first look for the bulls to the north.

  With the plan fresh in his mind, Skiff positioned himself fifty meters from the lake.

  Ragnar, in the form of an iron bear, charged at the first bull and hit it squarely with his Stunning Paw skill. The force of the blow knocked the animal to the ground, but the black bear didn't stop and charged at the two nearest bulls, which suffered the same fate as the first. Ragnar then returned to the lake to test his strategy on a small group.

  The three bulls charged after him, and it didn't take them long to catch up, but when they closed the distance, Ragnar already had his four iron paws in the lake.

  Skiff nocked three arrows, drew the string back as far as it would go, and released them. The arrows whizzed upward and, before losing momentum, shattered into dozens of razor-sharp fragments that rained down on the bulls.

  The shards pierced the animals' hide and flesh. They bellowed in rage and tried to chase the bear, but their movement was hampered by the rain of arrows, which not only slowed them down but also caused them to bleed, draining their health points over time.

  Ragnar returned to human form, and when he was at a safe distance from his pursuers, he wielded his spear, pointed it in the direction of the bulls, and summoned a Lightning Bolt.

  Blue sparks ran through his body until they converged at the tip of the spear, crackling into a lightning bolt that struck the first target, and as they were in the water, it spread to the other two.

  The crack of thunder echoed across the field. The three animals fell on the shores of the lake. Ragnar turned to Skiff, gave him a thumbs-up sign with his hand, and shouted, "Good job, that was better than expected."

  Skiff ran toward the bulls' bodies, and halfway there, he hooked his bow into the slot on his back and pulled out a knife. Ragnar did the same, drawing the hunting knife he had bought at the Sanctuary of Lilies.

  When the hunter was by his side, he said, “Did your master leatherworker teach you how to extract leather from an animal?”

  “Of course, but it was a cute little white rabbit.”

  "Then he must have mentioned that the process is different for each animal. You'll be able to see where to make the cuts using your profession's auxiliary tool. It will highlight the cutting path with colored lines."

  Skiff knelt in front of the nearest bull's body and activated the collection tool. Ragnar crouched in front of the nearest animal's body and perfectly imitated Skiff's cuts on his bull's body.

  Once the cuts were made, they pulled the hide off very carefully. A message appeared:

  Piece of Leather successfully collected

  They stood up.

  "We can increase it to five bulls in the next round," said Skiff.

  Ragnar agreed, returning to his iron bear form. The second attempt was a success, but this time, as he had to attack two more bulls, the first ones had time to recover from the Stunning Paw and ended up catching up with him.

  Skiff did not react immediately; he struggled to remain calm and waited for his friend to reach the shallow part of the lake, only then was Rain of Arrows used. Ragnar finished with another Lightning spell.

  "Are we going to wait for you to heal completely?" the hunter asked.

  The druid signaled no, then cast his healing spell and moved on to the next round. They repeated the tactic until they achieved thirty kills.

  Now both had enough items in their inventories to fulfill the mandatory requirement of the mission, but they intended to complete the optional quest for another mysterious reward.

  Ragnar took a deep breath and looked at the horizon; there was no one as far as the eye could see. No players, no NPCs, not even a single animal, so they would have to wait a while for the bulls to start reappearing in the pasture.

  A thunderous roar reverberated, and the sky darkened.

  "Strange..." Ragnar murmured.

  "It's just a change in the weather," Skiff tried to calm himself.

  "Sudden changes like this don't occur naturally." He turned to face his friend. "Something triggered this change. I bet my account that something bad is about to happen."

  Dark clouds filled the sky. The sunlight, though weakened, still found its way through the tiny gaps between the clouds.

  A ferocious roar echoed across the pasture. Ragnar and Skiff's spines froze. The iron druid thawed first, his heart pounding in his chest. Like a madman, he looked from side to side in search of who or what had done that.

  The roar sounded again, louder, closer. Ragnar paid more attention this time; it wasn't exactly a roar, it was a bellow, like a bull possessed by a demon.

  Seeing Skiff frozen in place, Ragnar shook him back to life.

  "There," he pointed north.

  The shadow of a gigantic quadruped was charging toward them. Lightning flashed across the sky, followed by another bolt that struck a few meters from the creature, revealing the shape of a red bull over three meters tall.

  A single word escaped Ragnar's mouth:

  "Fuck..."

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