Chapter 19: Last Hole-3

Tallow had its pungent smell, and so did the fatwood bark. But none of them could cover the burning smell of Ashen Oud seeping down from upstairs in the Last Hole.

The defective wolves, who were usually all loud and barking, were huddling in a group with hushed tones.

Not daring to be loud.

Their suppressed punches on the table and the thudding mugs passing over while spilling black tar-e booze kept humming low—as if, if it were any louder, an asphalt beast would come down to tear off the very air itself.

Vadira passed another barrel of vodka while taking out a rusty knife to peel the wild boar on the floor to roast it to add some entertainment. Yet no one seemed to pay it the respect it deserved at other times.

Selesa walked to the slab, peeking at the back of Vadira as her boobs swayed in her low-cut shirt. "Did they lock him up?" Her eyes darted up to the cabin Moon was currently living in.

"Um," Vadira kept his focus on his knife.

"What if another phantom wolf broke out?"

"Maestra sealed the cabin."

"Oh. Where is Marina? You sent her away?"

Vadira’s hand paused for a moment. "I sent her to her mother. This place doesn’t suit her."

"Oi, where is my tar-e, Bo? What? With this fucking dead face? Are you mourning for your mother?" A rough voice broke through the air from the Chimera’s table.

"Lower, Angi. Lower your tone," someone hissed from the side.

"Why? I came here to drown my gut. Not to mourn for your mother." Angi swayed when he slammed his mug on the table.

"Shhhh. Someone take him away."

"No way! I am not going anywhere until I fucking see that witch. No one is stopping me." Angi pointed around with his finger, stumbling on his legs as he stood up.

"Oho! Bravo, mate, go up and let us see the legendary phantom."

"He is locked."

"Locked my ass! Wake up, man, we can’t fight a witch even if he is locked."

Cimera, the big boss of the table, leisurely played with his mug and said in a low growl, "Don’t go. Do you really think they will send a savior to us—defective and worthless wolves—to make our lives better? How fucked up you are!"

The rising adrenaline, which wanted to spark, suddenly died down with his implication. The room fell into a gloomy silence. The tallow burned to its death somewhere between there, dimming the little light left even further.

Only the humming of the boiling water and the cracking firewood remained oblivious.

After a moment, someone whispered, "What if he can?"

"Have you guys fucking eaten your brains? Still believe he can heal? Can’t you see the alpha is just hanging him to us like a sweet honeyed pepper, waiting for us to grab and burn?" A young man roared in anger.

"Kasel, stop right there. I fucking said don’t mention The Lord here in my bar," Vadira shouted from behind his slab.

Kasel flinched for a moment. "Anyway, don’t you see what happened in the past two weeks? All our men who could have stood for whatever fucking little gain we can have are being crippled one after another." His voice choked with anger.

"Chika is dead, Billiard still can’t get up, Shank and Goritti are fucking sleeping with iodine and salt..." He paused, looking at the complicated eyes of the others.

"In just two weeks, we have lost almost everyone who has a footing. Either they are in bed or they are half dead... who will stand up to guard for our rations next month?"

"Tch, as if we have any standing to begin with?" Cimera said slowly, his big muscles flexed with every turn.

"We will lose even the last tiny bits we get if we don’t stand guard, Cimera. You know the guards were coveting our rations," Kasel bristled.

"Don’t be absurd, Kasel. Why would the palace want to stab us from behind when they can just wipe us out in one swing?" Harrison furrowed his brows, his thick brows and hairy face almost looking beastly.

"They will never wipe us out, Harri," Selesa chimed in.

"Yeah, if they do, who will wipe their floors and clean their garderobes? They need us," Cassia said slowly, rubbing her nails with wine and a rag.

"I want to shift to the kitchen. That smell of bathwater is getting on my nerves," another girl growled.

"Where is Boss?" Selesa suddenly asked. "I haven’t seen him for a while."

"His ass is inflamed. That machete Axe shoved was not a dildo, you know."

"Pffft!" someone burst out in laughter.

Then another one.

Suddenly, the room burst into suppressed, guttural laughter, forgetting even their upcoming ration distribution that might end up with half or nothing coming down to their mouths.

It was fate anyway.

Cimera raised his mug and stood up.

"Okay, we are not going up. Let the people up play their own game." He finished, looking at Vadira, who was now pushing the meat sticks in a tray inside the burner.

Angi wobbled on his legs, clutching a dirty bottle without any seal or label, "Anstia dumped me. She said my fang is disturbing."

"Pfft!" Another burst of laughter spread through.

"Let me kiss you, boy. Forget her." Menaca grabbed the boy’s head, planting a loud smooch.

"Go away! Go, go!" Angi flailed in disgust.

"Aren’t you going to do something about the smell coming down, Vadira? It’s suffocating. My lungs are burning." Another man rubbed his wolf nose and shouted.

Vadira came out to the table, wiping his hands on a rag. "I can’t do anything. It will be gone by the morning."

"I said you should get a ventilation."

"Eh! Ventilation my ass! Can’t even get a rug to cover my ass, you think I have the money?"

Nobody else mentioned the ventilation again.

They knew this Last Hole was literally a hole. Getting some booze and wine was only for them to live and get ready for the next day’s work.

The chatter gradually shifted to other things. The smoky smell or the witch’s aura couldn’t hold them in one place.

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Moon Astra withdrew his divine sense and looked at Ugo, who was now pulling the pallet to the corner.

"I said I don’t need it," Moon muttered.