Chapter 470: Professional Hunter

Chapter 470: Professional Hunter

Hunter! the one of the guards at the watchtower shouted as Dallion made his way towards the gate of Nerosal.

The practice was annoying to the extreme, even if his title was not accepted. Half a year ago, he had to be stopped each time and go through a ridiculous process. At least now, there pretty much wasnt a soldier or guard in the city that didnt know him by sight.

Home sweet home, Dallion thought.

Despite the tensions in the empire and the rest of the world, the city had remained untouched. In part, that was due to it being in the most southern region of the empire. The new kingdoms nearby had declared neutrality, unwilling to feel the wrath of the entire empire, while the northern provinces were engaged in combat. It also helped that the city was brimming with soldiers and nearly every noble that had lost favor in the eyes of the emperor. It would be suicide to attack there, especially considering there was nothing to be gained from such an action.

Bringing some critters, Dallion said as he passed through. Several of the soldiers gave the metal basket he was carrying a quick glance, then let him continue on his way unimpeded.

Food? One of the squirrels asked. The time it had taken Dallion to reach the city, he had managed to learn the hedgerels language. It was a useful skill that simultaneously increased his writing and zoology skills. However, he had grown to regret it.

Food! I smell food! Another joined in, followed by the yells of all the creatures in the basket.

Ill give you food! Dallion shook the basket in an attempt to calm them down. At least it was a good thing he didnt have to make actual noises to communicate with them. Doing so would have been weird, even for him.

Hello, Dal, a tavern greeted Dallion as he passed by. New catch?

All part of the job, he replied.

That was another thing to keep in mind. Ever since he had developed his empathy trait, the guardian of every item, building, and area in the city was able to talk to him. The first year had been tough, although now things had started to calm down a bit, mostly because he wasnt seen as such a novelty anymore. As it turned out, buildings were like people: they lost interest after a while.

Anything interesting happen while I was gone? Dallion asked.

Merchants complaining about the wilderness and the plague. Nothing out of the ordinary.

That much was a given. Somehow, merchants always found something to complain about. As far as Dallion was concerned, there was no better time to be a merchant. Kingdoms were all too willing to buy their wares at almost any price and always sent large escorts to protect them along the way. The only drawback was that the travel distance always varied. The old trade routes were somewhat disrupted, though not by too much.

As he walked, Dallion got a whiff of a nearby bakery. The bread was freshly baked, and rather good by normal standards, but it wasnt for awakened. The hedgerels, though, went crazy to the point that Dallion had to buy a dozen loaves for them.

When I take you home, he said. No need to make a scene. Foods tight even here.

The creatures calmed down somewhat, though not that much.

Afternoon, Dal, a stall seller said.

She seemed like a nice young woman with a charming smile. Most of the neighborhood perceived her as such. Dallion, however, knew that she was part of the mirror poolthe sanctioned criminal organization that ran all the citys underworld. Due to recent events, they had been keeping pretty quiet, but now, with the war, things were starting to change again. Every source of information was valued, and the mirror pool had lots of information to offer.

Im not in need of handkerchiefs today, Dallion replied, keeping up the pretense.

Dallion placed his hand on the wall and used his awakening powers. A second later, all the damage was gone and the walls were as good as new. Duringthat second, though, Dallion had entered the awakened realm of the buildinga whole world of its ownand tracked down and killed all the creatures that represented the scars. It was a difficult task but it had taken him half a day in terms of the realm.

Can you manage a week without scarring a wall? Dallion looked at the guilty shardfly. Just a week, okay? I promise Ill find you a place where you can break loose soon enough.

kay, Ruby replied, remaining perfectly still.

Why do I even bother? Dallion went back to the hedgerels and tossed in a few more loaves of bread. Ground rules, he began. You stay inside the basket. Ill find a place to put you in the wilderness where you wont have to eat peoples crops and set you free there. Okay?

The creatures were too busy devouring the bread to reply. Even so, Dallion knew that they had heard him.

Just show a little patience, okay? he went to the door. And everyone else, try to make them feel welcome. And by that, I dont mean slicing the basket, he pointed at the group of shardflies. Now, I need to go somewhere for a few hours, but Ill be back this evening. Behave till then.

The silence was encouraging, but this wasnt the first time that creatures had tried to pull a fast one on Dallion. Unfortunately, he had business to take care of.

Keep them in, he said as he closed the door. A cloud click followed.

Have a good day, sir, the lock said as Dallion went back down the stairs.

Grabbing his backpack, he then went to the front of the building. The workshop door was locked, which meant that Eury was out somewhere. That wasnt unusual. A relationship between hunters was almost like a long-term relationship. When they werent off doing jobs, they were within the realm of some item or other, improving it or themselves. It wasnt rare that theyd spend weeks apartsometimes within the course of a single day. That made the time they did spend together all the more cherished.

Any idea what March wants to see me for? Dallion asked as he unlocked the door in the standard fashionwith a keythen tossed his backpack inside.

I cannot say, dear boy, Nil replied.

That was a rather dubious answer from the echo, meaning either that it had no idea or that the original from whom he had been created didnt wish to share that information. That was the problem with echoes, since they were the equivalent of virtual clones within the awakened realms, they remained close to the individual from whom they were created. As such, they knew exactly when to keep secrets.

Well, its time to find out. Dallion locked the door and returned the key to his belt pocket.

The Icepicker guild wasnt particularly close to Eurys workshop, though in terms of the city it couldnt be said to be too far away either. Dallion had passed by it several times. However, entering it since quitting had always been weird.

Standing in front of the entrance of the four-story building, memories flashed through his mind. There was a time when he viewed the people inside the building as his family. They had treated him better than well, and yet he had betrayed them. It had been for a good causesaving Nerosal from being swallowed in the wildernesshowever, that was no excuse. Dallion felt that he had to take responsibility, and he did by leaving once all the issues were settled. To a degree, he had been avoiding them ever since.

Never thought Id be welcome back here, he said to himself.

I still think leaving was a bit melodramatic, Nil said. But I agree that you needed a change of surroundings. The important thing is that it all worked out.

Yes, things worked out.

Dallion took a deep breath, then entered the building.