WM [14] Help When Needed

WM [14] Help When Needed

There was a small monster-hunting group in the town. They would clear monsters in the area and sell the carcasses. Monsters were uniquely different from normal animals, even magic beasts. Monsters were not natural; they came from the corrupted lands, places of such high ambient magic that the landscape was in constant flux.

Yuhia had no corrupted land, but plenty was outside the kingdom’s borders. Monsters that crossed the border were hunted down and killed. The monster hunters in the town weren’t a permanent group but human mercenaries. They had an exclusive contract with the city, so anyone who wanted to hunt monsters in the surrounding area had to have their approval.

Bjorn and Tanisha were on their way to the mercenary outpost so they could register Bjorn and he could hunt in the area. The town was quiet this early in morning; the sun barely rose over the horizon, and even the morning birds were waking up.

“Failsafe, are you still ignoring me?” Bjorn asked.

Failsafe whispered, “You never apologized.”

“Apologized for what—you are mad about the hunting thing?” Bjorn said in disbelief.

“I was just trying to help.”

Bjorn breathed out his frustration from all of his noses. “You know what, you're right. I was being unfair. In the future, though, how about this: if we are hunting, let me do it on my own so I can learn. You keep a lookout for threats to us, deal?”

“That was a terrible apology. Okay, I agree but with my metaphysical arms crossed.”

“Great to hear, buddy. Not the arms thing.”

“There it is, I think?” Tanisha said as she pointed to a building near the town’s wall. “That is where the innkeeper said it would be.” Tanisha was far less confident.

The building looked terrible, as if it had been knocked down several times and rebuilt with whatever scraps remained. There wasn’t even a door, just an open frame that led into darkness. A man stood outside the door with a boar spear and watched as Bjorn and Tanisha approached.

“G'day, miss. Watch yer step,” the man said with a smirk.

“Good morning, thanks,” Tanisha said as she passed the man.

The inside of the decrepit-looking building was surprisingly lovely. So much so that Bjorn wanted to walk back outside to see if they had entered a different building. He nearly tripped when the first step was a step-down, which he had not expected. He caught himself, but not before Tanisha noticed him freak out for a second and giggled to herself.

“He said watch your step, Big Man.” Tanisha covered her mouth poorly, hiding her laughter.

“Ah, guests this early? That is a surprise.” A man said from behind a desk. “Welcome, I am Robert Smith, the official Registrar of the Jackrabbits.”

The registrar placed the money on his desk and pulled out a document. He and Tanisha signed it and she was given directions to the mercenary camp, along with a sealed letter. They were set up outside the town to respond quickly to monsters entering the area. Tanisha thanked him, and the duo left the small faux-office building.

“Well, at least we know you'll be getting more heads sooner or later,” Tanisha said.

Bjorn had already figured as much. After all, he had already seen his mother; she was the Queen of a Thousand Heads, not the Queen of Three Noggins. He wondered what would happen if he met a wild lesser hydra. Would they also be afraid of him, or would his King of Reptiles skill do something else to them? Maybe he could control them, or they would see him as an alpha or something. He really wanted to find out, but that was an experiment for another day.

The Jackrabbit camp was a mile from the town, and Bjorn could smell it long before they arrived. The camp smelled of blood and decay along with the tang of fires and ironworking. The camp was far more impressive than the little collapsed building they had in town. Wooden walls and guard towers surrounded the burgeoning settlement, and a notable amount of goods looked to be coming and going.

Bjorn and Tanisha weren’t stopped from entering the front gate. They saw permanent structures erected inside, making it into a small village. Monster hunters, leather workers, smiths, healers, and even inns and restaurants were all inside the camp, which by all definitions should be called a village by this point. The establishments looked to be run by members of the town and the Jackrabbits.

Most of the people here were human, but not all. There was a good number of wendigo and a smattering of elves and goblins. Unlike the town, which was still sleepy at this point, the Jackrabbits camp was full of life. Tanisha led Bjorn to the building Robert had described. Before Tanisha could touch the door, a man was suddenly thrown out and hit the ground on his back at her feet. The two jumped out of the way as the man rolled over to his side.

Identify

Name: Kevin Horner

Species: Human

Level: 18

Vocation: Prana Bowman

Kevin looked young, early twenties at most. He was thin but had a good build meant for combat. His face was red with anger as he punched the ground and stared daggers at the doorway.

“I told you, if you’re gonna work here, you listen to what the fuck I say!” A second man said as he lowered his foot from a blatant kick and stepped out the door. “Get the fuck out of here before you get yourself or a squad killed. I don’t want to see you around here again!”

Identify

Name: Alfred Quarter

Species: Human

Level: 50

Vocation: Prana Iron Netcaster

Alfred was far better put together than the young man, but he reeked of alcohol. He was in casual clothing, a tunic and harem pants. His long raven hair almost completely covered his eyes. Someone handed him something, and he pulled back his hair and quickly tied it into a ponytail.

“You're going to pay for that, Alfred!” Kevin said as he stood up and held out his hand. “You don’t have the fuckin' right to kick me out!”

Alfred stepped to the side as a longbow flew through the air from the building and into Kevin’s open hand. He rose to one knee and nocked an arrow in a smooth motion.

“You sure you wanna do that, Kevin?” Alfred asked with a smirk. “We can go there if you want. If you could shoot worth a damn, maybe I wouldn’t be kicking your sorry ass out.”

The man lowered the bow when he saw more people crowd around to see what was happening. He clenched his jaw as he stood up.

“Fuck you, it’s not like you're even worth it! You washed-up Jackrabbits are all bark and no bite,” Kevin growled. “What the fuck you looking at?” He turned and pushed someone out of the way as he stomped off.

The crowd slowly dispersed, seeing there wouldn’t be a fight, which disappointed everyone. Alfred shook his head and walked back into the building.

“Well, we found Alfred at least,” Tanisha said quietly. “Come on, Big Man, let’s talk to him.”