Mikael said goodbye, quickly leaving towards he saw the slave merchant vanishing.
'Should've been around here...'
But no matter how much he looked, no trace was found.
'Of course, how could I think finding a random person is easy. He could be anywhere right now.'
He leaned disappointed against a buildings wall, only to be called out by two figures he had not so nice memories with.
"If that isn't our rookie Mikael, how are you doing? Hope you don't feel to negative about our little lesson?" Lars said, and Sven following behind with hit smaller stature a bit hidden next to Lars.
"Not really, it was only money, even if I could use some right now."
"Hah, already completely broke? It was our way of saying keep on searching for missions. You gotta stay in this business and hone your skills, else they get rusty."
Lars took a position next to Mikael, crouching and taking out a Benjamin, igniting it on a nearby lit candle.
The thick smoke filled for a moment Mikael's vision.
"What are you up to? It's not good custom to pry into others business, but with you I can't help but ask."
'Said the guys that robbed me to teach a life lesson.'
"Nothing much until my mission starts in some days. Right now I roam around, as I was interested in a person that I saw wandering here."
"Good, keep your information vague. It is as if you are weary of us." Sven approved, waving away a cloud Lars made.
"But still, you can tell us a bit more, maybe we can provide details. As fellow Adventurers and acquaintances that much is a given."
"Nothing to loose I guess."
Mikael described the man and that he knew his profession.
"Not that I want to buy a slave, but I have something urgent to investigate."
"Then you are in luck. As random as it seems, but your description perfectly fits our employer. He was searching for some guards that looked after his merchandise, and isn't stingy at all."
"However, he won't meet a child like you that doesn't even want to buy. Much less that you don't have any prestige."
"Then how can I see if what I'm searching for is there?"
"Mr. Basel will make an auction to present his wares, just a stage and some seats have to be prepared. This place here still didn't got something like that."
Lars gave Mikael then a small paper, on which location, time and kind of auction it is.
"Looking can't be forbidden, so just come around and see. And make your own judgment." he said as Mikael looked at the card with prejudice.
"Slave traders commonly have a bad reputation, and some deserve it, but many that are approved by the lord have to maintain certain conditions and treat them humanly. And Mr. Basel is one of them."
Mikael saw the honesty in Lars eyes, Sven nodding behind approvingly.
He put out his smoke, bad farewell and Mikael also went his way.
Back in the Inn, he chatted a bit with Emily while he ate the warm meal with her, describing vividly his mission. He didn't spare any details, and not only did Emily listened attentively, but she got quite excited when Mikael told especially dire moments.
Finished for the day, Mikael went upstairs, ready to begin the routine of exhausting himself before sleeping.
'Maybe this feeling will appear again. Last time I couldn't grasp it, but maybe tonight.'
After that, he took out the card he got earlier, reading again the information it held.
'Midday, from Lord Titus approved slave trader Basel will present his goods near the upper district.
Even approved from the lord... Then should there be old acquaintances, at least they are treated better.'
The date was scheduled for a week from now, and Mikael was nervous he may doesn't come back in time.
Closing his eyes, waiting for the feeling of what he hoped magic was, he fell asleep. Again, a tiny spark before loosing himself in his dreams appeared, but unable to grasp it, to hold it in place.
The next day went as uneventful as it could. Mikael strolled around, visiting Roàn and Leon, as he couldn't seem to find Sophia. He spent a long time in the Guild, reading through the quests shown to train himself in that subject.
Then the time was spent listening to some bards or musicians, overhearing the conversations from other hunter or guessing who would likely accompanying them into Nodan from the people that entered.
What surprised him was that he got approached by a duo, one man and a woman, that sat down next to him.
"Hey, are you perhaps the young hunter Mikael?" the man wearing a brown gambeson with metal over more vulnerable parts asked.
He had a neat beard, bald and a burn mark that reached from his side downwards the neck.
The woman seemed to be the same age of around 25 Mikael guessed, her brown hair bound in a ponytail. Her eyes were quite big and had a certain corporeality in them.
She had no big clothes on, but her clothes were thick in the right places and provided enough movement.
"I am, how do you know me?"
"Not really hard to get information about you. Are the youngest active hunter in this village, and also discovered with your party that monster, Tusk Stalker as you named it. With some reputation under your belt at least in our circle your name is not foreign to us."
'Guess that I have to expect. I mean me between all these folks here, if there aren't questions asked sometimes something is wrong.'
"Then how can I help you?"
"Easy, we want to participate in the Quest to take that thing out, but before we ought to ask for more information.
And seeing you here, we took the opportunity. Nothing lost in asking."
"Sharing these with us will also help yourselves. We can better keep you safe when we clearly know of its strengths." the female added.
"Nothing against it, but could you at least share your name with me? I was told to make sure of the ones opposite to me." Mikael thought back when Lars told him that. Before he'd just talk, but he agreed now at least knowing who you're speaking with is important.
"Sorry, forgot about that. I'm Mark, Copper Rank, from Solous Town."
"Also from Solous, same Rank. Just call me Meri."
Both took out respectively a bluish and and a yellowish colored ID card, letting them shine.
Mikael did the same, receiving raised eyebrows and approving nods from them.
'Is it so highly valued for Hunter to own one of these? Leon and Sophia didn't really seem to care.'
He then began to recall what they experienced back then, the silent movements, stunning strength and thick hide.
But also its weakness, it often attacks in straight lines and can hardly turn after charging.
"Be careful when trying a sneak attack or anything from its blind spot. Shouldn't it be engaged or distracted, it can use that moment against us.
And also it's reaction is fast. When countering, one doesn't notice it's heavy body, only the approaching paw."
Both of them listened attentively, at first with a hintt of doubt, but then took him more serious as he vividly described that monster.
Mero took some notes, interrupting Mikael to clarify some minor details he glossed over, like the length of its claws or if the front limbs are longer than its back ones.
These could Mikael not definitely answer, earning a pursing of her lips.
"Guess that's to be expected. Was a difficult situation back then, a miracle even you four escaped nearly unscathed."
'If you call all of us injured and running for our dear lives unscathed then yes.'
"With this we can get a pretty good picture of its capabilities, also the injury you dealt back then should be one of its weak point."
'Hmm? I didn't tell them about that.'
"We also talked with the Guild and looked over your written report. Basic procedure before a quest like that."
Mark answered before Mikael could ask.
"And, how about it? Will you come with the group tracking that thing down?" he asked.
Their professionalism and demeanor instinctively attracted Mikael, wishing to know them by their side.
Mira handed Mark her notes, which he glossed over and nodded after a minute.
"Sure. Albeit this is a new variant, we have a broad profile and some other Copper ranks, also you who encountered that beast before. Better conditions are hard to achieve."
He held out his elbow, the way hunter made a greeting like merchant's shook hands.
"Let's pray for a good hunt, may that monster fear the day it encountered our species."
'A bit overly dramatic, but okay.' he thought maybe they believed in the other God in these part, as they took this whole hunting way more seriously as just making money.
Leaving the Guild and back to his bed, after his routine he fell asleep, excited that the next day he will meet the group that leads their hunt to slay Tusk Stalker.
As the next day dawned, Mikael walked past the doorstep of the Guild as one of the first this morning, the staff just changing shifts.
Lizzy greeted him, recognizing him right away.
"If this isn't Robert's little friend. How are you doing? Heard a bit about your doing, and gotta admit: Never thought you would be such a promising rookie. Why here so early?"
Mikael, still tired and in need of something to wake him up, yawned deeply before answering.
"Hi Lizzy, couldn't sleep and thought before I waste my time trying to sleep, I can as well come here. Not that many shops are open now. And preparing for the mission can as well be done here. At least I got some good company here."
He hoped to see someone on the stage again, as the sound of different performers with changing instruments was a real pleasure.
'Not that much can be done here anyway, despite gambling, shopping and gossiping.'
"Aren't you afraid of the Nodan hunt?" she asked deducting his mission from his previous record. Him being special many kept an eye on his progress an history, at least for now.
"Not really, at least at the moment. Copper ranked hunter are coming with us after all."
"But that doesn't promise a successful quest. To be honest, Sophia and Leon are around Copper in case of fighting skills, despite their current rank. So a bunch more doesn't mean a sure win."
'They are so strong?' he thought, swallowing down a small lump in his throat.
'Hoped the others would be much stronger than even them.'