The news spread like wildfire among the citizens of Ravenhide.
'Mysterious Stranger kills Demoness',
'Hooded figure kicks demon butt - An interview with the rescued citizen'.
'New Hero in Town' and many other headlines were plastered on TV screens and newspapers across the city.
"He cut her in half and engulfed her in flames," someone shouted.
"No! he cut her hands off and shot her face till there was no trace," another corrected him.
"I heard she killed him and shape-shifted to look like him," an old man said.
The endless chatter among the city folk continued on. People were excited and they wanted more action. They wanted to be free to roam about the city at night without worrying about stepping on an angry demons toes. Even the upper district had heard of the news and they were curious to know what had happened. Most of them made their way to the middle district to join in on the chatter. A suspicious woman who was clad in red leather was examining the area where the fight took place. There wasn't a single trace of blood left at the scene as it was already wiped clean. She wanted to meet the Golden Knight and to find out what his intentions were.
GK a.k.a The Golden Knight had lived in the city for about a year, keeping a low profile. Now things had changed, people wanted to be saved and it was going to be difficult doing it alone. They tried to follow him, to find out more.
He tried to remain hidden from sight. He needed to disguise himself when he went out, and stay low for a while to let the heat settle.
There was a popular hunters guild at the center of the middle district. A place for warriors and rogues to gather and hunt together. Wanted posters and a variety of quests were pinned to the guilds, huge cork boards. The solid wooden interior would have felt homely if it wasn't full of thugs and brutes. A rustic, tavern or inn for bounty hunters to drown themselves in alcohol, dine, earn money and spend the night.
Drunk men and women sat at their tables singing and shouting profanities at each other. There was a huge solid wooden counter facing the entrance, where the hunters got their applications stamped. At the edge of the counter, there were two rectangular-shaped oil lanterns with an intense flame burning inside each of them. The guild was called Kepp's Hunters Guild, a huge old building close to the center of town, just a few meters away from the clock tower.
Uncle Kepp the barkeeper, a huge, plump, kind and caring man who keeps the place in check owned the guild. He was kind and caring but his towering physique scared the other hunters.
The quests posted at the guild had unique identification numbers and were sorted according to their difficulty levels. There was a bar on the left; the stools occupied by the butts of even more drunks chugging down massive mugs of beer as they challenged each other at poker and arm wrestling.
GK casually walked in, not expecting any trouble when suddenly a dagger flew at his face. He barely managed to dodge it in time and glared in the direction it came from.
"Well, well look who's here? It's the fancy new hero in town."
One of the customers, a rather tall and stout, bearded man's voice spoke through the noisy chatter. He stood up and approached GK, his giant, heavy footsteps stomping along the dark hardwood floor.
"Now,now…. I've already told you guys a million times, I will not tolerate fights in my bar." A rather kind sounding voice came from the kitchen. As the double kitchen doors opened, a sweet aroma wafted across the room.
"If you misbehave, there will be no free servings of Kepp's infamous PlumRose Butter Muffins tonight."
GK glanced toward the man who was now walking towards them. The bulky, bearded jerk just grunted and walked back to his table.
"There's always room for a skilled hunter at Kepp's guild. Feel free to join us GK, you will not regret it. You can start by picking a bounty at that board. After watching how you killed that banshee, I have no doubt in your abilities, but please be cautious as there are some you might not want to mess with."
"I would gladly peruse the list of bounties,
But firstly, I would love to try some freshly baked chocolate brownies." GK responded.
Kepp nodded. "I'll prepare you a whole set meal on the house just for today. Please have a seat."
"I'm a vegetarian and I don't drink so…"
"No worries, our menu is endless. This is the only hunters guild with a five-star food rating." Keep replied.
GK was served a full vegetarian meal, which attracted threatening glances from the nearby tables. GK realized that living here wasn't going to be easy, not in the tiniest bit. He finished up and proceeded to the corkboard. The hunters were also ranked based on their performances, and the top-ranked hunter was someone called Blaze. He proceeded to peruse the available bounties.
A familiar-looking creature caught his eye, one that would never fail to bother him during his deep mental relaxation sessions. Sometimes, when he sits down to meditate, a melodious voice echoes through his mind causing him to lose focus and arouse unwelcome thoughts.
"So they're here too." He decided to take the bounty; it was an eight-star bounty, the highest one at the moment. The creatures were ranked from one star to ten stars. Nothing else was posted beyond the five-star difficulty so far. In order to get paid you had to pick a bounty and register at the counter. A heavily freckled red-headed girl was sitting at the counter, whom he graciously greeted. Her thick, neatly woven single braid hung low up to her slender waist. She wore a laced chiffon collared shirt paired with a dark, moss-colored knee-length plaid skirt. She greeted him with an innocent smile and proceeded to give him a registration leaflet.
"I wouldn't pick this bounty if I were you," she advised him sounding genuinely concerned. "It's not an easy quest for men, besides; why not try something of reduced difficulty since it's your first bounty."
"It's ok, I've dealt with them before," he reassured her. You can never accurately rate a monster according to difficulty. They evolve, adapt and change as we breathe".
"Your one-star difficulty could very well be the most challenging to beat,
As they will try to trick and cheat.
They come in many shapes and form,
Able to disguise, blend-in and transform."
He rhymed and left the guild. She maintained the concerned look on her face until he exited the gigantic intricately carved double wooden doors after which, the edges of her lips tilted upwards into a rather suspicious smile. The bounty came with a location, which wasn't too far away from his apartment. One of the reasons why he chose it and he knew exactly how to lure the creature. They fed on lust. Honest, righteous, untainted and inexperienced virgin men were a great challenge to them and they were even more attracted by these types.
He walked back to his rented apartment, an old but sturdy 10-story building located on the eastern side of the middle district. It was pretty close to the seashore and was situated in a quieter, less developed part of Ravenhide. The lush greenery and the cheerful chatter and melodious chirping of birds helped him meditate in peace. He made his way to the seventh floor, room number thirteen. It was small yet cozy and warm.
A rectangular wooden coffee table stood in between a 30-inch flat-screen television and a comfortable brown three-seater couch He entered his bedroom on the left; rested for a bit, took a shower and made his way to the seashore for some much-needed meditation. It was nearing dusk and the sound of the waves hitting the docks was calming and serene. The sea breeze felt cool as it brushed against his face. The place was dimly lit by a few street lights and lanterns. The place was kept spick and span as anyone who dare littered was smacked with a hefty fine that had to be settled on the spot.
There was a dilapidated, open bar and grill that was for rent situated a few meters away from the seashore. He sat under a giant oak tree that shaded the tiny bar. He closed his eyes and imagined the flame in his mind, pushing away any other wild thoughts that floated irritatingly about. He had been meditating for about less than twenty-five minutes when a sweet, melodious female voice echoed through his mind. She was singing some kind of lullaby, a lullaby that aroused sexual thoughts instead of putting you in deep slumber. He awoke from his trance and found himself transported to the middle of a forest. It was cold and misty; the sound of waves still audible from where he stood.
Oddly, the forest was eerily quiet. Its nocturnal inhabitants were silent besides the occasional howling of the wind. All he could hear was the sweet yet incomprehensible singing. Rotten twigs and dried leaves cracked under his boot as he tried to find the source from where it came from. It was already dark, the barely visible streaks of moonlight found it difficult to penetrate through the layers of dense foliage above. The foggy forest floor certainly wasn't helping, further reducing visibility.
As he kept walking the voice got louder until it stopped abruptly, and so did he. In the midst of the thick fog in front of him, he saw a woman, completely nude but with her assets and privates conveniently censored by the thick mist that surrounded her. She was fondling herself, trying to get him aroused. She subsequently started humming, biting her luscious cherry colored bottom lip and licking the edges of her mouth. Her lavender colored eyes sparkled as she stroked her wavy, long dark locks of hair that curved gracefully around her large bosom.
"Not this again," he muttered as he rubbed his temples. His head was throbbing, when he closed his eyes, he felt like his eyeballs were being pierced by many tiny needles.
***
In the woods, a sweet voice sings,
What kind of dreams will it bring?
Whatever it is, it's best if you keep away,
When the song of the siren continues to play.