Angry stomps drummed against the earthy ground, Kal could lash out at anything and anyone in any given moment as he was currently. He couldn't accept the half-assed attitude of the herbalists. Were they even aware that Bave meant a whole lot for the Association Bar?
The old hunter's nostrils were slightly widened as his breathing was harsh from all the anger. He kept his word, intending to find these strangers' leader. Whoever he was! Big, tall, bulky or small, tiny and skinny – it didn't matter.
He even was ready to resolve it by force, if the need was.
Kal finally made it out from a thorny bushy path and noticed several men gathered in front of a small wooden house. It was on only one ground level, unlike where Bave was staying at, a two-story house.
The sharp-witted man caught on – that should be the house where the one in command was staying at. There was no other logic to the armed men who guarded near the house. Unless the group had stolen treasures and were trying to be precautious now with the hunters being around.
Kal legworked his way to that house. It was obvious how angry he was and that he would resort to violence, would someone dare to press a wrong button!
"Sir!", one of the guards tried to bar Kal from entering.
The hunter didn't want to waste his breath on 'small fries'. He knew who could give him answers and he wasn't going to talk to anyone else but the leader. If the leader had the balls for it!
"Get out of my way!", the hunter struggled as his shirt was being held tight by the guard but Kal worked his muscles and pushed forth with the man holding him.
Upon seeing that Kal was boosting his way through despite being held, another guard tried to restrain the hunter.
"You cannot enter! Please, calm down!"
"Where is he!! Your commander! Where--!! You assholes--!! Your boss!! Where!!", Kal kept mumbling angrily, spitting left and right from his fast-talking. One could barely understand what he was saying from all the raging.
"Please! Reconsider! We are ordered not to hurt you but if you don't behave-!!", one of the guards tried to reason with Kal but a good straight punch was landed on his chin.
The man stumbled backward. The punch was painful enough for the guard to bend down, holding his chin. Was his face still there? He felt his chin as if his bottom jaw was smashed.
Another guard stepped forth, already drawing his sword wordlessly. It was quite visible that the angry hunter wouldn't listen to anything right now.
Just before the guard was to make his move and threaten Kal to step back, the door opened with a prolonged creak. The interior was too dark as all windows were sealed with wooden logs. Despite the darkness coming from within, Kal could see the gentle illumination of candlelight.
On the doorstep, a woman stood tall. He recognized her right away; she was fighting on the battlefield with the mages. Kal and Koh were completely taken aback, both from her beauty and from her combat skills…or rather, her sorcerer skills.
Kal somewhat calmed down as he finally saw someone he could recognize. The man paid no attention to the several guards now trying to push him down on his knees. Some were using such force that torn his shirt. However, the hunter was pumped with adrenaline. He wasn't kneeling that easily as the guards would want him to.
"Milady!", the guards greeted although struggled with both trying to hold Kal at a spot and pay their respect to the mysterious female.
"Release him. He can come in.", her voice was calm but one couldn't find an ounce of gentleness. It sounded like a general just gave an order.
Kal was confused as the guards quickly stepped back and lifted their hands off of Kal. Was she so influential? The hunter knew she was strong but was she strong enough to be their leader? Was she the one in command?
He didn't know how to react. How can he lash out on a female? If it were a man, he could at least punch him!
The woman sparred him no glance and walked back in, letting the door open for the hunter to follow in. Kal paced slowly though his angry stomps were no reluctant steps.
He somewhat lost all the adrenaline in his bloodstream. How was he supposed to approach a woman? Besides, he also felt ashamed of himself, showing such a disgraceful state when she was so composed. It should have been the opposite! Women were emotional creatures and men had to keep their heads cool.
That was how Kal was raised to think, that was what he felt comfortable with. Protecting, loving and being a shelter for these beautiful emotional creatures.
The hunter walked in, closing the door behind and a faint cough followed as he tried to clear both his throat from the dryness and his consciousness from embarrassment
The woman was standing next to a candle lamp which was the same design with the rest, keeping the room in a cozy dim light. Her almond-shaped eyes with the beauty of amber looked like liquid gold melting within her irises. She was standing tall, her legs slim but not boney. In fact, one could tell she had done at least some basic physical training.
Kal didn't feel threatened although one would think the atmosphere inside was intimidating. Instead, he felt rather calm. Whether his gut feeling or whatever he could credit it to, he felt like she wouldn't waste her time to pull him in some scheme. She didn't look like the type that would care for random three hunters after they no longer had the Nominalia in their possession.
Therefore, Kal didn't see a single reason for her to find them useful.
"Um…", the hunter tried to start the topic as the silence was pressuring him more than any other situation he had before, "Are you the one in command?"
"I can be.", her tone cut like a saber.
The older man struggled with the conversation. She seemed impregnable; despite her beauty, the girl was one of the rational beings. There wasn't a trace of emotions he could read on her face.
Kal sighed and raised a hand to his hip, resting it on his side.
"Look. I am pretty annoyed. My captain has been unconscious for a week. We got here three days ago with the hope to cure him! We wouldn't agree to join you-", Kal was abruptly interrupted.
"Join us? Have you really joined us?"
The hunter furrowed his brows in a deep frown. What was she trying to say? Wasn't it clear from the beginning? They gave the Nominalia up, in turn, Bave would get treated. What else was there to it? Was the deal different?
Kal's green eyes stared long at her porcelain face whilst she was looking somewhere into the distance.
"What are you trying to say?", he finally shot the question.
"My…I have always heard that hunters are not very intelligent…", her eyes squinted lightly as she averted her gaze his way.
Her words were sarcastic and rude but the rudeness was covered by a gracious use of words. Her Balhkaran language was one of a scholar's!
Kal's frustration meter began pumping and raising its cortisol levels. Did she just call him dipstick? Him? Being inept?
He prided himself in so many things, and one of the top three was raising a beautiful daughter! How dare such arrogant woman spit on all the hardships he had been through!
"Do you really think that we couldn't take the Nominalia without the deal?", she continued before Kal had time to cuss at her, "Think about it. You were outnumbered. No resources. Your captain was taken down. You think that you really bought off his life with the Nominalia?"
The woman kept stuffing Kal with rational statements. She made a good point. The group of archers, mages and swordsmen could take the Nominalia by force. The deal was a lucky strike for the hunters, nothing more.
"So? You are saying what? You lured us here? Gonna kill us now?"
Despite Kal's straight-forward question, which sounded quite scary to even imagine the three friends would meet such an end, he remained calm.
The woman stared at him in utter disbelief. Like she just heard the most ridiculous thing ever. Was Kal aware that if they wanted to kill them, they would have been dead by now? Or was he really that silly?
The sorcerer sighed audibly but she was not to discuss further this. She wanted to discuss that matter with Baht Ver, their captain. Unfortunately, they also did not foresee that Bave would fall into a coma.
"Your captain has been severely injured. If I were a second late, he'd been dead by now."
The honesty in her words made Kal shudder to the core. Bave was that close to die? What had happened beyond the border gates? He was scared to ask.
"Will he survive? Why is he not waking up?", the worry overtook his angry expression and he genuinely displayed his helplessness.
"Lady Tanya said his vital organs are intact. However, it seems he was exposed to 'Burning Ichor' for a bit too long."
The woman repeated Tanya's words, the old woman who was currently taking care of Bave's recovery. Moreover, the sorcerer knew that 'Burning Ichor' could be fatal but Kal could tell there was more to it and she was hesitant to say it.
The years spent in the field had taught Kal when someone was withholding information and when someone was truthful. It was an essential skill one had to polish if he wanted to make it in the cruel world of hunters.
"'Burning Ichor'?", Kal repeated and prodded the sorcerer to speak further.
"'Ichor' is a very ancient word. It comes from the far lands of South. It translates to 'The Blood of Gods' or 'That which flows in Gods' veins'. The spell is not related to one's bloodstream but because one's nerve endings are severed like a bowstring - it can result in ruptured arteries and veins."
The mage slowly proceeded from her standing point and moved to the middle of the room to sit behind a desk whilst she was explaining a bit about the spell that Bave was affected by. She reached to one of the many books on her desk and drew it carefully out from the pile.
Kal listened to and watched her. She seemed livelier when she spoke of magic and he could tell she loved the art of it. However, he wasn't that interested to listen about some spells. He wanted to know what would happen to Bave.
"I see… So, are you saying that he won't recover or will recover?"
The woman looked up from her book with spells and her stare pierced through Kal. Her short answer made the hunter break into goosebumps.
"He has to recover.", her gaze dropped back to her book, on a particular page she opened on, "There is someone who can fix him".
"There is?! Then what are we waiting for!!!", Kal closed in but not enough to trouble the lady. He still had his manners and kept his distance. Besides, he was a bit reluctant. God knew what could a sorcerer do to him. What if she turned him into a steak? Or a chair she could later chop and use to keep her fireplace stuffed with?
"Everything comes with a price. The world of magic is based on equivalent exchange.", her voice dropped a pitch as she seemed a bit irritated by Kal's impatience.
Was she blabbing about another deal now? Kal really had enough.
"Listen. You treat us like idiots-!", before he could pour his frustration out, the lady raised her hand to halt his speech.
"I think you misunderstood. I am telling you that either you or your other teammate has to take your captain's place. 'Equivalent Exchange' is based on the principle 'life for a life' and 'death for a death'.", the sorcerer spoke calmly like she was indifferent to all she was saying.
Kal's mind sank in an abyss. Either he or Koh had to take Bave's place? It meant that they wouldn't wake up for god knew how long. Their families would probably condemn Bave for it. Everyone would blame the young leader, regardless of who took his place.
Moreover, whether it was Kal or Koh – they wouldn't be able to take potential goodbyes with these who were close. The choice fell on Kal's shoulders like a Titan who held the globe. But Kal was no Atlas, he was no Titan who could bear the weight of that choice.
He felt fear.