After an intense session of vicious scolding by Hunter, Warrior tended to flinch every time Hunter rose his voice slightly to be heard. Hunter couldn't believe that a young man his age needed to be taught about proper etiquette! Honestly, Fighter and Warrior had no sense of how to act in public. It was perfectly fine if they wanted to humiliate themselves when they were on their own, but Hunter wouldn't stand for it when the entire party was involved in their ridiculous argument. Funnily enough, Wizard backed everything he told Warrior, following up with scathing criticism for the lad. Hunter had to admit, he felt bad for Warrior, who looked down during the rant like a beaten puppy.
Or a beaten five-year-old, but that was neither here nor there.
Fighter was, of course, being scathed the same way at the same time, as Hunter was addressing both of them. However, Fighter clearly did not care about what Hunter had to say on the matter of public decency. It was aggravating, and that was only worsened when Fighter had called him an 'old fart.' Hunter wasn't that old! Probably!
They had only been a 'party' for about an hour, and the young adventurers already seemed to accept Hunter as the party leader for this quest. They seemed to believe that Hunter had previous experience with combat and leadership, though they didn't say it openly. Oddly enough, he believed that he did have more leadership experience. The thing was, when he tried to think about that experience and how he attained it, that infuriating brain fog would come to smother it like a pillow over his face.
Hunter could think about the fog itself, but every time he thought about his past, he would be left confused, and then frustrated. He had recognized the pattern eventually and was left trying to comprehend the memory smothering fog instead. Why was this happening? Was he developing dementia? He wasn't that old of course, but he knew that if he thought about his exact age, that fog would return to smother the information. Hunter needed to find a way to pierce it, he couldn't keep going on like this, not knowing who or what he was.
For now, however, he would be satisfied with simple adventuring. Perhaps once they became more comfortable around Hunter, his party members could help him with his dilemma. Hunter would simply try his best to not think of his past; oddly... he felt as if that were what the fog wanted of him, to forget and go forward.
Hunter would not give in so easily of course. He wasn't one to surrender to such things as this.
His party hadn't taken long to gather themselves for the trip. They had bought several basic supplies, including six days worth of food for five people for the trip to the caves and back. Hunter had wondered about the red vials at the potion shop and their resemblance to The Blood when they approached the store, and that got him thinking about it. However, that infuriating fog smothered any information he could have possibly gleaned from his muddied thoughts. Hunter knew, however, that it was unwise to go somewhere he had never been unprepared. He bought several different varieties of potions with the extra gold he had attained from his rat slaughter. This involved cures for several different kinds of ailments, poisons, and even minor wounds. Hunter stopped the party to ask them if these potions were merely snake oil, but they just seemed confused by the statement. He then clarified, asking if the potions were able to function as advertised.
They all agreed that potions would, in fact, perform as promised. This impressed Hunter, who thought that such consumables had to be infused with some kind of blood to do such things. Upon thinking of it, the fog came again, and Hunter had gritted his teeth in anger at his failure to recall his past. He tucked the vials away in a small pouch at his waist, and Priestess seemed to note his frustration despite his concealed face and asked him what he was upset with. Hunter had lied and told her that he had a cavity, which caused severe pain in waves.
Priestess merely asked him why he wouldn't just go to one of the temples to get it healed, and Hunter had no reply. Priestess thankfully hadn't pressed the matter further but now the others of the group likely wouldn't ask him about his random pauses whenever he thought of his past.
Hunter had thought they would want to pick up weapons for the trip, but he realized that everyone in the party already had armaments. Warrior had his sword, Wizard and Priestess their staves, and Fighter her bare-hands. Hunter was the only one that had no weapons, though he could fight with his fists well enough. That was how he cleared out the sewers, he had no weapons but the rat's flesh tore apart easily under his fists. His hands would perform well enough for now.
Something about it felt wrong however, Hunter knew he was supposed to have a weapon... maybe several. Where had they gone? The fog came to answer his question. Gritting his teeth, he ignored the prodding from Warrior about what kind of weapon he used, merely shrugging in response. Hunter and company then reached the iron gates of the city, which were raised for them to exit. The iron gates remained shut early in the morning and only opened upon noon.
A wide dirt road stretched out to the north before them, wide green fields stretched out to either side of it, contrasting the brown dirt of the well-trodden path. The sky was a clear blue, not a cloud in sight. This, of course, made the sun shine down with a ravenous hatred. It was going to be a hot day. Hunter sighed, thinking about the long trek and his leather outfit. The sweat chafing that was going to come made him think of stripping and making the trip in his undergarments. Such things, however, were not proper, so he would remain dressed.
The party then began their slow journey to the goblin cave, Warrior and Fighter chatting up a storm whilst Hunter contemplated his mind's apparent deterioration. Priestess and Wizard had remained silent for most of the trip, only speaking when Fighter and Warrior tried to involve them in their conversation. An hour passed like that until Fighter turned her head to him, Hunter sensing a question approaching from the girl.
"So... If you fight with your fists too, then who trained you?" She asked him.
Fuzz
"I'm a self-made martial artist, my dear." Hunter lied. "Have been for a long time."
Fighter didn't look impressed with his reply, as she turned around to regard him, now walking backward.
"Self-made martial artist? Nuts to that." She said. "It takes training from a good master to make a martial artist, and if you killed three hundred rats with your bare hands, then you had a good master!" She shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at him.
He had told them about his trip to the sewers as he had spent his gold earlier. They had seemed skeptical at first until he showed them the gold. Oddly enough, that seemed to be proof enough of the deed. He could have gotten this gold from anywhere, it was foolish to assume truth based on possessions, but he didn't tell them that.
"How do you think the first martial artist was made, my dear?" Hunter asked her, shrugging his shoulders. "They couldn't have had a master if they were the first, meaning they had to develop their own techniques over the course of their lives. Those techniques, in turn, were likely passed down to others over time." He then pointed a finger to Fighter. "Techniques are a lot like genetics, passed down from generation to generation, improving over time." He finished, lowering his finger.
Fighter seemed to consider this, scrunching her brow in consideration.
"Ya know," She started. "I've never thought about it like that..."
Hunter shrugged in reply.
"Not everyone has to have a master, to become one themselves," Hunter said, raising an index finger. "I'm certain you could form your own techniques on your own, or even change the ones you know to try and improve them. It is much like evolution I suppose you could say, but for combat."
Fighter seemed very interested in that statement and turned back around facing forward with a hand on her chin. Warrior glanced at her, and then Hunter, who merely shrugged. Some more time passed, a bit more silent as Fighter contemplated Hunter's words. Wizard oddly enough was now shooting the occasional glance at Hunter. She seemed to believe that he wouldn't notice, but he could tell that Wizard was analyzing him once more, seeming to draw up a new conclusion about him. Why would she be doing that? Priestess also seemed to regard him differently after his conversation with Fighter, shooting him shy looks as if she were in trouble...
Oh no.
They thought he was wise now.
That meant they would think he was old. They already did think he was old, he didn't need this on top of that. Hunter sighed, ignoring the looks he was receiving. Another ten minutes passed before Fighter nodded at some sudden epiphany. She turned back to Hunter and put a balled fist into her palm.
"I get it! You're a master!" She exclaimed. "That's why you're so old!"
Hunter groaned with annoyance. She had completely missed the point of what he had been trying to tell her, but Hunter didn't feel like explaining the philosophy of what he had said.
"I'm not a master," He started. "And I'm certainly not old."
Fighter raised a brow at him.
"Well, how old are you then master?" She asked him, grinning slightly.
Hunter groaned again, recognizing that she only called him master to jab at his supposed old age. The problem was, he didn't know how to answer the jab, he didn't even know how old he was. If he thought about it, the fog would smother it as it did every other time he tried to recall his past.
"A gentleman's manners are ageless." Hunter replied, hoping the statement wasn't as weak to her as it sounded to himself.
Fighter frowned at the reply, then pointed to his mask.
"Well, what do you look like under that leather then? Are you all wrinkly or smooth?" She asked him.
Wizard gave a groan of annoyance.
"What does it matter Fighter?" Wizard asked. "It's obvious that he's older than you are, why must you press the issue? Leave the old man be."
Old man? That coming from Wizard? Hunter's head fell.
"Hey now," Warrior started. "You're hurting the geezer's feelings."
Priestess merely remained silent, finding sudden interest in her shoes. Hunter could not allow this to continue. He raised a hand to the laces which kept his collar upturned and undid them. It was a bit annoying to do as he was walking, but Hunter didn't feel like breaking stride. As he was fiddling with his laces, four pairs of eyes turned to him, slowing their pace. What he was doing right now would help Hunter find out what his general age was without having to deal with the fog.
He undid the final lace, folding his wide collar back down and exposing his face. He took a breath of fresh air and sighed in relief. Why hadn't he done this earlier? It was hot today! He took off his dark round glasses as well for his fellow adventurers to judge his looks. If he had crows feet then they could be a good indicator for what his age was. In hindsight, he probably should have brought a mirror to look at himself, but he hadn't thought to buy one.
The four adventurer's eyes widened at his exposed face.
"Woah..." Fighter started. "You're ugly as sin!" she finished, pointing at his face.
Hunter frowned. Then Fighter grinned devilishly.
"Just kiddin' you look alright I guess." She told him, shrugging.
Hunter rubbed his face, feeling at his beard that he allowed to grow freely. Warrior frowned as well, but for a completely different reason.
"I wish I could grow a beard." He said simply, turning back to his walk.
Hunter shrugged.
"You'll get there one day. You're still young." He told Warrior, removing his hand from his beard.
Wizard didn't offer any opinion on his looks, but her eyes quickly shifted away when he attempted to meet her eyes. What was that about? Maybe he was ugly to them after all? Hunter scrunched his brow with the realization that; besides his beard, he had no idea what he even looked like. He knew that thinking about past reflections would merely bring the fog. Hunter would definitely be stopping by a mirror when he could. Or a clear pond, he wasn't picky.
He turned his head to Priestess and gave a small smile. She smiled back, turning to walk straight once more. How did he approach this? Perhaps he should make the sentence sound like a challenge? No... it would be easier if presented as a question.
"So," Hunter began. "How old do I look to you all?" He asked.
Wizard turned back around finally at that, finding sudden interest in the ground. Fighter turned her head to the side, looking at him with an appraising single eye. Warrior did the same, nearly identical in their execution. Priestess didn't seem to be paying attention, for she gave no comment. She seemed distracted by something on the horizon, but before Hunter could question her, Fighter gave her answer.
"You look like your somewhere between twenty-five and thirty-two?" She said in a questioning tone of voice.
Warrior gave a sudden hearty laugh at the answer.
"I was literally about to say the same thing!" He said, a wide grin plastered on his face.
Fighter smiled a moment and cracked up herself. They laughed like that for a time, and by the time Hunter turned his attention back to Priestess, she was looking at Fighter and Warrior in their throws of laughter with a confused expression about her. She looked to Hunter for answers, to which he merely shrugged.
"How old do you think I am?" He asked her, deciding not to ask about what she had sighted a second ago.
It was probably something unimportant if she didn't call attention to it. Priestess looked into his eyes and drew her lips to a line with the effort.
"I think you're... forty?" Priestess seemed to ask.
Hunter wished that he could answer with his age, but not even he knew it. Still, that was quite a range between ages, so far he was somewhere between twenty-five and forty. How could there be such a gap? It could have been because Priestess was the youngest he supposed. A fifteen-year-old might look at someone in their late twenties and think they were older than they actually were. There was one more person to ask however...
"Wizard," Hunter said, turning his head to her. "How old do you think I look?"
Wizard remained silent for a long time before giving her reply.
"Twenty." She stated, not turning back to look at him.
Hunter frowned at that. Now the gap was even larger!? Twenty to forty? How could they have such disparaged opinions on his age? He felt like he was much more experienced with life than his fellow party members, and he certainly had better manners then they did. He supposed that Priestess had the best manners out of the lot of them, ironic seeing as she was the youngest party member.
"Hey..." Fighter started. "Aren't you twenty Wizard?" She asked the redhead in a coy tone.
In response, Wizard merely began walking faster, as if to escape Fighter's question. Why would she be behaving in such a manner? He looked to Fighter who merely gave a knowing grin, shooting Hunter a wink before turning back to Warrior to chat.
Ah!
So that was it, Wizard found Hunter attractive! He smiled proudly, knowing for a fact that he was indeed, not ugly. This was only a small victory, however, seeing as he still didn't know his own age. Why would they be having such difficulties discerning such? Nothing quite like a twenty-year gap to leave a man confused. Hunter would be looking at his reflection the first chance he got.
How old did he think he was? Hunter had assumed that these adventurers were children, but apparently he could be closer to age with them than he previously thought. Or he could be forty, in which case, it would still be okay to call them children and not be a hypocrite. He would leave his collar undone for a while yet, breathing air directly was nice, and it was hot today.
He slid back on his spectacles, as their dark tint would help protect against the sun's rage. Hunter still felt like he was cooking within his leathers, but at least he could breathe freely once more. The party continued onwards much as they did earlier, with Warrior and Fighter leading the conversation. As time passed, Hunter became acutely aware of the looks Fighter would give Warrior. When they weren't talking directly, she would shoot Warrior furtive, shy looks. Hunter grinned, he would have to tease her for it later when the opportunity arose.
They continued forward onto the path, passing the occasional stray traveler or merchant wagon. They generally kept to themselves, the merchants the only ones stopping to ask them if they had any wares they were looking for. However, every single merchant they had passed for the day denied having a mirror. Honestly! What good merchants didn't have mirrors? It was ridiculous. Upon his inquiries, Fighter had asked him why he wanted a mirror so badly, to which Hunter replied
"I just want to see how unruly my beard has grown."
That seemed to have been a good enough lie for the party to believe, and they had ceased their questions. Eventually, the sun began to dip beneath the horizon, and Hunter breathed a sigh of quiet relief. It had been getting stuffy in his leathers, and he felt caked in sweat. He'd need to bathe if they could, he felt all sorts of nasty. Perhaps there would be a nearby river he could use? It would soon be too dark to see his reflection in it, and the running water would likely distort the image anyhow.
They decided to push forward until they reached the forest, the party not wanting to camp in an open field. Soon they were engulfed in the dark, walking forward at a slower pace than before. It was nearly pitch out. They, of course, wouldn't want to camp outside the forest in the fields just for light. Hunter agreed with this line of thinking, open fields in war couldn't be trusted... Hunter frowned, this wasn't a war, why was he-
Fuzz
Hunter growled, causing his fellow party members to look back at him with concern. They had entered the forest about an hour ago, and several broad-leaved tall trees stretched out into the seemingly infinite darkness to either side of the path they had been traveling. Fighter had just lit a torch when Warrior put a hand on his sword, glancing around at the encroaching darkness.
"What is it?" Warrior asked him, sword half drawn.
Hunter was about to lie and speak of his apparent 'cavity' as he had earlier as a motive for his growl, but he was interrupted by an odd whizzing sound, tearing through the air...
Hunter's eyes widened as he quickly jump stepped away from the path of the projectile, narrowly avoiding the crossbow bolt that was now embedded into the tree that was behind him. The bolts shaft shook with the impact, and Hunter immediately ran to where the source of the bolt came from. It was nearly pitch black outside, but Hunter was used to the darkness of night and could see the outline of a humanoid figure off of the path in-between the trees.
This seemed to startle the man, who stumbled back, dropping something wooden to the dirt at his feet. Likely the crossbow itself. Hunter tackled the figure to the ground, and that was when he heard other, unfamiliar voices begin to shout. An ambush of some kind? He could handle this. Hunter delivered a punch to the man's jaw below him, easily knocking him unconscious. After that was handled, Hunter quickly shot to his feet and strained his ears to listen for the next movement.
He heard clanging steel and the sound of fists meeting flesh. Wizard was in the process of canting something, for he could make out her voice in the turmoil. Priestess was also saying something, and he could hear the jingling of rings on metal as she chanted
"Miracle: Holy Light!" She shouted.
Upon that, the darkness instantly vanished, replaced by a bright incandescent light, making Fighter's torch look dull in comparison. An orb floated above the girl's head, giving off a strong glowing light. With that, Hunter also saw their attackers. These men weren't as well equipped compared to most adventurers that Hunter had seen, but they still had decent weapons and armor. Several wore a chain vest without sleeves to cover their torso, with armored steel gauntlets and greaves. Simple clothing lay under their armor to pad against chaffing, and several dull axes, swords, and spears were in their grips. The men had that look in their eyes that was prominent in all men who had fallen to this lifestyle. Dull and nearly lifeless. They had nothing to lose, and Hunter wasn't going to hold back on them, doing so would invite death onto his small party.
Warrior was locked in combat with a man nearly twice his own size and wasn't doing well. The bandit had been getting on in years based on his crows feet, but his muscles were that of a man twenty years his junior, and those scars bespoke of many battles. Warrior was facing off against a stronger and more experienced opponent. The larger man seemed to delight in fighting Warrior, and he was laughing at the young man as he swung down upon Warrior with mirth.
Fighter was currently planting a firm boot into the face of a much smaller individual, crushing his nose flat with a spurt of blood and causing him to hit the dirt with a thud. He did not attempt to rise.
Priestess was surrounded by three men closing in on her, blades drawn. Wizard was in a similar situation, with two men closing on her with axes, yet she didn't seem worried in the least. Likely she had a spell capable of handling her opponents. Priestess, however, had nothing to defend herself.
Hunter darted to Priestess's aid, straightening his fingers and leaving his palm open. The first man to reach her raised his sword to bring it down on her head, but Hunter was too quick, delivering a swift chop to the man's wrist. The blow snapped the bone inward, causing an arc in where the arm met the hand. The bandit let out a blood-curdling scream of pain and fell to his knees, cradling his now useless arm. Hunter finished him off with another chop to the top of his skull, caving that part of the head inward. The dent caused one of the poor man's eyes to pop out of his skull, and he fell to his side, surely dead.
The other men turned their oddly glazed eyes to Hunter to regard him. Their eyelids widened upon seeing his face, and they charged him, no lethargy in their gait. Their eyes were feral, like that of a crazed beast, and seeing Hunter had triggered their fight or flight response. He would have more time to think of them later, for now...
They needed to die.
A man swung wildly at him, a blow that Hunter easily sidestepped. In response, he delivered a swift chop to the left side of the bandit's ribs, feeling several crack beneath the blow. The man coughed blood as he delivered a second blow in the same location, feeling the bones completely shatter.
That didn't stop the second man from attacking, stabbing wildly in an attempt to shishkebab Hunter. It was childs play to dodge, after the barrage of blows from the wildman, Hunter stepped in close, curling his fingers inward to resemble that of an eagles claw. This had been one of the best ways to deal with those pesky rats in the sewers. Hunter swiped at the bandit's throat, feeling his fingers impact the flesh. As he felt the contact, Hunter quickly curled his fingers again, wrapping them around the flesh. Hunter tugged then, ripping out the man's right artery with a now bloodied fist.
Hunter rammed his shoulder into the man's diaphragm, knocking him to the ground as the bandit fruitlessly attempted to stem the bleeding. Hunter turned his attention back to the man who's ribs he'd pulverized, yet the fury in his gaze did not vanish. They were not this furious approaching Priestess... something about Hunter must have set them off, but what? Maybe they knew something about his past?
He already knocked out one earlier, so he would question that bandit after he was finished with the others. Hunter darted into the man's guard as he swung, slower this time, in an attempt to cleave Hunters head off. Hunter chopped his neck, bending it and cracking the bone easily. The bandit died, his eyes fogged over as he fell.
Hunter turned to make sure that Priestess; who was shaking visibly, wasn't in any immediate danger. She was clear, the bandits that were still alive were busy with the other party members. As he turned to Wizard, he noted that he smelled burnt flesh. A charred husk of a body sat flaming on the ground, an inferno that; if off of the trail, likely would have started a wildfire.
The other man was still alive, and Wizard did appear slightly more worried this time, holding up her staff to ward off the bandit. Hunter sprinted up to his backside, and smashed an overhanded blow onto his right shoulder, dropping the unfortunate bandit to his knees and crunching the bone beneath the blow. He gave a cry of pain as Hunter stabbed his fingers into the man's lower back, piercing chainmail and flesh with relative ease. Hunter then closed his hand, feeling his fingers gripping the bandit's spine. The man immediately stilled, and Hunter violently jerked the spinal cord.
Blood sprayed from the sudden movement, bathing Hunter and the dirt around the two in a shower of it. He dropped the spine without a moment of care onto the earth. Hunter shook the blood off of his hand, spattering blood onto the corpse that now lay at his feet, unmoving. Hunter was beginning to get a fresh paint of red on him from the throat he'd torn out a bit ago, but he didn't allow his pleasure to be shown, not in front of Wizard. Really he shouldn't show anyone this side... the side that came out in the heat of battle.
Hunter loved to fight. Not necessarily the killing, but the thrill that came with the struggle of mortal combat. Kill or be killed, that was what drove him to fight. Hunter wanted to taste the thrill. These men weren't of any particular challenge, of course, he felt as if he'd fought far deadlier opponents in his past. Hunter looked into the eyes of Wizard, anticipating horror at his actions to reflect in her gaze.
Surprisingly, they were grateful, as if he hadn't ripped a man's spine out. Hunter reminded himself that she had just charbroiled a guy, so they were both about as shocking he supposed. Hunter nodded to Wizard and dashed to help Warrior with his battle. Fighter had joined in as soon as she'd finished her fight, but even together, this large brute of a man was simply too skilled for them to handle. The large bandit fought with an impressive skill that wasn't present in his men.
His blows were not only quick, but each and every single one was powerful, knocking warrior back a foot every time their blades connected. Fighter had to remain on the defensive as the large man was too fast for her to attack without risking a serious wound. The large man's bald head reflected in the light of Priestess's miracle, and Hunter had made it a point to regard him as Baldie for the foreseeable future.
Baldie dodged a swift counter thrust from Warrior and retorted by bringing his hands upwards over his head for a strong overhand blow. Fighter took advantage of the reckless attack and delivered a roundhouse kick to the man's throat. Baldie barely seemed to register the blow, as he merely grunted upon her boots' impact. He swung down, intending to cleave Warriors head in two. The young man barely had enough time to bring up his sword to block the strike.
Hunter's eyes widened as Baldies blade clove right through Warrior's sword, cleanly chopping into the young man's left shoulder. The blade sunk three inches into Warriors flesh, cleaving through the area where collar bone met shoulder. Warrior let out a yelp of surprise as Baldie shot out with a straight kick into his gut, knocking him flat on his back five feet away and dislodging Baldies blade from the shoulder with a wet pop.
Fighter cried out, swiftly rushing to Warrior's side while barely ducking under one of Baldie's horizontal swings. The air seemed to bend around the strike, and Hunter knew that something was extraordinary about the bald bandit. Baldie then turned to regard Hunter with wild eyes. Upon sighting him, Baldie's eyes widened, and some form of clarity returned to them.
Baldie gritted his teeth with rage and brought his sword to bear against Hunter, who stopped his charge. Hunter narrowed his spectacled gaze at Baldie.
'This man knows me!' Hunter thought meeting Baldie's eyes.
"You!" Baldie shouted, pausing before letting out a rage-fueled shout.
The yell echoed throughout the entire forest, and if Hunter wasn't hallucinating... he felt wind brushing past him, seeming as if the power of the shout itself propelled the air forward.
"The eyes!" Baldie shouted at Hunter. "They won't watch us anymore!"
It was then that all lucidity left Baldie's vision, returning to that of blind rage as his boots pounded dirt towards Hunter. This seemed horribly familiar to Hunter, not the man himself, but what he had just said. Hunter knew that he couldn't allow himself to become confused for this fight, he could try and think about what Baldie had said after Hunter disemboweled him.
He stepped into Baldies guard, dodging a whizzing vertical swing which; if allowed to connect, would have likely split Hunter from the top of his hat down to the belt of his trousers. They were eye to eye, so neither could claim a reach advantage on the other, but now that Hunter was within Baldies guard, this fight was over.
Hunter delivered what would have been a bone-shattering chop to Baldie's throat, but against this brutes bull neck, it merely caused the large man to cough with surprise. Hunter dodged backward, narrowly avoiding a quick counter swing that would have cut Hunter's head clean off at the neck. Before Baldie could bring his sword back from it's still continuing momentum, Hunter stepped towards the large man again, this time delivering a double-handed open palm strike to Baldies midsection with all of Hunter's considerable weight. Each palm connected with both sides of Baldie's ribcage. This caused the brute to stumble backward, and this time something gave beneath Hunters blow.
Baldie coughed up a minuscule amount of blood, spattering his lower lip. This, however, did little to slow him, and he swung again. Hunter didn't need to dodge this attack, as Baldie had misjudged the range of his swing, missing by about three inches. Hunter took the time to check his periphery.
Priestess had rushed over to assist Warrior, who was clutching his wound and sobbing lightly through clenched teeth. Fighter looked to be ready to jump back into the fight after seeing Hunter holding his own against Baldie, but Hunter quickly rose a hand to her, halting her advance. He didn't need to say anything for her to understand his intentions. Fighter likely thought that she would have gotten in Hunter's way, but that wasn't close to the truth.
Hunter grinned at Baldie. He wanted to feel the thrill of fighting this man for himself, and if anyone got in the way, it would spoil the competition. Hunter stepped forward, ready to exchange blows with the brute.
Wizard, however, did not seem to notice his gesture.
"Flame!" He heard her shout loudly.
Suddenly, Baldie combusted into just that, becoming engulfed by those rolling orange waves. Hunter frowned disappointedly as Baldie dropped to the ground, screaming in pain and rage as he rolled in an attempt to put out the roaring flame. The fire did not give however, and soon, Baldies struggling slowed, and eventually ceased altogether, with the large man holding a hand up towards Hunter, fingers curled as if to strangle him before he finally collapsed.
Hunter regarded the burning remains with a deep frown. Hunter wouldn't blame Wizard for her intervention. It would be unseemly to yell at a lady for helping him, and he didn't want to alienate her by telling her that he liked fighting to the death. Hunter drew in a deep breath through his nose, smelling fire and burning flesh, and turned to Wizard.
"Thank you very much, Wizard." He said, shooting what he hoped would pass as a dapper smile.
Wizard blinked, the shock of what had happened likely just crossing her mind. She took a shaky breath, clutching her staff tightly and nodding to Hunter. He nodded back to her, turning to see Warrior sitting up, Priestess finishing an incantation that Hunter hadn't heard her begin. The boy's wound would have likely crippled him for life, if it weren't for the healing magic of Priestess. That itching familiarity called him to think back on his past, but he ignored the feeling, as it was currently futile to recall his past.
He walked over to Warrior, who was rolling his freshly healed shoulder experimentally. His undercoat had been cut open upon the impact of the blade, and it and Warrior's breastplate was spattered with his own blood. He, like Wizard, was breathing shakily, the adrenaline of the battle apparently not quite finished with him yet. Priestess was merely shaking, not bothering to hide her fear.
Fighter was the most composed of the party, excluding Hunter, of course, her breathing deep and even. She offered a hand to Warrior, who accepted. She heaved him up to his feet, Warrior using the arm of his formerly cleaved shoulder. When Hunter approached them, Warrior looked down to his feet, shame showing in his posture.
"I couldn't even nick him!" He shouted. "I'm so sorry Hunter, I should have been able to hold him off at least..." Warrior said, his tone betraying a deep self-pity.
Hunter sighed, approaching the young man and placing a hand on his shoulder. Warrior then looked up to Hunter's eyes, and then Hunter did the only thing that made sense at the moment.
He slapped Warrior upside the back of the head with the hand he had laid on his shoulder. Not with enough force to do any real damage, but enough to get his point across. Warrior in response brought both hands up to the back of his head where Hunter had thwapped him and cried out.
"What the hell was that for!?" Warrior shouted, glaring daggers at the much taller man.
Hunter shook his head.
"You will not allow yourself to feel guilty for this loss." Hunter began. "That man was nearly twice your size, he was older and more experienced, and as a result had accrued more skill than you had. All things considered, it was impressive that you didn't simply lose your head." Hunter then motioned his thumb across his own neck in example. "I chopped that man's bull neck with a force that could crack a rock in two and he barely even flinched at it." He finished, chopping a hand into an open palm.
Warrior nodded slowly at the end of the explanation.
"Yeah but I cried." He said flatly.
Hunter groaned.
"Your shoulder had been practically cut in two; I would be crying too. Most people would. Pain exists. if you cry you cry, if it helps deal with the pain, then you should cry more often while fighting." Hunter said with a light-hearted chuckle. "But you will not pity yourself, self-pity is the mark of a weak man."
He then noted the cleaved sword at Warrior's feet and grimaced. If the blade hadn't blocked the attack in time, Warrior likely would have lost his arm as well as his shoulder. The strength Baldie showed was indeed impressive, Warrior's blade wasn't made of cheap steel either. Hunter leaned down, gripping the hilt of the blade and bringing it up to inspect.
The end was broken to half it's length and jagged like a steel serrated tooth, but otherwise, the edge was still fine. Hunter flipped the blade over, presenting it to warrior hilt-first with a smile. Warrior tilted his head at this action, his mouth slightly agape in confusion.
"Um..." Warrior started, tilting his head back up straight. "It's broken Hunter, what good is it now?"
Hunter huffed in annoyance.
"Listen, you should keep this blade as a memento of this battle. Think about it Warrior." Hunter began, gesturing to the corpses with the hilt of the sword. "Your first quest beginning with a bandit raid? Against a man with rubbish bins for arms and surviving? Keeping this would be a great conversation piece, and think about the stories you could tell to you and Fighters children-"
Fighter squealed, her face turning a beet red as she attempted to cover her face with her hands. Hunter grinned coyly at Warrior and winked at the young man knowingly with a downward tilt of his head, exposing his eyes. Warriors jaw hung open once more as Hunter held out the hilt to the young man's open hand. Warrior tightened his grip on the hilt as his own face began to redden, glancing at Fighter shyly.
Hunter left them to their 'tension' turning to see Priestess sobbing silently nearby, knees pulled up to her chest as she sat with her back to a tree. Hunter stepped over to her while Warrior and Fighter stewed in their embarrassment; much to Hunters guilty pleasure. When Hunter drew close to Priestess, she looked up at him, her eyes already slightly red and puffy.
Hunter kneeled down next to the girl, and placed a hand on the top of her head, and smiled.
"I know it's hard seeing a man die for the first time-" Hunter began.
Priestess then shook her head at his words, causing Hunter to pause.
"That's not-" She started, gasping in between her sentence. "That's not it."
Hunter frowned, brow furrowed.
"Well, why are you crying then?" Hunter asked her, removing his hand from her head.
Priestess rubbed at her eyes as she spoke to him.
"I saw them earlier today..." She started.
'So... that's what it was' Hunter thought.
"It looked like they had been following us off the side of the road, but I disregarded them." She said, removing her now wet sleeves from her eyes. "I thought they were bounty hunters or other adventurers I didn't know... I didn't think they'd try and kill us... I'm so sorry..."
"That's odd... How did they get up here in front of us? They had the time to set up this ambush, clearly, but moving through those woods to set up on the road ahead of us would have taken them too long to accomplish, we'd have been way farther ahead of them by then."
Priestess looked down, shrugging in reply.
"Some kind of magic?" Hunter asked her.
She shrugged again. Hunter took a deep breath.
"Now young lady, you couldn't have known that they would have set up here already." Hunter began, attempting his best fatherly tone. "Think about it, look at those woods." He said, pointing to the deeper sections of the forest.
She looked up, sighting what he was indicating towards. The trees here grew so close together that it would have been difficult for any man to squeeze through them quickly. Priestess didn't say anything for a while, and then silently nodded. Hunter took that as a good enough reply, and stood up, offering a hand to Priestess, which she took. He easily pulled Priestess to her feet, for she couldn't have been much more than a hundred pounds. Hunter dusted off her shoulders, and then lightly pushed her towards Warrior and Fighter.
"Save them from their embarrassment, would you sweetheart?" He told Priestess, nodding to the two red-faced teens.
Priestess nodded slightly, stepping over to Warrior and Fighter lightly. Warrior sighed, and turned to Wizard, walking up beside her as she stared into the flame that was Baldies corpse. Hunter scratched at his chin as she didn't turn to regard him, and he just decided to start.
"Was this your first? Killing I mean." Hunter asked, looking down at the top of Wizard's pointy hat.
"Yes." She replied flatly.
Silence.
"Are you alright?" Hunter asked her.
Wizard didn't reply for a long moment, and Hunter allowed the silence between them to pass. Of course, there wasn't complete stillness, as the three party members behind them were talking hurriedly. She finally looked up into Hunter's eyes. Wizard had to crane her head a fair bit to accomplish the action. Was Hunter too tall?
"I thought... I thought it would feel different. Oddly I simply feel normal. Does this make me a bad person?" She asked him.
Hunter shook his head in reply, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Not at all. It was them or us. I've known many people that have killed but didn't feel guilt or pleasure from the experience." Hunter said.
He had no idea if that were true or not, as he couldn't remember. It did feel right to say, however.
"This life we've chosen is one of constant fighting my dear," Hunter stated, "There will be more times where it will be you or them depending on how many bandits are around. Speaking of which... Do you think there'll be more nearby?" Hunter asked.
He removed his hand from her shoulder, the action causing Wizard to frown in... disappointment? Hunter wasn't quite sure.
"I doubt it." She said simply. "Bandits usually stick to the outer territories, this is a well-traveled path close to the city. It takes a truly stupid vagabond to try and rob someone here, even at night, as many merchant wagons will travel with an entire company of guards." Wizard tilted her head, looking back down at Baldie's corpse. "These men are either morons, or they came after us specifically."
Hunter frowned.
"Why do you think that?" Hunter asked, though after what Priestess had told him, he believed it.
"The way they looked at you, Hunter. Why were they so keen on killing you? Those two men that attacked me looked almost bored doing it... but when you helped Priestess, her attackers went from bored to feral almost in an instant..." She said, trailing off. "You can't have a bounty on your head, the Guild never would have registered you if you did, so they couldn't be bounty hunters. Do you know why they would be after you?" She asked turning back and narrowing her eyes at him.
Hunter shook his head and said simply.
"I don't know; could be after my hat."
Wizard scowled at that.
"I'm sorry lady Wizard," Hunter started, smiling lightly. "This hat is top quality leather, and it's lucky."
Surprisingly, Wizard gave a smile of her own.
"Not so lucky that it brought an attack down on you." She started. "Maybe it's cursed?" She asked, tone serious.
Hunter put his hands up defensively.
"Nothing magic about this article of clothing my dear." Hunter said, swiping the hat off of his head and presenting it to her.
He felt his hair with his free hand to determine it's length. Thankfully it was cut short. A man needed to keep short hair, less for an opponent to grab on to if you get into a friendly tavern tussle. Plus people generally respected a short-haired man more than a long-haired man, though this varied. His commander had long hair after all-
Fuzz
Fuzz
Fuzz
Hunter blinked, surprised with the force of the fogs assault. He didn't growl, and he wasn't even frustrated. It seemed as if he'd caught the fog off guard somehow... and now he had one single bit of information from his past. Hunter had a commander with long hair, however much good that'd do. If it were a commander, then that suggested a military past. He would have to ask about the military in this land, see if he felt any familiarity with it.
Wizard tentatively grasped the leather tricorn hat and brought it up to eye level to examine, flipping it about in her grip. After a moment of quiet contemplation, Wizard nodded. Then she removed her own hat and placed Hunters on top of her head instead. Hunter stifled a laugh as the hat was too wide for her head, sinking down below her eyes. After another long moment, she removed the hat, revealing slightly frizzy red hair, and placed the pointy one back on her head. Wizard presented the hat to Hunter, who accepted it gratefully.
"So..." Hunter started. "Not cursed?"
"Further examination will be required at a later time." She said, ghost of a smile on her lips. "Let's get back to our group, shall we?"
They regrouped the rest of the party who stood merely a few dozen feet from them. Everyone still seemed a little bit jittery, likely the effects of adrenaline fading after the fight. Warrior's leg was shaking lightly, even as he tried his best to remain standing still. Hunter then realized that this very well may have been their first fight to the death. This was no sparring match or training session, this was the real deal. It seemed to have hit them hard, for even though they tried their best to remain calm, it was easy to tell that the party was shaken up from the encounter.
Hunter knew that it would be unwise to continue forward into the forest at this time of night, as Priestess's light was slowly fading away. He doubted any of them would be able to sleep after this encounter, but they would not continue until the sun rose again. Hunter was certain that they wouldn't want to camp out next to the corpses; normal people minded sleeping close to cadavers.
"Alrighty everyone," Hunter began. "We're going to continue on, but only for about a mile." He said, gesturing to the path ahead. "We'll camp when we're sufficiently away from the departed, and continue from there."
Fighter sighed tiredly, shooting a look at the man who's jaw she dislocated. He lay face down in the dirt, unmoving... save for the slow, almost unnoticeable rise and fall of his upper back. Hunter's eyes widened and shot forward to the downed man. This caused Wizard and Priestess to gasp in shock as Hunter soon had his hand poised to chop down onto the bandit's neck.
Hunter did not complete the motion, for the man did not attempt to dodge or lash out wildly. He simply lay there, still face down. His jaw being shattered as it was, Hunter doubted he would be able to get questions out of the man. Though he was opposed to outright killing a man while he was unconscious, Hunter knew that it would be foolhardy to simply leave him here. A shattered jaw did not equate to shattered legs, and he could likely return to where he had come from and report on what had happened, albeit the only way that was possible now was if he wrote out the scenario. He stood straight-backed again, and Hunter turned back to the party, who were tense once more, eyes wide and scanning the trees around them.
"We must bind this man, we'll leave him in the middle of the road with a note," Hunter told them. "The note will explain that he was a criminal attempting to rob and kill us, and whoever finds him could take him to town while we continue on." Hunter finished.
Warrior took a deep, shaky breath, and nodded his understanding. Fighter did the same, claiming to carry a rope in her satchel. They easily bound the unconscious man, and pulled him to the center of the road, laying upon his side. Hunter noted that the bandit's jaw wasn't nearly as destroyed as he had previously thought, the bone likely did have cracks in it true, but otherwise, it appeared that Fighter merely knocked half of his teeth out.
Good thing he was bound. Hunter then began piling the bodies of the fallen into a second pile beside the bound man, shooing away any help from his fellow party members. They had been through enough tonight without having to handle bodies. It was easy work, Hunter was a very strong man. He had saved Baldies corpse for last, seeing as it was still burning at the time. Soon after Baldie ceased burning, Hunter pulled the bald bastards now smoldering corpse to the opposite end of the body pile from where sir shatter jaw lay.
Baldies gear was scorched black, and all but the chainmail remained upon him. He was unrecognizable, his eyes had melted out of their sockets and his skull mostly visible. The thick muscle had been burnt down nearly to the bone, and the smell was abhorrent. Hunter grabbed the large mans blade in his left hand as he dragged Baldie by the collar of his chain with his right.
Hunter laid Baldie flat and folded the man's arms over his chest. Hunter then took the hilt of Baldies blade and wrapped the hands of the large brute around the hilt with the tip of the sword facing towards his feet. Hunter continued to kneel a moment, nodding with respect to the man's great skill. Hunter stood with a small groan, and knuckled his back, turning to see his party staring at him.
"What is it?" Hunter asked them.
Fighter pointed at Baldie's corpse.
"Why be so respectful to him in particular when you're just piling those guys up like hay?" She asked him, genuinely curious.
Hunter gave a small smile.
"He was an excellent warrior, worthy of at least some dignity in death," Hunter stated, crossing his arms. "He may have been our enemy, but respect should be shown to the worthy dead. It may be seen as grotesque to say it aloud, but I did not respect those men in that pile, they presented no challenge."
Fighter stopped pointing at Baldie's charred remains and put a hand to her forehead.
"I feel faint." She said, changing the subject. "Can we get going?"
"Yeah, I don't wanna be here anymore either." Warrior said, backing her.
Hunter shook his head, pointing to where he tackled the man.
"There's another one I knocked out over there," He started. "I'm going to question him, if he gives me no answers then we'll just tie him up like his buddy over there and get going."
Priestess gave a sigh of relief as he finished the sentence, and Hunter raised a brow. The girl flinched under his studious gaze.
"I'm sorry... I-I thought you were gonna... torture..." She began.
Hunter's jaw dropped in shock.
"I would never do such a thing!" Hunter shouted, causing Priestess to flinch. Hunter stopped the offended rant that would have spewed forth and took a deep, calming breath. He continued in a softer tone. "If he doesn't answer me, we'll just leave him here, rest assured."
Priestess nodded, looking at the ground. Hunter pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I am sorry for shouting," Hunter told her. "I just couldn't believe you would think such of me."
Fighter scoffed.
"We've known you for a day," She stated simply. "You can't know what to expect from someone from that short a time frame."
Hunter paused his retort and then nodded.
"You are right of course, my pardon. Know that I don't intend to torture, maim, steal, murder, eat babies," Another gasp from Priestess and a scowl from Wizard. "Or joke about eating the aforementioned babies."
Warrior laughed out loud, the shock of the battle apparently having passed.
"And you yelled at us about fighting five-year-olds?" Warrior said, pointing at Hunter.
"That wasn't in public young Warrior, you can make such dark jokes when not in a public place, it is not unseemly. Everyone does it once in a while." Hunter replied with a shrug.
Hunter took a piece of paper from his satchel, along with a quill and portable ink well. He quickly wrote out a letter explaining what had happened, placing it in the collar of one of the dead men in the pile. Nodding at a task completed, Hunter started walking towards the downed bandit he had clocked at the beginning of the battle.
The party began following after him, and soon they encircled the unconscious crossbowman. Hunter frowned with the realization that this man was barely one at all. His youthful face couldn't have been more than fourteen. A brown bruise was forming on his cheek from where Hunter had struck him, contrasting against his pale skin. His brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and his chainmail was ill-fitted, the short sleeves of the mail reaching his forearms. Hunter was happy to have not killed this young man, such a thing would not have done well for his conscience.
Why was he here? How did he get mixed up in such grizzly business? Hunter frowned, pushing such thoughts away, he needed to question the youngen for his motives, not his reasonings for this lifestyle. Unfortunately, there was no way to tell when he would awaken. Hunter began to give orders to tie him up when the young man's eyes shot open. In an eyeblink, he was sitting straight up, staring at Hunter with wide eyes. Hunter held back his fists, hesitant to strike down a child. The young man was unarmed anyhow.
Warrior and Fighter tensed, ready to beat the young man back to unconsiousness at the slightest hint of aggression. Priestess backpedaled with a small scream of surprise, and Wizard, surprisingly, was readying her staff as if to clobber the young bandit upside the head. He pointed at Hunter with a shaking hand and trembling jaw.
"No! He sees me! He sees me!" He shouted, his voice scratchy. Hunter noted the darkening of the crossbowmans trousers as the boy urinated, and Hunter furrowed his brow. "Please master! Please master! Please master!" He shouted, entering a psychotic mantra as he backpedaled on all fours, failing to tear his gaze away from Hunter.
It seemed as if the young man were struggling to turn his gaze away from Hunter, to not look at him. His sneck strained to the right and left, though the boy's eyes refused to leave Hunter's own. Wizard backed out of his path as he crawled away, still attempting and failing to look away from Hunter. Her jaw was slightly agape in shock as she heard the boys chant, and the rest of the party appeared to feel likewise, their poise dropping from readied attacks to a less certain posture.
Hunter stood slowly and put his hands up, palms forward.
"Young man, please calm yourself." Hunter told him, taking a single step forward.
This incited a bestial scream from the boy, and the young man seemed to have snapped, the fear in his eyes replaced with a firm determination.
'He's going to attack now!' Hunter thought.
He was about to jump forward to retrain the boy but was shocked to realize the point of the lad's determination.
"He won't see!" The young man shouted, stabbing the fingers of both hands into his eyes.
"What are you doing boy!?" Hunter shouted, sprinting up to him.
Hunter was too late, as the lad had already torn out his own eyes, the stringy line connecting his eyes to his head snapping with a spurt of blood. He heard Priestess heaving behind him as Fighter and Warrior gave out surprised cries. Wizard quickly stepped away, a look of horror plastered on her face as she covered her mouth with her hands, eyes wide and unable to look away.
The boy then crushed the eyes in his grip, the organs oozing between his fingers in a white gory paste. Hunter then screamed as the boy then opened his jaw wide, sticking his tongue out at far as he possibly could. Hunter was about to reach the lad when he snapped his teeth down on the length of his tongue, chopping it off in one chomp. The tongue fell into the boy's lap as blood spurted from the newly formed stump in his mouth. His jaw hung open limply.
"Stop it!" Hunter shouted, finally reaching the boy and gripping his shoulders.
Oddly he did not resist Hunter's touch. He worked fast, reaching into the pouch at his side for a red healing vial. He found one first try, and bit the cork, tearing it out of the glass container and pouring the liquid down the boy's throat. The young man gave no resistance, but oddly, nothing appeared to happen. The wounds did not seal, and the stump of his tongue still bled profusely.
Hunter ground his teeth. Snake oil after all. He was about to shout to Priestess for a healing miracle but stopped as he remembered that she had already used up her spell slots for the day. He turned his gaze back onto the boy and fell cold.
He was already dead. The boy was limp in his grasp, head lolling to the side. Hunter laid him down and placed a finger on the boy's neck to be certain. No pulse. How could this have happened so quickly? He had just bit off his tongue, he couldn't have bled to death that quickly. Hunter then froze with the realization, that this young man hadn't died from his injuries. Hunter didn't know why, but he knew that the lad had died from the shock of seeing him.
"He's... He's dead..." Hunter said, his own voice shaking.
He turned his head, seeing that Fighter had her head buried in Warrior's shoulder, weeping openly at the horror she had just witnessed. Warrior was simply staring wide-eyed, jaw agape at the corpse. Wizard was on her knees, doing much the same, her hands covering her mouth to stifle a scream. Priestess was on all fours over a puddle of puke, tears plopping into the vomit below as she took shaky breaths.
Hunter stumbled away from the boy, blinking rapidly.
"No no no no no..." Hunter started. "I can't... I should be... No."
He shook his head suddenly, clenching his teeth. Now wasn't the time to give in to his guilt. His party needed to be led away from this place. Now.
"Let's go!" Hunter shouted. "We're going back to town, to hell with the quest!"
Warrior snapped from his shock and looked back to Hunter with dull eyes.
"I..." Warrior began.
Fighter quickly stilled her breathing, tearing herself away from Warrior.
"Please can we just keep going? We'll camp... and figure out what to do tomorrow." Fighter stated.
Hunter scowled.
"None of you are in any shape to fight now!" Hunter shouted, feeling veins of anger pop on his temples. Fighter and Warrior then stumbled back from him, fear showing in their eyes as he glared at them. Hunter stopped himself and took a deep, calming breath. There was logic to what Fighter had said, if they were to walk back now, it would be in total darkness.
"We'll camp, and we'll figure out what to do tomorrow." He said, giving in.
Fighter calmed visibly, but still remained tense.
"I just... I just didn't want to walk back to town... in the dark." She stated.
Hunter nodded.
"I'm sorry, I just... I'm feeling disturbed too. We can't stay here, you go on for a little bit towards the caves, I'm going to take care of his body. I'll catch up quickly, don't worry. Don't hurry up though, I won't be long." Hunter said.
Fighter nodded, walking over to Priestess and placing a hand on the weeping girl's shoulder while wiping at her own eyes. Warrior took a breath and shook his head at Hunter.
"We should stick together right now," Warrior began, voice surprisingly steady. "I don't want to go anywhere without a full party right now."
Hunter didn't argue the point, Warrior was completely correct. What was Hunter thinking? What if there were more bandits ahead? Hunter nodded his agreement.
"You're right of course, I just thought you wouldn't want to see..." He said, indicating the body.
"Yeah... I know." Warrior said, joining Fighter.
Hunter turned his head to regard Wizard, who was looking away from the body into the darkness of the forest. She was still on her knees, hands supported on her staff as she attempted to hold her lunch. Hunter took a breath, and approached the woman, kneeling down next to her.
"We're gonna get going soon," Hunter told her softly. "Are you alright?"
A stupid question, of course, none of them were alright. Wizard shook her head, breathing slowly.
"Can you stand?" Hunter asked her.
A pause, and another shake of the head.
"Just wait a moment, I'll be right back for you alright?"
A nod.
Hunter stood up and approached the boy's body. What had possessed him to do such a thing? Why was he so afraid of Hunter? Hunter's eyes widened. It was because...
The fog smothered his effort to remember his past, as it always did, and he gritted his teeth. Hunter drug the boy over to rest next to Baldie, placing his hands over his chest in the same manner. Hunter then tore a shirt off of a dead man in the pile and placed it over the boy's face to cover the horror of his wounds.
Priestess had been calmed down and given water by Fighter and was on shaking feet. Wizard was still in the same position, her breathing only slightly more even. Hunter walked over to her, and kneeled down once more, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Can you still not stand?" Hunter asked her.
A nod.
"Alright," Hunter started. "I'll carry you until we find a place to camp alright?"
A pause, then another nod of confirmation. Hunter picked the girl up in his arms easily, she was very light. This seemed to calm her, and Wizard buried her face in his chest, hands still gripping the staff. Poor thing, she was more sensitive than he initially thought. Priestess was; after all, standing on her own, and she seemed the most innocent out of all of them. The act of killing itself didn't bother Wizard, at least that was what she claimed. Few, however, would be undisturbed by what they had all just witnessed. They continued their trek until Priestess's light waned almost to nothing, and set up camp on the side of the road.
Hunter told them that he would keep watch for the night if they were somehow able to sleep. Warrior wouldn't have it and said he would keep watch with him. Wizard was still catatonic in his arms and gave no reply. Priestess, surprisingly took up the offer, climbing into a single tent with Fighter. The girl was made of sterner stuff than Hunter had thought, but she still didn't want to be alone in the tent. Fighter obliged, promising that she would watch over the girl while she slept.
Warrior dug a small firepit in front of that tent and gathered several small branches into a pile. He took out his belt knife, shredding the smaller twigs for tinder and lighting the campfire with a still-lit torch. Hunter had not put down Wizard, she clung to him tightly, refusing to be set down when asked.
Hunter sat down in front of the fire with Wizard in his lap as he sat cross-legged. She was curled up against him, breathing lightly, staff beside them on the ground. Surprisingly she had fallen asleep as well, he had thought that what had just happened would keep all of them awake, but Hunter had been wrong before. Warrior tossed another twig into the flame, causing a few flakes of ash to fall to the bottom of the pit. The boy had a far-away look in his eyes. Hunter knew he was thinking back to the battle, and that of the young bandit who had killed himself out of fear.
He didn't draw Warrior out of his thoughts, Hunter was busy thinking of his own worries. That boy had been terrified of him. His companions grew enraged at the sight of Hunter, but the boy was fearful to the point of hysteria. Who was the master he was calling out to? Why couldn't he look away from Hunter?
Fuzz
Of course, that was the answer; nothing. He looked up to the sky slowly and frowned as he sighted something that was most definitely NOT right. Two moons hung in the sky, one larger and green in hue, with a smaller pink one next to it. Hunter knew for a fact that this was wrong. Thinking of it was pointless, so he merely accepted the feeling that this was not right. Two moons? The absurdity of it made his mind spin with questions. Questions that were answered with the fog.
He sighed lightly and simply allowed the two moons to continue their existence, unquestioned. At least for now. The party had a big day tomorrow.