"Find... Palebleh..." Hunter muttered, sitting up slowly in his bed.
Sumen... he was surely dead by now. Stranded on another world there was no way Hunter could save him. Assuming that memory wasn't years ago. Had he found the Paleblood? Did finding it bring him here somehow? For some reason, he thought of Unseen, and the fog smothered whatever memories of the old fellow he had. He ignored it, he was dealing with another painful truth. His country was gone, destroyed by the 'Soulborne' whatever those were. The sadness crushed him under its weight, yet he did not weep. Chuden looked down upon men who wept for losses in war. Not blocked by the fog, Hunter realized that was one memory of his country that was free to be remembered. It was surely a tough nation. One he could be proud of being part of.
Slowly he shrugged off the crushing melancholy and sat up straight. He had things to do today, he would not allow himself sadness for the loss of his comrades. It wasn't the Chuden way. Though he had wept for Priestess and her horrific fate, but that was not war, it was an 'adventure.' He could allow himself tears for the poor child.
Hunter shook his head. Right then, up and at em'
Hunter's head ached. It was a horrid pain accompanied by a pained belch. He certainly hadn't slept at all during his drunken bender, but it was still an effort to remember last night's events. He knew that he had eventually ended up laying down in a tavern bed in an attempt to sleep. That had been what got him sober eventually. From what he could recall, he and Wizard had gone throughout the night visiting different taverns and drinking what they could before moving on.
Eventually, they had given up and ended up staying here at this inn. He couldn't remember the name of the place, but that wasn't what was important. He needed to go and explain to the guild what had happened on that quest and return the head of the staff to the church. He winced after rising and pulling thick woolen curtains open to reveal a blazing sun. Truly it felt as if it were attempting to toast out his eyes.
He belched again.
Hunter didn't care for manners when there was no one around to be appropriate to, so he felt no shame. He noticed that his attire was still on him completely, not a stitch missing... save for one thing. His hat.
He looked around the cramped little room for any sign of the tricorn hat, upturning pillows and blankets in a small frustrated fury. He liked that hat, and he wasn't going to leave it to disappear into the ether. Where could it have gone? It didn't take him long to finish his search of the room due to its small size. More of a closet with a bed than a proper room. He groaned softly as he realized that Wizard had stolen it last night at some point as a joke. Hunter hadn't bothered to retrieve it then, he was quite drunk. Now, however, a small anxiety nipped at his mind.
What if she had lost it?
He left the room and entered into the wide hallway, looking down both ends for Wizards door. What was her room again? Before he could make a decision, the door at the far end of the hall opened up, the rising sun silhouetting Wizards slumping form. The girl was right to be slumping, Hunter felt as if a nail had been pounded into each of his temples. It was all he could do not to lay back down.
She yawned, and shut the door behind her, staring pointedly at Hunter. Now that she wasn't being shadowed by sunlight, he could see that she appeared perfectly healthy, not a single bag under her big green eyes. She was already dressed in her normal attire as he was, though it didn't appear ruffled like Hunter's currently was. Hunter nearly jumped when he realized that his sun blocking spectacles were not currently worn. Where were they? How many essential items had he lost in that drunken crusade across town?
He felt at his pockets as Wizard approached him with a smug smile on her face. He saw as she reached into her bag and pulled out not just his spectacles, but his precious hat.
"I couldn't trust you to not lose the hat... and you probably would have shattered your glasses in your sleep. So I... appropriated them for the night." She told him, presenting them to him. "My staff and your hammer are in the lobby, we couldn't bring them in the rooms with us."
Hunter nodded, he did remember that... slightly. A large bulging fat man nearly soiling himself upon gazing at Hunter. Apparently that was always the first impression he made on someone, Wizard had told him so last night upon his questioning on the subject. At least what he could remember. He put on his glasses and hat, thanking the God of Dark Lenses for providing him with this light dimming sight. Sure, that god didn't exist, but Hunter was not opposed to building a religion around darkened lenses. They were stylish.
He cleared his throat to speak.
"You look great today." Hunter told her, pointing out her clear health.
Her eyes widened before shooting to the floor, red tinting her cheeks. Hunter nearly palmed his face. He had forgotten about her little crush on him. No point in mentioning how he meant her well being and not her looks. Not that she was bad looking of course, but pursuing skirts was not his current interest. Maybe he would partake in The Great Chase after he had discovered his past completely and dealt with the fog.
"Right then, off to the guild we go, I want to get this done with." Hunter told her. "Is Warrior and Fighter here?" He asked her.
Wizard looked up at him then, and her expression flattened. Why did she look so cold all of the sudden?
"They won't be accompanying us." She said curtly. "They have broken this party, so its just you and me right now."
Hunter almost gave a start at the words. Broken the party? Why was that? There was something to this.
"Why did they break party? Did I offend in some manner?" He asked her, scratching his ear.
Wizard then huffed, and lightly shouldered past him. Hunter followed down the hallway and into the lobby, seeing his hammer and her staff sitting behind the counter of the barkeep. The fat man was nowhere in sight. In fact, no one was in the... well, inn at all it seemed. It was dead quiet. Before he could think on it further, Wizard spoke up, cutting off his thoughts.
"They wanted to form a party with that Goblin Slayer fellow." Wizard told him in a tone that belied frustration. "I told them I didn't want to do such. We already had a decent party size, and that man unsettles me. They then told me they were breaking party with me. It is within their right to break party, but it isn't right to simply do it after just one quest. I exchanged... less than pleasant words about their actions, which only made them leave faster. I don't think they much care for me now."
Hunter shrugged. He didn't understand the decision completely but Fighter and Warrior had their right to privacy. He wouldn't pry into their reasonings. Goblin Slayer seemed a capable enough fellow, perhaps he could keep them from harm.
"What of me?" Hunter asked. "Did they ask about me at all?"
Wizard nodded.
"They said they would like you to come along with their new party if you would like." She said, staring at him with a flat expression.
Those eyes seemed to bore holes through him. Hunter needed to be careful, lest he earn the ire of this woman.
"I see... now, I'm guessing if I did you wouldn't come along with me because of your disagreement yes?" Hunter asked.
Wizard opened her mouth to answer but hesitated before saying.
"No I would not." She said.
Hunter nodded in response.
"Then I will just keep party with you then. They have Goblin Slayer, they should be fine." Hunter told her with a grin.
Wizard then smiled satisfactorily, as if she had just achieved a huge victory. With her crush in mind, she may very well have. There was also the fact that Hunter would feel guilty if he simply left her on her own to form a new party, Fighter and Warrior would be just fine without him.
After gathering up their weapons and leaving a tip on the counter, they entered into the heat of summer. Already sweat began to cake his brow, and Hunter was thankful for the glasses. If he hadn't had them on when stepping into this blazing inferno, his head may have very well popped. After asking directions to the nearest church, Hunter and Wizard quickly found it. A large building with banners of blue inlaid with gold and white marble pillars, it was the most expensive building in town. At least that was what Hunter believed. Marble was not a cheap material.
Hunter made to approach the wide-open double doors of the cathedral when he suddenly stopped. The head of the staff felt far heavier all of the sudden, and Hunter was compelled to take a step back. Wizard cast a glance at him and tilted her head slightly.
"Is there something wrong?" She asked him, genuine concern in her voice.
Hunter shook his head.
"It's nothing. Just an ache in my calf." Hunter lied. "Just need to take another step."
Hunter did just that, and the weight in his bag grew. The staff head seemed to be trying to pull him backward, and he felt compelled to follow along with it. Hunters hackles rose. What was happening?
"Hunter?" Wizard asked, placing a hand on his arm.
"I am fine... We will do this at another time I suppose." He told her. "Churches make me uncomfortable. Past experiences you see... another time." He lied again.
It was all he could do to not pull out the head of the staff right then and there. Something was off about it. Could it have been cursed in some way? Infused with the evil of the First Eye? Is that why he could not carry it on holy ground? Hunter would not be surprised if that were the case. The evils in that place were enough to taint the soul forever, why not magical items?
He would need to see if there was a way to purge the filth from the thing. Another thing to do later. Hunter briefly considered asking Wizard about just that until he remembered that he had just lied to her. Twice in fact. He wondered if she knew the first lie was a lie in truth based on his second. Though if she did she gave no sign of it, simply allowing concern to show through her gaze.
The trip to the guild was easy, Wizard knew the town well enough for them to find their way. Weary townsfolk and wandering adventurers all stared at Hunter as he passed, hearing shocked yelps after he passed from their sight. How odd. He tried not to pay it any mind, though it was hard when folks began shrieking in fright at his leaving. This repeated as they passed through the town, every time they turned a corner in fact. Sometimes he and Wizard turned around to see what the commotion was, only to see those townspeople glancing all around looking for something.
They moved on until they reached the guild, Wizard looking troubled by something. She looked as if she wanted to ask him something, but withheld for some reason. Perhaps it had something to do with the townsfolk. As they passed through the doorway, Hunter made a connection. The townsfolk, the innkeeps, and everyone who first met him seemed shocked as he disappeared... could he be what was causing their shock? Could it be that he was granting them...
Fuzz
No!
Fuzz
He grit his teeth as he pushed through the door of the guild hall, a bit more forcefully than he had meant too. The door slammed into the wall and seemed to shake the building. Several faces turned to inspect the ruckus he had caused, spotting him standing there in the doorway. Hunter suppressed a sigh, he knew how this might look. Fresh faced adventurers looked startled and a little angry, while the older more stony-faced ones merely looked annoyed.
Hunter was sure these had seen him before, so whatever effects his first impression had on them had already taken place. There may be a few unfamiliar faces in the crowd, he was not sure. He did not know the adventurers well enough to claim familiarity upon a glance. The guild hall was crammed that one day he came in for his second-technically fourth quest, counting the three rat quests he did.
Were these the same people on that day? Or did different crowds of adventurers stop in whenever? He stepped forward with Wizard trailing behind him, approaching the counter. Of course he could not simply approach it at this hour, several people were in line. Hunter was against cutting, and he was a patient man or so he thought. He took his place at the back of the line, Wizard standing just behind him.
The people in front of him spared him suffering glances a moment before turning back ahead. That produced sharp intakes of air and arcing glances to the corners of the ceiling. So a few hadn't seen him yet. A good many people were shifting on their feet. Some people would turn away from him only to only gasp and repeat what the others had done.
"I hear that bell everyone's talking about!" A man exclaimed.
A tall fellow, not so tall as Hunter himself of course. Hunter seemed to dwarf everyone he met. This decent height for the Spearman-for that was what Hunter thought of him as- complimented the long spear in the crook of his arm. The polished steel head of the spear looked to resemble an oversized arrowhead, and his plated armor was of a bluish tint and trimmed with golden paint. Round orange earrings complimented his orange eyes and long orange hair. At least he kept his hair in a tail, but those earings were dreadful. It was not proper for a man to wear... earrings. Indeed even Chuden women disdained such frivolity as well as the men.
Fuzz
Fuzz
Fuzz
Hunter grinned, he had caught the fog off guard once again. Perhaps it was just best to let his thoughts wander. The Spearman leaned his elbows against a round table across from a very provocatively dressed woman with purple hair.
A black coat trimmed with gold was worn around her arms as opposed to her shoulders, which lay bare. A low cut white shirt complimented the lewd dress, and indeed Hunter had to struggle to keep his eyes away from the crevice below. What Hunter had thought was a coat revealed itself to be a dress with a skirt that was far too short for decency. Purple stockings covered what the dress did not, which was much.
Briefly, Hunter and the woman met eyes. Her deep purple eyes seemed to suggest things to him, and indeed she winked. Hunter cleared his throat and looked away. He had no time for the great chase right now, and even if he did partake, it wouldn't be to chase a harlot! Come to think of it, had he ever chased before?
Fuzz
Ah yes. That's right.
Wizard then gripped his sleeve, and stared daggers at the other woman. The purple-haired woman put on a pointy hat, not too much unlike Wizards, and winked at Hunter again. Was she a Wizard as well? He supposed that a warrior would not go into combat wearing skirts and certainly less than adequate 'armor'. Wizard stiffened at that, and Hunter saw the dangling silver adventurers tag nestled between the woman's breasts.
He had tried not to look, but Hunter was not a block of wood. So this... Witch? He supposed that was as likely to be her title as any. So she was a high ranking adventurer... and so was the Spearman, based on the tag around his own neck. Big dogs around here? They held the same rank as Goblin Slayer. Perhaps they were friends?
He faced forward again, not intending to look back to the duo. Wizard still seemed to be boring holes in that direction, but eventually, she lightened up, and released her grip on his sleeve, facing forward. They did not speak of it. Wizard's crush may be getting a little out of hand, the way she was acting was not proper. She seemed to bristle like a cat. Hunter would not speak to her of it however, it was not proper for a man to lecture a woman on how they should play at The Great Chase.
He heard as others began speaking of the bell as well with an odd fervor. Several claimed that it was close, and those same people spoke of a reward. Reward? He supposed that news of his effects on people traveled quickly. Though none seemed to have made the connection to Hunter yet. They'd have to try hard for that bell money.
A short time of standing in line later, and Hunter stood before Guild Girl, the woman's often cheery manner somewhat diminishing upon seeing him. Had he made her upset?
"I heard about what happened Hunter... I'm so sorry." She said, a genuine frown playing at her lips. "From what I gather, it was more than just a goblin quest."
Hunter frowned and nodded.
"Well... we're ready to send an expedition of silver ranks to investigate this cave, but we were hoping you could tell us what was in the depths."
Hunter groaned inwardly. He knew he'd have to do this, but he was reticent to speak of the horrors he had seen.
"Very well... could I speak somewhere a bit more private?" Hunter asked. "The things I have seen should not be heard of by soft stomachs."
Guild Girl visibly gulped and nodded. She then directed him to a room a level up from the lobby. There he met other Guild Girls that asked him of the terrors he encountered. Apparently he was going to have this be a private discussion even if he didn't ask. Hunter told them everything, though he did not linger on anything for long. He told them of the giant eye down at the bottom and the giant many-eyed goblin. He didn't name it the First Eye, for that would bring up questions that Hunter himself could not answer.
Then he got to the hardest part of all.
"She died in there, fused to flesh and bone. I killed her. Put her out of her misery. She asked me to." He had said.
He received condolences and understanding nods. Their faces had changed all throughout his retelling, shifting from curious awe to fear and disgust. Now their faces were downcast and solemn. The retelling did not take much time, though speaking of it made it feel twice as long as it really was. They thanked him for his time, and dismissed him, telling him that his current reward was down with Guild Girl. Hunter had no idea how they told each other apart when it came to names.
He did not feel like asking however, he was in a foul mood. He descended the stairs slowly, the wood creaking beneath his weight. Wizard approached him as soon as he entered the lobby. She looked concerned with that furrowed brow of hers. Others spared him a glance as well, but quickly looked away. None talked of a bell.
"Are you alright?" Wizard asked him.
Hunter nodded as he relaced his collar to hide his face. He did not want to wear his sadness in front of a dozen strangers, colleagues or no.
"I am not, though I can still function. We have our reward waiting for us apparently. Let's get back in line."
And so they did. The line had shortened considerably since he had gone up, and he noticed that people made a point of not looking his way. Hunter did not care. Soon they both found themselves before Guild Girl again, and the woman brought up a healthy bulging brown sack.
"For the difficulties of this quest and the unforeseen dangers you've survived, we're rewarding you with thirty gold." She said.
Wizard sputtered with astonishment.
"Thirty gold!?" She shouted.
Many eyes turned toward her then, many narrowing considerably. Hunter shot a glare towards the considering glances, and many broke the gaze. Some however, did not. He'd have to keep an eye out for those ones. He was not sure how much thirty gold could purchase in this world, but based on the items he had bought for the quest to the cave, he thought it was a fair bit.
Wizards cheeks then tinted a furious red as she covered her face with her hat. Truly that was an adorable little quirk of hers, it nearly made him laugh out loud. Hunter then furrowed his brow as he lifted the sack from the counter. Hadn't Warrior and Fighter gotten their cut? Or was it they were supposed to bring Wizard and Hunter's cut to them? He could not remember, but they did deserve some of the reward if they had not gotten it.
"Did my previous party members get a reward as well?" Hunter asked, bouncing the bag on his palm.
Guild Girl nodded as Wizard pulled up her hat to stare at him.
"Yes... we have a policy on that. We don't give out the whole reward if only some of the party members show up to collect. We've had too many incidents where a single member would run off with the party loot to never be seen again. So we gave them the other half of that." She told them matter of factly.
Wizard balked at that, and gripped the brim of her hat.
"We could have had sixty gold between all of us?" She hissed silently.
Hunter could practically feel the heat of rage emanating from the woman. He winced at the setting of her jaw and quickly wrapped his arm around hers. Hunter needed to stoop somewhat to reach properly, but soon he was leading her out, with several eyes watching them as he thanked Guild Girl. Wizard seemed to have gone completely silent, a small smile now playing at her lips.
Upon exiting into the blistering sunlight, Hunter released her arm. She frowned at that, and crossed her arms beneath her breasts. Hunter then realized that he had no idea what to do for the rest of the day. At some point he would try and return the head of the staff to the church, but he was aching for something to eat.
It was simple to find good eating. Wizard had led him into a wide market where every nook and cranny seemed to have a food stall. Peddlers shouted their wares and the quality of such wares. He heard one man quite literally proclaiming the use of snake oil, and Hunter nearly laughed at that. Several men and women spoke of the bell everyone in town had been talking about the past few days, and Hunter caught conversations of folk in town gone missing, never to be seen again.
Anything else to be gleaned from those words was lost in the cacophony of voices. The rest of the day was spent perusing the various wonders of the marketplace. After eating Hunter had seen a man selling what he claimed to be owlbear eggs. Hunter had no idea what an owlbear was, but Wizard had scoffed at the man and told him off for speaking such gurry.
Hunter had asked about the eggs, to which Wizard smiled and explained that the man was just selling large stones. The difference between an owlbear egg and a stone was imperceivable to an untrained eye. Wizard in her studies had also researched various monsters and their life cycles, claiming it was important to know of what you could run into.
Hunter had enjoyed this little shopping excursion with Wizard, and they both had spent five gold on good food and a few neat little baubles. Hunter himself had bought a small collapsible telescope which was now nestled in one of his many pockets. Wizard had purchased some small purple crystal orb, the smooth surface reflecting the light. Wizard claimed that the peddler knew not what he was selling. She had been very excited upon seeing it, though she did not tell the peddler what he truly had in his possession. Hunter got the idea that Wizard could have been a shrewd merchant as well as a wizard.
"What is that thing exactly?" Hunter asked her.
"I can store spells in this stone for use later. I don't know how many spells it can hold, but either way, something like this normally would have been sold for hundreds of gold pieces. I may sell it later on if I reach a high enough level." She told him, gripping the palm wide orb in her right hand. "Then again, this will be useful no matter what level I am. I can't believe I found something like this!"
Hunter scratched his forehead. How could she tell? Hunter certainly could not. A gleam shone in Wizards' eye upon his asking, and she beamed up at him as they left the market.
"My research on the subject certainly helped, but my connection to magic is what really told me its true nature." She told him as they strode down an alleyway.
They weren't walking anywhere in particular, as Hunter had been putting off returning to the church. Something in him screamed that he shouldn't do that, but he was not sure as to why that was. The sun was beginning to descend on the horizon, though it did not shine in their eyes.
"See, an Ioun stone could have several different properties, but upon activation, it will begin floating around you like a little moon. This is universal for Ioun stones, but I know that this one is spell storing. You can tell from its hue you see." She said with mirth.
She then went off on a tangent on Ioun stones that Hunter somewhat understood-it was hard to follow along with the woman's quick speaking- but indeed these did sound like powerful items.
"A damaged stone however will grant you a dimmed effect, and maybe even a detriment. A cracked Ioun stone that grants great strength may make you slower and so on."
Hunter then spotted three men standing at the head of the alley, slowly approaching them. Simple town wanderers or cutpurses he could not tell. They were all tall lean men with noses that had been broken several times and the sunken knuckles of brawlers. Drawing closer Hunter could see the steel tags dangling from their necks. The men wore a look of grim determination on their faces. Wizard's excited tone slowed and eventually ceased upon sighting the three men.
The Kirkhammer could smash all three aside with ease, but Hunter did not thirst for blood this night. Or dusk he supposed he should say, the sun still shone on the horizon. Hunter sighed inwardly as the men stopped ten paces from Hunter and Wizard. The two of them stopped at that distance as well. The man in the middle horked and spat at the ground.
"All roight you lot." The man said with a deeply accented voice. " We've eard that you got yerself some noice shoiners for completin' that quest. A bit too 'eavy for porcelains ya know? So me and the boys thought it'd be a nicety to take the weight off yer 'ands." He finished, proffering an open hand.
Hunter stepped in front of Wizard, and the motion caused the three men to flinch.
"He walks like a damned board!" Said the man to the leads left. "Roight creepy that is."
"Yeah, let's just stomp him and get a move on- don't worry little missy we just want yer coin, not yer lives." The man in the middle said, shooting Wizard a glance. He then chuckled abruptly. "Not yer cave either ha! I'm a married man."
Wizard huffed indignantly.
"Leave." Hunter said simply.
The three men didn't seem to hear him, and they looked to each other, and then back to the other end of the alley likely to make sure it was clear of any who may interfere. The three then jumped as they began looking all around themselves to find the source of what Hunter knew must be the bell ringing in their ears.
"I said," Hunter growled again. "Leave."
The three then glared daggers at him.
"Stompin' time boys. Make sure to leave the lass be or I'll string ya up by yer tongues." The middle man said, cracking his knuckles as he approached Hunter.
The three men didn't even have time to react to the blur of motion that landed them flat on their rear ends. To them, it was as if Hunter had teleported right in front of them before promptly slapping them across the face with a firm open palm. He had moved from one to another easily before delivering the satisfying blows. In Chuden, the common way to deal with common vagabonds as a soldier was to slap the man silly-
Fuzz
Fuzz
Fuzz
Hunter grinned. It was getting easier and easier to remember little tidbits of his past.
"Oi Brawler that git smacked me roight good like me mum used to do!" One man said, laughing.
Surprisingly, the other two men laughed as well.
"Roight he did boys. Well, you slapped us right good mate, we'll leave yaz alone." The man called Brawler said, his bald head reflecting what little light remained in the day.
The three men rose slowly, and limped away into the coming night, laughing like children. Hunter shook his head in confusion. That was not how he thought that was going to go at all. Wizard seemed to think so as well, based on her furrowed brow. They looked to each other, shrugged, and moved on. They had spoken of the encounter for the rest of their walk, and Wizard claimed that it was common for those of higher rank to bully quest money out of porcelains.
Certainly not all higher ranks did so, but it wasn't an uncommon occurrence. Hunter thought it was despicable. It may have been honorable to leave Wizard out of the fight, but it was dishonorable to pick on those of lower rank simply because you thought they were weaker than you. They found themselves back at the Deadened Senses, and drank a fair amount before renting a room for the night.
Innkeep had frowned at seeing them again, and claimed to charge full price for all drinks, claiming he'd not make the same mistake with the two of them again. Hunter had laughed at that, and Wizard giggled. The night passed, and Hunter feigned fatigue, and retired to a mid-sized room. Even if he could not sleep he could still relax under the blankets. This was of course after he had laid Wizard down to sleep in her own room, the woman could barely stand at the time.
Innkeep had allowed them to keep their weapons with them, claiming that he did not feel like babysitting 'adventurers toys.' Hunter felt that a fair statement. He lay there until dawn of the next day, letting his mind wander. Hunter would have to pick a new adventure at some point, for that likely would lead him to reveal his past. At least that was all he could think of to accomplish that goal. He'd do it tomorrow, and he'd try again to return the staff head, if he could.