After days of traveling, the convoy of hunters arrived at the capital of Rondor, Randel.
But before getting in, they had to pass a verification checkpoint. After hours of waiting, the trio in the carriage made their way to the checkpoint.
The worker there gave the two a scornful look, but the moment he saw Damien, he became deathly silent.
"These two are with me," Damien declared. "I hope that I don't have to say anything else." Said Damien, his words were an open threat.
As they entered the city, Talon observed his surroundings. This place was nothing like Dein, the streets of the capital were clean and well-maintained.
Parents led their children, who were happily laughing or playing with each other under the watchful eyes of their guardians.
The atmosphere was filled with genuine happiness, a stark contrast to the desolation of the slums. Unlike the impoverished areas, here they even had pets; the only companions in the slums were rats scurrying through the alleys.
Vendors stood behind their stalls, their wares tempting passersby with the aroma of freshly cooked food. Crowds of people stood in line, eagerly awaiting their turn to purchase the delicious offerings.
Talon couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt whenever he looked at one of these stalls. He and Thorn had always resorted to stealing from these hardworking vendors to survive in the unforgiving streets of the slums.
He couldn't help but steal a glance at Thorn, who, much like him, stared at the bustling scene with a guilty expression etched on his face.
Damien silently observed them with a somber expression from the side, then reached into the pockets of his coat and took out a silver coin. He lightly threw it to Thorn.
"Both of you, get out of the carriage. Why don't you look around the capital?"
The two of them just stared at Damien dumbfoundedly, then back at the coin, then yet again back to Damien.
What Damien gave the two was a silver coin, worth 50 bronze coins.
Neither Talon nor Thorn had seen this much money since they lived in the slums, the amount almost scared them. Then Talon asked him fearfully,
"Do you need us to kill someone?"
Damien stared at Talon, too shocked to say anything. "What? No! Just buy yourself what you want. When you two officially start to work as hunters, both of you will get just as much, if not more, as salary."
After hearing this, the two wasted no time hopping out of the carriage and scanning the stalls in the distance. Before they could rush toward them, Damien stopped the two.
"Just come back in half an hour." Before he could say anything more, the two ran to the stalls with all their might as if their life depended on it.
Talon observed the stalls, searching for food without a clear idea of what he wanted. Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder.
As he turned, he saw Thorn gazing into the distance at one of the stalls. Talon followed her gaze, realizing the stall showcased an array of sweets of every kind.
The two wasted no time rushing to that stall. There, they saw an old woman selling the sweets.
The elderly lady gave them a warm gaze and asked, "How may I help you, dearies?"
Thorn instantly pointed at one of the sweets in the stall, then the old lady gave them an understanding nod, "Good choice, sweet rolls are a delicious snack, it will be 2 bronze coins for the both of you"
Thorn grasped the silver coin firmly as she looked around, fearing that someone would steal it from them, as she handed the coin to the old women in the stalls.
The two continuously stared at the sweets, while the old women prepared their sweet rolls and their change.
As change, they received 4 bronze coins, each marked with the number 10. Additionally, there was a coin with the number 5, and three coins, each bearing the number 1. Then she handed them two sweet rolls.
"T… Thank you!" muttered the two, their words barely audible as they rushed back to the carriage, with the change in Thorn's pocket and the sweet roll in their hands.
Once they were close, they immediately started to chew on the sweet rolls.
"It's so yummy!" Thorn exclaimed, only to be startled by a loud burp, which came from Talon.
She shot a surprised glance at her friend, realizing that he had already devoured his portion.
He then stared at Thorn with the eye of a hungry predator, "Are you planning to finish that?" while pointing at the half-eating sweet roll in Thorn's hand.
***
The two made their way back to Damien, who was once again chewing on an apple.
He glanced at Talon, who sported a red slap mark on his face. Then, Thorn handed Damien the change that the old lady had given back to them.
"So… what happened to Talon?" Damien inquired, his tone starting to show a hint of concern.
"It was-" Before Talon could continue, behind him, Thorn kicked his shin with all her might.
"I… I tripped." Muttered Talon.
Damien let out a chuckle, "Sure. Anyway, we have to hurry back to the headquarters."
The duo climbed back into the carriage, this time Damien rode the carriage with the two as he climbed to the back of his trusted horse.
The carriage was deathly silent as Talon dared not mutter a word.
Meanwhile, Thorn nonchalantly finished her sweet roll, savoring the delightful treat. Talon, gazing out of the window, silently rubbed his still-burning cheeks.
"Pft."
A small chuckle escaped Thorn, but the small chuckle grew into laughter. At the sight of this, Talon just stared at Thorn, not finding the situation all that amusing.
However, as Thorn laughed, a smile crept up Talon's face, and he started to laugh together with her.
As time passed, the convoy of hunters, together with the two, arrived at the headquarters.
The headquarters stood before them, a formidable structure that loomed over the surroundings.
Massive stone walls, fortified towers, and a grand gate adorned with the emblem of the hunters welcomed them.
The perimeters were filled with hunters paroling the surroundings. Every one of these hunters seemed formidable, not even comparable with the hunters that escorted them.
Damien rode before them, leading the carriage to the designated area. Then Damien lead to two into the main building of the HQ.
The inside of the building matched the grandeur of its exterior.
Stepping in, Talon found himself in a vast hall with towering ceilings and imposing stone columns. The walls were adorned with intricate paintings depicting heroic feats of hunters.
As Talon stared at the paintings, he couldn't help but clench his fists. These heroic deeds, glorified on the walls, consisted of slaughtering his people and driving them into hiding.
The stark contrast between the grandeur of the surroundings and the painful history shown on the walls left an unsettling feeling in Talon's gut.
Damien led the way through the vast halls of the headquarters, guiding Talon and Thorn towards the office of Paul Stargazer.
As they approached the door, Damien knocked and entered without waiting for a response.
Paul Stargazer, with his scar-ridden face and battle-hardened countenance, exuded the aura of a seasoned leader among the Hunters.
Despite his age, his handsome features remained striking, accentuated by a well-maintained gray beard and short, neatly trimmed white hair.
His piercing gaze held the wisdom of years of experience, while his tall and commanding presence demanded respect, even amongst the hunters while being Gifted.
His well-tailored dark coat bore the emblem of the hunters prominently on the left side.
"Damien, you've returned." Spoke Paul in a calm yet authoritative tone. Then he locked his gaze on the two. "And you even brought them here, Talon, Thorn welcome to the headquarters of the hunters I have been waiting for your arrival.
"Please, have a seat Talon." Paul gestured towards the chairs in front of his desk. "We have much to discuss."
"Damien, could you lead Thorn to their new quarters and introduce them to their team members? They'll be staying here during their time at the headquarters, I have much to discuss with Talon."