by Spoor, Garry
“Hey, what’s up?” She cried as she stumbled out of his way.
“Oh… sorry kid… didn’t… see you… there.” The man said between heavy breaths. He didn’t look like the kind of man that usually ran from place to place; in fact he didn’t look like the kind of man that moved from place to place, and the nerve of him calling her a kid, why she was seventeen… well, almost seventeen.
“What’s the rush?” She asked, biting her tongue.
“A Hunter… has returned… they say he bagged the Ogre of Black River Falls.” The man replied as he wobbled his way past her.
The Ogre of Black River, she had just read about him on the Guild House bulletin board, well, she hadn’t really paid that much attention to it, it looked as if it had been stuck there for a few years, or possibly even decades. She was more interested in the vir bounties. Could it be Steele she wondered, he did say he was on assignment maybe that was the assignment he was on; if it was him, he was really good at what he did. He only left yesterday afternoon.
It wasn’t difficult to see where the activities was taking place; it was in the center of town around the raised stone dais just outside the Bird and Bay Inn. The crowd was starting to gather and Kile could now get a good idea of just how many people actually lived in Coopervill. The whole center of town was packed as people were shoving and pushing each other to steal a glimpse of the Hunter that brought in the Ogre of Black River. She had to see this with her own eyes, call it professional curiosity.
The closer she got, the more chaotic it got, as kids and adult alike were screaming and shouting. It was difficult to actually hear what they were shouting since, they weren’t all shouting the same thing at once, but some of it was just encouraging the hunter to show off his trophy.
Being small did have some advantages as she squeezed her way through the spectators to get a better look. Breaking through the wall of people she could finally see the Stone dais, and the man that stood upon it, and the thing that he held high in one hand. It was a severed head, but not a man’s head, it looked nothing like a man, it was the ugliest thing she had ever seen and she assumed it was the head of an Ogre. He held it up to the cheers of the crowd.
It was the first time she had ever seen an Ogre, or at least the head of an ogre, and it sent a shiver down her spine. It was not so much the sight of a man holding up a severed head, it was the fact that it was an Ogre’s head. Didn't Master Adams tell her that the Orseen were blood kin to the Ogres, and was it not also suggested that she may be of Orseen blood. Was she, in some strange way, related to that? If it was true, then she could almost forgive Master’ Boraro’s prejudice.
She pulled her eyes away from the Ogre and looked toward the Hunter. He stood over six feet tall with broad shoulder, massive arms and the whitest hair she had ever seen. He was a lot like the portraits that once hung in the great hall, standing there with the head of an Ogre in his raised left hand and large sword gripped in his right, striking a pose as his hair blew in the wind. She had often thought those portraits were exaggerated, but seeing this man now, she wasn’t so sure. There was something strange about him, this hunter, and Kile couldn’t put her finger on it. It wasn’t his stature, or his flowing white hair, it was something about his eyes, his steel gray eyes. He wasn’t looking at the crowd; he seemed to be looking past it, focusing on something that only he could see.
She turned to an elderly woman who was staring in awe at this god like being, or that’s what she thought, by the expression on the old woman’s face.
“Please ma’am, could you tell me who that is?” She asked, getting the woman's attention.
The woman appeared to be dazed and it took her a moment to actually acknowledge that the Kile was even standing there.
“That child… that is Marcus Taylor, the greatest hunter in all of Aru.” The old woman said.
“He brought in the Troll of Blackmore a few years back.” Someone added from behind her.
“They say he’s going after the Minotaur of Calder falls next.” A dark haired man commented.
“Now that takes courage.”
“Or stupidity.” Kile remarked.
One lesson she had never managed to learn at the Academy was when to keep her mouth shut, especially when making a comment about someone while surrounded by his adoring fans. Several people within earshot slowly turned to look at her.
“Wow, is it really that late.” She said as she looked at the angry faces. “I’m sorry, I have to go.” And with that she quickly ducked out through the masses of people, pushing her way back, against the motion of the multitude until she was back out into the street. More people were heading toward the raised stone dais. They were coming from all over Coopervill to see the great Hunter Marcus Taylor. She ducked under one of the awnings as men, women, and children continued to arrive. Where were they all coming from, and what was the great appeal of this Hunter?
Would she be up there some day she wondered? Would the people of Coopervill come from all over to see her standing upon the stone dais, praising her as she held up her trophy? Somehow the idea of standing up there, holding a severed head didn’t really appear to her. It wasn’t what Hunters do, or at least that was what she had thought, but at the moment she was only a level five hunter, Marcus Taylor had to be at least a level two, possibly a level one, maybe she had it wrong.
It was no good trying to get back to the Inn, not with all these people standing around the entrance and not when she managed to tick off a few of them. She looked up at the sign of the awning she was standing under. It was a simple wooden sign that read ‘Wollory’s Goods’. This was the place that Kane told her to purchase her supplies. She had no place else to go as she pushed open the door.
There as defiantly a lack of lightning in Coopervill as this store was just as dark and as gloomy as every other place. There was also that dampness mixed with the smell of wet leather and just a touch of that musty odor that one find in an unused attic. The walls were lined with shelves of supplies, everything the aspirating adventure needed and then some. Its selection rivaled that of the quartermaster’s back at the academy, but that could be due to the fact that this place has so many varieties of each item. How many different lanterns were there and what about tinder kits? There was an entire section dedicated to tinder kits.
The prices seemed reasonable, but then she never had to shop for supplies before and couldn’t really compare them to anything. She had often accompanied her brother down to the dry good store in Riverport, but that was for seed or farming equipment, she never had to purchase a traveling blanket, or backpack, but if the Guild had recommended Mr. Wollory’s store, and they were paying the bill, who was she to complain. She fished the sheet of paper from her courier bag and walked up to the counter.
Mr. Wollory was a heavy set elderly man with gray hair that barely covered his head. He was slow and walked with a slight limp as he moved around behind the counter. He turned to Kile with a smile that started at his mouth and ended in the twinkling of his eyes.
“Who do we have here?” He asked in a cheerful and rather loud voice.
“The names Kile sir, Kile Veller.” She replied as she handed him the paper that Kane had signed.
“I’m afraid these old eyes ain’t what they use to be.” The old man said as he pulled out a pair of glasses with shaky hands and had to try a few times before he actually got them on. Even with the glasses he still squinted and held the paper a few inches from his noise to read. “Well… I’ll be. It says here that you’re a hunter.”
“Yes sir, Probationary level five Hunter.” She replied.
“Well… congratulation.” The old man grinned. “The Guild could use some prettier members. So, where are you out of Hunter?” He asked as he came around the counter and started to pull things off the shelves.
“Riverport originally.”
“Expect ya haven’t been back there in a while.”
“No sir, not since I took the entry examination.”
/> “Mystic Tower still as messed up as ever?”
“You’ve been there sir?”
“Sure have, but that was some time back, almost sixty years now.”
“You took the entry examination?”
“Took it, passed it, entered the academy when I was fourteen, became a hunter when I turned eighteen.” Mr. Wollory smiled wistfully.
“So you’re a hunter.”
“Was a hunter.” The old man corrected her. “I took an injury to my leg trying to bring in a bounty. Mean customer, nearly tore it off. Healers said I’d never walk again, but I showed them. Yeah, but it ended my Hunter days. Tried to go back after they fixed me up, nearly got myself killed on a routine delivery assignment. I knew then that my hunting days were over."
He fell silent for a while, as if the memories of those days were still fresh in his mind, as well as the pain. She couldn’t tell what hurt him more, the pain in his leg or the one in his heart.
“Ah, listen to me prattle.” The old man said as he brought a few more things to the counter. “You can’t relive the past, that's what I say. Maybe it’s for the best. I’ve seen the direction the Guild is moving in, it ain’t good.
“So, you’re a probationary level five Hunter that means you just got out of the academy.”
“Yes sir, almost a week now.”
“I haven’t been back at the academy in years, I’ve wanted to go, see what the old place looked like, see if it’s changed much, never really had the chance.”
“I couldn’t really say sir. I know they were doing some renovations to the Great Hall and the stables when I left.”
“I never got my portrait in the Great Hall, but then I never got past my Level three certification.” He laughed. “Don’t suppose any of the staff are still there from my days, they were old when I was young, most likely on the other side by now, don’t ya think?” He laughed again as he started to remove the things from the counter and shove them into a large backpack.
“Who ran that place back then?” He asked as he pause and looked up at the ceiling, trying to chase the memories in his head. “I believe it was an old hunter by the name of Estryneld, or something like that, never liked the man, too head strong for me, ever heard of him?”
Kile had to think for a while, the name didn’t sound familiar, but if she was doing the math right, this man had to be about eighty years old, and that was way before her time.
“I can’t say I’ve heard of him.”
“Good, good, hate to think they were teaching you young’ens about him.” Mr. Wollory grinned. “He was one of those… what are they calling themselves now, sons of…”
“Terrabin.” She finished for him.
“Ah… so yah heard about Terrabin D’al?”
“Only in passing.” She replied.
“Yeah, sum bitch wanted to turn the entire Guild into a military for hire. Never happen, never happen.” Mr. Wollory said shaking his head, he stopped and slowly look at her. “How do you know about Terrabin?”
“I had the misfortune of crossing paths with a few of his followers.” She replied. “They don’t seem to like me much.”
The old man laughed so hard that he nearly choked. “Good, good for you, Guild needs a little spirit. If those sons of Terrabin aren’t taken to you, then you on the right track.” He said as he grabbed a leather tube that was hanging on the wall behind him and set it on the counter.
“So, they’re doing a little renovation huh, well, it’s about time. The place really needed it back when I was studying there.”
“Well, it’s not like they had much of a choice, there was a fire in the great hall, and somehow it spread to the stable.”
“Really now?” He said shaking his head. “It’s a shame about the stables though, the time I spent in there with Luke cleaning them out, well, I could tell you stories about that place.”
“Luke?” She asked. It was a strange coincidence that this old man and she both spent their time at the academy cleaning out the stables with a man by the name of Luke.
“Well sure Luke… well, that’s what we called him… now what was his full name. It was kind of strange, foreign if you will. Lukane, Lukor…”
“Lukiena?”
“Yeah, yeah, that's it, Lukiena, Lukiena Elemsia Morten.” The old man shouted as if he had just found a long forgotten piece of treasured history.
Was it the same Luke? Of course that was sixty odd years ago, and although the stable hand looked ageless, she doubted if he was that old. It had to be a coincidence, just two people with the same name, the same very long rather unique name.
“So, this Luke, what… did he look like?”
“Well, it’s been some time. Mind don’t work the way it use to. If I recall right, he was a small man, a bit thin with blond hair, quite spoken. Had a tendency to sneak up on you when you weren’t paying attention. The times he caught me off guard I can tell you. It was like he just stepped out of the shadows.”
“How old would you say he was?”
“Luke? Probably on the other side by now, as I said, that was some time back. I mean when I knew him he was… I don’t really know how old he was, it was always hard to tell and he was very private man, never spoke much about himself. If I had to guess, I’d say, when I knew him, he was maybe in his late twenties, early thirties, but my memory isn’t as good as it use to be.”
Just another coincidence Kile told herself. Two men, sharing the same name, were working at the same place, were about the same age and possible looking exactly the same. It was just a long string of coincidences. What else could it be?
“Well… it was nice talking with you Mr. Wollory, but I should really get going, it looks like the crowd outside is breaking up and I have my first assignment to complete.”
“One moment Hunter.” The old man called out as he picked up the backpack and tossed it to her. “Don’t forget your supplies.”
He was a lot stronger than he looked, this eighty something year old man, she realized as she caught the backpack and nearly collapsed under the weight.
“What's this?” She asked.
“You forget, I was a hunter too once.” He grinned. “You probably came here with nothing but that Guild issued uniform on your back, a sad bag of worthless supplies, and a map that couldn’t lead you to the sea.”
“You’re right.” She said, “You were a hunter, but I can’t afford this.”
“Oh please.” Mr. Wollory said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “The guild provides for its own, and Kane will believe anything I tell him, as far as I’m concerned everything in that pack is essential. If you want to pay me back, stop by every so often and tell an old man the adventures you’ve had.”
“I’m making a delivery to Tobery. That’s not going to be very exciting.”
“If there’s one thing that I found out about assignments, there’s no telling how they’ll turn out.”
That was actually not very encouraging she thought as she left Wollory’s goods with more things than she had ever dreamed of purchasing. Fortunately the excitement around the stone dais had died down and only a few stragglers remained to reminisce about the events that took place only five minutes ago. She carried her new backpack across the street to the Bird and Bay.
“Someone’s been shopping.” Beth called out from behind the counter as she crossed the dining room floor.
“You might say that.”
“Got your first assignment did you?”
“Yes ma’am.”
She replied, not wishing to stop and talk at the moment, but not wishing to be discourteous either.
“I saw you had some excitement out front.” She added.
“Oh that.” Beth said with a smile and longing look toward the front doors, but more toward the dais that was now vacant. She was another adoring fan of the Hunter Marcus Taylor and Kile would have to make sure she didn’t say anything to upset her.
“Does it bring in much business?” She asked.
> “Business, well, not much. They come to hear his tales and they return back to their shop or the fields. It doesn’t really pick up here until around noon or the evening hours as you saw last night. So if you want your breakfast, now’s the time to get it.”
“Thanks, I’ll be down shortly, I just have to sort some things.” She replied and made a quick, but dignified move, to the stairs before Beth started up again. She left the barmaid still staring at the front door, probably wishing that the great Hunter Marcus Taylor would walk in and sweep her off her feet. It was those fantasies that Kile just didn’t have any time for.
Unlocking the door to her room she stumbled in and dropped the pack on the bed.
-Kile home.-
Vesper cried as he came out of the bottom draw of the dresser and quickly climbed onto the bed.
“We have our first assignment.” She told him. “We’re making a delivery to Tobery this afternoon.”
-Tobery… where Tobery?-
“I have no idea, but we’re going there.” Kile replied as she unfastened the top of the backpack and dumped the contents out on the bed. It was more supplies than she had brought with her, but then Mr. Wollory already knew that.
Most of the stuff that the old man had given her, she already had, the only difference was that the new supplies were of a better quality than the supplies from the academy, the tinderbox and striker alone proved that. The one given to her at the academy was a lump of flint and a small piece of steel, the one that Mr. Wollory gave her contained a piece of flint, a few steel bars, some cedar tinder and a few pieces of burnt cloth all sealed in a waterproof container, there really was no comparison. She sorted through the rest of the supplies, those things that she could identify and would definitely use, she set on the table, as for the others, like the strange black oily substance in a horn, she set aside to one of the shelves until she could figure out what they were used for.