"You are to assassinate Prince Laharl,"
"Alright, how much will you pay me for, Maderas?"
"Hmm..." He has a thoughtful expression on his face; thinking about the price he is going to offer me.
"Would 10,000,000 HL suffice?"
This is shocking...He would offer so much for one person? Seems he really wants this person dead. But that does not matter. All I want is the money.
"Yes," I agree, "A payment of 10,000,000 HL is good"
Maderas nods, accepting the deal, and hands me a poster. Taking it from his hand I looked at the contents of it. 'The return of Prince Laharl' The title stating in big, bold letters. Underneath is a picture of a young boy, having short hair and two other long strands of it protruding from his head. They almost looked like antennae. I could also see he donned a scarf.
At the bottom of Laharl's picture says 'Wanted for 10,000,000 HL'.
"What is this for?" I ask, after I finished reading. "And why would you make a bounty poster if you are already hiring me?"
Maderas' lip turned into a smirk, "Don't tell Laharl, or anyone else, that I hired you to kill him," Pointing at his poster he continued, "So use that to show him that you want to kill him for a bounty, instead of me hiring you to kill him."
"Condition accepted," I reply, "So where is Laharl?"
"If I had known, then I would have told you by now. So get out there and find him!"
"Fine," Muttering, I swiftly turn to his plain double doors and walk to the exit. "I will get the job done!" I call as a door closed behind me.
Walking in the empty hallway, I hear my red cape flutter with every long stride I make and a soft 'thud' from my brown shoes as I step on the red carpet. Maderas' castle is in good maintenance. The plants I keep seeing have been watered recently and look green and vibrant. Paintings hanging on walls been dusted and well looked after.
I think Maderas do have people, other than him, living in his castle. His servants, I assume.
Folding Laharl's poster I still have with me. I stuffed it into one of my shirt pockets, keeping it safe somewhere.
Down the stairs and in the middle of the entrance hall, I walk toward the front doors. Pushing a door open, I breath in fresh air from trees in front of me. This castle is surrounded by a vast forest. Before coming here, I was standing on top of a hill; overlooking a forest which circles his castle. I saw that it stretched on for miles.
Taking a few steps outside I slowly run my fingers through my hair. Coming up to my ponytail at my back I rearrange it, so it is sitting on my left shoulder. It must have fallen off while I was walking.
I hear a door softly close behind me and I gaze at the dirt path I'm standing on. I take a deep breath and slowly exhale.
"Why did my client have to be in a remote location?" I groan, annoyed. I remember how I had to trek through the Forest of Evil, the Cliffs of Despair, and then the Bridge of the Damned. It was a long, tedious journey and now I have to walk back.
I shake these thoughts out of my head. No, I thought. I have to do this, it's my job. It's also for the money, I added.
Trudging on the dirt path I begin my journey to find Prince Laharl.
"Got you,"
I hold a slender hare, by its ears, in front of me. Its lifeless eyes staring at my own.
Hares are more faster than rabbits and more muscular. They are troublesome animals for sure. Having to chase them through the forest and nearly losing one when it ran into some of the shrubbery. Unfortunately for the animal, it got its leg stuck in some vines and started to trash around. That alerted me to its location. Quick, before dinner could escape, I dashed to where the hare was and yanked it out of a bush. I slit the hare's throat after I hauled my sword out of its scabbard.
The hare jerked wildly. Its limbs flung everywhere as blood trickled from its neck. Now the hare is dead.
Walking back to a campfire, I begin to skin the hare and gut its intestines. What is left is now a hare that is ready to be roast on a spit. Grabbing a long, wood branch, which had been sharpened at one end, I impale the hare with it.
Near the camp fire there are two sticks parallel to each other. They both a 'V' shape end to them. I settle the hare impaled stick on top of them and watch as flames lick the skinless hare, slowly beginning to cook it.
I, Capulin, am camping in the Forest of Evil. The sun is setting and now it's dusk. Soon the only source of light will come from my fire. Watching the fire cook the meat made me think how hungry I am. It looks as if I will be having a late dinner.
Sitting down, cross-legged, I prop my chin on my hand. "Tonight's dinner is slow roasted hare!" I announced to myself.