Chapter 3: Hunting
Life grants two options: hunt, or be hunted
"Now's no time to question yourself," Blake stated, "We can't be seen standing over corpses, self defense or not."
"They won't be missed," Paul added.
"How would you know?" Angel shouted, leaving only silence.
"You're right . . . we should go, but where?" Angel asked.
"We've got to get as far away from here as possible, as fast as possible. Preferably out of this guild hall's jurisdiction," Paul said.
"How do you suppose we do that?" Blake questioned.
"I've got a place in mind, but we'll have to get there by boat. Tell your relatives goodbye, think up a dramatic life story, and meet me at the port," Paul said, starting to walk out the door.
"I'll just go with you, I don't have any relatives I care to say goodbye to," Angel said.
"I don't want to leave my sister alone. Can she come?" Blake asked.
"Can she cook?" Paul questioned.
"Well enough," Blake said bluntly
"Go ahead and bring her with you then," Paul said as he exited the blacksmith with Angel, "Oh, and be sure to look like a sailor when you show up at the port."
"Wait . . . what?" Blake asked, his question left unanswered.
Blake was left alone; he was the only one who wasn't a murderer now, not that he could prove it. He felt sorry for the others who had been forced to take a human life. He didn't want to think to hard about it so he left to his tasks.
Blake bought a two-way ticket for two to his home village where he and his sister lived. The trip took him over familiar roads that he had traveled on foot, often hunting monsters. It was ironic; he had worked to keep these roads safe for caravans, and was now traveling via caravan himself. Of course, reserving a merchant caravan for transportation cost Blake a decent sum. He had paid 90z for this trip alone. Blake reminisced as he watched the forest roll by; he had lived his whole life alongside his sister. Their parents died to an endemic that had once ravaged his village, so he and his sister had been raised by the whole village instead. She was his younger sister, but they supported each other. Blake couldn't imagine where he'd be today without her support. He dreaded that he'd have to pull her away from the villagers; she was dear to all of them. Blake's thoughts were interrupted by the pain in his ribs, and the rattling of the caravan didn't help.
When Blake arrived at the village, he left the caravan; it would be waiting for him when he returned. He walked his humble abode. It was a small, uninspired hut, a testament to how dull architecture could be, but it had housed his family for as long as he could remember. As he neared, the door creaked open; his sister had a habit of greeting visitors before they could knock, and Blake had no idea how she managed it. His sister's eyes widened at the sight of him.
"Brother!" she yelped rushing to Blake's side, "You're finally back!"
"Oh calm down, Amie," Blake said, "I haven't been gone for that long."
"Come in, sit down," Amie said, gesturing to the hut, "I'd love to know how your hunt went."
"Okay, Okay, but it's difficult to recall the details on an empty stomach, think you could fix something up?" Blake asked as he sat.
"I'll put some soup on the fire," Amie said enthusiastically, running to the fire pit in the middle of the room.
The interior of the hut was just as dull as the outside, with a dirt floor and single, sectioned-off chamber – Blake let his sister have her own room. Amie set the fire and placed a small pot over the flame.
"I'll get some ingredients from the village stores, can you go get some water," she asked Blake.
"Can do," Blake said as he stood.
He exited the hut with his sister and headed to the village well. He greeted familiars along the way. Since the village was so small, people shared food and water, and most people knew better than to be selfish – Blake and his sister were the closest things to freeloaders the village had. At the well, Blake spotted one of his old friends, Luther. He was a former hunter, one of Blake's inspirations.
"Ah, Blake, what brings you here" he asked as he drew water from the well.
"Troublesome business," Blake responded grimly.
"That's a shame," Luther said, "to be brought home by troublesome business."
"It's not so bad that I can't enjoy it, may I use the well?" Blake asked.
"Sure, I'll be just a minute," Luther said as he continued to draw water.
Blake waited patiently until Luther finished with the well. Blake looked into the darkness below as he drew the water. He was worried about what might become of him, and more importantly his sister. Blake was apparently a target, and were he to take her with him, assassins might attack her too, but leaving her at home alone didn't seem any safer. Blake gazed at his reflection in the murky water. It wasn't suitable for use without boiling. After drawing some water, he headed back to the hut. His sister hadn't returned yet. As he waited for her, he wondered if it might be best for him to stay with his sister to protect her, but he trusted Paul's judgment. Maybe, by some chance, Paul really did know somewhere that would be safe.
Paul told Angel that she'd need some sharq-skin garments to make a convincing sailor, but she soon discovered that sharq-skin wasn't cheap. She had been wandering around the bazaar for hours looking for a good bargain. She was arguing with a clothing merchant over what price she would have to pay.
"Five thousand zenny! I don't have that kind of money," Angel complained.
"Hey lady, five thousand is the best price you'll find in this city. This stuff exports high and sells even higher."
Sharq-skin outfits were custom fitted by order, so Angel didn't have many options. Even hawking her armor wouldn't get her enough zenny.
By the time Amie returned, the water was already boiling. She brought with her a basket of spices and Aptonth meat.
As she dumped the ingredients into the pot., she asked, "So, now that the food's cooking, how did the hunt go?"
"Well, it started when I took a quest to hunt a Kut-Ku," Blake began.
"Oh, I hear they look like birds!" Amie interjected.
"A little," Blake continued, "Anyways, I found the Kut-Ku, but it turns out that it was being chased by a Golden Rathian!"
Amie's eyes lit up, "Really?"
"Yeah, and she had her whelps with her too," Blake added.
"Aww, I bet they were adorable!" she exclaimed
"In a twisted kind of way, yeah." Blake admitted.
"So what happened next?" Amie asked, her enthusiasm dauntless.
"The Rathian killed the Kut-Ku," Blake said, narrating in a somber tone, "and then it attacked us."
"Us?" Amie questioned, seeming disappointed.
"Well, this was my first hunt with another hunter," Blake explained
"I bet he was a monster of a man huh?" Amie questioned.
"It was a woman," Blake stated.
"Really, was she six feet tall?" Amie asked, continuing to grill Blake at every opportunity.
"No," Blake said bluntly.
"Then was she cute?" Amie giggled.
"Well . . . " Blake said as he recalled the details of Angel's appearance.
By his memory, she had a soft face, but her strength was visible in her eyes. Blake accorded her to be of average build and looks, but there was a je ne sais quoi to her that made her more . . . enthralling.
"Sorta," Blake answered.
"I bet you swept in and saved her, huh?" Amie asked.
Blake laughed aloud at the irony.
"Hah, I can tell that you did!" Amie shouted, "The two of you must have defeated the Rathian together!"
"Not exactly . . . " Blake started.
"She fled before you could defeat her?" Amie said, interrupting Blake.
"We ran away," Blake finished.
"Are Rathians really that strong!" Amie asked, astonished.
"They're absolutely ferocious!" Blake exclaimed
"Wow," Amie said, left speechless.
Blake took the opportunity to change the subject, "Amie, would you like to go somewhere?"
"Oh, where would we be going?" she inquired.
"We'd be going far away, like on an adventure," Blake stated.
"Ooo, do I get to go to Santonia?" she said eagerly.
"No, where we're going we won't be coming back," Blake stated sternly.
"Why?" Amie questioned.
Her ignorance angered Blake, "We can't stay here, it's dangerous," he said angrily.
"No its not, it never will be," Amie said, haughtily.
"And by the way, your soup's done," she said as she handed him a bowl.
Blake didn't eat, he thought he was about to snap.
"Amie, you need to pay attention," Blake commanded.
"You're not my brother. You're a liar, get out of my house," Amie pouted.
"Listen to me," Blake yelled.
He was angry at his sister, and more at himself for making her this way. He was the one who fed her all the lies that gave her a false sense of security, and he was the one who fostered her dependence on him. Because Blake was never a good role model for his sister, but he hoped she could be strong in a time of crisis.
"I need you to come with me, that's all," Blake pleaded.
"No!" Amie yelled as tears welled in her eyes, "Why are you yelling at me, I didn't do anything. Get away from me!"
"Please, just listen to me," Blake whispered, trying to console her.
"Okay," Amie mewled.
"We can eat first," Blake said somberly as he sipped his soup.
"This is good," he mentioned, trying to diffuse the situation.
"It's my favorite recipe," she whimpered.
"Well make sure you remember it," Blake said enthusiastically, "Cause I want to eat this the whole trip."
"Really?" Amie asked, visibly cheering up.
"Of course, and I doubt I'm the only one!" Blake said as he finished his soup, "Let's go."
"Sure, let me pack my things," Amie said, it seemed as though she had forgotten their previous altercation.
Blake watched as Amie left to the second room of the hut. His thoughts began to wander. He had committed himself to a career of slaying mankind's troublesome beasts, but even seeing a human be killed had a sense of wrongness to it. How could he never feel remorse for the creatures he slew while he fretted over some petty humans who had plotted to kill him? Perhaps humans were not better than monsters; what if hunters should kill humans as well? What had it come to that Blake was thinking of such things? He turned as he heard a knock on the door.
"Come in," he shouted.
In the doorway was Luther, scarred and athletic, but awkwardly dressed in fancy clothing.
"Oh, it's you," He said, disappointed, "Is your sister home?"
"Yes, why do you ask?" Blake responded, suspicious.
"Just tell her I was here, okay," he said as he walked out the door.
"That's odd," Blake spoke aloud.
"I'm ready," Amie said as she walked in the room.
"Oh, Luther asked about you, any idea why," Blake asked.
"Yeah, he hired me to work with his trading business a while ago," Amie responded.
"I'm sorry, I've been away so long I didn't know," Blake said regretfully, "What do you guys trade?"
"We deal in monsters," she answered cheerfully.
"So you trade monster parts?" Blake asked.
"Yeah," Amie answered anxiously, "but I only make the sales. The others do the hard part!"
"Luther's paying you, right?" Blake asked patronizingly.
"Of course," Amie answered dismissively, "And since he dropped by, he's probably got a job for me."
"Well, you know we have to go," Blake complained, trying to urge her on.
"But I can't just leave with unfinished business," she whined.
"Tell, you what, I'm going," Blake said as he stood, "but I'll be back. While I'm gone you can handle your unfinished business,"
"Okay! Be back soon!" Amie shouted, waving as he left.
Blake could tell that Amie thought things were back to normal, that till the moment she was on the boat, she wouldn't realize that things had really changed.
Maybe, Blake mused to himself, it's safe to leave Amie here. After all, she has a job.
He knew it would devastate Amie, but Blake decided he wasn't coming back.
After sending Angel on her way, Paul stood about; even after hours of pondering, he still couldn't think of a reason why those assassins, had ambushed him. Santonia had several factions of hired killers, but these assassins were different. They weren't hired to kill him, Paul could tell. They had their own reasons for assaulting him, and Paul knew from their dress that they were probably members of that cult of doomsayers he had encountered earlier. Those kinds of assassins rarely target reputable hunters. Their main prey are poachers. and as much as Paul hated to admit it, poachers have been much less common since they showed up. Most poachers are scared to operate, some even use children to secure their deals, but most assassins have no problem with murdering children. Perhaps if Paul better understood what their goals were, then he could figure out why they wanted him dead. His only conclusion was that the assassins had ambushed him because of Blake's confrontation with the guild master, which he had no doubt that they saw. But that they could set up an ambush so fast disturbed Paul. They were much more formidable that he had originally thought.
The emptiness of his pockets disturbed Blake. He could barely afford the trip to his village. He knew he'd have to put up a convincing act as a sailor in order to meet Paul's demands, but he wouldn't be able to afford the expensive sailor garments or fishing equipment that he'd need on his strict budget. Though Blake had some fishing experience, he didn't think he'd be able to make difficult catches, and he wasn't too keen of the "life on the seas" idea either; danger and a sense of moral obligation were the much needed nourishment for his soul. He didn't have the restlessness that drove others to wander the seas, but he wondered what Paul really had in store for him. Blake continued to think on the ride back to Santonia.
Angel roamed the bazaar; she realized that the only way that she could possibly afford the equipment she needed would be to supply the crafting materials herself. Though sharqs weren't rare, they were dangerous, and finding high-quality sharq skin could be difficult. Even ignoring the risks, the cost of transportation to a sharq hunting-ground would be significant, and oxygen supplies weren't exactly cheap either. The miscellaneous costs would leave Angel with about 14z – not nearly enough to pay the crafting fee. She skulked to a nearby bench and sat when she saw Blake pass by.
"Hey, Blake!" Angel exclaimed as she stood.
"Huh?" Blake responded, as if drawn from a trance, "Oh, hey Angel."
"You're looking for a bargain on sharq-skin clothing too, right?" she asked, "Had any luck?"
"Sharq-skin, I guess I should be," Blake responded dryly.
"Well then let me tell you that you won't find one," Angel stated emphatically, "We should pool our money together."
Blake pulled out his pouch, and his heart sank.
"I'm kind of short at the moment," he said.
"That's okay," Angel said, attempting to comfort him, "How much ya got?"
"Fifteen zenny," he responded feebly.
No good. They'd need at least two-hundred zenny for the crafting fees alone. That ruled out going to any sharq breeding-grounds. Angel realized her only option would be to risk hunting sharks in the nearby sea, which was an unstable environment. On top of that, it would be difficult to find two quality skins, or even one from wild sharqs, and no craftsman worth his salt would work with low quality materials.
Oh well, Angel thought, It's not as if there were many options.
"Tell you what, Blake, why don't we go hunt some sharqs ourselves so that we won't have to buy any sharq skin?" she offered.
"If I must," Blake responded.
"You can be sure, this is our only option," stated Angel.
"Fine then, where to?" asked Blake.
"Let's head to the shore," Angel instructed.
Angel and Blake still needed to invest some zenny into supplies for the hunt, but they spent much less than they would hunting elsewhere. After purchasing oxygen supplies and fishing harpoons they exited the city on a road that lead to the shore. Unlike the other busy roads, this one was quiet, serene even. It probably lead to some small coastal village, but they cut off the road before reaching there.
The shore was unkempt. Branches, rocks, and other floral debris littered its surface; however, the sea glistened. Approaching the shoreline, Angel saw her reflection in the water, turned orange by the midday sun, but she couldn't see any sharqs. Angel knew that the sharqs were most likely further from the shore. She dived, followed by Blake. The sea was as devoid of life as the coast, which was unusual. Angel shrugged off her apprehension and swam ahead. Finally, a while from shore, she saw the first signs of sea-life. She prepared her oxygen supply and dived deep.
Angel found herself surrounded by a sparse coral reef that was brimming with life. She spotted many sharqs, glad that they were never in groups, for it made them easier to hunt. Angel and Blake split up to hasten the process; they would keep the sharqs so that they could sell what parts they didn't need. Angel wasn't a particularly strong swimmer, and the sharq's attacks were too swift for her to dodge, so she relied on her shield and armor for protection. Her strategy was to let them snap at her shield until they wore themselves out, then she would harpoon them. Angel continued to hunt the sharqs, drawn into a battle trance.
Blake hated being dragged around on Angel's errands, but he needed the sharq-skin clothes just as she did, and the clear seawater helped calm his nerves. Blake hunted down sharq after sharq. They only attacked one at a time, and he knew his was around a harpoon, so he hit them well and carved them afterward. After he had killed about four, Blake noticed a blue glow slithering into sight from the murky coastal water, and he realized why the coast had been so quiet. He wasn't sure what it was, but he knew it wasn't good. Though Blake wasn't that knowledgeable about monster species, rumors of sea-dwelling creatures that terrorized coastal villages and fishing vessels were always common. He could remember one about an ancient aquatic elder-dragon that caused earthquakes near a coastal village, but he was sure what he saw now was no such creature. Blake was more concerned that a hunter and the four dead sharqs he dragged behind him might seem like an appealing meal. He was sure Angel wouldn't hear him, so he tried to motion to her, but to no avail. He could see more of the creature now, blue scales, white underbelly, red horns, and glowing blue humps across its back. Blake remembered hearing tales of such a creature, but he could only recall its title: Lord of the Seas. The leviathan entered the clear reef water and Blake knew it had seen him.
Blake quickly looked for the nearest landmass. Seeing a shore in the distance, he swam feverishly toward Angel, not looking back. Blake was tossed about by a strong current, and the Lord of the Seas was in front of him now. Blake narrowly dodged the creature's massive jaws trying to close around him. Angel had finally seen the him, and they both swam towards the shore, the leviathan following close behind them. It seemed more curious than aggressive, almost as if it was playing with them, but Blake knew that it was still extremely dangerous. Thinking the creature was probably looking for an easy meal, Blake discarded one of the sharqs he was dragging along. The Lord of the Seas ate the sharq whole, but it continued to follow slowly behind them, hoping for more food. Blake discarded more sharqs, as he could swim faster without them, but he was worried that the creature might not hold off its hostility for much longer. Blake saw that Angel reached the shore ahead of him. He swam as fast as he could, but it seemed that the beast was always close in his wake.
Angel had recognized the Lagiacrus the moment she laid eyes on it. She was happy that she had escaped, but she waited anxiously for Blake to come ashore. She sighed when he climbed out of the water, but her relief was short lived as the Lagiacrus followed shortly after. Its moist scales reflected the dim sunlight, but beautiful as it was, it was equally dangerous. Angel could tell that this Lagiacrus had never encountered any hunters before, for it was too docile in the face of humans. Angel had no intention of leaving the sharqs she had hunted behind, so she laid them on the ground, readied her weapon, and rushed into battle.
Blake had a feeling that this creature didn't want to fight for its food, so he aimed to strike first. He drew his greatsword and swung at the leviathan's chest. The creature shrieked as Blake's sword passed through its flesh. Its eyes lit up with malicious hate. Blake let out the fiercest battle-cry he could manage and occupied an intimidating stance. Angel mimicked Blake, and they circled around the beast, closing in on it slowly. Blake tried to keep his cool while the creature roared and snapped at him; he knew it was testing their resolve. It wasn't going to retreat unless it thought its meal could put up a decent fight, but Blake could tell it was giving up. He watched as the creature's humps lit up. It enshrouded itself in crackling electricity and retreated into the sea. Blake didn't let his guard down yet. He looked to Angel, who was gathering up the sharqs she had hunted. Blake saw the Leviathan's head rise form the water, electricity crackling from its maw. He ran to Angel as fast as he could. A huge ball of lightning flew through the air towards her. Blake rushed in front of her and readied his sword to guard against the blast. He felt it collide with his sword. Lightning dispersed to both sides of him, and the impact nearly bowled him over. Blake turned to see Angel with her shield already raised; he laughed to himself. Blake saw the Leviathan swim into the distance.
"Might you be trying too hard?" Angel said jeeringly.
"Possibly, I like to keep appearances up, you know," Blake suavely answered.
"Oh, so you make sure everyone knows that you're always ready to protect a damsel in distress?" Angel continued.
"No, no, damsels simply aren't my type," Blake stated.
"My, that's good to hear. I can't stand damsels either," Angel agreed.
"Either way, I guess we're even then?" Blake questioned.
"We're even enough. We don't need to keep tabs on how many times we save each other, do we?" Angel stated.
"No, you're right," Blake admitted, "but more importantly, we've got to figure out where we are."
"I know this region, its a gulf," Angel said, "We're probably a little east from where we started."
"Think you can find the road?" Blake asked.
"Of course," Angel responded.
Blake and Angel divided the five remaining sharqs. Blake would carry three, and Angel would carry the other two. After finding the road, they followed it to Santonia.
As they walked, Angel asked, "Do you think five sharqs will be worth two-hundred zenny?" Angel asked.
"I'm not sure, I've never sold a monster whole before," Blake responded.
"Well how do the skins you carved look?"
"I'm no expert, but two of them look promising,"
Angel and Blake continued to chat on the road to Santonia. They would have the sharq skin examined when they reached Santonia to see if any were of quality. Blake worried about what the future would bring, but he felt that he had shown himself to be an adequate hunter today.
Chapter End