Authors note: So sorry I haven't updated this so long. Life has been pretty distracting lately and I have had other things to do that have kept me away from Fanfiction for a long time, mostly college loans, work and making my own original stories. I hope this chapter is a good taste of what's to come soon next chapter, which is when things will get really interesting.
Chapter 2: The Hunt Begins
O-O-O
The two teenagers ran through the halls of the castle before turning into a room. The room was large and lavish with a queen-sized bed with a drapery over it, a large desk with a mirror and brushes on it, and a large rug stretched across the floor.
"You wait right here, I'll be with you in a few minutes. I just have to change," She said, leaving a blushing Marco standing in the center of the room as she went over to her wardrobe and took out some clothing before going behind a room divider.
"Uh, should I be here for this? I mean I can wait outside the door." Marco asked awkwardly as he saw her dress get thrown over the divider.
"No, it's fine, I have the divider up," Star said as if it were no big deal that her half-naked body was covered by just a few centimeters of wood. "Besides, I know you well enough to not peep."
"Uh, okay, if you say so." Marco said biting his lip. Just as he was about to turn around, Star spoke up again.
"And don't turn around, I want you to see this cool armor I had made." She said with a hint of excitement in her voice.
Marco was feeling all kinds of awkward as he stood there with Star tossing bits of clothing over the divider, until she finally spoke again.
"Done! Now check this out!" She exclaimed, moving the divider aside and showing Marco her new outfit.
The outfit was a form of light armor with a chain mail vest over a red coat with brown leather straps with a small pouch to her side with tan pants with a light brown belt around the waist. There were bits of leather padding all over the pants, mostly on the sides of the legs and on the knees.
"Ta-da~!" She sang, striking a pose.
"Whoa." Was all Marco could say while staring at the admittedly stylish piece of armor.
"Figured you'd like it." Star said with a wide grin. "It's called Wolf Armor. It's light but durable, fashionable yet functional."
"Makes me wish I had that kind of armor." Marco commented, still admiring the armor Star wore.
"Aw Marco, you still look good... a very intimidating kind of good."
The sight of a Witch Hunter was not one of pleasure or joy, rather it was the calling of despair and fear. The common folk of the Empire all feared the coming wrath of a Witch Hunter, the mere mention of their name sent mothers panicking for their children lest they do something to provoke them.
Marco never liked his common reputation, but he was fortunate to be in the presence of a good friend who knew him as a human being rather than a blind fanatic. It always made him wonder why he made the choice to join the Order. Perhaps it was because of his belief of Chaos being the true threat to the Empire, and his past and current experiences enforced this belief that being a Witch Hunter would do some good in the world. Maybe it was because he wanted to go out and see the world rather than sit around as some commoner, wanting to have some form of excitement in his life.
Whatever his reasoning was, he concluded to himself that there was one thing he was sure to be glad for: meeting the greatest person in his life.
"As you say princess. Or should I say: monster hunter?" Marco playfully mocked, bowing as Star giggled.
"You can be so silly sometimes." Star replied with a soft smile. "But I like that. It's something I don't see in too many boys."
"Royalty can be such a bore." Marco commented, hearing Star groan with agreement.
"I know right? This monster hunt is just what I needed." Star agreed, getting her favorite sword from her armoire she kept hidden behind her dresses.
"Rough day?"
"Like you said." Star took a few swipes at the air, the blade gracefully cutting through the air a good distance away from Marco as she sheathed the weapon behind a hilt on her armor's back. "Royalty is such a bore."
"Well then, shall we be on our way, m'lady?" Marco asked with a small smirk as he offered her his arm, which Star returned.
"Why yes we shall, Master Witch Hunter." She said as she linked arms with the boy and headed out the door to the room.
O-O-O
As expected of a kingdom that thrived off trade, the marketplace was bustling with activity. Merchants moving through the crowded streets as vendors shouted out their wares for sale, as reluctant commoners gathered around stands to admire and purchase the merchandise. Some stands would sell the usual bread and fruit for cheap copper, others with more exquisite products such as jewelry for rich nobles that see a gem catch their eye and purse.
"Swords! Get you swords here! Can cut through a log with a single strike!"
"Armor so thick a ballista bolt can't pierce it!"
"Just look at the way this sapphire shines in this ring! Perfect for that special someone!"
"Wow! For real?" Star asked with wide eyes as she heard the exaggerated claims of the shop keeps.
"No Star." Marco firmly tugged on Star's arm.
"But it's soooooo shiny!" Star whined as she is dragged away from a disappointed shop keeper. "Why can't we get anything?"
"Because Master Ghernam gave me his purse for important matters." Marco explained. "Jewelry isn't one of them."
Star frowned as she crossed her arms. "That old coot. Are you sure he doesn't kill fun either?"
"He doesn't even know the definition of fun." Replied Marco, half serious and half complaining about his master's stoic and often dark nature.
Star giggled a bit at Marco's comment, causing him to give a smile as well.
"Come on, there's a tavern up ahead." Marco said, the duo heading toward the small, two-story building. Once they entered, rather than find some homey-looking tavern, they found a dilapidated and seedy-looking dive.
"Hmm." Marco hummed to himself, looking around the old and worn down interior. "Still the same as before."
Star scratched her head sheepishly. "Yes... Mother and father have yet to invest the tax money on the local entertainment."
"Still the perfect place to hire some sellswords." Marco commented, looking around the filthy and musty interior of the tavern, trying to find any local mercenaries around the room.
"Now that's a rude term for our people."
A red headed woman walked up to the pair from her table, wearing some sort of plate armor and a fur coat of a bear on her back, leaving her large axe by her chair. She had the look of a natural born warrior: perhaps an Empire citizen from the north Marco assumed, one from Ostland or Middenland, maybe even as far as Kislev outside the Empire.
"We prefer the more popular saying: Regiments of Renown." The woman smirked as she glanced at Marco uninterestingly, then to Star with a glint of admiration. "Nice armor."
"Aw, thank you." Star said, beaming at the compliment.
"No problem. I know good armor when I see it." The red head said with a small smile. "Come on, we'll talk at my table." She said, leading the duo over to her corner booth.
The three sat down at her table, Star and Marco sitting next to each other while the red head sits across, taking a sip from her pint of ale.
"Name's Gwendolyn. But friends and employers call me Wendy for short, never liked long names." Wendy introduced herself.
"I'm Marco, and this is my friend, Star."
"Hi." She said sheepishly.
"Pleasure." Wendy said with a smile. "So what can I do for you two?"
"We're looking for some mercenaries in order to help us deal with a monster that's been plaguing the countryside." Marco explained.
"You mean the manticore? Heard someone already killed that thing this morning." Wendy said in an uncaring tone, taking another sip from her drink.
"No, not that, something much worse." Marco said, his voice low and foreboding.
"How much worse are we talking here?" Wendy asked, now interested.
"A beast that could destroy the entire city. Just know that this," He began, pouring out half the coin purse onto the table, causing Wendy's eyes to widen. "This is only a fraction of your pay. The rest you get after the job."
Wendy took a coin from the pile, inspecting it carefully and bit the edge of it.
"You say it's something worse than a Manticore?" Wendy asked suspiciously, flipping the coin in the pile. "You should hire the Beast Flayers across the square. They've been dying to go on a monster hunt for ages here."
"Already done. I need a few more of your 'renowned regiments' to accompany me and my friend." Marco answered calmly.
"And if I refuse?"
Marco decided to use a little more forceful bargaining, taking out a paper scroll and unrolling it for Wendy to see: his Witch Hunter license with a seal of the Order of Sigmar stamped clearly on the paper.
"You don't want to refuse someone like me." Marco said darkly, an act of persuasion that usually worked with most people.
"Fucking Witch Hunter." Wendy groaned.
"Be grateful I'm the nice one. Other hunters would have whipped you on the spot for the tone."
"Wish you were nicer." Wendy looked at Star. "And you?"
"Like he said. I'm his friend." Star replied in a serious tone like Marco. "Best if you listen to him."
Wendy scoffed as she drank the rest of her pint in one gulp. "I can't tell if you're serious or putting on an act... friends with a Witch Hunter: that's fucking mad."
"I'm a lot of things. Weird, wild, but I'm not mad," Star said with a small smirk.
Wendy smirked back as she took the coins and scraped them into her own coin purse. She liked the girl, not so much the boy, but he was offering a large sum of gold.
"So where's the rest of your company?" Marco asked.
"Sparring." Wendy simply replied.
"Still need an exact location."
Wendy rolled her eyes as she grabbed her axe leaning on the table. "Mewman barracks by the front gate of the walls. The guards let us spar with them in exchange for drinks."
"I should tell my parents about that." Star muttered.
"What was that?"
"Nothing!"
"M'lady. Master Witch Hunter." Wendy hooked the purse of coins to her side. "You've just hired yourself the Fang Company."
O-O-O
Disclaimer: I don't own the mentioned properties in this story.
