Chapter 3
A hunt
Iris staggered up the small sand dune. Her feet were killing her, and from the vast amount of dessert still before her, Iris guessed she had A LOT more walking to do. She sighed deeply and continued to walk, groaning and complaining under her breath as she continued.
After the sandworm had attacked and her horse had run off, Iris found herself running for her life. She had been so scared that she hadn't paid any attention and had ended up hopelessly lost in the dessert. Now she was walking in a direction she prayed was north, her feet in extreme pain. She finally sighed and sat on the ground, causing a small cloud of dust.
"Great," she thought.
Then, she heard it. It was the sound of a horse, no wait, two horses trotting. She scanned the landscape again and her eyes fell on a black figure riding a horse with another trotting besides it. Her mouth twitched into a smile when she recognized the figure and horses.
"D!" she yelled, waving her hands. D changed direction and rode her way with her horse in tow. D nodded and stopped as she ran towards them.
"This is yours?" asked the damphir as she climbed back on her horse.
"Yeah, a sand worm popped up and scared the horse shitless," she explained curtly. After she had climbed back on, she and D rode across the dessert side by side in silence.
Just like in the bar, it was not long before Iris was unable to handle the silence and looked over at D.
"So, why don't you tell me a bit about yourself D? We have quite a bit of dessert to go," said Iris.
D thought it over a little.
"There isn't much to say," said D.
"We're in the middle of nowhere and you're the only person I can talk with. Just...tell me the abridged version of your past, or something," she said.
"Why don't you start," D countered.
"Alright, fine. Well, I don't know how but I ended up sitting in a patch of irises without an idea of who I was or how I ended up in the flowers to begin with when I was about five. My master found me, and raised me for about nine years until we were separated," said Iris.
"Separated?" D asked after a few seconds.
Iris was silent before she muttered, "villagers found out we were living nearby and wanted a repeat performance of purging night."
"Ah. Is that how you ended up traveling?" asked D.
"Yeah. I couldn't stay somewhere too long because, if I did, the villagers or townsfolk would notice I could use magic and then the flaming torches and pitchforks would come out," said Iris.
"Hunting the creatures of the night is a dangerous career, and it adds to the probability of your life ending in a violent and painful way, so why was it the one you decided to choose?" asked D.
"I was attacked in the woods one night by a werewolf. I killed it out of self defense, and then it turned out the damned thing had killed a few children in the village nearby and I was paid for simply acting out of self preservation. I figured I found a good job for myself. I've been hunting ever since. Now, let's hear a bit about you, from either your mouth, or that creature currently residing on your hand.
D nearly fell from his horse. He'd heard craft users were adept at sensing the presences of supernatural beings. Still, that fact that she had knowledge of the parasite in his hand was very surprising.
"So, it's true craft users can see things unable to be picked up by the human eye?" asked D. Iris chuckled.
"Not that simple," she started, "you have to train the 'sight.' And it's no so much as seeing as it is detecting the aura of your hand," said Iris.
(HOLY CRAP!) D's hand exclaimed. Iris cocked her head and smiled.
"So, does it get annoying, never being alone?" asked Iris.
"After so much time, it's something I've gotten used to. I'm sure that if it was removed tomorrow, it would be strange for me," D said.
(Well it would suck for me in case you're asking!) his hand yelled, apparently concerned that they were so casually talking about the absence of its presence.
Iris laughed and noticed something over a dune. It appeared to be a distant town, a perfect place for some rest and relaxation. She smiled at D and winked.
"I'll see you in town!" she said, before she rode off. D paused and watched her leave before he prompted his own horse into trotting after her.
(Well, this has gotten interesting!) His hand said.
"Interesting?" D asked.
(Have you forgotten how you get a majority...oh hell, all of your income?! How do you compete with a craft user?) his hand asked.
"Simple, stay out of he way, and if it comes down to competing with her, then take the prey first and get the money," muttered D.
(She seems very nice, why don't you just ask her for companionship. In addition, it would be nice to have a source of blood in close proximity )his hand said.
D thought about it, and then shrugged. She was an attractive young woman, but the idea of sharing his space with another was something he found rather alarming to contemplate. After such an extended period of time in which he'd travelled alone, companionship was not something he found he truly desired.
Shortly after entering the town, Iris took her horse to the stables for the night and then went about arranging for her own accommodations for the night. The inn was a bit dingy and dusty, much of the furniture looked like it had been in the room for a couple hundred years or so, but overall it was much better than the previous inn.
"Can I get you anything to drink?" asked a cheery looking bartender.
"A glass of water please, she said. As she sat there, she was aware of a man staring at her. She turned her eyes slightly to look in his direction. After a brief staring contest, the man walked over to her.
"Are you a hunter?" he asked.
"Who wants to know?" asked Iris coldly.
"There's a man trying to gather up all the hunters in town. He's got a big job, and he's paying me good money to get people for him. You interested?" he asked.
"Depends, what's the pay?" Iris asked.
"Go to town hall, he's holding a meeting there at sunset. I suggest you hurry," said the man. Iris nodded, finished her water, and then ran out of the inn.
There was already a substantial group of people in the hall when she arrived. Most of them were men. They stared at Iris as she weaved her way through and found a seat. She leaned back and closed her eyes, figuring she'd get a little rest before the meeting started.
"Yo, girlie," a gruff voice said behind her. Iris opened an eye and saw a huge, burley man standing to her right looking over at her. He had the making of a beard, bushy eyebrows, and reminded her of a badger with the amount of body hair that protruded from him.
"What?" Iris asked in annoyance. A skinnier, sticklike man with a crazed hair style leaned past the shoulder of the burley man.
"Just wondering what a dish like you is doing in a place like this. Surely you ain't a hunter," the skinnier one said. Iris's skin prickled.
"My business here is none of your concern gentlemen," she said, before closing her eyes and resuming her relaxed position.
A finger rudely prodding her shoulder took Iris once again from her relaxed state and she opened her eye again, hoping to convey the amount of annoyance she was feeling. It was the skinny man who poked her.
"How 'bout, after we see what the old geezer has to say, we go out for a few drinks. A couple of guys like us could really show a girl like you a good time!" said the skinny one. Iris rolled her eyes.
"I make it a point to avoid socializing with men who haven't even introduced themselves to me like polite people," said Iris haughtily.
"Well, is that the only problem? My name's Renalds, Gordon Renalds. This lump of flesh here is my partner, Dumbo. You got anything to say Dumbo?" the skinny one asked.
"Urgh," the larger one said. Iris rolled her eyes.
"Man of many words, your friend Gordon," she muttered, before trying to ignore them. It worked as successfully as before, Gordon grabbed her and she found herself on the ground.
"We told you our names, so what's yours girlie, or will we give you one?" asked Gordon.
"People get my name when I want them to know it, and personally I do not want you to know anymore about me than the fact I am going to be the hunter to bag this prize. Now, politely screw off and leave me alone!" she said, getting off the ground, pushing Gordon away from her, and walking away.
Someone pulled her back and caused her to hit the ground with a loud thump, jarring her head and nearly knocking her unconscious.
"I think someone needs to learn a little respect and I believe we could all do with a little entertainment, don't you?" Gordon asked the gathering crowd around the place where Iris had fallen. A chorus of cheers came forth and the man smiled.
"That's what I thought," Gordon said, advancing on her. Iris froze and her eyes widened as Gordon grabbed her hair and yanked her off the ground. She aimed a punch at his face and felt a slight bit of pleasure at the way he recoiled and then glared at her. Iris crouched down into a fighting pose as more men began to crowd around and advance on her.
"What's going on?" an elderly, worn voice yelled. Iris froze and watched as an older, slightly crippled old man came forward leaning heavily on a cane. The crowd backed away from Iris as she righted herself and smiled.
"It appears...nothing is going on," said Iris cautiously. The man walked up to her and stared her over.
"You ain't no hunter. Yer too young, too innocent to be hunting fiends of darkness," the old man said. Iris crossed her arms.
"Trust me sir, I am very good at what I do, and what I do is kicking evil's ass sir," said Iris with a smug smirk on her face. The old man shook his head and gently flicked her forehead, startling Iris and causing the crowd to snigger.
"That kind of an attitude get's people killed, I've seen it. If you're serious about this, I think you should get you ass sitting down so I can get my address under way," said the old man. Iris blinked.
"Your address?" asked Iris slowly. The old man nodded.
"Who do you think called all these people here, and who do you think is paying all of them a shit load of money? Now, I suggest you sit down, I'm only doing this once," said the old man. Iris did as he asked and sat down, watching as the rest of the crowd sat down, muttering amongst themselves. The old man hobbled up to the front of the room and began addressing the people.
"Well, well. Sorry lot of you all I got here," the man said, looking over the crowd. A few hoots and yells accompanied the start of the speech. Iris just rolled her eyes and settled back in her seat.
"Well, yer the best I can get, I guess. I'll tell you a bit about myself, give you some information on this hunt. My name's Brennan, Brennan Gregory. I was married, once, and I lost her when I was a younger man. We had a daughter, and she got married sometime ago. She and the bloke died, but not before she gave birth to my grand daughter, Lily," Brennan said, before pausing. His eyes seemed to glisten with tears and he took a deep breath.
"I've raised that little girl like I raised her mother. I watched over her, and then one night she up and disappears. I found out a vampire stole her, took her from her room in the dead of night. That was three and half months ago. I have commissioned many men to chase after her, and all of them have come back in body bags," Brennan continued. He motioned to a larger man standing by his side holding a black case.
"You'll all get 50,000 on accepting the hunt, and then if you can prove that you have killed the....the fiend. If you kill him, you get 2,000,000,000,000," the man said. A lot of yells and hollers erupted over the prize until Brennan waved his hand.
"If you are concerned about whether or not I can pay, I can assure you the years were good to me, financially, and I have no problem with supplying you with your prize. Lily was the last thing I had, and if it takes every drop of blood in my body, every hair on my head, I can promise you I will have the head of the creature who stole her from me," the man yelled. The room went quiet, not even the sound of breathing broke the silence that fell like a thick veil over the room.
"So, whose this vampire we're chasing?!" some random punk yelled from the front, bringing forth a slew of questions from the other men. The old man cleared his throat and waved his hand, silencing everyone again.
"I've heard his name as Arian, though it seems to change each city I head to, each person I ask. I've gotten estimates of his height, from 5ft 6in to 7ft 5in. He has blonde hair, and last I checked it was long enough to be pulled back into a ponytail. His eyes are deep blue, but this is very circumstantial as I have also gotten reports that he has green eyes. Due to our chasing him around, he's fled up north, but he's yet to be found so be wary while looking for him. This...thing is smart, very smart, and he is extremely elusive. Those who have managed to catch up with him have turned up in peices, he's very fond of ripping them apart and keeping the heart, eyes, and teeth for himself. Why he does this I have no idea, but it serves to show how sick this little fucking thing is," Brennan said. He took a deep breath and then broke into a coughing fit. The large man standing at his side came forward.
"To accept your money, come forward, give your name, and sign a contract. To claim the reward bring a piece of the vampire's body, or clothing, to us and we will determine whether or not you are truly telling the truth," the man said in a booming voice. Brennan continued to cough and hack, blood becoming evident as it soaked onto the white handkerchief he held to his mouth. He was walked off the stage by another man as the one with the suitcase dealt with the line of hunters gathering before him. Iris moved to get in line but was shoved out and landed on the floor. This brought about a roaring surge of laughter from the crowd.
"Go back to the bedroom where you believe," said one of the men in the crowd. Iris got off the floor, got into a position in the back of the line, and crossed her arms.
"I appears you are not too popular," said a familiar voice. Iris turned around to see D standing there. She smiled and pushed a few bangs from her forehead.
"I'm just not the type to back down and deal with their type. So, you in the hunt too?" she asked. D nodded and she smiled.
"Cool, I look forward to having you as a competetor," said Iris.
"As do I," D said. The rest of the time in the line passed in silence, until Iris reached the man with the briefcase of money.
"You're a hunter?" the man asked.
"No, I'm a llama. Of course I'm a hunter, now sign me up and give me my money," Iris said. The man laughed and shook his head.
"No kids, rule one of the hunt. Go home," the man said, trying to wave her off. Iris glared at him and stayed put. The man looked at her and rose from his seat.
"Sign me up," Iris commanded.
"You are too young, and you're a woman. Even the most dedicated man can be distracted by a woman. The men here are working for their money, they need no distractions. Now leave, before we carry you out," said the man. Two other guards appeared and Iris's hands wandered down to her knives.
"Try," she said. The man sighed and motioned for the others to take her out. Quickly Iris unsheathed her knives and crouched into a fighting position. The men approached her, and she leapt into action. Within a few seconds, the guards were on the ground and bleeding while Iris cleaned her knives and glared at the man with the briefcase.
"Now, sign me up and give me my money," she commanded. Behind her the crowd went silent, and Iris felt a surge of pride with the fear emitted off them. Now they all knew she meant business, and the hunt had not even begun.
