No Reservations in Hell part 1: Rouge Toma
In an instant, I knew I was done for. The beast had arrived. Its maw open with an inhuman grin, pitch black drool escaping its horrible mouth. It stared into my eyes, registering my face as if choosing its point of action. I closed my eyes and awaited certain death. Hearing the horrified screams of my family, butchered by the beast…I wanted to cry. I waited for death to come.
But it would not find me.
I woke with a start. The bed creaked beneath me as I shifted my weight on its old and rusting frame. The mattress groaned as I began to swing my legs over the side and stand on up. Yet another nightmare. I shuddered at the fleeting memory that provided unnecessary insight to what I refused to acknowledge. At that moment, all of my decisions made the night before threatened to return back up into my mouth. I half-walked, half-stumbled into the adjacent bathroom. Throwing open the toilet lid, I closed my eyes. I hated this part.
After cleaning up, I looked around at the quaint hotel room I was staying in. My worn-out sleep clothes from the uncomfortable night were strown across my unkempt bed. I sighed. My muscles still ached from the work I had completed the previous week. I headed towards the door and grimaced as a sharp, shooting pain caused my shoulder hesitation when raising my arm. I opened the door and headed down towards the stairs. The hotel's deep mahogany wood panels along the walls and stained oak flooring helped me remember that I was back in Vale. All the framed pictures on the wall showed countless smiling families. I figured they were locals in the area that helped pool money together to renovate the place. I had read a bit of the history of the town I was now calling my temporary home, so I was aware of the battle fought to preserve the legacy of this hotel after a nasty dust fire incident.
I stepped on the top staircase and it protested against my sudden weight and announced to those on the first floor that someone was making their way down. I continued until I arrived in the tavern that made up the hotel's second form of income. The bartender seemed to be waiting for me. She waved at me and motioned with her hand to come over to her. I casually stepped towards her. Her nametag read Autumn. I'm so thankful for that. Otherwise, I wouldn't have remembered due to the amount I had last night. Her bright orange eyes seemed to welcome me close and, if I weren't careful, I would've missed her smile which appeared to be as warm as her eyes.
"How ya doin, huntsman?" Autumn grinned widely as I approached.
I sighed in response, that seemed to be my newest form of greeting people. "Another day I get to keep doing what I do." Perhaps that was too plain. Autumn was unsatisfied. "Anyways, what do I need to do for some food? Exorcise a Geist? Pulverize an Ursa? Or maybe even exterminate a Nevermore terrorizing the land?"
"None of that," Autumn seemed to have enough of my sarcasm when I was only beginning. "You just need to pay up on your tab."
"Oh, I see," I rubbed my eyes. How much did I get into last night? "How much do I owe?"
"It's a sizeable dent. About 70 Lien." Autumn looked at her fingernail nubs as if examining her work. Then she quickly tossed her burnt auburn hair off her shoulder and behind her before looking up at me.
"70 Lien? I was afraid it would be more." I couldn't hide my cocky half-grin that threatened to take over whenever I teased someone.
"If it's so little, then cough up. Or would you rather I also tack on the day's rent?" She was smug.
"We agreed on rent. I would take care of your little ordeal in town if I get a roof over my head." I crossed my arms.
Autumn seemed to spew something under her breath and I raised an eyebrow. She stole a glance and glared at me for a good minute. She held out her hand expectantly and I fished out the Lien needed. She snapped it from me then headed towards the register. She input the amount, slid the Lien into their placement, and then walked back over to me. She opened her notepad and now it was her turn to raise an eyebrow.
"Over easy. Two slices of bacon. Coffee, black." I answered as quickly as I could.
"Toast?"
"None."
"Alright," she muttered. "That'll take around 10 minutes. Go get yourself settled either at the bar or at a table. I'll bring it out to you." She disappeared into the back in a hurry. I seems I may have overdone it by referencing the deal made in order for me to claim a room.
I meandered around the bar until finding a nice sturdy table set away from others against the wall. I pulled the chair out and parked myself on it. I briefly thought back on my previous journey. Perhaps, being back in Vale after so long would benefit me. I wasn't jovial about my birth country. No good memories remain here. I snapped back to present day as Autumn began to walk over to my table. She placed the plate on the mat in front of me and set the coffee down beside it.
She started to leave but I called out to her, "hey, wait. I'm sorry, I stepped out of line back there. Bringing up the deal was a low blow and I know that. It's been a bad morning for me and being snarky like that will just make my living here difficult."
She looked at me, contemplating what I admitted. She smirked, "I guess you're forgiven. No sense in staying mad at someone here to help. You at least understand you messed up, so no grudges will be held." She leaned in and nearly whispered this to me, "some huntsmen and huntresses that come through here never would've owned up to their entitlement. I appreciate that." She started to head away before doubling back, I figure she wasn't done yet. She wiped her hands onto her jeans and fixed her green flannel before beginning again. "One question, though. I need to write down the name for the tab and you never gave one yesterday. You made a bargain and you drank a lot of booze, but you never once offered your name." This time she crossed her arms and looked at me.
"I try to keep a low profile," I started. She opened her mouth to protest, so I continued before she could. "But I'll make an exception since you forgave me. The name's Rouge Toma."
"Rouge, huh?" Autumn put added emphasis on her statement of enlightenment. "You from around these parts, Rouge?"
I thought about it and examined my options. I could lie to her and say I hail from Mistral where my grandparents live, but I figured to go for transparency. "Yeah, my parents and I used to live on a farm not too far off from Mountain Glenn."
Her eyes sprung open at the mention of Glenn. Everybody knows the disaster that happened there. Everybody knows how it is now. She looked off to her side, probably hoping not to have offended me by asking.
I decided to put her worrying mind at ease, "don't worry. I'm alright." I smiled at her. She nodded at me and decided to return to her post.
I'm alright? What a fucking liar.
I enjoyed my eggs, bacon, and coffee in peace. They were better than I expected. Most taverns in Mistral didn't seem to quite know the best way to prepare bacon. They overcooked them far too often and normally left it burnt. Autumn seemed to know her stuff. Aside from the delicious breakfast, I was stewing in my mistake. I never should've mentioned home to Autumn. I never should've said I'm alright. Honesty is sometimes the best policy but I opened up too much here. If I could try that conversation again, I would. Every now and again, I'd glance up to see Autumn stealing looks in my direction and then breaking away when she noticed I saw her. I felt a pit start to form in my gut. Despite having just eaten, I felt nauseous from even mentioning my past life. I brought my dishes over to the bar and headed back up to my room. I quickly unlocked the door and grabbed my weapon. I believed it to be in need of repair due to my 'gallivanting' across Anima. I figured I would take it to the local smith and find out what needs to be done. I left the hotel quickly so that my gaze wouldn't fall across the worry-stricken face of my innkeeper.
As I moved around the town's square, I glanced at my blade. My weapon of choice Kitsunebi seemed to burn bright in the mid-afternoon sun even without the utilization of my semblance. I sheathed my blade and moved along the sidewalk in the center of the square taking in my sights. The small town of Boulder seemed so much smaller when the citizens were awake and moving throughout the land. Due to the mass amount of foot traffic, not many cars drive through the square, so the parking spaces were pretty bare despite the number of pedestrians. I glanced through the shops in the area before setting my sights on a blacksmith sign squished in-between a café and a used bookstore. With specified determination, I picked up my pace until I arrived at the door.
I gently pushed it open and the bell above the door dinged. The owner of the establishment called from the back room and I closed the door softly behind me. I took in my surroundings as I waited patiently for the shopkeep. Along the walls behind the counter was an assortment of different types of armor and metals. Swords of every variety, gun accessories, axes. You name it, odds are it was on that wall. It was, quite frankly, the most impressed I'd ever been with a blacksmith's storefront. Behind me I noticed a corkboard filled with different requests, wanted posters, and missing fliers. I turned my head back towards the counter when I heard approaching footsteps.
The owner walked out from the back room. This man was the spitting image of any blacksmith you'd see in a fantasy movie. Well-developed muscles, large bushy brown beard, singed shirt from the heat, and a heavy looking apron. He took one look at me and scrunched his face up in thought. He was deep in his mind for around thirty seconds before smiling wide.
"Ah, I see! I'm willing to bet you're a huntsman!" He grinned widely as if waiting for me to affirm.
"Yes, sir," I bowed my head low. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Rouge Toma." I kept my introduction as polite as possible.
The owner shook ahead in disapproval, "son, you don't need to bow to me like that. I'm nothing quite as noble as yourself."
"I don't agree," I started my most popular rant. I gave this one to every blacksmith that I came across. "I believe that your work is just as important as mine. I may be what helps keep your township safe, but you're the one that helps craft the tool I use to do so. Without you, I wouldn't be able to do my task."
The man shrugged, "I figured you'd say something like that in response. No matter, though. You look as if you've been around the block for a while." He takes a look at my clothing. "If I were you, I'd also look into getting a new outfit after finishing up here." He smirked.
I decided I would just get straight the point. It doesn't matter that he was right, I just wanted to get Kitsunebi appraised before settling on repairs, "I came to have my sword inspected for repairs. Could you do that for me?"
"Do Beowolves travel in packs?" He asked me rhetorically. He took Kitsunebi from me and unsheathed it. The fine reddish-silver metal reflected the light from above in a fascinating gleam. "Not too shabby! I can tell you keep 'er well maintained. I know a good owner when I see one." I looked away from him and blushed. I hated compliments but I do like hearing good affirmations about how I take care of things. "I could probably work with sharpening it a bit. You say exactly what type it is? I didn't catch it."
"Tsurugi." I nodded in admiration of the classification.
"I see, I see." The owner held it up to see the details. "I'd consider maybe 30 minutes for a full sharpening. Can I get your number down so that I can contact you when it's ready?" I wrote down the number for my scroll and handed it to him. "Wonderful. I'll let you know the price when you come back." With that, he headed off into the back room with my sword. For a moment, Kitsunebi appeared sad.
I left the store and checked the town square. Since it would take a little bit for the owner to be finished, I figured I would follow through on his suggestion and visit a clothing store in the area for upgraded threads. I approached one shop that stood parallel to the blacksmith. The store was titled Violet's Apparel. I breathed in and entered the shop. Yet another ding.
"Coming!" A high-pitched voice called from the depths of the store. Before long, a middle-aged woman appeared before me. Her icy white hair was pulled back in a high ponytail. Nothing about her screamed the color violet and she seemed to notice my line of thinking. "No, I'm not Violet. She's off work today, I'm Silva." She raised her hand to shake mine. "Now, what can I get for you today, Mr…?" She trailed off waiting for me to finish.
"Rouge Toma." I responded.
"Mr. Toma." She smiled.
"I'm looking to have a better wardrobe. I was given a suggestion from the blacksmith to go clothes hunting and this store is the only one close by. Got anything to help?" I placed my hands on my hips and gave my half-grin.
"Benson doesn't normally give off suggestions like that to huntsmen, so you got lucky. He probably admired your weapon." She nodded as if settling on that as the truth. "But yes! I can definitely give you some help."
Silva dragged me towards the back of the store where the men's clothing stood. Not a lot of them stood out to me except for a deep red trench coat. I maneuvered over towards it and stared in awe. Silva came over to me a few moments later with a pair of black pleated pants, a midnight blue vest, and a nice black colored shirt to match the pants. She noticed my looking at the coat.
"That's been in our store for a while. It's on clearance." She, once again, seemed to read my mind.
"Would it go well with these others that you've got me?" I pointed at the pile she has neatly stacked in her hands.
"Hmm. I don't think the midnight blue vest would go well with the trench coat. Maybe I can find a merlot red vest. We should still have those in stock." She handed the clothes to me. "But I'll let you go ahead and try these on anyways." She took off back into the store. I sighed.
I turned to my left and headed over to the fitting room stall. I closed the door behind me and set the clothes down on the shelf above the mirror. I began to disrobe. Pulling off my shirt, I noticed that the scar never healed. I ran my hand down my abs at the three claw marks still remained. They never fade. They always look like I just got them. I shuddered but decided to quickly finish to put my mind at ease. After pulling the clothes on that Silva acquired for me, I heard a soft yet rapid tapping on the door.
"Rouge? I found a merlot vest! I hope it's in your size." She called out.
"Everything else has been so far. You seem to know your stuff." I responded. I cracked open the door and took the vest from her and swiftly put it on.
I stepped out for her to see and she started clapping. "I just KNEW that would look great on you. The black pairs well with your hair! Oh, especially for the…" She notices the streak of red in my shoulder length hair. "Sorry, I hope I didn't make you feel uncomfortable!"
"No, it's okay. I was just thinking that this goes better with my hair than what I had on. Who knew that a jacket and jeans didn't really pair well against the weather?" I chuckled to relieve tension.
It seemed to work as Silva giggled, "well, the clothing here at Violet's are all worked in with the ability to repel the weather. No matter the extremes, they'll withstand!" She beamed, completely proud.
"That's great news to a traveler," I nodded my head in approval. "Is it possible to pay for these and wear them out?"
"No problem! Let me get you rung up." Silva headed over to the counter and I collected my old clothes. On the counter, was the deep red trench coat I was admiring. She held it up for me and nodded for me to try it on. "I brought it over because I figured you'd want it."
I pulled it over myself and looked at my reflection. I don't think I've looked this well put together in my entire life. I smiled in response.
"How much?" Might as well get the painful question out of the way.
"The full ensemble will be 230 Lien, but since you're a huntsman you get a 30% off discount, bringing your total down to 161 Lien." I pulled out my wallet. I'm going to need to hold back on extreme purchases until I get paid next. "Thank you for your business and your service!" Silva beamed another smile at me as I left the store.
Thank gods it's winter. The weather allowed for me to maneuver the streets in my new outfit without feeling anything. I felt warm. Another feeling I hadn't felt in a long time.
Right then, my scroll began to ring. I pulled it out of my pocket and saw an unknown number. I picked it up, figuring who it was, "hello?"
"Rouge Toma? This is Benson from the blacksmith. Your sword is ready for pick-up!" Click. The line went dead. Good thing he wasn't waiting long to call.
I headed back across the square and entered Benson's store. He was waiting at the counter with a wrapped-up package in front of him. As he noticed me, he whistled in admiration.
"That's not at all what I expected from the guy who just left here. You clean up quite nicely," he said with respect.
"Thanks." My cheeks were almost as red as my coat. I pointed down at the package.
"Your sword! Fine weapon it is. I went ahead and packaged it up for you, unless you wanted to carry it out how it was?" He questioned.
"No, that's okay. I appreciate this." But really, I just wanted to be able to bring it back to my room without any staring at me. I sighed. This was going to put me in my grave financially. "How much?"
"Free of charge." He grinned as he saw my face recoil in surprise. "I guessed you'd be tight on change being a traveling huntsman and all. Figured since you're protecting us, it's on the house." He slid it across the counter towards me.
I walked over and picked it up, still in shock, "thank you! I don't know what else to say."
"Don't say nothing. Just follow through on your word." He pointed a finger at me and I nodded in agreement. "Then we're all done here. Thank you for your patronage, Mr. Toma." With that, Benson headed back into the backroom and a sudden loud whirring noise began indicating this transaction was over.
I headed back to the hotel where I found Autumn waiting out front for me. Her arms were crossed and her foot was tamping the ground impatiently. Is she mad at me? I approached cautiously and she turned her head in my direction. She gasped sharply and immediately headed over.
"Dude, I didn't even recognize you! What the hell?" She was clearly a fan. "But never mind that, I've been waiting for you to get back! Do you even realize what time it is?"
I checked my scroll, "5:45 pm?"
"Exactly. Nobody stays out after dark here."
"Why not? If you don't mind my asking."
"Because every night for the past few weeks, we've had reports of a lot of creepy things happened!" I raised my eyebrow at Autumn to show my interest and she continued, "some people heard rustling out by the bend exiting town going south. And some people even said they saw someone they knew stumbling around the forest…the only problem is that…" Autumn didn't want to finish her train of thought.
"Hey, it's okay. This is the kind of work I'm here for," I reassured her. "I'm going to put my stuff away in my room and then I'll go investigate."
"No! You can't!" She grabbed my arm to keep me from following through.
"Why not?"
"Listen, Rouge. I know this is what you're here for but we've had huntsmen and huntresses come through here already." She said in a grave tone.
"Okay?"
"And have you seen the missing posters? None of them ever came back." She looked at me with a fierce intensity in her eyes. "Don't you see? It's too dangerous."
I looked down at her and then stole a glance at the horizon. The sun was threatening to lower further into the canopy. The shadows of the trees stretched towards the town square, menacingly encouraging would-be travelers to dare enter its embrace. The sky was a deep purple fading to red.
So, this was going to be dangerous, huh? My heart pumped faster as I thought of my previous missions. I'm always up for a challenge.
To be continued in part 2: Urban Legends
