Doran Raider
Corel resembled an old Western town, one that seemed stuck in the time of cowboys and chocobos. The town comprised mostly wooden and stone buildings using Western false front architecture. The town also had a water tower, a pub, a general store, and a building resembling a chapel. Of course there were two big ranch style homes by the two riches people, the mayor and the owner of the mines. Corel was not a town for the feint of heart as most of the people were employed in the coal mines, the rest were either worked for the mayor or were servants for the Shinra affiliate who owned the coal mines. The town went through periods of peace and unrest as pay was always an issue. Mako had not yet become mainstream energy at that point in time, but it was fast coming. The monsters outside of town were not to be trifled with which kept many outsiders away.
Doran Raider was a young man who had just turned eighteen. Life was hard in Corel, his father worked in the coal mines as far back as he could remember. Money was always tight, and as the first born in his family among his two other siblings, he was expected to help. His younger brother was thirteen and his younger sister was eleven. Only a few times during the year would production exponentially increase due to some mysterious reason and the owner would give the workers a bonus. It wasn't a huge amount, but enough to prevent unrest and satiate the workers.
Doran too started working in the mines at thirteen forgoing any further education which was limited in town to the equivalent of sixth grade. If you wanted to further your education, you had to leave town and go elsewhere. Many were too poor to leave town as it was too dangerous to go too far out of the town limits. A few townsfolk had died because they simply were not prepared. Those who traveled, had been saving for a while and could afford a good chocobo which could outrun any creature that lurked in the desert.
Doran had only left town on one occasion with his dad to a slightly bigger town called Southport due south of Corel. It was by the sea and was richer but was a big customer of Corel's coal. The buildings were well built and maintained. The roads were clean and the houses were bigger. People wore nicer clothing as they had more shops, pubs, and everything else Corel didn't. The monsters outside of the town weren't much of a threat as they had a very reliable and capable town watch. Doran was sixteen at this time and was quite amazed at what he saw. His father had received a five hundred gil bonus and had decided to bring gifts back for the family after accompanying a shipment of coal. He and two other coworkers were delivering the coal by huge trucks.
The money they received would still prove to be meager amount as time went on. Doran's father began to despair a bit as his mother became more anxious. The owner of the mines was only mildly generous when he received much more. Doran's younger siblings Jamal and Tammy still manage to stay optimistic despite it all.
"Things will get better, you'll see!" was all Tammy would say.
"Dad aint ever let us down, and he won't start now" Jamal would agree.
Doran knew better and could see it in his dad's eyes. The work in the coal mines was brutal and his dad over the years developed a bad cough. After work Doran would always finish before his dad and wait for him, and he'd come out all covered in dust like himself.
"You know Doran, if something happens to me, you got to take my place" his father said one day ask they left the quarry.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, if I don't wake up one day" he replied somberly.
Doran kept quiet and shook his head but knew a couple guys who had died a couple years after developing that same cough his dad had. They arrived home and his mom was cooking a soup of bland vegetables. Turnups and potatoes mainly with few carrots, tomatoes, and even less corn. They couldn't afford the meat due to their expenses and property taxes.
"It aint much, but at least it's something to eat" his mother said as she doled out the portions in bowls at the dinner table.
"Mommy, why can't we have pizza or hotdogs" Tammy whined.
"Maybe if you're a good girl we can have pizza or hotdogs this weekend" her mother smiled.
Doran sat at the table and quietly lapped his watery soup which had little flavor with some added salt and butter. The rest of the family ate in silence as they all knew lately food seemed to be getting more scarce. Doran couldn't take it anymore and got up from the table and left the house.
"Where you going?" Doran's mother yelled out without getting a response.
Doran walked to the last house down the way from him as he knew where the butcher lived. He knew his father had too much pride to ask for help, but he didn't. The butcher and his family lived on a larger portion of land in a couple of ranch styled houses. He walked up to the gate where the butcher's son Devin was tending to the livestock they had.
"What are you doing out this way Doran?"
"I need to speak to your dad, is he around?"
"Well he's-" Devin stopped as his dad and a couple other guys came wandering down towards the gate.
"Mr. Lathers, I have question for you" Doran said a bit nervously.
"What is it?" the stocky man with a black goatee and mustache asked.
"Could we get some beef on credit and we'll pay you later?" Doran said a bit faster than he meant.
"I'll tell you what... you join us on our hunt, and if you shoot anything, I'll be sure to give you a share of some of the meat" the butcher proposed.
"I don't have a gun" Doran frowned.
"I have an extra hunting rifle. We leave early tomorrow morning if you're serious. Be here by sunrise" the butcher winked and then continued on toward the main town plaza with the other two men he was accompanying.
"There you have it" Devin shrugged.
"Aren't you coming?"
"Na, it's dangerous out there, I focus on the livestock at home. Keeps me plenty busy"
"I see... well I'll see your dad in the morning" Doran shook his head and returned home.
Doran returned home empty handed but was hopeful about tomorrow, it was his day off. The family was rather quiet while his brother and sister played with a pile of colored blocks building a mini castle. His father was busy watching television drinking a beer while his mother was finishing cleaning up in the kitchen. Doran was about to go to his room when an ad came on with a young silver haired young man twirling a long eastern style blade like it was a toy and demonstrating all kinds of moves while being stealthy in a simulated fort invasion scenario.
"Join Shinra as Soldier, you won't regret it... become a hero, have adventures, travel the world, and earn lots of gil" the spokesman said as Doran's attention suddenly became glued to the screen.
"If you are chosen to be a candidate, for the first screening process, we will give you 2,000 gil. If you are selected for Soldier we will give you an extra 5,000 gil bonus" Doran was spellbound and the wheels began turning in his head.
"Dad, you hear that?"
His dad was already nodding off in his favorite rocking chair. His mother would usually wake him up within an hour to direct him to bed. Doran let the moment pass and went to his room. He lied down excited about the next day setting an old fashioned alarm clock.
The alarm clock went off and he sprang out of bed. His father was already up and getting ready to go to work. Doran put on an old camouflage outfit he had. Just as he was about to leave, his father stopped him.
"Where are you off to this early?" his father asked curiously.
"I'm going hunting with the butcher" Doran said with determination.
"You do know how dangerous it is outside of town right?" his father explained.
"Yea, but I got to learn sometime right?"
"You should take advantage and relax"
"I'm going to bring something good home" Doran smirked.
"I'm not joking son, our family can't afford to lose you if something happens. We barely have enough for what you and I make" his father said in a more serious tone.
"I know father, but the meat I will bring home will be worth it, and I promise I will be fine!" Doran said with the same gravity.
His dad gave him a long stare then finally smirked while he got his things, "Bring home something good, and don't get hurt" then he dashed outside as a truck beeped outside to pick him up and take him to the quarry.
Doran joined the butcher and his friends as they packed their provisions and hunting equipment in a high wheeled jeep and then departed. After a good thirty minutes of back tracking down dirt roads, they arrived on top of a hill in the grasslands with a sparse amount of trees. The butcher, his brother, one of his friends and Doran got out of the jeep. Doran hadn't been hunting before and was amazed at how vast and beautiful nature could be.
"Here's your hunting rifle son, you know how to use it?" the butcher asked.
"Could you refresh my memory?" Doran asked as he handed it back to him.
"Of course, now watch..." the butcher gave a brief explanation of the rifle and how it works and fired a round. Doran paid close attention and nodded.
"Ok, be careful, this rifle has a bit of a kick to it"
"I will..." Doran said exploring the rifle and discovering what position would suit him most. Mr. Lathers led them deep into the hunting ground until they came upon a huge wild boar. It was grazing under a tree halfway up another hill.
"Now that will yield a lot of meat" the butcher's brother chided.
"Careful now, this isn't just any boar, it's a southern violet" the butcher warned.
"What's that?" Doran asked curiously never hearing such a name.
"If you look through your scope you will see it has a dark violet stripe down the middle, and that's how it gets its name" the butcher explained.
"What's so special about it?" Doran asked with great interest.
"These are rare,but are very dangerous. They have a very strong hyde and can take a serious barrage of bullets" the butcher went on.
"Not only that, but according to legend, they are descended from a line of boars that were experimented on by some crazy wizard who lived centuries ago" the butcher's brother chimed in.
"Really?"
"Sure is"
"Come on Rob, you know I don't believe in all that nonsense, it's just a freak of nature" the butcher dismissed.
"This is my second one I've seen, and I wouldn't doubt it" the butcher's neighbor nodded.
"Well either way, my business is meat, and I hear this boar's meat is more prized than that of a regular one" the butcher said cocking his shotgun.
"Yes, but be careful these boars don't go down easily" his neighbor warned. Doran began thinking of a story his father once told him of a hunt gone wrong with a herd of boars which he nearly lost his leg.
"Maybe we should climb a couple trees and keep ourselves out of reach" Doran suggested.
"Not a bad idea" the butcher's brother shook his head spotting a fairly average sized tree. Doran and the butcher climbed up one tree about another ten yards off and climbed it finding a suitable stable position. After several minutes of positioning and aiming, the boar began to move on and that's when the rain of bullets went flying. The boar yelped and almost seemed to have a purplish glow about it as it became enraged as it began wildly charging in their direction. The butcher's brother and neighbor fired again and hit the boar but the bullets seemed to do minimal damage to its hyde as it kept coming until reaching the base of the tree they were in. It was almost the size of a pony snorting, growling, and yelping at the two in the tree shaking it violently.
"Fire!" the butcher yelled.
Doran and the butcher shot the creature near the buttocks doing some damage, but the boar continued violently shaking the tree forcing the butcher's brother and neighbor to hold on to keep from falling out.
"Shit! That tree won't hold out much longer!" the butcher said shooting again but the creature ignored the pain and was in complete berserk mode. Doran jumped out of the tree to get a better shot.
"What are you doing!? That creature will gore you to death!" at that moment one branch snapped sending the butcher's brother tumbling to the ground. The butcher's neighbor's branch was about to snap as well.
Doran took two steps and was able to hit the boar's hind leg causing it to buckle and prevent it from pouncing on the butcher's brother while the butcher just kept firing on its hyde panicking trying to keep the beast from killing his brother. Doran's shot grabbed the ire of the huge boar as it's red eyed rage became transfixed on him now. Doran calmly stood stoically and used his scope to aim for its head as it prepared to charge him despite it's now injured leg. The other branch snapped the buther's neighbor fell to the ground spraining his ankle unable to move very far.
Mr. Lathers jumped out of the tree to join Doran and realized what he was planning to do. Doran had already fired one round as it grazed the top of its head. Doran quickly reloaded as the butcher joined him.
"Focus on the beast's head on the count of three...one, two, three!"
Doran and the butcher both shot true as the beast gained momentum and would be on them in five seconds. Both shot struck the creature in the head. One in it's left eye, and the other in its mouth causing it to tumble forward head first. The beast gave out one last primal roar as the butcher finished it off.
"Good shot son! You have nerves of steel, perhaps the mines aren't in your future" the butcher complimented.
"Thanks, I think I know what it is I want to do now" the sixteen year old boy said clutching the hunter rifle proud of their catch.
Getting the carcass back home was a grueling task considering two of them were injured. they returned home late that evening getting the butcher's brother and neighbor the medical attention they needed. Doran returned home as his brother and sister accosted him at the door happy he was back home. His father was in the usual spot watching TV enjoying a beer while his mother was cleaning the kitchen from dinner earlier.
"How did the hunt go?" his father said not looking back.
"We caught a southern violet boar" Doran declared proudly.
"Did you eat anything? I saved you a plate, but you should go get cleaned up and change first while I warm it up for you" his mother said seeing the dirt and blood stains from the beast on his clothes.
"A what? Did you bring any meat?" his father asked mildly interested not really knowledgeable about a southern violet boar.
"I'll get our share in couple days, a big beast like that takes time to dress out the meat..." Doran trailed off going to his room.
The next day came and Doran was given thirty pounds of meat and an interesting proposition by the butcher. Since his brother had broken his arm and his neighbor had sprained his ankle badly, Doran was asked to join him for the next week's hunt which he gladly accepted. Doran was also given three hundred gil as a gift for using his undiscovered natural talent for shooting. When it was just the butcher and Doran going hunting, their catch yielded two huge stags.
"You know Doran, how about you quit working in the mines and come work for me?"
"I would like that, but I really want to join Soldier..." Doran finally come out with it.
"Soldier? Are you sure?" the butcher seemed a bit taken back by his response.
"Yea, I saw the ad and how much money they get paid" Doran explained.
"Just know it's going to be much difficult than what we do, I worked as a shinra infantry man for ten years. Think it through, but if you still want to, work for me for a year and I will pull some strings and get you in" the butcher said evenly. "...but you need to discuss it with your folks"
Doran did exactly that, he quit the mines to his father's dismay at first but was pleased when he began also bringing plenty of beef home as well as a steady pay even if it wasn't as much as he made working as a miner. His mother was a bit concerned at first but quite pleased with the abundance of beef which wasn't cheap. Doran saved up his gil and bought a customized hunting rifle with more power, a better design, and a powerful scope. Ten months came and went and the butcher had informed Doran that a recruitment group was coming to town that week and this would be his opportunity. Doran realized he needed to tell his parents.
After a long hour of back and forth with his parents, his father accepted it but explained that working for shinra would be a lot different than hunting animals. His parents spoke with the butcher and he helped put their concerns to rest a little. His mother was the most concerned still but finally agreed. A few days later the Shinra recruitment group came and accepted him. Doran's mother helped pack his clothes while his brother and sister cried and didn't want to see him go. He promised we would write and come home to visit when he could. He sent his entire first bonus back to his parents and told them he would be sending more soon. His mother wrote him the most with signatures from his brother and sister saying how much they missed him. He also explained he was setting up a fund for his brother and sister so they could be sent to the school in Southport to finish their secondary education and how he didn't want his brother working in the mines.
It was more than a bit jarring going through boot camp and took a bit to adjust to, but the pay was good even though it was a bit lonely as they were constantly changing the squads. The time passed so quickly before he knew it they were having examinations coming up for Soldier soon and that 5,000 gil was a very good incentive. His skill with a gun had increased and his melee weapon of choice were Shinra military knives. He looked at himself in the mirror as he was getting ready for another day in his Shinra uniform and reminded himself to always remain "cool".