After separating from Luz, Edric and Emira, Hunter had gone to look for a hidden and quiet place so he could contact his uncle and immediately reveal the presence of the two fairies. What his uncle would do with this information didn't matter to him: the key thing was to make sure he was convinced of his usefulness. He wondered if he should also tell him that Luz was aiming to be a real girl... but he decided it was best to save that information for when his uncle got impatient again in the future. After all, Luz didn't seem to have any idea how to accomplish this goal, so there was no reason to rush; and if by chance he ever noticed that she was making any progress, he would make sure to hinder her and prevent it. He was sorry to have to thwart the puppet, especially after all the enthusiasm she had shown for the prospect of becoming a real girl, but Hunter knew the alternative very well and he had no doubts about what was best for him to choose. After all, it was no coincidence that there was a proverb about a living coward and a dead hero.
As soon as he found a corner among the shelves where it didn't seem like anyone was eavesdropping he started to light up his staff and prepared to use the communication spell, but was stopped by Flapjack who jumped on his head and pecked his forehead. "Ouch! Hey, what's wrong with you? Don't try to stop me, you know I have to..."
A familiar buzz stopped him before he could continue his sentence; he turned and saw a certain cricket flying towards him with an unmistakable erratic trajectory. He mentally breathed a sigh of relief: if Flapjack hadn't warned him he wouldn't have noticed before it was too late. "Willow, I was sure you were there too". After all, wherever there was the puppet there was also the cricket and the spider.
"Ugh... hi, Hunter. Sorry if I didn't say hello earlier, but Luz asked us to avoid showing ourselves to her peers. She wants to learn to get by on her own" Willow told him, placing herself on the hand that the boy had opened for her. "It's nice to see you again"
"Me too. I'm glad you're..." he was about to say 'still alive', but stopped himself from finishing the sentence.
Even if he didn't however, Willow seemed to mean it anyway, because a brief veil of darkness passed over her face. "Yes... well, I'm here now" she said trying to smile, although rather forcedly, and then she quickly changed the subject: "What are you doing?"
"Maintenance" Hunter replied using the first excuse that came to mind. "My staff needs a quick check at least once a day. It's unlikely there will be any problems, but it's better if I notice it straight away. I need concentration to do this, so I wanted to distance myself from the others for a moment"
Willow was not versed in magic, and in fact she didn't notice the deception. "Sorry if I didn't respect your privacy, but I at least wanted to say hello. We haven't seen each other since... well, since the last time on the ship"
Hunter bit his lip and pushed the guilt out of his heart. "Well, at least we saw each other again. It's a good thing, I missed your company" he said, and this time he really meant it. "So… you live with a fairy now, huh?"
"Even with a long-necked owl and a grumpy crab, for that matter" Willow replied. "There have been a few changes since last time"
Hunter clearly noticed the sadness in her voice. He wished he hadn't asked and already imagined the answer, but he decided to have a little hope anyway: "Listen to me... did any of the others... make it? That bizarre basilisk? Her girlfriend? The pirates? Somebody?"
Willow shook her head. "No. Luz is the only survivor of that ship, and we with her since we were in her jacket" she replied. "Belos devoured them all"
Hunter sighed and slapped himself, even if it only happened in his head. After learning that Luz had managed to escape to Belos, he had hoped that the same miracle had been repeated for someone else, but this had not been the case. Who knows what had happened to all the others... knowing his uncle it was unlikely that he had digested them already, condemning them to be consumed in a slow and painful manner. It would have been more merciful if they had died in the crash, or allowed themselves to drown in the water. He wanted to know, but he didn't dare ask: if his uncle heard such questions coming out of his mouth he would immediately begin to suspect him, and Hunter couldn't let that happen. "I'm sorry" he replied sincerely. "I never wanted this to happen. None of you deserved this. I... I wish there was a way to change things, I really wish"
Willow looked down, then she said: "Hunter, listen... I didn't come here just to say hello. Don't get me wrong, I really wanted to talk to you after I met you again... but I also wanted to make a request". The cricket was silent for a moment, then she looked him straight in the eyes: "Could you teach me to fight?"
Hunter was taken aback by that request. "What? Why?"
"Because I can no longer stand watching tragedies happen in front of me and not being able to do anything to stop it!" Willow exclaimed. "I... Hunter, I don't know how to explain this to you... I thought I could be strong, that I could be useful, that I could make a difference. Even though I kept telling myself that I shouldn't have dreams of glory, I still ended up with believe it. But then, when Luz really needed help... I was of no use to her. She is still alive thanks to the sacrifice of other people, I am still alive thanks to their sacrifice. I was totally useless"
"Willow, you were facing Belos. Nobody could have done anything. Fighting a fire-breathing dragon armed with a blade of grass would have been a fight a thousand times fairer" Hunter told her to cheer her up.
But Willow didn't seem reassured at all. "I know very well that I couldn't have done anything against Belos anyway... but I wish I could have at least done something to help, not stood by and let others sacrifice themselves to protect Luz, Gus and me. And it wasn't just that one time... every time we were in a risky situation, I was of no use. At most I punched the opponent, gaining a few seconds of time, but I never managed to give him more than a bruise. It has always been someone else to step in and save the day. I... I'm still the same. I'm still that weak cricket unable to flight properly that I was before I got up the courage to leave Camila's shop". Willow's body visibly shook. "I can't do this anymore, Hunter. I can't take it anymore. I need to have some power over the situation, a chance to act and protect the ones I care about. Luz... she's already lost too much, and I know that if she were to lose anything else I would be powerless to prevent it again. So... can you help me? Teach me something, anything. You taught me where to strike to deactivate the right nerves, don't you have something else?"
Hunter looked at the cricket with compassionate eyes. Willow had always seemed fearless to him, a solid rock untouched by what was happening around her; she had no qualms about saying what she thought even though he was much stronger than her and he could crush her as he wanted. But now in his hand there was no longer that brave cricket, but one that was obviously very tired. Hunter realized that perhaps he had idealized Willow too much in his mind: she was still a living being, and as such possessed complex and varied emotions. Even though she hid her confusion well, it was impossible for her not to be affected by what was happening around her. And strangely, this knowledge led Hunter to admire Willow even more: if she really had felt such feelings all along, then she must have possessed immense willpower to be able not to show them and to always appear strong and resolute to give courage to others. She certainly had much more willpower than him...
He wanted to tell her that yes, he could teach her something; in his mind he mentally went over everything he knew, looking for something suitable for a cricket that wasn't just based on acupressure, but he already knew he wouldn't find anything. He didn't want to lie to her; he knew that Willow preferred him to talk to her frankly. "If I could teach you anything, I would, but... I can't. The body only takes a certain amount of effort, Willow, and you've already pushed yours to the limits. You're much stronger than any other member of your species. But if you were to try to cross the limit... you'd just break. I can't lift the trunk of an oak like a troll, even though I'm much stronger than other human beings; the same goes for you. Any technique of combat that I know requires a certain amount of strength to be carried out, an amount of strength that even human beings obtain only after strenuous training, and you..."
"...and I'm just a cricket" Willow murmured, knowing exactly that Hunter was using too many turns of phrase to avoid saying that exact phrase. "Couldn't you at least teach me magic?"
Hunter shook his head. "There's a reason why I don't let anyone touch my staff: the energy it contains affects my body whenever I use it. Every muscle and fiber in me is specially trained to resist the immense pressure that is exerted. But if you tried to use my staff... it would literally tear you to pieces. I'm sorry, but no creature of your size could survive without being reduced to ashes". He scratched his head a little embarrassed. "I could try to teach you magic based on sigils or glyphs, although I don't use it often and I know little about it... but it also emits energy that affects the body. I doubt a cricket could ever handle more magic than that needed to start a fire. It would destroy you. I'm sorry"
Willow lowered her head in defeat. "I understand. Thanks anyway for at least thinking about it" she said, then she grumbled: "Being a cricket really sucks"
"Come on, don't talk like that" Hunter tried to cheer her up. "Being a cricket also has its advantages. You can fly!"
"You can fly too, and much more gracefully than I can" Willow replied.
"Yes... but it's not really me doing it. If one day I lost my staff or it ran out of magic, I wouldn't be able to lift myself into the air anymore. You, on the other hand, can fly because it's in your nature; it's not cool anymore?" Hunter tried to say.
"Yeah, it's really cool to always have a potential escape route that you can only exploit by leaving your friends behind" Willow grumbled. "Don't try to sugarcoat me, Hunter. I've been a cricket since I was born, so believe me when I tell you it really sucks"
Hunter fell silent, then he muttered: "Sorry. I'm not good at consoling people"
"What? No, no! You certainly shouldn't blame yourself!" Willow exclaimed. "You have been very kind to me, and I also appreciate your sincerity. Trust me, you have nothing to reproach yourself; in fact, I would like to talk with you for a long time. By the way... will you stay here in Bonesborough for a long time?"
Hunter shrugged. "I don't know. I certainly don't have any plans elsewhere at the moment, so I can stop here"
"In this case... would you like to meet up sometime? Just to talk a little and discuss things other than monsters to hunt or traumatic tragedies?" Willow proposed.
Hunter smiled without even realizing it. "It would… it would be pleasant" he replied; contrary to usual, he didn't even think for an instant that he should remain dutiful and continue his mission. A moment's pause couldn't be that bad, right?
Just in that moment something, or rather, someone fell from the ceiling straight onto Hunter's head, followed by a rather satisfied Flapjack. "Gus!?" Willow exclaimed.
"Ugh... sorry guys, I was on the beam up there and Flapjack tried hard to make me fall. I think he got angry because I was eavesdropping" the spider muttered, struggling to get up.
Willow's eyes flashed. "Don't worry... I'll give you what it takes to finish you off! Why were you eavesdropping?"
"I just wanted to hear what you were talking about! I mean, you ran away without telling me anything, so I also slipped out of Luz's pocket and followed you, but it took me longer to come here since I don't have wings, and when I got there you two seemed so close, and I didn't want to interrupt you because I was hoping it would spark... MMMPH!" Gus found his head stuck between two of Willow's paws that were clearly trying to strangle him.
Hunter hadn't understood half the things the spider had said; in reality he had hardly listened because his mind was on a bigger problem. "Um… excuse me, but if you two are both here, who is with Luz?"
"Huh? Oh, I assume she stayed with those two twin friends of yours" Gus replied. "Don't worry, she's become more judicious now, she'll stay out of trouble and... hey, what's wrong with you?"
Hunter hadn't even finished listening to Gus: with the two arthropods in his hand he ran to look for Luz, because he was sure that the puppet would get into trouble if she were in the company of those two scoundrels. And in fact after wandering throughout the library he found no sign of her, nor of Edric, Emira, Amity, Skara and Boscha. Willow and Gus also began to worry. "Perfect, we lost them! Where did they go?" the spider asked.
"There's only one area we haven't checked... the forbidden section!" Willow exclaimed. "Luz wanted to go in there to explore it and find out if there was anything that could help her become a real girl!"
Hunter raised his eyebrows; he hoped the puppet hadn't found anything useful, but he had a bad feeling. He ran to the door of the forbidden section and discovered that the lock had clicked, but when he forced it to open it didn't move an inch, as if there was a wall on the other side; Hunter also could clearly see water emerging from the cracks. "Something's wrong here. Flapjack!" The Palisman flew into his hand and transformed into a wand. "Gus, Willow, hold on tight!"
Hunter moved Flapjack and it transformed into a flash of light that penetrated the door and appeared on the other side; when he did, he felt the pressure of at least five meters of water above him. He quickly swam to the surface and once there he dried Willow and Gus with his cloak, who had almost been crushed and suffocated by the weight of the water. "What happened here!?" the cricket exclaimed as soon as she recovered. "I bet Luz has something to do with it. Let's find her now!"
Hunter didn't have to be told again and using his staff he flew over the water, and it didn't take long before he spotted a boat in the distance where Luz, Edric, Emira, Amity, Boscha and Skara were in the company of a guy as big as a troll. Without thinking twice Hunter accelerated and struck the attacker, sending him over the other side of the boat with a red beam, and then he landed in front of the six kids, and didn't stop himself from yelling: "Damn you, I left you guys alone for TEN MINUTES!"
"Hunter!" Luz exclaimed, clearly happy to see him. She was probably seeing him as a lifeline. "Good thing you're here! Please take care of Otabin!"
The monstrous fisherman was already charging back, but Hunter wasn't intimidated in the slightest; his staff was enveloped in an aura and a scythe formed at its tip, which he swung through the air cutting Otabin's body into a thousand pieces. For him, who was used to facing monsters with extraordinary powers, a slightly large fisherman was the equivalent of an insect. Seeing that scene, Luz cheered in triumph, while the five boys behind her opened their mouths and widened their eyes in amazement.
"Wow..." Edric murmured in awe. "Dude, you're a legend! You're the brother I never had!"
"I've never seen anything like it! Please tell me you're single!" Emira exclaimed with eyes so bright they looked like headlights.
Hunter turned around with a lot of annoyance on his face. "Seriously, what happened here?" he asked. "I didn't think that by leaving you alone for such a short time you would..."
"WATCH OUT!"
Out of the corner of his eye, Hunter noticed a movement behind him and when he turned he saw the hand of the monstrous fisherman about to grab him; how was he still alive!? He wasn't sure he could dodge it, so he mentally prepared himself for the blow... but then Willow emerged from her cloak and leaped, throwing a powerful punch into the palm of Otabin's hand, right where Hunter had taught her the motor nerves were, paralyzing it and making the fisherman scream in pain. The impact, however, was so violent that Willow was thrown back and flew away from the boat, and only the prompt intervention of Luz, who caught her at the last moment, prevented her from falling into the water where she would certainly have died of suffocation. "Phew! Just in time!" the puppet exclaimed. "Are you ok...?"
Her words were cut short as the boat began to shake slightly; Hunter was becoming engulfed in a red aura, and the orb on his staff was glowing with blood-colored light. His magenta eyes had become extremely menacing, much more than she had ever seen them, and they were aimed at Otabin, who despite the size difference trembled a little and retreated in fear. "Okay…" Hunter said in a furious voice. "Now this is personal!"
Otabin: "Tsk! Stupid cricket!" *slap Willow* "Now let's take care of... Why do I hear boss music!?"
Hunter: "SO YOU HAVE CHOSEN DEATH!"
