By means of something gently shaking his shoulder, Mitchell slowly awoke from what could be called a brain-dead deep sleep. He inhaled and exhaled deeply as he rose, drowsy as could be. The blanket that haphazardly covered him fell from his shirtless form, eliciting a sharp intake of breath from… someone.
"Whut?" The American mumbled, opening his bleary eyes. He was very surprised to see Melissa staring wide-eyed and slightly red-faced at him, frozen, though he wasn't currently cognizant enough of himself or his surroundings to understand the meaning behind her large eyes and flushed cheeks.
"Ah, f-forgive me Mitchell," Melissa stuttered. She swallowed as she respectfully tore her eyes from the hunter's half-naked body. "I came to tell you that breakfast is ready. Sorry. You weren't waking up…"
When comprehension came to him, Mitchell's wake-up fatigue obliterated itself from existence. At the same time, he finally understood the meaning behind Melissa's red cheeks and embarrassed look, and he flushed as he got up from his bed and retrieved his shirt, equipping it without a word. How embarrassing...yet weirdly satisfying.
"No problem. Thanks for the heads-up," he replied as smoothly as he could. He gestured towards the door. "You wanna head down? I'm eager to see whatcha got today."
The librarian nodded, and they descended from his room. When they entered the kitchen, Mitchell saw that Melissa had already set the food on the table. "Dang. I'm slippin', keepin' ya waitin' like this. Dunno why I overslept this time."
Melissa batted his arm reassuringly. "It's fine Mitchell. Really, I don't mind."
Familiar as they were to the usual song and dance, they sat down and began dug in.
Mellisa chose a moment between bites to engage in their usual conversation. "I just wanted to let you know that I most likely won't be able to teach you today. This day of the week is usually quite busy. Is that alright with you?"
"You don't even need to ask, Melissa. Of course it's fine. I'll just find something else to do today," Mitchell replied plainly.
Melissa smiled gratuitously. "Thank you. I'll be sure to pick up the slack tomorrow. You're making fantastic progress after all," she stated proudly.
Mitchell felt his chest swell in pride at that. Learning a new written language was tough, but it sure was rewarding when it paid off.
Dissimilar to the day before, the two ate in relative silence. Mitchell wondered if something was on Melissa's mind for her to be this silent—she was usually so talkative. He decided he didn't like the quiet.
"Uh, hey. Is somethin' on your mind? You're really quiet today," Mitchell inquired.
Melissa developed a sheepish look. "Ah, well. It's just that there's been some worrying news lately, that's all."
Mitchell grew serious. If there was news severe enough to worry her, then the situation couldn't be good. "What kinda news? I've been outta the loop."
"A guard went missing from his shift yesterday and no one has seen him since," Melissa revealed. "The town guard gave us a warning to look out for any suspicious characters." Her expression became anxious. "This, coupled with the rumors of the mamono armies moving closer and closer to the kingdom, has had the town on pins and needles lately. I'm getting worried, if I'm being completely honest."
Mitchell's lips thinned. Thoughts of the man and woman in the alley from the day before flashed in his mind. He didn't know if these two events were connected, so he figured he shouldn't say anything in case they had nothing to do with each other. For all he knew, it was just two horny people enjoying themselves. But he couldn't shake the weird feeling that there might be more to it.
"Yeah, that's not good at all," Mitchell replied, frowning. "Is that why everyone's been lookin' so tense lately?"
Melissa shrugged. "I'm assuming so." She looked at him, worry crossing her features. "Be careful out in town, alright? If anyone...comes on to you, for any reason, please leave and inform the guards." Her eyes narrowed somewhat. "You might be dealing with a mamono in disguise, so keep your eyes open."
Mitchell's eyes widened a bit. Mamono could disguise themselves? Like Skin-walkers? If so, that's fucking terrifying. "Uh, okay."
"I'm serious, Mitchell. I don't want you being snatched away," Melissa emphasized, frowning.
Mitchell raised his hands in a placating gesture. "I getcha, Melissa. Really, I do. I'll keep what ya said in mind."
Melissa nodded. "Good. Now let's move on to less stressful topics, yes?"
"Yeah." Mitchell agreed wholeheartedly.
The two finished their meals quickly, chatting about other, more mundane topics. As was becoming routine, Melissa took her place at the front counter. Mitchell wondered what to do before remembering that he still needed to pick up his new clothes from the tailor's shop.
"Hey, Melissa, I'm gonna go pick up some stuff from the tailor. You need anythin' you want me to get from anywhere?" Mitchell asked.
Melissa looked up thoughtfully. "Hmm. Not particularly. You go enjoy your day. Do you still have the money I gave you?"
Mitchell rolled his eyes, the bag of silvers dangling from his hand. "Yes, mom."
The librarian's lips twitched, and a smirk appeared a moment later. "Now, now. You be a good boy and behave out there."
Mitchell mirrored her smirk. "Heh. Sure thing. Later on, Melissa." With that, he stepped outside.
"Bye," she called after him.
Mitchell made his way down the street to the tailor's shop at an easy-going pace. He was looking forward to putting on some new clothing. Washing the same set gets old after a while.
The hunter had almost arrived at his destination when he saw Arriet walking ahead of him. Without a word, he jogged to catch up with her. The girl turned around when she heard rapid footsteps approaching. She waved with a smile when she noticed him.
"Hey there, good mornin'," Mitchell greeted, waving back.
"Good morning to you too," Arriet replied. She evaluated him. "You look excited about something. Care to share?"
Mitchell hummed. "Well, Melissa told me she wouldn't be able to tutor me today. But I figured maybe you could train me later this evening instead?" He gave her a hopeful look.
Arriet gave the American a happy smile. "I'd be happy to! But I won't be available to train you this evening, sadly..."
Mitchell sagged in disappointment. He had been really hoping to continue where they had left off. She was a far better teacher than she gave herself credit for.
When she noticed Mitchell's dejection, the girl continued with an amused twinkle in her eyes, a mischievous smile on her face. "...Because I'm planning on performing in the town square this evening! What do you think? Shall I see you there?"
Mitchell paused. He'd been bamboozled. With a more light-hearted chuckle, he nudged her with his elbow. "C'mon now, don't do that to me. But yeah, I'll be there. I guess you could also say that's… music to my ears."
The girl laughed, batting him playfully on the arm. "That was terrible."
"Made ya laugh though," Mitchell grinned cheekily. "My mission's been accomplished."
Arriet giggled. They continued down the street, side-by-side. "So, are you heading to the town square?"
Mitchell shook his head. "Nah. I'm headin' on over to the tailor's shop. I have some new sets of clothes to pick up. I'll probably visit the square after that though."
The girl hummed. "Of course." Her face shifted to one of sobriety. "If you do, please be careful. A town guardsman went missing yesterday and no one can find him." Her mouth drew into a line. "I believe we've had a mamono in our midst."
Mitchell grew sober at that. "Yeah, I heard about that from Melissa. I…" He paused. He was unsure whether he should say anything, but he figured it couldn't hurt. "It's pretty embarrassin' to say this, 'cause I don't know if it's related to this or not but… I saw two people goin' at it in an alley yesterday. A guard and a woman."
Arriet gave him her full attention. "Truly? Are you sure it was a guard?"
Mitchell nodded emphatically. "Yes. He had the guard armor on and everythin'."
"I see. Do you know where you saw them? At what point of the day did this occur?"
The hunter looked up thoughtfully. "I'd say a bit after midday. I'd just left the tailor's shop at the time so it happened in one of the alleys around there."
Arriet nodded, her eyes narrowing. "Did you see what the woman looked like, by any chance?"
"Uh, she had shoulder length brown hair and had a petite build from what I saw," Mitchell mused in thought.
"Very well then. I'll be reporting this information to Captain Strenger," Arriet said. Her mood lightened and she smiled gratefully. "Thank you for telling me this, Mitchell. It'll make our job much easier."
Mitchell smiled back. "Don't mention it. I'm happy to help." When they came upon the tailor's shop, Mitchell pointed out the nearby alley he'd seen the dirty deed happen. "That's the alley I saw 'em in. Dunno if that'll help but there ya go."
Arriet scrutinized the alley with a keen eye. "Alright. I'll be sure to mention that in my report." She turned to him with a reluctant smile. "It's unfortunate our talk was soured by such a serious topic, but I'm afraid I must go."
Mitchell gave her a good-natured grin and patted her on the shoulder. "Yeah, but we'll have plenty of opportunities to do this again, I'm sure. You go do whatcha need to." He gave her a half-serious, half-playful look. "And you take care of yourself too, aight?"
Arriet regarded him warmly. "I will. Until next time, Mitchell."
"Yeah. Later on, Arriet."
The two parted ways, each of them moving with renewed optimism and purpose.
Mitchell entered the tailor's shop and the tailor was quick to notice him. Mitchell noticed she had slight bags under her eyes. He hoped she didn't force herself to stay up late on his account.
The tailor led Mitchell to a small table where his new clothes sat neatly folded. She offered to let him use the dressing room to try them out, which he happily did. The tailor seemed charmed by his eagerness to try them on. Mitchell's new apparel was slightly loose around his waist, but it was nothing his belt wouldn't fix. Overall, the tailor did a fine job. Mitchell made sure to tell her.
"Thank ya, miss. They feel amazin'," Mitchell praised. He gave her a teasing look. "Just take care of yourself, aight? Stayin' up late does a girl like you no favors, y'know."
The tailor flushed and she gave him a sheepish smile. "Thank you. I'm very glad you like them. The shirts are made from Arachne-weave silk. They're some of the finest products around."
Mitchell's eyes widened. They were made from mamono materials? "Wait, what? Mamono share their products with humans?" He inquired, curious.
"Oh yes, they certainly do. Of course, that's if they settle down in a human settlement that accepts them," the tailor said with a frown. "Not many are willing to trade with mamono, for obvious reasons."
"Huh. Ya learn somethin' new everyday," Mitchell mused. He smiled at the tailor as he stepped towards the store entrance. "Thank you for the great work, miss. I'll know just who to come to for any of my clothing needs."
The tailor smiled back. "Of course! You're welcome back anytime!" She called after him.
Mitchell gave her a two-finger wave as he stepped outside. He debated whether to carry his clothes around with him, but decided against it. Deciding to just drop them off, Mitchell headed to the library.
He arrived and entered the library without fanfare. Melissa was dealing with a customer, so he wordlessly made his way to his room. He tucked away all of his new clothes except for one set, then headed for the bath. The hunter had recalled that Arriet was going to perform later that day so he wanted to be presentable for the occasion.
After a long, thorough bath, Mitchell realized he had no way of shaving. It seemed that a straight razor was next on his list of items to buy. Hopefully one of the stalls sold them.
Mitchell made sure to wash his dirty clothes again before putting on his new garments. They were simple in design, but very comfortable. Looking as clean cut as he could be, Mitchell headed back downstairs to show off his new look to Melissa.
Thankfully, there were no customers to worry about. Mitchell playfully stepped into view with a theatrical gesture. "Well, Melissa? What do ya think?"
Melissa's eyes gleamed with amusement. She looked him over before nodding in approval. "You look fantastic. Dandy, I'd say."
"Ain't I just?" Mitchell drawled with a satisfied grin. He looked at her inquiringly. "Arriet's going to be performing today. Do you know when it it might happen?"
Melissa's eyes flashed with mischief and she smirked. Mitchell instantly knew he'd made a mistake. "Oh? Is that what this is about?" She placed her finger to her chin in a mock of a thinking pose and hummed. "She usually performs in the town square during the afternoon. It shouldn't be long now."
"Awesome. I guess I'll head over to the town square then. Ya wanna come with?"
Melissa smiled apologetically. "I've got to get a few things squared away first. I'll see you there, so you go on ahead." She playfully raised a brow with a half-smirk. "It wouldn't do to keep her waiting."
Mitchell rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Aight then. I'll see ya there. Later on, Melissa."
"Bye bye~"
Mitchell smirked in amusement as he left the building. He made his way towards the town square with enthusiastic steps. He would admit this was something he was very much looking forward to.
When he arrived at the town square, he found that a large crowd had gathered. Before he could head over, however…
"I'm glad you made it. You are just in time."
When Mitchell turned to confront the harpist, his eyes were blessed by an extraordinary sight. Arriet stood there, a warm smile on her visage and a teasing glint in her rose-red eyes. A beautiful white one-piece short skirt dress with feathered blue endings adorned her wonderful body, showing off her perfect thighs, the legs of which were concealed by knee-high boots of matching color, each with their own gold embellishments. Elbow-length white gloves with similar decorations emphasized the fair skin of her upper-arms and shoulders, as well as what was shown of her gentle mammaries. The gloves ended with an ocean of feathered designs that draped around her angelically—ethereally. She wore her usual gold headpiece but with gold links clipped in her hair. To top the ethereal image off, she held a shining gold harp in her arms. In layman's terms, she was drop-dead gorgeous.
Mitchell openly gawked at her in amazement. He blinked. "Okay, so, whoever designed that amazing dress deserves some credit and you deserve all the rest for wearin' it so good. You're not bein' fair to us guys, Arriet."
Arriet flushed at the heartfelt praise. "Ah, I'm happy you like it. Is it strange to say I was hoping you would?"
The hunter shook his head. "Nah, it ain't. But let me correct you on somethin'. I don't like it—I love it. Please wear it more."
The girl giggled, her blush intensifying. "Well then! I'll keep that in mind! Shall we?" With that, she walked over towards the fountain with a hurried gait.
Mitchell suppressed the urge to laugh as he followed her. Looks like she was regretting her words a few days ago.
As he made his way to the front of the crowd, Mitchell noticed Melissa arriving at the town square. He stood up front along with a group of kids—the very same from the day he first arrived—who stared at Arriet in adoration and excitement.
The harpist made herself comfortable on the lawn near the fountain, splaying out her dress as a makeshift blanket to lay on. She scanned the surrounding crowd until her eyes landed on Mitchell's. In a sudden bout of boldness, he winked at her. She smiled warmly and started to play.
Mitchell had been expecting her to be good, but he didn't expect her to be damn near magical. This girl had talent, let that be said. He was just as enthralled as the children next to him, no small amount of thanks to her stunning performance.
Her music played into the evening, and pedestrians mingled, enjoying a moment where they could briefly forget about their problems. Mitchell had a weird feeling that this was what Arriet had wanted when she started to play. He noticed that, thanks to the enjoyable atmosphere, people were slowly becoming more relaxed and jovial.
Feeling weirdly bold, Mitchell lay down near Arriet as she played. She gave him an amused look as she continued to strum her harp.
'I couldn't ask for a better relaxing moment,' Mitchell thought contentedly with a sigh.
Suddenly, Mitchell remembered his idea to show his phone to Arriet. Unfortunately, he didn't want to show it when there were so many people around. Which was a shame, because perhaps thanks to the music he could show her, maybe they could do a dual performance of some kind.
It was definitely something to remember—but for now, he'd just relax and enjoy his friend's wonderful music.
Mitchell approached the waking world with the feeling that he couldn't quite breathe out of his nose for some reason. He reached up with his hand to investigate the disturbance, but as he did, the sensation suddenly pulled away. Mitchell opened his eyes to see Arriet pulling her hand back with a smirk and a playful look in her eyes. The hunter's head laid mere centimeters away from her legs where she sat.
Suddenly hyper-aware of their position, Mitchell realized he fell asleep during her performance. He sat up, flushing with embarrassment.
The hunter glanced over to see her looking at him with eyes full of amusement. She had a warm smile on her lips. "So. I take it that you liked it?"
Mitchell nodded, still embarrassed at having slept through such an amazing performance. "Yes. Yes I did. Thank you for that fantastic performance, Arriet. And sorry for fallin' asleep on ya. That was rude of me."
Arriet patted his arm. "It's alright, Mitchell. I'm not offended at all." She shifted a bit, developing a proud look. "I managed to lull you to sleep with my song. If anything, that's a mark of pride for me."
Mitchell floundered at that. What could he really say to that? "Well, uh, okay then. I hope we do this again then. Without me falling asleep next time."
"Of course," Arriet replied. Her devious look returned. "Has anyone ever told you that you're adorable when you're asleep?"
Mitchell rubbed his neck, face flushing red. Arriet cooed. "So cute," she teased.
The hunter finally hit his embarrassment threshold. He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Aight now. You've had your fun. Please stop bullying me, miss."
Arriet giggled. Mitchell could only smile at the sound. He could see Arriet was having a great time so he just shrugged in good-natured acceptance of his loss. He looked over the town square and saw a man in the distance urgently sprinting towards the city hall building, throwing the door open and rushing through it.
Mitchell wondered what lit a fire under that guy's ass before he saw Melissa giving him quite the smug look.
'Well, damn. Now she's never gonna let me live this down,' Mitchell lamented.
Mitchell looked back at Arriet. "How long was I out?"
Arriet shook her head slightly. "Not long. Maybe a few minutes at most."
Mitchell hummed. He looked at her with hesitation. "Ya think we could do this again tomorrow? Please don't laugh, but I kinda wanna do a dual performance with ya now."
Arriet was immediately interested. "A dual performance? I don't mind at all! What do you have in mind?" She seemed excited at the idea.
"Uh, you could play while I sing or somethin'. I'd play the guitar but…" Mitchell shrugged helplessly.
"I love that idea! I'll see with the Captain if I can't do this tomorrow," Arriet replied enthusiastically. She smiled brightly. "Oh I hope he doesn't mind…"
Mitchell was about to ask why she couldn't just ask for some time off, but then he was cut off. The alderman Markus, the guard captain Iosef, and the sprinting man from before stepped out of the city hall.
"Everyone! I need your attention!" Markus called over the crowd. The crowd hushed after hearing his grim, serious tone. "Good. Now that I have your attention, I'm afraid some very alarming news has come to our attention."
Iosef stepped forward to address the crowd, grave-faced. "This young merchant here—" he gestured to the anxious man next to him. "—has just traveled here at best speed to tell us this news." He paused, as if considering how best to reveal what he was about to say. He sighed. "Rondell has fallen to the Fourth Born's forces."
Gasps filled the crowd, shock and alarm sweeping over everyone present. Mitchell's lips thinned at the worrying news. He glanced over at Arriet and saw that she looked shocked and concerned. Melissa looked outright worried.
A man stepped out of the crowd. Mitchell recognized him as the carpenter. He looked wary. "And I assume he has proof?" The carpenter's eyes narrowed. "These are some damning claims he's making. Rondell is the nearest settlement to us!"
The merchant angrily stepped forward, miffed at being called into question. "Why would I lie about something of this magnitude!? The town fell in hours! The only reason I'm here to tell you any of this is because they were so preoccupied with the town to bother with me!"
"Enough," Iosef ordered. The bickering instantly stopped. The Captain looked to Markus for his instructions.
Markus swept a hand over his head, sighing in resignation. He looked up, grim-faced. "Men."
The guards, on and off-duty, stepped forward from the crowd and stood at attention. "Sir!"
"Anyone and everyone coming to our town is to now be screened thoroughly before they are deemed safe or not. If they are not… you know what to do. We are now neighbors to a Demon Realm. I want defenses prepared within the next three days. I'm taking no chances. Spread the word."
"Sir!" The guards hurried away urgently.
Mitchell watched as the festivities steadily devolved into an anxious, worried crowd. Some quickly returned home and some slowly went back to what they were doing, albeit with tense, worried looks.
"So Rondell has fallen… Druella truly means to conquer Lescatie," Arriet said, frowning soberly.
Mitchell blinked. "Druella? Is that the Fourth Born person?" he inquired.
Arriet nodded. To Mitchell's surprise, her eyes narrowed in anger. She looked off into the distance. "Yes. She is an unrepentant, hedonistic warmonger who will trample over the livelihoods of others to get what she desires. With this attack, she has declared her intentions for this kingdom for everyone to know." She sighed deeply. "This will surely provoke a response from the Order."
Mitchell merely frowned. He was at a loss of what to say. The hunter didn't know enough about the situation for his liking. Before he could say anything, Arriet turned to him. "It looks like the chances of performing tomorrow have dropped, but I'll try to ask anyway. We might need it more than ever after this."
"Yeah," Mitchell agreed, nodding. He could get onboard with that.
A beat of silence passed. The atmosphere was no longer relaxed and light-hearted as everyone left for home, and Mitchell hated it. Everything was going so well!
"Sorry, Arriet."
Arriet tilted her head in confusion. "Sorry? Whatever for?"
Mitchell shrugged. He gestured to the dwindling crowd and tense atmosphere of the square. "This. I'm sorry this happened. Ya wanted everyone to have a nice moment to enjoy themselves, didn't ya? That's why ya did this."
Arriet smiled sheepishly. "Ah. Saw through my ploy, did you?" She made her own shrug. "It's no matter. Such things tend to happen at the worst of times."
The harpist gave Mitchell a heartwarming smile. "But thank you for saying that. It's sweet."
Mitchell blushed slightly at the sight. "You're welcome."
As Arriet began gathering her things, Mitchell decided now was the time to ask. "Hey, Arriet?"
The harpist turned to him. "Hmm?"
Mitchell paused, his hesitation clear. "I wanted to ask ya, even if ya don't get a chance to play tomorrow, if ya wanted to hang out somewhere with me? I've got something from back home I wanna show ya."
"Ooh, something from your home? Consider me there," Arriet replied, a hint of enthusiasm in her tone. "I'll never turn down a chance to learn more about you and your homeland."
Excitement and relief surged through Mitchell. "Thanks. That goes for you too, y'know. I'd love to learn more about ya."
"Of course! It's only fair, no?"
Mitchell nodded. "Fair enough. I'll see ya tomorrow, then?"
The girl returned the nod. "You can count on it. Goodnight, Mitchell."
"Goodnight, Arriet." Mitchell patted her shoulder as he passed her.
Arriet stared at his back for a moment before her mouth opened to say something. Then she closed it, sighing. She turned and headed home, wishing tomorrow would come sooner.
Mitchell awoke feeling strangely anxious. After the news of Rondell, Mitchell and Melissa had returned to the library unsure of the coming days. They'd eaten dinner and went to bed soon after, their minds swimming with uncertainty. Mitchell had wanted to lighten the mood, but he didn't know how to. What could he have done to make the situation better?
With a sigh, the hunter began readying himself for a new day. He had just finished equipping his knife when he heard a knock on his door.
"Yeah?"
"Oh, you're awake," Melissa spoke through the door. "Come on down when you're ready. I'm just about done with breakfast."
"Aight, I'll be right down." Mitchell heard her heading down the stairs and followed.
Mitchell met Melissa as she set the food on the table. They wordlessly began to dig in.
To Mitchell's slight surprise, Melissa spoke up suddenly. "I most likely won't be able to tutor you today. With everyone helping to prepare the new defenses, I'll have to do my part. Sorry, Mitchell."
Mitchell nodded, frowning slightly. "That's understandable. No worries, Melissa. I'll see what I can do to help out around here too." He glared off at nothing. "This town's been growin' on me. I'll do my part to protect it."
Melissa smiled, a hint of sadness on her resolute visage. "Yes. I shall as well."
Breakfast passed silently but amiably after that. It was after they finished that things got interesting.
Just as they both stepped into the main room, a town guard stepped through the door. "Hello, Miss Springfield. I'm afraid Mister Marlowe needs to come with me. The alderman requests his presence."
Mitchell blinked in shock. Was he in trouble for something? He didn't recall doing anything wrong...
Evidently, Melissa had the same thought. Her brows scrunched in confusion. "He does? Did he say why? He's not in trouble, is he?"
The guard shook his head. "No, ma'am, he isn't. At least not to my knowledge. The alderman merely told me he requests his presence on an urgent matter."
Melissa glanced at Mitchell, who merely shrugged. "Aight. If it's that important, then let's get goin'." He turned to Melissa. "Later on, Melissa. I'll be back in a bit."
Melissa hummed, lips dipping into a frown. "Of course. I'll see you later."
Mitchell gave her a two finger wave as he and the guard left.
Mitchell and the guard wasted no time hurrying to the city hall building. As they did so, Mitchell saw numerous people going to and fro, carrying many supplies and lumber to the walls. He theorized it was for the defenses. The hunter also noticed every man in town was now carrying a weapon of some sort, whether it was a bow, sword, axe, or spear.
When they entered the square, Mitchell was surprised by how busy it was. Everywhere he looked, people were doing something to prepare the town for the coming days. The guard paid no heed to the sights, however, and he led Mitchell into the city hall. They came upon the alderman's office quickly.
The guard knocked on the office door. "Sir. I've brought the hunter you asked for."
'Hunter? ...Oh, I think I see what's happening now,' Mitchell thought with a mental sigh. He had an idea about what was about to happen, and he didn't like it one bit.
"Come in. You're dismissed, Mikhail. Thank you."
"Sir!" The guard then left without another word.
Mitchell entered the room and stepped forward to stand before the alderman's desk. "You needed to see me?" He asked.
Markus sighed. "I'll cut straight to the chase. Yesterday's news has everyone on edge. We don't know if the surrounding areas are secure either. We need someone with expertise in traversing the wilderness to scout out the immediate area." He gave Mitchell a serious look. "You are exactly what we need. Will you do this for us?"
'Fuckin' called it,' Mitchell thought to himself.
Mitchell would do it, of course. He'd meant it when he said he was beginning to like this town. "I'll do it. But let me ask, why me? Can no one else do this?"
Markus raised a brow. "You navigated over six leagues through mamono territory without problems. Undetected at that. No one else has that kind of talent here."
Mitchell made a face. "Oh. Well, what do ya need me to do, then?"
"I need you to scout out the area around our town. By a league out, if preferable. We need to know if the Fourth Born has any mamono scouting out our town as her next target."
The hunter tried not to let that thought bother him. He failed. "Aight then. You want me to head out soon?"
Markus nodded. "Yes. The sooner the better."
Mitchell repressed a sigh as he nodded. "I guess I'll get on with it. I'll gather what I need and head out."
The alderman developed a look of gratitude. "Thank you. You're doing all of us a service and you will be compensated for it." He grew serious. "Just make sure you come back."
"Yessir."
With that, Mitchell turned and left the room. He stepped out of the city hall and sighed deeply. The hunter took a long look around the busy town square before heading back to the library with a hurried stride.
The trip to the library flew by and he stepped in with a purposeful stride. Melissa noticed his serious expression. "So? What did the alderman want?"
"He wants me to scout out the surrounding areas. A full league out, he said," Mitchell replied. He wasn't looking forward to it whatsoever.
Melissa immediately looked concerned. "What!? A full league!? That's..!"
"A lot, I know, but sticking close to the town defeats the purpose, doesn't it? Don't worry, Melissa, I'm gonna be well-prepared, trust me," Mitchell reassured.
Melissa didn't look reassured. "It's not that. Rondell is only two days' ride on horseback from here." She bit her lip worriedly. "Mitchell, mamono can cover that distance in less than a day. If you're caught that far out, no one will be able to help you."
After hearing that, Mitchell suddenly regretted taking the job. But unfortunately, he'd said he'd do it, and he never broke his promises if he could help it. Besides, if not him, then who? Someone less qualified that's who.
Mitchell sighed and shrugged. "Regardless, I said I'd do it, so I can't go back on this. If I can help the town by doin' this then that's what I'll do."
It was Melissa's turn to sigh. "Of course. If it's something you feel you have to do, then I shouldn't stop you. Just…" She grew somber and gave him a look of resignation. "Too many good men have fallen to their clutches, Mitchell. I don't want you to join them."
Grateful for her concern, Mitchell stepped closer and hugged her. She returned it. "I'll come back, aight? Don't you worry about a thang." He patted her back.
"You better. It'll get boring again without you here," Melissa replied, hugging him tighter.
After a moment, they pulled away from the embrace. Mitchell knew it was best not to procrastinate. "Well, I'll go get my things and get this over with."
Melissa hummed but said nothing more. Mitchell headed upstairs and entered his room. There, he laid out his hunting clothes before heading to the bath. After that was done, he applied hunter's deodorant to himself. He then thoroughly sprayed the smell removal on his hunting clothes and boots. His preparations complete, Mitchell put his clothes on and gathered his gear: His crossbow, bear mace, tactical hunting knife, and revolver.
With everything set, Mitchell headed downstairs. The hunter saw Melissa dealing with a customer but he noticed she gave him a look that said, 'You better come back.'
Mitchell merely nodded to her before exiting the building. Deciding not to waste anymore time, he headed straight for the front gate. He didn't make it far before a very familiar voice spoke from behind him.
"Mitchell?"
Mitchell turned to see Arriet standing behind him. She looked concerned as she evaluated him. "Are you going somewhere? You look… " She paused, as if figuring out the best word to use. "Unenthused."
"And you'd be right," Mitchell replied flatly. He readjusted the strap for his crossbow. "The alderman wants me to scout out the surrounding areas. He wants me to search a full league out."
Arriet's lips thinned into a worried line. "I...I see. And you are the one he wants to do this? No one else?"
Mitchell shrugged, frowning. "Apparently, I'm the only one with any experience around here. So I'm the best choice, in his own words."
The harpist sighed. Her fingers tapped lightly on the pommel of her sword. "It can't be helped then." She attempted to smile but worry marred her fair features. "Please take care of yourself out there, okay?"
The hunter gave her a small reassuring smile. "I will." With that said, he chose to head out. "I'll see ya later, Arriet."
"Yes." Arriet watched him leave, gazing at Mitchell's back resolutely until he stepped through the now reinforced front gate.
Mitchell strode towards the distant treeline with long, purposeful strides. He dreaded his task, but he knew it needed to be done. After ten minutes of walking, Mitchell reached the forest. Taking a moment to check and secure his gear, Mitchell stepped into the forest, and into the unknown.
He had a gut feeling this trip through the woods would be nothing like the last...