by V. A. Lewis
"I’ll make it 5 if you can get it done before sunset," I said simply.
The smith grinned, holding up a large gray plate. "Deal. It’s easier to work with than metal. I don’t even have to melt it down! Just got to cut out the right size, then heat it up a little bit. So you’ll see it finished in three hours, how about that?"
"Sounds good to me." I smiled, as the man began calling for his apprentices; he was about to start discussing something with the two young men, when I added. "By the way, could you leave two small holes for some mana crystals?"
"I could do that without a problem. But what for, though?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.
"I want to get a tinkerer to enchant it. Make it stronger, at least."
"Something custom like that would probably cost you a few more gold, are you sure you can afford that and the mask itself?"
"I’m sure," I said, meeting his uncertain gaze. That seemed to convince him, as he just shrugged.
"Suit yourself. You can probably find someone who can do that over on the west side of Locke. Not sure specifically about hardening, but there’s plenty of tinkerers there since that’s where the Hunters Guild and Mercenaries Guild are located."
I thanked the smith, bowing my head slightly and tipping my hat as I did. Then I walked down a few streets before I found the shop I wanted; there I bought two crystals of about the same size, light blue in color. It was cheap, costing only me only a few silver coins. Certainly not what you’d expect from a mana crystal that would permanently strengthen the hardness of an object.
And that was because it was not a mana crystal. I bought myself some cheap quartz.
While I appreciated the advice the smith gave me, there was one thing that he did not consider. And it was that I could do magic.
I had studied every single book I owned in the past few months, and practiced every spell that not only interested me, but could be done in the privacy of my own room; some of them I had extensively read on, but due to the nature of the spells, I was unable to actually cast them without alerting people of my ‘heretical’ nature.
Enchanting was one such school of magic I could practice without such a problem.
Temporary magical enchantments were easier to learn than permanent ones; it took me a while to learn— about three days— but I eventually mastered how to do a simple Hardness spell. It was one of the ‘intermediate’ Enchantment spells available in the generalist grimoire I had. Which also meant that it was one of the hardest spells in that book to learn, since it mostly covered the basics.
I learned the spell to permanently increase the durability of my clothing, even if it was less effective on softer materials. But I did not want my clothes to tear and get damaged over every little thing, considering that I spent good money on it. And that rationale luckily paid off now, since I did not have to pay extra for someone else to do something with mana crystals what I already could do for free and with magic.
So after a nice, hearty meal, I returned to the smith and waited there until my mask was ready. I gave him the quartz— telling him they were mana crystals— and had him insert them to fit nicely onto the front of the mask. With that final touch, it was finally finished.
I handed the smith his gold, and headed back to the inn where I quickly enchanted it. The two crystals were there to give the idea that my mask was tinkered with, so they would not question anything if they ever discovered that it was significantly tougher than it should have been. Plus, it also added a bit of flair to the otherwise dull gray object.
I picked up the mask, inspecting it for a moment: it was an oval about the size of my face, there were two holes where my eyes would be— obviously so I could see— and a thin slit lower down, probably to make it easier for me to breathe. The two crystals laid on the left and right sides, about where the edge of my cheekbone would have been located if the mask were my face.
I casted my spell, enchanting the face covering before I finally donned it. I quickly got changed to my hooded clothes, to maybe hide my hair at least. Then, wearing my mask over my face, I headed to the Hunters Guild.
It was not a long walk, but with the amount of time that passed, it was already evening when I arrived at the building. I walked past the evening crowd, walking straight into the branch without any hesitation.
I knew how things went; I was used to it, in fact. But this time, things were going to be different. So I approached the front desk, as the clerk stared inquisitively at me. I placed a hand on the table, leaning forwards and tip toeing slightly as I smiled underneath my mask.
"Hi, I’d like to register as a Hunter, please."
Well then, let’s see what you guys got for me.
Chapter 12: Rematch
To be perfectly honest, I had expected it; from the very beginning, I had known it would had made little difference. The mask served other purposes, of course. But for this? Well…
"I’m sorry, little Miss—"
"Miss," I interrupted the woman, emphasizing the word clearly for all to hear.
"Uh, right." The receptionist hesitantly nodded. She gave me an apologetic smile, and continued. "As I was saying, Miss. The Hunters Guild does not allow anyone under the age of 16 to register as a Hunter, so unless you can provide any documentation of your legal age, we can’t give you a license."
"So Goblins aren’t allowed to become a Hunter? Because I’m pretty sure they’re already old and dying at that age."
That was a lie. A blatant lie which anyone who knew even a little bit about Goblins would know; however I was hedging on the fact that this was a Human country. Maybe people here could have seen the occasional Goblin once in a while, but I doubted that they knew too much about their biology.
I was wrong.
"I understand what you’re trying to say, little— uh, Miss. But Goblins can live for more than 30 years," she said, the smile slowly slipping from her face.
Honestly, I should have realized that the spread of information in this world was not the equivalent of the middle ages back on Earth the moment I saw the television in the corner of the room. Not a plasma screen TV, of course— it was a large wooden box with a small screen, and had two antennae sticking out at an angle from the top. I knew they existed in this world, but it was still my first time seeing one, which told me that they were not quite common just yet.
Unsure what to say next, I began grasping at straws. "What about Elves? Can they become Hunters when they’re barely even a teen? Or Dwarves, huh?"
"Miss, our regulations regarding joining the Hunters Guild clearly covers all these points. As you said, Goblins mature faster, so they’re allowed to become a Hunter at age 10. Elves are double that at age 20. And while Dwarves do live longer than Humans, it’s by a negligible enough margin that we apply the same rules for Humans to them. Same goes for most other species, which is why 16 is the general age required to register with us. The rest are exceptions." The woman took a deep breath, and sighed. "And forgive me for assuming, but I don’t think you’re either Elf or Goblin. Not that being the former would help your case at any rate."
I raised an eyebrow, only to realize I was doing it under my mask. Then I shook my head so she could clearly see my displeasure. "And how exactly am I going to prove that? I don’t have any identification."
"If you can just take off your mask to prove you’re a Goblin, I’m sure there would be no problems whatsoever."
"...who said I was a Goblin?"
I saw the receptionist’s eye twitch, and I could not blame her for it; I was being incredibly frustrating to deal with, so maybe she would relent and register me as a Hunter, regardless of whether I was telling the truth or not.
"You did, Miss. You quite clearly implied it to me."
"No I did not," I said simply.
With the last of her strength, the woman managed to muster up a strained smile as she asked the logical question to follow. "If not Goblin or Human, what are you then?"
"..."
S
he waited for a response, but never got one. I am exercising my right to remain silent! Unfortunately, I was not in America, so it did not work. The receptionist finally had enough.
"Well, Miss, if you can’t provide any identification to me and you don’t want to tell me whether you’re a Human, Goblin, or just an annoying child, I would have to ask you to leave."
"Can’t I just—"
"Come on, little Miss. Stop harassing the poor lady. You’ve had your fun, you can go home now." A voice came from behind me; I turned around to see who it was, and saw a man casually approach me from a table. "I know you kids love to play your little pranks, and I found it quite entertaining for the first five minutes. But it’s been over a quarter of an hour now. You’re just making Agnes’ job more difficult now— she already has to deal with us every night!"
There were a few snickers, and even the receptionist snorted. I cast a quick glance around the room, taking in the scene at the Hunters Guild for the first time since I arrived. Unlike the smaller branches I went to before— which basically just had a front desk, a board filled possible job offers, and a few tables and chairs— the lobby for Locke’s Hunters Guild actually incentivized Hunters to hang around.
The layout was very similar to a tavern: there was a bar in the corner of the room with some barrels of what I assumed to be beer, and a proper waiting staff going in and out of the back to bring out simple food and drinks. And, as previously mentioned, there was a television at the front, although it seemed to be either turned off right now or broken.
While there was space at the front desk for multiple receptionists, only one was on duty right now. It was quite empty in general, with only a few groups of Hunters mulling about the room. Either the Hunters Guild was falling on tough times, or fewer people came in during the night for whatever reason. Regardless, everyone in the room seemed to agree with the man when he told me to leave.
"It’s late, little Miss—"
"Miss."
"Whatever, little Miss. It’s time for you to go home to your parents. They’re probably getting worried sick for you," the man said, patting me on the back.
"I’m not leaving until I become a Hunter." I stood, both my feet firmly planted on the ground.
"You don’t want to become a Hunter, little Miss. It’s a dangerous job. Me and my friends get into trouble all the time. Why, just the other day I almost lost my right hand to a Kobold! It’s definitely not something you should ever get into, even as an adult."
"Why are you a Hunter then?" I asked, giving the man a blank stare. Well, as blank of a stare I could give beneath my mask; even with the holes for me to see with, my eyes were pretty obscured and not visible to everyone unless they really peered into it.
"Because we’re a bunch of broke idiots who can’t get a better job," he laughed.
No, you’re a bunch of broke jerks who can’t just leave a girl alone!
...well, maybe I was the one being the jerk here. The man was genuinely concerned for my safety, and he was only trying to help the receptionist who I had been bothering for a while now. Still, I folded my arms, refusing to move.
"And who says I’m not a broke idiot who can’t get a better job?"
"Well you could always apprentice with this friend of mine. If you want, I can introduce you—"
"Not happening," I said, voice final.
The man heaved a sigh. "Listen, I know you hear stories about how amazing of a job being a Hunter is, but let me tell you as a real professional Hunter— it’s not a fun job at all. When you’re out there, fighting Monsters, you’re putting your life in the line just to earn a little bit of gold. And these aren’t like your everyday animals, they’re ferocious beasts that can kill you in an instant."
There were a few murmurs of agreement coming from the Hunters in the room.
"For the last two weeks, a Chimera has been terrorizing the nearby towns and villages outside of Locke. Even with the increased security from both town guards and the Hunters Guild, it’s still out there right now, having killed two Hunters and dozens of innocent people. This is not a job for children. Please, never become a Hunter."
His eyebrows arched darkly over his eyes, as if he were repressing a grim memory. I saw the man’s expression. I glanced about the room, noticing the overcast looks on almost everybody’s faces. Then, I whispered.
"...Chimera."
The man blinked. "Did you say something?"
"I said: what towns have been getting attacked by this Chimera?"
"Oh, it’s just a bit to the northeast of here— wait, why do you want to know that? Where are you going?"
The man called out after me, but I ignored him; there was no point in talking anymore. Arguing with words solved very little when there was no evidence to back it up. So I was going to procure just the evidence I needed.
I headed out of the city of Locke, and to the towns in the northeast. The city’s gates did not close at night, so I was not worried about being locked out if I did try to return.
I stopped some guards before leaving, getting a more specific direction as to where the Chimera might have been. I was vague with it, of course; they would not have told me anything otherwise. After I followed the road they pointed me in for a few hours, I found myself in a village that looked like it provided the food to the city.
I asked some more questions there— once again, in a roundabout way so as to not raise any suspicion— before entering a forest where someone most recently disappeared two days ago. I wandered around for a few more hours, more lost than anything. Maybe I would not have found anything, or maybe I would have. Considering how things usually went for me, I believed that it would be the latter tonight; but on that same token, getting attacked by a Monster was not exactly considered good fortune. So when I finally saw something in the shadow of the night, I was not really sure whether to thank my luck, or curse it.
There was a glint of light, and I knew it was there. Just like the first time I was attacked by a Chimera, the Monster came out from between the bushes. It had lain low in waiting, so that despite being bigger than a lion, it remained stealthy.
I brought a hand up, and a magical barrier flashed into existence. The Chimera bounced off the blue shield, confused as to where it had come from. It backed up quickly, as I released the spell, drawing both weapons on my belt. A pistol and a dagger. And with that, I stood across from the Monster as it cautiously inspected me with its glowing eyes from afar.
So you’re that stupid dumb idiot Chimera that’s been terrorizing these people.
Just like last time, its goat head was mounted on a lion’s body. Its snake-like tail was thrashing wildly at its back, as it took a step forward, seemingly coming to the conclusion that I was not a threat. It was large. Bigger than any lion. But I thought it was smaller than the one I last saw. Or maybe I had just gotten bigger since then; that would have made more sense, considering kids my age grew quite a lot in a few months. And, speaking of growth…
The last time I fought a Chimera, I was completely overwhelmed, even with a pistol and with Adrian helping me. Sure, I ended up killing it in the end. But it did not feel like a victory. Not when I lost my arm, and would have lost my life if not for my mom.
Maybe it was a draw; that would have been the most fair assessment of the battle’s outcome. But still, I was not an impartial judge. To me, it felt as though I lost against the Chimera.
So it was finally time for the rematch. And this time, I thought to myself with a flip of my gray dagger, and a grin spreading across my hidden face. I’m not going to lose.
The Chimera bounded at me, lashing out with its tail. I managed to fire a single shot before the snakehead struck the ground where I was standing, but I had seen the attack coming. I was no longer there.
I dashed forward at the charging Monster. It bared its fangs at me in an arrogant smile. It was still over ten paces away. Even more, for a regular Human. But in one giant leap, it covered the distance in an instant.
> I dodged the Chimera as it pounced at me. I leaned out of the way and took a big step to the right. I held my dagger out as the Chimera just barely missed me. Putting all my strength into this one swing, I slashed at the moving Monster.
I felt the blade connect. I was nearly knocked off balance just from the force of its pull alone. But I steadied myself. My dagger left a long horizontal gash across the Chimera’s side. It landed with a stumble, hurt by the attack, but not badly wounded.
Blood dripped from the tip of my dagger. The magically enchanted blade was able to do far more damage than a simple pistol. The jagged edge only served to worsen the damage, but not enough to kill it. And yet, I knew that that was not a clean hit— it was only a given that striking a moving target was not as easy as striking an unmoving one.
If I had either been more skillful or stronger, I knew that I would have been able to sink the blade even deeper. Perhaps enough to have impeded its movements. But as of right now, the Chimera was still moving without any difficulty. Just, wary.
The Chimera backed up, cautiously circling around me as I stood my ground. It was looking for an opening, I could tell. It let out a roar. Its entire body jerked back as if it was about to jump at me—
But instead, a fireball shot out of its mouth.
A regular fireball. Not a Fireball. But even still, that was still dangerous. I would have fallen for the feint if I did not sense the mana building up in its stomach. Apparently there was some magical aspect to that attack, which only made sense since there was no way a normal living thing could do that.
I rolled out of the way, as the ball of flames continued to a tree at the back. It did not explode as much as it engulfed the area in flames, catching fire to the surrounding bushes.
