I couldn’t see his expression, It was all covered by his helmet. But I could almost feel his aura thrive with anger as he looked left to right at the sight of this village. It was a horrible scene. Homes, burnt to a crisp, the dirt stained with blood.
The lives of these villagers were changed forever after what took place here. I guess that’s why it bothered Katsu. The story he told; he went through the exact same thing with just one difference. That being he was the only one who survived.
“Are...you okay?” I asked.
He ignored my question, continuing through the village.
“How I feel doesn’t matter. We need to figure out what happened.”
I followed his lead until we were at the far end of the village, where there was a big lot of tents set up. I suppose these were the substitute for all the lost homes.
Standing guard were two men, blades on their hips. Silver chest plates and a fierce look on their faces. Really gave off an ‘Experienced Warrior’ vibe.
It wasn’t long till they saw us approaching. One of the men came over, a single scar down his face and a patchy beard.
“And who might you two be?” he asked, staring directly into the slit of Katsu’s helmet.
And Katsu, he stared right back.
“I was about to ask the same thing.” he looked the man up and down then continued, “I see. You’re from the Monster Hunter Division.”
The man’s stood tall, arms crossed.
“How do you figure that?”
“The scar on your face, you got it from a beast of some kind. More specifically, a shadow bear. Correct me if I’m wrong.”
“How the hell you figure that?”
“And your chest plate. I see a very small imprint on them. Military issued. If you’re here just a day after the monster attack that took place, then you must be a soldier from the Monster Hunter division.”
The man almost stepped back, his face looked a mix of surprise and anger. Like he wasn’t sure what to feel.
With an exhale, he chuckled.
“Alright. I understand. Retired veteran, right?”
“Not quite. As of yesterday, you can say I’m re-enlisted as a monster hunter.”
Katsu walked over to the tents and gave them a good look before switching his attention to some opened crates. Arrows, food, and other supplies. This village was well stocked.
“Helping the villagers back on their feet. That’s step one out of the way.” said Katsu.
The man squinted and gave Katsu a firm look, “I wasn’t aware that another Monster hunter would be arriving. What's your role here? Who exactly are you?”
“Currently, I’m just a tier 1 Monster hunter.” Katsu placed his hand on the man’s shoulder, “Suppose that puts me in command on this operation here.”
“Teir 1? But that’s a commanding rank...” The man’s eyes analyzed him before coming to a conclusion. “I believe I know who you are now.”
The man's lip curved into a smirk; his posture relieved. Like he was in the presence of an old friend.
“Ah. How I could I have not known? The legendary Commander K. I heard nowadays they call you the something different. Was it ‘The swordsman of vengeance’? You led some great men to victory back in the day. You have my respect, sir.”
I hadn't the slightest idea of what they were talking about. But the most I understood is that Katsu must’ve been apart of these so-called ‘Monster Hunters’ at some point.
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He sure does have a reputation.
The man shifted his gaze in my direction, questioning.
“And what about her? She a monster hunter as well?”
No, I was not. And I was just about to clear that up. But Katsu had other ideas, answering in my place.
“That’s Amaya. She’s a transfer from another division. My apprentice for the time being.”
“In that case.”
The man reached out and shook my hand tightly.
“Welcome to the division. I’m sure Commander K will teach you well.”
With introductions out of the way, Katsu gave me slight tug on my shirt and lead me behind one of the tents. After making sure nobody else was listening, he spoke quietly.
“Starting now, you’re going to pretend that you’re a monster hunter. Got it?”
“W-what?!” I nearly shouted.
Why ? What was all of this? I was beyond confused.
“Look. If anyone asks or questions, I’ll cover for you. But you have to play this role.”
“I’m...not sure I follow.”
“Listen.” Katsu sighed, “This whole thing, with the shadow orc and all. The king deemed it classified information, to be kept from the public. Only certain divisions of the military are filled in on it. And monster hunters are one of them.”
But why did I have to pretend to be someone I’m not?
He got to that part next.
“You’re just an adventurer, a civilian. If they figure that out, they’ll have to take measures to keep that information from getting out.”
That means...they’d likely kill me Right? I guess my expression or worry told him exactly what I was thinking.
So, he followed up with, “You’re wondering if they’d kill you. That’s defiantly one option. I wouldn’t put it past them. Though, they could take a different route and just lock you up. Till this whole thing is settled.”
If worse comes to worse, I'd rather be locked up than have some Excalibur cut my head clean off.
Either way, it was bad. And I couldn’t necessarily bet on the chance they’d let me live. Like he said, there’s no promise I’d be spared.
“You can still back out, Amaya. I won’t force you to be here. But make your choice now.”
I understood the risks. It was a bit scary, there’s no denying that. But this was something I had to do. If there’s a chance that this ‘Shadow Orc’ will somehow lead this world into chaos, I couldn’t sit this one out. The deal with the goddess was already made. I had to do this, for the sake of my future. Whatever it takes to get rid of this curse of bad luck.
I nodded my head, “I know. And I’m choosing to stay. We’ll find that monster.”
“You’re a brave girl, I’ll give you that.” Katsu turned his back, walking back the way we came, “I’m going to see if I can figure out what happened here. In the meantime, try and help them out with anything. Get yourself acquainted.”
So, I did what he said. Making my way to the monster hunter with the scar on his face. He was resting against one of the crates, some sort of document in his hand.
“Whatcha got there?” I asked?
He turned his head, setting his eyes on me.
“Oh. This thing? It’s the details on our mission here. Weren’t you filled in?”
“...Well, sort of.” I lied, “I wasn’t filled in on all of it yet.”
The man scratched his beard, “Right, you’re just a transfer. It makes sense that you’re only learning last minute.”
I urged him to continue, “So. Details?”
“There’s been a rise in monster attacks.” The man placed the document aside, “With the Orc’s ability to manipulate, we believe he’s the one it. We have one goal here; to figure out if the attack on this village is connected to that.”
“And if it’s not?” I asked.
“Then our job here is done. We leave and wait for another mission.”
Being a Monster Hunter, sounded like a busy job. Mission after mission, this man probably has a lot of experience under his belt.
“I’ve gotten your name already.” said the man, “But I don’t believe I’ve given mine yet.’
“You haven’t.”
“Well, Kid, the name is Logan. Logan Siegfried. Good to have a recruit working with us. Just don’t go dying on us, now.”
“I’ll try not to.” I giggled.
His eyes looked at me closely, taking in all of my facial features. And if I was being honest, it made me feel a bit uncomfortable, till I understood why this was.
“You know, I used to have a daughter. In a way, your eyes remind me of her.”
“Is that so? How old is she?”
“Was. She was twenty. She was one tough girl. A brave one.” he smiled gently, like he was remising on his memories with her, “Lost her a few years back. She died fight for what she believed in.”
Sad story. Almost made me really feel for this man. I didn’t want to pry too much, but I was curious.
“What exactly did she believe in?”
“That in a world full of chaos, there should be at last one place where people can be safe. She died in battle, defending this here kingdom. She was determined...but this place is still as unsafe as ever, monsters roaming more than ever.”
I didn’t know what to say, this was a weird position to be in. Was stuck between wanting to comfort him or tell him that things will get better. But instead, I kept quiet, letting the silence fill the air.
Logan cleared his throat before getting off the ground, “That’s enough memory lane for today. Alright, kid, I’m going to put you to work. Think you can handle it?”
“I know I can.” I replied.
He gestured over to the crates, “Some of these items are all mixed up. I just need you to separate the medical supplies from our spare weapons and such.”
I was half expecting to be sent out to observe the nearby areas or something, at least that would’ve been a little fun. But this...
...This was boring.
A heavy breath leaving my mouth, I went over to the crates and reached in. Organizing piece by piece.
_____
End of Chapter stats
Amaya | Level:10 | EXP: 35,500 / 64,000
HP: 54 | DEF: 17 | ATK: 14 | Str: +5 | Dex: +4 | Con: +2 |Wis: +1 | Int: +2 | Cha: +1 |Luck: - 10