To celebrate their new names, the adventuring pair decided to hit the town and experience the many wonders and activities on offer to fully fledged citizens such as them. Unfortunately, they quickly found most services and attractions were either outrageously expensive or outside their age range. Thus, they fell back to an age-old pass time everyone could enjoy: killing monsters. The mad dash to the guild was followed by an excruciating hour long wait in yet another line, thankfully however neither felt their peculiar excitement diminish. They hadn’t changed as people or achieved some higher form of power, but having their own chosen name felt invigorating. It was no secret their plans for independence crashed and burned before ever getting off the start line. Picking a name however was unique, new, a sign they were perhaps finally taking control, and they would grasp at that opportunity no matter what.
After finally being admitted to the guild they re-introduced themselves to Margaretta who did not even try to feign enthusiasm and simply congratulated the pair in the most bored ‘I didn’t ask’ tone she could muster. This did not deter the duo, and they requested the most difficult job for their rank in the guild. The aged receptionist grabbed a selection of contracts while doing her best to ignore the prattling of a couple hyper children. They were still heavily limited in their options but where there were monsters there was a request to get rid of them, so they had their pick of interesting challenges. Truly difficult contracts were only handled by the higher ranks which admittedly the two girls were slowly edging their way into joining.
A typical adventurer starting from the bottom would be considered for a rank up after successfully completing a minimum of twenty contracts within a three-month period. Most people had to grow accustomed to the gruelling work, little pay and even less recognition. Not to mention the actual act of killing a living breathing creature, no matter if it was a monster. Valerie and Samantha however had completed thirty-five contracts within a single month, regularly managing two in one outing. It wasn’t a record in the guilds history as others had certainly done better in a shorter time frame. That being said, it was still impressive for a pair of nobodies who came from nowhere to shoot up the ladder so quickly. If they kept up their pace, they would be entitled to the guilds many incentives from being able to select a weapon from the extensive armoury, appearing in an article in the guild’s monthly highlights magazine and most desirable of all; a generous monetary reward. Looking over the stack of contracts, Valerie frowned not finding anything unique or specifically challenging.
“Do you have anything a little more… I don’t know… spicy?”
She asked as kindly as she could resisting the urge to just pick whatever and be on her way.
“No, Miss Hunt what you see is what you get. You want spice? Tie your arm behind your back or go in blindfolded, that’ll give you some spice. Otherwise, pick a contract and get out.”
Margaretta huffed, growing impatient with the pair’s antics. The huntress ignored the older woman’s tone while supressing a smile at being called her new name. From what she saw, the pickings were slim for anything truly worth their time on this special occasion. Thus she enquired once again if there was maybe more requests in the back to which Margaretta pointed to the request board still overflowing with contracts, jobs, and extermination notices.
“Neither of you chumps is good enough for any of the real jobs so take what you can get and be happy about it.”
She stated laying down the law. Valerie clicked her tongue annoyed at the dismissive attitude which she really should have gotten used to by now. Samantha meanwhile picked out one sheet and painfully, slowly sounded out the words.
“Hey, this ones in the capital! Something about killing… gahools?”
She incorrectly read showing the contract to Valerie who also found the word difficult to pronounce. Margaretta rolled her eyes and clarified the request.
“Ghouls, undead abominations that have infested the capital for decades. Occasionally they’ll surface somewhere in the sewers, and we send down rookies like you two bozos to wipe them out.”
Valerie tensed ready for her aspect to flair to life and flood her mind with knowledge, however nothing happened. Her aspect was inconsistent at best with how it fed her information, sometimes hearing the name of a monster would kick it into gear and other times she had to see the beast first. Regardless, she would feel some tingle at the back of her skull, yet no sensation came. What could it mean? Was there something about ghouls that didn’t classify them as normal monsters? Maybe because they were in the city her aspect didn’t register them as something she had to hunt down? That can’t be it, ghouls must exist in the wild and will have their own dens or feeding patterns. The huntress put the matter on the back burner as she and Samantha left the guild with the single request. If the job was focused in the city, then they could celebrate their new names and be back in time for dinner. What would Joanne and Albert think? Mrs Bubba loved their choice of names calling them adorable which the huntress wanted to be upset at but couldn’t be angry with Granny for being Granny.
Getting back on track, this particular contract would take them to a part of the city neither had any reason to visit so far. To be fair, they hadn’t seen a lot of the city as of yet due to focusing their efforts on their new careers. As they walked, they quizzed one another on their new home to pass the time and ensure they were following Albert’s lessons well. Unsurprisingly, Valerie retained more useful information while Samantha recalled funny street names and other useless facts. Capital City, as Albert taught, was split into five districts, each taking up a generous portion and forming an uneven circle around the central monument where the city was originally founded. A water fountain to be exact, one the newly named Miss Trapper confidently asserted to be the precise spot she will eventually perish. No one had brought the morbid topic up since her assertion and, at Valerie’s insistence, no one would including the inquisitive elf librarian.
The district they were currently in was the largest by far and was unimpressively named Adventure Town where scores of travelling warriors, mages and would-be heroes gathered with the highest traffic being around the guild itself. The rest of the district comprised organizations, clubs and special interest groups with large stakes in the guild such as the Barbarian Battle Brothers, the Wizards/ Arcanists/ Ritualists/ Demonologists Collective a.k.a. W.A.R.D. as well as Modus Operandi and lastly the Artisans Bureau. These groups were comprised of members who fit into the warrior, mage, rogue and other categories respectively. Within the district there also existed several blacksmiths, tanners, armament shops, potion brewers, pawn brokers, a single dwarven run laundromat and food stalls, many food stalls. Adventuring work was long and difficult thus having a one stop shop for all your needs in a single district was a must have.
Next up, there was Auld Burgh, aptly named as it was the oldest and least renovated part of Capital City. Efforts had been made in recent years to improve the small districts infrastructure, not because the corrupt elite cared about the inhabitants but because it wasn’t aesthetically pleasing to look at from atop their ivory towers. Within Auld Burgh you could find, the poorest, dirtiest and yet most earnest, hard-working lot to live within the capital. It was here that the adventuring pair stayed with Albert, his presence and the library he ran a mascot to the districts ancient but thriving vitality.
The district immediately adjacent was the complete opposite as its buildings, management and denizens were a constantly shifting assortment of wealthy elite. Thrill Valley, despite not being a valley, contained the city’s highlights from high end restaurants, casinos, brothels, underground fight pits and a pleasantly green park with no animals unless you counted the occasional drug dealer. Joanne made her home in the outskirts of this Valley having carved out a corner all her own to run her legitimate business while infuriating the not so legitimate contractors and businessmen who tried to re-home the pooch.
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The most opulent district soon followed featuring resplendent gardens, a dazzlingly clear moat and to top it off, the royal palace where the Gentile Kingdom’s ruling class resided. It was the smallest district by area but made up for it with several large, towering skyscrapers each connected at near cloud level by bridges and paths that formed a circle around the enchanting castle beneath. These towers served an additional purpose as each drew in massive amounts of mana from the surrounding area to fuel the protective dome that surrounded the heart of the Gentile kingdom and warded off potential invasions demonic or otherwise. It was ironic however as these mana hungry towers became a beacon drawing in monsters from afar, the magic in their bodies reacting to the intense absorption.
Last, but not least, there was the equally spectacular Clergy of the Divine who occupied several churches and prayer sights for the many denizens to practice their faith. Having the dominant religion situated between the ruling class and adventurers created a decent buffer ensuring the priests in charge could serve all residents without the outward appearance of favouritism. It was also the sight of a large cemetery where high ranking officials including previous kings and queens were laid to rest, their names encapsulated on stone epitaphs to never be forgotten.
Samantha knocked over a tombstone as she walked through a dreary and dank cemetery, the name on the tablet eroded and lost to the ages. She looked down at the crumbled stone, shrugged and followed after Valerie as they were guided to a monster den. There guide, Father Richmond, was a man of the cloth through and through who worshiped the divine and sought their wisdom in all things to make him a better priest and a better person. Directing two little twerps to the sight of the latest ghoul attack, he almost wished the divine would smite him and burn his soul to cinders. He had submitted the request with the guild intending to welcome a pair of well-travelled adventurers who wished to protect the sanctity of their holy ground. Finding a duo of teenagers, one picking their nose and flicking the nuggets onto the church carpet while the other looked apathetically at the numerous art and sculptures on display did not fill the priest with confidence. He didn’t hate children, he loathed them, they did not understand the true grace of the divine and spent their days in sin and debauchery. Richmond too had been just like these two reprobates, a young starry-eyed adventurer who believed his faith and healing magic could save the world, how wrong he had been. He might have given up on everything if not for his faith and the intervention of the Grand Deacon. His holiness was a true icon amongst the faithful, a believer so devote he made the rest of them seem like heathens. As another crash erupted from behind Richmond, he prayed not only to the divine but to the Deacon for assistance.
The adventurers were brought to a stone mausoleum on the verge of collapse that was wrapped in wrought iron chains and surrounded with a ring slightly glowing holy sigils. Valerie fully expected Samantha to be unable to cross the boundary into the sigils domain yet was pleasantly surprised to find her friend was not ejected from the cemetery or struck down on the spot. The sigils were minor versions of the same ritual magic that protected the city and only affected monsters or so the priest claimed, he didn’t actually know what they did.
Approaching the locked door, Richmond made to open the latch only to find each and every chain suddenly and unanimously fall to the ground, a link here and there clearly seperated with no obvious change to the metal hoops themselves. He tried to turn to the cloaked girl who introduced herself and her aspects but found himself unable to meet her black stare. The priest huffed before opening the creaky door and stepping out of the girl’s way. The pair peered down into deep dark passage, Valerie straining to see the bottom while Samantha easily made out the entirety of the abyss. They descended, Samantha leading for once while Valerie followed behind. Until any danger arose, the huntress relied on her friend’s keen eyes to direct them and, when they did encounter a monster, she could make use of the unlit torch or lantern tied to her waste. After a short descent they reached the bottom of the monument allowing Samantha to report on the interior.
“There’s a big grave, it looks like something was scratching at it.”
The final resting place for the great Henry something or other was still in one piece however the numerous claw marks coating the above ground tomb suggested something wanted in. Valerie slowly edged her way closer to the grave until her hand brushed against the uneven stone feeling deep gouges in the stonework. She frowned still waiting for her aspect to kick in and reveal some detail or secret of the responsible monsters. Infuriatingly, there was nothing, the Ghouls habits remained a mystery to her. A sudden tap at her shoulder caused the huntress to jump slightly, thankfully it was only the moderately terrifying Samantha who directed the near blind girl to a hole in the wall. Judging by the bricks and rubble she nearly tripped on approaching the hole it appeared something had broken its way into the mausoleum to desecrate the tomb. Why exactly a Ghoul would try to get at a dead mans remains neither could guess without further investigation. Samantha immediately crawled into the hole with Valerie following close behind, knife in hand and using her friends shuffling to guide her.
Travelling for some time they eventually saw a dim light on the other end of the tunnel. Upon emerging, they found themselves in a large shaft carved out of the dirt and stone creating a passageway with small flickering candles lighting the surroundings. It was not completely visible, but it was enough for the huntress to take the lead again with Samantha backing her up. She didn’t ignite her torch just yet not wanting to give away their position, it was not because she forgot to buy a flint and steel to light the stick and if anyone suggested otherwise then they were a filthy liar. She could have used the miniature flames from the candles but there was something strange about them, the least of which being they were cold rather than warm. Wilfully ignoring the clearly odd decorations, the pair walked down the passageway while listening for any sounds in the total silence. Well not total silence.
“What do you think gahools look like?”
Samantha asked in a not so silent whisper that echoed through the tunnel. Valerie jumped again and wanted to smack the inquisitive girl but restrained herself offering a curt shush. As they delved ever deeper their steps echoed softly against the stone floor while the walls around them seem to draw in closer with each passing second. Although she tried not to think about it, Valerie couldn’t help but feel a growing unease at her surroundings. Something wasn’t quite right with the way they looked or the fact this tunnel was so strangely uniform despite appearing to have been locked away. She was just about to ask Samantha if she saw anything out of the ordinary with the walls when she realized something.
“Huh?”
She accidentally uttered, turning a full circle to find her companion was missing.
“Samantha?”
She shout whispered, her words carried along the shafts claustrophobic interior. The shadow user was right there a second prior and now she wasn’t, there hadn’t even been a sound. Valerie’s head moved on a swirl trying to locate her companion in the single file tunnel. It was then she noticed the lit candles from where they came from had gone dark. The hair on the back of her neck rose up as an altogether different sense of danger invaded her mind. Having spent so long in the presence of Samantha’s eery aura she was more or less used to the feeling, however whatever this was felt new, it felt hostile. Another set of candles abruptly winked out and the huntress was off like a loosed arrow. She booked it in the opposite direction as yet more candles went out all on their own in rapid succession. Before she knew it, they caught up and surpassed her causing the tunnel to fall into darkness. There was still light at the end of the path and she ran towards it, her boots landing hard on uneven stones causing her to stumble. At the last hurdle, she tripped and rolled falling harshly into a wide-open chamber.
The chamber was lit with those same cold candles barely illuminating the expansive room. She could make out bricks the colour of blood surrounding her with occasional gaps filled in with iron bars that revealed only dirt on the other side. A dais stood in the centre with a rotten and festering wooden throne sat upon it. Hovering just above the throne was a man wreathed in lime green light with a haze coming from every inch of his figure. He was dressed in a tattered surcoat ripped up and burned with the Gentile Kingdom banner emblazoned on the front. His face, if you could even call it one, looked chewed up and spat back out with both eyes and lips missing, his teeth on full display. He floated with his hands behind his back like he was addressing his troops and the men at his command were no less horrifying.
“Oh.”
Was all the huntress could say as many blood filled maws with ravenous appetites and bone crunching teeth turned in her direction. Although she didn’t know it yet, a ghoul was a type of undead whom themselves were not a specific monster but a curse that could be contracted. The reason her aspect hadn’t given her any information was because she wasn’t technically hunting a monster, she was hunting a group of humans turned monster. Her aspect didn’t consider humans, elves or any other sapient and generally intelligent life worth hunting so didn’t give her any advantages against them. Unfortunately, that stipulation extended to the undead as she was now learning. The emaciated, pale white and red eyed humans stared at Valerie, their half-chewed meal dripping from their mouths. It would seem the recent attack that sparked the contract had been an attempt gather more food and when that failed, they cannibalized one another. Valerie froze in terror at the scene before her, she desperately wanted to run but every muscle in her body refused to move back down the dark hall. The spectre general finally noticed the intruder and looked down at the huntress, his face unreadable as he extended a bony hand forth.
“Myyyyyyyyy miniooooonssssssss youuuu have hunnnngered for tooooooo long…”
He hissed out in a voice that could be carried away by a breeze.
“GO FORTH AND FEAST!”
The ghost suddenly screamed, and every ghoul dashed forward on all fours their jaws wide and clawed fingers outstretched.