Walking down the streets of Gourd was like walking through a large village made up of several small ones. Over the years, new model homes and constructs were built and added, but never broken down unless absolutely necessary to preserve some form of cultural heritage. Even though this was technically occupied by the Imperial rulership, Gourd was a bridge between the slums and the other states of Gratis. It was a bridge between poverty and upper luxury. Anthony knew that this area was a little better than the Slums, but enjoy a quiet presence of the Duchy guards who were more concerned with majors crimes, code violations and murder than the petty thieves and criminal elements that creeped through on the streets on a daily basis.

Still, the people were not afraid to walk the streets at night, so long as they knew which part of town to avoid. The main street was a popular destination for its many shops and the recently installed lighting figures constructed with special filaments called Light Stones, a gift from the Imperial benefactors for joining the great nation of the Neoptolemus. Anthony had seen many stones like this in his time in the cities and in his old work, but these ones glow with a certain fade in their luster indicating they were of lesser quality. These so called gifts were just failed attempts or low quality lights that would have ended up destroyed if not donated to villages like this. It was on these streets that Zoe and Anthony had their talk.

“You draw a lot of attention to yourself as a hunter, you know that kid?” Zoe looked ahead with a stern look in face. “I thought you were supposed to blend in your surroundings, how have you survived this long in the wilds?”

“I find mingling with people is considerably more difficult than mingling with my surroundings.” Anthony admitted. “As a child I had to learn that not everyone has my best interests at heart.”

“Treat everyone like your enemy, is that your father’s teachings?”

“Actually it was my mother.” Zoe was shocked to hear that Orsa would teach her son this trait. “Growing up in high society, she learned that things were less ‘transparent’ than her humble upbringings. In the Slums people’s motives were clear, hunger, greed, assumptions were always drawn but the higher you climb in the ranks, the more people are willing to pull the wool over your eyes.”

“Why give them reason to be suspicious, I can already tell Jason is curious about your origins.”

“They would have suspected me anyway, since I’m a hunter there’s always suspicion. I felt that by giving them a little mystery but no specific facts would make an impression while maintaining my current cover.”

“Make them suspicious to avoid suspicion...interesting strategy, not sure it will pay off though.” She shook her head and looked up to the street lamps shining in the setting sun. “Why do you think all my employees work for me, Bios?”

“I assume it was to repay some sort of perceived debt from your services.”

“That's true, but there’s another reason you’re missing...” She paused for a moment to let him think. “...It’s because they’re all trying to be inconspicuous.”

“...I fail to see the reasoning.” Zoe shook her head expecting as much.

“You know that talent can get you far in this region, especially if the Empire takes notice, but to the people of Duchy to be noticed is a curse and not a gift.” Zoe’s eyes turn to the street, to examine the cobblestones. “So long as the street remains nice and even, everyone keeps walking the line, but...” She stepped near white stone in the middle of the road, drawing Anthony’s attention to its jagged edges from behind chipped or shattered in some manner. “...you reach an uneven surface, you take a step to the away, why is that?”

“It could cause you to trip or even damage the soles of your feet.”

“Quite literally, but why doesn’t the Empire just sweep in and fix the road. They’ve got plenty of good roads there if I recall.”

“The Empire's forces are stretched thin, keeping order in the Free States and reclaiming the Republic from the demon menace.”

“Exactly, and sturdy but sharp stones like this could be used to make a hefty spear if you chip away the edges. What if the stone doesn’t want to move, I mean it’s packed in there pretty tight.”

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

“Sooner or later someone’s going to fix it, whether it’s the Empire or the local magistrate.”

“Indeed, a chip stone like that will definitely remain noticed...unless.” She pointed down with her index and middle finger with her thumb down.

Without barely any thought Zoe shot a beam of light and scorched the coloring off the stone to make the blackish coloring of the surrounding environment.

“Now, it can stay put and nobody will be the wiser.” She stepped over the stone, as did Anthony as they continued their route.

“You realize that was a foolhardy thing, disguising that stone. Eventually someone will trip and get hurt.”

“Remind you of anyone?”

It was then that Anthony finally understood that he was the stone and his knowledge while impressive could hurt people without knowing. If he didn’t blend in better with society, he could attract some unwanted attention not just for himself but for his friends and even Zoe. That is why everyone chose to help behind the scenes as opposed to the frontline, for Master Zoe could handle herself but they were not trained in experience like him. That means, the best option was to simply learn how to mingle by observation and hope he didn’t draw too much attention in the near future.

“Glad that your mind is thinking.” Zoe smiled with delight. “You have a lot of smarts, but in time I hope you’ll use it practically...That being said, there are times when your straightforward conspicuous attitude may come in handy, especially in this first lesson I’ve got for you.”

“What lesson?” He listened eagerly.

“I guess you should consider it a warm up for your expertise, to see if you’re committed to the work that needs to be done, and also clear up a little issue I’ve been having as of late.”

“Whatever it is Master Zoe, I will resolve it forth with.”

“That’s the right attitude, but don’t make any commitments until you hear what it is first. You see, although my healing practice extends to the Slums, there are other healers in town that are, how shall I say, territorial of other competition. They don’t mind a pharmacy that sells soaps and other healing remedies, but they make it hard for an old lady like me to get supplies through regular channels. Aside from supplies I receive from the middle states, there’s not a hunter in the region that will deal with my orders.”

“Why turn down an order when it could help so many people...” It was then he recalled his own experience from previous jobs. “...unless they’re trying to monopolize the hunts for their own benefits.”

“Yup, it’s sort of a more civilized approach to strong arming, but a hooligan’s a hooligan no matter if he wears a nice suit if you ask me. More to the point, your first task is to go to the local Hunter’s Guild and retrieve all the requests I have on backorder. Once you have them signed and filled, you’ll be my official hunter and be permitted to the offerings we discussed before, a room to sleep under, three meals a day, and maybe a little something extra if I feel you deserve it.”

“Where can I find the Hunter’s Guild?”

“We’re already here.” She stopped dead in her tracks just across the corner of a large wood hall.

Anthony had seen many Hunter Guild halls since he started in this profession, most were large buildings that looked more like a large farmer’s market, selling meats, herbs, guilds, materials and anything that could be sold to other markets or make orders. Sometimes they’d even cut out the middleman and sell their own goods if the operations were large enough, but in the lower states like this it was more of a warehouse than a market. Outside its gates, he saw people wandering in and out with several large animal corpses, some small enough to carry and others that had to be hauled and wheelbarrows. Since nobody asked where or how they got such materials, the crowd that collected seemed to be an assortment of unsavory and rugged men and women. Having met all sorts of hunters in his short career, Anthony knew that he had definitely arrived at the right hall.

“I can tell by the sun’s position it’s about an hour and a half until dusk.” She turned her head in the opposite direction. “I expect that you’ll be able to complete those forms and be back at the shop by nightfall, yes?”

“I’ve done paperwork before, it should only take half an hour at most.” He confidently took his first step toward the guild hall.

“Trust me, kid, you’ll need the extra time!” Zoe limped back down the road and disappeared from his sight.

Anthony held one hand on his jagged dagger handle and the other on the amulet under this leather armor. Whatever trials awaited him inside that guild hall he would face it like any other hunt, with determination and calculation for anything that came. As he stepped into the large double doors with the rest of the patrons, he could feel the animosity in the air. Among the hunters that were haggling and cooperating around the tables for their wares. Some were even gambling, rolling dice, and playing drinking games for a better cut of the profits. This was quite common for some who thought they could get something extra for nothing, whether it worked out more for the buyers of the hunters, only fate could decide.

He made his way to the large booth barred by wooden fences and iron windows, with the words ‘resource management’ on the top. These managers were the hagglers, the chiefs, the middle men between the market owners and hunters. They were known to be stingy and cunning, but Anthony thought he could manage any cutthroat he came across. Then he actually saw who he was dealing with...