Chapter 24 The Hunt Part 1
“Shit,” Hamin grumbled as he held a raw steak to his temple, pinkish red liquid dripping down his face and disappearing into his beard. Apparently, when he crashed into that table he did so with his head.
I regret nothing.
Slowly he took a pull of the bottle of mead he had in his hand, it was awful stuff, I could smell it from here like some sort of acid, not at all like what mead was supposed to smell like, you could practically see the alcoholic fumes come out of the bottle.
“So, just to get this straight, both Harland and Alaina are dead,” he breathed out heavily at this, leaning his head back and taking in a shaky breath before downing another gulp of that liquid poison. He breathed out a deep breath that was half laugh half sob. “Poor bastard, he was so lost without his wife, so hollow, simply waiting for death.”
“Rinmua disagrees-” I started to say thinking of the way Harland smiled when he saw me and helped me out that first time. Those eyes were not the eyes of the dead.
“Shut your fucking snout you cunt!” he hissed pointing at me with the hand that held the bottle, leaning forward to aggressively as the liquid sloshed out and down his knuckles.
“Hamin,” Sarena said the name like it was a warning, a warning that the man was walking on some very thin ice without his paws spread properly. He, however, ignored the warning and simply continued to be aggressive towards me.
“No, this bitch doesn't know, she didn't know him before-”
“Rin does know,” I said softly, memories flashing behind my eyes, “Rin has felt loss before, she knows what it is like...” I could almost feel the hand curl around my shoulder, the dirty ragged blanket handed through the bars and wrapped around my shoulders, offered without a word offered freely.
Olan.
I blinked away the tears and noticed that the entire room was silent, everyone looking at me. Slowly Sarena reached over and using a thumb wiped away a tear that had fallen out of my eye and had yet to be absorbed by my fur. I glance back at Hamin, he looked me in the eyes and nodded, leaning back in his seat no longer pushing into my space.
“It has been years, pain fades over time they say,” he said, and I can't tell if he is talking about Harland or speaking to me, either way, I simply answer him with a nod of my head. Time, after all, is the great equalizer. “So Tamerian left you to your fates did he?” he asks looking up at the ceiling and away from my eyes. “I am going to tell you this, I know it is not the answer you want or even one you probably care about, but even if you catch him and kill him there is nothing you can do to that man as painful as what he is doing to himself right now,” he sighed and took another pull of his turpentine. “Everything that goes wrong is his fault as he sees it, and he punishes himself mentally for every wrongdoing.”
“So she should simply let him go because he is regretting his choices?” I ask as I cross my arms across my chest, leaning back in my seat. “She does not wish to do that.”
“No, I am not saying that,” Hamin shook his head, “all I am saying is no matter what you say or do to him he will simply take it, simply accept his fate, you will get no satisfaction from the deed...”
“She understands, she still, however, needs to do this...”
“Understood,” he stood up and reached his hand across the table, I took it in my paw and gripped it tightly. “You know, for a beast race you are not so bad,” he chuckled, “or maybe its the mead talking...”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“And for a man who touched what is hers Rin doesn't immediately wish to rip off your head, so she thinks you have done well in this exchange.”
“Hah, rip off my head, you could try little cat, you only got me because I was off guard.”
“She used to hunt Ursinar for a living before she became an adventurer,” Sarena cut in and Hamin looked over at her. “Solo, she used to hunt Ursinar solo...” he looked back at me, his hand still in my paw, and slowly I began increasing the strength of my grip, making sure to rub the bones of his hand together in a rather uncomfortable way. He smiled a slightly pained smile at me for a second before I let him go.
“You know my boss isn’t going to like this,” he said raising an eyebrow at Sarena after shaking his hand out.
“Yeah well she doesn't have to like it, she simply has to live with it, ” Sarena said crossing her arms.
“Still convinced that the boss is a woman?” he chuckled, “I’m telling you this guild needs an iron fist of a man to guide it, the proprietor is obviously a man.”
“The blackband often takes on revenge and retribution contracts.” she crossed her arms.
“And a man can’t take revenge?” he smiled, this was obviously an old argument.
“No, a man can, but a man doesn't have the personal touches, the proprietor is a woman, she makes it personal, and as you well know ‘the pit burns dull compared to a woman’s wrath…’ as they say.”
“Whatever, where can I contact you?”
“We will come back tomorrow,” Sarena said starting to get up.
“Like hell you will, I don't think Mark would let you in even if I asked him to, after all, you broke the one good table in the joint, it was our card table, and now we don't have one, the boys are pretty pissed at the two of you.” he glanced over at the barkeep who was angrily polishing the glass glaring in our direction as two people attempted to fix the broken table by placing a piece of wood over the break and hammer in a few nails to brace it. As we watched the men finished what they were doing and to test the table one of the men working on it leaned a little on the edge. He had barely begun putting a little weight on it when the table just completely collapsed, falling apart in three or four different places from the one they had been working on. The pieces falling to the ground with a loud crash. Mark the barkeep’s face grew darker and more ominous and he shot a look over our way. “You two better get out of here...” Hamin said, and both of us stood up to leave. “Bartel, come here!” he shouted, and the younger man came over quickly.
“Yes?” he asked looking at Hamin.
“Please escort these ladies out the back way and to wherever they need to go,” Hamin glanced at the barkeep who had just clunked the glass down on the table and shoved the rag back into a pocket and was menacingly making his way towards us. “Quickly please before Mark guts the two of them,” he glanced at me. “Or simply turns this one into a rug...” he turned to Sarena, “have Bartel lead you to me tomorrow, I'll see what I can dig up on Tamerian’s location.” and like that he turned and intercepted the barkeep with a big smile and some boisterous laughter, acting much drunker than he actually was.
“Come on, we better go, Mark is pretty pissed off right now, he got that table last week or so...” Bartel laughed as he led the two of us out of the bar the back way and back into the snow. “So Sari, how have things been?” he asked idly as he led the two of us back to the better part of town, clearly avoiding certain streets unconsciously.
“It has been a rough week Bartel,” Sarena sighed, “I lost several friends and almost died, and now my lover is being threatened by someone and we need to make up a good deal of coin in the next couple days or there is going to be some issues.”
“Lover?” he asked, turning as he walked and looking back at Sarena, “Damn so I missed my opportunity? Who is the lucky asshole, perhaps I could dig up something about him to make you reconsider?” he said all of this without breaking a stride or stopping his smile.
“As if you ever had a chance,” Sarena laughed and bopped him on the nose, “and you should be careful, she might take offense and claw your eyes out for looking at me like that.” he glanced over at me, clearly surprised, but the smile still on his face.
“No,” I purred as Sarena wrapped her arm around my shoulder and almost possessively placed her hand on my breast. “She wouldn't do that, she would simply rip out his throat...”
“Ha!” he barked out a short laugh before devolving into a hysterical fit of laughter practically doubling over as he wheezed. “Oh gods and goddesses give me strength, I hope you are not joking, because that is simply perfect, I can't wait to rub that one in Hamin’s face.” he tipped his head back and laughed out fully. “He fucked up so bad that she gave up on men altogether!” “Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahaha!” Even Sarena and I chuckled at that. “Oh, gods I am never going to let him live this down...” Bartel wiped a tear out of his eyes and still chuckling under his breath continued to lead us away from the Snarling Rotri...