The Hunter’s Association Building was huge, taking up almost an entire block all by itself. The A-shaped roof of the three story tall building peaked out of the equally tall, bushy trees like a giant shadow. It looked like a massive log-cabin, the outside layered with stacks of rounded wooden beams. An impressive portico covered the entrance, fifty feet squared and just as high, with A-shaped roof and rafters made out of thick wood. The floor was a checker of different sized cream colored travertine tiles. Large steel, wood and crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Everything about the building screamed rustic wealth.
It wasn’t just the material wealth about the building, but the magical barrier around the building was just as impressive. It gleamed with a myriad of protective spells that blended and pooled together to create a fortress that could withstand an apocalypse. Which made sense. The Hunter’s Association Building was the fall back safe place everyone should flee to if a disaster happened.
Waves of Hunters entered and exited the extra tall, open front doors. Mages were dressed in robes, some of them intricate and flamboyant while others were plain and straightforward, with magical accessories to help with protection. Melee Hunters were in armor. It was easy to tell which kind of melee the Hunter leaned towards, depending on their gear. Hunters that specialized in speed and ranged weapons wore light or leather armor. Tanks wore heavy, full armor, clunking with each step they took. It was just as easy to tell the rank of each Hunter. The higher the rank, the more expensive the equipment was.
There were very few people in street clothes like me. And even most of those had some sort of armor or Items Bag on them, like a breast plate or hip satchel.
I followed the crowd into the Association Building and gaped. The vaulted trussed roof seemed to just keep going up. And up. I thought there were multiple floors in the building, given its size, and I was right, but those layers didn’t start until further back in the building. In the middle of the huge open main room was a huge pass through fireplace rose up, made out of rich stacked stone.
A mage in elaborate robes bumped my shoulder from behind, causing me to stumble. He cast a scathing glare at me, obviously not caring that I almost face planted. “You’re in the way,” he announced and walked off with a group of heavily armored Hunters.
I rubbed my aching shoulder and walked farther into the room, away from the front door. Welcome to the Hunter world, I thought and took refuge by the fireplace. A raised hearth lifted the fireplace almost two feet above the stone floor. I stepped up on it, taking advantage of the extra height to see over the height of the crowd.
Most of the Hunters were going to and from the east side of the room. That’s when I noticed signs that read, Mark Hunts, Association Tasks, and Miscellaneous Tasks.
Hunters swarmed the area, rushing to get in one of the three lines to pick up their task. Every morning, at eight on the dot, the available tasks were posted on the Association’s app. Once five people selected that task, it was closed and reserved for the first person who got to the task desk in person. If the task was already taken by the time the Hunter got to the desk, they could only choose their second, then third and so on. If they couldn’t get any of their chosen tasks, they had to choose from the ones left over that no one wanted.
Of course, a Hunter couldn’t take any random task. They would only take a task the same rank as they were. So an A ranked Hunter couldn’t take a B ranked task, and vice versa. But some tasks were still paid better or were easier than others. When it came to group tasks, those were a little harder to gauge. A group with good compatibility and teamwork could take down monsters above their rank. That’s where credentials came into place, to apply for better tasks.
And if multiple Hunters or teams with the same credentials got there at the same time, sometimes a bidding war would break out between the teams, until one was awarded the task. Sometimes it was better to lose money to get a better task for future merit. It also wasn’t that uncommon for the winning Hunters to go ‘missing’ during the task, and the losing Hunters to ‘miraculously’ find and complete the task in their stead.
Everyone knew it happened. But Hunters lived by the code, What happens in the wilds, stays in the wilds. As long as the Hunters play nice inside the city walls and there is no evidence, the police and Hunters Association turned a blind eye to whatever goes on outside. Within reason. Actively hunting down other Hunters for fun, that’s too much. Encouraging a mistake or monster related accident, that’s ‘within reason’ as long as they didn’t get caught.
I had to admit, it was really intimidating watching the crowd of Hunters. Their excited auras bled into the air like multicolored smog, making my chest tighten. Getting a task was so competitive that it was common for some Hunters to use their stronger auras to bully weaker Hunters to willingly give up their task.
I was going to join that mosh pit soon enough. Frankly, I wasn’t looking forward to getting squeezed in with other people.
A shiver of awareness zipped up my back, chilly and uncomfortable. Instinctively I turned towards the threat.
A group of five men and women entered the building. They were all in the top grade armor – three of them were made by my uncle. One of the two mages was dressed in my uncle’s competitor’s gear. But I didn’t recognize the style of the lead man’s armor.
He was in light armor – almost ridiculously light. The twenty year old wore a fitted gray tunic over black under armor. His studded leather chest armor was made with layers that obviously allowed him to flexibly move around. His shoulder, thigh and shin guards were all made out of dark and light pattern welded steel, but his arm bracers were the black studded leather. He, himself, was tall, fit and handsome as a prince with his pale blond hair like a crown on his head. A natural smile curled his lips, but it didn’t make him anymore approachable.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
It was his aura that drew my attention. The people behind him had strong auras too, but something about him was … different. Somehow? I didn’t know, but he just … was.
It wasn’t until I saw the blue studded crest of a sword rising out of a cloud that I realized that this was the group that I passed yesterday on the mount road between Mist Haven and Boulder.
The team of people laughed and tousled with each other as they walked towards the task boards. They either didn’t notice my stare – or they didn’t care. Most likely the second guess, since I wasn’t the only one staring at the team. As soon as other Hunters caught sight of the group, they stopped making a ruckus and naturally stepped to the side, making way for the stronger team. The man’s team was obviously used to this, simply accepting their actions as fact.
Then again, if I was standing in their way, I’d move too. I could tell they were restraining their auras, but their presence still triggered my fight or flight instincts. And I obviously wasn’t the only one feeling it, by the way everyone moved.
Although that guy had an odd aura, it wasn’t the first time I’d met a strong Hunter. And I didn’t enjoy watching people lord over others. I turned around and looked at the west side of the large room.
The west side of the room wasn’t nearly as hectic. A handful of people were in front of a desk labeled New Recruits. That was where I wanted to go.
Beside that was the Guild Office spaces. The top ten guilds had first pick of tasks – sometimes they even specifically hired for a task. They also usually offered their members higher wages and helped with the cost of better gear. Frankly, almost every Hunter wanted to join a guild. Guilds were usually very selective. After all, the guild wouldn’t want to invest a lot of money in person who ended up being useless or too stupid to live long enough to get their investment back.
I couldn’t help looking over my shoulder at the now mellow Hunters clustered around the task desks. I couldn’t see the handsome man with the odd aura, but I knew he was still there. I could feel him, like an invisible finger touching the back of my neck. That fact that he was in that crowd meant that his group wasn’t in a guild. Which was really weird, considering how strong he obviously was. I only pondered it for maybe half a minute before I threw him and everything about him out of my mind.
I jumped off the fireplace and joined the line in front of the registration desk. Even though I tested as a Hunter just a couple days ago, I didn’t submit my registration. Now I need to be tested again. Not gonna lie, I was kinda looking forward to it. The first time was a major let down. I doubt anyone wanted to test as an E. The voice I hear yesterday – the System? – promised to make me stronger. So what was I going to test as now?
My heart pumped faster the closer I got to the desk and man checking people in. When it was my turn, I nearly jumped into the chair in front of the desk. Because I’d been through testing before, I just had to put my thumb on the finger reader and it pulled up my information.
The man wore a red polo shirt with the Association's logo over his chest. He glanced at me, surprised. “You’ve already tested?” he asked.
I nodded. “I just didn’t register. Now I’m ready.”
He paused, looking at my information. He could obviously see my tested rank. “All registered Hunters are legally obligated to the protection of the United States of America, Miss Moore. Are you aware of this?” he asked slowly.
I nodded, then paused as the weight of his words landed on my shoulder. Every Hunter, no matter their rank or gender, was legally bound to be drafted into the army if there was a need. A year ago, that fact didn’t even faze me, but now the conflict with the Montana Wilds is getting bigger – especially if they really did break into New York’s DNA Bank. That fact brought a new meaning to the commitment.
“Maybe you might want to hold off registering for another couple months?” the man suggested tactfully.
I knew what he implied. I should hold off registering until I knew if we were going to war or not. If a war broke out, Boulder would be the army’s base of operations, since it was the closest city to the Montana Wilds. As a Hunter in Boulder, I would practically be on the front line.
When the Gates were on Earth, everyone was tested to see if they were a Hunter. If they were, they were immediately enlisted into the Hunter’s Association and removed from the humans’ society. As brutal as that sounded, it was necessary because the monsters coming out of the Gates daily were exterminating humanity. Now that the Gates were gone, and the monster’s population had stabilized and even diminished, joining the Association was optional. There were actually a lot of E ranked tested people that didn’t register at all. They simply knew they couldn’t cut it with the rest of the Hunters.
Still, I shook my head. “I want to register right now.”
If I waited, and Uncle Maveric or Dad caught word of the potential Montana Wilds conflict, I might never get to be Hunter. I couldn’t get a Guide until I was a Hunter, and I couldn’t find out what the Getting Stronger System was without a Guide. I needed to be a Hunter now. The sooner I got stronger, the sooner I could find out what ‘truth’ it was talking about.
The man looked disappointed that his good will was tossed to the ground, but he motioned to the door to the right of his desk. “Go through that door. You’ll be retested and then you can register.” He paused and tried to look happy. “Welcome to the Hunter’s Association, Miss Moore.”
I wasn’t expecting balloons and confetti – some kids I grew up with had very ecstatic parents when they tested positive – but this man’s lackluster reaction was almost comical. I could almost see Dad’s face overlapping with his.
I grinned back, trying not to laugh. “Thank you,” I said and hurried through the door.
Inside was a plain room. Well, for the Hunter’s Association Building standards. It had the same muted stone flooring and the walls were pale gray. In the center of the room was a huge egg-shaped stone taller than me. It was milky white right now, but if a Hunter put their hand on it, it would change colors. Blue for melee, and red for mages.
A man stood by the testing stone and a woman stood in the corner of the room, next to a computer that was monitoring the testing stone. Both wore matching red polo shirts with the Association's logo and khaki shorts.
“Morning,” the man said softly. “Come and put your hand on the testing stone.” He motioned to it. He looked at me like I was a valuable trinket, about to be evaluated.
Happily, I hurried over and put my hand on the cold, smooth surface. What was my new rank?