Dad’s face turned from white to red, then he took a calming breath before he went on. He wasn’t yelling, but his disapproval was still thick and strong. “No, Ria. I won’t agree with you being a Hunter. It’s one thing to manifest as one. It’s an entirely different thing to make it a career. Especially for an E Hunter. And I never want you to be a Hunter.”
I sighed in disappointment and looked away. There were gorgeous weapons no matter where my gaze landed, but none of them could distract me from the sinking feeling in my gut.
I knew he’d hate this idea. If I was honest, it made me nervous, too. But I knew that if I didn’t do it, I’d regret it for the rest of my life. I’d stay weak little Ria Moore forever. Always hiding from and being controlled by my past — my part in my mother’s death. I wasn’t trying to forgive myself. Or prove that it wasn’t my fault. I just wanted the strength to accept the facts that I couldn’t deny. Be strong enough to accept me.
I fisted my hands to keep them from shaking – I hated fighting with my family – and squared my shoulders. If I wanted to be a Hunter, I had to start acting like one. And a Hunter never hid or backed down from a fight.
“If you didn’t want me to be a Hunter, why did you let me take all those weaponry lessons?” I asked, keeping my tone as even and reasonable as I could. “You encouraged me to practice harder daily.” I’d been training with weapons since I was twelve. Dad made sure I was proficient in every kind of weapon that Uncle made – and Uncle Maveric made all types. You could say that when it came to weapons, I was a jack of trades and master of none, although I naturally gravitated to bows. “Now you’re telling me that I can’t use that skill?”
Dad shook his head. “That wasn’t to teach you to be a Hunter. That was to teach you self-protection and to make sure that you understood the weapons our stores handled. How can you sell something you don’t understand?” He ran his hand through his graying hair. “I don’t understand why you’re suddenly saying this. I thought we had everything planned out already. Micah was going to make the weapons and you would run the business. Why are you changing your mind now?”
My courage faltered. It was true, it was something that we’d always talked about. Since I didn’t have a strong interest in weaponsmithing and Micah had a passion for it, I chose not to learn the craft. I was happy to step back and let that be his special thing. My first and only job, since I was old enough to handle one, was managing the shop with Dad. Since I liked crunching numbers, Dad started to teach me the stuff behind the sales counter.
But the more I watched Hunters get excited for their gear and bring back trophies to sell, the more I wished I was in their shoes. Even when they looked like hell heated over after a hard day in the wilds, there was still a spark of pride when they presented their kills for trade. The confidence they exuded that their new sword would make them invisible. I'd never had a proud moment like that, when I liked myself enough to think, ‘look at this cool thing I did.’
Of course, Dad didn’t know that. I wasn’t the only one traumatized over Mom’s death. I wasn’t the only one grieving. The difference was, he had to pick up the pieces I broke and make a normal family for me and my then-toddler brother. So that he and Grandpa Moore didn’t worry about me, I learned to smile even when I didn’t want to. Until they couldn’t tell how much I hated myself.
I knew this ‘pretend Ria’ was a ticking time bomb. Dad kept saying that coming to Colorado was the start of our new lives. Maybe it could be the start of mine too. I'd been living for my family all my life, but maybe I could create myself into someone I thought was worth living for, too.
Even though I knew it was a sign of insecurity, I subconsciously pinched my right thumb with my left thumb and pointer finger. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while, actually,” I admitted. “And I don’t think it's fair that Micah gets to train for his dream job, and I don’t.”
Micah looked down, his mouth twisting in a knot, but he didn’t say anything.
“I tested as Hunter,” I reiterated. “I am a Hunter. It’s only natural that I be able to act like one.”
“This isn't Garden City, Ria,” Dad argued back and motioned towards the walls. Even though there were no windows to see the woods on the other side, I knew what he was referring to. “All the strong monsters around Garden City have been taken care of. That’s not the case here, in Mist Haven. You are only an E. Which means that you are barely more than a human. It means that ninety percent of monsters out there are a lot stronger than you. Any of them can kill you. Easily.”
I shook my head. “I’m not weak or stupid. I know how to pick my battles. I’m going to be a Hunter. Micah and I will be just like Uncle Maveric and Grandpa Moore. Micah will make the most amazing weapons with the monster parts that I bring back.”
Dad made an annoyed sound. “No matter what you say, I won’t agree to you becoming a Hunter.”
Anger flared in me. “Well, I’m an adult. I don’t need your signature to be one.” I hated myself as soon as the words were out of my mouth. We were a tight knit family. I loved my dad and appreciated everything that he did for me. I wanted him to bless my career path. And here I was, basically saying that I didn’t care at all.
Dad paused, obviously as shocked as I was.
His hurt expression was like a bucket of ice water on my head.
Maveric sighed, breaking the tension, and stepped forward. “If you want my support, Ria, you’re going to have to prove it's worth pissing off your father for it.”
My heart did a double flip in my stomach then lodged in my throat. My eyes widened as I turned to my uncle. Did he just say what I thought he did?
“Uncle Maveric!” Dad yelled, just as shocked.
Maveric shrugged and put his hand on his hips. “Everything that she said had merit to it. Why should Micah get to do what he wants, and she can’t?”
Dad growled and pinched the bridge of his nose, like he was getting a headache. “Ria, Micah, get out. I need to talk to your uncle.”
My head nearly hit the roof. “No! This is about my future! I deserve to hear what you two have to say.”
“Yeah!” Micah piped up. “I …” His voice died out when Dad turned a furious glare in his direction. “... I’ll wait outside,” he mumbled and ran away with his tail between his legs.
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No matter how much Dad glared at me, I didn’t budge. I couldn’t. If I did, I might lose my only shot to become a Hunter. I’d stay scared little Ria forever.
“Beau,” Maveric said, drawing Dad’s attention. “I’ve been around enough to know that you can’t keep someone who wants to be a Hunter locked up. Very few humans feel the drive that Hunters have to hunt. The dopamine from their battle adrenaline high is like a drug that Hunters crave. It’s what makes a good Hunter. Even the young Hunters that haven’t experienced battle yet instinctively seek it out. And it’s something a normal human can’t understand. I know because I’ve felt it. Still feel it, even though I don’t go into the field much anymore. Your father felt the same, which is why he refused to stay in the shop.”
I listened to him, and finally understood why I always felt so amazing after every brutal lesson with my various instructors. Even when I was beaten until I couldn’t stand, I couldn’t wait to get up and do it again. Was this what he meant? I wasn’t old enough to awaken as a Hunter yet, but I already had the natural instincts.
As cool as the realization was, there was a bitter whisper in the back of my mind. If that was the case, why was I only an E? Why wasn’t I stronger? Hunters didn’t get stronger with time and experience. However strong they were when they manifested at adulthood was how strong they were when they died.
Dad shook his head. “This isn’t the same. Ria isn’t the same as you two. Or even like I was. She didn’t have to grow up fighting for her life. Fighting to eat and breathe. She grew up with a normal life, in a peaceful city.”
Maveric nodded. “And it shows. She lacks the hard edge that Hunters have in this part of the world.” He glanced at me, his voice solemn. “It’s something that you’re going to have to learn to overcome. Although it’s not as cutthroat now like when I was growing up, most of the Hunters still live by the strength caste system from the old days. They only respect the strong. Physical strength, financial power, or a tough attitude. Those are the keys to surviving as a Hunter.”
My eyes widened and I slowly nodded. Even as a child, I could tell the difference between humans and Hunters. Hunters were like walking weapons, ready to cut down anything that stood in their way.
During the Hunter era, there was even a special rank of Hunters – S rank. The history books describe them as human nukes. An angry S Hunter could level an entire city with a flick of his or her hand. In a society where only the strong survived, they were treated like gods. Hunters aren't that powerful anymore – even the S ranked Hunters had their powers cut in half when the Gates closed, so there are no more S Hunters – but some Hunters couldn’t seem to let go of how things used to be.
They were nice to me at the stores when they were looking at weapons to buy. But that was because if they didn’t mind their manners, I could always deny the sale. And I was an underage at the time. Since the government took special notice of all children, Hunters had to be extra careful around me. If I joined the Hunters Association, I’d lose both of those shields.
What I did have going for me was that I was the beloved grandniece to the best armorer in America. A fact that I could exploit. But I didn’t want to stand out because of my uncle. I wanted to earn any respect I got, not be treated like a pampered princess. Although I didn’t plan on hiding who I was, I also didn’t want someone to take advantage of me to win favors from my uncle.
Dad thumped his hand on the display table next to him hard enough to make the daggers on it rattle. “No. She doesn't need to get used to it, because Ria will not be a Hunter.” Even though he was talking about me, he still didn’t look in my direction. Just like I barely had the guts to look at him. “I thought it was finally safe to come back here. That my family was healed enough to move on.”
I pinched my thumb harder than ever and looked down at the ground as guilt washed over me. Would there ever be a day when I didn’t feel that way?
“I lost my wife to a monster on the other side of those walls.” Every word he spoke was louder than the last one. “I’m not going to lose my daughter too!” His last words echoed in the weapons room.
“Which is why she will go on a practice task first,” Maveric reasoned, as calmly as my father was agitated. “Although I’m not her father, I love Ria just as much as you do. You, her, and Micah are my everything and I would never do anything to hurt any of you. But it is true that I won’t stand in the way of Ria's dreams.” He paused, his eyes boring into Dad’s. “I’d rather set up a way that she can accomplish them safely, then have her pull dangerous stunts behind our backs.”
My brows twitched, but I didn’t say anything. Of course, my uncle figured out what I was going to do. I swear, every time I wanted to sneak anything, Uncle Maveric was there, holding open the cookie jar. And today, his guess was right on. Even if Dad didn’t support my decision, I was still going to sign up at the Hunter’s Association post in Boulder. I’d just divide my time, part-time Hunter, part-time working at my family’s shop.
Dad frowned, his expression turning complicated, but I could practically see his anger chilling like a thermometer. “I just don’t see why she should be allowed to do something so dangerous.”
My uncle snorted in laughter. “You think weaponsmithing isn’t dangerous?” He waved towards the glass door between here and the forge.
Micah obviously wasn’t smart enough yet — his figure was clearly seen through the glass and the door was visibly cracked open. He didn’t even hide the fact that he was eavesdropping.
But Maveric didn’t sell him out. Instead, he continued talking to Dad. “Mixing magical ingredients is dangerous and time sensitive. A couple months ago, one of my best assistants was in a hurry to get to a date and added a pixie wing too early to the molten metal. The explosion nearly blew his arm and half his face off. If it wasn’t for the A ranked healer that lives down the street, the kid would be dead. The healer fixed him up nicely, but he’s going to have permanent nerve damage in his fingers for the rest of his life. It won’t hinder him in any other career paths, but in a touch sensitive one like smithing…” Uncle Maveric sighed. “It’s a pity, really. He was so talented.”
Micah, behind his glass door, hugged his right arm. Proof that the snot was truly eavesdropping.
My eyes widened and a chill went down my spine. I knew that smithing could be dangerous, but I didn’t know it could be that dangerous. No wonder Uncle Maveric wanted to start teaching Micah at such a young age. To make sure that Micah had all the basics down perfectly, before he was old enough to work around the fires.
Dad frowned, but didn’t seem that surprised. Then again, he grew up around the forge, so he’d know all about that. “The forge is a controlled environment. As long as someone doesn’t make a mistake, there won’t be any accidents. It’s not the same as the wilds, where a strong monster could randomly pop up at any time.” His words didn’t sound as convicted as they did a bit ago.
“But it’s no less dangerous,” my uncle reasoned, then he sighed. “What it comes to, Beau, is that I want Ria to be what she wants to be. Just like you, when you decided you didn’t want to be an armorer. I was delighted when Micah wanted to learn the trade, but if he decides in a couple years that he’d rather be a banker, I’d support that too. The company will still go under the kids’ names, and I’d make sure there were skilled workers under them to make it continue to flourish after I’m gone.” He paused, as if to let that sink in. “And if Ria, like me, decides she doesn’t want to be a Hunter after a while, there’s always an open place for her in the company.”
Dad frowned, but didn’t come back with anything this time.
Uncle Maveric gave him an encouraging smile, then looked at me. “But I’m adamant about what I said before. You have to earn my support. Like your father mentioned, being a Hunter is dangerous. Especially for E Hunters. Your grandpa was an E, too — back in the days when, if you tested positive, you had to be a Hunter or go to jail. He was nearly killed by a monster more times than I can count. So I’m going to give you a task right now, Ria. If you can complete your task by the end of the day, I’ll fully support you joining the Hunter’s Association.”