The Chronicles of a Scalebound Sage: Wandmaker Vol.2

WM [14] Help When Needed

There was a small monster-hunting group in the town. They would clear monsters in the area and sell the carcasses. Monsters were uniquely different from normal animals, even magic beasts. Monsters were not natural; they came from the corrupted lands, places of such high ambient magic that the landscape was in constant flux.

Yuhia had no corrupted land, but plenty was outside the kingdom's borders. Monsters that crossed the border were hunted down and killed. The monster hunters in the town weren't a permanent group but human mercenaries. They had an exclusive contract with the city, so anyone who wanted to hunt monsters in the surrounding area had to have their approval.

Bjorn and Tanisha were on their way to the mercenary outpost so they could register Bjorn and he could hunt in the area. The town was quiet this early in morning; the sun barely rose over the horizon, and even the morning birds were waking up.

"Failsafe, are you still ignoring me?" Bjorn asked.

Failsafe whispered, "You never apologized."

"Apologized for what—you are mad about the hunting thing?" Bjorn said in disbelief.

"I was just trying to help."

Bjorn breathed out his frustration from all of his noses. "You know what, you're right. I was being unfair. In the future, though, how about this: if we are hunting, let me do it on my own so I can learn. You keep a lookout for threats to us, deal?"

"That was a terrible apology. Okay, I agree but with my metaphysical arms crossed."

"Great to hear, buddy. Not the arms thing."

"There it is, I think?" Tanisha said as she pointed to a building near the town's wall. "That is where the innkeeper said it would be." Tanisha was far less confident.

The building looked terrible, as if it had been knocked down several times and rebuilt with whatever scraps remained. There wasn't even a door, just an open frame that led into darkness. A man stood outside the door with a boar spear and watched as Bjorn and Tanisha approached.

"G'day, miss. Watch yer step," the man said with a smirk.

"Good morning, thanks," Tanisha said as she passed the man.

The inside of the decrepit-looking building was surprisingly lovely. So much so that Bjorn wanted to walk back outside to see if they had entered a different building. He nearly tripped when the first step was a step-down, which he had not expected. He caught himself, but not before Tanisha noticed him freak out for a second and giggled to herself.

"He said watch your step, Big Man." Tanisha covered her mouth poorly, hiding her laughter.

"Ah, guests this early? That is a surprise." A man said from behind a desk. "Welcome, I am Robert Smith, the official Registrar of the Jackrabbits."

Identify
Name: Robert Smith
Species: Human
Level: 70
Vocation: Chakra Pugilist (Retired)

Robert was all silver up top, but his beard retained some of its red color. From what Bjorn could tell, he was in his late sixties and seemed friendly enough. The room was well furnished with file cabinets, a refreshments and waiting area and even a chandelier. This room looked to be the only place they renovated however as Bjorn could see into one of the adjacent rooms and it was as destroyed as the outside appeared.

"Jackrabbits?" Tanisha questioned as her eyes looked around.

"The name of our monster hunting company. Don't worry about the state of the building," Robert said preemptively. "We only needed one room for my office inside the town per our agreement with the town hall. If you're looking for the monster hunters hired by the city, you've found us. How can I help you today?"