It was noon, a few days after the deal had been struck, the Hunter had arrived in a small town. It quaint place was far away from any major city. He could see low buildings and primitive fences that would have, no doubt, been useless in any monster attack. A crooked sign revealed this was called "Buttermill village".
The Hunter reached into his satchel to produce an odd fruit, and quickly ingested it. His past few days had been spent riding to the rendezvous, and due to the location he hasn't been able to restock on supplies. Though this would normally be worrisome, the road had been quite peaceful.
As he came closer he noticed a strange sound, or rather, the lack of sound. He wasn't far away from the village, yet nothing could be heard besides the singing of birds, and the odd water droplet. He squinted his eyes but still could not see a single living creature upon the horizon, save the birds mentioned earlier.
"Abandoned? But why?" he dismounted and decided to walk the rest of the way. A few minutes of trudging through some farm land and he was entering the town. In doing so he confirmed his theory, the town was indeed abandoned.
"Empty..." one home after another, the Hunter found the doors unlocked and the houses devoid of life, "What could have happened?" Perhaps there had been a sudden emergency? Like a monster attack or a disease?
All would have been likely if not for a few clues littered throughout the town. The houses were indeed empty of people, but various furniture were still in plain view. Passing one of the homes he even saw a coin pouch on one of the tables. He theorized that inspecting one of the homes would help him understand this situation. So, choosing a random hut, he invited himself in.
"Sorry for intruding," the Hunter muttered, stepping through the doorway. Soft boots made the slightest sound on the wooden floor boards. Everything seemed to be in order, chairs were scattered loosely around a living room, while a table served as a centerpiece. As the hunter drew closer, he could see some coins scattered upon the table, as well as a small stack of books behind it, clearly someone here had a hobby of reading. He was wary of traps but none seem to be laid in the area, none that he knew at least.
The Hunter slowly lifted up one of the books, "Hunters! mystery of the land" he read. Despite the tension, he could not help but smile at the irony of such an interesting discovery. He had books like these too, old dust collectors that were once his treasures.
He was so curious when he was little, but most of his curiosity settled upon the Hunters of Tera. They appeared when they were needed most, but were gone like wind when it was over, to him, they were phantoms of justice, protectors that would smite down anyone of evil, he wished for nothing more then to join their ranks, for it was all he ever dreamed of during his childhood.
Perhaps dreams were never meant to become reality.
He carefully laid the book back on top of the stack, forging onwards ever so cautiously.
He rounded the corner into the dining room, the last room of this small little home besides the bedrooms. As usual, everything seemed ordinary, except for the smell, but that is to be expected of a dining room.
A soft aroma tickled his nose with each step he took. Swiftly locating the source of the scent, he identified a large pot sitting on a stove. The fire was out, the residents were competent of that much. The contents within the pot weren't exactly visually pleasing, but they did smell rather heavenly.
"Beef stew." the hunter observed, suddenly conscious of his own hunger. Going days on a meager diet had not served him well. Perhaps he could reward himself for his valour? It would be a shame if perfectly good stew went to waste.
"We're hunters, not knights." he reasoned, as he dipped a finger into the stew and took a taste. As he expected, whoever had prepared this stew was an excellent chef. It had a warm, bold, meaty flavour, but was not too not heavy on the tongue. There appeared to be some carrots as well as some celery to mellow the flavour out. The Hunter smiled in satisfaction, it was truly a god send to his stomach. He reached into his satchel for a small ladle, intending to enjoy a hearty meal.
But he realized something about the stew.
Everything about this stew seemed like it would be served at breakfast or lunch.
Including the temperature.
The Hunter stood up suddenly and took a look over his shoulder. His hunger abruptly disappeared as he unslung his rifle. This meant that whatever had happened to this village...
Wasn't too far away.
Moving quicker now, the Hunter exited the hut and dashed towards the city center. A shudder went down his spine at the sudden realization: anything that could wipe out an entire town without a trace could, more likely then not, do the same to him. Unclipping a scroll from his waist, he checked the location of the rendezvous.
"The city center of Buttermill village." This was indeed the correct place. The Hunter's mind was racing: all the monsters he encountered, all the majick he had seen, what could have caused something like this to happen?
Lost in thought,he almost didn't notice when he arrived in the town's square, and for good reason, for it was perfectly normal looking. A few benches scattered around the edges with a large open space for gatherings, the centerpiece was a well, the bucket hanging by the side. As he took two steps onto the pavement, a soft wind blew above him.
One more step and a net fell on him.
"Wh-"
"Surprise!"
