Rift Chronicles

Rift Chronicles Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Meet-Up

Dozens of hopeful Hunter prospects formed a crowd around a few individuals. What the individuals were offering was a service that sounded too good to be true. A human male, who seemed to be their leader, stood up on a small portable platform. He motioned the crowd to quiet down. Once the crowd had shushed, he spoke up. "I would like to congratulate you on finding your way here. My associates and I would like to reward you for your hard work: We deduced the location of the Hunter's exam."

Some murmurs ran through the crowd. Was this true? Raff was paying keen attention, while Larch had already lost interest and was sticking around for Raff so she wouldn't get conned. Grant, on the other hand, couldn't believe his luck. They had arrived just in time. Bail, though, simply turned and started to walk toward an inn.

Grant noticed Bail walking away, so he called out, "Why are you going, Bail? This could be very useful information."

Bail stopped and said to Grant, "I don't care whether the information is true or not. I would prefer to prove to myself that I am worthy of being a Hunter. So I would rather find it without this sort of assistance. It would disgrace my honor." He looked down at Grant and placed his hand on Grant's shoulder. "I hope to see you again at the exams. Stay safe as you travel to the exam."

With that, Bail left before he overheard anything that might cloud his judgment. Grant called out, "Thank you so much for everything. I'll see you at the exam." He waved goodbye to Bail, confident that they would see each again sooner rather than later.

The man on the stand continued his speech. "My associates and I would be more than willing to lead everyone to the exams. Now, I know you're probably thinking, 'This is too good to be true,' or, 'How can I trust these people?' Well, I think these will go a long way toward alleviating your suspicions." The man and his associates produced official Hunter's licenses.

A few gasps came from the crowd. These were them... These people were actual Hunters. Grant and Raff were suddenly filled with a sense of wonder. Real Hunters, who could believe it! Larch let out a snicker and rolled his eyes at the naïveté of the crowd in general.

The man let everything sink in for a moment before continuing. "Yes, we are Hunters. The reason that we are doing this free of charge is because we personally felt the vagueness of this year's exams was a bit too unfair. Now, my fellow potential Hunters, here is the catch. You must act quickly and decisively for yourselves, much like how when you're a Hunter, you will be faced with tough decisions that you must make with little time to spare. I am William Donfair, a Hunter, and my Hunters will be leaving in five minutes for the Hunter's exams. It is a long journey from here and time is of the essence. So the choice is yours. You can follow us or attempt to find your way on your own. What will you do?" A screen behind lit up behind William with a five-minute countdown on it.

Raff turned to Larch. "Well, what are you going to do?"

Larch snapped the bubble he was currently blowing and said, "I'm not following this Trojan Horse."

Raff asked, "Why not?"

Larch nodded, feeling so much wiser than Raff. "It's simple. There are three options, and all three smell of a trap. Option one: Those licenses are fakes and this is some sort of joke. Option two: These people might be thieves and stole those licenses and are leading everyone to an area where it will be easier to rob them. Or option three: These people are genuine Hunters sent by the Hunter's Association to weed out unworthy prospects. In my research, I heard of past instances like this. Which, if that's the case, whoever follows them is going to show up just as the exams are finished. There is no way this is legit on such a large scale. When the Hunter's Association learns of it, they would all lose their licenses for such an act of interference, if this is the real deal. Any way you slice it, it's a bad deal with too many loopholes."