Vincula

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Deep in the darkest parts of Vincula's forests. A lone hunter walks slowly through the dead leaves on the ground. With a spear in hand, he sits in a small bush waiting. Moments pass as he sits and waits for his prey. He stroked his chin in anticipation, as sweat ran down his face. The hunter watched closely as a scream could be heard...not too far from where he was sitting.

A skinwalker....they usually don't wander this far out. The hunter kept listening attentively for the skinwalker to get closer. He waited and then he saw it...the skinwalker approached, moving wildly going forth and back. It almost looked like it was having a seizure. It then let out another piercing scream. The hunter covered his ears as it approached. He then noticed that it was going through unstable transformations, morphing from one person to an animal to yet another person...the hunter noticed that it was taking the form of a buff, one-eyed, and one-armed, black man. The hunter looked in almost frightened awe as the skinwalker began to waltz closer to where the hunter was. He readied his spear to attack the skinwalker. It seemed to be content in its form as the man. The hunter assumed that the skinwalker took the form of the person or thing that it had last killed.

As the hunter was about to take charge and attack the skinwalker, he then had an inclination that there was something standing behind him...he then turned to see his face looking right back at him. He quickly rolls out of the bush that he was hiding in. Spear ready to strike at the skinwalker with his face. A guttural screech resonates through the air, causing the hunter to drop the spear so he could cover them with his hands. A large shadow suddenly casts over the hunter, he slowly turns his head up to look at it with a face full of terror.

"A skinwalker? So close to The Stacks?" Sairento asked, he seemed genuinely concerned by this.

"I sent a few hunters out, but none of them ever came back," Norman said, smiling

Sairento frowned and looked down "Greasers and Melters, I can do. Skinwalkers...that's a whole other thing entirely."

"Come on man. You do this for me and I'll help you with your supplies." Norman said

Sairento looked off to the side, in contemplation of what he was to do or say next. Jon looked over at Sairento, then Norman.

"Give us the supplies for free and you got yourself a deal." Jon says with his hand out. Sairento gave him a glaring look, but Jon looked back as if to say 'trust me'.

"Ha!" Norman said "You must think I'm some sort of idiot."

"No sir." Jon said "Give us the supplies, and we'll get you the skinwalker."

"Forgive my friend." Sairento said "He doesn't fully understand how all of this works."

"He's got some balls, can't deny that," Norman said, smiling ear to ear. "But you kill it for 300 creds. That's my final offer."

Jon shakes his head "No, free supplies and you give us 150 creds."

Norman's smile slowly becomes a scowl as he pulls out a gun and aims it at Jon's head "Now I've played along, but you're going to take 150 creds now and kill the skinwalker like I said."

Jon with an unwavering look on his face "Then we'll walk, go find someone else to go hunt your skinwalker." He says as he pushes Sairento away from Norman.

Sairento looks at Jon and slowly turns his head back towards Norman but Jon stops him "don't turn your head toward him." Sairento looks at him "What are you doing, 300 creds is a lot" Jon shakes his head and places one hand on his shoulder "It's not the point. He needs us to kill a monster, so we control the negotiations."