Runes - A Tale Of The Abyss 41 Chapter 37 - The Hunt Begins

Griff turned around to come face to face with three old men that were seated on slightly high wooden chairs. The torches around them in the wooden hut like house ignited one by one. They all looked identical to each other. Bald, with wrinkly faces and loose clothing similar to that of a monks.

The one to Griff's right spoke up.

"Brothers, this child is surely not an adventurer. Look at his posture and age. I think we must request a different adventurer."

The one to Griff's right objected.

"I don't think so. He seems to be well versed. The guild had a.s.sured us that their adventurer, though he may be young, managed to defeat a horde of undead alongside three more allies."

The one in the middle then decided to speak up.

"Silence. I don't think there is a reason for us to complain about our contractor. Adventurer, the mission will not be what you think you're getting yourself into. Do you accept?"

Griff had been listening till then, but when he was called upon he nodded.

"I may look young and inexperienced as you say, and that is because I am. I know I'm not as efficient of an adventurer as most people I know are, nor do I know some of even the most basic knowledge in adventuring. But I ask of your trust in me for this mission. It is also a way for me to grow!"

The three old men watched silently, and stopped talking. After 5 minutes of silence they spoke in unison.

"""Child, your words carry weight. We know you are not strong, but you seem to have found courage. That is equivalent in some cases. We shall allow you to take up this job."""

Then the one in the middle spoke up once more.

"You surely met two of the village guards outside? They will accompany you on your mission. They know the mountains the best, and will lead you to where the wolf pack was last seen."

"I understand... before I take my leave, I have a question... what are you?"

The one to Griff's left rose from his seat in anger.

"That is oddly a rude thing to ask, is it not? Boy!"

The one to Griff's right only smiled.

"There is no need to show anger, elder brother."

Finally the one in the middle spoke once more.

"I am a Shaman, child. That is how I am able to divide my consciousness into three. I am called 'logic,' my youngest brother is 'compa.s.sion,' and the grumpiest is 'wrath.' This is a spell that certain Shaman's use to come to a verdict or make a big decision, as we Shamans are occasionally the heads of mountain villages..."

"That's... pretty cool, but pretty weird at the same time... I'm not that well versed in magic, but I think you're selling yourself short uncle."

The room was silent for a short time, and then all three personalities started laughing.

"""That's a first. A boy who was not afraid of this form. I approve of your courage, or foolishness is a better way to put it. Now, head along. The wolves don't wait, boy..."""

The torches in the room all went out suddenly, and the door behind Griff was opened once more. He understood what they were trying to say, and headed out.

From the outside the hut looked like a luxurious village chief's abode, but the inside spoke different...

'Odd...'

"Hey, Griff, was it!?"

Danyell ran towards Griff who was still looking at the house in confusion and amazement.

"There were 3 men.... simultaneously.... shaman..."

Danyell chuckled.

"Oh, I see the chief made another show?"

Griff stopped walking and grabbed Danyell by the color and started shaking him, teary eyes. It was comical to say the least.

"WHAT SHOW! DO YOU KNOW HOW f.u.c.kING TERRIFIED I WAS IN THERE! I LOOKED LIKE AN IDIOT! WHO THE h.e.l.l SPLITS HIMSELF IN THREE! IF HE CAN USE MAGIC WHY DO YOU EVEN NEED MEEEEE!"

Griff let go of Danyell midway through his ranting and dropped to the ground, clutching his head in pain.

Danyell was frozen in place with a tick mark on his head.

"Ooookayyy.... that was interesting Griff..."

He kneeled next to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Buuut... we're making a scene here. Can we take this somewhere private?"

Griff raised his head to see that all of the young men who were training in the village square were leaning on their staffs and spears. Some were laughing and some were looking at Griff in confusion.

Griff's face turned red from embarra.s.sment as he pretty much lost his cool there.

"Yeah... lead the way..."

He muttered.

They kept on walking away from the courtyard where the villagers were still confused at the ordeal.

"Let's go to my house first. The elders asked me and my brother to come with you after all. You don't know the mountains."

Griff simply nodded. He had too much on his mind to pay attention clearly. He was still trying to understand what was going on around him... How the h.e.l.l did he suddenly wake up with memory loss, what about his magic? Why is it so odd... and unexplainable. Fire magic? Definitely not. Master Alatar had tried to tap into his mana, but it was simply different than fire mana. It was foreign. Ignoring his magic for a second... he also had to start rising up through the adventurers guild. He couldn't keep free-loading the kindness of the people of Alfrum. He had a place to sleep, people who helped him, and people he could call sort of family, but it wasn't going to last forever. Something was bound to happen... considering that mission...

"We're here! It's not big or fancy, but it's just right for me and Galvain. Hope you can get used to it. We'll leave in an hour anyway."

Danyell pointed to a small, stone house that was situated near the gates of the village. They were a part of the guards of the village after all.

"It's fine Dan. Can I call you Dan? Danyell is too long for me to say all the time."

Danyell shrugged as he gestured for him to come in.

"Sure, It doesn't matter to me."

The duo walked inside. Galvain was also inside, lying on a small couch in the middle of a spa.r.s.ely furnished room.

Danyell sighed, and walked up to his snoring brother and slapped him on the back.

"Get up Gal... we're leaving in a hour."

Galvain slowly got up... and looked around him... and went back to sleep.

Griff tapped Danyell on his back, and indicated his horse which was waiting outside. They both grinned. Danyell put his arm around Griff.

"Man... I didn't expect you to be mischievous. Normally that's Gal here, but this will be nice for a change. Strap him up."

Griff merely complied with this devilish mischief they were planning and grinned as well.

"Just put him in a sac."

An hour later Danyell could be seen carrying a sac, which was filled with rations and a couple spare weapons. Griff was already waiting outside, and he had strapped Galvain onto his horse's back in a sac. Danyell hopped on a horse he borrowed from a nearby villager, and strapped their rations.

"Come on boy! You better keep up Griff, the mountain is dangerous, it's easy to get lost!"

Griff sped up behind Danyell.

"Don't worry about me! I'm right behind you."

A few minutes of silence later Griff spoke up again. He was getting anxious, he was with someone that wasn't Alatar, Leebus, James or Reiner for the first time, and it was his employer that had given him support with allies, but it was getting awkward.

"So... Dan, what exactly are we hunting. It said wolves on the job request... a cla.s.sic F- rank quest for adventurers, but where even are they?"

"Well..."

Danyell started talking as they started climbing the mountain. They could still see the village behind them, and the sound of nature was starting to become more overbearing than thatof the villagers behind them slowly... they were entering uncharted territory.

"We're hunting Silverback Wolves. They have silver fur, and are quite distinguishable from other wolf species. They are on the stronger side for wolves in general, but we'll mostly be fine. There aren't a lot, but they sometimes come near the village. That's what bothers us. We're gatherers, not farmers, so it makes it harder for us to scavenge the mountain. Did you get all of that?"

"Yeah, got it, but what worries me is this..."

Griff took out the job request he was hanging on to which he had used to ask for directions and pa.s.sed it towards Danyell.

"Let's take a break here. I'll wake up your useless brother. Meanwhile, you read that request."

They stopped by the end of the track. They'd have to tie their horses and start walking on foot from there on. The path was rocky for a horse.

Griff tossed Galvain on the ground who suddenly ripped the sac in half with his bare hands screaming.

"I'M ALIVE YOU s.h.i.tHEADS ARE YOU GOING TO BURY MEEE!"

Griff and Danyell merely looked at each other with blank expressions and nodded.

"Well, he's awake now."

"Yeah."

"I'M STILL HERE YOU-"

"Shut up and start making camp Gal... we're making camp."

"Huh?! When the h.e.l.l did we even get here!"

"Your lazy a.s.s didn't get up, and I know its hard as h.e.l.l to wake you up, so I merely asked Griff here for help."

Griff looked at Galvain and put his hand on his shoulder and nodded.

"I handled your body with care."

Galvain suddenly backed away, and fell on the floor. He crawled back till he hit a rock behind him. He was holding his arms, and he was obviously horrified.

"Huh? What did I say wrong."
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Danyell sighed.

"You really need to talk with others more Griff... Okay, so what's the problem with this request?"

Griff shrugged at Galvain who was still watching him in horror from a few meters away, and approached Danyell. He pointed to the cla.s.sification of the request and its contents.

"Here it states that I am to hunt wolves, but the kind was never specified. I don't have any prior information for my target. I don't know if this is a mistake of the guild, or one on your village's part.... but this doesn't feel right to me."

Danyell looked at the contents once more, and chuckled slightly.

"Must have been left out, it's nothing major to worry about... i guess. I was told they were silverback wolves by the elder though, so that must be correct."

Just as Danyell finished his sentence, the howling of wolves could suddenly be heard around them.

Danyell did a 'quiet' gesture at Griff, and signaled Galvain who rushed to put out the fire.

Danyell softly whispered.

"It's their hunting time..."