32 Chapter 32 - Headless Hunter Guild (1/2)
Long before Kenji had arrived at the Headless Hunter Guild, he had reverted back to the boy knight.
The 'Guild' was a shabby tavern on the outside of town, built under a giant willow tree and threatened to fall in on itself at any moment. The slightest push of wind across the surrounding fields caused the tiled roof to creak and the wood to moan.
Sauntering around it were the lowlife's Kenji had feared, more than a few revealing shining steel at their belts. Like packs of animals, they strode up from various dens, tents and strange forts built atop trees with rope paths between them.
”What have we here, Scab?” Muttered one, spitting out something foul into the mud. He had raven black hair with an equally dark eyepatch and spellbook. Ywt none of those could compare to the darkness welling in that remaining eye, as if Kenji peered into death itself.
”A pretty boyss Jed that'sss what. What are you doing out heress pretty boyss?” Hissed a woman with slits for pupils, elegant swathes of blue scale down her neck and a snake's tongue. Smiling wide, she revealed toothless gums save for a pair of poisonous fangs.
”I'm here to see...damn, what was his name again?” Kenji racked his brains, but as the pair approached in their bandit leather and wicked grins all sense had left him. Oh gods - the memory of those warriors storming the Golden Goose Guild haunted him, and Kenji had just left them to die like that?
”What'sss wrong with you kid? Didn't meanss to shake you up that bad,” the snake woman said with welling concern. As Kenji fell to one knee he began to breathe faster, lungs like bellows that roared in short sharp bursts.
Lithe hands wrapped around him, boneless and cold. But they felt as warm as a mother at that moment, as they stroked his head and hissed endless pleasantries.
”Let'sss bring him inside Jed, poor thing'sss all out of sortsss,” Scab said, Jed answering by pulling Kenji up to his feet and snarling.
”What's wrong with yea? Who did this to you, did someone steal somthin'?”
Kenji was already overwhelmed, but such unexpected kindness nearly sent him over the edge.
”Here, for your Guildmaster. The Golden Goose...it's been attacked. The people of Tariak too,” Kenji held back heavy sobs as he held up the letter, Scag and Jed looking at one another with concern. Prying it free from his too-tight hand, Jed nodded and bound inside.
”Come with me, I thinkss there are two thatss have been expecting youss,” Scab led Kenji by the hand, through the cracked wooden door and into the opposite of what he had expected. Children, teenagers and the wounded were stacked on a dozen bunk beds and nestled within the blankets of the floors.
Scarred men and women, with the clothing of ruffians and the blades of the wicked, now strode with warm smiles as they offered medicine, conversation and bowls filled with hot soup. In between a pair of fevered eyed elders sat Tenko and Violet, their eyes brightening as Kenji walked over.
”KENJI!” Tenko shouted, several guildmembers hissing at her to be quite. Apologetic, Tenko wove between the sickbed to press her fuzzy ears into his side.
Violet had twinkling eyes as she watched, but refrained from breaking her conversation with an elderly woman who seemed in a wretched state. Dark veins spread across her arms and up her neck, every breathe coming short and sharp. But those eyes were filled with delight as every soft word was attentively heard by the purple beauty by her side.
”This is where your money went,” a certain buck-toothed thief muttered at Kenji's side. Jumping with surprise, Kenji turned sharply to the boy.
”I didn't notice you were there,” he admitted.
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”Tenko did~” Tenko said with a big cheesy grin. The buck-toothed boy turned his head away, a slight blush on his muddy cheeks.
”What is this place? Some kind of hospice...I thought you were adventurers?” Kenji said that with a bit of shame. After all, if adventurers were supposed to help people, how could the adventurers here be anything but the purest form of what an adventurer is supposed to be?
With only a cursory glance, he gave found Hero ranks between [J] and [F] without even needing to know another thing. If he had the time, Kenji is certain he could have found several worthy of being scouted.