Hunter's Star

​

By: Antonio Fiorentino

Cold wind swept through the land, gray clouds cover the entirety of the sky and block the morning sun from hitting the ground, as well as a small meager village that stands under.  This village is called Cane. The village stands on a plain that holds only grass. Past the plains is nothing but a large sea of trees that spans far off. Among the buildings that stand in the small village, one of them houses a lowly family of only three, a father and his two daughters.  The father is a 64-year-old man known as Jacob, his two young adult daughters are named Jaqueline and Eline. They are known as the Hasliy family, the wife and mother of the family passed away and they all have been having a difficult time living in the village due to their lack of money. Jacob worked as a delivery man who would take most jobs, but now he is at a very old age that has affected his work.  As for his daughters, they both have a job working at the tavern in the village. The girls worked as waitresses as well as maids that cleaned the rooms that the tavern rents to people, the owner of the tavern is friends with Jacob as well. One of the daughters, Eline, was the favorite one among the patrons, due to her very kind and sweet nature as well as her beauty. As for her sister, she is not as liked as her sister Eline is, though her beauty was equal to her.She doesn’t take kindly to people who may try to cause trouble with her or her sister. If that happens, she will resort to making sure you don't think about doing it again and will not hesitate to shove faces into the ground if it means to protect her sister or to teach a lesson to whoever tries.  Her aggressive ways can scare off some patrons, but her intimidation has helped keep trouble out of the place.

Today started off like most days for the Hasliy family. The two daughters wake up along with their father and they all tend to the house and also prepare breakfast.  Some work stories are shared at the table as they ate and after they finished, the girls got ready to attend their jobs and after a small farewell to their father they left the house.  While walking to the tavern Eline takes a look at the sky, she turns to Jacqueline and says, “It looks as though it may rain today. Maybe we should ask Luke if he could let us leave early.” 

Jacqueline turns toward her sister and asks, “Why?” 

Eline answers, “So father won't be left in the house while the cold rain falls.”

Jacqueline informs Eline, “You can leave early then, but one of us still needs to stay so that we can get our full earnings.”  Eline gives a worried look to Jacqueline and upon seeing her face she took a second to think about what they should do. She soon decides and with a small grin responds, “Ok, I’ll ask Luke if we can leave early. Just remember that we have to work longer the next day, Ok?” 

Eline gives Jacqueline a warm smile and thanked her.  The two finally make it to the tavern and open the door. Inside, all of the lamps were lit up and the tavern was completely empty with the only exception being the owner, Luke, who was behind the counter.  When the girls walked in they both paused in slight shock, also inside the tavern in front of the counter stood a very tall figure. Upon closer inspection they saw that it was actually a person, the person looked to be nearly 7 feet tall with his head nearly touching the ceiling of the tavern. He wore a long brown coat with dark brown shoes, and had a long red scarf around his neck topped with a dark cocked hat.  The girls stood there looking until the behemoth started walking away from the counter towards the stairs that lead to the rooms. Once he was completely out of sight, the two girls quickly went toward Luke.

They did not hesitate to ask about the person who was just standing where they are now.  Luke settled them down and told them, “Look, I just opened up and suddenly this person appeared asking for a room.” He then adds, “I need the rooms upstairs swept before more people start coming in, so get that done and I’ll tell you about the costumer later.” the girls had slight disappointment on their faces but soon got their head in the game and went straight to work.  Later on in the day, the tavern had more people inside, but it was not too busy for the most part. While everyone was enjoying their drinks, Jacqueline walked toward Luke, who was wiping down mugs behind the counter. Immediately, when he saw her he put down the cup and before she could get a word out, Luke says reaching for another mug, “Alright, what do you want to know?” 

Jacqueline had many questions on her mind, but took it slow. She asked, “Was it male or female?” 

Luke scoffed “Heh, ‘it’ was male.” 

Jacqueline ignores his tone and asks, “What is he here for?” 

Luke answers normally, “When I asked, all he told me was that he was a hunter.” he adds, “He wasn’t no normal one, though.” Jacqueline was confused and asks why he thinks that.  Luke tells her, “I saw two long dual blades on both sides of his waist.” 

Jacqueline was now more invested upon hearing that, “Why would a hunter have two blades and nothing else?” she asks.  

Luke leans in closer to her and whispers, “I think he hunts monsters.” Jacqueline was surprised, that would mean that him being here means that monsters may be around the area and that worried Jacqueline.  She had many other questions, but people were now giving signals for refills so Luke tells her, “Look, I’ll tell you more later, alright? Just focus on working.” A bit unsatisfied, Jacqueline does what he says and goes back to work.  As this day is going on, two men riding horses entered the village, they both had brown colored cloaks. One had a scruffy looking beard while the other was completely bald on both the face and head. As they ride in, they slow down their horses and start taking a look around. The bearded man gets closer to the bald one and, in a low voice, asks, “Are you sure that this is a good idea?  What if it gets found?” 

The bald man turns to the bearded one with irritation written all over his face, the bald one in the same tone retorts, “Calm your ass, Don!  We were told to do this, so just shut up and keep looking!” the bearded man, Don, just jerked his head away and was still searching for whatever they were looking for. They soon find a local and ask them for information and they soon found their target:  a small house, the residence of a man named Jacob.

It was evening and the tavern was empty with everyone either going home or continuing on their travels.  Jacqueline and Eline were helping Luke clean the tavern before he closed, they talked with each other about their day.  

Eline says, “Today seemed normal, huh?” 

In a sarcastic tone, Jaqueline responds, “It sure was.” 

Eline comments, “Did you really have to intervene with that fight? You could have at least handled it more peacefully.” 

Luke then jumps in and responds, “Hey, your sister is a tough girl, with the kind of customers I get here I need at least one person like her.” 

Jacqueline says, “It’s so annoying how these people just waste their time here just to pick fights. At least one of the guys backed out this time.” 

Luke enthusiastic, responds, “Yeah after you flipped the other guy straight on his back!” He then adds, “Jacob taught you that, right?” 

Jacqueline answers, “Yes, He taught me what he learned from traveling.”  

Luke asks, “Eline can do it too, can’t she?” 

Jaqueline responds with a smile, “Yes she knows as well, but she prefers not to use it often.” 

Eline starts to look embarrassed and responds, “I don’t want any guys to think that I will bite at first sight!” 

Luke smiles and tells her, “Ah don’t worry!  You’re a really likable person. You'll find someone.” Eline now looks even more embarrassed and Jacqueline gives a smile.  The girls were just about to depart and as they are walking out the door, Luke waves goodbye and they do the same. Luke put some things away and very last minute realized something and said to himself, “Oh, I forgot to tell them about that hunter.  Must have slipped all our minds, oh well.” Luke shrugs it off and continues clearing up the tavern. Jacqueline and Eline talk while walking home. They get to their home and open the door while announcing their presence to alert their father. When they walked in something didn’t feel right to them, they quickly go to check on their father who was not in the dining room like he usually is when they get home, they both opened his bedroom door and thankfully see him sitting on a chair, he looks to be lost in thought with a distressed look on his face.  The girls let out a sigh of relief knowing their father was alright, but they show concern of what he may be thinking about, so Eline comes up to him and gets his attention. Jacob looks up to see his daughter’s worried face as well as his second looking the same by the door.

Eline then says, “Father, what is wrong?  Are you ill? Did something happen while we were gone?” 

Jacob takes a second to give an answer, Jacob says, “I need you girls, to go into the dining room, we all need to discuss something.” Eline becomes more worried but does what her father says and all three of them go into the dining room and take a seat.

They all sat around the table, the girls wait to hear an explanation.  Jacob is extremely hesitant to talk but manages to tell them what is going on, he says, “While you two were at work I was offered a delivery job, to the Yawaraf Kingdom,” immediately both daughters were at the edge of their seats with their eyes in shock.  Yawaraf is nearly halfway across the country and taking a trip from here to there would require almost a month or two worths of planning.  

Jacqueline still surprised asks, “You're not going to take the job right?  I mean a trip like that is absolutely impossible for someone your age,” Jacob lowers his head worried as Jacqueline waits for his response, finally, 

Jacob tells them, “They offered a price of 20,000 if I were to accept and 50,000 more after I delivered it.”  Both girls had chills go through them after hearing such a high price, they imagined what that money can buy them, they would never have to worry about food or taxes again.  

Immediately Jacqueline slammed her hands on the table and yelled out, “WHAT IN GODS NAME WOULD YOU BE DELIVERING FOR A PRICE LIKE THAT!” Jacqueline was staggered and also anxious, Eline calmed her and Jacqueline slowly sat back down but was still a bit steamy.

Eline asks, “Why would they offer such a price, what are you delivering exactly?” 

Jacob answers, “All they told me was that it is an old family artifact that they wished to be sent to a member of that family, they said that the other delivery boy in Bromsted was too full of requests and they needed someone who would be able to take it by itself,” 

Eline then asks, “Did you see the artifact?” 

Jacob responds, “Well I saw the package it was in but they were very adamant about keeping it in the box, the box was completely made of iron and had many chains around it as well as a very large lock.” Jacob then adds, “Look, the reason I was hesitant on telling you two was because, yes, I will be taking this job and I just want you to understand why,” 

Jaqueline stands once more and says, “Father!  You are not what you were years ago, there is no worth in taking this long and dangerous journey!” 

Jacob then retorts, “If it’s to help my family then I would do anything damn it!” 

Jacqueline retorts back, ”You are not able to take this journey, if you desire the money then let me go in your place and I will help the family in your stead!” 

Jacob now angered says, “Absolutely NOT!” 

Jacqueline angered responds, “Why won’t you let me do anything to help!  I offered to take your place for the delivery job but you keep refusing and now look at us, living in a rotten house and struggling to get food into our bellies!” 

Jacob retorts,” I will never let you take up this job!” 

Jacqueline retorts, “WHY!  Why won't you let me take charge and help our family!” 

Jacob’s head is lowered as he snaps and yells out, “BECAUSE I DON’T WANT TO LOSE YOU TOO!”.

Silence fills the air inside and all three stand froze.  Jacqueline and Eline are shocked while Jacob has his head lowered looking at the table.  Jacqueline looks down and starts to lament with Eline on the verge of tears.  

Jacob in anguish, calms and says, “I’m sorry for raising my voice.  Jacqueline I know how much you want to help us and I know how determined you can get about it, I know because you took it from me, but after losing Jane, I-I don’t want to risk losing another I love dearly.” Jacob in a soft voice adds, “Jacqueline, please let me do what a parent and man of the family should do, and once I finish this job and get the money, I promise you that I will retire,” Jacqueline wore a face of frustration, she very much disagreed with her father leaving alone and far away, but to honor his feelings she begrudgingly let him go.  Eline was extremely anxious and felt similarly to Jacqueline but like her, she also honored his feelings and said nothing.  

Jacqueline looks up and says, “Don’t die on us!” 

Eline stands and says, “Please,” 

Jacob with confidence looks at them and answers, “I’ll see you two after the job is done!” after that Jacqueline and Eline walked to their room and Jacob followed suit.  Both Jacquline and Eline had a restless night due to their worry for their father, they would eventually fall asleep but not after many broken sleep episodes.  

The sun now rose beaming down on Cane village, many travelers who stayed the night now start to prepare to venture on.  Jacob went to go and officially accepted the job and was given 20,000 gold. The two men reminded him of what he is promised if the package is delivered and he made sure he knew, the daughters wake up and meet with their father soon after he comes back.  They both are shocked to see the large iron box in Jacobs' hand, Jacob goes around to the side of their house and places the box on top of the parked covered wagon they had. The horse that used to pull their wagon sadly passed years ago and Jacob hasn’t ever gotten the chance to buy another one for a while, there was a horse breeder that lived in the village that made his living off of selling horses to merchants and travelers.  

Jacob tells his daughters, “I will use the money I got from the clients to purchase two horses, then I will give the rest to you two so that you can feed yourselves for the time I am gone,” 

Jacqueline turns her head towards Eline who then tells Jacob, “Father, we wish for you to keep the money,” 

“But you need to-”

Eline interrupts, “Take the money and follow the path to Bromsted and use it to buy all of the supplies you will need there.  Don’t worry we will keep working and Luke will help us out.” Jacob was hesitant at first but considering his daughters are going against their feelings of this journey, he wants to give them the relief that he will take care of himself.  Jacob then agrees and bags the money, then goes to buy the horses and Jacqueline and Eline go to the tavern to break the news to Luke.

When the girls turned towards the direction of the tavern in the distance they see the tall man from the day before.  Seeing him even from far away was truly bizarre, they couldn’t believe his height, and the way his clothes looked was very dirty as if he has never washed them in a long time, the scarf he wore however truly contrasted his other wears.  He walked slowly down the street with others staring at him in awe. The man walked to the tavern and entered, most likely heading back to his room, Jacqueline and Eline came back to their senses and went straight towards the tavern afterward.  When they got there the man was nowhere to be found only two patrons and Luke stood in the tavern, the girls waste no time in telling Luke everything and he was not surprised that Jacob would take a job like that, Luke says, “Your father was always like that, once he's on board, there ain't no getting off that wagon.” Luke was worried for his friend though, so he allowed the girls to not work today to say farewell and offered food and the few supplies he had in the tavern which the girls wasted to time in accepting.  The girls wanted to get to their father quickly so after Luke grabbed the supplies they thanked him and rushed right out. When they came back they saw their father walking two horses to the wagon.  

The girls helped him tie the horses to the wagon and after a quick meal it was finally time for Jacob’s departure.  Both of the girl's hearts were beating out of their chests and you can tell that they are worried out of their minds.  Jacob saw how they looked and came in close to give them both a hug and the girls wrapped their arms tight around Jacob.  Jacob followed suit and they stood there embracing each other for a while. Finally, the girls let go and Jacob tells them, “I have something to give to you both,” the girls get confused.  He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small silver locket shaped like a heart, it was encrusted with many colorful jewels that made it sparkle beautifully, the girls were in utter shock, not just because of the beauty of the necklace but also because it was the necklace of their late mother.  The girls were shocked, they now felt anguish just looking at the necklace but both maintain control, Jacqueline says, “Father you’re giving this to us?” Jacob looks at the girls with a small grimace and says, “Your mother wanted one of you two to have it when you went off on your own, I feel the time is right,” both Jacqueline and Eline put out one hand and both take the necklace while holding back small tears.  After Jacob hands them the necklace he turns his head towards the wagon and says, “Well, time for work.” the girls stood there with worried expressions, Jacob then says, “I’m going to see you two again. That is a promise.” Jacqueline responds, “You better.” Eline responds, “Come back safe.” Jacob smiles and then hops onto the wagon he checks if everything is ok and starts riding the wagon down the street, while on the path he passes the tavern and outside the entrance, Luke stands to wait for Jacob.  He looks up to Jacob and says, “I’ll make sure they are alright, you just worry about staying alive, you crazy son of a bitch.” Jacob smiled and thanked him before finally leaving the village. The girls watch until he fades into the forest.

Jacob never wanted to leave the village nor did he want to leave his daughters with such worry on their minds, but Jacob knew that this was a once in a lifetime chance to get his family out of poverty and for them to be able to be well taken care and to travel out of the village to explore new things, he did this for them.  It is late afternoon, it was smooth riding for Jacob and it would be quite a while until he would reach the nearest village which was Bromsted. He knew when he got there he would have to spend his time and money gathering supplies for the long trip he had to endure. During the ride, he would have some time to think for a little and on some occasions, he would feel as though maybe this trip was a bit too impossible for just him and considered if he should hire a bodyguard or guide of some kind perhaps.  It was now nearing dark and Jacob needed to get some sleep early so that he would have lots of energy in the morning, he found a good wide spot to park for the night, he puts in a stake and tied his horses onto it. He sets up a bed inside the wagon and slept there, he would have a hard time getting sleep constantly thinking about his family and how they are doing, even so, he managed to close his eyes and sleep. All of a sudden, while in deep sleep voices are heard, whispers, despite being asleep Jacob could hear them, the whispers never stopped, it sounded dark, ghastly, they kept repeating a word that was hard to distinguish.  Then a loud breaking sound shot through the area startling the horses and waking Jacob, he woke in a cold sweat and was relieved that the whispers have ceased, but a new worry would soon arise as the noise that woke him up came from a falling tree, birds flew away from neighboring trees as Jacob looked outside and was met with a spine-chilling shock when he saw two large figures start approaching his wagon.

The sun starts rising as a new day begins, the morning sun shined bright and the light seeped through the small cracks of the Hasliy household waking up Jacqueline and Eline from their slumber.  The girls sit up from their beds and stare at each other for a second before they start the day like normal. They get up and do their daily work for the house, the only thing that was unusual for them was not seeing their father waiting for them in the dining room.  They look at the empty third seat as they are eating, they hope that their father at least made it to Bromsted safely. Both start to get ready for work and locked up after. They leave the house and head straight for the tavern. When they get there the whole tavern is empty and they see Luke putting mugs away and getting ready to open, he stops what he is doing when he sees the girls walk in, he looks at them and asks, “How are you two feeling today?” Eline looks up and says, “We are fine, we just needed some time to calm ourselves.” Luke looks with understanding.  Jacqueline says, “We can still work, we won’t slow down at all,” Luke responds, “Hey, if you guys do need some time to relieve your stress, just let me know.” Eline and Jacqueline look at Luke grateful, they both thank him and he accepts it with a smile. The tavern opens and people start coming in to relive their own stress, whenever a traveling merchant walked in Jacqueline or Eline would always ask if they have seen their father pass by, but they all said that they haven’t ran into anyone in the forest while on their way here. This fills both girls with anxiety that soon affects their work a bit, soon Eline decides to go outside for fresh air, Jacqueline soon follows her and Luke gives her a go ahead.  

Jacqueline goes out and sees Eline sitting on top of a barrel that was in front of the tavern, Jacqueline sits on the one next to her and upon sitting down she takes a long deep breath and tries to calm herself.  Eline looking at the ground says, “What if he didn’t make it?” Jacqueline then looks at Eline and responds, “Don’t say that.” Eline then in anguish with tears responds, “Didn’t you see! None of the merchants saw him at all!  What if he crashed while riding at night, what if he was mugged and killed by a thief, what if-” she was cut off by Jacqueline who grabbed her sister by the shoulders and says, “STOP IT! STOP SAYING SUCH THINGS!” Eline was now completely silent and terrified, Jacqueline then looks at her with tears in her eyes, she says, “I-I’m so sorry.” she then cleans the tears off of her eyes and Eline’s eyes.  She then says, “Yes, I know that none of the merchants didn’t see him, but we shouldn’t be thinking the worst. You know father, he always finds a way, he probably went a different path, or maybe he kept riding all night while other merchants were sleeping in the forest, for all we know he probably just made it to Bromsted and is sleeping in a safe Inn right now.” Jacqueline’s words calmed Eline and even gave her some hope.  Jacqueline was against her father leaving but she knows how he is and believes that he is safe and alive right now. All of a sudden commotion is occurring near the middle of town, the sound of all the people lured the tavern patrons out to see what is going on, the girls do the same and Luke follows suit.

There is a small crowd with a circled around something, the girls and Luke think that a fight broke out but that seemed to not be the case when they managed to get in front.  They are shocked to see a wild horse panicking and stomping its feet, in front of the horse they see the horse breeder of the town trying to calm the horse while an older lady is on the ground looking in shock.  Once the girls got to see what was happening the ruckus was dying down as the breeder manages to calm the horse, as this is happening the lady was still on the ground, all of a sudden Luke comes in and helps the lady up,  “Are you, alright mam?” said Luke. The lady then looks at Luke and with a smile says, “I’m just fine now.” the crowd then gives a round of applause to the breeder as he grabs the reins of the horse not acknowledging the praise.  The crowd starts to break up and both girls see if both the lady and breeder were ok, the lady thanks the breeder and Luke for the help and she continues on to her business. As the girls start going up to the breeder he starts examining the horse more closely, Jacqueline sees the concern on the breeder’s face and asks, “Is something wrong?” the breeder still looking at the horse responds, “The horse is fine but I feel like I've seen this one before.” all of a sudden Eline starts looking more closely at the horse and says, “Jacqueline,  the horse seems familiar to me too,” Jacqueline looks at Eline in confusion with Luke showing concern. All of a sudden the breeder looks around the horse and in a voice of realization says, “This is one of my horses!” upon hearing that the girls and Luke go around the horse and on the right thigh of the horse the initials RD were burned on the flesh, the initials for the horse breeder. The girls have some thoughts in their minds but didn’t accept them, Luke then asks, “So wait. This horse didn’t escape by accident?” the breeder then looks at Luke and says, “No, this horse came running from the forest, and I know I didn’t just lose it because I checked just seconds ago, my stables had the same amount of horses since yesterday night.” All of a sudden the breeder looks at the girls and says, “You're Hasily's daughters right?” the Eline response, “Yes?” and after a bunch of glances the breeder gave a face of realization, no words had to be said because the girls knew what that meant right away.

Time nearly stopped completely upon the realization that fell on all four of them.  Eline all of a sudden falls to the ground and starts hyperventilating, Jacqueline starts breathing heavily and her mind strays away.  The breeder soon runs straight to Eline and vigorously tries to calm her while Luke goes up to Jacqueline and tries to get her to calm as well, Jacqueline sees Luke and then looks down to see Eline and without warning, she drops on her knees and embraces Eline with Eline clinging back.  Eline in a shooken up voice kept repeating, “This shouldn’t have happened, This shouldn’t have happened, This shouldn’t have happened…” Jacqueline was concerned for her sister the most at the moment so she took her inside the tavern and Luke followed suit with the breeder watching as they hurried along.  Jacqueline took Eline and sat her down, Eline was breathing abnormally as she stared blankly at the floor, she looked to be in great despair, thinking of the worst that could have happened to her father, Jacqueline sat next to her sister and wrapped her arms around her. Jacqueline couldn’t help but think the same as she embraced Eline.  All of a sudden Luke sees both girls in anguish, immediately he comes up to them and says, “You can’t just assume the worse right away, this is Jacob were talking about and we all know that he doesn’t go down that easily. Even though one of his horses escaped it doesn’t mean he is dead, maybe the horse came here as a message he sent, what if he is alive and needs help right now!” Luke didn’t want the daughters giving up when they still don’t know what really happened, he got their attention but felt bad for somewhat scolding, calmly he tells them, “I’m sorry, I know this is hard but don’t assume the worse yet.  Don’t give up hope.” Jacqueline gets up from the chair and wipes her tears away and responds, “You’re right, it is hard for us right now but we shouldn’t be mournful yet, I want to know what happened.” Eline hears her sister and thinks about what Luke had said, she then stands and wipes her tears, she responds, “As do I, and you are right Luke, for all we know he could be alive. I really hope he is,” Luke is grateful to see them determined, he felt as though they have grown a bit right in front of his eyes. Now determined Luke tells them, “All right first things first, he was probably still in the forest when this happened, we need to have someone go in and track the course he took,” Eline looked distressed hearing this, she informs Luke, “Only hunters would be able to do such a thing and none have come to the village today,” this worries Jaqueline as well, she wished to go in herself but she knows a hunter would actually know how to track something better than she could.  A revelation then strikes her as she remembers the tall man that checked into the tavern two days prior, and how Luke said he was a hunter. Jacqueline walks up to Luke and asks, “The man that is staying in the rooms, you said he was some kind of hunter, correct?” Luke then remembers the tall hunter and answers, “Yes, he should still be here as well!” the girls see some hope now and asks Luke what room he stayed in, he tells them, “Room four.” The girls both volunteer to see the hunter while Luke stayed behind. Both girls hope that this hunter could be able to find their father or what's left of him.

They walk up the small staircase and come upon a small hallway with three sets of doors on both sides.  The girls walked straight to room four, but while walking towards the door unease shot through their bodies suddenly.  The girls get to the door that has a number four hammered in, chills went up to their spines and the hair on their bodies immediately stood high upon standing in front of the door, it was like they felt an unsettling presence behind the door.  Nevertheless, Jacqueline went up and knocked with three knocks and waited, only silence answered as they stood there waiting, still in a hurry Jacqueline knocks again with more force. A voice answers, it said, “You may come in…” It was a mature voice with a hard British accent, it sounds grim, the girls slowly open the door and see nothing but darkness in the room, the lantern on the desk was not lit and the curtains were shut, the only light shining in the room was coming from the small openings between the curtains.  The atmosphere of the whole room made them feel uneasy once more. All of a sudden they see faint movement coming from the darkness. The tall hunter was sitting on the edge of the bed, he looked to be still in the same clothes the girls saw him yesterday, two unusually shaped twin blades leaned on the end of the bed, while the girls were looking at the swords Jacqueline's keen eyes catch very faded red lines slowly pulsing on the blades, “His blades, they are not normal,” Jacqueline thought.  While Jacqueline was still looking at the blades the hunter finally stood up.  Jacqueline moves her gaze to the hunter and both girls have chills coursing through their bodies at the sight of the hunter up close, his height was frightening as he towered over them, his poster was poor but mostly due to him having to look down upon them.  He wore a large brown jacket with brown leather boots, a scarlet red scarf around his neck, and a three-corner black cocked hat. The hunter’s presence was very intimidating and left the girls speechless, the hunter looked at them for a second until he finally said, “Now, normally I don’t mind beautiful women like yourselves visiting, but waking me up all of a sudden, was quite rude.” the girls stood still, they did not expect him to say something like that.

The hunter’s presence had still not changed but a remark like that was unusual to see, he said, “Anyways why have you come here?” Jacqueline steps up and addresses, “We wish for you to find our father, he went missing in the woods,” the hunter clears his throat and says, “I see…  So you wish for me to track someone eh? Simple enough, but my services are not cheap,” Jacqueline comes up and asks, “How much?” the hunter slowly answered, “100,000 gold,” Jacqueline’s heart dropped from hearing that outrageous price, she questioned, “Why in god's name is it that expensive?!” the hunter calmly responds, “Look, love I have my own tabs to pay and you rudely woke me from my slumber, so either pay up or leave,” Jacqueline didn’t know what to do,he was the only hunter around at the moment.  She considered asking Luke but he doesn’t even make that much in a year. Jacqueline was soon on the verge to beg which was something she dreaded doing until Eline stepped forward, she reached into her dress pocket and pulled out their mother’s jewel-encrusted necklace while asking, “Will this do?” Jacqueline was shocked to see Eline of all people offering something that precious, Jacqueline turned to Eline and said, “Eline you don’t have to do this, we can find another way,” Jacqueline was surprised to see Eline’s face filled with determination rather than sorrow.  Eline turned toward her sister and she answered, “I know, but he could still be alive out there, he probably needs help fast, if that is the case this hunter is our only chance of finding him. It’s hard to part away from this memento, very hard, but mother would have wanted us to do this,” Jacqueline never thought she would see her sister make a decision like this before, and she knew that it was true so she reluctantly let Eline give the necklace as payment. The hunter observed them curiously while it was happening, but afterward he snatched the necklace out of Eline’s hand and closely inspected the jewels and metal, looking satisfied he said, “This will do just fine,” he then stands high and says, “Alight I will be off.”  He grabs his blades and attaches them to his belt than with loud thumps he walked out of the room and down the hall, leaving the girls behind.

The girls stand there dumbfounded for a little before coming back to their senses, they go to catch up with the hunter.  Lucky for them, he was at the stairs when they got to him, the hunter looked at the girls with an annoyed expression before asking, “Alright, what's wrong?”  the girls look at him like it was obvious. Jacqueline says, “What's wrong? You didn’t ask for any information like how he looks or where he was going!” the hunter looks down and thinks for a second before lifting his head and realizing his mistake, he then replies, “Oh, my bad love I was still a bit woozy from sleep.  Tell me everything you know.” the girls were worried at first but since they already paid him they went with it and told him all he needed to know not sparing any details. The hunter seemed uninterested by some of what they said but stayed and listened the whole way. Once they were finished he turned back towards the small staircase and soon left the tavern.  The hunter made a small detour to see the breeder and got some information and clues there, and soon he headed off on foot into the forest. The trek was not difficult for the hunter and he soon would find the path that Jacob had taken the day before, he followed the clues and soon found himself in a small empty area with no trees. The area was covered in broken wood and many footprints, the hunter examines the area and puts together what he feels happened, “He was attacked while his wagon was parked and was taken by a large group of monsters,” he looks around more and realized something bizarre to him. He thinks, “That's odd, where was that parcel he had?  It has only been one night no one could have stolen it yet, especially in this part of the forest, was he tricked?” while thinking more he sees a small deep hole in the ground with a dagger near it, “So he let the horses go as a type of signal for help, clever bastard,” the hunter sees the large footprints leading out of the area.  Finally, he had his trail to the monsters and he swiftly follows it to a large cave.  It was very dark and deep a perfect place to call home for a monster, without question the hunter makes his way inside.

The cave was very dark, simply taking it slow was dangerous but the hunter managed it and would realize that the cave was not too deep once he sees some light at the end of it.  Before he is seen the hunter takes cover behind a nearby rock and accesses the situation. The light was coming from a large fire and was surrounded by three large monsters which the hunter recognizes as ogres, they are sitting around the fire and are eating large pieces of an animal, it was the other horse.  The hunter thinks that Jacob has already been devoured, but after looking once more he sees Jacob behind the monsters unconscious, he sighs now knowing the job will take a bit longer. He wastes no time and shows himself, he unsheathes his blades and slowly walks up to the ogres, he says, "You know horses are very fatty right, you really shouldn't be eating it since your all already as fat as it is," the ogres see the hunter and they all go and reach out for their weapons.  In a flash, the hunter throws his blade at an ogre striking it deep in the forehead killing it instantly, the one in the middle of both looks at the dead one shocked and in that time the hunter with swift movements runs towards the monster and jumps on top of the ogre’s club and with a swift vertical swipe strikes the monster’s head killing another . The third one took no chances and immediately swung his large club at the hunter’s direction and before it struck, the hunter evaded the attack and slashed the monster's legs making the beast fall on its knees and the hunter jumped high into the air and stabbed his blade through its skull and the ogre dropped straight to the ground.  

All of this was executed with great finesse and speed.  The hunter pulls the blade out of the monster’s head, the hunter pays no mind to the gory scene as he sets his mind on Jacob.  When he turns towards Jacob’s direction he sees the old man looking at him in utter shock and awe. The hunter sheaths his blades and says, “Well, looks like your alive, it seems you are a stubborn old bastard, I'm impressed,” then all of a sudden Jacob is able to let out his thoughts, “THAT WAS ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL, YOUR MOVEMENTS WERE SO FLUENT AND YOUR FORM WAS PERFECT!” in a flash the hunter closed in on Jacob and with his index finger he lifted his lower jaw so he was forced to stop, then after hunter said to him in an annoyed and weirded out, “Belt up will you!  You don't want to attract more monsters like these three now do you?” Jacob realized his mistake and apologized but the hunter didn’t pay any attention since something caught his when he started to look around. The hunter’s eye caught a large box that shone a glare from the light of the fire, he was confused now, ogres don’t take things like that, “The box?  Why the hell is this thing here,” he then asks Jacob how this all happened and he answered, “I assume you were called here after I set my horses free as a signal, after that happened the ogres split up, one tried to catch the horses while the other two went for my wagon.  They tore it apart and scooped me up but when they saw that box they froze for a second and stared at it, they looked to be almost shocked, after that the one who ran off came back and had one of my horses, afterward they simply took the box in an oddly cautious manner into this cave with me.” The hunter was now very befuddled, he looked at the box then started walking towards it.  Jacob saw him go up to the box and asked, “Wait, what are you doing?” the hunter answered, “Let’s see what they were so afraid of” the hunter then unsheathed one of his blades and cut the metal chains off the box. Jacob was going to stop him but he was also curious as to what would make those monsters take his package. The hunter opened the hinged lid and what followed was a long silence.

Only the sound of crackling fire is heard as the hunter stood there looking into the box, Jacob looks at the hunter and sees that he looks like he has completely frozen since he was just standing there looking blankly at the box.  Jacob then walked up to the hunter to see if he was well but upon only taking a few steps the hunter slammed the box shut and turned a complete 180 around and said, “Well then! How about we get you back to your daughters then shall we?” the hunter was back to normal now but Jacob didn’t take the time to think about it since he started thinking about his daughters and how worried they must be feeling now.  Without hesitation, Jacob followed the hunter right back to the village, keeping a safe distance away from the hunter while doing so. The hunter took the metal box with him holding it firmly on his side. After a long walk, the light that shone between the trees of the forest revealed Cane village, Jacob stumbled onto the dirt road of the village he finally was back home and he couldn't believe it. The hunter walked right behind and said, “Don’t hurt yourself now, I’d hate if you gotten yourself killed right as you get back, that would have been very humiliating end for you,” Jacob paid no mind to the hunter’s comment and quickly picked himself and ran straight to his house.  Upon coming up to his door he used the small bit of energy he still had to knock loudly on the large door, and in no time at all the door swiftly swings open and both Jacqueline and Eline stood behind. Eline puts her hands over her mouth in shock and Jacqueline starts breathing slowly and heavy with both of their eyes open wide. After a long stare both girls and Jacob then spread their arms and all of them reached out for a hug, tears ran down both girl’s eyes, Eline says, “Your alive, oh thank the gods you're alive!” Jacqueline weeps, “We were so worried,” Jacob then responds, “Heh, nothing can kill your old man that easily,” right after Jacob tightens his grip and adds, “I’m happy to have you two in my arms again,” they stand there in a loving embrace for a while until it was cut short when Eline notices the hunter standing close by.  Eline and Jacqueline then let's go and they both walk up to the hunter, Eline says on behalf of both of them, “We sincerely tha-” the hunter interrupted her and said, “Hold it, we still have business to discuss.” both girls and Jacob then fell silent and were all befuddled, especially Eline and Jacqueline.

All three of them stood there looking at the hunter perplexed, Jacob had thought that the business with the daughters was concluded since the hunter finished his task.  Eline and Jacqueline, however, were beyond confused since they had already paid him with something so valuable both personally and economically, they wonder what else could he want.  The girls then worried that he was going to demand more but they wait for what he had to say. The hunter then looks to Jacob and asks, “Tell me old man, who requested you to deliver this package?” Jacob was surprised to be asked, he was apprehensive to describe his client to a stranger, the hunter noticed Jacob’s hesitance and decided to change the question.  The hunter asks, “Alright how about this, where were you going to send it to?” Jacob was still hesitant on giving answers, “The Yawaraf Kingdom, that's where he was going,” said Jaqueline, the hunter then stood there in thought for a second. After he said to all of them, “Alright, how about I make a deal with you three. I will take this package to its recipient in the Kingdom and take the payment for delivery as payment for my services today, and in return, you can have this necklace back.  What do you say?” Jacqueline looks at the hunter in utter shock upon hearing that deal, but Jacob, on the other hand, was cautious and asked, “What are you hiding? That can’t be it.” the hunter then reassured him, “There are no tricks, in fact here.” the hunter reached into one of his pockets and pulled out the necklace and tossed it to Jacob who quickly caught it. Jacob was surprised that the girls were able to cope with giving something like this away, he felt as though he wasn’t worth it but to his daughter he was worth as much as it.  He inspected the necklace and saw it was the real deal, he then responds, “Alright, I’ll tell you where you need to go,” Jacqueline then turned to Jacob and yelled, “You’re actually going through with this! We need that money more!” Jacob was stunned by Jacqueline’s sudden protest.

Eline then came in and said, “Jacqueline, father nearly died out there and he didn’t even make it out of this forest, I know we need the money but we can try other ways,” Jacqueline was upset, she knew that they really couldn’t do anything since her father is not capable anymore but she didn’t like the hunter and felt they were being played in some way. She argues, “This man may have saved your life but not after asking for an outrageous price, and the way he was he seemed like he didn’t even give a damn at all.  Why should he get all this money just so he can buy drinks and gamble everyday!” The hunter stood back while observing the argument, he takes an interest in Jacqueline, he has seen something in her ever since he first came to the village. He sees her determined fighting spirit that she had. The hunter had an idea, he walks closer to the three and says, “How about I offer another deal,” instantly all three of the Hasliys look to the hunter. He says looking at Jacqueline, “Here's my offer. When I deliver this package I will give half of the profits to you,” he gives a small pause then adds, “IF this one here accompanies me the whole journey.  What do you say?” his eyes were on Jaqueline as he says that and everyone went silent with the only sounds being wind moving the trees. It felt like a long silence until Jacqueline lowered her head and responded, “Very well….” Eline and Jacob then look towards Jacqueline shocked. Eline looks at her father expecting him to protest but was met with silence and he sat there in deep thought, Eline tries to see if he was well until he looks up at Jacqueline and says, “Okay, go ahead.” Jacqueline and Eline are shocked to hear this. Jacob walks to Jaqueline and puts both hands on her shoulders, “Don’t think that I am happy about this. In fact, I am very against it, but, I also can’t help but trust you,” he pauses before adding, “I am in no shape to go on a trip like this anymore, you were right about that, but despite me wanting to get up and show this world that It can’t keep me knocking me down, I think the smart option for me at this point is to cut the world a break,” he continues, “I see myself in you, sweetie, you have the strength to help the people you care about, and I would never forgive myself if I didn’t let you pursue that passion any longer.” he concludes, “I hate that you have to leave but your determination shines bright and that will help you keep going.  Jane would have loved to see you so grown up now. Be safe and show this world you are up to the challenge!” tears start falling off Jacqueline’s face and she responds, “Thank you…” Eline was completely shocked still after that talk she didn’t know what to say. 

 Eline then suddenly runs to her sister, forcibly turns her around and says, “NO!  NO JACQUELINE DON’T DO THIS, ANYONE BUT YOU!” tears start rolling down Eline's eyes as she tightly holds her sister’s shoulders begging her to reconsider, “Please I-I-I can’t, I can’t, lose you, I don’t want you to leave me!” Eline is uncontrollably crying now and has a hard time speaking.  Jacqueline with a face of content puts both of her hands on her sister’s face and lifts it up, they both look eye to eye and Jacqueline says, “Eline, please keep a hold of yourself. I know how you assume the worst will happen, but what you should be doing is supporting me and having hope that I will be safe.  Don’t just keep thinking about what bad things could happen, think about the good that can come out of this,” Eline responds, “b-but,” Jacqueline stops her and tells her, “Hey, do you really think I would die so easily, you know that no one can take me down easily!” Jacquline’s smile and her remark make Eline smile as well.  Eline is enlighted by Jacqueline’s words and starts calming down. Jacqueline wipes the tears off her face and says, “I am doing this, you know that, but this isn’t goodbye. I’m going to see you and father again,” Eline starts tearing again but holds them back and with a smile she says, “Okay, I trust you I always have,” the two then hug each other tightly for a long while.  

Jacob tells the hunter the info he needs while this occurred and after the hunter waited impatiently near the two of them.  Once Jacqueline finishes she stands up and walks towards the hunter and says, “I accept your offer,” the hunter responds, “Good, now let's get moving before it gets dark!  I'll be waiting at the village entrance, don’t keep me waiting,” the hunter then makes his way to the entrance with Jacqueline a bit annoyed by his behavior. She turns around and both Eline and Jacob come up to her and they all give one last loving embrace.  Jacqueline then starts to walk to the entrance and meets with the hunter. He just looks down at her and says, “Okay, just follow me,” as they start making their way to the forest they are interrupted by someone screaming behind them, it was Eline running towards them frantically.  They both stop for her and when she gets to them she takes a second to catch her breath and says, “Take this with you,” in her hand was their mother’s necklace, Jacqueline says, “I can’t take that! You should keep it,” Eline then said, “Father insisted and you know that he wouldn’t let you leave without it,” Jacqueline with a smirk looks at the necklace and then takes it wrapping it around her neck. Eline puts her hand on Jaqueline’s face, “It fits you so well,” Eline then goes in for a hug, Jacqueline does the same.  The hunter then bent down near them and said in an annoyed voice, “You already did that, I wish to make progress now,” both girls pay no mind as they finish the hug and Eline parts ways with them waving farewell. The hunter straps the box on his back and both him and Jacqueline now start a long journey. A Journey that will take Jacqueline very far from home. The sight of the village gets swallowed up by trees as they go into the forest, no turning back now.

-End of Episode One