*
Bounties were what brought the best out in people. Bountiful harvests showed that farming was a viable trade, and there would be enough to feed everyone. Of course, everyone could already subsist on the mushrooms grown under cities, but they tasted like what they grew in. Bountiful families provided more people to shine light against a dark world. It was always possible that some of those people might spread more darkness though.
The bounties Gillebert sought were marks in the wilderness. They brought out the best in him because they were a source of money better than his standard fare. Bringing a buck into a village desperate for food was certainly a noble source of pride. It didn't pay very much though, and he was one who needed a certain amount of money to keep hunting. Shells for his shotgun, and cartridges for his rifle were not a small expense. The bounty in question was for a wolf name Mesu.
The wolf was originally encountered by an old sorceress in a valley twelve days from where Gillebert had set up shop. A month's notice had been given for a hunting party to collect the bounty, and he'd arrived at the small town they were gathering at the night before the date. He still had five days of food with him, his two guns, a pack of ammunition, and his survival kit. He travelled light compared to some, but it was something that had kept him alive in more than one chase. The lack of a need to drop all of his equipment during a chase allowed him a greater longevity during a hunt. Not everyone shared his brilliant opinion.
He spent the night before the gathering in the woods outside of town. It was customary for anyone disinclined to drink heavily the night before to wait where they wouldn't kill everyone else's enjoyment. Men had been shot over it, and Gillebert wasn't one to defy the social convention. He woke up shortly before the sun, and gathered his things to meet at the town's tavern.
The tavern was a small thing compared to some he'd seen. It was a refuge of the old style, before fashion had taken away the ancient traveller's rest. One of the last of its kind, a quaint gathering place for the hunters and farmers who would be descending into the valley. In the early morning light it was hard to distinguish it from the barns it was surrounded by. The small town had long ago set it apart from the regular dwellings, but the road between the two places was well worn. The door squeaked a little as he entered.
Blank expressions were rare in the tavern. Light was pouring in through the windows gently, but it was the fireplace that lit the room. Everyone expected more people to be coming into the room even though the wine had long since been put away. No one looked away from their conversations as he walked in through the doors. Everyone was either happy, or miserable. There was little in between. The farmers were mostly happy to be going to solve their problems with the help of outsiders. The hunters were mostly miserable having travelled for some days only to be confronted with a hangover. That was one reason Gillebert always tried to stay away from the tavern on the night before a hunt.
"Well, if it isn't the third bert," Leonne said as he walked toward the center of the room. She was a shorter woman with grizzly brown hair, and a shotgun strapped over her shoulder. She'd grown up in Swinford despite her Bourgounese heritage, and the second syllable of his name coincided with the Swinin word for 'fox.' Hubert and Norbert were standing beside her with their own equipment. Together, they'd grudgingly become the three bert. They were damn proud of it. "Now all we need is Redrings to show up."
"She's not going to make it this time," Gillebert replied. "She's four months pregnant, and my wife is taking care of her while I'm here."
Hubert was the first to give congratulations. "That's wonderful! Who's the father?"
"We're not sure," Gillebert said. After everyone else piped in awkwardly, he turned the conversation back to the topic at hand. "I have my papers here. Who is here to sign them?"
"I am," a girl slightly smaller than Leonne said. She couldn't have been much older than twenty, but she wore the dress uniform of a Valence court representative as if she owned it. Gillebert thought she might be a distant cousin of the Duchess until he saw her red eyes.
He walked over closer to her. "You're a protector?"
"Almost finished my training. Since everyone else is busy I get to officiate." She signed her name to his papers, Hera. "So you're Gillebert? I always thought Trea was lying when she said you looked like a old fashioned knight."
"You know Trea?"
"I'm in her manor all the time. I've been training under her father." When he was younger, Gillebert had gotten his start by hunting with the adventurer Andrew a'Thione. As a minor noble, Andrew had rewarded him quite generously when he'd managed to save the man's daughter. His daughter, Trea, had gotten lost in the Cherean jungles. It had taken Gillebert two days to find her, and she was nearly dead before he did.
"You're greatly honored. I was only able to --" He was interrupted as she brushed him aside.
"I've got a lot more papers to fill sign, so I'll have to talk to you later." He didn't get another word in before she was off to sign Cyril's papers. Seeing the man again, Gillebert knew it was entirely too soon. He'd almost gotten the entire party killed with a stupid move the last time they'd hunted together. Luckily, there were enough hunters, Gillebert thought, to make sure there wasn't a repeat of that mistake.
He joined Hubert and Norbert at their table as the cook brought out some porridge. The cook looked exhausted from what would have been a very late night followed by a very early morning. All three of them put a heavy tip on the cook's tray as he set their meal down. The three bert weren't known for their stringy spending. Gillebert knew they'd been rewarded when his first bite had a heady taste of brown sugar.
Hubert was a tall man, seemingly soft, but Gillebert had seen a darker to the edge to him over the years. They'd hunted together in various places over a decade. Whenever a big bounty came up, they were both generally in the thick of things. The man hadn't changed the look of his short black hair since Gillebert had met him.
Norbert was also a tall man, and rough around the edges. He lived further north than either of them, in the thick of the Bourgoune countryside. His hair changed style and color every time Gillebert saw him. His style at the table was long brown hair with streaks of blue and bright yellow. He was publicly recognised as a sorcerer, and a slave to the entitled sense of fashion. Being a hunter too gave him access to pelts, and Gillebert didn't know if he made his strange clothes himself. Gillebert wouldn't have been surprised if the man was an accomplished tanner. He was wearing bearskin over knit linen.
"Do you think we need as many hunters as we have?" Norbert asked. The room was easily half full, and that meant at least ten would be setting out.
"I think we need them all. Darnell's message said that the wolf was a high threat. The sorceress who met it described at least three kinds of magic she was aware of, and he's risen to alpha status." Gillebert was also hoping Cyril would be counterbalanced by the good number of hunters. "The farmers aren't likely to slow us down, and the bounty is big enough for everyone to have a good portion at the end."
"There are some other rumours," Hubert said. "I've been in town for two days, and I've been staying with a local family."
"You need to stop doing that," Norbert said. "One of these days, one of the families is going to figure you out. It'll be your own rifle to your head when they find out."
"You don't even know what you're talking about. Like I was saying, there's more than just the wolf we're going to meet. There's at least one bear out there who isn't normal, and who likes to attack groups. He maimed a number of farmers who went looking for him, and they didn't put a dent in him. Maybe a new form of bear magic?"
"There aren't any. Four hundred years, and bears have always had the same varieties of magic." Norbert had been to university before he realised the wilds excited him more than the classrooms. The study of magic was a powerful tool for him. "You just want to scare off the other hunters."
"We'll see about that once we get out there. Don't blame me if you get mauled to death."
"He left them alive, didn't he? Probably nothing more than a strangetooth."
"There's more than that."
"There's always more than that!"
"Gentlemen," Gillebert said as he settled them down. "There's no need for this. We're not going to scare anyone off, but we should be prepared for whatever is out there. We haven't survived this long by charging in blindly."
"Actually, we have," Norbert said. "I guess we'll hear him out though. Two to my one."
"You just want to make fun of me."
"How did you know?"
"Alright, you two sort this out, and I'll be at another table. One on the other end of the tavern."
He fulfilled his promise by taking his bowl of porridge, and joining Alain and Gisele at the table farthest from the door. He'd hunted with both of them before, and was glad he'd be doing it again. They were a married couple who had started their relationship in the hunting business. They were both average sized, blonde, and armed with short rifles. Neither were entirely distinctive except in their personality clash. He was outgoing, and she was definitely not. Alain was there when Cyril had nearly doomed a hunt, and Gillebert hadn't seen the couple since.
"I thought you'd retired the business."
"We did," Alain said as he munched on a piece of bacon. "We also ran out of money, and we want to start a family."
"That is a little difficult without money. Will you really make enough from this hunt though?"
"Oh, definitely," Gisele replied. "We have a special note from Darnell. When we wrote to him about our predicament, he took some pity on us."
Gillebert sat down at their table. "Good to hear. Alain, did you see who is joining us today?"
"The ass is joining us, I saw. I can't believe they're letting him come."
"He didn't technically commit a crime. If he'd gotten any of us killed though, that's another story."
"I'm not saving him if the wolf charges for his throat. I told Gisele all about what happened to us, and she couldn't sleep for a week."
"That wasn't the reason, honey, but I don't think we should get into that right now." The woman must have been getting bolder, because she wouldn't have said anything like that the last time Gillebert had seen her. "I've heard a few rumours from the people here about other things we should be looking out for."
"Hubert did too. Are you talking about the bear?"
"Bear? No, I didn't know there were any bears alive around here . . . I was talking about a griffon that's been causing a lot of trouble. She's been attacking some of the cattle in the area, and even without magic she's giving them a challenge."
"I'm not surprised. Griffs without magic are nothing to blow your nose at."
"Have you fought many griffons, Gille?" Alain asked.
"I've fought enough of them to know that I don't want to unless I have to. I am not planning on diverging from our main goal to do something the local farmers can do themselves."
"Well, cows are not cheap. I hope they can get the matter resolved before they run out of them."
"It's more than likely the cows are going to take care of the griffon themselves. Unless the farmers managed to get very unlucky in their bulls."
"Still, I think you should talk to the farmers who are here. They will be able to help us get an idea of the lay of the land."
"I guess you're right." He finished up the conversation with his wishes to speak with them again on the trail, and he made his way over to where a few of the farmers were gathered.
He found that the farmers were all together, and that their families had gone back to the farms after wishing them well. The tavern seemed to be clearing like that, with everyone who wasn't going to go hunting clearing out of the room. He walked up to the farmers who filled one table, and introduced himself.
The oldest man at the table took the lead and began introducing Gillebert to everyone. "My name is Fabrice, and I have one of the good sized farms in the valley. Mine was the first one effected by the wolf when he started scouring our lands." He was as grizzled as Leonne was, the grays sharply contrasting the brown in his beard. His gun looked almost a century old.
Fabrice pointed to a red-eyed man across the table from him. "He's Rati of the gorgon's children. He's a distant relation to the protectors in Regisback."
"And now a farmer? That's a real loss of fortune."
"It depends on how much you like backstabbing. I don't." Rati's tone was harsh, and Gillebert was glad he was on his side. He looked a little frail, but all of the gorgon's children did in his experience. The looks often didn't meet the expectations. One of the gorgon's children would also have magic which would help them greatly.
Fabrice's next introduction was to the woman on his left. "This is Jeanne, and she's the daughter of one of the men killed by Mesu. She's one of Renee's Own women and feels she's up to the task of vengeance." She gave Fabrice a look after his statement, and looked to Gillebert for more of the same sentiment.
"She'll make a wonderful addition to the group." Gillebert was not one to side with those who would tear Renee from her throne. The Duchess was his liege, and a Renee's Own woman was as excellent an addition to his group as any other. Especially if she wielded a gun as well as Renee could. For what it was worth, the young woman looked like she could carry herself in a fight well. She looked scraped up enough to be used to what they would be doing.
The final introduction was to the man on Fabrice's right. "This is Yann, originally from further west. He used to be an industrial worker until Uverrille's ban."
"Now a farmer? I suppose there's a lot of that going around."
"I don't mind it. Building chairs is not as glamorous as you'd think."
"And he makes very good chairs for his neighbors to supplement his poor farming skills," Rati said. "What? It's true!"
"You put your own foot in your mouth often enough that I wonder if mine can join it," Yann said.
"My foot has the exclusive right to my mouth, thank you very much."
Gillebert decided it was time to ask them about the rumours. He asked first about the bear, and then the griffon without giving them a chance to say anything before both of them were on the table.
"The bear's true. I saw it once on my land," Rati said. "I was able to avoid it, but some other farmers came on my land looking to kill it. It was last year. Whatever their blood did to the trees, I hope they'll come back again. The nuts coming out this year have been delicious."
"The griffon's true too," Yann said. "It attacked two of my cows, and I don't have a bull to run it off. I don't think we'll have time to take on either of them though. We'll need all the time we can get to tackle the wolf before its territory reaches the vineyards."
"Yes, that's the most important part of this venture," Fabrice agreed. "Simon's vineyard at the top of the northern hills is a very important place for us. He brings in most of the traders the rest of us rely on."
"He's here with you?"
"He's talking to the man at the bar," Jeanne said. The man she was referring to was Cyril. They looked like they were having an enjoyable conversation. Gillebert didn't look for very long. "You look like you don't like the man."
"He nearly got a lot of us killed. I don't want to talk about that though. Needless to say, you should be aware of him, and not trust him entirely."
"Oh don't worry about that," Fabrice said. "We only trust any of you as far as the bounty will take you. If it were up to us, we wouldn't have waiting for you to gather here."
"Well then, it's a good thing Darnell took an interest in making this a bounty then," Gillebert said as he left the table.
He refused to talk to Cyril, so there was only one more person who looked available to talk. He went over to speak with Hera. She was sitting by herself with a pile of paperwork, and looked like she didn't want to take care of it.
"What do you want?"
"A few words with you, actually."
"You'd better make them quick words. I want to be on the road back to Leanne before noon."
"You said you were training under Lord Andrew. I used to know him. We adventured together in Cherea." It had been a long time ago, Gillebert thought. Long enough, but hopefully not so long as to remove Andrew's memories of him.
"Yeah, Trea told me. Honestly, I'm a little tired of the stories. Andrew never backs them up, and Trea always glosses over any of the nasty parts. I'm supposed to be learning about the nasty parts!"
"I don't think you want to know about the nasty parts. There's a reason she's glossing over them." A moment later, the girl raised her hands. Light changed in her palms, and something like a painting appeared. It was an illusion. Inside the illusion of paper, every manner of crawling thing weaved about. A spear launched itself out of the illusionary paper, and on it was a heart bleeding back into the page. "What --"
"I'm a protector. Knowing about the fun, happy, way too good to be true things doesn't help me do my job." With that she picked up her papers, and left the tavern.
The town mayor gathered everyone together, and that was the end of their stay at the tavern. They were on the road within minutes.
They set off with twelve people on two wagons. They had horses enough for everyone, but confronting wolves with horses was never a smart idea. Wolves had long ago realised exactly how to frighten them, and it made confrontations dangerous if a rider was depending on his mount. As that was what most riders did, it was smarter to enter the wolf territory on wagons. He rode with Hubert, Norbert, Leonne, Alain and Gisele. The farmers and Cyril rode separately on a wagon behind them. He was thankful he hadn't gotten stuck with Cyril.
Being stuck with the rest of the hunters did pose an interesting dilemna. He couldn't get away from their discussions on the most inane subjects. Hubert frequently started it by saying something that offended Norbert's understanding of the world. Norbert would follow that with a string of thinly veiled insults. Leonne goaded them on while Alain and Gisele tried to change the topic of conversation. Very little of the conversation changed until Norbert was ready for it to.
As they came up on the last farm before they entered mostly woodland, Hubert started the cycle again. "No, it's true, they've said that a barrierist has successfully blocked out all light. The guy who was telling me was an accomplished sorcerer!"
"Oh, I think I know him! An accomplished liarist if I've ever seen one."
"Oh, you didn't even try to hide that one! Honestly, I don't even know why I talk to you."
"What would a liarist manipulate if they existed?" Gisele asked.
"The people, as they'd become politicians of the highest order." Norbert replied.
"Hey, is that a wolf?" Alain asked as he pointed out of the wagon.
"Don't change the subject," Leonne said as she turned to Hubert. "Are you going to let him treat you like --"
They were all interrupted by the sound of a gun going off on the other wagon. Gillebert turned, and saw a small falling tree beside where two wolves were racing. Another shot came from the other wagon, and dust flew out of a much thicker tree. Gillebert pulled out his own rifle along with everyone else in his own wagon.
"They're just luring us," Norbert said. More shots were being fired from the wagon behind them, but nothing was finding a mark. The wolves were in too much foliage. "Stop the wagons!"
Leonne reigned in the horses who were a little spooked. "Everybody off!"
It took everyone a minute to group up before they leapt into the woods. Gillebert was pissed that the wagon behind them had kept shooting even though they didn't have any chance at hitting the wolves. Finally, he'd had enough of the thoughts racing through his head. He put them into words. "Cali, why the hell did you keep firing?"
"Hey Gille, shove a pen up your nose 'cause I didn't take a single shot."
"It was me," Fabrice said. No one began lecturing him on the conservation of ammunition on a long hunt because he looked like he'd gotten the message already. Still, Cyril gave Gillebert a look that made him ever angrier that they'd let the man on the hunt.
Gisele lead the way into the woods. They weren't going to outpace the wolves, but the wolves were going to defend their territory. All they had to do was go in, and start making a racket.
The woods were well lit on that sunny day. There was little in the way of clouds, and even less in the way of wind. Once they were in the woods there was no wind at all. It wasn't strong enough to penetrate into the brush at all. It was warming up fast, and the dy promised to be hot. It wasn't quite summer, and Gillebert was thankful they didn't have to worry about it being a scorcher.
The territory was large. It took them an hour of walking in the underbrush until they found the den. It was said that Mesu had a pack of four wolves with him, and they weren't sure how much magic the wolves had between them. The group decided that it would be best if they split into small groups to make their approach of the den. Wolves had unpredictable magic lines, and it was always best to be safe when approaching their dens. Four groups of three were formed, and the three bert were once again by themselves.
They took the northwest approach, which put them in the least amount of danger. They would be there to cut off a potential escape in case the wolves decided to flee once their leader was dead. That was assuming the alpha was still in the den. Unlikely, but it never hurt to assume a job could be finished in a single morning.
"Gille, Hue, I think I've found something interesting."
"Oh, I bet I know what you're going to say."
"Cut the crap, I think I found something interesting that isn't you. These tracks are pretty fresh. They were made in the bit of rain that came down here in the night."
"There was no rain last night," Gillebert said. "I would've known if there was any rain last night."
"Well, this water is freshly poured. It's not wolf tracks, these are bear tracks."
"That's not possible," Hubert said. "I don't see any bear carcasses, and Mesu would've killed any bears in his territory painfully."
"Yeah, I agree with Hubert. There is no chance the bear made it this far into Mesu's territory unchallenged." Gillebert then heard something from behind them.
"Dear God!" Hubert screamed as he turned. His gun was up in a moment, and Gillebert moved out of the way. When he turned back to look, Hubert had already gotten two shots off. There were shouts in the distance from the rest of their hunting party, but they weren't as important as what Gillebert was seeing. The bullets didn't put a dent in the bear. Hubert was well experienced with sliding bullets into his bolt action rifle, and managed to keep a very consistent rate. The bear was still coming toward them.
Gillebert raised his own shotgun, and let the bear have a taste of something powerful. It made the bear flinch, but otherwise there was no effect. Gillebert wasn't entirely surprised. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and Norbert was saying something in his ear. He knew the gist of it was that they should have been running. The bear was following behind them once they started.
"I told you he was real!" Hubert told Norbert.
"I don't care!" The bear wasn't as fast as them, and Gillebert was thankful for that. Unfortunately, he realised that his gunshots would've disturbed the wolves in the den for the rest of his fellows. They were all armed with guns so there was a good amount of comfort in that.
"Watch out!" Hubert called. Gillebert turned in the wrong direction, but didn't realise it until he felt something slam into his back. He wasn't quite aware of what was happening until he felt his shoulder crunch, and started screaming into the dirt. He heard shots overhead, and something clawed into his side as it ran up and over him.
"Fuck everything," Gillebert said as he pulled himself up from the dirt. It took him a moment to bring everything into perspective. There was a wolf running away from the group, and another wolf with half of a paw missing limping toward them. Norbert was on the ground bleeding from his shoulder, and Hubert had a gun trained on the wolf that was still confronting them.
The bear was still chasing them.
Gillebert saw it as it approached from behind Hubert. "Behind you!"
Hubert spun, and started shooting at the bear. Behind him the limping wolf stopped limping. It made a mad dash for Hubert's leg. Hubert went down like a sack of onions as the wolf pulled his leg out from under him.
Gillebert turned to Norbert who was holding half of the wolf paw that had been shot off. He saw the man take his utility knife out, and impale the remains. He threw it up into the air. Gillebert was transfixed on the knife as it flew overhead. It didn't arc. When it hit its zenith, it stopped in midair. It flew so fast that Gillebert lost sight of it.
He heard a yelp come from Hubert. No, where Hubert was standing. The knife was embedded in the wolf's throat. He watched as the wolf began coughing up blood, and falling away from the injured man.
The bear was still moving toward Hubert at a rate the man wasn't going to be able to escape. It was the first time Gillebert really looked at it. It was a powerhouse, moving like a rolling rock toward them. There was a white streak up its shoulder that didn't look natural. Gillebert turned back to his friends.
Norbert pulled something out of his bag. It looked like a small fleshy stick. "No, you'll kill us all!" Gillebert reflexively screamed as he realised it was threenitro. It was a small stick, but Gillebert had seen the substance used to disasterous effect. It was too late to stop the man though. He was already up and running as hard as he could toward the bear. Gillebert watched him toss the stick past the bear, and then collapse to the ground.
Gillebert stuck his own head down and covered it. He heard the blast, and felt rocks dust him.
When he got up the bear was running away. There was a ringing in his ears. Hubert looked like shit, and Norbert not much better.
Gillebert stood up, and walked over to his sorcerer friend. He rolled him onto his back with his foot, and stared into the man's eyes. "What is wrong with you?" Norbert began laughing, and grabbing his shoulder when it looked painful. "What is wrong with you?"
"Not enough time to source my magic," Norbert replied in broken statements. Gillebert would have started treating his wounds, but Hubert was in worse shape. He tossed the man a flask of alcohol, a roll of bandages, and then he moved on to help the other wounded man.
It took several minutes for them to gather themselves. Hubert could still walk, and that was important. They'd be able to get him to safety, and carry on without him. The hunt was more important than any one of them. They were mostly silent on their journey back to the den. There was a good reason no one had come looking for them; The den looked like a battlefield. They'd been moments away, but their own battle must have deafened them to the sounds of their comrades. There was one wolf laying dead outside the den riddled with bullet holes, but there were no other bodies. Tracks were leading back to the wagons through the underbrush.
During the whole journey they heard gunfire in the distance. It seemed to be getting farther away, but they couldn't increase their speed to help. The injured men were slowing him down, but there was at least two threats that could have followed them. Gillebert didn't want to leave them alone in case the wolf or the bear came back. Even without magic, the two wolves had been nearly a match for them. Their leader's magic had let them become more cunning. The bear likely had a truce with them if the pack had fought it.
With the gunfire drifting off into the distance, birds started reappearing. Gillebert took comfort in their sounds. They were the heralds of peace, and their songs said there were no dangers around. Hubert complained about branches snapping into his leg, and Norbert of limbs snapping his shoulder. The birds continued to sing.
As they approached the wagons after a long journey, the sound of birds stopped. There was no sound of gunfire either. The three bert prepared their weapons. Hubert allowed Norbert to source his force, and Norbert gave Hubert a short stick of threenitro. Gillebert would have objected, but he couldn't voice that complaint as loud as he wanted to. He cocked his shotgun, and led the men out of the woods into sight of the wagon.
There was a burning smell, and that was what instantly brought a saddening revelation. They couldn't see anyone in the wagons, but there were blasted open bodies on the ground. The bodies belonged to foxes, and weasels. The bullets had ripped them apart, and the smell mixed with fire was overpowering.
There were only two of the four horses that had pulled the wagons. Neither of them were alive. One had fallen in a way that Gillebert could see what had happened. Its legs had been shredded, and its neck torn open. Gillebert started forward to get a better look at them.
A gunshot hit the tree to his left, and he jumped for the ground. "Don't shoot!" he shouted as loud as he could.
"Oh, shit, I thought you were another one." Leonne said. "You should tell people when you're coming out!"
"You should look where you're shooting!" Norbert replied.
"Yeah, well, Rati tried to do that, and now he's got a scraped up eye! Those small shits came out of the woods like little demons, and came up the side of the wagons."
"What happened here?" Hubert asked as he tried to get up. Norbert ended up pulling him up by his good arm.
"After we heard shots from you, three wolves dashed out of the den," Fabrice said as he brought himself out from behind the wagon. "We got one instantly, but the other two weren't normal. We were forced backward into a fighting retreat. Some of us got separated, but we all managed to make it to the wagons."
"Yeah, and once we were here, we thought we could defend ourselves," Leonne continued. "We were expecting wolves to come out, but instead we got fur balls and shortcakes. We all got scraped up in that. Once they were on us, the wolves really came out. We were too busy saving ourselves to shoot at them."
Fabrice then picked it up from there. "I saw what they were doing, but only too late. The beta wolf ran beneath the horses of the forward wagon, and easily killed them. Mesu himself ran over the horses of our own wagon, and bit through the reins. He has some command over them. The horses began running back to town."
"Yeah, and then Cali rallied together a few of us to chase them as the rest of us stuck with the wagons. Since Gisele is knocked out, Alain went with him. Jeanne, Yann, and Simon too."
"No! How can they follow him!?"
"Hey shithead, he did a damn good job of keeping all of us together," Leonne said.
"I'll believe that when I can see it."
"Enough of this. We were waiting for you to help us get the wounded back. We were only going to wait a few more minutes, so it's a good thing you came back when you did. There's a man we can borrow a wagon from not too far from here. We should make every effort to get there in a timely manner, and we can leave the wounded with him."
The wagon they'd procured was smaller, and drawn by a cow. It didn't make as speedy progress as their other wagons, but it was better than going on foot. They'd left Hubert, Rati, and Gisele behind. Beside him on the wagon was Norbert, Leonne, and Fabrice. The first half of the journey was uneasy. The second half began to take on a morbid tone until Fabrice finally broke the silence.
"What did Cyril do to all of you to make you hate him?"
"Oh, you don't want to go there," Leonne said. "That's some bad blood."
"I think we should tell him," Norbert said. "If we get it out in the open, maybe he'll believe that the man is bad news."
"Fine," Gillebert said. "It was two years ago, and we were about two weeks distance from here north. It was the middle of winter, and the snow was coming down."
"A little more context there, Gille. The snow had been rain a few days before, and there was a good sheet of ice under the fresh powder. It was getting warm, and then cold again, so there was a lot of slush everywhere."
"Let's just say that it wasn't a good time to be hunting. They called our bounty the first winter wolf in years. He wasn't, but he was the first magical one in that place for some time. A lone wolf. He didn't have a pack, and so there were just five of us. The three bert, Redrings, and Cyril."
"Maybe you should tell him who Redrings is?"
"Shut up, and let me tell this story. She isn't important to the telling. We tracked the winter wolf back to where it was nesting. It was an old gorgon's cave that had been looted by grave robbers. We could tell from the markings on the door, but if didn't look much like a gorgon cave inside."
"You'll have to forgive me, I've not heard very much about gorgon caves."
"Oh. Norbert, you should field this one."
"Sure. A gorgon cave is where they used to hide, obviously. Not too many people talk about them openly because you find a lot of magic artifacts in them, and they can get dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. A lot of them have traps too. It takes a certain trick to even get past the entrance, but once you can go into one, you can go into all of them."
"We knew there were going to be traps," Gillebert continued. "Norbert warned us explicitly that they would still be functioning. Unfortunately, Cyril got an idea that he didn't tell the rest of us. He noticed that the wolf tracks led into a certain branch, and didn't tell us. He disappeared, doubled back, and activated a trap hoping to catch the wolf with it. Unfortunately, the trap he activated was one we were all caught in except for him."
"He didn't come back for us. Even after we crawled out of that smoking hulk, he never came back for us. He'd found the wolf, shot it like it was a squirrel, and figured we'd be well on our way back. He would've taken all of the bounty for himself if we hadn't shown up at the right time."
"Wait a moment. What was the trap like?"
"No, we're not going to talk about that," Gillebert said. The man continued pressing, but neither of them said anything further on the subject. There were things the trap protected that needed to be protected, and Gillebert wasn't going to be the one to open that deadly box.
Talk of anything but their situation ceased as soon as they saw smoke coming from the top of the hill. Gunfire was also heard. There wasn't much for them to do except goad the cow into continuing forward. There was still a feeling of dread. Their comrades were fighting, and they were stuck in the back of a wagon.
Helplessness was something Gillebert was used to, but not in the way it was confronting him. He was usually first on the scene, and the only helplessness he faced was in the face of being unable to affect something. When confronted by magics that were beyond what a gun could take care of, he was helpless. Another helplessness he often faced was trying to piece together how he was going to feed his family. Hunting was not a consistent income, and the bounties were always coming from too far away to be of any help to him. The helplessness he felt as his wagon was simply too far away to make a difference was overwhelmingly different.
After what seemed like forever, the wagon came within sight of the town. The gunshots were louder than ever, and consistent. The tavern was burning, and looked like it wasn't going to last much longer. Some of the barns looked like they'd caught fire as well.
They all abandoned the wagon in favor of running the rest of the way. Norbert was at a definite disadvantage, but the rest of them made very good time. As they got closer they saw people behind a barricade of overturned carts shooting at the tavern. They were clearly attacking whatever had entered the tavern. It looked like Yann was leading them.
Gillebert was the second one to arrive behind the barricades, and Fabrice was already asking Yann what was going on. "Why are only the new farmers with you? What happened!?"
"Mesu was led by the horses right to town," Yann said. "He's got a lot of control over animals. It's uncanny. I've never seen that in a wolf."
"It's possible, but very rare," Gillebert said. Two of Yann's men stood up, shot, and ducked back down to avoid shots from the tavern.
"Whatever. He also has breath of fire, and he can source his bites. I've never seen a wolf bite through a door like that. Wood like butter." Yann himself got up, and shot before ducking back down. He released the empty cartridge and, reloaded. "I guess everything the witch told us was right, huh?"
"So he ran into the tavern?" Leonne asked as she caught up?
"No, the wolf and company ran into the real parts of town."
Yann's third man got up, and shot at the tavern. "For the republic! Death to Renee!" He reloaded his rifle while standing. A shot flew by the man's shoulder. Gillebert turned, and poked his head up over the overturned cart. He saw Hera inside the tavern, and Alain beside her.
"Fuckers!" Leonne cried, and raised her shotgun. Gillebert was forced out of the way as she threw him back to get a good aim.
"No!" Fabrice threw himself in the way of the pistol Yann pulled out. The aim was for Leonne, but Gillebert saw Fabrice's chest spray blood. Leonne pulled the leaping man down, and suddenly blood blinded Gillebert's eyes.
He ducked to the ground to, and started wiping his eyes.
"Traitors! Fucking traitors!" Leonne was screaming, and Gillebert heard blasts of gunfire all around him. He wiped his eyes furiously trying to see anything.
He opened his eyes just in time to see Norbert's good arm rise, and a wave of blurred air fly from it. He heard the sound of a man being flung wide of the carts, but didn't turn his head. On the ground beside him rested what was left of Yann's head still attached to his body. The shotgun's brutal effects were gruesome to say the least.
Gillebert heard the tavern doors bursting open. What followed was an easy clean up of the remaining rebels. Rebels in Valence. Gillebert had rarely heard of them, and never seen them so close.
He was shaken, and disoriented. Norbert was on the ground, and looked to be knocked out from the magic he'd used while weak. Hera was coming directly at him. He was pulled out away from the carts, and she started hollering at him.
"I don't have time for shit, so you're going to tell me straight right now. That woman started firing immediately, and I want to know why you didn't! Is it because Cyril is a loyalist!? Is that why you all hate him!?"
"That doesn't have a damn thing to do with it!" He didn't have any time to think. "I didn't start shooting because I was still in shock!"
She must have believed him because she went right back to the group. Obviously no one wanted to hear about how much of a shit Cyril was, so he'd have to stop talking about the man. What he needed was a long sleep. Or answers. He could have done with answers, and a good idea of what had happened.
He looked up when the tavern collapsed. It looked like everyone had managed to get out of it alright. He went to join the survivors. Fabrice was still laying dead beside the carts. Jeanne was dragging Simon's dead body from the burning wreckage. Leonne was asking Hera a question. "What happened here?"
"That's a good question! I heard noises outside, people ran into the tavern, and then a torch was thrown into my paperwork from the outside. When I tried to get out I was shot at."
"Did you at least kill Mesu?" Gillebert asked.
"What!? I didn't even know he was here!"
"There wasn't time to tell you," Alain said. "And he's probably still attacking the town!"
The rest of the town was out of sight through trees, but the path there wasn't very long. The fires from the town could be easily seen even from the tavern, and the smell remained mostly the same. Though the smell of burning wine was left behind them. They got to the town a group of six: Gillebert, Leonne, Alain, Cyril, Jeanne and Hera. There was no time to be outraged by his companions, he had to push forward with them.
The houses came into view, and half of them were engulfed by flames. One horse was lying dead in the middle of the street with blood running out of its head. There were clearly armed men in the town helping to ward off the attack. Cyril was leading them, and Hera shortly behind.
Alain grabbed Gillebert's shoulder, and pointed to an open window. "Why is that man aiming -- Shit!" he yelled as he grabbed his arm. Gillebert had heard the gunshot, and started running away from the man as he swiveled the gun. He wouldn't have run if he'd known what would happen. A second shot fired, and Alain went down. The bullet had cleared a path through the man's head.
Gillebert and Jeanne both took aim at the same moment. It was hard to tell which of their bullets killed the sniper in the window. "There are still rebels among us!" Jeanne called.
Gillebert ran up to Hera. "You're a protector aren't you? Why aren't you using your magic to help dig them out?"
"I'm an illusionist! There's a good chance if they're being this bold that they've got a sorcerer on their side!"
"We've got bigger problems!" Cyril said. "Two wolves and a bear!" Gillebert had seen one of the wolves in the woods. The bear was quite obviously the one he'd confronted before. They all started to take aim at once.
The wolf that had gotten away from them in the woods was torn to shreds as Leonne's shotgun blast hit its rear, and Gillebert's rifle found a mark on its chest. It had managed to run up close, and stopped dead two feet from Gillebert. He hadn't even seen it before Cyril pointed it out.
It took him a moment to get sight of the second wolf again. It wasn't hit by anything the others had thrown at it. he realised that was because they were firing at the bear. The bear who seemed to be soaking up bullets, and not moving. "Stop shooting the bear! Bullets don't hurt it!"
Too late as the wolf ran up behind Leonne, and tore a leg out from under her. Gillebert hadn't seen it up its mouth. It was as if blades had come invisibly from its sides, and sliced through as if flesh and bone were nothing. Leonne went down screaming, and Gillebert pointed his gun at the she-wolf. The wolf didn't stop moving though, and he couldn't get a good shot as it dodged side to side. She wasn't Mesu, but she was a magic wielding companion. She was the one that had taken down the horses.
Cyril bent down to pull bandages out for Leonne, but Gillebert knew there was nothing to be done. Then a roar made him realise it was the bear's turn to come to the festivities. "Do we have anything more powerful than guns?" he asked, and couldn't think of anything on his own person.
He was answered by the sound of a cart racing down the path. The sheer noise of the battle had disguised it until it was within spitting distance. Norbert was on the front of the cart which was not being pulled by horses. Gillebert had no idea where he was pulling his magic from until he saw the cook from the tavern strapped to the floor of it. That much of a magic drain to use his motion would kill the man within minutes. Gillebert was about to call out for Norbert to stop until he saw two sticks of threenitro in the man's hands. "Everyone back!" he shouted, and he dove away from the rolling cart.
He covered his ears, and felt the blast thump against his whole body. It was a sensation of pure force. He felt another thump against his shoulder, but very precise. He looked to the side to see where a board had landed. His shoulder ached like he'd been stabbed there.
He was up in moments, and trying not to look around at the ground too much. From the glimpse he had of the ground he knew his friend was all around them. The bear wasn't. When he looked back at it, it was still whole. Almost whole. There were a variety of holes, and most of its fur had been blown clean of it. Gillebert draw his shotgun, and ran up.
The bear was big, but it was dazed. It didn't realise what Gillebert was doing until it was too late. There was a hole exposing the beast's ribs just below its heart. He stuck the shotgun into the ribs. Bang. He lifted the shotgun out amidst the screaming of the bear. The ribs were fine, and skin that should have been singed was fine. The flesh inside was another story. Blood was spurting out everywhere, and the bear was falling to the ground. He was covered in the bear's blood in a line down his chest.
He looked back around to where the others should have been, and saw them running for cover. There was another sniper in a building. Jeanne was lying helpless in the street leaking from three holes. Gillebert knew he was next, and jumped behind the smoldering wreck that was the remains of the cart.
He heard shots coming from where Cyril had been, and looked over to where the sniper was supposed to be. The sniper was dead already, and it looked like rebels were running out of the house he'd been shooting from.
It all became a very low priority as Hera and Cyril moved behind the cart with him. "Can I trust you two to take out the wolf? I can clean up the rebels pretty easy if I use Alain as a source."
"But he's dead already," Cyril said. "Don't they have to be living, or am I failing magic?"
"He's not peacefully dead, and I've got a few methods of my own. Look, I want that wolf dead. Obviously the rebels decided that now would be a perfect time to start an incident, but I want to make sure this doesn't spread very far. I'm speaking for the Duchess when I tell you, move your asses."
There was little either of them could do. They only had each other, and they had orders to find the wolf. It was actually pretty easy for them to do. There was a line of smoke coming from the north, and the rebels weren't ones to set forest fires. Mesu was the only one they knew that would do something like that. They had to sneak out of the town to avoid snipers, but they managed to get out without incident.
It wasn't a short walk. Gillebert was tired, and thirsty. The day was getting much hotter than it was supposed to, and his gear was weighing him down. Worst of all, he couldn't bring himself to make peace with the man he was with. A man who left all of them for dead. One of those men was dead now, and the other injured greatly. Hubert's hunting days might've been at an end, or heavily restricted for a few months at least. Norbert was gone. Gillebert was praying nightly to Pompha that Redrings didn't die in childbirth. It would be hard on her to say the least. Cyril was as safe as he was, and he didn't wish the man dead.
He just wished the man far away.
"I know that look," Cyril finally said. "I remember it well."
"Good for you. You remember a look so full of contempt that I've only ever given it to you."
"Don't pretend I haven't changed since I did that. It's been two years. I've spent two years making up for what I did to you guys."
"That's not nearly long enough. We were almost dead forever."
There wasn't anything else to say. If there was, Gillebert certainly wasn't going to say it. He pushed any thought of vengeance out of his mind though. He had to. They had been upgraded from a bounty to a ducal responsibility. He didn't know if Hera knew the significance, but Gillebert knew it intimately. He was determined to live up to it to his fullest, regardless of who he was with.
It was the first farm they came across that was on fire. It was quite clear that the wolf was still there. They saw him filling his muzzle with cow bits from the beast he'd knocked over.
He lifted his head when he saw them. Gillebert heard a voice entering his head. It was strange, melodic, and throbbing against the inside of his skull. He couldn't understand a word of it despite trying.
"Don't listen to him," Cyril said in as calm a voice as possible. "It's how he's commanding all of the animals we've had to fight. Ignorance is keeping you from being stopping in your tracks."
It still sounded pretty. It was almost like a song he used to know a long time before. His father sung it while he was working in the lumberyard. He tried remembering it.
Bang, and Cyril's rifle brought him out of the thought. It missed the wolf, and hit the downed cow. Mesu was off like a holy terror, and burst his way into the farmhouse that was nearby. "I still hear him in my head."
"Cow intestines. That's going to be you if you don't get something in your head he can't work with." Cyril lead slowly toward the farmhouse. Gillebert followed without complaint.
"I hate you. That's how I'm going to get through this. I hate you." The realisation was out of his mouth before it truly registered in his mind. Once it was out of his mouth he realised that it was the perfect way to do it. He would keep all of his thoughts of Cyril's betrayal at the forefront of his mind, and the wolf wouldn't be able to do anything about it.
Cyril didn't say anything, and so he assumed it was alright. They went in through the burst door, and there didn't seem to be any fire in the house itself. Not yet. The wolf was nowhere to be seen, but it had the advantage of stealth. It could hide anywhere, and it could jump out at the at any time.
The kitchen was clear of any sign of him. The man of the house was on the kitchen floor with a shotgun in his hand, and a dried wound on his throat. It was a fast kill. There was a trail of blood leading down a hallway, but it was old. Not dried, but older than the dash that wolf just made in. It was better than not going anywhere though. They pressed down the hallway, and came to a dinning room.
The wife and daughter were in the dinning room. The wife was slumped over the table with her legs sawn off. That registered with Gillebert. Was the other wolf in the house? The daughter was in a chair leaning back. She looked whole except for her eyes, and those looked like they'd been plucked out by whatever made little wounds on her cheeks. "There's three animals here," Cyril said.
"Four."
"How do you figure there's four?"
"There's Mesu, his mate, the griffon, and you."
"Look, we don't have time for this shit, Gillebert. Remember what Hera told us?"
Behind Cyril a door opened slowly. It looked like a door to a pantry. Whatever it was, his beloved leader, Mesu, was emerging from it. All he needed to do was distract Cyril long enough to keep him safe. That meant he would have to lie, and say he was a rebel.
"I don't follow Renee, and her blind quest to lead us all into ruin." Just two more moments while Mesu prepared his spent magics. He'd be able to use his razor teeth again. Gillebert had no choice but to use the most caricatured portrait of a rebel. "Women belong back in their place, and Renee had no right to take Valence from her brother."
"You shit! You utter piece of trash! Renee has done nothing but bring the full industrial revolution to our duchy, and you're going to kill us both to prove a point?" He was just planning on killing Cyril. Mesu said he'd let Gillebert serve as a second lieutenant to the new pack. "He's going to kill you as soon as he knows you're alone! Easy pickings!"
"For the republic!" He couldn't bring himself to raise his rifle like he wanted to though. He wanted so badly for his arms to move. The master wasn't biting fast enough. Why isn't the master biting him?
Cyril turned to see the master. "Shit!"
"No!" But it was too late. A bullet lanced master's gullet, and when Cyril reloaded he lanced the beast's head.
They both stood for a moment. Gillebert fell to his knees. "How the hell did it get into my head?"
"You're going to hate me for saying this, but we're even now."
"You're right, I do hate you for saying that. This is the first time in two minutes that hating you doesn't mean killing you though."
Neither of them moved from where they were. The wolf's blood was soaking into the floor. They still had two threats that they knew were roaming around, but it was unclear if either of them would come out and attack. All of Gillebert's sense of loyalty to the creature died when it's brain stopped.
"A ten person bounty split two ways? We're going to be rich."
"A two person ducal order split seven ways. We don't forget the wounded. We never forget the wounded. But we're all still going to be rich."
"You mean Hera really gave us a ducal order? I thought she was just joking around."
"She's not allowed to do that. Renee will honor it. Renee honored a ducal order from someone who didn't even have authorisation to give it. He was close to her brother though, and she honored it."
Leonne was dead when they got back to the town with Mesu's body. It was the first thing they were told when they arrived. They weren't met by Hera, but by a number of soldiers from Leanne. Fitting, since Leonne had been named after a derivation of the capital of Valence. Though, it wasn't uncommon.
Seeing an airship in the middle of the town was strange. It was a military one whose ropes were lowered into the town, and it was tied to several buildings. Prayer was probably holding it in place more than anything, because the buildings in the town were not known for being solid. The airship was a powerful thing. It had no safety balloon, and it was relying purely on the magics that kept it afloat to stay that way. Gillebert wouldn't trust one of that design if his life depended on it.
Hera greeted them when they came below the airship that seemed to have been sent to bring stability to the area. They informed her of their success, and she asked about the other animals.
"We didn't see them when we were leaving," Cyril said. "If you put another bounty on them, we'll be sure to go looking!"
She promptly extended her middle finger, and told the soldiers to tie the wolf's body to rope going up. "So, a bounty of ten split six ways. What are you guys going to do with all of that money?"
"A ducal order split six ways," Gillebert said. "Unless you're forgetting something?"
"Yeah, I'm not allowed to give those out."
"Well, we'll see what Lord Andrew has to say about that."
"I don't mean to be ugly about this, but Lord Andrew doesn't talk about you. Just his daughter. That leads me to believe it was all rather inane, and she's just being a child about the whole thing. It wouldn't surprise me!"
Gillebert tried his best to look downcast. "Whatever you say, my lady."
They both took their leave of her, and a promissory note. They'd have to travel to Leanne to collect on the bounty since it had to be cleared through Darnell. Hera would take the evidence back with her, along with all of the details. It was an easily corruptible system, and everyone knew it. Thankfully, Duc Mennathis had put a stop to most of that, and Duchess Renee kept that tradition alive. They wouldn't have to jump through hoops to get their promised payment.
"So you're just going to give up a ducal promise like that?"
"No, I'm going to press the issue. I'm simply going to press the issue with someone who matters."
"Ahh."
"We should wait until the others are better so we can do this officially. You're not going to regret coming along with us."
"And you're not going to regret bringing me?"
"Probably. I've still not forgiven you, but I have no reason to deny you your spoils. You earned them."
"I plan to earn a lot more."
"If you ever leave a comrade in the jaws of death again, I will personally escort you to the afterlife. This is your only warning."
"Noted."