The Hunter Mage

CHAPTER TEN

Nobody was outside as he closed the door, not that he had been expecting anyone to be considering how no one had been when he was going in but still it didn't stop him from thinking someone would be.

He looked left and right, left looked like a dead end but he looked closer and saw there was a door. That wasn't his destination and he really wasn't that curious. He quickly made his way down the path he was supposed to go.

It didn't take long for him to find a Madame, it was one he had never seen before and she had just a mean look on her face, it took him everything to ask her directions. However, before he could say anything she spoke to him first.

"What are you doing here?" She yelled. He almost sighed but he was kind of getting used to the fact that everyone around here spoke at the top of their voice no matter what.

"I-I," he stuttered, her scream zapping out all the courage he had mustered.

"What?" She yelled back. She apparently was about to go easy on him.

"I'm new," he said, finding his voice back. "And I need directions to the courtyard, I don't know where that is."

She sneered at him, raising her upper lip just a little as she looked at him with disdain. She didn't speak, didn't point. Her big idea was to pull him by his arm. "Where is your armband?"

"My what?" He could recall Vivk saying it but he had no idea what that meant and had simply thought it was something he could figure out later and here she was asking him. "I don't know," Vivk just said I should go to the courtyard. He couldn't comprehend why this wasn't getting any easier.

"Huh? He didn't give you an armband." She started to pull him again, glancing down at him once in a while with that permanent sneered. Vernon wondered if he had offended her in his past life.

"No," he finally said after she glared at him for replying too late like it was his fault she didn't see his nod.

"Why would he give you a band? What kind of magic do you use?" She was walking faster now and Vernon was struggling to keep up, his legs would occasionally skid as she pulled.

"I don't know," he gasped, suddenly hating the question. He wondered why everybody felt the need to ask him.

He felt her hand shake but she didn't stop, just kept walking. He was expecting some kind of scold, anything but she didn't speak anymore. Soon enough they came to the hallway. The huge space, he had seen a lot of children playing in.

The children were still small, the oldest didn't look more than four and they were either running about or sitting in a spot playing. A few were crying and he wondered if his sibling was fated to this.

However, he didn't get a chance to study the scene because Madame Meanie literally pulled him to the door and pushed him out. "The courtyard is at the edge," she called out just before he heard the loud bang of the door closing.

He sighed, if he thought yesterday was the worst day ever, today was trying its best to top it. He looked left and right, discovering that he didn't know which edge she was referring to.

He sighed but he couldn't remain standing there for he feared another person would come to yell at him again. As he took the first step, he heard a loud sound and immediately set off in that direction.

He literally ran as he headed in what he hoped was the right direction. Luckily for him, he was right. The path took him to a huge space that was just behind one of the buildings.

He stopped running and took in what he saw, it was an open field with sections or more groups. There wasn't a specific number to each group, it was pretty irregular at least the ones he could see from where he stood.

He opened his mouth in awe as what he could see, things were flying everywhere, he saw someone manipulate water, fire to mention a few. It took him almost a full minute to snap out of it and stopped staring.

He walked towards the nearest group with green on their band. Their teacher immediately noticed his approach and signaled for them to stop. "Can I help you?" The teacher asked. It was a very tall man with glasses and he was squinting at Vernon from behind the glasses.

"Um," he started slowly, bracing himself for some kind of scold. "I am looking for Captain Robbin."

The teacher adjusted his glasses and bent his head a little as if being that far up affected his vision. "Why?" The word rolled out of his mouth with ease but still, Vernon felt jumpy.

"I was requested to give her this." He reached out with a shaky hand that held the letter. From the corner of his eyes, he would have sworn he saw someone waving at him.

The teacher's head dipped even further and then he stood to his full height. "There," he pointed.

Vernon's eyes followed his finger and found where the teacher was pointing. It was a shade that was at least a couple of feet away. The problem was he had to go through the battlefield to get there.

The teacher didn't wait to confirm to see if he got it but just returned to his students who were more than willing to continue from where they stopped. A gust of wind hit him and he staggered a little for balance, knowing he had to set off.

He ran across risking everything and almost got zinged by a fireball but luckily it went out before he got to him. He didn't stop running though and arrived at the shade panting.

He bent forward and tried to catch his breath oblivious to his surroundings. A huge guard started to approach him but Captain Robbin stopped them. "Captain Robbin?" He called out, raising his head slowly.

"Yes," a woman replied. She had on red lipstick with eyes that could see right through your soul. She was seated with her legs crossed and Vernon didn't think he had seen that much exposed skin on a woman before. Compared to the Madame, it was a shock he had a hard time hiding as if the fact that he did not think Captain Robbin was a woman wasn't shocking enough.

She uncrossed her legs and leaned forward, thrusting her barely covered bosom but had his eyes on her legs, they were huge and that wasn't the only huge set of things on her but his innocent mind wasn't thinking in that direction.

She smirked at his state of shock and spoke again to get him out of it. "How may I help you?" She leaned back and crossed her arm. Vernon saw the guard look away and adjusted his weight from one foot to another.

"V-Vilk," he cleared his throat. "Vivk said to give you this." He tried to hand her the letter but the guard ripped it from his grasp.

"Vivk? What does that short dwarf want?" She asked, unfolding her arms as she accepted the letter from the guard.

Vernon almost snickered but held it in as he waited for Captain Robbin's verdict. He had no clue what the letter held and for his sake, he prayed it was something good. He was tired of being tossed around from one place to another, from one person to another.

She suddenly stopped reading and gave him a hard stare. Vernon felt all the hair on his body stand if she were to pull him or worse smack him, he was certain he wouldn't escape without a broken bone. He folded further into himself as he waited.

When she was done reading the letter she squeezed the paper and tossed it. "Come here," she commanded and Vernon froze. "Come here," she repeated and this time his body obeyed.

Vernon felt his heart in his throat. She made him stand directly in front of her as she stared down at him. He tried to look at her face but he failed miserably. It took him a while to realize his eyes were glowing and that was what she was staring at.

"Vivk said he gave you the pain serum." She started to say.

He nodded, wondering where she was going with this. If Vivk already told her why was she asking him?

"Hmm, this is strange? Bart, have you ever seen anything like this?" She asked the guard.

He shook his head, showed a look that even Vernon bought even though he was well aware of the fact that Bart had no idea what the letter contained. "Have you ever done anything magical before? Maybe you don't think it is magical but is there anything you can do that normal people can't?"