Advent of Eternity - Chapter 80 (Patreon)

The shopkeeper was a large, barrel chested man with a thick moustache and bushy eyebrows. He greeted them with a nod as the four walked up to the store.

“Which of you is looking?” he asked, his words thick with an accent that Knell couldn’t place. “And if you’re trying to sell me a damn rug, for the last time, I don’t want it.”

“We’re looking for a bow,” Knell said, gesturing at Stix. “For her. And no, we aren’t in the rug business.”

“Who tried to sell you a rug?” Cyll asked curiously.

The shopkeeper let out a relieved sigh. “Too many people. Bastards have been getting aggressive with their sales pitches recently. It’s infuriating. I’m Jeff. What kind of bow are you looking for?”

“How big do you make them?” Stix asked.

Jeff cocked an eyebrow. “Bigger don’t mean better.”

“It does for me,” Stix muttered. “But we’re kind of on a budget.”

“Those aren’t words a man likes hearing,” Jeff grumbled. “How much of a budget?”

“I’ve got about fifty gold,” Knell said. “More than enough for a decent bow, I’d imagine?”

Jeff let out a grunting laugh. “Depends what kind of bow. For a longbow, maybe. For a compound? Or a repeater? Not in the slightest.”

“What about a really big crossbow?” Stix asked hopefully, holding her hands out at arm’s length to indicate the size.

Jeff snorted. “No.”

Stix’s shoulders slumped. “A normal longbow, then?”

“Fifteen gold,” Jeff said, taking a bow made of blackened wood from its peg on the wall. It was almost as tall as Stix and completely plain. It was a stick with a string, although that was doing it a bit of disservice. It was clear that the bow was well made, even if it was unadorned.

Stix pulled the string back, sighting down the bow and pretending as if an arrow were knocked in it. She carefully released the tension on the string. “Does it come with a bracer and quiver?”

“Please?” Cyll added, fluttering his eyelashes.

“Yes, if you promise me that he’ll never do that again,” Jeff said, jerking a thumb at Cyll.

“Done,” Stix said, shooting a sharp glare at the bearded man. She reddened and glanced at Knell. “Uh, assuming you’re okay with that.”

“Quite,” Knell said with an amused grin. He handed the gold over to Jeff. “How about arrows?”

“I’ll toss ten in for free,” Jeff said. “The rest will be a silver a piece.”

“I can make my own arrows,” Stix said. “I just need some materials. It shouldn’t be too hard to find some when we’re out of the city.”

Jeff raised an eyebrow, re-examining Stix. He ducked slightly, getting a glance under her hood before she could move back.

“You’re a moon-elf?”

Stix’s hands tightened around her new bow. “What of it?”

“No harm meant,” Jeff said, raising his hands. “I’ve dealt with your kinsmen a lot. Buy a lot of my supplies from them, actually. They always do right by me. If you don’t mind my asking, what tribe are you from?”

“Shadowdance,” Stix said, relaxing slightly. “Why?”

“Damn,” Jeff said. “I was hoping you might have been Greenfinger. I’ve got a contact named Sylvan with them that hasn’t gotten back to me recently, and I was a little worried. I don’t suppose you might know what happened?”

“Sorry,” Stix said, shaking her head. “I don’t know a random moon elf any more than you’d know a human from another city. This is the first time I’ve been in this area.”

“Damn. Was worth a shot,” Jeff said with a sigh. He handed Stix her bracer and quiver, then counted out twenty arrows and added them in. “Gave you a few extra. Are you lot planning to stick around the area for a while?”

“We aren’t sure yet,” Knell replied. “Why?”

“Well, I figured you might have come for one of the Named Hunts.”

“Named Hunts?” Cyll asked. “That sounds… tasty. What is it?”

“Large monsters that the guild has put a bounty on,” Jeff replied, scratching the back of his head. “So you aren’t here for them?”

“That remains to be seen,” Knell replied. “Am I remiss in guessing that you’re asking because this Sylvan character was somehow involved in them?”

Jeff nodded. “He was going after the Thistlemane Boar. We could have made a killing if he got some of its parts and I made weapons out of them.”

“If we run into him, I’ll let him know you’re looking,” Knell said as Stix put on her quiver. “Thank you for the discount. Before we leave, do you happen to know where I might hire a tailor? I’m looking to get a design made.”

“Mandy will treat you right,” Jeff said, nodding to a small building on the other side of the street with a quaint flower garden in front of it. “She’s also the only tailor in town, so there isn’t much competition.”

“Thanks,” Knell said, leaving for the house Jeff had indicated. The door was askew, so he poked his head inside. Threads and sheets of cloth lined the walls, all color coded and organized perfectly. There was a large loom in the back of the room. A door in the side of the wall swung open and a huge woman ducked through it.

She was as tall as Cyll and more musclebound than some warriors that Knell had known. Her biceps were as larger than Stix’s torso. The woman straightened back up once she got through the doorway, brushing her fine clothing off and clearing her throat.

“Looking for me?”

“If your name is Mandy, then yes.”

“It is. You need something patched?” Mandy asked, hiding a yawn. Evidently, the prospect wasn’t the most exciting to her. “Prices are on the wall. No, I don’t do discounts. And no, if you’re selling a run, I don’t bloody want it.”

“Not selling a rug, and don’t need a patch,” Knell said. “I need a flag designed.”

Mandy paused, re-evaluating all of them. “Well diddle-dee. You’re pirates, aren’t you?”

“Astute,” Cyll droned.

“I knew it,” Mandy said, grinning. She tucked a strand of flowing blond hair behind her head. “Okay, you’ve got my attention. I’ve made a few flags before. What are you thinking?”

“Intimidating, but recognizable. Also not overly violent,” Knell said. “I don’t want to give the impression that I’m a brute, but it should still give pause to anyone who looks at it.”

“That’s an interesting request,” Mandy said. “What’s your crew’s name?”

Knell cleared his throat. “Ah, haven’t gotten that part actually. I do have a ship name, though. The Withered Rose.”

Mandy nodded. “Okay, I’ve got some ideas. Before I get started, though, this isn’t free. Despite what it looks like, my work actually takes time. Ten gold for the design, another ten for a flag. If you want it on the sails, then we’re looking at a lot more.”

Knell handed her ten gold. “That’s for the design. I trust you can hold it for a few days, until we can come back and pick the flag up?”

“Shouldn’t be a problem,” Mandy replied with a toothy grin. “Thanks for your business.”

“One question,” Knell said. “Do you know where we can learn anything about Named Hunts?”

Mandy’s lip curled up in distaste. “Here for them as well? Well, it’s your life. All the taverns have descriptions of the monsters in the area. Try to pay me for the flag before you go, though.”

“They’re that bad?” Knell asked, cocking his head to the side.

“Over half the people that leave for them don’t come back,” Mandy replied. “And you’re probably the least outfitted group that I’ve seen come around.”

Knell shrugged. Aside from his shoulder guard, he could see where she was coming from. Their group consisted of two crippled teenagers, an old man, and Stix. They probably weren’t the most physically intimidating people that had come through the town in recent memory.

“Thanks for the information,” Knell said, turning and leaving. Dangerous or not, information was important. He’d gather more about this Hunt before he made any decisions.

It wasn’t difficult to find a tavern. Inside, Knell didn’t even have to ask anyone where to look. A huge board at the back of the room had several pictures drawn on it, with short descriptions written below.

Many of the monsters had a dagger stabbed through them, which Knell presumed meant they’d been hunted already. Only two remained – the Thistlemane Boar that Jeff had mentioned, and another one called a Clawraptor.

“Not the most descriptive names,” Cyll observed, studying the pictures.

Knell had to agree. He wasn’t particularly impressed with the abilities of the artist who had drawn the monster’s renditions. But, if they were to be believed and the little reference human drawn on each poster was accurate, the Thistlemane Boar was about three times the height of an average man. It had some sort of spikey growth extending from its neck and running along its back, and two large tusks jutted out of the front of its face.

The Clawraptor looked like someone had crossed a lizard and a bipedal bird. The creature was only two times larger than the little human drawn beside it. It stood on its hind legs, and long claws extended from its short arms.

“How do you think that thing picks its nose?” Cyll asked. “I mean, those can’t be practical. Look at them. They’re almost as tall as the person in the drawing.”

“I presume the artist was a little prone to exaggeration,” Knell drawled. The posters had information on where the monsters had last been seen, which he memorized. “Either that or this thing is the most ridiculously proportioned monster I’ve ever seen. I don’t imagine it can do much of anything other than cutting with those hands.”

“Should we go after that one?” Stix asked. “It can’t be too fast with stumpy legs like those.”

“Hold on. You’re assuming this image is accurate,” Maya said. They all turned to look at her and she reddened. “What? I’m stuck with you, and I don’t want to get clawed to death by some monster because we believed the monster is stupid because of some idiot’s drawing when the real deal is actually a lithe killing machine.”

“A fair worry,” Knell said. “I’m not convinced we’ll be doing this yet, anyway. We’re just getting some information to start with.”

“It’s real,” a man said from a table behind them. Knell turned to look at him and he blanched, taking a swing from the drink in his tankard. “I saw the damn thing with my own eyes.”

“The Clawraptor?” Stix asked.

“Aye. Fair number of people around here have, actually,” the man said. “It’s stupid and unwieldy. You were correct on both counts.”

“Then why is it up here?” Knell asked. “I wouldn’t imagine it would be a big deal if it was.”

“You try getting close to it,” the man replied with a grunt. “It really isn’t as big of a nuisance as some of the other monsters. It just attacks the farms when it gets hungry, stealing a sheep or goat on the way. Leaves blood everywhere, but doesn’t bother humans much. Nobody really wants to get cut to ribbons for something like that.”

“I see,” Knell said. “And how’d you see it?”

“It ate my godsdamned sheep.”

“That would do it,” Cyll said sagely. “Is this your bounty up here, then?”

“All the farmers pitched in,” the man replied, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve. “Three hundred gold isn’t much, but it’s probably the weakest monster on the list.”

“Relatively speaking, I assume?” Knell asked.

“Relatively speakin’,” the man agreed. “I still wouldn’t touch the damn thing with a pitchfork.”

“I appreciate the information,” Knell said. “Come. Time is wasting.”

They left the inn, but Knell didn’t make to leave the town. Instead, he made his way over to a bench and sat down, gesturing for the others to do the same.

“I thought we were hunting the chicken,” Cyll said.

“Not with the information we have,” Knell said, shaking his head. “That would be stupid. Why would we listen to a single person who was sitting next to the board, clearly waiting for someone to look at it? He’s got a vested interest in seeing this monster dead. No, we need information first. Knowing your opponent is vital to success, after all.”