When I return that day to Amina, a thought pops up in my head to inquire about the obvious negative disposition she showed towards the Silvestri the other day.

But when I ask “Why do see Silvestri in such a bad way?” She looks confounded, as if to say “Isn’t it obvious”.

“Please,” I start “can you tell me how you see Silvestri?”

Going along with me, she starts. “Very well, sir. Silvestri are filthy savages. They care not for their young or anyone elses, they hold strength up above all else and have sought to dominate others in the past, they do not wash, they do not wear clothes. They stink and they are stupid. They have sought to subjugate humans without provocation time and time again, only to be rightfully subjugated in return each and every time. If left to his own devices, a Silvester will sow chaos and confusion, leaving death and destruction in their wake”. Wow, heavy.

I think she noticed me flinching at her explanation, as she soon asks “What is the matter, sir?”. I try to formulate my thoughts on how to approach this. Basically, her holding such opinions make me uncomfortable. Kamas was a good person, and well, even if we parted on not the best terms, he was basically right. Still, I think I would have made the same decision, were I given a second chance.

“How many Silvestri have you met? And spoken to?”

“Well, sir. I have only seen them in their subjugated form, with humans putting their strength to actual use building roads and erecting monuments.”

“Then, how do you know how they think and feel?”

“My teachers taught me alongside reading and writing, sir.”

I scratch my head. “Your teachers also told you about me, right? How I was an evil spirit bent on the destruction of humanity.”

“Ah” She seems to have realized my point quickly “You mean to say that Silvestri are not like that?”

“Yeah” I explain “Well, they are certainly quite different from humans. But it is not necessarily better or worse. True, they don’t wear shirts, but they are not prohibited from it either. In that way, do they not simply have more freedom than us humans, whose ideas dictate we should be fully clothed.

Sure they value strength, but it is used more as a symbol than something absolute. Whenever they made a decision, they commemorated it with a fight, but they tried to stack the odds in favor of what decision they logically reached.

I didn’t experience them being especially stinky, nor trying to subjugate humans, to sow chaos or anything else like that.”

I go on a little speech. I grew up in a quite liberal household. My father was black and my mother was white. I can’t help but think of racism as some sort of ultimate evil, so I try to dispel it as best I can.

“But why would they tell me such, if it wasn’t true, sir?”

“Maybe because they are a cheap and efficient work force, and it is easier for people to carry that on, if they believe they deserve it.”

“Forgive me, but I am not entirely convinced, sir” I sigh a little. I think the best way for people to find out that people aren’t so bad is to get to know them. But if the entirety of Silvestri-kind are slaves, that would probably end up being difficult.

We leave the discussion at that. I don’t know exactly what to say and do in order to show her the truth, but it’s not like there any Silvester around, so it isn’t that urgent. Though it still sits ill with me.

The next day, I receive my new tag, with four line engraved in it. The color is also slightly different, one more of a green hue than the previous bronzish one. I am also told that I basically get one-and-a-half times the reward stated on the requests from now on.

“What does it take to rise to the 3rd rank, and what are the benefits there?” I ask.

“Each rank is the same. One year of service as the previous rank, with at least 50 requests completed, alongside a judge of good moral character, though the exact scrutiny of that is supposed to rise a little for every rank. 3rd rank is double the states pay, 2nd rank is triple, 1st rank is five times, but those are seldom given out. It not only requires the same as the previous ranks, but also an outstanding achievement, which is often set as a very high bar” I simply nod. But still, seems like I will earn more and more money. Still the purpose of the system eludes me.

“What is the benefit of ranks for the guild?” I ask.

“Simply, first off it is a way of communicating between guilds. Having a higher rank tag means you are more trusted and a longer time asset. Secondly, it is to discourage youths from hunting. I am told that long, long ago, hunting was much more lucrative for entries and suddenly the need for hunters increased. They thusly introduced the exam, skipping the apprenticeship, but in return many people showed, registered, then died quickly. We were then instructed by the Leader of Man to address the problem. First, a fee was introduced to the exam, but this didn’t help much. Then, we implemented the ranking system. We still take in more or less the same fees for requests, so we could support all of our hunters, even if they were first rank, but the guild is much more profitable for the state now.

“Wait, the guild is owned by the state?” I always had the impression it was an independent organization.

“Of course, that’s common knowledge.” She says before continuing. “Lastly, the achievement requirement was set to distinguish “elite hunters”. Sometimes something particularly dangerous or nasty pops up, and we have to deal with it, without sending scores of the unprepared to an early demise, thus the 1st rank was modified to this. I am told the transition period was quite chaotic, but most agree the system is better now.”

I don’t know about that. I miss having a lot of money.