Chapter 31

Due to the fact that it was so late, the three hunters decided to stay at one of the many small motels in the dungeon town of Tan Hill. They found a small two storey place that looked like one of the nicer prefabricated builds which had an outdoor bar beneath it. They found a room with three small beds and threw most of their stuff in there before heading to the bar, though Cheryl cautioned them against leaving their loot in the room since thieves were known to check hotel rooms for any unattended dungeon loot.

So, whilst Jack lugged a large Fire Drake bone over his shoulder and Meredith struggled to see over the top of the massive Fiend skull she carried and Cheryl relaxedly followed behind carrying a small bag of fire crystals in one hand, the three hunters walked down some iron steps from their room to the bar area.

The bar was pretty standard, it had an expanded layout of picnic tables where numerous hunters, treasure seekers, independent dungeon delvers, tourists and townsfolk all sat together, drinking, eating, talking and laughing. Some music was playing coming from a stereo near the shelter of the bar. The area was lit by lanterns strung up overhead and the bar itself was directly beneath the motel building; it also seemed to be a front for a small kitchen serving food.

The trio picked an empty table and laid down their loot. Jack and Meredith sat down with a tired sigh.

“Good work today guys, apart from that last unexpected hiccup everything went just fine. So I’ll pass along my review to Welts and he’ll bump you both up a rank,” Cheryl told them, turning a small look of pride onto Meredith who smiled back in return.

“That's great! Finally, rank D!” Jack pumped his fist, not only would he get to go into the Dire Woods, but there were also some rank C jobs he’d been eyeing up for a while now.

“Yep, most hunters are rank D right now. So you’re officially one of the rank and file, congrats Jack,” Cheryl smirked but he didn’t mind, no one could say he didn’t belong now, he’d proved he was just as strong and capable as any other hunter.

“Aunty, back in the dungeon just before the fight with that Fiend, you said it shouldn’t be here. What did you mean by that?” Meredith asked.

Cheryl shrugged. “Pretty much exactly what I said kiddo, a Fiend is an A plus rank monster and Tan Hill was ranked as a C rank dungeon at best. Tan Hill just shouldn’t have been able to spawn one, and I don’t think anybody else has run into that thing on any other delve otherwise we’d have heard about it. I already sent a short report back to York regarding it, a team of surveyors and hunters will be here tomorrow to investigate. Besides, we were nowhere near the final chamber, the boss room, so that was really just weird, it shouldn’t have happened.” She shook her head and frowned, deep in thought.

Meredith cutely cocked her head in thought before shrugging and getting up.

“Well, I think we all deserve a reward for today so I’m gonna go get us some beers,” she cheerfully declared and marched off to the bar.

Jack turned to Cheryl. “That blindfold thing on the skull, what do you think it was for?” Jack was still interested in these runes that kept popping up on every other hunt and wanted to know more.

Cheryl however didn’t seem too bothered. “Not a goddamn clue, maybe it helped the Fiend see? Who knows? It’ll go to one of the labs, either in York or in London and get studied. The researchers will probably figure it out eventually,” she answered, resting her chin on her hand, yawning.

Jack looked over to the bar. He saw Meredith standing there patiently waiting for one of the servers to notice her, her fingers drummed against the bar surface and her hips swayed slightly with the rhythm of the nearby music. He also noticed a trio of large rough looking men in patchy cheap armour approach her and get right into her personal space. He was about to get up and assist her when he felt Cheryl grab his arm, he looked at her in surprise but she simply smirked and shook her head before looking over to Meredith.

Jack turned back to watch. One of the men grabbed Meredith by the arm, however she then grabbed his face and slammed it into the bar surface. Jack winced as the first man slid bonelessly to the ground. His companions moved towards her and attempted to take revenge but Meredith rapidly sent in a couple of openhanded blows into their chests which had them on their knees, desperately gasping for air.

With that dealt with, it seemed the servers at the bar had noticed her and fearfully took her order. While Meredith was getting their drinks, Jack turned back to Cheryl.

“I always did wonder how you two were related, I think I see the connection now,” he murmured.

Cheryl didn’t say anything but simply looked incredibly proud.

****************************************************************************************************

The next day they headed back to York. With Meredith’s agreement they decided to sell the large Fire Drake bone to Gary at a low price and Jack promised to introduce her to Gary. It seemed Cheryl really did want to hold onto the Fiend skull so she could use it as bragging rights and torment Eric Flamewrought with it.

They drove back to York and Cheryl dropped Jack and Meredith just outside Gary’s shop and drove back to the guild HQ with the fire crystals, promising to finalise their promotion when she got back.

She drove off and left Jack and Meredith to walk through a small side alley to Gary’s workshop. They stepped inside.

“Helloooo? Anyone in here? We’ve got presents,” Jack called out. The workshop seemed empty. However he soon heard a clatter from the upper level.

“Jack? That you?” Gary’s gruff voice called out and the man himself emerged, looking down at them from the balcony railings. “And who's the pretty young thing next to ya?” He grinned before shuffling through whatever mess he’d made upstairs and making his way down to them.

“Hi Gary, this is Meredith, another guild hunter. She was hoping to meet you and -.” However Jack wasn’t allowed to finish as Gary excitedly interrupted him.

“Meredith Shriverston! Oh shit! I’ve heard all about you! The hunter guild’s golden girl!” he almost seemed in awe, although for Gary it just came out as mild surprise rather than his usual gruff grumpiness. He then turned to Jack.

“What is she doing here kiddo?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Er…” Jack started but then Meredith also interrupted him.

“Hello sir, I saw some of the equipment Jack was using during our shared promotion job yesterday and I wanted him to introduce us so I could engage in your services,” she politely explained as she put her hand forward to shake.

Gary’s look of dubious surprise remained as he gently took her dainty looking hand in one of his large rough paws and shook it.

“My services huh? Well, not to disappoint you or anything miss, but this shop doesn’t really have high quality magical material that goes into its products. It's mainly steel, tungsten, titanium and whatever magical materials Jack here gives me. We’re currently a low to mid tier weapons store at the moment. That's changing fast but I don’t know if I’ve got anything to offer you right now,” he explained to her in disappointment.

Meredith looked to be considering that for a moment before speaking. “Oh I don’t know about that, what if we set up a similar deal that you have with Jack here. I supply you with certain materials and you use them to create custom orders I request.” She gave him a charming smile. “You can even use the surplus of materials for whatever projects you have at no extra cost.”

Gary grunted in contemplation, his interest visibly increased when Meredith mentioned the surplus of materials for his own projects. “Hmm, that might work, depends on what you bring me and what you want making.” From there he and Meredith began to talk business. Jack listened for a moment before getting bored and began wandering around the ground floor of the workshop.

After several minutes of wandering he came upon a mannequin, the mannequin was bare except for the shoulders which were modelling a fur pelt. The fur was black and shaggy and seemed familiar somehow.

“Ah! I see you’ve found it then,” Gary’s voice came from behind him.

“Found it? What is it?” Jack asked.

“You remember that Black Shuck you took down a few months ago?”

“Yeah, the giant dog monster. Had to slog it through a marsh, dragging its carcass behind us all the way, good times,” Jack remarked sardonically.

“Mm, I heard about it on the news. Anyway I made a few calls and managed to obtain some of its hide, not a lot but some. And I made this for you.” He proudly pointed to the fur pelt before removing it from the mannequin’s shoulders. He passed it to Jack.

It was light, the black fur was a few inches long, thick and soft, not coarse or itchy in any way.

“Yeah, so as far as armour goes it's not gonna provide you with a great deal of coverage but the hide and fur is strangely resistant to fire and heat, so it adds a minor amount of extra protection. But I know these days that hunters want to look impressive and intimidating.” Gary shook his head and rolled his eyes as he said that. “And it seems like a certain amount of aesthetic appeal is necessary for a successful weapons and armour business, so I made you this. Here, pass it over.” Gary took the pelt from Jack’s hands and then draped it over Jack’s shoulders. He fiddled around with it, there were small clips on the underside that attached to his body armour and held it firmly in place. The pelt covered his shoulders and draped halfway down his back.

“Looking good Jack,” Meredith remarked. He half smiled half grimaced at her, he personally had never been bothered by aesthetics either. However he then looked in a nearby mirror. He had to admit, he didn’t look half bad.

“Huh, okay thanks old man. That does actually look pretty good,” he told Gary. He twisted around to look at the back. “What? No crimson bull.” He joked and smirked at Gary.

Gary huffed in annoyance for a moment. “Hmph, the paint kept washing out of the fur, nevermind. Just be sure to tell everyone where you got your stuff from,” Gary rumbled out. Though he looked ever so slightly proud.

Jack and Meredith left the workshop after handing a bewildered Gary the large two metre long Fire Drake bone and walked back to the guild HQ. As they walked along the street they began to gather an increasing amount of attention, more and more people noticed them and pulled out camera phones to video them or take pictures.

“It's not normally this bad for me, is this what it's like for you?” Jack whispered through a grimace.

“Not usually, maybe right after a hunt in a public place, but then I usually drive between jobs, I rarely walk. And I don’t think us being together really helps,” she responded nervously.

They eventually made it back to the guild HQ in one piece, however it took them a lot longer than it should’ve. Meredith was frequently stopped and asked for her autograph, Jack too but far less so. When they finally got back he was still a little hurt from when a young boy had bravely gone up to him in the middle of a crowd surrounding them and asked for his autograph. At first he’d been both nervous and inwardly ecstatic at that, but then the boy’s mother arrived and had practically dragged him away from Jack while he was in the middle of signing something. The mother shot several fearful glances at him as she disappeared into the crowd with her son.

As they entered the guild atrium he heard his pager buzz in his pocket. After looking at it he saw director Welts wanted both of them up in his office straightaway. They headed upwards but Jack threw a regretful glance towards the jobs and requests room, which would’ve led him to the guild hall which contained the bar.

A few minutes later they walked into Welts’ office, as usual Welts was there leaning against his desk along with Cheryl off the side.

“Jack! Meredith! Well done and excellent work on your promotion hunt, consider yourselves bumped up a rank. And thank you very much for the fire crystals, these will be of great use in the guild’s research projects.” Welts grinned cheerfully as he patted a small box that rested on his desk.

“You're welcome director,” Meredith responded politely.

“Yeah no worries,” Jack also responded.

“Excellent. Now, I’m sure the two of you are anxious to head off for the Dire Woods, but I have to ask one last time; are you sure you don’t want another posting? Somewhere less dangerous perhaps?” Welts asked with a hint of worry and hope in his voice.

“We’re quite sure, director, thank you for asking,” Meredith said.

“We’re looking forward to it actually,” Jack said with a grin.

The look of worry only increased on Welts’ face but he simply smiled it away.

“Very well, I just had to ask. Anyway, Cheryl tells me that the two of you have decided to form a team?” he asked and the both of them nodded. “Well then, I wish you both luck on your hunt for teammates! Haha!” he guffawed at his pun. Everyone else just smiled awkwardly. “Anyway Jack, it might interest you to know we’ve decided to sell some of the fire crystals you two obtained to Gary your smith at discounted price, I understand you have a similar arrangement with him to that effect?” Welts told Jack.

“Really? And yeah I do, how come?” Jack asked in confusion.

“Well you see, it turns out I know your smith Gary rather well, we’re friends in fact, even though we’ve never met in person. We speak quite frequently via online chat, we’re both in an online group for earth cultivators to exchange ideas and theories, his handle is Alloyking and mine is Earthmeister07.” Welts grinned, Cheryl and Meredith stifled their giggles off to the side.

“Huh, I think Gary did mention he spoke to other earth cultivators a while back,” Jack said, thinking back.

“Indeed, during one of our conversations where we were exchanging theories about the potential future applications of earth cultivation in cold fusion, he mentioned he had a cheeky client who sometimes obtained rare magical materials for him and that they’d happened upon an interesting effect when an earth crystal infused weapon was exposed to electricity. So I was like…Gary? Gary of Monstrous Alloys? Is that you? Hahahaha, and from there we discovered each other's true identities and we got to talking,” Welts laughed as he explained.

“Oh, so you guys know each other now,” Jack commented with uncertainty, not really knowing how to feel about his boss and his personal weapons smith being friends.

“Indeed, it's a small world isn’t it? Anyway, it was lovely seeing you all and once again congratulations on your promotion, both of you. And do make sure to hand in the necessary paperwork once you’ve got your team together, then we can send you off to the Dire Woods outpost.” Welts grinned cheerfully as he dismissed them.

Meredith politely said her goodbyes before promising to meet Jack at the bar later on. Cheryl left with a casual ‘see ya’. But just before Jack could leave, Welts asked him to stay behind.

“Hm? What’s up,” Jack asked.

“When you and Meredith form your team, I was hoping you could do me a personal favour, Jack,” Welts said somewhat apprehensively.

“Uh, yeah I suppose, depends on what the favour is,” he cautiously responded.

Welts took a deep breath before sighing. “I want you to avoid asking my children to join you,” he said firmly. “Rachael and Zack.” Welts stared at Jack intently.

“Oh,” Jack was a little surprised but he supposed he should’ve seen that coming. “I see, I think I get it. Cheryl did say it's pretty bad in the Woods and you don’t want your kids to….yeah, I get that…..fair enough, I won’t ask them,” he told Welts with a nod. In fact, now that he thought about it, if it really was so terrible in the Dire Woods, perhaps he shouldn’t invite any of the people he’d come to think of as friends.

Welts sagged a little in relief. “Thank you Jack, thank you. I know Rachael will never speak to me again if she finds out about this but still….It's hard enough for me knowing they’re both out there just doing normal hunts let alone stepping foot into that place. I’ve actually been using up a fair amount of political clout and favours people owe me to prevent them from being transferred to other branches so they stay under me. I know other branches let their hunters do as they please, letting them take on hunts well beyond their rank, well…….” Welts smiled and shook Jack's hand with a relieved smile. “Thank you again Jack, I owe you a massive favour, anytime you need something, just ask.” He let go of a surprised Jack’s hand.

Shortly after that he was allowed to leave, Jack was deep in thought as he made his way down the stairs to the ground floor atrium before wandering over to the guild hall. He’d been thinking of asking Nate, Stacey, Zack and Rachael to go with him to the Dire Woods; they'd probably jump at the chance. But now he thought better of that, not particularly wanting to see any of his friends badly hurt or killed, which if everything he’d heard about the Woods was true then that was distinctly likely. So now he had to come up with a whole new list of people he didn’t particularly care about but still trusted enough to form a hunting team with.

He made his way into the guild hall and spotted Meredith leaning against the bar, a pint of beer already in hand. When he reached she slid another pint over to him.

“What did the director want?” she asked before taking a sip.

“Oh you know, stuff…” he smiled at her in an attempt to be enigmatic before sipping at his own beer. She raised her eyebrow at him sceptically before shrugging.

“So, about the team. You said you’ll talk to some people and that you knew at least one person who would go with us?” she asked hopefully. Jack winced, hoping she’d forgotten about that.

“Er yeah, listen…about that, I -” Jack tried to speak but he was interrupted by someone else.

****************************************************************************************************

A few days later, Jack and Meredith along with their newly formed hunting team finally arrived at the entrance to the infamous Dire Woods.

They’d crossed the flat grassy plains surrounding the Woods and now stood at the threshold. The pine trees at the boundary of the magical anomaly stood impossibly tall, stretching far above them, piercing the sky, the width of the trunks looked like they could crush a tennis court. Off to the side of the group of hunters, a set of rusted logging equipment and vehicles lay abandoned, overgrown by vegetation.

Jack took a deep breath and looked into the entrance of the Dire Woods. Rather than a pitch black all consuming abyssal darkness protruding out into the real world, he could actually see into the Woods, but it still looked wrong somehow. He saw lines of massive trees stretch forwards endlessly beyond sight into a twilight gloom, he felt a hint of vertigo just staring into it, like he was looking over the edge of a cliff.

Someone touched his shoulder, it was Meredith. She gave him a nod and look of determination.

“You ready?” she asked.

“Yeah, I am. Let's go.” He marched forward next to Meredith over the threshold and into the gloom of the Dire Woods. The rest of the team followed.

End of book 2

Keep reading for a Bonus chapter