I'm pretty sure 'The Order' could have a lead or two towards the Luthran King's whereabouts.
But I'm not sure how I'm even supposed to find these chumps.
Of course, I could just let myself inside Ragnav Castle and question their King. But I don't want to do that just yet.
I'm saving the best for last after all.
So, I'll just have to take a look at this 'Hunter's Union' or whatever.
WAM!
I kick the doors open, and step inside.
Everyone has the look of 'Who's this little mutt?' on their faces.
And that's because I'm not Mr. Denmark right now.
I'm Aleksander, a bum.
I walk through the room, all the hunters are just sitting in their seats sipping their drinks and vials, their axes and maces on their backs.
I walk towards the front desk before something catches my eye to the left.
I see a man with full silver armor and a giant double-bladed axe on his back.
He's writing something on a board and laughing to himself before he drops the quill and walks to the exit, then stepping outside.
I look closely and approach it slightly.
It's a large board, but not just any board.
It looks like a discussion board.
They have some in this world too huh? Let's go see what kind of discussions these people get themselves into.
I walk towards it and start from the top.
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--------------------------------------------TOPIC---------------------------------------------------------
Dan, the carver of souls: Who and what are The Order? Leave thoughts and clues below.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Whisky, the simpleminded tactician: Have you lost your mind? It is evident no one knows just what these blasted heathens are up to.
Seek answers elsewhere and refrain from wasting other's time.
Jack, the bladesworn imperial: >>Whisky, the simpleminded tactician
>The peasant has forgotten the many murals etched onto the walls across the Kingdom.
It is quite clear the organization is responsible for the plague that appeared shortly after The Order made themselves known across the Kingdom.
Refrain from making foolish remarks and bring a dagger upon your throat.
Linda, gatherer of gardens: >>Jack, the bladesworn imperial
Your aggression is most unwanted, please do not bring others down. We are all here to band together as a Kingdom, no soul should lay waste to their fragile lives.
Dom, the bringer of mortality: >>Linda, gatherer of gardens
Good day, lass. Would it be possible in meeting my esteemed self and granting me the sight of your hooves?
Colt, harbinger of disaster: >>Dom, the bringer of mortality
Doest thou even joust?
Dom, the bringer of mortality: >>Colt, harbinger of disaster
>Doest thou even joust?
Only thine mother.
Jack, the bladesworn imperial: >>Whisky, the simpleminded tactician >>Linda, gatherer of gardens >>Dom, the bringer of mortality >>Colt, harbinger of disaster
Perish thyselves.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Well, that's a disappointment. No clues here, moving on.
I approach the front desk and am greeted by a woman with short brown hair and pointy ears.
"Good day to you, what brings a boy like you to the Hunter's Union?" She adjusts her glasses.
"Obviously I'm here for a quest, gimmie gimmie." I'm in a bit of a hurry, I need to gather any sort of clues before nightfall.
I'm hoping for a quest that leads me to a part of the Kingdom I've yet to find that is tucked into a nice little hidden corner or something like that.
"Very well, the quests are as such." She reaches under the desk and lays a row of papers labeled with D's and F's.
"Whoa whoa WHOA. What in Father Shaye John's ass is all this..!? Aren't these all noob tasks? The hell is your problem giving easy tasks to an underage young boy you despicable woman? Fork over all the S tasks PRONTO PRONTO." What do I look like doing such low ranked tasks?
A cretin?
"I do apologize, but C rank and above are reserved for Hunters with experience." She adjusts her glasses again, with a huff she thinks I didn't hear.
"Gasp Discrimination! I won't stand for this. Don't make me get political now. Hand over an S task before things get ugly."
"I beg you, there is no need to go down that path young sir. If you would take a moment to calm down, I am sure we can work something out."
"Me too. S rank task and we'll both be happy."
She looks around the room cautiously before pulling out a piece of paper with a big shiny yellow S, placing it down.
BAM
The doors get kicked in, and in walks a lanky guy with a black bowl cut, glasses, brown coat, and a deerstalker hat.
"It is I! VIKTOR!" The hunters in their seats look up at him, then they go back to whatever they were doing, as if they've been through this already.
"I have returned to exact my REVENGE on that smelly HENIOUS lizard with wings! Only this time, I come prepared with my new invention of ABSOLUTE DEVASTATION." He says while striking a dramatic pose.
"Lucifer, show me this guy's IQ please."
<["He's retarded."]>
"Thank you, Lucifer."
He takes a look at the front desk then starts walking over dramatically.
"Greetings, it is I. VIKTOR!"
"Yeah I think I got that."
He looks down at the S rank paper on the desk then places his hand over it. "This bounty is property of VIKTOR! Move aside, the rot dragon is mine. VIKTOR will be the one to lay waste to it."
"Actually, I've snatched it first. Let go." I place my hand on the opposite end of the paper.
"But that is where you are wrong. VIKTOR laid claim to the bounty since it first arrived. Retract your little mitts off my bounty!" He pulls on the paper.
"I don't care. Lay off." I pull on it harder.
THUNK
The woman in glasses places her hand on the middle of the paper. "Gentlemen, gentlemen, we can resolve this logically."
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*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
CLLCK
The sound of sticks snapping echoes throughout the thick, vast forest as I walk down the dirt path.
"You! Why can't you learn to be silent in your approach? You'll get VIKTOR killed if he has to bring along a peasant like you!" He says as he leans his back behind a tree, going forward from tree to tree like he was some spy.
"Is that necessary."
"You dare!? It's more than necessary, peasant! It's how you stay alive outside the Kingdom! Now keep up before VIKTOR leaves you behind!" He says as he catches up to me and leans against another tree.
"What kind of bounty is this anyway?" I ask, trying to gather more information.
I didn't even get to read from the paper, it was in a language I didn't know jack about.
Which was cursive.
How in hell do you read cursive?
"SHHH we're close.." He says as we reach a hill above a foggy area within the forest.
There are crosses and stakes spread across the ground. It looks like the ruins of a graveyard.
He reaches behind him and grabs onto the large case on his back then places it on the ground.
"Behold, my invention of ANNIHILATION." He opens it and reveals a musket with a thick barrel.
Like something straight out of a cartoon.
"Whoa, what's it do?"
"Ha! Wouldn't you like to know, peasant?"
KAW KAW KAW
Various crows fly off from the trees below as a loud tremor echoes throughout the landscape in front of us.
The fog clears and I can make out a sleeping, giant gray dragon.
Its wings and skin are tattered. And there's constant red gas seeping from its mouth and open wounds.
"Aha! There you are you heinous rot dragon..." He reaches into his coat and pulls out what looks like an angler fish.
It has the biggest jaw I have ever seen on a fish the size of a shoe. "Stay up here, peasant. Let a prodigy guide you into the genius mind of VIKTOR!"
The angler fish tries biting him with its large jaw as he forcefully shoves it down the comically huge barrel of his gun.
He carefully and slowly sits along the edge of the cliff and pushes himself down.
("I give him a minute.")
<["I give him twenty seconds"]>
"I give him eleven seconds."
I walk towards the edge and peak down at him sliding along the cliff, then I watch as he hits a bump and get flung into the air before landing inside an empty ditch under a tombstone.
"I win."
<["Tch..."]>
He then gets up and adjusts his glasses before lifting himself out of the tombstone, then slowly approaches the dragon.
"Lucifer, zoom in on him, HD no buffer."
<["Sure."]>
My vision zooms in on him, and I can see him reach into his coat, pulling out a syringe.
"Enhance."
<["Done."]>
I can now see that he's injecting his right arm with it.
"Maybe it's his medicine."
His hand then starts glowing blue and I can see sparks coming out of his veins.
He then proceeds to bring his glowing hand onto his gun, shooting a bolt onto it, causing the angler fish peaking from the barrel to glow a bright blue.
"Nevermind."
He aims his gun at the dragon. Then the eyes on the angler fish glow blue before it gets fired onto the dragon's head.
BANG-SZSZSZ
The glowing angler fish latches onto the dragon's horn, biting into it as it wakes up with a roar.
ROOOOOOOAAAAARGHHHH
"OH YEAHHH-"
*Chomp*
The dragon eats him.
("Ha! I win!")
"Doesn't count"
I leap down from the hill and land on a pile of leaves.
The dragon sees me before it suddenly opens its large mouth and shoots a stream of red gas in my direction.
FSHHHHH
I jump and land on top of a tall cross, the plants and grass below withering away as the gas decays everything that was once there.
It smells like burning tomatoes.
I reach into my right hand and pull out my great sword, ready to give this thing a couple of smack, wacks, and everything in between.
<["Alek~♡ That tickles!"]>
("Sigh-")
<["Shut your trap and go back to sleep, Astal. Alek and I are working.]>
("I don't like your tone...")
<["Oh yeah~? Well watch how Alek deals with his problems using only me..."]>
("W-what! I can be of use too! I refuse to witness a day where I don't get enough screentime..!")
"Christ almighty. Not a moment's peace with you two."
SNAP
The tall cross I was standing on gets snapped after the dragon flung its large tail on it.
Thunk
I land on its rocky head and kick off the angler fish still chewing on its horn. Then I raise my sword and stab it onto its skin.
CLANK
"Oh of course."
My great sword recoils backwards after it touched its stone-like skin.
Gas emits from the holes on its head, forcing me to jump off and back onto the decayed grass.
ROOOAAAAAGHHHH
A huge amount of gas comes out of its eyes, mouth, and the holes around its body.
"Oh, it's pissed."
It then flies into the air and releases a constant stream of gas from its mouth, swarming the entire graveyard and the forest surrounding it, covering the entire area in a thick blanket of red gas.
<["Hm~♪ Hmhm~♪ Hmmm~♪"]>
"What?"
<["Oh nothing, I'm having fun!"]>
("Master's life is in danger and you want to hum like he's your source of amusement? You get your rocks hard to this Satan?")
<["Oh, but he is. He has been for quite a while now~ Mmmm~♡"]>
"I hate it here."
<["And I wouldn't want any other host to accompany. You agree, right Astal~?"]>
("M-Maybe sometimes...")
<["How cute."]>
I face up from my uncomfortable position then lift myself out of the same ditch from earlier.
I might get cancer from all of this.
I look around the decayed area, and there are no trees, grass or plants.
Just an entire land of pure gray and depression.
SLAM
I fall back onto the ditch as the dragon tried squishing me under its tail.
"What's your problem..."
I take a peek back outside the ditch.
SLAM
I drop myself back onto the ditch before it could squish me again.
I then take another quick peek outside the ditch.
"Can I please come out?"
SLAM
I plop back down onto the ditch before taking another peek outside.
"Mate can I please com-"
SLAM
"Alright I tried being nice. Astal, portal, now." I fall into the portal that appears below me, which takes me in the air above the dragon's head.
"Now give me lightning damage or something."
The jewel on my necklace glows as a light travels across my arm and onto my sword before sparking it in blue bolts of lightning.
SZsxSzSxzzsZxsz
I then PLUNGE onto the dragon's head, and a blue thunderbolt strikes from the clouds above as my sword makes contact with the dragon's skull.
RRAAGHHhhh...
The dragon's head drops and plops onto the ground, dead.
("Wow master! How did you know dragons were weak to lighting~? You may not be a brainrotted pig after all.")
"I didn't." I put away my sword and grab a piece of its horn, then I hop down from its giant head and onto the decayed dirt
"Uh.." I look back at its body, feeling a vibration.
SHCCKK
"OH YEAHHH! VIKTOR!"
The lanky dude cut through its stomach before emerging, holding another anglerfish on his right hand.
Actually, it's more like the angler fish is holding him, as it has its jaws locked around his hand.
And half his clothes are melted off.
"Welcome back."
"No need to thank me, peasant! Rejoice, I have brought the great rot dragon to its end!" He starts forcefully shaking his right hand. "Hey cut that out! I am your master! I OWN YOU."
("This guy's a special kind of.. special..")
He then leans down to collect samples from the dead dragon, placing its body parts inside his case and humming to himself and giggling an evil laugh, kicking his feet all giddy and stuff.
I notice some kind of tattoo peeking out of his back from his half-ripped coat.
It's the exact same mural I saw on that one wall when I first got here, as well as the one I saw on the night of the Hunt.
Jackpot.
"So, shall we head back?" I ask as I turn away so he doesn't notice me staring.
I feel a grin on my face.
Can't help it, the thought of finding such a strong lead has me feeling all kinds of excitement.
I wasn't expecting on finding something this soon into my little trip.
I turn back after a while of kicking my own feet with giddy excitement to look at him.
"Oh."
He's already gone.
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