章節 14: The Hunters
Kaleb awoke to Ameri shaking him gently.
"Hey, we need to head to Numen's and get the details of the meeting before it gets too late." Ameri told him.
"What time is it?"
"About noon. I let you sleep so you could recuperate from your injuries." Ameri said with a smile.
Kaleb groaned as he got up. The overexertion on his very lacking muscles was getting better but, he still could barley move in the mornings.
"I went to the bazaar while you were passed out and got you some clothes." Ameri said, handing Kaleb a bundle of clothes.
Kaleb had been wearing his torn slacks and dress shoes from his wedding day, his shirt and vest were in tatters so he had discarded them in the desert. He had been wearing the animal skin poncho to cover his naked torso and odd wedding attire. The bundle of clothes that Ameri had gotten for him were much more comfortable than his current ensemble. It was a tan loose fitting tunic, made of a light material with some sturdy brown trousers held at the waist with rope and a pair of black leather boots.
"The clothes are all second hand but the boots are new! Clothes aren't too important but a good pair of boots is a necessity!" Ameri said, feeling the need to educate his brain damaged friend in the important lessons of life.
Kaleb got dressed and they followed their route from the previous night back to Numen's shop. Ameri burst in with his usual enthusiasm.
"Morning Numen! We're here for the meeting details!"
Numen looked up from a conversation he was having with two people at the counter, who also turned to see who had entered the shop. One was a tall female elf, with pink skin and blood red hair in a pixie cut. Her face had delicate features except for her nose which was quite sharp, and of course her ears were the characteristic long sharp ears of an elf. She had playful look in her eyes that contrasted the sort of ageless beauty that one would expect of an elf. She was wearing a classic knight style plate armor, complete with a cape draped over one shoulder, the same color as her hair, and a long sword strapped to her belt.
Her companion, a human male, was much less descript. He was white, had plain brown hair that was cut in a mullet. Which, Kaleb felt, was less of a fashion choice, but more along the lines of he had cut it himself, based on how rough the cutting job was, and couldn't really reach the back. His face was very plain and his height was what Kaleb would call average, being shorter than the elf next to him. His clothes were all brown studded leather and were rather loose fitting. Also he didn't seem to be carrying any weapons besides a belt dagger, which everyone in this town seemed to have.
"Perfect timing you two! These are the clients that are looking for a guide. You were supposed to meet them at noon and when you didn't show up they came here to find out what happened." Numen gave them a inquisitive look. It was obvious that he had expected them to show up long before now.
"Sorry." Ameri told him, looking abashed. "Kaleb needed the rest, our trip here was rather hard since he was still recovering from injuries."
"It's not a problem since you are here now." The tall elf interjected graciously. "If we can work out a deal now that you have arrived then no harm done." She gave them a winning smile as she walked over to them.
"I am Salarime, captain of the Diving Hunters and this is my vice-captain, Elroth." She said, extending her hand to Ameri. He grabbed her forearm, just below the elbow and she did the same.
'Must be their version of a hand shake.' Kaleb thought, also clasping arms with Salarime. 'Isn't this what they used to do on earth back in the medieval times?'
"I'm Ameri and this is Kaleb. It's nice to meet you." Ameri gave her one of his enthusiastic smiles.
"Well lets get down to business. We are told that you can guide us to the Mountain Tomb?"
"I can. It will take us a week to get there. There are no roads and the paths we take would be quite rough, so wagons and carts are off the table. Depending on what you want to bring back, the return trip may take even longer. Are you still interested?" Ameri asked. He had a surprisingly serious negotiation style, which Kaleb wouldn't have expected.
"That shouldn't be a problem. We are going to hunt a certain type of creature that is rumored to live on the upper floors. Our contract is only for their cores so there is no need for carts or wagons and we won't be to encumbered on the return trip." She continued to speak in a friendly tone with a smile on her face. She seemed genuinely impressed by the knowledge and confidence of the 14 year old kid in front of her.
"Okay then there are only two more items to work out. The first is that I want you to hire Kaleb to be the porter for the trip, he was lost in the desert for some time and hasn't fully recovered, so I think the trip will help him recuperate his strength. We will split the weight between us. Also neither of us will enter the Tomb. We will guide you to the entrance and wait for you outside until you are done."
"I don't have a problem with either of those requirements since we will only be going into the upper floors. But, wouldn't it be safer to stay with us warriors than remain unguarded at the entrance all alone?" Salarime asked with a slightly teasing look of concern.
"Me and Kaleb can take care of ourselves. If you agree, we can work the payment out with Numen." Ameri didn't seem to take her bait at all. Which once again surprised Kaleb, who thought that Ameri was the exact type of person to fall for such teasing.
The details of payment were worked out quite quickly between Ameri, Numen and Salarime. Kaleb and Elroth just watched silently from the side as the trio briefly haggled. Kaleb felt it would take a long time, but Salarime put up almost no struggle at all and a very generous deal was made in no time.
"Excellent!" Salarime said, her mood unchanged by the one sided deal.
"When do we leave?" Ameri asked in a particularly good mood, bouncing a pouch with their down payment in it.
"We leave tomorrow. The sooner we go the sooner we can get back." She said, giving them a grin as she headed to the door, flanked by her vice-captain. "We will see you at dawn tomorrow at the north gate."
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