"Land… finally…" The moment they arrived at the port, Laura collapsed to her knees. Her face was pale and weathered, her hair disheveled. It looked like she hadn't taken care of herself for days despite the flight having been just a few hours. "C'mon now, thay doesn't suit a rich young lady like you." Drake said, his voice oozing with sarcasm."Shut up!" Laura turned to him with a glare. "You don't know how it feels!""And I don't care." Drake said, his friendly expression having vanished. "Now make yourself useful.""Alright alright." Laura said, getting up and dusting her knees. "This doesn't look like a kingdom to me." Said Drake, observing the surroundings."This is the port city Ironside. Yes it has the same name as the island." Laura replied, her eyes rolling."There are quite a few mines around here, hence the name." Roland added."Then we should get going. We don't have much time." Drake began walking but stopped after a few steps. The other two weren't moving, they just s
"So this is a mainland branch of the Hunters association, huh…" Drake craned his neck looking at the huge building towering over him. Massive couldn't begin to describe its size, dwarfing everything in the vicinity. It was white and had a trace of the Roman architecture with giant pillars everywhere. The doors were huge with hundreds walking in and out, some looking like the typical Hunter while others appearing to be normal civilians."And I thought the last one was huge…" Drake commented."I get you." Roland said with a nod. "Unlike the branches on the islands, the ones here on the mainland cover a much bigger area with many more magical zones. Not to mention, many of the hunter related businesses are handled here as well, from the buying and selling of materials to quests that don't involve hunting beasts.""I see…""Hey, c'mon! Let's get this done with!" Laura called, already standing by the entrance."You sure are excited huh?" Seven said."Excited? Not in the least. If anything
Laura extended her hand and touched the golden sphere. A couple of seconds passed and nothing happened, but then it was slowly overtaken by an orange color starting from the bottom of the sphere until it reached the top covering it completely."Whoa…" As they watched a wave of hot air suddenly washed over everyone in the room. Drake's eyes went wide as he observed what happened. He could feel something from the device, though he couldn't really tell what it was.After a few more seconds the employee watching over the terminal turned to Laura and told her it was fine to take her hand off now. The girl backed away and the association chairman walked over to the terminal. A minute or so later he returned with Laura's tag and a piece of paper in his hand."Congratulations, lady Hellfire." The chairman said, his face practically beaming. "You've passed the first selection." Laura stayed composed for a moment, taking the paper into her hand and looking it over. Then, as if her mind had j
The moment Drake touched the sphere its surface suddenly turned black. A sinister aura wasked over the room making everyone present feel a kind of terror they had forgotten about. The fear of darkness. "What in the world…" the chairman muttered, finally realizing that he might've mistreated the wrong person.The employee operating the terminal was the most horrified. Not only because he was the closest to the source of the dark sinister aura but also because he could see what was causing it. He glanced over at the association chairman, eyes wide and face pale. Despite his fear the old man walked over to the terminal, just then Drake took his hand off the sphere thinking there was no need for him to keep touching it."What's wrong?" Drake asked, having walked back to where the other two were."You…" Laura began, but the words got stuck in her throat.Before he could prob her for any more answers the chairman returned with his tag and the paper showing his status. The nervousness on h
"So in the end we still have to make it to Ouroboros, huh?" Drake said as the other two followed behind him."Well, we technically are in Ouroboros." Laura said. "We have to reach the the capital though, which will be a pain.""Well, since we're already registered there is no need to hurry, right?" Drake replied."No, we have to get there as soon as possible. Arriving early is much better than risking being late."And that's why they headed for the stables. According to the pink haired girl the trip to the capital could be shortened to one day if they go with horses. Drake protested saying he doesn't know how to ride a horse, however Laura was adamant on using this method and it didnt appear like she'd back off alanytime soon. After settling on Drake riding with one of the other two they rented teo horses. Their hunter tags proved useful in this occasion as it granted them such privileges, though with Laura being the daughter of a Nobel and the wealth they'd accumulated recently a ho
After a few more hours on the road Drake was finally able to spot the capital of Ouroboros kingdom."Wow…" Drake couldn't help being surprised. Though it was still aboun an hour away the sheer size of the settlement shocked him to no end. Dragon's Head was completely different from the cities they've passed this far. The walls surrounding it looked to be twnty meters tall made of giant stones. It had four gates pointing at each of the cardinal directions, behind them were the different districts of the city; the south was the commoners' area, the west was the merchants and craftsmen area were most of the inns and taverns would be as well. The east was the upper class quarters were the rich lived away from those they considered beneath them. Then there is the north were the king's castle and the nobles quarters were located.It was impossible to couldn how many buildings were stuffed inside those walls. Most of them were three stories or higher which made them look huge when compared
"This place makes me nervous." Drake said, his eyes moving around nonstop."I should've guessed." Laura smiled wryly. "You came from the lower islands, right? Well, not that everyone from the mainland can afford to eat here."The girl had once again used her family's influence to get them a reservation at one of the most luxurious restaurants in the capital. It was built atop a certain hill that placed it on a higher ground than the rest of the buildings. It had an open roof where the table they were led to was. The scenery from there was stunning with the lamps and torches painting the streets in an orange glow that was pleasant to the eye.A waitress came by to take their orders. As always Drake chose a simple meat dish while Laura ordered some soup first. The good arrived after a few minutes and Drake looked somewhat disappointed with what he got.The steak was clearly high quality made of the best meat available and cooked to perfection. The sauce accompanying it looked decent as
"So, where did you disappear last night?" Drake asked Roland. The tall guy's head was swaying and his face lacked color."Went drinking." Roland said. "I think I went too far." Laura said. "Don't worry about it. The only thing that's bothering me is that I had to drink alone." The three were raiding a carriage down a dirt road. Thick woods surrounded them on both sides with plants Drake had never seen before, although most seemed recognizable at first. Sounds of beasts and animals could be heard in the distance. Birds singed under the sun and cicadas like insects filled the area with their loud and somewhat annoying sounds."You could've tagged along with us then." Drake said, well aware that Roland was feeling lonely now that Loki and Edith had went their own separated ways. It'll take a while for him to get used to the new normal, until then he'll have to drink his alcohol alone."I didn't want to be a third wheel." Roland said glancing at the two.Laura blushed and Drake allowed