A top-tier hunter could kill a normie with the flick of a finger. Good thing I tipped the owner off to leave beforehand. Only hunters got caught in the mix.
Our clan’s motto was “No harming the normies.” Destroyed buildings could be rebuilt, but not even the best Clerics in the empire could raise the dead.
I continued poring over the article, noting with relief that there was no mention of Grieving Souls. We had somewhat of a rapport with The Times thanks to all of the crazy stunts my fellow Grievers had pulled in the past. Thankfully, they often let us off lightly.
But these freaks, members of the clan or hopefuls, sure didn’t know how to pull punches. Even I hadn’t expected them to dive head first into such a bombshell of a brawl over such a low-rank Relic. Why’d they have to go and wreck the building?
Eva, unaware of the details, glared at me through her glasses. “I was told you added fuel to the fire.”
“Well, that wasn’t my intention. It was already an inferno in there, just for the record.”
As far as I knew, the recruitment event had given way to the chaos, but that’s meatheads for you. I hadn’t caught the outcome of the event because I’d got out of there as soon as the tables started flying. Heck, Li’l Gilbert had been taken out right off the bat by Tino. All hunters were extremely volatile. A little bit of heat was all it took for them to blow sky-high.
Jeez, let me move away from all this.
“How’s Ark taking it?” I asked.
“I just saw him in the lounge, chortling at the front page. I don’t think he’s heartbroken.”
That guy could really roll with the punches. He wasn’t even bothered by such a blatant dig—that was the mark of a true hero. At the end of the day, there was more to it than brute strength. I was grateful Ark Brave was our second fiddle. On numerous occasions, they’d saved our collective butts. Anyway, Ark’s reaction settled it. We’d be fine.
I tossed the paper aside and kicked my feet up on the table, letting the silver chain I’d left atop it clink. All set, I began polishing my signature rings as Eva held her temples in frustration.
“What about compensation for the bar?”
“Bill Ark for it. Don’t forget to account for any lost revenue. That was the deal when we rented the place.”
“The Association also has a thing or two to say.”
“Handle it however.”
By now, I was accustomed to the Association’s reprimands. I used to barf in my mouth at every word they sent, but with members like these, the complaints were year-round. For the sake of my digestive health, I couldn’t afford to barf every time we got one.
Keeping up the cool bravado, I kept at my rings as Eva kept at me.
“They want you to get over there and explain yourself, and, quote-unquote, to ‘get off your lazy ass,’” she added.
“Oh, joy,” I said, feeling knives in my stomach. “Being called up makes me really wanna barf.”
The capital was a city of treasure hunters. Therefore, the largest organization that managed hunters, the Explorers’ Association, held great power here. Like most clans, First Steps was a member of the Association, so there was no getting out of a summons.
Eva sighed at my callous honesty. “You should be used to it by now. How many times has it been?”
“This is one thing I’ll never get used to. Branch manager Gark scares the crap out of me. He’s killed people, no doubt. I just know it.”
“Not this again...”
The Association had branches in every major city, but Gark, head of the capital’s branch, was an ex-hunter. The former freak had switched careers after retiring from hunting, but his strength hadn’t dwindled one bit in his years away from the field.
Gark looked straight up terrifying, and he had no problem putting himself in between packs of fist-fighting hunters. To make matters worse, the man had had our backs since we’d first moved to the capital. My hands were tied.
“Man, this sucks. If I ignore him, he’ll march himself right up here.”
The one time I’d accidentally ignored Gark’s summons had become a huge pain in the behind. Ever since, Gark had remained pretty high up on my “don’t fuck with” list. Besides, his assistant branch manager was a real angel who kept the guy’s wrath in check, so meeting him there would make my life a whole load easier.
I would’ve loved to send someone in my stead, but Eva, who handled practically every aspect of the clan, was no hunter. I couldn’t knowingly send her in there.
“Maybe I’ll have Ark go.”
“Don’t you think you rely too much on him?”
It’s not like I can send anyone else. Strength by no means equals virtue with these hotheads. I sat for a while, desperately racking my brain for any other solution, but to no avail.
“All right. I’ll go if I have to, but only ’cause there’s no other choice. I don’t wanna go out there, especially not without a guard. That disguise Relic of mine isn’t any use either since I busted it.”
If the other Grievers were here, one of them would have tagged along for my protection, but they were currently off taking on another high-level treasure vault, so there was no telling when they’d return.
“You’ll be fine. This is the capital, you know?”
“Spoken like someone who’s never been attacked in the street. Of course, it’s been a while since we kept crushing them.”
I placed my favorite among my newly polished rings onto my index finger and dropped the rest into a bag. From there, I bunched up my chain, fastening it to my belt, and stood up. Better get this out of the way.
Maybe it was time to dust off my showstopping groveling routine.