Chapter 6: Hunter's Path Begins
...
Gray light poured through the inn's grimy window, painting streaks across the uneven floorboards. Rylan sat at the edge of the bed, eyes half-open, breath slow and steady. Esdeath was already awake, seated in the chair across from him with one leg crossed over the other, sipping from a chipped porcelain cup of bitter black tea.
Neither of them spoke right away.
The events of the last few days clung to them like the sweat of a long fight: Barkridge, the shattered den of thugs, the blood-soaked floor, the quiet kiss that hadn't led to more, but still changed something between them.
Rylan's gaze settled on her.
She noticed.
"What is it?" she asked, setting the cup down.
"I'm still not sure if I'm becoming a bounty hunter," he said, voice low, "or just a guy following the scariest woman I've ever met."
Esdeath didn't flinch. "Is there a difference?"
He thought about it, then grinned. "Maybe not."
She stood. "Then let's make it official."
They left Barkridge by midday.
There was no farewell, no one to stop them or thank them. Just the wind at their backs and the dusty road beneath their feet.
Their destination was Grayport—a coastal trading city several hours east, known for its bounty board, marine presence, and relative safety compared to lawless towns like Barkridge. It was where real hunters went to earn their name.
As they walked, Rylan asked, "What does being a bounty hunter even mean in a world like this? It's not like I'm trying to be a hero."
"You're not," Esdeath replied calmly. "But taking down threats for reward money serves a purpose. Survival, skill development, funding your growth... and testing yourself."
He nodded slowly.
That made sense.
Grayport's silhouette emerged just before sunset.
It was a sprawling harbor town, built on layers of stone and timber, with three major docks and rows of tidy, weather-worn houses. Flags bearing the marine crest flapped from watchtowers, and even from a distance, Rylan could smell grilled fish, gunpowder, and salt.
They crossed the gate without issue.
No one questioned a young man with a calm expression and a tall, imposing woman in a long coat. If anything, people gave them space. Esdeath's presence was that sharp.
Their first stop: the Bounty Registry Office.
The building stood firm and official near the main square, with two marines guarding the door and dozens of wanted posters flapping on boards outside. Pirates, thieves, and rogue marines—all faces of desperation and danger. Each face had a number underneath it.
"I don't even recognize most of them," Rylan said.
"You will," Esdeath murmured.
Inside, the registry smelled of old ink and worn leather. A line of rough-looking bounty hunters stood in line. Some looked like grizzled warriors. Others—young, cocky, overconfident.
They approached the counter.
The clerk was an old man with a bald head and half-moon spectacles. He barely looked up.
"Name?"
"Rylan Graves," he replied. "I want to register."
"Got proof of past bounty work?"
Esdeath stepped forward, pulling a sealed scroll from her coat. She handed it over.
The clerk unrolled it, scanning the contents. He looked up, blinked twice, and raised an eyebrow.
"You're the one that took down Kragg's Mudfangs in Barkridge?"
"We handled them," Rylan said, trying to sound humble.
The clerk reached under the desk, pulled out a silver-etched badge, and slid it across.
[Bounty License acquired.]
"Welcome to the registry," the clerk said. "Don't die."
That evening, they rented a room above a bakery—quiet, modest, clean. No rats. Two windows. One bed.
They stood at the window, looking down on the quiet stone roads lit by oil lanterns.
"This feels different," Rylan said. "Like I've taken a step into something real."
"You have," Esdeath said, arms folded. "Now you're a hunter. You choose who you become from here."
Rylan turned to her. "Then I choose this. One target at a time. Until I become someone who can survive this world."
She nodded.
He didn't notice her smile.
The next day, they returned to the bounty office.
Rylan stared at the wall of wanted posters.
Most were low-level bounties—pickpockets, dock thieves, drunk pirates, men who owed taxes. But then one name stood out.
Virago Nix
Bounty: 28,000 Berries
Crimes: Arson, extortion, assaulting a marine officer
Location: Grayport Warehouse District
"She's not small-time," Rylan said.
"She's fast," Esdeath added. "And cruel."
Rylan looked at her. "Do you think I'm ready for something like this?"
"You'll learn. And I'll cover your back."
He nodded. "Then let's go."
The warehouse district of Grayport was a crisscross of alleys, rope bridges, stacked crates, and shadowy figures. The sun had just dipped low enough to give everything a dusky orange hue.
Rylan crouched behind a crate, peering through the gaps.
"There," Esdeath said softly. "Red hair. Black vest. Two blades. Left leg favoring the right."
Virago Nix. She was standing among six others, laughing, tossing knives at a barrel.
Rylan's fingers clenched around his sword hilt.
"I'll draw her out. You cut off the exits," he whispered.
Esdeath nodded.
He stepped out from the shadows.
"Virago Nix!"
She turned, blinked, then grinned like a predator. "Look what we got here."
"You're coming with me. Bounty office wants your pretty face on a cell wall."
"Or maybe I'll carve yours up instead."
Her blades flashed. Her goons charged.
Rylan ducked under the first attacker, slammed a knee into his gut, then parried a blade from the second. A third one caught his shoulder with a graze, but before he could react, the man froze—literally.
Esdeath had entered.
With a flick of her wrist, ice erupted along the walls, sealing the alley exits. She moved like liquid death, slashing and freezing with brutal elegance.
Rylan caught Virago's eye just as she lunged at him.
Fast. Too fast.
He raised his sword just in time, barely deflecting her first slash. She spun, feinted, and stabbed low. He blocked again—sloppy but effective.
Then Esdeath was behind her, whispering: "Too slow."
A shard of ice pressed against Virago's throat.
She stopped.
Dropped her weapons.
Later, at the registry, the same clerk handed Rylan a small pouch.
"Virago Nix, huh? Not bad for a rookie. Try not to let it go to your head."
Rylan accepted the pouch.
[Bounty complete: 28,000 Berries earned.]
Back at the inn, they split the coins onto the bed.
"I feel... different," Rylan said. "Like something changed in me."
"You've crossed a threshold," Esdeath said. "Now you're not just someone summoned. You're someone who makes his own choices."
He looked at her. "Are you proud of me?"
She leaned in, brushing a finger down his cheek. "Very."
No teasing this time. Just warmth.
That night, they lay beside each other, silent, the weight of their first real victory settling into their bones.
Tomorrow, there would be more bounties.
More blood.
More choices.
But tonight, they were just two people sharing a quiet room above the sea.
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By Ecstasy Crown