Breaking in a New World

The Summoning of the Hero was an event that commonly would be announced to the entire population of the country and a celebration would be held to accommodate the new arrival. However, since the Hero turned out to be a no-nonsense, hardened bounty hunter with no sense of decorum, the King and Princess issued a proclamation to never speak of the summoning of this man as it would cause their prestige to fall before the other countries. 

Therefore, Richard Wolf, the Summoned Hero, was given free rein to do what he needed to do to find and defeat the Demon Lord. He had told them that he’d defeated many more Demon Lords before and he would do it on his terms, so they had to at least let him do his job.

Once outside the castle, Richard was directed to the tavern by one of the guards. The security around the castle was wary of him and gave him a wide berth. The grizzled bounty hunter didn’t mind this since all he cared about was to get things started in this world. He needed information, a steady income, a base of operations and a posse to help him track down his bounty and kill it. It would take some time, but he was no stranger to starting small.

While he walked from the castle into the busy streets of the city, he kept his eyes sharp as he took in everything he saw. This land was the same as most other “starting areas” he’d encountered: people seemed prosperous in a way, there were people of different races like elves, dwarves, beastmen and other hybrid species, low-level of technology, high-dependency on Magic and an overall ignorance of what was happening outside of their little country. 

Same ol’ same…

So the bounty hunter decided to take a walk around town to get acquainted with the environment. Wanted to know where he could get supplies, where he could do a little trade to get some starting money and start getting things ready for the hunt. People who came across his path noticed him and preferred to stay away from him. His outlandish outfit and hardened appearance made him look somewhat intimidating to the common people.

He found himself a trader of goods and went through the door. As expected, the trader was a bit wary of the newcomer but was eager to see if this stranger could make a trade. To the trader’s surprise, the stranger wanted to exchange some high quality jewels he’d never seen before and wanted to make sure he could get a modest amount of coins for them. The trader wasn’t sure if this stranger was a sucker or just unaware of how trading works. But he decided to not be judgmental of the newcomer just yet. While the trader was making his calculations and gathering some coins, Richard asked him a couple of questions based on the fact that he was “an Outlander who’s just arrived in town and fallen on tough times”. The trader could see in the sardonic smirk the stranger had that he was half-joking, half-serious. Sharing a laugh, the trader indulged the Outlander and encouraged him to ask what he liked.

An hour later, Richard left the trader’s establishment with more confidence on his face. He’d just made a new contact in this city and would help him in his pursuit of his target. The trader had explained to him the way things worked in this country and its commonalities: the coin that was used and if it was good anywhere else in the world, simple laws to take into consideration, the worth of simple survival supplies, and where he could find the Adventurer’s Guild for future reference. Along with the money he had collected from the sales of the jewels, he got a couple of maps of the surrounding area, the country and the current continent. This would help him on these first few days.

Next up, he headed to the tavern. Can’t start a hunt without a proper drink and a proper meal. The Rowdy Bull tavern would take notice of the stranger that walked through its door and all patrons would take a long look at this oddly dressed guy. The bartender would take a look at him as the stranger sat down by the bar and let out a heavy sigh.

The bartender was wary of the odd guy, but his gruff manners and simple requests made him easier to handle than most of the patrons that demanded service. The stranger had requested the best drink they had and some food and paid more than was expected for the sake of getting some information about the city. 

Based on his experience, Richard knew for a fact that taverns had the most information to provide, even if they were just rumors, hearsay or wild made-up stories. Sifting through the rumors to find facts was part of his job, however. The bartender wasn’t too keen on sharing “privileged information” to a stranger. But the fact he was willing to pay for it, no matter how far-fetched it might be, made it a simple business transaction. 

Mr. Ador, the bartender and owner of the tavern, provided him with a few snippets of information regarding the things that had been happening around the city and outside its walls from what he’d heard from other adventurers and patrons who visited the tavern quite frequently. Richard made a note to keep this place in mind to gather information when needed. He paid an extra gold coin for services rendered, and knew he could squeeze more information out of Mr. Ador’s greedy fingers if the right amount of coins was placed in them.

The owner had mentioned that the Adventurer’s Guild was close to the northern gate of the City and was easy to get to if one followed the main street. Sure enough, Richard took to walking down the street while keeping an eye on everything that caught his attention. He would come across street vendors from time to time and would browse through their wares only to get an idea of the types of food and goods they were offering. Despite his outlandish appearance and rugged demeanor, he wasn’t overly rude or intimidating. Children would often stare at him making their parents concerned that this stranger might be a bad person. But the bounty hunter simply smirked at the children, tipped his hat to them and nodded in greeting. It would take time for this city to get used to him. For him though, it would be a matter of hours.

The Adventurers Guild was as busy as it was in every world and every country he’d visited before. Youngsters coming and going through the door, bursting with excitement and hope that they would make it big in this world as adventurers. Richard smirked at their enthusiasm and hoped they would achieve their little goals, even if reality wasn’t as optimistic as they were.

As he entered the Guild, there were some people who took notice of the newcomer. Some of the young adventurers were sizing him up immediately trying to figure out if he was some veteran adventurer or just a weirdo in a hat. Some of the female adventurers were suddenly drawn to the rough looking man who walked in with an air of danger and mystery. But for the few veteran adventurers that were watching him, they could see that this guy was a true professional.

The stranger approached the main desk where a pretty looking city elf girl took notice of him and gave him a welcoming smile. But he could also smell that she was a bit apprehensive of him.

“Welcome to the Adventurer’s Guild of Alcainez. My name is Alana, I’m a guild representative. How can I help you, mister?”

Richard approached a bit closer up to the point where the girl thought he was about to grab and to steal her away. The overly-excited imagination of the elven girl got the better of her as she imagined this ruggedly handsome rogue was going to ravage her.

“Err… miss?”

Alana opened her eyes and noticed that the man had stopped a good distance away from her as he simply leaned against the table and was looking at her with a puzzled expression. The girl realized that she had let her imagination run wild again and blushed profusely with embarrassment.

“I-I’m sorry! I was just thinking something… nevermind!” She smacked herself on both cheeks and recomposed herself. The man simply chuckled in good humor which made her feel all the more embarrassed. “Ahem! You were saying?”

Richard cleared his throat and spoke in a hushed tone so that only Alana could hear him.

“My name’s Richard Wolf, and I know it’s a bit unconventional, Miss Alana, but is there any way I could speak with the Guild Master? I need to speak directly with the top brass… it’s a matter of the country’s safety.”

Alana was puzzled by this request, but at the same time, she’d heard these grand posturings from some hot-shot adventurers claiming that they were going to save the country and the world, only to end up quitting the adventurer's life due to laziness or injuries. Now this stranger was coming in and trying to pull this on her?

“Mr. Wolf, while I’m sure you have quite a story to tell, I must request that you don’t waste the Guild’s time with lies. The Guild Master is a busy person and we cannot simply cater to the needs of every adventurer or handsome stranger that came in here.”

“You think I’m handsome, Miss Alana?” Wolf smirked and arched an eyebrow at her.

After she caught her words, her face exploded with embarrassment again as she stammered to try to control herself. Richard chuckled in good humor and waved his hand to try to calm her down. “I know you must’ve heard this story a million times, but I bet you’ve never heard mine yet. Tell you what, I tell you my incredibly short story, and if you’ve never heard it like I told you before, you do the best you can to arrange a meeting with the Guild Master to talk to me. But if I lose? Then I’ll never bother you again, and you’ll never see me around the Guild. Deal?”

Alana was suddenly quite interested in what Mr. Wolf was going to say. She had been a Guild Receptionist for a little over 5 years. And while she was still young by elven standards, humans would consider her a mature and experienced woman. Sadly, she was just experienced in matters of the Guild, so she had heard all kinds of stories before. But if this man could tell her something new, then it might be worth a laugh at least.

“Very well, Mr. Wolf. It’s a deal. Now, what do you have to tell me?” Alana leaned in so one of her long pointed ears could clearly hear what he was going to say. 

The bounty hunter leaned in making sure only she would be able to listen to him.

Then she heard it…

Some people were watching this interaction with mild curiosity since they were too busy with their own affairs to even care. They were all noisy and didn’t care for what this odd looking man could be saying. But for Alana, who heard what he said, the color was drained from her face. She stared at him with both astonishment and fear. All he did was smirk softly and nod. Seconds later, Alana asked Richard to please wait in the common hall while she tried to get the Guild Master for him. The bounty hunter uttered his thanks and walked over to where the rest of the adventurers were gathered.

Finding a table and a stool, he sat down and set his hat aside while taking out a cigarette and lighting it. Getting the attention of a rowdy adventurer, a tough looking warrior stood up and approached the newcomer with a petulant expression. He was followed by two girls who were urging the big guy to just leave the stranger alone. But he wouldn’t listen. The young man reached the stranger while he was smoking and made his presence known with a loud stomping of his foot.

“Oi! What’re you doing here, old man? This table’s for members of the Adventurer’s Guild. And you ain’t one of us are you?” The tough looking kid was making sure his voice was loud and booming.

“Vaugh! Don’t make a scene! Just leave this man alone! He’s not bothering anyone…” One of the girls, who looked like a magic-user, was trying her best to diffuse the situation and pulled on the warrior’s arm.

“She’s right. Just leave him be. I don’t mind him sitting around here.” The other girl, who looked like an archer-type, spoke out with a flat tone of voice.

“Shuddup you two! I’m the leader of this party and I’m the one who’s gonna set this guy straight!” He pushed the magic-user girl aside which made her fall on the floor with the other girl moving in to help her. 

When Vaugh turned around to look at the guy again, what he saw was the frightening gaze of the man staring at him with murderous intent as he grabbed him by the throat and slammed his head, face-first, into the table. Then the stranger grabbed Vaugh’s arm and twisted it behind his back which made the young warrior wail in agony. The stranger leaned in and almost growled in Vaugh’s ear.

“Say whatever you want to me, boy. But if you disrespect a lady like that again, and I hear about it, then I’ll bleed you with this.” Then the stranger showed him a large Bowie knife with a black blade and passed it in front of Vaugh’s eyes which made the young warrior soil his pants. “Get your ass out of here, boy. Before I decide to teach you some manners… and change out of your diapers.” 

He then pushed Vaugh away which made him stumble and crash along the way as he whimpered away, pulling at his pants and holding his bleeding nose. Richard sighed heavily and shook his head. Putting his knife away, he turned to the young ladies and approached them.

The magic-user was rubbing her hip while the archer girl was trying to help her. Then the stranger approached and offered a hand to them. “Are you young ladies alright?”

The girls looked up to him and, like some teenager’s love stories, they became smitten by the mature looking man who stood up for their honor. Accepting his help, the girls uttered their thanks. “You know, you two ladies could do better than hanging out with a bully like him. At least someone with better bladder control.”

The girls laughed softly at the comment as the man sat back down and put his cigarette out. “Would you ladies care to join me? I’m new in town, and I could use a few pointers.”

“I’d be glad to!” The magic-user girl smiled and was all too eager to talk to the man who had put Vaugh in his place. The archer girl smiled and accepted the invitation, so they both sat with the newcomer for a chat.

Richard was already creating his small network of contacts and friends in the city. By having a trader at the ready, an information broker like Mr. Ador, and adventurers with a bit of experience, he would build his strength little by little. 

The girls were a treasure trove of information as they told him about each other, their interests, the kinds of quests they partook on and some of the latest news regarding adventurers. He, in return, gave them a few tips on how to survive in the outdoors, a few tricks on how to set a proper escape, and how to use magic in creative and practical ways. He even suggested they should try to find a different vanguard party member since Vaugh wasn’t going to be of much help to them given his personality. He’d suggested finding a Holy Knight or a warrior coming from a strong moral tradition. The girls considered these options and were quick to take note of his suggestions. When the subject of him being a veteran adventurer came to light, he simply answered that he’d been working as an adventurer for a long time in many other countries, which is why he knew his way around and knew how to defend himself.

“Awesome! You must be amazing while on the job! By the way, what’s your class Mr. Wolf?” The magic-user asked while waiting for his answer. The archer nodded at the question and wanted to hear the answer too.

“My ‘class’ is Bounty Hunter.” He could tell by the look in the girls’ faces that they had no idea what he was talking about. “You could say it’s one of those hybrid classes that mixes a lot of things from other classes, like ranger, thief, rifleman and such. We do a lot of everything in order to track our target, capture it or kill it, depending on the conditions of the request taken.”

“I’ve never heard of such a class. Must be unique to where you come from.” The archer spoke with a laconic tone of voice which Wolf found refreshing.

“I agree with her! Bounty Hunters may not be that common in this country. I’m not sure if this might hinder your request options, Mr. Wolf. I think the Duchy of Hidalgo actually does handle bounty hunters, but none of them look like you.” The magic-user had an honest and earnest way of speaking. Wolf appreciated that, considering the types of people he’s dealt with.

“That won’t be a problem, ladies. But I do appreciate your concern for an old man like me.” Wolf smirked at them which made them blush a bit. “Tell you what. Since you two have been really nice to me, and gave me some ideas on how to move forward around here, whenever I’m not on a job and you two need another party member, I’ll help out. Free of charge.”

“Oh! We wouldn’t do that! We appreciate your willingness to help, but everyone should have a fair share of the reward!” The magical girl was quite outspoken when her emotions got the best of her.

“It’s true. Everyone gets a fair share. Even if you’re just helping out.” The archer girl smiled softly, which was the first time Richard had seen it.

“Alright then. We have a deal then. When you ladies need my help, you let me know. I’ll help you out.” He held out his hands to them and they both shook them. A friendly deal was struck between the three of them which made Richard smile inwards, as his plans were slowly coming to fruition. A few moments later, Alana reappeared with a rushed step and approached the trio.

“Mr. Wolf? The Guild Master will see you now.”

“Time to talk to the brass. I’ll see you two ladies later.” He stood up, winked at the two girls who giggled at the Bounty Hunter’s antics, and followed Alana upstairs to the Guild Master's office.