Hunter's Bounty (Veller) Read Free Page B

paper were older than Kile as she pulled another one off.
    It was faded and difficult to read but had something to do with a lost book, the date on the script read 1232. Kile was sure whoever lost the book fifty years ago would have found it by now if they were still alive, but she pocketed the script just in case. At least now she could see the back of the board, even if it was just one small corner. She pulled off another script. This one was a little newer. It was only thirty years old. The script was a request for a guide to lead someone to the town of Shrop. If they hadn’t gone in the last thirty years, they’ll probably never go. She slipped the paper into her pocket as well and looked back to the board for something a little more recent.
    “So, found Mrs. Mill er’s cat.”
    She spun around to see old Kane standing behind the reception window, his tufts of gray hair sticking out over his ears, his thin wired rimmed glasses perched on the end of his rather large bulbous nose.
    “How did you know?” She asked. She knew Hunter’s were renowned for their ability to gather information, but she had only just dropped the cat off. Kane said nothing as he pointed to his neck and Kile remembered the red scarf.
    “Was that your payment?” The old man asked.
    It was difficult to tell if Samuel Kane was mad or not since he always spoke in the same monotone voice. It never fluctuated. It never rose or fell it just stayed at that same level, as if he didn’t really care one way or the other… about anything.
    “You do realize that the Guild requires a ten percent finder’s fee on the completion of all open scripts.”
    “Well… yeah I know, but she wouldn’t have been able to afford the fee.”
    “You will find many people who request the services of the Hunters are unable to afford the fees, which is why there are so many open scripts on the board.”
    “But does that mean we should just ignore them? They ask for our help, how can we just turn our backs on them?”
    “That is what the guild expects us to do.” Kane replied. “It is not for us to question the regulations of the council, only to see them through.”
    “But that's just not right. I thought we were supposed to help all the people, not just the wealthy… or the powerful.”
    “And we try.”
    “Then what about this?” She asked, pulling the small piece of paper out of her pocket. “A book, all this guy wanted was help to find a missing book, and his request has been posted on the board for the last fifty years.”
    Kane took the paper from Kile’s hand and had to adjust his glasses a few times in order to read the script.
    “This was posted by a Mr. Kraght.” He said as he looked over the rims of his glasses at Kile.
    “Is he still looking for his book?” She asked.
    “I doubt it.” Kane replied as he crumbled the small piece of paper in his hand and tossed it in the general direction of his waist paper basket. It never made it. “Mr. Kraght has been dead these past twelve years.”
    “What about this one, a request for an escort to Shrop.”
    “From a Mrs. Atkins.” Kane replied without even looking at the paper.
    “Well?” She asked when he didn’t say anything more.
    “She didn’t succeed.”
    Kile didn’t have to ask what she didn’t succeed at. Mrs. Atkins, most likely, tried to get to Shrop by herself, without the aide of a Hunter to guide her. Whether she got lost or worse, Kile didn’t want to know.
    “Then why are we here?” She asked. “If it’s not to help the average person, why are we here?”
    “I am here to run this guild house, you are here to carry out assignments evaluated and posted by the Guild.”
    “Well, it doesn’t look as if I’m doing much in that area.”
    “On the contrary, we have just received a request for a delivery.”
    “But I thought the Guild put a freeze on all deliveries until they got to the bottom of the disappearances.”
    “On all Class E deliveries, this is a Class