"Let's play! I'll be the Hunter!"
"No, I'll be the Hunter!"
"No! You were the Hunter last time!"
"No, I wasn't! Remember? 'Cause I fell when you were chasing me and I skinned my knee, and momma came out and said that that was enough playing for today."
"Nuh-uh!"
"Uh-huh!"
"Liar!"
"Take that back!"
"Liarliarliarliarliarliarliarliarliarliarliarliarliarliarliarliar---"
"HEY!"
The two disputers stopped their argument and looked for the source of the shout. Standing in front of them was another of their playmates.
"Hey, Jo."
"What's all the noise for? You guys woke up Leyma."
The disputers hung their heads."Sorry, Jo."
"So? What was all the noise????"
The older of the two spoke up. "Well, we were gonna play Hunters and Villians and Nani wanted to be hunter but I wanted to be hunter then Nani said that I was hunter yesterday, but I wasn't and--"
"You were Hunter yesterday!"
"No, I wasn't!!"
"Yeah, you were!"
The two began bickering again.
"HEY. HEEEYYYY!!"
The arguing stopped abruptly.
"Now, how about I be the hunter and the problem's solved?" Jo crossed his arms.
The younger of the two disputers scowled. "That's not fair! Aren't you already a hunter??"
"No, worms for brains," Jo replied, "I'm only 12. I can't be a hunter for at least three years."
"Oh. Okay. You can be the hunter, then."
"Tek? Any problems?"
"No, go ahead." the older Motabian replied.
"Good."
With that, the daily game of Hunters and Villains began.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was that day that echoed in Jo's mind as he opened the doors of the Hunter's Guild. The sun shone against the back of the old building, giving it a divine glow. Rappies chirped in the distance. Across the stream that separated the Hunters' District from the rest of the city, children could be heard laughing. From inside the guild, a returning hunter was singing. The peace here is almost eerie, thought the Motabian.
"Jo! You're back in one piece, I see!" the receptionist greeted him.
"Yeah, I couldn't get hurt unless there were cute nurses to help me out," Jo joked. It doesn't help that the mission was to retrieve a lost pet, he added to himself.
"Oh, Jo; one day a 'cute girl' will get you in trouble. Then what?" the receptionist laughed.
"Then I'd let her get me in trouble!" Jo winked at the receptionist.
The receptionist's face grew serious."Okay, back to business," she said, "Very recently, there have been reports of hunters going missing and then turning up as stone."
"Yeah, I've heard those." Jo said, unconcerned.
"Investigators-- and by investigators I mean Espers-- have suspected the newcomers."
"Newcomers? Like those guys that came on that spaceship?"
"Yeah. They believe that the Camineet Project's leader is behind all of the issues that Motabia is facing."
"Wait. You really think one man is disturbing the weather, stirring up biomonsters, and turning high-class hunters to stone?"
"Well, that's what--"
"You guys are stupid."
"So, you--"
"BUT, I would like to investigate this. Besides, Randrick owes me 600 meseta and stone meseta doesn't seem to have any worth here. So..."
"You're not planning on trying to free them, are you?" the receptionist inquired, alarmed.
"Not this instant. I figured I'd have a drink, talk to a few of the dancers, get a good night's rest, then be on my merry little way. Why?"
"That's suicide!!!!"
"Naw. That's what we hunters call a good game. Do you know how long I've waited to go on an assignment like this? VERY LONG. I'm 29 years old and the most dangerous assignment I've had was rodeo-riding a sand worm."
"That sounds dangerous enough."
"Well it's not. What's wrong, babe, are you afraid that you'll never see me again?"
The receptionist blushed."Ugh, no! Just go on your assignment. I was just trying to feed you a little common sense, that's all." She straightened her papers and scratched out the phrase "Find lost mole" on the top sheet. "Here's your commission for your completed assignment," she recited gravely and handed Jo 1000 meseta.
The blue hunter sat at the bar and stretched his arms. "It feels so good to sit here again." He ordered a glass of water (respectable Motabians don't drink alcohol) and reminisced about his childhood days; days when hunters would walk by his village and he would imagine himself in their uniforms going on adventures like Tylon, Rudger, Rudy and Lyla did. He thought about all of his sisters --no brothers-- that supported his decision because not very many native Motabians became hunters and the promise he made to his youngest sister,Leeku, that he'd marry a princess.
After hours of memories, Jo got up from his place at the bar table and put on his yellow coat. "Well, that's enough of the past; let's go make history," he reminded himself.
The hunter made his way to the Hunter's Armor shop (the civilians had their own shop) and repaired his * and hand guards. Following that, he sharpened his axe blade at the Hunter's weapon shop. Jo looked at his reflection in the stream. Red eyes stared back at him. "Well, Jo," he told his reflection, "I think you're the only Motabian that can make red eyes look handsome."
Newly sharpened axe in hand, the hunter began his journey to New Mile to free his comrades.
