1 The Tilted Bear

Tired from a long journey on foot, the frontier town Rama was finally in sight, drawing a small cart by hand, Risha and Ziya pick up their pace despite their fatigue. The town of Rama was built inside an old fortress and serves as a base for aspiring hunters looking to tame the danger zones further east. As Risha and Ziya got closer to Rama, they could see it was bustling with activity as an outer wall being built to encompass the extended area of the town outside the main fort.

"Big sis Risha, we're finally here!" Ziya exclaimed as the duo passed the outer gate. Ziya was a petite girl small enough to be mistaken for a young teen, however one would never make this mistake if they were looking at her head on, as her face gave off the impression of a mature beauty. Ziya had flowing long white hair—one of the trademarks of the Thamis family.

"Now to find the place we were told about." Risha replied, standing up straight and alert, scanning her surroundings for signs of her goal. Much like her sister she had white hair, however hers was cut short and flared out, giving her a wild look. She was much taller than her sister, and her body was fit and well toned, giving off the impression of a seasoned warrior. Her face was quite similar to her sister's, however a scar ran across her right cheek to the base of her neck.

The odd pair continued their journey down the main road, flanked by wooden houses and the occasional stall, the outer town was originally a temporary camp to house hunters for their expeditions, but it gradually became a permanent addition to the town, this made the street layout quite confusing at some points. After taking a break and buying a snack from one of the stalls, the sisters found directions to their destination. Cutting through a few cramped streets barely enough for their cart to fit through, they reach a building pressed against the main wall of the town, sandwiched between two larger buildings. Above the main entrance lay a tilted emblem of a bear. At first glance the building seemed like an out of place, run down inn, but it was actually one of the two major hunting guilds in Rama. In fact, the two larger buildings were actually part of the guild, one was lodgings for their hunters while the other one was a warehouse to store whatever useful materials hunted monsters may provide. Leaving Risha with the cart outside, Ziya entered the building.

"Welcome to the Tilted Bear young lady!" A loud, booming voice filled the modestly sized reception room. The owner of a voice was a stout, bearded man with an eye-patch. After eyeing Ziyan and looking somewhat confused, he continued. "What business do you have with us today?"

"Work and lodgings, preferably a highly paid hunt" Ziya stated, with a clam, gentle smile.

Flabbergasted, the man quickly responded. "Girly, hunting ain't and easy job you know?" The man then proceeded to try and convince Ziya hunting was dangerous work. Annoyed, Ziya tried explaining she was already an experienced hunter. A heated exchange prevailed. Finally, the man gave up and told Ziya she'll have to prove to him by taking on a medium risk hunt.

"There has been sightings of a Dawnwolf pack on the roads that lead to Rama, I need you to hunt the queen and the rest of the pack should be easy pickings for the other hunters. But it's not going to be easy, the que—" The man gave out details, only to be cut off halfway by Ziya.

"Is the queen the small and fast one that climbs trees to command the rest of the pack?" the words from Ziya's mouth gave the man a shock.

Before the man could recover, Ziya led him outside to the cart where Risha was waiting and lifted off the tarp covering the contents of the cart. The man then stood there wide eyed in shock, half embarrassed for how he treated Ziya earlier. The cart had hunters equipment and standard traveling supplies, but one thing stood out the most, the carcass of a queen Dawnwolf.

"We were attacked by the pack this morning when we were packing up our camp, in the end we managed to lure one of them into my traps and the pack scattered afterwards." Ziya boasted smugly.

"I apologize for how I treated you earlier, I also thought you were alone. Let's put what just happened under us, and once again, welcome to The Tilted Bear!" The man quickly responded, his face red from embarrassment.