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[dadication]

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[dadication]

Blood beaded through his fingers, coating them from the graze wound, but he still wasn't concerned. He was trying to determine what it was that still held a weapon aimed at him, but had the restraint not to just plug another bolt into him. This was a stand off, one that Jack wasn't certain he was willing to escalate.

"I'm just passing through then," he remarked simply, gesturing with his chin to the mine system that continued on passed the area they were standing in. While the werewolf might not be here now, this mine system was still the fastest route to getting to any other village that had built up around the various exits and entrances. "I expect there's a bounty on you too, but I don't care to bother to collect it or even look into it. I never met you, if you are willing to let me pass."

He knew that in a fight would strain resources but more time. He couldn't afford to be tired going up against a rabid wolf. "You should move on though. There's a wolf on the loose."

[gr1m]

There wasn't a way he could trust that those words held true, and this wouldn't be the first hunter he'd exchanged any with either. He had killed a few stubborn ones that wouldn't leave him or heed every warning he'd given to let them leave with their lives. None of them had really known what he was either, and the rumors didn't pinpoint what the creature that made its home around and within these mines were. He'd made a point of making it difficult, nearly impossible, to truly identify what he was.

So, he couldn't believe this one would just pass through and that would be the end of it. The sound of that crossbow was clear enough that some shift had been made, but not if it had been disarmed or not, still held.

"I've already run up against the wolf, and like I said it's not here anymore." His head tipped, taking another look over this hunter. "It would smell you coming," the blood. "I've been trying to keep it out of these passages."

[dadication]

Jack allowed his chin to tip towards his chest as he considered the words. This creature had survived an encounter with a brain-addled werewolf, which meant this one was either well prepared or just plain tough. That ranked it higher on the list of creatures that this one could be, so perhaps one of the very rare ones.

Still, the information that the wolf wasn't here meant very little to him. The mines were deep and went into multiple countries at one point, but when the various territory wars had broke out, it had been blocked and booby trapped in many shafts to take down whole armies. Now there were so many magical traps it wasn't worth the effort to take an army through. Single people could make it if they were careful or knew how to deal with traps.

"So you're forcing me to go around to another entrance rather than allow me to pass through?" He shook his head, fingers tightening on his wound which had finally stopped bleeding. "I also count on it smelling me. Better me than the villages."

Jack had no problem being both carrot and stick.

[gr1m]

"If you don't want to miss it? Yes." Some of those traps had been reinforced recently, not that he would say, and he wasn't about to lower the crossbow either. Either this man had very little to lose, or was incredibly foolish. "Going through isn't where you will find it, there's a fresher trail elsewhere."

He meant it when he said he'd already dealt with it and kept it out. Apparently this one was going to be stubborn-

"Whoever told you to come here was likely hoping to kill two birds with one stone, so if you actually want to go after this wolf," Leave was at least clear enough in that tone of his. "I already have enough trouble dealing with that damned thing, and I'd rather be rid of it. IF you're skilled you won't have trouble picking up where it's actually gone."

[dadication]

He decided early that it wasn't worth the fight, that he could do more research into this creature and come back if he absolutely had to. It seemed more defensive at this point, just wanting him out rather than wanting to kill him. After all, there had been plenty of opportunities since they had first encountered each other. That crossbow might be pointed at him, but there hadn't been another bolt launched at him.

Jack had no doubt that he could find a fresher trail if one existed. "Fine, I'll find it if it exists. If it doesn't and you're protecting that mad creature, I'll be back for the both of you," he replied before he made the conscious choice to take a step back to make it clear that he would be leaving the way that he had done.

"Also, only a fool listens to one person's advice. I don't trust people, and I don't trust monsters either," he said simply, dropping his hand from his injured side as he began to withdraw. "Stay to your area, and we won't have a problem then."

[gr1m]

There was a low growl, one that resonated around, "You step foot in here again and you won't get a second warning shot, hunter." Said in the same tone that people used for monsters. As far as he was concerned, there was no difference between people, hunters, or monsters.

"Begone."

The fact there still was no second shot, or even advance, at least showed that he was going to let the man leave. Wasn't going to lower the crossbow until he was fully out of this entrance either. Of course his claimed area went far beyond these mines, but he wasn't about to say that either. He had another area to check for himself.

[dadication]

Jack waved a dismissive hand in the air, making it clear that he was leaving. There was no point continuing the conversation when there was a job to do, and really, that's all he lived for these days. "If I step foot in here again, we'll be fighting to the death it seems then," he called as he left. That wasn't necessarily true; he had no reason currently to do more than look into the creature.

He left and did indeed find a fresher trail for the werewolf a few miles away, and he began to hunt it actively. Once the morning hours hit, the wolf would spend the heat of the day hidden and plotting, unless the brain disease had gotten so bad that there was no point than doing anything but attacking. He would simply put the creature out of its misery at that point.

He found the wolf, of course. Silver tipped arrows were used to wound and draw it out to where he had a more advantageous position. It was in bad condition, more wild beast than noble hunter anymore. He worked hard to kill it, taking a few bruises as he was knocked into trees and rocks for his efforts. All the same, he ended the creature's life, took claws and teeth to prove the job was done to collect his pay and left the carcass for the scavengers to have.

Curiosity had him looking into the creature in the cave, and the guild archives were extensive and in-depth. He narrowed it down to a small handful of creatures, but his lack of sight was of detriment sometimes. It wasn't like he could describe acute detail after all, but he had magical impressions of types of life force.

As he suspected, there was a bounty on the creature in the mine network. It had been up for awhile and no one had collected it. All who had tried had failed. All dead. A little digging and he found their death certificates. Two killed with weapons, one turned to stone.

Oh.

Gorgons were rare and considered high skill to kill. Anyone looking at them directly were turned to stone. Because of that, they were hunted to near extinction. How? Their mates and offspring were targeted to draw them out. A hunter to kill a gorgon was paid a King's ransom.

He wasn't interested in the money nor the bounty.

He still returned to the mine system when he had another job close to the area a few weeks later, checking the bounty on that gorgon. Only the high-ups in the guild knew of it, and they were content to leave it be as long as it didn't cause trouble. Still, it seemed a waste not to warn the creature; being blind meant he might be one of the few to survive an encounter.

"I know what you are," he called as he entered the cave and had found a fresh enough trail. "You aren't safe here either. You're better off higher in the mountains to the East. There's another abandoned diamond mine up there."

[gr1m]

Life continued as normal for him, venturing out to hunt his own food and able to mingle amongst village people when he made his one visit, disguised and dressed in a way the protected those from looking at him. A repaired weapon that he didn't have the tools on hand to fix himself, but with that he'd gotten what he needed and spent some gold on other things he would need. Strange looks for his hooded and hidden face and little more.

Most thought of him as some traveling warrior due to the armor he wore under the heavy cloaks and hood. All more meant to hide away what he was and allow him to safely move through people the brief time he spent and then was gone again. None ever made the connection between him and the rumors for the mines and surrounding area.

The time passed didn't have him forget, even once he heard the deranged werewolf had been taken out. Had been waiting to see if that was all there would be to it- before he'd had to chase another creature out of the mine and left it to go another direction wounded enough it wouldn't immediately go after a village.

"Then you should know what patience you're testing, hunter." The voice echoed from within, as if he wasn't that close. He was watching however, from some little space. "Whose to say that isn't already part of my territory," and it wasn't any safer, no where really was.

[dadication]

Jack was definitely more cautious going into the mine this time, and he had his sword drawn this time. He had hidden in one of the many little stone alcoves where equipment had once been stored or people could rest without being in the way of productivity back in the day. He fully expected that they would fight if he pushed too far in.

He knew what he was testing alright. He had made inquiries in the villages and indeed a random warrior fully cloaked and hidden had come through a few weeks ago. Paid in gold. Didn't say more than was necessary, and no one was willing to test the man. They assumed he had been another hunter, given the guilds perchance for encouraging distinctive looks so one could be identified by the common folk and call them in if necessary.

"Too big for a normal territory size; you couldn't hope to hold that much land," he called back. "Even this mine system would be too big for one, and yet you haven't moved on. I assume you're protecting a mate and maybe some little ones?" A wild guess, since he imagined being so rare these days that a gorgon was always on the move to not risk being identified.

"You shouldn't stay here so long. If someone finds out, they'll call on the Guild." And the Guild had specialists for such work. Like Jack. "People are stupid when they are afraid."

[gr1m]

"You'd be surprised for what all I can hold on to," enough of a warning and threat to that echoed tone to at least discourage him from coming in any further. He did have claim, and what little there was to fight him over it had often lost; the traps throughout this mine made it easy enough, and he knew how to work around or with the enchantments there. "Yet are also assuming wrong."

There was only him, and he was enough for what he held on to. No matter how few there were or not, there was no other skin he was looking out for other than his own here.

Had been here far longer than most could know, the odd rumors tying together. "What do you want, hunter." To warn him? He doubted it, more so with how he went on.

[dadication]

It was all bluster and threat from where he was standing, and if he wanted to engage, he could get in close enough to kill this gorgon. It was even more likely he could succeed if this one was alone, since there were no chance of calling for back-up. It wasn't as if the natural power of this gorgon would work on him; Jack hadn't had his real sight since he was a boy.

"I came back to warn you to keep a lower profile, and to move on," he said simply, since that was actually the only reason he had come. "You're one of a very few left in this world, and I've heard that Western King has a list of creatures he'd like to have in his collection to send against his enemies."

Hint, hint. Gorgon would be on it.

He tapped his sword against his boot, staying to his alcove like they were at some kind of impasse. "I'm leaving on another job, but I'm going to hope you decide to move on by the time I come back through here." A warning was probably the nicest thing he had done for anyone in a good long while.

[gr1m]

The hunter would be surprised if he did ever engage, that would be for certain.

He didn't trust those words, nor the hunter's intentions by word alone, not when he knew what his own bounty was and how most other hunters he'd ever come across acted. This was more likely to be some like or trick than hold much honesty in it. A few grains of truth always did those well, he'd heard of this king and his intentions after all-

"We'll see." There was more of a hiss then, head tilted back as he listened to something deeper within. A change in the air. "You should leave."

[dadication]

There would be no real uneasy peace it seemed, but he was used to that. Hunters were almost as untrustworthy as the monsters they hunted in the eyes of the people and monster alike. Hunters usually relied on each other for social interaction and bonding, but Jack wasn't one of those that did that either. Being blind, he unnerved most of his own colleagues or they thought it funny to tease him.

He preferred to be on the road anyway, less people staring at him anyway. "Probably," he agreed, but he was tilting his head as he listened as well. Hearing was one of the senses that had definitely increased since his maiming years ago.

"Expecting company... or your next meal?"

[gr1m]

A bolt embedded in to the ground right by the hunter's boot, making it clear without words that his position was known; the gorgon had said the next wouldn't be a warning, but that was-

"You need to leave. Now."

Movement, which was the gorgon having left the spot he'd positioned himself in, but it wasn't towards the alcove the hunter had put himself. Instead it was moving deeper in to the cave and leaving that 'warning' as the last words said.

The change in the air was something had crashed within, a trap set off, and Gabriel knew exactly where within the system it had come from but not what had set it off. Better to be rid of the hunter and let him go on his way to whatever job and take care of whatever possible intruder himself.

[dadication]

The bolt wasn't unexpected, and it was more surprised it had taken this long to earn one. He crouched down to snatch the bolt out of the ground, touching along it as if the ammunition would give him a sense of the owner. His thumb ran over the tip of the bolt, but he didn't feel and smell poison. It was of good enough quality to stay together.

The crash was something he heard as well, and that was probably his cue to simply leave. With the gorgon on, he stepped out of his little alcove and looked in the direction that the monster had head, and he moved to leave the gorgon and whatever was here to kill each other off.

Except... he didn't. Something kept him here, and he grunted at his own express stupidity. This was definitely going to get him killed.

He slowly made his way in the direction of the the sound that had echoed in the chamber, using his 'sight' to follow the tracks of the gorgon as his guide. Those impressions would fade soon enough, but he was used to the limitations of his senses to know when to use them and when to simply memorize what direction he was heading in. He sheathed his sword for a crossbow of his own, loading it as he walked.

He wanted to see what had come and decide if it was worth his time to step in.

[gr1m]

He didn't care for what was behind him as he ran, going down the twisted pathway and overturned mine carts that remained as if they weren't even there. There was a heat to the air, pulling his hood down low to shield his own eyes as flame went across one of the paths and he ducked below it.

Went high on the system of wood, rails and platforms that at least allowed him some advantage as the creature roared from all three heads. Already putting a bolt through one of it's eyes as he kept moving far quicker than the armor he wore had any right to allow.

"Gods dammit, I thought something was in the area." Chimera, of course. This was what he'd been scenting in the air recently, and maybe it was stupid luck it had wandered in to the old mining system rather than back out in to a village. Lost maybe, trying to find some way to the next. It stunk of human blood, there was no need to guess what it had been up to at all.

[dadication]

Jack followed along, listening and scenting the air as he cast a spell over his eyes to allow his sight to spread further. It was a good thing that he did that as he hopped over one of the tipped over mining cart and found himself coming into the fray when the chimera gave a roar of pain from a crossbow bolt puncturing one of its eyes. Of course, it had many more where they came from, and all the remaining turned upon the gorgon.

It had clearly been killing in the forest or even one of the small villages nearby. It didn't seem hurt or underfed from what he could see, but it was now determined to eat whatever was in front of it. Appetites were never sated with one of those, and with the gorgon there, it clearly had its next meal lined up.

As it moved to slash at the gorgon with a massive lion paw, Jack shifted around the corner and fired his own crossbow bolt into the eye of the sheep head. It roared with pain and thrashed as it gave a bit of ground. "Momentary truce, nothing more," he called so the gorgon didn't get the wrong impression.

[gr1m]

"I'm not about to pay you for it either!" So there'd be nothing to gain from the hunter not simply turning an running, and he still wished he had. Been better off in the long run, no doubt.

A hand moved under his cloak, grabbing a different bolt than the ones he'd been using, never remaining still as he loaded them up. Watching both where the hunter was and where the chimera was going as being two eyes down just had it more pissed off than anything. Still swift on his feet he shifted out of the way of the snapping dragon head and fired a bolt edged with something right down it's gullet.

The creature choked for a moment and likely turned to breathe fire and all that came out was a load of smoke. Smelled of sulfur and whatever that particular crossbow bolt had been to put out that fire, so at least that was down.

[dadication]

"You make a lot of assumptions on how I conduct my business," he shot back, but it didn't seem worth the argument either. Chimeras were usually a group hunt because they were difficult to tackle, and they had many skills to use and couldn't exactly be caught unaware with that many heads.

Even with the bolt down the throat, it seemed angrier than ever and launched at the gorgon always on the move. Jack shouted a word and swung out a hand, firing a bolt of lightning from his fingers that hit the creature in the shoulder. It's scorpion tail lashed out, catching him in the shoulder and knocking him down. He rolled before the poison claw could hit him, bringing him further into the fray.

"Are you always at range? I have a sword, so I can cover you as you reload."

[gr1m]

"As you do with any of mine, consider us even." Coming to assumptions and any other things either of them knew simply from how others went about their business. Most operated the same when it came to fighting monsters; either to be rid of them for any potential danger, or because the reward was tempting enough.

Did make note of the magic, and doubted that was the only spell known. Did position himself as several bolts were fired at once that tore through wing membrane and went directly in to the chimera's side. Seemed stuck there as well, directing attention away from the temporarily downed man and back on himself. Lion claws catching his cloak enough to tear through the ends of it before he was ducking through a natural rock formation to come out on the other end.

"I've blades, but right now this may work well enough between us." Him going at range even as a distraction while the hunter went in close and away. Pull in and out like so.

[dadication]

Jack pulled his blade which seemed to hum with a magical energy and glowed a faint blue as he moved in, brushing passed the gorgon. He put enough trust in the other monster to not just put a bolt into his back for taking the forward position, which he hoped was not a mistake on his part. He wouldn't live to tell if it was misplaced, and right now, he had to concentrate on the massive creature filling the mine hole.

He pulled a knife and flung it at one of the other remaining eyes, but the creature snapped it out of the air before moving to crowd him for a strike of claw and wing at the same time. He dove forward to avoid both, putting himself between its massive legs. His sword arched upwards to tear into flesh in the chest and arm pit of the creature.

It tried to hop away, ramming itself against a wall in its withdrawal, but its tail swung under and knocked him into the nearby rocks defensively. It would at least give the gorgon and clear shot.

[gr1m]

There was no bolt in the hunters back, but instead several more littering the chimera's hide from flank to neck. He'd moved on to the ones actually laced with something, but with a creature of this size he knew it would take several to do anything, but at least it might lend some edge in their favor.

It was only once he saw the hunter go down did he draw his own blades, two swords with strange symbols engraved deep in the metal that glowed. He ducked in low and even moved in to dig both where the hunter had cut deep, one to anchor himself against the beast as it reared on it's hooves.

The other sank in deep, driving straight for the chimera's heart to rip through it, sending it falling backwards, ripping swords free and letting himself land on his feet. He didn't relax until it had stilled and he could sense no more life in it. He glanced towards the hunter then, crossbow picked up and folded to hang harmlessly under his cloak, but swords still in hand.

At least he moved in to check if the hunter was conscious, and could already smell the blood on him.

[dadication]

Jack had hit the rocks and hit the ground, but he was rolling as his magical vision cut out and his ears rung. The chimera had scored a hit with the tail more than just a blunt blow, and the stinger had opened his thigh enough to cause bleeding that would need some help to heal.

For him, he floundered a bit, by now used to his blindness when the magic cut out but with a massive creature like a chimera, it was hard to tell where it was until he heard the body drop heavily. He slumped over, ears ringing and consciousness fading despite himself. The glow of his sword went out as his consciousness left him.

Some poison from the chimera had managed to enter his system but not bad enough to kill him. Enough to cause him pain and fester his wound some. His last thought was that he would die from a gorgon, which seemed fitting given it was a monster that had robbed him of his other life anyway.

[gr1m]

He did debate, briefly, leaving the hunter here to simply rot, the snakes curled with his hair ruffling amongst it a bit as a few came to peek out from under his hood at the unconscious man. Little hisses before his own swords were sheathed and the hunter was hauled over shoulders after temporarily tying that thigh enough to not lave a trail of blood.

There was a walk to some upper part of the mine that wasn't man made, hidden amongst twists and turns, that spread out in to a larger opening that was rather homey.

Gabriel laid the hunter out on a flat stone that was warmed by something underneath it, using it as he removed clothing carefully to better check him over and better get access to the wound to his thigh. Cleaning and rinsing all he could, something in a bottle used to flush out what poison he could there before wrapping it with a concoction to at least let it heal cleanly enough.

Was moved to a bed after dressing the man in some temporary shit and loose slacks, tucking him in for warmth and getting down some liquid that would help fight against the poison in his system. Checked on him now and again.

A fire was lit, the entire place warm with something in a pot cooking. sitting back in a chair, whetstone going across one of his blades after going over the rest of his weapons. A waiting game then.

[dadication]

Jack came awake with a sense of groggy surprise. He honestly wasn't expecting to come back to consciousness, and there was a touch of disappointment when he realized that he was warm, cozy and comfortable. That was not a state that he was used to being in, and his sense of time was all over the place. How long has he been out? Where was he?

He remained silent and simply listened. A fire crackling merrily, metal on whetstone, something cooking, and there was a presence that he could acknowledge was at least familiar enough that he knew who had taken him prisoner. Except... his hands and feet weren't bound, his clothing was fresh and clean and he could tell that his injury had been treated.

That was beyond unexpected. Hadn't he been threatened with death? Some days that's all he wanted.

He slowly lifted a hand from the furs he was covered in, touching his badly rended face, old scars from forehead, over nose and down to his chin and cheeks. His eyes hadn't been spared, but he had used magic to at least reform the look of them, though they were pale blue when he bothered to open them. "...why?"