Both of them left the inn for different purposes. Grey was tracking the bounty hunter he met the other night for more information while a small lark flew out of their inn room to listen in on any conversation. The hunters were given permission to drift from the common town and the royal castle. The man had a gingery smell from the drug he smoked and Grey allowed his nose track him. He found the man in front of a knife shop, sharpening his weapons and humming tunelessly.
"I didn't catch your name." He said.
The man looked at him and snorted.
"How did you find me?" He asked. The market was loud so Grey moved to hearing distance.
"You're easy to follow." He lied.
"I'm Boneless Yaw and you, why's your name a fancy one?" He asked.
"I'm not from around here." He answered, it was the truth this time.
Boneless Yaw nodded. He was sharpening a wicked looking broad bladed sword and Grey could hear the man's nice, easy heartbeat.
"You are going hunting." He stated.
Yaw nodded.
"Some of us bounty hunters are going to see if we can find any trace of them orcs in the forests." He replied.
"Didn't the village folk see anything?" He asked.
"Some of my guys pranced about there this week, everyone knows nothing, all they say is that it was orcs. We found dung and tracks that said that was the truth." Yaw said.
Grey looked at the man and feigned ignorance.
"So, how do you kill an orc?" He asked.
Yaw lifted another big sword from the pile.
"You use something this big and strong and chop at them until there's nothing left to chop at. All that, while trying to not get chopped by them." He said.
Grey snorted.
"Seems too risky. What's the king offering?" He asked.
Yaw was surprised.
"Morrok didn't tell you, did he? Ten thousand karrots per killer. Thirty thousand karrots for whomever delivers the prince unharmed." He said.
Grey didn't know how much that would be in the dimension he'd last been in, but he reckoned it was enough to prompt these men to go up against them. That was enough money to make him try and rescue this prince too, they would need enough money too.
"Could I join you on this scouting mission?" He asked Yaw.
Yaw guffawed and then drew Grey closer.
"You look as young as my son, so I'll give you this advice. Leave off this adventure and trying to be a hero. Orcs aren't pleasant and even seasoned men aren't as strong as they are. The money ain't worth your youth and life, Aholt." He said.
Grey nodded.
"True, Boneless but I need the silver." He replied.
Yaw shrugged. He gave off a i-tried-my-best expression.
"Karrots are gold, son not silver."
It was Grey's time to shrug.
Larks are incredibly small birds and Jay had learnt that the smaller the animal, the less magical energy he expended. He flew out of the castle and landed on the hills just outside the village below Uopia's gates. He wore new clothes and carried only a little cheese in his pockets. This area had good weather and even more good-natured people. It was the not the same from where he'd come. Before he met Grey, all the people he'd lived with her had used him. He had lived in the woods until he was eight and a manor lord had taken him. The lord used his powers to spy on his entire household and neighbors. The actors had liked him because he was funny and changed size to accommodate any role but even then the relationship had been strictly transactional. He didn't get anything if he didn't give up anything. Here, he felt like he was actually participating in the Hunter's mission. He hiked down the hill a little bit, expanding his foot with magic to reduce tiredness. Shapeshifting was a trickish and hard act, but since it was the only magic he got, he had perfected it.
Outside the village were the farms and mountains he and Grey had holed up in while he recovered from the Tower incident.
East however was the forest where the prince had been hunting with his retainers when they went missing. When he'd been flying over the houses, he'd noticed that only a few people believed the prince had been taken by orcs. Others said it was a adolescent prank and others said he had been kidnapped by neighboring enemies. Jay wondered if Grey would fight if the prince had been taken by humans. He seemed to be fixated on monsters and demons alone. When he was tired of walking, he clenched his butt and flew into the air, changing this time into a vulture. It was an ugly bird but it was big enough to discourage birds of prey and the wingspan gave him speed and endurance.
He flew, wings beating in a rhythm as he sped towards the forest. The trees were thick, many metres tall and the green vegetation covered almost everywhere. He dropped down and shifted into a tree climbing canivore he's once seen in a picture mid-air. He landed gracefully on a branch and expanded his pupils and used his elfin ears. The forest was alive with many things and he could feel his head getting woozy. The magic was warning him of another blackout. Silently, he cursed himself; he needed to master shapeshifting without the consequences if he would be of any use to Grey. Suddenly, his ears picked up noise; something was walking under the tree he'd ensconced himself in.
He could hear growling and grunting but strangely enough, it seemed like intelligent conversation to him.
When the creatures came close, he was so shocked he almost fell down the tree. They were orcs, wearing armor and holding weapons while they spoke. It seemed the rumor was true and Prince Renn was been held by these things. He stood up and changed shape into a soaring eagle. He took flight and made his way back to Uopia.
Grey tramped down the thick foliage in the forest, angrily. There were about twenty bounty hunters and none of them knew anything about scouting. They were making noise and disturbing nature, and none of them seemed to be afraid of the repercussions should orcs really infest these woods.
Only Boneless Yaw was quiet and Grey walked with the older man at the front. He had left all his Hunter weapons under the bed in the inn and bought a heavy axe that Yaw had doubted he could handle. His ears were searching for little sounds all over and his nose was ever twitching. He heard a rustle in the trees above and stopped. Something immediately seemed off, he could feel an imbalance in natural energy. He tried to shrug it off to the noise that the bounty hunters were making, but as he took one step, his supernatural instincts took over. An axe thrown with the force of six men sailed out of the woods, and took three men down. The first had been hit squarely in the throat and then it had gone through him to slash another's throat and catch the third in the arm, pinning him against a pine tree.
The reaction was quick; weapons were drawn and Grey looked up. Orcs dropped down, to surround them. He could see their gorilla like faces, short horns and sharp fangs. They carried well made weapons and wore boiled leather. They seemed intelligent and circled. Grey could smell their bloodlust and anger, and the fear and despair of the bounty hunters. The orcs were incredibly strong, but Grey was far stronger and far faster. He sized them up in seconds and knew exactly where and where to slice. He was made for killing far more stronger monsters and demons. The first came and Grey stepped up, swinging the axe like a tree branch. He went in, and cut off the orcs's heads. The other bounty hunters were scared but the orcs gave them no space and attacked immediately. Grey swung left and right, dodging their weapons and stepping in to kill one. The fight was short but bloody and only seven out of the twenty were left. Boneless Yaw was out of breath and had a wound on his shoulder. Grey counted eight dead orcs, five of which he'd killed himself.
"You're something else, kid." One of them said.
Yaw stepped up to the man and gave him a slap.
"His name's Aholt, and you should be bloody grateful he was here or you'll be dead." He said.
"I don't think I'm doing this, mate. Them orcs are too strong. The king should send his army." Another said.
Grey cut off a piece of a dead orc's armor and put it in his pocket. He had enjoyed swinging the axe, but his whip sword was still his favorite.
"So, Yaw. You're still doing this?" He asked.
Yaw nodded.
"At least if I die, my kid gets enough money to finish his schooling at Grenask." He said.
"Then let's head back to Uopia, looks like we're going to need the full company of bounty hunters after all." The man who was slapped spoke up. The others seemed too shaken to do anything.
"What about the dead?" Another hunter asked.
Yaw turned to him.
"We burn them all. The king will pay their share to their families." He said.
Grey was looking at the physiology of the orcs.
"Really strong, aren't they?" Yaw intruded.
Grey nodded.
"Where did you say you were from again, Aholt?" Yaw asked.
Grey turned to the old man.
"Far away from here." He replied.