The next day came quickly, and I was basically a bouncy ball of energy.
“Can we pleaseee go to our neighbors now?” I begged mom and dad, I wanted to finally meet the fairy girl.
Since this village was so small and remote, there weren’t any opportunities to play with other kids my age.
Right after breakfast, my parents and I moved to the yurt next door.
Both wore traditional hunter clothes; dad was with an open vest, showing off the scars he had, and mom wore a practical huntress skirt today.
Usually both of them wore linen clothes, but today they put on their best hunters garb, armor aside.
My father knocked at the door and a rich, deep, yet feminine voice came from within, “It’s open, come in.” When father opened the door, we were greeted by two women and a little cyan-haired fairy sitting around the hearth in the center.
The yurt looked cozy with all the furs draped to accentuate their home.
My gaze met the fairy’s and my breath hitched.
Her golden eyes bore right into me and I could only hide behind my father’s leg, since mom was too thin to hide behind properly.
“Hey Zoe, Mel,” my mom said happily, and sat down at the hearth followed by dad.
The two women were very different looking, the woman to the left was as tall as my father and similarly muscular with silver hair, her eyes glowing a deep honey color, while the other one was small and petite with hair that reminded me of the ocean.
“Come on Aria, sit down already,” dad admonished me gently.
With a lump in my throat and blushing, I nodded and sat down between my parents and father’s hand came down and petted my head like he always does.
“How have you two been?” Mom asked the women, “I heard you were out with the first expedition group.” “Funny story,” the smaller woman replies, she’s the one with the rich and deep smoky voice, “They decided it was time to investigate the lost ruins down north, but after fighting multiple high drakes, we couldn’t do it anymore.” The smaller woman pulls the fairy onto her lap.
“We have a daughter now and can’t be as reckless anymore,” the tall woman chimed in.
“Ixions guild master even tried to raise our payments, but Zoe was having none of it.” So the small woman’s name was Zoe, I simply thought, my gaze wandering around inside the yurt nervously.
Every time my eyes move past the fairy’s, I notice how she’s staring at me with her beautiful golden eyes.
It made me blush.
“How’s guild master Glenn?” Father inquired.
“The old hoot is still the same old slave driver.
Only got worse when his wife and son left him,” The tall woman, Mel, I assumed, replied.
Her voice was bright and harmonious, almost singing.
“Mom Zoe, mama Mel, can I go play outside?” The fairy asked and didn’t even wait for an answer before standing up.
When she came past me, she grabbed my wrist and pulled me with her.
“Waiiiit,” I squealed, my face getting redder, but I was forced along.
“Have fun playing outside, Aria~,” my mother happily calls after me while I get pushed outside.
Pulled by this small fairy, we made our way into the garden, the fairy turned around, still holding my wrist, “I’m Rune, by the way, and you’ll be my partner in crime from now on!” Her voice was mischievous and demanding.
“Ummm I’m Aria,” I replied, almost sounding a bit meek.
“Now show me around!” How could I mistake this girl for a fairy?
She’s obviously had to be a devil in disguise.
I let out a sigh.
The girl, Rune, dragged me along and pointed towards a nearby store sign when we reached the village square, pointing at it, “Is that seriously the only shop here?” I turned to look towards the store.
It was Lizel’s general store.
Lizel was an older and stout looking man and his only love was to make Zenny, “only if you don’t count the smithy and guild as shops.” “This backwater dump has nothing more?” She huffed.
“Let’s go to the training grounds then!” The village’s training grounds were made for hunters to stay in shape, offering targets and mechanical monster puppets.
There were multiple areas for climbing practice, and it had a fireplace next to a yurt with training gear.
A scrawny and unremarkable teenage boy sat in front of it, checking a wooden sword longer than he was tall.
“Have you learned to climb, Aria?” Rune asked me and I shook my head, my red hair swaying.
“Whatever, then you’ll just learn while climbing.” She let go of my hand and began to scale the rocky training wall.
“The last one to reach the top has to buy sweets!” She yelled with demand, already hanging on the wall.
It was like watching a monkey climb a tree, but the rocky wall didn’t even have branches like one or safe footholds.
I mean it was made for professional hunters, not children.
Not wanting to spend what little pocket money I had, I ran towards the wall and tried to do like my character did in-game.
I jumped forward, my left foot pushing against the wall.
Running a few steps up a wall was normal in Frontier Hunter Online, but I slammed into the rocky wall with a thud.
From above me rang laughter, “ohoho ho, what was that?” Rune was up half the wall and couldn’t stop laughing at my mistake.
I looked up at her dumbly.
“You have to do it like this!” She said, still laughing, her golden eyes glinting with tears.
Her body moved towards the next safe foothold and the second she grabbed onto the next one, it broke.
She tumbled down immediately and slammed onto me with a resounding thump.
“Ow ow ow!
It’s your fault I fell!” Rune protested when standing up again, her hands moved towards her vest and shorts, dusting them off.
“It’s not my fault,” I pouted, “You weren’t even fair!” “Nice try at wall running!
Want me to show you how to climb then?” The scrawny teenage boy called out to us.
He must’ve seen what happened, because he looked like he had a good laugh too.
“You’re Norlans girl, so I gotta help out.” “You know dad?” I asked him, not noticing Rune’s pouty glare.
“Every Hunter knows Firestorm Norlan.
He’s the hero of the frontier, the only one who managed to slay an elder drake and not only any elder drake, but the Boreas ice drake elder!
Without him the expeditions would’ve failed long ago!” His eyes sparkled while he rambled on.
“Who cares?” Rune suddenly huffed, “My mothers are way cooler!” She struck out her tongue with a blergh and ran away.
I could only scratch my head.
“What a weird girl,” the boy replied.
“Umm her mothers are Mel and a Zoe I think?
I think they were part of my father’s former hunting group,” I told him.
“Can’t say I heard of them.” He made an apologetic face.
“Ready to learn how to climb?” “I think I should follow after her, she’s new here.” I quickly bowed to him and began to run after Rune.
It took all I had to catch up with her.
How can a small girl like her be that fast?!
Huffing and puffing, as out of breath as I’ve never been before, I caught up to her near the hunters’ guild.
Even in a remote village like ours, it was a massive building made from stone, with its outer parts having arches out of massive wyvern bones, with beautiful moss green and Bordeaux-streaked ribbon sky’s, bearing the hunters’ sigil.
It wasn’t a buzzing place in a village like ours.
I haven’t been inside the real deal yet, but my game knowledge told me these buildings contained not only quest boards and guild staff, but even a healer and hot springs.
Thanks to the hard and dirty work hunters did, they were very adamant about having those.
Finally, having caught my breath, I looked up at Rune, and she glared with crossed arms at me.
“How dare you let someone else teach you when I said I would!
There aren’t any better climbers than my mothers in the entire guild and they taught me!” My heart still pounded from running and I let out a sigh.
“Can I get you in a better mood with some candy?” I asked.
“I bet Liz has some licorice or maybe even bonbons.” I took her by her small hand and strode towards Liz’s general store.
Rune went a bit stiff with me holding her hand and others would’ve noticed the small puff of smoke that erupted from her head with her blush.
She pulled her hand out of mine with another huff, “I haven’t allowed you to grab my hand!” She went on, her voice getting meek, “but candy sounds nice.” I pointed towards the village square, “Let’s go then!” I tried to do a hunter’s pose and she snortled out a laugh.
We made our way back and stopped by Liz’s store and I got her a glass of bonbons.