Chapter 6: THE HUNTER ASSOCIATION
Noah Kurtz walked out of the café and the small bell above the door rang softly behind him. The coffee he had just drunk was not very good. It left a bad taste in his mouth. The morning sun was shining down on Sentinel City making all the glass towers look like they were made of gold. The streets were filled with people. The air was filled with the smells of coffee, freshly baked bread and the special energy that powered the city.
To someone who did not know this city it would look like any big city that had been around for a long time. People were walking to work kids were going to school and drones were flying around delivering packages.. This city was different because it had been built with the idea that monsters were a part of life.
As Noah walked through the streets he noticed all the things that were in place to keep people safe. There were shelters that people could go to if there was a problem and there were also machines on the roofs that could defend the city. Even the streetlights had alarms that could call for help if something was wrong. The people around him did not even notice these things anymore they were a normal part of life.
It had been seventy years since the First Riftfall and people had gotten used to living with danger. They thought of monsters like they thought of storms or earthquakes something that happened sometimes.
Noah kept walking until he got to a part of the city that was very busy. There were a lot of stores, restaurants and banks and a lot of people were walking around. Some of these people were different from the others they were wearing swords or guns. Some were even wearing special armor under their clothes. These were the Awakened, people who had powers that they could use to fight monsters.
Some of these people were part of groups and some worked alone. They were all on their way to do something either to go on a mission or to meet with people. Every now and then big vehicles would drive by carrying teams of Hunters to the city gates, where they would go out into the wilderness to fight monsters.
The deeper Noah went into this part of the city the more he saw how much the Hunter economy was a part of everything. There were stores that sold weapons and workshops that made energy cells from monster parts. There were also tailors who made clothes for Hunters and people who sold potions that could help them recover from fights.
Big screens were showing the prices of monster parts and how much they were worth. Some of these parts were very valuable. People were making a lot of money from them. Companies had even been built around these parts. It had created a whole new economy.
Noah stopped in front of one of these screens. He was amazed at how much money some of the monsters were worth. Even the smallest monsters were worth more than he made in a week. The bigger ones were worth even more. No wonder people were willing to risk their lives to become Hunters the rewards were very high.
He looked up at the horizon. He saw a big building that stood out from all the others.
The International Hunter Association. Sentinel Branch.
This building was very impressive it was like a mix of military architecture. It was very tall. It had big pillars that supported floating platforms where airships could dock. There were banners on the front of the building with the symbol of the Hunter Association on them.
Noah stood there for a moment just looking at the building. He had dreamed of coming for a long time ever since he left his village five years ago. He had wanted to be a Hunter with a high rank and a lot of power.. Things had not worked out that way and he had ended up with a very low rank.
But he was not giving up he was determined to make something of himself. He took a breath and he started walking towards the building. As he got closer he could see how busy it was with people walking in and out all the time.
He went up the stairs. He went inside the building. It was very big with a ceiling and white columns. There were crystal lights that were powered by mana. They made the whole place look very impressive. There were also maps on the walls showing the areas around the city where monsters lived.
Noah’s eyes were wide with wonder he had never seen anything like this before. There were people all of them doing something. Some were registering for missions others were applying to join groups. Some were even getting medical help.
He walked through the lobby taking it all in. He saw a screen that was showing the top Hunters in the city and he was amazed at how good they were.. Then he saw all the other Hunters, the ones who were not famous but were still out there fighting every day.
That gave him some comfort he realized that he did not have to wait anymore to be a Hunter. He could just start somewhere. Work his way up.
He straightened his jacket. He went to the area where people were applying for their Hunter licenses. There were a lot of people all of them looking very confident and excited. They were all talking about their ranks. How they were going to be great Hunters.
Noah got in line. He waited for his turn. He was not, like these people he did not have a high rank and he was not confident. But he was determined he was going to make something of himself no matter what.
As he waited he thought about his special thing, the Memory Cabinet. It was something that no one else knew about. It was what was going to make him different.
Finally it was his turn. He took a breath and he stepped forward.