Witch Hunter

Chapter Six: Behind the Mask

As he entered the familiar establishment, he couldn’t help but notice the young girl at the counter. She was gesturing enthusiastically while she talked to the man behind the counter.

He suffered an uncommon moment of indecision, before stepping through the doorway into the Hunting Hall.

It was a chaotic scene. Immediately after being hit by the smell of smoke and liquor, his attention was pulled away from the girl to the sight of several dozen hunters being as raucous as they could physically manage.

Just as it was unusually empty the previous days, today it was uncommonly packed. It seemed that every hunter in Lumir had returned here right after the Exorcist exam, and every single one of them seemed intent on drowning out their failures in alcohol, brawls and yelling.

Dortan was laughing as loudly as the next man but kept a watchful eye out in case the good-natured fights turned into something more serious. It would not have been the first time the large, heavy-set man had broken up a fight. If anything, he was a bit of a legend himself; even the toughest hunter was reluctant to do anything to incur his wrath.

“Hey lad,” boomed Dortan as he noticed Aion enter inconspicuously. “Come and keep my daughter company.”

With some degree of discomfort, Aion sidled over to the counter and sat next to the girl that had caught his attention, grumbling something he hoped sounded mature.

“Sorry, lad,” whispered Dortan apologetically. “To be honest, I can’t keep up with her. She might be a little lass right now but already she talks like a woman. Incessantly.”

Before Aion could reply, the girl finally noticed his presence and stopped gesturing at her father. Instead, she directed her beaming smile at him, making him feel self-conscious.

“Oh, hello Aion! How have you been? I really don’t see you often these days, what have you been up to? You look tired and dirty, you should take a bath.”

She said all this in one breath, never losing her cheer.

“Hi, Isabella. I’ve been ... busy.”

“You’re always busy! What it is you really do, I don’t have the faintest clue.” For a moment she lost her girlish demeanour and a look of contemplation crossed her face.

“I was working,” said Aion quickly. “Chopping wood in the forest. One of the merchants was looking for someone to help fill his order. I have to make a living somehow don’t I?”

Isabella Halls was blissfully unaware of both Aion and the entire bounty hunting business of which her father was the middleman. Dortan had made it clear to everyone that they were to maintain the illusion that the Hunting Hall was nothing but another tavern. He was a kind man, underneath the rugged, muscled appearance, but of this, he was deadly serious. No one that knew Dortan Halls could say that he didn’t love his daughter; she was everything to him.

Considering all hunters had abandoned existing jobs to participate in the Exorcist exam, Dortan must have judged it safe to bring his daughter in for a visit. She lived with her mother and he was glad for a little extra time with her.

“You know, none of the other kids say anything about you. It’s like nobody knows who you are.” She still looked thoughtful, her distant gaze casting glimpses on her face of the woman she would grow to be. “How come nobody sees you around?”

“He’s a bit different from the other kids, sweetie,” interjected Dortan hurriedly. “Aion had to grow up without a mama and papa to look after him.”

“Is it hard looking after a child, papa?”

Dortan laughed with genuine amusement at this. “Very hard, sweetie.”