with you?”
“Sure.”
“Yes! Success!” the baron said, flailing his limbs once more. Only this time, he threw up two fingers in a sign of V for victory. “Well, first I need you to take care of my leg.”
“Are you really a Noble?”
“With a face like yours, you shouldn’t be using that old-fart voice. It’s a weird hobby you have there. Okay, I’m a Noble who can walk in the light of the sun. To be able to do so, I’ve sacrificed a lot. My regenerative and healing abilities were especially hard hit.”
“You can walk in the light of the sun, but if you twist your ankle, you can’t even stand? Your priorities are all screwed up,” the hoarse voice remarked.
“Shut up. Are you going to fix me up or not?”
Dismounting, D placed his left hand on the baron’s ankle. “Stand up.”
“Hey, not so fast. I’m kind of scared. Easy does it. Easy!”
The Nobleman was so tentative in his actions as he tried to rise that it seemed dawn would arrive before he finished, so D gave him a kick. Squealing, the pudgy, bald figure fell over again.
“Go ahead and get up. You’re already fixed.”
“What?” On moving the limb, the baron found that indeed, his pain had been reduced to a dull throbbing. Getting up, the baron cracked his neck to either side like a hoodlum limbering up for a fight, walked over to the leather satchel and picked it up, then went over to the rock wall that towered to the right of the road.
Focusing his Noble eyesight in the darkness, he said, “It’s around here, but I can’t tell where. There should be a reddish stone set in this wall. Look for it.”
“Why don’t you find it yourself?” the hoarse voice asked.
“Hmph! Because I can’t see.”
“What?”
“Like I said, I sacrificed a lot.”
“You’re worthless.”
Saying nothing, D walked over to the same rock wall the baron had just backed away from. After checking the entire area, he stared at the baron.
“Nothing? That can’t be. I’m certain it’s here—aha!” he exclaimed, turning his fat face to the sky.
The hoarse voice needled him, saying, “Now, you’re not gonna tell us it’s the rockface on the opposite side of the road, are you?”
The baron twisted his lips, and then looked at D and smiled as if trying to curry his favor. His finger was pointed at the opposite rockface. “Right you are,” he said bashfully.
—
II
—
The red stone was quickly located. It had a skull mark about the size of a little fingertip carved into it.
“Are you seven years old?” the hoarse voice said with scorn.
The baron didn’t seem to mind at all as he skipped over, then turned to look at D while chuckling knowingly. When D failed to react, the Nobleman pressed the ring he wore on his right pinkie finger against the skull mark, a sour look on his face. A second later a heavy fog billowed at the two of them. Through it resounded the haughty laughter of the baron.
“Muwahaha! Surprised?”
D held his left hand out in front of himself. “Well?” he asked it.
“It’s an amazing setup. The rockface has split open for a good hundred yards. The fog’s billowing out of it—oh, what have we here?”
“What is it?”
“This is odd. That bastard’s just milling around. Ha, ha! He let all that fog out, but now he can’t see the entrance, either. Oh, he just smacked into the rockface. Ah, he’s reeling like a drunk!”
The Hunter said nothing.
It was a few seconds later that D’s hand latched onto the baron’s collar as the Nobleman woozily staggered about clutching a lump on his forehead.
“What are you doing?”
“Show me what you promised.”
“Oh, okay. Damn it.”
“You planned on running off while we were lost in the fog, didn’t you?”
“Whatever are you talking about? Do I, Baron Macula, look like that manner of scoundrel?”
“Do you think you look like anything else?”
“Goddamned Hunter. Just follow right behind me, already!”
“Can you lead the way?”
“You
“Sure.”
“Yes! Success!” the baron said, flailing his limbs once more. Only this time, he threw up two fingers in a sign of V for victory. “Well, first I need you to take care of my leg.”
“Are you really a Noble?”
“With a face like yours, you shouldn’t be using that old-fart voice. It’s a weird hobby you have there. Okay, I’m a Noble who can walk in the light of the sun. To be able to do so, I’ve sacrificed a lot. My regenerative and healing abilities were especially hard hit.”
“You can walk in the light of the sun, but if you twist your ankle, you can’t even stand? Your priorities are all screwed up,” the hoarse voice remarked.
“Shut up. Are you going to fix me up or not?”
Dismounting, D placed his left hand on the baron’s ankle. “Stand up.”
“Hey, not so fast. I’m kind of scared. Easy does it. Easy!”
The Nobleman was so tentative in his actions as he tried to rise that it seemed dawn would arrive before he finished, so D gave him a kick. Squealing, the pudgy, bald figure fell over again.
“Go ahead and get up. You’re already fixed.”
“What?” On moving the limb, the baron found that indeed, his pain had been reduced to a dull throbbing. Getting up, the baron cracked his neck to either side like a hoodlum limbering up for a fight, walked over to the leather satchel and picked it up, then went over to the rock wall that towered to the right of the road.
Focusing his Noble eyesight in the darkness, he said, “It’s around here, but I can’t tell where. There should be a reddish stone set in this wall. Look for it.”
“Why don’t you find it yourself?” the hoarse voice asked.
“Hmph! Because I can’t see.”
“What?”
“Like I said, I sacrificed a lot.”
“You’re worthless.”
Saying nothing, D walked over to the same rock wall the baron had just backed away from. After checking the entire area, he stared at the baron.
“Nothing? That can’t be. I’m certain it’s here—aha!” he exclaimed, turning his fat face to the sky.
The hoarse voice needled him, saying, “Now, you’re not gonna tell us it’s the rockface on the opposite side of the road, are you?”
The baron twisted his lips, and then looked at D and smiled as if trying to curry his favor. His finger was pointed at the opposite rockface. “Right you are,” he said bashfully.
—
II
—
The red stone was quickly located. It had a skull mark about the size of a little fingertip carved into it.
“Are you seven years old?” the hoarse voice said with scorn.
The baron didn’t seem to mind at all as he skipped over, then turned to look at D while chuckling knowingly. When D failed to react, the Nobleman pressed the ring he wore on his right pinkie finger against the skull mark, a sour look on his face. A second later a heavy fog billowed at the two of them. Through it resounded the haughty laughter of the baron.
“Muwahaha! Surprised?”
D held his left hand out in front of himself. “Well?” he asked it.
“It’s an amazing setup. The rockface has split open for a good hundred yards. The fog’s billowing out of it—oh, what have we here?”
“What is it?”
“This is odd. That bastard’s just milling around. Ha, ha! He let all that fog out, but now he can’t see the entrance, either. Oh, he just smacked into the rockface. Ah, he’s reeling like a drunk!”
The Hunter said nothing.
It was a few seconds later that D’s hand latched onto the baron’s collar as the Nobleman woozily staggered about clutching a lump on his forehead.
“What are you doing?”
“Show me what you promised.”
“Oh, okay. Damn it.”
“You planned on running off while we were lost in the fog, didn’t you?”
“Whatever are you talking about? Do I, Baron Macula, look like that manner of scoundrel?”
“Do you think you look like anything else?”
“Goddamned Hunter. Just follow right behind me, already!”
“Can you lead the way?”
“You
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