Chapter 6: Chapter 6- Snake Among the Hounds

Jack let out a sigh as he lay back in his truck. 'Damn, skull-face shorty making me work on my day off.' He thought with a yawn. But he perked up once he heard the wooden lift moving. 'Is he done already? That was faster than I expected… Oh, what the hell,' 

 ~R~o~a~O~

Ash let out a sigh as the wooden lift reached the top of the cliff. He shifted the body he was carrying as he stepped off the wooden platform. The lanky man, Jack, was standing next to his truck as Ash walked toward him.

"I said to hunt a monster to eat," Jack stated as he stared at the body on Ash's shoulder. "That isn't edible."  

"I got a monster right here, see," Ash lifted up his free arm to show off the monster he had brought. The small dark-green snake was still biting his hand while wrapping its body around Ash's forearm. "But I doubt he'd make a good meal." 

Jack couldn't help but let out a groan at Ash's words. "You're turning out to be a bigger headache than Roxy. It must be a Mayan thing. So who is that?"

"No idea. This guy suddenly attacked me, but he did call me a Hound bastard before trying to kill me," Ash tossed the body on the floor for Jack to investigate. 

Jack walked up to the body. He leaned in once he spotted a tattoo on the man's arm. "You see, this means he's one of the Mountain Breakers. This can only mean one thing... More work... " Jack let out a deep sigh and stood up. "Throw him in the truck. We have to head back now." 

Seeing the man walk away, Ash turned to the snake on his arm. "Well, he didn't tell me to kill you, so I guess you're coming with us," The snake started squeezing Ash's arm after hearing his words.

~R~o~a~O~

No words were said on the trip back to the camp as the pair simply listened to the daily Bramblethrone news on the radio. [Dungeon Watch: One year ago today, a brand new dungeon was discovered beyond the walls and on the outskirts of our beloved city of Bramblethorn. Since then, the Explorer's Union has been increasing-] The radio was cut off as Jack pulled to a stop inside the Desert Hounds base. 

"Here, take this," Jack said as he pulled money out of his pocket and handed it to Ash. "Head to the diner and get something to eat. You'll have to wait there while I get this body sorted out. The Boss will definitely want to talk to you." Jack explained.

"You can take the credit, say you killed it, and I'll go back to my tent,"

"Not a chance, besides I'll tell you right now, never try to lie to the Boss. It never works." 

"Noted. I'll be waiting then." Ash gave a mock salute while stepping out of the truck. 'Great, day two, and I'm already meeting the leader of the Desert Hounds. Maybe I should kill them and run as soon as we meet.' Ash thought as he started walking away and toward the canyon diner.

~R~o~a~O~

'A Bonesteel hammer.' Ash thought as he held the hammer he took from his attacker. He studied the weapon while sitting in a diner booth waiting for his food. 'No wonder that metal mace snapped.' 

Bonesteel is one of the strongest materials in existence. As the name suggests, Bonesteel is a mix of steel and monster bones forged together. The material was so valuable the Unity Kingdom created the most used currency out of Bonesteel. The meal Ash was waiting for was paid with Bonesteel coins of different weights, so the weapon he was currently holding was worth its weight in Bonesteel. 'Still not as good as a gemstone weapon.' Ash thought.

Setting the weapon down, Ash turned his attention to the snake next to him. The tiny monster was no longer wrapped around Ash's forearm. Instead, it was curled up and sitting on the table, studying its new surroundings. "That's unsanitary. I should have put a napkin down first." Ash mumbled as he stared at the snake. Reaching out, Ash poked the creature in its side, feeling the hard scales. Even though the snake was small, it was still a monster. Monsters were born with Mist, the same as humans. While humans needed to learn how to control the Mist, monsters were naturally enhanced by it. Their skin and scales were harder, their teeth and claws sharper, and their strength was unmatched by regular civilians. Their enhanced bones are why Bonesteel was so durable and only made with special machinery in the Unity Kingdom.

"Here's your food," Ash was pulled out of his thoughts when the young boy placed plates on the table. "A stack of fried potatoes for you and a pile of chopped meat for him." The boy said as he carefully slid the meat in front of the snake.   

"So, is this diner run by children?" Ash asked as he looked at the young boy who wasn't over fourteen. 

"You're new here, right?" The boy asked, unbothered by the question. "Everyone has a job in this camp. You either fight or help keep the place running. But everyone gets a job we can do." The boy explained.

"Ah, that makes sense," Ash said with a nod as he started eating his food. He turned to the snake, who was quickly devouring the pile of meat. "Keep eating like that, and I'll kill you before you get too big and try to eat me," The snake flicked its tongue at Ash's threat.

~R~o~a~O~

Jack, the lanky man, walked into the diner as Ash finished his meal. "It's time. They want to see you now." Jack said. Ash simply nodded as he grabbed the snake and followed Jack out of the door.

~R~o~a~O~

Ash followed Jack as the pair took an elevator down to the town built at the base of the canyon. "You know, this bandit camp is more advance than some villages I've been to," Ash said as he rode the elevator. From his vantage point, Ash could see building after building built into the canyon's crevice. "Canyon walls on three sides, a big gate. This place would definitely put up a fight against the Explorers Union if they ever attacked, of course."

"Well, the Desert Hounds have built this place up for nearly eighty years. Besides, if we don't cause problems in Bramblethorn or attack the Union directly, they leave us alone." Jack explained as the elevator jerked to a stop. "Come on. We're going to the Boss's greenhouse. Don't break anything, and watch what you say." Jack said, with Ash following behind.

~R~o~a~O~

'Wow, this place is greener than that forest.' Ash thought as he walked into the massive greenhouse. From wall to wall, the building was filled with potted plants, trees, and even fruits and vegetables. 'But damn, it's hot in here.' Both Ash and Jack pulled to a stop a few feet away from a table of people talking. Ash was too far away to hear what they were saying, but he recognized three out of four.

"Well, I suppose it could be worse," Jack said to Ash in a low voice. "The headache you brought was only bad enough for the Boss to summon three of the camp's big wigs. The rest are probably out doing jobs or didn't care enough to show up. 

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"So, these people are important? Who are they?" Ash asked. He did recognize them but didn't know they held important roles in the bandit clan.

"Well, the big guy over there, that's Carter. He runs the mechanics and handles all mechanical things in the base. Talk to him if you don't want to be a fighter. He's always looking for people willing to get their hands greasy." Jack explained while nodding toward the large man Ash met on his first day in the rocky desert. 

Jack then turned to the beautiful red-haired woman Ash had met in the diner the day before. "See him. Well, don't be fooled. That's Alex. He's a trickster, that one. He's the one that gathers info for the camp, and he's damn good at it. He dresses up like a woman and uses his natural good looks to trick men into falling in love. Seducing them for information, taking everything. Then when they fall in love, he laughs and says, 'I'm a guy, you know, or I'm not interested in dating men like me.' Sadistic bastard, he does it for fun." Jack mumbled.

"You know that from personal experience?" Ash asked as he saw the frown on Jack's face. Jack ignored the question and turned to the third person.

"You already know her, don't you? Roxy the skull-faced headache that likes to boss people around. She's one of the camps enforcers, someone we send out to bust heads when needed." Jack explained, then turned to Ash. "You're from the Mayan Nation, right? What's with that skull paint?" He asked.  

"Tradition, I suppose," Ash replied with a shrug. "Not everyone in the Mayan Nation is walking around with skull-painted faces. Only Mayan warriors and warriors in training wear that mark. But full-fledged recognized warriors get that mark tattooed onto their faces." Ash scratched his face as he spoke. He could still feel the paint on his skin even though he hadn't worn the mark in years. 

Before either man could speak again, the fourth person, a woman sitting at the head of the table, spoke up. "Jack, bring our guest here." She said in a soft voice.  

Walking closer gave Ash a better look at the woman. She was an elderly dark-skinned woman dressed in overalls and a sun hat. Her kind, wrinkled face led Ash to believe the woman was at least in her sixties. 'If I can kill her and the other three right now, I can leave and be done.' Ash thought, but his eyes flickered to the gemstone-covered hilt strapped to her waist. 'Then again, all I have is this Bonesteel hammer. I'll probably get killed before I can reach her.' Ash thought as he realized three out of four people at the table were carrying gemstone weapons. Alex was the only one without a weapon on display.

"Hello, my name is Willow, the current leader of the Desert Hounds. What is your name?" The elderly woman asked with a smile.

"I'm just Ash, your friendly exile from the Mayan Nation whos running from the Explorers Union," Ash said with a smile of his own. His words caused Roxy to glare at him and Alex to grin, while Carter seemed unfazed.

"Well, that certainly matches everything I've heard about you. But, can you tell me what happened with the man you killed?"

"Not much to tell. I was told to kill a monster in that forest. But while I was walking around, that guy attacked me from behind. He called me a Hound bastard, so I assumed he wasn't a friend. We fought, and I choked him to death with a snake. Oh, that reminds me," As Ash explained, he remembered the snake wrapped around his arm. Lifting up his arm Ash pulled the snake off. The tiny monster gave no resistance as Ash placed him on the table. The snake simply flicked its tongue around, observing his new surroundings. "My gift to you. I figured every evil bandit leader needs a scary pet."

Roxy quickly stood up at Ash's words and pointed a translucent Mist blade at him. "Call her evil again, and I'll-" Roxy started to say but was cut off when Willow raised a hand.

"Now, now, Roxy, you're scaring the poor creature." The woman said as she held her hand out to the small snake. The creature flicked its tongue and slowly slithered to her. Bowing his head, the snake allowed the woman to run her finger over his scales. "This little guy will be perfect for dealing with the rodents that have been attacking my fruits lately. Thank you for the kind gift."

"You know, Boss," Alex spoke with a sweet voice. "Little Ash here doesn't eat meat. Maybe you can share some fruits and vegetables with him." 

"Oh? That's a wonderful idea. I'll-" Willow started to speak, but Carter interrupted. 

"Boss, shouldn't we talk about the dead member of the Breakers? He was scouting out our forest and knowingly attacked one of our members. We need to deal with this." Carter said with a frown.

"Oh, Carter, so impatient. I know you just want to hurry and get back to working on your cars. But you're right. We must deal with this problem before it gets out of hand." Willow said with a sigh.

Sitting back in her chair Roxy turned to Willow. "We've always had our problems and fights with the Mountain Breakers. But this is different. They ambushed and captured Carter while he was leaving Bramblethorn, and now they're scouting our land. This seems like they want to go to war with us." 

Willow shook her head. "They aren't doing this because they want war. No, what they're doing is out of desperation."

Alex leaned forward with a grin. "It's because of the Dungeon, isn't it? That Dungeon was discovered smack dab in the middle of Bramblethorn and the mountains, close to the Breakers' base. I've already gotten word that the Explorers Union is waiting for that balloonport to be built in Bramblethorn before they make their move. Once it's built, those Explorers Union soldiers will wipe the Breakers out. No way they want a bandit clan so close to their fancy new Dungeon." 

Willow nodded at Alex's explanation. "The Mountain Breakers know their time is limited. They want to kill us and take our base before the Union arrives. It's foolish desperation, and we can use it to our advantage. But, we shouldn't speak of such matters in front of Ash here. I'm sure you'd like to rest, maybe take a nice shower."

Ash simply nodded. "It would be nice to wash all the death off of me." He said as he felt his skin start to itch. 'It would also be nice if I could kill you while you're busy killing those other bandits.' Ash thought as he gave Willow a small smile. 

Willow returned Ash's smile, then turned to Jack. The lanky man had been trying to make himself unnoticeable as he stood next to Ash. He didn't want to get involved with the camp's higher-ups. "Jack, if you could take Ash to the showers and get him a new set of clothes. Send the bill to me."

"Of course, Boss."

"Oh, and Ash. You're sleeping in the Tents for now. That place is for new and unproven members. But if you can keep proving yourself, you'll be moved down to the rows. There is a spot open, after all." 

"Sounds nice, but I'm just doing as I'm told. Nothing special."

"Good, very good. You'll be called again when you're needed. But for now, enjoy the rest of your day."

With a simple nod goodbye, Ash and Jack turned and made their way out of the greenhouse. There was only one thought on Ash's mind as he walked. 'Hmm, maybe if I'm lucky, that snake monster will kill her.'

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