<font color='black' size='2' face='arial'>Go<font size="2">od story.<br>
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these hunters think hunting Keepers is going to give them the challenge they want? They sound almost suicidal in their determination to hunt a Keeper. Makes me want to see more of them!<br>
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Chris<br>
The Lurking Fox<br>
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<div style="font-family:arial,helvetica;font-size:10pt;color:black">-----Original Message-----<br>
From: Jack Moore <jackthefrilledlizard@gmail.com><br>
To: mkguild <mkguild@lists.integral.org><br>
Sent: Thu, May 12, 2016 9:04 pm<br>
Subject: [Mkguild] Partrol I<br>
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<div>AN: I've been working forever on this. A special thanks to Chris O'Kane for letting me use Misha.</div>
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<div>Patrol</div>
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<div>Nights in March are usually ice cold. This one definitely didn't feel it. Berlitz sweated through his rabbit skinned cap. The quaking light of the torches blocked all figures in half the fire. Berlitz could see the dirt and grime on his own skin, splotches of black against the pale white. He swallowed.</div>
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<div>"Something wrong?" Saphir asked. "You're shaking Berl." Berlitz clenched his leather glove covered fists. "You're scared things are going to go wrong aren't you?" He sighed and nodded. "I was scared myself on my first hunt."</div>
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<div>Saphir was a few years older then Berlitz and noticeably thinner. He had black hair he kept cropped thin. Saphir's green eyes always seemed to be laughing.</div>
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<div>"How did you deal with your fear?" Saphir smirked, his half smile lighting up the darkness. The bow on Berlitz back felt heavy as stone. His sweat soaked legs dragged through the mire.</div>
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<div>"I just hunted." Saphir said. "On a hunt it can overwhelm your fears. In that moment, that rush you don't know if you'll live or die."</div>
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<div>"I don't see how this helps." Berlitz said, now with a grin.</div>
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<div>"Let me finish. The thing is, you wouldn't expect it but it's amazing the first time on your hunt when you're in danger. When some great big beastie can actually kill you?" Saphir laughed. "Then you put an arrow through its eye."</div>
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<div>"And if I can't?" Berlitz asked. "What if I'm too slow or I can't level an arrow or if I fire it into the ground."</div>
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<div>"Then that's why we hunt in groups." Saphir said. "Wolves have the right idea here. They hunt in packs, the club does too." Berlitz nodded.</div>
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<div>Eight figures marched through the woods right now, each one in shades of black. Magic allowed their leader to see clearly in the dark. </div>
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<div>They moved without fear through the woods. Maybe someone would spot them. Tonight was not the night of the hunt, which would be tomorrow. Let people see them now, they'd forget by tomorrow.</div>
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<div>All but one of the group carried bows with special non-lethal arrows. Berlitz also carried a net as the primarily net bearer. There was a secondary net bearer but he didn't know who that was.</div>
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<div>Using a net was generally regarded as dirty; it took the thrill out of hunting a clever prey. There was no glory in stabbing a caged animal. But there is also no glory in being gored.</div>
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<div>They weren't supposed to carry weapons on this expedition. Berl had a knife with him though. 'I am not going to die on this hunt.'</div>
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<div>The man at the front of the line was the Hunt Leader. He would direct the hunt as it went and would hopefully keep Berlitz alive when this was all said and done. He was an older man with a weary face and gray eyes.</div>
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<div>A look in his eyes could be seen in all of the other hunters. A kind of iron stiffness, it was a hardness that developed in time. Even in Saphir Berlitz could see it developing.</div>
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<div><span class="" style="white-space:pre">'</span>Do I want to be like them though?' Berlitz dropped his head. 'I don't even know I want to be out here.' He was so tired but he kept marching with the rest of them. 'This is my purpose this is my destiny.' So they all said, over and over.</div>
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<div>This was all crap and Berlitz new it was. His destiny was unknown to everyone but the gods. Yet despite this he marched with the other men in their cloaks and dark leather. Six torches flicked in the dark and created a line of light.</div>
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<div>"It's cold out here." Berlitz mumbled. "Why am I sweating so much?"</div>
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<div>"Nothing is going to go wrong." Saphir promised. "The cold...well can't do much about that. Still March kid."</div>
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<div>"Yeah..." I'm sweating because I know this is wrong. The leather around his body felt like lead. Memories shifted through his head, two coalescing streams for and against his course of action.</div>
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<div>Every few feet there would be a snap or a crack caused by Berlitz breaking a twig as he walked. The others were completely, almost inhumanly mute. In time they promised he would be like them but that was impossible.</div>
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<div>No way would he be able to hunt like the others. Berlitz didn't want to be like that. 'So why am I still here?'</div>
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<div>Their leader held up a gloved first. The other seven came to a stop, crowding behind him. The leader pointed out to a clearing of trees. They continued on until they reached the edge of the thick wood. The hunt leader turned to face them.</div>
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<div>"What do you see?" Over his head was a hood, in the darkness it was a black portal. Berlitz swallowed and glanced over the leader's shoulder.</div>
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<div>From where they stood on a hill they looked out onto a valley. Little lights dotted the ground, fires and candles in windows. In the distance stood a castle, massive and forbearing. In front of it rose a town, with walls and no doubt thousands of living breathing souls.</div>
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<div>"This will be our most dangerous hunt by far." The leader said. "What you see before you is Metamor Keep."</div>
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<div>"We're all cursed." Berlitz mumbled.</div>
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<div>"Not yet youth." The leader said. "But this place will be our greatest challenge. The people of Metamor are cursed. Some of them are no longer human, they will be our targets."</div>
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<div>"What about the humans sir?" One of the hunters named Rubius asked.</div>
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<div>"They can be disarmed but must not be wounded." The leader said. "The animals may be wounded but not killed, if you wound them they must be left alive."</div>
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<div>"That means we've only got one chance!" Berlitz stammered.</div>
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<div>"We're the absolute best or are supposed to be. In a red hunt you should only need one arrow to take a life. Consider this a test run." The leader said. "And if things become difficult that is why you Hunter Berlitz are our net bearer."</div>
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<div>"I really wish I wasn't." Berlitz mumbled.</div>
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<div>"The net will only be used in the event of an emergency for a quick escape." The leader said. "Gentlemen, the hunt is happening. We may all be killed but we will die in a moment of greatness. Our names will be recorded in the Golden Hall forever. Are you ready to become eternal?"</div>
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<div>"Yes sir!" They all said. Six of the voices were strong but Berlitz barely managed to get the words out.</div>
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<div><span class="" style="white-space:pre">'</span>I'd rather die of old age.' Berlitz bit his lip.</div>
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<div>"Tonight will not be our hunt night but very soon." The leader said. "We know these woods from our scouts reports but actually hunting in them is very different. Tomorrow we will gain first hand knowledge of these woods, we will observe these people. The night after that will be our hunt."</div>
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<div>"Yes sir!" The leader nodded.</div>
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<div>"Prepare to make camp. We have a busy day ahead of us."</div>
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