Moonhunter

Chapter 1 .: Salutations, Qaar :.

.: Chapter 1 :.

Salutations, Qaar

      The night was cold.

      Unrelentingly so.  

      Snow came in drifts, covering the frozen ground with occasional layers of white. The moon was hung high in the sky. The crescent cast down warm light down to the village, encasing it in its glow.

      Most people by this time were asleep, resting under the comforts of their warm covers and snuggled near the fireplace where a fire crackled merrily.   

      Even the innkeeper of the only motel in town, the Elidblum Inn, was dozing off during the nightshift. The door banged open, and Elizor awoke with a start. His mouth slid into a lopsided grin as he surveyed the door interestedly.  

      The customer who entered was a girl, not older than nineteen winters. Her jet-black hair cascaded down her back in a mass of loose curls, and her dark eyes glistened. The look in them was hard, as if she was sizing him up and deciding he wasn’t worth the effort.

      A long weapon of some sort wrapped tightly in leather was slung on her back. 

      Elizor's first impression of the girl was a toughness and ferocity he had known to associate with warriors.

      "I’m looking for a room," she said, striding forward. "Preferably somewhere secluded."

      The girl looked around. The way she surveyed the first floor of the motel was not unlike the way old veterans of war did when they came to stay in Elidblum: shifty gazes and constantly moving so that they didn’t stay too long in one place.

      Still, a girl as young as the one in front of him couldn’t have seen war. He dismissed it and said, "That'll be fifteen copper pieces.”

      He didn't expect the girl to remain; fifteen copper pieces wasn't a small amount, especially for a young girl like her.

      He usually got war veterans and drunks—people with money. True, they weren’t wealthy patrons but they had enough.

      Elizor was quite surprised when the girl fished out a handful of coins, counted out fifteen pieces, and handed it to him. She retracted her hand immediately. He frowned but didn't comment on her behavior.

      "Thank you, miss," he said. "Last door on the second floor, left side." He pointed towards the stairs. He took the key to the appropriate room off its hook and placed it onto the counter. 

     She took it, thanked him quietly, and headed toward the steps. If she felt his scrutiny, she pretended not to notice.

--- --- ---

      The room was relatively clean, with the exception of spiderwebs in the corners. It would do.

      Luna was only staying the one night after all. She deposited the bag she carried and unclipped the belt which held her scrolls and knives on the bed. Her scythe she left leaning on the wall, close to the table. She sat down on the chair.

      She shook out her long curly hair and tied it up with a piece of twine. Settling back down, Luna took out the map of the town she had drawn the night before. She was prepared to bet that her quarry was in the very inn she was in.

    Qaar-hunting, she called it. Qaars were the devilish creatures that walked invisible alongside humans, devouring their souls and flesh in order to replenish their energy and gain strength. Qaars were difficult to catch because they tended to take on the physical features of the last human soul it devoured. With a human's face, it would be a simple matter to take a room here, the only inn in Elidblum.