ă€ŠSoul of a Hunteră€‹


 Chapter 001

    "Hello again, boys," the Gate greets us. "Heading out again?"

    "Yes," I answer. "How are things looking outside?"

    The great Gate set into the tall walls protecting our town falls silent for several moments, which is usually not a good sign. Generally, if it has to think over how things look outside, there''s either something strong out there, or a lot of monsters.

    Standing at twenty feet in height, twelve in width, and one in thickness, the door-like Gate is the only way to enter our town. At least, unless one wants to try going over the walls it''s set into. At twenty feet thick and one hundred feet in height, only a monster would ever try going over the walls.

    Which they sometimes do, resulting in Cam and me needing to take them out. That rarely happens when we''re outside hunting, though. For the most part, monsters stay outside of the town. We aren''t that large of one, so we aren''t that much of an attractive target to the monsters intelligent enough to target settlements.

    Finally, the face in the Gate opens its eyes and looks at us.

    "A storm is coming, Rex," he tells me.

    "Yes, we know," I roll my eyes. "Did you really have to think over it for two minutes before coming to that conclusion? I can tell by the way the air feels and smells a storm will hit. But we still need to hunt some beasts."

    "Not that kind of storm," he tells me. "I have been observing oddities lately. I believe a Star-Level beast may be forming."

    Cam and I look at each other uneasily. Ordinarily, the beasts are within reasonable power levels. The two of us alone are enough to handle them. They grow more powerful by consuming the fresh hearts of other beasts, much as we Hunters grow more powerful by killing beasts. Cam and I normally prevent them from reaching Tier Five, which is when they start to gain more intelligence. After Tier Seven, they become Single Star beasts.

    Those don''t just have better intelligence. No, those have intelligence, cunning, and more. They''re not just intelligent, but dangerous. In addition to their ability to plan and plot, they are powerful monsters. Very rarely do they form in an area like this.

    "Are you sure?" Cam asks beside me.

    "I am not certain," the Gate responds. "But I will continue to watch. Be wary, Hunters. You are many Levels too low to handle Star-Level Beasts."

    "We know," I tell him. "We''ll keep an eye out for the appearance of stronger beasts."

    "Good luck," he tells us. "May I see your Hunter Brands?"

    Cam and I pull down the fronts of our shirts so that the Gate can see the brands. Black marks on our sternums which show our Level. We aren''t required to update the Hunter Brands, but even having one acts as proof we are Hunters. Many places also require people to either have a high enough Level, or be with people who do, to exit or enter them.

    Our town requires us to have the brand, even at Level 1. I''m Level 17, while Cam is Level 13. Even though we''re the same age and have performed every hunt together, the difference between us comes because of our positions. Cam is a healer, which doesn''t make him stronger, while I''m a fighter. He''s fought some, to raise his Level so that he can perform stronger heals and spells, but otherwise, I do all of the fighting and killing.

    Upon seeing our brands, the Gate splits down the center, then opens outward.

    "Good luck with your hunts, and may the Divine watch over you," he tells us.

    Cam and I leave the town and walk down the path between the fields of grass, hills rolling to either side of us. A mountain rises to our left, to the north and west of us, while we know a river passes between the hills on our right, to the south and east of us. One of the feeder rivers for it cuts into the town, a series of strong grates preventing beasts from swimming through, even if fish can make it through.

    Some of those fish are monsters, but they also taste pretty good.

    We walk in silence until we know we''re out of the Gate''s earshot. We learned that lesson years ago, unaware of just how good its hearing was. Until then, we had believed it could only hear things within maybe ten yards of it.

    Finding out it could hear more than one hundred feet away was a bit of a shock.

    "Any idea why he''d think that?" Cam asks.

    "No," I answer. "But the Gate sees more than us. It''s possible he picked up something we haven''t noticed. The formation of a Star-Level beast is always preceded by monsters becoming higher tiers abnormally for the region, though."

    "Let''s go check the mudhounds," Cam suggests. "I know we were waiting for them to hit Tier Five for the experience, but they''d be the most likely candidates."

    "Yeah," I agree. "Though remind me why I thought leaving them around would be a good idea?"

    Mudhounds are an annoying creature to deal with. As their name suggests, they''re hounds made out of mud. And they attack using mud. And they live in a muddy area. I don''t mind getting dirty as much as the next Hunter, but mudhounds take it to an entirely different level.

    Cam and I make our way out off the main path and south, toward the river. We ignore the lesser monsters around here. None of them look stronger than usual. The hares still have pale brown fur and a single horn, the occasional deer still looks like a deer, the squirrels still have two tails. Nothing is larger, nothing is abnormal.

    Well, other than the hawk living in a tree we pass by, but Cam and I ignore it. It''s twice the size of a normal hawk, and it has an extra talon on each foot, along with three eyes. Spots of red are on its brown and white feathers as well, forming an eye-like pattern across its wingspan.

    We''re letting it live, even though it''s Tier Four. We want it to hit Tier Five because it will provide us some decent experience once it''s there. It will probably take the hawk a few more months to reach that at minimum, though. Most of the creatures in the area it''s hunting are Tier One.

    The ratio to advance to the next tier is one hundred of the same tier as it is. For every tier below it, it needs ten times as many devoured. So to reach Tier Five, it needs to eat one million fresh hearts from Tier One monsters.

    It''s actually the reason there aren''t many stronger beasts in this section of fields and hills. If we leave a monster at a higher tier for a few days, the hawk eats it.

    Cam and I reach the river, then cross the stone bridge built years before we were born. We follow the river downstream. When it forks, we continue along the fork we''re walking by already. It''s smaller than the fork heading north, towards the mountains, but will lead us to the mud fields.

    Normally, rivers don''t fork out like this, and we know that eventually, the fork will disappear, the river returning to normal. But as far as we can tell, the fork came about because of some attack by a monster around fifty years ago. It was the last great incident of our town, when a Tier Seven monster was taken out by some Hunters from a city.

    One day, we might become that strong, but for now, we''ll continue to train the way we are. Tier Five monsters push our limits pretty hard, but with Cam''s healing, I''m able to handle them as long as there''s only one or two we''re actually fighting at once.

    Because of the amount of stronger beasts consumed needed to hit that high, there is rarely more than one in an area. It''s eaten everything else that was strong so that it could become strong. It''s at that most beasts realize that eating stronger things makes it stronger faster, too.

    The walk from the fork takes us around twenty minutes, trees starting to grow more densely on the hills, up until we reach a small valley between hills. It''s only a couple hundred yards across, and the branch of the river fades into it, keeping the mud, well, muddy.

    Looking around, I examine the beasts in the mud fields. Some frogs, some mudhounds, and some snails. Judging by the variations in them, most are Tiers One, Two, and Three. There are four mudhounds which we''ve been keeping our eyes on. They''re larger than the others and have horn-like protrusions on their head. Tier Four. Much like all mudhounds, their bodies seem to be made of mud, though that''s really just their flesh ¨C there''s bone, muscle, sinew, blood, and all the other usual stuff underneath.

    "Is it me, or is Geoffrey bigger than last time we were here?" Cam asks.

    I glance at the snail in question. It''s sitting on a large rock, lazily basking in the fading sunlight. Clouds are moving in now, another sign of the coming storm. We nicknamed him Geoffrey a few years ago, and he seems content to eat lesser monsters. None of the monsters seems to mess with him, either, and we can understand why.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    After his first evolution, when he gained a third upper tentacle, he acquired a lightning attribute. There are six elements to the system, though only five relate to each other, and those five have relationships which determine their strengths and weaknesses. Cam uses light, which has both light aspects and holy, and is required to heal things.

    The lightning attribute is strong against mud, which is a mix of earth and water. Pure water doesn''t conduct electricity, but these things are muddy, not pure water. Because of that, Geoffrey has an advantage here, and we''ve witnessed him zapping other monsters before.

    We dubbed him King Geoffrey because he essentially rules this area. The weaker monsters are generally too stupid to stay away and end up becoming food, and the stronger monsters are intelligent enough to avoid his shocks.

    How he acquired that ability, we aren''t certain. Normally, monsters gain attributes based on what they''ve consumed in their life, so his variation should have related to mud, water, or earth. He also shouldn''t have acquired the ability to cast spells until he hit Tier Three, either, but he did.

    King Geoffrey is just an enigma to us, and we leave him alone just as much as he leaves us alone. There is a mutual understanding between us that there''s no gain for any of us to attack each other. Eventually, Cam and I will need to put him down, but we''re hoping to be a little bit stronger before then.

    Unfortunately, it seems that day might come sooner than later. Geoffrey is, indeed, larger than he was last week, and he has an extra pair of lower tentacles, putting him up to six of them now. He still has his five upper tentacles, four of which have electric-blue eyes, and the split tail that he had before.

    "He''s hit Tier Five," I tell Cam. "There should be more Tier Four monsters here, too. Seems they probably got too close to him, or too bothersome, and he went on a feeding frenzy."

    "Think that''s what''s caused the Gate''s concern?" Cam asks as Geoffrey turns two of its eyes to us, watching us with curiosity.

    "No," I answer. "I doubt the Gate would say something unless something neared or reached Tier Seven. Geoffrey will probably need at least six months to hit Tier Six, possibly even a year."

    It doesn''t look like anything here is a cause for concern, which means Cam and I will need to investigate other areas. Areas further from the town than we normally travel. The trips out won''t be entirely fruitless, even if we don''t find any signs of a too-strong monster, though. We''ll be fighting monsters along the way, and we can use parts from several of them.

    "Anyway," I say. "I''m going to take out those Tier Four mudhounds."

    "Alright," Cam says.

    I step forward, gesturing with my right hand, and water rises up out of the mud. At the same time, I flick my left hand forward, sending a burst of flames along the less-muddy section I just created. The mud hardens into stone, though the effect is temporary. Not because I used magic to do it, but because the water from the river will eventually soak back into it and I did a crude job.

    Flicking my right wrist, I shape the water I drew out into a spear, then snap, turning it into ice. I point forward, and the spear launches towards one of the mudhounds, piercing through it. Thrusting my left hand forward, I send a bolt of lightning at the spear as I charge down the path.

    With another gesture of my right hand, I pull the earth out of the mud from a spot, leaving behind a puddle of water that starts to muddy up again. Using a mixture of fire, earth, and wind magic, I shape it into a spear with a light metal hilt and triangular metal head. It took me three years to learn how to perform the combination of magic required to do that.

    As I run, I continue creating a path through the mud, using wind magic to stop the spurts of mud shot at me by the various creatures here. My initial attack stunned a mudhound, but that''s only temporary. A Tier Four creature won''t die so easily against someone who''s only Level 17. Not without extreme luck or strategy.

    Infusing myself with lightning, I begin my real assault, striking with my spear. With this spell, my body is faster as sparks dance off of it, and any metal I touch is affected by lightning. The ground as well.

    The first mudhound opens its maw and shoots a blast of mud at me, and I summon up a shield of wind to stop the attack before I jab forward with the spear, before jumping back to avoid being bitten by a second mudhound. I launch a kick at the latter, my foot connecting with it and breaking off part of its jaw, stunning the creature. I follow that up with a jab of my spear, then jump up, using a little wind magic to help me fly over the mudhounds as they both attempt to bite me.

    Twisting around, I stab with my spear as I manifest a barrier of wind behind me to stop an attack from another mudhound. With a repeated series of jabs, I''m able to take out the first mudhound, though the second manages to bite onto my arm once.

    Only once, because that paralyzed it. Lightning is their weakness, after all. Lightning and fire. As the fourth mudhound decides to join the fight, attacking me with both mud breaths and sonic howls, I take advantage of their second weakness, manifesting several fireballs as I continue my jabs and strikes with the spear.

    Gesturing, I send the fireballs at the three remaining Tier Four mudhounds. Two of them manage to dodge the attacks, but the one close to me wasn''t able to avoid it in time. Where the fireball impacts on its side, the mud hardens. I step forward and kick the hardened spot, sending the mudhound flying, then I charge forward and jam the head of my spear into it. The spear breaks as the mudhound finally dies, its blood mixing into the mud below.

    Releasing the spear, I turn and aim my hands at the remaining pair of Tier Four mudhounds. Inhaling, I feel my lightning increasing with the spell I''m preparing. When I exhale, a powerful bolt of lightning wrapped around a torrent of flames expels from my hands, and I sweep it over several monsters. One of the mudhounds leaps over it, while the other disappears from my sight.

    When the spell fades, a huge chunk of my sacred energy used up, I find the latter mudhound limping on the ground, sparks dancing off of it with much of its body hardened to dry dirt. One of its front legs are missing.

    I hold out a hand to unleash another, weaker attack at that one, except the other mudhound attacks me, belting out another sonic attack. That''s one of the more annoying wind magics I''ve come across so far, and it''s not normally found in the beasts in this mud field. It must have hunted a few birds somewhere else for a little while.

    The attack slams me into the ground, battering at my already-bruised body. It can only keep this up for as long as it has breath, though, so I do my best to weather it. I''m lucky only one of these has this attack, or they could kill me. Even Cam wouldn''t be able to heal me that well.

    Speaking of Cam, I feel my body beginning to mend, my fractured bones righting themselves, the cuts on me healing, pushing out the mud and grit that had entered after I was slammed down. I cancel my lightning infusion to allow his healing to work better. In this state, it''s useless, as it''s meant to bolster my speed while making it dangerous for the mudhounds to touch me. It provides no defense from a sonic attack.

    The moment the attack ends, I flip over, then push myself to my feet before twisting around. The attacking mudhound is dropping towards the ground, inhaling to prepare another sonic attack. I point two fingers at the ground, then draw them up in an arc, sending a blade of flames at it. That first one is followed by several others, each angled separately to ensure some hit.

    Swapping attacks, the mudhound uses its mud breath to take out the flames that would attack it. As it does that, I throw lightning at the injured mudhound, which is mostly recovered, the mud of the fields moistening it up again.

    Imbuing myself again, I charge forward, delivering a heel drop on its head, before pulling up a pillar of stone beneath it, slamming into the beast''s body. I punch its head thrice before dodging an attack from the other mudhound, which I throw fireballs at, before holding out a hand towards the wounded one and attacking with a jet of flames.

    My fireballs stop the last mudhound long enough for me to finish this one off, then I turn and face the final one. My sacred power isn''t running low, but I''m still feeling the exhaustion of the fight, as short as it has been. Half of it has been in the mud, not on the paths I created, and moving through that isn''t easy. Every step takes that much more effort to perform. Then there''s the constant attacks I have to perform, and the sonic attack I had to defend against.

    Against a group of ten Tier One mudhounds, I could last many times longer than this. But this is a stronger fight, with stronger spells being thrown around, and it was four-on-one. It''s quite possible that if I slip up, this last mudhound could kill me.

    As I move to clap my hands together, a bolt of lightning shoots from the side, sending the remaining mudhound skidding across the side. It snaps his head to the side, and I use the opportunity to summon a lance of flames, then throw it at the mudhound. The monster begins to dodge to the side, but the lance still travels down its side, its blade cutting into it, hardening the mud to stone and piercing into its flesh beneath, cauterizing the wound immediately.

    The mudhound howls, then begins to charge forward, inhaling as it does. I clap my hands together, releasing a sonic boom of my own. Because the mudhound was in movement, not braced at all, it''s sent flying back from the attack. Immediately, I follow up the attack with a bolt of lightning and six slashes of flames.

    My attacks strike as the mudhound attempts to defend itself, and I''m already moving forward, pulling another spear out of the mud. Not giving the mudhound time to recover from my attacks, I ram my spear into it with all the force I can muster, driving my weapon straight through the monster''s chest and out of its back.

    With a pitiful whine, the mudhound dies. I release the spear, it won''t be good for much more. That one was hastily made, and the spell doesn''t make quality spears, just ones good enough for a few attacks. It''ll probably be destroyed soon.

    Creating a path back to the edge of the mud fields, I step onto it, then walk to Cam as I release my spell. None of the other monsters are attacking me, probably after seeing my fight. I''m kind of glad for that, as I probably could be taken out if everything here went after me, especially if Geoffrey joined in. My exhausted state pretty much would guarantee a loss against Geoffrey right now.

    When I reach Cam, I turn my attention to Geoffrey, who has two of his blue eyes fixed on me. Shrugging, I look at Cam.

    "Thanks for the help," I tell him. "That must have taken a lot out of you."

    "Yeah," Cam confirms. "It was the only spell I could think of to attack with from here. I would''ve gone further in, except you know what happens when I try to join in a fight against stronger monsters."

    He gets hurt, and I end up having to protect him. That''s why he focused on learning and improving his light spells to heal from a greater distance. I don''t have to worry about protecting him as much, because everything focuses on the stronger fighter.

    Only once monsters start hitting Tier Five do they realize they should target the healer first. Until then, their primary target is the attacker doing the most damage to them or other monsters.

    "Let''s rest up," I examine my clothes, which are caked with mud my lightning dried. "And eat, too. Then let''s look for more clues as to what could be causing the Gate to think a stronger monster is forming."

    "Alright," Cam says. "But a little further from here. I don''t want to smell the mud fields as strongly as I eat. And have Geoffrey staring at me the whole time. No offense, Geoffrey."

    Geoffrey wiggles two of his lower tentacles in response, then Cam and I start walking.

 Chapter 002

    "Welcome back, boys," the Gate greets us as we approach.

    "Hello, Gate," I greet him. "We''ve returned from our hunt."

    "You brought food back as well," he comments, referring to the four deer I''m using wind magic to carry.

    "We did," I respond. "May we enter?"

    "You may," he responds. "Liam awaits you."

    The Gate opens after telling us something he tells us almost every time we return. Cam and I enter the town, greeting the nine-year-old after passing through the slight tunnel of the wall. He''s a little on the short side, like Cam, though there''s no relation between them. At least, not in recent generations. If we go back far enough, everyone''s related.

    Liam''s sitting on a low stone wall surrounding a farm, swinging his feet back and forth. He wants to be a Hunter as soon as he turns ten, the minimum age for it, and join us in our hunts. Because of that, he usually waits for us to return, then asks us about our adventure of the day.

    "Whoa!" Liam looks at the four deer, brown eyes wide in awe. "Those are huge! And that one was a Tier Two! Those are gonna feed us for a couple of days!"

    "Yes, they are," I say as we chuckle. "I promised you that we''d make get you a new pair of gloves, didn''t I? We''ll use some of the hide from one of these guys for it."

    "Awesome!" Liam exclaims, falling in-step with us. "So what was the toughest thing you fought today?"

    "The toughest thing today?" I ask. "Well, there were several things we fought that were pretty tough. It would be hard to place one as the toughest, though."

    "What about the one that made you all muddy?" He asks, picking at the dried mud on my shirt. "How tough was that?"

    "That was definitely up there," I tell him. "If Cam hadn''t attacked, I might have lost the fight against the mudhounds. There were four of them, all Tier Four, attacking me at once."

    I go on to tell him about the fight with the mudhounds, and he asks if we fought Geoffrey.

    "No," I tell him. "But he did rank up to Tier Five since last week. If he had chosen to fight us, then that would have been the toughest fight today for sure. I''d say the hydra-head snake tied with the mudhounds for difficulty."

    "Hydra-head snake?" Liam asks. "Was it Tier Four or Tier Five?"

    "The latter," I answer. "When Cam and I were hunting deer, it shot up out of the grass. Nearly bit my hand off! The monster blended into the grass quite well with its yellow and green scales, and it hissed none until after we reacted. It stretched twenty feet in length and had eight heads!"

    I continue with the tale, leaving out no part of the battle against the snake for Liam. We gave up being sensitive with what we said because of his age a year ago. Liam laps up the stories like a dog lapping up water on a hot day. I began training him a little less than a year ago, too, because no matter what anyone says, he''s going to do the same thing Cam and I did ¨C register as a Hunter on his tenth birthday.

    To finish off the tale, I unweave the light magic I had cloaking the snake, startling Liam, who stares at it with wide eyes as Cam and I do our best not to laugh. While the monster''s venom is inert now that it''s dead, its meat, bones, and skin can be used for various things. The meat for eating, bones for tools, and skin for clothes of some sort.

    The three of us reach the butcher''s, where Cam opens the door for me, and I shift my wind magic to make everything float inside before I step in, Liam bringing up the rear.

    "Hey, Nick," I greet the butcher, who''s eyeing the snake like he can already think of what he''ll get out of it. "Can you send the hides to Greta for me?"

    "Sure thing," he responds. "Looks like you had some good hunting today. Haven''t seen a hydra-headed snake in a few years."

    "We weren''t expecting to find one," I admit. "As we told Liam, it sort of came out of nowhere. We were passing by one of the holes it used when it was coming out of it, and it attacked. We aren''t sure how we hadn''t caught it before it hit Tier Five, then spent a couple of hours checking to make sure there weren''t more. Otherwise, we would''ve been back sooner."

    "You look pretty roughed-up," Nick comments. "Should we be concerned?"

    "No," I answer. "Most of that came from the first fight, which had some pretty bad footing. Anyway, we should get going, before the storm sets in. Those clouds are looking pretty thick."

    "They are," Nick nods. "You have a good evening."

    "You as well," I tell him, then we leave.

    The three of us walk a little further into town, greeting a few people as we go, then Cam and I bid each other a good day at the fork in the road where he heads down to get home. Liam follows me to my home, and I take him around to the back.

    Even though a storm is coming, Liam wants to do some combat practice. Until he obtains his Hunter''s Brand, he can''t use sacred power, but he can still at least learn some other skills until then. I pull the wooden training spear off the rack and toss it to him, then place both hands on the ground. The Elder Hunter taught me how to perform this spell once I hit Level 15 almost a year ago, just so I could use it to teach Liam some combat.

    An eight-headed snake rises from the ground, made up of dirt and stone, with a touch of water magic to make it flexible.

    "Alright, Liam," I pull my hands off the ground and take several steps back, now in complete control of the golem. "We''re going to play with snakes today. Remember to keep your guard up and watch all eight heads."

    Liam nods, expression serious as he takes a fighting stance without a single trace of his excitement on his face. Cam and I have drilled in to him to take these training sessions as seriously as he might take a real fight, so that he is as prepared for combat as he can be once he becomes a Hunter next week. At first, we''ll only take him to fight weaker things ¨C Tier One monsters of little power, such as hares and squirrels. But even then, one never knows when something unexpected might happen.

    The Guild of Hunters denies no one age ten or older into their ranks unless they have some sort of dark past, and the Gate will allow anyone with the Hunter''s Brand out. Without tying Liam down, there would be no way to prevent him from leaving.

    That is why I teach him how to fight, and why I will teach him magic after he receives his brand and becomes able to use sacred power. That is also why we''ll monitor his first hunts pretty strictly, to ensure he''s safe until he''s competent and experienced enough to handle himself and know what to do or not to do.

    I direct the snake golem to attack, and Liam begins his defense and offense. As he strikes, I watch for his mistakes and correct him, making sure to set up the same situations so I can be sure he learns the lesson.

    Normally, we do this for about an hour, but after only twenty minutes, the sky opens up, rain pouring down heavily. Liam insists on practicing for a few more minutes, so I give him another ten, then dismiss the magical construct, and it drops back to the ground. Liam tosses me the spear and runs inside. I set the spear back on the rack, then follow him in, removing my boots and setting them beside his hastily-discarded ones, which I set upright and together.

    "Go run yourself a hot bath," I tell Liam as I check the oil in the lamps and light them. "I''ll fix dinner in the meantime."

    "Alright!" He runs to the bathing room, and I walk over to the steel chest resting by my counter.

    When I open it, I find two descaled fish resting on the ice I made this morning. It was empty this morning, but Liam and the others make sure Cam and I have food as payment for helping keep the area safe and supplying them with a few resources they can''t obtain in the town. As the fish are descaled, I''m going to assume Liam caught them.

    I set the fish on the counter and pull out some of the vegetables, herbs, and fruit from a couple of baskets on my counter, then get to work preparing dinner, making sure to put some rice on as well. I have to mess with the wood in the stove, though, as it''s burning a little hotter tonight than usual.

    Liam returns from his bath as dinner finishes, dressed in shorts and a tank, a towel draped across his shoulders, his hair still a little wet.

    "My bath is done!" He tells me. "But you definitely need one. Mine was just to warm me back up after that rain and wash off the sweat, but look at you! You''ve got mud all over ya, and some blood, too!"This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    "I''ll take a bath after we eat," I tell him. "You did make sure to drain it, right?"

    "I did!" He tells me. "I haven''t forgotten in awhile, Rex!"

    "Just making sure," I tell him. "I was nine once, too."

    "Hey!" He protests. "I''m almost ten!"

    "Not for another week," I bop him on the head. "Now sit down and eat."

    Liam and I sit at the table and eat, Liam telling me about his day. He gathered some of the herbs I used from Cam''s family''s garden, then got some vegetables from the woods at the back end of town. The fruit came from the orchard, and he made sure to ask permission before grabbing them this time. As for the fish, he did catch them, though says he would have gotten a bigger one if his line hadn''t snapped.

    "That happens sometimes," I tell him.

    "Yeah, I know," he says, though I can tell it still upset him. "You should have seen how big it was, Rex! It was four feet long! I didn''t know fish could get that long! It-I, er, um."

    He shrinks under my gaze.

    "You were at the lake again, weren''t you?" I ask, and he shrinks a little more. "Liam, you know you aren''t supposed to be there. What if you fell in? No one would be around to rescue you. When you''re hunting, you''ll have Cam and me there to protect you from monsters, but not at the lake, not when you sneak there to fish."

    "But that''s where all the good fish are!" He protests. "And no one ever has time to come with me!"

    "It''s also where the monster fish gather," I remind him. "The ones that slip through the grates. If you fall in, or get too close, they might attack you. If no one''s around to protect you, you won''t make it to ten."

    "Yeah," Liam looks down, sighing. "I''m sorry, Rex."

    "I need to check its monster population again," I tell him. "So we can go fishing there tomorrow, okay? But you can''t be going there alone. You can fish in the river coming from it out of town, but not in the lake or the river coming into town."

    Liam nods that he acknowledges my admonishment, then we continue eating. After dinner, he helps me wash the dishes, scouring them with sand in the wash bin.

    "Now," I say as we wash the dishes. "You''re turning ten next week, so it''s important that I know you understand what becoming a Hunter means. Why are Hunters important?''

    "Because," he responds. "Hunters are the people who cull the monster population. Monsters grow stronger and more intelligent by feeding on the fresh hearts of other monsters. If there are too many strong ones in an area, they''ll start attacking towns. Hunters are also the people who protect travelers from monsters."

    "Alright," I say. "And why are the walls and the Gate important?"

    "Because," he answers. "The walls are tall, thick, and made of a durable stone that can withstand a lot of attacks. Only Star-Level monsters can damage them. Same with the Gate, which is made of an even stronger, tougher stone. The Gates also prevent the need of having Hunters at the entrances to towns and cities, as they screen who leaves and prevents monsters from entering."

    "And?" I prompt.

    "Monsters don''t form inside of the walls," he continues. "They can evolve, but they don''t form. At least, as long as the walls are intact. Mostly, the only monsters in a town are fish that came in through the river, but they tend to stay in the water. Mostly."

    "Mostly," I nod. "Some are also birds that flew in over the walls."

    "Yeah," he nods.

    "Alright," I pull the towel off his neck and hang it on the back of a chair, then hand him a clean towel so we can begin drying the dishes. "What makes Hunters able to fight monsters?"

    "Two things," he answers, pointing at his chest. "First is the Hunter''s Brand. It''s a scared mark that allows us to generate sacred power, which is used to cast spells. It also allows us to grow stronger than a person normally could. Upon killing enough monsters and growing strong enough, you gain a Level, which boosts your strength and sacred power even more based on your style of fighting. It''s an absolute must for fighting monsters past Tier One."

    "And what is sacred power?"

    "No one really knows," he answers. "Not even the Elder Hunters, who bestow the Hunter''s Brands upon us and updates them as our Levels grow. They can check to see what we''ve earned using a special type of sacred power, but other than that, it''s restricted to the six elements."

    He screws up his face in thought.

    "I think," he says. "That you said it''s some sort of celestial energy granted to humans to allow us to fight monsters?"

    "That''s what''s believed," I nod. "Which is why we call it ''sacred power''. It''s sacred to us in that without it, we would never manage to defeat the monsters. No one knows who the first Hunter was, nor how the current system came to be. All we know is that we have wielded sacred power since ancient times to protect ourselves and our homes. Now, who builds the walls?"

    "Builders," he answers. "When a wall is damaged, they''re called out to repair it as well. They''ll also replace the Gates. While they simply carve the Gates, they don''t know why the Gates have the power they do. It''s believed that whatever force grants us sacred power and puts power into our brands still watches over us, granting the Gates their sentience and knowledge. If a town or city is attacked and the walls or Gate are damaged, the Builders are called out to repair the damage, but since that takes time, stronger Hunters show up to protect it from future attacks. At least, as long as there are still people actually living there. Sometimes, the monster that attacked the town kills everyone."

    "Correct," I say. "Those are normally monsters at Two-Star and above which do that. A One-Star monster might be driven off by local Hunters, depending on the number and strength of those Hunters."

    "As well as how many of them can wield soul weapons, right?" He asks.

    "Correct," I nod. "Now, what is a soul weapon?"

    Liam thinks it over, and I begin putting the dishes away.

    "Soul weapons," he says. "Are weapons forged of sacred power and our soul. Everyone can have exactly one, and the weapons are often a reflection of a Hunter''s soul, but also represents a fighting style. Normally, a Hunter won''t manage to manifest theirs until they''re Level 40, which is more than double your Level, unless you gained three today. Then it''s double."

    "I didn''t gain one," I tell him. "But I''ll still visit the Elder Hunter to find out my reward for the kills today."

    "Yours would probably be a spear," he tells me. "Once you manifest it. Since when you use weapons, they''re usually spears."

    "Yeah," I nod. "Regarding soul weapons, under what circumstances can one be manifested earlier?"

    "Under extreme pressure and stress," he answers. "A Hunter might manage to manifest their soul weapons at a lower Level. However, the circumstances for that are extreme and can often result in death. Because of that, it''s illegal to force someone into a situation that can result in an early manifestation. If it weren''t, people would do it, because soul weapons that manifest early also tend to be really powerful compared to others."

    "Correct," I pat him on the head, then grab the towels. "Final question, Liam. What is the Level-to-Tier ratio for fighting monsters?"

    "Um," he has to think on this one, and I drop the towels in the clothes basket in the main room.

    Liam always struggles with this question. So far, he''s always made a mistake in some way, and I can tell he''s doing his best to remember it correctly.

    "For normal Tiers," he finally answers. "They base it on a party of five. The Hunters should have five Levels for every Tier above Tier One. So for a Tier Two monster, they should be at least Level 5. For Tier Three monsters, they should be at least Level 10. For Tier Four, at least Level 15. For Tier Seven, they should be at least Level 30.

    "However," he scrunches up his face as he thinks. "Um. With the Star-Level monsters, it''s different. It''sˇ­ ten per, starting at Level 40 for Single-Star. Then Level 50 for Double-Star, Level 60 for Triple-Star, and so on. Monsters can have an infinite number of stars, but the highest-strength one known is Worelimar, a Six-Star monster. That''s because each tier of monster, just like each Level of Hunter, is much more difficult to obtain than the previous."

    "Good job," I tell him.

    "I got it right this time?" He asks.

    "You did," I confirm.

    "Yes!" He pumps a fist into the air in victory.

    "Now head upstairs and get to bed," I ruffle his hair. "I''m going to go take a bath. I''ll tuck you in when I finish."

    "Alright!" He says, then makes his way to the stairs, pausing at the steps to look at me. "Good night, Rex."

    "Good night, Liam."

    Liam heads upstairs, then I head to the bathing room and strip off my clothes, dumping them in the basket with his dirty clothes. I check the tub and find a few stones in the bottom of it. Liam always leaves them in there after heating the bath. I pull them out and set them on the heating stand, where they''ll warm back up for the next bath. At least, as long as we restart the fire underneath. Liam usually starts it sometime during the day to make sure the stones are nice and hot.

    I don''t usually use them anymore, since I can simply manipulate the heat of the water myself, making it easier to make the water the temperature I like it. Liam, on the other hand, doesn''t have that luxury, so he heats the water the normal way, by dropping hot stones into it.

    Grabbing the pump handle, I begin pumping water into the tub, drawing it up from deep below. Once the tub is sufficiently full, I stop pumping and gesture with my hand, raising the water''s temperature to the point it''s steaming, then I step in and lower myself down, sitting on the bottom.

    I grab the soap and scrubber and start scrubbing off today''s sweat, blood, and mud. We''re getting low on soap and shampoo, so I''ll have to remind Liam to pick some up.

    We aren''t related, even if we live together. About three years ago, his parents were traveling when they were attacked by monsters. At the time, six-year-old Liam was terrified. A Tier Three monster had just killed his parents, and it was about to attack him when Cam and I saw it.

    I rescued him from the attack, then Cam and I buried his parents before we brought him back here. There was no reason for me to take him in, I could have given him to someone else, but I guess I sympathized with him. I lost my own parents to monsters when I was only five, a year younger than he was. It was the reason I trained to become a Hunter, then became one when I was ten, Cam joining me a month later.

    But whatever the reason, I chose to take Liam in and raise him. I hadn''t wanted him to be a Hunter, especially with the nightmares he had been suffering for two years, but about a year ago, he became determined to be a Hunter, just like his rescuer and big brother.

    Soon after that, his nightmares disappeared. If that wasn''t a sign from the forces that be, then I''m the Nine-Star that rules over a whole continent. That''s the main reason I began training him. He looked up to me like a big brother, but also like a hero. He had known for two years someone who could fight against the monsters that terrified him in his sleep.

    It was only natural he''d want to become a Hunter, too.

    As much as I''d rather him just live a normal life, here in town, I''m not going to deny him his own dreams. That would be cruel, especially when I can make sure he''s safe.

    Finishing my bath, I dry off, then pull on the shorts and tank Liam had left down here for me. I dry my hair some more, then drop the towel in the basket before heading upstairs. Before I head to bed, I enter Liam''s room. He''s sprawled out on his bed, lying on his back with his head turned to the right, his right hand shoved under his shirt and resting on his stomach, his left hand resting up by his head.

    Approaching him, I grab his blanket and gently work it out from under his legs, before I tuck him in.

    "Good night, Liam," I kiss him on the forehead, then head to my room.

 Chapter 003

    The rain lasted through the night and part of the morning. Now, Liam and I are walking along the river, making our way upstream and to the small lake. The river itself is higher than usual as a result of the rain, and the lake probably will be, too. This is one of the best times to check for monster fish, though. They become more active when the water is rougher, so they''re easier to spot.

    Liam and I reach the muddy banks of the lake, then walk around it a little ways, into the small forest bordering part of it. We reach a series of large boulders that are perfect for resting on, and I grab the supplies from Liam so he can pull himself up easier, then I pass the stuff to him and climb up.

    Casting my gaze over the surface of the lake, I determine there''s only one monster that needs to be dealt with, but it''s the Tier Four that hides in the middle of the lake, intelligent enough to realize that if I get to it, it''s going to be in danger.

    "I''ve always wondered, Rex," Liam says as we bait our hooks. "But you''re only Level 17, right? Doesn''t that mean you''d need four more around your Level to take care of the Tier Four monsters you hunt? Isn''t the rule something like two Tiers lower when fighting alone?"

    "Yeah, it is," I tell him as I cast my rod. "That''s why what Cam and I do is even more risky than normal. However, Cam and I put in extra training to raise our abilities, so that even with our Levels being insufficient, we can still handle the monsters in the area. It takes a lot of effort to keep the monster population down, and there are only two Hunters here. Because of that, coming across Tier Three and Tier Four monsters isn''t uncommon."

    "Don''t you and Cam let some monsters get stronger?" He asks.

    "Yeah," I nod as he casts his rod. "Even though we hunt the monsters, we do that for multiple reasons. One of them is to make it easier for us to gain Levels, but another is actually for the environment."

    "I thought monsters were bad for the environment?" He asks.

    "Some can be," I nod. "Cam and I try to deal with those as soon as we find out one has spawned or evolved. But think about it, Liam ¨C we eat monster fish, don''t we? Most animals are monsters, and we eat them. We use their hide, their scales, their bones. There are few animals we don''t call monsters, and they aren''t monsters because they don''t evolve by eating the hearts of other beasts. We bred it out of them over many generations."

    "But doesn''t that mean," he says. "They''re good for us?"

    "They are," I nod. "But at the same time, they''re good for the environment. The world revolves around its ecosystem. Let''s say we completely cleared all of the squirrels and rabbits from the fields and hills. Do you know what would happen?"

    "Other monsters would evolve slower?"

    "Yes," I answer. "But they would also lose a food source. The deer and birds eat them, you know. Well, and the deer eat berries and grass, too. If their food is gone, so will those monsters."

    "But that''s a good thing," he says. "It makes it safer to travel when there are less monsters."

    "What do you think feeds the trees and the grass?" I ask. "The bushes and other plants? The soil. And the soil comes from a mix of decomposed plant and animal matter. You''ve seen them using manure on the farms, and you''ve seen the compost piles. It would weaken the environment around us to wipe out all of the monsters. The effects wouldn''t be noticeable immediately, but over the years, it would be."

    "I don''t get it, though," he says. "How can monsters be good for the environment? They''re vicious beasts that attack and eat even their own kind!"

    "That''s the cycle of life," I tell him. "You eat others, you be eaten by others. You eat the plants your body feeds. If we wiped out all monsters, we''d lose some of our food and supplies. There''s a tree in the forest to the north, the abaraka tree, which grows a delicious fruit. It sucks up the nutrients the soil around it, preventing anything from growing for almost thirty feet in all directions around it. How does it spread its seeds?"

    "Isn''t it when its fruits drop?" He asks. "Some will roll a little bit away, and then decompose, and the seeds will grow a new tree. Right?"

    "Roll thirty or more feet?" I ask, and he frowns as he tries to think. "Sure, some of the fruits might be at the edge of the canopy, but it won''t grow into a tall tree. It''ll compete for nutrients with the older, stronger tree, and it will lose. In the end, it will be a shriveled up tree until it''s destroyed."

    Something tugs on my line, and I pull back, bringing in the line with careful, practiced ease. Once I bring it up, I pull off the two-foot-long fish, snap it on the neck and remove my hook, then drop the fish in the basket on Liam''s back. He only remembers then he''s wearing it, and hands me his rod as he pulls his pack off. It''s full of ice I made with my magic by freezing water from the well, to keep the fish cool until we return home. I hand him his rod back, then replace my hook, bait it, and cast out my line once more.

    "I don''t know," Liam finally answers.

    "Monsters."

    "Monsters?" He asks.

    "Specifically, the aralkama bird," I confirm. "After it reaches Tier Two, it develops a craving for certain fruits, the abaraka fruit among them. It will eat the fruit, and when it poops, the seeds go out with it. By the time it poops, it''s usually away from the tree it feasted from."

    "So its seeds spread," Liam says. "To another area, and a new tree grows."

    "Correct," I tell him. "That''s an example of monsters being good for the environment. It spreads the seeds of a tree."

    "But doesn''t that mean," Liam says. "That a bunch of land becomes unsuitable for growing stuff because of it?"

    "Yes," I tell him. "This is just one example. Not all trees are like the abaraka tree. Many fruit trees rely on birds to spread their seeds. Most birds are monsters. There are also monsters which eat mushrooms. Some mushrooms spread like crazy, and only because there are monsters which eat them around do they not take over the area they''re in. If we wiped out that monster, the mushroom would take over an area, choking out all other plants."

    "Oh."

    "Yeah," I nod. "Monsters are essential to the cycle of life in this world. We still have to cull them, though, or we humans can''t survive. That''s why Cam and I let some monster reach stronger Tiers. They''ll be eating the weaker monsters in an area, helping keep the population under control while Cam and I handle other areas. Then we come in, kill those stronger monsters for the experience and to prevent them from becoming too strong, and the cycle continues."

    "So," Liam draws that word out as he thinks. "We''re part of the cycle, too. We ensure monsters don''t grow too strong or numerous so they don''t start just destroying an area, but also to protect our people."

    "Correct," I tell him, then draw the symbol of the Hunters in the air using light magic, a violet sun with six spikes. "The circle in the center represents the cycle we Hunters are a part of, with each spike representing one of the six elements. It reminds us that all things are connected, even when they don''t seem to be. That''s why we bear it on our bodies."

    "Can I see yours?" He asks.

    I pull my shirt down, revealing my Hunter''s Brand, with my Level displayed in the circle. Liam examines it for a few seconds, then stops to pull in his fish. I release my shirt and return to waiting for something to bite. Liam removes the fish from the hook, kills it, then drops it in the basket.

    "There are Hunters who ignore the cycle, right?" He asks as he baits his hook.

    "There are," I nod. "They end up being stopped by the Guild. Another issue that arises when we simply clear out all of the monsters is that it takes a lot of time and effort. Monsters at higher Tiers, with more intelligence, notice it. Then they hide. They continue to build up their power. Often, they''ll keep just out of the range of the current clearing pattern, devouring things quickly so they can grow strong enough to kill the Hunters. Four times, this wasn''t stopped before it got too late, and that''s why the Hunters put an end to it. All four times, it caused the evolution of Star-Level monsters."

    "Really?" He asks, then casts his line out again. "So if you and Cam were to start doing thatˇ­"

    "It would cause a Star-Level monster to appear," I tell him. "But the Elder Hunter would notice when she checks our kills that we were doing it and tell us to stop. If we didn''t, she would likely send a message to the nearest headquarters asking them to come out and stop us."

    "Oh, okay," he says, then starts swinging his feet. "You and Cam wouldn''t do that though, right?"

    "Right," I nod. "Because we remember the cycle. The world exists in a balance. That''s why Tier Seven monsters and Star-Level monsters are rare, too. It takes far too long for most to manage to evolve. They usually die before attaining the next evolution."Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    "But if you clear out an area," he says. "It causes what you said, which results in one."

    "Yeah," I nod. "And the Star-Level monsters take things to an entirely new league of difficulty. That''s why even more Levels are needed for each additional star."

    We spend the next hour fishing in silence as Liam thinks over what I told him, and I think over the potential threat the Gate sensed. There''s more to the cycle than what I told Liam. Otherwise, anywhere without people would be a breeding ground for upper-Tier and Star-Level monsters. But they aren''t.

    Part of it is because of what I said, that it simply takes too many fresh hearts for them to evolve. Part of it is because they tend to keep monsters from getting too strong, themselves, once they''re intelligent enough. They desire little competition, even if they know that it''ll make them take longer to evolve again.

    The main reason the threats are closer to settlements, however, is much more simple.

    Monsters are drawn to sacred power, which is necessary to fend them off. A quiet town like this, with maybe five hundred people and two or three Hunters at a time, excluding the Elder Hunter, doesn''t draw too much issue. We Hunters are mostly necessary in a place like this to harvest resources for the townsfolk and to monitor the dangerous monster levels in the area.

    But closer to larger towns or cities? Where there are dozens, possibly hundreds, of Hunters? The threat is much greater, because there are a lot more monsters. As a result, there are more Hunters to take care of them, and stronger ones.

    It results in a cycle. One day, another Koraminal incident will occur. I don''t want to worry Liam with that, though. It may not happen in our lifetime. But one day, a Star-Level monster will appear, one that manages to attain a few Stars and become too powerful to handle. It will continue to grow in strength, conquering first cities, then regions, then the continent.

    The Guild is trying to find a way to slow that down, or even avoid it, but they know it''s nearly inevitable because of the cycle we are in. Without Hunters, there''s no real safety. With Hunters, the danger increases.

    But again, that''s not something for me to worry about. It likely won''t happen for another two or three centuries. I''ll be long-dead by then, having passed the art of protecting this town on to my successor. All I need to worry about is protecting my town and harvesting things they need.

    As long as we only have two or three Hunters around at a time, this area will be safe until a calamity-level threat appears. We can even go without a Hunter for a few years ¨C the Hunter here before Cam and I were branded died before we were even born.

    Of course, that did mean we had to deal with a few stronger monsters at first, which is part of why I hit Level 17 in just nine years. I had to train hard to advance my raw skills and range of spells and flexibility with them in order to handle the stronger threats.

    That, or to run away from them. One part of being a Hunter is knowing when to fight and when to run. Cam and I spent two years carefully picking where we hunted in order to optimize our growth and minimize risk. We attacked weaker monsters and avoided stronger ones until we could handle them.

    Once it became viable, we began gathering resources for the townsfolk, too. While they can produce most of what they need here, the goods are better outside. My parents had died trying to gather some reeds to make a stronger rope with, their greed for materials driving them to improperly become Hunters and seek out resources before they were ready.

    "Liam," I say. "What part of being a Hunter appeals to you most?"

    I already know the answer, but I still want to check to make sure it''s not for greed. We make a fair amount of money here, but that shouldn''t be the reason for it.

    "To help protect the town," he answers. "And to gather better materials so people can have better tools. And to supply them with some better food, too."

    "And the pay?"

    "That doesn''t really matter, does it?" He asks. "I mean, we don''t really use much money here, and we can trade a lot of what we gather for what we need. Don''t you just keep all of your pay in a box, except for when a merchant comes and visits us?"

    "Yeah," I nod. "I just wanted to see."

    "Oh," he shrugs. "I mean, I guess the pay would be nice. But what am I going to do with it? I''ll get everything I want by trading goods for it, just like you and Cam and everyone else here does."

    He''s honest with his words, which relieves me. I''ve raised him right, in my opinion, if he doesn''t have the greed some Hunters have. Greedy Hunters have caused problems with the monsters in the past, too.

    We return to fishing in silence for a couple of hours, then pack up our stuff and walk back to the actual town part of town.

    "Rex?" Liam asks as we walk.

    "Yeah?" I respond.

    "You went to the city once, didn''t you?" He asks. "Before you found me?"

    "Yeah," I answer. "Cam and I went into the city at the Elder Hunter''s suggestion to learn new spells. We had to spend money for it, and that week there probably cost each of us more money than Cam and I have spent otherwise combined. It was worth it, though, as we learned a few new things to help us battle monsters. We were returning from that trip when we found you."

    "Oh," he says. "I thought you were younger than that. Like, maybe fourteen."

    "No," I shake my head. "We were about sixteen."

    "Okay," he says. "So why is the brand purple?"

    I laugh at his sudden change in topic, and he gives me a curious look.

    "The color purple, or violet," I explain. "Is associated with the arcane, the powers beyond our true understanding. We know what we need to do to wield sacred power, and how to change it, but we don''t understand it as a whole. We can''t even use it without the brands, which are made using sacred power we don''t understand."

    "Why is it purple, though?" He asks. "Why not, like, blue? Or green? Or red? Or something?"

    "Because," I explain. "Purple dye is the most expensive one there is. Hunters are among the few who can afford to have things made with it regularly. Over time, the two became associated with each other."

    Liam screws up his face in confusion.

    "But weren''t the brands purple before that?"

    "According to the stories," I tell him. "It used to be brown. From the dirt we came, to the dirt we shall return. Around four thousand years ago, when purple dye began to be used regularly for Hunters, new brands started being purple. No one really knows why."

    "The powers that be changed it?" He asks.

    "Yeah," I nod. "It was taken as a sign, too. It told us the powers that be were still watching us directly, not just enforcing the power of the walls and the Gates and allowing us humans to compete with the monsters."

    It was taken as another sign as well, but I won''t bother going into the details of why people saw the change as a sign that the color purple was associated with sacred power. Liam doesn''t need to know all of the reasons and explanations came up with for that.

    "Okay," he tells me.

    The discussion ends as we enter the town, and we make our way to the small market set up in the middle of it, trading the fish for some fruit and vegetables. Cam stopped by the house before Liam woke and told me he was going to hunt some hares for us to eat for dinner.

    After trading away the fish, we make our way to Greta''s tanning house. She has the hides of the deer and snake from yesterday already under treatment for tanning, the building itself smelling strongly of various and decay.

    "Hello, boys," Greta greets us, looking up from the boot she is making. "I take it you''re here to discuss the hides from yesterday?"

    "Yes," I answer. "The only thing I want made is a new pair of gloves for Liam here. I was going to wait a little bit because he''s getting ready to hit his growing phase, but his old ones are a bit too worn-out, and there are only so many times they can be patched up."

    "I can do that," she says. "I can also leave a little extra room for his growth, but not enough it will hinder him."

    "Thanks," I say. "Do you need to measure him again?"

    "I do," she answers.

    She pulls out a strip of measuring cloth and beckons for Liam to approach. She measures his hands, wrists, and arms, then gives me an appraising look.

    "Do you need a new winter jacket?" She asks. "Winter will be upon us soon. I''m still tanning that boarbear hide you had sent to me a couple of weeks ago, and it''ll hold up to damage."

    "Winter is months away," I tell her. "But yes, I''ll need a new jacket. Would you do the boarbear hide for me? Did you leave the fur on, or did you strip it?"

    "You had two of them," she tells me. "So I have one with fur, and one without. It''ll turn it inside out for your jacket, so you''ve got the rain protection on the outside and the nice, warm fur warming your body. I''ll make one for Cam, too."

    "Alright," I say. "Is there enough for Liam, too?"

    "Not from the one with fur," she tells me. "But I can add fur to the other. It won''t feel the same, but the outside will be the same."

    "No," Liam tells her. "I don''t need something that tough. And I''m going to be a Hunter once I turn ten. I just have to catch something in the next couple of months that you can turn into a jacket for me, right?"

    "That is correct," she tells me.

    "Okay!" He says. "Then I''ll do my best to get good enough to do that! I want to have my first good catch turned into a jacket for me! Oh! But I''m probably going to need a rain jacket. The cloak I have is nice and all, but Rex says cloaks aren''t good for fighting monsters in."

    "They aren''t," I tell him. "They''ll too easily catch on things if you''re moving around a lot in a fight. That was a lesson Cam and I learned rather fast, after ignoring the Elder Hunter''s warning."

    "Okay," Liam nods. "Then can I get just a leather jacket made? That should be enough to keep me warm on chilly days and mostly dry on wet days."

    "It will be a few weeks," she tells Liam. "Maybe a month or so before I can make a jacket like that for you."

    "That''s fine!" He tells her. "Rex still has some of his old jackets, so I''ll wear one of those until you''re ready!"

    "Okay!" She laughs. "Is there anything else you want with the hides, Rex?"

    "No," I answer. "Feel free to use them for whatever you need. Wait, yeah, actually, I think Cam needs new gloves soon, and maybe new boots. His are starting to look a little worn-out."

    It''s about time, too, considering he''s worn the same pair of boots and gloves for the last five years. They could have lasted longer than that, except that with our hunts and harvesting stuff, he''s given them a lot more wear than normal. Cam is probably trusting me to have noticed and inform her, rather than coming to tell her himself.

    "I can fix those up for him," she tells me. "Will they last until the boarbear hides are ready? Or should I put a rush on it?"

    "How long before those are?" I ask. "A month and a half?"

    "Thereabouts," she answers. "Then a few more days to make them."

    "Yeah, they should last that long," I tell her. "Thanks, Greta."

    "You''re welcome," she tells me.

    "Have a good rest of your day," I tell her.

    "You as well, boys," she says.

    "Bye!" Liam says, then we leave. "Are we going to the Elder Hunter now?"

    "Now," I tell him. "We''re heading home and wash our clothes from yesterday, since they''re a bit muddy. Remember? I usually only visit the Elder Hunter to update my Level, receive my rewards, and find out if there are any requests, or to turn in gathered stuff for a request."

    Or inform her when there''s an issue that might need someone outside of the town to come help with, but that has never happened.

    "Alright," he groans. "The ground''s going to be all muddy. We''ll just get all muddy again, and not just our boots."

    "We can sit on stools," I tell him. "And I can dry the mud with magic, remember?"

    "Oh, right!" He laughs. "I forgot that! I can''t wait until I can learn that spell, too!"

 Chapter 004

    "It''s this way," I comment as I examine the tracks on the ground.

    Without the light rain we had this morning, I doubt the tracks would have been visible. Wolves in this region tend to live little in the way of tracks as they move.

    "What is?" Cam asks.

    "The reason the Gate felt uneasy," I answer as I stand. "The wolf tracks have an extra paw, and I counted several of the wolves, not a single one. At least an entire pack is Tier Four, with the alpha being Tier Five."

    "We can''t handle that," Cam states. "You think the alpha is building up its forces."

    "Wolves are already intelligent creatures," I say. "It wouldn''t surprise me if one became clever enough early to realize that it could become more powerful. We haven''t seen a pack like this in the area before, which means it''s likely new."

    Apart from the fishing day, Cam and I have spent every day since the Gate told us about the possible threat almost a week ago looking for signs of it. Right now, we''re a little further northwest of where we normally go, after I located some suspicious tracks while we were scouting.

    Wolves normally don''t obtain an extra claw until they reach Tier Four, which is why I''m sure the pack is Tier Four. As for the alpha being Tier Five, well, there''s one set of tracks that''s twice the size of the others. Alpha wolves are bigger than the others, but not that much bigger. That''s why I believe it to be a Tier Five.

    "As for handling the pack," I say. "We should at least find out where they''re located."

    "And if they attack us?" He asks.

    "Wolves," I remind him. "Tend to abandon a fight if they start losing members. All we have to do is kill one or two, and the rest will flee. Though there are ten sets of tracks, including the alpha''s. Caution is probably advised."

    "Nine Tier Fours and a Tier Five," Cam shakes his head. "We should send a message to the next town and ask for help."

    "Let''s at least find out where their den is," I say. "We can manage that much at least. And if they attack, we can always fly out. It''s unlikely more than one of them would be able to follow. We''ll head for the river and cross it, then head a fair more south before dropping down out of sight and returning back to town."

    "That sounds fair," he says. "It still makes me nervous, though."

    "It''ll be fine," I tell him.

    It makes me nervous, too, but it''s better if we confirm the rough numbers and Tiers of the monsters before sending the request. If we say there''s one Tier Five and nine Tier Fours, and it turns out there are three Tier Fives and fifteen Tier Fours, the help that comes might not be sufficient to deal with it, then we would need to wait for more to arrive. Summoning insufficient Hunters could also prove disastrous should they try to fight without realizing they''re not enough, or thinking they can handle it because it''s only a little past what they can do without too much issue.

    Cam and I start traveling, making sure to keep alert for any potential threats. The wolves here are hunting the stronger monsters, and the weaker ones tend to not attack people unless attacked. Because of that, we''re able to pass through the woods without much incident, and it takes us only an hour to locate the caves the wolves are staying in. We watch from a few dozen yards away, far enough that we won''t be noticed unless something big happens or a patrol goes out or wolf comes back and passes near us.

    There are three caves, each with an alpha. Three Tier Five wolves, with at least ten Tier Fours with them, in addition to the lesser wolves. The pups, who are being fed the hearts of monsters that their seniors rip straight from the still-living, though wounded, prey.

    This is too organized for even a group of Tier Three monsters to have begun doing. They''re forcing their pups into evolving to the next Tier. I can see a Tier Two squirrel as one of the prey, the pup eating it whole.

    When a monster consumes the fresh heart of a monster above their Tier, it counts as ten percent of the fresh hearts needed to reach their next Tier, times ten for every Tier above them. So at Tier One, a Tier Two heart counts as ten Tier One Hearts and a Tier Three would count as one hundred. Eating the fresh heart of something two Tiers higher is an instant evolution.

    But Tier Five monsters wouldn''t normally have noticed this, nor would they generally want to build up power like this. Not of their own kin, anyway. And why would they work with other Tier Fives?

    The answer makes itself clear as I sense something approaching behind us. It''s moving silently and stealthily, and I wouldn''t have noticed if I weren''t on edge. Turning my head slowly, I come face-to-face with a wolf eight feet to the shoulders, standing above even the Tier Fives and their large forms.

    Its fur is a mix of grey and brown, allowing it to blend into the shadows of the forest, its golden eyes looking at us menacingly. All three of them, a third one resting on the center of its forehead. The wolf also has a dark brown horn protruding from its head, a four-inch spike between its ears. Brown-and-grey scale-like protrusions grow over its shoulders, on its knees, and in a few spots along its body, acting akin to armor. I''m not sure how many tails it has, but it probably has three.

    A Tier Six gaia wolf. This is no doubt the reason the Gate believes a Star-Level monster is forming, and it''s right in front of us. Or, well, behind us. Crap. There''s no way Cam and I are making it out of this unscathed. There''s no way Cam will be able to heal both of us from everything.

    This level of monster is beyond my ability to fight, and we have dozens of Tier Fours here, along with three Tier Fives. It''s this beast which is intelligent enough to gather others and have them build up their power.

    He probably also makes the others provide strong offerings to him, to build up his own strength. How old is he? How long as he been building up his power? Why did he move here? All questions to ask, if we make it out of here.

    Chances of us making it out alive are slim, though. Doable, but slim. The moment a fight begins, the true alpha will alert the others, and they''ll join in. Or at least, they''ll block our escape as the Tier Six battles us. If we try to fly away, the Tier Six will attack us. It''s definitely got the leg power to jump high enough to catch us.

    The best option for escape is flight, but at the same time, we''ll have to find an opportunity to start it. Preferably while the Tier Six is recovering from an attack. That just means I need to create that opening for us.

    "Cam," I speak evenly. "You might want to prepare for a lot of healing. And when the opportunity comes, fly. This one will attack you as soon as it realizes you''re a healer, so you''ll need to move out of immediate range to give me enough time to protect you."

    Cam stiffens beside me, hearing the slight worry in my voice and understanding the message. We have a monster behind us that is intelligent enough to realize a healer is a threat. That alone is probably enough to warn him we have a Tier Six here.

    "Wolf?" He asks.

    "Wolf," I confirm, turning my full body to face it. "Gaia wolf. If it attacks you before I can protect you, use wind mages to defend."

    "Got it," he says. "Think it will summon the others?"

    "If only to create a ring around us and prevent us from escaping," I say. "At least, by foot."

    "Okay," he says. "Is it showing signs of hostility?"

    The gaia wolf bares its teeth and snarls, answering the question for me. I notice it preparing to lunge in time to summon a wind wall, stopping its attack and sending it skidding to the side. Cam takes flight, landing in one of the trees above us. He can''t go too high, or he won''t be able to see me and heal me when needed.

    I pull a spear from the ground, surrounding it with bladed wind, or wind that''s been manipulated into a thin, but swift-moving current. In its pure state, the earth element is weak to wind and water. With water, though, there''s always the risk that non-stone earth will merge with it and turn to mud rather than take damage.

    The gaia wolf charges at me, jumping up to avoid the wind wall I manifested again. Yeah, this one''s smart enough to adapt. I thrust my spear up and at one of the legs, but miss and strike the stomach, barely grazing it. The monster lands behind me, turning quickly as I turn to face it, thrusting my spear forward.

    Slamming its front paws to the ground, the gaia wolf pulls a wall of earth up from the ground, stopping my attack before jumping over its defensive spell. As it lands, it flicks its four tails, and stone bullets shoot out at me. Thrusting a hand forward, I stop them with a wind wall, then jump back just in time to avoid the spikes shooing up out of the ground.

    My back slams into the stone wall, the wolf already pressing me. Damn. I need to hurry and find an opportunity to leave. Until it realizes that Cam is a healer, it will focus on me, the fighter. As long as I don''t get hurt, Cam will be safe until I make that opportunity for me to flee.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    The gaia wolf turns back to face me even as I find myself pinned against the wall, and it opens its mouth. Immediately, I recognize the ripples in the air as a sonic blast and jump to the side, discarding my spear. The attack slams into the spikes as I roll away, shattering them before blasting the stone wall into rubble.

    As I pick myself up, I catch the signs of other wolves moving to block off escape, having heard the sonic blast. At the same time, the gaia wolf is jumping at me. Jumping back, I avoid being crushed by its massive form. Pushing my hands forward, I throw a blast of air at the beast.

    Two different monsters in a week that can use a sonic blast, and both are earth-based. At least the other was a mud-based monster, as I could use fire magics as one of its banes. But the gaia wolf isn''t a mix that creates a bane, it''s almost entirely earth. That means wind is the way to go. The sonic blast is simply a spell it obtained at some point, not available because of its natural elements.

    My attack only ruffles the wolf''s fur as I continue to back up, putting a little more distance between us. As the gaia wolf jumps forward again, I lunge forward, dropping down so that the wolf flies over me. When my hands connect with the ground, I unleash a water spell.

    The spell quickly spreads through the ground within twenty yards, adding extra water to it and turning it to mud. I continue to fuel the spell as I pick myself back up, finding myself sinking an inch into the ground, though I''ll know I''ll sink even further into it. But this should hinder the gaia wolf some. It''ll be working with the same slick conditions as me, and my spell will continue until there is a ring of mud one hundred yards in diameter.

    Some of it will come from water generated by the spell, others from water in the ground already, drawn up or away from other things. Now, the wolf''s speed is hindered, as it its jumping ability.

    The wolf watches me, waiting to see what I do next. I could fly off now, but there''s no guarantee the wolf won''t still manage to catch me. If it does, it might knock me away from the area I''m muddying. I also want the mud to be thicker before I try to fly off, too. The thicker the mud, the harder it will be for the wolf to jump as high.

    I take a deep breath, and as I exhale, I infuse myself with lightning, increasing my speed. It won''t do much for my offense against the wolf, though it still help me with my movements in the mud. A Tier Six beast''s hide is simply too tough for something like this to affect it without it being its bane. At least, at my current level of power. I''d need to be at least Level 25 to hurt it with this spell.

    The gaia wolf prepares to jump, and I hold out a hand, pulling up a spear just as it jumps at me. This time, I manifest a barrier of wind in front of the tip of the spear, then throw it as I jump up, flying backwards. The spear impacts the gaia wolf in the shoulder, driving it slightly off-course. It crashes into the mud next to where I had been standing, then slams two paws into the ground before opening its maw for a sonic attack.

    Jumping up, I do my best to avoid both the spikes and the sonic attack, only to find it flinging balls of mud and stone at me with flicks of its tails. Did it really notice I had flown and predict I would use that to evade?

    Holding up my arms, I block the attacks with a wind wall as best I can. The balls of stone are moving too fast, though, and make it through my wind wall. Even slowed, they impact me pretty hard, breaking my ability to focus on the flight spell.

    I start to drop, only to find the gaia wolf jumping at me, moving to intercept me as I fall. Opening my mouth, I inhale as much as I can, then exhale, emitting a sonic breath attack of my own. It''s much more powerful than when I clap, as instead of a single wave of it, it''s continuous, just like theirs.

    My attack pushes the gaia wolf back, the mud having hindered its jump enough that I can knock it back down. Had it jumped from solid ground, it would have been moving much too fast. It seems I stopped fueling the muddying spell, too, so the spread stopped. I only noticed this because my sacred power isn''t draining any more.

    Catching myself with flight magic at the last moment, I avoid slamming into the ground and instead just drop into it, unable to fully catch myself and just soften the impact.

    Strange. The mud is still deeper than it should be. Ah. Cam is fueling it from where he is. Thank you, Cam. He should have realized how far I wanted it and how deep, too, so I shouldn''t have to worry unless one of the wolves surrounding us realizes what he''s doing and decides to attack to stop him.

    If I''m going to escape, I''m going to have to hinder the gaia wolf so more. That means waiting until the mud is thick enough to hold it down. Hopefully, Cam won''t make it too thin, or it won''t suck on the monster''s paws and help hold it down. I might be able to create another opportunity to escape, though.

    Thankfully, it is just the Tier Six and me fighting. I''d lose rather fast if the others joined in, the way the gaia wolf is pushing me.

    Raising a hand, I point up with two fingers, then slash down. Lightning shoots from my fingers towards the gaia wolf, impacting the mud in front of it. The spell spreads a bit, slightly stunning the gaia wolf, and I take its momentary paralysis to draw the mud up around its paws, then harden it into thick cuffs that start in the drier soil beneath the mud. At the same time, I bind its tail with the same spell, then use wind magics to being flying once more.

    Not taking any chances, I keep facing the gaia wolf, and am glad I do, as it releases a howl that shakes the air. The mud field vibrates from the force of the howl, buds from the trees fall, and the stone I drew up to bind it breaks.

    I hold out both hands, drawing the air together around me into a pair of spears of pure wind as the gaia wolf prepares for another jump. Then I''m out of the canopy of trees and throw the spears. The first one glances off the gaia wolf''s shoulder as it simply breaks through the weaker branches on its way to me, the force of its jump powerful enough that the trees don''t slow it down. The second spear grazes along its side.

    Neither attack does much, and as I try to avoid it, the gaia wolf grabs onto my left foot. I cry out in pain as its teeth break through my boots and pierce my leg, and both of us fall towards the ground as I blast the monster with spike of wind after spike of wind, hoping I can hurt it. I manage to scratch it some, but I''m simply too weak. When did I lose my lightning enhancement spell? I must have lost the focus on that during one of its attacks.

    We slam into the ground, then the gaia wolf whips its head to the side. I hear a snap as pain shoots through my leg. Then, the gaia wolf whips its head to the other side, releasing me, and I''m thrown into a tree. As I drop to the ground, the gaia wolf slams both its paws into the mud, raising up a wall of stone beneath me, tossing me back up into the air.

    Catching the movement of its tail, I summon up a thicker wind wall before, shifting the wind so it moves as fast as I can. My sacred power drains much faster for this adjustment because it''s beyond my power level, but it''s necessary for this adjustment.

    Spikes of stone and balls of stone fly up from the gaia wolf''s tail, slamming into my wind wall. A few make it through, cutting into me or simply impacting me as I try to begin my flight spell again. It looks like this is the end for me. Cam can''t heal what this thing did to my leg, and there''s no way we can both escape. I can feel his healing magic at work, already mending some of the cuts from the spikes, but it''s useless. He can heal me all he wants, we aren''t both making it out of here.

    "GO!" I roar, using wind magic to make my voice echo and shake the air.

    The gaia wolf winces at that, giving me a brief respite. I hear movement in a tree, then catch the sight of Cam flying away. While I know he''d rather stay behind and heal me, but he knows just as well as I do it''s better one of us makes it out of here so that the Elder Hunter can peer into the experience and see what happened.

    As I expected, Cam was ignored as he flew away. Since he hadn''t fought at all, they likely believe him to not be a fighter in any way. They probably have never encountered humans before, either, making it unlikely for them to know that it''s the fighters who can learn how to manipulate the wind to fly.

    My focus isn''t the best right now from the repeated attacks on me and repeated use of powerful spells on my part, so I lose hold of my own spells and drop back to the ground. Struggling to my feet, I see the gaia wolf slowly approaching as I do my best not to put too much weight on my left leg. A whip of its tail from the side, and a ball of stone forms, then is launched at me, slamming into my chest and throwing me back.

    I could use light magic to heal myself, but it would only delay my death. I''m still not going to go down without doing as much as I can to this thing, though.

    Light magic.

    I''ve never used light magic as a weapon before, but it might prove useful here. Holding up my hands, I close my eyes as tightly as possible before filling the area with as much light as I can. As soon as I stop, I use wind magics to fly up into the air, catching that I did blind the wolves. Even the gaia wolf is stumbling slightly, struggling to pull its paws as it attempts to focus on seeing.

    Then I''m out of the canopy and am over the forest. With one more glance to the stumbling gaia wolf, I thank the powers at be for my escape and take off.

    I''ve barely flown twenty feet when some sense of mine warns me of danger, and I turn to find the gaia wolf closing in on me. Before I can react, it''s grabbed my left foot again, and I let out another cry of pain.

    The monster pulls me back to the ground as I lose focus, and this time, my head hits a stone. Pain shoots through my skull as black spots fill my vision. I''m vaguely aware of the gaia wolf releasing my foot, before I feel it flipping me onto my back. Blood or something has run into my right eye, making it hard to see out of it. Maybe blood, that''s the side that struck the stone.

    Placing a paw on my chest, the gaia wolf pins me down, then moves its face close to mine. Its breath smells of meat and blood, rancid. Its last meal. Soon to be its second-to-last meal.

    As I struggle to come up with a way out of this, not wanting to die even as I know I''m about to, the gaia wolf snarls, asserting its victory over me and its dominance here.

    Gathering what little focus I can muster, I draw on my sacred power, pulling with all I have in a final effort at surviving this fight. I summon a new spear, and the moment I feel it, I wrap it with bladed wind, willing it with my magic to strike, my body too weak to move after its repeated battering and the strike to my head.

    My spear strikes as I wonder why it took so much more sacred power to create. The moment it hits something, there''s a powerful blast of wind, pushing me even further into the mud as the gaia wolf is blown off of me.

    The spell is taking too much sacred power out of me, so I cancel it, then try to find the gaia wolf. It''s several yards away, the trees around us broken by the blast. I must have screwed up the spell, but it seems I finally wounded the beast. There''s a long gash on its neck, and it''s breathing heavily.

    It seems dazed by my attack. This might be my moment. The spell comes painfully to me, but I manage to recast my flight spell and lift up into the air. The gaia wolf still seems dazed by the attack. I''m low on sacred power, dangerously so, and pray to the powers that be that this time, I do manage to escape.

    After ten yards. I pray again. After twenty, I start to hope. After thirty, I check back. Nothing is following me. After fifty, I feel pray a third time. After one hundred, I feel my magic start to fail.

    But I push on. It seems that last attack worked in giving me the chance to escape. I hope. It doesn''t appear anything is following me on the ground. Just in case, I need to loop around, crossing over the river to ensure they lose my trail if they are following.

    The townsfolk will probably be panicking as I recover enough magic to mend myself a little bit, then fly back, but at least I''m alive. And once I''m back, I''m going straight to the Elder Hunter. Cam will have already been examined, but it''ll be best if she receives the view of the fight from me directly. I''m not sure why, but it''s always best to see it from the fighter, but also from as many sources as possible.

    Once I''m sure I''m a safe distance past the river, I drop down into the forest and fly for a distance more, heading a little east, but not yet north. After a few more minutes, when I can''t fly any more, I let myself drop back down. Time to rest and recover from the fight. Nothing in this section should attack me, based on what Cam and I saw yesterday when we were searching it, so I should be safe to rest for a few hours.

    Against my will, my eyes close as exhaustion overtakes me.

 Chapter 005

    The first sensation I''m aware of upon waking is the immense pain filling my body from the numerous blows dealt to me during that fight. My leg feels as if it''s aflame as well. Gritting my teeth, I pull out my knife and cut off my left pant leg halfway up my upper leg. I slice it all the way down to my mangled boot, which I also cut off. It won''t be usable anymore, as the gaia wolf damaged it beyond repair.

    After removing those, I use some of my recovered sacred power to mend the cuts and gashes in my leg. I can''t mend my bones, but this should suffice for now. Gritting my teeth again, I set my bone, then cast my gaze around, pulling fallen sticks to me with some wind magic. Using strips of my removed pant leg and the strips, I brace and bind my leg.

    Now that I''ve treated myself as best I can here, I pick up the last bit of scrap from my pant leg and my boot, clean off my knife and sheathe it, then lift myself into the air with wind magic. Rather than flying above the trees, I soar across the ground. Most of my injuries are done healing, so I shouldn''t leave much of a trail, but even if I do, it''s doubtful anything will follow me. If the wolves were chasing me, they''d have found me by now.

    My head still pounds as I fly, making it hard to focus, but I push on. I need to return so that the Elder Hunter can adjust her message before sending it out to account for additional information I may have. Because of my pain and exhaustion, my flight is slower than it would normally be.

    Overall, the trip home takes five times as long as it could have, but is still shorter than a normal walk. With my injured leg, I probably wouldn''t have made it back to town for hours longer than that.

    "Welcome back," the Gate greets me. "Cam has already returned from your hunt."

    "Thanks," I respond as the Gate opens.

    Not bothering to land, I continue flying, right through the gate, through the tunnel, and into town. The Elder Hunter''s shop sits right inside the gate, so as soon as I''m past the wall and the building, I turn and fly to the entrance, ignoring the stairs before opening the door and entering.

    The inside of the main room has little in the way of decorations or items, but only because those who come here aren''t buying something. What she does sell, those who want them know to ask for it.

    A low table sits in the center of the room, a clear crystal orb ten inches in diameter resting atop a violet cushion with golden trim. Two violet cushions with golden trim rest on the floor on each of three sides of the table, the Elder Hunter herself sitting on the low one resting on the floor on the side of the table opposite the door.

    Right now, she''s dressed in her usual violet and green dress, her staff resting on the ground beside her. Beads and feathers are woven into her brains and loose hair, her body showing the signs of her age, with wrinkles and spots.

    She''s lived to be more than a century and a quarter, and is at least Level 35. I''ve never asked for her Level, so I don''t know what she is, specifically, but as she''s out here in the sticks, it''s likely not much higher than that. Even if we have the Hunter''s Brand, there is only so much we can do as our body ages, and so the elders turn to taking on such jobs, to guide us younger Hunters with advice and act as the ones who assess our Level and kills.

    At the moment, she''s writing something down, likely her request for assistance.

    She looks at me, and her grey eyes fill with surprise, then shock, then worry.

    "Your state," she tells me, her voice slowed somewhat with her age. "You barely escaped. I don''t need to read you to know that. Sit, sit. Don''t worry about the cushions, they will clean."

    Nodding, I gingerly lower myself onto the cushions, wincing when I accidentally jar my leg. I use the other cushion here to support my left leg, so that it''s not on the hard ground. Without needing her to say something, I place a hand on the crystal sphere. She does the same and closes her eyes, and I know she''s pushing her sacred power into the sphere to check what happened. I keep my hand on it, as removing my hand will end her view.

    For five minutes, she watches over every fight that has happened since my last appraisal. When they watch, they view things much more quickly than it occurred, making it easier to check even days'' worth of hunts in just a few minutes.

    The Elder Hunter''s brows are creased in worry, though towards the end, I notice surprise on her face.

    "I got lucky with that attack," I say when she opens her eyes, and we pull our hands off of the orb. "I guess in my panicked, wounded state, I put a little more power into the wind than I had expected."

    "It is good you returned," she tells me. "You were, indeed, lucky to survive that encounter. A stroke of bad luck nearly ended you. You went thinking there might be a dozen wolves with a single Tier Five, and found four of them, each with a small pack, and a Tier Six."

    "Four?" I ask.

    "Yes," she answers. "Another showed up while you were attempting to escape, though it was after Cam left, so it was not in his memories. I was writing up my message to the next town. This situation is not pleasant for us. They will likely send this to a city, to have a higher team of Hunters come out."

    "Soul Strikers?" I ask.

    "Soul Strikers," she nods. "They will either deal with this, or summon additional reinforcements to help them deal with it."

    Soul Strikers are a last-resort option. They''re the best of the best, and a team of five of them is able to take on a Single Star monster. They also work in teams of five at a minimum, so an unexpected Single Star attack would only catch them off-guard at the most.

    Every Soul Striker team member has, at some point, defeated a Single Star monster or stronger, with their current team or another. It''s a requirement to become a Soul Striker, as well as being able to manifest their soul weapon. Well, their sacred weapon.

    "I can heal most of your damage," the Elder Hunter tells me, deciding to change topics. "But it will come at a price."

    "It always does," I tell her. "I take it my leg is beyond you?"

    "Yes," she tells me. "I''ll summon a healer when I send this message as well. Someone who can mend that type of damage. It will cost you even more. Keep in mind it may take a week or two for them to come out here, so you will need to use a crutch until then."

    "No hunting for me," I sigh. "But I''m lucky to be alive, so I''ll take it."

    "Indeed," she reaches under the table and grabs something, then brings it up. The Branding Seal. "Bare your Hunter''s Brand."

    "Why?" I ask. "I haven''t gained a Level."

    While we can naturally grow a little bit stronger between Levels, there''s an obvious boost we can feel when we acquire a new one. I''d have noticed if I hit one, even while sleeping. I also would have hit a new Level, at minimum, if my last attack had killed that Tier Six, so I know it''s still alive, too.

    "Just humor this old woman, would you?" She asks.

    I remove my vest, then pull down the front of my shirt, exposing the brand. The Elder Hunter reaches forward and places the Branding Seal against my chest. It''s cool to the touch, though gently warms up for a few seconds as she channels sacred power into it. After a few seconds, she pulls it away.

    "As I suspected," she says, and I look down at my chest.

    Before, the outlines of the star and circle were black, but now, they''re golden in color. I''m still Level 17, displayed in black runes, and the rest is still violet.

    "Why did it-"

    "Turn gold?" She asks. "I''ll give you a hint, Rex: what can a lower-Level Hunter do in an extreme, life-threatening circumstance?"

    "You''re saying I manifested my soul weapon?"

    "I am," she confirms. "And would you call it by the proper name? It''s a sacred weapon."

    "It''s a representation of our soul," I say. "And our will."

    "And your style of fighting," she says. "And it''s manifested through sacred power. You were in an extreme situation, in a life-threatening circumstance where you were about to die, yet possessed an immense will to live. As a result, you manifested your sacred weapon. Try to do so again. Channel your sacred power as you draw upon your will and soul, Rex. Call upon yourself, and bring about the manifestation of your soul in your hands."This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Holding up my hands, I do as she commands. It isn''t much different from how to manifest spells, and within moments, a spear forms in the air. Its shaft is six feet long, the triangular blade ten inches from the shaft to the point, with the lower corners of it more akin to barbs than simple points, to rip more as the spear is pulled out.

    The shaft itself is black, though with white streaks through it, and the head looks like shiny, silver-grey steel with silver patterns on it.

    "When you used it in the fight," the Elder Hunter tells me. "You channeled wind magic around it. The spear reacted to that, augmenting the power. I believe the spear does more than that, though. You are flexible in your fighting style, adapting the elements as needed. When you practice with it, try wrapping it in the elements, but also try filling it with the element. Not here, though. I don''t need you accidentally destroying my house again."

    "Sorry," I feel my face heat up at her reminder of that incident when I was ten. The Elder Hunter lives above this place. "I''m only Level 17, I hadn''t expected-"

    "You aren''t the youngest nor the lowest in level to manifest their sacred weapon," she tells me. "Though the Guild does its best to ensure the circumstances required to manifest it before a Hunter is around Level 40 do not occur, so they aren''t as common as one might think. Someone manifesting theirs under Level 30 happens maybe once every eight years."

    "Well," I say as I release the weapon, and the drain on my mana stops. I''ll need what I have left to return home. "I at least feel good about being that one-in-eight years, since it means someone else probably won''t for another eight years."

    "You never know," she tells me. "Someone else could tomorrow. But I understand where you''re coming from. I manifested mine when I was Level 24, but I was also thirty-three years old at that point. My party of Hunters ended up separated as a result of a Tier Six''s manipulation and plotting, and three of us ended up manifesting within a few hours of each other."

    I immediately grow concerned hearing that.

    "Cam-"

    "He is fine," she interrupts me, her voice as slow as ever. "Do not worry about him. He did not manifest, as he was not put into the same circumstances as you. Now, you can send me the payment later. I will mend what I can, then you best be going."

    Cam will no doubt have delivered the news to Liam, who will be crushed. His parents died in front of him to monsters, then his new caretaker and idol died to them. That may destroy him completely, especially with how long Cam has had to tell him the news.

    I nod, and the Elder Hunter stands and moves around the table, pulling a cushion from the side so that she can sit beside me and tend to my injuries. After she heals me, I thank her, pull my vest back on, then use my magic to pick myself back up and fly, soaring with my feet barely above the ground.

    First, I will visit Cam, who has no doubt returned to his home. He likely feels guilty, even if he knows we both would have died had he stayed. There wasn''t anything he could do to save me, the gaia wolf was simply too powerful.

    It takes me a few minutes to reach it, and a minute after I knock, his pa answers the door. He''s a large, gruff man with a thick beard, completely unlike Cam, who takes more after his mother.

    His pa stares at me in shock, takes in my bloody and muddy appearance, then nods.

    "CAM!" He bellows, and I wince a little. My head still hurts, and the loudness of his call sent another spike of pain through it. "Sorry, there. Cam thinks yer dead."

    "I almost was," I nod.

    "Come in," he suggests.

    "I can''t stay long," I shake my head. "I need to let Liam know I''m still alive."

    He accepts that, and we wait for Cam to finally come down. His eyes are red and puffy, even if his cheeks are dry. He probably had to take a minute to calm himself down enough to come down and try to be presentable.

    The moment he sets his gaze upon me, disbelief fills his eyes. Disbelief and confusion.

    "I''ll tell you more tomorrow," I tell Cam. "But I got lucky. The bastard was about to kill me, and I got lucky."

    Cam rushes to me and wraps me in a hug, crying against me in relief. He also pulls me inside, insistent on checking my wounds and putting a better splint on my leg and foot. I let him, knowing it''ll make him feel better, even as I feel awful for making Liam wait a little longer. But it probably is for the best that Cam does this, as it''ll reinforce to him that I''m not some hallucination.

    He wants to know how I survived, but I just tell him again that I''ll tell him the rest tomorrow. I''d rather not say it with his parents around. After Cam finishes wrapping my leg and foot with leather wraps, he gives me a crutch to use.

    "Thank you," I tell him. "I really do need to get going now, Liam needs to know I made it."

    "Yeah," Cam stands up. "I''m coming with you. Liam can''t cook to save his life. Y-you two need to eat, and you need your rest. I was going to head over in a bit and try to make him eat something."

    No doubt he''ll try to get the story out of me again once we''re at my place, and I guess it''ll be fine then.

    "Thank you," I say, then look at Cam''s pa. "Have a good rest of your day."

    "May the powers that be guide your healing," he responds.

    I nod, then Cam and I leave. This time, I walk, but put no weight on my leg, using the crutch to support myself. We reach my house, and I remove my boot at the door, then walk over to the stairs as Cam goes to the kitchen. After contemplating what to do for a few moments, I just fly up the stairs rather than bother with using the crutch on them. At the top, I return to walking.

    At Liam''s door, I listen, hearing nothing, but knock anyway. There''s no response, and still no sound at all, so I open it and peek inside. He''s not here. I take a deep breath and let it out, then walk over to my room and enter. Liam''s curled up on my bed, hugging one of my pillows as he sniffles, eyes closed.

    "The more you lie there and cry," I say, and he tenses up. "The longer it''ll take me to tell you the story of how I managed to escape."

    Slowly, Liam opens his eyes and looks at me, disbelief filling his eyes. Disbelief, hope, and relief.

    "Come on," I tell him. "Cam''s downstairs making us something to eat, and I know you both are going to want to know how I managed to escape a Tier Six gaia wolf."

    Liam scrambles off the bed and throws himself at me, wrapping me in a hug as he cries into me.

    "Both you and Cam," I say. "Are insistent on getting all muddy and bloody, aren''t you?"

    "It''ll wash off," Liam sniffles into me. "You''re alive."

    "Yeah," I tell him. "But sheer luck, I''m alive. Come on."

    As much as it hurts me to do so, I let Liam climb onto me, then I fly us downstairs. He climbs off of me at the table, and we sit down. I tell him and Cam everything I can remember of the fight, then what the Elder Hunter discovered.

    "Your soul weapon?" Liam''s eyes grow wide. "You manifested it?"

    "Yeah," I nod. "In the nick of time, too. If I hadn''t, manifested then, the gaia wolf would''ve killed me a few moments later. I didn''t even realize it until after the Elder Hunter told me."

    "Can I see it?" Liam asks.

    "Not right tell," I tell him. "I''m exhausted. After I eat, I''m going to take a bath, then once I''ve relaxed and recovered a little more, I''ll show both of you."

    Liam is clearly impatient to see it, but I know he''ll wait, especially with the relief he''s feeling right now. Cam finishes dinner, then we eat. Liam wants to help me with my bath, since I''m injured, but I convince him to help Cam clean the dishes.

    Once they get started on that, I head to the bathing room and ready my bath, then remove my clothes and the bindings before I lower myself into the tub. The hot water feels great, soothing my aching and sore muscles. The Elder Healer didn''t patch up the minor injuries, just treated what she could of my leg. The break on my upper leg and at my hip, she could handle, but my foot, ankle, and calf, she could not.

    The rest of my body is sore, too, and stiff as well. It makes bathing a little difficult, and I take longer than normal, but in the end, manage to get myself clean. Once I''m clean I climb out, dry off, bind my foot and calf again, then pull on the shorts and tank left in here for me, from before Cam told Liam the bad news.

    Clean, dry, and dressed, I return to the main room, then tell Liam to get cleaned up. He''s impatient to see my sacred weapon now, but obeys, heading to the bathing room for his own bath. Cam needs one, too, so after Liam finishes, I send him for a bath, having Liam fetch him a change of clothes from my room. I''m a little bigger than Cam, but he''ll still fit.

    Only once they''re clean, dry, and dressed in fresh clothes do we go outside so I can summon my sacred weapon. It still takes me a couple of seconds, but I''ll get better with practice, able to summon it instantly.

    "It looksˇ­ plain," Liam sounds disappointed and excited at the same time. "But it still managed to deliver such a powerful strike to the Tier Six?"

    "Yeah," I nod. "Part of that likely came from me using its bane, wind, in the attack. My attack only dazed it, though. It hasn''t died yet, and will likely be furious over the attack. Because of that, we can''t enter into anywhere close to the pack''s hunting grounds until after the team from the city arrives."

    "Are they sending Soul Strikers?" Cam asks.

    "The Elder Hunter says they might," I answer. "Though they could send a weaker party to take care of a Tier Six, the size of the pack and high number of upper Tiers in it makes that dangerous. She''s not certain what the folks from the city will do, but she''s confident that when the next town sends it to them, they''ll send a stronger team."

    "You mean," Liam turns excited. "We might get to see people who''ve fought a Single-Star?"

    "Yes," I nod. "We might get to see people who''ve fought a Single-Star. If we''re lucky, they may even teach us some tricks."

    I can see the excitement and anticipation on Liam''s face at that, and Cam gives me an amused look. If Soul Strikers are sent out to take care of this, we will be taught a few tricks. The Elder Hunter has mentioned to us before that Soul Strikers always give a little training before they leave when they''re sent out to do a job.

    "But," I say. "Don''t forget that it''s possible the Guild will send a weaker team out. This is only a Tier Six, after all. Two or three teams that can handle a Tier Seven should be able to handle them. In fact, that''s the most likely option for what will happen."

    "I know!" Liam tells me. "But still! Just thinking about meeting a powerful, professional team of Hunters is exciting, even if they aren''t Soul Strikers! And then there''s your soul weapon! It''s so beautiful, even if it''s plain, and are you sure it can do stuff with the elements?"

    "It most likely can," I tell him. "We can test it tomorrow, when we go out into the fields. But before then, you need to get some sleep."

    "Tomorrow?" He asks, confused for a few moments. Then he remembers and his face lights up. "My birthday!"

    "Yeah," I say as I dismiss my sacred weapon. "Your birthday. Come on, let''s get to bed. We''ve all had a long day, and it''s exhausted all of us. Cam, you can stay over if you want."

    "I will," Cam says. "You''ll need someone here in case something happens with your leg during the night."

    "Thanks," I tell him. "Come on, let''s get to bed."

 Chapter 006

    "That''s cold!" Liam giggles, wiggling a little as the Elder Hunter presses the Branding Seal against his chest.

    "Hold still," she tells him.

    "Sorry," he giggles again, but holds still so she can press it against him again. "Whoa. It''s warm now."

    "And now," she pulls the Branding Seal away. "You are a Hunter, Liam. You have no sacred power at the moment, but now that you have the Hunter''s Brand, you''ll be generating it. Rex and Cam can teach you how to use it, and you can pay me a fee for a lesson as well."

    "Okay!" Liam tells her, bouncing on the cushion in his excitement at finally being allowed to leave the town and hunt monsters.

    "Enjoy your hunts," she tells him. "And may the powers that be guide you to strength. And happy birthday, too."

    "Thanks!" Liam says.

    "Alright," I say. "Let''s head out of the town for your first hunt: hares and squirrels from the fields."

    Liam nods, then picks up the spear I gifted him for his birthday before following Cam and me out of the Elder Hunter''s shop. He won''t be able to perform the spear spells I use to create spears for awhile, so I had the town''s blacksmith make one for him. My first spear has long-since been retired, too used to be gifted to Liam. And broken, too. Part of the head chipped off against the shell of an insect monster when I was eleven.

    "Good morning, boys," the Gate greets us. "Are you wishing to head out?"

    Liam looks at me when Cam and I don''t say anything, and I nod to him. He looks back to the Gate. His excitement is still there, but I''ve taught him over the last year to separate his excitement from himself when it comes to serious things. It''s okay to be excited, but it''s best not to let it affect a fight, and Liam is in his serious mode now, now that we''re leaving for his first training session against monsters.

    "We are," Liam tells the Gate.

    "May I see your brands?" The Gate asks.

    The three of us pull down the collars of our shirts to show our brands to the Gate.

    "Welcome to the ranks," the Gate tells Liam. "May the powers that be guide your hunts well."

    The Gate splits down the center, opening, and we leave. This is the first time Liam has left since we rescued him, and I''m glad he''s not suffering any trauma issues over it. That would be horrible, for his excitement to be crushed by painful memories.

    The Gate closes behind us, and we walk a little further east before climbing over the crest of a hill. Liam looks at the hares hopping around and squirrels darting from tree to tree on the hills and fields.

    "I won''t be getting close," I tell Liam as I indicate my leg. "Since I can''t fight in melee with my leg the way it is right now, but I''ll provide backup, should you need it. Cam will heal you, but don''t try to rely on his magic, okay? Try to avoid injury when possible, or you''ll fall into bad habits that could cost you if you end up without a healer. Remember, wait on trying to use sacred power until you''re full of it. You''ll be able to tell when you can''t generate more, as full of it as you can be. Then, return here, and I''ll teach you your first spell."

    "Yes, sir," Liam nods, then looks at the hares. "Are these all Tier One?"

    "No," I answer. "The hares and squirrels with split tails are Tier Two. Don''t attack them, and they won''t attack you."

    "Okay," he nods. "Good luck, Liam!"

    After wishing himself luck, Liam descends the hill, cautious. Hares and squirrels are always good training targets because they''re numerous and they generally only attack when attacked. They''re among the less-dangerous monsters in the area, too.

    That doesn''t mean we can let their population boom, though. Especially right now, in spring, when it''s prime mating season for them. They''re both food for each other and for other, more dangerous monsters. By regularly culling their population, we decrease how quickly stronger monsters form in these hills and fields.

    Once Liam nears a hare, he adjusts his grip on his spear, then thrusts it forward, attempting to strike the hare. The monster hops to the side, avoiding the spear, then hops towards Liam, who quickly adjusts his aim and strikes again.

    He manages to knock the hare out of the air, grazing it on the side, then thrusts his spear at it again, striking it in the other side as it hops again. His first fight resembles mine, in that he has to take a couple of minutes to kill the hare, but when he succeeds, he gives a triumphant whoop.

    Then, he immediately gets to work field dressing the rabbit. Cam and I move in close to make sure he''s doing it right. Field dressing a hare is a little different from gutting a fish. Once Liam finishes, Cam shows him how to string it up to avoid it bleeding out and so that it can hang from his belt. Liam does that, hanging it from a length of twine on his belt, then returns to his hunt, Liam and I moving back to our previous position.

    Liam hunts for twenty minutes, catching and killing four more hares, having three hanging on his right, two on his left, before he comes up to me and tells me he''s full of sacred power.

    "Okay," I tell him as he pulls the hares off his belt and places them in the basket Cam brought with us to carry his kills in. "Remember the meditation exercises I''ve had you do?"

    "Yes," he nods. "You said that when you use sacred power, having meditated and being aware of what it feels like and how it flows through you is important, so it''s good to start meditating early."

    "Indeed," I nod. "Because you''ve spent a year meditating, you can already sense the flow of your sacred power more easily than had you not. I''m going to teach you a basic wind spell. These hares and rabbits don''t have a bane at Tier One, so the wind spell is best, as it leaves less damage than, say, a fireball, which would burn a huge portion of its hide rather than simply slicing it."

    "Okay," he says.

    "It''s a basic wind blade," I say. "To cast it, feel that flow of sacred power, draw upon it, push it out of you, shape it into a blade of wind with a curved shape to it, then release. That''s the best explanation that we can give for it, but once you''ve done it once, you''ll know how it feels. This is what it looks like."

    Though this isn''t the first time I''ve shown him the spell, I take my time in the casting, allowing him to see the spell by mixing in some light magic. Rather than the instantaneous casting I normally do, I spend several seconds shaping the spell into existence. Then, I aim it at a hare to the side of us on the hill, before releasing it.

    The spell flies forward, soaring through the air. It cuts through the hare, but continues on, not yet spent. My spell travels down the hill in a straight line, cutting through two more hares before it cuts into the ground at the bottom of the hill.

    "Show off," Cam mutters, and Liam giggles. "Remember, Liam, that you won''t be able to cast one as strong as that for awhile. Rex and I have both trained for nine years and have reached higher Levels, so our magic is a lot stronger. Your attack will, at most, just cut the monster. It will be a long time before you manage to cut clean through even one."

    "Yeah," Liam nods. "Because your magic is stronger, you can make the spell denser, even for the same thickness, which allows it to pierce more before it fades out. Also, how much I use sacred power and how large of a role it plays in my victories determines how much it grows with each Level, too, so if I focus only on it, I''ll gain a lot of sacred power, but little strength, but if I use a lot of physical stuff, I''ll gain a lot of strength, but little sacred power. And if I go like Rex does and mix the two pretty evenly, I''ll end up weaker in both, but more rounded."

    "Correct," I say. "So remember to start focusing early on what you want to be. If you''d prefer to use the spear as your main method of attack, then use spells for backup. If you want to use spells as your main method of attack, then use your spear if something draws too close. And if you want to mix the two, then, well, mix the two."

    Liam nods, then looks between us, thoughtful.

    "So," he says. "Who has more sacred power? Since Cam''s pretty much pure healer and mage, it''s him, right? Even though he''s four Levels lower?"The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    "No," I answer. "Every Level, your increase potential is higher. Though we might only have a four-Level difference, Cam would need to be within one or two to have a similar sacred power as me as a pure mage against a mixed fighter."

    His expression tells me he''s confused.

    "Let''s say," I tell him. "That we put strength and sacred power into numerical terms. You start with one of each at Level 1. When you hit Level 2, you gain three strength and one sacred power because of your efforts and fighting style, and I had gained two strength and two sacred power, and Cam gained one strength and three sacred power. At Level 3, you gained six strength and two sacred power, I gained four strength and four sacred power, and Cam gained two strength and six sacred power. Then we begin to diverge. You stop Leveling, Cam Levels slower, and I continue Leveling at an even rate. I hit Level 4 and gain six of each, then level 5 and eight of each. Even though I''m only two Levels ahead of him, I have fourteen more sacred power than him, and he has eight, and you only have four."

    "Oh," he says. "So there''s a big gap between you two in sacred power."

    "Yeah," I nod. "And keep in mind, those numbers aren''t exact, that''s just me coming up with them on the spot. I don''t know what they''d be if we actually put them into numbers, or even how we''d go about that. After about ten Levels, though, there''s a significant gap in terms of both strength and sacred power even between two people of a single Level''s difference. Cam and I have a four-Level difference, making that gap even larger.

    "However," I tell him. "Raw sacred power isn''t everything. Remember that."

    "Yeah," Liam nods. "Like how Cam can do better healing spells than you, because he focuses on training them."

    "Correct," I say. "I can only heal minor injuries, which Cam can heal some more severe ones. He''s not powerful enough to mend my leg, but once he''s another ten Levels higher, he''ll likely be able to."

    A glance at Cam''s expression tells me that he plans on training up some more so that he''s better capable with healing injuries. This is the worst I''ve gotten ever, and we usually just pay the Elder Healer for the things he can''t heal. She''s always been able to, but she''s never really worked on her healing magics much, either. Her being able to mend the broken bones in my upper leg and hip was simply from how long she''s been around giving her that experience.

    "Anyway," I ruffle Liam''s hair. "Get back to hunting, yeah? You can build up practice experience, some more strength, and some sacred power by training, even if it takes you awhile to hit Level 1."

    "Alright," Liam nods, then returns to hunting.

    Cam and I watch him in silence for a few minutes, before Cam decides to break our quiet.

    "I''m sorry I''m not much stronger," he softly tells me.

    "It''s okay, Cam," I say. "We weren''t expecting such a fight. We weren''t even expecting that many powerful monsters. That was four different packs of wolves being led by a Tier Six, and the true alpha could move silently enough we didn''t notice its approach, even while on alert. Never before have we needed to heal an injury like this."

    "I know," he says. "But I can still fight and train, too. You''re right, I''ll need probably ten more Levels before my sacred power is high enough I can cast such a spell. It will probably take me a few years to get there, even pushing myself, but-"

    "Cam," I interrupt. "Relax. Remember that pushing yourself hard in training leads to mistakes. An injury like this is rare, and it''s unlikely we''ll deal with one again after the Tier Six is taken care of."

    "I know," he says. "I should still gain a little more power. Something like this may happen again, even in a few years. Light magic shouldn''t be the only thing I do. In some of the tougher fights, I''ll provide some backup."

    "Okay," I tell him. "Once I''m healed up, we''ll go take care of Geoffrey, I''d rather take him out before taking Liam to the mud fields."

    "Same," he says. "He seems docile right now, but at the end of the day, he''s a monster. You never know when he might suddenly decide to attack."

    "Yeah," I say. "And I''d rather not have to worry about protecting Liam from a Tier Five."

    That said, there''s always the chance the hawk will decide to attack, but we went a little outside of its hunting range. Hopefully, it sticks to its territory until Cam and I go kill it.

    We return to watching Liam in silence, and the new Hunter manages to bring back eight hares twice before showing signs of fatigue that suggest he needs to rest.

    "Alright, Liam," I tell him. "That''s enough hunting for now."

    "Yeah," Liam nods. "I''m starting to feel sore and tired."

    "Let''s rest for a few minutes," I say. "Then eat lunch."

    The three of us sit on the hill, and Cam and I discuss Liam''s hunting. He stuck mostly to the spear, using wind blades to help him from time to time. He says that he thinks he''ll still be mostly a spear fighting, but use a little bit of sacred power in his fighting, as most melee fighters do. It is an essential part of fighting monsters, after all.

    I make a note to teach him spells that work well with the spear, as well as a few defensive ones. While he could cast a wind wall, it wouldn''t be too effective with his current level of sacred power. There are others we can teach him, though.

    After discussing his hunt and giving him some tips and advice based on what he did, we open up the lunches we prepared before setting off this morning and eat. We''re about halfway done when I notice the hawk soaring toward us from the southeast, where it normally lives and hunts.

    "Liam, stay down," I say as I use wind magic to fly into a mostly-standing position. Cam immediately jumps up at my tone, turning his gaze to the direction of the hawk. "Hopefully, it leaves us alone, but if it attacks, you let the two of us fight it."

    "Okay," Liam nods.

    The hawk is a wind beast, so the best option for fighting it right now is lightning and fire magic. I do hope it decides to fly off, though.

    Nope. The hawk soars towards us, opening its mouth and screeching. Liam clamps his hands over his ears to protect himself from the shrill sound as Cam and I use wind magic to block it out. Holding up a hand, I send several fireballs its way, and Cam throws lightning at it.

    Flapping its wings at the attacks, the hawk manages to deflect most of them with wind magic, though the lightning bolt manages to graze ones of its wings. The hawk lets out another shriek, this one without magic, and I generate stronger fireballs, more compact this time.

    Cam and I fall into a pattern, throwing fire and lightning at the hawk, managing to keep it from drawing too close. Its wind gusts manage to push away most of our attacks, sending them scattering to the sides or causing them to miss entirely. Some of its blasts are strong enough to batter at us, but we hold firm against them.

    Liam keeps behind me to lighten the force of the attacks on him, even as Cam and I move to continue protecting ourselves from the attacks. The hawk tries to swoop in close to strike us with its talons or beaks, but we''re able to chase it back with fire and lightning.

    We''re at a stalemate in this fight. Flying monsters are especially annoying because they have better maneuverability than land monsters, which makes it much harder to strike them. Cam and I are technically too weak to actually battle a Tier Four monster, since there are only two of us.

    Why did we think it was a good idea to let a hawk go up in Tier? We wanted it to hit Tier Five, which makes it even worse!

    I suppose we figured that by the time it reached it, we''d be able to handle it a little better. But striking it just isn''t our thing right now, it seems. It''s taken us thirty minutes to get to this point, and we''ve barely done any damage to its. We''ve singed a few of its feathers, but Cam himself is only able to push it back at most, his attacks too weak to actually damage it right now.

    "Liam, get behind Cam," I tell him as I decide to try something new, now that the hawk seems like it''s slowing down, growing exhausted from the fight, just like us. "Quickly, now."

    Liam bolts behind Cam, and I summon out my sacred weapon. Aiming it at the hawk, I channel fire magics through it, as the Elder Hunter suggested I try to see if anything would happen. The white marks on the shaft and the silver marks on the head turn crimson as fire begins to swirl around the head of the spear.

    Cam understands what I want to do, and unleashes a torrent of small lightning bolts, ensuring the hawk will be in a certain spot. The moment I determine where he''s driving the hawk to, I take aim, then throw the spear.

    With my strength as a Level 17 Hunter, I''m able to throw it with enough force the spear probably disappeared from Liam''s sight for a moment, its speed was that great. However, the spear leaves behind a trail of fire as it soars, and it strikes true, slicing into one of the wings of the hawk. Okay, it was a little off, but I was aiming at a flying target, so not quite my fault.

    The monster lets out another shriek as it begins to fall out of the sky, and I summon my spear back to myself. One thing about sacred weapons is that we don''t need to dismiss them to call them back, they''ll return to us if we call them as long as there''s a path.

    Catch my spear, I channel fire magics into it again, as my previous spell ran out after it cut through the hawk. As I throw the spear again, the hawk opens its mouth and lets out a sonic blast at the same time it flaps its good wing to summon up another gale. The gale is weaker this time than when it sued both wings, but the combined attack is enough to send my spear off to the side a little.

    Cam throws lightning again, and I open my mouth and release a sonic call to counter the hawk''s before summoning my spear back to me. Lightning strikes the hawk in the beak as the monster''s attacks end, and I take the break in its defense to launch my spear again. This time, it embeds in the hawk''s chest, killing it.

    "Whoa," Liam says.

    "Yeah," I say as I dismiss my spear. I''m almost out of sacred power, using it is draining. Were I closer to the normal Level for manifesting it, it wouldn''t be an issue at all. I''d have plenty of sacred power to spare for using it. "That''s a Tier Four monster."

    "You two killed it?" He asks in shock. "A Tier Four? But you''re too weak to handle it like this!"

    "Sometimes," I say. "A good strategy is what''s needed. The hawk became a lot easier to take out once we grounded it, but it took us thirty minutes to get it to the ground. While it was in the air, it was pretty impossible to hurt it."

    "It didn''t look like Cam''s attacks were doing anything," Liam says quietly, almost as if afraid to say that out loud.

    "They were pushing it back," Cam says. "But that''s it. I''m not powerful enough to hurt a Tier Four monster with more than an impact right now. However, that can still be annoying to monsters, especially flying ones. Imagine constantly getting knocked around, unable to catch a break."

    "Oh," Liam nods. "Yeah, that would be annoying."

    "And it hurts, too," Cam says. "It would be more like me punching them repeatedly, just from a distance."

    Liam nods again, then looks at me.

    "How come you didn''t summon that sooner?"

    "It takes a lot of sacred power to summon and maintain a sacred weapon," I explain. "I didn''t want to use it immediately in case I failed and then ran out of sacred power. But the hawk was getting exhausted, too, so I took a chance. I''m almost out of sacred power, actually."

    I float back over to our stuff and sit down, releasing my flight spell.

    "Come on," I tell them. "Let''s finish lunch. Then we can take care of the hawk."

 Chapter 007

    "Welcome back," the Gate greets us as we approach. "You had a fine hunt today, it looks like."

    "We did," I nod. "A Tier Four hawk for Cam and me, and plenty of Tier One hares for Liam."

    "Good job," the Gate tells us, then opens so that we may enter.

    Our first stop is the Elder Hunter. While Liam and I are the same Level as before, Cam''s participating in the fight against the hawk brought him up to Level 14, so he wants to get that updated, and we want to get Liam his first payment for his hunts.

    "Welcome back," the Elder Hunter greets us as we take seats around the table, Liam and me across from her, Cam to my right. "Judging by the basket and the hawk, you three had a productive day."

    "We did!" Liam is doing his best to restrain his excitement at having completed his first hunt. "Things got iffy with the hawk, but Rex and Cam took care of it!"

    "Let us handle them first," she tells Liam. "Then we will do your assessment."

    "Okay!" Liam responds.

    I do my assessment first, then Cam does his, and she updates his brand to reflect his new Level, Then, she performs Liam''s assessment, before telling us to wait here. The Elder Hunter heads into the back of the shop, returning with two sacks. A smaller one for Liam, and a larger one for Cam and me to split.

    To his credit, Liam doesn''t even look at what''s in the pouch, just fixes it to his belt. It''s not about the money, it''s about the proof that he completed a hunt.

    We thank the Elder Hunter, then start to leave, only she calls for us to wait.

    "I''ve received word back," she tells us. "There is a team of Soul Strikers who was passing through the next town. They''re on their way here now, and should arrive in three, maybe four days."

    They''re making haste, then. It normally takes five days to reach us from the next town over.

    "As with all Soul Striker teams," she continues. "One of them is a healer, so they should be able to mend your leg when they arrive."

    "Okay," I say. "Thank you."

    She dips her head, then we leave, Liam asking how she already received word back with the journey being so long.

    "Messenger birds," Cam answers. "All Elder Hunters have at least six of them. They''re kept in her yard."

    "I didn''t see them in her yard," Liam frowns.

    "That''s because," I explain. "Her house isn''t a solid rectangle, like it looks if you just look at the side walls. The actual house itself is only about half as long as it looks when walking along the side. Then, there''s storage rooms along the sides of it, taking up about five feet of space each, with a fifteen-foot-wide yard. But the roof is shaped as if the entire thing is one building, no gap, even though there''s a hole over the yard. Hunter messenger birds are among the only birds that can fly over the walls of even the most fortified cities. They''re fast and swift, and able to bend light to render themselves invisible as well."

    "You can use light that way?" Liam asks in exclamation.

    "Yeah," I answer. "Cam and I can both use it, but we don''t very often because it has several issues. First, it doesn''t erase your smell, which is why it wouldn''t have helped us with the wolves. They can smell things before they see them. Second, it takes focus to maintain. Third, it drains sacred power to sustain, and a lot of it. According to the Elder Hunter, it normally isn''t learned by anyone under Level 30."

    "Wow," Liam says. "You two learned it early."

    "Mostly for the rare occasion on which it would be useful and practical," I tell him. "Because Cam and I are rather weak compared to many of the monsters in the area, we have to rely on ambushes and other strategies. Sometimes, wrapping ourselves with bent light is a useful strategy, even if it''s only for a moment at a time."

    "Oh, cool," Liam says. "You''ve never told me about that spell! You''ve got to tell me about some of your stuff with it once we get back!"

    "Sure," I ruffle his hair. "First, let''s give our kills to Nick, so he can process them."

    "Okay!"

    We stop by Nick''s shop and drop off the kills, then make our way home, Cam splitting from us at the fork after telling us he''ll be back after he grabs some clothes and informs his parents that he''ll be staying with us until my leg is healed.

    Liam and I reach our house and head inside, dropping off our gear before I take him out back and have him practice summoning his wind blade, then firing them at a bear golem I manifest. This one, I keep around his size, mostly because I know how the training session will end up.

    It takes Liam about twenty minutes to tire of firing wind blades at the golem and striking at it with his spear, and that''s when he decides to start wrestling it. Because it''s his size, it''s easy for him to match up against it, though part of that comes from me not pushing him as hard as I could.

    Once Liam is worn-out, we head inside, and I send him to take a bath. Cam''s inside, fixing us dinner.

    "Hey, Cam!" Liam greets him, then bolts to the bathing room.

    "How''s your leg feeling?" Cam asks as I sit at the table.

    "Sore," I answer. "Pain goes through it if I move my foot, which is an inevitable action, even when flying."

    "Well," Cam says. "At least we only have to wait three or four days, rather than the week or two we''d expected."

    "Yeah," I nod. "That''s a relief."

    He nods, then returns to cooking, and I let my head hang back as I stare up at the ceiling. Soul Strikers were passing through the next town? Why were they so close to us? It''s a week from the next town to the closest one after that, and there''s a shorter route between cities and these towns. Not only that, but I can''t think of a reason Soul Strikers would need to pass this way to get somewhere. Surely Soul Strikers would have been closer to wherever they were going than need to pass through the next town?

    Unless the next town''s Gates sent an ominous warning as well, and after an investigation was made, their Elder Hunter sent for Soul Strikers. If so, then they must have found something rather fast. They were lucky not to have issues, too. I''m sure our Elder Hunter would have mentioned if there were troubles.

    But if they did receive an ominous warning, just how bad is the situation? The next town is to our east, yet we came across the wolves to the west. Is there something else going on? Something even stronger than the gaia wolf?

    "Whatever you''re worried about," Cam says. "It''ll resolve itself once the Soul Strikers are here, Rex. They''re powerful enough to handle the wolves, and if they find something else around, they''ll take care of it, too."

    "I know," I say. "I can''t help but worry, though."

    "I know," he echoes me. "Liam is probably almost done with his bath, you should try to hide the worry so he doesn''t stress."

    "Yeah," I lift my head up and look at him. "How long before dinner finishes?"

    "Just need to finish making this pasta," he tells me. "Then cook it for a couple of minutes, then I''ll be just about done."

    "Alright," I say. "After dinner, would you mind fetching the package?"

    "Yeah," he answers. "Is it where you usually hide stuff?"

    "No," I answer. "Liam found that hiding spot a few months ago. It''s in the other one."

    "I''ll grab it after dinner, then," he tells me. "Set Liam to washing the dishes to distract him."

    I nod, then we fall silent. As Cam is finishing the last touches of dinner, Liam comes out, dressed in shorts and a tank, towel wrapped around his neck, his hair still a little wet.

    "Smell delicious!" He exclaims.

    "We have linguine tossed with an herbal sauce and grilled fish," Cam tells us as he serves it. "Grilled veggies, and a salad."

    Liam grabs some mugs and fills them up with drinks, then the three of us dig in, Cam and I mostly listening to Liam chatter away about some of the adventures he''s had with a couple of the other town''s children. Fishing alone and preparing for my return isn''t all he does while Cam and I are out hunting, after all.

    Now that the scare of my death is over, Liam is back to telling me about his adventures. Minus the parts where he did something he wasn''t supposed to do. I''m sure I''ll find out about those in the next few days. It seems he decided to spend the day before his turning into a Hunter playing with the other kids here.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    I have to refrain from sighing in memory, and Cam gives me a knowing look. Liam''s too into his tale to notice it, and it''s not something I''d like to tell him about.

    Cam might have been my only friend after my parents died, but we aren''t the only ones our age here. There are a few hundred residents, after all. One of the girls our age is the blacksmith who forged Liam''s new spear, another is a baker.

    But there was one person whom Cam and I played with often when we were younger. Five years older than us, my older brother. He became a Hunter before me, on his tenth birthday. There was a group of Hunters here to escort a merchant, and my brother left with them the day after his birthday.

    Looking back on it now, I''m sure his departure is part of why our parents went out of the town. They couldn''t stand one of their children being better than them, or richer, so they left with the goal of making money using resources from outside the town.

    Now that I''m older, I''m able to tell our parents were abusive toward him. I don''t blame him for wanting to leave us behind, and forgave him a long time ago for abandoning us. He did play with us a lot, even if our parents hated him for some reason I''ve never figured out.

    We talk by letter from time to time. Every few months, I receive one from him, then send him one back. I haven''t told him I''m a Hunter, though, and nor does he know about Liam. I mostly just tell him about the stuff going on in town, it''s easier for me that way. He does know that our parents died, though, and while he didn''t comment about it in his next letter, I know he was probably a little happy and relieved.

    "Rex?" Liam pulls me out of my thoughts about my brother, and I notice his face is full of concern. "Are you okay? You kind of spaced out?"

    "Yeah," I tell him. "Your story made me think about adventures I had with my friends when I was little, too. Cam, me, and one other had an old fort in the woods we''d play in."

    "The fort?" Liam frowns. "Oh! That fort? It''s old and crickety. It''s falling apart, too. Rotting and stuff."

    "That doesn''t surprise me," I chuckle. "It''s older than you are, and hasn''t been used since probably around the time you were born, maybe a little after. Anyway, now that we''re done eating, would you mind washing the dishes?"

    "On my birthday?" He mock-whines.

    "Cam made breakfast and dinner and he prepared lunch," I say. "And it''s not good for me to be floating all the time because my foot will move around, and doing dishes with the crutch won''t be easy."

    "I know, I know," he stands and collects the dishes, then gets started on washing them.

    Cam stands and slips out the back door without Liam noticing, returning after a few minutes and setting a package wrapped in thick canvas on the table.

    "So did your friend not become a Hunter?" Liam asks, not taking his attention away from the dishes. "Just the two of you?"

    "He became one," Cam responds. "But he left with a group of Hunters for training in a city. His reasons for becoming one were separate from ours."

    "Yours was because Rex''s parents died, right?" Liam asks.

    "Yeah," I answer. "After they died, I wanted to become a Hunter and be the one to gather supplies from outside the town, able to hold my own against the monsters so that others wouldn''t act so stupidly in the future. Cam accompanied me on that journey."

    "And now," Liam says. "I''ve joined you! I''ve never heard about this friend before, though. He''s never returned?"

    "He''s never returned," I confirm. "It''s complicated, though. He has his reasons for staying away."

    "So you talk with him?" He asks.

    "Rarely," I answer. "Last message I got from him, he was in an oceanside city. While you can train in the fields from the start, to set sail on the ocean, the Gate won''t let you leave unless you''re at least Level 30. Ocean monsters are especially dangerous, and a ship usually has at least twenty Hunters protecting it to travel across the seas."

    "Nothing like the monster in the lake, right?" Liam asks.

    "Nothing like the monster in the lake," I confirm. "Many of them are bigger, and they have the advantage of being able to go under the ships as well as around them. They''re almost as annoying as flying monsters."

    "Ah," he says. "What''s the ocean like? Did you see it when you two went to the city?"

    "No," I answer. "We went in a different direction. They did have a big lake, though. You have to be Level 15 if you want to go on it by traveling through a Gate. Some people ignored that while we were there, went out through the Gate on the plains, and then looped around and brought a boat onto the lake. They weren''t able to be rescued in time. So remember, Liam, to always follow the Level requirements of the Gates, even if you can go another way."

    "I will," he promises.

    Liam finishes washing the dishes, and Cam helps him dry them and put them away, then Liam notices the package on the table.

    "When did that get here?" He asks. "I don''t remember it being there, but you were both here and no one came by!"

    "It''s a birthday gift to you," I tell him. "We wanted to wait until after your first hunt, because we knew you''d want to wear them immediately, and then have to clean them off after the hunt."

    Upon hearing that, Liam approaches the table and unwraps the bundle, revealing a leather jacket and new belt, along with two new pouches. They''ll be worn on hunts, including tomorrow, but we still wanted to let Liam have a little more time without it risking being soiled. The jacket probably won''t be worn unless it''s a chilly day, while the belt and pouches will be worn regularly.

    "Greta told you," I tell him as he holds up the jacket and examines it. "That she couldn''t make you a jacket right now because she was already making one for you, and you know the rule."

    "No more than one large item order at a time per person," he nods. "Well, for most people. And orders are made in the order of request, with some exceptions, such as you two, who get priority on most things you order."

    He gives us a suspicious look.

    "You didn''t bump anyone down for this jacket, did you?"

    "We requested it a couple of months ago," I tell him. "When we had the hide sent to her. That should keep you warm on most chilly days, and protect your chest from rain, too. It''s durable as well, so it will protect you from blows of Tier One monsters like what you''re fighting right now."

    "Cool," he pulls on the jacket, then the belt, before fixing the pouches onto it. "Now I''ve got good pouches to store herbs and stuff in!"

    "Yup," I tell him. "Make sure to keep some in when leaving town."

    "I will," he nods. "You and Cam both have salves, don''t you? Even though Cam''s a healer?"

    "We do," I open one of my pouches and pull out a small tin. "We can stop by Hailey''s tomorrow morning on our way out and get you some, too. Sometimes, it''s best to use a slave or wrap rather than light magic."

    "Because," Liam says. "If you use healing spells for everything, even things that could use waiting or letting it heal naturally, you might not have enough sacred power to defend yourself or heal something really nasty."

    "Correct," I tell him.

    "Alright!" He says. "I''m going to go show my new jacket off to the others!"

    "Be back in an hour and a half," I tell him as he runs over to his boots and starts tugging them on. "You may not be feeling it because of your excitement, but I know you''re pretty exhausted, and that you''re going to be sore once you finally slow down and start relaxing."

    "Will do!" Liam responds, then leaves.

    Cam and I are silent for a few minutes, then he speaks up.

    "I''m doubting they were investigating something," Cam says. "It''s possible they had some downtime and were doing something. The wolves are too far opposite us from the next town for a threat we hadn''t noticed to be there."

    "Yeah," I sigh. "I can''t help but worry, though. Not with Liam now being a Hunter. As soon as my leg is fixed up, we''re going to take care of Geoffrey, too. We''ll have to ask them to leave him alone, that we were intentionally letting him grow stronger so that we could take him out for the experience."

    What we''re doing isn''t illegal, so all we have to do is explain that, and they''ll be fine with it. It''s extremely common for areas with very few Hunters to do that, because it''s both the best way to cover the entire region and good for experience.

    Then again, the Elder Hunter''s mentioned before that in most areas with as few Hunters as us, the Hunters simply ignore entire areas, resulting in the monsters growing a little stronger than they can handle in those places, while the Hunters handle the weaker ones in their areas. Then, every three or four years, they call out a stronger team to come clean up the Tier Fives and Tier Sixes that formed in the areas they ignore, which generally takes two or three weeks.

    That''s also how many of the stronger teams gain their experience, by going out to lesser areas and spending two or three weeks cleaning up the monsters that the local Hunters couldn''t handle.

    Strategy hunting makes a huge difference. Cam and I plan on making sure Liam is a strategy Hunter, too. When it comes to the monsters ranked by Tiers, strategy hunting can allow only one or two Hunters to take on monsters in their five-member Level range.

    It''s not as if we''d need to save the money we would normally spend on paying the stronger Hunters to come out and do it. Rather, we prefer doing it this way because it means we don''t need to call others out to help us. If we can handle things through strategy, why waste someone else''s time?

    That''s why we use strategy hunting. Ambush when necessary, adapt to the element, and cover a range of skills with the main combatant. Have a single backup who performs healing and support attacks. Cam and I started that way at the Elder Hunter''s suggestion, and that''s what has worked for us for nine years.

    "When it comes to Geoffrey," I tell Cam. "Mind if we handle it our normal way? I know you want to focus on acquiring a few more Levels, but there will be other Tier Fives. There are already plenty we can seek out."

    "Geoffrey was your project," Cam responds. "You were the one who came up with the idea of letting a snail reach Tier Five, just so you could get the experience of fighting a powerful snail. I have no issue with that."

    "Alright," I chuckle. "Yeah, fighting him is going to be fun, especially since he lives in the mud fields. We''ll probably need to clean up some of the other monsters before our fight with him. We got lucky the other mudhounds decided to stay out of the fight I had last week. I meant to take on Geoffrey before today."

    "Yeah," Cam nods. "But we got side-tracked looking for the thing that bothered the Gate."

    "Well," I say. "If these wolves are all that was, then it won''t be more than a week before it''s dealt with, hopefully. Then we can return to normal."

    We''ll have to leave Liam behind a few times, and make sure he understands not to leave the town without us when we do. Otherwise, we won''t be able to do our usual hunts and take care of stronger monsters. Neither of us wants to have to watch him while we''re handling those, and he won''t be able to do anything, making him just another target.

    Liam knows that we take on stronger things, though, so he''ll probably accept that we can''t take him with us every time at the start. We''ll take him with us when we know we''ll be around things that he can handle, or when we know there won''t be any danger to him.

    He''s also probably going to be super excited in a few days, too. Even if he knows it''s unlikely any of us will become a Soul Striker, they are still the best of the best, standing above the rest. Being able to meet even just one Soul Striker would excite any kid who is a huge fan of Hunters.

    Now that he is a Hunter, I know that excitement will fade with time. Within a few months, Liam will become a lot more serious, fighting just as hard as we did when we were his age. But this time, he''ll have a couple of stronger Hunters to guide him and train him, unlike Cam and me. Most of what we learned, we either taught ourselves or paid the Elder Hunter to teach us.

    How would things have been, had Cam and I been trained by someone who had already been hunting for a few years? Like my brother?

    "You have that look again," Cam says quietly, and I give him an inquisitive look. "The one that says you''re wondering how things would be if he were here."

    "It''s no use thinking about it," I shrug. "It just crosses my mind from time to time. Anyway, while we''re waiting for Liam to return, want to play a game of cards?"

    "Sure," he says. "Deck in the usual spot?"

    "Yeah," I tell him. "Let''s play to ten wins. Loser has to track Liam down when he doesn''t meet curfew."

    "Sounds like a deal!" He laughs.

 Chapter 008

    "So," Liam says as he munches on the sandwich we made for lunch. "Am I only going to fight hares and squirrels for now?"

    It''s been three days since Liam became a Hunter, and all Cam and I have had him fight were hares and squirrels.

    "Sort of," I answer. "We want you to hit Level 2 before we take you against anything else. Next, we''ll have you fight some of the deer we see around here, but we''ll make sure they''re Tier One still."

    No matter the type of beast, Tier Two is Tier Two. Liam can''t even handle Tier Two hares and squirrels yet, because while they''re still ''simple'' monsters, they''re still monsters. Some monsters are simply more dangerous at Tier Two because of what they are, but all are still more dangerous than someone at Level 1 can handle alone.

    "The reason for that," Cam tells Liam. "Is because we want you to get that boost to your strength and sacred power before you fight something a little stronger than a hare or a rabbit."

    "If you want to see what it''s like to fight a Tier One deer," I tell Liam. "I can do a golem for you after we return home."

    "Nah," Liam looks out across the hill to a deer standing on the crest of another hill. "I think I can picture it. It''s a bigger target to strike, but also has more raw strength. Plus, the ones with antlers make me nervous."

    "The trick with the antlers," I say. "Is to keep them at a distance. That''s part of why using a spear is excellent. You can jab and stab and slash, all without getting too close to things like antlers and horns, as long as you play it smart. It also gives you a little more room to side-step when necessary."

    "Yeah," he says. "So once I hit Level 2, I''ll get to fight deer?"

    "Deer, and maybe some other Tier One monsters," I tell him. "Every Hunter gains both strength and sacred power upon Leveling, even if they completely ignore one of the two. Just gaining a Level will make you better able to perform hunts. After hitting Level 2, that''s when you can start performing proper hunts."

    "You can also," Cam adds. "Gather resources that people ask for, too. Rex and I normally perform petitioned hunts at least once a week."

    "Those," Liam says. "Are the hunts where someone from town put in a petition with the Elder Hunter, right? Asking for a specific thing or number of specific things? And you get something in return for it. Usually supplies, since most people only deal with money to buy things from the merchants who visit from time to time."

    "Yeah," I confirm. "We usually devote a day or two to just doing petitioned hunts, since they help out the town in more tailored ways than us simply gathering things, bringing them back, and either selling or trading them."

    "Yeah," Liam nods. "It''s always fun to help out, like when I bring back fish from going fishing. I know others go fishing, too, but it feels nice to help out."

    "It does," I say, Cam nodding in agreement.

    We finish eating lunch, then return to watching Liam hunt for the next couple of hours. After he''s filled the basket with usable hares, we end the hunt.

    "Already?" He asks. "I can still go a little longer, and we brought three baskets today!"

    "Time to collect some stuff," I tell him as I pull on my basket, Cam doing the same for his. "Cam''s ma and Hailey both need some more things we collect, and they''re not that dangerous to gather. We can gather a few other things while there, too."

    "Okay!" Liam pulls on his basket, which is the one full of hares.

    He follows Cam and me to the river, where we begin gathering some herbs and berries that grow on the banks. I have Cam and Liam do that while I gather reeds. Normally, we would gather the reeds from the river cutting through town, but those are usually used for the normal baskets the townsfolk use and for making paper when the Elder Hunter needs it.

    These reeds, however, are better for making more durable baskets. Cam and I each have one woven from them, while Liam doesn''t. It was something we''d forgotten about, and I remembered last night while we were cleaning the leather bindings for my leg.

    Remembering was unrelated to it, it was just one of those moments where the thought hit me. So after we gather these and head back to town, hand the petitioned goods to the Elder Hunter and drop the hares off at Nick''s, I''ll set these reeds to drying so I can begin weaving the basket. It will help him when gathering goods and stand up to weaker attacks from monsters.

    One bonus to using these reeds, too, is that monster generally won''t go after anything contained inside of them. Some will, but most won''t. So we''re able to take them off and fight without worrying about some scavenger monster stealing our goods. We could use reeds from the forest, but these reeds have that extra-special property to them.

    After I fill my basket with reeds and they gather the necessary herbs and berries, we move on to gather the roots of a plant that grows a few hills over, and flowers from one of the fields.

    Our gathering for the day completed, the three of us begin the return trip to town, stopping when we come across a groundhog standing on its hind legs, staring at us as we began to descend a hill. It''s larger than a normal groundhog, has four arms and two tails, and streaks of blue in its brown fur.

    "That''s a Tier Two," I tell Liam. "It''ll attack if we draw too close. Or if it sees us and decides to attack."

    "I though small game and stuff don''t attack unless attacked until higher Tiers?" He asks.

    "Groundhogs don''t count," Cam says. "Mind if I take this one?"

    "Not at all," I say. "Going to practice fire magics?"

    "Yeah," Cam answers, pointing at the monster with his right index finger.

    A bolt of flames shoots from his fingertip, striking the groundhog square in the chest. The monster is sent tumbling back, its fur aflame, but it quickly puts it out by rolling on the ground. Cam keeps up the assault, a few of his attacks missing, a few striking, and the groundhog charges towards Cam, chattering away as it does.

    Cam continues his attack, and when the groundhog is only a couple of yards away, summons a wind to push it back, sending it flying ten yards. He immediately returns to attacking, the next few hits striking and killing the groundhog.

    "My aim needs work," Cam comments as we collect the groundhog.

    "You still hit it when it was bolting around to avoid your attacks," Liam says as Cam sticks the groundhog in the boy''s basket.

    "Most of those were misses, though," Cam comments. "My attacks were slow, too. At my Level, Rex would have been able to hit it with every shot, his fire bolts moving quickly enough as he anticipated its movements."

    "You''re used to attacking," I say as we resume walking towards town. "Attacking larger targets with a bolt of lightning. Easier to strike, even as they move, and with a spell that moves quickly enough it creates a small bit of thunder every time it''s used. It would be like if I tried healing magics beyond just simple cuts and bruises."

    "I know," Cam nods. "This is why I want to practice, too. So that I can help take down stronger monsters a little bit more than I already do."

    "Yeah," I say.

    We finish the walk back to town in silence, though I can tell Liam is thinking about something. By the excitement in his eyes, I''m sure it''s relating to the Soul Strikers, who should be arriving today or tomorrow. Why did they make haste, though? A trip in three, maybe four days when it would normally take five or six, just because of a statement of a Tier Six monster with a few Tier Fives?

    Any reasonable Hunter would avoid that area until the requested aid arrives. According to the Elder Hunter, it''s strange that they''re making haste, too. Was there some forewarning about danger in this area, then?

    Something even we local Hunters aren''t aware of? If so, how did the Guild learn of it? The situation is strange, to be sure.

    "Welcome back," the Gate greets us. "A storm is coming."

    "We know," I tell him. "We''ve already located the source of it, and have a team of Soul Strikers on their way here."

    "They will be here in a few hours," he tells us. "As per protocol, they will stop by the Elder Hunter upon arriving."

    "We know," I say. "We''ll wait for her to summon us to visit her after they arrive. You''re certain they will arrive today?"

    "They will be here in a few hours," he tells us. "Be wary of the coming storm. Sometimes, there is more behind might than what it appears."A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    The Gate opens, leaving us without any explanation for that. Our first stop is inside the Elder Hunter''s shop, where we turn in the items petitioned. Then, she scans us, before heading into the back to give us our payments for our kills. I''m giving the payment for the gathered items, to split between the other two, while they are each given their own sack of money for the kills.

    "Thank you," I say as we stand. "By the way, the Gate says the Soul Strikers will arrive in a few hours."

    "Okay," she tells me. "They will likely wait until morning to ask for information from you directly. Would you like to wait until then to have your leg looked at? Or would you like me to send for someone to have you come to have it looked at after they arrive?"

    "I can wait until morning," I tell her. "But if they want to talk to us tonight, Cam and I are willing to stay up late and give them the information they want."

    "I will tell them that," she tells me. "Enjoy the rest of your evening, boys."

    "You as well," I say.

    "Bye!" Liam waves.

    The three of us leave and make our way to Nick''s to drop off the catches.

    "Sorry for bringing you nothing but hares the last few days," Liam tells Nick. "I''m not quite strong enough to catch other things right now."

    "That''s fine," Nick tells him. "Meat is meat, and we all need to eat. By lunch tomorrow, I''ll be out of the hares already. As long as the meat is good, most everyone will want some. I know you''ll slow down once you start hunting other things, and that you''re only bringing that which isn''t damaged beyond use."

    Nick chuckles, giving Cam and me a look before returning his attention to Liam.

    "I remember when these two first started hunting," he says. "You know how monsters can spawn, not just be born?"

    "Yeah," Liam nods. "Rex told me about that. No one really knows why monsters spawn, but they do, randomly. It''s part of why we can hunt and hunt and hunt, and unless we''re actively trying to wipe out the monsters from an area, there will always be more the next day."

    The spawns are based on how many monsters are normally in an area, how often they die, and how many there are. If ten hares are killed in a day in an area where there are normally twenty, then eight to twelve will spawn over the next two or three days. If ten are killed in an area where there are normally one hundred, it might take a week for them to spawn.

    This accounts for kills from Hunters, natural causes, and other monsters. Outside of breeding season, it keeps the counts even. Inside of breeding season, chances are high that there won''t be many spawns for the hares. There might be a few hundred in a small area, enough that whatever force causes the spawns to decide not to spawn them unless there are a lot of deaths in a short period of time.

    However, it''s possible to reduce monster population by killing everything, or nearly everything, as often as possible. There''s around a twenty-percent range to either side of the kills in the spawn period.

    Over a period of a few weeks to a few months, it''s possible to constantly drop the monster population and the spawn amount. If there are one hundred hares and we wipe out fifty of them one day, then fifty the next, there might only be eighty spawn over the next few days. If we wipe them all out over the next two days, there might only be seventy, and so on.

    Yes, there would be times more spawn than were killed, but in the end, the excessive hunting changes the normal amount present. As a result, less spawn, and we decrease the normal amount present again. If that amount hits zero, then it becomes unlikely for anything to spawn. If the average remains at zero long enough, then nothing will spawn until more of it is brought into the area.

    With monsters that breed less than rabbits, like a wolf, it would take longer to prevent the spawns from occurring. Rabbits can be brought down to zero in maybe six months. Wolves would probably take three or four years.

    The spawns aren''t the only way for monsters to increase their population as well, since they can give birth, lay eggs, and procreate in whatever other manner they have of procreating. That can also affect spawns based on if they''re breeding more or less than normal, since that also affects the normal numbers.

    One other thing is that the spawn counts for many of the fast-breeding monsters are based on the out-of-season spawns. So in breeding season, it''s unlikely for there to be spawns unless there''s a lot of hunting going on.

    This also only factors in outside of towns with intact walls and Gates. Any town with walls and Gates intact will not have any spawns, only natural births. That''s why towns and cities are safe, even if we have monsters inside of them in a few areas. At the same time, our woods only have regular animals, no monsters. Just what''s necessary for a forest''s ecosystem.

    "Rex and Cam discovered how the spawns work," Nick tells Liam. "When they first started hunting. Since their birthdays are in autumn, it was out of breeding season for the hares and squirrels. They''d come in every day with five or six of each, all they could manage because of the many of the beasts being at Tier Two, and then return the next day with five or six of each again. They''d never learned about the spawns, and got confused as to how they were able to get so many every day, yet not have that many out there, even outside of breeding season."

    "The Elder Hunter," I tell Liam. "Hadn''t thought to tell us, so we never learned about it. There were enough Tier Two and Tier Three hares and squirrels out there mixing with the Tier Ones we couldn''t hunt to cause things to respawn within two or three days. It confused the heck out of us for a month because we knew they weren''t breeding in autumn."

    "How did you find out?" He asks.

    "We asked the Elder Hunter," Cam answers.

    "Oh, yeah," Liam says. "That makes sense."

    He turns his attention back to Nick.

    "So how long were they supplying you with hares and squirrels for?"

    "About six months," he answers. "They built up to Level 2, then Level 3, then started strategy hunting and killing Tier Twos."

    "You hit that in six months?" Liam looks at us in confusion. "I thought Levels take longer than that?"

    "Early Levels are easier to acquire," I shake my head. "And we were dealing with Tier Twos from time to time, too. They took extra effort to kill, resulting in more experience. Within six months, we were both Level 4. Things slowed down for us after Level 7, but we still advanced a little faster than two Hunters hunting together normally would, since that increased the difficulty, making things tougher for us. As long as you work hard, you''ll probably hit Level 3 within six months, too."

    "Oh, okay," Liam says. "How long does it normally take to reach Level 17?"

    "It varies based on the Hunter, the area they''re in, and what they fight," I answer. "It could be anywhere from five years to fifteen. Remember that every Level takes more to obtain than the previous. That''s also why there are so few Hunters able to handle a Star-Level monster. Most who can are at least forty or fifty years old and have been a hunter for at least twenty or thirty."

    There are a few groups younger in age, but those are the exceptions, not the norm.

    "Come on," I tell him. "Let''s head home so I can get these reeds drying and we can eat. You have a good night, Nick."

    "You three as well," he tells us.

    "Bye!" Liam says.

    The three of us head home, and I send Liam for a bath as Cam starts dinner. I set the reeds out, pressing them under some heavy boards to ensure they''re mostly-straight once they dry. It''s not the curl longways that would be a problem, but if it curled on the short end. Even constantly wetting it again to work it would be a pain.

    Yes, we dry the reeds only to wet them again. The initial drying is because they were recently living. After this, they''ll dry up fast when I wet them, no longer soaked all the way through. Wetting them will only make them flexible enough to bend as I work them, though I won''t need to wet it constantly, just from time to time.

    "You really think he''ll make Level 3 in six months?" Cam asks.

    "Maybe," I tell him. "As long as we''re helping him and he strategy hunts, then he should manage it. I doubt he''ll hit Level 17 in nine years, though."

    "Probably thirteen or fourteen," he nods. "It can take a year or more between Levels starting with the teens if you aren''t pushing for tougher monsters like we are. Even then, it''s been almost a year since you hit Level 17."

    "Yeah," I nod. "Geoffrey might bring me up to Level 18, now that I think about it. If not, I''ll probably only need one more Tier Five or equivalent fight to bring me up."

    "Good luck," he tells me. "What do you think the Soul Strikers will be like?"

    "I don''t know," I shrug. "We''re from a town way out of the way, so we don''t really get the stories of what various teams are like. That said, they''ve reached Level 40 and have fought against Star-Level beasts at least once. They''re people who take the job seriously. They know the risks it poses and have faced them many times."

    "You think they''ll be extremely serious?" He asks.

    "They might be," I answer. "But they might also use humor. It can help to lighten a situation when things are serious and morale might be low. It helps to lessen tension."

    "Probably," he nods. "While Liam''s in the bath, I wanted to ask you something."

    "You can ask at any time."

    "When should we take him on his first camp hunt?"

    Camp hunts are when we stay out of the town overnight for a hunt. Those are longer hunts where we travel a little further than we normally would. Typically, we go a little to the south and west of here for those. The monsters are less influenced by our presence there, and there are a few which we can''t find in our normal range. However, their hides, meat, and bones are useful, same as others, and there are some plants we can gather there as well.

    Cam and I haven''t been on one since I took Liam in. I know he''s wanted to do another one for awhile, we used to do them once a month and it''s been more than three years since our last one. It''s a little bit of an adventure, something to do on occasion to change our routine.

    "I want to wait until he''s Level 5 before taking him on one," I answer. "But let''s give him another month or so, and you and I can go on one. Once he''s done enough hunts and has seen us hunt a bit, he''ll feel more comfortable with us being gone overnight."

    The main reason we haven''t gone since I took in Liam is because I''ve been worried about how he''ll be if we''re gone overnight. He managed me going on hunts during the day, but if I left him overnight, there was always the possibility he would freak out and start to worry that what happened to his parents happened to me.

    "Alright," Cam says. "Richard needs some new tools."

    Now I know why Cam was wanting to go on a camp hunt. In the area we go, there are lizards with metal scales. The metal itself is of a decent quality, and we always made sure to kill some and gather the scales, so that the smiths here could melt them down and turn them into tools. They''re better than the steel they can make with the iron from the mine.

    Richard is one of the smiths, and some of his tools were made of the metal we harvested from the lizards. He''s also the one who made the spear I use, and is the one I had forge Liam''s spear.

    "Also," Cam says. "You need a new spear, too."

    "I haven''t used an actual spear in a couple of years," I point out. "I tend to break them against stronger monsters. That''s why I switched to using spears I made from earth magic."

    "I was talking with the Elder Hunter," he tells me. "She sent for an alloy recipe that uses the lizard scales to make a stronger metal, so that it wouldn''t break as easily. We can also use heartwood of certain trees for stronger shafts, and it''ll work with your tendency to wrap the spears in an element."

    If the spearhead isn''t as prone to breaking, then we can just swap out the shaft anytime that breaks. It would be a lot cheaper. However, I''d rather not carry around a spear anymore. I''m used to being without one and using the ones I create using magic.

    "Maybe for Liam," I tell him. "Since he''s going to fight mainly using a spear. I fight with a heavy mix of magic and spear, depending on the circumstances. I''ll be fine without having a spear on me all the time. But it''s a good point that we should probably get more of those scales for the smiths."

    "Alright," Cam nods.

    "So!" Liam rejoins us, towel on his head rather than around his neck. "Is dinner done yet?"

    "A few more minutes!" Cam laughs. "Why don''t you get the drinks ready?"

    "Yes, sir!" Liam responds.

 Chapter 009

    "Good morning," I greet the boy at the door, who''s only ten years old. "The Elder Hunter wants to see us?"

    "Yes, sir," he nods. "She said to tell you and Cam to come down to her shop."

    "Alright," I tell him. "Thank you. We''ll be on our way in just a minute."

    He nods, then leaves, taking off at a jog to do whatever his next job is, if he has one. I let Liam know that it''s time for Cam and I to head out, and that he should treat today as a free today.

    "Will do," Liam tells me. "Good luck."

    "Thank you," I tell him. "Come on, Cam. Let''s head down."

    Cam and I pull on our boots and jackets, then leave and make our way down to the Elder Hunter''s shop. Well, I pull on my right boot, and Cam carries my left. I can''t wear it with the bracing on my left leg, but after it''s healed, I''ll be able to.

    Inside are the Elder Hunter and five men, all of the guests appearing to be in their early twenties. Two have swords, two have spears, and one has a bow. The man with the bow is leaning against one wall, while the melee fighters are seated to either side of the table, leaving the side opposite the Elder Hunter empty.

    Are they really Soul Strikers? Even considering that strong Hunters take up to three times as long to age, they wouldn''t be older than their early thirties, at the most. And that would be stretching it. I wouldn''t put any of them older than twenty-one or twenty-two.

    "Welcome, welcome," the Elder Hunter tells us, indicating the cushions across from her. "Please, have a seat."

    "They''re younger than I expected," one of the swordsmen says, patting the empty cushion beside him as he looks at me. "Come, I''ll take care of your leg."

    I move to sit beside him, and he pulls off the leather bracing.

    "We already heard the Elder Hunter''s report," he tells me as he examines my leg, the tips of his fingers glowing as he runs them across the injured area, though I can tell he''s only checking the injury with magic, not healing it. "But would you mind giving it to us personally?"

    "Are you really Soul Strikers?" I ask. "You look a bit young to be normal ones, no offense."

    "We are," he reaches up and pulls down the neck of his shirt, allowing me to see a gold-lined Hunter''s Brand with 48 inside of it. Above his Level is a golden pair of S''s, with the one on the left inverted from the one on the right. After allowing us to see it for a few moments, he returns to checking my leg. "We''re one of those rare groups that are younger than normal. We''re all twenty-four or twenty-five, and we were the youngest team to ever become Soul Strikers. We met almost fifteen years ago, as apprentice Hunters, but we became friends after a few months of running into each other. Eventually, we just teamed up and began hunting together.

    "We quickly rose through the Levels," he continues. "Strategy hunting stronger monsters. It caused quite the uproar in the cities, hearing about a team as young as ours. Within a year of the youngest of us reaching eleven, we were all already Level 9 or higher. By the time we were thirteen, we were all Level 20 or higher. Now, our weakest is Level 43, and our youngest is about to turn twenty-five. The eldest of us is less than a year older than him."

    He nods, then meets my gaze.

    "You have a remarkable healing, if this happened only a few days ago," he tells me. "Your bone is already pretty healed, when it should take at least three or four weeks to get to this point. I''m going to have to rebreak it, then mend it that way. It''s going to hurt a fair bit, but once I''m done, it''ll be as if you were never injured."

    "That''s fine," I tell him. "And yeah, I''ve always been a fast healer, and becoming a Hunter only sped it up."

    "Okay," he tells me. "Might want to bite something."

    "I''ll be fine."

    He nods, then the tips of his fingers glow once more as he runs them along the injured area. I grit my teeth as pain spikes through me, my bones breaking once more. I can feel them moving around, even without him physically moving them himself.

    Cam is watching with interest. This level of healing magic, where the magic moves things back to where they should be, is something that''s far beyond him right now, but I can tell by his gaze he wants to eventually reach that point.

    The Soul Striker works for several minutes before he finishes.

    "There you go," he says. "Should be good as new, now, though I''d recommend letting it rest a little bit longer, just so the pain fades before you put weight back on it."

    "Alright," I say. "Thank you."

    "You''re welcome," he tells me.

    "How much do I owe you for the healing?"

    "You survived a Tier Six, five Tier Fives, and dozens of Tier Fours," he tells me. "That''s rather impressive, and reminds me of an adventure we had when we were, oh, thirteen?"

    "You were fourteen," the archer comments.

    "Yeah, fourteen," the Soul Striker nods. "We were hunting a Tier Six. It was the first time we''d decided to fight one, and thought we knew everything we needed to know. Turned out, there were four others. If it weren''t for Aiden noticing them early, things probably would have went a lot differently. Anyway, this one''s on me, don''t worry about it. It isn''t often I have to perform that kind of healing, so we can call it even as me practicing on you. Plus, the Gate warned us that a Star-Level might be close to forming in the area. Their sense of time is off, so it''s likely the Tier Six you faced.

    "And regarding that," he says. "Would you mind telling us what happened? There''s nothing quite like hearing it from the one who actually went through it."

    I tell him about what happened, about our thought it was just a single pack led by a Tier Five, only to discover it was a larger pack made up of several smaller ones, what the monsters were doing, and our quick discovery of the Tier Six.

    When I get to the point about escaping, they all seem impressed, and I get the feeling that the Elder Hunter neglected to tell them the most important part of the story in regards to my survival: how I escaped.

    "Wow," the other swordsman says. "You got lucky with that last-bid attack. I''m going to take a shot in the dark and say that you manifested your sacred weapon then? Seth was making the same thing guess you came in."

    "It would explain the stronger attack," Seth, the first swordsman, nods. "And the circumstances were right for it. We all agreed it was likely, though the Elder Hunter here was as stoic with her response as they all would be."

    "I did," I answer. "Though I didn''t know until she told me after examining the event."

    "Can we see it?" Seth asks.

    I stand and take a couple of steps back, then summon my sacred weapon. The Soul Strikers all stand and gather around me, examining it. Their appraising gazes gives me a nervous feeling. How does it compare to the sacred weapons they have? Our weapons are a manifestation of our soul, which means they grow stronger as we do, and they can change in time, too. Their sacred weapons are probably extremely impressive.

    "You know," one of the spear-wielders says. "I''m kind of envious. Yours shows clear signs of being a spear which can harness every element. Mine can mix water, wind, and lightning, but that''s it."

    "You can tell it can harness the elements?" I ask.

    "Those markings," Seth indicates. "They''re ''null element'', meaning no element applies. When that happens, the sacred weapon is always all elements. Two of us have null element weapons."

    The group of them step back, and Seth and the archer manifest their weapons. Seth''s is a staff, six feet tall and made of a pitch-black material, white patterns stretching from end to end. The archer''s bow is brown, with a series of white circles towards each end, the string nonexistent, yet the bow is still curved as if there is one there.

    "Liam would die to see those right now," I mutter before realizing it.

    "Liam?" Seth asks.

    "My little brother," I explain. "He just became a Hunter a few days ago, but has looked up to us as heroes of a sort for the last few years. Would you be okay with showing him your sacred weapons after taking care of this?"

    "How old is he?" Seth asks as they release their weapons, and I do the same.

    "Ten," I answer. "Just turned it a few days ago. We''ve been training him against the hares and squirrels outside of town, though he''s taking today off. We figured you might want us to lead you there directly, to save time."Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    "That would be appreciated," he says. "We can leave now. Based on what you told us, it shouldn''t be anything we can''t handle."

    "Alright," I say, and Cam stands and hands me my boot. "Should we leave now, then?"

    "Yes, please," Seth tells us as I pull my boot on. "Lead the way."

    The seven of us leave, showing the Gate our brands on the way out. Once we''re outside of the town, Seth suggests we use flight magics to head there, for an even faster trip. I nod, then take off into the air.

    Normally, Cam and I don''t fly over longer distances because it only invites flying monsters to attack us. However, their archer seems ready to take care of that, his bow in his hands before he even takes off into the air.

    As we fly, Seth asks us how we manage the area, and we explain about our strategy hunting and allowing some monsters to reach higher Tiers in order to give us better experience or better resources to bring back to town. They tell us tales of them doing the same thing when they were lower in Level, getting us laughing with some of their exploits, and Cam and I share some of our stories with them, too.

    At the same time, the archer confirms my theory that he''s going to take care of anything that might come our way, as he takes out several monsters during our trip. It''s only as we''re flying now that I realize how lucky I was to have managed to fly as far as I did after the attack. Monsters should have come after me that day, yet none did.

    That was one stroke of luck I faced after the fight.

    "-and then it set Pierce on fire," Seth continues one of their tales, and one of the spearmen nods. "We couldn''t figure out how to put out the flames, either, so we just tossed him in a lake."

    "Which was how," Pierce continues the tale. "I discovered the lake had a kraken in it. Krakens are giant monsters that are a mix between an octopus and a squid. Always Tier Five at the minimum. They''re also very territorial. Didn''t take too kindly to me evaporating some of its home. If it weren''t for Kris noticing and launching his spear when he did, I probably would''ve been halfway to its stomach before escaping."

    Cam and I laugh at the image of a flaming Pierce fighting a kraken in a lake, then I tell them we''re here.

    "There''s the Tier Six," I spot the gaia wolf below and point it out to them. "It''s a gaia wolf."

    It''s in the wolves'' camp, surrounded by the five Tier Fives, and I''m guessing most of the pack is present right now. I can see at least four dozen adult wolves and almost a dozen pups.

    "That scar must be from your attack," Kris comments.

    On the left side of the gaia wolf''s neck is a long spot of pale fur, streaking upwards at a slight angle. It wasn''t there before, and matches up with what little my fuzzy memory of the moment says about my attack, so I''ll agree with him on that. Other than the scar, though, the gaia wolf looks unharmed.

    At the moment, it''s devouring the heart of some boar. Suddenly, it turns and looks at us, only for a hole to form in its head, blood spurting out. For a moment, the gaia wolf simply stands there, as if it hasn''t registered it''s dead yet. Then, it tumbles to the side, unmoving.

    I look at the others, and spot the archer with his sacred weapon drawn, a shimmering violet string of magic pulled back. A glowing circle of light is in front of his right eye, and he releases the string. Not a sound is made as he does, but I know that he released something. A wind arrow, no doubt.

    Since it''s made of wind, I can''t see it easily. Turning my attention to the back to the pack, I find another downed wolf. The archer doesn''t waste any time, more wolves finding holes in their heads in rapid succession.

    "Wait here," Seth tells Cam and me, then the four melee fighters soar down, drawing their weapons and fighting everything that attempts to escape.

    Well, other than Seth, who uses magic to fight. They''re fast and efficient, killing everything with a single, precise strike. It''s akin to what a fight between me and a bunch of Tier Ones would be. They''re swiftly butchering monsters in a battle I would not be able to defeat. They''re easily winning a fight I would lose. A fight I did lose. The strongest of these monsters was taken out with a single attack.

    Once every last wolf is slain, the archer begins his descent, releasing his bow, and Cam and I follow. I know my awe at their abilities is probably clear on my face, but I don''t care. That was just impressive. Cam and I will never reach that level of ability and power.

    We don''t need to, though, because fights like this will be rare. In fact, this may be the only time we ever face such an encounter with monsters. As long as we have the ability to protect our town and gather resources for it, that''s what we care about. It doesn''t mean we won''t work to grow stronger, but the ability to simply decimate such a large and powerful pack of wolves isn''t a necessity for us.

    "That was impressive," Cam breathes as he looks at Seth. "You''re not a swordsman?"

    "I use it from time to time," Seth answers. "But I focus mostly on magical attacks and healing."

    "That bow is impressive," I tell the archer. "Your sacred weapon, I mean. Can you make an arrow of any element?"

    "Thanks," he says. "And yes, I can. It isn''t really much different from me making an arrow out of sacred power with a normal bow. The main difference is they hold much more power to them, and they don''t cost me any sacred power."

    "They don''t?" I ask.

    "Nope," he smiles. "When I use my sacred weapon, I only pay the upkeep cost, the cost everyone pays to have it out. The arrows cost me no sacred power at all. At least, as long as I only use a single element for them. If I mix elements for an arrow, then I have to pay a little extra sacred power."

    "That sounds nice," I tell him. "Must be real useful in big fights."

    "It is," he nods.

    "What was that thing on your eye," I point at my left eye. "I''ve never seen a spell like that before."

    "This?" He asks, summoning the strange magical circle again.

    "Yeah," I nod.

    "It''s a spell cast using wind and light magic," he answers. "Called ''eye of the eagle''. Or ''sniper sight'', for those who want to use a simpler term. It enhances my vision, allowing me to see further things as if they are much closer. When I use it in tandem with my sacred weapon, my aim becomes even better, my arrows meeting their targets even faster. It''s not something I can explain the reasoning for, though. Everyone with a sacred weapon is like that ¨C we discover that certain spells enhance our ability to use our sacred weapons, but can''t quite put into words why."

    "It''s still impressive," I say.

    "You should''ve seen him in our fight against our first Single-Star," Kris tells me, and Cam and I look at him. Cam was examining one of the wolves as the archer and I spoke. "It had attacked us out of nowhere, having recently moved into the area we were in to avoid being attacked by the Soul Strikers pursuing it. We were all around Level 36 at the time, and manifested during the fight. Our beloved friend here had lost his bow."

    Kris walks over and puts an arm across the archer''s shoulders, the archer''s face turning a little red at the story.

    "And was casting spell after spell at the monster," Kris continues the story. "The rest of us were being pushed, and hard, and it was all he could do to even annoy the Single-Star, and annoy it he did. It went after him, and that was when he manifested, drawing on his soul and pulling out that bow.

    "Man did the tables turn once all five of us had sacred weapons," Kris tells me. "Especially this guy''s. If he wants it to, his bow can release dozens of arrows at once. It''s the only sacred weapon known to be able to do that, too, and he could do it from the start."

    "I could only do four," the archer pulls out of Kris''s hold. "And it took all five of us to take down the Single-Star."

    They did that before they were even Level 40? The Elder Hunter said the power gap is simply too great between a Single-Star and anyone under Level 40, even a team of five Level 39s, for them to manage it.

    Yet they succeeded? Is this just a tall tale? Or is it serious?

    "It''s truth," Seth tells me, his tone serious, and I realize my expression told them my doubt. "Though it''s not a widely-told story. We were the first team to ever kill a Star-Level monster before Level 40 in recorded history, which made it a big deal. We were also the youngest team to ever kill a Star-Level monster. If word went around about us, it might have led people too young or weak to thinking that they could do it before Level 40, too. The Guild wants to avoid that, so not many people are told.

    "You two," he says. "Seem to have level heads, and the Elder Hunter here told us it was okay to tell you about it. You can ask her for confirmation after we return, if you still have doubts. It was only through extreme luck that we managed to defeat the Single-Star monster we faced. Had we not all manifested our sacred weapons, we would have died for sure. As it was, the five of us spent several weeks recovering from the fight."

    "We collapsed immediately after it was over," the archer tells us. "Exhausted and battered. The Soul Strikers hunting it found us shortly after and brought us back to town. The townsfolk were told that we had been attacked by a Single-Star monster, and that they made it in time to rescue us, and that another team was dealing with the monster while they brought us back to safety."

    "Anyway!" Seth claps his hands. "Enough talk! Let''s help Pierce and Jared field dress these wolves. I''m sure their hides and meat will be quite helpful to your town."

    "I don''t think anyone would be able to afford to buy them from you," I say, but start working, helping Seth shift the gaia wolf onto its side so we can open it up. "We''re really out there. Most people just have enough money to buy something from the merchants who pass through, and most of that comes from trading stuff to the Elder Hunter when the merchant arrives."

    "We don''t always sell the loot," Seth says. "Sometimes, we just give it to the folk we helped. We''ll sell most of this to the Elder Hunter, and she''ll likely give it to whoever would use or process them for free. She has no need of money, and everyone ensures she has food regardless of what she does."

    "Oh," I respond.

    I''ve never thought of that before, but he has a point. The Elder Hunter rarely spends money on anything, usually only giving it as a reward. She receives however much she needs to replenish her stock of it with the coming merchants, the escorting Hunters delivering her funds and other resources on behalf of the Guild. At the same time, we in the town do make sure she has food and other things she needs.

    "That said," he tells me. "Do you want this one?"

    "The gaia wolf?" I ask.

    "Of course," he says. "It''s the monster that caused you to manifest your sacred weapon. Even if we killed it, it holds importance to you because of that. We have the horns of the Single-Star we faced in our main base as a memento. While most Hunters manifest their sacred weapons through training and being of a high Level, those who do it early often have the monster which caused it turned into gear, or part of them preserved. It would be rude of us to steal that time-honored tradition from you, and we would give the gaia wolf to the town, anyway. Its hide can make some quality leather, or a nice set of jackets."

    I think it over as we return to field dressing the gaia wolf. It takes both of us to pull out the offending organs to ensure a decreased chance of the beast going foul inside before it is processed by Nick. That''s only natural, though, considering the size of this beast. One of us has to hold it open as the other pulls things out.

    "I might take the pelt, then," I say. "But the rest can be given to the town. The meat can be eaten, even if it''s not as good as the plant-eating monsters, and the bones can be turned into stronger tools than the bones of the weaker wolves."

    "Okay," Seth says. "So, after we finish dressing these, want to hunt some other stuff? I''d like to see what you two can do, and we''d be willing to give you some pointers after watching you fight."

    "I''ll admit," I say. "That I was hoping you guys would teach us a little before leaving, but I wasn''t expecting you to outright offer it."

    "Why not?" He shrugs. "If we can help weaker and less-experienced Hunters become better at protecting themselves and their towns, then there''s no reason not to. We''ll stay a few days, at least, just to make sure of things. We can teach you a few things while here, too."

    "In that case," I say. "There''s a certain snail I was planning on taking care of once my foot was fixed."

 Chapter 010

    The Soul Strikers appear to be at a loss for words. Seth is opening and closing his mouth in shock, while the others simply stare at Geoffrey. The archer nearly lost hold of the wind spell he was using to carry the wolves, too.

    "I know they say," Seth finally speaks, nearly two minutes after we''ve landed outside the mud fields. "That if you live long enough, you''ll see everything. Never, in my life, did I ever think a Tier Five snail was included in ''everything''!"

    Cam and I laugh in response.

    "I thought you were joking!" Seth tells me. "I didn''t think you mean an actual snail!"

    "We wanted to experiment," I tell him. "And see what it would be like to battle a Tier Five snail."

    "Well, it was mostly him," Cam tells them. "I went along with it because I thought it was funny. I''m only going to back him up if he needs it. Otherwise, he''ll handle it by himself."

    Although it does appear most of the monsters in the mud field have been taken care of already. Did Geoffrey go on a rampage or something?

    "Anyway," I say. "I''m going to go fight it now."

    "You think you can handle a Tier Five on your own?" Seth asks. "Just because it''s a snail?"

    "Strategy Hunter, remember?" I grin. "I''m sure you guys could have at Level 17, too. And I''m almost Level 18, so there''s a bit of a difference. We already know most of Geoffrey''s arsenal. He rarely leaves his rock, and while he can utilize earth magic, he prefers to use lightning. Fire and wind are the way to go."

    I step forward, walking to the mud fields, and as soon as I place my right foot on it, I draw the water out of the fields for the next hundred feet, using fire magic to assist in hardening the dirt. Rather than dumping the water back in the river, which will cause my spell to be undone as it soaks back into the soil I dried out, I send the water at Geoffrey. I wrap the water around his lower half, then freeze it.

    Stepping onto the dried section of mud field, I activate my lightning body, resonating my lightning with Geoffrey''s. I won''t make physical contact with him, so it won''t help in offense, but it''ll help with defense. For the offense, Geoffrey is still weak to lightning on his softer part, since it''s full of water. For the defense, having my lightning tuned to his will cause his own attacks to disperse rather than harm me.

    It''s not something I could do without having observed his lightning enough to learn how I need to tune mine to match. Paying to learn how to tune lightning to negate other lightning wasn''t cheap, either, and was probably the most expensive spell I''ve learned.

    Geoffrey, aware that he''s under attack by me, wiggles his extra upper tentacle, flinging lightning out of it. It impacts me, but I don''t feel it, the spell dispersing against my own lightning. Holding up both hands, I release a series of fireballs and air slashes at it. Until he frees his lower tentacles, he won''t be able to defend against those, so I aim at his exposed head.

    The snail strikes at my spells with lightning, taking out most of them, though a fireball does impact, melting part of his head. To his credit, Geoffrey simply continues with his attacks, striking at me and the ice.

    He figures out pretty fast the ice isn''t going to take damage from his lightning, so switches to just attacking me and blocking my attacks. Despite that, I know he''s probably working his lower tentacles as much as possible to break the ice around him. Or secreting acid to melt it. Who knows? It''s a giant snail.

    Keeping up my attack, I move in a slow semi-circle. Not to avoid Geoffrey''s attacks, but to change where I''m attacking his head from. With the ice, Geoffrey can''t move his head much, making it easier for me to hit the back of his head as well.

    A spear attack might work, but unless I draw close, I won''t be striking him with it. He''ll just zap it out of the air with his lightning. If I draw too close, he''ll use an overcharge spell that my lightning body spell won''t fully protect me against.

    I could defend against it, but it would drain away most of my sacred power.

    Spikes of stone form in the air around Geoffrey, alerting me that he''s managed to free his lower tentacles. They fly towards me, and I raise up a wall of stone from the ground to defend against them, the attacks striking into it. Continuing my walk, I slice two more of them out of the air with wind slashes that continue on to Geoffrey. As expected, he strikes at them with lightning to disrupt them.

    Now, I''m almost to the point where I won''t be able to strike his head, but that''s fine, I just need to defend against Geoffrey''s attacks, since he can still see and attack me. Doing that, I continue moving until I''m behind him, then continue past that, attacking again once I''m able.

    Slowly, I whittle away at Geoffrey''s body, stopping his attacks with my lightning form or walls of earth magic. He manages to melt his ice using acid, confirming he has that ability, though it doesn''t seem he can do much more than secrete it. The stone he''s on seems unaffected by the acid, too. Either it''s targeted, or the stone''s absorbed so much of his mucus over the years that it''s become immune to his acid.

    The first sign of success is when an air slash cuts off one of his eyes on my second loop. On my third loop, I manage to take out two more eyes. On my fourth loop, I manage to slash off one of his lower tentacles and his lightning tentacle. At this point, he''s full of cuts, oozing out clearish goop and pale blue blood, and several parts of him have been melted. His shell is covered in cracks and breaks as well, and I can tell he''s starting to slow down. I am, too.

    I''m also starting to run low on sacred power. I haven''t pulled off any big spells, so I haven''t burned through it. Now that he''s unable to use lightning unless I draw close enough for his static discharge, I cancel my lightning body.

    Holding out my right hand, I summon my sacred weapon. This will be my first time intentionally using it in a fight, and Geoffrey can''t zap it out of the air anymore. He might not have been able to before, but I didn''t want to risk it.

    I charge the spear with fire magics, then throw it. The spear soars through the air, leaving behind a trail of fire, and cuts clean through Geoffrey''s head. That didn''t kill it, but it did deal significant damage to it. The snail is stunned, the injury cauterized, but also pretty melted.

    Releasing my spear, I summon up a gale of wind as I move so that the injury is facing me. Blasting Geoffrey, I cause his head to flip over, the wound ripping further from the force of the attack. Putting my hands together, I pull them apart, summoning a dense fireball between them, then thrust my hands forward, sending the attack at the snail''s large, exposed injury. My fireball explodes upon impacting, sending flames everywhere. The mostly-severed section of the head is pushed off and melted, the remaining portion melting even further.

    One never knows when a monster might rise back up, especially when it''s a type they''re unfamiliar with attacking. A Tier Five snail fits into that category, so I send several more of the extra-dense fireballs at it, melting it down to the shell.

    They cost a lot of sacred power, which is part of why I didn''t cast them before. Had I done so and Geoffrey struck all of them out of the air before they arrived, there would be a lot of fire exploding in the air, but none reaching the monster.

    Now that I know Geoffrey''s dead, I make my way back to the Cam and the Soul Strikers. I know for sure he''s dead because I felt an influx of power rushing through me, a sign that I gained another Level.

    "That was actually rather impressive," Seth tells me. "How much sacred power do you have left?"

    "Almost none," I answer. "I''ll need to rest for a few minutes if we''re flying back to town."

    "We can walk," he says. "If you get too reliant on flying everywhere, you''ll weaken your legs and your stamina will drop."

    "Yeah," I nod. "We normally only use it in emergencies or when it''s advantageous to, and I was using it when taking Liam hunting while my leg was injured."

    "In a small town like this," Seth says as we begin walking back towards town. "I''m kind of curious, what do your parents think of both of you being Hunters?"

    "Don''t know," I shrug. "Liam and I are both orphans, though we aren''t brothers by blood. I took him in after we rescued him from a monster attack that killed his parents while they were traveling unprotected. The Elder Hunter tried to track down any potential family, but she couldn''t, so I just kept raising him. That was three years ago, and he''s adapted to life here. He''s never talked about where he came from, or what things were like before I took him in. Regardless, I love him all the same. He''s my little brother, no matter what anyone wants to say."

    "That''s nice," Seth tells me. "I always wanted a little sister, but my parents only wanted a single kid. They were a bit disappointed when I became a Hunter when I turned ten, mostly because they had hoped I would inherit the shop. We were bakers, and I wanted something a little more exciting than that."

    "So you became a Hunter instead," I laugh. "That''s a little more exciting than baking. You became a Hunter for the adventure, then?"

    "Most of us did," he nods. "Except Pierce, he became one to help supply his town, like you two. He joined up with us after the third time all four of us were in his town at the same time, and we hunted there as a team for a few months before moving on to something else."Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    "My town had enough Hunters," Pierce tells us. "So we figured we could make ourselves useful to places that might need a little more help. That was when our journey really began."

    We talk about our adventures the rest of the way to town, Cam remaining silent for most of it, just listening as Seth, Kris, and I tell most of the stories. Pierce and the other two are pretty silent as well, but I think that''s more because they''re okay with letting Seth tell the tales and with listening to mine.

    "Welcome back," the Gate greets us. "You have a nice haul today."

    "One of those is the wolf that nearly killed me," I tell the Gate.

    "Congratulations on the kill," he tells us. "And welcome back."

    The Gate opens, and we enter. Strange that he didn''t mention the threat was over, but I guess that''s because we already knew it, having taken it out ourselves. We make our way into the Elder Hunter''s shop, the archer temporarily leaving the wolves outside. She performs our appraisals, then confirms my Level up by updating my brand.

    "Here are your rewards," she tells us after grabbing two sacks from the back. "For jobs well done. Only a few wolves were missing from the first viewing, but none of them are beyond the ability of those who protect and supply this town. Will you stay to hunt them down, or leave them to our local Hunters?"

    "We''ll be here for a few days," Seth answers. "To teach them a few things, and to check on things as well, but after that, we''ll be leaving."

    "There''s a merchant group," I say. "Who should be arriving in about three days, and will leave two days after that. They''ll have two groups of Hunters with them. I know you might have other stuff to do, but figured I''d let you know, in case you wanted to travel back with them."

    "Could always do some escorting," Seth says. "We aren''t too busy, mostly going out when the Guild tells us to do something. Otherwise, we tend to travel around a bit, though we have to keep the Guild updated on where we are so they know where to send messages to. Anyway, would you mind taking us to wherever we go to give the kills to? I''m sure it''ll save the Elder Hunter here some trouble, and we''d like to meet the townsfolk, too."

    I was expecting that already, as Soul Strikers are a big deal. Having them meet with the townsfolk while they''re visiting us would remind the townsfolk that the Guild still watches even people way out in the sticks. If the townsfolk only ever dealt with Hunters from the area or who were escorting merchants or travelers, it might weaken their faith in the Guild. But to have professional Hunters who work directly for the Guild show up and talk with them, it helps to keep that faith up.

    Keeping the faith in the Guild is essential for having new people become Hunters, which is essential to protecting travelers, gathering difficult resources, and protecting society as a whole. Out here, in a town far away, it''s unlikely the Hunters would do more than serve the town, and there might not be many at a time, with some gaps between when Hunters are present, but it still benefits the Guild to do this.

    "Okay," I say. "Come on, we can go do that now. Nick is the one we send everything to. He handles any butchering jobs that aren''t just from the livestock we keep, though he handles some of those, too. He''ll also skin and drain the catches, then send the pelts to Greta to be tanned, with or without the fur."

    "Lead the way," Seth says.

    The seven of us bid farewell to the Elder Hunter, then leave. The archer picks up the wolves with his wind magic again, then we make our way to Nick''s shop. The wolves have to be brought in one at a time, and the gaia wolf takes up almost the entire double-door entrance.

    It''s because of larger kills like the gaia wolf that Nick has such a wide entrance, and why his back room is quite large.

    After we drop those off, we lead the Soul Strikers to town, and they greet some of the townsfolk, and wave to the farmers as we pass by the fields.

    "It''s a quiet town," Seth comments after we pass by another field. "No children?"

    "They''re around somewhere," I answer. "The ones who aren''t helping their families work, anyway. It''s a nice day out, so there''s a good chance some of them went fishing. If Liam''s with them, they probably decided to go to the lake. Which reminds me of something. Sorry to ask this of you, but would you be willing to take care of something in the lake? It''s a Tier Four, I think. Or Tier Five. It stays towards the center of the lake, making it difficult for us to deal with. I know the wolves counted as official business, so we don''t pay for that, but I''ll pay the cost for this."

    "No cost," the archer tells me.

    He''s been silent so far, but so has the spearman whose name I''ve yet to learn. We should probably do some proper introductions at some point. Those two have left most of the talking to Seth, Kris, and Pierce, much like Cam has left the talking to me.

    "Helping out is part of what we do," the archer continues. "Why don''t you lead the way? If they''re fishing at the lake and it has monsters in it, it might be dangerous."

    "Yeah," I answer. "I did reprimand Liam recently for fishing there, so there''s a chance he''s avoiding it, but one never knows once he''s getting pressured by others."

    "Would you care," Seth says. "To take us to the normal fishing spot first? If they aren''t at the lake, we can bring them with us and let them see us fight. Other than Liam, the chances aren''t high they''ll get to see Hunters in action very often."

    "Sure," I say. "It''s this way."

    We pass through more of the town, the Soul Strikers greeting more of the townsfolk as we walk, then we exit the actual town and continue on the trail through the fields to the river. When we draw near, we can spot Liam and about other kids fishing, the oldest being twelve, the youngest being a five-year-old girl whose ma doesn''t like her going fishing because she always comes back muddy.

    The signs of her having jumped into the riverbank are already visible, her feet and ankles muddy.

    "Hey, guys," I say, and everyone looks at us. "These are the Soul Strikers who came to deal with that strong wolf we came across. They''re going to take care of the big monster in the lake, do you want to come watch?"

    "Can they really?" Liam asks cautiously. "Isn''t it dangerous?"

    "I''ll be able to handle it," the archer steps forward. "And the others will ensure no attacks that make it past me hit you. There shouldn''t be any, though. The battle will likely be short."

    "Alright," Liam says, then looks at the others. "Do you guys want to stop fishing to go watch them?"

    The rest of the kids nod in agreement, so they pack up their stuff and join us as we walk up the river to the lake.

    "I''m surprised," I tell Liam as the Soul Strikers talk with the other kids, answering the random questions the little ones ask. "Normally with Jake and Zeke there, you end up giving in to the pressure and go to the lake."

    Jake and Zeke are twelve-year-old twins. Because they''re older, the younger kids, Liam included, tend to go along with their plans, especially since most of them want to do what the twins want. Fishing at the lake is a risk, and a forbidden thing, but it also yields better, bigger, and tastier fish, which is an appeal to any kid of this town.

    "I know," Liam tells me. "But I''m a Hunter now. I have to be more responsible than that. I have to be smart, like you said. It''s dangerous to go to the lake without you, so I told them that we couldn''t go. I almost gave in when they kept saying we should fish at the lake, but then I said that none of us could fight the big monster, and if it decided to attack, then we''d all be in trouble, and maybe even die. I reminded them that you almost never come back with injuries, yet just a few days ago, got hurt real bad and almost died. That got them to stop."

    "I''m proud of you," I tell him. "That was a smart, responsible choice. I''m sure it upset the little ones when the twins decided not to."

    "Yeah," Liam nods. "So we promised them we''d go to the bakery and trade some fish for some sweets."

    Liam tells me about their fishing adventure so far today, then we all reach the rocks and help the little ones onto it before climbing onto it ourselves. The archer flies off towards the center of the lake, looking around. He draws his normal bow as he flies up so that he floats around twenty feet above the surface of the lake, then he begins releasing lightning arrow after lightning arrow.

    The kids are gasping in awe at his rapid release of attacks, and I notice rather fast that the archer is taking out other monsters in addition to the big one. His attacks seem wild, as they aren''t focused in one area, but spread all over the lake. Chances are, he''s taking out anything over Tier One.

    After only a minute and a half of his attacks, the archer stops and slings his bow across his back again. Then, he gestures with his left hand, and the water in the center of the lake rises up, a massive fish with six pairs of side fins and a line of fins running down its back lifting out, lifted by the water itself.

    "Whoa," one of the younger kids says. "That thing could feed the whole village!"

    "And that," I say. "Is why you shouldn''t come to the lake without the supervision of the local Hunters. Its mouth is bigger than you!"

    "Yeah," he nods. "Those teeth look scary."

    "Well," I ruffle his hair. "It''s dead now, so it''s not that scary anymore, right?"

    "Nope!" He grins at me.

    We wait for the archer to return, then all of us return to town. It''s almost lunch now, and the fish will probably be shared among the townsfolk for dinner, since the Soul Strikers pass it off. Based on past experience from when Cam and I brought something that massive back, there''s going to be a feast through the village tonight, everyone who can pitching in to supply food or drink for it. There will probably be dancing and singing, too, just because feasts turn into celebrations, of a sort.

    The kids split up after the fish is given to a couple of men for them to start butchering it, then Liam looks at the Soul Strikers.

    "You guys said you''re staying in town a few days, right?" He asks.

    "Yes," Seth answers.

    "Where are you staying?" He asks.

    "At the Elder Hunter''s shop," Seth answers. "We wouldn''t impose on anyone here, and the second floor is set up for guests specifically for Hunters who come to town for something. Most towns like this don''t have inns, so it''s an available place for us."

    "Okay," Liam nods.

    "Want to show us where you train here?" Seth asks. "We can teach you a couple of new spells if you want."

    "Sure," I tell him. "I live at the edge of town, we have plenty of space behind my house to train. It''s this way."

    We begin walking again, and as we do, I decide to ask something that''s been on my mind.

    "I was wondering why you guys rushed here," I say. "Normally, something like a Tier Six wouldn''t warrant shaving a day or two off of your trip."

    "Rush?" Seth asks. "What do you mean?"

    "After the Elder Hunter sent the message," I say. "She received a notice that you were on your way and would probably be here in three or four days. That was three days ago, and the trip usually takes five, maybe six days."

    "Ah," Seth says. "Actually, we were already on our way here. We didn''t know about the problem until after we arrived and the Elder Hunter told us."

    "Wait," I say. "Why were you coming here, if it wasn''t to deal with a problem? We aren''t that significant of a town. The most interaction we really have with anyone else are the merchants."

    "That would be me," the archer steps forward. "The rest of the team decided it was finally time to see the place I was from, since we''ve been to their hometowns and met their families. There''s a little more to it than that, but that''s the basis of it."

    Cam and I exchange looks. The archer is from our town? There''s only one Hunter we know of who could be, but that could be wrong. Right?

    "You''re from here?" I ask.

    "Yes," he answers. "Have a brother your age, actually, so you probably know him. His name''s Rex."

    I stop walking and inhale deeply, then slowly exhale. Liam gives me a confused look, probably because he doesn''t know that I have a brother, so he''s not sure of why the archer would claim I''m his. I meet the gazes of each of the Soul Strikers, then fix my gaze on the archer.

    "The eight of us really need to do some proper introductions."

 Chapter 011

    "We haven''t done proper introductions, have we?" Seth asks.

    "No, we haven''t," I answer. "And if we had, we might have realized sooner that Kain and I were brothers."

    "Rex?" Kain asks in shock, then turns his gaze to Cam. "Cam?"

    It has been almost fifteen years since he last saw us, so it''s not surprising he didn''t recognize us. Since my letters never mentioned we became Hunters, he also probably didn''t think it was us, and had probably been wondering who we were.

    "Yes," I nod. "Hello, Kain."

    I turn my attention to the rest of the Soul Strikers.

    "I''m Rex," I introduce myself. "And this is Cam, my best friend. This here is Liam, and now, the three of us are introduced properly."

    "I''m Seth," Seth introduces himself. "This is Kris, Pierce, Nathan, and Kain, though it appears you two know Kain."

    Seth gives Kain a look.

    "You didn''t mention they were the Hunters."

    "He never told me in the letters," Kain says. "I wasn''t sure who they were, but didn''t think they were them. Rex, how come you never told me?"

    "Five years," I say as we resume walking. "After you left, you hadn''t done much more than send letters back. You hadn''t visited, you didn''t send any trinkets, nothing but letters. So when I became a Hunter, I decided you probably didn''t actually care that much about us. You even knew our parents died, and didn''t come back. It''s why I didn''t mention Liam, either. I figured it wasn''t important enough for you to know."

    Kain turns his gaze away, and I can tell he''s feeling ashamed.

    "I''m confused," Liam says. "You have a brother?"

    "Yeah," I answer. "Just Kain. I never mentioned him because he never gave any indication he would visit us. If he wasn''t going to visit us, then it wasn''t really all that necessary to mention. Besidesˇ­"

    I pull Liam against him and ruffle his hair with my knuckles.

    "You''re my little brother," I say as he pulls away. "I have some memories of Kain, but he did leave when I was only five."

    "Sorry," Kain tells me, his voice a little on the quiet side. "When I got your letter, I was still training and stuff. I couldn''t afford to pay someone to escort me back. Then I met up with these guys, and your letters made it clear you were doing just fine without me around, that you were happy. I figured it was probably better if I stayed away, but kept in touch."

    "Yeah," Seth tells me. "Which is why we told him he was taking us to his hometown. It''s been nearly fifteen years since he abandoned you, and we didn''t like that he hadn''t returned once, only stayed in contact through a letter every few months."

    That explains his sudden return.

    "And you didn''t send a letter," I say. "Announcing you were coming to visit because you wanted to surprise me?"

    "Correct," Kain confirms. "The plan was to ask the Elder Hunter where you lived now, but then she told us about the nastiness with the wolf, so I decided to wait until after we took care of that and taught you two and Liam some stuff. I''m sorry, Rex. I know I should have visited sooner."

    "It''s fine," I tell him. "You had your reasons for staying away, and Cam and I have lived pretty well after."

    "How much of what you said in the letters were lies?" Kain asks. "You never said anything about hunting, or about Liam."

    "I left information out," I say. "But I didn''t lie. Cam''s parents took me in temporarily after ma and pa died, as I told you. I helped out with their stuff, but I also started learning how to use a spear, teaching myself. When we turned ten, Cam and I both applied to become Hunters and received our brands. In the nine years since, we''ve done pretty well, and we''re happy with our job and how we help the village. That''s about it. I was only telling you the more mundane things in our lives. I''m not the only one who left information out, though, Mr. Soul Striker."

    "Yeah," he chuckles. "I couldn''t exactly tell you that, though I guess I did leave out some of our more fun adventures."

    "Your last couple of letters," I say. "Said you were on another continent. Did you start making your way here right after sending the last one?"

    "A few days after," he confirms. "It was while we were returning that they ganged up on me."

    "Here we are," I gesture to my home. "I asked the Elder Hunter to send for some builders for it, so that I could have a stone building rather than wattle and daub or brick. The main reason for that was so that it would last through the generations. Since it''s at the edge of town, there''s plenty of space for training, and I had three bedrooms built upstairs. The hope is that whoever my successor is, when it''s time to retire as a Hunter, will live here. An inherited home for Hunters."

    Kain already knew about me having my own home, as I told him when I had it built that I had moved in to my own house. I didn''t tell him what the house was like, though, so he probably didn''t realize it was a long-lasting house, not a normal one.

    "Not an uncommon thing," Kain nods. "Hunters who pass the torch through apprentices rather than children do that. It creates a specific place for training in the town, and gives the townsfolk a more permanent comfort. You were thinking ahead just at that age?"

    "Always have to," I shrug. "You never know when something might take your life. Like with the gaia wolf. That very nearly did."

    "You''re right," Kain says. "It''s just unexpected for someone so young to."

    "I lost my older brother to being a Hunter," I say. "Then my parents to their own stupidity, when I was only five. I became a Hunter as soon as I turned ten, and learned to be a strategy Hunter. Thinking ahead was something I ended up doing naturally."

    "Makes sense," he nods, then looks at the rest of his team, before turning his gaze to me. "Do you mind if we go for a walk, just you and me? It seems we have some real catching up to do. I know there''s nothing I can do to make up for abandoning you, but I''d still like to talk for awhile."

    I look at Cam, who gives me a nod.

    "Sure," I say. "Let''s head out. You guys make yourselves comfortable. Liam knows where the cards are if you want to play a game, too."

    The others head inside, and Kain and I start walking. We''re silent, mostly because I don''t really know what to say. I mean, we might be brothers, but the only communication we''ve had in fourteen years has been letters to each other. Yes, he did it mostly to see how I was doing out of concern for his younger brother, but I still felt abandoned.

    His expression as we walk tells me that he feels bad for it, especially now that he''s actually here with me, face-to-face.

    Eventually, we find ourselves at the fort in the woods. It''s mostly just a wooden building constructed in a few trees, connected by walkways of wood and rope. Or at least, it used to be. The ropes are frayed, and some of the planks are rotted out. The three buildings themselves are falling apart, probably dangerous to enter.

    As I told Liam the other day, the fort hasn''t been used in years, and no one''s maintained or repaired it. It doesn''t surprise me it''s turned to this.

    I wasn''t walking in any particular direction, and I''m guessing Kain wasn''t, either. We both just ended up walking here, it seems.

    "Did you and Cam enjoy many more years here, at least?" Kain asks, looking up at the fort''s main building. "Playing in this, before you became Hunters?"

    "Yeah," I answer.

    "I''m glad," he says. "I''m sure that stopped once you became Hunters."

    "Yeah," I nod. "We still had fun, but we became a little more serious once we began hunting."

    "Same here," he nods. "Goofing off during a hunt can become dangerous, and the seriousness of it tends to rub off in our time outside of hunts. We encountered a group of teens a few years ago who refused to take the hunts seriously. They came from a larger town, where there were more Hunters and things were a fair bit safer.

    "We were staying there for about a week," he continues, putting a hand on the trunk of the tree with the main building for the fort. "When their parents, Hunters themselves, came to us saying the teens hadn''t returned home, and their trail had disappeared. They begged us to go look for their kids."

    "So we did," he looks up to the sky, letting out a sigh. "We found them, too. They had decided to goof around while hunting. As they did that, they didn''t pay attention to their surroundings. A silverthorn bear had taken notice of them as they taunted some fanged deer. The deer were only Tier One, and were something they could handle.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    "The bear, on the other hand," he shakes his head, looking off into the distance in the woods. "It was Tier Two, and just a little out of their ability. They tried. By the powers that be, they tried. Silverthorn bears are naturally smart, though, and that one had trapped them, tricked them into going toward its den rather than the town.

    "When we found them," he shakes his head again. "Four of them were already dead. One had died before they even realized they were under attack. The fifth oneˇ­ well, he won''t be hunting ever again. He lost his left leg, and his right arm was mangled pretty bad. I don''t know if there''s a healing spell in the world that could have mended it."

    Kain sighs, then looks at me.

    "Four deaths and one person unable to do most work," he says. "All because they wouldn''t take hunting monsters seriously. We come across that, from time to time, and try to set them straight before we leave. It''s much better to take things seriously while on the hunt and be alert than to goof around and get hurt.

    "Some might think," he continues. "That teams that are ridiculously powerful, like Soul Strikers, can afford to goof around as we fight. Maybe we can. But why would we? Hunting is serious business, and it''s better to dispatch the monsters than to harass, taunt, or tease them."

    He uses wind magic to fly, soaring up into the fort, and I do the same to join him. The floorboards creak under our steps, and we have to be careful not to put a foot through them. For several minutes, Kain and I just walk through the fort, using magic to fly from building to building, until we return to the main building and stand on the balcony, looking out over the forest.

    Being here brings back memories of us playing as kids. We didn''t play Hunters, like other kids probably did and do. Instead, we played knights and bandits, or princes and wizards. Rather than stuff more modern, we played as if we were from the ancient stories, from a time when monsters didn''t rule the world, magic didn''t exist here, and things were different.

    Of the few stories from back then that remain, the way they fantasized and made up adventures was pretty different. The Elder Hunter told us the stories from time to time, and so did Richard. He had come from a city, not from our town, and so had learned some of them growing up, himself.

    For the differences in the stories, I suppose coming from a time without magic and monsters shaped the way they think to be more open to how things could be in a story. Now, with magic and monsters in abundance, every story made is told with the considerations of things really are.

    Kain places a hand on the railing surrounding the balcony, feeling it for a moment.

    "I would have returned, you know," he tells me. "Even though it had been five years. If you''d told me that you''d become a Hunter, I would have come back. I know it doesn''t seem it, but I do care about you, Rex. That''s why I kept in contact, because I wanted to know how you were doing. While I can''t say for sure, I''m certain that had your first letter made it seem like you needed me after our parents'' death, I''d have given up being a Hunter to return and be with you. But it just talked about living with Cam and going fishing.

    "As for trinkets," he says. "Souvenirs, I''ve thought about sending them to you from time to time. But you never asked, never hinted you wanted something. I''m sorry for abandoning you, Rex, and for making you feel as if I didn''t care about you. But I really would have returned if you hinted or said you wanted me to. If you said you became a Hunter, I''d have hurried back just so I could help you grow as one and teach you things I had learned that might help you."

    He gives me an apologetic, but happy, smile.

    "I''m glad to see my little brother," he says. "Has become a responsible young man. I actually exchange letters with the Elder Hunter every week, and she''s told me much about you, though she left out you were a Hunter, too. And about Liam. I guess she realized you didn''t want me to know about them."

    Finding out that he''s been keeping tabs on me by contacting the Elder Hunter regularly is surprising to hear. I hadn''t expected that at all. There''s the chance he could be lying about everything, but I''m doubting it.

    "She sees a lot more than she reveals," I nod. "Even if the scan spell only relates to the fights we go through and monsters we encounter, I doubt she would need it to know about the mischief we''d get up to."

    "Yeah," Kain laughs. "She even figured out that we were passing nearby, said so in the most recent letter between us. The shorter time between her sending a bird out and it returning was enough to let her know the general area we were in. She had guessed it was us on our way here, too. When we entered her shop last night, she just looked at me and said ''finally decided to visit home, did we?'' She also said she ought to bend me over her knee for abandoning you. Wasn''t the first time she''d said it, but it was much different coming out of her mouth than it was in writing."

    I snort a little at that. The Elder Hunter sounds like she''d say something like that.

    "Sorry, again," Kain tells me, then sighs. "I probably should have shown more interest, but you seemed to be doing fine, and the more time that passed, the more I felt awkward about coming back. And now that I finally have, I feel awkward all over again. You''re a Hunter, and you have a new brother, someone you rescued who looks up to you. I can see in the way he stuck near you and talked and looked at you that he worships the very ground you walk on, the air you breathe, and everything about you. Much the way you did me when we were little."

    "It''s a brother thing," I say. "He''s looking up to his big brother. I''m sure it will fade with time, especially now that he''s a Hunter, himself."

    "Maybe," Kain looks out into the forest again. "It makes me wonder how differently things would have been, had I stayed here."

    "Ma and Pa were abusing you."

    He gives me a surprised look.

    "You knew?" He asks. "Did they start abusing you after I left?"

    "No," I shake my head. "I only figured it out years later. After I''d become a Hunter, and a little more mature. A few years ago, actually. It was when Cam and I were visiting a city to get some better training and learn a few new spells from their library. We came across a family that reminded me of how you were treated. That made me realize you were being abused, and that was probably why you had left."

    "Do you know why they did that?" He asks.

    "Why they abused you?" I ask, and he nods. "No, I never did find out."

    "My eyes," he points at his bright green eyes, a contrast to my blue ones. "Ma and Pa both had blue eyes, like you. But Pa''s pa had green, like me. They hated him, too, because he was a Hunter. Ma married Pa hoping to get some of our grandpa''s money, Pa hoping that his pa would give him some of it. He didn''t, though. He saw their greed, and left. Then they had me, and my eyes were like his, so they took a disliking to me."

    "How do you know about him?" I ask. "Did they tell you?"

    "I met him," he tells me. "Once. He''s retired now. Level 34. I didn''t understand why they treated me that way until he told me. We met by coincidence, he happened to overhear me saying I was from here while we were in the city he lived in. I let him know Ma and Pa were dead, his reaction suggested he didn''t feel much different than I did at the news."

    Kain shakes his head.

    "I''m glad they didn''t abuse you," he tells me. "All I felt was relief that you didn''t have to go through what I did, when you told me. That was it. I guess our grandpa felt the same, relief."

    "I didn''t know we had a living grandparent," I say.

    "He''s settled down where he is," Kain tells me. "His legs aren''t good anymore, so he can''t travel much. I''m sure he''d have come out this way, had he been able to. I''d told him you were doing well on your own according to the Elder Hunter here, and he seemed happy with that. If you weren''t, he might have arranged to come visit."

    Kain frowns a little.

    "Now that I think about it," he says. "Our grandpa seemed to already know about you. Looking back on our interaction, he wasn''t all that surprised to find out he had grandchildren."

    "Because he wasn''t," an old, slow, familiar voice says.

    Kain and I jump, turning to find the Elder Hunter standing there. When did she show up? How long has she been here? Why is she here? It isn''t like her to leave her shop, and she''s come all the way to the woods on the other side of our town''s territory.

    "Your grandpa sends me messages as regularly as you do, Kain," she tells him. "I sent him word to the Guild to have them locate him and inform him of his son''s death. He sent a message to me after, and when he found out about the two of you, began sending me a message every week. I told him about your departure before their deaths, and how Rex was taken in by a friend''s parents. He has made sure you are provided for.

    "When I told him," she says. "That you were wishing to have a stone home built at only thirteen, he offered to pay part of the cost. He also knows about you, Kain, and your status as a Soul Striker. Your grandpa is proud of the two of you, for becoming Hunters and relying on your own abilities to support yourselves, rather than hoping to mooch off of others. His reaction to finding out he had grandkids was quite amusing, too. I still have the letter, and read it to myself sometimes when I need an old laugh."

    "Hello, Elder Hunter," Kain and I greet her.

    "What brings you out here?" I ask. "I''ve never seen you this far from your shop before, and the location seems rather coincidental."

    "Oh, just going for a walk to stretch these old bones," she tells answers. "There are some berries that grow in bushes not far from here, you know. Quite delicious berries that make a decent jam. The next group of merchants to come through might have sugar, and I wanted to pick some berries to use with that to make into jam. I saw you two boys here, and thought I would say hello. Well, I will be off. You two enjoy the rest of your day."

    She turns and walks into the fort, and we follow her in, only to find her already gone.

    "Man," Kain runs his fingers through his hair. "The Elder Hunters really throw me for a loop. How they can conceal their presence like that, and how they can just disappear once they''re out of sight. She probably used some sort of cloaking spell, but still. Not a sound as she walks on the creaky floorboards?"

    "Not your first experience with one of them doing that?" I ask as we return outside.

    "No," he answers. "We''ve talked with other Soul Strikers, and they all agree that the Elder Hunters are a breed apart. Some even suspect the Elder Hunters aren''t human at all, and aren''t actually elder Hunters, but some ancient, long-forgotten race. Anytime there''s a new one, they really just moved towns, going far away to decrease the chances of being seen by someone who knows them."

    I chuckle at that theory, but I guess I can understand why some people might think that.

    "Anyway," Kain says. "Before we head back to your house, Rex, and do some training and trips, I was wondering if you wanted to learn a spell."

    "Wouldn''t that fall into the ''training and trips'' category?" I ask.

    "Maybe," he answers. "But this isn''t a normal spell. Honestly, it''s nearly forbidden."

    "I''d rather stay away from anything forbidden," I tell him.

    "It isn''t forbidden," he says. "But it borders on it with what it does. Only someone with a sacred weapon can cast it. Every Soul Striker is taught how to use it by the Guild. We aren''t told to not teach anyone, but it is an absolute last resort spell."

    "An absolute last resort?" I ask. "Just what does it do?"

    "Consumes the rest of your sacred power and your soul to unleash a powerful, devastating explosion."

    I stare at him in shock at that.

    "It requires being able to manifest your soul," he manifests his sacred weapon. "Which these are representative of. Because it sacrifices your life, the attack is many times more powerful than you would normally be able to cast.

    "It''s a last resort because it kills you," he says. "And as such, it''s rarely ever used. With it, you would be able to kill a Single-Star monster. I''m only Level 45, but I would be able to kill a Triple Star with it.

    "If you want me to teach it to you," Kain tells me. "You''ll have to promise that you will only ever use it when things are truly bleak. When there is no hope of rescue from a stronger team and the lives of those you care about are in danger. You have to promise me this, Rex, because I want you to know it, but I also want to make sure it''s only used in a true emergency."

    A spell powerful enough to take on a Single-Star monster would be useful, but I don''t think I like the idea of sacrificing my life to use it. However, if things were that bleak, then I can understand using it. Sacrificing myself to protect others is one aspect of being a Hunter.

    The odds of us ever dealing with something that powerful is slim, especially now that my brother and his team took care of the Tier Six. Because of that, there isn''t really a reason to learn it. I''m conflicted on this. Should I, just in case? Or should I not, because I''ll probably never use it?

 Chapter 012

    The spell Kain taught me yesterday isˇ­ unbelievable. It''s powerful, but simple. Just thinking about knowing it worries me. I know I''ll never have need of using it, but I still asked to learn it, anyway. Some small part of me said to learn it, though. To always be prepared for the worst when it comes to monsters.

    Taking a deep breath, I look at Liam and Cam. We''re outside of town right now, the Soul Strikers teaching the two of them some new techniques, using the hares and squirrels as target practice. I''m collecting the kills and dressing them, then putting them in a basket.

    Though I keep getting distracted as my mind continues to return to the destructive spell my brother taught me. It''s powerful enough that if I used it too close to the town, it would damage the walls and the Gate, even though I''m only Level 18.

    "Rex," Kris eventually approaches me as I''m placing yet another hare into one of the baskets we brought out with us. "I spoke with the Elder Hunter last night. You have a general spellset, and alternate between using them and using spells with a spear."

    "It makes me a little more versatile," I nod. "I can''t always attack from a distance. As you know, distance attacks can be blocked. Geoffrey showed that yesterday. I would have preferred to draw in closer to him, except he has a static shock spell that fills the area. Even with my lightning form, I wasn''t sure I could handle it."

    "Yes," Kris says. "The lightning form, a balance between offense, defense, and evasion. It increases your movement speed, makes it dangerous for a foe to touch you, and allows you to strike with your body, using martial arts. I take it you don''t use it for offense, though?"

    "Correct," I nod. "I''d rather use other spells or a spear for that."

    "That spell," he mulls over his words for a few moments, looking up at the sky as he does. Then, he looks back down at me. "That spell isn''t something just anyone can use. You are running electricity through your body at all times during it. Yet you executed it without a grimace. What did you go through to be able to be able to continue functioning when normal people would be paralyzed and full of pain?"

    "I''m still full of pain," I tell him. "And it was an event which gave me nightmares for awhile. It''s also not something I''d like to think about."

    "That''s fine," Kris tells me. "I noticed, though, that you focused on attacking and on stopping the attacks, when you were fighting the giant snail."

    "Yeah," I nod. "I do have a few defensive spells. The wind wall is my preferred one, as it''s more difficult to break through, the wind usually pushes the attacks to the side or dissipates them, depending on what they were. I know the water version of it as well, and can raise an earth wall. I recently realized I could use flashes of light to blind the monsters, though that''s not too good to do because it blinds me, even if I close my eyes."

    "So mostly wall spells," he nods. "The lightning body spell you use has a variation that lashes out at attacks aimed at you. It''s similar to what the giant snail was doing, except you don''t have to actively cast the spell. There is a downside, however, in that it''ll strike any allies who move too close to you."

    "It will drain my sacred power more?" I ask.

    "Yes," he nods. "I can tell by your tone and expression you don''t want to learn it. As a strategy Hunter, that makes sense. You use the stronger, more consuming spells only when you believe it will give an advantage, and not as a passive thing. However, you never know when you might need such a spell."

    "And if it drains me out in seconds?" I ask.

    "Why not learn it?" He asks. "So that you at least know it once you have plenty of sacred power, even if it takes years?"

    "Alright," I agree to that. "I probably won''t use it for a long while, though. The basic version has served me well so far."

    For the next twenty minutes, Kris runs me through using the spell, and we determine that I can maintain it for a maximum of one minute at the shortest usable range for the defensive attacks. That''s one foot away, and risks more solid attacks connecting with my body. Doubling that range, however, reduces my maintenance time down to twenty seconds.

    "Two things that impress me," Kris says. "Is that you''re able to prevent the spell from affecting your clothes. That''s not something many can do without a few years of practice."

    "Yeah," I feel my face heat up. "First time I used the spell, I did destroy my clothes. I''ve gotten a lot better since then, and I''ve had a few years to use the spell. The Elder Hunter says it''s within reason."

    "I see," he says. "First time I used it, we were fighting in front of a group of women. I wasn''t aware it would destroy my clothes, and, well, I was quite embarrassed by it. Didn''t let it affect the fight, but it certainly affected me after. The rest of the team didn''t give me any relief that night over it, too. How much did you practice on your own after that first time, trying to manage to not destroy your clothes and gear?"

    "At least once a day," I tell him. "For an hour from start to finish."

    "I did two hours," he tells me. "Every night, after the team went to bed."

    "You had a more embarrassing situation than me," I say. "I was practicing it at home, alone."

    "I was going to practice it at the inn we were staying it," he says. "Except that we went out for a hunt right after, and I needed to move a little faster."

    "Ah."

    "Now," he says. "For the second thing that impressed me, Rex, is your recovery of sacred power. Your Level and use of it helps a lot there, but they aren''t the only thing that helps with sacred power recovery. You do a lot of meditation, don''t you?"

    "I try to meditate at least twice a day," I answer. "Feel my sacred power and improve my flow of it. That helps with its recovery."

    "It does," he says, sitting down, and I return to sitting down and using wind magic to pull usable dead monsters to me and begin field dressing them again, Kris helping me this time. "How long have you meditated that much?"

    "Since before I became a Hunter," I answer. "The Elder Hunter advised me to learn how to meditate when I was first talking about becoming one. I think she was trying to deter me at first, but it didn''t work. Then, when I became a Hunter, she told me to use the skill I developed in meditating to feel my flow of sacred power, to feel how it moves through me, and to increase its flow, improving both my grasp of it and my recovery of it."

    "Nine years," he nods. "I can see you being within the realm of reason for your recovery rate, then. With us, we have to really push ourselves to overwhelm our recovery rate. Whether or not we can sustain fighting over long periods of time, that''s another issue."

    "Mental stamina," I say.

    "Yeah," he points at the growing pile of monster innards and incinerates them with a stream of fire. "Everyone has their limits, and being a higher Level doesn''t help improve it. It all comes down to how much you''ve fought and trained, and even then, the best of Hunters will start to falter. That''s why it''s recommended all fights last under an hour, even for us Soul Strikers."

    Kris looks out to where Liam is attacking hares with bladed wind around the blade of his spear. Kain and Nathan are watching him and giving him pointers at the moment, though it was Seth and Pierce a little while ago. They swapped.

    "He has a decent grasp on his sacred power, too," Kris says. "It shows in how quickly he is able to learn a new spell, even though his recovery is normal for someone who just became a Hunter. Most new Hunters would take more than an hour of practicing to learn a new spell, unable to enter the proper mental state to do so. I take it you had him meditating as well?"

    "I did," I nod. "Though he only meditates once per day, with me in the mornings."

    Kris nods, then looks at Cam, who is practicing under the supervision of Seth and Pierce. At the moment, he is practicing fire magic, though was using lightning magic before. Most people tend to align with only one or two elements and become experts in those. Learning all elements, like I did, is actually rare. It probably set me back, to be honest.

    Cam is attacking the deer, rather than hares and squirrels, though he''s field dressing them himself. He''s also attacking stronger monsters than Liam is, and is taking around the same amount of time to kill them, though that''s to be expected. Were Cam fighting the Tier One deer or hares or squirrels, he would simply kill them in one hit pretty much every time.

    "He''s pretty decent," Kris says. "Though his preference for light magic shows. He doesn''t have much skill with anything else, and defaults to simply a single bolt of lightning when he feels stressed in a fight."

    "He''s always just backed me up before," I say. "He''s not used to fighting, other than sending a bolt of lightning to assist when I need it. His sacred power recovery is on par with mine, too, despite being four Levels lower. Once he''s Level 18, he''ll be much more impressive."

    "Possibly," Kris tells me. "But you''re impressive in your own way. Most kids don''t devote themselves to hunting as much as you and Cam did."If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    "You five did."

    "We''re among that exception, too," he shrugs. "But seriously, Rex, give yourself some credit. The fact that you''ve trained hard shows. You easily adjust into new spells, you have a wide range of attacks, and you''re prepared to abuse the hell out of the banes of monsters. You have both distance and close-range attacks. Yes, you''re average for an all-rounder strategy Hunter, but that''s still impressive. It takes devotion and dedication."

    "I want to make sure my town is safe," I say. "And that the townsfolk have resources they can''t obtain on their own, but which would help immensely with their jobs or just their casual stuff."

    "You three have the hearts of true Hunters," Kris tells me. "It''s evident in the expressions on your faces as you fight the monsters. Kain wouldn''t have taught you that spell last night if he didn''t believe you had it."

    "He told you?" I ask.

    "Yes," Kris nods. "And it was evident you''re still thinking about it. That''s part of why you decided to let them train under us when we offered to teach all three of you."

    "They need it more," I shake my head. "They''re both much less experienced in combat than me. I wanted to let them get better training, especially Cam. If he''d been more of a combatant, we might have managed to defeat the Tier Six wolf."

    That''s been on my mind as well. Not us possibly beating it, but its presence, too. Yes, its pack''s territory was outside of our normal hunting range, but something about it was strange. We should have noticed the signs of it sooner.

    Its prey would begin moving further away as they realized there was danger. Even simple monsters would understand that. Yet we hadn''t seen any signs of monsters moving more into our territory from there. The pack had only just moved in.

    Why were there so many of them, too? Five Tier Fives and a Tier Six? Wouldn''t those normally run in different packs, each wanting to keep its own power as alpha? Yet they had formed up as a single pack.

    "You''re worrying about the wolf, aren''t you?" Kris asks, and I nod. "We went out last night, after the feast. We thought something might have been suspicious. Observant and cautious Hunters like the two of you, being caught off-guard by a Tier Six running a pack consisting of five smaller packs, each run by a Tier Five? It didn''t make sense. You would have noticed something suspicious before then."

    "You investigated?" I ask.

    "Yes," he nods. "We did. We checked their den. It looked as if they''d lived there for maybe a week. Not very long at all. Despite that, it was still impossible to determine where they came from, but we noticed something quite strange. They avoided the direction of the mountains."

    "The mountains?" I ask.

    "Yes," he answers. "The mountains. Their hunting ground consisted of everywhere south, west, and east of their den, except not north, and not in the direction of the mountains."

    "That sounds strange," I say. "Why would they do that?"

    "We aren''t sure," he says. "But the only thing we could think of is that they were chased out of the mountains."

    "Another Tier Six?" I ask.

    "Another Tier Six," he nods. "We tracked it down, too. We actually only returned from the hunt about an hour before we met up with you three. Just long enough to wash up and eat breakfast."

    "What was it?" I ask.

    "Another wolf," he answers. "A Tier Six river wolf. We took out it and its own large pack, as well as several other strong monsters in the area. We couldn''t bring everything back with us, so we just destroyed their hearts to ensure other monsters wouldn''t come and feast on them as soon we left and get stronger from that."

    "A territorial dispute," I say. "And a river wolf has a bane of a gaia wolf, making it easier for it to dominate."

    "Yeah," he nods. "It wasn''t on the mountain, though, just around halfway between the mountain and the gaia wolf''s den. But it explains why the gaia wolf and its pack didn''t hunt in that direction."

    "And they stayed a distance from the town," I say. "Probably smelling Cam and me and wanting to avoid a confrontation."

    "Quite possibly," he says. "Monsters do communicate, too, so it''s possible they were warned of a pair of Hunters. Intelligent as a Tier Six gaia wolf would be, the beast likely want to learn your patterns and strengths before deciding whether or challenge you or not."

    "And then," I say. "We stumbled upon tracks from one of the packs and ended up right at its camp, thinking it was just a normal wolf pack because there weren''t signs it wasn''t."

    "Exactly," he says. "The situation is taken care of now, though, so everything should be fine."

    "Okay," I say. "Thanks. You guys didn''t have to sacrifice your sleep for that."

    "We know," he says. "But when something bothers us, it tends to bother us for awhile, and then none of us get any sleep."

    "I''m the same way," I say. "When something starts to bother me, I start to get antsy until I finally investigate it and figure out what was going on."

    That has its pros and cons, and I try to manage it as best I can. At least we know the source of the Gate''s warning. I''m surprised it was warning of a potential Single-Star monster with just the presence of a couple of Tier Sixes, though.

    I mean, yeah, we thought as soon as we saw the Tier Five tracks that we''d found a potential source of the threat. A strong monster with a pack of strong monsters, outside our normal hunting range? It held the potential to reach a higher Tier in the next few years if left unchecked. And the Gate noticed it ahead of time.

    The Gates are truly strange beings, especially with its apparent ability to observe behind the town, where it can''t directly see.

    Kris and I finish up the catches we have, Cam and Liam no longer hunting, but approaching us as they speak with the Soul Strikers. Then, the eight of us set up a fire and start cooking one of the deer Cam killed for lunch.

    As we cook and eat, Liam tells me about his hunts so far, even though he knows I was watching. It excites him, being able to tell tales too, though, and it''s fun to watch and listen to him, with the energy he puts into telling the story. Cam and I were like that, back when we started hunting, but as we grew older and more mature, we lost that excited energy Liam has now.

    After lunch, Cam and Liam return to training, Kris remaining by me. He tells me he''s not that good at teaching others stuff, and would prefer to leave the teaching to those who do.

    "You did decently with the lightning body spell," I tell him.

    "I''ve had practice teaching that one," he admits. "I''ve taught that version of it to a couple of others, and my first time? It was rather horrible. It took me almost two hours to properly teach it to them, and that was my fault."

    "Well," I say. "You still did decently this time."

    "Thanks," he says.

    We''re silent for a bit, though I can tell he has something he wants to ask. I''m about to ask him what it is when he finally speaks again.

    "Have youˇ­ been hearing a voice?" He asks.

    "A voice?" I ask.

    "Yes," he nods. "A voice."

    "Like, in my head?" I ask. "No, I haven''t."

    "Not in your head," he shakes his head. "In your soul."

    "A voice in my soul?" I ask. "What do you mean by that?"

    "It''s only been a few days, so maybe not," he shrugs, then lies back, staring up at the sky. "Stare at the sky with me."

    Not sure why he wants me to, I do. We''re silent for a few minutes ago.

    "This voice?" I ask. "Why did you think I''d hear one in my soul?"

    "It''s strange," he says. "But apparently, people who manifested their sacred weapons really early, before Level 20, have a tendency to hear a voice from within their soul."

    "Likeˇ­ their soul talking to them?" I ask.

    "No," he responds. "Though the records are scarce, according to the Master Hunter who responded to our letter. Oh, right. We sent a message to the Guild to let them know that we had an early manifestation here, and what happened. I think we forgot to tell you we were going to do that. You aren''t in trouble or getting put under observation or anything, it''s just so they know. The Elder Hunter had probably already reported it, too."

    "I can understand wanting to keep track of manifested sacred weapons," I tell him. "It can be useful to know where someone with one is."

    "Yeah," he nods. "They also want to track anyone who manifests early because of this voice. The Master Hunter who responded told us that everyone who manifests before Level 20 reported hearing a voice of some sort coming from within their soul. They all insisted it wasn''t their soul talking to them, but none would say more than that.

    "One of them," he says as a cloud blocks out the sun. "Had a strange event occur, too."

    "A strange event?" I ask.

    "Yes," he answers. "It was a few decades after they manifested, at Level 16, and they had become a Soul Striker by the time the strange event happened. They ended up separated from their team while facing a pair of Four-Star monsters working together. They weren''t monsters the team could handle, and they had been ambushed by the beasts unexpectedly.

    "Her team," he continues. "While searching for her, saw a dome of golden light form. They went towards it, and found themselves unable to peer inside. However, they saw both her tracks and the tracks of the Four-Star monsters leading into it.

    "Six hours later," he tells me. "The barrier faded, and they saw their teammate. She was glowing, with a pair of wings of light extending out of her back, her eyes golden. There was no trace of the Four-Star monsters, but plenty of evidence of a fight. She herself was uninjured, despite being only barely a Soul Striker in Level."

    Kris falls silent after that, as I think about his words. That does sound strange, especially since a single Four-Star monster could wipe out a team of Level 50 Soul Strikers. It would take a team of Level 80 Hunters to challenge them, being many, many times more powerful than someone her Level was. Not just double her power, but dozens of times it.

    Yet she somehow defeated them so thoroughly, there was no trace of them left?

    "This isn''t just a tall tale?" I ask.

    "No," he answers. "A Master Hunter and two teams of stronger Soul Strikers had gone to investigate the light, fearful of what it meant. The report came from multiple reliable people. After the barrier faded, she turned and looked at them, then the glow faded and she collapsed.

    "When she came to a week later," he tells me. "They asked her what happened. All she said was ''they care for their children''. To this day, no one knows what she meant. Monsters? The voice inside her soul? Who cares for their children? It could apply to monsters, but why would she say that? How could a voice in a soul have children?"

    Kris sighs, holding a hand up to the sky, and by coincidence, the cloud moves out from in front of the sun, letting light shine down on us. He snorts for a moment, then sighs again.

    "That was a few centuries ago," he tells me. "And is the only known case of it to ever occur. Is it related to the voice in the soul those who manifest early have? Or was it some hidden power she had within her? The Master Hunter said she never displayed such power again. If you start hearing the voice, would you mind recording it? While they do doubt it was related to the incident, they still want to know as much as possible."

    "I''ll try," I tell him. "But I haven''t heard a voice."

    "That''s fine," he chuckles. "It could be you don''t hear the voice. After all, no one knows what it means, and it''s rare enough for someone to manifest before Level 20, too. It''s honestly possible that they went crazy in the head, and only thought it was their soul talking to them. The last case was more than a century and a half ago."

    "Yeah," I say. "It could be. High stress can do that to people, and so can traumatizing experiences."

    "Indeed."

    "Anyway," I sit up. "Liam is still taking out hares and rabbits. The town''s going to have plenty of meat the next couple of days, but only if we start field dressing them now, rather than letting them sit for a few hours."

    "Yeah," Kris sits back up. "And if you do hear the voice, and it does mention something that could hint at whatever caused that Hunter to manifest that strange power, could you let the Elder Hunter know?"

    "I will," I nod, then extend a hand and use wind magic to pull a hare to me. "I hope I don''t start hearing voices, though. I think I''ve recovered decently from that incident."

    I really hope I don''t start hearing voices in my head. Or my soul. Or whatever. I''d rather go back to my normal life, now that the threat is over.

 Chapter 013

    "Merchant day!" Liam greets me as he comes down the stairs. "How long ''fore you think they''ll be here?"

    "They arrived last night," I remind him.

    "Oh, right!" He says, then grins. "I''ve got my own money to buy stuff with this time!"

    "Yes, you do," I nod.

    Normally, I give Liam an allowance to buy stuff from the merchants with. Usually, he spends it on some fruit they brought with them that we can''t grow here due to our climate. I typically buy a couple of bottles of wine, and if they have something interesting we could use, I''ll buy that.

    We eat breakfast, then head towards the center of town, where the market is set up. It lasts for one day, and includes whatever merchant or merchants arrived, as well as several of the craftsmen of the town.

    It isn''t hard to spot the merchants, as they''re surrounded by townsfolk, who have no doubt sold stuff to the Elder Hunter for money if they didn''t have money from Cam and me buying stuff. For our own craftsmen, they''ll likely trade for stuff, though some might buy with coin as well.

    Even if some things will be gone by the time we get there, Liam and I still check out the other stalls first, giving the townsfolk time to look at the imported goods.

    Most of the local goods are made for this day, even though it happens every month. Things the craftsmen made in their spare time between orders and necessities. Liam decides to buy a new cook pot, even though ours will last awhile yet. He claims it''s to be prepared, even after I remind him we probably have a few more years left.

    I''m sure he wants to try his hand at brewing potions, and knows I won''t allow him to use the actual cook pot for it. Liam buys a few more things that supports this theory as we walk. Small bottles, his own stirring rod, his own mortar and pestle, his own cutting board, his own ladle, and other such things.

    For the most part, I just let him get what he wants. It''s his money, and there''s no harm in him attempting to make his own potions and salves, especially as if he gets talented with it, he''ll be able to handle his own minor healing without using sacred power, too.

    I don''t buy anything myself. I don''t need much, and what I do need, I usually buy or trade for immediately.

    "The crowd''s died down," Liam tells me, looking amusing with the big pot in his arms, his other purchases inside of it. "Let''s go see what the merchants have, there''s six of ''em."

    "Yeah," I say. "It''s a big group."

    Normally, we have one, maybe two merchants show up. That''s why everyone turns it into a big deal each month ¨C they spend less and can save up for the big groups, like this. The bigger groups almost always have at least one merchant with pretty quality goods. Most of the market day is just everyone trading or buying goods from the townsfolk, and maybe one thing from the merchant or merchants, if they can afford it and there''s something that interests them.

    Cam joins us as we approach the merchants, though he looks a little out of it.

    "Everything okay?" I ask.

    "Yeah," he answers, giving Liam a brief look before turning his attention back to me. "I''ll tell you when we''re alone. I haven''t seen Kain or the others."

    "They''re at the Elder Hunter''s shop," I tell him. "Talking with the Hunters who escorted this group of merchants. Is that Ryan I saw?"

    "Yep," he answers. "I was talking with him while he was setting up. He says he has something that might interest you, but didn''t tell me what."

    "Okay," I say.

    Ryan is our most regular merchant. He travels in a three-month cycle, and usually brings pretty decent goods with him. The wine he brings is the best, too, brought from a city with vast vineyards with a variety of fields and wines. That wouldn''t be what he was referencing, though. He knows I''m always interested in buying a couple of bottles of wine.

    The three of us arrive at the merchants'' stations. As with the townsfolk selling wares, they''re sitting on blankets on either side of the street, three on each side. Ryan is the furthest from us, but we start at this end.

    The first merchant has a variety of perfumes on his blanket, among oils, lotions, salves, and creams, gathered from dozens of towns and cities over his travels. He wasn''t saving them for us, these just happen to be what he has in-stock right now, his goods change regularly. All of the merchants'' goods do.

    Cam examines the lotions, oils, and perfumes, before buying a perfume for his ma. I pick out a lotion for her, and another for the Elder Hunter. Cam and I take turns buying something for her each market day, and it''s my turn this month.

    While we do examine the other goods, not much interests Liam or me, though I do notice Cam lingering on some educational cards, which he buys as Liam and I are moving on and slips under his shirt. That action there tells me enough about what''s on his mind and why he seems off. I do still want to confirm with him, which will happen when we speak in private later.

    Finally, we reach the last merchant, Ryan, who has plenty of wine left.

    "Hello, Rex," Ryan greets me with a smile. "It''s good to see you again."

    "It''s good to see you again as well," I respond. "Which wines would you recommend?"

    "Based on your previous preferences," he stands and opens up a crate, pulling out two bottles before turning and holding them out. "I recommend these. You''ve had this one a few times, but this Raizar red is a new one, and has a touch of chocolate to the flavor. Same price as you usually pay."

    I pull out the appropriate coins and hand them to him, then accept the bottles of wine.

    "Thank you," I tell him. "Cam said you told him you had something which might interest me?"

    "Yes," he answers, before opening another crate and rummaging through the goods inside, before eventually pulling out an item wrapped in cloth. Something fragile, then? "Here we are."

    He turns around and sits, setting the item on his blanket. Carefully, he unwraps it, revealing a sculpture. It''s of a youthful man, clad in nothing, with a pair of feathered wings stretching out of his back.

    The detail on it is remarkable, from the lines of his muscles to the detailing in his feathers to the lines of his hair, to every last detail. The figure itself is only fifteen inches tall, each wing twice as long as the body is tall, though they''re partially folded towards him, which is part of why he''s tall. The man himself is only around twelve inches in height.

    Made of clear crystal, it sparkles in the morning light. Seeing the figure reminds me of Kris''s tale a couple of days ago, about the Hunter who had a pair of wings made of light. Two things like that showing up so close together? That''s a sign from the powers that be, if there ever was one.

    "I saw it in a market in one of the cities halfway through my route," Ryan tells me. "It made me think of you immediately, and your love of the tales of old. The figure is of an angel. In the stories from before magic came to be, angels served the gods in the heavens. Most were messengers, though some were warriors who protected the heavens, sacred places, and servants of the gods.

    "Of course," he says. "We now know they''re mere myths, but the item still caught my attention due to the lore behind it, and I knew you would have an interest in it. Would you like to buy it?"

    "If I don''t, will you have a seller for it?" I ask.

    "I will find one," he tells me. "This craftsmanship is excellent, of a caliber that isn''t found in many places. According to the merchant I purchased it from, it was made on the eastern islands, by an expert crystal worker. It''s around around three hundred years old, and was once a pair, though as far as anyone knows, the pair was destroyed around two hundred years ago in a monster attack, and this one was barely rescued."

    While some merchants might try to give a big history behind their wares, Ryan has never tried to pull that with me. He trusts Hunters, and knows how much the world relies us on. He''d rather tell us the honest story than make something up to make an item more attractive.

    Because of that, I can trust in the history he gave me. This used to be part of a pair, and the pair was probably destroyed. Its age is likely as he said, around three centuries. With it being something related to the ancient lore, too, it does hold a certain appeal to me beyond its beauty. Normally, I just like listening to the stories.

    Again, though, with it showing up here so soon after I was told about wings of light on a Hunter, this can only be a sign from the powers that be. Angels might not exist, but there''s still something to a winged person.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    "How much?" I ask.

    "Due to its age," Ryan says. "The quality of the craftsmanship, and the history behind it, it''s valued at five thousand two hundred."

    "Whoa!" Liam''s eyes bug out upon hearing the cost. "That''s, like, more than I''ve earned! So far! That''s a lot! Is it really that expensive?"

    "Knowing Ryan," I say. "He''s probably giving me a discount."

    "I am," Ryan confirms. "I''ve taken off the cost of storing and transporting it. Small, isolated towns like this can use local Hunters even more, and while I know there isn''t much use for money out here, I still like to provide luxuries when I can."

    "I''ll take it," I tell him. "I''ll need to return home to acquire the appropriate amount first, though."

    I don''t keep more than two thousand for the markets, and that''s because some of the good wines can run half that, each.

    "It will be here," Ryan tells me.

    "I''ll be back soon," I say.

    "I''m going to buy some more stuff," Liam tells me. "There''s something I want to try, but I''m not going to tell you what it is yet."

    Cam gives me an amused look.

    "I''m going to buy a couple of more things," he tells me. "Then head home. I''ll see you tonight."

    "Alright," I tell him, then turn and make my way home, where I put down the bottles of wine before heading up to my room to access my chest of coins.

    After collecting enough money to buy the figure, I make my way back to the market as I think over what the sign could mean. Even if I don''t understand the sign, I still want to purchase the sculpture just because of the tale Kris told me. It might be a male with wings, but it still holds that connection and representation of an ancient lore.

    When I return, I don''t see Liam anywhere, and Cam is gone as well. Liam''s probably sneaking back home hoping to avoid letting me know he wants to try making potions, while Cam has probably headed home, as he said he would.

    "Welcome back," Ryan says when I approach him, the sculpture wrapped once more. He unwraps it to show me it''s still there, then wraps it back up. "You are ready to make the purchase?"

    "I am," I hand him the pouch of money. He counts it, then hands me the wrapped sculpture. "Thank you, Ryan."

    "You''re welcome," he smiles. "Until next time."

    "Until next time," I respond, then return home.

    When I arrive home, I check on Liam, who is out back ''just boiling some water'' in the pot with a piece of parchment sitting on a stump beside him, then I head upstairs and unwrap the sculpture before placing it on a shelf. An angel, huh? Did that Hunter Kris told me about know about the angels of the ancient stories and do those wings of light for some strange reason?

    Deciding I won''t receive any answers on my own, and that it''s unlikely I''ll receive any at all, I decide to just admire the crystal sculpture. The craftsmanship really is incredible, there isn''t a single trace of the tools on it, and the clarity is amazing.

    After a few minutes, I make my way downstairs and out back, to where Liam is still working on his first potion attempt. He''s sitting on one of the stumps we keep back here, another beside him.

    "I''m, uh," he looks at the mortar and pestle in his hands, then looks at the pot, then at me. "I''m just practicing grinding herbs, since you''re always grinding the herbs you use to season stuff with by yourself. It''s about time I started helping more. Also, I''m just seeing how long it will take for the water to boil out of the pot."

    "Good luck," I tell him. "I''m going over to Cam''s to give his ma this lotion. I''ll probably be back in a few hours."

    "Alright," he tells me, then looks uncertain. "You''ll be back before dinner, right? Because while I can fix myself something for lunch, I''m not that good at cooking."

    "I''ll be back before dinner," I promise. "See you, Liam."

    I leave and walk to Cam''s house, knocking on the door when I arrive. His pa answers it, giving me a disapproving look.

    "Rex," he says. "How many times do I need to tell you? Just because you moved out, you don''t have to start knocking to enter."

    With his deep, gruff voice, he sounds a lot more frightening than he actually is, and that statement of his sounds more like an annoyed threat than him just saying something he''s said a few hundred times, knowing it won''t change anything.

    "I know," I say. "I wanted to give your wife a gift."

    I hold up the tin of lotion, and he nods, then lets me inside. Cam''s ma is sitting by their fireplace, adding some chopped vegetables to the stew she is preparing.

    "Hello," I greet her as I approach.

    "Hello, Rex," she smiles. "You didn''t have to get me anything."

    "You know I do anyway," I tell her.

    "You can put it on the shelf," she tells me, so I set it on the shelf nearby, along with several bottles and tins of perfume, lotion, and oils. Cam''s gift is already here. "Cam went upstairs to do something. Did he already tell you?"

    "If you''re referring to what''s been distracting him," I say. "Then no, he has not. That said, I did figure it out. The cards meant for teaching that he bought from one of the merchants, then hid, was enough of a hint."

    She''s pregnant and expecting a baby. I''ve sort of known for a little while already, but no one said anything, so I didn''t ask. As Cam only started being off today, I''m guessing they told him this morning.

    "We just found out last night," she tells me. "We''re hoping for another boy, so that Cam has a little brother, and to take over the shop once Ian can''t."

    "Good luck," I tell her. "That''s rather good news to hear."

    "Yes, it is," she smiles.

    "Not that you didn''t already know," Cam''s pa claps my shoulder. "We know you''re one of those men who can tell when women are pregnant."

    "I figured I''d wait for you guys to find out," I admit. "Especially after the last few pregnancies."

    They''ve had four pregnancies since Cam was born. The first one, the baby died a few days after being born. The second one, the baby was born still. The third one, they didn''t even know she was pregnant before she had a miscarriage.

    Unfortunately, that''s the way things are. Not all babies make it past a few weeks old, if they even make it there. The stories of the era before magic came to this world said that most babies survived and grew into adults. Most people had one or two children, not attempted and had as many as possible in the hopes that some survived.

    Just another price paid by the arrival of magic in this world. Just another curse bestowed upon humanity. Monsters, lower infant survival rate, and difficult travels. No one knows how it happened, or why, just that one day, magic entered this world and changed everything, everywhere.

    The actual stories of the change are fuzzy. For example, no one really knows how we found out about building the walls and Gates. Somehow, though, it was discovered.

    "Hey, Rex," Cam says, pulling me out of my thoughts, and I look at him. "Ready to go visit the Elder Hunter?"

    "Yeah," I answer.

    "You boys enjoy your evening," his ma says.

    "You two do as well," I tell them, then Cam and I leave.

    Every market day, Cam stays over at my place, so they won''t see him again until morning.

    "Did Ma or Pa tell you?" Cam asks as we walk.

    "Yeah," I answer. "Though I kind of knew already."

    "Yeah, I figured," he nods. "They told me after I woke up this morning. I was already asleep when the doctor visited. They want to keep it quiet until she''s showing."

    "That''s normal," I say. "Liam''s pushing the whole ''I''m not brewing a potion'' thing."

    Cam snorts.

    "What kind is he trying to make?"

    "Looked like a salve, actually," I answer. "Based on the ingredients. You''re better at that stuff than me, though, you''re the one with a ma who made them."

    "What were the ingredients, and what did he have so far?"

    I explain what I saw, and what I think was already in the pot.

    "Yeah, sounds like he''s making a salve," he tells me. "He''ll have to reduce that down a lot if he''s making it with as much water as you said, and he''ll need to make sure he doesn''t reduce it too much, or it''ll burn. Once it cools, it''ll be a salve for soothing rashes from a few different poisons."

    We continue the walk in silence after that, and enter the Elder Hunter''s shop as soon as we arrive. She''s sitting in her usual spot, with no one else in here.

    "Hello, ma''am," I greet her, pulling the second tin of lotion from a pouch at my belt. "We bought this for you."

    "Thank you," she accepts the tin from me, then opens it and smells it. "Smells lovely. It reminds me of the cherry blossoms on the eastern islands I visited in my youth. That brings back memories."

    "The merchant said," Cam tells her. "That it was made using oil from cherry blossoms on the eastern island, so that is the scent."

    "It''s a wonderful smell," she smiles. "Thank you, boys."

    "You''re welcome," I tell her.

    "We''re glad you enjoy it," Cam tells her.

    "Is my brother here?" I ask.

    "Kain and the Soul Strikers went fishing outside of town," she informs me. "They took the Hunters who escorted the merchants with them."

    "Okay," I say. "Can you ask Kain not to leave with the merchants before seeing me again?"

    "I will," she answers. "Enjoy the rest of your day, boys."

    "You as well," I tell her.

    Cam and I leave, walking to my home. Once we arrive, we fix ourselves some lunch, noting that a few pieces of fruit, some cheese, and some bread is missing. Liam''s lunch, most likely. After we eat, we step outside, where Liam is sitting looking depressed, cleaning out the pot.

    "Okay," he looks at us. "I realize now that you two probably figured out what I was doing. Um. Can I get some help? I totally failed that first attempt. I managed to reduce it down, but then the salve started turning brown and it was awful."

    "Sure," Cam pulls up a stump stool, and once Liam finishes cleaning the pot, they make the salve together.

    I watch them as they work, Liam listening attentively to Cam''s instructions. For the most part, Cam lets Liam follow the recipe he received from someone. Judging by the handwriting, probably Cam''s ma. Cam mostly only interjects when Liam is making a mistake, or misinterpreting the instructions.

    "There you are," a voice says, and I turn to find Nick standing there, a basket in his hands. A trio of chickens are inside. "I brought you some chickens, in case you didn''t have something for dinner yet."

    "Thank you," I walk over to him and accept the basket. That reminds me, I still need to weave together Liam''s basket. "I was planning on looking for something soon."

    "You''re welcome," he tells me. "Always happy to help you boys. Have a good rest of your day, Rex."

    "You as well, Nick," I say, then he leaves.

    I take the chickens inside and set them on the counter, then get to work making Liam''s basket for carrying stuff from hunting in. After finishing it, I check on Cam and Liam, who are making a new batch of salve, the old apparently bad. Leaving them to it, I work on dinner, the two of them coming inside just as I''m setting it out on the table.

    "Look!" Liam holds up a few tins, one of them open. "It only took me four tries, and I managed to make a batch of six tins!"

    "Good job," I tell him as Cam and I sit. "Wash your hands, then come eat."

    "Okay!" He hurries to wash his hands, then takes his seat. "It smells delicious!"

    "Thank you," I tell him as I open the bottle of wine. "Since you''re ten now, I''m going to let you have some of the wine, Liam, but you''re only getting a little bit."

    "That''s fine!" He nods. "It''s ''cause I''m smaller, so my body can''t handle as much as you or Cam!"

    He bounces excitedly in his seat.

    "My first taste of wine," he says. "And it''s one you really like! I can''t wait!"

    Cam and I chuckle, then I pour the wine.

    "Let''s eat!" I say as I set the bottle down.

 Chapter 014

    "Good morning," I greet Cam as he descends the stairs, wearing just a pair of pants. His hair is messed up from sleep, and he''s fixing it with his fingers. "Hangover?"

    "No," he answers. "Just tired. We were up pretty late last night, telling Liam those stories."

    After Cam and I felt the buzz hitting us, we stopped drinking, and that was when Liam pounced. He decided awhile back that the best time to get us to tell him stories of our hunts is when we''re a little buzzed, as he finds the stories more entertaining. I''m pretty sure we don''t tell them any differently than normal, so the real reason is probably that we''re more willing to tell him many stories, staying up late and only falling asleep because of exhaustion, not intent.

    "Yeah," I answer. "He''s heard them all before, but insists on hearing them again."

    "Yeah," he nods. "Have they left?

    "No," I answer. "At least, no messenger''s come our way., and Kain himself hasn''t come by, either."

    "What''s breakfast?" He asks.

    "Fish, fruit, and a fruit dip," I answer. "It''s on the table."

    "Thanks," he walks over to the table, rubbing his temples.

    "Dehydrated?"

    "Yeah," he answers. "Maybe I had a little more alcohol than I''d realized? We did have a few more drinks after Liam passed out."

    Beer, not wine.

    "Okay, maybe I do have a migraine," he winces, and I realize the sun peeked through the clouds and the window and hit him square in the face. "Ow."

    "It''s probably going to rain today," I say. "The air feels and smells like it, and clouds have been rolling in all morning, coming in from the northwest. We have a lighter layer now, but the way they were moving when I was outside, the really thick, dark ones will be over us in maybe an hour, two at most."

    "One thing I''m jealous of with you," Cam groans a little, rubbing his temples as the sunlight disappears again. "Is your tolerance to alcohol. Why is it you never get hangovers?"

    "I get hangovers," I tell him. "I just remember upon waking that a Hunter in the city taught us how to cure them with light magic after he bought us a few too many rounds."

    "Oh, right," Cam groans, and the tips of his fingers against his temples glow for a few seconds. "That is much better. I hate that you''re able to think rationally with a hangover."

    "That''s the price you pay for being able to cast magic while drunk," I tell him. "I can''t draw on my sacred power at all while drunk."

    "Yeah," he says. "I guess that''s a good trade-off. What did you season this fish with?"

    "Just a blend of juices," I tell him. "With some vinegar added. I let it soak for a little bit, and that''s it."

    "You tried something new," he says. "A different blend."

    "Yeah," I respond. "Did you check on Liam before coming down?"

    "He was still passed out in his bed," Cam nods. "When did you move him there?"

    "After you passed out," I say. "But before I stuck you in the guest room."

    I return to reading as Cam finishes breakfast. One of my books mentions angels, it just calls them by a different name. Instead, it calls them ''winged messengers'', and I was looking it up when Cam came down. I remembered having read about people with wings before when I woke up this morning and started going through my book collection. It''s been a few years since I read this one, though, which is why I didn''t remember it before.

    Unfortunately, it''s not very helpful. All it tells me is the same stuff Ryan did ¨C that the winged messengers served the mythical ancient gods, and don''t exist. The book itself is an examination of the ancient stories and how they were unmasked as false.

    According to this, there really is nothing behind the tale of winged messengers. It even mentions a Hunter who imitated their form a long time ago, but portrays her as someone attempting to start a cult based off the ancient tales. I suppose there''s some information that made it out regarding the incident.

    Based on the book, the chances are high she was trying to start a cult. Kris did say the Master Hunter had to look up the information, it''s possible they left that part out, either the Master Hunter in their letter to him or the old Hunters in the archives. Most likely, they want to keep an eye on those who hear the voices to make sure they don''t try to create a cult which interferes with society or the Hunters.

    This book says that she managed to convert an entire town to her cult before she was stopped, and that the cult''s main purpose was to turn everyone into a Hunter. That would be disastrous, because of the whole thing with sacred power attracting monsters and causing higher populations in the area.

    Which is probably why the Guild wants to keep an eye on us, just in case another tries starting something like that. The book is suggesting a tie between that and Koraminal, which happened soon after her. At least, based on its timeline, and Koraminal did happen a few centuries ago, which is when Kris said her incident happened.

    Closing the book, I stand and return it to the bookshelf, someone knocking on the door just as I slide it back into place.

    I walk over and answer it, finding the Soul Strikers there.

    "Good morning," I greet them. "Preparing to set off?"

    "Yes," Seth answers. "We wanted to say hello and chat before leaving."

    "Come in," I step aside, letting the team into my home.

    "Thank you," Seth says, looking around. "Hello, Cam."

    "Good morning," Cam says, then pops a berry into his mouth.

    "Kris," I say. "Was there anything about the Hunter you told me about you didn''t tell me?" I ask.

    "Why?" He asks, and I tell him about the book. His gaze travels to the shelf, eyes catching on the books. "Ah. No, I wasn''t aware of that, but that book does use factual information. The Guild wouldn''t let it be published if it didn''t. If that''s the case, then I can understand why they''d be concerned."

    "Well, it was only one person," I shrug. "And starting a cult is a sign of other underlying problems. I won''t be trying that at all."

    "That''s good to know," Seth chuckles. "Before we left, I wanted to ask if you knew that sacred weapons can change?"

    "They grow with us as Hunters," I nod. "As our true style changes, we can find new ways to use them."

    "That''s part of it," he tells me. "But since you''re young and planning on using it for a long time, I thought you should know. Sacred weapons can undergo a full transformation. The longer you''ve had it, the more likely this is to occur, but it can also happen under an extreme circumstance. It is, after all, a manifestation of your soul. Your soul can change over time. Every Elder Hunter, and nearly every old Hunter alive, has had their sacred weapon change once. Your local Elder Hunter''s sacred weapon is a plain staff, but she started off with a spear. However, she can split it in half and turn it into a pair of batons, when she could not do that with her original one."

    "That sounds incredible," I say.

    "It is," he nods. "It''s not likely something that will matter to you for many years, but I thought you should know now, anyway."

    "Okay," I say. "Thank you."

    "You''re welcome," he says.

    "Rex," Kain steps up to me as Seth takes a step back. "Once again, I apologize for abandoning you. You seem happy now, so that makes me happy. I''m going to try to visit from time to time now, though it might not be but once a year. I know we''ve lost that brotherly love and connection we used to have, but I hope we can reforge it, even as rarely as I''ll be here."

    "It was fun knowing you when we were little," I smile. "And I''m sure it''ll be nice getting to know you again, Kain."

    "Yeah," he says, then pulls me against him for a hug. "Sorry, Rex. I should have been here for you."

    "You had your reasons," I return the hug, then we separate. "I don''t blame you for it."

    "Alright," he says, then pulls away and looks at Cam. "Hey, Cam."

    "Hey, Kain," Cam says.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    "It was good seeing you again," Rex tells him.

    "Same to you," Cam says.

    "Well," Seth says. "We should get going. The merchants want to get on the road before the storm hits."

    "Okay," I say. "Enjoy your trip, and your travels."

    "Enjoy your hunts," Seth responds.

    The Soul Strikers leave, then I go to the table and sit down.

    "Want to go on a hunt today?" I ask. "We''d have to leave Liam behind, though."

    Hunting during a storm can yield us monsters that we normally wouldn''t come across. We aren''t sure where they are when there aren''t any storms, but there are definitely some monsters around when it''s storming.

    Especially during the spring storms. Some of those monsters prove especially useful, too.

    However, Liam is too low in Level and too lacking in ability to actually manage against them right now. The true spring storm monsters won''t be showing up for another two or three weeks, but that doesn''t mean we can''t find a few things now.

    "You think he''ll be okay with it?" Cam asks just as I see Liam descending the stairs, dressed and ready for the day.

    "Hey, Liam," I say. "Just as we were discussing you. Cam and I were thinking of doing a hunt during the storm, but it''d be a little too dangerous for you. Would you be okay with us leaving you behind?"

    "You''ve been doing that for years," he tells me. "I know I can''t handle this stuff. I''ll just practice my potions stuff while you''re gone."

    "Alright," I tell him. "Come in breakfast."

    Liam joins us at the table and eats breakfast, then helps me wash and dry the dishes, Cam putting them away. Once that''s taken care of, Cam and I get changed into our garb, pulling on jackets to repel the rain. I slip on a pair of gloves as well. If I don''t, my fingers will go numb from the chill of the rain. Cam always wears gloves while hunting, so it isn''t a problem for him. We fill our baskets with thin, but tightly-woven clothes and some rope, then cover them and make our way back downstairs.

    We keep Cam''s gear for storm hunting here, mostly because I have more space in my home than he does his. Today, it turns out to be a benefit, since he doesn''t need to return home before we go out on the hunt to pick up anything.

    "We''re setting off," I tell Liam, who nods, already at work with a pot on the fire.

    "Bye," he says.

    Cam and I leave, making our way to the Gate. By the time we arrive, the rain has begun, and there are flashes of lightning in the sky, the boom of thunder echoing out soon after.

    "Welcome back, boys," the Gate greets us. "The others have already left, if you came to bid them goodbye."

    "No," I tell him. "We''re heading out for a hunt."

    "May I see your brands?" He asks.

    Cam and I undo the front of our jackets and pull down the collars of our shirts to show the Gate, then he opens. The rain is freezing, so we both quickly fix our jackets, then we pass through the Gate, which closes behind us.

    We head east, towards the plains past the hills. The trip takes us a little more than two hours, and we don''t see many monsters on the way. At the same time, the storm picks up, growing heavier, and we can see lightning striking the ground in the distance every few minutes.

    It''s not too dark to see, but it''s dark enough visibility isn''t great. Cam and I keep a lookout for monsters, including the sky. While most bird monsters don''t come out during the storms, there are some that do, and those ones can be especially annoying.

    From time to time, we do see a monster on the crest of a hill, but ignore it. The ones on the hills aren''t the ones we''re hunting at the moment.

    Cam and I reach the plains and walk off the path to head a little south, towards the river. It''s already begun to overflow, and we can see our first target there. It''s a deer with blue-green fur and silvery antlers, standing under a tree around ten yards from the river. I activate my lightning body as Cam moves back, and once I''m within twenty feet of the deer, it snaps its head to look at me.

    Unlike normal deer, the storm deer won''t hesitate to attack an approaching person. Sure enough, I only take another step before its antlers crackle with electricity before the sparks join together in a bolt that lashes out at me.

    With my lightning body, I''m able to take the attack. Because it''s not a Tier Five monster, I don''t need to tune my form to its lightning, the attack weak enough for my defense to dissipate it. Based on the number of antlers and the silver tail of the deer, this is a Tier Three one.

    The deer attacks me that way twice more before openings its mouth and releasing a jet of water. Though my lightning form can handle it, I still summon a wind wall to stop it. At the same time, I summon a spear from the ground. This is a fight I can win with relative ease, I think, I just need to mind my footing and turn it into a close-range battle.

    The wind and the rain will make it difficult for me to attack outside of lightning, which won''t affect this thing much. The water jet only worked because it''s pressurized, and water magic won''t have much effect on a storm deer, either.

    Moving forward, I wrap the spear in compressed wind, then begin my attack on the deer, which does its best to avoid the attacks while continuing its own attack. It seems limited to the two attacks, though I know it can also ram me with its antlers and most likely manifest a gale of wind.

    Putting a little more charge into my lightning body, I enhance my speed more, managing to lunge forward and slice through the deer''s neck. It starts to bleed out and falls to the ground, and while that might last for awhile, it would be wrong of me to leave it like that, so I quickly end it by slicing through the back of its neck as well, then I field dress it before we use water magic to wash the mud off of it before wrapping it in one of the clothes we brought. With how tightly they are woven, they''ll repel the water of the storm.

    Cam carries the deer with his magic as we move on to our next target. The next three fights are against storm deer, and they all go similarly, though I use the greater lightning body from the start, ending the fights much more quickly than the first.

    Then, we come across a plant-like monster. It really does resemble a plant, with a thick green stem covered in thorns, a yellow and blue flower on its head, and more than a dozen root-like legs it uses to crawl over the ground. It has a pair of arms as well, long, triangular protrusions with small spikes running along their edges. Overall, it''s about two feet in height.

    Okay, it actually is a plant. However, some plants are monsters, being both plants and animals. While we can find them when they aren''t storming, the best time to hunt them is during a storm. During one, the gel inside of them changes properties, and if we kill them, it retains that. Then, the gel is usable for making potions and salves to soothe numbness, paralysis, and stuns, rather than burns.

    The yellow in the flower proves to us that the gel has already converted over to the cure for shocks, which means it''s time to hunt it.

    The trick, however, is to kill it without opening it up. If we open it up before it''s time to extract the gel, then the gel will go bad. Thankfully, Cam and I have experience fighting these things, so we know how to handle it.

    Rather than casting my lightning body spell for this fight, I leave myself normal. I also don''t summon up another spear, my old one lost after the last fight. Cam distances himself, as normal, and I draw in close.

    Turning, the plant monster looks at me, no doubt having felt my approach through the vibrations in the muddy ground, even though the mud should absorb it enough to prevent that. Its roots are rather impressive in that regard.

    When we first encountered these, Cam and I had no idea how to handle them. We ended up spoiling several of them before returning to town with the rest of our catches and asking the Elder Hunter for the information on them. It came with a fee, of course, but that''s how we found out the solution was rather simple.

    Until they reach Tier Three, that is, and this one seems to be Tier Two.

    Cam releases several bolts of lightning around him, drawing the monster''s attention long enough for me to get close to it without it attacking. Then, I use wind magic to pull it out of the mud. With it only a couple of feet in front of me, flipping it over and burning a knob-like protrusion under it is quite easy, though I have to use more sacred power for the fire because of the wind and the rain.

    Immediately, the monster''s limbs go limb, the monster dead. It turns out, that knob-like protrusion is its actual head ¨C it contains the monster''s brain. That means all we have to do is destroy that, and we''re able to use the gel, the roots, the flower, the thorns, and the flesh, not a bit of it wasted.

    At Tier Three, it becomes a bit more difficult, as that''s when they start to set their roots deep, making it tougher to pull them out.

    I place the monster in Cam''s basket, then we resume our hunt. We stop our trip only for a brief lunch under a tree, then return to the hunt. If we don''t, we''ll lose out on some stuff until the next big storm, and these deer pelts are especially useful in making jackets for repelling the rain.

    A little past our normal dinnertime, Cam and I return to town, the Gate welcoming us back before letting us inside. We make straight to Nick''s shop to pass off the fourteen deer we caught.

    "You got a big load this time," he comments. "You normally only return with six or seven."

    "We got lucky," I tell him. "They were especially active out there. Can you make sure to send the pelts to Greta so she can start on jackets?"

    "Sure thing," he tells me. "You boys get home and dry now, okay?"

    "We have another stop to make first," I tell him. "Then we''ll do that."

    "Good," he says. "Now hurry on, or you''ll catch cold."

    Cam and I nod, then leave and make our way to Hailey''s home. The alchemist answers when we knock on the back door, her shop closed.

    "We have some stuff for you," I say once she lets us inside, the back room her actual work room.

    "Thank you," she says as I start pulling the plant beasts out. "Ah, yes, those will prove most useful. I''ve begun to run out of the stuff I make with those."

    "We''re giving you half," Cam tells her. "And the other half are going to my Ma."

    "Alright," Hailey says. "It looks like you two managed a nice catch today. There are eight of them?"

    "Yes," I answer. "Four for you, four for Cam''s ma. The monsters seemed to be especially active today, possibly because of the storm''s intensity."

    "Okay," she says. "You two get home and get dry now, okay?"

    "We will," we tell her, then start making towards my home.

    "I''ll see you tomorrow," Cam tells me once we''re at the fork in the road where he leaves to head to his home, though the storm has picked up enough he has to nearly shout from right beside my ear. "Hopefully, the storm''s died down by then!"

    "See you tomorrow!" I respond.

    We walk to our homes, and when I arrive at mine, I remove my boots immediately, then pull off my basket and jacket. Cam will return his basket and the wraps and ropes in it when he stops by next.

    "Welcome back," Liam looks at me. "Well, you''re not all muddy this time, but you still need to go take a hot bath to warm up. I''ll make dinner while you do that."

    "You''ll burn dinner, more like," I tell him. "Give me twenty minutes, then I''ll get to work on dinner."

    "Okay," he tells me. "I put some clothes in the bathing room for you already. I''ll clean the mud off your boots."

    "Thanks," I tell him, then head to the bathing room.

    I pull off my shirt and drop it in the basket, then strip off my pants and hang them on a bar to dry before I run the bath and heat it up. I climb into the bath and lower myself down, feeling the hot water soaking into my chilled body.

    Closing my eyes, I think over the hunt today. Something was strange. I know I said the monster activity was because of the storm''s strength, but there''s some part of me that doubts that. Cam and I have hunted in storms this bad before, and the monsters weren''t this active.

    I''m probably still on edge because of the wolves, but it still worries me a little. Could it be a foreboding of some sort? Or did we just happen to come across a more active area today?

    Only the powers that be know. Just like only they know why I happened to come across that statue the day after Kris told me about a woman who made a pair of wings of light. Though that story''s been debunked if Kris was right about that book using only facts.

    Sinking all the way into the bath so that the hot water covers my head, I push my thoughts away from that stuff. I need to relax, not think about mysteries. I also need to make sure to not take too much time in here, or Liam will complain about how long it takes to get dinner.

 Chapter 015

    "Good morning, boys," the Gate greets us.

    "Good morning," I respond. "How do things look outside today?"

    The storm lasted through the night, but ended the morning after it began. That was two days ago, and we haven''t been outside since. Cam and I spent the last couple of days helping the townsfolk do some repairs caused by the wind in the storm, since we felt that was a little more important and a few extra pairs of hands would get things done faster.

    I''m pretty sure Liam helped, though it wasn''t anywhere near where Cam and I were, so I can''t say for sure what he was doing the repairs. Now that the town''s mostly fixed back up, we''re heading out, though since it''s been a few days and we just had a storm, I want to know how things look first.

    "There is a Swarm," the Gate answers.

    "A Swarm?" I''m unfamiliar with the term. "What is that?"

    "A Swarm is a Swarm," the Gate answers.

    That''s not helpful.

    "What does that mean?" Liam asks.

    "It means," I turn around. "That we go and ask the Elder Hunter. It''ll be problematic if he''s referring to a swarm of insects out there."

    We enter the Elder Hunter''s shop and find her sitting in her usual spot, a bowl of steaming oatmeal in front of her, a few berries in a dish beside it. As we step up to her table, she picks up a few berries and drops them into the oatmeal, then scoops them out along with some oatmeal using her spoon, eating them.

    "Welcome," she says after swallowing. "I had expected you to be leaving through the Gate."

    "The Gate mentioned that there''s a Swarm," I tell her. "And he usually doesn''t tell us when there''s a bunch of bugs out there, so I was hoping you could tell me what a Swarm is, and if we can deal with it or if we should."

    "A Swarm?" She asks. "That''s a once-in-thirty-years event for an area, so it''s not surprising you haven''t encountered one before. Now that I think about it, it has been around thirty years since the last Swarm here."

    "So what is it?" I ask. "Is it bad?"

    "In its own way," she adds a few more berries, scoops them and some more oatmeal out, and eats it, swallowing before speaking again. "A Swarm occurs when there''s an unnatural spawn rate. Let''s say there''s normally five hundred hares in a square-mile area right now due to the mating season. In a swarm, that could be anywhere from two to fifty times that. It can result from any monster, and around sixty percent of them tend to be included in the Swarm. It lasts anywhere from two weeks to three months.

    "Many monsters," she continues. "Also become much more aggressive in it, so you''ll see more monsters reaching higher Tiers as they devour their brethren and other monsters, and even non-aggressive monsters like Tier One hares, squirrels, and deer will attack just for you passing by.

    "Because of this," she informs us. "They will grow in Tier much more quickly than normal as they eat each other, and because of the increased spawn rate, more will appear to take the place of those slain."

    This sounds like something we should send for help for. My brother and his team should be reaching the next town in a few days, and we could potentially have a message waiting for them when they arrive. I''m sure they''d come back out to help us as soon as they receive word of this. They''ve no doubt dealt with Swarms before, too, since they travel a lot.

    "This is going to be a problem for us, isn''t it?" I ask. "It''s going to result in the formation of monsters we can''t handle."

    "Hm," she thinks for a few minutes, doing another berry-scoop-eat thing twice before nodding slightly. "You and Cam should be able to handle things, as long as you bring Liam back in the mornings during them and take care of another area in the afternoon. One benefit to a Swarm is that you''ll be able to gain at least one Level, and Cam might even gain two, even if it only lasts for two weeks. If it lasts the full three months some of the longer ones do, you''ll both gain at least five to seven Levels. Even Liam will gain a few Levels in just two weeks, and might reach Level 10 if it lasts for three months."

    Power Leveling, in a way. I know that some Hunters will power Level by ''helping'' in a fight against a monster several Tiers above what they can handle as much more capable Hunters fight it, then gain a little bit more experience towards their next Level from that.

    One downside to it is that they don''t have time to adjust to their new level of strength and sacred power, which can cause issues. They won''t be as experienced at using more strength or sacred power anymore, which can hurt them or their allies. Leveling too quickly can also make one physically ill, so Cam and I will need to watch out for that if this does last for too long, especially for Liam. Based on what the Elder Hunter said, he''s the most likely to be affected by the negative, since he''d be the one gaining the most Levels.

    "And if we don''t take care of a different area every day?" I ask the Elder Hunter.

    "It depends on how long it lasts," she answers. "Two weeks? You''ll find yourselves with a few Tier Fives to deal with. Maybe a Tier Six or two in the worst-case scenario. Three months? Well, there''s a good chance a Star-Level monster might form if you leave too big of an area untouched. If it drags on too long and you two don''t feel you can keep up with it, just inform me, and I''ll send a message to send some help. It''s best we don''t do that too early, or we might end up with a lot of Hunters out here looking just to Level quickly, and those sorts will cause problems for the town."

    "Okay," I say. "Is there any way to know early how long it might last?"

    "Luckily," she nods. "The greater the increase of monsters, the longer it will be. If you cannot take a step without stepping on a hare or rabbit once you leave the town, it''ll probably last three months. If there are a ton of hares and rabbits around, but still plenty of walking space, then it will most likely only last two, maybe three weeks."

    "Thank you," I tell her. "Have a good day, and enjoy your breakfast."

    "You enjoy your day as well," she tells me.

    Cam, Liam, and I leave and make our way back to the Gate, showing our brands before he opens the gate. There really are a lot of monsters out there. Not enough to prevent us from walking around without stepping on them, but definitely the more-than-one-every-thirty-square-yards for hares and squirrels each that is the norm. At least five times as many hares and squirrels, minimum.

    There are also plenty outside of the Gate, including some just beyond it.

    I hold out a hand, then send out a lightning discharge field that spans the width of the tunnel through the wall and stretches another twenty feet past it. The force of the attack sends hares and squirrels flying backwards as the lightning itself cooks them.

    "Good luck," the Gate says, despite being split in half.

    "That was awesome," Liam says.

    "It looks like," I say as we walk through the gate and out into the field between the hills. "It won''t be lasting three months for us. We''ll find out for sure from the Elder Hunter once we tell her how dense they are, but I''m hoping maybe three or four weeks at most."

    "Same here," Cam nods.

    "I don''t think I could hunt every day with this many," Liam says.

    The Gate closes behind us, then we get to work on cleaning up the fields and hills around town. Liam stays near us, using his spear to stab at any hares or squirrels that draw too close. Cam takes care of monsters in the distance, raining fire and lightning upon the hares, squirrels, and deer that are more than thirty or forty feet away, adding some range to the battle.

    Meanwhile, I attack everything between their ranges, sticking mostly to wind and fire, though using lightning discharges from time to time. The monsters really are aggressive, and some will see us from a distance, then charge towards us to attack.

    While no birds seem to be affected by the swarm, none attacking us and their numbers normal, the deer to appear to be affected, their numbers greater as well. Because these are a bunch of weak Tier One monsters, they''re rather easy for Cam and I to handle, even if Liam needs to rest his arms after around ten minutes of fighting, unable to hit consistently anymore.

    That doesn''t mean we can just leave them, though. As the Elder Hunter said, something like this is prime for creating stronger monsters. I''ve spotted a few times where a hare or squirrel was eating something''s heart. It''s already begun where they''re boosting themselves and getting stronger.

    And these are just the weak ones. There are stronger, more predatory beasts around, too, especially in the forest, the mud fields, and other places. We forgot to ask the range on this, so I''ll make sure to ask the Elder Hunter once we return.

    If the range is too far, then Cam and I will need to do what we can, but send for help after a bit. That, or spend a few months cleaning up the rest. Once the spawn rate returns to normal, that shouldn''t be too difficult.

    When I run low on sacred power, I pull a spear out of the ground and start attacking with it, slicing and slashing through every monster that comes at us as I recover. Cam starts to rest a few minutes after that to recover his own sacred power.

    Unlike Liam, the two of us are used to expending stamina and energy constantly in a fight, and since we''re using low-level spells for this, we don''t need to rest mentally as much. Once the two of us head to take care of some of the more difficult monsters, however, we''ll need to rest more often.

    Cam rejoins the fight after ten minutes of rest, and Liam rejoins a few minutes after that. I take my rest now that they''re both fighting again, even though I''ve recovered all of my sacred power.

    I lead us through a small loop across the fields and hills through the morning, rejoining the battle once I''m recovered enough. The loop ensures we clear out an open space in front of the Gate, though I can tell there are things already spawning again.

    We''ve never seen the spawns before, but with this Swarm, I''m able to. The hares and squirrels are rising up out of the ground, in bubbles of some mud-like substance that bursts into shadows, leaving behind the monster.

    It''s strange, to be sure, and I can tell Liam finds it creepy. We press on, though, taking rests when necessary, with Cam or me always fighting at once. Even if we clear out an area, we doubt we''d be able to stay there and just rest, with the way even hares and squirrels are attacking unprovoked.

    Come lunchtime, we finish the loop I brought us through and approach the Gate, killing the few squirrels and hares that spawned here.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    "Welcome back," he tells us. "Today is the first day of the Swarm. Be mindful of that."

    "Thank you," I tell him as he opens.

    We enter and make our way to the Elder Hunter''s shop, where I tell her the density.

    "Yes," she nods. "You are correct in your assumption. It will last around a month. Be careful in your hunts."

    "We will," I tell her. "Thank you."

    Liam gets appraised, though he hasn''t gained a new Level yet. It''s mostly so he doesn''t have to return here for his appraisal later. I''m sure we''ll soon wipe out her stores of money with the large number of monsters we''ll be fighting, even though she receives a shipment of it with every merchant group to replenish what she''s sent.

    "Do you know how far out this Swarm extends?" I ask the Elder Hunter.

    "No," she answers. "Though it can extend anywhere from three miles to ten."

    Our normal range is around five miles at most, as it''s as far as we can walk in a day with the terrain and be able to turn back around and still return home by dinner while still hunting monsters or collecting resources for the townsfolk.

    "Okay," I tell her. "We''ll try to assess the full range, though if it extends further out than we can safely travel, Cam and I might do a few camps to handle things after it ends."

    "Good luck," she tells me.

    "Have a good day," I tell her, then the three of us leave and walk to my house for lunch.

    "Cam and I are heading back out," I tell Liam. "We''re going to head somewhere else and deal with more monsters, okay?"

    "Okay," he says. "Good luck, and stay safe."

    "We''ll do our best," I tell him.

    Cam and I leave, heading back outside of town. I summon a spear from the ground, spending a little more time on the spell to make it tougher, and Cam gives me a curious look at that.

    "So that I don''t have to summon it up again," I tell him. "Before we get to where we''re going. I''ll revert to my usual fighting style once we get there."

    "Should we head to the mud fields first?" He asks. "Since it''s a closer area?"

    "Yeah," I answer. "We can see how much it''ll take us to deal with them, the hares and squirrels aren''t as heavy around them normally, so we should be fine resting up outside of the mud fields, too."

    "Okay."

    We walk to the mud fields, slaying monsters on our way and taking turns resting. The number of monsters do lighten up as we draw closer to the mud fields, but it''s always been lighter for some reason. Neither of us have questioned it, since it''s really only the plains and fields in front of town or an area like the mud fields where there are constant amounts of monsters around.

    When we arrive at the mud fields, we find it a bloody, muddy battlefield. There are dozens of mudhounds just attacking each other, dozens of mudhares finding themselves food for the mudhounds, several snails of greater size, several snakes slithering through the mud before striking out at monsters, and more.

    "By the powers that be," Cam grunts. "I forgot that the mudfields were naturally full of monsters. This isˇ­ wow."

    "Yeah," I say. "It''s pretty brutal, and look ¨C there are more spawning, too."

    "There are a few Tier Threes," he comments. "Nothing stronger yet. In the fields, the toughest things were Tier Two, and those weren''t common."

    "The fields weren''t as populated as here," I say. "And not as full of natural predators as this place. I suppose we can expect something like this anywhere we go that''s like this. We''ll need to check on one or two of them every day, minimum. I''m sure it''ll take a week or so for them to reach Tier Five, even with this level of viciousness, but still."

    Even if they reached Tier Three in the however many hours since this began, every Tier still takes longer to reach. And as they grow stronger, so does their competition, making it more difficult for them to eat the stronger hearts, and the weaker ones become less of a boost with every Tier.

    With many monsters going for strength, that will decrease the number of prey around as well, even with the abnormal spawn rate. That works in our favor, as it does still put a natural limit on how powerful things are and how quickly they will become more powerful.

    Strategically speaking, it would be best if Cam and I cleared up several of these places over the next week, then returned and did them in order again. The stronger monsters will likely be Tier Four or Tier Five, but we''ll have both likely gained a Level. If not, we''ll still have both gotten stronger in scared power.

    Then once that is done, we can move on to an area we did not hunt and start taking care of the Tier Four and Tier Five monsters there. It is unlikely anything would become Tier Six inside of two months.

    Unless, of course, we have the worst-case scenario the Elder Hunter spoke of and we come across a Tier Six. The chances of that happening are only high if something was already Tier Five, though. Right now, everything we were hoping to bring to Tier Five to fight was Tier Four.

    There''s always the possibility one manages to consume enough to reach Tier Six inside of a month, but Cam and I will plan our route to cover most of those areas in this first week of hunting. All, if possible.

    We can do the planning when we return home tonight, though he''s probably thinking about it right now.

    "Are you ready?" I ask Cam.

    "I am," he answers.

    "Lightning works best here," I remind him. "Though use fire as well."

    "I will," he nods. "I''ll back you up, as always."

    "Thank you," I say, then step forward.

    Holding out a hand, I pull out as much water from the mud as I can. I bring it close to me, then turn it into dozens of needles of ice, which I then launch at the monsters as I step onto the mostly-dried earth. Several of the snails get to work on the earth, doing their best to wet it back into mud, and Cam attacks them with bolts of fire.

    Drawing out more water from more of the mud, I repeat my previous attack, protecting myself from several mudhounds which chose to attack me. A snake that was caught in the dried earth hisses at me, and I send an icicle its way before turning more of the water in the mud into a spear, keeping it contaminated with some of the mud. So rather than a white-and-clear spear, it''s that with a bit of brown to it.

    I cast my lightning body spell, then begin attacking at the monsters drawing close, my lightning traveling along the spear and into them, eliciting yelps from some and stunning others.

    At the same time, I throw fireballs at various enemies, and Cam keeps up his support, attacking any monsters that come into my blind spot. Normally, I''m able to keep track of all monsters around me, but there are simply too many here for that, so I''m grateful for Cam''s presence.

    As I fight, I have to switch to just using the spear, which holds up better than I expected, to recover sacred power. Twice, I have to do that before the battle ends, then, I return to Cam. Monsters are spawning again already, but we took care of everything that was there. They''ll resume their slaughter once it starts becoming too packed for comfort.

    Because the strongest were Tier Three monsters, the battle wasn''t difficult for me. Even without strategy hunting, that is where my strength and sacred power puts me at being able to handle alone or with only one fellow Hunter helping. If there were as many Tier Fours there as there were Tier Threes, the might battle might have been a fair bit more taxing.

    Hopefully, we don''t have to face too many Tier Fours before we gain another Level or two. That''s likely all I''ll need to be able to use my sacred weapon long enough in an area like this with a swarm of Tier Fours.

    "Are you okay?" Cam asks as he immediately gets to healing a gash on my left arm. "I didn''t see this one happen."

    "I''m fine," I tell him, only now noticing the injury myself. "Ow."

    "Sit down," he pulls on my arm so that I''ll sit as he does. "Let''s rest a bit. Even if we''re used to fighting, that still went a lot longer than you''re used to."

    "It did," I look at the mud fields. "It''s strange. Even with the increased aggression, they won''t just come over and attack us, even though we''re only fifteen feet away from the edge of the mud fields."

    A mudhound which spawned after I stepped out is at the edge of the mud fields, watching us, but it''s not attacking. As Cam heals my arm, I watch the mudhound, which turns and leaves. If we had attacked it, it would have come over to us, but not before then.

    "Who knows?" Cam asks as I turn my head to look at him heal a scrape on my right knee. "Monsters are mysterious creatures."

    "That, they are," I turn my attention back to the mud fields. "It''s already turning back to mud, too."

    "Yeah," he says. "It always does, doesn''t it? That can''t be helped, though. Not with a river flowing into it."

    "Right," I say. "I''m sure you thought of something I thought of, too, Cam."

    "You mean about areas with naturally high concentrations of monsters, like here?" He asks, and I nod. "Yeah, I did. I also thought about the monsters were were leaving so they''d hit Tier Five at some point. I can think of ten that were at Tier Four. We should visit their areas as well as areas that have dense populations already, and take care of them first."

    "I agree with that," I tell him. "There are a few we can reach within an hour of here. Let''s head to where Sammy is, she should be easy to kill, since there aren''t many monsters in that area naturally."

    Which means there won''t be many monsters above Tier One or Tier Two. Sammy is a goat that lounges on some boulders on a cliff nearby, with not much else around her. Even with the swarm, there won''t be much more present than normal, and we could clear them all out in just a few minutes, then take on Sammy.

    "Sounds like a plan," Cam tells me.

    "Alright," I say. "Let''s rest up a few more minutes, then get going."

    After ten minutes, we feel ready enough to move out, so we stand and make our way to Sammy, passing by a small grove of trees where we''re attacked by a herd of twenty deer that we dispatch with wind and fire, but other than that, not much of note happens in the trip. We do still kill monsters on the way, but only the deer were really notable.

    When we reach Sammy, she''s standing on her boulders, with several carcasses around her. The goat herself is five feet to her shoulders, with grey fur streaked with brown, her curled horns a dark brown color. An extra pair of straight horns protrude from the top of her head, beside the curled horns and being her ears. As with most monsters that have gained a Tier, she probably has either two tails or a split tail.

    The Tier Five goat takes one look at us and belches.

    "Looks like Sammy took care of the monsters," I tell Cam, who nods. "Water magic works best on her, since she''s a gaia goat, even if she doesn''t have the stone armor the gaia wolf had."

    "I''ll leave the fighting to you," he tells me. "And focus on healing."

    Sammy lets out a bleat, then slams a hoof into the rocks, indicating she is about to jump and charge. I hold up both hands and release two torrents of water at her, pushing her back a little bit. Since I''m already muddy, and I know Cam won''t mind it, I use the spell to convert the ground from earth to mud, then pass the hold of the spell to Cam so he can continue the conversion. This should make it more difficult for Sammy to charge at us.

    She seems to sense this, as after taking just one look at the muddying area, she raises up both front hooves and slams them onto her boulder. A stone rises up in the mud, large enough for her to jump on.

    Wonderful.

    But workable.

    I let Sammy jump into the air, then I release several slashes of high-pressure water at the stone, splitting it into pieces. Sammy bleats at me as she lands, unable to avoid another slash of water I sent her way. Because of the broken stone, she stumbles, one of her hooves catching in one of the gaps, and the slash of water slams into her, cutting into her leg and side. I release several more as she pulls her hoof free and hops off the stone, one of my attacks catching her in the hindquarters.

    Keeping up the attack, I don''t let Sammy have a moment of rest to pull up another stone, and the mud makes it impossible for her to charge at me, sucking at her hooves with every step she attempts to take.

    I hear the sound of fireballs hitting something behind me, so assume Cam is temporarily occupied watching my back. At least the muddying spell finished already.

    Releasing high-pressure burst of water one after another, I push Sammy back towards the boulders, then get an idea. Her fur is dirty from dirt in general and blood from monsters she ate before we arrive. While I''ve washed some of it off, there''s plenty of contaminants there.

    Snapping, I release a small bolt of lightning at her, the crack of thunder filling the air as my spell flashes forward, striking the goat in the stomach as she reared back to summon another stone. Sammy convulses for a few seconds, and I take advantage of her momentary paralysis to strike at her with several more bolts of lightning, the contaminated water on her fur serving to spread the shocks to deal more damage to her.

    Once I''m sure she''s not getting back up for a few minutes, I slowly work my way forward, still cautious of her. Because she''s Tier Five, it''s possible she''s recovered a little faster than expected.

    At the edge of the boulders, I manifest my sacred weapon and charge it with the power of water. The white marks on the shaft and the silver marks on the head turn a deep blue the moment the element fills the weapon, showing that it''s active.

    Sammy starts to scramble back to her hooves, confirming that she recovered much more quickly than she would have before.

    It''s too late, though, as I''m right in front of her. I thrust the spear forward, a trail of water following it even with it being just a thrust. My spear pierces her right in her ribs, and Sammy lets out a pained bleat. Not wanting to leave her in pain too long, I pull out my spear, and once she drops down, I thrust it forward again, piercing her heart and ending her life.

    Already heavily-drained of sacred power from the muddying spell and increasing the power of my water spells enough to affect her, I release my spear, then look at Cam.

    "Alright," I tell him. "I think that''s enough for today. We''ll be reaching the Gate close to sundown now, with how long it takes to get there from here and factoring in monster attacks."

    "Let''s head back," he agrees. "I feel exhausted from fighting so much more than normal, and you look exhausted."

    "I''m exhausted," I confirm. "A hot bath will be very welcome. And a hot meal."

    "I''ll cook something up for us and Liam while you take a bath," he tells me. "I''ll let Ma and Pa know that I''ll probably be at your place more, to make it easier on you and Liam during this Swarm."

    "Thanks," I walk back towards him. "Let''s go."

 Chapter 016

    "Please impart unto me," Liam groans as he plops himself into a chair at the table. "Words of great wisdom, O Great Masters. How is it you two manage to just keep going for so long without the strength of your spells faltering?"

    "What do you mean?" I ask as I get to work preparing lunch and Cam sits down to rest as well.

    Liam groans, stretching his arms out across the table as he leans onto it, letting his head and shoulders rest on the table.

    "Even when you two run low on sacred power," he says. "Your spells seem to be as strong as always. You two took care of a Tier Three right before you went on a rest because you were low, and your spells were doing just as much damage to it as they did to another Tier Three. Mine get weaker when I get low on sacred power, because I can''t muster up enough to keep it at their normal strength."

    "Ah!" Cam gives me a surprised look of realization. "We forgot!"

    "Yeah," I snort. "We forgot."

    "Forgot?" Liam asks. "What does forgetting have to do with your secret?"

    "Cam and I," I tell him. "Don''t allow ourselves to drop below around ten percent of our sacred power. Because of how much we have, we can keep up basic spells even below that, but we always keep ourselves at higher than percent when possible. The only time recently I''ve actually gone lower than that was when I fought the gaia wolf."

    "Wa-wa-wa-wait," Liam looks up and stares a me. "You mean that when you two are resting to recover your sacred power, you''re still able to keep going as you were?"

    "For a little bit, yes," I answer, measuring out rice before rinsing it to prepare for cooking. "We do that to ensure we can still fight for a bit even if something stronger attacks. It also prevents us from over-taxing our mind. With our current levels of control for sacred power and how much we have, we could actually drop below five percent before our moderately-powerful spells start to drop in power."

    "Sorry," Cam tells Liam. "It''s been so long since we learned to do that, it''s become second-nature to us. We thought your exhaustion and weakening was because you''ve only been a Hunter for a couple of weeks."

    Liam groans, letting his head rest on the table, and I resume my cooking in silence as I try to think over anything else Cam and I might have forgotten to tell Liam. I can''t think of anything by the time I put our food out on the table, but I know we might come up with something at some point.

    "You hit Level 3 today," I say to Liam as I take my seat. "That''s pretty fast, but also because of the Swarm increasing monster counts and your kills and fighting experience. Normally, you''d be able to very well feel your sacred power amount by now, having grown used to it over a few months. However, you also have a lot of meditation practice. Can you feel it?"

    "Yes," Liam nods.

    "Can you feel it during battle?" I ask. "When you aren''t drawing on it for spells?"

    "Sort of," he answers, scrunching up his face in thought. "It''s, um, it feels vague, like when you know someone is watching you from somewhere, but you can''t actually see them."

    "Try to learn to gauge the distance they''re viewing you from," I tell him. "Try to be aware of it at all times. Learn to feel the actual amount, not just its presence, at all times. This will help you learn to tell when your sacred power is low, even right after you gain a Level. That way, you aren''t relying on how strong your spells are to know."

    "Also," Cam adds. "Keep in mind that you''ll still have weaker spells before you hit ten percent, since your amount of sacred power is low. Don''t compensate for that by using more sacred power to bring it back up to normal."

    "What if it''s a big fight?" Liam asks.

    "Especially not then," I tell him. "Not unless you are absolutely, one hundred percent certain you will end the fight with that blow or will be able to continue fighting after. Otherwise, you may find yourself low on sacred power and unable to continue fighting."

    "But you didn''t do that when you were fighting the gaia wolf," Liam says. "You kept attacking anyway."

    "I believed I was going to die," I shake my head. "In a situation where everything seemed hopeless. I was fighting a monster many times stronger than me, surrounded by many more monsters of greater fighting power. I was about to be killed. In that case, I was attempting to weaken the gaia wolf, refusing to die without giving my all. That''s a different situation than a standard fight."

    "So," Liam frowns as he thinks about it. "In normal fights against stronger monsters, don''t do that, but when death is certain, it''s okay?"

    "Yes," I nod. "Because if you''re going to die for sure, then it''s best to give your all."

    "Okay."

    "Now," I tell him. "Let''s eat! You need to rest, and Cam and I need to head back out to continue reducing populations."

    Liam nods, then the three of us begin eating our lunch. Liam gets to work cleaning the dishes as Cam and I leave, returning to the Gate.

    "Welcome back," the Gate greets us.

    "Thank you," I say as Cam and I pull our collars down to reveal our brands. "May we leave?"

    "You may," the Gate responds.

    I release a lightning discharge at the few hares and squirrels that have spawned outside the Gate, then Cam and I leave and make our way south, crossing the river. We take care of whatever monsters get in our path, but conserve most of our energy as we travel to a glade an hour into the forest.

    At some point, he and I will need to leave Liam home one day so we can go further out and take care of a couple of worrisome spots. We''re sure they have Tier Fives at them, and possibly a Tier Six at one. But before then, we want for me to hit Level 20 first, and that''s two Levels away. The strength and sacred power boost of two more Levels will be largely beneficial to me there. We''re hoping Cam hits Level 16 as well. He''s close to hitting Level 15, we believe, so maybe another week and a half. Two weeks, at most.

    However, we plan on going to those worrisome distanced locations at the end of this second week cycle for our hunts. We''re on the ninth day of the Swarm now, so we''re on the second day of the second week of our rotation. In six days, Cam and I are going to take care of those, regardless of our Levels. I''ll at least be Level 19 for sure, since I know I''m close to it.

    When Cam and I reach the glade, we find a pack of foxes in it. There are twenty-four of them total, with two larger ones at Tier Five and six others at Tier Four. The rest are Tier Two or Tier Three, and are pouncing on any monster that spawns, ripping out their hearts and eating them almost immediately.

    At least, of what doesn''t flee upon spawning and seeing that. Some of those are targeted by the larger, more powerful foxes, but for the most part, those eight simply watch the others.

    "Damn," Cam mutters. "It only took a week for them to do this."

    We already knew this was happening due to the mud fields, where we had to fight around thirty Tier Fours and one Tier Five yesterday. There were two that might have been close to Tier Five, but the sheer viciousness of the monsters and the dense population meant they weren''t always able to get the enough of the fresh heart in order to gain the power ups.

    Here, on the other hand, it looks like the pack worked as a team to protect itself and take control of the glade. Foxes are a little more intelligent than mudhounds, after all, and they''re the more dangerous monster that lives in this glade and area. Because of that, it makes sense they would manage this in under a weak.

    "It''s a good thing we decided on this rotation," I activate my lightning body spell. "Otherwise, this might have been more troublesome by the time we came to take care of it. You ready for this?"

    "As ready as can be."

    I step forward, and the moment I enter the glade, all eight powerful fox monsters turn to look at me, something that''s always bothered me as being unnatural.

    The Tier Fours are at eye-level with me when a typical bear for this region might look directly at my chest when standing on all fours, and these ones also have four tails each. Their white-and-brown fur is streaked with green, their paws entirely brown. All six of them have a row of spikes down their back as well.

    Both of the Tier Fives stand a full head taller than me just to their shoulders while on their all four legs, and have five tails each. The silver strikes in their fur are gone, though the green is more prominent, and their eyes are silver. Their tails are a mix of green and brown, with some silver, but no white. Their fur is shorter than the other foxes'' fur, and their undersides are lacking fur entirely, having hardened skin to protect their chests and stomachs instead.

    With a step, I begin my assault, bolting forward. The Tier Fours and Tier Fives will manage to keep up with me, but the Tier Twos and Tier Threes cannot, my speed too high with this spell active. One of the Tier Fives moves to intercept me as I circle around, releasing spells of wind, fire, and water at the weaker monsters.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    A bolt of lightning flashes from the trees, a clap of thunder fills the air, and the Tier Five is pushed to the side. Cam can barely hurt these things, but he can still push them with the force of his lightning. That alone is enough of a distraction to help me.

    My initial wave of attacks impact the monsters, and I keep moving, releasing more spells. Cam continues distracting the Tier Fives as I kill the weaker foxes, the Tier Fours doing their best to come at me and him as we release our spells.

    We manage to keep the Tier Fours away, and Cam''s lightning keeps the Tier Fives away. These monsters don''t seem to be using magic, but they''re making up for it with strength and resiliency.

    A Tier Four makes it past my defenses, biting down on my arm, then stiffening up from the lightning. I strike it twice in the head, then wrap my hand in bladed wind before punching into its skull, the spell allowing me to pierce clean through. Summoning a wind wall to block another Tier Four that took advantage of my distraction, I pry the first one off my arm, then raise a stone spike in front of me to impale the second Tier Four.

    A useful trick, but I can only do it close by, unlike that gaia wolf. It also won''t be effective against the Tier Fives, and by how little of it is in the Tier Four, it looks like their undersides are already becoming tough. Or at least, that one''s was, it could be closer to reaching Tier Five than the others.

    "Behind you!" Cam hollers, and I spin to find that one of the Tier Fours has moved behind me.

    It must have used an attack by something else as cover to slip back into the forest. With my enhanced speed, I''m able to step to the side as it lunges at me, and I bring up a foot and kick it in the side. The monster yelps, tumbling back onto the ground, and I flick a hand forward, throwing a bolt of fire at its head.

    My attack strikes, but I''m already sending blades of wind at its neck and legs as well.

    "Swap!" I call, then move towards the Tier Fives Cam is managing to push back.

    Cam stops his assault and runs towards the Tier Four I wounded, and I close my eyes and push my hands forward, releasing a pair of bolts of lightning at the wolves. Thunder booms, deafening me as the air shakes and the smell of ozone fills my ears. These bolts were a lot larger and more powerful than Cam. Immediately after releasing the spells, I open my eyes again, only faint bright spots in my vision from the flashes of lightning.

    The foxes, on the other hand, are quite blinded by the spell, the force of which shoved them back several feet, stunned them, and left burns in their fur much bigger than Cam''s spells were. With me having taken out two of the Tier Fours and badly wounding another, Cam should be able to handle the rest, so it''s time for me to take on these two.

    I''m too weak to actually fight two Tier Fives at once, but because of the gaia wolf, I have another weapon at my disposal. Drawing on my sacred power, I manifest my spear, infusing it with lightning to match my lightning body spell.

    As the closer Tier Five returns to its feet, I begin stabbing and slashing with the spear. Its fur seems to lessen some of the impact, and its hide is rather tough, but I just increase the force I use, increase the strength of the lightning I''m channeling into the spear.

    The second Tier Five fox attacks, and I raise a stone wall in its path, causing the monster to crash into it as it lunges. That''s bought me a few second seconds, and I take advantage of them by stabbing the first Tier Five twice more, finally managing to render one of its forelegs useless.

    A Tier One fox spawns a few feet away, and the Tier Five I stopped with the stone wall goes after it as I continue my assault on the first. The second one eats the new one, and I watch as one of the slight burns from Cam''s spell fades a little.

    Oh, crap. These ones know that if they eat others while wounded, they''ll heal a little. It''s not something many monsters figure out, and it means this fight might get a little tougher. I need to work faster, or I''ll burn through most of my remaining sacred power using my sacred weapon.

    As I stab the first Tier Five again, a static discharge fills the glade, killing several of the weaker monsters that have spawned since our fight began. It dances across me, my own lightning body countering it where it touches, protecting me and my clothes.

    Thank you, Cam. Looks like he realized that as well.

    With another stab, I manage to slice the Tier Five''s throat, and the other Tier Five jumps into the air, likely to avoid being stopped by a stone wall again and trusting its underside to protect it from my spear.

    I flip my grip on the spear and form bladed wind around the spearhead, before taking aim and throwing it at the Tier Five in the air. Lightning trails behind it, light thunder echoing out, and I don''t waste time watching the spear before I charge at the first Tier Five, my steps taking me out of the landing zone.

    Not giving the first Tier Five anymore time to recover from the cut in its neck, I push a hand forward, sending a spike of swirling, swift-moving wind at the injury. When I hear a thump behind me, I spin around and hold out my hand, summoning my spear back to me.

    The weapon wrenches out of the Tier Five''s stomach and flies back into my hand, a trick I learned from the Elder Hunter a few days ago. A free piece of advice she gave me, that we can always call our sacred weapons back to us so long as there is a clear path.

    The bladed wind is gone, and the lightning charge is almost out, so I infuse it with more lightning magic, then stab the fox in the neck, driving my weapon further into it than I managed with the other fox.

    Twisting, I pull my spear out and stab the Tier Four that came after my leg, missing my mark a little and feeling the fox''s teeth where it pierces my pants just above my boots. As my blade travels through the fox''s side, it stiffens up, paralyzed. I quickly pull my blade out and kick the fox in the head with my good food to knock it off of me and onto its side, before stabbing it through the neck, killing it.

    "Sorry!" Cam calls as I feel his light magic work on fixing my leg, despite him still releasing fire and lightning as he fights the other two Tier Fours left.

    Turning back to my fight, I move towards the first Tier Five, which is beginning to bleed out, but is returning to its paws, anyway. My leg healed, I lunge forward, driving my spear into the fox''s chest with as much force as I can manage. As I pull my spear out, the fox dropping to the ground, I feel my strength and sacred power increase. Looks like I reached Level 19 now.

    If everything goes like this the next five days, I might just hit Level 20, though not all of our targets are as intelligent and able to work as a team as foxes, so we might not have to deal with monsters this strong.

    Without waiting a moment after killing the first Tier Five, I turn my attention back to the second. These things are able to take neck wounds pretty well, and it''s attempting to reach the Tier Four I killed. Gesturing, I raise a stone wall to block its path.

    Even if it''s still moving, it can''t move as fast as before.

    I also need to end this quickly, because I''m running low on sacred power.

    Lunging forward, I thrust my spear forward several times, jabbing the Tier Five repeatedly, driving it back to the ground. Then, I pull back, and with as much strength as possible, drive my spear into the fox''s chest. This one''s body wasn''t as weakened as the other''s, and my spear doesn''t go all the way to its heart, the fox letting out a pained mewl as my attack pierces its lung.

    At least the lightning has paralyzed it, so that it isn''t feeling too much pain. Adjusting my grip, I drive the spear further in, then do that again, succeeding in piercing its heart. The fox goes limp, and I release my sacred weapon, the spear vanishing.

    Ending my lightning body spell, I look at Cam, who is finishing off the last of the Tier Fours as well. Once he does, we make sure to the destroy the hearts of everything while killing the spawns with low-level spells, then we climb onto one of my stone walls to rest and recover our sacred power.

    "Sorry about your leg," Cam says as he works on healing my arm from the fox that bit it back towards the start of the fight.

    "It''s fine," I say. "You can''t keep track of everything, and you noticed immediately."

    "Only because I was keeping check on you for injuries," he tells me. "How do you do it?"

    "Do what?" I ask.

    "Keep going with the pain," he answers. "I get hurt, it hurts pretty bad. You get hurt, you just keep going."

    "Adrenaline, partly," I answer. "And I''m used to taking blows from monsters. You''re used to striking from the edge of battle."

    "Right," he nods.

    "By the way," I say. "You might want to take care of your side. When the adrenaline wears off, it''s going to hurt pretty bad."

    "My side?" Cam looks at his side as he continues healing my arm. "Ow."

    He stops healing my arm and moves his hands to the claw marks in his side. A fox probably swiped him while he wasn''t looking, and the adrenaline is keeping him from feeling the pain. It wears off as he heals himself, and Cam hisses through his teeth at the pain.

    "That really stings," he tells me as he continues his healing.

    "I figured," I tell him. "You can fix up my arm once you''ve recovered more sacred power after that."

    "Sorry," he says.

    "Take care of yourself first," I tell him, then look out across the forest.

    Something is watching us. Cam hasn''t noticed it, so it''s not too close yet, but it''s there, watching. Judging by the fact that it''s merely watching, and the feel of the gaze, I''d say it''s probably Tier Five. There''s also potential for it to be a Tier Six.

    If it''s the latter, we are out of here immediately. We''re too exhausted to deal with it at the moment, even if I can use a sacred weapon. Even though I can''t fight a Tier Six normally, a sacred weapon adds that much extra power to a fight that I should be able to handle a Tier Six if I''m fighting fresh.

    Thankfully, we''ve not seen any signs that flying monsters are affected by the Swarm, so we should be able to fly away at least some. Even if the flying monsters can dodge our spells for the most part, we should still be able to put a fair bit of distance between us and this monster, if it''s a Tier Six.

    Once he''s recovered most of his sacred power, Cam mends the rest of my injuries, then looks around.

    "How long has it been there?" He asks.

    It''s drawn close enough for him to notice. That means we may have to fight it soon, if it decides to attack.

    "About fifteen minutes."

    "Tier Five," he says. "Maybe lower Tier Six? Former we fight, latter we leave to recover and come back fresh, now that you have a sacred weapon?"

    "Yes," I say. "It''s drawing close, and will probably be here in two or three minutes."

    Cam nods, then we keep our attention on where it''s coming from. After two minutes, it makes its presence known.

    A bear with dark brown fur, walking on all fours. It''s positively massive, though, and would likely be at least three times as tall as I am if it stood on its hind legs. It has two tails and four ears, with a third eye on its forehead, between its two normal eyes. A single, black horn protrudes from its head just behind the third eyes, slightly-glossy in appearance. Scales of stone cover its joints and its spine, much like the gaia wolf''s protection. A gaia bear.

    Based on its sized and several distinguishing features, it''s a Tier Six. Unfortunately, there''s one thing that tells Cam and me we are not going to be able to escape this thing by flying.

    Namely, the pair of long wings covered in brown feathers tucked against its back, with barely a gap between them for us to see the stone protection of the bear''s spike. While I can''t judge the wingspan with the wings tucked in, I can tell it can fly.

    Any monster that doesn''t normally have wings that does knows wind magic, and will use it to fly.

    "There goes that plan," Cam says. "Looks like we''ll be dipping below ten percent here."

    "Yup," I respond. "Let''s see what it does first. Hopefully, it waits another minute or two."

    Cam won''t be able to do a thing to this, and only my sacred weapon will allow me to hurt it in any meaningful way. He''ll need to remain on backup, healing me when necessary. His lightning won''t even be able to push this beast, its weight alone will keep it anchored.

    "It''ll be a struggle," Cam says. "But you''ll manage."

    "Yup," I tell him. "Just make sure to heal every big injury I get."

    "Make sure to keep it from attacking me, since it''ll realize I''m going to keep the attacker fighting."

    "Will do," I stretch a little, then we begin the wait for the bear to make the first move.

 Chapter 017

    For several minutes, the bear snuffles around the glade, examining the corpses in the hopes of finding a fresh heart. Since everything here has been dead for more than five minutes and Cam and I ensured the hearts were destroyed, it fails to find anything that would qualify.

    That gives both of us enough time to recover the rest of our sacred power.

    Now that the flying gaia bear has finished examining everything, it turns its attention to us. We could have attempted to escape during its checks, but neither of us had a doubt it was keeping track of us. It was prepared to act the moment we attempted to flee.

    The fresh hearts of Hunters are a monster''s preferred snack, especially once they''re more powerful, such as a Tier Six monster.

    Opening its maw, the bear lets out a sonic roar, which I counter with my own sonic roar. The bear''s is much stronger than mine, however, and Cam and I are knocked off the stone wall. We catch ourselves with flight magic as the upper portion of the stone wall breaks from the bear''s attack, then land in time for the bear to charge through the stone wall, its head tilted to the side to protect its eyes and maw from the impact.

    A gust of wind around the bear''s face pushes the dust away, and it rears back on its hind legs as Cam takes several steps back. Until Cam heals me, the bear will focus on me, especially since I''m the one who did the countering. For now, it perceives me as the threat.

    But it''s a Tier Six, which makes it intelligent enough to notice a healer is around and needing dealt with. Once that happens, I''ll need to act to ensure it keeps its attention on me.

    Holding out my right hand, I summon my sacred weapon. The flying gaia bear uses earth and wind magics, so fire and water would be the way to go for harming it. I could use lightning, but that''s not its bane, so it won''t be as effective.

    As I infuse my spear with water magics, the white on the shaft and silver on the head turn a deep, rich blue, and I chill the water magic to a frosty temperature, a cold mist forming around the head of the spear.

    Jabbing forward, I manage to slice into the bear''s maw before it swipes at the spear, the force of the impact jarring my arm. Recovering, I begin my assault, a frosty trail following behind my spear as I attack.

    The bear roars as I attack, then stands on its hind legs and extends its wings, flapping them twice. A powerful gale slams into me, sending me tumbling back, and I use a bit of wind magic to catch myself.

    Folding its wings back against its back, the bear lets itself drop back down to all-fours, and when its paws strike the ground, a wall of stone rises up behind me, slamming into my back and sending me stumbling forward.

    Nearly losing my grip on my spear, I catch myself, then move away from the wall, attacking the bear with my spear as I do. When the monster opens its mouth, I hold out my left hand and unleash a torrent of fire, then jump into the air, using wind magic to fly.

    The bear releases a focused gust of air from its mouth to protect itself from the flames, then slams a paw into the ground. Spikes rise up from the ground and fly towards me, even without the monster looking at me. Somehow, it was able to track me.

    Using my spear, I strike at the spikes, knocking them out of the air, then I fly to the side as the bear extends its wings and flaps them once before taking off into the air. I''m pretty sure it doesn''t need to flap them, since it''s using magic to fly, just like me.

    Soaring forward, the bear attempts to swipe at me, and I shift to the side, striking with my spear, which cuts into its paw. The bear snarls, and I feel the wind assaulting me, cutting into me on all sides as dozens of wind blades form in all directions around me.

    Hissing, I unleash a vortex of fire around me to burn through the air, warping it with the heat. That lightens the blow, but I need to end this soon. My sacred power is draining rather fast because of the spear, which is the only thing I have which can hurt it. I''m too weak for my magic to cause direct damage.

    The attack ends, and a moment later, the bear slams into me. It performed a full-body tackle into its bane, likely realizing I couldn''t see as a result of the vortex. My spell ends as my concentration is broken, and the bear brings us both back to the ground as I stab and jab at it with my spear.

    We impact the ground, my entire body erupting into pain as bones break, and I immediately feel light magic at work, fixing me up immediately. Using condensed wind, I do my best to protect myself from the claws and maw of the bear as Cam heals me, hidden somewhere to avoid being seen by the bear.

    At least, I think that''s his plan, but it seems to fail. The bear pulls off of me and looks off in one direction, and I feel the healing falter. Then, the bear starts making its way in that direction, before charging.

    The healing falters again, but Cam keeps it up, and the moment I''m able to, I rise and throw my spear, a frosty trail following it. My weapon slices into the bear''s rump, and the monster lets out a roar as it twists around.

    Holding out my hand, I summon the spear back to me, then immediately throw it again as the bear continues on its path. This time, it shifts to the side just enough to cause my spear to miss. Despite its large frame, it can move fast when it wants to.

    As soon as my spear misses, I hold out a hand and summon it back, then throw it again. I repeat this until the bear returns its attention to me, the monster slamming both front paws into the ground. The moment it begins that movement, I realize what it''s planning on doing and use air magic to launch myself forward, just in time to avoid being struck by the stone wall it attempted to summon behind me.

    With the bear''s attention back on me, I continue my assault. Using wind magic to jerk myself around, I manage to avoid most of the bear''s attacks, but it''s not easy. The bear continues to manage to strike me with its paws, stone spikes, and stone walls.

    One out of every six of my attacks manage to land, and the bear is doing its best to avoid giving me a clean. Despite that, I still manage to wear it down as it wears me down. My sacred power starts to drop below ten percent as I deflect more stone spikes with my spear, but I feel confident I can end this soon.

    Wrapping the head of my spear in fire, even as I keep up the water infusion, I watch as blue flames swirl around the spearhead, touches of white directly around the metal. I can feel the intensity of the heat, the power that comes from infusing my spear and wrapping magic around it.

    Hopeful, I cancel the infusion as I evade being struck by a stone wall, the bear charging at me. It predicted my movement. I have a pattern, and the bear figured it out. Do I always move to the left? That must be it.

    Infusing my spear with fire, the markings turning crimson, I watch as the flames grow more intense, and I thrust my spear forward, striking into the bear''s shoulder as it tackles me to the ground. It snarls, then lifts its head up and howls in pain as I push the spear more.

    Fire spreads from the contact point, rippling across the bear''s fur as I push more power into it, burning through more sacred power to fuel the spear''s effect. The smell of burnt flesh fills my nostrils, and I keep at it.

    Gathering up sacred power, I form a layer of thick air over me, then push it up, angled slightly away from me. The bear is launched back, my shoulder wrenching out of its socket as my spear is forcefully removed from the monster, my grip tight.

    Hissing, I sit up and pick up the spear with my good hand, infuse it with lightning as I wrap more around the head, then I throw the spear, a trail of sparks following it as thunder echoes out. The spear impacts into the bear''s chest, and I grab my dislocated arm, approach a nearby stone wall, and hiss again as I pop my shoulder back into place using the stone wall.

    Holding out my hand as I feel Cam''s magic mending my shoulder the rest of the way, I summon my spear back to me and swap the lightning for fire, before approaching the stunned bear. It''s sitting with its back to a tree, head hanging down with its stomach exposed.

    When I reach the bear, I pull back my arm, then thrust my sacred weapon into the monster''s chest. It doesn''t penetrate deeply, and I know I won''t be able to push it further with just gripping and pushing, so I take a couple of steps back, then perform a roundhouse kick, my foot connecting with the butt of the spear. It pushes in further from the impact, and I repeat it, before taking a couple of steps back and drawing on what''s left of my sacred power, forming a condensed blast of air that I slam into the butt of the spear.

    It pushes in the rest of the way, leaving me almost completely drained of sacred power as I feel my strength and sacred power capacity rising. Not wanting to go completely empty, I release my spear, then stagger back, collapsing to the ground.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    This fight would have gone a lot differently if I couldn''t use my sacred weapon.

    Cam approaches me, his magic still working to heal my body, mending the cuts, scrapes, bruises, and various other injuries I suffered. He clears any monsters that form around us or which approach the glade, neither of us saying a word.

    "-hear me?"

    I jump at the voice that came from within me. It''s not in my head, though. The voice sounds as if it comes from within my soul, just as Kris mentioned before.

    "What is it?" Cam goes on alert, looking around.

    I have no doubt that if I told him some monster were here, he''d prefer to take care of it so I could recover.

    "I heard a voice," I tell him.

    "Like what Kris mentioned?" He asks.

    There is little I keep from Cam, so after Kris told me about the voices people who manifest their sacred weapons hear, I told Cam. It''s been more than a week, though, and I haven''t heard the voice, so we assumed the records were wrong or there was something else involved that I don''t qualify for.

    "Yes," I answer. "It said ''hear me'', though maybe it was asking?"

    "Can you hear me?" The voice asks, coming in loud and clear.

    It''s soft and melodic, light in tone and volume, yet full of a wonder and grace I can''t put into words. I would be hard-pressed to tell if it''s male or female, though. The way it sounds, it could be either.

    "It''s asking if I can hear it," I say.

    "You can hear me?" The voice asks.

    "Yes?" I answer, hesitantly. "Who are you?"

    "I am-" the voice cuts off.

    I wait for several minutes, but nothing else is said.

    "It asked if I could hear it, then started to answer, then just went silent," I tell Cam.

    "Strange," he frowns. "But you should tell the Elder Hunter when we return."

    "I will," I nod.

    We return to resting up as I think over the voice. Why did I hear it now, more than a week after I manifested my weapon? Was it because I reached Level 20? The way Kris talked, though, it sounded like Level 20 wasn''t a requirement for it. I had to manifest my sacred weapon before then, but I''m sure it would have been recorded if the voice was only heard after reaching it.

    In the end, I''m unable to come up with an explanation, so I return to rest, meditating to increase my stamina and sacred power recovery.

    "So,"Cam says once I stand, recovered enough to move on, more than an hour having passed since I heard the voice. "Should we give up on the other area we were going to check today?"

    "No," I answer.

    "You''re exhausted," he says. "You''re wobbling a little."

    "I am?" I ask, then find that I am, indeed, wobbling where I stand. However, I''m not the only one. "You are, too, Cam."

    "I am?" He asks in confusion, before the ground begins to shake, the sound of leaves rustling filling the air. "What in the world?"

    Cam and catch each other as we fall to the ground, everything just shaking as the land rumbles. The shaking lasts for nearly five minutes, birds flying into the air, fleeing the shaking world. We could probably fly as well, but instead, we just wait it out.

    Once it ends, we look at each other, and I tell he''s probably as worried as I am.

    "Let''s head back to town," we say in unison.

    Please, powers that be, don''t let something have happened to the town.

    We take off into the sky, flying towards town. During the trip, Cam attacks the various bird monsters that come near us, killing a few and driving off others. As we fly, the land rumbles again, the leaves in the trees rippling, reminding me of the grass in the fields on a windy day.

    Reaching the town doesn''t come soon enough, and Cam and I fly to the Gate. There are no monsters near it, strangely. Did they all flee to somewhere due to the rumbling?

    "Welcome back," the Gate greets us. "In this rumbling day. You look exhausted. And damaged. Is all well?"

    "Is the town okay?" Cam and I ask.

    "Yes," the Gate answers. "Why would it not be?"

    "But the rumbling!" I exclaim. "What''s going on? Is this some sort of monster?"

    "Monster?" The Gate asks. "No, Rex. This is just an earthquake. I haven''t felt one like this in maybe three hundred years."

    "An earthquake?" I ask. "What is that?"

    "It is when the earth quakes," the Gate answers as the world shakes again. "Though this is merely an aftershock of the big one. There is nothing to worry about. They happen all the time."

    "No, they don''t!" I exclaim. "I''ve never heard of earthquakes before! Let us in!"

    "Very well," he opens up. "Enjoy the rest of your rumbling day."

    Cam and I enter the town and make straight for the Elder Hunter''s shop, entering it. She''s sitting in her usual spot, but I can see the signs of wind magics being used in here, the air a little chillier and breezier, a few objects around the room holding mostly still, her clothes rippling.

    "Wait it out," she tells us. "I''ll be able to concentrate better once I''m not keeping everything from falling, my poor chickens are having it bad enough as it is."

    Cam and I sit on the cushions, and the rumbling ceases a few seconds later.

    "There we go," she says, and the breeze ends, her dress no longer rippling. "By your expressions, you are worried, and I am sure the Gate did little to alleviate your fears. They tend to think in different ways than us."

    "It said we get these ''earthquake'' things all the time," I say. "But we''ve never heard of them before."

    "Yes, I''m sure," she smiles. "Earthquakes are a natural phenomena, a sign of nature''s wrath or displeasure. This one was quite severe, even for an earthquake. The town will have some recovering to do. Your hunts the next couple of weeks will provide most useful, should you bring catches back. Most townsfolk will focus on simply dealing with the aftermath. Many homes will have been destroyed altogether. Though yours should be fine, the builders who built it should have taken precautions. You might find your things a bit shaken, though."

    "That was normal?" I ask.

    "Yes," she answers. "And we do, indeed, receive earthquakes all the time. However, nearly all are imperceptible to the common man. The Gate will notice them all, even the slightest of them. In my many years, I have come to learn to tell when we have them."

    "The Gate," I say. "Said we haven''t had one like this in three hundred years."

    "Really?" She seems surprised. "Then it has been a long while since one that severe occurred. I remember having an earthquake here, oh, forty years ago? Nearly no one is around who would remember it, though. Perhaps my judge of its severity is off. It has been forty years, after all."

    "The ground keeps rumbling," Cam speaks up. "What does that mean? Will it continue, now?"

    "No," she smiles. "The aftershocks will grow weaker and fade, though we may feel them for a few days. Even now, they''re growing weaker."

    "Thank the powers that be," I breathe. "Can you do an appraisal on us? I gained two Levels today."

    "Two?" She raises an eyebrow. "The only reason I can think of for why you would gain a full Level is if you fought a Tier Six."

    "A flying gaia bear," I nod. "Which is weird. I''ve never seen bears before. Not here, anyway. We saw some on our trip to the city, but not here. Did they spawn because of the Swarm?"

    "No," she answers. "Swarms never spawn monsters that aren''t from that area. It is strange, indeed, but perhaps the bear was seeking stronger beasts because of the Swarm? It may have lived a little outside your normal hunting areas, saw the Swarm''s effects, grew stronger because of it, then realized it could likely hunt stronger things and went deeper in."

    "Ah," I say. "Okay."

    "Now," she says. "Let us do the appraisals."

    Cam goes first, discovering he reached Level 15, as we had been hoping he would do soon. It appears he was closer to it than he had expected, and he didn''t mention it after the foxes because he''d noticed me seeming a little tense. Then the bear attacked, and he forgot about it altogether.

    I''m appraised next, and the Elder Hunter confirms my two acquired Levels. She updates our brands, then collects our payments and gives them to us before she sends us on our way, so we can check on our respective homes.

    A lot of the homes we pass do have damage to them, and I spot several which are simply collapsed from the shaking. Homes aren''t built to stand up to such violent shaking from the land itself, and are often rebuilt every generation because of their poor quality. It will be at least two or three weeks before everyone has rebuilt their homes, but there are probably injured people as well. Those who were at home when the earthquake occurred, or working in a shop.

    The shops are built of brick fired from clay, so they will likely have held up better, but there will still be damage and lost stock. I would like to help those who were hurt, see if anyone needs help, but I also need to check on Liam, and Cam needs to check on his famly.

    I''m especially worried about Liam. He was likely resting at the house when the earthquake hit, so it''s possible something fell on him, and he''d be there alone, without anyone to check in and see if he''s doing okay.

    "Bright and early tomorrow," Cam tells me once we reach the fork in the path where we part ways. "We''ll need to make up for today''s lost hunt to ensure things don''t grow too strong."

    "I''ll see you then," I tell him, then we make our way to our individual homes.

    When I reach mine, I''m glad to see it''s still standing. Even if the Elder Hunter said it should be fine, I still held some worry over the state of the house.

    Entering the house, I find everything put away, nothing looking as if it was disturbed by the shaking. That is strange, but it''s possible Liam is okay and got to work cleaning things up as soon as the big one ended.

    The books on the shelves are packed tightly together enough that these lighter rumbles might not disturb them.

    As I open my mouth to call out Liam''s name, I hear the sound of someone running, then the clomp of steps on the stairs as Liam descends.

    "One moment!" He exclaims before rushing to the shelves and pushing the books all the way to the back. "There we go! Otherwise, they''d probably fall in the next shake. What is going on?"

    I explain to him what the Elder Hunter said about earthquakes, and he gives me a confused look, then shrugs.

    "Okay," he says. "I''m going back to my room to finish fixing stuff. I haven''t gotten to your room yet, but it''s probably a mess. The shaking, erm, the earthquake knocked everything off the shelves. The really big one."

    "Are you okay?" I ask, examining him. "Not hurt?"

    "No," he answers. "I was out back when the big one hit, and stayed out there for a bit. Then they got lighter, so I came inside, since the house wasn''t falling down or anything."

    "Good," I say. "Cam and I came back because we were worried something was attacking the town."

    "Just the world," he says. "Back to my room!"

    Liam charges back up the stairs, and I make my way upstairs and too my room. All of my stuff has fallen off the shelves, except for a single item. I begin picking everything up and setting them back on the shelves.

    As I do, I notice an oddity. Something did remain on the shelf, completely undamaged from the shaking. In fact, it doesn''t even look as if it''s moved at all.

    Resting exactly where I set it after buying it with not the slightest hint of damage is the crystal sculpture of an angel.

 Chapter 018

    "Something''s been on your mind ever since the bear incident," Cam says as we walk out of our current hunting range, going into a wider scope to tackle some of the more worrisome areas the two of us haven''t been hitting these last couple of weeks. "Something other than the crystal not falling."

    "It''s probably nothing," I shake my head. "This Swarm is getting to me."

    "If you say so," Cam says skeptically.

    He knows me well enough to know when I''m worried, and that it always means something. But this really is just the Swarm, I think.

    The forest fades away as we continue our trip, the two of us eventually reaching the Pits. There''s no official name for them, but that''s what we call them. A series of pits in the ground ranging from four feet deep to twenty, of various widths and lengths. They''re home to spiders, snakes, scorpions, and other insects.

    We usually avoid it because Cam is squeamish about all sorts of crawlies and the danger level has always been low. Normally, they keep to their normal diet and die within a year, two at most. While they do eat each other from time to time, it tends to not be enough for evolving past Tier Two, though we do sometimes see a Tier Three.

    The reason this is one of the concerning areas is because it''s always full of monsters. A high-density location that may have been affected by the Swarm, and we don''t even need to draw too close to confirm it is.

    Hissing, clicking, and other sounds of crawlies fill the air, and we can see the monsters in a shallower pit, there are so many of them. Quite a few larger ones, too. There are definitely Tier Four and Tier Five monsters, and probably some Tier Six monsters.

    However, now that I am Level 20 and Cam is Level 16, the latter due to a particularly rough set of fights the last three days, we should be able to take on a Tier Six as long as we only fight one of them at a time, don''t have too many other things around, and are well-rested between fights.

    Only Cam''s fears might hinder us in a fight here. His issue with all sorts of crawlies isn''t a simple one, and stems from an incident years ago that we''ve never bothered working on overcoming. I don''t tease him about it or anything, and have my own fears.

    "Are you ready?" I ask, glancing at Cam.

    He''s standing stiffly, yet is also trembling at the same time. My friend gives a stiff nod, though I can tell he''s doing his best not to put a fair distance between him and here.

    "You can just back me up from a distance, if you want," I tell him. "Rather than draw close."

    "N-no," he swallows hard. "I should help handle things. I can deal with a lot of the weaker ones while you handle the big ones."

    "Just make sure to focus," I tell him. "And not let your fear overcome you, okay?"

    "I know," he nods, swallowing hard again. "This is something we have to do. Let''s get started."

    "Step back if you need to," I tell him, then walk towards the nearest pit.

    Once I''m ten feet from it, I hold out a hand, then summon fireballs above me, sending them into the pit in a hail of fire. Cam does the same, the two of us just raining fire down upon the crawlies in the pit.

    They crackle and pop, crawlies flying up from the impact. Others scattering, attempting to flee the pit, but are unable to scale its walls. If I see any that might be poking its head over the edges on any side, I send a firebolt its way, frying it.

    The few stronger ones that notice the rain of fire do their best to avoid it, and a few do try to climb out of the pit, heading towards us. I leave the hail of fire to Cam as I turn my attention to these monsters, which come towards us rather than fleeing.

    They''re smart enough to attempt to stop the attacks.

    Holding out a hand, I send bolts of fire at the crawlies, striking them with as strong of spells as I can. My attacks char their scales and burn their flesh, and I notice the hail of fire growing weaker, more hesitant, as the crawlies approach.

    "Cam!" I call.

    "S-sorry!" I can hear the tremble in his voice.

    "Just focus on what you''re doing," I tell him. "I''ll handle these, okay?"

    "I will do my best," he responds.

    The hail of fire returns almost to how it was, and I continue my attack, blasting crawlies repeatedly, breaking through their scales and setting them aflame. There are only a few of them, and they''re all Tier Four or Five, but it still takes me a bit of time.

    As I''m finishing off the last one, a scorpion whose poison shots I have to stop with my magic, something rises from the pit, and Cam''s attacks stop as he whimpers behind me. Rising up from within the pit is a snake.

    Snakes are something Cam can handle. Quite easily. However, there are a few cases where Cam cannot handle a snake. One such instance is when they are as thick as our torso, have six heads, three tails, and each head has a third eye.

    This snake is one of those.

    A smaller snake with six heads? Cam might blast to bits. A snake big enough to swallow him in one gulp? Cam probably wants to run in terror. Even I feel hesitant here, this snake is at least forty feet in length, and that''s my guess without being able to see it.

    It was hiding under the other monsters in the pit, and I can see a few char marks from where my spells hit it. Light, and barely there. At Level 20, I''m barely powerful enough to scorch its scales, and only where the strongest part of my attacks hit.

    This is a Tier Six snake, and judging by the pattern of its scales, it evolved to hide among the crawlies. There is also a high chance its different heads can do different things and focus on different things at once.

    Even though there is only a one-Level difference from when I fought that flying gaia bear, it''s still significant. I have more sacred power, it''s stronger, and I am stronger, too. Yes, I would much prefer to have a lot more of my sacred power at the moment, but I should have enough to deal with it.

    The amount of strength and sacred power acquired upon gaining a Level is at least twenty percent of the current amount of it plus however much was gained naturally between Levels, with more being given for use and training. In other words, even with my rapid Leveling from Level 19 to Level 20, I still became at least a fifth more powerful than I was before, gained at least a fifth more sacred power than I had before.

    That can make a world of difference.

    Holding out a hand, I summon my sacred weapon, manifesting flames around its head as I use wind magic to take flight.

    "Encase yourself in a dome," I tell Cam. "I can handle this."

    He''s hesitant, but trusts me, summoning up a dome of stone to surround him. This way, the Tier Six will focus on me, and only me.

    The Tier Six attempts to attack me, and I swiftly shift to the side, stopping another attempted bite with a slash of my spear. That particular head hisses as flames lick across its jaw from the strike I delivered, then pulls back.

    Twisting, I stop another strike, summoning up a stone spike behind me to push another head up, causing it to miss me. Gesturing with one hand, I send a powerful gust of wind into another head to push it to the side as I strike at another one.

    To kill this, I''ll need to sever all six heads, and only my spear can do that. Unfortunately, that means needing to be between two heads, which increases the danger to me. I''d like to use my lightning body spell for the added speed, but am making do with the flight spell. Using the lightning body spell drains my sacred power much, much faster than flight.

    When the head in front of me opens its mouth, I release a blast of water inside. The inside is going to be a little more sensitive than outside, though it''s still tough enough that a spell like that won''t do much damage. It does, however, cause the head to choke, and I take advantage of the moment to slide beside it and slash with my spear, the bright blue and white flames around the spearhead extending out, creating a much larger spearhead, this one of fire.

    The flames recede as the snake''s head drops, and I shift out of the way of another head. One down, five to go. Twisting, I slice at that snake''s head as well, severing it, too. Two down, four to go.

    Sadly, a Tier Six monster is intelligent. It''s now learned that the person with the pointy, burning stick can remove its heads if they get too close, and I''m much too weak to attack it at a distance with any form of success.

    Now, the snake''s four remaining heads enter into a dance with me, where they snap at me, pulling away just as quickly or working with another head to distract me. Meanwhile, I stop their attacks with gusts of wind, spikes of stone, or just shifting out of the way with my flight.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    At the same time, I read its movements, its patterns, just as it''s doing to me. After the gaia bear, I''ve tried to start shifting my pattern as soon as my opponent starts to learn it, but that''s hard to adjust to in only a week, especially when most monsters aren''t actually intelligent enough to adjust to an opponent''s patterns.

    One of the snake heads'' fangs scratches my arm as I manage to slice off a third head, and I hiss in pain as my arm feels as if aflame, despite there being no flame present. Venom, as expected. I''ll need to end this quickly and have it taken care of.

    Not just for the venom, though. I''m running out of sacred power, but with only three heads left, this should become much easier. It would be even easier if I could make it to where the heads all connected and just cut through that, but the snake makes that even more difficult, especially as its tails seem to have some scorpion trait in that they can sting. Avoiding that is easy, as I can shift to the side to avoid one or the other, or summon up a wall of wind to stop the attack, though the latter tends to just shift it away from me rather than stop it completely.

    Floating backwards, I avoid another attack by one of the remaining heads, then release three blasts of water into the open mouths. One of the mouths clamps shut in time and lifts up to look at the sky, the other two choking on the water and shaking around. Targeting the closed mouth, I soar forward in a burst of speed, slashing with my spear, cutting clean through the neck with a burst of blue flames. Four down, two to go.

    The tails blindly attempt to sting me, and I shift out of their way as one of the heads begins to recover, then slash through it as it stills. Five down, one to go.

    Holding up a hand, I snap, pointing at the last head, which keeps its mouth shut as it focuses on stinging me with its tails. Spikes of stone form and fly at the snake''s eyes, the monster jerking its head to the side so that my attack bounces off its scales.

    As that happens, I release a dense sphere of water in the direction of the snake, then shoot it with a blast of blue flames just before it reaches the monster. With a thunderous boom, the sphere of water turns to steam, blasting out in all directions. Only a wind spell protects me from the scalding heat and the force of the explosion. Still remembering where the head was, I soar forward, striking with my spear. The slight resistance of the scales and immediate flaring of the blue flames informs me of my success.

    Immediately, I release the spear, then drift backwards, using wind magic to disperse my steam, giving me enough clear air to land as my combination attack fades away, dispersed on the natural wind as well.

    I''m dangerously low on sacred power, so I walk over to the stone dome protecting Cam and place a hand on it, opening a hole into it so he can see me.

    "It''s dead," I tell him. "But I''m as low on sacred power as when I fought the bear, so I need to rest, but Cam, I need you to take a look at my arm and patch it up."

    I hold up my arm, which has turned purple as the feeling of fire continues to spread through it. With more of my scared power, I immediately apply light magic to it. Now that the fight is over, my body is starting to register the effects of the poison and deliver to me the sensations I should be feleing.

    "-me?" The voice speaks again.

    This is the first time since the bear that the voice spoke to me, and it startles me enough that I stop the spell.

    "I''ll need some of the snake''s venom," Cam tells me, opening a bigger hole in his dome, then walking over to the snake. "Which head was it?"

    "The one lying over there," I point at the head which managed to graze me.

    At the same time, a suspicion rises in me. The voice went silent after I heard that one word, but I think I know what it was asking: the same thing as before. And I think I know why I heard it, too. It''s a bet, but considering that there was exactly one circumstance that''s the same now as it was when I heard it before, I''m going to take the chance, even if I turn out to be wrong. It would be useful information to tell the Elder Hunter.

    As Cam gets to work on extracting venom from the snake, I use more sacred power to soothe my pain with light magic, pushing back the effects of the venom in my veins.

    "-you hear me?"

    "Yes," I whisper, willing my voice to reach the voice within me.

    "Hello, there," the voice changes from the previous contact.

    "Who are you?" I ask, continuing to heal myself as I watch my sacred power levels.

    "I am me, and you are you," it responds. "You are wounded badly."

    "My teammate is working on making an antidote," I tell the voice.

    "I only wish I could help you."

    "Who are you?" I ask.

    "I am me, and you are you," it responds, echoing its previous answer to that question.

    "That doesn''t answer my question," I say.

    "It is best that you do not know who I am," the voice responds. "Unless you absolutely need to. But it is good to be heard. It happens so rarely for one to be Open to our voices."

    "''Our''?" I ask. "There are more of you?"

    "Yes," it responds. "There are a great many of us, but only one can be heard by each. You are as intelligent as the others. Few take longer than the second time to realize the truth. However, you need to rest, Rex. And do not attempt to hear me too often. It is enough that you have become Open. Your friend will take care of you, so do not worry."

    I nod, stopping my spell. I''m even more dangerously low on sacred power than before, so it''s best if I stop there. Ceasing my spell, I watch as Cam approaches with a small glass jar in his hand, a yellowish-clear liquid contained within it.

    "Goodbye," I whisper.

    "We shall speak again," the voice tells me.

    "I wanted to make sure the venom matched," Cam tells me as he sits down and begins pulling various things out of his pouches. "Thankfully, this one didn''t spoil immediately, or healing you would be a lot more difficult."

    He begins working on fixing up the antidote as I mull over the voice in my soul. It''s some other force, that''s why the others who have heard the voices have always said it''s not their soul speaking to them. We can only hear it when we''re low on sacred power, too ¨C much lower than I normally allow myself to be.

    It seems that nearly everyone who hears the voices figures that out fast, too, since the voice said that most only require hearing them twice to determine how to allow us to hear it.

    What is the voice, though? And why did it refuse to tell me what it was?

    Cam finishes the antidote, then applies it as a salve to my arm as he uses light magic to help deal with the flow of the poison. The injury is pretty bad, and my arm will be unusable until at least tomorrow, so he collects more of the snake''s venom from that head, then the two of us begin the journey back home. We''ll return tomorrow to deal with the rest of the monsters there.

    Though we do debate on leaving it and calling for someone stronger once the Swarm ends in a couple of weeks. That''s also a possibility for us, including for the other worrisome areas. In the end, though, we decide to handle them ourselves. We can do that, as long as we''re careful and continue our normal way, and as long as we don''t have any strokes of bad luck like I did with the snake.

    "Welcome back," the Gate greets us when we approach. "That arm looks worrisome."

    "Nothing some rest and antidotes won''t handle," I tell it.

    "Indeed," the Gate opens, and Cam and I enter and make our way to the Elder Hunter''s shop.

    After we receive our rewards, Cam helps me walk home, my legs a little unsteady. As soon as we arrive, Liam is in worry mode, fearful that something will happen to me, but we assure him I''ll be fine. I sit at the table as Cam start preparing another dose of salve, and I use some light magic to soothe the affected areas.

    "That looks really bad," Liam says as he stares at my arm.

    "It''s not the first time I''ve been injected with venom," I tell him. "As long as we give it a couple of more treatments tonight, I''ll be fine by tomorrow morning. It''s already feeling much better than it was, which is a good sign."

    "Okay," Liam still gives me a worried look, then moves to watch Cam work.

    As Cam prepares the salve, my mind wanders back to what I had been thinking about when we were making our way to the pits. Once the Swarm dies down, I want to check on some stuff, stuff unrelated to the swarm.

    Things could always be a coincidence, but sometimes, a coincidence isn''t a coincidence. We had two Tier Six monsters in our area that normally wouldn''t be. A Tier Six gaia wolf and a Tier Six flying gaia bear.

    Supposedly, the former moved to where it was after getting chased out of its own territory by a stronger Tier Six river wolf and the latter was there seeking out stronger prey to eat after noticing the Swarm going on.

    But is that really true? Were those really coincidences? These are things I can investigate and potentially receive answers for, unlike with the voice in my soul, which I''m pretty sure will remain mysterious when I ask it questions, should I communicate with it again.

    Some part of me says that the reason the gaia wolf and the flying gaia bear were here are connected. If that''s the case, though, then why would they have been there? More importantly, does it have to do with the Gate''s warning from before we found the gaia wolf?

    Is the monster that may become a Star-Level beast still out there? That part''s nagged at me, too. The gaia wolf was strong, but there was another Tier Six around, and the Gate never did say the threat was taken care of.

    After Cam applies the next dose of antidote and light magics, I tell them I''m going for a walk.

    "Is that a good idea?" Liam asks.

    "I''ll be fine," I promise him. "As I said before, this is nothing new to me."

    "I''ll make dinner," Cam tells me. "Be back in two hours, maximum. You still need to rest and recover, and I want to do another dose then."

    "I will," I tell him, then leave.

    I pull on a cloak to hide my arm from the townsfolk I will surely pass, then I walk through town and make my way to the Gate. Many of the homes have been rebuilt since the earthquake, and a few are still recovering. There were relatively few injuries, and only two deaths as a result of it. All in all, a positive outlook for us. Things could have been much, much worse.

    When I reach the Gate, I look up at it. It''s rare for me to be here alone.

    "It is not often you come without Cam, Rex," the Gate comments.

    "I had a question for you," I tell it.

    "You may ask," he answers. "And if I know its answer, then I shall tell it to you."

    "A few weeks ago," I say. "You said that there was a monster which may become a Star-Level monster. Does that still hold true?"

    "Yes," he answers. "The monster is still out there, gaining power. He is unaffected by the Swarm, which is at least a relief."

    "Thank you," I tell the Gate. "Where is the monster located?"

    "It is somewhere high, yet concealed," he answers. "Low, yet open."

    That doesn''t help in the slightest, though I have a suspicion already of where it might be.

    "Can you be more specific?" I ask.

    "It is where it is," he answers. "And that is all I know."

    "Alright," I tell the Gate, then begin the walk home.

    As soon as this Swarm is over, I am going to where I suspect the monster to be. As long as it does not reach Star-Level before then, I should be able to handle it on my own, even if it''s Tier Seven at the time.

    That''s the difference a sacred weapon makes, allowing someone to fight things up to two Tiers higher than they should be able to in a team of five. Before then, I''ll need to take out as many Tier Five and Tier Six monsters as possible. That way, I will gain at least one more Level, possibly two. That will make all the difference in the world when it comes to fighting a Tier Seven.

    We really should have confirmed this with the Gate before my brother''s team left. I don''t think Cam and I actually told them the full warning the Gate issued, we were just focused on the wolf and taking care of it, then learning new things. Otherwise, my brother and his team might have thought to ask the Gate if the threat was gone.

    Now, Cam and I need to scout it out, decide if we can fight it, then either fight it or send for help. However, all I can think about as I apply more light magic to my arm as I walk is that I really hope it isn''t in a cave.

    Cam has fears of all types of crawlies, while I have fears of dark, tight spaces. With the Gate''s answer and my suspicion, the chances are high that the monster is in a cave, too.

    Please, powers that be, let it not be in a cave.

 Chapter 019

    "Head on back to my house, would you?" I ask Cam as we step out of Nick''s shop after dropping off some of today''s catches.

    We''re a little more than a week after the Tier Six snake, and nothing since then has been as difficult. Our skills have improved someone from the difficult fights, and with my sacred weapon, the other Tier Sixes have been much easier to deal with. Things with one head are much less troublesome than things with six heads, and a sacred weapon really does make a huge difference. Without it, I''d never stand a chance.

    Even though I know Cam is tired after today''s hunt and another Tier Six fight, I want to do some stuff and hope he''ll head to my house.

    "You''re going somewhere?" He asks.

    "Yes," I answer. "I have an order or two to pick up, then I''ll be on my way."

    "I will get dinner started for you," he tells me, then sets off down the path.

    As he walks to my house, I walk to Greta''s shop. She sent a runner this morning telling me that my orders were ready. Liam was still asleep then, so he wouldn''t know things were finished. This will probably be a nice surprise for Cam.

    I enter Greta''s shop, where she''s handing Richard a new blacksmith''s apron. He''s had his old one forever, but as with all things, even the best of tools need replacing eventually.

    "Hello there, Rex," Richard greets me as he starts to leave.

    "Hello, Richard," I respond.

    "You be careful on your hunts, will you?" He asks.

    "I will," I respond. "Have a good evening."

    "You as well, Rex," he says as he exits the shop.

    I approach Greta and dip my head to her.

    "Good evening," I greet her.

    "Good evening, Rex," she says. "If you give me just a few minutes, I''ll have those out for you."

    Greta exits into the back of the shop, returning after a few minutes with a pair of boots, two jackets, and three pairs of gloves. While the gloves and boots are simply leather, both jackets have a natural fur lining on the inside, from the boarbears they were made from. It''s soft to the touch, and comfortable, and will keep Cam and me warm in the winter.

    After inspecting everything and finding them to be of the excellent quality Greta performs, I thank her, gather everything up, then make my way home. The smell of cooking fish fills the air, and I inhale it deeply as I walk to the table.

    "They''re done?" Cam asks, noticing what I have as I set them on the table.

    "Yes," I answer. "Where''s Liam?"

    "I sent him to take a bath," Cam answers. "He got muddy while fishing at the river, then went straight to potion-making upon his return. I''m pretty sure that''s part of why his potion didn''t come out right, he likely accidentally got dried river mud in the potion. Or still-wet river mud."

    "Ah," I say. "I have a new pair of gloves for Liam, then a new pair of gloves and a jacket for me, and a new pair of gloves, a pair of boots, and a jacket for you. The jackets are winter jackets, want me to keep it here until winter comes?"

    "If you would," he answers.

    "Okay," I grab both jackets, then take them to the storage room, where I wrap them well in a thick cloth, then safely store them in a chest before returning to the main room. "What did you think of what we talked about on the way back?"

    On our way back to town, I discussed with Cam taking Liam out for a different hunt, once the Swarm ends. It would take us maybe a week, two at most, to deal with the still-increased numbers of monsters to make things safer, but after that, it should be fine.

    Since Liam is Level 6, he has plenty of strength and sacred power now, so fighting something more than a hare, squirrel, or occasional deer shouldn''t be an issue for him. The only bad part is the rate at which he gained it ¨C he needs to learn to wield it properly, or it will cause him problems.

    That''s part of why I want him to fight something a little tougher than the simple stuff in the fields and hills. It will help him acquire that skill he needs to acquire in order to use it properly and in order to properly grow and develop as a Hunter.

    "I think it''s a good idea," Cam tells me. "Liam could use the additional training, as well as the break from fighting hares and squirrels almost exclusively. But it''s best if we do wait until you and I have managed to decreased numbers and reduce the stronger populations a bit first, too."

    "Of course," I say.

    "Of course what?" Liam asks curiously as he enters the main room wearing a tank top and a pair of shorts, still drying his hair with the towel.

    "Just Cam and me discussing something," I tell him, then pick up the pair of gloves made for him. "Here is the pair of gloves Greta was making for you, Liam, to replace your current ones. Go put them up in your room, and finish drying your hair."

    "Yes, sir!" Liam says, then rushes up the stairs.

    He returns a few minutes later, then sets the table and plops himself in the chair across from me. We wait for Cam to finish cooking, then he serves our food and drink before taking his seat, and the three of us dig in to our food. Meanwhile, my mind is still occupied with thoughts from the past few weeks. After dinner, I help Liam clean the dishes, then tuck him in to bed, Liam passing out rather fast.

    "I''m going to stay here for tonight," Cam tells me.

    "The room''s always ready for you," I tell him. "I think Liam washed the linens earlier, actually. Anyway, I''m going to go run an errand, I''m not sure how long before I''ll return."

    "An errand?" He asks. "This late at night? No one''s open, not unless it''s an emergency."

    "I''ll tell you if it''s necessary," I tell him.

    He nods, accepting that and knowing that if it''s truly important, he''ll find out before it''s time. I leave and walk through town, taking in the warm spring night. The stars shine bright tonight, the moon large and full, illuminating the path.

    I walk a little slowly, even though I should probably put a little more speed to my step for this. But the night is calm and beautiful, and I can''t help myself. Eventually, I arrive at the Elder Hunter''s shop and enter it.

    Lamps are lit and hanging from the ceiling and posts in the walls, providing plenty of light even in this late evening. The Elder Hunter herself sits in her usual spot, even when most would assume she would have gone to bed by now.

    "It is not like you," she says. "To seek me out this late in the day, Rex. What worries you?"

    She no doubt knew somehow that I was on my way here. The Elder Hunter''s knowledge of what occurs in this town astounds me sometimes, even if most are used to it, having grown up with it just as I have.

    "Much," I sit across from her. "Elder Hunter, a few weeks ago, I spoke with the Gate regarding the threat it had warned Cam and me of before we found the gaia wolf."

    I explain to her my worry about the real threat, and my suspicions that it lives in the mountains. I explain why I suspect that, referring to both the gaia wolf and the flying gaia bear, and how unusual it is.

    "You are correct," she tells me once I finally stop. "In that they could both be coincidence. But you are also correct in that it might not be coincidence. In truth, I have suspected this as well, Rex. However, there is no other evidence to support this. The Gate can sense such threats, but not their location, making it difficult to pin down. I cannot simply send a message to the Guild telling them ''we believe a Star-Level threat is forming because of the Gate, but we have only coincidences to go by for the location''. No, they would not send us assistance, they would not send anyone to look into it."

    "Why?" I ask. "Should that not be enough?"

    "It is a long journey," she tells me. "Requiring the presence of Soul Strikers. If it turns out to be for nothing, then it is possible that the Soul Strikers were either missing or arrive late to a serious situation."

    "So Cam and I will have to investigate on our own," I tell her. "And if we find something, then you will tell us that you have confirmation from the local Hunters there is a powerful threat here, something requiring them to send Soul Strikers."

    "That is correct," she tells me. "Or perhaps the Gate is mistaken, and the monster is not that powerful. It would not be the first time. In that case, they may just send a few powerful Hunter teams instead."

    Sighing, I try to figure out how to deal with this.

    "Cam and I will need to go on a multi-day trip to investigate this," I say. "Longer than a camp hunt."Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    "Indeed," she tells me. "You will need to be prepared."

    "It will have to wait," I say. "Until after we start cleaning up the mess from the Swarm, after it ends. We''ll need to make plans for what to bring, too."

    "You will need more than that," she tells me. "But before we discuss that, Rex, know that the merchant group will arrive around the end of the Swarm."

    And with them, Hunters.

    "They will know about the Swarm, then," I say. "Do you think they will want to stay behind to train for more Levels?"

    "It is unlikely," she tells me. "The merchants will want to leave immediately to return to their work, and the Hunters will only kill while they are in the area for that. One day. However, I can persuade them to stay behind a little longer. If there are two teams, it would take no more than six days to clean up the excess. If there are three teams, then it may only take two days, three at most. If they are hunting on the last day of the Swarm, they will possibly even manage to clean up the rest the day after it ends."

    The predicted final day of the Swarm is four days after the merchants should arrive, according to the Elder Hunter. The merchants might not want to stay behind five to ten more days. In fact, I doubt they would want to stay behind another two days at most. One time, a group of merchants had to stay behind due to a storm, and they complained about it because it was wasted time, and wasted time is wasted money.

    At least, to a merchant. Personally, I cannot understand that. The goods will eventually reach the market, will eventually be sold. Why complain about a few delayed days? If a merchant shows up late, we still have market day. Here, we simply move it to when they arrive.

    I am sure that in a bigger town or in a city, the merchants would be able to find buyers even without the market day being moved. Most large towns and most cities have their own markets every day, where a stall can be set up by anyone willing to sell goods.

    It is just another difference between merchants and people from a town like here. That''s something I learned while in the city with Cam, too. We took things at a slower pace, and while we were far more serious about our duties as hunters, we did not mind slight delays except in the case of emergencies.

    "Do you think," I ask the Elder Hunter. "The Hunters with the merchant or merchants would be willing to help us with this? And if so, if they would be able to convince the merchant or merchants to stay behind for it?"

    "Yes," she answers. "Every Elder Hunter has a bribe prepared, just in case."

    "A bribe?" I try to picture her bribing Hunters.

    "Yes," she stands. "Stay here, and I shall bring you a sample of the bribe. We keep them on-hand in places like here to sate merchants who must remain behind due to an emergency situation."

    The Elder Hunter exits into the back as I try to think over what sort of thing she could bribe merchants with. As I wait, I start to wonder where she could have hidden the bribe, with how long it takes for her to grab it and return. A full half-hour and then some passes before the Elder Hunter returns, carrying two wineglasses and a bottle of wine in a dark blue bottle.

    "Wine?" I ask.

    "Yes," she smiles as she sits, setting the wineglasses on the table. "Not just any wine, though. Lucielis wine."

    There are many wines unknown to me. Lucielis could be a city, or a specific style of wine, and I do not know which it is, or what makes it special enough to bribe merchants with.

    "Lucielis?" I ask as she pours some into each glass. "What sort of wine is it?"

    "A particularly rare kind," she answers. "A single bottle of it would sell for more than ten million on the market."

    I stare at the dark violet wine in the glass she is now holding out to me, the bottle of wine set on the table, its label facing me. Lucielis Violaberry Grape Wine, 9384 PAM

    9384 Post Arrival of Magic? At least, I am sure it''s referring to the year and isn''t some reference code I don''t know. If it is the year of the wine, then it was bottled sixty years ago, and I''m sure the price she gave is for a newer bottle than this. Just this glass alone is worth more than I am, and she''s holding it out to me as if it is nothing.

    "Go on," she tells me. "Have a drink, Rex."

    "I don''t feel right," I shake my head. "It''s-it''s expensive, and well-beyond-"

    "Well-beyond a Hunter from a small town situated beyond the sticks?" She asks. "Do you want to know the reason why the bottles are so expensive on the market?"

    "Because of the rarity of the wine?"

    "Lucielis," she tells me. "Is the First City."

    "The First City?" I ask in shock. "But I thought it was lost?"

    "It is best kept that way," she tells me. "Lucielis, the City of Light, was the first built of all the Cities. Over the eras, it exchanged leadership many time."

    "Wasn''t it destroyed a few thousand years ago?" I ask.

    "Supposedly," she answers. "The entire region was ravaged by several Star-Level monsters in the year 4372 Post Arrival of Magic. Around four hundred years ago, twenty teams of Soul Strikers returned to that region. The most powerful force of Hunters ever assembled traveled there with one purpose: reclaiming the First City.

    "They succeed," she tells me. "Several Star-Level monsters made their home in Lucielis, using it as the base for their region. The force of Hunters slayed them. While they suffered losses, they still succeeded in reclaiming the First City. However, the rest of the region has been abandoned. As far as most are aware, it''s inhospitable.

    "Lucielis itself," she tells me. "Is where the true headquarters of the Guild is located. It is also nearly entirely vineyards and wineries, and everyone there becomes a Hunter at the age of ten. As far as those who know of this wine are aware, it''s made in a secret location and is named after the First City. A few suspect the truth, but because of the powerful monsters in the region, it is only a few who do.

    "The only people allowed to purchase the wine directly," she tells me. "Are those who have manifested their sacred weapons. This is one badge of honor given to those who manifest, a reward for the hard work or difficult trials they have undergone.

    "It is truly the greatest wine to ever exist," she continues. "And if you wanted to buy a bottle, you would spend far less than ten million, Rex. Try it. You deserve it, after all of your hard work for this town and for the trials you have undergone."

    I want to try it, I really do, butˇ­

    "I would feel wrong," I shake my head. "Drinking it without Cam."

    "Who says you must do that?" She asks, still holding the glass out to me. "When you leave here to return to your home tonight, I intend on sending this bottle with you. I had intended it as a gift for after the Swarm ended, both as a reward for you manifesting your sacred weapon and for you and Cam handling the Swarm with maturity and intelligence."

    "That is one expensive gift," I tell her.

    "And it is one you have deserved," she tells me. "Take the drink, Rex. You may drink more with your friend, when you return home. He will still be awake, hoping your errands are nothing dangerous."

    Accepting that, I take the wineglass from her and slowly bring it to my lips, looking into the dark violet liquid for a few moments before tipping the glass back against my lips, taking a small sip of the smooth wine.

    It''s the most delicious wine I''ve ever had. There''s a taste of something unfamiliar to me in it, a light sweetness to balance out the flavor. It goes down easily, with only a light bite of alcohol to the taste of it.

    "This really is a truly delicious wine," I tell the Elder Hunter.

    "It is, indeed," she smiles, taking a sip from her own glass. "I sometimes send a request for a particularly old bottle of it to pop open and enjoy. Lucielis has a secret way of delivering them that not even the merchants can match."

    "They send it with Soul Strikers?" I hazard a guess.

    "You''re a sharp one!" She laughs. "You''ve not known of any visiting here other than your brother and his team, yet somehow managed to guess that."

    "It just popped into my head," I admit. "Though I suppose it makes sense. They''re able to buy it, and they''re trusted by the Guild to do the top missions. That means they would be trusted to deliver secret packages as well, and to do it without being noticed."

    "You are correct," she tells me. "It has been, oh, four years since the last time I had some delivered? I go through maybe a single bottle of it per year, and receive a delivery maybe every six or seven years. I never touch the stock meant for bribing merchants when the Hunter teams they''re with are needed, so those are still here for use."

    If the wine truly is this rare, I can see why the Guild would want the Elder Hunters to have some to bribe merchants with. Sometimes, the Hunters with them are needed in an emergency situation, and would arrive before other qualified teams of Hunters.

    Thinking about the coming Hunters brings to my mind another thought regarding them.

    "I take it," I say. "That asking them to investigate would be too much?"

    "It would," she nods. "They would have no issue with the Swarm, but asking them to go into unknown territory to investigate an ominous threat from a Gate would likely be more than they are willing to do, no matter how much we offer them."

    "Okay," I take another sip, savoring the taste of the wine. "You said that I will need to be more than prepared, and there was something to discuss."

    "Yes," she says. "You need to know how to identify a Star-Level monster. Do you know what makes them distinct?"

    "They can speak with words," I answer. "Even if they''ve never been around humans before, they know our language."

    "It is more than that," she corks the wine. "Stay here."

    She stands and makes her way into the back, returning only moments later with a thick tome in her hand. She places the tome on the table in front of me as she sits down.

    "That tome," she tells me. "Contains a log of more than three hundred Star-Level monsters, sorted by how powerful they were. It contains an image of one on the left page and information about them on the right, including whether or not they are still alive. You will immediately see what makes them distinct and easy to identify. The informational page also describes stuff relating to signs they were forming, which will be useful to know to identify a Tier Seven that may soon become a Star-Level."

    I open the tome and look at the first Star-Level monster drawn in it, then the second, then the third. I flip through half of the tome, noticing a trend between all of them. A single, obvious relation they all hold, no matter where they were or what they evolved from.

    They''re humanoid, almost as if they were humans who became monsters, rather than monsters who became powerful. Their forms are all muscular, regardless of sex, and they all have at least one horn atop their head. Most have tails, though not all, and a few have wings. I doubt they actually need wings to fly, though.

    "As you can see," the Elder Hunter says when I turn my gaze to her once more. "Star-Level monsters are quite distinct. Humanoid beasts regardless of their origins. Some have hair atop their head, but none have it on their body. Lesser monsters bow to them, serve them, fear them.

    "When one forms," she tells me. "Or is soon to form, many lesser, yet stronger, monsters, usually at Tier Six or Tier Seven, but sometimes Tier Five, will vacate the area. Whether it is out of fear of the coming Star-Level or out of desire to become powerful enough to be seen as a worthy soldier of it is unknown. But it would explain why monsters ordinarily not found in your hunting grounds have been found there."

    "Okay," I say. "Do you mind if I take this home and share it with Cam? So that we can prepare ourselves for the various signs and types of them? It might give us a clue as to what type is forming as well."

    "You may," she tells me. "Just ensure you return it to me undamaged, Rex. As this is a serious situation, there is no fee for the tome."

    "Thank you," I tell her, then rise, tucking the tome under one arm. "And thank you, for the information."

    "You are most welcome," she indicates the bottle. "You finished your glass, but the bottle is yours as well."

    "Thank you," I pick it up. "Have a good night, ma''am."

    "You as well, Rex," she tells me, then I leave.

    Hopefully, we don''t find the signs of a coming Star-Level monster. Hopefully, Cam and I determine that this is nothing more than coincidence. But there''s the possibility that it''s not, and that worries me.

    Taking a deep breath, I hurry my step. I want to both share this wine with Cam and go over the types of Star-Level monsters with him. It''s time I told him my worries. We''ll need to hide this tome from Liam, though, or he''ll know what''s going on.

    Please, powers that be, let this be something we can handle and not something as serious as we expect. And if it is something beyond what Cam and I can handle, please let there be a team of Soul Strikers close enough to come deal with it before it grows more powerful than it already is.

 Chapter 020

    Sitting up, I stretch as my blanket falls off my torso. Sunlight streams in through the window, granting me light in this early morning. After stretching my arms, I climb off my bed and walk over to my dresser, pulling out a set of clothes and dressing. We are not going on a hunt this morning, though I still pull on a pair of durable pants, then a sleeveless and a vest, then fix on my belt with its many pouches.

    No, today is market day, and even with the Swarm about, we''re still going to it. Cam and I may hunt in the afternoon, depending on how things go with the other Hunters, but that''s to be determined later.

    As I sit on my bed and tug on my boots, I pray to the powers that be that the traveling Hunters agree to help us with the end of the Swarm and the cleanup after. Cam and I won''t admit it to Liam, but we are exhausted. We are beyond exhausted.

    Liam has taken a few breaks from hunting, because of how difficult it is to keep up such heavy hunting every day for a ten-year-old. He doesn''t know how much of a toll it is even on experienced adventurers like Cam and me. We''d like to keep it that way, too, because of how much Liam looks up to us.

    After my near-death, we''d like to keep up the appearance that even the tough stuff doesn''t faze us too much. The incident with the snake venom worried him for a bit, but because Cam and I acted like it was no big deal, Liam accepted that it was no big deal.

    If he saw our exhaustion, though, it might start to crush him again.

    Thankfully, this Swarm is nearly over, so even if the other Hunters refuse to help us, in two or three weeks, we should be back to normal. Just in time for an extended trip, but I feel confident that Liam will be able to handle Cam and me setting out for a few days, especially now that he''s seen that we''re strong, capable, and not easily exhausted.

    I''ve spoken with a couple of people to make sure he''s looked after while we''re gone, too, for my own peace of mind. He won''t have to stay with someone else, but there will be someone here each night just to check on him.

    But before I even bother talking to the Hunters to find out what''s going on the next two or three weeks, I have other stuff to do. So I grab the pouch of coins I counted out last night for market, fix it to my belt, then head downstairs. Liam is reading a book about the various types of monsters, and gives me a brief nod before absorbing himself back into the book.

    I told him last night that Cam and I will take him out for something a little more than hares and squirrels after things calm down, so I''m guessing he''s trying to look at the types of monsters to see what he wants to be his first big hunt. More specifically, I think he''s looking for something that he can have Greta turn the hide of into a decent winter jacket for him.

    To Liam, that''s more important than killing something big just for show. I feel a little proud at that, knowing it''s a sign I''ve raised him right these last few years.

    As he does that, I start on making breakfast for us. It''s a simple breakfast for fruits, berries, cheese, and bread, then I send Liam to get changed and ready for the day, since he''s still in his sleepwear from last night.

    Once the two of us are ready for the day, Liam with his own pouch of coins on his hip, we pull on baskets and walk to the market. The first thing Liam buys is a pair of sweet rolls from Wendy''s stall, and he hands one to me.

    "Thank you," I tell him as I bite into the still-warm roll.

    "You''re welcome," he tells me.

    We eat the sweet rolls as we examine the various goods set out. I manage to learn there are four merchant groups this time, another decent amount. It''s rare for us to have two large groups in a row especially since this one has two groups of merchants that are more than just the merchant and one or two employees. It seems we have two actual groups of merchants among the four here today, for a total of nine merchants present. One group of three and one of four.

    We don''t find anything we need at the stalls run by townsfolk, nor anything we want, so we move on to the merchants. With so many of them, and how long it took us to reach them, it doesn''t take us long to be able to look at their wares.

    Liam and I buy dried herbs and berries, candied fruits, and I purchase two bottles of wine, as usual. I doubt it will match up to the taste of the Lucielis wine, but it will still be enjoyable. As I''m buying a few more food stuffs that lasted the journey here, Liam finds a nice, soft blue scarf. While it''s a bit early for scarves again, he still buys it anyway because it''s quality. One never knows if they''ll see a similar good again.

    "Hello, Cam," I say as Cam approaches us just as we''re finishing up.

    "Good morning, Rex," Cam greets me, then dips his head to Liam. "Good morning, Liam."

    "Good morning, Cam!" Liam greets him, then holds up the scarf. "Look!"

    "It''s very nice," Cam tells him. "Would you mind taking Rex''s basket home? We have some business to attend to."

    He must be referring to talking with the Hunters who came with the merchants. The Elder Hunter must have sent for him, rather than waiting for us to come after lunch.

    "Sure!" Liam says.

    I pull off my basket and hand it to him, then Liam takes off.

    "Let''s go," I tell Cam.

    Cam nods, then the two of us walk to the Elder Hunter''s shop. Inside are four teams of Hunters, including two all-male teams, one all-female team, and one team with three males and two females. Combining that with the Elder Hunter and now Cam and myself, it''s rather full in here.

    Why are there so many Hunters with these merchants? I''ve seen a larger group that only traveled with three teams of Hunters.

    The leader from each team sits on either side of the table, while Cam and I sit across from the Elder Hunter, then make our introductions.

    "I''m Garret," one of the leaders introduces himself.

    "I''m Jacob," another introduces himself.

    "I''m Colin," the leader of the mixed team introduces himself.

    "I''m Jada," the final leader introduces herself.

    "I''m Rex," I introduce myself. "And this is Cam. We''re two of the town''s three local Hunters."

    "Three?" Garret asks. "I thought we were discussing this with all of the Hunters?"

    "Liam just turned ten a month ago," I shake my head. "He hasn''t been informed of what''s going on, as we don''t want him to worry too much."

    "Do you mean the Swarm?" Colin asks.

    "No, he''s aware of it," I shake my head again. "He''s been helping us keep the populations low in the fields and hills, and has reached Level 6 due to the Swarm. What we want to discuss is something more serious."

    I turn my attention to the Elder Hunter.

    "How much have you told them?" I ask.

    "Only that the local Hunters have a request," she answers. "Nothing further, as it is your place to tell, Rex."

    "Okay," I say, then look at each team leader and team in turn, before simply looking between all of the leaders. "More than a month ago, the Gate issued a warning to us. There is the potential for a monster to reach Star-Level in the area."

    "That''s nothing to do with us," Garret says.

    "No, it''s not," I say. "Cam and I investigated it, and found nothing, so if it''s true, it''s far beyond our range. Recent events, however, have given us a clue as to where it might be, if the Gate has not gone senile or mistaken something for something stronger."

    "I still don''t see what that has to do with us," Garret says. "We''re escort Hunters, we don''t handle things like that."

    "Would you let the boy speak?" Jacob snaps. "The more you interrupt him, the longer it will take for him to finish explaining and actually tell us."

    Garret shoots him a glare, and I clear my throat, drawing attention back to me.

    "Cam and I," I continue. "Wish to investigate the area we believe it may be forming in to confirm whether or not it is. The Swarm has caused a slight issue for us, however. There are only three of us here, and only two who can handle the stronger or more dangerous monsters. It will take us two weeks or so to finish cleaning up the monsters to return things back down to normal."

    "You want," Jada says. "To know if we will stay behind to help you with this, to allow you to investigate it sooner."If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    "Yes," I confirm, giving a slight nod. "We predict the last day of the Swarm is three days from now. If all four of your teams help, we should be able to finish cleaning things up in two days, at the most."

    Garret sighs.

    "This is a rare opportunity," he says. "But the merchant I am traveling with will not want to delay leaving."

    He gives the Elder Hunter a look as I process that. He''s not just an escort Hunter, but one who is traveling with a single merchant. My guess is the merchant hired him some time ago, and his team continues to travel as his personal protection, rather than as hired protection for a specific journey.

    "Even with the bribe every Elder Hunter keeps hidden away."

    "You have come across it before," she says with a smile.

    "Yes," Garret confirms. "He is impatient, and refuses to stay anywhere longer than he should. He says that even a day''s delay loses him a large sum of money. I first discovered the bribes seven years ago, when the local Hunters in another small town wanted my team to help them deal with a Tier Six. He began to leave without me, saying he would just brave the journey, so I left to ensure he survived."

    "I see," she says. "And what of the rest of you?"

    "The group I am with," Jada says. "Will not mind remaining behind, even without the bribe. They will see it as an opportunity to potentially receive some unique or rare resources."

    She''s traveling with one of the groups of merchants, then, likely as a personal escort for them. That would make sense, though, if it''s a group of merchants traveling together.

    "The other merchants," Jacob says. "Would no doubt need the bribe to stay behind, but we can convince them."

    "We would be willing to stay as well," Colin tells me. "While we won''t investigate the potential danger, we can help you clean up the area from the Swarm."

    "Thank you," I say.

    "You''re welcome," he responds.

    "Still, though," Jada frowns. "A potential Star-Level? From before the Swarm? It would be weird for one to form outside of your range."

    "Stranger things have happened," Colin says.

    "Indeed, they have," she nods. "Where do you believe it to be forming?"

    "In them mountains," I answer. "Once monsters are reduced enough around here, Cam and I are planning on taking a multi-day trek to investigate the mountain. The entire trip shouldn''t take us more than two weeks, but we''d feel a lot more comfortable leaving this town for that after reducing the populations of the monsters. With how high it is right now, we''re a bit nervous that when we return, we might have a few monsters that would really push us. We can handle one Tier Six at a time, but if two are in an area, we''d lose for sure."

    "You can handle Tier Sixes?" Garret asks in surprise. "What Level are you?"

    "I''m Level 20, and Cam is Level 17," I answer.

    "You''re too low to be able to hurt one," Jada says. "Not normally. Are you manifested?"

    "Yes," I answer. "A little before the Swarm, we were attacked by a Tier Six. I manifested in time to save myself and escape, and a passing team of Soul Strikers arrived a few days later and killed it."

    "A passing team of Soul Strikers?" Jacob asks in confusion. "Rex, this town is beyond the sticks. Why would a team of Soul Strikers be ''passing''?"

    "My older brother is in it," I clarify. "They were stopping by to see how Cam and I were doing."

    "Who''s your older brother?" Jacob asks.

    "Is it Kain?" Jada asks, and I find myself giving her an incredulous look.

    "That was a fast guess," Cam mutters.

    "You two have some similarities," Jada says. "The group my team is traveling with have passed them by a few times, and we met his team on the way to meet up with the others. Does he know you are manifested?"

    "We told his team when they arrive," I nod. "It explained how I was able to escape a Tier Six. Now, we use my sacred weapon to handle the Tier Sixes we come across during this Swarm. I''m grateful for that, or we''d be in a worse situation than we are."

    "Indeed," she nods. "I can see it in your eyes, Rex. And in Cam''s, too. You are exhausted from this Swarm. Any Swarm lasting more than two weeks would be a bit much for Hunters, even experienced ones, when dealing with it with as few as you have here."

    "You should rest," Colin tells us. "Let us deal with the rest of the Swarm, and what remains of it after. You two look as if you could use it, and you''ll need your strength and stamina for your scouting mission."

    By their tone and body language, I can tell they are not suggesting that in the hopes of stealing higher kills from us. They genuinely want us to rest, because they can tell how hard the Swarm has been for Cam and me.

    I look at Cam, and he gives me a slight nod, then I turn my attention back to Jada, Colin, and Jacob, since they and their teams are the ones who will be helping us.

    "Thank you," I tell them. "Would you like to know the lay of the land, and what types of monsters are found where?"

    "If you would," Jacob says.

    "Allow me to retrieve my map," the Elder Hunter says.

    "Since we aren''t needed," Garret rises. "We''ll head to the guest room."

    He and his team follow the Elder Hunter to the back, and the rest of us are silent until the Elder Hunter returns with a map of the region, which she sets on the table, moving her crystal orb aside. Cam and I spend the next half-hour telling the Hunters about the various types of monsters in our region and where we find them. I show them our normal hunting range and the border of the Swarm, which extends roughly two miles past it.

    After we finish that, we discuss our plans for the scouting mission. Cam and I are planning on moving as stealthily as possible. With monsters about at night, we''ll have to find good spots to make camp and put up wards, which the Elder Hunter says she has for us already. They''re pouches filled with something that emits something which can''t be smelled, but still drives monsters away.

    That intrigues me, but I know that asking how they''re made or what they are won''t do anything."

    "They only last for ten hours, once activated," the Elder Hunter tells me. "Enough time for you to set up camp, sleep, and then break down camp. I''ll give you a two-week supply before you set off."

    "Thank you," I tell her.

    "Let us pray to the powers that be," Jada says. "That what you find is nothing concerning, and the Gate has been mistaken. It won''t be the first time a Gate mistook something for another."

    "Oh, yes," the Elder Hunter chuckles. "I remember one time in my youth when we were sent out because a Gate had given an ominous warning, and the local Hunters discovered signs of something powerful. This was shortly after I became a Soul Striker. It turned out to not be a Star-Level monster."

    "What was it?" Jacob asks.

    "Nothing!" She laughs. "There had been a rockslide that cut off an area, and some of the monsters which lived in that area but weren''t there when it occurred couldn''t find a way to get past it back home, so they settled down in a new area!"

    "So keep an eye out for things like that, too," I say.

    "Yes," the Elder Hunter nods. "But do keep your mind open to the possibility of the Gate being correct. If it is, we need to know as soon as possible."

    "We will," I tell her. "But I''m praying to the powers that be it''s wrong. Anyway, thanks for the help and the advice, everyone. Cam and I should be heading back now. It really has been a long month for us."

    "Enjoy your rest," Jada tells me. "We''ll handle the rest of the Swarm for you."

    Cam and I stand, then leave and make our way to our homes, splitting at the usual fork. When I arrive home, I find no sign of Liam downstairs or out back, which I find strange. The food is put away, though.

    He''s probably gone to the river and will be back by dinner, so I head up to my room and pull one of the books off my shelf in here. Liam doesn''t enter my room, except if he thinks I have something I''m hiding from him like a surprise, so I store some of the more sensitive things in here. Since Liam doesn''t look in the obvious places ¨C like my shelves ¨C I can put stuff on them and he''ll ignore them entirely.

    Moving to my bed, I sit down and open the book, reading. It''s a book on preparing for the possibility of a Star-Level monster taking over the region one lives in. Even Cam doesn''t know I have it, I obtained it in secret while we were in the city.

    As a Hunter, I should always be prepared for things. I bought it for the worst-case scenario, praying to the powers that be that I''ll never need to use it. Now, however, I might. After looking through it for awhile, I realize it''s time to start dinner, so I put the book away and start to head downstairs.

    Passing by Liam''s room, I hear the faint sound of sniffling. He''s here? Why is he crying? Raising a hand, I knock on his door. He doesn''t respond, but the sniffling stops.

    "Liam?" I ask. "Are you okay?"

    Did someone bully him?

    Liam doesn''t respond to my question.

    "Liam, I''m coming in," I tell him, then open his door.

    Ignoring the slight mess of his room, I walk to his bed, where he''s curled up and concealed by his thick blanket. I pull it back and find him still wearing his boots. If he was calm enough to put things away, he would have taken off his boots.

    He must have left again after he put things away.

    His face is red, his eyes are puffy, and there''s a wet spot on his sheet where his head it, from the tears streaming out of his eyes.

    "Liam, what''s wrong?" I sit beside him.

    He just sniffles harder, his chest seizing as he attempts not to burst into tear. I grab his arm and pull him up, and it doesn''t take more than that for him to wrap his arms around me and start sobbing, his head pressed against my chest.

    "Liam, what''s wrong?" I ask again after a few minutes of him sobbing.

    "I-I-I wanted to be part of it," he tells me. "So I-I went to the Elder Hunter''s shop, and you-you were saying that we might get attacked by a Star-Level, and-and-and-if it comes, it''s going to kill us all, and-"

    Liam breaks down, his grip loosening on me. He''s scared of losing Cam and me, his new family. He''s scared of losing his friends, and his home. Finding out that we might be attacked by something much too powerful for us has him terrified now.

    "Liam," I shift my body, then wrap my arms around him in a hug, holding him tight. "It''s okay. Cam and I are going to investigate, and then we''ll send for the appropriate party to take care of it, okay? Nothing bad is going to happen."

    "But what if it does?" He cries out. "What if it''s a Star-Level monster and it spots you two and it decides to have you for a snack? Wh-wh-what if-"

    "Liam," I interrupt him, keeping my voice soft and gentle. "It''s going to be okay, I promise. I wasn''t going to tell you because I knew you''d freak out, okay? If Cam and I investigate, and it turns out to just be, say, a sinkhole driving stronger monsters towards us, or a rockslide, and no threat of a Star-Level monster, then you''ll feel very silly, won''t you?"

    "But what if it is?" He sniffles. "Rex, what if it''s a Star-Level monster, and it comes after us, and then it kills us all? What if it decides to save us for snacks? What if-"

    "Liam," I tell him. "There''s nothing to worry about. At the most, it would be a Single-Star monster. Remember Kain, our big brother?"

    "Yeah?" He sniffles.

    "He taught me a special spell," I tell him. "Which is guaranteed to kill a Single-Star monster, even for a mere Level 20 like me."

    "Really?" He asks.

    "Yes," I rub his back, hoping to calm him down. "Really, Liam. So don''t worry. No matter what happens, I''ll protect the town."

    Even if it costs me my life. Cam is prepared to take in Liam, should I be forced to use that spell. He''s prepared to move in here and continue raising and training Liam. If we tell Liam about this beforehand, though, it will be even more devastating to him. However, if he finds out after I use the spell, he''ll handle it better. Without any time to worry himself over losing me, he''ll adjust quickly, accept and understand the reason behind the spell, and once he''s older, accept why we never told him.

    "Alright?" I ask. "Everything is going to be okay, Liam. I promise."

    "Okay," he sniffles.

    "Now," I release him and lift his head up so I can look him in the eyes. "Dry your tears, Liam, and let''s go make dinner."

    "You''re making it," he uses his sleeve to dry his face. "I''ll just burn it all."

    "Yes, you will!" I laugh.

 Chapter 021

    "You''reˇ­ dressed in shorts," Liam says as he comes down the stairs. "You''re never dressed in shorts in the morning. You always get dressed for the day before coming down."

    "I know," I say. "We''ve just been relaxing here at home, recovering from the Swarm, since the other Hunters are handling it."

    "So you decided to wear something to lounge in?"

    "No," I answer. "After breakfast, you and I are heading to the lake to catch some fish, and maybe swim for a bit."

    "Oh," he grins. "I''ll be back! Gonna put some shorts on, too!"

    Liam runs back up the stairs, and I chuckle, then return to frying the bacon Nick delivered earlier, cooking up some eggs in another skillet while making pancakes on a rectangular pancake skillet. I''ve wanted to do a nice breakfast like this for awhile, but usually let others get the good meat first.

    Nick decided on his own it''s been a bit too long since we had something different for breakfast, so he stopped by with some meat and eggs for us to eat.

    I''m finishing up preparing our breakfast when Liam returns downstairs, wearing shorts, boots, and a sleeveless to match me. He also has his fishing stuff, which he places by mine beside the door. We eat breakfast, then gather our stuff, stick them in our baskets, pull on the baskets, then head out, walking down to the river, then down to the fishing rocks.

    We remove our boots and shirts, then get to fishing, casting our lines out far. There aren''t any monsters in the lake that should bother us. I''m confident of this because I came out here with Jada after Liam went to bed last night and we took care of them.

    After we catch our first fish, I fill my basket with water from the lake for us to store the fish in, to keep them alive for now. We''ll be here for awhile.

    At lunchtime, Liam and I eat sandwiches I prepared before he came downstairs earlier, then return to fishing. Once we have a fair few fish in the basket, we put our rods down for now, then head further up the lake, to the jumping cliffs. Liam''s never seen them before, since I know he''s never gone past the fishing rocks. The jumping cliffs range from five feet above the water to twenty feet above the water, wrapping around a section of the lake which dips into the forest a little.

    Overall, the small cove is thirty-two feet wide, twenty-one feet long, and ten feet at its deepest. There''s a small shore at one end, where the water is shallower, but up against the set of cliffs lining it, the water''s deep. There aren''t any rocks making it dangerous to jump, either.

    "Whoa," Liam says when we arrive. "I never knew this place existed. It''s perfect for swimming, isn''t it?"

    "It''s perfect for more than that," I tell him. "Cam and I did cliff-jumping here a few times before we met you. We thought it was a bit dangerous for you at the time, so we never mentioned it or showed it to you, and we knew you never went past the fishing rocks."

    "Cliff jumping?" He asks.

    "Yes," I answer. "It''s where you jump off the cliff and into the water. It can be dangerous if you don''t do it right, so listen to my tips, okay?"

    He nods, then listens as I walk him through how to properly jump into the water safely. Because he''s a Hunter with a few Levels to him, it''s not as dangerous as it would have been before he was branded. Our bodies do become more resilient to damage the higher our Level is, which helps with some things like this.

    Once I''m sure Liam is ready, I jump off the cliff, sinking beneath the water for a few seconds before swimming back up, then I call up to him to jump. He looks at me from the edge of the cliff, and I can tell he''s hesitant. Even just ten feet up is scaring him, and it makes me wonder if he has a fear of heights.

    Actually, with how much he''s trembling and the fearful look in his eyes, I''m sure he''s scared of something relating to this. It probably is the height, even if it isn''t all that much.

    "Come on!" I call to him. "Remember what I told you and just jump, okay? It''s not that far down, and I''m right here."

    Liam nods and swallows hard, then jumps off the cliff, eyes closed and breath held tight. He surfaces spluttering, and once he catches his breath, he gives me a look that''s mixed between amazement and relief.

    "I survived!" He pumps both fists into the air, then starts to sink because he can''t tread with just his feet.

    "Yes, you did," I laugh as he returns to treading water, and he gives me a grin. "Was that fun?"

    "Yeah," he nods.

    "You were hesitating up at the top," I say. "Mind answering why?"

    "When I was looking down," he tells me. "The height made me all dizzy. I guess it''s good I never went up in the tree fort."

    "Are you glad you jumped?" I ask.

    "Definitely," he nods, grinning. "That was fun!"

    "Want to do it again?" I ask, and he looks hesitant for a moment, then nods. "Come on, let''s head back up."

    Liam and I spend the next hour jump off the cliffs and horsing around, then we walk back to the fishing rocks and fish for a little while as the warm spring air dries us off, though we sit with our feet hanging over the rocks and into the water.

    Cam shows up after a little while, stripping down to his shorts and joining us for fishing, sitting on Liam''s other side. We don''t talk much, just enjoy the warm spring afternoon, the cool spring breeze, and the silence of the lake.

    As evening draws near, we pack up our stuff, pull our boots and shirts back on, gather our gear, then return to town. There''s not a chance we''d manage to eat all of the fish we caught before they spoil, so we walk through town, giving some to various townsfolk on the way to the Elder Hunter''s shop.

    Some of the townsfolk give us herbs, or berries, or fruits, or bread, or vegetables, or something in exchange for the fish, though we''re mostly just giving fish away to get rid of what we caught.

    Eventually, we make it to the Elder Hunter''s shop, and we have plenty of fish to spare. Garret and his merchant have already left, but the other Hunters are staying upstairs, in the guest rooms, while the merchants they''re escorting have set up camp outside.

    As the Hunters are talking around the fire beside the Elder Hunter''s shop, opposite of the gate, we walk over to the temporary camp.

    "Hey, guys," Jada greets us with a smile.

    "Hello, Jada," I say. "How was the hunting today?"

    "It was quite nice," she tells me. "We covered a few of the further areas today, and ended up facing a giant scorpion at the pits. On our way out, we passed by those mud fields you told us about, and there was a massive snail! Have you ever seen a Tier Five snail before?"

    "Yes," Cam and I answer in unison, and all of the Hunters give us a bewildered look.

    "His name was Geoffrey," Liam tells them. "I never saw him, but Cam and Liam were intentionally letting him get up to Tier Five for the experience."

    "Ah, yes," Jacob says. "Strategy Hunters in a small town. It''s only natural you''d intentionally allow some monsters to grow stronger. They help regulate the population in their area while you''re dealing with others, then you can come and fight them and gain a little more experience for your next Level, to help you become a little bit better at protecting the area and harvesting resources. Butˇ­"

    "Why a snail?" Half of the Hunters and most of the merchants ask.

    "I wanted to see what a Tier Five snail was like," I answer. "So we picked that instead of the mudhounds."

    "What was it like?" Colin asks.

    We join them at the fire, passing the fish off to some of the merchants, then tell them about Geoffrey and what he was like, both as the lord of the mud fields and as an opponent. For the next couple of hours, we trade stories of our hunts and adventures, eating dinner with them after the merchants serve it up.

    "Well, it''s late," I say. "Liam''s passing out here, and you guys are likely a little tired, too, so we''ll be heading home. You have a good evening."

    "You as well," Jada says.

    The rest of them bid their farewells to us, then I pass my basket and Liam''s to Cam, before picking up Liam, who is practically asleep. Liam wraps his arms around my neck and legs around my waist, rests his head on my shoulder, and promptly falls asleep.

    Cam and I walk in silence, enjoying the cool, silent spring night. We reach my house, and Cam sets down the baskets as I take Liam up to his room, lying him on his bed. I remove Liam''s boots and belt and set them on the ground by his door, then tuck him in and give him a light kiss on the forehead.

    "Sleep well, Liam," I whisper, then slip out of his room and silently close his door before I return downstairs.

    "Mind if I stay the night?" Cam asks, boots already off. "Ma''s a little sensitive to sound with the pregnancy, and I''m sure she''ll be cranky if she wakes because I came home late."

    "Of course you can stay," I tell him. "Liam won''t say it to my face, but he thinks breakfasts you cook are more delicious than the ones I cook."

    Cam chuckles as he removes his boots and sets them by the door, and I tug mine off and put them by his. We move to the table and open up a bottle of wine, pouring it into a pair of glasses.

    "How is your ma doing?" I ask. "She''s healthy with the pregnancy, right?"

    "She is," Cam tells me. "She''s taking care not to do too much strenuous stuff, in the hopes it helps her deliver a healthy baby this time."The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    He gives me a curious look.

    "Boy or girl?"

    I''m one of three people in the town known for being able to tell a baby''s sex before they''re born, even before the ma starts to show. I''ve been expecting Cam to ask me for awhile what I think his new sibling will be. He was probably waiting until his ma asked him to ask me, because he knew he''d have a hard time holding back saying what it was.

    "Both," I answer.

    "Both?" He asks, bewildered. "How can the baby be both?"

    "Whoever said it was a single baby?" I ask. "I think she''s having twins, one boy, one girl."

    "Twins," Cam''s face falls. "Do you think it will be possible for me to stay here once they''re born? I''ll visit them, of course, but I''m not sure I can handle two screaming babies at night."

    "You''ll be fine," I pour myself a little more wine. "Let''s just hope you don''t move in for other reasons."

    "Hopefully," he says. "We can handle this threat before it comes. Are you going to talk to the Gate again?"

    "Yes," I drain the glass, then stand. "I''m going to go do that now, actually. Do you want to come with me?"

    "No," he answers. "I''d rather not talk to the Gate while I''m tired or at night, and right now would qualify for both of those."

    "Okay," I say. "I''ll be back."

    I leave as Cam takes another sip of his wine, the expression on his face telling me he''s thinking about his coming siblings. It makes me wonder how he would have reacted if his ma was having triplets rather than twins.

    Well, he''ll be happy with them soon enough, and even more so if they make it through infanthood. I know he''s just a little depressed at thinking of the sleepless nights he''ll have once they''re born. He won''t actually move in to my house just because of them, he''ll stay to support his ma and pa, especially if one or both of his coming siblings don''t make it.

    The only reason he''ll move in to my house while his siblings are little would be if I died, which would only happen if I used the spell Kain taught me.

    When I reach the Gate, it gives me an interested look.

    "It is not common for you to come at night, Rex," he says. "Do you wish to speak some more?"

    Even though the Hunters and merchants are on the other side of the Elder Hunter''s shop, they can''t hear him. He''s lowered his voice to not disturb others, and the shop blocks some of the sound as well. That means that unless someone starts to come around to listen, they won''t overhear our conversation.

    "Yes," I answer.

    "What do you wish to discuss?" He asks.

    "What is it like outside?" I ask.

    "There is a Swarm," he tells me. "Today was the last day of it. The spawn rates are returning to normal, and by sunrise, they will be back to their norm."

    So in three days, four at most, the Hunters here will be leaving.

    "That is good," I say. "You told me before that there is a potential for a Star-Level monster to form somewhere."

    "That was true."

    Was? The Gate''s words should always be taken literally. If it was true, then there are two possibilities. One of them is that the monster died the other is that we''re too late and it''s already turned into a Star-Level monster.

    "Can you tell me where?"

    "Where it would have formed," the Gate answers. "Is where it would have formed."

    "Gate," I swallow as I ask. "Did it turn into a Star-Level monster? Did it evolve?"

    The Gate frowns in thought.

    "I can no longer sense it," he tells me. "So the Tier Seven I could sense is gone."

    That''s a relief, then. It''s the first option, that the monster died. It means we don''t have to worry too much now.

    "Okay," I say. "Good night, Gate."

    "Rex," he says as I turn to leave. "Though the Swarm is over, there are more monsters in the area than it can hold. The aggressiveness will remain until they return to their normal levels."

    "Thank you," I say. "The Hunters staying with us will take care of that over the next day or two."

    "They should leave," he tells me. "A storm is coming."

    "A storm?" I ask.

    "Yes," he rumbles. "It will reach this town in three days. They should be long-gone by then. It is not a storm they will manage to survive."

    "I''ll let them know in the morning," I tell him. "How long will it take for the storm to reach them if they delay leaving another day?"

    "Two days before the storm," he rumbles. "They will be caught by it. They must leave in haste."

    "I''ll let them know when I tell them in the morning," I say. "Good night, Gate."

    As I leave, the Gate tells me one more thing.

    "The town should prepare for the storm as well, for few will survive outside of the shelters."

    I continue walking as I think over his parting words.

    The shelters? Those are underground, and rarely ever used. Never, actually. Now that I think about it, were they checked after the earthquake? No one really thinks about them, but every town has them. Shelters hidden underground, to hide in if a powerful monster attacks the town.

    They''re even more resilient than the walls and Gate, but even they have their limit. It''s said they can withstand the attacks of a Two-Star monster for two weeks. Their primary purpose is to weather out a monster attack where the walls and Gate fall until Soul Strikers arrive, if any manage to arrive in time.

    Before shutting himself or herself into one, the local Elder Hunter would send all of their messenger birds out in the hopes that one would reach the Guild and inform them of the attack. Normally, they would do this as soon as the threat is discovered to be coming towards them.

    If the storm is as bad as the Gate says it will be, it would qualify for going into the shelters as well. Unlike in a city or a larger town, though, we don''t keep stores of food and supplies in the shelter. There''s some sacks of grain, but no one ever maintains it, because we''ve never needed them.

    The earthquake probably didn''t damage them, but that should be checked anyway. If a storm is coming bad enough to warrant us moving the townsfolk into the shelter, we''ll need to spend the next couple of days moving supplies into them, too.

    When was the last time we had a storm that bad, though? If my memory serves me correctly, the last time the shelters were actually used here was more than two hundred years ago. No one in living memory even remembers the storm, but I do remember hearing about it when I was little. Only a few buildings remained standing, those built by expert buildings and made of stone. Winds that funneled and swirled touched down in the center of town and just swept up everything else. Even a few stone buildings were destroyed.

    The area where I live now had once been forest, but that funnel of twisting wind cleared it of trees. The debris was cleared and used up, and the forest never took it back, as quite a bit of land had been cleared. It''s moved its border closer to where it once was, but never did return all the way. A few more centuries, and it might, but not yet.

    Just as I reach my house, a horrible thought crosses my mind.

    I rush inside and up to my room, ignoring Cam''s surprised question about what''s wrong. I look through my books, then pull down one of the tomes on it, flipping through the pages. I stop on several of them, feeling my chest tighten as I read what''s in on them.

    Oh, no.

    I slam the tome shut and tuck it under my arm before I take off, running through town until I reach the Elder Hunter''s shop. When I enter, it''s dark and quiet. Of course it is, the Elder Hunter herself has gone to bed.

    I rush to the door to the back, only for it to open, the Elder Hunter standing there with a globe of light hovering above one hand, her brow creased in worry. She''s wearing a pale nightdress and a pair of slippers, rather than her usual garb. Probably because I woke her up.

    "I felt a jolt as you came here," she tells me. "Immense fear and worry. What is wrong, Cam?"

    "We need to wake up the Hunters," I tell her. "They need to take the merchants and get out of here. Now."

    "Why?" She asks. "What is wrong?"

    "According to the Gate," I say. "A Star-Level monster will be here in three days. We''re too late to investigate, it''s already turned to Star-Level."

    "Are you certain?" She asks. "He''s told me its presence has disappeared."

    "Yes," I open up the tome, flipping to one of the pages in it before showing it to her, pointing at a line. "Look here. Kriamior, a Double-Star monster, was never noticed until she attacked because the local Gate couldn''t sense her. And this one," I flip to another page and point. "Nictves, a Single-Star monster was known to exist, yet the Gate never made mention of him, and when asked, it said it sensed no Star-Level monsters. Over and over. Of the three hundred monsters in this tome, there are eight which were never sensed by the Gates. Eight which evaded notice by them. However, in the log for one of themˇ­"

    I turn the tome back to me and flip through the pages until I find the one I''m looking for, then show it to the Elder Hunter.

    "Griats," I say. "A Single-Star monster from six hundred years ago. The Gate warned of his arrival, yet not as a Star-Level monster. He was referred to as a storm. The Gate said he can no longer sense the Tier Seven monster, and that a storm is coming in three days. I think he''s referring to a Single-Star monster capable of masking its presence from the Gates."

    The Elder Hunter takes the tome, her globe of light shifting away from her hand to allow her to hold the hefty tome. She has me show her each of the eight monsters.

    "I wouldn''t have thought anything of it," I tell her. "Except that I''ve been studying this tome hard ever since you gave it to me. I''ve been through it at least three times."

    "It also notes on each one," she says. "That they were recorded long after, and those Gates had each been destroyed, so the records cannot be relied on. It is possible that they were, in fact, sensed by the Gates, but the right questions were not asked, and the warnings were misinterpreted."

    "Elder Hunter, please," I tell her. "I''ve had a bad feeling ever since the warning, ever since the gaia wolf. I really don''t think the Tier Seven is dead. I think it evolved into a Single-Star the Gate can''t sense, and that it''s going to be here in three days.

    "Even if I''m wrong," I tell her. "The Gate said that we need to move everyone into the shelters for the storm that will arrive in three days, and that the merchants need to be gone by then, that if they wait even another day, they''ll not survive it. But I''m pretty sure it''s a case of a Single-Star monster. Just because the last recorded case was more than two centuries ago, and the Gate itself had been destroyed so it couldn''t confirm things, that doesn''t mean I''m wrong. You know the Hunter''s gut."

    "Always trust the gut of a Hunter," she says. "The truer the Hunter, the truer the gut."

    She nods.

    "I am sorry for doubting you, Rex," she tells me. "You are right. You are a true Hunter, you serve the people, not yourself. If you are as worried as you are and it comes from your gut, then there is likely merit to this. So answer me this, Rex: is this merely fear speaking? Or is this your gut telling you?"

    "Both," I answer. "I''m terrified, ma''am, but at the same time, my gut tells me it''s true. There''s a Single-Star monster out there, and it''s going to be here in three days, that it''s the storm the Gate has mentioned."

    "You speak the truth," she says. "I can see it in your eyes. Let us wake the Hunters and send them off. When dawn comes, we will tell the townsfolk to prepare supplies to last us several weeks and move them into the shelters. All we will say is that a dangerous storm is coming, and we will need to stay in the shelters until it passes. We will tell them the Gate has warned it may last three or four weeks."

    "Long enough for Soul Strikers to get here," I say, and she nods. "And the explanation for the merchants will be that they left to return to their trip before they could get caught in the storm."

    "Yes," she says. "You wake the Hunters, I will prepare the messages for the Guild. Tell them the truth."

    I enter the back and walk up the stairs immediately to my left, walking up to the first door in front of me. I pound on it with a fist, and Jada answers, giving me a sleepy, and confused, look.

    "What''s wrong?" She asks.

    "Everyone needs to wake up," I tell her. "Wake the merchants, and get out of here."

    "Why?" She asks.

    "We have reason to believe a Single-Star monster will arrive in three days," I tell her, and her eyes widen. "So the merchants need to be gone before then. We have too many townsfolk to move in such short notice, so we''re going to move them down into the shelters. It''s possible it''s just a really nasty storm that will last for awhile, but with the previous warning the Gate gave, we want to make sure everyone is safe."

    "Did you investigate?" She asks.

    "No," I answer. "But we have other ways of knowing this stuff. It''s best if the merchants left now, not waited until morning, not another day, but now. The Gate said they and you won''t survive."

    None of the Hunters in the three groups are Level 30, and none have manifested their sacred weapons. It really is best if they''re all gone before the attack comes.

    "Okay," she says. "I''ll wake them up, you get next-door."

    I go next-door and knock, waking the rest of the Hunters and telling them about the upcoming attack or storm. They''re not too pleased with being woken up, but quickly accept what I say and start preparing to leave.

    Now that they''re up, I head back downstairs and to the back yard, where the Elder Hunter is busy writing down notes, tying them to the birds, then sending the birds off. She''s moving much faster than I''ve ever seen her move before.

    "I''ll write," she tells me, her voice strong and swift, and traces of her old age gone from it. "You tie them off and send them."

    "Okay," I say. "We''ll all be in the shelters too, right?"

    "Unless it comes early, then yes," she says. "There''s nothing we can do, and you are not using that spell your brother taught you unless absolutely necessary. If I were forty years younger, the monster wouldn''t be a threat."

    I pray to the powers that be that the Soul Strikers arrive before the monster breaks into a shelter. I don''t want to lose anyone to this thing.

    Please, please let us make it through safely.

 Chapter 022

    "Thank you for the help," Lyssa says as I place another loaf of bread into the basket.

    "You''re welcome," I tell her, then pick up another loaf and fit it into the basket. "I''ll be back."

    I place the cover on the basket, then lift it up and carry it outside to the wagon. The monster attack is expected tomorrow, though we''ve only told the townsfolk that it''s a big storm, as discussed. We really want to keep panic down. Everyone will be divided into four of the shelters, with a different Hunter in each, the Elder Hunter included. All five will be stocked, just in case, but we can fit everyone into four. We could actually fit everyone into just one or two, but we want to spread them out.

    Right now, I''m helping move bread into the shelters. Fire isn''t something that will be used, as everyone would need to live with the smoke until they''re released, which is not a good idea at all.

    Because of that, stuff is being prepared in advance. Bread and rolls that will last a little while are being made now and moved into the shelters, and no-bake breads will be made once these run out or low. Fruits and vegetables are being moved in as well, as much as we can manage with our current harvests. So are potions, balms, and salves, since anything requiring flames won''t be made in the shelters unless it''s an emergency, and many of those require heat.

    There are also ''ponds'' in the shelters, meant for storing fish in. Once I finish helping Lyssa pack up the bread she''s baked in this batch, I''m going outside of town to check the baskets I set out to catch fish. More are being caught at the river through town and the lake, but those do have a limited supply as well. Since fish can be consumed raw, they''ll help supplement us with meat past the jerky made from stuff Cam, Liam, and I caught. Mostly hares, but a couple of deer as well. Anything they could turn into jerky in under two days.

    After setting the basket of bread in the wagon, I return inside the bakery and help pack up the last basket, then move it to the wagon as well.

    "Thank you, Rex," Lyssa says.

    "You''re welcome," I tell her. "You can handle the rest, right?"

    "Yes," she answers. "The extra pair of hands to pack things up was appreciated."

    "You''re welcome," I say. "I need to head out now, so I can check my traps."

    "Good luck," she tells me.

    "Thank you," I say.

    I grab the wagon, then start pulling it to the shelter the bread was prepared for, which is outside of the actual settlement, near an apple orchard. The entrance is a pair of thick stone doors set into the ground at an angle. Once they''re sealed, an illusion of light will make them look like part of the surroundings.

    Not even the Builders, who make the shelters, know how that happens. Much like the power of the Gates and the walls, it''s beyond our knowledge. They construct the shelters, then the spells form to protect them.

    The doors are open at the moment, each one three feet thick. There''s a dip in each side by the inner edge to allow us to grab onto it and pull it open or closed, though it''s usually someone strong opening them, due to their weight.

    Grabbing a basket, I make my way downstairs, handing the basket off to one of the townsfolk inside. They pass it off to someone else as I head back outside to grab more baskets. Once the wagon is empty, I ask if there''s anything else they need. There are already beds down here, each shelter has two hundred sets of bunk beds filling half of the space, packed tightly enough together that there''s barely any room to walk.

    This first area, however, contains the storage, food prep and dining area, and the fish ponds. It doesn''t matter to spread them out through the shelter, as if it''s breached, everyone inside is lost. Our hope is that we can last long enough that the Soul Strikers arrive and deal with the monster before it destroys a shelter''s entrance and makes it inside.

    Not that we''re telling the townsfolk. I can tell that a few of them know what''s going on, or at least, that they have guessed it. Even if the sky is growing dark with clouds, they''ve picked up on the worry Cam and I have.

    Mostly on the subtle clues Liam has. We''ve made sure he knows not to tell his friends, but that doesn''t mean he can hide the worry and fear on his face.

    Judging by his expression, the man I was handing stuff off to is one of the ones who''s figured out what''s going on.

    "No," he answers. "We should be fine with what''s coming in from others, and once we have the last bit of stuff we need for our fish ponds here, as well as a few more fish."

    "Okay," I say. "I''ll see you later, then. I''m assigned to this shelter."

    "Okay," he says. "Are you leaving the wagon?"

    "I am," I tell him. "You could probably use it, and I''m done with it."

    "Thank you," he says. "Good luck with the catches."

    "Thank you," I say. "I''ll see you when I return."

    I turn and leave, making my way back across town and to the Gate. As I draw near, I find the Elder Hunter standing with them.

    "Would you kindly come and speak with me?" She asks me. "In the shop?"

    "Yes, ma''am," I answer, then follow her inside the shop, Cam and Liam staying outside. "You want to discuss something private?"

    The Elder Hunter turns to face me, looking me up and down with an appraising eye that makes me a little uncomfortable.

    "A little," she answers. "Rex, have you heard the voice again?"

    "No," I answer. "Just the two times. I can drop myself back down to a low enough sacred power to hear his voice again, though. Why?"

    "It is curious," she says. "How little they speak. What is the voice? Is it truly something not of your soul? Why do they only ever greet? Why do they speak so rarely? If it truly is some other force, perhaps we could ask it for advice in what to do?"

    I find myself frowning as she asks those questions. She knows why, I''ve told her all of this. In fact, I just mentioned a moment ago about the sacred power thing. Why would she act like she didn''t know?

    Unless she doesn''t.

    "They can only be heard," I say. "When sacred power is extremely low, though I''m not sure why manifesting before Level 20 has to do with it. If you want, I can burn through my sacred power to bring me low enough to hear the voice. Did you want me to ask that?"

    "Yes," she says. "If you happen to hear it again before the attack, could you ask it for advice? See if it knows something we do not?"

    She''s acting as if she didn''t hear what I said. At all. That is extremely strange, but then, so is me hearing a voice from my soul that is not my soul. Is there something that prevents people from hearing much about the voice?

    "Ma''am," I ask, curious. "What all I have told you about the voice?"

    "Let''s see," she says. "That you''ve heard it exactly twice. The first time you heard it, it asked if you could hear it. Then, that time and the next, it simply greeted you. That is all it said. Despite the voice coming from within your own soul, you are adamant is it not your soul, but something else. That''s all you''ve said. Was there more?"

    "Yes," I say. "I''ve told you plenty more than that, including what allows me to hear the voice."

    "You are most correct," she tells me. "It would be nice if we knew what caused the voice to be heard."

    So I''m right. Something is preventing her from registering what I''m saying, making her hear something a little different to what I said. Now I know why, from all of the supposed records of the voice, nothing is known about it other than that those who manifest their sacred weapons before they reach Level 20 can hear it, it''s heard from their soul but isn''t their soul, and only greets, saying little else.

    Why? What purpose does the truth being concealed serve? How much was learned by others like me?

    There''s no use wondering about things I''ll likely not receive the answers to right now. I also probably won''t receive an answer from the voice about how to handle things. While I haven''t tried, my gut tells me so, and I always trust my gut. It''s even possible it''s an effect of the voice, too, me knowing it won''t give me answers to things like this.

    "I''ll tell you if I find an answer," I tell the Elder Hunter. "Until then, I need to finish preparing for the attack."

    "Thank you," she smiles.

    I step back outside the shop and approach Cam and Liam.

    "So?" Liam asks. "What did she want? Or is it some super secret thing?"

    "Nothing super secret," I say. "Just not something she wanted to discuss where others might here it. It has to do with the storm."

    "She wanted us to stay outside," Cam tells me. "Does it have to do with you-know-what?"The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    I can tell he''s asking about the voice, even without him saying it.

    "Yes," I nod. "She wanted to know something."

    Instead of her receiving her answer, I learned something about the voice.

    "Come on," I say. "Let''s head out and check the nets and baskets."

    We step up to the Gate.

    "A storm is coming," the Gate tells us.

    "We know," I tell him. "We''re preparing for it. We''re going out to bring in the fish our traps caught."

    "Make haste," he says. "Before the storm arrives."

    "We''ll be back before then," I say as I pull down the front of my shirt, Cam and Liam pulling down the fronts of theirs to reveal their brands as well.

    "Make haste," the Gate tells us. "A storm is coming."

    The Gate opens, then the three of us leave, making our way through the fields and hills to the river. By the time we reach it, the sky has darkened heavily, not a trace of clear skies visible in any direction as thick storm clouds have taken over.

    "Think it''ll get delayed by the storm?" Cam asks.

    "It might," I answer.

    "What if it made the storm?" Liam asks, his voice shaking a little.

    "That would be quite strange," I tell him. "For it to be the one to make a storm this vast, it would need to be at least a Triple-Star monster. Since it''s only a Single-Star, that means the storm isn''t its creation."

    "Are you sure it''s only Single-Star?" Liam asks.

    "Yes," I answer. "We''d have known sooner if it were a Triple-Star. That''s too powerful to have gotten away without being noticed in some form. And remember, the Gate warned us before it turned into a Single-Star, which wasn''t all that long ago. The monster won''t have been able to bump itself up to Triple-Star yet. It''s fine, Liam. All we have to do is wait down in the shelters."

    "Are you sure?" He asks.

    "Yes," I answer. "It will take two and a half weeks for a team of Soul Strikers to arrive here."

    Though they aren''t being sent by the Guild. The Guild responded to the Elder Hunter with a message saying that there was no proof or evidence of a Star-Level monster in the area, and that lack of being sensed and a gut feeling didn''t count. They could not and would not waste a precious team of Soul Strikers checking out something that wasn''t confirmed.

    So she sent a message to Kain and his team. That message told them about the warning from the Gate, its sudden inability to sense the monster, yet knew of a dangerous storm that required us to be in the shelters to survive. She mentioned my gut said it was a Star-Level monster, and that there were at least eight recorded occurrences where a Gate couldn''t sense a Star-Level. She also told them that the Guild followed its protocol, but she would prefer a faster response, even if it was only a day sooner than it would be if she sent them when we ran to the shelters.

    After she sent those, she told me that she wished she had simply sent the emergency messages prepared. There''s a group of pre-made messages stating the town is under attack by a Star-Level monster, but they''re only allowed by the rules to be sent when the rush to the shelters is done. That was why she wrote up individual ones to send off.

    Using the pre-made ones without the proper reason would result in her being punished, but the Elder Hunter says she would rather be punished than lose the town because it took an extra day for a team of Soul Strikers to arrive.

    Since the Guild had refused to send a group out, as per protocol for an unverified situation with no real evidence to support it, she did the next-best thing, she messaged my brother. He and his team will come out here.

    Even if they''re disobeying orders by leaving their current mission, they value protecting a town from a Star-Level monster over whatever it is they''re doing. Thankfully, this is only a Single-Star monster, or they wouldn''t be able to handle it.

    "I promise, everything will be fine," I tell Liam.

    "Okay," he takes a deep breath. "Let''s get these fish!"

    We check the first set of traps, a few baskets we''d placed in the river. They all have a few fish in them of varying sizes, so I pull them out and move the fish into Cam''s basket. Cam and Liam both have baskets right now, while I don''t, mostly because I''d forgotten mine. I''ll have to run home and grab it before we do our second round of checks.

    Most of the nets and basket traps we check have fish in them, and we manage to fill the two baskets as full of fish and water as we can manage and not kill the fish with temporarily storing them like that.

    "Come on," I say once they''re full. "Let''s return to town."

    We walk back to town, entering and making our way to the nearest shelter. This is the one the Elder Hunter will be staying in, to provide fire magic in the event of an emergency need of it.

    More food is being moved into it at the moment, along with medicinal things which have been made up. Feeding more than one hundred people for up to four weeks isn''t easy, and it takes a lot of food.

    It''s bad that no one''s ever kept the stores in the shelters maintained. Really, really bad. After this ends, we''ll have to try to remember to keep them at least partially-stocked. As it is, food will probably have to be rationed a little to prevent us from running out before we''re let out.

    In this first shelter, we empty out Liam''s basket into the fish pond, then move some of the fish from Cam''s basket into it as well. They swim off in various directions, mingling with the fish from the town''s river and lake or hiding in the various rocks and small logs placed in the bottom.

    "Come on," I say. "Next shelter."

    The three of us move on to the second shelter, which Liam is assigned to. There, we pour the water and fish from Cam''s basket into the pond. Nick is in charge of this shelter, and he flags us over after we finish.

    "Thank the powers that be," he tells me. "That we always have ale storage. Did you know, though, that these shelters have clean water?"

    Clean water? That''s rare, we never know if water is safe to drink or not, especially in a town. It''s all too easy for something to be contaminated. That''s why we drink light ale, even if we could just boil water to make it drinkable. It''s much less time-consuming to just buy ale then try boiling water, only to boil it wrong and not kill the contaminants. Or for the boiling to not kill them even when done right.

    It''s said that, in the era before magic, we could purify water with ease. There were entire facilities dedicated to cleaning water for society, making it safe to consume. But then magic came, and as with many luxuries, such things went away.

    "We do?" I ask.

    "Yes," he answers. "We were moving some stuff in a storage room and found it. Huge stone-lined pits of clear water, sealed up tight and labeled as clean water."

    "It would probably be best if we held off on drinking that unless necessary," I say. "It might not taste well, and it''s always possible it wasn''t boiled right."

    "Indeed," he says. "But it means we can worry less about drawing up water and storing it for emergencies."

    "Okay," I say. "We need to go get more fish, I want to finish this by sundown."

    "Good luck," he says. "And thank you for the help."

    "You''re welcome," I say, then we leave.

    "Rex," Cam says. "I''m worried about some of our townsfolk. Elderly, weak, pregnant ¨C I think we should move them into the shelters now."

    "Now?" I ask.

    "Yes," he nods. "Just a feeling I have. It''s probably just me being paranoid because of my ma being pregnant, but I''d feel better if we did that."

    "No, it''s a smart move," I say. "They''ll have an easier time entering when they aren''t rushing. Let''s get that started. We can tell the Elder Hunter after we grab my basket."

    "Okay," he nods.

    We hurry to my house to grab my basket, then return to the Elder Hunter''s shop, where we tell her what we want.

    "I can arrange that," she nods. "I was just thinking that myself. It would be smart to move them in early. That way, they have an easier time getting to their beds before the younger, healthier crowd moves in."

    "Thank you," Cam says.

    "You boys hurry," the Elder Hunter tells us. "I don''t like the look of those clouds. We might have a nasty storm to deal with tonight."

    "We''ll hurry," I tell her.

    The three of us leave and return to checking the traps we set up in the river, spending two more hours doing that and filling our baskets. We return to town and deliver the fish to the last two shelters. We reach the one Cam is assigned to last, and find around thirty people already at the bunks. Most of our elderly, the four pregnant women, and a few crippled people.

    "Ma," Cam approaches his ma, giving her a hug. "I''ll be down here tomorrow, when we''re moving everyone into them."

    Our estimate is sometime in the afternoon or evening tomorrow for the monster''s arrival, since the Gate gave the three-day notice late at night. We''re basing this on records of when the monsters arrive after a time is given by the Gates, since they tend to arrive in the rough time frame given. If it were around noon or in the morning, the Gate would have told us ''in two and a half days'' rather than ''in three days''.

    So we are finishing up preparations today with the final things tomorrow morning. During the final prep tomorrow morning, we''ll be moving everyone not participating in that down into the shelters. By noon, all of them will be closed and sealed.

    "I''ll be fine, Cam," she hugs him back. "You boys are helping everyone prepare. That''s more important."

    Cam nods, then we exit the shelter.

    "I want to check the traps one last time," I say. "It should be faster since not many will have anything."

    "I agree," Cam says. "We can add a few more fish to the supplies with just another two hours of checking."

    "Let''s go, then," Liam nods.

    We make our way back to the Gate and show it our brands.

    "Make haste," the Gate tells us. "The storm shall arrive soon."

    "We know," I tell him. "We just want to do one last check of the traps."

    The Gate opens, letting in a strong gust of wind from outside. I pull off my basket and set it beside the Elder Hunter''s Shop. Liam gives me a confused look as we leave, and as the Gate closes behind us, I crouch and tell him to climb onto my back.

    "It''s been a long time since you''ve given me a back ride," Liam says. "I can walk."

    "Walk, yes, fly, no," I say. "With a storm like this coming, there''s not much danger in the sky. That makes it safe for us to fly, so we''re going to. With the lids for the baskets, we can fly without fear of losing any fish or soaking ourselves with the water from them."

    "Oh," he says, then climbs onto my back.

    After making sure he''s holding on tight, I being to fly with my wind magic, and Cam joins us a moment later. We soar to the river, cutting out a decent part of the time it will take to check the traps. Once we land, we begin checking the traps, filling Cam''s basket with fish and water first.

    His basket is half-full with water and fish when we hear a strange, loud rumbling.

    "I''ve never heard thunder like that before," Liam comments, looking at the sky. "Did you see lightning?"

    "No," I answer as Cam shakes his head.

    A few seconds later, we hear the rumble again, but see no lightning. It occurs a few more times, and I find myself frowning at it.

    "What is that?" Liam asks.

    "Sh," I shush him, closing my eyes.

    "Why?"

    "Just sh," I say. "Let me listen."

    He remains silent after that, and I listen again, trying to pinpoint the actual sound itself as the strange rumbling occurs a few more times. It''s coming from the town. After the fourth attempt at figuring out what the sound is, I manage to make it out.

    "REEEEEEEEEEEEX!" A deep voice echoes through the air.

    "It''s the Gate," I open my eyes. "Liam, on my back. We''re returning."

    "The Gate?" He asks. "Is it under attack?"

    "No," I answer. "It''s calling my name."

    "I didn''t know it could shout this far," Cam comments.

    "Nor did I," I say. "But it''s best to go find out what he wants. Probably to say the storm''s about to hit us and we need to get inside and take cover."

    Liam hurries onto my back, then Cam and I take off into the sky and fly back. The rumbling stops once we''re within line-of-sight of the Gate, and we land in front of it.

    "Were you calling my name?" I ask as Liam hops off my bac.

    "Yes," the Gate answers. "It appears I miscalculated, Rex. The storm is not arriving tomorrow."

    "Yes, it''s arriving tonight," I say. "It''ll hit us soon. You''ve been warning us all day."

    "Correct," he tells me. "It is best if everyone moves into the shelters now."

    I''m about to open my mouth to respond when I remember that he warned us of a different storm, too. At the same time, a feeling runs down my spine.

    "Get everyone in the shelters, now!" I order Cam.

    "Why?" He asks.

    "Now!" I summon my sacred weapon and activate my lightning body spell.

    I twist, lunging slightly north of here and jabbing forward with my spear. My attack is stopped by a dark blue hand.

    "Because it''s here!"

 Chapter 023

    For a moment, there is near-complete silence, only the wind in the grass making any noise. Cam and Liam are staring at the monster in shock, while the monster and I are taking each other in.

    He''s around seven feet in height, with a body of dense muscle, his skin dark blue. His nipples, nails, hair, and eyes are a paler blue in color, with his nails slightly elongated and sharp, as if claws. He smiles, showing off his perfect, white teeth and four sharp fangs. Atop his head is a single horn, a darker blue than the rest of his body. Flicking behind him is a slim tail with a small spike at the tip of it.

    Based on how small his nose is and the roundness of his ears, it''s possible one of the contributing beasts to his form was a bear. That means a lot of fresh bear hearts went into powering him up. The dark blue coloration suggests a water-based affinity, though he''s probably able to use all elements, as all Star-Level monsters can.

    Since he doesn''t have wings, I''m doubting he can fly. The book of Star-Level monsters showed that only Triple-Star and higher could actually move over a town''s walls without wings. That doesn''t mean it won''t try to make handholds in the wall and climb over, but most seem to just break their way in rather than bother with that.

    That''s a relief, though. If it can''t fly, fighting it becomes a little bit easier.

    The tip of my spear has cut into the monster''s hand, which appears to have surprised it. It wasn''t expecting me to hurt it.

    "GO!" I roar as the monster pushes its hand forward, and I jump back a little, pulling my spear free rather than allowing the monster to cause my arm to jerk back with the push.

    The Gate opens, and I quickly step to the side to block the monster''s attempt at enter.

    "NOW!"

    Cam picks up Liam and rushes inside, the Gate hastily closing behind them as I continue to strike at the monster, blocking its attack. They wouldn''t have been able to go inside if I hadn''t stayed out here.

    I''m guaranteed to die before the monster breaks its way into the town, something that won''t take it more than an hour or two once it''s done dealing with me. Even with my trump card, it''s best if everyone still goes into the shelters. There''s always, always the chance that it will fail.

    Even still, I need to delay its entry into town if that does happen. That means not activating that spell here. No, we need to move further away, so that the walls aren''t in the blast radius.

    The monster moves, and I shift to the side, barely avoiding its hand even with my lightning form. I slash up with my spear, and the monster deflects the attack. The force of the impact jars my arm, but I allow my body to move with the force to decrease that. Performing a full spin, I stab at the monster.

    Making a bet, I turn and run, jumping over to a hill, then turn and face the monster. It looks at the Gate, then at me, then jumps forward. I shift, jumping to the side. Only a moment later, the monster lands where I was standing. It''s decided to follow me. Take care of the human with a pointy stick before going after the town.

    Since Cam and Liam went inside, it''s probably correctly guessing that they can''t do anything to it, and so it won''t matter if it waits a little bit to enter. Good. That should buy everyone time to enter the shelters.

    However, I can''t stop everything and just run, or it''ll ignore me, so as I tumble to the side, I quickly recover and shift my body to the side again, just in time to avoid being crushed by the monster''s feet as it attempts to jump onto me. I lash out with my spear, striking one of its legs and drawing crimson blood from it.

    Hissing, the monster kicks at my spear, knocking it out of my hand, then as I lunge for the spear, the monster jumps onto it. At the last moment, I shift to the side, releasing my spear and manifesting it again just in time to cut into the monster''s leg as it attempts to kick me.

    Thank goodness that paid off. Every injury I give it increases the odds of it following me when I take off a little further away.

    With that injury delivered, I bolt away again, the monster following me. I need to move at least a mile away, though two would be preferred just to be sure. It all depends on how long it takes for us to move away and how much sacred power I have left.

    A blast of water slams into my back, some of it evaporating in the heat of my lightning, though there''s still enough impact to knock me down. I roll to the side immediately, avoiding being crushed again.

    Jumping, I use a little flight magic to take me a little further away, landing on another hill. I turn, thrusting my spear forward just in time to cut into the monster''s arm, drawing more blood. My attack deflected its own attempt at ripping into my chest, his hand passing by me. Its claws cut into my arm, and I hiss, then kick up with a foot, managing to catch it in the sensitive spot.

    This time, it''s the monster''s turn to hiss, then it inhales deeply. Taking a guess, I do the same and release a sonic scream just in time to counter the monster''s. The monster''s on sonic attack is stronger than mine, so I''m pushed back anyway, but it''s not powerful enough to break my bones through my counter, thank goodness. If it was, then that would have been the end for me.

    We stop our sonic blasts, and I scramble back to my feet in time to stop another attack using the shaft of my spear, then I take off again, narrowly avoiding being struck by another blast of water as the monster pursues me.

    It catches up to me, and I strike at it as it strikes at me. Its hand and my spear connect, the spearhead slashing part of its shoulder as its hand connects with my arm again, then we''re moving once more.

    Now, it''s keeping pace with me, attacking every few seconds as I try to put on more speed and avoid being hit or attempt to delay it with a strike or a spell to cause it to stumble. My attempts at buying time are weak, though, and the monster recovers quickly.

    We pass the mile mark from town, and I continue attempting to put distance between us. As I leap another hill, I realize the monster has driven me back to the path leading between the two towns. That''s strange, but nothing to think on too hard. A little bit further, than I can prepare the spell. Hopefully, I have the few seconds necessary to fill my sacred weapon with my sacred power and begin converting my soul into the fuel for the explosion.

    The monster might try to flee once it realizes I''m performing a suicide move, but at the very least, the blast should be fast enough to wound the monster. If it doesn''t outright kill it, I hope the monster is wounded badly enough to need to leave and take some time to recover.

    If that happens, then that will buy a little more time for my brother and his team to arrive.

    The monster manages to kick me in the stomach as I try to block an attack with my spear as I evade, and the sheer force of the blow sends me flying. I lose my lightning form and drop my spear, tumbling on the ground. Something broke inside of me. Not a rib, though. Maybe it was a rib? Ow.

    Gritting my teeth, I release my spear as I roll to the side, doing my best to avoid calling out in pain. I guess this is where I do it. Manifesting my spear again, I begin infusing it with sacred power as I activate my lightning body spell again to allow me to evade attacks. It doesn''t matter how much sacred power I actually push into the spear, as it''s my soul''s power that will cause the damage.

    "Hmph!" The monster scoffs as I avoid another attack. "Whatever you are trying, human, give it up. You are much too weak to manage, and I''d rather finish this before the other group arrives."

    The other group? Right, this monster can talk, since it''s a Star-Level one. How does it know about Kain on his way, though? It shouldn''t have been able to know about the message, and unless it was in the town, it wouldn''t have overheard us.

    "You haveˇ­" I gasp, only realizing now how badly that blow hurt. It broke several things, didn''t it? Is a lung punctured, too? "A couple of weeks before reinforcements arrive."

    "A couple of weeks?" He scoffs. "I''m not talking about whatever other reinforcements are coming. I''m talking about the ones which will be here soon. I''d like to put your head on that spear of yours and display it for them to see."

    There''s someone else coming?

    "No one else is coming," I say. "We only just sent word for help."

    "Ha!" He laughs. "Don''t try to fool me, boy. I saw the group, they''ll be here soon. In no more than an hour, at the rate they''re moving."Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Who would be traveling to us that could reach us that soon? The merchants are days away by now, and we aren''t expecting anyone else to arrive. Is there another merchant coming out here outside of the normal time? That''s rare as it is, and bad for them. Really, really bad.

    "An old man and a young woman on a wagon pulled by two beasts, with a group of five warriors. Their power is much greater than yours. Much, much greater. All but the young woman on the wagon have the same signs in their power I know now means they have one of those."

    The monster points at my sacred spear. What does he mean by that? Is it saying that it can read if someone has a sacred weapon? Or just that they have sacred power? I find it hard to believe, though. If it''s a team of five with sacred weapons, then they would be Soul Strikers most likely. And they''re traveling with an old man who has one, too? A new Elder Hunter? But why wouldn''t the current one know she''s being replaced? I''m sure she''d have said something if she knew.

    No, the monster is fibbing. At least, I want to say that, but my gut tells me he''s being honest. There''s always the possibility he''s just trying to give me hope at rescue, but I''m doubting it.

    But if the monster is telling the truth, then there''s a group of Hunters coming. I''m not sure if it''s actually sensing their sacred weapons, or if it''s sensing sacred power and assuming it''s the weapon, since I pulled it out first, but whichever it isˇ­ I hope they make the smart move. If it''s just sacred power he''s sensing, as it most likely is, then I pray to the powers that be that they flee as soon as they notice it.

    If it''s a team of Soul Strikers, then the powers that be are smiling upon us. An hour is too long for me to delay, and I''m going to die no matter what happens. So it''s best if I use the spell I''m preparing. At the least, it will severely injure the monster and alert the other team to a danger. At best, my life kills this monster.

    "So just hurry up and die!" The monster lunges at me, knocking my spear out of my hands and sending my flying into a hill.

    I impact the hill with enough force to put a small crater in it, and I know that several other bones are broken. I call my spear back to me, unable to get up. My lightning body spell is gone now, but I guess I shouldn''t worry about it. It''s useless if I can''t move around, and the monster is clearly unaffected by it. That part''s normal, though, considering I''d need to be at least ten to fifteen Levels higher just to do a little damage to this monster, and twenty to actually be able to fight it.

    "Hmph!" The monster scoffs again as he approaches. "You''re fast, but flimsy. Taking care of the others will be easy, even if just annoying."

    Don''t underestimate a Hunter. I''d tell you that, except it hurts just to breathe, and I doubt I could make words you could understand because of my punctured lungs.

    I continue infusing my spear with sacred power, only a little bit left to go. Maybe I''ll hear the voice one last time.

    "Keep your eyes open," the monster tells me. "I want them to look into your dead eyes after I impale you on your weapon."

    "DON''T!" The voice calls into my head, and I falter in pushing sacred power into my spear. "Before you activate that spell, Rex, consider another option!"

    There are no other options. Is it more, or has time slowed down. The monster is still approaching me, but its movements look as if they''ve been slowed. What is going on?

    "I can tell you''re unable to speak, your body wounded badly," the voice says. "So I''ve sped up your perception of time, Rex. It should give us a few more moments to converse. Whatever is happening, Rex, it''s bad if you''re using that spell. If you''re using a Hunter''s last resort."

    Of course it''s bad. I''m buying time for everyone to make it into the shelters. Maybe for this mysterious group of Hunters to arrive, too. My death here will either kill this thing, ensure it''s weak enough the other team can beat it, or will buy enough time for Soul Strikers to arrive.

    "However," the voice says. "It will sacrifice your life. There is a team of others who wield sacred weapons on their way. They will arrive in forty-seven minutes. It would be a shame for you to die because you couldn''t buy enough time."

    I''m going to die anyway. As soon as this stops, the monster will kill me.

    "But we can do something else," he tells me. "Rex, burn up every last bit of your sacred power and keep yourself empty for twenty seconds. If you can buy twenty seconds of time with you empty, I will be able to possess you."

    Possess me? I''ve heard of the stories of possession from ancient times. Entities would possess mortals and cause problems or take over their lives. That doesn''t sound fun.

    "If I possess you," the voice tells me. "Then I will defeat the monster in your stead. I will be able to channel my own power through you. With my power, the monster is sure to fall, no questions about it, no hesitation, no second thoughts. It will die. You know of the ancient tales, so you know the rumors of possession. I will return your body to you soon after defeating the monster. You have nothing to worry about, I am no malevolent being. There are only two other options for you, Rex, and both result in your death. You either allow it to die, or you sacrifice yourself to kill it. My hold on your perception is slipping, you will return to normal in just a moment. Decide, and swiftly."

    The monster returns to moving at a normal pace. With a lot of pain, I manage to take in another breath, and the monster hesitates.

    "Oh?" It asks. "Have something to say?"

    "You," I lose all of my breath just to say that one word.

    But the voice is right. There are three choices available to me. I''m going to pray to the powers that be that I''m making the right choice. I don''t know if me using the ultimate spell will work. Kain told me it''s impossible to dodge, but what if the monster moves before I activate it and the monster uses something like the lightning body? Couldn''t it dodge then?

    If the voice is honest, then it can defeat the monster for sure. I''m taking a leap of faith here, trusting in my gut, and buying the necessary time.

    Feeling something puncture as I take another breath, I look at the monster again.

    "Will," I run out of breath, and struggle to take another.

    "Not," I''m out of breath again.

    This hurts, this hurts so bad, but I need to buy the necessary time.

    "Win," I wanted to say ''survive'', but I doubt I could manage a word that long right now.

    Black spots are forming in my vision, and I''m starting to lose my ability to control my sacred power, to continue pushing it into my sacred weapon as quickly as I regenerate it.

    "Tell yourself that all you want, child," the monster laughs. "But your head will be quite nice on your spear."

    He pulls a hand back, ready to stab it into my chest, and there''s a tug on my soul. It feels as if it''s asking permission to enter, so I let it in as the monster attacks.

    Immediately, there''s a rush of power flooding through my soul, and the speed of the monster seems to slow almost to a crawl. My bones snap back into place as this power mends my body, and I can feel the other being here, inside of me.

    "Hello, Rex," he says as he takes control of my body. "In the thousands of years since the world changed, only twice before has someone accepted this offer. A few centuries ago, and a few thousand years ago. Rest yourself, Rex. And watch, for the battle is won."

    Though I''m still able to perceive the input from my senses, I no longer have control over my body. That''s okay, though, for one simple reason: I know what this other being is.

    I know everything about him, and I know that because he''s possessed me, he knows everything about me. The moment he possessed me, I became aware of his entire history, all of his memories, everything.

    This being, the source of the voice, is an angel. An actual, powers-that-be angel. Just like that crystal sculpture.

    The angels try, over and over, to project their voices to us humans, but we never hear them. Many thousands of years ago, they learned that only those who managed to manifest their sacred weapons long before the normal time can hear them, and only when they are quite low on sacred power.

    While some can be heard by all beings, we can each only hear one angel normally. The first one whose voice we hear is the one we will only ever hear, except if those in the upper ranks of the angels attempts to contact us. In addition, only those they speak to can hear the truth of what is said, no one else has whatever is necessary in order to know it.

    That explains why the Elder Hunter seemed to be ignorant of my explanation. Even how they can be heard isn''t something that normal people can hear and retain.

    They aren''t able to possess humans often, and only under certain circumstances, one of which is that we''re badly injured, and another is that we can hear their voice. However, when they do possess us, they''re able to wield power through us as if our Level were three times as high as it is.

    Right now, he''s fighting with the power of someone at Level 60. A Single-Star monster is no match for him.

    There is one major downside to it, though. Not only can someone be possessed only once every few decades without severe repercussions, but we lose the ability to use sacred power for several months to several years after a possession.

    A worthy sacrifice, in my opinion. I get to live, Liam doesn''t lose another family member, and the monster is defeated.

    The moment my body finishes healing due to the angelic power flowing through it, the angel stands. The monster stumbles back, confusion clear on its face at my sudden health and the golden glow around me.

    Then, the angel strikes forward with my spear, aiming at the monster''s chest. The monster attempts to dodge, and the spear pierces into his left arm. Rather than simply pulling it out and trying again, the angel wraps the head of the spear with the power of fire, and the effect triggers, the flames spreading out and forming a much larger head.

    The monster''s arm drops to the ground, cauterized from the fire as the flames return to their normal size.

    The angel strikes again, and the monster barely manages to evade it by jumping up and back, using wind magic to boost itself. It can''t fly, but it can still boost its movements with wind magic.

    Meanwhile, the angel simply flies up into the air, and it''s then that I realize I can feel a pair of wings stretching out of my back. Wings of light, I''m assuming?

    Striking forward, the angel severs one of the monster''s legs, and the monster crashes back into the ground. The angel lands next to the monster, spearing it in the chest with my sacred weapon, golden flames flaring up.

    "Child of darkness," the angel says through my mouth, murmuring as if in prayer. "Let your corrupted soul return to the great well, to be cleaned and born anew. May your next life be pure and happy."

    The angel pulls my spear out and releases it, then uses its magic to burn the monster''s body, turning it to ash in moments. He then walks over to the missing leg and incinerates that as well, before walking to the arm and turning that to ash, too.

    "And now," the angel says through my soul. "The threat is gone. There are no threats to you in this area, so this is where I leave you, Rex. May you never have need to hear my voice again."

    I feel the angel leave me, and my body collapses to the ground. Exhaustion fills me, and as I start to pass out, lightning cracks across the sky, thunder echoing out a moment later. My last thought before passing out is that I''ll take getting a cold from the rain is much preferred to sacrificing myself to kill a monster well-beyond my power.

 Epilogue

    The first thing I''m aware of is pain. My head hurts with a pressure pushing outward and inward at the same time. For several minutes, I just lie here, feeling the pain in my head and adjusting to it. Then I become aware of other sensations.

    Cool air on my bare chest and my face and left arm, the softness of the bed beneath me, the warmth of the blanket that''s covering my legs and part of my stomach. The warmth of a small form beside me, clutching my right arm, keeping it warm. The smell of berry pie, dried tears on my clutched arm. The sound of birds chirping outside the window.

    Slowly, I open my eyes. When the pain doesn''t increase with the light shining through the window, I look at the person clutching my arm. Liam, curled up in his night clothes. How long was I out? A short while? A long while? It probably scared him, and he''s likely only left to wash, use the pot, and eat, if me waking took awhile. He might even have just eaten in here.

    Looking around, I confirm that I''m in my bedroom. Liam probably moved the blankets as we slept, he has a hard time sleeping under them once it starts warming up.

    Holding up my right hand, I attempt to generate a small ball of flames, a gentle breeze, a spark of lightning, but nothing happens. As I expected, I''m unable to use my sacred power. As I know, it will last some time.

    Hopefully not too long, but even if it does take me a long while, that is fine. The town is safe, Liam is safe. Everything worked out, and I didn''t have to sacrifice myself to do it.

    I inhale deeply, then slowly exhale, before detaching Liam from my arm, doing so carefully so as to not wake him. Once I''m free, I climb off my bed and walk over to my dresser, pulling out a pair of shorts and a shirt. Whoever took off my shirt left my pants on, but they need washing.

    After checking to make sure Liam is still sleeping, I change into the shorts and shirt, drop the dirty pants in my clothes basket, then carefully leave my room without making too much noise. I head downstairs, where I find Cam, Kain, and an old man sitting around the table. A steaming pie sits on the center of the table, Cam cutting into it and serving the pieces to everyone.

    The old man has green eyes and grey hair, and I can see his resemblance to Kain, especially with them sitting beside each other. Is this our grandpa? Why is he here? How long was I out?

    My mind returns to what the monster said. There was an old man and a young woman traveling this way, escorted by five Hunters. Our grandpa was coming here?

    "Rex!" Cam notices me first, and as soon as he exclaims that, the other two look at me. "You''re awake!"

    "I am," I nod. "How long was I unconscious?"

    "Three weeks," Kain answers. "You fought a Star-Level monster. How did you survive?"

    "You wouldn''t remember if I told you," I answer, and he frowns. "It''s complicated."

    "Does it have to do with that golden aura you had?" The old man, my possible grandpa, asks. "I saw it on our journey, along with you and those golden wings you held."

    "Yes, it does," I answer. "Though as I said, you won''t remember the reason, even if I told you. It''s complicated, but that''s it."

    "Okay," Kain says. "Well, let''s do an introduction. Rex, meet Ben, our grandpa. It seems he began moving out here a couple of months ago, and was on the final stretch when the monster attacked."

    "I was traveling with some Soul Strikers," Grandpa Ben tells me. "Who promised to escort me all the way here. We sensed the Star-Level monster not long before you destroyed it. They left after the storms ended to report to the Guild about what happened."

    "How many Levels did you gain?" Kain asks me. "You killed something you shouldn''t have been able to."

    "None," I answer.

    Even though I can''t even feel my sacred power right now, I know for sure I acquired no Levels from that. The angel killed it, it was just using my body to do so. Because of that, I received no experience.

    "Really?" Cam asks. "But that was-"

    "It was the power of that golden light which killed it," I say. "I benefited none from using it."

    I sit down at the table, and Kain pours me a glass of wine as Cam serves me a piece of pie, then takes his seat.

    "It''s been three weeks, huh?" I ask. "How did they verify there was a Star-Level? He-there are no remains left."

    "We Soul Strikers have a way of verifying," Kain tells me. "The presence or recent death of Star-Level monsters. It takes five of us and an Elder Hunter. It allows the Elder Hunter to view the events which occurred in an area, and the local one confirmed the monster''s status as a Single-Star."

    He takes a deep breath, then lets it out.

    "I''m so glad you survived that," he says. "That was terrible luck, it showing up before the estimate."

    "Had I not noticed the attack," I say. "I''d have died. There was a lot of luck involved in that, and I''m grateful to be alive. If it weren''t for the golden lightˇ­ I''d be dead, the wall would be partially destroyed, and we''d have lost people from the town before Grandpa''s escorts arrived."

    I look at Grandpa Ben.

    "I take it you found me on the road?"

    "Yes," he answers. "We almost didn''t, though. The wind and rain were strong, and there was very little visibility. If we hadn''t been blasting light out looking for you, we probably would have simply run right over you."

    "I''m glad you were being careful," I say, then start eating the pie.

    "I am, too," he says. "And I''m grateful to the powers that be that you survived, Rex."

    "They care for their children," I say automatically, before realizing I''m echoing words said by another who shone with the golden light.

    It''s not some spell making me do that, though. It''s the honest truth. The powers that be care for their children, humanity, and the angel helped because he serves them. He, too, cares for humanity.

    Kain and Grandpa Ben seem to know about those words, the way they react, but no one pushes me for further information, and I''m glad. I''d rather not say stuff just to have them not be able to perceive it and perceive something else instead.

    "What happened with the storm?" I ask. "How bad was it?"

    "It was pretty bad," Cam tells me. "It lasted a week, and half the town was destroyed. Everyone is still recovering, and it''s going to take some time to."

    "However," Kain says. "It helps to alleviate worries. Not many know a Single-Star showed up, and the excuse for why you''ve been missing is that you''re recovering from taking a pretty hard blow during the storm."

    "A pretty hard blow?"

    "I said you were hit by a tree," Cam mutters.

    "A tree would have been gentler," I say. "But that''s fine. You two aren''t helping with the recovery?"

    "We''ve done some," Cam tells me. "But the townsfolk would rather their protectors not assist unless necessary. We already do enough for them, and just the help we gave with preparing for the storm was enough, in their eyes."

    "That," Kain says. "And they want us ready to go outside and fetch resources that might be needed, though they won''t say that."Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    "That, too," Cam says.

    "How much has Liam done?" I ask. "Since I went unconscious?"

    "Getting him to leave your side wasn''t easy," Cam tells me. "But we managed for meals and cleaning up. He hasn''t slept very well, either, so I''m surprised you were able to pry yourself free of him without issue."

    "If he''s been like that for a few weeks," I say. "He''s exhausted, so it doesn''t surprise me."

    Though it does surprise me, now that I think about it, that I can move around normally after being unconscious for three weeks. Does it have to do with the angel who possessed me? I''ll probably never know, but I''ll take a guess and say it''s so.

    We finish eating our pie, and as Cam is cleaning the dishes, I hear the rapid thumping of footsteps on the stairs. A few seconds later, Liam comes into view, spots me, and charges over to me, wrapping his arms around me.

    "You''re awake!" He exclaims.

    "I''m awake," I tell him.

    "I''m so happy," he says softly. "I thought you weren''t ever going to wake up."

    "Well, I''m awake now," I say, then look at Grandpa Ben. "The monster mentioned that you were traveling with six others. A young woman in the wagon with you and five Hunters."

    "My wife," Grandpa Ben informs me. "She''s a Hunter not much older than you, though she''s rather new to it, having only begun a year ago. I''m sure she''ll fit in here, with what the Elder Hunter has told me is your style. She''s outside the town right now, collecting some resources to help with the restoration."

    "I think," I say. "It will be difficult to see her as my grandma, since she''s not much older than me. We could use an additional Hunter here, too. I can''t use sacred power for awhile."

    Liam''s hug around me tightens as Cam and Kain gives me surprised, confused, and worried looks. Grandpa Ben, on the other hand, does not appear to be surprised by the news.

    "The other time the golden light was seen around someone," Grandpa Ben says. "She lost her ability to use sacred power for a few weeks after she woke."

    "Yes," I nod. "I''m not sure how long I''ll lose it for, but I know it will be at least a few months. It could be a few years, though, but I''ll eventually be able to use sacred power again. Until then, I won''t be able to use my sacred weapon, either, since I must draw upon my sacred power for it."

    That is the cost for allowing an angel to possess me, for wielding power far, far beyond what I can handle. But it was worth it, to save everyone without sacrificing myself.

    "I want to look at the damage to the town," I say. "Then report to the Elder Hunter. I''m sure she wishes to speak with me."

    "I''ll go with you," Kain stands. "Liam, why don''t you stay here and help Grandpa Ben and Cam prepare his congratulations party?"

    "Okay," Liam releases me, then walks over to Grandpa Ben, looking down. "Sorry for kicking you."

    "Under the circumstances, it''s forgiven," Grandpa Ben tells him, then looks at me. "I''ll see you when you return."

    I nod, then Kain and I leave.

    "Liam kicked Grandpa Ben?" I ask.

    "It was shortly after we moved back into the house," Kain nods. "Grandpa Ben got stern with him, and Liam kicked him, then ran up to your room. Grandpa Ben already forgave him, because he knew Liam was fearful that you were never going to wake up. Cam promised Liam would apologize on his own, once you were awake, and, well, he did."

    "He did," I nod.

    We walk through the town, and I can see the work on the houses, some already rebuilt, others in various stages of construction. Many of the farms were destroyed by the storm as well, either flooded by the heavy rains or their crops ripped out by the wind. Kain says that even now, the river''s levels have not returned to normal because of how much rain we received.

    Eventually, we reach the Gate and the Elder Hunter''s shop, and I stop to look at the Gate.

    "It is good to see you again, Rex," the Gate greets me.

    "It is good to be awake again, Gate," I respond.

    "Yes, it is," he says. "It is a beautiful day."

    "Indeed, it is," I chuckle.

    No longer is the power behind the Gate a mystery to me. The heavens are watching over us, and as long as the requirements for certain things are met, they can influence them. The Gates, the suppression power the walls give, all those things we don''t understand ¨C those are the heavens. They are still watching us, still protecting us. They do what they can, when they can. But only in a rare and extraordinary situation like what happened with me and the Single-Star monster can they directly interact or provide other benefits.

    Knowing this, it doesn''t surprise me the last person to be possessed attempted to start a religion around the light. The angels'' powers truly are limited unless they posses someone. It took the one a lot of power just to affect the crystal sculpture of an angel, to protect it from an earthquake. He meant it as a sign to me, that I was still being watched, that there was protection all around.

    "Come on," I tell Kain, then walk to the Elder Hunter''s shop, entering and sitting down, examining the crystal orb.

    Another piece of power the angels can grant. They didn''t need to do it, but when they realized they could do this and the branding, they chose to anyway. Granting us the ability to use sacred power and grow more powerful through the power of the brand is just another way they are helping us protect ourselves against the monsters.

    It was against their wishes for the world to be overtaken by magic, for monsters to form. But it happened, so they work to protect us in any way they can. There is only one record of someone else being possessed by an angel before, but as the angel mentioned, twice has someone accepted the contract.

    The first person, they were possessed in a different manner, no sacred power available to them. They were the first Hunter, the one to whom the knowledge of how to build the walls, the Gates, the orbs, and the brands was given.

    Though they were lost to mortal history, the angels still know of her. And because I was possessed by an angel, I know of her as well, know everything the angel who possessed me knew.

    "Welcome," the Elder Hunter says once I look away from the orb. "It is good to see you moving about again."

    "It is good to be moving about again," I tell her. "It is good to know the town has survived, and is recovering from the storms which struck."

    "Yes, it is," she smiles. "How do you feel?"

    "I feel awake," I tell her. "Though I will not be able to use sacred power for awhile, as a result of the golden light."

    "What was it?" She asks.

    "The power of an angel," I answer, knowing she won''t process that.

    "The unknown?" She asks. "How curious. I have already seen the results of the battle, but I ask that you allow me to perform the assessment."

    I place a hand on the orb, and she does the same, closing her eyes. After a minute, she opens them and frowns, looking at me.

    "There is nothing there," she tells me. "No record of what occurred at all."

    "I assumed as much," I tell her. "That is fine, though. I received no Levels from it."

    "Nonetheless," she tells me. "A reward is being sent from the Guild for you. Everyone who slays a Star-Level monster receives a reward. It will take some time for it to arrive, though, as it comes from Lucielis."

    "That''s fine," I tell her. "I don''t do it for the reward."

    "I know," she smiles. "You do it because you enjoy protecting this town and supplying it. You were willing to sacrifice yourself to buy others time. That is what it means to truly be a Hunter. I am proud to be the Elder Hunter of this town, to see fine young men like Cam, Liam, and yourself undertake such an adventure."

    "Thank you," I say. "Did you want me to tell you everything I knew?"

    "There is little I do not already know," she says. "Go, enjoy the day. And rest yourself, Rex."

    "I will," I stand. "Enjoy your day as well, ma''am."

    Kain stands as well, then we leave.

    "I''m glad you''re alive, Rex," Kain tells me as we walk again.

    "I''m glad I''m alive, too," I tell him. "Where''s your team?"

    "Out hunting," he answers. "They''re helping collect supplies as well."

    "Are you staying?" I ask. "After what happened?"

    "Do you want me to stay?" He asks.

    "Only if you want to," I shake my head. "You have your job, I wouldn''t ask you to pull away from it."

    "Okay," he smiles. "I would, though. If you asked me to."

    "I know," I tell him. "But I''d feel wrong, asking you that. I know you love traveling around, protecting different areas and hunting the more powerful ones. You''d feel confined here, wouldn''t you?"

    "Maybe," he shrugs. "But I''d adjust to it."

    "No," I shake my head. "Do what you love, Kain."

    "I will," he tells me, then pulls me into a hug. "Just promise that next time you receive an ominous threat like that, you let me know immediately, not wait until you''ve had a bad feeling for awhile, okay?"

    "Okay," I promise. "I''ll do that."

    He releases me, then we continue walking through town. We stop by Cam''s parents'' house and see his ma, who''s starting to show. She gives me a smile.

    "Twins, Cam says you think," she tells me.

    "I do," I nod. "I pray to the powers that be that they''ll make it through infancy."

    "I do as well," she tells me. "Thank you, Rex, for protecting this town. Even if no one will say what really happened, some of us do know that it wasn''t a tree which knocked you out."

    "Only doing my job, ma''am," I tell her.

    "Of course," she smiles. "Have a good day."

    We leave, resuming our walk through town. Things are a lot different now than I had expected my life to be when winter ended. I''ve participated in a Swarm, survived fighting several Tier Six monsters, fought against a Star-Level monster, and was possessed by one of the powers that be, gaining insight into the magics that protect us and allow us to use sacred power and grow in strength.

    The adventures of just the last couple of months are more than enough for me. I''m not going to dream of one day setting off and fighting Koraminal, the only Nine-Star monster to ever be recorded. I don''t plan on becoming a Soul Striker, traveling around and protecting many towns from monsters. I don''t plan on becoming a Scavenger, a special type of Hunter who looks for ancient ruins and scouts them out.

    No, for me, just living here, being a Hunter is enough for me. Other people, like Kain and his team, can do that stuff. For me, protecting this town and supplying it with valuable resources is enough. I have no grand dreams.

    I''m looking forward to my life returning to normal, with just a few a changes, such as meeting Kain from time to time and getting to know Grandpa Ben and his wife. May the powers that be let the adventures be for others, and that no other major events occur here in my life.