《Hunter's Soul》


 1: Wylin Weirmoor

    His heart felt like a small scared bird trying to escape his chest.


    He breathed in and out trying to will the panic and excitement out as the man in front of him gestured to the two tables on either side of the room. One had carefully laid weapons of various sizes and shapes placed where the space was available. The other had tiny round spheres that rested on tiny holders that kept them from rolling about.


    Wylin felt the hard stare of his instructor meet his own wandering gaze and he went rigid as the man seemed to scan Wylin for any sign of slacking attention or a wandering mind. Wylin pushed back a big grin, he could not be any more aware of the room, of his current location, than at this very moment.


    The hall was basic in nature, efficient in its space. Brick and cement, no windows for the curious bypasser to peer into. The room was lit with basic light fixtures on the ceiling and the almost silent hum buzzed, making Wylin¡¯s skin prick with goosebumps as he became aware of it then blocked it out, only for his mind to find it again.


    All around him there was another 29 students. His class, his companions. Together they had outpaced at least another 40 students. They were the ones not willing to give up, endure the long nights working on the tasks that had crippled others, learn to respect, if not understand one or another and Wylin could admit he felt each and every one of his classmates deserved a chance to be here.


    Not that Wylin liked or could even stand all of them... but no one in the class would tear another¡¯s chances down to progress.


    There simply wasn¡¯t enough time for people to have that level of arrogance.


    His uniform creased and despite the feeling of wearing a very old hand-me-down. Wylin was proud of the earth brown jacket and trousers. He had to be, for otherwise, he would have to admit that they looked too big on him.


    ¡°Your final test is a simple one. You will perform the basic duty of a hunter, the very basic job in which I, and your fellow instructors, have been readying you all for the last 3 years. You will take one of these weapons,¡± Instructor Morz gestured to the table with the metal and wood weapons and then he gestured to the other table.


    ¡°Then you will match them with a core. Once properly outfitted, you will be taken to the immediate area outside city barrier. Denni Planes in which you will hunt, kill, and return with some proof of a kill. Is that clear?¡± Instructor Mortz said into the silent room. The man towered over the teens but he was not rude in his tone.


    Instructor Mortz was fair to a painful end. Wylin had owed a lot of small success and failures to the man before him.


    Wylin joined in with the sharp but quick ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    ¡°If you pass, and I do have faith in you all, you will no longer be my students but my fellow colleagues in the profession of hunting. I dearly look forward to meeting you all as equals. Now, when I call your name, step forward and claim a weapon and a core. All cores are from Denni plains monsters and there are plenty to go around. Do not be concerned about seeking the best. Everyone will be given equal opportunity,¡± the instructor smiled softly and Wylin eyed the glowing spheres.


    A monster core. Wylin had only really gotten to hold, to use, one a few times in his career. The community training hall for Hunters could only gather so many cores like this for an end of class graduation test. Wylin had heard they had people working all of last month just to make sure they had enough.


    ¡°Allow your teacher one last lesson, a remedial,¡± Morz picked up a soft green core, holding it in his palm and the man¡¯s fingers could easily cover it when he held it.


    ¡°A core is only as valuable as the hunter who wields it. Through days of hunting, you may not see a single core. Not even these Grade-1 types, thso-calleded common tier. It honestly is down to luck. You all know that a monster grows such a core in its body, many monsters do not. We still have no idea what triggers the growth nor how to tell the difference between a core monster and a coreless one. Some even speculate it only forms at the moment of the monsters death,¡± Mortz said, almost too quiet to hear.


    Wylin listened, almost falling out of rank to catch those last few words. He felt a pair of fingers yank him back by his jacket and he shot the girl next to him a look.


    She looked like she had not moved a single muscle. Silune Craft looked like the perfect example of a hunter. Neutral expression, eyes peering ahead, a posture that was the picture of discipline. Wylin knew that she was also mentally drooling over every weapon on the table.


    To be fair, Wylin was drooling over the cores so that made the two quite a pair. Silune was a good friend if only in the fellow community hall student kind of way. They had a good easy going mood between them. The days they had done nothing but talk about their future and the weapons they would wield.


    Now that day had come at last.


    ¡°What we do know that is each core has significant value. To us hunters, for tools of our survival, to the people, as energy, to the researchers, as progress. Each time you gain a core, how you handle that core will determine what kind of hunters you truly are. Not the weapons you wield nor the cores you empower them with,¡± Mortz inhaled and then eyed the group of students.


    ¡°I cannot let you hunt until you show me that you understand the basics of the hunter, no... the simple understanding of how we humans can defend ourselves. Show me that you can take the two items on either table and put them together to form a hunter¡¯s weapon,¡± Mortz instructed, he pulled out a scroll and began to read.


    ¡°Freinado Stilks,¡± he called and a lanky boy moved forward. Wylin felt his nerves begin to make his head feel lightheaded.


    Stilks picked up a sword, looking around and not seeing a shield. Wylin remembered the young man¡¯s shield bash during training once. It had hurt.


    ¡°You need only infuse one item right now. We will get you fully outfitted before the hunt,¡± Mortz promised, Stilks nodded and walked over to the core table.


    Wylin held his breath as the other boy took his time carefully reading the small names next to the cores and moving his hand over the selection. Finally, he picked one up and turned the sword over.


    At the hilt where the blade met the guard, a round circular engraving was displayed, showing it was a core weapon. Able to fit a Grade-1 core into itself.


    ¡°You have chosen the sword and the core ¡®Forest Stinger¡¯, explain your reasoning,¡± Mortz asked and Stilks nodded, looking pale and sweaty.


    ¡°I am... I trained most with a sword and shield so I took the weapon I am best with. The core I chose because I know the Forest Stinger jabs and pierces its foes and my style is also similar. I use a thinner blade in practice so I¡¯m hoping I will get a similar result.¡± To Stilks¡¯ credit, he didn¡¯t stutter or stumble when he spoke. Wylin had to respect him for that since he was the first one up, the first one to pass or fail.


    Mortz nodded and then gestured for Stilks to continue.


    ¡°Begin the infusion,¡± he said, voice thick with command and everyone went very still. Despite being in-training for 3 years, the class had barely seen a Core weapon unsheathed, let alone created outside of very special training days.


    Cores were just too valuable to spend every day for the local hunter hall. Wylin knew if he was lucky or rich, he could apprentice under a Bronze or Silver ranked Hunter, be personally trained and given cores to work with...


    Wylin dismissed this as those thoughts all lead back home.


    He needed to pay attention to the scene happening before his very eyes.


    Stilks nodded and slowly inserted the core into the sword. He gave it a firm push to make sure it was slotted into place and then using his thumb, pushed hard a certain glowing spot on the core. The core cracked and energy began to leak out. A sudden blast of expelled air blew jackets and long hair back but no one looked away.


    Wylin¡¯s smile was hard to contain as the soul inside the core began to physically reshape the container, the very sword, that it was in.


    The simple sword had been a long edged blade with a cross guard. The soul streaked like veins through the metal and handle, curving the guard into a wicked round guard, the blade began to twist the sword blade into a spiral of metal that the very edge seemed to taper into a hook.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    When the soul infusion died down, the core glowed like a glittering gem. It was a time limit now. The power of the core was ticking down to an end.


    Wylin swallowed as Stilks ran a single thumb over the guard. Not only had the basic common soul reshaped the very blade, it had also turned the handle a greenish colour, the metal black and the guard become covered with short bristly hair.


    The hooked point, a stinger, leaked a yellow liquid and Mortz quickly moved forward.


    ¡°Careful, you¡¯ll spend too much energy and waste the weapon. Relax and calm yourself,¡± he instructed Stilks. The other boy was in awe, unable to let go of the weapon, not wanting to let go of the power he now held.


    Wylin tried to keep his growing envy form showing, he¡¯d be up soon enough and he¡¯d have a weapon just as equal. It was just... he had waited so long to be where Stilks was right now.


    Forging his own hunter¡¯s weapon.


    He itched to pull out his notepad and write down the combination. A simple sword plus a Forest Stinger core formed a rapier with a stinger edge... perhaps poisonous.


    Wylin had only seendeadForest Stingers. They weren¡¯t friendly. Wylin wanted to see them in action, how they moved, how they acted... He might be able to see how the creature¡¯s core would match certain weapons or armour. He longed to note this all down. Silune gave him another pinch and he kept standing straight.


    He¡¯d have to pinch her back later...


    A girl was called up and the process continued. She chose a basic dagger, straight and tapered to a point then she picked the same type of core, a Forest Stinger. The result was a wicked curved black dagger that while not gaining any edges, the point had a little barb to it and the handle had a sweet smell to it.


    Wylin couldn¡¯t stop the thought in his head. He matched it to a picture he saw in one of his lessons on infused Core Weapons.


    It was the ¡®Forest Stinger-Upgraded common Dagger¡¯ combination. Wylin had already renamed it the ¡®Black Forest Dagger¡¯. It was snappier and just felt better than the dry classifications that he had to learn all day. The girl had the same reaction that Stilks did to his, utter awe.


    Cores and Weapons. Wylin daydreamed, actually dreamed, doodled, talked, debated, argued, read, listened, pestered, imagined... everything he could about them. His life revolved around these items now. His classmates'' lives did as well, so did the halls, the street, the very city.


    A single Forest Stinger, a dangerouspest, could infuse with any of the weapons on the table. Any of them. The sheer potential one core had was exciting. There were over 7 different core types on the table alone and Wylin felt his fingers shake.


    Monsters were a real threat to human life. Without the city core barrier, the nightly attacks would drive the humans into a dark time, but the chance presented if you killed one and got its core? It turned the danger into a glorious mission.


    Wylin knew that the cores on the table could power Hunters hall and the surrounding streets for a few weeks. That was how they had light, heat, running water, working security and so much more. While technology was heavily based on the cores, their energy being drained in reactors instead of slowly diminishing in a weapon, Wylin was still pleased to see people slowly coming up with coreless-tech. It was nothing grand. Horseless carriages that worked on burning fuels or certain machines that ran off pressure and such.


    Cores still held a great power, however. Especially at the centre of the city. That was where the single Grade-10 core rested. The Dawn Bringer Phoenix Core was infused into a shield that sat on a pillar. The effect of this fusion between the legendary core and the shield that survived the battle with it was an aura barrier that kept monsters out of a perfect 360-degree shield barrier that covered 100 square kilometres worth of Geriat.


    His home, his city. Geriat.


    Cores were amazing. Wylin tried to calm himself, feeling jittery as people went before him. Someone used a new core.


    ¡°Using the Thorned Frog Core? Interesting choice with a mace,¡± Mortz commented and the resulting soul infusion made the mace head turned smooth and glossy. It fell off the metal grip the boy held and there was silence before everyone saw a thin line connecting the smooth ball to the handle. The boy gave it a few swings when it hit the training dummy, the ball was suddenly covered in tiny spikes that ripped the sack like skin off the dummy as it recoiled back onto the handle, making Wylin¡¯s classmate stumble back with a pleased expression.


    Wylin shivered.


    A mace plus a Thorned frog made some morning star that acted like a toy, a kendama, that merchants once brought from another city far away. Wylin called it the ¡®Hidden Thorn Mace¡¯. He knew it had a proper name but he just...


    He just felt like everything had become worth it.


    Everything he did was worth it.


    ¡°Wylin Weirmoor,¡± Mortz called and Wylin tried to force his shaky legs to move and had some success when Silune¡¯s cruel fingers reached for him again.


    He walked to the weapon¡¯s table and stared at his future lying out before him in clumps of messily organized steel and wood. Wylin eyed the other table and saw the glowing orbs that would go hand in hand with his weapon.


    Wylin Weirmoor smiled and reached for the instrument in front of him. This was the day he became a hunter. He would hold the weapon of legends, he had taken the first step on his journey.


    Today was the day he would begin to build up the power to find his Father. Find the man who had left Wylin with nothing but stale bread and a burned down home.


    Wylin picked up the simple banded staff with a core groove set in the centre of the weapon and knew the hunt had finally, after three long years,begun.


    ¡°A staff. A hardy weapon but requires mastery. Interesting choice,¡± Mortz did not condemn or mock Wylin¡¯s choice, he simply watched as Wylin turned the to the table of Cores. The class watched, the assistants watched, and for awhile, Wylin just watched the table.


    Rows of seven cores glinted back at him. Each one demanding awe and respect from their sheer wonderful existence. Wylin swallowed and read the labels.


    He could go for a Forest Stinger... it might result in a lance or a spear of some kind. Maybe the Thorned Frog? A spiked baton? Would that be the outcome?


    Wylin licked his lips and then eyed the middle row.


    Bore Worm Core.


    Wylin tried to remember ever seeing a weapon using this core and his mind came up blank. He itched for his notebook but pushed the urge aside. Something took ahold him and he couldn¡¯t help the smile that appeared.


    He really just wanted toknowwhat the combination would make. A staff and a Bore worm core, the sheer fact he could make such a combination made him want to try it.


    Instructor Mortz raised one brow and then simply waited. That was all the permission Wylin needed. He shot Silune a grin. The girl broke the calm expression to shoot him an exasperated look and urged him to hurry up.


    Wylin slotted the core into the staff and with a flick oh his thumb, broke the core weak spot.


    The brown aura surrounded his staff and Wylin felt the power of the monster that the core had once been begun flowing through him.


    Earth, roots, hunger, darkness, predator! It recoiled and snapped forward...victory!


    Wylin¡¯s smile grew brighter as the staff changed.


    The hunt had finally... begun.


    -----


    My side project.


    I was reading a light novel and it started well enough with a similar concept and then well... it had the problem of average fictions. Then it just ignored the base concept and it broke my heart. So here we are. I hope you all enjoy! I''ll be bouncing between this and my dungeon fic with a teasing amount of fun.,


    Thanks to my friend Knolden for helping my turn my basic idea into a decent outcome.

 2: Monsters

    The Denni plains were the first trial that anyone leaving Geriat had to face. A wide expanse of high green grass and a few scattered rock formations that could be hiding anything. The plain spread far into the distance, a glimmering emerald forest to the west where the highest trees disappeared into the clouds. To the east, the land became rocky and elevated, quickly growing into the menacing Numo Mountain


    Geriat was a city set in the middle of the Denni. Having grown from scared travellers becoming settlers and warriors, the advent of Core techniques becoming widely used throughout the land allowed it to become the great, sprawling city it was today. As the last of his class exited the town, Wylin looked up at the slowly closing massive stone doors of the gate where gleaming silver cores were set into both doors.


    Only one gate was open at all times and that was the south gate. It was the road that had the shortest route to the next city and had somewhat busy traffic.


    The city looked like a beacon for all that could see it. Safety, protection, human triumph.


    Not that Geriat was perfect, Wylin admitted to himself, a touch of bitterness rising for a moment. Inside the safe barriers, there were a lot of issues that popped up when too many people gathered in one place. Resentment, grudges, inequality, the rich lording over the poor; those with money could and those with power would.


    Wylin guessed that was just how people were, but out here? On the plains?


    It was refreshingly open to all. Not that Wylin would recommend rushing out with no preparation or training. There was freedom and then there was suicide.


    ¡°Right, listen up,¡± the woman called, her braided hair running down her fur-lined jacket, the symbol of the Hunter¡¯s Hall stamped on one breast pocket. Wylin straightened up, feeling respect for the instructor appear as if summoned by her voice.


    Instructor Tori was a woman who took ¡°combat practice¡± to a level that Wylin often felt both dread and excitement towards when he walked onto the training field with her.


    ¡°From here, we split you all into groups of ten. Mortz, Farem and I will take a group each to a location and give you the practical side of your final test. Hunting,¡± she spoke casually, almost daring people to speak over her. The two men on either side of her smiled slightly at her words.


    With a grin, Wylin remembered when one cocky boy had once interrupted her. He wasn¡¯t in the final 30 and most likely wouldn¡¯t look at a broom the same way ever again. Not that Tori chased him out, the young man just didn¡¯t have the dedication at the end of the day.


    ¡°Mortz will take you to the forest, Farem is going to the mountains and I will take you deeper into the plains. Any questions so far?¡± she looked around and a girl raised her hand. Tori nodded and the girl looked a little bit nervous.


    Red hair, freckles kissed by the long sunny days and a slightly large nose. Wylin knew Conie was one of the more reserved top 30 but she had an unending curiosity about everything.


    ¡°Why not hunt together? It would be safer...¡± Conie trailed off making Tori grin slightly. Tori wasn¡¯t young but she retained an air of energy about her that most women seemed to slowly lose over the years.


    ¡°Exactly. Hunters don¡¯t have the luxury of ¡®safety in numbers.¡¯ The public Hunter¡¯s Hall is already spread thin and being honest? You¡¯ll only have your wits and your weapon to keep you from joining the rest on the Memorial Wall,¡± Tori said, looking at the reaction.


    Wylin adjusted the long staff on his back with a nervous movement.


    He didn¡¯t want to think about the number of people who died in their first year of leaving the Hunter¡¯s Hall...


    ¡°Partnerships are good where you can make them, but it¡¯s my experience that you do a lot of your jobs alone unless you get lucky and really click with someone who¡¯s assigned to the same spot as you. So, since I don¡¯t have any more spare instructors on hand, groups of 3 is the best way I can split you all down. I still expect some bad habits to show up, but keeping you all alive is my job,¡± Tori spoke loudly and turned to look down the plains.


    ¡°Anyone who needs to be rescued by me or the other instructors will fail and have to take the test again. Harming another Hunter is instant failure and arrest-worthy. Causing a disturbance to cause a flood of monsters with no prepared method to stop them will also be a fail and retest. Those who do not kill at least 1 monster before sundown will fail and retest as well,¡± Tori crossed her arms.


    Wylin swallowed hard, but, instead of fear, he felt excitement bubbling up.


    The staff on his back felt warm inside its cloth wrappings where he kept it covered until he was ready to use it. It wasn¡¯t by choice; they had all been told and shown how to sheath, fold, cap, wrap and hide their weapons.


    It was a skill Wylin had needed to learn if he was to travel to anywhere. Monsters would just try to kill him, but people could pretend to be his friend at first before stealing his weapon. It was a story people heard all the time.


    Even good friends turned on each other at the appearance of a Core.


    As Tori began to assign people to an instructor, Silune wandered over when the ranks broke at the movement of the Hunters-to-be milling about. She had short black hair and a calm expression that made her hard to read on even the best of days.


    ¡°I want to go to the mountain... If I get a Core, there are some monsters there that would work well with my weapon,¡± she commented without greeting. Wylin looked to her back where a giant axe was casually being held in place with a loose strap.


    For her ¡®coverings¡¯, she had only a scarf around the single bladed head. If he squinted, it looked like she was about to go walking across the world with her possession in a burlap sack, but only if he ignored the metal bits sticking out.


    ¡°You¡¯re fooling no one with that,¡± Wylin said dryly and Silune shrugged one shoulder.


    ¡°I aim to kill, not fool. You look like you¡¯re about to go fishing,¡± she let a small smile appear. Silune found the oddest things funny. Wylin had just learned to accept it.


    Best jokes in the world from yours truly? Nothing.


    An oddly shaped cloud in the sky? Full blown laughter...


    ¡°Cores won¡¯t just rain from the sky. Plus, you won¡¯t be able to use it. You pull your current core out before it¡¯s out of juice and it¡¯ll shatter,¡± he reminded. Silune raised one eyebrow.


    ¡°What if I just get another axe?¡± she teased, already knowing the answer.


    ¡°Good luck carrying that much weight and charging into battle,¡± Wylin said with mock sadness before he turned serious.


    ¡°Get a knife or a throwing axe. Bigger isn¡¯t always better when it comes to Cores,¡± he winked and she eyed his staff which easily forced students to stand away from him when he turned.


    ¡°Right...¡± she smiled again.


    ¡°Silune Craft, Forest group,¡± Tori¡¯s voice called and Silune sighed.


    ¡°Damn,¡± she muttered and wandered off to join Mortz¡¯s growing group. Wylin took a few seconds to stretch his limbs out as more names were called. He imagined what he would do if a Core dropped for him.


    What weapon would sync well with his staff? What back up item should he have...


    Before long, it was his turn.


    ¡°Wylin Weirmoor, Plains,¡± Tori eyed him and nodded before she moved on.


    Wylin was hoping for the forest or the mountains... they just seemed more exciting. Still, this was his chance to test out his staff, that more than made up for anything else.


    He moved into the group standing before Tori and did some more stretching.


    ¡°Eager?¡± Wylin paused at the voice. He turned to see a taller guy and paused.


    While there were no official rankings at the Hall, everyone knew after 3 years who was the best Hunter and who was not.


    The other teen before him was considered the ¡®best¡¯.


    Niko Erhart was someone that Wylin had never actually sat down and talked with. For one, the guy had a problem with listening and not speaking. Secondly, everything he asked or requested felt like a test.


    ¡°Yup. Standing around is making me tense,¡± Wylin finally answered and Niko tilted his head, blond hair falling back to reveal a pierced ear. A round metal piece that showed 3 circles within each other.


    ¡°But wasting energy is just as bad, no?¡± he said and Wylin paused then stopped stretching.


    ¡°Good point,¡± he laughed nervously and sat down, pulling a book from his pocket. Niko remained standing and it was only then that Wylin noticed something strange.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your weapon?¡± he asked with a startled gaze. Niko looked down at his brown hunter¡¯s uniform.


    ¡°Here and there,¡± he said with a thin smile. He crouched down and eyed Wylin¡¯s notebook.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± he changed the subject and Wylin turned the book to show a rough sketch of a Thorned Frog and some notes scribbled on the next page.


    ¡°Ah, a bestiary? Valuable... if it¡¯s correct,¡± he said nonchalantly, to which Wylin gave him a hard look.


    ¡°It is. I only have a few entries; I bought this yesterday to celebrate my final day in the Hall,¡± he explained the majority of the empty pages.


    ¡°I hope to read the complete edition one day,¡± Niko stood and looked over the plains.


    ¡°Good information is a treasure. Good luck on your test, may we work together in the future,¡± he nodded and walked off to stand by himself.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Wylin felt like something significant had just happened and he didn¡¯t quite know what.


    A few of the other students followed Niko¡¯s walk and Wylin stood, closing his notebook as Tori finished assigning the groups.


    ¡°Hunters. Whether you fight for glory, hunt in aid of the people you care about or wish to take the world of Feaith as your own treasure, your journey of learning in our halls ends today for some of you. But your education will never end. Every day as a Hunter, you will learn more about yourself and the dangers we face. May your Cores last and your blades cut deep,¡± she put an arm across her chest.


    Everyone, the nervous Wylin, the calm Silune, the distant Niko, the other instructors, everyone mirrored her pose.They said nothing in return.


    ¡°Right. Let¡¯s get the hunt started,¡± she grinned and walked out onto the green grass and dirt.


    Wylin was following her before anyone else. His heart beat like a bird singing for the day to come.


    _____________________


    ¡°You know your goal; you know your job. One monster; one kill. You can slay more if you feel like it, far be it for me to cut your fun short. Anyone in trouble, scream. Don¡¯t wander too far and I might... may be able to save you,¡± Tori sat on a large rock and pulled a small book out of her side pocket, flipping it to a dog-eared page.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going... to... come with us?¡± someone asked and Tori shook her head.


    ¡°Nope,¡± she said and eyed the group as someone else asked something.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you bring a weapon? How can you save us without any weapons?¡± the girl said a little distressed and Wylin was sure he could guess even if it had never really been brought up.


    ¡°My weapon has a Grade-5 core. Any Grade-1¡¯s are gonna sense that and go running for their sweet little lives. I could bring a crappy weapon but that''s not the point of the test. Besides, I have a knife in my pocket,¡± Tori explained and flipped a page.


    ¡°Six hours until sundown. Boy, you kids are really being clever with your time,¡± she said airily. Niko walked off at this, vanishing around a large rock formation. Several others struck out on their own while tiny groups formed from the remainder of the students.


    Wylin reached back and unwrapped his weapon.


    The once simple wooden staff with its metal bands had turned dark brown, the colour of overturned dirt. The two metal ends had been transformed into two rock-like clubs. A tiny spike on either end of the staff gave it a nasty surprise. The wood now had ring-like grooves along the weapon, mirroring the Bore Worm¡¯s skin.


    Wylin gave it a twirl and, while he found it heavier than his normal practice staff, it was decently balanced.


    The Wormwood Staff. Wylin grinned and headed off in a direction no one else had gone. He felt hyper-aware of every rock, the breeze through the grass, and how loud his own steps felt.


    Grade-1 Monsters mostly dominated the Denni Plains; they were a common danger that plagued the world. At least they were in the parts Wylin knew.


    Grade-1 monsters all shared the same basic characteristics: they looked close enough to animals, insects or plants but were much deadlier; most, if not all, worked in groups or lived in the same nest; and lastly their population grew explosively.


    The Denni had been purged and cleared so many times that it became just another task, not a dangerous mission, for Geriat¡¯s workers to gather resources or check for trouble. Grade-1 Monsters has to be culled regularly since they could birth more of themselves within a week than people could normally handle.


    It seemed roughly equal to what food the monsters had access to, never expanding too much, lest they turn on each other. Monster researchers pointed to Cores being a potential cause of this ¡®awareness¡¯ of their population level. Wylin only knew that the Denni Plains had been cleared recently and there shouldn¡¯t be too much danger, but he didn¡¯t take that as a sign to relax.


    He walked for a few minutes before he heard the snuffling of another living creature. Wylin held the staff ready, not sure if he had been spotted or not. From between two rocks and some grass, a creature hopped forward. Its two large ears twitched and, with its fluffy tail, made it seem almost comically cute until it turned its three eyes on Wylin and its mouth opened to display two long fangs and a forked tongue.


    ¡°A Fanged Hare? Yeah, I¡¯ve got this,¡± he reassured himself and moved carefully, not rushing. While studying the monster in class was one thing, facing it alive and by himself was another entirely.


    It pushed off the ground with its large legs and covered a large amount of space very quickly as it aimed for his face. Wylin felt his body fall into years of reactionary training and caught the monster in the stomach with the pointed needle on the end of his staff. It screeched and hung there writhing. It was going to pull itself off again, but Wylin was not going to give it the chance for a counter attack.


    He focused on the staff and tugged at the soul energy as he had been taught. The Wormwood Staff suddenly shot forward by extending the impaled side and carrying the pierced monster across the clearing to smash into a large rock. Wylin went green on seeing the red mess the weapon left as it neatly retracted to its normal size. The corpse of the monster slid down the rock leaving a trail of blood and guts.


    Wylin took a moment to breathe, tasting copper in the air. He wretched a little, but managed to keep himself aware of the area, and guarding against another Fanged Hare taking advantage of his distracted mind.


    He moved closer and his stomach churned at the sight, but he picked up a nearby branch and poked through the mess. He shouldn¡¯t have hoped, but he couldn¡¯t help it.


    After moving the mess about, Wylin stood and sighed. No Core.


    He picked up the Hare¡¯s body and having no knife just wrapped it up in the cloth he had wrapped his staff up in. He didn¡¯t want to look at the body more than needed.


    He retraced his steps and stopped when someone¡¯s voice called over to him form the other side of some bushes.


    He turned to see the girl from before, Conie. Her red hair flashed as she slashed a Fanged Hare while moving away from a second and third. Her twin swords had a core each and Wylin saw she was swinging them with a lack of grace.


    Using two different cores in twin weapons was tricky. Wylin dropped his Hare and ran in with his Staff aimed at the back of one of the unaware monsters.


    Using two cores at once... not impossible, but it took serious training and the ability to sync the different soul waves. It wasn¡¯t like using two cores in a single weapon. A nearly impossible task, wasteful even...


    ¡°Wylin, those two together are wasteful. Why don¡¯t you just give it up? Your father was just idiotic with this idea.¡±


    He smashed down and the Hare screeched as the heavy rock end crushed its skull. Brain matter exploded out and Wylin valiantly ignored the sweet taste of saliva in his mouth. Conie had frozen at his sudden appearance and suffered a savage bite to her leg for the distraction. Screaming, she stabbed down and the monster was pierced by both weapons.


    Her left sword was a Forest Stinger rapier, her right was scaled, the edge like bone.


    The last Hare flew at Wylin who spun his staff and extended it to knock it back. The needle only grazed it, but the club sent it spinning. It landed with a snarl, spitting at them. Conie moved slowly due to her wound, but the scaled sword flashed as the blade extended out to snag the Hare¡¯s foot and dragged it closer. The Hare tried to chew the sword off its leg, but it was useless. Another vicious stab ended it, and then Conie collapsed into a sitting position.


    ¡°That... that was too much!¡± she said through gritted teeth.


    Wylin swept the area with his eyes but didn¡¯t see any more danger. He bent down and ripped a bit of his undershirt to wrap it around the wound on Conie¡¯s leg.


    ¡°Thanks, Wylin. You were a real hero back there,¡± she joked, then winced as he tightened the knot.


    ¡°Three hares at once? Pretty ambitious,¡± Wylin helped her stand, making sure she could support herself.


    ¡°It was an accident. I thought it was just one... still, we pass! Well, looks like you already passed, but go us!¡± Conie laughed and Wylin could hear the sound of someone who was not exactly in touch with what she was doing. Her face was covered in flecks of blood from the Hares.


    She picked up one of the Hares and shuddered as it leaked.


    ¡°See you back at the meeting spot. I need... to sit down,¡± she murmured and walked off. Wylin nodded silently. Conie had talent and skill, so he hoped she was going to be okay. The first hunt really hit you hard. Wylin wondered if he too was like Conie: no awareness of how out of it he was...


    He kicked the Hare he had crushed when he came in and it hit the rock hard.


    Something made a clear ringing sound as the Hare flopped to the ground and from the sea of gore came a glimmering sight.


    Wylin picked up the fresh Core, still covered in blood, and looked at it.


    He wanted to laugh at his luck, but all he could manage was a small noise.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


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