《Dead forest Grey skies》 ch. 1 - Trial from hell The ground was an earthy brown, as it always has. The sky was covered by a perpetual blanket of grey clouds, as it''s always been. And at the entrance to the Omoshiro village, beyond the earth wall and its bony spikes, those coming of age were being sent into hell, as was tradition. ¡°Alright young warriors, it is time for your first and only Trial, go out and bring back a sacrifice worthy of the Tree of Life!¡± shouted a bulky, middle aged man, with an extremely deep voice. *bang* *bang* Boris was a scrawny youth, with black hair and a weak physique. He was wearing the leather armour given to him by the elders, like everybody else lined up at the entrance of the village. *bang* *bang* As the sound of deafening war drums started beating at the entrance to the village, young Boris was looking at the forest ahead of him with great fear. This was, after all, the deadliest place he knew of. The only place, in fact, that was outside the village, and therefore outside of the protection of the Tree of Life. ¡°Remember, the one that brings the biggest game shall be given the opportunity to learn the mystical arts of mana, while the rest of you will be made official warriors.¡± said the same deep voice. ¡°Now go!¡± *bang* *bang* Out of the 10 youths gathered at the entrance to the village, most started sprinting towards the depths of the forest, although their footwork somehow managed to cancel most of the noise made by their mad dash. Those that remained, did so due to their fear, or in Boris¡¯ case, due to being out of breath. He, unlike everyone else in the village, had a weak heart. So walking here with all the hunting gear given to him by the village was quite the challenge. As he caught his breath, and was ready to sprint, or at least walk in a speedy manner; he took one last glance at the others who were still hanging back. It was only two of them, to be precise, two girls with scarlet hair. ¡°Twins! You know what awaits back in the village. It is better to die trying, than to die waiting for death.¡± shouted Boris, his voice trying to stay calm, yet failing to do so. ¡°After all, if we don¡¯t bring a sacrifice, we will be made into one. Good luck, you two.¡± muttered Boris under his breath, as he broke into a high paced stroll. The forest, made entirely of dead tree trunks, was slowly taking up his field of view as he left the village behind, as well as the sea of wood stumps surrounding it. He didn¡¯t have the stamina to do it for long though, running out of breath mere minutes later. ¡®Fuck me and my weak heart!¡¯ screamed Boris into the depths of his mind. He took a quick break leaning onto one of the trunks that seemed stable enough not to fall. ¡®I¡¯ve *huff*, I''ve never left the village before. But this looks basically the same! Same blackened dead trees, same dirt floor, same eternally grey skies, nothing¡¯s changed!¡¯ though Boris, exasperated by the monotony of the world. He tried to keep the hope alive, but he knew, deep down, that there would be no difference. After all, the adults in the village go out to hunt every day, and not one of them has found anything outside of this never ending forest. ¡®But that¡¯s not what I should be thinking about right now. I should try my best to survive, so that one day I might live to see a place that looks different, and perhaps less gloomy.¡¯ he thought. With his conviction somewhat steeled, he started walking towards the only way he could go, forwards.
And so the first hour went, with Boris slowly making his way through the field of dark brown and blackened woods. His mind wandering more than it should, but his eyes vigilantly scanning his surroundings. But no matter how vigilant he was, it was never going to be enough, and it never could be. For hunting beasts was never a safe endeavour. All he could do was try his best, and hope for the best. ¡®At least they gave me a spear and leather armour, so I should be fine against weaker beasts. But if I run into an abomination, then I¡¯m as good as dead.¡¯ *rustle* The muffled sound of leaves moving could be heard nearby. ¡®Huh? What the hell is that sound!?¡¯ Boris asked himself, very puzzled by the strange sound he¡¯s never heard of before. And as he approached slowly, his curiosity getting the better of him, he found a bunch of purple leaves on the ground, all attached to some thin, black branches. A bush, if you will. ¡°AH! A plant!¡± he almost shouted, but managed to rein in his voice halfway through. Boris promptly backed away, the plant shooting a thorny spike upwards, right from where his feet used to be. With his face only a few inches away from the thorny roots, Boris took a deep breath. *sigh* ¡®Good thing I backed up in time, otherwise things would¡¯ve ended up real bad for me.¡¯ As he was studying the plant, the root that almost impaled him went back down into the ground, leaving behind not even a trace of its existence. And so, Boris found the first two beasts since the start of the Trial. One was the plant, and the other one was trapped inside of it. *squeal* *rustle* A small, grey furred rodent could be seen inside of the plant¡¯s main body, although just barely. It was struggling, no doubt, but it was futile. The plant was slowly beeding it dry and using the red liquid to empower itself. With the beast losing a lot of blood, and therefore its strength, it was quite clear that the purple bush would come out victorious. ¡®But you have fought valiantly, little beast, though it¡¯s a shame I won¡¯t be able to bring you back to the village.¡¯
And so the first two hours of the Trial went, with Boris leaving the plant and walking around some more. He wasn¡¯t crazy enough to fight a plant with his puny bone spear. In the 2 hours he¡¯s been here, nothing really changed. The sky was still grey, though of a slightly lighter tone. The ground was still a dry brown, and the trees just as numerous. At least he was able to carve some marks on them, so that he may find his way back. ¡®No doubt some of the other guys forgot about that. Hopefully they all make it back in one piece.¡¯ *pit* *pat* Boris froze on the spot, having heard footsteps, very steady sounding footsteps. ¡®Either a human, or a bi-pedal beast. But none of the others would be stupid enough to take a stroll without masking their sounds.¡¯ *pit* *pat* ¡®It¡¯s coming from my left.¡¯ *pit* *pat* Boris turned his head slowly in order to get a better look, and he stopped the moment his sight made contact with the source of the footsteps. ¡®A Malakey!!!¡¯ he thought, shocked. Soon, Boris stopped his breathing, and attempted his best not to move a singular muscle. The Malakey looked like a giant, oily black torso with dark shades of purple, and had two almost human looking legs. It was about 5 metres tall, and surprisingly nimble for its size. And this abomination was, in fact, not just a dangerous abomination, but one of the most deadly creatures you may have the misfortune of running into. This was undoubtedly due to their mighty tough hide and astounding speed. But it lacked in the senses department, with no eyes or nose to speak of, the only way for it to detect its prey was through sound. And although the ears of the Malakey were located inside of its torso, they were somehow able to hear much better than humans and most other beasts. ¡®I should consider myself lucky that it¡¯s not walking this way. If it were to bump into me, I would no doubt become its lunch snack.¡¯ After a few more minutes, the sound of the Malakey disappeared, vanishing from the area. *huff* Boris collapsed on the spot, exhausted by the fact that he had to hold his breath, while not moving a muscle, for a good few minutes there. Afterwards, he went back to searching, though doing so in the opposite direction of the Malakey. After all, who knew if he would get lucky again, better not risk it. ¡®Tempting fate is the best way to court death, or so the elders said.¡¯
The forest was silent, no wind except for a light summer breeze, no sound but the sound of his dull steps, no warmth except the warmth of the blood flowing through his veins. *Bang* *Clash* And then, the forest was no longer silent, for Boris could hear fighting in the vicinity. Boris quickly made his way towards the sound, his peripheral vision filled with trees zooming by. After a short while (he was already out of breath), he found it, the sight of the clash. It was taking place inside of a sizable clearing in the woods. It was a fight consisting of a young woman with short golden hair, wearing armour made of beast bones rather than hide. She was fighting what looked to be a boar of great agility, and surprising strength for its extremely short stature, which barely reached the knees of the woman. ¡®Not good, she¡¯s blonde! Better get out before anything happens to me.¡¯ And so, Boris strode away. This time making sure to be extra silent, just in case. After all, the only village to have blonde people was part of the Todtec tribe. Which, due to being the biggest tribe in the region, had both the capabilities and ambition to expand into the neighbouring villages, which consisted entirely of the Omoshiro village. This obviously scared the tribe elders, who didn¡¯t wish to be attacked by the only tribe that was close enough to mount an invasion on their settlement. As such, after much negotiation, the two tribes signed a treaty, which very clearly stated that neither tribe shall interfere nor step foot in each other''s hunting grounds. Well, this was the Omoshiro tribe¡¯s hunting grounds. So it was quite clear to Boris, who spent way too much time listening to his elders talking, that this was a declaration of war. And if war broke out, then Boris would most certainly have to warn the elders, and do so before everybody participating in the Trial died.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡®I doubt anyone else, much less me, is going to get out of here alive. But I got to, at the very least, try.¡¯
A short while later. Boris came back to the scene of the clash between the woman and the boar. This wasn¡¯t because he wanted to be back here, but because he saw what happened to the others who tried to run back into the village. Or at least he saw what remained of them, mere blood stains and scraps of armour in the dirt. No doubt they were killed. And even if it wasn¡¯t the Todtec people, Boris still didn¡¯t wish to come face to face with whatever killed all of his ¡­ acquaintances. He didn¡¯t really know any of them that well, what with him never being able to join their training sessions or playing games, so he couldn¡¯t really call them friends. But their deaths still weighed on his mind. Not to mention the beasts that were likely to come once they smelled the blood in the area. ¡®Better in the eye of the storm then next to it.¡¯ though Boris, as another one of his elders¡¯ quotes entered his mind. So coming back here was not the worst of ideas. Although there was a decent chance of encountering that woman again, or someone else from her tribe, so he still had to be careful. ¡®Maybe she dropped some amazing piece of equipment, or left the carcass behind.¡¯ fantasised Boris. But as he takes a peek while hiding behind a tree, he sees that both the boar and the blonde lady were there. Though neither of them were moving, and both sat in decently sized pools of blood. So, cautiously, Boris approaches her with the flat side of his spear. *poke* ¡°Ughh¡­¡± she mumbles, probably delirious. ¡°You okay?¡± he whispers, taking a step back. *flop* Her body, which was upright before, skids off the tree and falls sideways onto the earth. As she falls, her back is exposed, and thus allowing Boris to see a giant gaping wound there, most likely coming from the tusks of the boar. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m gonna take the boar ma¡¯am, if that works with you?¡± No response. ¡°I am going to take that as a yes.¡± Boris approaches the tiny boar. *poke* ¡°You can never be too sure.¡± he mumbles. He then proceeded to slowly, but skilfully, disembowel the boar of its mana sac using the sturdy bone dagger given to him by the elders. He then stores the mana sac, which looks like a small black sphere, into his leather pouch and starts making his way back to the plant he met a few hours back.
¡°Ahhh!¡± Boris hears a distant scream after a few minutes of walking. And based off of its direction, that being right behind him, told him everything he needed to know. ¡®Someone found her body, and they''re probably not too happy about it.¡¯ Boris began to increase his pace, even if it was essentially a bonafide speed walk. ¡®But every bit counts.¡¯ he encouraged himself. Half-way there, Boris had to stop and take a short rest. Speed walking was still draining, even if it was a lot easier than sprinting. But to his horror, a Malakey passed by him once again. ¡®Must¡¯ve passed by its territory again.¡¯ he realised, as it was most definitely the same one he met earlier in the day. After all, deadly abominations didn¡¯t grow on trees, at least as far as he knew. But after staying still for a short while, the Malakey thankfully disappears. Boris now ready to continue his journey, stands up. However, that is when he sees it, or rather, him. -You bastard of the Omoshiro village! I swear I will gut you alive in front of all your family to see, then sacrifice your corpse to the Goddess!- a young man signed using his hands as soon as Boris looked at him, afraid of the Malakey hearing him. He had blond hair and white bone armour, with his facial features resembling the blonde woman quite well. -I didn¡¯t do nothing man, no need for all that! You can just take the boar if you want, but there¡¯s really no need for you to gut me alive.- pleaded Boris back with his hands, also afraid of the Malakey coming back. The blonde man looked back at the clearing, then at Boris, then smirked and said -So what if you did nothing? It is by the order of the Elder Sorcerer himself that we put any Omoshiros we find to rest. After all, you have angered the Goddess, and you shall pay dearly for your sins.- signed the blond man back. -That¡¯s in the past. We¡¯ve already paid the price for Shambra¡¯s mistake!- tried to reason with Boris. -A mistake, yes. A simple slip of the mind, maybe. But the fact that you people are capable of greeding after Goddess¡¯s gift should be more than enough reason to send you her way. At least that way you can repent in the afterlife.- Throughout the conversation, the blond man has been taking slow, but measured steps towards Boris. -That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s a bit extreme!- -Half of your village died because that blasphemer thought herself above the Tree of life, above the Goddess. All of you heathens, deserve death!- He then lunged forward, having gotten close enough to stab Boris with his spear. ¡°Fuck you then!!!¡± shouted Boris at the top of his lungs as he dodged sideways. The man in white armour quickly stabbed his spear again, this time towards Boris¡¯ face, trying to end the fight before the Malakey came back. However, to his surprise, the scrawny youth managed to dodge the attack again, this time by falling down onto his back. His hands resting behind his neck, as if he was here to rest after a hard day of work. ¡°What the hell¡¯s wrong with you?¡± asked the stranger in a loud whisper. *pit* *pat* *pit* *pat* Then they both froze on the spot, although Boris was prepared already. The Malakey from earlier most definitely dashed in here as soon as it heard the screaming. Quite scary how it only took it merely a couple seconds to get here. However, while the Malakey did get here due to the loud noise, it wasn¡¯t able to precisely pin-point the location of the scream, so it started walking around the area, searching. And while Boris could wait, the blonde man, who was standing up holding his spear, couldn¡¯t hold out that long. In the end, however, he managed to last long enough for the Malakey to lose interest. But Boris, seeing the Malakey positioned right behind his would-be killer, decided to bring the abomination back. ¡°See ya.¡± he whispered quite loudly, loud enough for the Malakey to hear. And so it rushed back. Due to its closer proximity, it was able to more accurately pinpoint the source of the sound this time. And so it dashed straight towards the sound, until it collided with the blond man a few moments later. Before he got flung by it, however, in his last moments before meeting the Goddess, he dropped his spear with the pointy bit aiming towards the cause of his death, towards the Omoshiro bastard. A look of defiance in his eyes even as his life extinguished. And it hit. As the man''s body was flung across the forest, Boris¡¯ thigh now had a bone spear sticking out of it. After that, Boris got front row seats to the Malakey having its meal. Though he couldn¡¯t quite see any of it due to his angle, and he also had to concentrate on being quiet with a spear sticking out of his leg. But he heard it, and that was enough for his imagination to scare the crap out of him. Safe to say, it was too gruesome to describe in this (definitely not) family friendly novel. Luckily, Malakeys have small bellies, so it was full after devouring a whole adult male. Meaning that it was now going towards its nest, wherever that may be, to digest the meal. Although he survived, Boris was still bleeding, and he had to stop it before he lost any more blood. He clumsily, and sluggishly, put pressure on the wound using his leather pouch. He thankfully didn''t have to cut it up, since its shape allowed it to be turned into an impromptu bandage, but it still meant he had to wrap the pouch around his wound. Meaning he now had to carry the dangerous mana sac with his bare hands. But there wasn¡¯t much he could do about that. So he took the spear out, and covered it with the leather stripes, which were barely enough to cover his wound two times over, and stood up. Safe to say, the wound was only barely stopped. But he had to thank the blond man for that. If he actually put some effort into stabbing him instead of letting gravity do the work, it would¡¯ve been a much deeper, and possibly deadly, wound.
And so he walked, his right foot dragging behind his other leg. It was exhausting, having lost all that blood, and having been in this forest for a good five hours by now, if he was counting right. Without food or water available until the Trial was over, it was safe to say he was completely drained. But he trudged on, slowly but surely, with a dagger in his right hand and a mana sac in his left. He had to leave his spear behind, together with the Todtec guy''s spear. But he only needed his dagger for his plan to work, so it wasn''t really a loss, though the elders might scold him when he got back. The mana sac, he observed now that he had to hold it, was incredibly smooth to the touch. It looked black and rough like the boar¡¯s fur, but it felt as soft as Salk fruit skin. Truly fascinating, yet he hoped it wasn¡¯t as weak as Salk fruit skin, for he didn¡¯t want to meet the Goddess quite yet. And as he arrived onto the edge of another small clearing, he saw the purple bush. This time he couldn¡¯t hear any squealing, so the rodent had more than likely succumbed to its injuries already. Boris took a step back, made sure he was out of range of the plant, and started scavenging the area for some sturdy stick. After some time, he presumed there were enough sticks gathered here, and since he didn¡¯t want to stay in this place more than he had to, he started working. He ripped off pieces of his leather armour, carved them into tiny strips, and started knotting the sticks together. By the end of it, he had one reaaaally long stick, long enough to reach the bush without having to go near it. But now came the hard part, attaching the mana sac onto the end of the Big Stick (as he dubbed it). It was a delicate process that could potentially end with him and all his human bits scattered across the dirt floor. So he had to be careful. After a stressful few minutes, the mana sac was attached to the end of the Big Stick, and Boris was safely on the other end of said stick. ¡®I hope you don¡¯t snap on me buddy. You just gotta last a few more seconds. Just gotta make it to that plant over there, okay?¡¯ Safe to say, Boris might¡¯ve lost a bit too much blood, but if it worked then he wouldn¡¯t mind talking with a few sticks. *ta-thumb* This was it, the moment that was going to determine whether he lives or dies in this cursed forest. *drip* Sweat starts accumulating and falling off of his face. With his weak body being weakened even further by exhaustion, it wasn¡¯t easy. *ta-thump* The mana sac slowly made its way to the bush. *ta-thumb* *ta-thumb* And Boris drops it, with the sac landing right on top of the bush. *BOOM* A loud explosion follows as the purple bush stabs the sac with its sharp thorns. Followed by dancing blue flames that attach themselves to the wriggling plant and all of its roots, which came out of the ground in order to stomp out the fire. The plant, seeing that stomping didn¡¯t work, uproots itself and starts running into a different part of the forest. Safe to say, Boris has set a good chunk of the forest aflame. With the help of the bush running around and spreading the flames, of course. ¡®That should attract beasts, abominations, and humans alike. After all, humans don¡¯t want their home burnt down. Abominations want to eat said humans. And beasts are too scared to know what to do, so they will run around and attack anything that gets in their way, adding to the chaos.¡¯ Then, Boris starts walking the other way, knowing that in order to make it out alive he¡¯ll have to take a massive detour before bee lining it to the village.
¡®Finally!¡¯ As the sky darkens, with night being a few hours away, Boris finally sees the village gate in front of him merely a few minutes walk from where he stands. It was a long Trial, to say the least, and all he wanted to do was get back home and sleep. However, when he was half-way there, this time dragging both his feet on the ground, he heard a voice speaking behind him. It was the high-pitched, shrill and hoarse voice of a young woman, though her words weren''t as pleasant. ¡°You Omoshiro bastard! I saw Markus chasing you, what¡¯d you do to him!?¡± she shouted, caring very little about how close she was to the enemy camp. ¡°He got eaten.¡± he replied matter-of-factly, still making his way towards the village gate without turning around. ¡°So you killed him and fed him to the beasts?¡± she asked quite pointedly, her spear out and ready to strike if needed, but without moving towards Boris. ¡°A Malakey got him.¡± ¡°Impossible! We were all trained to sit like statues. You must¡¯ve done something to him!¡± She arches her arm backwards. Boris, meanwhile, speeds up his pace and gives her a quick glance, not wanting to get killed after coming this far. ¡°Not so fast, you coward!¡± She then throws her spear towards him. *Crash* He proceeds to leap to the side, barely dodging the spear thrown at him. I would¡¯ve been quite a sight, if he didn¡¯t fall onto the floor right after. Thankfully, it seemed she didn¡¯t have anything else to throw at him. ¡°I¡¯ll get you one day, you Omoshiro bastard! Don¡¯t die until then!¡± she shouted from behind the tree line, dashing back into the forest right after, presumably scared of having to fight the whole village by herself. Boris, meanwhile, started crawling towards the village gate, barely registering her words. He didn¡¯t have the strength to get back up, but he had the will to keep on moving. And so he did. Crawling his way to safety. ch. 2 - Meeting the team Darkness. Boris didn¡¯t remember what happened when he got to the village, only that it got really dark. He most probably fell unconscious and got saved by someone. Or at least that''s the best explanation his mind could conjure for waking up in a bed that wasn¡¯t his own, inside a house he didn¡¯t recognize. Boris looked around, inspecting the place. Very quickly, to his surprise, he finds the Grand Shaman watching him from a chair on the side of the bed. The elder had long, grey hair. His face was riddled with ancient scars and too many wrinkles to count. His back hunched, his white robes falling down and touching the wooden floor. ¡°Did I pass out?¡± ¡°Yes, yes you did.¡± responded the elder with his gruff voice. ¡°So¡­ di-did anyone else make it back from the Trial?¡± his voice breaks, but he manages to ask the thing that weighs most on his mind. ¡°Two of them made it back alive, though they were in a much better state than you. The rest¡­ *sigh*, they weren¡¯t so lucky.¡± His classmates might have been acquaintances at best, and strangers at worst, but he was still deeply disturbed by the news. The scrawny boy looked down, trying to process everything, but the elder didn''t give him enough time to gather his thoughts. ¡°None of you passed the Trial.¡± said the old man, his voice containing a hint of pain, as he cut Boris¡¯ scattered thoughts short. ¡°But we were attacked! The Todtec tribe was interfering, and so¡­ so-¡± Boris starts trailing off as he tries to think of something to say, but the elder cuts him off once again. ¡°I know. But tradition dictates that you will be sacrificed to the Goddess by the end of the month, and it''s not like we have the means to feed three more mouths. Not with the Todtec tribe cutting down our hunting zone.¡± he explained slowly. ¡°But it''s not fair!¡± shouted Boris, horrified by the prospect of being fed to the Tree of Life. ¡°I know. But as you very well know, tradition is what allowed our tribe to survive all this time, all the way since the time of the Ancients.¡± he pauses, looks at Boris, and continues. ¡°But sadly, ever since Shambra broke tradition and angered the Goddess, our ways of life have become rather pointless.¡± ¡°What do you mean, Grand elder?¡± inquired Boris, a bit of hope sneaking its way into his voice. ¡°We are doomed, is what I mean. And since we are doomed, I think we can allow a few kids to live a few more months. But I would suggest you feed yourself to the Goddess before you get eaten by some beast, or worse, starve to death.¡± the elder takes a break, as he breaks out into a violent cough. *cough* *cough* *cough* But he recovers just as suddenly, continuing as if nothing was wrong, even though Boris knew otherwise. ¡°The village can no longer feed you, and I doubt you¡¯d be able to do much on your own. Even if all three of you somehow managed to make it through a few more weeks, maybe even months, you¡¯d probably just end up on the wrong side of a spear. So again, although it is up to you, I would suggest going to the Goddess and waiting for us there. We¡¯re all going there soon anyways, you¡¯d just arrive a bit earlier than us.¡± Boris, without really thinking nor understanding all this doom and gloom the shaman was spewing, and seeing that there was an opportunity to continue living, he took it. So what if he has to hunt his own food? So what if he has to partake in this deadly war? He didn¡¯t struggle the whole Trial, crawling his way back to the village, just to get eaten by a shity Tree of Life. ¡®Oops, that''s blasphemy.¡¯ But that¡¯s how he felt about it. If he had to fight for his life, then he would. That is what made a great warrior, a true warrior like those in the ancient past. It was their fighting spirit. Even if he couldn¡¯t really be called a true warrior due to his weak body, he would at least embody the spirit of one. The elder, seeing the fire of youth ignite inside the scrawny boy¡¯s eyes, nodded his head in approval. ¡°Alright young man, now get out of my bed, and come have breakfast.¡± At the mention of food, Boris¡¯ stomach grumbled, and he quickly got up and started going to the kitchen. ¡°Let¡¯s go old man!¡± he shouts, forgetting to show respect to the Grand Shaman, who also happened to be the leader of the village council. ¡®Young people nowadays. So impatient.¡¯ *cough* *cough* *cough* Another coughing fit ensued. Then, just as quickly as it arrived, it left. The elder then left the room, going to his kitchen in order to prepare food for the two of them. ¡°This is the only food you¡¯re getting, so make sure you enjoy it.¡± said the same gruff voice. Although it sounded much nicer to Boris¡¯ ears. This was largely due to the food he was being served, as well as the elder¡¯s promise to not feed him to the Tree of Life at the end of the month. The old man then placed two bowls on the table, which contained the indistinguishable fragrance of meat soup. This delicacy in the village consisted of meat, vegetables, and water. Yet it was the best food Boris had ever tasted, leagues above the meals he was served at school.
Over the course of the next hour, of which Boris only used a few minutes to devour his food, the elder talked with him about a few things he should know of before leaving the house. So Boris learned that he would be joining a hunting squad consisting of him and the other two survivors of the recent Trial, which wasn¡¯t that surprising since that was common practice. Unlike the previous years, however, the number of members in the squad was quite low, very low in fact. Without any help from the village, hunting with just the three of them, with him being almost useless in direct combat, would really suck. But at least the house they¡¯d be getting won''t be cramped. Grand elder Greg also learned something from this hour long conversation. That being the fact that Boris was responsible for the recent forest fire. ¡°How did you know that the Kaliliac bush would turn the imploding mana into flames?¡± Boris throws the elder a smug expression before replying. ¡°Why, I learned it from one of the elders.¡± Afterwards, the old man started asking Boris questions about magic and different beasts. What he found out was that the young man was extremely knowledgeable. Although he didn¡¯t get all the questions right, he did much better than the average warrior, not that those guys ever bother learning magic. But still, they learned the basics through experience, and there was quite a lot to learn. And yet this boy, who just barely survived his trial, already knew more than them. Right then and there, to the youth''s surprise, the elder took Boris as his apprentice. He has been meaning to find an apprentice, but has been putting it off for one reason or another. However, with the war that the village now found itself in, he didn''t think he had the right to keep putting it off. If he were to die anyway, he¡¯d at least die without regret. Passing on his knowledge, no matter how pointless it was in the grand scheme of things, was going to make the end at least a bit more bearable. Of course, this was provided that the youth didn''t die any time soon, and that they could hold out long enough for the boy to actually learn something. ¡®Better late than never, as Khrono used to tell me.¡¯ a tear finding its way out of his eye at the thought of Khrono.
Boris, now in his head thinking about all the possibilities that could come from becoming the student of the Grand Shaman, was promptly smacked in the head by reality. He went to the house given to his squad by the village, and there he was met by his new teammates. When he saw their faces, reality dawned on him. Getting through to the end of the month, or even the week, wasn''t going to be very fun. This was mainly due to the looks his new teammates, Haptky and Boltana, were throwing at him. They had a very obvious look of disappointment radiating from their gaze. Haptky was big, skilled, and liked to train from morning ¡®till dusk. He was a true warrior, to say the least. Yet his face always bore the look of seriousness, unlike the more inspiring warriors of legend. Yet the worst part about him, or at least the worst part in Boris¡¯ opinion, was that his words always bore the pain of truth. And oh boy, was it painful. ¡°Weakling, do you have any useful survival skills?¡± asked Haptky, the look of disappointment still evident in his eyes. He didn¡¯t expect the Weakling to have survived the attack, but if he made it back to the village in one piece, then maybe the scrawny boy wasn¡¯t going to be dead weight. ¡°I can keep quiet, and I¡¯m pretty knowledgeable about stuff.¡± replied Boris with his head held low, his confidence shattered in front of Haptky. After all, Haptky embodied the dream Boris once had of being a great warrior. In front of him, all he could really see were the things he didn''t have. The things he could never have, no matter how hard he tried. Being called a weakling also didn¡¯t help with his confidence. ¡°Alright, then keep in the back, and signal if you got something important to say while we¡¯re out hunting.¡± said Haptky, trusting in the knowledge that got Boris out of the forest alive. ¡®Although weak, a true warrior must trust his allies¡¯ skills, and protect them. I just hope your knowledge is useful, or else I¡¯d have to take care of both of you, and I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d be able to do that in the middle of a fight.¡¯ thought Haptky as he started making towards the village gates.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Boltana, on the other hand, kept quiet throughout the whole conversation. This was surprising, especially due to her usual energetic personality. But after thinking about the current situation, Boris managed to figure it out quite quickly. Voltana was, after all, Boltana''s twin sister. They, who were too scared to head into the forest, were urged by Boris to at least try their best to bring back a tribute for the Goddess. Since only the three of them came back after that day, it¡¯s not hard to guess what happened to Boltana¡¯s sister. So they walked together, all three of them keeping silent as they marched towards the village gates once more. Haptky focused on the task ahead. Boltana was trying to deal with the pain. And Boris didn¡¯t really know either of them that well, and he wasn¡¯t very good at talking with people his age, so he chose to keep the awkward silence going.
However, once they reached the gate, Boltana stopped. The two boys, now technically men after the Trial, also stopped. They looked at her, questioning the abrupt action. ¡°Do you guys think it''s possible to kill a Malakey?¡± This was the first thing Boltana had said to the two of them, and it came as quite a shock to the two men. ¡°Yes, the Grand Elders have killed a few.¡± calmly informed Haptky. ¡°Not that. I mean, is it possible for us to kill a Malakey?¡± Boris shook his head at her question. ¡°We are unable to injure it, so killing it is most definitely outside of our scope. Why do you want to kill a Malakey, anyway?¡± inquired Boris. ¡°To get my Inking done. The healer said that Malakey blood is best for the Sorcerer tattoo, so I need Malakey blood.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Boris replies. ¡°you¡¯re right. Although you could technically use any abomination¡¯s blood, Malakey blood would make the Sorcerer tattoo stronger.¡± ¡°You want to be strong, right?¡± joins Haptky. Boltana nods. Haptky then turns to face Boris. ¡°All right Weakling, how would we go about killing a Malakey?¡± The light inside Boris¡¯ eyes dimmed a little, before it starts burning brighter as he begins explaining. ¡°In theory, if we had access to sonic attacks, we could destroy its ears. Which would then allow us to attack it from a distance without getting smashed in the process. But a deaf Malakey will probably just run around the place, so we¡¯d need to set up a trap of some kind to keep it locked in place. But even after all that work, I don¡¯t think we¡¯d be able to scratch its skin. So although possible in theory, it would be difficult to pull off.¡± ¡°Very knowledgeable.¡± commended Haptky, before turning back to the red haired girl. ¡°Well Boltana, there you have it. I, too, would like to have my Inking done with the right abomination blood. But I also doubt we¡¯d get it done without dying, at least at our current level. Plus, tattoos are kind of useless without mana. So let¡¯s just focus on surviving for now, and we can go abomination hunting later.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up then.¡± shot back Boltana, life coming back to her face. ¡°I just hope we can pay the tribute by the next Feeding.¡± said Boris, pointing out something the other two forgot about. They still had to pay taxes, as adults tend to do, which they now technically were. ¡°Right, let¡¯s get started then!¡± replied Boltana, her energy coming back to her. ¡°We also need to buy armour and weapons if we are going to kill an abomination. So, since we have a long way to go, let¡¯s go!¡± Boris followed, fired up by Boltana''s enthusiasm. Haptky started leading them again, going towards the dead woods. With his back turned to them, he smiles. ¡°Let¡¯s do it then!¡± he said. *bang* *bang* As soon as they were outside the perimeter surrounding the wall, the warriors stationed at the gates started beating their war drums. The sound attracting beasts, making the group¡¯s hunting more dangerous, but also more efficient. *bang* *bang*
So they ventured into the forest. Even though they went there at the first chance they got, it just so happened to already be evening. This was due to Boris having slept for most of the day. Meaning they had to go in fast, and come back fast. After all, hunting in the dark was quite dangerous, so they had to use every bit of the day they could, as fast as they could. Since their squad was smaller than others¡¯ squads, they would also have a harder time scouting for beasts. And their lesser numbers would also slow down fights significantly, especially with Boris being useless during battles. Although a weight the other two had to carry, he was by no means a dead weight. He did, in fact, help them quite a lot when it came to scouting for beasts, which was very welcomed by the other two. With his help, they managed to find a beast to hunt. Well, they technically managed to find a lot of beasts before this one, but they weren¡¯t strong enough to fight those. But this rodent beast, they could most definitely kill, even with just the three of them. Though, in the end, Haptky did most of the work. Boltana helped him out, but only barely. She mostly stayed in the back, tasked with protecting Boris. And Boris, while entrusting his safety to her, was focusing on the surroundings. Although he was useless in a direct fight, he was the best scout among the three, so Haptky made him the Spotter of the team. His job was to check for anything that got attracted by the noise, and inform them before they got flanked. At the end of the evening, and with much effort, the three of them managed to hunt a giant rat. A giant grey rat, to be precise, very similar to the one Boris saw trapped in that Kaliliac bush. They could have probably done better if they didn¡¯t have to take so many breaks due to Boris, who kept running out of breath quite often. But in the end, they had a successful hunt. And that was a great morale boost for the three of them. Thankfully they didn¡¯t run into anyone from the Todtec tribe, though they didn''t expect to, the possibility still kept them on their edge. The warriors of Todtec were, after all, busy trying to seal away the cave on the east side of Omoshiro, and the Omoshiro elders were busy trying to stop them. Though so far it¡¯s just been a very intense staring contents. The Todtec tribe outnumbered the Omoshiro tribe by 4 to 1, so it wasn¡¯t surprising that the elders chose to just sit and stare, for now at least. The Omoshiro warriors knew they had to make a move sooner rather than later, they were just waiting for an opportunity. It was a tense situation, to say the least. But while that was going on in the east, Boris and his squad were hunting in the west, as far away from the frontline as possible.
They made it. They were now back inside the village walls. Night was now starting to take over, as the clouds in the sky grew darker and darker. ¡°Alright, we have a house all to ourselves now, so let¡¯s go celebrate our first successful hunt.¡± said Haptky after arriving at the gates of the village, with the rat hanging off of his right shoulder, his spear being in his left hand. ¡°I don¡¯t have any objections with that.¡± agreed Boris. ¡°Mhm¡­¡± nodded Boltana. And as they were walking towards their house, thinking about eating the beast that they¡¯ve worked so hard to catch, their stomachs all started grumbling. ¡°Do either of you know how to cook?¡± asks Boltana, a bit abashed by her lack of culinary skills. Something all the girls were though in class, but she was too busy training, and her sister- ¡°I can cook it, and I can gut it. But I want a bigger share of the meal for all my work.¡± said Haptky. ¡°Can you remove the inedible parts without breaking them?¡± asked Boris. ¡°Sure I can, though it would take a bit longer.¡± ¡°Please do that. I think I can make something useful out of it, which will probably speed up your- ¡­ our crazy plan.¡± ¡°What should I do, then?¡± interjects Boltana, not wanting to appear useless, but mainly afraid of being left with nothing to do. ¡°Fetch some water, wood, and vegetables.¡± replied Haptky. ¡°Okay!¡± She then proceeded to run away from the group, intending to get everything by the time the boys got to the house. ¡°Hey Boris, I got a question for you.¡± ¡°Happy to answer.¡± replied Boris with mirth in his voice, happy that he had proven himself somewhat useful and that Haptky decided to call him by his actual, given name. ¡°Do you think you could find a way, or ask the Grand Shaman, to have my Inking done with a Belator tattoo.¡± ¡°Hmph¡­ I¡¯d have to look into it. But I don¡¯t know what type of blood is needed, or the shape of the tattoo. If you want to have a perfect Belator tattoo, we¡¯d also need to find and hunt a different abomination. I don''t even know if we could kill a Malakey.¡± ¡°I know. I just don¡¯t want to be a fake warrior mage, no offence to the Sorcerers in the village. But they''re not true warrior mages even if they¡¯re strong warriors and strong mages.¡± ¡°The Grand Warrior had a Belator tattoo, no?¡± asks Boris, trying to think of any leads he could use to find the Inking process for the Belator tattoo. ¡°Yes, but his one got damaged during The Retribution. And when I tried asking him about it, he got all silent, and his aura felt so intense. But then he just left.¡± a sparkle appeared in Haptky¡¯s eyes. ¡° Yet that aura was merely a shadow of his former power, and it still felt so intense! That¡¯s when I decided that I NEEDED to get it, in order to become a true warrior. So I would appreciate it if you could help me out.¡± ¡®Well Haptky, I¡¯m happy for you. I too once wished to become a true warrior mage, but the Gods had other plans. But if I can help you achieve your dream, if I can help Boltana achieve her dream, if I-¡­¡¯ and then he realised, Boris realised something about himself. He really wanted to help people achieve their dreams, so that nobody else may feel as helpless as he did when he was told that his dreams of becoming a great warrior were just that, dreams. And that there was nothing he, or anyone else, could do about it.
This was an intense day, at least for Boris, Haptky and Boltana, who had never hunted before; and also for the warriors having a staring contest in the east. But night came, and everybody went back home. The Todtec warriors, the Omoshiro warriors, Boris and his squad, the beasts that were out and about during the day. Nobody wanted to be outside at night, for that is when the apex predators, both of the beast and abomination flavour, came out to play. It was time to eat, rest, and try to do their best tomorrow morning. Although Haptky was probably going to go out to the Pit and train right after their meal instead of resting. And Boris would be working with rat bones and guts instead of resting. Unlike Haptky however, Boris chose to do his work inside their shared house, which wasn¡¯t welcomed by Boltana. Seeing the things the frail youth was doing to the remains of the giant rat, Boltana kicked him outside of the house so as to prevent the smell and sight from disgusting her any further. The house given to fully fledged warriors was one giant room with a fireplace, a dining table, and beds. It was definitely bigger than their shared rooms when they were in training, and it even had a shed to store things outside, perfect for Boris to now go and set up shop in order to conduct his work. Sadly, this also meant that the smell was now inside the whole house, and so she had to go outside in order to escape it. Being outside of the house now, she was left alone with her thoughts. She was thinking, and thinking about stuff could be scary. When she used to get scared, her sister would- ¡®I gotta do something.¡¯ thought Boltana to herself. Quickly choosing between the disgusting Boris who was playing with animal guts in the shed, the smell still staining their new home, and Haptky who was probably training at the Pit, she decided to join Haptky. Quite an obvious decision on her part, though she struggled with it for a short while. She definitely wasn¡¯t going to hang out with Boris, but she was really curious about what he was doing. So she plucked her courage, and pinched her nose. ¡°Boris, what are you doing with that rat?¡± ¡°A weapon!¡± ¡°What weapon can you make out of beast guts? Maybe you could fashion a short sword out of the spine, but then you don¡¯t need all that yucky stuff.¡± ¡°It¡¯s very simple, really. I¡¯m making throwing daggers out of the bones, and I¡¯m using the guts to create a¡­ sort of poison, I guess.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that make anything you hit inedible? And besides, why did you have to do it in the house? It really stinks in there now.¡± ¡°Sorry about that, I was just caught up in the creative process.¡± replied Boris, turning around and trying his best to make an apologetic face. ¡°But to answer your other question, no it wouldn''t, at least not this one. It¡¯s a mana syphoning chemical, you see. Harmless to us, who haven¡¯t even gotten our tattoos yet, but able to mess up a beast in the middle of the fight.¡± ¡°That would be useful!¡± exclaimed Boltana, before making her way out of the shed. ¡°I can¡¯t stand the smell, so make sure you clean yourself after you¡¯re done. Good luck with your¡­ ughh¡­ creative process!¡± Satiating her curiosity, she then went to the Pit and joined Haptky in training. The calm When morning came, they each had a cup of water, a few scraps left from their dinner last night, and went out to hunt once again. This was how they were going to sustain themselves, and also how they were going to pay their taxes at the end of the week. So, they went to hunt once more. On the way there, Boltana was stopped by Haptky. ¡°Hey, I just realised something.¡± said Haptky. ¡°How¡¯d you pay for the vegetables and wood we ate the other night?¡± ¡°I traded.¡± ¡°But I didn¡¯t give you any meat before I cooked it all, so what¡¯d you use to trade?¡± ¡°I just traded my dagger. I don¡¯t use it anyway. I got my spear after all¡± said Boltana, pointing at the spear in her right hand. ¡°Well, alright. Let¡¯s aim to hunt two beasts today, so that we can cover the tax at the end of the week.¡± ¡°I think we could get three of them with my new throwing daggers.¡± intervened Boris. ¡°Are you any good at throwing?¡± ¡°Well.. I¡¯ve never done it before. But how hard can it be?¡± Then Haptky stopped in his tracks, causing the other two to stop behind him. He then turned around, making his way to the Pit. The other two followed, questioning his abrupt change in direction. ¡°I¡¯m going to test your throwing skills. If they¡¯re bad, you can come train with me and Boltana after our excursion into the forest.¡± ¡°What if they¡¯re good?¡± ¡°Well, then you can use them to hunt down beasts, but I doubt that. And since I don¡¯t want to be stabbed in the back by my own team, I suggest you to train hard.¡± ¡°Ohhh¡­¡± Boris just realised it. If he missed the moving beasts, there was a chance that he was going to be hitting Haptky or Boltana. That would no doubt be bad. He was really excited to finally help them out during the fights, that he missed the possible downsides of the throwing daggers. He then examines his daggers once more as they arrive at the Pit. There were five of them in total, all of them roughly the same shape and size. They were thin yet sturdy, and with the blade taking up most of the bony shape, the handles to be quite small. Safe to say, they didn¡¯t look too threatening. ¡°All right, we can spend at most one hour on this. So help me set out the targets.¡± The Pit was just that, a pit. It was circular in shape, of roughly three meters deep and a few hundred meters in diameter. Though the edges were quite rough due to the ways in which it was dug . At the sides there were ladders allowing people to descend, as well as training equipment and targets. The centre was purposely left empty, and though there were some marks left in the ground as well as the walls of the Pit, it seemed that most of them were filled up after the fact. A few minutes later, Boris was standing on a marked circle in the ground. Five metres away from him stood a wooden block, roughly half his size, also on top of a marked circle in the dirt floor. Five metres behind that wooden block, and a bit to the left, was a similar wooden block. And five metres behind the second block, this time towards the right side, was another similar block. ¡°All right, just try to hit all of them in quick succession, okay?¡± said Haptky. ¡°Alright.¡± Boris said, a bit nervous after seeing how far the last block was from his. He was starting to have doubts about how good his throwing skills are, even though these were just assumptions made on top of different assumptions. He grabbed a small bony dagger from his small satchel, which he created out of the rat¡¯s skin, and slowly took a throwing pose. He then leaned back his right hand, and with vigorous motion threw it forward. The dagger flew through the air in a beautiful, majestic arc. It then proceeds to land perfectly in front of the first target, with the blade pointing upwards, somehow balancing on the small handle. It then starts swerving, slowly, then faster, and faster, until it falls flat on its side. ¡°Alright, you need a lot of practice. Let¡¯s worry about our hunt for now, and you practise when we come back.¡± said Haptky.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°I want next! Let me try, please!¡± asked Boltana, excited by some inexplicable reason. Truly a mystery how the girl kept on switching between excitement, and depression, at but a moment¡¯s notice. ¡°Make it fast. We¡¯re burning daylight here.¡± replied Haptky, with exaggerated irritation in his voice. ¡°I know, I know.¡± said Boris as he handed his satchel to Boltana, missing the sarcasm within the other¡¯s voice. Boltana then grabbed the satchel, and took out another of the daggers. She threw the dagger in much the same way Boris did, except hers actually reached the target. Though it only barely grazed it before the blade impaled itself into the floor. But still, much better than Boris. And she didn¡¯t stop there, throwing the remaining three bony daggers at the target. Though only one of them managed to replicate her first minor success, while the other two just hit the wooden block with the blunt side of the blade, or the butt of the handle. She then reached into the satchel, only to sadly realise that there were no more things to throw. ¡°Let¡¯s go. You can keep doing that when we come back.¡± She nodded, then proceeded to go and grab all the daggers, putting them in the satchel, and then handed it over to Boris. ¡°I look forward to our training!¡± she said, grinning from ear to ear for some reason. Boris, although unsure of the reason for her smile, didn¡¯t want to ask her. But it was really gnawing at him, as she kept on grinning while they walked behind Haptky. He kept staring at her smile, trying to decide whether he should ask or not. ¡°What?¡± she asked him. ¡°I¡­ why are you so happy?¡± there, he said it. His future regrets be damned. ¡°You said we need to attack the Malakey from a distance, right? So I thought these daggers would help me do that. Now we just need to find a way to trap it, and destroy its ears.¡± she replied. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. We¡¯re technically a third of the way there, though I would need to make some sharper, sturdier daggers for its hide. But a start is a start.¡± Boris replied, going back to his thoughts as he started thinking about what would be needed to make such throwing daggers, and how much power they would need to be thrown with in order to damage its hide. ¡®Maybe Haptky will be strong enough to throw the dagger and penetrate a Malakey¡¯s hide, but even that wouldn¡¯t do much damage. We would need a way to somehow launch it with enough power to go beyond the hide and muscles, and it¡¯d have to be a pretty sturdy dagger to survive the impact. Gods, this is going to be so much work!¡¯ Even so, Boris was happy. Killing a Malakey wasn¡¯t supposed to be easy, and yet he was starting to think that it was possible for them to do it. With enough preparation, that is. But still, a great abomination could theoretically be slain through his creations. Maybe it won¡¯t be as impressive as using magic to cleave it in half, but still impressive nonetheless. And so, they made their way into the dead forest once again, this time aiming to hunt two beasts.
To the eastern outskirts of the Omoshiro village, two men could be seen hiding behind the tree line, watching the warriors stationed around the eastern gate. -How many did you see?- signs the first one. He was a short fellow, with pale white skin and grey braids hanging off of his sunken face. -27- replied the second one. He looked almost identical to the first one, though he was visibly younger and of higher stature. -That¡¯s almost 80 warriors watching the perimeter. Go tell Kaleb to bring more reinforcements.- signed the old man. The younger scout nodded, then dashed eastwards to where the Todtec troops were stationed, a few minutes walk from the cave. The older man, meanwhile, stayed behind the tree line, watching the eastern gate with unwavering concentration.#
Boris, Haptky and Boltana came back late in the afternoon. They were tired, exhausted even, yet they were happy. A satisfied look could be seen on their faces. They didn''t hunt one beast, or even two like they planned, but rather three of them. Three! That was enough for all of them to pay their weekly tax. This was the best day they had in a long while. The past year was filled with constant from the elders, and gruelling training in order to prepare them for the Trial. Though Boris could hardly partake in the intense activities, he was still forced to do them till he dropped on the floor, just like everybody else. But now, they finally caught a break. They could stay in the village, and eat, and sleep for the rest of the day. Truly, a day of rest was well deserved for all the pain they went through this past year. ¡°Let¡¯s first eat, to recover our energies, and then we can go train till nightfall.¡± said Haptky. ¡°But¡­ can¡¯t we just relax for a bit?¡± asked Boris. ¡°No. We need to train.¡± ¡°Can we do mini dagger throwing first?¡± asked Boltana. ¡°You two can. I¡¯ll do my normal routine.¡± Although Boris didn¡¯t like the name ¡®mini daggers¡¯, and although he really wanted to avoid training, he was too tired to argue with them. So they went home, and sat down to have another delicious meal prepared by Haptky. Or, as delicious a meal as roasted meat and veggies could be without salt. *knock* *knock* ¡°Who is it?¡± asked Boltana as she bolted to open the door. What she saw outside was a tall and bulky man, wearing armour made out of purple abomination hide. He was one of the warriors in charge of the western gate, and though Boltana has seen him on many occasions, she never had a reason to talk to him before. ¡°Nice armour.¡± said Boltana. ¡°I¡¯m here to give you a heads up.¡± he said, uncaring about her comment, yet a look of pity could be discerned within the depths of his eyes. ¡°Taxes are going up starting next week. Two beasts per person. Have a good day.¡± The warrior then started walking away, probably to let others know about the tax increase. ¡°Wait!¡± He stops momentarily, only half-turning his body to face the girl. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Why!? The taxes haven¡¯t been changed i-in forever. It¡¯s not fair!¡± ¡°Blame Vadir. That bastard is trying to seal our cave, and he¡¯ll no doubt succeed sooner or later. Therefore, we must prepare for a food shortage.¡± he then started walking away, his explanation weighing on her mind long after he departed.