Part 15~ Start

…

“So you killed the rocs?” the elder asked. Drake had gone back to the village and told the villagers what had transpired. They seemed relieved. “There’s one more thing. The rwulf won’t be a problem again,” Drake continued.

“So you killed it?” a villager asked.

“No! How many times do I have to say, it is not dangerous,” Drake replied quite angrily.

“No, I didn’t kill it. But I’ll take it with me. It saved my life, so now I’ll take care of it.”

Drake bid the elder farewell. He had declined receiving payments. After all, he did say that he was going to do it for free, in exchange for better treatment towards the rwulf. However, he had decided to bring the rwulf along. Somehow he doubted that the villagers would ever stop harassing it when he left.

“Now, we need to name you,” Drake said to the rwulf. They had left the village, heading to Heaton. “Black?” Drake asked jokingly. He was answered with an angry bark. Drake laughed. “I’m kidding. I’m going to call you Xola.”

This time Xola approved.

~~~~~End of Chapter 1~~~~~

Part 14~ Start

…

Drake went to the river bank where Mr. Lemitz was attacked. He scanned to area. Behind him was the forest, in front of him the river Andec. As wide as the height of the tallest trees in the forest, it was impossible to wade across. The fast currents ensured no swimming also. He noticed there was no bridge across too. Probably because the currents in this area are so strong that building a bridge is hard.

There was a loud cry. He looked opposite the river. It was a plain. Some trees here and there. There was a cliff not far from the river side. Probably the roc’s nest. Another cry. He looked at the sky. He saw it. The roc was flying towards him at high speed. Talons bared. Ready to strike.

He dodged the dive attack. The roc flew up and circled Drake. It was preparing for another attack. It dived again, Drake jumped away. The roc flew up again and began circling again. It was going to use the same tactic. However this time, it gave a loud shriek before diving. Drake evaded the attack, but he was too late to notice that another roc was already diving towards him.

Damn it! I was careless. Drake was too focused on the one that he was against that he did not realize another roc was around. The shriek earlier was a call for double attack. He had no time to dodge the other roc. Damn!!

Suddenly a fireball flew towards the attacking roc. It evaded the fireball, barely. Drake noticed a chance. Using the wind to help him, he charged at second roc. He was too fast for the roc. One slash and the roc hit the ground. The first roc saw its friend died and tried to escape. However, just as it turned away, the second fireball hit it from behind. Drake then used Windslash towards it. It fell to the river. Dead.

Drake turned to see where the fireball was coming from. He saw the rwulf looking at him. He stared back. Thankful. It had saved him. He stared at the rwulf a while longer before going over and patting it.

“I think I know what to do,” he said.

…

Part 13~ Start

…

“So you’re telling us there’s two beasts?!?”

“Yes, but I want you to understand that this rwulf is not dangerous. It was just protecting itself…”

“While injuring others!!! It is still a monster. It attacked us!” Hait interrupted.

“Because you all mistreat it!” Drake shouted. Losing his temper.

Everyone in the room was shocked by his sudden outburst. Drake stood up, looked at everyone in the room, and said, “Look, I’m sorry. But I stand by what I said. You harassed it, so it needed to protect itself. It just wants to live in the forest peacefully. It didn’t steal your crops, or your herds. I saw children threw stones at it!”

“It deserves i…,” someone started.

“Do you throw stones at your pets?” Drake shot back.

“Look, I’ll help you get rid of the roc, no charge. Instead, I want you to treat the rwulf better. Or maybe just leave it alone. Deal?” Drake asked.

“You couldn’t…,” Hait blurted.

“Enough Hait,” the elder interrupted. “Very well Mr. Hunter. We will leave the rwulf alone.”

“I trust your words sir,” Drake nodded.

…

Part 12~ Start

…

He walked back to the village, thinking. He could just tell the villagers that it was a rwulf. But what if they do not want to accept it. It did attack some of the villagers. He remembered the man from last night. The drunken man. But it was just defending itself. I bet it’s that man was harassing it too. Then he remembered what the village elder said. Yes! That’s it. I’ll just explain this to the elder and let him deal with the villagers. After all, he IS the elder.

He found the elder’s grandson. The boy said that his grandfather was not home. “He went to see the latest victim. I think he went to Mr. Lemitz’s house. It’s just opposite the blacksmith,” the boy explained.

Latest victim? Last I saw, it only threw fireball and no children were harmed… He decided go and visit the victim himself. Mr. Lemitz’s house was crowded; Drake could hear angry shouts from the inside.

“Elder, we cannot let this happen anymore. The beast is getting more and more out of control.”

“I know Hait, but we cannot act rashly,” Horgo, the elder’s son, explained.

“But more people will die! It almost killed my husband. Look at him!” a woman said, pointing at his husband who was lying on the bed, covered with bandages.

So that is Mrs. Lemitz. Drake looked at Mr. Lemitz. He was covered in bandages all over the body. Drake could not determine the type of wound inflicted on Mr. Lemitz.

“Neira dear, first could you please explain where and how did this happen?” the elder asked Mrs. Lemitz.

“How is that important, it almost killed Atris. We should go to Rybark Forest and finish this,” another man interrupted.

“Yes, I agree. I heard there is a Hunter who came here yesterday. We should ask him,” the man known as Hait said.

“May I know what type of wound was inflicted on Mr. Lemitz?” Drake interrupted suddenly.

Everyone turned to face Drake. “Who are you?” Mrs. Lemitz asked.

“Neira, he is the Hunter Hait mentioned earlier,” the elder replied.

“I’m sorry I startled all of you. It’s just that I need to determine what type of monster caused the wounds.”

“Well, it was mostly deep scratches, I think from claws…,” Neira explained.

“It was not claws,” Mr. Lemitz suddenly said. He had regained consciousness. He tried to get up, so Mrs. Lemitz helped him. He sat on the bed and looked at Drake. “It was talons.  It was a Roc.”

“How did a Roc get into the forest?” the elder’s son asked.

“I wasn’t in the forest. I went through the forest, to River Andec. I wanted to find some flowers, the Rivernicum. Neira’s birthday’s coming… I thought I wanted to…”

“Oh silly Atris… What joy would it bring if you’re dead?” Neira cried and hugged Atris.

“So the roc attacked you?” Drake confirmed.

“Yes, it flew from across the river. I was caught by surprise. I ran towards the forest when it attacked me. That’s how I got these wounds. After I was inside the forest, it stopped chasing me.”

“Well, if it’s a roc, I think I could handle it,” Drake said. “But there’s something else I wanted to talk to you about.”

“It’s about the other beast.”

…

Part 11~ Start

…

It turned around and started walking back. Then the children repeated their previous actions. They threw stones at it again. Drake was about to interfere when the rwulf suddenly threw a fireball from its mouth towards the children. It hit a tree, but it was enough to scare the children. They all screamed and started running back to the village. If I’m not mistaken, that is a fireball. Only a few breeds of rwulf can do that.

He decided to approach the rwulf. When it noticed Drake, it stared at him. Fangs bared. But it did not stood up. It lied still. Probably tired. It did looked thin. Drake noticed fruits behind the rwulf. That was its food supply. There were also some leftovers that looked like rabbits. He stared at it. It stared back.

He came closer to the rwulf. It stood up and barked, prepared to attack if necessary. “Relax…,” Drake said out loud while lifting both his hands up. “I’m not here to harm you…” As if it could understand.

It looked at Drake for a while more before lying down again. Drake could see that it was still tense, still deciding whether to trust this man or not. He took out bread filled with bacon that he had taken from the inn earlier. “Here… you want some?” Drake gave the bread to the rwulf.

It did not respond, so Drake decided to leave it on the ground. He sat down next to the rwulf. Its eyes following his every movement. “What’s a rwulf like you doing here in the east of Perl?” Drake asked. Why am I talking to a rwulf? But it was true that rwulfs were usually not found around the east part of the continent. It was no surprise that the local villagers thought of it as a monster. Rwulfs were mostly found in the northwestern part of Perl. Because of its loyalty and cleverness, it was usually adopted as pets by the orcs living around there.

He looked at it, and it stared back. He could see that it had lowered its guard. He moved his right hand towards it. It was surprised, tensed again. “Relax… relax, rwulf…,” Drake said as he slowly lowered his hand at the back of its head. He started stroking it, feeling its ruffled fur. As he did that, he could feel the rwulf relaxed. He swore he could almost see its tails moved. He liked it, Drake thought.

“How did you end up here anyway?” Drake said as he handed it the bread. It gorged at the bread. Clearly, it was hungry. It had to fend for itself in an unfamiliar forest and also from constant harassment from the villagers. Now he knew everything. The villagers harassed it, so it attacked them to scare them. It only made light scratch wounds. The fireball earlier was purposefully missed. Now he just needed to figure out how to deal with this problem. He would not kill it. The villagers just needed to know what it was.

…

Part 10~ Start

…

Drake left the elder’s house pondering. Looked like a wolf, but bigger than a normal wolf. A magically altered wolf? Or maybe some abomination that wandered here? There was only one way to find out. He needed to see the beast himself. He headed to the forest. He would need to find its lair first.

He heard shouts. From a group of people, teens maybe. It sounded not far. He decided to investigate. As he trailed the source of the shouts and found the commotion. He saw a group of children, he was sure that none of them were more than seventeen winters. They were throwing stones at something, laughing away. It was the beast.

It stood up and roared once. It took a few steps forward and glared at the group of children. The children fled back and hid behind the trees. It looked angry, but it did not attack them. Drake recognized the beast. It was not common to find it here, but it was definitely not a vile beast, not a monster. He remembered looking at a picture of the beast from the book in his house. It was the ‘Compilation of Animals around Meta Omega’. From his point of view, he could also see the tails of the beast. It had three tails, looked similar to a wolf, and had black fur. It sure did look intimidating, but he also remembered reading about it being gentle, with characteristics similar to those of a dog; loyal, but much smarter. It was a rwulf.

…

Part 9 ~ Start

…

He went to look for the village elder the next morning. He wanted to find out more about the beast. The village elder was old and haggard, but there was an aura of wisdom around him, like he had lived for a very long time. Well, he IS old…

“Sir, I would like to ask about the beast some of villagers talked about.”

“And who might you be?” the elder asked.

“I’m Drake. A Hunter. I think I could help.”

“A Hunter, eh? Well, the villagers kept saying it was a vile beast, but from what I’ve seen, it would leave you alone if you don’t bother it.”

“Hm..?”

“I had gone to see the beast myself…”

“You went to see it yourself?!?” Drake interrupted. Shocked.

“My son and grandson were there to protect me. Of course, they’re not Hunters, but I thought they could protect me well enough,” the elder said.

“I’m sorry… So, what happened?”

“Well, I saw it… And I’ve got to say, I’ve never seen anything like it, it’s like a wolf, but it’s bigger than the normal wolves around here. Also, the fur… It was as black as the night…,” the elder said, lost in thoughts for a while. “But you see, it did not look menacing at all, in fact, it looked frail. Scrawny. It just stared at us, fangs bared. But it didn’t attack us at all.”

“And you didn’t…?”

“And we didn’t try to bother it too. My grandson wanted to attack it, he thought we had the advantage… But I prevented him… There’s something about the beast that made you… I can’t quite describe it. You just do not want to bother it further,” the elder said. “It looked pitiful…”

…

Part 8 ~ Start

…

Drake looked at the group again. So he must be showing off his wounds. “Thank you, miss,” Drake said. He finished his meal and went over to the man.

“Excuse me, sirs,” he said as he approached them. “I was wondering if you could tell me more about the beast. I heard one of you got attacked by it?”

“And why would you want to know?” one of them asked.

“I am a Hunter. And I think I can help.”

The man who got attacked stood up, looked at Drake, and said, “Ya look too young ta be a Hunter…”

“I know. But rest assured, I will be able to help out.”

The man studied Drake for a while before saying, “O’right… Ya see… Ah was uhh… trying ta hunt it down… ‘Cos it attacked me kid… I went there, wif me ax… Ah found it, that forsaken beast… Ah tried ta fight it, boy, ah tell ya, it was VILE… it got better of me. Ah was lucky ah got away wif juz a scratch. It was… fierce… I tell you…”

Drake left the drunken group as that man kept on repeating how ferocious the beast was. He went up to his room, thinking about what the man said. It was VILE… he said. But if it is that wild and scary, AND judging from that man’s look… I’d say he’d be dead if the beast is truly so deadly. But he got away with just a scratch, and he looked quite unscathed other than that. I guess I’ll ask around again tomorrow before going to the forest.

…

Part 7 ~ Start

…

He arrived at Hartmoor at around dusk. He would need a place to stay and find the village elder tomorrow. Hartmoor was a small village. There were a couple of farms, a blacksmith, some traders, a trading post and an inn. Children were running around at the streets. Playing, laughing happily. Drake entered the inn. It was the biggest and liveliest building in Hartmoor. It also acted as the bar for the village. Not bad. I could gather some information here, see if the village need a Hunter’s help.

“Good day lad! What can I help you with?” the innkeeper asked.

“I’d like a room please,” Drake said. “And some food.”

“Coming right up.”

Drake said at an empty table and scanned the bar. Some people were drinking, gibbering away. A group of people were discussing something seriously. A man, around his father’s age, were showing something to his friends. He could not determine what, but the man was showing off his right arm. He could not see, but it could just be a tattoo that man had just gotten. They all looked drunk to him.

“Here’s some chicken, and soup. Would you like anything else?” the barmaid asked as she brought the food over.

“Thanks. Uhh… I was wondering, is there anything happening around here? Anything that needs a Hunter’s help?”

“Ohh… You’re a Hunter?” she replied. Startled. “I’m sorry, we didn’t usually have Hunters visiting because this is a small village.”

“Well, there is something. There’s a beast that the villagers talked about. I’ve never seen it, but they said it made a lair in the edge of Rybark Forest, near the village. I’ve never gone there… I was scared,” the barmaid said. She pointed to the group of people Drake saw earlier, where a man was showing off his arm, and said, “You should ask them. I overheard one of them was attacked by the beast.”

…

Part 6 ~ Start

…

He looked across his room. He would miss the place. But there’s no turning back. He wanted to leave, to live the life of adventure. He would be a Hunter. Helping people deal with monsters problem or thugs or bandits. Well, good bye room. Next destination, Hartmoor.

“Drake,” Diether called as Drake headed to the door. “I want you to take this. You deserved it.”

Diether handed Drake the Sharpwind, inside its scabbard. The scabbard was similar with the blade. Black, shiny, embroidered with small rubies near the edges.

“But Dad, that is…”

“It’s yours now. You are the heir of the Swift family. Now it’s your turn to wield it.”

“Thanks Dad.”

They hugged, as father and son. Diether looked at his son. He felt no sadness, only pride. Lari hugged her son too, tears rolling down her cheeks. She knew she would miss him. Her only son would be gone for an indefinite amount of time. She prayed that he would be safe.

“Here, take this with you,” Lari said as she gave Drake a necklace.

“Mom, what’s this?”

“I don’t have anything like the Sharpwind to give you, but this amulet was given to me by my mother. And now, I’m giving it to you. It’s a good luck charm.”

“Mom… You don’t have to do this,” Drake hugged Lari. “Thank you.”

“Remember, if you found yourself in trouble, come back here. We will help you,” Diether said.

They said their last goodbyes and Drake set out for his journey. First stop, Hartmoor. It was the nearest village to Cillka. Not a big village, but he hoped he could somehow help the villagers. Hartmoor, here I come.

…