The day the Great Rainhorn Hunt began, the city erupted with celebrations, but Theo had no part in them. For the common people who didn't care about court politics, it was a joyous day filled with feasting, then preparing meat and hides for the coming year. Some among the noble families celebrated, but everyone who intended to participate in the hunt could only prepare.

All the worthiest soulcrafters of the noble families lined up outside the city, eyeing one another, making wagers and promises of future duels. Their chosen mercenaries prepared as well, shabbier but not necessarily weaker. Many carried sacks or other hunting tools, but others carried only weapons.

At least, that was how it looked from so far away.

Theo and the others sat far outside the city, away from the starting line. He'd received an invitation from Esaire to join the other Armeau mercenaries, giving them an enviable position near the front of the line, but he judged that would be a mistake. Not appearing among the others would make them lose respect, but he didn't care about that, and he suspected that the line was not the ideal position.

A great horn sounded over the plains... and the house Rulers leapt into action. Their elders and greatest warriors might usually sit out conflicts, but for the Great Rainhorn Hunt, they held nothing back. Faster than any of the other soulcrafters could move, they exploded from the city, already hurling techniques at one another and exchanging blows.

"So that's why we're all the way out here." Nauda shielded her eyes and stared out at the expanding conflict. "It looks like they're trying to establish zones of control so their families can hunt in peace."

"Exactly." Theo finally stood up and stretched. "But it will take a long time for that to work out, and in the meantime they'll scare away a lot of the rainhorns. We can't fight Rulers, so we might as well begin on the hinterlands while everyone else is still fighting."

They headed into a far edge of the forested region, clad in Fiyu's stealth technique. Though information about hunting the rainhorns was hotly contested, the basic terms of the contest gave him quite a few answers. Breaking the antlers significantly reduced their efficacy as sublime materials, and kills wouldn't be accepted if the bodies or hides were too damaged. That meant no one would be blowing the rainhorns apart, requiring a much more limited set of strategies.

Of course, they didn't run across a rainhorn immediately. They were spread out over a large forest, and if the initial battle pushed them directly into the hinterlands then Deuxans would have used his strategy long ago. Still, they were able to move deep into the forest while the battle for territory was still raging in the distance.

Something rustled in the leaves and they leapt to defensive positions... but it was their first rainhorn, suddenly freezing as it stared at them.

It only froze for a moment, but that was a fatal mistake. Theo cast a gravitational field, tensely prepared to add more if the rainhorn resisted. Instead, it drifted into the air, legs flailing wildly. Sublime beasts could have extremely dangerous cantae in their natural roles, but they were rarely able to apply it flexibly against threats outside their environment. Unsurprisingly, its environment didn't include a complete loss of gravity.

When the rainhorn began to bleat, Fiyu slid up beside it, her dark blade striking the animal in the side of the head. The beast twitched once and then lay still, apparently dying without any great pain. Killing it had been easier and cleaner than he expected, so he walked forward to-

Another rainhorn burst from the foliage, its horns lowered, charging directly at him. Theo desperately cast a gravitational field, but he couldn't stop the beast's momentum and it sailed directly toward him, sharp horns gleaming...

He threw himself back just before it hit... and the rainhorn abruptly froze in midair. Nauda stood a short distance away, her staff raised to bind it in place. The beast's eyes bulged and its muscles flexed against her cantae, but it couldn't overcome an Archcrafter technique.

Though shaken by the experience, Fiyu soon moved to kill the second rainhorn mercifully as well. Theo got back up and brushed himself off, wishing that he had developed his techniques to the point where he could apply gravity more flexibly. Still, he couldn't be disappointed by their first hunt, considering that they'd already taken down two of their quarry.

"Is this a mated pair?" Nauda pulled one of the floating bodies over with her staff and examined them before she bound the two together. "This one has antlers, but the second one just has a single set of horns. Are they worth any different?"

"They both have their uses, so the reward money doesn't discriminate. Larger antlers or horns are worth a bit more as sublime materials, but they all have equal value for the houses. Anything that's old enough to have mature antlers is a valid target."

"I am sorry that we must end their lives for a mere contest," Fiyu said.

"Don't be." Nauda finished binding the bodies, carefully but not reverently. "They eat the villagers' food and, because no one is allowed to do anything to them, they're a menace. It would be better if they managed the population throughout the year instead of having these dramatic hunts, but they need to be kept under control."

"It is still sad. Are there young rainhorns at this time of year?"

Theo didn't think so, but he also didn't particularly care. It was just as well that Fiyu killed them painlessly, but there were too many evils in the world for him to get worked up over a few animals. In fact, all he really felt was a sense of satisfaction that they had already acquired two rainhorns. Even if the hunting grew more difficult over time, they were off to a good start.

After some time, they managed to ambush a third, drinking at a pool far away... but not far enough to be outside his range. That one had an extraordinarily large set of antlers, enough that he considered keeping them if they could afford it. Unfortunately, after the third they failed to locate any others, despite ranging widely and not yet encountering any of the other hunters.

Wondering if the other rainhorns could smell the blood from the bodies floating behind him, Theo decided that they should return to get rid of them and confirm their participation in the hunt. Since the others agreed and they didn't want to split up while so many soulcrafters were on the field, they walked back to one of the main paths and headed back toward the city.

He spotted something ahead and immediately prepared another gravitational field, only to pull back as he realized it was a Deuxan sleigh. It raced over the ground faster than a car and he worried that it was going to run them down, but before he needed to react, it swerved to the side, sliding through the air before coming to a halt not far from them.

"Bartolo! You decided to participate after all!" Esaire stood from the front seat, putting one foot up on the side. "You're going to be left behind if you stay on foot, though."

"Think of it as proving my worth to the Armeau family." As they spoke, Theo glanced at the four others in the back seats, noting the nominal Archcrafter from before and three who had soulhomes that gave him an immediate sense of a hunting lodge. It seemed that Esaire was working with skilled hunters, but there was no sign of Delarde or Hauloe.

"Suit yourself. Let's make a little wager: if your group can find even half as many rainhorns as mine, the Armeau family will pay you double their value. What do you say?"

"And if we don't?"

"We buy them at normal price... and you duel with me." Esaire cast him a careful look that made Theo wonder if he suspected their last encounter had been a bluff. At the moment, all his best options were bluffs, so he responded noncommittally.

"We'll see who hunts the most, then."

Esaire snorted and sat back down, touching something hidden beneath the wooden paneling. A moment later the sleigh floated away through the trees, utterly silent even as it accelerated back to full speed. Theo watched after it, considering. Other noble families would no doubt have their own vehicles, which would let them run down some rainhorns far faster than he could. If they wanted to compete, they needed to hunt in the deeper forests, where the rainhorns would be driven by all the other hunters.

For the moment, he thought it best to get credit for their first hunt. As they continued walking back, they saw other hunters just now emerging from the city, who simply glowered jealously at them. After they had traveled in silence for some time, Fiyu spoke up.

"That was a well-constructed sleigh. Considerable speed, a sublime binding, and moderate defenses built into the base. I... do not think that we can afford such a thing."

"More importantly," Nauda said, "how many people do you think it could carry?"

"I believe the flight materials are more than strong enough, so the question is space. It could hold four normal people, eight Deuxans, or twelve Tatians."

Nauda looked over at her sharply and Fiyu only smiled back, leaving it entirely uncertain if she had been joking. Theo chose to laugh and gestured for them all to start running. Their first gambit had been successful, but the hunt would continue for days. Time for the second gambit.