The first sensation I'm aware of upon waking is the immense pain filling my body from the numerous blows dealt to me during that fight. My leg feels as if it's aflame as well. Gritting my teeth, I pull out my knife and cut off my left pant leg halfway up my upper leg. I slice it all the way down to my mangled boot, which I also cut off. It won't be usable anymore, as the gaia wolf damaged it beyond repair.

After removing those, I use some of my recovered sacred power to mend the cuts and gashes in my leg. I can't mend my bones, but this should suffice for now. Gritting my teeth again, I set my bone, then cast my gaze around, pulling fallen sticks to me with some wind magic. Using strips of my removed pant leg and the strips, I brace and bind my leg.

Now that I've treated myself as best I can here, I pick up the last bit of scrap from my pant leg and my boot, clean off my knife and sheathe it, then lift myself into the air with wind magic. Rather than flying above the trees, I soar across the ground. Most of my injuries are done healing, so I shouldn't leave much of a trail, but even if I do, it's doubtful anything will follow me. If the wolves were chasing me, they'd have found me by now.

My head still pounds as I fly, making it hard to focus, but I push on. I need to return so that the Elder Hunter can adjust her message before sending it out to account for additional information I may have. Because of my pain and exhaustion, my flight is slower than it would normally be.

Overall, the trip home takes five times as long as it could have, but is still shorter than a normal walk. With my injured leg, I probably wouldn't have made it back to town for hours longer than that.

"Welcome back," the Gate greets me. "Cam has already returned from your hunt."

"Thanks," I respond as the Gate opens.

Not bothering to land, I continue flying, right through the gate, through the tunnel, and into town. The Elder Hunter's shop sits right inside the gate, so as soon as I'm past the wall and the building, I turn and fly to the entrance, ignoring the stairs before opening the door and entering.

The inside of the main room has little in the way of decorations or items, but only because those who come here aren't buying something. What she does sell, those who want them know to ask for it.

A low table sits in the center of the room, a clear crystal orb ten inches in diameter resting atop a violet cushion with golden trim. Two violet cushions with golden trim rest on the floor on each of three sides of the table, the Elder Hunter herself sitting on the low one resting on the floor on the side of the table opposite the door.

Right now, she's dressed in her usual violet and green dress, her staff resting on the ground beside her. Beads and feathers are woven into her brains and loose hair, her body showing the signs of her age, with wrinkles and spots.

She's lived to be more than a century and a quarter, and is at least Level 35. I've never asked for her Level, so I don't know what she is, specifically, but as she's out here in the sticks, it's likely not much higher than that. Even if we have the Hunter's Brand, there is only so much we can do as our body ages, and so the elders turn to taking on such jobs, to guide us younger Hunters with advice and act as the ones who assess our Level and kills.

At the moment, she's writing something down, likely her request for assistance.

She looks at me, and her grey eyes fill with surprise, then shock, then worry.

"Your state," she tells me, her voice slowed somewhat with her age. "You barely escaped. I don't need to read you to know that. Sit, sit. Don't worry about the cushions, they will clean."

Nodding, I gingerly lower myself onto the cushions, wincing when I accidentally jar my leg. I use the other cushion here to support my left leg, so that it's not on the hard ground. Without needing her to say something, I place a hand on the crystal sphere. She does the same and closes her eyes, and I know she's pushing her sacred power into the sphere to check what happened. I keep my hand on it, as removing my hand will end her view.

For five minutes, she watches over every fight that has happened since my last appraisal. When they watch, they view things much more quickly than it occurred, making it easier to check even days' worth of hunts in just a few minutes.

The Elder Hunter's brows are creased in worry, though towards the end, I notice surprise on her face.

"I got lucky with that attack," I say when she opens her eyes, and we pull our hands off of the orb. "I guess in my panicked, wounded state, I put a little more power into the wind than I had expected."

"It is good you returned," she tells me. "You were, indeed, lucky to survive that encounter. A stroke of bad luck nearly ended you. You went thinking there might be a dozen wolves with a single Tier Five, and found four of them, each with a small pack, and a Tier Six."

"Four?" I ask.

"Yes," she answers. "Another showed up while you were attempting to escape, though it was after Cam left, so it was not in his memories. I was writing up my message to the next town. This situation is not pleasant for us. They will likely send this to a city, to have a higher team of Hunters come out."

"Soul Strikers?" I ask.

"Soul Strikers," she nods. "They will either deal with this, or summon additional reinforcements to help them deal with it."

Soul Strikers are a last-resort option. They're the best of the best, and a team of five of them is able to take on a Single Star monster. They also work in teams of five at a minimum, so an unexpected Single Star attack would only catch them off-guard at the most.

Every Soul Striker team member has, at some point, defeated a Single Star monster or stronger, with their current team or another. It's a requirement to become a Soul Striker, as well as being able to manifest their soul weapon. Well, their sacred weapon.

"I can heal most of your damage," the Elder Hunter tells me, deciding to change topics. "But it will come at a price."

"It always does," I tell her. "I take it my leg is beyond you?"

"Yes," she tells me. "I'll summon a healer when I send this message as well. Someone who can mend that type of damage. It will cost you even more. Keep in mind it may take a week or two for them to come out here, so you will need to use a crutch until then."

"No hunting for me," I sigh. "But I'm lucky to be alive, so I'll take it."

"Indeed," she reaches under the table and grabs something, then brings it up. The Branding Seal. "Bare your Hunter's Brand."

"Why?" I ask. "I haven't gained a Level."

While we can naturally grow a little bit stronger between Levels, there's an obvious boost we can feel when we acquire a new one. I'd have noticed if I hit one, even while sleeping. I also would have hit a new Level, at minimum, if my last attack had killed that Tier Six, so I know it's still alive, too.

"Just humor this old woman, would you?" She asks.

I remove my vest, then pull down the front of my shirt, exposing the brand. The Elder Hunter reaches forward and places the Branding Seal against my chest. It's cool to the touch, though gently warms up for a few seconds as she channels sacred power into it. After a few seconds, she pulls it away.

"As I suspected," she says, and I look down at my chest.

Before, the outlines of the star and circle were black, but now, they're golden in color. I'm still Level 17, displayed in black runes, and the rest is still violet.

"Why did it-"

"Turn gold?" She asks. "I'll give you a hint, Rex: what can a lower-Level Hunter do in an extreme, life-threatening circumstance?"

"You're saying I manifested my soul weapon?"

"I am," she confirms. "And would you call it by the proper name? It's a sacred weapon."

"It's a representation of our soul," I say. "And our will."

"And your style of fighting," she says. "And it's manifested through sacred power. You were in an extreme situation, in a life-threatening circumstance where you were about to die, yet possessed an immense will to live. As a result, you manifested your sacred weapon. Try to do so again. Channel your sacred power as you draw upon your will and soul, Rex. Call upon yourself, and bring about the manifestation of your soul in your hands."

Holding up my hands, I do as she commands. It isn't much different from how to manifest spells, and within moments, a spear forms in the air. Its shaft is six feet long, the triangular blade ten inches from the shaft to the point, with the lower corners of it more akin to barbs than simple points, to rip more as the spear is pulled out.

The shaft itself is black, though with white streaks through it, and the head looks like shiny, silver-grey steel with silver patterns on it.

"When you used it in the fight," the Elder Hunter tells me. "You channeled wind magic around it. The spear reacted to that, augmenting the power. I believe the spear does more than that, though. You are flexible in your fighting style, adapting the elements as needed. When you practice with it, try wrapping it in the elements, but also try filling it with the element. Not here, though. I don't need you accidentally destroying my house again."

"Sorry," I feel my face heat up at her reminder of that incident when I was ten. The Elder Hunter lives above this place. "I'm only Level 17, I hadn't expected-"

"You aren't the youngest nor the lowest in level to manifest their sacred weapon," she tells me. "Though the Guild does its best to ensure the circumstances required to manifest it before a Hunter is around Level 40 do not occur, so they aren't as common as one might think. Someone manifesting theirs under Level 30 happens maybe once every eight years."

"Well," I say as I release the weapon, and the drain on my mana stops. I'll need what I have left to return home. "I at least feel good about being that one-in-eight years, since it means someone else probably won't for another eight years."

"You never know," she tells me. "Someone else could tomorrow. But I understand where you're coming from. I manifested mine when I was Level 24, but I was also thirty-three years old at that point. My party of Hunters ended up separated as a result of a Tier Six's manipulation and plotting, and three of us ended up manifesting within a few hours of each other."

I immediately grow concerned hearing that.

"Cam-"

"He is fine," she interrupts me, her voice as slow as ever. "Do not worry about him. He did not manifest, as he was not put into the same circumstances as you. Now, you can send me the payment later. I will mend what I can, then you best be going."

Cam will no doubt have delivered the news to Liam, who will be crushed. His parents died in front of him to monsters, then his new caretaker and idol died to them. That may destroy him completely, especially with how long Cam has had to tell him the news.

I nod, and the Elder Hunter stands and moves around the table, pulling a cushion from the side so that she can sit beside me and tend to my injuries. After she heals me, I thank her, pull my vest back on, then use my magic to pick myself back up and fly, soaring with my feet barely above the ground.

First, I will visit Cam, who has no doubt returned to his home. He likely feels guilty, even if he knows we both would have died had he stayed. There wasn't anything he could do to save me, the gaia wolf was simply too powerful.

It takes me a few minutes to reach it, and a minute after I knock, his pa answers the door. He's a large, gruff man with a thick beard, completely unlike Cam, who takes more after his mother.

His pa stares at me in shock, takes in my bloody and muddy appearance, then nods.

"CAM!" He bellows, and I wince a little. My head still hurts, and the loudness of his call sent another spike of pain through it. "Sorry, there. Cam thinks yer dead."

"I almost was," I nod.

"Come in," he suggests.

"I can't stay long," I shake my head. "I need to let Liam know I'm still alive."

He accepts that, and we wait for Cam to finally come down. His eyes are red and puffy, even if his cheeks are dry. He probably had to take a minute to calm himself down enough to come down and try to be presentable.

The moment he sets his gaze upon me, disbelief fills his eyes. Disbelief and confusion.

"I'll tell you more tomorrow," I tell Cam. "But I got lucky. The bastard was about to kill me, and I got lucky."

Cam rushes to me and wraps me in a hug, crying against me in relief. He also pulls me inside, insistent on checking my wounds and putting a better splint on my leg and foot. I let him, knowing it'll make him feel better, even as I feel awful for making Liam wait a little longer. But it probably is for the best that Cam does this, as it'll reinforce to him that I'm not some hallucination.

He wants to know how I survived, but I just tell him again that I'll tell him the rest tomorrow. I'd rather not say it with his parents around. After Cam finishes wrapping my leg and foot with leather wraps, he gives me a crutch to use.

"Thank you," I tell him. "I really do need to get going now, Liam needs to know I made it."

"Yeah," Cam stands up. "I'm coming with you. Liam can't cook to save his life. Y-you two need to eat, and you need your rest. I was going to head over in a bit and try to make him eat something."

No doubt he'll try to get the story out of me again once we're at my place, and I guess it'll be fine then.

"Thank you," I say, then look at Cam's pa. "Have a good rest of your day."

"May the powers that be guide your healing," he responds.

I nod, then Cam and I leave. This time, I walk, but put no weight on my leg, using the crutch to support myself. We reach my house, and I remove my boot at the door, then walk over to the stairs as Cam goes to the kitchen. After contemplating what to do for a few moments, I just fly up the stairs rather than bother with using the crutch on them. At the top, I return to walking.

At Liam's door, I listen, hearing nothing, but knock anyway. There's no response, and still no sound at all, so I open it and peek inside. He's not here. I take a deep breath and let it out, then walk over to my room and enter. Liam's curled up on my bed, hugging one of my pillows as he sniffles, eyes closed.

"The more you lie there and cry," I say, and he tenses up. "The longer it'll take me to tell you the story of how I managed to escape."

Slowly, Liam opens his eyes and looks at me, disbelief filling his eyes. Disbelief, hope, and relief.

"Come on," I tell him. "Cam's downstairs making us something to eat, and I know you both are going to want to know how I managed to escape a Tier Six gaia wolf."

Liam scrambles off the bed and throws himself at me, wrapping me in a hug as he cries into me.

"Both you and Cam," I say. "Are insistent on getting all muddy and bloody, aren't you?"

"It'll wash off," Liam sniffles into me. "You're alive."

"Yeah," I tell him. "But sheer luck, I'm alive. Come on."

As much as it hurts me to do so, I let Liam climb onto me, then I fly us downstairs. He climbs off of me at the table, and we sit down. I tell him and Cam everything I can remember of the fight, then what the Elder Hunter discovered.

"Your soul weapon?" Liam's eyes grow wide. "You manifested it?"

"Yeah," I nod. "In the nick of time, too. If I hadn't, manifested then, the gaia wolf would've killed me a few moments later. I didn't even realize it until after the Elder Hunter told me."

"Can I see it?" Liam asks.

"Not right tell," I tell him. "I'm exhausted. After I eat, I'm going to take a bath, then once I've relaxed and recovered a little more, I'll show both of you."

Liam is clearly impatient to see it, but I know he'll wait, especially with the relief he's feeling right now. Cam finishes dinner, then we eat. Liam wants to help me with my bath, since I'm injured, but I convince him to help Cam clean the dishes.

Once they get started on that, I head to the bathing room and ready my bath, then remove my clothes and the bindings before I lower myself into the tub. The hot water feels great, soothing my aching and sore muscles. The Elder Healer didn't patch up the minor injuries, just treated what she could of my leg. The break on my upper leg and at my hip, she could handle, but my foot, ankle, and calf, she could not.

The rest of my body is sore, too, and stiff as well. It makes bathing a little difficult, and I take longer than normal, but in the end, manage to get myself clean. Once I'm clean I climb out, dry off, bind my foot and calf again, then pull on the shorts and tank left in here for me, from before Cam told Liam the bad news.

Clean, dry, and dressed, I return to the main room, then tell Liam to get cleaned up. He's impatient to see my sacred weapon now, but obeys, heading to the bathing room for his own bath. Cam needs one, too, so after Liam finishes, I send him for a bath, having Liam fetch him a change of clothes from my room. I'm a little bigger than Cam, but he'll still fit.

Only once they're clean, dry, and dressed in fresh clothes do we go outside so I can summon my sacred weapon. It still takes me a couple of seconds, but I'll get better with practice, able to summon it instantly.

"It looks… plain," Liam sounds disappointed and excited at the same time. "But it still managed to deliver such a powerful strike to the Tier Six?"

"Yeah," I nod. "Part of that likely came from me using its bane, wind, in the attack. My attack only dazed it, though. It hasn't died yet, and will likely be furious over the attack. Because of that, we can't enter into anywhere close to the pack's hunting grounds until after the team from the city arrives."

"Are they sending Soul Strikers?" Cam asks.

"The Elder Hunter says they might," I answer. "Though they could send a weaker party to take care of a Tier Six, the size of the pack and high number of upper Tiers in it makes that dangerous. She's not certain what the folks from the city will do, but she's confident that when the next town sends it to them, they'll send a stronger team."

"You mean," Liam turns excited. "We might get to see people who've fought a Single-Star?"

"Yes," I nod. "We might get to see people who've fought a Single-Star. If we're lucky, they may even teach us some tricks."

I can see the excitement and anticipation on Liam's face at that, and Cam gives me an amused look. If Soul Strikers are sent out to take care of this, we will be taught a few tricks. The Elder Hunter has mentioned to us before that Soul Strikers always give a little training before they leave when they're sent out to do a job.

"But," I say. "Don't forget that it's possible the Guild will send a weaker team out. This is only a Tier Six, after all. Two or three teams that can handle a Tier Seven should be able to handle them. In fact, that's the most likely option for what will happen."

"I know!" Liam tells me. "But still! Just thinking about meeting a powerful, professional team of Hunters is exciting, even if they aren't Soul Strikers! And then there's your soul weapon! It's so beautiful, even if it's plain, and are you sure it can do stuff with the elements?"

"It most likely can," I tell him. "We can test it tomorrow, when we go out into the fields. But before then, you need to get some sleep."

"Tomorrow?" He asks, confused for a few moments. Then he remembers and his face lights up. "My birthday!"

"Yeah," I say as I dismiss my sacred weapon. "Your birthday. Come on, let's get to bed. We've all had a long day, and it's exhausted all of us. Cam, you can stay over if you want."

"I will," Cam says. "You'll need someone here in case something happens with your leg during the night."

"Thanks," I tell him. "Come on, let's get to bed."