Ulmir’s domain, Faery Plains: First day of the Hunt.

The Mobeel was gone. Gavin had pleaded with the lieutenant to retreat, but Brahms was in a trance. When he came back to his senses, his comrades were gone. ‘I can hold my ground against Vassal-class Familiars,’ he thought. ‘But this one’s gone and evolved to Lord.’

“I had no quarrel with you. Yet you tried to destroy me,” the Watchdog spoke. “You must have conspired with whoever is down there to drain the vein. Unforgivable!”

The Faery disappeared then immediately materialized behind Brahms. “Dash!” Brahms shouted. A bright light shone in his boots. The lieutenant jumped forward then ran. The technique he used allowed him to run a league in under ten seconds. ‘Damnit’ he thought. ‘I have to get out of the open fields!’

“There’s nowhere to hide here!” The beast said as if it had read through his thoughts. “I, Vaneel, King of the Faeries, shall strike you down then deliver my Lord’s vengeance upon your accomplices.”

Vaneel flapped his wings then took flight. He extended his right arm towards the sky then clutched his fangs. Dust started gathering around the clutched fangs then began solidifying. In the meantime, Brahms was still using Dash to get away from the Faery’s reach. ‘At this rate, I’ll be out of Ether before I get out of its range,’ he thought as he saw his Ether reserves draining rapidly.

Vaneel had finished solidifying his projectile. The lance he held was made of Faery Life Force. As the king of the Faeries, Vaneel could absorb then manipulate his kin’s Life Force at will. Once absorbed, Vaneel could manipulate the Life Force energy inside him however he wanted.

If the lance he made manages to hit Brahms, it will drain his Life Force. Vaneel could reabsorb the energy again then use it for another attack. The lieutenant was right to fear the beast. He was no match for it. Vaneel flew after the terrified Brahms. “These plains are flat,” the king shouted at the lieutenant. “There’s nowhere to hide. And you can’t outrun me!”

Vaneel materialized in front of Brahms once more. Brahms jumped to the side then shouted “Bhola!” Vaneel wasn’t going to let the same trick fool him twice. He flapped his wings then evaded the flashlight attack. The king of Faeries hurled his lance at the fleeing lieutenant. The lance got through his body then impaled him to the ground. Little by little, the ebony armor turned to dust. The man’s body deflated. His skin withered and his eyes turned to dust.

The silver lance glowed as it absorbed Brahms’ Life Force. “Return,” Vaneel said. The lance turned into a dark substance then flew towards the king of Faeries. “It looks like I found your fleeing friends.” Vaneel flew towards the Life Force energy he could feel to the east but came to a sudden stop.

“I sense evil energy coming from the vein.” Vaneel flew at full speed towards the place he was supposed to protect. Below him, the green grass and dangerous colorful flowers withered and died. The entire flora seemed to have its life snuffed out at once. The springs were dried out, earth dried and cracked.

From the place where the vein was buried, a man with black eyes and golden pupils emerged. He floated in the air without wings. A dark smoke swirled all around his body. No light could penetrate it, if felt like it could pull anything into an endless void.

“Die!” Vaneel shouted as he flapped his wings faster. He instantly created a lance and hurled it at Zedd.

The spear emitted a loud boom as it broke the sound barrier. In a flash, the spear threatened to pierce through Zedd’s body. Black Eyes dropped to the ground and the spear continued its linear trajectory. “It seems the Watchdog had tricks up its sleeve as well!” Zedd announced to the king of Faeries.

“You killed my subjects, then destroyed my world,” the king announced as he materialized behind Zedd. “I shan’t forgive this offense!” The king brought down his claws Black Eyes but couldn’t hit the man with black eyes. “Vanish!”

A sharp pain soared through the king’s body. Zedd had anticipated the king’s attack and mimicked his attack. He teleported behind Vaneel and tore his leather wings. “Discord!” Zedd shouted. The sword was instantly covered in a dark substance. With a quick upward motion, Zedd cut the Faery’s right wing.

Vaneel wasn’t going to let the puny mortal who attacked him do as he pleased. He willed his left wing to move backwards which hit Black Eyes and projected him away from the king. “Now we can fight on equal footing!” Zedd announced to the Faery with a wide smile on his face.

“You think you can beat me?!” Vaneel shouted. “The Essence you drew from the vein will soon dissipate, you can’t hold it in for long!” Vaneel extended his right arm towards his left wing then cut it off. “You can take my wings if you want!” he announced to Black Eyes. “But you still won’t beat me.”

Vaneel retracted his sharp fangs and clutched the wing bone. The golden bone shone bright and the leather wing disappeared. ‘Fuck!’ Zedd thought. The Faery had many hidden weapons and skills. ‘I should’ve torn them both to pieces.’ The wing had disappeared. A shining, golden sword appeared in its stead.

The king of Faeries dashed towards Zedd then swung his sword. Zedd managed to avoid the attack by a hair’s width. ‘Good! Come to me at close range,’ Black Eyes thought as he observed Vaneel. He couldn’t underestimate the beast. One misstep and he’d be dead meat.

“I almost killed you once,” the king announced in the middle of his flurry of attacks. “I’ll definitely finish the job this time.”

Zedd was still dodging all the Faery’s swings. He was sure the king was still toying with him, waiting for the Essence he absorbed to dissipate. Zedd had about two minutes before the excess Essence dissipated. He knew he was living on borrowed time. He had to change to tide of events as soon as possible.

Vaneel swung his sword at Zedd once more. The latter dodged again and again, waiting for an opening. The Faery’s swings were fast, impossible to see with the naked eye. Zedd relied on his sharp senses and extensive combat experience to predict the monster’s swings. He could block the beast’s attack with his sword, but he didn’t want to risk it. If the Faery’s sword was imbued with Essence, it could easily break his weapon.

All of a sudden, the king of the Faery’s swings stopped. “Discord!” Zedd shouted again. Dark energy enveloped Zedd sword again, and the Faery roared. A dark purple liquid poured out from its armpits. Zedd only needed a few swings to learn of the beast’s pattern of attacks. He waited for the beast to retract its sword and swing again. He had but a split second to counter-attack. It was more than Black Eyes needed. A quick thrust pierced the Faery’s armpits, blocking the next swing and hurting Vaneel in the process.

“You took me for a mortal Watchdog!” Zedd announced. His sword started sucking the Life Force out of Faery. The sword that could store up to three elements greedily fed on the Faery’s life force. It was a dangerous endeavor, but it was the only way to weaken the beast.

“And you take me for a Dog, Black Eyes!” Vaneel said then attacked.

“Vanish!” Zedd shouted as he dodged the Faery’s sharp claws. ‘Calculated!’ He thought as he appeared a few paces away from Vaneel.

The king of Faery’s followed up on his attack. The injury he received didn’t seem to bother him at all. He vanished and reappeared behind Zedd. Black Eyes turned around and blocked the beast’s swing with his sword. ‘This one’s annoying,’ he thought as he struggled to repel his attacker. Both swords clashed and remained interlocked for a few seconds.

Vaneel pushed his opponent backwards while Black Eyes struggled to keep a firm footing. “Your Essence’s dissipating. I can see it!” The king of Faeries told the struggling Zedd. “How long do you think you can keep this up?!”

Zedd activated his legs’ muscles then dashed forward, throwing the unsuspecting Faery out of balance. The perfect moment to land a counter attack is when your opponent’s succumbed to the law of gravity. Without his wings to help him get out of the situation, Vaneel fell to the ground. Zedd sword didn’t allow the Faery any respite. Black Eyes slashed the king’s chest, cut off his right arm and lacerated his left leg before his body hit the ground.

“Your weakness Watchdog!” Zedd spoke as he stood above the Faery. “Is your vanity!” Zedd swung his sword again and cut the Faery’s left arm.

“You’re a peculiar one Watchdog,” Zedd went on. “I’m cutting every limb off your body, yet you don’t utter a word. You can’t call your Faeries here either. They all died to provide you with strength.”

“I’m no dog, you puny mortal!” Vaneel shot a dark look at his butcher.

“Of course you are!” Zedd shot back. He thrust his sword in the Faery’s chest. “You’re but a Familiar. You obey your masters’ instructions without question.” Zedd pushed his sword a little further down the beast’s chest.

“I’ll soon severe one of your Essence conduits. I don’t need to tell you what’ll happen after that,” Black Eyes told the mutilated Faery.

“Familiar, dog,” the Faery finally spoke. “Why do you insist on calling me that?!”

“Because you’re one,” Zedd answered. “Although I can’t understand why you stubbornly keep on obeying your dead master’s command.”

“You take me for Ulmir’s Familiar?” Vaneel asked with a smirk. Purple liquid oozed out of every possible hole in his body. The king of Faeries broke into a fit of laughter.

“What’s so funny?” Zedd, alarmed and puzzled, asked.

“Ulmir died long ago, his familiars are gone.”

“Then who’s your master?” Zedd asked.

“You ignorant mortal!” The bleeding Faery exclaimed.

“That’s where you’re wrong dog. I’m-“

“Vaneel,” the king of Faeries interrupted. “The name’s Vaneel.”

‘Vaneel,’ Zedd thought for a moment. ‘Never heard this name before.’

Noticing Zedd’s confusion, Vaneel spoke again. “Ulmir stole this realm from my master long ago. I rejoiced at his murder.”

“You’re working for Utar now?” Zedd asked.

“That slimy bastard will never get his hands on the Fragment!” Vaneel shouted.

“Fragment you say?” Zedd said. For the first time in years, Zedd felt he had a way to reach his ultimate goal. “Where is it hidden?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Vaneel answered. “I wouldn’t tell you even if I did.”

“A pity!” Zedd pushed his sword deeper into the Faery’s chest then shouted “Discord!”

The Essence conduits inside the beast’s body were severed. The Faery’s body started inflating. A dark smoky substance came out of it. Vaneel had absorbed the Life Force of thousands of Faeries. Once his conduits were severed, he was at the verge of exploding. Zedd jumped backwards, picked up Vaneel’s sword then ran.

A few moments later, the king of the Faeries exploded. Dark matter spread in a radius of ten kilometers (about two leagues). ‘The plains are about to collapse, I have to get out of here and fast,’ Zedd thought as he ran away from the blast’s location. To

***

Far away in the west, Cane had landed in the worst possible location: The Four Seasons. Zedd had warned him about the place. It was called that way because one could experience all seasons in the span of a day. He was standing on top of a hill, overlooking a lush forest teeming with dangerous monsters. “Hey! You!” a voice called out to the big bear.

Cane turned around to see two champions walking towards him. It was cold and windy. The dark clouds announced an upcoming storm. “You’re the one who knocked my good friend unconscious!” Cane took another look at the man who had just spoken to him. It was Gedel, Osimir’s champion during the Ritual of Sacrifice. Cane recognized him by the halberd he held in his right hand.

“They had the upper hand you know,” Gedel went on. Cane observed the approaching champion in silence. He knew the man’s intention. The big bear unsheathed the sword Zedd lent him.

“Let our weapons talk then!” Gedel barked then smiled.

Osimir’s champion dashed towards his opponent, halberd on one hand, a round shield on the other. Gedel’s companion stood in place, not willing to get mixed up in their fight. ‘Thank the Gods,’ Cane thought. ‘I don’t want to spend the energy in this sword on them.’

Gedel brought his halberd down, Cane dodged right and dashed towards his opponent. Osimir’s champion swung his halberd towards the big bear. That was a halberd’s strength, reach. If one could avoid the downward slash, there were always swings that could slow the opponent down, sometimes even kill them.

Cane’s reflexes were sharp though. The big bear anticipated such a tactic and blocked the swing with his sword. ‘What an amazing sword!’ Cane thought. The halberd shaft was made of metal. Despite that, the strong swing couldn’t leave a dent on the sword. The force of the wielder’s swing was strong enough, however, to propel Cane to the side.

The latter quickly recovered then dodged another slash from the halberd. Every time he tried to shorten the distance between him and Osimir’s champion, the halberd got in his way. Gedel was still using the same tactic, slash and swing. “You can’t get near me!” Gedel shouted. “You used me to kill the Jackal! I won’t forgive you for it! Run all you want. In the end you’ll make a mistake.”

Gedel kept swinging his weapon, pushing the big bear away. “That bitch behind me’s providing me with energy. I can’t tire,” Gedel barked again. “You on the other hand.” He pushed his halberd forward in a thrusting motion. Metal clanged as Cane blocked the attack at the last minute. “You’re a nimble one for your size!” Gedel shouted as he thrust his halberd again.

Cane was in a pickle. He couldn’t approach his opponent. At the same time, he couldn’t keep on dodging and blocking forever. Any false step could mean his death. Getting tired would soon lead him to make one. Cane looked at his sword. He was fighting against two, one of them could use magic.

‘Always remember’ Zedd’s voice rung through Cane’s head. If you’re in bind, change tactics. My sword shouldn’t be the first thing you think about. It must always be a last resort. This means when you’re about to die, not tired of a fight.’

Cane jumped back. He had to try a different approach. Gedel followed. Confident he had the upper hand in the fight. He swung his weapon downwards, aiming for Cane’s legs. Cane jumped backwards again then ran to the side. ‘I gotta flank him, rid him of that shield too.’

Gedel didn’t let the big bear get any respite. He followed his swing with a vertical slash that missed the big bear by centimeters. Cane retreated once more. ‘Come on you bastard! Swing!’ he mentally urged Gedel. Sure enough, the halberd was swung. Cane jumped to avoid the low attack then threw his left arm forward.

Dexterity was one of the reasons Zedd decided to hire Cane’s services. A dexterous fighter could turn the tide of a battle instantly. With incredible precision, the big bear had thrown a knife at Gedel’s left collar bone. Despite having a big round shield, Gedel didn’t respect the fundamentals. He didn’t keep his shield up at all times. Cane had noticed the opening and took advantage of it.

The moment Osimir’s champion shouted in pain, another knife hit his right hand. Cane had eagle eyes. He was an excellent sharpshooter. Every hunter learned to shoot arrows and throwing knives while preparing for the Guild’s Hunter Tests. Cane had come out on top in all Hunter Tests during his admission.

The halberd fell, Gedel took out the knife that was embedded in his collar bone then shot a dark look at his opponent. The man expected to intimidate Cane with his dangerous stare. Alas, Gedel was surprised to see his opponent right in front of him.

The big bear thrust his sword in the man’s gullet. “You could’ve joined your God if you chose to fight me!” Cane said as Osimir’s champion lost consciousness.

“Ya wanna fight too?” he asked the one who provided Gedel with support.

“P-please,” the woman blabbered. “He, he forced me to help him. I don’t want to fight. I want to hunt beasts.”

“Why’re you still here?” he asked.

“What?” the woman asked.

“He’s dead! Ya coulda run away when I offed him,” Cane hadn’t dropped his guard yet.

“Look man, I don’t want any trouble okay?” the woman raised both her hands in the air. She wasn’t wielding any weapon.

“Then ya better start walking,” Cane retorted. “Walk back now. No funny ideas.”

“You seem to mistrust me,” the woman said. Her voice broke in between words.

“Walk now!” Cane ordered.

“You don’t trust me, do you?” the woman asked.

“I know ya,” Cane started. “He didn’t force ya to follow him, ya forced him ta fight. Yer Kandisha, the hyena!”

The woman chuckled, Cane heard her melodious voice beneath her mask.

“Leave!” Cane urged the woman, raising his sword at her.

“Alright, alright!” the woman said. “But I’m warning you. I will take that toy from your hands!”

“Leave!” Cane repeated.

The woman started backing away. Her arms still raised in the air.

“Walk back, slowly. Any false move and I put a knife in yer eyes!” Cane warned.

“Do you know why they call me the hyena?” Kandisha asked.

“Stop talking and walk away!” Cane shouted.

The woman started laughing. Her laughter travelled through the air, carried by the winds that started picking up speed. The storm was imminent. “You can’t shoot me!” she shouted at Cane. “You can’t harm women, can you?” she asked in a mocking tone. “Well, too bad. Gedel was dead before he attacked you. I’m a mage that loves the dead!” Kandisha shouted.

Gedel was standing behind the unsuspecting Cane. His halberd came crashing down, as thunder rumbled in the sky.