‘Crunch’

A twig snapped under her boot as she settled into a crouch watching the jagged scar in the ground. The wind, ever present on the plains, did not reach her here, the natural depression formed somewhat of a wind barrier. Unfortunately, that meant she could not rely on the noisy wind to hide the sounds of her presence.

She had been searching for this lair for several days now. The beast she now waited for had led her on a merry chase across the plains, stopping only when it hunted amongst the many patches of tress that were scattered across the land.

This kind of beast was not one she could just charge at. For one, it was much faster than her, even when riding the fasted creatures bred in this country. Not that the beasts they bred here were all that fantastic, but still.

This was the last beast she had been searching for. She had been at it for years, tracking many monsters across even more lands. There were not many countries she had not visited, and the principality did not rank high.

Yuri refocused her thoughts on the hunt, it would not do any good to be distracted. It would likely lead to a gruesome death. She examined every detail of the creature’s lair, looking for any clues, or traps.

The land seemed to have been gouged, with the lair leading underground. The hole was not a small, with the entrance alone running several yards wide. Tracks littered the ground near the lair, with several sets of tracks coming and going.

She crept closer, determinedly avoiding the droppings of the small trees surrounding her. It would not due to let her prey notice her. She stopped next to a set of tracks leading straight into the lair, obviously fresh. These had been the tracks she’d been following, and it led her to its home just as she hoped.

The footprints of the beast had sunk into the loose dirt, hinting at the size of the creature. That, and the footprints were several feet apart from each other. Not many monsters would have such a gait.

Yuri approached the entrance of the lair, senses on high alert. While she had waited several hours for her prey to get cozy and sleep, she was experienced and knew sometimes things went wrong.

Not seeing any signs of movement, she moved farther into the lair, passing the edge, and beginning her trek underground. The path she followed widened even more once inside, nearly twice the width of before. Though, oddly, the tunnel was not very tall, just barely tall enough for her to stand up, not that she would be so careless. It would be much harder to control one’s weight and move silently when not crouched.

The tunnel led deep into the ground, being several hundred yards long. The temperature of the tunnel continually increased as well, hinting that the creature was truly asleep.

The end of the tunnel did not lead to some lost city, just a much larger hole. To make matters more difficult, the end of the tunnel did lead to the bottom of the hole, but the top.

“Fortunately, I came prepared for such problems.”

A length of rope slipped off her shoulder, softly slipping to the soft sand of the tunnel. Attached at the end was a long-hooked spike, and it would be how she navigated the obstacle before her.

Yuri positioned the pointy end of the tool into the sand, slowly pressing down with her strength. Arcane flooded from her heart, invigorating her arms, making the task very easy. She had to be careful not to disturb the arcane in the air too much though, as the beast she hunted was astute at sensing the fluctuations. Mostly because it had been hunting Arcane users for a very long time.

Not this creature though, the creature she hunted was barely one hundred years old, and was still a youngling. Not even she would dare hunt the beast if it were full grown. That would-be suicide. It would take at least one hundred Arcane users to hunt such a beast, all of them advanced in their respective fields.

The spike sank deep into the ground, and she gently slid the rope out of the tunnel. It uncoiled quickly as it fell, very narrowly smacking into the wall of the beast’s lair on the way down.

“Too close.”

Yuri held tight to the rope as she made her way down. Fortunately, the walls of the lair were solid, appearing to be sandstone.

“It probably roasted the walls to make them sturdier. Clever girl”

She knew it was a girl, otherwise she wouldn’t be here. The reason she knew was explainable, it was the beast’s tracks. Males of the species only had one tail, but a female’s tail would split at the end, and such a thing left a noticeable track. What she needed from the creature had to come from the same species as herself.

The rope did not reach the bottom of the hole, though that turned out to be a good thing, for that was where the beast resided. It slept peacefully at the bottom, and Yuri used the time on her climb down to examine the beast.

As she expected, the beast was nearing one hundred years old. The coloration of scales on the back of it proved that. The beast would only grow scales like that when it reached adolescence, which occur around the ninety-year mark of its life. The enlarged fangs jutting from its mouth, and the extra-large horns protruding from its forehead told her its subspecies: Royal Ragin. Though this one was far from full grown, it still more than ten yards in length from tail to tusks, and more than a few yards wide. It appeared to be in the beginning stages of pregnancy, judging by its girth.

“Good, I had been worried that it wouldn’t have reached adolescence. I would have had to search for another otherwise.”

The rope hung delicately just above the beast’s head, and Yuri slowly reached the end. There was not enough room around the beast to do anything but drop on top of it. Luckily, its vulnerable spot was exposed to her. Just behind the head of the beast ran a very large artery that if nicked, would cause it to bleed out in under a minute, A discovery paid for by thousands of hunters before her, but something she would gladly take advantage of. She planned on doing much more than nicking it though, she planned on severing it completely.

That wouldn’t be to say that the weak spot was unprotected, on the contrary, it was one of the most armored parts of the beast when awake. However, when asleep, the beast would relax the thick scales the covered its neck, allowing a sharp blade to pass through surprisingly easily. The scales were usually tensed to demonstrate the shroud of the beast, all the loose skin and scales pulled together to form something almost resembling a hood. A way to attract a mate, and something unique to the female Ragin. The males had no need for such a hood, for they tended to just fight and kill any other prospective mates in the region.

She would still need to drop onto it perfectly if she had any chance of succeeding in this hunt though.

Yuri let out a slow breath, then slowly rotating while dangling from the rope. One hand gripped the end of the rope, while the other drew a thin blade from its sheath on her back. This blade had been specifically designed for this moment, more than long enough to reach the artery, and thin enough to avoid catching a scale if positioned correctly.

“The end of my journey, once I finish this…”

Another deep breath in, then out, and she dropped.

She angled her body so that the blade, positioned directly under her, would use all of her weight when piercing through the beast. While the blade could certainly pierce the flesh when a Ragin was sleeping, she still needed to put quite a bit of force into it.

Arcane power flooded through her entire body a moment before the blade found its mark, and a single monstrous eye blinked open.

Not that it mattered, the stiletto sunk deep into its flesh, fully rousing it from slumber. It hissed like a viper guarding its lair, and it was pissed.

“Ugh!”

Yuri’s weight brought her smashing into the neck of the beast while it simultaneously lifted its body. A torrent of blood sprouted from the wound, coating the dagger, and making holding on difficult. She desperately needed to hold on, too. Ragin were known to finish off attackers and try to die together.

Her legs wrapped around its neck, her hands gripping the dagger for dear life. What happened next looked very much so like a gory game of bull riding. It continued to hiss and whine, its claws passing terrifying close to her back as it tried to buck her from its neck.

“I hit the artery, but I didn’t sever it! I need to hold on till it bleeds out!”

And hold on she did, even as claws longer than her forearm flashed near her face.

“Hiss…”

It didn’t take long, and the beast tired quickly, obviously due to blood loss. The blood had poured down its neck and puddled underneath it. It slowly lost feeling in its limbs and sank down into that puddle. It craned its neck to the side, its large jade eye focused on her. It stared her down as the last of its blood seeped from its body, and even after. Only once its eyes lost the light that made them so beautiful, did Yuri let herself slip from its neck.

She was covered in its lifeblood, the blood that had just been rejuvenated with air and would be spread through the body. It was not the first time she had been covered in blood, yet for some reason she felt oddly down.

“Those eyes held far more intelligence than I gave it credit for. It should have been able to shake me, not that it would have saved herself, but still…”

Though her thoughts were clouded, she didn’t waste time doing what she needed to. She withdrew her knife from its neck, and spread arcane power through her body as she rotated its body, until she could clearly see its chest.

“Hmm, time for the nasty part… Wait, what’s that?”

A small glint had caught her eye as she was about to retrieve what she needed. Underneath the stomach of the Ragin sat three colorful lumps, though two were unquestionably smashed. Most likely by the Ragin herself when it tried to attack Yuri. One though, was not broken, and she bent down to study it.

It was an egg, and quite a large one at that. While not anywhere near ready to hatch, it would be very valuable if sold on some of the shadier markets. Not that she would do such a thing.

“to atone for my killing of you, I will see that your offspring has a chance to live at least. It’s the least I can do for a mother that defended her young…”

The egg in her hands was very colorful, with hues of green, blue, and purple spread across the shell. She admired it for just a moment before slipping off her backpack, and gently placing the egg inside. Then she focused on the carcass of the beast again.

With skilled hands, she located the seam she needed, and made a long, deep, cut more than a foot long on its chest. She placed the blood-soaked dagger on the ground next to her, and held the cut open with one hand. Her other hand went inside of the cut several inches before she reached its rib cage. Arcane power flooded the arm inside the beast, and easily crushed the rubs preventing passage. After removing the ribs from the hole, her hand went back inside, digging deeper into the beast until almost her entire arm was inside. Then, her hand brushed up against that which she sought.

A Ragin’s heart, the most important organ to the creature, not only because it worked endlessly to pump blood throughout its body, but because, like Yuri, it used its heart to secrete the arcane into its system.

Yuri wrapped her hand around the heart gently, carefully squishing any arteries connected to it. When the last of the arteries holding it in place were broken, it fell gently into her waiting hand, and she withdrew it from the body.

When she finally got a good look at the organ, she let out a devious smile.

“Finally, the last.”

The organ leaked blood constantly, dripping on herself, but she paid that no mind. She brought it closer to her face, studying the intricate flesh that made up the organ. The flesh had an interesting pattern to it, an example of nature’s beauty. Yuri took a deep breath, and bit deeply into the heart.

Blood gushed.

The metallic taste filled her mouth as the piece she bit into separated from the rest, and she slowly chewed. Wouldn’t want to choke on her food after all. After the first bite, came another, and another, until the last of the heart disappeared down her gullet. The almost purple blood that gushed from the organ stained her face, but she smiled through the gore.

“Finally! I can finally return home. I’ve missed it so dearly…”

Without much fanfare, she retrieved her dagger, wiping the blood that coated the handle onto her pants. Not much came off though, as her pants were just as drenched. She channeled more arcane power into her hands, and sliced a horn off the beast. This would be her proof to the citizens that she had hunted the beast. It could even prove the age, as the horn grew oddly like a tree, with rings on the inside that could be used to determine its age. She didn’t feel like counting them now though, she wanted to wash the blood off herself.

Unfortunately, she was not a brain path, and could not conjure water whenever she whammed. Her thoughts flickered to Ryder, picturing him conjuring a large pool of water to wash the blood off, even offering to help.

A devious grin slipped her lips, but it stayed only for a moment.

“While that sounds fun, I need to get to the pack beast above. I brought plenty of water for this reason”

The trek back up did not take near as long, considering she did not bother retrieving her tool, and she could walk normally. The sun greeted her in the afternoon sky, it was near twilight out, and she needed to hurry.

Her pack beast seemed a little nervous at the stench of the blood on her, but it didn’t bolt. She retrieved a jug of water from her bags, emptying it over head. It quickly turned red in color as she scrubbed the blood off her face. The rest of the blood could wait till a proper bath, but the stains on her face and cheeks would invite far too many questions, ones she could answer.

By the time she was done, it had reached twilight, with most of the sun just barely holding itself up above the horizon. She mounted her beast, and rode back towards the city she called home for now. Not for much longer, thankfully.

Her hunting location wasn’t that far from the city, it had just been a pain to find the exact location, as the beast avoided the settlement. Not more than twenty minutes passed before she came crested a small hill, giving her beautiful view of the city. If only the city was a beautiful sight.

“An army? What is an army doing surrounding the city? Hmm…”

The army did not stop her progress though, she continued riding towards the city. The army was quite spread out due to its surrounding the city, and several gaps could be seen. She would use one of those to enter the city.

Or not.

It didn’t take long for several riders to rush towards her, each soldier equipped with solid plate armor.

“Quite the expensive armor by the looks of it. Guess they are sieging the city, since they don’t seem eager to let me pass.”

“Halt! By order of Lord Logan McDowell, no one is allowed into the city. For attempting to enter the city, you are hereby under arrest, and your personal belongings will be confiscated!”

“Sigh, I hate this country.”

“I am a foreign noble, and you do not have the right to arrest me. Take me to your commander.”

The troops seemed surprised that she was a noble, probably because of her being covered in blood. They looked at each other, and then to the one that had spoken. No one wanted to piss off someone in power.

“Alright then, please follow us. Though, I will warn you, if you are lying to us…”

Yuri chuckled loudly.

“Don’t even try to threaten me, boy. Next time you do so, I will remove your manhood.”

A calm, steady voice with no extra emotion. Yet perhaps due to her tone as she said it, it made her threat all the more believable. The man gulped, before nervously riding off towards the commander’s tent.

The troops didn’t want to part for them at first, but a few shouts from the leader got them moving. They rode up to a solid gold tent, with exquisite furniture and a man sitting, enjoying tea. Blonde hair and blue eyes, and quite good looking, though the man had an insidious smirk on his face.

They quickly dismounted, and the leader of the patrol quickly approached and kneeled.

“My lord, I have brought a woman who claims to be a foreign noble. She was attempting to enter the city.”

Logan McDowell’s smirk never disappeared, even as he turned from his reports to appraise the new arrivals. His gaze lingered quite long over Yuri.

“Great, looks like a noble that thinks with the wrong head…”

“Thank you, captain, you may return to your duties. Miss Yuri, join me for tea if you please.”

“didn’t expect manners…”

Yuri did, though she didn’t sit to close. For one, she was covered in dried blood, and she didn’t want to be too close to the man.

“I see that you’ve heard of me. That means you must have quite the pull within the inner circle of Lords. I only announced myself to the most powerful.”

Logan chuckled a little.

“I was actually there, when you announced yourself at the court. You wouldn’t remember me though, it was some time ago, and I was much younger. That, and it was my father’s lordship at the time.”

“So, it’s THAT McDowell. They really shouldn’t have more than one lord with the same name. It’s confusing.”

“My apologies for missing you. That said, is there a particular reason you are attacking this city? It has little in way of resources.”

One trained at communication and etiquette did not miss a chance to garner information, and Yuri would not here.

“Ah, that’s rather simple. There has been reports that a duel-path user has been found in the city. I seek to capture him and make him a servant. From the reports, I hear he is new to the arcane, so should be easy to capture. He will grow into a strong servant.”

That insidious smile. Treating people like they were nothing before him. It made Yuri’s skin crawl.

“All of this to capture one man?”

“I would not want him slipping out of the backdoor now would I? I have already sent an ultimatum to the lord. I expect a reply soon. Then I shall lift the travel restriction on the city. I’m sure I can entertain you until then.”

Yuri almost wretched at the thought of the man entertaining her. She had a vivid imagination, and sometimes it wasn’t useful.

“I apologize, but I have urgent business to attend too. I must enter the city.”

“If I can get in, I might be able to warn Ryder!”

Logan chuckled, and he grinned.

“Sadly, I cannot allow anyone into the city. As for me entertaining you. It wasn’t a request miss Yuri.”

Several soldiers appeared from hidden places, watching her carefully and waiting for their lord’s word.

“What is the meaning of this Mister McDowell. Do you seek to kidnap me?”

“Not in the least, I seek to make you mine. You see, when I saw you years before, I fell in love. I have never seen a woman more beautiful than you. I will make you my concubine. It would be better if you agreed though.”

“This fucking prick! Sadly, I don’t think I’d be able to kill him before the troops got to me. Sorry Korari, looks like you will have to journey back to the homeland by yourself. Safe travels. I’ll have to use the ring. Ryder, I hope you survive, you were interesting.”

Her thoughts were interrupted by sounds of shouting, as a soldier rushed into the pavilion, not even glancing at the other soldiers.

“Good bye Logan, you will die soon.”

Distracted by his soldier’s urgent approach, he had taken his eyes off her. A mistake he would regret till his death, as a ring on Yuri’s finger lit up, shining a bright silver.

Then she disappeared.

And reappeared, on a different continent. Interrupting a court session in the process, too. She stood in a grand hall, elegantly decorated, surrounded by tens of people that were in the process of reporting to the queen.

Several guards rushed out to surround her, but a melodic voice floated over the sounds of confusion.

“Stand down, you idiots! Can’t you see that its Ryuri? My daughter has flown home.

Welcome home darling.”

The princess had returned from her twenty year journey.