The rubber soles of the orange-and-white sneakers sank slightly into the gravel, a toe of the shoe dug deeper with a bounce forward, stones flying through the air bounced off grey sweatpants reaching below knees and fell rhythmically on asphalt like raindrops. Metal ends of the drawstring in the hood of the pale blue hoodie jingled together as they ran with the zipper up to their necks. Fresh rays of the sun warmed the runners’ backs through the morning mist. Hot steam dripped from his lungs, his heart beating like a drum. His only luggage was a black backpack from his younger years with shoulder straps loosened to fit him even after growing up.

His tireless run ended at a collapsed shop. He stopped to rest by a crumbling wall: “Today… I am going… on a first…” hissed exhausted. Lad inhaled a lot of air and then exhaled quickly. After calming his breathing rate, he continued in a more confident voice: “A first trip to the alter. Wish me luck,” said, running a finger over a wooden beam where a shop window used to be. All that was left were shards and a piece saying “Kartz-”. After a few quick skips on the spot to wake him up, he started running again.

In the middle of a street stood a crowd of people in front of a vortex of light green energy. You could tell by the colour that this was the lowest level of the alter. It is followed by dark green, yellow, orange, red and purple. Barricades and tapes were set up around it. MITEM agents patrolled the corners of the barricades. Three hunters stood behind the tape. In the middle of the group, a tall blond woman leaned against a large two-handed axe with a stony expression. There was no doubt that it belonged to her because she was at least a head and a half taller than the bald middle-aged man to her right. Likewise, her huge body, reminiscent of the heroes of ancient epics, is perfect for the heat of battle, the steel muscles were not hidden by a few armguards and a leather vest. On the other hand, it was the bald man who was not wearing anything unusual. The dark green jacket hid his figure, and the military black trousers with several pockets did not give the slightest hint of shaky legs. He seemed a little embarrassed, though he held a small branch in his hand, which, as the distance shrank, became more and more like a wand used designed to send out magical incantations. The last person was a small figure with their head covered in a grey hood and leather armour. The armour indicated that they were not a novice hunter. The face of the figure couldn’t be seen because their face was covered by a white mask. They carried a holster on their back, probably with a weapon.

One of the agents nodded to the incoming youngster, “Pass.” The lad took the backpack off his back and fumbled in a small pocket on the side as he pulled out a pass, that he had handed to the agent. The agent in the black suit scanned the code on his ID card: “Akally, F-rank hunter, number of expeditions – zero,” he said calmly, “they are already waiting for you. No stupid stuff, no rush and most importantly,” he leaned so close to the young man’s face so that his faint cologne could be felt, “no losses.” He lifted the striped tape and let the young man in.

Blond Mountain turned her back on the portal and looked at the redhead, “I’m Kristinaa, but you can call me Kris. This shorty is Doi and the grey eminence is…” she bent over to the redhead and covered her mouth with her hand, “we don’t know their name or who it is. They were here first. Since MITEM checked them out, I think that guy can be trusted.”

“As Kris has said, my name is Doi, E-rank hunter and mage. I take care of newcomers, even though I’m still new to this industry,” smiled a bald man in a green jacket.

The young man returned the smile: “Akally, F hunter, this will be my first trip to the alter.”

Kris slapped him hard on the back, “Ha! So no one has popped your cherry yet? Stay calm, I already have experience. Until you get under my feet and do whatever Dee tells you, there’s nothing to fear. But where is your weapon? Don’t tell me you wanna make these monsters laugh till they die? “she grinned.

The redhead paled and widened his eyes. He completely forgot he needs a weapon. What should he do now? Panic grew inside him as he saw expressions of anticipation from his new acquaintances. Something poked at him from behind. He turned to see the third member of the group. The snow-white mask gently reflected the green glow of the alter. He felt something hard poke into him again. He looked down and saw a small wooden stick about thirty centimetres long, which the unknown figure held in their tiny hand. “Is that for me?” He asked in surprise. The figure nodded. They grabbed the stick horizontally in the middle with both hands and jerked their wrists against each other. The stick immediately extended to a fighting stick like in old kung fu movies. They twisted their wrists against each other again and the stick shrank again. They handed it to Akally. “Thank you, then,” he looked alternately at the gift and the figure.

“They don’t seem to be such a bad person. I said MITEM wouldn’t let just anybody in here,” Kris patted the lad with her bearish paw lightly on the shoulder. However, with her strength, she could also break someone’s neck like this.

“There is one more important thing. It is necessary to divide the roles. Will anyone mind if I take on the role of leader this time?” Doi asked gravely.

“Good for me,” Kris replied.

The figure in the mask and Akally nodded in agreement.

“Thank you for your trust. What about the rest of you?”

Kris lifted her axe playfully with one hand and rested it on her shoulder, “Come on, just say it. We all know I won’t stand in the back. I’ll take care of the front. As long as you stay behind me, nothing should happen to you.”

“I have no experience nor I am a combat type. I can heal, so if someone gets hurt, I’ll try to help them,” Akally blurted out.

The masked stranger took a folded bow from its holster and unfolded it in one gesture.

“Here we go. After you, miss,” Doi gentlemanly motioned to Kristinaa to come in first.

After they both disappeared in a whirlwind of green energy, it was the turn of the newcomer. He reached suspiciously into the portal, taking the first uncertain step inside. Reality began to fade and unite again before his eyes, images revolved around him before his passage was completed and he was on the other side. Even though they were entering in the morning and the sun was already shining, it was a black night in the forest where they had appeared after entering the alter. The only points of light were the unknown constellations in the sky, which the light noise of missing cities did not obscure. It could have been magical, not for the fact that the redhead has been pulled by Doi and Kris to the ground upon the last member’s arrival.

“Stay quiet, no sudden flashes of light. We are going to hunt orchies. Although they are duller than goblins and their size does not exceed half a meter, I do not advise you to underestimate them. Once they surround us, it will be a fight that I am not ready for either. Our plan is to deal with them systematically. Kris attracts a small group and me with… the mask will shoot the nits from a distance. Akally, your job, for now, is to monitor the situation. We can miss something in the heat of battle, that’s why you’re guarding our rear,” ordered Doi.

It was a great responsibility for an inexperienced hunter to take care of everyone. He nodded fearfully and gripped his weapon tightly, “R-Roger, sir.”

“Felix venandi, friends.”

It wasn’t too long before a tiny light of fire appeared in the distance between the shadows of the night. They crept closer in sight of the orchies’ camp. As Doi described, it is half-meter-high fatty with ashen skin studded with warts. Its long snout and bony limbs did not fit the stocky fat body. They didn’t speak a word, they just growled at each other sometimes. Doi showed five fingers to the rest of the group. He waved at Kris with his other hand, ordering her to attack. Although it was meant to be a quick, and mostly quiet, surprise hit, Kris’s eyes lit up.

With an enthusiastic roar, she rushed through the trees and, with one swipe of her weapon, cut through the two orchies. Before any of the remaining three could figure out what was going on, Doi held out his wand. A faint glow flashed through the trees. Pure blue energy enveloped his fingers and weapon. The orchie got hit directly with lightning magic. It fell to the ground as black as a brick of coal. His next of kin didn’t come short either. A narrow beam of green light flew through his head. The clear shot left only a bleeding hole through the skull and an arrow stuck in the tree behind it. The last little guy has decided to cut and run. Another emerald arrow thwarted its escape. Green pierced its first leg then the second leg. Crawling away, he continued to get away. Kris dealt the final blow. She cut him in half with such force that his blue blood splattered around him.

“This was the last one, time to collect loot!” she called others.

Everyone sat down next to their orchie and cut off the most valuable parts with a small knife. The most important, of course, was the lifestone found in every alter monster. Researchers can only speculate about its true function, but the most likely theory is that it evolved as an organ for processing magical energy that seeps through alter portals on the Earth. The monsters probably use lifestone to store the magical energy they need to live as well as they need food, air or water. A kind of the second heart of all living creatures in the alter, it has different shapes, sizes and colours according to the amount of magic inside. But its consistency always resembles a crystal or a gem. Orchies are not magically gifted creatures, so their lifestone is as big as a table tennis ball at best. In addition to the lifestone, the orchies have another valuable part – the eyes. These have a wide range of uses from weak drugs, antibodies or weapons maintenance. Their eyes are crushed, mixed with water, and the resulting substance is rubbed on the blade of the weapon. It was found that such a smeared weapon is sharper for a longer time and there is less chance that it will break. For novice hunters, this is a cheap and relatively effective method of maintenance.

“We’re done here, it’s time to move on,” Doi decided, pointing away from the portal they had come through.

“Are you sure we’ll find another camp there?” Kris asked.

“It’s hard to say what’s behind another tree in this darkness, let alone find another camp.”

“Maybe we should split up,” Kris suggested.

“Folly. When someone gets lost, they never get out of here.”

“Do you have a better idea?”

As Akally watched their debate escalate into an argument, the mask disappeared into the shadows.

[Last survivor thinks you’re looking in the wrong direction.]

“What do you mean?” the redhead whispered so the couple wouldn’t hear him.

[Last survivor looked up.]

“Are you suggesting anything?”

[Last survivor laughs at your stupidity and tells you to look up.]

He did so and saw a thin figure between the treetops, jumping from one branch to another. Carefully calculating each movement, they bounced with the precision of an experienced acrobat to land as light like a forest fairy on another branch, pointing to the tops of the trees.

[Last survivor tells you to try it too.]

“Are you crazy?” Akally shouted in embarrassment at his incompetence. Doi and Kris turned to him in surprise. The mask reached the top of the tree, where it had a great view of the surroundings, but when Akally screamed, they were startled and their foot slipped. They were falling. Mask tried unsuccessfully to catch the branches, but the weak arms of the tall giants only slowed the mask’s fall with scratches and bruises. “Look out!” Lad shouted as he lunged at the place where the figure in the grey hood was to fall without thinking. Damped impact. Painful hiss. The crunch of wood and leaves. Kris and Doi hurried: “Are you okay?” Doi asked carefully.

“Ouch, ouch,” the figure in the mask complained in a girl’s voice, “what kind of an idea is to ​​yell in the woods?!” she shouted even louder.

The redhead pinned under her just groaned in pain.

“Maybe you should get off him first. The poor guy seems to have put everything into the rescue,” Kris laughed when she saw a girl in the grey hood and mask sitting on the sprawling skinny lad. Kris reached out her hand to help the girl get up. Doi then helped Akally to his feet, or rather to lean against a tree trunk.

[Last survivor congratulates you on your successful rescue.]

“What did that scream mean?” Doi repeated the masked girl’s question.

“I’m sorry, it’s my Patron. He said something shocking,” the boy apologised embarrassed.

Kris began to laugh louder: “His Patron said something shocking? This boy is unbelievable!”

The girl cleaned her clothes of dirt but hissed painfully as she ran her hand over her knee.

“Are you hurt?” Akally asked.

The girl nodded: “It’s just a scratch.”

He walked over to her and knelt on the ground in front of her. “Show me the place, please.” She obeyed and rolled up the part of her armour under which she wore brown shorts above her knees. He had direct access to her wound. Akally gently touched her knee. He said the name of his ability to activate it, but he didn’t know if it would work. [Healing] His fingertips began to glow faintly green. The pain subsided and the red spot gradually took on a healthy colour like the rest of the skin. The girl moved her legs carefully but felt nothing. “Th-Thanks,” she said nervously. She realized how she had treated him, even though he was trying to help her, but first and foremost it was his fault she had fallen.

“I’m glad it worked out,” Akally breathed a sigh of relief.

“What did you say?” the girl asked.

“You know… this is the first time any of my abilities has worked. Although I was able to use it, usually nothing happened. But now it worked!” he finally rejoiced.

[Last survivor played the winning gong.]

Kris placed a hand on the lad’s shoulder amicably: “Felix venandi, boy. This is your first step on the road to becoming a hunter.”

“Felix Venandi, lad. Kris is right, but you still have a long way to go, like all of us,” Doi said seriously.

Everyone looked at the girl in the mask. “Fine, I’ll say it. Even though it was your fault, you were willing to correct it. Maybe you’re not so useless, even if you forgot your weapon. Felix venandi, Akally…?” she wondered if he remembered his name correctly.

Their words warmed Akally’s heart. For the first time, he felt like he had become a hunter. What happened to Kartz will not be repeated this time. He will never let another person die before his eyes.

“May I have a question, Doi?” he asked thoughtfully.

“Ask whatever you want.”

“What does felix venandi mean?”