Chapter 370: Hunting Trip

Jahn pulled Stryg out of the Moon Hall and into the quiet morning. Birds were chirping in the scarlet woods, goblins were shouting in the training grounds, and Jahn’s mouth opened and closed with words that seemed somewhat relevant, and yet they all fell on deaf ears.

She loved you, Stryg.

Second Mother’s words echoed in his mind over and over.

His birth mother had cared for him. She had loved him. Someone had actually loved him, even when he was weak, even when he had nothing to offer, even when everyone else thought he was a bad omen, his mother had loved him. No strings attached.

“Stryg, are you listening?” Jahn snapped his fingers in front of his face.

Stryg blinked, “Hm? What? What was that?”

Jahn sighed, “You alright, kid?”

“…Yeah.” He shook his head and rolled his shoulders, “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Good, because I’m going to need your help on today's hunting trip.”

“We’re going hunting? Wait, we’re going hunting?” Stryg asked excitedly.

“With a team of hunters, but yeah,” Jahn grinned, “You and I are going hunting. Are you up for it?”

“Are you kidding me? I’ve waited my whole life for this.”

“Good, then let’s move. Our team is already waiting at the village gate,” Jahn gestured to him to follow and headed towards the sentry towers in the distance.

Stryg went to follow but paused in his steps, “Did…”

“Hm?” Jahn glanced back.

“Did… Did you know her? My mother?”

Jahn sighed and scratched the back of his neck, “Yeah, you could say that.”

“What was she like?”

“…If I had to sum her up? One word comes to mind. Single-minded. She was the most determined individual I have ever met. She was someone you’d hate to have as an enemy. Many people feared her.”

“Even our tribe?”

“Especially our tribe.”

“Did you? Fear her?”

Jahn smiled half-heartedly, “Yeah, yeah I did. But there’s no one else I would rather have watching my back.”

Stryg bowed his head and stared at his feet. “I see,” he smiled warmly.

“Now, come on. We’ll be late.”

~~~

Four goblins were waiting for them at the village gateway. Stryg immediately recognized the prettiest one. Srixa stood on her hands, balancing herself with ease. She spotted Stryg, but made no motion to say hello. Instead, she spun around with her hands and gave him her back.

Ah, shit.

Stryg suddenly remembered he had promised to find her last night after Plum had dragged him away. But then he had spoken with Plum and Tauri, and the headache had come and…

And I forgot… shit.

Stryg walked up to her, “Srixa, about last night—”

She kicked out with her leg in an arching sweep at Stryg’s face. He ducked his head to the side and missed her boot narrowly.

“Nice dodge,” Srixa said as she came up and landed on her feet. “You’ve still got good reflexes. I was worried your headache had slowed you down.”

“My headache? How did you—?”

“One of the Skads came by your cabin last night to bring you some food, but that drow outsider told him you had a headache and weren’t receiving any guests. After that, well, you know how fast word spreads.”

So people already think I’ve taken ill. They’re looking for weaknesses, Stryg thought grimly.

“But it looks like they were all wrong. You seem to be doing just fine,” Srixa clicked her tongue with a wry smile. “So you just ditched me last night for no reason.”

“No, I—”

“Don’t worry, I know you were just scared,” Srixa winked.

“Stop flirting with the shaman,” another hunter said. She was older than the rest, even older than Jahn. A long scar ran down from her eyebrow to her jaw from when she once fought a bear.

Stryg had never spoken to her, but every goblin in the tribe knew who she was. Freleri, the eldest and most skilled of the hunters.

Stryg inclined his head slightly, “Freleri.”

“Shaman,” she answered in a curt voice. “You may have magic, but you have never been out in a proper hunt. Try to listen to my commands and the chieftain's while we’re out there. We only survive if we stay together.”

“A lone goblin will be picked off by the wolf packs,” the third hunter recited. He was tall for a goblin and just as lanky. He sat on one of the many stumps sprawled about the village outskirts.

“But a pack of goblins can slay a dire bear,” the last of the hunters finished. She pulled out her dagger and slashed and stabbed the air in two quick motions as if to illustrate the Sylvan saying.

“The skinny one is Mullein and the one with muscles for brains is Kelsa,” Freleri said. “And they’re right. Stick together while we’re out there. It’s how we survive.”

“I’m aware of our ways,” Stryg said.

“Not that you’ve ever made an effort to follow them,” Freleri said coldly.

Stryg cocked his head to the side. Even after last night, there were still goblins who questioned his strength. Perhaps it would be best to set an example first? He flexed his fingers, his claws were eager to draw blood.

“Thanks for the dramatic threat of an introduction, Freleri. I’ll take it from here,” Jahn stepped in between them. “Welcome to my hunting party, Stryg. I dare say we’re the best of the bunch, but we’re running late. The other parties have already set off for the day. If we want to be back with meat before nightfall I’d say we should head out now. Any questions?”

Stryg relaxed his muscles and smiled, “None.”

~~~

The Blood Fang’s chieftain led the hunting party. Jahn traveled through the winding ashen trees with a quick pace and a clear direction. He’d only stop occasionally, his yellow eyes darting around as if searching for something, then he’d continue on his way a few seconds later.

Stryg followed a few steps behind, keeping an eye on the scarlet canopy above them. There was a constant rustling of noise from the leaves. Whether it was a squirrel, a dire vulture, or a prowling snow leopard, he wasn’t quite certain. In Vulture Woods, there was countless fauna prowling from above and below.

Yet no such danger seemed to discharge Jahn. In fact, he seemed to move even quicker as the morning passed, determination to find their prey growing with each step.

Stryg knew the chieftain’s pace was demanding and there were few in the tribe who could keep up. A master of life force was far stronger and faster than the average goblin. It was a surprise the other hunters were managing to follow, albeit at a slower pace.

As the sun reached its zenith in the noon sky Jahn called the party to a halt in a small clearing, save for a large boulder that rested next to a curled tree. He signaled with quick hand gestures that they would rest for the next 10 minutes then they would resume the hunt. And with that Jahn closed his eyes and sat cross-legged in silent meditation.

Freleri rested her back on a tree and sat down with a quiet groan. Her breathing was rough and beads of sweat formed at the edges of her forehead, but her gaze was cold and alert. Her scar gave her eyes a perpetual angry glare, not that she seemed to mind. As she sipped her water skin she kept her eyes on the trees and bushes that lay past the clearing. Her spear never left her hand.

Kelsa and Mullein sat next to her, one on each side. Mullein unstrapped his bow off his shoulder and began polishing the wood with a simple cloth and a small bottle of oil. Kelsa drew her dagger and continued carving her small wooden sculpture.

A few paces away from them, Sara stretched her legs with slow precise movements. As the four of them went about their small habits, they spoke to each other in quiet voices.

Stryg watched them from the other end of the clearing in silence. Even though Freleri was older than the others, the four of them seemed to be a tight-knit group. He wondered to himself how many hunting outings they had been on. A hundred? Two hundred? A thousand? How long had it taken for them to grow comfortable with each others’ whispers and silence?

The world suddenly felt very lonely and Stryg found himself missing Feli, Rhian, and Maeve. He wondered what they were up to right about now. Had they managed to safely arrive at Hollow Shade? He hoped so. He hoped everyone had made it out of Undergrowth safely. His mind wandered to the thought of Loh but he pushed the thought away. It would do no good to wallow in such fears.

The large boulder in the clearing wasn’t particularly leaning on the curled tree as much as the tree was leaning on it. The roots had grown around the boulder and the ashen trunk had stretched across the rock’s back and grown above it, providing a nice shade.

The rock was thrice as tall as Stryg but he didn’t mind. He bent his legs and kicked off the ground as hard as he could. His body suddenly felt weightless, a split moment in the air, free from any bounds. He landed on the top of the boulder with a heavy step and a small smile.

It hadn’t been so long ago when he couldn’t even reach the upper shelves in the library. Even though he still couldn’t manage a Yellow flight spell, the world seemed a little easier to grasp.

A whistle rang from below. Srixa looked up from the ground with a smirk, “Our shaman is showing off his magic already? We haven’t even found the prey yet.”

“That wasn’t magic,” Stryg called out from atop the boulder.

“Sure, it wasn’t,” Srixa rolled her eyes. “Now this isn’t magic.” She ran up to the boulder and grabbed the roots growing around the rock. With deft hands, she quickly scaled the giant boulder and made her way to the top.

“Impressive,” Stryg said with a hint of admiration. He knew for certain he wouldn’t have been able to follow her up that rock three years ago. His body had grown different than the others, he understood that. Though it seemed Srixa had no difficulty in keeping up.

Srixa sat down next to him and poked his cheek, “Mind sharing why you’re brooding?”

“I’m not brooding,” he snapped at her fingers, but she moved her hand away just in time.

“Then what are you doing?” she smirked.

“I’m uh… I’m hunting.”

“Really?” she chuckled. “Then why are you all the way up here? It’s terribly exposed. Any beast within a league could probably spot you from here.”

“Not with all this thick canopy.”

“You’d be surprised.”

“Well, maybe I’ll spot them first.”

“Hah, I remember you were always scared, I didn’t remember you were also an idiot.”

“Careful. Try to remember who is the strongest among us,” he hissed, though there was a hint of playfulness in his voice.

“Ah, yes,” Srixa licked her lips and smirked, “How could I forget the great magical strength of our shaman? My shin still hurts from when you broke it in our duel last night. I still have to repay you for that.”

“You broke your shin when you kicked me. And I’m the one who healed it for you, remember?”

“You’re the one who hardened your skin with magic in the first place.”

“I didn’t use magic in our fight.”

Srixa burst into laughter and her lips widened in a dangerously wide smile, “Do you really expect me to believe you beat me without magic? You may be taller than the rest of us, but you’re not as strong as a frost giant, nor is your flesh as tough as a troll.”

“Maybe. But the light of enhancement magic covers one’s skin. It’s easy to see if a shaman is using durability or vigor magic in a fight.”

“Sure, if you're not wearing any clothes.”

“Then next time I won’t.”

“Are you trying to entice me for a second chance in bed?” she smirked.

Stryg shrugged, “Maybe.”

“I don’t usually give second chances,” she leaned into his ear, “You’re so lucky I really want to break that precious little smile of yours. How can I resist?”

“You seem quite confident you won’t be the one broken instead.”

“I’ve fought plenty of men and women in all sorts of challenges. They all thought they could best me, but I always came up on top.”

“Until me.”

“Until you, for now.” She stretched her arms and yawned, “One way or another, you're all just prey.”

“A true hunter.”

“It’s all I ever wanted to be. It’s all I ever need to be.”

“That sounds nice,” he admitted quietly. “To know exactly who you are and who you are supposed to be.”

“But you don’t know, do you?” Srixa whispered. “It’s simple, Stryg. I’m a hunter and you’re my prey.”

He scoffed with a smile, “You know, you remind me of someone.”

“Oh? Did you meet another beautiful and deadly goblin woman in this Hollow Shade of yours?”

“No, but I did meet an incredibly confident dwarf, Cornelius Rotrusk was his name.”

“I remind you of a dwarf?” she asked in disgust.

“Yeah, he also underestimated me, at first.”

“Did he now?” Srixa narrowed her eyes.

“Yes, until he learned one thing about me.” Stryg dusted off his pants and stood up. He pointed his outstretched fingers to the boulder beneath them. The rock twisted and a solid stone spear rose from the boulder. Stryg snapped the spear from the air and pulled back his arm. Brown mana filled his muscles and a swirl of bronze wrapped around his skin.

“I am single-minded.” Stryg stepped forward and hurled the spear with all his magical combined strength.

The spear disappeared with a screeching whirl and ripped through the canopy like an arrow through paper. A high pitch screech echoed through the trees and a large snow leopard the size of a bear dropped from the branches, a bloody hole gaping from its chest.

The other hunters shouted in surprise and jumped to their feet.

Stryg turned to the shock-stricken Srixa and showed her his hand, brown mana still swirling through his fingertips, “That’s magic.”

Srixa slowly glanced between the dead beast and the blue goblin standing next to her. A cold shiver ran down her spine. She smiled shakily, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Jahn cracked an eye open and smiled, “Single-minded, huh?”