There comes a point in every young hunters life, when the Legion of Hunters designates each individual hunter on what the Legion calls The Grand Hunt. This time comes at the age of 20, once the young hunters had studied the many forms of Kakara and hand to hand combat for 18 years within the foundation of the academy.
Most the young faces standing before the three Elder Priests were existed and ready to be assigned their first hunt. It is in their eyes their first true steps towards a hunters path. A time when their 18 years of hard work could truly be tested.
Exiele Bourne stands amongst the young hunters, his eyes studying the beautifully crafted pillars which supported the grand frame of the sacred chapel. The last time he was within this section of the academy, was the year before. Where he and all other progressing hunters were ordered one by one to display their current standing on Kakara. Exiele In this time found most his progression was on a physical basis. The main form he had been studying and practising was known as Creator.
This form means he could only generate his Kakara into a solid form, condensing the raw energy down into a mailable matter, as opposed to a blast, or a spell. Though he is still yet to form something that was solid enough to be used as any kind of weapon – he had become very talented at the enchantment of weapons and tools, making them stronger and more effective through the use of condensed Kakara.
One of the Elder Priests stood from his grand throne and held both his arms up in an inviting fashion. His aged face was caped with a gold edged, white and purple robe, which cast a deep shadow upon his brow.
“Hunters, we have stubbled upon the most important stage of your development”, he paused, placing a hand on his quartz throne for support. “The annual Grand Hunt has arrived, in which you will be sent off on your first official hunt”.
Excited whisperers echoed throughout the huge chapel.
“Your names will be read out individually and you will be handed a scroll detailing your hunt, which will take place a week from now. It is advised you study the location of the hunt, as well as the entity you are to kill. Above all Else, as a hunter, knowledge is your closest Aly”.
Exiele broke his gaze, and began to look around the chapel once more, it had been a year since he had last stood within its masterfully crafted walls. Typically, the sacred chapel is off limits to all hunters. They would pass it everyday while traversing to the various towers and chambers which made up the academy, as it’s at the forefront of the castle. But each day they would pass without batting an eye. At this point the rules of the academy were burned into their skulls.
“Kelly Mayne”, the priest’s aged voice bellowed. Kelly in turn separated from the large crowd of young hunters and walked over to the Priest, bowing down to show respect. The priest did the same, before handing him a large scroll, and placing a hand on his forehead. The second Elder Priest then stood from his throne and began channelling a pure mass of Kakara called Elato - which began to release a beautiful purple glow into the air surrounding his arms. It was a simple healing spell he was conjuring, but the sheer concentrated energy of the Kakara was overwhelming. The first priest then said in a deep tone.
“Kelly, your path as a hunter begins here”.
Smoke began to rise from his clasped fingers, as a long gash opened up on Kelly’s head, travelling past his left eye and down his cheek, ending at his edge of his mouth. Then the second priest released a purple tendril of pure Kakara from his hands, which stretched out like a pouncing Cobra and graced Kelly’s skin. Healing the open gash instantly. Exiele watched on as the gaping flesh and muscle reformed into a deep scar. Kelly then made his way back to the group. The next hunter called up was Hank, who was masterfully talented at a rarely utilised form of Kakara known as Reverbo, which is in simple terms, an art of perception, and trickery. He was handed his scroll, and the scar of light was sliced and healed upon his head. A further 8 hunters were called forth before Exiele’s name was called out by the first Elder Priest.
“Exiele Bourne”, the Priest bellowed, eyes locking with his. Exiele smiled, before stepping forward from the crowd and making his way past a few large marbles pillars, which stretched up and connected to the stained glass ceiling above. Then once reaching the end of the column, he stopped to stand before the Elder Priest. He bowed down once, before straightening again.
The priest nodded thanks, before handing Exiele his large waxed scroll, which he eagerly took in one hand, looking down at it with wide, excited eyes. He wanted to scream out and celebrate, but he knew that was strictly against the rules of the Sacred Chapel, only the Elders could speak. And in the ceremony of light, it was meant to be completely silent.
The priest reached forward and placed his hand upon Exiele’s forehead.
“Exiele, your path as a hunter begins here”.
A rush of scorching hot pain sliced through his skull, as he watched blackened clumps of smoke rise from his burning wound. The second priest then lifted his hand, releasing small tendril like arcs of solidified Kakara which radiated out from his clasped fingers, and reached out to grace Exiele’s forehead. Healing the flesh wound instantly. Exiele bowed once more, before making his way back into the crowd. Bearing his scroll proudly in his hands.
For most the hunters in the chapel, the Grand Hunt will be their first time outside of Mount Elisir – the largest mountain within the Mankrik Mountain Range – where the Legion of Hunters academy was built.
The outside world had seemed so far away for so many years, that now the prospect of adventuring further past the mountain was an exciting, but fearful task. Exiele had spent many, many hours studying the other kingdoms, trying to memorise all the cities and towns each kingdom held.
The academies library was one of the most fruitful in the kingdom, he had heard this from the third elder priest, who speaks of the library in such a high regard, Exiele thought it may be the only “God” he truly worshipped. Considering this, it was not a hard task to gain an infinite knowledge of the lands that lay beyond the grand castle. Nor was it difficult to learn of the many different forms Kakara could take. Though this was a much more difficult thing to study.
From what he understood of the Grand Hunt, each of the hunters would be given an individual hunt, which would involve going to a certain location within Dreashire, and killing whatever creature or entity had been assigned to you. A simple enough task he figured. But from speaking to the elder hunters of the Legion, he came to understand that the hunt wasn’t the hard part, it was the travelling and survival which made it difficult. In more cases than not, the creature you are to kill, isn’t the strongest, nor most feared entity in the lands you travel. Instead the things you come across in your travels are. That is what the Grand Hunt symbolises. Your ability to adapt and survive against the harsh realities of the kingdoms. Your ability to use your wisdom to not only survive the journey, but also to complete your hunt.
The priest called the remaining 20 hunters up, giving them their assigned scroll, before scarring their faces with the mark of the Hunter. Bringing them into the Legion with open arms. They had been waiting their whole life for this moment, and after 18 years of relentless training and studying. They would finally be recognised as true hunters. Though not all would survive past their first true hunt a week from now. Even Exiele knew there was a good chance he would die before completing his first Grand Hunt, but that was a path they all knew was possible. The second priest sat back down into his intricately crafted quartz throne, a light purple hue still radiating from his clasped hands. Leaving only the first priest still standing.
“Hunters, I ask for your complete attention as I bring this service to a close”.
What little chatter was happening, cease almost instantly.
“As you are all aware your scroll will detail everything you must know about your first hunt. And your Scar of Light will inform all beyond the Legion of you profession” he paused. “Now, a week from now the Grand Hunt will begin, and you will for the first time travel out into the grand kingdom of Dreashire, where many wonders, and horrors will await. Before this weeks end, you will be in need of armour, weaponry, as well as a steed to assist you in your travels”.
The third priest stood to take over from the first, who sat back down onto his glowing throne.
“Reales will provide you all with a suitable horse given your needs, and provide the saddle and armour for the horse also. Throughout your hunt, your steed will be your everything. Holding all equipment and weapons you may wish to bring, as well as any books, tomes or maps. Though we would recommend you only bring the things of upmost importance”, the third priest paused, ensuring all eyes were on him, once satisfied he continued on.
“As for weaponry and armour, refer to your blacksmith in regards to this. They will provide you with all you are in need of – A map will be provided to each of you as necessary on the day of your hunt, and as for any books or scrolls, refer to the Elder Historian to grant you copies of your required scrips, scrolls and books – Any questions thus far”. Silence followed.
“Very well, on the day of the Grand Hunt, you will set off at 10 in the morning. So it’s recommended your sort what you need the day before to ensure you forget nothing before leaving. Once you set off on your journey, you will have a further week to complete your hunt, am I understood?”
“Yes Elder Priest”, the hunters replied in unison.
“Very well”, he said, passing a hand through his thick grey beard. “You are dismissed hunters”.
***
Bitter cold air darted through the dense tree line that surrounded the outside of the chapel. Their branches danced as the clawed hands of the breeze brushed past them.
“Have you finished that handheld pick axe?”, Exiele asked Miles, his assigned blacksmith. A talented one at that.
“Yes – but you will need to travel back to my shack to collect it, I didn’t want to risk bringing it to the sacred chapel – in case the Elders found it”.
“Good thinking”, Exiele smiled, passing a hand through his lightly stubbled face.
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“If I do manage to find a Kakara gem, I could be forming my Kakara into a focused blast before I’m sent off on the hunt”.
“I hope it’s worth the risk”, Miles sighed. “The Elders won’t be pleased if they catch word”.
“Well you are the only person in the Legion aware of my plan, so if they do, it will be your head I’m hunting, not the beasts”.
Miles stifled back a laugh. “Using my own weapons against me, that would be a grave mistake”.
They both laughed at that.
“Any luck on forming weaponry out of solidified Kakara yet? You’ve been trying for years”.
The smile faded from Exiele’s face.
“No, not yet”, he looked down at the cobble path below. “My enchantments are as effective as ever though. Just a few days ago I managed to conjure enough concentrated Kakara into my wooden training sword, to smash it directly through solid rock, splitting the boulder completely in half. While my wooden sword remained whole and unharmed. I imagine if I conjured the same amount into one of your freshly forged swords, I’d be able to decapitate a dragon with relative ease”.
“I highly fucking doubt that”, Miles laughed. “Have you been studying the solid matter you want your Kakara to form? You cant imagine your Kakara will be able to shape into a matter it’s host doesn’t understand”.
“I’ve spent too much time researching otherwise useless materials as it is Miles, I’m not an Alchemist”.
“No – but Creator Kakara isn’t far off the art of Alchemy. I’m just simply providing advice”.
Exiele sighed. “I know, I know. It’s just frustrating. I’ve been trying to perfect this form of Kakara for as long as I can remember. I’m not far off 21 now, and I should really be mastering a new form”.
They both took a hard left, across a large wooden bridge which connected two large jagged sections of the mountain, which split down the middle, meeting with a river miles below.
“Like you said, your enchantments are at a masterful level, you just need to stay focused on progressing, that’s all you can do”.
Exiele didn’t reply, he just looked out into distant horizon, the setting sun sending it’s last rays of light, before it collapsed down behind the shadowed tree line, and darkness suffocated the surrounding lands.
“How’s my sword and armour coming along? Did you manage to get that dragon blood crystal after all?”.
“Barely – I managed to find some dragon blood down in the storage chamber, but no crystals. Luckily I know an alchemist called Algath, who was able to proses and distil the blood, before utilising Kakara to form it into a solid crystal form”.
“How much did he charge?”
“Nothing, he just said to let him see it once I forge it into a handle for your great sword”.
“I told you not tell anyone about it”.
They both finally reached the end of the bridge, taking the left path towards a long row of wooden shacks, the other path lead to the main tower of the academy.
“Well if I didn’t tell him, we wouldn’t have the dragon blood crystal right now”.
“That’s not the point”.
“God’s above”, Miles sighed, wiping his face with his hands.
“Have you started on the handle yet?”
“No not yet, I prioritised the pick axe because you needed it tonight. I’m gonna start forging the crystal when I get back”.
“You don’t have too tonight Miles, you’ve had a lot to make since the Grand Hunts so close. Just get some rest”.
Miles smiled, punching Exiele’s shoulder. “I don’t need rest, your the one who needs a rest, with the Grand Hunt coming so close”.
Exiele shrugged, stopping in front of Miles’ little wooden shack. Which had snake like tendrils of dark smoke rising in clumps from the little stone chimney on its rugged roof.
“Nothing changes though, I’ll only be gone a week then I’ll be straight back the academy”.
“Yes nothing changes – but you will travelling down into Dreashire. Where non of us have ever travelled before. And we have both read enough to know the lands are not a safe, or inviting place to travel. It’s a Barron wilderness full of creatures and entities beyond our comprehension”, he paused, pulling his key from the pouch on his chest.
“What I’m trying to say, is that you need to understand how dangerous the Grand Hunt, or any other hunter’s path truly is. Honestly, I’m just saying. Not every one makes it”.
“Gods above, I knows not everyone makes it Miles. And what a lovely thought to shove down my throat a week before I leave – Besides, I know the wilderness is incredibly dangerous, but I will only been travelling through baron lands a part of my hunt, most the time I will be travelling through towns or…”, he paused, realising mid speech. “Maybe even a city, I’d love to see a city in person Miles. Imagine it. Imagine walking the streets of The Holy City of Baneswell”.
His words drifted off into an avalanche of hopeful imagery, and thoughts. Miles smiled, opening the large wooden door of his shack, which thudded lightly as it smacked against the wooden planks beyond the doorway. They both went to step through into the warmth of the little shack, but the sound of Venus’s voice made them both freeze in place.
“Exiele, I have an offer”.
For a moment they thought they would just pretend they didn’t hear him, and just enter the shack without another word. But something about his tone made Exiele pause. Nothing Venus did or said ever lead to any good. But as he put it, he had an offer.
Exiele turned to face the tall Hunter, he wasn’t as advanced as Exiele with Kakara, but what he lacked in ability, he had in raw strength and build.
“What’s the offer?”, Exiele asked, leaning against the shack.
“I would like to offer you to a duel, wooden swords of course. But that is not it…”, he paused to build more tension.
“Well get on with it then”, Exiele butted it.
Venus sneered, before continuing. “Who ever wins the fight, will get a head start before leaving for the Grand Hunt. Who ever finishes their hunt and returns to the castle first wins, and the other will owe them 100 silver coins”.
Exiele’s eyes widened. 100 silver coins was no small amount. In fact for all the hunters, especially at this stage of their development, would be making the equivalent in about a year of saving.
“100 hundred silver coins?”.
“You heard me”.
“Gods above if that isn’t the biggest pile of hogs shit I’ve ever heard, I don’t know what is”, Miles laughed, but quickly hushed himself when he realised neither of them took any notice.
“And whoever wins this duel will get a head start on the other?”
“Of course, as I said”.
Exiele knew he clearly had some sort of plan in his head, but like most other hunters within the Academy, he knew Venus’ so called plans were never as effective as he thinks.
“You know you will lose the duel, and so I will get a head start. So why risk losing 100 silver coins. I assume you know the odds are stacked against you?”.
Venus’s face began to redden, but he quickly tried to compose himself. “To underestimate, is to be a fool”, he hissed.
“Well I’ve underestimated you many many times before, and each time I have been right to”.
Venus’s lip began to quiver with anger. “Do you except, or do you not”.
Exiele shrugged. “I except” he said, holding out his hand. Venus reluctantly shook it.
“No Kakara can be used, only natural sword play”.
“As always”.
“Very well, I’ll see you tomorrow morning then. By the alchemy chambers”.
“See you there, make sure you practise as hard you can before hand”, Exiele called out as Venus disappeared behind a large row of shacks, which lay a few metres down the path. Illuminated only by the light orange glow of torch light coming from each of the shacks crooked windows.
“Stupid”, Miles sighed, finally stepping inside his shack. Exiele followed close behind.
Entering the very familiar working grounds of one of the most talented young blacksmiths the academy had ever produced. It was a messy shack, truth be told. But as the Elder Priests would say, sometimes methods, lay within the madness. And Exiele supposed Miles’s methods, we’re hidden within the madness of his workspace.
Disregarded armour plates and odd half finished weapons lay disregarded on the wooden floorboards. Anvils old and new, lay in a random assortment around the room. Two huge shelves held the largest collection of manuals and journals of some of the most revered blacksmiths of the 5 kingdoms that Exiele had ever seen. On the furthest wall of the shack, a large desk held all of Miles’s materials and oddities, which would be much more suited within the chamber of an alchemist.
A large furnace laid close to that, painting the room in vivid orange hues.
“Your pickaxe is here”, Miles called over, who had already walked over to his work desk, and began examining the dragon blood crystal.
Exiele followed suite, glaring down at the small pickaxe which laid atop the messy desk.
“Perfect”, he said simply. Picking up the small axe in his strong hand, it wasn’t gonna break through pure obsidian, well not without some Kakara enchantments. But it should be solid enough to break through some Kakara gems. Which is all he needed it for.
“Just remember, whatever you do, don’t let the pickaxe heat up too much, and that means no Kakara enchantments either”.
Exiele looked over at Miles, his eyebrows screwed up into a confused face. “Why?”
“Because the pickaxe’s metal is formed from condensed Dragon bone, and condensed Balisk steel. In other words, it’s highly explosive when reaching a certain level of heat”.
“Gods Above, then why use explosive materials?”
“It’s all I had, luckily enough Algath informed me of its explosive capabilities when I informed him I was using it to make a metal foundation – don’t worry I didn’t tell him what it was for”.
“Well if I come back missing an arm, I will see to it your put to death”.
Miles laughed. “If the metal reached a level of heat to explode, you would be missing a lot more than an arm”.
Exiele carefully slipped the small handheld pickaxe into his side pouch. Which slid down between a handful of Kakara manuals, and a large scroll detailing the map of Dreashire – something he figured would come in handy when traversing through the lands.
“Well I better start heading down to the forested lake before it gets too dark. Don’t want to have to deal with those bleedin’ Hogbats”, he sighed, stretching out his arms above his head.
“Very well, I will have some peace to work with then”, Miles smiled, retrieving a chisel from a wall of handcrafted tools, which hung eagerly to the wooden shelf before his desk. Before leaning down and carefully examining the small mound of dragon blood crystal.
“I’ll see you tomorrow”, Exiele called out, passing through the shacks rugged front door, feeling the light kiss of the breeze as it rushed past him from the wilderness of the mountain outside. He had some Kakara gems to find.