[1 gross = a dozen dozen=144]

( 2-3 moons later)

Elbard breathed cloudlets, they got bigger as the moon rose. Next to him lied a deer, lifelessly. It was well hidden for the night. Exhaling contently, the last slit into the cave was finally sealed with some twigs.

Finally he could face the inside safely. This cave was the greatest fortune he’d ever crossed. It could barely house him, but it was enough. Its uniqueness was not its space as much as what that space had contained.

The hunt of three years was rough, but fair. There was a lot regarding it which Elbard had opinions of, but its fairness of work-reward was impeccable. Fight hard, earn treasures for life, the logic was simple and straight, and had kept the society going for eons.

For each second gross of points, one got to choose an item to keep for the rest of one’s life. Save up four grosses of points, and you’d get to choose a grand item from master Oaks chests. Grand items, those were good enough to make any warrior of his village envious. In master Oak’s chests one could find arms of true steel, bows of the strongest sinews, and an insane amount of enchanted stones.

As for the greatest prize of them all, the one reserved for the sole winner of each barrack, Elbard couldn’t care less. If any of his childhood friends got it, he would be happy, if not...well, why cry about it. It still wasn’t worth the insane amounts of effort people like Virvid expended. Superhuman strength , although impressive probably wasn’t as rare as the village made it seem. How else could every warrior there be blessed with it?

Anyhow, Elbard had always wanted a magical stone for himself. Emphasis on ‘had’. He did originally work the crap out of himself to get his hands on one. Everyone else did too. Getting one before winter was kind of paramount; when fires were out of the question it wouldn't even matter if you’d bring a wheelbarrow of pelts outside… Not that it mattered to Elbard  anymore. He had found one in the very cave he was visiting this night. It was no doubt the most valuable thing in his possession.

A stone, an enchanted stone! With some well-deserved luck, he now was the richest dude around. Shivering, his hands fumbled for his puch. He soon grasped a white rock. The round piece of quartz stung him unyieldingly as it radiated the the first and last warmth of the day. Tays of faint light escaped his clenched hands like sunrays piercing clouds.

Stone in hand, he crawled into the pelts layn down, the air within quickly got comfortable. Heat stones truly worked wonders. Enjoying the cozy sensation, a loud sight condensed in the air. Elbard chewed on a piece of deer jerky, wishing he had someone to share it with. The nights always were the loneliest. Why couldn’t he hang around the others? The hunt was stupid.

He sometimes went to join his friends. He loved it, but when it came to others visiting him they were always hesitant.

He had asked Virvid to join him someday, but she refused, obsessed with saving time. Renald, on the other hand, wouldn’t mind. But his area was far away and the fart didn’t trust Virvid wouldn’t snitch if he passed her territory. As soon as the others had their heat stones, Elbard would ask them again though. Spending three years alone was bulls, no matter how much a hardened badass you might become.

As for the other cadets, Elbard didn’t have enough trust capital to play around with. They were all from other villages. They met a couple of times at the mess hall, but they never had the time nor will to bond.

Warm and full, sleep saved him from his thoughts.

.

.

Stiff from coldness, he woke up. His hand had lost the heat stone for the tenth time. He quickly grabbed it, considering going back to sleep. It was still dark, but that didn’t say much these times of the year. It was probably close to morning though, time to get up.

He stretched under the pelts, careful not to let cold air seep in. It was pretty comfy, lying here,  save for a minor bump in the ground. Since this was his special treasure cave, he decided to remove the bump. Make the place a bit more welcoming for the next time. No need to get out already, as there were probably still a veil of clouds blocking the moon.

The dry earth obediently subsided, revealing a bone shard and a muddy cord. He pulled the cord up.

“Hah, this cave, I’m tellin ya!”

He had pulled a dirty medallion. Not too adorned, but kinda neat anyways.

“Funny, it’s identical with Smedgar’s. Pfftm that’s that for ‘this thing’s mine, I made it myself’.”

The medallion resembled a stag horns. Its coppery surface glew in the light of the heat stone.

Smedgar was one of his good friends. If there was anyone who knew how to handle the ladies, then it was him. At thirteen years of age, he had managed to get fresh craft mead from the maiden at the tavern.

“Mead and great friends, that would’ve been something...”

Thrilled to see what else was lying in the cave, Elbard began digging for real, but not for long. He soon jumped up, head hitting the ceiling. Below him was a very much real cranium. Disgusting! he was digging up an old grave! Disgusting, fucking disgusting!

“Heck, I’m outta here!”

He dragged his deer outside. It was bright enough to see a couple of feet into the dark morning.

He swore, hating to have slept on a grave. A guilty thankfulness got mixed in with his disgust. Who was his dead benefactor? It wasn’t unheard of cadets dying during the hunt. When back at the barracks he’s ask master Oak about it. Maybe he would’ve known him when he himself did the hunt?

Light spread from the yet to arise sun. Screw the grave! Today’s gonna be great. With this very deer, his score was going to reach precisely two grosses.

“Damn how nice it’ll be, eating warm food at a warm place in the warm company of friends. He couldn’t wait to get to the barrack.

.

.

“Ey!” Elbard shouted, closing the door behind him. A familiar aroma of beer and smokiness hit him, it was either of smoked meat, or of the tar sealing the walls. Next to the fireplace, an old man sat on master Oak’s stool. “Greetings, candidate! How fared the hunt?, ” the barrack master asked.

“Look man, with this one, I should be at 293 points, yeah?”

“Excellent! Do you want to save it or go for a treasure straight away?”

“Bring the chest old man, I’ve been dying to get my hands something.” He knew exactly what he wanted.

“Ah, good, good, you’re ready for a treasure, huh,” master Oak said, standing up. He left, soon to return.

“Bang!”

A gigantic chest hit the floor. Elbard couldn’t have lifted it with a dozen arms.

“Alright kid, take a good look, I’ll bring the book to keep records on your score.”

Elbard lit a candle, examining the chest.

“Let’s see, purple sinew, fivefoldly plaited, hah” they’ve got one! It was exactly as Renald had described it...

Squinting his eyes at a book, master Oak said:

“Ah, a bow, the redwood one huh. Great choice great choice...You know, that bow was originally in the major chest. You’re lucky we moved it to the cheaper one... It’s real good quality. But its string, be careful not to ruin it. Similar ones have broken before, so don’t say I didn’t warn ya. Oh, and remember not to lend out the weapon to anyone during the competition. Against the rules y’know. “

“Sure!” Elbard smiled. Renald had only asked for a string anyways, not the whole thing.

Elbard sat down, glancing at his purchase. It was indeed made of laminated pieces of redwood. He wondered how Renald could be so certain of his bow in making. Looking at the beauty in front of him he found it nerve wrecking to imagine its assembly.

The old man brought two tankards of beer and had Elbard to grab one.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

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A longer period of time had passed by the fire. Elbard sipped content on his third filling of beer while master Oak gobbled down on his own. Elbard had lost count of how much the old man had had by now. They were playing krasse, a board game. Master Oak had insisted on the loser would empty his tankard. By now, Elbard was guaranteed a sober night…

He sighed, none of his friends had come yet, not even any other of the cadets. Sitting with master Oak was okay, but they did little more than getting drunk and listen to the old man’s ranting.

“BANG!”

The door was opened and closed. No concern of given to its weak frame.

“Thump Thump”

“Whatsuup!”

Two deers bodies put the floor dust flying. Virvid had come.

The girls strength was impressive. Wasn’t it for his extra feet of height, Elbard would feel intimidated at her side.

“Sschuwp! Hunt’s goin ffine and cshutch!? The drunk man shouted, almost as loud as the newly arrived.

“Should be ‘bout four grosses with these suckes, bring out the big treasures gramps!” the girl grinned.

“Hoooly…. four grosses!? Do you even sleep?” Elbard burst out.

“Sup Elbardinio,” she grinned, swiftly passing him towards the treasury.

A short while later, she returned, grinning even wider. She was juggling a bright stone. Each time it landed in her hand a light enveloped her surroundings..

“Holy… is that a purple heat stone?

“Yuup! Ben staying busy lately you know.” She sat down and continued to juggle it. each time it landed in her hand it felt like sitting in a sauna, as the stones heat joined the fire.

They admired the stone for a long while. It was way more powerful than Elbards; His was only good enough to heat up the air a foot around it.

“Wow! We don’t even need a fire going with that thing around,” he said praisingly.

“Err, whut?”

“I said, Wow! We don’t even need a fire going with that thing around”

“Whut… oooh...” Virvid put her stone away.

“Sorry, could you say that one more time, I didn’t notice how draining this thing is”

“... Well, I said that we wouldn’t even need to keep a fire with that thing.”

“Really, you said that much? Wow! using this thing totally makes you a retard. You try it out!”

She put the stone into Elbards hands. She was right. Using it made everything seem to speed up, everything besides the one powering the stone.

They continued experimenting with the magical artefact for a while. It was awfully satisfying to play with it, Elbard though. At least with Virvid around.

.

.

“So, how’s your own hunt going? Getting your own stone soon?” she asked casually.

“Yooo, he, eeewr, gouwt a bow juscht bot’ nouw!”...How was the old man still awake?

“What? SERIOUSLY? Elbard, you’re a serious hunter, what the… What are you planning on doing when it gets cold? You’re gonna stay inside all winter playing krasse and drinking beer?” She looked at him as if he had just grilled a fish without gutting it.

“Werrl, kid’s preey sherious ynow,” master Oak mumbled. “How maay winterch you been here any’waysh?Shecond, chird? Which one ish it?...Whaait... is the FIRSHT!” The old man’s words weren’t much better than his memory.

“Eyy kiddo, yknow, you need a shtone. Got’wha’m’sayn. Eeeugh can switch back the bow’fya want. You... never pick that one firsht yknow. You alwaysh ike: ffirsht shtone, then the ...eeehmm… mbow. Know wh’am shayn, know wh’am shayn.”

The old man had walked over to Elbard, leaning over him. A smell of fresh and dry beer filled the air around him. It wasn’t very obvious if he was speaking with Elbard or the floor. The questions from the old man, and even more, the stare of idiot declaration form Virvid made Elbards hand itchy. A humble light filled his hand as he grasped his own heat stone.

“You little!?...And you were asking me if I Spent any time sleeping between the hunts!? Virvid burst out, not subtle with her thoughts having others with scores close to her’s.

“No fear, I fount this one, you’re still number one,” Elbard quickly soothed.

The old man stared at the stone, eyes absent as ever, but not for long. Life suddenly came back to him as he shook his head like a wet dog.

The old man approached Elbard again and grabbed him with both his hands. To Elbard it felt as if being stuck between two mountains. With a deep tone he shouted:

“WHO!!? Who gave you it?... WAIT! You were ffirsht thish time!...”

“What, this? Nobody, I found it. It was in a...”

“YOUR PUCH!” master Oak thundered. Elbard could barely process the words before he felt his pants fall off. His leather pouch had been stripped along with the belt it was attached to.

“WHERE ISH HE!!?” The man shouted, seemingly even angrier. His eyes fell on Virvid, and with a single stroke, he knocked her unconscious. Already tipsy, Elbard felt incredibly surreal.

“WHERE ISH HE!!?”

“I..I’m sorry. I don’t know what you’re talking about!?”

“You little… You think thish ish ffuckin’ ffunny, do you?”

“...”

“If you shilent agian, I shwear I’ll beat you ashunder! Undershtand!?”

“WHERE ISH HE!?”

“I..eeh.. I’m sorry sir, I genuinely don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The old man raised his fist, pushing it against Elbards face. In the fist lied a medallion resembling a stag horn. The material was copper.

“SHMEDGAR you little… Don’t fucking play games with me.”

“WHERE”

“HIDES”

“HE?”

Distressed, Elbard glanced at Virvid. He breathed as fast as he could, yet he didn’t enough air. The force restricting him was overwhelming, his periphery darkening. If it wasn’t for mr. Oak holding him, he’d have collapsed by now.

The monstrously strong oldster grunted in his face. A smell of aged beer oozed from badly kept teeth. A screeching sound resounded in his ears.The smell, it was the last thing perceived before Elbard fainted.

***

(An hour or so earlier)

Soon before the fall of night, Renald arrived to the barrack. Tied to his backpack were eight hares hanging, to plentiful to fit inside. Others looked down on hare hunting. Everyone seemed to have some delusion about being the biggest, strongest, speariest and thusly best. Even Elbard would sometimes make puns on Renalds bow and arrow. The guy really was an idiot, but usually, he more than made up for that.

Despite the ignorance of others, Renald kept killing the lil’ small ones without remorse. They were way more convenient game than other animals. They almost always died instantly when hit, reproduced like nothing else, and didn’t know to keep a stone throw’s distance people aiming at them. They were perfect, save the buggers calling them ‘the coward’s game’.

Inside of the barrack sat master Oak, Virvid and Elbard. Virvid was juggling with something, the other two just smiling drunk. “No reason to head straight inside,” Renald grinned. Girls didn’t pass the barrack often Especially not Virvid. Renald had no idea for how long the oddball had been out this time, nor was he intending to ask her either, not for a while.... He headed for the other side of the building.

Some kiddo had destroyed his peeking hole two-three months ago. It had taken weeks to restore it.

One rule of thumb regarding sneaking was to be at the place of interest first...or outside of it. People usually went bathing after supper. The time was a little early, but waiting didn’t have much backdraws. If anyone asked he had just arrived and was about to discretely empty his bladder before going in.

.

.

He waited for a good while, maybe for longer than usual. Had be been to late, or was  juggling really too awesome and captivating? A couple of restless thoughts passed his mind.

That was when the screaming began.

***

Elbard winked away the starred sky in his eyes. For a moment he was disoriented, but reality soon returned, despite Elbard’s doubts of it; Old man Oak sat crouching next to Virvid, tying her to to a beam. How much time had passed? Not too much, right? What was happening? Why was master Oak so infuriated? Was it about the heat stone? Was there anything special about the skeleton, or did the drunk man think he had cheated?...But that wouldn’t make any sense, would it? Elbard was pretty sure that he, even if not as awesome as Virvid, had been the first up to score wo grosses of points. How could the stone be given?

The whole thing was a mess.

Mr. Oak made quick work of the restraining. The girl was still gone. Rising up, he swayed to Elbard.

“Uh hmm,” Elbard cleared his throat whilst sitting up. The old man was now crouching in front of him.  

“Please, I’ve got no idea what this is about. The stone… I found it in a cave, I swear! There was a skeleton in it, I think it could’ve been his...I don’t know...please.”

The old man grunted loudly, occasionally hocking a loogie. His gaze was firm and full of anger. It wandered between and Elbards face and the ground. Following the gaze, Elbard noticed his beltless pants being down to knee level. He quickly dragged them back up.

“DON’T LIE TO ME!” The man raised his fist.

“I swear...I swear I swear I swear, I found it, I truly did, in a cave, please, p-please…”

Master oaks eyed the floor again, then he stood up, wangling right and left, then he bit his lips and hissed angrily: “It doesn’t matter..." Then the frowne molded into a lewd smile.

“IT DOESN’T MATTER!”

His bizarrely strong hands grabbed the sitting young man, raising him to eye level. Elbards pants dropped again, but the man of the barrack didn’t seem to care.

“You wanna end up like her, boy?,” he asked madly.

“...no”

“Good,” the man whispered back.

“Mister Oak, I don’t know what to say. What do you want me to do? This haft to be some kind of misunderstanding”

“Pfft, What I want you to do? What I want you to do.... It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter. You won’t remember shit, will you?

He grabbed Elbard, like a little lamb, and dragged him to the other side of the room, through a door and into the bathroom.

“There you go, clean yourself!”

“You fucking idiot, off goes the clothes!”

If the evening had been absurd, Elbard didn’t know how to label this. If it wasn’t for the adrenaline he definitely would’ve taken it for a dream, a very, very bad dream. And worse it got…

.

.

“Bend over!” the demon commanded.

Refusing to yield, yet hopeless to the demons strength, Elbard grew even stiffer.

You lirrle rat! I shaid fucking bend over! You wanna get knocked out...ash ushually?

Elbert's heart pounded faster than ever. It didn’t matter how strong the monster next to him was, he had to make a run for it. Behind the old man’s coarse wheezing got heavier. It was horrendous, and got even worse. The sound consumed the entire world. I was inhumanly disgusting. Elbert didn’t want to look back, but he had no choice. He turned around towards the door as fast as he could. On the ground lied barrack master Oak, breathing heavily, his throat pierced by an arrow, his body bathing in blood.

“Holy fucking shit you pervy fucking sick pervert fucking...fuck!” a familiar voice cursed from the outside.