Ethan and the team ran after Selina, who had disappeared into the bamboo woods in search of a pursi she’d spotted. The creature looked like a dog-sized red panda–painted purple and black–and it was a rare monster that the Rune Mage desperately wanted as her second Familiar. Unfortunately, like Tibby the Light rabbit, it was too small and weak to risk attacking openly. This led to a humbling pursuit for the Hunters.
The sun was beginning to set, meaning visibility was getting poor, and the pursi was apparently born for the chase. All five Hunters charged after the tree-bound creature, trying to coordinate and circle around the little fox-bear, but it was so damned fast. Ethan would rift right on top of, or right in front of it, but it would pivot in an instant, swinging from a branch and disappearing in another direction.
Cara was best suited, and managed to keep the closest to their target by virtue of how easily she navigated the woods. Unfortunately, keeping up on the ground wasn’t the same as rapidly climbing a tree, and she didn’t do much better than Ethan. Worse, on several occasions she and him crashed into each other as they pounced at the elusive creature at the same time.
Valanor was simultaneously the least suited for the pursuit, yet ironically the one who came closest to success. While less agile than the others, his speed and strength were great enough that he simply charged in a straight line toward the pursi, crashing through trees effortlessly. He created a brand new trail as he moved inexorably forward, and on the rare times that the monster got too close–usually from dodging Ethan–it would find itself struggling to find trees to escape to.
After fifteen embarrassing minutes of this, they finally managed to organize well enough to begin leading their prey in a specific direction. Thanks in part to Valanor having essentially carved a perimeter around the creature by accident, they used surprises and near-miss attacks to force the pursi toward an ambush.
As the deep purple little monster made a desperate leap to get across one of the shield knights ‘paths’, it was simultaneously tackled by Revan and Talia at once. The two large, cat-like Familiars managed to pin the struggling and determined little beast until Selina arrived, a Bond stone already in hand.
Once more, as she reached forward with the stone, the monster calmed, sensing the offer she was making. Supposedly it could feel her Soul, even read it to some extent, or so the old Hunters claimed. True or not, the pursi did seem at peace when the Bond stone touched it, connecting it forever to the joyful Nator.
“We did it!” she screamed up at the darkening sky, and the group cheered as one.
***
They were sitting around a warm campfire, laughing and eating, a short while later. The week had been challenging. They’d all made mistakes and paid for them, all felt like fools at one point or another, and likely all had wondered at least once whether the team simply wasn’t meant to be.
But all that was forgotten as they toasted to Selina’s new Bond, with some kind of burning alcohol provided by Savilar. Trying to be strategic from the start, he’d rushed to get ahead of the pursi and ended up taking a few wrong turns, missing the Hunt entirely. The booze was his way of apologizing, and as it warmed their bellies, they agreed it was payment in full.
No matter how badly things might have gone, they all knew what it meant to gain a new Bond. Doubly so what it meant to get the Bond, the exact monster a Hunter hoped for. Each had known compromise at least once, as circumstances or practicalities shaped the choices they each needed to make with their Familiars.
“I never regret them,” Valanor said in a melancholic voice. “I only really chose Syph. Toby and Sylvie came later, and were essentially provided by the Church. But they’re a part of me now.”
Savilar nodded, drink in hand. “All three of mine were chosen for me,” he said. “At first it felt like we were just thrown together, almost like all four of us were adopted by the Church. But it changed over time, especially as we communed. Whatever fantasy a future Hunter might have in their mind, it’s nothing compared to the reality.”
“Talia was inherited,” Cara said. “Won in a competition. I thought of her as a prize for the longest time. Now I know better.”
Selina was hanging on every word, clearly loving having a real place in conversations like these. It was also rare to see any Hunter being so earnest–the profession lent itself to braggarts and stoics. When you truly lived surrounded by so much danger, it shaped who you became around others, and Ethan had witnessed this in all the Hunters he’d come to know.
But days like today brought out the other side. “My Familiars kept me alive in the Deep Cell,” he said quietly, and everyone turned to look at him, silent and attentive. “They were all I had; my Bonds were the only thing that felt real in that endless darkness.”
“When you came out…” Valanor began. “You should have wasted away in there, but instead–”
“Instead my Familiars kept me safe,” Ethan replied. “Mind, body and spirit, we communed and grew together.”
“That shouldn’t be possible!” Selina said. “I saw your Bonds myself, and they were locked away! But I also saw what condition you were in…I couldn’t make sense of it.”
“Our Bonds, our Familiars are always here,” Ethan said, hand against his chest. “You can find them if you look.” The team seemed to understand from his tone that his mood was slipping, and Sav changed the subject. Ethan didn’t listen though, his mind turning to his ever-present companions. Curious of their growth, he checked his status.
----------------------------------------
Ethan Bishop [Assassin] (3rd Dawn: 4%)
Ruin Affinity: (3/4)
* Knife in the Dark (7th Dawn: 3%)
* Fleeting Shadow (5th Dawn: 89%)
* Assassination (3rd Dawn: 14%)
* Gain 3 more abilities to unlock!
Devee [Mind of the Devourer] (9th Dawn: 2%)
Dimension Affinity (3/4)
* Rift (7th Dawn: 63%)
* Dimensional Mantle (3rd Dawn: 64%)
* Hydra's Reflection (4th Dawn: 92%)
* Locked
Revan [Body of the Guardian] (8th Dawn: 79%)
Flare Affinity (3/4):
* Volatile Infusion (6th Dawn: 34%)
* Internal Combustion (5th Dawn: 72%)
* Volcanic Bolt (3rd Dawn: 26%)
* Locked
Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
Onitomo [Soul of the Mystic] (Final Dawn: 92%)
Mystic: (3/4)
* Trick of the Light (6th Dawn: 54%)
* Many-Faced Blade (8th Dawn: 9%)
* Ghost in the Reeds (3rd Dawn: 15%)
* Locked
Additional Status
Skills: (3)
* Wall Climbing (8th Dawn: 12%)
* Predator’s Gaze (4th Dawn: 37%)
* Hand of Apollo (Locked/Broken)
Titles
* Fools Rush In
* Checkmate
* Flaw Seeker
----------------------------------------
Hunting and training every day made a considerable impact in the last couple of weeks. Between what he’d faced at the Dusk rank Rift, and the team fights, his abilities were really being pushed. He could see the benefits of working with a team. They were taking out hundreds of monsters, and often facing ones of higher rank. Still, his abilities weren’t the most interesting thing.
Tomo was nearing the end of his Final Dawn. That meant the little demon would evolve soon, bringing new powers and abilities. Ethan couldn’t wait to see what that looked like.
***
The next morning found the group in much higher spirits. They were still charged by Selina finding a new Bond, and chatting good-naturedly while eating breakfast. Only Savilar was absent, telling them he needed more time in his tent.
“So what’s the little guy’s name?” Ethan asked while gently petting the purple panda that had given them such a chase.
“Pepper!” Selina said happily.
“And what does ‘Pepper’ do?” Valanor asked. “I’ve never fought one before.”
“He’s an affliction type!” the Rune Mage said proudly. “There’s a wide variety to what he’s capable of, so I won't have a great sense of how he works in combat until I unlock some more abilities.”
Ethan raised an eyebrow. “But what ability did you get to start with? You didn’t say.”
Selina let out a small sigh. “I got binxed,” she said in an odd tone. Valanor and Cara laughed, but Ethan didn’t recognize the term.
“What does ‘binxed’ mean?” he asked. “Is that the name of the ability?”
“What? Oh. No, that’s not it. The Ability is called ‘Scaling Danger’. But it’s useless on its own–that’s what it means to get binxed. It’s when your first ability doesn’t work right without others.”
“Oh,” Ethan said with a nod. “So why can’t you use it? What does the ability do?”
“I can use it, and you and Cara will be happy when I do. It’s a debuff applied to an enemy that makes other afflictions stack up more quickly. Between Selina’s poison and your fire, it’s great for the group, it’s just…”
“Not something you can use without us,” Ethan said, understanding.
“Not yet! I’ll get more afflictions soon, don’t worry. Pepper is going to be a great Familiar, and I’m sure it’ll all make sense!”
Just then Savilar stepped out of his tent, putting a small statue of the Goddess into his inventory as he joined them around the fire. “Troubling news,” he said, his voice serious.
“What is it?” Valanor asked.
“Undead have breached the Eastern wall,” he said bluntly, and the whole group froze for a long moment.
“Where?” Cara asked finally, and Savilar obligingly took out a map of the Eastern mountains.
“About a day’s journey to the North. The border watch sent word of attack several days ago, but it was nothing they couldn’t handle. Unfortunately they weren’t prepared for a wall breach further South.”
“A breach?” Valanor said, still processing. “How could that happen?”
“I suspect there will be plenty of blame hurled around when this is all over. In the meantime, they managed to split their forces and block the hole, but they can’t spare anyone else for the flood of undead that already got through.”
“There’s three villages in easy march from there,” Cara said, indicating their positions on the map. “How many undead are we talking about?” she asked.
“Over a thousand, maybe two,” Savilar said quietly, and everyone but Ethan looked aghast, going quiet.
“Sorry,” he said, “but I don’t really understand the threat. I’ve heard a few people mention ‘undead to the East’, but I assumed it was just another type of monster Affinity. Whenever I ask anyone about the Eastlands, they just say the borders are closed and no one travels that way anymore.”
“It’s more than just a type of monster,” Selina said soberly. “There’s a rare form of demon that will occasionally make its way here from Potentia. It carries the Undead Affinity, but it can infect others like a disease. It leaves them slower, and weaker…but they follow its commands, and don’t feel pain. There’s nothing left of them but animated magic.”
Ethan nodded. Like a zombie movie for monsters… Valanor stepped forward. “I assume reinforcements are on their way from the capital?”
“Yes. And by the time they arrive the horde will be long past the mountain roads, and into the kingdom proper. They’ll have destroyed the three villages Cara mentioned, and be spreading out in every direction. Infecting everything and everyone in their path.”
“Including people?” Ethan asked quietly.
“Not the Bonded, but every Unbound is at risk,” Savilar said. He slowly looked over the group. “I was contacted by the Hunter’s Guild as they know we’re in the area, and I have an…artifact from the Church that allows limited long-distance communication. They’re asking us to hold the wave.”
“Is that even possible?” Selina asked. “I’ve heard stories about the undead…they’re relentless, rabid even.”
“Fort Dralis,” Cara said, indicating a spot directly in the path of the undead. It was on the edge of a ravine.
Savilar nodded. “It’s our only real chance. The Fort’s original purpose was said to be guarding the Cath Bridge. It’s larger than I’d like but it’s the closest thing to a choke point we’re going to find.”
“So we’re doing this?” Selina asked. Ethan realized it was the first time he’d heard real fear in her voice.
“We’re the only ones that can,” Savilar said. “But I won’t force anyone to come. This is far beyond anything we discussed in regards to the Brightsouls. This is pure Hunter’s work, and you barely qualify, Selina. It’s dangerous for all of us, but you most of all.”
“I’m going,” Cara said. “That Fort is where Gunther’s bandits used to hold up. Seems fitting that I’d still go back there, even if I’ve lost my chance at revenge.” Ethan looked away. They hadn’t spoken about what he did to the bandits, or the man who crippled her, but clearly they needed to. He also hadn’t realized this was the ‘bandit fort’ he’d heard of in Shawarma village.
“Either way,” Cara continued, “those are border towns, and I won’t leave them to that grizzly fate.”
“I’ll go as well,” Valanor said. “If we’re to hold that bridge, we need a Vanguard to do it.”
“You’re talking like this is a last stand,” Ethan said, looking around at the group. “How bad is this? What are our chances?”
“We’re only a day closer than Corvale–than the king’s reinforcements,” Savilar said. “But to hold for even a day…undead swarm, Ethan. It’s only a matter of time before they get behind us, and once we’re surrounded…well, a day might only be possible if we have enough time to prepare.”
“But the alternative is letting these undead spread throughout the kingdom? That sounds like no choice at all,” Ethan said. Everyone turned to Selina.
She sighed, then seemed to force her typical wide smile. “This is what it means to be a Hunter, right?”