Hunter stepped outside of the domicile and closed the door behind him. As the door clicked closed, the warrior realized that he wasn’t alone. A fully armored tiefling with orange-colored skin and three curving horns upon her brow was staring curiously at Hunter. Her brow scrunched, and she tilted her head.

“Aren’t you the Gold’s brat? I thought you were with the Keeper?”

Hunter didn’t immediately answer. His face remained blank as he stretched out with his senses. The two were mostly alone on the dirt path that the Outpost used for streets. Luckily, Hunter’s first target hadn’t been in the middle of the village. The tiefling woman didn’t have any of her weapons bared, but Hunter assumed she had a storage ring where her armaments were stowed.

So, this is just a random encounter then. I didn’t fuck anything up. At least, not yet. If I let her sound the alarm, everything will go to shit.

“I’m Hunter. Nice to meet you.”

The teenager held out a hand in greeting.

The woman stared down at Hunter’s palm like it was covered in shit. With a wave of her hand, a golden spear appeared into existence. The weapon was tipped with an obsidian spearhead, and the woman looked like she was familiar with its use. Hunter couldn’t let this turn into a scene. He stowed his spire into his ring and held out both hands in a nonthreatening manner.

“The Keeper asked me to come back to the Outpost for a short time while he finished his ritual with the Sentinel. I was just on my way back to see my grandparents.”

The woman nodded instinctively. His new points in Charisma bolstered Hunter’s explanation. He could see her wanting to go along with his statement, but after a second, she shook her head like she was dismissing a buzzing fly.

Whoops, maybe her Willpower is high enough to counter my Charisma. I knew I should’ve put even more points in the attribute.

The tiefling tilted the point of her spear toward the house that Hunter had just exited.

“Then why were you inside the Stone’s house just now?”

Hunter didn’t bother to reply. He had been made. He lunged forward and activated his Black Wind Augmentation. With one hand, he pulled the spear from the woman’s grasp and stashed it within his own storage ring. His higher Strength, accompanied by Claw Grasp, meant that he easily overpowered her surprised token resistance. His other hand was already augmented by talons crafted from black wind.

His claws pierced the tiefling’s cheeks as he muffled her surprised shriek by clapping his palm over her mouth. Hunter decided to try the technique he had thought of while murdering the Stones. He channeled black wind through his palm, and it flooded the tieflings nose and mouth. It rushed down her throat like a hurricane and mummified the flesh on its way down to her lungs. Her vocal cords atrophied and were rendered useless. There would be no more screaming from the demon.

Still, Hunter didn’t stop. He poured the wind down her throat until her lungs started to swell like overfull balloons. The tiefling tried to pull Hunter’s hand away from her mouth, but his grip was too strong. His claws had already sunk into the bone and weren’t easily removed. Her eyes widened in pain and shock as the wind continued to fill her. There was a strange, almost peaceful moment as her lungs popped from within. Her death wasn’t dramatic. In fact, it was almost quiet.

The wind exited the woman’s lungs and buoyed a stream of blood as Hunter removed his hand. Blood trickled out of the woman’s nose and mouth as she slumped to the ground. Hunter looked around to see if anyone had caught his casual murder of the tiefling. Seeing that the coast was clear. Hunter reached down to grab the woman by her feet.

Hunter flung the door open behind him before bodily dragging the corpse into the house. He lay her body next to the mummified remains of his other two kills. When he was done, Hunter mechanically condensed a soul gem and then used the black wind to drain any remaining vitality from the women’s body.

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After the deed was done, Hunter stared down at the woman’s shriveled face. He had watched the light fade from her eyes. Worse, he had enjoyed the sensation of her energy filling his body. It was easy not to feel disgusted when fighting demons or when he surprised them. Hell, when he had killed the other tieflings in the sanctioned duels, he hadn’t really been himself. Staring down at the woman, Hunter realized that if he continued on this path, he would be no better than the monsters he killed.

He turned away from the dead bodies and threw up acid and bile. It was a yellow-green mess the color of snot. His throat burned, and his stomach ached as he dry heaved for minutes long after the contents of his stomach had been discarded. Hunter’s eyes fastened on the mess on the dark wooden floors. He was searching for something, anything to distract him from his actions.

When was the last time I ate? I don’t remember. I’m starving.

Hunter sat down and hugged his knees to his chest. He rocked slowly as he stared at the corpses of his victims. It wasn’t right. This wasn’t normal. He was just a teenager, and now he was being asked to take part in a war that spanned multiple worlds at least. He didn’t have a true idea of what was going on between the Infernal Horde and the Heavenly Host. All he knew was that he was a pawn in a game for divine beings. He wasn’t a killer. He knew that much about himself, at least.

Hunter heard the heavy flapping of wings, and he looked up as Aquila swooped in the open door. Hunter cursed himself for being careless. He should’ve closed the door behind him as he entered. Regardless, the eagle glided down until it was clicking across the wooden planks in front of Hunter. The bird turned an eye to the collected corpses while it fixed the other on Hunter himself.

The bird communicated pride and satisfaction through their bond. It was clearly pleased with Hunter’s performance.

Congratulations! You have earned Soul Bond Lvl 5!

“Huh,” Hunter commented aloud. “I guess when you’re happy with our partnership, our level increases. Does that mean that when you’re unhappy, the bond can fade away to nothing?”

Hunter didn’t expect an answer from Aquila, but the premise made sense. There was no slave and master relationship between the eagle and Hunter. If anything, they were a partnership forged from necessity. Aquila had needed Hunter’s help to escape his bondage. It was probable that it would need Huner’s help to escape the Rift in general.

So, what do I need from Aquila?

The bird tilted its head questioningly like it had heard Hunter’s thoughts. It drew up proudly and puffed out its feathers. It looked like a premier hunter—something wild and free that took what it needed without worrying about the consequences—for Aquila, life was a life or death struggle. There was no morality. No questioning of what was right and wrong. It was a simple life with only one rule: survive.

Yes. That’s what I need, Hunter realized.

The eagle and the young warrior shared much in common. They used the same element, their fighting style was similar, and Hunter had drawn on the eagle’s tactics without committing himself to an eagle’s characteristics. If Hunter wanted to survive the hell hole he had found himself in, he couldn’t continue to rely on luck and gifts given to him by the Horde and the Host.

I’ve been lucky. Every single thing has been handed to me on a golden platter—almost literally. If I truly want to remain neutral and have agency over my own actions, I need to be as free and savage as an eagle. Maybe I won’t kill my grandparents. That’s probably too much, but at the very least, every tiefling in this village is a step on the path to true freedom. They’re in the way of escaping this Rift. They’re in the way of escaping both the Horde and the Host.

Hunter sighed and got to his feet. He held out an arm, and Aquila used black wind to buoy its wings and get it into the air. It settled obligingly on Hunter’s arms with a flapping of wings.

“You’re right, Aquila.”

Hunter used a hand to smooth the feathers on the eagle’s head. This time Aquila let the warrior tough it without pecking his hand.

“This whole time, I thought I was saving you. In reality, I’m probably the one who needs saving.”

The universe heard Hunter’s words and rewarded him accordingly.

Congratulations! You have earned Soul Bond Lvl 6!

…

Congratulations! You have earned Soul Bond Lvl 10!

Congratulations! For reaching level 10 in Soul Bond. You have earned the Path: Soul Bond I (0/10).

Sensing the importance of his actions, Hunter checked his available Path points. He had more than enough to complete Soul Bond and still have room for Mind of Will. With a thought, he placed the points in Soul Bond.

You have earned +5 to Intelligence and +5 to Willpower.

Congratulations! You completed the Soul Bond I Path. Your connection with your soul-bonded companion has been enhanced. You can now share more complex ideas.

Congratulations! Your companion has learned the Active Skill: Black Lightning Strike Lvl 1

Hunter felt a presence touch his thoughts. It was bold, confident, and savage. It was everything that Hunter wasn’t.

That took you long enough, manling, it said.