Sitting among tree branches should not be so terrible. The days were colder, but in the sun and with a thick cloak around my body, it was pleasant enough. But I could not help the nagging feeling of wasted time.

I could not practice my magic for fear of stressing my body or using up mana. Adam and I could not speak, or we might risk making noise, not that either of us had much interest in conversing. And I could not gather mana, or the bear might detect it. It could not likely sense mana, but it seemed better not to take the chance.

So, instead, we sat and waited. My only consolation being this presented an excellent opportunity to practice my own sensory abilities. It was boring, monotonous work, but it was the only thing to do.

Julian's tips revolved around trying to push my mind away from my body and actively search. He said that some used meditative trances, not unlike during gathering to accomplish the same trick, but my personal leanings made this ineffective. I could not say for sure how true that was, but I could detect mana a few feet away with minimal focus after a week's practice. Almost entirely useless, but a start.

Adam sat next to me on the wooden platform, attached with a simple enchantment to the wooden tree. In his hands was a crossbow with a razor-sharp bolt at the ready. Across the clearing, Len and Kev sat in another tree, carrying similar weapons and with the same job in mind. They were to finish off the beast if I failed to kill it or run it down if it fled.

I had voiced my doubts that their bolts would penetrate deeply enough to do more than anger the beast but was brushed off. As long as I did not fail, we would not need to find out if I was right or not.

The clearing was quiet and empty, save for the mound of meat, baited with the scent of fresh blood and the invisible tang of mana. We could not smell it, but most magical creatures, this bear included, could catch it from miles away. I hooped they could not detect it in my body, but was not sure.

It was midday, the sun already threatening to creep towards the horizon, when branches began crunching. I could hear it lumber through the nearby trees, with all the subtlety of, well, a massive bear.

The three deer I had killed were not what I would describe as small, but they were lean. Tall, yes, but not bulky. The bear was the opposite in that regard.

Sig could probably meet it eye to eye, but it was not even close in terms of mass. It had to be easily over a thousand pounds and would splinter my bones with even a glancing charge. Even at a distance, its jaws looked large enough to envelop my head whole, and each paw was nearly the size of my chest.

But strangest of all was how calm and peaceful it seemed. It walked without concern towards the bait, appearing almost disinterested at a glance. But, judging by the way its head swung from side to side, eyes moving and nose twitching, it was not nearly as unobservant as it seemed. A few feet into the clearing, it stopped, turning to face the wind with its snout upturned.

And this was the crucial point where we would see if the animal would sense our trap. Adam had given me a liquid to rub onto my clothing, which smelt like tree sap. "To hide the smell of the soaps used to wash your clothes." he had explained when I asked.

That did little to help my pounding heart as the bear's head turned one way and the other, trying to catch a hint of something unfamiliar. I realized I was holding my breath and continued to do so as it angled towards our tree, having to stop from cringing. Adam had taken care to cover the platform in branches and undergrowth to help hide us, but even so, I did not want to make any potential noise or motions.

After what felt like hours, its head turned away, and it continued walking forward. I let out a slow, shaky breath, my heart still hammering its painful beat as sweat ran down my forehead.

Something touched my shoulder, and I jumped, mentally swearing and thanking the Founders that the bear had already dipped down and begun digging into its meal. If it was not so engrossed, it might have noticed the rustling of branches.

I slowly turned and saw Adam, who raised his fingers to his lips before pointing towards the creature. We both knew what he meant, and I nodded, letting out another exhale. He and his friends had done their part, drawing in the animal and giving me a chance for an ambush. Now, I had to do mine.

Stronger creatures would eventually form a core, not unlike a mage, which presented complications for killing them. Some could shrug off potentially fatal blows and heal, using the mana inside their flesh to carry on when their heart should have stopped. For a young bear such as this, it would still share the same vital points as any ordinary creature.

If my aim was better, I would try for the neck or head, which would kill it in a single blow. Failing that, the best option was the center of the torso, to hit the lungs, heart, or major blood vessels. It would be slower, but as long as I damaged something important, it would die all the same.

I raised both hands up, drawing on my mana and muttering the incantation as quietly as possible with my eyes closed. Though I had managed the feat before in training several times, it was still slow and laborious. Time might be a factor, but if I rushed, that would only lose us the chance entirely. In that case, we would need to try and stalk it, something Adam insisted was wildly more dangerous.

In front of each hand, I felt two orbs appear and, with gritted teeth, began mentally squeezing. I knew from experience both would start to glow brighter as they shrunk and had to hope the sun overhead would help it go unnoticed. To my side, Adam muttered something unfavorable about mages, but I ignored that, feeling the mana continue to pulse, threatening to slip from my grasp at every moment.

When the bolt in my right hand briefly reverberated, I knew I was moments from losing control of both. Rather than hold it, I opened my eyes, exhaled, and released, watching as they flashed across the clearing and slicing into the beast.

One flew wide, carving through its rear leg and leaving a bloody furrow as it cut the flesh along its back. It would be painful but likely not debilitating and certainly not fatal. The second was much more successful and bit into the center of its torso, sending up a spray of blood and other bits as it burned clean through to the other side of its body.

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The bear snapped around faster than I thought possible with a thunderous roar, white fangs flashing in the sun. I tensed, drawing on my mana again and ignoring the unpleasant pins and needles in my hands. However, rather than charge our location, it turned, disappearing back into the trees from where it came.

I blinked, turning to Adam and opening my mouth when he cut me off.

"You attacked it, but it couldn't tell from where, so it ran. If we were on the ground, it would've been a different story."

"I see. So, do we follow it now?"

"Founders, no. We wait a half hour and then follow. Your spell hit true, and it should bleed out fast, but if we rush after it, it might have enough left to cause trouble. Never confront a dying animal. They're angry. And desperate."

I already knew it was the plan, but even so, I asked, "We just wait until it dies on its own? That feels..."I trailed off, knowing it was a ridiculous sentiment. Sig was rubbing off on me, and I squashed that noble notion under a mental boot. Sure, honor was nice enough, but it was useless if I died in pursuit of it.

"Rather smart and alive than reckless and dead, " Adam remarked, unknowingly echoing my conclusion as he leaned against the trunk behind him. A second later, he continued, "Sorry if we seemed a bit rude. Ain't easy hunting monsters, and when we thought that we'd gotten a kid, we-"

"Accepted." I cut him off, glancing at him before turning my attention below. I had little interest in hearing a half-hearted apology and would rather stay focused on the task at hand.

He hesitated before nodding, and together we sat in silence. After around ten minutes, we climbed down, meeting up with the others to track down our wounded quarry.

Tracking skills or not, even alone, I could have followed the trail the beast left behind. Low-hanging branches lay wrenched from trees, with grass and dirt upturned from massive paws. There was a musty scent that must be bear, and I grimaced as it hit me like a slap to the face. But most notable was the crimson that spotted the ground, a clear line that led from the clearing south-westward.

We found it around a half-mile from the clearing collapsed in a heap. This time, I managed not to vomit, though bile did rise in the back of my throat, accompanied by a stab of guilt. I pushed down both, reminding myself that this needed to be done. The animal might kill an innocent person if left alone, and if its death brought about something positive, all the better.

The hunters did not approach right away, and I wondered for a moment if they felt some degree of remorse too. A moment later, I realized that was not the case. They were waiting to make sure it was dead and not just unconscious or resting. After another few minutes, Len and Kev walked towards it, crossbows still trained on the mound of fur.

Adam turned to me, a smile finally on his face, and he said, "Well, looks like the job's done. Excellent work, mage. We can turn in the job, and you'll get your share of the trophies after-"

"I think I will stay with you until you return to Volaris." I cut him off again, crossing my arms over my chest.

His eyes narrowed, and when he responded, his voice had turned a little cooler, "You don't trust us? After your little speech before?"

"I do. And part of that job is making sure you all return to Volaris unharmed. Something that I cannot do if I leave now." I replied, meeting his eyes.

Truthfully, I did not fully trust him. They were not idiots and would never do anything outright hostile. A little disrespect was one thing, but attacking a noble or trying to cheat me out of my portion of the bounty was suicidal. I might be a commoner like them, but they did not know that.

But none of that meant they would not try to keep more of the compensation from the remains than was owed to me. That was far more likely and even understandable. For me, this hunt would last me for a few weeks to a month, but for them? This could support their family until spring came around.

After a few seconds, Adam nodded, and I turned, approaching Kev and Len, who had begun cutting into the corpse.

I pushed down my nausea, asking, "What are you doing now?"

"Field dressing," Kev responded, not turning as he slide into the side of the creature with his knife, "Why?"

"Curiosity is my vice," I responded, nearly losing my unseen battle as he pulled out some of the organs and-

I turned away, swallowing hard and taking a few breaths before saying, "Do you keep everything?"

"As much as we can carry. The skins the most valuable part, but meat and bones also sell for good gold. The rest, the organs and blood, usually go to waste. Why?"

"I want some. Of everything, I mean."

The knife stopped for a moment, and Len looked up, meeting his friend's eyes.

"Why?" he asked, speaking for the first time since I had met the three.

I affected the appearance of a haughty mage, looking down my nose and saying, "Do you want to know the secrets of magic? That seems a bit presumptuous of you."

Adam had walked up and responded, "No, but you'd be cutting into the profits. Normally, we sell as much as we can carry in the city."

"And I am owed a quarter of the remains, yes? I doubt you can carry the whole body back between the three of you, either. Section off bits of muscle, bone, skin, and organs, along with several vials of blood. That would comprise my portion. The rest, you can keep and sell as usual."

The three looked between them, apparently debating asking why, but decided against it. Adam nodded, and the other two returned to their task as I walked a few steps away, trying to ignore the sounds and smells.

Nauseating though it was to consider, I needed to do some investigating. If I could examine how mana gathered and flowed in the body parts, it might explain how the creature obtained unnatural strength and speed. And if nothing else, I vaguely recalled some mixtures in "A Study on Aether," which required blood and organs from magical creatures.

When they finished, and my pack was loaded with wrapped parcels of unmentionable disgusting messes, we were on our way back to the city. It was nearly an hour's walk, which gave me ample opportunity to continue practicing my sensing. Adam, however, had a different idea.

"I meant what I said earlier. I-these sorts of jobs can go wrong fast. We've all lost someone along the way. Kev's father died a few seasons back. Len's brother, a few before that. If we seem on edge or rude, it's..." he trailed off, shaking his head before continuing, "Regardless, it was wrong. I'm sorry. You handled yourself well for a new hunter. Didn't even throw up."

"I did the first time, actually." I replied, and Adam burst into laughter, "But as I said, your apology is accepted. I can understand that you are on edge, and I appreciate you owning to it. Fair warning, you should mind your manners around other mages. They might be a bit more, let us say 'irritable' than me."

Adam chuckled, nudging me, and said, "Your words, not mine. Not sure if you'd be interested, but we like to grab a drink after a successful hunt. We aren't exactly friends, but there aren't many better ways to become one, are there?"

I almost turned him down, opening my mouth to do as much before remembering two things. The first was that I had not had much chance to unwind in over a month. True, I had socialized with other apprentices, such as the Esttons, Simon, Amelia, and Grace, but often I still had the threat of social norms hanging over me.

The prospect of interacting with a few commoners, albeit initially unfriendly ones, was more appealing than I thought. In a way, Adam reminded me a bit of Neil, if a bit less friendly.

And the second was that they were skilled and experienced hunters. Maybe they could share a few tips over a drink and something to eat. Sure, I wanted to relax, but I was never one to waste a golden opportunity to learn something new.

"Lead the way," I responded, earning another grin from the man.