Zharaith glanced at the small sand fae perched on Kaelen's head, her expression deadpan, clearly unamused by Vessira's antics. With a slight sigh, she ignored it, focusing instead on gathering a few other gnolls for the hunt.

Zharaith gathered three other gnolls and led them out of the small village. "Alright, this is Kaelen," she introduced, glancing at him before addressing the group. "He’ll join us on a few hunts until he gets his bearings."

Two of the gnolls simply nodded, indifferent to Kaelen’s presence. However, one of them shot him a look of annoyance. This gnoll was missing a canine tooth, a large scar ran over their eye, and a poorly maintained flail hung on their back, adding to their rough appearance.

"Don't think just 'cause Chief Zharaith took pity on you that you're some kind of bigshot," the gnoll growled, his voice rough and gravelly. "You're still at the bottom of the pole, boy."

Zharaith smacked him on the head with the shaft of her spear. "Enough, Thrak'ro. Are you not still sore from your last punishment?" she scolded, her voice firm. He grimaced but turned away in irritation.

Kaelen stifled a laugh at the reprimand. He had felt a flicker of annoyance, but hearing the name Zharaith him called almost made him chuckle. It roughly translated to "irrelevant man." And the Gnoll seemed to take notice of his laughter and snarled.

"Now, introduce yourselves," she commanded, her eyes sweeping over the group. "Lack of communication during a hunt means death."

The first to speak was a gnoll wielding a bow and a quiver of arrows. “Nirathi,” she introduced herself. “I’m a tracker and a decent shot. I just hope you can hold your own.” Kaelen nodded in response; he wasn’t sure how well he would fare in a fight, but he was confident in his ability to take a beating better than most.

The next to introduce herself wielded a spear similar to Zharaith's, though hers was simple and lacked the ornate decorations that adorned Zharaith's weapon. Her voice was light, but her gaze was filled with determination, she had seen many battles. "I'm Kalivara, and I’m skilled with a spear." her introduction was short but she seemed able.

Lastly, the one who had been scolded by Zharaith spoke up, his reluctance evident as he tried to avoid further reprimand. "I'm Jarek, the best trapper at this base... and a decent cook," he said, his tone begrudging but slightly more respectful.

Kaelen nodded, smirking inwardly at Jarek's change in behavior. "As you heard, I'm Kaelen. I can hit hard and take a hit, though I can't boast much about my skill with a blade. But I can be useful."

The others nodded, and Jarek shot Kaelen another dirty look before Zharaith led them into the desert. "Nirathi, find us some quarry. Let's see what our guest can do." Nirathi nodded in response, then picked up a handful of sand. She held it for a moment before letting it fall from her hand, but instead of returning to the ground, it transformed into an arrow that began flying slowly in random directions. Nirathi motioned for them to follow.

Kaelen trailed behind the gnoll hunting party, with Vessira still perched on his head, relentlessly interrogating him about what he had been doing before winding up in this place.

Kaelen tuned out most of Vessira's questions, finding the nosy sand fae increasingly annoying. However, he couldn't bring himself to shoo her away; he needed her assistance more than he wanted to admit.

After a while, Nirathi raised a hand, signaling for the group to stop, and pointed to a solitary beast in the distance. Its thick fur bristled in the wind, and two enormous horns protruded from its head. Zharaith studied the creature for a moment before speaking. "Kaelen, you handle this one alone. We’ll step in if things get dicey, but consider this a test."

Kaelen looked at her with mild surprise, but he quickly steeled himself; he knew he would have to fight his own battles soon enough. "Alright, no use complaining about it." He unwrapped his sword and began to approach the beast from behind. Vessira, sensing the energy shift, flew off his head and hovered around the other gnolls staying out of the conflict.

If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

As Kaelen approached the beast, he could feel the heat radiating from its thick, shaggy fur. The creature was massive, easily twice his size, with two enormous horns curving menacingly above its head. He took a deep breath, steadying himself as he raised his sword. The air around him crackled with tension, and the gnolls watched silently, their eyes sharp and expectant.

The beast lifted its head, nostrils flaring as it caught his scent. It snorted, pawing at the ground, and Kaelen knew it was now or never. He charged forward, his sword raised high, adrenaline coursing through his veins. As he closed the distance, the beast bellowed and turned, swinging one of its massive horns toward him.

Kaelen barely dodged, rolling to the side as the horn grazed his shoulder, sending him sprawling in the sand. Pain shot through him, but he gritted his teeth and scrambled to his feet, quickly assessing the creature's movements. It was strong and fast, despite its size.

He tightened his grip on the sword, determined to push through the pain. Kaelen feinted left, then darted right, trying to outmaneuver the beast. He swung his sword, but the creature reacted faster, dodging out of the way and charging at him with a furious roar.

Kaelen's heart raced as he sidestepped, feeling the rush of wind as the beast brushed past him. He turned, swinging his sword again, but the beast was relentless. It spun back around, its horn aimed straight at him. Kaelen barely managed to deflect the blow, the impact jarring his arms and nearly knocking him off balance.

“Focus!” he thought, breathing heavily as he backed away. He needed to find an opening. The gnolls watched intently, and he could feel their eyes on him, their expectations weighing heavily on his shoulders.

Gathering his resolve, Kaelen circled the beast, looking for any sign of weakness. The creature was breathing heavily now, its muscles tensing as it prepared for another charge. Kaelen took a deep breath, steadied his grip, and waited.

As the beast lunged, he anticipated the movement, sidestepping and allowing it to charge past him. Seizing the moment, he swung his sword with all his might, aiming for the beast's flank. The blade connected, slicing through the thick fur and into the flesh. The creature howled in pain, rearing back and turning to face him, fury in its eyes.

Kaelen felt a rush of triumph, but it was short-lived. The creature charged again, faster this time. He barely had time to react as he raised his sword, bracing for impact. The collision sent him crashing to the ground, the breath knocked out of him.

Lying in the sand, Kaelen struggled to regain his composure. He focused on was the beast looming over him, its horns poised to strike. Summoning every ounce of strength, he rolled to the side just as the beast lunged again, its horn embedding in the ground where he had just been.

Kaelen scrambled to his feet, heart pounding in his chest. He seized the opportunity, charging at the beast once more. This time, he didn’t hesitate. With a powerful swing, he aimed for the beast’s neck, and with a determined cry, he brought his sword down.

The blade connected with a sickening thud, piercing through the creature’s tough hide. The beast staggered, letting out a final, pained roar before collapsing to the ground, lifeless.

Kaelen stood there, panting heavily, his heart racing as he stared at the fallen beast. Victory surged through him, mingling with the exhaustion and pain from the fight. He had done it. Despite the struggle, he had come out on top.

["Bighorn charger slain. Intermediate Rune of Strength awarded. Minor rune of constitution awarded."]

Kaelen stared at the words floating in front of him, disappointment etched on his face. He had no idea what they meant. Just as he was about to shoo the words away in frustration, Vessira landed back on his head, her eyes gliding over the text.

"Hm, an intermediate rune," she mused, her tone brightening. "This creature was higher leveled than we thought, but you still won!"

Kaelen nodded, feeling a mixture of pride and confusion. After a moment, he reluctantly asked, "So what did it say? What changed?"

"Ah, yes, back to the task at hand," she said, letting out a light laugh. "Well, you received an intermediate rune of strength, which increased it by two, bringing your total to twenty-two. You also got a minor rune of constitution, boosting that to twenty-three. You only need ten more stat points to level up!"

Kaelen nodded at her and grabbed the beast and hoisted it over his shoulder bringing it back to the group.

Zharaith nodded at him, a smile spreading across her face. "You did well. I can see your inexperience, but you'll improve. Now, you're free to leave since you've repaid your debt, but I suggest you stay. The desert is home to creatures far more deadly than a bighorn, and in your current state, I doubt you'd even be able to run away."

Kaelen had already been planning to ask to stay longer, but Zharaith’s words made his decision easier. He pretended to contemplate for a moment before finally telling her, “I’ll stay. I want to get strong enough to at the very least run away if things get too dicey.”

Zharaith smiled, pleased to have a dedicated member on her hunting team, especially one with so much potential.