“Ready for a hunt?” Lysander questioned the brothers as he draped his arms around the both of them.

Both raised their eyebrows and looked over at him confused. “Hunt?” Nikalus questioned him.

“Considering you didn’t feed Merci before we left Zanderia, we need to hunt.” Lysander spoke with harshness in his voice as he answered NIkalus’s question.

“I…Um…” Nikalus stumbled on his words. “I thought she ate prior to us getting her.”

“Did you ask if she wanted food at all?” Lysander questioned with narrow eyes as he glared at both brothers.

“No.” Both of them responded.

“Then we need to go on a hunt.” Lysander’s attitude changed back to his happy demeanor that he had a few minutes prior.

“What are you feeling?” Octaivus questioned Lysander further.

“Wyrmoofs. There are a few down by the river.”

“Looking for an aggressive hunt? Why not something simple like fish?” Octaivus questioned.

Lysander shrugged, “We were talking about them and now I and Merci both have a taste for them.”

“Of course you do.” Nikalus shook his head in dismay. “Well, let’s get this hunt over with. Merci’s not joining us is she?”

All three looked over at her and quickly went back to resume their conversation. “No. She will watch from the cliff.” Lysander said, “If any of us gets hurt she can practice her healing magic.”

“Fine. Let’s get this over with.” Octavius grumbled as he grabbed a bow from his back and prepared a few arrows.

Nikalus drew a longsword from his hilt. While Lysander just stood amongst the two men.

“No weapon?” Merci asked Lysander with a bit of curiosity and amusement.

“My magic is my weapon.” Lysander said with confidence.

Nikalus rolled his eyes, “The time he uses a physical weapon Hell would freeze over. He relies too heavily on magic.”

“Magic is beneficial and you two know it.” Lysander snapped back. “Besides, the use of my battle magic in this hunt will help Merci see some of the more complex spells.”

“Just don’t drop a fireball over the land.” Octavius said, “We aren’t immune to fire damage you know…”

Merci glanced between the three, “You speak as if there was a time when he…”

“Dropped a fireball on us? There were a few.” Octavius grumbled, “Regardless, the past is the past. Let us get this hunt over with.”

All of them walked back over to the edge of the cliff where Merci and Lysander saw the creatures. Thankfully, they were still there. In fact, there were three of them hanging around the river bend.

“You two flank as I approach them. I am unarmed so they will think nothing of it. I will begin communication with them to give them a false awareness. Then you two strike.” Lysander said.

Merci looked at him with a bit of concern. “I’m surprised magic is used that way…”

“It’s not a favored tactic but it does help.” Lysander said as he began to carefully walk down to the river bend. Leaving Merci with the two brothers.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

The brothers waited for Lysander to get up close and personal with the Wyrmhoof and as soon as Nikalus spotted the magical incantation being utilized the brothers moved stealthily behind the creature.

Merci couldn’t help but wonder if these creatures they were hunting had a good depth perception or Lysander knew how to distract creatures that well. As before she knew it, Octavius was perched on a rock not too far from the creature Lysander was standing. Meanwhile, Nikalus was sneaking up more closely to the creature as he had a well-decorated and crafted longsword.

Merci held her breath as she watched Lysander’s plan unfold. Octaivus popped off not one but two shots with his bow towards the creature. Striking it in the back of the head and in the back of the neck. The creature instantly collapsed to the ground and the body soon began to twitch as the creature tried to fight off the pain and it’s fight or flight response kicked in.

Lysander was quick to jump back a good distance as a brief misty fog appeared and disappeared as he appeared thirty feet away from the creature. Before Merci knew it a crackling bolt of liquid lava burst from Lysander’s palms and into the creature’s side, causing the creature to stop moving as the bolt had hit directly in the creature's chest.

One down, two more to go and based on the communcation from the defeat of the first creature the other two were ready to charge at Lysander. Thankfully, Lysander was quick on his feet and was quick to dodge any Wyrmhoofs that charged in his direction.

Nikalus was just as quick on his feet and charged straight towards the creatures with his sword outward as he sliced through not one but both remaining creatures. However, his attacks proved to be less brutal as the creatures still stood strong despite fresh crimson spewing from their sides.

Merci watched as Lysander fired off a few glowing purplish darts, hitting the creature three times each. However, the creatures still stood strong despite taking a decent amount of damage.

Merci could feel her heart begin to thump hard in her chest as she feared the two in the front would get seriously hurt as the creatures were running towards them at a decent speed. Then again, Lysander and Nikalus were just moving at equally fast speed so they were never touched.

Her eyes drifted from those two to where Octaivus perched and watched him take two more shots one at each creature. The first shot hit the one right between the shoulder blades on the back, which finally caused it to collapse. The third was untouched as the arrow zoomed past it, hitting the ground not too far from Nikalus.

Nikalus looked up at his brother briefly before running straight towards the creature and striking it in its chest with his sword. His sword hit true as the sword pierced through the creature’s other side, dripping with warm crimson.

Once the tenson from the fight ceased and dismissed, Merci sighed heavily as she hadn’t seen a fight before and she was grateful that none of them got hurt.

“Well, what you think?” Lysander’s voice echoed next to her causing her to jump five feet.

“How did you…” Merci breathed as she quickly turned back and forth between Lysander and where she last saw him.

“A spell that is called Shadow Step.” Lysander said with a grin. “How did you enjoy the fight?”

“It was…” Merci wasn’t sure how she should answer. But she knew she enjoyed the fight. As it was the most exciting thing she had witnessed.

“Glad you think so.” Lysander finished her sentence before she could even speak it. As if he was reading her mind. “Don’t worry about the brothers. They are harvesting one of the creatures for food right now. The others we have packed away in a cooler of holding to keep it fresh for us.”

Merci looked back at the area where the three creatures had fallen and saw exactly what Lysander had said. Two of the creatures were gone and the two brother’s were harvesting the creature that was remaining.

“Come with me.” Lysander said as he held his hand out for Merci to take.

Merci was hesitant to take it but she felt comfortable enough to and let him lead her to the two brothers who were taking pieces of meat off the fresh kill.

“Hope you are starving.” Octaivus said they approached, “One of these could easily feed fifty or more people if prepared correctly.”

Merci’s eyes went wide at the thought of that much food in a given setting. “I could eat.” Merci said, “Can I help prepare this?”

“Do you know how to cook?” Octaivus questioned her.

“I… I guess not.” Merci said defeated as she watched them pull out wood from their bag and began to sit a fire.

“Then I would advise against it.” Octaivus said, “We didn’t do all of this work to have the meal ruined by improper cooking.”

Merci couldn’t help but roll her eyes even though he had a fair point but that didn’t mean she couldn’t learn it right? “Can I learn?” Merci questioned Octaivus as she watched them light the fire with ease and began to skew the meat on a stick.

“I suppose.” Octaivus said as he began to tell Merci the steps into proper cooking.