Two more days have passed after Razor's successful firefox hunt. On the first day, Razor hunted small games as he awaited the repair of his short sword. He tracked a couple of Forest Aurabbits that used Aura only for evasion. They are covered with brown fur to blend with the trees and wilting leaves on the ground.
Typically, they are hunted using a bow and arrow when found since they are nimble when they flee. But Razor found a trick to slay them with daggers. When startled, their first jump is directed mostly upwards than forwards. He took advantage of this knowledge by predicting where the rabbit would land and intercepting it with his dagger before landing. After a dozen failures, Razor finally got the timing right and successfully caught three.
On the second day, Razor finally retrieved his short sword. They found a young mud hog by the river, east of Featherwood. Mud hogs use water attribute magic to convert a small patch of dirt into mud. An adult mud hog boasts high defenses and can even spray a mist to obscure its presence. However, a young mud hog is trivial to hunt.
Kent was surprised by this encounter since it was rare to find a young mud hog alone. Kent considered themselves lucky, but Razor thought differently. The young hog's parents must have been preyed upon, so they decided to come home early. Razor enjoyed roasted pork for dinner that night.
Today, Razor started with a hearty breakfast as usual. Taking yesterday's leftovers from the pantry and some other ingredients, he made himself some breakfast. While planning what to do for the day, he heard a knock on the door.
"Hellooo? Raaayzoor? Are you awake?"
It was Kent. He was two hours earlier than planned. Wondering why he went so early, Razor opened the door for his unexpected guest.
"Yo Kent. It's unusual for you to be this early. Come on in. I'm still having breakfast. Care to join me?"
"Oh sure," Kent agreed. "Sorry for intruding." The blue-haired boy reflexively said as he entered Razor's house. While the two approached the dining room, Kent remembered what he was coming for. "Oh yeah, I've got some good news for you." He grinned widely.
"Really? What is it?" Razor was curious about what could have gotten Kent so excited early in the morning.
"Well... Close your eyes. Don't open them until I tell you."
Razor complied with his earnest request. While Razor couldn't see, he could hear Kent chanting as silently as he could. He then felt the air suddenly getting warmer. He then smiled as he realized what the good news was.
"You can open your eyes now," Kent said, sounding proud of himself.
Razor opened his eyes to see a small flame on a magic circle hovering above Kent's right palm.
"You've awakened your mana!" Razor exclaimed. Everyone was expecting that to happen, but that did not stop him from feeling surprised. However, the good news that Kent wanted to tell was different.
"And you know what that means... I'm now officially your hunting partner!" Kent proudly proclaimed.
Razor was left in a daze after Kent's declaration. Two years ago, Kent declined his invitation to team up. Now, it was Kent who willingly declared himself as his partner. This was the most unexpected surprise he had ever received.
After recovering from astonishment, Razor wolfed down his breakfast. The two decided to leave earlier than planned as both were excited to try new things. Kent returned home to properly bid farewell, and Razor received the firefox leather glove he commissioned. The two then converged on the meeting spot they agreed upon.
"Have you decided what beast to hunt for today?" Kent asked as they walked toward the forest. With his mana awakened, he can now use magic spells and cast them. Although the newbie mage can only use a basic flame spell, for now, his newly gained power still excited him greatly. He could not wait to try new things with his magic.
"How about a wood attribute beast? You used a fire spell earlier, so it's only fair if we hunt a wood attribute beast so we'll have the attribute advantage." Razor suggested. In truth, he was planning for some other game now that he had some protection. But now, he wanted Kent to take the spotlight for today. He was also curious about how his bookish friend fights.
"That's a great idea! I've been itching to try my fireballs." Kent said excitedly. Kent thought for a while before deciding on a target. "How about a Snare Snap? It doesn't move, and the forest won't get angry if we hunt one."
"Then off we go!"
***
Snare Snaps are known for trapping their prey with their roots and devouring them whole. They use an aromatic lump of leafy meat to lure their victims in. As soon as an unsuspecting prey is close enough, tentacle-like vines will shoot from the ground and bind the target. Its main body will then emerge and devour its immobilized prey. They are usually found in areas where the animal population is low.
Typically, Snare Snaps are not hunted for multiple reasons. They help kill predators, they don't breed quickly to be considered damaging, and it is very blatant for people to identify one. Nevertheless, it serves as excellent target practice.
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After Kent discussed the nature of the beast with Razor, the two set out to find a Snare Snap. Razor knew of the beast, but it didn't hurt to listen to his enthusiastic friend and verify his knowledge. After an hour of searching, they found one within a small clearing along the border of the barrier.
"Are you ready? You remember the plan, right?" Razor inquired. While Kent is knowledgeable about the beast, he still entrusts the battle plan to Razor since he is more experienced in this field.
The plan was simple. Razor will touch the leafy meat and quickly retreat as soon as the trap is triggered. Razor is confident in his speed and reaction time. Even when caught by the Snare Snap, he knows that he can escape somehow. After the main body emerges, Kent will then bombard the beast with his fire.
"I'm ready!" Kent asserted after mentally pumping himself.
The prey, this time, is not that sensitive to sounds. Still, Razor approached quietly out of habit. Kent placed himself at a comfortable range to attack and began chanting. A new rune seems to appear in the mostly empty magic circle everytime Kent utter a word.
As soon as both were ready, Razor acted his part of the plan. He quickly approached the bait and touched it. Kent started manifesting a fireball.
As soon as he felt the ground rumble, he immediately jumped to evade the incoming vines. Ten thick vines tried to bind Razor, but only two managed to reach one of his legs. Razor swiftly cut the vines with his dagger as if expecting it.
Enraged, the Snare Snap's main body emerged from the ground. It moves slowly, but more of its fast-moving vines are now exposed. Razor defends himself from the Snare Snap while leading it away from the hole it came from.
After the Snare Snap was sufficiently far from the hole, Kent released the fireball. He aimed it toward the main body. The fire started spreading to engulf the beast, making it scream. Realizing the mage's presence, the beast started moving back to the hole to drown the fire underground. The vines stopped attacking Razor and tried to strike its own body near the burning area instead. It was ineffective, but the fire was somewhat getting put out.
Razor changed position to stop the beast from retreating. The vines were once again attacking. Then Kent threw another fireball. Two places were now burning, and even the vines were getting affected. With no way to put the fire out, the beast finally perished.
"That was easy," Kent expressed in a daze. Without breaking a sweat, he has burned a Snare Snap to its demise. Though, the same couldn't be said with the heavily panting Razor, whose legs have collapsed.
"You okay, buddy?" said Kent after snapping out. After his tunnel vision dissipated, he finally saw his tired friend.
"That was exhausting," the panting black-haired kid replied. It was his first time fighting a beast head-on. His previous hunts were more waiting than fighting. Nevertheless, It was a good experience.
Razor stood up as he reached for his friend's hand. He then cut the leafy meat dangling from the head of the charred carcass as a reward. Nothing much could be done to the rest of its body since axes are the right tool to process it. The two decided to just bury it back from whence it came under the principle of leaving no traces. Razor started pushing the remains back to the hole when Kent found something interesting.
"Hey, Razor! Come. Look."
The busy boy stopped what he was doing and approached the slacking one.
"This hole looks quite deep," Kent added.
Staring at the hole, Razor cannot help but agree. "How did the Snare Snap stay at the top without falling?"
"It looked like it anchored itself with its vines. Look at those markings around the hole."
"That makes sense," Razor replied, satisfied with the answer. On a whim, Razor called at the hole. "Hello?" Echoes can be heard after two seconds. He mentally calculated its depth.
"Woah, it's really extremely deep. How do we fill it back? The Snare Snap will just slip if we put it back. I don't want to leave this like that."
"Let's place it back at an angle so it won't slip. We can fill the gaps with leaves and dirt. And if it holds for a few seconds, it will hold forever." Kent suggested.
Unconvinced by Kent's logic, Razor reluctantly agreed as they lacked other alternatives. Kent's plan worked surprisingly. After the two rested, they left for some more games as the leafy meat was not enough for a meal.
"Let's hunt a Thundeer today. With the two of us, I'm sure we can handle it!"
With the two of them together, the hunting efficiency has more than doubled. During the Thundeer hunt, they focused on improving their teamwork and coordination instead of going for the kill immediately. They eventually subdued the Thundeer, which earned Razor a lot more raw meat than he expected. Kent, on the other hand, only requested to obtain its antlers.
***
Razor went home with more food than usual, so he decided to have a feast. He invited Kent to join him since he helped in hunting the beasts. Kent accepted his invitation and upgraded the dinner party into a sleepover. He used to share his room with his brother, so Kent was offered to sleep on his brother's bed. After their repast, the two retreated to Razor's room, chatted the night away, and had fun. During their conversations, Razor learned something surprising about Kent.
"What haven't you told your parents that you awakened!?" Razor was surprised. He thought every parent would surely be happy when their child awakens.
"Well... I've been dreading to tell my parents about it." Kent said with a sad smile. "You see, my mom will start my mage training once they know I awakened. You know how scary my mom is... Besides, we won't have much time together if I tell them now." He said dejectedly.
"I see..." Razor sighed. He wanted Kent's company as well, but he could understand Kent's situation. It is customary to let children adapt to their newly awakened power.
"But don't worry. I'll tell my parents immediately once we're done with this... thing." Kent said reassuringly. "By the way, when are they coming back again?" He asked curiously.
"They will be back in a week," Razor replied. "The Alderus Academia foundation week has ended. They only planned to watch my elder brother's tournament, but they said something held them back." He explained.
"Oh... I see... So just a week more, huh?" Kent said with a disappointed look on his face. This week may be the last for them to have each other's company. It was decided for Kent to attend the mentioned Academia as well. While Razor chose to do an apprenticeship under the Hunter's Guild. On the bright side, there was still half a year before the next academic year, in the forthcoming spring. So, this week won't be the last they will see each other.
"Yeah..." Razor sighed. "But we'll just make the best of it for now." He said with a smile. "Tomorrow, we will hunt the biggest prey we can find. With the two of us together, we can take down anything." He added confidently.
"Yeah, let's do that," Kent said with a smile. "But now, I'm going to sleep. I'm getting sleepy already." He added and yawned.
"Okay... Good night then." Razor said as he watched Kent lay down on his brother's bed. He blew the lamp fire shortly afterward. Getting sleepier, he too closed his eyes to sleep, looking forward to tomorrow.