“The Elder Claw forest is home to many unique beasts and even more unique resources but remains treated as a high-danger area because of the high level of previously mentioned beasts. The forest's natural border to the west for the Kingdom of Arolin has also played a significant part in its successful rule for the past centuries.” More information on the subject is available on page 255. - History of the Kingdom of Arolin

Aster

Excitement coursed through my body like a skill as I dashed through the thick forest, passing a tree in a blur and narrowly missing a branch wrapped in a thorny vine that would have slammed into my face. Usually, I would have felt more concerned about scrapes and bruises, but not today. I couldn't care, not at all.

Letting out a laugh that probably sounded crazy, I ran, the wind rushing through my hair. Today was going to be perfect. I just knew it.

I knew I was getting close to the destination I wanted, so after making sure nothing was in my bath for the next dozen feet, I took a glance behind me and confirmed I had lost my pursuer. I wasn't the sneakiest, but I had been fast and taken a different route than usual, so I had a bit before anyone caught up, which meant I could at least hunt on my own for the moment.

Slowing down to a walk, I took a moment to catch my breath, not that I felt strained. A usual run like this didn’t wind me anymore after reaching level thirty, but I wanted my breathing to be even and calm because of what was ahead.

I looked around, noting the tree type changing from all the dark and tall claw wood trees to becoming mixed with oak, noting how the claw wood that still was present seemed to suddenly shrink dozens of feet in size as the ambient mana that gave the trees their size dropped considerably. I was passing the invisible edge of the inner forest close to a spot I knew well and liked to call the glade. It wasn't exactly a place I would typically hunt at with all the grade-two beasts that stayed in the area, but this was my last hunt before my unlocking, and I wanted the hunt to be challenging.

Even thinking about what would happen tonight, I had a shiver of excitement running up my back, but I shook my head roughly, clearing the thought. I would make this hunt a clean and perfect one. To do so, I needed to focus like Kulni had taught me.

Pulling the bow off my back, I quickly strung the string up, the thick braid of fiber and curved wood easily bending to my strength. I went through the practiced routine that Kulni had taught me when I first started to use the bow and identified each item, looking for any problems the screen might give me.

[Elder Claw Tree Bow - Uncommon - This bow has been crafted by a grade 0 human and lacks any notable features except for the durable wood and unique fibers in its creation.

Allows for mana imbuing of arrows made from the same type of wood limited to a maxim of ten mana per arrow.]

[Elder Claw Arrow - Uncommon - This arrow, crafted from the wood of an Elder Claw tree and the feathers of a Graw Crowned hawk, allows it to fly fast and straight as long as mana is infused into the arrow.]

Identifying the pair brought back the memory of over three years ago when I had spent over a month finding the wood that Kulni deemed suitable and weeks to find a bird inside the inner forest with feathers that would allow for the infusing of mana. Making the bow and arrows that had taken the longest. Three months of daily carving and smoothing with Kulni watching would teach you to respect what you made.

I was initially upset at the task, but ever since I finished my bow and the six arrows, I’ve used them to my limit, and they haven't let me down yet.

Fitting the arrows in the loopholes, I smiled at the other memory, a much more recent one. Kulni had tried to get me to use a quiver a little over a year ago, but I preferred using the loopholes, and I had made a better set of them from the leather of that quiver, and while Kluni wasn’t pleased, she still deemed my work suitable.

The reason why I enjoyed the loopholes so much? The arrows were easier to draw; they didn't bounce when I moved in a fight, and I felt more comfortable reaching down and to my back to pull them out, even if my way limited the number of arrows I could carry.

Letting out a huff of air through my nose, I watched my cold breath billow and used it to check the wind. It was in my favor, which meant I wouldn't have to circle the clearing this time. I grinned with joy. I might even be able to finish my hunt before anyone arrived.

Looking around, taking in my surroundings again, I checked for any danger I might have missed. Seeing nothing, I started forward, letting my feet move noiselessly through the leaves and twigs that littered the ground. As the last few trees that blocked my vision of the clearing came close, I bent low, almost crouching as I looked into the grassy field beyond them. At first glance, the glade looked empty, but that wasn’t the case. Despite the risk of being hunted, a place this close to the inner forest would always have a creature living around with how much more ambient mana there was.

That was why I had chosen to hunt in the glade today. Well, that and mother had forbidden me from coming here until last year, when I turned 15, so the glade was still quite a new spot for me.

From the scents the others had picked up yesterday, the glade, this time, was home to only one beast. I stood still, an arrow knocked in my bow but not yet drawn back, and waited, eyes scanning over the chest-high field of grass. I searched my eyes, scanning the field, looking for the inconsistency until my eyes landed on what I was looking for. In a single spot in the middle of the clearing, a patch of grass was not pointing straight up, but instead, the grass pointed at an angle, the grass not moving in the breeze, and in the grass were two green horns. That told me all I needed to know, and as quickly as I could, keeping my eyes locked on the bent stalks that weren't affected by the wind, I pulled back the bow, taking only a few seconds to aim and letting the mana flow into the arrow before letting loose.

The Felim was a beast of about medium size, around six feet tall, covered in coarse fur, long, thin, sharp horns, and solitary. From what I knew, the trap-like creature liked to hide in open fields, where it would use small amounts of mana to coat its body in a thin layer of its surroundings to hide itself. The only part of the creature visible at that point would be the horns, which the beast used to draw in mana to keep the invisibility-like skill active. In later grades, the skill would get better, but I wasn’t planning on letting that happen.

The green horns, which are usually hard to spot, gave the Felim away, and the arrow I had aimed slightly below the horns flew true. Shooting through the grass, pushing away the nearby stalks, the arrow gave me a better view as the mana I had filled kept it straight on target.

The bleating scream and the distortion that seemed to start to melt away told me I had hit it. The creature's brown coat, now becoming visible, had a hole piercing through its right shoulder, telling me my arrow had gone cleanly through it.

Initially upset at having missed the creature's vital point, the mood disappeared as I saw the beast start to get up, a look at the Felim explaining what I had done wrong. The horn had a jagged crack at the base in the middle, bending the horn more than it should have been.

I berated myself mentally as I drew another arrow. I’d been rushing to fire so fast. Taking longer to look for any other faults would have probably given me a clean kill; now, it would be a task.

I let loose the second arrow as soon as the creature turned to face me, the bow string snapping forward. Imbuing mana into an arrow wasn't exactly hard to notice for anything that could sense natural mana as long as they were paying attention. The second arrow, which had been multiple times easier to aim, hit the creature right below the neck, but the beast was now awake, angry. Ready for a fight, its coat had taken on a slight gleam that seemed to slow the approaching arrow right before it hit. Still, the arrow sunk several inches deep, but not as much as I would have preferred.

The Felim let out another bellow of pain. Its eyes, hazy from being awakened from a deep sleep, were filled with hate and focused fully on me.

It did what creatures always did with something in front of them. Lowering its two horns and shaking its head from side to side, the Felim let out a bellow as they charged. I let loose a third arrow, taking a few steps back as the creature made rapid progress forward, probably using a skill that sped it up.

I watched as the arrow was slapped to the side by the horn embedding itself somewhere in the grass. I was a good ninety feet away, but the creature ate up the first dozen feet in a second and was building up momentum. Clicking my tongue with annoyance, I winced as my tongue caught on one of the fangs, cutting a small gash. I had to get out of that habit before my mouth was all scars. Lining my back up with the closest tree behind me, I readied myself, drawing another arrow from my back.

It took me around two seconds to imbue an arrow entirely with mana. I would have done it, but the skill I planned to use took longer to charge, and I wanted to try something. Letting the mana flow into the skill, I waited the heart-pounding seconds, and even after the skill was full of mana, I waited. Keeping my eyes locked on the Felim, mentally counting down the steps, I only activated the skill once it closed to twenty feet.

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I felt my body slightly stretch and then lash upwards as over eighty mana and stamina points were used at once for Hunting Dash. It wasn't an instant movement skill, but Hunting Dash was fast and worth the extreme cost if I used it correctly.

When the skill finished, I was in the air twelve feet above where I had just been, my bow aimed down the arrow nocked. I wasted no time drawing the bow back and letting the arrow absorb the mana freely as I started to fall. Bellow me, the Felim smashed into the tree, sending splinters and chunks of wood flying everywhere, but it held the heartwood of the tree only slightly scratched. Claw wood was known for its durability, after all, and the beast had found out the hard way. The Felim stumbled but didn’t have the sense to look up as its brain was probably bounced around in its head.

I let the arrow take as much mana as possible, trying to push more in faster, but I could tell the mana wasn't even half full before I had to let it fly as I drew too close. The arrow barreled into the back of the skull of the Felim, but with the lack of half of the mana to help, it stopped after only an inch and a half. I had hoped for it to go deeper but gave a mental shrug. The beast was stronger than I had thought, especially for a beast that relied on surprise attacks. In the end, this wouldn't change the outcome. I landed on the back of the Felim, its broad shoulders making for an easy place to stand. Raising one of my boots, I slammed it into the arrow, pushing it another inch deeper. I would have to get more fletching for the arrow, but it would be worth it to finish the fight before Sandath arrived. The Felim, who was still dazed, didn't have a chance to recover. Its body stiffened as the arrow parted the skull the rest of its skull, and its head went slack with another stomp as the rest of the arrow slid into its brain.

[You have killed a Felim Royal Forest-Dweller Level 53.]

[You have defeated a creature 1 grade higher than you. Increased Experience is awarded]

[Your race class has already reached its maximum level and cannot gain experience.]

[Your second class is currently locked. Partial experience has been allocated and will be awarded upon unlocking your second class.]

I slid off the back of the Felim as its body tilted to the side into a heap of fur. Mentally flicking the notifications away, I looked at the last creature I would hunt on my own before unlocking my second class. I had taken a small risk hunting it without being able to identify it because of its ability to hide itself. Still, any creature this close to the inner forest wouldn't be below forty. I tilted my head, looking at the beast's cracked horn, wondering what made the crack. I’d probably never find out. Sliding the knife out of its sheath from my side, I reached for the horn that wasn't cracked and started to hack it off. The process took more strength than I would have liked, and I wished for a moment that I had a knife I could imbue mana into, but mine was just a regular one-sided iron knife. Once the horn was free from the rest of the Felim, I identified it.

[Felim Horn - Rare - The horn of a beast capable of using mana to hide in plain sight. Some effects of the race skill still linger in this horn. It can be used in various crafting and alchemy methods.]

I didn't know much about its use, but everything had a use. I slid the horn into the small bag on my side. It almost didn't fit, and I wondered if I should have bought the satchel that I used for herbs. My thoughts were interrupted when I spotted a black blur moving toward me out of the corner of my eye. Even as I turned to face it, I didn't have time to move before the black mass collided with me. I could only mutter the thought that came to my mind. “Aghha”.

I gasped as the air was forced out of my lungs and thrown off my feet. I tumbled for a second, and the world spun wildly before I came to a rest, now covered in dust and some of the blood of the Felim.

Once the world had oriented correctly, I looked up and saw gleaming white teeth that snapped shut inches from my face. The yellow eyes that I had been slightly nervous around when I was younger behind the teeth were full of amusement.

“Sandath, you're going to drool all over me!” I complained, trying to push at the massive black wolf who ever so smugly backed away and trotted in a circle, his tail held high.

“I win this time, Aster!” His voice was as gleeful as ever in my mind. I groaned and got to my feet, shaking off the dirt that had covered me.

“You only won because I wasn’t worried about any beast sneaking up.” The excuse wasn’t a good one, but it was true, in my opinion. With the inner forest to my back and Kulni’s mana surrounding it, no beast would dare enter except for the beast below-grade one who didn't understand what they were feeling. That didn't stop Sandath’s happy prance and small howl of victory.

“Even with you getting me, I’m still one ahead,” I said, crossing my arms after he continued to boast.

The score was now eighty-six to eighty-seven, as close as ever in the entire game. The furthest lead either of us had gotten was five points. The rules were simple: win a hunt against the other by proving you could have surprised them or gotten an attack off without the other noticing until it was too late. Of course, there were exceptions, but grudgingly, I had to admit that Sandath had won this time.

Giving a curious look up at the wolf, I wondered, even with skills, how he could still manage to sneak up on me or anything with his size. Even standing at my not-so-impressive five foot two, I barely reached his shoulders. He’s still not even fully grown. I thought ruefully as I imagined what his height would be when he was. I waited a small moment, letting him take in his win. I’d do the same to him next time I won.

After a moment, I spoke, “Can you help me find my arrows? Two flew off into the glade. Also, is the hunting party close?”

Sandath nodded, walking back up as I pulled the two arrows out of the Felim, shaking the blood off of the wooden tips. “I already told them about the hunt. They’ll pick up the prey on the way back.” He tilted his head as he said it, most likely still talking with them.

Walking with him out into the glade, I couldn't deny the slight bit of jealousy at the race skill the pack had that I hadn't gotten. Being able to talk with anyone else in the pack mentally was useful, even with the range limit the skill had. Sandath sniffed the air before turning slightly in his walk, then pawed the grass, moving a patch out of the way.

“Here’s one”.

Leaning down, I picked up the arrow in the upturned dirt, inspecting it for damage. The mana that had been around it kept the arrow in good shape, so it only needed to be cleaned. Sliding it back into the loop, we approached where Felim had been hiding. The grass was flattened, and bones of small creatures littered the area, something that its camouflage had apparently hidden.

Sandath paused before walking in his snout, wrinkling out. “It smells weird here, different.” Confused, I tilted my head as I stepped into the small area, turning around to face him.

“Like a bad weird, or maybe the Felim was sick?” I asked, looking around. Sick prey was not something the pack usually worried about, but some did appear now and then. I trusted his nose more than my own, and it wasn't unusual for him to pick things up before I did. In this case, I couldn't smell or sense a thing out of place at all.

Sandath was silent, not responding for a moment as he sniffed the ground before smelling the air. “It smells like the Felim was here for a few days but also smells different. I don’t know what it is.”

I nodded, “I’ll ask Mother about the glade and if anything has come by recently.” I respond while looking around, spotting the wooden shaft embedded into the ground almost to its feathers. I reached down, pulling it out. The arrow would definitely need new feathers. Having gone through the Felim, they were tattered and torn. Placing this arrow in the last of the loops, I turned to face Sandath, taking a step forward and shrugging. “We can leave- " My voice cut off as I stumbled forward, tripping as my foot sank into the ground.

Turning around, I looked at the missing lower half of my leg. My leg wasn't in pain, but there was a sharp cold running up my leg that made me speechless. Sandath’s teeth sinking into the back of my shirt and pulling me back brought me back to my senses, and I scrambled with my arms, looking at my leg as it slid out of the ground.

Where my leg had been was now a blue wavering mist that glowed around the edges. I watched as the patch of grass and dirt slowly started to reform. Sandath’s nose pressing into my leg had me looking down at it, but nothing was out of place besides the cold I felt from it.

After a moment of stunned shock, I asked, “What was that?” Once touched my leg, I knew I was okay and grew more interested in what had to be magic than scared.

Sandath looked at where the hole was now less than a finger width length in size, and we watched as it sealed over, the blue mist dissolving and being replaced with what I now knew had to be some skill.

“I don't know, but it feels dangerous. There's no smell coming from it. None.” That made me look over at the wolf. I could see him inhaling his nose to the ground.

I was surprised at his statement. Even when a skill was used that hid scent and sight from the senses, it was covered up by the surrounding environment’s looks or smell, like how the Felim had been practically see-through. Sandath was talking about a lack of anything, and that, more than anything, was why I was now interested.

Sandath let out a whine of protest as I used my bow to tap the ground as I moved forward, but even if his senses gave him a spot that screamed danger, I knew he would stay beside me. After all, if something near the Inner Forest could hurt one of her wolves, Mother would have already told us, so I wasn't so concerned as to leave the area. Whatever this magic was, it could prove interesting. Sandath was staying behind me as I moved forward, his tail flicking uneasily, giving away his anxiousness.

I paused to rub between his ears before slowly moving forward further, lightly tapping the bow on the ground.

After a few feet of slow movement, we finally found the spot as the bow dipped beneath the grass without a sound. I looked over and up to Sandath with a grin as I etched a line in the dirt where it started and started to walk around it. I assumed it was an illusion spell of some kind, like what I read about in books. Judging by how the bow seemed to move quickly through it, that was all it was. I stopped when the grass switched from flattened to standing straight up. I went to the other side of the small, flattened area and did the same. Sandath continued to stay glued behind me, ready to grab me if I slipped. After a few minutes of careful and slow work, I looked at the results. Half a circle lined out in dirt about four feet wide, marked with a line.

I smiled wide as I realized that being small would finally pay off, as Sandath most likely would struggle to fit.

Before getting closer, though, at Sandath's insistence that we didn't know how deep the illusion went, I waited for him to find a vine strong enough to hold me. After a wait that seemed to last forever, with the illusion tauntingly right before me, he came back toting a long vine in his jaws. In a few moments, we had the two-inch thick vine tied around my waist, with Sandath holding the other end as I gave it a test tug.

“Mother won’t be happy when she learns we aren't hunting.” Sandath pointed out, but I waved his worry away as I got on my knees and started forward slowly.

“We’ll grab something on the way back, and with the Felim, we’ll be good. I want to see what this is.” I didn't tell him, but there was just something about it that was telling me to take a look.