Hello Readers,
Hello its me your mother. Lmao. How are you guys? I hope everything is okay and dandy. I bring to you a chapter with lots of information.
Dark Rose Charm- Hey~ Oh there going to be some love rivals alright.
Aurora- Thank you. I am glad that you like it.
More like I pray for me! I couldn't shake the feeling that I needed to spread my wings, and travel the somewhere. As if, something or someone is calling for me, out there somewhere. Even Amarok, the big bad wolf, can feel it in his wolf bones. He keeps saying I won't get any stronger if I keep staying here, always calling me a pup. It seems that the more I use my spell, the more intelligent and stronger this wolf gets. I wonder if all my spells would be just like that. Will they start out weak spells only to get stronger and maybe more intelligence as I put in the mana, training, and time in them?
I look through my job options and nothing seems to jump at me at all. Many people would go into the family business, be magic knights, or be on their own path. I ask my uncle if he can help, and he was all for it. I tell him that I want to travel, and get stronger. I want a job that can challenge me to get better. Oh, how I didn't know how many connections my uncle had. I underestimated him. All I can say, I fucked up!
"Hey…Kat, are you okay?" Sophie asks, pulling me away from my thoughts. I pull on the last arrow on the dummy, before I turn to her. Today was the last practice day for the both of us. Sophie is going to take the Magic Knight Entrance Exam while I would be ship off to Flann Croce, senior hunter of the same company that my uncle and I work for. In their division, they hunt the animals for their fur and handle any special requests from nobles.
I will be living in the forbidden realm for the next three years as my contract says. I can't believe I sign it without reading it. I thought I was given the job as secretary at the store. Nope! I going off grid for the next one thousands and ninety five days. UGH!
"Well, I am so not looking forward spending the next three years in the boons, Sophie," I said, collecting my arrows. I put them in my quiver and setting them on the side. Ms. Fenin surprise me with the set for helping her only daughter with getting stronger. After practice with Sophie with Amarok, we put practice targets so I can learn how to handle a bow while Sophie practice with her new spells: Iron daggers.
"Hey, just think as a long spiritual journey to better oneself orrrrrr You could always run away and be a Magic Knight with me instead!" she said, grabbing my arm. She is giving me her best pouting face with puppy dogs eyes. I'm sorry Sophie that the past me had a lot of younger siblings that used this technique on me. I am immune to her cuteness.
"Sophie~, you know how I feel about them," I groan, trying to get my arm free. She sighs and lets go, mumbling to herself. I swear she is trying everything she can for me to go with her and I don't want that. I want to leave the nest on my own.
"Mark my words, I will have you as a Magic Knight yet," she promises me. I laugh at her enthusiasm.
"Okay. After these three years, let's agree to come back and spar again. If you win, I'll take the exam and become a Magic Knight," I said, making a deal with her. She smiles.
"If you win, I'll treat you to meals until you're satisfied, Kat," she promises. We shake our hands, while I did not just say that. Food is the best motivation for me to do anything. I remember the last fall festival and all its street food. Sophie and I had the chance to go there, seeing the announcement of the ranking of the Magic Knights. I need to go back and eat those street foods. They gave me life. Some were small friend fish on a stick, fresh small bread with jam inside, lamb kebabs and more. I'm drooling at the thought of eating all of the food, and what's better yet, it would be paid for! Oh it is on!
"Now, I know I need to get stronger," I said, licking my lips, "I'll make sure not to leave you too poor,"
The next day I woke up very early to get ready for my mentor...master...teacher. I don't know what to call them to be honest, but I am so exciting. Something new to do. A challenge everyday. I never went hunting before as far as I can remember. I went back to my room to double check if I miss anything. I have everything I need. I check through my drawers, remembering all the outfits I had packed. All my dresses and nice clothing are in my closet or in my dresser, including two pairs of my good shoes. Uncle did say I would only need a pair of boots that would last me a couple of months. I plan to come back to buy more once I get my own money.
I sigh, anxious about the move. This would be the first time I would be away from my uncle. Of course I would be scared,but ,at the same time, I really want to make him proud. Pacing around the room, I start to annoy Amarok for feeling this way. Currently, he is by my side the entire time, complaining of not wanting to be poof back. Back where? I mean, I have not proven it yet, but I think Amarok and I are connected somehow. Maybe something about the spell or how my magic works. Ugh! All these thoughts are in my head and I can't deal with them at the same time. Each time another goes away another one takes its place. I don't how to end-
"Katherine! Where are you! Finn is here!"
Oh god! I'm not there to great my mentor! I quickly run out of my room, slamming into the wall. Damn. I hiss out in pain. I go down the stairs and around to see my uncle and a woman...no a man...um both. They are very tall and slender with broad shoulders. They have very soft features with their purple hair and dark eyes. I walk towards, clearing my throat to gain their attention.
"Finn, this is Katherine, my niece. Katherine, this is Finn. They are going to be your mentor for the next three years!" he said, cheerfully. Even though he smiles, I can see the bags under his eyes. I worry that once I am gone he wouldn't take care of himself properly. I bow my head towards Finn.
"Thank you for taking me in," I said, trying not to be nervous. I look up to see Finn's smile.
"Do not worry. Will get you strong!" they said, with a heavy accent voice. Their voice takes me back from...what country was it again? I frown a bit, trying to figure out where that accent seems so familiar. I remember it is a very cold country to begin would be times where I would remember something from my old past life, but lately as time ticks, my memories are being either fuzzy or they would disappear. I don't remember my past family, the last remaining face I can see clearly is Mama and Papi.
"Thank you. Should I get my lu-"
"Do not worry. Already on Carriage" They cut me off. They turn to my Uncle, giving off a creepy aura. Even Amarok is observing him quietly.
"We go now. Next time, we go get dinner, ja?" They said, patting my uncle'shoulder, before leaving. Uncle tries to stop them.
"Come on, Finn. You just go to the city, why don't you stay for lunch and relax," Uncle tries to persuade him.
"No time. Next time," Finn said, shaking their head. Uncle just turns to me and giving me a bear hug. I struggle a bit, more like a choke-hold. He starts to cry, not wanting me to go, but he says this would be good for me. He starts to swing me around in circles. Tears starts to shot out of his eyes like sprinklers.
"Oh my baby! You are finally going out in the world. I am so proud for my little girl. I just wish you could stay, but go. Go!" Uncle said, dramatically. He lets me go and I book it out of there. I know how dramatic he would get if he had the audience. He is more dramatic than a drag queen with her weave snatched.
"Unless! My beautiful niece-" Uncle turns around to see I'm out the door. I turn around and wave. I don't do well with goodbyes. With most people in my life, I never got the chance to say goodbye at all.
"See you soon, Uncle. I love you too!" I yell. I see that Master Finn is waiting for me on the carriage. I hop on, Amarok stepping into my shadow. Fin quietly sits there, driving the carriage. I didn't know how silent this trip would be to be honest. Finn gave it to me straight-forward that they like the silent and it should be kept like that. I struggle with that since this trip is three days out to his house, into the forbidden realm.
Truly, I will become strong after this ordeal. It has been three weeks since my deal with Sophie. Sophie went to take the exam and was offered the chance to be a Magic Knight in the Blue Roses squad. Good for her! She said it's a bit strange, though. Her captain appears to think that men are beneath her and there are not many of cute guys in this particular squad, only creeps that like getting used by their beautiful captain. Those fucking masochist! Sophie did say that some of these girls in her squad are beautiful and she won't hesitant to become their own knight in shinning armor. She is getting better with her defense. With everything she describes in her letters, I am seriously lacking right now.
Currently, I am scouting out an area, finding many deer tracks around, signs of many hares eating around here, and a herd of elks moving around here. Finn, my master, forcing me to do odd jobs. Their teaching method is very watch and then try. Many trying on my part. They are very quiet individual even when speaking, I have to strain my ears to hear them. I don't know if they are a male or female, but I know one thing. They are my master and a great teacher so far.
Finn is letting me stay at their home. It is a small home, with a large land attach to it. They are teaching me here, where it is safe, until I get the hangs of things. Hopefully, I can go to the next hunting party with them. I want to earn my keep here.
"C'mon, let's take that elk down. It would be easy for us," Amarok said, drooling at the sight of a young male elk. I note the number of points on his antlers. He just a young one for sure.
"Remember, Amarok, Master wants us to look, observe, and report. We do not kill any animals, yet," I said, sitting on my chair. I'm high above on the deer stand in the woods. So far, everything is quiet. I note this second group of elks passing through this field. I hear him licking his chomps, desiring nothing more than to sink his teeth into that elk's flesh. I want nothing more to actually do something, but I don't want to get another scolding from Master Finn, more like they put the fear of god into me with all these rules.
Rule number one: Never screw over your partner. They said this to Amarok, as Master Finn sees us as partners, and this wolf would always leave me alone and would never listen to my commands. Now, we communicate what we need and we compromise as a pack.
Rule two: Always have your weapon. They would constantly tell me the dangers of these woods. There were times that I would go farther than they expect me too. They tell me sometimes there were some high level dangerous animals, wandering around. Hell even the Captain of the Black Bulls would come out of these woods with them as pets.
Rule three: You don't waste good. They show me how to skin animals and use every part of the animal so I would not waste a kill. I threw up many times as they would show me. I only gag as I cut off my animals up. Yep. They are letting me, cut up my kills. As they say, "You hunt own food now. I don't help."
Rule four: Never go anywhere without a knife. It is always handy to have something to cut.
Rule five: Never say you're sorry. It's a sign of weakness. For the past two weeks,I would apologize for the simplest things, for not getting a single kill, or messing up a pelt. Even taking the blame for Amarok's mess, they just want me to grow a pair, huh.
Suddenly, I hear a high pitch whistle, coming from the west from here. Amarok and I left our head in that direction, before leaping into action. Putting more of my mana into Amarok, he grows big for me to ride him. I grab onto his black fur, holding onto dear life. My body moves with his body, moving fast with grace, dodging trees along the way. I know I need to lean how to get faster on my own. I need to train my physical body to keep up with Amarok. I can not continue to rely on him so much.
We break the tree line, and into the backyard of the house. Amarok slows down into a jogging place, as I sit up tall. Moving around to the front of the house to see my master, I notice that he has his small carriage ready and his bags are pack. They put away their whistle into their cloak.
"Master, are we going somewhere?" I ask, getting off of Amarok. I walk up to them, as they shake their heads. They place their hand on my shoulder.
"No. You stay. I go. Will come back in two month. You be in charge of these orders," they said, handling me some documents and a map. Opening them, I see that I need to get at least fifty pelts of hare and ten pelts of elk. It would not be a challenge of getting them, but how and where am I going to deliver them?
"Ne, Master, where would I go when I am done? Who?" I ask, noticing them taking the reins. They smile.
"Do not worry. Oakley come in two weeks. Then she give you new job," They said. With a flick of the wrist, they start to leave a stun me behind. I have to get fifty pelts of hare and ten pelts of elk within two weeks. TWO WEEKS!
"Ugh! Finally! Let's go get that elk now!" Amarok yelps in excitement. He is visibly drooling at the thought with his tail wagging left and right. I laugh, shaking my head. I feel a little bit of guilty for raining on his parade. NAHHHH!
"I don't think so," I said, seeing his head snap at my direction. His jaw drop in shock.
"We will hunt tomorrow, Amarok. For now, let's replenish our supplies for the next two weeks. Unprepared hunters are dead hunters," I quote my master. Amarok rolls his eyes, following me inside the house. I drop my weapons on the nearest chair, taking off my boots. Placing them near the door, I lay out my notes, map, and orders sheet on the table. The window in the kitchen lets the air move around the house, the window pane creaking from the breeze.
Opening the map, I see our surrounding area divided into six hunting zones. Knowing master, they want us to figure out which areas have what type of animals in them. I see our home marked on the map, grabbing a new sheet of paper and ink. I start to take notes of what animals are in the area. I know elk and hares like to roam east of this home. Amarok sits on a chair, his paws on the table, and looking at the map.
"Maybe we should see where that river flows to. We know if we go south, we will hit Narfolk for sure," Amarok chiming in. I nod, agreeing with him.
"We should prepare some snares to catch some hares along the way. I believe we should go to Narfolk first, order the supplies we need. Then head to the hunting area we were just at and take some elk down. Come back to Narfolk to pick up the supplies and head past the elk and hares hunting ground the day after tomorrow," I said. I need to gather more information about the towns, and areas around here. Three weeks is not enough time to know everything around here. Master did say I need to be an expert hunter around the area of the house and know each prey inside and out.
"I think we should camp there for at least three days. That means five days of food and supplies," Amarok said. I smirk, knowing we are acting like a pack. Amarok saw this and narrow his eyes.
"I am not carrying all of it like a mule neither," Amarok sneer at me. I look away, mumbling an excuse. I start making a check list of the camping supplies, and food we need. I think on the nonperishable, which or mostly dried fruit and meat. I know how to hunt hares and elks, so meat won't be a problem. I need to make sure I get enough water canteen. Don't want to die because of dehydration. Amarok would chime in and remind me to get blankets. He is adamant that he would not snuggle or cuddle for warmth. Oh how wrong he is. I will cuddle with that fluffy monster no matter what.
"Okay. I have the list of supplies we need. Hopefully, Mrs. Vronski has them," I said, putting my papers in order for tomorrow. I raise my arms up, stretching them out. My bones crack a bit. I look at the clock and see that I made perfect timing to get some practice with my spells before I need to make dinner. I gather my papers together and organize them. I left them on the kitchen table. I don't have my own desk in my room and if I put them away, I know ,for sure, I would lose them.
"Come on. I know how restless at night you get when you had nothing to do the entire day," I said, stretching my legs out. I grab my bow, leaving my arrows behind. Amarok's ears perks up, and wolfish smirk.
"Oh~is that a challenge, pup?" he gets up, following me to the small courtyard we have in front of the house. I un-clip my bag, letting my grimoire float beside me. Amarok takes his stance in front of me, ready to lunge into action.
"This time you will yield," I said, taking my stance. With my basic dark magic, I can create arrows made out of darkness. It takes a lot of concentration to make sure they don't break on impact, or weak for that matter. I form one, ready to shoot.
"Tch, in your dream," he said, growling. He shows off his pearly white needle like teeth at me. I take a deep breath to calm my nerves. Mid breath, he lunges at me, covering five feet already. I try to get a good aim on him, but he keeps moving left and right faster than before.
I let my arrow fly, almost hitting the mark. I smile as I see him take the bait. I never really want to hit him with an arrow, he doesn't know that I can use this bow in a melee fight.
Barely dodging him, I quickly turn around and swing my bow like a bat, catching his left hind leg, but not enough to have left him injured. Damn. I need to work on that. He turns around and lets out a creepy chuckle.
"I see the pup is finally showing her teeth," Amarok said, jumping back dodging my arrows. I let another fly, only grazing him. No blood has spill just yet. He charges again, but this time I am ready.
"Transformation Magic: Magic Carpet," I yell, using my new spell. In a puff of smoke, a very lively carpet appears. It has a golden distinctive border pattern with flames around it, and in the center is a golden four leaf clover with four swords around it.
I jump on it and they takes me up slowly, out of reach for Amarok.
"Hey get down here and fight," Amarok barks at me. I giggle, as Magic Carpet goes up and down, quickly going for Amarok, before veering off away from him. I can see Amarok run behind us, trying to catch up, but he can't. He sits down, and pouts a bit.
"Are you pouting, you big baby," I said, teasing him. He looks away, pouting even more. I sit on Carpet, as they settle with a height that Amarok can't reach. My grimoire opens and turns to a page of my new spell. Using two spells is kinda of hard enough, I want to see how far I can go. I calm my breathing, already excited about this new one. Amarok looks over his shoulder and sees me, casting the spell.
"What are-"
"Transformation Maigc: Mor'du," I growl out the name. I feel my mana being pull by a great force. Carpet disappears under me as I couldn't maintain mana for them. I still have enough to make sure Amarok is still with me. I gasp as I fall and land awkwardly. Amarok runs to my side, I can see him move his lips, but I can't hear his words. I feel like my muscles are being strain and being drain. I get on my knees, and hearing my own heartbeat. My eyes widen,panting harshly.
It wasn't my heartbeat that I am hearing, I can feel each drum beat under my hands. I struggle to get to my feet, Amarok right beside me. I see a black hole, pulling more of my mana towards it. I can feel it wanting more mana, more power! The black hole spits out a sphere of darkness, mana pulsing out of it. It lands in front of us, taking it shape. Their eyes glow a haunting red, fur shine a blue-black color. It has some type of shoulder armor.
"Ruaaa," they growl out, chomping their teeth together. I don't if I should be afraid, or awe at it. They final take form and they charge at us. I couldn't take it anymore.
"Aw! Mor'du!" I said, lifting them up. I see it is a definitely a male baby cub. A BEAR CUB! AWWWW! So cute. He gives me a glare, hissing and puffing his chest out. He wiggles his small bear ears and nose. I bring him in, hugging the hell out of him. I let out a series of giggles, as rub my face into his soft fur. Mor'du struggles to get away from me, away from this death hug I have him in. He looks around for help when he sees Amarok laughing at him.
Mor'du letting out the cutest tiny growls, grunts, and roars. Amarok lets out a high pitch laugh, as he sees Mor'du struggle to even breath at this point. Amarok, for a second, thought that he should help his little brother in arm/spell, but this is entertaining enough.
I carry little Mor'du back home, holding him like a baby. He doesn't know what to do, he tries to bite my hand off, but his teeth aren't that sharp and his claws either. He is as dangerous as a newborn kitten. I could see how frustration he has as I continue to smile and not scream in pain as he hope for.
"Awwww, you think you bad, Mor'du. Yes you are! You are the baddest little bear," I baby talk to my little teddy bear.I think I killed him with the sudden love attack. Maybe this is not that bad. I know he is very small, but with time I think Mor'du would be a force to be reckon with.
"Master, I think you killed him," Amarok said,walking past me.I gasp, holding Mor'du tighter.
"No I'm not. I am LOVING HIM!" I yell after may be not what God intended for me. Yet, I feel stronger than before. Take that GOD! I can survive anything you throw at me!