Here we go! We are finally out of the cave arc! Though we aren't yet in the thick of things, however I promise you'll enjoy the next chapters just as well! In the meantime, enjoy this chapter that finally shows the hunter side of things!


The following morning, Valen was ready to leave the cave.

He had spent the remainder of the daylight packing up everything he could carry, leaving the rest for Nikki, which were either replaceable items or tools he crafted during his stay. He kept the crutch however, as he wasn't sure how far she would drop him from the nearest village, and he hadn't done any strenuous exercise for a while now, so he would make sure he didn't strain himself by using his crutch when he felt it was too much.

Thus, under the instructions of Nikki, Valen was waiting near the edge of the cave, looking at the spectacular landscape that was spreading before his eyes. He couldn't see any villages or towns from this viewpoint though, but he trusted her that she knew where the nearest ones were. Turning away from the view with difficulty, he finally looked at Nikki, who had walked near him in the meantime. They had discussed this already: she would carry him in her claws while flying at low speed because he was clearly not physically able to withstand the high speed or sudden accelerations her species was able to.

They looked at each other for a moment, before Nikki motioned to him to get ready. Knowing what it meant, Valen took a deep breath and tried to relax as much as he could. Then, the following moment, he heard Nikki shuffle behind him and looked back at her. He nodded to indicate he was ready, and she nodded in response, the motion now smoother but still a bit bird-like.

Suddenly, without any warning, Nikki carefully grabbed him with her claws and rested the weight of her forebody with her wings, which had their tip planted in the ground. Valen relaxed himself as much as he could, even though the claws that were holding him were gentle, but still pressed on him. She awkwardly shuffled towards the ledge, clearly not used to standing up like this, and there were a couple of moments when they stood, upon the huge drop that would certainly lead to his dead should he fall.

A loud whirring noise rose in the air, and Valen knew what it meant, Nikki was gathering air to start up the strange phenomena that allowed her to fly. And this time he felt the air being swallowed through her chest, an unnatural breeze caressing his face. Then, without any warning, he felt her bunch her rear leg muscles… And she jumped.

Weightlessness gripped him for an instant, then started the fall. A fall that wasn't controlled by him, but by the owners of the claws that were holding him to the scales he could feel on his back. The wind rushing past his face rapidly became a roar, whistling into his ears. Then, before he could start to get worried, he felt something shift and the pressure from the claws intensified a bit but not enough to be uncomfortable. Looking behind, he saw that Nikki's wings were now spewing out dragon energy, the flame-like tongues of red energy quickly dissipating in the air. They were no longer accelerating toward the ground but started to pick up momentum forward.

Looking towards the ground again, Valen could see it was definitely much closer than before, he could now glimpse individual trees, and see the rivers coursing through the land. He could clearly feel their rate of descent was slowing down though, and this realization melted away the last of his apprehensions and he didn't stop himself from having a huge grin on his face. Being able to see the world like this was freeing like nothing had ever been before for him, it was something that exhilarated him. He refrained himself from whooping though, given that they were picking up speed, he was afraid of engulfing too much air.

They were now very close to the ground and had leveled up, and he could even see that Nikki was slowing down, her wings pointing almost fully down, expelling only enough force to keep them going and counteract gravity. They were still powerful enough to burn the leaves that were caught by the jets. They were flying in this fashion above the forest until they reached a clearing and Nikki finally touched down. Though, she hovered just above the ground and gently released Valen from her claws, who jumped the few remaining height down, then immediately cleared away, because Nikki immediately cut off her wings and she impacted the ground with a dull thump that sent vibrations through the ground, that Valen felt reverberating on the sole of his feet.

The two of them looked at each other in silence for a while, neither daring to make the first move to break the spell. Until finally Nikki nodded and she pointed in a direction before signing. 'Town there. Not far.' That last word is made by putting the wings' levels and spreading them out as they go further than each other.

Valen nodded and mimed 'Thank you.' In response. He wanted to add something like 'Stay safe' but he wasn't sure how she would take it, and besides, he was pretty sure that she was the safest of the both of them. Adjusting his backpack, he checked the direction she pointed with the sun's progress and his compass (that he was happy to find hidden in the depths of his bag), and set out, waving to Nikki. It wasn't a definite goodbye, because if Valen had his way, he would definitely see her again. And she was sure of it too.

The first miles were the strangest for Valen, being back in lush greenery after being stuck so long in a cave. Thus he took a deep breath to enjoy the myriads of odors the forest brought to him; the scent of dirt, of the first fallen leaves, the sound of a river gurgling nearby, he missed it all. All of it was part of the experience of hunting, and it was only now that he realized how much he truly appreciated it.

He settled soon in a rhythm however and he was able to make good speed on his progress, though he often caught himself looking behind, hoping… Hoping to catch a glimpse of silver. Every time he acknowledged what he did, he shook his head, but it was hard for him to not brood on the absence of Nikki after having spent so much time in her presence. And still, he pressed on, as he wanted to reach the town before the night fell, the wilderness was much more dangerous at night… Especially if you were alone or without a weapon to defend yourself. And Valen was in both cases.

Periodically checking on the sun's progress, and verifying his bearing on the compass, he grew more and more restless as the day progressed. Doubts and fears started jumping into his mind. What if he deviated from his heading, what if Nikki was wrong and it wasn't a town she spotted, before banishing these thoughts from his head, he had noted down the heading on a piece of paper, and he trusted Nikki's sight much more than his own. So he marched on.


Finally, as the sun was starting to get low, Valen spotted smoke on the horizon. He had exited the forest a couple of hours ago and was now navigating wild plains. The sight of the town however reinvigorated him, he had long since been using his crutch as a walking stick to relieve the strain on his aching leg, but it felt much more inconsequential in front of the sight before him. He was returning to civilized parts, and he just needed to press on for a little further. So he did, walking at a brisk pace towards the road he could now see.

It still took him a couple more hours to finally arrive in the town, and the sun was making the sky bright yellow instead of blue, and the clouds appeared pink rather than their usual white. Valen then walked towards the gate, which was now closed, but he could see the slit behind which the sentry was keeping watch, and he definitely saw movement. Still, he knocked on it.

He heard shuffling for a bit until a voice asked out loud. "Who's here? It is way too late for any visitors!"

Valen took a deep breath and uttered the response he was supposed to do in this situation. "Hunter Valen, returning from a hunt."

There was silence for a couple of seconds, the sentry definitely hadn't expected this answer. Still, he answered. "Hunter? I haven't heard of any hunts that were supposed to be in the surroundings currently."

"You wouldn't" Valen replied. "The hunt was… Not here, due to some circumstances that elude even me, I found myself displaced, and my team missing. I have been recovering from my injuries for a while, and only now managed to find a town on my route."

"That sounds like an outlandish story, but I'll be willing to overlook that for now, and grant you access if you show me your license."

Valen pulled out his license, and he had to admit that he was very lucky that it survived his mishap, getting a new one was a lengthy process he did not wish to go through. He then showed it towards the slit in the door that allowed him to look through, and after a moment's pause, the sentry answered. "That looks like in order, you can come through. Though… Is this picture before the last hunt?" He said after having opened the small door instead of the whole gate.

Valen hurried through, and, not wanting to leave the question unanswered, said. "Yes… I'm pretty sure you can guess what happened from that." The guard simply nodded in response and did not comment on anything else.

The town he entered in was not one he was familiar with, however, he could instantly see that it was at least equipped with the basic necessities of a hunting outpost. There was a smithy and a guild hall. He also saw the markings of an airship dock, though it seemed to not have been used for a while. The rest of the houses were just ordinary shops, taverns, and living homes. Still, Valen headed towards the guild hall, he knew what trials awaited him, and he was not looking forward to them, but he knew he had to get through them still.

So he entered into the building, not having to knock or open a door, the entrance being open to the elements. When he did so, he immediately attracted the attention of the guild receptionist, who was clearly surprised by his coming, having not expected a hunter at this hour. Valen nodded to her and went to the counter. Then he presented his license once again and she took it, scanning it, however, she immediately had a double take, and said. "I had no messages about you coming here, Hunter Valen… I have an idea why though."

"You wouldn't have…" He sighed. "The hunt I return from was not successful… Worse, it was a wipe." She gasped. "As far as I know, I was the only survivor."

A wipe was the result of one or several deaths during a failed hunt, it was rare, but not that uncommon. More often it was a death during a successful hunt (a casualty then), or simply a failed hunt. And there were procedures when a hunter came back from one.

"How long has it been?" She had now pulled out a paper and was writing on it.

"I'm not certain, I lost track of the days while recovering from my injury… But I believe it was two weeks at least." He scratched his head. "Could you add that I lost my weapon and my armor is not repairable?"

"Already noted." She sighed. "I'll have to send a message to the nearest main city for this, which is Harth. Then I'll have to ask you for a full report detailing what happened in the hunt. You know the procedure."

Valen nodded. "I expected anything less… Do you have a spare room, the road back has not been kind to me and I haven't got a real bed since I left with the hunt."

She smiled. "I have one, I'll wait for you for the full report, come when you are ready, but, it must be done tomorrow."

"Do not worry, I will not shirk my duty." Then he gratefully accepted the keys she presented him and lumbered to the rooms that were situated upstairs, nodding at her goodnight while he walked the stairs. He looked quickly at the room number on the key's tag and went into the corresponding door.

The room was a simple one, with a drawer, a bedroom with its accompanying table, and a window. The exhaustion of the day finally catching up to him, he quickly put down his backpack and disrobed, and immediately went to sleep, entering the realm of dreams instantly.


When Valen woke up the following day, the sun was already high in the sky and it took him a long moment to blink at his surroundings until he remembered the day's events, and why they felt so unfamiliar. And when his mind finally caught up with those, he gave out a huge yawn while stretching and got out of bed.

He then went to the bathroom, deciding a good cleaning was needed. However, the moment he entered it, something immediately caught his eyes… In the mirror, was his face. And it was the face of a stranger.

What was previously an untarnished left side of his face with an ear and hair was now a gigantic burn, still a bit red from healing, no hair grew from it and where there should be an ear was now a simple patch of skin. The burn stopped at his cheekbone, but it was unmissable. He sighed, he would just have to live with it.

However, something else was different to him. He didn't have the same look in his eyes, he felt… Wilder. Experienced. Like he was able to have anything thrown at him and find a way out somehow. Which was an accurate representation of what happened to him. He should have died, he had no business being alive, yet, because of sheer luck and moxie, he got out still.

He then examined his leg, which was bearing a thick scar in the muscle. Touching it, the flesh felt hard and didn't give much. Which was what he expected from his feeling, still he could manage, and that was all that counted for him.

Valen shook his head, he lingered enough on his new injuries, and he needed a quick scrub. He would certainly ask for a bath in the afternoon, but for now, cleaning the grime on himself would be a start, and then he would shave his beard.

A while later, he emerged from the bathroom feeling cleaner than he had been for a while. Arriving in his bedroom, he was happy to discover that a pile of fresh clothes was waiting on his bed, alongside a note, which said: 'These aren't free of charge, but I am sure you would appreciate receiving those early.'

He chuckled, he didn't intend to abuse the generosity of the receptionist. He quickly put on the clothes, got out of the room, locked his door behind him, and then got down the stairs, nodding to the guild receptionist when she noticed him.

She motioned to the backroom behind the counter, so he went into it, and she followed him, locking the room behind her. He looked around the room, it was definitely a piece used for meetings, which had a couple of candle lamps, a table, and some chairs. There were other doors leading out of the room, however, which he guessed led to the archives and the personal quarters of the receptionist.

The receptionist sat down on a chair, spreading a parchment in front of her, and pulled out a quill and a bottle of ink, which she unstoppered. He sat down on the chair directly in front of her. Inking her quill, she got ready to write, then finally said. "This is the after-hunt report of Hunter Valen, who has returned declaring a wipe and being the sole survivor. Hunt target was?" She looked away from the parchment and at him.

"A Glavenus, we were supposed to capture it for relocation." He sighed. "It was going alright until we got invaded by a Seregios, then we lost control of the hunt and everything degenerated from here."

"I'll have to ask you to start from the beginning Hunter Valen. When did you leave for the hunt?"

And thus he recited how the hunt happened. They left the city at an early hour, dawn had not even started. How they spent a while tracking their target, taking several hours to find its tracks. How they located prowling a plain. The ambush they prepared. The way it was foiled by the Glavenus sniffing them out due to a wind change. The struggle at the beginning but the way they managed to wear it down. How everybody, even their target looked at the sky once the Seregios screeched, and dived at them. The hunt immediately descended into chaos once the invader joined the fray. How they managed to hold on for a while, throwing dung bombs that were however ineffective. The stalemate that ensured, because nobody wanted to give in, the hunters that didn't want to let progress go to waste, the Glavenus which was tiring but still dangerous enough to be a threat, and the Seregios which, even coated with dung, didn't want to retreat.

How everything suddenly went from bad to worse once their first team member died. The fact that they finally gave in and dung bombed the Glavenus instead, which left promptly. Then suddenly, their second team member died.

Valen took a deep breath. "I am ashamed to say once our second member died… I had a panic attack which reminded me of… A dark part of my past. And so I ran off, which caused our remaining team member, Flynn, to try to call me, distracting him at the worst moment and he got thrown off the cliff… My running amounted to nothing anyway since the Seregios caught up on me instantly, wounded my leg, and was about to finish me off… Until all I remember was an explosion, a screech, and falling unconscious."

He and the receptionist stayed in silence for a while, until she asked a question. "So you don't know what caused the explosion and the screech? From what it looks, it seems a third party ambushed the Seregios and ignored you?"

"I truly don't know… I just remember waking up in a cave, my armor ruined and my weapon missing, my bag having half of its contents vanished, and a pile of salted meat and some rations next to me. During my recovery I saw no hide or sight of my rescuer and can only guess it was wild Felynes, that found me unconscious in the aftermath of the battle. It's probably also them who cauterized the wound on my ear, and what a shoddy job they did…" He sighed. "At least it more than surely saved my life so I can't be too mad."

She nodded and wrote on her parchment, which was the second one, the first having been written to the brim on both sides. "So you waited for your leg to recover, and then traveled around for a few days, hoping to find a town until you found a road leading to ours?"

"That's what happened yeah."

She scribbled a bit more before putting away her quill. "That should do it… I'll need your signature here, take the time to read so you can confirm." She said while pointing to the bottom of the parchment.

Valen nodded and quickly scanned the parchments. It was a re-transcription of the account he just told, and nothing was out of place. He dipped his quill in the inkwell and apposed his signature. The receptionist added hers and waited for a bit for the ink to dry, then she rolled the parchments and motioned him to go out. Once back in the main room, she went back to the counter and started capping the rolls of parchment into a cylindrical container.

"I will send those to the guild. I'll have to use a delivery bird, it's an important one… But before I do that, may I welcome you back into civilization, Hunter Valen? You had a harrowing trial, that you managed to overcome."

"Thank you… It's nice to finally be back. Do you know when I'll have replacement gear?"

"I believe you'll be asked to train yourself to get back into shape first, using a steel weapon and chain-mail armor… And then we'll assign a hunter to accompany you in a hunt so that you can get new gear."

"Do you have an estimate on that second part?"

"I would not expect anything less than a month. You'll have a definite date once the guild knights arrive."

Valen nodded, he expected nothing less. "I will wait for their arrival then."

She smiled. "I am happy that this wipe did not end your dedication to hunting, Valen."

"I would be ashamed if I did…" 'And it was a possibility I considered… But in the end, dismissed.'

"Then… Enjoy your impromptu holidays!"

"I will." He said while finally returning her smile.