TO&FQ: Book 1 - Chapter 23 (RAW)

Chapter 23 - The Hunt

The berry of the Galebush is sweet and nutritious, attracting fauna and adventurers alike. However, unless thoroughly cooked, the seed will sprout within a few hours spontaneously, causing an almost certain and gruesome death. This is likely a mechanism to provide the new seedling with fertilizer for the next part of its life cycle. 

If the being somehow survives the ‘sprouting,’ they will slowly turn into a volatile and strange chimera of plant and animal. One such creature was the infamous Sun Bear of the Duskdown Forest, which terrorized the local territories for many years before a group of Knights Penitent brought it down.

- Monsters of the Mortal Realms by K. D. Fidditch.

Seraphina stood tall, one hand lifted to shield her eyes from the morning sun's piercing glare. The light danced on the forest’s edge, painting a picture of serene wilderness that belied the chaos within. Somewhere in the woods, a cuckoo, or this world's peculiar equivalent, sang its relentless chorus, its cries echoing above the clamor of beaters crashing through the underbrush.

As a noblewoman, Seraphina was no stranger to the privileges her rank afforded. Chief among them? The luxury of delegating the less savory aspects of a hunt. Today, the men scouring the woods at her behest were a motley crew: off-duty soldiers from her father’s barracks enticed by the promise of fresh game, and a handful of low-ranked adventurers from the local guild, lured by coin and the vague promise of future favors.

Seraphina would be damned if she had to go running about in the woods in search of her prey.

She allowed herself a small, private smile, even as her lady-in-waiting Eloise shifted uneasily beside her, fingers tightening imperceptibly around the shaft of her winged boar spear. Eloise’s tension was palpable, but Seraphina felt no such unease. Today was a good day. All was well in her world.

The two brothers Crayton and Giles did what they did best, looming imposingly, and Seraphina doubted that any vicious wildlife would dare approach them.

Her confidence was bolstered further by the weapon she held, a modified sling of her own design. A simple but elegant construct. By harnessing her Power Strike skill, Seraphina had unlocked the potential to hurl projectiles with devastating force. Though her skill level was still modest, she had adapted—creating a sling capable of launching multiple stones from an oversized pocket. Paired with her monstrous Strength, the weapon was a force of nature, its destructive potential rivaling that of a modern weapon.

The testing grounds bore silent witness to its power: shattered archery targets and miniature craters where once-sturdy posts had stood. She had yet to perfect her accuracy, but the results were promising enough. A deft figure-eight motion, timed with precision, sent stones flying with savage speed. For now, it was enough and made up for lack of accuracy. Still, she made a mental note to experiment with slingstaffs when time allowed.

The men had given her wary glances when she arrived, her unconventional weapons slung at her hip. After all, a sling was a commoner's weapon, and it was hard to learn to shoot with any accuracy without a lot of practice. Skepticism flickered in their eyes, but they wisely kept their thoughts to themselves. No one openly questioned a noble—especially not one as capable and commanding as Seraphina. They would do their part, and she would reward them well. That was the bargain.

The clamor of the beaters grew louder, and Seraphina’s smile widened in anticipation. The hunt was truly beginning. Stretching her limbs, she prepared herself, fingers brushing the smooth stones nestled in the barrel beside her. The first wave of smaller game burst from the trees—rabbits, rodents, and other desperate creatures scrambling for escape and freedom. They were at the edge of her maximum range, but she had plenty of ammunition. Why not start early?

With calculated precision, Seraphina loosed her first volley. She refrained from activating Power Strike—its ten Stamina cost was steep, and she preferred to conserve herself for larger prey. Even so, the stones flew with lethal speed, striking earth and bark with resounding thuds, or felling creatures outright where they connected.

You have slain a Woodswise 5 experience gained.

You have slain ??? 10 experience gained.

Not bad, she mused, a whimsical smile playing on her lips as notifications scrolled across her vision. A fleeting thought crossed her mind about making a clever remark on slaying animals with stones, but nothing witty came to mind. No matter—they were dead, and that was enough.

The Woodswise, small to medium-sized rodents endemic to the region, were no great prize. Also, because she could see and knew what one of the creatures was, the system of the game, if this was indeed a game, told her what it was. Cute creatures, perhaps, but today they were nothing more than meat for the stew pot.

She vaguely recalled that Este Lize had kept one as a pet. 

Her musings were cut short as a new threat emerged—a Tree Laur, its massive reptilian form slithering forward on four powerful legs. Behind it came a surge of other creatures, both furred and scaled, driven into a panic by the beaters. Seraphina’s lips curled in anticipation as she prepared another volley, this time activating Power Strike.

The stones flew like meteors, propelled with savage speed and power. The Tree Laur took the brunt of her assault, several stones striking with enough force to pierce flesh and shatter bone. It collapsed in a heap, its reptilian bulk twitching as the reality of its death had yet to take it. The notifications followed swiftly.

You have slain a Tree Laur 50 experience gained.

You have slain a Giant Treesnake 20 experience gained

You have slain a rabbit 5 experience gained.

Now this was more like it. Seraphina laughed, a clear, joyous sound that rang across the battlefield. The rush of experience filled her, a heady sensation that spoke of her growing power. Her smile widened into something wild and unrestrained, a grin known only to those who relished the chaos of a fight.

Beside her, Eloise bit her lip, casting a worried glance at her lady. The brothers exchanged looks but said nothing. They were accustomed to Seraphina’s moods, and this, at least, was a familiar one.

Satisfied, Seraphina swiftly reloaded her sling, already preparing for the next wave. She would continue until the woods were emptied of game, or until she had gained a fresh level. Today was her day, and the hunt was hers to command.

*****

Just a few points shy of the next level, things were going smoothly—quite swimmingly, actually. Until, of course, they weren't. A great roar issued from the edge of the forest, signaling that a challenge was at hand.

From the tree line burst forth a mountain of flesh, fur, and monstrous plant—a fearsome creature with a decidedly ursine aspect. A great bear appeared the size of a small barn, with razor fronds and thorny vines whipping about it, it was a dire melding of animal and plant. A true Wild Brother of the woods had come.

Now, this could be worrying, thought Seraphina, as the creature—or monster, more accurately—fixed its clouded yet baleful eyes upon her. Its movements were wooden but still fast as the bear loped towards her.

Normal animals... yes, she could handle those, but this might well prove difficult.

"Everyone... we are making a withdrawal," she declared. "Go now and get help!" she shouted, trying to hide the panic in her voice.

Her entire retinue turned tail almost immediately, not wanting to face the great bear. The fact that they voiced no objection irked her a little. Cowards, the lot of them, she thought as she watched them rush off.

However, a bear, despite its bulk and size, was a fast animal and could easily run them down. Seraphina was flagging, her stamina dropping precipitously; she had just enough left for one last Power Strike.

Loading a single large stone, she took time to orient herself and judge the distance to the bear. Thanks to having slain perhaps half of the forest's creatures, her Sling and Critical Hit Mastery skills had both risen a few levels, not to mention an organic gain in Dexterity. The sling felt more natural to her now, and she had learned to lead her shots.

She stood almost perfectly still, just concentrating for a moment. The wind ran through her now-short hair, playing with her golden strands and carrying the scent of spilled blood and death. This moment was a challenge; of that, there could be no denial. Pressure mounted as she began to swing her weapon, building up speed as she prepared to release.

The young girl pictured where the bear would be, her mind and body making subtle calculations before she let loose with all her might in a Power Strike. The missile flew with a vengeance, but at that very moment, the bear chose to stand on its hind legs and let out a great roar. The missile missed its intended target, the creature's head, and instead smacked into one of its front legs.

The creature bellowed in pain, and Seraphina knew then that this beast was out of her league. A chimera of beast and plant, such a monster had resilience beyond that of a normal animal. It would take more than stones, no matter how fast or powerful, to bring this creature down.

The adventurers in the woods would be useless, as they were all far too low-ranked; the guards of her father would be simply speed bumps for a creature like this. It galled her, but there was only one person nearby who had the raw physical might and skill to stand up to such a creature.

“PAPA! PAPA!” Seraphina shouted as loud as she could before the girl started to exhaustedly run to catch up with her entourage. Her features were burning with red-hot shame as the words left her mouth.

But even as she fled, her mind had already begun crafting justifications. After all, men were placed upon this world for such reasons. It was not her responsibility to fight every battle herself. It was their duty to protect a beautiful girl like her.

Luckily for Seraphina, the beast was injured by her blow, and its rush had been reduced to a fast amble. A glance at her status showed she had only about two Stamina left, and it showed as her breath grew labored and her speed waned. The odds were not in her favor as she continued her flight back to the castle. Next time, she would make sure to bring a Stamina potion, even if she knew that drinking one was basically swallowing early cancer.

This was it, she thought to herself as the bear started to ever so slowly catch up. Her Stamina was depleted now and her limbs felt like lead weights. Every breath was a trial, but she continued to push on. She cursed herself for thinking such pessimistic thoughts, and a fire was lit.

However, no matter how great a will is, it is no match for the raw facts of reality. Reality has never cared for the feelings of men, or women, lest it was backed up by power.

But a power was coming for, summoned by her voice that could be heard as far as into the castle town, a warrior was coming. Anatoli was a doting parent and would not leave his only daughter so far away from his protective gaze. He would be no doubt just coincidentally patrolling his realm near where Seraphina would be hunting.

It was this that Seraphina had been relying upon, banking on, but never thought such a dire situation would come about.

Anatoli galloped to her rescue upon a dark brown war horse with a long hunting lance under his arm. He was trailed by his household knights who had bows and lances. 

But instead of swooping his daughter up in his arms and whisking her away, he continued to charge, a devilish grin on his face as the tip of his lance was pointed at the Wild Brother. 

Seraphina almost screamed in frustration but continued running away to safety for a few more seconds, panting all the while. She glanced back to see that her father had stuck his lance, the weapon’s haft splintering upon impact, into the bear’s chest and was circling away. The household knights kept their distance and peppered the creature from a distance with their arrows and bolts, but the writing fronds around the bear pushed away many of those missiles and acted as a briary shield.

She paused, wanting to see how this fight would continue, not to mention that she would be getting experience points for this as long as she did not stray too far away from the combat zone.

The fighting men of Sariens had engaged the beast, leading it away from Seraphina. Giles, Crayton, and Eloise had returned by her side now that the knights and her father had come.