by V. A. Lewis
Later that evening Rin and Feri returned to the camp after claiming and harvesting two deer. Only the choice cuts were carried back to camp due to the weight. Both carried their own bag, but Rin had taken the heavier one since she was stronger.
They were greeted upon arrival by many people, and began distributing the food. It was a large encampment spreading throughout the plains, so what they brought back could not be shared with everyone. But the two of them gave out as much as they could, and were rewarded with nothing but the heartfelt gratitude of the recipients.
Feri felt his cheeks heat up from all the attention he was getting, and kept his head down. He let his companion do all the talking as they made their way through the camp. And although he stayed silent, he felt a sense of pride and accomplishment building up deep within him.
After a while, the two of them finally reached their destination somewhere in the center of the campsite. There, Feri found his other two companions waiting for him.
"Hrn, welcome back."
A Dog Beastkin sat cross-legged by a fire. Shang bowed his head slightly, as he called out his greetings to them.
"Eh, what’s up? What’d you guys bring back?" their second companion chimed in.
Sitting across from Shang was a Rabbit Beastkin. He had brown hair and the same colored eyes. His long floppy ears were that of a lop-eared bunny, an uncommon— but not rare— trait for a Rabbit Beastkin.
His name was Dawa, and he was the only other surviving Beastkin from Bys.
Feri set down his bag, as Rin just collapsed by the fire. She sprawled herself on the ground and sighed in relief.
"Nn, that was a long day. Also, I’m not a guy. Also, we got some deer meat. What about you guys? When’d you guys get back?"
"About an hour before you. There’s some boar meat if you want it," Shang said.
The Dog Beastkin picked up a skewer cooking by the fire, and offered it to Rin. She took it gratefully and muttered a thanks. Shang then turned to Feri, and raised a second one up to him. "How about you, want some?"
"I’m fine, thanks." The young man was knelt down, unpacking his bag of deer meat. He poked a stick through the venison, and set it to cook by the fire. "I want to try some of what I caught."
"More for me!" The white furred catgirl snatched the skewer from Shang’s hand, and he uttered a curse.
"Rin! You could have just asked and I’d have handed it to you. Your claws are sharper than mine, you could have cut me!"
"That just means I’m better than you! It’s not my fault you’re so fragile!"
"That’s not what I’m—"
The two continued bickering as Feri sat himself down by the fire. The young man waited in anticipation as his food slowly cooked.
"The first hunt is always the most rewarding," a voice came from the side.
Feri turned to face Dawa. The Rabbit Beastkin was nibbling on a bit of meat. The Human man blinked. "Really? It uh— doesn’t get any better than this?" he asked.
"Generally? No," Dawa answered bluntly. Then he added in, "Eh, not with hunting animals, at least."
"I see." Feri nodded his head. Then, he raised his head thoughtfully. "You guys were Hunters, right? Before all this."
"We were, yes. There were a dozen of us in our group. Pretty big for a Hunter team. Some would even say inefficient. But we were good." The Rabbit Beastkin stared longingly into the flames.
"Oh,"— the young man shuffled in his seat— "and as Hunters you guys just… uh, killed animals?"
"No, not animals," Dawa snorted. "Monsters."
"Oh…" Feri flushed at his mistake.
"There’s no need to get embarrassed about not knowing. The Hunters Guild does not extend to most of the Free Lands. And Rem too, but that’s for entirely different reasons. Anyway, you were a slave all your life, right?" The Rabbit Beastkin waited for Feri to nod in affirmation, then continued. "So it makes sense that you wouldn’t know."
Dawa took a deep breath, then began to explain.
"Eh, Hunters in the Hunters Guild are not the same as regular hunters who do it for game or for food. We take jobs dealing with Monsters, and not animals. This usually comes in the form of subjugating Monster hordes that are too large for a town or a city to handle with their guards alone. Of course, sometimes there are Monsters that require a whole team to take down a single one, but those kinds of Monsters tend to be smart enough to stay away from larger settlements."
"I see." The former slave nodded along. "I don’t think they do that in Bys. I, uh— think they usually send gladiators to deal with Monsters."
"Yes. That’s because there aren’t any Hunters here, see? Anyway that’s not what all Hunters do."
"What else is there?"
"Sometimes, Hunters are hired to be bodyguards of sorts. Like maybe escorting a rich man’s carriage through a forest known to be full of dangerous Monsters. But we don’t get hired to defend them from bandit attacks. That’s what Mercenaries do. Eh, although we are required by the guild to protect our clients if they get ambushed by people."
"But you mostly deal with Monsters, right?"
"Exactly. So that’s why some Hunters don’t like taking those jobs. You never know when some asshole has a target on this back, and can’t afford Mercenaries. He’d put a posting for escort through a relatively safe part so it’s cheap, then when you think you’ve got an easy job you suddenly have to deal with assassins, hired bandits, or even Mercenaries."
Feri nodded along. He was starting to get the idea behind it. But there was a glaring problem with the job that even he noticed.
"What if there’s no… Monsters?" The young man paused, then quickly added. "Like, no Monsters attacking villages, and no Monsters attacking travelers. Wouldn’t you be forced to..." he trailed off.
"Do escort jobs?" Dawa finished the Human man’s question for him. "Well that just means you’ll have to fall back to the part of the job that makes us Hunters. Do you know what that is?"
The Rabbit Beastkin just grinned as the former slave blinked in confusion. Feri was just about to blurt out a stupid answer, when a voice from the side stopped him.
"You hunt Monsters," Shang answered the question for the young man. "You hunt Monsters, then you sell their parts to the highest bidder."
Feri turned to face the Dog Beastkin as he continued.
"It’s like what most regular people do when they hunt animals. You kill a moose, then hang its head in your living room. Except it’s a Mammoth Hog, and you can’t kill it yourself. So you buy its decapitated head from a Hunter who has. There’s no sense of accomplishment behind it, but it’s a far better decoration than a moose’s head. At least, that’s what nobles seem to think."
Shang shook his head, and muttered under his breath. "Savages."
Feri saw this, and blinked. Confused. A high pitched voice piped up, explaining it to the former slave.
"It pays well, but Shang doesn’t like it," Rin said from next to the Dog Beastkin. "He thinks it’s terrible, so we never did it."
"Hrn, that’s because it is terrible. It’s like breaking into someone’s house and killing them, then selling their body after. Like killing animals for sport. And these Monsters are the intelligent ones. Maybe someone will buy a Chimera for 10… 15 gold? At most 20 gold. But the ones people are really after— like a Manticore or a Horned Ursa— they are smart. Smarter than animals. It’s wrong, and I don’t like it."
"Nn, I know that and I agree with you! I was just explaining it to Feri, idiot!"
"Both of you are the idiots. Shut up!" Dawa stopped the argument before it even began. The Rabbit Beastkin faced the young man. "Point is, Hunters do a lot of things. But at the end of the day, it has to do killing with Monsters. We preferred to do escort or subjugation jobs, so we traveled around a lot. And that’s how we ended up in Elios. Because there’s no jobs if you stay in one city— or country even— doing nothing," he finished.
And Feri understood. The young man let the information sink in. Ther
e was so much about the world he had to learn! He remembered the fall of Bys. He remembered those creatures. Those Abominations.
"Have you guys ever seen those… things before?"
Shang and Dawa exchanged a look, and the Dog Beastkin spoke up.
"No. I’ve never seen… or heard of anything like that before. Even back when I was in the navy, I never even saw any sea creature as terrifying as that. And those get really bad." Shang shook his head, then muttered under his breath. "I should’ve known. All the signs were there but I didn’t realize. Monsters don’t just attack large cities again and again without a reason— they were driven out. Driven out by those… things."
Feri nodded his head. He opened his mouth to ask another question—
"Nn, your food’s burning," Rin interrupted him.
The young man blinked and fumbled for his skewer as the Cat Beastkin laughed. Feri was desperately blowing at the blackened meat, when there was a commotion across the camp.
Feri looked up and saw a small group of riders entering the encampment. A dozen people rode in on horses, with multiple people mounted on a single horse. Half of them were armed, while the other half were not, and looked tired and weary.
"Hrn, they’re back early. Let’s go greet them." Shang stood up and gestured at the riders. "And bring some meat for them, Rin."
"Nn." The catgirl made a sound in affirmation.
Feri and Dawa followed after their two companions. And they walked up to the riders as they were dismounting off their horses.
"Hey, Em. Catch!" Rin grabbed a flank of deer meat and tossed it at one of the riders.
The rider was a woman, looking to be around her thirties. She had green hair, and brown eyes. She was dressed in crude leather armor, with a steel gardbrace added onto her left shoulder, and a spear that had a single edged blade at the end of its pole around her back.
Her name was Em, short for Emma. And she was a gladiator.
Em was helping a young girl off a horse when Rin called out to her. The former gladiator turned her head slowly, and uttered a word. "Wha—"
The venison smacked into her face, and slowly slid off. The food fell to the ground comically, and a muffled laughter came from the little girl next to the former gladiator.
"Oh, haha. Very funny." Em lifted the child off the horse, and set her down to the ground. "Now be a good kid, and annoy your parents instead of me, m’kay?"
The woman patted the girl, and she nodded. Em picked up the fallen food as the child ran off to a man and woman being helped off their horses.
"Kids."She cast a sidelong glance at Rin. "I’ve gone from dealing with one brat straight to dealing with another."
"Hey! I brought you food!" the catgirl sputtered out.
"I know, I know. Thanks for that." Em raised her hand placatingly. "Now run along and go bother your parents." She grinned.
"Nn—"
"How was it? Was there any trouble?" Shang stepped forwards and spoke over Rin.
"Not really. Just brought back a family and two young men. We ran into a patrol of guards too, but they left us alone. They’re more concerned about the Abominations than about us."
"Abominations?"
"Those creatures that brought down Bys. That’s what the Holy Xan Empire is calling them. So everyone’s picking up on the name."
"Hrn, it’s certainly fitting. But I find it odd that they’re the ones doing the naming."
"Apparently they knew about them beforehand or something. I dunno. I just ask questions to travelers, and they either run from me or answer me." The former gladiator shrugged. Em tied her horse to a wooden post, then smirked. "I just find it funny, y’know? Usually all the Free Cities would be up in arms when there’s what? Six? Seven thousand—"
"Nine thousand." A woman— another former gladiator— behind Em piped up. She pointed around the massive camp emphatically as she spoke. "Maybe even ten thousand. But at least nine. We’ve been getting a lot of new arrivals, in addition to those we help bring in every day."
"Whatever,"— Em waved her hand dismissively— "point is, there're a lot of slaves by their doorsteps. But they just don’t care. I find it funny."
Shang nodded his head in agreement. "As long as we’re just passing through, they won’t care. Sending an army and wasting lives in a battle they don’t have to fight is foolish right now."
"Yep. Although…" Em trailed off, uncertain whether she should speak.
"Although… what?" it was Dawa who asked the question.
"Well, this is what I heard. Immediately after Bys fell, everyone was up in arms worried that they’ll be hit by the Abominations next, but apparently it hasn’t happened yet."
"What do you mean?" Shang blinked.
"I mean they haven’t left Bys. It’s been weeks and the Abominations haven’t left the city. They’ve just been waiting there. Apparently."
"S— so you’re saying we could be attacked?" Feri spoke, the first time in a while, and with a hint of fear.
"Look, I’m not saying anything! I’m sure we’ll be fine! Even if they don’t have to worry about the Abominations, we’re not going around attacking anyone! We’re just trying to get the Hell out of this place. There’s an army of maybe…forty thousand from the mines, seventy thousand from the fields, and who knows how many joined them from the city… about two hundred thousand slaves going around and attacking other cities to free more slaves! They’ll be worried about them, not us!"
It was Rin’s turn to speak this time. "I’m sure she’s right, Feri. We’ll get out of the Free Lands. I promise." Her voice was cool, uncharacteristic of her, but reassuring.
The former slave felt himself brighten at the thought. Freedom. What would he do once he was free? There’s so many possibilities! But a voice came from the crowd, and his thoughts focused on something else. Something more somber.
"Excuse me! Excuse me!" Someone came running up to the group. "Did you find her?"
It was a man. He had brown hair, blue eyes, and wrinkles line across his face. He looked to be in his forties— middle aged, and weary. It was Theodore.
He took a deep breath, then he asked a question that froze Feri and the Beastkin in their tracks.
"Did you find Melas?"
The young man. The former slave. Feri paused, and he remembered his savior.
He remembered the little girl that freed him. The one who unbound him from his shackles, and pulled him free from bondage.
And he remembered when he last saw her.
***
Feri looked at Melas as she stared at her own hand in horror. At the glowing light. At the magic circle she created, and the magic she cast.
The little girl’s breath quickened, her head snapped from face to face. Everyone was staring at her in shock. But only for a second.
The moment did not drag out for long, because it was shattered by a word. A voice. It did not come from Feri, or Rin, or Shang, or any of the Beastkin. But it came nonetheless.
"Heretic."
And that ten second stupor ended. Melas broke out in a run. Tears fell from her eyes as she ran away.
It only took Rin a second to understand what just happened. The Cat Beastkin turned around and called after the little girl, but Melas could not hear her. Rin dashed after the girl, but—
From the darkness, bounded the first Abomination. Then the second. Then the rest.
The Abominations ignored Melas as she fled further and further away. Rin tore through the first line of Abominations, as gunfire came from behind to support her. But there were too many of them. She could not close the gap.
Dawa saw this, and he leapt forward, closing the gap in two short jumps. He was about to reach Melas when a giant Abomination came.
It was a single Monster. But it looked like it was ripped in half but put back together. It’s lower and bottom halves were held together by the blue bulbs that all Abominations had, but the yellow core was larger. And its light did not pulse, it shone.
It lo
oked like a bear. A giant horned bear towering at over 12 feet tall. And its eyes glowed red, as it stared around.
Shang took one look at the Abomination, and called back his companions. The Rabbit Beastkin dodged one swiped from the Abomination’s claws, then made his way back.
Rin tried to object, but there were too many for her to take on alone. The Cat Beastkin acquiesced, and they all fled, leaving Melas alone as they fought to survive.
***
A voice broke Feri from his flashback. It was Em. She was responding to Theodore’s question.
"I’m sorry, Mr Theodore. But we didn’t see her. Unless she made her way to the camp by herself. She’s not here." The former gladiator spoke apologetically.
"I see. I just thought…" the middle aged man trailed off. He shook his head and whispered to himself. "I just wanted to apologize…"
Feri shifted where he stood, and he saw Rin do the same. Shang and Dawa were behind him, so the young man could not see them. But he assumed they did the same.
Em did not know what happened. She was not there for it. But she could read a mood. The former gladiator took one look at the dour atmosphere, and piped up reassuringly.
"Look, I told you guys I saw her in Bys. Little girl— maybe 10 or 11 years old— black hair, silver eyes, and with an ‘M’ marked on her face, right? She was running away from the Abominations, and doing quite a good job at that too! Maybe a little tired and afraid, but she wasn’t injured. I’m sure she’s fine. Maybe she’s with the 200,000 other slaves!"
"Yeah… maybe," Theodore whispered. His voice hollow. But still he mustered up some energy. "Thanks."
"Sure, no problem. Look I’ve gotta go. Find these new guys a place to sleep, and get them some food. I’ll just be taking this,"— Em took the bag of meat from Rin— "and be giving it out, alright?"
The former gladiator got a few nods, then went her way.
There was a moment of silence, then Shang placed a hand on the man’s shoulder. "I’m sure she’ll be fine. You saw her. She’s strong, even though she’s a child."
Theodore looked up to face the Dog Beastkin, and spoke with a voice full of regret. "I know— it’s just that…"