*****
Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
( Romans 13 : 8 )
*****
Ze was called to the chief's office in the morning.
"I've got the things you asked for," the chief said.
He had prepared all the things that Ze asked for: leather armour and a dress fitting his size, a sword of his size, and his fur had been turned into a coat by Hula's mother.
He swung his sword a bit, getting familiar with it.
"Okay, these are good," Ze said, satisfied. He now had the things that would make it easier for him to kill.
"Then I will be leaving," Ze said as he turned.
"Wait, why don't you join the hunting party today?" the chief suggested.
"Okay," Ze answered, stopping in his tracks.
The chief then guided him.
They left the chief's house and reached the entrance of the village.
The hunting party was waiting at the village gate, preparing for their departure. Five people were present. The chief walked toward them with Ze following him.
One of them noticed their approach.
"Yo, Chief," he shouted, waving his hand.
"Good morning, Dame. You're as energetic as ever," the chief greeted. "Are you ready to go?"
"Yes, we're ready. We're just waiting for Siena," Dame cheerfully replied.
"Good morning, chief," a muscular man greeted.
The others followed, greeting the chief.
"What brings you here, chief?" Dame asked.
"Well, I came to ask you to take this child with you," the chief said, gesturing to Ze.
"His name is Zeru, and he was the one who brought Hula back," the chief introduced Ze to the group, and he began introducing them to Ze.
The first one was Dame, who was talkative. He had brown skin and an average build. His weapons were a bow and a dagger. He served as the scout of the group.
The muscular man was Curtis, the leader of the hunting party. He carried a huge square shield and a battle axe. He acted as the tank.
The others in the group were Yash, a broad-built man with a long sword on his back, serving as one of the attackers; Grant, who was slightly bigger than Yash and also carried a long sword; and finally, Elen, the archer of the hunting party who had a short sword.
All of them wore leather armour for easy mobility.
The chief finished his introduction.
"You're the one who brought a horned bear with you," Curtis asked, realising something.
"Oh, that was you," Dame exclaimed.
"Did you kill it?" Grant asked.
All their eyes focused on Ze.
"Yes," Ze nodded.
"Are you lying?" Elen asked, staring at Ze sharply.
"I don't need to lie," Ze replied, meeting her gaze.
"Oh, a fierce one, aren't you?" Dame teased.
"How old are you, kid?" Elen asked.
"Fourteen," Ze replied.
"You're younger," Dame said, turning to Elen. "He's younger than Siena."
"Now we have to babysit two children," Grant grumbled.
"Hey, Siena is skilled," Elen replied.
"Come on, guys. Is this how you welcome a new party member?" Dame intervened.
He walked up to Ze, who was watching them, and ruffled Ze's hair.
"Don't worry, kid. We'll protect you," Dame said, thumping his chest.
The chief, who had been watching from the side, was trying his best to hold back his laughter. If they knew about their interaction and the deal they had made, would they still treat him like a child?
The child they were going to babysit was about to hunt monsters for them.
"Since my work is done, I will take my leave. Be safe on your hunt," the chief said.
The chief looked at Zeru before leaving, giving him a nod.
"Bye, Chief," Dame said, then turning to Zeru, "Don't worry, kid. We'll take care of you."
"Thank you," Ze appreciated the gesture of goodwill.
...
"Don't worry," Dame waved his hand dismissively.
"Hurry up, we need to leave!" Elen shouted at someone.
Zeru turned to look at a girl running toward them.
She had long black hair tied in a ponytail, with big black jewel-like eyes and two short swords at her side.
"Siena, you're late," Elen said.
"I'm sorry," Siena replied, trying to stop but sliding on the snow.
"Clumsy," Dame remarked.
"It's because of the snow," Siena argued.
"As if there was no snow before in the north," he commented.
Siena couldn't say anything in response to his truthful comment.
"Okay, everyone is here. Let's move," Curtis said.
At Curtis's order, everyone checked their supplies and equipment one last time before setting off. Siena checked her twin swords.
Ze checked his equipment: sword, armour, fur coat, and loads of rope.
They began their march toward the mountains, quickly leaving the plains and entering the mountainous terrain.
The hunting team formed a tight formation to react to any surprise attacks, with Curtis, the tank, leading at the front, Yash and Grant in the rear, Elen and Dame on the sides, and Siena and Ze in the middle for their protection.
The hunting party moved slowly into the mountains.
Once they reached a secure location, the scouts ventured deeper to locate their prey.
After half an hour passed, the scouts returned.
"There are no monsters near the river," Elen reported.
"I found a lone moose near the valley," Dame said.
"Did you spot any nearby monsters?" Grant asked.
"No, I even used my detection spell," Dame answered.
"Curtis, what do you think?" Yash inquired.
Curtis pondered for a moment, considering whether targeting the moose might attract another monster. If that was the case, they would have to fight the monster as well.
"Curtis," Dame called, snapping him out of his thoughts.
Curtis looked up.
"Okay, we'll hunt the moose. But check for monsters again," Curtis ordered.
The scouts moved out once more.
The rest of the hunting party moved to the valley, waiting for the scouts' return. The valley was narrow, located between two slopes.
Dame signaled by making moose noises.
*Muuu**Muuuu*
Receiving the signal, the party quickly assumed their positions.
After sending the signal, Dame swiftly climbed a tree like Elen.
Grant and Yash positioned themselves on both sides of the path, while Curtis hid behind a rock further back.
Ze and Siena were asked to stay in the rear as backup.
Soon, the moose became visible at the end of the valley. Curtis began luring the moose by mimicking its sounds.
The moose entered the valley.
As the moose moved further into the valley, Elen and Dame drew their bows.
Everyone readied themselves in their positions as the hunt was about to begin.
Two arrows sliced through the air, piercing the moose's back.
*muuu*
The moose cried out in pain and ran forward, trying to escape its hunters. It raced to the other end of the valley.
Yash and Grant, who were waiting, tightened the hidden rope.
The running moose tripped on the rope and slid forward in the snow.
Curtis emerged from his hiding spot and lifted his shield. He charged toward the sliding moose, slamming his massive shield into it.
*bang*
His feet dug into the ground as he slid, gradually slowing down the moose.
Without wasting a second, Yash and Grant leaped forward, swords drawn. Their swords glowed as they coated them with mana.
They both skillfully slashed the moose's neck, delivering a clean, decisive cut.
Curtis shifted his shield to get a clear view of the dead moose. Its neck had been cleanly cut, and he had managed to hold off the moose long enough for it to be slain.
Curtis signaled for everyone to regroup. Dame and Elen jumped down from their trees, while Siena approached the dead moose.
Ze wasn't particularly impressed with their hunting tactics. They had employed a simple strategy to take down the moose: using arrows to frighten it and trip it, with Curtis acting as a tank while Grant and Yash dealt the killing blow.
Although their tactic was straightforward, it was inefficient. And they had forgotten something.
"Good work, everyone," said Dame.
Curtis moved to tie up the moose to prevent further bleeding and prepare it for transportation. Meanwhile, the rest of the group celebrated their success.
However, their joy was interrupted as a thick fog began to roll into the valley, gradually advancing toward them.
*grrr*
A growl emerged from within the mist, and glowing red eyes appeared, filling the mist with an eerie red hue. More eyes followed, creating a sea of red within the mist.
The mist took shape and transformed into a four-legged hunter—the Mist Wolves.
"Mist wolves," Ze remarked as he observed them.
These creatures were unique monsters, standing at around 5 feet tall and built for hunting. They possessed the ability to blend with the mist, using it to their advantage. The gray wolf Ze had encountered before was a formidable monster, but these Mist Wolves were on another level.
[One with the mist]
This skill allowed them to transform into mist, making them undetectable by any detection spells. They would reveal themselves only to scare their prey and hunt the panicked victims.
They were formidable foes.
The hunting party instinctively formed their defensive formation. Curtis, as the leader, took command and assessed the wolves. He knew they were strong, capable of turning into mist to surround their targets.
Noticing that the wolves were currently distracted by the bleeding moose, Curtis signaled for the others to slowly retreat before the wolves shifted their attention.
They could potentially fend off the monsters if pressed, but avoiding a confrontation was the better choice.
The party retreated from the valley, moving cautiously while Elen and Dame used their skills to conceal their presence.
They managed to escape without attracting the wolves.
As they increased their pace, putting more distance between themselves and the wolves, Dame grumbled, "Damn, I can't believe we encountered Mist Wolves."
"We can't do anything about it. Our priority is survival," Elen replied.
The monsters encroaching on their territory had become a recurring problem for them.
"For now, we should head back," Curtis declared.
"Hey, where's the kid?" Siena asked suddenly.
They all came to a sudden halt, looking around. Zeru was nowhere to be seen.
It dawned on them that he had been missing since the beginning.
"We should go back," Siena suggested urgently.
However, Curtis intervened, placing a hand on her shoulder. Elen also shook her head, silently conveying that it was too risky.
"It's unfortunate, but we can't take the risk," Dame stated.
Unable to do anything, Siena reluctantly returned with the group.
Upon their arrival at the village, they encountered David and Ben, who were guarding the gate.
David noticed the somber atmosphere and inquired, "What happened? Is something wrong?"
"We encountered a pack of Mist Wolves," Grant replied.
"It seems the monsters have already come this far," Curtis added.
Ben noticed Zeru's absence and asked about him. The group collectively lowered their heads in response. Ben didn't press for further details, as it had become a recurring issue over the past year. Many lives had been lost to the monsters.
"Alright, I understand. I'll inform the Chief," said David.
Without further ado, they went straight to the Chief. They met with the chief in his office and explained what had happened.
"Mist wolves this time. This is becoming more troublesome as time passes," the chief spoke.
The monster problem was weighing heavily on his mind.
"We are extremely sorry, Chief. We are ashamed that we couldn't even protect the kid you entrusted to us," Curtis apologized.
The chief looked at his drawer, where the crest that Zeru had given him was kept.
"Was it a mistake?" he thought.
He remembered the conversation he had with Zeru, the confidence in his words, and his unwavering determination.
***
Ze looked at the Mist wolf in front of him.
They noticed Ze standing, blocking their path to hunt the humans who had escaped.
He looked at the mist behind the wolves, where a big red eye was glaring at him. An Alpha was hiding in the mist, commanding yet ready to attack if needed.
A smile spread across Ze's face as he sensed a mana core in the alpha's body. He slowly drew his sword and his muscles tensed.
His grip tightened.
*****