After a month of relentless hunting, the Tundra had calmed down. The humans were still there, and new adventurous individuals came in bulk daily, but now they didn't have to go in blind.
As of right now, there were twenty-six unofficial camps formed right on the edge of the influence of the army bases. The hunters had no hierarchy whatsoever, but they had settled on a few rules.
No stealing of another's bounty, no killing in the bases, and no politics. Many tried to throw the weight of their patrons around, but in the lawless zone that just got them killed that much faster.
Among the hunters, there were many off-and-quirky individuals. Among the ones that stood out the most, there were: a necromancer, a Rank Seven pugilist, an old priest, and even an environmentalist who had come to study and protect the untamed wild from human corruption.
They weren't the only weirdoes around, but they were by far the strongest. They were the only ones who could lead hunting parties deeper into the zone. Not just because the beasts there were stronger and more ferocious even when they shared the same Rank as the ones in the outskirts, but also because except for the pugilist, the rest were capable enough to talk to the real monsters of this place – The Rangers.
Unlike Diana, who had been sent here as punishment, they had chosen this profession willingly. The weakest of them were at Rank Six, but most were of a higher rank, and rangers as a whole were feared even by beasts, who on paper, were their betters.
Today Diana and Ciaran were going to join one of the groups and explore further into the woods. The two wore their armor and their identities were fully masked, but far from standing out, they were in the majority.
No one wanted their face known here, except the leaders who didn't care at all, but most of the Hunters had hidden their identity one way or another.
This was both a good and a bad thing for the duo. It was a good thing because they could walk around the Hunters without fearing they would stand out. Even Diana's shiny armor wasn't that odd, as many had even showier getups on them. But it was also a setback because with everyone hiding their identities now, they could hardly find more of the bounty hunters.
Outside of the first nine, they had only hunted down two more groups, one of seven people, and a big one consisting of fifteen. Diana didn't like the fact Ciaran got less and less shaken up by his deeds, but she also knew it was inevitable.
With thirty down, they only needed to hunt down twenty more.
"I wish we started earlier, if we did, we would already be done with it and we could focus on training, rather than this farce," Diana said irritated. She was angry with herself because she was overly cautious in the beginning.
The boy just shrugged, it was all the same to him at this point. At least now they got to meet some interesting individuals.
"Which group are we joining? I vote for the necromancer, I want to know how that works." Ciaran asked and cast his vote.
She got another headache from the question, as there was no right answer to it, just different shades of trouble.
The necromancer, despite popular belief, was actually the best choice. The man talk very little, did his job, and had the lowest mortality rate out of all of them. The problem was, he only ventured out once every six weeks, and he brought an army of dead creatures with him. There was no way they could get anything done if they joined him.
The priest was a definite no-go. As a member of the Imperial Clergy, he was tied to the royal family. If they spent a prolonged time with him, he was bound to recognize Diana. Not to mention, he was the most politicly involved person of the four, meaning joining his group would have a lot of hidden danger associated with it.
That left a choice between the other two, and she disliked them both. The environmentalist was weaker, but also more annoying. He was very picky with his selection of a hunting party, and most of the people he took along ended up dead. He even admitted he left some of them to die, and straight up killed the people who annoyed him. He usually went out on solo missions.
The pugilist was probably the strongest individual of all of the Hunters. He also never discriminated against when people asked to join him on a hunt. He had a high mortality rate though because he never cared for any of his party members, he just killed anything he found strong, and left anything below Rank Six to the people following him.
Technically the duo could manage with that, but Diana really didn't want to take the boy out in the wild with such unreliable partners. She shared her thoughts with the boy, and he came up with a plan.
"No! Why do you always come with the most suicidal plans, what if it backfires on us? What if you die?" And once again her hands itch for a good slap on the boy's neck.
He said nothing and ignored her protests. She meant well, but she was searching for a good option, and they had none.
He led the way, and she followed begrudgingly. They got to a huge building made out of living trees. The environmentalist was a Wood Grand Mage, and he liked his privacy. No one could peer into his house, and that would serve well for Ciaran's plan.
He knocked on the door and waited. He never knocked again, he just waited for three hours straight, before the environmentalist let them in.
"Ok, you two at least have the decency not to pester me when I am working. So you want to join me on my expeditions? I have to warn you tho, I only hunt to feed myself, and I will not condone any excess hunting. You two can do what you like, but I am not saving you if I find you a threat to nature." He said.
The man had graying hair worn in a ponytail to keep it out of his face. He wore glasses, indicating that he spends much of his time reading or examining samples he had probably gathered by himself. He was thin, suggesting that he prioritizes his work over exercise or leisure. He wore a slightly wrinkled lab coat over a simple shirt and trousers.
"Actually when you take us with you, we will always be hunting, and you will be helping us with it," Ciaran said, and before the man kicked them out, he took off his mask.
"Not beast of course, I agree with your sentiment about only hunting to feed oneself, but there are a lot of bastards that need to die in this bunch, and I am sure you need some test subjects. So how about it Paul would you like to join me in cleaning up the mess I created?" He asked and the man was flabbergasted.
Not only was the boy everyone was looking for right here, in his own lab, but he had willingly reviled his identity to him. Paul Bioson was also stunned the boy knew him by name, as he had not revealed it to anyone, no doubt he asked his grandfather for help with that. And finally, he casually offered to help him with human experimentation, something that was highly immoral and if found out, punishable by death.
Before he could answer, the boy raised his hand.
"We can help each other Mr. Bioson, I want more than just to kill my pursuers, although I do admit that is a part of my intentions, I also want to learn from you. As you very well might know, I intend to follow on the path of alchemy, and I haven't had a good teacher since I was a child and my maid Laura, thought me."
The man was stunned. Laura was one of his most exceptional students before she was sentenced to death by what he called 'The Ignorant.
"Is she really alive, I thought the bastard royals had her hanged?" The old man asked.
Ciaran didn't answer and just raised his hand for a handshake. The environmentalist frowned but shook it, and the boy shared his memories.
He shared every lesson, every experiment, and even some of the pranks he pulled on her.
The old man was once again stunned by the boy's abilities, but against his will, he let out a smile. He was truly happy the girl was safe inside the Clades Mansion.
"I see you take after your father boy, fine, we have a deal. But don't think I will put on hold my experiments for your little games." He warned, but the boy just smiled and put on his mask.
"See I told you he would agree. We, scientists, think alike, progress before all." He laughed, in his now rough, husky voice.