Over 2000 years ago...
In the depths of the forest, a group of hunters quickly but quietly trekked through the dense foliage. Keeping their footsteps light, they followed their leader in single file, wearing cloaks that concealed their presence. The group eventually came to a clearing; the leader gestured to his companions to take positions along a line of bushes. Crouching, they all peer over to survey their target:
A wild boar, grazing amongst grass obliviously...
The animal was on the other side of the clearing, too far for the hunters to shoot with arrows. So, the leader whispered to one of his fellow hunters:
"Aife... cover please..."
The hunter lowered her hood, revealing the face of a grown woman with short hair and brown eyes. She projected a rune before extending her hand to a bush, and then onto the leader's cloak. The rune glowed on the garment before fading, after that the leader gave his instructions.
"You and you circle around," he whispered to anonymous hunters holding bows. "Cut off its escape route. After I get first shot, coax it over here."
The hunters nodded in acknowledgment before the leader then turned to Aife.
"Get the trap ready..."
"Got it," Aife replies with a nod. "Good luck, Kihli."
The hunters all went their separate ways. While Aife was preparing a rune, Kihli circled around the clearing in the opposite direction, as close as he could get without alerting the boar. Even at this distance, it was an ambitious shot to take with his bow. Still hiding in the bush, Kihli pulls out an arrow and fed it through his fingers while gripping his bow with the same hand. With his other, he extends his cloak and carefully exits the dense foliage without making too much noise.
Aife had enchanted the exterior of Kihli's cloak to resemble a leafy bush. That coupled with the size of the garment concealed Kihli as he snuck closer to the unaware boar. The animal perks up in alarm, buts sees no immediate threat, Kihli stops in his tracks until the boar lowers its guard. He creeps closer with his enchanted cloak still extended out, until Kihli was close enough to be able to aim his bow at the boar's side. In a swift motion, he brandishes his cloak and notches his arrow, the boar briefly froze in surprise, and Kihli fires his shot.
The arrow flies and strikes just behind the boar's forelimb. But one arrow was not enough to down the animal instantly as the boar panics before running off into the forest. The hunters lying in wait brandish their spears as the boar ran towards them. They reveal themselves ready to impale the frenzied animal until it changes direction to instead charge at Kihli with the intent to trample its attacker. Kihli rolls out of the way just in time, and the boar runs into the bush near where Aife was lying in wait with a dagger. The animal erupts through the bush and steps on Aife's glowing rune, causing the boar to become entangled in strands of glowing mana.
With the boar struggling, Aife darts in and drives her dagger in the chest of the animal, killing it quickly without unnecessary suffering. Aife exhales as the boars goes limp and the strands of her rune fade.
"Sorry, mate," Aife remarked to her deceased prize. "But better you than us..."
Kihli, along with the other two hunters, regrouped with Aife. Kihli lowers his hood, and cautions to the group:
"We gotta move it quickly, before our uninvited guests arrive..."
The two anonymous hunters lift the remains of the dead boar, but before they could leave with it, the group hears an ominous shriek in the distance, along with the sight of thick gray fog rolling into the area.
"Too late for that," Aife deadpans. Kihli grunts in response before gathering his wits.
"Biggs... Wedge," he addressed the other two hunters with urgency. "Get the catch back to the cart quickly. Me and Aife will hold them off..."
"Aye sir!" Both "Biggs" and "Wedge" respond at the same time and hurry off while carrying the dead boar. Aife turns to the sound of more shrieking, and in response, summons a crimson red spear with her magecraft, while Kihli readied his bow.
"Need some firepower?" Aife asked Kihli before she casually formed a glowing red rune, causing the quiver of arrows on Kihli's back to glow.
"You didn't give me a chance to say "no"," Kihli remarked dryly.
"I know you can use the boost," Aife replied as Draugr emerged from the forest before them. "Besides, Scathach taught us to help each other out when we can."
"You're the mage..." Kihli said as he notches a glowing arrow on his bow. "You aren't really the one that needs help from me."
Just then, an ogre emerges out of the forest accompanying the Draugr, much to the duo's chagrin.
"Don't be too sure about that..." Aife remarked. When the monster charged at them, both she and Kihli dove out of the way from the rampaging ogre. Aife got up and sliced apart approaching Draugr, and Kihli fired his arrows at those remaining with his arrows which caused the undead grunts to be engulfed in flame. Kihli turns back when he heard the roar of the hulking ogre, who turned back and raised its fist to crush him. The young man notched another arrow and fired it at the ogre's face. It roars and pain and thrashes around blindly with embers in its eyes.
"Aife! Move!" Kihli called out as Aife impaled an armored Draugr. She turns and weaves around the stumbling ogre. Once out of the way, Aife cast an ice rune on the ground in front of it, causing the monster to trip over a block of ice and fall forward. The Draugr who foolishly approached stopped and were too late avoid the ogre falling on top of them and crushing them with a crash. Kihli whistles to Aife to hurry and follow him, and they ran back to rejoin Biggs and Wedge up ahead. As they ran, they heard even more shrieks in the distance, indicating that more monsters were coming.
"We really stirred them up this time," Aife said to Kihli running beside her. "I hope sister isn't having her hands tied right about now!"
"She'll be here," Kihli assured. "Scathach is probably just making sure the other hunting parties are safe first."
Aife chuckles despite the danger the two of them were in.
"I guess I should be flattered that sister believes we can manage for a while."
With more Draugr chasing them, Kihli and Aife eventually caught up to Biggs and Wedge, only to find them held up by a Wraith and a Lich. Aife and Kihli come up beside their two fellow hunters and stand their ground, ready to fight. Aife may have been wielding her copy of Gae Bolg, but her modest skills in magecraft pale to that of her sister. Kihli himself knew this, and with three powerful monsters in front and a horde of Draugr coming up behind them, he did not like their chances of escaping.
"Seems that "while" has run out," Kihli remarked as the Lich fired a barrage of curses at the hunters. Aife projected a barrier in front of them and strained as she blocked the spells. The Wraith then approached with its sword brandished.
"Leave the catch, guys," Aife said strainingly to the two hunters still carrying the boar. "Unless you're planning on using it to hit something with..."
"I've got you, Aife," Kihli calls out as he quickly readied another arrow. Aife dropped her barrier to block the Wraith's sword swing with her spear. The Lich prepared to fire another spell while Aife was vulnerable, but Kihli let loose his arrow at it, and it was forced to fly off to avoid getting hit. The hunters dropped the dead boar and readied their spears. They and Kihli turn back to face the oncoming army of Draugr.
While Aife tussled with the Wraith, Kihli attempted to hold back the Draugr by firing his remaining arrows. Down to one left, he spots a deformed Draugr in the horde with simmering boils on its skin. Kihli aimed fired his remaining arrow at it, and when it struck the Boiler, it exploded and melted all the other Draugr around it.
Unfortunately, that move did not take all of them out... and now Kihli was down to just his dagger.
Meanwhile, Aife struggled to keep up with the Wraith, who outmaneuvered her and kept on the defensive, until a poor deflection on Aife's part caused her to get knocked down. She quickly brought up her spear to stop the Wraith's sword from coming down on her. Aife strained as the Wraith pushed its weapon down, bringing the tip of its rusted sword closer to Aife's unmarred face-
(SHRNNT!)
Suddenly, a shadowy blur passed over the Wraith, and its severed head fell beside Aife's. She gets up as the Wraith's body dissolves into dust and she watched as the flying shadow then rained-down several red spears that impaled and stopped the encroaching Draugr in their tracks. Kihli breathed a sigh of relief when the mass of shadow landed in front of him and materialized, revealing a grown woman with long maroon hair with crimson red eyes, and wearing a skin-tight black/violet outfit and holding a red spear.
"Sorry I'm late," the woman casually said to Kihli. "Had my hands full chaperoning the other hunting parties."
"We were managing well enough, Scathach," Kihli remarked. "These monsters don't know how to pick their fights."
"Uh-huh..." Scathach simply humored her "student" as Aife hurried beside them.
"Glad you could make it, sister," Aife greeted. "Me and Kihli were beginning to have fun."
As she said that, the trio saw another horde of monsters in the distance running after them; their growing sounds of insatiable bloodlust not fazing them one bit.
"Sure sounds like it, Aife," Scathach eventually replied as she steps forward towards the coming horde with a flourish of Gae Bolg. Kihli turns back to his two-fellow hunters.
"Biggs... Wedge. Keep going with the catch. We'll clean up things here..."
"Aye Sir!" both hunters resume carrying off the deceased boar, while the trio heard more monsters coming out of the forest, threatening to surround the trio.
"I don't suppose you'd be keen on wiping out this rabble with ease, Scathach?" Aife asked rhetorically.
"And deny the two of you another lesson?" Scathach replies as she tosses her spear for Kihli to catch. "Never use more at your disposal than needed..."
"You never make things easy for us..." Kihli replied with an amused smile as he got into a stance with his borrowed weapon. Scathach then offers a bit of wisdom as the monsters drew closer.
"Nothing worth learning ever is, Kihli. Both of you... show me how much you've grown."
"Yes, teacher!" Both Kihli and Aife reply before charging forward together. Scathach beamed with pride watching them slice down monsters left-and-right. Aife combined her spearman-ship with her magecraft, taking care of liches and dire Wolves, while Kihli weaved through a crowd of Draugr slashing away with Gae Bolg and even nailing one between the eyes with a well-placed knife throw.
A duo of Wraiths then appeared, and both Aife and Kihli double-teamed to fend them off. With flawless coordination, the Wraiths found themselves ensnared in a strand rune courtesy of Aife, and then she and Kihli both threw their spears and struck both creatures down.
Scathach's two model students appeared proud of themselves, having wiped out their opponents and earning a break in the fight. Just then, a trio of ogres came charging at them, along with a Legless that emerged out of the ground.
"Not to seem like a coward, Scathach," Kihli starts concerningly. "But this seems like to be a bit more than what me and Aife can chew..."
"You know your limits, Kihli," Scathach starts, stretching her arms and stepping forward causally. "Nothing wrong with that."
Out of breath, Aife insists to Scathach as she recalled her spear to her grasp:
"I can still fight... sister."
"No need," Scathach said resolutely, knowing Aife had used a lot of mana and would only be a detriment, "I'll take it from here..."
With that, Scathach dashed forward at great speed and grabbed Gae Bolg before slicing apart the massive monsters before, leaving blazing trail of red with each slash. The monsters were helpless against this onslaught, and they all eventually faded to dust within a few, well placed cuts by Scathach's spear. When the fog lifted, and calm silence once again fell the forest, Scathach rejoined Aife and Kihli.
"That takes care of that," she said to them, before then putting an affectionate hand of Aife and Kihli's shoulders. "You've both done well."
"Glad to hear it," Kihli replied with a smile of gratitude.
"Thanks..." Aife did the same, albeit more solemnly. Scathach pays it no mind as she cheerily patted them both.
"Come... we still need to bring the spoils of the hunt back to the village..."
_____
Scathach, Aife, and Kihli soon rejoined their fellow hunters, along with those from other groups. They had all their game and spoils from a fruitful hunt gathered on a carriage, and they proceeded to bring it back to the village. Walking alongside the slow-moving cart, the hunters bantered and bragged to each other on their exploits. Everyone was in a celebratory mood and Scathach could not blame them. This has been one of their most bountiful hunts in a while, and considering the challenge of living in a forest infested with nightmarish monsters, it was quite the achievement for everybody to successfully live out here.
Scathach remembered everyone coming together to help make thriving in this forest possible. It had not been without its difficulties, the most obvious of which was how to hunt game with all the monsters of this forest preying on the citizens. Scathach took it upon herself to ward them off and allowing the hunters to hunt safely, just as she has when the Hunter's guild began. After several successful hunts, the few brave hunters became many, and through careful planning, the yield became greater and greater over time.
And today was the biggest yet; more than enough to feed the village for months. From the cheery atmosphere of the other hunters around her, Scathach thought she could share in some of the festivities that would no doubt pop-up later from this yield.
She could use a bit of break after working so hard for all this time... seven years after she and the Shadow felled the Netherlyst and rescued the children from the Heralds...
The Shadow...
Scathach's face fell, and her mood dipped when her mentor crossed her mind. It was not just the thought of him that caused her to become disconnected to the joyous atmosphere around her. At least until she felt an arm wrap around her shoulder.
"We've made quite a haul, sister!" Aife remarked as she pulled Scathach in close, snapping her out of her thoughts. "We'd probably even catch more if you joined us here on the ground. Probably get this done faster too..."
Scathach forced herself to smile as Kihli came up beside the sisters, addressing Aife.
"You know Scathach needs to keep everyone safe from the monsters, Aife. We can't hunt comfortably if things we aren't equipped to deal with are hunting us. "
Aife's attention splits from Scathach just along enough for her to gently remove herself from Aife's caring grasp.
"Astute as ever, Kihli," she says to the young man. "Even I can't sustain giving everyone a copy of Gae Bolg."
Aife looks on skeptically as Scathach then turned to her.
"Besides, Aife... you know that you shouldn't even be using that spear on animals. We do not want to completely eviscerate the catch; it'll be a waste of effort and meat..."
"Does that apply to using spells too?" Aife asks hopefully. "Because it'll sure us save a lot of time."
"Like we've got anything better to do?" Kihli asked sarcastically before stating: "You're the only mage, and Scathach DID tell you to only use the strand and concealment runes when hunting, and use the others on the monsters."
"You sound like sister here in "teacher-mode"," said an exasperated Aife. "Sounds to me like a wasted effort to need to use boring tactics of yours, Kihli."
"They're not boring, Aife," Scathach assures her sister. As far as she could remember since taking them on as students, Aife was usually the one questioning everything while Kihli simply followed Scathach's tutelage to the letter; both had completely different thought processes. "There's an art to hunting, and Kihli's leadership helps ensure everyone's doing their part and not recklessly putting themselves in danger."
Scathach flashes the young man a proud smile, and Kihli shrugs casually as he remarked:
"I need to make up for my lack of magecraft somehow..."
"And you do a fine job, Kihli..." Aife said before continuing with the same exasperated tone, "I just can't help but feel that Scathach here gets a kick out of watching us work our backsides off..."
Scathach resisted the urge to smirk at that for fear of being caught red-handed. She'll admit early on, it was amusing seeing Aife and Kihli going through her "exercises" in her effort to get them into shape, not that she went TOO crazy with them. Still, Scathach needed to make sure that the two of them could hold their own considering that they would be dealing with the monsters of the forests alongside the other hunters.
"It's good for you, Aife," Scathach insisted. "Knowing you don't need to resort to something as inaccessible as magic to solve your problems ensures you will not be overly reliant on them. Ordinary people need to know that too."
"Speaking of which," Kihli starts, speaking directly to Scathach. "I remember the days just after you rescued us, Scathach. The village-folk came asking you for various favors because of your magecraft. They were all like "could you make my crops grow bigger?" and "can you get rid of the rain?", outrageous stuff like that."
"They sure did..." Scathach replied somewhat solemnly, recalling the days following the defeat of the Netherlyst; the people of the village came at her nonstop looking to exploit her abilities without seeming rude to her. They would flatter her, calling her the village hero or offer her payment for even the most mundane of tasks. It was very difficult for Scathach to deal with for a while.
"I seem to remember one poor woman offering to groom you if you built her another house," Aife recalls hilariously, leaving Scathach with an embarrassed blush. "But sister... some of the more mundane stuff you could have easily done. Easy to start fires with a simple rune, or just move a bunch of stuff with a wave of your hand. I don't get why you never did..."
Scathach's blush soon disappeared as she found herself once again needing to teach this lesson to her sister. Aife always had this issue when it came to magecraft, simply thinking that it would solve any problem and there should be no reason NOT to use it if able. No matter how much Scathach tried to explain that it simply was not true, Aife never seemed to buy her usual response of:
"We never needed magic when we were surviving in this forest, Aife," she tried explaining again anyway. "The way to help people is to help them help themselves. There was no task in the village that couldn't be solved with creativity and teamwork. Magecraft doesn't make miracles, it's but a party trick as-"
Scathach stopped herself, leaving a concerned Aife to ask:
"Yes?"
Scathach hesitated before finishing rather bitterly:
"As he used to say..."
Aife's face fell at the tone of her sister's voice.
"You two still aren't talking, huh...?" she asks rhetorically, knowing Scathach was not going to tell Aife otherwise. "How long has it been... seven years since you last went up to the fortress?"
Scathach take a deep breath before answering.
"Pretty much..."
Kihli had been listening and could see how troubled Scathach appeared despite her trying to not seem as such to Aife.
"Come to think of it," he starts cautiously, knowing the potential severity of the subject matter. "Scathach, everything you've taught us came from your mentor. Since rescuing the children, you've hardly ever spoken of him. You never told us what happened..."
Scathach sighed under her breath as Kihli shot a look at Aife who scoffed without much care.
"He never seemed like a very upstanding man... I could tell from the moment I first laid eyes on him. But I'll admit, sister, it's odd that we never heard from him since way back when the Heralds abducted us..."
Scathach did not look at either of her students in the eye. It was bad enough for her to be reminded of her and the Shadow's last meeting let alone appear distressed and conflicted before her students.
Ultimately, she refused to give both Aife and Kihli an answer.
"It's nothing for either of you to be concerned about. Both of you wouldn't understand..."
Aife and Kihli fall silent as Scathach quickened her pace and walked ahead of the group. They and the party of hunters came to a clearing where the path went between two cultivated fields where some people were tending to the crops. The farmers bowed respectfully to the trio leading the group, with the cart of game meat in tow. Soon after, the hunters came up to a wooden gate along a perimeter wall where Kihli flashed a signal to the guard up top who soon opened the doors.
The gang of hunters passed through to enter a thriving, bustling village. They walked past people going about their daily business, children on the road playing together and eventually parting to let the hunters pass. The children waved at them, marveling at the hunters' bearing with their heads held high and their weapons at their sides. The older folk bowed humbly, thankful for the bounty of game-meat the hunters risked their lives to procure. The amount of meat on the hunting wagon ensured the village would have plenty to eat come winter, which according to the cool-brisk breeze would come sooner than later.
It always amazed Scathach whenever she and the others re-enter the village after a successful hunt. It had grown significantly from the run-down, hastily put-together settlement she and Aife arrived to find it in. The quality of life in this village was better, as was the infrastructure; the huts were built sturdier, clean water was accessible, and crops could be grown. With everyone's hard work, the village became lively; a home for those who previously lost it.
The people even all came together to give their village... their new, cherished home... a name:
Dunscaith...
As the hunting party made their way to the center of the village, Scathach spots a familiar face; an elderly woman who then greets her, Aife, and Kihli.
"Ah, welcome back kids. I see your latest hunt was rewarding..."
"Fimir?" Both Scathach and Aife say in surprise as they stopped before her. Fimir simply smiled as Kihli went up to her.
"Mother... what are you doing outside today?" Kihli asked with concern. "You should be resting."
"I just wanted to get some fresh air today, m' boy," Fimir said cheerily as she gazed at her grown son. "And I wanted to see the three of you return safe and sound. Besides, I'm feeling good today-"
Fimir was cut off as she suddenly started coughing, hunching over as she covered her mouth. Kihli instinctively supports her.
"Are you?" Kihli humored her, yet he did not find this matter amusing. "Let me take you back home."
Scathach and Aife look on silently as Fimir recovered from her coughing fit. She had been having a persistent cold since summer had passed, yet the stubborn woman was always out to welcome the trio back from their hunts despite her fatigue.
"That reminds me," Fimir said in a slightly strained voice. "I need to dry out the pelts, make some more clothes."
"Let me handle it," Kihli said as she started leading Fimir away. "You know you can count on me for anything."
Fimir giggled at her son's insistence on doing tasks in her stead, but she was looking up at Kihli with pride.
"You do too much for me, boy," she said to him. "Shouldn't you and the girls be celebrating the celebrating the success of your hunt with the others?"
"It can wait, mother," Kihli insists. "Your wellbeing is more important at the moment."
Fimir then laughed, worrying Kihli more as she then cleared her throat.
"My my, Kihli. You know that eventually your mother can't be the one important woman in your life..."
Kihli sighed in annoyance.
"Even tired, you are never short on things to say, mother..."
Fimir smiled again, carefree as she allowed Kihli to lead her back home. Scathach and Aife watched as the duo departed.
"Same old Fimir," Aife remarked as she put her hands on her hips. "Not even a cold can keep that woman down..."
Scathach stood staring straight at Kihli and Fimir's departing forms, feeling nostalgic.
"She came for Kihli. Seeing him so accomplished livens her day..."
Aife tilted her head at Scathach's response. It sounded oddly solemn to her ears. She figured Scathach must have been still feeling touchy after bringing up the Shadow, but Aife dismisses it as she then cheerily wrapped her arm around Scathach's shoulder, startling her.
"Well... if Kihli is going to be late to the party, then that means more of the first round of mead for us! Let's be the first to light the bonfire, sister!"
Scathach was stunned as Aife started leading her to the direction of the other hunters. She eventually supposed that with other stuff on her mind, she could spare a moment to celebrate with her sister.
_____
Night fell in the village, but activity was plentiful as fires were lit, and most of the villagers celebrated after a bountiful hunt. Hunters were drinking mead, sharing tall tales of their exploits and encounters with the monsters of the forest; either to each other, or too the awestruck group of children who were still awake and aspired to be hunters themselves.
Scathach was walking around as everybody enjoyed themselves, not making much engagement with anyone. She was making sure the festivities did not get out of hand. With all the posturing by the hunters and drinks going around, one had to be on the lookout incase a fight broke out, or someone's property got damaged. She supposed it was natural on her part to be the level-headed one even in times of celebration.
Then again, there was a lot to be celebrated. Looking at her fellow hunters, Scathach could not help but marvel how things between her and the others close to her age improved these past 7 years. Some of these people were kids who used to throw rocks at her after she and her sister, Aife, settled into the village, and now here they all were, working together to make life in the village easier.
Scathach made it her goal to ensure Dunscaith, though surrounded by a forest full of bloodthirsty monsters, a place where people can thrive. Although she had to jump over many hurdles, between training Aife and Kihli, and finding workarounds for cultivating resources in a place that was inhospitable.
The sound of laughter catches Scathach's attention. She turns to see a group of children nearby chasing each other. Scathach felt a sense of pride and accomplishment at seeing everyone, even the children, happy and not fearful of the horrors lurking in the forest not far away.
Some of the children here were among the first to be born and raised here in Dunscaith. They grew up mostly free from the hardships that initially plagued this village.
When one such child paused and took a glimpse of awe and respect at Scathach, she became reminded of why the people of Dunscaith do not live in fear anymore.
Scathach was Dunscaith's champion. She was their shield against the horrors of the forest... and beyond.
Every aspect of the village; farming, water, hunting, housing, societal structure... it all revolved around the issue that was the forest being the spawning ground for monsters, making expansion impossible without Scathach's ability to fight them. It made her a bit of busy body, needing to be present so crops can be cultivated safely, materials to be gathered, and meat to be hunted lest losing farmers and hunters to the monsters.
It was exhausting, even after training Aife and Kihli to shoulder some of the load. But looking around at everyone living and celebrating, Scathach felt that the hard work on her part was worth the result. She was still reluctant to be recognized as a sort of "divine savior" to the people here, when in reality, Scathach was just here to lend a helping hand to those who really needed her. She did not like the idea of taking all the credit for everything the village has accomplished.
But Scathach did not blame them for believing so; many of the elderly still felt indebted to her after rescuing their children all those years ago. She was considered the Guardian of Dunscaith for mostly that reason.
Scathach would admit, however, it was better than being called "the witch girl."
It sure is great with everybody not hating me anymore, Scathach thought. We've become kind of like a family...
Scathach heard more laughter coming from the side of a nearby hut, as she then saw another group of children, sitting in a half circle as they were being treated to a tale by none other than her sister, Aife. Unlike Scathach, who was reluctant to indulge in praise and attention, Aife was very much the opposite as she spoke to the group of children who eagerly listened.
"It was the BIGGEST and ANGRIEST ogre you have ever seen!" Aife said dramatically, making some of the children gasp in awe and some to even giggle. "There was NO escape... it was coming right at me... closer... closer..."
Aife held up her hands as if making an impression of a monster, which excited the kids.
"Closer... even closer! By the time it lunged at me, you could see the ugly boils on its face! It wanted to eat me, to which I said..."
Aife paused for dramatic effect, and the children were eager to know what happened next.
"What did you say, Aife?" one of the kids asked.
Aife then smiled deviously as her circuits slowly lit up.
"I said... Eat this instead!"
Aife then thrust her fist up and made a shower of sparks with her fire magic, which amazed the children as they clapped and cheered at the spectacle. Scathach smiled amusingly as Aife was always one to prop herself up to a crowd. She enjoys the attention as much as she does amazing everyone with her magecraft.
Scathach would have chastised her sister for using her magecraft so frivolously, were it not for the seeing the joy on the children's faces. Scathach decided to let it slide.
"That ogre's face was turned to ash in seconds!" Aife continued, relishing in the children's excitement. "My slaying of the beast made the draugr turn tail and run! They knew they weren't a match for me-!"
"Look!" Aife was interrupted when one the children noticed Scathach standing nearby. "It's Scathach, the Netherlyst-slayer!"
The kids immediately got up and ran towards Scathach, leaving a dumbfounded Aife in their wake.
"Wait! I was getting to the good part..."
Aife's plea went ignored as the kids surrounded Scathach and bombarded her, much to her surprise. The two boys threw questions at Scathach while the lone girl with them just watched her with wonder.
"Did you slay an ogre too, Scathach?" one boy asked. "I bet you slayed a dozen at once!"
"Did any Legless try to get the hunters?" asked the boy's brother. "How many of them did you kill?!"
"Uhhh..." Scathach struggles, overwhelmed by praise given to her by the kids. Still, they kept pestering her, and Scathach did not have it in her to spoil the kids' excitement seeing her.
"I heard from a hunter that you impaled four fell-beasts with a single spear throw!"
"And you made lightning that turned a hundred draugr to ash in an instant!"
"That's a gross over-estimate..." Scathach remarked awkwardly at the flattery.
"How many then?" said the older of the boys. "Tell us, Scathach!"
"Uhm... ten?" Scathach answers, not wanting to prop up herself too much. The boys did not believe her...
"That's it? Ha! Very funny!"
Scathach sighed lightheartedly. As much as she shied away from flattery, the children's enthusiasm was still endearing.
I guess there's no overcoming the imagination of a child...
"I wanna be a hunter when I grow up too!" the younger boy said, only for his older brother to then laugh at him. Scathach just watched as the brothers got themselves into a minor argument, ignoring her to her slight relief.
"You? You get spooked by rabbits! Of two of us, I'd be the better hunter!"
The younger brother was quick to retort, wiping the smug smile off his older brother's face.
"Says the one who went crying to mother after a spider crawled on him!"
"I wasn't crying!"
"Sure you weren't..."
"What's that supposed to mean?! Hey, don't ignore me!"
The brothers went off to continue their argument, leaving Scathach alone with the girl who was with them, presumably their sister.
"Scathach?" she asks Scathach timidly. "Do you think I could maybe become a hunter like you?"
Scathach simply smiled and knelt to meet the girl at eye-level. Aife watched from afar as her sister then put a hand on the girl's shoulder.
"Look here, little blossom," Scathach tells the girl, her voice rich with complete honesty. "As long as you work hard, and keep an open mind, then you can be anything you want to be..."
The girl's face lit up hearing Scathach's words. Then Scathach asks her:
"Want to see something beautiful?"
The girl nodded eagerly as Scathach then held out her hands together and formed a many-petalled flower with her magecraft. Then to the girl's surprise, the glowing flower then erupted into dazzling fireworks around her head.
"Ah! So pretty!" escaped the girl's lips, and Scathach just smiled. They then turn to the sound of a woman calling to her children.
"There you boys are..." the woman who appeared walked up to the still squabbling brothers. "Play nice, will you?"
"Yes mother..." they both reply shamefully. The woman then told them:
"Time for bed, little ones. Both of you and your sister have had enough excitement for one day..."
Seeing this, Scathach turned back to the girl before her.
"You and your brothers run along now... best not to worry your mother..."
The girl nodded again and ran toward her mother and her brothers. Scathach stood up and watched as the family went on their way back home, proud of the fact that this family and others like them are living happily without fear of the forest beyond the village. She then heard Aife coming up behind her.
"Netherlyst-slayer..." Aife remarked as she stopped beside her sister. "Haven't heard THAT one in a while. I really had those kids going before you arrived, sister."
Scathach's head dropped slightly.
"I'm sorry, Aife. Can't help it..."
"Yeah, whatever you say," Aife replied, brushing off Scathach's modesty in a nonchalant manner. "You've been acting like a shadow all night. You finally decided to join in on the fun?"
Scathach turns to finally look at Aife in the eye, who had no doubt been keeping tabs on her since the celebration began and could tell Scathach had been keeping a distance and not interacting with anyone here very much.
For reasons Scathach felt reluctant to share...
"Someone has to make sure there's no trouble brewing," she tells Aife, which was partly true.
"It's still a small village," Aife points out. "Everybody knows each other, nothing's going to happen. Don't you think you're being paranoid?"
Their attention was momentarily diverted to the sound of loud cheers from the hunters nearby. They were gathered around two men with near countless trays of cups filled with mead.
"Oh look, It's a drinking contest!" Aife said before leaning against her sister's ear. "How about I throw your name in the ring, sister? Win some gold for us? Some of these meatheads owe me some..."
Scathach leans back, both surprised and astounded. Leave it to Aife to be the one person left in this village to eager leverage Scathach's abilities.
"Aife," she starts seriously, crossing her arms at her sister in disappointment. "I'm not going to play any part in your hustle."
Aife was undeterred and tried playing up to her sister.
"Well, I would do it myself. But..."
Aife then put a hand on Scathach's shoulder.
"It's just that I don't have your fast healing. I bet no matter how much YOU drink, you won't ever get drunk... that's free winnings for us!"
Scathach then slowly removed Aife's offending hand off herself. It astounded her that Aife could act so juvenile after Scathach had trained and disciplined Aife over the last seven years. She expected better judgement on her sister's part.
"I rather not find out the hard way," Scathach said before letting go of Aife, much to her sister's annoyance. "Besides..."
The sound of more cheering catches the sisters' attention. Some of the hunters greeted Kihli, who had finally joined them after tending to Fimir.
"There're no petty drinking contests allowed when the captain of the Hunter's Guild is present," Scathach stated. "Especially when we are in part celebrating his outstanding leadership. Kihli would be appalled if he saw us squandering ourselves with abandon."
Aife just glanced annoyingly at her sister, looking on at Kihli with a kind of pride Scathach has yet to show to her.
"You two and your petty rules... you two don't like to have fun, do you?"
Scathach simply looked on as Kihli, who was offered a cup of mead. The young man graciously took it but did not drink out of it just yet. In fact, it seemed that Kihli was looking for someone among the hunters. Two special people in particular...
"I'm sure Kihli does," Scathach remarked with a smile, before adding, "Just responsibly..."
Aife inaudibly sighed. As much as she loved her sister, she did not like being lectured by Scathach, especially outside of a training session. If Aife did not know any better, she would think that Scathach's greater degree of power gave her a sort of entitlement of authority over her, alongside being Aife's teacher. She had never seen Scathach been this strict with anybody over than herself. Not even Kihli, who had gone through mostly the same training regimen, minus magecraft, had ever been lectured to the degree and frequency as Aife. It was frustrating sometimes...
Being the sister to "the Champion of Dunscaith" did not earn Aife any favors. Nor did it give her much recognition either.
Aife recalled moments ago how the children she had been interacting with flocked to Scathach without a second thought, giving her the tiniest pang of jealousy towards her sister. Aife did not buy Scathach acting like she was unprepared for the children's praise; she was sure that her sister had it happen to her more times than Aife could count for Scathach to feel that way. What was especially vexing to Aife was how Scathach inspired that young girl among them.
Truthfully, after seeing Scathach interact with that little girl, Aife kind of wished she could be the kind of inspirational figure her sister was; one that everybody respected and looked up to. Maybe if Aife was as powerful as her sister...
And there was still the matter of why she wanted Scathach to train her in the first place...
"Say, Scathach..." Aife threw out towards her sister, earning her a sideways glance.
"What is it?"
"You've trained us over seven years, taught me how to use magecraft. I feel like I'm ready..."
Scathach turned her body fully to face Aife.
"Ready for what?"
Aife then said resolutely:
"To join you in taking the fight to the Heralds... get our home back."
Scathach's face turned serious, but behind her stoic facade, she was always left astonished and apprehensive whenever Aife brought this up.
"Are you still on about this, Aife?"
And as usual, Aife was not satisfied from Scathach's response.
"Why shouldn't I be?" Aife asks brazenly. "It's what you've trained for this whole time since we arrived here, no? Now that I can fight too, I say that we've let their travesty go unpunished long enough."
Scathach, however, did not share her sister's sentiment.
"Aife, I'm not leaving everybody in this place just go on a vendetta. They need us..."
"They're doing just fine," Aife argued. "We spent the last seven years making sure of that. What's stopping us now? I'm strong, sister, just like you!"
"This isn't a question of strength, Aife," Scathach said evenly. "There is simply no need. We will defend this village if the Heralds decide to return."
"I can't wait that long sister! You... you have no idea..."
"Of what?" Scathach asked with concern. Hesitating for a moment, Aife grasped her fist tightly as she confessed to her sister, hoping it would sway her:
"I... I still see our people cut down mercilessly whenever I close my eyes at night... their screams of agony echoing..."
"Aife..." pity and shame escaped from Scathach's lips as she listened to her distraught sister.
"I've seen you slay a dozen at once when you came to rescue me back then. I was helpless in the grasp in that chieftain as I was watching our village burn. There's nothing stopping us going back and giving those heathens what they deserve!"
Reining herself in a little, Aife stares into Scathach's eyes.
"Answer truthfully... did you forget, sister?"
Scathach's somber face returned to steadfast resoluteness. In truth, not a day went by that she does not recall the horror of seeing her and Aife's previous home burned down while the adults were slaughtered by the Heralds. It was that anger and trauma that made her go on a rampage to save Aife when she was kidnapped. Scathach learned the hard way that hate was self-destructive and damages more than just your enemies.
"I haven't," Scathach answered at last. "But Aife, there are other methods of retribution that do not involve bloodshed-"
"Like what?" Aife cuts her off. "This place... it doesn't feel like home to me, Scathach. It might be so to you what with all the reverence you get, but-"
"Aife, that's enough," Scathach instructed in effort to get Aife to calm down and see reason. "I taught you to never let yourself become fixated, otherwise...?"
Aife glared in frustration before she relented, albeit callously.
"...Otherwise, I miss what is happening around me. Of course-"
Aife's immaturity was met with a light slap on her face, courtesy of Scathach who was in NO mood to joke. Aife's eyes widened attentively.
"I'm being serious, Aife," Scathach said, leaving Aife with ZERO room to argue. "You should focus on your building your mental fortitude as much as you do your magic and spearman-ship. Kihli understands; let him help you if you're struggling."
Aife rubbed her cheek as Scathach leaves her with:
"And if you say you're strong... I'll be the judge of that. Are we clear?"
Aife's head dropped shamefully, realizing that she may have overstepped her bounds. Not that she liked it...
"Whatever you say... teacher."
Before Scathach could say anything about Aife's attitude, both sisters were drawn to the attention of Kihli, who said to everybody:
"Everyone, settle down! I've got some things to say to you all...!"
Scathach walked towards the crowd of hunters, with Aife following reluctantly.
"Lads, lay off!" one of the brutish hunters yelled to settle the slowly dying chatter. "The captain's speakin'..."
Once the sisters were near enough to the group, they were both given a pint of mead as Kihli stood center in front of everybody with one drink of his own, thankfully still sober. Both Scathach and Aife pushed their argument just now aside as they paid attention to Kihli.
"My fellow hunters... I'd like to propose a toast..." he starts, making sure to look at everybody, though Kihli's gaze lingered on Scathach for noticeably longer than everyone else. "The Gods must be smiling on us... our hunt was bountiful; an amount more than this village has ever seen since its founding..."
The hunters chattered in agreement, before Kihli motioned them to settle back into silence. He then continued...
"So... thanks to all the brave souls present; the ones braving the beasts and monsters so our families can be fed... this is for all of you."
Kihli then held up his cup and declared.
"To US!"
The hunters erupted in cheer before they all took a sip of their drinks. Aife quietly drank a little of her mead, whereas Scathach left hers untouched, enamored by how well Kihli was carrying himself.
It was hard to imagine the young man before her used to be a timid little boy. Then-
"Finally..." Kihli continued. "I'd also like to propose a toast to the person who made all our hunts possible... Scathach!"
Scathach felt her face heat up in surprise as everyone turned to her, especially Kihli who declared with the utmost sincerity.
"Without her vigilance and her tutelage, most of us would've been lost to the horrors of the forest, nor would we have a home we can be proud of. To Scathach!"
Cheer erupted again, and Scathach unexpectedly felt a pat on her back by the massive hunter beside her, nearly knocking her over. Kihli's laughter was drowned out by the crowd as he watched Scathach bashfully straighten herself out and raise her cup of mead to him.
"Thank you..."
Scathach then took a swig, now too engrossed in the cheerful atmosphere to not at least indulge in a little fun, as well as not notice Aife breaking away from the crowd with a disgusted look on her face. Deciding to retire early for the night, Aife mutters to herself:
"Why is it always about my sister?"
_____
The atmosphere of the party grew quieter late into the night, but some of the more "resilient" hunters stayed to keep the celebration going. As long as there was still mead left, there will always be those unwilling to turn in just yet. Scathach watched the remaining hunters cheered and laughed while consuming the remaining drinks, many sounding tired and intoxicated. So long as there were no insults or fists being thrown around, she was optimistic that those still sober will help their fellow hunters return home.
All Scathach had been doing since Kihli gave his toast was making sure tonight ended trouble-free, as she has since the celebration began.
Mostly...
All night, Scathach wandered amongst the crowd and not making much effort to share in everyone's enthusiasm. She had been staying at arms-length with everyone, even Kihli, throughout the night, just watching everyone being blissfully happy; Ignorant, without any care in the world.
Not of life... and not of death...
Scathach found herself, for lack of a better word... envious...
Living in the moment was something Scathach is not able to do. Not since...
"You two still aren't talking, huh?"
Aife's words from earlier today rang in Scathach's mind. With a sigh, she sat down away from the rest of the group. She never told her sister nor Kihli the full extent of what happened between her and the Shadow when she went up to his fortress all those years ago. Scathach doubted if they'd even understand even if she explained everything to them. She herself wanted to forget all about it, but always found herself reminded of it when she gazed upon moments of vitality amongst her friends and fellow villagers. The knowledge of-
"Shadows make for poor company, wouldn't you say?"
Scathach was so ingrained in her inner thoughts that she failed to notice Kihli walking towards her from the corner of her eye, and holding two wooden mugs filled with mead. He had a reserved but cheery demeanor as he stood before Scathach, who could bring herself to object to his presence.
"I would think after that standing ovation I gave you, Scathach..." he starts, seeing her in a less than stellar mood. "-You'd be keener on celebrating with us."
Scathach forces a gracious smile as she looked up to him and said:
"You didn't have to, Kihli. The day is yours... the hunters have accomplished so much because of you."
"And who was it who taught me how to be a leader?" Kihli responds, brushing off Scathach's honest flattery. "And among other things like using a spear?"
Kihli then sat beside Scathach and offered her one of the drinks he carried.
"Here... I saved you some of the mead. It may not be the best, but it being made in Dunscaith is what makes it special."
Scathach graciously took it, but does not take a sip as Kihli added with great nostalgia:
"In fact... it's one of many things that are possible to do in Dunscaith because of you. You should feel proud of yourself, Scathach. Everyone adores you now."
The half-hearted smile stayed on Scathach's face at the fact that Kihli was only trying to cheer her up. She'd be lying if she did not find some comfort in Kihli's company.
It was a much needed distraction.
"I didn't do very much," she said modestly. "I just helped people to help themselves. They'd have given up trying to live here if they could not believe it was at least possible to. You're arguably the best example of that, Kihli..."
Her backhanded compliment was met with an amused snort of laughter from Kihli, who remarked:
"And what would I have done about the local monster population? That was all you."
"Well..." Scathach starts solemnly, not able to help but think of why that was so in the first place. "It wasn't like my mentor was going to help the people here..."
Kihli's face fell slightly at hearing Scathach's tone behind her words, thinking that the Shadow must have been what had upsetting her since their return from the hunt. He felt the need to apologize.
"I'm sorry about bringing him up earlier. I know it's not my place to pry, but I think it's safe to say you two had some kind of... disagreement?"
He hears Scathach make a nearly inaudible sigh.
"That's a kind word for it..." she remarks before then downing her drink in one go. After that, Scathach then changed the subject. "You came to the party late. How's Fimir?"
Kihli's eyes broke away from Scathach's, and his face fell. She was not expecting good news, and rightfully so...
"Mother keeps telling me she's alright and that I shouldn't be worrying for her over the rest of the village," he reluctantly confessed. "Her coughing fits have been growing worse, and I notice she's been clenching her chest in pain."
Kihli made a strenuous sigh as Scathach waited for what he was about to say next, dreading the answer.
"I fear that unless something could be done, then she has not long in this World..."
Scathach was silent as Kihli then took a turn downing his drink. The truth was, Scathach known all along that Fimir's condition was deteriorating, and she was carrying the guilt of not being able to help her despite wielding magecraft.
Scathach had the feeling that Kihli would not believe her if she said that she couldn't magically eradicate Fimir's sickness. If anything, he'd probably scorn her if he knew. Recalling her own words, "magecraft can't work miracles," Scathach felt as equally helpless as Kihli.
Mustering himself, Kihli continued.
"I'm only here right now because mother insisted that I be with you and Aife, as was her wishes." Kihli then forced a smile. "Bless her heart, she doesn't want me to see her suffering. It's admirable how she is still able to smile..."
Scathach's face mirrored that of the young man beside her, taking a slight measure of comfort in the fact that Fimir was still her compassionate self as she always was, if her coming out of home to see her and Kihli's return was any indication.
"Where is Aife, by the way?"
Kihli's question almost took Scathach by surprise. Letting out another sigh, Scathach confesses:
"She turned in early... me and her had a few words."
Kihli dourly turned the cup in his hands, swirling its remaining contents as he added:
"Oh... sibling squabble?"
"Aife is just frustrated," Scathach replies shamefully at being reminded of their argument. "She's eager to go out and take our former home back from the Heralds."
"Isn't that what you wanted when we first met?" Kihli asks rhetorically, knowing Scathach was not going to refute him, but he knew something must have changed. Sure enough, Scathach explained herself, beginning hesitantly as she looked on at the other hunters still celebrating.
"It's just... my home is not lost. It's right here, in Dunscaith... I've come to realize that after all this time seeing this village grow; seeing you grow too, Kihli."
Both Scathach and Kihli found themselves locking eyes for a moment before Kihli broke away, almost embarrassingly. Awkward silence lingered between them, until Kihli felt the need to break it. Scathach could hear his heart beating quickly as he said:
"I... remember when you first started training me and Aife. She was overly eager when it came to fighting. I was feeling intimidated because I couldn't use magecraft like her."
Hearing this, Scathach recalled just as well as Kihli did when she first started teaching him and Aife how to fight. It was very rough going for the boy, and he even thought about quitting when he could no longer see improvement. Scathach learned the hard way that not everyone learns something as well as another. She remembered encouraging Kihli to keep honing himself, even offering training in private apart from Aife. It took work on both Scathach and Kihli's part, but soon...
"You eventually found your rhythm, Kihli," Scathach told him, wanting to cheer him up a little. "Aife usually nodded off when it came to the... admittedly less exciting parts of training."
Her remark made Kihli smile, making Scathach feel a bit elated.
"Focus and discipline..." he stated, turning to face her again. "Right?"
Scathach nodded, proud that Kihli had not forgotten.
"As I recall, after I gave you some extra tutoring, you had no issues with anything I taught."
"Save for the occasional climb up a mountain," Kihli humored her. "Me and Aife both found that brutal..."
Scathach could not help but giggle as she recalled the first time she brought her sister and the boy to climbing; up the same mountain that the Shadow made her climb. It was not a pleasant experience... for her students.
"Now you know how that felt to me at first... guilty as charged."
She then laughed at the memory of both Aife and Kihli protesting and bickering as Scathach back then wore a smug grin on her face as they climbed.
Kihli just stared at Scathach as she eventually settled down, and he wore a look of nostalgia at the almost impossible sight of his friend and mentor just beside herself and overcome with laughter.
"It's nice hearing you laugh," he found himself saying. "You rarely do anymore..."
Scathach stopped and looked at Kihli in surprise.
"I don't?" she asked with a blush. "I've just been busy, that's all..."
Silence fell again between them, and unlike before, it would not be either of them to break it.
"Captain!" both Kihli and Scathach turn to the distant hunter near the crowd calling the young man. "Wedge here thinks he can beat you in a drinking contest!"
"That so?" Kihli asks loudly. "Tell him I accept his challenge, Biggs! I'll be right there!"
"Kihli..." Scathach lightly scolded Kihli as he stood up and dusted himself off. "You know that you shouldn't be-"
"Of course..." Kihli said, cutting her off. He bears a confident smile that would not be there had he and Scathach not shared a friendly moment. "But Wedge has already been drinking mead by the barrel. I'm sure I can make a quick coin if he falls over after one swig."
Scathach chuckled to herself, knowing that as much as Kihli respected rules as she did, he knew that he had to have some fun as well. Scathach was in a much better mood after her moment of respite with Kihli, the melancholy plaguing her all evening disappearing.
But to her shock, that relief was only brief as Kihli than said as he started walking towards the crowd:
"Besides, we can't enjoy ourselves if we always follow rules, can we? Come on! We're not getting any younger, so best to test our livers while we still can!"
"..."
"Scathach?"
When no response came, Kihli had turned back only to see that Scathach had vanished, disappearing like a specter into the dark of the night...