"I am glad you all have made it. There are a few pieces of noteworthy information that I must share with you. Hence why you have been summoned here, as opposed to me relaying the information over the crows. But first, am I correct in assuming that Pheonix is not here with us?"
Bene raised his head.
"No, he is not."
The master turned to Bene.
"Thank you, Winter, have you spoken with him recently?"
"Yes, he is well. As well as he could be."
The master nodded his head.
"Now, we shall begin. I have brought with me two pieces of information. One of them has given us some insight, while the other isn't the kind of news I'd like to share. That second piece, dishearteningly, is the fact that ghasts are becoming more common, especially in the southern regions near Shorstone, Mistfell, and Bellrock. So I will have all of you move some of your forces in your respective subdivisions, or even yourself, southward, to combat this unnatural proliferation. Particularly you, Torment, as an influx of ghasts means an influx of injuries. So your medics will be ever so useful in the coming future."
Vesa nodded her head.
"Yes, I shall send them to each outpost as needed."
The master tilted his head slightly.
"Ah, I nearly forgot, we have three new members with us today. Torment, may you please introduce them to me?"
Vesa lowered her upper body in a bow.
"Gladly, Wings of Night."
She then raised herself to sit upright once again.
"Two of them remain without a title, so I will use their names instead. To my left is Oak, to my right is Weaver of Time, and to Son of Shadows' right, is Axel."
The master smiled warmly.
"Ah, it is great to finally meet you, Weaver of Time, and I await to see what the other two shall accomplish as well. However, now is not the time for greetings, as I haven't yet finished my original statement."
The master cleared his throat.
"Over time we have come to learn that there are a few ghasts that stand out amongst the greater mass. As you all should very well know by now, to rend a ghast's heart shall kill it. But these ghasts have a slight advantage over others, their hearts are misplaced, found elsewhere within themselves. Or worse, we have found a few with multiple hearts. Now, we cannot know the condition of every single ghast before we find it. So it is impossible to know if one of these rarer ghasts is the one in front of you or not. So all I can say for now is to be cautious, as these ghasts tend to be much stronger as well."
Lukas glanced at Oak and saw a confused look on his face. Lukas thought about asking him why he was confused, but then Oak spoke up.
"Why couldn't you have sent this information to us instead of having everyone gather here?"
The master turned to Oak.
"Ah, well it is a simple answer really. The birds can only carry so much information on their tongues. Additionally, if everyone is here I can deliver information much more efficiently."
Oak's confusion had not dimmed, if anything it had only grown.
"But, why couldn't you attach letters on the crow's feet?"
The master patiently smiled.
"Well, while it is in fact true that something like that could be done. I could not do that, for I cannot write. I could have someone write on my behalf, however, I do not wish to subjugate someone to decipher my mind instead of me. I know you may not understand, but I see a lot of things at all times. So to have someone attempt to scribe any and all relevant information I receive without making a mistake? I do not put my chances in that being successful."
The master took a deep breath, with a pained expression.
"I believe that is all I have the time for. However, all of the information I wished to impart to you has been said. So I shall take my leave... However, I will speak privately with a few of you later this day."
He then slowly stood with assistance from his cane and walked back behind the stage. The crows took flight as he stood, before landing once more on his shoulders as he began to leave.
After he left, one by one the hunters left, in whatever order suited them. Lukas left with Vesa, while Oak left with Skyla.
"Hey Vesa, what was with all of those titles that the master said?"
Vesa smiled warmly.
"Well, I've told you before that those titles are a sort of honorific or nickname that sticks around. Well, at the highest rank, it is used as a way to address you while honouring your accomplishments. Think of it as a compliment."
"Why do I have a title then? I haven't even done anything yet."
"That's not true, you helped me kill a ghast. But as for your question... I don't know. I didn't give you that title, ask Bene or Wels about it."
"Who's Wels?"
"Oh, right. Wels is the master's name. By the way, he doesn't act like it, but he is blind, so be kind to him."