Ethan motioned for her to lead the way. Grace knew the area well. Shadows could be seen all around as forest sounds heightened their alertness. The earthy scent and moist air made Ethan nostalgic for the woods he used to hunt. After fifteen minutes of negotiating the forest voilage, he just followed Grace.
He looked at her bare legs, her short skirt barely covering her ass. She had nice legs well, defined, and smooth skin. She looked after herself, and he could respect that. Grace stopped and squatted, motioning for him to do the same.
"We have been walking for an hour and twenty minutes. Not even one track or sign."
Ethan sat on the ground, stuck his hand into his robe, and pulled out two packets. He shared the one with Grace, placing his waterskin between them. Grace sat as well, taking her packet. Her face lit up as she opened the paper. Bread thick with butter and meat cut into strips greeted them as a welcome sight. Their stomachs growled as the aroma of the spices teased their senses. They ate in silence, drinking from his water skin as needed.
Grace had a mouth full of bread when she spoke.
"This is wonderful. It is the best day ever, hunting with a partner and enjoying monster meat."
Grace looked at her hands, and Ethan could see she remembered something from her past. She looked at the trees around her as she chewed. With a faint smile and a sparkle in her eyes, Ethan could see that she was enjoying this hunt. Grace finished her meal, and she stood dusting her skirt.
Ethan floated up when Grace searched the deer trail ahead. He took the wrapping papers and placed them into his robe. He pulled out a black ball the size of a large orange with purple patterns engraved on it.
"Alas, Lilly, please find the Catoblepas."
Lilly spoke in a seductive, mature voice that sounded sweet, dripping with honey. When Ethan heard her voice for the first time, he turned fifteen. He remembered how her voice made him think of a bed with silk and rose petals, candles burning around the bed. A red silk curtain covered the bed, and he imagined her voice coming from behind the curtain. He had to run out of the orphanage, as his lower part had saluted her voice and his vision.
"Alas, Ethan, wait here. I will be back in ten minutes."
The patterns on the black ball glowed purple as it flew into the air. It headed in the direction of the village. Grace leaned against a tree. Ethan worried that she might feel ill from the food. Could it have been off somehow? It could be the excitement, he thought. He was excited as well. Fifteen minutes passed, and the ball slowly descended, floating before Ethan.
"Alas, I have spotted them, and they are close."
"Alas. Show us the way, Lilly, you did well."
Grace stared silently at the Lilly, her face pale.
They followed Lilly for ten minutes, and then she moved to the west, away from the village. It was near teatime, and Ethan guessed by the sun's position through the trees. Lilly stopped, floating back to Ethan. He held his hand open, and she landed in it.
"Alas, thank you, Lilly."
Ethan placed her back in his robe and pulled an arrow from his quiver. It was metallic, and the wide cutting edges looked sharp.
Grace bent over and peered back at Ethan, her ass cheeks showing. Ethan tried to focus on her face. Her white panty and flower distracted him to no end. His lower part saluted her and wanted to say hello. Grace pointed to tracks between her feet. Ethan tried to inspect the tracks. The view was arousing. He wondered if she did it on purpose. She must know that her ass was showing.
What was she expecting from him? She walked hunched over, following the tracks. She was an excellent tracker. Ethan admired her thighs and legs as they moved through the forest.
"I always try to hit the underside of the neck. There are no scales there. Do not breathe in the purple mist coming from it. It breathes out poison. The poison sack is in the throat."
She was whispering, and Ethan could barely hear her. He was too distracted by her charms. They neared a clearing, and the breeze came from the right. If it stayed that way, they would be safe from poison gas. Two giant cow-like creatures stood twelve feet apart, eating poisonous plants. They had black scales on their bodies, and they looked thick. Their big heads lowered to the terrain as they grazed. They had big tusks that looked dangerous. Purple gas filled the clearing as the Catoblepas exhaled, drifting on the wind like mist.
Grace pointed at the one nearer to them. Ethan gave her a thumbs-up, and she said she would target that one. He felt a little disappointed as Grace straightened his view of her charms gone. He readied his bow and moved to the left for a better shot.
"Alas, Mei, scan for weakness and bring up the targeting display."
Ethan's voice was barely a whisper. A holographic display appeared next to his hand. Crosshairs appeared blue, with markers showing wind and terrain.
"Alas, Ethan, the ear."
Mei said softly, her voice sounding young and vibrant as Ethan moved his bow and pulled back the arrow and string. He gave a glance to Grace. She was magnificent as she stood at the ready to release her arrow. He admired her focus as she aimed her big breasts, moving slowly as she inhaled.
"Alas, Mei, please magnify the target."
The display zoomed in, and the markers changed rapidly. Ethan breathed in and held in for a second, exhaling slowly, then released the arrow. There were two twangs followed by thuds as the arrows hit their targets.
Grace's target made a loud cry as the arrow pierced its throat, blood squirting out. It ran ten feet and dropped, breathing heavily as its life's blood spilt on the terrain. Ethan's target lay dead, the arrow deep into the ear, penetrating the brain. Grace looked at Ethan, excitement flashing in her eyes.
She rushed to him, hugging him.
"We did it two Catoblepas at the same time."
Grace froze and stepped back, straightening her clothes. Ethan could not help but smile. He relaxed the longbow string, then tied it back onto the Backpack, closing the end of the quiver to protect his arrows. He would wash the arrow in the monster at the end of processing the beast and see if it needed maintenance.
"Alas, Grace, we did well, and thank you, Mei. This hunt has been a success. May we have many days as this one."
Grace explained that the tusks and meat were highly valued. The head, scales, and neck were poisonous. They needed to turn the animals on their backs to start skinning them. Ethan opened the fine mesh net he had brought on the terrain. It had loops woven into it. He pushed the Catoblepas over with ease and stood back.
"Alas, Grace, how well can you pack meat for transport."
Grace stopped, took the backpack, placed it on the ground, and removed a knife. The backpack folded open, and there were shelves to pack meat. The condensation fog came from the interior like a freezer left open. She wanted to cut open the beast's belly. She turned and looked at the net on the terrain. She grinned, putting her knife away, and walked over to Ethan. Ethan marvelled at her backpack.
"I have hunted since childhood. Packing meat for travel is a speciality of mine."
"Alas, catch the meat and pack. Daylight is fading."
Ethan pulled four exquisite knives from his robe. The handles had gold and silver peach blossoms inlaid. The blades had orange characters, the same as his sword. The blades had a crystalline appearance that was black as night.
Ethan threw them in the air, and they floated as one.
"Alas, Zelda, butcher the Catoblepas. Leave the necks and heads and take the tusks. Leave the skin and scales."
"Alas, Ethan, I will be finished in no time."
The knives spoke in a female voice, sounding sweet and cute. They flew over to the first beast and started cutting. Ethan took the pieces of meat and threw them over to Grace.
Soon, they were hard at work as the butchering sped up. The pile of meat increased, and soon, only bones and skin remained, with the heads and necks untouched. The knives started to spin in the air, blood splashing in an arch. They were clean in seconds and floated to Ethan. He took the knives and placed each through one of the metal loops in the net.
Grace had filled her backpack and explained that it was for the guild staff to take home to their families. The staff had a rotating schedule. Three staff always stayed at the guild during the night. The guild never closed its doors and was open all the time. The schedule had them work one week a month at night.