《The King (Kralyat)》 01 - Back Home (P) The night was quiet and breezy but one would expect the beginning of June would be such. Especially since Balhkara was one of those countries to the east that was blessed with the gentle, night summer swooshes of the ocean winds. Even more so, the pleasantness was stronger when the old paved streets of Udeos carried a faint sulphury smell mixed with barbecued meat and red peppers. Good cuisine, one could say. Particularly famous was the one at ''Tava'' ¨C a tavern that sheltered Udeos'' fine hunters and huntresses after long missions away from home. Guests could enjoy the bitter taste of golden grains brewed into fine caramelized fuzzy beer; deer meat steaks were expensive but anyone could afford a piece or two of air-dried, sometimes alternative were smoke-dried sausages. Of course, these treats came seasonally ¨C for example, during the Winter, guests preferred mulled wine and barbecued pork chops. ''Tava'' never failed to satisfy seasonal preferences. That was one of the reasons why most of the returning home hunters and huntresses visited it, but also made the tavern into a meeting-point, right after a mission. Clanks of glasses and metal mugs rang inside. Music was not needed although the background supplied with quiet notes of traditional Balhkaran rhythmic music. However, the atmosphere was often too merry that nobody noticed whenever the music stopped for a while before resuming. Three particular hunters were enjoying the brand-new beer recipe after a long absence from home. The town had been talking about Stan''s brewery for a while since he came up with a new way to brew the grains and the old-known golden color now was more of dark amber. The men took a deep sip like thirsty wanderers in a desert, they halved the mugs before an audible groan escaped each one of them ¨C what a bliss! The smell of home, and the taste of it! "Ah, I am so happy that the mission was a success!", said one of the males. His complexion paled from exhaustion but the smile hid the relief from being back home. He loved Udeos, his hometown. Baht Ver was his name, quite artistic of his family to name him after a loyal warrior from an old folklore story although his close ones often referred to him as Bave. He was barely 30-year-old but was a well-known name in the circle of hunters. In fact, the Association of Hunters Bar often sought his help whenever a mission turned more complex than anticipated. Missions usually had a wide range of units that had their respectful specialty in the field. Perse, some units had to oversee the annual harvesting and protect it from barbarians who looted and sowed destruction. Many villages had lost their crops and cattle because of such horrendous attacks. Besides, many of the villagers relied on either private security ¨C such as of hunters or on the kingdom''s soldiers whenever they were released for a month or so. Then again, not many villages could afford to pay therefore the free watchmen services of soldiers were preferred. Missions could also include escorting merchants, in fact, more than 40% of the Association of Hunters Bar had units for ''Merchant Supervision''.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. It was a well-paid job though Baht Ver preferred more of S-ranked missions. These usually had to do with national treasures and retrieval of lost artifacts. Across the table were his teammates ¨C Rahk Kal and Iyal Koh. The three men were a team for more than ten years. In fact, upon joining Bave lucked out to train alongside them, and later they formed a team. He could never imagine a mission without being backed up by these two. Kal was the forceful-type of a hunter, he handled some rude clients ¨C especially when they would play funny once the payment had to be done. His straight-forwardness was eased by Koh, who was positive and tranquil. Well, tranquil for a hunter. It was rare to have such a fluff-ball of character join the Association. A truly well-balanced team, nonetheless. "Yeah, it was a long journey. I am happy we made it back home before the end of June.", said Koh after holding back a burp from the heavy beer taste. Whatever Stan had experimented with, his new beer was quite heavy than usual. "You are right, we are quite lucky to make it for the ''Rose Festival''.", nodded Kal as reached with his rough but clean hand to pick a barbecued deer chop. "Ah! Indeed! The Rose Fest!", Bave''s exhausted complexion suddenly brightened up and his palm squeezed around his beer mug. "Don''t tell me you forgot about it¡­ I thought the reason why you rushed us through the forest was just to get in time for it.", Kal gave him a long stare, remembering the awful journey back. They hadn''t slept properly for the last 48 hours and here he thought that Bave was just in a hurry to reach Udeos in time for the festival. "Eh¡­ah¡­well¡­", Bave felt a bit guilty, fully aware that his team members were completely drained and his reason had nothing to do with the Rose Festival. He quickly changed the topic after a brief chuckle, "Say Kal, are you planning to take Lena to the Festival this year? I think my sister was around that age when she went to the rose-gathering." "Ah yeah. I discussed it with my wife last year, Lena will probably join the Fest this time. Although I am not sure if she is ready to find a future husband at the traditional rose-gathering ritual." "Pfff ¨C", Koh couldn''t help it and swallowed a burst of half-audible laughter, "Is it your daughter or you who don''t think so?" "Oh shut up, Koh.", Kal rolled his green eyes before lifting his mug for another long sip. "Come on, you do know that rose-gathering is the perfect way to get the blessings from the gods to find the perfect match.", Koh tried to convince Kal, like usual. Kal was one of these skeptics who would never support the "old ways". Even though he met his wife exactly at such rose-gathering. However, there were many reasons why Kal, and many other people from all over the Kingdom, wanted to abandon "the old ways" Bave listened to his teammates, and friends, whilst playing with the grip of his beer mug. His black eyes were a deep pit of endless thoughts. He watched his friends but in the back of his mind he knew he was just watching two major representatives of pro- and anti- "the old ways". By "old ways" many would understand traditions, customs, and knowledge too. Knowledge was in the core of it, so Bave thought. One part of the Kingdom supported the traditions, the memory of the great Balhkara when their rulers led the world and educated it with ancient-old knowledge. But then, there were such who did not support it. They spat on such idiotic idealism ¨C Balhkara never had amazing rulers! Just rats! What Balhkara needed was change. Bave looked down to his mug, following the lazy movements of his thumb against the metal grip. He knew both sides were equally right but also equally wrong, yet he was just a simple hunter and no ruler. He could not rule but sure as hell he would offer his loyalty if the need was such. However, Balhkara had long lost its shine. Nowadays such stories of glory are long-dead. The once-great kingdom is nothing more than a god forgotten province of other kingdoms ¨C a piece of land that just pays high taxes and corruption eating off its beauty and ancient prestige. "¡­ve¡­ Bave!", Kal raised his voice irritated although the chattering in the tavern barely allowed any yell to be distinguishable. A merry but loud place. "What is wrong? You have been brooding for some days now.", Koh expressed his concern and both of the males looked at Bave, somewhat expecting him to share his worries. 02 - Current Affairs (P) (T) Bave looked at his two teammates who were genuinely concerned about him. There were times when he wanted to discuss current issues in Balhkara but he was hesitant. For example, the remote areas of Balhkara were tattered by poverty. Villagers barely made any income, in fact, most of them relied on crops and cattle to make it through. Worse was that since last year the lords decided to impose higher taxes, and not only did they bite a big chunk of the agricultural layers of the country but also began to slaughter cattle under the pretext that a possible plague could have affected the animals. Many people knew that it was an excuse to make the poor poorer and dependent on their lords. After 50 villages lost most of their means to produce and provide for their families, the kingdom came up with a promise to compensate if villagers agreed to send 70% of their crops for exportation in other countries ¨C trade matters. However, the compensation consisted only of 30 copper coins* that were barely worth 2 silver such; just enough to buy seeds for the new harvest and somewhat feed a 3-member family. Many hunters came from such remote areas and they were painfully aware of the dire situation the country was in. That was in comparison with big towns and cities where most people were a bit too busy to race in the competition of ranks and wealth to care for some cattle. Bave was from Udeos, the country''s sea capital, and he was quite lucky to have many of the privileges other people did not. Despite being a "city boy", Bave was not blind. The current affairs of Balhkara troubled him, and it was very probable he joined the Association of Hunters Bar to try and make a change. Alas, the change did not come easy ¨C did not come at all. "Ah¡­no, it''s just that I am happy we are back.", Bave chuckled through his words but could barely mask his discontent. "Yeah, I agree. Life of a hunter is no life at all. We spend most of our days outside Balhkara and our parents, and children, grow old whilst we try to battle the windmills*. Nothing truly changes, just a vicious cycle of people leaving Balhkara to find a better life.", Koh sighed deeply, fully aware of the issue. A lot of people have migrated from Balhkara and not that they became richer or found happiness outside their hometowns ¨C just the opposite ¨C but it seemed that it was easier for them to start anew and pretend that the once glorious Balhkara never existed. Some of them even grew spiteful and wished to see the country burn to the ground. "I remember when I was little, what it was¡­.Eh¡­around twenty years ago? Man! Time flies!", Kal laughed bitterly and pulled his beer mug closer, "I remember how my father worked in the fields. However, he was quite happy and even owned horses!" "Woah! Horses? If I remember correctly, back in the days it was quite possible to own a horse. Nowadays, it is only the lords and wealthy families who can afford a horse or two!", Koh reached a hand up to feel his fatty chin, remembering the old days.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. "Tell me about it! But anyway¡­I somewhat still remember when the late King died. It was scary, people were lost and afraid. After all, everyone wanted to take a big bite from Balhkara, take the leash, and lead." Bave kept nodding slightly, despite being the youngest in the team ¨C he had heard many stories from the previous generation that mourned the loss of their King. Some even believed that Balhkara would be punished for spilling the blood of a royal. It was a kind of superstition that bloodshed, let alone a gruesome death, of any member from that royal clan, could result in an ill omen. On that day, Balhkara lost not only their King but another 10 family members from the "Tulo" clan. "Do you remember when they ordered the education institutions to remove anything regarding the royal family clan''s existence? Whatever we have left now is just oral tradition, just another lore.", Kal lifted his beer mug and titled it to his lips for another sip. "Well, I am optimistic. I believe that for as long as people keep the memory alive, no lord and no false king can erase our pride to be men of Balhkara. If we will it, we can restore the country.", Bave tried to uplift the moody conversation. Alas, three of them knew that it would take just another hundred or two hundred years before Balhkara completely forgets what it was before. What it was to have a true King. "Yeah, yeah¡­ Do you mean that old legend? It''s just a legend created in desperate times.", Kal shook his head, completely rejecting the idea of it. "Oh come on, we are three! It could be us!", Bave and Koh laughed along as both associated their team with the legend of the ''Three Royal Guards'' which anyone knew even people who lived beyond the borders of Balhkara. "Ha! Tell you what, I don''t know about that story but I do not plan to bow before any king!", Kal''s brows locked a faint frown, just the thought of it made him angry. "Well, given the circumstances¡­I don''t blame you.", Koh crossed his arms before his chest, taking a defensive stance whilst talking, "I mean¡­how many royal "relatives" tried to sit on that throne? For the last twenty years, we had like four kings. Four! Ridiculous!! And each time the country suffered more. I shan''t bow before any king either!" Bave, as the youngest in the team, couldn''t quite comment. Somewhat being young and listening to the feelings of elders called for respect for their opinion. Besides, what could he possibly say to convince them otherwise? That somewhat a just and virtuous king would come across and suddenly decide to restore Balhkara? It sounded more ridiculous than the legend of the "Three Royal Guards". However, deep down inside Bave knew that these two men, if met their true King, would die for him just like he would; and that was enough to reassure himself with how loyal they were despite their spiteful comments. "Well, well. Guys! Don''t get moody now. We just came back!", Bave laughed and lifted his beer mug in mid-air, "Jena!! Jennnnaaa! Bring us more beer!" His voice tried to rise above the noise and call for the waitress who was actually Bave''s childhood friend. Both of them lived in the same neighborhood and attended the same school up to the age of 14. Jena was a fine lady who often passed on information to Bave from different hunter circles. Be it failed missions or fallen heroes, and even information based on pure rumors. It was handy to have someone close from that tavern as it was like a true haven for hunters. A lot of important deals were crafted in there and an insider was a good investment to think about. Jena knew what Bave was interested in and kept an eye, and an ear, for anything regarding foreign trade and antiquities auditions. He had quite the interest in such matters, even Jane found him a bit too obsessed with state affairs. She knew that if he applied to be a royal general, he''d make a fine one. However, Bave never considered becoming part of the elite. He was fine like that ¨C roaming lands and seeking something¡­ Something, whatever it was. Even he himself did not know what he was looking for. 03 - A Rumor (P) The three men continued their chatter about the upcoming festival whilst waiting for their second round of beer to arrive. The night was still young and a lot of hunters happened to gather at the tavern around the first few days of June. Hence, the place was at its full capacity and the staff was barely keeping up. It took Jena a few minutes before she finally made it to Bave''s table with the big beer mugs. She squeezed through several seats as tables were shuffled and connected so they made long rows. She had to swirl around and avoid bumping at the otherwise excited crowd of customers. Everybody seemed in high spirits since most of them had not seen each other since the beginning of February, and there was more chattering than eating going. Most missions began from the first decan* of February, and these were the winter requests while the summer ones were from the end of July. Although it was not unheard-of to have prolonged missions that could last up to a year or even two. Therefore, hunters and huntresses kept telling stories about their adventures whenever they finalized a mission. Jena finally set the mugs down onto the table and enthusiastically greeted the men. It has been several months since she last saw them although news from other hunter circles kept her updated regarding their well-being. It was rather helpful that hunters themselves spread the news as many family members had no other way to contact their loved ones once they set out on a mission. "It''s been ages guys! I was wondering when I will be seeing you again!" Jena''s voice was loud but pleasant as she yelled through the noisy background. Her hands reached for a nearby chair and quickly made herself part of the three-member pack. "Ah Jen, it''s good to be back. How is your family? Is Ianko still working at Don''s bakery? I heard that the business wasn''t going well since crops are now mostly privately owned and distribution is monopolized. Small business has no future." Kal leaned forth with his elbows balancing his front against the table edge. It was true, as the hunters discussed a while ago ¨C villagers didn''t seem to even own most of their lands anymore. A lot of business suffered but funnily enough, it only affected the commoners. Anyone above the average wage was considered out of the ''danger zone''. It was rare to see a well-off business go bankrupt or see anyone with connections to the upper class being fired and shunned by the community. "Ah no, everything is okay. Thank god! "¨C she hurried to say ¨C "I don''t know how we will be able to feed our kids otherwise. Besides, my mother fell ill...so, I also have to go cook for my old parents whenever I have the time. It''s been pretty hectic¡­" Jena sighed tired but quickly composed herself as she wasn''t there to whine about her life. She knew everyone had it tough and besides, ''Tava'', the tavern, was a place to relax and forget one''s worries. Therefore, she discontinued the topic with a rumor circulating for a while. "Speaking of crops¡­", she leaned further into the table to bring more secrecy to what was to be discussed. "Have you heard about the recent exports happening from the northern borders?" Bave cocked a brow and slid his beer mug towards the middle of the table as his chest leaned into the wooden edge. The men took interest and besides, they knew that Jena wouldn''t open a topic without a reason. "What do you have?", the three hunters leaned in to listen close. "A month ago, or so, a hunter came by to look for some information regarding the recent policy changes that affected even our business. For example, we cannot offer certain products." "What do you mean by ''cannot offer''?", Koh''s eyebrows formed a wrinkled line in-between as he didn''t quite like how that sounded. "Well¡­let''s take for example deer meat.", she pointed to the portion on the table, neglected to the side as the men rather drank than ate. "Back in the days, ''Tava'' had contracts with several hunters who brought deer directly from the forest. Nowadays, you have to get a sort of a license to sell it. That approval comes directly from the Lords Union and instead of buying it off from a hunter, we buy it from the Union." "So¡­you are saying?", Kal blinked several times, not quite sure how to take that.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "Silly, I am saying that ''Tava'' is no longer a hunter''s place, we are dependent no longer on our great men but on a bunch of lords who basically tied our hands with contracts. We cannot run ''Tava'' without the lords." Jena sighed and brought her hand up, balancing on an elbow as her cheek rested within her palm. Times have changed, and the longer that Kingdom went on without a proper King ¨C the worse it became. People could do nothing although there have been several attempts to expose the ruling class for embezzlement and corruption ¨C such attempts have been silenced, one way or another. "Quite interesting¡­", Bave, as one would expect, caught on. "Whence does then the Union take the meat? I haven''t heard about any existing contract between the Association of Hunters Bar and the Lords Union." "That''s what the hunter wanted to find out. So, he mentioned the northern border, a few miles away from Luse. Apparently, a huge exportation mission has been going on but they keep it low." Jena leaned further in, "The hunter said it is a cover-up for something. He suspected that the illegal meat is coming in from there but he mentioned that there are things going out Balhkara as illegally." "You mean the exportation is not the actual deal?", Kal interrupted again, "Why would they keep it low then? Everyone knows that Balhkara exports crops to bordering kingdoms and in turn imports other goods." "Nah, it is not actually they cover the crop export but rather the quantity of it. Everyone knows they export but nobody has ever seen it. The hunter said that important artifacts and kingdom''s treasures are being smuggled during the early hours of the night along with the export-import exchange." Jena stretched her lips in a grin, "And get this, he said that there is a rumor going on in the upper class for the past few months, from the middle of March if I am not mistaken¡­" Bave narrowed his eyes, and unlike Koh and Kal who looked rather surprised, his expression remained tranquil. His team members noticed how calm Bave was and they started suspecting that the reason Bave was in a hurry to come back was what Jena was about to say. Yet, they had no clue how would Bave know about it. Something bothered them but they decided to discuss it later. "The upcoming Rose Festival would be a nice distraction for them to smuggle the great Nominalia of the Tulo Clan. You know, whilst people gather to celebrate ¨C business is done. Many hunters plan to make a move on the Fest''s Eve!" "No way!!", Koh leaned backward in shock but Jena quickly pulled him back into the formed circle above the table. "Shhhhhhh!", Jena glanced around and despite being loud enough to mask their conversation, the woman was cautious. She knew that most deals were struck in times of chaos and within a loud environment. The work at ''Tava'' taught her a thing or two. Hence, it was wise to be careful as they said even walls had ears. "Is that so¡­", somewhat Bave looked slightly ticked off by the rumor. If it turned to be true then the last piece of evidence that Tulo rulers were a great dynasty would completely vanish. Moreover, the book, the Nominalia, not only enlisted all the names of previous rules and current heirs but also their strengths and weaknesses. There was tittle-tattle that the Nominalia actually was a key to understanding the mysterious powers of the Tulo clan. "Can you imagine! Not only we lost the great Tulo clan but now they want to abolish any trace of their existence!", Jena herself expressed her discontent and crossed arms before her chest, "So? Are you going to check it out?" "Ah man¡­", Kal was first to bump his forehead onto the table, frustrated from the unraveling circumstances. "We just came back¡­. If I tell my wife that I have to depart and can''t make it for my daughter''s rose-gathering, she would leave me." "It''s actually surprising she hasn''t left you by now.", Jena threw him a stare and although she was teasing, she could never imagine raising her kids without her husband Ianko. If he were a hunter, she wasn''t sure how their life would look like. "Oh shut up, do you have to be so mean?", Kal lifted his head and stared back at Jena. "Well, listen. I am only telling you a bunch of gossips; I have no way to confirm it. However, think about it¡­why would anyone need the Nominalia after so long? It''s been twenty years since the Tulo clan was assassinated." "Well¡­what else than erasing their existence forever? If the living proof does not exist, no one would be able to claim Balhkara''s stolen treasures and artifacts.",Koh offered a simple explanation. "True¡­but what if¡­", Jena looked from side to side, "¡­ what if they need the book to deal with a Tulo member?" The men twitched. What was Jena saying? Has she lost it? A Tulo member, alive nonetheless? Impossible. Kal first spoke up and although he respected Jena, such a guess was simply dishonoring the dead. "Jena! That is truly improper to even think about!" "Listen, I do know how it sounds¡­. but the book is very important for any member from the Tulo. If it vanishes, any possible survivor will lose the chance to claim the throne. Not only that, anyone in possession of it will know how to counter Tulo''s strengths." Jena knew how inconsistent everything sounded. From the deer meat and Lords Union to the cover-up exports and Nominalia being smuggled, just to tell them that a possible Tulo survivor was somewhere out there. No wonder all three of them adopted a conflicted look in their eyes. "Listen¡­a Tulo survivor is a bit too unrealistic.", Bave approached the tensed-up situation with tranquility and rationality. "I do agree that there are certain benefits to hold onto the Nominalia or at least make it disappear. If an artifact is in danger, I ¨C as a member of the Association of Hunters Bar ¨C cannot ignore it." "I agree!", Kal and Koh commented in unison. "Ah¡­.geez¡­", Jena exhaled deeply as she had no way to prove all the speculations she just served them with but at least she was relieved that the men looked determined to check on the authenticity of the rumor. "Well, if you need any help, I can try to assist. But you only have two days to reach Luse. Would you even make it? Normally it takes up to four days to reach it from here and that''s the shortcut." "Pfff¡­", Kal brushed it off with his hand waving lightly, "Jen, do you know who is our captain? Bave made us reach Balhkara for the shortest time possible in the history of the Association Bar records. Forty. Eight. Damn. Hours!" Bave and Koh started laughing as Kal has not stopped complaining about the exhausting trip back home ever since they crossed the border. However, what he said was true. The men were known as the fastest trio in the history of Association Hunters Bar. Therefore, reaching Luse in time was of no reason to panic. 04 - The Tulo Clan (P) (T) Balhkara was known for many of its deeds throughout the centuries but the Kingdom slowly began to deteriorate. The education system used to be top-notch, or at least surpassing some kingdoms in that regard. Many scholars had documented its marvelous achievements through the ages, so the country was quite known for giving birth to brilliant men and women ¨C skilled at art and poetry, pottery, science, philosophy, star-reading, or known as astrology, military and expanding as far as even architecture. Magic was also a type of skill that one could learn. It had nothing to do with made-up stories that circulated for the last twenty years in Balhkara, and even beyond its borders. Stories of witches that had black teeth and stinking-of -rotten-plague-rats breath, with long yellow nails that tore babies apart to drink their blood and eat the flesh. Back in the days, witches were doctors that cured and helped the sick. Indeed, however, some ill-natured witches misused the knowledge though it was quite rare since the Magic Academia carefully selected the students who could master the dangerous but helpful arts of magic. All these details and much more were documented by scholars and they did not miss to assign such achievements as credits to the Crown back in the days. Although, ''crown'' was a funny word made up as a concept of the new ruling class after Tulo died out. A bunch of rats who just wanted to show off their wealth and power by sticking on top of their heads smelted and forged gold. Yet¡­that gold was enough to blind people and people bowed down on knees, forgetting that Tulo never needed gold and never made them kneel. Whoever knelt before Tulo was on their own accord and free will. However, such stories of people kneeling on their free will could be only laughed at. These glorious days have turned into nothing more but lore. Documents were burned in "accidental" fires, important stone artifacts and statues vandalized or stolen, and so was art not spared. Just for one sole reason - abolishment of the truth ¨C the greed for power to rule over and enslave the innocent, and not so innocent, people. Yet there was a story that survived despite all the ridiculing and attempts to criminalize any claim that speculated its truthfulness. After all, such a story had the power to give birth to imagination. Something truly horrifying for the current ruling class was the power of the people to imagine. Imagination was a form of an idea, and an idea could quickly take the form of a thought. A thought with roots was as dangerous as hope could be.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. It could serve both a good and a bad master. That story in question was no other but the Origins of the Tulo Clan. Alas, it had lost many of its chunks throughout the years. It has been amputated to such a degree that no one could remember anymore the Beginning of Tulo. Crafty old women had tried to patch it up as a bedtime story and additionally created folklore lullabies they sang and sang, and sang ¨C so the children could remember at least the name of Tulo. It showed how much the Balhkaran people loved that clan. One of such versions of the story, which was considered the most holistic and authentic one, was about the ''Orenda of Tulo''. Orenda*, in its true meaning, was an esoteric force present in the bloodline of Tulo that empowered them to affect the world and its course ¨C or simply put, to control fate. Such power came with great responsibilities and was only inherited through the blood ties but bestowed upon a selected King. If the King was in any way unable to rule ¨C because of a serious injury or corruption of the heart and mind, Orenda would turn into a ball of destruction. Therefore, any King, who came to be, needed three royal guards. These guards were chosen after a long trial to test their will and loyalty. For they had the responsibility to protect the King but also to protect the people. If the King was to fall ill, whether, in the body or mind, they had to transfer the Orenda onto a new King. No one knew how Orenda was transferred nor truly knew what Orenda was. Was it a ball of sparkling magic power? Or just a wicked charm that any member of Tulo could acquire? One was only limited by imagination. Whatever Orenda was, it seemed to be a force desired by many. Tulo had been a leading clan for a millennium, and possibly longer than that however, their virtuous qualities were to be envied, and they were envied. Tulo was a centralized clan, the leader was selected only if pure-blooded ¨C and despite the understanding of commoners of ''pure-blooded royalty'' ¨C Tulo never belittled other clans or anyone from any Kingdom, be it a villager or a lord. They had just one rule ¨C only a pure-blooded Tulo could inherit the throne. It made quite a good sense, as Orenda had to be protected. If it happened to be inherited by someone outside Tulo, there was no telling what they would do with such a power. Besides, Tulo was merciful towards others but merciless towards their own. The leader had to display qualities at decision-making, moral standing, excel in knowledge and wisdom, understanding of basic universal laws, love for the people and above all, humbleness towards all the creatures of the world ¨C from the small ant and the insignificant grass to the once-existing dragons which, in fact, had been known to clash often so with Tulo nine-hundred years ago. Such was the burden of a leader that had to rule for exactly three-hundred years. That was another mystery the mortals across many kingdoms tried to grasp ¨C how could a human life continue after the usual span of seventy or so years of age? That great opportunity to live that long was documented in the Nominalia of the Tulo Clan, and whoever doubted such unbelievable fact ¨C could quickly flip through the pages and see that no ruler of Tulo reigned less than three-hundred years. Except for the last King ¨C Tuge... 05 - Spoken Word - Thrown Stone (P) The tavern slowly began to empty with the advancement of celestial bodies orbiting around, time was passing and the small hours of the night approached. Bave, Kal, and Koh were one of the last guests to leave ''Tava'', and similar to many others ¨C the hunters were slightly tipsy. The breeze outside splashed their faces with the gentle swoop of air upon stepping out of the tavern. Their lungs filled with the smell of the ocean and the well-distributed fragrance of linden. It made them briefly close their eyes and enjoy the momentum. The linden trees were sacred for Balhkara, symbolizing fidelity, peace, and justice. Udeos was quite prominent for its linden abundance, in fact, Udeos people were known as the protectors of the sacred tree. Many rituals took place around the beginning of the Autumn to celebrate the end of the Linden Season. The linden tea was another thing anyone from Udeos could pride himself, or herself, in. The city was a mass-producer of linden tea and the dried flowers could be bought at any time from any shop although its price had risen for the past few years. It was the Kingdom''s policy changes that had driven many linden producers to suffer. However, despite the changes, the selling of linden tea has not dropped. The plant was known for its healing effects and it was a must for any herbalist''s collection. The three hunters strolled down the pathway, though Kal was swinging from side to side his mind clear as spring water. The men spent a minute or so in silence, looking around and enjoying every corner of their home currently bathed in the dim moonlight. Trees, old houses with windows darkened, for everyone was asleep; closed taverns and shops ¨C the quiet of the night reigned. Now and then they could hear the tree leaves rustle or the tapping sounds of rodents when they ran across the streets to hide away in bushes whilst mosquitoes feasted on the men''s flesh. Sweet home. "Say Bave¡­", Kal hiccupped as slowed his pace, "Are you not surprised by what Jena told us?" Koh was also curious to hear the answer, as both of them noticed how calm Bave was from whatever they discussed at the tavern. In fact, it seemed to them that he already knew. They could bet that even Jena noticed how composed he appeared, and if they didn''t know him that well ¨C they''d think he was just simply indifferent, and no man from Balhkara could appear indifferent when it came to the Tulo clan. "I am surprised.", Bave briefly said yet his voice sounded a bit too weak for one of the best captains in the hunter world. One could say that he was either too tired of the long journey or too tired to think about a possible long journey. "Mmmm¡­", Kal completely brought his steps to a halt and turned to look at Bave, suspicious of his behavior change lately. "It seems to me¡­", his speech interrupted by another hiccup,"¡­that you knew about it!" "I knew about the Nominalia, you are right.", his answer even calmer than before as he halted his steps as well. His deep black gaze was completely submerged in the darkness of the night but Kal was too tipsy to try and read his friend''s eyes. "What¡­wait¡­", Koh took over, faster to react than Kal was in general, although Kal''s questions entangled with his then and there. "How come you knew? No-wait, forget about that¡­ why did you not tell us?" "Well¡­", Bave looked to the side, a bit embarrassed that he had to say it himself, "You know¡­ both of you finally made it back home, you have families who are starved for your attention¡­Whilst I am pretty much on my own and have nothing else to do¡­", his chuckle rolled dry, unable to mask his awkwardness. Koh and Kal both signed audibly, such a relief. A peal of soft laughter followed as both of them realized how tense they were to hear Bave''s answer. It wasn''t that they have forgotten the main question ¨C how did he know about it, but it was a relief that their friend was not conspiring. His attitude was honest enough. Besides, it was not unheard-of conspiring members in the Association. People truly changed once money, fame or power were to be involved. "Bave¡­you idiot. Sometimes I am surprised how can you be both so wise and so silly.", Koh rested his palms on each side of his hips as Kal reached to pinch Bave''s cheek like a father would do.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. "Ah ah ah¡­Kal! Wh-What are you doing!?", the young man tilted his head in an attempt to avoid the cheek-pinching. "Our lil'' precious Bave worried about these old men here, huh?", his pinching was rather like his own way of punishing Bave. It even started stinging with a bright red bruise forming around the pinched area. "Listen Bave, we are hunters." "We are hunters.", Koh repeated, and there was some sort of pride in all that. For the past ten years, these men have retrieved hundreds of lost artifacts, restored bridges to connect villages, helped people guard their crops against bandits, hunted criminals, and even saved children from the slave market. They had a damn solid reason to be proud. "I know¡­I just¡­", Bave hesitated briefly whilst his palm rubbed the rouge bruise against his cheek, his eyes cleared up from darkness as the faint Crescent rays reached between the tree crowns. "This time it might be a bit different." "What do you mean?", Koh inched closer, so the men could form a circle, pretty aware that this was not the appropriate time and place to discuss it but he had to ask. Bave on its own accord decided that there was no sensitive information that could threaten them even if someone was eavesdropping in the shades of the night. "Before we departed from the city of Rakuah, just shortly after we completed our mission, I received a letter in the guesthouse we were staying at." "A letter?", Kal started sobering up as his curiosity was picked. "Rather, an invitation for a possible mission. However, the mission was never mentioned. The only requirement to qualify for it was to retrieve the Nominalia from Luse''s borders. The letter was not signed, nor instructed what to do after we retrieve it. That was all it said ¨C ''Retrieve''." Bave reached for his chest, his hand nudging between the layers of his clothing to take out the letter from his inner pocket. Kal reached for it and Koh leaned closer whilst impatiently waiting for his teammate to unfold the paper and read along the lines. The only clue, which they were pretty sure Bave caught on, was that the letter was written in a particular Balhkaran dialect from the West part of the Kingdom. Once they saw the proof, they looked up at Bave who was nervously waiting for his friends'' reaction. "You''d been the dumbest man alive if you took off on your own. You can''t risk your life and jump into some crazy scheme that possibly involves a play of high ranks. Whoever sent the letter probably did a proper investigation on us." Koh looked at his teammates and felt slightly endangered which was detectable in his tone. His first thought was about his family and then any relative of his. What if that, indeed, was a mission different from the ones they had before? What if they never returned from that mission? "Moreover, think about it¡­say that we retrieve the book¡­ you do know that we have no way to contact that person. We don''t even know when they will contact us whilst we have to guard such an important artifact. It could take a week, months, or even years before we are contacted. I do not think the Association of Hunters Bar was meant to be involved in this, which is the scary part." Kal laid the plain facts forth. "I know, I know¡­if they wanted us to be officially hired, they had to contact the Association.", Bave reached for the bridge of his nose and pinched it lightly between his index finger and thumb. A brief silence roamed the streets and the men stilled. Was it truly worth it? So, what if the book disappeared? Tulo clan was already long gone, there was no meaning behind some book. Moreover, if it was a portion of such a history that was bitter to remember, for it no longer can return ¨C it might be actually better to abandon it. People no longer wanted to hear about any type of ruling class, some even hated the fact that the great Tulo just went ahead and died, leaving despair behind. Many cursed them to the pits of Hell whilst others begged in misery for their return. Such a book could only bring disturbance. Koh sighed deeply and rubbed his palms vigorously into his face. "Whatever! I don''t care much about the book but somewhat my blood is boiling from the thought of it being smuggled so easily." "My words exactly!", Kal agreed, "I don''t want to abandon the honor and dignity such a clan once taught us. If it wasn''t for them, Balhkara would have been long destroyed. We all know from our grandparents about the wars that Tulo won, and the price they paid for every single corner of this land." Bave smiled faintly, he knew that his friends were making a choice. They chose a book over their good time, possibly a good time, at the Rose Festival. Unmistaken, he was. If these men met a true King, they''d serve him well. The young hunter out-stretched his hand for a fist-bump, beckoning his teammates to join him for another mission. "Count on me man¡­", Kal pressed his knuckles into Bave''s. "No way to leave you both on your own, what would you do without my cooking skills?", Koh laughed and joined the fist-bump. "Don''t look back¡­", Bave smiled brightly as he began a sentence, a sentence they usually used as a sign of promise before any mission they were to take on. "Even if you are to lose¡­", Kal followed the next part of the sentence with his eyes slid close in pleasant drunkenness that warmed his heart along with the thought of a pledged vow they used before a mission. "Even if you are to die¡­", Koh looked down at their adjoined fists and smiled. "Don''t take it back.", Bave''s voice wavered a bit, but not because of uncertainty. His voice represented that gut feeling he had. This mission meant something personal, even gave a bit of hope that something could happen. Something could change. Their vow was perfect for such a mission ¨C not to look back to past decisions they made as any might have been wrong but once they regretted ¨C they were done for it. Even if they were to lose a battle, to lose something precious, even if they were to die ¨C they could not take back what was given. Such a vow was like a thrown stone ¨C you could not retrieve it. Hence, spoken words were like thrown stones. 06 - Gratitude (P) (T) After a promise for an early meet-up to depart, Bave gave his teammates instructions - where to meet him before the first cry of the rooster. Luse was four days away from Udeos, and they had only two days to reach it. Some would think it was an impossible task; the shortest route to there would take four days and it was a rather rocky area. Kal and Koh, however, did not bother to think how would they reach Luse. They knew that Bave would never throw a stone without aiming right. The men took on their way back to their homes as they had to catch up on sleep. Even the small quantity of two-three hours would do as their bodies were completely worn out from the trip to Balhkara. Bave stilled in the middle of the pathway, watching Kal and Koh disappear into the night. He was in no hurry to return home as his old parents were probably asleep by now although he felt a bit sad that he would not be able to spend some time with them. He knew his father''s back was easily tired from the fieldwork and before receiving the mysterious letter, he had planned to spend the whole summer helping him with the harvest. Alas, he had to leave his old man on his own again. Besides, he felt quite ashamed that he kept relying on his sister to look after their parents whilst he was too busy to even spare a mere week with them. He reached a hand up to ruffle slowly his hair, he felt indebted. Probably it was a good idea to write them a letter which they could read in the morning? Or should he take care of the backyard? He remembered his father had little to no time, and energy, to fix an old wood-shed. During the rainy season, and even during winter, the roof leaked which soaked the wood chunks and chips and made it hard to be used for the fireplace. That sounded like a good plan, he thought. The young hunter span on his heel and headed for his house direction. It was far from the otherwise lively center which was overcrowded during the day. His parents preferred the place to be secluded and quiet and it wasn''t because of "old age", Bave grew up there. That could be one of the benefactors to how his personality formed ¨C he was, in a way, an outsider to most "city-boys" gangs when he was a young boy. Well, "gangs" probably wasn''t the correct word or not one he would use to call them by. They were just a bunch of mischievous kids who looked for trouble out of boredom ¨C be it stealing a few apples from the street greengrocer stalls, or annoying old ladies just to be chased after. Old memories flooded Bave''s mind as he kept strolling down the streets. He looked to the left and saw the old banicharnitsa although already deserted to the side of the pathway. Its blue paint shed like dead skin, exposing the rusty metal beneath. It was a type of street stall to sell small triangle-shaped filo pastry filled with whisked eggs, yogurt, and cheese. It was one of Bave''s favorite childhood foods. The crispy baked layers were golden, leaving one''s fingers slightly oily and lips glistening from the delicious filling that was soft and gentle on one''s palate. Bave sighed briefly, now he felt like having banitsa, that was how Balhkaran people called the dish. It had a weird name even for the Balhkaran language but in the past, people called it gobanitsa which derived from a very old way to say "twisting". It made sense as the dish had many pastry layers that when traditionally made were swirled and twisted in a baking tray.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. As Bave continued further down the pathway, he stopped by an abandoned wooden temple. It looked rather like a random pile of wooden boards but he had planned to restore that temple before his body gave in to the old age. One day, he thought. It was a special place for him although it had a rather gruesome story behind it. When Bave was around ten years of age, he remembered attending a huge gathering here. It was a rainy day; dark clouds imprisoned the sun to hide it away from the ugliness unraveling on these grounds. Several loyal servants from the Tulo house were executed here, accused of treachery. The newly emerged upper class gathered the public in several big cities, not only in Udeos, to witness the punishment of traitors who allegedly betrayed Tulo and brought them to their demise. However, Bave remembered the look on these few men''s and women''s faces. They died with pride. He was too young, back then and there, to understand that but after he became a hunter, he had seen many people beg for their lives. Not only beg but even pledging to do whatever it was asked of them to save their lives ¨C even if that meant to kill another person. There was a significant difference, Bave thought, between how the servants greeted death and how cowards did. For some reason, he could never see them as traitors. However, it was not so easy to restore such a temple. People wanted it torn to pieces, claiming to be a shameful stain on Balhkara''s history. Bave though did not see it that way. He reached a hand up to rub the back of his neck, it somewhat made him tense. All these memories and emotions. He even started blaming Stan''s new beer; what had he mixed in it? It played some funny spell on him and made all these memories surface. He resumed walking, and soon he reached the end of the pathway where his lovely home was situated. It was nothing fancy but it was one of the few houses that still followed the old traditional architecture. For example, the windows faced the west whilst the entrance was from the east. The door was no higher than a meter and half, barely five feet, but that was an old custom. Balhkaran people believed that if one were to enter the house, they had to bend down upon entering ¨C it was just like bowing with respect. A clever way to embed respect equally in one''s guests but even in oneself. Bave noticed a faint light coming from the kitchen which faced the backyard on the west side of the house. He blinked and wondered if someone was still up, but judging by the quietness ¨C he highly doubted it. The young man paced inside, quietly opening the door as his front bent slightly to enter the house. A faint cheesy smell of baked pastry made him smile. How lucky ¨C his mother knew how to greet him. His favorite banitsa was waiting for him on the kitchen counter-top. It was well wrapped in traditional cotton cloth to keep the steam inside and the filling soft. He walked slowly in, careful not to make the wooden floor creak. As soon as he approached the dish, he saw a note next to it. His eyes, although red from tiredness, lit up as he saw his mother''s handwriting. ----- "Dear Bave, we heard that you are back. I am very sorry we couldn''t wait for you but we have to get up early to help Maria for the upcoming Rose Fest. I have prepared for you little something, and your father has left the keys to your bedroom under the clay vase next to the fireplace. Make sure to rest well! With love, Tsana" ----- Bave''s lips stretched in a small smile; he noticed his mother did not ask any questions nor made any plans to meet him in the morning. His parents knew well enough that he could be called back at any time, sometimes he couldn''t even drop by to greet them despite coming back to Udeos. The hunter gently folded the letter and put it inside his upper clothing, where he cautiously kept the mysterious request for his new quest. His dirty hand reached for the spotless white clothe and stopped. He did not want to touch something that sacred with unwashed hands. Moreover, he probably had only two hours or so before he had to leave. His eyes looked from his hand to the dish but then he averted his head to look through the small window. In the far back, he could spot the wood-shed. A sigh escaped him ¨C despite being tempted to stuff himself with banitsa, he had some work to do. The man unbuckled his sword belt and left his weapons on a small auxiliary table in the kitchen. He bent from left to right, stretching his torso side muscles. After a few more stretches, he felt energized enough to go and fix some things around the house. One though, should not mistake it for something he did unwillingly or that it was just a way to lessen his old parents'' worries ¨C no, that was something called ''gratitude''. 07 - Preparations (P) In just two hours Bave managed to fix the wood-shed although he had to use an old method of connecting the wooden blocks which did not require a single hammered nail. Even though the method was more time-consuming, he did not want to wake anyone up with the loud drums of the hammer. He wanted to clean the basement as well but he was tight on time and unfortunately, he could do only that much. Once he fixed the shelter for woods, he ordered the columns of heavy chunks to spare his father from lifting such weight. His eyes kept following the movements of the stars as it was the only way to tell the time. People from Balhkara were well-taught how to read the stars although no one could compare to the great knowledge Tulo had about the skies. Some even claimed that a well-educated Tulo leader could even read his fate in the stars. Bave always looked up, wondering what his fate was like. However, sometimes he was grateful he lacked such knowledge. He couldn''t imagine what would feel like to learn, in such a way, that the passing of the night could possibly be one''s last before his death. That quickly made him wonder whether Tuge, the last King, saw his destiny. If he did, Bave thought, then why did he let it be? That made him believe that it probably was some fabricated story about Tulo, one of these crafty old women probably tried to patch up the lacking information about the clan. Probably. Once the brightest star moved to the west, he knew it was time to get moving. The Crescent was soon to set and the dawn approached. He paced to the outside stone sink, twisting the faucet open to wash his sweating nape and clean the tiredness away with cold water. He had another long day ahead and has not slept for more than forty-eight hours. He could afford it though, the first few miles away from Udeos were peaceful fields. No danger was anticipated through there; they could stop before entering the forest, so he could catnap. It was a sound plan. Small droplets dripped from the contours of his jawline; a heavy sigh escaped his strong chest. He had a plan for how to reach Luse in just two days, and he had faith in his teammates'' abilities. However, pass the forest ¨C he did not know what to expect. If other hunters also planned to head for Luse, it was very probable that there would hunters from foreign lands and even bandits trailing them. Without the Association of Hunters Bar protection, any team would be vulnerable. Contracts with the Association gave exclusive protection to any hunter but private missions were dangerous ¨C therefore, not many wanted to do it and yet when did it, the payment would often be seen as ''worth it''.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Bave began preparing for the trip. He picked the hidden key from under the clay vase and went to his bedroom to change clothes. It was unsuitable for him to wear the Association Bar''s uniform if they were on their own. Besides, he needed something less stiff. The uniform was too fancy for his taste, not to mention the golden crest on the clothing back which made him draw attention wherever he went. Such golden emblem was assigned only to the best of hunter captains in the world ¨C only four such existed from the Association Bar''s establishment until now. He tightened the robes and strings, attached his sword belt, and packed his bag with weapons and water. Of course, he did not miss to pack his mother''s homemade banitsa. Such a dish was hard to resist, at least hard for Bave to resist. The young hunter made his way to the horse-house where his family kept two black and three white horses. He rubbed his chin as looked from side to side, wondering which to pick. The horse he used to come to Balhkara was resting, there was no way for him to use a tired horse. So he thought, he''d take one white and one black ¨C white for during the day and black for during the night, good to camouflage and avoid drawing unnecessary attention. He had also instructed Kal and Koh to do the same ¨C each one of them needed two horses. One of the horses would be free from the weight and run along whilst the other would carry them and their baggage. That way, they could switch horses. Even though both horses would run at equal speed, the weight-less horse would be less tired to carry a few additional miles. It was a gamble whether it would work or not, but they could not afford much time spent on rest. Just before the first rays of the sun peaked from the horizon and the roosters crowed, Bave made it to an old cave where their meeting place was planned to be. From the narrowed pathway, he could see both Kal and Koh waiting for him. As instructed, the males also had brought along two horses each ¨C one white and one black. They brightened up, seeing their captain in casual clothing. It was rare to wear anything else but the Association Bar''s uniform. They also had picked similar clothing, worn-out but loose. It would at least offer some comfort for their tired bodies. The morning was chilly and from the far, they could hear villages waking up as the murmur of people clustered enough to carry the liveliness of the land far into the fields. Upon approaching, Kal and Koh could see that Bave had not slept. His complexion was still pale and his eyes were tired, glistening from the need for rest. However, they did not worry nor nag him. Through the years they have spent together, Bave had proven not only once that he could carry on during stressful and tiresome missions, so that was quite common to see their teammate pull an all-nighter or two. "Good morning!", greeted Bave which boosted the men up on their feet from the sitting position they had taken for the last ten minutes. "Not sure we can greet the same. Did you even sleep?", Koh shook his head. "Yeah, the young boy thinks he can pull it off. You gotta rest before we enter the forest.", Kal adopted his parent-like demeanor. Bave chuckled and gestured with a hand to beckon them to get on their horses, "I will rest in a few hours, let''s get going before people start occupying the pathways." The three hunters took control of the horses, making sure the weight-less ones would be well connected to the small harras of horses. It took them around five minutes to set off to the north-east, the first destination was Shimeo ¨C a major city exactly half-way before one would reach Luse. 08 - Memory Page Definition of ¡°Memory Page¡±: Any episode/chapter named as ¡°memory page¡¯ would contain important reader¡¯s information regarding characters, places, terms and other definitions. It can both contain already mentioned things in previous chapters or it may further explain concepts. ¡°Memory page¡± would not come up as often as one thinks. It is very probable it may happen every 10 to 20 episodes/chapters and also will be published along with a new chapter - therefore "memory pages" should not confuse the reader as being a main new chapter. Such memory pages are good to review or refer to in case the reader forgets important information.
[New characters]
Name: Baht Ver Hometown: Udeos, Balhkara Role: Hunter Age: 29 Name: Rahk Kal Hometown: Udeos, Balhkara Role: Hunter Age: 44 Name: Iyal Koh Hometown: Kravdol, Balhkara Role: Hunter Age: 46
Name: Breht Jena Hometown: Udeos, Balhkara Role: Waitress Age: 29 Name: Mil Stanko Hometown: Relnik, Balhkara Role: Brewer Age: 52 Name: Breht Ianko Hometown: Tuchi, Balhkara Role: Baker Age: 34
Name: Baht Tsana Hometown: Luse, Balhkara Role: Herbalist Age: 61 Name: Rahk Lena Hometown: Udeos, Balhkara Role: Kal''s daughter Age: 17 Name: Tsuge Hometown: Eslak, Balhkara Role: Deceased Tulo leader Age: -
[Towns and Cities]
Name: Udeos Location: Eastern Balhkara Population: 700,000 Name: Luse Location: North-Eastern Balhkara Population: 376,100
Name: Shimeo Location: Central Valleys of Eastern Balhkara Population: 128,900 Name: Rakuah Location: Southern Vlarik Population: 234,178
[Places]Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
Name: Tava Type: Tavern Owner: Tan Cho Name: Stan¡¯s Brewery Type: Factory Owner: Mil Stanko Name: Don¡¯s Bakery Type: Bakery and Restaurant Owner: Larkh Don
[Events] Name: Rose Festival Description: The Rose Festival is an annual fest which is celebrated in major cities in Balhkara between 4th and 5th of June. Young women wake up early in the morning to gather roses before they join the others in the big gathering where they dance on and sing traditional Balhkaran songs until late at night The tradition is practiced since old ages as it is believed that after rose-gathering, the ladies who gather more roses can exchange them for a husband. These whose hands were most stung and scratched by the rose thorns are seen as strong-willed women who are not afraid of pain and hardships. In turn, the Rose Goddess bless them with a long-awaited love. The roses later are distributed in the kingdom to make cosmetics and rose wine. Name: Linden Rituals Description: The Linden Rituals are a follow-up events within three days around the end of July and beginning of August. These rituals involve sacred burning of wood whilst dried linden flowers are thrown in the fire to bless it. The events take place only after the rays of the sun set since the fire cannot clash with the great powers of the Sun God. It is believed that whoever walks on the leftover of hot coals will be healthy, or fertile, during the following three months. In fact, many women conceive right after the Linden Rituals. The season also involves linden preservation as it is considered an important harvest for the winter. Balhkara people use linden flowers to cure colds but also protect the house from evil spirits by hanging dried linden bouquets next to the entrance door.
[Clans]
Name: Tulo, or Tuloh. Current Rank: Fallen-out Influence: Ruled seven kingdoms Known members: Tuge
[Concepts] ¡°Orenda¡± : It''s believed to be a sacred knowledge, or an esoteric force inherited by members of Tulo. It unlocks powers that can determine, and control, the outcome of events. It also serves the clan since the beginning of its existence. Orenda, however, cannot be passed if the candidate is not pure blooded Tulo or if the one who currently holds its powers is still alive. In other words, Orenda serves only one master at a time.
09 - The Fields (P) The skies were slowly colored by the beautiful sun palette ¨C the East promised a summer day with its deep red disc half-way squeezing out of the horizon. Every villager knew that if the sun disc upon showing was deep red ¨C the day ahead would be awfully stuffy and hot. Therefore, many people would stock up on water before leaving for the fieldwork. Moreover, old women would hurry and place hanging upside-down herbs in a shadowy place as the drying process might be disturbed by the strong sun rays during the day ¨C and instead of dried plants, one would end up with burned ones. Ah, wonders of the sun! The men glanced over now and then; such beauty was hard to ignore. The skies were fading colors of red, pink, and orange whilst the land behind them was covered by a blueish mist that refused to let any skilled artist see what was beyond the elevated horizon. Bave led the team and the men were separated by one free horse, forming a balanced column as it did not allow the weight-less horses to run faster since they could outrun these who had to carry. Now and then one could hear commanding words of ''deeh'' or ''ehh'' which made the animals run either faster or slow down. Fresh air whipped the men''s faces and its piercing sound was mixed with early-awoke cicadas that were chirping in the morning mist. Kal and Koh watched Bave''s back who coordinated in the front. Somewhat the men thought, both of them, how young their captain was. Although his body had developed a strong built, which was not surprising from the amount of work he had to do as a leading figure in the Association Bar, they often thought that he was too young to carry such a burden. Besides, they also wondered what drove him to do so? His family was affluent, or at least better off than many other Balhkaran people. His father owned quite a lot of fields whilst his mother worked on her pastry business as everyone liked Tsana''s banitsa rolls. His sister, she also had her own business with traditional pottery. It was a well-known shop that distributed different decorative containers and kitchen utensils across the kingdom. Bave did not disappoint as a member of the Baht household. He was a well-known name even beyond the kingdom. So, Kal and Koh often thought that if Bave stepped down from the Association ¨C he wouldn''t suffer much. He could always find a job or help the family business. Besides, he had quite a range of choices. He could join his father in the fields or help his mother with her banicharnitsa or even partner-up with his sister to distribute pottery. These were good slots of choice as many villagers had only one business ¨C often either agriculture-related or restaurants. It was rare for a household to have three different businesses. The two hunters noticed Bave was slowly picking up the pace and both took a note from the vast fields ahead. There were at least four or five miles, just about eight kilometers, ahead that could allow the horses to go wild. The three men excitedly yelled "DEEH!", and so did the horses follow with their best galloping. Kal, Koh, and Bave were having fun despite the unknown that awaited. However, they could not miss the feeling of galloping through the fields of Balhkara. Green and yellow colors blurred into the distance as the sunflowers were baited by the beauty of the Sun. Across the bare grassy lands, there were sunflower fields with evergreen trees that barred them away from strong winds. The nearby ocean often would bring disastrous winds during winter, so these trees were there to protect the fields and anyone who crossed them. After a half of an hour galloping, the men finally saw into the distance the beginning of the forest. Bave gestured with the bridle pulled back, which was connected to the horse''s strong neck, commanding by a loud ''EHH'' sound to hint the horse that it had to slow down and eventually stop. Kal and Koh did the same, as they agreed before departing that Bave had to rest before the last mile to entering the forest. Besides, the men needed to have their breakfast ¨C the hangover from last night was not so bad but they felt awfully hungry. Once the horses finally brought the galloping to an end, the three men hopped off to find a suitable place for rest. They tied the animals to a nearby tree and decided to camp there. Bave took off his luggage and was the first to rush and drink some water.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. One who has never ridden a horse would not imagine it, but the whipping wind could quickly dry any saliva in one''s mouth. Kal and Koh, on the other hand, began unpacking most necessary things as the rest would probably last just an hour or two ¨C enough for them to eat and for Bave to rest. It was still daytime, so they didn''t have to switch horses as the plan was to ride the massive black ones during the night. These beasts were suitable for the dangers of the night. "Whew, that felt amazing!", Kal stretched his back and positioned his palms on each side of his torso. "Yeah, I agree. We don''t get many chances to gallop on relatively even grounds.", Koh commented whilst carrying a big bag with water and food before dropping it onto the ground near the tree. Bave, on the other hand, was quiet and listened to his friends whilst getting a spot ready for his catnap. The less he talked, the more time he could have to rest. Since conversations with his teammates could last for hours and he did not want to start any ¨C else, he would not rest. Kal and Koh knew and so did not bother him, the young man really needed to rest. If the leader of any kind ¨C even amongst animals, was unfit to lead in any dangerous situation ¨C that could result in a complete disaster. Therefore, Kal and Koh actually preferred to enjoy the early hours of the noon on their own rather than have Bave stay up and chatter with them. The hunters finally adjusted next to the tree ¨C Kal and Koh faced each other whilst unpacking some food their wives packed from the night before. Such sweet women, they thought! Not only did they cleaned the house, put the kids to sleep, and cooked lots of delicious food but even stayed up until late to wait for their husbands. Men in Balhkara were known for their tremendous respect towards women, in fact, many of their ancient rituals and festivals rather glorified the existence of a woman than of a man. On the other hand, women in Balhkara could pride themselves with the masculine presence that protected these lands and cared for their future. Despite all the hardships that the kingdom went through, the spirit of the country had hardly changed from the Tulo times. They still treasured equally so the feminine and masculine existence. Whilst Bave was napping, and it did not take long for him to drift off, Kal and Koh munched on a bunch of delicious food. Both of them missed Balhkaran traditional cuisine; after so long they could taste something homemade ¨C they could taste the love. The men snacked and snacked before they decided Bave had completely fallen asleep, so a bit of chatting would not wake him up. "Do you think that we will really find the Nominalia?", Koh was still munching his bite through but could not resist asking Kal for his opinion. "I don''t know¡­", Kal swallowed down and looked into the distant forest. "To tell you the truth, I didn''t even imagine this book was still around. Wasn''t there a rumor that it had burned along with important documents during the ''Palace Accident''?" "Yeah¡­I remember that one. Then again, how much can you trust anything that comes from the current ruling class?", Koh shrugged and fiddled with his bitten piece of home-baked bread. "I know that Bave is rarely wrong but I am worried that it could be a trap." Kal and Koh knew that Bave had a lot of enemies. After all, there were such who envied his rank and success, there were such that also despised him for ruining conspiracies and black-market deals. He was like a dangerous dog that could sniff out any secret and danger. Their last mission, for example, was a success because Bave was a step ahead in his strategy and they managed to retrieve a lot of antiquities which were trafficked outside Vlarik ¨C a neighboring kingdom. "Yeah, I could see that. Bave is not really liked.", Koh nodded and brought the bread to his lips for another bite. "Besides, we are not under the protection of the Association Bar. I don''t know what might happen but we cannot stop other hunters from attacking us as this is a private mission." "Ha! Let them attack us! And better not be the Resti team! These annoying bunch of brats!", Kal quickly grew hostile as he quite disliked anyone from the Resti guild. They were known for using underhanded methods in carrying out a mission. "Shhhh! Don''t yell, you will wake him up! You know his hearing sense is unmatchable.", Koh worried that they were too loud and Bave wouldn''t manage to rest. "Ah right¡­", Kal swallowed his anger and started chuckling. "Remember when he couldn''t fall asleep in one of the guesthouses that we stayed at? I couldn''t hear it myself but he, ahahahah¡­" "Ahahaha! Right! What it was¡­", Koh was trying to remember Bave''s exact words from that night. "''Can''t they keep it down when adoring¡­''", Kal began the quote and Koh joined him quick enough, "''¡­adoring each other!!''" "''Adoring'', ahahahaha!", Koh repeated the keyword and bent forth in his muffled way of laughing. Their captain was quite reserved for a hunter captain since hunters, in general, were known for the profanity. He would never say insulting words or curse ¨C so when he was annoyed at a couple that was indulging each other for the night, Bave could not help but grumble. Yet, he couldn''t even say the word "fucking" when it was most appropriate. The conversation finally ceased and the men slowly started to pack their stuff as they did not want to do it at the last minute. It was better to have Bave wake-up and depart than having him wait for them to pack. Time was essential - it could be an ally and it could be a foe. 10 - Forgotten Friend (P) (T) It could have been the clear skies or the clear air, it was also probable that the comfort of being back home made Bave dream about a time that had been long forgotten. It couldn''t have been less than twenty years ago, little Bave was about eight or nine years of age. Around that time, he often explored the city and its nearby fields. Since he wasn''t one to join locally formed groupies, as every neighborhood at Udeos had such ¨C kids gathering and going around to either play or do mischief, he preferred exploring. One day, little Bave had taken off to a cave that was rumored for its herbs and secrets from the past. Despite being warned as a kid not to go there and threatened with scary bedtime stories about wicked creatures preying on children, as most kids were told, Bave was rather determined to overcome his fears of the cave. He had well-prepared with food and water. He decided to take his father''s pocket knife and a small bag with rocks he could always use with his wooden slingshot. It was a small hand-grip tool with two horns connected by an elastic rubber that could shoot rocks like a pocket catapult. Off little Bave spent several hours walking to a nearby forest zone that guarded the secrets of that cave. His curiosity kept him occupied with different things. The small forest offered him gifts like wild strawberries and weird-looking mushrooms along the pathways. Bave really liked poking at the colorful crowns with either the pocket knife or moldy sticks he found on the ground. The texture was fun to poke at, and besides, for some reason, he liked observing the different patterns mushroom gills had. They were so fragile that even if he tried to retrace them with the stick tip, he eventually ruined the gills. There were other interesting things in the forest ¨C like the pine tree resin. These small amber capsules were hard but if heated they became sticky. The resin protected any damaged area on the tree and one could either find them on the tree itself or any fallen branches. People from Balhkara knew how to gather pine resin and use it in different ways. For example, it was a great mosquito repellent. Bave''s father, on the other hand, often gathered it for waterproofing. His work on the field often had to do with water, so it was of great use to resin-layer his shoes a night before work. Upon spotting a clustered pine tree zone, little Bave ran to look for resin. He had never collected these amber capsules, therefore, once he spotted several attached to the tree trunk, his pocket knife in hand and he started poking. Unskillfully so, he actually ruined the capsule and its stickiness covered the blade once the resin was cut open. Bave irritated started tapping the blade into the trunk, hurting the pine further. Unaware that there was someone nearby, his sensitive hearing detected a cracking sound against the branches-and-leaves-covered ground. He jerked around and ready to be jumped by some of these wicked creatures he had heard about, his eyes widened upon seeing a young lady standing next to a tree. She was a bit younger than Bave, probably around seven-year-old or so. She had long golden-hair like silk spilling over her small shoulders, complemented by the beautiful honey color of her eyes. Her small frame was wrapped in a red mantle which made Bave associate her with the stories about Little Red Riding Hood. Despite being taken aback, Bave mustered a question out his lips although his voice cracked at first, "Who¡ªWho are you?" "You are hurting the tree¡­", the young girl''s voice was soft but she sounded a bit sad. It really seemed that she cared about nature. Therefore, seeing Bave poke and tap his blade into the pine trunk made her approach him. "Ah¡­I didn''t mean to¡­", Bave''s attitude quickly changed and he felt somewhat guilty. He looked down at his knife blade and it was glistening from the resin. "Do you need resin?", she curiously asked but still not approaching him, just standing next to a pine tree like a shy little princess. "No...yes¡­I mean, I didn''t plan to but¡­", Bave was embarrassed for some reason. He couldn''t even draw back the knife as it was sticky and dirty. So, he held it down like a fool, not knowing what to do with his hands. "My big brother also likes to collect resin. ¨C she smiled brightly once she mentioned her brother. Bave could tell from her gentle expression that she loved him, "Do you want me to show you how to do it?" She was friendly and meant no harm. Bave nodded as it was a chance for him to get closer to her. Little rascal did not care much about the resin but wanted, for some reason, to spend more time with her. She approached him with small but quick steps before lowering down to pick a leaf from the ground. She wanted to smudge the burst capsule of the resin against the open area, so the pine "wound" would not be attacked by bugs. Once she sealed the opening, she looked to her right and twitched. Bave had been closely looking at her.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. "W-What?", she got flustered since Bave himself was rather handsome for a kid. His black eyes were deep whilst his black hair had shades of blue. Both of them made quite the duo, she was bright like the sun and he was shaded like the deep yet beautiful night. "Ah¡­sorry¡­Your hair is golden...", Bave was truly mesmerized by it as it was rare to see such fine hair-color. The girl smiled again and spoke of her brother with admiration once more, "You have to see my brother''s hair! It is so bright that it looks like silver under the sun!" "You really like your brother, don''t you?", Bave gave her a stare, he didn''t exactly care about some dude. Especially one who was so damn adored by such a beautiful girl. "Yes! My brother is this place guardian!" Bave blinked before his brow cocked up and his fingertip scratched his cheek. That was awkward. He could tell that she was younger yet she spoke of some rather childish things even for her age. Did she believe in elves or something? She spoke as if her brother was some forest king. "What do you mean by ''guardian''? Is he a bandit from the forests?" "No!", the little girl frowned and visibly grew upset, "He is a guardian!" "Ah! He knows magic! Is he a wizard at the Magic Academia?" The girl was fiddling with the hem of her red mantle and shook head, "Yes!-No!", the little girl was too hasty to answer his first question but got flustered by his quickly shot second one. "¡­My brother guards all the forests, all the fields, and all the people. He is no wizard.", she shyly said. "Hmmm, ''all the people''?", Bave was visibly confused and his eyebrows formed a line of hesitation. What was she talking about? The little girl reached hand forth, gesturing for Bave''s pocket knife and he handed it carefully to her. She grasped it and reached for another intact resin capsule as she carefully scooped the resin without hurting the tree. "Mmmhm¡­my brother knows a lot. He taught me how to collect resin too." "Yeah, yeah¡­he sounds like a great dude¡­", Bave rolled his eyes and leaned his shoulder against the tree, "Why are you not with him? The forest is dangerous." "Dangerous?", the girl looked over after she swiped the blade against another leaf to preserve the capsule and wrap it within the greenish sheet of it. "The forest is our friend. Brother often says that he who respects the forest, so the forest shall respect him back." "Ehhhh¡­", Bave nodded slowly as the words, indeed, made sense, "Do you live in the forest then? You don''t seem afraid of it." "No, I live far from here but my family had to come to Udeos and meet someone." "Oh, so you are a foreigner!", he chuckled as it made sense. It was rare to see such a hair-color since Balhkaran people usually had brown or black hair, one just like Bave''s. "Nope! I am from Balhkara!", she smiled brightly and handed him the packed resin and knife. "Really? Where are you from then?", Bave asked curiously as reached for the resin and pocket knife, carefully packing them back in his bag. "Eslak! Have you been there?" "Hmmm¡­ no, but I have heard it is a beautiful place.", the young boy adopted a dreamy look as he could only imagine what their glorious capital looked like, "Say, have you seen anyone from the royal family? They live there, right?" The little girl laughed softly and Bave did not know why she reacted that way. Did he ask something ridiculous? Probably it was silly to suggest that anyone could meet Tulo. "Yes, I have seen the royal family." "No way!", he rocked off the tree and looked at her in disbelief, "You are lying!" "I am not!", she pouted and crossed arms before chest, "I have seen them!" "Then what the King looks like?", the kids quickly turned the conversation in some form of competition who knew more about Tulo. A game of facts and rumors! "He is big and tall, and his smile is very bright and gentle!" "Oh?", Bave cocked a brow again, it was hard to imagine such a great King was described as a sort of a gentleman who would rather make steamy buns than actually lead a country. "Then, what is his name!", asked Bave although anyone would know the name. "Tsuge!", she quickly answered and leaned forth as she disliked the distrust Bave displayed. "Okay, okay¡­don''t get angry¡­", he raised hands defensively, "I was just joking. I believe you." "Do you?", she insisted and squinted her eyes. "Eh¡­ha ha ha¡­Let''s say that I imagine it is possible to meet them?" The little girl adopted a blank stare as if Bave was being ridiculous at that moment. "Hmph! I shall inform the King that you have hurt His forest!" "Eh¡­.right¡­", Bave crossed his arms before his chest, "And I shall tell the King that you stole from His pine resin!" "W-what!? I did not steal!" "Yes, you did.", Bave laughed and pointed to the pine trunk. "No, I did not! The forest belongs to everyone!" "Oh? Then the great Tsuge won''t mind if I accidentally poked a tree that belongs to me as well!", Bave outsmarted her. "Nghhhh!!!", she hissed like an angry kitten upon realizing that he had a point, "The King would mind! Forest is a friend!" "Yeah, yeah. I got it. Do onto the forest as you wish to be done onto you.", Bave rolled eyes and picked a leaf from the ground to smudge the open pine wound after the girl swooped the resin off the trunk, "Here! I am the forest''s friend too." "Hmph! You better be! My brother doesn''t like people who hurt the forest." "Umpf¡­", Bave huffed as the brother-talk began again, "Okay, okay. I don''t want to be disliked by your brother." "Right?", she agreed and leaned back with her chin slightly lifted, proud to have her brother''s love, "If you treat the forest right, my brother will be your friend too!" "Right, right...", Bave slowly began to walk as his interest had nothing to do with some unknown dude who probably was a forest freak. "And and¡­. ", the girl followed after him, "Remember, if you ever hurt the forest, my brother will know!" "Right, right¡­", Bave rolled his eyes and returned to the path with the young girl following like a puppy behind him with stories about her brother and whatnots. The dream soon took a blurry form, pictures and sounds faded but her laughter whilst walking by his side echoed in his mind whilst Bave started stirring up from his slumber. What a dream to have, shortly before entering the forest with Kal and Koh. Bave wondered what happened to that girl as he never saw her again. He visited the forest for years after that, approximately around the same time of the year ¨C the beginning of June, just like now the forest was full of life back then. He wondered if the upcoming passage through the forest made him remember her; it also made him wonder if that brother of hers would protect his team now when a possible danger lingered behind the bars of these pine trunks. What a funny thought he had - rather silly. His body stretched and he glanced over, spotting Kal and Koh patiently waiting for their captain to wake up. Bave felt somewhat confident, that dream made him remember something he brushed so easily when he was young ¨C treat the forest right and the forest shall treat you the same. 11 - Forest Surprise (P) The horses were packed up and ready ¨C as they have planned previously. The males switched their colors, wrapping the white horses in thin dull-colored layers not to be eye-catching during the passage through the forest and blend in with the row of black stallions. The ''safe-zone'' was soon to be left behind as they galloped through the last few miles of fields. Bave, once again, took the lead and coordinated the team into the depths of the forest. The even parts and sunshine gradually faded out, leaving them in complete forest abyss that hardly allowed any light in. The horse beats echoed into the distance and for any foe that had keen senses, the double number of horses could act as a good deception to confuse them regarding the number of riders. It was another advantage to bring additional horses, Bave thought. Although the pros and cons of the number of horses were canceling each other but Bave hoped for the best. The hunters flipped the bridles and directed the horse pack, turning to the north. None of them wanted to spend much time within the forest prison as it had many disadvantages. Perse, if there was a planned ambush ¨C which could happen any time and from any direction, the hunters were not only unprotected by the Association Bar laws but also could hardly fight off a big number of bandits in that entrapped location. Moreover, any skilled warrior knew that being on foreign land was a disadvantage. If the one who was to ambush them was in a wait ¨C that meant they had time to study the place and prepare accordingly whilst the hunters have just walked in. Everything looked foreign and unknown despite being a route they have taken a few times on in the past. Bave galloped in the front, his eyes sharp and slightly narrowed due to the whipping wind. It was a wise decision to rest before entering the woodland. He couldn''t imagine his senses enduring beyond his best record of seventy-hours unrest. His hearing sense was completely focused on every sound ¨C whether the whistles of the wind or the cracks of the branches, his mind was completely submerged into the forest life. Anything and whatever that felt, or rather sounded, out of place would raise a red flag. Kal and Koh, although older than and not so flexible as Bave, could keep up with their experience and the familiarity with their captain''s coordinating signs. For example, a raised-hand meant ''Halt'', a hand up with index finger slightly pointing upwards meant ''Speed up''. However, probably one of the most important signs that the men had to look out for was when Bave rested his hand above his sheathed sword. It meant ''Danger, be prepared!'' - during such times, the team had to be ready for defense, not offense. It was clever to await the foe to attack rather than trying to be the first to jump on the offense. A gesture to halt was made and the galloping soon ceased as the men approached a small patch of land that seemed to have been occupied as a camping site. However, the males did not find a single living soul ¨C just an abandoned tent with a put-out fire piled within a rock circle.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Bave hopped off the horse but insisted the other two to be on guard and remained on the horses whilst he was inspecting the camping site. They could have easily passed it by, however, the males noticed that the tent had the Association Hunters Bar logo on its sides. It was both an obligation to check on other hunter brothers and besides, if they joined them at least during the trip in the forest ¨C it could be a lot safer. The young hunter crouched before the burned coals and hovered carefully his hand above. No heat indicated that the fire had been recently put out. His eyes quickly scanned the place and it seemed oddly intact. If the hunters were not attacked, why would they leave everything behind? Besides, Bave even noticed bags with food and weapons piled next to the half-ruined tent. Not many things came to mind and he paced to Kal and Koh who cautiously looked around. The trees were densely accumulated and it made it hard to see if someone was hiding or rather, preying on them. "What had happened here?", Kal asked whilst trying to balance himself on the still horse that shook its head now and then. "Ambush?", Koh suggested but Bave quickly shook his head. "No, I don''t think so. Nothing seems to be missing from the essentials; besides, weapons are around.", Bave made a point. Whoever for whatever reasons might have attempted an attack, the first thing to be privatized and gone missing was the weapons. A nagging thought span in Bave''s mind but he refused to consider it ¨C it made no sense. And even if it made sense from a third party''s point of view, he did not want to accept it. The only reason he could think of, when it came to skilled hunters abandoning everything in the middle of nowhere, was actually¡­a well-known tactic to ''catch your own''. However, there was no reason for the Association to hunt Bave and his team. It just simply made no sense. Just when he was about to climb up on his horse, the piercing sound of probed wind annoyed his ears. His keen hearing sense saved him from a well-aimed arrow. "BAVE!", Kal and Koh drew his swords out, looking around to find the source of the arrow shot. Was it a trap? An ambush? Moreover, who was attacking them? The hunters formed a circle whilst steady on their horses. They could not afford to have them run off or be stolen ¨C they could not afford to possibly miss the chance to retrieve the Nominalia. Bave had managed to hop back up on his massive stallion and the ringing sound of drawn-out steel vibrated as he held his sword slightly below his chest level. Several other arrows followed and based on the directions they were flying from and the frequency, there were four to five archers. God knew if they had to deal with just arrows or other dangers lurked. Bave tried to remain calm and stay on toes just in case close-range attackers popped from somewhere. "Koh, take the back-- Push the unused horses in the circle!", Bave took over as a true captain, instructing the team''s each move, "Turn to the left! Don''t allow the horses to be hurt!" "Bave!", Kal called out as he deterred an arrow from piercing the back of their captain. It seemed that the main target was the head of the team, no other but Bave himself. Most of the arrows were fired his way. "Deeh boy!", Bave pulled his horse bridle and flexed his arm firm to keep the horse''s head face away from the pathway and slowly pull the pack out. They had to get away from this open area where they were an easy target. The men kept deflecting the arrows one after another whilst pacing away from the open patch of land. The trees started screening away the long-distance attacks. As soon as the hunters got off the track, they resumed galloping as fast as possible. The shower of arrows did not cease but luck was on their side so far. However, the three of them knew that they had to think of something as luck did not last forever! 12 - Ravens Eye (P) They said that ''A raven does not pick out another raven''s eye'' ¨C that was to say, one did not attack their own. That was the golden rule at the Association of Hunters Bar. Kal, Koh, and Bave expected any type of danger ¨C from the wild beasts to bandits and even foreign hunters trying to steal the reward, but being attacked by your own? No way! Bave refused to believe it. It had to be some deception or a type of strategy. Maybe... maybe some bandits managed to get their hands on the Association Bar logo and staged the scene? It had to be a staged scene. The Association Bar had no reason to hunt them. Moreover, Bave''s guild, The Concealers, had numerous deserved awards and rewards for their services. It was unthinkable to think that anyone from the Association Bar would suggest, and even more, vote for hunting them down. Furthermore, Bave wasn''t sure whether the attackers wanted to kill them or capture them, or possibly just delay them and nothing more? The captain saw a riverbank ahead, he could not estimate whether it was safe to pass through, especially that they had three unridden horses that were hard to control. He looked over his shoulder, Kal and Koh cautiously followed and tried to keep track of Bave whilst struggling to keep the horses in a column. The forest was growing ever so dark the deeper they galloped in. Bave swung his sword and cut the rope that connected his horse to the column and pulled the bridle to make a turn. "Keep going! Do not stop no matter what! I will catch up to you!", said in a hurry, the young leader passed by Kal and Koh who did not question the decision, nor did they look at their captain. They saw the river bank and understood that it was unlikely for the enemy to attack in the waters from close-range but if the harras of horses happened to be stuck or fall victim to the waters, they would be definitely captured. They sheathed their swords and prepared for the worst. Kal took over and the vertical position of horses soon was reordered whilst the men paid close attention to the ropes as it was easy to get entangled in times of chaos. The two hunters galloped into the river waters and it seemed to be deep enough to slow their horses down. Loud and commanding voices directed the animals how to act within waters and none of the hunters looked behind.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. It was not a question of trust that their captain was okay, it was how their guild''s philosophy was ¨C keep going no matter what! The pack was disturbed by the currents of the water, and Koh hopped off his horse which was the last from the column. His body soaked in the cold river up to his torso, his clothes grew heavier but the sturdy man aligned behind the pack of horses and kept pushing and rushing his own horse. That way the animals were urged from behind and started pulling faster and faster. Kal, on the other hand, had to remain on his horse and direct the column. It was a nerve-breaking situation. If just one horse broke from the pack, everything could go wrong. They could lose their means of transportation, they could end up injured from the disorientated horses, and even worse, they could get killed. "Push!", Kal yelled to encourage his friend and not really scold although from aside it looked like both of them were angry. However, it was just how intense the situation was. "I am pushing! Keep it straight! The left side looks deeper, don''t go there!", Koh was observing from behind whilst Kal kept his eyes dead-set on the current of the water. They had just a bit left before the first horse was to step up and lead the way onto the land. "Who do you think you''re talking to, boy!", Kal cracked a nervous smile, priding himself with his recently won award for best horse rider in the Association of Bars. Therefore, he was second-in-command when it came to taking over, in case their captain could not lead. "Ha! You show off!", Koh growled through laughter, pushing with his tired body. They had to keep the atmosphere running, somewhat, as the situation was disheartening. Besides, Koh could feel his legs growing weaker from the intense muscle work under the water. Pushing a huge horse to urge a whole harras of stallions, it was not so easy as it sounded! The first horse finally made contact with the land on the other side, it took them five minutes but if it sounded that it was not that long ¨C it was actually a huge delay. In fact, it took only a second to get entrapped and killed, so five minutes was the time that they probably owned to Bave. The shower of arrows had not tailed them which proved them right ¨C the main target was their captain. However, that was not a reason for them to relax. It was very probable that close-range attackers could have been waiting for them to cross the river and begin the second wave of offense. A few more pushes and Koh finally took the last horse out the water. His breathing was heavy and if it weren''t for his soaked clothes, one would see the tremendous muscle-work that took place. He could feel his body sweating despite being in the water. The hunter emerged out of the river grasp although unsteadily as his clothes and weapons felt stone-heavy. However, he did not want to delay the pack anymore, so he jumped up on his horse and both of them directed the harras north-east where they had to go originally to. Of course, both of them were worried about Bave but their captain''s command was to keep going. There was no way in hell they would disobey such a firm and important command. It was an absolute command. "DEEH!", the men yelled in unison, urging the horses to resume galloping. Both of them were confused regarding what just happened but they could not afford the luxury of rationalizing right now. Thanks to Bave, the trip continued just according to their plan. All that was left now, was to reunite with their captain ¨C somewhere and somehow. 13 - Proper Function (P) (T) A piece of thought from Aristotle swirled in Bave''s head whilst he was galloping into the piercing veil of arrows. ''Proper Function''*, that was the chapter he remembered it by when he attended his philosophy classes back at school. Take a shepherd, how one could tell it was a bad or a good shepherd? If one said that a good pen was one which fulfilled its duty of writing, and a bad pen was one which did not write ¨C it was pretty simple. A good shepherd cared and looked after his flock, reared the sheep, and fulfilled his duty of a herdsman, opposite to a bad one who neglected and beat the flock. Bave always wondered about his ''proper function'' as a captain. Besides, he was not one to boast but many knew him by the title ¨C ''The Inviolable One''. Lords and kings from all over the world wanted to hire Bave as a personal guard or appoint him as an army general. After all, he was the best captain the Association Hunters Bar had. However, in the small hours of the night or in the ear-deafening clashes of swords in battles, when no one looked, Bave always wondered what distinguished a good leader from bad one? An arrow flew close enough and scraped his left cheek. A thin trail of blood slid down to his defined jawline. Rather than worrying if the arrow tip was poisonous, Bave was still bothered by his choice to leave his teammates. What if the real danger was beyond the river and their captain was not there when they needed him the most? He grumbled and deterred another arrow with the swing of his sword. Maybe his choice to bring additional horses was wrong after all? Rather than acting as an auxiliary, it became an obstacle. An obstacle he dumped on Kal and Koh, nonetheless! He flexed his right arm and pulled the bridle as he directed the horse to take another turn. Should he abandon the horse? If he did, he could hide and later whistle-call his stallion. However, what if they killed the horse just to void him off of "quick legs" and trapped him in here? Moreover, the attacks so far were consistent and distance-ranged. Was the enemy a pack of archers? It was hard to fight them but not impossible. Bave just had to find a way to bring them out in the light but unfortunately, he had just a few daggers he could try his luck with. It was not a guarantee it could gain him the upper hand even if the enemy revealed himself. In fact, he was pretty sure that it wouldn''t work. But what could he do when he was outnumbered? To the hell with all the stories about what splendid of a captain he was! He was too tired to carry the title as if people expected him to become a sort of general in the future and some even cracked the joke a bit too often. His left hand gripped tighter around the handle of his sword as he cut through some low-leveled branches that otherwise would whip through his face. The young hunter noticed a shadow jumping from a tree to another ¨C the arrows offense also dropped in frequency which made him wonder if that wasn''t the foe''s captain who was re-positioning. Then again, it could be anyone. Just like how Kal took over Bave''s rank upon command, or in any dire situation that required so. Despite having no solid proof, and no plan in place, the young man pulled the horse bridle and directed it in a gallop after the jumping shadow-figure.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. If two predators were hunting each other ¨C they had to be equal in every way. The slightest hesitation would turn either one into a prey. Bave knew the basic law of how hunting worked and he was pretty sure that whoever was hunting him right now, was trying to become his equal. However, it made him clench his jaw ¨C anger was drumming in his chest. Him? Hunted? What a joke! If he were hunted here, his teammates would be next. God knew what stories could be fabricated if they were left alive. From conspiracy trash stories to even being executed in accusation for his murder. As if he would let his men die! The captain pride, although he often refused to accept it or show it, took a hold of him. What a failure would he be, if a bunch of archers hunted him down! The male withdrew his sword, instead, he uncovered his daggers that were neatly aligned against his belt. Bave''s sharp eyes followed the silhouette as it skillfully led the hunter into a narrow pathway with no clear pattern of rows and columns of trees. Every trunk was at random! This part of the forest hardly allowed the horse to run, so Bave was forced to slow down. The arrows have by now ceased the offense, but instead, an eerie silence took over. What were they waiting for? He halted, it was easy to send an arrow or two and take him down. The man started to catch up ¨C were they trying to actually capture him alive? How cheeky! He chuckled low; the adrenaline pumped into his bloodstream. "How much?", his voice broke the silence, "How much am I worth?" His question referred to the price they were to be paid if they successfully hunted him. Moreover, he was still not sure whether his enemy was sent from the Association Bar or was a privately hired group that used the Association Bar logo as a way to deceive the trio. Moreover, he was not sure whether they did it on purpose or it has been a pure coincidence. However, if it was on purpose, they knew that such a strategy was used by hunters from the Association to hunt their own. Which meant that there has been an insider involved. "Surrender yourself!", a deep voice echoed through the woods. Surrender? They must have been joking. If they got paid for this, they had to work for it. Bave was not going to drop on the ground that easily. His keen hearing sense knew the direction which the voice came from, and judging by the echoing ¨C the man could not have been further than five-hundred meters away. That was not so far but he could not use his dagger yet. Could he stall it and make them approach slowly by thinking he was bluffing? The bluff was to let them know he was bluffing and not dangerous at all. That was quite the concept, he thought. He relaxed his shoulders and lifted his chin slightly up. The wound on his cheek had been bleeding for the longest time ¨C they surely had mixed some herbs and dubbed the arrow tip in it. The scratch wasn''t that deep, so it had to stop bleeding by now ¨C unless the herbs were preventing his blood from clotting. The young man was thankful that he was spared from being poisoned but wasn''t that happy that a drug was used nonetheless. "Surrender? I believe I am outnumbered and you don''t have to ask me to surrender¡­.Unless you all are distance-ranged fighters. What? Afraid to approach me?", Bave cracked a half-honest joke. He hasn''t thought of it before he actually said it. Could they really be just archers? If it were so, he couldn''t think of any guild from the Association Bar that was purely made of archers. Besides, archers did not usually engage in ''hunt your own'' missions. It was in a way a precaution from the Association side. One couldn''t imagine what would happen if an archer decided to ditch that mission. Distance-ranged hunters were not fit to be included for SS-rank missions. They usually went after B-rank or A-rank ones. His arrogant remark was punished with an arrow shot right next to his horse and it startled the animal. The stallion stood on its back legs and it nearly threw Bave off. The hunter lost balance briefly but his hands flexed to hold firm. Thank god he had his sword sheathed. If his hands were occupied, he''d surely have fallen off. "Arrogant as ever!", the voice echoed once again, "Just give in, Ver! Your teammates are probably captured by now." The man sounded convincing and even more by using Bave''s first name. The hunter glanced from side to side. The area looked clear although the trees barred the land and it was obvious that however they have been hiding was thanks to the advantages of the forest ¨C the trees and shadows. The young captain''s expression changed. It was a well-executed mission, he had to admit. However, he knew better. 14 - A Deal (P) (T) The young hunter was a bit too wise to believe that they have captured his teammates. It wasn''t so easy to capture Kal and Koh, he knew his teammates'' abilities and even if he saw their corpses right before his eyes ¨C he''d still think that it was a well-played farce. These two would never fall behind, would never score lower than Bave ¨C these two were ranked in the top ten hunters of the Association! "I don''t know what you mean by ''captured'' but may I remind you that you''ve not captured me despite my weapons being put away and sitting on a horse like a dumb scarecrow?", Bave made a point. He also hoped that this would make their leader irritated and rush his decision. "I can see you are well-versed with ''The Art of War''*, Baht Ver. But I assure you, we are not that arrogant and ill-mannered as hunters are.", said the stranger, referring to the tactics of the famous military treatise to ''irritate your enemy''. Like hunters? Bave''s expression remained indifferent but how much could he trust? So, it wasn''t the Association hunting them but then ¨C who? He was more convinced that these men were either part of some organization or bandits. "I trust no words of a man who has no face.", Bave reached a hand to hover it upon his sword grip. That was taking too long and the danger he felt before was gone by now. Was he overthinking that they were after their lives? Or that they wanted to stop them from retrieving the Nominalia? "I believe it is a bit too early to talk about trust, Baht Ver.", the man said in response, his voice was firm and yet calm. The young hunter stayed wary especially after his name was known. But then again, was there even a chance of them attacking without knowing his name? He sighed out, audibly so. This was going nowhere. He could exchange philosophy-related cleverness all day but he had no such time. Besides, it was visible that the objective of the enemy was not to kill despite the initial danger he sensed. "Cut me some slack, will you?", Bave murmured and then reached for his sword to throw it on the side although he kept his daggers around his waist. He couldn''t trust completely but he knew the cruel world of battles. If he were in true danger, he''d been at least poisoned by now from the scratch upon his cheek. The man offered his sword to the enemy and his voice loud enough to carry his message, "I believe you were either well-paid by your master or you are foolish to stop me if you know what I am in for!" "I serve no master.", the voice sounded ever so closer. Bave started to recalculate the distance, the man was, indeed, closer than before. "Then you are a fool. Don''t you know what you are doing right now?", Bave would not easily give any information regarding his mission but he suspected that the man knew very well about the Nominalia. Questions regarding how and when, and where did he learn about Bave''s route and plans, they could wait.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "I assure you; I do know. I am here to offer you a deal.", the confidence in the stranger''s voice ticked Bave off. A deal? He must have been kidding. He attacked his guild and now he was chit-chatting as if he was a master of a household who was hiring some barbarian from the woods. "You must be kidding me! You nearly killed me!" "If you are as skilled as the rumors say, you should know by now that our objective is not to kill you. I want the Nominalia once we retrieve it." We? Did that man just say to Bave ¨C ''we''? The young hunter looked up as he heard the gentle rustles of the leaves. Indeed, the man was close. He saw his firm body standing tall on a thick branch, just twenty feet away, around six meters or so, looking his way. He could not tell much about him, for a black mantle covered his body and the hood hid his face. "Quite arrogant, and you said you are not like us, hunters.", Bave frowned despite his haughty grin decorating his lips. "Well, they say, ''When in Rome, do as the Romans do''. I thought speaking your language would make things easier." That was infuriating! Bave, however, clenched his teeth and spoke through the pretense of his smile, "Right, right¡­ So, you went through all that trouble just to strike that deal?" "You wouldn''t listen otherwise. That was the only to make you agree." "¡­Agree? ¨C You think I have already agreed?", Bave''s eyes adopted their hostile sparkle. "You have, from the moment you took off for Luse. The fact that you decided to retrieve the Nominalia and not planning to keep it for yourself, gives me the one reason not to end your life here." His words were confusing. It sounded at first that he wanted the Nominalia, and like any other would think, solely for wealth and power. He could become quite rich, or whatever organization he worked for could become quite rich. However, now it sounded just like he cared for the Nominalia. "Well, you don''t need my help to get it. Go retrieve it yourself.", Bave hopped off his horse to fetch his sword back, truly disinterested in any deal. "I don''t know what made you think that I will just hand you the book like that. Or that I wouldn''t keep it for myself. You know, the book is quite pricey.", his index finger and thumb gestured in a beckon for ''how much money'' one could get. "If you were concerned about wealth and fame, I would have not chosen you for my team." Bave''s lips gaped speechlessly as he did not know what to say. That man just went ahead and decided all by himself. Speak about arrogance! "Listen, you are quite weird¡­", Bave adjusted his sword back on his belt holder and looked up once more. "I don''t know your reason to look for the Nominalia but I hope I made myself clear¡­Go. Look for it. On your own!" The young hunter hopped onto his horse and tugged the bridle, he gave one last look to the man and was ready to gallop out of the thick woody area. The man, however, ordered clear and loud - just as if he knew how to make a person freeze at a spot. "Wait.", his hand rustled through his clothing and threw a small item down, darting it well enough to be easy to catch. Bave caught a small bag and looked at it questionably but soon his question was answered, "This is to stop the bleeding." The stranger said no more but Bave was grateful enough that he received something to counter the effect of the herbs. Although he didn''t know if he could trust whatever was in that bag. The young man wasted enough of time and his captain duty made the call. He had to reunite with his team and not bring a bunch of weirdos along, in case he accepted the deal. Moreover, the whole thing seemed fishy and confusing, so he better got going. There was no way for him to strike a deal that made him feel as he was pledging his soul to a devil! As Bave rode into the far, the trees soon started screening his figure away ¨C hiding him into the wood''s depths. The strange man watched Bave''s back until he could no longer see him. A few men swiftly appeared on each side of the man, well-masked behind their clothing. It seemed the whole team of ambushers wanted to hide their identity. "What are we going to do?", asked one of the men. "Let him be for now. The mission is on halt.", the tall man sounded like a leader yet not, sounded disappointed yet not, sounded sad yet not. That man, just as Bave thought, sounded as he was not. His voice, his posture, his thoughts, and his demeanor ¨C everything sounded contradicting as if he was not! 15 - Shimeo The guild was now separated but unaware of the fact that the two hunters were just an hour ahead of Bave. Therefore, once they reached Shimeo, a major city that was half-way to Luse, where the hunters had planned to rest for three hours during the early evening, inevitably Bave would catch up to them. Upon arriving Kal and Koh were visibly exhausted, the men had been in a gallop ever since the woodland in distress that they could have been trailed. Several times they had stopped to discuss whether it was wise to stay at Shimeo but as it was the original plan ¨C it was one of the possible places they could reunite with Bave. Therefore, they did make the stop. The city was already decorated for the upcoming Rose Fest. Street stands were in place, ready to offer, in a day and a half, stocks from all over the Kingdom. Some stands were prepared to sell food, others were for attraction with crafted goods like wooden totems and beautiful jewelry for women. After all, it was a festival that united couples together ¨C future husband-candidates were willing to buy souvenirs for their pretty women. Other street stands, on the other hand, offered fortune-telling ¨C who wouldn''t like to know what the future held for their possible marriage! The gates and major parts of the city were made over to fit the atmosphere of the roses season, and big wreaths were hanging around. Although the colors of the roses varied, the most preferred color, which, by the way, Shimeo had voted for this year, was pink. The hunters paced on the horses slowly, looking for side to side ¨C it was hard to ignore the beauty of the streets. Besides, they missed their wives and children. Pictures of imaginary gather-together made them feel nostalgic. They had planed since the beginning of May their good time with the family at the Rose Festival. Especially that Kal planned to see his daughter, Lena, at the rose-gathering. A sigh escaped him, he really wanted to see how beautiful she would look with the traditional clothing for the event. White dress with ancient-old symbols as embroidery on the hem of her sleeves. What a pity, he thought. Koh was no different. He also had plans to spend this annual event with his wife ¨C Kalina. She was a gentle and beautiful woman that looked after their boys. Unlike Kal, Koh''s household had only boys. So, Koh would have experienced the festival from a different perspective as he did not have a daughter for the rose-gathering but had a boy for the water-battle where husband-candidates went through a trial to win the heart of their chosen woman. He wondered who his youngest son would pick for a future wife. Although having Kalina by his side, he was sure the boy would not do any rash decisions, so he could rest assured. The men passed through the central part of the city before they headed to the more secluded parts where they could find guesthouses on cheap rates. It was truly pointless to pay a lot given the fact they''d stay just for a few hours. The pathway took them to the eastern part of the city which was more or less voided off of the merry atmosphere one could easily experience in the central parts. In fact, the eastern side of the city was somewhat poor, so people did not bother to decorate their alleys and stores. From left to right, and from right to left, one could see stores and buildings darkened by the harsh effect poverty had scarred the neighborhoods with. Kal tugged the bridle to force he stallion with a command to cease walking. Soon the column of horses followed and the men observed a humble-looking guesthouse. Its sign was slightly crooked from the edges but one could clearly read ''Ora''s Guesthouse''. The sign was dusty though, the letters were carved into the metal otherwise if painted, they''d probably spend more on maintenance than simple permanent metalwork. Kal hopped off his horse and instructed Koh to shelter their horses whilst Kal was dealing with the administrative matters. He hoped that they had at least one room though, from the look of it, no one would rather stay at such inn. It just looked off-putting.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. The hunters separated for a short while, and Kal walked into the guesthouse. The door creaked and from the corner of the dim inn, he saw a woman sitting on something like a reception-desk. The candles around were scarce, so Kal couldn''t really make out the full capacity and interior of the hall. He slowly made his way to her and nodded his head as a friendly gesture to greet. "Good afternoon. I would like to book a room.", said he. His voice quiet to fit the dim atmosphere. Somewhat he felt awkward raising his voice in such a quiet room. "Aha.", the lady couldn''t have been younger than fifty or fifty-five years of age however, her attitude was rude, "One silver coin." Kal did not pay much attention to her rudeness as not everyone liked strangers. Especially as he was armed with blades around his waist. Moreover, he wasn''t the prince-type. He probably looked like a hunter even though in casual clothing. Scars decorated his hands and his face had adopted the toughness in the form of wrinkles. So, he was okay if the lady did not want to greet him with a smile. He took out a silver coin and slid it against the wooden surface, in turn, she slid his way a rusty key and only directed him to room number ''12'' on the second floor. The hunter picked the key and made his way out the inn. He thought he''d rather go help Koh with the horses than spend the time alone in such a dark place. The inn really creeped him out despite his age and experience. He had seen horrible things during different missions but that place felt just so off. He stuffed the key in the inside pocket of his upper clothing and looked around. If he remembered right, Koh headed two streets down the pathway and turned to left. The hunter paced slowly, observing the area they were planning to rest at. That inn was not the only creepy place though. He spotted some weird-looking doors that had carved wolf heads with tongues reaching out to take on the shape of door handles. The male cocked a brow, how come such a poor area could even have a building with that type of massive door. Moreover, the ironwork looked fantastic. Kal reached his hand up and rubbed the edge of his chin. He was quite interested in forging and even had started to build his own smithy where he could work in his free time, and who knew ¨C one day he could make it into an official business after he retired from the Association of Hunters Bar. The male resumed walking still impressed by the metalwork he just saw. He wondered how old that door was? It did not look like anything forged in recent years. Many great blacksmiths have left Balhkara after Tulo''s annihilation. Besides, the pattern of these wolves seemed to follow truly ancient motifs. He made it a task in his ''to-do'' list once they were done with this mission. He would visit this place again and ask around about that door. It mesmerized him completely. Kal finally reached the horse shelters of the area, Koh was chatting with a local man, who seemed like in his early thirties and was one of the few people they met on the streets. In fact, Kal just realized it but the eastern neighborhood was rather quiet and deserted. Once he approached close enough, he heard the man discuss something intriguing. "¡­Yeah! And I thought that the guild was truly unlucky to meet such an end. I don''t know much about it but it happened like a few days ago." Kal wasn''t quite sure what he walked into and his brows locked in a frown. A guild? Unlucky? What has happened? He looked to Koh in search for answers but his friend was calmly discussing along, "Indeed. Anyway, thank you for telling me. Once I have the chance to look into it, I will make sure to see what had happened.", he sounded rather professional as not to let the man down. Kal quickly caught on that Koh had probably introduced himself as a hunter and somewhat the conversation had rolled in. The hunter stayed quiet as the chit-chat was gradually brought to an end, and Koh excused himself before he gestured for Kal to leave along. As soon as they were far enough, Kal hurried to ask, as the impatient man he was himself, what was going on. "What was that?" "Hmmm, a weird story going around that hunters from all over the Kingdom are disappearing. The man told me that last week a guild had made it to this area but vanished on the next day upon arrival. Their horses were left behind, so he offered to make some exchange. I guess he liked our stallions." Koh laughed although the conversation wasn''t meant to start if it weren''t for the horses. "That''s weird¡­Do you think that Bave is okay?", Kal was sure that Koh also would associate the story with their captain not being around but they couldn''t do much as of now. "Honestly? I have no idea¡­I am not sure whether the ambush and this story are related. If they are¡­that''s going to be a problem." "I hope he is okay¡­", Kal slowed down as they approached the inn which he booked them in for the night but his expression revealed his worries. "Come on man¡­he is fine, I am sure. Don''t forget how he acquired his nickname, ''The Inviolable One''.", Koh tried to cheer him up with an old story from five years ago. One could say it was one of the wonders of the Association of Hunters Bar. Whoever heard that nickname knew that the man who was standing before was no other but the man who fought the bloody battle of Hoiran. The one who was attacked from four cardinal guilds at once and none managed to bring him down. ''The Inviolable One'' was Baht Ver, the youngest captain of the Association Hunters Bar. 16 - No Less Than a King The late afternoon was charged with the daytime heat that the morning sun promised a few hours prior. The air felt heavy as the winds have been calm for most of the day pass the woodland despite the sun setting to the west horizon which had to open a window of opportunity for the winds to cool off the ground. Even Bave who was in a gallop for the last few hours could feel the heated air, the closer he got to Shimeo. The city was situated in the Central Valleys of the kingdom though its centrality was estimated solely for the Eastern parts. If the city was assessed based on its location in the kingdom as a whole, it was more towards the northeastern areas. His stallion has been breathing harshly and at an irregular rate for some time now. The gallop itself had grown less accurate and jumps have been decreasing. Bave knew that his horse was approaching his limit, so the young hunter paced the last mile to Shimeo in a slow stride. It was pointless to force a gallop out of a horse that sooner or later would rebel for its needs to rest. It could injure both the rider and the stallion, so Bave took it slow, granting the stallion''s wish to decrease the speed. He approached the gates of Shimeo, calmly watching the gloaming. It seemed to him, whenever he watched the sunset, that the bright disk hardly wanted to leave, to hide, to disappear. Alas, even the sun could not shine for too long. It always made him think of Balhkara and its late King, Tuge. Just like the sun, he set into the nightfall, leaving a whole kingdom to soak in the twilight of scattered glory. How sad ¨C how ugly, greed has poisoned these lands. Bave rarely spoke his thoughts out, it just made him feel more vulnerable whenever he had to express his intimate views of the world ¨C but in times when he had the luxury to be alone, he often felt the weight of mixed emotions. Anger and then hopelessness, longing, and then defeat. Who knew that the man, who many hunters looked up to, could be so vulnerable when it came to something more personal? He wished to change Balhkara, very much so. However, as an old proverb stated, ''A single bird cannot bring the Spring''. That was to say, it was a bit too idealistic to believe that one sole person could change the world. Bave knew very well, he was no less than a King who could see how the board-game figures were positioned. Balhkara was purposely caged in a vicious cycle that had one goal ¨C dominance. The hunter took notice of the beautiful decorations upon his arrival in the city, just like Kal and Koh earlier ¨C he regretted he could not see the most beautiful festival of the year¡­or one of the most beautiful. Balhkara had quite the number of events annually, and each on their own was unique and beautiful. The sun had long left the land and the night like vigilante grasped the celestial throne to oversee the life of mortals. Beautiful lanterns accompanied the rose wreaths, bringing some light and coziness on the paved streets of Shimeo.Stolen novel; please report. Despite the evening had just befallen, the pathways were still lively. People worked from early in the morning until late at night, preparations were top priority. After all, they did not want to fall behind! Stories about which city and which village did the best of the festival would soon spread, so Shimeo wanted to be known for the best decoration in the Kingdom. It was no surprise though, the best decoration in the kingdom would bring them some additional income from a reward issued by the Lords Union. The top three places would get 4 gold, 14 silver, and 3 silver coins respectively. Probably one would say that wasn''t much as a reward, and would not be wrong. However, Balhkara was under strict rule nowadays, monetary rewards were rare as the greedy ruling class would not share their fortune. They preferred to see the lands tattered by poverty than investing in it. That was, as Bave called it, ''greed''. The young hunter quickly found a place to let his horse rest. He paid for a slot in a horse house for the next few hours. However, he decided to visit an herbalist shop he saw upon arrival than looking for his teammates, who were probably by now asleep. If they went according to the initial plan, which Bave did not doubt, they had to stop in the city for three hours or so. So, they could rest for the evening, thought Bave. Besides, it was not so hard to find them despite Shimeo''s size and population which was a bit over 120,000 people. The hunters have probably, as the plan was, found a guesthouse to stay at upon arrival in Shimeo in the eastern parts where the city was still in ruins, so to say. Therefore, he already had a vague idea of where to look for them once he was done with the herbalist shop. The bleeding had not ceased ever since he was scratched by the arrow, despite his best tries to smudge some clay over it. Although the dirt would not be one''s first choice to apply on a wound, in fact, the clay soil was good to fight bacteria. A piece of handy advice he knew from his sister who had a pottery shop. So, Bave strolled down the street with his muddy face though even the dirt could not hide his sharp and handsome features. Some local ladies stole a glance or two, whispered in between, and giggled. Bave paid them no attention though he wondered if his dirty appearance invoked the looks and giggles. Even if it was so, he could do nothing much. At least the clay repressed the bleeding although did not help with the blood clotting. He hoped he could find a skilled herbalist in Shimeo. Therefore, once he arrived - his eyes were scanning the place and indeed, he spotted a shop a few meters after the main gate. A clever place to establish it, he thought. Any visitor upon arrival would notice it and the chances of paying a visit were higher than having a person looking for an herbalist in the secluded pathways of Shimeo. Bave finally made his way to the shop and walked in. Other than seeking the help of a skilled doctor, though people referred to them as ''herbalists'', he could also ask if they could recognize the herbs which the mysterious man gave him. If it were, indeed, the ''antidote'' for whatever mixture kept him bleeding ¨C he would then question, why would he attack, then let him go and even send him on his way with an antidote? Everything seemed so confusing and irrational. Besides, there was a great possibility he could learn a bit more about that man if the herbalist found something unique in the ingredients used for the medicine. He thought that he would kill two birds with one stone that way. Hopefully, there was someone skilled at that shop ¨C Bave was willing to pay quite the price to get some answers¡­ 17 - Just a Scratch The hunter walked into the store, quietly so. The dim light from several candles illuminated the apothecary. Although the place looked quite old, it did seem to be taken care of. Bave paced in, his eyes assessing the visible corners. There wasn''t much but shelves with colorful bottles and jars that contained weird-looking items. For example, there was one big jar, which was slightly reddish, with a very thick root floating in liquid behind the ruby glass. Bave''s herbal knowledge was not extensive, so he supposed it was some sort of mixture to preserve the root. Besides, most of the jars had a similar substance that kept plants fresh-looking. His weight forced the old wooden floor creak, disturbing the perfection of ambient vibes, whilst he advanced further in. The hunter finally enclosed the distance from the entrance to the reception desk ¨C alas, there was no one. He felt a bit awkward but mustered a calm greeting for whoever was meant to hear it. "Hello?", said the young man whilst his eyes were glued to the shelves of books that were behind the desk. His attention was caught by a few books, at least such he could understand the titles of since many of the reads were in a seemingly foreign language. A particular book, titled ''The History of Luse'', made him stare for a bit longer than he would otherwise. He quickly reminded himself that there was no time to waste, so his voice vibrated throughout again. "Hello? I am sorry to disturb you. I really need your help¡ª" Just as he was finishing his last sentence, the door behind him opened with a loud thud. "Oh dear lord, what is that stupidity! Roses here, roses there! Bloody idiots!", an old lady grumbled with complaints about the upcoming festival as soon as she walked in, slamming the door behind. She never liked social events, to begin with, and it seemed she was from the type that was never happy, no matter what. A true pessimist that refused to acknowledge the joy of whatever one could think of. The joy of being alive, the joy of having children, the joy of being healthy ¨C there were many types of ''joy''. However, she never even smiled, let alone persuade the joys of life. Bave blinked several times as soon as they grew aware of each other. Of course, the room was too dim for them to hold a proper eye-contract, but these two could recognize each other even if the sun left the lands in complete darkness. "Bave?", she reached her wrinkled had up to adjust her big glasses upon her nose bridge. "Granny Soh?", Bave squinted his eyes but he couldn''t be mistaken. Her voice, her small and tiny body, and the smell of herbs soaked deep in her skin tissue ¨C it was his grandmother, Soh Vah. The last time he heard from her was right before he went to train to become a hunter. It has been over ten years, which actually often worried Baht family. They knew Soh Vah wasn''t the type to attend family gatherings but completely abandoning these events was unusual. She probably had her reasons though often irrational. Perse, she rarely approved of anything or seldom agreed with anyone. If one pointed to the left, she would point to the right ¨C just because! The Baht family loved her, of course, despite all the disagreements and little misunderstandings they had with her in the past. "If you are here to tell me that your dear mother wants me to go back to Udeos-", she didn''t even catch her breath but began with her negativity, once more. She halted as soon as Bave raised his palms and tried to pacify her. "Wait, wait. No, I am not here for that!", the hunter sighed and just before he could blink twice, his granny was standing right in front of him. "WOAH!", he stumbled slightly backward and hit his back against the reception desk, "Ngh!!" He had forgotten that his quickness was like Vah''s, speak of the Vah''s genes! Ever since he was a kid, his parents kept praising his agility and credited the old Vah. However, that was a typical trait for his mother''s lineage. The Vah clan was known for their agility whilst his father''s lineage, the Baht clan, were known for their strategy skills. One hell of a combination. Many relatives actually had placed big hopes in both Bave and his sister. However, sometimes that came off as another type of responsibility they were forced into.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Soh Vah, despite her age, was still agile ¨C opposite of what one would expect from a seventy-five-year-old. Bave always wondered what kind of spells she practiced in the dark corners to keep her body that agile and youthful. "What is that?", her nagging voice drilled into Bave''s eardrums whilst her old wrinkled hands tried to poke at the clay that covered his wound whilst the young man was still gathering his knees straight from the painful bump against the wooden desk. "It''s just a scratch but I wanted to get it examined.", he felt the old woman''s black eyes probe deep into his soul; was she happy to see him? It couldn''t be, he thought. She was never happy. "Khm", she cleared her voice and strolled towards one of the dark corners of the apothecary, "Follow me." The two of them disappeared in the shadows of the evening, leaving the apothecary sink in ambient vibes once more. Even though the faint echo of the creaking wooden floor roamed the empty place, it still created the impression that not many visited Soh Vah''s herbal shop. Bave walked behind his grandmother, wondering how on earth she could make it through the darkness. He himself felt particularly blind in the thick blackness but was perfectly led by an old lady that wore glasses. It made him question whether Vah really needed the glasses. His occupied mind made him unaware of the past few turns and stairs that led them into the underground parts of the building. Vah stopped before a big wooden door and rustled around her tattered robe, looking for a specific key attached to a key chain with at least twenty such. Bave couldn''t really see the keys himself, as he often joked that the blackness of his eye-color prevented him from seeing in the dark, but his hearing sense was good enough to draw the picture in his mind. The old lady finally unlocked the door and led him into her underground herbal laboratory. The smell of spirits, cooked herbs, and dried plants hit his face as soon as the door creaked open. "Come on in!", Vah said in a demanding way as Bave was quite hesitant to walk in. The smell was too strong and he wrinkled his nose as slowly paced in. The candles were abundant, unlike in the entrance, and every corner was visible. There were jars though not only with herbs floating inside but also animal parts preserved in, what he was now sure about, embalming fluids. The young hunter, despite his bravery on the battlefields, tried to stay in some far corner which did not look as freaky as the rabbit legs floating in a jar across the entrance. Bave''s eyes kept observing around whilst his grandmother rattled some drawers. She selected a few ceramic tools, to use directly on the scratch, and several small bottles with unknown content. "Since when has it been bleeding?", she asked as the clay did not completely hide that the scratch was still open. "Eh¡­hmm..", he calculated quickly, "Since noon. It''s just a scratch though¡­" He hurried to say as his hair started to stand from the look of all these items Vah was inching closer with. "A scratch which cannot stop bleeding though.", she added with eyes staring from under her big glasses. "Well, I am still alive. It is not poison.", the young man tried to assist with his opinion but Vah disregarded it. As if a hunter could assess as good as an herbalist would. The old lady pointed to a chair behind Bave and he lowered his tall build down. He watched her set all the objects on a small table next to them, and his strong chest exhaled a heavy sigh. One could say he was getting mentally prepared. He didn''t like herbalists. Not only they were weird but whenever he visited the herbal shops to get his wounds treated, he experienced more pain than being slashed on the battlefield. Once Soh Vah cleaned the clay off his cheek, she probed the skin near the wounded area with a short ceramic pestle that forced the blood to run faster. Trails of blood ran down and small droplets started to drip from the edge of his chin. Bave noticed the blood landing on his pants but it did not seem to faze him. He had seen worse and felt worse. The stinging sensation made him nervous but not really worried. If it were a stranger, he''d probably start complaining. However, he trusted Soh Vah, and besides, if he whined like a kid, she''d probably comment to further wound his ego. Old granny Vah was a bit too straight-forward even for Bave''s understanding of honesty. "Hmmmm", she leaned closer, observing the color of the blood. Her creased-by-age hand reached for a small bottle to the side to pour from it in a ceramic mortar. The liquid stank of rotten eggs and Bave flinched. Was she to apply that on his skin? "Ah..granny¡ª", he was to protest but she rubbed the pestle against the escaping blood and stuck it quickly inside the bowl. The liquid turned from navy blue to black. Bave did not know what was the meaning of it but if he judged by the look of Vah''s eyebrows that formed fine arches ¨C it probably meant something. "How interesting!", the old lady said. Bave never saw his grandmother so excited. Was the herbal mix that kept the wound open that interesting? Soh Vah quickly lost interest in Bave''s scratch and reached quickly for a bag with dried leaves that were hanging on the side of the table. Her small hand cupped a handful and dumped it into the mortar. The ceramic set was used to grind the leaves into the substance that slowly became homogeneous. The young hunter stood there, sealing his lips away as he knew that disturbing Soh Vah could get him an hour-long lecture of how incompetent he was. The man watched her move swiftly around whilst she was mixing different ingredients in that bowl until the smell of rotten eggs disappeared and the color became light gray. "Now then, you have to eat this!", she pushed the mortar into Bave''s hand and handed him a small wooden spoon in his other hand. The hunter''s lips gaped. What was she talking about? There was some weird substance mixed with his own blood, and he had to eat that? The thought of it made him gag. "Can''t you¡­can''t you just apply it on the skin? It''s just a scratch¡­", Bave tried to negotiate but the stern look of his grandmother made him swallow his words. The uncomfortable feeling in his throat was forming even though he had yet to take the first spoon. In fact, even his palms started to sweat lightly. However, the underlying fact that if he refused to eat it, his grandmother would probably hit him with the pestle and kick him out her apothecary, urged him to take the first bite. He shut his eyes close and tried to push all his senses into oblivion. A spoon, then a second, and a third ¨C the quicker he ate, the sooner that torture would end. The man stuffed himself with the mushy substance and his mind went blank. Curses on that forest dude! For just a scratch, he had to go through all that herbal hell. 18 - Scorpion Grass After the last swallow of the herbal mixture, which almost made Bave throw up, he coughed deeply in the attempt to suppress the protest of his bowels. The young hunter placed the mortar down and felt his moist forehead; he must have been sweating whilst pushing down the disgusting medicine. Or at least he hoped that was the medicine. He wouldn''t want to go through another herbal hell. His black pupils glanced at Soh Vah who was in deep thoughts. "What''s wrong, Granny Soh?", Bave couldn''t miss her ruminative, mysterious look. The old lady looked back at Bave and without hesitation shot her question, "Where did you get this scratch?" Bave didn''t have the time to explain it all, and besides, his job as a hunter taught him to be wary with what kind of information he was sharing, even more, if that involved relatives. "Well¡­let''s say that it was a surprise attack by an unknown group. Why?" His granny looked from side to side, weighing his answer in her mind, "It''s a very old recipe to keep the blood cells separated. It''s not exactly a poison but one could say it can be classified as such.", granny Soh took a breath and continued her explanation. "Balhkaran people use an imitation of the original recipe nowadays. However, the one which, for some reason, you were infected with was the original." "The original? What are you trying to say?", Bave didn''t speak herbalist language; he could only guess that it was either a group of bandits who got their hands on some rare recipe or they were a weird wizard group who knew how to cook up some weird recipes. "When I was your age, Bave, this land held great knowledge. Unfortunately, after the late King''s horrendous fate, much of that knowledge disappeared. This recipe was known back in your great-grandmother''s time." The young man blinked several times and looked to the empty mortar. It was that old? Somewhat his bowels felt even more nauseous. "So, what would you think of a bunch of ambushers having access to it?", Bave had to ask the old lady for her opinion. "Hmmm¡­I would say that they have someone who knows how to make it. It is impossible to master the art of medicine just from reading the ingredients needed." Soh Vah did not disappoint. She made sense and Bave came to understand why she looked so conflicted and lost in thoughts. "Actually¡­", he proceeded with the second objective in his mind, his hand patted his clothes and felt the small bag he received in the woodland. The young man passed the item to Vah and shortly explained to her, "This was given to me. Supposedly, I had to use it to counter the effect of the herbs." The old woman reached her wrinkled hands and unwrapped carefully the bag. The content was pale, blue powder that glistened whenever her hands titled the dusty content towards a light source. "Hmmmm¡­", she looked up and to the left, looking for another pair of mortar and pestle. However, this time she decided to use a wooden set. It was always wise to use wood when one did not know how other materials would react to the drug. The old lady started grinding a portion from the powder into the wood. Her first experiment was to use an ordinary balsam which acted as a tester for most common poisons found in Balhkara. The powder did not react with the liquid, so old Soh Vah commented confidently.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. "At least it is not poison.", her hand reached up and stroked her chin, "Or at least not from the common type." Bave watched curiously so. So, the man did not give him poison? He still found it weird that he let him go. Moreover, they never engaged in a real fight. He gave it a thought on his way to the apothecary and reached the conclusion that whoever attacked him, somewhat, knew when his guild would be there and how to approach them. Then again, how did they know Bave was heading for Luse to retrieve the Nominalia? Did that mean he wasn''t the only one who received a mysterious letter? The young hunter was lost in his own world and did not notice granny Soh was about to taste from the powder. Her coughing startled him and he jumped off the chair. "Granny! What are you doing!!?", Bave reached his hands to gently touch the old woman''s shoulders. Her face was slightly flushed from all the coughing. The hunter tapped lightly the woman''s back to help her but she just waved a hand to cease his patting. After a while she regained her normal breathing rate and sat on a chair. She tugged at the hem of her old tattered apron and wiped her teared-up eye from under her glasses. Although Bave looked worried, she seemed perfectly calm and even confident just like she knew what she was doing. Bave did not know whether that medicine was meant to be swallowed or applied on the skin. He started wondering if it were harmful after all? The man just kept his eyes on the old woman, patiently waiting for her to speak. "Khhmm", she cleared her throat, "Whoever gave you this couldn''t have been an ambusher." "What?", Bave blank-stared her. There were these times when he was quiet and left it all to the specialists ¨C a herbalist, a blacksmith, a brewer, a fieldworker¡­However, when it came to the battlefield, he believed that his grandmother shouldn''t state her opinion so easily. He knew enough to be able to assess the enemy. "With all due respect, Granny Soh¡­", the hunter softened his voice although he was displeased, "I was nearly killed. These people were skilled and knew what they wanted." "And yet you are alive?", the old lady looked through her glasses with half teared-up eyes as the substance was still irritating her airways. "I am alive¡­for now", Bave did not know why his grandmother wanted to convince him otherwise, "I am telling you; they are dangerous." "Bave, I am not telling you that they are not dangerous. I am telling you this is a highly rare medicine. God, probably even the current King wouldn''t be in possession of it!" These words made Bave rethink and reflect on his hypothesis. Were they royal guards? From Balhkara? Or a foreign country? The young hunter tried to remember that man''s voice, specifically his accent. But he couldn''t mark anything distinguishable. Moreover, if they were royal guards from Balhkara ¨C did it mean that even the current King, Preda Teelh, wanted the Nominalia? Who was actually selling the book off? Bave hurried and asked, "What is so special about it? Is it a foreign drug? Can it be easily made?" His questions shot one after another, just as if he was about to tear down the veil that hid the identity of that man. He couldn''t stand it ¨C the unknow. He disliked the unknown, especially when he felt like he was being watched and preyed on. The old lady shook head and answered to the best of her abilities, "I don''t know much about it. Not many would be able to recognize it. The only way to test the purity of the herb is to taste it. It forces the airways to contract. Similar to how the scorpion venom causes respiratory difficulties." Bave frowned but listened to his grandmother carefully. He knew that answers would not come easy but having to add more to that man''s mysteriousness annoyed him. Was it truly impossible to find who he was? "You said that whoever gave me that was no ambusher, why?" "Scorpion grass.", Soh Vah named the herb and looked straight into Bave''s eyes, "This plant is extremely rare. Therefore, its second name is ¨C "Forget me not"." ''Forget me not''? Bave was truly lost. Not only he had a dozen questions but now even the name itself made him think that it was an actual message. Did the man know that Bave would investigate the drug and would hear all that? So wicked. The young hunter rubbed his face and then sighed. He didn''t have much time left as he had to meet Kal and Koh soon. However, he selected his last question carefully. "Who would be in possession of such drug then?" The old woman hesitated for a bit but then the seriousness in his eyes made it clear, "Either a sorcerer or a high-ranked bandit." There were many questions that could follow but Bave decided to leave it for next time; maybe on their way back to Udeos, they could pass again through Luse. If he left the drug at Soh Vah''s herbal shop, she could study it and tell him more after that. The young hunter made a few promises with the old herbalist and left it at that. It would take probably three-four days before he returned to Luse. Soh Vah could have enough of time to study it and tell him more. Whatever it took, he was determined to find who that group was and catch them himself. It wasn''t revenge or rage. He felt somewhat defeated without fighting. Did he lose to that man in the woodlands? There was no battle but Bave felt like his steps were foreseen, and he disliked that. 19 - His Favorite The evening approached with a promise for a nice and warm night. Usually, that happened when the skies were embraced by the fluffy blanket of clouds. Anyone knew, from a royal to a villager, that when the skies were clear ¨C it was a promise for a cold night and a chilly morning. Therefore, a cloudy sky would keep the warmth accumulated during the day on earth. One could say ¨C people did not have any other means to foretell the weather but by judging the skies above. Bave was walking down the street, slowly distancing himself from Soh Vah''s apothecary. There wasn''t enough time to rest. He guessed that he would go another night without sleep although he could feel his body quite tired. However, he could not show it. That was what it took and meant to be a leader ¨C one had to lead his men even in desperate times. Although he wasn''t sure how ''desperate'' the times were. He walked, his senses isolated from the surrounding, in deep thoughts of what was happening. He didn''t notice the happy drunk people laughing from the noisy tavern or the girls that giggled when looked at him. He didn''t even hear that some of these ladies whispered around that he was quite handsome despite his clay-smudged cheek. All he was absorbed by was one single thought ¨C What to do with the Nominalia if they manage to retrieve it? The intense brain-storming made him hungry. He instinctively reached for his stomach as it protested. As soon as he questioned his meal, he remembered his mother''s homemade banitsa which he didn''t manage to taste. Bave wondered whether the hot weather had spoiled the dairy filling inside the pastry rolls. There was only one way to know ¨C it was time for his favorite dish. The man headed for the horse house in the eastern parts of Shimeo where he left his stallion rest for the time being. His luggage was with the horse as it made no sense to rent a room which he would not use. Besides, he paid additionally for safety reasons. Not like people would steal bags with clothing, food, and some books but they could do so for water. Water, despite being abundant in the lands of Balhkara ¨C it was still a reason to get robbed since poor regions relied on nothing but rivers. So, freshwater could get stolen. The young hunter finally reached the rented slot and noticed the night-shift guard who was nodding off next to the door of the horse house. Bave sighed, that was the security they offered? "Greetings.", the young man greeted and alerted the guard. "S-Sir! Ah¡­!", he paused as he had to brush a trail of drool off his lip corner, "May¡­May I s-ssss-see you-you-your s-sss-slot pass?" Bave stared at the stuttering man. He did not want to appear rude and quickly patted his pocket to take out a wooden block that had the engraved number. Not like it was a great way to present a sort of proof that one had a reserved slot inside. After all, it was pretty easy to forge one. So it wouldn''t be surprising to see such methods exploited. However, Bave couldn''t make all the changes he wished to see in Balhkara. There were too many things to change. He couldn''t do it. Not alone anyway. After he was allowed in, he noticed a few men packing up their horses. The well-illuminated horse house allowed for quick recognizing. So, it wasn''t needed to ask questions about whether someone was in or who it was. Bave halted in front of his horse slot which was positioned diagonally to the slots that were occupied with packing men. The hunter stared as it was both surprising and not so, to bump into other hunters who could probably be on a mission or head for the Nominalia. Although Bave did not mind, nor really cared about other hunters ¨C he knew that the recognized faces he saw wouldn''t make Kal happy. He disliked that particular guild of hunters ¨C ''The Resti'' team. The men noticed Baht Ver and as the best of the best ¨C they couldn''t ignore such a man. "Salutations Captain Baht!", their leader waved lazily and although his greeting might appear formal, it was said in a mocking tone. His build was similar to Bave''s but his age was closer to Koh''s. So to say, he was older than Bave. Despite the age-gap, he had to offer a proper greeting as he had a high-ranked hunter before him.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. "Greetings Zack.", Bave nodded as his body was in a relaxed position with his hands resting in each of his pants'' pockets. He was wary whenever his hands were not prepared to either punch or draw his sword out. However, he doubted that the Resti team, even though they use underhanded methods to achieve their missions, would attack him. "What a great coincidence huh?", Zack approached slowly, "Out for hunting or?" "Not really. Just traveling.", Bave smiled faintly withholding any sort of information that could give a hint to where he was heading to. "Are you alone? It''s not wise to do so, Captain. Especially in such times.", Kal chuckled and leaned against a wooden pole that separated a slot from another. "How come?", Bave dismissed the initial question but directed the conversation skillfully to a different topic. "Have you not heard? Hunters are disappearing mysteriously. Last week ''The Hon'' guild disappeared in Shimeo.", Zack crossed his arms before his chest and had that annoying grin upon lips as if it were a big deal to bring news to a top captain from the Association Bar. "I am afraid I was too busy with my last mission to care for rumors, Zack." There it was ¨C the salt rubbed on a fresh wound. Bave''s guild was known to be the most employed guild of the Association. Moreover, it was one of the most highly paid teams. Therefore, they usually were sent to S- or SS-ranked missions. Zack didn''t like ''The Concealers'' guild because he saw Bave as an arrogant man. Probably his envy made him bitter. However, Bave did not care much although out of his three-man team, it seemed that Kal cared the most. Kal disliked whenever Zack was rude to Bave. Moreover, he found it dishonorable the way how ''The Resti'' dealt with missions. "Oh yes¡­Indeed. We all heard about your success in Rakuah.", Zack rolled his eyes in a dismissing manner, "Say Captain Baht..." The man rocked off the wooden pole and paced to Bave. His hand came forth and Bave felt the strong palm of a hunter squeeze his shoulder. If it weren''t for all the hard training the young leader had gone through, the squeeze would probably make him grumble in pain. However, Zack had not a single clue what kind of pain Bave had been through. So, such a squeeze was no reason for him to even flinch in response. "You should be careful¡­", Zack''s eyes grew darker and his mocking grin vanished," ¡­For beyond Luse, there are swamps and not all horses like wet tracks." Bave looked to his side, staring at Zack''s hand squeezing his shoulder a bit too hard. The young hunter could easily use his hierarchal position and command the older hunter to let go. If he reacted, he would play right in his hands. Moreover, Bave had never said that they would advance toward Luse to the north where swamps were the last obstacle of the checkpoint where the export-import transfer was supposedly made. The young leader knew that their horses were not suited for wet tracks. The stallions were chosen for drylands as they had to reach as quickly as possible the swamps. From there on, they could only hope that the horses would last on the wet tracks. Furthermore, he was now convinced that Zack knew about the Nominalia. As he was informed by Jena, back home in Udeos, many hunters are heading to Luse. That meant that many hunters, regardless of whether they would participate or not, knew about the export-import scheme going on. So, it wasn''t a pure shock or at least not as big as Zack would hope to hit Bave with. "Gratitude, gratitude. I am very thankful for your advice Zack.", Bave averted his chin away and stared straight in front of him, right into an empty horse slot. He didn''t blink, he didn''t flinch, he didn''t move ¨C he was a blank canvass that Zack could not read. The older hunter retreated his hand and his face somewhat grew serious. His guesses were correct ¨C Bave was out on a private mission and unlike his team, ''The Resti'', who was protected now by the Association Bar for their mission and by the uniform they wore, Bave''s team was unprotected. The best captain was in plain clothes. The shiny golden emblem he had to wear on his clothing back was gone ¨C the glitter of rank was also gone. However, Zack knew very well ¨C Bave did not need the rank to shine. His leadership skills were visible even in plain clothes and dirty appearance. "Well¡­", Zack waved his hand dismissively once again and span on his heel, turning his back at Bave, "Not like I care. Who am I to advise the top captain of the Association Bar? He should know himself, how dangerous is without being protected." The man walked away slowly whilst talking, poison dripped from his tone as he rolled the words slowly off his lips. Just before he gestured for his men to lead the horses out of the horse house, he looked over his shoulder. His eyes widened a bit. He had never seen Bave''s black eyes that deep and that ominous. The captain stared into him with his face expressionless and yet his black eyes were of a beast. One of these that would swallow him, if he did not leave at once. The short exchanged lasted that long. Bave did not move an inch from where Zack left him at. At least not until the whole team departed. Once Bave was alone again, his sighed deep. He thanked gods and entities that Kal was not around. They would probably waste another hour with Kal fighting Zack ¨C which always happened whenever these two met. The young hunter checked his luggage. His mind was blank ¨C what was he supposed to think about? The Nominalia? The ambush? The mysterious herb that was rare? The Resti team? The mysterious letter? Or the mysterious man? He brushed it all away. That was the only manner through which one could proceed and keep going. Overthinking every single thing would result in possible failure. Bave couldn''t allow that. He finally made it to his banitsa. The man''s palms were dirty and he didn''t like touching such a sacred thing with dirty hands. Alas, his stomach took over his principles. Bave unwrapped the filo pastry deliciousness and to his luck, the banitsa was not spoiled by the sun. Probably the well-wrapped rolls with several layers of cotton clothing kept the dish somewhat aired but protected by the sun. Even if the banitsa wasn''t fresh as he would like it to be, it was still his favorite. At least one good thing happened that day ¨C homemade deliciousness! The bite into the filo pastry rolls almost made him hum in happiness. What would he do if someone saw that he was humming with a piece of pastry in hand, eating next to his horse? He wouldn''t care. Probably? Unless it was someone he truly wished to impress. Although he couldn''t think of anyone he would like to impress. However... He stared down at the bitten piece of banitsa and somewhat watching the filo layers with golden brown colors made him remember the girl from the forest. That one¡­the one he never asked the name of. She, too, was his favorite one. 20 - Memory Page Definition of ¡°Memory Page¡±: Any episode/chapter named as ¡°memory page¡¯ would contain important reader¡¯s information regarding characters, places, terms, and other definitions. It can both contain already mentioned things in previous chapters or it may further explain concepts. ¡°Memory page¡± would not come up as often as one thinks. It is very probable it may happen every 10 to 20 episodes/chapters and also will be published along with a new chapter - therefore "memory pages" should not confuse the reader as being a main new chapter. Such memory pages are good to review or refer to in case the reader forgets important information.
[New Characters]
Name: Rahk Zack Hometown: Tuchi, Balhkara Role: Hunter Age: 39 Name: Soh Vah Hometown: Udeos, Balhkara Role: Herbalist (ex-Witch) Age: 75 Name: Preda Teelh Hometown: Fostalia, Erma Role: King of Balhkara Age: 59
[New Places]
Name: Pine Forest Type: Nature Area Owner: - Name: Ora¡¯s Guesthouse Type: Inn Owner: Orac Kilah Name: Native Herbs Type: Apothecary/Herbal Shop Owner Soh Vah
[New Events] Name: Palace Accident Description: The unfortunate event, whenever mentioned in the novel, refers to a fire accident that happened shortly after the Tulo leader was annihilated. Many people in Balhkara believe that it was a well-planned mission to get rid of any witnesses and important documents concerning the royal blood lineage. It is also believed that the great Nominalia of Tulo was lost to the arson case. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Name: Battle of Hoiran Description: The infamous battle of Hoiran happened due to a conflict between four hunter organizations, one of which was the Association of Hunters Bar. The event took place near Balhkara¡¯s south-west borders and continued for 20 days. The complexity of the battle required Baht Ver to assist the guilds who were sent by the Association Bar. However, the horrors of the battlefield are still untold and the one sole benefactor to the win, in favor of Balhkara, was Baht Ver.
[New Guilds]
Name: The Concealers Status: Active Members: Baht Ver, Rahk Kal, Iyal Koh Specialty: Retrieval of treasures and artifacts Missions: Vary between S- and SS-ranked Name: The Resti Status: Active Members: Rahk Zack, Mis Hak, Barz Alk, Kim Ah, Tol Steh Specialty: Merchant Supervision and retrieval of artifacts Missions: Vary between B- and A-ranked Name: The Hon Status: Inactive Members: - Specialty: Archer Guardianship Missions: A-ranked
[New Concepts] ¡°Hunt-Your-Own Strategy¡±: In chapter 11, ¡®Forest Surprise¡¯, the three hunters (Kal, Koh, and Bave) stumbled upon an abandoned camping site. However, the site looked to be previously occupied by hunters from the Association Bar. Bave began to believe that it was a trap due to a well-known strategy in the Association Bar tactics when hunting their own members. The concept involves a staged site or place that was previously occupied by their people, so the hunters can lower their guard. Once they get distracted enough, they will be attacked by their own. Such hunting is only carried out when approved by the Association Hunters Bar and is considered in cases of treason. ¡°The Lords Union¡¯s Decoration Reward¡±: In chapter 16, ¡®No Less Than a King¡¯, the rewarding system for the best-decorated places in Balhkara for the Rose Festival came up. As described the annual rewards vary from 4 gold, 14 silver to 3 silver coins respectively for the top three places. These rewards are usually used for agricultural or architectural needs of the towns that win. 21 - Laying Plans The evening advanced slowly and other than the unpleasant encounter of Bave with the Resti team, it was uneventful that far. Shimeo''s streets grew quieter as most people were either resting from the long day, since dealing with the city decoration was taken a bit too seriously and one could blame it on the race for the annual Lords Union''s rewards, or just enjoying themselves inside some local tavern. Whatever the case, the neighborhoods gradually stilled the murmurs that kept the place busy. Of course, the poorer neighborhoods were first to bid farewell to the long day. These corners of Shimeo sheltered poor townsmen who sweated under the unforgiving sun rays and prolonged hours of labor. It was understandable, and forgivable if most of them collapsed in beds for a well-deserved rest. Shimeo was a city, as most major ones in Balhkara, that offered various entertainments for the darker part of the circadian cycle*. Be it the busy taverns, merry festivals, interesting traditional gatherings, feasts or random street stands that offered arts and crafts from foreign lands - Balhkaran people knew how to have fun. However, it did have its moments of stilled nightlife. The current mission that the three hunters were on couldn''t request anything better from the annual festival. That somewhat made the young leader, who has locked his brows in a frown whilst focusing on something particular, realize that the Rose Festival was the perfect time of the year if one decided to use smuggling routes. No one would pay attention to forests or swamps. No one would actually care to travel outside villages or towns. Therefore, most routes would be secluded. A perfect opportunity to use them when no eye and no ear could pay attention. The Concealers captain wondered for how long has it been going. Who were the people behind it and how come the Association Hunters Bar missed such an issue? Was it a loophole in the system or even worse, they knew but ignored it? Many thoughts swirled in his head. However, the most important issue at that moment was to lay plans for tomorrow evening. Bave was rubbing his stubble, otherwise recently shaved, chin whilst observing a map he drew on the sandy floor inside the horse house. His pupils moved from side to side whilst assessing some routes leading to Luse. The man sighed audibly and his hands reached for his face to stroke his cheeks. The shortest route, indeed, passed through the swamps. That way they wouldn''t pass through the city but its outskirts. It made no sense to pass through the center of the city as they had to continue several miles north to reach the checkpoint. The place wasn''t located exactly in Luse but a bit northwest from it. The young man reached his hand down to grab a stick he used to sketch the map with, and drew several lines to outline the possible routes. The first one, the shortest but most disadvantageous, was through the wetlands and swamps. The second, relatively short but difficult to pass through, was through valleys. The slopes could delay them tremendously. The third was the longest - passing directly through Luse and then heading to the northwest. Whilst he was tapping around with the stick, he heard the heavy stomps of horses walking towards the horse house. The man lifted his attention off the map and awaited. Shortly after he heard the chattering voices of Koh and Kal. It wasn''t surprising that his teammates were checking all horse houses to look for their captain. Bave heard them questioning the guard outside who then peeked in to let the man know that he was looked for. "Let them in", the young hunter eased the guard who was worried whether to allow them in or not. After all, his duty was to guard the place and let only customers inside. Before even the guard could go out and let the men walk in, the most impatient one barged inside. Kal''s excitement to see his captain was visible as his voice was a bit too loud. "Bave! You rascal!! I couldn''t sleep at all!!! Do you know how worried we were?" The older man paced toward the corner of the horse house, followed by the polite Koh who was just apologizing to the guard for Kal''s impatience. Bave chuckled and remained seated on the dirty ground. He had his luggage partially unpacked to the left of his side with the leftovers of banitsa neatly wrapped in a cotton cloth and his leather bota bag*. "My bad. I arrived a bit late", the man offered his apology. Kal noticed the blood clotted scratch on his cheek and cocked a brow.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. "Did you win?", was his one question. "Depends. If we judge by the fact I am alive...", Bave laughed and glanced over to Koh who finally aligned next to Kal. "But?", Koh sensed there was more to his statement. "But if we judge the situation, I lost", the young leader stated without a single ounce of shame. Bave never saw a loss as something shameful. Rather, he took it as a lesson. His teammates displayed a quick but subdued surprise. Their eyebrows slightly arched. Their captain lost? Impossible. It was probably Bave''s perfectionistic tendencies. The men quickly dismissed the topic and looked down at the dirt sketched map. They recognized Luse''s area. Kal crouched down and stared for a good few seconds. "Laying plans? I think the wetlands are the best option", Kal commented. "They are but..", just as Bave was about to remind Kal that their horses are not for any of the slippery paths of the swamp area, Koh already caught on. "But the horses? That is quite dangerous." Koh inched closer but remained on foot as his body was slightly chubby but big enough to make it difficult to crouch like Kal. "Exactly. It is the shortest path nonetheless", Bave agreed. "We don''t have much of choice, or the time to waste on the other two routes", Kal insisted that it was their best option. "So the swamps it is then", Koh threw his vote for the northern swamps of Balhkara. "Swamps it is", Kal agreed and looked up to glance at Bave. The young leader nodded briefly and reached his hand to smudge the map. The life of a hunter taught them that it was never good to leave evidence regarding their trips or plans. Therefore, anything that could hint their route had to be taken rid of. The men did not waste much time. They discussed how to align the horses anew. However, as Bave had used for the whole day his black horse, unlike Kal and Koh who had switched the colors once they left the periphery of the forest, he had to cover his white horse in clothing. The idea of camouflaging themselves was still valid despite the enormous amount of difficulties they faced when it came to coordinating the harras. However, this time Bave discussed the usage of dummies on the luggage-less horses. That way they would seem like a small group of men, rather than just three who were vulnerable in the late hours of the night. The dummies could easily be discarded of, at any moment and anywhere. Besides, they could easily mimic a few additional "hunters" by stuffing some of the clothing they brought along with dried hay. The horse house had a sufficient amount of hay. So, even they took some of it, nobody would notice the missing chunks. Although they discussed doing that once they leave the horse house. It would be rather weird if the guard saw three men but upon departure seven popped out. The three hunters began stuffing bags and clothes, such they could find from Bave''s luggage as their horses were outside, with dried hay. Kal, funnily so, decided to fill his loose shirt with it. Even if the man looked as if he were six months pregnant, it was some additional hay they could later use to feed the horses with! Koh, unfortunately, couldn''t use Kal''s method as his big and chubby built did not allow so. But his pants leggings were loose enough. He mimicked Kal and began stuffing his clothing. Bave was muscular but his body built was not overly toned. One could think he was skinny for a man, but beneath these clothes, a marvelous sculpture of defined muscles hid. Therefore, he could also mimic Kal and Koh, stuffing all the space with hay. Now all was set and ready, the men exited the horse house. It was rather uncomfortable to walk as they looked ballooned to the maximum, and besides the dried hay made them itch irritably so. The guard, luckily, didn''t pay them much attention. He was too nervous about how to hide the liquor he secretly sipped from whilst on duty. It was funny how both the guard and the hunters had reasons not to pay much attention to each other''s weirdness. The hunters tried to fake that all was okay and nothing was wrong, despite smuggling out hay, whilst the guard was in a hurry to let them go, so he can continue his late alcoholic habits. Fair exchange, one would say. The three men decided to walk away on the ground whilst leading the horses off the pathway that was visible. It would have been rather comic, and embarrassing if they tried to ride the horses with clothes stuffed up to the necks and down to the ankles with hay. Any forceful movement threatened with either clothes getting ripped or hay "snowing" out of their pants. The irritating itching made them walk as if stuffed with thorns but the men paced confidently forth, looking for a dead-end street where they could make the hay dummies and align the horses anew. Once that was done, they could finally gallop out the city. Whilst the three men were occupied with their current ''hay troubles'', the horse house pathway was left as secluded as the hunters initially found it. The horse house was more or less off the main streets, which probably was one of the reasons why the guard even allowed his alcoholic habits manifest. His lips smacked happily after a long sip that made his throat tingle and his chest feel the warmth of the alcohol. The guard sighed audibly in content and just before he could take another sip from his leather bota bag, he was knocked out from behind. A hand gently captured the man which prevented him from busting his head against the hard ground as his body gravitated forth and downward. The unconscious guard was laid carefully down with his back leaning against a wall. His chest was moving up and down, and one could not mistake him for a dead man. Although he could easily be mistaken for a drunkard who drank himself to unconsciousness. The one who skillfully knocked him out, rather swiftly and soundlessly, entered the horse house. The figure was tall, and one could tell it was a man even if the body was hidden under a black mantle. His back was wide, his shoulders strong and straight. No one would mistake such a built for a feminine one. The stranger paced across the columns of horse slots before he came to a halt, just before a patch of dust that has been smudged ¨C seemingly on purpose. The figure crouched down and reached his hand to the ground. Slender and beautiful fingers caressed the dust as he paused before a partial corner where the letters "Lus-" were not well smudged. The size of the map could hint to anyone who knew what he was looking for, that the drawing was a specific area sketched up to plan routes. The beautiful hand then turned and his knuckles gently brushed the dust, trying to uncover any trace of deeper lines that could tell him more. Or at least give him a rough idea of what was drawn. After a few brushes, the hand halted. A deeply carved line has left a mark on the soil ground. The figure spent a few minutes, motionless. One would think he was either angry that the map was unreadable or that he was able to mentally sketch up the map anew. If one looked closer and could pride in his memory, he would quickly recognize the figure. It was the same man who attacked Bave''s team in the forest. The man remained with his focus concentrated on that map. His determination was visible but not easily judged. Who was he? What did he need? And why did he need it? Was he after the hunters or after the Nominalia? 22 - Inauspicious Moon, Blazing Sun The night trip was tedious for the unobservant eye. The men have been riding in the gallop for hours without making a stop. Most of the paths were illuminated by the faint light of the cold, waning moon. So, one would say that the trip was boring. However, nature was their faithful companion in the late hours. Committed rustles of tree crowns caressed by the northern wind, scattering leaves that whispered into the night with their low frequency of life, night bugs flying from a branch to another. The soil was quietly memorizing the echoing stomps of the galloping horses. ''Tata-ta-tata'', the horse hits against the pathways sent trembles further into the grounds. The night was alive and only the ignorant would claim otherwise. The hunters advanced with the orbiting celestial bodies that slowly moved to the west pushed gently with warm colors of the upcoming sunrise from the east. The skyline finally mixed its dark palette with the light scheme of the waking sun. Blues grew purplish, grays turned orangish and the sun slowly unraveled its pink folds. The sky, too, had its story to tell. Bave''s tired eyes glanced above the horizon ahead and up, noticing the sun peeking from the straight lines of the hills. Luse was ahead! The young man tugged the horse bridle and the ''Eeeh'' command forced the horse to cease its speed. Kal and Koh mimicked Bave, and the whole column of horses halted. This time every second horse had to carry a dummy doll made of dried hay and adjusted firm to the saddles. It was safer to convince any lurking bandit in the shadows that they were a whole group of men that occupied every horse than tempt the bandits with unoccupied stallions. After all, horses sold high! The sunrise greeted the men on a small uphill with a relatively low elevation but still enough to be able to grasp the scenery. The morning was cool, the wind has stilled as if the sun commanded it so. The hunters descried* a view bathed in pink gold. In the far one could catch the glimpse of the waking Luse, one could barely distinguish the tallest building. That was the gates of the city, standing tall and impregnable whilst protecting Luse. Beyond and further up, the valleys submerged in the golden veil of rays, faintly colored in pink hues. The beautiful values of nature perfectly fitted the scenery. The three hunters looked dearly at their kingdom''s beauty. It somewhat encouraged them that their decision to take on that trip couldn''t be wrong. They wouldn''t regret it, no matter what. Bave glanced at his teammates as they looked back, and the men soundlessly gestured that the trip had to continue. Despite the beauty that reckoned both artists and observers to still, the men had to continue. Before their departure, they switched the horses and abandoned the dummy dolls. It was time to camouflage with the white stallions. The dolls were to be hidden and the black horses covered with light sheets. The one exception one''s Bave''s horse since from Shimeo''s departure, he was already using the rested white horse. Therefore, he had to ride a camouflaged black one. The men could judge by the red paint which stained the sun disc that the day would be hot. Hence, they prepared their leather bota bags after several deep sips from the water. It would come handy when they were to soak the clothing in water to keep their bodies cooled. The least they would need was a heat stroke! The change took them several minutes and they departed in a new alignment. White horses were followed by black though Bave''s exception ruined the pattern. Nevertheless, the galloping continued as planned despite their unexpected encounter with the ambushers.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Bave led the guild in front of the harras as they advanced into the golden shades of the sunrise. The galloping horses seen from above were organized to take a sharp turn northern from Luse, as planned, toward the wetlands. The first half of the day was as intense as the nighttime galloping. The hunters were determined to live up to their rank as the fastest guild in the Association Hunters Bar. That cost a lot of energy and a strong lead but also strong teamwork. It meant that they should not rest, should not eat, should not drink for a prolonged amount of time. It also meant that they had to have strong bonds so the members could follow unreserved their captain and the captain had to be aware of the guild''s state in any given moment. The slightest change could be their downfall. Kal and Koh, in respective order, followed the harras led by Bave as they proceeded to the northwest, closing into the wetlands of Northern Balhkara. Their captain held tight the bridle as restricted his horse from speeding up. The area, as Zack from the Resti team said, was not suitable for the type of horses they rode. Therefore, the galloping had to switch at a moderate running speed. As the harras slowed down, Kal and Koh noted that wet tracks were awaiting them. It was very probable that it was the hardest part, but not most dangerous, from their trip. The swamps. The two hunters had to follow their captain precise as any mistake could get them stuck for hours there. That was the least they would want as the checkpoint and the supposed smuggling taking place was just a few hours away. The guild had to maneuver for the second half of the day. The sun was blazing hot and the swamps around them kept the air stuffy and humid. It was hard to breathe and the stench of the swamp gases* produced the unpleasant odor of rotten eggs. That combination of the merciless heat made the hunters, and even the stallions, grumble and groan. It was so unpleasant that the men had to scarf up their faces with whatever cloth they could find. It was hard to imagine what these gases could cause if one was exposed for a long period of time! The swamp torture continued for hours, until the late afternoon. At least the sun had lost some of its blazing energy and the wetlands cooled down a bit. It didn''t lessen the humidity but at least the gases slowly decreased. The hunters were sweating profusely and the horses demanded water. As soon as the guild exited the wet area, they found a small corner that was shaded by several trees. They had to let the horses rest until the sun bid its farewell for the day. The checkpoint was just a few miles away, roughly five kilometers, and it wouldn''t take them two hours to reach it. Hence, they could rest. They reached the border in time and even earlier than anticipated. So they could afford to rest and prepare for what was ahead. Bave was taking the sheets off their horses to let their heated bodies cool down whilst Kal and Koh were rustling through their luggage for water. If one wanted a faithful horse, one had to respect the horse! The men first poured fresh water for the horses than drinking from it themselves. The teamwork, after all, included the stallions as well. Whilst the animals were enjoying being spoiled, the sun slowly departed. The sunset was as artistic as the sunrise. It rewarded the guild with its mesmerizing colors that painted the scenery in deep orange. Kal stared into the color and somewhat his throat sought the bitterness of Stan''s new beer. It was a similar color, so the man was daydreaming of the fuzzy drunk. Koh, on the other hand, was busy looking through his luggage for a new leather belt as his current one was too small for the chubby figure of his. If they were to engage in a fight, he had to be able to move freely. All three of them were submerged in their worlds. Bave, too, was in thoughts. Albeit, his were regarding the possibility of retrieving such a national treasure like the Nominalia. What was to follow after they retrieved it? Should they contact the Association Bar? Or wait for instructions from the mysterious customer who hired them but gave no further information? Bave has been chanting these thoughts over and over again in his mind, for the whole trip to Luse. However, no matter how hard he thought, he couldn''t think of anything. He kept reassuring himself that once they get the book, it would probably be the moment when they decide what to do with it. The hunters finally began to converse after Kal, the most talkative one, broke the silence. "The swamps were horrible man...I can still feel the stench on my clothes!", he complained. "Don''t mention it. It was worse than that one time in Erma. Remember the public toilet?", Koh commented and just the thought of it made the three hunters wrinkle their noses with the unpleasant memory of feces smudged even on the stone walls inside the small outdoor toilet cabins. The hunters quietly talked, waiting for their horses to show a sign of readiness. The stallions were snorting; now and then they shook abruptly their heads to shoo at mosquitos and flies that leeched on their skin. A bit over an hour passed and the men decided that the skies were monotonous enough to advance further. The evening had befallen! 23 - Howling Wind With the darkening of the sky, the west brought fluffy but grayish clouds that rolled their edges vast and wide. The past few days, in fact, the whole week has been suffocating hot. The gods have finally taken mercy on the lands and the skies were occupied with preparations for the upcoming storm in the northern regions. The outskirts of the border echoed throughout with far-away rumbles of thunders. It was too far to see the beauty of lightings splitting the sky. However far it was, the soil and tree trunks filled the air with the earthy smell of upcoming rain. Villagers could rejoice, the gods were merciful! Kal, Koh, and Bave advanced despite the moody skies and merciful gods. The few extra hours that they gained quickly melted away as the hunters galloped no more. It was unthinkable to speed up with the horses when the noise could invite unwelcomed attention. The closer they got to the checkpoint, the more careful they grew. Moreover, now the aligning was different. The men had left their white horses behind, even Bave decided to continue with his black stallion despite riding him all day. The animals that were left behind were well-hidden downhill, a few meters away from a swamp. Whatever they were to face, it could be much more complicated with the harras they initially had to be with. Therefore, they decided to leave most of their luggage with the stallions. Although some might argue that it was irrational and stupid to do so as bandits could take advantage of the situation and rob them. However, the hunters knew that their stallions would give in not so easily. If it was meant to be, so it be! If not, they would lose a few expensive horses and some clothes. Bave halted, his hand came up with a sign language giving the command to stop pacing. Kal and Koh followed, and the three men paused. Their captain knew how noisy horses could be. Somewhat his gut feeling was telling him that it was enough. That far was enough, they could continue on foot. So did they. The guild strolled, trying to stay away from the bare pathways since even a blind man could tell if there was someone on such an obvious route. Bave lowered his upper half and walked crouching as they finally made their way through some bushes. Around half a mile away, just about less than a kilometer, the huge column of several carriages was pending. Kal and Koh also made it out of the bushes but noticed their captain stilled at a spot. He has frozen! Was he afraid!? Impossible. The two men quickly averted their attention to what was Bave looking at. They, too, stilled at a spot! Their eyes widened and the thoughtless state of the mind took over. They could not comprehend it in the first few seconds. Royal guards and hunters. Together. The guards that were taking care of the export-import were of a mixed nature. The stupor was that exporting, as well importing, was assigned to lords. Lords usually employed off-duty royal guards but never hunters. The three-man team soundlessly tried to rationalize the situation, each for their own. Was the current king, Preda Teelh, involved with the smuggling matter or not? The king did not care personally about the economic matters of the country. Like any other regime, he only cared for the exchequer to be full and stable. All the rest was insignificant. Therefore, the economic matters were usually taken care of by the Lords Union and the taxes then, they had to be annually calculated and paid to the royal treasury. However, even if the king granted permission for his royal guards to be used, he would never approve of hunters. Moreover, judging by the look of it, the hunters currently siding up with the royal guards were not even from Balhkara.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Their clothing, despite lacking their organization uniform which would make it easier to assess, was typical for the southern regions of Erma. Was the current exchange between Balhkara and Erma? Bave''s eyes sharpened as his eyelids narrowed. Indeed. Preda Teelh was originally from Fostalia, Erma. It wasn''t surprising if one started to believe that Preda was trying to sell off, or smuggle for himself, the Nominalia. Kal and Koh were also thinking about it. The three men also wondered whether the Lords Union was aware of it. Were they just simply exporting without knowing that the Nominalia was to cross borders as well? Were they paid to do it? What about the Kingdom of Erma? Who was buying the Nominalia? Or rather, the king supported such a thing?! The Concealers'' captain looked over his shoulder to glance over at his men. He could read their anger in their eyes. Indeed, it was infuriating. If it were true, their king was a traitor! Alas, it was not so easy to prove. Moreover, if they attacked now, they could turn into traitors themselves. It was not so hard for the Lords Union and Preda Teelh to stage the treason, and probably have the men beheaded publicly as an example of justice. Bave looked back to the columns and columns of carriages crossing slowly the borders. It was dark, thankfully, but the few lit torches some hunters were holding, to show the way for the horses to pass, were enough to puzzle the picture out of night blackness. The young man reached for his forehead, instinctively, and rubbed his face. Should they retreat? There was no telling where exactly the Nominalia was. There were at least fifty carriages, and twenty such have already passed beyond the lands of Balhkara. The men could have tried to await beyond the borders, on the other side, south of neighboring Vlarik Kingdom. That way they could ambush the carriages which would be no longer under the jurisdiction of Balhkara but the time to reach Luse from Udeos was barely possible. It was simply unrealistic to be a day before the export mission, given the fact the hunters departed that late, and manage to ambush the carriages from outside Balhkara. Kal and Koh could understand the complexity even without Bave speaking. They knew that the responsibility would fall on Bave''s shoulders and it wasn''t their call. It was up to the captain to decide whether to risk it all or play safe. Small droplets began falling from the skies. The rain arrived, graciously so. Bave looked up to the dark sky, moonless and starless. His eyes quickly assessed the area with no shine from the celestial bodies. It was a relatively even hill with few to no trees and bushes. There was no way for them to reach and attack the guards. It felt like the checkpoint was skillfully decided to be on a bare hill where the eye could capture any possible threat advancing. Even if they were to approach the carriages, they had to capture all of them since the Nominalia could be anywhere. The luck was not on their side. They were outnumbered, the area was unfamiliar and unsuitable for a surprise attack, the storm was approaching and they had no way of fighting that battle. The young leader was staring, feeling the pressure of hopelessness. There were times when one had to retreat. Just as he was about to command to retreat, he heard the faint but piercing sound of wind being rippled in stripes from a sharp object that had forced its way too fast through the air. An arrow took a royal guard down. That arrow was the ray of hope in the darkness of the night. Dozens of arrows started pouring soon enough. They danced along with the raindrops, and bodies began falling on the ground. The carriages were under attack! The three hunters lowered further down, hiding from the current chaos that was happening on the checkpoint. The attack was precise but fierce. Whoever was on the offense, they knew how to make the enemy submit. Bave could not ignore the thought that the attack reminded him of the ambushers from the forest they encountered a few days ago. Was it possible that they advanced as fast as Bave''s guild? The arrow attack scared the horses as well since some arrows looked like being shot aimlessly but, in fact, were aimed at the horses'' hooves. The formation of columns was scattered now. Random attacks followed and men, unrecognizable whom they belonged to, attacked on foot. Bave looked over at Kal and Koh. That was their only chance to get closer to the carriages. Whoever was attacking, they would not wait for the men to feel ready and claim the goods. It was now or never. The royal guards and hunters aligned in a defensive tactical formation. Guards drew shields forth whilst several archers from the hunters took position to respond as fierce as the attack was. The rest of the guards were trying to fight off skilled swordsmen who tried to claim carriages. Bave charged out of the bushes, followed by Kal and Koh. They did not hurry to draw their swords out. There were a few meters before they could engage on the battlefield. Therefore, running pointlessly with swords in hands was stupid. The hunters felt the mud under their feet. The rain has smoothed over the ground and it was hard to run. They slipped now and then but kept charging forth. There was only one thing in their minds ¨C the Nominalia! 24 - Burning Ichor The men finally made it to the nearest carriage. Their clothes were soaking cold from the rain but their blood was boiling hot from the adrenaline. Bave yelled through the chaos, ordering his mates to void most of the carriages off of the horses and tame one stallion for each. They needed to fight off the mud as the slippery grounds could play a funny joke on their feet! Kal and Koh charged, following his orders. The first carriage was taken down. They freed the horse and it ran off, letting the carriage rolled over. The wooden pavilion crashed on the ground and dried hay spilled around but the men paid no attention to it. They had more carriages to conquer. The idea was to immobilize the enemy or whoever it was from running off with the carriages. Moreover, less than half of them have been transported beyond the border. Bave could not ignore that! The young leader drew his sword out and slashed the bridle off of a horse connected to a carriage and despite the animal''s anxiety and fierce kicking, the man hopped on. The longer he took to get on it, the worse it could become. Therefore, he nestled on the stallion''s back as soon as he managed to get a hold of its mane. He held tight onto the horsehair, tugging now and then to control it as much as possible. Bave managed to reach the big gates of the checkpoint. Several guards swung their swords at the man but he kept his torso lowered. There was no opening for the blade to pierce through; the only thing he had to be careful of not getting stabbed was his face. It wasn''t about ruining his face but losing his eyes. He has seen countless of men lose their eyesight on the battlefield. It was disheartening and could render any man useless. His own sword clashed with theirs, feeling the pressure in his wrist though also trying to balance on the horse. Fighting on a fierce stallion was no joke! Besides, he also had to divert any swing that was aimed at the animal. The hunter groaned as he felt his wrist being twisted from the uncomfortable angle which his hand happened to be as he clashed swords with the guards. It was hard but he managed to get past them. Besides, the mission wasn''t about killing the men but getting the Nominalia! Therefore, even if a guard was left alive, it was of no big deal. If anyone happened to be a threat, he would be killed. It was that simple. The stallion was also wild enough to throw kicks and assist the hunter, so he wasn''t completely alone on the offense. The animal was directed to pass through the gates that acted as border control. The three hunters did not know where the Nominalia was, and they could not take any chances to bet that it hasn''t yet been transported over to southern Vlarik. The only thing Bave could do was to void every single carriage off its horse and then rejoin his guild on Balhkaran land. The man was cutting bridles left and right. He slashed and forced some of the carriages to topple over. Although the horses ran chaotically around, they kept the border guards from Vlarik busy. Chaos assisted the young hunter and he hurried to savor the moment! If he missed these golden minutes, there was no telling how the tables could turn. It felt just like he has jinxed it. The moment he thought that he had to hurry before his luck run out, a flash of light, which was shot his way, took the young man off the horse. His chest hurt as if a hammer was slammed into his lungs. What the heck did just hit him? A thunderbolt or something? Was the storm so bad?! Bave had dropped his sword midway flying backward off his horse. He landed onto one of the toppled-over carriages. He was lucky that the dried hay was spilled and his back was brutally nailed into it. If it happened to be a stone wall or the muddy ground, he would have probably broken a rib. The young hunter was coughing, trying to catch his breath whilst legs struggled to push him up. Was he pulverized miserably onto the ground like an insignificant piece of trash? It felt like his experience and strength could not stand a chance against whatever took him down. Just as his back finally straightened despite the bone-cracking pain, he felt a strong grip slam him back down by the neck. He was pushed down by a man whose eyes were glowing aqua, like the dangerous waters of the ocean he glared down at Bave whilst holding him down by the neck, threatening to crack his bones. The hunter fought for air but it was straight so inhumane, so foreign! Was that man even a human?! The stranger was covered by a long mantle and despite the inability to see well in the small hours of the night, Bave could not miss the glowing orbits. His eyes were intimidating. Bave had to do something if he wanted to survive. The man was slowly strangling him, looking him straight in the eye. Was he taking pleasure from watching people dying? He could just end it quickly and move on. However, it seemed that he hesitated. That moment of hesitation was the opportunity Bave sought. The staring contest between the men ended as the young hunter forced his knee straight into the man''s stomach. It gained him freedom!A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The hunter was finally able to breathe but the nasty feeling around his neck was still keeping his airways tight. He coughed but wasted no time, he had to reach for his sword and fight him! Alas, just as he wondered what had taken him off the horse, another bolt of light was shot his way. Bave''s keen sense of hearing aided him and he barely dodged it. He wasn''t sure who he had to thank, gods or goddesses, but if that light ball hit him ¨C he''d be the one burning instead of that wooden carriage behind him! The young man looked from the fire to the man who was standing calm in readiness to attack. Bave had heard of them before. The sorcerers. Although most people brushed them off as some lore, like many other things, Bave knew they existed. His job as a hunter had him encounter many things, irrational and rational but sorcerers ¨C he had never encountered them. The hunter did not know how to fight them. He had no magic tricks up his sleeves, just his bare hands and a sword. Probably several daggers as well. That was about it. He also doubted that he could counter the light balls with his sword. He could try but if he judged by the speed and force, it would be a miracle if he could match the throw and reflect it back ¨C if it could be reflected at all. There was no guarantee that the light ball would be sent back to the sorcerer. Bluffing was another strategy he used in fights but that man before him looked like he wasted no words. He was a man of action and random philosophical statements could only enrage him. Was that checkmate? There was nothing to do but just run off like a rabbit on the snow hills? Bave watched the man stand tall and outstretch his hand once more. A murmur in a foreign language escaped his lips. Was he chanting a spell or cursing the hunter? What was he doing? Bave was bewildered, he did not know a single thing about magic, let alone about fighting a mage. The man charged at the sorcerer, thinking that he would be occupied with his chant to react and wouldn''t deter the attack. Alas, the man easily titled his torso and swung a kick from the side. ''How lovely'', thought Bave. So not only was he a sorcerer but he could use martial arts as well? The hunter did not halt. His offense was deterred but he attacked again. He would keep attacking and keeping a close-range. He thought that similar to archers, the sorcerer needed some distance to shoot his thunderbolts. So far, his theory worked! The men kept switching from offense to defense, one attacks then the other blocks and again, vice versa. There was no ending to the muddy fight but none of them showed any sign of exhaustion. How long have they been fighting? It was just several minutes but it felt like they were at it for days. Was the sorcerer casting a spell on Bave? Like time-manipulation or something ¨C why did it feel so prolonged? The hunter swung his sword again but the sorcerer jumped high onto a small pavement wall from the sideway of the inner gates'' pathway. He avoided the clash skillfully but Bave was too experienced with the blade. He managed to scrape the mage''s shoulder, tearing part of the mantle. However, the sorcerer had secretly scraped Bave''s shoulder top as well. It was too dark to notice blood and Bave''s excitement was too high to feel anything or check his surroundings but the storm lightings illuminated now and then the arena. Besides, the burning carriage in the background could cast some dim light as well. The rest of the carriages were on the ground, the stallions have long runoff and no soul seemed to bother these two who were fighting to the death. Bave truly felt like he was fighting to the death. The sorcerer seemed composed but now and then his own punches or kicks seemed to slip off the correct aim. The hunter took advantage of one of such slips and pulled the other by the mantle just to dart his sword, hoping he could pierce the sorcerer through the chest. However, he had probably forgotten that it was no warrior. It was a wicked mind of a sorcerer. The stranger chuckled audibly as his mantle was pulled. His hand successfully grabbed the blade and stopped the attack with his bare hand. The sword shattered in his grip as if an icicle crumbled to pieces. The young man''s eyes widened and he wasted no time. His hand retreated and reached for a dagger. Alas, he felt the burning sensation down his nerve-endings. What was the sorcerer doing? It felt like he tugged one by one his nerves and played them like a guitar string. It was painful. The hunter fell on his knees and held his arm that was about to pull a dagger. It was pulsating but he could also see glowing strings spiraling underneath his skin. Did the sorcerer inject him with something? When did he do it? What was happening!? Bave couldn''t bear that pain. He preferred being slashed than his nerves being played like a string-instrument. The tugging sensation grew stronger and he rolled onto his back, surrounded by the mud and rainwater. His senses were sealed off. He could not hear, could not feel ¨C all that mattered was that pain. The hunter didn''t even notice the mage closing by, drawing out his own dagger and getting ready to stab him in the chest. He could not distinguish anything. No cold from hot, loud from quiet, dark from bright. Everything blurred together under the painful spell that had been running throughout Bave''s veins from the moment the mage scraped his shoulder. It was just a matter of time before the spell worked. What the sorcerer has been doing was stalling. The inexperienced hunter had never fought a sorcerer and did not know how to fight one. He only knew how to charge and swing his sword, and so he did! But now he regretted it. He had to retreat when he had the chance. The dagger was pointed downwards and the sorcerer gestured with precision. Bave had to die, he had to die! The thought of seeing that man dead shaded the mage''s eyes. One could read the bloodthirst. He had to die! He had to die! He looked like he was to accomplish a mission of sorts, he looked like he was happy. The hunter was partially unconscious of his surroundings. He was holding his arm, his eyes shut by reflex. Someone had to make that pain stop. He was going insane! At that moment, the starless night granted Bave his wish. A golden stripe rippled through the dark and attacked like a snake. The dagger flew off of the mage''s hands as soon as that golden light hit him. The stranger stepped back and looked to his left. The golden snake-like stripe swirled around in a wild spiraling motion and calmed gradually as it connected around a slender, beautiful arm. The flow of golden energy looked like silk slipping off the smooth pale skin like an undergarment just about to be taken off. Someone interrupted. Someone heard Bave''s soundless cry.