"Head on back to my house, would you?" I ask Cam as we step out of Nick's shop after dropping off some of today's catches.

We're a little more than a week after the Tier Six snake, and nothing since then has been as difficult. Our skills have improved someone from the difficult fights, and with my sacred weapon, the other Tier Sixes have been much easier to deal with. Things with one head are much less troublesome than things with six heads, and a sacred weapon really does make a huge difference. Without it, I'd never stand a chance.

Even though I know Cam is tired after today's hunt and another Tier Six fight, I want to do some stuff and hope he'll head to my house.

"You're going somewhere?" He asks.

"Yes," I answer. "I have an order or two to pick up, then I'll be on my way."

"I will get dinner started for you," he tells me, then sets off down the path.

As he walks to my house, I walk to Greta's shop. She sent a runner this morning telling me that my orders were ready. Liam was still asleep then, so he wouldn't know things were finished. This will probably be a nice surprise for Cam.

I enter Greta's shop, where she's handing Richard a new blacksmith's apron. He's had his old one forever, but as with all things, even the best of tools need replacing eventually.

"Hello there, Rex," Richard greets me as he starts to leave.

"Hello, Richard," I respond.

"You be careful on your hunts, will you?" He asks.

"I will," I respond. "Have a good evening."

"You as well, Rex," he says as he exits the shop.

I approach Greta and dip my head to her.

"Good evening," I greet her.

"Good evening, Rex," she says. "If you give me just a few minutes, I'll have those out for you."

Greta exits into the back of the shop, returning after a few minutes with a pair of boots, two jackets, and three pairs of gloves. While the gloves and boots are simply leather, both jackets have a natural fur lining on the inside, from the boarbears they were made from. It's soft to the touch, and comfortable, and will keep Cam and me warm in the winter.

After inspecting everything and finding them to be of the excellent quality Greta performs, I thank her, gather everything up, then make my way home. The smell of cooking fish fills the air, and I inhale it deeply as I walk to the table.

"They're done?" Cam asks, noticing what I have as I set them on the table.

"Yes," I answer. "Where's Liam?"

"I sent him to take a bath," Cam answers. "He got muddy while fishing at the river, then went straight to potion-making upon his return. I'm pretty sure that's part of why his potion didn't come out right, he likely accidentally got dried river mud in the potion. Or still-wet river mud."

"Ah," I say. "I have a new pair of gloves for Liam, then a new pair of gloves and a jacket for me, and a new pair of gloves, a pair of boots, and a jacket for you. The jackets are winter jackets, want me to keep it here until winter comes?"

"If you would," he answers.

"Okay," I grab both jackets, then take them to the storage room, where I wrap them well in a thick cloth, then safely store them in a chest before returning to the main room. "What did you think of what we talked about on the way back?"

On our way back to town, I discussed with Cam taking Liam out for a different hunt, once the Swarm ends. It would take us maybe a week, two at most, to deal with the still-increased numbers of monsters to make things safer, but after that, it should be fine.

Since Liam is Level 6, he has plenty of strength and sacred power now, so fighting something more than a hare, squirrel, or occasional deer shouldn't be an issue for him. The only bad part is the rate at which he gained it – he needs to learn to wield it properly, or it will cause him problems.

That's part of why I want him to fight something a little tougher than the simple stuff in the fields and hills. It will help him acquire that skill he needs to acquire in order to use it properly and in order to properly grow and develop as a Hunter.

"I think it's a good idea," Cam tells me. "Liam could use the additional training, as well as the break from fighting hares and squirrels almost exclusively. But it's best if we do wait until you and I have managed to decreased numbers and reduce the stronger populations a bit first, too."

"Of course," I say.

"Of course what?" Liam asks curiously as he enters the main room wearing a tank top and a pair of shorts, still drying his hair with the towel.

"Just Cam and me discussing something," I tell him, then pick up the pair of gloves made for him. "Here is the pair of gloves Greta was making for you, Liam, to replace your current ones. Go put them up in your room, and finish drying your hair."

"Yes, sir!" Liam says, then rushes up the stairs.

He returns a few minutes later, then sets the table and plops himself in the chair across from me. We wait for Cam to finish cooking, then he serves our food and drink before taking his seat, and the three of us dig in to our food. Meanwhile, my mind is still occupied with thoughts from the past few weeks. After dinner, I help Liam clean the dishes, then tuck him in to bed, Liam passing out rather fast.

"I'm going to stay here for tonight," Cam tells me.

"The room's always ready for you," I tell him. "I think Liam washed the linens earlier, actually. Anyway, I'm going to go run an errand, I'm not sure how long before I'll return."

"An errand?" He asks. "This late at night? No one's open, not unless it's an emergency."

"I'll tell you if it's necessary," I tell him.

He nods, accepting that and knowing that if it's truly important, he'll find out before it's time. I leave and walk through town, taking in the warm spring night. The stars shine bright tonight, the moon large and full, illuminating the path.

I walk a little slowly, even though I should probably put a little more speed to my step for this. But the night is calm and beautiful, and I can't help myself. Eventually, I arrive at the Elder Hunter's shop and enter it.

Lamps are lit and hanging from the ceiling and posts in the walls, providing plenty of light even in this late evening. The Elder Hunter herself sits in her usual spot, even when most would assume she would have gone to bed by now.

"It is not like you," she says. "To seek me out this late in the day, Rex. What worries you?"

She no doubt knew somehow that I was on my way here. The Elder Hunter's knowledge of what occurs in this town astounds me sometimes, even if most are used to it, having grown up with it just as I have.

"Much," I sit across from her. "Elder Hunter, a few weeks ago, I spoke with the Gate regarding the threat it had warned Cam and me of before we found the gaia wolf."

I explain to her my worry about the real threat, and my suspicions that it lives in the mountains. I explain why I suspect that, referring to both the gaia wolf and the flying gaia bear, and how unusual it is.

"You are correct," she tells me once I finally stop. "In that they could both be coincidence. But you are also correct in that it might not be coincidence. In truth, I have suspected this as well, Rex. However, there is no other evidence to support this. The Gate can sense such threats, but not their location, making it difficult to pin down. I cannot simply send a message to the Guild telling them 'we believe a Star-Level threat is forming because of the Gate, but we have only coincidences to go by for the location'. No, they would not send us assistance, they would not send anyone to look into it."

"Why?" I ask. "Should that not be enough?"

"It is a long journey," she tells me. "Requiring the presence of Soul Strikers. If it turns out to be for nothing, then it is possible that the Soul Strikers were either missing or arrive late to a serious situation."

"So Cam and I will have to investigate on our own," I tell her. "And if we find something, then you will tell us that you have confirmation from the local Hunters there is a powerful threat here, something requiring them to send Soul Strikers."

"That is correct," she tells me. "Or perhaps the Gate is mistaken, and the monster is not that powerful. It would not be the first time. In that case, they may just send a few powerful Hunter teams instead."

Sighing, I try to figure out how to deal with this.

"Cam and I will need to go on a multi-day trip to investigate this," I say. "Longer than a camp hunt."

"Indeed," she tells me. "You will need to be prepared."

"It will have to wait," I say. "Until after we start cleaning up the mess from the Swarm, after it ends. We'll need to make plans for what to bring, too."

"You will need more than that," she tells me. "But before we discuss that, Rex, know that the merchant group will arrive around the end of the Swarm."

And with them, Hunters.

"They will know about the Swarm, then," I say. "Do you think they will want to stay behind to train for more Levels?"

"It is unlikely," she tells me. "The merchants will want to leave immediately to return to their work, and the Hunters will only kill while they are in the area for that. One day. However, I can persuade them to stay behind a little longer. If there are two teams, it would take no more than six days to clean up the excess. If there are three teams, then it may only take two days, three at most. If they are hunting on the last day of the Swarm, they will possibly even manage to clean up the rest the day after it ends."

The predicted final day of the Swarm is four days after the merchants should arrive, according to the Elder Hunter. The merchants might not want to stay behind five to ten more days. In fact, I doubt they would want to stay behind another two days at most. One time, a group of merchants had to stay behind due to a storm, and they complained about it because it was wasted time, and wasted time is wasted money.

At least, to a merchant. Personally, I cannot understand that. The goods will eventually reach the market, will eventually be sold. Why complain about a few delayed days? If a merchant shows up late, we still have market day. Here, we simply move it to when they arrive.

I am sure that in a bigger town or in a city, the merchants would be able to find buyers even without the market day being moved. Most large towns and most cities have their own markets every day, where a stall can be set up by anyone willing to sell goods.

It is just another difference between merchants and people from a town like here. That's something I learned while in the city with Cam, too. We took things at a slower pace, and while we were far more serious about our duties as hunters, we did not mind slight delays except in the case of emergencies.

"Do you think," I ask the Elder Hunter. "The Hunters with the merchant or merchants would be willing to help us with this? And if so, if they would be able to convince the merchant or merchants to stay behind for it?"

"Yes," she answers. "Every Elder Hunter has a bribe prepared, just in case."

"A bribe?" I try to picture her bribing Hunters.

"Yes," she stands. "Stay here, and I shall bring you a sample of the bribe. We keep them on-hand in places like here to sate merchants who must remain behind due to an emergency situation."

The Elder Hunter exits into the back as I try to think over what sort of thing she could bribe merchants with. As I wait, I start to wonder where she could have hidden the bribe, with how long it takes for her to grab it and return. A full half-hour and then some passes before the Elder Hunter returns, carrying two wineglasses and a bottle of wine in a dark blue bottle.

"Wine?" I ask.

"Yes," she smiles as she sits, setting the wineglasses on the table. "Not just any wine, though. Lucielis wine."

There are many wines unknown to me. Lucielis could be a city, or a specific style of wine, and I do not know which it is, or what makes it special enough to bribe merchants with.

"Lucielis?" I ask as she pours some into each glass. "What sort of wine is it?"

"A particularly rare kind," she answers. "A single bottle of it would sell for more than ten million on the market."

I stare at the dark violet wine in the glass she is now holding out to me, the bottle of wine set on the table, its label facing me. Lucielis Violaberry Grape Wine, 9384 PAM

9384 Post Arrival of Magic? At least, I am sure it's referring to the year and isn't some reference code I don't know. If it is the year of the wine, then it was bottled sixty years ago, and I'm sure the price she gave is for a newer bottle than this. Just this glass alone is worth more than I am, and she's holding it out to me as if it is nothing.

"Go on," she tells me. "Have a drink, Rex."

"I don't feel right," I shake my head. "It's-it's expensive, and well-beyond-"

"Well-beyond a Hunter from a small town situated beyond the sticks?" She asks. "Do you want to know the reason why the bottles are so expensive on the market?"

"Because of the rarity of the wine?"

"Lucielis," she tells me. "Is the First City."

"The First City?" I ask in shock. "But I thought it was lost?"

"It is best kept that way," she tells me. "Lucielis, the City of Light, was the first built of all the Cities. Over the eras, it exchanged leadership many time."

"Wasn't it destroyed a few thousand years ago?" I ask.

"Supposedly," she answers. "The entire region was ravaged by several Star-Level monsters in the year 4372 Post Arrival of Magic. Around four hundred years ago, twenty teams of Soul Strikers returned to that region. The most powerful force of Hunters ever assembled traveled there with one purpose: reclaiming the First City.

"They succeed," she tells me. "Several Star-Level monsters made their home in Lucielis, using it as the base for their region. The force of Hunters slayed them. While they suffered losses, they still succeeded in reclaiming the First City. However, the rest of the region has been abandoned. As far as most are aware, it's inhospitable.

"Lucielis itself," she tells me. "Is where the true headquarters of the Guild is located. It is also nearly entirely vineyards and wineries, and everyone there becomes a Hunter at the age of ten. As far as those who know of this wine are aware, it's made in a secret location and is named after the First City. A few suspect the truth, but because of the powerful monsters in the region, it is only a few who do.

"The only people allowed to purchase the wine directly," she tells me. "Are those who have manifested their sacred weapons. This is one badge of honor given to those who manifest, a reward for the hard work or difficult trials they have undergone.

"It is truly the greatest wine to ever exist," she continues. "And if you wanted to buy a bottle, you would spend far less than ten million, Rex. Try it. You deserve it, after all of your hard work for this town and for the trials you have undergone."

I want to try it, I really do, but…

"I would feel wrong," I shake my head. "Drinking it without Cam."

"Who says you must do that?" She asks, still holding the glass out to me. "When you leave here to return to your home tonight, I intend on sending this bottle with you. I had intended it as a gift for after the Swarm ended, both as a reward for you manifesting your sacred weapon and for you and Cam handling the Swarm with maturity and intelligence."

"That is one expensive gift," I tell her.

"And it is one you have deserved," she tells me. "Take the drink, Rex. You may drink more with your friend, when you return home. He will still be awake, hoping your errands are nothing dangerous."

Accepting that, I take the wineglass from her and slowly bring it to my lips, looking into the dark violet liquid for a few moments before tipping the glass back against my lips, taking a small sip of the smooth wine.

It's the most delicious wine I've ever had. There's a taste of something unfamiliar to me in it, a light sweetness to balance out the flavor. It goes down easily, with only a light bite of alcohol to the taste of it.

"This really is a truly delicious wine," I tell the Elder Hunter.

"It is, indeed," she smiles, taking a sip from her own glass. "I sometimes send a request for a particularly old bottle of it to pop open and enjoy. Lucielis has a secret way of delivering them that not even the merchants can match."

"They send it with Soul Strikers?" I hazard a guess.

"You're a sharp one!" She laughs. "You've not known of any visiting here other than your brother and his team, yet somehow managed to guess that."

"It just popped into my head," I admit. "Though I suppose it makes sense. They're able to buy it, and they're trusted by the Guild to do the top missions. That means they would be trusted to deliver secret packages as well, and to do it without being noticed."

"You are correct," she tells me. "It has been, oh, four years since the last time I had some delivered? I go through maybe a single bottle of it per year, and receive a delivery maybe every six or seven years. I never touch the stock meant for bribing merchants when the Hunter teams they're with are needed, so those are still here for use."

If the wine truly is this rare, I can see why the Guild would want the Elder Hunters to have some to bribe merchants with. Sometimes, the Hunters with them are needed in an emergency situation, and would arrive before other qualified teams of Hunters.

Thinking about the coming Hunters brings to my mind another thought regarding them.

"I take it," I say. "That asking them to investigate would be too much?"

"It would," she nods. "They would have no issue with the Swarm, but asking them to go into unknown territory to investigate an ominous threat from a Gate would likely be more than they are willing to do, no matter how much we offer them."

"Okay," I take another sip, savoring the taste of the wine. "You said that I will need to be more than prepared, and there was something to discuss."

"Yes," she says. "You need to know how to identify a Star-Level monster. Do you know what makes them distinct?"

"They can speak with words," I answer. "Even if they've never been around humans before, they know our language."

"It is more than that," she corks the wine. "Stay here."

She stands and makes her way into the back, returning only moments later with a thick tome in her hand. She places the tome on the table in front of me as she sits down.

"That tome," she tells me. "Contains a log of more than three hundred Star-Level monsters, sorted by how powerful they were. It contains an image of one on the left page and information about them on the right, including whether or not they are still alive. You will immediately see what makes them distinct and easy to identify. The informational page also describes stuff relating to signs they were forming, which will be useful to know to identify a Tier Seven that may soon become a Star-Level."

I open the tome and look at the first Star-Level monster drawn in it, then the second, then the third. I flip through half of the tome, noticing a trend between all of them. A single, obvious relation they all hold, no matter where they were or what they evolved from.

They're humanoid, almost as if they were humans who became monsters, rather than monsters who became powerful. Their forms are all muscular, regardless of sex, and they all have at least one horn atop their head. Most have tails, though not all, and a few have wings. I doubt they actually need wings to fly, though.

"As you can see," the Elder Hunter says when I turn my gaze to her once more. "Star-Level monsters are quite distinct. Humanoid beasts regardless of their origins. Some have hair atop their head, but none have it on their body. Lesser monsters bow to them, serve them, fear them.

"When one forms," she tells me. "Or is soon to form, many lesser, yet stronger, monsters, usually at Tier Six or Tier Seven, but sometimes Tier Five, will vacate the area. Whether it is out of fear of the coming Star-Level or out of desire to become powerful enough to be seen as a worthy soldier of it is unknown. But it would explain why monsters ordinarily not found in your hunting grounds have been found there."

"Okay," I say. "Do you mind if I take this home and share it with Cam? So that we can prepare ourselves for the various signs and types of them? It might give us a clue as to what type is forming as well."

"You may," she tells me. "Just ensure you return it to me undamaged, Rex. As this is a serious situation, there is no fee for the tome."

"Thank you," I tell her, then rise, tucking the tome under one arm. "And thank you, for the information."

"You are most welcome," she indicates the bottle. "You finished your glass, but the bottle is yours as well."

"Thank you," I pick it up. "Have a good night, ma'am."

"You as well, Rex," she tells me, then I leave.

Hopefully, we don't find the signs of a coming Star-Level monster. Hopefully, Cam and I determine that this is nothing more than coincidence. But there's the possibility that it's not, and that worries me.

Taking a deep breath, I hurry my step. I want to both share this wine with Cam and go over the types of Star-Level monsters with him. It's time I told him my worries. We'll need to hide this tome from Liam, though, or he'll know what's going on.

Please, powers that be, let this be something we can handle and not something as serious as we expect. And if it is something beyond what Cam and I can handle, please let there be a team of Soul Strikers close enough to come deal with it before it grows more powerful than it already is.