07 - Hunt

Chris was walking behind Conway. From his stature and his movements, Theo could tell he was on guard. His head darted left and right and his shoulders were slightly tensed as if preparing to unsheath his sword and dice the nearest plant.

The thick trees that touched the sky soon got replaced by humble oak trees with low-hanging boughs. The path eventually turned from orange brown to reddish black. The forest’s ecosystem became duller and more generic, though Theo sighted a plant that looked like a red cactus tipped with yellow fluff. It was with great willpower that he abstained from touching it.

From behind her, Theo noticed that Sarah’s left arm had an archery bracer for protecting her forearm and the top of her bow hand when she shot. Her other hand was lingering close to the knife at her thigh.

Everyone was ready for a fight.

Or maybe itching for one?

He decided to break from the bored state he was drowning in.

“Do you know how to scout?” he asked Sarah. Theo had the idea that scouts used bows, but he hadn’t noticed her do any reconnaissance.

Am I stereotyping because of her weapon...?

She turned to look at him, agilely avoiding branches and roots albeit walking backwards, though she didn’t answer immediately.

“Nope. [Sixth Sense] is medium range at most without upgrades so it’s useless for that. I also don’t have any skills for scouting,” she explained before turning back towards the front.

Are standards here always set by skills?

“But Conway has one,” she added, probably more to herself than to him.

Don’t tell me Clanking Armor has a [Scout] skill!

“What skill does he have?”

She walked about five steps before answering.

“[Weakness Detection],” she answered with a shrug. “It’s a sub-skill he got from his [Vision]. It only highlights where he can swipe his sword, but it has the side-effect of pointing out life forms altogether. Anyways, both are quite common skills. He learned [Vision] from a Kirdo, I think.”

“A Kirdo?”

“It’s a tiny bird that lives pretty much everywhere. Tan or brown feathers, maybe 4 inches tall. All you have to do is catch one in a trap. If you’re the one to set the trap, it doesn’t count as cheating but as a ‘strategic’ kill.”

The party carried on for a few minutes before Conway held his arm up to order a halt.

“Hold up,” he whispered. “There’s a trio of foxes up ahead.”

Taking a better look, Theo spotted three orange foxes with black nuzzles that were lazing in the grass not fifty meters away.

Conway looked behind him at the rest of his party, who all nodded, with the exception of Theo who stared rather blankly at the rest of them.

“Sarah, take one down before I aggro the other two. Stay back,” he added to Theo, before looking back at Sarah. “We’re counting on you.”

She tipped her head down to show that she understood her role before grabbing her hunting bow from her back. She pulled two arrows from her quiver and bit on them for a quicker later access. To Theo, it didn’t seem like it would make her draw speed any quicker, but he figured it must have been some sort of habit. The bow had light brown leather strips tied around the handle and a greenish string, while the pale body was probably made from a malleable and tight wood. She pulled another arrow from her quiver and nocked it. Sarah seemed to stretch the bow beyond it’s normal limit when she drew it. Theo also thought it odd that she held it sideways, with her bow hand facing down and her other hand next to her chest.

She aimed it at one of the foxes while Conway and Chris got into position.

Her arrow cracked forwards as the string released, its trajectory trailing light. The arrow passed straight through the neck of a fox, probably the biggest of the three. The two vanguards rushed the foxes without hesitation as Sarah knocked another arrow, her bow now vertical, and lined her next shot.

Caught off guard, the two remaining foxes shot up and spun towards the attackers.

Conway ran towards them with his sword held up and his armor ringing. He drew their attention purposefully while Chris snuck up from the side. Chris wore basic leather attire underneath a few pieces of cast-iron plates and some buckles so his movements went unnoticed by the prey. Theo silently waited while the duo finished them off.

However, he’d become too comfortable in his role as a bystander. He hadn’t been checking the surroundings. He quickly found out when he heard the bristling of leaves to his right and five foxes spewed out from the brush. They were hardly a dozen meters from him and Sarah and they were already running at him. He didn’t have the time to check behind him and see if Sarah had noticed the ambush, so running was not an option.

He smiled.

A sense of responsibility laid itself softly onto him. He had someone to protect; a feeling of devotion settled inside his stubborn mind. His morals flared happily in the sudden gallantry inside of him that reared its ugly head.

...weird.

Somehow, he now felt older than seventeen. He felt whole years of knowledge, wisdom and decisiveness fall on his innocent shoulders. Conway and Chris were too busy with their attack to even notice the ambush, so he had to make a stand here. No use in calling for help, it might distract them and get them killed.

Theo glared at the charging foxes, holding his ground. A cold feeling seeped into his brain, but his muscles were warm. Burning, even. The foxes didn’t look all that strong, but Theo did not underestimate them. He held his staff with a light grip, ready to make good use of it.

Two foxes ran ahead of the rest, their fur briefly catching fire in the tall bristling grass. Flames flickered between their clawed toes.

The first to reach him bounded towards his head in an attempt to scratch his face. Theo realized very quickly that the fox was only a feint to let its buddy get under his guard, so he sidestepped it to give him the room he needed to slam down his staff on it’s back.

It’s body arched, broken, as it landed on it’s partner that had been coming at Theo from below. The staff broke both their frail spines in one blow.

Meanwhile, the three other foxes were getting closer. Before the lead one could get within melee range, it got the end of a staff to the face, a well-placed lunge. The other two looked in surprise towards their fallen leader, oblivious to Theo’s spinning sweep attack at their necks. They both tumbled to the right and received an additional blow to the back of the head, ‘just to make sure’.

Theo scouted the forest around him, looking for any other potential threats, then looked at Sarah to make sure she was alright.

She stared at him with wide eyes and an arrow nocked.

“So quick… you just took out five Fire Claws on your own...” She said weakly. “We had to gang three as a party, and I could tell you fought without even using your skills.”

Theo mentally facepalmed.

That’s right: I have [Jump] now. But it would have probably dragged me down. Or up, I guess… Whatever; I bet that skill could be amazing if I practiced it.

Theo’s thoughts returned to the field. Sarah still had a dozen arrows and her knife but Theo hadn’t let her get a shot in before the foxes were all down, if she had even noticed the fight in time to begin with. Although Theo’s sense of time dilated while fighting, he estimated it hadn’t lasted three seconds. It only took him five consecutive hits, after all.

He wasn’t scared of close quarter fights. Close quarters meant a faster pace and sharper angles, which in turn meant more adrenaline. As such, it was in Theo’s nature not to freak out over fighting; especially when he had a six foot staff to combat a squad of angry rodents.

This calmness affected him in many of his activities, though not all of them. He also sometimes got a ‘social high’. This affected other parts of his life. For example: some days he’d flirt with a brilliant demeanor and dialect, while other days he would sweat through his shirt, pathetically mumbling his words to answer a question posed in class. Awkward stuff. Both highs had one thing in common, though: he lost himself.

He remembered what he did under the ‘high’, but his actions didn’t feel like he was controlling them directly. It was more like his subconsciousness took over, doing things he would never have the guts to do normally because of overthinking complications. Gallantry? Screw that.

But his subconscious had driven him.

His gaze was starting to unsettle Sarah. Theo figured it was as good a time as any to ask.

“Why do you trust me?”

Her face turned into an awkward smile.

“I see. I expected you to ask sooner, you know. Honestly...? I didn’t really trust you before now. On the first night I sensed you around my tent but you retreated without attacking us so I thought you weren’t truly hostile. I suppose I let my guard down, though…”

Theo frowned for more and she looked at him even awkwarder.

“...because you remind me of my little brother.”

He blinked.

That’s it? Wait... younger?! I’m totally your age!

A shout echoed out towards them, making them look over to the rest of their party joining them.

“Why did you stop firing, Sarah?” Conway asked, but his attention soon turned at the mass of orange on the ground and shock filled his face. He looked at Theo who was nearest to them and opened his mouth, but Chris was faster:

“What happened?” he exclaimed.

“A few foxes tried to ambush our support so I took them out,” Theo said, trying to fake a disturbed and ill tone. Sarah hadn’t seemed willing to explain the situation, nor call him off for lying to the others.

He was completely fine from the fight, but he tried to convey the message to Conway: What if I hadn’t been there?

Well, whatever. I'm hoping to leave these guys once we reach the town. Actually... I need a damn shower. Maybe even a bath so I can soak for a few hours.

He offhandedly blew a bit of air from his mouth upwards to check his breath. He felt like barfing from the bad smell.

And they say others smell you worse… I’m screwed.

Conway was frowning at him with his sword drawn.

"How do I know I can trust you?" He asked Theo.

"Because I saved your girl from those fire foxes," he answered, shrugging, and started to pick up the foxes. “Got any string or something to tie ‘em up?”

“How are you unhurt? Did you fight against all five at once?” pressed Chris and Theo chuckled.

“I wouldn’t be here if I did,” Theo stated, before slinging a fox over his shoulder.

The party soon returned to the trail. Chris, who appeared to be the group’s map and compass using his [Navigation] skill, told them they’d be arriving early the next day. Theo felt energized at the thought of seeing an average village in his new world.

Indeed, he couldn’t help his excitement: they would soon reach Rocholn, a town that apparently had a population of around two hundred. From what Theo could gather, the road that ran through the town was frequently used by travellers, hunters and merchants. The constant stream of visitors could support the three inns located in Rocholn and allow the town to offer some basic services, like a village shop, a clothier and a blacksmith. However, the income and lifestyle of the citizens there did not allow for any more luxury, like a jeweler, or even less essential services like tinsmiths and shoemakers. Most of the inhabitants were farmers or guards in the town watch instead of tradesmen and craftsmen. Sarah had told Theo that a particular caravan visited Rocholn twice a year to sell exotic goods for what the villagers could afford. This was a bigger event than the normal traders, it seemed.

Night fell on the party without any more problems except for a few blisters on their feet. They had only kept two foxes out of the original eight. One was draped over Conway’s shoulders and the other was strung across Chris’ back. The latter ended up on the spit and the group turned down for the night. Theo slept outside again in his jacket, but at least he had a bedroll. He stayed close to the flaming logs so he could feel the warmth soothe his worries.

I guess taverns don’t need to see ID here, huh… It’ll be nice to sleep in a bed.