It seems like I really have bad luck.
I had to wait for three, yes three whole weeks for the next bronze quest I could take.
Dad was still on his way to fetch some guild investigator and since I became a huntress myself, my mother went out on more hunts too.
Today, Rune joined me on my way to Scarlet forest, sitting atop a Peco.
“And Mother Zoe just gave me hers.
Said it’d be faster for the two of us,” Rune told me, sitting in front of me as I was taller.
It was our first ride together and the first time we didn’t pretend to hunt, but went on a real one together.
I had my arm slung around her waist and ignored her slightly reddened ears, looking at the quest paper in her smaller hands.
Slay 3 Zenrade packs Time Limit: 5 days Location: Scarlet forest Reward: 24,500 Zenny “You sure we can really do three packs alone?” I asked from behind, voice uncertain.
Rune looked up and turned her head a little, her profile was even more fairy-like with long lashes and a perfect little nose that would make anyone’s heart flutter.
Even yours truly’s.
It was an impression that lasted as long until she opened her mouth, “then go back and wait for mushroom quests.
You’re a hunter, behave like one, geez.” “I just don’t want to get us injured,” I sighed.
“Three packs are dangerous.” We reached the base camp at the forest’s edge and unpacked what we prepared from our backpacks.
After looking it into one of the guild issued chests inside the well maintained tent.
I watched Rune check her dual blades which were slung around her slender waist.
She wore lighter armor than me, focused fully on mobility.
Above her thin chainmail, she had leather shoulder pads and a padded leather breastplate.
If it wasn’t for the chainmail, you would’ve seen her bare waist.
Rune pulled me out of my thoughts with a huff, “I know I’m a beauty, but do I look flattered by your staring?” She turned away from me, breaking eye contact and whispered something I didn’t catch.
Then she walked off.
I followed and when I caught up to her asked, “what did you whisper just now?
I couldn’t hear it.” To which she simply gave me another humph.
So we walked side by side in silence until we reached the first clearing inside Scarlet forest.
We both scanned our surroundings and went in deeper, as there weren’t any tracks.
“We could check a few old burrows,” I suggested, trying to finally break the silence and turn my eyes towards her.
She wore two pigtails and I noticed her gaze on me.
“Fine, but don’t think I can’t find them myself.” She turned her head away again, fidgeting with an amulet around her neck.
“Sure sure, you’re the better huntress,” I grinned at her, my canines on display.
The small trodden path got even smaller and I let her walk behind me.
Rune whispered again, but it was too quiet for me to understand it, “c..e ..vel.
d…y.” Some nearby bushes rustled and I stopped moving, Rune bumping into me with a small “oww.” Slow and aware of the dangers, I point towards a nearby bushes rustle I heard, but everything stays eerily silent, birds and small insects aside.
We continue after a few more minutes of silently listening, but it’s almost like I only imagined the rustle.
The dense forest bathed our surroundings in red, despite it only being midday.
After another hour, we reached the next clearing, a small stream of water as clear as crystal lead into a creek.
A few of what almost looked like lotus leaves on it.
Screeches and shrieks echo down from upstream.
I ready my weapon, my moves barely audible despite the gravel around the creek and almost hold my breath.
Five Zenrade burst out of the underbrush.
The second the notice us, cackles and more screeches follow.
“Fuck,” I hiss and the pack circles us dangerously.
I charge forward, sword and shield readied and slice at the first one, my blade only grazes the monster.
“Kyaaaa!” A shout from Rune comes from behind and a dead Zenrade smashes into the gravel, its corpse sliding to a stop and coming to a stop to my left.
I slam my shield in another one of those raptor-like monsters, with a loud crack.
Something shatters and I ram my sword upwards, right into the dizzy Zenrades skull.
I spin around, trying to get a hold of the situation.
‘Calm down Aria, you can do it!’ Rune is currently chasing the third Zenrade, the beast already bleeding.
Her pigtails flutter as she almost moves dance-like, cutting up the monster easily.
Our eyes meet for a heartbeat and Rune misses her next slash, but follows through with her offhand, dealing at least some more damage.
I refocus just as the other two Zenrade charge right at me.
They zigzag towards me and instead of raising my shield, I do a forward roll.
My body barreling right between them, I used the momentum to stand again and spun around, cutting down one of the Zenrade’s legs.
I don’t stop and grab my sword with both hands, jump right at the back of the other raptor, my blade pushing right between its ribs.
“Are you done too?
Took you long enough,” Rune panted, face turned away from me, ears red.
“Yeah,” I breathed out and we gathered the monster corpses.
Rune immediately starts carving them.
“We’ll leave the meat here,” she starts, her carving knife skinning the Zenrade with serious dexterity.
“Ohhh you want to use them to lure the other packs?” I ask her and pull some Zenrade claws.
“What else should we do with it anyways?” We finish up and travel back towards the base camp, the monster-hides slung over our shoulders.
As we come out of the forest, the sun is already moving past its zenith into a late afternoon.
I store the hunted materials in a big guild box at the camp and begin to unbuckle my leather armor.
It’s bloody again and when I pull it off I notice how soaked with sweat I am.
I walked towards the well, it had a pump and put my head under it first, before pumping up some icy well water.
It’s heaven.
Then I began to clean my armor, humming a melody from the game as a distraction for how gross washing off stinking monster blood is.
My mind wandered a bit, ‘that rustle bush didn’t sound like it was an animal at all earlier, so what was it?’ When I came back to the tent I only wore my underclothes, a tight leather shorts and vest.
Rune was preparing some food it seemed and just threw into a pot whatever she thought would fit.
I couldn’t help myself and shuddered when I saw the mix of vegetables, dried meat and hard tack in the pot turn a weird purple color while cooking.
“Umm..
I could’ve cooked too,” I leaned over the pot and almost choked by the smell.
“You took too long,” Rune complains, “it’s not like I wanted to make food for you or anything.” Then she fidgets with the big wooden spoon in her slim hands and looks away from me, ears red.
“Sorry,” I sat down next to her just as close as we sat after training as children.
My knees pulled close and my arms resting on them.
“Y-y-you!” She almost jumps, voice shrill for whatever reason.
I never understood why she’s so mean at times, but we were friends for who knows how long now.
Soon the, let’s pretend it counts as it, food, was ready and Rune scooped a more than copious amount into my bowl.
A sharp sour, salty and I don’t know how, but it had sweet notes.
The soup, if one could call it, made a face, at least it looked like one.
I turned to Rune, she munched already and made an unreadable face, ‘is this really okay to eat, Rune?’ Not saying anything though, I lifted the spoon and tore up.
I can’t even describe what it tasted like, but it was wrong.
Humans shouldn’t eat something like this.
The dried meat was sinewy like eating rubber, but at the same time it was weirdly gelatinous and the hard tack and disintegrated vegetables made my whole mouth feel pelty.
I choked.
I hope you all enjoy this story so far as I do writing it <3