Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Onwards

Wolstan opened his door to see Esta sitting on his bed rummaging through a small black sack that hadn’t been there before he entered the forest.

“Did you get that for me?” Wolstan asked. He was flattered by the gesture but the Dredot could hold more than any sack could. Esta shook her head.

“It smells like that mayor of yours. Looks like he got you things for the road ahead.” She said and carefully dropped wrapped baked goods, clothes, and over fifty bronze pieces on his bed.

“He didn’t have to do that…” Wolstan said, looking at the bronze pieces. He worked odd jobs around Zertold to earn enough bronze himself so he wouldn’t need help buying things. The food Lyra prepared that morning must’ve been what fell on his sheets.

“He probably knew you wouldn’t accept it if he handed it to you. Your kind can be stubborn. Though I guess that’s true of some Drenids too.” Esta said. She turned to Rania. “Finally gave up on fighting me?”

“I would’ve already cracked your skull if the human hadn’t forbidden me from fighting for the rest of the day,” Rania said.

“You think way too highly of yourself for someone I downed in three minutes,” Esta said and turned to Wolstan. “That being said, it's not a good idea to make sweeping commands like that. You’re traveling to Trilx and Gelia, you’ll have to travel on paths that cut through Drenid lands to get there. What if something happens?”

“Didn’t think of that. Rania you can fight if another Drenid attacks but don’t start any yourself, okay?” Wolstan said.

“Fine,” Rania said. She sat on a small stool Wolstan used to read at his desk and refused to look at him.

It looked like being a hunter would be more difficult than Wolstan first assumed. Most of the books he found focused on a Drenid’s temperament or proper relations between humans and Drenids. He was woefully out of his element when it came to Drenid battles as that morning proved. Esta on the other hand seemed to know her stuff, even if she wasn’t human; it gave him an idea.

“Why don’t you come with us?” He asked.

“What?” Esta said as if it were a joke.

“Absolutely not! If I have to suffer the humiliation of being caught I at least won’t have that monster at my back!” Rania cried. Wolstan ignored her.

“Think about it, you protected me for all this time, wouldn’t it be a waste if I died on my first time out of the village?” Wolstan continued. “With your knowledge and powers getting to Gelia should be a cinch!”

“So you decided to meet your parents after all?” Esta said. What looked like a grimace met her face for a moment but she hid it quickly. “If that’s the case, perhaps I should. Your father’s Drenids are powerful and this one won’t cut it if things don’t go the way you’re hoping.” She said, flourishing her hand towards Rania.

“I don’t care what my hunter says, one of these days I’m going to kill you…” Rania muttered.

Esta raised a hand and her fingertips sharpened into monstrous black claws. “I welcome you to try.”

Wolstan jumped between them before she could do anything. “Thanks for joining us!” He said, shaking her clawed hand. Esta once again raised her brow and Wolstan dropped her hand remembering she didn’t welcome the gesture in the forest. 

“You really are an odd hunter…” She said and let her claws reform into fingers. “Regardless, when are you planning on taking off?” 

“Now if that’s alright with you,” Wolstan said and picked up the key to his house. 

He looked around the cramped little hovel that barely qualified as a house. Kesta once used it for storage and graciously bequeathed it to him when he felt he overstayed his welcome at the mayor’s house. 

Wolstan had fantastic memories of the place drinking late into the night with Olin, studying Drenids, and baking pastries for anyone who’d try them. But he had to move on. It’d be harder to leave if he allowed himself to bask in memories.

Esta jumped up and started towards the door. “Let’s not linger then.”

***

“You're doing it again, human,” Rania said as she led the way through a small dirt road with trees lining either side. She watched them anxiously as if a Drenid could pop out at them at any moment.

“Sorry,” Wolstan said and tried to make his face more neutral. His lips kept breaking into a smile even though they were doing something as mundane as walking down a road. “It’s just that I’m finally doing it ya know? Everything I’ve always dreamed of is finally possible thanks to you and Esta.”

“You say that as if I wanted to help you with your feeble goals…” 

“Lighten up already,” Esta said. “You’ve already been caught, and your hunter isn’t a bad person, you could’ve ended up with someone much worse. Besides, human life is fleeting, just do your time and you can’t get caught again.”

Rania spun around. “I wouldn’t have gotten caught in the first place if you hadn’t-” She started but a sharp look from Esta cut her off. “Nevermind, I forgot I was talking to a weirdo who apparently liked captivity.” She turned back around and started forward.

“It’s not about liking it or disliking it, it just is what it is, so why-” Esta stopped midspeech and turned towards the woods. Rania followed suit glaring between the trees. Their ears twitched wildly.

“Something wrong?” Wolstan asked, preparing his Dredot for a fight.

“There’s a Drenid approaching and more surrounding us. Probably waiting for the stronger one to attack first.” Esta said. “This is actually the perfect chance for you to gain some experience.”

“Don’t you mean Rania?” Wolstan asked, looking around. His stomach tightened as the sound of rustling leaves got louder.

“Both. You’re her hunter so you should know how to fight alongside her. I watched what happened against that other Forester, you could use some work.” Esta said and pointed to his hand. “Hell, your Dredot’s been flashing this entire time and you haven’t checked it.”

“What?” Wolstan said and looked down. She was right, he remembered hearing it ding back in the forest but never took the time to check. 

He blushed a deep scarlet and pressed the device. A screen popped up with Rania’s information even though the device wasn’t aimed at her. 

[Rania Leveled Up!]

Drenid Name: Rania

Hunter: Wolstan

Tribe: Forester

Form: [Fighter] (1st stage)

Class: Warrior

Level: 4↑

Strength: 5↑

Defense: 3↑

Intel: 4↑

Agility: 8↑

⌊More⌉

“I didn’t even notice!” Wolstan said in awe. In hindsight it shouldn’t have been that unexpected, the Drenid she defeated was a higher level than she was. “Rania, do you feel any different?”

“I feel we need to watch out!” Rania said as a mossy-haired Drenid appeared from the trees. 

The Drenid wore exotic furs, and its golden hair was braided into a long fish tail. His eyes roamed from Rania to Wolstan before falling on Esta. He took a step back.

“You have nothing to worry about from me, I won’t step in as long as you don’t kill the human,” Esta said.

“What!” Wolstan said as the new Drenid nodded his approval.

“You won’t learn if I handle everything for you, this is your fight,” Esta said.

“That’ll be fine Natrius.” The newcomer said. “I only came because I could smell the Forester from miles away. I thought I might try knocking her around a little.” He raised his hand, a round wooden shield materialized before him.

“Fuck.” Rania said as she summoned her weapon in kind. She watched the shield’s every movement as if mesmerized by it.

“What’s wrong?” Wolstan asked. He didn’t see anything that would cause Rania trouble.

“Check his stats and see if you notice anything,” Esta said. Wolstan did so but as he pointed at the new Drenid they charged at Rania with a great roar and rammed his shield at her. 

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Rania lept out of harm’s way and kept herself moving as the other Drenid tried to bash her. She scowled as she continued to move away, never even attempting a counterattack. Wolstan didn’t know what was happening.

Drenid Name: Orm

Hunter: Null

Tribe: Barbarian

Form: [Round Shield] (1st stage)

Class: Defender

Level: 4

Strength: 3

Defense: 7

Intel: 4

Agility: 6

Orm’s Defense was higher but Rania bested him in strength and speed, she shouldn’t have had any problems with him.

“Still not seeing it?” Esta asked.

“No, what’s the problem? Can I help her somehow?” Wolstan asked frantically as Orm’s shield got in range of Rania.

Rania slashed at Orm’s neck but the Defender thrust his shield forward, hitting her side. An angry purple bruise spread across Rania’s shoulder, she jumped back not risking another blow.

“Why did that do so much damage!” Wolstan cried. The bruise didn’t bleed but it looked as if she’d been hit by a bat.

“He’s a Defender, she's a Warrior. It’s a bad matchup.” Esta explained. “Defenders do more damage to Warriors, Warriors to Mystics, and Mystics to Defenders. You’ll need to use more than just Rania’s speed here.”

Wolstan thought back to how Rania dropped the mystic Drenid in the forest in two blows and fear gripped him. Would the Defender do the same to her if he got a good hit in?

“What should I do?” Wolstan asked as Rania dodged another blow. The Defender’s shield was too big for her to sneak through and judging by his defense one or two blows wouldn’t cut it. It seemed hopeless.

“If you’re asking me you’re not watching close enough. You’re Rania’s hunter, watch what the other Drenid is doing, assess, and command.”

He had no idea what she meant. He was watching the Defender, or at least he thought he was. Each time Orm tried to strike he either aimed for Rania’s injured shoulder or her head more than likely to end the fight quickly. There wasn’t room for Rania to counter unless…

“Rania, duck beneath his legs when he strikes!” Wolstan shouted. It was like lightning flashed across his brain. Rania was just small enough to pull it off.

She dove beneath Orm’s legs as he aimed at her head and spun to strike the back of his knees before jumping up again.

Orm stumbled forward cursing but Rania was back upon him. She raised her blade to strike but Orm turned back around and blocked it.

The two Drenid separated and circled one another waiting for the other to make a move. Rania’s attack would have done more damage but her injured shoulder obviously took its toll, yet Orm moved noticeably slower. Wolstan still wasn’t confident Rania would win.

“There’s more to this than I thought…” He said.

“Don’t feel bad, your father did everything he could these past eighteen years to make sure the average man doesn’t know tactics,” Esta said. “Books were burned, schools were closed. At this point, if you weren’t born in Ventset you probably wouldn’t see a fight between hunters unless you joined the military.”

That made sense in a strange way, the usurper didn’t want to be usurped so he made sure people were less likely to use Drenids to fight. Which made fighting all the more difficult. Either Rania or Orm would have to break the standstill but he didn’t see another opening for Rania unless she made one.

“Getting tired moss mouth?” Orm said though his breathing was ragged itself.

Rania growled but didn’t rise to the provocation.

“So she does have some self-control,” Esta said.

“Course she does,” Wolstan said though he breathed a sigh of relief. 

He tried to spot an opening for Rania but from his vantage, all he could see was Orm walking strangely as they circled one another. The Drenid refused to put his entire weight on his left leg, Rania must have done more damage than Wolstan first noticed.

“Rania, try aiming for his left side, he won’t be able to respond as quickly!” Wolstan called out. 

Hearing their plan Orm moved to guard his left side but Rania already dashed for him. He slammed his shield forward, but Rania sidestepped him, got behind him, and unleashed a flurry of blows to the back of his head.

Her arms moved so quickly Wolstan couldn’t keep up with them. The only confirmation she was making contact was the sickening sound of wood slapping against flesh punctuated with Orm’s screams. When she finally let up, Orm’s shield disappeared in a flash of light and the Drenid fell with a heavy thud. 

The back of Orm’s head was matted with so much blood Wolstan had to look away. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to Drenid fights and wondered why people in Venset watched them for sport.

Esta burst into applause. She ran over to pat Rania on her non-injured shoulder. “See, with a little control you’ll get stronger in no time. Even if you’re at a disadvantage it doesn’t mean you’ll lose.”

Rania didn’t say anything, she frowned despite her win. “Human, check that dot thing. Something’s different…”

Wolstan had no idea what she meant but checked her stats regardless. 

Drenid Name: Rania

Hunter: Wolstan

Tribe: Forester

Form: [Fighter] (1st stage)

Class: Warrior

Level: 4

Strength: 5

Defense: 3

Intel: 4

Agility: 8

⌊More⌉

Everything seemed normal to him but he hit ‘More’ to humor her only to see she was right. There were two extra skills now. 

Skills: Weapon Materialization, Backstab, Flurry

“It looks like you got more skills! You’re getting stronger.” Wolstan said excitedly but Rania simply nodded while staring at her sword.

“That’s good, you’ll need all the skills you can get. Especially if we want to get to Trilx by the end of the day.”

“What are you talking about?” Rania asked.

Esta pointed to the trees where more pairs of eyes watched them closely. In the excitement of the fight, Wolstan forgot she mentioned Orm had other Drenids with him…

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