Arcane Innovator

The journey back from the city was uneventful, and we made it back safely, protected by the Beast hunters.

During the summer, I spent most of my days hunting in the forest, honing my tracking skills through the thick underbrush.

Occasionally, I would venture into the village to spend time with Myra; together, we would run and play, exploring every nook and cranny of the village.

As the summer drew to a close, the harvest season was upon us, and the fields surrounding the village were bursting with ripe crops. It was the best time for hunting, as the rabbits and other animals ventured out of the forest to feast on the bountiful harvest.

Old Sven and I ventured out into the woods every day, our eyes sharp and our senses honed to detect the slightest movement.

Throughout the summer, I managed to catch twelve rabbits, a feat that left my mother wondering where all the meat was coming from.

My father would simply wave his hand and claim it was a gift from a hunter, but I knew the truth. I was the hunter who braved the dangers of the Forest to provide for my family.

One day at the end of the summer, as we walked along the animal's path, Forest's tranquility was suddenly shattered by a loud bustling in the underbrush behind us.

We quickly turned around, our senses focused, ready to fight or flee. To our great surprise, it was a human—a beast hunter—who had emerged from the bushes.

Relief flooded through me as I realized it wasn't a monster, but the relief was short-lived as I saw the state of the hunter. Bruised and battered, his clothes were in tatters, and he had a large, bleeding claw mark on his chest.

"Pl...please, help us," he gasped, his voice strained with effort.

Old Sven and I exchanged a quick glance before moving swiftly to help the hunter. "Wot happened? Where are the others?" Old Sven asked with concern.

"They...stayed behind. There is a swarm of monsters. Please, you have to save them," he wheezed before collapsing to the ground.

This is probably the moment where I should shout, 'I'm going to go save them!' and run to their rescue... If I were a hero, that is.

But, too bad for them... I'm not going to play the hero, so they are on their own. I'm not even sure if I could defeat a whole swarm of monsters.

So I did the best thing I could think of right now.

"I'm going to warn the Vogt!" I shouted as I turned to run back to the village.

My mind was racing with all possible scenarios, but I knew that warning the Vogt was the best course of action.

As I started running in the direction of the village, I could hear faint howls of monsters in the distance coming from the depths of the forest. I increased my speed until I was running as fast as I could.

I sprinted across the fields right into the village center, where the Vogt's house was.

Out of breath, I asked one of the servants, "Where can I find the Vogt?" He pointed inside the house, and I continued on my way.

I burst into the Vogt's office without any formalities; my voice was frantic as I shouted the urgent news. "Sir, there is trouble in the Forest! A swarm of monsters was spotted there, and we stumbled upon an injured beast hunter!"

The Vogt raised a hand—a gesture for me to slow down and start from the beginning. I took a deep breath and recounted the events that had unfolded in the forest just moments ago, my heart pounding in my chest.

Without a moment's hesitation, Vogt commanded, "Take me to the Beast hunter." His authoritative tone left no room for objections, and I knew I had no choice but to follow his orders, so I led him toward the forest at once.

As we approached the forest's edge, we spotted Old Sven supporting the injured beast hunter as they made their way across the fields toward the village. The Vogt wasted no time in questioning them, his gaze sharp as he assessed the situation.

"Is everything that Darian said true?" "About the monsters?" he asked, his eyes fixed on Old Sven.

The old man nodded, his expression grim. "I ne'er saw them meself, but I could hear their howls in the distance. And this lad seems pretty beat up, so no simple animal could have done it."

Vogt's face grew serious as he mulled over the information. "How long do you think we have?" he asked, his voice low.

"I'm not sure," Old Sven replied, his voice heavy with uncertainty.

"It all depends on whether the rest of the Beast hunters managed tae lure them away from the village or not."

*ROAR!*

Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed through the forest, sending shivers down our spines.

"This is bad," Vogt muttered, his face turning pale. "We must warn the garrison in the city."

He quickly ordered us to take the injured hunter to his house for treatment while he hurried back to the village to compose a message. For the first time, I could sense a slight fear in him.

I helped Old Sven carry his bow and traps while he helped the Beast hunter back to the village, my legs aching from the earlier sprint.

When we reached the Vogt's house, the injured Beast hunter was taken inside and attended to by one of the villagers.

I went to the kitchen to ask for a cup of water since I was totally parched from all the running. Luckily, I was a healthy boy, and running was not a problem for me.

As I left the house with my cup of water, I spotted the Vogt handing a message tablet to one of his servants. "Deliver this to the city as fast as you can," he ordered before the servant hopped onto a horse and galloped away in the direction of the city.

'Hmm, even if he runs to the city at full speed the whole time, it will still take at least half a day before any soldiers come to the village,’ I thought somberly.

If the monsters attack the village, there isn't anything that could stop them.

*ROAR!*

I then heard another roar that could be heard all the way in the center of the village, which meant it was coming closer. This time everyone heard it, and I could see their frightened faces.

The monsters were coming!

Standing in front of the Vogts' house, I could feel the palpable panic that had descended upon the village.

Shouts and screams echoed through the streets as people ran around in utter chaos. But it wasn't long before the Vogt, with his years of experience and natural leadership, broke out of his stupor and began shouting commands, trying to restore order.

I quickly made my way back home to check on my family. As I approached, I saw them all gathered in our garden, engaged in a heated discussion.

"Rolf! You must protect everyone. I need to go. All the men must report to the village's square. We need to stall for time before help arrives," my father commanded urgently.

Rolf tried to sound brave despite his trembling legs: "Yes, Father, I'll make sure everyone is safe!"

I managed to grab my improvised gun and a handful of pebbles from the garden before my mother ushered me inside the house.

We huddled together, waiting anxiously for what was to come. The waiting was excruciating, and a deadly silence descended upon the village.

Everyone had barricaded themselves inside their homes, except for the men, who were busy building makeshift defenses. Several hours passed by without anything happening, and the sun started setting over the hills.

Night came, and with it, the uncertainty and worries were only multiplied by the darkness.

I stood by the window, my heart racing with anticipation and my fingers clutching tightly onto my pebbles.

I was not particularly worried about the monsters, as I had faced one before in the Forest, and if the monsters weren't much stronger, I was confident I could protect myself and my family.

But my thoughts lingered on my father, who was not with us and had put himself in harm's way to keep everyone safe.

As I watched the village from my window, I couldn't help but wonder what would happen to the rest of the villagers and the potential consequences of the monsters' rampage.

With the end of summer nearing and the harvest approaching, the fields were brimming with ripe crops. If the monsters were to destroy them, the village would face starvation in the coming winter.

Once again, I was reminded of the harsh world in which we live.

The darkness was illuminated by an orange hue in the distance, with the village militia lighting pyres at the outskirts of the village to try and scare the monsters away. For a moment, the quiet returned, but it was just the calm before the storm.

Suddenly, frightening roars and howls shattered the silence. The monsters were here!

The howls were immediately followed by the shouting of men and the sound of shattering wood. The desperate fight to stall for the time had begun.

The light from the fires grew brighter, and I watched as some of the houses caught fire as the fighting went on. The villagers were no match for the monsters, who seemed to have endless stamina in their rampage and were impervious to their attacks.

The only thing that seemed to slow them down was the fire and the villagers' sheer will to defend their homes. The battle raged on for hours, and the outcome was far from certain.

But before dawn, when the horizon started turning slightly blue, a horn pierced the air, and the distant sound of hoofbeats accompanied it. Weak shouts of joy and relief sounded from the exhausted defenders. Reinforcements have come!

As the sound of neighing horses and steel hitting steel filled the air, the roars of the monsters intensified. But for the first time, they were the roars of pain instead.

I could see them now, their armor glinting in the light of the fires, their swords flashing in the darkness as they charged into battle. The monsters seemed to falter under the onslaught.

Suddenly the night was pierced by a bright flash of lightning, followed instantly by a deafening sound of thunder, and the following huge explosions shook our humble home.

They brought a mage with them!

I would have loved nothing more than to sneak out of the house and go look, but I couldn't leave my family alone until it was over.

I have zero confidence that Rolf would be able to put up any form of resistance to the monsters, despite his trying to put up a brave front.

My mother was huddled in bed with my sister, Helga, who was quietly sobbing. Tears were rolling down her beautiful face. No one had managed to sleep during the night, and I knew that it would take some time for us to recover from this.

I'd like to tell them that they have nothing to worry about with me here, but I knew that they would never believe me. So I couldn't do anything more than stay vigilant and wait until it was over.

The unmistakable metallic stench of blood and the smell of burning flesh drifted through the air, mingling with the smoke from the fires, and it was a smell that would haunt us for days to come...