Atrocluxx

Chapter Two

Darkness consumed the entirety of the Black Forest as the night came. The air was blowing and the fog was thick, one's bones would ache due to the extremity of coldness. This was really a place not meant for mortals. After killing the three-headed serpent, we decided to camp under a huge tree. Piratya ignited fire to roast a bird he caught. My bones were aching and I still couldn't use my magic to adjust my body temperature. These shackles were really powerful and they wouldn't break regardless of a hundred of ways I tried. How could I save the cats with these metals restraining me?

"Sleeping calms the mind and your body needs rest. Get some sleep, I'll keep the fire burning," Piratya told me.

Growing up with a family wasn't easy and I was glad that Piratya had been with me through every storm. He could be extremely annoying sometimes but he was there in every moment of my life. I couldn't have survived life in Esoterica if it weren't for him. I gave it some thought and decided to take the faerie's advice to get some sleep. These previous days had been really exhausting and I needed a good sleep because I would be busy for the next few days. The bounty for the Heliodores would be enough to sustain us for a couple cycles of the moon. After collecting the bounty, I'd pay a visit to the Inhiyata Warriors' nest to retrieve my cats.

Ever since the catastrophe occurred, I have sustained myself by being a hunter. I started hunting when I was just seven summers old and it was just for exchange of food and clothing to survive. When I was just starting, I was only working for merchants and ordinary people, so the bounty I got wasn't that much. Many doubted my abilities since I was a just kid, who would trust a seven-summer-old hunter anyway? That's the reason why I only had a few clients back then. When words spread out about a young skilled hunter; village chiefs, tribe leaders, and even kings would hire me to tame or kill beasts and other powerful creatures. Hunting was my way of survival and this was something I was best at doing. This was the life in Esoterica, a world ruled by magic and powers. A world where the weak ones would cease to exist and the only way to survive was to kill. One's success could be determined by how much blood you spilled. There wasn't any news from the Immortal City since the incident in the Sky Village several summers ago. It was like the goddesses completely distanced themselves from the affairs of the mortals, leaving Esoterica a world with no rules. The forces of evil completely consumed the land. Those who continued to fight for justice and equality were slain while the greedy continued to bask in glory and power. While the poor would kill each other over a plate of food, the tyrants would cheer over the glasses of wine paid for by the blood of the people they enslaved.

I propped myself to rest against a tree root. My eyes immediately closed due to fatigue. I was sleeping for about two breaths of time when I heard a sound. I knew what that meant, I heard it a thousand times before. It was the unusual rustling of leaves-the sound of danger. My arrows were shaking, they felt it too. Piratya put out the fire outside the tent for less exposure. We'd been together for many battles, he knew what to do in times like this. We were surrounded by the enemies for certain. A moment later, a series of arrows were shot and I barely dodged the last one-the Inhiyata warriors. They were known for using poisoned arrows in assassination and they had actually tried to kill me. They even risked the dangers of the Black Forest just to assassinate me. These fools had to learn their lesson and I was glad they gave me a reason. Did they really think they could kill me like this? My senses were sharpened by many winters of hunting, and I could feel their presence lurking in the shadows. They were skilled in archery but they were far inferior compared to me. It was time to show my uninvited guests, who was the real boss. I nocked my five arrows at once and loosed. A moment later, the sounds of falling bodies could be heard over the silence of the night. I had just killed five of them but I knew there were more. The Inhiyata Warriors used to attack in a group of at least twelve.