The Queen of Shadows

Chapter 25: The Seraphim/Landslide (Part 1)

Over 2000 years ago...

In the depths of the forest, a group of hunters quickly but quietly trekked through the dense foliage. Keeping their footsteps light, they followed their leader in single file, wearing cloaks that concealed their presence. The group eventually came to a clearing; the leader gestured to his companions to take positions along a line of bushes. Crouching, they all peer over to survey their target:

A wild boar, grazing amongst grass obliviously...

The animal was on the other side of the clearing, too far for the hunters to shoot with arrows. So, the leader whispered to one of his fellow hunters:

"Aife... cover please..."

The hunter lowered her hood, revealing the face of a grown woman with short hair and brown eyes. She projected a rune before extending her hand to a bush, and then onto the leader's cloak. The rune glowed on the garment before fading, after that the leader gave his instructions.

"You and you circle around," he whispered to anonymous hunters holding bows. "Cut off its escape route. After I get first shot, coax it over here."

The hunters nodded in acknowledgment before the leader then turned to Aife.

"Get the trap ready..."

"Got it," Aife replies with a nod. "Good luck, Kihli."

The hunters all went their separate ways. While Aife was preparing a rune, Kihli circled around the clearing in the opposite direction, as close as he could get without alerting the boar. Even at this distance, it was an ambitious shot to take with his bow. Still hiding in the bush, Kihli pulls out an arrow and fed it through his fingers while gripping his bow with the same hand. With his other, he extends his cloak and carefully exits the dense foliage without making too much noise.

Aife had enchanted the exterior of Kihli's cloak to resemble a leafy bush. That coupled with the size of the garment concealed Kihli as he snuck closer to the unaware boar. The animal perks up in alarm, buts sees no immediate threat, Kihli stops in his tracks until the boar lowers its guard. He creeps closer with his enchanted cloak still extended out, until Kihli was close enough to be able to aim his bow at the boar's side. In a swift motion, he brandishes his cloak and notches his arrow, the boar briefly froze in surprise, and Kihli fires his shot.

The arrow flies and strikes just behind the boar's forelimb. But one arrow was not enough to down the animal instantly as the boar panics before running off into the forest. The hunters lying in wait brandish their spears as the boar ran towards them. They reveal themselves ready to impale the frenzied animal until it changes direction to instead charge at Kihli with the intent to trample its attacker. Kihli rolls out of the way just in time, and the boar runs into the bush near where Aife was lying in wait with a dagger. The animal erupts through the bush and steps on Aife's glowing rune, causing the boar to become entangled in strands of glowing mana.

With the boar struggling, Aife darts in and drives her dagger in the chest of the animal, killing it quickly without unnecessary suffering. Aife exhales as the boars goes limp and the strands of her rune fade.

"Sorry, mate," Aife remarked to her deceased prize. "But better you than us..."

Kihli, along with the other two hunters, regrouped with Aife. Kihli lowers his hood, and cautions to the group:

"We gotta move it quickly, before our uninvited guests arrive..."

The two anonymous hunters lift the remains of the dead boar, but before they could leave with it, the group hears an ominous shriek in the distance, along with the sight of thick gray fog rolling into the area.