[Trade] Hunting the Wolves' Master

HUNTING THE WOLVES' MASTER


Saye and Higatami had rested for a few days in the village they had saved from the wolves. Well, most than resting, they helped the people a bit while gathering informations on their enemy.
The wolves, commanded by a unknown person or reosean, had destroyed crops and killed livestock, to the point that there was very little left for the poor people.
Saye helped each and every one of them, carrying goods from other villages that were traded for pelts and wood, making a new system for the rations of the winter, and most importantly, she instructed the most robust roseans, men and women on how to bring down wolves with minimal losses and wounds.

When she left to travel East, where the Wolves' Master lived, she had to refuse all kinds of gift: from little dolls made by the children to the big pieces of cheese and dried meat.
Higatami looked quite upset that she refused the food, but the Haedian knew that those people needed it most.

“It's time for me to leave, now. Take good care of yourselves.”

And with that, Saye turned and left, walking towards the mountains with the Empyrian. Her silver armour shined reflecting the mysterious glowing flowers, but she couldn't stop to look at those beautiful plants: she had eyes only for her objective: the end of the monster who killed seventeen adult humans, three human children, two draconids and eight reoseans, a family of two runner Vayrons and their pups to be more precise.

She learned all their names by asking the traumatized survivors. They all told her to be careful: the monster was obviously not afraid to kill, to destroy families and to burn everything to the ashes.
With that in mind, Saye walked with an angry frown on her face, glowing eyes burning in rage.
Even Higatami, who walked behind her, had avoided any jokes or comments since their departure. She was blind, but she could feel the anger radiating from the Haedian.

“...We are nearly at the mountains.”

Higatami said, quietly. Saye nodded, and then hummed when she remembered that the other couldn't see her.

“We will arrive there during the night. You said the smooth canyons are home of some dangerous beasts, right?”

“Yes. I had hunted one of those, some time ago. It was a Zataro. Don't ask me to describe it, but it was big, with sharp claws and a very smelly breath.”

Higatami answered, grimacing. Saye smiled a little, and looked down to her left arm. In one of the villages who traded goods, she had seen a dagger on sale, in a little blacksmith shop. That was not a high quality item, but it was better than nothing.
She bought it, and now the black hilt and the bluish steel were going to aid her in the fight. That dagger belonged in only one place: the chest of the monster who destroyed the peace for all those people.

…

The night had fallen. Saye and Higatami had no problem travelling in the dark, as one had lived all her life in the Beneath, and the other was used to not seeing a thing.
Both had their ears perked and twitching, listening to every sound. The moon was high in the sky, painting the canyons with her white light.

It was the scrape of claws against the rock that alerted Saye before a Pouncing Zataro could snap her neck, jumping down from a cliff with readied claws and fangs.
The Haedian snarled, and the Empyrian flared her wings, ready to fight.

“At last, you send your pawn to us.”

Hissed Saye, glowing eyes so bright that the Zataro could nearly feel the burn from her stare.
The beast looked normal for a second, then the next it was smiling, as the wolf did.
It spoke, with the distorted voice of the Master.

“Ah, I see you came for me, little Haedian. But tell me... Do you really think you can win?!”

With a snarl, the Zataro launched itself at Saye. The Haedian side-stepped, avoiding the beast and grabbing her weapon. The blade shined under the moonlight, making the wild beast growl.
Higatami, behind the haedian, hissed and a weird crackling noise was heard from her throat. Her magic was surfacing... Saye smirked: the Zataro had its minutes counted, and the Master was NOT going to see the next dawn.

“Now, Higatami!”

The Empyrian snarled, and the crackling grew in intensity, until a bolt escaped her maws, hitting the Zataro on the shoulder.
The beast roared as its muscles twitched violently and Saye charged, grin on her lips and weapon ready to strike.

The Haedian stabbed the beast on the side of the neck, then jumped back and slashed its front left leg, avoiding for a hair a whisker-stinger.
The Zataro started flagging weirdly, as if it could suddenly feel pain. The Master had nullified their controll magic, probably to prepare themselves to run, seeing their pawn this close to defeat.

Saye growled, angry.

“Coward!”

Higatami flinched, not expecting Saye to scream that to a Zataro, and could only stay silent and still as the Haedian threw her dagger with all her strength, right in the face of the beast.
The dagger sank in the Zataro's left eye, ending its life for good. Saye didn't waste time though: she ran to the fallen beast and retrieved her weapon, sheathing it without wiping off the blood. After all, it wasn't going to stay clean very long.

“Higatami, with me!”

“Aye, captain!”

Higatami laughed, and launched herself in the air, as the Haedian scaled the canyon side with a dexterity possible only with years of training in the rocky Beneath.

“The wolves' Master is trying to escape. Searching for them from a higher ground will be easier.”

Saye explained, as he glided an ran on the smooth rocks. The Haedian glowing eyes burned bright in the night, and the blood on her talons and armour made her look as if she was a vengeful deity descended on Vitalus.

Higatami suddenly turned her head, releasing another spark. The crackling was loud in the night, and a few seconds later a scream was heard.
Saye glided towards the source, a silent snarl on her maw.
There, shot down by Higatami, there was an Empyrian.
He was blood red, with glowing violet eyes. His black teeth were bared in a pained grimace, that turned in a fearful scowl. As the Haedian thought, the Master was truly a coward, hiding behind beasts to wreak havoc without paying the price.

“Tsk...”

“I say it is time for you to give up.” Saye said, with a cold voice.

“Oh? I thought you were going to-”

“I'm going to kill you whatever you fight or yield. It will just be... Quicker.”

The Wolves' Master froze, silent as only a dead being could be. Saye did not need another word, anyway.
The Haedian jumped the monster who killed thirty people, dagger clasped in her talons.
With a single strike, the blood red Empyrian joined his pawns in the afterlife.

Saye and Higatami stood before the dead, for a few minutes. Then, without a single word they departed, leaving the dagger deep in that monster's chest, only the black hilt showing.