Hager

In all my lives I have been eaten, beaten and in between was infinitely worse.

But never have I been ridden like a horse, especially with such a gusto.

When I turned to dive into the water he chased after me, leaping onto my back and holding on tight, choking me.

He latched on like my combatives trainer would.

Crossing his legs and arms, he locked himself in.

My struggle was in vain as his arms, wrists and fingers felt like rocks and his legs and ankles are even stronger.

Not an ounce of fat could be felt and his muscles felt like they are growing muscles.

His thin metal chainmail scraped my back and waist, it felt like he is sheering off skin.

I flailed as he choked me while I tried to turn back and released only when I went in the right direction, further into the water.

Slashing my dagger across the arm of the dwarf did nothing but earn me a pinch to the ear.

He leaned forward and his brown hair prickled me.

His armor dug in and scratched me further.

The arms loosened as he leaned forward and pinched both my ears in a cross neck hold.

It felt like someone tore my ears off.

I dove into the water hoping to have the current throw him off but instead I get sweapt and he clings to me, letting go of my ears.

I try and use mana but the pulses coming out of him are made of something resistant, as if it wasn't mana but world energy instead.

Grabbing hold of an underwater root I try and stabilize myself.

With blade in hand I began to grind the tip against his arm, getting nothing but some red aura that pushed against my blade when I punctured the hard skin.

My energy that was once bouncing off began to seep in but all it got me was a strong pinch on my chest and my throat nearly crushed.

I nearly let go of the root and began to wriggle.

He let go as if warning me against anything funny and I quickly began climbing down.

I could hold my breath for ten minutes before I blacked out, at the three minute mark my aura begins to compensate for my lack of oxygen.

Alas I only had so much aura at one time, luckily the other shore wasn't too far away.

The river snaked and we are near a bend.

When we broke water, tendrils of my energy are wrapped around him prying him off of me.

The energy sinks in for a moment before a red wave rippled out followed with what I believed to be world energy.

I scampered off like a wounded critter leaving him behind.

It looked like he wasn't even phased as he breathed steadily while standing up.

'Strong, fast and knows about Valhail.. if I had never seen a human I would swear he is a disfigured Druid' the long bearded dwarf thought to himself.

He kept watching the area I disappeared to and sucked his teeth with a look of contempt on his face.

'And he hides like a damn Sylph' the dwarf thought while turning his head and walking to the left going directly northwest.

As he walked he stopped often to grab a couple fist sized stones.

It looked like he was weighing and measuring them before dropping them or keeping them in hand.

He paused when the sun was rising, inspecting the trees he found the right one and leapt onto the first tree branch with one fluid motion.

Climbing to the top like this he waited until a passing bird the size of bald eagle with a seven foot wingspan flew overhead.

It was the early bird ready to catch its prey.

While he waited on the tree top he grinded the stones against each other fashioning himself a small knives out of stones.

The branch was used to make a makeshift handle and fibrous leaves tied it all together

His arm flickered and the stone in hand was flung hard and fast towards the low flying beast.

It was gliding low ready to make the first kill.

The beast was struck right in the head and the hungry druid sprinted to the location where it was falling.

As soon as he reaches it the makeshift blade is stabbed into the thin neck repeatedly.

The large brown and white feathered bird bleeding out attracted all sorts of different creatures.

Oddly they looked like they didn't notice the druid gutting it.

"Stop staring at me boy, lend me yer blade and this work will be done faster".

I have been following him from the shadows, far enough to run but close enough to watch him.

He is a natural deterrent for Oskana and headed in the same direction, I would be a fool to leave his area of protection.

I would be a greater fool to hand my blade to someone else.

I stay where I am perched on a lower branch some ten yards away watching the blood roll to the soil.

"Stinking humans, putrid smells and cowardly stomachs" the insults began to roll out of his mouth.

"Yer ancestors did the same, following us around the spine with their pride between their loins, flattering us and expecting ta be fed".

He twisted the neck swiftly wrenching the head off and slicing across left over tendons with the makeshift knife.

"Don't make me come and take it from ya boy"

"If you make me run now I swear to Ooins eye I will skin yer hide before I take the blade ".

His voice rang with mana at the end making me bend my knees, it sounded as if he was right next to me.

I fell lightly to the ground, barely kicking up the dust and approached with arms by my side, hanging loose next to the daggers.

"No need, I can't give you the blade but I will skin the bird".

"Bah, you humans eat the beans that sprout out of the shit on the ground"

"You will do nothing but spoil my meat" he grumbled while breaking joints to make it easier to cut.

"Your not going to bleed it"?

"Bleed it"?

"Are ya daft boy, don't ya see it bleeding already"?

"No I meant drain the blood".

"Why would I do that"?

His proud ignorance stunned me.

I didn't answer and approached casually, kneeling down next to the carcass.

Seven quick successive swipes with my dagger and it was returned to its leather sheath.

The top of the neck, wings and legs are all separated along with a clean cut starting at top of the body going down.

Deep enough to expose the insides but clean enough to not damage organs.

"Not bad boy, what's yer name"? he asked while grabbing the thick legs and placing them behind himself.

His rough calloused hands dug into the body.

"Ambrose".

"That is the dumbest name I have ever heard in mine life" he said flatly while taking out the heart and innards tenderly.

"Thank you" I bowed, the three foot wing held in one hand as I slowly moved back.

"I am Hager of House Otr" he said standing up proudly and wiping his palm on the feathery hide.

'Different race same House structure...' I pondered while getting a good distance from him as he inspected me.

My once white clothes are now so brown they could be considered black.

The clothing itself was made with a material that didn't degrade with mana usage like other woven fabric.

Usually the exception is leather and clothing made by hides which is why Isla and I opted to wear that instead, everything else would begin to tear quickly.

Hager inspected me up and down slowly wondering where such an anomaly can come from.

"Your not from Nuwai are you"?

"What is a Nuwai"?

"It's a human settlement at the mountains base, they found some habitable land and proclaim themselves the piss lords of shit mountain".

I grew curious stopping a good distance away and sitting cross legged.

I begin to pluck the feathers while thinking of this Nuwai.

"I come from Luca, in the east" I muttered.

"Ha stop lying boy, the field of death is no place for a child" .

His chuckle was deep and baritone and his hands moved as swiftly as mine to remove the feathers from the prey.

"More than once yer kind tried to hunt us down like the beasts of the land" he smiled as if remembering a fond memory.

"Yer lucky I didn't take yer throat out the moment I laid eyes on ya"

"Good to know" I muttered.

"What are ya anyways? Ya move like a grown druid and yer as strong as our younglings"

"And the way you use mana is just... strange".

"How is it strange"? I asked wondering what an elf was.

"It's like all tha mana in the world is comin ta ya" I shrugged off his observation.

It was probably a mix of having two mana cores and Ava.

Every time I passed an area dense in mana the world energy would drift towards me as I breathed.

Also I practiced my breathing technique constantly since birth.

It was a simple yet effective method, breath in as long as I can and breath out even longer.

As time went on I do this unconsciously even in my 'sleep'.

"Your strange as well, how can you release pure mana that way"?

"Because of my aura, we druids are born with thick aura"

I wasn't expecting such a straight forward answer and was slightly taken aback.

"Tell me of these visions of Valhail ya dreamt of" he said it nonchalantly but I can see his hands slowing in the work he was doing.

I also slowed my hands thinking of what and how much to tell him.

"It was a place where figures fought without dying, endlessly"

He nodded a glitter in his eye, "Aye that be Valhail boy, did ya see anything else"?

"No" I replied, the simpler the lie the more believable.

But his reaction gave me chills.

My obsession with finding out what was wrong with me began to surface and the itch to break into his mind and find the answers gnawed at me.

"Is Ooin your god"? I asked and he 'tsked' shaking his head.

"All these gods are nothing more than stories wrote in dung, Ooin is the king of all Druids"

"You say that like he is still alive" he nodded and my heart palpitated.

"Does he have any children"?

"No none, He is the oldest of Borr and Bestias children the lone king selflessly staying in this world to lead the druids"

"Soon he will ascend to the haven above and reunite with his family".

"I thought you went to Vahail when you die" he laughed at words.

"No boy, he will not die King Ooin will ascend to the Immortal Realm".

"What is the 'Immortal Realm'" I asked while slicing into the bare skin of the beasts wing.

I skinned it deep and Hager looked at me like I was wasting precious meat.

I didn't give a damn and continued with my work.

"That's none of yer concern, if yer meant to know ya will".

I shrugged and didn't concern myself with it, I was lucky he told me all he did already.

"How did you end up in the river"? I asked.

A look of grief briefly came over his face before it hardened into the scowl he wore since he took a good look at me under the moonlight.

"It was Oskana, that vile flying snake" his anger made a ripple of red energy appear.

"Why is it hunting you" I asked.

He looked at me confused, "Hunting me? No boy my kind are the ones hunting".