Spirit Beast

By late afternoon, Thirteen, still riding his horse with a sore behind, felt the first pangs of hunger for lunch and jumped at the chance to stop.

"It's about time we take a break. It's a good spot too, I can dip into the woods and snatch up something."

"Might as well." Nine replied, looking to the sun.

"I'll come with you, I could use some action" Ten said, directing her horse off the road before dismounting.

"Alright, then we'll leave this lot with you Nine"

Tying his horse to a nearby tree, Thirteen and Ten both went for a walk towards the denser woods, a good minute away.

When they entered, Thirteen's eyes shone subtly as he scanned the surroundings. He was capable of detecting even insects now, though he rarely did, opting to narrow his senses to only those things at least as large as a rat. Not that he wanted anything that small, but it was all useful information.

As they searched, Thirteen found rabbit burrows and considered using some snakes to flush them out, but soon discovered something much more interesting. A large creature quite far from them. It had a great amount of vitality, and was likely a monster or spirit beast. It was rare for these creatures to venture anywhere near the roads, as humans made for harder prey to the former, and had no use to the latter. But this one within Thirteen's vision now was laying on its side, its vitality shining a bright grey, but draining out of it towards one very dark spot on its stomach. The thing was dying of a fatal wound.

Running his thumb down the side of his index finger to summon a longsword, Thirteen attached the sheath to his hip, and spoke to the confused Ten.

"Monster ahead, 600 meters. Badly wounded and dying." With a nod, Ten trained her expression and prepared for anything as they approached.

When he was finally close enough to see the creature, Thirteen was shocked. It was a wolf. One so large it would likely stand taller than 6ft at its shoulders. Its fur was a vibrant green, though it had been darkened by dirt and blood. On its head, the antler's of a deer rose. The creature saw them but didn't lift it's head off the ground, it's bright yellow eyes simply watching them numbly.

All around the creature were carcasses. These too were wolves, but they seemed normal in every aspect. Their jaws as bloody as the monster's, looking as if they had torn that massive hole in the creatures stomach.

Swallowing, Thirteen raised his hands up, showing them empty as he stood straight. Watching the creature blink its eyes slowly and look back to the ground it lay on, Thirteen confirmed something in his mind.

'Not a monster. A spirit beast.' He thought in mild amazement.

Any monster would be filled with venom seeing he and Ten approach it on its deathbed. Only spirit animals possessed wisdom and calm beyond the animal kingdom.

Slowly walking to the head of the wolf, where it could see him clearly, Thirteen drew his sword, watching its reaction. The spirit wolf watched his actions calmly, before slowly closing its eyes.

Breathing in deeply, Thirteen couldn't understand what he felt in that moment. He had killed what he considered plenty of men at the estate. He had been forced to. To not do so proved yourself without use, and that meant having your four years of hard work stripped from you and losing the chance to live a good life. Even if they were no longer tossed to the streets of Beckton, they certainly would never be assigned a promising career.

But looking at this majestic creature now, who so calmly and sadly accepted it's fate, Thirteen couldn't help but feel a type of sorrow he had never felt when killing men. When he first killed a man he felt guilt and self loathing, but this type of sorrow he had never felt before. It was pure melancholy. Such a calm and deep sadness.

Taking a breath, Thirteen readied his sword. He didn't truly know what a creature felt when it's brain was destroyed. He hoped nothing. But to make sure that it happened as swiftly as possible, he called on the great expanse of lifeforce within him, utilising that connection between life and heat that allowed him to chill victims of his withering, and conjured a bright golden flame along his sword. The same flame that burned as the sun, filled with both the incredible life giving properties of day, and the destructive heat of the purest flame.

With one swift action, Thirteen stabbed his longsword through the side of the beasts head, into its brain where that incredibly dominant fire burst out, destroying the entirety of the brain in as close to an instant as Thirteen could manage.

Withdrawing his blade, Thirteen cleaned and sheathed it, whispering his thanks to the creature before turning to Ten.

"Well, let's not waste it. We'll take what we need before the rest of the woods claim what's left."

Ten had an inexplicable expression about her face, but gave a nod as she helped him in harvesting what they needed.

To Thirteen, the lunch that day tasted incredible. He felt a type of contentment in his understanding of exactly where the food had come from, and how it had come to be. He knew that what ate now was that majestic creature, and that while it's death was sad, there was something natural about it.

——

They didn't manage to reach the first village on their list that day, having travelled slower than they expected. Instead they camped off the road for the night, eating what remained of the spirit wolf in addition to some dried meats and preserved foods.

It was noon of the next day when the group finally saw the outline of that first village, however as they had slept on the road and there was still plenty of time left in the day, their plan to stay the night there no longer made sense.

And so, riding straight past the turn off to the village, the three continued their journey, riding faster than the day before to make sure they reached their second stop on time.

When the afternoon entered it's late hours, Thirteen finally found the next village. Riding in close, he noted that it was a quaint little thing with mostly timber buildings and thatch roofs. There were no roads obviously, just the bare ground that alternated between dirty and muddy with the weather.

As the three rode into the village, they stopped by the closest and largest building as it had many posts for them tie their horses, likely a tavern of some kind. After tying the horses they each stopped to take in the surroundings.

There were a few people outside, each looking at them curiously. Thirteen spotted one hearty man that reminded him of a farmer from his own village. A man Thirteen had long forgotten the name of.

"You lads lost?" The man said as he approached.

"No sir, just looking for a place to spend the night." Thirteen replied

"Hmm? You aint got any parents with ya?"

"No sir, just us three."

Thirteen had made sure to keep his sword in the open, at his waist. While he knew from first hand experience that village men and women tended to be kindhearted people with a strong sense of community, he'd also learned in the estate that there are often those in such a community who will exploit the lack of security to do as they pleased. Especially where outsiders were concerned.

"Well, we ain't exactly got an inn, but if ya like I can give ya a place for a night or two."

"Thank you, I'd appreciate it."

"Mm… Don't worry about it. Bring yer steeds, their bags are like to go missin out here."

Thirteen did as the large man said, and followed him with his horse, Ten and Nine in tow. The man they were following was a burly fellow with a prodigious beard and a deep voice. His face was wrinkled, revealing he was likely in his late 50's. Thirteen wouldn't normally have just followed a stranger for a place to stay, not when they obviously seem like easy targets for thieves, but the man gave him a strongly positive feeling. Something in his eyes made Thirteen think of a father.

After a while, the three of them were led to the other side of the town, where a large barn and farmhouse could be found, with fields at its back.

Farming was a risky business nowadays, with the monsters as they are. It was rare for farms founded within the last three centuries to stand by themselves away from settlements, as they made for easy prey. Instead, most villages would have a few fields, while dedicated solitary farms were heavily guarded and supported by the crown.

"Lead ya horses into the barn and follow me into the home. I'll have Tilda cook up something for ya."

After doing as the man instructed, Thirteen, Ten, and Nine kept their main packs with them as they entered the building, unaware that a set of thin eyes watched their backs from the distance.