The Hunters and the Hunted

What was life, if not an assortment of regrets? A monument to agony and despair? Numerous questions like these rushed through Reed's mind as he desperately ran away from a horde of unrelenting monstrosities. The crafty beasts, known as Reel Fishers, kept up with the youth as he tore through a raging blizzard at breakneck speed.

These persistent hunters looked like grotesque, malformed arachnids that belonged in a nightmarish realm; their irregular appendages and crooked mandibles made them horrifying to look at. They were one of the North's apex predators, silent creatures that ruled the night. It went without saying it'd been eons since they acclimated to the brutal conditions of the frozen wastelands.

Most were over two meters in length and all of them possessed perfect vision even in the blackest of nights. In response to the conditions of their natural environment, they had all been born with modified cuticles that had special hairs — they reflected light — giving them a pure-white appearance. They effortlessly blended into the wintry landscapes of the North when they hunted. The damnable creatures could even adjust their exterior exoskeleton's pigmentation on the go if required.

Unsurprisingly, because of this unique trait, Reel Fisher hair was a precious commodity. It was a classic staple in high-end fashion because of its light-refracting properties. Even militaries used it in specialized combat gear — the type used in reconnaissance operations.

Reed turned around and counted at least three dozen of them before he looked away. Each one of them had no trouble keeping up with his blistering 80 km/h pace. The goddamned bastards didn't even look the slightest bit tired as they followed in silent pursuit. He gritted his teeth and continued running towards the designated rendezvous point.

"This isn't fucking fair!" he protested, but his grievances would reach no one inside the terrible snowstorm. He cursed his teammates with a litany of obscenities that would make even sailors blush as he sped towards an open plain in the distance. That was the location they'd agreed upon for their planned ambush.

Apparently, it was the newbie's role to act as the bait, so either Reed or Lu'um would have to play the role of the rabbit and 'guide' the Reel Fishers over to a vacant plain where they'd be far easier to kill.

Of course, Astrid and Ophelia played the 'man card' on Reed — a man should deal with the heavy lifting — that making Lu'um act as bait would be far too harsh on the poor maiden. Astor, Horatio, and Sebastian chose a rather opportune occasion to keep their mouths shut, thought Reed, almost as if they had been waiting to judge him.

Reed, who'd been pressured by his so-called 'friends' ended up with the role as expected. He kept his bitter feelings in his bosom and swore vengeance upon his companions, especially his would-be brothers, who had coldly abandoned him.

Astrid explained that fighting them inside of the forest, where they lived, was an absolute death sentence, so the rabbit-lure plan was the best method of dealing with them.

He thought otherwise; if it was up to him, he would have already incinerated the entire forest into ashes, consequences be damned. Dark thoughts swirled inside his head as he contemplated the idea in theory. Reed was more than capable of unleashing enough power to obliterate almost anything that stood in his way, he just wasn't sure if he could do it in a legal sense.

Who owned the forest? If he razed it down to the ground, would they hold him accountable for its destruction? God forbid the government fined him, or worse, forced him to pay compensatory damages. Otherwise, he would have started an indiscriminate slaughter already.

When Reed finally made it out into the field, their unified attack commenced. Astor and Astrid popped out under a thick layer of snow and immediately conjured up a gigantic stretch of serrated spikes that covered the empty field, impaling a few unlucky Reel Fishers that had not reacted fast enough at the time.

The jagged spikes that shot up from the ground also served as a speed trap, ensuring them a modicum of safety against the nimble, unpredictable creatures. Restricting their ability to move was priority one for the team.

Sebastian and Horatio followed upon their attack and called forth a fierce storm of sharp, frozen icicles in the shape of arrows that hurtled towards them at subsonic speeds. They could have launched their barrage of arrows at supersonic velocity for greater effect but did not. Making too much noise out here in the wildlands was a bad idea.

If they made too much of a racket, it'd likely attract the attention of even more Reel Fishers, or something even worse. Many dangerous creatures lived out in the uncivilized areas of the continent. It was in the team's best intentions to remain as low key as possible.

It didn't matter in the end as the downpour of vicious arrows nailed their targets. They quickly stuffed all remaining Reel Fishers with holes. The creatures slumped onto the ground before they could even recognize what had happened to them. It couldn't even be called a battle; It was a straight-up massacre.

Reed gaped as he gazed upon the field of twitching bodies and let out a long whistle in awe and respect.

In the span of a half-minute, they had shredded roughly three dozen Reel Fishers into pieces. More than anything, it spoke volumes about the level of coordination that existed within the team, Reed mused.

He noticed that the way they moved was especially efficient; they operated without a hint of hesitation. Their attacks were polished and merciless; the way they attacked was impressive, at least in his opinion.

"They certainly haven't been fooling around for the last three months," Reed thought. He didn't even have to participate in the fight himself; they took care of it all themselves. He also noticed that Lu'um and Ophelia didn't take part in the fight. Where'd they gone?

"Hey, where are the other two? I don't see 'em around here," asked Reed. He couldn't detect them even after scanning for their thermal signatures as he channeled Anima into his eyes.

"They aren't here," replied Astor as he smirked at Reed. "Why? Concerned about your little lady friend, bud?" He snickered in contempt until Astrid landed a solid blow on his solar plexus. Astor keeled over in agony and gasped as he rolled over in the snow.

"Maya and Ophelia are over there," Astrid said. She pointed at an obscure hill two kilometers away from them. "We have them over there as backups — they have an elevated position and can provide additional firing support if required."

Astor feebly coughed and added, "They're in charge of long-range attacks, essentially. Need a couple of sharpshooters to cover our back in case a fight ever goes south as improbable as it may be. Gotta cover all our bases in a life-or-death fight, no? It also doesn't hurt having some hidden cards on the field, too..."

A well-oiled machine. Everyone had a pre-defined role in the team. No disputes or conflict when it came to team composition. It was clear that Astor and Astrid shared the leadership role and commanded the rest of the team.

That was great but where did he and Lu'um fall into the squad, task-wise? Reed felt... an awkward lurch in his stomach when he thought about it.

A week and several missions later, Reed and the group finally returned to the spire for some much-needed R&R. Over the course of that short week, they'd cleared out several Reel Fisher nests and had culled their numbers as requested.

He obtained a hefty paycheck at the end of it all. For every Reel Fisher kill they confirmed with their tomes, they earned hard cash in compensation for their 'services'. Reed stared at the six-figure sum that his tome showed him and felt a speck of joy.

1,779,987 Universal Credits. A modest fortune in the hands of a mortal, but for the likes of contenders and conquerors, it amounted to nothing.

It still was a tremendous sum of money for a single week's worth of labor, at least for Reed. He scrolled through the nexus and found out that he could even afford a nice home in some of the more rural counties of the empire.

Most homes in the smaller towns ran for under a million credits. The closer one got to the larger cities, the higher the numbers would climb.

He felt a cold sweat form on his hands as he looked at the houses open for sale near the northern capital, Almdalir. The number of zeroes on the price tag seemed to stretch on forever and an overwhelming feeling of despair washed over him.

If an average home cost that much in the northern capital, what did that say of its occupants? Furthermore, what did it speak of when it came to the royal family and noble houses that lived there?

Reed realized what it meant and shuddered in fright. Such wealth and by extension, power, did not come into one's possession on the drop of a hat...

Butchers lived there; the ruthless and ambitious lived in that city, he concluded. He'd run back into the forest before he ever bought a house in the capital, he swore to himself.

Reed laid on his bed and closed his eyes for a moment. He was about to reflect on the events of the past week, but someone entered his room unannounced. He didn't need to open his eyes to know who it was. He knew.

"I came over because I felt some apprehension in your heart," she declared as she sauntered over to the youth's bed.

Reed rolled over on his bed and coiled up like a pill bug, ticked off with her usual supernatural perception. He groaned. "Don't even start. I'm not interested in having you read my heart at the moment, thanks," he said.

She snatched Reed's pillow and flung herself on the bed. "Are you certain about that, Ka'an? You and I both know that this will not last for long if you do not address it by the next time we leave for work. It's awfully clear that the issue needs to be taken care of here and now, while the time is ripe."

He kept quiet and did not respond. He didn't want to face the facts. Doing that would mean that he'd have to deal with the issue head-on and then things would get complicated.

Reed liked his friends and didn't want to rock the boat. They were his first friends ever, period.

"I understand that Ka'an, but even so, you must dea-"

"Enough!" Reed firmly bellowed out. Lu'um sighed and kept her silence, as he had demanded.

She was about to speak up again, but something told her not to do it. Sometimes, one had to learn from experience, even if it meant getting hurt.

Painful lessons were a part of life. Lu'um understood that too much coddling would ruin him. She could not allow him to develop a fragile, feeble heart.

She held back even though she still wanted to talk. "Let it be," she thought to herself.

The pair eventually fell asleep after a long bout of silence. They were both tired from their work.

Neither of them dreamt that night.

The three moons in the glittering sky silently watched over the pair, unbeknownst to them.