Damage

The horses were skittish at first when Leon approached them, but after a short time of riding, they became comfortable with their new riders, easing into a smooth gallop.

The saddlebags were bulging with the items the two had brought with them, swaying against the horses’ sides as they sauntered away from the stables.

Leon felt relieved with the deal he had struck with the stablehand he knew, glad he had found time to make connections in the short time he had spent in this city. He managed to keep over half of his savings even though he purchased two horses.

However, the stress from earlier still weighed heavily on his mind, and he was unable to ignore the fear that the Hunters instilled into him. Due to his elevated emotions, the mana contained in the sigil drained much faster, and he could feel the power running thin despite only being a couple of hours since the last time he refreshed it.

Sera always happened to look at him when he touched it, and he couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable when refreshing it with his mana.

Sera, eyeing him when he refreshed it, asked, “What is that?” She waited impatiently for an answer, “That metal thing hanging from your belt.”

Leon picked it up in his palm without detaching it, showing it to her. “It's a magic item, gifted to me by my parents.”

“It’s pretty, your parents have good taste.”

“Yeah…”

Leon looked at the sigil, tracing his fingers along the engravings on it. The design was very delicate, two twin foxes mirrored, appearing as if chasing each other’s tails.

This is the sole gift my parents gave to me before they died, the last remaining heirloom of my village.

Leon let go of the sigil, letting it swing back to his belt.

“What kind of magic?”

Leon stuttered, unsure of what to tell her. He couldn’t reveal his identity to her yet, uncertain of how she would react. Her reaction might even cause her to want to leave him, which would inevitably end in his death.

“It’s a concealment spell,” Leon said, twisting the truth into a half-lie, “It muffles my presence, keeping prying eyes from looking my way. My parents gave it to me since I had a habit of getting into trouble.”

It wasn’t entirely true, but the story was feasible enough for Sera to accept. She pulled her attention back to the road ahead, scratching at the mark on her shoulder through her cloak.

Leon kept himself from sighing a breath of relief, thankful she didn’t ask more about it.

I observed three cloaked figures swiftly making their way from the town behind them, an intent of bloodlust poisoning the air around them. They were getting too close to Leon!

I used the wind to carry the scent of bloodlust, mixed with leather and steel. The breeze rushed by and reached Leon’s senses. Instantly, his body stiffened from the smell. Good.

I’ll keep watching. For now, that is enough.

Leon’s head whipped around to look back, the pungent smell of bloodlust tainting his nose. He couldn’t see any movement behind them, but his senses knew they were being followed; that was the smell of Hunters.

He kicked his horse, increasing his speed, quickly passing Sera.

“Sera, speed up!”

Sera matched his speed, looking back, but she saw nothing under the canopy of trees and the darkness of night.

“What’s going on? Are we in trouble?” She hurriedly asked.

“We’re being followed by something dangerous, I can sense it.”

Sera flashed a confused look, unsure of how to respond. Instead, she focused on riding faster through the forest trails, increasing the distance between them and the city.

The horses’ hooves kicked up large clouds of dust behind them, winding through the forest path at an intense pace. The lantern on Sera’s horse swung wildly, illuminating only a small portion of the trail.

The trees flew by in a blur, and any animals hiding in the forest nearby darted away from the noise.

Leon could still smell the bloodlust wafting in the air, his fear growing.

The trees began to spread thin, a large clearing revealing itself through the treeline. Leon could see a few creatures in the darkened meadow, drinking water from a creek that bordered parts of the trail. Bats flew around in the air, catching bugs.

The scene would have been serene for him had the smell of bloodlust not grown stronger.

At this rate, the Hunters will catch up to us. I was hoping to outrun them, but it doesn’t seem that’s a possibility anymore.

Leon pulled on the reins, slowing the horse down ahead of Sera. She slowed her own pace and pulled next to him, trying to look him in the eyes through the darkness, her lantern barely illuminating his features.

His face looked hardened, his eyebrows tightened, and his lip was trembling slightly.

Sera’s heart began to beat faster, trying to look back down the path they came through, but she could still barely see through the dark, the moon dimly illuminating the ground.

“Are we going to have to fight?” She asked, her lips trembling in anticipation and fear.

Leon just nodded, climbing off his horse and leaving it next to the creek.

“What is following us?”

“You don’t have to worry, I’ll take care of it.” Leon flashed a weak smile as he walked back down the path. “I’ve got fire magic after all.”

Sera got off her horse, standing under a tree as she watched Leon’s silhouette disappear into the night. Her hand gripped the knife at her waist tightly.

Leon crouched behind a clump of shrubbery, his eyes staring unwaveringly at the treeline they had passed through. He could feel the fear bubbling inside him, breathing deeply, trying to turn it into concentration.

He hid there for several minutes, the time passing by slowly. His attention was never distracted from the treeline, the bloodlust still intoxicating the air and his senses.

I hoped I would never have to see Hunters again, much less fight them. Guess I can’t hide from them forever. As much as I have prepared myself for this moment, I still can’t help but feel scared.

He continued to scan the treeline, his body temperature rising by the second, heat beginning to radiate the air around him.

Woosh! Two shadowed silhouettes flew out from the trees at an unnatural speed, the grass around them making waves from the wind they created.

Leon gritted his teeth, both his fists clenched as they began to turn red from the heat he generated.

They followed the same trail, speeding faster than the horses he had ridden on. He lay in wait, tensing his legs in preparation to get the jump on them.

Just as they were about to pass, Leon jumped forward into the path, blocking their way as he recoiled his fist back.

The cloaked figure not in Leon’s path reacted instantly, dashing away off the trail. The other was not so lucky, unable to react in time as Leon used his full force, swinging his fist directly into their face.

Thud! Their body reversed velocity, flipping backwards from the impact and tumbling to a stop in the shallow creek.

“You!”

The voice reverberated in Leon’s skull, his attention drawn to the figure that yelled. Their hood had been pulled off, a scowl painted on their face as they stared down at Leon.

His stature was tall, much taller than Leon's, yet not a large man. Black paint seemed to be splattered on his lips, staining purple down his chin. He wore a black cloak, signifying his allegiance with the Hunters.

Leon wasted no time, leaping off the ground into the air towards him, his leg catching fire as he drew it back.

“Fall!”

The air vibrated again, and Leon swung his leg at the man but instead lost his balance, crashing to the ground.

Leon seethed through his clenched teeth, pushing himself back to his feet. The man backed away out of his range, still scowling brutally at him.

He lunged at the man again, darting across the ground, preparing to deliver a devastating kick.

“Trip!”

Leon’s ears were assaulted from point-blank range, the voice damaging his hearing momentarily as he lost his coordination. His other foot jammed into the ground, sending his body hurtling forward out of control.

His sense of hearing was damaged, but Leon instinctively relied even more heavily on his other senses.

Mid-air, he allowed his body to flip upside down, planting his hand on the ground as he looked at the Hunter.

He hasn’t moved yet, he’s wide open!

Leon twisted his body and propelled himself off the ground directly towards the Hunter.

Just as the Hunter prepared to move away, the sole of Leon’s foot, enflamed, connected with the Hunter’s chest, sending him backwards onto the ground.

The Hunter groaned on the ground, trying to recover breath in his lungs.

Leon stood tall and walked up to the man, seething with rage. The air around him sizzled, flames spouting from his body at random.

“Please-” The man groaned without air. “Help!” He cried.

The air vibrated ever so slightly.

Leon didn’t care; he couldn’t have them follow him any longer. He would have to check on the other Hunter he punched earlier after taking care of this one.

He lifted his foot into the air above the man’s head.

Bam!

Leon flew backward across the meadow, landing on his back. His chest flared in pain, but Leon tried to ignore it as he stood up, looking back across the field.

Another Hunter. Three against one, I don’t like my odds.

Leon created foxflames in his hand, pressing one to his chest as he searched for the Hunter that sent him flying.

There, he spotted a woman in a Hunter’s cloak tending to the one he had just wounded. I can’t let him be healed! I have to hurry!

Leaping across the fields, despite the burning of his ribs, Leon charged directly towards the new Hunter.

Leon roared, quickly approaching her.

She didn’t try to dodge. Only one of her gloved hands raised. A flash of red, she flicked something at him.

Leon felt something shoot into his right arm, numbing and sharp pain inflaming his senses. He collapsed, the pain assaulting him.

“You seem a bit overqualified for a simple Tracker. Just who are you?” The woman said, swooping her blonde hair back with her arm, revealing a blindfold that covered her eyes. Glowing symbols wrapped around the cloth, seemingly floating off the surface.

Leon’s arm bled profusely from the new hole, and he immediately summoned more foxflames to close the wound. He gritted through the searing sensation.

“What’s this? Healing flames too? Aren’t you special?”

Leon staggered back to his feet, settling into a fighting stance.

“Hey, Mute.” She positioned herself next to the Hunter, his body lying incapacitated on the ground. She pointed at him with her hand, a needle-like bullet firing into his leg.

“Aghh!” He screamed, the air shaking violently.

“Wake up Tank, if you want to live.”

He nodded meekly as she retracted her hand, facing Leon once again.

“Tank!” The air vibrated, “Wake up!”

That must be the first one I attacked. I can’t let them gain the upper hand so easily!

Leon launched at the woman again, she sent the same needle-like projectiles at him, and he dodged to the side, retreating. He then tried it once more with the same results.

“You look like you’re holding back, why don’t you let me see your potential? It’s very rude of you.” The female Hunter teased. She raised both her hands, red flickers of light spreading into the air, and sent a shower of needles down towards Leon.

He barely jumped out of the way, the dust from the damage clouding the air around him.

Prepping himself for another attack, Leon brought his heat level up again, the dust dissipating around him.

“Thanks for the nap, I really needed that.”

Leon looked behind him, seeing a hulking figure standing directly next to him.

Leon swung his leg, kicking the man with all his strength.

The man slid back a few feet, looking down at Leon.

“You’re going to have to do better than that if you want to hurt me.” Tank said, sending a punch at Leon’s head.

Leon barely blocked his head with his forearms in time, but was still knocked backwards with inhuman strength.

He tumbled backwards, crossing an insane distance of the meadow, rolling to a brutal stop. He layed there, unmoving and near unbearable pain. Both of his forearms were broken, unable to help him get up.

Summoning as much courage as he could, he sat up, applying foxflames to his broken arms, trying to ease the pain.

His eyes drifted up, searching for where the Hunters were. But he didn’t see the Hunters, instead, Sera was kneeling next to him.

“Leon?” she cried, tears pouring from her eyes. She looked devastated, her eyes screaming for some kind of help.

I can’t help right now. What kind of freaks are these Hunters?

“I’ll be okay. I just need a few minutes to recover.” He said.

Boom! A rock landed a distance ahead of them, shattering against the impact of the ground.

Leon clambered onto one knee, trying to stand.

“Leon-” Sera said, looking at him, “I’m sorry I got you into this mess.”

Leon couldn’t do anything but look helplessly as she turned away and began walking towards the Hunters.

“No! They’ll kill you!” He cried out.

“It’s my turn to help now, so heal up while you can.”

Leon tried to chase after her, but only collapsed to his knees again, his arms hanging uselessly.

Leon watched as Tank jumped and landed in front of Sera.

“Aren’t you a cutie. Too bad you’re already dead.”

“That’s not going to happen.”

Sera looked up with scary confidence, staring Tank right in the eyes.

“How infuriating.”

Tank charged his fist back, preparing to punch Sera.

Leon watched in horror, remembering how helpless he was when his parents died, reliving the moment again.

“NO-”

As Tank swung his fist, Leon’s body was inflicted with a lightning-like shock. He could feel his mana disappearing at an alarming rate. The mark on his shoulder burned as he stared back up at Sera.

Her body was glowing, her fists placed together as she shot them forward in a punch. With a blinding glow of white, Tank, who was about to pummel her, was sent hurdling through the air at insane speed.

Sera looked at her hands, then back at Leon. Her mouth was agape, then closed with a newfound determination in her eyes as she confidently walked towards the other Hunters in the distance.