First Hunt

"Come on." Hazel says as she starts jogging through the trees.

"Umm?" I say looking at the circle. I can find my way back to just about anything but never in dreams. If I turn around in dreams the paths are always gone. I'm scared to move but Hazel is getting aways away now.

I do a short sprint to catch up and match her jog til I'm shortly out of breath.

"Oh dear don't tell me you can't run far." Hazel slows to a walk.

"Cold air... hurts... when I... run..." I say gasping for air. I want my inhaler even though it doesn't really help.

Normally I can run in my dreams with no problem and I know for sure I can easily jump over the trees. I try jumping.

I don't make it very far off the ground. Hazel looks at me funny.

"You alright?" She asks.

"Yea. Just wanted to check something." I reply.

This is starting to feel pretty realistic. The cold is seeping in through my green sweat pants and my black tank top obviously doesn't cover my arms from the cold air. I rub my arms to try to warm them.

"Feeling cold? Don't worry we will be there in a few minutes." Hazel waves her hand in front of her like she was running it over a table top. "Summon map."

A holographic map appears before her. I see a forest of pines, trails and a village. We are walking toward the village.

"See? Be there soon." She leads the way.

Next thing I know we are standing beside a large wooden fence.

"You in there Phil?" Hazel shouts towards the top of the fence.

"Is that?!" A scruffy man with a metal helmet looks over the edge of the fence. "Oh thank heaven it's you!"

I hear his foot steps running down a stair case. He opens a little door in the side of the fence. There stands the short, lightly armored man and he gestures for us to come inside. He locks the door behind us

"I see you have company." He says leading us to into a shack with a firepit.

"Yea, Aba has me training. It's her first day. So where seems to be the problem?" Hazel replies as we warm ourselves by a fire.

"They are to the North they cut off the trade route to the other village. That village can't survive without the lumber trade route bringing them in food." He looks sadly into the fire. "Some young'ns tried taking care of them but ended up...." He trails off. He sniffs back some tears.

"My condolences." Hazel pats his back. "Alright girl, let's get this done before the sun goes down."

Hazel leads the way out of the shack and I follow.

"A-are you sure I'm ready?" I ask.

"Yea you will be fine. The best training is by experience. Besides I'm here with you." She smiles.

"Oh okay." I follow her sheepishly.

We head off on a road going North. Hazel gave me a very suspicious yellow vial to drink to help with running. Said it was a stamina potion. If it smelled like anything other than vanilla I would have had an empty stomach.

"Looks like we are close." Hazel says eyeing an over turned cart. "Let's look for some stragglers."

We find a zombie with a bag on its back stuck on a tree so it can't move. The thing smells awful. I'm use to small amounts of that rotting smell thanks to the dogs rolling on carcasses but this was a lot of smell.

"Alrighty. Best to worst way to kill one is ice mana, headshot or beheading, disassembly, poison mana then lighting mana and fire mana come in last." Hazel explains.

"Mana?" I ask.

"Oh its like magic but you need to figure out the basics without mana. That's because you will run out of it and if you can't fight without mana than what's the point of being called a hunter?" She shrugs and holds her hands out in a matter-o-fact way.

"Ah. So why is lighting and fire last? I would assume fire would be first because it won't leave much left." I questioned her.

"The smell is awful with fire. It just intensifies everything. Lighting literally explodes them so then it's everywhere." She gags. I will guess one exploded on her. "Now hop to slaying it."

"Okay." I raise my spear. Then lower it and reposition. Raise it again. Then lower it.

"Let me help." She walks up behind me her chest to my back. Placing her hands over mine and moving them to a sturdy grip. "Now if you make a cut like this." She motions in front of the zombie where to cut. "That will do the trick but you need to have the strength behind it. They can have tough hides."

She steps back. I do the same motion she did but with not quite enough strength. The second attempt worked though.

"Good now get the one walking toward us." She points over her shoulder. How did she see that? It's being quiet too.

I start walking up toward it and then it starts lounging at me. I take some faulting steps back.

"Come on. You can do this." Hazel almost mockingly encourages me.

I make the cut with all the might I have.

"Good now we have a few more." She turns drawing her bow. There are 5 zombies stumbling toward us. "Multi" her arrow cuts loose and splits into three taking out three of the five.

Wow. I wonder if I can try that. I look down at my spear.

"Multi." I throw my spear. Not only did my spear not multiply. I miss the zombie. By two feet.

"Don't work like that. Get another spear. You're taking care of both of these." 

I pull a spear from the strap on my back. I jab and swing til they both fall.

"Here drink this." She throws another stamina potion at me. She motions to the fifty some zombies stumbling our way.

"We attracted a horde. The best way to deal with these are run then circle around and picking off some stragglers til their numbers are dwindled down." 

She takes off in a run. I swallow the vial's contents and run after her.

How is she so calm? What's worse than getting chased by these things? You know what? I'm going to turn around and they won't be there. That's how my other dreams go.

I turn.

NOPE! Still there! Swearing! So many swear words! So many! 

This isn't a dream?! This? My mind can't think straight.

"Time to circle. You're the one that's going to be taking care of all of these." Hazel laughs.

"WHAT?!" I'm panicking.

I can't do this can I? 

"Survive. You know how." says a male voice faintly in my head. Wait. I recognize this voice. It's that guy. I believe Hazel calls him Aba. Hazel's voice brings me back from my thoughts.

"I won't let you get hurt but you need the experience. Besides the reward is quite a bit of money and I will take you out to eat afterwards to celebrate." Hazel starts circling around.

Money. Food. Two things that I barely had at home. Surviving is all I have there.

I circle with Hazel. I plant my feet firmly with the two fastest zombies coming at me.

"Bring it!" I yell at them.