The Fearless War

The Winter Hunt

POV Osbert Wolfric

I opened my eyes but there was no one there, I couldn't see who had woken me up, I tried to get up from the bed where I was and realized that I was still in the workshop.

The door opened and I saw uncle Miles enter the room, he looked like he had been working for days, his face was full of sweat and he couldn't catch his breath. He carried in his hand a box of medicine and a bag that seemed to have something oily inside, there was a smell of meat in the air.

"What happened while I was knocked out uncle?"

"Not much, I'll tell you later, now concentrate on eating a little, your body will try to get energy to close your wounds."

Hearing that, my eyes went to my previous wounds and running my hand over them, I noticed they were closed, and no wound could be felt. I tore off the bandages on me and confirmed my suspicions, I did not have any holes where the arrows had pierced me.

"Uncle Miles ... May I ask what did you do now?"

"Well Oz, the truth is I gave you some elixirs of ... "

"Elixirs?! Where the f**k did you get them?"

An elixir could be made from various magically charged materials, it was possible for one of high quality to even close fatal wounds and recover lost parts. So, it was obvious my concern of where and what quality my uncle had used.

"Well, you know, from some nobles who wanted me to make them swords for ceremonies or other things like that."

"Uh-huh, and what quality are they?"

"I don't remember exactly ... "

"They were turquoise blue?" Without realizing it I was holding a box of needles in my hand with the intention of throwing the contents toward my uncle.

"I don't think so, they were darker like a deep blue."

"You used the highest quality?!" I threw several medical needles and Uncle Miles dodged them with no problem, except for one that stuck in his clothes.

"What, you want your parents to find out about your injuries?"

"And whose fault is it to put arrows to hunt monsters and blind all my senses!"

"Well you wanted to learn fast, what faster than to feel death head on?" as he tried to defend his point uncle Miles pulled out the needles stuck in his clothes and left the food on the table.

"I'll give you that point, ah..."

"Besides I've got about 10 boxes full of it left."

"What?!" I tossed the remaining box in my hand and uncle caught it in mid-air with no problem.

"Yes, and of wound ointments I have 15 boxes."

"You mean the capital's golden ointment for closing wounds and generating new skin?"

"Those same ones, when I mentioned to some nobles that after making decorative or ceremonial swords my hands couldn't work for a week they sent me a whole shipment."

"Being that you work weeks without a break and your hands are metal at this point how could you possibly need rest?"

"You don't know everything about me, Oz."

"I don't think anyone knows anything about you uncle."

"Don't get smart, now eat before this meal gets any colder. I am going down to the forge again."

"Ok, thanks..."

"Huh? Thanks for what?"

"For everything, for helping me and supporting me." I meant it honestly if it wasn't for his help I wouldn't even be able to train, even if his methods are crazy and he takes everything to an extreme, uncle miles had always been helpful.

"Don't worry about that, now eat so you can go get some rest, it's almost dark."

Uncle Miles walked out of the room leaving me alone and my stomach rumbled like a wild beast. I unwrapped the food and as I thought, it was meat but its taste I could not identify it, it was a strong flavor and it filled me with energy, when I felt a bone, I knew what animal it was from.

It was bear meat, something rare in these parts, only available in winter when the blood bears came out of their dens. They were bear-like monsters but with longer arms and fangs protruding from their mouths. They were usually hunted before they were fully awake.

Finishing the meat, I left everything where it was and removed the last bandages from my body, there was no wound and my muscles did not feel atrophied, it was as if there were new ones in place.

I left a note on the table saying I was going home and would be back the next day. I changed my clothes for bloodless ones and put the old ones in a bag.

"Goodbye uncle Miles!" I walked out of the shop as I shouted my goodbye but the only response, I got was a hammer against metal, a sign that he was at work.

On the way home I buried the bloody clothes next to a tree to keep my family from seeing them, I did not have much choice but otherwise they would have noticed the blood, more so with my sister's hunter's nose.

"I'm home."

There was only my dad drinking beer from his brew, he only made enough for himself, so he drank it without anyone else in the family seeing him.

"Hey oz, how was your first day?"

"Not bad, just a little tired, tomorrow I think it will be the same."

"I don't think so young man."

"Why?"

"Tomorrow we have to prepare for the annual hunt, so you'll only be able to work half a day."

"Are we already at that time?"

"Yep, we need to get out and hunt those red bears before they wake up."

My father's words stayed with me throughout the night, it was not uncommon to go hunting a little before or after each season, but he had never told me to participate. I didn't know his reason behind his initiative to include me, but I had to be careful that he wouldn't see anything unusual.

To get those feelings of doubt out I started reading the notebook and after the reading of [The Soldier with Two Swords] I found a handwritten note between two sheets, it was Grandpa's handwriting and it read.

'To Oz, I am writing this message to give you some advice, if you already chose a fighting technique, don't try to use more, not that I don't want you to be strong, but it is better to have one sharp spear than a hundred blunt sticks.'

"You're still teaching the family heh?" I couldn't help but throw out a comment but it was because it reminded me of when I talked to him, he always said analogies with weapons or animals, a way of speaking from someone who had lived through it all.

I closed the notebook thinking about what that note said, I had not noticed it until that moment, but I managed to understand what it said, besides I had already made the decision to practice with two swords, of all the stories of battles in the notebook, the one that caught my attention from the beginning was that one. So I would have no problem without practicing another offensive technique, but I had to continue acquiring knowledge in other areas.

I put the notebook away and went to sleep, that night I dreamed again with the tower in the clearing, I was in the room of the other time, but it was empty and I could not move, I focused on analyzing the golem movements of the previous floor to prepare for what would follow. Around the room I was in, was the box I had opened, but from where I was standing, I could see that it was empty. At that moment I felt a vibration in my hands and my vision went black and then I opened my dream eyes.

I woke up seeing a shadow behind me, when I turned my head, I saw that it was Eve, she had a meat mallet in her hand and when she noticed that I saw her she hid it by throwing it across the hallway. I got up from my bed and checked what had happened, I had never felt that before, it was as if my body felt it had to wake up.

"You want to tell me what you were doing with a mallet in my room?"

"What mallet? You sure are still half asleep Oz."

"Whatever, just let me hurry up, I have to work twice as hard today."

"Yeah that's right, you have to get ready for the night too."

"So you already know eh?"

"Yeah, you're going with us on the hunt this year, it's the first time since you were a kid right?"

"I think we both know that."

"Don't worry too much, father just wants you to help out a little."

With that Eve left the room and I hurried to get ready. I had to hurry if I wanted to train at least a little that day, so I brought breakfast to eat in the workshop, before I left my father reminded me to ask Uncle Miles for a bow or crossbow to use in the evening.

Arriving at the workshop I was relaxed to see smoke coming out of the forge, I entered through the front and found the uncle on the floor with a metal pliers between his arms, his face was full of soot, and he seemed to be passed out. I grabbed the pliers and dropped them on his head, but the only sound that came was the sound of the tool hitting the floor.

"Already awake Uncle Miles?"

"Don't think you can wake people up like that all the time Oz."

"Well, I'm not here to reproach you for your sleeping habits, but at least try to improve them a little."

"Don't say that to me if I hear from my brother that lately your sister has had to wake you up."

"Ah, about that I wanted to ask you something Uncle Miles. Is there a technique from the notebook where you can sense danger?"

"What, I don't think I've read it but the thing about me is that I'm always vigilant, it's not like I feel the attacks, why do you ask?"

"Not much, it's just that today I felt something in my arms and woke up only to see my sister with a meat mallet in her hand."

"What did you feel?" was it like a physical sensation or something like an instinct?"

"I'm not sure uncle, that's why I'm asking you."

"Well, I don't know what that is, that's two weird things with this one .... "

"Two?" His last comment seemed to have been meant for him alone but something made me uneasy about it.

"Don't worry, are you going to train again?"

"Yes, I can only do half a day, Father wants to include me in the hunt today."

"Oh, it's about that time then."

"Yeah, by the way I'll need a bow and a few arrows for the evening."

"I'll prepare a hunting pack for you while you train, you just concentrate on getting no injuries today."

"Sure, I don't want my body to have to consume another elixir equivalent to its weight in gold again."

"Don't worry about that, now get inside, your swords are repaired and in the room."

"Thank you", I went down to the basement to train a little, I was focused on getting out faster and without injuries, I had to master the technique as soon as possible.

When I got to the basement room I saw the swords leaning against the door, I held them again but for some reason they felt different, a little lighter but I didn't think anything of it. The door closed like the previous time and I got ready, the hiss of the first arrow was minor, it was camouflaged by a bigger noise, it was as if someone was scratching metal.

I stopped the arrows without problem and in order to better practice the movements of the swords, I dedicated myself to cut or deflect them instead of turning off the mechanism, I was waiting for the gases to arrive to force my senses to work together. It wasn't long before that and I stopped hearing the incoming arrows, instead my right sword collided with something more solid, it suddenly became heavy and with the glint of the black metal I saw how it was on the blade a metal sickle and a chain tying it to the wall.

Despite the intensity with which my senses were working I could not feel the change of projectile instantly, to the environment came a new sound, they were chains so I quickly bent down and cut the chain that tied my sword.I relentlessly cut the chains of the following sickles and although I could avoid direct hits, the cut chains and flying blades cut my arms.

At that moment I decided to start stopping the mechanisms again and followed the pattern of the previous time, increasing the speed of my thrusts and cuts I wrapped several chains around my left arm and used it to block the projectiles raining down on me to disable the wall. I continued like this for a while until I deactivated all four walls, by which time my arm was numb and with more cuts than anything else.

The door opened and Uncle Miles was waiting for me outside with the medicine and elixirs to heal my wounds, I untied the chains from my arm and left the swords by the door.

"How did you do Oz?"

"I don't know if you're saying that out of sarcasm or for real uncle."

"What, you didn't like the harvest? hehe."

"Just give me the elixir please."

"Okay, here you go."

As I opened the glass bottle he offered me, an aroma of metals flooded my nose it seemed my senses were still sharpened, as I drank the contents of the elixir my skin burned as it grew hotter and hotter and after a while of discomfort my wounds began to close as blue smoke came out of them.

"It's better when you're passed out so don't worry about the pain, I'm going to the kitchen for more meat, if there are any more wounds left use this."

Following his words Uncle Miles went upstairs and left on a table a box of ointment, which I did not use because of the quality of the elixir I had taken. After the smoke had abated I stood analyzing my arms and indeed there were no cuts or even blood left on them.

I went upstairs and took off my shirt again, unlike the other time, I only had to change a part of my clothes. I went into the kitchen and found Uncle Miles cooking a piece of meat the size of his forearm, I sat down and saw that he already had a shirt ready on the table, as I changed he finished preparing the meat and served me a piece.

"Bear again?"

"Ah, you noticed what it was?"

"Yes, it wasn't very difficult, when you cook you always leave the natural flavor of the meat."

"Don't flatter me so much, you'll learn it later, it's a necessary thing in battle, without energy how would you survive?"

"Sure, by the way can you tell me why the heck you put sickles instead of arrows?"

"Well it was the only thing I had and you know you won't get better if you always expect the same thing."

"Then you do crazy things instead of sleeping, like always. At least you already have the ones I asked for?"

"They're on the way out, there's not much time left before it's time for the meeting in the square, I included you a spear bow, hurry up and eat."

"Spear bow? What invention are you going to pull out now."

"Nothing fancy, just a folding bow that you can separate into two small spears in case something strange happens you better be prepared."

"Ok, thanks."

I finished the bear meat and hurried out to the central square of the village, there was not much in it, just a few stores and a well that gave water to the whole village. There were already people in the square when I arrived. I caught up with my father and sister and they were already ready with their bows and my sister with her favorite knives.

"Just in time Oz, I was already thinking of sending Eve after you, but there's no need now."

"Yeah, I took a little too long getting ready."

"You brought arrows from Uncle Miles, Oz?"

"A few, don't tell me you already spent the ones he gave you."

"Of course not, I'm just asking to see which one of us manages to hunt more with the same arrows."

"Eve, this isn't a competition, but it's not a bad idea eh..."

Before she could continue her thought, my father was interrupted by the shout of the village chief.

"People, we are in the annual season where the blood bears come out of their slumber! Like every year, we will go out on their hunt. Despite this I ask you not to be overconfident.  Go in groups and mark your prey after calling with a horn. The skinners and material handlers will go where they are called to move the bear carcasses and give you your share of the money for the hunt. I declare the hunt initiated!"