Blood Moon

5. Hunt

Luna woke up with her face warm and tingly. As she opened her eyes, the ray of sunlight passing by the window made her turn away. When she opened her eyes again, she saw Legosi standing by the door. His pale blue eyes were filled with worry. "There's something wrong with your wolf."

Luna was quickly on her feet and ran past him, not minding that she was barefooted and the strings on her shirt was loose. When she got past the creaky stairs, she was met by a pair of silver eyes. She couldn't comprehend what was in front of her fast enough before a big mass of black fur fell upon her.

"Is this my wolf?" Luna said in bewilderment. What was currently l*****g and snuggling her was a humongous beast. Rigel was large, but this one is huge beyond all reason. When the wolf calmed, he sat in front of her, his head the same level as her nose. His back paws looked as if it could flatten a hare with one swipe and the steely shine of his sharp fangs that peeked out of his maw felt as if they could decapitate a man's head in a matter of seconds. He was not the same wolf he was last night.

"Yes. Or so I think, he was looking down on me when I woke up and it felt as if Cerberus had come from hell to devour me." Legosi came down casually, as if he had accepted the truth of it now. Crouching underneath his table, he pulled out a basket. He started breaking down the bread and cheese as Luna stood there ogling at her wolf. She stepped closer and caressed his face, hearing the familiar whine only Rigel has. "This happened overnight?"

She took a look to his side and saw that the wound has closed up and the fur has grown back too. "You did say that a spell is stronger the first time a witch does it, or in this case, a warlock. Just don't expect that I could make the same outcome the next time." Legosi said. He was now done cutting bread and is currently fanning the flame on his furnace. He was heating the stew he made when he felt a wet thing nudge his hand. He looked behind him and Rigel was looking at him straight in the eye, whining softly.

"Sit down, Luna. You and your wolf can have your breakfast here."

After placing two wooden bowls filled with stew, he handed Luna a plate of bread and cheese. He then tossed a piece of salted meat to Rigel. "Isn't this too much? The Blood Moon is coming. You should ration." Luna said, casually taking a bite.

"I live alone and I don't eat much. If I wanted more food there's herbs and vegetables around my house." Legosi replied.

"And a couple other weeds too."

Legosi chuckled lightly and just ate. They ate there meal in silence, both reveling in the peaceful quiet.

"After this, I'll start making the barriers on the rest of the village."

"Cast one on Mrs. Fitzgerald's home first. She decided to bear a child two months before the blood moon." Luna scoffed. "Her and her husband put themselves up for slaughter."

"Will do." He replied curtly.

They headed straight for Mrs. Fitzgerald's house after the meal, a very large Rigel sauntering after them. When they reached their fence, Mr. Fitzgerald was tending his livestock. "Hello there! You putting up barriers here now?" He had a large smile on his face.

"I'm glad you're putting us first this year. The last blood moon we felt very disturbed that Vaga put us last. We all deserve the sense of safety in these trying times, don't you think lad?" He asked Legosi. He could only nod awkwardly.

"It may be just the two of us, but we do have a big contribution to the funds that are given to the village witches. Why put us last? I do believe we are very important to this village." He proudly said as he gazed over the small cornfield and large livestock grazing on his land.

"Yes! It was always the old people who are put first!" Mrs. Fitzgerald walked over to them, a hand on her bump. A frown was starting to appear on Legosi's face. "There's a favouritism in her methods, I tell you. It was always those rabbits who are given privilege." She gestured to Mr. Jefferson's house.

"It's a good decision to have a baby early this year, we-"

"Put yourselves up for slaughter." Luna cut her off. Mr. And Mrs. Fitzgerald was taken aback. "Do you know what demons find more scrumptious than a man's flesh?" Luna continued. "A babe. They like it better when they have to rip it out from a mother's womb first."

Silence fell upon them for a moment and Mrs. Fitzgerald paled, seeming as if she would keel over. "They will spend days upon days sniffing around your barrier trying to break it down relentlessly and it won't be one but dozens of them night after night until the barriers are broken down and you all get eaten." Both of them were shaking, beads of sweat forming in their brows.

"There's a reason why families with children are put first, you cannot classify that as a privilege. Think of what I just told you the next time you decide to plan to conceive before a blood moon." Luna turned away from them and Legosi started to chant the spell, the shocked pair still looking flustered. Smoke started to ascend from the ground, circling their home. He performed it with ease, calmly saying the words as the wind grew stronger. As he uttered the last word, the barrier repelled all air, flaring for a moment before it became invisible.

"Good day to you, Mr. and Mrs. Fitzgerald." Legosi nodded and walked away.

They continued down the path, Legosi casting barriers after barriers. By noon, they sat to rest. As they sat eating bread, Legosi started a conversation.

"How many homes do you plan on covering today?" He asked.

"You'll continue making barriers tomorrow. There's something else you need to learn." Legosi looked at her questioningly, setting his bread down on the cloth. "But first, let me ask you this. Do you plan on killing demons?"

Without a pause, Legosi replied. "Yes."

"How much do you know about demons?" Luna asked, rendering him silent. "Not much then. How do you suppose to kill demons then? You think knowing spells and being a warlock is enough?"

"All those will be for naught if you don't know your enemy. Demons only have one thing in common, Legosi: they feed off of human flesh. Everything else is different. Do you still have the book of spells from Vaga?"

Legosi nodded and reached to his pocket, pulling out a small book with bloodied covers. "Have you read that?"

Legosi's jaw tightened and he shook his head. He couldn't bring himself to open the book. Once he tried to open it and read but the pages had Vaga's dried blood on it and he could not go through. "Ignore those bloodstains. If you face a demon with such ignorance then it will be your blood soaking that book. Flip through the pages." And he did so. Every page had different illustrations and description s of the different kinds of demons and their abilities.

"Not all demons will attack you like a mindless beast, some of them have different approaches to their prey. You have met one deceiver and almost didn't make it, what if you meet a behemoth? The deceiver may try to possess your body and keep you alive but a behemoth won't. You must know every single one of them and only then will you know how to get rid of them."

"Do you know everyone of them?" He asked

"Yes."

"Vaga taught you?"

"I learned the hard way." He remained silent. "I'll read it."

"Go home now. Read it. Make sure you know all of them by tomorrow." Luna gestured to Rigel and they left, heading towards the Chief's house.

When she arrived, the home was gloomy. Their eldest son and the younger children sat by the porch, staring blankly on the dry Earth. Ataska's weeps could be heard outside, along with the soothing voice of the Chief. "May I come in?" She asked.

Fabius, their eldest, looked at her and stood up, gesturing to the door. The knuckles on his hand were b****y, as if he hit something hard. There were also some bruises on his face. Luna stared at him for a fleeting moment before she came in. She called the Chief's name softly and the noise seized. She heard a few footsteps before the Chief emerged from the door of their bedroom. "Good day, lass. What brought you here?" He asked. He also had some bruises on his face and his eyes were surrounded by dark circles. He looked very exhausted.

"I have something to tell you, possibly somewhere private." Her voice took a stern tone and the Chief's eyes lit up in alarm. "Come here." He waved her towards him and led her to the back of their house.

"Is there a problem?" He asked with worry in his tired eyes.

"It is both a blessing and a curse. You see Chief, this year's Blood Moon might have a different outcome than the last. We might be able to fight back."

"What do you mean?" Life went back to his eyes, battle rage brewing.

"Legosi is a warlock. He is not a witch." The Chief looked as if he would stumble, paling in the face. She saw him shake visibly but he kept his ground.

"A warlock? We haven't had a warlock in this place for a hundred of years, lass!"

"I know. But you must keep this a secret, you must know that." A grim expression fell upon his face.

"The castle." The King's men had hoarded all warlocks into their walls, willing or not. Almost all races consisting of warlocks doesn't live outside of the walls anymore. They are brought into the castle to serve the King, leaving only weak witches to guard peasants. "If the King gets a wind of a warlock here, Legosi will be taken without so much as a word. Then we'll be left defenseless."

"Has he started his training yet?" Chief Faramus was aware that Legosi was only taught witch spells during the months of training under Vaga. He must be clueless.

"As of now, our mission is to finish casting barriers. But I have set him on learning about demons. Legosi wants to fight, Chief." Luna replied, her eyes sharpening.

"As you do." He recognized that look on her eyes all too well. Chief Faramus placed a gentle hand upon her head. "Remember Luna, never let that hunger devour what's inside of here." He pointed at her heart. "You might not be born from my flesh, but I consider you as my own. No matter what you think you are, you are human."

She nodded gently, fumbling with the string of her bow. "I'll let you know when we're ready." She then left, heading straight home.

The moon was up high in the sky and the howl has started, this time it was louder. The blood moon can arrive a month from now. Weeks before that event, rogues can go down the mountain and hunt early. Luna can smell their scents wafting in her home, willing her to burn more wild roses on the furnace. The yellow light from her small candle played with the shadows in her walls as she lay there, silently petting Rigel who sat by her side. Her eyes drofted to the table and saw the pile of books she has taken from Vaga. One of them had the King's crest. Curious, she stood up and took the book, sitting by the candle to read.

The book smelled of dust and old age, its pages stained brown and almost brittle. As she skimmed, she noticed that it was filled with demon hunting spells. It was similar to the book she had handed over to Legosi the day Vaga died. It had sketches of demons and prayers beneath, along with spells meant to cause them harm. Then she came upon a page where a very dangerous looking blade was drawn. Weapon spells.

A verse was written at the bottom including a passage that implies that the it is meant to cleave through demon flesh with ease. This was a warrior's spell book. In the drawing, an intricate pattern was placed on the blade, swirling to the tip. Luna stared at it for a moment before picking up her own blade. Hers was long and double-edged, its tips separated into two sharp edges like a fang. The handle was carved with different shapes and artistic lines that helped Luna grip ot with ease. It was given to her by Chief Faramus the year she insisted to live away from them.

They knew of her secret, him and Ataska. She had been there before Fabius was born. They saw her perform mysterious acts but never said a word of it. Instead, they encouraged her. But when Fabius began to grow and understand that something was odd, she had to leave. As she stared at the blade, she felt thankful. "I am human, no matter what." She uttered to herself.

She looked back to the book for a brief moment before starting. She pushed the blade lightly to her palm and slid it downwards, leaving a cut. The dark red blood flowed past her finger tips and she let it fall on the blade. Her amber eyes slowly narrowed into vertical red slits that was then surrounded with black. She had no spells, but she can use whatever it was that she had at will. Black smoke seeped out of her palms, enveloping the blade. The strong metallic scent of her blood spread throughout her room, overwhelming the scent of wild roses. As the black smoke intensified, a red light started to appear beneath it. She could the it starting to spread across the blade in swirls, heading towards the tip. The color burned a deep fiery red, like a metal being melted by a blackssmith. When the blade started to vibrate, she stopped.

When the smoke disappeared, the blade had completely changed. The silver color on its surface had turned into a deep abysmal black, emphasizing the red trails on the blade. The weapon seemed to be vibrating in power. "Why haven't I thought of this?"

The next morning, they had gone through the village, casting barriers. This time, Legosi was more at ease. He casted spell after spell without much struggle. One time, Luna tried to enter the barrier behind his back. A burning sensation came over her as she entered but she was able to get through. She had to fight back a grimace went she went back out. The sensation lasted for almost an hour before it disappeared.

Before it was noon, they were able to cover more than a half of the homes. There weren't many, but they were far apart and Legosi had to take breaks. Two days more and they'll be done casting spell and will be proceeding to a new training.

As they sat for a rest, Legosi kept reading the book. "How far along are you?" Luna asked.

"About halfway. I tried reading all of it but I needed to read each one twice to be able to remember." There were dark circles in his eyes, but they were still focused.

He must've stayed up all night.

"Close it for a moment." Legosi did and looked up at her.

"What is a deceiver?" She asked.

"Demons that are able to possess human bodies and recover memories. They need to stay in the body long enough to claim it as their own if they choose to use it to hide and blend in on a human territory. One of the weaknesses is that they are only able to display the emotion the real owner of the body felt before being possessed for a few days. That is usually long enough for people to get a hint and drive him out with a prayer." Legosi answered without pause

"A shapeshifter?"

"Demons that are able to choose any form of animal they want to, what gives them away are their snake-like eyes."

"A behemoth?"

"Large giant-like demons the size of small hill, small in number and slow but very destructive. A way to subdue them is cutting the tendons on their feet and piercing their nape deep enough to kill them."

"An Falon?"

"Bird-like demons that preys mostly on children because that's all they can carry. Best defense is a bow or a throwing knife."

"It's good you know those demons, they are usually what appears here. If you go through with your plan, you will encounter them. But for that, you'll need a stronger weapon."

She's stood up and threw a small book on his feet. His eyes widened at the sight of the King's crest. "Where did you get this?"

"That's Vaga's. She came from the castle, didn't you know?"

"I knew. But how was she able to get this out?"

"She didn't exactly leave the castle ceremoniously. She left unannounced but the question of how exactly she poached a book of spells is known only by her. But we both know Vaga is creative in her ways." Luna patted her hands clean on her dress and pulled out a dagger from her waist. She tossed it to him and he caught it with his hands easily.

"You can infuse your blade with spells. That's what it says in that book."

"With spells?"

"The spells are written there. An infused blade can cut through demon flesh easily."

"Why don't we know this?" He spat.

"Only the King's people makes use of their knowledge, people like us, we're of no importance. There's nothing we could possibly give in exchange of protection from that greedy mongrel that sits on the throne. Keep that book hidden at all times, that could cost you your head." Legosi only nodded but there was sheer anger in his eyes.

"Start now."

Legosi skimmed through the pages until he found a spell that could infuse his blade.

"Vanquish all evil in this blade's path, all sinful bloodline shall fall upon its strike. Judgement shall be delivered in its wrath, death upon all beasts and sinners alike." He chanted, holding the blade firmly. He repeated the verse over and over until he felt heat on his palms. The blade started to burn bright blue from root to tips, a ringing sensation vibrating through its metal. He held it up to his face, studying it with fascination. "Now we need to put that weapon to the test."

Luna snapped a finger to Rigel and the wolf rose, his back hunching. Luna lifted herself on his back and turned to Legosi. "Hop on."

Legosi looked away from the blade and shifted his gaze to Luna in wonder. "On your wolf?"

"Yes. Don't fret, he won't try to throw you. Oddly enough, he's taken quite a liking to you." Luna caressed the wolf's head and he whined in agreement. Legosi rose from his seat and walked over to them, tentatively placing a hand on his back. When the wolf didn't react, he pushed himself up to his back with ease. When she was certain he was seated properly, she leaned over to Rigel. "To the mountains, Rigel."

With a huff, Rigel launched himself forward and up to the mountains. With his now larger and stronger body, he showed no signs of struggle on his way up, easing himself through the narrow path smoothly.

"Where are we going?" Legosi asked.

"Up the mountains for a hunt. You do know what that is, yes?"

"I do." Legosi was aware that the hunt is usually led by Luna, followed by some of the villagers. They go searching for rogue demons on their weakest state and try to lessen down their numbers before the blood moon. Rogues has proven themselves more savage and dangerous than those that come in groups so they try their best to eliminate them to lessen their casualties.

"Well prepare, this will be the day you claim your first kill."