The Hunter's Apprentice (2 page)

-And I guess you won’t tell me why he is so valuable to you.

Elric smiled mysteriously.

-It is not the right time yet but trust me I know what I’m saying. Protect him.

Drake nodded again and they parted.

-Let’s not waste any more time then, said Drake as he joined Aerys by the gate. We have a long route and the sooner we get on the road, the quicker we will arrive.

Aerys turned a last time to look at the farm that he was leaving for the first time and that he would not see again. He followed Drake as they took the small road that led them away from Master’s Elric house. Drake chose to cut through the little wood that separated the house from the village of Dimes and took to his right in such a way that he bypassed the village. They came out on its outskirts and Aerys looked back one last time at the village where he had grown and spent most of his time. He sighed as he thought of the many friends he was leaving behind. He would probably not see them again anytime soon.

They walked till they reached a crossroad a few miles away which led in three opposite direction. Drake took the eastern road without any hesitation but Aerys stopped. The hunter finally turned back when he noticed that Aerys was not following him and walked back towards him with an intrigued look on his face.

-What’s the matter lad?

-I’ve never been further than this crossroad, Aerys replied sadly. It feels like I am leaving everything behind and never coming back again.

The hunter scowled.

-Get a hold of yourself lad. You have to grow up now and this means making that step that leads you away from home. Everyone has to do it one day. I did it too. So get a hold of yourself and follow me. I don’t have time for all this.

Aerys breathed in and took the first step and another. He was leaving Dimes for good now. He knew that he was giving out a pitiful image of himself but he could not do otherwise. It was heartbreaking to leave home. He followed Drake as they followed the road. They walked for several miles before the green scenery of Dimes finally gave place to the golden wheat fields that covered a great part of the region. It was a pleasant day despite the hot sun that stood majestically in the immaculate sky. Aerys had the feeling that they were not moving at all though for the same scenery awaited them miles after miles. For as long as he could see, there was no end to the huge fields and he wondered how long it would take to get out of those fields. The hunter barely talked and he was too intimidated to dare to ask him the many questions that troubled him. Where were they going? He had not even deemed it necessary to inform Aerys of their destination. He had just said that they he would carry out a job nearby before heading for the guild. Aerys had stopped asking further questions when he saw the sour expression on his face.

They stopped twice per day; at noon and at dusk. Usually the hunter chose a place which offered them some advantages like under the shades of the rare trees that they saw or near the streams that they crossed. The meals were as simple as it could be. The hunter had many strips of salted meat in his bag which were delicious. Yet when you ate the same thing every time, it quickly becomes unsavory. He also had no water with him which meant that Aerys had to stop and drink whenever they passed by streams. If he had no water, it did not mean that he had nothing to drink. He had plenty of liquid in fact. His bag contained a couple of wine bottles which he drank all day long. It was surprising that he could even walk despite the amount of wine he was swallowing and it was even more surprising that he was always the first to get up in the morning.

The hunter would send Aerys to check the place and to report back if he saw any trails or anything odd. Aerys was already a good tracker and so it was an easy job for him. He used to hunt in the nearby forest back at home and he could say without boasting that he was the best at it. He could follow a trail like nobody and recognize any track and tell which animal it was. Add to this the fact that he had received Mater’s Elric expertise and he was had become the best tracker of Dimes. For as long as he could remember, he had been going with Master Elric while he watched over the forest.

Master Elric had been training him since he adopted him. He did not remember the day clearly for he was still young but he knew that he was extremely lucky. Everyone admired Master Elric. He had been the greatest hunter in his time and his feats were sung in all the known world. As he grew up he learned more and more about the hunter’s trade but he did not think that he would be going away so quickly. If only that fated incident had not happened, he thought as he slept that night.

They finally came out of the wheat fields after three days. Aerys was relieved that the scenery changed. They continued east along the large monotonous road which led them into a green and refreshing valley. Beyond that valley stood a lonely hill that towered over the whole area. It was still far but its view rejoiced him. This was at least something which reminded him more of Dimes. They slept in a small clearing which was surrounded by bushes filled with berries. This gave Aerys an occasion to skip the usual salted meat. The hunter did not touch them but he verified that they were comestible before letting Aerys eat them. This partially irritated Aerys for he reckoned he was competent enough to distinguish a poisonous berry. He made it known to the hunter who replied quite harshly.

-The fact that you can distinguish it is not the matter here. It is always better to get a second opinion on any matter before going forward with it. You have undoubtedly learned a lot from the old man but that is still not nearly enough. That berry that you ate had a counterpart which is its exact copy. You would not be able to separate them apart. So let me check on anything you find if you don’t want to die horribly. Not that it would matter much to me though, he added with a smile.

Aerys could not make out if he was joking or not. The hunter had been a huge let down. He had expected someone else quite frankly. He had always thought that all hunters resembled Master Elric; good and noble. Drake was the absolute contrary. He was quickly irritated and angered and he disliked talking as much as it was possible. He always kept their conversation to the minimum and would just drink his wine while contemplating the sky dreamily.

The next morning, the hunter woke Aerys up at dawn as usual and they started off after a quick breakfast of meat again. They walked all day without any midday stop surprisingly. Aerys did not mind much for he had his fill of meat but his feet were sore and he was having more difficulty to follow Drake’s pace. He could barely keep up the pace on which they had been walking since they left Dimes. It was so hot that he had to drench himself continuously in the little streams they passed to cool his body. If he saw that Aerys was tired, the hunter made no allusion to it. He continued to lead at a quick pace while drinking occasionally from his bottles.

They passed through a small wood and when they came out of it Aerys saw the smoke. At first he thought that it was the welcoming smoke of a chimney but as soon as they emerged from the woods, he realized his mistake. It was a pretty bad sight. The house before them had been burnt. As they approached, he noticed the darkened walls and the broken windows. The roof had fallen down too. Drake stopped by the door and looked inside but his gaze did not linger. He walked all around the house and stopped on the east side.

There was a trail of burnt grass that led away to the nearby hill.

-What does this trail tell you?, he asked Aerys.

The latter smiled, confident.

-It means that this house was burnt by monsters as this trail suggests.

-Good, replied Drake without heat. Now can you tell me what monster did this?

Aerys smile faded away.

-Hmm…could that have been a gorgon? He said tentatively.

-Nonsense lad, retorted Drake angrily. One does not make assumptions like this without any concrete proofs. Come here, he added kneeling down near the burnt grasses.

Aerys hurried to his side and looked where he was pointing.

-Here, do you notice these footprints? There are multiple ones which imply that there were multiple creatures and now that you have that information, you can easily find the culprit.

-Really?, asked Aerys dubious.

Drake sighed.

-Really lad. This means that the creatures which did this acted as a group and add to that they can use fire and this will point out to only one creature.

He looked questioningly at Aerys who reddened under his gaze.

-Imps lad…Imps.

-Imps? Asked Aerys puzzled. Imps can’t burn things.

Drake stood up and started to follow the trail.

-Have you ever seen an imp? He called from over his shoulder.

Aerys hurried after him.

-Yes, he replied. There was that day when some appeared in the village. Mater Elric dealt with them quickly though.

-Did you see how he killed them?

-Aye. That was some swordsmanship. He was really amazing.

Drake snorted.

-Never loses an occasion to brag this one. Well despite this, he used the perfect way to deal with imps. Normal imps are not very dangerous but they may become a pain in the ass under one circumstance.

-Fire?, suggested Aerys.

-Yes…fire. When an imp gets in contact with fire, even the smallest flame, his whole body ignites and he transforms into a flame imp which is ten times more dangerous than an ordinary imp and as they move in group, this means that the whole group eventually transforms.

-And how can we defeat them then?

-That depends on the situation and the environment lad. It there’s water, then you’d be a fool not to use it. However if you don’t have any, then you use your brains and your sword in last resort.

-Would it not be better just to shoot them at a distance with a bow?

-Aye…but I’m not any good with a bow and even then you’d have to be a really good bowman for the imps can shoot fireballs at a staggering distance.

They walked on for half an hour before Drake halted behind some bushes.

-There’s the lair, he said pointing towards an opening in the hillside.

Aerys did not particularly like the look of the place and wondered if they would have to go in. Luckily Drake did not favor that idea too.

-I have a better idea, he said as he sat down and began rummaging in his bag. He took out a small barrel and his stones.

-What are you going to do with that? Asked Aerys intrigued.

Drake smiled mysteriously.

-You will see lad but I guarantee that it will be worth it. Now, he added getting up. I want you to cover me. We will go near the caves entrance and while I do my work, you will have to keep an eye inside in case one of them decides to come out. Is that clear?

Aerys nodded and they made their way towards the cave as silently as they could. While drake opened the barrel, Aerys posted himself against the hillside and peeped inside. He did not see anything though for it was pitched dark and the fading sunlight did not help much. The first impression he got was that of an overwhelming heat coming from inside. He listened closely but the only sound he heard was that of droplets of water falling on the rocks.

He looked at the hunter and found the latter busy filling the crakes near the entrance with a black powder. He wanted to ask him about what it was but he knew that it would not be a good idea to talk at this moment. The last thing he wanted was to see a swarm of imps coming out of the cave. The work lasted a couple of minutes and at last Drake closed the barrel again and pointed towards the trees. They ran there and knelt behind. Drake put the barrel away and began to rub the two stones together. Aerys noticed that there was a trail of black powder that led towards the cave. The flame took at that moment and the black powder burnt. Aerys watched as the powder trail burnt and made its way towards the cave.

-Take cover lad, shouted Drake crawling down.

Aerys imitated him quickly and the next thing he heard was that of a terrible explosion. Dust and bits of rocks fell down on them. Drake stood up and looked towards the cave entrance which was obscured by smoke.

-That’s some good business, he said with a smile.

-What was that? Asked Aerys getting up too, covered in dust. He tried to get some off him but gave up. There was simply too much.

-It was blasting powder, explained Drake picking his bag up. It costs a hell lot of gold but it’s worth it.

He cursed then and ran towards the cave entrance. Aerys looked there too and saw what the hunter had seen. His heart fell. The smoke had begun to disperse and he saw that there was a big hole where small yellowish creatures were coming out of. Their whole body was covered in flames. He took his sword out and ran to join the hunter who was already engaging in combat.

-Stay back, roared Drake as he cut three imps down with his sword.

Aerys backed away immediately. He wanted to help but after a couple of minutes he realized why the hunter had told him to stay back. Drake was an even better fighter than Master Elric. His sword moved freely and quickly in his hands and the number of imps lying dead at his feet increased exponentially. If Aerys had entered the fight, he would not have been able to fight that freely for fear of hurting him.