The Hunter's Apprentice (9 page)

-Why did you not lit the fire in the room then?, he asked angrily.

-I did not want to bring the rest upstairs. I wanted to wait silently in that room for them to leave or climb down through the window. But that clumsy innkeeper messed up.

-So you let him die so that you could escape, Aerys said.

He nodded unashamedly.

Aerys shook his head disapprovingly. He did not know what to think about him anymore. Was he supposed to follow this kind of man who was ready to sacrifice others for his own safety?

-Now look here lad, he said quickly. Don’t you get a bad opinion of me. I save people all the time but I am not going to risk my life for someone not worth it like that bandit.

Aerys looked at him blankly.

-I don’t care what you think above me but I just had to tell you how things are, he said opening the last bottle left in his bag. You will soon find out by yourself that in this world it is each man for himself. So if I have one advice for you it would be to be a little more selfish. You might live a little bit longer then.

He did not know when his eyes closed or when he slept but he woke up the next day with a sore body. The hunter was already waiting for him as usual. He had probably not slept at all as usual. He looked more tired than ever. Aerys wondered how he could live like this. Igor was right. It was a terrible curse. Aerys was a little bit ashamed of himself. He slept while the remained awake.

The memories of the past night then resurged and he looked towards the inn or what remained of it. The whole area was burnt and the carbonized debris that remained were scattered all over the place.

-Come on, said the hunter going back on the road. We have a long road till Adington and I want to arrive there before dusk.

The wind had not fallen but luckily it blew sideways now. It was still a bother but it was more bearable. They continued north and crossed the green plains.

CHAPTER 7

They continued their route in the difficult weather. The wind was blowing as hard as ever and at a constant rate and the geography of the region did not help them at all. There were few places where they could shelter in these green plains. They usually stopped near the rare trees they saw and which sheltered them for a bit from the wind. However the wind was not the only problem; coldness was also one. Despite the clothes that Erasmus gave him, Aerys was beginning to feel the effects of the cold weather. He had never been in such cold regions and hence he find it a bit difficult to adjust. The hunter on the contrary did not seem to mind it that much. He was probably used to it. He did not even put his coat on and continued to drink occasionally as they walked on the road that led them further north.

Aerys had more and more difficulty to follow the hunter and after two days he was trailing behind by a not negligible distance. The fact that the road went straight to the north meant that he could still see the hunter in front of him and the latter if he noticed it, did not lower his pace. The hunter finally stopped on the third day. He waited patiently for Aerys to catch up with him.

-You took your bloody time lad, he said harshly as he left the road and headed towards the woods.

Aerys had thought that he would be able to rest but it was definitely not the case. He followed the hunter gloomily as they walked away from the road.

-Where are we going? He asked in a tired voice.

-There’s a Zorg lair here, said the hunter darkly.

Aerys stopped in his tracks stunned. His heartbeat increased exponentially and he felt the fear rising in him.

-We are going to fight it now? He called at the hunter.

-Keep your voice down, replied the latter angrily turning towards him.

Aerys walked towards him but found that his knees were trembling uncontrollably.

-Listen, said the hunter gravely. There is a Zorg’s lair in there and we are going in now.

-Are you sure it’s the right time? asked Aerys unsure. I mean we just fought those imps and we are tired after this long walk.

-There is no perfect time lad, replied the hunter. You must acquire your artifact and the sooner it is done, the better it will be.

Aerys shuddered.

-I’m not sure I am ready, he confessed.

-No one is ready to face a Zorg. I was not and the old man too was not but it has to be done. There is no need to wait and waste time. Either you have what it takes to be a hunter or you don’t.

Aerys nodded still unsure. The hunter turned and walked into the woods. Aerys followed him slowly. He felt numb. He wanted to turn and go away but his body was moving on its own. He wiped the sweat that pearled on his forehead and breathed hard. He knew he was not ready yet. After their encounter with the  imps and the Oozes which were supposed to be C type creatures, he could only wonder how strong the Zorg would be. If even creatures like imps could give a hunter like Drake so much difficulty, how strong would A class creatures be.

After a while the hunter stopped and beckoned Aerys forward. Aerys followed his pointed finger and saw something he had never seen before. There was a blurry round excavation in the trunk of a gigantic tree.

-What’s this…?, said Aerys trying to find a word for the entrance like shape.

-A portal, explained the hunter letting his bag down. It’s the entrance to the Zorg’s lair. When we walk through it, we will be propelled far away in a random Zorg’s lair. If we are lucky we might find one which has not yet been defeated.

-So, the Zorg’s lair is not here really.

The hunter nodded.

-It is a complex magic. This is just like a door. When you cross it, you can be transported in any Zorg’s lair that there is in the whole known world. Sometimes, you can be sent in an empty one which a hunter had already defeated and then you have to come out again and try again until you get lucky.

Aerys could not see what there was lucky in finding a lair where a Zorg would be waiting but he kept that reflection for himself. He followed the hunter towards the entrance. It was blurry and the hunter grabbed his hand.

-Don’t let go of my hand if you don’t want to land in a completely different lair.

Aerys nodded and readied himself. The hunter walked through the portal and his body disappeared. Aerys felt a pull on his hand and he entered after him anxiously. He fell. Everything was dark around him and he felt like he was falling in an endless pit. He felt the hunter’s hand tightening and then it was over. His feet touched the floor and he found himself in a well lit cave. He saw that the floor was covered with great amount of gold and treasures which shone brightly. However something else caught his eye.

He shuddered as he noticed an immense form sitting on a throne at the center of the cave. There was a roar and the form stood up. Aerys heart froze. He had never seen something like this. It was huge and its body was covered with black scales. It had large wings on its back and horns on its forehead. Was that a Zorg? It resembled the demons sketches that Aerys had seen in Master’s Elric books. The hunter patted him on the shoulder and walked forward.

-Find the artifact lad, he whispered as he walked towards the Zorg who roared loudly and a dark sword appeared in its right hand. The fight started immediately. Aerys watched as the hunter attracted the Zorg away from him.

The cave trembled as the fight grew in intensity. Aerys watched in apprehension as they clashed again and again. He could see that both the fighters were on par. No one was on top and the battle raged on with no one taking the advantage. However something troubled him. He had the impression that the Zorg was slowly getting stronger. It was almost imperceptible but he definitely noticed it. Its speed was increasing and the power of its hits was getting stronger and stronger.

He forced himself to look away and focused on the search of the artifact. The whole place was literally covered by dozens of swords stuck in the ground. How was he to find the real one amongst them? He walked amongst them. They were all similar. He knew that he could not waste any more time and so he grabbed the first sword he saw and pulled it out of the ground. He immediately knew that he had done a mistake. The sword disappeared in his hand and a big spider the size of his hand appeared by magic in front of him.

Aerys shivered. He hated spiders and the size of this one was anything but natural. He tried to frighten it but it did not go away. Instead it launched itself against him. It climbed on him and Aerys stumbled down shuddering. He kicked it off him and quickly scrambled up. He took out the little sword the hunter had given him and when the spider attacked again, he cut it in a single strike. He backed a bit breathlessly. The spider lay dead on the ground and he kicked it away.

There was then a deafening sound and he heard the hunter shout loudly at him.

-Hurry damn it…hurry lad, he shouted as he parried a devastating strike by the Zorg. The shock of the two blades caused a shock wave that resounded in the whole cave and the ground trembled worryingly.

Aerys turned towards the swords and gathered his courage. If other spiders were to appear each time he took a wrong sword out, he would just have to kill them. He walked towards the next sword and took it out. It disappeared again and another spider appeared but this time much to Aerys horror, the spider was twice as big as the previous one. He tried to keep his calm despite his fear. The spider attacked as the previous one and he dodged to the side and cut it. It was not a mortal wound though and he had to strike again to kill it.

He was breathing heavily and he was already covered in sweat. He grabbed the next sword and pulled it off again. The spider was half his size. He attacked it without thinking but this time, his adversary was stronger. It dodged his attack as it moved quickly to the side and launched a counter attack. Luckily Aerys had now mastered the defensive stance that the hunter had taught him and he blocked the attack and he cut the spider’s head off.

He backed away from the corpse both mentally and physically drained. He could not continue like this. The spiders would only get bigger and bigger and he would soon not be able to cope anymore. He then thought of something and felt a tingle of excitement. He turned towards where the Zorg was fighting with the hunter. It had grown darker and bigger now. The hunter was on the defensive. Aerys knew that they did not have much time. He examined the Zorg’s sword. It was dark and blunt but its features were splendid. There was a dragon calved on the hilt and a thin golden line that ran across the middle of the blade.

He ran towards the swords and scanned the whole place in search of a similar sword. He had no time. He had to find it quickly. He heard the hunter cry in pain behind him but he dared not turn. He just hoped that he could resist a bit longer. His heart was nearly trying to tear out of his chest. He tried to calm down but failed. He walked desperately amongst the swords…a dragon shaped hilt…a golden line along its blade. He could not find it and the pressure increased. Where was it? Was it not the solution? Panicking, he wondered if he had to take all the swords out. But then his eyes saw it; the dragon hilt sword. It was there, hidden in the darkness. He rushed forward and grabbed it. He took it out and it came out without disappearing this time. He had succeeded. He smiled foolishly and held it up. It shone brightly and turned red. He felt a sudden warmth in his hand as if the artifact welcomed its new master.

But then there was a roar as Aerys turned he saw the hunter sent crashing on the cave’s wall. He fell heavily but he stood up immediately much to Aerys surprised without any sign of injury. He looked towards him and saw the artifact in his hands. A smile appeared on his face but it quickly disappeared when the Zorgs roared loudly again but this time it did not target the hunter. It had noticed the artifact too and he rushed towards Aerys who stood unable to move as he watched the fearsome creature approach. He was paralyzed.

It covered the distance in an instant and stood before Aerys. It lifted its sword and struck. Aerys did not even have the time to close his eyes as the Zorg’s attack was unbelievably quick. The blade initiated its descent but it did not made contact with Aerys. The latter was pushed roughly to the side and there was a deafening sound as Drake’s blade connected with it. He launched a series of quick attacks which repelled the Zorg and he finally managed to hit it. The Zorg had no reaction when the Drake’s sword penetrated its flesh just above where its heart must have been. 

Its body flared with a red glow and it grew in size. Aerys watched with incredulous eyes in front of such a spectacle. How were they supposed to kill this monster if he was not affected by even an artifact? He did not have any time to think about it for Drake rushed towards him and pushed him towards the exit.

-Go, he yelled. I will retain him. Go.

Aerys paused unsure. Would the hunter be alright fighting alone? He wanted to escape but he did not want to let the hunter fight this creature alone and die for him. Even if he was afraid, he shook his head.