After being taken hostage... er absorbed into Aura's main hunting group we head out of the clearing to find a suitable target, they have had her hunting some of the more tame beasts in the area and she wants a bit of a challenge so I move out ahead of the group a bit channeling mana towards my eyes to track better and see if there are any signs of large game or predators in the area, I find 3 sets, one looks similar to the wolf I fought this morning but heading the other way, another looks like a bear variant, and the third looks... burnt, which is rare, in this area as most everything here is wind water or rarely the lightning variant. I mark the spots where I noticed the trails start and where I could get a general heading on them with some bright ribbon another essential item the archery instructor gave me; "it isn't magical but if you have to mark a trail of almost any sort a bright ribbon should do just about right."
I head back to where the rest of the guards are standing waiting, spread out and looking for tracks, however the other scout is still up ahead. "hey Aura, so I spotted a few fresh tracks they go in seperate directions, but there are 3 sets do you wanna try your luck with one of them?" I ask
"Probably, but we should wait until the other scout comes back, also what type were the tracks?" she replies with Farina standing close by
"One looked like wolf tracks, a bit smaller than the one I hunted this morning and heading in the opposite direction, the second was almost definitely bear tracks, and the third, I'm not entirely certain, because the impressions were kinda burnt around them." I reply listing them off one by one. During our discussion the scout comes back, listing another set of tracks that look reptilian, and he looks at me with a sort of contempt as if he's trying to make me angry "Okay, cool so that's four options bear wolf rare or reptile, maybe a combo of all four, we have four days left, where do you want to go first."
"Let's try our luck with the wolf tracks." Aura replies and I take the lead bringing her to the ribbon, and letting her take the lead, we track the wolf for a little over 3 hours before we spot it, and it is another shadow wolf, though it looks like a female. "I think I will take it on alone"
Aura readies her bow and a few arrows, getting into position to fire a few of them, I post up in a tree a bit away and also ready a few arrows, though not for the wolf, but just in case the body guards get any ideas, I don't trust them. Farina has a similar idea though she unsheathes a glaive. Aura takes her time drawing her bow back and channeling a small amount of mana into her arrow so it will fly faster, and hopefully pierce deeper, then she releases the arrow and grabs another from where she set them nocking it to the string drawing and releasing in one more fluid motion, she repeats this process four more times tracking the wolf as it gets to its feet after the first shot. after the 6th arrow is fired Aura drops to the ground and closes distance the wolf isn't in great shape any more so she is able to finish it off with a single thrust through the eye. Farina comes forward to help Aura with dressing the beast and I continue scanning the forest and the bodyguards, when all of a sudden A flame runs past heading straight for Aura and Farina, I can't see it very clearly and move, letting my scales erupt in full attempting to tackle the fiery creature, realizing it is a flaming cougar.
With no regard for my own safety, I tackle the giant burning feline beast burying my claws in its hide drawing out somehow even hotter blood, before getting kicked back away from it. Regaining some of my senses, I draw my sword, and sink into a lower stance, sparing a glance towards the bodyguards, none of them have moved. the cougar looks at me, then at Aura who is being protected openly by farina and secretly by whomever else the family sent to guard her, it chooses then to fight me. Lunging across the distance it had created the cougar tries to slash at me with its forepaws. I dodge the first swipe and block the second, unbalancing it then I throw a strike of my own a sideways slash towards its ribs that I turn into a feint and use to sever one of the legs, I know it seems like a risky move that will definitely lower the value of the hide, but with the security team being slack jaws and Farina, being presumably under orders to not help unless Aura is injured I will gladly take the pay cut. With the cougar now on three legs I am able to block its strikes more effectively, and even throw in some of my own, waiting for a better opportunity to strike and end the fight decisively, my moment comes after a minute that feels like an hour when the beast over extends and leaves the wounded side unguarded, I close the distance almost instantly and stab straight into it's heart twisting the blade as I pull it out, the flames on the hide die instantly, and I turn around looking back to the forest to see that the party of bodyguards has now drawn their weapons to fight me and try to kill Aura, so I do the only thing that seems like a good idea and jump back, behind the dead cougar slamming my hand into the fatal sword wound, and grab the core, popping it into my mouth and swallowing. The effect is instantaneous, and both exhilarating and torturous. my body breaks through almost instantly to the Iron rank of page, then shoots straight towards the bronze of the soldier not even slowing down, I transform fully into my salamander form flames erupting from my skin as the first traitor rushes me, thinking I'm unstable, he's wrong and my claws end him instantly, the next three are smarter and they try my blind spots, I dodge their attacks with ease, and counter, taking massive chunks with me as my sword is once again in my hand., the last 4 circle me for a few moments giving each other poorly hidden signals, and I get tired of waiting so I lunge forward opening my mouth and blast a gout of flames at him and the other who had moved when I did. there are now only 2 remaining, but when I turn to face them, one has an arrow in his throat and the other is noticeably shorter without his legs.
"Well princess, I think we should leave." Farina says with finality storing the cougar and the wolf as well as the bodyguards before ushering Aura and I back towards the area we started the hunt from. We decide to take a detour as Aura was close to making her third minor realm and becoming a soldier rank too, but she had potions from her family to thank for that, and her elf is a caster type allowing for better mana conduction than Rex a sleep and eat dragon type, we make it back by the end of the 8th day ending our hunt a full day early, but when we report in at the city gates the scene is not a good one, apparently Aura's brother has decided to stage the coup after all and has brought company to harass us.