It had been several days since I last saw other hunters. Or people in general.
I must had been very deep into the forest already.
I did not usually traverse this far into the woods.
Whatever game was beyond the Black Swamp did not worth the dangerous trip. Money was useless if you could not be alive to spend it.
But someone still had to know.
It all started more than a week ago.
The whole village suddenly heard a really loud screech deep in the forest.
It had to be a very large and dangerous monster to produce that kind of terrifying sound.
The villagers began to wonder if they should flee or not.
Our village might had been near the border of Phirdaus, but we never really had any problems with monsters.
The only real threat we ever had was from foxes eating our chickens in the middle of the night.
This screech, however, was different.
None of the elders had ever heard of such a thing before. And some of them had lived for a very long time to know.
That was why the village chief sent our best hunters to investigate the sound.
Why in Dunia did I insist to learn how to use a bow?
I should had listened to my father and learn how to tend sheep instead.
Had I done so, I would be sitting inside my cottage, right by my warm fireplace.
But no. I just had to choose a more exciting profession. I just had to choose adventure. I just had to choose to become a FREAKIN hunter instead!
If only I had been bad at tracking, I would probably just go a couple of distance from the village and come back and tell the chief I found nothing.
But unfortunately, I was good at what I do.
So far I had found nine bear carcasses, twelve boars, and nineteen wolves. All in different places.
No regular monster killed those beasts. It was something else I had never seen before.
I tracked the unknown monster's trail and it ended up with me wandering off from the rest of the hunter group and reaching the other side of the Black Swamp.
Now that I was closer to Phirdaus, the air started to turn humid. The vegetation immediately shifted as well.
It was more appropriate to call it a jungle now, rather than a forest.
I had started encountering annoying bugs and some poisonous plants I had only been warned about.
The ground was a dangerous place to sleep on.
I had to find myself a really high tree every night. Even then I still had to worry about the leopards.
I had killed at least four leopards trying to hunt me down ever since I crossed the swamp.
Dear Goddesses, if the border was already this dangerous, just how bad Phirdaus really was?
I really should had learned how to tend sheep. My father even begged me to learn!
Fortunately, the traces of the unknown monster were turning fresher the next time I found them.
Yesterday I heard the very loud screech again. It helped me pinpoint the monster's location.
The trails were leading me to the big clearing up ahead.
If I was right, I would soon find the monster's nest.
Either I would find the monster sleeping or I would be walking into my death.
My plan was just to get a look of the monster from far away and then run back home and report my findings to the village chief.
I made sure my steps were silent. Avoiding any lying branches on the ground or rustling any overhanging vines or leaves.
I found a large tree which was perfect to hide me as I spied on the clearing.
I made my way behind the tree and peered over. My arrow was already nocked on my bow.
"What in the Goddesses' names?"
For all my intention to be stealthy, I could not help but to mutter those words.
Lying in its own puddle of crimson blood at the center of the clearing was the monster.
It was easily the size of a house.
It had the body of a bear, with silver fur. Only it had six feet instead of four.
It also had really long black claws. Like obsidian.
The monster's head was shaped like a ram's. Four twisting golden horns jutting out from its skull. With three pale blue eyes at the center.
Stretching on its back were four black feathered wings which span covered the entire clearing.
A huge gashing wound was stretching along its neck to its stomach. Which would explain the pool of blood.
It was only then that I noticed an armored man was lying unconscious next to the monster.
"A person!"
Without thinking, I rushed out from my hiding place and went over to the unconscious fellow.
Multiple bloodied slicing wounds were riddled on the man.
His armor was made of the most beautiful metal I had ever seen. But even that was dented and torn.
A huge halberd was laid next to the man. Again, one of the most impressive weapon I had ever seen in my life.
It was when I tried to inspect the man's injuries further that I only noticed something odd about him.
This man was really short.
I was not that tall of a guy in my village, but he would barely be any taller than my hip.
Surely he was not a kid.
No. That thick brown beard and wrinkles on his face suggested otherwise.
Wait a minute.
I might had heard of something about a man with this appearance.
A dwarf.
Yes! Dwarves!
He was a dwarf! That would explain his height and his beautiful armor and weapon.
I heard stories of them. Noble creatures and excellent crafters.
The dwarf must had slain the monster and got injured.
Dear Goddesses!
I was so grateful I chose to become a hunter. Had I not, I would never find this wounded dwarf this deep in the forest!
And so I spent the rest of the day treating the noble warrior.
I packed some herbs and bandages with me before I went off to track the monster. I also found a clean spring nearby the clearing.
I was not the healer in my village, but a hunter simply had to learn how to treat his own wounds.
It took great effort but I managed to stop the dwarf from bleeding out to death. Overnight, his breathing started to soften.
I sure needed to visit old man Decasso's grave once I returned. He taught me all I knew about herbs.
Once I was certain the dwarf's life was not threatened by his wounds anymore, I began anticipating for other threats.
I nocked my bow and watched out for predators as the dwarf rested behind me.
The dwarf's and the monster's blood would surely draw other beasts around.
And unfortunately the clearing was the best place where I could rest the dwarf and guard him. I could not carry him up to a tree with me.
I had to kill three leopards and two boars that night.
They were good games. I would fetch a lot of money if I skinned and butchered them.
But I would not be able to bring them back with me given the rough terrains. So I just had to let those gold rot away.
When morning came and I was certain no predator was lurking around, I went to get more water from the spring nearby.
The dwarf was already sitting up by the time I returned.
"Beautiful thing, isn't she?"
The dwarf said as I approached him warily.
He seemed to have figured out I was the one who treated him though.
"What is this creature?"
I asked the dwarf as I sat beside him and handed the water satchel.
"Impiana. Dream guardians. My ancestors said they can see the future."
The dwarf replied.
"Really? How can you tell"
"It's just stories, son. Nobody knows how an Impiana sees the future or how to make them tell us."
I turned my gaze to the massacred giant beast at the center of the clearing.
Now that I was told of it, I could not help but see the creature in a new light.
"You made the Impiana sound so sacred. But why did you kill it then?"
"Impiana is just a beast like any other in Phirdaus. It would kill people just as mercilessly as an ogre would."
He said.
"Is that why you're here? To hunt it down?"
"I found this one escaping from its habitat. They don't normally do that, but I was hoping it would just wander off into another part of Phirdaus, so other beasts could kill it. Unfortunately, I found it heading toward human settlements just beyond the border."
"Why would it run off from its habitat? Do you know?"
The dwarf shook his head.
"None of the keepers have any idea. But we do know that the Impianas had been very agitated lately. So we had been watching them for some time now. That was why I noticed this one escaped."
Keepers. I believed that was what the dwarves called themselves.
I had heard that the dwarves lived in Phirdaus.
It was no wonder they were such strong warriors. Living side by side with such dangerous creatures as Impianas.
"Here you go, son."
The dwarf said while handing me a golden ring with crimson gemstone on it.
"What's this for?"
I asked.
The dwarf immediately chuckled at my question.
"You saved my life by treating my wounds. I owed you greatly."
"I believe my village and I are the ones owing you. Since you killed the Impiana before it could slaughter us."
"Even still, I would be dead if it weren't for you, son. Take the ring so our debt between us is truly settled."
He said.
The dwarf immediately rose to his feet as if he had never been injured in the first place.
The short bearded man grabbed his huge halberd and wielded it as if the heavy weapon was just a mere stick.
"The spirit of Agni be within you, son! Farewell!"
The dwarf said before strolling off deeper into the jungle, toward Phirdaus.
I was left there in the clearing, beside the corpse of Impiana, and a ring that could buy my village ten times over in my hand.
What a discovery!
I was so glad I became a hunter.