Out in the middle of absolute nowhere, buried under a thick blanket of snow and lit only by the weak, kinda watery light of the moon, only two figures stood out. Couldn't see nothin' else for miles.
One was a young fella, tall and built solid, couldn't have been more than twenty-five. Hair black as coal, made the fallin' snow look extra white around him. His eyes, though… pure gold, like shiny coins, and filled with this… energy, you know? Like he was buzzin'. And a grin spread across his face, wide and cocky as anything.
"Looks like tonight's gonna be fun after all," he said, his smile gettin' even bigger as he stared dead ahead.
Just a few lousy meters away stood the other figure. And it sure as hell weren't human. Towered over eleven meters tall, this thing. Like some kinda giant bird plucked straight out of a nightmare, covered head-to-toe in fur so white it practically vanished into the snowdrifts. Woulda blended right in, if not for the size. Massive wings, folded but lookin' like they could blot out the moon, and a beak sharp enough to pierce stone. Enough to send most brave men runnin' for the hills.
But here's the thing…
The young guy, standin' just meters away from this monster? He just kept on smilin'. Looked it right in the eye with this… challengin' stare, like he was darin' it.
That really got under the big bird's skin, you could tell.
It opened its beak and let out this… screech. Gods, the sound. Loud enough to burst eardrums clean open for anyone dumb enough to be standin' close. Woulda sent every other beast for miles scramblin' in pure terror.
But… against all sense? The man didn't even flinch. Didn't budge an inch from his spot. Rooted to the ground.
"Hahaha! Easy there, little birdie," he called out, voice loud and clear over the dying echo of the screech. "Ain't cryin' time just yet. Gimme a few more minutes, yeah?" He paused, tilting his head like he was thinkin'. "Y'know, when I first rolled into this frozen country, heard all the big talk 'bout the famous Drakarys up in these snowy north mountains. Said it looked like some kinda giant eagle, all covered in white fur. Majestic, they reckoned."
He let out a short, sharp laugh. "But you? Hah! To me, you look like one ugly-ass giant chicken. Honest. Was already kinda disappointed when I first laid eyes on you. And now? Hearin' you scream like a… well, like a whore in a busy brothel… yeah. You can guess how I'm feelin' right about now."
The Drakarys might not have understood the words, but the arrogance? The pure contempt drippin' off him? Oh, it felt that alright.
Right then, it shut its beak with a snap. Didn't screech again. Just… launched itself straight up into the sky. Fast. Stupid-fast. Had to be fifteen meters up in a heartbeat.
Then it dove. Straight down at the man like a feathered comet. Came down so hard and fast the wind it whipped up blew the snow clear away in all directions, like someone kicked a giant powder puff. As it got close, it stretched out these enormous claws – three toes, each ending in a talon sharper and bigger than any butcher's cleaver – aimed right at where he stood.
Took less than five seconds from dive to impact. Slammed those claws deep into the snow where the man had been standin'.
WHUMPH!
The impact, thanks to the Drakarys's sheer weight and speed, carved out a massive crater in the frozen ground, snow flyin' everywhere.
The beast reared back up, puffin' itself up, eager to see the pulpy mess left of the stupid human who'd dared it.
But… where it expected mangled bits? Nothin'. Just churned-up snow and empty air.
The bird froze, confused. Head swivelin' side to side. Where…?
Then a voice, casual as you please: "Haha, I'm right over here, stupid chicken."
"Moved so slow you nearly bored me to sleep. Practically made me yawn."
The young man stood just a few meters behind the fresh crater, one hand actually coverin' his mouth like he was stiflin' a big ol' yawn. Looked bored.
That did it. Pure rage boiled over in the Drakarys. It tensed, ready to lunge again, wings startin' to unfurl for another strike.
But the man? He just bent his knees, real slight-like. And before the bird could even register the movement… whoosh… he was just… there. Right in front of its giant face. Hangin' in the air like it was nothin', even though the bird was still hoverin' meters off the ground.
Then… CRACK!
One punch. Just one clean shot, straight to the side of the Drakarys's huge head.
A human fist against that? Shouldn't have done squat. But the moment it connected, the whole massive bird jerked sideways like it'd been hit by a runaway cart. Then plummeted straight down, crash-landin' in the snow with a ground-shakin' THUD!
Took it a few seconds, strugglin', but it managed to get back up on its taloned feet. Shook its head side to side, side to side, lookin' dazed, stars probably dancin' behind its eyes. The white feathers around its head were matted now, stained with bright, weird-lookin' blue blood drippin' down.
Meanwhile, the young man drifted down gentle-like, landin' light as a feather himself, still smilin'. Smooth as silk, he pulled somethin' from his belt. Looked like a dagger at first glance. Black hilt, blade a deep, dangerous red, all swirled with intricate golden patterns that seemed to catch the weak moonlight.
"Looks like playtime's over," he announced, voice calm. "Time to end this."
He moved. So fast the still-stunned Drakarys couldn't track it. One blurry moment he was here… next, SWISH-THUNK!… he was over there, and the beast's entire left wing was suddenly… gone. Just clean severed, fallin' heavy into the snow.
"KIIIIIIIIIII!" The shriek that tore outta the bird was pure agony, raw and terrible. Bright blue blood spurtin' out like a fountain from the ragged stump where its wing used to be.
Panicked now, blinded by pain, the giant beast started thrashin' wildly, stompin', lashin' out with its beak and remaining wing, tryin' to smash the tiny, infuriatin' human dartin' around it like some kinda demonic gnat.
But it couldn't touch him. Not even close.
"Crazy chicken," the man's voice taunted, seemin' to come from everywhere and nowhere. "Who exactly you tryin' to hit back there? The snowman?"
Hearin' his voice, the Drakarys finally managed to twist its massive neck, aimin' its razor sharp beak right at where the sound seemed to come from.
But just as it started its strike… its vision on that side went completely dark. Pitch black.
The man had thrown his dagger. Perfect shot. Sunk it hilt deep right into the bird's giant right eye. The retina alone was wider than a man was tall.
"KIIII! KIIIIIIII!" This scream was even louder, more desperate. Pure, unadulterated agony. It thrashed its head madly, tryin' to dislodge the blade.
The man, cool as ice, had landed on top of its wildly buckin' head. He grabbed the dagger's hilt, planted a boot for leverage, and yanked. Pulled it free with one brutal jerk.
SCHLUCK!
More torrents of that bright blue blood gushed out uncontrollably. The bird's howl shook the very air.
With one last, desperate surge of adrenaline, it somehow managed to heave itself upwards again. Not to fly away, no. It pointed its head straight down and dove. Aimin' to crush the damn human ridin' its skull by slammin' its own head into the frozen ground.
Useless. The man was already gone. Leapt clear, landin' lightly on its broad back just as…
CRUNCH!
The sickening sound of the Drakarys smashin' its own skull into the hard-packed, snow-covered earth echoed across the desolate landscape. The impact cracked the bone, loud.
The creature lay there then, twitchin', barely conscious, breath comin' in ragged, wet gasps. Done.
The young man didn't hesitate. One more flash of that red-and-gold blade, a clean SWISH, and the other massive wing followed the first into the snow. Never flyin' again, that was sure.
The beast gave one feeble, shudderin' attempt to rise, maybe just a death spasm.
But the man was back on its cracked skull. He raised the dagger high, point down, both hands on the hilt.
"Night-night, chicken," he muttered.
Then drove it down with all his strength, right into the fracture in the bone.
THUK
The dagger sank deep. The Drakarys gave one final, violent shudder… then went completely, utterly still. Lifeless in the freezin' snow.
The man stood up straight on the giant, feathered corpse, plantin' his boots firm. He looked down at his handiwork for a moment, head tilted, like he was admirin' a job well done. Snowflakes settled on his black hair.
"Well…" he breathed out, a plume of steam in the cold air. "That was easy. Almost too easy."
He bent down, pulled somethin' small and metallic from his pocket looked like a fancy badge. Pressed it flat against the dead Drakarys's cold hide.
A soft, blue-white light glowed from the badge for a few seconds. Then a flat, mechanical voice cut through the silence:
"Certified prey: Rank B beast Northern Drakarys."
"Points obtained: 9,000."
"Hunter: Kael (The Predator)."
"Total points: 450,000."
"Global ranking: Number 83."