Harper and Vayuhn crept through the forest, following a set of boar tracks. Chances were, the group would not contain a Domain boar. It was a risk one took if the prey had not been scouted beforehand by someone like Vayuhn.

  They rarely bothered to hunt non-Domain creatures. Not only was the body worth significantly less, lacking a core and not being of aether materials, the game could not be stored in their aetherspaces. While the weight split between the two of them was not prohibitive, it still made for a grueling trip back. It was also more difficult to hide the fact that they had been on the same hunt.

  They were only a couple hours walk from the last reported location of the wolf pack. It was slightly too risky for her liking, but they were unable to find any game further away. As long as they retreated at the first sign of the wolves, they should be fine. Wolves, even dire wolves, were fiercely territorial, but would rarely attack people unless they trespassed.

  The duo would avoid going any closer for fear of entering their territory. These wolves were apparently unusually aggressive, and Harper and Vayuhn didn’t want to risk an altercation with them. Even if they did not have a dire wolf at their head, hunting a pack of single Domain wolves was outside of their capabilities.

  However, hunting game the pack scared off should be doable enough. While it was difficult to tell from just the tracks, Vayuhn was somewhat confident that at most two of the boars possessed a Domain. One was definitely large enough to be a Domain creature judging by the oversized prints. The other was either an unusually large male, or a small Domain boar. Harper hoped it was the former; taking two on at once was an unnecessary risk, even if more profitable.

  Vayuhn walked a ways ahead of her; she still struggled to achieve the level of speed and silence he was capable of. It was better that he alert her before they came into range of the group. She could attain the near absolute silence he could, only much slower.

  Eventually Vayuhn gave her the signal and they crept as close to the herd as they dared. Once they had the boars in their sight, it was obvious that there were two of them with a Domain. The intermixing of mundane and single Domain creatures was not uncommon. It was far less common for creatures with more Domains to mingle.

  Something that had a single Domain was just a more powerful and often bigger version of the mundane variety. Magnate creatures and above were quite different. While a lizard, drake, and dragon were obviously similar at their core, they were qualitatively different creatures. You would never see a drake leading a pack of Domain lizards, if lizards traveled in packs, anyways.

  They were far more likely to see them as prey or a nuisance in the way of other prey. A creature benefitted from consuming any core, of a weaker variety than their own or not. It was for this reason that Magnates and above rarely traveled together. Other Magnates, even of the same species, were competition, not allies.

  It was one of the things that made the wolf pack in the area unusual. It was odd to see a dire wolf leading a lesser pack. Still, it was known to happen occasionally. Wolves were pack animals and had tighter bonds than most creatures. Even the Potentate version of wolves, amaroks, were known to loosely maintain packs. It was fortunate that there were not packs of amaroks and that they were more solitary than their lesser brethren. Such a force could rival a Sovereign should they have a few Apex Domain holders.

  Vayuhn pointed to their mark, the larger of the boars. Not only was there more material and meat, taking out the more threatening one would be better should the herd turn on them. They readied their bows, Harper using one she had bought for herself. The expense rankled her, but she couldn’t keep borrowing from her landlady.

  They took their shot and immediately made some distance. They may very well be in for a few hours of guerilla tactics. Like the bison they had hunted previously, the safest way to go about it was as indirectly as possible.

  They were very fortunate this particular hunt. Vayuhn had landed a shot in a major artery and the creature died in minutes. Its fellow did not stick around or spend an excessive amount of time hunting them either. While aggressive, Domain creatures were slightly smarter than mundane creatures. Something that could kill another so quickly without being seen was not something it wanted to risk itself for. It didn’t help that the mundane boars almost instantly took off.

  After harvesting their kill and storing all they could, they began the trek back. It was a surprisingly early finish; Harper had gotten used to getting back as it was getting dark or even later. It would be nice to get an early rest in anticipation for her courier run the next day. She had a lot do to make up for what she had missed the previous week.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  Halfway there, Vayuhn paused mid conversation. He held up a hand and listened intently for a few seconds. Harper did as well, but she was unable to hear anything out of the norm. “Into the bushes, now!” Vayuhn whispered urgently. Trusting his senses, she did so.

  They waited for a minutes before Harper was able to hear something as well. She thought she heard the faint sound of voices. It became clearer over the next few minutes. They quietly backed away. It was most likely a few other hunters that had the same idea as them. Harper doubted they would pose a danger, but she’d rather not be seen with Vayuhn. Their deal was very illegal, and if it was known there would be major repercussions.

  Finding them wasn’t immediately dangerous, of course. They would likely assume that they had just ran into each other. It would be no one’s first guess that the exiled noble from Quilen and the labuntan slave were colluding.

  If someone should someone see them together multiple times and grow suspicious, they weren’t likely to think that she was educating him. They were more likely to think that they were... romantically involved. Despite the situation, Harper grimaced at the thought. Some slave owners became entangled with their property. A wanton abuse of their power, in her opinion. Rarer, someone would become involved with someone else’s slave. The penalties for such a crime were harsh.

  It wasn’t something she had ever thought about, because the idea of being involved with a labuntan had never crossed her mind. It was just... odd. She only considered it now because it may very well be a better cover than the real reason. It would be humiliating. If word got to Quilen, she’d be a laughingstock. The foolish girl that got banished and immediately fell in with a slave.

  Still, it may be better than being known for having taught a slave advanced techniques without a permit. It was almost comparable to treason. Execution wasn’t likely given her status, but life in prison was not off the table. The harshness was due to the risks. Given enough power, the slaves could uprise. They would undoubtedly lose, but the loss of life and resources that needed to be diverted would be not inconsiderable.

  Harper still watched Vayuhn closely. The benefits for their arrangement were great, but the risks were equally great. The only reason she took and maintained the deal was because the consequences for him were even more dire. Sometimes she feared that she would succeed and go home, only to hear about a slave uprising led by him. If he did such a thing, and lost, nothing would stop him from divulging her as the source of his advanced Domain knowledge.

  He had sworn not to pass on what she taught, with the exception of certain things to his brother. She trusted him to keep his word, but nothing was absolute. Especially with him.

  Harper had a bias, and she knew it. She thought of labuntans as generally docile and trustworthy. If a human or tetran had thrown a rock to get her attention and motioned her to a dark alley, she may have very well continued walking. When she saw it was a labuntan, even one with visible weapons, she met with him with little hesitation.

  Spending time with him was challenging that bias. He was more violent than most people that she knew. His competence with hunting and weapons was astounding. She would not want to be his enemy. Beneath the friendly face and humor, he was a cunning and vicious predator. Vayuhn had killed too many creatures for her to think otherwise.

  These thoughts and more simmered beneath the surface as they snuck away. It wasn’t the first time they nearly encountered others in the forest, and it likely wouldn’t be the last. The encounters were usually closer to the road, where they were more on guard. They hadn’t run into anyone else in the more remote areas, until now.

  Harper glanced back in the direction of the voices. She caught a glimpse of green. Rangers, she realized. They weren’t other opportunistic hunters, but rangers on the job. If she had to guess, they were scouting. Threats like the wolves were their purview. Because there was a dire wolf, they needed to send either a large force or a Magnate.

  In such situations, they usually had a small scouting group look for the targets frequented spots. Magnates didn’t have time to spend days traipsing through the forest. Instead, scouts followed the creatures to their dens or marked an area and time that the creature or creatures were consistently at. The Magnate or large group was then dispatched. There may very well be both this time, considering that it was an entire pack of Domain wolves.

  Turning her attention away, Harper kept sneaking forward. Until Vayuhn raised a hand again. He didn’t need to; Harper saw the problem immediately. She and Vayuhn began backtracking in the direction of the rangers, away from the large blob of brown fur sniffing the air.

  The grizzly bear was big enough that she was sure it had a Domain. She was also sure that this was not a hunt she and Vayuhn were ready for. Their hit and run tactics wouldn’t work on a beast that would barley be affected by arrows and would charge straight at them at the first sign of aggression.

  She had no delusions as to the outcome in a straight fight either. Even if a dragon were to somehow have only a single Domain, she would still lose to it in a fight. The same held true for a bear. She would still be wary of the beast if she was a Magnate.

  Not that they could fight anyways. That would draw the attention of the rangers. The whole point of sneaking away would be for naught. Unfortunately for them, meeting the rangers was inevitable. Harper turned her head around the tree just in time to see the rangers, one of which saw her at the exact same time.

  “Hide!” Harper hissed to Vayuhn through gritted teeth without turning her head. It was too late for her to go unnoticed, but perhaps Vayuhn still could. Harper realized something and quickly made a shushing motion to the ranger, but it was too late.

  “Hail traveler! Identify yourself!” A questioning roar sounded behind her and her stomach curled. Harper prepared to run for her life.