Arcane Innovator

"Hey! How long are you going to laze about over there?" A sharp voice sounded from somewhere behind us, and we both promptly turned our heads.

'Huh? It's a girl?' I widened my eyes in clear surprise as there stood a young woman with folded arms and a determined expression on her face.

Although rare, it was not unheard of for women to become beast hunters. Yet so far, I met only one back in Ereneth, which was no other than Brunhilde.

That's why I turned back toward the young Recruit with piqued interest. "Who's that?"

He showed me an awkward smile as he scratched the back of his head. "Oh, that's just Vixen. Don't mind her. She can be a little rough at first, but when you get to know her better, she'll grow on you!"

Slightly confused, I tilted my head to the side. "Wait, her name is... Vixen?"

"That's her Battle name! I'm Ram, by the way; how're you called?" He proudly proclaimed.

Now was my time to smile awkwardly. "Ehm, my name's Jorn... I don't have a Battle name."

Ram blinked a few times, looking at me in apparent confusion."What do you mean? Everyone has to have a Battle name! You did your registration, no?"

"Yes, I did." I nodded.

"So? What did you put there?"

"Well, my name... Jorn."

Ram gave me a weird look before bursting out laughing.

'Wait... was I supposed to choose some beast as my name? Was this why Gramps gave me that funny look? That old goat... he didn't say anything about that!'

Well, it was too late to do anything about it, so I simply shrugged my shoulders and decided to let it be.

Still, I found it weird that Jorn's party back in Ereneth didn't have any Battle names, or at least they didn't give me any.

Was this just a local thing? I wanted to ask Ram some more questions, but he had already waved goodbye to me and ran up to that girl with a sharp look as the lunch break was over, and it was time to resume the intense workout the Guild was subjecting us to.

'They seem kind of close...' These were my last thoughts before I, too, returned to training.

After the day finally ended, I didn't have an ounce of strength left in me, so I simply collapsed onto my plank bed, content to stare into the ceiling while wondering how many days of this hellish training I would be able to endure.

Wolf was steadily increasing the intensity of the spars, adding new elements each subsequent day, not giving me a single moment of respite. Thus, for now, I decided to forego my evening strolls around the town, at least not until I get the hang of the new routine a little better.

My appreciation for the beast hunters only increased after experiencing this crazy boot camp as I realized what lengths they go to ensure the slightest chance of survival against the powerful monsters teeming the wilderness.

***

I dutifully continued my training in the following days and was slowly improving my abysmal sword skills while at the same time enhancing my overall physique.

During this time, I discovered that Ram was hell-bent on befriending me for some strange reason. I guess he thought I could help him get closer to Wolf, who he was apparently a huge fan of.

He followed me at every opportunity during the short breaks or in the evenings, thus giving me no room to conduct any clandestine operations.

This meant that during this time, I didn't manage to get any new leads on any potential hideouts or criminal gatherings throughout the town.

I knew that I had to act fast as, by now, they must have found out that Sam, along with the rest of the elixirs, was gone, and my window of opportunity before I would lose the gang for good was quickly closing.

The only piece of good news was that the Town Crier's announcement didn't have any substantial effect, and my previous fears about crowds of bounty hunters swarming the town were unfounded.

I didn't notice any suspicious-looking characters turning into town recently or any increase in watchmen's patrols.

Perhaps they were all searching for me in the woods surrounding Ereneth, and they couldn't imagine I would be so bold as to sneak into a city and stroll around in plain sight of everyone.

So, like that, the time moved quickly and uneventfully, and before I noticed, a whole week had passed since I began my new life as a Recruit.

***

I yawned as I walked at the back of the small column of Recruits promptly heading out of the still-sleeping town and into the wilderness.

I eagerly looked ahead into the towering pine woods, shrouded in a thick morning fog, giving the surroundings an eerie and mysterious feel. It was finally time to put my new skills into practice.

I still remember the pleasant surprise when I learned that the Guild organized a monthly supervised hunt for the Recruits.

Usually, I wouldn't be able to attend only after a mere week of training and would have to wait for the next one, yet given my rapid progress Wolf had vouched for me so that I could join this one.

I was the youngest, both figuratively and literally, so I tried my best to not stick out too much and mostly kept to myself.

Just the fact that I was allowed to go on the Hunt, despite my evident lack of experience, was enough for the others to despise me and accuse me of favoritism.

If you add to it my private lessons with Wolf and my rapid progress, it was no wonder I got plenty of mean looks directed my way.

Not that I asked for any of it, yet I would be a fool not to use any advantage. Besides, I knew that I had the most battle experience out of all the Recruits present. Even most of the Instructors couldn't match my past feats.

But today, I couldn't use magic, at least not visibly, so I moved extra carefully, reminding myself that the flimsy sword fastened to my belt was the only thing standing between me and a sure death from the monster's jaws.

The trees towered above us, their branches creating a dense canopy overhead that let only an occasional ray of sunlight pass through them, thus submerging everything into perpetual semi-darkness.

The forest floor was covered with countless fallen leaves and twigs, crunching under our feet as we made our way through the thick underbrush.

I cautiously scanned the area with my magic sense, yet there were no signs of danger so far. I sighed with relief as I weighed the rusty sword at my side.

For this Hunt, we were allowed to pick real weapons and not the usual wooden ones. I noticed that the iron sword was significantly lighter and easier to swing.

Yet this unfamiliarity also meant I would first have to get used to it, so I wasn't planning to recklessly run ahead into the fray.

Soon enough, we reached our designated hunting ground - a vast swath of swampy land east of Ostengard.

"Alright! We're here. Now organize yourselves into hunting parties, and we can begin!" A burly instructor loudly bellowed.

'Huh? A hunting party?' I helplessly looked around. Since I made a conscious effort to stay as far away from the others as possible, I hadn't befriended anyone so far.

But before I could start to panic, a familiar, carefree voice sounded from behind me. "Hey! It looks like you still don't have a party, so why don't you join us?"

I turned around, smiling helplessly. "Hey Ram... I guess I will."

With a sigh, I reluctantly approached the broadly smiling Ram.

"Perfect! You've already met Vixen, and behind her is Weasel." He happily said while pointing at the other party members.

I looked where he was pointing and saw a petite young woman hiding behind Vixen's back. 'Another girl?'

Vixen looked at me with evident suspicion in her sharp eyes but didn't say anything, only offering me a subtle nod before taking Weasel's hand and going ahead.

It looked like the new girl was extremely shy for some reason, as she hadn't uttered a word since I came here.

Ram offered me an encouraging nod before he, too, ran up to the girls. So I simply followed after them at the back. Vixen confidently led the way, as they had apparently already been here a few times before.

As we made our way through the swampland, the air grew heavy with moisture and insects buzzing. The ground beneath us squelched with each step as we had to follow a narrow trail between the marshes which threatened to suck us into their muddy depths.

The swamp seemed to stretch endlessly, with murky waters and thick undergrowth obscuring our path. Occasionally, a hiss or a rustle would break the silence, reminding us that we were not alone.

The further we went, the more I questioned the sanity of the Instructors who had sent us into such a hazardous quagmire.

The Instructors were supposed to keep an eye on us, yet I doubted anyone would be able to get to us in time if we found ourselves in some kind of mortal danger.

Thus, I tightly clutched the hilt of my sword as it was evident we were on our own. Vixen led us deeper into the swamp, following a faint trail only she seemed to know.

Shortly before noon, we reached a small elevated clearing, where we finally decided to take a break. Not that I was too tired to continue, but the sultry weather and the constant grim expectation of an inevitable ambush was taking its toll.

After a quick lunch, we were back on the trail, but we didn't make it far as only a few minutes after leaving the clearing, we all heard a loud rustling sound that echoed through the ever present silence, prompting us to an abrupt stop.

Ram raised a hand, signaling for us to stay still and quiet. We held our breaths, straining to listen for any further signs of movement.

I sensed several life signs in the vicinity with my magic sense, yet with all the fog around, it was hard to tell how far they were or what type of monster it was.

Then, without warning, a massive creature burst through the thick foliage, its snarling jaws and razor-sharp teeth on full display.