Chapter 42: Hunt Rewards (2)

He emerged from the forest at dusk.

The encampment was quiet. Most of the hunters had returned. They stood in groups, comparing kills, boasting, laughing.

He had stopped by the edge of the camp to dump the kills he had made beside his campfire. The one he’d made before leaving.

He didn’t want anyone seeing him offloading magic beasts from a hyper space that he couldn’t explain.

But he had a statement to make. He was going to bring the wyvern into camp.

As soon as he made his way into camp, they saw him.

Silence spread like a wave of wildfire.

Emeric walked through the camp, covered in dried blood. His armor was torn. His face was partially bruised but his regen skill was healing it.

He was alive and he bet they were surprised to see him. He continued to pull the dead thing.

The whispers started.

"Is that—"

"A Thornback Wyvern."

"He killed it?"

"Alone? No way. He had to have cheated."

Emeric didn’t stop. Not for any of them. He didn’t look at them either. He walked to his spot at the edge of the encampment and set down his pack.

He could feel their eyes on him when they saw the other magic beasts he had killed. They’d killed more but the wyvern cancelled out most of what they had killed.

He’d snuck into camp, offloaded his kills and then went the other way around to walk into camp with the wyvern just to end back at his corner.

He was feeling very petty but he didn’t care for what they might think of him. He just had a point to prove.

He looked around for Kaelen, but he couldn’t find him. Not yet.

He didn’t care.

He had what he came for.

Nyxie made a sound on his shoulders as he gently placed himself on the hard ground with the wyvern in front of him.

The wyvern’s carcass lay at the edge of House Halden’s spot. Along with all the other magic beasts he had killed.

Its head lolled to one side, teeth exposed and darkening from rigor mortis

Nyxie sat on Emeric’s shoulder, hissing at everybody that came too close.

Emeric cleaned his battered blade of the blood that remained on it.

People stared at him but didn’t approach.

Then Kaelen arrived.

He could hear the large thud of angry footsteps before he came into full view.

Kaelen stopped in front of him, his face red with rage and hands clenched by his side.

"You cheated."

Emeric didn’t look up. "Did I?"

"There’s no way you killed that thing alone." Kaelen’s voice rose. "You’re Unblessed. You’re nothing. You couldn’t—"

"I did."

"Liar!"

Nyxie’s head snapped toward Kaelen. Her small body tensed. Her wings flared and she let out a sound. A tiny, squeaking roar.

Kaelen stared at her.

"What is that?"

"A friend."

"It looks like a rat with wings."

Nyxie hissed.

Emeric looked up, his eyes were cold.

"Is there something you want, Kaelen? Or did you come here just to embarrass yourself?"

Kaelen’s face went purple.

"You think you’re better than me? You think one lucky kill changes anything?" He stepped closer. "You’re still the failure. You’re still nothing. Father may have let you come, but he knows what you are. Everyone knows what you are."

Emeric stood.

He was taller than his brother. And now maybe even stronger. Kaelen had been blessed with wind magic.

He stepped closer.

"I know what I am," he said quietly. "I’m the man who killed the Thornback Wyvern. I’m the man who walked out of that forest when better men didn’t. I’m the man who will stand after all this with my head held high."

He paused.

"What are you?"

Kaelen’s mouth opened but no words came.

Emeric could feel him getting angry.

Was he storing mana for an attack?

Kaelen was strong when they were little. Now, he couldn’t bring himself to imagine him as that invincible big brother anymore.

He wouldn’t attack him, would he? Not with all the people watching:

Suddenly, he turned and stormed away, his cronies scrambling after him.

Nyxie made a sound, satisfied. Emeric had no idea how he knew that but he just did.

Emeric sat back down, watching Kaelen vanish into the crowd.

The afternoon sun was descending when the royal messenger emerged from the pavilion.

He carried a scroll, and he cleared his throat, calling for attention of everyone.

His voice carried across the camp.

"By order of Her Majesty, Queen Sylvia Magenta, the standings of the Annual Royal Hunt are hereby declared."

The crowd continued to gather.

"Third place: Lord Tristan of House Vane."

The applause that followed was polite and modest.

"Second place: Lady Vespera Pendragon."

A louder applause followed. Vespera stood at the edge of the crowd with her arms crossed. She didn’t react. Her eyes were fixed on Emeric.

"First place..."

The messenger paused, then cleared his throat.

"Emeric Halden of House Halden."

Silence.

Then chaos.

Whispers exploded in the camp; the nobles turned to each other and some of them were furious.

"The reward for first place is as follows: A personal commendation from Her Majesty. A grant of one thousand gold pieces. The title of Hunt Champion for the year."

Emeric listened, completely tuning out the noise.

One thousand gold.

Enough to pay a healer. To keep them alive until he found something else.

He looked down at his hands.

It was worth it.

"And now." The messenger continued, putting away the first scroll and retrieving a second.

"The Crown hereby claims all magic beasts killed during the Hunt. All carcasses will be collected and transported to the Royal Menagerie for study and disposal."

The crowd stirred.

Murmurs of displeasure rippled through the hunters.

"That’s our kill."

"We did the work."

"The Crown takes everything."

Emeric watched and said nothing.

He thought of the wyvern. He’d wanted to sell it back in the city. That could easily fetch close to 700 gold for all the parts.

Several parts of it were useful in medicine and armor. The crown was definitely making money from all the kills.

He briefly checked the inventory to confirm that he had stored the heart.

He was right to before the Crown could claim it.

He let out a slow breath.

That was close.