A Grand Hunt

“Where did Beryl say she saw these tracks?”

Khalia glances up at the cloudless sky. “Southeast.”

The barbarian raises an eyebrow. This rocky and hilly terrain extends the furthest in that direction. But that area isn’t exactly the best for hunting, not compared to the forest to the south-west or even the rolling plains to the north.

“Come.” Khalia grunts, grabbing onto her Mate’s hand. Her clawed, paw-like fingers interlock with the Drakling’s scaled ones.

Krvavy’s heart flutters a little at that shameless bit of intimacy, even as a slight bit of disappointment wells up inside of her. After all, walking by her precious puppy’s side isn’t as interesting as following after the Orc.

The Were-Beast woman’s other hand idly paws at the piece of armour tightly secured over her upper torso.

“Don’t mess with your breastplate.” Krvavy lightly scolds.

“Rrrgh...” Khalia glares at plate of metal and padding that is squishing her tits down against her body, before turning her gaze towards the barbarian’s bare breasts with a degree of jealousy.

“You don’t have a trait that makes being nearly naked more effective than wearing armour.” The Drakling dryly comments, staring deeply into those amber-gold eyes. “And even if you did, well, you flail around a lot more than I do. You need the ‘support’.”

Khalia scowls in just the right way to show that she knows her Mate is right, even if she doesn’t want to acknowledge it. She stifles a growl and vents her frustration by kicking at some loose pebbles with her bestial foot.

The Were-Beast and barbarian fall into a comfortable silence as they make their way further from the cave that they call home.

The mild but ever-present annoyance that Khalia feels over being made to wear a piece of actual armour in addition to a loincloth is eased slightly by the fact that she gets to spend some time alone with Krvavy. She clearly would prefer if the both of them were naked, but they aren’t wearing enough for her to really complain about it either.

“Did Beryl tell you what kind of tracks she found?” Krvavy asks after a few minutes, unable to keep her curiosity at bay.

The Were-Beast simply nods her head.

Krvavy narrows her eyes. “And you aren’t going to tell me?”

Khalia’s four little tusks seem to gleam in the sunlight as she toothily grins towards her Mate.

“Mmmh... So that’s how it is.” The barbarian slowly sighs out, letting her precious puppy keep that secret. It’ll be a surprise. And hopefully a good one.

---

Khalia suddenly perks up and begins excitedly pulling on the barbarian’s arm. “Here!”

Krvavy curiously glances around. She doesn’t see anything resembling tracks. The only notable thing around here is a small, gnarled tree with a fairly fresh notch cut into its trunk.

“Elfy said tracks near tree cut!” The Orc excitedly explains, repeatedly tapping a clawed finger against said tree.

“We’re quite far from home.” Krvavy idly comments, looking up at the sky. They still have quite a few hours of sunlight ahead of them, so that isn’t a problem, but she can’t help but wonder what Beryl was doing all the way out here? Maybe the tanned tomboy was simply looking for tracks that would catch Khalia’s interest, all so that the Drakling and Orc could do exactly what they’re doing right now? Arranging what is essentially a date between Krvavy and one of her girls does sound like something Beryl would do...

Khalia releases her grip on Krvavy’s arm. Her nose scrunches up as she sniffs the air, sweeping her head side to side. “Here! See tracks!”

The barbarian shrugs, pushing those thoughts aside and following after her precious puppy.

“Heheehehe~!” Hyena-like giggles emerge past the Were-Beast’s plump lips as she scrambles down the rocky hillside. “Here here here~!” Her shaggy tail wildly wags side to side as she gestures towards the ground.

The patch of clay-like dirt is marred with dozens of cloven prints of various sizes, some more clear than others. But they are all very similar to each other. A pair of almond-shaped indents, tips angled in towards each other, followed by two smaller holes pressed into the soil. Every single print looks like that. Some larger, some small. But all are otherwise identical.

“Can Mate guess~?” Khalia grins as the Drakling catches up to her. “Guess what we hunt~!”

Krvavy furrows her brow and thinks. These tracks look a lot like deer footprints. But... there are way too many together for her to assume that. Maybe if they were down in the forest, but up here in the hills...?

And they don’t seem quite right for goat tracks either...

Excitement fills the Orc’s body, giving her amber-gold eyes an eager glimmer as she awaits her Mate’s guess.

The barbarian presses a finger into the soil. It is fairly firm. Does that help? She shrugs.

Krvavy pauses.

The ground between and around these prints is uneven. Not in a natural way, but as if it was disturbed by more than just feet. It is as if these creatures were... digging. Rooting around in the dirt.

“Are we hunting... boars?”

Khalia’s fluffy ears quiver with joy. “Yes~!” She struggles to keep from howling, wrapping her strong arms around Krvavy’s midsection. “Yes~! We kill piggies today~!”

The Drakling smiles and tries not to wince as her Orc’s crushing hug grows a bit too tight. She sighs out in relief when Khalia releases her. “Was this Beryl’s idea, or...?”

“Mine~!”

Krvavy slowly nods her head. “Right.” Her emerald eyes trail over the tracks. It is really hard to tell how many boars were here. Could have just been a few who walked in circles over an over again, or it could have been an entire family numbering in the dozens. “And what if there are too many for us to fight?”

“Huh?” Khalia blankly blinks, almost as if she hadn’t considered that. “We... scare them away?”

“Mmn...” Krvavy bites the inside of her cheek. That... might actually work. Animals already tend to flee from her just because she smells a bit like a dragon to them. And Khalia’s roar has a similar terrifying effect... “Alright. We’ll give it a try. But we will be very careful about it, understand? Don’t do anything reckless and don’t get yourself injured.”

“Yes Mate!”

“Good.” The barbarian gives her Were-Beast a firm pat on the head. “Now... it looks like the tracks lead in... that direction.”

---

“Rrrrghn...” Khalia’s shaggy tail impatiently swishes back and forth as she holds a paw-like hand up to block the light of the low-hanging sun.

“Don’t worry. We’re getting close.” Grimacing just a little, Krvavy pokes a stick into a fresh mound of dung. “Very close...”

Khalia glares at the rocky ground. There aren’t any obvious tracks pointing the direction that these boars went, but there aren’t all that many options either...

“That shrub looks like it was recently trampled. Do you think that’s the right direction?”

The Were-Beast scowls, furrowing her brow in thought. “Yes.” She answers after a few long seconds.

“Well, come on then.” A smile makes its way onto Krvavy’s face as she gently grabs onto her precious puppy’s paw-like hand. “Don’t want these little pigs to get away, now do we~?”

A gentle breeze caresses Khalia’s faintly flushed cheeks.

After spending hours upon hours hiking, it only takes the two of them a few more minutes before they find their quarry.

The beige-brown fur trailing down Khalia’s spine stands on end as she hastily ducks behind a large rock, dragging the Drakling with her.

“Mate...!” She excitedly whispers, repeatedly nudging Krvavy in the side. “So many piggies~...!”

Krvavy isn’t anywhere near as excited as her Were-Beast is.

The ridge ahead is absolutely covered in boars. There have to be at least thirty adults and twice as many young. And those ‘young’ boars aren’t all piglets, though there are a lot of those oddly cute little things with their brown fur and whitish stripes. No, they seem to be mostly the teenage equivalent of a boar: not anywhere near as big as the obvious adults, but not small either.

A slight bit of drool drips past Khalia’s plump lip as she stares at the potential feast on many, many legs.

“Calm down.” Krvavy cautions the Orc, resting a hand on Khalia’s shoulder. “Do you see any that look... isolated? Any that we could catch alone?”

The Were-Beast shakes her head side to side as she sweeps her gaze over the horde of scavenging boars. “There...!” Her whole body quivers with excitement as she points a clawed finger at her target.

Krvavy frowns.

Further up the hillside, a fair distance away from all the other boars, stands an absolute monster of a pig. Its body is a thick, round barrel covered in bristly black hair. Its legs are like tree trunks. Its elongated head is adorned with six huge tusks, two of which are curling back towards its skull. All of that alone makes this car-sized beast look intimidating and terrifying. Which makes the dense mane of white-tipped quills trailing down the ridge of its back all the more worrisome.

Krvavy glances back towards the horde.

At a glance, they all seem like fairly normal looking boars. But upon closer inspection, all the other obvious adults have bristly quills lining their hairy backs as well.

These aren’t normal boars. They are like the Rock Bear. Some mildly magical beast that shares enough traits to earn themselves a similar name.

And Inspect confirms that, as these are apparently ‘Bristleback Boars’. How original...

“Look, we might be biting off more than we can chew here.”

“Rrrgh...” Khalia glares at her Mate. “Hill too steep. Other piggies can’t climb it. Big one alone.” She firmly points out.

“Yes, but that ‘big one’ got up there somehow.” Krvavy calmly states, looking over the hillside. “So the rest could swarm up there as well.”

“Then scare them away. They run from our roars, from our scents.” The Were-Beast refuses to budge, meeting Krvavy’s cautious gaze with amber-gold eyes full of determination. “Mate. We kill big piggy.”

The barbarian bites her bottom lip. If they could get just that giant boar all alone... Could she and Khalia kill it? Sure. Without getting seriously injured? Maybe. She idly touches the leafy bracelet wrapped around her wrist as a possible plan forms in her mind.

“Okay.” Krvavy takes a deep breath. “We’ll give it a try. But...!” She holds a hand up, stopping the Orc from quietly cheering. “If it rejoins the others before we can get into position, then we are going to give up and go home. Same for if we can’t get the rest to run away. Got it?”

A faint frown plays at Khalia’s plump lips. She glances towards the boars and then back to her Mate. The Were-Beast lowers her head slightly, fluffy ears drooping just a bit. “Yes, Mate.”

The Drakling gives her precious puppy one last headpat before silently gesturing for the Orc to follow.

A gentle breeze blows from the direction of the boars, hiding both the barbarian and Were-Beast’s scents at the cost of giving them a firsthand experience at what dozens upon dozens of pigs smell like.

Near silently, the barbarian and Were-Beast creep off to the side, briefly losing sight of the main group as they scale a ridge that leads vaguely towards their target. It takes them a good few minutes to find a nice spot uphill from that giant boar, and even longer to make their way there. But, luckily, the horde of wild pigs seems content with staying roughly where they are, rooting around and digging in the pebbly dirt.

Krvavy crouches down behind a scraggly shrug, firmly holding onto Khalia’s paw-like hand. Without a word, she orders the excited Orc to stay still and silent. The leafy bracelet on her wrist rustles quietly as a strong and potent – and expensive – Blackbriar Javelin grows from it, follow by another, and another, and another. Beads of dark-red, almost black, sap bubble from the four jagged and barbed javelins.

The breeze shifts slightly, blowing their scent alongside that of the boar. It lifts its thick, elongated head up and snuffles at the air.

Krvavy’s Soulbound weapon manifests in her left hand. The Synthetic Heartstone glows faintly, even as it gently penetrates into the silty soil.

Khalia quivers with barely restrained excitement. Her clawed fingers twitch and clench in growing anticipation.

Earthen mana flows from deep within Krvavy’s core, travelling along her arm, out her hand, down the haft of her weapon, through the shining spike of a gem, and finally into the terrain.

“SQUEEA!!” The giant boar sharply squeals as its cloven feet suddenly begin to sink into what was solid ground just moments ago. It stomps and thrashes, fighting back against the rock and dirt tying to engulf it.

The corner of Krvavy’s eye twitches as she pushes her will towards the beast. The magic that makes up Grasping Ground shifts slightly. Globs of stone splash up from below, cling to the boar and holding it in place. “Now.” She nudges her precious puppy in the side.

“AARRRRRAAAAAAAAGHHH~!!!” Khalia’s Shaking Roar echoes through the hills.

The horde of pigs below, already on edge due to the big one’s angry squealing, descend into chaos as a wave of panic crashes over them. A cacophony of squeaks, squeals, oinks, and all manner of piggy noises fill the air.

“RRGHAAAAAAA!” Raw power bursts from Krvavy’s throat as her own Draconic roar accompanies the Were-Beast’s bestial one.

Dust rises up from the ground as the boars below scramble to flee, stampeding over each other in their hasty and panicked attempts to run from two apex predators that they don’t even see. Quite a few end up tumbling over and falling down the hillside, bouncing off rocks and boulders with unpleasant crunches.

Each and every boar is filled with terror. Except for the giant one glaring up at Krvavy with its pure black hate-filled eyes.

“AARWHHHOOOOOOOOOOO~!!!”

The joyful sound of Khalia’s Empowering Howl rings out just as the Drakling lets loose the first of her javelins.

65.46 Damage dealt to [Giant Boar]

Thick and goopy crimson blood ooze from the fresh wound on the beasts stocky neck, dripping down over filthy black hair.

The rocky bindings crack as Krvavy’s attention shifts away from her immobilizing spell, returning the ground back to its solid state.

37.18 Damage dealt to [Giant Boar]

The second javelin isn’t as well-placed as the first, slamming into the boars side and, much like the first, quickly gets snapped by the struggling pig. But that hardly matters. The barbed tip remains buried in this giant pigs flesh. Another dose of Blackbriar venom has been administered.

“SQUEEEEE!!”

Pebbles fly through the air. A sturdy, cloven foot tears its way free from the fractured ground.

Krvavy frowns and makes a call, pushing the third javelin into her Orc’s hands. “Go left! Stab!” She barks the simple order out, taking up the final venomous weapon.

“Hahahaheehehha~!” Khalia cackles with joy as she hurls herself over the edge, scrambling down the slope.

Krvavy follows with axe in one hand and javelin in the other.

“SQUUUEEEEE!”

The boar breaks free just in time to get stabbed in the throat. The wound is deep, engulfing the entirety of the javelins thorny tip and even a bit of its reddish wooden shaft, but even then the sharp point doesn’t make it all the way through.

“AAUW!” Khalia sharply yelps out, jumping back as this giant beast swings its head towards her. A thick, dirt-covered tusk tears through her beige-brown fur, leaving a deep gouge on her right thigh.

Cold rage fills the Drakling’s mind as she lunges forwards.

143.43 Damage dealt to [Giant Boar]

She thrusts the final javelin in the gap behind this detestable beasts front left leg. The jagged head sinks deeply into its chest. Krvavy jerks the magically grown spear to the side, opening the wound up even further.

The red-brown shaft snaps as the boar’s attention shifts towards the barbarian.

Krvavy crouches down and tightly grasps her Soulbound weapon with both hands. The sharp crystalline spike that crowns her axe lifts up to meet the furious beasts charge.

265.82 Damage dealt to [Giant Boar]

-3.59 Health

Krvavy’s whole body buckles beneath the boars weight as it carelessly skewers itself on her weapon’s crystal spearhead. If it wasn’t for the oversized axehead catching onto its collarbone, then this car-sized pig would be even closer than it already is.

The barbarian’s hands slip up the haft of her Soulbound weapon, grasping it beneath the dark metal heads.

“SQUEAAA!”

A rain of foul spittle accompanies the boars rank breath as it struggles to stretch its neck forwards. Its bloody tusks are just barely out of reach of Krvavy’s head.

“Rip! It! Apart!” That grunted order is **** past gritted teeth. Krvavy skids back across the uneven ground.

The base of her weapon bumps into the slope behind her. Its haft creaks as it bears the boars considerable weight.

Not wanting to risk her weapon breaking, Krvavy burns through more of her mana, using Sculpt Stone to create a hole for it to sink into.

Her back presses into the slope as a result.

The Drakling grimaces. An odd tingling numbness spreads across her body as mana flows through her channels, diffusing into her skin and scales. A shimmering mirage of bark spreads across her entire being as Oakflesh bolsters her defences.

-9.83 Health

-8.37 Health

-10.77 Health

The boar’s sturdy front legs kick and flail wildly, battering against Krvavy’s arms as she struggles to hold the beast back.

Stinking blood rains down onto the barbarian, flowing down the length of her weapon and squirting out across her body.

“SQUUEAAA!”

Khalia’s magically strengthened claws rake across the boar, ripping its side open over and over again. Her rage-filled noises are drowned out by the pained squeals of the pig.

5.64 Damage dealt to [Giant Boar]

Krvavy twists her Soulbound weapon as best she can with the weight pressing down on her, wiggling it side to side ever so slightly. The sharp, conical crystal that serves as a spearhead digs into the boar’s flesh, widening the wound just a little with each restricted movement.

“SQUUEEEEAAA!”

The boar begins to pull itself back from Krvavy, swinging that giant head towards the Orc assailing its side. The giant pig’s flailing kicks weaken to the point where they hurt but don’t cause any actual damage. Those cloven hooves scrape against Krvavy’s scales, struggling to find purchase as it attempts to use her forearms as footholds.

The near-overwhelming weight begins to lift off of the barbarian’s axe. The muscles in her arms burn with pain.

“SQUEEEEEEAA!”

Krvavy closes her eyes and keeps her lips pressed shut. A flood of filthy blood pours down onto her. Heat builds up within her core. Her axe, bound to her soul, heats up with her.

36.85 Damage dealt to [Giant Boar]

“SQUAAAA!”

The smell of burning flesh assails Krvavy’s senses before being overpowered by a far more foul scent. The boars fetid breath, uncomfortably hot and moist, blows across her face.

The Drakling’s jaw jumps open as a stream of flames burst free from her throat.

413.86 Damage dealt to [Giant Boar]

The sound of sizzling flesh almost overpowers the giant pigs hoarse screams.

258.44 Damage dealt to [Giant Boar]

Cloven hooves repeatedly thump into her arms. But the boars strength is waning, so those frantic strikes do little more than bruise the barbarian.

267.25 Damage dealt to [Giant Boar]

Krvavy coughs and gasps as her flames peter out. A strong and unpleasant metallic taste fills her mouth before she can close it.

The boar has stopped its squealing and the flow of its blood has slowed. But it still takes a few more minutes before Krvavy gets confirmation of its ****.

[Giant Boar] has been slain!
+6,393.75 Experience

Level Up! You have reached Level 26. As a Drakling blessed by a divine power, you have 5 attribute points to allocate and have gained +2 to Might & Toughness. If not allocated by the time you fall asleep, it will be done automatically.

+2 Divine Favour, for growing in strength.

“Mate!”

The carcass’ huge weight lifts off of Krvavy, slamming onto the ground beside her with a thunderous thump.

The Drakling wipes a shaking hand across her messy face. All that accomplishes is smearing the thick layers of sticky and slimy blood around. It takes a few, excruciatingly long seconds for Transmute Blood to absorb that filth into mana. Even with it all gone, she doesn’t feel clean.

“Mate!” Khalia grabs onto her Mate’s shoulders. “We killed piggy!” Excitement fills her pained voice.

Krvavy’s gaze is drawn down to her precious puppy’s legs. A steady stream of blood pours down the right one. A large and worryingly deep near-horizontal gash has cut across its outer thigh.

“Me fine!” The Were-Beast’s words aren’t the most convincing. “Mate can heal!”

“It will hurt.” Krvavy drops to her knees, grimacing as she looks at the weeping wound. The boar was rummaging in the dirt with its tusks. And one of those filthy things made this deep wound. Khalia may have a pretty high disease resistance, but the risk of infection is far too great to rely on that alone. “We’ll need to clean it first.”

The Orc grits her teeth and suck in a sharp breath. Steeling her nerves, she nods her head.

Krvavy does her best to steady her aching arms as she pulls her Soulbound weapon into position. The Synthetic Heartstone at its tip glows with magical flames, warping the air around it from the intense heat.

5.12 Damage dealt to [Khalia]

3.82 Damage dealt to [Khalia]

The Were-Beast shudders and clenches her paw-like hands into fists as the burning hot crystal blade pushes into her bloody flesh.

“Sorry...” Krvavy mutters out, adjusting the strength of her magic to avoid hurting her precious puppy more than is necessary.

1.37 Damage dealt to [Khalia]

The Drakling slowly drags the tip of her Soulbound weapon from one end of the wound to the other.

The damage notifications may have stopped popping up, but Khalia’s quiet gasps show that she still feels the pain even if her resistances and base armour are enough to nullify the damage.

“There.” Krvavy carelessly drops her axe to the ground. Her hands press into the shaggy beige-brown fur that covers Khalia’s outer thigh. Her thumb idly trails along one of the darker stripes.

“Hnngh!” The Orc’s wounded flesh wiggles and writhes. Veins bulge and sinews stretch as they begin to knit back together, crawling and squirming like a mass of bloody worms. Green skin covers muscle and fat, forming a scarred ridge as the fur sprouts like grass.

By looks alone, it is almost impossible to tell that Khalia’s leg had ever been injured. But a light touch betrays the presence of her new scar.

“See? Hahh... Me fine!” A brave grin fills Khalia’s face as she pulls her Mate into a hug. “Good hunt!”

Krvavy sighs. She might not have had the mana to mend Khalia’s wound if it wasn’t for her Soulbound weapon’s own reserve. “It was... a bit much. Let’s do something easier next time, alright?”

“Yes.” The Were-Beast woman nods in agreement. “Not best fight. Quick. Boring.”

“Mhm.” Krvavy glances towards the carcass resting off to the side.

Its chest and head are charred messes, still smouldering from her flames. Its side has been completely torn to shreds: most of the ribs are visible and some of its guts are close to spilling out.

Despite how brutally the two of them dispatched this giant pig, Krvavy isn’t sure she and her Orc could have won if this was a fair fight. The boar was immobilized, weakened, poisoned, bled, and burned. And they still struggled against it.

“Cook piggy?” A hopeful, begging tone fills Khalia’s voice as she tries to casually make that request.

The Drakling softly bites the inside of her cheek. They are a few hours away from home and this boar doesn’t look easy to carry. It is bigger than both barbarian and Were-Beast combined. “Sure. But just a part of it. Then we need to gut the thing and figure out how to get it home...”

“Eheehehe~!” A happy, and slightly creepy, giggle escapes past Khalia’s plump lips as she immediately begins to collect sticks.

Krvavy shifts her attention towards her notifications. She didn’t expect to level up from this hunt. But it isn’t much of a surprise either. Not only was that boar rather strong, but Libidinous Lifestyle also boosts the amount of experience she gains by... it should be fifty-five percent right now.

As tempting as it is to immediately allocate her stat points... Krvavy will save that for later. For when they return home.