Advent of Eternity - Interlude (3?) (Patreon)

An interlude from Stix's POV! This chapter narratively fits in right after Ch. 8 and is part of my efforts to make Stix a more interesting character. Cheers!

Mia drew the arrow back, keeping her breath steady. She paused an instant to double check her aim, then let the arrow slip from her fingers. The bow twanged as the projectile leapt from it, slipping through the air and catching a buck in its neck.

It staggered and collapsed. A perfect kill shot. Mia lowered the bow, staring up into the forest canopy above. Regal and poised, just like a young moon elf should be.

“I did it!” she squealed, jumping into the air and bounding over to the deer. “Look, Alan! One shot!”

A tall moon elf stepped out from the shrubbery, a wide grin on his angular face. He ruffled Mia’s hair. “And a good shot it was. Well done, munchkin. I saw you regulating your breathing there. It’s a good thing you finally figured out how to do that. Much better than last time, where you held your breath for so long you passed out before shooting.”

Mia scowled. She ducked away from Alan’s hand and skipped a step back. “You promised you wouldn’t mention that again!”

Alan chuckled. “Sorry, sorry. Still, that was a great shot. The elders will be very pleased. Well done.”

Mia preened. “I know. Compliment me more.”

Alan rolled his eyes. “Don’t get a big head. You shot a deer, not a demon. You’ve got a long way to go until you can become a real hunter.”

Mia’s grin faltered. “Do you really think I can? Will the elders really give me a Hunter name?”

“Huh? Of course you can. Maybe if you learned a few abilities beyond just shooting that little bow of yours, you’d make it there faster. Elder Greenwood promised to take you on as his personal pupil if you just learned a few more skills. Honestly, if you just applied yourself to a bit more, you’d already have your name.”

“I don’t wanna,” Mia said, crossing her arms. “Bows are cool. I can shoot people – pew – before they even see me! That’s awesome. Why would I want to do something else? Daggers are dumb. You have to get close, and then you get blood all over you. What if I’m wearing a pretty dress? It would be ruined.”

“Are you really going to be wearing a pretty dress in the middle of a serious battle?” Alan asked. “Because now I’ve seriously got some questions for you. Besides, what if someone gets up close? You need to be able to defend yourself, you know. I won’t always be around.”

“What?” Mia asked, startled. “What do you mean? Are you going somewhere?”

“I’ve been in the glade for twenty years now, Mia,” Alan said. “It won’t be long before I head out into the outside world. Just like you will. But, if you get on learning some new skills, maybe you’ll be able to join me before you’re my age, huh? You’re a much better student than I was, you know.”

“Really?” Mia asked. “Everyone always compares me to you, though. Elder Leafthistle said you were the cooler sibling.”

“Leafthistle says that to everyone with siblings. He’s just trying to motivate you.” Alan rolled his eyes. “He told me that too, you know. Said you were a better shot than I was when you were half my age.”

“Well, that’s because it’s true!”

They both laughed. Alan flicked Mia in the head and bent down, picking the deer up and slinging it over his shoulder. “Let’s get going. The sun is setting and I’d like to have this back in time for dinner. I don’t’ want to have another bite of Leafthistle’s mushroom pie.”

Mia shuddered and nodded. The two backtracked their steps through the forest, heading back toward the village. As they walked, Alan cocked his head to the side. A small frown crossed his lips.

“Alan?” Mia asked, craning her neck to peer up at him.

“Something’s off,” Alan muttered. “Do you hear anything?”

Mia blinked and focused her ears, trying to pick up something out of the ordinary. She closed her eyes in concentration and pressed her lips together.

“No, nothing. Why–”

Mia yelped as Alan shoved her to the side. She tumbled, hitting the ground as something thundered past her and slammed into a tree with a crash.

“Run, Mia!” Alan roared, two long daggers leaping into his hands. A huge boar stood across from them. Jagged spines covered the monster’s back, and its tusks were covered in dry blood. It looked completely unphased by its collision.

Mia’s breath caught in her chest and her limbs froze up. A monster? The forest was meant to be safe. There weren’t any monsters in their woods. The boar snorted, its beady black eyes locking on the elf girl.

Alan dashed at it and swung his daggers at the monster’s side. The boar snapped its head to the side and Alan barely managed to twist out of the way and avoid being gored. He redirected his momentum, spinning to unleash a kick into the monster’s side.

It barely budged. With a furious squeal, it thrust its head at Alan, forcing the elf to dance back again. He crossed his daggers, catching one of its tusks instants before it could gore him. Metal clanged against bone as the two launched into a brutal fight.

Scores appeared on the boar’s side from Alan’s daggers, but its tough skin made it hard to injure. Alan picked up several wounds as well, the worst being a small hole in his lower left thigh, where the monster managed to spear him.

“Mia, wake up!” Alan yelled, panting. “You need to get out of here! Go get the elders!”

Mia snapped back into reality. She scrambled back and ran for the village. Alan reengaged the boar with a loud battle cry. Her feet padded against the grass, but she only made it a few steps before she skidded to stop.

The village was over ten minutes away. Alan wouldn’t be able to fight the monster that long. Her blood ran cold. For an instant, her mind split in indecision. Then she turned around and dashed back toward the clearing, pulling an arrow from her quiver.

Alan and the boar were still locked in the battle. It was impossible to tell who was winning. Mia nocked an arrow and steadied her breathing, making sure not to let the rhythm change. She was one with the forest. Her target would not see the arrow coming until it was already there.

Slowly, she pulled the arrow back and sighted her target. Then she released. The string twanged, but Mia didn’t wait to see the results of her shot. She scrambled to nock another arrow and pull it back, only pausing for an instant to make sure her next shot was lined up before releasing it.

The boar’s head jerked to the side as it tried to gore Alan, and Mia’s first arrow flew just over its head, alerting it. It snorted, abnormal intelligence in its eyes as it instinctively turned toward the noise – and caught the second arrow in its eye.

Alan pounced on the opportunity as the monster squealed in pain. He brought his daggers down onto the back of the monster’s neck, ripping them free and striking several more times in rapid succession.

The boar crumpled to the ground, dead. The two elves stood in the clearing, breathing heavily for several seconds. Then Mia threw herself at Alan, sobbing.

“Are you okay?” she managed.

“I’m fine,” Alan said gruffly. “That was a whiskey shot, Mia. I have no idea what this thing was doing here. We need to tell the elders.”

Mia sniffled, not letting go of Alan’s leg despite the blood seeping into her clothing. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Alan chuckled. It sounded a little more forced than normal. He ruffled Mia’s hair, peeling her hands back and grimacing as he squatted to be at her head level.

“Hey, listen. You just killed a monster, you know?”

Mia glanced down at the boar. “You did that.”

“You helped,” Alan said. “And I think that means you’re a Hunter.”

A small giggle slipped out of Mia’s mouth. “You know only the elders can say that.”

“Well, they aren’t here. And I think you deserve a Hunter name.”

Mia swallowed. “Really?”

“Really,” Alan said. “And I think I know just the one, although we’ll have to keep it hidden until the others all come to know what I know.”

“What is it?” Mia asked, her voice barely a whisper.

“The river of death,” Alan said, giving her a proud, pained grin. “Stix.”