“Three juveniles ahead, a perfect chance to show our inexperienced guests the tactics needed to hunt these beasts.” The Huntmaster said, their ravens keeping their voices low as they signaled for the party to stop.

  Alnur looked down the valley ahead trying to spot the Krak’un. Despite being told they were ahead, he couldn’t make out a single one. He was always amazed at the Huntmaster's senses. The rest of the party were scanning the seemingly empty valley as they tried to make out the hidden beasts.

  Between the Ono, the outsiders, and the usual hunters, the party was much larger than Alnur would have preferred. Though it was seen as a necessity to protect the nobles. Aside from those in his own party, the only other one was Thoren, who had volunteered to go with Tayla’s group.

  Mikal grunted. “Nothing is showing up on our suits sensors, what are we looking at?”

  The black raven flew over to land on Mikal’s shoulder, he seemed to tense up but didn’t stop it as it perched. “Your sensors won’t help much here young ones. Look ahead, you see those long thin yellow blades of kelp?”

  Lifting his helmet, Mikal scowled. “The valley is full of that kelp, what are yo- Wait, I see it now. I can make out two of the beasts.”

  Ophelia raised her helm, her face squinting. “I think I’ve got eyes on one, they blend in so well, where’s the third?”

  The black crow chuckled softly. “You’re too focused on the ground, you pups should look up.”

  The pair glanced upwards, Ophelia letting out a curse. “Well damn, there’s crab number three.” Some seventy feet up the wall was the third crab, waiting to get the drop on any unsuspecting prey.

  Even knowing the trick Alnur couldn’t make out a single crab.

  Vauhn pursed his lips. “You folks mind explaining it so someone dumb such as myself can understand? All I see is kelp.” He said as he cocked his head.

  Alnur looked back at him. “The secret is that the Krak’un have the same kelp growing from their shells, just thinner and a slightly different shade. They use them to search for prey while burrowed.” It was an important lesson to learn if you wanted to explore the chasms and not have a leg torn off.

  One of the nobles, a merchant lord, let out a frustrated cry. Alnur couldn’t recall the man's name, or the city he hailed from. He carried an ornate rifle that looked like it was more of a display piece than an actual weapon for hunting. “Enough of this, why are we just standing around!” He shouted. The sudden noise reverberated down the valley, the kelp stopped its dance as it retracted at the vibrations, hiding back underground.

  Alnur was already reaching for his whip as soon as the hapless fool had opened his mouth, whirling around he launched his whip around the man's legs and pulled them out from underneath him. Even as he fell a dozen blades of kelp flew by his face, missing him by mere inches, their aim had been right where his mouth had been. The man let out a gasp, the kelp blades flying over his head bent at a harsh angle, preparing to skewer the source of the noise. Right before they made contact the gloved hand of Ophelia grabbed them, holding them fast. A heartbeat later a series of whips cracked out wrapping around the kelp, the bladed edges of the thresher whips making quick work of cutting them, the severed ends falling limp to the ground.

  The kelp blades having failed, the Krak’un responded by unburrowing from the ground revealing their hulking forms. Even juveniles like these were the size of a small cart, they had overlapping plates of chitin over their whole body, each one had four huge claws the size of a man’s torso and a dozen smaller legs. They retracted the kelp blades inside their shells, waiting for a chance to launch another surprise attack. The strangest thing about Krak’un was their lack of a face, the four claws were evenly spaced around the circular body, with no obvious front or backside. They had no eyes, instead they used a combination of the kelp on their back to feel changes in air current, and their myriad of legs to sense vibrations in the ground. The two crabs on the ground rushed towards the party, barreling forward at a speed that was shocking for their size.

  Alnur cried out. “Form up, first born! With me! Outsiders, stay back and observe!” He ran to meet the crabs head on, the other first born following his lead. As he ran he pulled his broadsword out. The nearest Krak’un came into reach, it swung its massive claws down, Alnur smashed his broadsword into one of the claws, even his ancient blade barely left a scratch, but that wasn’t his goal. The claw's momentum carried it down into the ground, Alnur used this chance to reach his dead hand out and grab the elbow joint of the crab's limb. He focused the night fathers gift, the flesh began to pop and bubble, the plates eroding into dust, sinew tore as the elbow joint superheated, melting away to nothingness.

  Even as the other claw came crashing down, Alnur paid it no mind. A gauntleted arm caught the blow right before it hit him. Zo grunted with effort as she grabbed the massive limb with both hands. Another first born moved in to deliver a mighty blow from his warhammer as he shattered the elbow joint of the claw.

  Zo tossed the severed limb aside as she pulled out her warpick.

  The Krak’un shuddered in rage, the kelp on its back grew rigid, preparing to run Alnur and Zo through. Again he paid it little mind, as before they could launch, a series of thresher whips snapped out cutting each one down. The second born of the party knew their part and played it perfectly. Now came the hard part. The crab spun around, snapping its remaining claws as it tried to smash them down into Alnur and Zo. The two dodged backwards as Alnur gave Zo and the hammer wielding Twin a look.

  “I’ll go for the killing blow, give me the chance.” He said.

  Zo grimaced. “Sir, leave it to me, you should-”

  “This isn’t up for debate. Now move!”

  The Krak’un lunged forward as Zo and the other Twin ran around either side of the crab, making sure to toss their whips around its remaining limbs as they did so. The beast threw strike after strike at Alnur who managed to parry or dodge each blow.

  This was the only time Alnur was happy to have the Fury, most days it tried to gnaw at his sanity, but in the heat of combat it sang, reveling in the thrill of battle. It drove him to be faster, stronger; fire burned in his veins he felt like he could fight for hours. There was a delicate balance to using the Fury in combat, giving in enough to heighten his power, but holding it back from clouding his mind.

  Time seemed to slow as he struck blow after blow against the massive claws, cracks began to form as the ancient weapon in his hands demanded its pound of flesh.

  As the beast raised both claws for another slam, the whips grew taut as Zo and the other Twin heaved with all their might. The Krak’un thrashed as it was slowly pulled backwards, its smaller legs scraping against the stone as it desperately tried to find purchase. With a final yank, the beast tipped backwards onto its shell, revealing its underbelly.

  There in the center of its body was a gaping maw of gnashing teeth, the only opening in its armored form. Alnur leapt up onto the beast's underbelly as he turned his blade and thrust the broadsword into the creature's mouth. The blade sank deep until it struck the other side of the Krak’un’s shell. Alnur channeled the Nightfather’s gift through his dead hand, the blade glowing in turn as the green flames flowed like liquid into the beast. The crab shrieked as its insides were boiled away in an instant, leaving the smouldering husk of its empty shell behind.

  Alnur finally let himself look at the other crab, the Twins were making short work of it, the beast was on its back, all of its claws were pulled in different directions completely immobilizing it. They didn’t rely on their dead hands like he had as it spoiled the meat. He had only resorted to using it because they were caught out of position. Now the team could take their time safely killing it while ensuring it was in the best condition for salvaging.

  Letting out a sigh he looked back towards the Huntmaster, they had stayed back, ready to jump in if either team were in need. They had their arms crossed in annoyance. They pointed upwards as Alnur suddenly remembered. Oh right. The third crab.

  Snapping his head up he could just make out the shape of the crab falling from directly above. He willed his legs to move, to raise his sword and unleash the full might of the Nightfather’s gift, he wanted to do something, anything, but he was out of time. A trickle of fear and shame flashed through his mind at the thought of such a pathetic death. A dark spear suddenly appeared beside him, growing upwards until it came to a point, the falling crab hit the spear with a loud crack, the force of the impact was enough to pierce the hard shell, causing the crab to come to a grinding halt mid air

  The Huntmaster loomed over him, with the butt end of the spear planted firmly in the ground below, the Huntmaster was able to hold the crab aloft with a single hand. The white and black raven looked at him, doing little to hide their disappointment.

  “You did an excellent job dispatching that beast sweetie, but I’m afraid you get a failing grade overall.” The black crow said.

  The white one shouted. “All you had to do was give a simple command for one of the second born under your command to keep an eye on the last beast. Or better yet, you could have stood back and let your forces fight while you assessed the situation!” The crab suspended in the air twitched, its kelp blades growing rigid in preparation for an attack. The Huntmaster paid it no attention as they kept staring at Alnur. A ripple traveled up the length of the spear and suddenly the crab exploded, a myriad of black spears bursting from within, killing it instantly. With a flick of their wrist, the beast fell to the ground in a lifeless heap.

  Alnur looked over, his subjects were still handling the other crab and the guests were watching the spectacle from a safe distance. “I don’t want to be a ruler that simply stands by while others risk life and limb.”

  “You are a king, why do you insist on fighting on the frontlines? First born or not your place isn’t in the heat of combat, tell me, who will give commands while you try and play hero!?”

  “Tayla is more than capab-”

  The spear of the Huntmaster slammed into the ground. “Your sister will not always be there to cover for you. Why do you feel the need to run in head first? Is it because you can’t trust your soldiers to fight without you? Or do you throw yourself into combat so you can leave the less enjoyable aspects of leading to your sister!?” There was logic in what his uncle was saying, which made it hurt all the more to hear. Alnur wanted to tell them about the Fury, how he was worried he couldn’t make sound tactical choices in combat but he couldn’t bring himself to admit those doubts.

  Looking up at his uncle with a determined stare Alnur responded. “I respect your opinion uncle, but so long as I wear this crown, I will put my all into protecting all of my subjects. That is the way I have chosen to lead.” He paused for a moment before continuing. “Still, I will try and take your lesson to heart. Perhaps I do rely on Tayla more than I should.”

  The white raven huffed, preparing a rebuttal, but before it could continue the black raven interrupted. “Can we please stop arguing? I don’t like it when we fight.”

  Looking a bit sheepish, the white raven spoke up. “Yes, well. Putting the matter of your lack of awareness aside. You fought expertly, I am proud to see the lessons we taught you being used so well.”

  Alnur chuckled slightly, feeling the stress and frustration leaving him. “Considering how hard your training was, this is a walk in the park.”

  The last of the Krak’un was put down, Alnur looked over the hunting party, there were no serious injuries, he couldn’t ask for more. “Good work everyone, take a moment to catch your breath. Zo, would you please leave a beacon?”

  With a swift nod Zo pulled out a cylindrical object the length of a forearm with a spike on the bottom. With a grunt of effort she drove it into the hard earth, she gave the top a twist and a light on the beacon's top began to flash periodically. She closed her eyes for a moment. “They’re receiving the signal, the harvester team is on their way.”

  “Excellent, get some rest Zo.” Trying to dissect Krak’un in the field was a huge undertaking, this method was the best they had found thus far. Hunters go and kill, mark the bodies, and a team of harvesters come in after to do the time consuming part. Alnur sat down on a rock as he took a drink from his waterskin.

  Wondering how the hunt was going for Tayla he tried to probe the link. As it opened he overlapped her sight on top of his, a huge claw was heading right towards his face, causing him to try and duck instinctively. A whip caught it and with a horrible crunch the clawed arm was torn from its socket. Tayla was calmly aiming down her trusted rifle, waiting for the right time. The crab stubbled back, starting to tip, its underside beginning to show. As soon as the mouth was visible, Tayla snapped a shot into the maw. The beast shuddered and convulsed as its legs gave out. Alnur had no idea how she did it, but Tayla seemed to always know exactly where to aim to bring the beasts down.

  Her vision blurred as she spun in place, surveying the situation, which also gave Alnur a chance to see for himself. The hunting party was engaging four juveniles, the corpse of an adult laid slumped against a valley wall. Fel’s handiwork if he had to wager a bet. Thoren and Graum were making quick work of one of the crabs, Graum’s warhammer was as large as a person, yet he swung it with frightening speed as he smashed the crabs' claws with ease. Thoren held a golden spear, his movements fluid and ever shifting, he seemed to be toying with the beast. Graum slammed his hammer into the ground as a pillar of stone erupted from beneath the crab, hurling it into the air. Thoren twirled his spear into a throwing stance, as the weapon left his hands it turned into a bolt of golden lightning, the bolt landed right in the crabs mouth, the spear impaling deep into flesh. With a snap of his fingers a streak of electricity rained from the cloudless sky, striking the weapon and electrocuting the crab to death. The spear rematerialized in Thoren’s hand a moment later.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  By the All mother, remind me to never pick a fight with that Stormpriest. Alnur sent, a hint of wonder in his voice.

  Tayla chuckled. Alnur knew she wouldn’t respond directly during combat, a loss of focus in battle could lead to injury or death.

  Out of the corner of her eye Tayla saw one of the remaining crabs grow enraged. From its shell a flurry of kelp blades burst forth, a last ditch effort to kill its prey. The second born on stand by cursed, there were too many for them to take down in time. Alnur felt a chill through the link, Tayla’s mind growing cold and still. Quickly and calmly, Tayla dropped her rifle and reached down to grab her revolvers from her waist. She brought them up and let loose a rapid volley of gunfire, unloading both chambers in the blink of an eye. The rounds found their targets, ripping through the kelp blades at their base. The other crab answered in kind, its back ripping apart to reveal a storm of blades. The cold grew deeper as Tayla threw her pistols aside, reaching her hands behind her back she pulled yet another set of revolvers from under her coat.

  She wouldn’t make it in time.

  Devoid of any emotion, Tayla fired at her target with left hand, her good hand. She grabbed her other revolver around the cylinder with her dead hand as she poured her gift into the bullets, aging them just enough to rapidly destabilize the bonds of the gunpowder within.

  Right as the blades were about to strike, she tossed the gun into the path. The blades pierced the revolver, causing an explosion that scattered the blades trajectory. The razor sharp strands flew past Tayla missing her by mere inches.

  The second born lashed out with their thresher whips, severing the remaining blades. With the threat passed, the cold began to ebb away, Tayla let out a freezing breath, the air fogging from the temperature difference. As feeling crept back, Alnur felt her pain, she glanced down to see a series of cuts, she had avoided the worst of the blades, but not completely. Blood dripped from a hole in her thigh. She reached her free hand and plucked a piece of steaming metal that was embedded in her cheek.

  Letting out a sigh, she reached up with her dead hand, there was still work to do, and she couldn’t afford to wait for a healer. She ran a blackened finger over the wound, green light pulsing from the veins of the withered husk, as her flesh rapidly scarred. She did the same for her leg.

  As far as healing magic went, this was the furthest thing from it. Rapidly aging the cells and blood to quickly clot and scab, it stopped the worst of the bleeding, but it was only skin deep. As she walked Alnur could feel the stabs of pain from her thigh.

  Alnur wanted to ask his sister to take it easy, but just as he could be swept up by the Fury, Tayla could be swallowed by the Tranquility, and when that happened it was hard to pull either of them out of it.

  The end was in sight, the Krak’un had spent the last of their energy on that desperate attack, growing tired and lethargic afterwards, making it easy to subdue.

  We’re heading back out, be careful. Alnur sent as he stood up.

  Tayla responded with a grunt back, her focus still on the hunt.

  Alnur raised his voice, slapping his knees as he stood. “Alright, let's continue on, plenty more crabs waiting for us.”

  It didn’t take long for the party to find another clutch of Krak’un, this time it was two of them. Their size indicated that they were almost fully grown, by the spring these two would be adults, extra arms and all. The crabs were busy feeding on some beast that had mis stepped and woken the pair from their slumber.

  The party was watching from a safe distance, the fool of a noble that had alerted the last group of crabs was doing his best to be as quiet and still as possible. His face had almost regained its colour after his near decapitation. Alnur whispered to the Huntmaster. “How should we proceed?”

  The black raven turned to eye the pair of Ono. “I think we should give those two a chance to show their skills. What say you? Think you can take these beasts on your own?”

  The Ono shared a glance. They stood in unison, hands resting on their respective weapons. Which Alnur noted wasn’t their traditional swords, but instead their personal weapons. In a blink of an eye they were off, propelled to inhuman speed by their armor. The crabs turned, towering at their full height, their backs rippled with dozens of blades as they fired a volley towards the approaching Ono. The Ono split up, each running towards one of the monstrous crabs, they showed no concern for the kelp blades, which struck the praetorian armor head on, shattering into pieces from the force of the impact.

  Mikal closed the gap in a heartbeat, he jumped, a thunderous crash of some unseen mechanism in the armor propelling him twenty feet into the air. When he came down, he swung a massive axe with overwhelming power. The impact against the Krak’un plate let out a shockwave of force, shattering a large chuck of the plate into fragments. The crab's legs buckled from the attack, dropping the beast to the chasm floor with enough force to kick up a huge cloud of dust.

  Ophelia ran towards her quarry with an equal zeal, she however chose to nimbly dodge the oncoming blades with a grace that was shocking considering the bulky armor she wore. Dropping low to the ground, the crab swung its massive claw down, but it was far too slow. Ophelia threw herself forward, sliding on her knees as she glided underneath the crab’s body. She threw something small into the beast’s open mouth as she came out the other side and flipped back to her feet. A moment later an explosion rocked the crabs body, its innards liquefying from the blast, pouring out as a bloody torrent from its destroyed underbelly.

  As the dust settled the pair stood unscathed next to the corpses of the mighty creatures. It had taken them only a few seconds to do the work of two dozen men. Alnur watched in wonder, he had grown up hearing the stories of the Ono and their prowess in combat, seeing them in person he started to think that the stories might have underplayed just how powerful they were.

  The Huntmaster approached them. The white Raven speaking, “I see that the mighty hunters have fallen far, a sorry display indeed. What would the lost say if they saw pup’s like you showboating like this, you must be new to your armor to be so eager to show off to a crowd.”

  The pair of Ono looked shocked to their cores. Mikal ripped his helmet off, the iris’ of his eyes changing shape as he snarled. “How dare you! What does an abomination like you know of our ways!?” He shouted.

  Ophelia pointed her curved sword at the Huntmaster. “Where do you get the right to speak of the lost? A vile creature like you should think twice before dishonoring our blessed ancestors.”

  Alnur stepped forward, hoping to stop this before it got ugly, the pair of sea dogs blocked his way however as they pulled on his armor to stop him. He had never seen them act like this, his mind was running wild with the worry of what was about to happen, but they were making it clear that they didn’t want him to interfere. He would trust them for now.

  “Zo, take the rest of the party and continue, we’ll catch back up when we sort this all out.” Alnur said. It was probably best if the guests didn’t see what was about to happen. Zo nodded and took the group down a side path out of sight of the confrontation.

  The black raven cried out, a hint of anger tainting her usually calm voice. “Where is your pride as hunters? You would respond with violence like brigands and cutthroats? Come then, we will gladly give you children a lesson in humility!” The Huntmaster slid off their mount, when they moved it was like the jerky movements of a puppet on strings, pulled by an unseen force. They walked towards the Ono, holding out an arm as a seven foot long spear grew from their body. They came to stand still a dozen feet from the Ono, waiting.

  Ophelia reached up to undo her armors locking pins. The pair of ravens took flight, circling above. “Leave the armor on, the way you misuse it, it won’t make a difference if you keep it on.” They said.

  That was the breaking point, crying out in anger Ophelia charged forward, raising her blade to thrust it forward. It turned out to be a feint to allow Mikal the chance to leap from atop the fallen Krak’un, bringing down his axe. The Huntmaster struck out with their spear towards Mikal, the ravens calling out. “You should never rush in assuming your armor will protect you from everything. Furthermore, jumping can be useful, unless your opponent knows you favor it.” The spear landed just below Mikals pectoral plating, the blade finding purchase in a nearly invisible seam. The butt end of the spear extended into the ground behind, acting as a wedge. Mikal came to a stop, his immense inertia driving the spear tip to bite, all of that force delivered right to the man's solar plexus. The air rushed out of his lungs, he wheezed helplessly while suspended in the air by the spear he drove into the ground.

  Ophelia didn’t stop her charge, she went wide trying to get into the Huntmasters blindspot, which if she knew more about the Huntmaster she would realize was impossible. She thrusted her sword, going for the kill. The Huntmaster shifted their weight at the last second, letting the blade pass before holding out their free hand towards Ophelia, a second spear fired out striking her in the bridge of her nose. “What good is ancient near invincible armor if you throw your helmet away at the slightest provocation? Also don’t assume your prey has the same senses you do, you’ll just fool yourself into lowering your guard.” The raven’s announced from above, seeing all. Ophelia winced in pain as she jumped back to gain ground, even blinded and in pain she still had the wherewithal to grab something from her wrist and throw it at the Huntmasters feet. She wiped the blood from her eyes just in time to see the explosive land at her own feet, the Huntmasters foot still raised from kicking it away.

  Panic in her voice Ophelia shouted frantically. “Shields to maximu-'' the rest was drowned out by the ensuing explosion, throwing her limp body back to the ground.

  Mikal caught his breath as he pulled himself free from the spear, dropping to the ground as he lowered into a defensive stance.

  The ravens let out a sigh. “You even had the opportunity to watch me show my skills earlier and now you forgot them. Shameful.” The Huntmaster still had a hand on their first spear that was in the ground, its tip behind Mikal now. Along the shaft of the spear two new pointed tips fired out towards Mikal's back, hitting him in the joints of his knees, the material there was softer and malleable, made to bend easily. The spears hit right when both of his legs were slightly bent, causing them to buckle, hurtling his upper body towards the ground. The Huntmaster turned slightly allowing the man to hit the ground, they then brought down their second spear into the back of Mikal, where it spread out, rapidly wrapping around the joints of his armor, incapacitating him.

  Mikal struggled for a moment before giving in. “I yield, I admit defeat.” There was shame and disappointment in his voice. The Huntmaster put a hand on their hip.

  The Black raven landed on Ophelia. “Are you well enough to stand? Shall we continue?” She said.

  Ophelias voice was a raspy mess. “Still debating with myself.” With an exasperated sigh she finally let go of her sword. “I yield, the victory is yours.”

  “Wonderful, do you have any healing extracts child?” The black raven's voice was back to being the kind and caring one Alnur was used to.

  “Yeah, I just need to catch my breath and I’ll be fine.”

  The Huntmaster released Mikal from the hold he was in. The white raven took his usual spot on the Huntmasters shoulder. “Alnur, give them a hand up please.”

  Alnur was finally released by the sea dogs, he jogged over to Ophelia to offer her a hand up. She took a moment to look at which hand he was offering, seeing that it was the safe one, she accepted the aid. Alnur made his way to help Mikal who waved him off before raising.

  Ophelia walked up, her face was already slowly reknitting itself. “Even with praetorian armor we were completely outclassed, if the grey fangs saw our sad display we would never hear the end of this.”

  Alnur let out a quick laugh. “You really want to feel bad, watch this.” He unsheathed his broadsword and tossed it gingerly at the Huntmaster, they seemed flustered as they grabbed the blade with both hands. The weight of the blade knocked the Huntmaster off balance causing them to fall backwards to the ground. Thrashing back and forth, they seemed completely pinned in place by the weight of the broadsword.

  “Alnur! You wicked brat of a child! Now is not the time to embarrass us!” The white raven screamed in protest.

  The Ono looked down in shock. Ophelia reached down and easily lifted the blade, it wasn’t light but it also wasn’t enough to pin an adult to the ground helplessly. “I don’t understand, how did… what is the meaning of this?”

  Stepping over to pull the Huntmaster up Alnur said. “That’s just how it is with hybrids, blessed with powerful gifts in some ways, cursed with weakness’ in other ways. The Huntmaster here can barely lift any weight without extreme effort. Hence why they tend to brace their spears against the ground for support. It almost makes it worse losing to them, because you know that they used pure skill and prowess to beat you.” Alnur reached over and picked up the spear the Huntmaster dropped when they fell. Tossing it to Ophelia.

  She grabbed it and looked surprised. “There’s no weight at all to this. It’s light as a feather.” She tried to bend it with her suits power, even as the hydraulics squealed with effort, the spear didn’t yield at all. “What is this made of? It isn’t even metal, is this bone?”

  The black raven spoke up. “How we make it is a secret, but I can tell you that it gets its strength from weaving carbon at the atomic level. Again, I won’t say more than that.”

  “So, do you all feel better after beating the shit out of each other?” Alnur’s tone was part joking, part admonishing.

  The white raven spoke up. “The tradition of resolving disputes through armed combat dates all the way to the founding of our people. Might seem barbaric, but the effectiveness of Armatus astutia is quite effective.”

  “How do you know the old ways about Armatus astutia?” Mikal said as the pair of Ono looked up in unison.

  Alnur interrupted them. “You’re half Ono!”

  Ophelia looked horrified. “How?”

  “There hasn’t been a natural Ono birth in almost eight centuries! Unless, you’re older than the age of regression! Before the gene sickness. No wonder you defeated us so soundly, you were trained by the ancients!” Mikal held a hand to his mouth, deep in thought.

  The white raven cawed. “Enough, yes yes, we can talk about our life story later. For now, we have to continue our hunt. You pups better take our lessons to heart. I don’t like to repeat myself.” To Alnur’s surprise the Ono hunters snapped a sharp salute, one hand over their hearts. Maybe it was the fight, or perhaps it was learning that the Huntmaster was one of their honored ancients, but they seemed to have a newfound respect for them.

  As Alnur and the others marched to rejoin the others, he couldn’t help but notice that the Ono were standing on either side of the Huntmaster, positioned as honor guard. He opened the link. Wanna see something unbelievable?

  He felt his sister sharing his sight. What happened!

  Ono seem to really get along if you give them the chance to smash each other in the face.

  Wait, you got to watch them fight? Ugh, what I would have given to see it. The disappointment in her minds voice was thick.

  I’ll be sure to describe it in great detail later. How’s it going on your end?