Deep within the canyon, along a forested path, three shadowy figures moved cautiously, scanning their surroundings. They crouched low, knees slightly bent to minimize their presence, and stepped silently to avoid making any sound. These were the master craftsmen of the Lamir Hunting party, the trio responsible for both the beginning and end of a drake hunt. Lat, who stripped hides and processed scales; Eto, who butchered the meat; and Uuk, who crafted bones, teeth, and claws. The end of a hunt was marked by their skilled work, but how did these three initiate the hunt?
It was simple. They ventured to the drake's lair, as they were doing now, and lured the prey to where their comrades awaited. Thus, the start and finish of every hunt rested in the hands of these three artisans.
Inside the canyon, the trio pressed forward. All three wore clothing made from the leftover hides and scales meticulously crafted by Lat, making them nearly indistinguishable from a distance.
"This… this way."
The man leading the group gestured for the others to follow. The two behind him kept pace. Then, all three halted simultaneously. Before them loomed the entrance to a massive cave, vast enough to be considered a canyon within a canyon. As they approached, a steep incline revealed a path descending deep into the cave's depths.
"Lat, is this the place?" Eto whispered, covering his mouth to muffle his voice.
"Y-yeah… I can smell it from deep inside… the thick, soft scent of drake scale hide…"
"Hmm? What smell? I don't smell anything… Hey, Uuk!"
"…"
"Yo, Uuk!!"
"Huh? Oh, what, Eto?"
"You smell anything?"
"Nah, I bathed by the river yesterday."
"No, not you! The drake. Can you smell it from inside the cave?"
"Nope, nothing."
"See?"
"But I can hear breathing…"
"Breathing? What brea— Never mind. So it's in there, right?"
Lat and Uuk nodded.
"Then let's get ready. Lat, gather some wood. I'll prepare a spot for the fire. Uuk, you grab some wood too."
Lat and Uuk nodded again and moved away from the cave's entrance.
Soon, a pile of firewood, stacked as tall as a man, stood before the cave.
"Alright, time to douse the wood with oil and sprinkle on the jolt powder~."
Kneeling on one knee before the woodpile, Eto shifted the pack from his back to his front, pulled out a bottle of oil, and poured it over the wood. Then, he upended a pouch of blue powder, scattering it atop the pile.
The firewood, now soaked in oil and dusted with the blue powder, shimmered with a faint bluish glow.
"And for the finishing touch, we place this wind-generating magic tool next to the pile~."
"Careful… Last time I put it the wrong way, you chewed me out…" Lat cautioned.
"…Got it. Thanks for the reminder, Lat."
Eto pulled a teal-colored metal box from his pack and set it on the ground.
"And now, we slot in this magic stone~!"
Eto inserted a glowing magic stone, about the size of a finger joint, into the device. With a click, the runes etched on the box began to glow. A powerful gust of wind, strong enough for Lat, Eto, and Uuk to feel, surged toward the cave's interior.
"Uuk!"
"Yeah?"
"Torch!"
"On it~."
With practiced ease, Uuk bound branches together, crafting a torch. He struck a flint to ignite it and handed it to Eto.
"Here we go! The hunt begins!!"
*****
"Over to you, Gravel!"
From the canyon, a faint blue smoke rose, followed shortly by red smoke streaking from an airship toward the canyon. At the sight of the red signal, the eyes of Clau, Wellen, Smir, and Baum sharpened. According to Wellen, the blue smoke wasn't just a signal, it was laced with jolt powder, a beast-hunting concoction crafted by Eto of the Lamir Hunting party. Made from paralyzing mushrooms found in swamps and berries from the mountains, it produced blue smoke when burned.
For smaller drakes, the smoke was potent enough to make them stagger. It was designed to slow the swift movements of forest drakes, which could dart quickly or even take flight briefly. The appearance of the blue smoke in the sky meant a drake could burst from the canyon's entrance at any moment. Knowing this, Clau had asked Gravel to cast a reinforcement spell.
None of them had ever experienced a reinforcement spell before, so they awkwardly turned their backs to Gravel, striking what they thought were appropriate poses to receive the magic.
"Haha, you don't need to pose like that." Gravel said with a chuckle.
As the tense and rigid group stood ready, Gravel cast the spell. Spreading his palms, he summoned five distinct magical circles, each with unique runes and colors, into the air. Thin beams of light extended from the circles, connecting to the four hunters. The light transferred to them, and the circles faded away.
"WOOOAH!!"
The group roared, invigorated by Gravel's magic.
"This is unreal!"
"So this is what magic feels like!"
"Thanks, Gravel!"
As they marveled at the sensation of magic for the first time, a deafening roar echoed from deep within the canyon, resonating through the forest. The sound alone was enough to identify it as the cry of a massive horned drake—their target.
"There it is! Clau, you're with me on this side. Smir, Baum, take the other side!" Wellen barked, moving swiftly.
Each of the four, armed with large Blast spears, scattered to their assigned positions.
"Hmm… a raid… I've never even done co-op play like this in games. This'll be interesting…" Gravel muttered to himself, recalling his gaming days, before slowly heading toward the canyon.
Around the canyon's entrance, several tall, pillar-like rock spires jutted upward. Wellen had chosen the five closest to the entrance to position his harpoon team. He perched on a ledge about eight cubits (four meters) off the ground on one of the spires. Beside him, embedded in the rock, was a massive drake-hunting harpoon connected to a thick iron chain.
"Hmm… it's about time…"
For Wellen, the moments before the action always felt the most nerve-wracking. Another drake roar echoed from afar, still distant. It would take a bit longer to reach them.
Then another sound came. Perhaps one of Lat's new inventions or Eto's arrows was working well. The drake's cry, short and laced with irritation rather than full-blown rage, was accompanied by the sound of rustling foliage.
"Oh? Sounds like it's finally coming." Wellen said, standing from his perch.
He glanced at the neighboring spire, where Clau was fidgeting with his harpoon, pursing his lips and taking deep breaths to calm his nerves.
"Pchhht! Clau!" Wellen whistled sharply through his teeth, a distinctive sound. To signal silence, he placed a finger to his lips.
"Huh? What's up, Wel—" Clau began to respond but stopped when he caught Wellen's gesture.
"What's up, brother Wellen?" Clau mouthed silently, exaggerating his lip movements.
Wellen pointed to himself, then the ground, then to Clau, and mimed thrusting a harpoon.
"When I jump, you jump!"
Clau nodded, understanding.
A commotion erupted from the canyon. The sound of snapping branches—whether thick or thin was unclear—came from the entrance. Wellen peeked toward the noise.
"Hm… not yet?"
"Hey, Wellen!" a hushed voice called, carried by the wind. It was Eto, accompanied by Uuk and Lat, who were waving enthusiastically. For people who had just been luring a drake, they looked surprisingly cheerful.
"Where's the beast? It's coming, right?"
"It's on its way! Over there!" Eto pointed into the distance.
Perhaps the drake had heard Eto's voice, as the sound of massive footsteps crushing underbrush grew closer.
"It's on its way." Wellen said.
Eto, Lat, and Uuk had already vanished into the undergrowth below.
The drake's breathing was audible now—a deep, guttural sound that hinted at its immense size. The rough, wind-like rasp grew nearer.
As Wellen tilted his head to pinpoint the drake's position, a sound came from directly below. The low, menacing growl of an agitated drake.
The creature passing beneath Wellen's spire was enormous. When the hunters first spotted it from atop a distant ridge, its size was clearly extraordinary, but its true scale was hard to gauge. Now, up close, its length from head to tail was so vast that Wellen had to turn his head to take it all in.
Its yellow, serpentine eyes flicked about, searching for Eto's group. The blue-tinged scales covering its back to its tail looked thick and impenetrable. Unlike other drakes, this one had distinctive horns. What Wellen had thought was a single large horn was actually two: a larger one in front and a smaller one, half its size, behind it.
The sight was breathtaking, as if time itself slowed. Wellen had seen countless drakes, but none had ever inspired such awe. Its overwhelming size, dark blue-black scales shimmering like the night, and majestic presence as it moved through the green forest left not just Wellen but Clau, Baum, Smir, and Lesa staring in a daze. Perhaps the drake's sheer scale had paralyzed them with fear.
If this keeps up, we'll miss our chance to strike. It'll move out of the harpoon's range!
There was no time to hesitate. Against a typical drake, Wellen would have already thrown the harpoon, but he knew it would likely bounce off this one. Experience told him so. There was only one option.
'Jump down and drive the harpoon in with my full body weight!'
Using the spire as a springboard, Wellen leaped. Before the harpoon's tip could touch the drake's back, four other harpoons were already aimed at the beast. Lesa, Baum, Smir, and Clau had all leaped from their positions, weapons raised, converging on the drake.