Chapter 93   - Kea

The fletching of the arrow tickled her cheek. No wind to worry about in the undergrowth of Veeryd, the vast tree canopies shielded them from any gust of sea breeze. Making the last adjustments to her posture, her fingers released the bowstring.

The arrow whistled through the air, piercing the rodent hidden in the thick bushes. A pained squeal was followed by the animal bolting away, leaving a crimson trail of blood on the vegetation.

“Nice shot.” Moui complimented her.

“But it’s running away.”

“It won’t get far with a wound like that.”

As usual, her teacher tried to spin things in a positive light. The truth was she failed. With its form concealed by the shrubs, her predictions of where its vital organs stood had been off.

I should have tried Mana Sense.

The skill was frustrating to use and to train with a limited range. Kea could see why Moui said it was a waste of time, but her repertoire didn’t include fourteen high level skills, without even counting his profession and attributes. She had to make do with the means she had, and Mana Sense gave good XP, pushing her closer to finally reaching Orange like her brother.

Damn him and his cushy training in a villa.

Keandra pushed away Kai’s smirking face from her mind and dashed into the dense vegetation after her prey. Moui had been right, it wasn’t going to get far. Bushes were shaking, branches snapping not far away. Blood dyed the bark of a bony magnolia. With Keen Eyes and Tracking, she easily followed the trail.

There it was. Limping, eyes wide open in fear, heaving of the ground. With her back pressing against a big trunk, Kea nocked another arrow, her fingers fumbling with the string of her bow. Taking a deep breath to calm her mind, she pivoted around the tree and shot.

It hit straight in its head, instantly putting an end to the animal’s death throes.

May the spirits embrace your souls in the realm beyond.

Moui was already there, blade in hand.

“A good catch. It’s going to sell well.” The hunter knelt beside their prey.

Keandra shrugged. More money never hurt, but it wasn’t her objective. She needed to be stronger, smarter, faster. Kai was in his opulent mansion chopping vegetables and playing with magic. Only the spirits knew what he would have achieved by now.

She was his older sister, and she wouldn’t be left behind.

Name: Keandra Tylenn

Race: Human

Profession: None

Body stats

Strength: 6

Dexterity: 8

Constitution: 10

Mind: 11

Spirit: 9

Perception: 9

Favor: 1

Skills:

Swimming (lv73)

Braiding (lv67)

Keen Eyes (lv54>58)

Keen Ears (lv52)

Archery (lv38>39)

Tracking (lv28>29)

Mana Sense (lv8)

Race: Human

Grade: ★★★ Red

Next advancement ➔ 37,596/40,000 XP

It had not been pleasant to discard two of her skills for Archery and Tracking, but well worth it. She was a natural at it—at least according to Moui. He was being too nice as of late, but he never lied to her. That was one of the things she liked about him. Her archery competitions with the other hunter apprentices also confirmed she was indeed quite gifted.

The bow was the best weapon for a hunter in the Veeryd jungle, stalking unaware prey and striking before they could react.

If only I didn’t have to make each arrow I shot.

Moui was a firm believer in knowing how to make and maintain your own equipment. Only after she mastered the craft would she be allowed to buy equipment.

Kea skinned her prey through normal expertise alone. They were on the outskirts of the jungle, there was little risk of attracting dangerous predators. Naturally the faster the better. Hanging the rodent upside down to bleed, Kea took the skinning knife Moui offered her and got to work.

“Most people wouldn’t believe you lack the skill.”

A long list of skills already waited in her Archive for her skill slots to increase. Skinning would be a waste of space.

Kea nodded at his praise. It was weird, people usually didn’t like her much—especially adults. Too brash, too angry, too opinionated. It was fine with her, most people were idiots anyway.

At first, she thought Moui pitied her, but that couldn’t be the only reason. Not after this long. He has been acting weird lately. Too nice, forcing smiles on a face that rarely saw any. He never used to try this hard with other people, their silent understanding had been enough.

Packing the prey, they followed their usual route to check on their traps. It was a lucky day, a snare had caught a fat brown bird. Moui collected their bounty and made space for her.

Kea began to set the trap back up. The bird had pecked at one of the ropes. It didn’t free it, but made her work harder, forcing her to dismantle the complicated knots to replace the damaged part. Her fingers moved swift and precise. Braiding might not be as good as Trapping, but with twine and rope it worked just fine.

The mechanism operated properly and the trigger was tense. Kea carefully replaced the seeds that worked as bait and concealed the trap with dirt and leaves.

“Done.”

Moui observed her work with a critical eye. “Good job.”

“Can I set up my own traps then?”

“Patience is a very important trait for a hunter, you’re already ahead of your own peers.”

Kea looked deeper in his eyes.

“Fine,” The hunter sighed. “We’ll do it tomorrow.”

“Thank you, teacher.” She didn’t know why he was being so nice to her, but that wasn’t necessary to take advantage of it.

In a triumphant mood, she followed Moui to check on the other traps.

“When can I hunt an awakened beast?” Kea tried her luck. That would certainly make a noticeable dent toward her race advancement.

“No.”

“But—”

“I said, no. You’re not ready yet.” This time, his tone was final. Whatever the reason Moui was being so affable had a limit.

Her mood soured. Everybody kept telling her how good she was. Then why couldn’t she catch up to her little brother. No matter what she did, Kai stayed forever out of her reach.

Her gaze stopped on a patch of coral flowers. An unexpected gust of wind made their blue petals gently wave. The irritation flowed away.

His favorite color.

Kea stopped to pick them up with care. “I didn’t know you liked flowers,” Moui said over his shoulder.

“I don’t.” She put the flowers in her quiver with her last two arrows.

Soon they reached the margin of the jungle. “See you tomorrow.”

“See you.” The hunter waved, putting on a smile.

Stop trying to be so cheerful. I’m not, and I have lots of friends anyway.

The sun was low, hiding behind the jungle canopies. A farmer and his young daughter worked in a field of golden wheat. The girl was laughing.

Kea followed the farmland toward the eastern edge of the town, keeping away from the people working under the sun, but those soon became rare. A field extended before her, unlike any other.

There were no crops or trees. The grass was dotted with altars of rocks and wood positioned in a roughly regular pattern. An old woman knelt in silence praying for the spirits to accept her husband.

The tombstones represented the heaviness of the body, while the spirit had left to join the ancestors of the archipelago. Kea walked past the grieving widow, stopping in front of a rectangular rock. A crown of withered flowers rested upon the name her mom engraved herself. Rellan Tylenn.

Kea set down her hunting equipment and sat on the grass, taking the coral flowers out of her quiver and starting to weave them together with expert hands.

Replacing the withered crown, Keandra laid down beside her father. She stared at the morphing clouds in the sky enjoying the light breeze. No words were uttered.

Why did you leave me?

Unwelcomed voices interrupted her. Raising her head, a group was coming closer, too busy chatting to notice her. Kea jumped to her feet and picked up her things. With one last glance at the crude stone, she left, walking to the opposite side of the cemetery to avoid them.

The long shadows coming from the jungle trees clouded the names on this side of the cemetery. Keandra’s eyes fell on yet another rock left unnamed and grimaced.

Fucking pig! You didn’t deserve to get buried.

With a lump in her throat, she didn’t look at that grave a second time. She had hoped the murderer’s death would bring her peace. And it did, in the beginning.

She clearly remembered when she woke up that morning. One of the happiest days of her life. She didn’t know how, but her brother had kept his end of the bargain and got rid of that worm. As he promised, no one suspected them.

People murmured, her friends acted strange for a while, but in a few weeks everyone had already forgotten. Sometimes the spirits claimed people early. And that pig wasn’t known for enjoying their favor.

Those had been brief glorious days, justice had been made. Then time passed, the satisfaction dissolved like water under the summer sun. The dull pain for the loss of her dad did not. That remained.

Maybe if I had been the one to sink my blade in his belly and gutted him like a fish…

Her brother had been too kind. From what she heard, the man had died in a handful of seconds. Some days she wished he would come back alive, so she could kill him a second time.

Useless in life, useless in death.

It might give a few more days of satisfaction, but eventually it wouldn’t change anything. She knew the truth in her bones, there was no point denying it, the pain was part of her. It was there to stay. Her dad would never be able to pick her up or compliment her for her braids.

Kea sprinted along the farmland until exhaustion forced her to stop. Fatigue and labored breaths helped distract her thoughts. Pushing on, she continued running on the muddy streets of Greenside till she reached her ugly house.

Spirits, I hate this town.

“Where did you go? Moui has already left your share. He said you took an amazing shot.” Alana was busy chopping a large piece of meat into thin slices. “We are getting spoiled with all the meat you bring, sweetheart.”

Kea hardly spared her mother a glance.

“Are you o—." She had already barred herself in her room.

~~~

“I’ve tried everything, nothing seems to work. These days I feel lucky if I get her to say a half dozen words.” Alana paced back and forth, gesticulating animatedly to her frustrations. “I don’t know what to do anymore.”

With a defeated expression, she flopped on the sand beside Moui. What had begun with a few conversations about her daughter’s progress had turned into a more regular occurrence. It was nice to have someone to talk to. Since Rellan died, she missed it dearly.

The hunter sat straight like a rock jutting from the ocean, looking at the waves with an inscrutable expression. He was so different from Rellan. His ideal day had been spent buried in dusty tomes, while Moui preferred hunting awakened beasts. And yet, they were similar in many ways. They shared that same steady presence. That calm and tranquility, no matter the circumstances.

“You’re doing fine,” His deep voice sounded reassuring. “Kea just needs more time.”

“I know these things take time, but it’s been years.”

“And she has already improved a lot. When I started training her, there wasn’t a morning when she didn’t greet me with a glare. Now… Well, less than half the time.”

She gave him a look. “I wouldn’t call that ideal. I just think I should do more.”

“Alana, I’ve not known Kea for as long as you, but was she ever a happy and sweet girl, even before your husband died?”

“Y— Well…” She stopped for a moment to think, digging deep into her memories. Kea’s piercing screams as a baby, her glares as a toddler and…

“Probably not,” she admitted. “But she wasn’t this irascible. She used to smile, sometimes. Isn’t this the age where kids are supposed to be sweet. What will happen when she hits her teenage years?”

“Only the spirits know. Maybe she’ll learn patience and greet us each day with a smile. None of your children are exactly normal, and I mean this in the best way possible.”

“Oh, yes. What’s wrong with them?” Alana dared him.

“Absolutely nothing. Your oldest finds more pearls than expert divers and has more patience than us combined.”

“Ele has been doing fine for herself.”

“Kea, apart from her temper, has picked up hunting faster than anyone I’ve seen. She’s almost as good as me at her age.”

“Almost?” Alana laughed at his embarrassed expression. She knew it wasn’t arrogance, he was probably underplaying himself a bit.

“Yes, well.” Moui stumbled on his words. "I started training earlier than Kea. Anyway, then there's Kai.”

“Yes, what about my sweet boy?”

“He’s an absolute monster. May the spirits protect from the trouble he’ll get into after he gets his profession.”

Alana pushed him jokingly, “My children are perfect as they are.”

She laughed as the hunter dramatically fell into the sand, knowing full well he did that on purpose. She’d have an easier time moving a boulder.

Honestly, she wasn’t sure why he put up with her. She always ended up doing most of the talking—a nice way to call her rantings. He listened in silence, really listened, without ever looking annoyed or bored, and offering advice when she beckoned.

“Come,” she offered him a hand to get up. “You can join us for dinner.”

“If it’s not a bother.” He accepted her hand and stood back up, dusting off the sand.

“Don’t worry, it’s weirder when you aren’t there.”