The Primal Hunter

It had all started four days prior.

The house's construction was pretty much done, and Hank was considering making some simple pieces of furniture. They also had a sit-down to talk about plans to make a few more buildings elsewhere for themselves.

That is when Miranda got pinged by her skill that others had entered the Pylon of Civilization’s area of influence. Other humans. She was immediately filled with a paradoxical feeling of both concern and anticipation.

Concern about how many they were, their intentions, and their strength, and anticipation at the potential of having more citizens join the city. Maybe begin to actually to make it worthy of being called a city.

She notified Hank and the kids as they talked over what to do.

“Louise and Mark should go hide in the cellar of the house,” Hank started out with. At Miranda’s request, the cellar was rather well hidden, and you wouldn’t find its entrance without looking around for it. Which is to say they had put the pelt of an animal over the hatch.

“Not going to happen,” Louise said adamantly. “We both evolved too. If they want a fight, let’s give them one!”

“We should avoid fighting if we can. No matter how strong or how many there are,” Miranda sighed as she tried to calm down the fired-up Louise. The system clearly hadn't fixed the illogical mind of the young woman.

“I don’t want to hide either,” Mark said a bit meekly.

Hank chose to concede as they quite frankly didn’t have time for the discussion right now. “Fine, but no fighting unless absolutely necessary. And keep quiet.”

They spoke a bit more, all gathered around the house still, as they waited for the arrival of whoever was to come. The skill Miranda had that made her aware they were here did nothing more than that. It just gave her a vague feeling that someone had entered.

Not how many, not how strong, or where they were now. Miranda wasn’t even sure if she could feel it if they left the area again. So all they could do was to wait in trepidation.

Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, they didn’t have to wait long before someone arrived.

A hooded figure was hiding at the entrance to the valley and peeked out from behind a rock.

She saw the four people there, in front of a wooden lodge. The large bearded man with an axe over his shoulder, a woman, a young man, and a young woman all wearing robes. Two casters and a healer from what she could tell.

A quick Identify of all four showed that none of them were overly high leveled while they were all E-grade. The woman and the man being the highest leveled individuals at 33 and 34 respectively.

She quickly retreated to her group, waiting a few hundred meters away at a small clearing within the forest. As she walked out from behind a tree, exiting stealth, the group turned towards her, a young man in the lead.

“That was fast. Did you find anything?” he asked with a slight smile.

His face was pale, and his eyes seemed a bit listless despite his smile. He was wearing a robe with golden runes and a small chain around his neck, with the necklace itself hidden beneath his robes. But even with his weak appearance, she knew that he was by far the strongest in their party.

They were a group of five that had met and survived the tutorial together - from level 0 to where they were today without losing a single member.

The party consisted of herself, Eleanor, the archer of the group. Next was their defender, Christen, the only other woman on the team. She was currently sitting in a chainmail set resting against a log with their healer Silas tending to a large wound on her stomach - a particularly nasty one that was resisting his healing quite effectively.

there was Levi, their weird magic swordsman who didn’t quite fit into a role. He was initially a medium warrior but began picking up more magic skills

He was specialized in kinetic magic, or more accurately recently, space magic. Displacement, teleportation, whatever

in the valley, and from the looks of it, know that we are here. At least they are on

levels, and were there any clue as to their classes or capabilities?”

the standard caster robe from the

a bit troubled at the answer. “This doesn’t make any sense. Why would we

encountered a single monster or beast

just to ask those four? With their levels, they aren’t a threat,” the defender Christen asked, as her wound was beginning to

think we have much choice. Even if there is truly nothing here, we should have created a lot of distance between them and us,” Neil said,

teleported there with the help of Neil and a particular item in his possession. Teleported a vast distance, likely hundreds if not thousands of kilometers. This wasn’t

She had her bow draped over her shoulder and her quiver on her back. If Jake were here, he would

all five of them had gear at a level Jake hadn’t encountered on anyone except himself. Not a single

was Neil at level 52. Followed by Christen at 48, Silas and Levi both at 47, and herself lowest at

wasn’t entirely done healing the wound yet. Then again, perhaps it was best

first sight meeting them was the idyllic lodge positioned right next

48 - fourteen entire levels above his own. And a quick glance at the other members of the group of five made it very clear exactly how outmatched they were - especially the young

each other for a while before Neil stepped forth

reason to be that tense, I would just like to ask a few questions, and then we will be

help, we would be

of all, what is up with this place? The absence of monsters is

was indeed made by us. My comrade here is quite the builder,” Miranda said, nudging at Hank. “As

“Lie,” Silas interrupted.

transparency, my friend here happens to

true, it threw off 90% of her plans for this interaction. That is already calculating in the fact that they were at a level

this area is as it is. Only that it is related to the owner of this land. The lodge behind me is also built for him, and this

you say. Who might this owner be?” Neil

do not know. Not even his name is known to me,” she answered, praising the fact that she had forgotten to ask his name time and time again. “What

you could tell? What makes you

also making me doubtful of his humanity, to begin with,” she said, expanding

Neil asked, a bit confused. “As

not at all. It just returned a single question

only encountered that phenomenon once. It was the entity that had rewarded him the object leading to their current precarious situation - the same entity that was

have to get to the bottom of this. “Where is

he will return within the next three to four days due to it being the

very purposefully tried to make her answers fulfilling to avoid too many follow-up questions. She wanted to, at all cost, avoid any

see… exactly how strong would you reckon this individual is?” Neil

not tell you out of fear he will retaliate when he returns,” Hank cut in once more. Giving an answer way better than Miranda had