The Primal Hunter

Sylphie hated herself. She was a really bad hawk and hadn’t done as she was told. Her mom and dad had repeatedly told her to be careful around those things called natural treasures, but she couldn’t hold herself back when she felt it. She hadn’t listened… and it had gotten them all killed.

She even tried to run as they told her, but she couldn’t even do that! Another of those big eagles came and hurt her and made her fly back to her parents. Their own small eagle was jeering at her the entire time, being really stupid and rude.

After mom and dad used their super move, Sylphie thought things would be fine. They defeated the big eagle that Sylphie couldn’t beat on her own with a single hit and broke the barrier! She was sure the biggest eagle would be beaten too… but it had just fired a laser. It had sent mom falling down, and dad badly hurt.

Sylphie knew they needed help! She flew in and used her super talons, but it didn’t work. She was struck, and everything began spinning and hurting really badly, and Sylphie didn’t like it at all! A part of her knew she had to run, her parents wanted her to run, but she couldn’t just leave them. She did feel bad about her not returning to help protect Uncle, but she couldn’t just leave like that…

She cried a lot inside. She tried to get up and fight back. Dad attacked the biggest eagle but was hit another time. She got a really bad feeling and screeched for dad to get away, but he couldn’t move… was… was dad going to die? Dad couldn’t die… could he? He and mom were so strong… was the biggest eagle really so much stronger?

Her eyes opened wide, and she tried to get up as the big eagle was about to hit dad again. She knew it couldn’t hit, but she couldn’t get up…

And then the eagle just stopped, and everything got even worse as she felt Uncle. He appeared just a moment later and managed to catch the eagle by surprise, hitting it away.

Why? Why had Uncle come here? Mom and dad were so hurt already… dad wasn’t even moving… not Uncle too…

No! He needed to run! She screamed to warn him to get away before the biggest eagle also decided to hurt Uncle! Sylphie couldn’t protect him right now, and it wasn’t fair that he also had to get hurt just because Sylphie had been bad… it wasn’t fair.

Yet he just picked her up and made her drink one of his not-so-smelly drinks. It spread warmth throughout her body, and she felt a lot better super fast. Uncle had also given dad one, and they flew over and gave mom one too. Mom was still not awake, but Sylphie could tell she would be fine.

Uncle put her down and patted her on the head.

”Please just stay here,” Uncle said. Sylphie didn’t understand… why stay when they had to run? Mom and dad couldn’t beat the bad guy yet; they had to get away before it came back.

”You did well, mate. Now let me handle the rest,” Uncle then said to dad, and dad opening his eye and blinked slowly. Dad didn’t seem scared? He just blinked with gratitude and seemed relieved. Happy.

She saw Uncle turn around… and he looked different from behind. The air around him was moving a bit weird, and he seemed very mad. Was he mad at Sylphie because she had been bad? No, he was mad at the biggest eagle...

Sylphie looked down towards the biggest eagle and was surprised. It looked back up at them, but it didn’t move. It just sat there. Staring. It looked almost scared. Why would the biggest eagle be scared of Uncle?

right? Was Uncle actually

he summoned a

under control. He didn’t want to lose his cool or do something unintended in a moment where he got too emotional. His bloodline made it difficult,

times where his emotions were more than well-placed. Moments

target be the subject of that rage. Perhaps it was a cathartic and very healthy thing for Jake. He didn’t know; he just knew that holding himself back even long enough to gather the birds and give them

bow sent fire-mana down into the summoned arrow… and weakened it. He instantly detected the issues, but for now, it really wasn’t something he bothered fixing. He dispelled the arrow he had summoned – an explosive one – and summoned a stable one instead.

– a new trick he thought of just now. Mainly it was because he wasn’t thinking much

still under the influence of his presence. He didn’t bother analyzing

stopping not only the eagle’s body with Gaze but even the magic

higher, but due to the difference in their tiers, it quite honestly wasn’t that much stronger than the Monkey

his poisons a whole lot, consumed elixirs, gear upgrades, and overall just grown in every single way. So while the fight against the Monkey Prima had been very even… this one wouldn’t

of the canyon he was standing on began collapsing. The Eagle Prima tried to dodge but was frozen by his Gaze once again. It erected a barrier that exploded when the arrow hit it,

let up as he shot another arrow and then another. He rapid-fired arrows that all split and pierced through the stones the eagle tried to hide behind, many penetrating its

like the sun. It flew upwards and spread its wings wide as it sent out a massive flare, clearly aiming to blind Jake. He felt

wasn’t like he truly needed his eyes. His Mark of the Avaricious Hunter had been on the eagle from the very first stomp, so even without his vision, he could keep up his assault. Not that the eagle could even burn his eyes enough. Perception seemed

only aim to blind him, however. Instead, it began lighting up, and a massive amount of mana began condensing. It was clearly disturbed, and it decided to go all-out from the start. It dove down towards him like

the eagle had hoped to evaporate the magical arrow before it could hit… but Jake’s stable arcane mana was far too,

that pierced straight through the eagle and out the other side. It did nothing

His scales crackled from the heat, and he stopped breathing to not heat up his insides. He guessed the eagle didn’t want to fight a ranged battle with him. While that was a good choice…

two-handed swing with all his might. The veins in his arms burned with energy as the eagle tried not to get its head caved in at the very last moment.

and with one more step, he was

know if it was ready. Of his regular weapons, he only had the scimitar… and a certain item he had become

down where the eagle’s head had just been as the large bird transformed itself into a beam of light, much like Jake’s Shadow Vault. He held out his

as he focused his will on the barrier to stop the beast. It smashed into the wall and was sent reeling back from the impact, clearly confused at how robust

before the Eagle Prima again. It fired a beam of sunlight down towards him, but he sidestepped and smashed it in the side with the Pillar. It tried to

many times larger than himself on the already damaged wing. ”This isn’t a

had fucked up. All