The Primal Hunter

Meira thought it was overdoing it… but Izil and Irin had both insisted this was necessary. Even Viridia had come by to insist that if Meira really wanted to break out of her shell and completely throw away all the burdens of who she had once been, she had to embrace her new identity fully. Teacher hadn’t seemed to care either way but had simply said:

“What you choose to do has nothing to do with me. You are now my Chosen, that is true, but I have no intent on limiting what you do, even if your actions are done through taking advantage of my position. If you feel that visiting or even taking charge of your old clan is what’s best, just go do that. No one will oppose you, and if they do, just tell me, alright? Can’t have any unnecessary conflicts delay you from fixing your personal issues and returning to doing alchemy. Ah, just don’t make any promises that I will do something or show up somewhere… because I won’t.”

While it didn’t sound like Teacher was overly supportive, Meira knew he cared. She even knew that should she ask him to come with her to visit her clan, he would. Not as himself but disguised as someone else to not attract unneeded attention, but he would come. She wouldn’t ask him, though. This was something she had to do without him… even if she did borrow his name and influence.

The problem was just that Meira had no idea how she would go about visiting. Should she disguise herself and go? No, that wouldn’t work, as she wanted to actually help her family there, and her only way to do that was to leverage her position somehow. She had considered for a long time how to do that, as Irin had made a suggestion… why didn’t she just take it over? Why didn’t she just declare that the entire Willowood Clan now belonged to her? No one would oppose that. Who would want to argue with the Chosen of the Grand Elder over some random small elven mining clan that only had a few C-grades in it? It was the type of faction where even if some A-grade from the Order destroyed it on accident, he wouldn’t even have to file any paperwork or be questioned for not reporting what had happened. In the grand scheme of things, the Willowood clan was that insignificant.

After some deliberation, Meira decided that was what she wanted to do. She would take over the clan and have that work as a shield of sorts. While no member of the Order would get in trouble for destroying a random C-grade clan, they would certainly want to avoid messing with somewhere of interest to the Chosen of the Grand Elder.

This was when the next problem arose. How exactly would Meira take it over? As in, what practical steps would she take? Well, luckily, she had people around her with ideas. People who knew far more than her and were more than willing to help. Some of them because they were her friends, but many because – as Izil put it – they wanted to earn her favor, as she had the ear of the Grand Elder. Some even wanted favor directly with Meira as they concluded she would become a far more influential figure in the future, even without relying on others.

It did still feel odd that people wanted her favor and not just the favor of others through her. But she wasn’t going to say no to help when offered.

So, in the end, Meira had just listened to what the people around her recommended as they laid a plan to claim the Willowood Clan for herself.

During this, Viridia had sent someone to help her. It was an A-grade peak administrator who worked closely with the Hall Master, sent solely to plan Meira’s trip to her old clan. It was her idea to get a newly evolved S-grade Malefic Dragonkin to come along to truly communicate the meaning of this visit, and it was her idea to make a spectacle of it all.

In her words, Meira needed an entrance worthy of the Grand Elder’s Chosen. She couldn’t just be teleported there with a few guards, or worse, with just some of her close personal friends. No, they needed to go all-out, especially considering this was her first public action as a Chosen. After all, she didn’t have some grand reveal, so many would also view this as her first public appearance.

Meira even had to step in and reduce some of the spectacles… having a bunch of dragons circling the platform combined with an army of more than ten thousand to flank her just seemed like too much, and it was only through struggle she managed to get this army reduced to “just” a few hundred enforcers. It was a compromise of having more powerful but fewer people to still show roughly the same level of prestige.

When the time came for the actual ceremony, Meira simply walked out of the massive gate as she tried to remember all the tips she had been given. She tried to remember how Jake had acted during his own Chosen ceremony, and while this was far more private and not a grand announcement in front of the whole Order, she still didn’t want to embarrass her Teacher.

far from Jake’s, but based on the reactions of the crowd, it apparently still seemed intimidating. She knew a big reason for this was her Blessing getting mixed in there, but things were still better

had to do a rough estimate, she would say it was about a million elves total, with nearly every single one of them gathered below. It was a testament to just how big the mine was to keep them all employed… but she also remembered

were still

her father’s first and second wives, whom Meira had rarely interacted with, and she honestly

her head when Meira let loose her presence. It was a face she recognized, if

any matter, but just viewed her as a piece of property to use. Her mother had been complicit, and while she had tried to be caring and loving, she never did so at the expense of making her husband angry. Meira still remembered

she understood. In the same vein as how Meira had never questioned her mother’s words before after meeting Jake, so had her mother never questioned it either. Perhaps even her father was also a victim of circumstances… but Meira didn’t want to even think about that too much. He was dead, and Meira trying to make him out

looking nearly all grown up. They were still barely adults, being only twenty, and when she had left, they were still at an age where every year brought noticeable changes. Kythela also looked healthy and a bit older compared to a few years ago, but otherwise, she was mostly

changed in the last few years, while Meira had become an

her out of her thoughts. Probably for the best, too, as her standing there

the weirdness of having a powerful person talk to her so respectfully – something Meira was luckily getting more

formation beneath her to amplify her voice,

Willowood Clan. Or should I say, we meet

surprise but sheer confusion. Like the

member of the Willowood clan. My name is Meira, a former healer in the miner’s barracks. Perhaps some of you recognize me… and perhaps you don’t. I

many friends or acquaintances. She had always been working and practicing the things her parents wanted, and when she wasn’t doing that, she was helping

The day I was assigned as a slave to a new arrival from the newly initiated multiverse, I didn’t question anything but only hoped to survive. Yet when I met my new master, willing to do anything to gain his favor, he rejected me at every turn. He did not want me as his slave… but he allowed me to stay. Not with the objective of serving him but to learn how to find my own Path. Decide my own Path. At first, I resisted,

serious deliberations. Meira had talked for many days with not just Izil and Irin but even Reika and Bastilla. They knew most of her story already, and after checking in with the administrator sent by Viridia, they settled on going

I was forced to make decisions myself. Even then, I resisted until I was worn down and left with no choice but to choose what I wanted to do. The reason I am saying all this is not to brag or to prove how superior I am… but to tell you all that not even five years ago, I would have been one of you. I was given opportunities, and I grasped them. All the while, he supported me… until the day I was a slave no longer but a fully-fledged member of the Order of the Malefic Viper. I was made the disciple and Chosen of Grand Elder Duskleaf… my

explicitly ordered to never make any aggressive actions unless it was to defend her or others from actual

reasons he freed me… and today, I will do the same. For my entire life, the Willowood has been a clan that has lived in slavery in all but name. No contract may bind you, but your fates are not yours to control. Today, that changes. Call it my final gift to the Willowood tribe that put me into this world. You may not have my lucky encounter or my opportunities… but I can at least give you all a bit of

one did or said anything. Meira looked over at the dragonkin and gave him a nod,

Dawnleaf will be implemented shall follow in the coming