The ride within the black metal ship was calm. Each ship carried twenty people. With us having four ships for this hunt. Two ships for soldiers, One for the cooks and helpers. And the last ship was just to carry the supplies. So actually there was sixty of us instead of eighty. Some hoping to make something of themselves with a good kill. Perhaps a Iron Swan. Maybe others just want to get it over with. head home to their beds.
As the ships landed my brother was the first to exit out with Sir Rickon. He looked more like a statue given life then any human or Solrein. Yet that head at the top showed under all that metal he was still flash and blood. With bright green eyes of a Solrein.
The Light of the sun was high in the sky. We had arrived at the Eastern isles. Other ships had come to a landing around the clearing. Spraying up wind gusts making overcoats flap as we moved around. The Eastern Isles on our world were warmer then the rest.
Sandy beaches. Small wooded areas of sparse tree. The trees were a bright green with their leaves. And small creaks moved through. Rivers flowed. Small cracks barley a foot or two wide flowed crystal clear water. And there were forty five of this tiny little islands that made up these Isles. Even the grass here was shorter and not as dark a green.
"Hey kid don't forget you still have a lesson tonight. So don't over do it today." Venula said as she walked up from the right side of me having just finished talking with one of the guards.
My father had insisted she come along to keep my lessons up. I hated it. I also hated hunting. My brother tended to always try and over do it. Yet her dark grey pants and large dark blue overcoat made me hold my tongue. Hard to forget she was my sword instructor when her colors miss matched the guards and servants so much. And that pendant stared me down as if one wrong slip of a lip would mean a rougher lesson tonight.
"Of course Lady Venula. However I must be on my way with my brother." I said stepping away. I saw and felt the way her eyes followed me. If I didn't know better I would guess my father asked her to keep a extra eye on me.
I spotted my brother quickly. His short blonde hair standing out to me. Guards in their black metallic overcoat's were setting up the crates as they made camp. I didn't realize how as I walked through they stopped and started nearly perfectly to let me by. Like walking through water it simply moved around you. Some had already taken off their flat caps to enjoy the breeze. As the breeze off the water here felt warmer and less like how it did in the highlands of the estate. Nearby was the beaches of the sand. A golden sand. Untouched by people mostly. Yet ass I got closer to my brother I saw as Sir Rickon turned and walked out to the small forests with six or ten guards following the larger metal man.
"What's going Rayland?" I asked as I got closer. My black leather boots shifted weirdly on top of the sand. The golden grains sticking to the sides of the blackness of leather.
"Grav Ships. Thinking their galactic trading ships." Rayland said waving his hand over the sands shore. As large circular dents could be seen. Each nearly twelve feet large. The clear sign of a grav ship take off. And a big one two as In looked how spread out they were.
"So we thinking trade ship. Seems like a poachers on our world." I said as he turned looking at me with slight smile.
"Yes! Already sent Rickon to check the area. We believe them to be somewhere here still. Or else the water would have washed the prints of their ship take off by now. Seems we are hunting poachers now." His smile had only widened as he talked.
The camp meanwhile was nearly ready within only a few minutes of our talking. The tents made of nano felids shone black with sharp angles like miniature pyramid's. Within each would have been a black box that acted as a beacon for the nano fields to connect with. This allowed them to take ship and have a anchor point.
"Yes I suppose so. The trackers would have been deeper if they were trying to exit the planets field." I muttered as my brother Rayland was already moving to his own tent. It was larger and placed in the middle.
Far off in the distance could be heard the roar of a gilled lion. And within my mind I hoped the poachers would not go after them. Male gilled lions were one of our families most prized animals. Used across worlds for hunts. Taken at a young age and trained. Like the hunting dogs but more deadly and more loyal. But they were still small in numbers.
Just ones pelt could be sold for five hundred thousand credits. Which sounds like a lot because it is to any person. But when you own worlds and travel galaxies a few thousand is nothing. My fathers Warship, just one could go for nearly thirty million credits and that thing was at least eight hundred years old.
The rest of the day I spent getting ready in my tent. Even eating my dinner inside the tent until the sun was setting. Then Venula was at my tents entrance longsword at her hip.
"Come along kid. Let's get you some practice in. Gave you a week to practice stances. Time for a duel." She said as I had already grabbed my sword following her. The gladius of was shorter then her longsword by a good amount. But our blades were sharp today. No dull blades were even taken on hunts. But I wish we had for this.
She kept leading deeper into the forest until the small drone with it's warm light hovered above us like a small sun. Slowly I unsheathed my sword from it's scabbard. And she did the same. I didn't realize at the time. But I was smiling. I had grown to enjoy these duels even if I hated losing.
"Ready." I said bot as a question but instead to let her know I was. As the words came out she swung. She swung her longsword like a butcher would a cleaver. Just a longer one. But this time I blocked. Her sword went along my blade like a fish tail goes left and right, off and onto my blade in small rapid strikes with her long blade.
But I step forward slamming her sword off mine trying to get closer. Just for her to take a half step back and swing from above too fast. Faster then I ever seen anyone move. Even the Knights in their armor. I couldn't block that. I saw it in that split second. In her eyes. How stupid I was. The eyes were white. The skin did not have the atom flesh on the arms.
My whole body felt a strange calm. A predators calming strength. Side step, their blade slammed into the dirt. One step. Two. Breath and swing. Within half a second I gained ground and swung full force with my sharp blade for the head.
Somewhere back in camp I could hear shouting. Shouting my name. Whoever this was. It was not Venula Zen. It was a skin shifter. Or something that could copy bodies. Many such things did exist.
My sword came to blows with a small black curved dagger. As the persons face changed to a thin pale man. Lanky arms and he stepped back. The longsword I realized was different. Same silver blade sure. But it was sharp on one side only. While Venula Sword was sharp on both sides. His was really just a larger cleaver in sight. One hand a long curved black dagger. The other a cleaver the size of a longsword.
The white eyes looked at me calmly.
"Your faster then I thought child." He grinned. His dagger spinning in hand. "But you'll have to be faster when the Solar Gods find out of your existence."
I realized the shouting had stopped in the distance and closer. The forest was dark and the tall lanky man kept backing up into it. I felt my body waking up. Had I fallen asleep? What was going on damnit.
"What is this! What are you!" Shouted into the darkness as I could see nothing but the figure now what felt a mile away with those white eyes. All around was darkness like a floating void.
"You know me child. All of the children know me. I am Eris." Then my eyes shot open. Sound became real. And I saw Venula standing above my bed looking at me with confusion as I sat up quickly.
"Sorry... weird dream. Practice right?" I asked and she just eyed me. "What?"
"I have been trying to wake you nearly a hour now. No one could get you to wake up my Lord. I think you been over doing it with all that reading and practice. Rest for tonight. Sir Rickon returned a few minutes ago and found the poachers ship. Their planning to make the arrest first light." She said and turned to walk out before I could say anything. She seem stiff and cold. None of that grin. Not even serious.
Wait did she call me lord instead of kid! What got into her. Did I say something in my sleep? In that Dream?