The monster surveyor – Chapter 4

Their journey outwards did get off in due time. It wasn’t a walk in the park, all things considered, not like Eyren may have partially been anticipating. Although Imtoryat does hold a manner of noble status, her guards were not so ecstatic to simply let her trot off minus a solitary – and dependable – defensive unit. Eyren did not count. They had argued against her for no less than an hour, contending that her sister Shayuri would be furious should none of them be accompanying her in the wilds. Imtoryat had to seriously struggle and coax them into accepting that, no, Eyren is not worthless in combat, and yes, she is legitimately an authority in this field, whom Imtoryat has to rely on. This wasn’t truthful from top to bottom, she won’t disaffirm that, but against the assertion they presented where Shayuri ‘would have their heads if she heard’, there was nothing else she could offer.

Eyren had only tapped into this conversation for a short spell, and she has to grant that the otherwise withdrawn lady behaved uncharacteristically hardheaded, declining to budge even a centimeter. Their pleading and supposed ‘wisdom’ were things which she could see through and refute. Later, she had spilled to Eyren privately that it reminded her of when she had to defend her essays back in the academy during various seminars, against a hoard of other students in their debate circles. Clearly, if there’s anything she’ll fight tooth and nail for, it’s the chance to expand her research.

And so, amid one late morning, the two of them hopped on Razz’s posterior and pursued the direction which Eyren had judged to be the most fruitful for the chase of a minor Herdbrand flock, with the lady clinging to her back, arms about the warrior’s waist in a sturdy grip. In this rush, Razz is not interfering or abetting her in any searching capacity, merely following Eyren’s commands. Even if Eyren trusts that the raptor presumably has some understanding what it’s related to, she has no particular grip on what the actual goal is set as, as she can’t track anything notable. And to be fair, at this range, the knight gains no clear-cut premonition either, as it’s much too remote. The Herdbrand are nowhere near, that much is undeniable, and thus Eyren is simply running on a combo of her memory of spotting them earlier and educated guesswork.

Several hours pass in this state, and there is barely anything besides the regularity of Razz’s rhythmic steps and the wind as the background noise, given that the two humans remain in silence. This only continues until Imtoryat taps on Eyren’s shoulder, who is ahead of her, and utters tenderly into her ear.
“Uh…uhm, could we…stop somewhere? I feel like I need a bit of a break…”

Eyren blinks her eyes and glances over her shoulder, sensing how Imtoryat’s arms are yet around her waist – a sensation she is not opposed to in the slightest – but she can’t properly behold the wolf-eared woman from this angle.
“Oh. Yeah, sure. Guessing you’re hungry, my lady?”

“A little bit, perhaps, but…erm, my legs are also chafing somewhat…”

A warm smile surfaces on Eyren’s lips.
“Oh, hah. Sorry about that. Suppose you’re not used to long rides every day?”

“Ahem. Not…not really, no…”, Imtoryat whispers awkwardly. “My sister usually lets me ride on a cart.”

Eyren chuckles lightly.
“I see. Yeah, sure, we can stop.”

Pulling on Razz’s reins, it’s only a minute or so until the two of them have hopped off, fetched their bags and gotten a snack, whilst the raptor plops herself down on the ground for a rest of her own, in the style of avians. Grabbing a pair of bread roll with filling, Imtoryat retains one for herself and then lays the other ahead of the raptor, who keenly sniffs and begins devouring it. Meanwhile, Imtoryat faces Eyren as the ex-knight is rolling her arms and performing a smidgen of exercise.
“Miss Katlattar, can I ask you a question about the Shadow Herd?”

“Sure thing. That’s what I’m here for, right?”

“How can you be positive that we will locate the Herdbrand we are after?”

“What, as opposed to any other Herdbrand?”

“Well, both, I suppose. How exactly are you hunting them down? What is your methodology?”

In between her practicing exploits, Eyren shrugs her shoulders.
“I mean, I’m not 100% secure in my belief, but it’s not pure speculation either. Fateworn can sort of feel the Herdbrand.”

“…feel them?”

“Yes, it’s like…hmm. Guess it would be best to depict it as a form of…prickling in the back of my head. My internal defenses activate and my body is on alert, so to speak.”

Imtoryat’s ears perk and her face shows dual emotions of interest and confusion.
“Is that…right? I…I have never stumbled on a portrayal of these things like that.”

“No?”

“Well…n-not that…Fateworn would keep a natural instinct hooked to Herdbrand’s proximity, no.”

Eyren lets off a chuckle.
“Heh, well, maybe it’s not a known case to everyone? Most people avoid individuals like me. And truthfully, I’m not entirely versed in whether other Fateworn have this kind of talent. As I told you earlier, I’ve never chatted with anyone who has this ‘condition’ or whatever you’d like to frame it as, so I can only build my knowledge on my own experiences.”

“Hmm.” Imtoryat’s tail flips left and right whilst she absorbs these notions. Eventually, she aims herself at the raptor. “Is Razz’s reactions indistinguishable from yours, then?” The raptor momentarily peers up at them when her name is brought up, tilting her head searchingly.

“I would say so, yeah. Can’t ‘ask’ her, of course, but the two of us generally respond identically to Herbrand movements.”

With her tail yet in contemplation mode, Imtoryat strokes a hand over her chin, eyes levelled to the ground.
“Hmm. I have to wonder how this ability of yours came to be. Perhaps it’s based on that you are better attuned to the Herbrand because you are ‘similar’ to them…but it could equally be the opposite.”

“Uh, what do you mean by that?”

Imtoryat continues snacking a bit on her meal, staring up at the sky in thought, before she voices them.
“Well, you may recall the theory I cited to you, that the Woerdinn is nature’s way of defending itself against a foreign infection, which the Herdbrand could be viewed as. If that is the reality, then your sensory gift could very well be an indication that the world is warning you of the dangers you’re running into.”

Eyren rises and scratches her cheek.
“Huh. Well, if that’s the case, guess it wouldn’t be impossible. Do you believe in it?”

“As a researcher, I need documentation. I have had no verifiable proof either way, and the Woerdinn is as much a mystery to us as the Shadow Herd. I will agree that your bodily response is intriguing, though.”

Upon the continuation of the ride, it progresses for several more hours along the identical direction they’ve been employing thus far, where they pause once more to rest and sleep for the night. When they persist in the morning, it only takes another an hour or two at most, until Eyren’s physical reaction is more substantial. In her mind, she detects the characteristic dissonance of bone snapping, to partially fill her in on that her Woerdinn gifts have been swapped on, but equally that danger is in immediacy to them. Instinctively, she pulls at the reins of Razz, but only mildly, for the raptor traditionally gets an analogous forewarning.

As it pans out, Imtoryat looks a tad perplexed by the maneuver.
“Is…something wrong?”

Eyren draws in a terse breath, prior to glancing over her shoulder.
“The Shadow Herd, it’s nearby.”

Imtoryat does, as expected, respond to this by tensing up, but it’s when she eyeballs her protector and guide that she looks truly startled.
“M…miss Eyren?”

“Uh, what is it?”

“Y…your eyes…they’ve traded color.”

“Oh, right. Maybe I should’ve fleshed that out before.”

“This is…ordinary?”

“For me, it is. Well, this is what people tell me, anyway. I don’t strictly observe things differently myself – possibly a small bit sharper – but others have stated it comes off as kind of spooky to them. I assure you, though, nothing grand has shifted around with my body. There is a certain internal makeover which makes me more efficient against the Herdbrand, but I’m the same person as before.”

“Ahh, I see. To me, this…does not look scary, necessarily. On the whole, I consider it an…enthralling development. But erm…we should imaginably home in on the task at hand.”

“Absolutely.”

It’s at this juncture, several hundred meters away, that they spot something which brings Eyren to pull on Razz’s reins, making her wind down – in the midst of a minor glade, several dark figures materialize, as if massive shadows taken physical form, with their peculiar runes twinkling like stars across their forms. There is nothing noticeable with the clearing that the beasts have situated themselves in, with no village, prey or other oddity nearby, and neither do they interact with anything nor practically move their limbs at all. It is more akin to them statically holding for something unnoticed.

When Eyren points her finger at that location, Imtoryat gasps and presses herself against her guard, caught in an erratic sensation of fear and enthrallment.
“That…that is them, yes?”

“Those are Herdbrand, yeah. Four of them, looks like, and mostly the same size. If we’re seen, this could be an issue for us.”

“I…I see. Are we…erm, in immediate danger?”

“Nothing that serious, no. My hunch says they’ll stay over there until they get some kind of signal to head elsewhere, and we’ll identify that when they do.”

“Right…” Imtoryat takes a deep and somewhat quivery breath. “I…I have to confide in you that I’m…both afraid and extremely excited right now.”

Eyren snorts lightly.
“Heh, I get it. It was like that for me my first time, albeit I was quite a bit younger. Still, it would be in our best interest if you keep your distance.”

Imtoryat continues her train of thought to a degree as if she didn’t quite hear this latest sentence.
“Their shapes…they look practically like animals, no? One dog, one form of avian, a tiger and…an ox?”

“That sounds right.”

“But they’re incredibly big…almost two meters tall on four legs…”

“Yeah, Herdbrand aren’t limited by ‘real’ proportions of beasts. They could even take the shape of a worm or something and be ten meters tall, if they wanted.”

“Oh my…” She shivers slightly. “What are those…lights on their physique? It’s everywhere…”

“We won’t do it right now, but if we headed closer, those things would look kinda like the glyphs I described, strange icons in an alphabet I’ve never seen anywhere else. Then again, I don’t know every writing system in the world…”

“Mm, I would have some better education than you in this, I suspect, but I doubt this would help me in regards to these alien creatures…”

“If you cut off their limbs or strike those glyphs, you can eventually kill them, so I’ve usually took it that those things help them function somehow.”

“Truly? How…utterly bizarre.” The lupine ears of the researcher twitch and she appears to glance between the trio and the quarry they’re pinpointed at. “What distance do you believe we can maintain to them?”

“Before we’re spotted, you mean?”

“Yes.”

Eyren scratches the back of her neck whilst she deliberates on this.
“Well, that’s a bit of a knotty question. It’s not unthinkable that they’ve already sensed us.”

“…oh. Is that…dire?”

“Not inherently, no. The outcome of being spotted will differ, in my experience, and it’s not always without difficulties to make guesses about their motions. Still, in general, making attempts at getting too close will trigger an attack from them.”

Imtoryat’s ears sink just a nudge.
“…I see. That is…regrettable, for I truly would’ve liked to examine the glyphs at a more proximate length, but…you are the expert of us…”

“Okay, I’m not telling you that it would be ridiculous, but-“

Just the same, once Eyren is about to present her argument, the Herdbrand flock as one produce a terribly outlandish twitch, spin around, and akin to soldiers receiving orders they march out from the glade. They don’t head straight for the trio, but rather cling to the road in a southward vector.
“…wh…what’s happening?”, wonders Imtoryat, her voice marred partially by fear, but also excitement.

“Shit”, goes Eyren. “They must’ve located something.”

“Something? What could that be?”

“Anyone’s guess, really. A town to target? An attack by people towards another Shadow Herd band? Some other unexpected source that we can’t tell right now? Can’t suss out any of it while we’re standing here.”

“But…what should we do?”

“Just to be safe, my recommendation is that we track them, check that they won’t lay into anyone defenseless or otherwise.” She peeks over her shoulder. “But you’re the employer. It’s your call, my lady.”

Imtoryat stares out into the woods, her eyes sharpened, ears perked and tail mildly flickering left and right, as if she’s caught in contradictory emotions of what would be most useful, either their safety or her personal curiosity. In seconds, she meets Eyren’s gaze.
“I…I trust you, miss Eyren. It seems like a wise choice…and I still hold too many unanswered inquiries in my mind. Let’s chase them and see where it takes us.”