Chapter 12: Punisher

[POV: Colin Smith]

Colin sprinted forward weaving around the trees, instinctively avoiding the undergrowth and bumps.  After four long years, he was used to running around in the forest. The blasted animal was faster than he had thought.

He had been following a thunder-rabbit for a few minutes now. They were a magical beast that looked similar to rabbits, only as big as a dog and their furs stood on ends with shades of purple. It was one of the few D tier beasts that also had a blood sack. Not only were their meat a delicacy, but a blood sack from a D tier beast could also be sold for three silver coins. Which was a lot of money for someone like Colin.

The name may be a silver coin but it was just a copper coin with a silver coating. It was the same for the gold coin.  A silver coin was worth 5 copper, and a gold coin was worth 5 silver. Gold beads had the highest value which was worth 10 gold coins.

Colin had seen a gold bead only once in his life.  It was small, round, and had a hole. Gold beads had a habit of disappearing, so the hole was there to string them together.

Colin was lucky enough to spot a magical beast like that. He continued to follow it, but it was getting further and further away.  The beast could produce an electrical discharge from its paws, that’s what made it faster than Colin had thought.

“You aren’t the only one blessed with grace,” Colin said with a smile.

Even as he continued to follow the beast, he began to pull on his grace. He had a huge grace pool. Even the bounty hunters who passed by the village had tried to recruit him, with how massive his grace pool was.

The beast streaked even further away, streams of lightning trailing behind it. Colin jumped with all the strength he could muster. He raised his hand towards one of the tree branches. Obsidian black chain shot out of his palm and wrapped around the branch. He swung at incredible speed. Just as he was about to swing backwards, another chain shout out of his hand. He let the first chain to vanish and continued to swing forward.

He swung from tree branch to tree branch, twisting and turning at just the right moment to change his trajectory, and follow the beast.

There were six humanoid races in Ria; Humans, Mages, Elementals, Vampires, Demi-Gods, and Punishers. Colin was a Punisher, a name he did not like. He preferred Conjurers. A conjurer could conjure an item(like his chains) that had a set of abilities.

He was quickly gaining on the beast. When he was confident that he was in range, he pointed his palm at the beast. The chain flew true, wrapping itself around the beast neck and head. Colin focused on the chain to do his bidding, and the chain twisted snapping the beast’s head, killing it on the spot. Colin hated playing with his game. In fact, he hated taking any life, but it was necessary if he wanted to survive this harsh world.

Colin approached the beast and carefully extracted the blood sack using his thumb and index finger. The blood sack was brown and the size of a small coin pouch.

Colin returned back to the village after hunting a few more game and a lot of fish from the river that split the forest.

***

“The game you hunted today and yesterday should last the villagers for a week,” Hiron said.

Hiron was his adoptive father and the mayor of the village. He had a hunched back and all of his hair had turned grey. He wore a simple wool coat and trousers.

Colin was abandoned by his actual parents with his name and a note just because they thought he was some kind of monster. Just remembering the words in the note pained his heart. What kind of evil parents addresses their child like that? He always thought like that.

But he wasn't angry. No, he was kind of glad that they abandoned him. He got to meet such amazing people; who were very kind and generous to take care of him as one of their own. He was so happy to live his life with them. Just the thought of growing up with the parents who treat their own children like a monster sent a shiver down his spine.

Hiron gave a pained sigh. “No matter how much we have, for now,  we have no reserves for the winter.  You have to hunt more.  I know you are just 16 and this will be a huge burden to you, but what choice do we have?”

“I will do it,” Colin said. He was the only one strong enough to hunt in the forest. Everyone else in the village were humans. Venturing into the forest filled with magical beasts would be a death sentence to them. “It’s not like I help out on the farm.”

Hiron whizzed with laughter. “Oh, sweet child you know how to make an old man laugh.” The mayor ruffled his hair. “Your hunting skill is more than enough help.”

Colin went pink in the face. “I’m already 16, stop treating me like a child.”

“No matter how old you grow, you will always be the sweet little child I found.”

Colin did not know why but a warm feeling washed over his heart.

Hiron was Fiddling with the blood sack. Colin used it as an excuse to change the subject. “What are we going to do with the blood sack?”

“The next merchant train should arrive in a few days. We will sell it to them.”

“The merchant train?” Colin said standing up. “Have you gone senile old man?  The merchants will not buy it for the full price. At most, we will only receive 2 silver coins.  We should sell it to the bounty hunters or the mages that will visit our village. At least then we will receive our full price.”

“Who knows when the mage or a bounty hunter will visit our village. By that time the blood sack might spoil.”

Colin could only sit back down in defeat. He knew what the mayor said was the truth.

There was a small boom. When Colin looked towards the sound, he saw a village guard who had burst through the door.

“Mr. mayor we have... visitors. They are asking for you and...”  The guard looked at Colin strangely. “You should listen to what they have to say. They do not look friendly.”

Hiron nodded. They followed the guard who led them to the strangers. There was a wall of villagers infront of the strangers. There were 50 or so "visitors". Most of them were dressed in black. Five of them were wearing purple clock, Hiding their faces under a mask of the same colour.  The one at the lead was wearing a purple-white kimono. He had deep purple eyes and silver hair. That eye and the hair meant only one thing, he was a lightning elemental.

It was easy to distinguish elementals according to their clothing, hair and eye colour.  All elementals had silver hair. While their eye colour corresponded to the elements they controlled.  Fire elemental had red eyes, water elemental had blue and so on.

“My name is Vlad Davis,” the lightning elemental said, eying Hiron. “You must be the village mayor. We want to make a deal with you.”

Colin did not like Vlad's attitude, the way he held himself as if he owned the place.

Colin could see Hiron furrowing his brows. “What is it that you want from us?”

“Oh! Nothing much,” Vlad said with a smirk. “Just give us the boy named Colin Smith and we won't kill the lot of you.”

“We will do no such thing.”

“I was hoping you would say that,” Vlad grinned. The elemental suddenly looked at Colin. “The way you are fidgeting boy... Colin Smith, I presume.”

Colin gulped.

“It seems I was right,” his grin widened. Vlad looked over his soldiers and said,  “take the boy and do whatever you want with the villagers.”

The vampires released their fangs. Colin jumped between the vampires and the villagers before any of them could move. He conjured a ring of chain surrounding the villagers, it wiggled violently like a whip that had a life of its own. A perfect barrier to protect the villagers or to stop them in their tracks. He summoned four more chains with arrowhead daring the vampires to attack. Five chains were his limit. Anymore and he would loose control.

Colin raised his hand over his head. “I will surrender if you promise not to harm the villagers,” he said. 

The reason for his surrender was simple. The enemy was stronger than him. One of the purple cloaked figures had almost as much grace as he had. And other cloaked figures were not weak either. Oh! He had one spell that could kill them all. But using it was out of the question. The spell killed everyone in the vicinity, friend or foe. He had discovered the spell during one of his hunting trips. He had vowed never to use such a disturbing spell. 

“You don’t have to do this for us boy.”

“Yes, with your power you should be able to escape them. Just run away.”

“You don't have to protect us. It's our job to protect you. Now leave us and save yourself.”

Colin ignored the villagers.

Vlad looked at him with a smirk and simply nodded.

“Your nod is not enough. I need something more to believe you,” Colin said.

“Bring the oath book.” One of the purple cloaked figures brought the oath book to Vlad. It was a simple leather-bound book with a red gemstone in the middle. Vlad casually placed his hand over the book. The gemstone pulsed with energy.

“I, Vlad Davis, swear that I will not harm anyone in this village as long as Colin Smith surrenders to us and comes with us,”

He removed his hand from the book. “In that enough for you boy?”

Colin nodded. No one could break an oath made through an oath book, even if they wanted to. Colin cancelled all of his spells. As soon as he did that all the villagers rushed towards him screaming protests. The vampire made a wall between him and the villagers, so the villagers could do nothing.

A purple cloaked figure approached him and strapped his hands together behind his back using white handcuffs. He knew what it was, grace dampeners.  It prevented grace users to use their grace. Oh! He could still feel his grace and pull on it but not use it.