Dedicated to Parogar (again) because I got about... 500 reads in 4-5 days after he voted on it. And because P.I.E / Q.S! are amazing. 

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 Chapter 22 - By scent we hunt

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Peering into the night, the Hunter growled.

He knew they were near. Every pore ached with the knowledge. The lurking darkness curled within him, directing him, urging him on. It was a relentless, pounding sensation that grated against his consciousness, driving him further into madness -- and he enjoyed it. The adrenaline, the black blood coursing through him heated his limbs against the night's chill. The scent swirled around his nostrils, which flared in anticipation. His claws longed to taste flesh. It had been too long since they'd torn a fleshling apart, spilling their internal organs across the ground.

The Hunter inhaled deeply. The fleshlings were close. Soon... soon his claws would drip with deliciously warm blood. He beat his massive hands against his armour plated body, feeling the vibration run through him. The feeling pleased him. His horns tingled with delight. 

He remembered how he too had once been coated in soft flesh. He, unlike his prey had the sense to change his weakness. Trading skin for plates and talons, he had made a deal that would forever change his existence. The pain was memorable, but he dismissed it. It was nothing compared to the pleasure of the hunt.

His only regret was that his creator no longer walked the land. The man claiming the title of 'Master' now was barely a shadow of the true creator. The Hunter smirked at his own wit. Only a shadow. His cunning astounded him sometimes.

The enormous tainted sniffed the air, searching.

The scent was harder to follow. Harder than usual. The wind twisted the trail, but he was used to that. He enjoyed the challenge it presented. No, the difficulty, he decided, was due to the incompetence of his 'Master'.

Fury rose in his chest. He slammed the ground with his tail, a grunt of pleasure escaping him as a nearby sapling collapsed under its weight.

Good, he thought. Plants are nothing to demonkind. They are nothing against my might!

His thought was cut short as he sensed something behind him. The Hunter turned to find himself met with the glare of another tainted.

The unknown tainted stepped forward and rammed Hunter with his horns. The Hunter growled, the vibration rattling through his still form as anger coursed through his veins. The tainted stepped back in alarm. When Hunter did not move further, the tainted puffed its chest out and stuck its chin high.

"You are weak," it declared, turning to face the rest of the pack. "Hunter has lost the scent! He is not fit to lead the hunt! I challenge him for leadership!" it said, roaring to the crowd of demons.

Murmured opinions rose up through the ranks at the outburst. Waves of dissent threatened to take Hunter's patience. He did not have time for this. The Hunter twitched his shoulder as the opposition spread like disease.

There was always one. The Hunter snorted loudly and swung his gaze upon the upstart demon. He lashed his tail, flinging a small shrub to the side as he brought the full force of his stare to the challenger. The smaller demon flinched, but held his ground. A Vercton mark adorned his brow. He was young, barely a month past his rebirthing, if the Hunter was guessing correctly.

Fool, the Hunter thought. He shall make an example to the rest.

"No." With that, the Hunter turned away, peering once again into the dark forest.

Hunter could never understand why they dared to question his authority. There was always one, blustering and shouting his opinion to the Nether. The imbecile usually had bigger horns or longer talons than the rest. It didn't matter. There hadn't been a tainted in centuries that could match his might. That would not change tonight.

The upstart growled, angry at being dismissed so easily. "I speak to you, Hunter! Are you a coward? I demand you accept my challenge this instant! You are not fit to lead us!" it declared.

That was what Hunter had waited for. Like lightning, he spun to stare into the twisted face.  

"Challenge?" asked the Hunter. "You are nothing to me, whelp. Crawl back into your hole, or make the first move. It will be your last," he growled.

The statement was met with a ground-shaking roar. Talons ripped into the earth as the upstart charged. Head lowered, claws spread, it made the mistake of lifting its tail in the air.

At least he did not waste my time with pathetic words, thought Hunter.

The Hunter waited until it was within striking distance before he moved. With one powerful motion, he scooped the tainted up in his horns and flung him skyward. Without his tail to ground him, the upstart went flying several metres into the air. The Hunter sneered as bravado dissolved into terror on the young tainted's face. It howled in fright as it flailed, helpless to stop its downward descent.

With pinpoint accuracy, the Hunter snatched the tainted from the air as it fell. He suspended the demon mid-air, half a metre from the ground. It was limp in his hand, eyes wide and breath coming fast but silent. Blessed silence. He considered crushing the insolent fool but decided against it. A kill this minor was not worth the Master's wrath. He was under orders to preserve the tainted ranks, and he would not disobey, although he was tempted. This was one individual he could survive without. The Hunter settled for humiliation instead.

"Do not ever presume to challenge me again, weakling," he said. Not waiting for a reply, he slammed the upstart into the ground, thrashing it with his tail for extra insurance. The whelp squirmed under his glare, wriggling into the damp earth like a worm.

The Hunter sneered. They were all weaklings. They were not rebirthed as they once were. The tainted's might as a species had declined significantly since the disappearance of their true Master.

"If no one else has an issue, we may continue." He let his gaze linger on the mass. They fidgeted uncomfortably under his eyes. Hunter turned once again into the wind, satisfied his point was made.

The breeze had picked up in the last few minutes, carrying on it the scent of fleshlings. Powerful fleshlings - ones Master wished to have. Those scents were not there before, he was sure. It was new. They were closer. Hunter sniffed, letting the scent twist in his nostrils and flow through his lungs as he separated the individual aromas.

North? he wondered. No, east. It was stronger from the east.

It was difficult to decide. The scents were muddled, crossing and twisting. When he was sure of the target's location, it would be snatched away by doubt as another smell came to light. He craned his neck, searching. There was interference here. One he had not expected for many, many years.

A second breeze, stronger than the first, gusted through the branches and brought with it a frustratingly familiar scent.

When an aroma was identified, Hunter was able to link smell to image to complete his profile of his target. Now, an image of an elf drifted through his mind. Long brown hair streaked with nature framed the face that taunted him.

Unable to stop himself, Hunter raked claws down his face in an attempt to banish the girl. The picture came to life and danced away, sword glinting in the unseen sunlight. Beside her, another image came into existence. The male Silverborn stood beside her, his blade raised high as he struck down an unseen enemy. The Hunter howled in agony as black blood dripped through the crevices of his skin.

Damn Master, Hunter thought viciously. Damn him to the Nether. May his soul rot for eternity in the corruption. I had those two. I had them. They were mine. Curse him for calling me back. Curse him for invoking the pact. THEY WERE MINE.

Shadows ripped apart the night. Beside the Hunter, a figure all too well known to him emerged from the yawning darkness.

"I sensed something through the bond. What happened, Hunter?" the Master demanded.

The Hunter growled. He hated it when Master referred to their blood-link as a bond. A bond was for Sentinels. Pacts were for demons. He had to fight the urge to throttle the arrogant man.

"The scent was mixed. The girl taunts me, Master," he said humbly.

Despite what hatred he held for this man, Hunter was bound through the blood pact. The Master's power forced his obedience. He had no control unless the Master willed it.

"Ah. I had hoped it was something more... significant."

 "I am sorry, Master."

"You will be even more so later, when I punish you for dragging me out here. I cannot return to the citadel until sundown, now. I will take control of this hunt in the meantime. Perhaps then we shall meet success," said the Master, losing all interest in the Hunter. The demon drilled his gaze into the Sentinel's back, willing that somehow, the man would drop dead. The shadow Sentinel continued on, hands behind his back, his stride confident and strong.

"Tainted! Strike east. If you encounter any resistance, capture, not kill, or your lives will be forfeit." The Master raised his hands, granting each demon a purple-black glow that distorted the air around them. The demons roared in glee and stalked off into the forest. The Master remained, observing their progress. The Hunter stood by his side, awaiting instruction.

"Tell me what your previous hunts have revealed, Hunter."

The Hunter inclined his head. He remembered each hunt clearly, the details immaculate.

"We have been searching, as you requested, Master. There is evidence that several Sentinels, not yet awakened have passed through this land in the past months, if not years. However, despite various tactics and increased searches, we are yet to locate a target."

"I suppose this cannot be completely due to your incompetence." The Master sighed. "Something, or someone is helping them. Skye and Kiarae cannot be the only Sentinels in existence."

Interest piqued, the Hunter sensed an opportunity for gaining valuable information. "Why is that, Master?"

"Each deity must always maintain its link to the mortal realm. The easiest way to do that is through a Sentinel, preferably an awakened one. That means there should at least be water and fire roaming the land, although I suspect there are more natures and celestials also. I doubt the deities would allow them to remain ignorant for long, considering their grave predicament. Which means, someone is helping them, because there is no way they'd be able to escape me for so long without it," said the Master thoughtfully.

Or you are just too arrogant to realise you are not infallible, Hunter thought. Already, I can escape the mental aspect of our pact when I wish. "What of the Celestial you keep?"

"I suspected Kiarae for a while, but she is inactive most days, physically and mentally."

The Master narrowed his eyes, staring at Hunter for a long minute. "In any case. You are to keep patrolling this area. I need new recruits to bolster the ranks of the shadow's Sentinels. His attachment to this realm must remain firm, and the idiots I have at the moment are barely competent."

"What of the tainted, Con'gi whom you recruited from my ranks?" asked the Hunter.

His question was met with a sneer. "The magic accepted him, somewhat. He was able to wield a minor shadow flame amongst other things. I placed him in charge of Darni, the town we captured to the south of here. He managed to capture the elf four weeks ago, before her powers awoke."

"So you are pleased?"

A sharp pain echoed across his back from where the Master struck him with a magic encased hand. "No, idiot. Do not presume so much. Con'gi was a failure. He was killed by an initate Silverborn when they invaded and rescued Skye."

"Why did you not allow me to pursue her, Master?" asked Hunter, wanting to irritate the Master. His plates stung and he knew it would last many hours before it subsided.

"You don't need to know that."

"I only wish to know so I may clear myself of her scent. It haunts me knowing she escaped so easily."

"Useless." The Master flicked his wrist, and an image appeared in the shadows. "As you can see, during their escape, I was able to plant a spy amongst them. By allowing them to escape, I have infiltrated Alguarde, shielded by the presence of this being before the corruption became too strong. They have no idea. It allows me several freedoms, such as torturing the elf."

The Hunter frowned. "What of the wards?" He watched the scene shift in the shadows, viewing it from the person's eyes.

"Ha! They only prevent the corruption from entering the perimeter. It is why I attacked in the last moments, to eliminate any possibility that the wards may have picked up on the darkness. Once inside, I fed it. It is growing stronger by the day. Soon, I will have complete control over their actions as well as their mind."

The individual was in what Hunter assumed was the throne room. Several people crowded around a table, gesturing at papers and maps that lay scattered across the surface. What was more; the individual was completely accepted in the circle. Twice, the man with gold perched atop his head turned and addressed their medium, apparently staring directly into the Hunter's own eyes.

The Master let the scene fade, the shadows retreating to their usual shapes.

"Do not fear. I will not let her maintain her freedom long. She will find her way to me eventually. Nothing can stand against the corruption, not even Kiarae. I let her maintain any semblance of control so she can inadvertently lure new Sentinels to their captures if she tries to communicate with them. Unfortunately, the scheme has not been as fruitful as I'd have hoped. She has never made contact with anyone except Skye on the one occasion."

Doubt wormed into the Hunter's mind at Master's words. He knew Kiarae. She was intelligent and knew the Master, he suspected, better than the Master knew himself. Truly, Hunter wished Kiarae would one day slay Master, but only if it ensured the true Master's return to glory. It would not do to have a celestial in power. She would not let Hunter live long.

He wondered if the Master was becoming overly confident in his unchallenged claim to the land, but dismissed the thought. Power was everything. In that aspect, there was no contest for the Master. The corruption amplified his magic to several times what a normal Sentinel could ever hope to achieve.

"I accept your words, Master," said the Hunter, lying through his teeth. "I will hunt now, if it pleases you."

The Master nodded, and the Hunter disappeared into the night.

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