^^ The Bloody Stag ^^

--- Amber's POV ---

My alarm blared, making me growl at it, and Danny came in from the couch in the living room, and sleepily silenced it.

"Thank you, Danny." I groaned.

"Bitte." He grumbled, and stretched like a cat.

I smiled and watched appreciatively as his half-naked body went on display rather fetchingly.

He noticed, and covered his chest quickly, making me giggle. "You don't have tits, Danny, you don't have to cover yourself. And I was enjoying the view."

He blushed and rushed out, but I saw the small smile that graced his naturally red lips.

Then a loud knock sounded at the door, and I rolled out of bed to answer it.

When I yanked open the door, Freki stood there, dressed only in a pair of briefs. "Master calls your Initiation, Merchant. I'm your escort." He rasped in that gravelly voice of his, like he was constantly gargling gravel.

I nodded. "I'll get dressed, then."

"Clothes are unnecessary for the Initiation." He shook his head.

"Well I'm hardly marching down the street in my black lace panties, am I, ye idiot?" I snapped dryly.

He hummed, and nodded, gesturing to my bathroom. "Then prepare."

I washed my face, did my necessaries, and then walked to my dresser, yanking on a pair of denim pants, along with a tough leather jacket over my black shirt, and my steel-toed combat boots. Finally, I pulled my sword and a pair of the Jaeger's daggers out of my Second Plane, and sheathed them in the jacket, next to my ribs and across my back.

He hummed. "Now you are ready?"

"Yes. I am." I nodded.

He placed a hand on my shoulder, and lowered his voice, speaking almost kindly. "Then brace, Amber-Rose The Merchant, for this is surely only the first proving ground of many for you in the coming days."

Before I could as what he meant, I was standing in a meadow, completely alone.

---

I hummed, looking at the trees, and nodded. "Okay. This is clearly a test... so I can't get lost." I drew my sword, and apologized to her, before I used the tip to cut a giant letter 'A' in the meadow, pointing the way I'd been pointing when I landed. Then I cleaned the blade, and re-sheathed it.

As I looked into the trees, I spotted something impossible. A caribou, but around 12 feet tall, with a rack of antlers that both amazed and terrified me.

Amazing, of course, because they had more tines than I'd ever even dreamed of being possible. Hundreds, maybe. Every time I tried to count, they shifted, like they were alive.

But terrifying, because they were blood red, and they dripped with the blood of thousands of different humans. I could smell each and every kill that Stag had ever made, because the blood was still on the antlers, seemingly unable to come off.

He slowly looked at me, and his brown eyes reminded me of Magnus, somehow. Then he lowed, and started lowering his head, scuffing his feet, like he was challenging me.

I growled and tried to shift into my dragon form, but nothing happened, except a feeling of terror to wash over me.

"This is the test... okay... but should I kill you, or wash the blood from your horns? Should I be kind, or warlike? Is that the test? How I'll react?" I mused aloud.

He lowed again, and started charging, smashing trees like so many wheat stalks in his way, his antlers poised to stab my throat.

I growled and dove under him, grabbing his tail and flipping onto his back. "Aha! What can you do now?!?" I taunted.

I immediately regretted that decision, as he simply flopped down, rolling to try to crush me under him. I leapt off, and started sprinting back into the meadow, to gain distance.

Then I saw my 'A', and heard water in that direction. "Washing the antlers it is." I nodded and whistled at the wary Beast circling the clearing. "Oi! You want me to clean those antlers? You'll calm down, and follow me to the river, aye?"

He snorted softly, and set his feet again.

I growled and started sprinting towards the river, studiously ignoring the charging caribou behind my ass.

His hot breath reached my neck, and I dove into the river, easily propelling myself halfway across with my forward momentum. I pulled myself onto a rock, halfway across the river, and whistled at him. "The water's g-great!" I shivered as the frigid temperatures hit me.

He stuck a hoof into the water, as was swept into the current halfway, dunking his head, the massive horns almost grazing me as they dipped in.

The entire river turned red, and he pulled back, making me gasp.

Glowing white light escaped his now-clean antlers, and he was growing taller, thicker, until suddenly he shifted, and only a gigantic dragon with the same horns sat on the riverbank.

I grinned. "Well hello, there, Magnus. Fancy meeting you here."

"I am not Magnus Sjöllson, Amber-Rose." The dragon hummed.

"Oh? You look a mighty bit like him. You're Richten, then?" I asked.

"I am Ullr, god of Games and the Hunt. Your test has yet to begin. The Bloody Stag is a test given only to those with the potential to become Hunters. You failed."

"Why, because I thought cleaning your horns would be more intelligent than killing you? I'm armed to the teeth, I could've killed you... or, I could've killed the Stag. All due respect, Lord Ullr." I gritted my teeth.

"Perhaps. But you lack the lust for blood. That lust is what allows the Dragon King and the Fae Queens to control their Jaeger's. That is not necessarily a bad thing... you may be a Hunter yet, but not for them. For Me." He grinned and spat fire on the river, heating it to boiling, and warming me up.

"That sounds... rather interesting. Is this a job interview?" I asked.

He blinked slowly. "Rather close to the truth, actually. You have a gift, then, for playing games? Guessing games, best of all?"

I nodded. "Yes. I'm told I have great luck. Until recently, a leprechaun had been eating my luck, so it didn't show."

He laughed. "Ahh, leprechauns. I hate the lot of them. Always influencing my games... indeed. You were born in early Summer, yes? June, perhaps?"

"June 1st, the Festival of Luck, born under the sign of both Odin and Ullr." I bowed sarcastically.

He snorted. "Courage, Regality, and Luck. A dangerous combination, especially in a spitfire like yourself. Pun fully intended." He laughed a bit, and shifted into a tall man with those same bloody antlers.

"The Bloody Stag... that's one of your true forms?" I asked.

He nodded. "Aye. That it is. One of my favorites. Would you like to ask me some questions before I give you to the Dragons for their Initiation? You may ask three."

"Aye, that I would. Does being your hunter come with Responsibilities, and such? To clarify that question, but not to ask another, What will I be expected to do?" I asked, sitting down on the rock.

He smiled and sat down as well... on the water in front of me. "An interesting, and complex question. Very astute. Simply put, you will be charged with finding my enemies. Those who wish my greatest game to fail. They wish the supernatural world to be brought into the light, and endanger every single one of my creatures."

"Alright... so, once I find them, am I expected to also execute them? Because I'm not really sure I want to qualify as an assassin." I huffed.

He laughed softly. "You already have. And yes, you'll need to kill my enemies. Or enslave them, as you wish. If you play a game, I will assist. Now, if the object of said contest is you imprisoning them, I will still assist, though I do prefer my enemies slain."

I nodded. "Okay, I've already got a few ideas... last question, then. Who, or what, led me towards Shimmer's Prison, and for what purpose, for ill or good?"

He blinked. "I'm very close to losing this game. I don't like it. The Who that led you to Shimmer was a Fae, and the Why, to cause chaos amongst the Dragons. See, you have more claim to the Throne than Richten or his line, as you are the Eldest, and also a First Blood, unlike him. You appearing destabilizes their Empire. And if you take over a kingdom with absolutely no experience, the chances are that you will majorly fuck something up, and that is what they're counting on." He nodded.

"You didn't answer me. Who?" I clarified.

He grinned. "I never promised to answer. Just that you could ask. Ta." He waved and disappeared, disorienting me as I was whipped away into a completely different forest.

Richten blinked at me oddly. "Well... that was rather unexpected. Your first test should've taken much longer. Did you die?"

I snorted. "No. I washed the bloody horns of a giant fucking caribou, and the god of the Hunt said I was too nice to be a Jaeger. Yippee. Let's move on."

Richten smiled. "Ahh. The Bloody Stag. It seems He had high hopes for you."

"If I'd've known the Stag was a fucking GOD, maybe I'd've put more effort in, eh? I thought it was just a magic caribou who wanted to skewer me. Saw no point in killing it. As I said, let's move on." I crossed my arms, sniffing to clear my nose of the stench of blood.

He nodded. "Aye. Let's."

I was knocked back in an instant as he shifted, screeching and spewing fire in my direction. I tsk'ed and drew my blade, breathing deeply to center myself, and simply raised a hand, speaking a word of command in Latin. "Speculo!" (Mirror.)

The fire bounced back, and he yelped, prancing away with a flap of his mighty black wings. He snarled. "Petty witch tricks..."

"Non loqui." I smirked. (Do not speak.)

He made a choked sound, and hissed at me silently.

"So. The objective is what? Killing you? Impressing you? What? Nod once for impressing, attack for killing." I grinned.

He snorted and nodded slowly.

"Good. That's sorted, then. Turbinis!" The winds howled, and his wings snapped in one clean move, their massive span working like an umbrella in a monsoon. (Windstorm.)

He roared silently, shaking the dirt and stones visibly, and then glowered at me, hate lacing through his gaze, replacing the intelligence.

I tsk'ed. "So little control... I started this shindig two weeks ago, and I've better control than the king of fucking dragons? No wonder Ullr wants me to be the Queen, instead of you. I'm clearly the better candidate!!!"

I was taunting him, baiting and teasing to get him to step out of the meadow, which was perfect grounds for him to barbecue me. He took the bait like a hungry snake, and lunged for me, fire spewing from his mouth.

My swift feet carried me out of the clearing, zig-zagging towards the nearest river. From what I knew, I was a Weather-type Dragon, not a Fire Dragon, and that meant the river was the closest I had to my Home-Field advantage, (sans a very large, rain-laden, electromagnetically charged cloud). I just hoped he didn't start a forest fire in the meantime, honestly.

I found the river, and grinned, diving in. He seethed, standing on the riverbank, and set fire to the top of the water, his flames like liquid napalm, or oil on the surface.

I smirked and swam downstream, out of the line of fire, and stealthily slipped into the forest, circling back.

Soon enough, I stood about twenty yards behind the pissed dragon, still spewing fire into the river in an attempt to smoke me out, or boil me alive, whichever.

I focused on the magic Shimmer brought into my body, and found what felt like a sandy, dark, wet cave, filled with water and crystalline bottles, and above that, a massive thunderstorm, roiling and smiting the earth with disastrously powerful lightning. As I focused on the sound of the waves instead of thunder, the river started frothing, swirling, and rising.

An exact copy of my dragon form started forming, and roared so loud that the water not connected to her was blasted away, along with the Dragon King, who stepped back, covering his ears.

I knelt and started controlling it, before I got a good idea, and let Shimmer handle the water dragon, so I could focus on dodging Richten's twitching tail.

I drew my sword, and breathed deep. 'Now.'

The water dragon surged forward, and crashed into Richten, but instead of grappling with him, like he obviously expected, it froze like a trap, surrounding him in icy vines.

While he was trying to flail in rage, and water was still freezing, I ran up his tail, then his spine, and found the crook between his neck armors and his shoulder plates, then plunged my sword in just a few inches.

He froze, and I grinned. "I win." I announced loudly, and he snarled, but nodded.

I sheathed my sword, and released his voice with a thought, then Shimmer melted the ice, redirecting the water back into the river.

I hopped off, and smiled. "Not too shabby for a barista, eh?"

He grunted, and shifted, massaging his bloody neck. "Yes, indeed, you surprised me. Well done. Does Ullr-"

"No, that was a taunt. He actually pretty much assured me that I would fuck it up, and that our enemies would have a hay-day because of it, even though he did say I have a more legitimate claim than you, being the Eldest, and a First Blood. But I have no intention of being a Queen, Richten, don't worry about me." I shrugged.

He nodded slowly. "Good. Well, you've passed my test. Next would be the Witches."

"Oh? One for each race, eh?"

"No, you're a witch and a dragon, you take two tests. Most just take one. Usually mixed-breeds also take two. Have fun." He snapped his fingers, and I was sent to yet another forest.

---

There was a thick, frozen layer of snow on the ground, as well as in the trees, all of which appeared nearly starved for water. "Frozen trees... it's September... Russia? Canada?"

'Russia, I'd say. The trees aren't Canadian.'

"Oh and you're the expert." I snorted.

"He is, actually. You should trust him more." I blinked and turned around, gasping at the sight before me.

Another me stood there, dressed in a rather homely outfit, and long hair, standing like a happy housewife.

"Oh fuck no sister, you wear my face, you don't fucking dress that way. Change it." I snapped at her.

She flinched and stepped back, lowering her face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you mad..." she whispered, terrified.

I drew my daggers, and stomped forward. "I've never been like that. I never will be." I placed the blades under her chin, shoving her against a tree. "If I stab you, will you die, or are you a construct?"

She blanched, and then grinned. Her entire look changed in a second, to a sexy dominatrix look, complete with the Whip and leather cat-suit and stilettos.

"Mm, much better. I'm hot, aren't I?" I laughed, and stabbed her in the heart. I leaned closer. "But you should do your research better. You got my eyes wrong. Also? I hate to say it, but my breasts aren't that big."

I yanked out the dagger, and she slowly shifted into a tall, nearly featureless man, completely nude.

"Ew." I shivered.

'Relatively powerful. You should feed on his magic before it dissipates.'

"That's black magic, you ass! I'm a white witch! Black magic is WAAAAY illegal!!!" I snapped at him.

He hummed. 'Oh. I'd no notion.'

"Hmph." I sighed.

'I'd still do it.' He grumbled.

"Shut up. This is the test. I bet it isn't even real magic, just an illusion. I felt no death magic when he fell." I reasoned.

He hummed again, higher pitched. 'Ooh! You're right, that makes sense. Witch test, witch laws. Testing your morality as a White Witch, eh?'

"Seems that way." I nodded. The body suddenly dissipated, and I smirked. "Tol'ja."

'Witches.' He grunted, pouting.

A tall woman with rather plain features stepped into the clearing, dressed like a school teacher. "Interesting. You chose not to take the magic because of rationality, and intellect, but not morality. Why?"

"Morality is a luxury the rich preserve and glorify." I snorted.

"You do not believe you own honor? Because you are poor?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Those of us who live in the real world understand that honor is a social construct, created by the powerful; Created to restrict people from behaving in the truly intelligent way. It was a way for morons and sociopaths to thrive in the world of war, sex, and trade, as the world was on their side if they acted a certain way. I believe in acting in the most intelligent way, at every turn in my life's road. At the moment, that's obeying the Laws of White Magic." I shrugged.

She hummed. "Well thought out, intelligent, eloquently put. While I disagree with you on a fundamental level, I suppose you do deserve the title of Merchant. Perhaps you can also claim 'the Philosopher', to your list of achievements." She sneered bitterly.

I laughed. "Oh you hate my bloody guts, don't you?" She drew herself up self-righteously, and I waved a hand calmingly. "Oh don't worry, luv, it's alright, I'm not even vaguely offended."

She blinked, deflating. "You aren't?"

"Of course not! I don't know you, why would I care if you hate me?" I grinned happily. "I'm Amber-Rose Durendal, the Merchant; also Shimmer, the Giver of Gifts. You are?"

She settled back into her persona, and smiled, walking forward. "I am Amelia Direwood-"

"Please save the lies for those who can't smell them, luv?" I asked kindly, smiling.

She halted, and glared at me. "You're very rude."

"Says the one lying to my face, luv? That's very rude." I grinned savagely, and stepped so I was face-to-sternum, staring up at the taller woman. "And I don't appreciate looking up." I hissed softly. "KNEEL."

Her knees buckled under the weight of my magical command, and she knelt, staring up at me now. I grinned. "See? I'm not so hard to please! All you have to do is be honest, and polite, and we'll be lovey-dovey, cupcakes and sunshine, eh?"

Her glare became thunderous, and her eyes sparked with lightning, just as thunder rumbled.

'A weather Mage. And an extremely powerful one. Not a good enemy you've made, my dear...'

I laughed. "Go ahead, luv. Smite me, 'O mighty Smiter! I've had a terrible headache all day, maybe your sparks will cure it, how's that sound?"

She grinned. "You'll wish you didn't ask for that."

"I very much doubt that."