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"The great huntress returns from her quest!"

I rolled my hazel eyes at the familiar drunken old man as I enter his home without so much as a knock.

"I'm not in the mood for shitty banter, Brom." I sighed, placing my satchel and swords beside me on the ground.

"Well, I'm not in the mood for a dead goddaughter." He responded bluntly, giving me a knowing glare. "Going hell knows where, scouring the countryside in seek of vengeance. Gone for months at a time, just to show back up looking like you fought the devil himself."

I let out a long sigh, looking at the multiple scars and gashes that riddled my ivory skin. "You're right, I'm sorry."

"You say that, but then you go and continue on your angry little way a week later!"

"I hunt monsters, Brom. It's what you and my father trained me to do, since I was old enough to hold a sword." I tried to convince. "People pay me well enough to take care of the murderous beasts that threaten their homes. Whether it be by slaying them or finding another way to solve the issue."

"You're a glorified mercenary, Calara! It's going to kill you one of these days!" Brom spat, before taking another gulp of his ale.

"Then I suppose I'll be joining those I couldn't protect in the first place!" I shouted, my temper taking control of my mind and my words.

My godfather's eyes flashed briefly with grief, before becoming stone cold. My heart dropped, having realized the severity of my cruel words.

"Go on then, child. Join your father in your beloved Valhalla. I'm sure that I can handle your absence just fine." Brom's eyes diverted to the blazing hearth of the fire before him.

"Brom, I didn't—."

"I said go!" The older man spoke venomously, his glare briefly cutting to my watery eyes.

"Very well." I responded quietly, tears falling from my honey and forest colored orbs.

Gathering my previously discarded belongings, I slowly made my way towards the door.

As my calloused hand wrapped around the makeshift door, I paused briefly to look sorrowfully at my godfather.

"I'm sorry, Uncle."

I was given no response, just the heavy silence of the previous argument. With a quiet sigh I made my way out of the hut and mounted my horse.

"Let's go, Roach. We'll find elsewhere to stay for tonight." I told the deep brown horse, wiping away the still falling tears as they cascaded down my cheeks.

•••••••••••••••

It was well after dark when I had returned from my trip to town, the moon had risen high above the forest canopy.

As I walked down the path, the sound of pained screaming echoed through the woodland surroundings. It came from the direction of our home.

I ran as quickly as my little legs could take me, only to skid to a stop. Our home was up in flames and I could only imagine my family brought down with it as the roof collapsed.

I heard cackling from a cloaked humanoid with red hair, making me quickly hide behind a thick oak tree.

A Shade.

Uncle used to tell Maran and I scary stories about them when he would visit. To see one outside of my uncle's tales was far more horrifying than my seven year old mind could truly handle, causing me to freeze in my hiding place as the Shade and his goons left.

Once they were out of earshot, cried out for my father and sister as I rushed towards the flaming inferno.

A large burst of flames came in my direction causing me to fall backwards. I shot back up and tried to rush into the destroyed cottage, in hopes to save my family (despite my mind telling me it was too late).

"Calara! Stop!"

Through the roaring of the enormous inferno, I heard my godfather shout as two hands grabbed my arms and pulled me away from the flaming tomb that encapsulated what was left of my family.

My desperation to get to father and Maran was greater than my confusion about why Brom was there. I fought against his protective hold as the cottage continued to collapse in ruin.

"It's too late, Cal! They're gone!"

That was all that was needed to be said for me to break, heart-shattering screams of grief raked my small body until the sun rose and the flames died down.

"It was a Shade, Uncle." My scratchy little voice said emotionlessly, the following morning as we sat silently at the base of the ruined home.

"What did you just say?" Brom asked gravely, unsure if I had truly said what I had.

"It was a Shade that killed them, I saw him. He laughed as left them to burn." I spat rage ignited in my very core, the sound of that thing's laughter echoed in my mind.

"We'll talk about this later, Calara. First you need rest."

But I could sleep for several days after what I'd seen. It wasn't until the exhaustion became too much, did I finally sleep.

That day, as I stood at the base of the ashes of my family home did I vow to kill the monster that killed my family and those like him.

I awoke on my bedroll, my mind plagued with the memory of that night. I sighed at the reemergence of the nightmare that had haunted me since the deaths of my father and sister.

"This is going to be a long day, Roach." I told the horse in question with an exhausted huff, only getting a questioning neigh in response.

"Just the usual, friend. Just the usual." I grumbled, once again receiving a neigh. "He probably hates me, so I doubt he'll want to hear an in depth apology, without kicking the shit out of me."

I only received silence and a judgmental look. From my damn horse.

"I'll do it tomorrow, give us both some time to clear our heads." I decided, making my way to town to replenish my resources.

I could already tell that today was going to be awful.