57 Time to hunt
Cael frantically turned the pages of his journal. It came to him that he should have protected it from curious eyes with something more reliable than a mere lock on his door. But for now, his focus was not on that.
He traced lines he drew before, recalling the power contained in the blood. It started with curses, but from curses came blessings, too, and from them…
'Vitality Transfer. Allows the caster to transfer their vitality to another person, using blood as a conduit.' Did I write that right, System? Can this spell heal people? Can it heal Federico?'
'Yes, Cael. But healing permanent injuries would require more vitality than you could share without dying, unless you spend Blood Points to heal yourself in the process.'
'That's fine. Damn, but the amount of upgrades I have to get to reach this spell…'
There were plenty. The spell itself was of the fourth circle, but it was locked behind several less notable ones. Still, Cael started with the beginning.
'System, I want to purchase Curse of Ill Health.'
'Understood, user. Upgrade in progress. You now have 138 BP left.'
But this wasn't enough. As System added the knowledge of the spell into his head, Cael tapped his fingers on the journal, thinking. On one hand, he had to recruit Ginevra before Father's deadline. On the other hand, he always needed more strength, and spending a few days adding more won't change much. In fact, they might even help.
Cael heard that love grows stronger with distance. This might work with attraction, too… Yes, it was decided.
'Alright. It's time to go for a hunt.'
***
Father liked the idea about as much as Cael expected.
"A hunt? On your own? Since when do you like this sport? Don't tell me you just want to step into more… dangers. Alright. Then, since you had never been on a hunt, I will help you gather your supplies."
This was much more than Cael expected. Together with Gianni, they gathered travel supplies, rations, salt, spare clothing and a map of the surroundings. Cael didn't bother to take a bow with him, or any other hunting weapon besides a skinning knife. He took a rapier, though—just in case.
"And don't kill the young ones, or breeding females—you have to save animals for the hunters in the following years. Also, if you won't gut your catch—assuming you catch anyone—then at least drain it from blood where you find it. It will keep better this way," Father advised. "You CAN freeze meat with magic, but only after you clean it. Even then… It wouldn't taste as good as the fresh thing. Cooked on a campfire, with a smell of smoke—that's the thing."
"So that's why you packed salt? Father… How do you know so much about hunting? I don't recall you ever hunting."
"But I did… in my youth. Mostly with Gennaro. Remember him? He is really obsessed with it, even now. From his letters, he hunts even in winters."
"Uncle Gennaro!" Yes, Cael remembered.
Gianni's younger brother, Gennaro, wasn't blessed with neither big talent in magic, nor with inheritance. All he had was a courtesy title of a baronet—a title with no property to it. When Cael was just a boy, Gennaro—a first rank mage at the time—joined the king's army in some war. His campaign was a success—and as a reward, Gennaro was granted a manor near the border, where he lived even now. Sadly, this was far from Oliveira ancestral lands.
"Yes, him." Father nodded. "If not for this entire mess with Enzo, I'd consider paying him a visit this fall. It's the prime hunting time. Not that there's no prey in spring."
"This isn't about meat, anyway." Cael gave his father a slightly tense smile. Yes, he was likely only agreeing to this because Cael didn't say where he actually intended to go for a hunt… "Thank you."
With the time spent on preparations, Cael left in the morning after deciding to hunt. Not without bidding goodbye to Ginevra.
"Go. What, do you expect me to miss you?" was her answer.
Typical Ginevra.
After this, Cael mounted his horse and ventured towards his hunting grounds of choice—the Groaning Marsh.
It was a vast swamp in half a day of swift riding away from Sanremo di Mare, and a source of all that swamp dragon blood Leonardo the alchemist used for his potions. The entire marsh was infested with them. Thankfully, they rarely left it, mostly sating themselves on prey from the swamp itself: small animals and fish.
Sometimes, though, some would leave it, attracted by the farmlands nearby, and steal a sheep or a chicken. On extremely rare occasions—a child.
So now Cael, like many mages who wished to earn some coin and/or glory before, went to thin out the dragon population a little.
Swamp dragons weren't the strongest magic creatures, but their blood was potent. Just a couple days of hunting might give Cael many upgrades.
He reached the swamp by noon. There was an inn built right at the edge, likely exactly for the hunters like him. Cael gladly stopped there for lunch. He also left the horse there.
The rest of the way he walked on foot. Soon the dirt road turned into a thin path and then disappeared entirely. The Groaning Marsh appeared before Cael.
The place looked much more innocent than it was. Murky water was in many places covered with duckweed, leaves, and grass. Sparse trees grew over that expanse—too few to block the bright sunlight. Birds weren't afraid to chirp and, like the marsh's name suggested, strange groaning sounds could be heard in the distance.
Cael was glad he wore his least favorite and most well-oiled boots. Even with the stick for testing the ground—which he broke from the nearest tree—it was impossible to not step into water out here.
'At least I won't get lost,' Cael thought, looking at the sun. He remembered that he came from the sunrise's direction, therefore, he would just have to follow the sunset to return. 'Now I only have to not drown. And maybe catch something to bait the dragons with…'
A short side-quest because I suddenly felt that the plot doesn't have enough action.
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