Chapter 7: Chaotic Times

Peeking from the shoulder of the man carrying him, Valier gasped cold air identifying who the person Galleon was throwing a tantrum on. Slowly, his gaze went to Galleon, full of bafflement as why he was acting this way, and where the f*ck that nerve came from.

After all, he was throwing punches at the strongest hunter in the camp!

If he had a chance to slap Galleon at the moment, he would have done so. But he could not move, petrified in fear as to what Peirus was going to do. Peirus was known to be indifferent and cold, earning the nickname Frost, but he did not know what the man would and could do if pissed. He did not want to find out.

"What happened?" Khennet asked hurriedly the anxiously approaching hunter he sent to guide Galleon back to the camp.

"I don't know…? He wandered around for a moment, and then the Frost Hunter came back from the hunt… there was a bit of announcement. After that… Gatherer just went crazy!" The hunter explained, with audible confusion at the situation.

Khennet and the hunter looked at each other, unable to understand what was happening. But an idea to stop the madness flashed in Khennet's mind and he tapped Valier lightly. "You should say that you're alive to your sworn brother, before he makes matters worse."

Valier realized he was being idle and immediately wanted to defuse the heated situation. He hastily got down and ran towards the crowd of people circling the commotion. Finding himself directly facing uproar, he scurried towards Galleon. His sudden intervention drew many gazes, including that of Galleon.

The guy seemed so gobsmacked by Valier's presence that he paused completely, plunging the area in silence. Meeting his gaze, Valier continued his hurried steps until he stood in front of Galleon. In a flash, his clenched fist met the guy's face without hesitation.

Bam!

Galleon instantly fainted and fell on the arms of the two hunters holding him in place. Not minding the guy, Valier turned around and bowed deeply towards Peirus who gazed at them silently. "I wholeheartedly apologize, sir Peirus. My sworn brother is immature and has a few screw-loose. I hope that… you forgive him just once. I swear to never let this happen again."

Silence.

The silence was heart-wrenching to Valier as he waited for the strongest hunter to reply as he bowed, not daring to raise his head. He knew Peirus was now looking at him, and it made him break in cold sweat despite the time being just after noon.

At long last, Peirus spoke. But it was an unexpected question. "Is that a Beast Panther wing?"

The gazes quickly went to the wing tied on Valier's back.

"Uh… Yes."

"So that's what happened… You can rise."

Valier was confused what Peirus meant, but he rose and looked at the man questioningly.

"To hunt the Second-Tier Panther Beast, we hunted all the animals around its lair to starve it, and weaken its overall ability to think straight. But one of the cubs managed to escape, and I believe it's the one you faced." Peirus explained with an indifferent face.

Valier understood, and saw his chance to get away from the man scot-free. "Yes, it was a cub, sir. It took a lot of effort to kill it by myself… and my brother probably thought I had died… so he reacted that way."

The people surrounding them all looked over to Khennet who stood on the sideline. Seeing no reaction for the man, it verified that Valier was not lying.

"His reaction is understandable. It is truly our negligence that almost led to your demise." Peirus suddenly reached something in his pocket. It was a brown pouch, with unknown contents to many. But to Peirus's companion in hunting the Beast, they knew it well and wanted to object.

One of the men holding Galleon in place showed blatant rejection to the idea. "That's too much, Hunter Peirus!"

Peirus shook his head without a change in expression as he stood like a towering giant in front of Valier. "Relax, I'm not handing all of it to him. Just a bit of my share to compensate for the damages. No matter how it was twisted, it is undoubtedly our fault we almost lost another fellow hunter."

"That's… true." His companions eventually accepted and sighed in relief.

Peirus looked down at Valier and took out two small crystal-like pale yellow balls out of the pouch. Instantly, everyone knew what the ball was, and casted envious and admiring gazes at Valier.

"You probably have a crystal yourself, but here's two more. Take it. I hope that it would be enough to compensate for the damages and distress." Peirus reached out.

Valier was in a state of shock and joy at the moment that he blankly received the two crystals with shaking hands. No one ridiculed his reaction, since that was understandable. These things were damned expensive if it came from a Beast!

"Tha-Thank you, sir!" Valier stuttered while expressing his gratitude. He thought his hunt of the panther was fruitless, but he was wrong. Although he did not get the meat and fur of the panther, or its crystal, at least he was given a crystal now, two at that. It was enough to make him happy.

Peirus suddenly began patting his shoulder gently. "I should be the one to thank you. If not for your efforts, the Beast would have caused problems if left unchecked."

Valier did not know how to respond to that, so he just nodded his head humbly.

Due to the height difference between them, Peirus could see the top of Valier's head with ease. And it was like he was looking at a small child awkwardly standing, making him amused that the ends of his lips arch into a subtle smile. It was almost nonexistent, and only a few, including Khennet, noticed and understood.

"You remind me of my little brother, how old are you?" Peirus asked.

"Sixteen, sir." He answered truthfully.

"You just reached adulthood, yet you can already kill a beast. You have a bright future ahead, Hunter…"

"Valier, sir."

"Hunter Valier… I'll remember that." Peirus removed his hand on Valier's shoulder and walked away, leaving Valier stunned speechless. Not only him, but the spectators were taken aback. After all, he was recognized by the strongest hunter in the camp as someone with a good potential. That alone was considered an honor.

Although Peirus did not hold the authority in the camp since strength was not the only thing necessary for a leader, his strength granted him almost the same control as Khennet, the leader of the camp. Being acknowledged by him would undoubtedly bring many changes to Valier's life.

Not only will many merchants curry his favor, some people would also think first before messing with him. And most of all, the most important part, was that he had a chance to join Peirus's hunting squad, called the Frozen Huntsmen, in the future! Rarely anyone had a chance to be accepted!

Grinning from ear to ear, Valier turned his gaze away from Peirus's back and looked at Galleon. The two men handed the guy to him and followed after Peirus, leaving the two of them in the middle of the crowd.

"Maybe you aren't such bad luck after all." He mumbled while supporting the guy in the shoulder.

Walking calmly while attracting attention, Khennet winked at Valier. "Seems like everything worked out much better than expected."

Valier's face was beaming as he spoke. "Fortunately. By the way, I hunted a stag a few hours ago in my usual hunting ground."

"I'll see to it. Anyway, it's your choice, but I highly recommend taking days off. Take some time for your body to recover." Khennet advised with a gentle smile that made him look less scary.

"I was thinking the same. I saw my life flashing before my eyes many times just today— I really need some time to think." He grinned wryly remembering the times he almost died.

"Good. I'll leave you to it then." Khennet nodded and gave him a light pat on the head before walking away.

Valier shook his head lightly before trailing towards his tent with Galleon in tow. As they left, the spectators whispered unknown words to each while gazing at them. Valier did not mind though, and continued walking. After some twist and turns, he and Galleon vanished behind the tents.

The two of them arrived at Valier's humble abode, which was a gray tent that could mostly fit five people with its size. After pulling the sticks pinning the ends of the hanging cloth covering the entrance on the ground, he dragged Galleon inside and layed the knocked out guy on the messy fabrics in the floor. Afterwards, he unstrapped the things on his back.

He placed the stag's antlers on the side while gently placing the wing beside it. After that, he removed his camouflage suit and belt, and placed them inside a wooden chest along with the crystals and book he got. At this point, he was starting to feel fatigued from all that had happened.

"I need some sleep." He murmured while stabbing sharpened sticks in the lower part of the cloth hanging in the entrance, pinning it to the ground. With that, the entrance was closed.

Yawn.

He grabbed his pillow made up of rolled-up cloth and placed it beside the chest. He laid on it with barely opened eyes, that closed completely after a minute as he fell into a deep slumber.