(Art by Alyssa Barry)
Jaried mumbled as he was looking at the notice board; “28 people dead. None of them were even close to being at his power level. Sounds like I’ve found my target for the month. … And in my own home town even. I know he is in the area, the last murder was only yesterday. Another monster will be in the ground by the weeks end. Time to prep.”
He cut quite an imposing figure, tall with sleek black fur trimmed reminiscent of the military style, standing well over 6ft tall. His face had been scarred, fading to beneath his fur. He checked his arrow count, and when he turned to walk away from the notice board, the crowd parted to let him through. No one in their right mind jostles the elbow of a Hive Bounty Hunter, especially not one that has been able to stay alive for so long. The Hive focused on the worst of the worst. And he was among those who did the dirty work.
The notice came with a description of the target, they always did. Being aware that physical alterations are reasonably common in the Realm, he was on the lookout for more than the exact description. Even the name that came with it might not be the name he goes by. It was however very likely for this person to not be living in the middle of town.
Once Jaried got out of the crowd, he linked with his Strix and they left off to yet another adventure, doing what his kind does best: Sprint and kill.
Dashing through the trees, not making a single sound, he had to rely on the eyesight granted to him by the Strixes. The races had made a magical bond eras ago that allowed the Aluren to see through the linked Strix’s eyes, in exchange for food and shelter. It did mean however that if the Aluren dies, so does the Strix it is linked to. With the speed at which they were going, it didn’t take long for them to find someone who was possibly their target. Not only did he match the description, he was also in the process of sharpening his knives. Having done this for years, he had already long gotten the Hive tools for confirming his suspicions. The only issue with them is that he had to see the guy himself, as they weren’t specifically designed for the eyesight of his kind. Dashing past a bush, having his head tilted, he ensured he was correct, and nocked an arrow. Another dash, another bush, and with the grace of years of practice, he fired the arrow straight towards the target’s head. Knowing that his target would be startled but now aware of the attack, he ran onward until he was opposite to his initial position, and shot a burning arrow at the target’s feet. Using his grappling hook to propel himself upward, he launched way above the trees, reorientated himself mid-air and finished the target off with an arrow barrage raining down from the sky. Mission accomplished and kill tag acquired.