Of Hurofalcons and Cabbages
—GWAAAAAAAA!— A muffled scream echoed from among countless fluffy balls. A boy between 18 and 20 years old, dressed in an old military uniform, thin and pale-skinned as bone with prominent joints, short hair, and shadowed black eyes, lay buried in a sea of feathers and tails in the middle of a cabbage field. His name was Íthil.
Meanwhile, in a tree near the edges of the cabbage plantation, a slender young man with honey-colored eyes and bright, clear hair, no more than one meter forty tall, hung unconscious by his clothes from a high branch. He wore a checkered wool vest and a fine red silk cravat that hinted at his affluent family background. His name was Jacob Mahogani.
In the background, a blonde girl with a muscular physique, almost one meter ninety tall, named Mina Reebs, was buried up to her face in cabbages. She easily wore light armor with a belt that held vials of healing potions.
All this happened after the adventurers' first encounter with a malignant horde of small creatures, half-falcon, half-ferret. They let out mocking laughs, some bobbed their heads up and down menacingly, while others emitted an incessant, sharp "kek, kek, kek, kek...". The Hurofalcons, as the farmers called them, outnumbered them a hundred to one.
—ENOUGH! —Mina shouted. Red energies enveloped her, generating a small explosion where she stood. Her muscular body grew and transmuted into scales and fangs; her hands swelled into frontal scimitars, finally revealing a dragon: a Torrenta Ataradon, characterized by being explosive in temperament and incredibly strong.
Hundreds of cabbages were launched into the air, while a group of open-mouthed farmers tallied the losses caused by the Hurofalcons and the adventurers, which already exceeded their initial budget.
—Wait, Mina, wait! —Íthil yelled, watching his enraged companion chase the Hurofalcons through the garden, throwing carts, barrels, and tools alike. The Hurofalcons merely laughed as they fled, never quite being caught. Jacob, meanwhile, regained consciousness feeling the gentle thump of two-kilo cabbages being thrown onto his body. Mina destroyed everything in her path without stopping.
Seeing that one of their victims was resisting, they gathered into a solid flock and attacked with unprecedented force in that battle, which the farmers would remember as the day they went bankrupt.
Colliding in a spectacular accident of claws, scales, and feathers, the Hurofalcons flew through the air almost artistically. Defeated and with their formation broken, they regrouped and escaped into the nearby forest, mocking the adventurers and inciting them to pursue their nearly defeated enemy.
Jacob, now on the ground, extended a hand to Íthil, who only grumbled, getting up by himself. He pointed with a slight movement of his hand:
—I demand vengeance! —Íthil said, pointing towards the forest.
The villagers, seeing the adventurers prepare to go into the forest, cheered in unison, either for the imminent defeat of the invading Hurofalcons or perhaps simply relieved that the three bewildered individuals were finally leaving the garden.
With the sun setting behind them, the adventurers bravely and fearlessly ventured into the forest. Covered in snow and cold, it revealed a white landscape with scarce leaves, scattered bushes here and there, creating shadows and hiding places from which the adventurers could be attacked again by their small adversaries at any moment. After a few minutes of walking, they could feel the flock fluttering not far away.
—Over here! I see disturbed snow on this path —Íthil said. The evening cold was already setting in; clouds of vapor came out of their mouths as they discussed among themselves. The three adventurers knew they had to be quick not to be caught by night and frost. They prepared for the encounter.
—Remember, we still need to see where the missing farm animals are. I don't think the Hurofalcons ate them —Jacob chuckled, following them. The snow let out its characteristic crunch with every step.
—They just caught us by surprise! Now I won't hesitate to attack them with everything I've got, little birdies —Mina said, clenching her fist in anger. Hundreds of Hurofalcons gathered curiously on the branches. Slowly, what looked like foliage in the distant trees took flight and mobilized, surrounding the adventurers. The sounds of wings and caws combined with clicks began to intimidate them; they no longer sounded like the mocking animals they had faced on the farm. Everyone felt a real and different danger coming from them.
—I don't remember there being so many! —Nervous, Jacob armed himself with a silver metallic disc with a central handle adorned with slanted lines resembling a cutter, as if segmented. This was a chakram he had crafted and modified himself.
—You know, I think they have an advantage in the forest, and with their numbers, they might win —Íthil chuckled a little while they all stood back to back.
—That's a bit negative, don't you think, Íthil? —Mina asked.
—Negative, never. Perhaps realistic or a bit fatalistic —Íthil said triumphantly despite the situation. Mina and Jacob turned and gave Íthil a look of suspicion and doubt.
The three adventurers tried to identify the actual numbers of the flock, while a strange and disturbing gurgling sound, very different from the Hurofalcons', began to stand out from the background. Around them, several curious Hurofalcons gathered, their small, penetrating eyes staring at the warriors. They quickly lost their fighting spirit upon seeing such a quantity of small raptors.
Just when everything seemed to go from bad to worse and the adventurers decided to throw themselves into battle with tears in their eyes, facing their defeat, the Hurofalcons' attention was drawn to a pair of round, yellow objects shimmering in the hollow of an old, huge tree. From it, a loud click followed by a purring sound stopped all combatants in their tracks. Stretching their necks, the Hurofalcons collectively turned their heads to stare fixedly at the tree. From it, a pair of bright yellow eyes stared back at them. The coordinated movement of the Hurofalcons, more chilling than cute, sent a shiver down the adventurers' spines; they immediately knew something was wrong.
Roaring, those eyes trembled. The trees created an autumn of feathers and caws as the Hurofalcons scattered in all directions and disappeared into the forest. With a sigh of resignation, Íthil, Jacob, and Mina charged in the opposite direction of the enemy, tactically retreating to a place with better visibility. The pair of eyes never lost track of them and followed them incessantly through the forest.
—Quick! We need to get to a treeless area, we shouldn't fight here —Íthil pointed to a wide path that seemed to lead to a plain. Just as they took the path, the creature began to circle them while the group kept pace. Íthil, suddenly turning and pointing to the right, used a white wooden wand with a black leather-wrapped handle, reciting firmly:
—[Stella Secare]— The wand formed a sphere no larger than an orange at its tip, then shot violently away, creating a spiraling path in the snow on the ground and hitting something in the darkness, emitting a roaring click of pain. The smell of blood filled the area, while with a pained shriek, it moved away from them.
It was nearly 9 PM. Cold, damp, and scared, the group ventured into the forest in search of the Hurofalcons that had retreated; after all, without proof of their defeat, there would be no payment.
The sounds of the night forest swallowed them, while the cold grew sharper and sharper.
—I hate feathers and cabbages —Íthil shivered, repeating the phrase like a mantra. Jacob, meanwhile, trembled like a pudding, a long, crystalline green secretion proudly frozen on his nose. It was a different story for Mina; she, for her part, frantically struggled to try and get a hapless captive mottled Hurofalcon into her mouth. It trembled, wet with saliva that flowed endlessly like a shining thread from Mina's smile, and in her eyes was a terrifying gaze.
—Ufufufufu, little one, don't worry, just let it pass, it will all be over soon and you'll feel better.
—Maybe we should hurry and get out of here, I don't think that alone will fill her —Jacob said, addressing Íthil.
—In the worst case, maybe she'll eat you first —Íthil chuckled mockingly, glancing at Jacob.
—HEY! Why me? —Jacob responded, startled.
—Wait! —Mina indicated, raising her hand as she tied up the Hurofalcon and forcefully shoved it into her backpack. They had already been approximately two hours since their previous encounter, where an unidentified being had stalked them. Fortunately, Íthil had wounded it, and now they were tracking it.
But to the misfortune of this group, only a warrior, a blacksmith, and a mage were traveling; none of them had experience in hunting and tracking, so that animal was behaving like a true ninja, continually throwing off the group.
—Look! There! —Íthil said. A spot of red, shining blood emitted steam in the wintry night, mixing with the snow and dirt.
—Yes, you hurt it, Íthil! —Jacob said excitedly, lighting the area with his oil lamp.
—We still have to defeat the creature, Jacob, don't celebrate yet, it could eat you in one bite with your height —Mina said, stifling a laugh.
—It could eat you in one bite… —Jacob mimicked Mina in a low voice while Íthil laughed silently.
Out of nowhere and without making a sound, a slender, muscular silhouette lunged its claws at the group of adventurers. Jacob rolled to the side and threw the oil lamp onto an old dead tree, illuminating the area. But between the wind and the newly fallen snow, they could barely make out anything. The dense forest served the creature well, giving them little anticipation to dodge the lethal trajectory of the claws that harassed them again and again without giving them time to think, clearly demonstrating its dominion over the terrain.
—Íthil! We need to reduce its vision now! —Mina shouted.
Using his wand again, Íthil shot more spheres, raising the soft, superficial layers of newly fallen snow, creating a small snowstorm. This should give them time to plan something, but the creature charged through the fine snow curtain without any problem, as if it could see them perfectly.
—It can see us! —Mina shouted, dodging the attacks.
—Try to see what it looks like! It's at least 6 meters long! —Jacob yelled, scurrying on the ground, barely dodging an attack.