the fallout part 2

Alex could the centaurs becoming nervous and agitated, from the corner of his eyes, after his declaration. Still, none were foolish enough to interrupt the elders talk with him, making it clear to Alex that those three were the heart of the herd.

Waiting for their answer, Alex leaves the three of them all the times they need to make a decision. The response came from the one who brought him and Susan here.

"How can we trust you, hunter? In the past, wizards have sworn to give us those lands, and free reins on the plains for our kins, and look at us now. In its youth our proud herd was strong of 2,000 of centaurs, now, barely 300 are left. Both hunted by wizards and the eight-leg one." Said him, sorrowful at the state of his kins.

"While I will never surrender my land, I can promise peace to the herd. They had never been wizards in my land, and no one in the past three centuries, other than my mate and me. My land had been hidden from the world in the last two millennia. My forests are riches but dangerous; the wildlife had developed beyond this world." Say, Alex, wanting to transmit the possibilities he could offer.

At his words, it was evident that the herd was starting to divide in two. In one side, the warriors were curious and excited to face unknown beasts, while the peaceful mares were worried about their foals in such a dangerous land.

"If we were never to be truly free, we would require security for our kin." Said the mare.

"Select three of your warriors; I can send them with my mate for them to experience the lands, if they found it sufficient, I will promise security for the young and mares, along with medicines for the warriors."

Hearing him willing to leave his mate with three of their warriors to experience the land assure the elders, who nodded. From the surrounding, three centaurs immediately approach, along with another one.

From them, Alex recognises Bane and Firenze. Knowing the first strong hate for wizards and the second for his peaceful nature, he was sure that they're taking him seriously.

"Is four alright with you, hunter?" Asked the oldest elder.

"It is." Nodded Alex, before calling Autumn, Summer, Winter and Spring.

As the elves popped, he rapidly explain the situation before, the group of five vanishing from the forest.

~~~

While the group was gone to explore the land, Alex called for Ash to deliver some components of the island for him. Sitting on the ground, Alex took an ingot of aluminium and mithril. Mixing both in his box furnace, he obtains an alloy made of fourth-fifth of aluminium and a fifth of mithril. Shaping the cooled ingot, he formed a sleek riser around his right closed fist.

Taking an extracted block of mithril wood, he formed two recurve limbs and the bow bolt. From the remaining part of the woodblock, along with the alloy, Alex creates a reverse-twisting string.

From goblin steel, he creates a short five-centimetre stabiliser along with a clicker and sight. On the string, the centre string serving and nock was added before he assembles the bow.

Once the bow completed, he adds a vibration absorption rune array on the stabiliser, an unbreakable array on the string, limbs and riser. Another array for automatic target aim on sight, before a noise concealing on the string.

Testing the bow, he slowly tightens the bolts, increasing the draw weight, until founding his perfect balance. Creating a rapid scale device, he was surprised to obtain 193 lbs. Knowing himself weighing only 68 kilograms, he understands having more than four-time of an adult drawing capacity.

The amount of pressure and strain on the bow, without breaking it, was only possible due to the solid materials and runes.

Once the bow is done, he creates the arrows. Using a wooden shaft with goblin steel-craved weightless and unbreakable arrays, broadhead three blades arrows tips and natural feathers from the island slaughterhouse.

The arrowhead, made of goblin steel had an everlasting sharpness enchantment, the fletching was the only part with no runes, as the nock had a link array on it. As Alex fused the arrows components, the enchantments on the shaft englobe the entire arrow. On the nock of the string, the second link array was made, alongside the enchantment of the self-filling phial.

Alex liked those enchantments to a quiver. Construct like the blast furnace; the quiver would only had the fletching and nock stick out. With the enchant, the arrows would be vanished on the nock, since both were linked. The quiver was only there to tell him how much arrows were left, by showing fifteen arrows on three rows.

Due to the different enchantments on the arrows and bow, his arrows would flee far longer and deal more damages, due to the unchanged masses.

The blades of the tips of the arrows were coated in is venom, poisoning every organic mass it would be embedded in.

By the time the group of five return, Alex had crafted more than a thousand arrows, ready to use.

~~~

Relieved that the group had returned safe, the elder took the four on the side, after looking at Alex create bow and arrows during that time.

"Was the hunter true to his words, Bane?" Asked the mare.

"Yes, elder, the land is rich, the forest fertile and the air pure. We crossed path with deer as large as mature eight-legs, and wolf the size of deer. The forest is devoid of magical predators, and if protected, the unicorns would thrive. Warriors would be able to prove their worth to the mares and feed the Thestrals with the games hunted. You should see the grassland, elders, expanding beyond the horizon!"

All three elders were surprised by the sincerity and eagerness of Bane, knowing its repulsion for wizards. If the land had charmed the hot-blooded centaur this much, perhaps, they would finally be able to live in peace.

"I think the proposition of the hunter is worth, while he asked for the part of the unicorns and Thestral, never did he asked for them to be raised like cattle, and only asked for the naturally deceased ones."

"A price easy to pay, but the unicorn is creatures of pureness, even their body shouldn't be used without their consent first." Say the oldest centaur, making the two other nods under his words.

"Then lets it be our requirement."

On those words, they approached Alex, who was crafting Susan, a bow on her demand.

"We had taken our decision, hunter. As long as we had the duty of looking after the herds, no unicorn shall be killed. Only those allowing it shall have their body used. You shall only be authorised to process in our presence, and leave the remains to be buried."

"Accepted." Immediately respond Alex, already happy to have access to the deceased bodies.

Even then, he wouldn't use much of them. While there exist ritual and potion using heart and other vital parts, he was unwilling to use them, as all were dark rituals. The only parts he would retrieve were hooves, mane, tail hair and horn, along with the blood. He would leave the centaur deal with the rest of the bodies.

"Very well, the tribe shall follow you. All we ask is for you to assist us in cleansing the forest of the eight-legs; after that, it will fall on the wizards to deal with the darks beasts roaming those woods."

"I can take the mares and foals on the island, leaving the warriors here the time we hunt them. This would prevent others young to fall under the eights-legs. It would also be better for the unicorns and Thestrals to be moved. I can build an enclosure for the unicorns, and leave the Thestrals to roam the forest; they would be able to flee is they are targeted. The young could be protected in the enclosure the time they learn how to fly."

"It would be good, yes." Responded the mare, grateful of his willingness to protect he young for predators.

"I will need a day or two, during the time, it would be best to gather the herds."

Receiving the nods of the elders, Susan and Alex exit the forest, returning to the castle.

~~~

Using the following day being Saturday, Alex and Susan poped to the island, Alex to start building the enclosure, and Susan becoming more familiar to her new bow. While not heavily practised anymore, archery was still a skill taught alongside fencing, horse riding, to Heirs. Not willing to spoil the game, she had refused the sight he installed, and after thinking of it, Alex judged it would be better to learn without one.

Using a large amount of wood at his disposal, Alex delimited a zone of 100 hectares for the Unicorns and Thestral, mixing forest and grassland, near the mountain range. In the grassland part, stables were made to ward off bad weather. The enclosure made, he warded the area against the non-magical creature, allowing the unicorn to peacefully gaze since only magical birds and other harmless magical creature were outside the clan compound.

Not far from the place, Alex constructed a simple house in centaur proportion, made of a simple room for now. Not knowing how they will react to it, he just made it and would bring Firenze there to tell him what to do next. At worst, he would deconstruct it; at best, he would have to create a settlement for them.

Done, he rejoins Susan to test his bow, preparing for the incoming hunt.

~~~

"How the bow?" Asked Alex as he rejoins Susan. Looking at the target 250 metres away, all arrows were buried to the fletching in the 50-centimetre thick block of wood behind the straw target.

"Excellent! I was never able to shoot a target more than 70 metres, but I now? I had nothing but bullseyes at 250m!"

"Well with the bow composition, on your natural strength, it was a given for you to shoot that far, but for you shoot bullseye only at this distance is an impressive foot." Say, Alex, clearly astonished, knowing that she must have some natural shooting talent.

"Hehe!" Lightly laughed Susan, happy to be praised by Alex.

"Alright, let me see."

Taking his bow and putting his quiver at his left thigh, Alex starts to lightly pull on the string, making an arrow appear on the nock, resting on the arrow rest, with the clicker on. Drawing the string to its maximum, barely feeling the strain burning in his arm, Alex aims at the target on Susan' one side.

The instant he hears, the clicker *click*, he releases his hold on the string. Without any sound, the arrows tear through the air, and a second later, loudly pass through the straw target, fracturing the woodblock behind.

Frowning at this, he put the bow on at holder at his side, before taking out his printer. Creating a chip, he feeds the machine with pure carbon. In a few seconds, an arrow shaft made of carbon fibre took form. While the laser craves the runes, the arrowhead, fletching made of artificial fibres and nock were added.

It didn't require more than six seconds to craft the arrow before he retrieves it from the expanded printer case.

Nocking the arrow, he aims again, before firing. In less than a second, a loud *crack* immediately followed by a firm *thud* respond.

Susan looked with wide eyes as the block behind Alex target was cracked in two, and the arrow embedded in the tree behind.