Hunters

The night sky, a canvas of lights and colors were painted across the sky as Cyrus managed to find a place he could really call safe. It was high in the trees, for he ran from that Mutilamposaurus that he first encountered. He ran for hours, making sure the creature would lose his scent in the dense forest. As Cyrus had run through though, he noticed that the forest got denser and denser the way he ran. The ground turning to mushy swamplands.

This was the indicator that Cyrus was safe away from that creature as the trees were thicker, the ground would slow it down, the water and humid air made it somewhat difficult to breathe. However, Cyrus found that the higher he was away from the swamp floor, the better he could breathe. Which helped a lot over the course of the day.

The day had passed on with several sounds and creatures finally coming out to fill the empty winds with life. When Cyrus found the spot he climbed up to, he found that the tree had an unnatural formation like it was carved out for cover and as a shelter. He examined the wood and found it incredibly smooth and soft to the touch. Like it was sanded down then polished to become a soft surface.

He felt that in the alcove, it seemed like the air was cleaner, smelt great, was amazing to fill his lungs with. The cleanest air he had experienced since he had just left Earth several hours ago.

He even got to watch birds with four wings and pedal like beaks feast on oddly colored fruit. Their beaks would open in a spiral motion and proceed to carve away at the fruit in a circular motion. When its beak disappeared into the fruit, it pulled back to consume the chunk the bird carved out. He even had one come over and land inside the alcove and look at him. It hopped along the ground, tilting its head in his direction. He had returned even Vexxitiz to his summon pool. Allowing his hair to fall down to comfortably rest in his shoulders. The bird got close enough to be picked up, but Cyrus didn't wish to touch the creature. But ever since it got close the bird's name and Tier appeared over it.

[Pedaloian Gamma lvl 0]

[Plump and feathery birds of various shades of reds and blues. Is harmless to creatures and even brings fruit for weary ones. These birds are passive and gentle, though do not harm one. They may be Gamma Tier, but a swarm is deadly to any fleshy creature.]

This is why Cyrus refused to touch the bird or even pick it up. If it decided to get on him then he would let it. If it wanted to leave fruit for him, he would let it. He didn't want to see what the Pedaloian birds were capable of if threatened. The Pedaloians would return with fruit of various looks and shapes, some round with lumps, a couple even looked like pink pyramids. It was just an assortment of fruit the birds provided. Examining them the system showed that they were safe to eat. He watched the birds get at the fruit he gave back to watch how they get into them.

The birds would grab the round lumpy ones, red in color reminded him of an apple. They would hop on top of the fruit and peck at the fruit a bit. The sound was solid and hard, like it was looking for something. When it pecked at a spot on the fruit it sounded soft and cushioned, that is when the bird opened its beak and dug in. The fruit squirted a red clear juice as it leaked out of the bite from the bird. When it pulled the chunk away it spat it out, then proceeded to drink the juice inside.

Cyrus then grabbed one himself, using a knuckle to tap the fruit he discovered that it was like hitting a lumpy metal ball. When he continued to tap away at the orb, he found the soft squishy spot on the surface and pulled out a survival knife. Stabbing the spot and twisting the knife he watched as the flesh was torn away and fell off the knife and fell to the ground. When the smell of the juice entered his nose, he knew it was a slightly sweet smell. Like if honey and flowers came in a juice form. When he lifted the fruit to his lips and drank the contents, he felt a sudden rush of energy in his body.

He pulled the tasty fruit away from his lips and looked at it, "What did I just feel?" When he checked his stats he noticed that his health had an up arrow next to it. When he inspected his statuses, he saw that the fruit had given him a small buff.

[Hearty Globes: Consuming one will give your HP a temporary regeneration effect of 2HP per 20 seconds for 10 minutes.]

He did the math and found it would regenerate 10HP every minute. Smiling, Cyrus added some of the fruit to his inventory. He also noticed that when he put it in the system, it appeared to even calculate its spoil time. Which showed as 10 days max when put into the inventory. This meant he couldn't store the fruit forever, but 10 days was a long time. The other good thing was that they stacked to a quantity of 20 before he couldn't put any more in.

Cyrus then looked at the pink pyramid fruit and wondered if that would give a buff too. He watched the Pedaloians work together to peel the skin off before just eating the pink flesh inside. He did as they did, peeling the skin and then taking a small bite. It was not as juicy, but it had a strong texture like a pear. It was good, like eating a cupcake that was good for you. No stat buff but it did fill his stomach after eating one. Deciding to also stock on the pink pyramid fruit he noticed the same thing, 10 days for spoiling and only a quantity of 10 max. He also saw its name and details.

[Jonaria's Kiss]

[A favorite of the Pedaloians and a fruit that fills your hunger. No need to make a meal when one of these is a meal itself. Provides water and food nourishment for the day.]

Cyrus smiled and decided to summon Visne and Fenrir. He offered one to each as Visne happily ate it and watched as the goo inside the wyvern dissolve. Visne rumbled happily as it looked at Cyrus for more. But Cyrus wiggled a finger before petting Visne. Fenrir on the other hand was reluctant to eat it, but knew that if it munched the birds, Cyrus would be put in danger. Cyrus cut a small slice off for the grumpy wolf and he took the bite. As his eyes widened, Cyrus knew he liked it.

Then as he was resting on Visne who coiled around Cyrus, he called Whisper using the shop. Whisper appeared from a shadowy doorway as he floated in. His cloak rippled in the soft wind in the upper parts of the trees. When he looked at Cyrus he bowed.

"You have... called me... how may I... be of service?" Whisper asked as he righted himself. When Cyrus held up the Jonaria's Kiss to Whisper he tilted his head. "What is this?" He gently took the fruit and held it in his bony fingers.

"Something I think you'd probably make a killing on selling. Try it," Cyrus urged Whisper on, hoping the specter would partake in it. Though he doubted the fruit as Whisper lifted it and felt it in his fingers. Cyrus then showed him how to peel it allowing Whisper to see the insides. When he lifted it to the shadowy smoke of his face, it disappeared into his hood. When he pulled it away, he saw it having a bite out of it. That is when Whisper himself gently hummed with delight.

"Oh my... this is... really tasty..." Cyrus smiled and watched as Whisper started to completely devour the fruit. When he turned his gaze to Cyrus and then the pile of fruit he smiled that wicked grin. "Maybe... you are right... these would make... for a really good treat... and ration for... Hunters and other..."

Cyrus interrupted, "Hunters? Who or what are they?" Whisper turned his head as he looked out to the trees knitted together.

"Hunters... are people like... you... people with powers... abilities... some even... in the same situation... as yourself." Whisper returned his gaze to Cyrus who raised an eyebrow at him. "People like you... Inheritor... others who have... gained powers... beyond the normal." This got Cyrus' attention, as he sat up a little. Visne behind him snorted as the wyvern was asleep.

"What do you mean? Like people who have something like this?" He raised his shackled wrist and shook it about. The chain rattling as he did so. Whisper nodded, and continued to explain.

"Others... gained their powers... naturally... or by special... circumstances." He pointed to Cyrus, "You... are such circumstance... granted power... for defeating... Fenrir the Devourer of Worlds." He waved his hand and forms of humanoid looking figures appeared in glowing purple smoke. "Spears... swords... shields... weapons of all kinds... bond to these Hunters... They become... like you... special... Inheritors." This was a little bit of a shock to Cyrus. Hearing Whisper's telling of others such as himself made him feel a little less special. But then he tilted his head as he saw that some of the figures didn't look all human.

"Yes... some are from... other worlds... You may meet them... someday... but not now..." Snapping his fingers, the figures vanished as they dispersed into the wind of Visne's breathing. Cyrus looked at Whisper with more curiosity and some slight annoyance.

"Why didn't you tell me about that before?" Which Whisper told him it wasn't important at the time of his traveling of the Castle.

"Stopping the shadows... more important... than other Inheritors." Whisper then looked to Visne, "You are special... among even the others." He gestured to Visne, "Your power... is much more... different and unique... compared to even... the others... No fear... trust me till the end... I will not lie..." That is when Whisper began to describe more about the Hunters and Inheritors.

Cyrus was told that even if one becomes an inheritor. Their power is drawn from the source of the object or entity that gave them that power. Some were weaker, some were much stronger. But they all had one thing in common, their power was usually given willingly. Rare cases of someone defeating a great being of Chaos or Order had the power passed onto them directly.

This usually meant some side effect of the power from the original source. He motioned to Fenrir, as he was once chained for being too strong for the Norse gods to hold. They tricked Fenrir into letting himself be shackled to test his strength. Until he bit off the hand of a man who was there and ate that hand.

This caused Fenrir to huff, 'Ate your arm too, call it getting even.' Fenrir said in Cyrus' head making him look away from Whisper. Whisper continued to speak as he mentioned that because of the unique circumstances that brought about Cyrus' abilities. It would allow him to repeat this process and gain more power in the form of Shackles.

"However, I can not... tell you how... it is done... just that... it is my... guess..." Whisper then snapped his fingers and the rest of the fruit vanished in a puff of smoke. "Thank you... for the food... this will be... my payment... for information." With that Whisper vanished back through the purple doorway and was gone. With that conversation over, it gave Cyrus a lot to think about.

His mind was adrift with the information that Whisper gave about the Hunters and even other Inheritors. What made this more of a head scratcher was that Whisper seemed to know Fenrir's past and current situation. Plus Fenrir's response to him eating his arm. Which now clicked that the wolf of Ragnarok basically given up his life and took his arm as part of a trade. That also explained why the form he took when inside the souls of others, he had no right arm.

Cyrus yawned and finally felt tired after feeling the effects of the fruits awhile ago. He felt that with everything that has happened in the last week and a half everything shouldn't come as a shock. But even these little events and moments of his life are going to surprise him. It was actually refreshing and exhausting all at once. He closed his eyes and was starting to drift to sleep when Fenrir poked his mind against Cyrus'.

'I've been thinking what Whisper had said about potentially getting more power. This may be a guess but if you got your power from defeating me in combat and taking my power and binding us together. Wouldn't that mean in order to get another shackle, you'd have to kill another being of great power?'