BXBX NOVEL Chapter 326 325: Mammoth Hunt (2)
Looking down into the small basin below us, we saw five large furry mammoths grazing through the thick carpet of snow beneath them, brushing it aside to reach the grasses underneath.
Roughly 12 feet up to the shoulder, the mammoths were giant creatures, filled out nicely with a good amount of meat and fats, while long, curved tusks sprouted from their mouths.
Some had two, others had four; no matter the amount, each tusk was three or four feet long and sharpened to a point, capable of piercing and goring out a person easily.
Not only that, but the mammoths size was a weapon in and of itself; a simple stomp or flailing of their trunks would break quite a few bones in your body from the impact alone, not counting wherever you might land.
Crouching besides Valaka, I saw her draw one of her long, thin knives, her eyes narrowed as she gestured towards the grazing animals.
"We\'ll draw one away from the rest of the herd, and once its separated, we pounce."
Her voice was still below even a whisper, but I nodded as I heard her order, silently drawing out curved dagger that Anput had gifted me.
Looking around, I saw that the various Arese hunters were unsheathing their weapons as well, with one woman unslinging her bow and laying an arrow on the string.
Most were equipped with spears, the sharpened bone tip tied tightly against the long wooden hafts.
A series of hand signs passed between the Arese, and eventually the woman with the bow nodded, replacing the first arrow with a different, heavier one.
Taking aim, she observed each mammoth before selecting one, drawing the arrow back fully.
When it was let loose, the arrow sliced through the air with a whistle, causing the mammoths to turn towards the sound in worry.
One of the mammoths began to trumpet in pain as the arrow sunk deep into the muscular shoulder of its front leg, causing the others to shake their heads as they searched for their attackers.
Stamping the ground with their large feet, the mammoths let out a deafening trumpet once again, making me flinch slightly, my ears ringing.
"Valaka, should I help slow that one down?"
Turning to look at me, the lithe Arese frowned before staring at the runes dancing around my free hand, forcing her to turn and make a few hurried signs towards the others.
Some of the Arese frowned back, their hands moving quickly as they communicated silently, and Valaka eventually turned back and whispered "If you fail this, many of the Arese will be angry."
Nodding, I toyed with the configuration of the runes for a moment, switching some out as I created a specialized Ice Arrow to slow down the mammoth.
Summoning the thin, frigid arrow, I willed it forwards, watching as it was slung forwards through the air.
Everyone held their breaths as they followed its trajectory, each of us praying for it to work.
I had faith in it, but to say I wasn\'t worried that the arrow might not pierce the mammoths thick fur or that they would be resistant to Ice Magic would be a lie.
The rigid shaft of the arrow shattered upon colliding with the mammoths front leg, and I could see everyone begin to turn towards me with frowns on their faces, only for them to all widen their eyes in surprise as frost began to spread over the mammoths fur.
Its trunk flailed upwards as the animal cried out in pain once more, scaring its companions.
Frost began to seep into the mammoths previous wound, and the fur on its leg grew white, creeping over the rest of its leg and body slowly.
Seeing that their companion was wounded, the mammoths let out another loud blast of trumpeting, their large heads swiveling around as they tried to locate their attacker.
However, the Arese were back to being hidden, and I crouched low besides Valaka as we watched over the herd.
For a few moments the mammoths continued to search their surroundings, only to eventually look at each other before they started to lumber away.
Of course, they tried to remain at a pace their wounded companion could travel at, but when the mammoths heard a low, piercing growl, they all blurted out a scared blast before picking up the pace.
Frowning, I saw that one of the Arese held some kind of instrument to her lips, and she took a deep breath before emanating another growl.
Turning back to the herd, we observed the four healthy mammoths trotting away, looking for the source of the growl with obvious fear, while the wounded mammoth tried desperately to catch up, limping from the arrow that was still embedded in its shoulder.
The distance between the herd and the outlier only grew as we began to stalk behind them both, the growls pushing the herd further and further ahead, leaving the wounded mammoth behind as they decided to preserve themselves.
Crying out sadly at being abandoned, the mammoth turned and tried to locate its attacker, its large eyes filled with anger as it looked around.
The archer nocked another arrow and shot towards the beasts side, barely pricking the mammoth.
However, it still trumpeted out in pain, before staggering to the side as I sent a hardened lance of ice towards its side as well.
Shattering much like the Ice Arrow had, my lance was made for blunt force trauma, knocking the beast around as it tried to locate me.
The other Arese crept forwards a little further before jumping the mammoth, their spears digging into its flesh from afar as they began the arduous task of killing it.
Valaka spun her knife in her hand and threw it forwards, a clap of thunder bursting from the impact as the knife sunk into the mammoths brow.
The blade broke as it flared azure blue, and the mammoth trembled, sparks of electricity radiating from its head.
Taking a few steps back, the Arese watched as the beast fell onto its side, dead.
Grinning, they moved forwards, while the archer taking another arrow and shooting it into the sky.
As the others began to draw their carving and butcher knives, the archer stood guard, while the arrow they shot burst in a myriad of colors, alerting the expedition of our location.
Joining Valaka, I grinned at the woman as I took out my Protective Fang, the heavy dagger slicing easily into the mammoths muscular flesh.
We began to dismember the large creature with practiced ease, carving it into its different parts.
While we worked, the Arese spoke cheerfully to me, marveling at my ability to utilize magic while also thanking me for making this hunt conclude far faster than they were used to.
It didn\'t take long for the expedition to arrive, and the warriors began to pack everything onto the sleds.
When we finished, we set back out for Polaris City, each of us satisfied with the rapid hunt.
Leaning behind little more than a puddle of blood and useless meats or organs, we ended our second day on a high note.