Chapter 175: Winds of the Hunt
"Dammit!" Kellar shouted with a clenched fist as he watched the remaining beasts vanish into the clouds.
He pressed his legs against Ignis’s back, feeling the rumble of the fire bear, who let out a low roar that shook the dirt, venting plumes of black smoke from his nostrils. In the blink of an eye, Frejya landed with absolute lightness on Kellar’s shoulder, fixing her golden eyes on the horizon.
"Should I pursue them and annihilate them all?" Frejya asked through the bond, her voice calm yet dripping with ruthless murderous intent.
Kellar pondered it for a couple of seconds. Sending the white cat to slaughter them in midair wasn’t a bad idea at all, but he shook his head.
"Do not pursue them," Kellar replied in a low voice. "I will take the soldiers on a hunt to their mountains. It will serve as live combat training for the new battalion. Let us return, Ignis."
Kellar stroked the massive bear’s flaming coat, prompting a disgruntled grumble from the beast. Through their mental link, the fire bear transmitted his frustration, apologizing for feeling so useless against enemies that ruled the sky.
"Don’t be so hard on yourself," Kellar answered in his mind, keeping a warm tone. "Everyone has their advantages and disadvantages."
Even so, Kellar knew Ignis’s frustration was justified. The bear was an impenetrable fortress on the ground and a mass of pure destruction, but he lacked long-range attacks and couldn’t catch nimble aerial prey. His sheer size and nature made him far too slow for airborne threats.
Frejya, on the other hand, was a completely different story. The white cat possessed blinding speed and an ancient lineage whose mere presence struck primal terror into her enemies, paralyzing them for crucial moments. That brief freeze in her prey, combined with her lethal agility, made her a flawless executioner.
Kellar dismounted from Ignis’s back and walked through the center of the village to inspect the damage. As he surveyed the thoroughfares, he let out a sigh of relative relief: the destruction was not severe. The eagles had focused their strikes exclusively in the open field and on the warriors caught in the clear, leaving the timber houses and storehouses untouched. The vast majority of the population had survived unharmed thanks to the rapid response of the defenses.
Still, the gap in their security was undeniable. Kellar looked toward the heights with a grim expression.
"We need to upgrade our defenses," he muttered to himself.
Mentz approached at a quick pace, adjusting his leather belt while bowing his head in clear regret.
"My lord, I must offer my most sincere apologies for what occurred," Mentz said in a somber tone. "The fifty rifles in the armory were locked away and guarded under strict security protocol when the attack began. When the beasts swooped down on the center, only the ten police officers and the five army soldiers on duty were able to respond immediately with firearms."
Kellar crossed his arms, listening intently without interrupting.
"However," Mentz continued, "it was the gatherers and several of the woodcutters who reacted in an instant. They picked up the crossbows and secondary weapons on their own initiative to defend the village and repel the assault."
Kellar framed a cold smirk, looking toward the plaza where the women were still helping clear the bodies of the downed eagles.
"Gather them all, Mentz," Kellar ordered in a firm, decisive voice. "They are well worth it. Those who did not hesitate to step forward and take up arms to protect their allies are worth more than anything else. Those are the warriors I want in my first battalion."
Mentz bowed his head immediately.
"I will see to it at once, my lord, but I must also report the casualty tally," Mentz continued, unfolding a quick-report parchment. "We have thirty-seven villagers missing; it is highly likely they were snatched by the beasts’ talons or fled beyond the walls. On the other hand, we have brought down ninety-three eagles in total. There is even one still alive; it was impaled through a wing by the ballista’s harpoon, and the gatherers subdued it with thick ropes. They are awaiting your decision regarding the creature."
Kellar was impressed by the report. He had not expected his women to possess the skill and courage required to capture such a massive flying monster alive amid the chaos.
"Lead the way to it immediately," Kellar ordered, clenching his fists. "Also, dispatch patrols to comb the surroundings for the missing; it is possible they simply hid in the underbrush or fled into the dense forest during the attack. Confirm the exact count of dead and wounded as soon as possible."
"Right away, my lord," Mentz replied firmly. "I will guide you to the creature first before going to confirm the report on the missing."
Kellar mounted Ignis’s back once more, adjusting his seat as the fire bear fell in step behind Mentz toward the northern section of the inner yard. Upon arrival, a group of gatherer women held thick ropes pulled taut against wooden posts.
In the center of the ring lay the captured eagle. The creature measured barely five meters in wingspan, making it look quite small compared to the adult specimens leading the flock; in fact, huddled on the ground with its plumage disheveled, it appeared almost innocent.
Kellar approached slowly aboard his mount. Ignis locked his blazing eyes on the giant bird and unleashed a low, gutural roar that vibrated through everyone’s chest. Feeling the overwhelming pressure and elemental power of the massive fire bear, the giant eagle began to curl into itself against the dirt, trembling in sheer terror as it tucked its head beneath its wings.
Kellar opened his mental interface and posed the question directly to the system while watching the bird tremble beneath Ignis’s shadow.
"Can I tame it as a familiar, the same way I tamed Frejya?" Kellar asked in his mind.
[Not possible unless you unlock the skill: Beast Tamer.]
"Tch... shit," Kellar muttered, closing the screen in frustration.
He stared at the animal for a few seconds. The creature was terrified, yet its eyes still held a spark of wild intelligence.
"Could it be possible to do it old-school?" Kellar thought.
Without hesitation, he dismounted smoothly from Ignis’s back, took a few steps forward, and gestured to the gatherer women to keep the ropes taut. Step by step, Kellar slowly approached the creature, extending his bare hand through the air toward the eagle’s beak.