Chapter 19: Into the woods
At dawn Calen, Cassian, Baor and Lydia were standing if front of the city gate, waiting for the sign from the guardsman that they’re clear to go.
"Our goal today is to kill at least three Stalkers to prevent them from multiplying too fast. Remember to leave the last blow for Calen, so he can strengthen the flame." Lydia announced.
Cassian learned about dozens of corrupted creatures yesterday, but Lydia also informed Calen about the ones they might encounter today.
Their target, Stalkers, were medium sized felines similar in appearance to lynxes. Their key characteristic was their camouflage abilities - the slower they moved the harder they were to notice, and when they stood still they were nearly invisible.
They weren’t particularly dangerous, and didn’t attack humans unless they felt threatened, the real reason why they had to be dealt with was their eventual evolution.
If a Stalker consumed enough corrupted creatures, it would go through a metamorphosis.
The monster would grow to size of a bear, and gain an additional pair of legs. It would be able to become truly invisible for short duration of time, and its steps would no longer produce any sounds.
The creature was called Prowler, and Greenheart has faced in only twice in it’s entire history. It was only a few years after the invasion, and each time they’ve lost at least two dozen men to the beast.
Since then the druids hunt for Stalkers at least once a month.
Calen has taken Auren with him, since their prey wouldn’t be able to hide from the gaze of the wyrm.
Even though they were going for a hunt, none of them had a weapon fit for such an activity - instead of bows and spears, Calen and Cassian were equipped with their swords.
Baor was barehanded, but judging by what Calen heard from his friend, he hardly needed one.