Waking up, Kopii took his backpack, pulled out his flask, and drank some water. Today was going to be a hard day. Kopii packed up the entire camp and walked to the cliff. Looking down, he saw that it was so deep that he could not see the very bottom. When Kopii had arrived here yesterday, he had hoped that the herb grew here, not down below, but however hard he searched, he could not find the flower he needed. All his hopes had collapsed; he wanted to find the flower as quickly as possible and return to Orario.
Kopii did not ponder for long. He picked up a rather massive stone and walked to the cliff edge to throw it down and understand whether it was deep or not. Raising the stone above his head, Kopii hurled it down with tremendous force. One, two, three... And after three seconds, Kopii heard the sound: the stone had finally fallen. From the sound, Kopii understood that the stone had fallen into water. And so an idea came to him of how to descend, but it was rather dangerous.
And the main problem — how would he climb back up later? He was no rock climber to scale such a height. Kopii continued to ponder, devising the best plan. But Kopii's thoughts were distracted by a strange whistling sound, which drew his attention. Kopii's eyes widened — he immediately guessed what that sound was. This sound was all too familiar to him.
But Kopii did not have time to react before he felt a sharp pain in his palm. Kopii paid no attention to it — he knew what it was. Kopii turned sharply, but his legs faltered. Kopii's eyes began to cloud over. He finally understood: they had shot an arrow into his hand not because they wanted to kill him, but because they needed him alive for something. Because of that, they had poisoned the arrow. Or was it simply an accident, and the archer had missed?
But Kopii could do nothing — his mind was leaving him, and his body was betraying him. He tried with all his might to keep his balance, but another arrow struck his leg, and because of it, Kopii flew off the cliff. Kopii thought of only one thing: why was he so unlucky?
---
Larsen watched as Kopii hurriedly left them. His face was indifferent. They watched him until he disappeared behind the trees.
— Father, do you think it's a good idea to let him go now? We spent time driving the boar towards him. I think now is a good time to attack, — said Torvin.
— No, Torvin, you're wrong. He managed to deal with the boar without any trouble. Do you know what that tells us? — Garvin looked at his brother.
— Well, he probably got lucky, — said Torvin, staring intently at his brother.
— There is a possibility that he has a Falna, — said Garvin.
Torvin's eyes widened in shock.
— A blessing of the gods! Then maybe we should leave him alone? If we kidnap him, we'll have problems.
— Ah, — Garvin sighed. — You're too inexperienced, Torvin. If he were from a high-class familia, why would he need to leave Orario alone? He can't be high level. Most likely, he's carrying out a guild quest or a task for some familia.
— And what if you're wrong, elder brother? What if he really is high level, or is going, for example, to visit his family? — Torvin said, watching as Elric butchered the boar. His gaze quickly returned to Garvin. — Wouldn't it be better to leave him alone?
— Ha, — Garvin sighed. — Mother spoiled you too much. Why can't you analyze things? For example, his equipment wasn't too expensive, which means he's possibly from a low-class familia. You held his sword in your hand; you saw yourself that it was of poor quality. That sword is only good for thrusting attacks. So he's either level one, or level two at most.
— Why are you so sure of that? — Torvin interrupted him. — Remember when we made a mistake? We were beaten; we barely managed to escape, — he shouted, clenching his fists.
— Calm down, Torvin, — Larsen intervened.
— Sorry, father, — said Torvin, slowly calming under his gaze.
— Back then, Torvin, we were too careless, and we paid for it, — Garvin continued. — And why am I so sure he's low level? He didn't even feel our gazes on him. Even if we hadn't come out, he wouldn't have known that someone was watching him.
— Enough useless arguments! — Larsen interrupted. — He will be our next target. Did you see how handsome he is? If we sell him, we'll get a lot of money.
— Sorry, father, — both exclaimed.
— I have a question, father, — said Elric, continuing to butcher the boar.
— Of course, Elric, what did you want to ask? — Larsen looked at his eldest son.
— Why did you tell him that you didn't know where you were heading? For a traveler, that's very strange.
After his eldest son's words, Larsen smiled:
— I wanted to make him doubt us.
— Why?
— When he met us, he already doubted us. So I decided to add fuel to the fire, to make him doubt us even more. It will simply be boring to hunt him otherwise.
— Alright, father, I understand.
— How lucky we are to have stumbled upon him. Elric, finish up — we don't need that much. We still have to return to camp, and then follow his trail.
— Yes, father, — all three said, following Larsen.
— Torvin, Garvin, to tell the truth: we spoiled you too much, — Larsen noted.
— Father, I was just worried. Remember that time when we underestimated an adventurer? He broke your leg and beat all of us. Only by a miracle did we survive.
— I understand you, but that doesn't mean everyone is like that. Back then, we relaxed too much and underestimated him. You saw the current one — he's a simple child, nothing more. Even if he received a god's blessing, do you think it's so easy to raise levels? — Larsen looked questioningly at Torvin.
— No, father. I know that to raise a level, it takes a very long time. As far as I know, to raise levels, one must accomplish great feats. But I don't know exactly what kind.
— Good answer, Torvin.
So they continued walking until they reached the camp. Gathering their things, they set off after Kopii.
— Our main goal is to understand what he's capable of and learn where he's heading, so we can set an ambush. Is that clear to everyone?
— Yes, father, — all three said.
Larsen smirked, anticipating the hunt. He felt like a predator playing with its prey, and this game gave him perverse pleasure. He could already see the gleaming coins flowing into his hands, satisfying his greed.
They walked through the forest, trying not to make noise. Elric, the most experienced tracker, confidently led them along Kopii's trail. Garvin and Torvin silently trudged behind, each immersed in his own thoughts. Garvin pondered the best method of attack, while Torvin was still tormented by doubts.
— Father, it's already getting dark. Are we going to set up camp? — Torvin asked.
— No, Torvin. So as not to fall behind him, we'll walk through the night. We already spent time on the boar and returning to camp. We need to hurry.
Some time later, Larsen commanded:
— Stop!
Everyone halted. Visibility was poor, but they all noticed a campfire in the distance. They immediately guessed that it was their target.
— Father, maybe we should attack now, while he's sleeping? It's the best time, — Garvin suggested.
— No, Garvin. We don't need to rush so much. Have you forgotten what I said?
— We must study what he's capable of. Only then attack.
— Yes, Garvin, that's right. Don't ask stupid questions anymore. Let's sleep. But someone must continuously watch him. We'll switch every two hours. I'll go first, then Elric, then Garvin, then Torvin. Is that clear?
— Yes, — they exclaimed, preparing for sleep.