Axon moved carefully through the woodlands, tracking his prey. He’d come to Earth searching for glory, a chance to prove himself. Onterjan would not accept him as a mate, his standing was too low, his blood too thin. He doubted she’d say the same when he had Origin blood running through his veins.

  Fourteen days he’d search fruitlessly, scouring the entirety of the south-west of America, Arthur Ward's apparent last known location. His incredible senses, enhanced by a unique bloodline and pride of this tribe, had found nothing. There were traces of him around his former home, but the Territory of Blood that had sprung up there made it almost impossible to track. To all intents, it was like he’d vanished off the face of the world.

  Axon would rather believe that than think his nose had failed him. With no leads to follow, he’d decided to throw logic to the wind and take a chance. Rumour had it that Kazi Alukai, Earth's first Prime, had recently taken a trip to the United Kingdom. Why the strongest man on Earth wanted to travel was anyone's guess, but Axon had trusted his gut and followed him to this small island. The Prime was long gone now, his scent days old and haphazardly spread across the entirety of England. Still, Axon could smell opportunity on the horizon.

  Twenty-four hours had gone by and nothing had shown up. Forty-eight hours and he’d started to doubt himself. Sixty-four hours into his hunt, however, something changed. The ether surrounding Manchester rapidly dropped in intensity, so fast and drastically, in fact, that Axon's ether upkeep cost went from three tier-1 ether stones per hour to eleven. It was an uncomfortable sensation when the ether density outside his body was so much lower than the energy within him.

  It wasn’t a sign that he’d found his Originator, there could be any number of reasons for this phenomenon- none of them good- but it was something and Axon was desperate for anything right now. A few minutes later, Axon had caught a scent, something unique that he hadn’t smelled before and here he was, tracking it through the woods. He wasn’t the only one either, there was the smell of elves in the air, two male, one female and the rotting scent of a Corpse Eater. Why one of those foul creatures had come here was anyone's guess—their kind wouldn’t benefit from blood of any kind, shrivelled husks of unlife that they were. Axon hoped he could avoid the creature.

  While he was confident in his strength, in his victory even, everyone knew fighting a Corpse Eater was a fool's errand. Besting one in combat was never clean, victory meant that he’d be riddled with illnesses and diseases that would take months to heal. No, he’d be much happier if he never had to meet this Corpse Eater. Unfortunately, it looked like they had the same target. There was one more bounty hunter in the woodlands, a beastkin like himself, but he couldn’t place the scent of their species.

  Whatever the case, it was nice having one of his kind here. Hopefully, they’d be open to teaming up against the others. Axon was a proud lionkin, but he respected the power numbers brought. Axon grimaced as he considered his chances of success. There was a sudden change in their target, the Originator started releasing his aura. Had Arthur sensed them? From over a mile out? That hinted at a level of power that was impressive for a sapient on such a new planet.

  Still, as Axon felt the aura wash over him, he couldn’t help but be disappointed. This was meant to be an Originator. Arthur Ward did not live up to the legends spoken of their kind and Axon feared Onterjan would still reject him if he brought the human's head. There was no glory in hunting someone so weak, and he was briefly tempted to leave the poor fool to the others. In the end, he decided to carry on. He’d come all this way and travelled through seventeen different stellar systems. It’d be a shame if he didn’t even get to see the Originator.

  The others had sped up, throwing caution to the wind as they rushed towards the target and Axon too moved faster to match their speed. It wouldn't do to arrive with the originator already dead. The man in question still hadn’t moved, hadn’t done anything at all besides continue releasing his aura and Axon felt his disdain for the fool grow. Standing your ground was great and all but you also needed to know when retreat was the better option.

  Axon slowed down when he saw the trees clearing ahead. He could hear the gurgling of a stream and the sound of raised voices. The elves had arrived before him, with his fellow beastkin only a few steps behind. The Corpse Eater too was there. It seemed like he was the last to arrive.

  Axon approached cautiously and finally got a good look at everybody. His eyes widened in surprise. He’d wondered why things hadn’t descended into fighting already and now he had his answer. The Originator wasn’t here. They’d been deceived. Where the man was supposed to be, stood two women. One was green-skinned and the source of the false aura that had led them here. That was no simple thing, to not only fool his superior senses but to do so while misleading five additional targets. It spoke of a level of aura mastery that was unheard of, uncanny even. Axon's opinion of the woman immediately went up.

  The person standing beside her, however, was the main reason why things hadn’t descended into violence yet. None would dare to fight, with such a powerful presence arrayed against them. Axon had no idea what was going on anymore, but he did know what he needed to do next. He bowed low at the waist, an act normally reserved for the tribe chieftain and started to speak.

  “May we have your name, great one?” He asked reverently.

  Unfortunately, that was the exact moment the elf woman decided to raise her voice. “What are you doing here?”

  Her words were crass, her tone rude and Axon felt sweat drip down his back as he waited for the expected retribution to come. Instead, he was shocked for the second time that day. The woman chuckled and her green companion let out a full-bellied laugh.

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  "Raise your head, kitten," she said. He felt a brief flash of anger at the pet name but quickly quashed it. Getting angry would do him no favours, and compared to this woman, he truly was a cub. Axon followed the woman's orders and got his first good look at her. She looked completely ordinary, diminutive, a full three heads shorter than him and he was small for a lionkin.

  “To answer your question, my name is Solana Elantris, though you may be more familiar with the moniker Grandmaster Halfgold.” There was a sharp intake of breath from his fellow beastkin, a cowkin Axon idly noted, and he could see the shock on everyone's faces.

  “As for your question,” Solana turned to face the elves. “I’m here as a representative of the Guild of Alchemists. We request that you cease the hunt against Originator Arthur Ward.”

  “When you say The Guild of Alchemists, do you mean—”

  Solana cut the elf off. “Yes, the true guild. The ones who supply 60% of all potions used on the front lines. That guild.”

  “But why?” This time it was one of the male elves who spoke. “You're a famously neutral faction. You stay out of politics. Why break that rule? Why stick out your neck for one Originator?”

  Solana didn't answer immediately. She began to glow brightly, so much so that it became impossible to look at her and Axon feared that she’d finally grown bored of them. Thankfully, his fears didn’t come to pass. When the light finally disappeared, Solana had changed. She now towered over him at four metres in height. Now she looked regal, more becoming of the power she wielded. She shook her hair into place.

  “Sorry about that,” Solana said, her voice surprisingly even higher in pitch while in her true form. “Staying small is exhausting and it makes my skin all itchy.” She turned to stare off into the distance where Axon knew Mossley Village was situated.

  “Why are we helping Arthur Ward, you ask.” she sighed. "I’d love to say it's because our leaders have finally become wiser, that they’ve realised that this Origin Hunt is barbaric savagery, that our greatest warriors need nurturing and protection, not being hunted down like animals. Sadly, reality is not so perfect. The Originator is suspected to have great talent for alchemy. Our guild naturally wants him to stay alive long enough to realise that potential.”

  “So that’s it,” Axon said. You’re putting an end to the Origin Hunt. Just like that.”

  Solana laughed and wiped her eyes. “I wish. People far stronger than us are interested in seeing this foolish hunt run its course. I have no power to stop you, even as I stand before you all. That’s why I had Alyssia Sil' Vorken deceive you into coming here, so I could waste your time with this conversation.”

  Axon was about to sigh in relief before Solana continued. “But… while I’m not allowed to stop you, I have been permitted to offer bribes. How about it? You sit here with me for the next hour and a half and leave the Originator be. Just ninety minutes and then you can resume hunting him to your heart's content. Take my offer and I will personally craft any potion or elixir of your choosing, ranked legendary or below. How about it? That’s not a bad offer. It's outrageously one-sided even, ninety minutes for something you'd never get your hands on, my personal work.”

  Axon stopped breathing. Everyone else was in shock too. All they had to do was sit around and do nothing and they’d receive something that would cost tens of millions of credits. Ludicrous didn’t even begin to describe it. For a brief moment, Axon was tempted to take the offer. A legendary elixir could change his life forever, it would increase his power and standing significantly. But not enough for what I want. He hardened his heart and formed his resolve.

  Solana wanted them to stay away for ninety minutes. Enough that she was offering such a weighty reward. That meant that for the next one and a half hours, Arthur Ward would be in an extremely vulnerable state. No other explanation made sense. Considering that, he had the opportunity of a lifetime before him, an originator who was a sitting duck, a billion credits on the line and the chance to take that origin blood for himself. Already, he could see that the others had come to the same conclusion. The only person on the fence was the female elf, who he learned was called Ezrah from her companion's mutterings.

  “Miss Elantris,” she began, ignoring the other elves who were shooting her dirty looks. “Is it possible for you to create a cure for Nightrot poisoning within the parameters you put down?” she asked carefully. The half-giant's eyebrows rose in surprise.

  “Night rot. Now that’s a word I’ve not heard in a while. Normally, I would say no, but it depends. Where's the person affected? How long has it been since the poison was inflicted and what level is the affected patient.”

  “The elixirs for my father. He’s a level 239 epic blacksmith and he’s lost use of both his hands below the elbows since last year.”

  Solana’s eyes softened and she smiled sadly. “That is not a common ailment, young elf. Why was it done?”

  Ezrah's answer was short and curt. “He made armour for an upstart noble brat. The dumb bitch got too big for her boots and lost her life challenging a Locus beyond her level. Her family took my father’s hands in retribution.”

  No one said anything as Solana considered the elf's request, and he could hear the cowkin cursing the noble bastards under her breath. Hating nobility, it seemed, was a trait that transcended species. Finally, Solana fixed the elf with her fierce gaze.

  “It pushes the boundaries of what I’m allowed to give you, young elf, but by the time your ninety minutes are up, you will have a cure for your father's condition. I swear it on my name.”

  Ezrah’s legs gave out and she fell to the ground in relief and shock. Even though they were all competitors here, he could see that everyone was happy for the woman.

  “Anyone else wants to take me up on my offer,” Solana asked hopefully. No one replied and the half-giant sighed in dejection. Already, Axon could sense new signatures popping up in the woodlands. This place would be crawling with bounty hunters soon. The Originator, who had disappeared off the face of the Earth for the last two weeks had finally appeared. Now that he'd been found, he’d be dead or captured before the day was out.

  “I will ask this only once.”

  Axon started out of his meandering thoughts. The green woman was finally speaking, using her outrageous aura control to carry her words to all the hidden observers in the woodlands. ”Is there any amongst you who will take Solana’s offer or leave in peace?”

  “What's it to you?” the Cowkin asked icily.

  The green woman smiled and Axon could swear the temperature dropped by a dozen degrees. “Did you think I just bought you all here to look pretty.” her voice was cold, free of any emotion. “The Originator whose blood you desire is my friend. And I will see you pathetic hunting dogs dead before I allow you to strike him.”

  “You and what army,” one of the male elves scoffed.

  “I take it that you reject my offer."

  "Of course I do you dumb-”

  The man never finished his sentence. He never would. Axon’s eyes widened in surprise. He hadn’t seen her move. He hadn’t seen anything at all. No one had, not even Solana, whose eyes were wide open in shock. The elf's corpse fell to the ground. Alyssia Sil' Vorken stood there, in the exact same spot with his head in her hands, as if she'd never even moved.

  This time, her smile was so much more sinister.

  Etherious: Originator

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