Several hours later, he dropped off from his Wingdrake at the location on the map that the Admiral had shown him where they found the signs of the Anjanath that had been slain. It would be a good start for his investigation, and with a bit of luck there would be a trail to find, though he didn’t hold out much hope. While Poachers used overwhelming power for a reason, they took great care to hide their trails. They had to, else Guild Knights would follow them easily, so that was the one thing they had going for them, their ability to cover their tracks.

  Valen dropped down on the ground and started looking around. He found some signs of fighting indeed: damaged trees, dried blood, even some chipped metal, presumably a Poacher that had to desperately guard.

  There were not even scales that remained on the ground, and Valen believed it was only by pure luck that this Hunter even managed to spot the signs. Still, they had no idea how long it had been since the Poachers had managed to settle on the New World, so depending on that fact, the difficulty in uprooting them would vary.

  He looked around more, but he did not find any more clues that could lead to them. Even Adem said that there was barely a scent of their presence, but no trail that led anywhere. So Valen gave up and decided that just pushing on a dead end would just make them frustrated.

  In his opinion, finding any leads would normally take a while, it frequently took years for Guild Knights to find bases of operations given how careful the Poachers were in not leaving any leads. They used makeship airships that flew low and in formation to reduce their profile and transport the bodies.

  Still, Valen knew that he had one massive advantage over anybody else: Nikki. She would have the ability to spot them from afar and relay their headings to Valen. But even then it might take a while, and he did not want to require her to constantly patrol even though it might be barely a hindrance to her. Besides, they also might only be active during the night, which was when Nikki slept.

  After noting down everything he had found that pointed to Poacher presence, he decided that the best thing he could do for now was to figure out which areas he could patrol, those that were rarely monitored by Hunters and thus would allow them to stay under the radar.

  But for now, he needed to find a good place to spend the night, so he walked until he found a tree that looked secure enough, then he and Adem climbed it and set up their camp. Once he felt safe enough, he pulled out the large map that was contained in his notebook and started listing down the regular hunting grounds, as well as the areas that were patrolled to monitor dangerous monsters that might move into the grounds.

  Which led him to only have the seldom patrolled areas, that if the Poachers had a mole, would know to be active in. He figured that the best thing he could do for now was to wander in those and hope to find clues that would at least lead to which areas the Poachers were active most, so he knew where to keep an eye on.

  The sun was already setting when he was done with this task, so he simply called it for the day and after a quick meal with Adem, they went to sleep.

  Valen decided that the first thing he needed to do the following day however, was to inform Nikki of the newfound issue, so that she could inform him of any irregularity, most notably a large group of people in an unusual area.

  So once she landed after passing by the nearest meeting point he could go, he explained the problem.

  ‘Bad Hunters around. Need finding them.’

  Valen had already explained the idea of Poachers to her, and she had already expressed her distaste of them to him, so when he explained that they were now active in the New World, she released a loud growl that was out of character for her, being normally gentle.

  ‘I help. I want destroy them.’

  ‘Night active only. Normal routine.’

  She nodded, and she wanted them to stay together the whole day instead of simply flying away immediately this time, so Valen obliged. Valen used her sides as a backrest while she snoozed.

  He did not stay idle though, and continued to take notes about what he knew about Poachers and what he should expect from them should he find their trail… And he knew that he had to be on guard. Several Guild Knights had been found murdered in ambushes when they started getting too close to finding them out, and Valen knew he would be at a bigger risk given he only had Adem as a backup. But at least he had a trump card that he could use should he be caught unaware.

  Once the night started to fall, Nikki said her goodbyes to Valen and flew back to her nest, while the Hunter simply made camp there.

  Valen knew the average chances of finding Poacher activities, he had heard several stories from Guild Knights at Dundorma, but it was another thing hearing about it, and being confronted about the reality of the situation.

  It had been several weeks since he had been given his task by the Admiral and Commander, and in that time, besides the places where he had been led to by them, he only managed to find only one spot of activities, a spot where he believed a Tobi Kadachi had been slain and carried off. Once again clues were sparse, but they were still more proof of their activities.

  When Poachers started to appear decades ago, they were at the time inexperienced and easy to find out, but over the years, they had become far better at hiding their activities from the Guild and its Knights, by necessity, due to how harsh the punishment was.

  He also believed that they also had managed to find sponsors among the influential nobles who helped cover their activities, by either diverting the Knights from their investigations or leading them to false leads.

  However, given no such nobles were present in the New World, it seemed that those that had settled there were being exceedingly careful to leave no signs of their presence… They could probably have not been aware of the problem for far longer.

  For the moment though, Valen was flying back towards Astera, having been absent for so long that he wondered what changed since. He was on its final approach to the colony, and something seemed off to him though… It felt emptier than the last time he had visited, which was when he departed to start his new mission.

  He landed near the council table and spotted the Commander, who waved him over.

  “Hunter Valen. It has been a while.”

  “It has been Commander… I’m certain I missed something?”

  “That you did! We started building a new outpost, far in the north!”

  That definitely caught Valen’s attention and he asked for clarification. To which the Commander explained that a few weeks ago, there had been a massive Legiana migration towards the north, which had prompted sending the Third Fleet Airship to follow them.

  Then they found a new island, an arctic biome, and after exploring it a bit, found a wealth of natural resources. So the decision had been made to create a new outpost there, called Seliana, and approximately a third of Astera departed there to build it up. Arcos also had designed his Grandson, Lukas, to be the leader of this new outpost. Rapha?lle and Aiden had left for it so they could investigate the new region as well as keep it secure until the defenses were finished.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  “The Airship is departing today with a new shipment of materials, so if you want to do a short visit to Seliana, you can do so.” Arcos suggested. “I’m certain you could take a small break.”

  Valen thought for a bit before nodding.

  “I probably should… Besides I am curious to see what Aiden and Rapha?lle have been up to.”

  “Then do not let me stop you, Sky Piercer.”

  Valen nodded and thanked the Commander for this information. He went to see Masani to check the time of departure, and once she confirmed to him it was later in the afternoon, since he did not have anything to do, he simply waited onboard the ship.

  Eventually the airship was finally loaded up and took off from its dock. Valen was observing from the prow, as it was the place that, in his opinion, had the best view, and besides, being on the main deck required that he wear special equipment to deal with its tilted nature.

  Once the only thing he could see was the ocean stretching into the horizon, he decided to pass time by chatting with Masani while the ship quietly glided over the waters.

  The next morning, he could finally see the new island, and he whistled in amazement. While it was covered in snow, it did not mean a lack of life. Numerous pines dotted the land, and he could see mountains in the distance where what he supposed were Legianas flying around. Several herds of Popos were roaming from its vantage point, a couple running away from the airship, mistaking it for one of their flying predators.

  Then suddenly Masani pointed out Seliana in the distance, and Valen gasped.

  He had visited Pokke Village once, and always remembered the homey and comfy feelings the village gave to him. This new outpost gave him these same feelings, and he smiled. It was even more impressive when you realized that a few months ago, it did not even exist. The work the Second Fleet had been able to produce in such a quick timeframe was impressive.

  Valen basked in the view until they started the proper docking procedure. Then he simply waited until the ship was fully secured before he disembarked.

  The workers that were about to help unload the ship were immediately surprised by his presence, but quickly regained their composure, simply acknowledging his presence with a nod. The only true interaction Valen had was when he asked for directions to Lukas’ office, which he received.

  He did not go straight to it though, but spent a bit of time wandering around, simply admiring the craftsmanship that went into the village. He definitely could see that it was built to last, and not a rushed job.

  Adem started complaining about the cold though, so he decided that he would not let his partner be more uncomfortable, and headed towards Lukas’ office. Knocking at the door, he only had to wait for a moment before the Field Team Leader opened the door, momentarily surprised but then let a wide smile appear on his face.

  “Valen! I was sure you would come to visit once you learned about the news! Enter, do not simply stay outside.”

  He nodded in thanks, and was greeted into a cozy interior. A fire was crackling in the chimney, warming the space, there was a door that presumably led to sleeping chambers. Though it felt like there should be couches in the space and the only things he could see were sturdy chairs. That made sense to him, functionality came first, comfort would come later.

  Lukas invited him to sit at one of the chairs and Valen took it. Once they were installed, the new outpost leader talked.

  “I have been informed of the details of your current task by Arcos. The more secret details.”

  Valen nodded, he figured that since he was now a leader, he was privy to these.

  “I don’t really need assistance though, I can manage well enough at the moment. Besides, the priority right now is secrecy, as long as they don’t know we are aware of them, they will start to become overconfident, and that is what we need.”

  “Yep! But for now I guess you are only here to see our shiny new settlement?”

  Valen chuckled.

  “I am. And are Aiden and Rapha?lle here or are they on a mission at the moment?”

  “Sadly, they are away. They are currently exploring the Winter Hinterlands for some signs of the new anomaly we are investigating.”

  Valen perked up.

  “Anomaly?”

  “We heard some kind of song. It was powerful and had some… effects we could not determine. We suspect it is an Elder, probably another new one, but there have been no leads so far, so in the meantime we are simply exploring the Hinterlands.” Lukas explained.

  “I see… I guess I will see them later, then. I won’t stay long, I still need to return to my investigation.”

  “Then enjoy your visit and I hope to see you another time!”

  Valen smiled and nodded. Then he stood up, and after exchanging goodbyes with Lukas, he exited the room.

  He explored the rest of the town, Adem having decided to hang into the kitchen in the meantime to stay warm. Valen checked the new forge, which was still close to the original, but had some differences, notably that it was now steam-powered in parts. The Second Fleet Master gave him a visit that he was clearly enthusiastic about. Apparently Valen was lucky and he arrived the day after the forge was fully finished, so he was the first to be given a tour. He took it in stride however, and enjoyed it.

  He then went to see what was called the Steamworks, which was what powered up the forge and provided the warmth that repelled the cold in the village. The Chief Engineer was apparently responsible for it and deemed it a masterpiece that showcased everything that he has learned since coming to the New World. He as well was enthusiastic in showing him the workings but also warned that he was also currently still working on something that would benefit the whole community of hunters and that he wasn’t finished yet, but he encouraged Valen to come back in a couple weeks.

  The only thing left for Valen to visit after that was the ongoing construction of the Gathering Hub, that was evidently simply the frame. More critical parts of the settlement needed to be built first and it was only now that they were able to start on this new building, which was where all stationed and visiting Hunters would be able to gather and prepare group operations.

  Still, once he had visited everything, and since the Airship wouldn’t go back to Astera until the following day, Valen simply lounged at the Canteen and chatted a bit with the hunters there. He was impressed by Seliana and wondered how different it would look in another few months.

  It had been several weeks since Valen visited Seliana, and has been patrolling in the wilderness since in hope of finding more clues as to the Poachers’ activities. He found a couple more spots where a monster was illegally hunted, but besides that nothing that would lead to them.

  Nikki had been informed of the status of the new settlement and she promised she would keep an eye on it. She hadn’t seen any signs of the Poachers as well, which confirmed Valen’s suspicions that they acted under the cover of the night. He wished that he could do something about it, but at this point there was nothing Valen could do but continue roaming around and figuring out the exact area they operated within.

  He sighed. They were being a major nuisance for him and he hoped that it did not take too long for him to figure them out, but given that Knights’ investigations often lasted years, and given he was alone, he knew he was there for the long haul.

  At least he was certain of the area they did not operate in, and believed he had narrowed down the spot they probably were active into.

  One of his main hopes as well was that they grossly overestimated their abilities and went for an Elder, as it would be much harder to clean up the signs of a failure for them.

  But for now, Valen was stuck. Adem attempted to find scent trails but Felynes were not the best at following them. And Wingdrakes had to be trained to recognize only a few scents as signals. Nikki also explained to him that her species had a bad sense of smells, first because of the odd positioning of their nostrils and second because they relied much more on their hearing and especially sight, so he could not ask for her help either.

  This was what Valen was ruminating on when something glinted at the edge of his vision. Raising his hand to Adem, he wrapped the other around the handle of his weapon as a precaution and approached the direction carefully. Adem immediately tensed up as well, his ears rotating around attempting to pick up sounds. When he shook his head to signal that he did not hear anything odd, Valen approached.

  With cautious steps, he approached the glint, until he could clearly recognize it as a large piece of metal… And not any piece of metal, a carving knife. He smiled, it was the biggest clue he had found since he started his investigation. Bending down, he picked it up and inspected it. It was definitely customized, and seemed to have been taken care of by its owner; some engraving was made on the blade, but carefully to not worsen its function.

  However the biggest hint that he could hope for was that on the handle, at the edge of it, there was the letter ‘T.’ that had been etched in. Valen smiled, it was a lucky find, but he was hopeful that thanks to it he could at least find the perpetrators of the poaching, as he was certain it was a Hunter’s knife.