Chapter 101: Chapter 101

After the nobles left, Sokram asked how well cockatrices would sell if tamed.

Oliver told him not to bother because, although fast, they weren’t strong enough to be used as mounts and would tire too easily.

After leaving the stable, Sokram, accompanied by his grandmothers, went to ask his favorite butcher if there was any demand for chicken, which made Hannah giggle at the old cat's confused look.

But after Sokram explained that his team’s next mission was to hunt for cockatrices, Figos's pointed cat ears swiveled, perking up with an almost predatory eagerness.

A wide, dangerous grin stretched across his werecat face, revealing slightly elongated fangs as he rhythmically sharpened two gleaming knives against each other.

The metallic rasp was a counterpoint to the growing glint in his eyes as they met Sokram’s gaze.

Not just with hunger, but with a fierce, almost feral anticipation.

"Bring as many as you can!" he rumbled, his voice a low purr. "Everyone loves fried chicken with a bowl of yellow rice and blue peppers!"

Sokram would have laughed if he weren't also salivating at the thought as his stomach groaned with hunger, agreeing with the old cat.

Two days later, Sokram and his team left the city riding eastward.

To reach the place where cockatrices were commonly found in Norwinter, which only happened during their migration season, they had to ride for two entire days.

The ride itself proved easy, with no surprises along the way.

When they finally reached the location, their eyes met an open field with very few trees around.

The snow there was a lot thinner than in Eversnow because that region didn’t belong to Eversnow; they had entered the county of Frozen River.

Once they set camp, the team sat around the fire under the starry northern sky.

Lucy and Amber prepared dinner while Sokram explained his plan, “Guys, the plan is simple, we will surround them, put these runestones in place, and wait for Savannah to activate the barrier. And then we kill as many chickens as we manage to entrap. Simple, right?”

When Sokram finished explaining, a wave of muffled giggles sounded between Lara and Nora.

He saw the corner of Kiana’s mouth twitch into a triumphant smirk just before she delivered a sharp, resounding slap to Kan’s arm.

"Pay up, you dog! Loser! Haha!" she barked, the victorious note in her voice echoing with the unmistakable joy of a won bet.

Only then did Sokram realize their amusement wasn't directed at the simplicity of his plan, but at Kan's expense.

“You made a bet on my plan?” Sokram’s eyes narrowed slightly with a glint of amusement as his gaze shifted between his teammates.

“Little bro, I thought you would come up with some amazing plan to kill a thousand chickens with a single stone or something like that,” Kan spoke while paying Kiana ten gold with trembling hands.

“Haha, they are just a bunch of Tier 3 to 6 Common Chickens that spit fire and have a sharp tail and some sharp talons. With a simple Azure runestone, you could face even fifty of them and come out unscathed.” Sokram fought to keep a straight face; he didn’t want to rub salt in Kan’s wounds. Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs novel_fіre.net

But it was difficult for him to contain his laughter after seeing Kan's crestfallen, almost teary-eyed expression.

“But I guess we will be killing a bunch at a time. The barrier we’ll be using to entrap the chicken can cover an area of 200 by 200 meters. Who knows how many we can fit inside an area that large?”

Nora thought for a while before Lara elbowed her, “It was a rhetorical question, stupid.”

Nora frowned and replied, “I know, stupid. I was trying to remember the recipe for that sauce Grandma used to make for fried chicken.”

Hearing that, the team burst out laughing, and even Kazzah and Timothy joined in, and they seemed in a surprisingly good mood.

Amber and Lucy finally announced that the dinner was ready, and the conversation flowed naturally as they ate.

Then, not betraying his knowledge-sharing nature, Sokram added, “I think one of the merchants, nobles, or founding families must have a newly pregnant woman and need some of their blood since it’s good for the womb. But don’t worry…”

Sokram shot Kazzah a friendly glance as he joked, “This time it wasn’t the Silverfangs.”

The team’s laughter was more subtle this time, but seeing that Kazzah laughed too, they relaxed, and they all spent the rest of the night cracking jokes about each other.

Had it not been for one small detail, anyone would think that they were a perfectly well-meshed team.

Yet, that single detail was that there were two traitors among them.

Before leaving, Sayuri informed Sokram that Kazzah and Timothy had visited the Steelhearts two more times before the mission.

And this time, it wasn’t just Sokram who was aware of the two of them leaving tracks behind.

The whole team was watching them, but Sokram told them, especially Kiana, to let him handle the situation.

Sokram even considered giving them faulty runestones; however, he didn’t want to force Savannah and Lucy to watch them die.

But from afar, Hannah and Sayuri watched over the team, frowns deepening on their faces.

"I know he’s become a lot stronger," Sayuri's voice resonated through their voice transmission, her gaze fixed on the unseen foes Sokram would surely be facing. "But do you think he can truly deal with them?"

“We can only watch and see. Only interfere if necessary.” Hannah's reply was confident, her tone unwavering, perhaps even convincing Sayuri.

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But she couldn't mask the subtle clench of her own hand or the cold, tight knot that coiled in her stomach, nor could she fool the tightness in her heart.

The next day, Sokram managed to quickly track a group of cockatrices, 1.5-meter-tall chickens with bat-like wings, talons sharper than an eagle’s, and a sharp reptilian tail that would often be used as a whip.

That group had seventy cockatrices flocked together.

The plan, brutal and simple, worked flawlessly.

Lucy and Amber stayed outside the barrier, serving as Savannah's backup.

Once she activated the barrier, the team rushed toward their entrapped prey with weapons in hand.

Lara and Nora even changed weapons and were both armed with great swords.

A gruesome sight of destruction erupted.

Blood sprayed in crimson arcs, splattering across snow-dusted grass.

The air grew thick with the metallic tang of chicken blood and the flutter of dismembered feathers that swirled like ash caught in a storm.

Steel clanging against bone, slicing through flesh, the guttural squawks of dying cockatrices, the crack of their whipping tails against the runic barriers, and the wet thud of falling bodies created a chaotic and brutal symphony.

Lara’s and Nora’s great swords became extensions of their will, each swing a blur, carving a path through multiple necks at once, sending headless bodies collapsing and severed heads bouncing like fearsome, walking guillotines.

Lucy’s arrows flew true, punching through skulls with soft "thunks."

Amber conjured jagged spears of ice that impaled the birds or summoned razor-sharp gusts that sliced through multiple targets at once.

Kan danced among five or ten chickens in a deadly dance that made the cockatrices lose their heads, literally.

Kiana stayed close to Sokram, who used the opportunity to teach her a few one-handed sword moves that didn't belong to the Killing Blade Art. With every swing of Sokram’s blade, another cockatrice crashed to the ground, its head rolling behind it.

Kiana followed him closely, copying the techniques he showed her and using them on moving targets.

As she mirrored Sokram’s stance, each of his swings was a lesson. "Rotate your wrist!" "Pay attention to your footwork!" "Use your shield to create openings, not only to defend!"

At each of Sokram's instructions, another chicken head rolled.

Kiana’s eyes sparkled each time her blade found its mark.

Every word of praise from Sokram fed her pride and self-confidence, strengthening her blade.

Kazzah and Timothy were also effective, but Kan and the twins could already discern that their training with Sokram was setting them apart. Kan, from time to time, studied Kazzah’s movements.

What once seemed advanced and refined now revealed many openings in his form.

If Sokram hadn’t already challenged Kazzah.

Kan would, knowing he could easily beat Kazzah now.

Once the day came to an end, they had hunted 674 cockatrices.

After finishing counting them, Sokram told the group, “If tomorrow is as productive as today, we can cut this trip short and start heading home before noon.”

But Kazzah, for the first time, complained, “Wasn't the commission for only twenty intact cockatrices? Why not start heading home tonight?”

Sokram didn’t have the chance to answer as Nora answered first, “Gold! Kazzah. Shiny golden coins.”

Lara also added with a teasing tone, “If you don’t want it, you can go home first. The hunt has been so easy, I don’t think we will even miss you and your boyfriend.”

Timothy’s jaw tightened, a muscle twitching in his cheek as he visibly swallowed his retort.

Kazzah, however, merely offered a curt nod, his eyes flat and unreadable. "Alright, you can have it," he said, his voice devoid of its usual arrogance. "It was fun, but I've got to go."

“Deserting your hunting team can get you three weeks in prison,” Savannah warned, not even bothering to meet his gaze.

“I’m not deserting; the commission is clearly fulfilled. And thanks to our future captain’s lesson, I have proof.” Kazzah pulled out a recording stone.

“Let them go,” Sokram’s voice, nonchalant and calm, cut through the air. Kazzah froze.

His eyes darted toward every possible escape path, his breath quickened, and his heartbeat thumped in his ears.

Every muscle in his body tensed, clearly poised to bolt for his life at the slightest hint of aggression.

Instead, Sokram handed him and Timothy three gold coins each, “This is for the commission, the rest will be paid after selling the rest. But the two of you will only receive your part based on what you helped us hunt today. Fair?”

Surprised, Kazzah and Timothy only nodded, breathing out in relief, accepting the gold and going to get their mounts.

After they were far away, Lucy came to ask him, “Why are you letting them go?”

“Proof that I didn’t wrong them at any turn.” Sokram shrugged, flashing her his usual mischievous grin.

The next day, the hunt proved even more productive.

Sokram observed that the cockatrices had a revengeful pack mentality as if the smell of their own blood made more of them gather in the same places, a curiosity he hadn’t noticed before.

But as he eyed his prey, his eyes shone with hunger, ‘Maybe it’s a sign of evolution within the species? Sigh… Either way, they will end up as food! Fried or roasted chicken on someone’s table, and on mine too.'

It didn’t come as a surprise that Kazzah’s and Timothy’s absence actually improved their teamwork.

There was no hesitation now, only well-meshed movement and instinctive trust between them.

By midday, feathers drifted like ash.

The red blood that swallowed the fields of whited grass under the clear sky as cockatrices fell one by one, a silence settling only once every shriek had faded into the snow.

Cockatrices fell faster than they could count, their dying squawks swallowed by the wind.

They killed over four hundred cockatrices, a bona fide bloodbath.

Yet, Sokram felt no strain, as if it had been nothing more than a simple exercise routine or an average training session with his master.

And his team, although bathed in chicken blood, showed no signs of tiredness either.

Before setting off for home, they washed using water conjured by Sokram and Amber, making sure to purge the scent of chicken blood so the cockatrices didn’t chase them back to the city.

After they were all clean, Sokram advised his team, “You remember what I told you during our first hunt after Kazzah and Timothy left?”

“You taught us about the importance of preparation,” Lara answered, pride evident in her expression.

But it was clear to all that she didn’t want the conversation to go where they all knew it was going.

“That’s important, but not what I meant,” Sokram scratched the back of his head. “Do you remember what I told Nora when she said, 'You don't leave your cubs behind?'”

Their face turned awkward.

Lucy frowned. Still, she answered decisively, “You are stronger and faster than we are.”

“Exactly,” Sokram nodded resolutely, before adding, “Hunting together is our duty with the city. We are a team, and during the hunting operations, we must stick together. But on our way back home, we might face a situation aimed solely at me, my problem. I know you guys wouldn’t turn and flee like cowards, but this is not cowardice. This is about reaching the city and making sure my family knows before it’s too late. So, if I tell you to run, you run! Alright?”

Seeing their downcast expression, Sokram knew he couldn't soften now. Yet, his heart still tightened as his next word left his mouth.

“For all the benefits I’ve given you so far, I’m asking you not to become a liability. Soon, you will not only match my strength but surpass it, but right now, I can’t risk your future in a fight I started. So please do me this favor.”

A heavy silence weighed over them; they had been joyful and carefree until now, learning from him, training with him, dreaming of reaching the same sky.

But his words landed like a splash of icy water, brutally waking them to reality.

And that reality was, they weren’t yet strong enough to avoid becoming liabilities.

They weren’t strong enough to fight by his side.

They knew it was true, but it still hurt their pride to hear it.

In the end, they all nodded, agreeing to follow his order if it came to it.

While they rode back in silence, Kan, trying to lighten the mood, turned to Sokram with a grin, “Stronger than you?”

“Temporarily, yes.” Sokram flashed him a grin.

“What do you mean, temporarily?” Nora raised a brow, crossing her arms as her war bear ran at a steady pace.

“I must become of age to be sure my body is fully mature before entering Reformation. So, in this progress speed, you will be at least at the Reformed Existences level by the end of your obligatory service. Thus, surpassing me.” Sokram shrugged, knowing it wouldn’t take long given their talent.

This bit of information, however, stunned them back into silence; reaching the Reformed Level in less than two years would be an astounding feat.

But they also realized that living like that, being a hunting team under his lead, also had an expiration date.

That day, they rode until dark and then stopped to set up camp.

The usual chatter was gone, replaced by unease and dread.

Sleep avoided them until Sokram subtly slipped a sleeping agent into their stew, ensuring they would be well-rested for the day ahead.

His intention wasn’t just to help them, but also to prepare himself for what he was sure was coming.