Hermitcraft Season 7 Oneshots

Bloodlust

Word count: 1478 words
Trigger warnings: mentions of blood

This is an entry to MayaTheWatcher's 400 follower AU contest. It's also the prologue to a book that will come out in the future.

Enjoy!

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A hunter sharpened their blade against a pointed rock, the silver blade in their hands gleaming in the moonlight. The huntsman was in search of a creature, some sort of monster that had been terrorizing the local village.

Tucking their sword away, the hunter stood up after taking a moment to rest on a fallen tree. They glanced to the sky, the moon was at its highest point, meaning that monsters would be roaming the dark forest for their unsuspecting prey.

They smiled to themself, pulling out a poster for the reward of the capture of the monster. 'This'll be too easy, just another bounty to collect.' The hunter thought, though they couldn't help but wonder what creature they were hunting. The poster didn't say.

'Maybe a werewolf?' They began to wonder while walking through the woods, reaching for a glass bottle that was attached to their belt. It was filled with a sticky red substance, goat blood, to be exact. They uncorked the bottle, pouring a puddle of blood to attract any nearby monsters.

The hunter chuckled, monsters were too stupid to realize that they were walking right into their death. 'This should be too easy, you've done it again, Iskall.' They thought to themselves, the Swede hiding in a bush of greenery and overgrown plants.

Iskall took off their crossbow, loading an arrow while waiting for the unsuspecting creatures to search for the scent of blood. It felt like an hour had past before the rustling of leaves alerted the hunter, causing their finger to instinctively hover over the trigger.

A man stumbled out of the bushes, seemingly lost in the forest. Iskall lowered their crossbow, but they stayed alert. Things weren't always what they seemed.

He had raven black hair that was slicked back, pale skin and dark eyes. He wore a fancy suit and red tie, as well as a long, black cloak with a hood pulled over his head. The man took a short glance around, pulling off his hood as he did so. Iskall quickly raised their crossbow again once they spotted the man's pointed ears. He wasn't human, but some kind of monster.

"I know you're here.." He called to the forest, the creature's ear slightly twitching. "I can hear your heartbeat. A-are you one of those hunters? I swear, I-I'm not trying to hurt anyone!"

Iskall's finger held the trigger while the monster slowly walked around in search of the hunter, and the moment the creature turned his back, they pulled the trigger. A silver-tipped arrow shot out of the bushes, the monster turning around and grabbing the arrow moments before it could pierce his skin. He snapped the arrow in half, the creature's eyes turning from a dark shade of chocolate brown to a deep crimson.

He threw the remnants of the arrow onto the ground. "Please, I don't want to fight. I just want to be left alone." The creature said quietly, his voice weak and tired. But Iskall didn't care. He was a monster, no matter what he said.

The Swede reached for their blade, pulling out their weapon as they leapt out from the bushes. They raised the silver sword over their head, the monster jumping out of the way to avoid getting a large slash through his chest, but he still managed to get cut on his arm.