Matriarch of Monsters

There was something cathartic about a carriage ride. Maybe it was the bouncing from the wheels hitting the rough dirt. Or maybe it was the way that the world outside just seemed to fly by. Yes, both of those were very nice and calming things that one could experience inside of a carriage.

That calming experience was not very pleasant to Eric Holland.

"This is so boring! I want to run around outside hunting monsters instead of sitting in this annoyingly bumpy wooden box! Can we fight something Uncle?" Winston could only shake his head.

"Your impatience never ceases to amaze me Eric." Eric frowned.

"I don't care about some doctor's clients! I just want to go fight something! Like that wolf that we just passed. Or that one. Or that one!" Eric was now hanging out of the window pointing out everything he wanted to fight.

"Sit down!" Winston's stern tone told Eric that he should probably listen as he sat back down. "What happened to you Eric? You used to be such a calm child.

Sure you were a bit curious and excitable but those were good traits for a future spellcaster. Yet now you're..." Winston's eyes fell to Eric's bloodstained ritual knife.

"...bloodthirsty." The pair had been traveling for around a week now. They would occasionally find rest while passing through towns. During such times Eric decided to "indulge" himself at night. It was lucky that they always left before morning or they may have been locked within the cells of some no name town.

"It's the rune, Unc." Eric lifted his shirt revealing the ever festering wound engraved upon his stomach. "If I don't feed it often enough...let's just say something bad will happen." Winston's face scrunched at the boy's refusal to explain just what would happen.

"I understand that Eric. I'm not by any means blaming you for your urges. I just wish there were a better way for us to deal with that. Besides tearing into people in the middle of the night." Winston began to think but noticed that Eric seemed to look away when he finished speaking.

"Eric?" Eric cleared his throat.

"There may be...one other method...but it's really specific." Winston leaned forward. "Then tell it to me. If there is another method I will do my upmost to assist you with it." Eric hesitated.

"It's just..." 

"We've arrived!" Eric was cut off by the driver's voice. Winston peeked through the curtains at the head of the carriage. He beheld a sight that he was once a daily visual for him.

"Welcome to the Royal Capital of our great nation. Pesinwok!" Winston's eyes scanned across the outskirts of the city. He could not yet see all of it but the city was created over a large bite of land that slopped at several points. He could see the ocean from here but not the school that Eric would be attending.

Though the large palace that stood tall on an island of it's own did stand out quite a bit. A small smile of nostalgia arose on Winston's face. He had not been to this city in so long.

"Take us to the Seaside Residential District. I wish to show my nephew the school that he will be attending." The driver nodded and kept the horses trotting into the city. Winston returned to his seat only to see Eric sitting with his arms cross.

The man cursed himself as he realized that he had completely lost focus on his conversation with the boy. "Eric I'm so-" Eric shook his head. Laughing a bit as he did so.

"It's fine dude! I get it, you're excited to be in your old stomping grounds for the first time in seven years." Winston smiled a bit embarrassed that he had been thoroughly read by his nephew. "We'll finish talking some other time. I'm not in any sort of rush."

The two shared a comforting moment in the carriage. They had honestly never talked much before Eric moved down from the mountains. Hell, even while he was living with him Winston had been so caught up in his own work and Eric with his training that they had never really had the chance to actually talk.

'Was this perhaps in that girl's plans when she chose to walk?' Winston's mind wandered to a certain student that always seemed to bring him just a bit of confusion every time she spoke.

'I do hope you make it Ms. Deminal. I just know that you'll turn that school upside down with your talent and passion for magic.' Eric stared at the brightly smiling Winston with weird eyes.

'He must be thinking about something pretty weird.'

...

"Scrreee!" The ear shattering screech rang through the siblings ears for the third time that day.

"Just shut up you deviant! Man this freak is so annoying!" The youngest cried out. He was shooting his crossbow from afar injecting the tranquilizer serum into the monster with every injury.

"Says the one that doesn't even need to be close to it!" The sister called out poking their target from the ground with a spear.

"Excuse me! This is a mission not a who's struggling the most competition!" The eldest screamed. "And besides..." The man was currently trying to tie down the creatures wings whilst atop it.

"...I'm pretty sure that I would win it." The eldest brother, charred from the flames of the firebird, grabbed a rope with a hook on either end. Despite their struggle, the siblings efforts had not been in vain as their target had become incredibly sluggish from it's inability to land and the tranquilizer constantly being pumped into it.

After several minutes the eldest clipped each wing with a hook and pulled them tight sending the bird to the ground. The entire family was struggling to catch their breath now that the bird had been put out of commission.

"I hope...this stupid job pays well." The sister complained.

"I do too. If it doesn't then I gonna throw in the towel here because I can't keep doing these tough jobs for shillings and berries." The youngest groaned.

"Don't worry. We'll get a whopping 5,000 gold pieces from this baby!" The eldest explained to the rest. This perked them up slightly.

"Now! Let's go get paid!" The older brother cheered with his foot propped on top of the no longer ablaze firebird.

"YEAH!!"