We Hunt Monsters, page 8
“To be fair, you are a vampire,” Jared said, turning and heading out the door.
“A vampire who has a bloodring,” the woman retorted, lifting a pale hand to reveal a crimson ring on her index finger.
“Bloodring?” Keith asked in an undertone while Jared and Cayla continued bickering.
“Vampires need to drink human blood to survive,” Bob said. “That’s why they’re generally feared on this continent. However, several decades ago, Guzzlarian the Glutton created the bloodring. In short, it suppresses the vampire’s bloodlust and allows them to survive by eating normal food.
“The Royal Guild gives them out for free, as vampires are good to have around. They tend to get racial bonuses to melee classes, and having powerful fighters in their debt is something the Royal Guild seems to like.”
“Guzzlarian the Glutton?” Keith asked, trying not to laugh.
“The most powerful alchemist in the world,” Bob replied. “A Sage.”
Ridiculous name aside, the man was extremely powerful. After creating an item like the Bloodring, he was likely to be influential as well. Keith would make sure to keep that in mind for the future.
“Hey, slowpoke, try and keep up,” Jared called, making Keith realize that he’d been lagging behind.
He sped up, mentally kicking himself for getting so distracted. He was just happy he hadn’t allowed it to happen in the field. Out there, even the smallest mistake could cost you your life, as he had discovered many times in the past.
11
“So,” Jared said as they exited the town, finding themselves facing a darkened landscape. “Anyone know how to track a monster?”
They’d exited on the opposite side of where they’d entered, so Keith was facing new terrain. They were still surrounded by mountains, but now, tall pines began popping up here and there, and the ground was a bit softer. When Cayla didn’t say anything, Keith decided to step forward.
“I can track,” he said. “Though I’m not very good at it.”
“Good enough for me,” Jared said. “I’m terrible at tracking, and for some bizarre reason, so is Cayla.”
The woman’s cheeks grew a bit red at that, but she didn’t say anything to defend herself.
“Come on then,” Keith said, taking the lead.
It felt strange, ordering these two around, especially seeing as Cayla was a higher level than him and Jared was likely to be the same. Still, with as much experience as he had commanding on the battlefield, he fell naturally into the role.
He slowly circled east, feeling the cold nipping at his cheeks and his breath steaming in the air. The cloak kept him warm and protected him from cold-related debuffs, but it didn’t do much to stop him from feeling the cold on the parts of his body it didn’t cover, like his face.
“How are you not bothered by this cold?” Keith asked, turning his head to the other two.
“We’re used to it,” Jared said with a shrug. “The weather is constantly cold here in the north. Even in the summer, it never really goes much above about fifty degrees.”
“Do they use the same unit of measurement for temperature as I did back home?” Keith asked his guide in a lowered voice.
Come to think of it, he’d been understanding people perfectly this entire time, which was a bit strange. The language barrier had been a big issue until he learned to identify the patterns in languages. Still, adjusting to a new world had always been a matter of years, not hours.
“The system is doing all that for you,” Bob replied. “With so many people from different cultures, races, and even worlds ending up in Raiah, no one would be able to understand anything if left to their own devices. The system actively works to translate everything that anyone says into a way you will understand.
“To you, they are speaking English and using a measurement of temperature you understand. But to them, you are speaking Raianese. It’s all very complicated, which makes me happy that I don’t need to think about it.”
“That monkey of yours is smart,” Jared said, butting in on their conversation. “Where can I get a guide like that?”
“I have a name, you know,” Bob said, turning to glare at the man. “And I am not an object to be won. I am a world guide and one of a kind!”
“There are quests that allow you to get your hands on one,” Cayla said with a sigh. “But you’d actually need to stumble into one, as only the system can give them out. The best places to find them would be in dungeons or on unique quests.”
“I’m sure we’ll run into plenty of those in this guild,” Jared said brightly.
“Why exactly did the two of you come to join up?” Keith asked.
“Adventure and glory!” Jared exclaimed.
“They’re the only guild that would have me,” Cayla said with a shrug. “How about you?”
“They’re the first guild I came across,” Keith said, also shrugging. “I liked what I heard, so I decided to accept the quest.”
“That’s the spirit,” Jared said loudly. “Diving into adventure headfirst. That’s so manly!”
Keith was about to reply when he felt a chill run down his spine. A flash of purple caught the corner of his eye, and he turned, spotting a shallow imprint in the hard-packed ground a few yards away.
“I think I found something,” he said, turning and heading away from the wall.
It seemed his Discerning Eye skill was even better than he’d thought. He’d only realized the track was there on a subconscious level, but the skill had then made him notice it. He would need to work on raising this up more, as it seemed to have many uses.
“Good eye,” Jared said. “I’m impressed.”
“I wouldn’t have seen that,” Cayla grudgingly admitted as Keith stooped to examine the track.
It was a rounded circle, with four smaller imprints set up as a square. Looking up, Keith could see the tracks continuing, outlined in clear purple and giving him a direction to follow.
“What type of monster is a basher?” Keith asked, deciding to get some actual information this time.
“Basher-types are about as dangerous as rippers,” Bob said. “However, instead of being fast and vicious, they’re slow and need a bit more instigating to rile up. The difference is their armor. While rippers are known for their massive damage-dealing capabilities, bashers are much harder to kill. They also deal crushing damage and can break bones more easily.”
Keith didn’t like what he was hearing. While the monster they were hunting would deal less damage, broken bones were far more dangerous than a few cuts by his estimation. Additionally, a tougher monster meant a longer fight, which meant more chances to become injured.
The sky began to darken as they followed the trail, and thunder rumbled overhead. Keith began to move a bit faster as the first freezing drop of rain hit his nose, not wanting the trail to be washed away.
It only began raining in earnest once they were under the cover of the pines, and by that point, the towering trees were protecting the trail.
Signs of the monster’s passing were becoming quite apparent now, with broken branches, patches of missing bark, and deeper gouges in the ground. Keith even found a few small stone chips, which Bob told him to put in his inventory.
“They’re stone scales,” Bob explained, “which tells me that this will be one of the scaled-type bashers, which is a good thing. The plate-armor-type bashers are much harder to kill.”
“I think we found our monster,” Keith said, having to speak up over the rain.
“Where?” Jared asked as he and Cayla stopped next to Keith beneath the branches of a tall pine as they tried to stay out of the rain for even a few seconds more.
“There.” Keith pointed to a massive boulder sticking out from between the trees.
It was covered in moss and slick from the rain. It overhung a bit though, leaving a dry area within. It was pretty dark out by now, thanks to the cloud cover, but Keith could see some movement, and when he squinted, he was able to analyze the monster.
Stone-Quake Basher
Level: 8
HP: 1,800/1,800
“It’s called a stone-quake basher, and it’s level eight,” he continued. “It’s got a massive health pool, though. A thousand-eight-hundred.”
Jared winced as Cayla pulled a glowing orb from her inventory.
“What’s that?” Keith asked, squinting against the light.
“An illuminator,” Cayla said. “Albeit a weak one. It’ll last about fifteen minutes, and I’ve only got one, so we won’t be able to take our time with it.”
“I’ve also got one,” Jared said. “But I’d rather not have to use it.”
“Cheapskate,” Cayla muttered.
“What’s an illuminator?” Keith asked.
“Just watch,” Bob said.
Cayla squeezed the white orb in her hand until Keith thought it would burst. Then, with a loud pop, the sphere turned a pale blue and the light increased exponentially. Cayla then cocked her arm back and hurled it upward.
It reached the top of its trajectory some twenty feet up, and strangely enough, remained lodged there, shedding light over the entire surrounding area.
“Remind me to buy a few of those when we return,” Keith said, realizing how useful an item this would be.
With the illuminator in the sky, he could clearly see the basher. It was around fifteen feet long and covered in black and tan stone scales. It reminded him of a massive lizard, albeit one with club-like feet and a head that resembled an anvil.
Small, beady black eyes appraised them, the monster narrowing them in displeasure. It clearly didn’t want to get up, though it did utter a threatening growl as they approached.
“Bashers are weak in the underbelly, eyes, and mouth,” Jared said, reading from a small book he’d pulled from his inventory. “Don’t try striking the sides, as it will do practically nothing, and avoid the legs and tail at all costs unless you’re using a blunt weapon.”
“Where did you get that?” Keith asked as the man tucked the book away and drew his daggers.
“Picked it up at the guild,” Jared said. “It wasn’t cheap. Even this basic book on monster lore cost me two small gold bars.”
Keith recoiled at the massive cost of such an item. That was the equivalent of two-hundred silver coins. Where had he gotten all that money?
“I could have told you that,” Bob muttered. “No need to go wasting money on an expensive book when you’ve got me.”
“So, how are we doing this?” Cayla asked, drawing her scythe.
Keith analyzed their situation with a practiced eye. He had centuries of combat experience, and now that he had a team with him and didn’t need to charge in without a plan, he could think things through. He leaned into his Tactician skill to see what it could do.
Purple lines appeared, tracing their way from them to the monster as phantoms of themselves began attacking. He visualized the fight from several different angles before he came up with the best solution.
“As far as I can see,” Keith said, “the first thing we need to do is pull that monster out of its shelter, or we’ll only be able to attack from one direction. I believe I have the best chance of not being hit, so I’ll try luring it out. Once I have, Jared will move to the underbelly, while Cayla will move in to take my spot and hold its attention.”
“And what will you do once I do that?” Cayla asked.
Keith grinned at that, a dangerous smile that had sent many enemies fleeing in terror.
“I’m going to kill the monster, of course.”
12
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Bob asked as Keith ran at the monster, cloak billowing out behind him.
“It’s the best we currently have,” Keith replied, his feet slapping the ground and sending up sprays of freezing water each time he did.
“Good luck then,” Bob said, then leaped off his shoulder, snagging one of the nearby tree branches and disappearing from view.
True to his nature, the coward had run away to hide as soon as the fight began, but Keith had already expected as much, so he wasn’t surprised.
The basher let out a snort as Keith circled around to its head and followed up with another threatening roar. Clearly, it didn’t want to have to deal with them right now. It was cold and wet, and the monster had a nice dry spot to wait out the storm.
Keith dashed right at the monster’s head, then used his Stonestance. His stamina bar dipped by twenty, and his skin took on a grayish hue. He locked his legs as he neared the monster, but he continued sliding forward, carried by the slick ground underfoot. Keith used this momentum to turn into a kick, his toughened leg slamming into the monster’s nose.
-12
Keith shoved back, leaping out of the way and avoiding the monster’s mouth as it lunged forward to bite him, its stony teeth slamming shut on empty air. Letting out a breath, he charged back in, halted for an instant to allow the monster to lunge, then spun around its head and drove an elbow into its eye.
-16
Unfortunately, the monster seemed quite capable of protecting its weak points, as it instinctively blinked, closing a stony eyelid right as his elbow impacted. The force of the blow barely budged the monster, but it seemed to aggravate it a bit.
Keith stepped back until he was pressed up against the sloping stone. The monster turned its head and lunged, and Keith spun to the side. There was a loud crack as the anvil-like head of the monster slammed into the wall, and Keith was gratified to see its health bar dip a bit more.
Still, despite that, the monster still didn’t seem motivated enough to stand, as it just lifted a hammer-like leg and swiped at him. True to Bob’s information, the monster was slow, so even a level three fighter like Keith could easily dodge the clumsy attack.
The basher rumbled out another roar as Keith moved in to attack again. His Stonestance wore off as he moved, so he decided to see what his Brutal Rain could do. In his mind, it sounded like an ordinary skill, something he could do on his own, but Bob hadn’t led him astray thus far.
His skill was activated, and his stamina fell by forty this time, but as soon as it activated, Keith could see that it had been well worth it.
His body was immediately outlined in a crackling blue light, and he lunged forward. He felt strength surging through his limbs as he delivered a crushing punch to the basher’s closed eye.
-34
There was a loud crack as a line appeared in the stony lid, a dark brown fluid leaking out from the crack.
The monster roared in pain this time and reared upward, slamming its head into the top of the lip. Keith continued moving, his body feeling like it needed to burn through the energy he’d just lent it.
With the basher having reared, it gave him a perfect shot at its pale underbelly, all of which was glowing purple, indicating a weak spot. Additionally, there was a spot of darker purple further down.
I’m not going to do it, am I? Keith asked himself.
His body moved as though of its own volition, and he unleashed three more brutal punches, committing himself to the course of action.
-106, Massive Critical
-110, Massive Critical
-128, Massive Critical
Stone-Quake Basher will never have children again. What kind of monster are you? Do you have no shame or mercy?
Stone-Quake Basher is Enraged, and I don’t blame him!
The crackling blue light faded from around his body as soon as the fourth punch landed, and Keith retreated from beneath the rock as the basher screamed in pain.
I’m really going to need to ask Bob about these strange messages from the system, Keith thought as he gave himself a moment to breathe.
He didn’t know what ‘enraged’ would mean practically, but he got the feeling that he’d successfully gotten the monster’s attention, as it rolled to its feet, eyes blazing in anger and locked right on him. With a roar, the monster charged out from under the rock, tail carving a deep groove in the wall as it did and showing him just how dangerous it was.
Going to want to avoid being hit by that.
“Now!” Keith yelled, hoping the others could hear him.
On cue, Jared and Cayla charged from within the cover of the trees, and Keith did his best to avoid being squished by the enraged monster. Jared got into position quickly, slashing at its underbelly and dishing out a nice amount of damage.
To his surprise, the man wasn’t doing nearly as much as he had just a few minutes ago. He was then reminded of his many skills that added a good deal to his overall damage output.
“Come on, rocky,” he called, taunting the monster. “You couldn’t hit me if you tried!”
He had no idea if it would work, but he figured it couldn’t hurt. The monster roared, then lowered its head and tried to ram him. Its head slammed into the ground as it charged, tearing up a furrow in the earth and sending a small mountain of dirt and stone flowing toward him rapidly.
Keith remained right where he was, taunting the monster. At the last second, he dove out of the way, though not quickly enough to avoid any damage at all.
-19 damage
Keith landed flat on his stomach, his legs having been caught by the mountain of dirt. However, the monster itself suddenly stopped, its charge arrested by the tree that it slammed into. There was an ominous cracking sound, followed by a loud groan.
A moment later, one of the tall pines slowly toppled back, only falling a few feet before its branches got tangled up in the other trees.
“You’re completely insane, aren’t you?” Cayla exclaimed as he finally reached him.
“Only a little,” Keith said, taking her proffered hand and getting back to his feet.
His legs twinged a bit, but aside from that, he felt that he should still be okay to run. The monster, oddly enough, hadn’t sustained any damage from that charge – Keith suspected that the dirt had cushioned it enough to avoid it completely. However, its HP continued dropping as Jared slashed away at its stomach.
