It turned out that having armor crafted was surprisingly easy in the city–and most major cities for that matter–given the number of Hunters and variety of monsters they had to prepare for. Ethan had delivered his terrorvermis leather almost a week prior along with a handful of Dusk rank coins, then been fitted and kicked out all within ten minutes.
He’d picked up the armor today, and was luxuriating in its fit and strength. It was still impressively flexible, having been made from a coiling worm. Additionally, its own natural toughness was enhanced with metal studs, as well as harder, cured pieces. Ethan could move more easily than ever, and was incredibly grateful to finally be rid of the hand-me-downs he’d received from the palace.
He soon reached the Hunter’s guild, and consulted with Tomo upon taking in the wide wall of Notices. “What do you think?” Ethan asked.
The demon shook his head. “I don’t see any monsters that I recognize with the Mystic Affinity. We will need to return at another time for an ability that will help with the duel.”
Ethan sighed, still running his eyes over the notices. “Okay, then back to our other major goal. I still need to work toward the thunder drake, but in the fight with the terrorvermis, I felt like my power set wasn’t quite right.”
Tomo nodded. “You have what you need to fight like an Assassin, but only the bare minimum. We’ve ensured you can deal damage, survive a direct encounter, and get to safety. With smaller targets that should be more than enough, but sustained damage will be important against the drake.”
Ethan leaned back against the wall, letting his eyes drift over the other Hunters as he considered his powers. Sustained damage was apparently the norm in Viridus. Most of who he looked at tended toward the more basic archetypes, like vanguards and archers. Take damage, deliver damage, repeat. Even skirmishers like Prince Calevaro were a little rare, often ending up more like Glenn, with a big weapon that was both offense and defense.
“Okay, great big lightning attack is still reserved for Flare, and [Internal Combustion] is already a sustained damage dealer. We need at least one more Mystic ability to be illusion-based, which leaves one slot available. How does your Affinity do with sustain?”
“Poorly,” Tomo confirmed. “At best we’re likely to find an ability that can work for a large opener or finisher, but Mystic is better suited for support.”
“Okay, that leaves Dimension. What do you think?”
Tomo tilted his head, as if listening for a long moment. “Deevee is oddly excited. The hydra is convinced it can help, but I am no expert in the monsters of this region, and I did not see any more that I know possess the spark of Dimension.”
Ethan grumbled. “I really need a Hunt. I haven’t heard from the palace since the feast, and I’ve been training for days while my arm healed. I need to be back out there, I need to be moving forward.” He pulled up his status on the Mad System.
Ethan Bishop
Class: Assassin
Rank: Dawn (Dusk Rank: 5%)
Familiars:
- Devee: (Dawn Rank 2: 01%)
- Revan: (Dawn Rank 1: 87%)
- Onitomo: (Dawn Rank 3: 12%)
Attributes:
- Mind of the Devourer: Dawn Rank 2
- Body of the Guardian : Dawn Rank 1
- Soul of the Mystic : Dawn Rank 3
Abilities:
Dimension: (2/4)
- Rift (Dawn Rank 4: 14%)
- Dimensional Mantle (Dawn Rank 1: 16%)
Flare: (2/4)
- Volatile Infusion (Dawn Rank 3: 21%)
- Internal Combustion ( Dawn Rank 2: 75%)
Mystic: (2/4)
- Trick of the Light (Dawn Rank 3: 2%)
- Many-Faced Blade (Dawn Rank 2: 81%)
Ruin: (2/4)
- Knife in the Dark (Dawn Rank 2: 56%)
- Fleeting Shadow (Dawn Rank 1: 53%)
- Gain 3 more abilities to unlock!
- Gain 6 more abilities to unlock!
Ethan was making steady progress, but he only had half of his abilities unlocked, which he knew was slowing him down. Tomo was quick to remind him that making the wrong choice could limit him for lifetimes, but for someone still struggling to survive the next year, it was cold comfort.
“Alright, there’s dozens of notices here. One of them has to be capable of Dimension abilities–if that stupid mud dinosaur could do it, it can’t be the only one. We need to talk to a local expert on monster abilities. You know who I bet has heard a story or two?”
“Selina does seem strangely fond of stories. She is quite unlike most of the Nator my master encountered. Being possessed of strength so far beyond the other races tends to lead them down very specific paths in life. They are typically soldiers or laborers, seldom scholars. And certainly not quite so…”
“Bubbly? Selina is definitely bubbly,” Ethan said.
“She is quite exuberant for a Nator, yes. But she is also very well-studied.”
“Well, she’s usually home for lunch around this time, let’s go for a visit.”
A short time later Ethan was walking around the Runemistress’s house to reach the spacious backyard. In the weeks they’d been meeting up he hadn’t learned too much practical rune knowledge, but he had gotten to know the unusual red woman, and come to enjoy her company. There was so much seriousness in this world, from the Church, to the royals, to the Hunters, sometimes it was nice just to be around somehow who seemed to love life.
“Selina!” he called, following the sounds of small explosions.
“Oh dear,” he heard her say, and an even louder explosion echoed out as he came around the corner of her small home. As was often the case, the tall woman had been practicing with Rune Magic, and several of the dummies were already smoking.
“You’re really giving those sound-dampening runes a workout today,” he said.
Selina was slightly scorched from a spell gone wrong, but a bright white smile split her ruby red face when she saw him. “Ethan! I think I figured out a method to combine two elements. Thus far it only results in terrible eruptions of power, but those can be useful.”
“No argument here. You okay?” he asked. Truthfully he’d gotten used to seeing her with any number of self-inflicted rune injuries, but asking always felt polite.
“Oh nothing to worry about,” she said. She turned back to her table of runes, and Ethan winced when he saw that her upper back was totally exposed, the robe burned away and the sanguin flesh beneath was slightly discolored. Thankfully it revealed a regeneration rune that he knew she put to considerable use, despite her Nator constitution.
“I’m afraid I don’t have time for a lesson today,” she said, turning back to him. “The Guild requires my services. How’s your arm?”
“Almost back to normal,” Ethan said with a smile. “And I don’t need a lesson today actually, I was hoping you might have heard a useful tale or two.”
If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
Selina brightened. “I do love tales! I even have a tale about a Hunter with a tail, but it has a surprisingly grim ending. What are you hoping to hear?” The Runemistress has been collecting stories from active Hunters for years, and Ethan suspected he knew why.
“I need to find a monster that’s been seen using Dimension abilities. I know there aren’t supposed to be any full Dimension Affinity monsters in Viridus, but just the potential should be enough.”
“Deevee is getting a new ability?” she said, displaying her typical enthusiasm. “Maybe I can help. Let’s see…” She began tapping a finger to her lips, her braids bouncing against her horns slightly. “Litha beasts? No, that's light energy…What were those damned things called…”
Ethan raised an eyebrow. “On to something?” he prompted.
“Yes. Maybe? Yes,” she said, still tapping. “The problem is Hunters don’t just say ‘oh I fought a fuddlebutt today and it shot Dimension thorns at me’.”
“Fuddlebutt?” Ethan asked.
“Oh it’s real, though that’s not its proper name. If you see one, you’ll know. By the smell. Never mind. I think I know what you need. Have you seen a quickcervus before?”
“I think I’ve seen the notices. Antlers, white fur, short tails?”
“That’s them! They’re not very powerful on their own, but they’re a herd monster. A Hunter named Freely saw one with glowing hooves that seemed to cut through anything. He lost a valuable shield blocking it. It’s a rare sub-Affinity though, you’ll likely have to Hunt quite a few.”
Ethan smiled. Sub-Affinity was apparently what it was called when a monster could use abilities beyond their own primary type. Just one of the many things he’d picked up from his lessons here. Still, he ached to use combat Rune Magic, knowing it would open a whole new world of magic for him.
“That’s good enough for me, thanks Selina!” he said.
“No trouble!” she said, then began packing up. Ethan looked at the many Monster Gems she was putting into her inventory, then decided to test a theory.
“One more thing, I’m going up against a thunder drake soon. Any tips?” he asked innocently.
She shot back up from the table, finger tapping once again. “That is a dangerous beast. I’ve heard from a number of Hunters who’ve fought one, but only a few who’ve actually seen one defeated.”
“They’re that powerful?”
“Lightning monsters are always challenging, unless you’re uniquely suited for it. Metal weapons and armor can be a hindrance instead of a help, and simple things like standing too close to a team member can result in both of you getting fried.”
“That’s definitely a problem. Anything else?” Ethan asked.
“Well the thunder drake specifically is quite the beast. It’s big, fast, and strong, with special attacks. That almost never happens at Dawn rank, some people even call it the ‘Little Dusk’ for that reason. Definitely a team fight.”
“That’s concerning. So if I had a group preparing to fight one, what would you suggest?”
Selina immediately started examining her pile of gems, as if for inspiration. “Well there’s a number of things that could help, though it won’t be easy to get them all. You’ll want protection from lightning, of course. [False Affinity] is pretty useful there, it can make one element affect you as if you were another, like making yourself temporarily water-y when fighting a fire monster.”
She started counting things off on her fingers, while moving gems around. “Something else to keep the weaker members alive–that’s you I’m afraid–maybe [Displacement Shield]? Stronger than direct defensive spells, but it shifts the damage to another team member. Then something else to slow it down, maybe something to weaken its hide…”
Ethan grinned, watching Selina shift her Gems around, lost in thought. “Keep thinking about it, okay?” he said, while heading back to the street.
“Will do!” she called out happily, still sorting.
“Oh and Selina?” she looked up, seeming confused that he wasn’t next to her anymore. “Change your robe before work.” She seemed even more lost, looking down at the front of her robe, which was undamaged. Ethan chuckled. “Trust me.”
***
Ethan stood in front of the notice board once again, looking down at the note for quickcervus. “This could be a problem,” he said.
“Can more than one Hunter accept the same Notice?” Tomo asked.
“Definitely. Otherwise one team could just claim them all, and the whole system falls apart. This though…” He looked at the name that was on the notice. Stalker. The mysterious Hunter was still the only individual contributor with a real presence on the Tournament leaderboard. Ethan looked up, seeing that the Firehearts, Brightsouls, and Firstblood teams were still leading by a large margin, all sitting near 2000 points.
“Stalker has over six hundred points on his own. I’m not sure how cool he’ll be with me joining him. The terrorvermis put me over two hundred, but some people don’t love to share.”
“Are you truly interested in the points?” Tomo asked. “If he is a fellow Hunter, he may respect your desire to simply learn a new ability. It is a unifying goal for all Bonded.”
Ethan nodded. “Well there’s only one Notice for this type of monster, and I’m not ready to give up the opportunity. Not with Deevee so excited. Let’s go make friends.”
***
The Hunt was in the forest to the North of the city, not far from where Ethan had killed the bug that exploded all over him. There had been multiple sightings of the quickcervus herd–as they were known to invade farming communities to devour the vegetation, farmers were quick to make reports.
Ethan didn’t have much trouble finding the herd, even with his limited tracking abilities. They tended to run close together through the woods, leaving countless hoofprints. All he really had to do was check the nearby sources of water, then follow the freshest trail to a small clearing. In front of him the pack grazed on wild grass, unaware of his presence.
He was perched on a large boulder, downwind–which he was a little proud of–trying to plan out his attack. The pack could easily flee into the woods to the left or right of Ethan’s position, but thankfully there was a steep, rocky hill across from him that made things a little easier. The source of his frustration, however, was that he couldn’t tell which–if any–of the creatures might possess the desired sub-Affinity.
He looked at the monsters, which didn’t seem much different from a collection of white deer, save that they all had antlers and were more heavily muscled. He briefly shifted his vision into the Astral, hoping there might be some way to differentiate the creatures in that world. Unfortunately, If there was, he wasn’t capable of it, though he wondered what new insights Dusk might bring some day.
“Are you hoping they’ll get bored and kill themselves?” a woman whispered behind him, and Ethan spun around in shock. It was an Elven woman with jet back hair, and sleek leather armor that blended well with the forest–unlike his own red and black. She was squatting easily behind him on the boulder, bow over her shoulder.
“Cara?” he said in surprise, barely remembering to keep his voice down.
She nodded once. “You’re alive. And stealing my Hunt,” she said in a neutral tone.
Ethan grinned back. “I’m alive, and…mostly intact,” he said, thinking about the scars that still pained him when he used his abilities. “And I was here first, Stalker.”
Cara Fletcher smirked at the name. “I thought some anonymity might serve me well. I don’t know how informed Gunther’s bandits are, but until I’m ready to face the bastard again I don’t like announcing my location with every Notice I take.”
“Makes sense,” he said. Considering the man had shattered her spine, she was being fairly practical about the whole thing.
“Oh, and you didn’t get here first. I was just waiting until you left behind the knight before speaking to you. I still don’t understand your whole…” she gestured vaguely at him, “thing.”
He smiled again. “It’s a thing better discussed over drinks, but privacy was the right call. Glenn’s a good guy though, and I didn’t leave him behind. He’s waiting for my signal to rush the clearing, hopefully keep the herd from bolting in that direction.”
The Hunter sighed softly. “That is a plan,” she said, disapproval dripping from her tone. “But between the two of us I think we can do better. For the record I’d love to muscle you off of my Hunt, but I suppose I can donate a few points to your cause to make us even.”
“Even? You owe me forever and ever,” he said seriously. When she raised an eyebrow, he grinned. “If it weren’t for me, you never would have met Valanor, and promptly fallen in love with him.”
Cara snorted, shaking her head. “I guess I have a type,” she said dryly. “How about I pay you back by teaching you how to properly Hunt a herd.” She pointed at the left side of the clearing. “You need to start using your traps like traps. Those knives you were always throwing, it’s not a bad strategy to hurl explosives, but you’re wasting their potential.”
Ethan shrugged. “Putting aside how devastated I am that anyone would try to create a world with fewer exploding daggers, they’re kind of my only ranged attack at the moment.”
“And sometimes that’s what you’ll need, but you’re not using the ability to its full effect. At the very least that’ll slow its growth, but in situations like this, it’ll lose you the herd. You ever Hunted a herd beast before?”
“No, I suppose not,” he admitted.
“Most monsters just fight. Herds run. You have to convince them that fighting is the only option. You have the right idea by posting the knight, but we need to force them back toward the clearing from every direction.”
Ethan looked at the wide open stretch of forest that the white stag-like beasts could escape to. “So you think I should trap that side of the clearing? I’m always nervous about fire attacks in the woods.”
“Won’t be a problem in this forest, try to start a campfire with this wood and you’ll see why. For now just trust that you’ll burn up some dry leaves at best.”
“Fair enough. So that’s the plan then? Glenn charges in, the herd spooks and runs, my traps explode and send them back?”
“The knight won’t be enough alone, but I have some traps as well. I’ll start dropping the quickcervus from up here.” She unstrung her bow, then glanced at him. “Can you use that sword? I never did find out how you fight after becoming properly Bonded.”
Ethan grinned, and two wakizashis appeared in his hands. His right arm still ached, but he’d purchased a thick leather bracer for added support. “You’ll get to see today. Give me a chance to set my traps and we’ll start having some fun.”
She nodded as he faded from sight, dropping off the boulder soundlessly. As he crept through the woods, Ethan found himself getting excited. His last hunt had been a success, but it had also been a brutal back and forth and taken more strategy than power. These creatures weren’t like the stone worm he’d fought, and he was looking forward to putting his abilities to proper use.
It was time to be a knife in the dark.