Feral Beast Master: A Gamelit Adventure, page 5
*Confusion*
The Lashkivore perched on a broken table with its head tucked under its wing, but as he approached, a tail uncurled. A tail covered in razor sharp scales, that swelled out to an orb with a face like a monkey. The eyes on the tail flashed golden and it shrieked, a cry that echoed though the zoo.
Kaden swung his hammer overhand, smashing the tail-head in a single blow.
The Lashkivore leaped up, wings spread as though it would fly away, and fell to the ground, thrashing. Kaden stomped on the smashed tail and pinned it down. “Get in there and stab it, Eve!”
She jabbed back and forth like she’d never even killed a man, until at last a fleck or three of blood rose up.
“We woke up the others,” Trella said. “Make that one dead.”
Sara’s Horror clamped down on the end of the Lashkivore’s beak, then slowly advanced, until the teeth at the tip pressed against the bone of its skull. Maybe it was shrieking, maybe it was screaming, all Kaden was sure of was that once it was dead, the silence was blessed.
Before he could move, a Lash launched itself from the storeroom—only to veer sideways, a dagger caught in its chest. This one, Kaden hit along the tail.
[Brutal Blows] has inflicted a temporarily crippling injury.
“The tails are super sensitive. But we need them for the bounty,” he added for Sara. Letting the Horror eat one would be like feeding it silver coins.
“Just got an edged weapons skill,” Eve said, stabbing with the fury of a drunken grandmother denied her bingo bounty. “Bleed, you bastard.”
“Two more!” Trella [Shadow Step]’d back behind Kaden. He swung at the right one, catching it in the chest. The other’s tail wrapped around his arm, then before he could react, whipped off, uncoiling around his arm.
[Fortress of Stone] didn’t stop the white-hot agony, as the jagged scales cut so deep flashes of white showed. Kaden couldn’t help screaming, or falling to his knees. Without the resistance, he probably would have been unconscious.
In the blink of an eye, Sara stood atop him, one pseudopod clamped on a Lash’s left wing and one on the other, while she slashed at the head with her short swords.
“Hold still.” Eve pushed a potion to his lips. “Life Harvest has almost no cooldown, but the potion will work quicker.”
Kaden held his wounded arm, rocking back and forth as he gripped it, until the magic began to knit flesh back together. The agony became white hot fire, then dull pain, then, over moments, less and less. But the arm still tingled and barely responded. “What about the others?”
“I shut the door,” Trella said, checking his arm. “You sure this is the right amount of danger?”
“Yes.” Kaden spoke before she could. “That didn’t go well because we didn’t know what they’re capable of. Rocky wouldn’t even notice that tail. So we stick to the plan. One at a time, let Rocky take the hit, and cut the damned tail off before we deal with the body.”
“Let’s take a break before we do.” Sara handed him a bottle of water. “Eve, how are you holding up?”
“Peachy. Always Peachy.” She stopped [Life Harvest] and stepped back. “Life Harvest works better when there’s blood for it to work from, and that was a ton of blood.”
The next time, they stuck to the plan. Trella let one—and only one—out of the back room. Rocky was waiting with a landslide smash. This was less part of the plan and more Rocky’s default reaction to almost any surprise. Sara used her horrors to clamp the base of the tail and her swords to hack at it.
And the damned Lash died.
As Sara chopped the tail head off and stored it, Kaden couldn’t help a laugh.
“How’s the arm?” Eve asked.
He hefted his hammer. It still felt like the skin was too tight. “Only one way to find out. Pull!”
Killing the next three Lashes cost them the better part of the day, because the second one chose to ignore the Rock Gobbler and instead attack Sara. Even after she passed out from the brutal saw effect of the tail, her Horror continued to attack anyone who came near, including, to his surprise, Kaden. When Eve finally managed to heal Sara enough to regain consciousness, the Party needed a break. And Kaden took the opportunity to charge straight into the storage room, smashing the last Lash before it could unfurl its wings.
Though this was what he imagined.
A party to back him up in battle.
Money for food, a room where water didn’t freeze at night.
The finest things in life.
With the winter dark coming earlier every day, they cleared the building, cut off the tails, and beat a hasty retreat, leaving a pile of dead Lashes in a fountain filled only with snow. Each was worth fifteen silver, but they voted: The silver would be used for more potions bought at the Adventurer’s Guild rate, fresh Salve.
Kaden cut off a single Lash tail at the base of the bird’s body and delivered it to Eve. She put it into Inventory with a grimace. “Thank you. I’ll get estimates from a Crafter tonight.”
“Estimates on what?” Sara asked.
“A whip. I want to be the one shredding,” Eve said.
For the slightest moment, Kaden was certain he understood why the bright and shiny goddess of Healing had passed on Eve. His arm still hurt where the skin had been torn apart. But when he got back to the Adventurer’s Guid, the desk clerk flagged him down. “Got a message for you.”
It came from the crafter he’d hired to repair his hammer.
You need to come see me immediately. There’s a problem.
6
SIX - FAILING MEMORIES
Kaden left the others to order food, as dinner at the Guild was almost always edible, and headed up to the crafting floor. With Vip by his side, he made his way through leather workers and chefs, alchemists with long lines and blacksmiths hard at work.
The Crafter’s expression did not read as friendly when Kaden approached. He didn’t offer a weapon, or anything. “You trying to ruin my reputation, friend?”
Anyone who called you ‘Friend’ was probably not one, in Kaden’s mind. “No. You want to explain what’s wrong?”
“This.” He reached into Inventory and dropped something on the counter.
The Warhammer head no longer sported rust, but instead, black dots throughout the gleaming steel lay where there had been rust. Each sat in an indention in the metal, and concentric ripples ran out from them. The mana core socket now sat empty, and the rotten handle had been driven out.
Kaden picked up the hammer and ran his hands over the dimples. “What are those?”
“You really don’t know? I had nine blacksmiths over here and a Metal Mage arguing this morning. We think it’s Chronosium, but that stuff is as rare as goblin courage. And why in all ten hells would you put it in a hammer? It’s usually used to make vorpal swords. Weapons that defy time or let you move faster. This ain’t that.” The Crafter took a small copper hammer from inventory and tapped the WarHammer head.
The metal rippled for an instant, the concentric rings swimming.
Which had to be an illusion.
[Remembrance of Battle - War Hammer]
You hold the remains of a weapon of old, praised and cursed in song. Its might is lost to the depths of time, but even now, it understands that legends are always forming. That new conflicts might allow it to dip into the well of history. And that once more, it might ring out in battles. Perhaps oblivion can wait.
Kaden touched the metal and assured himself it wasn’t moving. But the axe head wasn’t sharp. “Is there something wrong with the metal?”
The crafter looked around to see if anyone was watching. “No. The damn thing won’t take an edge. It sharpens, but then as soon as the pattern stops moving, it’s as dull as it was before. There’s cursed axes like that, which is why I suspected you were trying to set me up.”
“Put a handle on it,” Kaden said. “Make sure it’ll hold up. What kind of core do I need for it?”
The Crafter turned it over, tracing the pocket in the hammerhead. “I don’t think it much cares, but I’d suggest avoiding Death Mana or Chrono Mana. Death because weapons that use it tend to spray or spread or poison and you don’t want a blast of death mana coming out. Chrono because this thing is already doing strange things with time. Anything else will probably work. The hammer’s effects will change based on the core.”
“What would a Rat mana core do?” Kaden asked.
“That’s disgusting. If you find out, don’t tell me. I’ll have your hammer ready tomorrow morning. I know exactly what I want for the handle.”
“You said a few days.” Kaden watched the troubled look on the man’s face.
The Crafter studied the hammer again. “I don’t like this thing. I don’t feel good with it sitting there, I get uneasy with it in my Inventory. The sooner it’s in your hands and not mine, the better.”
“Tomorrow morning, then.” Kaden headed back toward the stairs—and froze, as Vip came trotting by with another wand in his mouth. “Take it back.”
*No. Too slow!* Vip sprinted away, disappearing into the buildings.
Kaden pulled on the Soul Binding, dragging Vip into his soul, and left before trouble could come looking for them both. But when he returned to the bar where his party ate, an exodus was already in progress.
Adventures were less like adults and more like children, Kaden decided as he watched the first floor of the guild empty. The first heavy snow of the year had hit without warning, leaving the weather mages flummoxed and explaining repeatedly that this must be divine intervention and not human mistake.
Rocky would be miserable. Vip took one look at the snow and turned and sprinted for Eve’s lap. Trella and Kaden had spent far too many cold nights to appreciate the winter, but Sara stood outside in the bitter wind, letting the Horror’s pseudopods sample the air.
“She enjoys that way too much.” Trella said, handing Kaden a cup of cider. “And Eve—I swear she’s like a rich orphan. How can the woman have everything and experience nothing? I gave her a cup of cider and I’m fairly sure she’s never made that sound when she was with a man.”
Kaden didn’t smile. He’d been wrestling with dark thoughts ever since the Lashes. “I killed a man. A thief, on my Holding. He was trying to kill me. And I hadn’t thought about him until tonight. When did I become the man who could forget something like that?”
“Do you want to know if I killed anyone?” Trella asked. “Triss told you the truth. We don’t have to kill to advance, like Assassins. But we sure as hell can.”
Would it make a different to him?
Not at all. “How did you get into my room last night?”
“Stole your access gem, like, twenty seconds after you got it.” Trella shifted closer to him. “You know what the hardest part of being in Shadowvale was? Being alone. The Sisters were quick to teach me that I had a right to food. A right to be warm. Value beyond what I could do for the Sisters.”
“Really?” Kaden had to learn those lessons slowly.
“Are they cruel? Yes, at times. Do they kill people? Also yes. But they let each Sister choose how far into the dark we walk. The Saint’s Hall never gave us that choice. And some of what they taught me, I don’t think I’ll ever be rid of.”
Kaden thought of sleeping alone in the storage room at Beast Control.
The nightmares. He took her hand and held her closer. “Tomorrow, I have an idea. You think that shadow of yours can lure the Lashes to us?”
“Maybe. I’m not supposed to get [Shadow Servant] until at least level twenty five, so mine is weak. Senior Sister’s can and does serve her tea. But mine could be a lure.”
“Sara’s title makes us regen mana faster. And I have mana dart at level three. If I’m constantly feeding you darts and we’re both regenerating?” Kaden waited.
And Trella began to smile. “You know, [Shadow Servant] gets stronger based on how often you use it. I might be able to make mine useful.”
“I’m heading to bed. You coming?” He held out his hand.
And she took it like always.
Morning was for breakfast indoors and avoiding the six inches of snow and the biting wind, and morning was for restlessly pacing while Kaden waited for seven and the Crafters floor to light up. While a few emergency crafters worked the night shift, most of them shut down in the evening and opened a few hours after dawn. Last night, Sara had woken everyone on the floor looking for her room with a massive barbarian in tow, and this morning, she seemed content to wait for the crafters with only a prim smile on her face.
At last, the fairy lights clicked on, and Adventurers milled up the stairs, down the stairs and onto the Crafting floor. Sara insisted they pick up the Alpha hide first.
The tailor woman welcomed them into her shop, absolutely gleeful. “Oh, I could hardly sleep last night. We had so many debates. Anything like this, the key is to use as much of it as possible intact. The vote was seventy one in favor of a beast cloak. The head of the wolf would pull down like a helmet! It’s a classic look.”
Sara elbowed Kaden. “I swear, if you start laughing wickedly, you’ll never see me coming.”
“Hell no,” Trella said. “I’ve never seen anyone who could pull it off. There was this guy, he had a pig head he’d pull down, and then he’d squeal while he stabbed people. And don’t even get me started on the Raccoon King. Tell me you did not do the beast cloak.”
“We did not.” The Crafter lady crossed her arms. “Instead, we made this.”
She opened a box and pulled out robes. The most beautiful robes Kaden had ever seen. They glistened like the new snow outside, looking wet. Ice Mana glimmered in the fur. “It’s kept the [Frost Armor] attribute, and it simply won’t get dirty. We’ve tried. You have a mage? Or a Healer?”
Eve looked to the others. “Are you saying…it’s mine?”
“No, I’m saying Kaden will rock the robe look. At least you aren’t going to be shivering,” Sara said. “Go try it on.”
A few minutes later, Eve emerged.
If Kaden hadn’t seen her and heard her, he would have believed a Priestess of Varun stood before him. For that matter, Queen Bruna had the same dark blue eyes and brilliant blond hair, but if you ignored [Majestic Presence] and her gown being made of pure mana and the fact that she was a hundred levels higher, and…ok, it didn’t matter. If he’d had the robes made for Eve, they wouldn’t have looked better.
And afterwards, they headed to a weapons crafter, where Eve collected a simple commission. She paid a necromancer to strip the flesh from the Lash’s tail and reanimate it into a living whip. “Now, I don’t have a skill with whips. Yet. But we’ll see who chews up who today.”
Kaden stopped by his [Crafter] and found the man sitting, bleary eyed, his chin covered in stubble and his hair wild.
“Finally.” The Crafter said. He reached under the counter and pulled out a weapon that only tangentially resembled the wreck Kaden bought. The axe edge was still dull as butter, but the handle—it was pure bone, pale white with glittery strands of black and white mana in a mesh over the surface. “That’s Titan bone. We made a spear from one and had that left over. If you can break it, you’ve probably shattered the world. Now please, take it away. I can’t sleep with this thing here. It feels like…I don’t know. Just take it.”
[Remembrance of Battle - War Hammer]
Every day, new legends are being sung into the world. This weapon carries their echos, drawing from the past to make a future where it is once more feared and revered. If there is to be oblivion, let your foes enter it first.
Effects: Special, varied.
Seek out previous wielders to learn how to use this weapon’s abilities! Previous wielders: Traugma, [Hellscaper] (Dead). Mascasius, [Reaper] (Very Dead). Gleb [Terror Gnome] (Completely Dead), Malkoriathorax (Dark Lord) @#!==__ERROR_HISTORY_LOST.
Kaden hefted the hammer and put it into Inventory, then turned to look at his party. “I need to make some silver. How about we head to the zoo and teach the Lashes a lesson?”
“Sir!” The Crafter called. “I forgot this. It was the wedge holding the handle in the hammer. It’s not evil, like the hammer, but it’s not mine.”
He set a small blade, the length of man’s hand on the counter.
It had no handle other than the general shape. It had no guard. The double edged knife twisted from the handle all the way to the tip, and small jagged hooks covered the edges.
[MortalBlade]
When you absolutely, positively have to make sure they are dead. This weapon can only do damage when your mana is full. This weapon will sacrifice all your mana to deliver a mortal blow that leaves your target with one HP and unable to heal. You do not meet the requirements to use this weapon: Class, [UnAliver].
Kaden tucked it into a pocket. It wasn’t the sort of weapon he wanted to sell, and Trella was a [Shadow Blade], not whatever an [UnAliver] was.
The Zoo, and Experience, and Silver were calling.
This time, they worked with confidence, clearing the solitary Lash that had nested in the building from yesterday, which was some kind of gift shop. Then they located a small nest of Lashes across the street, and tested Trella’s Deception.
It punched a Lash and then fled across the street, melding into darkness as soon as it could.
“Regenerating,” Trella called. “I’m down twenty mana and using it again will cause the mana penalty, it’ll take everything.”
Kaden hit her with a mana dart, summoned another and handed it over, because here came the Lash, waddling on wide legs, its wide wings acting as a hinderance, and its tail lashing behind it as it looked for an enemy.
As it hit the doorway, Kaden summoned Rocky, nearly dropping him on top of the Lash. Instead, the tail-head latched onto Rocky’s armor, then recoiled, throwing sparks. Rocky grunted in displeasure and chomped down.
But his armor had barely a scratch.
And as it stepped into the darkness, Kaden met it with Remembrance. It actually hurt to swing the hammer, it weighed so much, but the sick crunch as it impacted the Lash’s skull was pure pleasure. “Eve, hit it” Sara called.
