Zhaire was bored. He hated waiting, hated planning, and hated scheming. He wanted to do something, anything but sitting around. The fight against the zombie parasite was amusing, and the champion was his first real challenge.
It had been several days since they had returned from that excursion, with Imri and Emelia spending most of their time pining over each other. Sylvi was the only other person who seemed to hate waiting as much as he did. Unfortunately, she was into planning everything before actually doing anything, not taking any risks.
To pass the time, he had some fun with Teresa. She was attractive and proved to be an enthusiastic partner. There was no cuddling or romance; it was two adults having transactional sex, not that she didn’t seem to enjoy the transaction. She also wasn’t entirely defenseless; having been a former ballerina, she had been given a class called a dervish. She specialized in acrobatically weaving throughout combat, dual-wielding short swords with fluidity and grace. Zhaire decided she could have the level 12 core they had gotten from the champion, bringing her level from 1 to 3. He had gotten some glares for that, but when he glared back, the issue was dropped.
A few people had trickled into their camp, either escaping the city or encountering one of their sentries while wandering through the stone forest. However, the newcomers slowly stopped arriving, and the reason soon became obvious. Some of the last stragglers to join the camp had mentioned a large pack of doglike beasts pursuing them. It was the Ulfr Hounds, though it sounded like they had formed a large pack. They hadn’t bothered the camp and seemed to prefer stalking lone prey or small groups.
Zhaire had suggested they hunt the pack down. They could gain XP, cores, and food, all while keeping people from getting hunted. Most importantly, it would be something to do. Unfortunately, no one else saw it that way. Imri and Sylvi were still recovering from their injuries, though both were in good enough condition that it shouldn’t have been an issue. Emelia wasn’t much of a fighter, her only combat ability was to heal others and she was constantly going through her mana.
That left the Chixel, who had several capable fighters. Imri had explained what the five were. There was Ettes, a priest of some sort, but Imri hadn’t gotten them to divulge their capabilities. Srez was a skirmisher who specialized in hit-and-run tactics, the preferred method of Chixel combat that used their higher agility. Zathri was an enchanter, which Imri described as a sort of magical engineer, they weren't a fighter but had made a staff that anyone with mana could use. Basically, it was a magic staff that fired bolts of energy when activated. Zhaire wanted one since he had mana and nothing to use it on. Zathri had been willing to craft one for him but lacked the necessary materials. Apparently, almost every profession used cores, and as Imri had predicted, cores were the desired trade commodity. Their fourth member was also a crafter and an alchemist named Thrisk. He could recreate the potions they had been given by the system and at a higher quality. The camp still had a decent supply of communal potions, but they wouldn’t last much longer. They also needed cores and strange herbs that grew within the forest. The final Chixel was a mystery. Imri had tried to inquire about them, but Ettes had simply said they were an attendant for the priest. Zhaire suspected the mysterious fifth Chixel was capable, but Imri had been uncomfortable pressing the issue.
Zhaire decided to bring his idea to the Chixel, with Imri translating. Everyone needed more cores, but if they wanted humanity's help, they would need to contribute or leave. Emelia frowned at how he had phrased it, suggesting something slightly more diplomatic for Imri to relay. To Zhaire’s relief, the Chixel, especially Srez, were eager for a chance to be useful. The enchanter Zathri was also on board, albeit less excited about it, until it was made clear that Zhaire would be coming with. The group would also need to include Imri, who was more for his interpreting than his combat magic, but that was also welcome. Zhaire promised Emelia Imri would stay out of the thick of combat, if possible. His HP and MP hadn’t fully regenerated but were nearly full. The final member of their group was Teresa, with whom Zhaire was definitely okay having.
They set out as soon as they had replenished their packs. They had enough supplies for a couple of days, and everyone had several of each type of potion. None of them were true naturalists capable of tracking. Instead, they relied on the directions of the most recent survivors. They hoped that the Ulfr Hounds would take the bait, deciding their group was small enough to be easy prey. If they didn’t, it would simply be a boring hike through the forest, no great loss. It was certainly better than doing nothing.
“Doesn’t it feel good to stretch your legs?” Zhaire asked, patting Imri on the shoulder. The awkward mage was already breathing hard from the brief hours they had already been hiking.
“I suppose,” he said with a shrug.
“Do you trust them?" Zhaire asked, not giving the Chixel any hint they were talking about them.
“For the time being. They made themselves rebels and outcasts, and they needed allies. If a better opportunity presents itself, then we might be in trouble,” Imri explained.
“Wouldn’t we do the same?” Zhaire asked.
“Maybe. I get the sense that we are a more diplomatic species, and the Chixel are more violent and backstabbing. They’re used to plotting and scheming amongst themselves. I think the only reason they're going along with us is because they see us as ignorant monkeys who know nothing about the multiverse.”
“This is way over my head, and I’ll leave all that political bull shit to you and Emelia. I have yet to meet a problem that can’t be solved with brute force,” Zhaire said. Imri just shook his head. At least Imri was useful, unlike most of the elitists, who thought they were too good to work with their hands. Most of them would be dead before long, unable to adapt to a more demanding world.
They had left camp early in the morning, hiking all through the day. Unfortunately, the last sighting of the hounds hadn’t borne fruit, and now they simply hiked around, hoping they were a tempting enough target. They didn’t get too far from the camp, staying within a couple of klicks, not wanting a long hike back if they needed to return in a hurry. Zhaire began to feel a sense of disappointment when the sun started to dip below the horizon. That’s when they heard the menacing cackling of a creature stalking them. Several more cackles echoed throughout the stone forest in response, the entire pack they had been hoping for. It was hard to judge their exact position due to the strange way the sound traveled through the forest, but Zhaire was sure they were close. He smiled, sword at the ready.
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“Come get some,” Zhaire shouted in defiance.
The Ulfr Hounds didn’t immediately charge in. Instead, they circled nearby, cackling maniacally, hoping to cause fear. Zhaire just smiled; the strong didn’t need tricks to scare their opponents. Imri also seemed unaffected, and the Chixel were hard to read, but they at least had the good sense to hold their ground. Unfortunately, the sounds did unnerve Teresa, who visually trembled as the pack closed in on them. The cackling grew louder until it sounded like it was right on top of them.
The first came into view, appearing from around one of the stone trees. Zathri launched an attack, a bright bolt of blue energy shooting out from his staff. Unfortunately, the enchanter missed their mark, the bolt slamming harmlessly against the resilient tree. Zathri must have been on edge, as they had discussed waiting until the hounds were closer before attacking. More of the hounds appeared from every direction, surrounding them. Zhaire prayed that the others would manage to watch his back.
The hounds continued to circle, hoping to find a weak point in their formation. Zathri’s second blast struck true, the hound convulsing in pain. This signaled the start of the true fight, the Ulfr Hounds rushing in, snapping their jaws. Zhaire met them, his sword trailing down in an arc, meeting the closest hound's snout and cleaving its face in two.
The rest of the group didn’t fare as well. The Chixel and Teresa were agile skirmishers, and their strength wasn't in holding a line. They managed to avoid taking damage, but their formation was ruined. Zhaire cursed as several hounds rushed in immediately.
He suddenly felt the world around him slow slightly as they rushed him. He moved with alacrity, striking down several hounds easily as he managed to dodge and counter. A few bites connected, but when they refused to let go, Zhaire simply brought his sword down. They relied on bringing their foes down to the ground but could not bring someone as large as Zhaire down.
Just like that, the hounds were on the back foot, their numbers no longer a major advantage as their pack dwindled to Zhaire’s blade. Now, the skirmishing style of the Chixel and Teresa were no longer a liability, they went on the offensive. Srez struck with a spear before leaping back out of reach of the snapping hound. Another magic blast connected when a hound went to attack the warrior’s flank. Teresa also managed to regain her composure, lashing out with her dual shortswords in quick succession, fatally injuring another. Imri swung wildly with a machete, not managing to connect but keeping the hounds off him. For some reason, he left the strange black dagger undrawn despite it being his most powerful weapon.
As the pack neared annihilation, the final few hounds had the sense to flee. Zhaire managed to cleave another as it turned to run. The last couple of hounds escaped, fleeing into the forest and out of sight. None of them bothered to pursue, as they had culled most of the pack, making them far less of a threat to small groups or even capable individuals.
Zhaire smiled as the exhilaration of battle was replaced with the triumph of victory. As the adrenaline and Time Dilation spell receded, the numerous bites on his legs, which he had barely noticed during the fight, started to bleed and hurt. He ignored the pain and shouted victorious, the Chixel staring at him with what he assumed was a mix of fear and admiration. They had slain eight hounds, an incredible number but not enough to earn new achievements. He did have several system notifications that poured into his mind.
Quest Completed Progress Class Rank Up F to E Slay creatures 10/10
Linebreaker(1E) Primary Stats / Level Improvement From Previous Rank Strength .25% +.05% Agility .15% - Constitution .15% - Willpower .05% +.05% Secondary Stats / Level HP .25% +.1% FP .2% +.1% Attack Efficiency .45% +.15% HP Regen Rate .15% +.15% FP Regen Rate .1% +.1%
Trait Learned Tier/Rank Description Combat Exhilaration 1F While others find the prospect of fighting daunting, you are exhilarated by it, allowing you to keep fighting longer. Improves all resource regeneration by 5% while in active combat.
Zhaire let out another cheer of triumph. One of his primary motivators for the hunt had been his class rank-up quest. He wasn’t sure how all the stats worked. Imri had tried explaining it, but it was all too complicated. All he knew was that he had gotten stronger, and if he kept doing that, he would be unstoppable.
They gathered the cores, having decided to save them for crafting items rather than directly absorbing them for levels. With that done, they set up camp for the night, deciding not to risk the journey while it was dark. Imri protested, not wanting to be apart from his girlfriend.
“A little time apart will do you some good. You wouldn’t want to be clingy,” Zhaire chided the lovestruck man.
“Why don’t you see if the Chixel need help?” Teresa suggested to Imri.
“I’m sure they are fine. I didn’t see any of them take damage,” he said, oblivious to the point.
“Imri, Teresa, and I would like some alone time,” Zhaire said, a bit more harshly than he had intended.
“Right. I’ll be over there,” Imri said awkwardly, practically sprinting away.
Teresa let out a girlish giggle at the mage’s antics and Zhaire’s impatience. “You could have been a bit more subtle,” she pointed out.
“I don’t do subtle,” he said, bringing the smaller woman to the ground.
“I see that,” she said with a coy grin as they undressed.