Sylvi was in a foul mood as she tracked the Ulfr hound pack. The pack was staying well clear of their migratory march, making this excursion not entirely mandatory. However, Sylvi felt that a hunt was the best way to vent some of her frustrations. When the system notification came and she discovered that she had been 1 level short of meeting the progenitor requirement, it infuriated her. She put on a brave face and did her best not to be bitter as everyone congratulated Imri and Zhaire. Her competitive nature made it hard to accept that she was at the third highest level, especially when there were tangible benefits beyond just the levels.
Her arrow struck the pack leader, killing it instantly before it was even aware of Sylvi. When the notification entered her mind, she wasn’t sure if she should laugh or curse.
Sylvi Vesik has reached level 10 in Sharpshooter Ranger (1E) Sylvi Vesik has reached level 10 in Human (1F) Primary Stats Gained +1 Strength 107 Secondary Stats Gained +1 HP 124 +1 FP 157 +1 Attack Efficiency 182
The rest of the pack fled without a fight, and Sylvi decided not to pursue them. Despite her foul mood, she wouldn’t be wasteful. She dragged the carcass back to the camp, knowing they would be supplementing their diet with Ulfr hound for the next few meals.
Her mood brightened considerably as Caroline approached and smiled at her. She was carrying two bowls of oatmeal and handed one to her.
“I missed you this morning,” Caroline said quietly, a blush flushing across her cheeks. Sylvi smiled at her girlfriend, knowing this was more forward than she usually was, even if she had said it so only she could hear.
“I'm sorry. I just needed to clear my head before we began today’s hike,” Sylvi explained. Caroline nodded.
“It’s fine, but I had something I wanted to discuss with you,” Caroline said.
“Oh,” Sylvi said, raising a suggestive eyebrow.
“Not like that, I’m trying to be serious,” she complained, eliciting an eye roll from Sylvi. When Sylvi didn’t interrupt she continued. “It’s about those shadow tiger creatures that attacked you in the seagrass plains.”
“Seagrass plains?”
“I didn’t name it; that’s what everyone was calling it, except Imri, who is annoyed that everyone keeps naming things inaccurately. He’s calling it the Mana Storm plains. That’s beside the point. Those tiger creatures, do you think you could track down another one?” Caroline asked.
“Possibly, though I’m not entirely confident in fighting it. Do you need another core?”
“That wouldn’t hurt, but that’s not what I need it for. According to Thrisk, if I can make a sufficiently powerful elixir, I could trigger a heritage rank-up that would impart some of the monster's abilities. The more powerful the components used in the potion, the greater the potential gains. One of the primary reagents is monster parts, and I figured some component from the tiger would be far more effective than Ulfr hounds,” Caroline explained. Sylvi cursed inwardly, she had lamented the wasted parts of the first tiger she had killed, and now that loss was even more wasteful than she had originally thought.
“I’ll eventually track one down. It might not be till after we’ve reached the settlement,” Sylvi said, though she desperately wanted to go hunt one of those tigers this instant. However, she would never abandon her primary mission for selfish gains, she would get her opportunity eventually. She just hoped she wouldn’t miss another opportunity like the Progenitor achievement.
“There was something else I wanted to ask,” Caroline said softly, looking even more embarrassed than earlier. “It’s about me, I want to be able to help you more.”
“More than creating an elixir that will give me a powerful heritage rank-up. More than providing most of the camp with potions for every sort of resource regeneration,” Sylvi pointed out. She had spoken loud enough that several people were looking at them curiously when she mentioned the heritage rank-up. Sylvi blanched, knowing she had just caused her girlfriend a lot of unwanted inquiries in the near future.
“I know my alchemy is useful, and I’m glad I can help everyone, but that won’t help directly in a fight. I was thinking about trying to pick up a class, and you are one of the few people who have gotten both a class and profession,” Caroline explained.
“I’m not entirely sure how it works, to be honest, Imri would be able to explain it better. From what he told me, you can gain almost any class you can imagine, it's just a matter of having a clear passion and need. I’m guessing you have the passion and need part, you probably just need to become a little more focused on how exactly you're going to accomplish that,” Sylvi explained. Caroline nodded along enthusiastically, and Sylvi could already see the gear turning in her head. Caroline excused herself to go speak to Imri, who was one of the last to get breakfast, his eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep.
Sylvi caught up with Zhaire before he could resume his position as rear guard. She explained that she would be hunting another shadow tiger if they happened to spot one on the way to the settlement. She deliberately left out why she wanted it, knowing the man would squeeze her for any favors he could get. Instead, she played off his competitive drive, phrasing it more like a fun challenge than an insanely lucrative hunt. Predictably, it didn’t take much to get Zhaire to agree to help. She did not want a repeat of the last encounter with the shadow tiger where it had only been her and Avery, so she also secured help from Avery and a couple of fighters who typically tagged along with Zhaire. Five-on-one odds should allow them to achieve their objective with no casualties.
The remaining trek through the stone forest couldn’t come to an end fast enough. Fortunately, there didn’t appear to be any sign of pursuing Chixel and the Azala rarely strayed far from their hive. The Ulfr hounds also seemed content to leave them alone, though Sylvi knew there were more packs nearby, like the one she had ambushed this morning. The packs followed them in hopes that a straggler would fall too far behind, becoming easy prey.
On the fourth day, they reached the seagrass plains, the shooting star-like mana droplets glimmering through the sky. They took a short break to allow everyone some time to get sightseeing out of their system. There was still a tight schedule to keep, with little time to spare due to the one-week timer for the nexus placement. The food supplies were less of an issue, having been supplemented by hunting and gathering that they hadn’t counted on. It was for this reason that Zhaire had suggested he and a small group of the more physically capable make their way to the settlement site. This would provide the obvious benefit of Zhaire being the settlement founder, not Imri. The argument about who would create the settlement had been a hotly debated topic of conversation. However, Imri appeared to be the least interested, though he didn’t outright concede the honor to Zhaire.
The hike through the seagrass plains started well enough; the terrain was easier to traverse, and they covered distances far faster. Unfortunately, the terrain also proved to be detrimental. They no longer had the advantage of terrain blocking some of the possible attack vectors, but instead, attacks could come from any direction. When they stopped after the first half day traveling through, it quickly became apparent that several people who had been guarding the flanks of the column had disappeared. Avery shuddered at the news, visibly distraught as his worst nightmare became a reality. He had warned them that larger numbers would only be a disadvantage against the natural ambush predators.
There was a brief but animated discussion about what they could do about the situation. There really wasn’t much that could be done, and although Sylvi desperately wanted to hunt them down to hopefully discourage future attacks, she knew that would likely be futile. They were also stretched thin with the four people they had already lost, meaning they couldn’t afford to send people away on a hunting expedition.
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Everyone slept fitfully, undoubtedly having nightmares about the stealthy predators that likely lurked only meters out of view. The number of sentries was doubled and none lazed about, every one of them keenly aware that inattentiveness could prove lethal.
Sylvi was on alert during the first watch, sharing it with Imri and several others she didn’t know. Imri was his usual self, seemingly unaffected by the looming threat. He also was a very poor sentry, clearly lost in thought and not paying attention to his surroundings.
“I heard you wanted to hunt one of these creatures,” Imri said to her in a hushed tone, all pretense of him working on his assigned task gone.
“I would like to, but I’m beginning to think I just got lucky the first time,” She said, a bit of annoyance leaking through into her tone, though she doubted the oblivious mage noticed. Unlike him, she didn’t dare stop scanning the grass for signs of disturbances.
“I have an idea of how we might be able to ambush one of them,” Imri said.
“Is now really the best time,” she hissed, nothing subtle about her annoyance this time.
“I believe so, yes. For one thing, we are certain they are aware of us and stalking us at this very moment. For another, the camp could use a morale boost. Finally, you want monster parts and the camp could use more supplies,” Imri explained.
“What’s this crazy plan of yours?” Sylvi asked, not entirely convinced it was a good idea, but she doubted Imri would let something go without at least having a chance to explain his idea.
“There’s an entire aspect to my profession that I haven’t used yet called glyphs. They’re essential temporary enchantments inscribed into the ground instead of an item. They would be costly to set up, and they don’t last long, but the trade-off is that there is essentially no limit to how much mana you can pour into them. The ground itself is basically a very big mana battery.”
“I don’t see how that helps us catch one of these things, and how are you going to inscribe that much into the ground without being the next victim,” Sylvi pointed out.
“If a group can guard me, I think we should be fine. They can also double as the mana source, so any mages can be held in reserve. As to the amount of time, it shouldn’t take too long, I’ve already worked up a blueprint, and the design isn’t that tricky. I shouldn’t need more than an hour.”
“Let me get this straight, you want to wake one of the watches early so you can draw some runes on the ground. On top of that, you want to deplete their mana in hopes that one of these shadow creatures will wander into it. Then what?”
“The trap should stun it for a few seconds and light it up. If we have enough people nearby it should be easy enough to take it down before it recovers,” Imri explained.
“That’s a crazy plan; if it was anyone else suggesting this, I’d say they had fucking lost it.”
“So you’re in?”
“Damn it, I’m in,” Sylvi said, shaking her head in disbelief, though she grinned with nerves and excitement.
Imri made the rounds, speaking to each sentry in turn. Sylvi wasn’t sure how he managed to convince most of them to go for it, but when he returned proclaiming they were a go she wasn’t surprised. By that point, it wasn’t long until the second watch took over. Sylvi quickly spread the word so the second watch didn’t mistake them for one of the creatures. When she told Zhaire he didn’t hesitate to wake someone else to take his place on watch, not willing to miss out on a more interesting opportunity. Caroline was also awake, having not been able to sleep, and hearing the small commotion that came from informing everyone. She quickly volunteered to help with powering the glyphs, having the second-highest mana pool and mana control, behind only Imri. She also hinted that she had some news to share with Sylvi afterward.
Their group of a dozen made their way out of the clearing they had made for the camp, heading slightly down a gentle slope. They cleared the grass with machetes as they passed by, expanding the clearing so they would be able to see the ambush point. Every one of them had a headlamp strapped on, the light rapidly shifting from point to point as they anxiously scanned every patch of grass for a waiting tiger. They didn’t need to go far before Imri signaled them to stop, explaining they just needed to be past the edge of the light cast from the camp.
Imri quickly began his work, moving with practiced ease as he drew on the ground with his finger. Despite not using any materials that Sylvi could see, the runes glowed a faint golden hue, like he was using some sort of powder to mark a field. While he worked everyone else continued to expand the clearing, though they didn’t want to overdo it. They needed the shadow creatures to think this was a safe place to approach.
It took Imri a bit longer than the hour he had predicted, the entire time everyone was on edge, light beams shifting faster than was optimal. When he finally proclaimed it was done the runes scrawled onto the ground and went several meters in every direction. They appeared simple, but on closer inspection, they were made up of many more intricate runes. It was amazing that it had only taken Imri a little over an hour. There was a brief window of opportunity for the predator where everyone gawked at the creation etched into the ground. Fortunately, the creatures either weren’t there or didn’t capitalize on their blunder.
Sylvi quickly got everyone back in order, and Imri instructed them on how to add their mana to the glyph. They did so one at a time, many of them pouring the majority of their mana into the trap. Sylvi wasn’t sure exactly how much mana was added, but it was surely more than any spell the mages had cast. She just hoped that the trap was half as effective as Imri seemed to think it was. He seemed confident as he waited for all the mana to flow in.
“So what exactly will this trap do?” Someone asked as they retreated to the relative safety of the camp.
“Basically, it's a powerful flashbang. Whatever mana is left after that, a Time Contraction spell targets the creature that triggered the glyph on a 5-second delay,” Imri explained.
Some of them looked disappointed, but Sylvi wasn’t one of them. She had first-hand experience on both ends of a flashbang, and they were every bit as effective as fragmentation grenades, more so with experienced soldiers taking advantage of the situation
“Do you think we will have to wait long?” Another person asked as they settled into position. As if that was a portent of what was to come, the trap went off.
If anything, Imri had undersold the effectiveness of the glyph he had created. The loud boom and flash of light were strong enough that it seemed like a bolt of lightning had just struck, shaking the ground with a powerful rumble and a blinding flash of light. Such was its effect that it left the ambushers stunned for a moment.
Sylvi was the first to recover, adjusting her eyes to find the tiger that had set off the trap. A faint glow illuminated the area, and she half expected the creature to have been destroyed from the effects. Unsurprisingly, the creature was still whole, though the trap had definitely stunned it. It was similar to the one that ambushed her weeks ago, though this one was even larger with the strange shadows coalescing around it like a dark fog.
She pulled an arrow back and took time to sight the creature, activating her Power Shot with careful aim. The shot flew true, and Sylvi was sure it would be a killing blow. Somehow, despite not knowing where the arrow came from, still stunned and slowed by magic, the tiger managed to shift its body enough so the arrow sank into its shoulder instead of its heart. The creature snarled in pain and anger as the arrow penetrated into the bone, hampering its movements. Despite all their advantages, the creature still stood, continuing to move as more arrows rained down on it. Unfortunately, their shots were less precise, most arrows scoring only superficial wounds or bouncing off the tougher parts of its hide. The tiger recovered from its initial shock, moving to escape into the tall sea grass behind it. Sylvi wouldn’t let it escape so easily, throwing her bow aside in favor of a pistol.
That’s when everyone noticed Zhaire, charging like a battle-crazed berserker from a movie. Sylvi would have been impressed with the rate at which he closed the distance if it wasn’t utterly moronic. As he closed in everyone was forced to hold their fire, lest they accidently hit Zhaire. He didn’t slow as he attacked the creature, using his momentum and size to deliver a blow intended to cleave the powerful creature.
It happened almost too fast for anyone to see, let alone react. The tiger swiped with its uninjured paw, moving with both speed and power that exceeded Zhaires. Its powerful claws sunk in and through his guts in a fraction of a second, disemboweling the big man before he could do anything. Despite this, Zhaire still managed to bring his blade down into the tiger, mostly due to the momentum of his charge. It left a large bleeding gash that nearly separated the front leg the creature had just used to disembowel him. Zhaire's body then crashed into the creature, barely even shifting the creature's balance despite both its front legs being injured. Zhaire then fell to the ground in shock, blood and guts pooled around him.
There was a brief opportunity where Zhaire lay on the ground and the tiger was open for another ranged attack. Sylvi didn’t hesitate, firing a burst from her pistol into the creature. Unfortunately, the monster had a hide and constitution that was greater than anything the gun was designed to be used on. The bullets did some damage, but moments later it was obscured in an expanding cloud of shadowy mist. Everyone else had been too stunned to act and was only just now recovering from the initial shock of the frenetic combat.
“Go get Emelia,” Sylvi said to one of the men who seemed least shocked. She didn’t wait for a response, sprinting down the gentle slope towards the now motionless Zhaire, slightly obscured by the shadow mist. She said a silent prayer that she would make it in time and that Zhaire wasn’t already dead.