Valerie silently crept through the underbrush with Tiger’s Will in hand and starving for the blood of monsters. The blade, not her at least she hoped. The huntress ignored her weapons bottomless appetite through great effort, giving in to the call wouldn’t help her recovery process even if it was so tempting. There was a prey not far in front of her, a walking sack of blood just waiting to be ripped into. All she needed to do was walk right up and give it a little poke between the eyes. A loud smack rung out almost alerting her target, thankfully it was too busy contending with an infuriatingly hard to pin down blonde nightmare.

“Boo!”

Samantha screamed in the Octolot’s face before darting back, a shadow chain wrapped tightly around her waist dragging her just out of the monster’s reach. An Octolot was a sleek feline creature with red fur broken up by purple splotches dotted across its back and eight suction cupped tails. It was an elemental creature who could spew an acidic liquid from its many tails debilitating and digesting prey for the not-a-cat to feast upon. Despite only coming up to about knee height, the Octolot was considered a high-risk monster due to its fast movements, quick reflexes and aforementioned spray of corrosive liquid. It was ill advised for melee focused warriors like Valerie to face the creature head on as armour was at best a hindrance with the acidic spray quickly eating through any protective layers down to the gooey treat inside. Not that Valerie had any need to worry about her armour being corroded, she wasn’t wearing any after all and was still decked out in her civilian attire. Since the Merryland fiasco she had yet to acquire a new set of protective gear. Not because she couldn’t, the funds from Darrian were still abundant, she simply hadn’t found the time what with being in poor health and then acquiring her class. She would need to visit the write blacksmiths and armourers later, right now the hunt was still on for the Octolot and while she may not be a good match for it there was one annoyingly chipper girl who was.

“Here kitty kitty!”

Samantha yelled as she flipped over the furious creature for the fifth time, patting its head affectionately as she passed by. Being a stealth focused combatant with excellent acrobatics and the power to yank herself out of danger meant Samantha was able to hound the Octolot relentlessly, always frustratingly out of range just as the half cat tried to get off a shot. She jumped, flipped and leapt from every angle, somehow never growing dizzy, and forcing the Octolot into a game of cat and mouse with the latter occasionally coming in with a steel toed kick to the monster’s side. Dancing around the creature, Samantha was subtly directing it into the perfect position for Valerie to strike. The pair of adventurers opted to flip their usual tactics, and Samantha would take the vanguard while Valerie came in for the big finish.

Rubbing at her freshly swollen cheek, the huntress had to admit there was a degree of excitement waiting for the right opportunity to spring forth, a moment that arrived right on schedule. The Octolot was just a few feet from the huntress’s hidden position, and she watched as it hissed while swiping at Samantha who hung upside down from a tree branch. Blowing a raspberry at the monster, the shadow user dropped from her chain and rolled out of harm’s way. The enraged cat opened its maw which separated into sections like a flower’s petals. To this, Samantha unleashed her eery aura blanketing the area and causing the Octolot to freeze in sudden terror.

“Turnabout!”

Following her friends signal, Valerie reared back and launched her upgraded weapon, the knife soaring faster than ever before into the frozen monsters many tails. With her improved weapon and slight increase in strength she was able to sever all the tentacle tails in a single attack, greatly diminishing the monsters combat options. Excruciating pain overtook the Octolot causing it to wake from the shock and twist around madly while a stream of acidic liquid poured out from the cut limbs. Without waiting a second longer, the cat launched itself at Samantha, who offered a friendly wave and was yanked once again out of harm’s way. Unfortunately for the monster, this left it without a target to pounce upon, a problem the kind and considerate huntress remedied erupting from the bushes with her fist raised. Valerie’s knuckles collided with the feline and sent it crashing into the earth just as her weapon finished it’s around the world tour to land directly into her open palm. With a last grunt of effort, she thrust Tiger’s Will into the monster’s head before it could rise again finishing the Octolot off for good. There was a strange surge of something that travelled up Tiger’s Will and through her arm immediately after the kill followed by the strangest sensation of a tension somewhere being loosened. Sidling up to her compatriot, Samantha looked down at the defeated monster.

“Hang in there kitty.”

She announced much to Valerie and her own confusion, neither was sure where the slogan came from and agreed it would have been better used if she hanged the cat. Walking down the road on their way back home, both warriors fell into silent contemplation. Valerie examined Tiger’s Will as she had done many times before, running her fingers along the edge and serrated back. What did she feel as she delivered the finishing blow to the monster? Was it the power of her class in action? She recalled the description that enticed her to the class and how it colourfully stated she would be stronger for killing monsters or something to that effect. She didn’t feel any stronger, maybe it was a temporary boost that would empower her mid combat? That wouldn’t be the most helpful though, what if she fought a weak monster on the way to a much stronger one? Would she burn through the power in an instant or have some time limit? This would require some experimentation, however that would need to be done gradually with Joanne’s one monster contract a day rule. Valerie sighed, she knew it was for the best and hopefully only temporary so long as she showed improvements or better control. She respected Joanne’s insights, there was possibly no one else she could turn to who knew exactly what she was going through.

“Doesn’t mean I like it.”

She abruptly said breaking her silence.

“Hmmm?”

Samantha asked lost in thought.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

“It’s nothing, nevermind. So, uh how is your training going? Figured out how to Deep Jail yet?”

So far neither were making much head way in regards to their classes, they were undoubtedly stronger than before but what else they could do was still a mystery. The shadow user at least gained near full control of her eery aura, the only exception being if anyone stared into her eyes too long.

“It’s fine, I’ve safely jailed myself. Now I just need to figure out how to jail everyone else.”

“Ah still on the kill everyone bandwagon, how’s that going?

Samantha thought for a minute, her mind was overflowing with ideas and plans yet there remained a single problem: she didn’t know how to end the world.

“Not well.”

A positive attitude and drive to succeed was a good start but she needed real results, a plan of action, a lot of funding and political power if she was to ever topple the worlds governments plunging everything into chaos. How she was going to achieve all of that in her short lifespan was a mystery to the shadow user, but she was sure she’d get their eventually. Once again, it all came back to her vision of the future, somehow, someway she was going to do it.

“And when I do, I swear to all that is divine. It. Will. Be. Epic.”

She promised the world at large yet only her one friend heard and even she wasn’t really listening.

“Uhuh, well when you do let me know and I’ll find a gap in my schedule.”

Evidentially spending so much time with Joanne was colouring Valerie’s speech and turning her into a sarcastic huntress. The pair filled their time with idle banter while taking the long route home ending up back at the guild just before sunset with the completed contract in hand for Margaretta to sign off on. They took their pittance of a pay and began perusing through the next batch of contracts. Samantha noticed one, immediately snatching it off the wall away from the huntress’s prying eyes.

“Samantha? What you got there?”

“Hmmm? Nothing nothing, just uh… a napkin.”

She made a show of blowing her nose into the sheet before stamping it onto the ground and roughly crushing it beneath her boot. Margaretta elected not to notice the clear destruction of guild property; it would just mean more paperwork. Besides she knew exactly what that contract entailed and after being brought up to date on the huntress’s current issue, despite not asking, she didn’t exactly blame Samantha. That Maroch dignitary would just need to accept his pet tiger was missing and would never be found. Finally picking a suitable job, the duo left to spend their paycheck on a nice hearty, filling, meat overloaded, meal at Joanne’s. The beast woman in question welcomed her favourite and most frequent customers leading them to a booth in the back while they waited for their food.

“So, how we doing today girls?”

Although the question was directed to both of them, her eye never left Valerie, a fact the huntress tried to avoid.

“Fine, it was fine. We just… it was fine, okay?”

Very convincing, Joanne thought.

“Mmmmhm, well how about you Sammy? Figured out how to end the world yet?”

The beast woman’s loud voice naturally carried itself throughout the dining area and many eyes turned in her direction.

“Not yet still stuck at the drawing board. Say, you wouldn’t happen to know any mad mages trying to open a portal to the infernal realm and also looking for an intern?”

Joanne laughed merrily before responding.

“Know your worth Sam, don’t work for a twinkle fingers for no pay. If you’re gonna destroy everything at least get paid for it. I know I would.”

They ate and made small talk, Joanne appearing as lackadaisical as always yet her one good eye still lingered on Valerie much to the huntress’s mounting annoyance.

“Will you stop that?!”

She demanded just as a young waiter was bringing them their dessert menu. Joanne waved off her new hire who scurried back from his imposing superior.

“Stop what? I’m not doing anything?”

Despite the coy act, the air around the ex-adventurer shifted almost like a certain would-be anarchists own eery aura.

“That! Stop looking at me like that! I am not a kid, and I said I was fine. So just stop pretending otherwise, you’re not my-“

Valerie clamped her mouth shut before finishing her sentence, but the implication was already out there and couldn’t be taken back. Both Samantha and Joanne sat forward while raising an eyebrow each at the huntress.

“Not what? Not your mother? You’re right I aint.”

Having kids was never on the table for Joanne, not that she couldn’t but rather she didn’t want them and was forced to turn down many a suitor because of it. She was her own set of problems and didn’t need that passed onto a kid or two. Unfortunately, spending time with Valerie and Samantha, despite how short of a time it’s been, was changing something in the beast woman. It did not mean she was going to be all gung-ho asking them to call her mommy like her dwarven business partner. Instead, she could be something better.

“I’m your friend Valerie and as a friend I am worried about you. We both are.”

She nodded to Samantha who gave a thumbs up, worry wasn’t something she could manage but noticing a problem and wanting to fix it wasn’t hard.

“So quit being a hard ass and lighten up. I’m not going to mother you but if you need a shoulder to cry on you have two. And if you decide to keep it up, fine just means no more hunting for you young lady.”

Valerie sat back stunned and lost for what to say except.

“Whatever.”

She began to shrink into the plush seat trying with all her might to disappear. Too far Joanne too far, the beast woman admonished herself after her attempt at a joke failed miserably.

“Yeah…”

They sat in awkward silence neither the huntress nor ex-adventurer making any attempts to reopen a dialogue. Samantha too sat awkwardly but that was because she did want to see the dessert menu and wasn’t sure how to get the waiters attention. Surely a nice, sweet treat would liven the mood? Or how about.

“Hey Joanne? Why did you stop being an adventurer?”

A nice story was bound to lift everyone’s spirits was the shadow users thought process. She could be forgiven for not knowing the sordid past of the beast woman or that the many trials and tribulations she endured before making her exit was anything but a happy story. Despite all logic to the contrary, it did perk the depressed women up, Valerie staring on in expectation while Joanne reminisced on her own youth.

“You want to know why I quit? Well, it all starts and ends right here.”

She tapped at her forehead and the useless piece of grey matter that lay within. Physically she was in perfect condition if you discounted the lack of depth perception. Mentally, she had even more scars than those adorning her frame. Many adventurers just like her could attest to the anguish and build up that led some down dark paths that couldn’t be walked back. Luckily, Joanne got out just before all that and it gave her a unique perspective on guild work. Once again, if anyone knew what Valerie was going through it was her.

“You aint unique Val, plenty of adventurers got problems and I am no exception. Didn’t quit because of them even though I probably should have. They just meant every paycheck I got was spent on fine dining and booze.”

A rather downplayed explanation given the beast woman ended up conked out in just about every alley in Central City until Albert found her.

“I’ll always be grateful to that knife eared S.O.B., helped me more than you two will ever know.”

The elf librarian put himself into debt helping Joanne get back on her feet and despite paying him back and then some she never quite got over the genuine kindness he showed a complete stranger. She never said it aloud but if Albert ever came into financial straits again she would liquidate everything in a second to ensure the old man was taken care of. And if someone threatened him, well maybe she would just need to fish out old reliable and deal with the problem personally.

“Say that’s an idea.”

The beast woman announced while rising out of her seat.

“Us adventurers we don’t resolve our problems with words, we do it with action. So, I got a proposition for you two.”

Her audience stared up at the tall beast woman hung upon her every word.

“How would you like to have a little sparring match?”