Chapter Fourteen - The Grind

Timothy smiled, showcasing his mischievous eyes that gleamed in the afternoon light of the sun. He adjusted his spectacles before speaking.

“I might just have a solution to the problem of the fae dissipating. When we found that dagger fae earlier this morning, and I had yet to unlock the System, I had been a little distraught. I wanted to preserve the fae for as long as possible but there was no way I could. It wasn’t until I gained some essence that I had the idea of using it to stop the fae from fading.

“I had the sudden idea of using the essence I gained from the spider kill to create a protective barrier around the dagger. It took a bit of adjustment, but the fae seemed to like the intention and wanted to go through the process, almost as if it wanted to be saved from its fate,” Timothy explained and brought out the dagger fae. It briefly crackled with an orange glow before settling into the deadly sheen of the clawed blade.

“You think we could use this method to collect the fae?” Jaricko guessed while resting his head in the palm of his hand. The idea had merit, and Jaricko thought it almost sounded too good to be true. Allowing the collection of powerful abilities would make people hoard power, customizing and synergizing their magic to the maximum effect.

Jaricko wanted that desperately. The [Flicker Fire Combustion] fae was good, no doubt about it, but it wasn’t on the same level as the [Pocket Watch] fae. The young man still had no guarantees that he would be able to increase the maximum amount of fae he could hold at one time. Having a stockpile to switch out would be invaluable, even if the premonition of taking out a fae from his spirit left him feeling apprehensive.

“I do. If we could do this then it would be possible to gather all the fae in camp. It would also help stop someone who doesn’t have access to the System from accidentally activating a fae and being helpless to collect it,” Timothy added with a cunning grin. “It would also cement our authority in the camp and force the counselors to listen to us. Everyone will want the power of the fae. And if we’re the most reliable way to get it? I think that speaks for itself.”

Jaricko was amazed at Timothy’s insight. The ability to preserve fae for an extended period of time would allow for an entirely new dynamic to be introduced in the camp. The greedy part of his mentality screamed in joy at hoarding the shiny magical spirits. He was a collector at heart, and while fae were too important not to be used, he still wanted to admire their exotic splendor.

“This will maintain order,” Jack muttered with interest. “We can hold onto the fae until those who unlock the System can use them.”

Timothy and Jaricko shared a look, neither one wanted to reveal their selfish thoughts to the humanitarian giant.

Jaricko decided to take the lead.

“We can only give out the fae to those we trust. They have to be vetted by all of us before we do so. I don’t want a person running around wielding magic and burning the houses down,” Jaricko pointed out.

Jack concurred with the statement. “Indeed. Those without initiative and bravery cannot be trusted to take action. I am glad neither of you lacks in either,” The large man remarked. Jaricko felt glad that he had gained Jack’s trust, or at least he saw Jaricko in a positive light.

“Perfect, then we need to hurry. Timothy, how much essence do you think we need to use to make the protective barrier for the fae?” Jaricko asked, eager to begin the hunt. Timothy seemed to wince and hesitated before replying.

“I’m not sure of the exact number, but I think it would’ve taken over thirty essence. Some of that could be because I had no clue how to do it,” Timothy admitted and Jaricko grimaced. Essence was vital for ranking up his attributes and he didn’t want to devote its power anywhere else. He debated whether or not collecting the fae would be worth it, and eventually landed on the value of fae being more than short-term essence gain.

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“That’s a decent chunk of each arachnid kill. But I do think it’ll be worth it,” Jaricko relented even as he felt his plan to get home got farther away. He’d simply have to make changes. He couldn’t bullrush into gathering essence and pumping up his attributes. Finding out the different fae took priority, especially before the ignorant students wasted them all.

“We need to hurry back into the forest then,” Jaricko said and gathered his things. He grabbed a metal water bottle from his bag along with a small bag of trail mix. There was a small travel pouch stuffed in the bottom of his duffel bag that he pushed the supplies into.

“Ah, before I forget. Since I have the combustion fae, I think one of you two should use this.” Jaricko pulled out the hair spray and lighter from his pockets and held them out.

“I do not think this is the time to care for appearances,” Jack commented with a raised eyebrow. Jaricko rolled his eyes.

“It’s supposed to work as a flamethrower. I saw a video of it being done a while ago. I figured that since we couldn’t get any gas and the lamp oil is a bust, then we could use this to torch the spiders,” Jaricko explained and watched the two teenager’s eyes alight with understanding.

They bickered among themselves for a moment before agreeing to split the use. The person next in line to kill an arachnid to get the majority of the essence would wield the makeshift flamethrower.

The trio spent another quarter of an hour preparing for a trip that would last the rest of the day. They pack food, water, and a myriad of other items. It was as if they were getting ready to go on a hiking trip.

Looks like we are going on that hike, Clair.

Jack took the lead once more as they left the perimeter of the camp. They were leaving in the same place they had earlier, directly behind the cabin they slept in. The vegetation was still just as dense, although it hadn’t breached the invisible line that separated Camp Grizzly from the forest.

Jaricko soon found out why

Leaving Camp Grizzly Safezone [Owner - Clair Bough (0)]

“That explains a lot,” Timothy remarked with mixed emotions. It was obvious that the professor had found a fae with the ability to create a safe zone of some kind. It was unknown why she hadn’t told the campers, instead letting them fester in the fear that a spider would attack them at any moment.

“I don’t trust her,” Jack grunted and swung his metal fire poker at a prominent branch. The strategy was to create enough noise to attract spiders to converge on their location, where Jaricko would then cast his fire fae while Jack and Timothy defended him.

They had discussed that since Jaricko would likely be getting the majority of the essence this way, he would be in charge of sealing the fae away when they found them. The teenager didn’t hesitate to agree, believing the essence he got would eclipse the essence he would have to spend on the fae.

“She hasn’t really given us a reason to,” Jaricko replied. It also didn’t help that no one besides the counselors had any history with the woman.

“Movement to our right,” Jack suddenly warned. The trio immediately got in position. Jaricko was in the back with Jack in the front and Timothy in the middle. The smaller boy had been given the hair spray and lighter combo and would use them while Jack distracted the spiders. Or at least that was the plan they had come up with in the cabin.

Seconds later the hairy legs of the arachnid revealed themselves to the group. Jaricko heaved a sigh of relief when he noticed that it still looked similar to the other ones he had slain. He kept on waiting for something worse to pop out of the woodwork.

The arachnid hissed its shrieking scream and lunged toward Jack. The man dodged out of the way and struck it with the metal pole. The attack didn’t seem to inflict any damage to its hardened exoskeleton and only served to annoy it. It hissed again and swung.

“I’m using the fae!” Jaricko warned from the back. He reached into his core and drew upon the [Flickering Fire Combustion] fae. Ghostly green gas appeared near his hands, flickering with jets of bright red flame. Casting the magical ability felt as natural as breathing and the four-second timer quickly passed.

Timothy and Jack instantly backed up from the spider, keeping enough distance between themselves and it. It wanted to get closer but Timothy kept it at bay with the threat of hair-spray-fueled fire.

Jaricko concentrated on the spot the spider was currently at and willed the effects of the fae to appear there. He watched as a barely visible cloud wavered in the air. Each second that passed caused it to pulse like a beating heart. His mana had poured into the fae but left a large portion of it still available for his use. The teenager estimated that it had only cost around a fifth of his Capacity to cast it.

After around five seconds, the gas suddenly lit up with a fiery explosion. It was as if someone had tossed a Molotov onto the spider. Concussion force ripped through the leaves above, causing sticks and pinecones to fall to the ground.

Timothy and Jack had been far enough away to not be affected by the blast, although it had ruffled their clothes.

The spider had been less lucky.

The fire consumed its body and tore through its hair and insides. Apparently, the force of the explosion had cracked the exoskeleton, which allowed the fire to start burning the insides. Everything about the arachnid, besides the chitin, appeared to be flammable.

Jaricko watched in mute horror as the silent spider was quickly turned into nothing more than a hollow shell.

Absorbing Essence [31/63] - Juvenile Mountain Forest Arachnid [Tier 0]

Timothy and Jack split the leftover essence inside the corpse and the trio continued on their way.

The spider was the first of many that would have to fall under their might, and Jaricko wouldn’t let anything get in the way of that.

He clenched his hand and gritted his teeth.

On to the next.