Ethan was caught in a cycle of self-affirmations and righteous outrage as he and the shield knight moved through Corvale’s streets. The arena was in the South-West quarter, a ten minute walk he didn’t even register. It’s fine, two months is tons of time. Of course if I’m injured during that time the Church will probably leave me to die. Valanor isn’t worried though. Also if I heal anyone else, I may get burned at the stake.
“I can’t believe they refuse healing to people,” he finally blurted out. “My world has its problems, but I’d like to believe that even we’d rebel against a Church that outlawed healing.”
“Then your faith is weak, heathen,” Valanor spat, and Ethan looked at him in confusion for a moment. Then something he’d heard suddenly registered.
“Wait, she called you ‘Paladin’ Valanor. Does that mean what I think it means?”
“If you think it means I’m a warrior of the Church, then yes. They were responsible for my initial training, and sponsored my Bonds. It was a great honor to be accepted into the King’s Shields, but the Goddess will always have my faith.”
Ethan wisely remained silent. He’d known both wonderful and terrible religious people back home, and they had one thing in common: they didn’t love having their faith questioned by an ignorant non-believer. Besides, there was a more interesting question that he hoped wouldn’t get him hit with a warhammer.
“Your Goddess, she can really heal people?” he asked, trying to keep his tone neutral.
Valanor narrowed his eyes, but seemed to accept the sincerity of the question. “I’ve seen miracles, yes. But…” he paused, seeming to question whether to continue. “Greater injuries still take a toll, especially for the Bonded. There can be a price that not all are prepared to pay.”
Ethan glanced at the dead arm, folded across the man’s chest. “Is that what happened to your arm?”
“No.”
Gotcha, backing off, changing the subject. “Do you really think we have time to go to the arena?” he asked. “Shouldn’t we be leaving right away?”
Valanor huffed loudly, causing a few people in the market to glance at the large man. “You need to unlock your powers and earn a new Bond, how exactly do you think we’re going to achieve that?”
“Actually I don’t really know. It’s one of a thousand questions I still have.”
“Hunt monsters,” Valanor replied. “When a monster dies, the magic inside it will dissipate. Your Familiar can use that magic as a catalyst to grant you one of its own potential abilities.”
“Potential abilities?”
“Magic has enormous potential, and it can grow in different ways. Out in the wild you can fight five identical monsters, each of which has a different set of abilities. It doesn’t tend to work that way in practice, but it’s possible. Familiars can grant you any of their potential abilities, provided they have the right catalyst.”
“What does this have to do with the arena?” Ethan asked.
“Simple, you need to learn to Hunt. The arena will show you far better than I can tell you. We have a few other stops to make, so we’ll spend the rest of the day preparing for the journey. We leave tomorrow.”
Reminded of his own abilities, and with a lot more city to cover, Ethan finally took the chance to open the system, and see everything he’d missed.
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Congratulations, you have formed a Familiar Bond!
New Bond Affinity: Flare
Total Bonds: 2/3
New Familiar: Legendary Guardian Flagras (Revan)
New Ability: [Volatile Infusion]
Warning: You are suffering soul damage.
Dalton’s Recommendation: Bond final Familiar, and form Soul Rune!
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Dalton is still killing it with the timing, he thought. Wait, Revan? He’s already named? I thought ‘Flagras’ was his name. And I definitely don’t remember naming him after my dog. Those moments of healing and confusion were a blur, but Ethan did recall thinking about his childhood pet.
Whatever, Revan is still awesome, no matter what they did to him in the MMO. Damn, what if Keanu Reeves finally gets a Revan movie and I’m trapped on another world? Finally a truly compelling reason to find a way home. He chuckled at his own joke, and Valanor looked at him with the mild irritation that was becoming standard.
Refusing to be swayed by the knight’s ever present melancholy, Ethan continued reading.
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You have looted (Flagras, Legendary Guardian):
You have received:
* 34 Twilight Coins
* 583 Dusk Coins
* 973 Dawn Coins
* 1 Flagras Gem (Twilight Rank)
* Infernal Bandolier (Dawn Rank)
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New ability!
Ability: Volatile Infusion (Dawn Rank 0: 0%)
Type: Flare, Trap
You may infuse up to three objects with condensed volatile energy. These objects will explode, dealing highly potent fire damage to anything at close range. Infused objects may be set to explode upon making contact with a target, after a set amount of time, or by giving a mental command. Objects lose charge after one hour.
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Ethan’s eyes widened as he read the description. “Holy shit, I’m not just Spider-man, I’m Gambit!”
“What are you talking about?” Valanor demanded.
“Just learning about my new ability, the one from–” he paused, considering the need for secrecy. “The one I got from Revan, my newest Familiar. It really doesn’t seem like something I can try out in the middle of the streets though. Also, I might be rich?”
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
The knight raised an eyebrow. “We’ll discuss it later. We’re nearly at the arena, and you’ll have ample opportunity to use your abilities on the road. For now, it’s time to see how we Hunt monsters.”
***
The roar of the crowd was deafening, even from high up in the stands. The arena wasn’t quite as large as those back home, but there were thousands of people present. It had to be extremely popular in the city. The arena itself was made of the same white stone that must be abundant in the area, though the benches were thankfully covered in some kind of soft, red material.
Looking out across the crowd, Ethan was impressed by how colorful everyone was compared to the village they’d passed through. There were still the muted browns of the commoners, but Colevale had such a large population of nobles that they were represented in almost even numbers. Vibrant blue, greens, and yellows made the assembled mass of people create a rainbow across the stands.
Down in the center, entertainers were warming up the crowd. This included more of the same that Ethan had seen in the marketplace–jugglers, fire dances, and the like, but also far more Bonded monsters. There were several small fox-like creatures that spewed flame on command, doing a routine with a group of turtles that would use blasts of water to extinguish the fire in interesting ways.
There were a couple more that did choreographed routines with their Bonded, but Ethan and Valanor had arrived late and only caught the end. Soon the arena floor was being cleared for the first team battle of the day. Valanor leaned close to be heard over the crowd. “This is what we’re here for. Watch carefully. You need to understand how to take down large monsters, and how different types of Hunters fight.”
Ethan nodded, excited to learn. Valanor had already explained the many reasons why the Hunt for Flagras wasn’t normal, and that teams of three to five were the standard. This was going to be his life now, and he was determined to treat it with the same diligence and enthusiasm that he had for medicine–hopefully without the complications.
It wasn’t long before an announcer came out to talk up the fight. Her voice was amplified by some kind of magic, and Ethan could hear it clearly even though they were in one of the last rows. “Our first team Hunt is about to begin! You all know the Backfire Squad–pride of the arena–so allow me to introduce their opponent. Straight from the Northern ice mountains, welcome Glacius!”
The crowd erupted in cheers and boos in equal measure as a platform in the center of the arena opened, and a large monster–maybe the size of a rhino–was raised up. It looked a bit like an enormous crocodile, but with a broader body and more powerful limbs.
It stayed close to the ground, searching warily for an opponent, and its massive jaws snapped in anticipation. The name and its albino coloring made it clear it was some kind of ice creature, but its long bladed tail and sharp claws proved it had plenty of deadly tools at its disposal. When it stood up taller, Ethan noticed that its legs also had membranous webs connecting to the body. Tiny wings?
The announcer had already run from the arena, despite the creature sporting a massive collar chaining it to the ground. Ethan leaned over to Valanor. “What happens if it attacks the stands?” he asked.
“The chain comes off when the battle starts, but the collar doesn’t. Magic prevents it from getting past the arena wall with it on. Besides, it’s considered to be a major disgrace for the Hunters if they allow it to happen.” Ethan nodded, then leaned forward with anticipation as team Backfire entered through a far door in the arena.
There were four of them, two men and two women, and they slowly spread out to surround the beast. Glacius clearly knew the threat they posed, and began slapping its tail in warning, and even breathing out small puffs of frost which froze the sand floor around it.
The larger man on the team had an odd mix of thick armor, and exposed skin. His hugely muscled arms were bare, and he was wielding a massive, two handed ax that looked impossible to lift with human strength. He turned it upside down and began slamming the double-bladed head on the ground, making an incongruous cracking sound with each blow.
“Is that the you?” Ethan asked Valanor, and the man grunted.
“He is the vanguard, yes. It’s his job to keep the monster from the rest of the team.”
The man was already doing just that, as each time the sound of his ax echoed through the arena, Glacius would shake and writhe as if attacked, and its gaze locked onto the large man. That appeared to be the sign to start the battle, as the chain disengaged from the collar moments later.
The frost crocodile bounded forward without hesitation, mouth open as its heavy body plowed through the sand. Rather than move, the vanguard readied a massive swing, and his ax crashed into the charging beast with bone shattering force. Interestingly, a thin red chain appeared at the point of impact, which attached to the hilt of the man’s weapon.
As the two exchanged blows, the other three team members began fighting in their own way. One of the two women was wearing lighter armor, and a hood which obscured her face, and she remained close to Glacius while adeptly dodging around stray attacks. Once she’d managed to get behind the creature, she revealed a single curved blade which she immediately used to slash repeatedly at the creature’s bladed tail.
The large monster wasn’t passive during this time, however, blasting the ax-wielder with frost, before turning and leaping at one of the more vulnerable opponents. It put the webbed limbs to work when it did so, gliding across the arena with every jump.
The vanguard was clearly expecting this, as he now had a half dozen small chains attached to the beast’s head. Amazingly, each time it got more than a few strides away, a man-sized red insect would appear, and yank back on the chains, like reigning in an angry dog. It wasn’t a perfect system, and his team mates needed to continually adjust their positioning, but it was working.
The second man turned out to be an archer, and he’d been firing his bow since almost the moment Glacius began moving. The creature’s erratic movement made accuracy difficult, but more shots were on target than not, all of which appeared to be directed at the beast’s small wings. He would occasionally be joined by his own familiar, a green bird that sent waves of bladed feathers after each arrow.
“They’re disabling the creature, bit by bit,” Ethan said to Valanor, who nodded.
“Larger monsters have tremendous reserves of energy and strength, and they heal rapidly. Shallow wounds will take them down, but it leads to a long, dangerous battle. Broken limbs, shredded wings and the like are much more effective–and they limit what the monster can do in return.”
As if to punctuate his point, the fourth member of the team suddenly made her presence known, sending a large blast of energy at the sword wielder. The melee fighter’s weapon began to glow, and she immediately jumped high into the air, her weapons raised above her in both hands. When she came back down, the tremendous chop severed the tail, leaving it flailing uselessly, the spiked end landing a few strides away.
The fourth member wasn’t done, tossing spell after spell at her comrades. Some clearly added different types of damage to their attacks, while others made them move faster, or their bodies bulge with strength. Most importantly seemed to be her attention on the vanguard.
She never healed him, of course, but occasionally a wall of light would intercept an attack, and once he even appeared to turn into steel for a brief moment. Between buffing her team, the final member used a staff, sending small blasts of different colored energies into the beast. A small burning orb, like a sun, would occasionally hover over her shoulder to join in the attack.
“You see how they each play their part?” Valanor asked. Ethan nodded, wondering what role he belonged in. His current powers didn’t seem to force him into any obvious archetype.
“How will I know where I belong?” he asked the knight, who actually smiled.
“You already know, even if you aren’t aware of it. Your Soul Rune will determine your role. It always reveals what you’re meant for.” Ethan sat back, the implications of that worrying him. Will it make me a healer, in spite of everything? Or maybe a support class, like that woman in the arena. It was strange to wonder about the motivations of your own soul.
Looking back to the fight, Ethan realized something was changing. The creature was a pin cushion of arrows, and its wings were torn to shreds. The melee fighter had moved on to hacking at its legs, and the creature limped where tendons had been slashed.
But rather than slow down, the beast seemed enraged. It roared and bucked, even rolling over at alarming speeds. The swordswoman was actually caught by surprise, and didn’t get back up after being crushed beneath its bulk.
The archer fared better when Glacius turned on him suddenly, leaping high into the air, and firing a rapid series of glowing arrows beneath him. When he landed, he held perfectly still, a single arrow drawn with golden energy gathering at its tip.
The support fighter was likewise readying some kind of major attack, her staff held high and a dark cloud gathering above the arena. The vanguard was moving like a blur, speeding between his teammates to intercept attacks, and laying on more and more chains at the same time.
Finally everything seemed to happen at once. All the chains tightened as the vanguard slammed his ax into the arena floor, bracing it. The archer released his arrow, which grew as it flew forward, until it looked more like a ballista bolt. Glacius was pulled tightly to the ground, the enormous arrow striking it right in the mouth. A tremendous bolt of lightning crashed down from above barely a second later.
The monster slumped down, unmoving, and sparkles of light began rising from it a moment later. An arena worker hastily ran out and slapped a hand against it before it disappeared entirely, and the crowd erupted in applause and cheers.
Team Backfire ignored the praise, sprinting to their fallen team member, who remained still. “They used their finishers well,” Valanor said approvingly, then turned to Ethan. “And that’s how fighting large monsters is done. Now, we need to get you supplied. Anything we can find to keep you from dying immediately would be ideal.”
Ethan got up and followed the knight out of the arena, but couldn’t stop staring at the victorious team, huddled over their motionless comrade.