“Welcome to week three of our five week course together,” Drim greeted his students after their most recent camping trip while also reminding him of the impending deadline. “There were a few more monster run-ins while camping this weekend, but you all handled yourselves admirably. And a couple of you even went so far as to cook them. Well done.”
“This week, to reinforce our lessons, we’ll be having monster hunting trips every afternoon. But not all of you. A handful each day will remain behind for one-on-one training sessions with me. The rest will be divided into two groups. Half will go into the northern woods and crags where you were just camping, led by Pox.”
“The other half will go south towards the more open grasslands. While there’s less coverage, it’s far more riddled with monsters hiding, so it’s a bit more dangerous. Drimini will be in charge there. She may seem younger and more aloof, she certainly has the capability to protect you if things go wrong. That’s where you’ll be camping this coming weekend, so do your best to clear it out while you’re there.”
“Each of these days, you’ll be given a section to clear. Normally, this is a responsibility of the teachers of this academy every few months to ensure that the school remains safe, but I’m sure they’ll appreciate the break. Alright then, our lesson for today, we’ll be discussing the monsters you may see on your hunts as well as all their habits and vulnerabilities.”
That afternoon and each one that followed proceeded without any major incidents. There were a few minor bites, scratches, and other injuries from traversing dangerous uncharted areas, but since the students were traveling in groups, they were able to tend to one another and patch themselves up. They’d then proceed with their missions, just like real monster hunting squads.
Those who were left back at the school honestly had a higher chance of getting hurt. Drim was pushing the students to their limits during their personal training. He wanted to ensure that none of their specific weaknesses would slow them down in the field or make them a liability. And then he forced them to break through with their strengths, so that they’d never be too comfortable with their current level and always strive to improve.
Most of the students only had to endure a single lesson, though. If the teacher was confident that they’d continue their growth on their own, he’d rather have them doing practical training and participate in the hunts. For those that lagged behind, however, they had to endure up to three one-on-one sessions until they showed genuine improvement. But by the time the next weekend rolled around, everyone had progressed significantly.
There was one mildly interesting happening during the week, however, that only a few of the handfuls had to experience. It was the group returning from their trip to the south. They’d ended up taking the main road back, tired from running through waist-high grass. As soon as the campus was in sight, Drimini floated on ahead, off to enjoy her night, leaving the students to check back in on their own.
“Why are there so many vans and people in front of the gate?” Jordi asked, barely staying up on her feet from all the exercise and dragging her oversized weapon the whole afternoon.
“Looks like media,” Hagath spotted, showing no interest thereafter.
“Well they’re obviously here for our teacher then,” Kleff jumped to the simple answer. “Word must have gotten out that he was acting as an instructor here. It might be quite the story for The Fiendish King and presidential nominee to be wasting his campaign time by teaching at some random academy.”
“Y’know, I kinda totally forgot all those things about him,” Jordi openly admitted. “He’s just been our teacher. Well, I never forgot how skilled of a monster hunter he is, but the rest really doesn’t matter here, I suppose.”
“Yes, he’s definitely been the best instructor we’ve had,” Hagath was quick with praise. “Now these leeches want to make it into a scandal. Looks like they’re waiting to ambush anyone who passes, wanting to get the scoop and an interview from any students or teachers who might be in the know. If we go through the main gate, they’ll certainly accost us.”
“Tch, how annoying,” Kleff spat in frustrated agreement. “This will certainly hamper our lessons if they stick around. To think they’d even intrude on a sacred place of learning. Hopefully this doesn’t make our teacher leave early if he doesn’t want to place the burden on us.”
Wricker, who’d been standing off from the side, and had mostly been avoiding interacting with the group during their hunts, stepped forward with a grin on his face. “Well let’s scare them off then.”
The various reporters and their camera operators all looked rather bored standing around at the closed front gate. But they couldn’t slack off either, needing to be the first to get the scoop and interviews for their outlets. None of them, however, were expecting for the area around them to suddenly turn foggy, and began coughing and wheezing when enshrouded by the thick mist. Their eyes all began to water, making it harder to see through the already reduced visibility.
They’d been hit by sensor bombs, a classic tool in the monster hunting trade. They were similar to smoke bombs, but with a special formula designed to attack every one of a monster’s senses. Mostly, they were used for ambushes and to escape, but could be used to send them reeling out of a charge. Any good hunter would have a few on hand, at least those that could afford them. They weren’t overly expensive, but still added to operation costs.
And their effects were heavily reduced on humans, but still were rather unpleasant as the media was currently finding out. To add to their confusion and panic, the students surrounded them from all sides, hiding at the edge of the fog. Then, they used their small flashlights in pairs, making the glowing lights resemble the eyes of monsters.
As the finishing touch, Wricker pulled out his monster horn and gave it a mighty blow. It was similar to other animal calls, mimicking the noises they make to lure them out. But this one created a roar that would terrify anything nearby and cause them to scatter, while also luring the more aggressive monsters who felt challenged. It was certainly a more specialized tool that only a few of the students took interest in, but it would serve their purpose perfectly.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
In seconds, van doors were being slammed shut and the vehicles were speeding away. Some of the reporters and camera operators had even dropped their equipment in fear, leaving it as a present for the students to pick up as they walked through the clearing fog while giggling, finding it fun to act as the monsters for once. Their teacher of course then found out about the incident, but never brought it up.
Then, when the week came to an end, it was time for the next camping trip into the wilds. This time, the students were only given the most basic survival supplies: A tarp, a rope, a knife, an extremely basic pocket-sized medkit, and a single pot. They were also given some food, but it was all supplies that had to be cooked before being eaten, meaning they’d have to start fires entirely on their own. That, or ignore it and forage.
It was certainly a much tougher challenge than what they’d experienced so far. And down in the grasslands, it was even harder to find a safe place with coverage to camp or even throw up their tarp. There were also quite a few more monster attacks, with three students sustaining serious injuries, but they all tended to their own wounds using what they’d learned and toughed it out through the weekend.
“Looks like we had more problems this time, but you all survived and returned in relatively good condition,” their teacher praised them once they’d all made it back. “You might be thinking you could tackle anything now, but I assure you, it can get tougher, as you’ll find out. This week, I’ll be leading all the expeditions myself. We’re going to start dealing with more dangerous monsters.”
◆◆◆
“But Drim, sir, we’ve always been forbidden to enter the western woods,” one of the students raised their concerns as the class approached the western gate. Unlike the other sides of the school, the barrier was far more significant than the others, built more like a containment facility than any sort of traditional protective fencing. “Even most of the teachers are scared to go in there.”
“Would you say that I’m most teachers?” The Slayer asked the class rhetorically. “I’d also say that you’re not most students. None of you have dropped out of this class so far that would break even some professional hunters. So I believe you’re up for this. Today we’ll be hunting Blowfrogs.”
Many of the students recoiled upon hearing that, worried about what was to come. One couldn’t stop themself from spouting, “But those are 2nd tier monsters! We’ve just been fighting 4th with the occasional 3rd. Most of us have never even seen a 2nd tier!”
“Well, you’re about to see a lot of them,” the instructor smirked. “Right on the other side of this gate, they’ve made a huge nest. There’s a couple hiding in every tree, a few hundred feet in every direction. They certainly need to be exterminated soon before they decide to journey over this wall. The school had actually put in a request to outside sources because they don’t believe the teachers could handle it themselves, so I figured why not take care of it for them.”
“With the reward money, you all could be set for months, well maybe a few weeks after it’s split amongst each of you. But more importantly, this is where you’ll be camping this upcoming weekend for your final trip. I’d say it's in your best interest to do a good job and clear them out thoroughly. For today, you’re required to kill a minimum of five each, but there’s plenty more than that. We won’t be stopping until they’re entirely wiped out.”
“But I can understand some of your worries. Blowfrogs are ranked highly for good reason. They fire extremely venomous quills in every direction when startled, or even if you get too close. Quite a few hikers and hunters have lost their lives because they unknowingly stepped into Blowfrog territory. However, if you’re properly prepared, they’re actually very easy to kill.” Drim then pointed to the nearby racks. “Now suit up.”
“Wooden armor?” Most of the class had never seen such a thing when they went to put it on.
“Yes, while bulky, it’s the best thing to keep you safe from their attacks,” The Slayer informed them as he put on a set himself. “Anything made of regular padding, or leather or monster hide, will be pierced right through with their quills. The venom is also corrosive against metal, but wood stops it completely. It might be scary to hear the thunks, and you may walk out looking like a pin cushion, but you’ll keep your life.”
In addition to the armor, every student was given a one-handed crossbow, a wooden shield, and a quiver of bolts. “Ranged attacks are the easiest way to kill Blowfrogs. Though the monsters are small, they’re fairly noticeable if you know what you’re looking for—looking like off-colored lumps sitting on branches. So it’s best to snipe them from a distance before they even get the chance to fire their quills.”
Drim on the other hand grabbed a regular set of bow and arrows to bring. Since he was wearing his strength-draining cuffs into the woods, he couldn’t use his usual bow which required his Curse to manipulate. But standard firepower would be all that was needed.
The teacher went first, opening the gate and stepping inside. He instructed the class to wait for a moment as he cleared the entryway, exterminating any Blowfrogs that had nested into the wall itself. And even though he was fully prepared, he was still fired upon twice. While the armor was rather encumbering, the man managed to roll out of the way both times, completely dodging the attacks.
Then when he was sure it was safe, he called for the students, and the hunt began properly. They moved as a single group, stopping every few feet to shoot down any Blowfrogs that were in sight. The teacher would call them up one at a time, making sure everyone got their turns to reach their quotas. But he also allowed the rest to pick off any they saw around them that were further in the distance and out of range of counter-attack if they missed.
Eventually, when the class got more comfortable, they split up into three groups to cover more ground. Still, they all remained within eyesight and earshot of each other, combing the area meticulously, not wanting to leave a single one of the deadly mawhgers alive. It took several hours to clear the woods, which was more like a swampy jungle in Drim’s opinion, but that wouldn’t have made for as appealing of a name for the academy.
After the instructor was confident about their success, believing the entire area cleared, he had the students scour it once more, picking up the quills that fell to the ground after each kill. They’d gathered some during their hunt, but had mostly ignored it out of precaution, but now it was time to be thorough once more.
The quills were dangerous to leave around, since a hiker could get one in their foot, not that many would dare traverse such a place. While the venom would grow weak over time, it’d still be awfully deadly during the coming weekend where the forest would turn into a campground. Plus, the quills actually sold for a decent price—a bonus on top of the generous reward the students would already receive.
They were processed into antidotes, not just for the Blowfrogs themselves, but other deadly and dangerous creatures and plants. A vial of such an antidote was actually in the bottom of each students’ quiver, which Drim had purposely neglected to inform them. He didn’t want them to think they had such a safety net until it became relevant, and the class didn’t actually find out until they’d returned from the hunt and were putting away their gear.
The trip was a complete success, and an embolden endeavor for those who learned from it. But while the immediate threat had been quelled, Blowfrogs weren’t the most dangerous thing that lurked in those woods.