This world, one of true swords and sorcery, one of danger, is vastly populated, though few of its residents are sapient. The beasts of the land have the numbers and strength to reign over humanity, as such, only sparse cities remain, the bastions of their race, left among the rubble of previously mighty societies. The stories of those times have been lost, the hundreds upon hundreds of years wearing them down to nothing, amidst the struggle to claw their way to survival, all that isn't required is cast aside. Even with the addition of the Hunters and Explorers, safety is no guarantee, the only thing keeping them alive is the protection of their established lands, past that is beast home turf, an area devoid of society and filled with nothing but death and despair.
----------------------------------------
Fuck! A damned monster had to show up now! "Kibrav! Get the young out of here! The outer shelters should be safe, I'll join you soon!"
----------------------------------------
The beasts, residents of this world just like the humans, creatures of cunning, ferocity, and malice. Although not truly "sentient" they pose great risk and possess great physical prowess. What makes these creatures so deadly lay not in their current state, but their potential to evolve. Monsters are these evolved beasts, containing all the traits their predecessors have boosted, alongside the ability to use mana, abilities, and the like given the presence of conduits connecting them to the Aether. Although evolution is the term, it is spontaneous, and occurs immediately, meaning that a normal beast can sire a beast with no prior signs of mana integration, yet these monsters will only produce more monsters. As the population beyond human settlements grows more of these so-called monsters appear.
----------------------------------------
"Yeah! Come on you ugly brute!" This is it, one shot, do or die... I'm ready! I am ready!
----------------------------------------
Another facet of this monster "upgrade," is the advanced intelligence that accompanies it. While beasts can be smart, they are often instinctual beings, whereas monsters have multilayered thinking, deduction, and planning minds, placing them nearly on par with humans themselves. What they lack is a semblance of emotion, of empathy.
----------------------------------------
A lumbering goliath of a quadruped shambled toward a low crouched man, a ragged mess of one at the least, the fire in its eyes showing amusement at the plaything beneath it. He looked up, the cold glint in his vision clashing with the thing before him. A brilliant flash emanated from the man, and the surroundings were enveloped in a warm white light.
----------------------------------------
Lenaas, 258. 9th of the 2nd
It's been about a week since our little vanguard was formed. it's been tense, to say the least, Jace and Alkir had some history to work out before we left I've been told, but even with that progress, this trip has been a bit tense. We've made good time these few days on the path however, we should make it in another couple of days if we keep at it. we're in the opposite direction of my prior travels, supposedly this next location is home to a certain something to help, so I assume we are recruiting some help, I still can't wrap my head around the concept of monsters, it just doesn't make any sense.
Nell closed the neatly bound book and stuffed it in his pack. He refused to imprint most of his equipment, claiming that having it on his person made him feel better. Not to mention those bastards have it easy. In truth, the main cause was his lack of mana talent. He could enhance himself to his heart's content, but infusing his equipment was inefficient and pitiful in his eyes, his skill with that art was too low. "Oy! Jace, Alkir!" He beckoned them over, he had elected to give them some space and jog slightly ahead, the air between those two made him nervous, quite nervous. They both looked in his direction, then at each other, and trudged over to the younger boy.
"What Nell?" Alkir glanced around the immediate surroundings, spotting nothing he looked back. "If you stopped us for nothing again..." He just ended with a sigh. Jace didn't speak, just looked at Nell with a warm smile, waiting patiently. But Nell knew...
"We've either got company, or we're walking right into something nasty, the bark there is a flag that there's a Monint Dweller nearby." Nell confidently pointed to the tree the trio was huddled by. Alkir looked skeptically, even Jace's face showed some hesitation. Of course, they're skeptical... Nell sighed, leaning closer to the weathered tree, nudging the patches of apparently rotted bark. He dug his fingers into the soft material, easily tearing a chunk of the tree out with his fingers. "Monints mark trees by spitting acid to both scent-wise and visibly display their home. This tree is one of those, I think we should at the least get prepared." Jace took an even closer look at the tree than Nell.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
"Well, perhaps you are right, whatever the case that isn't tree rot, whatever did this is most definitely dangerous, we should indeed get ready to defend." Alkir sighed as Jace confirmed the boy's findings, summoning a small bell, fully silver with streaks of black in the metal, he shook the small ornament, and no sound was produced. Rather, the bell disappeared, and the light nearby began to bend and distort, much the same as a human Incarnation, which eventually gave way to a large lizard-like creature, its height reached up to Alkir's chest, and he gently caressed its pointed mouth and nose, eliciting a clam rumble from the being's throat.
----------------------------------------
How he's grown, ah, what a sight. Jace couldn't help but agree with his boss' original statement. He most definitely was worth the effort. The boy, given his immortality Jace figured everyone was practically a kid compared to him, had gone from a fledgling hunter, only possessing basic combat knowledge to a second class in six years, faster than Jace himself had originally, and had indeed picked up a skill. "Why hello there Barasov!" He walked up to the beast, running his hand along the ridge of short spines along the edge of its back, its tail swept around, and lightly tapped Jace's back, returning to the ground and making a vague wagging motion. It truly is like a housepet, well... Looking at it once again and assessing its size, Jace adjusted his thought. More like a content farm animal. The thing's head was up to his chest, and it was large enough for one of them to ride, which Alkir used for combat occasionally. I mean, it's the size of a Merdria, good god.
Barasov turned its head to Jace, nearly catching the man's armor with the spike-like ridges, each time he saw them Jace couldn't help but be fascinated. Two stripes of those spines ran from just above the eye to the base of the tail, and at the tip of that appendage was a serrated speartip-like bone, remembering its potential made Jace shiver. His thoughts were interrupted by Alkir clearing his throat, and turning the heads of both his companion and old mentor.
"Ah, sorry Alkir, you know how I am around your summons." Jace smiled apologetically, it was true, he was fascinated by them, after all, summoning was rare, exceedingly rare. The requirements for such an ability to manifest were incomprehensible, and it would seem that Alkir's Skill Mold was already nearly perfected. Just as I expected. Marvelous. Alkir on the other hand looked slightly annoyed, but otherwise just sighed and continued. Even with Alkir's bad blood towards Jace, the older man was already sensing a trust reestablishment between them.
"I'll have Barasov scout the trail as we go, I'll need you two to remain vigilant regarding our surroundings, distance requires my attention." He looked at both his partners for a few seconds before closing his eyes and walking once more. Barasov was compelled by his Summoner's commands and sped ahead of the group to make sure an ambush wouldn't occur. Nell nodded, removing his elegant sword from its sheath and placing his head on a figurative swivel.
Well, at least those two are coordinated. Jace smiled to himself, manifesting his weapon, a glaive made of steel and dark wood, single-edged and ornate. And so the three returned to the trail, another temporary stop among dozens. Passing the trees by as the endless forest wound on.
Barasov returned once a comfortable distance was obtained, Alkir had it stretch its legs for a bit before sending the lizard back to his Aether, letting it rest once some exercise and fun were had. And that is what made summoners so special, they could take in beasts, and presumably monsters, within their Aether, the source and storage for their mana, items, and skills. In doing so the creature was granted a [partial boost in strength depending on the bond strength, and a sizeable increase in intelligence. What would previously be an instinctual beast could gain sentience, emotion, and personality. That is what makes them a valuable commodity.
"Welp, that settles it, let's keep going, the more ground we cover the better." Alkir kept leading their vanguard, slightly more relaxed the trio trotted through the unending forest. Heading in search of the key to the survival of Rueka, and perhaps humanity. Assuming that Astrinar is right. Jace clutched his head for a moment, getting only a look of confusion from Nell before he returned to normal. Sorry, sorry, bad jab I know, forgive me! He thought to something outside of his mind, yet within, and continued with his band of Hunters.
----------------------------------------
"Well, what do you think so far, young one? How is this world's scenery?"
"You can't believe how beautiful it feels compared to my last..." A boy stared out, overlooking a mountain valley filled with a picturesque river and sparse tree clumps. The morning rays shone above the snowy peaks, it was a perfect sunrise. A man patted the boy's shoulder, also staring out at the beauty before him.
"I'm sure it is, of that, I have little doubt."
----------------------------------------