When it comes to monster hunting, there are a lot of things to consider. One thing is what kind of monster you're gonna hunt. In this world, there are three different classes of creatures, Mystic, Natural, and Chimera. Mystics are magical creatures, such as dragons, krakens, and other creatures with magical properties. These creatures are rarely seen and are highly valued by many monster hunters, like me. But, as I said, they are rare to come by. So, I doubt that there would be one at a public bathhouse. Next are the Natural creatures. They are as common as dirt. From the domestic house cat, to the wild lion, they range from all shapes and sizes. However, I don't see them being as big a threat to call hunters to handle. Last are the Chimeras. These are the ones that Hunters mainly get called to deal with. You see, back when alchemists were a thing, many got the bright idea to create their own mystical creatures. Unfortunately, they couldn't bring them to life without what is called a philosopher's stone, a magical artifact that could only be created by alchemists. So, most likely that's what I'm gonna be dealing with. Oh, right. I forgot to mention. I'm a monster hunter. Well, actually a-soon-to-be monster hunter.

You see, there are two things that you need before you can join their organization. First, you need to fill out an application, which Master Varik helped me with when we were in the Central Kingdom, Miduhar. He thought that it would be a good way for me to gather ingredients for my potion making. I, however, thought it would be a good way to travel without worrying about borders. The second thing you need is proof of your dedication to the organization. This means that you have to complete a job and bring the local Hunter's Lodge back a trophy. Every kingdom in the Western Alliance has a Hunter's Lodge. It's a good place to turn in your jobs and get some information from the other kingdoms. The only kingdom to have more than two hunter gathering spots is Cardal. One a Lodge, the other a place called the Huntress Hollow. A place filled with women called Huntresses, who, unlike the Hunters, hunt monsters for the honor. But I guess I'm rambling; I tend to do that sometimes.

It took almost half a day's ride to reach the base of the mountain, we were still a few minutes out from the bathhouse. So, I decided to think about what kind of monster was awaiting me. As I was going through my list of candidates, which were mostly water types, Roland rode up next to me, breaking my concentration. "So," he began to ask, "why the sudden interest in the bathhouse again?"

"I already told you," I replied, a hint of an annoyed tone in my voice. "It's a good place to relax and increase my magic. Also, I'm tired of you and Grant calling me a stick in the mud."

"Can't argue with that." Grant said with a chuckle. "And who knows, maybe you'll finally find a girl." I glare back at Grant as a small pebble picks itself up and strikes him in the back of the head. He lets out a yelp and reaches for the back of his head. I face forward, hiding a smug look.

"Boys," Roland said in an authoritative tone, though I could tell he was trying to hold back a laugh, "play nice." This is how we normally are. There's nothing malicious about it, we just are. We get in scruffs with each other, argue, but that's it. I mean, we are brothers, and a brother's main job is to annoy their siblings. Older, younger, brother, sister, doesn't matter. We will constantly pick on each other, and we are the only ones that are allowed to do so. Because of that, we'd always have each other's back. That's why I love my brothers, and why I would do anything to help them.

It was late afternoon when we reached the bathhouse, and my jaw dropped. The bathhouse was designed based off of Eastern Empire architecture. It was a single-story structure that sat a foot off of the ground thanks to a wooden platform held up by wooden posts. It had white walls in between wooden posts, holding up a roof with an overhang that was about three feet, tiled with clay tiles, and had a flat top. The door was circular, made of green wood and paper paneling near the top edge. It was amazing. I've always wanted to see the Eastern Empire, but to find a building like this so far from the empire was very rare. I couldn't help but give a whistle. "Now this is impressive." I spoke.

"You got that right," Grant said, nudging me with his elbow. "Nice going." Without a word said between the three of us, we made our way up the stairs of the platform to the front door. Upon opening, I was in awe. I had seen pictures of some of the buildings in the Eastern Empire, but I wasn't prepared for what I saw on the inside. The place was fully decked out in Eastern Empire style. My guess was that it was meant to give people of the Alliance a taste of what the Empire had in store. Man, this place makes me so jealous. But right now, was not the time for me to be jealous. I had some serious work to do. As we made our way to the reception desk, something took my notice. Behind the desk were three doors. The first, which was directly behind the desk looked like the employee area. Pretty standard, so I let it go. The door to the right had the sign for male customers only. But the door to the left, which was meant for the female customers, had a large "DO NOT ENTER" sign barring anyone from entering. A large red flag in my opinion, but most likely why I'm here.

"DO NOT ENTER?" Grant said, reading the sign out loud, "The hell does that mean?"

"It means," a young female voice said, coming from behind the employee area door, "that that area is under maintenance." Stepping out of the door behind the reception desk was a slender beast-woman with the ears and tail of a red fox. She wore a white robe, which was traditional for the middle class in Tàiyáng, and had her red hair tied in a ponytail at the back of her head. She was quite attractive, but not really my type. Nothing against the Beast-kin, but I'm more of a traditionalist. "Hello," she said sweetly with a bow. "Welcome to the Haven's Crest Bathhouse. My name's Paula and I will be your hostess for today."

"Hello Paula," Roland said with a smile. "We would like to purchase a day pass to your fine establishment."

"Certainly." Paula replied. "So, for the three of you, that will be 15 silvers. Anything else?"

"Yes," Roland answered, "do you serve traditional Tàiyáng rice wine?"

"Yes," Paula said with a sad smile, "however, due to the unforeseen circumstances we are no longer able to serve it." She gestures towards the closed off women's section. "You see, due to needed maintenance of the female's only section, the men's section has been temporarily converted into a coed section. We would like to please remind our patrons to keep their hands to themselves while here. So, the wine is temporarily prohibited." She bows to us. "I apologies for the inconvenience."

"Not at all," Roland smiled as he handed over the coins. "Such things are beyond your control. I hope that you get everything squared away. Now, if you'll excuse us." Roland began to lead us away, before I stopped with a smile.

"You guys go on ahead," I said. "I kinda wanna talk to this nice receptionist a bit more." Roland, for some gods forsaken reason, gave me an approving nod and ushered Grant into the changing area. When I was sure that the two weren't listening, thank you magic since, I turned to the beast-woman and continued. "I'm here from the Hunter's Lodge. Heard you might have a monster problem."

The woman looked me up and down before speaking. "You're from the Lodge? I was worried nobody was gonna take this seriously. I mean, a Huntress did arrive half an hour before you and your party did, but I haven't heard anything. I fear the worst." A Huntress? Here? It's weird to see them this far south, but not uncommon.

"Start at the beginning," I said with a cool demeanor. "How did you know a monster was in your hot springs?" As I stood there, listening. She began her story. Apparently, a few days ago, some local kids had hopped the fence in the back of the spring to have some fun. They figured by doing that, they could get in without paying. Next thing anyone knows, a young girl comes running out, half naked, and covered in blood, screaming about some monster in the water. Ash, the owner of the hot spring, goes in to investigate only to find the place covered in blood and no monster in sight. Knowing full well what to do in this situation, he closes off the entire section, sends a message to the Hunter's Lodge, and sends the girl to the closest healer to make sure she hasn't sustained any lasting injuries. "Since the incident, no one other than the Huntress has entered that section?"

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Not a soul," she replied. "Well, for the exception of our cleaning staff. But they don't go near the water. The creature seems to attack when someone disturbs the water." That narrows it down considerably.

"I think I got everything I need." I said with a nod. "Thank you for your help."

"Wait!" She said as I made my way to the closed off section. "What about your party?"

"My brothers?" I replied, thinking deeply. "They aren't sure why I'm really here, so I kinda would like to keep it that way." I continued towards the door without saying another word.

As I said before, when it comes to hunting, identifying the monster is key. Most of the time you have to go on the area you're hunting in. Surrounding clues that can help you determine what to expect. At the very least, you're going blind. But then there are the small chances that you get witnesses to the acts. Take now for instance. From what I gathered, I'm dealing with a beast that likes the water, is possibly carnivorous, and has good camouflaging skills. That narrows things down to three possible creatures. First are the slimes. These things are pretty good at camouflage, able to mimic water and rocks with ease. However, they're not able to create the amount of carnage that Paula described to me. Next, a mimic. These things are dangerous, being able to take on the appearance of anything they want. Creating a sort of shell that looks like any object. Hell, I've even heard of a mimic being able to take the form of rocks and stumps. However, they tend to stay away from water. By creating the shell around their bodies, they make an air pocket that makes them float. Not a good thing for an ambush predator. The last thing on the list is the one thing that I hope isn't here. The krogar.

Krogars are chimeras. The bastard offspring of a kraken, a squid-like beast from the Southern Isles, and a Kappa, a turtle-like beast from Tàiyáng. Both can be docile when left alone, but, under the right circumstances, are highly aggressive. The krogar is actually a very shy monster. Sticking mainly to rivers and lakes, they tend to hide away from large groups, often only taking what they need to survive. But there's a catch. See, the water has to be cool enough for a krogar to live comfortably, but warm enough so that it doesn't go into hibernation. If the water is too hot, their blood begins to boil, and they go into a psychotic rage. When that happens, the only way to stop them is to kill them, which is very hard to do. Krogar scales are as hard as stone and their skin is harder than any known leather. The only way to actually do any damage is to hit them with lightning magic, a type of magic that I'm not really taught in. Thankfully I have a couple of items that might help in this instance, but without a way to use them, I'll be as good as dead.

As I made my way into the bathing area, I took in the sight. It was a small area with a large pool taking up more than half of the area. The pool was oval-shaped, with a small, grassy island near the end by the back fence. It had a three-foot, gravel path around it, separated by about half a foot of grass, which was then separated from the water by stones that varied in size. The fence around the area was a bunch of wooden logs about ten feet in height, each log around a foot in diameter. To my right was a bunch of standing stones. As I looked, two things caught my eye. First was a three-log gap in the back fence, clearly left alone in case the monster decided to leave. Second, was the equipment lying against one of the large standing stones to my right. Out of pure curiosity, I made my way over to the equipment. As I grew closer, I began to take note of what was there. From what I could see, there was a bow, a quiver, and bundle of cloth and leather. Kneeling down next to the bundle, I began to see if there was anything identifying the owner of the gear, only to find out that the main bits of cloth were in fact someone's clothing. As I continued, I found something small, and metal buried underneath the bundles. After pulling it out, I found out that it was a pendant in the shape of a lion's head.

"A Huntress's pendant?" I said quietly to myself. "So, this gear belongs to the one who got here before me. I wonder where she went?" As if to answer my question, I suddenly heard water moving behind me. Moving as fast, and as quietly as I could, I dashed behind the rock, and hid from view. A second later, I peeked around the stone, and my jaw dropped. Coming out of the water, completely in the buff, was the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Her skin was like a reddish alabaster, her hair was a long, dark brown, and she had a slender athletic build. All-in-all, she was perfect in my mind. Turning away from her, I sank down behind the rock, trying to stop my heart from beating out of my chest. It was only at this moment that I realized that I was still holding her pendant. And, just as the realization hit me, she had found out that she wasn't alone in this hot spring.

"Who's there!?" she said, in a commanding voice. "Show yourself!" Taking a deep breath, I counted to three.

"I be right on that," I replied, "once you get dressed. Rather not embarrass another Hunter. Especially a Huntress like yourself."

"You're a Hunter?" she asked, incredulously. "Prove it."

"Look," I took a few more deep breaths, "I would love to prove it to you. But right now, I think I've caught you in a bit of a vulnerable state. And I'm not wanting to be thought of as a pervert." As much as I would like to look. “So, please, get dressed, and we can talk." As I waited for an answer, I heard shuffling on the other side of the stone. A minute or so later, I heard the drawing of her bow. Gulping down some air, I raise both of my hands, slowly get up on my feet, and turn towards her, happy to see that she is fully dressed. With a sigh of relief, I reached out with the hand that held the pendant, as a hopeful gift of apology. "Sorry for snooping. Just had to be sure."

"It's okay." She replied as she gently loosened her bow string and took the pendant. "In our profession, investigation is key."

"Ain't that the truth." I chuckled as I put my hand down. "I'm Markus Valerion, Hunter Applicate."

"Sylvani Dene," she replied. "You're not a Hunter?"

"Well," I answered with a shrug, "almost one. I gotta do my first job before I become one."

"And here I though becoming a Huntress was taxing." Sylvani retorted. "I had to complete an obstacle course before I got my bow."

"Really?" I said with surprise. "I never knew." Just as I was about to say something else, I looked at the water and my spirit just about left my body. Just below the water's surface, a pair of glowing red eyes stared at me and Sylvani. As I was about to say something to Sylvani, the water erupted. Diving out of the way, I looked up, and my heart suddenly fell. Standing before us was a six-foot tall krogar. Eyes blood red, scales dripping wet, and teeth fully bearded. It was my worst nightmare come to life. As the creature bored me down, I felt a fear I had never felt before. It was only after I heard the twang of Sylvani's bow, and the thud of an arrow into the beast's side that I finally snapped out of it. Shaking my head clear, I scanned the area, finding Sylvani making her way to the other end of the pool. Following her example. I got up and ran after her. My mind racing with questions.

Krogar's have very few abilities. One such ability is being able to survive underwater for years, only coming up for air for only an hour or so. One of the krogar's weaknesses is that they can't survive out of water for more than an hour, or they decay. So, the first question ended up being how it got here, a question I'll have to answer if and when I make it out of here alive. The next question was how it was able to do that. Very few creatures have the Paralyzing Fear ability, one of them being the dragon race. Krogar's were never given that ability. So, the question I found myself asking as I ran for the monster was, is this a new species of krogar, or was this thing an experiment? Both were terrifying in their own ways. However, right now was not the time to ask or answering questions. Now was the time to figure out how to survive this.

Once we reached the other side of the pool, we stopped. On land, krogar's are incredibly slow. Their webbed feet made it hard for them to run. But, when it makes it into the water, we'd probably have a few seconds. "Got a plan?" Sylvani asked, her bow drawn to its full length.

"I think so," I replied as I began to rummage through my bag. "How good's your aim?"

"Pin point," she answered.

"Good," I said pulling out a ceramic bottle that felt warm in my hand and held it out to her. "When I give the signal, shoot this bottle." She looked at the bottle, then at me, and finally at the krogar. With a swift nod, she readied herself. Just then, the krogar jumped into the water. "Ready?" I asked, not expecting an answer. A few seconds later, I tossed the bottle. Just as it left my hand the krogar jumped out of the water, then there was a sudden twang. After the ear-splitting crash of lightning, and a blind white light, our krogar problem was no more. You see, most mages, even the ones who are trained to use lightning magic, carry with them a few bottles of lightning. They are small ceramic bottles that fit in the palm of your hand. Good for making a quick escape when a mage is out of magic, or for stopping a krogar. If I'm being completely honest, the mage that made these wonderful items is a genius.

As soon as my vision and hearing returned, I took a view of my surroundings. I was on the ground, lying about three feet away from the pool. With Sylvani laying underneath me. Did I push her out of the way? I can't remember. As the questions began to form, I heard the running of feet and the door to the hot springs fly open.

"MARKUS!?!" I heard Roland call out as he and Grant rushed to our aid.

"Markus!" Grant said, hoisting me to my feet. "You dead yet?"

"Better luck next time," I said, brushing the dirt off my clothes. Turning back to Sylvani, I extended my hand to help her up. "You okay?"

"Yes," she replied, taking my hand, "thanks to you." I looked at her, confused. She pointed towards the pool. "You pushed me out of the way when the bottle broke. Apparently, as the creature jumped out of the water, we got splashed. If It hadn't been for your quick thinking, we would have been fried like the krogar." She then did something I never would have expected. She bowed to me. "I owe you my life. Thank you."

"Hold on," I said, slightly embarrassed as I could feel Roland and Grant's eyes on me, "there's no need for that, you would have done the same."

"True," she continued. "But all the same, my life is yours. At least until I have returned the favor." My face began to grow red. Here was the most beautiful girl I have ever seen just tell me that her life is now mine. Great. It was at that point, hoping for a distraction, my eyes fell upon the corpse in the pool of water. Tapping Roland and Grant on the shoulders, I pointed to the krogar.

"Help me with this." I said, heading over to it and, with their help, I began pulling it out of the water. The moment we got it out, I looked at them. "Anyone got a knife?" After being handed one by Sylvani, I began to try and cut open the beast here and now.

"How in the hell did a krogar get here?" Grant said, asking what we all wanted to ask. "I thought they hated hot water?"

Without missing a beat, I said as Sylvani's knife finally broke through, "It was brought here."