“The four base elements ruled the world until they became five, and the four base elements dominated while nature survived. No matter what could be said of the toughness of Earth, the destruction of Fire, the freedom of Wind, or the inevitability of Water, Nature would be struck down and grow back. Adapting and surviving, regenerating the land as it went. There were no great unavoidable threats to Nature until the upper elements were born, with the Artifice of man and mirror shadows of the Fae born in its wake causing great harm to nature in their wish to dominate it and then other elements. In their battle with nature and each other, they never would. For there was one king of the elements, which took them all in and made them greater. Thus Primal energy was born. But the fact remains, the fruits of Artifice and the wielders of the ephemeral Fae energies in their struggle against the elements and the mighty Nature are what caused the whirlpool that began it all.

Thus even the lowest of farmers here understand there are eight core elements. It is believed by academics throughout settled Hekatondrona that eight is such a powerful and holy number because of the core elements it represents. While some may disparage this, it is visible in simple facts. When a person gains sufficient monster partners their reliquaries naturally evolve. The iconic eight-sided reliquary of the elites requires a tamer to have at least eight monster partners. ”

-Reliquaries, Numerology, and the Significance of the Runic Digits Textbook from the University at the Town of Wizard’s Folly

Thirteen Days until the Duel with Edbert

Early Morning

I did not sleep well the night before, even with the boisterous company of the shepherds of Strongbridge. Which I don’t mean as an understatement. As I returned to them after fishing, they greeted me with a party in honor of myself, Alek, and one teenager who was older than Alek. The commonality in all of us was we had worked until we had gained access to at least the first level of the Shepherd class. It had been hard partying, filled with dancing around a bonfire, freshly barbecued meats and potatoes, and the telling of tall tales.

I had participated and tried to put my all into it, but I was at least a little distracted the whole time. Melody was on my mind. Even as I tried to force myself to sleep, wonder and worry would not leave it.

So when sleep came it was from sheer exhaustion, and when I woke I had the shield of a massive migraine as my protector from being dominated by those thoughts again. As I ate a bowl of porridge outside of the now barren spot where I had lay underneath the stars on my bedroll, I thought of the day ahead of me.

At first, the blacksmiths of the Filigree Clan had quoted me seven or more days for my request, which was given even before I dragged Edbert into a challenge. However, their competition with the Lively Lathe drove both groups to strive for completion with more quickness. I did not know how I had given them a quest with my simple request, but the mere fact that I had and its rewards had motivated them – more so than any gold they asked me for the construction of my project.

I took another bite as I sat with Alek and his relatives and associates as the entirety of the shepherds ate a post-party porridge and lamented overdoing it. I didn’t need to ask, I could tell from the bags under their eyes, the expressions, and the sheer exhaustion on their faces as they took in the porridge and a drink I could not identify even as I sipped it; beyond the fact, it was a tea.

Nearby, Baloo, Bedevere, and Bagheera lay in a pile of monster partners, having previously laid upon me before I snaked my way out of their grasp.

As I took a sip of the tea I took that in and once again heard the now familiar refrain from Alek’s cousins towards me – I had told this joke of a story over a hundred times now.

“So Wade, tell me again about the Hunter and Mammoth-kun?”

I did as I ate, even enjoying myself as I went. It was a solid joke, after all - and if I was going to hallucinate images of an ice age past I might as well make a joke I enjoyed out of it. Because if an ice age human got transported to another world by the sheer mass of something, it wouldn’t be by being hit by a car. It would be a mammoth.

****

So today was the appointed day for my plan’s next step. The handholds to pull me into success in the duel were the items I had commissioned. One would help my monsters push above their weight class, and another would help get me around the biggest issue I would face in the fight. Edbert had a full contingent of eight monster partners. Those were odds I didn't like even if his monsters were at the same evolutionary tier and level as my monsters.

So I had asked around town about reliquaries for sale. When they told me that at my level and age, I couldn't hit a monster hard enough with a reliquary to catch them if they resisted, I came up with a plan.

Reliquary caltrops. I could use tetrahedral reliquaries so that in monster capturing they would work. When I asked about using reliquaries that way they said people didn't use them as traps. After confirming why they didn't use them as traps, I came up with a few other ideas too. This snowballed into asking about actual equipment for monster partners- also unheard of.

They were the surprises I was leaning on to help me even the playing field with Edbert. If they worked it would be easy, child’s play even. But if they didn't work then I would have to come up with another plan.

This is why I was standing in front of the Filigree clan’s smithy staring at a bag of chocolate drop-sized tetrahedrons with the four base elements carefully inscribed upon them. Some were plain, and just meant to provide more field coverage but others were meant to build off the experience I shoved into them and activate as a normal reliquary would.

As I looked at the drawstring bags Moriah stood nearby with a proud grin.

“I am surprised that you all could make them so small.” I mused as I looked over them, and got a slap on the shoulder from Moriah for my trouble.

"Of course we did, silly duck! I told you we were the best smithy in all of Strongbridge and Tidewarren at large, didn't I?"

“I suppose you did. Even so, with onl-" but I caught myself. They didn't have only medieval technology, this was the same world with a bowling alley and bottled fizzy root beer. How could I just push medieval assumptions upon it?

"Well, what I mean is sorry for forgetting it. I have to go meet Calvin soon and then gather the lady of our supplies, we go to test it soon. See you soon.”

I spoke before closing the bag tightly and depositing it and the others in my satchel. Like so many other things stored in it, they were whisked away by the magic in the artifact and I could pull them back into my hand with a reach inside the bag and a thought.

***

Where the Filigree clan had made tetrahedral reliquaries which were small enough to be tabletop roleplaying game dice or caltrops depending on use, the carpenters of the Lively Lathe carpentry shop had been tasked with another series of devices that used their knowhow and hinges made from the Filigrees together. As I stepped into the workshop’s small reception area I couldn’t help but wonder.

“It is Wade Calhoun! I am here to see Calvin Boskwall and Master Carpenter Vincent.” I called.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"Just a moment young master Calhoun!" Heralded a shout from one of the carpenters inside the building’s workshop area. Wasn't sure which one.

As I waited and waited I could not help but wonder.

What had they been able to come up with from my initial ideas and requests? Would their devices work? Were they making me wait before they called me into the workshop because they were not done?

I was expecting a call to enter the workshop floor at any moment. So I was more than a little surprised, if not outright confused when I heard Calvin's voice call for me from outside and behind me.

I followed his voice outside and when I got there I saw a large wooden wagon with a tarp over it and a Tauracean pulling it. Sitting in the driver's seat was Master Carpenter Vincent and sitting at the back was Calvin. With energy and enthusiasm that was uncharacteristic of the carpenter's apprentice, I was waved over and as I came within a few steps of the wagon, Calvin gestured for me to sit on the back step of the wagon he was perched upon. As soon as I was safely seated the Master Carpenter Vincent began to command the Tauraceans to head towards the eastern wall of Strongbridge.

Given the well-paved streets of Strongbridge, we quickly made our way to the eastern gate and through it. After we passed through the gates, we continued onwards for nearly half a mile on the wagon jostled by the rough terrain. The wagon and stuff until we found a generally level sloped portion of the coastal prairie known as Tidewarren.

When we got there Calvin directed me to get off of the wagon and soon thereafter he and Master Carpenter Vincent began to remove the load that they had placed within the wagon's bed. Each portion of the load was wrapped and marked with a number covered in a rough brown paper that I had seen them use before when sketching out the size of a cut.

The packages ranged in size from that of a masonry brick to the largest which could have easily held a picnic table. When they finished unloading Master Carpenter Vincent crossed his arms and gave me a smirk.

“Well boy, are you just going to leave us waiting to see what you think? Start opening the packages!”

Calvin looked between me and his master and from the way his back tensed I could almost hear the biting remark that he was holding back. While most carpenters were either genial or quiet, my associate Calvin normally had a biting remark that would make a saw proud.

I gave the junior carpenter a friendly smile and then began to do as I was bidden. While removing the wrapping from the packages, I didn't actually look at the contents continuing from one to another and then on to another until it was done.

The fact that they gave me prompts when I read them said something. They were fully finished projects and ready to be tested.

Each had roughly the same design, with a flat bottom made of wood. That was bisected and a series of metal and wood hinges that rung it to create a sunburst pattern. On each of the points of the sunburst pattern, there was a runic digit.

They ranged in size from small enough to catch a hyborvid as it landed on the branch, to large enough in the case of the picnic table-sized one that could easily swallow up a fornyosoma.

“It looks great! I didn’t even expect you to be able to make one that size! How much do you want for it?” I said.

“Want for it? We aren't even done with it yet, son! We need to test it out.” The Master Carpenter replied.

“Okay, and how do you plan to do that?” I asked.

It was then that Calvin spoke up, “Well you remember that alpha jackanack and herd that you ran into on your first day? Based on information from the Shepherds, and our calculations, its migration path should tread through here soon.”

With those words spoken, Calvin and the Master Carpenter began to move the largest of the traps in front of the singular tree nearby.

As they did so I looked around, before blurting out “And how do you plan to get a jackanack to step on the trap?”

As Calvin and the Master Carpenter finished through the setup of the largest trap and began setting up others, the younger carpenters said “Well why you of course. You want to be a hero so why not be the bait?"

I blanched at the comment, even with months of distance from my first encounter with the alpha jackanack, I still vividly remembered how quickly I had been sent unconscious. First day you know I was not proud of the fact that I suffered a one-hit knockout from the rabbit-like monster.

I didn't use any excuses though. To be perfectly honest, I didn't even consider letting a no-can-do attitude have territory in my mind. I couldn’t, because all too soon I would be dealing with much bigger and more dangerous threats when I moved further up through the steps within my plan.

“Okay, I'll do it. But where are y'all going!”

"Where will we be? Well, we'll be behind the biggest fence we can muster, of course!" Answered Master Carpenter Vincent.

Soon there were ten of the sunbursts reliquary traps set out and ready to go. The other contraptions remained safely within the cart, and soon the woodpecker-like monster, which was the partner of Calvin and a larger monster that could have easily been an evolution to it -though it resembles a rooster and a woodpecker crossed- in that was the partner of Master Carpenter Vincent had both been released from their reliquaries.

The pair of bird monsters were dutifully pecking at bags of wood chips, and when they finished the pair of brightly colored birds both began to fly around the wagon in a circle. At seemingly random they would land pack a portion of the ground and a sapling would grow where their beak had just dug. The birds quickly moved at pace and the carpenters went behind their partners with axes chopping off branches. The trees continued to grow and grow and grow until they could have easily been 50-year-old trees, the four of them continued with this practice until there was a palisade on three sides around the wagon.

I had wondered before how exactly it was that Calvin had created a palisade so quickly in the dungeon. Now I knew. Where the blacksmiths of Hekatondrona, were more gifted with natural uses of fire and heat resistance, its carpenters were more than just good at shaping harvested wood. They could shape the trees as they were living, making wooden constructions out of reach of even the greatest carpenters back on Earth.

As I wondered, the master carpenter put his tools back in a chest on the cart and secured them. Before he closed the chest, he drew out a crossbow that looked like it was well on its way to being an infant version of a ballistae, and then he secured it in place on the cart; unfolding legs and prongs.

As he finished, he gestured to the single nearby tree native to the Tidewarren, and gave a nod to me. “Best of luck.”

As soon as I was out of the palisade and standing in place at the appointed location. As I stood there, I debated on which of my partners to use for this battle. Bagheera could climb the tree and was fast, but I would be lying to myself if I thought my monster kitten would do anything but set off the traps before they were meant to be set off. The same was true with Baloo, and his moves wouldn’t even facilitate battle in the trapped field even if his temperament did allow it. Both would want to charge in, and while I wanted to believe in them I was not sure that either of them could hold off the Herd of Jackanacks in close quarters. Neither of them truly even had proper ranged attack techniques.

Baloo's (and I assumed all Cerbearii’s) techniques were all about movement and getting him into place so he could strike with his bulk. Bagheera had more variety in her technique types, but even with Vulcan’s Crescent, she didn’t have a true long-range technique.

This left my newest partner, Bedevere the Beelebian. The bee monster did have a ranged attack technique, and on top of that, his could be used to redirect the hare-like monsters in midleap. Breezecall wasn’t perfect for a ranged attack technique but it could help here. So I released Bedevere from his Reliquary, and the beelebian immediately let out an excited buzz before he began to climb upon my shoulder.

“Bzzz, Bzzz, Bzzzaao.” the bee monster chirp-buzzed in my ear as it stopped to perch upon my left shoulder.

I realized there was a symmetry to it as well. Technically, Bedevere had already saved me once from the Jackanack Alpha. That was before he was even born, so now when I was having to face off against this threat that some part of me wanted to flee from, Bedevere could finally stand by me. We could fight alongside each other.

“Are you ready, Bedevere?” I asked as excitement for the battle to come started fighting any dread or worry that stood in my way.

“Bzzz, Bzzz, Bzzzaaao.” the bee monster excitedly replied, before repeating the same series of noises. I could feel the earth shaking now, and I knew soon we would be battling the Jackanack pack that had been spotted heading this way.

I wasn’t sure if my monsters could understand me or not, and I certainly couldn’t understand them – but the excitement that furry beelike monster had only burned my energy hotter. Dread and worry were banished, and instead, I could only feel the future.

I was going to conquer it and bend it to help my family, to save them and any friends I made on the way.

I was going to do the same thing to this Jackanack Alpha. It was time to take a right turn at Albuquerque.