“Okay, so… I wish for a billion experience.”
“...Mmm? Mmm… m m Mmm.”
“No-you can’t just say I explode, that's not how the game works. You need to come up with a loophole that you could realistically argue in the wish that I make-Here, here. You make a wish, I’ll give you an example.”
“Mmmmm…”
“...”
“Mmm! Mmmmmmmmm.”
“Granted! You can now run super fast, but your body isn’t any more durable. You tear yourself to shreds in the wind just by running.”
“...”
“See?”
“Mmmm.”
“It is not stupid!”
“Mmm.”
“Fine, we’ll just sit here in silence then!”
“...”
“...Actually, do you know how to play twenty questions?”
“Mmh?”
“...Never mind. You’re boring, Jasper.”
“Wordlessly”, her head tilted back, a silent offense evident in her eyes.
Without a word, Jasper let out a low growl as she stared me down, her demands clear.
“Give me a reason to take it back.” I crossed my arms and stuck my tongue out, blowing raspberry at a literal npc. Oh, how far I’ve come in life.
God… I wish something exciting would happen! This ride has been such a bore, I can barely even-
“Look alive! Monsters, dead ahead!”
Bolting upwards, I take a look around as my head peeks over the wagon's borders. Don’t know why, they already said they’re dead ahead! And what would you know? That they are.
A group of passing creatures about yae high are crossing the plains a solid distance away from us. They don’t seem particularly interested in us, but the fact that they are in our way is mildly concerning. Mildly concerning? Who am I worried for? It’ll be fine.
Upon closer inspection, I ring such abominations to mind as… uh… like, mini griffins? That’s kind of what they look like from my point of view way over yonder. The wagon gradually slows down as we get closer and closer, and while we’re not coming to a complete stop, it seems that whoever’s actually driving this thing (I didn’t bother to look, I was “tired”, alright?) doesn’t really want to barrel straight into the crowd of mini monsters.
An uneasy silence descends upon the vicinity of the vehicle, and for a moment, I just stretch and contemplate lying back down. It doesn’t actually seem like we’re going to be attacked in the moment… The horde of mini-griffs are currently en route to some mountains off in the middle of nowhere that are in my peripherals, so clearly they have no investment in me, anybody else, or any of the things on this wagon.
“...Hold!” A weary voice finally calls out after a long few seconds of silence, and shortly after, the wagon comes grinding to a halt. The large, buff, oxen adjacent creature pulling it coming to a stop. Actually, the thought just occurred, I haven’t even inspected this thing have I?
Fierra’s Falls Ox-LVL 11
…Jeeze. That’s high level, huh? Or well maybe not, but still. Higher level than everything else around here. Well, the things whose levels I can see anyways. Certainly explains why this wagon was and has been moving so ding darned quickly. Well, the tide is just about passing-AUGH, “FUCK!”
I can’t even begin to describe it in the instant that was given to me, even with my pain settings on the low end at 3.5% as they usually are, it feels like my entire being reverberates with an unknown ache. My hands race up to my ears before I can even register what happened, and the pain quickly registers itself thereafter. My ears ring fervently, like somebody had shoved a gong right up them and smashed the thing to bits. The sudden noise that had ripped into my eardrums disorienting me in that short moment.
Grumbling to myself for a moment, the shock passes over me and…No, it’s not quite pain, it was just so sudden… ughhh, my ears hurt. Really, more so shock than anything else, but… what the hell happened?
“Ghhhh…” I groan as I rub at my temples, the raucous cries from the rest of my current company slowly bleed into recognition as my ears cleared out.
Is my health fine…?
130/140
Okay, so that was actually an attack, what the hell was it though? What… what did that? Is Jasper alright? Oh… right… I kind of pocketed her at the end of our little incident. She looked about ready to tear me to bits… Eh, she’d have been fine either way! No need to worry.
“Hey…!”
Oh, little bit dizzy, no worries, I’ll be right up…
Stumbling to my feet on the wagon that had now ground to a complete halt, I blink as I work through the disorientation, looking confusedly at a man seemingly mouthing something at me.
“Aye!”
…Alright, all straightened out… what’s going on…
“AYE! YA RIGHT DULLARD, UPHOLD YOUR END OF THE BARGAIN! THE DAMN THING’S FLYING AWAY!”
Huh? Wuh? Oh nuh? Oh, wait, shit, okay now’s not the time to mess around, focus up, come on, I know I’m still almost falling over but can you listen to me brain? Take in the situation, get up to…
…Speed.
That previously mentioned, massive horde, is now… approaching. A large, large, chunk of it.
That’s uh… that’s not good. Probably drawn over here by the noise, but… what the heck caused… that…
Out of the corner of my eyes, I catch a glimpse of shimmering feathers, an odd bird off in the distance shedding its form and zipping off into the sunset.
…That little shit. I… don’t have anything to deal with that right now. What I can however deal with!
“Hey Jasper…”
“mmm.”
“You’re not actually boring.”
“mHMm.”
“No, really, I was just messing with you.”
“Mmm.”
“...”
This game’s weird.
“I’m sorry for making fun of you, I didn’t realize that would upset you so badly, my intention was in good fun.”
There’s no time to argue semantics or whatever, I need her help in the now. If she wants an apology, she can get an apology.
“Mmm, mm.”
Oh thank god.
[Summon]!
Now… what are we dealing with here?
Great Crossing’s Mountain Lord Spawn-LVL 5
Great Crossing’s Mountain Lord Spawn-LVL 4
Great Crossing’s Mountain Lord Spawn-LVL 6
Great Crossing’s Mountain Lord Spawn-LVL 5
Great Crossing’s Mountain Lord Spawn-LVL 5
Great Crossing’s Mountain Lord Spawn-LVL 7
Great Crossing’s Mountain Lord Spawn-LVL 3
Great Crossing’s Mountain Lord Spawn-LVL 4
Great Crossing’s Mountain Lord Spawn-LVL 5
Right then! And then multiply their numbers by like, I dunno, a hundred from what I Just counted? Well, I’ll either be dead, or I’ll be a good few levels higher. Let’s get to it!
—
The horde crashes forward without mercy, as if it were a raging tide conjured from some non-existent ocean in the vicinity. Like, I mean this as literally as I possibly can, the little ankle biters are approaching like a damn tsunami. There are HUNDREDS of them strolling up, if I’d seen a level over seven, I might’ve started praying, but frankly I think it’ll be fine.
Interestingly enough, most of the other, I assume, hired guards sprint out to meet them before they can get close to the wagon, with a solemn few staying behind, likely just in case something else were to happen. Though, they are giving me a few odd glances now that I think about it…
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Oh well! I’ll go right ahead and knock their socks off, because that’s what heroes do, right? Not that I’m a hero or anything. I’m being paid with free transportation, so good enough for me! I am a “bought” and “paid” for agent of burnination!
“Jasper, you’re going to be doing most of the work here. Your abilities are pretty much tailor designed for a horde like this, a bunch of fodder is perfect for your MP sustain, and if you kill a few high level spawns, even with halved stats they can still go around killing other lower levels. So, you’re ready to get to it, yes?”
“...”
“Aw don’t give me that, it’s not like you’ll actually be doing it alone! I’m here to support you the whole way through. You’ve got higher baseline stats than I do by a pretty wide margin, so it’s just how it is. It’ll be fine, I’m here to teleport you around as much as needed!”
“...Mm-mm.”
“See that’s what we like to hear. Alright, kill as many as you can as fast as possible, then come back to me, alright?”
With her tail flicking as a sign of acquiescence, Jasper strode forward as her eyes locked onto her first target, though… now that I think about it, she does have a habit of throwing out her Mark skill as her first attack…
“And don’t use any MP until I give you the go ahead!”
For a short moment, she stopped in place to turn and give me an incredulous look, but without grumbling she turned back around and continued on her way, her tail lashing once more, this time in what I believe to be… moderate annoyance. Eh, she’ll be fine.
Moments later, she quickly joins the ongoing brawl, cleaving into-65!-a priorly unsuspecting spawn. Whom is now likely quite suspecting of subsequent assault, given the mini-griff things’ head snapped in her direction. With a screech that was easily lost within the cacophony, it lunged for her in retaliation, but missed with what could affably be described as a moderate margin of error.
Having ducked under the sweeping claws of the Spawn, Jasper quickly followed up with her own strike, tearing through the throat of the wide open monster for another massive shot of 71! damage. Though it wasn’t quite dead yet, given it attempted to bite at Jasper who had, admittedly, somewhat displaced herself in the aggressive maneuver. She would certainly win the battle regardless of the outcome, but at the moment, this is a war of attrition, and unnecessary damage is UNACCEPTABLE!
[Recall]! Into, you guessed it, [Summon]!
Blipping out of existence for a moment, she shortly reappeared positioned to the side of where the attack had been aimed, avoiding the dying nip that had been diving for her neck.
56!
With another sickeningly silent slash of her claws, Jasper rended through the spawn for a final time as it collapsed and shortly afterwards, faded into nothingness.
+11 exp!
...That one was level seven though. You mean to tell me a whole gap of six levels is there, and the experience gained from a monster only increased twenty fold? …Bro? How much experience did I need to level up right now…?
Exp-32/611
Oh good lord. And this is only level seven??? I get I get half experience but that’s cuhrayzee.
—
+7 exp!
+5 exp!
+11 exp!
+11 exp!
Jasper rips through spawn after spawn in quick succession, taking each of them out in similar fashion, and completely forgoing any level of defense given she has me in her proverbial pocket. I’ve got the reaction speed to keep her unharmed, so what’s to be worried about? Clearly, Jasper thinks the same. As long as all agro’s on her, there’s no issue. I must admit, it’s… a little weird to just be sitting on the sidelines, but I guess what works, works.
…Is this how Cassie feels?
Ah, wait a minute, she’s actually kind of starting to get swarmed. Tis to be expected, you can only two and or three shot your way through so many enemies before the rest start to catch on, even with other enemies present and a questionable average IQ. Despite being on the frontlines for the least time, Jasper has certainly done the most damage in the least amount of time. Given she’s killed eight separate monsters in about a minute.
She’s still-55!-fighting back just fine and what not, but-67!-one does have to exercise a slight amount of caution when your, one death and they’re gone, summon is surrounded by… I count nine right now, all staring her down?
61!
+11 exp!
Okay, wow, that’s some laser like precision, how do you eat through their pack tactics like that and hit the same enemy thrice over the span of three seconds? She’s also been mostly targeting the level sevens, which I didn’t exactly order her to do, but that is what I wanted her to do! Either way, she’s done enough now, so even though she could probably handle it…
I [Recall] her as her legs tense and half a dozen spawn’s all converge on where she’d been a moment ago, leading to an almost comical pile up as they’re all suddenly met with thin air.
That whole thing didn’t exactly work wonders on my MP reserves… buuut, it should be fine. Now, to execute my grand pl-
“KRIIIAH!”
Ooo, that’s one lunging at me. Level six, alright, no biggie. I know Jasper could obliterate it, but like, I’m also kinda itching for some action here… ah to hell with it!
11!
Drawing my broadsword with practiced ease, I practically slap the spawns’ claws away, clearly, with enough force to deal damage, given it was so disoriented by the maneuver that it was sent sprawling to the ground.
The strike was technically aimed for its neck, but these mountain lord thingamajig spawns might not be as generically dumb as I’d figured they’d be, because it actually shifted its mass mid leap to position its claws in between my blade and itself. Actually, you know what? This seems like a fairly apt opportunity to me!
Capitalizing on the knockdown, even as it scrambles to its paws, its stomach is firmly met with my boot-22!-launching it a solid foot up into the air, in which its skull is then met by the pommel of my sword. Youch.
33!
Oh, hey, perfect progression of numbers, neat.
Anyways!
WHA-BAM!
25!
Another kick to its body after it found itself knocked to the floor is what follows the prior assault, and by now it should be pretty low on health. I haven’t actually done much experimenting with [Tame] but I figure getting a monster low on health is a pretty good way to do it, though given how temperamental Jasper can be, I don’t suppose it’s a good way to keep them loyal if personality like that exists in these monsters.
No matter, this is a pretty standard monster and I’m not really planning on keeping it!
Taming successful!
Would you like to name your Great Crossing’s Mountain Lord Spawn?
…Why not? Welcome aboard Jerry, for however long you’re here anyways.
Jerry-Great Crossing’s Mountain Lord Spawn
Level 6
HP 98/189
MP 50/50
Stamina 119/222
Core stats
Vitality-12
Strength-15
Intelligence-6
Agility-10
Sub stats
Endurance-37
Luck-0.7
Mana-0
Dexterity-3.5
Unique stats
Potential-0.1
Skills
Passives
Empowered Constitution-Each point of strength and vitality is 1.4x more effective.
In Search, Roaming-Gain Potential by feasting on the flesh of powerful monsters.
…That’s kind of interesting, I’ll look into that later. For now, ROLL OUT THE RED CARPET.
[Recall]
[Summon]
“Jasper. Let’s get down to business, to defeat, the horde.”