23!
It hits the dirt with a resounding thud, absolute music to my ears given what happened just now! Fortunately enough it doesn’t die on impact, so it’s either healed itself somehow or just has really high max health, but that’s quite besides the point right now!
It twitches for a few solitary moments as I take a step back and Jasper’s paw hits the ground, likely from the shock of probably having two thirds or more of its health lopped off in a single shot. Unless it actually just has that much max health as a “normal” monster… hold that thought, why is it getting bigger again?
As it twitches, it once again grows in size like it had done moments ago. Though, not nearly to the same degree this time. More so it doubles from what was already a fairly small size. So… like a third of the size of Jasper, or around there. Well, whatever, what’s stunned is stunned!
Shaking my arm out as I raise it to the monster splayed out on the ground before me, with a single thought I unleash one of my few skills.
[Tame]!
For all the trouble this thing just caused me… welcome aboard! I graciously accept you!
Taming failed!
…Wait wha?
Even in the darkness of the night, I can make out the shiver that races through its body as it rises once again. Clearly it just resisted the attempt, and we can’t have that!
“Jasper, hit it again!”
“MM!”
“WAIT NOT WITH HUNTERS M-”
[Hunter’s Mark]!
But, the skill is, regardless of intention, completely wasted as it crashes into the dirt, scattering grass as it upends the earth with the force of the blow. As for why it missed?
Despite the no doubt grievous wound inflicted prior to this moment, something seemingly shocked the bird into action, a cloud of feathers being all that remained of it where Jasper had struck. But, the bird itself had already managed a fair distance!
Before I even really registered it, my feet were already moving again. After all of that, I’m not just going to let it get away, what!? HELL NO! Give me exp or give me summons, not mobs running away from me!
Despite seemingly having slowed down, it was still at the very least significantly faster than me. Jasper followed suit not long after I started running, but given we’re of similar top speeds, even she still gets easily overtaken by the thing.
And then… it lifts off.
Right, last chance then!
[Recall] “Hit it WITHOUT [Hunter’s Mark] alright!?”
“M-mm!”
[Summon]!
Appearing in the air directly in front of the bird as it flies straight up, Jasper strikes out at the enemy almost immediately, yet despite that…
With a narrow dodge, Jasper’s claws slash through feathers alone, sailing harmleslly through the air without their target in tow.
[Recall]
[Summon]
And another attempt…! Dodged again, literally HOW!?
[Recall]
[Summon]!
At last, with the strikes being made in quick succession, one glancing blow FINALLY lands! Dealing a measly 8! Damage, but still! Every time this monster’s taken damage, it’s been… adversely affected somehow. Changed sizes, stopped flying, something! So… surely…!
It… just keeps flying, its wings flapping sporadically for a short moment before it continues to ascend.
“H-[Hunter’s Pursuit] and hit it again…!”
But…
Jasper was out of MP.
God… DAMNIT!
Ascending into the night sky like one of the many stars, it vanishes into darkness.
—
I… kind of just have to sit and hold that one I suppose. I got overconfident and thought that it was pretty much out for the count after that absolutely massive [Hunter’s Mark] landed combined with the damage it had taken earlier.
Evidently… it was not. So, here I sit, lamenting my failure as I lay upon my chariot. The chariot otherwise known as the wagon.
It’s dusk now, and most of the goobers here are up and attem again. I do still get a few odd glances just hanging out on the roof of the thing, but also a lot more neutral looks. I can’t imagine any of them got too good of a view of the fight given it was rather dark, but perhaps some took a liking to me, eh?
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Not much of a consolation for losing out on that behemoth of a monster, but OH WELL! Maybe it’ll come back at some point… though I doubt it. I can’t imagine that fight was particularly pleasant for it. If it does in fact have the brain power that I assume it to have, running back to a place where it took over three hundred damage couldn’t possibly be enticing. UNless whatever’s here is really that appealing to it…
Actually, that’s the working theory, isn’t it? That it has something it wants to take from this thingy? Hm… so in that case, maybe I will have another shot at it. If its instinct for self preservation doesn’t win out anyways.
But, until then… what exactly am I to do?
“Hey Jerry?”
“...”
He has been silent for like, half a day now… I don’t even know if they’re a he or not actually! In fact, I don’t know anything about le mans! I can’t imagine they’ll be particularly helpful, but if they’re going to be in my bag of tricks for now I might as well be able to use them.
Anyways speaking of them, that would seem to me, a very distinct sense of paranoia in their silence.
“MmmM.” Jasper chimes in, yapping their own boredom into the conversation, though their added presence doesn’t really seem to help with the silence.
“...Are you even able to speak?”
Jasper is an interesting case, in that she speaks in exclusively mumbles and grumbles, but is somehow still quite legible. Perhaps only to me. I dunno if an outside observer could make heads or tails of her speech patterns or not. Perhaps somebody shall lay an oracle upon me one day. But either way, she’s clearly quite intelligent, so I have to wonder if this monster is just dumb if it can’t speak? Or does Jasper have an accent of some kind? I know that sprite I had the other day could speak, but that was like, a wizened nature sage or something you know?
“Hello? Mars to Jerry? Do you have conscious thought yes or no?”
“...”
“...You know Jasper’s been feeling peckish I’m sure.”
“Mmm? …Mmmm…”
“...Meep.”
…Was that them actually saying something or was it a grunt?
“Care to repeat that?”
“...No.”
“So you do know how to use your words! That’s radical.”
“...”
“Alright Jerry, I simply wish to come to an understanding here, that’s all!”
“...”
“Man got a real talker here, anyways, if I ask you to do something, I expect you to do it. If I ask you to do something, it’s because I believe you’re capable of doing it without issue. Do you understand?”
“...Yes.”
“Great! We’ll find you something to eat as well then if you cooperate, oki doki?”
“...Okay?”
“Mmm?”
You know the thought hadn’t crossed my mind until now, but like, food!! Eating it! Wow! Jasper hasn’t eaten anything since yesterday probably, neither have I! They haven’t voiced any complaints, so it’s either not strictly necessary, or they just can go longer without eating, but either way they’d probably enjoy it? Therefore we shall do that when the opportunity presents itself.
However, this is not the opportunity. Or, maybe it is.
“5-o-clock! Group of monsters in the distance!”
Another patch of monsters, first one in a few hours, and there hasn’t been any bird agitation since we literally beat the feathers off of it… so this is kind of our first kerfuffle in a while. I have to wonder if the monsters are even going to end up coming over here though… I kind of REALLY want them to though, for one simple reason.
I need levels. Like, really badly. I simply got stat diffed in my fight with that bird earlier, which… wasn’t that fun. Getting speed blitzed isn’t a great experience to be frank. Therefore, there is a need for MORE speed! Speed is key, some would say. And for more speed, I need more levels. And given I have… how much exp do I have right now?
Exp-304/611
That much. Sooooo, I need a lot. A lot, a lot, a lot. Like, at least eighty something kills to go up maybe two levels if Jasper is out, probably more given lower level enemies don’t even give double digit levels of experience… so, how can I force those monsters to come over here without seeming like it’s me forcing them to come over here, so I can stab them…?
“...Hey Jerry!”