The Soul Strikers appear to be at a loss for words. Seth is opening and closing his mouth in shock, while the others simply stare at Geoffrey. The archer nearly lost hold of the wind spell he was using to carry the wolves, too.
"I know they say," Seth finally speaks, nearly two minutes after we've landed outside the mud fields. "That if you live long enough, you'll see everything. Never, in my life, did I ever think a Tier Five snail was included in 'everything'!"
Cam and I laugh in response.
"I thought you were joking!" Seth tells me. "I didn't think you mean an actual snail!"
"We wanted to experiment," I tell him. "And see what it would be like to battle a Tier Five snail."
"Well, it was mostly him," Cam tells them. "I went along with it because I thought it was funny. I'm only going to back him up if he needs it. Otherwise, he'll handle it by himself."
Although it does appear most of the monsters in the mud field have been taken care of already. Did Geoffrey go on a rampage or something?
"Anyway," I say. "I'm going to go fight it now."
"You think you can handle a Tier Five on your own?" Seth asks. "Just because it's a snail?"
"Strategy Hunter, remember?" I grin. "I'm sure you guys could have at Level 17, too. And I'm almost Level 18, so there's a bit of a difference. We already know most of Geoffrey's arsenal. He rarely leaves his rock, and while he can utilize earth magic, he prefers to use lightning. Fire and wind are the way to go."
I step forward, walking to the mud fields, and as soon as I place my right foot on it, I draw the water out of the fields for the next hundred feet, using fire magic to assist in hardening the dirt. Rather than dumping the water back in the river, which will cause my spell to be undone as it soaks back into the soil I dried out, I send the water at Geoffrey. I wrap the water around his lower half, then freeze it.
Stepping onto the dried section of mud field, I activate my lightning body, resonating my lightning with Geoffrey's. I won't make physical contact with him, so it won't help in offense, but it'll help with defense. For the offense, Geoffrey is still weak to lightning on his softer part, since it's full of water. For the defense, having my lightning tuned to his will cause his own attacks to disperse rather than harm me.
It's not something I could do without having observed his lightning enough to learn how I need to tune mine to match. Paying to learn how to tune lightning to negate other lightning wasn't cheap, either, and was probably the most expensive spell I've learned.
Geoffrey, aware that he's under attack by me, wiggles his extra upper tentacle, flinging lightning out of it. It impacts me, but I don't feel it, the spell dispersing against my own lightning. Holding up both hands, I release a series of fireballs and air slashes at it. Until he frees his lower tentacles, he won't be able to defend against those, so I aim at his exposed head.
The snail strikes at my spells with lightning, taking out most of them, though a fireball does impact, melting part of his head. To his credit, Geoffrey simply continues with his attacks, striking at me and the ice.
He figures out pretty fast the ice isn't going to take damage from his lightning, so switches to just attacking me and blocking my attacks. Despite that, I know he's probably working his lower tentacles as much as possible to break the ice around him. Or secreting acid to melt it. Who knows? It's a giant snail.
Keeping up my attack, I move in a slow semi-circle. Not to avoid Geoffrey's attacks, but to change where I'm attacking his head from. With the ice, Geoffrey can't move his head much, making it easier for me to hit the back of his head as well.
A spear attack might work, but unless I draw close, I won't be striking him with it. He'll just zap it out of the air with his lightning. If I draw too close, he'll use an overcharge spell that my lightning body spell won't fully protect me against.
I could defend against it, but it would drain away most of my sacred power.
Spikes of stone form in the air around Geoffrey, alerting me that he's managed to free his lower tentacles. They fly towards me, and I raise up a wall of stone from the ground to defend against them, the attacks striking into it. Continuing my walk, I slice two more of them out of the air with wind slashes that continue on to Geoffrey. As expected, he strikes at them with lightning to disrupt them.
Now, I'm almost to the point where I won't be able to strike his head, but that's fine, I just need to defend against Geoffrey's attacks, since he can still see and attack me. Doing that, I continue moving until I'm behind him, then continue past that, attacking again once I'm able.
Slowly, I whittle away at Geoffrey's body, stopping his attacks with my lightning form or walls of earth magic. He manages to melt his ice using acid, confirming he has that ability, though it doesn't seem he can do much more than secrete it. The stone he's on seems unaffected by the acid, too. Either it's targeted, or the stone's absorbed so much of his mucus over the years that it's become immune to his acid.
The first sign of success is when an air slash cuts off one of his eyes on my second loop. On my third loop, I manage to take out two more eyes. On my fourth loop, I manage to slash off one of his lower tentacles and his lightning tentacle. At this point, he's full of cuts, oozing out clearish goop and pale blue blood, and several parts of him have been melted. His shell is covered in cracks and breaks as well, and I can tell he's starting to slow down. I am, too.
I'm also starting to run low on sacred power. I haven't pulled off any big spells, so I haven't burned through it. Now that he's unable to use lightning unless I draw close enough for his static discharge, I cancel my lightning body.
Holding out my right hand, I summon my sacred weapon. This will be my first time intentionally using it in a fight, and Geoffrey can't zap it out of the air anymore. He might not have been able to before, but I didn't want to risk it.
I charge the spear with fire magics, then throw it. The spear soars through the air, leaving behind a trail of fire, and cuts clean through Geoffrey's head. That didn't kill it, but it did deal significant damage to it. The snail is stunned, the injury cauterized, but also pretty melted.
Releasing my spear, I summon up a gale of wind as I move so that the injury is facing me. Blasting Geoffrey, I cause his head to flip over, the wound ripping further from the force of the attack. Putting my hands together, I pull them apart, summoning a dense fireball between them, then thrust my hands forward, sending the attack at the snail's large, exposed injury. My fireball explodes upon impacting, sending flames everywhere. The mostly-severed section of the head is pushed off and melted, the remaining portion melting even further.
One never knows when a monster might rise back up, especially when it's a type they're unfamiliar with attacking. A Tier Five snail fits into that category, so I send several more of the extra-dense fireballs at it, melting it down to the shell.
They cost a lot of sacred power, which is part of why I didn't cast them before. Had I done so and Geoffrey struck all of them out of the air before they arrived, there would be a lot of fire exploding in the air, but none reaching the monster.
Now that I know Geoffrey's dead, I make my way back to the Cam and the Soul Strikers. I know for sure he's dead because I felt an influx of power rushing through me, a sign that I gained another Level.
"That was actually rather impressive," Seth tells me. "How much sacred power do you have left?"
"Almost none," I answer. "I'll need to rest for a few minutes if we're flying back to town."
"We can walk," he says. "If you get too reliant on flying everywhere, you'll weaken your legs and your stamina will drop."
"Yeah," I nod. "We normally only use it in emergencies or when it's advantageous to, and I was using it when taking Liam hunting while my leg was injured."
"In a small town like this," Seth says as we begin walking back towards town. "I'm kind of curious, what do your parents think of both of you being Hunters?"
"Don't know," I shrug. "Liam and I are both orphans, though we aren't brothers by blood. I took him in after we rescued him from a monster attack that killed his parents while they were traveling unprotected. The Elder Hunter tried to track down any potential family, but she couldn't, so I just kept raising him. That was three years ago, and he's adapted to life here. He's never talked about where he came from, or what things were like before I took him in. Regardless, I love him all the same. He's my little brother, no matter what anyone wants to say."
"That's nice," Seth tells me. "I always wanted a little sister, but my parents only wanted a single kid. They were a bit disappointed when I became a Hunter when I turned ten, mostly because they had hoped I would inherit the shop. We were bakers, and I wanted something a little more exciting than that."
"So you became a Hunter instead," I laugh. "That's a little more exciting than baking. You became a Hunter for the adventure, then?"
"Most of us did," he nods. "Except Pierce, he became one to help supply his town, like you two. He joined up with us after the third time all four of us were in his town at the same time, and we hunted there as a team for a few months before moving on to something else."
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"My town had enough Hunters," Pierce tells us. "So we figured we could make ourselves useful to places that might need a little more help. That was when our journey really began."
We talk about our adventures the rest of the way to town, Cam remaining silent for most of it, just listening as Seth, Kris, and I tell most of the stories. Pierce and the other two are pretty silent as well, but I think that's more because they're okay with letting Seth tell the tales and with listening to mine.
"Welcome back," the Gate greets us. "You have a nice haul today."
"One of those is the wolf that nearly killed me," I tell the Gate.
"Congratulations on the kill," he tells us. "And welcome back."
The Gate opens, and we enter. Strange that he didn't mention the threat was over, but I guess that's because we already knew it, having taken it out ourselves. We make our way into the Elder Hunter's shop, the archer temporarily leaving the wolves outside. She performs our appraisals, then confirms my Level up by updating my brand.
"Here are your rewards," she tells us after grabbing two sacks from the back. "For jobs well done. Only a few wolves were missing from the first viewing, but none of them are beyond the ability of those who protect and supply this town. Will you stay to hunt them down, or leave them to our local Hunters?"
"We'll be here for a few days," Seth answers. "To teach them a few things, and to check on things as well, but after that, we'll be leaving."
"There's a merchant group," I say. "Who should be arriving in about three days, and will leave two days after that. They'll have two groups of Hunters with them. I know you might have other stuff to do, but figured I'd let you know, in case you wanted to travel back with them."
"Could always do some escorting," Seth says. "We aren't too busy, mostly going out when the Guild tells us to do something. Otherwise, we tend to travel around a bit, though we have to keep the Guild updated on where we are so they know where to send messages to. Anyway, would you mind taking us to wherever we go to give the kills to? I'm sure it'll save the Elder Hunter here some trouble, and we'd like to meet the townsfolk, too."
I was expecting that already, as Soul Strikers are a big deal. Having them meet with the townsfolk while they're visiting us would remind the townsfolk that the Guild still watches even people way out in the sticks. If the townsfolk only ever dealt with Hunters from the area or who were escorting merchants or travelers, it might weaken their faith in the Guild. But to have professional Hunters who work directly for the Guild show up and talk with them, it helps to keep that faith up.
Keeping the faith in the Guild is essential for having new people become Hunters, which is essential to protecting travelers, gathering difficult resources, and protecting society as a whole. Out here, in a town far away, it's unlikely the Hunters would do more than serve the town, and there might not be many at a time, with some gaps between when Hunters are present, but it still benefits the Guild to do this.
"Okay," I say. "Come on, we can go do that now. Nick is the one we send everything to. He handles any butchering jobs that aren't just from the livestock we keep, though he handles some of those, too. He'll also skin and drain the catches, then send the pelts to Greta to be tanned, with or without the fur."
"Lead the way," Seth says.
The seven of us bid farewell to the Elder Hunter, then leave. The archer picks up the wolves with his wind magic again, then we make our way to Nick's shop. The wolves have to be brought in one at a time, and the gaia wolf takes up almost the entire double-door entrance.
It's because of larger kills like the gaia wolf that Nick has such a wide entrance, and why his back room is quite large.
After we drop those off, we lead the Soul Strikers to town, and they greet some of the townsfolk, and wave to the farmers as we pass by the fields.
"It's a quiet town," Seth comments after we pass by another field. "No children?"
"They're around somewhere," I answer. "The ones who aren't helping their families work, anyway. It's a nice day out, so there's a good chance some of them went fishing. If Liam's with them, they probably decided to go to the lake. Which reminds me of something. Sorry to ask this of you, but would you be willing to take care of something in the lake? It's a Tier Four, I think. Or Tier Five. It stays towards the center of the lake, making it difficult for us to deal with. I know the wolves counted as official business, so we don't pay for that, but I'll pay the cost for this."
"No cost," the archer tells me.
He's been silent so far, but so has the spearman whose name I've yet to learn. We should probably do some proper introductions at some point. Those two have left most of the talking to Seth, Kris, and Pierce, much like Cam has left the talking to me.
"Helping out is part of what we do," the archer continues. "Why don't you lead the way? If they're fishing at the lake and it has monsters in it, it might be dangerous."
"Yeah," I answer. "I did reprimand Liam recently for fishing there, so there's a chance he's avoiding it, but one never knows once he's getting pressured by others."
"Would you care," Seth says. "To take us to the normal fishing spot first? If they aren't at the lake, we can bring them with us and let them see us fight. Other than Liam, the chances aren't high they'll get to see Hunters in action very often."
"Sure," I say. "It's this way."
We pass through more of the town, the Soul Strikers greeting more of the townsfolk as we walk, then we exit the actual town and continue on the trail through the fields to the river. When we draw near, we can spot Liam and about other kids fishing, the oldest being twelve, the youngest being a five-year-old girl whose ma doesn't like her going fishing because she always comes back muddy.
The signs of her having jumped into the riverbank are already visible, her feet and ankles muddy.
"Hey, guys," I say, and everyone looks at us. "These are the Soul Strikers who came to deal with that strong wolf we came across. They're going to take care of the big monster in the lake, do you want to come watch?"
"Can they really?" Liam asks cautiously. "Isn't it dangerous?"
"I'll be able to handle it," the archer steps forward. "And the others will ensure no attacks that make it past me hit you. There shouldn't be any, though. The battle will likely be short."
"Alright," Liam says, then looks at the others. "Do you guys want to stop fishing to go watch them?"
The rest of the kids nod in agreement, so they pack up their stuff and join us as we walk up the river to the lake.
"I'm surprised," I tell Liam as the Soul Strikers talk with the other kids, answering the random questions the little ones ask. "Normally with Jake and Zeke there, you end up giving in to the pressure and go to the lake."
Jake and Zeke are twelve-year-old twins. Because they're older, the younger kids, Liam included, tend to go along with their plans, especially since most of them want to do what the twins want. Fishing at the lake is a risk, and a forbidden thing, but it also yields better, bigger, and tastier fish, which is an appeal to any kid of this town.
"I know," Liam tells me. "But I'm a Hunter now. I have to be more responsible than that. I have to be smart, like you said. It's dangerous to go to the lake without you, so I told them that we couldn't go. I almost gave in when they kept saying we should fish at the lake, but then I said that none of us could fight the big monster, and if it decided to attack, then we'd all be in trouble, and maybe even die. I reminded them that you almost never come back with injuries, yet just a few days ago, got hurt real bad and almost died. That got them to stop."
"I'm proud of you," I tell him. "That was a smart, responsible choice. I'm sure it upset the little ones when the twins decided not to."
"Yeah," Liam nods. "So we promised them we'd go to the bakery and trade some fish for some sweets."
Liam tells me about their fishing adventure so far today, then we all reach the rocks and help the little ones onto it before climbing onto it ourselves. The archer flies off towards the center of the lake, looking around. He draws his normal bow as he flies up so that he floats around twenty feet above the surface of the lake, then he begins releasing lightning arrow after lightning arrow.
The kids are gasping in awe at his rapid release of attacks, and I notice rather fast that the archer is taking out other monsters in addition to the big one. His attacks seem wild, as they aren't focused in one area, but spread all over the lake. Chances are, he's taking out anything over Tier One.
After only a minute and a half of his attacks, the archer stops and slings his bow across his back again. Then, he gestures with his left hand, and the water in the center of the lake rises up, a massive fish with six pairs of side fins and a line of fins running down its back lifting out, lifted by the water itself.
"Whoa," one of the younger kids says. "That thing could feed the whole village!"
"And that," I say. "Is why you shouldn't come to the lake without the supervision of the local Hunters. Its mouth is bigger than you!"
"Yeah," he nods. "Those teeth look scary."
"Well," I ruffle his hair. "It's dead now, so it's not that scary anymore, right?"
"Nope!" He grins at me.
We wait for the archer to return, then all of us return to town. It's almost lunch now, and the fish will probably be shared among the townsfolk for dinner, since the Soul Strikers pass it off. Based on past experience from when Cam and I brought something that massive back, there's going to be a feast through the village tonight, everyone who can pitching in to supply food or drink for it. There will probably be dancing and singing, too, just because feasts turn into celebrations, of a sort.
The kids split up after the fish is given to a couple of men for them to start butchering it, then Liam looks at the Soul Strikers.
"You guys said you're staying in town a few days, right?" He asks.
"Yes," Seth answers.
"Where are you staying?" He asks.
"At the Elder Hunter's shop," Seth answers. "We wouldn't impose on anyone here, and the second floor is set up for guests specifically for Hunters who come to town for something. Most towns like this don't have inns, so it's an available place for us."
"Okay," Liam nods.
"Want to show us where you train here?" Seth asks. "We can teach you a couple of new spells if you want."
"Sure," I tell him. "I live at the edge of town, we have plenty of space behind my house to train. It's this way."
We begin walking again, and as we do, I decide to ask something that's been on my mind.
"I was wondering why you guys rushed here," I say. "Normally, something like a Tier Six wouldn't warrant shaving a day or two off of your trip."
"Rush?" Seth asks. "What do you mean?"
"After the Elder Hunter sent the message," I say. "She received a notice that you were on your way and would probably be here in three or four days. That was three days ago, and the trip usually takes five, maybe six days."
"Ah," Seth says. "Actually, we were already on our way here. We didn't know about the problem until after we arrived and the Elder Hunter told us."
"Wait," I say. "Why were you coming here, if it wasn't to deal with a problem? We aren't that significant of a town. The most interaction we really have with anyone else are the merchants."
"That would be me," the archer steps forward. "The rest of the team decided it was finally time to see the place I was from, since we've been to their hometowns and met their families. There's a little more to it than that, but that's the basis of it."
Cam and I exchange looks. The archer is from our town? There's only one Hunter we know of who could be, but that could be wrong. Right?
"You're from here?" I ask.
"Yes," he answers. "Have a brother your age, actually, so you probably know him. His name's Rex."
I stop walking and inhale deeply, then slowly exhale. Liam gives me a confused look, probably because he doesn't know that I have a brother, so he's not sure of why the archer would claim I'm his. I meet the gazes of each of the Soul Strikers, then fix my gaze on the archer.
"The eight of us really need to do some proper introductions."