*****

****

“This armor is awfully hard to move in...” I grumbled to myself as I walked awkwardly in my newly bought suit of equipment. The armor made clanking sounds as I moved, drawing angry looks from passers-by as I disturbed the area.

I decided against wearing the full helmet as of yet, but it will be useful in concealing that red murderer’s mark.

“At least you look like a proper knight now.” Lance remarked. “In fact, it looks rather dashing on you.”

“Flattering won’t get you anywhere, Lance.” I grumbled. “Besides, if that affects my combat performance...” The armor felt heavy and weighed me down like nobody’s business.

“Well then, you are just going to have to get used to it, are you?” Lance replied. “It is custom for most warriors to go around with at least two sets of armor on for maximum protection.”

“How troublesome...” I sighed. The armor was difficult to put on as it is. I wondered how Tante manages it. The chainmail was simple enough, but I got lost at the complexities of the chestplate. It’s only chainmail and leather for me from now on, I decided. But I decided to give the chestplate a chance. Much like how I tried, unsuccessfully, to give uncrushed ginger a chance (ugh.).

I looked down at the armor I was wearing again. Did I really look as dashing as Lance said?

I found a mirror, equipped the Lance from the holster and made what I figured was a heroic pose. Not bad, I thought. I wonder how I might look with the helmet on...

“Admiring yourself?” Came a voice from behind. I started in shock, lost my balance and fell. I looked back in anger and saw Tante grinning. She didn’t seem to have made any upgrades to her equipment.

“Good grief, Tante, you gave me a fright.” I said angrily, but kept my emotions and voice in check. It was night time after all, and people (NPCs) could be sleeping. I looked around. “Where’s the monk dude?”

“Not sure. The last I saw of him, he was leaving a grocery shop with a sack of food.” Tante put her hand on her chin as she attempted to recall. She looked at my armor with an appraising expression on her face.

“Not of the best quality, but I suppose that’s what happens when you buy from NPC stores.” Tante commented. “You should probably have waited for morning. You might get a better set of armor from the players at a cheaper price.”

“Well, we are leaving for the dungeon at first light right? Not much I can do.” I replied, shrugging. “Are we going to get something to eat? I’m pretty starved, and we have been travelling for a bleeding long time today.”

“Let’s wait for Wisp first. He looked like he hasn’t eaten for days on end.”

“Showing concern for him already huh, Tante?” I grinned.

“What?! No, he... just looks like a guy who’s down on his luck, okay? Just look at him, those ragged clothes which expose his well-toned bo- Oh crap!!” The madly blushing Tante covered her mouth. So there was this side to Tante as well, huh?

She shot an angry look at me, and continued, this time controlling her speech: “In any case... just look at that guy. In that pathetic, ragged and exhausted condition, how can one not feel sympathy for him?”

“Sure, sure, tell yourself that.” I replied coolly, guiltily pleased that I finally one-upped her in something (I was to get it from her later though.). Wisp chose this point to suddenly show up.

“Sorry I’m late. Let’s get moving to an inn, shall we?” Wisp looked harried, as if he was running away from something. His haversack looked heavier and bulkier.

“Of course.” I said, hoisting my lance onto my shoulder and walking to the inn. I glanced at Tante, who was walking behind me, frantically attempting to lose the blush, and Wisp, who seemed painfully oblivious to Tante’s plight. My armor felt lighter already, I decided, and there was a spring in my step.

*****

*

The next day, we left the Kingdom of Kallamore, making a note to come back and properly explore the place later on.

A few hours of jogging later (I gained extra points in Stamina due to the added weight of the armor, I can see how Tante is able to maintain that pace now), we found ourselves back at the pass and walking up one of the cliff walls, where Tante found the entrance to one of the tunnels.

We equipped our gear and made last preparations before we began our adventure.

“Ummm...” Wisp spoke up nervously.

“What is it?” I asked, noting the tied up bundle at the side.

“I packed some food for the trip. Here, it will keep the satiety levels up, and it adds some stats as well.” He untied the knot on the bundle, revealing lunch boxes stacked on top of one another.

“Well, the jogging did make me hungry.” I picked up a box and opened it. It turned out to be simple finger food like sandwiches and simple fruits and vegetables. There was a glaring absence of meat.

“Are you a vegetarian or something?” I looked at Wisp, who said shyly:

“Well, I try to keep up my discipline even though this is a game. Just have some. I assure you that it’s nutritious and good for your health.”

THAT SHY FACE DOESN’T SUIT YOUR MUSCULAR BUILD DAMMIT!! I wanted to scream that, but held my tongue. He did make lunch after all.

“Yeah, Howard, quit complaining and try some already.” Tante bit into a spring roll. “This is surprisingly good.”

I stared at a sandwich. There was a glaring lack of pink in it, the white pieces of bread revealing a strata of even smoother whiteness underneath. I never thought I would see the day - That I would actually bite into a tofu burger. At least there’s lettuce and tomato to go with that.

“Well, I deem it impolite to refuse.” I blustered a little. “Down the hatch!!”

I bit into the Tofu Burger... Uuuu... It’s not quite the same as a regular burger. It’s too soft...

It was still rather palatable however; the lettuce was crisp and the sweet-sour tang of the tomato complemented the bland taste of the tofu patty. How did tofu even come about anyway, I wanted to know. I didn’t ask though, and bit down the tofu burger in large bites. Hunger was, after all, the best spice, even though the tofu patty tasted like crap (perhaps with a bit of soy sauce and cold, though... And Seaweed!!).

You are well-fed.

Life +500

Mana +500

Stamina +20

STR + 20

Effect of Iron Constitution has further amplified the effect:

STR +20

VIT +10

END + 10

The amplification effect came about after that skill hit Intermediate Level, improving the effects of food. At that point, I realised that I had been abusing my stomach just a wee bit too much with the rations, and had made a note to eat better food in the future. I didn’t stop eating the rations though, they were cheap after all.

I fought back the urge to suddenly flex my arms after eating the food, however.

“And he can cook too... He’s perfect!!” Tante gushed under her breath.

“A tad bit limited though.” I muttered. I stood up and brushed the crumbs off my new greaves, and putting on my helmet. “Alright, let’s move out!! Good hunting to all of you!!” I yelled, my voice muffled by the full face helmet, and raised my hand in a salute.

**

*Ttring!!*

You have discovered Lyca’s Wolf Lair.

Benefits:

- Fame increased by 200.

- Double experience, 2x item drop rate.

- The first monster killed will drop a good quality item.

- For discovering the whereabouts of a known fugitive, you have earned additional +50 fame.

Weird, I haven’t seen the last option before. I looked at Tante, who grinned like the Cheshire Cat.

“I went to the bounty list in Kallamore, and it turns out the Lycanthrope that has been leading the werewolf pack and raiding the caravans is a well-known fugitive. There’s a good bounty thrown on his head as well, so we might be able to earn a bit more from this dungeon raid than expected, if it goes well.” She said.

“Well, should we spend the first rare monster drop bonus on him as well?” I asked. It was generally better for players to do so since the stronger mobs give better drops, but also rather tricky as well. At the same time, I found myself formulating a plan. The lycanthrope is likely to fall back on his comfortable numbers... so I will be able to do this, I thought to myself idly. That plan might be able to be carried out, but it’s good to have something to plan forward to.

“I would, but it is difficult. Most likely Lyca would hide himself in the deeper portion of the dungeon and send his werewolves out to patrol and keep an eye out for intruders. Chances are that we would most likely kill one of his minions first, which would waste the bonus. No, we’ll probably need a thief if we were to make use of that bonus.”

Tante’s words soon ring true, however, as we quickly met our first werewolf patrol. A group of 8 werewolves pounced out from a bluff on the higher part of the cave and landed lightly, immediately leaping from their landing position at us in a sudden preemptive attack.

“Humans...” one of them barked. “Get them!!”

I stepped up to the forefront, lance at the ready and held in one hand braced against my forearm creating a shorter but more stable reach overall. My new armor made it a bit harder for me to move quickly, so a stalwart and steady stance was the best way to begin a proceeding in this case. Resembling the one-handed spear stance favoured by the Roman warriors in the past, I had wanted to try out this stance; it had appeared in the skill book I received from Kite last night.

3rd Stance of the Empty Spear: The Legionnaire.

Normally a shield may be equipped alongside the spear, but I didn’t have one. On hindsight, I should have gotten it... But having a free hand suited my intentions just fine.

The werewolf lashed out with its long arms, trying to take the initiative with a reckless assault. I ducked under the blow and out flickered my free hand in a palm strike, driving deep into its chest.

When fighting a more agile enemy, let the enemy take the fight to you, and then counterattack accordingly.

I recalled my mentor’s advice for taking on an enemy that was much faster than me, and used it to get within the werewolf’s guard. I wasn’t finished with just the palm strike however. I grabbed onto its long shaggy fur with that hand, and drove my foot down into its hind legs, striking out with the lance in my other hand while tugging at the werewolf.

The werewolf toppled forward, and impaled itself on the lance (well, I helped), which took a large amount of hit points out of the werewolf. And again, that wasn’t even the end of it. The broad tip of the lance wasn’t just for piercing the enemy with a greater cutting surface, and the two tips at the back ends of the lance had a more devious purpose.

With a violent movement, I braced my leg against the werewolf and tugged out the lance, intensifying the damage and causing the already low hit points to dwindle to zero, and the werewolf vanished in a flash of gray light, leaving a badly damaged pelt, meat, a piece of equipment and some coins.

In the legend of Cú Chulainn, he was given a barbed lance which was meant to be thrown by the foot known as Gáe Bolg (which means Spear of Mortal Pain/Death Spear, etc.) from his teacher Scáthach. It opened up into 30 barbs as it entered the opponent and had to be literally cut out of the dead opponent, the wound inflicted normally being a fatal one. My case was less gruesome and deadly, but you get the point (literally).

I quickly scooped up the drops and raised my gauntleted hand to parry the hit from another werewolf, bashing at its arm with a punch as it came flying in a horizontal swing. Honestly speaking, the AI for some of the enemies should be improved; I could easily see the attack coming in.

The effect jarred my wrist, but it bought enough time for me to shift to the the Balancer stance with the point of the lance facing backwards, which can also be used for infighting. I drove the butt of the spear shaft into the werewolf’s stomach, and then pivoted on the spot, the broad tip of the lance flying in a silvery arc and biting deeply into the werewolf’s side, which took out another chunk of hitpoints and left the werewolf clutching its side in pain.

I put in a bit more pressure into the my lance, completing the arc and bisecting the werewolf, separating it from its lower legs. That makes it two down.

“Hyah!!” Tante had knocked down another werewolf, and her spirit warriors pounced on it and hacked away with large axes and glaives, reducing the werewolf to a bloody pile of quivering fur and meat within seconds. Tante then stabbed the dying werewolf with her spear and inflicted the final blow. Two piles of loot already lay around her, signalling that she had already killed two more werewolves.

It seems that the advantages of the Spirit Warriors, which were formed through compressing the essence of 10 of her Spirit Soldiers together to form a larger and more powerful warrior, not only did not just stretch to improved strength. It was also easier to manage and exert her control over fewer soldiers, meaning that she can utilise a more coordinated approach in order to hunt.

Tante herself has become more of a supporter, improving the strength of her team through her Spear Dances and tactical coordination, while providing attacker initiative through her knockdown effects. At the same time, she was pretty damned skilled with that spear of hers, using the flag at the end of the spear to befuddle and dazzle her enemies with her spear techniques. That much I was able to glean from watching Tante fight.

However, Wisp...

Wisp moved like the wind, avoiding attacks as if they were nothing. Even though he is meant to be a shaman class that is able to use Swords and Maces for their melee combat, he instead utilises fast and accurate punches and kicks to pummel and beat down on the werewolves while avoiding their attacks with impunity. There was little wonder I had mistaken him for the more infighting Monk or Martial Fighter Class, which tended to use fighting techniques like this.

He must have invested a large amount of points into Melee stats like STR and AGI, at the cost of his magic stats. It was another approach to playing the class; by focusing on one aspect of the class, he is able to make up for his weaker abilities while still having the utility of his other abilities.

I noticed that a totem hung from a pendant around his neck. It was glowing. Was he using Shaman magic to buff up his physical abilities? Not to mention that little roots kept sprouting from the ground and tripping over the werewolves each time they attacked, allowing Wisp to avoid and counterattack easily.

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

I couldn’t help but feel that he was holding something back, however; the glaring fact that he didn’t use a single party buff skill on us before the fight spoke volumes about this.

Needless to say however, I felt that Wisp was a pretty amazing fighter, looking at him. To be able to use even the simplest skills this proficiently; my blood boiled at the prospect of fighting him one day, and my senses suddenly sharpened.

[You have shrouded yourself in the heat of battle. AGI, Reflexes and Movement Speed have increased.]

Under the effects of Combat Immersion, I was able to easily see the movements of the remaining werewolf, and I moved at great speed to suddenly appear at the werewolf’s side and drive the lance into the werewolf’s ribs. The werewolf collapsed and disappeared.

***

“Boss, they managed to take out the first troop!! What do we do?” a much smaller and miniscule werewolf (who looked more like a wolf pup) came running in shouting.

A growl came from the shadows as the large lycanthrope that had been lounging casually at on a stone slab snarled at the news, causing the smaller werewolf to cower. It was hard and difficult to sleep on, but there was a bit of prestige involved with the stone slab, and Lyca liked being the alpha wolf.

Meaning that the intruders that boldly entered the cave might be a threat to his superiority, and threats must be removed.

“Send them in.” he snarled angrily, rising from his perch. “Send them all in!! And don’t come back until you bring me their heads.”

“At once, Boss.” the werewolf bowed and fled from the lair.

“Fools.” Lyca growled as he got up and prepared for battle. That was why he should not depend on his lowly cousins, who were mere simpletons that evolved from wolves when they reached a higher level. On the other hand, under his control, it was easy enough to coordinate them to perform simple tactical commands. They were fast, agile, and best of all, blindly loyal. They can easily flood the intruders in seconds and overwhelm them with strength in numbers.

But it had been so easy to subjugate them and rally them under his command. And those who spoke up against him were silenced quickly before they could exert any influence. And he took no more than 4 months to do it. 2 years have passed since, it had been rich and easy pickings for him.

It had been so easy... Perhaps a little too easy. He knew that, from the human side, once so dominant and strong, that had now become the weaker side of him, that whenever things come too easily to you, it was just as easily taken away.

He heard the rumors. Of a werewolf with a uniquely white coat and red markings, that led the rebels against his hold on Howler’s peak, following pure rage and instinct rather than rational thought. That white upstart mongrel shall rue the day he dared to impinge upon his territory, that he let his nose and senses do the thinking for him, Lyca thought to himself.

It was their human sides that gave the lycanthropes the advantage over the werewolves, and it still remained their best weapon... and their weakness.

The thoughts that run through his head, of crushing the rebels and establishing his rule, his wishes for power and glory and blood, they were merely hiding something underneath.

It was simply fear.

His ears pricked as they heard a snarling and slobbering at the back, and at once he turned, his claws flicking out from white paws, and his fangs elongating as he let the side of the wolf take over, that side more vicious and battle-ready than any other human could hope to be.

He howled once, and pounced at the arch nemesis that suddenly appeared before him.

*****

“That was a bit too easy.” I remarked, as I scooped up the loot that had just dropped from the werewolf I fell. Perhaps a little bit too easy. And I was rather banking on the universal concept of “Me and my big mouth” at that point. If the lycanthrope is like how I suspected...

“Don’t say tha-” Tante began, but I held up a hand to forestall her rebuke as my ears picked up the sounds of many footfalls, pittering down like the rain.

You can always depend on that rule, I thought. How incredibly convenient. The Lycanthrope had acted accordingly to how I had predicted.

My augmented senses suddenly spiked, sending me information of a ridiculously large number of enemies approaching. I grinned. Perhaps it was a good chance for me to get into Berserk Impulse so that I can visit Shaft.

“Lance.” I muttered. “Please go tell Shaft that I will be dropping in, oh, about 15 minutes or so?”

“Noted.” Came the reply, and I felt something heavy depart from my presence.

“Guys. We better get moving. There’s a suddenly large number of enemies approaching us and most likely we shouldn’t be staying in for the party. They don’t seem to be serving food and beverages.” I said, resting my lance against my shoulder. Most likely the group that we just encountered was just a scouting party to properly gauge our strengths. As expected of the Lycanthrope that was leading them, he was able to coordinate the werewolves to that extent.

Lycanthropes differ from werewolves in that they were the kind that transformed from Humans after being bitten by another Lycanthrope, as opposed to werewolves that evolved from regular wolves after reaching a high enough level. As such, Lycanthropes were deemed more dangerous as they still retain some form of human intelligence, and are able to subjugate and control large numbers of werewolves according to their intelligence level. The fact that Lycanthropes are also stronger and faster than their counterparts, as well as knowing how to fight also helps in that fact.

“I don’t think we will be able to avoid this.” Tante replied, as she slammed her spear shaft onto the floor and drew her sword. The Spirit Warriors separated and formed a Spirit Soldier Half-Century, getting into formation as they prepared for battle.

She turned to Wisp, who was digging around in his inventory. “Now would also be a good time to stop holding back. You have been hiding something from us.”

Ah, Tante also managed to catch that as well? She is indeed my senior!!

“I have no idea what you are talking about...” Wisp attempted to bluster his way through, but he quailed under the stern look from Tante. He sighed and equipped a staff from his inventory. It was of a simplistic design, with a gourd hanging by a rope on the end of it. Tante looked at the gourd with interest.

“I haven’t seen a staff of this design wielded by a Nature-aligned shaman before. Are you sure you are as you say?” she asked. Wisp raised his Gourd Staff (which is what I’m calling it for now), and a red haze began to flow out from the gourd, shrouding us with a red aura.

“Wine is not just a drink of pleasure, it is also a drink of life.” Wisp intoned. “Raise the roof, and bring forth the Vista of the Gods.” The red aura become brighter, and with a loud *pop* sound, I could somehow see in the mind a wine bottle being opened as Wisp finished his spell.

“Drunken Haze - Light Drizzle.”

I could suddenly feel my body heating up and becoming lighter and more limber, and my senses were starting to hit overdrive. I looked at Wisp in wonder, and he shrugged.

“Have you taken wine before?” he asked. “Wine has a heating effect on the body and loosens up the spiritual flow in your body, improving battle tension and making it feel like you have nicely warmed up.”

Oh, what a helpful explanation. Wisp continued, his confident tone suddenly eclipsing the shy and uncertain look on his face from earlier. He drew himself up and held his head high.

“And that is when it is taken in moderate amounts. Taken in excess...” He raised the gourd staff again as he began to intone spell words again, the red haze taking on a deeper hue of crimson as it surrounded the pack of 40 werewolves as they charged in.

“The Wine shall flow like water, the God’s blessing infinite but deadly. Raise the roof, and bring forth the Vista of the Gods. Drunken Haze - Torrential Downpour!!”

The werewolves suddenly looked more vicious, but at the same time, their eyes are suddenly bloodshot and their movements less sure. There was snarling and scrabbling of claws as werewolves started to pick a fight with one another.

“Drunkenness is but a malady that plagues us in today’s society.” Wisp spoke in a sagely voice, performing another Buddhist hand gesture. “It removes all rational thought, and the evil and instinct rises to the surface. The irrationality brought forth by drunkenness is truly an amazing one to behold. Hence it has been said. Amitabha.” Wisp looked at me and nodded. “They should only be under the effects of drunkenness for a few seconds, so please make the most of it.”

Already some of the werewolves were shaking off the effects of the spell, but some of them clutched their heads painfully, their eyes still bloodshot. Don’t tell me werewolves also suffer from hangovers?!

Ah, whatever. I nodded at Wisp, and dashed right into the fray, Lance ablaze and stabbing out in a flurry of stabs. I had also said something to Tante as I rushed out, but I’m not sure if she caught it. Not that I can recall it anyway.

Under the effects of the haze, my body felt lighter, but it seems that some of my rational thought is removed (despite me still remaining surprisingly lucid and sober.). I wasn’t exactly thinking as I slashed and stabbed my way through the large pack of werewolves, much like what I recklessly did last time.

In their drunken confusion, the werewolves slashed at me, but the attacks went too wide or struck at one another. In that case, I can only assume that their accuracy is reduced in their drunken state as well. Which meant that risky strategies such as rushing at a large group of opponents like this is possible thanks to the support from whatever spell Wisp had cast.

Against multiple opponents, a possible strategy involves rushing at the enemy group and letting the enemy cut each other to shreds. However, this strategy calls for a large amount of courage, defense or evasion to execute properly. I had a considerable amount of defense from my newly purchased armor, and the werewolves are currently suffering from either drunkenness or hangover status, so I was able to avoid and take most of the attacks quite easily.

It didn’t quite stop me from getting hit by the werewolves though. My HP dropped bit by bit, inching closer to the Threshold, which had increased yet again from due to higher skill proficiency.

That skill was quickly becoming a problem, I decided, as I felt my consciousness fading away, my vision becoming a blur. With the last small amount of my concentration, I raised my lance, and gathered mana at the point. Slamming the lance head first onto the ground, I cast Power Wave on the ground. The ground began to rumble...

“I hope Shaft would know what he was doing, asking me to summon Earthly Shell for such a long duration.”

At this point, my vision went black.

******

Fog. Another throbbing headache.

NICE TO SEE YOU BACK. NOW, LET’S GET TO CHATTING ABOUT THAT METHOD. LANCE, IF YOU WILL DEMONSTRATE FOR US...

“Alright...”

A flash of red light, and then more fog.

*******

Tante, or Jeanne as she was known in real life, watched the horde of werewolves before her, the spirit soldier troop under her command armed and ready. While she watched the pack with eyes like a hawk, she couldn’t also help but feel a tinge of worry.

“I will create an opening. Get ready.” Howard had said this as he dashed out at the mob, as soon as Wisp cast his “Drunken Haze” spell and threw the pack of werewolves into disarray. He had aimed to make use of the confusion to throw them into greater disarray, and hence soften them up for Tante to swoop in and sweep things up. Much like what she had been doing for the past few battles.

He has been learning, she thought as she watched for the opening to reveal itself, her flag spear raised and prepared to give the signal to charge.

Suddenly, a shock wave emanated from the centre of the werewolf pack, and the very ground actually cracked and erupted upwards before her very eyes.

The werewolves were thrown into the air, and a gap is opened. Jeanne brought her spear down, giving the signal to charge, which, yelling and shouting fearful oaths to the heavens, the Spirit Soldiers under her charge proceed to do with much gusto.

There was much dust floating in the air from that shock wave, the silhouette of the stunned and currently crippled werewolves visible in the clouds.

Hacking and slashing and waving their swords and axes, the soldiers soon made mincemeat of the werewolves. Jeanne looked from the distance, checking Howard’s HP bar on the Party Window. If what Howard had said was actually true, she will need to dismiss the spirit soldiers, and fast. He could be in that state again.

The dust cleared, and from the looks of things, the rest of the werewolf pack had been wiped out. In the middle stood Howard, who looked none the worse for wear. He had that blank look on his face, which clearly signified that he was in that state again. Tante groaned and prepared to beat a sound retreat, signalling to Wisp as she did. Wisp inclined his head in acknowledgement, and kept himself on guard, keeping watch for any more werewolf patrols.

Suddenly, Howard’s lance glowed incandescent with flames, and the light returned to his blank eyes, his blank expression relaxing. He closed his eyes, as though attempting to catch his bearings.

“Howard?” Jeanne figured that it will be safe to approach, since she has not seen this state before. Howard turned, and opened his eyes. Tante was startled at the sight, the black irises that Howard normally had was replaced by that of a bloody crimson. He looked up, having noticed Jeanne coming towards him, and gave a bright smile, which seemed almost pure, like that of a child.

It soon became very clear to Jeanne that this new individual was most certainly not Howard, nor was he in that state, which was a good thing... or was it?

Howard (?) opened his mouth, and finally spoke.

“Howard is currently away for the moment. My name is Lance, and it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

[To be continued.]