Both the native guards in the room erupted in panic at seeing the news about the new monster surge. The Purifier’s lips pressed into a tight line but otherwise, she seemed calm. While Dren only cared about getting help for Ren, his mind raced for something to offer this stubborn woman.
“Maria said it would be obvious.” Her tone was soft and thoughtful. Somehow cutting through the panicked muttering of the other two. Her words seemed to snap them out of their panic, and both seemed to pull themselves together.
Dren just nodded. “Yes. I can also…” He was cut off.
“Will you fight to protect my Haven?” She spoke softly, but her eyes carried an intensity that belied her age.
“He is only one person. His level isn’t THAT high. And how much good can a beast tamer be without their beast.” Gerald snapped.
She gave him a look that spoke volumes and the mage shut up instantly. “If you will heal Ren. I’ll murder every damn monster that comes.” Dren answered instantly. But then frowned. “Why would you need my help? With your level, monsters five levels below shouldn’t be too difficult. Not that I won’t still fight, if you will heal Ren.”
She nodded. “My class is more akin to that of a healer. But even then I have deviated further away. I found I could use my purifying abilities on the materials used for crafting. The more I did it not only could I level up faster. But the system gave me more skills towards that. Thanks to this I have been able to level rapidly without needing to fight. Since I freely refine materials for crafters, almost all the population of our town is crafters. We have only two combat teams. Both of which were gone to different dungeons. We have sent runners to try and fetch them. But, it is impossible to contact those inside a dungeon.”
Dren resisted the urge to shake his head. What was with so many of the natives choosing to be weak? But, this time it would help him out. “Fine. I’ll defend your town. In return, heal Ren.”
“This is stupid, how can one…” Gerald started again and the woman snapped her head to him.
“Go get our forces together. Put the bulk on the Eastern entrance.” She sighed. “I really wish we could have afforded those draw bridges.” She glanced at Dren. “You will defend the Western entrance. It is the one you entered by. If you need supplies let me know and we can arrange them. Assuming you live, we will consider it a down payment.” She paused to add. “So long as you are reasonable.”
Dren just looked at the woman. “Contract. I want a contract that you will heal Ren. Right away. It will ensure that I hold up my end of the bargain too. So it won’t be bad for you either.”
Gerald who was half out the door snapped his head back to glare at Dren. The Purifier looked at him seeming not pleased either. “I don’t think we need to go that far. I promise to heal your companion.”
“Contract. Or me not fighting for you will be the least of the issues you soon face.” Dren was done playing nice. He would help these people but only if he was sure that Ren would get healed. Without any further delays either.
His cold tone and threatening words seemed to hit the Purifier like a slap. It also seemed the last straw for Gerald. Even the quiet until now Defender seemed angered. Gerald reached for his wand, his mouth opening to spew forth his outrage. But then he seemed to slow as Dren’s eyes flashed with bronze light. An instant later his elbow smashed into the face of the mage. At this, the Defender drew his sword. His movements were still quick but his face showed surprise and strain at the effort it took to move. Dren’s eyes flashed azure and the Defender’s eyes rolled up in into his head as he collapsed. Geralds movements resumed moving at normal speed as he rolled on the ground howling in pain. But remained conscious.
‘Strength resists the stamina aura. Intelligence resists the mana aura I guess.’ He turned his gaze back to the Purifier. “I will defend your Haven. But only with the contract. And you need to start healing Ren now.” Dren’s visage softened. “I don’t… She is in pain.”
For a moment it looked like the Purifier wasn’t willing to give up on this. He wondered if the woman had planned on not healing Ren after all. Then her stern visage seemed to break. “Maria had better known what she was doing.” With a nod from her, a contract appeared. Dren read it over and found that she would start healing Ren immediately. In turn, he had to do everything in his power to protect the village. According to the contract, it would take several days for her to cleanse Ren completely. If the Haven fell before then, she was no longer obligated to continue. Dren read it twice then signed it.
“Penny? Purifier Penny?” Dren couldn’t resist asking.
“I thought your name was Walter. What kind of name is Dren?” There was a bit of heat in her tone and Dren forgot that he had used the alias again. “Never mind. Just don’t use my name.” She shook her head slightly. “I hate being called Penny. Call me Purifier or Lilly, it is my middle name and I prefer it.” She glanced at the two guards as they struggled to recover and pursed her lips but said nothing else about it. “I will get started healing your companion. After I make a few more arrangements. That will be acceptable?” Dren nodded hesitantly.
“Good. Let me find someone else to help you with supplies you might need. I don’t think…” She glanced at the two men now standing. One with a bloody nose.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Dren cut her off. “I don’t need anything.” He then stopped. “Actually. You said there are crafters? What about a weapon smith?”
Purifier Penny frowned but nodded. “Follow me.”
*****
“Are you sure you want to be down there?” Kitty the Archer yelled from the wall above him. Dren wasn’t sure if her name was really Kitty. But that is what she said to call her. It was the same level twenty archer that had been on the gate when he arrived. She was now joined by half a dozen others. Most of them were low level in their combat class but higher level crafters. He even saw one that was thirty, a wood worker. Dren wasn’t expecting much from them. Those that were neither mages nor archers had buckets of rocks to drop on monsters at the gate. Like Dren, they couldn’t use the wands or bows provided by the system without the required skills.
“Yeah. I am better off down here. I can’t do much from a wall.” Dren was standing at the far end of the little land bridge in front of the gate. He adjusted his bandolier and its new throwing knives. They were freshly forged and not particularly pretty. Raw metal was barely shaped enough for the system to register them as throwing knives. But that was fine for their purpose. Each was hammered out of metal imbued with both an explosive rune and an empowering rune. Then enchanted with both. With just two hours Dren hadn’t expected much from it. But the smith had hammered them out like a madman. Getting him two dozen of the weapons in no time. Dren had rapidly enchanted them. The two lesser runes being terrifyingly easy to do. He hadn’t done this in a while and the imbued materials made it even easier.
The haven even had freshly made potions. Some even better than the starter ones. Providing more resources and with a shorter cooldown. Dren almost wished he had gone alchemist. But it appeared getting the materials for them was a bit of a pain. Still, he had managed to finish enchanting all the daggers and topped off his mana with time to spare. Not much, but a little.
Dren drew his daggers and just glared at the forest around them as the timer ticked down. Ren was currently in the care of the Purifier. He had checked in to make sure she was doing her part and starting before taking his post. With Ren being taken care of, he just needed to stay alive now.
In the corner of his vision, the timer ticked down to zero. All around him, the world seemed to hold its breath in anticipation. Yet, nothing happened. Seconds passed slowly until almost a full minute had passed. Dren frowned. He had been in a dungeon during the last Monster Surge. So he hadn’t fully known what to expect. But he expected something. He was just about to ask those watching from the wall what was going on when the howls started. It wasn’t like the wolves he had dealt with before. More a shrill whooping with loud roars mixed in.
Then they came. With a thundering sound, hulking gorillas barreled out of the woods. Their huge fists smashed into the ground as they charged forward. Each of them was a good three meters tall and nearly as wide. Brutes that could crush a man easily. Seeing a dozen huge normal gorillas rushing out of the woods would have been terrifying enough. Sadly, these weren’t normal. Their bodies were covered in what looked like stone armor.
Behind them came smaller monkeys. Only a meter tall and looking like spider monkeys that swung out of the trees before flowing around the hulking gorillas as they charged. They didn’t rush ahead but seemed to be keeping pace with them. Circling the brutes while making shrill howling sounds. Like the gorillas, they weren’t normal. Instead of fur, their bodies were covered in dark green scales and each of their multiple tails ended in a serpent's head.
Finally, a third enemy entered sight. Loping orangutans emerged from the trees. Instead of stone armor or scales they were covered in bright orange flames. The fire seemed to have no effect on them as they let out long loud howls.
Dren’s eyes narrowed as he identified them all. Each was level twenty eight just as the message had said they would be. Three dozen total of the beast charged. Their mixed howls were deafening and their charge made the ground shake. Heart thundering in his chest he activated his battle focus. His sights were on the bulwark of stone armored gorillas in the lead. Arrows and spells sailed over his head to rain down on the charging horde. Yet, they seemed to do little as the serpent tailed smaller monkies moved behind the armored gorillas. While the flaming orangutans were further back. Dren was debating teleporting into them now or waiting until they were funneled by the land bridge when flaming projectiles soared over the enemy front line.
Most of them were aimed at the defenders on the walls. But several sailed right towards him. Dodging back he avoided them easily. But when they struck the ground they splattered sending out a spray of flaming goo. Only a little splattered him and with the fire resistance from his mask it did no real damage. Still, he patted it out, and only then did the smell hit him. All he could think was to wonder why his mask didn’t filter out the stench. He could only guess it was because it wasn’t actually a toxin and he had found his mask by default let smells in. Otherwise, it would be one of his senses robbed from him that might be important. Right now, it wasn’t. With a thought he had his mask provide him pure fresh air. But that didn’t do anything for the smell of it still lingering in his nose. Or the raw disgust he felt at the monsters throwing, of all things, flaming shit at him.
Enraged Dren felt it was time to test his last aura. He was still angry he hadn’t thought to use it against that Scourge person. It took no effort to register all the charging apes in his mind as his enemy. Then fed his tattoo a rush of his own life force. Going so far as to feed it a full five hundred that he might take a healing potion to top off right away. Crimson light flashed in his eyes and a ripple of energy dense enough to warp the air around him washed outward over the horde. As the ripple passed over the charging army of monsters they collapsed. The momentum of their charge pushed their bodies across the ground until the lead armored gorilla came to a stop within arms reach of Dren.
Silence fell over the scene as the cacophony of howls ended all at once. Dren could see that his aura had pushed past even the flaming shit flinging monkies in the back. With a gulp, he swallowed down a health potion. Perhaps five hundred had been too much, as the skill had obviously multiplied it. ‘This skill… It is too powerful. I love it.’ That was his thoughts at the scene before him. Even better, every kill increase the power of that ability even if it was just a tiny bit more.
While Dren basked in the power of his new ability. The defenders on the wall shared a look. Word of what had happened during the meeting with the Purifier had spread. Gerald made no attempts to keep quiet. Some had even plotted against the stranger. Perhaps an accident would injure them. While some even plotted murder. After all, fighting during a Monster Surge of this level was dangerous. But after that show. All thoughts of fighting the strange Beast Tamer were gone.
Dren was pulled from his moment of glory by a new chorus of howls. It sounded as if the first wave was but a small teaser.