Journal Entry # 32
Lesson Number 3 – You are a danger to everyone around you.
I thought I knew this one already, it is the reason I had to leave my village after all, but it didn’t truly sink in until yesterday.
The fortress was under attack. A salilipede, a half-salamander half-millipede looking greater varmint, was trying to climb the stone walls of the crownwork, but the guards seemed to have everything under control. That was until I peered over the wall to get a better look. Despite my poor mana sight, I could see how volatile the mana was inside the creature, and almost didn’t notice when it jerked its head towards me.
It went into an even greater frenzy, ignoring the crossbow bolts pelting it, and skittered along the wall straight towards me. I still can’t summon Fire or Water to fight, so I ended up backing away in fear and had to let the orc intercept the salilipede when it crested the battlements. He crushed the head with a single blow from his club, then chuckled afterwards with his deep baritone when he saw my frightened form.
We ended up splitting the kill with the local garrison, but the fact the monster ignored the soldiers hurting it in favor of me left a sinking feeling in my gut when I left to train with the witch that night.
---
Travis
Philiadra River – Cattail County
ETA to Brushstroke Fortress – Unknown
I stood nervously on the main deck with my squad, awaiting orders as some of the commandos and corpsmen secured the prisoners aboard the captured pirate ship (save for the one giving the ship captain directions), then rowed ahead on the vessel to warn Brushstroke of the potential threat. My gaze shifted to the miniature anti-behemoth cannon being fussed over by the beardless artificer, then to Lancel who was holding onto a pendant with one hand and muttering a prayer.
“Hey,” I gave his arm a nudge after he finished, “have you ever fought one before?”
“No,” he whispered back, “I’ve always been assigned to line infantry behind the outer walls. The closest I’ve gotten to one before was back during my first flood. I was on wall duty with the other privates getting acclimated when this massive… thing… quadruple the size of our ship here, crept over the horizon and sent the wave attacking us into chaos. I tried to pull out the telescope Tristan gifted me to get a better look, but before I could raise it up, the entire wall started quaking when the artillery on the nearby crownwork began firing, and I almost dropped the thing into the moat.”
Lancel took a fresh inhale, then steadied his nerves, “The worst part came next when my ears stopped ringing a minute later. The noise… I… I can’t really describe it. Entire sections of the behemoth were blown to shreds, and it was spilling blood and ichor all over the field. It was then that every single monster in the area rushed the injured behemoth, and… started clawing and chewing on its still living carcass…”
“Merciful gods and God, that sounds horrifying.”
I heartily agreed. Professor Ulaphine didn’t go into too much detail about behemoths in class, stating that we’d go into more depth during our final year, but he did give us the basic rundown.
--“Behemoths are the result of every chimera that manages to consume enough biomass. Their increasingly feral minds eventually lose all self-preservation to not consume the cysts of other monsters, leaving them even more vulnerable to developing infectious growths. Like a chimera, extra limbs, eyes, mouths, and other appendages can appear; regardless of whether it’s in a functional location. Consequently, the numerous sources of different monsters will often turn it into a shambling mess, only able to crawl from meal to meal and lack any direct combat or magical ability. Do not for one second assume this to be the norm or that they can be dispatched easily from range. Older behemoths can gain a semblance of unity and will be able to reconfigure their bodies into a more efficient design.”
“What makes a behemoth particularly dangerous is two things; its ability to quickly regenerate via self-cannibalism and the way it draws in nearby monsters. Their high volume of low-grade flesh can trick monsters into thinking they’re attacking a large group of weaker prey and will only grow more enticing scent-wise for carrion eater varmints after the behemoth gets injured defending itself. Stronger monsters, such as the Elemental Eight, will be intelligent enough to avoid them, but do take precautionary actions should you ever encounter one; behemoths are the preferred prey of dragons.”--
My attention snapped back to the present when Captain Aguk stepped off the aft deck and directed his focus at us.
“The purpose of the Combined Arms Special Extermination Forces is to counter exotic threats to the three kingdoms. Behemoths fall under our purview. In twelve minutes, we’ll sail to the abomination’s last known location. Intel states that it is young, and likely still in a proto stage, but all caution will be taken on our approach.”
He gestured behind us to the large weapon on the fore deck, “The overall strategy will be to lure the behemoth into range of the ship’s cannon, then assault with magic. Novice Quinsandoral, step forward and present your helmet.”
Vesril moved forward to do as ordered, pausing only momentarily to set his jaw.
Captain Aguk placed a hand on the headgear, “I’m switching your private channel to the command group’s frequency. As the senior spellcaster of our battalion, I’m tasking you with coordinating the mages to formulate a response. The rest of us will be securing the battlefield and maintaining an exit route.”
The elven Ice Mage saluted the spartan, “Thank you for the opportunity sir.”
---
Vesril snarled after us mages met up on the aft deck after the briefing, “I had to complain about being bored…”
“See? Totally not my fault!”
I rapped my knuckles against Arc, not in the mood for his jokes given the situation.
“Sword irritating you again?”
“No, just—” I froze mid reply as I became aware of what I was about to confirm, leaving me too afraid to move my jaw or even breathe lest I say something incriminating.
A hand landed on my pauldron, and a smirking Mattius gave it a good shake, “Relax, I know you’re not going crazy, but… I’ve noticed you have a habit of hitting your sword whenever you’re frustrated. If you’re not mindful, people might start spreading rumors.”
A tension relieving sigh escaped me, “Thanks, I’ll uh… I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Cut the chatter!” Vesril barked, then looked over the gathered mages. “We don’t have the raw strength needed to overpower a behemoth, so our single option is to contain and chip away. Earth Mages, can you create a snap-jaw trap?”
Treblana shifted her gaze to Mattius, “I’ve never made one before…”
“They’re not complicated,” he assured, “basically just a support arch lined with [Caltrops] on the inside. If I stencil it out, do you think you can provide the mana?”
The Packer mage smiled, “I think so.” She turned back to Vesril, “We’ll make it work.”
“Good,” the elf nodded, “Fire will be our primary means of attack, but we’ll need to alternate different spell types to prevent it from adapting.” He then proceeded to lay out his plan, pausing only to ask the captains and artificer a few questions, then assigned us individual tasks for the mission.
---
Yellowtail Tributary – Goosepimple County
I’d seen some gorgeous paintings of Western Lakeland with Caldia when we toured art galleries on our… outing… and was not disappointed at all with the reality. Eras of erosion from the muddy river cut deep winding trenches through the grass covered hills, letting sunlight expose the vibrant shades of layered brown clay, but leaving dark patches of shadow. It was both awe inspiring and foreboding, and the knowledge that an abomination could be hidden behind the next bend was keeping everyone on high alert and my anxiety peaked.
“I’ll keep an eye on Mattius, but to be safe, maybe cool it on the jokes about me. He might misinterpret them as a call for help.”
Oh yeah, there was also that additional piece of stress to pile on the shit wagon. I really need to talk to Lancel, if anything, just so I can finally unload on someone I can completely trust.
Speaking of shit… I sniff the air once more to confirm the noxious odor failing to blend in with the wet earth.
“Hey,” I grabbed Vesril’s attention, “do you smell that?”
He raised an eyebrow, “Other than the usual stench of stale sweat and flatulence you humans and orcs give off?” Vesril sniffed, then his eyes went wide before spinning on his heel to Captain Aguk, “Sir, I believe we’re drawing close, and are downwind.”
The spartan nodded in acknowledgment, then shouted across the deck, “Spears up!”
Our ship seemed to float through molasses as we silently drifted along, but after making two more turns, sounds of fighting and chittering could be heard, and my heart stuttered when a dug-out quarry revealed our mission objective being assaulted by barrel-sized crayfish.
The behemoth was technically undersized and might not be officially classified as one, if you went by the monster field guide, but that didn’t make it any less disturbing to look at. The main body was a ball of oozing flesh and carapace six yards in diameter, tentacles on its back whipped around to ensnare prey, crustacean-like pincers and legs protruded out of the sides at odd angles to snip or stab, and far… far too many mouths filled with razor-sharp teeth consumed everything with a ravenous vigor. It left a shallow rut on the beach coming from a half-demolished ship, indicating that it wasn’t traveling fast, but given the number of monsters eager to feed it, the behemoth needn’t worry about hunting.
--Clayfish, a dual-element monster. These over-sized crawdads are best known for utilizing their high concentrations of Water and Earth Mana to fling mud at their prey to slow or trip them, then attack with pincers. Commonly found in muddy waters, their carapace is valued for its ability to filter contaminates from water, but their less than appetizing meat makes them only valuable to hunt when found in large numbers. Suggested method for disposal is to lure them into traps using rotten food.--
“Uh… Travis, you’re going to want to cover your ears.”
Huh?
I peeled away from the monsters in time for an ear-splitting boom to thunder from the foredeck. Crickets sang in my ears, creating pain as the echoes bounced end to end through my brain, and tears wept from my eyes as I struggled to re-open them.
The ringing faded after a couple of agonizingly long seconds, ushering in a bevy of orders that I needed to follow.
“Spartans, Knights, secure the beach! Squad 1 left, Squad 2 right. Mages, begin assault!”
Lancel, Reidar, and the other knights and spartans leap off the rail in front of me, splitting off into groups of eight to form outward-facing shield walls, then part to showcase the rupture left by the cannon in the behemoth. The artillery round made of human-steel blew straight through, staggering the abomination, but the already closing hole lets us know it won’t remain that way for long.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
“Full Fire and Wind.” Vesril commands over the squad channel, “Earth Mages, get that thing pinned.”
Mattius and Treblana jump over the water to reach the shore and start constructing the snap-jaw trap while I cast [Fire and Wind Bolts], grateful for our Aura spells concentrating the low ambient mana in this area around us. Our attacks do little more than annoy the behemoth as it tries to shake off the spells like a wet dog but are providing the needed distraction for Treblana to begin phase one of our strategy.
In concert with her arms, four rows of rock twelve feet long raise from the beach to slide across the ground and surround the behemoth. The mandibles of the trap then bite into the monster, snapping shut with a clap of her hands, and trapping it in place. Jealousy rears its ugly head as she maintains her spell despite the creature’s struggles creating fractures in her stonework, but I push those errant thoughts aside to focus on my contribution.
“Continue Fire. Wind Mages, vortex formation!”
I cancel my next [Wind Bolt], instead sending the mana along with every other mote I can tear off my membrane after Mattius and Vesril’s, merging with theirs into a multi-layer rotation array. The fires on the behemoth soon roar to life as they’re fed fresh oxygen, and the shriek piercing through the noise lets us know we’re putting on the hurt while we keep launching more and more fire spells.
“Cease Fire. Wind, smother.”
The Wind arrays I created with Vesril and Mattius shift into a repulsion configuration, and although it doesn’t completely stop all air movement, it is enough to starve the fires roasting the behemoth. Charbroiled skin soon reveals itself but given the amount of writhing the creature continues to make, I swiftly conclude that damage to only be skin-deep. Vesril commands us to release the spell, then launches a rotating violet Orb of Ice Mana. The spell greatly expands in diameter on contact, freezing the air, vapor, and flesh inside, and causing thermal expansion to carve deep fissures and cracks across the abomination.
“Retract Earth. Water Mages, move to standby position. Prepare for cannon.”
I hop over the ship rail, taking advantage of my [Earth Cleat] enchantment to soften my landing in the knee-high water, then use it as a conduit to channel my Earth Mana and pull up fresh sand. Mattius and Treblana already started with repairs, so I prepare to help by replacing the teeth on the trap arms with modified [Caltrop] spells but must pause partway through and cover my ears when the artificer announces their warning.
“Launching round in 3…, 2…, 1…”
Another boom vibrates through my body, but this time I’m able to watch as the hunk of metal pierces through the behemoth like a needle though a rotten egg, sending blood and guts flying, and knocking the abomination back a yard. Sadly, it’s only a needle and not a nail. Despite the gaping wound, the behemoth staggers back onto its legs, and I need to swallow down my own rising vomit when the abomination’s tongues begin lapping up its own innards.
Drozuk and the twins start drenching the monster with water to wash away its fuel, reminding me that I need to get back on task. I barely sneak in my portion of repairs right before Treblana clamps down again on the behemoth and manage to at least cast a respectable number of [Water Bolts] before Vesril commands us to switch phases again.
I detach all my gathered Wind Mana once more to create the miniature tornado, wait for the behemoth to dry off, then join Seleyna and the twins in igniting the behemoth into a bonfire, starting the cycle all over again. Some of the terror I feel fades as I watch Vesril freeze it the second time, mainly because I’m more ready to repair the teeth on the trap when its released, but seeing the artificer blast entire chunks off it with the cannon before I wash the gore into the river helps give me a visual indication of our progress.
We continue our onslaught, trusting the knights and spartans to keep us safe, and I fall into an almost meditative rhythm as I rotate through the elements. Wind->Fire->Earth->Water, Wind->Fire->Earth->Water, Wind->Fire->Earth->Water… I didn’t even notice when I started humming one of Arc’s tunes from the spell range, or remember when the anti-behemoth cannon stopped firing, but I didn’t care; the behemoth needed to die. It kept thrashing despite its growing impotence, even as bones and glowing cysts became exposed, but it seemed like no matter how much magic we threw at it, it would not stop struggling.
That was… until it did.
Vesril halted our attack, eyed the remains of the behemoth dubiously, then conjured a trio of icicles above the abomination before impaling it.
Still no movements…
Vesril raised a hand to his helmet, “Captain Aguk, target appears to be downed.”
“Copy that. Keep clear of the remains, I’ll send a group to confirm the kill.”
---
Reidar
Varguk had a big toothy grin and was rubbing his hands together while the corpsmen brought out supplies from the ship and returned with clayfish remains. The chef clearly had a plan, and Reidar could already feel his stomach rumble in anticipation, although that might have just been the usual post-battle cravings he’d get after a prolonged fight.
The feeding frenzy sparked by the injured behemoth lured in what must have been every varmint in an eight-mile radius, turning the battle into a marathon, and forcing him and the others protecting the mages to keep using mana reinforcement to push through the exhaustion. Luckily, no one was injured, and the captains ordered the battalion to rest while they investigated the damaged ship, so all he had to do was pray that his next meal would be soon.
“I’ve got good news and bad news!” Varguk shouted when he carried over a locked crate. “The good news is that I’ll be serving gumbo.”
Only halfhearted cheers came from the crowd. No doubt everyone was as worried as he was about what the follow-up statement might be.
“The bad news is… that it won’t be ready till tomorrow afternoon at the earliest. Which means for now…” Varguk bent down to unlock the crate then gave the squads a sideways grin, “mandatory double rations for everyone.”
‘Oh, is that it?’
Reidar watched as everyone but him and Travis collectively groaned with dissatisfaction, and almost allowed a smirk to form. It had been years now since he was reassured by his instructors and medical professionals the first time he tried a Mana-Rich Edible that he wasn’t an aberration, but never meeting someone else with his quirk always made it hard to believe it wasn’t just one more thing making him a weed among the grass.
With those thoughts in mind as rations were handed out, he decided to follow his therapist’s advice, breaking his MRE’s in half, and making the conscious decision to walk over and see if Travis wanted to split. His plan encountered a snag however when a Message came over the battalion channel.
“Junior Reidar, Acolyte Vesril, report to the damaged ship.”
‘That can’t be good… There’s only a handful of reasons they’d need a Junior Medic.’
Reidar internalized a sigh, spun on his heel with a grace that only years of practice marching in formation could accomplish, then followed the trail of destruction the behemoth created towards the ruins of the ship. It was hard to estimate the original size due to the entire back third being in tatters, but based off the remaining raised foredeck for the ballista and the exposed benches in the lower deck for rowers, he figured the pirate vessel was close to the dimensions of Warden’s Hammer. He kept at a sedate pace as he scarfed down his rainbow-colored treats, partly because he and the Ice Mage following him needed to be mindful of their steps, but more so he could finish his food before the inevitable occurred and he got his hands dirty.
Vesril let out a long whistle as they maneuvered past a heap of splintered wood barricading their ingress, “Must have snuck in as a small chimera, gorged itself on the sleeping crew, then grew too large and had to smash out.” The elf stopped to examine a damaged manacle then frowned, “Do human pirates keep slaves?”
“Modern pirates do not. They will however take prisoners when raiding, then ransom them for supplies or drop them overboard as distractions to escape naval ships.”
“Sounds like they learned a few tricks from my kind’s cousins. Do they bury collected monster cores on islands as well?”
“Not to my knowledge. Intelligence briefings state that they’ll use hunters to trade their collected monster cores for supplies.” Reidar pondered for a moment as he took in the damage, “That could be what lured the creature here in the first place, if they couldn’t find someone to launder them, their stash might have become too large.”
The Ice Mage nodded as the two approached the hole where Raven Four was waiting for them. The commando swore the two to secrecy, then led Reidar and Vesril inside. Dried blood covered the chipped and worn floor, a half-chewed arm was hanging from a hastily made patch job covering a split in the overhead rafter, and pornographic posters lined the walls, but what captured Reidar’s attention was the captains surrounding Lieutenant Karianne as she knelt to examine a dwarven body.
“Reidar,” the senior medic waved him over, “I need you to perform a non-surgical autopsy.”
He nodded, then stepped closer to start a visual examination. Beginning with the bare feet, he noted the lack of boots and thick layer of dried mud, gaunt legs covered with a set of filthy torn trousers, congealed blood pooled around a simple carved javelin jutting out of the bony chest, and—
Reidar gasped as he took in the head. A set of antlers poked out of the tangled mess of green hair, thick varicose veins snaked down the temples and neck, and instead of a beard, what appeared to be plant roots were sprouting from the dwarf’s chin.
“Zephoreas’ bloody blade!” Vesril invoked. “How does a mature dwarf develop advanced chimera sickness?”
That was a good question. Simply becoming a mana user immunized a person from most parasitic infections and contaminations that could develop cancerous cells in the body. He placed a hand on the dwarf’s chest, then closed his eyes to help focus as he sent tendrils of Wood Mana down towards the wound.
“There’s fluid in the lungs, signs of persistent anemia, heart is misshapen, a ruptured skroben…”
“Ugh…” Karianne grunted with sympathy, “that’s probably what did the bearded in.” She shook her head, “Poor thing, that’s not a pleasant way to go.”
Captain Aguk narrowed his eyes in confusion, “What’s a skroben?”
“Quickest way to describe would be a cross between a gizzard and a liver. It filters out toxic levels of heavy metals like lead, potassium, and mercury, then stores them in polyps attached to the organ. A simple case of ulceritis alone can cause severe abdominal distress, and rupturing one almost guarantees multiple organ failure.”
Raven Four peered over the medics to analyze the javelin, “Whoever did this must have been lucky or highly skilled. That organ is barely larger than a coin and well protected by the ribcage.”
“I don’t believe a high degree of luck was needed.” Reidar contributed as he concluded his analysis of the wound. “I’d need to open up the body and consult with a specialist to be sure, but I estimate this bearded’s skroben was the size of a fist when it got pierced.”
That seemed to confuse Karianne, “Are you detecting any foreign mutations in the immediate area? It normally takes a full cycle of consuming contaminated water and food for there to even be a noticeable increase in size.”
“Nothing obvious.”
Silence fell upon the room as the group digested the information, allowing Reidar to continue his investigation further down the dwarf’s body. He still didn’t find any cysts or foreign tissues, but there were multiple signs of prolonged malnutrition. If it was caused by chimerism, he couldn’t tell without performing a more invasive examination. He pulled his tendrils of Wood Mana back up, then snaked them into the neck and head, unsurprisingly discovering parasitic plant roots. He followed along them, eventually finding the expected mass of semi-hard tissue around a—
‘Oh no…’
Reidar felt Apheros’ grip on their connection tighten, sending a shiver down the back of his spine, standing up every hair on his body, and making every primal instinct in his body scream in terror.
The nature god was furious.
“Captain Adaline,” Reidar forced out, “this is not a natural case of chimerism. Someone implanted cut Wood Mana gems inside the temples of this dwarf.”
The royal knight cursed, giving the interior of the ship a second glance through a fresh perspective, then swore once more before raising a hand to her helmet and speaking over the battalion channel, “Lieutenant Fernrod, were there any cut mana gems in the remains of the behemoth?”
“Yes, I found two Wood Mana gems in the pile.”
“Separate them from the monster cores and advise the Staff Sergeant and Ship Captain that we’ll be transporting a secure shipment to Brushstroke.”
“Copy that.”
Captain Adaline took a deep breath, then turned to the group, “Raven Four, have your team sweep the area. Vesril, medics, I want this body packed in ice and sealed. This is to remain top secret. Understood?”
Reidar saluted the Royal Knight, “Understood Sir.”
---
Arc
Well… shit. I thought encountering a behemoth was bad enough, but knowing that it might have once been a dwarf…
My focus floated near Travis as he looked on in curiosity at the large storage chest being hauled aboard the ship by Reidar and Aguk, extremely grateful that he was being kept in the dark about this development. It’s been half a year now since his village was attacked by elves who’d undergone a similar alteration, but I’d prefer not rolling the die with PTSD, or given that there were no other signs of necromancer activity in the kingdom until now, the false perception that he was responsible.
Travis tapped me with his finger and whispered, “What are they hauling?”
“I can’t say. You’ll get in trouble for knowing.”
He shrugged, and to my relief, went back to talking with Lancel and the others. I watched him for a bit as he discussed the battle but couldn’t help myself from resuming my surveillance when I caught Adaline pulling out a Master Message Stone.
“Raven Two, this is Adaline, do you copy?”
“Go ahead Adaline.” A feminine voice I didn’t recognize answered inside the Royal Knight’s helmet.
“We’ve stumbled upon a false necromancer that died attacking a drydocked Mathildis the pirate and crew in response to a behemoth sighting. This one’s a dwarf with Wood Mana gems and complimentary mutations. I’ve got the body on ice, and so far, only the command staff, the medics, and Acolyte Vesril are aware of its existence. Requesting orders.”
“Ugh, seriously Ada… you couldn’t even wait a full day before another incident?”
“I’m just as much a pawn on the gods' gameboard as you are.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Red Feather warned us that bizarre things might occur on this mission. I’m checking on what we have for local assets. Just for confirmation, you have not directly informed P3 or Farmboy of the body?”
“Correct. To the best of my knowledge, they are ignorant of the situation.”
“Alright, we’ll stick to protocol for now then. I’ve got a team in Union that can overnight to Brushstroke and repatriate the body. Secure the parcel until then. Codeword for handoff is ‘axefish’.”
“Understood, I’ll orate a full report once we’re settled in the fortress.”
Huh, that’s interesting. I wonder who Red Feather is? Well, obviously a spymaster, but if they’re warning the captain that unexplainable things might happen on this trip, then maybe they’re aware of my existence? Heck, it wouldn’t shock me if they were a true paladin or even the Chosen of Ignitious given the name. Not to go full conspiracy nutter, but Ignitious is the god of Trickery, having their agent be the head of the kingdom’s intelligence division wouldn’t be that a big of a stretch.
I’ll have to keep an eye out for these guys. There’s no guarantee that they’ll be friends.